Visit us at www.opinyon.com.phJANUARY 24 - 30, 2011 • Vol. I, No. 23

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Man of the Hour P-Noy needs a lifeline so he can continue to perform his duty with-out being unnecessarily bothered by analyzing and solving problems. EDITORIAL PAGE 4

Take the ChallengeP-Noy is having difficulty running the country he needs all the help he can get. His decision to seek the help of his erstwhile running mate and buddy Mar Roxas is a wise decision. For Mar, it is a one-time opportunity to help save P-Noy’s from himself and at the same time get to serve the more than fifteen million people who voted for him in the last elections. Mar will confront his new job, nay, duty, with his usual passion for excellence and feel for the public pulse. We need somebody of his stature in the Cabinet. Page 4

publisher’s notes

badlyNEEdEdBy David Cagahastian

I SS N 2 0 9 4 - 7 3 7 2The Only Opinion Paper, We Take A Stand

What would be ruling party president Mar Roxas’ role in the Aquino administration when he gets appointed? Does his appointment mean that the country, just six months into the presidency of Mr. Aquino, had already burrowed itself into so much trouble to have need for a “chief troubleshooter” in the government?President Aquino announced last week the impending appointment of his defeated running mate to a sensitive post in the government when the prohibition against appointing defeated candidates is lifted in May. TURN TO PAGE 2

‘Troubleshooter’ a boost to business confidence

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We politicize economic issues

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THINK LABORBy DAVE DIWA7EASTWIND JOURNALS

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Open Letterto Mayor Herbert

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2 J A N U A R Y 2 3 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 OpinYon

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STandNEWS

badly NEEdEdFrom page 1

But the timing of the an-nouncement and the term used by P-Noy in defining the role that Roxas will play in his government are suspect as it comes amidst rising costs of living in the country, calls for corresponding increases in wages, and, consequently, escalated risks for foreigners intending to do business in the Philippines.

Everyone knows that Roxas is groomed to be, without doubt, appointed to a critical position when he becomes eligible to hold a Cabinet post. However, his position as president of the ruling Liberal Party already carries with it an ex-officio position of influence on the President.

Timing is everythingSo, why does P-Noy have to

reiterate that Roxas will play an important role in running the affairs of the State?

The timing of P-Noy’s an-nouncement laying emphasis on Roxas’ role gives the im-pression that this was done to assure investors that in spite of negative reports such us the President’s disappointing work habits, the country’s economic prospects, and the business community’s forecast. All these will come to the fore when Roxas gets onboard.

This timing and the moniker “troubleshooter” for Roxas are gleaned as confidence-building baits for present and potential investors who have grown impatient over the reforms guaranteed by P-Noy early on.

Bishops opposeEven the Catholic Bishops

have expressed misgivings over the job description P-Noy has given Roxas’ as “trouble-shooter” wary over the scope of authority that the President would give him.

The bishops have suggested that Roxas, as P-Noy’s defeated running mate, must be prof-fered a Cabinet post where parameters of power and responsibility are clearer.

As troubleshooter, this des-ignation is powerful and more

influential than that of the executive secretary’s, whose position is often termed as “Little President”, and that of the vice president’s.

Even members of the Liberal Party have refused to say what Roxas would do for the Aquino government.

Potent postHouse Speaker Feliciano

Belmonte, who was rumored as being groomed by Lakas congressmen who have jumped ship to join the Liberal Party to the LP leadership, could not say how Roxas would go about doing his job as chief trouble-shooter.

Belmonte said that indeed the “troubleshooter” moniker is just a nickname for another position that Roxas would oc-cupy which, hopefully, would be a potent position in the bureaucracy.

Former senator and Muntin-lupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon said it is not clear to him what Roxas would occupy in the P-Noy government. Biazon said it is up to Malacañang to officially announce what position Roxas will occupy.

Biazon said the functions and authorities of presidential appointees should be clear-cut so that these officials who enjoy the President’s confidence would not step the bounds of their power.

By ChiTO JUNiA

Newly appointed Philippine Overseas Employment Ad-ministration (POEA) Head Carlos Cao Jr, in his first media briefing last January 19, 2011, outlined his agenda for the government’s regulatory body in the country’s overseas man-power placement industry.

Tasked to steer Philippine labor into global competitive-ness and to manage the day-to-day operations of the POEA, Cao laid out his management corner stone of Service Deliv-ery, Strengthened Regulations and Values Re-orientation or SRV for short, for the POEA

“In the next few days, the POEA will launch an “In-tegrity Movement” for all its employees to be spearheaded by “Integrity Clubs” in all or-ganizational units. And I also long to see the day when the POEA shall also truly mean to all our employees as “ Proud and Outstanding Employee Ako”. Cao said.

Cao stressed his thrust to create a balance between jobs generation, welfare and pro-tection of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), even as he also underscored the need to focus on more skilled and professional workers.

There are clamors from some public sectors to stop the deployment of Filipino domes-tic helpers abroad as this has been one of the most problem laden fields of employment abroad.

To dispel reports of ap-

prehension from manpower placement agencies for his having no background in over-seas manpower deployment, Cao explained that having been raised in an OFW family, his OFW brother helped him through college, he knows the heart and sacrifices of an OFW. Moreover, Cao explained that as Chief Legal Counsel of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines (MMPI), he helped craft the pro-active overseas training program for MMPI employees for Japan.

According to Cao, they did the training program in Japan to help avert the impending layoff of MMPI employees due to the economic downturn brought about by the Gulf War in 1991

“I personally supervised the departure process of departing MMPI employees for the training in Japan, even sending them off at the airport and visiting them at their actual jobsites in Japan to help them cope with the difficulties of working in a foreign land.

A Methodist pastor, Cao is perceived to steer the POEA into a higher moral ground.

“I am well aware of the problems facing the overseas employment industry today, as reported in media, where some POEA employees are allegedly involved in human trafficking,” Cao said, even as he also raised the issue on the DFA Certification require-ment for all Philippine labor markets and the mandatory insurance for all agency hired

workers under the Amended Migrant Workers Act of 1995 or R.A. 10022.

In showing his commit-ment to his new assignment, Cao, despite his being new in the overseas employment industry, promised to make the difference with his man-agement style.

“I see myself not only as an administrator, but as the Chief Optimist and the Chief Cheer-leader who will bring the heart of God to the POEA and to every OFW and their families.

As the government regulatory office in overseas employment, the POEA is responsible for the processing and documentation of the over 1.4 Million Filipinos who leave the country each year to work abroad. It is also involved in the accreditation and reg-istration of private overseas manpower placement agen-cies and the implementation of the government’s anti- illegal recruitment program.

The manpower placement industry is now on a virtual wait and see mode because of certain requirements from Philippine labor markets as mandated in Republic Act 10022.

The Act provides that the Philippine government will only deploy workers to coun-tries that will guarantee the protection of Filipino migrant worker’s rights.

And this requirement, ac-cording to some recruitment agency owners, are getting opposition from some labor importing countries.

Cao’s SRV at the POEA

As troubleshooter, this designation is powerful and more influential than that of the executive secretary’s, whose position is often termed as ‘Little President’, and that of the vice president’s.

The Philippines had it in Sep-tember 2009, when lives were lost and hundreds of millions worth of properties were washed away due to floods brought about by Typhoon Ondoy.

Today, Australia is suffering the same fate as torrential rains continue to pound parts of this country.

All these have been attrib-uted by scientists as part of the effects of global warming and climate change. And to address this concern, the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), under the Chair-manship of Senator Edgardo J. Angara, together with the Manila Observatory (MO) and Ateneo University presented re-nowned environmental scientist and Professor Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo to kick off the series of lectures about global warming and climate change and to mark the establishment of the Philippine Disaster Science Management Center (DSMC).

Ateneo University hosted the first of a series of lectures last week that would present a scien-tific view of the effects of global warming on climate change and coping with disasters in the Philippine setting.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Chair of COMSTE, said that the series of lectures would harness the talents of excellent scientists both local and foreign. The lecture series will begin with an overview of climate change and disaster sci-ence and go further into technical detail as the series progresses.

Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo discussed the effects of humanity on global warming and climate change in his first lecture, entitled, “4 Billion Years of Sun, Earth, Life and Climate.” The second lec-ture, “The Global Temperature Record of the Last Two Millenia, and How We Determine it” went further details, exploring the record of directly measured temperatures back as far as they are reliable, and how we extend it back 2,000 years with proxy techniques. These include historical documents, including those of phenology, the scientific study of the chronologies of peri-odic biological phenomena, such as flowering, harvests, breeding, and migration, as they relate to changing climate. Also discussed are the proxy data derived from tree rings, glacial lengths and mass balance, and temperatures in deep boreholes.

Dr. Rodolfo is Professor Emeritus with the Department of Earth & Environmental Sci-ences, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Senior Visiting Fellow of Earth System Science of the MO. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sci-ence and Technology (NAST) and the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engi-neering (PAASE).

Angara said that the ongoing lectures will tackle issues like how flooding and can affect insurance companies and how to quickly adopt Renewable Energy Systems to lessen local fossil fuel use. Both local and foreign scientists and experts will be lecturing.

COMSTE launches disaster awareness lectures

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STand

OpinYon J A N U A R Y 2 4 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 3

NEWS

Despite the lack of a presidential approval for Stradcom’s lucrative build-own-operate contract with the government in 1998, the favored corporation bagged the project to provide for the information technology needs of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

In last week’s issue, OpinYon focused on how Stradcom had bagged the IT project with LTO, which had since allowed it to collect as much as P12 billion in the past decade, despite not having a presidential approval for the lucrative project from then President Ramos.

It turns out that even with the absence of the presidential approval, Stradcom had managed to get an amendment agreement that will prevail over the unapproved BOO project if the two documents are inconsistent with each other.

The said amendment agreement between LTO and Stradcom in June, 2001, was meant to address the purported “need to confirm and amend certain provisions of the concession agreement.”

The agreement said that “if any provision of this confirmation and amendment agreement is inconsistent with a provision of the concession agreement, this provision of this confirmation and amendment agreement shall prevail.” The amendment was supposedly behooved by “supervening events and conditions beyond the control of the parties.”

But by reading the amendment agreement, it could be deduced that the BOO contract with Stradcom should have been cancelled because of breaches in the original contract, which the amendment agreement had sought to correct at the expense of the government and the taxpayers.

There is a provision in the amendment agree-ment which changed the date when Stradcom should have already commenced work under the

BOO contract.The amendment agreement moved the project

date to July 1, 1999 or almost 16 months after the signing of the original BOO contract on March 26, 1998.

The performance bond that Stradcom had also posted to signify its sincerity in pushing through with the project had not been forfeited. As stipulated in the original BOO contract any breach or anomaly in the original contract for-feits the project proponent’s bond.

Other irregularities in the amendment contract that had been foisted on taxpayers and the trans-acting public at the LTO include the deletion of the deadline for the in service date by which Stradcom should have already completed the IT project. Under the original BOO contract, the IT project should have already been in place and operational by August 1999, but this provision has disappeared from the amendment agreement.

The amendment agreement also said that Stradcom shall by paid by LTO “on a daily basis, based on the total number of daily transactions processed by the IT facilities.” This violates the Commission on Audit’s (COA) Manual on the New Government Accounting System that requires daily remittance of collections.

To top all of these irregularities in the amend-ment agreement, this also has no record of hav-ing been approved by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) board and by the Office of the President.

More to this in next week’s issue.

By DAviD CAGAhAsTiAN

The spate of gruesome violence in the past week, including the abduction and gruesome murder of two car traders, has gripped the nation in fear and brought about talks of reviv-ing the death penalty.

There have also been conspiracy theories on who are behind the mafia-style murders of the two car trad-ers, one of whom was the son of a prominent lawyer.

Followed by a series of carjacking incidents in Metro Manila, police said these could be diversionary tactics of suspects in relation to the murder of the car traders.

Amidst all these high-profile crimes come many seemingly mundane but equally heinous crimes against Filipinos.

While many politicians have clamored for the revival of the death penalty or conjec-tured on the probable motives of the perpetrators of the crimes or the masterminds, this writer has stumbled upon an article in which a contem-porary book is being quoted on its views about how an unequal society could provide such powerful impetus for crimes.

A New York Times supple-ment with the Manila Bul-letin two weeks ago quoted the book, “The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger”, written by two distinguished British epidemiologists, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.

Wilkinson and Pickett contend that “gross inequality

tears at the human psyche, creating anxiety, distrust and an array of mental and physi-cal ailments.”

“If you fail to avoid high inequality, you will need more prisons and more police. You will have to deal with higher rates of mental illness, drug abuse and every other kind of problem,” they said.

The book, in effect, said that crime is but a reaction to the existing social condition and the stark variance in eco-nomic state reflecting an ap-parent inequality in general. This was observed in the past six months.

The police have yet to issue definitive and believable figures on the crime rates in our country during the Aquino administration. The data on crime rates could just have been reported to media as victims involved come from well-to-do families. Sharing a high crime rate could also be easier to do now that the Philippine National Police (PNP) is under attack in the press because of abuses and crimes involving policemen themselves.

But there could be no doubt of the growing inequal-ity in our country and the growing uncertainties among the people in the face of ris-ing prices of food and basic commodities, transport costs and utilities, notwithstanding the campaign slogan of the President that “kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.”

It’s either the slogan is wrong, or that corruption has persisted under P-Noy’s watch.

A famous American writer once attributed to a fictional editor a maxim about news-papers averring that a news-paper’s reputation comes from its unassailable certainty.

I took this to mean that unassailable certainty might be different from accuracy, and that a newspaper might purport to be certain about a particular detail regardless of whether that detail is indeed the truth.

But this maxim should not be taken to an extent that it could be used to justify the spreading of outright lies, especially for particular gains. Much less, this maxim should not be used to justify inves-tigations by the government that are launched on the say-so of some influential people.

These government initia-tives should be based on formal complaints. In the case of investigations done motu propio, a reasonable amount of evidence is its basis.

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation in the alleged involvement of Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Virginia Torres in the takeover of Stradcom is based on such say-so, and the actual flow of the investigations are apparently dictated by a silent videotape.

