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IMPACTQuote in the Act“I like to say that in Iraq, the only thing Americans

know for certain is that we know nothing for certain.’”

Brett H. Mc Gurk, former National Security Council official in Iraq; despite the August deadline for the end of the combat mission in Iraq, the belief among

military officers, diplomats and Iraqi officials is that after a new government is formed, talks will start about a longer-term American troop presence.

“We want to live in peace. Don’t kill the hope.”Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestine; in a rare effort to reach out directly to the Israel public, calling on Israel’s leadership to step up peace efforts while

suggesting that his people were growing weary.

“The only conclusion that can be logically drawn from this audacity par excellence is that the lady

simply cannot let go of power and cannot be either calmed or cooled.”

Oscar Cruz, archbishop emeritus of Lingayen-Dagupan in the Philippines; commenting on the resolution calling charter change filed by Congresswomen

and former President Gloria Arroyo on his first day of office in Congress.

“While our media empires are melting away like the Himalayan glaciers, China’s are expanding.”

Orville Schell, director of the Center on U.S.-Chaina Relations; on the recent initiative of China to establish a 24-hour English-language news channel in Times Square in

New York City in order to create a global media empire that can match China’s rising economic power and more effectively project its views to an international audience.

“The attempt to build buildings that reach up to the skies cannot hide the millions of slums,

cardboard houses, cart homes and the misery of the great majority.”

Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, archbishop of Manila; in his homily challenging the new Aquino government to improve the lot of Filipinos by getting rid of corruption in government which was endemic in the Arroyo administration.

“How long will we be mere spectators and see our great city blown to bits—culturally and

physically?”Raza Ahmed Rumi, a Pakistani expert on Sufism; as the death toll rose

to 42 on Friday after suicide bombers struck Pakistan’s most important Sufi shrine—which was viewed as a devastating attack by hard-line militants on the

moderate, more flexible blend of Islam that is practiced by most Pakistanis.

Volume 44 • Number 7 3

IMPACT July 2010 / Vol 44 • No 7

EDITORIAL

Honeymoon ....................................................... 27COVER STORY

A Human Right to House and Home: The Philippine Challenge .............................. 16

ARTICLES

Philippine Elections 2010: Automated Fraud? ........................................... 4

It Can be Done ..................................................... 8Education in a state of emergency ................. 9Bahay: Why Juan and Maria dela Cruz are

homeless in the Philippines ........................... 13 Gawad Kalinga: Building Houses,

Building Communities ................................ 20DEPARTMENTS

Quote in the Act ................................................. 2News Features ................................................... 10Statements .......................................................... 23From the Blogs ................................................ 26From the Inbox .................................................. 28Entertainment .................................................... 30Asia Briefing ...................................................... 31

CONTENTS

The over half-million warm bodies, made warmer by the sweltering humidity,

at the Quirino Grandstand who attended the inaugural of Presi-dent Noynoy Aquino last June 30 was a statement—a statement for change made clearer by the crowd during the mass recitation of “Panata ng Pagbabago” (Oath for Change).

That may have been the big-gest inaugural crowd in Philip-pine history not to mention the millions more of Filipinos here and abroad that watched history unfold in their cable TVs, online video streams and social net-works. Perhaps reminiscent of martial law liberation in Febru-ary 1986, it was a manifestation of disgust against nine years of brinkmanship and impunity of the past administration.

Disrespectful but probably honest, the crowd at the Quirino Grandstand jeered and booed the outgoing president while bidding goodbye to a most hated presidency that left behind a budget deficit in excess of US $3 billion, a human rights record unparalleled since the Marcos regime, a rock-bottom poverty, a worsening Muslim and com-

munist insurgencies and a country mired in corrup-tion at all levels of society, among others.

In April this year, the Social Weather Station showed Arroyo’s net satisfaction rating among Filipinos at minus 53. Statistically, the worse since demo-cratic elections began in 1986 after booting out Marcos. The figures tell that nearly seven out of ten Filipinos did not approve of her performance. Data from the National Statistical Coordination Board show that the number of Filipinos living on 1,200 pesos a month has risen to nearly 30 million from 25.47 million in 2001.

Characteristic of the Arroyo presidency, the last minute white-washing over massive TV and news-papers advertisements brandished by a Catholic priest and a beauty queen few weeks before the curtain dropped did not improve the sullen image of Ms. Gloria Arroyo. On the contrary, the multimillion budget for such an expensive blitzkrieg, added more insult to injury and consequently failed to redeem a malice that has already reached a point of satiety.

Be that as it may, but Mrs. Arroyo still boasts of statistics that show

that she has been able to deliver 34 quarters of uninterrupted economic expansion during her presidency. But, of course, yes. The only rub is, accord-ing to economics professor Ben Diokno of the University of the Philippines, the beneficiaries of the so-called “economic expan-sion” have been the elites, big business and politicians—and not the poor that makes up a half of the population.

But Cardinal Gaudencio Ro-sales in his homily on June 30 has a better way of putting it: “The attempt to build buildings that reach up to the skies can-not hide the millions of slums, cardboard houses, cart homes and the misery of the great majority.”

Written by our staff writer Charles Avila, our cover story is on housing—which, among many others, maybe a concrete barometer of where the Philip-pines is now. Read on.


By Rosa Linda Valenzona

WHEN the Philippines govern-ment decided to embrace com-puterized voting for the 2010

presidential, congressional and local elections the international community looked on with considerable interest. Would May 10 mark a turning point in the struggling Asian democracy and produce, for once, undisputed results?

Authoritative and stable government is essential to our country’s struggle to attract foreign investment, develop economically and lift a large number of citizens out of poverty.

But an electronic revolution in one giant stride? For a population of 50 mil-lion voters spread over 7,100 islands where radio communication is often unreliable? It was always going to be a big ask. As a risk assessment carried out by Pacific Strategies and Assessment late last year warned, “there is no offi-cial record of any country in the world transitioning from a pure manual to a full automated elections system in one electoral exercise.”

Quite the contrary. Electronic voting has been plagued with problems even in the most developed countries of the world, and just a week before the Philip-pines elections the government appointed Commission on Elections, or Comelec, was frantically installing new memory cards in every one of more than 70,000 counting machines at polling stations because of an alleged glitch.

Nevertheless, Filipinos pinned their hopes on the new election system with the expectation that a quick count would minimize the fraud that bedeviled past elections. So it is not surprising that euphoria over the speed of the results has led, three weeks later, to a state of denial over the possibility of massive cheating, in spite of evidence pointing to that unhappy conclusion. Noynoy Aquino’s win over other contenders is not looking as cut and dried as some would like to think.

A process flawed from the start In January 2007 Congress passed

legislation setting up Comelec with the mandate to put in place an Automated Election System (AES). This involved feeding the ballot into a machine that would scan the ballot, count it and then transmit the results to the Comelec op-

ARTICLES

erations center where the consolidation takes place.

Unbeknown to the naïve and trust-ing voters Comelec’s program had the makings of a massive election fraud. Past elections have been marked by citizen volunteers determined to protect their vote. This time around, Comelec accredited the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) under former Vatican ambassador Tita de Villa to supervise the process. But the PPCRV, which functioned effectively under the old system, was out of its league and completely unprepared for the covert

fraud that was already at work months ahead of the election.

The contract to provide the hardware and software for the AES was awarded, under very suspicious circumstances, to the lowest bidder, Smartmatic, a Ven-ezuelan company who also handled the election of quasi-dictator Hugo Chavez. This was not an encouraging start.

The counting machine (precinct counting optical scan, or PCOS) was produced in China.

On the software side, the program for reading, counting and transmitting the data as well as printing out election returns was

Philippine elections 2010: Automated Fraud?


tions made it difficult to fully evaluate the source codes (the human language used to design the program). Completely disheartened, these IT professionals walked out. Hence we cannot discount the possibility that the PCOS machines could be programmed to, for example, count a vote for Gilberto Teodoro or Manuel Villar as a vote for Aquino.

Secondly, there was the fact that the program was contained in removable flash cards. In a May 3, 2010 testing of 350 PCOS machines done by Comelec the PCOS cards used were found to be corrupted. Hence, a few days before the

election it was decided that the flash cards for the entire 76,300 PCOS machines, already distributed to all the polling places, were corrupted and needed to be replaced. Lo and behold, the next day they were available for delivery to the polling places in the different islands of the Archipelago.

Of course, there was no time to con-duct an independent examination to check what kind of software was configured on the new cards, so the whole process is open to question. Was it possible that the 350 machines tested on May 3 were intentionally corrupted so that the hurried

to be in a removable flash card. To review the entire program Comelec hired SysTest Lab, a Denver company discredited by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology as conducting tests without “properly documented and validated tests methods”. SysTest Lab has still to release its systems review to the public.

Opportunities for cheating Not satisfied with the SysTest Lab

review a group of independent IT pro-fessionals asked to undertake their own review. Limited time and Comelec restric-

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Philippine Election 2010: automated fraud?


ARTICLES

replacement with cards preconfigured for cheating would be possible? There is no way of answering these questions because Comelec has since destroyed all the cards. This type of cheating would be beyond the powers of observation of PPCRV.

A third possible way of cheating is the remote access that Smartmatic had to the PCOS machines. These machines should have been under the close super-vision of a citizen’s watchdog to ensure that remote access would not be used to endanger the sanctity of our vote. This kind of watchdog work was, again, out of the league of PPCRV.

The fourth possible weakness is to be found in the data transmission process. Due to its archipelagic geography and high mountain ranges in several islands, radio communication is a major problem in many of the rural places in the Philip-pines. The difficulty is not insuperable, however. One could set up a center in a high altitude place such as Antipolo using machines equipped with powerful signals that could easily intercept transmission of election results from the provincial PCOS machines with weaker signals.

Since Comelec has destroyed the flash cards, errors can only be uncovered through comparison of a manual count of the ballots cast with the encrypted data in the PCOS machines. At this point in time the only document that would be free from error is the ballot cast by the voters. In previous non-automated elections civic watchdogs made a big fuss to ensure the sacredness of the ballot boxes—guarding them with their lives if necessary. We don’t know if this was done in this election because we were all carried away with the quickness of the count.

Wisdom by hindsight tells us that while the PPCRV was effective for the old fashioned manual count, doing over-sight work over the AES was simply out of their league. The citizens’ watchdog should have consisted of a strong team of IT professionals who would audit the entire election process and ensure the integrity of the count of our ballots.

Citizens groups at the polling places should have been equipped with the wherewithal to ensure that the PCOS Flash Cards in various precincts were properly configured. This would not

Such interception could be used for dishonest purposes. It is known, for ex-ample, that an additional 22,000 PCOS machines were imported from China by private parties aside from Comelec. Further, Comelec had ruled that a digital signature was not needed from the election inspectors manning the PCOS machines. This set the stage for clandestine, high al-titude PCOS machines to intercept weaker signals of genuine PCOS machines from the rural areas. A videotaped interview of an alleged whistleblower, nicknamed Koala Bear – a derisive reference to his facial disguise – seems to point to the use of this fourth option for rigging the election results.

