Newsupdate

NEWS UPDATE
January 7, 2013
Stop Rice Smuggling
Grain Self-Sufficiency Goal This Year Faces Hurdle, Farmers
Say
By FREDDIE G. LAZARO
The Manila Bulletin
CANDON CITY — Rice traders, millers, and farmers are appealing to the Aquino administration to act
immediately and decisively against the “rampant” rice smuggling in the country that has resulted in the
flooding of the grain and lower demand for domestic rice.
Farmers said rice smuggling could imperil President Aquino’s rice self-sufficiency goal this year if this is
not stopped.
According to Abono Party-List chairman Rosendo So, the smuggling of rice, most of them from a
neighboring country, is prevalent in the ports of Mindanao, particularly in Davao and Cebu, where the
staple food is being misdeclared as slag, wood wall, tiles or ukay, citing documents he got from the
Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“The rice contraband from Mindanao are being shipped to Luzon and sold by unscrupulous rice traders
for P1,200 per sack, way below the usual price of P1,400 per sack of locally milled palays, which traders
and millers usually bought at P17.50 a kilo,” he said.
So -- who has been in the forefront of the campaign against smuggling of meat and other agricultural
products -- warned of the disastrous impact of the continuing decline in the prices of domestic rice to
the country’s rice sector.
“Farmers fear that prices for locally produced grains would drop further. Millers are not buying because
they cannot compete with the sheer volume of smuggled rice that has been flooding the market,” added
So, who along with Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile, met recently with a group of traders, millers, and farmers
who complained about the unabated rice smuggling which they said is gravely affecting their businesses
and production.
If the government fails to immediately stop the rice smuggling, local traders and millers would no longer
buy the palay (unhusked or unmilled rice) to be harvested by farmers this summer due to the lower
market demand, the Abono chairman warned.
“Traders and millers complained that they cannot compete with unscrupulous traders who are selling
smuggled rice at P1,200 per sack. Worse, they cannot buy the palay at P17.50 a kilo this coming harvest
time, because they still have plenty of rice stocks which they bought in the last season. Who will now
buy the palay harvested by our farmers?” So asked.
Meanwhile, Congress has acted on the public perception that the Philippines has become a “center of
rice smuggling” with recent illegal shipments of Indian and Vietnamese rice worth P487 million through
the Subic and Legazpi ports.
House committee on good government and public accountability chairman Rep. Jerry Treñas has already
started a probe on the illegal rice importation in the Subic and Legazpi ports.
He said the inquiry was not only in aid of legislation but to prosecute smugglers and their protectors in
government as well.
He noted that some P450 million worth of Indian white rice was seized at the Subic Bay Freeport earlier
this year while at least 94,000 bags of rice on board the Vessel MINH Tuan 68 originating from Vietnam
was likewise confiscated in Legazpi, Albay
“That’s why we are appealing to the government not to be deaf to our pleas. Addressing the problem of
rice smuggling will not only help Filipino farmers but will support President
Benigno S. Aquino III’s vision of a rice self-sufficient Philippines by 2013,” So added.
Earlier, the President announced that the nation would no longer import rice this year and that it will
already be in a position to export long grain aromatic rice.
However, So warned that this objective might not be achieved if smuggling continues to hurt the local
industry.
“If the government is really serious in achieving the targets set by the President, then they should heed
this emergency call. Smuggling is killing the local rice industry, and if farmers and millers close shop since
they could not compete with smuggled rice, the government can kiss their rice self-sufficiency target
goodbye,” the Abono party-list head said.
Meanwhile, a research by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) revealed that it is
impossible for the Philippines to achieve a 100-percent rice self-sufficiency within this year or even
throughout 2020.
The negative prediction, according to PIDS Senior Research Fellow Roehlano Briones, was based on
factors such as strategies under the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) as well as economic forces
and behaviors of consumers, producers and markets, and unattainable targets.
Briones reported that the targets of the FSSP, crafted by the Department of Agriculture (DA), is highly
ambitious. It projects that under the program, palay yields from 2011 to 2016 would grow from 3.78 to
4.53 t/ha (tons per hectare) respectively. Also, palay production would reach from 17.0 to 22.7 million
tons during the same period.
However, Briones said historical data shows that both yield and production from 1994 to 2010 grew only
from 1.5 to 3.2 percent respectively.
Budget allocated for the DA has been increased from P33 billion in 2010 to P55 billion this year. The
increase is intended to fund various strategies, such as improving irrigation, sustaining research and
development for new crop varieties, promoting mechanized on-farm and post-harvest strategies, and
harnessing the potential of high-elevation and upland rice ecosystem, to achieve rice self-sufficiency.
However, Briones suggested that the only way to make rice self-sufficiency feasible is to increase
barriers to rice imports. The drawback to this is that it will make rice substantially more expensive.
He added that increasing rice production alone would not eliminate rice importation.
“Self-sufficiency should not be equated to zero imports but rather be based on a broader set of criteria
such as nutritional norms for rice consumption and rice affordability, among others,” Briones said. (With
a report from Carlo S. Suerte Felipe)
DND Beefing Up Navy With New Choppers
By ELENA L. ABEN
The Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines --- Recognizing the need for additional naval and air platform to secure the
country’s vast maritime territory, the Department of National Defense (DND) plans to acquire two more
AW 109 Power helicopters for the Philippine Navy.
This will be in addition to the three naval choppers expected to be delivered by 2014.
The DND earlier announced that the P1.33-billion contract of agreement for the purchase of the three
naval helicopters was signed between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and supplier
AugustaWestland S.P.A last December 20.
The acquisition project was done under negotiated procurement through Section 53.2 (Emergency
Procurement) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of R.A. 9184.
Following the signing of the contract of agreement, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said, “With the
other projects in the pipeline and our planned acquisition, we are now louder and clearer in our intent
to upgrade the capability of our AFP to address its constitutional duty to secure the sovereignty of the
state and the integrity of the national territory.”
Meanwhile, at least six countries -- South Korea, Spain, the United States, Israel, Croatia, and Australia --
are offering frigates to the Philippines, the DND disclosed yesterday, saying that this showed that more
countries are now convinced that the Philippine government is engaged in a serious effort to modernize
the armed forces.
Fernando Manalo, the DND undersecretary for finance, munitions, installations and materiel, said: “May
mga ibang bansa all over the world ngayon pa lang sila naniniwala that we are really serious in
modernizing the armed forces so that yung dating. . . ayaw magparticipate, walang tiwala dito sa ating
proseso ngayon nandito.”
Manalo said some countries are even offering brand new frigates for the armed forces.
The defense department announced that the government is planning to buy this year two Maestrale-
class frigates from the Italian Navy. If the plan pushes through, this would be the first time that the
Philippine military would acquire two modern warships armed with surface-to-air and surface-to-surface
missiles and other modern armaments.
The two refurbished Maestrale-class frigates from Italy cost P11.7 billion.
Manalo said the Italian made frigates will provide the minimum credible deterrence that the military
needs in the West Philippine Sea. However, there is still no scheduled contract signing for its acquisition,
he added.
House Sets Gun Control Debates
By CHARISSA M. LUCI
The Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines --- The House of Representatives is expected to hold debates on stricter gun control
proposals when Congress resumes its session on January 21, Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr.
said over the weekend.
Alarmed by the snowballing gun-related deaths and injuries, including last Friday’s shooting rampage in
Kawit, Cavite that left eight people dead and injured at least four others, the House chief expressed the
287-man Lower Chamber’s commitment to discuss proposals to tighten the implementation of the
country’s gun laws.
“We will start debating pending proposals calling for stricter gun control in the country and that’s to be
expected,” Belmonte said.
“The Cavite incident was really tragic and even the cases of stray bullets where the lives of innocent
children were not spared. Obviously strict control of firearms is essential,” he stressed.
Congress will buckle down to work from January 21 to February 8 before the election fever heats up.
Belmonte also directed the review of the chamber’s gun policy, which applies to all gunholder-
lawmakers and their bodyguards.
“We will review our gun policy in the House of Representatives,” he said.
Reliable sources said there are some who violated the House policy which prohibits the carrying of guns
inside the Batasan Complex.
“There was order to bar them (lawmakers and bodyguards) carrying guns inside the buildings, but our
security team is having hard time to check and prevent them from doing so. This should be checked by
our House leaders,” said a security officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Quezon City Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo also called on the Aquino government to strictly impose
initiatives on gun control.
He said the permits of those who failed to follow gun laws, especially those involved in indiscriminate
firing last New Year’s Eve, must be revoked. He said only persons whose lives are under real and verified
threats should be allowed to carry short firearms after passing strict psychological and psychiatric tests.
“There is a need to strictly regulate gun ownership and carrying firearms,” he said.
Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado has filed House Bill 6783 that prohibits civilians from possessing, carrying or
using guns.
Under the measure, only members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army (PA),
Philippine Navy (PN) and Philippine Air Force (PAF), licensed security guards, and personnel of other
agencies as determined by the President, the Speaker and the Senate President can legally carry
firearms.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said yesterday renewed calls for a total gun ban in
the country are “knee-jerk reactions’’ while Sen. Joker Arroyo said that what is needed is strict
enforcement of gun laws since “punishment is not a deterrent (to the commission of crime) but it is law
enforcement.’’
In the field of law enforcement, we have too many laws and another law (to be passed by Congress) will
not solve gun-related killings and there are gun laws that policemen can enforce,’’ Arroyo said.
In so far as Sotto is concerned, “a total gun ban would not prevent a repeat of the bloodbath but would
only exacerbate the already grave peace and order problem in our country.”
“Even today, responsible gun owners are no match to heavily-armed criminal elements, which the
authorities could not seem to confront despite its superior armory. If we outlaw guns, then only the
outlaws will have guns, as the saying goes. The citizenry will be at the mercy of the criminal elements
with high-powered guns at their disposal,’’ he said.
‘’The carnage in Cavite is already tragic in itself; it would be more tragic if we disarm responsible gun
holders whose only aim in possessing guns is to protect themselves from criminal elements,’’ he pointed
out.
Sotto said what happened in Cavite “is a reminder that despite all the laws that we have passed, our
anti-drug campaign is not making much headway.’’
The gunman, Ronald Bae, was under the heavy influence of methamphetamine (shabu) when he went
on the killing spree.
Sotto cited reports that Bae was a known drug trader in the locality and his house in Kawit was openly
used as distribution center for illegal drugs.
“The question is: Why was Bae not apprehended for illegal drug trafficking so that carnage could have
been prevented?’’ he asked.
“Instead of a total gun ban, the government should instead increase the meager budget of the
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) so that it could upgrade and update its anti-drug
operations. There should also be more coordination and synchronization in the efforts of all agencies
involved in the fight against illegal drugs,’’ he said.
As the country has many licensed and unlicensed guns, the proposed total gun ban would control those
licensed gun holders who pass through several tests ‘’but how do you control those possessing
unlicensed firearms?’’ Arroyo asked.
The veteran lawmaker said that even the severe punishment of death penalty would deter a criminal
from violating the laws.
Arroyo pointed out that the US, a developed nation, has its share of gun-related problems.