The investigation was launched by DOJ Secretary Leila De Lima as endorsed by Department of Transporta-tion and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Ping de Jesus who himself launched a probe on Torres based on allegations made by the Quiambao faction in the Stradcom corporation during a recent press conference. The Quiambao faction accused Torres of having conspired with the Sumbilla faction in taking over the operations of Stradcom.

De Jesus authorized the DOTC’s investigation on Tor-

res through an endorsement letter dated December 14, 2010, and quoted allegations that were made by the Quiambao faction in a press conference. But there has yet to be a formal complaint before the DOTC against Torres for her alleged involvement in the takeover.

De Jesus made the endorse-ment that the DOJ conduct the investigation in the absence of a formal complaint from the Quiambao faction, and he made the endorsement on the say-so of that faction in an ear-lier press conference in which they showed a videotape that supposedly constituted evi-dence against Torres.

The Quiambao faction purported that Torres was al-legedly aware that the Sumbilla faction of Stradcom would take over the Stradcom premises last December 9. This fed the wrong

information to the press that Torres had been hosting the Sumbilla faction at her office while the forceful and armed takeover was being carried out at around dawn of that day.

Now this videotape is dictating the flow and line of questioning of the DOJ’s fact-finding committee on the Stradcom takeover. Torres was forced to dispute the interpre-tations of the Quiambao fac-tion of what she was actually doing in the silent videotape.

Already, the first hearing of the DOJ on the incident focused on the videotape. The second hearing, in which Tor-res was supposed to have her first opportunity to explain what the Quiambao faction had alleged, still focused on the videotape.

But Torres answered the questions and disproved in her testimony the Quiambao faction’s interpretations of her actions in the silent videotape.

She told the fact-finding committee that she entered the Stradcom compound on the orders of De Jesus to ensure the security of the LTO database that is in the care of Stradcom. Torres also stressed that she did not care whoever was in control

of the Stradcom facilities at the LTO compound. Her concern was to make sure that the LTO would continue to operate on that day regardless of the takeover and that this incident by warring factions in the multi-billion-peso Stradcom operation will not cripple LTO operations.

True enough, the LTO presented witnesses that testi-fied that the LTO had called a management meeting even as the takeover was in effect. This was so that the LTO could formulate measures that would allow the continuity of services amidst the takeover, which was Torres’s goal in en-tering the Stradcom premises in the first place.

Torres was finally given the opportunity to read her opening statement only at the resumption of the hear-ing after a lunch break. She expressed dismay over the at-tacks against her in the press.

I can’t blame her for being disappointed at news stories that are based on wrong information deliberately fed to reporters, and at investiga-tions launched on the say-so of a Stradcom faction in a press conference.

DOTC probe of Stradcom takeover launched on a say-so

PubliCPrimErDavid Cagahastian

The press is indeed a powerful tool, and different versions of the truth could outplay each other depending on the play-up that these different versions get from the newspapers.

STRADCOM PART 2

No NEda sTamP, PrEsidENT’s oK iN sTradCom’s rEvisEd dEal?

Spate of violence a sign of an unequal society

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STandEDITORIAL

4 J A N U A R Y 2 3 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 OpinYon

No one should begrudge President Aquino for turning to his trusted friends for help particularly at a time when his ability to govern is being put to a severe test only seven months into his belea-guered presidency.

When P-Noy announced last week that he will ap-point as his “chief troubleshooter” the unemployed Private Citizen Mar Roxas when the one year elec-tion ban for defeated candidates expires in June, a flurry of comments, mostly malicious, came off the press. Two bishops pontificated that appointing a losing candidate is not appropriate conveniently forgetting that even sinners the Church would take kindly. Of course, in the last elections, candidate Mar was more of a victim than anything else.

The rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) made a play of words saying that the “troubleshooter” could turn “troublemaker” himself. Some pundits opined that Mar would in fact create rather than solve problems: a dangerous threat to the Chief of Staff; exercise power without accountability or worse, use his new post for a bid for the presidency in 2016.

Presidents seeking out the services of friends or even relatives is not something new. Candidate John F. Kennedy had his brother Bobby as a campaign manager and later appointed him Attorney Gen-eral. Nixon frequently consulted his lawyer friend Abe Fortas on a variety of cases before and after he appointed him to the US Supreme Court. Lyndon Johnson sought the advice of corporate lawyer Clark Clifford and later appointed him Secretary of De-fense. Roosevelt, Carter, Reagan and Clinton solicited the views of their wives not only on matters of sarto-rial elegance but also on the affairs of State. Closer home, Tito Guingona was a respected opposition leader before he was appointed vice-president.

Mar Roxas is better prepared. He was Secretary of Trade and Industry twice. This makes him an old friend of the business sector. He was at the Cancun-WTO ministerial conference and argued for the developing countries shouting “No Deal is Better than a Bad Deal.” That made him a darling, even for a while, of advocates of fair trade. His leg-islative record as a member of Congress, first at the Lower House and then at the Senate, is something any lawmaker will be proud of. Such a record of public service we cannot afford to waste. P-Noy needs him badly.

Mar Roxas is the man of the hour.

Man of the Hour

publisher’s notesBY RAY JUNiA

Amidst mounting criticism on the way P-Noy is running the country and the uncertainty that hangs on the horizon comes the announcement that his erstwhile vice-presidential running mate Mar Roxas will be Malacanang’s top troubleshooter.

The announcement was meet with mixed feel-ing by a vocal public, the predominant sentiment being against giving a defeated vice-presidential candidate a chance to serve or save the country.

As I was talking with the Opinyon editors, they too were split right in the middle on whether P-Noy’s latest move is correct. Some said it was a timely ploy to save his presidency from premature decay. With the former senator’s training, experi-ence and rapport with the business sector, both local and foreign, the choice was perfect. It virtu-ally puts an icing to P-Noy’s centerpiece program dubbed as “private-public partnership.”

Others argued that taking the job would be the end of Mar Roxas’ political career. If P-Noy’s goes down, he will drag Mar into the abyss with him.

I told the opinion guys that the true measure of what is correct is not about political or personal benefit alone but what is good for the country.

If it’s good for the country then Mar should pick up the challenge. What is at stake is the future of a country in trouble and Mar can do something as P-Noy’s chief trouble buster.

Why so? P-Noy, by asking Mar’s help, may have just admitted that he cannot do the job well enough. I really think so.

P-Noy himself is in big trouble. What he has done and failed to do since he became President is widely known by now. And it is not a good excuse to keep on repeating that he was thrust into this mess as an accidental if reluctant president. If I remember right, he said so himself before and even after the presidential campaign.

But then, most of us still voted for him. So there he is and here we are. The way things are shaping up, we need somebody like Mar Roxas to help him run this country in whatever capacity. That will give P-Noy the time to play with his toys and have fun with all the friends he had appointed to the cabinet.

Mar will confront his new job, nay, duty, with his usual passion for excellence and feel for the public pulse. We need somebody of his stature in the Cabinet. He knows how his Boss works and once he has surrendered his ambition to him for the greater need of party unity and service to the country. Once more, his friend P-Noy, the chair-man of his party and the president of the country, is asking him to help share the burdens of the presidency. Mar, even if he is not the vice-president is competent to do the job.

Well, at least something has been being proposed to save the country from falling into the abyss of despair and revolt. Take up the challenge Mar. You have a duty to do to the more than 15 million people who trusted and voted for you. You don’t have to be a vice-president to serve the country.

Take thechallenge

The fight for COLA continues

post once occupied by the likes of Gabby Claudio, Jimmy Poli-carpio and Lito Banayo.

Llamas was earlier appointed as a member of the board of directors of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).Why he was suddenly plucked from a plum post once occupied by Philstar columnist and UP Political Science Professor Alex Magno is as baffling as his acceptance of a job too hot to handle.

Former Constitutional Com-mission member Chito Gascon and former Liberal Party Director General was earlier interested in the position as it was directly re-lated to his job being some kind of a party whip. He was instead appointed to the board of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA).

This shifting or switching of preferences really tells us who’s in and who’s out in the company of P-Noy. Well, the PAPA carries a cabinet rank and Llamas now sports the title of Secretary.That makes him eligible to attend cabinet meetings at least once every six months.This is what Ronald Llamas like best: listen-ing to inside stories he can bring to the outside world.

Not a bad job for a gofer and a member of the “hawi” squad.

• • • • • •Insinuating that the two

murdered victims of carjacking were part of a criminal gang of car thieves while their families were in deep grief and mourning leaves a bad taste in the mouth. This reminds us of how broad-caster Ted Failon was hurled to the police precinct because he

was a suspect for having killed his own wife. Well, even Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was unimaginably accused of hav-ing killed her own son. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Can’t the police be a little circumspect or respectful of the dead and their families?

• • • • • •Government employees,

both in the active service and those who have retired must be cursing at the Court of Ap-peals for ruling that they are not entitled to the cost of living allowance (COLA).

The employees at the Tariff Commission who brought the case to the courts in 2002 when Malacanang refused to pay them their COLA were not as lucky as their counterparts in the Local Waterworks Authority, the Metropolitan Water and Sewer-age System,the Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine National Bank and other government of-fices who were paid their COLA for one reason or another.

In 1998 the Supreme Court had ruled that government employees must be paid their COLA from 1989 to 1994. The total claims could run as high as P600 billion.

P-Not must take time to study this issue and talk to the employees who have filed claims against the government. The government cannot expect employers in the private sector to comply with their obligations to their employees if the govern-ment itself, as an employer, does not pay attention to the wage claims of its own employees.

In the meantime, the em-ployees at Tariff Commission may have to go to the Supreme Court. The fight for COLA continues.

• • • • • •Now pending in Congress

is House Bill No. 303. This bill seeks to amend some provisions in the Labor Code that invari-ably conflict with the employer’s right to hire and fire employees under and the worker’s right to job security. A key provision of the bill is to limit the number of contractual or temporary work-ers that an establishment can hire vis-à-vis its regular em-ployees: 80 percent regular to 20 percent contractual employees.

The bill was approved at the Labor Committee level and is ex-pected to be submitted to the ple-nary session for debates. Problem is, Labor Committee Chair Emil Ong had changed his mind. He is now having reservations whether or not to submit the Committee Report to the plenary body or remand it to the Committee for some drastic revisions.

Workers said that the Joint Foreign Chambers met with Rep. Ong and some members of the Committee on Labor last Christmas. The members of the chamber are the US, Japan, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, among others. They all want the 80-20 percent cap scrapped.

Our workers and their trade union are now preparing for a world war.

sHoPTalK,iNC.Ryan & Allen

Ronald Llamas, P-Noy’s shooting buddy, gofer and former president of Akbayan Partylist, was appointed Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs, an important

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Telephone: 843-3989. Email: opinyon_2010@yahoo.com

RAY L. JUNIA LUCHIE ACLAN ARGUELLES ALFONSO O. LABITA DAVID S. CAGAHASTIAN Publisher Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor

NESTOR L. ABREMATEA REA ANN SANTOS KARLO GOMEZ Vis-Min News Bureau Chief Editorial Assistant Editorial Assistant

RICARDO G. VELARDE Atty. RICKY M. RIBO Art Director Legal Counsel

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STand CONSUMERS

OpinYon J A N U A R Y 2 4 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 5

energy, law, economics, finance, commerce, or engineering, with at least three (3) years actual and distinguished experience in their respective fields...”

This is the essence of Chapter IV, Sec. 38, on the Creation of the Energy Regulatory Commission under RA 9136, also known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), where de-clared State policies under Sec. 2 include the following:

• To ensure the quality, reli-ability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power;

• To ensure transparent and reasonable prices of electricity in a regime of free and fair competi-tion and full public accountabil-ity to achieve greater operational and economic efficiency and enhance the competitiveness of Philippine products in the global market;

• To protect the public interest as it is affected by the rates and the services of electric utilities and other providers of electric power, and

• To establish a strong and purely independent regulatory body and system to ensure con-sumer protection and enhance the competitive operation of the electricity market.

Sec. 42 of EPIRA commands ERC to “handle consumer com-plaints and ensure the adequate promotion of consumer inter-ests,” which is reinforced further in Sec. 43 by the mandate to “promote competition, encour-age market development, ensure customer choice and penalize abuse of market power.”

The ERC is empowered to adopt a rate-setting methodology that will allow the utilities “to op-erate viably,” but, consistent with State policies and ERC mandates to promote consumer interest, that rate “must ensure a reason-able price of electricity.” Clearly, the reform law is not wanting in safeguards for consumers.

Knowing the mandates of power reforms and the institu-tions that would pursue them, we thought it was important to get to know the people who run these institutions and administer the reforms.

Aided by the magic of Google, we surveyed what was in the public domain on the ERC, start-ing with its official website.

The photos of the commis-sioners were posted in their ascendant order, but there was absolutely nothing there on

where they came from, or the experience and expertise they brought to the commission. The required “three (3) years [of] actual and distinguished experi-ence in their respective fields of expertise” were hardly discern-ible from their mug shots.

Unfazed, we persisted in the Google search, and turned up the following:

Lawyer Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut, Chairman. Former Member of the House of Repre-sentatives for the Second District of Pampanga, serving three terms. She finished AB Pol. Sci. (1976) and LlB (1981) at Far Eastern Univ., with elementary and high school educa-tion in Pampanga. Was a Councilor, Professor, Prosecut-ing Fiscal, Research Attorney, Interpreter, Legal Researcher and Medical Representa-tive. Member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Move-ment of Advancement of Young Advocates of Pampanga and the Pampanga Human Rights Org. Married to Crisanto Ducut, a businessman, she turns 55 years old next month.

Lawyer Alejandro Z. Barin, Member, was Acting Chairman until Chairman Cruz-Ducut was appointed. ZoomInfo describes him as active in corporate law practice and listed his previous positions as Corp. Sec./Consultant of General Milling Corp.; Consul-tant, Tao Commodity Trader; and, Vice Pres., Makati Sports Club. He is the husband of the first ERC chairman under EPIRA and current Securities & Exchange Commission Chairman Fe Barin.

