Kung sa
ibang bansa tulad ng Korea ay obligado ang bawat mamamayan na magsilbi sa
military, magkakaroon na rin ng ganitong sistema sa Pilipinas sa ilalim ng
Citizen Service Corps na itinutulak ni dating Pangulo at ngayo’y Pampanga Rep.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Sa ilalim
ng HB05350 na inakda ni Arroyo, palalawakin pa ang Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps (ROTC) program, na hindi na naging mandatory nang maging batas ang
Republic Act (RA) 9163 o National Service Training Program (NSTP).
Nais ni
Arroyo na sanayin na ang mga kabataan, hindi lamang para ihanda ang mga ito sa
external at territorial defense kung ‘di para sa internal security threats at
disaster management.
Sinabi ni
Arroyo na ang kanyang panukala ay may layuning magtatag ng isang
komprehensibong framework para sa training and mobilization ng ating mga
kabataan at ito ay magpapatupad ng constitutional vision na mag-udyok sa kanila
tungo sa mainstream ng national life sa
pamamagitan ng pagbibigay sa kanila ng avenue para sa kanilang partisipasyon sa
public at civic affairs, primarily, sa pamamagitan ng pagtatatag ng Citizen
Service Training Course (CSTC).
Kapag
naging batas na ito, mandatory na ang basic citizen service training course sa
lahat ng college students, kasama na ang mga kumukuha ng vocational course sa
private at public universities and colleges sa buong bansa.
Lahat ng
nakatapos ng CSTC ay awtomatikong miyembro ng CSC at puwedeng ipatawag para
idepensa ang estado, hindi lamang sa banta sa labas kung ‘di sa loob ng bansa
at maging i-deploy sa panahon ng kalamidad.
Pamumunuan
ng isang Chairman at 4 Commissioners ang CSC na siyang magde-deploy sa mga
miyembro at kung mayroong susuway ay isasailalim ang mga ito sa court martial.
Parusang
anim na buwang pagkakakulong naman at 380 oras na community service sa mga
tatanggi na mai-deploy ang mga ito para sa internal security at peace and order
sa panahon ng kalamidad.
Lahat ng
mga nakatapos ng CSTC ay maaaring kumuha ng advance course para tumaas ang
ranggo hanggang 2nd Lt., hindi lang sa military kung ‘di sa pambansang pulisya.
De-boteng
tubig, kailangang VAT-exempt
Nais ni Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita
Suansing na i-exempt ang mga bottled water sa value-added tax (VAT) para
mapababa ang halaga ng mga ito at upang maipagpa-ibayo ang isang healthy
lifestyles sa buong bansa.
Sinabi ni Suansing na ang
panukalang VAT exemption ay ang maging daan upang mapababa ang halaga ng mga de-boteng
tubig at magkaroon pa ng healthier alternative sa sugar sweetened beverages
(SSB).
Kung ang presyo ng mga matatamis na
inumin ay mura kaysa sa de-bote na tubig, mas gugustuhin pa ng publiko na
bumili ng sugar sweetened beverages kaysa sa tubig at hindi lingid sa kaalaman
ng publiko na ang mga matatamis na inumin ay malakas magpapasira sa kalusugan
ng tao, ayon sa kanya.
Iginiit ni Suansing, chairperson ng
House committee on Ecology, na mas mataas ang presyo ng tubig kaysa sa mga
juice at mga soda sa mga pamilihan.
Ito umano ang dahilan kung bakit
mag gugustuhan pang bumili ng mga konsiyumer ng drink juices at soda kaysa sa
de-boteng tubig at ang kinokunsumo ng publiko na sugar sweetened beverages ay
mas malakas magpapasira sa katawan kung kaya’t karaminhang mga sakit ng tao ay
nai-a-attribute sa high sugar level sa dugo, dagdag pa ni Suansing.
Ang glucose daw ay isang
importanteng fuel para sa lahat na mga cells sa katawan na nasa normal na level
at kung mataas ang sugar level, ito ay dahan-dahang sisira sa ability ng cells
sa loob ng pancreas na gagawa ng insulin at ang organ ay mag-o-overcompensate dito
at ang insulin levels ay mananatiling nasa masyadong mataas na level.
Tinukoy ni Suansing ang isang
medical review na nagsasabing sa lahat daw ng mga masasamang choices ng mga
drinks para sa tao na may high blood level ay ang mga regular sodas, regular
beer, fruity mixed drinks, dessert wine, sweetened tea, coffee at cream,
chocolate drinks at energy drinks, at lahat nn mga ito ay mga sweetened
beverages.
Inihain ni Suansing ang HB05386 na
mag-a-amiyenda ng P.D. 1158, as amended, ang National Internal Revenue Code of
1997, para ma-exempt sa VAT ang mga bottled water.
Alvarez:
visa requirement mga Filipinong tutungo sa US, dapat walain na
Dapat ikonsidera ng Estados Unidos
na walain na ang par-re-require sa mga Filipinong turistang kumuha ng visa o
ang visa requirement nito at kung hindi ay baka mapuwersa ring mag-impose ang
Pilipinas ng kahalintulad na restriction sa mga American travelers patungo
ditto sa ating bansa.
Ginawa ni House Speaker Pantaleon
Alvarez ang panawagang ito bilang suporta sa balak ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte
sa i-compel ang mga American tourist na kumuha ng visa bago ang mga ito
makapasok sa bansa.
Sinabi ng Speaker na kung hindi
sila willing na bigyan tayo ng kahalintulad na privilege, maaari ding i-require
natin ang kanilang mga citizen na papunta dito sa ating bansa na mag-apply ng
visa atingmnga embahada.
Kinondina ni Alvarez, isang
miyembro ng President’s delegation patungong Japan, ang kakulangan ng
reciprocity sa pagitan ng ilipinas at Estados Unidos sa usapin ng travel.
Sa kasalukuyan, ayon sa Speaker, ang
mga Filipino ay kailangang magbayad para sa tourist visa bago ang mga ito
papayagang maka-pasok sa United States samantalang ang mga Amerikano ay
malayang bumisita at mamasyal sa loob ng ating bansa na walang visa.
Nais umano niyang ipursige ang
palano ng Pangulo dahil normally, mayroon tayong tinatawag na reciprocity na
kung papayag ang iyong bansa, halimbawa, isang citizen ng isang partikular na
bansa ay visa-free, dapat ganun din sa kabilang bansa.
Nagtataka umano siya kung bakit ito
lang ang time na ang US citizens, habang dala-dala nila ang kanilang US
passport, kung pumasok sila sa bansang Pilipinas, wala silang visa, samantalang
ang mga Filipino ay nire-require na pumila ng kasing-aga ng alas tres ng umaga
para lamang makapag-apply ng visa kaya kailangang dapat mayroong reciprocity.
Sinabi ni Alvarez na dapat i-assert
ng Pilipinas ang sovereignty nito bilang isang bansa kung nais nating i-respeto
rin tayo iba pang mga bansa.
Ang hirap daw kasi, nasanay ang mga
Filipino na bine-baby ang Amerika na para bang hindi sila pwedeng magkamali at lahat
ng gagawin nila ay tama, sabi pa ng Speaker.
Ayon sa kanya, nasa sa Department
of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na i-implement ang isang panibagong scheme para sa mga
American tourists, sangayon na rin sa panukala ng Pangulo last week.
Pero, yung sa issue ng TNT sa kanila, problema na nila yon daw dahil
tayo naman kung may nag-TNT sa atin, problema din natin yun, dagdag pa niya.
Sa pagpapakita ng Pangulo
kamakailan lamang ng kanyang anti-US sentiment, pinahayag ng Pangulo na
kinokonsidera niya ang pagpapatupad ng visa restriction sa mga American tourists
sa Pilipinas.
Umangal ang pangulo na
pinapahirapan ng US ang mga Filipino sa visa restriction kaya ito na umano ay
pay back time.
Namimiligro ang mga prangkisa ng PAL at CebuPac
Nagbanta
ang Kamara na irerebyu ang prangkisa ng Philippine Airlines (PAL) at Cebu
Pacific dahil masyado umanong mahal ang ticket ng mga ito bukod sa madalas
ma-delay ang mga biyahe.
Ginawa ni
House majority leader Rodolfo Fariñas ang babala sa pagdinig ng House
committee on transportation na pinamumunuan ni Catanduanes Rep. Cesar
Sarmiento ukol sa reklamo ng mga pasahero sa masyadong mahal na ticket at
delayed flights ng mga nabanggit na airline companies.
Ayon sa
kanya, kada linggo, kliyente umano sila ng eroplano at ang downtime niya daw sa
PAL seguro, weekly ang nasasayang mga minimum of two to five hours
Kaya
sinabihan niya ang PAL na sabihan nila ang kanilang mga your corporate bosse na
ire-review niya ang kanilang franchise.
Idinagdag
pa niya na maaari nilang amiyendahan ang kanilang prangkisa anytime.
Sinabi
niya sa mga kinatawan ng PAL at CebuPac sa pagdinig na you make a killing, and
we are at your mercy at pinagsasamantalahan ninyo ang riding public.
Ayon sa
mambabatas, ang prangkisa ng PAL at Cebu Pacific ay hindi nila karapatan kundi
prebilehiyo lamang na ibinigay ng sambayanang Filipino.
Dahil sa
Mahal na pasahe at delayed flight, prangkisa
ng PAL,
Cebu Pacific sisilipin ng Kamara
SISILIPIN
ng Kamara de Representantes ang prangkisa ng Philippine Airlines (PAL) at Cebu
Pacific Airlines kapag hindi nito pinagbutihan ang pagbibigay ng serbisyo sa
publiko.
Nagpahayag
ng kanyang saloobin si House Majority Leader Rodolfo C. Fariñas (1st District,
Ilocos Norte) at iba pang mambabatas sa ginanap na pagdinig ng House committee
on Transportation sa pamumuno ni Rep. Cesar V. Sarmiento (Lone District,
Catanduanes).