Meanwhile, amid the flurry of deadly shooting incidents at the start of the New Year, Malacañang is not
inclined to support the revival of the death penalty but is still undecided whether or not to rally behind a
proposed imposition of a total gun ban in the country.
Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the Palace will still look into the various proposals
to prohibit gun ownership and discuss the matter with President Benigno S. Aquino III.
“I have been monitoring the different statements and proposals coming out of stakeholders as well as
public officials on this matter and there is a wide spectrum of the proposals that will have to be
discussed also with the President,” Valte said over government radio.
“Kasi kahit sabihin pong ‘total gun ban’ meron po kasing gradations in the proposals when it comes to
the total gun ban. So essentially we will have to look at all of these and then discuss it with the
President,” she added.
Valte acknowledged that a number of gun control measures have been filed in Congress but the
President has no position on the matter yet. She also could not confirm if the President is ready to hold
a dialogue with proponents and opponents of the proposed gun ban.
On the revival of the death penalty to deter crimes, Valte insisted the President’s position against such
capital punishment remains the same.
“The position of the President as far as the death penalty is concerned has not changed. He is not for the
death penalty,” she said.
She said the President has stressed the “certainty of punishment” such as imprisonment and other
penalties would be the “effective deterrent of crimes.”
The death of seven-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella by a stray bullet during the New Year’s Eve revelry in
Caloocan has sparked calls for tighter gun control or total gun ban in the country
Nicole’s death was followed by a shooting rampage of a man in Cavite that left eight people dead and 11
others wounded. The killing spree last Friday fueled pressure for more government action to deal with
loose firearms in the country.
Some groups have called on the President, a gun enthusiast, to give up his firearms and support
measures to tighten gun ownership in the country. But the Palace has asked the concerned groups to
stick to the issue and not attack the President on a personal level.
During the presidential campaign in 2010, Aquino declared he was not in favor of the gun ban in the
country due to concerns it may not be the solution to prevent crimes.
At that time, Aquino, known for his shooting prowess, sought more data here and abroad to determine
if a total gun ban was an effective tool to fight crimes. (With reports from Genalyn D. Kabiling and Mario
B. Casayuran)
IRR For CCTV Ordinance Approved
By CHITO A. CHAVEZ
The Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines --- To ensure maximum efficiency in crime detection and prevention, the Quezon
City government has approved the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of an ordinance requiring
business establishments to be equipped with closed circuit television (CCTV) systems.
Under the ordinance principally authored by Councilor Raquel Malangen, surveillance cameras that will
be installed should have at least one dedicated channel per camera in operation, a 640x480 pixel
resolution recording level, a recording speed of 15 frames per second, a time-stamping feature and
sufficient memory to retain data for at least 30 days.
For high-risk business establishments, it is required that an additional one fixed focus IP camera shall be
dedicated to the cashier’s area of operation equipped with infrared night vision capability.
Business establishments that are engaged in services requiring privacy installations should limit the
installation of surveillance systems to public and common areas like hallways, stairways, lobbies,
reception areas, waiting lounges and pools.
Malangen said business establishments operating and maintaining existing and compliant CCTV system
shall be exempted from the coverage of ordinance number SP – 2139, Series of 2012 and the IRR.
PCGG Looking Into ‘Payanig’ Taxes
By KRIS BAYOS
The Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines --- The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is looking into the
practice of the city government of collecting real property taxes from occupants of the “Payanig sa
Pasig.”
The PCGG revealed that it is inclined to file a graft complaint against officials of the city government,
including Mayor Robert “Bobby” Eusebio, for receiving real property tax payments from alleged illegal
occupants at the “Payanig sa Pasig.”
The PCGG said the Pasig City mayor, assessor, treasurer and licensing officer should be liable for
allegedly violating Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for receiving the tax
payment from Blemp Commercial of the Philippines (Blemp) despite a Supreme Court ruling that said
government is the presumptive owner of the “Payanig sa Pasig” property.
The PCGG manages the Independent Realty Corporation (IRC) after it was voluntarily surrendered to the
government by Marcos’ crony Jose Campos in 1986. IRC’s subsidiary, Mid Pasig Land Development Corp.
(MPLDC) holds the judicially reconstituted title covering 16 hectares of the property while Blemp, whose
largest shareholder is Partas Transportation of Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson, claims possession of
the original title.
IRC legal officer Atty. Angela Esquivel said the Pasig City officials violated the law for “giving due
advantage to a private party” when they received tax payment and issued receipt thereof despite the
government’s claim of ownership over the highly commercialized property at the heart of Ortigas
Center.
“They should not have received the payment because there is already a Supreme Court decision that
says government is the presumptive owner of the property for taxation purposes,” she said, referring to
a decision promulgated last August 24, 2011.
Garlic Growers Optimistic For 2013
By ELLALYN B. DE VERA
The Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines --- Local garlic growers are optimistic that this year will be more productive and
progressive for the agricultural sector.
Arnold De Sagon, president of the Itbayat Garlic Producers and Multi-Purpose Cooperative based in
Itbayat, Batanes, said more farmers have planted the crop this current cropping season, encouraged by
the windfall that growers gained during last cropping season which ended last April.
He said even areas which did not cultivate the product in recent years, particularly in the Visayas and
Mindanao, had availed of the technical support from the Department of Agriculture.
The technical assistance came in the form of training on the proper and scientific cultivation of garlic. DA
also provided seedlings, farm inputs and post-harvest facilities.
Complementing the project was the establishment of a linkage between the farms and the marketing
network.
Vegetable traders, particularly those under the Vegetable Importers/Exporters/Vendors Association

(VIEVA) Phils., were encouraged by DA to purchase locally grown garlic from as far as the Batanes Group
of Islands, the Ilocos provinces, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Mindoro.
Many far-flung farms, including those in the mountainous parts of the country, were reached by traders
for the first time.
Government support came in the form of seeds and post-harvest facilities, such as hanger driers that DA
deployed in key areas of garlic producing provinces.
The government also helped in the establishment of linkages between farms and the marketing
network.
Based on reports presented by eight garlic producer-groups, the volume of locally grown garlic is
expected to double in 2013.
Ontog Expected To Be Named Commander Of Task Force SAFE
By AARON RECUENCO
The Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines --- With only four months remaining before E-Day, the Philippine National Police
(PNP) leadership looks to firm up the appointment of the new commander of the special police task
force for the 2013 midterm elections.
Director Ager Ontog assumed the leadership of the Task Force SAFE (Secure and Fair Elections) a few
days after he was named the number four man of the PNP, the Chief Directorial Staff, which was
vacated by Director General Alan Purisima.
“He is in charge of Task Force SAFE in an acting capacity but with no recommendation so far, I think he
will be in charge on a permanent basis eventually,” said Purisima, PNP chief, in an interview.
One of the remaining members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1980, Ontog served as
the director of the Central Visayas regional police before he was assigned to Camp Crame.
The early retirement of his mistah, retired PNP chief Nicanor Bartolome, paved the way for Ontog to
become the PNP’s number four man.
As Task Force SAFE commander, Ontog will lead the operation to account for loose firearms and the
busting Partisan Armed Groups which threatens to affect the result of the midterm elections in May,
said Purisima.
Purisima used to be the Task Force SAFE commander. With his appointment as PNP chief, he is now the
vice chairman of National Task Force SAFE. Interior Secretary Mar Roxas is the chairman.
There were approximately 600,000 loose firearms in the country while some 60 PAGs across the
country, most of them in Mindanao.
Lawmen kill 13 in Quezon shootout
Fatalities were all criminals, say police
By Delfin Mallari Jr.
The Manila Bulletin
LUCENA CITY, Philippines —At least 13 alleged members of a big criminal group from Bicol were killed in
a gun battle with policemen and soldiers on Maharlika Highway in Quezon province on Sunday
afternoon, according to Army officers.
The officers said the fire fight erupted after two sports utility vehicles carrying the alleged gang
members tried to smash through a police-military checkpoint near the boundary of Plaridel and
Atimonan towns. The exchange of gunfire supposedly lasted for 18 minutes.
Lt. Col. Monico Abang, commander of the Army’s 1st Special Forces Battalion, said 11 of the alleged
gang members died at the scene of the clash, while two others died on the way to the hospital.
A Quezon police official described the fatalities as members of a criminal gang.
Not much information about the gun battle was available Sunday night.
Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño monitored the report of the fire fight and linked INQUIRER.net’s
breaking story to his tweet. “This is one hell of a shootout,” he tweeted. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño monitored the report of the fire fight and linked INQUIRER.net’s
breaking story to his tweet. “This is one hell of a shootout,” he tweeted.
In a phone interview, Col. Alex Capiña, commander of the Army’s 201st Infantry Brigade, said that at
around 3:30 p.m., the security forces set up a checkpoint in Barangay (village) Tanauan, Atimonan, and
tried to flag down two black Mitsubishi Montero Sport vehicles.
But instead of heeding the order, Capiña said, the occupants of the SUVs opened fire on the security
forces, prompting the policemen and soldiers to return fire.
The security forces were soldiers from the Army’s First Special Forces Battalion and intelligence officers
from the Quezon Provincial Police Office, said Maj. Angelo Guzman, a spokesperson for the 9th Infantry
Division based in Pili, Camarines Sur.
Senior Supt. Valeriano de Leon, Quezon police chief, said that no policeman was killed but one of the
policemen, Supt. Hanzel Marantan, an official of the Philippine National Police-Southern Tagalog’s
Special Operations Group, was hit in the hands and a leg.
De Leon said Marantan was taken to a hospital in Lucena City.
“He is now out of danger,” De Leon said.
De Leon said the Quezon police received information that members of a big criminal syndicate from
Bicol would pass by in the area on Sunday.
“It was a solid tip from a government informer,” De Leon said by phone.
Coordination with the military led to the joint police-military checkpoint.
Capiña said traffic on the Maharlika Highway was temporarily diverted to the Bondoc Peninsula
Highway, exiting in Gumaca town, because of the incident.
Capiña said eight .45 cal. pistols, one M-16 rifle and one M-14 rifle were recovered from the alleged
gang members.
De Leon said the 13 men slain in the fire fight were members of a big-time drug syndicate.
He said, however, that police had yet to determine if the 13 men killed on Sunday belonged to the same
drug syndicate three of whose members were killed in Tagkawayan town in Quezon last month.
On Dec. 17, three motorists from Camarines Norte were slain in an ambush carried out by two
motorcycle-riding gunmen along the Quirino highway in Tagkawayan, Quezon.
The three men’s car yielded 10 kilos of high-grade “shabu,” or methamphetamine hydrochloride, with
an estimated street price of P90 million.
Capiña did not provide other details on the activities of the supposed syndicate, but De Leon said the
police would release information after the investigation. With a report from Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer
Southern Luzon and AFP
China open to joint oil dev’t in Recto Bank
By Gil C. Cabacungan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippines and China may forge ahead with the joint exploration of oil and gas reserves in the West
Philippine Sea, which the latter calls the South China Sea, even as their leaders continue to squabble
over boundaries.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Ma Keqing made this suggestion as she said these resources
could remain idle for a very long time if the Philippines and China waited for a final resolution of their
territorial dispute before engaging in any commercial development in the area.
