The youngest member of Congress condemned a House of Representatives tradition granting so-called parliamentary courtesy to certain agencies of the executive branch and approving their proposed budget without deliberation.
Speaking at the hearing of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) budget last Wednesday, August 30, Makabayan bloc member and Kabataan Party Representative Raoul Manuel opposed the lack of discussion on the OVP’s proposed P125 million confidential funds for 2024.
“As youth representative, I am in a position to question tradition that no longer works and serves as barrier to healthy discussions about allocations and use of public funds,” Manuel said.
It was presidential son and Ilocos Norte First District Representative Sandro Marcos who moved for the termination of the deliberations on the OVP’s budget under the so-called tradition of parliamentary courtesy.
Manuel turned 29 on the day of the OVP budget hearing while Marcos—born March 7, 1994—is a few months older.
“Our tradition of extending parliamentary courtesy stops us in the legislative branch from doing our job for which we are paid by the Filipino people. We should have checks and balances,” Manuel said.
The youth representative added he does not want Congress to be complicit to illegal fund use by agencies in the executive branch.
Manuel pointed out that the committee hearing did not count the votes against the proposed OVP budget and objectors were not allowed to explain their dissent to the proposed OVP confidential funds.
“This is not democracy at work. I condemn the proceedings. Traditions that no longer work should be stopped,” Manuel said.
Few versus the charade
The Makabayan bloc–composed of Manuel, ACT Teachers Party Representative France Castro and Gabriela Women’s Party Arlene Brosas–leads the opposition to the granting of confidential funds to certain executive branch agencies such as the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) that is also under Vice President Sara Duterte.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Castro wanted discussions on the “unnecessary” P125 million confidential funds but was not allowed by the HOR appropriations committee.
Castro said that since the government is operating on a deficit budget, the proposed P4.3 billion confidential funds for next year should instead be channeled to social services.
Albay First District Representative Edcel Lagman also asked Duterte to voluntarily withdraw her request for confidential funds for the DepEd.
Duterte declined, justifying that basic education is intertwined with national security.
Without oversight and transparency
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) also called for the abolition of the controversial funds, saying the lump-sum appropriations are anomalous and defective.
BAYAN president Renato Reyes Jr. in a statement said the funds, also called intelligence funds, are without oversight and transparency on how these are spent.
“They are never open to scrutiny. There is no transparency and no clear oversight from any government agency,” BAYAN president Renato Reyes Jr. said.
“They are in the nature of pork barrel funds. They can even be acquired even without congressional authorization, months after the budget has been approved,” Reyes added.
Reyes said in a time when so many important social services are experiencing cutbacks, the so-called confidential funds are an unjustified and unconscionable burden on the taxpayers.
“All forms of confidential funds should be abolished. No ifs and buts. If they cannot specify a line item for appropriations and provide a clear basis for such appropriations, then it should not be in the GAA (General Appropriations Act). No more lump sums that have zero transparency,” Reyes said.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government is proposing P4.3 billion in confidential funds and an additional P4.9 billion in intelligence fund for 2024.
The DBM added that these grew by P120 million from the 2023 national budget, an amount close to the proposed P125 million confidential fund of the OVP.
The Philippine government is currently in debt by P14 trillion. # (Raymund B.Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/manuel.jpg480719Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2023-09-01 11:45:092023-09-01 11:59:55Youngest member condemns Congress' ‘undemocratic’ approval of OVP's confidential funds
Something wrong is happening in the bowels of the House of Representatives compound where a veteran broadcaster had been languishing in detention since August 17. Rogelio Sending, known to his listeners in Tuguegarao City and, until a few years back in Metro Manila, as Bombo Rogie had been ordered detained there for 30 days.
Sending’s plight had been largely unreported by the press, except in Cagayan province and on social media. Ordinarily, such an occurrence to a member of the working press would gather immediate and widespread condemnation, as it should. But there was hardly a peep because Sending is no longer an organic employee of the network that he served for years but is now Cagayan’s provincial information officer. While he still graced the airwaves until last August 8, he was in fact an anchor of his daily radio program in behalf of the provincial government. On many days, he shared the radio booth with his boss, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba. Technically, Sending has left the ranks of the working press since 2019 and is now a civil servant.
