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CHAMPIONING THE FILIPINO FARMER 12 We politicize economic issues & give an economic perspective to political issues FEBRUARY 10-16, 2014 • VOL.4 NO.24

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By ElCid Benedicto

A NEW star witness is in town: Ruby Tuason. Charged with plunder for alleged involvement in the pork barrel and Malampaya mess, Tuason is poised to throw more flak against senators tagged in the PDAF scandal. Page 2

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DA SUPPORTS PHILIPPINE POULTRY 3 2/7/14 10:01 PM

COVER STORY

Sitio San Roque

‘KILL’ TARGETS

By Elcid Benedicto

THE administration is moving in for the kill. With the PDAF scandal relegated to the back burner by issues of greater import—the impending increase in Meralco rates, the messy Yolanda rehabilitation program and President Aquino’s dipping popularity, the administration has pulled off a news coup with the surfacing of one Ruby Tuason.

Facing plunder charges before the Ombudsman for her alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam and the alleged misuse of the PhP900-million Malampaya, Tuason—identified in charge sheets as a “representative” of Minority Leader Juan Ponce-Enrile or Senator Jinggoy Estrada—is poised to become the state’s new star witness. Move over, Benhur Luy.

Sacrifice

Like most whistleblowers before her, Tuason appears to have grown a conscience overnight, deciding to turn herself in as a “sacrifice” with her capitulation requiring her implication of persons she has had close ties with.

While Tuason has promised to surpass Luy’s testimonies by naming more personalities involved in the PDAF mess, her emergence appears to serve the purpose of putting Enrile and Estrada in the public crosshairs.

Impending Arrest

Unimpeachable sources are convinced that it’s just a matter of time for before Enrile and Estrada find themselves humiliated by being served warrants for their arrest. Even if Tuason is equally guilty of robbing the government coppers, if she is becomes state witness, Enrile and Estrada could find themselves behind bars in a jiffy.

Meanwhile, OpinYon has learned from a Palace source that Malacanang is also “negotiating” with lawyer Richard Cambe—an aide of Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.—to do a Luy and blow the whistle on Revilla. Cambe went on leave shortly after news of the PDAF scandal broke.

Coincidence?

Was it just mere coincidence that various new issues are being hurled at Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. one after the other in the last two months? And these stories are being carried only by one major daily, two at the same time on some rare occasions, known to be sympathetic to the administration.

Sen. Estrada, three months after his privilege speech that later on led the public to be familiar with what former Sen. Joker Arroyo dubbed as “an unknown animal called Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP),” and forced Malacanang to concede its unconstitutionality, beating

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FEBRUARY 10-16, 2014

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OpinYon

the Supreme Court from issuing a categorical ruling on its nature or character, the former found himself “misappropriating” anew his pork barrel allocation.

Although he chose to “give up” the Executive’s appropriation of some P200 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in this year’s budget and joined some of his peers in having their respective pork funds “realigned” instead to other uses, the issue did not come to pass especially since half of it were allocated to the city of Manila, the current turf of his father, former President Joseph Estrada.

Scandalous

The realignment went through the process of budget deliberations, Sen. Estrada said, ably seconded by Upper Chamber’s finance chair, Sen. Francis Escudero. Yet no amount of explanation could disabuse the minds of the public that there’s nothing “scandalous” about it, except that the seat of government now stands to benefit from it and it happens to be under the helm of the his father.

Sen. Revilla came next in being placed in a hot seat but only after he made a belated retaliatory move and fire upon no less than the President Benigno Aquino himself. His long-retired father and namesake, former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr., days after his privilege speech, was reported to be also involved in the shenanigans of Napoles’ group, supposedly.

The same issue on Sen. Revilla Sr., incidentally saw print a week after the senator admitted in an interview that he has another explosive speech, ready to be delivered anytime soon. Senate insiders could only surmise the possibility that the issue on his father was “revived” after the senator announced his second speech.

Enrile’s Dirt

Overlapping the issue on Revilla is that of another web of corruption, supposedly, of the present Senate minority leader – Enrile.

His known nemesis, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago who never fails to mention in her press releases that she’s been suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, seems to be indefatigable in digging up Enrile’s alleged dirt.

Her press release on alleged Enrile’s questionable funding of projects in Cagayan Export Processing Zone (CEZA)

was the subject of a news article of a broadsheet the day after. The same paper carried the news on alleged abusive handling of Senate funds by Enrile while he was still the upper chamber president two years ago, citing unnamed sources.

Senate insiders could not help but take notice of the fact that Sen. Santiago was harping on Enrile’s handling of Senate funds that same year, after the issue was published in the paper which observers also noted was obviously “friendly” to her.

A colleague could not help but take notice of the apparent barrage of issues being thrown at the three opposition senators in the past several weeks and expressed alarm over classified information that another batch of senators would be facing some “serious issues” also on alleged PDAF misuse anytime soon.

Dejected

In the midst of these issues on pork barrel scam and other allegations against the three senators, some sources close to the senators admitted that they are slowly consumed by dejection, not only for the numerous flak that they have been receiving since last year, but more so on the possibility of facing plunder and other charges.

One of three senators intimated to reporters that he had already been long foretold that an arrest is imminent and had in fact, expected it to be served during their Christmas break.

Another, is contemplating of putting off plans to celebrate a wedding anniversary this year as preparations might only be spoiled in the event that he’s already “detained” by that time.

The most senior of the three, sources added, no longer have the enthusiasm and passion in his work that he had displayed and highly-praised during the Corona impeachment trial and his staff members are unhappy as well.

Whether their misgivings in the near future have some basis, the public will just have to wait and see.

With a new star witness mouthing off, the administration stands to regain lost popularity points as media is expected to focus its attention away from issues of negative impact.

Government probably expects the public to bite. If not, PNoy and the rest of the gang could find themselves the target of public rage and discontent.

WHAT’S in a demolition? I didn’t really know anything what happens during a demolition, that is, until January 27 came. The day before, one of my comrades sent a group message calling for support in Sitio San Roque in Quezon City. It looks like another demolition is about to take place in the said area. The information apparently came from reliable inside sources in the government Having visited the community once after a protest action near Noynoy Aquino’s home last January, I decided to visit the area once more, this time with the threat of demolition hanging above the said community. It felt quite off since a few days before, I had thoughts about the community and wrote something about demolitions and the oligarch’s lust for profit as they buy off public land for their projects at the expense of the homes of the urban poor.

For those not in the loop, Sitio San Roque is a large community which is situated between Agham Road and EDSA. As of 2013, it housed around 7,000 families. Since 2010, the local government has tried to accomplish its ‘task’ of demolishing the community of Sitio San Roque since the area is covered by the proposed Quezon City Central Business District (QC-CBD) that aims to install a business district in Quezon City similar to the ones in Makati and other nearby cities. The place where TriNoma now stands as well as the blank area where the construction is ongoing was once part of Sitio San Roque.

When I visited the community once, they told me that though the local government plans to have an 11.3 meter road widening project, the plan is to have the whole stretch of Agham Road demolished. According to the residents, this also means that government offices and even the East Ave. Hospital at the other side of the road aren’t going to be spared from the proposed QC-CBD. It’s also noteworthy that the Manila Seedling Bank was not exempted from the demolition.

Just like the information that was relayed to us the day before, around 500 members of the demolition team came to Sitio San Roque accompanied by 700 policemen, some of whom came from different police districts. The policemen were armed with their shields and sticks, while some of them came with canisters of teargas and even high powered firearms were seen amongst their ranks.

Of course, many of the residents resisted in order to defend their homes from being destroyed. But it was noticeable from the wee hours of the morning that the support for the “barikadang bayan” (People’s Barricade) was rather minimal, even at the “Agham station” where there were more people gathered outside. Many people simply stood outside of their homes. Though the atmosphere was tense, one could sense a feeling of passivity amongst the residents; it’s as if they can’t do anything to resist the demolition this time around.

Initially, around 17 people were arbitrarily arrested by the police, many of whom were simply helping those who were affected by the teargas; 6 of them came from different sectoral groups, some of which were minors. Many people were affected by teargas, including a two-month old infant who was rushed to the hospital as its mouth started to foam. Though the child survived, a 65 year old woman wasn’t as fortunate as she died on the way to the hospital due to suffocation from the teargas. Other residents were harassed by the police and the demolition team, taunting them and even pointing them with what they described as ‘long weapons’.