In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer editorial team last month, Ma said the Philippines and
China should allow oil and gas prospectors—China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) and the Forum
Energy-led consortium of businessmen Manuel V. Pangilinan and Enrique Razon Jr.—to strike a deal to
confirm and maximize the oil and gas potential of Recto Bank off the coast of Palawan province.
Estimates showed that the Recto Bank prospect has potential reserves of 3.4-trillion cubic feet of gas
and 440 million barrels of oil that would make this a bigger find than the Malampaya gas field, also off
Palawan.
“I think they (Forum Energy) are now discussing a joint cooperation with China. It’s a very positive sign.
Why not let two companies discuss the cooperation? I think cooperation will be the best way,” Ma said.
Joint understanding
The Chinese ambassador took note of “previous proposals to shelve sovereignty disputes and pursue
joint cooperation,” referring to the Joint Maritime Seismic Understanding (JMSU) that the Arroyo
administration initiated in 2005.
Under the JMSU, the three signatories—CNOOC, Petron Corp. of the Philippines and Vietnam Oil and
Gas Corp. (PetroVietnam)—agreed to explore for three years the potential for oil in the disputed waters
among the three countries.
The arrangement was criticized as unconstitutional for failing to comply with the 40-percent foreign
ownership limit on join exploration deals involving natural resources of the Philippines.
Formula valid
“I think it is still a very valid formula pending the solution of the disputes. We can have cooperation with
each other to *explore+ the resources because we cannot see in the near future… that we can solve all
the disputes,” the Chinese ambassador said.
Ma said the disputes over sovereignty and territorial integrity were very sensitive matters.
“We must be very, very careful when talking about the territorial issues or disputes, that’s why. Why not
shelve the issues and talk about cooperation?” she said.
Bigger picture
Ma said that in this era of globalization, the interests of China and those of other countries in the region
were intertwined.
“China’s interests are interconnected with its neighbors’ and other countries’ at large. I think that is the
bigger picture. If we want to seize opportunities [and] not lose time, we should get along with each
other,” she said.
Political reality
In a text message, Pangilinan, chairman of Philex Mining Corp., concurred with the views of Ma to
explore Recto Bank. But he said he must face the “political reality” involved in any Recto Bank find.
“I must say that the Chinese position, as articulated by the current Chinese Ambassador Ma and by [its]
past ambassadors, has, as far as I know, been consistent in respect of the dual sovereignty or
commercial aspects of the potential oil and gas resources in the West Philippine Sea. That’s the same
stance CNOOC conveyed to us last year,” he said in a text message.
“As businessmen, we can only respond appropriately to one side of that duality—the commercial one.
That’s a course we would like to pursue keenly, purely as a commercial matter. After all, if there is
nothing out there under the seas, what is there to quibble and quarrel about?” he said.
Pangilinan added: “We appreciate that we cannot abstract from the political realities obtaining and,
since we’re only a contractor to—not owner of—those potential resources, we must respect and work
within the political guidelines and rules.”
In a text message, Razon, chairman of International Container Terminal Services Inc., said that reaching
a “commercial solution” first between the Philippines and China was possible while the territorial
dispute remained unresolved.
Negotiate profit sharing
Razon said the parties could negotiate on profit sharing and royalties from any oil and gas find that
would be agreeable to both the Philippine and Chinese governments. He suggested that drilling rigs be
provided by operators from third-party countries.
Pangilinan and Razon are the joint holders of Service Contract No. 72, the state-granted exploration
franchise that covers 80,000 hectares in Recto Bank. The bank falls within the 330-kilometer exclusive
economic zone (EEZ) under the Philippine Archipelagic Baselines Law.
Pangilinan’s Philex Mining, though its subsidiaries FEC Resources Inc. and Philex Petroleum, owns a
controlling 64.45 percent of Forum Energy Plc, which holds 70 percent of SC 72. The remaining 30
percent of SC 72 is owned by Razon’s Monte Oro Resources and Energy Inc.
Pangilinan met with CNOCC officials last year for a possible tie-up but Razon said Monte Oro was not too
keen on getting a Chinese partner for its share in SC 72.
President Aquino is adamant that all royalties go to the Philippines because Recto Bank is clearly inside
the Philippine EEZ, being 150 km off Palawan while Hainan, the nearest Chinese territory, is 570 km
away.
Forum was scheduled in October last year to check the soil stability in the area in preparation for an
appraisal well drilling in the first or second quarter of this year. But the Department of Energy refused to
give Forum the go-signal pending the resolution of the territorial dispute with China.
PCGG shows lack of will
By Amando Doronila
Early in the new year, a dispirited Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) sent out signals
it had been worn down by battle fatigue in its efforts to recover the ill-gotten wealth of the late dictator
Ferdinand Marcos.
On Jan. 1, PCGG Chairman Andres Bautista said in a press interview that he had recommended to
President Aquino that the agency wind down its 26-year task of flushing out the Marcos hidden wealth
because of the frustrating results of the search.
For three decades after the overthrow of the dictatorship in the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution,
the recovery effort by the President Cory Aquino successor administration had yielded less than half of
the estimated $10-billion missing fortune. It galled Bautista to report that with Marcos’ widow, Imelda,
and children back in positions of political power, the costs of recovery had become prohibitive.
“It has become a law of diminishing returns at this point,” Bautista said. “It’s been 26 years and people
you are after are back in power. At some point, you just have to say, ‘We’ve done our best,’ and that’s
that. It is really difficult. In order now to be able to get these monies back, you need to spend a lot.”
Bautista was speaking from the point of view of an accountant’s cost analysis.
He recommended to the President that the PCGG, one of the first offices Cory Aquino created after
taking power from Marcos, wind down its operations and transfer its work to the Department of Justice
(DOJ) and the sequestered Marcos assets to the Department of Finance (DOF).
It is not clear how the transfer would revitalize the flagging government effort to recover the Marcos
wealth or whether the DOJ would do a more zealous job than the PCGG, or whether it would be given
more powers than the PCGG. Bautista said prosecution functions should be transferred to the DOJ.
This is a case of eroding political will. We have no idea how the justice department will inject will into
the PCGG.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the President was still studying the recommendation, but
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the “mindset” of Mr. Aquino was the commission need not continue
its work.
Limited lifetime
If this is true, dismantling the PCGG would put the President in the quandary of reversing an important
program of his late mother in seeking the return of the wealth Marcos looted from the country to the
people.
But De Lima further said the PCGG “cannot exist forever” and that it had a “limited lifetime.” She said
the DOJ was ready to handle the prosecution of PCGG cases.
The PCGG made the recommendation in January 2011 as part of its 100-day accomplishment report.
However, Bautista emphasized that he didn’t say “we’re ending the hunt for the Marcos ill-gotten
wealth … I believe that that should continue because a substantial portion (of the ill-gotten wealth)
remains unrecovered.”
Although the government was showing signs of battle fatigue, there were voices warning that the
dismantling of the PCGG would send the signal that the government was abandoning a program
intended to make the Marcos heirs accountable for the dictatorship’s embezzlement of the public
wealth.
Sen. Francis Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, said there was no
reason for the PCGG to stop going after the Marcos wealth unless it could no longer prove a claim
against Marcos’ estate. He said the PCGG’s difficulties were a “lame excuse” to wrap up its mandate to
recover the loot of Marcos and his cronies.
Bautista pointed out that the return to power of Imelda, who continuously flaunt her wealth, as Ilocos
Norte representative, and the election of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as senator, and Imee Marcos as Ilocos
Norte governor did not make the PCGG’s job any easier.
Unimpressive effort
The PCCG’s record of recovering lost assets and filing criminal cases of corruption related to the
unexplained wealth case is far from impressive.
Despite numerous criminal and civil cases filed against the Marcos heirs and cronies for plundering
public wealth, none has so far been successfully prosecuted. About 200 ill-gotten wealth cases against
the Marcoses and their cronies are pending in the antigraft court Sandiganbayan.
Bautista said the PCGG would unlikely file new cases due to the difficulty of getting evidence and
witnesses against the Marcoses and their cronies more than a quarter of a century after the overthrow
of the dictatorship.
Time has played into the hands of the Marcoses.
Since its creation, the PCGG has recovered about $4 billion worth of assets, some invested in prime New
York real estate, jewelry, and about $600 million laundered in secret numbered Swiss bank accounts.
Bautista blamed the resources available to the Marcoses to defend themselves in litigations for the
languishing of the cases against them for 26 years.
The unkindest cut of all is that the PCGG’s annual budget of less than P100 million was only enough to
pay its staff of about 200 lawyers.
How can a government win legal battles by tying its own hands. This is suicide. The PCGG cannot win by
offering excuses.
Abadilla 5 told: Don’t lose hope
By TJ Burgonio
While President Aquino may not have acted on a recommendation to set them free by Christmas, the
five convicted killers of Army Lt. Col. Rolando Abadilla should not lose hope, Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima said.
The President granted pardons to eight elderly inmates of the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City
during the holidays, but not the “Abadilla 5.”
De Lima clarified that the President did not reject her recommendation that the five—Joel de Jesus,
Rameses de Jesus, Cesar Fortuna, Lenido Lumanog and Augusto Santos—be granted executive
clemency.
“There has been no rejection of my recommendation. What I know is that the President himself is
thoroughly reviewing the matter,” she said in a text message. “They should not lose hope.”
After news of the presidential pardon for the elderly inmates came out, Lumanog, confined at the
National Kidney and Transplant Institute for treatment of his transplanted kidney, wondered if they
should “wake up and stop dreaming.”
De Lima had earlier expressed the hope that the President would act on her recommendation in time for
Christmas.
While the Department of Justice’s Board of Pardons and Parole recommended the commutation of the
sentences of the Abadilla 5 in November 2011, De Lima pushed for conditional pardons, saying there
was “reasonable doubt” that the five were guilty.
De Lima noted that some justices dissented in the Supreme Court decision that upheld the conviction of
the Abadilla 5. She also said that when she looked into the case some years back when she was chair of
the Commission on Human Rights, questions about the credibility of the witness against the five nagged
at her.
Tortured to admit crime
The Supreme Court affirmed in February 2011 the Court of Appeals’ decision upholding the conviction of
the five for the 1996 killing of Abadilla meted out by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. Abadilla,
intelligence chief of what was then the Philippine Constabulary, had gained notoriety as an alleged
torturer of political prisoners during martial law.
The five insisted that they were innocent and accused their police captors of torturing them into
admitting the crime.
The communist New People’s Army took responsibility for the killing and turned in Abadilla’s Rolex
watch as proof.
Activist priest Fr. Robert Reyes, who advocated for their release from the start, aired the same message
as De Lima to the Abadilla 5.
“In a few months, the Abadilla 5 will be celebrating, or is it more appropriate to say mourning, 17 long
years of imprisonment for a crime that they did not commit. My feelings of frustration and indignation
do not compare with the anguish of five innocent men hoping against hope behind bars,” Reyes said in
an e-mailed statement.
Struggle for truth

While currently undergoing “religious formation” at the Franciscan novitiate in Laguna, Reyes said he
continued to pray for the Abadilla 5.