2010: just another questionable election

In the absence of overt cheating Fili-pinos were euphoric over how quickly the votes were counted. But what is clearly emerging is that the official count is the product of a flawed process and the data is irreparably tainted with the possibility of fraud.

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and protest against this highly suspect election is neither desirable at this point nor likely to happen. Too many of our people are not IT liter-ate enough to appreciate the depth and the breadth of what has happened. We have seen the present civil unrest in Thailand and we would not wish that on our country.

The failure lies in our government institutions. If election fraud on this scale did occur it could only have hap-pened with the collaboration of Comelec and the authorities in the present administration. But then what is equally disap-pointing is the unconscionable acquiescence of the election winners in spite of the growing evidence of fraud. If nothing is done to investigate these matters thoroughly the cloud of doubt hanging over the Aquino administration will be a major handicap to its efforts to achieve good governance.

Rumor mills have it that the US has had a hand in this fiasco. They did not want Teodoro to win because he could not be manipulated. Of course Estrada, with his record of corruption and plunder, was a no-no. The only option was Aquino, rumored to have a record of psychological pa-thology, hence more easily malleable. But of course there is absolutely no way of verify-ing these rumors.

In spite of the dire con-sequences of opening this election can of worms, to keep our mouths closed is to run the risk of institutionalizing election fraud. Filipinos find themselves once again be-tween the devil and the deep blue sea.

(Rosa Linda Valenzona is a Manila businesswoman, a former lecturer in economics at the University of the Phil-ippines, and president of the National Coalition for Family and Life. This is printed with special permission by Merca-tor.Net)

I

Philippine Election 2010: automated fraud?

have been a tall order. The Philippines has a strong IT industry and the normal Fili-pino civic mindedness would have allowed us to gather a strong team. Many of us who are IT literate could have vol-unteered for this type of work at the precinct level.

The fact of the matter is that the integrity of the 2010 elec-tion results will always remain questionable in the absence of an independent third party for this oversight work before, during and after the election process, notwithstanding Comelec and Smartmatic demonstrations to the contrary.

The bicameral group mandated to canvass election results has been at it for the past two weeks, a task that in the past used to be completed in a matter of days. Complaints of irregularities delaying the process have been given the standard answer—complaints have to be filed at the Presiden-tial Electoral Tribunal.

Would there be any way of getting an accurate count at this point? Presuming that the ballots that were scanned by the 77,600 PCOS machines all over the country were safe-guarded from tampering one possible solution is to equip the PCOS machines with flash cards certified to be configured with the right program and rescan the ballots contained in these machines. An army of computers should not make this to difficult to accomplish. But if the election winners are allowed to be sworn in before this validation process is ever undertaken it is not likely that government will have the political will to undertake this validation.

If Aquino really wants ‘people power’…

Aquino promised a “Peo-ple Power” uprising if he was “cheated” in the election. Many of us believe that the people have been cheated, but stirring up civic unrest

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By Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

I am humbled to have been asked by the Philippine Na-tional Police (PNP) to share

some insights on gun control. One can say that this urgent and critical initiative affecting and involving all sectors of society hinges on a relationship of TRUST between various sectors of our society. I have a relationship of TRUST with the PNP and this is a gift from God. Yet this was not always the case.

I am a secular priest from the Archdiocese of Cebu. I am part of the Dilaab, a faith-impelled, volunteer-driven, and Church-based nationwide movement for a transformed Filipino nation. Our message is simple: A good Christian is also a good citizen and a good leader.

How did this relationship of trust come about? In 2004, I was in a difficult situation: I was involved in an effort against illegal drugs and narcopolitics and I was looking for someone from the PNP whom I could trust. Unknown to me, someone from the PNP was also looking for a diocesan priest whom he could trust. Our paths met and this resulted in a critical insight: “Underneath the uniform and the sutana are the same human beings, created in God’s image and likeness, and broken by sin yet beloved by God. They need each other in the journey towards integrity for the com-mon good.”

I propose that a critical dimension and starting point in what we are trying to do in gun control is the insight I just shared. We call this “exchang-ing places.” This starting point recognizes that we are all in this together, as part of the problem and part of the solution. This also allows us to work together effectively in solving problems that confront us.

I try to provide pasto-ral accompaniment to some members of the PNP, within my area of competence as an ordained priest and not as a

law enforcer. This has given me first-hand experiences in several PNP-related initiatives, like the Values and Leadership School, the Lead PNP, and, presently, the CADET pro-gram. The journey has brought in other companions and I have become a better priest and

citizen because of this.During the May 2010 elec-

tion, I had the privilege of seeing some concrete and inspiring realization of the Lead PNP program: the HOPE run; the prayer vigils; the 10 command-ments for law enforcers; etc. I have also witnessed leadership by example and confirmed its impact. I can think of at least two bishops who were witnesses

implement Laws for the benefit of the election. If they have done it once, they can do it again pro-vided there are enabling laws to stand on.”

Allow me to share some in-sights from a non-scientific text survey I did last night involv-ing people in touch with local realities. My random sample of highly visible leaders include 18 catholic bishops; 1 evangeli-cal bishop; 1 priest; 7 business and management leaders; 6 lay leaders; 2 from academe; and one Comelec commissioner.

I tried to group together similar insights: need for strict implementation of law (4); guns symbolize violence (1) or guns as harmful instruments (1); gun ban beyond election (6); gun-less society (3); only uniformed men should carry arms (3); no to private armies (1); no political backers for would-be policemen (1); gun control (10) but need for po-litical will and good example (2) and support for PNP (1); remember the good old days of police just using a batuta (1); and send someone to jail (1); not total gun ban but control pri-vate armies and criminals (1); selective ban (1); gun ban dur-ing election not enforced well (1); and effective PNP work since they were catechized and PNP can do it again (1).

This random sampling shows broad and even pas-sionate support from leaders of various sectors towards gun control. As the election experi-ence shows, political will in implementing laws will lead to much good and inspire others to do good; in addition, there is also need for better laws. This shows, in addition to Asia Pacific Center for Research findings, that people saw the election gun ban as something good, with 73.8% of respon-dents from the NCR approving its extension. These data on our common experiences – and, only secondarily, data from other countries – should be our main basis for reflection

Gun, page 12

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of how the PNP did what was constitutionally expected of it. Both had to do with strictly and professionally upholding the law and not taking sides; more concretely, it led to the dismantling of some local armed cliques that were taking sides.

These gains have not been

lost on the general population; as one very respected Church writer puts it: “The gun control of PNP effectively confiscated more than 3000 guns carried by individuals in violation of Comelec ban. It shows prevailing values of those in power as well as criminal elements that any law could be violated through palakasan and bribery. Fortunately the PNP must have been catechized to

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(Thoughts on Gun Control)It can be done!


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in a state of emergencyBy Roy Cimagala

That's what Pope Benedict is sound-ing off these days, addressing more directly to the Italian situation and

that of the developed Western world in general.

In our case, when we talk about some problems in education, we refer more to lack of classrooms and the need to attune and synch our educational programs such that they solve our headaches in poverty and literacy.

Thanks to God, our difficulty is mainly in that level which, I admit, is already big, urgent and really crying for immediate solutions and relief. Still, if compared to those of the West, our worries are mere chicken feed.

Our predicament is more in the mate-rial dimension of life. That of the West is already undermining the more important spiritual dimension of life. Many times I have seen people, materially poor but full of faith in God, who cope better in life than those materially rich but with weak faith.

We are, of course, a unity of body and spiritual soul. They cannot be separated in life. Only in death, and in a temporary way since Christian faith teaches us that both body and soul reunite at the end of time.

Our education, for sure, has to take care of the needs of both our constitutive elements of body and soul, but always giving special attention to those of the soul. We may have to make the proper priorities in tackling these needs of our education, but it’s not right to put them

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EDUCATION

in conflict with each other.Just the same, we should not be com-

placent with our apparent luck. We need to give serious attention to the root causes of the educational crisis that the Pope talks about, because even in our country we can see traces and symptoms of these Western anomalies emerging and developing.

The Pope points a finger at two culprits responsible for the emergency situation in the educational system in the West. These are, first, the false notion of human autonomy that confines us to ourselves, and, second, the spreading mentalities of relativism and skepticism.

These things may sound abstruse to many, but I’m afraid they now need to be understood by as many people as possible, since these factors affect all of us. We may have to explain a little about these disturb-ing phenomena so we can get a handle on the situation

The first cause mentioned by the Pope, which is about a false idea on human autonomy, refers to the exagger-ated understanding of our freedom and autonomy such that we think education is simply our development purely by and for ourselves.

We make ourselves the be-all and end-all of everything. We think we are not meant for something greater than ourselves now. We make ourselves our own God. Everything else is just used for our self-development.

This attitude is basically wrong since we by nature and as persons need to be in relation with others and ultimately with God. In short, we become more human and

better persons the more we relate ourselves to God and the others.

Sad to say, the educational thrust in many places in the world today, including ours, appears to go in this direction of being selfish and of tending to self-absorption, detached from the immediate and ultimate sources of our life and our wisdom.

This first cause of the education crisis, as the Pope warns us now, leads to the second which are the dangerous attitudes of relativism and skepticism. With faith ignored, divine revelation blocked and the understanding of human nature twisted, we now create our own world devoid of absolute truths.

Everything is now held relative to whatever criteria we may want to con-sider as our truths and values. This will lead to skepticism and a host of kindred anomalies. In the end, what would rule will just be the law of pragmatism and eventually the law of the jungle, of brute force, etc.

These considerations of the Holy Fa-ther, I believe, should not be taken lightly, thinking that they are not quite relevant to our present condition. They are always relevant. And the sooner we include these warnings into our educational system, making the necessary adjustments, the better for us.

We should not regard these caveats as something abstract. They have direct impact on our lives and on our society. We have to overcome that tendency to get stuck with the material and temporal purpose of education and give priority attention to its spiritual and supernatural objective. I


ARTICLESNEWSFEATURES

MANILA, June 30, 2010—Some Catho-lic bishops presented on Wednesday a 13-point agenda that President Benigno Aquino III should address in his admin-istration.

The bishops said the Arroyo adminis-tration had failed to attend to many social issues so they hope that Aquino would give it utmost priority.

The agenda composed of the posi-tions of the church on certain issues long tackled in CBCP Pastoral Statements was presented in a press conference after a Mass held at the Manila Cathedral few hours before Aquino took his oath of office before noon today.

“The CBCP insists 13 point advoca-cies as guidance to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III when he assumes office for moral and social transformation of the country especially the poor,” said Bishop Teodoro Bacani.

On top of the church’s list is the implementation of land reform through Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with extension and reform (CARPer).

The church officials demanded the rejection of the controversial reproduc-tive health bill, same sex union, abortion, divorce, euthanasia and contraceptives.