So there I was, witnessing first-hand the State use its might against its own people for the sake of the big businessmen. “To serve and protect” is the motto of the Philippine National Police; indeed, they were there to serve and protect the interests of the rich and the powerful and not of those who have less in life, particularly the urban poor of Sitio San Roque. –Richard James Mendoza

WE TAKE A STAND

2/7/14 10:01 PM

Politics Strategy of tension

By Herman Tiu-Laurel

WHOSE script, composition and/or choreography were the two World War II former antagonists following?

One after the other Japan and the Philippines’ sang and danced to the same tune of “China like Germany and Hitler”?

Was it just by accident or coincidence that the two had the inaccurate historical allusions, albeit about two different wars – WWI and WWII? Or was it a from one playbook written by the coach which has been behind the “pivot” play from the beginning of 2011, the year President Obama announced the U.S. pivot or “rebalancing” of its interest and forces to the Pacific region.

maritime surveillance ships.

This was followed by a major conflagration of nationalist emotions when the Japanese government official announced in September 2012 its purchase of the Diaoyu (Senkaku in Japanese) Islands from private Japanese hands, effectively nationalizing the issue and unavoidably drawing in official Chinese government counter-action. Following that in September 2013 the Philippines’ Secretary of National Defence accused China of setting up 75 concrete blocks to construct a new base at the Scarboraough Shoals which a month later, October, the Philippines embarrassingly admitted were actually U.S. target practice anchors.

Over-Ado about ADIZ

Abe-speak Hijacked

Immediately after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2014, the international media exploded with reports of Abe comparing 2014, today, to the eve of WWI in 1914 and China to expansionist Germany and Japan to England then. Reactions from Chinese diplomats was capped by a high level response from China’s National People’s Congress Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Fu Ying from at the Munich Security Conference, Feb. 1, “Now is the era of peace and development… the ‘Chinese dream’ can’t be realized without a good external environment... the ‘Chinese dream’ will add to peace and prosperity of the region and the world.”

February 3, two weeks after Abe’s reported WWI comparisons the Japanese foreign ministry announced to Japanese Asahi and Sankei Shimbun(s) that PM Abe’s controversial remarks at Davos were was “embellished” by “an employee” of the “private interpretation fi rm”.

A translation from the chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga shows Abe being asked about a possible Japan-China confl ict, and Abe replied: “This year marks the 100th year since World War I. At the time, Britain and Germany had a strong economic relationship, but they went to war. ...If something like you suggest were to happen, it would cause serious losses to both Japan and China, ...We must ensure

News from Where You Stand

this will not happen.”

‘A Fool Steps In...’

Despite the clarification from the Japanese government about the erroneous world reports on Abe’s WWI, German comparison, the Philippine President, BS Aquino, in an interview with the New York Times called for world leaders not to make the mistake of appeasing China over the contested waters and islands in the strategically vital South China Sea saying, “Well, the world has to say it -— remember that the Sudetenland was given in an attempt to appease Hitler to prevent World War II...” China’s state news agency, Xinhua, branded Aquino as a disgrace” and that Aquino “exposed his true colours as an amateurish politician who was ignorant both of history and reality.”

History-on-the-Net writes, “The Sudetenland was taken away from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire and given to Czechoslovakia.... Although American President Woodrow Wilson had wanted people in disputed regions to be allowed to decide where they would live this did not happen.” It must be re-

membered: Sudetenland was fi rst “taken away“ and its German population severely discriminated against, before it was “given back” in the so-called “appeasement” prior to WWII. BS Aquino steps in to the very complex WWII history where even angels may dread to tread. While Japan clarified the mistranslation of Abe’s remarks, the Philippines cannot remedy Aquino’s ignorance.

Strategy of Tension

Since U.S. President Barak Obama announced in November 2011 the U.S. “pivot” to Asia, i.e. deploying 60% of its military assets to the region by 2020 there’s been a steady stream of tension and disinformation prevailing over the Asian region in relation to the China Sea issues; in particular between China on one side and Japan and the Philippines on the other. The Philippines raised tensions with China in April 2012 when it attempted to arrest (breaking the traditional “coexistence”) Chinese fishing boats in the Scarborogh Shoals, a.k.a. Ayungin, claimed by the two countries resulting in a prolonged stand-off between Philippine naval (grey) ships and several Chinese

In November 2013 China announced its ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone). To its surprise Japan and U.S. virulently objected. China is the last to declare an ADIZ amongst East Asian countries while Japan and the U.S. had imposed ADIZs in 1960. Japan’s ADIZ overlaps parts of China’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

Before clarification could be absorbed by the world audience Japan on February 2 Japan accuses China of planning an ADIZ over the entire China Sea, a falsehood China emphatically denied two days later.

After months of black propaganda against China Admiral Samuel Locklear, US Pacific Command chief, stated February 5, 2014: “China ‘acting professionally’ in air defence zone”.

On January 10, 2014 to China’s surprise, its 30-yar old fishing rules burst into a front page issue World media as Washington called it “provocative and potentially dangerous”. China replied, “For more than 30 years, China’s relevant fisheries laws and regulations.... have never caused any tension,....If someone feels the need to say that technical amendments ... pose a threat to regional stability.... then it must be due to an ulterior motive.” In mid-January 2014 news spread like wildfi re in Philippine and Western media that “China will invade Pagasa island in 2014” which a few days later the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department and Presidential spokesman denied had any basis at all.

Turn to page 11

Some Bright Spots

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HERE is no administration that can be all bad. That would take such “incredible” skill as to be almost admirable. No matter how bad the corruption, roads will still be built, monies will still be spent for bridges, irrigation canals, and a myriad other expenditures. Though graft laden, someone and perhaps many others will still benefit. The results of governance will always be six of these and half a dozen of the other as the saying goes.

Living in an imperfect world fi lled with fallible men and women, it is always also a matter of balance and proportion.

But the expectation is that that someone who becomes President will do better than the predecessor. Truth is that we suffer from a myriad of dysfunctions in society and governance that I doubt that anyone can fulfi ll the common persons expectations in one term of six years maybe

not even in two. Well, a good beginning can be had.

Nonetheless, there are fundamental aspects of our present political system, the more appropriate form of governance up to and including notions of democracy and freedoms including human rights that have to be addressed while the dynamics of life continue to percolate in the midst of ongoing social and economic developments. Some would likely establish some kind of priority naming this or that as having greater importance than others.

There surely is no shortage of ideas but all of which cannot be a magical solution to the convoluted problems that we face not to speak of the fact that anything new will need some getting used to.

Mix of Influences

As our culture is such a wide mixture of influences, the combined results make attempts at concise defi nition rather dif-

RAY OF HOPE Ramon Orosa ficult at best. Some have described our culture as a defeated or damaged one for the length of our subjugation by four different value systems, though two of the four were minor, the English for its short duration (two years) and the Japanese, for about four years but what incredible brutality and savagery was experienced during those four years. It is said that the Filipinos lost one million out of 17 million during those four years, aside from the destruction of the different cities during the subsequent reclamation battles.

The more enduring colonial experiences were the Spanish for almost 400 years and the Americans for about 50 years.

As it has been rather humorously put, “360 years in a Spanish convent, followed by almost 50 years in Hollywood.”

So, we as a people have perhaps been searching for a deeper more enduring sense of identity over the last 50 years while having to deal with the social and values perversity that resulted from our long and tormented periods of occupation by foreign powers. Part of the problem is that from the beginning of our colonial period under Spain, our sense of nationhood had been nascent. More valuable was our sense of tribal origin and personal loyalties to a mostly unlettered village chiefs. One cannot really speak of a Philippines then largely because of our archipelagic makeup.

Political Past

There, of course, is ample

WE TAKE A STAND

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evidence that we did possess a form of sophisticated legal and social system prevailing in some tribes, like the well known code of Kalantiao. We had our own method of writing even if most of the traditions evolved from verbal passing and community life. But this was not widespread at all. If it were, the surviving evidence has as yet not been unearthed. There must have been both good and bad traditions from which social mores evolved, enforced by the village chiefs of the tribe.

But our political past was largely authoritarian in character, village chiefs to a large extent being jury, judge and fi nal arbiter. These traits survived, and were further enforced by our long experience with the Spanish period of colonization.