“Bawat
linggo kliyente niyo kami, at ang downtime ko sa PAL siguro bawat linggo ay
nasasayang mga dalawa hanggang limang oras. Tell your corporate bosses
that I will review your franchise. We can amend your franchise anytime. You
make a killing, and we are at your mercy. Pinagsasamantalahan ninyo ang riding
public,” sabi ni Fariñas.
Ayon kay Farinas,
muling susuriin ng Kongreso ang prangkisa ng dalawang kompanya kapag hindi nito
natugunan ang mga reklamo sa napakamahal na airline fares at sa mahabang
delayed flights.
Pinaalalahanan
ng mambabatas ang PAL at Cebu Pacific Airlines na hindi karapatan ang kanilang
prangkisa bilang isang public utility, kundi isang pribilehiyo na ibinigay sa
kanila ng sambayanan sa pamamagitan ng kanilang kinatawan sa Kamara.
“Kaya
kayo naka-operate dahil pinayagan kayo ng mga boss namin --- the sovereign
Filipino people. Huwag niyo naman pagsamantalahan. Your enterprise is imbued
with public interest. Wake up and shape up,” sabi pa ni Fariñas.
Ipinatawag
ng Komite ang pagdinig base sa mga House Resolution 267 na inihain ni Rep.
Ferjenel G. Biron, M. D. (4th District, Iloilo) at HR 723 ni Reps. Vicente S.
E. Veloso (3rd District, Leyte) at Victoria Isabel G. Noel (Party-list, AN
WARAY) sa labis na pananamantala sa pasahe ng PAL at Cebu Pacific.
Ayon kay
Veloso tila inabandona ng Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) ang tungkuling
i-regulate ang presyo ng pamasahe sa eroplano para magbenepisyo ang taumbayan.
Pinaalalahanan
ni Veloso, si CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla baka nilalabag na nito ang
mga probisyon sa Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act kung ipipilit ang kanyang
pananaw at itutuloy na baliwalain ang mandato sa ilalim ng Republic Act 776 na
kumikilala sa CAB at sa Civil Aeronautics Administration. (eag/mip)
Tardy solons face penalty
Bagamat
parating maganda ang attendance ng mga mambababatas sa plenaryo ng Kamara,
tatlo sa mga house leaders ang sumusuporta sa balak ng Kapulungan na isara ang
session hall at markahang absent ang mga lawmaker na dumarating na late para sa
sesyon na nag-umpisa na ng alas kuwatro ng hapon kada Lunes hanggang
Miyerkules.
Sa
magkakahiwalay na panayam, sinalubong nina House Deputy Speaker at Batangas Rep
Raneo Abu, Quezon City Rep Winston Castelo at Eastern Sama Rep Ben Evardone ang
panukala ni House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep Rodolfo Farinas na bakal
na ipatutupad sa ika-24 ng Hulyo 2017 o sa pagbubukas ng 17th
Congress ng Second Regular Session nito para maseguro ang mas produktibong
Lower House.
Isinasagawa
na ito ng House Committee on Rules sa maliitang scale ni majority floor leader
bilang chairman nito at napatunayang ito ay gumagana effectively.
Minsan
kailangan umano ay magkaroon ng role bilang magulang na may pamalo para
maipairal ang disiplina sa loob ng institusyon.
Para kay
Castelo naman na siyang namumuno ng house committee on
Castelo, who chairs the House committee on Metro Manila development, said the
House leadership was right to be strict because starting the session on time
would allow the House of Representatives to do more work.
While it is unprecedented feat that the House of Representatives mustered
quorum every session since the First Regular Session started last July, Castelo
lamented that there is usually no quorum if the presiding officer orders a roll
call at four in the afternoon.
“I agree with our House Majority Leader. It is the responsibility of lawmakers
to attend session on time. Drastic situation calls for drastic solution.
Now is the time to be true to our oath,” Castelo, a member of the ruling Partido
Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), explained.
For his part, Evardone, who chairs the House committee on banks and financial
intermediaries, said he supports the plan of the House leadership aimed at
further improving the performance of the institution.
“I hope no problem with the proposal to close the entrance after four in the
afternoon,” said Evardone, a member of the PDP-Laban.
On Saturday, Fariñas told reporters that “we will call the roll of members at
exactly 4 p.m. Those who do not respond to the roll call will be marked absent,
except those attending committee hearings as authorized by the rules committee
or the majority leader.”
Fariñas, a stalwart of PDP-Laban, explained it is unfair for those who arrive
on time if the House continues the practice of waiting for enough members to
fill the plenary hall before the roll of members is called.
It is now a practice that sessions are opened promptly at 4 p.m. but
immediately suspended to await the arrival of more members before the roll is
called.
The Ilocos Norte lawmaker said the leadership is also considering starting
sessions at 10 a.m. instead of 4 p.m.
Previous Congresses were plagued with perennial absenteeism of lawmakers,
prompting legislature leaders to propose arresting absentee members and
penalizing them with salary cuts, but none of these was adopted.
Lawmaker seeks NIA makeover
A
lawmaker on Saturday called anew for a makeover of the National Irrigation
Administration by instituting reforms to make the agency financially viable in
providing free irrigation to farmers.
CamSur
Rep. LRay Villafuerte noted that each year, the NIA has been requesting for
higher and higher allocations under the national budget, and continues to
receive humongous subsidies from the national government to maintain irrigation
systems nationwide and fund its free irrigation program.
“The NIA
despite being a state-owned firm, has been bleeding the government dry. It has
even requested a higher budgetary allocation for next year as it has been doing
so in the previous years, although its accomplishment rate is far from
impressive,” Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte,
vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, cited Bureau of
Treasury reports showing that the NIA got P11.08 billion in subsidies in the
first quarter —or more than five-fold the P2.06 billion acquired by the agency
in the same quarter in 2016—that accounts for over half the P19.7 billion
subsidies to government-owned and controlled corporations over that
January-March 2017 period.
NIA
officials earlier said the subsidies granted to it during the period were used
to implement irrigation projects all over the country, as well as its free
irrigation program.
In
February alone, NIA received P8.957 billion or almost 90 percent of the
subsidies to GOCCs granted in February, Villafuerte said.
The NIA
has also proposed a P42-billion budget next year, which is 11 percent higher
than this year’s allocation of P38 billion, he added.
At
present, Villafuerte said 2.4 million hectares or 43 percent of farmlands in
the country still lack irrigation, even though the NIA was given the
“flexibility of a corporate vehicle and the administrative autonomy” to achieve
its objectives under Republic Act 3601, which created the agency 53 years ago.
Villafuerte
earlier filed House Bill 2133 asking the government to institutionalize free
irrigation to farmers.
HB 2133
not only seeks to abolish irrigation fees and restructure the farmers’ unpaid
fees, but also to revert the NIA to being a line agency under the Department of
Agriculture (DA), Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte’s
bill also aims to streamline the government’s irrigation development program
and carry out its mandate of irrigating 100 percent of irrigable farmlands in
the country within a four-year period.
He said
his measure would provide the impetus for the NIA to overhaul its old system
and arrest the sharp drop in farm product ivy.
“The
proposed refocusing of NIA’s role and purpose further seeks to foster
sustainable livelihood among its farmers through improvement in both farm
productivity and increased income by abolishing existing laws prescribing the
power and authority of the NIA to collect Irrigation Service Fees or other
forms of charges for the use of irrigation systems,” Villafuerte said.
Solon waver on okay of Duterte tax reform bill
The approval of the Duterte
administration’s tax reform package faces uncertainty in the House of
Representatives as 47 solons are opposing the bill. They want it amended,
fearing a rise in the prices of basic commodities.
The proposed bill, the Tax Reform
for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN), has been calendared for plenary
deliberations this week. The bill has been co-authored by 102 lawmakers, the
Department of Finance (DoF) said in a statement.
“With strong support from President
Duterte and high officials of the land, with more than 100 co-authors, the
support of more than 100 stakeholder groups, and millions of workers waiting
for the reform, this is the time to move decisively,”DoF Undersecretary Karl
Kendrick Chua said.
While they support many provisions
of the tax package bill, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe, president of
the the Party List Coalition (PLC) composed of 47 representatives, said they
want to scrap the provision lifting Expanded Value-Added Tax (EVAT) exemption
on cooperatives.
“A compromise should be reached
here because we feel that this will be detrimental to our sector,” said
Batocabe, a lawyer, who will file an amendment today to restore the VAT
exemption of cooperatives as an offshoot of the majority caucus last Wednesday
called by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
But Camarines Sur Rep. LRay
Villafuerte, a stalwart of the Nacionalista Party (NP), said the tax package
reform bill would help the new administration achieve high and inclusive growth
under President Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda.
Villafuerte, who had sponsored the
DoF’s budget for 2017 as vice chairman of the House committee on appropriations,
noted that House Bill (HB) No. 5636 or TRAIN, which consolidated the DOF-backed
HB No. 4774 with 54 other tax-related bills, would cut income tax rates for the
benefit of low-income workers and help raise money for administration’s massive
expenditure program.
In ensuring a steady revenue stream
for Malacañang’s accelerated spending strategy, Villafuerte said the tax reform
bill would help keep on track President Duterte’s vision to eradicate extreme
poverty in one generation and make the Philippines a high-income or advanced
economy by 2040.
Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo,
who chairs the House committee on Metro Manila development, also backed the
restoration of cooperatives’ VAT exemption. “Let us restore the exemptions on
coop and temper tax on fuel as this will create a domino effect on increase of
basic good, thereby affecting majority of Filipinos who are poor,” said
Castelo, a member of the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan.
Negros Occidental Rep. Albee
Benitez, head of the 42-strong Visayan bloc, seeks automatic suspension in the
implementation of the proposed P6 tax on petroleum products to safeguard the
consumers should the price of crude oil hover around $80 per barrel mark.
Benitez said protecting the consumers should be the foremost consideration of
Congress after lawmakers were given until afternoon today to submit their
individual amendments.
