Comelec worried over possible manual system in 2010 polls

By Sheila Crisostomo. Philstar

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) expressed apprehensions yesterday that elections might revert back to the manual system with the failure of Congress to pass the P11.3-billion supplemental budget for automated polls for 2010.

According to Comelec Chairman Jose Melo, there is a snowballing proposal in the House of Representatives to use a “hybrid” of manual and automated systems.

He said deliberations on this proposal could further delay the release of the budget. “It’s been three weeks since the House began deliberating on our supplemental budget. Everything was all right until a certain congressman raised questions regarding a provision in Republic Act 9369 about manual voting,” Melo said, referring to Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez.

Golez had proposed to Comelec not to totally abandon the use of the manual system in the 2010 elections.

Golez pointed out the use of manual conduct of the elections is mandated in RA 9369. Golez led lawmakers in proposing that the local elections – from councilors to congressmen – should be done manually while those for national elective positions should be automated. To automate next year’s polls, the lawmakers wanted to amend the provisions of RA 9369 before allocating a separate budget to be used by Comelec.

“We are a little bit disappointed. I don’t think there is still time to pass the new law because Congress will be on recess (next week). We are in a quandary … we might end up doing it manually if we don’t get the budget soon enough,” Melo stressed.

Melo expressed concerns that another scandal-ridden elections like what happened during the 2004 presidential polls could occur anew if the 2010 exercise is done manually.

“If we go manual all the way, it would allow another Garci and that is the great danger,” Melo said, referring to former elections official Virgilio “Garci” Garcillano who was widely believed to have been responsible for rigging the results in Mindanao during the 2004 presidential elections.
National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chairman Henrietta de Villa echoed similar concerns of manual elections next year.

“We are really disappointed. They (congressmen) should have raised it a long time ago when they were still deliberating on RA 9369,” De Villa said.

(Comment: Hay naku, DELIBERATE and INTENTIONAL neglect na naman ito ng mga congressmen - who are, by the way, majority loyal to the administration - not to pass this law of automating the election. Nakakahiya na! This is really shameful and a total embarassment on the part of our our corrupt lawmakers who will do their utmost to CHEAT and WIN the coming election in 2010. I am sure there will be another GARCI next year - 101%! We are the only alleged 'democracy' in this world manually counting the ballots because of the blatant neglect of these sonsofbitches in the government. These corrupt officials not only can cheat the upcoming election, but also save the budget for automation and POCKET the budget in various 'hidden' means. It's time to kick them out of the government. Let us remember that these assholes are mere government servants and not gods and untouchables. The people now should be the ones to throw them out of office by not electing them. They rigged elections and corrupt the money. So, let us kick them out in embarassing manners so that their families and children will not have the face to continue their bad names). Hay, di natuto ang Pilipino! If we want to continue suffering hardships and injustices for the next 10 years, go ahead and choose these assholes! But don't blame me for it - Melo is right and Golez is thinking very shortsightedly - I already told you so!

'Danny LIm' ad 1st salvo for Senate run

By Jocelyn UyPhilippine Daily Inquirer, MANILA, Philippines

—It isn't a call to arms, but a signal to the people that they want a "moral leader" in the halls of power, installed not by extralegal means but through the 2010 elections.

That was how a reformist bloc composed of civilian professionals and active and retired military officers Monday explained the full-page advertisement that appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Monday declaring they were united "under the leadership" of detained Army Brig. Gen. Danilo "Danny" Lim.

"We are telling the people that they should consider Danny Lim as an emerging new leader, which will not be attained through extralegal means," Ernesto Macahiya, president of one of the groups, the Guardians Nationalist of the Philippines (Ganap), said on the phone.

"We intend to nominate him for senator either with the opposition or to run as an independent," said Macahiya, who described himself as a "retired banker."

Lim, detained since 2006 for alleged involvement in plots to unseat President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is "entertaining that suggestion," according to his lawyer, Vicente Verdadero.

In a statement sent through Verdadero, Lim said: "Not one to shirk away from challenges and responsibilities, I accept the mantle of leadership bestowed upon me."

Malacañang probe

Verdadero said the advertisement came as a surprise to Lim. "He was not aware that there was an initiative of this kind," he said.

The signatories in the ad included detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a former Navy officer.
The signatories in the ad – which cost P176,229 to put out – included active officers linked to the Oakwood Mutiny in July 2003, the Marine standoff in February 2006 and the Peninsula Manila hotel siege in November 2007, who are now held at Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame.

The ad has spurred an investigation by Malacañang.

Lorelei Fajardo, deputy presidential spokesperson, said a legal team was particularly checking if military officers on active duty were involved in the statement of support for Lim.
Not a threat

Fajardo said the Palace investigation would determine possible cases that could be filed against signatories who are still members of the armed forces.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said he was not considering the supposed statement of support for Lim as a "threat to the unity of the Armed Forces behind the chain of command."
"We have proven the unity of the Armed Forces behind the chain of command," Teodoro told reporters.

"What's important to us is that no military personnel in active duty is supporting him," he said.
"(The ad) is a political statement coming from some groups that have the freedom to express their sentiments."

Gomez disowns ad

One of the supposed signatories, retired Maj. Gen. Johnny Gomez, Monday sent to Hermogenes Esperon, presidential management staff chief, a text message denying any hand in the advertisement.

"Be informed that I have not joined the group of Danny Lim nor am I one of those who officially declared that 'we are formally united under the leadership of B/Gen. Danilo 'Danny' Lim," a Malacañang statement quoted Gomez as saying.

In the paid advertisement, the signatories said they had agreed to unite under Lim's leadership for his "impeccable character."

"He has the essential leadership qualities to steer us towards our vision; he has consistently displayed uncommon valor and patriotism in the face of extremely difficult situations," according to the ad.

Fed up with 'trapos'

The ad was initiated by several reformist groups including the Guardians, Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabayan (RAM), Bagong Katipunan, the Magdalo and the Samahang Magdalo group, Macahiya said.

"We all look up to him as the moral leader who was not corrupted by this regime," Capt. Ruben Guinolbay said, responding to written questions. He is currently detained at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal.

Lt. Col. Achilles Segumalian, a former battalion commander deployed in Mindanao, said what the country needed in the coming elections was an honest leader like Lim.

"We are supporting him because we're fed up with traditional politicians who only work for their personal desires," Scout Ranger Maj. Jason Aquino, another signatory, said.

Segumalian and Aquino, both detained at Camp Aguinaldo, spoke through lawyer Trixie Angeles.

Other retired officers who signified their support for Lim included Lt. Gen. Romeo Dominguez, former Northern Luzon commanding general.

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a former Armed Forces chief of staff, said he had heard as early as two weeks ago from young military officers that Lim was running for the Senate in 2010.

He said it was Lim's right to run for office if he wanted to.

"But he has to make a lot of noise to get attention,” Biazon said.

With reports from Christian V. Espiritu, Christine O. Avendano, and Leila B. Salaverria.

(Comment: I still prefer a civilian President than someone who comes from the military. This issue is very sensitive to Filipinos. Mr. Lim should run as my vice-president instead. Though I personally advocate for a strong military, I am not sold out to a military personality to run the government).

The Kind of Leader we need for 2010

By Harvey S. KehContributor

THE past weeks we have seen yet again another controversy involving the first family particularly first gentleman Mike Arroyo. According to an alleged report by the World Bank, the Arroyo has been at the receiving end of bribes given by contractors who aim to corner infrastructure projects run by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and primarily funded by the World Bank. As a result of this report, the World Bank has decided to suspend and ban these contractors from taking part I any future biddings for their projects. This issue has since elicited various reactions from our political leaders. Our Congressmen and Senators have since began their own investigations regarding this matter with even one congressman saying that it should be the World Bank and not Arroyo who should be investigated. Up until now, Arroyo continuous to create all sorts of excuses just to be able to avoid being called and asked by Senators who are trying to get to the bottom of yet another corruption scandal that has been an all too often refrain in this present administration.

What is primarily lacking in our present government and leaders is transparency and accountability. Sadly, our President didn’t even help as she even took out a right to information clause in our National Budget which would’ve made it easier for ordinary Filipinos to ask where our money is going. We have also seen that prior corruption and political scandals have died a natural death not because they were resolved but simply because the attention of media has been shifted to other equally pressing and important matters. Up until today, we still haven’t heard Senator Manny Villar explain clearly about the budget insertions that he allegedly made that would favor his real estate company.