Sending’s troubles started when the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms jointly with the Committee on Public Accounts, following a privileged speech by Cagayan Third District Representative Joseph Lara, launched an investigation on alleged violations on the ban on public spending during an election campaign period. The meat of the allegation is that Mamba ordered his capitol employees to withdraw hundreds of millions and distribute these as financial aid to Cagayanos mere days before the May 9, 2022 local elections. Under the laws—even though the Commission on Audit said it appears the entire amount had been accounted for—that is prohibited.
Lara alleges that Mamba did not only commit graft but vote buying as well. And so the committees have summoned the governor and several other provincial government employees since March. Early on, Mamba submitted himself before his nemesis and the committees, several members of which were his colleagues when he was congressman himself. But the governor refused to answer their questions, citing a case of the same nature had been filed before a local court and providing answers may violate the sub-judice rule. The congresspersons had no choice but to excuse him but went after his subordinates in subsequent hearings.
Congress has the powers of the Constitution in conducting such investigations, and it should. That the government is very corrupt and graft-ridden is no longer a matter of debate. But there is much to be said on how congressional investigations and hearings are conducted. The investigation on Mamba is no different.
During the hearings, majority of the congresspersons went after Mamba’s subordinates with venom. The capitol employees were shouted at and could hardly get a word in even as they were simply trying to answer the congresspersons’ questions. They were reduced to stuttering most times, making them appear more guilty than Dismas and Gestas. Granting that it appeared the employees tried to cover up for their boss, the way the congresspersons treated them is plainly un-parliamentary.
Sending had been summoned to appear before the committees on August 7 and 9 but failed to do so on both dates. When he finally presented himself last August 12, he received even worse treatment than his colleagues. He tried to explain that contrary to allegations that he is not Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas-accredited broadcaster, he, in fact, is. He proved that he did not go on air on August 9 when he was supposed to be present in the hearing. Sending tried to explain that the reason why he failed to appear in previous hearings was because Cagayan was at the time recovering from the effects of Typhoon Egay and he was ordered by the governor to document relief efforts being conducted. Moreover, Sending said, he was confused as to whether he is allowed to absent himself from his duties in the province and had to wait for clear instructions from the capitol’s legal office.
But in failing to appear, Sending offended the high and mighty. On top of the very public flagellation he received, he was meted the extraordinary punishment of 30 days of detention for contempt of Congress.
Let us not talk here of the Paduanos, the Marcoletas and the Acops who, as hearings in both houses of Congress go, are of the same mold as their upper chamber colleagues, the Batos, Tulfos, Villars and Padillas. Let us instead talk about their colleague who started all these.
Lara, instigator of the so-called investigations, is Mamba’s political nemesis in the province of Cagayan. Lara’s wife was Mamba’s rival in the last local elections who lost badly to the latter. It is therefore not hard to see one other very compelling motive in all these.
Those who closely follow the proceedings could see that Lara’s complaint has a point. Mamba could have ordered the distribution of aid way before or even after the May 9, 2022 polls. It is not farfetched that his candidacy benefited from the aid distribution. The fact that his subordinates scrambled to withdraw the funds even without the expressed permission of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan adds weight to the allegations.
[On a possibly related issue: Is Mamba’s flagellation also intended to force him to withdraw his opposition to the two new EDCA sites in his province?]
But there is hypocrisy here. Who believes that traditional politicians do not buy votes, in Cagayan and in the entire country? I heard that a party in these investigations even pioneered the use of QR (quick response) codes in vote buying.
Congressional investigations are important in giving representatives a chance to craft better laws and to expose shenanigans in government. But these noble purposes are in danger of being seen as nothing more than witch hunt and self-serving vendetta when the real targets are missed and only foot soldiers are bleeding in the field of battle, in a manner of speaking.
