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50 duped OFWs scavenge for food in Kuwait dustbins -- NGO

50 duped OFWs scavenge for food in Kuwait dustbins -- NGO

By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippiness -- A Hong Kong-based migrant workers’ group appealed to the government on Tuesday to do something about 50 Filipino workers reduced to scavenging garbage in Kuwait after being duped by their employer.

The overseas Filipino workers, according to the Asia Pacific Migrants Mission, have resorted to eating expired foodstuff and scavenging sellable items from waste bins just to survive.

APMM said the OFWs were employed by the Gulf Link Transport Co. but subcontracted to different employers as cleaners.
"They have been in Kuwait for three months and a number of them have either not been paid or their salaries have been delayed. Their placement agency is ironically named Great Provider Service Exporters Inc.,” APMM coordinator Gi Estrada said in a statement from Hong Kong.

For those who do get paid, their salaries are reduced from 60 Kuwaiti Dinars (about US$220.50) to only 44 (US$161.70) a month because of illegal deductions. "That’s lower than the monthly wage of a domestic helper here,” Estrada added.
Last Saturday, Migrante-Dubai accompanied more than 40 other victims of labor contract violations in the United Arab Emirate’s commercial capital, to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO). In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, about 100 OFWs are stranded under a bridge and are awaiting deportation.

John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East said they would seek a Senate hearing on the OFW experiences and the alleged negligence and incompetence of some Filipino embassy officials. ###
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20080219-119897/50-duped-OFWs-scavenge-for-food-in-Kuwait-dustbins----NGO

2 Missing UP Students Tortured, Raped inside Military Camp

http://www.bulatlat.com/2007/11/2-missing-students-tortured-raped-inside-military-camp

2 Missing UP Students Tortured, Raped inside Military Camp

By Dabet Castañeda
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
BULATLAT
VOL. VII, No. 42, November 25- December 1, 2007

One year and five months after their abduction, a witness testified that he had actually seen and talked to Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, the two scholars of the University of the Philippines (UP) who were abducted allegedly by soldiers on June 26, 2006 while doing research in a farming community in Barangay (village) San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan. Farmer Manuel Merino was abducted together with the two.

The witness, Raymund Manalo, also confirmed what had been feared all along - that the UP students were raped by their abductors.

First meeting

Manalo, who was abducted together with his brother, Reynaldo, in their home in Barangay Buhol na Mangga, San Ildefonso, Bulacan, on Feb. 14, 2006, said he first met Cadapan sometime in November 2006 at the barracks of Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan. Camp Tecson hosts the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR).

It was an uncanny meeting, Manalo said in his signed affidavit submitted at the Court of Appeals (CA) on Nov. 12. "Sa loob ng barracks ko nakilala si Sherlyn, isang estudyante ng UP," (I met Sherlyn, a UP student, inside the barracks.) Manalo said as she described Sherlyn as a "babaeng nakakadena (chained woman)."

At first, Manalo said he was told not to converse with the chained woman. But on the third or fourth day, Manalo said he approached Sherlyn and gave her food.

Sherlyn, meanwhile, gave Manalo some information about herself. "Sinabi nya sa akin na …matindi ang tortyur na dinaranas niya. Umiiyak sya," (She told me she experienced heavy torture. She was crying.) Manalo said in his testimony.

Manalo also said Sherlyn was ordered to do the laundry during the day. But more than this, what was bothersome was Sherlyn's confession that she had been molested by a certain Mickey, Donald and Billy. "Sabi ni Sherlyn sa akin na siya'y ginahasa," ((Sherlyn told me she was raped.) Manalo said in his testimony.

Manalo described Mickey as "pandak na mataba, maputi," (short, fat, and fair-skinned) while Billy is "maitim, bungi, pinakamataba sa kanila, pandak." (dark, with missing teeth, the fattest, and short) Donald is Master Sgt. Donald Caigas, the same suspect in the killing of human rights worker Eden Marcellana and peasant leader Eddie Gumanoy in April 2003.

Manalo said the words "24th IB" was tattooed on the shoulders of Caigas.

Nine days after meeting Sherlyn, Manalo said, he also met Karen and Manuel inside the same military camp.

During the day, Manalo said he, Reynaldo and Manuel were told to do errands while the two women were made to do the laundry.

An unexpected visit

On Nov. 22, 2006, the Manalo brothers, Manuel, Sherlyn and Karen were transferred to 24th Infantry Battalion (IB) camp in Limay, Bataan. According to Raymund's testimony, they stayed there until May 8 of this year.

