Bishops-Legislators Forum on Environmental Concerns

I have recently received an email inviting me to a Bishops-Legislators Forum on Environmental Concerns. This forum, organized by the office of the Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, is in response to the recent flash floods that affected various parts of Northern Mindanao. The forum will include environmental partners from the executive and legislative branch of government, NGO’s and Church leaders.

The Forum aims to understand the general environmental situation of Northern Mindanao through presentations of case studies. It also aims to identify and discuss key environmental issues, concerns and their possible solutions and get commitments from the Legislators to support strategic policy solutions.

The forum will be held on February 12th, Thursday, at 2:00 – 6:00 p.m., at the Archbishop Cronin Hall, Cathedral Compound, Cagayan de Oro City.

2010 Philippine Elections: What's In It For Us?

2010 Philippine Presidential elections is fast approaching

Political ads are already shown in our television sets. Politicians are gearing up for the electoral contest, big political parties are merging in order to be stronger in the hope of capturing a big portion of the political pie.

But what’s in it for the ordinary folks. Elections after elections s/he listens to the same old promises, the same thing over and over again. There are a growing number of people, the youth especially, who are already apathetic about elections, saying whoever wins nothing will change, so why vote?

Elections after elections, recycled politicians addicted to power and corruption, run for office in the hope of holding on to it. When their term ends, this just run for another position for a term and then run back again to the position they so desire. While Political dynasty is forbidden in the constitution, it is practiced anyway with no enabling law to back it up and give it some teeth. It is not surprising to see a municipality or province which is run by a family or clan.

For the “Trapos” (Traditional Politicians) the criteria for a candidate are popularity, money, and machinery. It does not matter whether the person has integrity or not. He or she just need those three. When the name of Chief Justice Puno came up as a possible presidential candidate, these trapos said that he has a dim chance of winning because he has no money and machinery.

While there are really good and progressive politicians there are only a handful of them. These few are constantly harassed for being good and honest with their job. Take for example Governor Ed Panlilio, as a result of his expose that a palace staff distributed envelopes containing Php 200,000.00 Php 500,000.00 after the meeting of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with 200 officers of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, he now faces a recall of elections on the ground of loss of confidence. The recall makes no sense at all. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated in 2007 election, and yet she got away with it.

The House of Representatives showed its true colors when they passed a resolution extending the life of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) for the second time and without compulsory mode of land acquisition which is the life and soul of CARP. These landlords get elected because they have the money to win it and when they get elected, they bring hell just to protect their own interest.

However inspite of all these, Elections is also a time to hope. A hope that somehow things will change and new, progressive, honest politicians and with integrity will somehow get elected and be thorn among the traditional corrupt and recycled politicians. A hope that gives a man the passion to volunteer for a clean and honest elections and that somehow our democracy will work. Though that hope have been frustrated many times before, it still persist. A light amidst the encroaching darkness.

Gaza In Pictures

After the Flood

The sun has already shone here in Cagayan de Oro city. After that gloomy week, 16,104 families or 83,321 individuals jampacked in various evacuation centers in 47 barangays or more than half of the city's 80 barangays have been displaced. Cagayan de Oro Disaster Coordinating Council have placed the initial damages to crops and livestocks at P250 million.

What happened last week has never happened in the city for decades. A historian said that the last big flood in the city happened during the 1960’s, but the recent one is probably way bigger. I think this is caused by mining, quarrying and an almost depleted forest.

Mayor Constantino Jaraula suspended all quarrying and mining operations, an act which should have been done years ago. Different sectors have been calling for it to stop for a long time. But as we all know, government needs to be poked in the head in order for it to act. Farmers have to hunger strike and walk the miles and miles in order to be heard. In this case, mother nature has to have landslide and floods in order for her to be heard.

But it is not government responsibility alone. It is everyone’s responsibility to take care of the earth. It transcends boundaries political or geographical.

People are going back to what’s left of their homes, trying to rebuild their lives. Its like starting back to zero for those whose house and crops are completely destroyed. Relief goods are pouring out from individuals to organizations. I think the United Nations World Food Program is giving 600 tons of rice.

I am glad that the sun is up and the rains, floods and landslides are gone.

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification again

Arroyo Visits Flood Victims in Cagayan de Oro

Arroyo Visited flood victims in Cagayan de Oro as part of his Mindanao Visit. She had her Photo ops, distributing relief goods to flashflood victims distributing food and medicine personally in front of the camera. At least the flood victims will have something to eat for a day or two.