I think the investigations on the misspending of public funds during the last elections in Cagayan have already established that those should not have been distributed when they did. But the fact that an information officer—one who absolutely had no power over said funds and had no hand in distributing them—is now suffering for it, is wrong. Governor Mamba is as powerful as his enemies, Sending is not.
Making underlings suffer when the real target is still out there is not judicious exercise of power. That is simply bullying. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/sending-2.jpg10312000Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2023-08-27 13:03:272023-08-29 02:28:45THE CURIOUS CASE OF ROGIE SENDING: Investigation or bullying?
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) urged the Senate to pass the tax exemption bill for the teachers’ election service pay before the 18th Congress ends.
As Congress resumed sessions to canvass election results for the presidential and vice presidential posts Monday, May 23, ACT said the Senate must thank teachers by scrapping the 20% tax on election service pay and refund previous tax collections on the same.
The group urged Senate President Vicente Sotto to lead the push to ensure its legislation before sessions end on June 3, 2022.
“Our election workers cannot wholly feel the state’s recognition of their vital role in the past elections as hefty tax deductions practically eroded the measly raise on election service pay,” ACT said in a statement.
The group added it is urgent for the Senate to fast-track the legislation that will exempt all previous and future election service pay from taxes.
The House of Representatives has already approved the proposal in August 2021 but has only reached committee level discussions in the Senate, ACT pointed out.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 10727 in November 10, 2021 set an honoraria of P7,000 for chairpersons of the election board (EB), P6,000 to the members of the EB, P5,000 to the Department of Education supervisor official (DESO), and P3,000 for support staff and medical personnel.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue however said that a 20% tax must be levied on these in accordance with the Tax Revenue for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law.
The Comelec has since expressed support to ACT’s calls in a Senate Committee on Ways and Means hearing.
“Our poll workers yet again delivered exemplary service despite last election’s dirty politicking and the un-transparent automated elections system. Our teachers were subjected to harsh conditions and unnecessary hardships, but they fulfilled their duties and went above and beyond to protect the sanctity of our people’s votes,” ACT said.
“The integrity of this elections may be deemed questionable, but not the integrity of our teacher-poll workers. They deserve to be fully remunerated for their service, without burdensome tax deductions,” the group added. # (Raymund B Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/polls.jpg15362048Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2022-05-24 14:07:162022-05-24 14:10:52Teachers to Senate: Pass bill exempting ‘meager’ poll service honoraria from 20% tax
“Ma, hanggang August 31 na lang po ako sa ABS-CBN,” Jon Montesa, TVPlus brand communications manager, told his mother upon learning of his retrenchment last Thursday. (Mom, my ABS-CBN employment ends on August 31.)
Like Montesa, hundreds of other workers had to inform their families their worst fears as workers of the Philippines’ biggest media network had come true. Throughout the day, tears flowed in the many offices inside the ABS-CBN compound as unit heads delivered the sad news to their colleagues.
“In my nearly five years in the network, I never thought I will say this to my family. They not only took away our jobs. Our dreams and future, these are the things they took away from us,” Montesa said in Filipino. “I’ve worked so hard for this. I did not get it easily. But it’s gone in an instant. You are inhumane!” he added, blaming the 70 legislators who voted to deny the Philippines’ media network a new franchise to continue operating last July 10.
Montesa’s FB post that has garnered thousands of reactions and shares as well as hundreds of comments.
It is not only ordinary employees like Montesa who are being given their dismissal slips. Even those who have been on millions of television screens for decades and expected to survive the bloodbath of jobs have been retrenched. Award-winning broadcast journalist and news presenter Ces Oreña-Drilon twitted:
This was one of the toughest days I had to face. Telling fellow kapamilyas that they would lose their jobs by end of August. I lost mine too. https://t.co/s19MXXvjvy
Thousand more are expected to be dismissed until August as the company scrambles to stop the financial hemorrhage it had been suffering since the Philippine government issued a cease and desist order on ABS-CBN’s operations. The network is reported to be losing around Php30 million a day since May 5 but with its franchise denied by Congress, it could no longer keep all of its more than 11,000 workers. “We should consider ourselves lucky if 50% of us is retained until the end of the year,” a source told Kodao.