Rauf A. Tan, Member, Business Admin. & Accounting graduate, Univ. of the Philip-pines, Certified Public Accoun-tant. ZoomInfo describes Mr. Tan thus: “with more than 25 years experience in the electric power industry in the fields of

finance, marketing, manage-ment, utility economics, financial systems, public relations, priva-tization and energy regulation. He actively contributed to the promulgation and is now [at] the forefront in the execution of the performance-based regula-tion (PBR) of the transmission and distribution utilities in the Philippines.”

Jose C. Reyes, Member, “formerly with Petron Marketing and National Power Corp.” ac-cording to ZoomInfo.

Lawyer Ma. Teresa R. Casta-ñeda, Member, former ERC Executive Director.

The lack of personal informa-tion in the ERC website, on the one hand, and the deluge of irrel-evant Google entries on some of the board members, on the other, made the search very frustrating.

But until we can be provided with more relevant information, this should serve as sufficient in-troduction to the men and women behind the many decisions and orders that are now the subject of contentious debates among indus-try stakeholders. At the very least, we now know who in particular is responsible for PBR, the source of the unabated increase in power rates and soaring utility profits.

By the way, if the Depart-ment of Energy (DOE) will only bother to give some time to the plight of consumers in the elec-tricity industry, the Secretary of Energy might be of some help. Sec. 37 of EPIRA directs the department to “facilitate and en-courage reforms in the structure and operations of distribution utilities for greater efficiency and lower costs.” Given the rampant increases in power rates under PBR, Secretary Rene Almendras can very well step in and lower those rates to their true levels for the benefit of consumers.

SCD POSTSCRIPT. Since our column on the Senior Citi-zens Discount, many have asked why I opposed it. For the record, I am not against the discount per se. In fact, I would endorse a significantly higher rate than 5% to cover even higher levels of

Turn to page 13

Meet the CommissionersThe Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is “an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory body to be… composed of a Chairman and four (4) members… of recognized competence in any of the following fields:

CrossiNGsButch L. Junia

sentiment against the continu-ing con game and larceny.

With us are our comrades, Butch Junia of OpinYon, and others such as Job Borda-monte of the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), who both guested in my GNN program last Tuesday. (Inci-dentally, the FDC is holding its conference on power issues this Jan. 25-26 at the Ciudad Cristhia Resort, San Mateo, Rizal; interested par-ties may contact Job through 0920-9149561 or jobkevin@yahoo.com.)

As we continue to drum up the crusade for fair electricity rates, we urge all citizens to join the cause. Meanwhile, we’ll focus on another vital consumer issue: The fluoride fraud.

Last January 8, 2011, the US Centers for Disease Con-trol (CDC) issued a report admitting that 2 in 5 children there show signs of fluoride poisoning, such as streaking, spotting, or pitting of teeth due to dental fluorosis. Hence the CDC has decided that fluoride levels in municipal water supplies be lowered from 1.2 to 0.7 milligrams per liter.

Five decades of putting in increasingly high levels of fluoride in drinking water has come to an end; but the questions have just begun. Since fluoride is really a poi-son, why wasn’t it completely banned as European govern-ments have done? How can the CDC ever have recom-mended such high levels of fluoride in public drinking water; and worse, what could it have done to those who’ve used tap water for infant formula?

Even mothers who drink from tap water would also have fluoride in their breast milk! What does this now make of the sales pitch of toothpaste companies that brandish their fluoride con-tent? How did this horren-dous fluoride myth begin?

The story is equally shock-ing, as reporters Joel Griffiths and Chris Bryson discovered about the Manhattan Project,

the US ’ secret atomic bomb development program. They found that fluoride was a key chemical in atomic bomb production.

“Fluoride was the top chemical hazard of the US nuclear weapons program, not only for workers, but for those living in nearby communities as well,” writes James Donahue in The Great Fluoride Scam. He continues: “The documents show that the first US lawsuits levied against the atomic weapons program were over fluoride poisoning, not radiation damage. The documents re-veal that the US government secretly ordered atomic bomb scientists to create ‘evidence useful in litigation’ against defense contractors who were being accused of injur-ing citizens with fluoride.”

So they created this myth that fluoride is good to allay the public’s fears of the mil-lions of tons of fluoride being dumped in US waters. That’s why toothpaste tubes have a warning printed onto them that any child who swallows more than a pea-size amount of the toothpaste should contact poison control. That poison is fluoride. Brushing with water is enough. And while others may want pastes that contain no fluoride, it’s time to stop buying this poison!

l Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; watch TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on Global News Network, Destiny Cable channel 8; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com

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‘Knowing the mandates of power reforms and the institutions that would pursue them, we thought it was important to get to know the people who run these institutions and administer the reforms.’

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STandPOLITICS

6 J A N U A R Y 2 3 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 OpinYon

January 26, 1970 was a Monday and the Opening Day of the newly elected Congress.

Under the then in effect 1935 Constitution, the 24 senators had six-year terms. All other national and local officials had four-year terms. National elec-tions had just been held in No-vember 1969. The Nacionalista Party candidates, reelectionists President Ferdinand Marcos and Vice President Fernando Lopez had defeated the LP candidates, Sergio Osmeña and Genaro Magsaysay, with a big margin.

Eight out of the twenty four senators were elected every two years. The roughly one hundred Congressmen were elected by district at the same time. Two years before and after the National elections, in 1967 and 1971, Local elections were held. These were each led by another set of eight senators together with provincial, city and munici-pal officials. Barangay elections were not synchronized with either the National or Local elec-tions. We no longer remember what the terms of the Barangay, formerly Barrio officials, were at that time.

The first Constitutional Convention was going to be convened. About two hundred delegates were going to be elected by the one hundred congressional districts but the number of delegates per district would be proportional to the district’s population. What are now known as Civil Society, NGO’s and/or Cause Oriented, were then branded as reformers. It so happened that at that time the Jesuits, reformist politicians like Senator Raul S. Manglapus

and Nene Pimentel, as well as the Moderate Youth and Student Leaders like Edgar Jopson, Bert Gonzales and yours truly, Ling-goy Alcuaz had focused on the ConCon as the more practical path to power and reforms. Their political parties and electoral attempts had consistently been defeated in 1957, 1959, and 1965. Thus, they were pushing for the nonpartisan election of the del-egates to the 1971 ConCon. The National Union of Students of the Philippines with Edgar Jopson as its President, had organized a massive rally for the opening day of the new Congress with that as the agenda.

When the left, known as the Kabataang Makabayan, and the group of Roger Arienda joined the rally, the stage was set for the opening salvo of the 1970 First Quarter Storm. After delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Ferdinand with his wife, Imelda, were leaving the Old Congress building on Padre Burgos. As they were boarding their limousine, Arienda’s group threw a papier mache crocodile at the couple and a riot ensued. Several rallyists were killed. More were wounded. Many were arrested and jailed.

An indignation rally was

planned for Friday, January 30, 1970. Within the week the Protest Movement split into Moderate and Radical camps. The Moderates led by Jopson and the UP Student Council President Manny Ortega, tended to agree to the government im-posed limitations on rallies. The Radicals, now coalesced under the Movement for a Democratic Philippines and led by Jerry Bari-can and Nelson Navarro, refused to be bound by any government limitations. The most obvious limitation was the ban on rallies after dark.

On January 30, 1970, the Moderates ended their rally early and their leaders were in a dia-logue with President Marcos in Malacañang while the Radicals maintained their rally at Men-diola way into the night. They assaulted the Mendiola gate of the Palace with a captured fire truck. Again, riots ensued and again rallyists were killed, wounded, arrested and jailed.

January 13 was the 40th anni-versary of the Diliman Siege and the best and most extensive Metro Manila wide transport strike. On that day in 1971, Moderates and Radicals had their respective morning and afternoon rallies. In the afternoon the Moderate leaders retreated to the Ateneo de Manila Padre Faura campus. The Radicals marched to Plaza Miranda and gathered around the makeshift stage, the roof of the R. Hidalgo/Northbound Quezon Boulevard entrance of the Lacson Underpass.

This time, the police disrupted the rally with several explosions and a charge with submachine gun fire. Just before this hap-pened, Moderate leader Linggoy Alcuaz (KASAPI) and Radical leaders Sixto Carlos (SDK) and Christine Ebro were accosted, chased and fired upon by two PC Metrocom MPIS unmarked

Turn to page 13

yEsTErday,Today &TomorroWLinggoy Alcuaz

Déjà vu: Destabilization part 5January is full of very memorable YESTERDAYS. January 26 and 30 are the 41st anniversaries of the opening battles of the First Quarter Storm of 1970.

and bandits in the South persisted in the midst of the US troops in their “virtual military bases” there. Thanks to the Visiting Forces Agree-ment!

So, what else is new? As if the lives of our fellowmen in the South has gone any better with the presence of the American troops when we speak of peace and order.

Why do we still have the secessionists and bandits? And why the persistent “brand” of the south as the training ground for the world’s mythi-cally famous al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah?

Added to this are the people within the supposed loop of responsible agents who take care of our national security, who are the ones creating fear among our citizenry, by adding fuel to the fire on the terrorism myth, and placing the perceived threat in the limelight. So, we hear such reactions from our neighbors and supposed “al-lies” in the process.

We are glad that the Palace, through Presidential Spokes-man Edwin Lacierda, corrected the FTI-International Risk (a security consultancy) report that the Philippines is lagging

behind its neighbors, such as Thailand and Indonesia, in containing the terror threats.

“We disagree that we have overtaken Indonesia or South-ern Thailand. Remember that our pool of recruits is a lot smaller than that of Indonesia,” he said, adding that the gov-ernment “monitors all threats, whether in the South or in the city. But again, it is not as grave as it has been assessed.”

The Philippine government is waging war against different armed groups such as the Abu Sayyaf, the left-wing New People’s Army, and the seces-sionist Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front.

But the government should not be contented in just releas-ing press (praise) statements. These should be coupled with action – that is what this country

needs. Enough with rhetorics and deceits. Let’s call spade a spade. Once and for all, P-Noy’s administration should decide on the fate of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Why? Because it’s the paradox of so many years past since the Americans set foot on our soil. They are here and so is the threat of terrorism. That is a big B.S. !

As an observer and analyst of events unfolding in our country, the terror threat is just the tip of the iceberg. What I fear most (and a number of Fili-pinos who understand the real situation) is the balkanization of Mindanao and eventually the “salami”-zation of the Phil-ippines. Meaning, gradually subdividing our nation-state into different protectorate units like what happened in Yugo-slavia. If this terror myth will persist, and so is the presence of Uncle Sam’s troops in the South, we are really heading for a big trouble. The mutually-assured destruction (MAD) of the republic is not far behind.

Every Filipino should be vigilant and specially cautious for the possible confluence of events in this land. We must remind this administration that if the president is really for the common good, now is the time to decide – are we really getting what is due us from this so-called “treaty”?

God help us, especially the present leadership of P-Noy!

Terror threat in PH, what else is new?From Wikileaks to Maplecroft to FTI-Inter-national Risk to travel (terror) alert advisory from different countries, the list seems to be growing as the perceived secessionists

WHisTlEbloWErErick San Juan

The sales receipts, however, were not enough to pay for the bank loans that were obtained by the local government to finance the putting up of the sports-leisure complex.

The young LGU leader behind the sports-leisure com-plex appears undaunted and even easily wormed his way into the new administration despite supporting the “Man in Orange” in last year’s elec-tions.

But still, demand letters from banks continue to pile up.

Recently, the entire resort facility has been foreclosed by a bank owned by a shop-ping titan to the dismay of the relative of the LGU leader who happens to be in the state boardroom of a policy-making body that oversees banks’ operations.

The well-connected relative is now making it difficult for the bank when it comes to its plans and programs that have to be scrutinized and approved by the government policy-making body.

The LGU leader behind the rise and “fall” of the popular water sports complex, meanwhile, is compounding his problems by serving early notice that he won’t be relin-quishing his political post to his father come 2013.

The father of the LGU leader, a veteran political rat, looks at a provincial political stint as his retirement option after serving national positions in the past.

The cash-strapped LGU leader is said to be grooming his son to be his successor.

• • • • • •Another LGU leader in

Cavite is practically a shoo-in to be the new DILG secretary by June this year.

Partymates and inner circle members of the President are in suspended disbelief on why the LGU leader was picked over other possible candidates like the “Man in Blue” who was beaten by the “first black vice-president.”

The LGU leader is also putting an “icing” to his soon-to-be announced Malacañang appointment by cornering the “kotong” rights to the planned extension of the LRT system to his province.

The LGU leader, of course, did not tell the President of his sinister plot but disguised his evil design as one of his “benevolent missions” when he’s named as interior and local secretary, which was to bring the LRT line closer his progressing province.

The “kotong” rights include meddling in the bidding and influencing who and which contractor should bag the juicy contract despite pronounce-ments that contract bidding would now be transparent.

The Flea Market buzz is that a Chinese contractor is already poised to get the LRT extension contract.

• • • • • •Here’s another charming

anecdote about the “Karate Kid” by the river (read previous column): There was a command conference call of the military top brass in the Palace and ev-erybody was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the “Karate Kid.”

Three hours into the as-signed time, the “Karate Kid” finally showed up with his favorite sidekick in tow – the young nephew.

The young sidekick, break-ing protocols, immediately bragged before the waiting generals that he just beat “black and blue” his Karate Kid uncle in a computer game.

The generals and other military officers just gave polite congratulations to the young sidekick.

So that was the reason why the Karate Kid in the Palace was late for his generals.

Rise & fallof LGU leaders

The FleamarketBY ThE sTAFF

A popular sports-leisure destination in Bicol has fallen into hard times despite reports of steady tourist arrivals and glowing write-ups about its remarkable rise as a tourism phenomenon in that part of Bicolandia.

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STand LABOR

OpinYon J A N U A R Y 2 4 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 7

Invariably called the MTPDP,this is P-Noy’s develop-ment roadmap for the next six years or until his term ends in 2016. NEDA conducted a similar round of consultation in the Visayas, Mindanao and North and South Luzon in rather hasty fashion that some issues on representations and the quality of discussions have been raised in the NCR round.