Last week, we celebrated the first year anniversary of Jun Lozada’s expose on the NBN-ZTE deal but up until now its alleged main perpetuators are still enjoying their lives playing golf. Finally, we will already be going to the 2010 national elections and even up to now, there is still no closure in the 2004 Hello Garci elections controversy.

Given the kind of government that we have had the past 8 years, we have seen it to be a government that has continued to condone and perpetuate graft and corruption at all levels. Several democratic institutions such as the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Office of the Ombudsman have also been compromised. Thus, while many of us are already starting to lose hope in our government and our political system, I believe that this kind of situation calls for us to be more vigilant to look for a leader that will first and foremost be God-fearing, ethical and morally-upright.

I have always believed in the saying that a great leader is a product of the need of his or her time. We have seen in the United States of America that they were able to elect a African-American President in Barack Obama simply because they wanted to see a drastic change in the way their country was being run.

As if on cue, one of Obama’s first Executive Orders was to ensure transparency and social accountability in his government by banning current lobbyists from serving in his government. Right now, I believe that our country needs a righteous leader more than a leader with a Doctorate in Public Administration. It seems that we have often looked at the competencies of the leaders we elect while failing to check whether or not they have a genuine heart to serve our countrymen. I am not saying that competencies and skills is not important but with the kind of situation that we are in right now, our next President should primarily have the strength of character and unceasing will to battle the growing corruption found in our government today. I have always believed that leadership skills can easily be learned but the character and principles of a leader whether good or bad cannot easily be changed.
Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com.

Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government

23 Years After EDSA, Marcos cronies are back!

GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc Updated February 23, 2009 12:00 AM

At first Malacañang declared there’d be no celebration this year of the People Power Revolt. But belatedly last Friday it suspended school today to mark the popular uprising’s 23rd anniversary. And hurriedly yesterday Gloria Macapagal Arroyo laid a commemorative wreath at Libingan ng mga Bayani. Yesterday’s ceremony and today’s special holiday are on the wrong venue and date. Past fetes have always been at the EDSA Memorial on Feb. 25, the day Ferdinand Marcos fell in 1986. The Arroyo admin seems averse to observing the EDSA Revolt. Any revelry would only point up the unpleasant truth. People Power brought down a dictator and his cronies; today Marcos’s confederates are back — as Arroyo cronies.

Juan Ponce Enrile had enforced Marcos’s martial law for 14 years, before a 1986 breakaway that sparked the civilian-backed military mutiny. As defense minister he muzzled the press and jailed dissenters. He also led the takeover of the coconut industry. Today Enrile is Senate President and one of Arroyo’s chief defenders against exposés of corruption and abuse.
Enrile and Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. were the only civilians among the “Rolex 12” plotters of military rule in 1972. They partnered to govern the coconut sector, from planting to harvesting, processing to trading. Using personal and public funds (coco levy) Cojuangco gained control of food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp. in 1984. Ever loyal, he and his family flew with Marcos to exile in Hawaii in 1986. Cojuangco returned years later and formed the Nationalist People’s Coalition. Today the party has two senators, 63 congressmen, and dozens of local officials, all aligned with the Arroyo admin. Cojuangco continues to nurture assets in the police-military establishment; the present defense chief is his nephew.

Cojuangco regained SMC in 1998 and, with sidekick Ramon Ang, grew and diversified it into mining, utilities, and infrastructures. His recent foray into energy was most intriguing. In Oct. 2008, just weeks after Ang disavowed interest, SMC bought 27 percent of Meralco, RP’s largest electric utility. The block came from GSIS, the state employees’ pension fund run by Malacañang appointees. GSIS was already in talks with Metro Pacific to unload the shares for P26 billion cash, at least 50 percent more than its worth. Vivian Yuchengco reportedly got wind of it and, through close ties with golfing buddy First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, got GSIS to entertain SMC instead. GSIS relented, and SMC ended up buying the block for the same price, but at installment of three years.

Controversy didn’t end there. A nine-month-old firm called Global 5000 bought up another 10-percent block of Meralco held by other Palace-controlled agencies: SSS, Land Bank, and Development Bank of the Phils. Global 5000 is led by Cojuangco associates: former Marcos trade minister Roberto Ongpin, SMC board director Iñigo Zobel, and partner Joselito Campos (son of Marcos crony Jose Yao Campos). It is named after the long-range executive jet sent by Ang to pick up tummy-aching Mike Arroyo in Osaka, Japan, last Nov. Securities and Exchange Commission records show that Global 5000’s telephone is SMC’s trunk line. The outfit picked up the additional Meralco shares supposedly so Cojuangco can command a total of 37 percent. Market analysts say it is preparatory to wresting control from the Lopez family, which has 32 percent and whose ABS-CBN is a thorn on the Arroyo admin’s side. The separate purchase of the 27- and 10-percent blocks effectively skirted an SEC rule that any buyer of at least 35 percent of a listed firm must offer the same price to smaller shareholders. With Meralco shares trading below P60 in Oct. 2008, compliance would have cost SMC a heavy sum.

Ongpin’s role in the Meralco deal was a dead giveaway. Only weeks before he had paved the way for Cojuangco’s entry into petroleum. First, as agent of London-based Ashmore Group, he bought for $550 million Saudi Aramco’s 40-percent block in Petron, RP’s biggest oil refiner and distributor (42-percent market share). Government owned an equal 40-percent chunk through Phil. National Oil Co., but strangely relinquished the board to Ongpin’s group. Invoking right of first refusal, Ashmore then demanded that PNOC sell its block for the same price as Aramco’s. It was a distorted definition of the option. The proper procedure should have been for PNOC to publicly bid out its 40 percent. Fetching a higher tag than $550 million, it could have told Ashmore to match it, or else lose to the better bidder. As it happened, PNOC’s Malacañang gofers meekly accepted Ashmore’s price. At the time of sale the government even lost about P1.5 billion, due to a drop in the dollar value against the peso.

While all this was going on, Ashmore negotiated to sell to Cojuangco 50.1 percent of its Petron buildup. The final deal was for SMC to pay Ashmore in two years. But SMC gave up front $10 million “consideration”, by which Ashmore granted it seats in the Petron board. Business buzz is that the amount went to certain “coordinators”.

Cojuangco’s charge into Meralco and Petron followed an attempt to buy the state’s electric transmission lines. But the National Grid Corp. of the Phils., also close to Arroyo, had beat him to it. Arroyo’s party treasurer Ricky Razon and Endika Aboitiz, whom former economic secretary Romy Neri once described as “national oligarchs,” are part of NGCP. Critics have pointed out a breach of the law that bars electric distributors like Aboitiz from going into transmission. But regulators ignored them.

(Comment: Like I said, greedy Filipinos and their cohorts will hang to everything to survive or control anything and everything. Putting the welfare and benefits of the country and its people first would have given different twists for these things to happen. Perhaps many of these cronies and their cohorts would have landed in jail a long time ago should the succeeding leaders and the Filipinos as a whole (after Marcos) have done their part in prosecuting these cronies that had plundered the country. Nagpabaya tayo kaya nakawala ang mga ito. Ngayon, sila pa ang mayayaman at nagpapatakobo ng negosyo at gobyerno sa atin. This time, sa susunod ba eleksyon, matuto na tayo at pangalagaan ang boto. Maging responsableng mamamayan na nakikialam. Accountability and transparency should be on top of the agenda for the next leader of the country. Ipaimbistiga ang mga cronies at kapag guilty, ikalabuso!)

Colonial mentality

Philippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 02:16:00 02/17/2009Filed Under: Foreign affairs & international relations, Subic rape case, Crime and Law and Justice, Veterans Affairs

That is one mental and psychological affliction that we as a people are still suffering from, more than a century after we won our independence from Spain and more than half a century after we regained it from the United States. And colonial mentality reared its ugly head again last week.

The first manifestation was when Philippine officials said they could not have US Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, a convicted rapist, detained in a Philippine jail despite a ruling of the Supreme Court that he be kept in a Philippine-run facility, and not the US Embassy, while he awaits the result of his appeal.

