Centrist Democracy Political Institute - Items filtered by date: March 2017
NAYPYITAW, Burma (Myanmar)—President Duterte has dismissed talk of destabilization as nothing but “politics.”

In an interview with reporters after his meeting with the Filipino community here on Sunday night, Mr. Duterte was dismissive when asked if he would prosecute those who were supposedly “destabilizing” his administration.

‘All politics’

“It’s all politics actually. In the matter of going after them, it has not reached that level of violence—destabilization. It’s more of publicity … . The talk about destabilization I think is a bit too, well, it is just an exponential word, actually. It has no limit,” he said.

The President clarified that for “destabilization” to occur, “you have to have the kind of situation where there is already violence committed and imposed on the population whether they are with you or against you.”

“If they create problems, just like what is happening in Mindanao, if it goes out of hand and children are already targeted for killings, that’s a different story,” he said.

Warning

Malacañang officials and allies in Congress have warned against destabilization threats against the President, pointing to, among other things, an impeachment complaint against him filed in Congress last week.

“For as long as it is really a peaceful exercise of the freedom of speech and freedom of the press, there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s guaranteed under the Constitution,” Mr. Duterte said.
Published in News
Tuesday, 21 March 2017 10:08

Start

IN his presentation before multi stakeholders, Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez said, “in this administration, start means groundbreaking and actual construction.” With a ticket price of P326 billion, covering railways, bridges and dams, Dominguez pointed out that under the Duterte administration, “when we say start, we do not mean just bidding out projects, signing contracts or attending opening ceremonies.” He added, “we will no longer tolerate the wishy-washy promises that implementing agencies have been accustomed to making in the past.”

The three railway projects outside Metro Manila, new public transport lines along the main Metro Manila artery, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), will begin construction this year. The three railways are Clark-Subic, Tutuban-Clark and the 581-kilometer South Line of the North-South Railway Project connecting Tutuban, Calamba, Batangas and Bicol. The Department of Transportation (DoTr) will be the implementing agency of the rail projects, with funding to be a combination of official development a ssistance, public-private partnership concessions, and government funds.

The construction of the Kaliwa and Chico River dams will also start this year together with projects at Clark International Airport, the Metro Manila Bus Rapid Transit traversing EDSA, and three bridges across the Pasig river. The dams will be funded by China

By 2018, construction of long-span bridges between Bicol and Samar,and between Leyte and Surigao, will finally make land travel between Luzon,Visayas and Mindanao possible. The 2000-kilometer Mindanao railway—which will connect its large cities—may start construction next year, as well as more bridges crossing the Pasig river, and the development of Clark Green City.

The planned infrastructure buildup will attract more foreign investments, as well as boost productivity. Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno earlier said that geo-tagging will be used to closely monitor the infrastructure projects to be rolled out this year in order to fast-track implementation. Diokno stated that “part of the plan to make the six years of the Duterte administration a so-called ‘golden age of infrastructure’ was spending P846.3 billion, or 5.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), on infrastructure this year alone. The budget for infrastructure expenditures in 2017 accounted for a fourth of the total and was 13.7-percent bigger than last year’s program.

Hybrid financing “would enable the government to profitably manage the leveraging” of close to P1 trillion in official development assistance (ODA) and loans that it had secured from Japan and China alone in just six months of the Duterte presidency.” Hybrid financing would bring down borrowing costs. Dominguez explained leveraging on hybrid financing by using part-ODA and part-multilateral agency loans actually increases the number of projects that can be done. “Hybrid financing would involve, for instance, a mix of ODA, which provides concessional interest rates of 0.2-0.5 percent, with development funds from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank to execute an infrastructure project. Combining both types of financing sources would thus enable the government to build more big-ticket infrastructure projects.”

These statements, coming from the top finance and budget managers of the country, are more important than any “palitulo” video statement by a reckless Vice President or an impeachment complaint that is a time-honored practice of a party list that has always been in the forefront of destroying buildings and institutions. For them, start means destroy the presidency. It is no longer destabilizing but ousting a duly elected President because they just don’t like him.