During this period, power was shared between clergy and the government established by Spain and indeed there were confl icts among them.

Turn to page 9

OpinYon

FEBRUARY 10-16, 2014

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OPINION

MRT ‘Fangs’ Club

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Move Over, Benhur Another cast member in the real-life political drama of the pork barrel scam suddenly reappears. The appearance of Ruby Tuason hardly registered as a surprise. The usual script features more of the suspect-as-state-witness cop-out strategy perfected

by Messrs. Napoles and other whistleblowers. It is a cop-out in a sense that when we finally expect that someone involved in the pork barrel scam will take responsibility for their actions, they resort to exploiting an overused legal loophole, to seemingly lessen the public’s ire.

It says a lot about what kind of people we have operating the government machinery. We have a bunch of cowards and dishonorable people helping themselves to the public wealth, with no fear of repercussions or any consequences. In other words, they act with impunity not just because their padrinos in government allowed them to, but because the voting public gave them the opportunity.

We have become complacent and abandoned our watch due to cynicism and apathy. We have forgotten the idea that self-governance, which makes democracy an effective social philosophy, means that we have to be on guard and make sure that our public servants would behave themselves.

It makes us wonder what goes on in the heads of these whistleblowers. The bigger the amount involved in the scandal, the more dramatic the entrance into the public stage. A lot of us have a faint idea how it will all end, and many of us are close to pleading and praying to just let it end, for goodness’ sake.

The problem with this drama is that it is becoming less and less entertaining, and the public does not find it amusing anymore. It is drawn-out torture, considering the other national issues we have to deal with. We all just wish that this harrowing nighmare would soon be over, so that the rest of the country can move on. Otherwise, those who keep prolonging this unnecessary and sickening farce, this mockery of our intelligence, can expect a potential political upheaval with disastrous repercussions.

HERMAN TIU-LAUREL Publisher TONYPET J. ROSALES Managing Editor

OpinYon is published by digitek Publishing House, inc., with editorial and business offices at no. 10 Pacita avenue, Pacita Complex i, San Pedro, laguna.

TELEPHONE NUMBER

San Pedro: 214-0766 Email: opinyon.2010@ gmail.com website: www.opinyon.com.ph ISSN 2094-7372

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FEBRUARY 10-16, 2014

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DAVE DIWA Opinion Editor FREDERICK FABIAN Social Media Director CARLOS RAJAMIRA Creative Director JOJO VALENCIA Layout Artist Editorial Consultants DIEGO CAGAHASTIAN LINGGOY ALCUAZ ERICK SAN JUAN RODRIGO CORNEJO RAY L. JUNIA Board Chairman & President ATTY. SALVADOR S. PANELO Ombudsman ATTY. RICKY RIBO, Legal counsel JOACHIM JOSHUA P. MEDROSO V.P. Business Development

OpinYon

proposed as far back as 2012 HERE are millions of us $3.3-million per coach. It is the daily commuters who Czech company that painstakare fans of the MRT (3), ingly networked with relations the Metro Rail Transit. of the Aquino family, employing Each day I am able to Steve Psinakis’ nephew Yorgis rush from Edsa-Shaw Psinakis as agent, linking with to Makati for my apBallsy et al through presidential pointments there and cousin Jorge Aquino-Lichauco to northward to Quezon City to and working the DoTC through my business office to sign paMentong Laurel Rene Limcaoco, brother of Cory pers, rush down towards Manila Aquino gofer Dodi, among othfor a quick visit to Taft Avenue, Padre Faura for another appoint- of the unsubstantiated claim of ers we name in next columns.

“The difference in price of ment before fi nally returning to ‘subsidy’ to commuters and trywhere I parked in the morning ing to distract by sowing discord what is now the lowest bid in either at Star Mall or Edsa Cen- between ‘spoiled’ Metro Manila the MRT3 supply of coaches contral to drive home to Pasig. My MRT commuters who take away tract at P1.8 million and below son from La Salle would time his from rural folks who neither the recommended optimum bid arrival at Edsa Central with the benefit from riding the ‘subsi- price and the fi nal offer of the time I drive off home. We’re all dized’ MRT-LRT and deprived Czech company of $3.05 million is between 47 coaches fans of the MRT, and against 25 coaches. the connecting line to It is easy to imagine Manila – the LRT (the how much more room Marcos vintage Light and comfort our daily Rail Transit) too. of MRT3 commuters incourse. cluding me, and my For over three It is easy to imagine how sons who commute to years now I’ve been much more room and comfort Makati and to La Salle writing and exposing Taft, will enjoy with 47 our daily MRT3 commuters in my columns and more coaches against broadcasting on radio including me, and my sons who 25 more. It is clear now and my GNN (Global that Czech Ambassacommute to Makati and to La New Network) cable dor Rychtar created the TV show aired over Salle Taft, will enjoy with 47 ruckus to sow confusion Channel 8 on Desaiming to abort the best more coaches against 25 more. tiny Cable and Chanplans of dedicated DoTC nel 213 on SkyCable officials like fi rst-time (every Sat.8pm and government executive Sun. 8am) the frauduVitangcol who is being lent arguments the government of BS Aquino has of similar benefit. Now it’s clear made a villain and a fall guy inbeen laying to justify a fare hike the millions of MRT commuters stead of the ideal public servant that he has tried to be....” for the MRT (as well as the LRT). are not subsidized.... “....By simple reckoning, the Here’s what I wrote on October financial burden taxpayers and TRO on New Coaches 29, 2012: MRT commuters are paying can Through the persistence of be calculated by deducting the the DoTC career technical and Lower the MRT Fares “The O&M (Operation and “farebox ratios” from the guar- profession management staff Maintenance) cost of the MRT is anteed P60/pax fare. The balance and help from media to stop the shown to be actually lower than of P50 is the subsidy the people Ballsy-Eldon Cruz railroading MRT fares now being charged. are paying. That burden started of the MRT capacity expansion, Based on data obtained from the with Fidel V. Ramos, Sobrepenas, DoTC reached the penultimate RILES Network, Ibon Founda- Ayala, Agustines and Campos step of visiting the Dalian Lotion, Agham and Bayan Muna re- groups that contracted the P60 comotive plant in China to cersearch using the “farebox meth- MRT fare, onerous passenger tify the reliability of its manuod,” i.e. the proportion of the fare quota, 15 percent profit guaran- facturing facilities before fi nal revenues to the total operational tees; with advertising, concession awarding. Then the MRT “Fangs costs of the trains, they found the and real estate revenues were Club” again stepped in, the MRT O&M per passenger cost- meted out. The “investors” have MRTC (Metro Rail Transit Coring only P9.11 compared to fares since sold and resold four times poration) and the MRTC Limited ranging from P10 to P15 per pas- over the projected MRT profits (MRTCL) which has the Buildsenger. Agham’s Giovanni Ta- — to MRTC3FC, MPIC (Pang- Lease-Transfer contract with the pang writes: ‘…an MRT customer ilinan), Goldman Sachs, Bobby DoTC got a TRO from the Suis already paying P0.89 to P5.89 Ongpin, back to government preme Court demanding that it more than what is necessary to with profits made at each turn....” has the right do the purchase of the additional coaches. maintain the MRT.’ Each MRT The “MRT Fangs club” mempassenger today is paying more MRT Additional Coaches than enough for the O&M of the The MRT system on Edsa bers or the MRTC shareholders inMRT, plus an excess that likely is overloaded. It was built for clude Ayala Land Inc, Greenfields goes to the so-called ‘subsidy’.