They urged Aquino not to allow the demolition without relocation of urban poor families. They also demanded that the new chief executive put a stop to human trafficking of children and women.

Taking note of the “many problems” left by the Arroyo administration, Bacani called on Aquino to rise beyond giving an average performance during his six-year stay in Malacañang.

He said the “sorry state of the coun-try” left by Arroyo has brought such high expectations and hopes for the incoming president and that they will expect no less than a “heroic” performance.

The prelate added that Aquino should use the legacies of his parents, former President Corazon Aquino and former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., as an inspiration to always strive to do better.

The other nine Church advocacies are: 1) Protect the environment by stopping large scale mining and illegal logging; 2) Stop corruption and prosecute the people involved in graft and corruption; 3) No to Nepotism and political dynasty in Philip-pine politics; 4) Uphold human rights of all the accused; 5) Educate the poor by improving educational system and give the poor access to quality education; 6) Peace and security: negotiate with the rebels with public consultations to all stakeholders; 7) Stop illegal gambling by arresting and prosecuting gambling lords; 8) Alleviate poverty by improving the living condition of the marginalized, under-represented and oppressed people; 9) Food security by eliminating structures that hinder the growth and development of those in the agricultural sector.

A Mass for the New Governance was held at the Manila Cathedral in the morning before the inauguration of the new presi-dent of the Republic of the Philippines.

The Mass was led by Gaudencio Car-dinal Rosales. Concelebrants include San Fernando Auxiliary Bishops Pablo David and Roberto Mallari and Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez.

In his homily, Rosales described as “gift” from God the presidency of Aquino, “who, in his simple and humble ways, please God, will exemplify what love for God and country means.

The cardinal, however, stressed that the job not only lies with Aquino but also in each and every Filipino.

“This beautiful national dream is not the job for one man, no matter how gifted or great. Neither is it a collective work for a group of good men. The dream of a better Philippines is within the response and the ability of every Filipino,” said Rosales.

Aquino, along with Vice President Jejomar Binay, took their respective oaths as the new leaders of the country at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Wednes-day noon.

He also called on the faithful to pray for Aquino together with those who will serve the country with him “that they will be guided by the wisdom from the Holy Spirit in serving the Filipino of whatever tribe, belief, age or class.” (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Bishops present 13-point agenda for President Aquino

L-R San Fernando Auxiliary Bishops Roberto Mallari and Pablo David, Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani and Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez show the lists of the Church's 13-point advocacies as guidance for President Benigno Aquino III during a press confer-ence last June 30.

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Christians at HK rally pray for harmony

HONGKONG, July 1, 2010—Christians of all faiths gathered to pray for cooperation and rec-onciliation among people with different democratic views, before a territory-wide rally to mark the 13th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover on July 1.

The rally was the first meeting between various pan-democratic factions since a contentious electoral reform, passed by gov-ernment on June 25, led to accu-sations and recriminations within the groups.

Franciscan Father Stephen Chan asked the congregation to pray for all people who support democracy. “The autocratic re-gime would profit if the democrats continue their split” warned Father Chan, who was representing the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese’s Justice and Peace Commission.

Reverend Phyllis Wong also encouraged the participants to put aside hostility and mistrust of each other and search for cooperation. “When we feel perplexed and sad about the prospects of a healthy civil society, God’s love is our strength,” she said in her sermon.

Among the participants, Shum Lam-chung, a Protestant in his 20s, was at the rally for the first time since it began in 1997. “I feel worried that Hong Kong might lose its freedom one day,” he said, “so I treasure any chance to express my struggle for democracy.” (UCAN)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 30, 2010—Pakistan has started to monitor the web for its blasphemous content. Internet giants like Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, Bing, Msnm and Hotmail have come under the scrutiny of Pakistani authorities for allowing online material that is offensive to Muslims and the Muslim religion.

Khurram Mehran, a spokesman for the Pakistan Telecommunication Author-ity, said that un-der instructions from the Minis-try of Informa-tion Technology, the Authority began monitor-ing and barring various sites as of 26 June, follow-ing a ruling by a judge in the city of Bahawalpur against YouTube and eight smaller websites deemed anti-Islam.

“If any par-ticular link with offensive con-tent appears on these websites, the (link) shall be blocked im-mediately with-out disturbing the main website,” Mehran said.

Pakistan claims that it is monitoring the world wide web for national security reasons and that no major search engine will be censored.

Google spokesman Scott Rubin said the company intends to monitor how Pakistan's new policies affect ac-cess to its services, which include the world's most popular search engine and the most widely watched video site, YouTube.

“Google and YouTube are platforms for free expression, and we try to allow

as much . . . content as possible on our services and still ensure that we enforce our policies,' Mr Rubin said.

Yahoo! also responded to Pakistan's actions, calling them disappointing. The company is “founded on the principle that access to information can improve people's lives,” a Yahoo! spokeswoman said.

So far, 17 sites deemed anti-Islam and blasphemous have been blocked, in-

cluding IslamEx-posed.blogspot.com, a blog cre-a ted th rough Google 's own Blogger service. The site features postings with headlines such as 'Islam: The Ulti-mate Hypocrisy' and links to anti-Islam online peti-tions.

Back in May, a top court put a ban on Facebook amid anger over a webpage that encouraged users to post images of Islam's Prophet M u h a m m a d . However, many young Muslim us-ers of the social

networking site reacted negatively to the ban, which was lifted after two weeks.

The government and the courts of Pakistan base their decisions on the country’s so-called ‘Blasphemy law’, introduced 25 years ago by then strong-man Zia-ul-Haq. The ‘law’ imposes respect for the Prophet Muhammad and the Qur‘an.

The Catholic Church has fought against the law for many years because it victimises Muslims well as members of religious minorities. (AsiaNews/Agencies)

Pakistan censors Google, YouTube and Yahoo for their

anti-Islam content

Catholic and Protestant pastors bless participants as they set off to join the rally (UCAN)


NEWSFEATURES

and action.There is an urgent imperative to build

upon the gains of the election gun ban – and the hopes this has generated in various sec-tors of our society. I hope this group provides the initial spark for a process that will bring together different sectors of our society.

Yet, we must approach the task with candor and clear-mindedness since there are hindering factors and they begin in the human heart. It begins when we make fear, our individual and group fears, our fundamental orientation in life. Fears can be addictive. It can give us a false sense of security. But it is ultimately self-destructive and not a positive impulse. Taking our cue from the language of nuclear deterrence, it can be MAD (i.e. mutual assured destruction).

Such fears can compel us to consider gun ownership as an absolute and even a sacred right. Yet, our need for security must be balanced against the fundamental rights of others. If our lives are ruled by fears, our capacity to contribute to the common good would be greatly impaired.

One last consideration has to do with a false dichotomy: is the human person to blame for abuses in the use of guns or is it

because of the technology used? I recall an incident from my pre-teenage years in Davao. We had a slingshot “war” with kids from a different district. One day, while my companions were running away because our opponents included much older boys, I decided to lead the charge. This ended when a stone hit my forehead and blood gushed out. If it was a gun used, I would not be standing here before you. Yes, human beings kill, but certain technologies/tools facilitate such killing and destruction.

Can we move beyond our boundaries and the fears that hem us in? That our so-ciety, which has become quite violent, was not always so is still fresh in the minds of those who, like my father, lived the good old days when one can kick around a tin can down an avenue in the wee hours of the morning and not fear violence.

If we were once less violent, we can once more aspire for this. We need to build on the gains of the last election in terms of effective gun control and make things happen. The so-called “butterfly effect” tells us that the flutter of butterfly wings can ultimately lead to the formation of a storm thousands of miles away. We need to be wise men and women that build the

Gun, from page 8

foundations of a transformed society. I propose the continuation of the con-

sultative process which this forum high-lights. I propose that this process includes a joint statement from an ecumenical study group focused on conscience formation. Various sectors, starting with family, busi-ness, academe, government, Church, etc. have their contributions to make.

I end not with answers but with ques-tions. SHALL WE JUST BE DOMINATED BY OUR FEARS OR IS IT POSSIBLE TO MOVE TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF SOCIAL EVOLUTION WHERE WE CAN TRUST ONE ANOTHER ONCE MORE AS EACH SECTOR DOES WHAT IS EX-PECTED OF IT? CAN WE GO BEYOND OUR NARROW CONCERNS AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK OF A SOCIETY OF JUSTICE AND LOVE? CAN WE AR-TICULATE AND WORK FOR A VISION OF A BETTER PHILIPPINES WHERE WE CAN FEEL SAFE AND SECURE WITHOUT RESORT TO ARMS?

(The author is the Overall Coordinating Steward of Dilaab Foundation Inc., a volunteer-driven, Church-based movement for a transformed Filipino nation.)

OKINAWA, July 1, 2010—A Japanese bishop has sharply criticized the presence of US military bases in Okinawa dur-ing a recent peace pilgrim-age.

“Okinawa is once again the victim of political and social aggression and … endlessly forced to bear the cruel bur-den of these military bases,” said Bishop Berard Toshio Os-hikawa of Naha during a June 23 pilgrimage to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa.

Japanese set aside this day, known as Irei-no-hi, to remem-ber those who died during the battle between Japanese and Allied forces toward the end of World War II.

Catholic peace advocates gathered at Oroku Church in Naha at 6 a.m. for a peace Mass during their recent pilgrimage. They then marched 15 kilome-

ters to Konpaku-no-to, a monu-ment for war victims.

Along the way, the pil-grims, who included students from Okinawa Catholic Junior High School, stopped at three places to rest and pray. The testimonies of Okinawans who had lived through the war were read out.

The group arrived at Konpaku-no-to at about 11.30 a.m.

“I don’t know if I can sway people’s hearts with prayer, but my determination to pursue peace can never be swayed,” said Capuchin Father La Salle Parsons during the pilgrim-age.

“If we can spread the mes-sage [of peace], we can build a world without war,” said a student from Okinawa Catholic Junior High School.

The pilgrimage took place amid unhappiness over the

large concentration of US military bases in Okinawa, which Okinawans blame for contributing to noise pollution, congestion and crime.

A vocal majority are de-manding the closure of the

U.S. Marine Corps Air Station at Futenma.

The failure of the Japanese government to relocate the base was one reason for former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoya-ma’s resignation. (UCAN)

Bishop wades into furor over Okinawa bases

Catholic pilgrims gathering at the Konpaku-no-to war memorial (UCAN)

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A special report on urban housing problems in the Philippines

By Noel Sales Barcelona

A widow, Aling Virgie, 62 had been always dreaming a house of her own.

“Mahirap ang walang bahay (It’s hard not to have a house of your own),” she quipped when IMPACT Magazine visited her in one of the low-cost subdivisions in Antipolo City. She had been living with her son and her daughter-in-law, whose house is also rented.

Aling Virgie said that they are renting the house for P2,500 (US$43) less the pay-ment for electricity and the water supply.