Furthermore, the yardstick used to measure a leader has changed. Apparently, the yardstick for Aquino cannot be applied for Duterte because Aquino, in their eyes, is the epitome of what is just and good. And you can run down the issues against Aquino from the Luneta hostage crisis, Yolanda, Mamasapano, KKK, Zamboanga siege, missing in action days, Napoles, DAP-PDAF, rigged impeachment of Chief Justice Corona, missing Malampaya, intel fund on crimes, unliquidated advances of his core Cabinet officials, and a lot more but his six years appear to be the model of governance and the nine months of Duterte is so appalling that he needs to be removed.

And as start is being invoked in building the nation, start is also the flag waved to destroy it politically. We have never had our politics serving what is best for our nation, save probably the time of FVR. Post-EDSA, our politics have been a drag. We removed President Estrada for his way of governing and his midnight Cabinet. We installed PGMA but needed to hold her captive because of alleged cheating putting her legitimacy at issue. We elected an Aquino again because he was an Aquino. And now we have the first mayor and the first Mindanaoan, we want to oust him because he is reportedly a killer. We never seem able to respect mandates of our leaders. Oust we must and that can be either removing the elected leader or weakening the foundations of the nation, causing it to spiral away.

In the old days, when before foreigners, we speak with one voice. Today, using seal and flag, we have a Vice President who, for her own convenience, spins things to put down an elected President. When a video is made in February and aired in March, saying “palitulo” is by design, you had all the time in the world to reframe. But with malice, the Vice President shot down the presidency and the PNP.

And then an impeachment complaint which is a rehash of all the accusations thrown PRRD’s way since the campaign, covering hearings in the Senate, scripted, staged and handled by Senator Antonio Trillanes and Senator Leila de Lima and supported by other Liberal Party senators. A cursory review of the complaint shows that securing a conviction is not what they have in mind. It’s destroying the economy; making investors leave are the two goals of those who lost in the 2016 elections.

There are two drivers of the economy: OFW remittances and BPO. Tinker with one, we implode. There are also investors waiting in the sidelines but the shaking that Robredo, Trillanes and the Liberal Party are doing of a man who won an election are becoming more and more strident. Should we worry? Nope, but let us start. Let the crybabies do their thing and let us all pull in one direction with Duterte, and row in unison across the rough seas. About time we let the vultures eat the dried carcass fed by soiled yellow hands and the living start rowing towards our promised land. We are captains of our fate and “every nation determines its own destiny; the cleverer the nation, the better the fate!”
Published in Commentaries
Monday, 20 March 2017 10:42

Duterte: I can’t stop China in Panatag

DAVAO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he would not stop China from building on a disputed shoal near the Philippine west coast because it was too powerful.

Mr. Duterte made the statement in reaction to reports that China would set up an environmental monitoring station on Panatag Shoal (international name: Scarborough Shoal) off the coast of Zambales province.

“We cannot stop China from doing those things. Even the Americans could not stop them,” he said during a press conference here shortly before flying for his state visit to Burma (Myanmar).

“What do you want me to do? Declare war against China? I can’t. We will lose all our military and policemen tomorrow and we [will be] a destroyed nation,” he told a press conference before departing for a visit to Burma.

Mr. Duterte said he would tell the Chinese: “Just keep it (the waters) open and do not interfere with our Coast Guard.”

Benham Rise

He also brushed aside concerns over Chinese survey ships that had been seen near Benham Rise—waters east of the main island of Luzon that have been recognized by the United Nations as indisputably Philippine territory.

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he was very concerned that the Chinese ships had been seen at that location, sometimes for as long as a month.

But Mr. Duterte said: “So what if they stop there? They admit it is within the territory of the Philippines. That does not satisfy you?”

He described the complaints against China as “nit-picking.”

Mr. Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, had actively challenged China’s claim to control most of the South China Sea, despite counterclaims by several other nations.

But Mr. Duterte, who took office last year, has reversed that policy and was seeking billions of dollars worth of investments and grants from Beijing.

“We are now improving the economy because of the help of China. Why will you be so shameless just because they are passing by?” he told reporters on Sunday.

Beijing has already reclaimed large areas around several islets and reefs in the Spratly archipelago and elsewhere in the South China Sea, and installed military facilities on some of them.

Warning by analysts

However, analysts warned that China’s building on Panatag Shoal would radically change the situation since it is just 230 kilometers (143 miles) from Luzon.