350,000 daily passengers; it’s Development Corp, Anglo-PhilSo where goes the ‘P7-billion’ now used by 750,000 daily. We ippines Holdings Inc, the Ramcar annual subsidy the DoTC claims are packed like sardines in the Group and Fil-Estate Corp. This is it provides? Certainly, not to the MRTat peak hours, which is the original group that conspired commuters! The MRT and LRT more than half the time of the with Fidel V. Ramos to foist the fares can and should actually be MRT operational day. Addito- criminal contract that extracted P lowered now, given the figures inal coaches for the MRT had 60/passenger fare guarantee we presented by the RILES Net- been planned for many years are subsidizing today. They want work..... the DoTC has never pre- now but only in recent years to make more bucks by scuttling sented the complete picture and/ did the dream of expanding the the Dalian Locomotive contract or convincing data to explain the MRT service with new, additoal and to buy it themselves, most MRT losses, preferring to engage coaches come to near reality – likely at a much higher price or the public with propaganda and until a scandalous scheme inter- from the Czech company Inekon. sowing intrigue — repetition vened to delay and and threaten The other “fangs club” member is to scuttle it right now. In my ar- not part of the TRO, but Manny ticle of October 16, 2014 I wrote “Pangil-inan” has his own bite to in “The Aquino-Rychtar-Abaya take – the operation of the entire MRT/LRT system after governscheme”: “...Metro Rail Transit (MRT) ment raises fares and turns it over general manager Al Vitangcol to his MPIC (Metro Pacific Invest... did the study and recommen- ment Corp.) which owns 48% of dation that became the basis for the system. the bids and awards committee (BAC) to set the optimum (Tune to 1098AM, DWAD, Tues.

Scan this QR Code with price of a little over $1.8-milion/ To Fri. “Sulo ng Pilipino” proyour mobile device to coach. Czech company Inekon, gram; watch GNN Sat. 8pm and read OpinYon Digital which triggered the allegations Sun. 8am over Destiny Cable ch.

Edition on the go. of $30-million ‘kickback’ de- 8 or SkyCable ch. 213, orwww. mands by certain Department gnntv-asia.com; text reactions of Transportation and Com- to 09178658664; log intowww. munications (DoTC) officials, newkatipunero.blogspot.com.

PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE

WE TAKE A STAND

2/7/14 10:01 PM

Opinion

The Viewpoints and outlook of the well-informed

Death Penalty

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ASTING aside what has become a common belief, if not a joke, that the death penalty was removed from our justice system because a very guilt-stricken Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did not wish it imposed on her after serving out her purloined term at the presidency, let us focus on a growing call for capital punishment’s restoration amidst the rising tide of criminality.

The issue of the death penalty is an issue as old as the concept of “justice” itself, predating as it does to the primacy and essentiality of “human life”, as recognized in the Old and New Testaments, indeed not only by the apostles, saints, prophets and some of today’s clergymen, but also by no less than Jesus Christ himself, who was sentenced to death after an unjust and wrongful trial but who, nonetheless, in accord with his Father’s plan, submitted himself to the sentence of crucifi xion to redeem all of mankind from its wrongful deeds.

It will be recalled that capital punishment was abolished after GMA came back from a visit to Pope Paul ll who had allegedly asked her to consider the repeal of our death penalty law, thereby

leaving strong undertones that such would also be God’s wish, if not command.

Much has been said about the pros and cons about capital punishment from great minds down the ages: saints, prophets, philosophers, legislators, politicians, criminologists, penologists, sociologists, biblical scholars and what have you, but there cannot be a source greater than the Bible on which to form judgments about the most exceptional gift of all from the Creator: human life. Hereunder are some compelling statements advocating capital punishment as an institution of divine justice.

One: In the New Testament, St. Paul, recognizing the legitimacy of capital punishment, says, “It is not without purpose that the ruler carries the sword.

He is God’s servant who infl icts His vengeful wrath upon the wrongdoer.” (Romans 13:4) Two: It is because humans are created in the image of God that capital punishment for premeditated murder was a perpetual obligation. The full weight of biblical data weighs in its favor.

This is the one crime in the Bible for which no restitution was possible. (Numbers 35:31, 33)

MUSINGS Ronald Roy Three: “The Christian community is called upon to articulate standards of Biblical justice, even when this may be unpopular. Capital justice is part of that non-negotiable st wwandard.

Society should execute capital offenders to balance the scales of moral judgement.” (Charles W. Colson) Four: St. Thomas Aquinas finds all biblical interpretations against capital punishment “frivolous”, citing Exodus 22:18: “... wrongdoers, thou shalt not suffer to live.” Unequivocally he states, “The civil rulers execute, justly and sinlessly, pestiferous men in order to protect the peace of the state.” (Summa Contra Gentiles, lll, 146) Five: God himself instituted the death penalty for murder (Genesis 9:6), and Christ regarded capital punishment as a just

penalty for murder. (Mathew 26:52).

Six: “Life is sacred, and that is why God instituted the death penalty. Therefore, whoever takes innocent human life forfeits his own right to live.” (Rev. Reuben Hahn) Seven: St. Thomas Aquinas, in Summa Contra Gentiles, Book lll, 146, says, “The fact that the evil, as long as they live, can be corrected from their errors does not prohibit the fact that they may be justly executed, for the danger that threatens from their way of life is greater and more certain than the good which may be expected from their improvement. They also have at that critical point of death the opportunity to be converted to God through repentance. And if they are so stubborn that even at the point of death their heart does not draw back from evil, it is possible to make a highly probable judgement that they would never come

away from evil to the right use of their powers.” (End of citations) The foregoing are but some of many persuasive Bible-based reasons why capital punishment should be maintained as a permanent policy of the State, and no further need is seen to ventilate the non-debatable fact that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime.

In the specific Philippine setting where the death penalty’s immediate restoration is seen as imperative, policy makers will do well to be guided by two overriding principles deducible from the biblical text on capital punishment, namely: 1) The restoration of the death penalty is imposed on them as a mandate from God, and 2) Capital punishment is applicable only in cases of premeditated murder. (http://musingsbyroy.wordpress. com | 09186449517 | @ronald8roy | #musingsbyroy)

Whoever takes innocent human life forfeits his own right to live.”

(Rev. Reuben Hahn)

Japan-China Psy Ops

P

OLITICAL pundits believe that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe under the guise of making Japan ‘a normal state’ is systematically turning to the policy of remilitarization of the country and spreading nationalistic values especially among the youth of Japan’s society in the process.

Along with the changes in their constitution towards gradual moving away from the postwar principles, attempting to forget some shameful pages in world history, Japan’s leader pays much attention to the restoration of the positions of the original Japanese confession – Shintoism. But ideas of Shintoism based on the myth of the divine origin of the Emperor and the Japanese nation have largely contributed to the growth of nationalism and militarism in prewar Japan and in great part has actually caused the beginning of the Second World War. PM Shinzo Abe and many members of his administration are closely related to shintoists. Abe is one of the leaders of the biggest parliament association “Shinto” which comprises 240 MPs of both chambers of the country’s Parliament including 16 of the 19-member ministerial cabinet.

For 84 years, Abe is the fi rst Japanese leader to visit the main Shinto ceremony in Ise Grand Shrine which serves as the Emperor’s family sanctuary and to show the unanimity of religion and state power.

PM Abe is known, as always been in touch with the administration of all-Japan Shinto association combing more than 80,000 shrines.

In April, 2013 a pilgrimage of almost 170 Japanese lawmakers and cabinet ministers including my friend, Finance Minister Taro Aso (also former Prime Minister) visited the Yasukuni Shrine, honoring Japan’s war dead, including 14 World War II leaders convicted of atrocities.

Such visit has sparked protests from neighboring countries especially from China and South Korea.

Although for the former PM Taro Aso, there is nothing new about this that could create a negative effect on foreign relations among neighboring countries.

But this is not the way China and South Korea view such homage to a shrine of which is a clear reminder of militaristic Japan especially the recent visit of PM Shinzo Abe to Yasukuni Shrine last December 2013 that has created another wave of protests from its Asian neighbors particularly China. Why is this so?

Here is what Wikipedia has to say - ‘The government of the People’s Republic of China has been the most vocal critic of the shrine and some Japanese observers have suggested that the issue of Yasukuni Shrine is just as heavily tied to China’s internal politics as it is to the historical conduct of Japan’s military and the perceived degree of its remorse for its actions. They state that tolerance on the part of Communist Party of China authorities for largescale public protests in mainland China against the shrine contrasts strongly with the authority exercised against any kind of domestic political dissent.’

One controversy of political visits to the shrine is the constitutionality of visits by the Prime Minister. In the Japanese Con-

WHISTLE BLOWER Erick San Juan stitution, the separation of state and religion is explicit. Because the clause was written for the express purpose of preventing the return of State Shintoism, many question the constitutionality of the Prime Minister visiting Yasukuni Shrine. Often the fi rst question Japanese Prime Ministers are asked by journalists after a visit is, “Are you here as a private person or as Prime Minister?”