“We feel that this is an effective
way to protect consumers from erratic prices of petroleum products. There
should be a provision for automatic suspension in the implementation of the
proposed tax on petroleum products,” said Benitez, explaining that oil price
increases have domino effects on all prices of basic commodities.
At the same time, Benitez said he
and his colleagues who come from sugar-producing provinces will move to slash
the imposition of P10 per liter tax on sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) to P5.
“We believe that the P10 proposal
is too high and may kill the local sugar industry. We will propose this to
slash by half,” said Benitez, adding that the proposal is anti-poor as the
sugar industry is already burdened with the value-added tax and creditable
withholding tax.
Benitez said Congress should not ignore the plight of the sugar industry,
particularly the tens of thousands of marginalized sugar farmers who will be
further burdened by the proposed tax.
Approval still possible
But Quirino Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua,
who chairs the House committee on ways and means and principal author of TRAIN,
reiterated that the measure will be approved on third and final reading before
the sine die adjournment of the First Regular Session of the 17th Congress at
the end of the month.
“We are confident in the leadership
of our Speaker and our Majority Leader that with their spearheading the
supermajority, almost 100 percent sure that it will be passed in lower
chamber,” Cua told reporters.
The measure will exempt workers
earning P250,000 and below for the years 2018 and 2019 from paying personal
income taxes on top of the tax-free P82,000 worth of allowances and 13th month
pay annually.
But the measure is also proposing
P6 tax on petroleum products, P10 per liter tax on SSBs, ad valorem tax on
brand new automobiles, and among others.
If passed into law, it is expected
to generate P206.8 billion in revenues.
But Negros Oriental Rep. Arnulfo
Teves urged the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to collect their P230 billion annual
tax leakage instead of passing the TRAIN.
Cua said the DoF’s decision to
spread out the proposed P6 a liter to increase oil excise tax into three
tranches of P3, P2 and P1 in the first three years will lighten the burden on
the riding public.
The measure imposes the following
tax rates: Leaded premium gasoline, per liter of volume capacity, from P5.35 to
P7 in 2017, P9 in 2018 and P10 in 2019; unleaded premium gasoline, per liter of
volume capacity, from P4.35 to P7 in 2017, P9 in 2018 and P10 in 2019; aviation
turbo jet fuel, per liter of volume capacity, from P3.67 to P7 in 2017, P9 in
2018 and P10 in 2019; kerosene, per liter of volume capacity, from P0.00 to P3
in 2017, P5 in 2018 and P6 in 2019.
Diesel fuel oil, and similar fuel oils having more or less the same
generating power, per liter of volume capacity, from P0.00 to P3 in 2017, P5 in
2018 and P6 in 2019; liquefied petroleum gas, per liter, from P0.00 to P3 in
2017, P5 in 2018 and P6 in 2019; asphalts, per kilogram, from P0.56 to P3 in
2017, P5 in 2018 and P6 in 2019; bunker fuel oil, and on similar fuel oils
having more or less the same generating power, per liter of volume capacity,
from P0.00 to P3 in 2017, P5 in 2018 and P6 in 2019.
These tax rates shall also be
increased by four percent every year thereafter effective January 1, 2020
through revenue regulations issued by the finance secretary.
The proposal will also restructure
excise taxes on alcohol.
The measure also imposes an ad
valorem tax on brand new automobiles based on the manufacturer’s or importer’s
selling price, net of excise and VAT.
Carpio seesk UN intervention anew
House allies of President Duterte had backed his administration’s move to
accept a “gentleman’s agreement” to prevent war or keep the situation in
the South China Sea stable while China, the Philippines and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) work on a binding Code of Conduct (CoC) on the
disputed territories.
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone and
House Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu agreed with newly-appointed
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to pursue a strategy that would
guarantee the peaceful conduct of addressing the conflict following the absence
of legally-binding mechanism to enforce any deal on the dispute.
“Sec. Cayetano’s proposal is
laudable to ensure peace and stability and development in the region. The
adoption of code of conduct is very essential in ensuring freedom of
navigation,” said Evardone, who chairs the House committee on banks and
financial intermediaries.
The position of Mr. Duterte’s
allies clashes with that of Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio
who urged Mr. Duterte to troop to the United Nations (UN) after China
threatened to go to war when he asserted the Philippines’ claims in the South
China Sea.In a statement, the senior High Court magistrate urged Duterte to
take China’s threat before the UN General Assembly, noting that the UN Charter
outlaws the use or threat of force to settle disputes between states.
Carpio made the statement after Mr.
Duterte bared that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping said that they will go to
war if the Philippines extracts oil and gas in the Reed Bank.
Abu, for his part, said going to
war will be detrimental to all nation-claimants, even as he explained
that there is no better alternative than pursuing a peaceful solution to
the conflict.
“Any proposal that would keep us
from war and will make the situation stable is a welcome development. Let us
take advantage of the friendly atmosphere right now and the good relationship
of President Duterte with Chinese leaders,” said Abu, a stalwart of the
Nacionalista Party (NP).
Cayetano made his observation last
Friday after the Asean and China finished a draft framework for negotiating a
COC, despite regional skepticism over Beijing’s commitment to rules that can
restrain its maritime ambitions.
He said legally binding means there
is a court or tribunal to which parties can turn to if another party reneges on
the agreement.
The former senator admitted there
is a need for a mechanism that would help resolve issues if some parties fail
or refuse to comply with the code.
Binding code needed Southeast Asian
nations with claims in the South China Sea have long wanted to sign China up to
a legally binding and enforceable code. China claims most of the energy-rich
South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in sea-borne trade passes
every year. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the
resource-rich waters, aside from China and the Philippines.
In July last year, the Permanent
Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague invalidated China’s claim to sovereignty
over most of the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea in a case filed
against Beijing by the previous Aquino administration.
A COC is the key objective of a
2002 Declaration on Conduct, large parts of which China has ignored,
particularly a commitment not to occupy or reclaim uninhabited features.
China has piled sand upon reefs and other land features to build seven islands
in disputed parts of the Spratly archipelago. China has also been transforming
three of the reefs into what experts believe could be forward operating bases.
China is also doing exploration
work in areas that are well within the Philippines exclusive economic zone
particularly at the Benham rise.
“We intend to drill oil there, if
it’s yours, well, that’s your view, but my view is, I can drill the oil, if
there is some inside the bowels of the earth because it is ours,” Duterte said
in a speech at the National Convention of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary
in Davao City last Thursday.
“His response to me was: ‘We’re
friends, we don’t want to quarrel with you, we want to maintain the presence of
warm relationship, but if you force the issue, we’ll go to war,” Duterte said,
recalling his conversation with Xi.
Carpio wants Unclos-based
arbitration
Following Duterte’s statements,
Carpio said that the President should bring China’s threat to another United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitral tribunal, insisting
that the Philippine Constitution “renounces war as an instrument of national
policy.”
“(This is) to secure an order
directing China to comply with the ruling of the UNCLOS arbitral tribunal that
declared the Reed Bank part of Philippine exclusive economic zone,” Carpio
said.
“The Philippines can also ask for damages for every day of delay that the
Philippines is prevented by China from exploiting Philippine EEZ,” the senior
High Court magistrate said.
Moreover, Carpio insisted that Reed
Bank is vital to the country’s national interest as “it is the only replacement
for Malampaya, which supplies 40 percent of the energy requirement of Luzon.”
Carpio said that the Philippines
should develop Reed Bank as the Malampaya gas field will run out of gas in less
than ten years.
“Unless the Philippines develops
Reed Bank, Luzon will suffer 10 to 12 hours of brownouts daily 10 years from
now. This will devastate the Philippine economy,” Carpio said.
Meanwhile, amid the growing
tensions between the Philippines and China, Carpio called on Duterte to
strengthen the alliance with the United States, who signed a mutual defense
treaty with the Philippines.
Carpio said the Philippines should
bolster it ties with the US as the UN Charter recognizes the right of states to
mutual self-defense against armed aggression.
“The Philippines can ally with the
United States because the United States does not claim the West Philippine Sea
or any Philippine territory. The Philippines cannot ally with China because
China wants to grab for itself the West Philippine Sea and the Spratlys,”
Carpio said.
The SC justice added that China’s
“blatant” threat of war comes as a signal for the country to strengthen its
defenses and alliances.
“As long as China threatens the
Philippines with war over the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines can never
lower its guard in its dealings with China,” Carpio said.
Carpio added that only China, from
all countries in the world, threatened a declaration of war against the
Philippines over the latter’s claims in the disputed waters.
“The other claimant states in the
Spratlys—Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei—recognize Philippine exclusive economic
zone, including Reed Bank, in the West Philippine Sea,” Carpio said.
Carpio noted that Vietnam, Malaysia
and Brunei have no dispute with the Philippines over the Reed Bank.
However, Carpio said the only
dispute of the Philippines with Vietnam and Malaysia is on high-tide elevation
rocks and their 12 nautical mile territorial seas in the Spratlys, which are
more than 100 nautical miles from Reed Bank.
Clarification needed — Gordon
A threat of a declaration of war,
that’s how Sen. Richard Gordon described the supposed pronouncements of Xi in
warning Mr. Duterte against insisting on drilling for oil in the South China
Sea.
“I think we should be clarified.
Congress must be clarified by the Chinese ambassador and the President of the
Philippines, to tell us what was really said because we are not without our
defences and therefore the foreign affairs minister, (Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano)
should tell us what really happened,” Sen. Richard Gordon said in a radio
interview.
“The President should have told him
‘you are in violation of all international law, our constitution states that
the Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy and adhere to
the internationally-accepted principles of international law’,” he said.
Both Gordon and Sen. Francis “Kiko”
Pangilinan said the government should immediately lodge a complaint before the
UN although the former expressed doubts of the veracity of such claims given
the lack of any statements or pronouncements coming from China on this matter.
“I don’t know if the President
(Duterte) interpreted rightly what was said because normally the Chinese
President will not make such statements because that’s in effect a threat of a
declaration of war,” he said.