Every new administration tries to craft a so-called development plan to serve as a policy framework and roadmap for growth and progress. It took the Ramos gov-ernment almost a year of drafting the Philippines 2000 that served to capture his development vision. Erap did not have the luxury of crafting his own roadmap having had to contend with a very rough political terrain that led to his ouster barely two years in office. Even Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had to spend six months trying to draw up a plan that she eventually abandoned preferring to rule the country by the dictates of foreign interests.

Considering that P-Noy had been in office for only six months straight and having had his first cabinet meeting only this week it is safe to assume that the proposed MTPDP presented to the public in roughly less than a month had not been presented yet to the cabinet en banc. In other words, the elementary job of aligning the assumptions, objectives and targets among and between the different departments of govern-ment have not been done yet. Elementary planning models will tell us that this is a wrong way to conduct planning, particularly at a national or macroeconomic level.

This is the paramount inad-equacy of a so-called medium term development plan. It is not a seri-ous plan at all. The MTPDP is more of a rough draft, a business plan for running or ruining the country- in six years. It is not intended or ambi-tious enough to chart the country’s development path. Unlike our neighbors Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea or Indonesia where economic development plans are crafted in three five-year stretches and addresses the structural issues that hinders or facilitate nation building, growth and develop-ment.

Ric Reyes correctly pointed out that for a country to know its

future or where it is going, it must take issue with the problems of underdevelopment, jobless growth, endless poverty and so-cial unrest bred by inequality and unjust institutional structures. Why have we not developed when only a few decades ago the state of our economy was second only to Japan and Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand had to send their best and brightest to study in UP-Los Banos, Asian Institute of Management and the then Center for Research and Communica-tion, now the University of Asia and the Pacific. In a matter of five to seven years, we will surely be overtaken by Vietnam and pos-sibly, Cambodia.

The NEDA consultation suffers from a number of defects. There are no screening procedures on how the participants are selected and invited so as to insure a represen-tative profile of key stakeholders. In the islands consultations for instance, the government repre-sentatives outnumber the delega-tions from the “public.” The “basic sectors”, a key participant and target beneficiary of aserious de-velopment plan are not sufficiently involved. Workers, farmers, urban settlers, fisher folks and micro and small entrepreneurs are paid very little attention.

The quality of discussion barely touches the essentials of what constitutes a real and seri-ous development plan.

In the Manila consultation for instance, Ric Reyes, a social and political activist of long stand-ing having traversed the social paradigms of both radical and social democratic traditions bravely raised the issues which could have been poised in other regions had they had the opportunity to do so.

Ric Reyes took issue with the lack of coherence of the plan itself. There was “no single thread” that could tie all of the nine chapters of the Plan, he said. Apparent however, he said, was

the presuppositions of a flawed neo-liberal, too market-oriented and profit driven paradigm. Gov-ernment officials talk of using an “inclusive growth” framework but nowhere does a word appear on the 100-odd pages plan, said Josua Mata, a labor leader and General Secretary of the Alliance of Progressive Labor.

“Do we still want to industri-alize”, Ric Reyes asks. He then rattled statistics that would imply that it would take us forever to restore our manufacturing sector, develop agriculture and reduce the size of an unproductive ser-vices sector which is a feature of highly developed economy.

Reyes makes a clear argument that the concepts and principles of neo-classical economics like comparative advantage, free trade, deregulation would lead us to nowhere except grind-ing poverty for our steadily growing population. He even doubts whether nationalism is a sufficient animu for develop-ment. Why, he laments, we don’t even have a national elite or an industrial class that would take to heart the true development of the Philippine economy like what the Chinese, the Koreans, the Malaysians or the Indonesians are doing. Worse, we don’t even have a concept or ethical value of what it is to be a Filipino.

One can only agree with these reflections. Ric Reyes certainly knows deeply what he is talking about. He graduated from the University of the Philippines, like many of those at the NEDA, with a degree in economics. He was once the president of the militant Akbayan Citizen’s Action Party who has sent a number of rep-resentatives to Congress. He ran for city mayor in the last election in an attempt to understand how local government and the people react and respond to the demands of responsible citizenship.

Not all is lost, however. Ric Reyes suggests that there must be a “people’s review” of the MTPDP. Someone suggested that maybe it is a good idea to oppose and block the confirmation of the ad-interim appointment of Dondon Paderanga as NEDA Director General and Socio-Economic Planning Secretary if only to dramatize the objection-able direction into which he will navigate the ship of our economy in the next few years.

Probably, this is one reason, the essence of why there must be a public consultation if one wants to craft a national development agenda. If only the people in government deeply realize the meaning and importance of what they are doing.

The MTPDP process Last week the National Development Authority (NEDA) conducted a “public consultation”for the National Capital Region (NCR) on the proposed Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan, 2011-2016.

THiNKlaborDave Diwa

Corruption at airports- Is it still prevalent?

Based on reports, offload-ing of Filipinos traveling abroad as tourists by airport immigration officials on mere suspicion of being tourist workers is now an almost daily occurrence at the airport. Tourist workers, according to the language of immigration officials are Filipinos traveling abroad as tourists but with intentions of working abroad.

However, there are also allegations that, while airport immigration officials are busy offloading Filipino travelers profiled to be tourist workers, there are also Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) with lacking POEA documents who are able to sneak out of the country after paying airport immigration of-ficials huge sums of money.

And to make it even worse, there are also unconfirmed reports that previously of-floaded passengers are able to leave the country on a later date after negotiations with airport immigration officials.

According to this writer’s inside source at the airport, there is now an unwritten policy of the BI to offload pas-sengers profiled to be tourist workers. Whoever thought of this policy might have already known that it would be discriminatory and uncon-stitutional, and that explains for its being unwritten.

But if the above allega-tions are true, this could be an indication that BI Officer-in-Charge Ronaldo Ledesma, despite his continuing rota-tion of immigration officials at the airport, is not in control of the situation.

But what makes me be-lieve that all these allegations could be true are the stories I have personally heard from offloaded Filipinos traveling abroad as tourists.

I one of my columns in December last year, I wrote about the Filipino couple who were supposed to fly to Dubai as tourists but were offloaded from their plane for not being able to present a Philippine

Embassy authenticated invi-tation letter from their Dubai sponsor. This couple had an affidavit of support from their sponsor that was duly au-thenticated by the Philippine Embassy in Dubai, round trip tickets for their trip back to the Philippines and sufficient pocket money. But just the same, they were not allowed to board their aircraft.

On a separate occasion, I bumped upon two Filipinos traveling to Bangkok as tour-ists but were not also allowed to board their plane because they did not have an invitation letter and affidavit of support from a sponsor in Bangkok.

“What if we do not know anybody in Bangkok to issue and invitation letter and af-fidavit of support for us but would just only want to see its tourist destinations after sav-ing money for the planned trip. Would that mean that we will never be able to visit Bangkok?

I was struck with the ques-tion and groped for its answer, even as in my mind I asked myself the same question.

Would this immigration policy mean that I can no longer visit Hong Kong Disneyland with my kids because I don’t know anybody in Hong Kong who can issue an invitation?

Are we now in an authori-tarian regime where movement for its citizens are limited?

What worries me more about the new BI policies at the airport are its nameless officials. Airport immigration officials no longer pin their name tags. So offloaded pas-sengers don’t even know who are pulling them out of their flights.

THE miGraNTWorKErCeeJay

Despite P-Noy’s call for a “Matuwid na Daan” kind of governance, Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) could still be hands on with their various money making schemes.

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STandTRAVEL

8 J A N U A R Y 2 3 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 OpinYon

Pulutan is meant to be shared by at least two drinkers. Tapas are intended for an individual.

The story goes that tapas, a Spanish word for covers, started out as a plain com-plimentary slice of bread that was placed over a glass of wine as a cover against pesky flies. Of course customers ate them and I bet the slow drinkers probably asked for more bread to protect their unfinished wine from flies, whether real or imagined.

Eventually, to appease the annoyingly persistent de-mand from regular patrons, kind bartenders added a sliver of locally made ham or cheese to the bread. As bars found more effective ways of shooing away flies, they attracted more customers by offering a wonderful variety of bite-size tapas. At first, all complimentary. But later on, as their customers’ tastes for tapas grew more sophisti-cated, at a price.

Seems the Spanish have different body clocks such that lunch on working days is at 2pm, many have a siesta break and start work again after 3pm. Their 8-hour work-day ends at 7 or 8pm. Since they had an afternoon nap, they sleep later, and so prefer to have a late dinner at 10pm.

Before dinner they have a drink on the way home, at a tapas bar, or two or even three. Since a typical order of tapas is for an individual, it is small sized and can be consumed in two big maybe four small bites at most. One can still have stomach space for a hearty dinner a few hours later. Moreover, even the servings of drinks are small, usually half the size of a typical serving of wine or beer that we are used to in the Philippines.

Pulutan, as we know these, can be considered at best as appetizers by euphemism. They are really substantial servings that can be shared by at least two drinkers having beer by the bucket or wine by the bottle. So substantial that most pulutans, especially the ubiquitous sisig, is often accompanied by garlic fried or steamed rice. It must be

because we do not have dinner anymore after drinks and pulutan, unless our alibi when we get home is that we worked overtime, spelled ohbeertime.

When I toured Spain many years ago, I was overwhelmed by the immense variety of tapas available. Every region, even every town have their own home-grown pride be it sausages, cheeses, patés, breads, beans not to mention pairings with wines - reds, whites or roses. Sherries and brandies too. Spain is up there with Japan in the con-sumption of seafood. Again even more possibilities with

sardines, cod – fresh or the salt-preserved bacalao – shellfish, lobster, and octopus known as pulpo.

The great number of olive oils and bal-samic vinegars indi-vidually or in tandem can already be flavor enhancing on any of Spain’s foods.

Opinyon: Our co-conut oil, especially the virgin type, is very, very good, but is not as versatile as olive oil. Decent olive oil can go well with good bread. Simple fare, but already quite

yummy. Alas, the same can-not be done with even the best virgin coconut oil. Not even with the best rice.

We too have empanada. A good pastry that really should go beyond the usual tiny po-tato cubes with ground 3M’s (manok, mamoy and maka) or canned tuna. Come on. We could do better. The Spanish, depending on what is abundant in their area, are quite adventurous conjuring scallops, squid, goat cheese, eggplant, olives, pepper empanadas.

Opinyon: I dare say that the variety of a nation’s foods is a testament to its imagination. And what great prospects are there for a nation to become culturally rich without an imagination? You do not see too many international franchise food stores in Spain. They do not have much local food store franchises either. Franchised food stores limit diversity in our food choices and conse-quently our imagination.

You do see a lot of indi-vidually owned restaurants and tapas bars in Spain; Each with its unique character, décor, ambience and food selections. That’s imagina-tion.. Nakakainggit.

Tapas or pulutan?Tapas and pulutan are both foods that accompany alcoholic drinks. The big difference is the number of persons served by a typical order.

WoodENsPooNs& ForKsRamon M. Borromeo

‘Our coconut oil … is very, very good, but is not as versatile as olive oil. Decent olive oil can go well with good bread. Simple fare, but already quite yummy. Alas, the same cannot be done with even the best virgin coconut oil. Not even with the best rice.

I enjoyed this visit as it was my first time to witness this celebration that could be traced back to the 17th century. The Ati-Atihan of Aklan is the mother of all festivals in the country.

I was also witness to the Aklanons’ outpouring of devotion to their patron saint, the Holy Child. Young people revel in the Ati-Atihan parade as they join the excitement of dancing their way through the major streets with the familiar beat of the band. Called the “Sad-Sad sa Panaad”, this was devotees’ way of sacrifice as part of a religious avowal.

I had the impression that these young people, in spite of the rains, have all the energy to dance the Ati-Atihan beat every single day of the weeklong festival.

A sentimental chord in my heart was touched with the Waray-Waray songs played via public address system at the Pastrana Park and amplified by some multi-cabs that ferry the streets of Kalibo. Popular Waray-Waray songs such as the Kuracha Mayor made me bring to mind my hometown in Leyte. It was as if I never left Leyte when, in fact, it was my first time to hear a song about Tacloban City, mentioning some streets and districts of the city, outside my province. An old woman was dancing while Kuracha was being played.

I can’t help but wonder why it the Waray folk song was played in Kalibo with Aklanons enjoy-ing it. One other song played was the “Sadto”song from Calbayong City. Sadto, meaning before, which is a love song.

During this brief respite in Kalibo, I met Engr. Roger M. Esto, the Aklan Provincial Planning and Development Officer, who was introduced to me by Aklanon Johnny P. Dayang, president of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc.(PAPI). Engr. Esto is a practicing mediaman-broadcaster in Aklan before he dipped his hand in politics and

became a mayor of an interior town of Aklan. After his political stint, Esto joined the provincial government as its Provincial Plan-ning and Development Officer.

Engr. Esto invited me to interview Gov. Carlito S. Mar-quez whom I interviewed at the Governor’s Office in the Kalibo. Marquez proudly shared with me the start next month of a provincial government project to construct a world-class jetty port in Caticlan, Malay, Aklan. With this project, more tourists – foreign and local – can be ac-commodated to be ferried to the famed resort island of Boracay.

Presently, a ride on board a motorized ferry boat from Cati-clan to the world-famous white-beach island takes about 20 to 25 minutes. When the jetty port is ready, more passengers can be transported from port to port and back. Marquez said they are already set to begin the expan-sion project of the Caticlan jetty port as they are now ready with the necessary documents.

Marquez said the project will cost around P260 million, which will be raised by a bond flotation. “We are about to start the construction of a world-class jetty port in Caticlan which will form part of our preparations for the arrival of the anticipated over a million Boracay tourists in 2012 or 2013. The project will be a big help to local business-men, including resort owners, in Boracay.

The Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), according to the Governor, has already given the province approval to start reclaiming 40 hectares of the sea beside the existing Caticlan jetty

port. The expansion project will cover only some 2.56 hectares. This decision to expand the ex-isting jetty port became apparent with the affirmation that this busy route is part of the Philip-pine Nautical Highway. This nautical highway is the backbone of a nationwide vehicle-accessi-ble transport system. Caticlan, by the way, is a popular roll-on roll-off (RORO) port connecting it with the rest of Aklan to the Panay mainland and other parts of the Western Visayas region and of the country.