In addition, whether the Prime Minister has signed the visitors’ book indicating the position of signatory as shijin (private person) or shush (Prime Minister) is diligently reported. All Prime Ministers have so far stated that their visit was private. However, although some leave the signature section blank or sign it as shijin, others sign it as shush.

Prime Minister Koizumi recently gave a somewhat cryptic answer, stating that he visited the shrine as Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister of Japan. Some consider such statement as a move towards making visits somewhat official; others consider that it is pointing out that the whole issue of shijin vs shush is somewhat meaningless. Some journals and news reports, such as one made

by Kyodo News Agency on August 15, 2006, question whether in the case of Koizumi’s visits,

which are consistently claimed

by Koizumi to be private, can be considered individual in nature when they are part of a campaign pledge, which in nature is political. Currently, most of the Japanese public and most jurists have agreed that there have been no constitutional violations yet.

The latest homage of PM Abe to Yasukuni shrine has added more fuel to the already fiery tense relations with Beijing and even from its close ally, the US through its new ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy who also stated disappointment with Abe’s government.

Mr. Abe has shown, however, that he is willing to take on big political risks to steer the country away from its postwar pacifism.

He ignored blistering criticism from political opponents as well as the news media and steamrollered through Parliament a law that would tighten government control over state secrets. The law was presented by the government as a mechanism to aid in the sharing of military intelligence with allies, and create an American-style National Security Council.

Mr. Abe has also increased military spending for the first time in a decade, and loosened self-imposed restrictions on exporting weapons.

A new defense plan calls for the acquisition of drones and amphibious assault vehicles to prepare for the prospect of a prolonged rivalry with China.

Experts say that this year, Mr. Abe could start taking concrete steps to reinterpret, and ultimately revise, Japan’s 1947 pacifist Constitution, something he has described as a life goal. Proposed changes could allow the country to officially maintain a standing

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army for the fi rst time since the war, and take on a larger global security role.

“The past year has given Mr. Abe confidence to start flying his own colors,” said Koji Murata, president of Doshisha University in Kyoto. “He is signaling to his supporters that he is a politician who will fight for his convictions.” (Source: Hiroko Tabuchi, The New York Times) This also explains why a Japanese news report claimed that China has drafted another air defense identification zone (ADIZ) this time over the South China Sea including of course the contested areas. And Beijing is quick in making its pronouncement through the official Xinhua news agency that the Chinese government shrugged off a Japanese news article about its plan to replicate an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) it set up on the East China Sea in the more contentious South China Sea accusing Japan of heightening regional tensions with “rumors.”

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said right-wing forces in Japan had repeatedly made such allegations with the intention of shifting international attention from the “plot” to change Japan’s pacifist constitution.

“We sternly warned these forces not to mislead public opinions with rumors and play up tensions for their own selfish benefit,” he said in a press release Saturday quoted by Xinhua.

If this saber rattling and word wars will continue between China and Japan, a regional confl ict is not farfetched and it is quite obvious that with the alliances already in place, such confl ict might lead to another world war.

OpinYon

FEBRUARY 10-16, 2014

5 2/7/14 10:01 PM

Ports Indians in the Philippines

By Dong Maraya

THERE are many foreign nationals in the country. Indians, in particular, are all over Metro Manila, Cainta, Cebu City, Davao and in other cities. Google data estimates that there are about 150,000 Indian Filipinos in the Philippines. This refers to Filipino citizens of either pure or mixed Indian descent currently residing in the country, the latter a result of intermarriages between the Indians and local populations. Many are prosperous middle class with their main occupations in clothing sales and marketing. Others are involved largely in finance, money lending (locally called Five - six), sales and marketing.

As of December 2013, more than seventy thousand Indian nationals were recorded in the country. This number is higher than the 60,415 in 2012. Comparing this with the Google data, it is not clear how many Indian nationals live in the country these days. Even the Bureau of Immigration admitted it was having difficulty in ascertaining their number because some of them reportedly entered the country through the so-called backdoor. There have been reports that some of them entered the country through Sabah and they remain unaccounted for.

The Bureau of Immigration has the sole authority to enforce and administer immigration and alien registration laws including the admission, registration, exclusion, deportation and repatriation of aliens. It also supervises the immigration into and emigration from

the Philippines of aliens. In the discharge of its broad functions, the Bureau through its Board of Commissioners, exercises administrative and quasi-judicial powers to regulate the entry (arrival), stay (sojourn), and exit (departure) of foreign nationals in the country.

The Bureau of Immigration has been monitoring the proliferation of Indian nationals in the country.

Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison said the bureau has summoned several Indians after discovering that their marriages to Filipinos had been arranged to evade immigration restrictions. He warned them against entering into fraudulent marriages to acquire permanent residence in the Philippines.

There are thousands of Indian nationals suspected to be involved in money lending activities – mostly to small entrepreneurs here particularly restaurants, sarisari stores and vegetable vendors, according to a revenue district officer. Many Indian nationals are not paying taxes and that they do

not have business permits. Migrant Indian nationals in the Philippines have been lending capital to the Filipinos, in a scheme that is both illegal but somehow generally tolerated. They can be seen roaming around the major thoroughfares during the afternoon to collect the daily payments from the debtors. The peak working hours of money lenders in Metro Manila are from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., daily except Sunday. Sunday collection is only reserved for hard-to-find accounts or slow payers. All transactions are recorded in a notebook and no signature is required. Driving a motorcycle has now become trend since it is easier to park where deals are transacted.

Truly, their life is tough, the heat of the sun gets irritating, and the bad accounts are quite common.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) admitted it was itching to collect taxes from these Indian nationals who are involved in money lending activities but admitted it

was not easy to do so. The problem was how to build up cases against these Indian nationals. Only the Economic Intelligence Investigation Bureau (EIIB) has the authority to reprimand or invite foreign money lenders operating in various places in the country.

The lending industry thrives better in times of financial crunch.

In order to cope with the crisis, people try to stretch their budget and augment their income. Many households put up sari-sari stores; family members look for sidelines, try working abroad, or simply try to borrow money. To raise the money to finance these activities, many of them go to Indian nationals instead of the commercial banks. This is because they are more lenient in their requirements, and process loan applications faster albeit having higher interest rates. Loans could start from P5,000 to P15,000, with 20% interest per month. Payment terms can be from two months to six months. The advisable payment scheme is daily.

Starting May 1, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said that Indian nationals who regularly travel overseas may now enter the country without a visa and stay here up to 14 days. However, that in no case shall an Indian national’s stay exceed 21 days, which is the maximum allowable period that he can stay in the country.

The new policy which is based on a Department of Foreign Affairs circular issued last February 2013 aims to draw more foreign tourists to the country. It provides that aside from having any of the seven visas, an Indian traveler’s passport must be valid for at least six months and that he or she must have a return ticket or an onward ticket to the next country of destination. Also, the Indian national must have no derogatory record with the BI, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

“We should not allow these undesirable aliens to undermine the integrity of our visa issuance system by submitting fraudulent documents,” the BI chief said in a statement. He added that “staying in the Philippines is not a right but mere privilege of every foreigner which can be withdrawn and revoked anytime.”

It goes without saying that the Bureau of Immigration is now bent in upholding their mandate of enforcing and administering immigration and alien registration laws including the admission, registration, exclusion, deportation and repatriation of aliens. This it will do to all aliens not just Indian nationals.

Can Computerization Stop Corruption at BoC?

By Billy Dipasupil

EFFORTS by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to combat smuggling have started to gain grounds, confident that it would eventually lick the problem soon once the P500million Integrated Philippine Customs System is implemented.

Newly-appointed Customs Commissioner John Philippe Sevilla said the full computerization of the bureau, among other reforms, would eliminate human intervention in all trade facilitations, thus cutting the main source of the decades old corruption problem in the agency.

Sevilla took off from where former Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon has left before the latter was forced to resign last December when his name was dragged to the P10 billion PDAF scandal.

The new customs commissioner pointed out that while many customs agencies in other parts of the globe have already computerized their system, the Philippine customs has remained backward, still relying on manual process which explains the lack of systemized data collection.

“In order to fight smuggling, processes have to be systematized,” Sevilla stressed. “It will ensure transparency in the bureau.”