“I really, really don’t believe
right now that the President was accurate in saying that Xi Jin Ping would say
that. I don’t think so. He might have misunderstood him. But if he said that, I
will recommend that we go to the UN and make the manifestation, it will be
China against the world,” Gordon said.
The senator said Duterte has been
known to make retractions on his previous pronouncements and he will not be
surprised if Malacanang will clarify this issue as well.
Pangilinan seeks protest
Pangilinan has put to task
newly-designated Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano
to take up the issue.
“Did China really threaten the
Philippines with war after President Duterte asserted the Southeast Asian
nation’s sovereignty over disputed territory in the West Philippine Sea? If so,
then Foreign Affairs Secretary Cayetano should issue a diplomatic protest for
this threat,” Pangilinan said Sunday.
Pangilinan made the call in the
wake of reports on President Duterte’s recent revelations that China had
threatened to use force against the Philippines if it will extract oil from
Recto Bank, an area in the West Philippine Sea that has already been recognized
last year by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague as part of the
country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Recto or Reed Bank is being claimed by China as also part of its territory,
supposedly.
Pangilinan, president of the
opposition Liberal Party (LP) reiterated their support to resolution No. 158
filed by party mate, Sen. Bam Aquino in Oct. last year, calling on the Senate
committees on foreign relations and economic affairs to conduct a hearing, in
aid of legislation, on the foreign policy direction of the government.
“This is with the end view of
protecting our national interest. The hearing should tackle not only this issue
but also the detains of the $24 billion loans and investments recently sealed
with China as well as the Duterte administration’s decision to reject aid from
the European Union,” he said.
Gordon said China should not be a bully and must learn from its own history
when it was bullied and occupied by world powers in the past.
“China should remember that Hitler
and Genghis Khan went that way and where are they now? Do not bully your
neighbours. You lose more than you gain,” he said.
China can avoid bullying and be a
respected country, Gordon said adding that it loses influence in Asia when it
is perceived as bullying its neighbours and only diminishes its respect and
influence in the world.
“(But if it’s true) quite frankly,
I don’t want to say this because I was not there (when Xi Jinping supposedly
said it), if he really said that, then we go to the UN. We go to the
international community,” he said.
Bill
lowering criminal age set to be passed
The House Subcommittee on
Correctional Reforms is set to approve next week a bill seeking to lower the
minimum age of criminal liability to 12-years-old.
The panel, chaired by Misamis
Occidental Rep. Henry Oaminal, is expected to pass the substitute bill, which
seeks to expand the scope of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare System and
strengthen the social reintegration programs for children in conflict with the
law on May 23.
In February, the Oaminal panel
shelved its approval of a substitute bill after its technical working group,
led by Kabayan partylist Rep. Ron Salo, appealed for another week to thresh out
the provisions of President Duterte’s priority measure.
Salo said during their TWG meetings,
“Everyone is in agreement that Children in Conflict with the Law below 15
should be made accountable and responsible for their actions.”
“However, almost all the resource
persons, and many other members of Congress who attended the meetings, are
opposed to “branding” these CICLs as criminals,” he noted.
The TWG conducted three meetings to
consolidate all the six measures and craft a substitute bill, considering the
inputs of the authors, committee members, and resource persons.
The bills were authored by House
Deputy Speaker and Cadiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez,
Tarlac Rep. Victor Yap, Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, Antipolo City Rep.
Romeo Acop, and Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita Suansing.
Salo said the TWG adopted the
proposal made by House Deputy Speaker and Taguig City Rep. Pia Cayetano to
rephrase the title “so as not to label the CICLs as criminals but still make
them accountable and responsible to their actions.” (Charissa L. Atienza)
Duterte backed on peaceful sea row end
TWO House
leaders yesterday supported the Duterte administration’s stand for China and
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to forge a “gentleman’s
agreement” to prevent war or keep the situation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)
stable to ensure freedom of navigational passage.
Eastern
Samar Rep. Ben Evardone and House Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu
agreed with newly-appointed Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano that
the Philippines must pursue a strategy that would guarantee the peaceful
resolution of the conflict in the WPS.
“Sec. Cayetano’s proposal is laudable to ensure peace and stability and
development in the region. The adoption of a code of conduct is very essential
in ensuring freedom of navigation,” said Evardone, who chairs the House
committee on banks and financial intermediaries and a member of the ruling
Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
Abu said going to war will be detrimental to all nation-claimants, explaining
there is no better alternative than pursuing peaceful solution.
“Any proposal that would keep us from war and will make the situation stable is
a welcome development. Let us take advantage of the friendly atmosphere right
now and the good relationship of President Duterte with Chinese leaders,” said
Abu, a stalwart of the Nacionalista Party (NP).
Cayetano made his observation on Friday after the ASEAN and China finished a
draft framework for negotiating a code of conduct (COC), despite regional
skepticism over Beijing’s commitment to rules that can restrain its maritime
ambitions.
He said legally binding means there is a court or tribunal to which parties can
turn if one party reneges on the agreement.
The former senator admitted there is a need for a mechanism that would help
resolve issues if a party fails or refuses to comply with the code.
Southeast Asian nations with claims in the South China Sea have long wanted to
sign China up to a legally binding and enforceable code.
Army of trolls?
NOT
trolls but hardline supporters.
Defending
President Rodrigo Duterte from the accusation that he is maintaining on his
payroll an army of trolls, Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles said these
supporters from the social media help the President to have a better image
and spread the news about his projects.
Nograles
commended President Duterte’s first year in office with the country finally
gaining momentum in laying down the right mindset and infrastructure for peace,
progress and honest governance.
The
chairman of the House committee on appropriations said that never in the
country’s history was there a leader who has commanded so much respect and
reverence from his people except President Duterte.
Because
of his multitude of hardline supporters, President Duterte is often of having a
“troll army”.
“His
legion of supporters are being unfairly tagged as trolls but in reality, these
are ordinary people who are strong believers of the President. They are not
paid hacks,” Nograles said.
Nograles noted that detractors are relentlessly trying to weaken the
president’s popular support but are obviously failing in all fronts because of
his exceptional success in demonstrating the commitment to pursue reforms which
he promised to the people when he ran and won the presidency.
“Our people have every reason to celebrate the change promised in the May 9,
2016 elections. In his first year as president, no time was wasted to set our
country’s course on the right track. The records will show major gains where
past governments have failed and this is the reason why our people are very
emotional when their Tatay Digong is being attacked,” the solon added.
Nograles cited the president’s huge success in dramatically shrinking the drug
market because of the government’s aggressive campaign against drug offenders.
The President’s commitment to peace and development is also on track following
his multi-pronged approach to end the country’s insurgency problem, Nograles
added.
He noted that despite various challenges that have threatened to undermine the
peace process, the president has shown so much sincerity and commitment in
pursuing the peace talks.
And while the President’s critics are trying to create a ruckus over the President’s
alleged hostility against the United States and the European Union, Nograles
said that President Duterte’s biggest accomplishment is pursuing a truly
independent foreign policy that will work for the best interests of the country
and people.
“The greatest achievement of the President is his declaration of an independent
foreign policy and following it through. At least we can truly say that our
government is not subservient to any foreign power,” Nograles said.
‘2.4
M hectares of farmland still without irrigation’
The
country would be self-sufficient in rice and other agricultural products if the
irrigation program reaches these lands, he said in a statement.
MANILA, Philippines -
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte lamented yesterday that 2.4
million hectares or 43 percent of farmlands remain without irrigation despite
the huge sums the government is spending each year to irrigate agricultural
areas.
The country would be self-sufficient
in rice and other agricultural products if the irrigation program reaches these
lands, he said in a statement.
He said the accomplishment rate of
the National Irrigation Administration “is far from impressive” and yet NIA has
been requesting for higher budgetary allocations and continues to
receive large subsidies from the national government to maintain
irrigation systems nationwide and to fund its free irrigation program.
“The NIA, despite being a
state-owned firm, has been bleeding the government dry,” he added.
Villafuerte, vice chairman of the
House committee on appropriations, cited Bureau of Treasury reports
showing that the NIA received P11.1 billion in subsidies in the first quarter
of this year.
The P11.1 billion is more than
five-fold the P2.06 billion acquired by the agency in the same quarter in 2016
and accounts for over half the P19.7 billion subsidies to government-owned
and controlled corporations (GOCCs) for the January-March 2017 period.
Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1,
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In February alone, NIA received
P8.957 billion or almost 90 percent of the subsidies to GOCCs granted in
February.
Villafuerte has proposed the
restructuring of NIA and the abolition of irrigation fees in House Bill 2133.
“The bill aims to streamline
the government’s irrigation development program and carry out its mandate of
irrigating 100 percent of irrigable farmlands in the country within a four-year
period. It will provide the impetus for the NIA to overhaul its old system and
arrest the sharp drop in farm productivity,” he said.
He said if irrigation reaches all
agricultural lands in Camarines Sur, his province could easily jump to the No.
3 rank as rice producer from its current No. 4 ranking.
The NIA is among the four offices
President Duterte has transferred to the supervision of Cabinet Secretary
Leoncio Evasco Jr.
The three others are the National
Food Authority (NFA), Philippine Coconut Authority, and Fertilizer and
Pesticide Authority.
The Villafuerte bill also seeks to
return NIA to the Department of Agriculture (DA). Other congressmen have
also proposed the return of all these four agencies to Agriculture Secretary
Emmanuel Piñol.
They said the four offices were
taken out of the DA during the Aquino administration so that then presidential
assistant for agriculture Francis Pangilinan would have a job of supervising
them.
With Pangilinan having reclaimed
his Senate seat in last year’s elections, it’s time the four
agriculture-related agencies be reverted to the DA, they added.