The second manifestation occurred when many people, including government officials, jumped up and down like chimpanzees after the US Congress passed a stimulus bill that includes a provision granting Filipino veterans of World War II a $15,000 compensation each if they are living in the United States and $9,000 if they are in the Philippines.

Bayani Mangibin, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs, said that any new negotiations on the custody of Smith would have to wait until the Americans are ready to talk. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the government could not start negotiations on the transfer of Smith to a Philippine jail because his conviction for rape is not final yet.
But the right approach to the issue was that suggested by retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban: Junk the Philippine-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and consider Smith like any other accused, whether Filipino or otherwise, and confine him in a Philippine jail immediately. That should have been the move taken by a self-respecting sovereign nation.
Administration Senators Joker Arroyo and Miriam Defensor-Santiago have also urged Malacañang to scrap the VFA and immediately take custody of Smith.

The Supreme Court has spoken: Smith has to be detained in a Philippine-run facility and not at the US Embassy, and yet the Executive Branch is hemming and hawing and awaiting word from the US Embassy. What are we, an independent, sovereign nation or a colony of the United States? Panganiban, Arroyo and Santiago have pointed the way to an honorable and self-respecting approach to the issue, and we hope Philippine officials will heed their advice and assert the sovereignty of the Philippines in this case.

On the matter of compensation for Filipino World War II veterans, Arroyo said it is “too little and too late.” The senator estimated that each Filipino veteran would get only P7,000 for each year of the 63 years that he waited, or a measly P600 per month. Filipinos now cannot help but suspect that the United States kept postponing the payment of compensation to Filipino veterans so that their number would be substantially reduced by death.

Is this any way to treat the surviving members of the army of nearly 200,000 Filipinos who were drafted to fight side by side with the soldiers of Gen. Douglas MacArthur? President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised to indemnify Filipinos to the last carabao they lost fighting the Japanese. But here we are not talking about carabaos being killed but about Filipino soldiers who risked their lives in fighting the Japanese.

Filipino soldiers risked their lives to defend not only their homeland but also America. Some historians said that the Filipinos’ valiant stand on Corregidor and Bataan upset the war timetable of the Japanese and thus they may have prevented a Japanese invasion of the United States. And for doing this, all they get is peanuts?

The $9,000 lump-sum compensation for the surviving Filipino veterans is a measly amount. Let us hope that our officials will lobby the US Congress for additional compensation, and for other benefits extended to US veterans, such as health care and insurance. The Filipino veterans of World War II deserve nothing less.

It’s time government officials and ordinary citizens shed their colonial mentality. It has been more than a century since the Philippines gained its freedom from Spain and more than half a century since it regained its independence from the United States. The government should stop acting as if the Philippines were still a US colony, assert the country’s sovereignty and stand up for the rights of its people.

(Comment: When are we Filipinos learn to accept the fact that Americans are Americans and Filipinos are Filipinos. When are we going to start learning to stop being dependent to the Americans? (With respect to our more than 2 million Filipino-Americans in and out of the U.S.) Though President Obama is the first U.S. colored president, still Filipinos - and other non-white Americans - are considered 2nd class citizens. That is a solid fact. Our American colonial mentality should stop NOW! Let us start thinking that Filipinos can do it too! That we can create our own, produce our own, and rule our own. Now that the U.S. is in deep recession, there is no way that the country can send aid to us or help us in future conflicts. We have to strengthen our own foundations by getting rid of corruption, cleaning the government, and bringing back the respect of our people. We should stand in our own two feet and we can only do this if we are united, are able to feed our people, and guard our own resources. Slowly but surely we can do many changes in our economy, way of thinking, attitudes, lifestyles, and discipline. These and other factors will surely make us independent and are able to revive our dignity and respect as a nation. There is no need to hate anybody or make war with somebody. Let's work together and help each other towards a common goal of developing ourselves.

1 M bond for candidates

Nuisance candidates Peter Cayetano and Fernando Po may think twice before casting their lot in the forthcoming elections in 2010.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is planning to impose a P1-million “campaign bond” to get rid of so-called nuisance candidates in the scheduled computerized elections.

“We are still looking at ways to do it, but we are toying with the idea of putting up a P1-million bond for those aspiring for national positions so we could easily purge our list of candidates,” Comelec Chairman Jose Melo disclosed.

Melo said there is a need for the Comelec to purge the list of candidates because it is costing the poll body a huge sum of money in the printing of ballots containing a long list of aspirants, including nuisance bets.
He said under the current regulations, almost any Filipino can comply with the existing requirements and file their candidacy for various national and local positions.

Melo noted that there are people who just file their certificates of candidacy just so they can see their names in the list of candidates while others do it to “break down” votes of well-known aspirants.

Comelec records showed that a certain Fernando Po has been consistently filing his certificate of candidacy every senatorial election for more than a decade, but usually he is removed from the list for being a nuisance bet.

A namesake of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano also filed his certificate of candidacy in the 2007 senatorial elections. He was eventually disqualified.

Melo said the Comelec hopes to purge not only the list of voters but also the list of candidates for national elections.

“Those who have the capacity to mount a national (campaign) must also be able to put a P1 million bond,” Melo said, adding the Comelec may also require the same for local candidates.

Melo added that the Comelec is also considering coming out with a resolution that would forfeit the P1 million in favor of the poll body for those national candidates who would not be able to obtain at least two percent of the votes.

Aside from national candidates, Melo said, the Comelec also intends to purge the participants in the party-list elections.

“The participants in the party-list elections have gotten out of hand, any small group just claims to be marginalized and run in the polls,” Melo pointed out.

Melo said there are over a hundred party-list groups in the Comelec list.

“This is just a side issue, but we will have to look into this,” Melo said.

Sen. Loren Legarda welcomed the plan of the Comelec to put up a P1-million bond for national candidates to deter nuisance candidates.

“It’s okay to make sure that there are no nuisance candidates. But what we must focus on is automation so we can prevent massive fraud as in the past,” Legarda said.

Legarda said poll automation would also discourage vote-buying.

As this developed, Sen. Richard Gordon said he expects Congress to act immediately on the supplemental budget for the automation of the May 2010 elections as soon as its members return from Christmas break on Jan. 19.

Gordon said the Department of Budget and Management had finally submitted P11.9-billion supplemental budget request for poll automation to the House committee on appropriations.

“Malacañang and the Comelec have finally done their part in the submission of the budget proposal. Now it is Congress’ turn to act with dispatch on the supplemental budget for the 2010 automated elections,” he said.

(This Comelec idea may disqualify me to run for president - in case this ruling is passed.. Comment - This idea will not only curtail our rights to suffrage or for any Filipino to run in office. All Filipinos of the right age can run for any office in the land, but not all good Filipinos with good intentions to fix the country can afford to put up 1 M because the COMELEC says so. If the COMELEC has the right automation to count the ballots, no matter how many nuisance candidates put their names on the ballot, the real elected officials will come out. It's not the number of nuisance candidates that matter. It's how they make a good program on the computer that will eliminate the nuisance candidates from making the poll ineffective). Independent candidates here are severely discriminated. Hay naku, will any smarter Filipino heads the COMELEC, please - before they start counting the ballots again.

'Fix-cal' problem? Pay them more

By Artemio Dumlao, Philstar

BAGUIO CITY – Sen. Francis Pangilinan is urging Malacañang to immediately increase the pay of prosecutors or fiscals to reduce their vulnerability to bribes.

The senator said the government must push for the implementation of the salary standardization of government workers in order to discourage bribery and corruption in government.

“The important role of government prosecutors in the fight against criminality and lawlessness has been the main reason for the commission of bribery and corruption,” Pangilinan said.

According to the National Prosecution Service, an estimated 30 percent vacancy rate, or over 400 prosecutor positions, are vacant due to low compensation.

It is also reported that a janitor at the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) is paid more than a first level prosecutor at the DOJ.

“Government prosecutors are underpaid and overworked. Unless we raise the salaries of the prosecutors, bribery and corruption will continue to thrive in government. Keeping our prosecutors honest with their low pay is to prepare them for sainthood,” Pangilinan added.

Meanwhile, Speaker Prospero Nograles commended Marine Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino, chief of the Special Enforcement Service of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) “for working with the system to correct its flaws.”