She also also supported the Cagayan de Oro Flood Control Development Master Plan. In an interview, Mayor Jaraula proudly described the plan, “reforestation coupled by logging ban”, he said logging ban is useless without reforestation and vice versa. Well and good, but it concern of depleting almost zero forest cover in Cagayan de Oro has been voiced out by concerned citizens and advocates for a long time. I guess the city government needs to be nudged by mother nature in order to act. The plan is in itself good but it needs to be implemented as soon as possible and give it some teeth. The plan for now is good only in paper.

The flood victims are still in Macasandig Gym and in West City Central School. They cannot go back to their homes because obviously their homes are destroyed. It’s like starting back to zero. In these times, establishing a house is difficult. Clearly they need some assistance in rebuilding their homes. The victims also expressed that they be given a relocation site so that they will not have to go back to the flood prone areas in which they have lived. Second, they also wanted to also have some livelihood assistance.

The interventions mentioned above are good but I think they missed the most obvious and immediate concern that the flood victims needed.

The Emerging Power of Blogs

The Valley Golf brawl has once again demonstrated the potential power of blogs to correct an injustice. In this case, the Pangandamans with a direct link to the President of Philippines being one of her Cabinet secretary and on the other hand the ordinary citizen, the De la Paz Family.

GMA must have her hands full these days, Pangandaman with his Valley Golf Brawl and Gonzales with his Alabang boys bribery case. These issues are distracting her from her main focus, Charter Change and term extension.

Ducky Paredes (http://www.duckyparedes.com/blogs/) has an interesting account of the incident saying that “he ignores the testimonies of the so-called victims or the alleged ruffians”. The De la Paz were the ones who started the fight. These are, he says, accounts from “caddies of parties, the marshal, the starter and other club personnel”.

But Bambee de la Paz wrote in her blog that “Right in the clubhouse. I came back after the fight was over and talked to the receptionists. They say they did not see anything. The general manager of Valley Golf would not give us the names of the men who made my brother's ear bleed. It took him an hour. Maybe even more than that. He seemed to not want to help us. Because, we were against the SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM and the MAYOR OF MASIU CITY, LANAO DEL SUR. They were all scared.”

The Pangandaman’s did not see it coming. They did not expect the power a single blog post can do. It eventually tilted the power relations to what is now even playing field, with the Pangandaman’s on the now on the defensive end, trying to block the full force of the blogosphere. Its like Manny Pacquiao, the underdog versus the much bigger De La Hoya.

These are signs of Hope, a beacon of light for those who seek justice in an otherwise unjust system, justice finding its way out into what ever channels it can find.

Philippine Government Should Sever Ties with Israel

STATEMENT ON ISRAEL'S WAR CRIMES.

Stop the War Coalition-Philippines
5 January 2008

We at Stop the War Coalition Philippines, a broad coalition of civil society organizations, social movements, labor unions, political parties, human rights, women's, students, religious and other organizations, strongly condemn Israel's war crimes against the people of Gaza and the international community.

These latest attacks are not only disproportionate, they are completely unjustifiable.

At the root of the continuing tragedy in the Middle East is the continuing illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel. That Israel is able to continue this occupation and that it is able to bomb and kill indiscriminately without restraint points to the incapacity of the international community, including the United Nations and the world's governments, to uphold peace and justice. It is this unwillingness to act that will ensure that more blood and tears will flow from this escalating war.

We in the Philippines must help stop this war not only because thousands of Filipino migrant workers are caught in the crossfire but because we have a stake in creating a world with peace and justice.

We at the Stop the War Campaign demand that Israel should immediately end its war crimes in Gaza and end the occupation of Palestine.

We demand that the United States immediately stops arming and funding Israel's war.

We call on the international community, the United Nations and all responsible international government and civil society organizations, to stop Israel from continuing its attacks and to support a just resolution to the crisis.

We demand that the Philippine government begins the process of severing all diplomatic ties with Israel until it complies with international law and ends the occupation of Palestine. At the same time, we also call for immediate relief and evacuation plans for Filipino workers in the region. We demand more jobs for Filipinos at home so that they will not be forced to seek employment in outlaw states.

As our elected representatives, our government should take a stand in favor of international law and justice, summon the Israeli ambassador to protest, and expressly condemn Israel for its actions.