“Napakahirap ng nangungupahan, sa totoo lamang. Kung ako ang tatanungin mo, kahit sa iskuwater, papayag akong tumira. Basta akin ‘yong bahay (Renting a house is difficult. If you will ask me, I rather live in a shanty or in a squatter’s area. What is important is you own the house),” the 62-year old widow said.

If Aling Virgie finds it difficult not having a place that she can call her own, what about the rest of our kababayans?

Not even a bahay-kubo (nipa hut)

Based on the United Nations’ Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) report (2003), there had been more than 923 million people in the world, or 31.6 percent of the world’s population do not have roofs on their heads. Most of them, according to the UN Habitat, are living in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Despite the Philippine government’s efforts, there are still around 4.5 million Filipinos who are homeless, as reported by the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project (rightsreporting.net).

Most of them are living in makeshift homes under the bridges, over the esteros or big canals, and occupying private- and public-owned lands.

John Torres, public information officer of the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-governmental institution that is work-ing closely with the Metro Manila poor, one-third of the Filipino populace cannot afford to own a house.

“In Metro-Manila alone, there are about 3.1 million informal settlers or commonly known as squatters. About 23 percent of them stay in government-owned land; some 22 percent are living in private lands; 15 percent are in danger zones like in esteros (big canals), beside the railroad tracks, under the bridges, and similar areas; and the 40 percent are living in infrastruc-ture sites,” he said in a statement.

In Quezon City, considered as one of the largest urban cities in Metro Ma-nila (National Capital Region), there are about 200,000 (an estimated one million or less peoples) are considered informal settlers.

Of this number, read the rightsreporting.

BAHAY: Why Juan and Maria de la Cruz are homeless in the Philippines

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net’s report, 47.6 percent or 95,188 families are reportedly occupying private lands.

The rightreporting.net also said that the leading areas which the homeless, in Quezon City, are occupying are the side-walks and open spaces, with 7,852 families as occupants; the Pasig River Rehabilita-tion program areas, with 4,117; and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System properties in different places in QC, with 2,342 families as occupants.Poverty + wrong State housing policies + “legal syndicates” = homelessness

Poverty remains the num-ber one reason why Filipinos cannot afford to buy a house.

Independent policy think-tank IBON Foundation, Inc. in its latest report, published last June 11th, says that poverty has continued to rise even by the government’s low official poverty line.

“The number of poor fami-lies had increased by 530,642 or 13% since 2000 to reach 4.7 million in 2006. The number of poor Filipinos increased by 2.1 million over that same period to reach 27.6 million. But the official poverty line is only P42 ($0.90) per person per day in 2006 which buys just a kilo of rice and a chicken egg; a higher threshold of P86 ($1.84) more than doubles the number of Filipinos classified as poor,” says Jose Enrique “Sonny” Af-rica, IBON’s research head in a statement.

‘As it is, household real incomes fell by an average of 20% across all surveyed homes between 2000 and 2006– the recorded 19% increase in nominal income over the period was easily offset by the 38% rise in prices. The latest available poverty data is for 2006 so these trends occurred long before the global turmoil and natural calamities since 2008 which can only swell the numbers even more,” furthered Africa.

The UPA, meanwhile, reported that out of 11.3 million people living in the municipalities and cities in Metro Manila, more than 50 percent or around 600,000 are living below the poverty line, while five million do not have decent housing.

“The enactment in the 90s, of the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992 and the Comprehensive Shelter Finance Act (CISFA) of 1994, two pro-poor

housing legislations, greatly changed the Philippines’ policy on housing the poor. From a highly centralized and heavily subsidized policy, the government moved to a market-oriented and participatory ap-proach to housing. Despite these reforms, the problems with UDHA and CISFA [they] have not delivered housing on the scale or of the quality that is required,” said Marife Ballesteros, an associate of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), in her briefer on the latest study of PIDS about the government’s housing projects

in the Philippines.She lamented that the State’s efforts

in curbing the housing problem in country remains inadequate, thus making it impos-sible for millions and millions of Filipinos, especially the poor, to have a place to call their home.

This has been evidenced by the Hous-ing and Urban Development Coordinating Council’s (HUDCC) own data that in the entire country, there are still 3.75 million housing units that are needed to be built (See Table 1).

Reasons for housing shortageBallesteros had enumerated the rea-

sons behind the acute housing shortage

in the country:First, following the Philippines’ gen-

eral decentralization trend, the UDHA makes local government units (LGUs) responsible for being the UDHA’s main implementer. But most LGUs lack the capacity and resources for shelter and urban management. Moreover, LGUs are not often keen to accept low-income mi-grants for relocation, due to limited social services and economic opportunities, and housing maintenance costs.

Second, resettlement costs are in-

creasing, increasing LGUs’ dependence on national subsidies. Lack of coordina-tion between the lead national agency on resettlement—the National Housing Authority (NHA), LGUs and other national agencies further hinders the success of resettlement projects. Another problem is beneficiaries abandoning or transferring the home-lots they are awarded, due to a lack of opportunities and services.

Third, identifying suitable beneficia-ries of government housing programs is difficult. LGUs lack incentives to develop databases for beneficiary registration, so the awarding of home-lots is often ad hoc and politically dependent. Tracking down the awardees of housing units has also proven difficult, due to lack of a monitor-

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Legal syndicatesOn the other hand, militant urban poor

group, Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) said that what makes housing provision for the poor far more difficult is the proliferation of what they call “legal syndicates,” or housing conglomerates that are benefiting more on the State’s housing projects.

"The government housing agen-cies and the private sector collude, to extract as much profits and kickbacks

as possible from what is supposed to be a social service especially to the poor. How is this different from any criminal syndicate?" said Kadamay’s Vice-chairperson Carlito Badion in a statement.

Badion criticized the existing poli-cies in connection with the State’s social-ized housing projects for being “profit-driven.”

They also accused the outgoing Vice President and housing czar, Noli De Castro, of conniving with these “legal” syndicates, adding that he must be investigated and held accountable for the Philippines’ housing woes for the past six years.

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ing system.Fourth, under the UDHA, both the

government and the community must eradicate professional squatters and squat-ting syndicates. But actual enforcement—arrests and prosecutions, has been sloppy, partly because of weak coordination be-tween authorities and communities.

Fifth, the awarding of home-lots is often delayed by bureaucratic legalism and valuation issues. The establishment of eviction guidelines for urban poor

settlements has been one of the highlights of the UDHA, providing informal settlers with some legal rights to the land they occupy. But these rights are sometimes disregarded, specifically in private lands, and monitoring has been weak, because no central agency or quasi-judicial body exists to ensure compliance.

Sixth, housing finance programs have limited outreach. For example, the Social Housing Finance Corporation‘s ‘Commu-nity Mortgage Program’ has been helpful, but lacks sufficient funding to expand operations. On the other hand, the Home De-velopment Mutual Fund’s ‘Socialized Loan Program’, geared towards salaried workers, has not greatly benefited the poor.

Needed reformsNevertheless, said Ballesteros, for the

housing sector to be more responsive to the needs of the poor, several key reforms are required:

First, a reliable and sustainable pov-erty database system is needed at the local level with clear and measurable param-eters to identify suitable beneficiaries. The Department Of Interior and Local Government is currently working on a monitoring system to generate baseline

information on poverty; this system could also be adopted for shelter programs.

In relation to this, said Bal-lesteros, there is a need to es-tablish a national resettlement policy will ensure a common framework for resettlement ap-proaches, housing packages, and entitlement.

“Thus, NHA’s role as lead agency should be strengthened, with funds from the various resettlement agencies integrat-ed into a common fund,” she said.

Second, a system of in-centives should encourage and capacitate LGUs to perform their roles in shelter as identified in the UDHA. LGUs and the national police should also be empow-ered to more effectively curtail squatting syndicates.

Third, the Philippine gov-ernment should develop a pub-lic-private partnership as a key strategy to resettlement projects. The tax incentive scheme for shelter needs to rationalized and made more responsive. At the same time, the government

must increase public expenditure on hous-ing, ensuring that the subsidy scheme is transparent and well-targeted.

And finally, NSP success requires a favorable environment for housing finance. Thus, the government must ensure the financial health of state-owned housing finance institutions, and encourage the entry of housing microfinance institutions, including foreign-based microfinance. Scale and sustainability will only come through developed capital markets, not continuously using government funds. On the demand side, government should try to improve the bankability of the poor through community and livelihood devel-opment programs.

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A Human Right to House and Home: The Philippine Challenge


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By Charles Avila

I t was Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus in the second century before Christ who remarked so poignantly on looking at

the majority populace of Rome and Italy: “In Italy, the wild beasts have their holes and their lairs where they can rest, but you who fight and die for Italy’s power have nothing but air and light, which are about all you cannot be robbed of. You roam with your wives and children, without house and home.”

For his efforts to legislate and imple-ment much-needed social reforms in land and housing hundreds of years ago, this Tribune of the People was murdered by members of the Roman Senate who had been ejecting people from their lands and were insulted that Tiberius would now go straight to the Concilium Plebis (Popular Assembly) for passage of his reform measures.

Centuries, nay, a couple of thousand years later, the right to housing was codified as a human right in the Universal Declara-tion of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing ..." (Article 25,1)

In April 2002 at Istanbul the UN-HAB-ITAT and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched the United Nations Housing Rights Programme (UNHRP) with the declaration: “We [the Heads of State or Government] reaffirm our commitment to the full and progressive realization of the right to adequate housing, as provided for in international instruments." Within the overall context of an enabling approach, “Governments should take appropriate ac-tion in order to promote, protect and ensure the full and progressive realization of the

right to adequate housing." The governments of planet Earth had

at last recognized that everyone shares the right to a decent standard of living. And they had to admit that essential to the achieve-ment of this standard and therefore to the fulfillment of human life beyond simple survival is access to adequate housing.

For who could be blind to the obvi-ous, namely, that housing fulfills physical needs by providing security and shelter from weather and climate, that it fulfills psychological needs by providing a sense of personal space and privacy, that it fulfills social needs by providing a gathering area and communal space for the human family, the basic unit of society, and that in many cases, it also fulfills economic needs by functioning as a center for commercial pro-duction and as the initial prime multiplier of activities in national economies?

And who could deny that homelessness and inadequate housing is increasingly widespread—that over one billion people (in United Nations’ estimates) sleep on sidewalks, under bridges, in transport stations, and public parks, in slums, or as "squatters" in buildings other people have abandoned or in make-shift dwellings that so easily make anyone forget what dignity of being a human person is all about?

The Philippine Situation

Researches and investigations by the authoritative international Centre on Hous-ing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) reveal that the Philippine government “continues to evict hundreds of thousands of people in its cities in the name of ‘beautification’ and ‘development’. Landless urban poor are the worst affected by forced evictions throughout the Philippines.”

Although housing rights are protected legally by the Philippines’ Constitution



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lies for the construction of homes; lack of livelihood opportunities for those who have been relocated because the sites are far away from Metro Manila; and situating some relocation sites adja-cent to mammoth garbage dumps.