“I have personally witnessed their struggle for truth, justice and freedom, and most of all seen how in
spite of the bizarre behavior of the courts and the other branches of government, they continue to keep
the faith in the God of hope,” he wrote.
Responding to Lumanog’s lament, Reyes said: “The Abadilla 5 and all those in prison need to learn the
art of waiting in hope and patience. But compared to the majority of prisoners, the Abadilla 5 have
reason to wait in hope, for they are not alone in the possession of a crucial fact. Someone else, and not
they, is responsible for the murder of Col. Rolando Abadilla.”
Pagasa monitoring another low pressure area off Mindanao
Weather forecasters are closely monitoring a low pressure area (LPA) that could develop into a tropical
cyclone and affect areas of Mindanao still reeling from the effects of two powerful storms last month.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued a
special weather bulletin for Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, alerting residents in the provinces to
prepare for moderate to heavy (5 mm to 15 mm per hour) rains and thunderstorms.
Similar forecasts in other portions of Mindanao have prompted the weather bureau to warn residents of
the possibility of flashfloods or landslides.
Forecaster Buddy Javier told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that as of 4 p.m. Sunday, the low pressure area
was estimated at 510 km southeast of Mindanao.
He said there was a chance it could develop into a tropical cyclone as it was still over the ocean. Javier
added that it was moving closer to Mindanao.
He pointed out that the special weather bulletin issued by Pagasa for Compostela Valley and Davao
Oriental was in anticipation of the weather disturbance’s possible effect on Mindanao, where winds
from the northeast are anticipated to be moderate to strong, with moderate to rough seas.
The weather outlook for Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental is cloudy with occasional moderate to
heavy (3 mm to 10 mm per hour) rains on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In its 5 p.m. forecast, Pagasa said the Visayas and Palawan are expected to have cloudy skies with light
to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms. In the north, the Cagayan Valley will likely experience
cloudy skies with light rains. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy with brief
rainshowers or thunderstorms.
Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail throughout the country and coastal
waters could be rough. Jeannette I. Andrade
Metro Manila flood control plan budget a pittance
By Jerry E. Esplanada
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control master plan for Metro Manila and
nearby provinces—which has a total proposed budget of P352 billion—has been included in the
agency’s budget allocation for 2013.
But in a report furnished to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the DPWH’s public information division said
only P15.8 billion had been allocated by the department for the master plan, among other flood control
projects of the department, this year.
The amount represents 10.9 percent of the agency’s total infrastructure program funding of P144.3
billion and about five percent of its annual budget of P152.4 billion.
The bulk of the infrastructure funding—P100.9 billion—will go to the repair and maintenance of national
roads and bridges all over the country, said the report.
Of the P15.8 billion earmarked for flood control, P12.4 billion will go to locally funded projects, while
P3.45 billion is the national government counterpart fund for foreign-assisted projects.
Other flood control-related project budget allocations are for P425.6 million for right-of-way payments;
P340 million for feasibility studies and detailed engineering works, and P64.17 million for contractual
obligations.
Disaster Quick Response Fund
The DPWH has also set aside P500 million for the construction of septage and sewerage systems in
Puerto Princesa and 16 other highly urbanized cities, as well as rain collection systems in a number of
local government units nationwide.
Another P600 million was allocated for what the department calls the “Disaster Quick Response Fund,”
which is intended for the emergency repair of roads and bridges destroyed during typhoons, flash floods
and other natural disasters.
Under the 2013 General Appropriations Act, the following DPWH projects also received budget
allocations: Construction of basic education facilities, P14.1 billion; rehabilitation of health facilities,
P2.78 billion; various local infrastructures, P1.07 billion, and construction of ramps for disabled persons,
P5 million, among others.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said his department had been getting input from both local and
foreign experts on flood management and disaster risk reduction as it finalizes the master plan for
effective and comprehensive flood control in Metro Manila and nearby provinces like Bulacan,
Pampanga, Rizal and Laguna.
Construction of dams
Last July, the National Economic and Development Authority’s subcommittee on water resources
approved the master plan, which covers at least 11 infrastructure projects, including the construction of
several dams in Marikina City.
This, however, would require the relocation of at least 787,106 people, many of whom are illegal
settlers, said the DPWH Project Management Office for Major Flood Control Projects.
The DPWH’s 2012 master plan was based on a study funded by a $1.5 million grant from the World Bank
and the Australian Aid for International Development.
Aquino gives ARMM P745M more
Strife-torn Mindanao provinces will receive this year a peace dividend in the form of a P745.5-million
additional budget for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Before 2012 ended, President Aquino poured money into the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan
Program (Pamana), which funds development and peace-sustaining activities in conflict areas in the
ARMM.
Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad said the P745.5 million would be used to support the
development of settlement sites in the region, the disposition of arms and forces, and the construction
of roads and public infrastructure, among other things.
On Oct. 15, the Aquino administration signed a preliminary peace deal with the secessionist Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that should end 40 years of war in Mindanao through the creation of an
autonomous Bangsamoro territory.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, however, clarified that the additional Pamana funds were
intended for targeted beneficiaries in the ARMM, including, but not limited to, territories under the
sphere of influence of the MILF.
Lacierda said the funds were coursed through local government units in the ARMM.
“This is in addition to the P8-billion stimulus package for the development of the ARMM,” he said.
Pamana is jointly implemented by the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process,
Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Public Works and
Highways, and the ARMM.
The program establishes policy reforms at the national level, delivers social services to conflict-affected
communities, and links these communities to markets for job generation and for easier flow of goods
and services through vital infrastructure like farm-to-market roads.
The budgetary release is part of the P32.29-billion disbursement boost for Pamana, charged against
savings and windfall revenues, said Abad.
He was referring to the funds ordered released by Mr. Aquino in December 2012 creating a fiscal space
for “quick-disbursing priority programs and projects” that were expected to bolster domestic economic
growth in the remaining days of 2012 as well as in the first few weeks of 2013. Michael Lim Ubac
SC hears petitioners vs cybercrime law
By Christine O. Avendaño
. 15, specifically on the subject of online libel and how the Internet works. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Supreme Court has elected five counsels to argue before the court against various aspects of
Republic Act No. 10175—the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012—subject to its confirmation.
Lawyer Harry Roque on Sunday said he was one of the five speakers to deliver their oral arguments on
the anticybercrime law on Jan. 15, specifically on the subject of online libel and how the Internet works.
In an interview, Roque said the arrangement was agreed upon in a meeting presided over by Associate
Justice Roberto Abad with the anticybercrime petitioners who asked the government to strike down RA
10175 as unconstitutional. He said the five speakers, who belong to the 15 groups of petitioners, will
have 10 minutes each to make a presentation on five issues that were among those they questioned in
the law.
The other speakers are Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, UP law professor JJ Disini, Philippine Bar
Association legal counsel Rodel Cruz and lawyer Julius Matibag of the National Union of People’s
Lawyers.
The Jan. 15 oral arguments will be the first to be presided over by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno since
her appointment as head of the judiciary in August last year.
Shortly after President Aquino signed RA 10175 into law, the high tribunal suspended its
implementation for four months until February after consolidating the 15 petitions against it.
The law became controversial because it criminalizes online libel, among other things, angering
journalists who have been campaigning for the decriminalization of libel.
According to Roque, Colmenares will take on Sections 6 and 7 of the law (which raised by one degree
the penalties provided for under the Revised Penal Code for all crimes committed through and with the
use of information and communications and which provides that any person charged for the alleged
offense covered will not be spared from violations of the RPC and other special laws); Disini, Section 12
(which authorizes real-time collection of data); Cruz, Section 19 (which authorized the Department of
Justice to block access to computer data when such data is “prima facie found to be in violation of the
provisions of the Act”) and Matibag, Section 5 (which considers as offenses aiding or abetting in the
commission of cybercrime and attempt in the commission of cybercrime). With a report from Jerome
Aning
Comelec may do over raffle for party-lists
By Jocelyn R. Uy
Party-list groups that landed prime slots in the ballot for the May 13 elections may yet end up at the tail-
end of the list with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) mulling over the possibility of redoing the
raffle after it inadvertently included 13 groups that were not supposed to participate in the coming
polls.
In an interview over the weekend, Election Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the Comelec en banc will
hold a special meeting today to resolve the issue.
Sarmiento said that among the options to consider were to simply adjust the listing, with some groups
moving up in the ballot order once the names of the 13 groups had been removed from the list, or start
over with the raffle.
“We will be meeting in the morning to discuss all possibilities, and we will be deciding on how to resolve
this problem,” said the election official who heads the raffle committee.
On Friday, the Comelec held a raffle to determine how the more than 120 party-list groups would
appear on the ballot—a first in the country’s 15-year-old party-list system.
In the previous elections, the groups were arranged in alphabetical order, a system that spawned many
organizations with names that began with “A” and “1,” hoping that they would get first mention on the
ballot.
Abnormal names
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. had said that the election body would be conducting the raffle
before each election to avoid “abnormal names” of party-list groups with too many “A” and “1.”
Shortly after the raffle, the en banc found that 13 groups were mistakenly included contrary to a
Comelec resolution which states that disqualified new applicants would only be included in the raffle if
they obtained a mandatory injunction from the Supreme Court.
Brillantes earlier explained that disqualified new applicants that were able to secure a status quo ante
order from the high tribunal would remain as they were—as applicants not yet accredited for the
balloting.
A mandatory injunction will stop the Comelec from disqualifying them from the coming elections.
“Our resolution says that those new applicants, even if they were able to get a status quo ante order but
they do not get a mandatory injunction, will not be included in the raffle,” said Sarmiento.
“The problem is, in reading the resolution of the Supreme Court, they were not able to distinguish which
are new applicants and which are existing, that’s why they were mistakenly included in the raffle,” he
explained.
Immediately resolve petitions
Sarmiento also urged the Supreme Court to immediately resolve the petitions of all the groups seeking
relief after the Comelec en banc decided to drop them from the coming elections for their failure to
comply with the law governing the party-list system.
He said the election body was hoping that these petitions would be resolved before the start of the
printing of the ballots and the configuration of the precinct count optical scan machines next week.
Officially, only 84 party-list groups have been allowed by the Comelec to participate in the May 13
elections.
But 52 of the 194 groups the commission disqualified were able to secure a status quo ante order from
the Supreme Court, including organizations whose nominees are multimillionaires and do not belong to
the marginalized or underrepresented sectors of society.
Nations must give more aid, says Albay governor
By Gil Cabacungan
Albay Gov. Joey Salceda on Sunday bemoaned the tepid response of the international donor community
to the Philippines’ plea for aid for close to a million victims of super Typhoon “Pablo” (international
name: Bopha), saying that countries whose huge greenhouse emissions caused climate change should
bear a bigger responsibility for its victims.
Salceda, noting that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Unocha)
had so far raised only $20 million (P820 million), or 21 percent, of the $65 million (P2.665 billion) it had
sought for Pablo victims, said the government should demand more international aid considering that
these typhoons were the result of climate change.