In line with this, Nograles has reportedly directed the House Oversight Committee on Drugs to probe the so-called “Alabang Boys” drug case.

He has recommended a full-blown review of the operational coordination between the DOJ and the country’s law enforcement agencies, especially those involved in the anti-drug campaign, Gil Bugaoisan, public relations officer of Nograles, said.

The Speaker also recommended that Marcelino be given full protection to ensure his safety during the course of the congressional inquiry.

“Major Marcelino is a rare breed of soldier. Unlike others who choose to attack and destroy the government on the basis of some allegations, he decided to work with the system in order to correct what is wrong with our government institutions,” he said.

Nograles insists that the people need not go out on the streets to join rallies or take over hotels and threaten to bring down the government to correct the flaws in government.

“We can work hand in hand with our government institutions to correct some of its flaws,” he said.

Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara seconded Nograles’ position, pointing out that the “Alabang Boys” controversy shows that public vigilance is the best security that laws are enforced without fear or favor.

“The government is not perfect and therefore we need the public to exercise continuing vigilance over our law enforcement and judicial agencies to make sure that criminal elements and lawbreakers do not escape prosecution and just punishment,” Angara said.

Nograles said the DOJ and law enforcement agencies need to establish more viable operational partnerships. “They should be complementing each other in combating the menace of narcotics trafficking,” he said.
While the bribery issue on the “Alabang Boys” controversy may be hard to establish without any money trail, Nograles believes that the circumstances leading to the dismissal of the case by the prosecution are highly questionable.

Scrooge of Congress? Joker retains title (This one's for the record-ERS)

By Christina Mendez, Philstar

For 17 straight years, Sen. Joker Arroyo has remained the undisputed “Scrooge of Congress” for being the thriftiest, most frugal, tight-fisted, penny-pinching lawmaker.

The officially published Itemized List of Expenses of each senator for 2007 as audited by Commission on Audit (COA) showed that Arroyo had the lowest expenses for incumbent senators who served the full 12 months.

COA statistics showed that the senator incurred expenses of P12,293,084.06.

Only Sen. Manuel Villar came close, spending P12,442,323.98. Villar was ousted last November following speculations that he may have used his previous position as Senate President to pursue his presidential plans.
The COA report showed actors-turned-senators were the biggest spenders. Sen. Bong Revilla was on top with P15,889,626.66 followed by President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada with P15,449,229.69. Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan’s expenses amounted to P15,271,305.21 while Sen. Lito Lapid spent P15,103,242.15.
Pangilinan is the only non show-biz personality among the top four biggest spenders, although he is married to actress and mega star Sharon Cuneta.

When reached for comment by The STAR, Arroyo said he hopes to encourage his colleagues to be frugal in spending the people’s money. “I sacrificed for that. I deprived myself a few million pesos. I want to impress on my colleagues that we should try to be thrifty,” he said.

However, the senator expressed surprise when he learned that the newcomers in the Senate spent an average of P7 million for the first six months alone.

Seven senators who were elected in the May 2007 elections served only for six months in 2007 and therefore, their expenses should have only been half that of senators who served 12 months.
“Yet, their expenses are a revelation,” Arroyo said.

Records showed that it was detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV who had spent the most among the newcomers.
Trillanes is barred from attending session and cannot perform his duties as senator because he is in a military stockade.

For six months from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2007, he spent P8,167,433.95, COA records showed.

Analysis on that data showed that if you double that amount to simulate a 12-month service, the former Oakwood mutineer would be spending P16,334,867.90, thereby making him the biggest spending legislator ever in the Senate.

The six other newly elected senators had a median expense from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2007 of P7,602,386.00 or the equivalent of P15,204,830.00 for a full year.

That places them in the high-spenders’ list.

In ascending order, their expenditures are: Sen. Noynoy Aquino, P7,233,950.09; Juan Miguel Zubiri, P7,486,542.34; Alan Peter Cayetano, P7,490,153.03; Loren Legarda, P7,511,829.43; Francis Escudero, P7,782,864.79; and Gringo Honasan, P8,109,000.39.

Meanwhile, the mid-range spenders who spent P13.5 million to P15 million in ascending order, from the lowest to the highest, were Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel, Edgardo Angara, Mar Roxas, Pia Cayetano, Jamby Madrigal, Panfilo Lacson, Richard Gordon, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Rodolfo Biazon, and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

Records revealed that Pimentel spent P13,452,506.50; Angara, P13,579,151.74; Roxas, P13,810,176.81; Pia Cayetano, P13,916,309.50; Madrigal, P14,305,778.16, Lacson, P14,456,161.38;
Gordon, P14,491,565.44; Santiago, P14,806,163.63; Biazon, P14,895,189.42 and Enrile, P14,993,705.40.
Arroyo’s frugality with legislative monies started in the House of Representatives where he had no staff, except for a driver and a utility man, doing his work as congressman all by himself, including making his own phone calls. He carried this work ethic to the Senate when he was elected in 2001 and had a skeletal staff of three.

Arroyo is also proud of his perfect attendance record for 17 years. It’s like not being absent from class even once from Grade 1 until you graduate from college, he said.

Since Arroyo joined the government in 1986 as Executive Secretary up to the present, he has never traveled on government money.

Arroyo chose not to chair any committee in the present 14th Congress although he was offered two prize committees.

In the 12th and 13th Congresses, he chaired the Blue Ribbon Committee, the Public Services Committee, and the Justice and Human Rights Committee and has always prepared a committee report or at least a disposition report for every referral to any committee he chairs.

Arroyo has no media officer, writes his own press statements, discusses only issues he considers important and avoids subjects that he feels are inanities, but occasionally drops by the media office after everyone has filed his story and enjoys bantering with media.

Reporters who covered Arroyo in the legislative beats know that he writes his own press releases by hand, and even faxes them to reporters. Arroyo keeps a small phonebook where he writes the contact numbers of media and political personalities.

'Arroyo allies in House have P20-B pork'

By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Allies of President Macapagal-Arroyo in the House of Representatives have built up a large pork barrel by diverting close to P20 billion in proposed spending this year from debt service and agrarian reform to increase allocations for public works, local governments and Congress, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.

“Some congressmen are obviously more concerned with winning in 2010 than ensuring the economy’s survival this year,” Lacson told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II confirmed the dubious diversions.

“This is evidently a blatant attempt to raise funds for the Cha-cha (Charter change) and the elections. It is clear that the economy is the least of the President’s priority. She is bent on staying in power forever,” Roxas said.

Pork barrel finances the pet projects of legislators. Though the money is not directly released to senators and members of the House, pork barrel is believed to be a major source of kickbacks for lawmakers. The kickbacks come from contractors who bag the projects.

Lacson, a member of the bicameral conference committee, said the House version of the P1.415-trillion proposed budget for 2009 slashed P14.776 billion from debt service, P3.5 billion from miscellaneous personnel fund, and P1.3 billion from the Department of Agrarian Reform.

Public works

The cutbacks, totaling P19.576 billion, were allocated for the regional infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (P8.178 billion), additional spending money for local government units (P3.36 billion) and additional pork barrel for Congress (P1.46 billion).

A cutback of P6.578 billion has yet to be accounted for as this was most likely “inserted” in the 2009 budget.
The bicameral committee, tasked with reconciling the House and Senate versions of the proposed budget, is expected to resume its discussions with the resumption of sessions next week.

Bigger budget deficit

By cutting the proposed allocation for debt service, the House will be forcing government to borrow more, resulting in a bigger budget deficit, the member of the bicameral committee said.

The Arroyo administration has been urged to refocus the 2009 budget to make it more responsive to the country’s economic slowdown amid lower remittances from Filipino overseas workers and export earnings due to the deepening global recession.

Lacson said the members of the House wanted to redirect the funds to expense items controlled or influenced by them and local government officials to boost their political stock ahead of the 2010 elections.

Sweetener for Cha-cha

The senator said the fund diversion could be used as “sweeteners” to induce more lawmakers into supporting Charter change moves in the House.

Ms Arroyo’s allies in the House are pushing for a constituent assembly as a mode of amending the Constitution, which critics claim would extend the term of the President and other elected officials.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño said that allocating more money for regional projects of the public works department and the pork barrel of local government executives and House members showed that the proposed 2009 General Appropriations Act was an “election budget.”