Governor Esto anticipates that the project, to be done by a private contractor, will be com-pleted within a year’s time. The project will be self-sustaining as it is expected to be a viable income-generating project of the province.

The Environmental Man-agement Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region VI has already issued the needed Environmental Compli-ance Certificate (ECC) for the project, a clear indication that the Aklan provincial government has complied with the country’s environmental laws.

Meanwhile, I really enjoyed the Balikbayan Night hosted by the Province of Aklan, honoring Balikbayans present in the annual town fiesta. There I met Aklan Rep. Joven Miraflores, his wife, Ibajay Mayor Lulu Miraflores, Kasangga Partylist Rep.Teodorico Jaresco, former Rep.Allen S. Quimpo, Vice Gov. Belly Calizo-Quimpo, and former Vice Gov. Ronquillo Tolen-tino, also a media practitioner.

• • • • • •

I wish to extend my belated congratulations to Archbishop Jose S. Palma, former Arch-bishop of Palo (Leyte), who was installed as new Cebu Archbishop last January 13, 2011 at the Cebu Cathedral. Vaya con Dios, Archbishop Palma!

Members of the Board of Consultors of the Archdiocese of Palo have elected Msgr.Jimmy Villanueva, parish priest of Burauen, Leyte as the admin-istrator, in the meantime that there is still no replacement of Archbishop Palma. Congratula-tions Msgr.Jimmy!

World-class Caticlan jetty port Last week, I was in Kalibo, Aklan for the famous Ati-Atihan Festival held in honor of the Senior Sto.Niño, patron saint of Kalibo,Aklan.

vis-miNCoNNECTioNNestor L. Abrematea

Tune in to DWBL 1242 for OpinYon sa Radyo from Monday to Friday, 7-8 P.M.

MONDAYErick San JuanDave DiwaAtty. Sal Panelo

TUESDAYMarivic del PilarMichelle JuniaRamon Borromeo

WEDNESDAYHarry TambuatcoAtty. Sara Jane SuguitanLinggoy Alcuaz

THURSDAYMargie HolmesJeremy Baer

FRIDAYButch JuniaAtty. Bonifacio AlentajanMentong LaurelBernardo Lopez

Schedule of Radio Hosts:

Radyosa

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STand ENTERTAINMENT

OpinYon J A N U A R Y 2 4 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 9

He sired 11 children!When he fell ill, my father

became impatient, perhaps, due to limited mobility. He was irritable and took it out on those closest to him.

My mother suffered most. As a traditional Filipina housewife, she felt it was her duty to accept her fate. She blamed the illness instead while insisting we bear Father’s mood swings. She would reason out: “He is sick.”

She was right because Leo, a German brother-in-law who is a doctor, noted that my father’s behavior was symp-tomatic of heart problems.

I fell guilt-ridden when my father passed away. Why wasn’t I more patient? Did I expect him to behave as though he were always hale and hearty? He was sick and couldn’t control himself. I was unfair. Friends asked “Bakit mo sinasabayan?” (Why do you go along?)

My answer was: “And, why not?”

A good friend interjected “Because he’s sick!”

Older now, and in hind-sight, I finally discerned what my friend was trying to tell me. I was unfairly comparing healthy memories of my father with an ailing present.

Now that I myself am suf-fering from certain infirmi-ties, I still wonder why I am so temperamental. And, why the mood swings?

That was until my doctor

affirmed: “Your blood sugar is high!” That was why I pee a lot. I also became edgy and quick to lose my temper.

Filipinos describe my tem-perament as high blood as I am prone to fly off the handle. I do not suppress anger or hap-piness. After such a test, my stunned doctor was surprised to announce: “Hindi ka pala high blood.” (You aren’t hypertensive, after all!)

I told my doctor: “I do not have high blood. I give everybody else high blood.”

After New Year – meaning the festivities and the rich food during the Christmas holidays – my blood sugar count skyrocketed to 418.

Ric Garcia, my doc-tor, affirmed: “It is time for insulin.”

However, visions of Frank Sinatra in Man With the Golden Arm made me worry I would become insulin dependent. To be sure, Dr. Garcia introduced me to diabetic specialist, Dr. Myrissa Alip, who, neverthe-less, prescribed insulin.

Knowing me fully well,

friends advised me to please listen to the good doctor be-fore my pancreas or kidneys get impaired.

So, I had myself confined in the UP Infirmary to be aware of the state of my health, learn how to administer insulin, and appreciate the (bland) diet I should religiously fol-low. Most of all, I had to learn to cope with my emotions.

Friends come to visit and ask:” How are you?”

What the heck, I am sick! After the visit, they will

catch the latest movie, eat in a Chinese restaurant, watch the boob tube, or have rabid sex while I am there sick 24 hours, all week, all days of the month. It is most irritating! It is lonely to be ill!

Occasionally comes now the memory of my father when he was in his sick bed.

It is lonely to be ill! My father fell ill towards the end of his life. Before then, he was active, prompt for his many meetings, and accustomed to multiple tasks.

ETalBehn Cervantes

No monopoly of good broadcast talents

No, Angelique Lazo hasn’t left TV since she bid ABS-CBN adieu years ago. She is very much around.

After “Action 9” and “Arangkada Extra Balita” for Radio Philippines Net-work Channel 9, she’s now anchoring “Teledyaryo” for Nation Broadcasting Net-work Channel 4.

We’re wondering why there are still many people asking where has Lazo gone.

But we always have an answer to this.

It is the marketing, ad-vertising and promotion that also make, popularize or un-make a broadcaster or a per-sonality for that matter.

When ABS-CBN was re-vived in 1986 after the EDSA Revolution, it wasn’t couldn’t even make small ripples as compared to the noisier and higher profile Broadcast City’s Intercontinental Broadcast-ing Corporation Channel 13, RPN’s Channel 9, and GMA Network’s Channel 7.

The Lopezes, owners of ABS-CBN, had to square it off with the rivals and eventually reinvigorating its program-ming with the re-launch of Star Network in 1987.

ABS-CBN was reborn.Repacking or repackaging

a TV station in the middle of telecommunications suprem-acy over Martial Law and post-dictatorship networks was a gargantuan task.

ABS-CBN did everything it could without letup. The era of Broadcast Renaissance has begun. The transforma-tion did not just consist of beaming satellite or com-posing a hip, colorful station ID, or showing off state-of-the-art audio-video gadgets. At the end of the day, many areas of business and enter-tainment and media arts are to be considered.

ABS-CBN strengthened its research and marketing area.

For whatever class or genre of viewers, the station was armed with a particular show or personalities. That was one facet of selling.

What about the medium itself?

When “TV Patrol” was conceptualized as a tabloid on air by broadcast honchos Freddie Garcia and the late Rolly Cruz, it easily drew in viewers and followers from all walks of life. TV Patrol made history in just a short span of time toppling Helen Vela and Paul Lacanilao’s primetime news block.

Noli de Castro, Mel Tiangco and Angelique Lazo were instant celebrities while Frankie Evangelista, a vet-eran news anchor, became a household name.

Lazo has fans following her every moment of the day. ABS-CBN was very conscious of Lazo’s image as their tal-ent in entertainment news, a novelty of the transformed station. She reported on cam show biz unsavory gossips and intriguing scandals. One time, she cried a river after

reading on cam that actor Mel Francisco, a cousin of Robin Padilla, sired children with sisters Margie and Nina Sara and that of Maricel Soriano and Edu Manzano with public display of affection at a time when their liaison should have been discreet. Reason? Her classmates and friends from an exclusive school and well-off relatives censured her exposés.

Lazo trail blazed pretty and fresh faces in the indus-try.

Not long after, Lazo re-signed from ABS-CBN and transferred to the already sequestered RPN 9. It was rumored that she led after an aborted wedding with ex-fellow broadcaster, Manny Ayala in the US and after she wasn’t granted requests to elevate her to public affairs shows instead of show biz-oriented fares.

RPN was in a quandary so it had to contend with a lot of difficult management decisions including massive information campaign of its programming while NBN remained as a government mouthpiece which the gen-eral public saw as an unpal-atable fare.

Meanwhile, current net-works that wrangle for domi-nation are dependent on mas-sive and prominent publicity to the extent of waging “network wars”. These mirror commer-cial and business ventures in-stead of public service.

What we are saying here is that no matter how hard networks sell their wares, there are still other shows worth switching channels. Other TV personalities who also excel in the indus-try, like Daniel Razon and Wilhem Soriano of UNTV, Anjo Bendijo, Audie Gor-riceta, Kathy de Leon-Vilar, Cathy San Gabriel of NBN, Marigold Haber and Dennis Principe of RPN, may not be as popular as celebrities in the dominant station but they also deliver well.

Shorts: Eula Valdez repris-es role of gay impersonator ZsaZsa Zaturnah in wacky stage musical presentation of Tanghalang Pilipino’s “ZsaZ-sa Zaturnah Ze Musikal…Vack with a Vengeance” with real-life sweetheart Rocky Salumbides to run from Feb-ruary 18 to March 13, 2011 at the Tanghalang AurelioTolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines…Edu Manzano denies marry-ing Pinky Webb in a clandes-tine ceremony abroad…

Turn to page 13

THE NET[National Entertainment Today]

Boy Villasanta

Lest we forget, Daniel Razon, Angelique Lazo, Anjo Bendijo, Kathy de Leon-Vilar, Cathy San Gabriel, etc. are also on TV.

which the Filipinos have a higher chance of winning the very elusive first Olympic gold medal. The budgetary allocation for the various national sports associations (NSA) seem politicized and are not based on facts and information which could help improve or boost our win-ning chances in international sports competitions.

The Gymnastics Associa-tion of the Philippines, which has produced just a single gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games since 2005, topped the list of the NSAs with the biggest budget proposals this year.

The last time gymnastics delivered a SEA Games gold medal was during the 2005 Manila Games when Roel Ramirez won the men’s all-around artistics event. Along with it, came three silver and seven bronze medals.

Behind gymnastics was canoe-kayak with a budget proposal of P48,191,750 with more than P20 million being earmarked for equipment and more than P13 million for the allowances of its athletes and

coaches.Like gymnastics,

canoe-kayak has very little background in winning, pro-ducing only a silver and two bronze medals during the 2005 Manila SEA Games, and none in the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand.

The PSC has earmarked only P400 million for the 40 regular NSAs in the Philip-pine Olympic Committee roster, six associate members, seven recognized members and the three with special cases or under leadership disputes.

“The fact that the NSA requests exceed our alloca-tion is an indication that we need the support of both the government and the private sector to help build our sports

programs,” said Commis-sioner Jolly Gomez during an interview recently.

“Our Southeast Asian neighbors have government budgets that are more than triple what we have,” he added.

The National Motorcycle Sports and Safety Associa-tion or NAMSSA, not even a regular, voting member of the POC, submitted the third biggest budget proposal of over P26 million, the bulk of which, P13 million, for local events.

Ironically a number of NSAs which has produced the medals in international competitions have submitted modest proposals, includ-ing athletics (P7.8 million), bowling (P5.8 million), and taekwondo (P5.2 million).

Lawn balls submitted the lowest budget proposal of P1.7 million, followed by Sepak Takraw’s P2.8 million, fin swimming’s P3.1 million, judo’s P3.2 million and golf’s P3.5 million.

This should not be the case. It’s about time for our government to prioritize the field of sports wherein we can excel and eventually bring the old glory to our country!

Now is the high time!

Look at the chances!The Philippine sports community should work and closely coordinate with Congress in order to identify and give priority to the field of sports

FrEETHroWYeye Manaois

‘After the visit, they will catch the latest movie, eat in a Chinese restaurant, watch the boob tube, or have rabid sex while I am there sick 24 hours, all week, all days of the month. It is most irritating! It is lonely to be ill!’

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STandGENERAL INTEREST

10 J A N U A R Y 2 3 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 OpinYon

This is an appeal to your kind office to set things straight in your bid to takeover the Young Women’s Chris-tian Association (YWCA) compound located in Don Antonio Heights in Barangay Holy Spirit. I understand your effort toward income-generating projects for your local government. But, in the process, you will be dislocat-ing an organization which has been serving the poor in your city with its projects (see feature article in this issue) for the past 37 years. Surely, such social service has priority in your administration.

I understand from YWCA president, Dr. Edna Ver-soza Garcia, that the YWCA signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in 1971 with then Mayor Adelina Rodriguez on the use of the 1,300-sqm compound, which expired in 2004. Under the MOA provisions, your office cannot terminate the lease without just cause. Your office cannot use the pretext of “dis-repair” and “lack of ‘optimum use’ ” to justify non-renewal because this is not true. Every inch of the place is being used for social services and, you yourself, during an Executive Committee meeting you held in the premises, spoke well of how beautiful the place was. Ironically, this was followed the next day by your letter tell-ing them to move out. Also, if you do not have a relocation site for the YWCA, the law says you cannot just throw them out into the streets, as-suming you have justification to abrogate the MOA.

I interviewed Dr. Garcia extensively in a radio program run by this OpinYon Maga-zine at DWBL. The program focuses in helping the help-less against powerful forces. When Dr. Garcia’s nephew, General Versoza, headed the Philippine National Police (PNP), your office never made a move against the YWCA. But as soon as he stepped down, the crank calls, harass-ments, and take over moves began and has intensified to this day.

Dr. Garcia has been receiving crank calls. Please help in investigating who these culprits are. They cannot clandestinely and anonymously intimidate and harass a prestigious interna-tional organization. That is a cowardice act. They should be brave enough to come out in the open if they believe in and want to fight for their rights. Such goon tactics are unacceptable. One with a male voice called and said he is from ABS-CBN, then hangs up. Another caller accuses the YWCA of “malpractice”, then hangs up. Such futile at-tempt in psyche-war will not work because it makes the YWCA even stronger in its resolve to fight for its right to serve the community. Dr. Garcia emphatically stated: “We will not surrender. The YWCA will not leave a place where it has been serving the community for almost four decades now.”