According to the Medium Term Philippine Develop-ment Plan (MTPDP) 2004-2010, the housing need in the country would have reached a total of 3.75 million units this year, 2010. Demand for new houses for this period would be 2.6 million of the total while housing

backlog may well go above a million.

In terms of geographi-cal location, 52 percent of this hous-ing need are in Regions III and IV and the Na-tional Capi-tal Region, 21 percent are in the V i s a y a s and 23 p e r c e n t in Mind-

anao. Earlier, at

the start of the Arroyo ad-

minis-

cess to transportation facili-ties—preferably close to the evictees’ sources of liveli-hood. However, the living conditions at several of the relocation sites COHRE vis-ited clearly indicate that the Government of the Philip-pines has fallen far short of fulfilling its obligations in relocating evictees.

Their research revealed that numerous problems as-sociated with the relocation process include: a lack of con-sultation with affected fami-lies; carrying out evictions and relocations before the sites are habitable; in- s u f f i c i e n t

Government loans to af-f e c t e d f a m i -

tration, for the period 2001-2004, the government was able to provide only 827,437 housing units or 69 percent of the target 1.2 million. This was only 23 percent of to-tal housing backlog of 3.6 million for the period. Of the total housing output for 2001-2004, 39 percent went to low cost housing packages and 61 percent to ‘social-ized’ housing packages. Low Cost Housing Packages were defined to be those costing P225,000 - P2 million, while Socialized Housing were those below P225,000 and “Medium Housing” would be those from P2 to P4 million.

For the period January to July 2005, the government was able to produce 48,182 housing units. This is 23 percent of the 2005 target of 210,336 units.

Regarding what is termed the “housing need” of 3,756,072, the components include the Housing Backlog itself which would be only 984,466. The rest would be New Households – 2,585,272; Substandard (Upgrading) – 186,334; Replacement/Infor-mal Settlers 588,853; Dou-bled-Up Housing 387,315; and the absolutely Homeless, 8, 298.

Was there no improve-ment at all in government performance on housing since 2004? The Arroyo Admin-istration’s housing “czar”

answered in the aff i rma-

and the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 the Rental Reform Act of 2002, Comprehensive and Integrated Shelter Financing Act of 1994, and the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 states that “the Government of the Philip-pines continues to use various strategies such as pressuring residents to relinquish these rights by signing waivers and then ‘voluntarily’ relocating them to sites that are not fit to be lived in.”

COHRE says that un-der both international human rights law and Philippine law those facing eviction have the right to consultation and adequate relocation. Sec-ondly, where they are being moved to must already have: potable water, electricity, sewerage facilities, an effi-cient solid waste d i s p o s a b l e s y s t e m a n d a c -

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tive. Giving his final re-port to the nation in May 2010, Vice-President Noli de Castro boasted that the government’s programs for low-income Filipinos and the informal sector provided shelter security to more than 1 million families from 2001 to March 2010. He credited the Pag-IBIG Fund’s “bold reforms” in its housing loan program—resulting in higher loanable amounts, lower in-terest rates, longer repayment term, faster processing of loan applications, and decentral-ized operations—for the surge in home acquisition among low – to middle-income fami-lies throughout the country since 2001.

Thus, de Castro called the administration’s current resettlement strategy as defi-nitely “an improvement from the past.”

According to de Castro, the monthly amortization for a P400,000 housing loan went down from P5,400 a month in 2001 to only P2,400 today, so that “even minimum wage earners can now afford to buy their own house, instead of renting one.”

The government also strengthened the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) with the creation of the Social Housing Finance Corpora-tion (SHFC) in 2004 to focus solely on shelter programs for the informal sector, de Castro claimed. He also said that another unprecedented achievement of the hous-ing sector under President Arroyo was the issuance of

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Bahay, page 23

113 proclamations declar-ing about 27,000 hectares of government land all over the country as socialized housing sites, benefiting an estimated 280,000 families.

Finally, he welcomed as heart-warming and vindicat-ing the testimonials given him during his report by the likes of representatives from the Subdivision and Hous-ing Developers Association (SHDA), Standard Chartered Bank, Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga and Taguig City May-or Freddie Tinga.

For a sober balancer, however, IBON think-tank matter-of-factly pointed out that the Arroyo administra-tion (2001-09) allotted only 15.1% of the national budget to education which is lower than under Estrada (18.7%) and Ramos (15.5%) though more than Aquino (12.3%).

To housing it allotted only 0.4% of the national budget which is lower than under Estrada (0.8%) and Ramos (0.6%) while higher than Aquino (0.1%). In 2010, the Arroyo administration was only spending P7 per Filipino per day on education, P1 on health and 16 centavos on housing—while paying the equivalent of P22 on debt service. (IBON computations on DBM data)

It should be pointed out, nonetheless, that since the mid-1990’s, from a highly centralized and heavily subsi-dized policy, the government moved to a market-oriented and participatory approach to housing. Quite definitely,

however,


GAWAD KALINGA (GK) founder Anto-nio Meloto said the post of housing czar was offered to him by President-elect Benigno Aquino III but he turned it down. GK is a nonprofit organization that builds houses and develops livelihood programs for poor communities in the Philippines and other developing countries. Meloto said he discussed the offer with Aquino’s sisters, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino-Abellada, recently. He said he can do more for housing outside gov-ernment.

For his part, outgoing Housing Czar Noli de Castro, the man Meloto was supposed to replace, said he would join GK as a full-time volunteer. “So now, you can all start calling me Tito (Uncle) Noli,” De Castro said, referring to how senior GK officials are addressed.

Agrarian Reforms and Housing Reforms—an essential connection

It is generally accepted that when Tiberius Gracchus wanted to solve the problem of homelessness in the Rome and Italy of his time, he recognized at bottom an acute land problem. The agrarian reform laws of two centuries earlier, the Licinian laws, had not been implemented—not by a landlord-domi-nated Roman Senate that always refused to give the Agrarian Commission suf-ficient funds. We are talking here of a time hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Tiberius Gracchus once again introduced an agrarian reform law this time pitting the Roman senate more intensely against the people and causing political chaos in Rome. For that Tiberius was beaten to death with the chairs of the senators and thrown into the Tiber.

Thousands of years later, Philippine agrarian reforms are much milder and no one gets thrown into the river Pasig. But the urban blight and congestion caused by lack of agrarian reform implementa-tion has worsened the housing problem much more acutely.

Once upon a time, in our own land and in our time there was a man named Ninoy Aquino—generally known to be a reformer A-1. He did not make it to the top but instead produced two from his family who did—his wife, and his son. His tale of reforms is still a story in the telling—unfinished. The whole world is curious, not just the Philip-pines. Will this latest version do it, will he make it—can he finally solve the housing question?

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the government has never delivered on the scale or the quality required. The housing shortage estimated at over one million units—still probably a gross underestimate—cannot be described in any other way than “acute”. The Na-tional Shelter Program (NSP), which is the Philippines’ banner program for low-income housing provision has only delivered 26 per cent of its target, or less than 10 per cent of total housing need. Moreover, the housing backlog is likely to worsen, due to worsening poverty and increasing urbanization.

Think-Tank Suggestions on Housing PIDS or the Philippines’ Institute

on Development Studies has made the following suggestions based on in-depth studies by their group.

First, a reliable and sustainable poverty database system is needed at the local level with clear and measurable parameters to identify suitable beneficia-ries. NHA’s role as lead agency should be strengthened, with funds from the various resettlement agencies integrated into a common fund.

Second, a system of incentives should encourage and capacitate LGUs to perform their roles in shelter as identified in the law. LGUs and the national police should also be empowered to more ef-fectively curtail squatting syndicates.

Third, the Philippine government should develop a public-private partner-ship as a key strategy to resettlement projects. The tax incentive scheme for shelter needs to be rationalized and made more responsive. At the same time, the government must increase public expenditure on housing, ensuring that the subsidy scheme is transparent and well-targeted.

Finally, the government must ensure the financial health of state-owned hous-ing finance institutions, and encourage the entry of housing microfinance institu-tions, including foreign-based microfi-nance. Scale and sustainability will only come through developed capital markets, not continuously using government funds. On the demand side, government should try to improve the bankability of the poor through community and liveli-hood development programs. Wanted: finance wizards to encourage the flow of billions of OFW money for housing bonds toward the speedy development of housing capital markets.

Meanwhile, as we go to press,

By Roy Lagarde

On a hilly and remote village in the city of San Jose del Monte of Bulacan, scores of colorful and

durable houses line up. With no electricity or running water

yet, residents carry home large canisters of fresh water along rickety planks of wood.

Three years ago, Sitio Dalandan in Tungkong Mangga village was covered with a sea of ledda or large weeds with razor-sharp edges and wild bushes.

So Tungkong Mangga located at the southern portion of the city and 28 kilo-meters north from Manila, is not the sort of place someone like Denise Solina may usually be found.

The young lady works for the KC Philippines Foundation of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI), the insurance arm of K of C.

But after part of the village was opened

Gawad KalingaBuilding houses, building communities


Gawad Kalinga: Building Houses, Building Communities

for the building of new homes for the poor, Ms. Solina joined many other volunteers to help build houses.

“Originally I went there as part of an office project. But there’s no problem working as volunteer there, helping the poor is a responsibility.

Sitio Dalandan’s is the work of Gawad Kalinga (GK), a faith-based organization whose name in Filipino means “giving care.”

In 2007, the Araneta Properties, Inc, which owns vast farm lands in Tungkong Mangga, donated some 5 hectare land to the non-governmental and transformational organization.

Gawad Kalinga is a massive organiza-tion that is gaining lots of momentum right now. This group’s vision started as simply providing decent and sustainable housing to poor communities.

The organization builds basic con-crete steel framed houses to replace the cardboard boxes and discarded galvanized sheets that are used by slum dwellers.

Through donations, Gawad Kalinga supplies money and volunteers from all walks of life—often carpenters, electri-cians, plumbers and even students and professionals—to put up the small cot-tages.

The houses are in bright colors and include provision for electricity and water. The cost of homes is paid back in part by the beneficiaries through what is known as “sweat equity”—they help build the houses of others.

Antonio Meloto founded Gawad Ka-linga seven years ago and stepped in with his Catholic Church group, Couples for Christ, when the government didn’t.

“The poor have been with us for so long. Seventy percent of our people are still landless in this country after 400 years of Christianity and feudalism,” he said.

“But it is when we love the poor that we become grand in the eyes of God. It’s here where my strength is developed as a Catholic… to build a paradise out of love for our poor brethren.”

With this perspective, Gawad Kalinga brought hope and opportunity to thou-sands, if not millions of people not only in poor communities across the Philippines but throughout the world.

Dream come true

The vision of Gawad Kalinga, which now has around 1,700 sites across the country in some 400 towns, has inspired so many people and other organizations.

The first batch of houses at the Bagong Pangarap GK site in Tungkong Mangga were sponsored by the Catholic school Ateneo de Manila University, one of the country’s best.