“These funds should have been realigned to education, health, housing and social services,” Casiño said in a text message.

Earlier, senators were accused of making P20 billion in total insertions in the proposed 2009 budget that would benefit their pet projects.

Supplemental budget

House Speaker Prospero Nograles has pushed for the swift approval of the proposed P11.3-billion supplemental budget to ensure the automation of elections next year.

The budget covers the P1.3-billion budget for the preparations of the Commission on Elections and other government agencies, and P9.559 billion for the acquisition and deployment of poll counting machines.

Same Names, Same Politics, Same Poverty

Posted under 2010 Elections, Governance, PDI, 12/23/08

Last Wednesday, I had the chance to meet with Yoly Ong, the President of Campaigns and Grey, one of the country’s top advertising companies. During our meeting, she showed me the latest Pulse Asia Survey which showed who were the top candidates for the 2010 Senatorial Elections and I was no longer surprised to see familiar family names dominating the survey and that most of the people who belonged to the Top 20 were either incumbents, former senators and their family members.

Although I expected this would be the case given that majority of our country still votes based on popularity, I was saddened with the thought that if we continue to elect many of these same politicians then naturally, we can expect the same kind of service that we have been getting these past 20 years.

Looking back at the past 20 years since the EDSA Revolution, millions of Filipinos continue to live with less than 100 pesos a day while many of these prominent government leaders continue to live lavish lifestyles. Yesterday, the Social Weather Station (SWS) released a survey wherein almost 25 percent of Filipinos or almost 20 million Filipinos have grown hungry these past months. Yes, I agree with the argument that not all of them are perpetuators of graft and corruption and that there are still those who continue to do a good job but I’d like to believe that it may be time for us to start looking for new faces which will bring new values, new politics and new ideas in our resolve to finally put an end to the poverty cycle in our country.

Also in the news these past weeks are pronouncements of deposed former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada that he is still interested in running for the Presidency despite being convicted already of plunder.

On the other side of the fence, we have our current President and her minions in the House of Representatives trying their best to perpetuate her reign beyond 2010. At the rate things are it would be sad if we would be left only with two choices in the 2010 national elections, a deposed former President or the anointed one of our very unpopular incumbent President.

The challenge for us is to go beyond our apathy and indifference to politics since if we continue to choose not to be active in looking for morally upright, effective and God-fearing leaders for our country, we will always be left to choose between who is the lesser evil. I think the Filipino deserves more than the kind of service that many of our current government leaders our giving. We have seen in Naga City through the leadership of multi-awarded Mayor Jesse Robredo that if you elect a good leader then the people can expect good governance which will translate into better delivery of basic services. Now, Naga City has been transformed from being a sleepy third class municipality to the premiere city of the Bicol Region.

Yet, amid all these problems in our country, there are still rays of hope such as the recently launched Movement for Good Governance (MGG) which aims to gather 10 million votes for a Presidential candidate that will represent the values of effective, principled and ethical leadership. This group led by civil society leaders such as former Finance Undersecretary Dr. Milwida Guevara and Ayala Foundation’s Bill Luz face a daunting task ahead but if every Filipino will join them then at least we can all hope that maybe 2010 will be the year where genuine change can finally reign in our country.

Merry Christmas to all! May the year 2009 be a more prosperous year to all of us!
For more information about MGG, you can send an email to mguevara@synergeia.org.ph.
Help promote Good Governance in our country by sending free Kaya Natin! Christmas and New Year E-cards at http://www.yehey.com/ecards/ .

Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government.

Snubs show OBAMA is no RP friend

Analysis
By Amando DoronilaPhilippine Daily Inquirer

In the first blush of victory, US President-elect Barack Obama accepted congratulations from nine presidents and prime ministers and returned their calls. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, one of the numerous early callers, was not one of the chosen few.

The favored world leaders were Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

All are leaders of democracies known as important allies of the United States. Two are Asians—Aso and Lee; one is leader of the centerpiece of US policy in the Middle East, Olmert of Israel; Calderon heads Mexico, the most strategic US neighbor in Latin America; and the rest are leaders of Europe’s most important democracies.

Their talks ranged over a number of issues indicating the priorities of Obama as he moved swiftly to revamp the focus of US foreign policy, including the global financial crisis, the Afghanistan war, and the North Korean and Iranian nuclear crisis.

Sarkozy’s office said he and Obama spoke for 30 minutes, characterized as “extremely warm,” as they discussed the financial crisis and agreed to meet in the “quite near future.” It said they spoke about an international financial summit in Washington.

A second round of calls to world leaders quickly followed on Saturday when Obama spoke with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Polish President Lech Kaczynski and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

After this second round, Ms Arroyo was pushed back on the queue of the waiting list. Malacañang has been waiting in vain for a return call. None, at the time of this writing, had been received.

Not on radar screen

These telephone chats over the past few days gave a first glimpse into the “world view” of the incoming administration—the countries that mattered to it, the countries Obama have downgraded and the issues that concern it most as he redefines US foreign policy in the post-Bush era.

From the looks of it, the Philippines is not on the Obama radar screen, no matter how our humiliated leaders on the waiting list claim our strategic importance is to the United Sates in the Asia-Pacific region and our historic ties with Washington.

Obama has barely a couple of years experience as junior senator from Illinois and has only a brushing acquaintance with foreign policy. It’s very likely the Philippines struck him as just a speck on the map.

And so, if his team received an early call from Ms Arroyo congratulating him for his election, one of his ignorant staff could have asked: “Where is the Philippines?”

American presidents take seriously countries whose leaders create trouble for the United States and who assail its authority as the lone superpower after the collapse of communism in the 1990s. They scorn obsequious vassal poor countries although they may have historical special relations with the United States.

Take Sarkozy. Amid the financial crisis of Wall Street in October, Sarkozy seized the Wall Street turmoil as an opening wedge to revamp the free-enterprise US model along the lines of the state-interventionist style of France. This has been seen in Washington as a revival of neo-Gaullism in France challenging the American model of capitalism.

The Canadian prime minister’s office said Obama and Harper emphasized there could be no closer friends and allies than the United States and Canada and vowed to strengthen their relationship.

President Calderon’s office said Obama pledged continued US support for Mexico’s fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. The office of Olmert said he and Obama “discussed the need to continue and advance the peace process, while maintaining Israel’s security.” Australian Prime Minister Rudd said he and Obama talked about national security and climate change.

Constructive interaction

In his conversation with Lee, Obama said the US-South Korean alliance was a “cornerstone” of Asia’s peace and stability and promised improved relations between the two countries.

In the second round of telephone talks, Obama and Russian President Medvedev “expressed the determination to create constructive interaction for the good of global stability,” and agreed their countries had common responsibility to address “serious problems of global nature.”

On Wednesday, after Obama’s election, Medvedev threatened to move short-range missiles on Russia’s borders with NATO allies, including Poland and the Czech Republic.

Obama’s talk with China’s Hu covered a range of issues, including the global financial turmoil and the sensitive issue of Taiwan. China opposes independence for Taiwan, saying that the proper handling of the issue was the key to good relations between Beijing and Washington.

‘Fairer’ Middle East policy

In his first foreign policy pronouncement as president-elect, Obama called for an international effort to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The pronouncement came a day after Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Obama to implement a “fairer” policy in the Middle East.

Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama on his election—the first time an Iranian leader had offered such wishes to a US president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Obama acknowledged the letter, but said Iran’s development of nuclear weapons was “unacceptable” and Iran must end its “support of terrorist organizations.”

By contrast, the Philippines encountered a frosty reception from the incoming administration. Ms Arroyo put in a call to Obama at 2-3 a.m. to congratulate him, and Obama did not receive her call.

Instead, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney offered an explanation that failed to mask the snub. In Bacolod City, Kenney said Obama was “a fan of the Philippines,” and she expected the two countries to have “extraordinarily good relations” during the Obama presidency.

Kenney said she did not foresee any major changes in the security relations with the Philippines, where US Special Forces are training Filipino troops in fighting Moro rebels linked to Osama bin Laden’s terror network in Southeast Asia.