Aside from computerization, Sevilla also plans to introduce additional reforms that include the close monitoring of old customsbonded warehouses, of oil importation and of import accreditations.

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Sevilla stressed that eliminating smuggling is not just about improving revenue collections but also to protect local producers, particularly farmers, from unfair competition through the entry of cheap imported goods.

“Revenue collection is not our primary concern but the protection of local farmers from unhampered entry of cheap imported agricultural products, like onions and rice, and also of poultry and meat products,” he added.

Critics have expressed doubt though if Sevilla could succeed where his predecessors have failed because of resistance from within the bureau itself, knowing fullywell that computerization would mean the end of their payolas from their unscrupulous brokers and importers.

Sevilla, however, has still to hurdle the writ of preliminary injunction issued by a Manila regional trial court, temporarily stopping the implementation of the computerization project.

The project was awarded in June last year by the customs special bids and awards committee to the joint venture of Webb Fontaine Group FZ-LLC and GROW Inc. after a public bidding.

But losing bidder Omni Prime Marketing Inc. filed a petition for writ of preliminary injunction after it learned that the joint venture agreement submitted by Webb Fontaine was not notarized by a lawyer but only by his representative, who, under the law, has no

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legal authority to do so.

The computerization project is a work in progress that started way back in 1994 by then Customs Commissioner Guillermo and by succeeding customs commissioners but nothing has happened despite infusion of massive funding from the government and from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), among others.

The BoC computer system was put in place by former Commissioner Guillermo Parayno way back in 1994.

It was achieved through the Philippine Tax Computerization Project funded by a multi-year World Bank loan.

It centered on the use of the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA), owned and maintained by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), with Unisys as the system integrator.

The World Bank funding lasted until 1999 and thereafter government budget available for computerization has been just enough for the maintenance and sustainability of the system.

In 2003, the bureau’s obsolete computer system had broken down 10 times during the January to September period or an average of 1.1 breakdown per month that prompted former President Arroyo to release P500 million from her efund to modernize the system.

But even with the P500 million nothing concrete had been achieved.

Then Deputy Commissioner Alexander Arevalo of the Management and Information on System Technology Group (MISTG) explained that the P500 million was just enough to bring the basic equipment to speed, considering that the initial project cost was somewhere around $10 to $15 million.

What the bureau did was to strategically allocate the amount to critical equipment vital to revenue collection while all other took a backseat.

“Our objective is to put the whole Bureau of Customs and all other inter-agency connections online. What is important is to put in place the basic infrastructure again and upgrade it so that it be ready for an expansion,” Arevalo explained.

Aside from the P500 million that Malacanang provided, modernization funds were also provided by donations and grants from various international organizations and multinational business groups.

Among them were the $10 million grant from JICA, $1 million donation from the Bankers Association of the Philippines, P10 million from the Garments & Textile Executive Board and 1.3 million Euros from the European Union.

Likewise, the World Customs Organization (WCO) also assisted the bureau in developing and implementing methods and practices to promote high standard of integrity, while the Australian government through the Port Security Capacity Building Project allocated a portion of the AU$5 million for a package

to build the capacity of key government agencies that include customs.

The modernization project was expected to be fully implemented in the last quarter of 2004 but was postponed the following year.

Instead of conducting a bidding for the project, the MISTG decided to get a consultant for the project, allegedly to ensure that the bureau gets the best deal.

There were more funding infused to the customs modernization project but all went to naught with billions of pesos that were supposed to go to government coffers went instead to the pockets of corrupt customs officials and personnel.

The uselessness of the bureau’s existing system was highlighted in 2011 with the disappearance of 1,910 container vans of highly dutiable goods worth at least P3.6 billion.

“Wala palang silbi ang computerization ng Bureau of Customs dahil nakakalusot pa rin ang mga ganyang gawain,” Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo, a former customs official himself, said during an inquiry conducted by the House Subcommittee on Tariffs and Customs.

Smuggling, they said, is synonymous with Customs.

Even with the current reforms implemented by the new administration, it only achieved minimal success all because of human intervention, which can only be removed if the bureau can be fully computerized in the truest sense of the word.

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2/7/14 10:01 PM

Agriculture DA Supports PH Poultry AGRICULTURE Secretary Proceso J. Alcala urged animal industry stakeholders to maintain the country’s bird flu free status as poultry remain to be a reliable contributor to the total growth of the Philippine agriculture.

During the opening of the 5th International Animal Health, Genetics & Nutrition (INAHGEN) Congress at the SMX Convention Center last Wednesday, Alcala also expressed hope that the Philippines will soon be able to export chicken to the United Arab Emirates.

In 2013, poultry growers produced 4.2% more, due to the increase in production to meet the demand for roasted chicken.

Other livestock animals fared well and posted significant increase with dairy at 5.47%, hog at 1.95%, and cattle at 1.76%.

As such, Alcala encouraged the participants to partner with the government in ushering inclusive growth. DA is looking at a stronger partnership with feed millers to expand sources that will provide the necessary raw materials.

Also present during the event were Senator and Committee on Agriculture Chair Cynthia Villar, Assistant Secretary for Livestock Davinio Catbagan, Bureau of Animal Industry Director – Dr. Rubina Cresencio, and Philippine Veterinary Drug Association President – Edna C. Segismundo.

INAHGEN is a biannual event which started in 2005. It is country’s largest, most comprehensive and prestigious exhibition and forum that puts spotlight on the latest scientific developments and state-of-theart technologies on animal health, genetics and nutrition.

INAHGEN, is a joint project of the Philippine Veterinary Drug Foundation, Inc. (PVDAFI) and the Philippine Swine Industry Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (PSIRDFI).

Some Bright Spots From page 3

While largely authoritarian still during the American experience, it was our source of concepts of democracy and egalitarianism, broad public education and capitalism that were added to the cauldron of our social experiences. And so evolved a somewhat broader and enlightened middle class, but it needed so much more time for the middle class to really develop so they were not much of a force in the democratic process But this process the Japanese brutally disrupted until they occupied the Philippines and lorded over us with brutality for the most part, a period which set us back in so many different ways.

It is said that next to Warsaw in Eastern Europe, Manila was the second most devastated city in the world. 80% of all standing structures were destroyed.

While there were attempts at breaking away from the Spanish, they decided instead to sell this nation as though we were cattle in auction, sold for a measly $20 million.

This ushered in the American regime and the story of Gen.

Greening the City Vertical Gardens

By Erick A. Fabian

IT is not difficult to build a vertical garden.

Also known as sky gardens or green walls, vertical gardening is a growing trend in urban planning and is being used a solution to the lack of vegetation in city spaces.

Vertical gardens do not just make cities look attractive, they are considered better pollution reducers than trees. According to Thomas Pugh, a biogeochemist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, harmful pollutants in urban areas such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter can be absorbed by green walls built in narrow corridors between tall buildings. Pugh and his team of experts even warned that too many trees in a very polluted urban center can only make things worse. The trees can increase nitrogen dioxide at street level.

“By not considering the adverse effects of tree planting on canyon ventilation, urban greening initiatives that concentrate on increasing the number of urban trees, without consideration of location, risk actively worsening street-level air quality”, they advised.

The great thing about having a green wall is that, as long as there is a continuous supply of water, soil is not even necessary.

Vertical gardens can be built and grown on practically any type of wall surface. They can be cultivated both on both indoor or outdoor walls. These wonderful alternative gardens can bring life to old decrepit apartment buildings and even bland new structures in the middle of a city neighborhood. Vertical gardens are also becoming popular inside office buildings, homes, and shops due to their very refreshing look and as natural air purifiers.

Even if you cannot use a wall due to structural restrictions, you can build a mobile vertical garden using old wooden pallets, discarded thick cardboard boxes, plastic trays, egg cartons, tin cans, plastic soda bottles, wooden crates and even old burlap bags, and practically anything that can hold these plants and be securely hung on a vertical surface. Vertical gardens are becoming popular because it helps reduce heat buildup in people’s living quarters. It is also a space-saver and gives character to otherwise plain-looking residential places. Vertical gardens have also been considered as solutions to the problem of water wastage,

Aguinaldo’s betrayal, a story familiar to many. But eventually we were pacified so to speak.

Knowledge became more the basis for upward mobility though there was the old “padrino” system largely born and cultivated during the Spanish times.