Outposts on the shoal would put Chinese jet fighters and missiles within easy striking distance of military bases in the Philippines, some of which could host US troops.

The shoal also commands the northeast exit of the sea, so a Chinese military outpost there could stop other countries’ navies from using the waters.

In this Monday, March 13, 2017 file photo, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reacts during a press conference at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines. Duterte says his militarily inferior country can't stop China's actions in contested waters, responding to a reported plan by Beijing to construct an environmental monitoring station in a disputed shoal off the Philippines' northwest coast. Duterte, however, warned Sunday, March 19, that he would invoke a July 12 arbitration ruling that invalidated China's territorial claims in the South China Sea if the Chinese "start to tinker with the entitlement," apparently meaning when Beijing starts to tap the offshore area's resources.

China seized the strategic shoal, which is also claimed by the Philippines, in 2012, and Washington has warned Beijing against carrying out the same land reclamation work there that it has done in other parts of the South China Sea.

Monitoring stations

Xiao Jie, the mayor of what Beijing calls Sansha City, an administrative base for disputed South China Sea islands and reefs it controls, said China planned preparatory work this year to build environmental monitoring stations on a number of islands, including Scarborough Shoal.

The monitoring stations, along with docks and other infrastructure, form part of island restoration and erosion prevention efforts planned for 2017, Xiao told the official Hainan Daily.

The report comes ahead of a visit to Beijing at the weekend by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, where he was expected to reiterate US concern about Chinese island building.

Tillerson has called the activity “illegal” and last June, then US Defense Secretary Ash Carter warned that any move by China to reclaim land at Scarborough Shoal would “result in actions being taken by the both United States and … by others in the region which would have the effect of not only increasing tensions, but isolating China.” —WITH A REPORT FROM THE WIRES
Published in News
Thursday, 16 March 2017 10:39

A child of the oligarchy

I’VE never had the pleasure of meeting Gina Lopez personally. I of course know a little of her public persona and her pedigree; a daughter of the oligarchy who may have rejected the values of her class and assumed those of the “underclass,” and made herself a champion of the environment. Of late, one can’t help but form a positive opinion of this beleaguered bureaucrat, if only for the fact that she has emerged as one of the three or four competent and well-adjusted Cabinet members. And I may surmise that she comes closest to being a twin to the Deegong—minus the colorful language.

For the past few months since her appointment, Secretary Gina Lopez has wreaked havoc on the mining industry. Watching this woman on TV lambast mining violators, closing their operations, can be the most satisfying development nowadays. But the fierce secretary is yet to hurdle the Commission on Appointments (CA), as a full-fledged Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The mining industry

In 2014, a study conducted by the Fraser Institute cited the Philippines as the third worst in adopting mining policies in the world, only two notches higher than Venezuela and Kyrgyzstan.

The mining industry during the administrations of Presidents Macapagal-Arroyo and Aquino, was developed at a speed that caused long-term environmental damage and social problems. Aquino’s support of mining liberalization paved the way for the endorsement of 247 foreign-backed companies, severely undermining any sustainable development plans. This haphazard development resulted in loss of biodiversity, depletion of marine resources, disappearance of mangroves, and even human rights violations among environmental advocates. Aside from environmental degradation, hazardous child-labor in small-scale gold mining is prevalent. It is evident that the industry only benefited a few people.

The mining industry claims that it has contributed significantly to economic growth. However, a study conducted by IBON Foundation reveals otherwise. According to the IBON study, the mining industry’s contribution to the country’s GDP was only less than 0.10 percent since 1995. Indeed, it has produced 200,000 jobs, but the social and environmental costs over time far outweigh the benefits. In 2009, some areas where mining operations exist have the highest poverty incidence among all industry groups, and the highest poverty rate since 1988. According to official government data on poverty incidence since 2015, regions with mining operations fall severely behind in economic growth and development compared to other non-mining regions.

