NOVEMBER 2013 1

WORKERS FORUMAll-Workers’ Forum

Convergence of Growth and Progress

A monthly publication by ALL-WORKERS FORUM, INC.

KAMARA, SENADO

PAHINGA MUNA!

PLACE AN AD TODAY! CALL 920-7433 / 0947-7238165

UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH STILL A PROBLEM, P. 6

Long shifts causes cancerP. 9

SSS premium hike, sino ang makikinabang P. 3

On World Day for Decent WorkP. 7

P.2

Vol. 1 No. 2 NOVEMBER 2013 PHILIPPINES FREEFOR MEMBERS

NOVEMBER 2013 2NOVEMBER 20132 BALITANG PAMBANSA

KAMARA, SENADO PAHINGA MUNA!

para sa kanila ang pansamantalang isantabi ang kanilang puwesto at balewalain ang mga pribeli-hiyong kaakibat nito. “Kunsabagay, sino nga ba naman ang maka-bibitiw sa puwesto kung talagang kayang bun-datin ng pondong nasa sa iyo ang bulsa mo?” sabi ng AWF. Nauna nang napaulat ang pagkakasangkot ng il-ang senador, kongresista at mga alkalde sa pekeng mga non-governmental organization (NGO) na itinatag ng negosyanteng si Janet Lim-Napoles, na nagtatago na ngayon sa mga awtoridad bunsod ng pagkakaisyu ng mandamyento de aresto (war-rant of arrest) laban sa kaniya kaugnay ng serious illegal detention na inihain sa laban sa nasabing negosyante ng dating alalay nitong si Benhur Luy. Si Luy rin ang nagsilbing whistle-blower sa P10 billion pork barrel scam na dahilan ngayon ng malawak na panawagang tuluyan nang ibasura ang pork barrel system sa lehislatura.

“Balon ng pera”

Ayon pa sa AWF, hindi rin naman magiging madali para sa mga senador at kongresista na magbigay-daan para sa matagalang “legislation holiday” dahil balon ng pera ang dalawang kapu-lungan ng Kongreso.

Noel Sales Barcelona Editor-In-Chief

BAGAMAN kinasuhan na sa Ombuds-man ng Department of Justice (DOJ) ang diumano’y mga sangkot sa P10 bilyon na PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam, at iniimbestigahan na rin ngayon si Janet Lim-Napoles, hinimok ng All-Workers Forum (AWF), Inc., isang independiyenteng sentro ng mga manggagawa sa Pilipinas, ang Kamara at Senado na “magpahinga” muna ng tatlong taon—o higit pa—at gamitin ang ma-titipid sa pondong pang-operasyon nito para lumikha ng mga proyektong makabuluhan at totoong mapakikinabangan ng bayan. Ayon sa AWF, higit na papabor pa sa sambay-anang Pilipino ang pansamantalang pagkakaroon ng “legislation holiday”, na tatakbo nang buong termino ng Kamara de Representantes at kalahat-ing termino naman ng Senado. “Kaya naman siguro ng lokal na gobyerno na lumikha ng mga batas na makatutulong sa kanika-nilang nasasakupan at hindi na natin pa kakailan-ganin ang serbisyo ng mga kongresista at mga senador,” ang matapang na pahayag ng AWF.

Delicadeza Sabi ng AWF, kung tunay na may hiya at deli-cadeza ang mga mambabatas, magiging madali

Galit na galit ang sambayanang Pilipino sa pumutok na eskandalo hinggil sa pork barrel. Sa pagtanggap diumano ng “kickback” mula kay Janet Lim-Napoles, ang sinasabing promotor ng paggamit ng pondo ng bayan para sa sariling kapakanan -- ano pa kayang mga pasabog na dapat na asahan ng mga mamamayan? (Larawan ng martsa sa Luneta ng anti-pork barrel na mga aktibista noong Set. 13. Kuha ng Arkibong Bayan)

Banggit sa naging pagbubunyag noong En-ero ni dating Budget Secretary at propesor sa ekonomiks sa UP School of Economics Benjamin Diokno, sa kaniyang pitak sa kilalang diyaryo sa bansa, sa Senado pa lamang, makikita na ang “salamangka” sa badyet na nagmula sa buwis ng mga mamamayan. Ayon kay Diokno, banggit ng AWF, noon pa man ay nilalabag na ng Senado ang nasasaad sa Konstitusyon na hindi basta-basta maitataas ang perang ilalaan sa kung anumang pagkakagastusan ng naturang sangay ng lehislatura. Banggit ni Diokno, sa 1987 Philippine Con-stitution, malinaw na sinasabing: “The Congress may not increase the appropriations recommend-ed by the President for the operations of the Gov-ernment as specified in the budget.” “Malinaw na hindi nangyayari ito dahil ayon na rin sa dating sekretaryo ng badyet, sa P2.961 bilyong badyet na isinumite ng Presidente, na para sa gastusin ng Senado, nakalagay doon na 47 na porsiyento ang dapat ilaan sa miscellane-ous and other operating expenses (MOOE). Pero, ang inaprubahan na kabuuang badyet ng Senado, na sinang-ayunan naman ni Presidente Aquino, ay P3.294 bilyon, o 11.2 porsiyentong mas mataas kaysa sa naunang mungkahing badyet,” sabi ng AWF.

Pagsipi pa rin sa naging analisis ni Diokno, ang MOOE ng Senado ay mas mataas nang 13.4 porsiyento, kumpara sa naunang inihaing badyet: mula P1.391 bilyon patungong P1.578 bilyon. “Hindi nga siguro kataka-taka na talagang pag-aagawan ang puwesto sa Senado dahil talaga na-mang napakalaking pera ang involve dito,” sabi ng AWF. “Ang siste, noon pa man, sabi ng dating budget secretary, maluwag na ang Commission on Audit sa pagsusuri sa perang ginamit ng Kongreso sa kabuuan para sa kanilang operasyon,” sabi pa ng AWF. Sinabi pa ng AWF na kahit pa idineklara nang labag sa Konstitusyon ang PDAF, tiyak na gaga-wa pa rin ng paraan ang ilang tiwaling mamba-batas na maibalik ito sa ibang porma. Pagpapalakas ng “grassroots” politics