Going to Bataan, Karen was separated from the four and was forced to ride a black car with Caigas. The rest of the captives rode a stainless jeep.

Raymund said it was in Bataan where he witnessed the torture of Sherlyn and Karen.

The torture happened after Sherlyn told their soldier-captors that she kept a gun at her mother-in-law's place in Calumpit, Bulacan. She was taken to the place but the soldiers found no firearm there. Sherlyn also tried to leave a letter for her mother-in-law but her military escorts saw the letter and confiscated it.

At the hearing for the writ of amparo Nov. 21 at the Court of Appeals (CA), Sherlyn's mother-in-law, Adoracion Paulino, testified that Sherlyn indeed visited her in the evening of April 11. Paulino said she hugged and kissed Sherlyn but the latter just looked at her and took some clothes. Paulino said her daughter-in-law had five escorts at that time. The visit was swift, Paulino told the court.

After the visit, Paulino said the threats to her life had become endless. As she broke down during her testimony, she said soldiers and police had been visiting her at home, asking if it was true that Sherlyn and five of her escorts paid a visit. "Dinenay ko dahil natakot ako para kay Sherlyn, para sa anak ko at para sa sarili ko." (I denied it because I fear for Sherlyn, my son, and myself.)

Paulino said she tried to keep the brief encounter with Sherlyn to herself. It was only in May when she decided to tell Sherlyn's mother, Linda, about the visit.

Torture

When Sherlyn was taken back to the camp in Bataan, Raymund said, he saw the soldiers torture Sherlyn, "Itinali sya sa bangko, itinaas ang kanyang mga paa, binuhusan siya ng tubig sa ilong, kinuryente sya." (She was tied to a bench, her feet were lifted, water was poured to her nose, and she was electrocuted.)

"Sumisigaw sya.Matagal syang pinahirapan," (She shouted. She was tortured for a long time.) Raymund added.

When Sherlyn told the soldiers that Karen helped her write the letter for her mother-in-law, Raymund said, he saw the soldiers take Karen outside. However, Raymund said, he did not see what the soldiers had done to Karen. "Narinig ko lang ang mga sigaw nya," (I just heard her cries.) Raymund said.

The following day, Raymund said, he heard the soldiers hurling invectives at the two UP students. "Inuyam sila sa ginawang pananakit, ipinaalala sa kanila ang ginawang paghipo sa kanilang ari at pagpasok ng kahoy sa kanilang ari," (They were taunted regarding the pain inflicted on them; they were reminded that their private parts were touched and a wooden stick was inserted inside their sex organ.) Raymund said in his testimony.

On the other hand, Raymund said, he and Manuel where forced to join military operations in Bataan. Raymund said they witnessed how the soldiers killed two relatives of suspected New People's Army (NPA) guerillas.

Last sighting

From Limay, Bataan, Raymund said, the five of them (Manalo brothers, Sherlyn, Karen and Manuel) were transferred to a safehouse off the shore of Zambales. They stayed in the said place from May 8 or 9 (Raymund was not sure of the exact date) until June.

The five captives were taken back to Limay, Bataan sometime in June. After two or three weeks, Raymund said, he, Reynaldo and Manuel were taken to a forest by a certain "Lat." They were made to sleep in the forest until Caigas ordered Lat to bring them back to the camp.

At night time, the three male captives were again taken to the forest, this time by a certain "Robin." They were taken back to the camp the next morning. Raymund said it was then that he noticed that Sherlyn and Karen were gone. "Hindi ko na sila nakita," (I never saw them again.) Raymund said.

The three male captives were then chained inside the cell where Sherlyn and Karen were kept before. They stayed there for three days, Raymund added.

Burned

On the third day, Raymund said "Lat" took Manuel outside the cell. "Kakausapin daw sya ni Gen. Palparan," ( They said Gen. Palaparan would talk with him.) Raymund said, referring to retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, then the commanding officer of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army (ID PA) based in Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija.

"Nakapiring si Manuel, wala siyang suot pang-itaas, pinosasan," (Manuel was blindfolded, he had no shirt and was handcuffed.) Raymund said in his testimony.

"Ði nagtagal, narinig ko ang hiyaw o ungol ni Manuel. Sumilip ako sa isang haligi ng kamalig at nakita kong sinisilaban si Manuel," (After a while, I heard the shouts and moans of Manuel. I peeked and saw Manuel being burned.) Raymund said.