The birth of a dragon lady

This was the sordid state of affairs that confronted Gina Lopez when she was appointed DENR secretary. She came into office with impeccable credentials. A determined and courageous environmental activist, she headed the foundation established by her family and has since spearheaded campaigns against irresponsible mining and illegal logging, despite the Philippines being one of the countries with the worst records of environmental activists getting murdered. Eighty-eight environmental activists were killed between 2010 and 2015. One of them, Gerry Ortega, was a close friend of Gina. She also led the cleaning up and restoration of the Pasig River. She rallied against mining in ecotourism sites in Surigao del Sur in 2013 and gathered around 10 million votes for the Save Palawan Movement.

CA involvement in the mining industry

At Lopez’s confirmation hearing at the Commission on Appointments last week, more than 3,000 of her supporters rallied at the Senate. But the industry has begun to fight back, attacking her in the press and rallying their minions in Congress and the CA to block her appointment.

The forces arrayed against the Dragon Lady are formidable. A few members of the CA have ties with the mining industry and one of them is the CA vice chairman himself, San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora whose family owns Nickel Asia, a mining company that has been running since the 1970s in Surigao del Norte, Agusan and Palawan.

Another mining-affiliated congressman, although not a member of the CA, is Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay, the president of the Claver Mineral Development Corp. board. The Claver mine in Surigao del Sur was one of those closed down by Lopez. Pichay, who owns a 60 percent stake in the company, was once at the center of a mining issue controversy when he was accused of mining, transporting and selling nickel ore from an ancestral domain site without prior consent from the indigenous people of the area. Even Senator Manny Pacquiao is known to have investments in the mining industry.

Duterte rallies behind Gina

“I would rather follow Gina… Get the 70 billion somewhere else and preserve our environment,” said Duterte as he threw his support behind Lopez after a week of grilling that she went through at the CA. He even said that the Philippines can live without the mining industry and he would rather divert into other sustainable industries.

This is where the main problem lies. The lines are drawn. On one side is the mining industry and the loss of thousands of jobs and the much-needed income for government; on the other is Gina Lopez, the environment and sustainable development.

This need not be a zero-sum game where we the Filipinos are the eventual losers.

The President in fact should break the impasse and work out a compromise. Decidedly, there are among those closed mines ones that understand the concept of “responsible mining” and need to be re-opened. We can’t afford to leave our riches underground while our people wallow in poverty. On the other hand, we can’t let go of Gina who has already won the hearts of millions of Filipinos who have long waited for someone who will protect them from environmental and social injustices committed by illegal miners.

We need both.
Published in Commentaries
China welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s friendly remarks on the Chinese presence of research vessels, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

“China welcomes and commends relevant remarks by President Duterte. As he said, China and the Philippines have already communicated and had a friendly exchange of views on the relevant issue, clarified the facts and appropriately handled the issue,” she said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Duterte said in a press briefing on Monday that he was informed beforehand of Chinese sending of survey ships to Benham Rise. He also said he instructed the military to assert Philippine ownership in a friendly manner.

Last week, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disclosed that Chinese survey ships were spotted in Benham Rise for as long as three months last year.

Hua said China respects the Philippines’ rights over the continental shelf in Benham Rise and they are not challenging those rights.

“But the basic principle of international law says that the EEZ (exclusive economic zone) and the continental shelf do not equate with territories,” she said.

The United Nations granted the Philippines’ claim to Benham Rise as an extension of the country’s continental shelf in 2012. The undersea region and biodiversity hotspot located east of Luzon in the Pacific Ocean is not part of China’s nine-dash-line claim. CBB
Published in News
Tuesday, 14 March 2017 09:32

A campaign to unseat

THE key words of the campaign are: culture of impunity, hate and anger. Platforms used are local and international media as well as the drilling effect of social media. That a culture was built overnight (because it has been 10 months only) was surprising, but that is what one gets when the oppositors (they put opposition in a bad light) are loaded, well-connected and consistent. And yes, despite elections being over and a winner declared by Congress, a campaign rages to unseat a duly elected President because of alleged sins of the past, constituting 22 years of being mayor.

The presidential campaign of 2016 came as a realization and a shock to the country’s ruling economic and political elites. Economic, because Duterte can’t be controlled, and political, because he will change the status quo. The BSA3 and Liberal Party formula was to jail, impeach and file cases against those who would not go with them at the start. In the vernacular, sampolan nyo. Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was arrested for so many cases that came late in the day. The mantra was arrest her and jail her and we think of 8 to 9 cases from PCSO to electoral fraud, etc. Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached. Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez was threatened with impeachment and resigned. When the operation to secure impeachment was uncovered, Napoles came in to save the day for the Aquino administration. And names included in the Napoles list were controlled.