Tinitingnan naman ng AWF na pagpapalakas sa sinasabing grassroots politics and governance, o pagpapalawak ng kapangyarihan ng sariling pamamahala at pagpapasya ng taumbayan ang kanilang mungkahing legislative holiday. “Naniniwala kami na dahil mas malapit ang lokal na mga pamahalaan gaya ng gobyerno ng probinsiya, munisipalidad, lungsod at maging ng barangay, sa taumbayan o sa kanilang nasa-sakupan, magiging mas madali ang konsultasyon hinggil sa mga usapin na may kinalaman sa pag-unlad, pamamahala, at proyektong mapakikina-bangan ng lahat,” sabi ng AWF. Anang AWF, daraanin sa “pulong bayan” ang pagpapasa ng mga batas at maging ang paglikha ng mga proyektong pangkabuhayan at impras-truktura at ang taumbayan na rin ang magsisilbing “public auditors” para sa mga proyektong ito. “Pero siyempre, dapat din namang pag-aralan ang mungkahi namin na legislative holiday na tat-long taon at sa palagay namin, maaaring makatu-long ng mga law center gaya ng UP College of Law, Ateneo School of Law at iba pang institusy-on para makalikha ng borador at mga suhestiyon kung paano gagana ito,” sabi pa ng AWF. Sinabi rin ng AWF na ang anumang pondong malilikom sa naturang “legislative holiday” ay gagamitin sa pagpatayo ng mga ospital, silid-paaralan, pag modernize ng mga paliparan, pag-aayos ng mga kalsada, farm to market roads, re-forestation para maiwasan o mabawasan ng baha, livelihood projects sa loob ng tatlong taon. “By 2019, tiyak na asensado na ang bansa at tuluyang mamumuhunan na mga dayuhang investors. Para sa AWF, hindi na kailangan ang amendment ng constitution para ipamahagi pa sa mga dayuhan ang mga lupain na nailalaan sa mga mamamayan ng bansa. Maibsan din ang peace and order problems dahil siguradong mababa-wasan ang mga walang trabaho o hanapbuhay na siyang pangunahing sanhi ng kriminal activities. Kailangan lang mag-alay ang ating mga congress-man at senador ng konting sakripisyo para sa in-ang bayan. Sa loob ng tatlong taon na “legislative holiday”, pag-aaralan nang husto through a Con-stitutional Convention ang ating saligang batas upang ito’y maging responsive sa mga pangan-gailangan ng tao o angkop sa bansang Pilipinas, pati na ang porma ng pamahalaan, Hindi sapat ang pag-alis ng “pork barrel” nila,” ayon pa sa [AWF.]

NOVEMBER 2013 3

Kamakailan lamang, inianunsiyo ng Social Security System (SSS) ang pagtataas ng kon-tribusyon ng mga miyembro nito, umpisa sa susunod na taon. Ngunit sino nga ba ang talagang makikinabang sa dagdag-kaltas sa sahod na ito? Ang sagot ng militanteng mga manggagawa sa ilalim ng Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)—ti-yak na hindi ang mga manggagawa. Sa isang pahayag sa midya ni KMU cam-paign officer na si Jerome Adonis, lalo la-mang na titindi ang korupsiyon sa naturang

BALITANG LOKAL

ahensiya dahil sa nakaambang pagtataas ng premium o kontribusyon ng mga mangga-gawa sa SSS. Ang SSS ay isang ahensiyang panseguro na pag-aari ng gobyerno at nagsimulang mag-operasyon noon pang 1957. Layunin nito na bigyang benepisyo ang mga manggagawa sakali mang sila ay magretiro, maaksidente, o mamamatay sa kanilang trabaho. Manda-toryo, sa ilalim ng batas, ang pagkolekta ng kontribusyon sa SSS. Hindi nawawalan ng paraan para pahira-

Pagtaas ng SSS premium: Kaninong pakinabang Noel Sales Barcelona(Editor In Chief)

pan ang mga obrero Pero, ayon kay Adonis, ang panukalang pagtataas ng premium ay isang pagpabor sa kapitalista.“Nakadidismaya na isinusulong ng gobyer-nong [Benigno] Aquino at ng pamunuan ng SSS ang pagbabago sa relasyon ng mga em-ployer at manggagawa pagdating sa hatian [sa kontribusyon sa SSS],” pahayag ni Adonis.Ayon pa sa kanya, tila hindi napapagod ang gobyerno sa paggawa ng paraan para pahira-pan ang mga manggagawa sa punto ng pag-papaliit ng sahod ng mga ito. Sa kasaluku-yan, nasa pagitan ng P429 hanggang P466 ang arawang sahod ng mga manggagawa sa Metro Manila, samantalang P255 hanggang P349.50 ang sahod ng nasa Calabarzon [Cav-ite-Laguna-Batangas-Quezon) at nasa P205 hanggang P275 naman ang sa Mimaropa (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan). Mas maliit naman sa iba pang rehiyon. Ang halagang nabanggit ay ayon sa pinakahuling datos ng National Wages and Productivity Board ng Department of Labor and Employ-ment.

Habulin ang utang ng mga employer

Samantala, sinasabing nasa mahigit P8.5 bilyon o katumbas ng US$193,710,408.99 ang kontribusyong hindi nabayaran ng mga em-ployer noong 2010. “Ito,” ani Adonis, “ang dapat na habulin [ng gobyerno].” Naglalakihang bonus ng opisyal ng SSS

Habang nakaamba ang pagtaas ng halaga

ng kontribusyon, tila namumunini naman sa pakibanang sa naglalakihang bonus ang mga opisyal ng SSS. Nitong Oktubre, pumutok ang isyu ng P10 milyong productivity bonus ng mga opisyal o bahagi ng Board ng SSS. Para sa ordinaryong empleyado ng SSS at maging sa dating bise-presidente ng nasabing GOCC [government-owned and –controlled corporation], imoral ang pagbibigay ng tig-isang milyong piso sa mga opisyal ng SSS.Para kay dating SSS executive vice president Horacio Templo, abuso sa kapangyarihan, sa panig ng mga komisyuner, ang pagbibigay sa kanilang sarili ng pabuya matapos na kumita umano nang husto ang nabanggit na ahensiya. “No bonus to employees, but they awarded themselves 100 percent of all their per diems for the year. It’s unprecedented in the his-tory of SSS,” ani Templo sa isang pahayag na nailathala sa mga pahayagan. Sinu-sino nga ba ang mapapalad na na-katanggap ng bonus ngayong taon?—Juan B. Santos, Chairman, P1.17 milyon; Emilio S. De Quiros, Jr., SSS President at SSC vice chairman, P1.04 milyon; Diana V. Pardo-Aguilar, P1.33 milyon; Daniel L. Edralin, P1.12 milyon; Eliza R. Antonino, P968,000; Marianita O. Mendoza, P1.02 milyon; Ibarra A. Malonzo, P1.41 milyon; at Bienvenido E. Laguesma, P1.30 milyon. May nabalitaan na ang Workers Forum na nagsauli ng kanilang bonus. At dadalawa la-mang ito. Ngayon ang tanong ng taumbayan: “Sino nga bang talaga ang pinagliling-kuran ng SSS—ang obrero o ang ilang ma-papalad na opisyal nito at kanilang mga kaibigan?”[AWF]

Sumugod ang mga manggagawa sa tanggapan ng SSS sa Quezon City para sabihing tulong ang gusto nila para sa mga nasalanta ng kalamidad at hindi utang. (Buhay Manggagawa).