We demand that Manila and other government units revoke their "sister city" ties with Israeli cities.

We call on our parliamentarians and diplomats to likewise denounce Israel's actions.

In solidarity with the Palestinian, as well as Israeli people opposed to war, we call on trade unions, universities, cultural organizations, political parties, and other social movements and civil society groups to be part of a global boycott and sanctions campaign against Israel.#


STOP THE WAR! COALITION- PHILIPPINES
1 October 2008

MEMBERS:
Akbayan! Citizens' Action Party
Akbayan! Youth
Alab Katipunan (AK)
Alliance of Genuine Labor Organizations (AGLO)
Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)
ALMANA
Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Lakas ng Kabataan (ALYANSA)
Alyansa ng Sambayanan para sa Agarang Reporma (ASAP)
Anak Mindanao (AMIN)
APPRA
ASSALAM Bangsamoro
ASSALAM Party
Bagong Kamalayan Collective, Inc (BKCI)
Balay Rehabilitation Center Inc.
Bangsamoro People’s Solidarity
Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)
Coalition Against Trafficking of Women Asia Pacific (CATW-AP)
Community Organizing and Rural Development, Inc. (Billah Islam)
Filipino Democratic Movement (FILDEM)
FOCUS on the Global South
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC)
Gathering for Peace (GfP)
GZO Peace Institute
Institute for Popular Democracy (IPD)
International South Group Network (ISGN)
Juan Makata
Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission-AMRSP
K! Kalayaan NCR-BLC
KAAKBAY AFDM
KALAYAAN!
KANLUNGAN
Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD)
Kongreso ng Mamamayan Para sa Kalayaan (KOMPAK)
Laban ng Masa (LnM)
League of Urban Poor for Action (LUPA)
Liga Manggagawa (LM)
Lolas Kampanyera WW II Filipina "Comfort Women" Survivors of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery
MAKABAYAN Pilipinas
Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (MAKABAYAN)
Mindanao Peoples' Peace Movement (MPPM)
Moro Human Rights Center
Movement for the Advancement of Student Power (MASP)
Pagkakaisa ng Kababaihan para sa Inang Bayan (KAISA-KA)
Pambansang Kaisahan ng Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (PKMP)
Pambansang Katipunan ng Makabayang Magbubukid (PKMM)
Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PKSK)
Partido Manggagawa (PM)
Peace Women Partners
People’s Task Force for Bases Clean UP Philippines
Philippine Peace and Security Council (PPSC)
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM)
Pinay Kilos! (PINK!)
Progresibong Alyansa ng Mangingisda (PANGISDA)
Progressive Organization of Worker Advocates (PRO-WORKER)
Resource Center for People’s Development (RCPD)
Samahan ng Demokratikong Kabataan (SDK)
SANLAKAS
Solidarity of Unions and Labor Organizations for a New Government (SULONG)
Strategic Initiatives of Pinoys Abroad - Bangkok (SIPA)
Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP)
Task Force Food Sovereignty (TFFS)
Task Force Subic Rape (TFSR)
Teatrong Bayan
Third World Movement Against the Exploitation of Women (TW-MAE-W)
Tulung Lupah Sug, Inc.,
UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA)
UP Assabiyah
WEDPRO Inc.
Women and Gender Commission AMRSP
Women and Gender Institute (WAGI)
Women’s Legal Bureau, Inc (WLB)
YES to Change
Young Moro Professionals Network (YMPN)
Youth for Nationalism and Democracy (YND)

ENDORSED BY:
Jihad al Akbar
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
Ranaw Disaster Response & Rehabilitation Assistance Center
SALAM, Incorporated
Sumpay Mindanao
TRIPOD Foundation, Inc
WomanHealth Philippines

POST-CARP OPTIONS

As the year ended, congress gave the people a gift in the form of a paralyzed CARP. Representatives passed a resolution extending the life of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program for another six months. This time they cut its claws by excluding the compulsory mode of acquisition.

The resolution is said to give the House of Representatives more time to discuss and debate an “acceptable” form of the Program. They did not have time because they were busy crafting ways of extending the term of their boss. Of course there are several good people in Congress who genuinely bring the peoples voices in its halls but sadly, they are outnumbered by Gloria Arroyo’s followers imposing her whims and voice in the House.

What are these options then?