The Liberal Party and some Cabinet members forming the inner core, learned a thing or two from Marcos and Arroyo. They dished out the dossiers of legislators and controlled them to the end. Those who did not want to be included in the public shame campaign, towed the line. Others had to clench their fists, muttering, may araw rin kayo.

Two years near 2016, the directive was launched to hit, damage and weaken the leading declared candidate for 2016 so that their presumptive candidate can be strong and competitive in the 90-day campaign. Doing the task for them were Pimentel (now Senate President), Cayetano (the other half of the Duterte ticket) and Trillanes (the designated Pambansang Handler who continues to tax the patience of the public). Control at the start and control at the end. In fact, the campaign of the Liberal Party in 2016 was tied with the legacy of BSA3, Tuwid na Daan. The political marketing plan was simple. Attach “Tuwid na Daan” and the candidates will win hands down because of the “accomplishments of the Aquino II administration.” Besides, oodles and oodles of money had been used to prop it up. The LP presidential and vice-presidential candidates had the same political nicknames, which COMELEC allowed. You guessed it right, Tuwid na Daan. And all monies and machinery of government were used to ensure victory, only to be defeated by a Duterte, a mayor, from Mindanao and without the huge war chest of the candidate of Aquino. It was shocking to say the least, when they controlled all the levers for victory but forgot the electorate.

When they realized the overwhelming wind that was coming, they again dispatched Trillanes in the last week of the campaign period, to hit, without let-up, candidate Duterte. Trillanes did not use the killings in Davao narrative, he chose the hidden wealth (taking a leaf from the destroy-Corona plan) card and went to town. He was not able to deliver, and therefore promised to get Duterte, win or lose. With money, media and legislative glare, Trillanes launched his termite-like offensive. Gnawing at the base, he tries to weaken the foundations, aiming for a legislative coup, impeaching the duly elected President. The timelines were laid out clearly. Everything uniting to that one single moment of our Camelot, EDSA. If things do not work out, there is a year in office (May), second SONA (July) and the politically charged months of August and September.

The other cards are De Lima (not political but violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The HRW and ICC have their own processes that no Trillanes can mess around with. But it completes the narrative of having a “killer, lunatic and corrupt President.” Indeed, the coup provocateur has shifted to a most rewarding profession: handler of termites who will weaken the base, provider of protective cover to the termites (praetorian guard par excellence), media operator and paid political assassin. The hope of everyone is for Mr. Trillanes to inform the public about his 16 trips to China (no paper trail and no immigration stamps). That is being transparent and accountable. Interestingly, what led to the change in Trillanes’ position since March 9, 2009 to September 2012? Was Trillanes the back door of BSA3 to China? Was it his “Russian roulette” equivalent to a good retirement befitting a career of destroying buildings and institutions?

Yes, it is true that doing 100 percent in the fight against illegal drugs is crucial. It highlights what has not been done for the past six years; it contrasts PRRD from BSA3, especially on narco politics and fundraising for political ends. But these contrasts are marginalized since PRRD, day in and day out, speaks of only a single issue with passion and resolve: battling the drug menace. The more he talks of Tokhang and Double Barrel, the more impunity, hate and anger are lighted up, just like a Pavlov experiment. The more he calls himself a mayor, the more the stature issue is highlighted. Think big, be President!

No, there is no destabilization in the traditional sense. But there is definitely a campaign to weaken and pounce on the presidency. The line, “culture of impunity, hate and anger” has been echoed by De Lima, Trillanes, the Liberal Party and the Vice President. It has been echoed in social media conversations. Those who propagate the line are said to be warriors of truth and those who do not are dream weavers.

And then there is that single star in the dark horizon, Cadet First Class Rovi Mairel V. Martinez of Cabanatuan City, valedictorian of PMA Class 2017, who reminded all of what service is: “To the Filipino people, whom we have pledged to serve with honor and integrity, utang naming ang lahat ng ito sa inyo. We will strive to become officers who are worthy of your respect and trust. We vow as young leaders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to always serve you and our country with vigor and unwavering commitment. Sa buong sambayan ang Pilipino, handa na po kaming magsilbi sa inyo!”