Special Calamity Fund muling iginiit

Muling iginiit ng Philippine Congress of Employees (PCE) na likhain ng gobyerno ang Special Calamity Fund for Workers na pondong madaling ma-access ng mga manggagawa sa panahong napinsala ang kanilang kabuhayan at panirahan dulot ng mga kalamidad, gawa man ng kalikasan o ng tao. Noon pang 2012 iginiit na ng alyansa ng mga unyon sa paggawa, na likhain ang batas na makakalap ng isang pondo na maaaring utangin ng mga manggagawa at magamit sa pagbangong muli sa hambalos ng kalami-dad. “Ngayong lubhang napinsala ang lugar ng Leyte at Samar ng bagyong Yolanda, at magpahanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nakababangon ang mga nakaligtas sa 7.2 magnitude na lindol na yumanig sa Cebu at Bohol, da;at lang sigurong talagang maglaan ng pondo para sa mga manggagawa, bukod

Noel Sales Barcelona(Editor In Chief) pa sa ibinibigay ng SSS at Pag-IBIG,” pahayag ng PCE.

Pondohan ng gobyerno, pribadong sektor

Mungkahi ng PCE, ang pondo ay bubu-uin sa tulong ng perang ilalaan ng gobyerno at maging ng pribadong mga sektor. Ang pon-dong ito ay maaaring utangin, na may maliit lamang na interes, at magagamit sa pagpapa-gawa ng kanilang bahay, pagsisimula ng maliit na negosyo, at maging sa panggastos para mga panahong hindi makapagtrabaho. “Ang mga manggagawa at magsasaka ang pangunahing tagalikha ng yaman dito sa ating bansa at hindi naman ito maikakaila. Sa dugo’t at pawis nila nagmumula ang mga produkto at serbisyong pinagkakakitaan ng mga may hawak ng kapital at maging ang kalakhan ng buwis na kinokolekta ng gobyerno. Kung kaya, panahon na para ibalik naman sa kanila ang pabor, laluna sa lubhang naapektuhan ng kal-

amidad at sakuna,” ayon pa sa PCE.

Tulong, hindi utang

Samantala, giit naman ng Kilusang Mayo Uno—tulong at hindi utang ang kailangan ng ng napinsala ng iba’t ibang kalamidad na hu-mambalos sa bansa. Sa piket kamakailan lamang na isinagawa ng mga miyembro at opisyal ng KMU sa harap ng pambansang tanggapan ng SSS, napakain-sensitibo ng ahensiya sa nakaligtas sa hagupit ni Yolanda. “Dismayado kami na hindi man lamang magkaroon ng puso ang SSS sa mga miyem-bro nitong na nasalanta ng kalamidad. Ni hindi man lang mahabag sa mga miyembrong nawalan ng tirahan at kabuhayan,” pahayag ni Roger Soluta, pangkalahatang kalihim ng KMU. Sa pahayag ng SSS, sinabi nitong bahagi ng SSS Calamity Package ang salary and house

repair loan, na maaaring makuha ng mga miyembro sa loob ng anim na buwan, sa sal-ary loan at isang taon, sa bahagi naman ng house repair loan. Ayon pa sa SSS hindi na kailangan pang magbayad ng P3,000 application fee ang kukuha ng house repair loan samantalang pinababa naman sa anim na porsiyento ang tubo sa pautang sa salary loan.

Walang kahihiyan

Muling inungkat ng KMU ang isyu ng P10 milyong bonus na tinanggap ng mga opisyal ng SSS at maging ang 0.6% na taas sa membership premium. “Kung tutuusin, iyong tatlong buwang pinaagang pensiyon, hindi naman talaga makatutulong dahil karamihan ng pensiyo-nado, nasa P1,200 lamang kada buwan ang natatanggap,” ani Soluta. Aniya pa, dapat na mahiya ang mga opisyal ng SSS dahil kung tutuusin, hindi naman talaga nila natulungan ang mga miy-embro at sa halip, pinagkakuwartahan pa dahil sa tubong makukuha sa nasabing mga pautang. [AWF]

NOVEMBER 2013 4NOVEMBER 20134 OPINYON

“Pakikibaka” SA IKA-150 kaarawan ng bayaning anakpawis, Andres de Castro Boni-facio, dapat na alala-hanin ng madlang ang kalayaang kanilang ti-natamasa ay tigmak ng dugo ng mga bayani at martir ng bayan at may kinang ito ng pulbura mula sa iba’t ibang him-agsikan. Sa desisyon ng Ko-rte Suprema hinggil sa kontrobersiyal na pork barrel, hindi pa rin natatapos ang laban ng masa laban sa kati-walian at kabulukan na naghahari sa gobyerno at lipunan; manapa, lalo pa tayong maging mapagbantay at buong tapang na “iwasiwas” ang tabak na hawak ng bayaning anakpawis nang tuluyang matag-pas ang puno’t dulo ng kontrobersiyang ito—ang baluktot na pag-unawa sa demokrasya at pamamaraan ng pag-gogobyerno. Dapat nang itaas ang antas ng laban kontra-pork barrel. Dapat nang igiit ng taumbayan—

gaya nang paggigiit noon ni Bonifacio—ang malawakang pagbaba-go sa gobyerno at siste-mang pulitikal sa bansa at igiit na sa kanilang mga kamay ibigay ang kapangyarihang patak-buhin ang gobyerno. Sa pamamagitan nito, tu-nay na maibabalik ang tunay na kahulugan ng demokrasya: Pamaha-laang pinamumunuan mismo ng mamama-yan, na kabahagi ang mamamayan, at para sa mamamayan.