CA
likely to bypass Taguiwalo, Mariano, Ubial anew
Isabela
Rep. Rodito Albano III, CA majority leader, said the concerned committees will
have to decide on whether to make recommendations on the fitness of Mariano,
Taguiwalo and Ubial to hold their Cabinet posts before Congress adjourns on
June 2. Philstar.com / Rosette Adel, File
MANILA, Philippines - Due to
lack of time and unresolved issues on its rules, the Commission on Appointments
(CA) is expected to bypass the appointments of Social Welfare Secretary Judy
Taguiwalo, Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano and Health Secretary Paulyn
Ubial, leaders of the bicameral body said yesterday.
Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano III, CA
majority leader, said the concerned committees will have to decide on whether
to make recommendations on the fitness of Mariano, Taguiwalo and Ubial to hold
their Cabinet posts before Congress adjourns on June 2.
The three Cabinet officials
continue to face stiff opposition at the CA owing to allegations of corruption
and incompetence, as well as being leaders of the Left in the case of Mariano
and Taguiwalo.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente
Sotto III, who chairs the CA committee on agrarian reform, also said the body
is still tackling the resolution filed by Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV seeking
a review of the secret balloting rule.
Sotto said the confirmation
hearings for the three Cabinet secretaries were “no longer possible” because
the CA rules committee still has to resolve Aquino’s resolution. Sen. Gregorio
Honasan, chairman of the health committee, said as much.
CA members, including Aquino,
earlier agreed to the secret balloting rule but following the controversy over
the rejection of Gina Lopez as environment secretary, the senator wants the
rule reviewed, to the consternation of other lawmakers.
Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1,
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Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the CA has
agreed to take up the promotions of senior military officials, and the
appointments of the Cabinet officials will be tackled when Congress resumes
session in July.
“The point is, nominees and
appointees cannot dictate on the CA as what Secretary-designate Taguiwalo
impliedly did last Wednesday when she bellyached about not being attended to,”
Lacson said.
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel
III said there should be no reason for the three Cabinet officials to worry
about being bypassed.
“So what’s the problem? They just
go back and get ad interim appointments – they just go back to the executive
branch where they’re from,” Pimentel said in a telephone interview.
During the hearing of the CA
committee on health, last week Ubial was accused of repeatedly lying
before Congress, incompetence, wasting public funds and corruption
by Kabayan party-list Rep. Harry Roque, one of the objectors to her
appointment.
“This (deferment) is not deliberate.
(The CA) is not dragging its feet. Because of the enormity of the
responsibility on your shoulders, public interest demands the commission be
allowed to deliberate further,” Honasan said shortly before suspending
deliberations on her appointment.
Ubial was also scored for
proposing to distribute condoms to high school students as a means to stop the
spread of the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.
Roque said he initially supported
her appointment but after she had testified in hearings at the House of
Representatives, and after receiving sworn statements on irregularities at the
Department of Health, he believed she is unfit for the post.
“The appointee (Ubial) has a
propensity to lie. She lied to the public when she declared that Zika virus is
not endemic to the Philippines and there were no case yet of the viral
infection in the country,” the lawmaker said.
He also alleged
that Ubial flipped-flopped on the government’s P3-billion dengue
vaccination program, and has been working on illegally diverting the funds for
the program for the acquisition of pneumonia vaccines under suspicious
circumstances.
He said Ubial has been
justifying the acquisition of pneumonia vaccines using data from the Philippine
Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) that purportedly showed high demand.
Roque said the data was unreliable
owing to the reports of fraudulent claims in PhilHealth. It was also suspicious
that Ubial ordered nearly six million doses for the vaccine, or
quadruple the annual average order of the DOH.
He also pointed out that instead of
the price per dose going down as the orders go up, Ubial’s acquisition was
at nearly P1,000 per vial compared to P800 per unit when the DOH ordered only
one million doses last year.
There were other objectors
to Ubial’s appointment lined up to speak before the panel, including
ACTS-OFW party-list Rep. Aniceto Bertiz, but their presentation was scheduled
for a later date.
Cartel? House to review Franchise
of Lucio Tan, Gokongwei airlines for costly airfare, delays
House Majority Leader Rodolfo C.
Fariñas is pushing for a review of the franchises of Lucio Tan’s Philippine
Airlines and John Gokongwei’s Cebu Pacific for turning blind and deaf to
complaints of costly airfare and delayed flights.
“Every week kliyente niyo kami, at
ang downtime ko sa PAL siguro weekly nasasayang mga minimum of two to five
hours. Tell your corporate bosses that I will review your franchise. We can
amend your franchise anytime. You make a killing, and we are at your mercy. Pinagsasamantalahan
ninyo ang riding public,” Fariñas said in a statement.
Fariñas reminded PAL and Cebu
Pacific Airlines that their franchise as public utility is not a right, but a
privilege granted to them by the Filipino people through their representatives
in the House.
“Kaya kayo naka-operate dahil
pinayagan kayo ng mga boss namin — the sovereign Filipino people. Huwag niyo
naman pagsamantalahan. Your enterprise is imbued with public interest. Wake up
and shape up,” said Fariñas..
Fariñas and other lawmakers aired
the warning during the recent hearing of the committee on transportation
chaired by Rep. Cesar V. Sarmiento.
The committee summoned
representatives of concerned government agencies and the private airline firms
to explain the root cause of the unreasonable prices of airline tickets and the
perennial problem of flight delays, which have long inconvenienced the public.
The hearing was based on House
Resolution 267 filed by Rep. Ferjenel G. Biron, M. D. (4th District, Iloilo)
and HR 723 filed by Reps. Vicente S. E. Veloso (3rd District, Leyte) and
Victoria Isabel G. Noel (Party-list, AN WARAY).
The committee called for an
inquiry, in aid of legislation, on what they call as “excessive and
opportunistic” airfares collected by major airlines, particularly the PAL and
Cebu Pacific.
The costly airline fares issue was
compounded by numerous complaints from lawmakers and their constituents about
long delayed flights.
Veloso said the Civil Aeronautics
Board (CAB) has abandoned its duty to regulate airline pricing intended to
benefit the people.
Veloso, a former Court of Appeals
(CA) Associate Justice, reminded CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla that
the official might be violating the provisions in the Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act if he insists on his views and continues to neglect his mandate
under Republic Act 776 which reorganized the CAB and the Civil Aeronautics
Administration
Arcilla told the committee that
since the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 219 during the Ramos administration,
the airline industry was already deregulated.
Biron said there seems to be a
cartel running the whole airline industry.
The authors of HRs 267 and 273
detailed their share of “horror stories” that they personally experienced, such
as costly airfares, especially for same day purchase and flight bookings, and
flights delayed from two hours to as long as five to six hours, without
passengers being compensated with even snacks or water for the inconvenience
they bore.
“Riding an airplane is meant to be
convenient and time efficient. Recent developments, however, show that air
travel is not how it was envisioned to be. Today, it has become a reality for
everyone, everyone who can handle the possibility of inconvenience; everyone
who can face the risk of long delays; and everyone who can afford the high
price of tickets,” Sarmiento said.
Sarmiento reminded anew the airline
companies that before anything else, a public transport is first and foremost a
public service, and a business venture second.
He urged the Civil Aviation
Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Manila International Airport Authority
(MIAA), Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), Civil Aviation
Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and CAB to address the real reason behind
the flight delays.
The committee members expressed
disappointment with Arcilla’s response that the industry was already
deregulated. They also rejected the statement of the airline firms’
representatives that various reasons affect their pricing.
Lawmmakers reminded Arcilla that a
mere EO cannot tramp on a law, such as RA 776, which gave specific mandate to
the agency to regulate and consider all market forces, which refers to both the
airline companies (supply) and commuting public (demand), before entering into
agreements with airlines on ticket price matters.
Meanwhile, a technical working
group (TWG) chaired by committee vice chairman Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento (1st
District, Samar) was created to tackle the airline fare pricing and delayed
flights issues.
To Address Shortage of Teachers in
Private Schools:
TAP LICENSED PROFESSIONALS AND
CERTIFIED PRACTITIONERS TO TEACH IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS – RANKING SOLON
To address the worsening problem of
supply of teachers in the private schools, I propose that private schools be
given more flexibility in the hiring of new teachers, including part-time
teachers from among the ranks of the experienced licensed professionals like
engineers and architects, and certified practitioners, sports trainers and
information technology specialists, and practicing musicians and artists.
Licensed professionals and
certified practitioners with graduate education teaching units can boost the
dwindling ranks of private school mentors.
Private schools all over the
country are in crisis because many of their teachers are leaving, moving over
to the public schools after they pass the licensure exam for teachers.
The private schools are an
important part of the country's education sector. They need help finding new
teachers who will stay on with them.
I will seek a meeting soon with the
private schools so they can suggest specific ways and measures on how Congress
can help them to specifically address their manpower problems. (END)
STATEMENT BY THE
HONORABLE SALVADOR B. BELARO, JR.
1-Ang Edukasyon Party-list
Assistant Majority Leader
House of Representatives
PRESS RELEASE
May 22, 2017
Office of Anakpawis Party-list
Representative Ariel Casilao, 0998-985-2143
Email ad: anakpawis.info@gmail.com
Facebook: /anakpawis.partylist
Twitter: @AnakpawisPL
URL: http://www.anakpawis.net/
Anakpawis, Makabayan push to ban
poisonous, deadly Paraquat and Glyphosate
House of Representatives –
Anakpawis Party-list Representative Ariel “Ka Ayik” Casilao and Makabayan
Coalition lawmakers filed House Bill No. 5677 and 5678, Paraquat Use
Prohibition and Glyphosate Use Prohibition, respectively. Paraquat is marketed by Syngenta, while
Glyphosate by Monsanto. They were joined
by leaders from Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Resist Agro-Chem TNCs
and Masipag farmers-scientists group.
“The international community has
banned the use of these agro-chemicals, and their use is certain to harm people
and the environment, it is only wise for the country to decisively ban them,”
Casilao said.