“Nothing can be more unjust—our country accounts for only 0.2 percent greenhouse gas emissions but
ranks first in impact with Pablo being only a more recent example. The P36.95 billion in damage should
principally be underwritten by countries that caused climate change.
Strongest to hit Mindanao
Pablo, a Category 5 typhoon packing winds of up to 260 kph, was the strongest tropical cyclone to ever
hit Mindanao, an area that has rarely seen typhoons in the past.
“Right now, official development aid (some of which are regurgitated or recycled) will account for only
1.4 percent of the recovery budget for Pablo’s wrath. And if we adjust these ODA aggregates for their
historically high overhead, the net benefit to climate change victims will even be smaller than the 1.4
percent,” said Salceda.
Salceda also cited lack of a central fundraising agency and weak coordination on the ground to explain
why funding problems were hampering relief and rehabilitation work among victims of Pablo.
“The target $65 million is already very low and represents only seven percent of the P36.95 billion in
damages. The ’very low 21 percent commitment level’ is a dismay. I don’t think it is donor fatigue since
there is usually a high level of international support for climate-driven humanitarian problems,” said
Salceda in an e-mail.
Lacking central institution
Salceda blamed the lack of a central institution tasked by the government to secure pledges for the 10
regions, 34 provinces, 318 towns and 40 cities affected.
He added that as a result of low coordination on the ground, there has also been relatively weak DANA
or damage assessment and needs analysis and, as a consequence, the quality of the recovery plan or
reconstruction program suffers.
In its report, Unocha said agencies involved in providing shelter for displaced families were facing
challenges in pursuing their programs, specifically “severe funding constraints.”
Nearly one million people remain in need of food assistance while relief organizations grapple to provide
shelter to thousands of residents a month after the powerful typhoon made landfall in northeastern
Mindanao. So far, 1,067 persons were listed as having been killed and 834 remain missing.
Citing data from Philippine agencies, Unocha said the typhoon affected 6.2 million people, with 13,490
still in evacuation centers while close to one million were forced to stay outside temporary shelters.
Unocha reported that only 21 percent, or roughly a fifth of the UN’s initial appeal for $65 million in aid
for Pablo victims, has been filled with $13 million in total international donations and up to $7 million in
pledges.
“Between 800,000 and one million people are in need of food assistance in the worst affected areas,”
said Unocha in the report.
Of this number, some 238,000 persons have received family food packs in the severely affected
provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur, the UN agency said,
citing data from the World Food Program and the Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare and
Development.
Fund constraints
“Agencies report severe funding constraints and are unable to expand their programs,” said Unocha.
The accurate number of affected homes also “remain difficult to ascertain” given conflicting reports
from the field, said the UN agency also said.
Unocha also cited the “unequal humanitarian response” to affected families in the Caraga region in
northeastern Mindanao, which was earlier attributed to difficulties in distribution.
School feeding programs are set to be launched in public schools in severely hit areas through the
Department of Education.
There is also a need to build and identify alternative displacement sites for families still living in public
schools.
Displaced families face “poor living conditions, including congestion, lack of safe communal areas, lack
of electricity and protection concerns,” Unocha noted. With a report from Tarra Quismundo
PCGG failed to stop recurrence of ill-gotten wealth cases, says
Sen. Arroyo
By Cathy Yamsuan
Apart from outliving its usefulness, the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) has not
done its duty of preventing the recurrence of ill-gotten wealth cases in almost 27 years of its existence,
according to Sen. Joker Arroyo.
Arroyo on Sunday noted, however, that the PCGG did not have it easy when it began its job of
identifying irregularly acquired assets of the Marcoses and their cronies after its creation in 1986.
In a radio interview, Arroyo said the PCGG faced a blank wall since information about assets of the
Marcoses and their cronies were few and hard to come by, given the circumstances in post-martial law
Philippines.
“During martial law, nobody knew about ill-gotten cases because the press was controlled. I don’t think
the PCGG had any idea in the beginning. [It was only] along the way that they (PCGG officials) discovered
things,” said Arroyo, who was the first executive secretary of then President Corazon Aquino.
The PCGG was created through Executive Order No. 1, the first edict that Corazon Aquino signed shortly
after entering Malacañang.
Arroyo said it was Jovito Salonga, a former senator, who drafted the EO creating the PCGG. He was also
the commission’s first chairman before he again ran for senator and became Senate president in 1987.
“The way I saw it, and let me say I was not directly involved in the PCGG’s recovery efforts, the PCGG
officials did not know the extent, depth and width of the properties it was supposed to recover,” Arroyo
added.
It was PCGG Chairman Andres Bautista who recently recommended to President Aquino that the
commission wind down its operations and transfer its work to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was believed to have amassed $10 billion, of which
some $4 billion has been recovered by the PCGG.
“If there are still leads and everything, the DOJ can follow that through already. But how sure is Bautista
that $10 billion is all there is?” Arroyo said.
The senator said the PCGG had already outlived its usefulness, adding that time was not on the
commission’s side in its recovery efforts.
Inventory
Almost 27 years after the PCGG was created, any ill-gotten wealth that remains unrevealed to the
commission may have already changed hands or may have been further disguised, he said.
Arroyo said the DOJ must demand an inventory of the properties that the PCGG had been able to
recover since 1986.
Asked why neither a Marcos kin nor crony had yet been imprisoned for ill-gotten wealth, Arroyo said
that a case filed by the PCGG was considered a civil suit.
“The PCGG gathers evidence about a property and the Office of the Solicitor General would be the one
to prosecute,” he explained.
Never again
“But whether the PCGG has actually recovered anything, I cannot answer that,” Arroyo added with a
chuckle.
A provision of EO 1 says the commission is required to ensure that ill-gotten cases “never happen
again,” something the PCGG has apparently failed to do, he said.
“To recover ill-gotten wealth and that [its acquisition] should never happen again but it has. Apart from
EO No. 1, there is Executive Order No. 2 that also states [the acquisition of ill-gotten wealth] should
never happen again. There should be lesson. But it is happening again, eh,” he observed.
Arroyo acknowledged that while the PCGG’s intentions were good, its mission of recovering ill-gotten
wealth as mandated during the revolutionary government of the first Aquino administration was
cramped by the ratification of the 1987 Constitution.
He said some sectors demanded that the PCGG be exempt from the due process clause under the Bill of
Rights of the Constitution to allow it to continuously sequester properties from the Marcos family and
its cronies.
“But the Constitutional Commission (that drafted the charter) did not agree. And so the cronies later
invoked the Bill of Rights after the Constitution was ratified to evade recovery efforts,” he said.
Crackdown on guns with expired licenses launched
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer Visayas
ILOILO CITY—The Philippine National Police in Western Visayas will conduct house searches,
confiscations and other police operations on holders of guns with expired licenses.
Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, Western Visayas police director, said holders of firearms with expired licenses
will also be charged with illegal possession of firearms after Jan. 13, the start of election and gun ban
period.
“We have given all holders more than enough time to renew their licenses. We will apply for search
warrants for residences of gun owners,” Agrimero told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday.
There are 37,821 registered firearms in Western Visayas as of August, based on records of the PNP’s
Firearms and Explosives Unit office. But 33,675 of these, or 89 percent, had expired licenses.
Those with expired licenses include 29,573 individually owned firearms and 4,102 juridical firearms, or
those procured by government agencies and private institutions or organizations.
The most number of firearms with expired licenses was recorded in Negros Occidental, including
Bacolod City, with 13,318, followed by the province and city of Iloilo (13,310), Capiz (2,940), Aklan
(2,065), Antique (1,540) and Guimaras (502).
Cruz said that 11,000 of the 33,675 firearms with expired licenses in the region have been checked.
Among those checked, holders of around 2,500 have renewed their licenses and another 3,800 will be
renewed before Jan. 13.
Some of those that were checked were reportedly stolen or sold but whose ownership documents have
not been transferred or processed.
Around 22,000 firearms with expired licenses still remain to be verified, said Cruz.
Cruz called on gun holders to renew their licenses before the lapse of the deadline.
“This will be our last appeal. We will then have no choice but to confiscate these firearms and file
criminal charges against the owners,” he said.
MILF says ban on its officials seeking elective posts remains
COTABATO CITY—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said its policy against any of its officials
seeking elective posts remains.
Muhammad Ameen, chief of the MILF’s central committee secretariat, said the prohibition on
participation by any MILF official in Philippine political exercises, which was formulated in 1984, has not
been lifted.
“The MILF, as an organization, will not meddle in the May 2013 balloting,” he said in a statement.
He said sanctions await those who violate the said policy.
The MILF has previously sacked Eid Kabalu, its spokesperson, following findings he had actively
participated in previous elections by supporting and endorsing particular parties and candidates.
“Philippines elections are so divisive and expensive that after every election, so much bloodshed and
corrupt practices ensue,” Ameen said in explaining why the policy was maintained despite the signing of
the initial agreement, which would become the basis of the charter of the future Bangsamoro
government that would replace the current autonomous setup.
Even if the candidates were related to MILF officials, Ameen said: “Just the same, we do not support
them.”
But while prohibiting its officials from seeking public office, Ameen said the MILF has been encouraging
ordinary members to vote in the May polls.
“We urge them to participate if they are qualified voters and choose candidates who are supportive of
the GPH-MILF Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro,” he said.
With this, he warned politicians hostile to the peace negotiations they would not get the votes of the
Moro people.
For those who “made amends” by supporting the framework agreement, Ameen said they can expect
support from Moro voters.
“There is always a second time for people who sincerely repent and make up,” he said.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), composed of the provinces of Sulu,
Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, is populated mainly by Moros. The MILF has control
over various areas of the region and maintains base commands in its five provinces.
Gun dealers condemn killings, blame loose firearms
By Cecille Suerte Felipe (The Philippine Star)
A lighted candle and a pair of rubber slippers are placed at the exact spot where Ronald Bae was killed
by police in Barangay Tabon Uno, Kawit, Cavite after his shooting rampage last Friday. ERNIE
PENAREDONDO
MANILA, Philippines - Gun dealers yesterday condemned the recent gun-related crimes and laid the
blame on criminals with loose firearms, saying responsible gun holders seldom get involved in criminal
activities.
“First, we sympathize with the victims and their families. We don’t want these incidents to happen. But
we want to point out that the guns used in crimes were loose firearms,” said Joy Gutierrez-Jose, director
of Trust Trade, a member of the Association of Firearms and Ammunitions Dealers (AFAD).
Jose was referring to the death of Stephanie Nicole Ella on New Year’s eve and the shooting rampage in
Kawit, Cavite on Jan. 4.
She said that AFAD has been supportive of the effort of the government, through the Philippine National
Police (PNP), in accounting for loose firearms, estimated at around 550,000.
“Guns are used not only to kill but to preserve lives and property. There were many instances when guns
save lives,” she said.
Jose cited an incident abroad where a burglar barged inside a house and a mother and her daughter hid
in a cabinet but the robber found them. The mother had a gun and shot the robber, saving both of them
in the process.
On the plan to impose a nationwide gun ban, she said that criminals commit crime and will not follow
any law.