A very simple message that reverberates. You serve the country you love. You do not destroy it just because your kind did not make it. You do not spend a minute scheming. You roll up your sleeves and help. That is being Filipino today!
Published in Commentaries
Tuesday, 14 March 2017 07:51

Duterte: No reason to 'drop' Gina

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday again stressed his support for Environment Secretary Gina Lopez, as he slammed mining firms that are destroying the environment.

Reciting a list of firms which he said were engaged in destructive mining, Duterte said he sees no reason to withdraw support for Lopez, whose appointment has faced strong opposition from mining groups.

The president said, there is no compelling reason to drop Lopez, adding that mining firms would find it hard to justify the environmental destruction they have caused.

“Give me a redeeming factor. Give me a redeeming -- something which I can hang on to to drop Gina. Walang redeeming factor,” he said.

Duterte also said he is mulling on imposing a total ban on mining.

Lopez has ordered the closure of 23 mining companies and the suspension of 5 others, but her decision is being reviewed by an inter-agency council.

Duterte also accused some mining firms of funding the opposition to undermine his government.

“Kayong mga mining, I know you are funding the opposite side. Alam ko na ngayon kung sinong gumgastos sa kanila. I know that some of you are giving funding to the other side to destabilize me. If the police and military will allow it, it’s their problem,” Duterte said.

The Commission on Appointments is scheduled to take up her appointment this week. An executive caucus is set to be held tomorrow and a plenary session on Wednesday.

In case she is bypassed, the president would need to issue another ad interim appointment for Lopez.
Published in News
SINCE commercial internet connectivity spread into the domain of the developing world in the late 1990s, the Philippines has been a consistent laggard among the 15 Asia Pacific countries monitored by Akamai Technologies Inc. Akamai, an American content delivery network and cloud services firm, observed the traffic of an estimated 1 billion web users a day in the third quarter of 2016.

The latest available data (Q3 2016) from the company showed 76 of the 144 qualifying countries saw quarterly increases in average peak connection speeds, but the Philippines was among the 66 countries that registered declines, albeit at 0.1 percent, together with Senegal, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine.

“In the third quarter, for the first time, all 15 of the surveyed Asia-Pacific countries/regions had average connection speeds above the 4 Mbps broadband threshold. Seven of these exceeded the 10 Mbps threshold—the same as in the second quarter. India and the Philippines once again had the lowest average connection speeds among surveyed countries/regions in Asia Pacific, at 4.1 Mbps and 4.2 Mbps, respectively,” according to Akamai’s State of the Internet Q3 2016 report.

But if we are to believe the recently created Department of Information Communications and Technology (DICT), change is coming, especially in the aftermath of the two-day Philippine Telecoms Summit 2017 held from March 9 to 10.

Even Akamai thinks so, too, banking on last year’s pronouncements by the DICT: “Also, the new administration of the Philippines—a nation with one of the lowest broadband speeds and adoption rates in the region—looks to be prioritizing faster connectivity throughout the country, including the announcement of a new Department of Information and Communication Technology responsible for planning the deployment of fiber and wireless technologies nationwide.”

Because the so-called industry duopoly of PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. are the dominant players here, it is easy to heap all the blame on them for the sorry state of internet connectivity in this country. But as ICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima made it clear, the summit was not organized as a blaming-game to find a convenient scapegoat. That approach was supposedly a handshake deal among the DICT, the telcos, the consumer groups, the National Telecommunications Commission and the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators to get the whole spectrum of stakeholders on board. Rather, the intent was to find solutions to the problems dogging the industry.

Of course, a lot is at stake, based on the latest numbers of Internet Live Stats. Some 44.47 million more Filipinos were connected to the internet, or more than 43.5 percent of the estimated 102.25-million population, as of July 2016.

It remains to be seen, but it seems to be the right approach. The DICT has done two things, supposedly only the first steps to finding solutions to the internet speed and pricing problems. The department drafted a bill to be filed in Congress for sponsorship, basically seeking to mandate private villages and subdivisions nationwide to open their gates so the telcos can build more cell phone towers that tap into the radio frequencies assigned to them by the government. Having more cell sites allow telcos to fill the gaps in cellular networks that would otherwise make for patchy connectivity.