That was the last time Raymund would see Manuel alive. "Sabi ni Donald (Caigas) huwag na raw naming hanapin ang dalawang babae at si Manuel dahil magkakasama na sila." (Donald told us not to look for the two women and Manuel anymore because they are already together.)

The Manalo brothers were then transferred to Pangasinan where they were allowed to tend a small farm owned by Caigas. Around 1 a.m. of Aug. 14, the brothers were able to escape from their captors when the soldiers became drunk.
A writ of amparo has also been filed for the Manalo brothers who are still kept in a sanctuary as threats hound them and their family to this day.

Raymund is scheduled to testify for Sherlyn, Karen and Manuel on Dec. 18. Bulatlat

US-based rights lobby group says nothing is sure yet on $30M aid

http://www.malaya.com.ph/nov08/news2.htm

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US-based rights lobby group says nothing is sure yet on $30M aid
By ANTHONY IAN CRUZ
Malaya
Nov. 8, 2007

NOTHING is sure yet after all with the purported $30 million in fresh
military aid from the United States, a lobby composed of Filipinos and
Americans, including members of US churches, said yesterday.

The Arroyo government might not even get any increase at all and could
face more preconditions on every dollar coming from the US if
political killings and human rights violations continue, said the
group Katarungan Committee for Peace, Justice and Human Rights in the
Philippines.

"Both houses of the US Congress have yet to meet and reconcile their
versions of the US budget appropriations bill for 2008 and that means
that the Arroyo government actually still has nothing concrete to brag
about," it said.

"The Arroyo government is focusing only on the bright side of the US
Senate version of the bill while at the same time airbrushing the
historic portions that paint it as a human rights violator," said
Bernadette Ellorin, secretary general of Bayan USA, one of the groups
involved in the lobby efforts to limit US military aid because of what
is seen as continuing extrajudicial executions and human rights
violations.

Katarungan and Bayan USA said they want to "prevent US public funds
from financing the reign of terror in the Philippines."

Malacañang and the Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday said the
Philippines has clinched $30 million in fresh military aid and
immediately expressed thanks to the US government.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the "the increased
United States funding assistance levels to the Philippines "contains
no preconditions" or strings attached," referring to "an almost
three-fold increase to Foreign Military Funding (FMF) for the
Philippines – from the $11 million proposed by the Executive
Department, to $30 million."

Malacañang and the DFA released the statements on increased military
aid soon after an October 31 posting on the official website of the
office of Philip Alston, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial
killings, which featured news on the US Senate's pre-conditions in the
article "US Congress tying assistance to Sri Lanka and the Philippines
to progress against extrajudicial executions."

According to Ellorin, "Malacañang is obviously doing a media blitz
based on old news on a US Senate proposal approved two months ago and
which is not yet final. Perhaps this is to cover up the failure of
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita to dampen the UN report delivered
by Alston."

Ellorin also said "the US House version only allots $23 million in
military aid for the entire East Asia and Pacific region."

"With both Houses yet to reconcile their versions of the budget bills,
it thus remains uncertain whether the Arroyo government will get the
$30 million that Philippine officials have bandied about," Ellorin
said.

Katarungan said no bicameral committee meeting has been scheduled
because "to date, only the Senate has publicized who their conferees
are."

REENACTED BUDGET

Katarungan also said the US government is now running on a reenacted
budget, after the US Congress failed to enact a new budget measure
before October 1, the start of the US fiscal year.

"This turn of events is creating havoc for government agencies, which
are operating under a 'continuing resolution' that provides the same
amount of money as in the last fiscal year. By November 16, when the
continuing resolution expires, Congress will either need to have
passed the funding bills or come up with more short-term answers for
programs that still do not have their appropriations approved," it
said.

Katarungan also said the US Senate approved in plenary on September 6
"restrictive language" or pre-conditions introduced by Sen. Barbara
Boxer on an additional $2-million military assistance to the
Philippines.

Ellorin said the "restrictive language" means that the Arroyo
government's human rights record is now under closer scrutiny by the
US Congress but "Malacañang is airbrushing this important, historic
fact in yet another act of cover-up."

REAL ACTION

According to documents provided by Katarungan, Boxer, using strong,
pointed language recorded in the US Senate journal, said "this binding
legislative language is critical. I hope that Secretary [Condoleezza]
Rice is able to produce a report that states that the Philippine
government is taking real action and the Philippine military is no
longer responsible for the deaths of innocent persons."