“Responsible gun holders need firearms for their protection. We are obeying the law. We are supporting
the government and the PNP in the drive against loose firearms. In fact, we consider proliferation of
loose firearms to be a competition of the legitimate firearms,” she said.
Jose said that AFAD is assisting the Firearms and Explosives Office in calling out the public to renew the
registration of firearms.
“Even stores are observing measures to ensure gun buyers follow measures, precaution, and regulations
set by the PNP,” she said.
NBI starts probe on Nicole’s death
By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has started its own probe into the case
of Stephanie Nicole Ella, the seven-year-old girl killed by a stray bullet during the New Year revelry in
Caloocan City.
An NBI team went to the site of the incident on Saturday to look for further leads on the case and
supported findings of police investigators that the culprit behind the reported indiscriminate firing could
be a resident of the neighborhood.
Initial findings of NBI agents, according to the bureau’s lawyer Danielito Lalusis, showed the fatal bullet
originated from about 50 meters away from where the victim was hit.
Lalusis said their men are set to continue their own investigation this week to gather more evidence in
the area.
The NBI started its parallel investigation upon orders of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday.
De Lima tasked the NBI to track down the person who fired the gun that felled Ella.
De Lima visited the victim’s wake last Friday night.
“We assure the family that justice will be served in the death of Stephanie,” she said.
Ella was struck in the head by a stray bullet while she was watching fireworks on New Year’s Eve. She
died at the East Avenue Medical Center.
Four men have already been picked up for questioning and they are facing charges of alarm and scandal,
as well as possible additional charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, for firing a handgun
during the New Year revelry.
The police had also created a special task group to focus on the investigation on Ella’s death.
Superintendent Jackie Candelario, task force spokesman of the Northern Police District, said they started
cross matching the 15 slugs recovered at the scene.
He said at least 45 bullets of .45 caliber were also subjected to ballistic testing.
“Once found that any of these were fired on New Year’s Eve, its owner would be charged with illegal
discharge of firearms,” Candelario said.
He said three more slugs of still unknown caliber were recovered by the victim’s neighbors in the vicinity
and would be turned over to the police.
Caloocan City police chief Senior Superintendent Rimas Calixto said they are now focusing on 32
registered gun owners in the neighborhood within the 50-meter radius.
Calixto said the number has been narrowed down from the original 45 people with registered caliber .45
pistols in the area on file with the Firearms and Explosives Division (FED) at the Philippine National
Police.
Calixto said owners of guns other than .45 caliber pistols have been excluded since the specimen found
in the head of the victim was from a .45 caliber.
Candelario said the 32 have been requested to appear at the FED in Camp Crame for a cross matching of
their slug records on file against the slug found in the victim’s head.
He said the police are willing to escort the gun owners for their safety and to be able to clear their
name.
Aside from the initial 11 slugs found in the 50-meter radius determined by the police and the three more
slugs dug up by police the other day, a concerned citizen surrendered another slug to the police,
bringing the total to 15 under ballistics examination.
Candelario said everybody is still a suspect, even the persons initially tagged as suspects in the death of
Ella but were later cleared by the city prosecutor’s office.
Candelario said the charges of alarm and scandal filed against Juan Agus, the gun owner, and his three
friends could be amended if any new evidence comes up.
The four were picked up for questioning after admitting they fired .45 caliber pistol during the New Year
revelry. Ballistic examination results however showed the slug recovered from the victim’s head differed
from the bullets they used during the revelry. -Jerry Botial, Pete Laude
IMF: Fight money laundering, terror financing
By Prinz Magtulis (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - Inflows and outflows stemming from money laundering and terrorist financing
activities could result in financial instability, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said as it cited the
need for country policies to address these challenges.
“Money laundering, terrorist financing and the related predicate crimes can undermine the stability of a
country’s financial system or its broader economy in a number of ways and may have adverse spillover
effects on global stability,” the IMF said in a policy paper dated Dec. 14.
In issuing the report, the IMF said it has made its policy to include in its annual Article IV consultations a
“mandatory assessment” of country policies to fight money laundering and terrorist financing activities.
The Philippines is scheduled to undergo its Article IV examination this week.
The IMF has also ordered its review missions to look at the vulnerability of the financial system, estimate
the possible amount of proceeds that can be laundered in the country and determine if those problems
are “potential sources” of financial instability.
Officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) could
not be reached for comment.
The country has yet to pass a bill that would expand predicate crimes related to money laundering as
required by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
FATF’s recommendations are “recognized” by the IMF, although it is not clear how the Philippines’
failure to comply with FATF’s requirement will impact on its recommendations.
Last week, Finance Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa Habitan said the country is no longer required to
adopt all IMF suggestions.
In the policy paper, the multilateral institution highlighted the pressure a country’s balance of payments
(BOP) may experience as a result of money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) activities.
It said “illegal transactions” could be channeled through banks, affect banks’ status, and undermine the
economy.
The BOP summarizes all inflows and outflows in an economy and the IMF said proceeds from these
activities may be “significant in relation to the size” causing, among others, volatility in the financial
markets – stock and foreign exchange markets.
“ML or TF activities may give rise to significant levels of criminal proceeds or ‘hot money’ flowing into
and out of financial institutions in ways that are destabilizing for these institutions,” the IMF explained.
“As a result, policy-making could be put to test,” the IMF said as stolen money would most likely remain
unaccounted for and affect government data. Foreign exchange and stock market transactions “may not
fully reflect the underlying economic realities.”
As for predicate crimes, IMF cited corruption as an example that could adversely affect economic
growth.
“Corruption, especially grand corruption at the national level and in the revenue administration, has a
demonstrated negative effect on fiscal balances, foreign direct investment, and growth,” the agency
explained.
Palace says no to death penalty; senators reject total gun ban
By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star)
A police officer holds the .45 caliber pistol used by Ronald Bae in his killing spree in Kawit, Cavite. JOVEN
CAGANDE
MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang doused cold water yesterday on proposals to reimpose capital
punishment sparked by recent violent incidents like the shooting rampage in Kawit, Cavite that left eight
dead and the New Year’s Eve celebratory gunfire that killed two children.
“The position of the President, as far as the death penalty is concerned, has not changed. He is not for
the death penalty,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in an interview over state-run
radio dzRB.
Valte said what the government wants to achieve in the long run is to ensure that crime does not pay
and nobody in the country gets away with crime.
“Certainty of punishment, I think everybody will agree, is the best deterrent to incidents of crime,” she
said.
“That’s what we’ve been trying to point out, that before people would commit any crime, they would be
able to think first that they would not get away with it, that they would be punished,” Valte said.
With regard to renewed proposals for a total gun ban, Valte said all sides must be given a chance to
express their views on the matter. She said repeatedly that such issues should be discussed first with the
President.
“I have been monitoring the different statements and proposals coming out of stakeholders as well as
public officials on this matter and there is a wide spectrum of the proposals that will have to be
discussed also with the President,” she said.
“That is something that we will have to discuss with the President, particularly because there have been
differences in the proposals even within those calling for a total gun ban. So it really has to be discussed
with the President,” she added.
Valte described as unfair and unwarranted assumptions that the President would not support the move
just because he is a gun enthusiast himself.
She pointed out that although Aquino is a smoker, he made sure Congress passed the sin tax reform law.
Meanwhile, senators Vicente Sotto III and Joker Arroyo also slammed renewed calls for a total gun ban.
Sotto described as “knee-jerk reaction” recommendations to impose a total gun ban following the
Cavite shooting rampage.
“I believe total gun ban would not prevent a repeat of the bloodbath but would only exacerbate the
already grave peace and order problem in our country,” he said.
Arroyo said the issue should be on law enforcement rather than the need to enact more laws on gun
control.
“We have so many laws that are not enforced. Another law will not change anything,” he said yesterday
over dzBB radio.
Arroyo said there is already a law on gun control although it is not specific. He said the police have
powers to enforce gun control without necessarily introducing a new law.
Sotto noted that responsible gun owners were no match to heavily-armed criminal elements, which he
said authorities could not seem to confront despite a superior armory.
“If we outlaw guns, then only the outlaws will have guns, as the saying goes. The citizenry will be at the
mercy of the criminals with high-powered guns at their disposal,” he said.
The Senate majority leader said it would “be more tragic if we disarm responsible gun holders whose
only aim in possessing guns is to protect themselves from criminal elements.”
He batted for an intensified anti-drug campaign after news reports showed that the Cavite gunman,
Ronald Bae, was under the influence of shabu when he went on the killing spree.
Instead of a total gun ban, Sotto said the government should instead increase the budget of the
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. who hails from Cavite, blamed provincial police director Chief Superintendent
James Melad for the police’s apparent inability to respond efficiently to the crime scene. - Christina
Mendez
YEARENDER: DepEd’s K-12 program goes full blast in 2012
By Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEds)’s ambitious K (Kindergarten) - 12 basic

education curriculum (BEC) reform program went full blast in 2012.
From the previous Grades 1 to 6 path for elementary level and first year to fourth year for high school
level, the DepEd will transform the primary education to Grades 1 to 10 and will add two more years to
senior high school level by 2016.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the enhanced curriculum for Grade 1 included the use of the
Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE) from Kindergarten to Grade 3.
Local and internationals studies have shown that using the language used at home (mother tongue)
during the learners’ early years of schooling produce better pupils who can easily adapt to learn a
second (Filipino) and third language (English).
The 12 major languages in the country are Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Ilokano, Bikol,
Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao, and Chabacano.
The agency was elated over the results of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey regarding the
controversial K-12 program.
Survey results conducted from Aug. 24 to 27 last year showed growing acceptability of the key features
of the K-12 program compared to survey results in March 2012.
About 72 percent of Filipino adults believe that K-12 will give students more sufficient knowledge and
preparation for work and college compared to those who finished 10 years of basic education, garnering
a net rating of +48, up from +35 last March.
The percentage of Filipinos who believe that more students will be encouraged to finish the two-year
SHS because it is equivalent to two years of college hit 69 percent, or a 10-point increase from 59
percent in March.
The results showed that 68 percent of Filipinos with a net rating of +39 believe that more students will
finish SHS even with the additional cost and number of years because K-12 graduates will be better
prepared for work, higher education, and business.
The DepEd started the initial phase of the K-12 program in 2011 by setting up kindergarten schools in
most public elementary schools, where five-year-old kids were pushed to enroll for free in pre-school, a
requisite for enrollment in Grade 1 for school year 2012-2013.
Luistro has described the implementation of the universal primary or pre-school education in the
Philippines as the “defining moment” in the administration of President Aquino as it seeks to implement
reforms with deep impact on the welfare of Filipino children and the youth.
The business sector has also expressed support for the DepEd’s K-12 program.
Chito Salazar, president of the Philippine Business for Education (PBED), lauded the agency’s
performance for 2012.
“We are very happy with the progress DepEd has made in not only pushing K-12 but filling in all the gaps
like teachers and classrooms,” Salazar said.
“We also applaud the government’s support for education giving DepEd an increase of around 30
percent in its 2013 budget,” Salazar said.
“We’re just waiting for the legislature to do its part and to pass the K-12 bill,” he added.
The DepEd got the highest allocation in the P2.006-trillion national budget for 2013, at P293.2 billion.