The DICT also drafted an executive order (EO) for the Office of the President to review and approve. The draft EO cuts the red tape at the local government level to pieces by ordering city and municipal halls to approve a permit for constructing a cell site within seven days, or else the request is considered a done deal beyond that time frame despite the lack of action. As NTC Chairman Gamaliel Cordova pointed out during the summit, 25 to 30 permits must be issued at the LGU level, a process that takes roughly eight months, before a telco can start to build single cell site.

To break the duopoly, the DICT has called for local and foreign investors to take a look at the possibilities in the country. He stressed that a third industry player is a must to address the problems of internet speed, pricing and coverage.

And to make sure telcos put to good use those precious non-financial assets vital to the telecom industry, the DICT vowed to confiscate the unused radio frequencies assigned by the NTC to holders of telecommunications franchises.

Yes, change is coming. But until it has arrived, the Filipino internet consumer can only hope for better connectivity while he watches the loading prompt on the device screen go round and round.
Published in Commentaries
The Social Security System (SSS) on Thursday said more than two million pensioners will benefit from the second tranche of the P1,000 additional benefit that will be released Friday.

In a statement, SSS said P2.07 billion will be released to qualified members.

“We are happy to inform our regular pensioners that the P1,000 additional benefit differential for February 2017 is now deposited in the respective bank accounts of our pensioners. This is the second happy Friday for SSS pensioners,” SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Dooc said.

“From the 2.04 million pensioners for the month of January, almost 30,000 were added in our list for the beneficiaries for February. We are expecting that the number of pensioners who will enjoy the P1,000 additional benefit will continue to increase in the coming months,” he added.

The pension fund released last Friday about P2.04 billion to its pensioners for the January 2017 differential.

The P1,000 additional benefit for the month of March will be given on March 17.

Pensioners under special cases will receive their P1,000 increase on March 31, May 12 and 26. These include death claims with more than one payee and one of them is overpaid; payees with withheld share; Special Pension System, pension with payees under different guardians; and those covered by a Bilateral Social Security Agreement between the Philippines and other countries and the Portability Law.

Also, pensioners on suspended status due to non-compliance with the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners but are up for resumption from January to March will get the additional benefit on March 31, provided they have already reported to SSS for the resumption of their monthly pension.

Pensioners who availed of the advance 18 months retirement pension from August 2015 onwards will receive the additional P1,000 on May 12 to cover the remaining months starting January 2017.

Pensioners with settled initial disability, death and retirement claims from November 2016 to April 2017 as well as those who filed for adjustment in their pension can withdraw their P1,000 on May 12.

“Starting April, all regular pensioners, will receive the updated amount of their pension. This means that their regular monthly pension will automatically increase by P1,000,” Dooc said.
Published in News
Thursday, 09 March 2017 06:49

What happened to EDSA?

Part 3

FOR each of the groups that participated in EDSA, the expectations, hopes and aspirations which motivated them were diverse. Thirty-one years, the survivors may now have a better grasp of the event and a better appreciation of whether these have been fulfilled in the light of current developments.

The Yellows- 2017

Some of us are no longer Yellows in 2017. Our perception of EDSA and our role in it runs counter to what is now being peddled, mostly by those of the recent past administration. For us, EDSA is not an Aquino family franchise, nor just a mere booting out of the Marcos family. And it is not a narrative of entitlements of two families.

For many of us, EDSA was a decades-long seething anger against poverty, injustice and the emerging rule of the oligarchy not only in the economy but throughout the political structures. These were long exemplified by the pre-martial law Liberal and Nacionalista political parties; same faces of a political coin that held sway over the lives of the masses of Filipinos through their brand of traditional politics.

The final capture of the color Yellow was consummated upon the serendipitous exquisitely timed demise of the EDSA icon when an opportunistic son rode on the people’s residual love and nostalgia to win power. Yellow from then on came to symbolize his own vengeful and exclusive “Daang Matuwid” regime. PNoy, in his brimming arrogance, tried to exact from the people who once took part in the EDSA revolution, a certain sense of loyalty and adulation similar to that shown his mother. He failed.