MOR 101.9 disc jock Czarina “DJ Chacha” Balba said is not only at the network’s corporate headquarters in Quezon City that the retrenchment is ongoing. “There are many MOR radio stations in the entire Philippines. It is not only here in Manila that colleagues are losing jobs. Yesterday, our bosses informed us the MOR network only has until August 31,” she said, explaining there are more than a dozen MOR radio stations nationwide.
Balba revealed this is her first job after college that she considers her “first and forever love.” She said it is not all about her salary but the despair of leaving what she considers her home in the past 12 years. “On top of that, you would no longer be working with your friends nor would you be allowed to visit them because it is prohibited (because of the pandemic),” she grieved.
The loss of income is harder for most employees on top of the bleak prospects of finding new employment while the coronavirus pandemic rages worldwide. An ABS-CBN employee told Kodao she is now watching YouTube videos on soap-making, thinking of joining the online selling community once retrenched.
Upon learning of Congress’ rejection of ABS-CBN’s franchise, employee Jonathan Samson announced he is selling his beloved collection of scooters.
(Reason For Selling: I no longer have a job. Closed by the government),” Samson posted on his Facebook account.
Broadcast journalist Adrian Ayalin is not among those dismissed this week, but it does not insulate him from uncertainty and the pain.
ABS-CBN Supervisory Employees Union president Raul de Asis lays the massive loss of jobs squarely on President Rodrigo Duterte’s feet. “[A]aminin ko sa lahat na talagang ibinoto ko ang Pangulong Duterte. ‘Yung mga kasamahan natin sa probinsiya, sa RNG (regional network group), ibinoto din siya…Talagang iniisip nila na ibinoto natin ‘tong presidenteng ito, na gaganda ang buhay natin lahat, giginhawa ang buhay natin lahat. Pero hindi alintana na ganito na ‘yung mangyayari sa aming lahat na sumuporta sa kaniya,” he said. (I admit I voted for President Duterte, along with our colleagues from the RNG. We thought our lives will be better if we vote for him. We never thought he will do this to those who supported him.)
“Ito ba ang kapalit ng aming pagboto sa kaniya? Kikitilin ang aming hanapbuhay? Gugutumin ang aming pamilya? Hindi na kami makatulong sa aming mga kamag-anak at kapatid at magulang? Sobrang masakit po,” he added. (Is this what we get for voting him? Killing our jobs? Making our families go hungry? We will no longer be able to help our relatives, siblings and parents. This is beyond painful.)
In a speech before soldiers in Jolo, Sulu this week, Duterte admitted wanting the network closed. But even before the network’s franchise bid was formally rejected, Duterte’s close ally Senator Ronald dela Rosa already warned that ABS-CBN employees should start looking for other jobs. “Hanap ng ibang trabaho para mabuhay, magsumikap (Look for other jobs, work harder),” he said in an interview with reporters last July 9.
The shock of losing jobs and the shutdown of their company prods employees to react in various ways. Balba asked: “[M]ay iba pa pong department ang ABS-CBN na stop operations muna. So ipagdasal niyo po ang ibang empleyado na kagaya naming lahat.” (Other departments will stop operations. So, pray for the other employees who would be jobless like us.)
Oreña-Drilon for her part struck hopeful: “Babangon din ang mga #kapamilya. (We will rise up.) This may be our darkest hour. But don’t lose hope,” she said.
NUJP photo
Many, like Montesa, however, have held nightly noise barrages at ABS-CBN’s Sgt. Esguerra gate since Monday, heavily filling the air with the banging of gongs, clanging of makeshift noisemakers and sounding horns of cars driving around the network compound in a two-hour motorcade. On Saturday, they will also participate in a nationwide noise barrage to denounce the network’s shutdown, with several ABS-CBN RNG participating. In Metro Manila, motorcades from Makati and Manila cities will converge at the ABS-CBN compound for another protest activity. Enraged, they vow to make those responsible for their uncertain future pay. “Ako, #KapamilyaForever. Kayo, hindi forever. #ManiningilAngKasaysayan,” Montesa said. (I am Family Forever. You are not forever. History will make you pay.) # — Raymund B. Villanueva (with research by Jo Maline D. Mamangun)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/c1.jpg600900Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2020-07-17 15:51:032020-07-18 10:51:53Tears, rage over massive loss of jobs at the Kapamilya network
A party-list lawmaker on Saturday denounced what he called “back-channel” talks among members of the House panel whom he accused of “sitting” on the application for renewal of the franchise of media network ABS CBN.