With the higher budget for this year, DepEd expects to fund the hiring of 61,510 teachers, construct
17,939 classrooms, purchase 907,524 school desks and chairs, lay out 90,461 water and sanitation
facilities, and procure and distribute 31 million learning materials to schools nationwide.
The agency also awarded two deals for the construction of more classrooms to be financed and built
under the Aquino administration’s public private partnership (PPP) scheme.
Luistro has signed build-lease-transfer agreements with the BF Corp.-Riverbanks Development Corp.
joint venture, and the Citicore Investment Holdings-Megawide Construction Corp. for the construction
of 9,301 classrooms.
More countries willing to help boost Navy’s capability
By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo disclosed that five more countries have
offered to provide ships to boost the Navy and improve the country’s maritime security capability.
Manalo said many countries have seen the Philippines’ determination to upgrade the capabilities of its
armed forces.
“Other countries all over the world now believe that we are really serious in modernizing the armed
forces. Previously, they do not want to participate (in the Philippines’ capability upgrade efforts),”
Manalo told reporters over the weekend.
“Before, they do not trust our processes. Now they are here and they want to participate,” he added.
Manalo said among the countries that are ready to provide defense assets are South Korea, Spain, Israel,
Croatia and Australia.
Italy had also offered two Maestrale-class missile-firing warships with anti-aircraft, anti-ship and anti-
submarine capabilities.
The Italian Navy vessels were commissioned in 1982 and are more capable than any of the vessels in the
Philippine Navy’s inventory.
Officials previously intended to sign a contract for the Maestrale-class ships before the end of 2012.
The government, however, is still studying if the capabilities of the Italian ships would suit the Philippine
Navy.
“We are evaluating the Maestrale and doing due diligence whether the Maestrale will really provide us
the capability that we need, whether Maestrale is economical in the long term,” Manalo said.
He said the Italian ships are now being compared with the naval vessels of the other countries that have
recently offered to provide ships to the Philippines.
He said Italy made the offer in January 2012 while the other countries’ offers came in the fourth quarter.
The Philippines had acquired two warships from the United States that were commissioned in the
Philippine navy - the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, which arrived last year and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz that is
expected to arrive in the country in April.
Manalo said nothing is final until a contract has been signed.
President Aquino signed last month the new Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization law that
allotted P75 billion for the first five years of the capability upgrade program.
The law seeks to enhance the capabilities of the military that have been seriously depleted due to lack of
resources.
The law requires the military, defense, and budget departments to submit to the President a list of
equipment to be acquired. Once approved, Malacañang will submit the list to both chambers of
Congress.
BOC to intensify campaign vs smuggling
MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang assured the people that the Bureau of Customs will intensify the
campaign against smuggling this year after Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon vowed to punish
scalawags in the agency.
“We’ll expect better performance than last year’s (2012) from the Bureau of Customs,” presidential
spokesman Edwin Lacierda told Palace reporters in a recent briefing.
He issued the statement following complaints raised by concerned citizens after the New Year
celebration where illegal firecrackers that had supposedly been smuggled into the country have
proliferated.
“As in all things, it’s a smuggled item, that’s why Commissioner Biazon said this will be a sustained and
continuous campaign to go after the smugglers, and we’re not only referring to piccolo firecracker, but
to all smuggled items,” Lacierda said.
“Whether it’s outright smuggling or technical smuggling, that’s one way of increasing our revenue
collection and that’s why Commissioner Biazon has already stated that he will be vigilant in curbing
smuggling this year,” he added.
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras discussed the matter with the Customs chief, who vowed to act
on the matter.
Senate bill proposes higher pay, perks for gov’t doctors
By Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has proposed a bill that seeks to increase the salary and
provide more benefits to government doctors to stop the exodus of Filipino physicians overseas to seek
high-paying jobs.
Trillanes, chairman of the Senate Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization, filed
Senate Bill 319 that seeks to address the shortage of doctors which affects health services in the
country.
The basic wage of doctors in provincial and municipal hospitals is about P26,878 a month or salary level
grade 16 while doctors employed by the Department of Health (DOH) get P39,493 a month or salary
grade 21.
“The present salary scale does not do justice to our hardworking doctors who have spent years in their
studies and whose duties go beyond the normal eight-hour workload,” Trillanes said.
He said the minimum salary of state physicians should not be lower than salary grade 27 or P62,670.
Trillanes said the sad situation has prompted doctors to leave the country and seek employment abroad.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had tagged the Philippines as the second largest exporter of
physicians next to India.
“Consequently, the exodus of doctors in the last five years is exacting a toll on the country’s already
second-rate health service. The ratio of doctor vis-à-vis patients in the Philippines is one doctor per
28,493 patients, a far cry from the ideal 1 is to 1,000 ratio prescribed by the WHO,” Trillanes said.
Trillanes is also pushing for an annual loyalty pay equivalent to P50,000 to government doctors who
have rendered at least three consecutive years of service in the country.
The bill also provides for transportation allowance ranging from P10,000 to P18,000 depending on the
municipality; food allowance ranging from P5,000 to P12,000 and medical allowance ranging from
P5,000 to P10,000 per month.
Trillanes also seeks to provide educational grants not exceeding P200,000 to government physicians
who have rendered at least five years of continuous service.
YEARENDER: DOLE marks many firsts in 2012
By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - The year 2012 marked so many firsts and set new records for the Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz had, in fact, declared 2012 as a banner year for DOLE, noting that for
the first time, the department and its attached agency the National Wages and Productivity Commission
(NWPC) have started implementing the two-tiered wage policy.
Ciriaco Lagunzad III, NWPC executive director, said almost all of the country’s 17 regions have already
issued wage orders adopting a two-tiered wage system that would provide “high and rising” standard of
living for workers nationwide.
At present, Lagunzad said, 85 percent of commercial establishments in Region IV have already adopted
the gain-sharing policy in compliance with the newly adopted two-tiered wage system.
He said with the new wage system, workers are expected to gain and earn more from the increasing
productivity. He said laborers are given the opportunity to negotiate and their good performance gets
rewarded.
First in transport industry
Baldoz said DOLE marked a first in the history of bus transport industry by requiring bus companies to
provide drivers and conductors fixed wages, and secure labor standards compliance certificates (LSCCs).
With the LSCC, Baldoz said, the DOLE hopes to address the alarming number of road accidents and
traffic violations while at the same time bringing the bus drivers and conductors into the mainstream of
formal workers who receive better pay and enjoy good working condition.
As of November, Baldoz said, 129 bus companies with 4,934 bus units, and close to over 13,000 drivers
and conductors were already adopting fixed wage system and have secured LSCCs.
She noted that DOLE also posted a record high of 1,140,500 youth having been assisted and guided in
choosing the right career through its labor market information program.
The figure, she said, was 47 percent higher than DOLE’s target of 772,000 youth for the year.
“The record reflects our commitment in guiding new entrants to the labor force towards skills and
competencies that would secure them the best jobs,” she said.
From January to November, DOLE said there were 1,062,602 applicants hired for different types of jobs
through the Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs).
The agency was also able to facilitate immediate employment of 111,100 jobseekers hired on the spot
through the holding of more than five job fairs a day.
Last July, DOLE launched a community-based campaign against child labor and succeeded in eliminating
the abuse in 89 barangays nationwide. Child workers were given assistance so they could return to
school instead of having to work.
In terms of labor relations, Baldoz said only three workers’ strikes were recorded for the whole year, all
of which occurred in Mindanao.
Local employment
Results of the October 2012 Labor Force Survey (LFS) released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in
December showed a drop in the number of employed persons nationwide.
But Baldoz dismissed the reduction as a “normal occurrence” and that employment situation in the
country remained positive in 2012.
She insisted the October 2012 LFS indicated a breakthrough in the country’s goal of having more
workers with decent and productive jobs.
Based on the latest LFS, there are now 37.7 million employed individuals nationwide, or an employment
rate of 93.2 percent. Unemployment remains less than three million and underemployment was lower
by 223,000 from last year.
Overseas employment
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Hans Cacdac said overseas hiring was very
promising with more than a million OFWs deployed as of October.
Cacdac said the POEA managed to forge new bilateral agreements with at least 17 countries providing
better protection and employment terms for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
With the new agreement with Saudi Arabia, Cacdac said, the POEA has allowed the redeployment of
Filipino household service workers (HSWs) to the Kingdom.
The POEA has also allowed continuous deployment of OFWs to 186 countries declared labor-compliant
by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and restricted hiring in 15 nations that have no protection
policies for Filipino workers. It has also repatriated thousands of distressed OFWs and provided them
financial help.
The DOLE and POEA have also participated in the successful campaign of the International Labor
Organization (ILO) seeking to provide decent working conditions for domestic helpers.
The agencies have also coordinated with other stakeholders for the passage of Kasambahay Bill and
waged successful drives against illegal recruitment that resulted in the closure of at least eight
establishments and cancellation of licenses of 35 agencies.
DSWD: Relief goods enough, but volunteers lacking
By Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star)
DAVAO CITY , Philippines — Relief goods for victims of typhoon “Pablo” in Compostela Valley and
Davao Oriental are enough to last through the next three months, but the local social welfare office
lacks volunteers to help in the repacking and relief distribution, officials said yesterday.
Priscilla Razon, social welfare and development officer in Region XI, said the relief goods are stored at
the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) depot in Panacan, Davao City.
Razon said initially they gave out three kilos of rice to each victim. But later, she said the ration has gone
up to five kilos, and now at 10-kilo level for distribution to more than 212,000 victims in the two
provinces.
She admitted they badly needed volunteers to help repack the goods and distribute them to typhoon-
ravaged areas.
“It is back-to-school time and the student volunteers have also returned to school. We really need more
hands to help us in repacking and distributing the relief goods, Razon told The STAR.
At least 150 volunteers are needed at present to render an eight-hour workday at the DPWH depot.
“We are really in need of more warm bodies to help us in this effort,” Razon said.
Workers from the DSWD, the Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command and the Southern Mindanao
Regional Police Office have been handling the packing, loading and delivering the goods to relief hubs in
Trento, Agusan del Sur and Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.
Meanwhile, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said the low turnout of official development assistance (ODA)
commitment of only 1.4 percent threatens the rehabilitation efforts in typhoon-ravaged communities in
Mindanao.
Earlier, the United Nations reported that only 21 percent, or roughly a fifth of the UN’s initial appeal for
$65 million (P2.7 billion) in aid for Pablo victims has been filled – with $13 million in total international
donation and up to $7 million in pledges.
“I don’t think it is donors’ fatigue since there is a high level of international support to climate-driven
humanitarian problems,” said Salceda, champion of United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDRR).
He expressed dismay with the very low 21 percent commitment level, saying it must be due to the lack
of central institution to secure the pledges, as well the low coordinative system on the ground because
of relatively weak damage assessment and needs analysis.
As a result, he said, the quality of the recovery plan or reconstruction program also suffers.
“In comparison, Albay’s typhoon ‘Reming’ reconstruction was footed more proportionately between
national and international funding - with greater international aid of P4.8 billion versus P3.5 billion from
GAA,” he said.