The bill stated “Glyphosate is
widely used in herbicide-resistant genetically modified (GM) corn (or commonly
known as Roundup Ready corn) in the country. Data from the Bureau of Plant
Industry of the Dept of Agriculture states that in 2011, the country plants
about 685,317 hectares of GM corn of which 96% (658,846 Ha) is able to resist
the said herbicide. In a study made by the Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa
Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG) on the socio-economic impacts of genetically
modified corn in the Philippines, farmers spray about 4 liters of Glyphosate
per hectare twice every season. Thus in one season of GM corn farming in 2011
alone, GM corn farms in the country are being doused with almost 5.3 Million
liters of Glyphosate. “
Countries banned the use of Paraquat
were Sweden (1983), Finland (1986), Hungary (1991), Austria (1993), Denmark
(1995) and Slovenia (1997). It is also banned in Kuwait (1985), Cambodia
(2003), Ivory Coast (2004), Syria (2005), United Arab Emirates (2005), Sri
Lanka (2010) and most recently in Vietnam (2017). Malaysia banned Paraquat in 2002 but this
was reversed in 2006 to allow its restricted use in oil palm plantations. South
Korea cancelled the re-registration of Paraquat in November 2011 and banned its
sale starting 31 October 2012. In April 2012, China decided to halt all
production and use of liquid Paraquat by 2016.
In addition; On February 8, 2017,
the Vietnamese government officially announced an immediate ban on Syngenta’s
Paraquat upon having weighed in on the different scientific evidences that
showed clear harms of the pesticides both on humans and environment. Doctors
from Bạch Mai Hospital in Hà Nội, Vietnam have reported at least one patient
everyday hospitalized due to herbicide poisoning, popularly known as paraquat
poisoning. The fatality rate after ingesting just 5ml of the chemical is 90 per
cent, doctors said. Every year, about 1,000 people die of Paraquat poisoning
across the country.
“For the protection of farmers,
their livelihood and environment, the Duterte government should immediately ban
these two substances, to avoid its catastrophic effects in the country”,
Casilao concluded. ###
HARRY
ROQUE CAUTIONS JUSTICE CARPIO: DON’T GIVE FALSE HOPES ON WEST PH SEA DISPUTE
Deputy
Minority Leader and Kabayan Party-list Rep. Harry L. Roque on Monday cautioned
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio not to give any false
hopes that the United Nations will be effective in resolving China’s threat to
use force against the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea Dispute.
However,
this realpolitik in international relations notwithstanding, Roque said it is
still important that the Philippine government vigorously protest China’s
building spree in the West Philippine Sea, in violation of the Arbitral ruling.
“I agree
that China’s alleged threat, if true, is a violation of the United Nations
Charter. But while we can certainly go to the UN to seek peaceful solutions
pertaining to the West Philippine Sea dispute, but we also have to consider
that fact that we will probably not get relief there as China will certainly
veto any resolution we file in the UN General Assembly. Let us not give our
people any false hopes that the UN can be effective in matters pertaining to
China,” Roque said.
“All
threats to international peace are within the cognizance of the UN Security
Council. While theoretically we can go to the Security Council for China’s
alleged threat to use force, which is illegal under the UN Charter, the reality
is China, being a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto vote in
the Council,” he explained.
The
lawmaker said the President needs to coach his statements on the issue in
careful, diplomatic terms, to avoid giving the impression to the international
community that the Philippines is already waiving its sovereign rights over the
West Philippine as already recognized by the International Tribunal on the Law
of the Sea (ITLOS).
Carpio on
Saturday urged President Duterte to take China to the UN for threatening to go
to war against the Philippines if the latter drills for oil in the Reed Bank.
The Reed
Bank is an area in the West Philippine Sea that had already been declared by
the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to be within the Philippines’
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Aside
from China, other permanent members of the UN Security include the United
States, United Kingdom, France, and Russia. They are collectively known as the
Permanent Five.
According
to the UN, the five countries were given permanent status along with along with
a special voting power known as the right to veto “because of their key roles
in the establishment of the United Nations [and because they] would continue to
play important roles in the maintenance of international peace and security.”
“If a
permanent member does not fully agree with a proposed resolution but does not
wish to cast a veto, it may choose to abstain, thus allowing the resolution to
be adopted if it obtains the required number of nine favorable votes.”
The
Security Council is composed of 15 countries including the Permanent Five.
22 May 2017
REP. RODOLFO C. FARIŃAS
Majority Leader and Chairperson of the Committee on Rules,
House of Representatives
ATTN: REP. DAKILA CARLO CUA
Chairperson
Committee on Ways and Means
Sir:
This
representation would like to withdraw his co-authorship of House Bill 5636,
mainly because said consolidated bill, we submit, is not in consonance with the
intentions that we sought when we filed House Bill 333.
HB 333,
one of the bills consolidated in HB 5636, mainly aimed to initiate a
progressive system of taxation, by alleviating first the plight of our people
who for the longest time have been overtaxed, yet gravely underpaid. This
representation believes that a progressive taxation system would have the
country’s oligarchs and the elite pay more so that our underpaid people would
at least maximize the benefit of what already is subsistence income for them.
Yet, with
the consolidated HB 5636, our underpaid yet already overtaxed majority would
even be burdened by higher prices of basic goods and services. The so-called
“complementary reforms” tied with the restructured income brackets, like the
increase in excise taxes and the expansion of VAT bases, have ironically only
made the poor pay more. Meanwhile, rich individuals and corporations expect
expanded tax exemption schemes, with investment tax expenditures projected to
increase year by year. Yet, these are the same taxpayers who are callous enough
to pass on to consumers their respective corporate income taxes, like water
concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water.
Our
people continue to aspire for a pro-people and genuine progressive system of
taxation. Unfortunately, we submit that House Bill 5636 is not reflective
of such an aspiration.
Truly
yours,
Cayetano:
PHL efforts to uphold socio-economic rights recognized at UNHRC
House
Deputy Speaker Pia S. Cayetano delivered a privilege speech on Monday to highlight
the country’s gains in promoting socio-economic rights which were reported to
the 27th Universal Period Review of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last
May 8.
At the
same time, Cayetano, a member of the Philippine delegation to the UNHRC in Geneva,
said Congress would have to consider the recommendations of member-states
concerning legislative measures related to all aspects of human rights.
She said
a number of member-countries noted the progress made by the Philippines in
ensuring that socio-economic rights are enjoyed by the greater majority of
Filipinos.
The
Taguig City lawmaker said these gains include the country’s relentless campaign
against human trafficking, ratification of the Optional Protocol to the
Convention Against Torture, and upholding the rights and welfare of vulnerable
groups, especially women and children.
She added
that member-states likewise acknowledged the country’s efforts to promote
inclusive development, especially in improving people’s access to quality
education, health, and other social services.
“There
are around 265 recommendations formulated during the interactive dialogue with
the other member-states, which include recommendations for legislative measures
that Congress would have to consider. These will be examined by our delegation
which will endorse concerns to the respective offices and branches of
government for further actions to take,” she explained.
Cayetano
said the Philippine delegation led by his brother, then senator and recently
confirmed foreign affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, reported the country’s
gains in all fronts and real numbers “to dispel allegations and correct
misinformation spread by critics against the Philippine government’s campaign
on illegal drugs.”
The
delegation also affirmed the country’s respect for human rights and its
determined pursuit of a human and holistic approach to development and
governance.
“Our colleagues
in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who, by their own first-hand
experience, are quite aware of the gravity of our illegal drug problem, have
expressed support for our fight to rid our part of the world of the scourge of
illegal drugs,” she related. “China has called on other States to join the
Philippines in the campaign, and Japan has offered assistance in drug treatment
programs and facilities.”
In
addition to the UNHRC meeting in Geneva, Cayetano also met with European
parliamentarians in Brussels and Spain. “They (EU parliamentarians) appreciated
receiving accurate information about the current situation in the Philippines
which they only read about in international media. I discussed with them common
interests especially in the field of health, education and culture,” she said.
“They all
expressed interest in strengthening ties with the Philippines and look forward
to working closely with the Philippine government.” #
House passes “Integrated Urban Agriculture” bill
The House special committee on food security has approved a substitute bill
seeking to promote agricultural development in Metro Manila and other urban
areas nationwide to help in the country’s attainment of self-sufficiency and
sustainability in food production and food security.
To be known as the “Integrated Urban Agriculture Act,” the unnumbered
substitute bill seeks to cover all urban spaces such as idle, government or
private lots or buildings, and available land resources in state or private
universities and colleges suitable for growing crops and raising poultry,
livestock and aquaculture.
It substituted House Bills 2818, 4354, 4337 and 4422, and is authored by
Reps. Estrellita Suansing (1st District, Nueva Ecija), Michael Romero
(Party-list, 1-PACMAN), Harlin Neil Abayon III (Party-list, AANGAT TAYO),
Orestes Salon (Party-list, AGRI), Gary Alejano (Party-list, MAGDALO) and
Emmeline Aglipay-Villar (Party-list, DIWA).
The bill declares the attainment of self-sufficiency and sustainability
in food production and food security as a primary State policies.
It further declares that the State shall endeavour to attain
self-sufficiency in food production and climate-resilient communities in the
metropolitan areas through the promotion of modern, appropriate,
cost-effective, and environmentally safe agriculture technologies in order to
ensure food security, promote a healthy citizenry, and advance and improve
quality of life for urban dwellers that will ensure a healthy and sustainable
environment, and food security in the country.
Under the bill, the owner of a building or land shall be granted a real
property tax incentive and/or tax credit amounting to P10 for every square
meter allotted to urban agriculture.
To guarantee that activities related to urban agriculture are closely
supervised and properly coordinated, the measure mandates the creation of the
Office of Urban Agriculture under the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The Office of Urban Agriculture shall have the following functions: (1) Ensure
that the DA effectively encourages agricultural production in urban communities
to combat hunger and food insecurity; (2) Ensure that the DA empowers
communities in urban areas with large percentage of low income residents to
eliminate shortages of affordable, fresh food products, increase the local
production and sale of food, and create sustainable food systems; (3) Develop a
unified strategy to link agricultural production and nutrition programs
administered by the DA as a tool for economic development on urban communities;
(4) Conduct systematic and regular reviews of the DA’s authority and policy
making recommendations to Congress and the Secretary on new authority or
regulation changes to assist urban communities to combat hunger, poor nutrition,
and food security; (5) and Ensure that the programs established by the Act are
implemented in a manner consistent with the goal of poverty reduction, food
security, and healthy eating habits in urban communities.