Buhay party-list Rep. Jose “Lito” Atienza wondered what has been keeping the House committee on legislative franchises from tackling the 11 pending bills on the ABS CBN franchise renewal, hinting that the delay was supposedly to allow “shady” deals.
“There’s a saying, ‘a fish is caught by its mouth.’ It was they (committee members) who said the measures have been stalled as there has been a lot of back channeling on the ABS CBN issue,” he said in response to queries whether he believed that corruption has crept into the issue.
“We wonder what these secret talks were about on a supposedly public interest issue,” Atienza said in a forum in Quezon City.
He was referring to pronouncements by Isabela 1st Dist. Rep. Antonio “Tonypet” Albano, the committee vice chair, to dispute allegations that the committee was sitting on the franchise renewal application.
Albano has said committee members were already having meetings, but only behind closed doors because of a lot of “back channeling.”
‘Unjust’
Atienza reiterated his call for the House leadership to set hearings for the ABS CBN license, which expires on March 30. In a privilege speech on Monday, he called out House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, citing the urgency for Congress to tackle the media network’s franchise application.
He said the non-renewal of ABS CBN’s franchise imperils the gains of EDSA People Power in ousting a dictatorship and restoring democracy and free speech in the country.
“Congress’ inaction on this matter will be considered a rejection (of the application), and inaction without explanation is unjust,” Atienza told reporters at the In Focus weekly forum.
The Buhay lawmaker also mocked pronouncements from Cayetano claiming that the ABS CBN franchise bills are “important but not urgent.”
“What kind of logic is that? If you really consider a matter as important, you attend to it with urgency,” he said.
Atienza also rebuked Cayetano’s claim that Congress has not tackled the ABS CBN franchise bills because it has been busy with many other important concerns.
“I urge the public to come visit Congress to see for themselves how many of the members do not even attend sessions; how measures are approved despite the apparent lack of quorum,” he said.
The author sought Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, franchise committee chair, but he did not respond to requests for interview, nor answer text queries sent to his mobile phone.
Slow, fast
Data from the House of Representatives website showed that since the opening of the 18th Congress on July 1, 2019, a total of 43 bills for broadcast franchise have been filed, and have subsequently been referred to the committee of legislative franchises.
Two bills for broadcast franchise were filed on July 1, including that for ABS CBN, authored by Nueva Ecija Rep. Micaela Violago.
Ten more separate bills on ABS CBN’s franchise renewal would be lodged by lawmakers: PBA party-list Rep. Jericho Jonas Nograles; Pangasinan Rep. Rose Marie Arenas (with 34 co-authors); Parañaque City Rep. Joy Myra Tambunting (with 12 co-authors); Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones (with 12 co-authors), and Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto (with 2 co-authors);
Deputy Speakers Aurelio Gonzales and Johnny Pimentel; Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez; Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato; Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat; ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro; Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago; and Baguio City Rep. Mark Go.
Records showed that out of 43 applications for broadcast franchise lodged before the committee, 12 bills that were filed later than the ABS CBN bill have already been approved by the House, and transmitted to the Senate.
Of the 12 bills for broadcast franchise approved, six of these listed committee chair Alvarez, as a co-author.
The House was also quick to approve four broadcast franchises, which were simultaneously filed on Sept. 12 and approved on Sept. 24 — or only after five session days.