American Experience

The American colonial experience was also mixed but generally better in many ways. Better in that America initiated the concept of popular public education initiated by the Thomasites which gave opportunity to many to become pensionados as the American educational system became open to many, we having become part of American territory. Public education meant a good education. Of course, the blunted move for independence became a common cry with the infamous statement

by Manuel Quezon, uttering “ Better a government run like hell

by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by Americans”.

Boy, did he get his wish! But we had to undergo the war first and then a grudging grant of independence with the weight of the Laurel Langley Treaty holding us by the neck. An agreement

because water in showers and dishwashers can be used to water the plants, which helps to purify slightly-polluted water that would otherwise be thrown away.

Vertical gardening can bring in new and fresh ways to utilize an old flower bed. It is like having a small piece of nature in a concrete patio area or plain deck. It can make a blank wall look more interesting. In fact, you can even use vertical gardening to create a sort of privacy fence in cramped apartments by using one as an improvised hedge.

When you make use of vertical space, you can bring a lot of beauty to an otherwise drab part of a neighborhood. Vertical gardening doesn’t have to be an elaborate task, and it can be way more creative and ingenious than just hanging a basket of flowers from the eaves or putting a potted plant on a window sill.

There are several factors to consider when selecting plants for vertical gardening, such as exposure, size, and maintenance. Maintenance is an issue that you should not take for granted. Some vines require annual pruning. Perennial plants can get massive. Plants with long lives,

granting equal rights to Americans in the Philippines but not the other way around i.e., no parity for Filipinos in America.

We also went through some of the uglier forms of American colonialism that exposed for all to see that there was no equality for us, but they demanded equality from a vassal nation. Well, after the grant of independence, the story is not so beautiful. We did not develop our nation to be like a heaven on earth, but more like a hell on earth, what with creeping and often leaping forms of corruption, political, economic, social and moral throughout the land. Our political system became extractive, voting became a commercial activity, our politicians, with a very few exceptions sank to the lowest levels of corruption. Our economic systems also became rather extractive, as the elite members of society did not seem to care to do anything except to try and enhance their privileged positions and so it goes to this day.

Moral moorings were greatly loosened and relativism guised in a form of twisted morality, justified every action under the sun, with the rule being “Don’t get caught and if caught, don’t

such as wisteria, will eventually become quite heavy, which means you’ll need to build a durable support structure for them.

Hedges or columnar trees will also need to be trimmed on a regular basis to keep them from becoming unsightly.

Try out various sizes and shapes of both gardening structures and the plants that will be in them. Obviously, you will need to select plants that will grow and flourish in the environmental conditions in your area. Most of your vertical garden will seen at eye level, so you will want to keep it neat and clean. Consider as well the lifespan of the plants you will grow and how big they will get when they reach mature size. A lot of plants have to be tied to their support structure as they grow.

Vertical gardening can be income and job generators, and is an industry in itself.

Green walls rely on several disciplines for their design, installation and maintenance such as landscape architects, architects, and irrigation consultants. It can encourage further business activity by increasing demand for local plant materials, blended growing media, greenhouse production, and fabrication of structural frames.

admit”. Image became king, and so any one of prominence usually employed a PR agent and image builder. Ambition and greed political and economic held sway.

Tipping Point

But I believe, we have come to some form of tipping point and the pendulum has began to swing back. PNoy’s term as president is an evident point of transition. It is like we have begun to awake from a very deep sleep. One that has lasted for 50 years. Maybe what historically we might call our emotional childhood as a people. Expectations are different and more sophisticated. A significant historical point of transition has come upon us, and many changes will be taking place, undoubtedly bringing discomfort to quite a few people especially to those that occupy positions of political and economic power at this time.

But it is also a time when some will rise up in anger and disappointment when it is a time for a degree of prolonged patience.

A time to seek true wisdom to guide us every day. The welter of needed reforms and changes can be confusing but it is also a WE TAKE A STAND

Opinyon424.indd 9

time for greater reflection and more prudent action.

There is a greater recognition that empty action and violence does not necessarily carry the day, and after prolonged public or social action, one needs to manage the conflict more wisely and more strategically.

Much effort has been expended to massage our fundamental parameters of political, social and economic lives but so much remains to be done. PNoy has indeed made some advances in certain areas, not the least of which is the ARMM, but the agreements are too new to pass judgment on whether peace will reign. Much reflection is needed and the issues indeed are complex. The greater hope is that he will pursue the right path with greater vigor but with wisdom and prudence and these values need to be evident in all of his ways. He has three more years and so let us give him some wiggle room but stay vignt that he stays committed to pursue a much more defensible form of governance and provide the vision that our people can follow with more closely and with enthusiasm that they are indeed getting a fair share.

OpinYon

FEBRUARY 10-16, 2014

9 2/7/14 10:01 PM

OPINION Championing...

From page 12

Top Quality

How, who is executive vice president at UHI, says the company subjected itself to audits by international certification agencies to make sure that it can give the farmers top-quality fertilizers and agricultural products.

UHI has two plants in the Special Economic Zone in Calamba, Laguna, and its Quality Management System was established and certified by SGS Philippines Inc. and TUV/SUD Certification.

How says she was committed to meeting high standards to be able to compete with imported products in the market, which continues to grow given the Philippines’ expanding population.

The great growth potential of the industry fi lls How with enthusiasm and excitement to further grow the business by dealing directly with farmers who use her products and point her in the right direction when it comes to formulations that work best with their crops.

“This is all part of the learning process. In business, you have to be willing to learn continuously and also open to taking risks because there are a lot of risks,” says How. “We are, for example, very much affected by weather because, in bad weather, the ships won’t be able to bring down produce, then moisture will also affect the quality of fertilizer. There is also the problem with the fluctuating prices of fuel and also the movement of foreign exchange.

There are really many aspects of the business that are outside my control.”

Business Risks

How says that because of these risks, there have been times when she asked herself whether she would be better off shifting to another business. But she says that she did not give herself the option to turn back because she believes that what she provides is not just a product but also a valuable service to the farmers.

“The greatest thing about the business is that you get to be friends with the farmers. I end up forgetting about the business side because I get joy from being of help to them. The more I help them, the more I help myself,” she explained.

This is why UHI grabbed the opportunity to mount a search for The Outstanding Farmers of the Philippines (TOFARM) in 2012, together with JCI Philippines.

The nationwide awards program seeks to recognize achievers and achievements in the agriculture sector in 2012, and to encourage the youth to venture into agriculture.

How said she hopes the award will bring back the spotlight on farming, which has become an unattractive venture for Filipino youth.

She recommended for the government to subsidize the equipment that farmers need to procure to help them prop up their production.

Last year, despite the devastation brought by Yolanda, Despite supertyphoon Yolanda, the awarding of the country’s top farmers at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati-Shangri-la, Manila went on.

Rodolfo Benavidez, a farmer from Vinzons, Camarines Norte, who practices crop rotation, relay cropping, intensive planting and natural farming was chosen as farmer of the year and received P100,000 and a gold plate for his achievements, three other farmers, Rizalino Comia of Laguna, Fredimor Pueblos Sr. from Lanao del Norte and Isidro Bacani of La Union received silver plates.

Gold winners in the individual categories received P50,000 each while winners in the group categories received P100,000 each with northern Philippine-based farmers winning most of the gold and silver awards with eight winners, Southern Luzon produced eight awardees, Southern Mindanao and the Bicol Region with four each, Bulacan two, the Visayas with two while NCR had one winner.

Young farmer of the Year awardee was Ravenal Quizon from San Ildefonso, Bulacan while woman farmer of the Year was Teresita Allado from Currimao, Ilocos Norte, for fisherfolks, winner was Ma. Leni Pinsan from Calamba, Laguna, for livestock, her townmate Francisco Vispo won the gold, same with Sally de la Cruz in the urban/city farmer category. Agri innovator was Rico Acuna from Dolores, Quezon, agri-entrepreneur was Romeo Vasquez of San Mateo, Isabela, the Magsino family from Goa, Camarines Sur topped the family category.

In the LGU category, the winner was San Jacinto in Pangasinan, best agri-cooperative was the Carmon Multi Purpose Cooperative from Sta. Maria, Bulacan, while Polangui, Albay-based Hibiga River Irrigation System Irrigators Association Inc. won the agriinitiatives award.