In October 2008, the KC Philippines Foundation, a subsidiary of the KCFAPI, entered the scene and constructed an initial 10 houses.

For several months, many have looked to the Gawad Kalinga project to help piece together their lives.

But after a year, people there got

Gawad KalingaBuilding houses, building communities

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ments by the local government, such as supplying them with potable water and electricity remains to be seen. Travel time to the Gawad Kalinga village from downtown San Jose del Monte would normally take 30 minutes.

Tungkong Mangga, par-ticularly sitio Dalandan, San Isidro and Ricafort is the site of the 200-hectare intermod-al station of the Metro Rail Transit-7.

Gawad Kalinga project is more than that. It is about building communities that are sustainable in every way. It has an education program that ensures children receive a pre-school, primary school, and vocational education.

The livelihood program, meanwhile, helps use the land to farm for the benefit of the whole community.

Volunteers for KCFAPI previously went on a mission to monitor the health of everyone in the village and ensure that all residents understand nutrition and hygiene.

And not only that, Reyes vowed to help in the catechesis for the beneficiaries to boost the mission of building true Christian communities.

At 22 square meters, hous-es there are about the size of five ping pong tables. This may seem cramped, especially when a family has at least five or six children.

But for people like Joc-elyn Tusi, a mother of four and who was among the KCFAPI’s latest beneficiaries and moved in this year, it’s an answered prayer.

Mrs. Tusi and her husband helped to build their house and also took Gawad Kalinga les-sons and visions in life.

“It’s a nice feeling. We live in one roof that we can now call our own,” she said.

“We are very happy. It seems that our confidence, dignity and hopes were re-stored with our new homes. They lighted up our lives with goodness.” I

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ARTICLES

a greater access to spiritual direction and healing with the building of a chapel on the village’s premises named after KCFAPI founder Fr. George J. Willmann and was dedicated in honor and patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

KC Philippines Founda-tion chairman Justice Jose Reyes said that “we are all in the position to help poor people.”

He said it’s long been their dream to be part of Gawad Kalinga’s mission. In 2004, they just donated an initial P300,000 cash “because we were hard pressed in looking for sites.”

“The Knights of Columbus has long been helping the poor. We really wanted to help this project… an honest to goodness help to the poor. This is now a realization,” he said.

“I’m sure on the part of the beneficiaries it may have also been a dream to have a small but decent house from God’s grace and prayer,” he added.

Just this April, five more houses were built by the Foun-dation in honor of the supreme knight of the Knights of Colum-bus, Carl A. Anderson.

This made a total of 22 houses and one chapel built by the KC Philippines Foundation in the site but a plan for the construction of additional units is in the works.

“We will continue this be-cause we have so many dreams and hope it will come true. And that dream is to build more houses not just in Tungkong Mangga but across the coun-try,” Reyes said.

Christian community

Similar to other Gawad Kalinga sites, the building up of the community in Tungkong Mangga also includes les-sons on how to make a living as well as Bible classes for children and prayer meetings for adults.

But since the area is iso-lated, promises of develop-


STATEMENTS

June 24, 2010

To President Benigno S. Aquino:

Dear President Aquino,

Congratulations! Having been elected by Filipinos to lead us into a new era of reform and development, we know that you now carry a huge responsibility in leading and guiding our country. This task will not be easy, but we are sure that with the commitment and support of the people, you will bear this cross with dignity and competence.

Collectively, we are representatives from various communities and civil so-ciety organizations, including the Church and academe. We are concerned with environmental issues, human rights and the pursuit of sustainable development.

We are fortunate and looking forward to your commitment that change will happen in your administration. We eagerly await your ushering of good governance. More than anything else, we anticipate your assurance that genuine reforms will be implemented when you assume office.

Allow us then to take this opportunity to offer our services to you, including our dedication and declaration, that we believe in your ability and are willing to productively engage your administra-tion, towards the realization of these reforms. We believe that as civil society, we will be able to offer our time, expertise and meager resources to complement your reform agenda.

As your inauguration nears, we await your announcement of your new Cabi-net. We believe that for your reform agenda to be truly meaningful and sub-stantial, your selection of your alter-ego as Secretaries in the various Departments must be aligned with your campaign promise that reform must happen and that you will not tolerate graft and cor-ruption. This then assume that you will assign people who will journey with you in trying to reach these reform agenda.

It is in this connection that we are ap-pealing to you regarding your decision in appointing your DENR Secretary. We believe that the next DENR Secretary should be:

1. Genuinely concerned in seriously

protecting and addressing concerns of our fragile ecology and particularly the remaining forest cover, delicate coastal ar-eas, and unstable climate we are facing;

2. Display unwavering support to sustainable development;

3. Lead the DENR bureaucracy to ef-fectively engage both the private sector and civil society;

4. Demonstrate high-level capacity and technical competence in all aspects of environmental management;

5. Enjoying the confidence, trust and support of all stakeholders who are engaged with environmental issues and concerns.

With these parameters, we believe that a change in the leadership of the DENR is not only critical, but imperative. We have reasons to believe that retaining Mr. Horacio Ramos, and extending his term as DENR Secretary, will run counter to the reform agenda in the environment sector, and will introduce instability and challenging relationships between your administration and the communities and civil society. Retaining Mr. Ramos as DENR Secretary will only give a signal that it is “business as usual” in the DENR, and will possibly prolong the plunder and destruction of our natural resources, and protract the lingering environmental issues we are confronting.

Mr. Ramos has been at the forefront of revitalizing the destructive large-scale mining in the Philippines for the last five years. This policy has introduced serious social, cultural and environmental issues that many of our organizations have documented. To summarize, these prob-lems include i) human rights violations (forced demolition and physical and legal harassments); ii) land conflicts (ancestral domains vs. mining, productive farm lands vs. mining); iii) encroachment on protected areas and critical biodiversity areas; iv) escalation of violence and social conflicts in mining areas; v) deg-radation of cultural values of indigenous communities; vi) resistance from LGUs on aggressive entry of mining in their localities; and vi) violation of rights of indigenous peoples. These issues are real to many people and communities that we are working with, Mr. President. They have suffered more than enough. The leadership of DENR is a very important

concern for them, and so we pray that you will not let them down.

President Noynoy, we fervently appeal to your honorable office not to retain Mr. Ramos as your DENR secretary. With his continued appointment, the problems brought about by destructive large-scale mining will not be resolved, and possibly even worsen.

This serious matter has been raised with your environmental adviser, Mr. Neric Acosta. However, we sadly note that Mr. Acosta has decided, and still insists, that a “least disruptive approach” in the DENR is the best option for your administration

We beg to disagree. Genuine reforms, especially at the DENR, will require deep changes, structurally and policy-wise. It may be an illusion that this will be pos-sible in retaining Mr. Ramos as DENR Secretary.

Our commitment to work and engage your administration in a productive, substantial and meaningful manner is an offer based on our mutual appreciation of reform and change, towards sustainable development. This commitment how-ever, will be seriously constrained if Mr. Ramos is the DENR secretary. The issues the people and communities are facing against destructive large-scale mining are real, Mr. President.

We trust that your administration will sincerely consider this appeal and seriously study the matter. We are more than ready to meet with you or your designated representative to discuss this in more detail.

Thank you very much for your consid-eration, and we sincerely hope that you find merit in this appeal.

Yours truly:

SignatoriesMost Rev. Broderick Pabillo, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of ManilaMost Rev. Jose Manguiran, Bishop, Diocese of DipologFr. Edu Gariguez, Executive Secretary, CBCP-NASSASr. Cres Lucero, SFIC/TFDPAnabel Plantilla, Director, HARIBON Founda-tion

(Due to lack of space, only 5 names of the original 41 signatories are printed here. Eds)

An Appeal to Pursue Authentic Reforms in the DENR


STATEMENTS

Our warmest greetings of solidarity, President Noynoy!

We are members of the Church apostolate working with indigenous peo-ples in the Philippines. After more than 30 years of dialoguing and working with different IP groups and IP apostolates and sharing our experiences with various administrations and government agencies as part of our advocacy efforts, we still have to see an administration that truly recognizes the rights of our indigenous brothers and sisters and would make a difference in their lives.

Our network, the Episcopal Com-mission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP) – Indigenous Peoples Apostolates (IPAs), has collated through the years the differ-ent concerns of our partners and we share these now hoping that your administration, Mr. President, will have the political will to act on these especially within the first one hundred days in your office.

The following are our key concerns:1. Proper implementation of the In-

digenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) or RA 8371. More than 12 years since its passage in 1997, many IP communities are still facing discrimination and their rights are not being recognized. Even though certificates of ancestral domains titles (CADT) have already been given to some IP communities, intrusions and landgrabbing continue unabated. Aggres-sive campaigns by different government agencies for mega-projects within ancestral domains turn a deaf ear to the opposition of many IP communities. Proponents of mining, dams, power generation projects,

logging and large scale plantations keep on invading IP territories and these have led to massive displacement of IP communities through the decades. Killings of IPs in rela-tion to these have also been documented. These “development aggressions” that disregard their rights to their land need to be halted, examined and acted upon.

2. The National Commission on In-digenous Peoples (NCIP) which is the main government agency mandated to implement IPRA, has not been effective in carrying out its mandate and purpose which is to protect IPs. Many of its personnel are allegedly in connivance with proponents of “development aggression”. Revamp the NCIP. New appointees should not only indigenous peoples themselves, but those who have integrity, competency, familiar-ity with Indigenous Knowledge, Systems, Practices and Spirituality (IKSPS) and the conviction to stand by the spirit and letter of the IPRA law.

3. We know that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is mandated to be the primary agency responsible for the conservation, management, development, and proper use of the country’s environment and natural resources. It is also the implementer of the Mining Act of 1995 or RA 7942. The insistence of DENR-Mines and Geosci-ences Bureau (MGB) to pursue the GMA regime’s policy on mining in many an-cestral domains has disregarded the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of IP communities which is a violation of their rights. While we are calling for the repeal of the Mining Act of 1995, civil society

organizations are requesting for a morato-rium on all mining activities. Please start by overhauling the DENR-MGB.

4. Though we are supporting the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program - Extension with Reform (CARPER), in-digenous peoples’ communities oppose the inclusion of their ancestral domains in the delineation of lands for distribution to non-IPs by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). IP communities should always be consulted and be part of the implementation of CARP/CARPER program when their ancestral domains are involved. There should be a clear mechanism to iron out this issue, so as not to aggravate the situation between IPs and non-IP farmers.

5. Side by side with the longstand-ing concern of IPs for their land has been their advocacy for the protection of their cultural integrity. One recent development in this arena is the call for the recogni-tion and support of indigenous peoples’ system of education, a concern which the Department of Education has recently looked into and which has been advocated for by a number of stakeholders like our Commission for over a decade. Elders of IP communities have stressed that the protection and genuine development of their lands and communities in the future will only be possible if IP youth today have an education that affirms their indigenous identity, heritage and responsibility to the future generations.