Kung mangyayari ito, hindi magkakaroon ng puwang ang katulad nina Janet Lim-Napoles at mga kasapakat sa go-byerno at ang yamang maiipon na mula sa dugo, pawis at luha ng mga manggagawa, magsasaka, ordinary-ong mga empleyado ng pribado at publikong mga tanggapan at em-presa, mga manging-isda, at iba pang kaba-hagi ng impormal na sektor, ay magagamit lamang sa mga proyek-

tong makapagpapaun-lad sa lahat at hindi mapupunta sa bulsa ng iilan lamang. Kaya nga, dapat nat-ing itatak sa puso’t isi-pan ang sinabi ni Gat Andres Bonifacio: “Pa-katandaang lagi na ang tunay pagibig sa Diyos ay siya ring pagibig sa Tinubuan, at iyan din ang pagibig sa kapuwa.” At kailanman, sabi nga ng Kasulatan, ang pa-gibig ay hindi nahihira-ti sa gawang kasamaan. [AWF]

NOVEMBER 2013 5OPINYON

“Bagong Rebolusyon”

Bagaman ikinatutuwa natin ang deklarasyon ng Korte Suprema na labag sa Konstitusyon ang Priority Develop-ment Assistance Fund o pork barrel ng mga mambabatas, hindi natin masasa-bing dapat na ibigay sa kanila ang buong komendasyon o pagkilala sapagkat, unang-una, hindi matataranta ang mga mahistrado ng Kataas-taasang Huku-man kung hindi tuluy-tuloy na nag-protesta—sa internet at kalsada—ang mga mamamayan. Kung sino ang dapat na bigyan ng parangal at gawaran ng pinakamatayog na pagpupugay, iyon ay dili iba kundi sina Juan at Maria de la Cruz.

***

Hindi pa rin dapat na maging kam-pante ang mga mamamayan dahil nag-

By BENJIE OLIVEROS (Bulatlat perspective, http://bulatlat.com)

The much-awaited testimony of Janet Lim-Napoles, suspected conduit in the pork barrel scam involving at least P10 billion ($232.5 million), before the Sen-ate began today November 7. The Philippine National Police reportedly spent P150,000 ( $3.5 thousand) for her security. The government sent two lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office to assist her. And what happened? Nothing. The testimony, or the lack of it, of Napoles reminds us of what former Commis-sion on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano did during the congressional hearings on the “Hello Garci” election fraud scandal. Napoles, and Garcillano then, simply denied everything under oath. “Hindi po tutuo yan.” (That is not true.), “Hindi ko po alam.” (I do not know.) “Wala po.” (None) And when shown documentary evidence of her involvement and transactions with the government, her reply was “Hindi ko po maalala.” (I could not remember.) Or “I invoke my right to self-incrimination.” It is obvious from her whole-day testimony that Napoles is not willing to tell the truth. She was even prodded by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, telling her that her best protection against those who might entertain thoughts of killing her is to tell the truth about the most guilty parties. That way, if something happens to her, the law could run after them. But still, she remained firm in her denials. When President Benigno Aquino III received a lot of flak for personally ac-cepting the surrender of Janet Lim-Napoles at the Malacañang Palace no less, and even acted as advance party to Camp Crame to ensure Napoles’s safety and securi-ty, the administration replied that the president did so because Napoles is crucial in unearthing the whole truth about the P10-billion pork barrel scam. When she was placed in a bungalow at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal – where no less than former president Joseph Estrada, Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Moro National Lib-

Aysusmaryosep!Noel Sales Barcelona

sisimula pa lamang ang kanilang laban sa katiwalian at kabuktutan sa gobyerno. Lalo pa nga silang dapat na maging ma-pagmatyag dahil tiyak na pilit na ibaba-lik ng ilang masiba-sa-kuwartang mga mambabatas ang pork barrel. Iibahin ang pangalan subalit ang gamit ay iisa pa rin: ang bundatin ang sarili at ang ka-nilang angkan sa kuwartang ninanakaw mula sa buwis ng uring anakpawis.

***

Iginigiit natin, hindi iminumungkahi, na kumpiskahin ang lahat ng pag-aari ni Napoles at ng mga mambabatas na nasangkot sa isyu ng pork barrel at ang malilikom na halaga’t ari-arian ay gaw-ing pondo sa rehabilitasyon ng mga la-lawigang nasira nang husto dahil kay bagyong Yolanda. Una sa lahat, hindi naman talaga ka-nila ang perang pinagpapasasaan nila at ng kanilang mga kamag-anak. Buwis iyon ng ordinaryong manggagawa at empleyado, ng mga namamasurang bu-mibili ng ilang pakete ng instant mami at ilang latang sardinas sa maliit na tin-dahang nagbabayad din naman ng buwis

sa anyo ng sedula at permit, at ng mga overseas Filipino workers na tinitiis ang hirap at lungkot para lamang mapabuti ang lagay ng kanilang mga kaanak dito sa bansa.

***

Sa ika-150 anibersaryo ng kapanga-nakan ng bayaning mula sa uring man-ggagawa at magsasaka, si Gat Andres de Castro Bonifacio, dapat nang isulong ng mamamayan ang bagong tipo ng rebo-lusyong babago sa bulok at inuk-ok nang sistema ng paggogobyerno sa bansa. Matapos nilang mabuwag ang PDAF, dapat na rin nilang isulong ang pagbu-wag sa dinastiyang pulitikal sa bansa na malaki ang ginagampanang papel sa pagpapanatili ng kabulukan sa gobyerno. Pero hindi ito magagawa kung hin-di babaguhin din ng mamamayan ang kaniyang pagtanaw sa mga bagay-bagay. Magiging mahirap ang landasin subalit pagdating sa ituktok ng bundok ng paki-kibaka, makikita ang maaliwalas at man-ingning na bukas para sa kanilang sarili at sa kanilang mga anak. [AWF]

Enough of the special treatment for Napoleseration Front Chairman Nur Misuari were jailed before– and was provided with a food tester, to ensure that she would not be poisoned, Malacañang responded that Napoles is being given special treatment so that she could name all those involved in the scam. Now Napoles has clearly shown that she is not willing to tell the truth. When asked by Senator Allan Peter Cayetano if she thinks she would be absolved of the accusations and charges against her, she even replied with a categorical yes. Malacañang is now saying that it is understandable for Napoles to protect her legal rights and integrity because cases have been filed against her in court. So where does the whole justification of the Aquino government for the special treat-ment being accorded to Napoles stand if she is not willing to tell the truth and be instrumental in running after corrupt government officials involved in the pork barrel scam? What is the use of undertaking elaborate and expensive measures, being paid by taxpayers, to protect Napoles if she would act just like any other ac-cused person who is “protecting her legal rights and ‘integrity’?” It seems that the strategy of the Aquino government of giving her special treat-ment to encourage her to tell the whole truth is not working. What is happening is the other way around: she is being emboldened to continue to lie through her teeth to protect her flanks. It might be better to treat her just like any other ac-cused by committing her to a regular jail. That way she might be scared out of her wits and spill the beans. If the Aquino government continues to provide her with special treatment even if she continues to deny her involvement in the pork barrel scam – despite the preponderance of evidences – while adamantly defending the pork barrel system, this would raise serious questions on the declarations of Malacañang that it is determined to run after those involved in the pork barrel scam. (Reprinted with permission)

Editorial Board

Atty. Joseph T. EnteroPresident, AWFI

Noel Sales BarcelonaGeneral Editor

Catherine T. BantoyDanica Zita CastilloIsy Rovi F. de Ocampo, R.N.Cheryl May T. SamaniegoBoy VillasantaCorrespondents

Samuel Ronald N. GanzanManaging Director

Atty. Edwin S. de la CruzLegal Consultant

RoldankingLay-outThe Workers Forum: Ang Dyaryo ng Manggagawang Pili-pino is published monthly by the All-Workers Forum, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit organization for unorganized work-ers, with editorial and business offices on the 6/F Fil Garcia Tower, Kalayaan Avenue cor. Mayaman St., Diliman, Quezon City. Tel. No. (02) 3763092; Email: allworkersforum@gmail.com; Website: http://www.all-workersforum.org/

WORKERS FORUMA monthly publication by

ALL-WORKERS FORUM, INC.