“Right now, the ODA (some of which are regurgitated or recycled) will account for only 1.4 percent of
Pablo’s recovery. And, if we adjust these ODA aggregates for their historically high overhead, the net
benefit to climate victims from ODA will even be smaller than 1.4 percent,” he added.
Earlier he called for the creation of a National Coordinating Group to focus on the UN flash appeal and
special pledging session in the forthcoming Philippine Development Forum.
Availment of ‘Pablo’ loans clarified
The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has explained that not all its members affected by
typhoon Pablo can avail of the emergency loan due to a requirement in the net pay.
GSIS chairman Daniel Lacson Jr. said the law puts a cap on the borrowings of government employees to
make sure their take home pay (net pay) every month would not be less than P5,000.
Early last month, the state pension fund announced it is granting emergency loans amounting to
P20,000 to its more than 345,000 members in Visayas and Mindanao who were affected by the typhoon.
In a dialogue with the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in Bacolod recently, Lacson said the General
Appropriations Act of 2012 stipulates that government employees must have a net pay of at least
P5,000 every month, after all dues are deducted from the gross pay.
“Let us look at the bigger picture. All the government wants is to ensure that you bring something home
on pay day,” Lacson said, addressing GSIS members across the country.
He said while the GSIS and the government wanted to fulfill the needs of the people, it was imperative
to temper this with realities.
Lacson assured all GSIS members that the state pension fund continues to strive for transparency and
responsiveness to their needs.
He cited the GSIS office in Bacolod headed by Vilma Fuentes, which was able to attain zero backlog for
2012, having attended to all claims and reconciliation issues for the year. – With Celso Amo, Danny
Dangcalan
Gov’t cleansing list of PNP pensioners
MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang recently assured retired policemen that the government is in the
process of cleansing the list of pensioners to prevent unscrupulous individuals from making
unauthorized benefit claims.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda made the assurance after Budget Secretary Florencio Abad gave
the go-signal that funds for the pension benefits of some 62,000 retirees from the Philippine National
Police were already available.
He however said that the release of funds would depend upon the submission by the PNP top brass of
its “cleansed pension roster,” a PNP-led program to determine qualified and eligible retirees who will
receive their benefits.
Lacierda added that PNP retirees should also comply with the PNP requirement of securing and
submitting ATM (automated teller machine) accounts to which their pension benefits will be sent
directly.
“We are aware that at this point, the process of cleansing the pensioners’ list is 80 percent complete.
This means that of the 62,000 pensioners, about 50,000 pensioners have been vetted and they have
registered ATM accounts,” Lacierda said.
He pointed out the need for PNP retirees to secure ATM accounts in order to verify their legitimacy as
pensioners and to cleanse the pension roster of those who have passed away.
Lacierda attributed the delay in the release of PNP pension on the refusal of some pensioners to secure
their ATM.
Philippines eyeing more Russian tourists
By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Tourism (DOT) is pushing for more direct flights to Russia in an
effort to lure more Russian tourists to visit the country this year.
Tourism Assistant Secretary Benito Bengzon said the DOT is undertaking marketing programs to attract
at least 5.5 million foreign tourists, including Russians.
He said the DOT has appointed a new marketing representative based in Moscow to show the
government’s seriousness in luring more Russian travelers.
“In recognition of Russia as a potential market, we have appointed a marketing representative there.
We used to have one over a year ago,” Bengzon said.
Despite the problem of accessibility since there is no direct flight from Russia to the Philippines, the DOT
official said that Russia posted a 40 percent growth in number of tourists in 2012.
“Russians have to travel about 12 hours to get to the Philippines but from January to November last
year, we have 23,756 arrivals from Russia or 42 percent growth during the same period in 2011,”
Bengzon said.
DOT records showed that about 3.8 million foreign tourists visited the country from January to
November last year. The figure is 8.73 percent higher compared to the same period in 2011.
Tourists from South Korea accounted for the biggest bulk or one million followed by visitors from the
United States.
Japanese tourists contributed the third biggest arrivals while Chinese came in fourth despite the
prevailing tension with the Philippines over territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Other markets that contributed big number of travelers are Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and
Malaysia.
Bengzon said the DOT hopes to capture this year the greater bulk of tourists from neighboring Asian
countries like Thailand and Indonesia.
He said there is a need to build more hotels and other accommodations to anticipate the surge in
foreign tourists this year.
More tourists opt to stay in Phl
Meanwhile, despite the travel advisories issued by several countries on the Philippines, more foreign
tourists who visited the country last year opted to stay longer or beyond the period of their visa, the
Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported yesterday.
BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said that from January to December 2012 the BI visa extension office
processed and approved a total of 172,055 applications for extension of stay by foreign tourists.
He said the number of approved visa extensions in 2012 was 13 percent higher than the 151,913
applications for extension of stay the bureau approved in 2011.
“Our country remains a favorite tourist destination that many foreign visitors are opting to stay here
longer not only for vacation or to visit our tourist attractions but also to explore business and
investment opportunities,” David said.
Julius Cortez, BI visa extension office acting chief, said that under existing rules, non-visa required
foreign tourists are admitted for 21 days upon their arrival in the country while visa-required nationals
are granted an initial stay of 59 days.
Foreign visitors may apply to extend their stay for two months and every two months thereafter until
they reach the maximum stay of 16 months, Cortez said.
“Tourists may extend their sojourn in the Philippines before the lapse of their authorized stay so long as
they do not violate the conditions of their stay and pay the required fees to the bureau,” he added.
Cortez noted that tourist visa extensions were high in December, August, July, and January when more
than 15,000 applications were processed while only 12,000 tourist visa extensions were approved in
April.
– With Helen Flores

YEARENDER: DOTC rolls out several infrastructure projects
By Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - The year 2012 saw another leadership change at the Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC), but focus was still on management’s urgency to roll out
infrastructure projects to be funded by the private sector under the public-private partnership (PPP)
scheme.
The tragic demise of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo in a plane crash last Aug.
18 shook the DOTC when its then chief, Secretary Manuel Roxas II, was tapped to fill the vacancy at the
DILG.
Roxas’ departure from the DOTC and his replacement by his close Liberal Party (LP) ally, then Cavite Rep.
Joseph Emilio Abaya, late last August necessitated another adjustment in the top hierarchy of the
department that had undergone a similar change the year before.
Roxas took with him his trusted aide, then DOTC Undersecretary Rafael Santos, at the DILG and
appointed him as “supervising undersecretary.”
Early this month, President Aquino appointed former Armed Forced of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff
Gen. Eduardo Oban as DOTC undersecretary for operations, filling the post vacated by Santos, and
leaving the Clark Development Corp., where he was appointed as chairman after his retirement from the
AFP.
Roxas assumed the DOTC post in July 2011 when then Secretary Jose de Jesus abruptly resigned. He also
brought with him his handpicked executives and appointed them to undersecretary positions.
Some sectors said the DOTC “stood still” during his leadership.
Roxas and his men conducted another round of review on all projects and accomplished project
feasibility studies and packaging efforts, practically in total disregard of those already done during De
Jesus’ one-year term.
In his accomplishment report submitted at the end of about six months at DOTC in January 2011, De
Jesus revealed that the new DOTC leadership had conducted a review of contracts that covered a total
of 130 contracts.
Of the 130, he said 111 were cleared, with the remaining 19 remaining suspended and likely to be
scrapped.
Interestingly, it surfaced that of the 19 contracts not given the green light, 18 were related to the efforts
of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to prepare the controversial Ninoy Aquino
International Airport (NAIA) Terminal III for full commercial operations.
The terminal is currently being partially used by local budget carriers Cebu Pacific, PAL Express, and Air
Phil Express.
De Jesus said that the 18 contracts related to NAIA 3 were all for the airport management systems of the
terminal.
However, he said that MIAA had divided the various components of the systems into separate contracts
even if these were supposed to be integrated.
He said that the 18 contracts will be altogether scrapped in the future due to irregularities.
‘Roxas’ team at DOTC intact’
Abaya, for his part, said that his assumption as DOTC chief had not caused any delays in any projects
being packaged by the DOTC or due for bidding or implementation, or another period of adjustment
where the head of agency had to go through another “learning curve.”
“We were very careful with the transition. The team (of Roxas) is almost intact. I only brought in a HEA
(head executive assistant). The undersecretaries and assistant secretaries (appointed by Roxas) are
intact. Usec. Paeng (Rafael Santos) had to leave but there is Usec. Oban,” Abaya told The STAR.
However, Abaya’s assurance that there will be no changes in policy did not sit well with the business
sector that has been frustrated with the seeming sluggishness of the Roxas team in conducting their
review especially of the PPP transportation infrastructure projects that have already been packaged and
evaluated during the time of De Jesus, and even before during the previous Arroyo administration.
The international anti-graft watchdog Transparency International (TI), which zeroed in on the much-
delayed public bidding for the P8.2-billion contract for a new information technology (IT) infrastructure
and database systems for the Land Transportation Office (LTO), was very vocal about the DOTC’s
apparent lack of urgency despite tight deadlines given the lapsing contracts of contractors.
TI Philippines, in a nine-page letter sent to Abaya, the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB),
COA and the Ombudsman, said that while the DOTC was aware of the approaching expiration of
Stradcom’s contract on Feb. 10, 2013, the DOTC Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) had been slow in
conducting their bid, laying the ground for Stradcom’s retention as LTO’s IT provider for several months.
Abaya, in an interview late last year, admitted that the DOTC-BAC was still reviewing the bids submitted
by three consortia bidding for the P8.2- billion LTO IT project.
He also admitted that the DOTC will have to extend Stradcom as LTO IT provider, since any selected
winning bidder for the new contract will need around six months to fully activate and set up the new
infrastructure and systems database.
During his term, Roxas announced a number of impressive-sounding projects and breakthroughs with
indicated timelines that failed to beat the deadlines.
Last June, Roxas announced the signing of a final civil works agreement (CWA) with NAIA 3 sub-
contractor Takenaka Corp., to complete the unfinished portion and systems of the terminal “soon” after
a meeting with its top officials, mostly members of Japan’s Takenaka family last March.
Abaya said that the CWA was scheduled for signing first week of January 2013.
Roxas had also announced that the DOTC, through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory
Board (LTFRB), will require all passenger buses plying Metro Manila routes especially EDSA, to install
“speed limiters” to curb the rising number of road deaths caused by speeding buses within 2012.
By 2013, Roxas said that provincial buses will also be required to install speed limiters.
In a recent interview, Abaya said that the measure was still due for implementation but through the
provision in the bus franchises issued by the LTFRB either as new or renewed franchise.
The DOTC is also still in the initial stages of bidding out the big-ticket Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite
extension project that will cost P60 billion.
Due to government’s accommodation of two connector road projects linking the South Luzon
Expressway (SLEX) and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), particularly the Metro Pacific’s connector
road proposal, Metro Manila Skyway and SLEX operator Citra-San Miguel Corp. is also being prevented
from starting their Skyway extension project that will link the elevated tollway to NLEX, basically on the
issue of how the Metro Pacific connector will link with their Skyway extension project to NLEX.
The Philippine Star

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