Your office and Vice Mayor

Joy Belmonte’s have also done well in occupying the place gradually. You set up a “feeding center” in the com-pound and claimed you serve the Payatas community. But we found out the Barangay Captain there does not even know your people and has not seen your feeding activi-ties. Then, you started slowly to move into other rooms, holding meetings in their conference room without notice. Vice Mayor Belmonte herself told YWCA to vacate the place within 15 days without offering relocation. I wonder if ex-mayor Sonny Belmonte, who was sup-portive of YWCA activities, is aware of what his Vice Mayor daughter is up to.

Lately, two men from your office, named Albert Guillermo Nayan and an Engineer Regala, started tak-ing dimensions of the hospice area. The two admitted they were ordered by your office to do measurements. They did not present any document to justify their actions.

Your office also installed a security guard under your office’s employ and stationed him in the YWCA premises. How can a security guard offer security when he comes from the very people want-ing to illegally take over the place? Is this for purposes of security or espionage? The YWCA hospice income funds vital social activities like the feeding program for impover-ished children.

Dr. Garcia has sent an ap-peal letter to P-Noy, and has spoken to Office of the Presi-dent Assistant Secretary Lyn Moreno, who has expressed support for the YWCA cause.

We are therefore making this appeal to you, Mayor Herbert Bautista, and to Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, to please look for other places for your income-generating projects and leave the YWCA alone to carry its valuable social man-date. If you throw YWCA out to the streets, thousands of children, women and elderly will be denied precious ser-vices given to them for free. Beneficiaries are constituents of Quezon City. You may lose votes by dislocating the YWCA. We are imploring you to respond to issues raised in this article.

Please understand, Mr. Bautista and Ms. Belmonte, that the YWCA is an old and prestigious international organization with a stagger-ing 25 million members from 22,000 local chapters in 126 countries. It needs your help so that benefits to your con-stituents, most of whom are indigent, will not be denied.

l redgate77@gmail.com

Open letter to Mayor HerbertDear Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista:

in the true sense only if the set-up at the back-end as well as the front-end is robust and in proper place.” What this means is that at the back-end lies “the requisite infrastructure, a committed man-power set up and the required IT Applications in the Government offices so that the interaction with the citizens over the Net can be duly backed up with necessary and early action.” At the “front end is, most visibly, the website. “There are various media through which efforts towards e-governance reach the common citizen,”

notes Verma and Kalra, but they observe that “the most popular channel which forms the front-end foundation of e-governance is the World Wide Web.”

For Verma and Kalra, an ef-fective website has: a clear aim or set of goals; a well defined target audience; a comprehen-sive, focused and valid content; a user-friendly interface design; up-to-date information; and is responsive to visitors. With over a decade of being a Netizen

behind me and taking cues from Verma and Kalra, I am consider-ing even more specific criteria for an assessment of our city

government web sites. First, I posit that we can

look at these City Govern-ment websites in terms of content comprehensiveness and availability. By this we consider what data the website contains and how voluminous and informative the data is, including, neces-sarily, its record of being active and accessible. Then there is content salience and service-orientedness, that is, to consider what the

site offers (whether the site offers mere information or “full service” features, e.g., the downloadabil-ity and usage of forms) and how understable the language or pre-sentation is. User friendliness and navigability is about how the ele-ments and features of the site are organized for fast and easy view-ing and utility of various publics. Content validity and updatedness pertains to how accurate and valid the data and information in the site are and how regular the site is

updated and by whom. Finally, we can consider responsiveness and effectiveness or how responsive the site is to visitors or users and if it at least allows for the airing of issues and concerns raised by visitors to the site.

I will visit all seventeen Metro Manila city government websites, see what they offer, and assess how good they may be, consid-ering the criteria that I have just laid down. Why don’t we meet in the virtual world? Let’s visit these supposed oracles.

City government websites should and can be more than tools for the propagandizing of our local chief executives. They can be tools for development. This I posit knowing fully well that out there in the real world are responsible IT practitioners who want to use their skills for truly meaningful work. But it appears a lot remains to be done. Consider, for instance, the websites of the cities in Metro Manila.

Following Verma and Kalra’s ideas in their paper Designing e-ffective Websites for e-governance, a government web-site may be designed with key characteristics in mind. First off, like other websites, government sites should have defined objec-tives and have a target audience. It could aim to promote a cause, introduce a certain scheme or service, announce a govern-ment event, or could be a portal relating to key concerns like local businesses. The objectives for the creation of the website should be clear as content for the audience is defined by those objectives.

Verma and Kalra point out that “the real purpose of e-governance websites gets served when the common citizen does not have to run-around Government offices

Turn to page 13

PoNdEriNG PoliTiCsLouie C. Montemar

This broad and normative concept of electronic governance encompasses the whole gamut of government functions and services and “can be fruitfully utilized

Oracles? City government websites

PART2

On one hand, can we con-duct our business, work within regulations, and leave our political leaders to attend to the affairs of the land?

Filipinos, as a people, are so dependent on political leader-ship so much so that we tend to idolize them and swoon over intrigues of their personal lives. Otherwise, we don’t talk about less interesting personalities. In the case of the President, for instance, it is definitely better to attend to more important matters rather than gawk at his twice previously-owned Porsche.

Obviously, we are a bunch of people needing to be con-stantly checked and audited to tow the line.

Indeed, we have good laws. Our lawmakers continue to create, repeal, amend and update these decrees to keep the populace in line. And how these lawyers and lawmak-ers keep up with these laws behooves me! Law, as defined in Wikipedia, is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people.

I sometimes wonder if we

have an disorderly populace or do we have problems directing the quality of people we have today in our country. The latter is more likely, I think.

A case in point is the bus and jeep drivers who inde-fatigably complain of their right to earn a living, of fares and diesel prices, and of traffic enforcement. They deliberately miss out on the fact that their increasing numbers and obvi-ous defiance of traffic laws that make our streets congested and their unchecked engines pollute the air.

In the labor sector, we employ over a million public servants who are unproductive, others reporting to work to fingerscan and to time in. These frustrate the public and the citizenry when they have to comply with Government requirements and regulations for their licenses, permits, certifications, clear-

ances, registrations and taxes, but get penalized for delays and find only a few are there to attend to them.

The Courts demanded from Congress significant appropriation increase but did not get it. Now, the Courts have to contend with increased litigation fees vis-à-vis cases pending for decades. Just look at the celebrated Webb case. I can go on and on but what is the connection? Maybe we can simply center on delicadeza, honor, and integrity. There are also family feuds taken court only to lag for years and years.

How about our moral val-ues? On regular TV channels, which can be accessed by the young, are screaming and gyrating sexy bodies, violence, and exposure of the gay culture. There is also the carrot-and-stick concept of high-rating shows, inaccurate news reports and biased news.

What’s in this for us? Is there light at the end of this tunnel we have been crawling into all our lives? Or, have we been reduced to what we are today?

l You can email me harrytam-buatco@yahoo.com and watch Destiny cable channel 8 Mon-days 8:00 PM or in Pampanga UHF41 Cagayan de Oro, Naga, Baguio and on channel 1 - GSAT and on multiple cable operations nationwide.

Why do we pin all our hopes on our President and make our economy, our democracy dependent on his leadership?

Leave leading to leaders

TalKTo HarryHarry Tambuatco

EasTWiNdJourNalsBernardo V. Lopez

‘Many are designed to highlight issues and concerns in local development and governance. But much can still be done and improved.’

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STand ENVIRONMENT

OpinYon J A N U A R Y 2 4 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 11

Day Care, Special CareTo start with, the YWCA-QC

has a day-care center with 27 child-wards in the morning and 21 in the afternoon, aside from special care sessions for seven autistic children. It is run by a staff of three, two teachers and an assistant, aside from a con-sultant child psychologist.

Only seven are paying clients. Their fees are only a tenth of that if a child is placed in a regular private day care or pre-school center. Sixty percent are children of informal settlers from nearby communities. They are there for free.

For funding, this YWCA program relies on donation from members and from income of its hospice. The hospice offers very cheap lodging for visiting foreign members and for others who are in for budget lodging.

There is a touching story about a four-year old autistic child who came from a broken home. Because his father would maul his mother in front of him, he developed an inner anger and violence which the center had a hard time coping with. The child would pick a fight with all the other kids, throw things at random, and bang his head against the wall. He even drew a knife on another child.

Dr. Garcia knew that his violence came from the lack of parental love and care and that the solution was so simple – give him love and care. There was no need for complex psychological analysis. So the center did just that and gave him importance and the care he is longing for. In time, the child felt wanted, and the ice cracked. His demeanor was tempered. When this special child graduated from the center, he stayed with his mother but would pay the center a visit every now and then. He hugs and embraces people there as he has found connection with the people who helped heal the deep wounds of his youth.

Dr. Garcia clarifies that au-

tistic children do not manifest compassion or love. They have no sense of belonging. They live in their own closed world. The day care center changed all that. What seemed incurable in western clinics was breached by YWCA-QC through a simple tenet of giving love. This is the type of dramatic spiritual trans-formation that Dr. Garcia has inculcated at YWCA-QC.

Of Buds, Teens, BlazersThe thousands of YWCA-QC

beneficiaries are categorized as follows – “Y-buds” are children from age 3 to 12, “Y-teens” from age 13 to 19, “Y-blazers” from age 19 to 50, and the seniors 50 and above, not to mention spe-cial cases such as the disabled. They deal with about a thousand children from the 92 public grade schools and 48 high schools in the whole of Quezon City. At any given time, the YWCA-QC youth center handles about 300 grade schoolers and 500 to 700 high schoolers.

Dr. Garcia has a radical approach to reaching out and touching the lives of Quezon City residents. One ingenious and effective approach is im-mersion. She compliments seminars and symposia with valuable immersion where the learning impact is total and unforgettable. For example, parents, who considered their children as nuisance, were im-mersed with poor communities in Manaoag (Pangasinan) or in tribal communities in Ba-guio. These communities were models of good parenting. The experience opened their eyes not only to the reality of family relationships but also to the sur-vival ways of other poor people. They achieved a valuable form of experiential wisdom that could not be learned from theories and lectures. During these im-mersions, they also achieved a strong bonding, which became the infrastructure to cooperative livelihood programs.

Through the immersion technique, the YWCA-QC was able to help the poor who had a lot of un-expressed hatred due to their economic situation and who avoided cooperating with each other. They would begin to cooperate and work together. They would feel a sense of im-portance and regain self-esteem by being assigned as judges in contests.

The Y-teens were immersed in all sorts of radical places, such as jails and funeral parlors, so they would know the meaning of pain and suffering, loss of loved ones, and realize what the future holds for parent-less kids. These immersions inculcated values such as respect for authority of teachers and parents, rudeness replaced by politeness, and peer relationships and teamwork.

The youth was also experi-enced “working” in hospitals as a career consciousness tech-nique. They would understand the work environment of nurses helping the sick and the old, to entice them to pursue that career. They were immersed in problem barangays in Payatas so that they would gain insight into their own emotional makeup based on those of others in the crisis of their lives.

Dr. Garcia also immersed senior citizens with each other, mixing rich and poor, where they learned to get out of their cubby holes, share ideas and achieve camaraderie by simply understanding each other.

YWCA-QC inspired govern-ment employees to deliver good services to the public by im-mersing them in senior citizen homes, health centers, day care centers, and public markets where they taught the value of simple operational management and good governance.

Finally, Dr. Garcia and her staff immersed themselves in their constituent communities. Through the years, they pay regular visits to all 98 grade schools and 42 high schools one by one. Dr. Garcia would gently but frankly speak out on how to improve the schools, which were so appreciated by the principals, she became a legend of sorts. She would suggest proper safety and security of children within school premises, career guidance techniques, and the importance of computer centers.

The Y-blazers were a par-ticular target who were taught ethics and public relations, good parenting, the etiquette of housekeeping, secretarial service, disaster management, fast track conversation language skills (especially in Japanese

and Korean).

Skills, Livelihood Training Aside from immersions, the

YWCA-QC focused on skills training on a broad spectrum of activities. Livelihood seminars for parents, adults and the unemployed were given for free regularly, such as hotel manage-ment, pastry making, fashion accessories making, flower arrangement, balloon making, cheap jewelry making, soap making, the making of novelties such as bags, etc. They tapped resource speakers from among its members and invited skilled barangay residents to volunteer.

Barangay captains became a source of knowledge. They were supported by the DSWD, and a host of private firms, such as pharmaceuticals like Unilab and Abbott, which gave free medicines. New graduates were supported in their micro-enter-prise projects, from production to marketing.

Another approach in outreach was the conduct of contests of all kinds on all levels, which gave awards of trophies, medals, and gifts, such as second-hand laptops, to motivate and foster competition. Some of these awards were donated by the city government. They had contests in urban gar-dening, mural paint-ing, chorale singing, guitar playing, song and dance, spelling bee, impromptu essay writing, not to mention a variety of activities in regular sports festivals.

School teams were formed and they com-peted with each other on many aspects. Conducted every two weeks so that participants would visit the youth center often and have a sense of belonging and bonding, the teams eagerly awaited Saturday to come. Sat-urday was a special activity day where personal development seminars were conducted by the batches every two to three hours for facial makeup, beauty culture, fashion modeling, etc.

Finally, the program for senior citizens included free medical and dental services, first aid in tuberculosis with free medicine, ECG and x-ray, acupuncture services.

YWCA-QC had a well-ness center where massage and pain control were given.

Seminars were given on the value of organic food, eye care, blindness care, and even bible studies. They also held a World Week Prayer and Fellowship simultaneously conducted in 35 countries.

In all this, both funds and human resources were achieved through donations from and participation of members. It was through this cooperation that a six-month long remodeling of its buildings costing about half a million pesos was achieved without outside funding. Mem-bers would donate not cash but paint, plywood, hollow blocks, etc.

The YWCA-QC partnered with a broad range of institu-tions and their officials, from school principals to barangay captains, government agencies to NGOs.

From all this, one can see that the dedication of YWCA-QC to a broad range of beneficiaries is total, varied, and down to earth.

From the thousands of poor, mostly indigent, that they help, children, women, youth, elderly, why should they be thrown out of their place by the city govern-ment seeking income generation for itself? Instead of dislocating them, the city government should support and help them in their humanitarian cause, because that is their mandate and mission.