Among the recently approved bills y the House was the 25-year franchise for Bicol Broadcasting Systems, Inc., which was filed on Nov. 13 and approved on third reading on Dec. 4, 2019 after just about nine session days. #
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/shut.jpg720960Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2020-02-17 11:46:512020-02-17 11:57:00'Secret' talks on ABS-CBN franchise hit
Hiniling ng iba’t-ibang grupo na ilaan sa serbisyong panlipunan at pang-matagalang kabuhayan ang nakasalang na pambansang badyet ng pamahalaan sa susunod na taong 2020.
Sa isang press conference noong Martes, 26 Nobyembre, isiniwalat nila na ang maling paggamit ng pondo ng bayan tulad ng kontrobersyal na hosting ng Southeast Asian Games at maging ang “Build Build Build” program ng administrasyong Rodrigo Duterte na anila’y para lamang sa madalian at di permanenteng ganansiya.
Sa halip, ayon sa mga grupo, ay dapat dagdagan ang badyet para sa edukasyon, kalusugan, agrikultura, at iba pa. (Bidyo ni Jek Alcaraz/Kodao)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/serbisyo.jpg13652048Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-11-27 08:07:492019-11-27 08:07:502020 national budget, hiniling na i-sentro sa serbisyo at kabuhayan
The member of the 18th Congress who probably has the
least formal education took to the floor of the House of Representatives last
Monday, July 29, visibly nervous but delivered the most powerful speech of the
night nonetheless.
Neophyte representative Eufemia Cullamat of Bayan Muna
delivered her first privileged speech, vowed to defend the Lumad schools that
are under attack by government forces, and called for the respect of the
indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination over their ancestral domains.
Cullamat apologized for what she feared may be
mispronounced words, but she soon hit her stride and passionately delivered her
seven-page speech.
“I admit I am one of the very few members in this
hall who may have only finished elementary education and finds it difficult to
understand English words or read them. I am living proof of the government’s
failure to provide education for everyone because the nearest school from where
I live is 20 kilometers away,” Cullamat said in Filipino.
A member of the Manobo tribe from the mountains of
Barangay Diatogon in Lianga, Surigao del Sur, Ka Femia railed against the
attacks on Lumad schools she helped build. She recalled how she witnessed the
murder of her cousin Dionel Campos, her uncle Datu Jovillo Sinzo, and
Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development’s
(Alcadev’s) executive director Emerito Samarca on September 1, 2015.
“I was shaking, prone on the ground, while the
soldiers and the paramilitary peppered us non-stop with bullets. I clearly saw
how Dionel was ordered to lie on the ground by a paramilitary. I clearly saw
how his brain splattered when he was shot,” Cullamat said.
“I embraced Dionel’s children as they wailed over
their father’s lifeless and violated body.
I saw one of our elders, Datu Bello, bludgeoned several times that
caused fractures on his legs and arms,” Cullamat added.
She also narrated how she saw Alcadev’s principal Samarca lying in one of the classrooms, his lifeless body bearing signs of torture. “His body was riddled with bullets, full of cigarette burns and his throat slashed,” she narrated.
Cullamat said the massacre was one incident that shows
how the government regards the Lumad’s struggle to establish indigenous
peoples’ schools.
“What pains me, Mr. Speaker, is that these
horrible attacks are still being perpetrated in our schools, against our
teachers, against our children. Not only do they destroy our schools, they file
trumped-up charges against our teachers and supporters; they also imprison
them,” she said.
“They disrespect, they burn the schools we
sacrifice so much to put up,” she added, her voice breaking in pent-up
rage.
Cullamat raises fist in tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the national minority groups. (Screengrab from HOR live feed)
Cullamat said that for many decades, the national
minority had been deprived of basic social services, including education. She
said they have been victimized by their lack of education, as well as the
difficulty in obtaining them on the flatlands.
But the massacre goes beyond the government’s false
accusations that the Lumad schools are disguised New People’s Army (NPA)
training and recruitment grounds, Ka Femia said.
“That massacre was clearly meant to intimidate us
into allowing coal mining in our ancestral lands. As a paramilitary trooper
once said, ‘it would not have happened if we allowed mining,'” she said.
But the Lumad of Diatogon have long decided to defend their land from
environmental plunder, a decision that has cost them many lives and the existence
of their beloved schools.