The bill likewise seeks the establishment of an Urban Agriculture
Council of the Philippines (UACP), under the DA, which shall have the following
powers and duties: (1) Formulate implementing guidelines, programs, and
operating principles consistent with government policies and the objectives of
the Integrated Urban Agriculture Act; (2) Study and make recommendations
regarding the impact of urban agriculture, vertical farming, and measures to
promote sustainable living communities; (3) Monitor and carry out the
implementation of the Integrated Urban Agriculture Act; and (4) and Submit and
report to Congress its findings and recommendations.
Further, the measure mandates the integration of Urban Agriculture in the
curriculum for elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels of both public and
private academic institutions.
Urban Agriculture shall also form part of the required period of time spent by
students in the National Service Training Program (NSTP) or the Citizens
Military Training (CMT).
The bill further mandates the DA, in coordination with the proposed Urban
Agriculture Council of the Philippines (UACP), to carry out a nationwide
information and education campaign to ensure the public awareness of the
program and encourage the public to take part in urban agriculture programs,
projects, and activities. / ABR
HARRY
ROQUE CAUTIONS JUSTICE CARPIO: DON’T GIVE FALSE HOPES ON WEST PH SEA DISPUTE
Deputy
Minority Leader and Kabayan Party-list Rep. Harry L. Roque on Monday cautioned
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio not to give any false
hopes that the United Nations will be effective in resolving China’s threat to
use force against the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea Dispute.
However,
this realpolitik in international relations notwithstanding, Roque said it is
still important that the Philippine government vigorously protest China’s
building spree in the West Philippine Sea, in violation of the Arbitral ruling.
“I agree
that China’s alleged threat, if true, is a violation of the United Nations
Charter. But while we can certainly go to the UN to seek peaceful solutions
pertaining to the West Philippine Sea dispute, but we also have to consider
that fact that we will probably not get relief there as China will certainly
veto any resolution we file in the UN General Assembly. Let us not give our
people any false hopes that the UN can be effective in matters pertaining to
China,” Roque said.
“All
threats to international peace are within the cognizance of the UN Security
Council. While theoretically we can go to the Security Council for China’s
alleged threat to use force, which is illegal under the UN Charter, the reality
is China, being a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto vote in
the Council,” he explained.
The
lawmaker said the President needs to coach his statements on the issue in
careful, diplomatic terms, to avoid giving the impression to the international
community that the Philippines is already waiving its sovereign rights over the
West Philippine as already recognized by the International Tribunal on the Law
of the Sea (ITLOS).
Carpio on
Saturday urged President Duterte to take China to the UN for threatening to go
to war against the Philippines if the latter drills for oil in the Reed Bank.
The Reed
Bank is an area in the West Philippine Sea that had already been declared by
the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to be within the Philippines’
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Aside
from China, other permanent members of the UN Security include the United
States, United Kingdom, France, and Russia. They are collectively known as the
Permanent Five.
According
to the UN, the five countries were given permanent status along with along with
a special voting power known as the right to veto “because of their key roles
in the establishment of the United Nations [and because they] would continue to
play important roles in the maintenance of international peace and security.”
“If a
permanent member does not fully agree with a proposed resolution but does not
wish to cast a veto, it may choose to abstain, thus allowing the resolution to
be adopted if it obtains the required number of nine favorable votes.”
The
Security Council is composed of 15 countries including the Permanent Five.
Passage of TRAIN must go full throttle - Ranking Solon
Critics of the Duterte administration exaggerate their imagined adverse
impact of the tax reform measures. What they fail and avoid to state is how the
tax burden in the Comprehensive Tax Reform Package (CTRP) and Tax Reform for
Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill is shared by many more people instead
of by just a few.
So instead of say, P100 being taxed on just one person, P10 would be
taxed from 10 people. The burden is spread out, shared.
We, as citizens, share responsibility and paying taxes is one effective
way of being good citizens.
Teachers will bear less of the burden because of the income tax relief
of the CTRP.
The 763,000 public
school teachers nationwide, the thousands more in the state universities and
colleges, as well as regular TESDA and CHED personnel, represent perhaps the
biggest chunk of fixed income taxpayers in our country today.
If this taxable year of 2017 Congress is able to approve by June the
CTRP, including the new and lower personal income tax rates, employers can
quickly recompute the tax component of salary deductions, thereby giving
private sector and government employees higher take-home pay.
Filipino households would immediately feel the impact of CTRP as a major
reform measure.
More money in their pockets, wallets and bank accounts means consumer
spending and savings-both of which will have positive impact on the national
economy.
The tax reform package should become law this year so its effects will
start this year. (END)
House to
push on expeditious resolution of cases and enhancement of cooperatives
House
leaders today vowed to pursue important pending bills in their committees
particularly those concerning the expeditious disposition of cases in the
country and the enhancement of the role of cooperatives for the betterment of
the lives of the people.
Rep.
Reynaldo V. Umali (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro), chairman of the committee
on justice, and Rep. Rico B. Geron (Party-list, AGAP), chairman of the
committee on cooperatives development, made this commitment during the
bi-monthly press briefing organized by the Office of the Speaker and the Press
and Public Affairs Bureau (PPAB).
Umali
reported the justice committee unanimously approved earlier today the report on
the panel’s decision dismissing the impeachment complaint filed by Rep. Gary C.
Alejano (Party-list, Magdalo) against President Rodrigo Duterte for
insufficiency of substance.
“It has
been a rather eventful period for the committee. We have just completed our
work—at least at the committee level—on the impeachment proceedings (on the
complaint against the President). And just this morning we already approved
unanimously the report in 20 minutes. We started at exactly 9:30 AM and we
completed the task in about 20 minutes,” said Umali.
Other
than acting on the impeachment complaint, Umali said the justice committee has
in its jurisdiction 200 bills so far in the 17th Congress. Eight of these were
already approved on Third Reading, 28 bills were passed at the committee level,
and another 39 bills are now pending before the different sub-committees which
were created to hasten the disposition of all bills pending with the panel.
"We
still have two regular sessions to go and we hope to accomplish everything by
end of our term in 2019,” said Umali.
He cited
that notably, the justice panel already concluded the inquiry in aid of
legislation on the illegal drug trade. “”As you very well know, this has put
our Bilibid Prison, which is the ‘premier’ state penitentiary on the spotlight.
It exposed organized illegal drug trade as part of a larger criminal subculture
that exists inside Bilibid, revealing not merely complicity but direct and
active involvement of corrupt public officials. Definitely, it was a serious
matter worth looking into by the committee for it raised questions about the
efficacy of our penitentiaries in their primary objectives of reformation and
incapacitation,” said Umali.
Clearly,
huge reforms need to be made in the country’s correctional system, and the
committee is making every effort to achieve this, Umali said. “We’re looking at
every means by which correctional reforms can already be executed even at this
early time,” he added.
Umali
said the committee also approved the creation of about 70 additional salas and
150 judges at large as part of its effort to expedite the resolution of cases
in the country.
He
explained the judges at large can be deployed in vacant salas and can take over
cases, unlike the pairing judges. “It’s so difficult because normally, pairing
judges would always want to prioritize the cases pending before them and then
would leave behind those that are assumed by reason of their becoming pairing
judges in courts which also have an equal number of backlog cases to resolve,”
said Umali, a lawyer.
As to the
proposal to lower the age of criminal liability, which will be discussed in the
hearing tomorrow, Umali said there are various options now being pursued, one
of which is to enhance the existing law.
"This
is something very new, siguro bukas mas maintindihan natin. I do not know the
details yet. I was just briefly briefed by the ComSec and hopefully I get a
better understanding of it," said Umali.
Umali
vowed: “We assure our people of our commitment to promptly—the way we did it in
the various controversial legislative matters pending before us—to institute
legislative reforms and exercise congressional oversight in response to the
relevant issues affecting our country's justice system today.”
Meanwhile,
Geron said the cooperatives sector is at a crossroads and facing an issue that
can have a significant impact on the future of the cooperative movement in the
country. He was referring to the proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program,
also known as Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), which calls
among others, for the removal of VAT exemptions previously enjoyed by
cooperatives.
Geron
explained there are two conflicting schools of thought on the issue: on one
hand, the Department of Finance believes lifting of the VAT exemption of coops
is necessary to plug tax leakages and improve revenue collection. There is also
the view that coops should not rely on their viability and fiscal incentives
but rather on sound fiscal management.
On the
other hand, Geron said cooperatives insist that the Constitution itself seeks
to promote the growth and viability of cooperatives as instrument for social
justice and economic development.
“The
cooperatives’ position is that this constitutional mandate be attained through
the grant of tax exemption privileges. They agree that profit is not the
primary purpose of cooperatives and merely incidental to its mission to serve
its members. In general, however, the cooperative movement has expressed
support for the objectives of the Tax Reform Package of the Duterte
administration,” said Geron.
Geron
said they expect the proposed amendments to the TRAIN bill to strike a
compromise between the need for the government to raise revenues and ensure the
long-term viability particularly of small and medium-scale cooperatives.
“Kami sa
cooperatives sector ay talagang pinaglalaban namin diyan is manatili kung ano
man privilege meron tayo sa cooperative. Being the partner of the government
for economic and social development, a cooperative being a social enterprise.
Ang compromise naming sinasabi ay that we are very supportive of the bill,
lahat ng mga provision dun, bagama’t some of those ay maaaring tingin namin ay
maganda pang i-enhance o i-improve like the Excise Tax pero particular kami
doon sa provision that would repeal the tax exemption privilege of the
cooperatives. The compromise is that kung aalisin yung provision to repeal the
tax exemption of the cooperatives then the cooperative sector will be very
supportive of this,”said Geron.