Option 1: Simple Extension

This is captured by a number of proposed bills, including the CUA bill. This position proposes a simple extension of funding for DAR, for between five and ten years. Most of these bills propose a level of funding similar to current levels. One, the CUA bill also contains a vague, but contentious clause on the use of DAR papers as collateral for bank loans; this provision is in response to the wishes of Malacanang but is one that is deeply opposed by many AR advocates and farmers groups.

Simple extension is the position favoured by DAR. A number of these bills contain clauses mandating specific allocations for support services rather than mere land acquisition. As well as being reflective of the DAR position, a number of AR advocates also take this position because of their view that it is the most politically feasible one within the current conjuncture of political forces. A number of advocates for extension with reforms also privately admit that “simple extension may be the best we can hope for”.

Option 2: Major Changes to CARP

A third position is advanced by Kilusan para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (KTRA, or Movement for Genuine Agrarian Reform) On November 11, KTRA announced that it is filing a bill in Congress to be sponsored by Rep. Edno Joson of Nueva Ecija that aims to strengthen the land reform law by plugging all its loopholes that allow landowners to evade land distribution.

The draft bill contains the coalition’s 5-point demands that include among others the immediate distribution of large private estates within two years, the abolition of non-redistributive land reform schemes such as leaseback, voluntary land transfer and voluntary-offer-to-sell, the review and revocation of anomalous exemption and land conversion permits, the strengthening of support services for agrarian reform beneficiaries, and the re-inclusion of fishponds and pasture lands in the coverage of CARP.

This position would appear to hold much in common with the RCM position except it more explicitly prioritizes the distribution of large estates, and ensures coverage of fishponds and livestock areas; and, rather than permitting Voluntary Offers of Sale to DAR and permitting direct Voluntary Land Transfer to beneficiaries, it proposes to abolish such processes on the grounds that they are subject to frequent anomalies in terms of beneficiaries and corruption.

The KTRA position reflect the positions of some of the more militant members of RCM, which is hardly surprising since there is some overlap in membership; however KTRA also includes others that chose to remain outside RCM for a variety of reasons, including some who have only recently chosen to engage in the legislative arena or with legally mandated forms of agrarian reform.

As part of their campaign for the bill KTRA have vowed to “name and shame” the country’s largest landowners who have managed to retain their landownings over 20 years of CARP.

Option 3: CARP Extension with Reforms

This bill is the result of widely held and prolonged conversations among Peoples Organisations and NGOs engaged in AR work. The bill is proposed by Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Akbayan party-list representative and backed by a broad range of groups known as the Reform CARP Movement (RCM) for which Centro-Saka is the secretariat and with which Kaisahan and Saligan worked on drafting of the bill.

This bill seeks the extension of CARP with a minimum funding of 3.8% of the total government budget, or 38 billion pesos, and the completion of land acquisition over a period of seven years. Thirty per cent of the funds would be used for support services with a third of those funds for the provision of agricultural credit, as opposed to current legislation which does not specify the proportion of funds allocated for this purpose.

The bill also proposes that land covered under agrarian reform may not be sold for a period of thirty years except back to the DAR. In addition the bill closes various loopholes in the current law by making Certificates of Land Ownership Agreements (CLOAS) noncontestable after a period of one year and also by allowing proposed beneficiaries to claim their rights as interested parties in court and adjudication hearings. The bill also proposes to prevent stock distribution and leaseback schemes and declares that installation as agrarian reform beneficiaries that mean the “direct and physical distribution of land” to beneficiaries.

The bill also tries to overcome some of the delaying tactics of landowners by insisting on a one-time valuation of standing crops and by attempting to prevent harassment cases for fraud or non-payment of rent where these are related to completion of land distribution. A further provision also strengthens existing laws against land conversion from agricultural to other uses as a means of avoiding coverage by agrarian reform and provides for much harsher penalties for landlords who try to evade coverage.

The bill does not address the issuance of collective versus individual titles (collective titles having provided a convenient but often untidy short-cut for DAR). While the bill has provides for inter-agency coordination with other line agencies responsible for items such as roads, irrigation, marketing support etc. it makes no specific provisions for the responsibilities of those agencies, just as it makes no specific provisions for the collection of amortization payments by the land bank. This bill appears to address a number of the criticisms concerning implementation of the current agrarian reform program but for a number does not go far enough…


Option 4: Genuine Agrarian Reform Act (HB 3059)

Anakpawis (toiling masses), Bayan Muna (people first) and Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) filed House Bill 3059 or the Genuine Agrarian Reform Act of 2007 on Nov. 13 2007. The declared intent of the bill is to break up land monopoly and distribute lands for free.