Cullamat said 15 coal mining, as well as palm oil
plantation companies, are salivating over 200,000 hectares inside Lumad-Manobo
communities in the Andap Valley Complex in Surigao del Sur.
Still, Cullamat said, they will fight for their
schools. She said they persevered in establishing them and succeeded through
blood, sweat, and tears and with the help of the church and non-government
organizations. The schools taught them to read, write, and count.
“Because of these schools, our children are being
educated in ways that are respectful of our traditions, culture, and our need
to improve our lives, especially through agriculture so that we may prosper
while we protect our ancestral domains for future generations,” she
explained.
Cullamat also cited that many graduates of their Lumad
schools have gone on to earn college degrees and have gone back to their
communities as teachers, agriculturists, health workers and organizers. They
have also become trusted advisers to their tribal leaders.
She added that her children studied in the Lumad
schools and taught her and other adults in their communities to read and
understand Filipino. “My dear colleagues, I now stand before you, speaking
in Filipino, because of these Lumad schools,” she said.
The success of the schools in educating the Lumad have
made them targets of harassments and attacks, the neophyte legislator said. She
cited the recent decision of the Department of Education to suspend the permits
of 55 Salugpongan Ta’tanu Igkanugon Learning Center schools in Davao upon the
prodding of national security adviser Hermogenes Esperon.
“Esperon accuses the Salugpungan schools of training Lumad children to become New People’s Army guerrillas and how to shoot or dismantle guns, as he accuses other schools run by the Clans (Center for Lumad Advocacy Networking and Services), Misfi (Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation, Inc.), Trifpss (Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur), and Alcadev. All these are lies that are only meant to close down our schools and shut down our national minority organizations,” she cried, her voice rising in anger.
As an indigenous person member of Congress, Cullamat
said she must report to Congress that the attacks against the national minority
do not only happen in Mindanao. She said the Dumagats who oppose the mega-dam
projects in Quezon and the Igorots who with the Chico River Irrigation Pump
Project in the Cordilleras are also under attack.
“In spite of all these, the national minority would persevere in defense of our ancestral lands, the source of our life and livelihood,” she vowed.
“We will persevere in defending our schools for
the education of our children. We will persevere in our quest for justice for
the victims of human rights violations,” she added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/5.jpg375720Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-08-01 17:08:192019-08-01 17:30:491st Manobo in Congress vows to defend Lumad schools, national minorities' rights over ancestral lands
Midterm elections have always been crucial for any incumbent, as results will either affirm or reject the programs and policies so far of the ruling party. The 2019 midterm elections, however, appears to be different, as it happens at the heels of the Duterte administration’s implementation of harshest neoliberal economic policies and undermining democracy. The Duterte presidency has seemingly consolidated the Executive, Lower House and even the Judiciary under its influence, and the Senate could be the last stronghold of democratic processes.
After weeks of campaigning, the 2019 midterm elections is near. Candidates vying for senatorial posts have traveled around the country seeking to convince Filipinos to vote for them. It remains to be seen whether or not we will have a truly independent senate after the May 2019 elections.
Quick voters scan
Looking at data from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) shows that there are 61,843,750 voters in the Philippines with an additional 1,822,173 registered overseas voters for the 2019 midterm elections.
A breakdown of the voters shows that Region IV-A has the highest number of voters with 14%, followed by Region III with 11%, and the National Capital Region (NCR) with 11.4 percent. The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has the lowest number of voters with only 1.6% share of the total number of voters. The poorest regions also have a low number of voters. Both Region IX and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) only have 3.5% of the total number of voters.
For overseas voters, the Middle East and African regions have the highest number of voters with 48.7%, while the European region has the lowest share of voters with only 10.2 percent.
While the huge number of voters does not automatically translate into voter turnout, in 2016 the country had an 84% voter turnout compared to 2013 with 77.3% and 2010 with 74.9 percent. Unsurprisingly, a high voter turnout can also be an indicator of dubious activities like flying voters.