RP not in charmed circle

Kenney said the Philippines would continue to be a “strong ally” of the United States, and acknowledged that the Philippines increasingly had a “great regional role to play.”

She said that when Ms Arroyo put in a call to Obama, his team told her that the President’s call was one of “the first and most gracious calls,” and they were taking down names and numbers and they would “call back when they get a chance.”

They never did.

Kenney said it was not likely that Ms Arroyo would be able to meet Obama when she goes to the United States next week to attend a UN function.

“I think [an Obama-Arroyo] meeting is unlikely because the president-elect, as I understand it, is not yet meeting with foreign leaders. He is busy assembling his Cabinet,” the US ambassador said.

The sidelining of the Arroyo call gave a glimpse of the importance of the Philippines to the United States at a moment of change of administration.

It is clear that the Philippines stands on the outer perimeter of US concerns in world affairs.
The first telephone conversations reveal the Philippines is not within the charmed circles of the Obama administration. It is a leper outside looking in.

It is imperative that Manila should rearrange its priorities vis-à-vis Washington. Obama is not our friend.

This is definitely what other country leaders think of our country, its president, and our people if we do not have a strong political will and determination to become independent. We continue to kow-tow foreign "friends and allies" since we cannot stand in our own two feet! It's time to kill corruption and make our economic findamentals strong. Let's produce our own, take care of our own, and develop our industries and stop this cycle of misery and embarrassment. Nakakahiya na tayo na para bang maamong aso na sunod ng sunod sa puwet ng kanyang amo.

If our country is strong, other countries will respect us. Just take a look at China. During the 50's this country is so poor but after winning its war against the Nationalists (driven to Taiwan), it struggled on its own to survive. Theirs was a rough life for many years. Look at them now. They've just brought two people in space becoming the third nation after Russia and the US. They developed their own industries and have even catered to many multinationals even to date.

We should do the same. Now! So in 20-30 years, those new generations of Filipinos will not be kissing the asses of other nations begging for everything! Nakakahiya at nakaka-awa na tayo! Let's start killing corruption and putting corrupt officials to jail and start giving new faces to ourselves and be respected by foreign countries). GISING NA, BAYAN!

728-million fertilizer scam

WHAT WENT BEFORE
728-million fertilizer scam, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—In 2003, Marlene Esperat, then an employee of the Department of Agriculture’s resident ombudsman in Central Mindanao, filed a graft complaint against Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, then Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, and several others in connection with alleged irregularities in a P432-million fertilizer deal.

Esperat said the fertilizers bought were overpriced and procured through a negotiated contract instead of a public bidding.

Two months before the May 2004 presidential election, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a presidential candidate, accused President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, herself running for election, of “virtual vote-buying” by authorizing the release of P728 million to favored officials to buy farm inputs like fertilizer and pesticide for their constituents, as part of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani project.

Resignation

After the election, former Solicitor General Frank Chavez filed a plunder case against Ms Arroyo in connection with Lacson’s accusation. Chavez named Bolante as one of those who signed the papers for the release and disposition of the funds.

Bolante quit his post at the Department of Agriculture in September 2004, ostensibly because of his election as a director of Rotary Club International.

In the same month, the Ombudsman dropped Esperat’s graft charges against Yap, but declared as “sufficient in form and substance” the graft complaint against Bolante.

(Esperat, who later became a journalist, was shot dead in her home in Sultan Kudarat on March 24, 2005. Three men were convicted of her murder, but the suspected masterminds—officials of the agriculture department office in Central Mindanao already charged by the justice department—remain at large.)

In October 2005, the Senate committee on agriculture chaired by then Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. opened an inquiry into the fertilizer fund controversy. Bolante did not show up during the first hearing, and flew to Los Angeles hours before the second hearing on Oct. 26.

Magsaysay sought the help of the US Embassy and Rotary Club International in locating Bolante, who was also a no-show at the Nov. 17 and 24 hearings.

Bolante reportedly returned to the Philippines on Dec. 5, but was able to leave again on Dec. 11, days after the Bureau of Immigration put him on its watch list. He left on board a Cathay Pacific flight for Hong Kong en route to the United States.

Arrest order

On Dec. 13, the Senate cited Bolante for contempt and ordered his arrest.

In January 2006, he filed a petition to the Supreme Court through the Philippine Consul in Chicago, asking that the Senate be stopped from implementing the arrest order.

He said he was willing to attend the Senate inquiry, but again snubbed the Jan. 31 and Feb. 2 hearings.

In March, the Senate’s blue ribbon and agriculture committees released a report recommending the filing of criminal and administrative charges against Bolante and other agriculture officials.
The report also said Ms Arroyo should be “held accountable” for the mismanagement of the fertilizer fund.

On July 7, 2006, Bolante was detained on arrival at the Los Angeles International Airport on grounds of an invalid non-immigrant (B1/B2) visa. (A US court document given to the Philippine Daily Inquirer in September 2006 said the US Embassy in Manila cancelled Bolante’s visa upon the Senate’s request.)

Bolante was held at the San Pedro Detention Center on Terminal Island, 48 kilometers from Los Angeles, then transferred to the Kenosha Rehabilitation Center in Wisconsin.

Court battle

On Aug. 4, the LA-based federal judge reviewing Bolante’s asylum case granted his petition to transfer the case to an immigration court in Chicago.

Bolante testified before that court on Nov. 10, saying his life would be endangered if he returned to the Philippines.

It rejected his petition in February 2007, citing lack of proof that he was “suffering from a well-grounded fear of persecution.”

Bolante took the case to the US Court of Appeals, which also denied his petition on Aug. 27 this year.

He again experienced defeat on Sept. 3, when the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin dismissed his petition for habeas corpus.

On Oct. 23, the US Embassy confirmed that the US Department of Homeland Security had issued a “removal order” on Bolante, and that he could be deported anytime.

Bolante’s lawyer said his client had decided to yield to the order. Inquirer Research

Task Force 'Red plate" catches 15 gov't cars in Cenu

Mars Mosqueda, Manila Bulletin

CEBU CITY – Barely a week after the launching of Oplan Red Plate, authorities here have reported catching 15 government vehicles parked near malls and restaurants and believed to have been used for non-official purposes.

Oplan Red Plate, a campaign against the illegal use of government vehicles, was launched a few days after this was launched in Cebu by five agencies – the Office of the Ombudsman, the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Commission on Audit (CoA) and the PNP.

Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol said he has already ordered the investigation team to visit the agencies to which the vehicles are issued to get supporting documents and determine if the cars were used for official purpose.

"We are sending the team to the agencies involved to hasten our investigation," said Apostol, adding that the team will also check the trip tickets of the apprehended vehicles.

Apostol said the official who will be proven to have used any government vehicle on a non-official trip could face at least six months suspension or dismissal from service depending on the gravity of the violation.

"We are urging the public to help us in this drive to make the campaign more effective," said Apostol.

The Task Force Red Plate has already distributed its hotline numbers to security guards in all the malls, restaurants, and public establishments around Cebu for them to immediately report presence of red-plated vehicles.

Oplan Red Plate is in line with Administrative Order No. 239 of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo prohibiting the use of government-issued vehicles for private purposes.

Administrative Order No. 239 signed by Pres. Arroyo last September 15 is aimed at preventing the use of government vehicles from abuse and its purpose solely for official business.

Uncontrolled corruption

DPI, Editorial

It is not just a perception, it is the reality: The Philippines is one of the world’s most corrupt nations.

That is according to Justin Wood, director of the Southeast Asia Corporate Network of The Economist Intelligence Unit. “The Philippines is perceived as one of the most corrupt countries in the world,” Wood told the Business Roundtable in Makati City earlier this month, citing the results of the latest survey on corruption done by Transparency International. “The perception is very correct.”

In Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index, the Philippines was way down at 141 among the 180 countries surveyed. Its score of 2.3 (on a scale where 10 means perfectly clean), the lowest it has received since the survey was started in 1995, put the Philippines behind all of its neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Not surprisingly, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo disagrees. She told the same meeting that the perception of widespread corruption was the media’s creation. The people surveyed by Transparency International based their answers on what they read in the newspapers, she said, adding: “We have to remember that we have the freest media in the region... What would be on page 10 in some other countries would be banner headline in the Philippines. Even rumors and innuendos become fact when they are in the banner headline.”