At first glance the coverage proposed by the bill is considerably larger than the proposals of others. The modes of acquisition, the bill proposes that the state shall expropriate all private agricultural lands exceeding five hectares and that all land and non-land assets of transnational corporations shall be nationalized. Not only does it propose to cover all military reservations, lands owned by educational establishments and areas of community-based forestry, and all undeveloped or idle lands including in such areas as export processing zones but it also covers all lands that have already been covered by the
Department of Agrarian Reform but have since passed into the hands of those not classified as beneficiaries.

The bill also proposes that the lands are made available to beneficiaries for free. Compensation is proposed to be the average of the tax valuations for the last three years with negotiated sums for “benevolent landowners”. The bill proposes an annual budget of 18 billion pesos in the first year and an annual increment of 2 billion pesos thereafter.

The proposals in the draft act will substantially change the current definition of “just compensation” and along with the provisions for nationalization of TNC assets and the proposals to broaden coverage they are most unlikely to gain much consideration by a Congress which remains dominated by landed interests and their allies. Even the bill’s own proponents recognize this saying “for the proposed land reform law to be approved by a landlord-dominated Congress requires something short of a miracle.”

In addition to the above bills there are various resolutions in the house seeking a review of CARP stating the view that agrarian reform has failed to address rural productivity and poverty. For the most part these bills are supported by landlords within the house and led by President Arroyo’s brother-in-law from Negros. However, Bayan Muna has also submitted a similar resolution before it moved on with its GARA bill.

(Note: this is based on a paper, "Agrarian Reform and Rural Development - Mapping the Terrain" by Arthur Neame)

A Paralyzed CARP

Congress has passed a Joint Resolution No. 19 which extends the life of CARP for another six months. The extension excluded the compulsory mode of acquisition which is the “the life and soul of carp” . Prospero Nograles said the resolution saved the life of CARP which ends this month. It saved (kuno) but paralyzed it.

There are still 1.3 million hectares of land waiting to be distributed, more than 60% of these or 640,000 hectares are under the compulsory acquisition mode. Joint Resolution No. 19 is obviously protecting these 640, 000 hectares of land. Congress is dominated by landlords, this bill is “their bill” and not for the people which they are supposed to represent. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is really leading by example not only in corruption but also in pushing for Agrarian Reform. The Arroyo family is reported to own roughly 500 hectares of sugar lands in Negros Occidental, including the 150-ha Hacienda Bacan, which has evaded CARP coverage.

The extension is supposed to give congress more time to come-up with an “acceptable legislation”, acceptable to whom? I just hope that they will not extend and extend CARP until it is dismantled and lifeless. Agrarian reform advocates are already fearful of a slow kill of the program.

There are several bills in the House of Representatives which are waiting for more debates and discussion, bills which have been put in the background in their efforts to extend the term of their boss.



In the next post, I will try to write about the four options among the many bills in Congress on CARP Extension.

1. Simple Extension
2. CARP-ER (CARP Extension with Reforms)
3. Major Changes to CARP
4. GARA (Genuine Agrarian Reform Act)

CARP Reform and Extend

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform was supposed to be completed in ten years since the start of its implementation. After a decade it was extended for 8 years which ended last june 2008. Under the program, the Department of Agrarian Reform is tasked to distribute public agricultural lands while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is tasked to distribute public lands.

DAR Claims that it has accomplished 85% (most are public lands) of the total targeted lands for distribution, with 2.129 million farmer beneficiaries at a total cost of 103.9 billion pesos. But these figures are highly disputed.

It is believe that only 40% of the targeted lands were distributed (this according to UNORKA, PEACE AND PAARDS). DAR also decreased its scope from 10.3 to 8.064 million hectares. In 1996, DAR also made change in CARP scope. There are also many exemptions including the so-called cattle ranches, an example is the 3000 hectare Sutton estate in Masbate in which the supreme court affirmed that lands devoted to raising livestock, poultry and swine have been classified as industrial. As a result, 150 tenants and 147 landless laborers have been denied the opportunity to acquire land. The reduction in target is also attributed to Land Conversion like in the case of the Sumilao Farmers.