We, therefore, appeal to the national government and to the DILG to please look into this matter of a city government dis-locating people in a prestigious international agency who have dedicated their lives to service for the good of others.

AN ORGANIZATIONFOR ALL SEASONS

This feature article complements the author’s column in this issue (Eastwind Journals) entitled “Open Letter to Mayor Herbert”, which sets a proper background and history

to the issue at hand. The column focuses on current activities which may result in the dislocation of the Quezon City Chapter of Young Women’s Christian Association

(YWCA-QC) from its present compound. Related to the column, this article focuses on the achievements and track record of the YWCA-QC, specifically the tremendous

social impact of its activities through the decades under the leadership of its President, Dr. Edna Versoza Garcia.

By Bernie Lopez The YWCA is an old and prestigious organization with 25 million members from 22,000 local chapters in 126 countries worldwide. The YWCA-QC, which is currently situated within Don Antonio Heights in Barangay Holy Spirit, services thousands of Quezon City residents within all its four districts. It has implemented and continues to initiate countless community programs that this space cannot possibly fit. Let’s focus on a few.

Photos of YWCA’s various programs and beneficiaries together with Certificates of Recognition issue by the association to achievers in various fields.

From the thousands of poor, mostly indigent, that they help, children, women, youth, elderly, why should they be thrown out of their place by the city government seeking income generation for itself? Instead of dislocating them, the city government should support and help them in their humanitarian cause, because that is their mandate and mission.

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STand

12 J A N U A R Y 2 3 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 OpinYon

LEGAL

For many of our legal forums, news editorials, academic dis-cussions and political debates, the arguments would usually go around the rationale, methods, timing, ramifications and the motives or hidden agenda, so to speak, for Charter Change both from the proponents and the opposing parties.

Should our readers get involved in these debates? Yes. Definitely. For this reason, let me tackle here a basic lesson on con-stitutionalism and democracy.

The idea of a constitution was first introduced by Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC), a Greek phi-losopher considered as one of the forefathers of Western political thoughts, in his book Politics III. Following Plato’s “Republic” which is likened to a vessel steered by the philosopher-king, Aristotle theorized that the constitution is the framework for organizing the offices of the city-state, which is a multitude of citi-zens, particularly the sovereign office. He outlined the rights of citizens which include the right to participate in deliberative or judicial office, and to attend the assembly, the council or to sit on juries. He developed his theses at the “Academy,” which served as the training ground for advisers and officials of the Greek state.

Over time, the concept of a constitution was given a different and wider meaning by modern philosophers. For Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), for in-stance, a constitution is a social contract which is the written manifestation of the surrender of the people’s sovereign rights to their elected representatives, who are duty-bound to protect and promote those rights. He advanced the concept of the general will, which is the only le-gitimate basis of authority. Later philosophers would profound that “sovereignty emanates from

the people,” and “public office is a public trust.”

A constitution now may be written or unwritten. It can be contained in a single piece of document or a series of documents compiled over time similar to the United States of America and other European democracies. It should basically capture the main elements of the state, such as a defined land territory, a sizable population, a sovereign government and their inter-relations with one another.

In this pretext, the Philippine constitution is purely a written codification of many universal principles and standards, and general laws and local policies. Albeit an improvement to the 1935 and 1973 constitutions, it is arguably a product of rush by the then Revolutionary Government of the late President Corazon Aquino, thus it is assailed as half-baked with all its defects and infirmities. Press for time in the international community and motivated to “demarcosify” the civil service, the Revolution-ary government fast-tracked the adoption of the 1987 Constitu-tion.

The Philippines is said to be a weak state because of its presidential government form, thus the proposal to shift to parliamentary. Economic policies are allegedly too rigid, particularly on land ownership, which discourage foreign invest-ment to come in to the country.

Autonomy to local governments is still wanting, especially in Mindanao, which allegedly roots for the 30-year Muslim rebellion. These and many others are note-worthy criticism to the present system deserving intelligible debate and public consultation.

With these purported defects, several attempts were initiated in the past administrations to amend our Charter but to no avail as these were thumbed down by no less than the Su-preme Court. The Court ruled that there are only two methods of constitutional reforms, which is either constitutional assembly or constitutional convention. In the infamous case of Lambino et.al. vs. COMELEC, et. al, (G.R. No. 174153, 25 October 2006), the Court said that people’s initia-tive as a mode of constitutional amendment needs an enabling law to be operative and no law so far has been passed to do so.

Interestingly, while the de-bates then and now mostly delve on the rationale, timing, and modes of amending the consti-tution, the matter on how we, as democratic citizens, should live for our constitution has been barely debated or hardly made a notch in the discussion. By this I mean, I mean every single citi-zen, those in public and private offices, rural and metropolitan areas, across different ages and sectors.

How? Let me cull examples from Noel Cabangon”s song “Ako’y Isang Mabuting Pilipino” to prove the point.

A good citizen respects the rights of his neighbours and co-citizens. He does his duties and obligations, and faithfully obeys the law of the land. He crosses the streets through the pedes-trian lines, and queue the lines to get a ride. As a student, he studies his lesson hard, obeys his parents and respects the elders. He does not take illegal drugs or go in cutting classes. He values

Turn to page 13

Charter change now?Debates on changing our 1987 Constitution are here anew and hot as ever.

It also shows our penchant for nitpicking even as it ruins our ability to be fair and sen-sible. It further shatters our talent to navigate through bias and prejudice. Moreover, it highlights our unremarkable trait of being wet blankets. Finally, it exposes our embar-rassing inability to demarcate a line between perception and reality as well as to distinguish between right and wrong.

P-Noy is a bachelor and a wealthy man. His election to the Presidency while plac-ing him in a glass cage does not, however, chain him to a world of deprivation. His rise to power and accountability is not an excuse to divest him of his right to indulge in personal pursuits from which he derives pleasure or amusement, such as buying a Porsche, replacing his BMW, and driving it as a respite from carrying the burdens of the State.

P-Noy used his own money in purchasing the luxurious third-hand or pre-owned car. He did not steal taxpayers’ money to enable him to get that Porsche nor is the sporty rolling machine a gift from someone investing it in return for some presidential favors.

Buying an expensive car is not a crime nor is it a misdeed. The buyer being the President of the Philippines does not make the acquisition an offense or a wrongdoing. Neither is it immoral in the face of a distressed economy nor is it inappropriate just because he vowed in his State of the Nation address that he would do away with extrava-gant expenses by government officials – and to thread the righteous path. For as long as the money used in the sale of the Porsche is P-Noy’s and not anybody else’s, the critics’ blabbering and whining of impropriety are horrendous nonsense.

There is no question that P-Noy can afford buying and owning the car in question for he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Even prior to his electoral victory, P-Noy was already a car buff, and his having a BMW sports car is already a testament to that. Stopping him from en-gaging in this personal hobby which is not at war with the demands of the presidency not only is downright childish but unkind as well.

President Benigno Aquino’s

Porsche could be a delightful diversion from his derailed pursuit of a lifetime partner, which could psychologically stress him and affect his work as President.

Let us give this President a break. Let us give him some magical moments in his Porsche. Let us isolate him from the loneliness of his single blessedness lest he pur-sues mischievous distractions in substitution.

There is nothing abnormal or anomalous in pursuing a passion or a life long dream. In our childhood we sought to reach and achieve what we had fantasized to acquire or to be. We strived hard to bring fruition to our dreams – and when they come we give vent to our desires.

There are those of us whose fancy is to buy branded clothes, bags, shoes and watches, and feel joyful wearing them. Others collect vintage cars - and just park them in their house garage. Just looking at them and knowing they are theirs give them a feeling of jubilation. Still many of the well-heeled acquire paintings of famous artists – and just seeing them hang in their walls uplifts their spirits. Many of us who are magnetized by the beauty of plants and scents of flowers and the challenge and artistry of growing bonsai spend time and money growing and car-ing for them.

These special amenities or luxuries are not destructive – rather they provide therapy for the stress that assaults us as we go about our daily grind. President Aquino says driving his Porsche de-stresses him from the heavy burdens that come with the Presidency, a claim which is not dissonant with reality given the gargan-tuan problems that confront the country.

But while we should give him the liberty of owning and driving his Porsche – we should not – and we must not – stop from making him accountable for whatever misdeeds or misgovernance he and his anointed Cabinet members would commit; we must continue to question the quality of some of his appointees who continue to exhibit their mediocrity; we must pressure him into changing the depressed economy; we must take him to account for the explosion of criminality with criminals killing their prey and robbing their properties at will; we must egg him to stop graft and corruption that continues

Turn to page 13

P-Noy is entitled to enjoy his Porsche

CouNTErPoiNTAtty. Salvador S. Panelo

The kind that can only come from the government agency that is dedicated to registered and authentic brands and other intellectual property.

While the Intellectual Prop-erty Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has no enforcement mandate, it has initiated moves to cancel the US visa of erring mall owners who let their ten-ants sell fakes.

IPOPHL also plans to take away the DTI and other business permits of erring landlords.

Recently, this agency also secured the commitment of the management of the notorious Greenhills Shopping Center (GSC) which will now police its own tenants who sell counter-feit products. In two meetings held between IPOPHL and the GSC management, it was agreed that IPOPHL will sub-mit the list of counterfeit goods duly documented by product specialists. GSC management will then prevent the stalls from selling counterfeit goods. IPO-PHL submitted a list to GSC management, which includes

Breitling, Fitflop, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Sanuk.

Ocular surveys report that counterfeit products of these brands are no longer blatantly sold in Greenhills.

There is a reason why we are fighting piracy. That’s because it hurts genuine and honest-to-goodness businessmen who toil with their blood, sweat and tears creating names for their products and investing time to build up their reputation in the tough market.

Original manufacturers cre-ate jobs. When they suffer from unfair competitors who mainly copy and sell at cutthroat prices, those related to the original manufacturer, be it employees

or customers, lose out on their daily lives. When original creators shut down, consumers are denied of a choice product or service from the market and employees of that creator are laid off their jobs. Taxes stop coming in when a business shuts down. Moreover, society loses a productive enterprise.

Let’s create our own brands and products instead of going for fake substitutes. Respect in-tellectual property and choose originals that come within your price range.

As for the manufacturers and the original creators, find a way to bring down prices, have increased reach or market availability, and offer friendly services. Free trade has since made business tougher, but with this context, there are also more opportunities and resources available.

Let’s buy orig, lest we get caught by the pirate police.

l Atty. Sara Jane A. Suguitan is an election and intellectual property rights lawyer. Catch “Piracy Watch” Tuesday morn-ings at 11 on DZRJ 810 kHz and “Intellectual Property” Friday nights at 7, with replays at 12 mn and on www.youtube.com/gnnin-telectualprpty, on Global News Network channel 8, exclusive to Destiny cable subscribers.

There is a need for a new breed of police officers. The kind that can identify the roots of piracy and counterfeiting and detect the fakes from the stolen originals.

Hail, the coming of the pirate police!

rEGisTErEdAtty. Sara Jane A. Suguitan

The hullabaloo spawned by P-Noy’s buying a Porsche reveals how many of us have a confused sense of propriety.

NEosPECTrumAtty. Solo V. Tibe

‘P-Noy’s Porsche could be a delightful diversion from his derailed pursuit of a lifetime partner, which could psychologically stress him and affect his work as President…’

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take a STand PORTS & TRANSPORT

OpinYon J A N U A R Y 2 4 - 3 0, 2 0 1 1 13

P-Noy...From page 12to bedevil our bureaucra-cy; and we must pressure him to use the vast powers of the Presidency to make our country a better place to live in.

While this writer does not believe that the public in general reacts negatively to his driving his Porsche – the vocifer-ous minority, that wield power by their pens and commentaries, could swing public opinion against him and lead to an unproductive and in-cessant debate that could impair his effectiveness to govern. If that happens, then prudence dictates that he disposes of that de-stressing machine and scout for a less or non-controversial passion.

There are, of course, nasty speculations being spread against the incum-bent, that the Porsche is not really a “buy” but a “gift” from a car dealer who has been appointed to a juicy position in a government agency, but as in the past presidencies, the rumors are a common staple.

Unless proof is shown that graft accompanied the acquisition of the Porsche we must accord P-Noy the presumption that he was telling the truth about his car.

In the meanwhile, he is entitled to the enjoyment of his sleek four-wheeled toy. “Ibalato na muna natin ang Porsche kay P-Noy.” Let him savor the pleasure of driving his Porsche with-out us screaming brickbats at him and making him feel guilty.

l For comments, please email at salvadorpanelo@rocketmail.com

Charter...From page 12his dignity and suffrage as his future heritage.

As a traffic enforcer, he stands on his proper station and does not exact illegal fees among motorists. As a public official, he does not accept bribe or steals from the public coffers, but serves faithfully observing high ethical standards of good governance.

The chorus of the song says its well:

“pagkat ako’y isang mabuting Pilipino.Minamahal ko ang bayan ko.Tinutupad ko ang aking mga tungkulin.Sinusunod ko ang kanyang mga alituntunin.”

To these, let me add, for those in the pulpits, the rostrum and those having media mileages, they should preach good citizenry to-gether with good religion, using no coercive approach but life modelling inspiring emulation.

In sum, Charter change should not be a “Greek” idea nor a pure legal or political concept that should be the sole concern of intellectuals, politicians, the media and civil society groups. Rather, it should be a relevant house-hold matter that needs to be understood, if not applied, on a daily basis of every ordinary Filipino citizen.

Genuine charter change thus should begin changes within us, from our political and business leaders, civil servants, professionals, motorists, students to every ordinary citizen. To quote former Senator Richard Gordon, “we need a change in man, more than a change of man.” And “instead of dying for the Constitution, we must live for it,” to bor-row the words of Senator Gregorio Honasan. I sub-mit that these changes will effect a better living con-stitution, than any political exercise. Charter change as to the forms, methods and technicalities should and will follow, consequently. Oracles?...

From page 10and wait in queues to get application forms and other relevant informa-tion regarding various schemes and services.” With support from other governance infrastructure, such as pertinent legal frames, online transactions with governments may now be carried out. At the very, very least, “it can prove extremely useful if government statements are posted on the website so that the concerned citizens are able to get the required and authentic information from a single source.”