6. As we experience the effects of Climate Change, indigenous peoples are calling on authorities to effectively consult IP communities to ensure that their views

and experiences are included in the current discourse, planning and implementation of Climate Change projects and mitigating measures. Rights of IP communities should be respected when measures that would impact on their ancestral domains and ter-ritories are being considered. Protection and benefits derived from such projects should be directly given to indigenous communities. IP communities also have a wealth of knowledge that can be a source of insights when it comes to responding to climate change.

7. We hope that your call “kung wa-lang corrupt, walang mahirap” during the election campaign will truly guide your administration. In addition, you must look into the root cause of our poverty – the un-equal distribution of wealth in our country. What we have been experiencing for the past decades is the neo-colonial policy of globalization, where our economy is anchored on foreign investments, while our natural and human resources are ag-gressively being exported. We expect that your new administration will find ways to review these policies and come up with a mechanism that will involve all marginalized sectors of our country for real national development—“nararamdamang pag-unlad.”

Hoping for your positive response, Mabuhay po kayo, Pangulong Noynoy, Mabuhay ang Pilipino!

For the ECIP-IPA,

MOST REV. SERGIO L. UTLEG, D.D.Bishop of Laoag and ECIP Chairperson

REV. FR. ERWALD DINTER, SVDECIP Executive Secretary & Calapan Mangyan Mission Director

Msgr. Vic Tugadi IPA Bayombong Director Rev. Fr. Rodel MolinaIPA Bangued Coordinator

Rev. Fr. Tony Calautit, SVD IPA Laoag Coordinator Rev. Fr. Nomy Gabut IPA Urdaneta Coordinator

Rev. Fr. Marc Sandoval, Jr. IPA Iba Coordinator Rev. Fr. Pete Montallana, OFMIPA Infanta Coordinator

Rev. Fr. Arman Limsa IPA Puerto Princesa Coordinator Sr. Malou Santos, SSpSTarlac Aeta Mission Coordinator

Sr. Aning Jaurigue, FDCC IPA San Jose, NE Coordinator Sr. Vangie Madayag, OSBHoly Family Aeta Mission

Sr. Minie Camped, FAS IPA Worker, Archdiocese of Tuguegarao

Sr. Mafran Borje, SFICIPA Worker- Diocese of Iba

Sr. Hedy Padrigala, FMM IPA Worker- Diocese of Iba

Sr. Aileenette Mirasol, FMMIPA Worker- Diocese of Iba

Josie Dizon IPA Worker – Diocese of Balanga

Ceso AlcachupazIPA Worker – Vicariate of San Jose, Occ. Min.

Marisa Juliet Wasit IPA Worker – Diocese of Bayombong Shirley AldaMangyan Mission Staff, Calapan

Belmer Yano Chairman, Benguet Federation of AD & IPO Grace TobiasLIFORSA-IPA Worker - Baguio

Linda Tindo LIFORSA-IPA Worker – Baguio Lourie VictorECIP-NS Staff

Carol San Pedro ECIP- NS Staff Tony Abuso ECIP NS Staff

30 June 2010

An Open Letter to President Noynoy Aquino

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FROM THEBLOGS

Aquino flagship commitment: no graft and corruption

Jueteng metamorphosis

Wonderful yet no choice really. Great but quite difficult. Right and in good order. These are the more relevant and practical responses to the not

simply comforting but also inspiring and edifying Aquino flagship commitment: No to graft and corruption! Away with dishonesty and thievery! Let justice reign. Take the straight road, avoid the crooked path!

And is there no option, really. No nation could grow both in its economic standing and value system when placed in the grip of a graft ridden and corrupt government. In the same way, no people could really be free and independent when ruled by public officials who have become experts in graft and corruption. Banditry and thievery constitute a formidable pairing in bringing about social injustice and disorder.

The vice of greed is a big curse not only for the victims but also for the greedy themselves. It is a painful malediction of the victims of greed because even the very little they have are snatched away from them—leaving them in poverty and misery. But it is a special damnation of the greedy whereas while already having too much, they feel still salivating and craving for more—and more, and even more. This is just like someone who is already overfed and still feels terribly hungry. One thing is infal-libly certain: just as no one lives on bread alone, no one too lives forever.

The whole truth wherefore and nothing but the truth is that those infamous national characters whose expertise is gross graft and corruption in the tenure of over-endowed financially high public offices in dynastic mode—they already frequent hospitals more and more, here and there, even surreptitiously at times. When their time for ultimate departure comes, the amount and weight of their immense fortune in cash and in kind will bury them six feet deep the ground—instead of allowing them to depart freely and lightly for the above and beyond.

No to graft and corruption! Therefore: more public funds for public welfare. More money for health and edu-cation. More financing for infrastructure projects. More investments in business and industry. More resources to deter crimes, to do away with drugs, gambling, flesh trade. More possibilities to develop the countryside, to increase production, to spread the national wealth. No! It is not to make earth a heaven—but simply to spread around its riches and potentials.

To P-noy: you can do it—with honest and upright co-workers in key government offices and signal public concerns. And do it—for God and country!

www.ovc.blogspot.com

Strange but true! The jueteng curse in this otherwise coun-try of basic peace and ease is not only the incarnation of gross deceit and brazen dishonesty, not simply like a cat

with nine lives because it has more. It also, time and again, undergoes a metamorphosis of one kind or another—when certain influential and no-nonsense public authorities go after its Lords and Queens, the latter’s pawns and jokers. These individuals are much more than any professional politico with their respective dynasties.

Yet, it is not really that difficult to get these enemies of Phil-ippine society. Reasons: there is the categorical anti-jueteng law. There are thousands of policemen—not to mention the thousand more with the authority to stop the deceptive and illegal numbers’ game. Every Pedro, Juan and Simon know who are the jueteng Lords and Queens, where they operate and live, what places they frequent, who are the shady characters they deal with. But unless there are public officials adorned with unquestionable integrity and moral authority, and who will decidedly get them and place them behind bars, blessed are the Juetengerous and damned be their millions of victims all over the country.

A known and respected Senator already said “Lubao, Pam-panga, is the Vatican of Jueteng!”—or something the like. And who really does not know this—if not only people from Mars or from the Moon! Be it true or false, it is said that the illustrious Jueteng circle is now even more compact and powerful for its new distinct and famous member and illustrious patron. In other words, the new administration must have its hands full in doing away with the manipulative and corruptive numbers’ game of Jueteng by getting rid their capitalists and sponsors from the national to the local levels of government.

The members of the inner circle of the Jueteng Kingdom are only as powerful and influential as long as their sumptuous SOPs to decadent public officials and public authorities are sufficient, acceptable and regular. But lest those now trustworthy and depend-able public officials and public authorities be unwary, know they should that Jueteng can be “gone” or “done away with”—only to metamorphose into “Loteng”, “STL”, “Virtual” or whatever. But just the same, in the event that the new administration truly wants to get rid of Jueteng and its in-breeding, all it needs is the decision and resolve to do so. No more. No less.

In with anti-Jueteng individuals! Away with pro-Jueteng characters!

www.ovc.blogspot.com

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The socio-political honeymoon has finally began—after all the noise of the campaign period plus all the uproar of the pre-proclamation weeks. This is

neither the time to wring hands nor to show sour faces. Much less it is the occasion for the losers to mop, nor for the winners to lap it up. Instead, this is the time: To pray for the country. To wish its public officials well. To implore the citizens not only to claim their rights but also to do their obligations.

Be it the customary 30-day honeymoon period, be it a little less or more, it provides a good occasion for all the parties concerned—the winners, the losers, and the general public, to stay united, to do their job, to stay cool and calm, and to watch—even but for the meantime. Worry they should not because the right time and occasion—after the honey is finished and the moon is gone—to once again take account of the good or evil done by the winners, the uselessness or usefulness of the losers, and the unity or division of the general public.

With the advent of the post-honeymoon period, lo and behold, the country is eventually back to normal—in witnessing protest rallies and marches, in hearing loud accusations and counter accusations, in knowing

who is good and who is bad plus the consequent high praises and loud blames that go therewith. For the mo-ment, it is not hard to imagine and feel a Philippines that is politically at peace or ideologically in harmony. Sometime after, perhaps—but not yet.

Being a mixture of many races and a bearer of differ-ent traits, the Filipino is neither hot nor cold, both noble and plain, cheerful now and gloomy later. There is one thing however that he is helplessly so: he loves politics. He relishes basketball. He enjoys fiesta—and if there is none, simple: he invents them! But let no one even think that he can be fooled all the times—some of the times, yes. On occasion, it seems he even likes to be footed.

Again, let the honeymoon between the new admin-istration and the people begin! If possible, may it be longer than what is customary. Only real fools like it to fail. The rest of the people want it to succeed. Reason: its success is theirs. In the same way, its failure is their own loss as well. Truth to say, after practically a decade of graft and corrupt practices, avarice and deceit in the “Thank God Its Gone Administration”, a new one came in, a renewed hope is around, a promising future is on. MABUHAY – PILIPINAS!

Honeymoon

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FROM THE INBOX

A couple, named John and Mary, had a nice home and two lovely children, a boy and a girl. John

had a good job and had just been asked to go on a business trip to another city and would be gone for several days. It was decided that Mary needed an outing and would go along too. They hired a reliable woman to care for the children and made the trip, returning home a little earlier than they had planned.

As they drove into their hometown feeling glad to be back, they noticed smoke, and they went off their usual route to see what it was. They found a home in flames. Mary said, "Oh well, it isn't our fire, let's go home."

But John drove closer and ex-claimed, "That home belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant. He wouldn't be off work yet, maybe there is something we could do." "It has nothing to do with us," protested Mary. "You have your good clothes on let’s not get any closer."

But John drove up and stopped and they were both horror stricken to see the whole house in flames. A woman on the lawn was in hysterics screaming, "The children! Get the children!" John grabbed her by the shoulder saying, "Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are!" "In the basement," sobbed the woman, "down the hall and to the left."

In spite of Mary's protests John grabbed the water hose and soaked his clothes, put his wet handkerchief on his head and bolted for the basement which was full of smoke and scorching hot. He found the door and grabbed two chil-dren, holding one under each arm like the football player he was. As he left he could hear some more whimpering. He delivered the two badly frightened and nearly suffocated children into waiting arms and filled his lungs with fresh air and started back asking how many more children were down there. They told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and screamed, "John! Don't go back! It's suicide! That house will cave in any second!"

But he shook her off and went back by feeling his way down the smoke-filled hall way and into the room. It seemed an eternity before he found both children and started back. They were all three coughing and he stooped low to get what available air he could. As he stumbled up the end-less steps the thought went through his mind that there was something strangely familiar about the little bod-ies clinging to him, and at last when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air, he found that he had just rescued his own children.

The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping.

A most important lessonDuring my second month of nurs-

ing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscien-

tious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely, this was some kind of joke.

I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last ques-tion blank.

Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Blurred Vision

A businessman was highly critical of his competitors' storefront win-dows.