NOVEMBER 2013 6NOVEMBER 20136 NATATANGING MGA ULAT

The certainty of landing on a good paying and secured job remains an issue among youths. The International Labor Office (ILO) in Geneva had already sounded the alarm over the increasing number of youth, ages 15 to 25 all over the world, who remain jobless. Last year, the ILO revealed, the jobless youth had reached a whopping 75 million--and it is expected to increase as the world economy remains volatile. In the Philippines, it is said that 17.4 percent of the young population remain jobless, as stated in the latest data of the US Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook 2013. This translates to 1.913 million young men and women who re-main “tambay”, a Filipino colloquial term for the jobless. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The Asian Development Bank said that annually, higher educational institu-tions produce around 900,000 graduates per year. Sadly, not all of them could be absored by industries.

Salary, tenure still a problem

But the problem is not only about finding a job, but finding a job that is secure and well-paying. Labor think-tank, Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (Eiler) said that majority of the jobs available in the Philippines are either by con-tract or sub-contract. In its 2009 paper entitled Crisis and Labor Informalization in the Philippines it says that seven out 10 firms are hiring contractual employees exclusively. This is especially true in business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, which the Philippine government consider as “sunshine industry.” “If ever there are new jobs, these are contractual and vulnerable jobs that are concentrated in the informal and services sector such as in construction and busi-ness process outsourcing,” says EILER, Inc. executive director Anna Leah Escresa in statements.She says the lack of job security is becoming a big problem for the young workers. This is what happened with Mark San Luis (not his real name), 32, who used to work as a copywriter in a BPO firm owned and operated by Filipina and Ameri-can couple. He said that his contract was terminated unjustly because his bosses did not like what he wrote for their American clients. “The HR [human resource] manager called me and talked to me in privy and he said, your services are no longer needed. They paid me half-month salary and got me sign an indemnification agreement. I know it’s illegal, but filing a case against the company is a big hassle,” he said. Now he works as a freelance public relations officer for different civil society organizations in Manila. The same thing happened to about 200 call center employees in Cebu. Last February, their company had closed due to unclear reasons. The BPO Industry Employees Network reported on their website that a case was filed at the regional office of the National Labor Relations Commission to get the unpaid salaries and other benefits of the sacked employees costing up to P20 million (US$486,144.82). Salary-levels and benefits are also an issue.

The Philippine Congress of Employees (PCE) said that while BPO employees receive a relatively high salaries and perks, their income is just a fraction of what their counterparts abroad receive. “Based on our research the regular call center employee in the U.S. are receiving roughly $10 up to $12 per hour, or an equivalent of P426.74 - P512.10. It means that the P20,000 per month salary, gross, or without the trimmings--taxes, HMO, social security, etc.--is just less than half of the salary of a regular U.S. call center agent, that works four (4) hours a day or an equivalent of 80 hours in a month,”

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT: Still Problem in PHNoel Sales Barcelona Editor-In-Chief

A young farmer in Bicol rips palay (rice stalks) for a living. (Photo by Arkibong Bayan)

says PCE secretary-general Leo Royandoyan in an email interview. But wage issue is worst among the young workers in other industries. In a briefer on the 101st session of the ILO Conference in Geneva last year, the mem-ber-nations had admitted that more than 200 million young people are working all over the world but earn under US$2 per day. Because of this situation, Eiler’s Escresa said, most of the workers--including the young professionals--are looking for multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Employment and growth: dependent on macroeconomic, social policiesThe United Nations’ Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap) said that poor macroeconomic and social policies contribute to bor-geoining problem of joblessness, not only among youth, but to the workforce as a whole. “The dominant macroeconomic policy paradigm since the early 1980s has em-phasized stabilization in the narrow sense of keeping inflation at a very low single-digit level and achieving a primary budget surplus or a very low deficit-to-GDP ratio. In developing countries, there often has been a trade-off between achieving such stabilization targets and broader development objectives. Many countries have achieved them at the cost of development, for example, by cutting public investment in key areas and expenditures on education and health. Indebted countries in the euro zone are also prioritizing fiscal austerity at an enormous economic and social cost associated with high unemployment,” read the execu-tive summary of the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific this year. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) also share the same view: substandard education is considered one of the culprits on why the young people are being pushed to low-paying and risky jobs. “But how can a Filipino youth land in a decent job if he lacks education due to their inability to pay for tuition and other fees?” says Dada Nava of the Faith and Deed Movement, a lose organization of young Christian and non-Christian professionals, in an email interview. “The problem worsens because government lacks the political will to control corporate greed when it comes to raking profits out of social and economic ser-vices,” he said. Nava criticized what she called “band-aid solutions” by the government such as organizing job fairs, where she says only a few thousand jobs are offered. “The probability that a newly-grad will land to a job in job fairs is only 1:1,000. I think that the labor and other key departments of the government could do better than just organizing job fairs during Labor Day celebration,” he said. (Reprinted with permission from Philippine Online Chronicles).