How says farmers and the agriculture sector have to be recognized as they play “the most crucial role in our survival as a people, and hold the key to our collective health, wealth and progress as a nation.”

“It makes me sad to hear that many of today’s generation are no longer interested to till the land of their fathers or to pursue their family livelihood in agriculture. Instead, most want to pursue city jobs or become doctors, lawyers and engineers. But as our national hero Jose Rizal said, not all can be doctors. Some will have to stay and cultivate the land,” How says. “This is why our mission and vision is to make agriculture attractive for the next generations and for the entire country once again.”

Despite government’s push for organic farming, How says UHI continues to do brisk business. “We continue to do well as farmers need [fertilizer] for producing certain crops such as corn and rice,” she said.

A Framework for Community Development

I

T is a common weakness among government agencies to have programs that do not have projects, or conversely to have projects that are not derived from programs. As it ought to be, all government projects are supposed to be derived from programs, and all programs are supposed to be derived from policies. If only this framework was clearly understood, we would not have seen too many projects that are not based on programs, much less based on policies.

By defi nition, any government project is supposed to have a beginning and an end, otherwise it could not be funded if it is open ended. Similarly, any government program is supposed to have an action plan that is based on an official policy; otherwise it could also not be funded. As it is supposed to be, all government policies have to be based on official orders, otherwise it would not have any legal basis for implementation.

The term “ghost project” is actually an oxymoron, because there is technically no project if there is no deliverable. That is like saying that there is technically no problem if it could not be solved, because a problem could only be considered as a problem if it is solvable. In order for a project to have an outcome that is deliverable, the outcome has to be measurable. To begin with, any government project could not be subjected to bidding if it is not quantifiable or measurable.

It is common sense to expect that any government project should be meant for public use, meaning to say that everyone should be able to use it and benefit from it. Common sense as it should be, there is still a need to make sure that public use happens, because it always happens that public funds are diverted towards private uses. That is the reason why I developed MARINERS, an acronym that could function as a simple mnemonic device that would help us to remember what outcomes to expect from government projects.

Here are the MARINERS Programs and Projects: Medication Program to build Public Hospitals, Accommodation Program to build Public Housing, Recreation Program to build Public Parks, Information Program to build Public Libraries, Nutrition Program to build Public Markets, Education Program to build Public Schools, Restoration Program to build Public Works and Sanitation Program to build Public Toilets.

In the context of this framework, “to build” could also mean “to rebuild”, because many pub-

Strategy...

From page 3

‘All Wars Are Bankers’ Wars’

Who are making the “muppets” play the drumbeats of war?

If there is a lesson from history it is that “all wars are bankers’ wars”. That is a gem from WhatReallyHappened.com” which BS Aquino is advised to read before he pushed this country into another foreign-driven the will again destroy the nation, its people and the World economy for the bankers. From Michael Rivero: “The United States fought the American Revolution primarily over King George III’s

SCIENCE WORKS Ike Señeres lic infrastructure today are already defective, sometimes even abandoned. That is the situation in the public hospitals, especially after the nationally owned hospitals were devolved to the local governments. That is also the situation in public works, a category that should also include public buildings and public monuments, aside from roads and bridges.

Over the years, the government has had public housing projects, but all of these had units for sale, none for rent. It would be a good idea to also have public housing for rent, because there are many people who could only afford to rent, and not to buy. I remember that in New York, housing was a problem until the city built units for rent, and it became an opportunity because it became a major source of revenue for the city government. If it is really necessary to sell these units, then it could be converted into a rent-to-own program.

Because of the proliferation of shopping malls, it seems that public parks have been neglected.

Shopping malls might have their own purpose, but public parks could actually provide more recreation, more so if these are developed to become greener and more natural. As a matter of fact, these green parks could become the demo sites and showcases for green technologies such as waste recycling, rain water collection, composting, vermiculture and home gardening.

In many other countries, people could fi nd public libraries in almost every corner. Here in the Philippines, public libraries are hard to fi nd, even inside the premises of the public schools.

Since we are still a developing

For feedback, email iseneres@ yahoo.com or text+639083159262

Over the years, the government has had public housing projects, but all of these had units for sale, none for rent. It would be a good idea to also have public housing for rent, because there are many people who could only afford to rent, and not to buy.

Currency Act, which forced the colonists to conduct their business only using printed bank notes borrowed from the Bank of England at interest....World War One started between AustriaHungary and Serbia, but quickly shifted to focus on Germany, whose industrial capacity was seen as an economic threat to Great Britain, who saw the decline of the British Pound as a result of too much emphasis on fi nancial activity to the neglect of agriculture, industrial development, and infrastructure (not unlike the present day United States)....

“When the Weimar Republic collapsed economically, it opened the door for the National WE TAKE A STAND

Opinyon424.indd 11

country, it would be enough to have a public library not in every corner, but in every barangay.

For good reasons, these public libraries should also have internet access for online learning.

It is a largely ignored fact that public markets are actually food terminals that could also function as nutrition centers if planned and managed that way. Of course, the common notion is that food is just for sustenance, and for as long as people could put something in their stomachs, everything would just be fine. That could easily happen in a free market situation, but much more value added could be created if the government could get involved.

Aside from the Internal Revenue Allocations (IRAs) that local government units (LGUs) are getting from the national government, they also have the Educational Support Fund (ESF) as an additional source of financing for public school projects. At one point in our history, public schools were at par with private schools in terms of quality, and that parity should be brought back.

It is common knowledge that the government seldom allocates funds for the maintenance of public works. Given that backdrop, it would be unrealistic to expect the government to allocate funds for the restoration of public works. However, maintenance and restoration make a lot of economic sense since it would actually save future expenses for repairs and new constructions.

Access to safe water and clean toilets are two criteria of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), to determine whether households would be considered poor or not. It would therefore be a good idea to build public toilets as part of local sanitation programs, in order to increase access to these two resources. In the news this week is the admission of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it is difficult for them to fi lter fake NGOs. The MARINERS framework could surely help in the fi ltering process.

Socialists whose fi rst fi nancial move was to issue their own state currency not borrowed from private central bankers. Freed from having to pay interest .... Germany blossomed and quickly began to rebuild its industry...As had been the case in World War One, Great Britain and other nations threatened by Germany’s economic power looked for an excuse to go to war,...” As British wartime PM Winston Churchill said, “The war wasn’t only about abolishing fascism, but to conquer sales markets. We could have, if we had intended so, prevented this war from breaking out without doing one shot, but we didn’t want to.”(Fultun, USA March 1946)

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MILAGROS ONG-HOW

Championing the Filipino Farmer

T

EN years ago, Milagros Ong-How knew very little about about nitrogen, phosphorus and potash, and how the land needed these vital nutrients in order to produce abundant and healthy crops.

But since putting up Universal Harvester Inc. in 2003 with her husband, she has mastered the intricacies of the fertilizer industry and has grown from being a mere supplier of fertilizers into a valuable ally of farmers in their quest to increase yield and improve farm production.

Woman of Science

Science is nothing new to the biology graduate of the University of the Philippines, but How says that she was more familiar with ammonia since her mother had a company which distributed the chemical when she was still in college.

“I was already helping my mother while I was still in college. She needed me because my father died when I was just 11 years old. I dealt with the small market that needed ammonia like those in refrigeration and cold storage,” How, who dreamt of becoming a doctor, said in a magazine interview.

Putting that dream on hold, How went into the family business full time after college, gradually expanding from ammonia to include other chemicals such as hydrochloric acid because of customer demand.

In business, you have to be willing to learn continuously and also open to taking risks because there are a lot of risks,”

Agriculture Market

“They were asking me if I had other chemicals besides ammonia because they needed them, too. My customers were the ones who eventually introduced me to chemical fertilizers,” says How. And said she quickly found out that, with the rural Philippines heavily into agriculture, there was a huge market for them.

How adds that as she got more involved in the fertilizer business, she discovered that agriculture is where her heart truly belonged.

“I became more and more interested in helping the farmers improve their yield through the use of fertilizers. For so long, they did not employ any scientific approach to applying fertilizers,” says How. “Some of them were also victimized by people who would sell them fertilizers that were not according to specifications, which was why their yield did not improve.”

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