"Why, they are the dirtiest windows in town," he claimed.

Fellow business people grew tired of the man's continual criticism and nitpicking comments about the windows. One day over coffee, the businessman carried the subject just too far.

Before leaving, a fellow store owner suggested the man get his own windows washed. He followed the advice, and the next day at coffee, he exclaimed, "I can't believe it. As soon as I washed my win-dows, my competitor must have cleaned his too. You should see them shine."

From the email messages of [email protected]

The fire

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book Reviews

Running with God: Spiritual Fitness for all SeasonsKen Rolheiser

Picture this. God is waiting for you with open and loving arms. The quickest way into them? “Run!” says Ken Rolheiser. Here he invites readers to run with him as he makes his way through the seasons of life, with the ultimate goal of reaching those outstretched arms. He encourages readers to recognize the touch and presence of God in ordinary life and to always keep the eternal goal in mind. “From the moment of our birth,” he writes, “we move inexorably toward the day when we will be born to eternal life.” Reading this book is like spending time with an old friend. Rolheiser’s spiritual advice, humorous stories, and personal anecdotes make Running with God a delight. Those seeking deeper spiritual meaning in their lives and hoping for a closer relationship with God will find this book published by Paulines a wonderful companion for the journey.

Enjoy God's Best for Your LifeArun Gogna

This newly-launched book by renowned preacher Arun Gogna is a collection of articles about his life, amusing anecdotes, and hilarious insights that provide nuggets of wisdom and powerful lessons all emphasizing on how one may enjoy life to the full. Among the edifying stories are God Desires What Is Best for You, You Have Friends on High Places, You Are Wonderfully Made, God Meets You Where You Are, It’s Okay To Be Lonely, Receive Unlimited Scoops of Love. In his stories, Gogna encourages readers to live according to God’s purpose and be blessed by the big and small miracles he narrates. Gogna is the bestselling author of Happy Secrets to an Obedient Life. He is also the writer of the Godsend Series, a Christian Living textbook series for high school students. After more than ten years of teaching university students, he continues to preach God’s Word both in the Philippines and abroad. He leads the Feast, a Sunday prayer gathering in the Festival Mall, Alabang, which includes Holy Mass and lively worship, where he preaches practical ways to practice the Christian faith. This book is published by Shepherd Voice Publications.

Paradox: The Spiritual Path to TransformationBernard Tickerhoof

Contradiction seems to be an inescapable reality in our lives. Our individual unfolding stories are tied up in struggles, frustrations, grieving, and confusion that arise because the events of life sometimes seem to go one way, then suddenly turn in the opposite direction. Doubts and contradictions can create a great deal of polarization within and without our faith communities. Yet learning to live with paradox – a reconciling of opposites – can open a liberating spiritual path to transformation. Paradox: The Spiritual Path to Transformation is meant for all those of us who struggle with belief at any time in our lives – not just belief in God or in Jesus, but belief in gen-eral. Fr. Bernard Tickerhoof grounds us in the Christian experience by exploring both the life and death of Jesus, who embodies the challenge, the hope, and the fulfillment of paradox. Paradox asks us to look at our lives as they really are. We need to recognize the times when our dreams are shattered and our paths are blocked. Paradox also affirms the fact that we can deal with the contradictions in our lives and move on to envision our dreams anew and discover new paths of the Spirit that have yet to open up. This book is published by Paulines Publishing House.

Choose to be WealthyBo Sanchez

In this inspirational volume, lay evangelist Bro. Bo Sanchez teaches Filipinos how to become mil-lionaires. The book presents 8 Habits of Happy Millionaires which the author was able to discern from observing wealthy people he met, and how they manage their money. While he preaches on how to enhance one’s spiritual life, he also gives practical, sometimes radical advice on how to improve one’s financial life—which is part of his advocacy to set free less fortunate Filipinos from poverty. For the past 12 years, Bro. Bo incorporated these powerful habits in his life. Now financially stable, with busi-nesses that run on “autopilot,” Bro. Bo is able to devote 90 percent of his time to his evangelization ministry. The book presents nuggets of wisdom from the Holy Bible and other inspirational sayings and how they may be applied for one to become financially stable and eventually prosper in life. His Biblical-based tips include how to define your wealth and create money machines. He also shares in the book his exclusive reference materials, his selected refutable investment establishments, and how to become a member of the Truly Rich Club which Bro. Bo founded to guide members on how to become happy millionaires. This book is published by Shepherd Voice Publications.


ENTERTAINMENT

CatholiC iNitiative for eNlighteNed Movie appreCiatioNTitle: Toy Story 3Cast: (Voice only) Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don

Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Har-ris, Michael Keaton

Director: Lee UnkrichScreenwriters: Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton

and Lee Unkrich Genre: Animation/ Comedy/ AdventureDistributor: Pixar/ Walt DisneyRunning Time: 102 mins.Technical Assessment:Moral Assessment: CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and below with parental

guidance

Andy, the owner of the toys is now grown-up and is leaving for college. His mother asked him to sort his things and decide which goes to the boxes labeled ‘college’, ‘attic’,

‘donation’ or the garbage bag. This is such a heart-wrenching moment for his toys that have not been played for a long time and have been kept in the toy chest for years. Andy decides to put Woody in the box “going to college” while his other toy friends are put in a trash bag but Andy intends to put them at the attic. His choice of container leads to a near rendezvous of the toys to the garbage truck. Afraid that they may end up in the landfill, the toys managed to climb back and decide to go to the ‘donation’ box headed to a day care center. Woody knows the garbage truck incident was a mistake and he tries to convince them to come back home. The group did not believe Woody and they find themselves in the day care center and welcomed by a strawberry scented bear named Lotso. They are convinced that they have found their new home in the day care center and are assured by Lotso that they will be played there. Woody is still not convinced so they decided to part ways. Woody later on learns that Lotso is not the friendly teddy bear he appears to be and his toy friends are now in danger.

Toy Story 3 could be the most anticipated family movie of the year. Being the third installment of a successful franchise, it has to at least be at par with its earlier versions or better. And it never failed in this respect. The creators of the movie managed to thicken the plot with its new premise and additional villain characters which are far more evil-like and frightening than the previous villains in earlier movies, making Toy Story 3the darkest film of the franchise. This time, the fun and laughs are lesser, but the sentiments are more or less the same. The movie is still as imaginative and the “great escape” adventure of the toy characters is very engaging. The voice actors are great as they have always been. All in all, Toy Story 3 remains to be both fun and heart-warming experience that brings out the child in all of its audience no matter what age.

The Toy Story has been working on its original premise, what if toys are like humans with feelings and emotions. This makes

the children, and even the child-at-heart, appreciate all things around, both living and non-living, especially those that make them happy however temporary. The film successfully conveys this idea and achieves such effect to a great extent. For most times, audiences forget that they are actually watching toys. In the movie, toys are actually more human than other humans. How does it really feel to be abandoned? Or left alone? Or betrayed? It is almost always easier to escape and evade but the toys in the story has taught its audience loyalty, courage, perseverance and far more importantly, hope. Against all odds, they stick together and their friendship and camaraderie make them survive any ordeal, making things work for them in the process including a peaceful turnover, a meaningful goodbye and a sentimental let-ting go. The evil ones get their punishment and the good ones are rewarded. However, the ‘prison break’ and ‘great escape’ plots and some degree of violence in the movie may be a bit dark for the very young so CINEMA recommends that parents supervise their children below 13 years old while watching.


ASIABRIEFING

EAST TIMOR

End to war crimes loopholes sought

Amnesty International, a human rights group, called on East Timor to close a legal loophole so war criminals can’t be granted a pardon. It said the country’s latest penal code allows for pardons and amnesties for people suspected of war crimes during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor should be banned.

INDONESIA

Court acquits Saudi man of terrorism charges

A court here acquitted a Saudi man accused of financing the suicide bombings at two luxury Jakarta hotels last year. Ali Abdullah, 54, has never denied giving money to terrorists but judges accepted his story that he didn’t realize the funds will be used for terrorism.

JAPAN

Sumo wrestlers face suspension over gambling scandal

Kotomitsuki, one of Japan’s best sumo wrestlers, is facing expulsion and a dozen others face suspension over illegal sports betting and link to the Yakuza criminal gangs. Kotomit-suki, allegedly, was heavily in debt from gambling and was paying hush money to gangsters to keep it quiet.

PAKISTAN

India, Pakistan join fight vs terrorism

Pakistan and India have joined fight terrorism and cooperate on the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Indian Home Minister Chidambaram and his Paki-stani counterpart Rehman Malik met recently in Islamabad and agreed to develop a common anti-terrorism strategy. The Indian minister asked Pakistan to put more suspects in the Mumbai attacks on trial.

KOREA

New nuclear threat from Pyongyang

Communist North Korea is boosting its nuclear deterrent capacity in a new way to combat what it calls renewed United States hostility. Pyongyang’s foreign ministry spokesman said they have no choice but to bolster its nuclear deterrence in the face of persistent US hostility.

CHINA

Artist Wu Gunzhong dies

Artist Wu Gunzhong, who rose to international fame after years of perse-cution during the Cultural Revolution, had died aged 90 just hours after donat-ing five ink paintings to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Wu’s landscapes are estimated to have earned more than 30 million dollars at public auctions.

THAILAND

Aussies airlifted to Bangkok after boat crash

A group of Australians has been airlifted to hospital in Bangkok after a boat crash off the Thai island of Koh Samui on June 26. Four young wom-en, who are among those 40 people injured in the accident, are now in one of Bangkok’s major hospitals.

CAMBODIA

Computer game teaches landmine dangers

A new computer game has been developed here to help children recog-nize the dangers of landmines which killed or injured almost 250 people, one third of them were children, last year. Allen Tan, head of the Cambo-dian country office of Golden West - a US-based charity which pushed for the game's development, said although the game is being tested in Cambodia, the idea is to roll it out to dozens of post-conflict countries.

MALAYSIA

Gov’t junks plans to allow sports gambling

Due to strong public clamor against gambling, the Malaysian government has junked a proposal to legalize sports betting. PM Najib Razak said 'it was clear to the government that a majority of the people did not agree' with the plan to award a license to a known betting company.

SRI LANKA

Gov’t denies entry to UN investiga-tor

The government here has blocked the entry of a UN panel tasked to probe alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka during the final months of the civil war. Sri Lanka’s external affairs ministry has refused to give entry visas to the panel members.

EAST TIMOR

Ramos Horta seeks deal on gas pipeline

Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta is hoping the Australian govern-ment could secure a pipeline to take gas from the Greater Sunrise field in the Timor Sea to his country for processing. But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said it's a matter for the private consortium involved. East Timor was earlier angered when the Woodside led consortium said a floating plat-form for processing the gas is more economic than a pipeline.

CHINA

EU should demand concrete progress on rights in dialogue

The European Union should set benchmarks for human rights im-provements with the Chinese govern-ment during this week's EU-China human rights dialogue, Human Rights Watch said.

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