But is corruption in the Philippines largely a figment of the imagination, as the President would like everyone to believe? Ms Arroyo herself seemed to implicitly acknowledge that there is (or was) a problem when she accepted a $21-million grant from the World Bank to fund programs to fight corruption. The Philippines Threshold Program, which was approved in 2006, was meant to strengthen the anti-corruption efforts of the Office of the Ombudsman and Department of Finance. Not only did the government accept the grant, it even matched the amount it got from the World Bank.

But with the program coming to an end in November, the World Bank has been forced to admit that it has been a dismal failure. In fact, during the two years the program has been running, “control of corruption” by the Philippine government was actually deteriorating. Thus, while the Philippines had a “control of corruption” score that was in the 76th percentile in 2006, this went down to the 57th percentile in 2007 and further down to the 47th percentile this year.
This was the first time the Philippines flunked the “control of corruption” indicator, prompting the World Bank to question the effectiveness of its threshold programs in combating corruption. In addition, this poor performance has virtually disqualified the country from availing itself of further grants from the Millennium Challenge Corp. “Control of corruption” is the only “hard hurdle” a country must pass to be eligible for funding assistance from the Millennium Challenge.
It is surely not just a coincidence that these independent findings about worsening corruption came at time when new and bigger corruption scandals, involving the country’s highest officials, erupted.

There was the NorthRail project and the National Broadband Network contract, to mention just two of them. These were not issues manufactured by the media. And if they became banner stories, it was not because the media wanted to sensationalize them. They were scandals of mind-boggling proportions, dwarfing other news in importance and impact.

But who cares if programs to combat corruption fail? The crooks in government are happiest to see anti-corruption drives falter, because they can continue their corrupt ways without fear of being caught and punished. And there are many of them in high and low places.

People who keep hoping for clean and honest government that uses taxpayers’ money wisely and well will have to wait for another administration. The President thinks corruption is not a problem or at least not the serious problem businessmen and other observers take it to be. Nothing, not even neutral surveys and studies, will change her mind. It would be pointless and futile to look up to her for a solution.

DoH's 'skewed' priority hit

By Lira Dalangin-FernandezINQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines --As the House of Representatives deliberates on the proposed budget of the Department of Health (DoH) this Friday, a militant lawmaker criticized its "skewed" priority, which he said prioritized foreign patients.

Deputy Minority Floor Leader and Bayan Muna partylist Representative Satur Ocampo said the DoH budget showed a "skewed investment in government-sponsored medical tourism that targets foreign patients instead of millions of Filipinos who do not have access to quality government health care."

"The DoH should explain government's health priorities. They should tell Congress why healthcare is apparently being transformed by government into a money-making venture targeting foreign medical tourists over ordinary Filipinos in dire need of health care," Ocampo said in a statement.

The DoH has a proposed P27.803 billion allocation for 2009.

Citing a study of the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD), Ocampo lamented that "past and current national health budgets under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program have not changed the general state of disrepair and lack of adequate facilities in public hospitals and government-run health facilities."

The program got P1.66 billion in 2008 – a whopping 822% increase from its 2007 P180 million allotment.

For 2009, the program will be getting P2.03 billion or a 22.29% increase, the lawmaker said.
"This Health Facilities Enhancement Program only aims to refurbish certain specialty hospitals for the government's medical tourism agenda. It has the highest appropriation compared to the potable water program (P1.5 billion) and the Tuberculosis Control Program (P1.3 billion) that will go directly to indigent Filipino patients," he added.

The HEAD study also noted that the 2009 national budget would only give substantial increases to specialty hospitals like the Lung Center of the Philippines (an additional P157.6 million), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (P185 million), Philippine Children's Medical Center (P236 million), and Philippine Heart Center (P185 million).

Ocampo said the DoH flagship hospital, the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila, is only getting P359 million in the 2009 budget. It is much worse for other public hospitals under the DoH, he added.

"Our government doctors and health professionals in HEAD aver that these are the same hospitals earmarked for integration as the 'Philippine Center for Specialized Healthcare' in line with the medical tourism program. If the Arroyo administration allocates hefty amounts to specialty hospitals, I do not see any reason why it should not give equal or greater budgets for government medical centers that cater to the general public and indigent Filipino patients," Ocampo said.

Too much pork in the budget

From Cebu Daily News

The problem isn’t that the Constitution doesn’t need amending, because it does; rather, it is that the amendments of interest to those in a position to do something about it, immediately, aren’t of particular interest to the broader electorate. We view any officially-proposed effort to amend the Constitution with mistrust.

Nothing our officials do reduces this mistrust. House Speaker Prospero Nograles, for example, has tried to reassure the public by saying that while he’s convinced efforts to amend the Constitution will take place before the incumbent President’s term ends, Congress will tackle other pending legislative work first. First and foremost being the deliberations on the National Budget for 2009.

Former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno said that this year’s budget is actually more pork barrel-oriented than the 2007 budget. Now budgets for election years have traditionally been stuffed with all sorts of goodies for our elected officials. It’s how presidents and Congress provide funding for the sudden frenzy of public works and other activities to court the electorate’s support.

But why should the 2008 budget actually exceed the 2007 budget in terms of these political goodies? Normally, to prevent massive inflation and restore some fiscal order to the sorely-strained finances of the government, post-election budgets are leaner and less pork-filled. The reason for this, Diokno said, is that we have to realize the useful life of a budgetary item is not one, but two years. This means that if you stuff the 2008 budget now, it not only helps you in 2009, but all the way to the eve of the 2010 elections.

In other words, the 2007 election-oriented budget, bloated as it was, was bloated further because if you think the political funding required for a congressional election last year was big, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet: 2010 will either be a presidential election year, or the year the administration makes a last-ditch effort to campaign for, and win, a plebiscite changing the rules of the game.

So when the Speaker says don’t worry, while we fully intend to amend the Constitution, we will attend to our work first, we have to bear in mind that the two are connected and that the success of the latter depends on the passage of the former. The present budget is a campaign budget, not only providing for our government’s expenses for this year, but sinking funds into the administration campaign kitty for 2010.

Our leaders, ideally, should be stepping in to help form a national consensus so that we can find reforms on which we can agree. Instead, the proposals being floated officially simply aim to limit the electorate’s already limited ability to have a say in what officialdom does. We are increasingly at the mercy of all the sectors that view elections as a means of making a killing every three years, instead of selecting people who can be trusted with the stewardship of public office and public funds. — Manuel Quezon III, Inquirer

Teenager bodyguards

Mindanao politicians use teenagers as bodyguards
By James Mananghaya, Philstar

Children between the ages of 12 and 14 act as armed bodyguards for politicians in Mindanao, a Muslim youth leader revealed yesterday.

“I went around one of the provinces in central Mindanao recently to look for a mosque to pray, and then I saw these armed children, mostly 12 to 14 years old, who are working for a local government official as bodyguards,” Revi Sani, a member of the Philippine karate team and a multi-awarded Muslim youth leader from Marawi City, told The STAR.

“Instead of being given proper education, these kids are being exposed to danger. Instead of holding pens and books, they are holding high-powered pistols and rifles. How can they match the police or the soldiers who are trained in combat? They should be saved otherwise they would die early.”

Sani, son of Sultan Punduma Sani, one of the founders of the Moro National Liberation Front in the 1970’s, said these children are being lured to work as bodyguards for politicians because of the lack of alternative channels where they could use their youthful energy.

“As young boys, we are naturally adventurous,” he said. “We only have to give them the right alternative such as sports.”

Sani, who was a recipient of the Outstanding Young Muslim Award from the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Center for Moderate Muslims in 2004 and 2005, said if these children are not given proper education, they would never realize that they have great potentials.
“They would be like eagle eggs that landed on the chicken’s nest,” he said.

“When they were hatched, they grew up as chickens. They never found out that they are eagles that can soar to great heights.”

Sani said part of the glorious tradition of Muslims in Mindanao is being a warrior, having fought the Spaniards.

“As a young boy, my father would tell me not to forget that I am a warrior,” he said.

“But he never encouraged me to be a warrior who uses violence,” he said of his father, who is now a professor at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City and a consultant at the Philippine Sports Commission.