Despite the many weaknesses of the program which includes weaknesses in the law, poor administrative capacity, institutional weaknesses, corruption and the use of political influence, CARP also made some gains. That is why there is a push for reforming and extending it.

(Note: this is based on a paper, "Agrarian Reform and Rural Development - Mapping the Terrain" by Arthur Neame)

"Walang Gloria sa Cha-Cha"

In a Democracy, elections should be held sacred.

There are a lot of political movements going on lately, the ouster of many villar as senate president, talks of charter change, term extension, impeachment, to name a few.
The timing for charter change is already very suspicious. As the term of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ends, there is a move of charter change and term extension. As I remember in 2004 presidential election, Federalist here in Cagayan de Oro supported Gloria because she promised that when she is elected she will move for a Federal System of Government. When she got elected she was silent on the issue and never talked about it. The point is she just said she supported a move for charter change only for political gains. Now, as her term ends, Cha-cha resumes.

Any talk of Charter Change should only be done when Gloria is already out of office.

“Walang Gloria sa Cha-Cha”

Human Rights Day

Today, December 10, 2008, is Human Rights day, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which the Philippines is a signatory. It is supposed to be a celebration but I think it should be a time for mourning.

Over the last eight years of Arroyo administration, Karapatan, a human rights group, documented 977 victims of extrajudicial killings, 1,010 victims of torture, 1,464 were illegally arrested and no single conviction. NO SINGLE CONVICTION.

As Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term ends, pro-administration lawmakers are busy pushing for charter change. Behind all these are four human rights bill which desperately needs attention from the lawmakers. There is a bill seeking to compensate victims of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the bills against torture and forced disappearances, and the bill on internally displaced people.

I guess extending the term of a President who was elected through “hello Garci” is more important than giving justice to the victims of extra-judicial killings.

Note: Please sign the online petition to stop Extra-Judicial Killings in the Philippines at http://www.pinoyhr.net

Manny Pacquaio vs Oscar de La Hoya

“It’s a mismatch, De la Hoya is way too big for Pacquaio”. “De la Hoya will knock-down Pacquiao”.

These are some of the comments before the fight. Six inches reach advantage, 4 inches height advantage, their comments is not without basis. Pacquiao was a 2-1 underdog, De la Hoya fought in the super welterweight or middle weight in the last seven years, Pacquiao fought 75% of his fights at super bantamweight or lower. But when moment the bell rang, Pacquaio wrote another story, a story of hard work, speed and punching power.

It is not the first time that Manny Pacquaio was the underdog in a fight. I remember his first fight with Marco Antonio Barrera. The crowd was almost filled by Barrera fans, Manny was not famous yet and no senator or congressmen was there to watch his fight. Barrera was known to be a skilled and better fighter than pacquiao but as what happened with his fight against De La Hoya, Manny wrote another story.

Manny Pacquaio is really phenomenal not only in boxing but also for the whole country as well. Once again during his fight, zero crime rate, no armed encounter between government troops and the rebel groups, no traffic jam. For and hour or two, the whole country stands still and is united, rich and poor, young and old, administration and opposition, criminals and policemen/women, rebels and government troops are all watching Manny Pacquiao fight, cheering everytime Manny lands a punch.

I wish the Philippines will have a story like Manny Pacquiao who literally fought his way out of poverty. At the young age of 15, worked in a tailoring shop during the day and trained at 5pm. He has also worked in a construction as a painter and welder and sold flowers in front of the church during Sundays.

As a Nation maybe we can fight our way out of poverty and corruption.

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Revisited (Part 1)

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or CARP, was implemented on June 10, 1988 under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law or Republic Act 6657. It withstood an intense and furious debate in and outside of Congress. CARP is backed by provisions in Article XIII of the 1987 Philippine constitution which states that;

The State shall, by law, undertake an agrarian reform program founded on the right of farmers and regular farmworkers who are landless, to own directly or collectively the lands they till or, in the case of other farmworkers, to receive a just share of the fruits thereof. To this end,the State shall encourage and undertake the just distribution of all agricultural lands, subject to such priorities and reasonable retention limits as the Congress may prescribe, taking into account ecological, developmental, or equity considerations, and subject to the payment of just compensation. In determining retention limits, the State shall respect the right of small landowners. The State shall further provide incentives for voluntary land-sharing.