Interface design of websites must be user-friendly. The “entire effort in posting useful informa-tion on the website can go to waste if the visitor is not able to locate the same easily,” Verma and Kalra remind us. A website’s visitor must not be confused. The various content have to hyperlinked with each other at all possible places. A site map could help a lot.

Next, there is the matter of the content being updated. Verma and Kalra put it well by pointing out that: “Even a perfectly de-signed website can turn out to be a disappointment for the visitors if the information on the website is not regularly updated.” Since a website is the reflection of the organization before the audience, it should be constantly updated especially considering that before daily printed news gets out, city governments can already post

reports on their sites. Ultimately, there is the need

to promote government’s ac-countability towards the citizens. Hence, it is extremely important for a publicly funded website to be responsive to the visitors. Are queries, suggestions and grievances submitted through the web site attended to? How and with what attention? How prompt is the response? Is there a response mechanism in place?

To look at the city govern-ment websites in Metro Manila, I formulated a series of simple Yes-No type of questions related to the general concerns or crite-ria mentioned above. This list of ten questions is not meant to be comprehensive or exhaustive but they should give us an idea of the kind of “E-Governance” that we currently have in our cities in Manila: Does the LGU have a website? Is it active? Does it offer data that is informative or service and issue-oriented? Does it provide agency service features or portals for processing requests for service and citizen/public assistance? Is the lan-guage understandable? Is the site easy to navigate? Are the features easy to use? Has the site been updated recently (at least a month ago)? Is it “Wiki-ed” (can visitors contribute content or updates, or at least comment openly on the content)? Does the site allow for, at least, online discussion as a means of gather-

ing feedback? Do the features of the site work and/or is the site responding to visitor queries and requests for service?

Using a simple scoring system based on these eleven questions, I assessed the features of the websites of the seventeen cities that comprise Metro Manila. I am thinking of presenting a paper on this for a conference. But just to share my initial findings, let me point out that the local govern-ments of Quezon, Mandaluyong, Makati, Paranaque, Muntinlupa have the “best” websites of the seventeen city governments. The “worst” sites belong to Taguig, Las Piñas, Malabon, Marikina. To be more precise, Malabon does not have a website, while those of Marikina and Las Pinas were inaccessible (perhaps under construction?). So Taguig would have the worst existing site re-ally. Check it out. It’s nothing but a glorified Bulletin Board for Bidding on City Projects. The site makes one ask, is public bidding the most important concern of a City Government? One good thing about said website perhaps is that you barely see the name of the City Mayor in the posted documents.

It is unsettling that some of the sites appear to have been designed mainly as a promo for their mayors (and they appear to be the least aesthetically pleasing too). On the plus side, most re-ally have information on Business

processing for prospective inves-tors or entrepreneurs. Many are designed to highlight issues and concerns in local development and governance. But much can still be done and improved. For instance, all the websites (except one) contain no links to local ordi-nances. None of the city govern-ments seem to be concerned about informing the public on local laws, rules and regulations. Only Man-daluyong has uploaded the copy of an ordinance—and it’s about traffic management. More can be shared our dear local executives—more should be shared if you want more proactive citizens. Pateros should be commended for having a Citizen’s Charter and a fully downloadable one at that!

To close on more positive and constructive notes, let me cite two comments from my students whom I asked to review their respective City’s government websites. One was beaming as she wrote: “I can say that QC’s website is indeed very helpful and it contains relevant and valid information. In addition, I can say that QC’s website is user-friendly and easy to navigate. It is also very easy to find. Overall, I can say that QC’s website is one of the best websites among cities in Metro Manila.” Another shared: “Dapat po, sa palagay ko, na i-Filipino ‘yung wika sa website para mas maraming makaintindi at makagamit nang wasto ng mga detalyeng nakikita sa web.” Tumpak.

Meet the...From page 5power use by seniors. That would be small change compared to the productive years they had put in.

What I questioned was the ar-bitrary and underhanded action of ERC in passing the discount cost to consumers without adequate no-tice and proper consultation. After being apprised of the scheme, not one of those I asked was willing to pay the subsidy.

Worst yet, ERC exempted taxes from the discount, a classic case of government having its cake and eating it too because we are paying the subsidy.

Since it is State policy to subsidize Senior Citizens’ use of power, then let the State pay for it. The subsidy, if collected from consumers, would actually amount to a new tax on them.

Finally, while we’re at it, why should the State tax our System

Loss charges? Loss na nga, and questionable

as it is for being grossly overstat-ed (sinama ang generation sa line loss), tinataga pa tayo ng VAT.

Act now. All these excesses and abuses will continue if we do not put our act together. The Free-dom for Debt Coalition is hosting the First National Electricity Con-sumers Conference from January 25-27, 2011 at Cloud 9, Antipolo City. This is free and open to the public. This would be a good first step towards involvement. This is our chance to engage ERC chair-man Cruz-Ducut who is slated to speak on “new rate methodologies and other major policy resolutions to lower electricity costs.” This would have been a good policy issue to resolve in a Congressional hearing, but barring that for now, the FDC forum shall be good as well.

On February 5, 2011, ERC will conduct public hearings on

the so-called draft determination of Meralco rates for the next four years, from 2012 to 2015. Meralco’s rates for distribution alone are set to go as high as P1.90 pkwh by 2015. Attend this hearing and make your voice heard by ERC. The latest Meralco increase by 15.47 centavos pkwh, from P1.4917 pkwh to P1.6464 pkwh effective July 2010 but the first collection to be made in the January 2011 bill-ing cycle, was approved without any opposition or intervention from any consumer, whether as an individual or as a group. Unfor-tunate, but true, that increase can mean additional Meralco revenues of P46.4 Billion that we must all pay for. We should not let this happen again. Act now. Join the action against rate increases, util-ity abuse and regulatory failures.

l Email comments, concerns and suggestions to crsng_47@hotmail.com

No monopoly...From page 9Dingdong Dantes has been proclaimed Youth Ambas-sador of the National Com-mission for Culture and the Arts to represent the Fili-pino youth in the celebra-tion of National Arts Month in February…Prizewin-ning writer Jose F. Lacaba mounted anew his regular gig “Salinawit,” a transla-tion to Filipino of many English and other foreign language songs at the Con-spiracy Bar in Visayas Av-enue with erstwhile Color It Red Band soloist Cooky Chua, PR man Reli Ger-man, actor Ricky Davao and Lacaba himself as interpret-ers while Amazing Diva Armie Zuniga rendered one Salinawit song as originally jammer but she turned out to guest at the latter portion of the show…Independent filmmaker Noriel Jarito’s 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival Philippines’ entry to the digital section of the festival, “Rindido” starring himself and Chanel Latorre, will hit local screens on Wednesday.

Déjà vu...From page Toyota cars from Juan Luna Street, the Paco Cemetery and Padre Faura Street all the way to the Ateneo Business and Law School. They were led by Col. Rolando Abadilla’s predecessor, Capt. Octavio Alvarez.

January 22 was the 24th an-niversary of the Mendiola Mas-sacre. Leftist farmers of the KMP marched to Mendiola. They were blocked at the Chino Roces Bridge by police, PC Capcom troops and Marines. The PC Capcom/INP MPF Commanding General was Ramon Montano. The Mendiola Ground Commander was Col. Nazareno. The WPD contingent was led by Col. Dulla Torres. Gov-ernment forces fired at and killed and wounded many rallyists.

A few days later, the Left or-ganized an indignation rally. To avoid another bloody encounter, the usual anti riot troops and police did not block or face the march rally as it advanced from the Mendiola bridge to J. P. Laurel St. Instead, Cory Administration officials, men and women alike, formed a thin line from sidewalk to sidewalk of Mendiola. They and the leftist farmers and supporters met peacefully. The

situation cooled down and did not escalate.

January 20 was the 10th an-niversary of the EDSA 2 march to Malacañang, the departure of President Erap from the Palace and the oath taking by GMA at the EDSA Shrine. The whole month of January is the 25th an-niversary of many events leading up to EDSA I and II.

Sometime this January is the 24th anniversary of the 3rd coup attempt against President Cory Aquino. The 1st was the July 4, 1986 (a Sunday) Loyalist (includ-ing proclaimed Vice President Arturo Tolentino) takeover of the Manila Hotel and the Luneta. The 2nd was the November 1986 “God Save the Queen” aborted coup attempt during President Cory’s trip to Japan. The 3rd was the takeover by Col. Canlas of the GMA 7 compound along EDSA near Timog Ave.

Aside from anniversaries and memories of things that hap-pened yesterday, the past month also brings back a feeling of déjà vu. Things are also happening that used to happen in the past. Several very shocking crimes with hard to understand motives remind us of quantitative and qualitative upsurges in crime before past coup attempts, plots

and psywars. Under the coup wracked Cory Administration, an upsurge in bank robberies preceded a coup attempt. That was part of fund raising. Brazen acts of violence were part of psywar. And finally, intensified but unexplain-able blackouts were designed to affect the entire population. The perpetrators seemed to be chal-lenging the government directly by embarrassing the police and military forces.

In late December, a dancer of the Baywalk beauties was found murdered in Central Luzon. Two weeks ago two separate carjackings ended up with three murdered and burned victims abandoned in three different provinces, Tarlac, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija. One vehicle was even burned a few days later in Bataan. The body of its owner or agent which was found in Pam-panga was even mutilated.

Then, last week a horde of motorcycle-riding holduppers sprayed a money changer’s armored SUV with automatic gunfire at the corner of United Nations Avenue and M. H. del Pilar St. This is in downtown Ermita right beside the Luneta.

My instincts tell me that some people are rocking the boat, rocking P-Noy!

LIFESTYLE

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Dear Eric,

Thank you for your email. You raise a number of signifi-

cant issues but more interesting are those that you do not raise, namely: why after six years of separation have you still not an-nulled your marriage and why Diana has allowed this relation-ship to develop this far.

Of course, we can only sur-mise the reason why you have yet to secure an annulment but two possibilities immediately spring to mind: a) you have not bothered, or b) there is some serious impediment. Either way, your situation is very unlikely to convince a conservative family that you are or ever will be a stellar choice for Diana.

More interesting, however, is Diana’s attitude toward your relationship. According to you, she is convinced that loving you is morally wrong. Yet this psychologist professor, raised in a conservative environment and trained to be rational and moral, has permitted the

relationship between the two of you to develop to the stage where she is in love with a man whose status she herself describes as “may asawa ka”. Surely, a woman who truly believes that it is immoral to go out with a married man would not start a relationship with one, much less persevere to the point of falling in love.

The only explanations I can come with to justify her seem-ingly hypocritical behavior are either that she has simply been mouthing the beliefs of those around her without truly subscribing to them (good news for you!) and has now found

the pressure to conform to be overwhelming (bad news) or that you conveniently “forgot” to tell her you were still married until it was too late and she was already in love with you.

Of course, all this is in the past and you are concerned with the future. You yourself admit that to date you have been unable to convince her of the ‘morality’ of your relationship together.

As you cannot change her but you can change yourself, you have to decide firstly whether her beliefs are genuine. If they are, then if you truly love her you will respect her decision and terminate the relationship. If they are not genuine however, the saying that applies is ‘all is fair in love and war’. This is war and you must battle so that her love for you comes out the win-ner. Best of luck - JAFBaer

Dear Eric,

What can I say except bilib talaga ako sa asawa ko. Every-thing he’s told you I agree with completely, and I’ve no doubts many other psychologists would too.

I’m afraid I cannot add any-thing more to his analysis, but maybe that’s ok. I have a feeling that today should be the last day for Diane and you to stop analyzing. Or, rather, to stop merely analyzing.

You mentioned in your letter that: “The problem is, we keep on discussing the difference between ‘may asawa ka’, as she always claims and ‘kasal lang ako’ as I defend myself.”

Actually, dearest Eric, the problem is much bigger than that. The problem is that you keep on discussing, period. I

don’t blame you. There’s a lot to be

said for discussing the differences between (actually) having a wife and “merely” being married. Such discussions between two attractive, intel-ligent, open and academically-trained people can be excit-ing, fun, challenging, romantic and sexy. When you throw in the moral and/or rational implications of your civil status vis-a-vis her chosen profession, these discussions can go on ad infinitum and still be romantic, exciting, sexy.

Sometimes dis-cussing the pros and cons of being com-mitted to a man who has a wife vis-a-vis a man who happens to be married can be a lot more exciting than actually loving and

being loved by this man. And, certainly, a lot safer.

Maybe it’s time for you both to stop talking, if only for a minute, and to decide where you want to go from here. Do you continue arguing, discussing, theorizing, and philosophizing?

Or, do you put your money where your mouths are? See what it really means for a psy-chologist professor to be com-mitted to a man whose wife may be a mere theoretical construct right now, but whose children probably aren’t. But just in case they, too, are merely in the theoretical realm as far as you’re concerned, well, perhaps this is something to think about, too….but, hopefully, you will decide what the best thing to do is at this point, and then, actually do it! Good luck-- MG Holmes

TWoProNGEd

Jeremy Baer &Margarita Holmes

Battle so that her love comes out the winnerDear Doc Holmes and Mr Baer:

I am in love with “Diana,” a psychologist professor, and she feels the same towards me. I’m separated, though not legally (annulled), from my ex-wife 6 years ago. We have 3 kids.

The problem is, we keep on discussing the difference between “may asawa ka”, (you have a wife) as she always claims and “kasal lang ako” (I am merely married) as I defend myself.

She is convinced that loving me is WRONG but for me, 6 years of separation is quite a long time already. I can’t blame her, Doc, for she was raised by a very conservative family and as a psychologist and professor as well, people around her, especially her family, expect her to act MORALLY and RATIONALLY which contradicts our situation as I’m “still married” and she’s single.

I need to understand her more, Doc, so I need some advice from someone senior than her when it comes to her profes-sion. How can I convince myself that she is indeed right and we should stop this or how can I convince her that I’m right and there’s nothing wrong with our relationship? Love is not the question as we both know how much we love each other. Thank you, Doc, and more power. Eric

JANUARY 24-30, 2011 / Vol. I, No. 23

The Only Opinion Paper, We Take A Stand

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