Finding the right candidate
Instead of dancing around and telling rehearsed jokes repeatedly, what does IBON think candidates should stand for to deserve the Filipinos’ vote in the upcoming elections?
First, candidates should adhere to the advancement of socioeconomic strategies. Filipino industries should be protected and supported instead of allowing foreign companies to dominate the Philippine economy. An example is protecting and promoting the agriculture sector through production and price supports instead of flooding the market with imported agricultural goods, as is the rationale behind the Rice Tariffication Law, to lower inflation.
Candidates interested in genuinely effecting long-term reforms for the country’s production sectors should support genuine agrarian reform. The failure of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to redistribute land to the tillers has only intensified landgrabbing and land use conversions for land market speculation. Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) records show that as of January 2019, there were still 549,920 hectares that need to be acquired and distributed. From 1988 to 2016, meanwhile, 98,939 hectares of land were approved for conversion while 120,381 hectares were approved for exemption from land reform coverage–but this is a conservative count as the real extent of land conversion may be underreported. After CARP, majority of so-called agrarian reform beneficiaries still do not own the land awarded to them or are in the process of being dispossessed because they are failing to amortize.
Third, candidates should be upholding people’s rights and welfare. Candidates should be firm in ending contractualization. It is still very much in place: Employment data shows that in 2018, 8.5 million workers of private companies and 985,000 workers in government agencies are still non-regular workers.
Additionally, legislating a national minimum wage of Php750 should also be a major agenda. Raising the average daily basic pay (ADBP) of Php401 nationwide to Php750 will in turn add Php7,649 to employees’ monthly income and Php99,432 to their annual income (including 13thmonth pay). This will cost the 35,835 establishments nationwide just Php465 billion or only 21.5% out of their Php2.16 trillion in profits.
Moreover, Republic Act (RA) 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law should be repealed instead of taking out taxes especially from petroleum products which are socially sensitive. TRAIN means less money in the pockets of 8 out of 10 Filipinos as only 5.5 million Filipino families benefit from lower personal income taxes (PIT) while the remaining 17.2 million poorest households do not benefit from PIT but all pay higher consumer taxes.
Candidates should also ensure that basic social services will be accessible to every Filipino. That is why there is a need to build more public schools and public hospitals aside from allotting higher budgets to education and health. But 2019 budget for the Department of Health (DOH) for instance was cut by 8.13% compared to last year.
Lastly, candidates should promote environmental sustainability. For example, a candidate should be firm to stop destructive large-scale mining, as this causes irreparable damage not only to the country’s natural resources but to many indigenous communities. Another part of this is encouraging rational consumption. Our resources are finite – what we produce and consume must only be within our needs. Candidates should also promote an environment-friendly agriculture and industry.
The public has heard the candidates’ stances on various pertinent issues such as the TRAIN Law, Rice Tarrification Law, contractualization, and jobless growth. Now the candidates should bear in mind that whatever promises they made during the campaign period would be remembered by the people, who will hold them accountable when they take their posts this June 2019.
The last stand
The new senate should carry out the task of defending the current constitution against the Duterte administration’s push for federalism, neoliberalism, and self-serving political goals. The most consistent is the intent to fully liberalize the Philippine economy for foreign investors.
Relatedly, pending proposed amendments to the Human Security Act (HSA) aim to prevent critics, thereby putting basic human rights and civil liberties in peril. The HSA could expedite terrorist tagging and linking and subsequent surveillance, arrests, and restricting of legitimate people’s movements. The new senate should stand against this creeping authoritarianism.
The Philippine Senate could be the last democratic institution for the government’s checks and balances, independent of and not beholden to the power ambitions of the presidency and expected to side with the people and defend whatever remains of Philippine democracy, people’s rights and welfare, and the country’s sovereignty.
With all these considered, the 2019 midterm elections could be one of the Filipinos’ last stands for freedom and democracy. Depending on how their favorite candidates have explained these to them, they can now vote wisely. #
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IndependentSenate-1.png366650Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-05-17 09:02:042019-05-17 09:02:06WANTED: An Independent Senate