NOVEMBER 2013 7NATATANGING MGA ULAT

MANILA – On “World Day for Decent Work”, last October 28, a workers’ alliance marched to Mendiola to call for the scrap-ping of contractual employment which they say embodies a serious attack on workers’ right to decent work. For the seventh year now, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the biggest international confederation of labor groups, has been calling for workers’ mobi-lizations on the World Day for Decent Work as part of the struggle for social justice and decent work for all. In Manila, the ACT2WIN! Alliance, or Ac-tion against Contractualization and Towards Significant Wage Increase Now!, held a pro-test action in Mendiola, near Malacañang, with its members holding placards demand-ing “Junk contractualization!” From the experiences of members of the alliance, they say contractual employment has come to mean starvation wages, denial of benefits, vulnerability to being laid off, expo-sure to health and safety hazards, and viola-tions of trade-union rights. “Once more, we have to emphasize that labor is not a commodity for sale in exchange for low wages or contractual work. Labor deserves a living wage and is entitled to job security. These are rights guaranteed by our

On World Day for Decent Work, workers march to Mendiola vs contractualization

fundamental law,” said Sonny Matula, presi-dent of Federation of Free Workers, one of the founding members of ACT2Win. But the implementing laws leave much to be desired, the workers’ alliance finds out. The Herrera Law of 1989, which amends the 1973 Labor Code, has granted the country’s Labor secretary the power to define permis-sible contractual employment. Under Aqui-no, the Labor secretary issued Department Order 18-A Series of 2011 defining and legal-izing contractual employment, ACT2WIN said. “Contractual employment has no benefit whatsoever for Filipino workers. The fact that it is being implemented shows that the government is favoring the big foreign and local capitalists over ordinary workers,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson. Errol Alonzo, president of the Young Christian Workers, said that it is the young workers who suffer from contractualization, and from “other labor flexibilization schemes being implemented by the government.” “We vow to intensify our protests against contractual employment. We will continue to strengthen our unity to fight for regular employment and decent jobs for all,” Labog said. (Reprinted with permission from Bulat-lat.com)

Ugaliing magbasa ng the

Ang dyaryo ng

Pilipino

WORKERS FORUM

Mangagawang

NOVEMBER 2013 8NOVEMBER 20138 BALITANG OFW

The International Seafarers’ Action Center (ISAC) launched the Decent Work cam-paign as part of its effort to create better working environment for Filipino seafarers. There are about 400,000 Filipino men and women working in different fleets, sailing on seven seas, today. In a statement, ISAC secretary general and vice-president Atty. Joseph T. Entero said while the Maritime Labor Convention of 2006 had already been adopted by several coun-tries, it is yet to take effect on the coming years. “That is why, we still need to closely monitor the actions of the government, the ship-owners, and other stakeholders in ensuring that the MLC 2006 would be properly imple-mented and that violators should be held accountable,” he said. It was only August last year that the Philippines had ratified the MLC 2006, or six years after the intensive campaigns of civil society and religious organizations, including ISAC. MLC 2006 aims to protect and advance the rights of more than 1.2 million seafarers all across the globe. A consolidation of 68 international labor standards existing for the past 80 years, the MLC 2006 sets seafarers’ rights to decent working conditions.

Health and safety still a pressing issue

According to the Philippine Seafarers Assistance Programme, a non-profit organi-zation created for Filipino mariners in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, health and safety remain a top concern at sea. In a primer written by Eliseo Lucero-Prismo III, MD, the problem is being aggravated by several factors, including seafarer’s “lack of preparation” on how they will able to deal with the health-threatening realities while they stay on-board. “Lack of knowledge/awareness generally makes Filipinos unprepared to meet psycho-

ISAC launches Decent Work CampaignNoel Sales Barcelona Editor-In-Chief logical stresses (loneliness and fatigue) and other health problems such as STDs and HIV

and infectious diseases (SARS, influenza, malaria). As diseases, accidents and mortality at sea rise in the international shipping sector, the Filipino seafarers, including the Philip-pine government and other maritime players such as manning agencies, ships owners and unions, remain in quandary about meaningful solutions to health hazards and problems. Of course, the undermining of the health situation of seafarers impacts on international and national economies, not to mention the welfare and survival of households,” says Lucero-Prismo. Lucero-Prismo also assessed the Philippine government response to the issue as “weak”. “Every year, we process numerous cases of seafarers who got sick or who have died due to sickness or accident, while they are on duty,” Entero said. “We believe that these things happen because the working condition on-board, especially on fleets sailing under the flags-of-convenience (FOC), is relatively poor,” the maritime la-bor lawyer said.

Campaign vs. FOC to continue

Meanwhile, ISAC also said that their campaign against the use of the FOC continues. “We are one with the International Transport Workers Federation on this matter as we believe that FOC poses more dangers on the lives of seafarers, not to mention that it exarcer-bates other issue such as below minimum wages, non-payment of benefits, and endangers the seafarers’ right to security of tenure,” Entero explained. For more than 50 years, ITF had been campaigning for the elimination of the use of FOC on all ships, as it warrants the shipowners to abuse their workers in terms of low salaries and making their employees work for long hours. ISAC said that they are asking all people concern, especially the families and friends of seafarers to support the campaign. [AWF]

NOVEMBER 2013 9TRABAHO AT KALUSUGAN

Is there any link between long-term shift work and breast can-cer? The new study published at the Occupational and Environ-mental Medicine Journal last July says it truly does. Authored by Anne Grundy, et al., the “Increased risk of breast cancer associated with long-term shift work in Canada,” it says that long shift-work does affect the health of workers of diverse occu-pations. The study had examined the relationship night shift work and breast cancer were examined among 1134 breast cancer cases and 1179 controls, frequency-matched by age in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Kingston, Ontario. The study found out that con-tinuous work at night shift poses a greater risk of having cancer. But this is not new, actually. Many studies in the past had con-cluded the same. Aside from cancer, cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, obesity,

With the spate of deadly accidents asso-ciated with defective scaffolding, the Labor department signs Department Order No. 128-13, which amends the existing health and safety standards on scaffoldings used in construction industry. In a news article published on the Oc-cupational Health and Safety Center web-site, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz is said to have released the new rules on July 7, with ef-fectivity date of July 22. On the said order, the Labor department said that it would implement a zero toler-ance on work-related injuries and illnesses as safety patrol of the OHSC found out that there many companies use scaffold-ings that do not comform with the safety standards being implemented here in the Philippines and abroad. “The safety patrol reports from 112 con-struction sites audited last year show that majority of scaffolding practices do not conform with the standard safety require-ments,” OHSC chief, Ma. Teresita S. Cu-cueco, MD said in a statement. It is also said that the new rule on scaf-folding now clearly defines he terms “com-petent person” and “qualified person” as the ones authorized to handle certain scaf-folding processes. “To be a competent person, one must undergo the mandatory 40-hour Con-struction Safety Training and must have the Scaffold Erector NC II certificate. A qualified person on the other hand must be able to resolve project problems as evi-denced by a recognized technical degree, professional standing, or extensive training and experience,” stated the State’s occupa-tional health and safety agency. The new rule also requires the compe-tent person to personally “supervise the erection, dismantling and alteration of all scaffolds and all workers involved in scaf-folding activities must be appropriately trained and certified.” “Manufactured scaffolds must now fol-low the manufacturer’s design and speci-fications and must be certified by a quali-fied testing laboratory. Both manufactured and site-fabricated scaffolds exceeding six meters in height must be designed and in-spected by a structural engineer and can only be erected, installed and dismantled by TESDA certified erectors. Scaffold in-spection must also be carried out daily and for every shift. Provisions for tag-ging, maintenance, dismantling, storage and transportation are also added to Rule 1414,” the OHSC statement continued. Meanwhile, Cucueco said that they have already placed instructions for 10 types of scaffolding, aerial lift and other situations to ensure that construction workers as well as manufacturing companies are well-guided, thus avoiding further accidents. [AWF]