Section 5. The State shall recognize the right of farmers, farmworkers, and landowners, as well as cooperatives, and other independent farmers' organizations to participate in the planning,organization, and management of the program, and shall provide support to agriculture through appropriate technology and research, and adequate financial, production, marketing, and other support services.

Section 6. The State shall apply the principles of agrarian reform or stewardship, whenever applicable in accordance with law, in the disposition or utilization of other natural resources, including lands of the public domain under lease or concession suitable to agriculture, subject to prior rights, homestead rights of small settlers, and the rights of indigenous communities to their ancestral lands.

These are beautifully worded paragraphs from our constitution. At first glance, it seems that social justice is at hand. But it is not what it seems, “the devil is in the details” so this say. There are loopholes and the farmers already know about this. I have attended one of the Mindanao Rural Congress and farmers from different places experience the same things. A simple legal technicality can turn the tables against them. Landlords can escape coverage in their lands in crevices in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

The implementation of the Program ended last June 2008, its fate yet to be decided and farmers and civil society seems to be divided. Some support the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (HB 3059), while the others support a CARP Reform and Extension.

Ka Vic Paglinawan, Vice-President for PAKISAMA- Mindanao Shot Dead

Dear colleagues,

At 5:45 p.m. today (November 22, 2008), Vicente "Roger" Paglinawan, 51, PAKISAMA's Vice-President for Mindanao, was shot dead by two motor-cycle riding men in Malabog, Davao City. Three bullets were pumped into his head ensuring his death.

We in PAKISAMA(Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka or the National Confederation and Movement of Peasant Organizations) condemn in strongest possible terms this dastardly and cowardly act of his murderers. If they thought that killing him will sow fear and stop PAKISAMA and the broad peasant movement from pursuing their planned activities in the coming days, they were mistaken.

Ka "Vic" has been over the past few weeks groundworking in Mindanao for the planned December 3 National Mobilization of farmers and various support groups to press Congress to pass the extension of funding of CARP and introduce necessary reforms to ensure its meaningful implementation.

Ka Vic has been a recognized leader of a successful 6- million peso agri-cooperative, MIEDECO, a member of PAKISAMA. He rose to the leadership of PAKISAMA, a national confederation of peasant federations, becoming one of its Presidents and Executive Committee member.

He is also one of the leaders of PANDAYAN and AKBAYAN in Mindanao. A model of integrity, dedication, and industry, Ka Vic is undoubtedly a big loss to the peasantry and the broad social movement.

He is survived by his wife, Aida, and his 4 children aged 22, 19, 16, and 14.

Cynical as we are, we demand, nevertheless, from this government a speedy investigation and pursuit of his murderers.

We ask our colleagues to pray for his soul and strength to his family. Please contact us (02-4342079) for any contribution you wish to share to his family. They would surely appreciate any act of support.

Sincerely yours,

Soc Banzuela
National Coordinator, PAKISAMA

Erap for President 2010?

I don’t know what to make of this but it seems that Erap Estrada still is an influence in the Philippine political landscape. In the recent surveys, He belongs to the top five.

Whenever I think of Erap, I think of EDSA 2. I was college student then and people were filled with outrage over Erap’s corruption, at the same time filled with hope at the possibility of a brighter future for the Philippines.

Well, EDSA 2 did succeed, Erap was ousted, resigned (or whatever the term) from his office. I thought the Philippines was given a second chance at progress. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, effortlessly succeeded into office at the expense of the peoples effort. She took part of the movement only after it was clear that the Estrada administration is going down. She waited, politically calculating, knowing that under the constitution she is the constitutional successor.

Civil Society was reluctant and hesitant but people had no choice. She became the President without effort and then cling to the office of the President with all the executive power she could muster.

We should never forget about “hello garci”, ZTE-NBN Scandal, fertilizer scam. All these things are connected. Out of a total disrespect for the spirit of EDSA 2, she pardoned Erap. In public she says, its for Healing the country because it has become polarized. But of course at the back of our minds we know it is a political move for political gains.

ERAP still tallies in the surveys because the current administration stinks of corruption and we are no better than before. This article is supposed to be about ERAP but I guess I could not tell the difference between an ERAP administration and an Arroyo administration.

“Bagong Bahay, Lumang Pako”

Smartbro Problems

I have been out for a while now, I had a problem with my smartbro billing As a person who is doing an online job, I have always made sure that I pay my monthly bills because that is where your work depends on.