Aside
from the VAT exemption issue, he said the committee is currently working on
some 20 bills under its jurisdiction. Last May 10, he said the committee
adopted House Resolution No. 256, which seeks to close an avenue for corruption
in regard to the issuance of Certificate of Tax Exemption by the Bureau of
Internal Revenue.
Moreover,
among the most significant proposals pending before the committee are
House Bills 565, 1275 and 2571 seeking to reorganize the Cooperatives
Development Authority; bills to create a mandatory position of cooperative
officer in every government unit; and House Bills 188, 259, 2285 and 2824
seeking to ensure the growth and viability of cooperatives. (30)/ RBB
Statement
after the Subcommittee on Correctional Reforms
approved the bill seeking to expand the scope of the Juvenile Justice and
Welfare System Act and strengthen government’s social reintegration programs
for Children In Conflict with the Law
Statement
of Pia S. Cayetano
House
Deputy Speaker
Representative,
Taguig City 2nd District
23 May
2017
I am
happy to report that we have approved the substitute bill on Juvenile Justice
in connection with the bills that were filed lowering the age of criminal
responsibility. The bill that the committee approved is one that recognizes
that children are most vulnerable and, in the current situation, a lot of our
children have been exploited, have been taken advantage of, and a lot of them
have been introduced to the criminal world. And so what we tried to achieve
with the bill is to address the fact that these children must still take
responsibility for their acts, but at the same time, recognize that they are
victims, and that they have been taken advantage of by society and those with
criminal minds. They will not be subjected to criminal proceedings at a tender
age. What the bill now proposes is that these children will be put into
intervention programs and these are programs that are determined by the State
to be effective. So we recognize parental responsibility but the State, through
DSWD, makes a determination if the children should be left with their parents
or if they should be taken away from their parents and put in these
intervention programs, including Bahay Pag-asa.
So sa
madaling salita po, ang ginawa po natin is under the current law, pinapalakas
natin ito by giving the State that ability to take these children immediately
and put them into programs. Kasi yan ho ang naging daing, yan ang naging
problema ng ating law enforcers at barangay captains, na to the point na
winagayway sa harap nila, ng mga bata, ang kanilang birth certificate, dahil
alam nilang hindi sila pwedeng ikulong if they are under the age of fifteen. So
ang inaaddres po natin ngayon is, hindi man namin kayo isu-subject sa criminal
responsibility, you still are responsible for it. So we are sending the message
that the State will not allow you to continue doing these criminal activities.
Hindi pwede. Pero we also recognize that, ‘Sige bata ka, pagbibigyan ka,
tutulungan kang ma-rehabilitate.’ So I am very happy that this is a balance
between the need to protect and nurture the children, but at the same time,
give them that sense of responsibility that they must be accountable for their
actions. Hindi naman pwedeng lumulusot, hindi naman pwedeng ginagamit lang
sila, at sasabihin nilang ‘Eh bata pa ako, di ko alam ang ginagawa ko.’ Hindi.
Children,
kailangan responsible kayo sa mga action nyo at kayo ay ire-rehabilitate,
mawawala din kayo sa piling ng parents nyo kung hindi rin nila kayo kayang
turuan at bigyan ng magandang guidance. So that’s the gist of the bill. Marami
pa hong detalye dyan. Binibigyan din ho natin ng napakataas na penalty yung mga
taong nagbibigay ng masamang impluwensya sa mga batang ito, those people who
influence, the ones who subject these children to this kind of criminal life.
Sila po ay bibingyan ng penalty, practically parang doble yung penalty sa kung
ano yung act na pnapagawa nila sa mga bata. There are more details and we would
be happy to highlight these later on. But I just want to give you a verbal
report para maintindihan nyo po ang outcome nitong halos isang taong din na
tinrabaho. And I am so proud and happy to be a part of this final outcome,
which is a collaborative work between members of Congress and the stakeholders
who really worked to get a bill that would address those dual concerns: Number
1, yung pangalagaan at bigyan ng guidance at support itong mga bata, but also
Number 2, which is the intention of the main proponents of the bill, and
also of the administration, which is to hold these children, make sure that
they are accountable for their action, because they have be accountable, and
they have to know that it is not acceptable what they are doing. #
PASSAGE
OF THE SUBSTITUTE BILL ON MACR AT THE SUBCOMMITTEE LEVEL 'A STEP CLOSER TO
VICTORY FOR FILIPINO CHILDREN' -AKBAYAN
23 May
2017
This is a
step closer to victory for fellow advocates of children's rights, and
ultimately for the Filipino children themselves. The rejection of a lower
minimum age of criminal responsibility is a clear sign that the House Justice
subcommittee has heard the clamor of the advocates and communities.
Akbayan
upholds its position that children in conflict with the law should be afforded
the chance to lead a life full of hope and opportunities. We also hope that
with the substitute bill, Congress can finally fulfill its mandate of providing
sufficient funds and resources that will support comprehensive programs to help
the future of our country.
Akbayan
will not waver in its efforts to protect the rights of our children by
convincing legislators and the public that our children belong to schools, not
in jails.
House to defy Duterte’s wish on age of criminal liability
The House
of Representatives will defy Malacañang on the desire of President Rodrigo
Duterte to lower the age of criminal liability from 15 to nine years old, a
House official said on Monday.
Rep.
Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro, House committee on justice chairperson,
said his panel may opt to may decide to “enhance” Republic Act 9344, the
Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act instead.
“I do not
want to preempt what the committee will say but maybe [I can reveal that] as
early as now, I was briefed by my committee secretary that there are various
options now being pursued," Umali said at a news briefing.
“One
of which, and this is something very new, perhaps tomorrow [Tuesday] we’ll
understand it more thoroughly, we’ll just enhance the existing
law,” Umali added.
But Umali
could not tell yet which particular provisions will be amended.
Umali
said, however, that the House justice panel may not give in to the desire of
President Duterte to lower the age of criminal liability from the current 15 to
nine years old to stop crime syndicates from using children to evade the law.
“That is
the possibility. But I do not want to preempt the decision of the committee,”
said Umali, a former key ally of the Aquino administration.
Duterte
has blamed the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act and its author Senator Francis
Pangilinan for producing “generations of criminals.”
RA 9344
raises the minimum age of crimimal responsibility from 9 to 15 years old.
The
President said the current law has allowed children, regardless of the gravity
of the offense, to go scot-free and be released on the same dau they were
arrested.
Speaker
Pantaleon Alvarez last year filed House Bill 2 that reverts back to nine the
age of criminal liability, as the current law was “pampering youth offenders who.commit
crimes knowing they can get away with it,” Alvarez said.
Report
na nagbasura sa impeachment aprub na
Inaprubahan
ngayong araw ng House committee on justice ang report nito kaugnay ng pagbasura
sa impeachment complaint na inihain laban kay Pangulong Duterte.
Ayon sa chairman ng komite na si Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo
Umali tumagal lamang ng 20 minuto para aprubahan nila ang committee report na
nagsasabing insufficient in substance ang reklamong inihain ni Magdalo Rep.
Gary Alejano.
“By unanimous vote, the committee report on resolution dismissing the
verified complaint for impeachment and supplemental complaint affidavit filed
by Rep. Gary Alejano against President Rodrigo Duterte, effectively putting a
one year ban on any and all impeachment complaints that may be filed against
the President, is hereby approved unanimously,” ani Umali.
Sa Mayo 9, 2018 maaari na muling sampahan ng impeachment complaint si
Duterte.
Ayon kay Umali sa Miyerkules o Lunes maaaring talakayin ang kanilang
committee report sa plenaryo at doon ay muling pagbobotohan. Kung makakukuha ng
one-third o 98 boto na pabor sa impeachment complaint iaakyat ito sa Senado
para sa pagsasagawa ng impeachment trial.
Nagpahayag ng pagka-kampante si House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez na
tuluyan ng mababasura ang reklamo laban kay Duterte.
“No chance to revive or override it, it is already dead,” ani
Alvarez.
Noong nakaraang linggo, ibinasura ng justice committee ang
impeachment complaint dahil insufficient in substance ito.
Ang reklamo ni Alejano ay batay sa extra judicial killing,
umano’y hindi idineklarang yaman ni Duterte at malamyang posisyon nito sa
agawan ng teritoryo.
Magkapatid
na Gatchalian pinayagan sumama sa biyahe ni DU30
Inaprubahan
ng Sandiganbayan Fourth Division ang hiling ng magkapatid na sina Sen. Sherwin
Gatchalian at Valenzuela Rep. Weslie Gatchalian na sumama sa biyahe ni
Pangulong Duterte sa Russia.
Sa magkahiwalay na resolusyon, pinayagan ang dalawa na makaalis
mula Mayo 22 hanggang 27.
Ang magkapatid ay pumayag na gamitin muli ang kanilang conditional
arraignment noong Oktobre.
Hindi na rin nila kinuha ang P270,000 travel bond na ibinigay nito sa
korte noong Oktobre para sa kanilang mas naunang biyahe kaya ito na rin ang
gagamitin nilang travel bond sa biyaheng ito.
Kailangang ipakita ng korte ang kanilang pasaporte upang patunayan na
wala silang ibang lugar na pinuntahan maliban sa Moscow, Russia, sa loob ng 10
araw pagbalik nila sa bansa.
Bukod dito pinayagan din ng korte ang hiling ni Rep. Gatchalian na
pumunta sa Toronto, Canada sa Hunyo 4 hanggang 18.
Si Rep. Gatchalian ay nauna ng pinayagan ng korte na bumiyahe sa China,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Taiwan at Japan.
Nahaharap ang magkapatid sa mga kasong kriminal kaugnay ng anomalya
umano sa pagbili ng Local Water Utility Administration sa Express Savings Bank
Inc., na pagmamay-ari ng kanilang pamilya.