His double standards overshadowed his advocacy of transparent governance, and what we all witnessed was a man who used his power to inflict his wrath upon his political enemies. The economic policies that put the country in the international map, which in essence were inter-generational and a carryover from past administrations, were never properly attributed; in fact, his predecessor was incarcerated for the duration of his term in office.

But the last straw that broke the people’s trust was his refusal to apologize and take responsibility for the Mamasapano massacre that claimed the lives of 44 police commandos.

Some of these Yellows who perceived EDSA to be merely a victory over martial law forces were left disenchanted when the expected change in the status quo and the restructuring of the old order did not occur. And this too is the perception of mostly the millennials with their harsh judgment of EDSA as they have no personal connection to or collective memory of it. The disgruntled former Yellows and the millennials found a common cause in bringing about this elusive change – Ang Pagbabago! – exemplified by a maverick whose language resonated. They found their voice and a champion in DU30, our Davao mayor, whom they catapulted to the presidency running under two main campaign promises of drastic change: the elimination of the illegal drug menace and the restructuring of the government into a parliamentary-federal form.

The Marcos Loyalist Reds- 2017

The hundred yellow ribbons “round the old oak tree” may soon be covered by red ones as Marcos supporters have slowly inched their way to political consciousness in the past few years from their solid base in the Marcos homeland in the north. This resurgence can be attributed to the tolerance and naivete of President Fidel Ramos, a cousin, who allowed the return of the dictator’s remains under strict conditions agreed to by the Marcos family, but which they have reneged on, perhaps with the quiet acquiescence of the FVR administration. This paved the way for the complete rehabilitation of the family by PRRD who has admitted to his own father’s debt of gratitude to the father, Ferdinand, and his own fondness for the son, Bongbong. The son also did his part by demonstrating filial love, a trait much valued by Filipinos. On his run for the vice presidency, the Filipino millennial responded in kind. They are a powerful and versatile force that has clearly distorted the equation—partially alienating the Yellows.

The Military- 2017

Many of the major players have long been put to pasture and some tucked into the recesses of the bureaucracy. But the institution has a long collective memory and it has left behind what could be a dangerous legacy; they were made the protector of a dictatorship and have tasted the license of shared power. And they applied that newfound prerogative a decade and a half later in a caricature of EDSA II, that small original faction of 1986 who once broke away from the traditional mainstream culture with convoluted motivations to fight a common nemesis. EDSA will be a reminder of how their force can either be a tool for hegemony or freedom. And that the military has to be guided by strong moral principles and must equip themselves with a discerning mind to only use their force to serve the people.

DU30’s Red, White & Blue

This clinched-fist symbol of defiance and rejection of the status quo is the emblem of those who populate this group who are mostly the vocal millennials – those who have barely a memory of EDSA 1986 and no experience of the circumstances, events and upheavals that led to it. Most were not even born yet at the onset of the Marcos regime and therefore have no awareness of the piquancy of the period. They were among the first to march the streets of EDSA during the 2017 commemoration. They could have been properly schooled on the history of the EDSA revolution, what dictatorship feels like and how their forefathers fought it. However, the passion and flavor of conflict cannot be imparted. They may have understood the dangers of an iron-fisted leader such as Duterte, but on the other hand, the man speaks their language of defiance of the old order. And his is the only game in town!

The millennials are a force to reckon with and they could be the gamechanger. They have the vigor, the ideas and technology to rally behind a certain political ideology, an advocacy or a cause. But only when properly motivated can they begin to fulfill the promise of their generation which is congruent to the hopes of the majority of the EDSA participants – to free the Filipino from the shackles of poverty, injustice and the grasp of the oligarchy and the traditional practices of politics.

Perhaps it needed the passing of a generation—31years from EDSA—for a new set of players to emerge to fulfill the important aspirations, expectations and hopes of EDSA, without being burdened by the conflicts and biases that brought about that same EDSA.

Perhaps the colors, Yellow and Red, will lose their significance and everything negative attached to them. Perhaps, the rise of a leader who was himself a product of EDSA but tried to heal its wounds is what is needed in this time and age.

 

Published in LML Polettiques
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