Seafarers’ welfare non-government organization (NGO), International Sea-farers Action Center (ISAC) gears up for the establishment of a research center fo-cusing on occupational health and safety research as part of its 3F funded project. In a statement, ISAC president Atty. Edwin S. de la Cruz said that it should be expected that in two to three years, the ISAC Research Institute and Docu-mentation Center (ISAC-RIDC) would be established and would become fully operational. “We are hoping that ISAC-RIDC could contribute significantly on the field of occupational health and safety research on seafaring,” he said. For years, ISAC had been handling numerous cases of work-related diseases and injuries and that they have already accumulated much literature about the nature of these diseases and accidents, de la Cruz added. Furthermore, the ISAC-RIDC would also open up its libraries, once organized, to other researchers interested in the field but for a minimal fee, he said. [AWF]

Labor department revises rules on scaffolding

ISAC gears up for occupational health and medical research

Isy Rovi F. de Ocampo (R.N.)

Breast cancer and long-term shift work: is there any link?

Isy Rovi F. de Ocampo (R.N.)

Noel Sales Barcelona

Cancer is concidered as one of the most painful--and the most dreaded--disease in the world. New studies suggest that there is a strong link between cancer and long-term shift work. (Photo courtesy the Center for Public Integrity/Associated Press)

A study published in the Journal of Occupa-tional Rehabilitation last July 3 had established the link between long term shift work and fatigue. Authored by Roelen et al., Prolonged fatigue is associated with sickness absence in men but not in women: prospective study with 1-year follow-up of white-collar employees had examined the direct correlation between long term shift work and fatigue among men personnel. “Six hundred and thirty-three (56 %) em-ployees participated in the study of which 598 had complete data and were eligible for analysis. Gender was a significant effect modifier of the relationship between prolonged fatigue and SA. Therefore, the results were stratified for men (N = 365) and women (N = 233). In white-collar men, fatigue severity and reduced concentration were positively associated with the number of long-term SA episodes, while other fatigue dimensions were not significantly related to SA. In white-col-lar women, prolonged fatigue was not associated with SA during 1-year follow-up,” stated the study by Roelen et al. The study also recommends more attention for prolonged fatigue in occupational healthcare practice and research. “Early identification of and treatment for pro-longed fatigue might prevent future health prob-lems and SA, especially in white-collar men,” says the report. [AWF]

Fatigue could be a result of long-term shift work -

study.Isy Rovi F. de Ocampo (R.N.)

depression and mood disorders, serious gastrointestinal prob-lems and fertility and pregnancy problems are the other diseases associated with long (night) shift work. The health and medicine website WebMD.com says while some diseases seem to develop gradually over the years, some develop more quickly than ex-pected. A small laboratory experiment was conducted by Frank Scheer PhD, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Bos-ton, to test the effects of disrupt-ing the circadian rhythm. In the article from WebMD.com, it says to simulate the ef-fects of shift work, Scheer had 10 healthy adults adopt a constantly changing schedule of eating and sleeping. “After just 10 days, he found that they all had lower lep-tin levels (which would increase appetite), higher blood pressure, and worse sleep,” stated the arti-cle. [AWF]

NOVEMBER 2013 10NOVEMBER 201310 LIBANGAN, NEGOSYO ATBP...

Lagi nating sinasabi na dapat “always save for the rainy days” dahil hindi natin alam kung kailan tayo uulunan ng problemang pampinasiya sa ating negosyo. Hindi ito pure negative thinking lamang kundi isang precautionary at preventive measure para hindi tayo tuluyang mabangkarote at mabaon sa pagkakautang. Kung sa personal na pinansiya ito, ang suweldo at iba pang source of income natin ay dapat bawasan ng 10 porsiyento at ipunin ito sa bangko nang may madudukot tayo sa panahon ng ating pangangailangan. Ang maiipon natin ay maaari rin nating maidagdag sa kapital ng ating maliit na negosyo at magiging pinakaumpisa ng paglawak nito. Sa negosyo ay dapat ganoon din. Ang ating matitipid sa gastos sa ating pagnenegosyo ay dapat na itabi sa bangko at ito ang magsisilbi nga ating emergency fund. Sa kabilang banda, dapat din naman na pagbutihin pang lalo ang ating business strategies para makatiyak tayong makasasabay tayo sa tumitinding kumpetisyon, napagbubuti natin ang ating mga produkto at serbisyo, at nagiging mapangahas tayo—subalit maingat—sa pagpapalawak ng ating customer at partnership base. Kaya nga, ngayon pa lang ay pag-aralan na natin ang ating cash flow at tingnan kung saan tayo makatitipid at doon tayo kukuha ng ating magiging emergency funds.

Ang ating mga kababayang OFWs [overseas Filipino workers] ay potensiyal na business part-ners. Kaya nga, dapat na lumikha tayo ng paraan para maabot natin sila at maalukan ng negosyong babagay sa kanila. Hindi naman kinakailangan na tayo mismo ang magiging direct partner nila. Maaari tayong magsilbing business coach nila (kung talagang mahusay na ang takbo ng ating business). Puwede rin tayong magsilbi na supplier nila o kaya naman ay maging tagapagturo sa kanila kung anong magandang business franchise o business venture na maaari nilang bilhin o pasukan. Ang Philippine Overseas Employment Adminstration (POEA) ay mayroong re-integration program para sa ating mga kababayan at maaari kayo roong makipag-ugnayan para sa maaaring partnership. Magandang oportunidad din ito para sa non-stock, non-profits na gusto ring makatulong sa ating mga kababayan na mapaganda ang kanilang buhay at nang hindi na sila madalas na man-gingibang bansa pa para magkaroon ng maayos na kabuhayan. Pero siyempre, dapat din na makapagprisinta tayo ng magandang business plan, proposal at strategy para madali nating mabuslo ang ating transaksiyon sa kanila. Ngunit tatandaan, dapat na maging motto natin ang mahusay at matapat na pakikipagtransak-siyon para maging mabiyaya at mabunga ang ating mga business venture.