Last two weeks I got disconnected. My younger brother, who I ask to pay, said the customer service representative said I was lagging two months on my bills. I got shocked, two months is impossible because I’ve been diligent with my payments.

One lesson I learned was the importance of keeping receipts because that is the only weapon we can use against computer records. I did not keep my receipts well, I only found a few of them. I went to smart wireless center at Limketkai. I asked again how many months I failed to pay my bills; they said it was only one month. At the back of head, I was thinking how inconsistent they were.

Then I asked what month? The customer service representative said September 2008, I looked at my receipts and I found my September receipt, gave it to her and said, I paid for that month. She looked at her computer again and said that she was wrong, not September but July. I looked on my receipts again but did not found one. I lost. Lesson, KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS.

I just wondered if I found my July receipts, would they again say I did not pay for the month of june. What if I found June?

I reflected on it and I realized how consumer rights are barely protected in this country. This is not only with smartbro but also with other services. But that is I think understandable, in a country that barely values human rights, evidenced by the hundreds of extra-judicial killings, political killings and other sorts of killings, how much more our consumer rights?

But maybe I was wrong, maybe I really did forget paying my bills for the month of july, very unlikely but still possible. Again KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS.

I hope I am the only one who has experienced this kind of situation.

Sexual Harassment and Acts of Lasciviousness

What is the difference between sexual harassment and acts of lasciviousness?

Sexual harassment is done by a person who has authority over another person.

Acts of lasciviousness is done by a co-worker.

Example of Acts of Lasciviousness:

Morky was a trusted friend of sherrie, she even recommend him to the office where she worked. All went well for a while but one day, morky touched/grasps sherry’s breast saying he had a sex urge.

Still in these modern times, women are still viewed as sex objects and even a trusted friend could become a sexual predator.

Obama: First African-American President

Obama has just won the 2008 US presidential elections. I bet that not only the United States is overwhelmed but also the world. Television News, newspapers, radios, the internet and especially the blogging community will all be telling something about the historic event.

After long long years, a black American has become the president of the United States. It tells a lot about the struggle of black Americans from slavery. I bet Martin Luther King and all those who died in the civil liberties movement is smiling down on earth and rejoicing, wherever they are.

I just hope that one day the Philippines will have a moment of this proportion, of a nation so thrilled about the prospects of the future. The Philippines also needs change especially structural change.

While Philippine Politics has become a boring subject of vote buying, smearing, vote rigging, hello garci, “dagdag bawas”, I still believe that the Filipino people can still rise above it. Definitely, change will not come from the top, nor from most of the politicians, who time and again have promised change and promised a lot but still delivered that same old social cancer of corruption, greed and the status quo.

As Obama faces enormous tasks and expectations ahead, we also face an equally enormous task. The struggle to make ends meet, the struggle against poverty and bringing food on the table, the struggle for peace especially in Mindanao, the struggle of everyday life.

The Philippines has been needing change for a long time.

The Fate of IPRA

I was just wondering what happened to the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act or the IPRA.

IPRA is one of the Progressive laws we have. It basically recognizes and upholds the rights of the Indigenous peoples in terms of their ancestral domain, self-governance social justice and cultural integrity.

However, we barely hear what has happened to the implementation of the law since then, We barely here it in the news. The IP’s are obviously sidelined by government. In the senate and the house of representatives, I wonder how many are bringing their voices and advancing their rights.

The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples has been rendered almost useless because of lack of resources. In Misamis oriental alone, there are about 50 ancestral domain claims and only 1 has been given a certificate of ancestral domain title or the CADT. I heard that they have a target to issue one CADT per year. At this rate all the Claims will be finished in 50 years, at this rate the claimants are already dead before they are given the title.

One of the major obstacles in the Implementation is the mining act which President Gloria Arroyo authored. Through the mining act of 1995 which allows for 100% foreign ownership of mineral lands and the eviction of indigenous communities, hundreds if not thousands of lumads were displaced, their sacred lands plundered and turned upside down by mining companies.

Discriminated and marginalized these people are going through a lot. Barely represented in a supposed to be democratic government and basic social services hardly reach their communities.

Most of the Politicians use them, and after winning, forget them. I am hoping for the party-list system to work for the Lumads.I hope the next election will be kinder to them