He recalled a karate competition abroad when his first opponent was a Spaniard.
“I told myself that karate is the best way that I should fight him,” he said. “It was then that I realized that my own jihad can come in this form.” He said that as a sportsman who also advocates peace, he dreams of a day when there would be no more fighting in Mindanao.

“Why don’t they just compete in sports?” he said.

“Maybe they can think of having a sports fest between the armed forces and the MILF. That could put an end to fighting in Mindanao if they would not have to use their guns anymore.”
Troops ready for action

Armed Forces chief Gen. Alexander Yano ordered troops in parts of Mindanao to prepare for any attack from rogue bands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Armed Forces public affairs chief, said Yano gave this directive during a visit to troops in Sirawai, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro City the other day and yesterday.

“Troops there were given an instruction that while seemingly, there is a lull in combat operations in their area of operation, they have to be prepared just in case there would be an escalation of atrocities from nearby provinces,” he said.

Eight soldiers, including an officer, have been reported wounded when an improvised explosive went off following a clash with MILF rebels in Barangay Tukanalipao, in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao yesterday.

Maj. Armand Rico, Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command spokesman, identified the wounded soldiers as Lt. Edever Pulido, S/Sgt. Joseph Simangan, Sgt. Renato Roble; Corporals Ruben Nicolas; Roberto Anap, Jesus Alcoba; and Privates First Class Gilbert Garciano and Erwin Palencia.

“The wounded were evacuated to Tamundong Hospital and Isulan Hospital,” he said.
“They are all in stable condition.”

An MILF rebel was also reported killed and an undetermined number wounded in the fighting, he added. Rico said the soldiers, backed by two armored vehicles, fought for 15-minutes with about 60 rebels.

Meantime, Sen. Manuel Roxas II told the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) not to revive the agreement on ancestral domain since it was already a dead issue that “needs to rest in peace.”

Speaking to reporters in Zamboanga City yesterday, Roxas said the government has already junked the signing of the agreement for the creation of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

“Patay na ang MOA-AD, ilibing na natin ito at lagyan ng bato (The MOA-AD is dead, let’s bury it and put a gravestone). It’s a dead issue,” he said. – With Roel Pareño

V.I.P. Jail

Editorial
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines - If Rizal were alive today, and writing the “Fili,” he may well begin by describing the social hierarchy inside the National Bilibid Prisons. Here, truly, can be found the ship of state, run aground.

Some convicts, rich or well-connected or both, live in special housing of their own, markedly different from the rest; the rest, most of them poor, share wretched, even inhuman conditions. Above them all sits a compromised management, partial to the powerful and protected by partisan politicians.

One thing the controversial and rashly rationalized release of double-murderer Claudio Teehankee Jr. has done is to remind the public, all over again, that justice is all too often not blind, that all too often the administration of justice does not only recognize but actively reinforces the difference between rich prisoners and poor. When Teehankee served his double life sentence (he was released after about 14 years), he lived in a rich man’s “kubol”—a special, customized detention area—isolated from non-privileged prisoners.

In his last days in Bilibid, Teehankee moved into the special quarters built by ex-congressman Romeo Jalosjos, convicted of raping a child but now enjoying the privilege of “living out” of prison in preparation for his eventual release. The Jalosjos “kubol” features a queen-size bed, a refrigerator, a private bathroom with hot and cold water and, not least, a 42-inch LCD television set with cable service.

According to an Inquirer source, as many as 6,000 “kubols” were constructed inside the maximum security area over the years, “with the permission of the NBP superintendent.”
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez admits the practice is a problem, but telegraphs an unwillingness or an inability to do anything about it. Instead, he rationalized the practice in characteristically outrageous terms. “High-profile inmates have threats. It is also fair to give them some exceptional security,” he said. “It is a difficult situation to mix them up with the other inmates …. Inmates tend to kill each other.”

By that token, every prisoner should be in solitary confinement!

But of course all Gonzalez meant by “high-profile” is “rich.” Rich or powerful prisoners are the only ones who can afford to construct special quarters (or buy one, in the case of the Jalosjos “kubol,” after he was done with it). Indeed, and as Gonzalez should know all too well, most victims of intra-prison violence are those who are decidedly low-profile: gang members who ran out of luck or convicts who have no money to pay for protection.

Why shouldn’t the government “allow” these likely victims a measure of “exceptional security”? Because they cannot afford it. That is what makes the special-quarters practice offensive. It renders the administration of justice unfair, and makes the application of the law’s heavy hand self-evidently uneven.

The chair of the Commission on Human Rights, noted election lawyer Leila de Lima, acknowledged that there may be nothing illegal in allowing inmates to construct improvements inside prison. “Nothing can prevent them from improving the facilities in prison, like the sports facilities, or adding more cells or rooms, or starting livelihood [projects] for other inmates. They can do that. That is laudable, in fact. That is the primary duty of the government, but it just can’t afford it.”

But: “What makes it objectionable is when they [build] special quarters [for themselves] while others do not.” Or, because of financial circumstance, cannot.

Drugs, cell phones found in QC Jail

Nancy C. Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—A surprise inspection of inmates’ cells at the Quezon City Jail Sunday morning yielded more than 200 sachets of drugs, drug paraphernalia, cell phones and deadly weapons.

The operation, which was ordered by Senior Supt. Emilio Culang, city jail warden, led to the seizure of at least 250 grams of dried marijuana leaves, 206 sachets which contained marijuana and shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), several bottles of solvent and paint thinner and drug paraphernalia.

Also confiscated were 70 cell phones, lewd magazines, playing cards, a bottle of wine and dozens of improvised deadly weapons.

These included spoons, forks, toothbrushes and pencils with sharpened points. There were also needles, lighters, belts, electrical wires, scissors, hammer, assorted ropes and nail cutters. Culang said he has ordered an investigation to determine how the contraband ended up inside the facility.

“There is money in this. I believe some jail personnel are involved in the operation,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net). According to him, a cell phone which is valued at only P500 outside the prison can fetch a sum of as much as P2,000 inside the facility.

“The price goes up in the jail,” Culang said.

The jail warden added that he plans to conduct an inspection of the city jail every month to discourage the entry of contraband. “Even if we could not totally eradicate the bringing in of contraband, we would at least reduce it,” Culang said. The move would also ensure the safety of prisoners, he added.

“The jail is overcrowded and the inmates do not stay and sleep inside their cells but in the yard of the prison compound which also serves as a basketball court,” Culang said. He explained that the jail has 2,800 inmates although it was built to accommodate only 1,000 detainees.

Sunday’s surprise inspection started at 7 a.m. and ended at around 12:30 p.m. It was carried out by dozens of jail guards, including trainees from the Jail National Training Institute, who were called in to augment the city jail personnel. Culang said the inmates were asked to step out of their cells and to stay in the yard of the compound during the duration of the operation. The prisoners were also asked to strip off their T-shirts to ensure that they were not hiding any contraband.

Culang said the inmates were cooperative and showed no resistance during the operation.
“They knew we would apply force to anyone who would try to cause trouble,” he said.

'Christmas in October for Arroyo Allies

AFTER FILING OF IMPEACH RAP ‘Christmas in October’ for Arroyo allies
By Lira Dalangin-FernandezINQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- It will be "Christmas in October" for allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the House of Representative with bribe money expected to flow anew to quash the impeachment complaint against the President, one of the signatories said Monday.

Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico said that in fact, some members of the majority were "salivating" on the new impeachment complaint, filed by staunch Arroyo critics early in the day.

"Some quarters in the majority actually welcome the filing of the impeachment complaint. They are salivating on the prospects that the impeachment complaint will be filed against their boss because this would mean for them Christmas in October," Suplico told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.

He added, "This is the best Christmas they will have."

Suplico said a first-term congressman, whom he refused to identify, in fact told him that with the filing of the complaint, “the pot has been sweetened,” which he said was an expression in poker, a popular card game.

Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio in October 11 last year admitted receiving P500,000 contained in a bag as he was walking out of Malacañang.

The opposition alleged that Malacañang then distributed money to congressmen ranging from P200,000 to P500,000 in an attempt to quash the impeachment bid filed then against the President.

Several congressmen admitted receiving the money but said they would talk only in the proper forum.