Alam ba ninyo na maaring maging maliit na business ang inyong pagbabakasyon sa ibang bansa? Ang mga souvenir na mabibili natin at iba pang niceties na mabibili natin sa ibang bayan ay maari nating ipagbili at makapagtayo tayo ng isang maliit na boutique. Kaya nga, hindi lamang na dapat puro gastos lamang ang ating panaka-nakang paga-abroad kundi dapat natin itong ikumbirti sa isang maliit na negosyo na magiging dahilan para mabawi natin ang ating ginastos sa ilang araw nating paglilimayon. Hindi naman instant, mga kaibigan, ang pagkita sa ganitong uri ng negosyo. Alam na alam na-man natin na tricky ang pagnenegosyo at hindi lang basta-basta ang umuunlad dito. Kailangan ito ng talino, tiyaga, sipag at paniniwala para mapamahalaan ito nang mabuti. Kung pupunta kayo ng Hong Kong, Taiwan, o kahit saan pa, tingnan na kung ano ang maaari ninyong mabitbit at mapagkakitaan pagdating ninyo dito sa ating bansa. O, hindi ba’t kay gandang ideya? [AWF]

Mag-ipon para sa sariling gamit at sa negosyoNoel Sales Barcelona

Gawing partner ang ating OFWsNoel Sales Barcelona

Magsimula ng negosyo sa pag-aabrod ninyo!Noel Sales Barcelona

Photo courtesy: jcdickerson.wordpress.com

NOVEMBER 2013 11

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is-sues a series of Department Or-ders, aiming to create a better working environment for both domestic and international sea-farers. Labor departments D.O. 129 targets local seamen working in domestic vessels, excluding warships and naval auxiliaries; government ships not engaging in commercial operations; and fishing vessels. The said D.O. orders the shipowners to comply with the requirements when it comes to

DOLE issues orders on seafaringNoel Sales Barcelona Editor-In-Chief

safety, salaries and wages, over-time pay, mandated contribu-tions such as social security and PhilHealth, paternal and vaca-tion leaves, 13th month pay and other benefits. The order also stipulates the minimum age requirement for applicants in local seafaring at 18 years old as well as the pro-vision of medical certificates be-fore being hired. Meanwhile, D.O. 130 stipu-lates the rules and regulations on hiring seamen on Philippine Registered Ships engaged in in-ternational voyage.

IBA PANG MGA BALITA...

The Labor department also issues an order—D.O. 130A—creating the guidelines for the authorization of recognized or-ganizations to conduct ship in-spections on ships with Philip-pine registry. All these were issued, accord-ing to the Labor deparment, in compliance with the Maritime La-bor Convention of 2006. The International Seafarers’ Ac-tion Center, on the other hand said they are keeping an eye if these D.O.’s would be properly and strict-ly enforced.

“We are afraid that it would re-main on paper. So, we are keeping an eye to government agencies in-volved in shipping and seafaring, to ensure that everything is being en-forced and that everbody are com-plying—without any exceptions,” says Atty. Edwin S. de la Cruz, ISAC president. Moreover, de la Cruz said that their campaign for better working condition is continuous and that they are now creating programs that are beneficial to both seafarers and their families. [AWF]

Bagaman hindi na maituturing na bago ang na-kawan sa gobyerno, ang pumutok na isyu ng pag-bulsa ng P10 bilyong halaga ng priority develop-ment assistance fund (PDAF) na kilala sa rin sa tawag na pork barrel, nakadama kami ng kalung-kutan—kalungkutan dahil maraming magagawa sa sinasabing kinulimbat na salapi para tugunan ang batayang mga pangangailangan ng bayan: ayuda sa ating agrikultura at lokal na mga industriya’t nego-syo; mga tulay at kalsada na pasimula sa pag-unlad ng mga nasa kanayunan; at pondo para sa mga pro-gramang pangkabuhayan na mag-aangat sa kabu-hayan ng maralita. Sa pananalasa ng bagyong si Yolanda, at maging ang naging malakas na lindol na puminsala nang husto sa bahagi ng Bohol at Cebu, makikita ang laki ng krimeng ginawa ng tiwaling mga opisyal ng go-byerno at pribadong negosyate sa sambayanan. Bagaman sumuko na at humarap sa Senado ang sinasabing utak ng pinakamalaking scam ng taon, si Gng. Janet Lim-Napoles, hindi sapat ang imbesti-gasyon at prosekusyon mga nasasangkot. Ang pang-yayaring ito, para sa All-Workers’ Forum, Inc., ay panahon ng pagrepaso sa umiiral na mga patakaran at pamamaraan na ipinatutupad ng at sa gobyerno. Walang pribadong indibiduwal ang maglalakas-loob na magnakaw sa kabang-yaman ng bansa kung walang taga-gobyerno na nangungusinti sa gani-tong kalakaran; at wala ring maglalakas-loob na taga-gobyerno na magnakaw kung walang “basbas” ng bayan—sa maniwala man tayo o sa hindi. Hindi rin kami naniniwalang ordinaryong pang-yayari sa gobyerno ang korupsiyon. Isa itong bin-uong masalimuot na sistema na sangkot ang mga nasa burukrasya at mga mamamayan. Sa panig ng nasa burukrasya, ang pag-abuso sa kapangyari-han ang pangunahing sangkap para magkaroon ng korupsiyon. Sa panig ng mamamayan, ang hindi

PORK BARREL SCAMPAHAYAG HINGIL SA

pagsasalita—at pagpayag sa tiwaling sistema sa pa-kikipagtransaksiyon—ay nakapag-aambag din sa paglaganap ng korupsiyon sa pamahalaan.

Bukod dito, may malaking papel din na ginag-ampanan sa pagpapalaganap ng kultura ng kati-walian ng mga institusyon ng lipunan: ang mga paaralan, ang mga relihiyon, at maging ang pamilya. Kaya nga, bukod sa pagbabantay sa mga proseso na sangkot ang pera ng bayan na nakalagak sa go-byerno sa porma ng badyet at buwis, dapat na rin nating suriin ang ating mga pagpapahalaga (values) at paniniwala (beliefs) at baka naririyan, nagtatago ang aninong pumapayong sa isip at puso ng garapal kung kumakamkam ng salapi’t pag-aaring hindi na-man sa kanila. Samantala, sa mga kaso ng katiwaliang nakahain na sa kaukulang mga korte at ahensiya ng gobyer-nong nararapat na umusig sa ganitong uri ng mga kaso, nawa’y pabilisin nila ang pagdinig, maingat na suriin ang lahat ng ebidensiya at mga salaysay, at walang pagkatig nilang ihapag ang kanilang hatol. Nawa’y maisip din ng nasa hudikatura na ang pagpapabagal sa isang kaso ay isa ring uri ng kati-walian. At nawa’y huwag silang pabulag sa kinang ng salapi at isipin nila ang kapakanan ng susunod na henerasyon. [AWF]

Manggagawa, magkaisa! Labanan ang katiwalian sa gobyerno at sa lipunan! Buong tapang at sigasig

na isulong ang makabuluhang pagbabagong sosyal!