Boxer also told the Senate that "for too long, the government of the
Philippines has not taken sufficient action to address extrajudicial
killings and bring those responsible to justice."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, responding to Boxer's query on the Senate floor
whether he will work with her to put additional limitations on future
US military assistance to the Philippines if the Philippines fails to
meet the conditions, said: "I share Sen. Boxer's concern about
extrajudicial violence in the Philippines and will continue to monitor
this situation carefully."

SETTING CONDITIONS

Leahy, who chairs the US Senate committee handling the budget bill for
the State Department and Foreign Operations, warned that he "will
consider additional limitations on future US military assistance if
the Philippine government fails to adequately address this issue."

Leahy and Boxer introduced the second pre-condition to the budget bill
under Amendment No. 2762 "to clarify conditions on assistance for the
Philippines," according to a document obtained by the Katarungan.

Under Section 688 of the Senate-approved budget bill, the $2 million
in additional military aid may be made available only when the
Secretary of State reports that:

• The Philippine government is implementing the recommendations of the
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or
Arbitrary Executions.

• The Philippine government is implementing a policy of promoting
military personnel who demonstrate professionalism and respect for
human rights, and is investigating and prosecuting military personnel
and others who have been credibly alleged to have committed
extrajudicial executions or other violations of human rights. – With
Reinir Padua

Migration no guarantee out of rural poverty

Migration no guarantee out of rural poverty -WB
ISAGANI DE LA PAZ, OFW Journalism Consortium
11/02/2007 | 03:36 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/66919/Migration-no-guarantee-out-of-rural-poverty--WB

MANILA – Contrary to popular beliefs, migration, despite the volume of money it brings, has neither brought rural folks out of poverty nor is it a sure fire way for farm people to clamber aboard the prosperity wagon.

"Where migration is more or less permanent, income from migration depends on the success of the migrant and the reason for migration. So migration is not a guaranteed pathway out of poverty," the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development said in its recently released report, debunking several myths on agricultural development.

The Washington, United States-headquartered IBRD, popularly known as The World Bank, cited in its 386-page report that "despite massive rural-urban migration, rural poverty will remain dominant for several more decades in Asia."

The bank''s World Development Report 2008 that focused on identifying ways for governments to lift some 600 million rural people from extreme poverty has said that while this has been achieved, it is not due to migration.

"More than 80 percent of the decline in rural poverty is attributable to better conditions in rural areas rather than to out-migration of the poor," the report titled "Agriculture for Development" said.

"So, contrary to common perceptions, migration to cities has not been the main instrument for rural (and world) poverty reduction," it added.

In fact, authors of the World Bank report noted that out-migration of people from rural areas has even contributed to the constant rate of poverty rate in cities.

The report, released October 19, noted that while the poverty rate of US$1-a-day has been declining in developing countries –from 28 percent in 1993 to 22 percent in 2002- , this "has been mainly the result of falling rural poverty (from 37 percent to 29 percent) while the urban poverty rate remained nearly constant (at 13 percent)."

The report also noted that during the period under study, 1993-2002, there was an 81-percent reduction in rural poverty worldwide. But this is "ascribed to improved conditions in rural areas; migration accounted for only 19 percent of the reduction."

Migration, the report said, "lifts some of the rural poor out of poverty but takes others to urban slums and continued poverty."

Notional

Even remittances from abroad are downplayed by the report on contributing to national poverty rate declines.

While the report acknowledges that there are "indirect effects of urbanization on rural poverty through remittances and rural wage changes," this is "through tighter rural labor markets."
But this argument, the report's authors said, has a conservative but unlikely assumption: all rural-urban migrants are poor.

The bank computed migration's contribution to rural poverty reduction using the US$2.15 poverty line rather than the US$1.08 extreme poverty line "because it is unrealistic to think that all migrants are extremely poor."

Even so, using the same assumption that all those who migrate are poor, the report noted that reduction in rural poverty would still hit 81 percent, "not to migration."

"Indeed, almost all the decline in South Asia and East Asia is because of a genuine decline in poverty in rural areas. Even when China is excluded from the sample, 67 percent of the reduction in rural poverty is from causes other than migration," the report said.

According to data compiled by the Institute for Migration and Development Issues (Imdi), there is no direct correlation between the number of Filipinos going overseas for temporary or permanent work and stay, and the poverty incidence levels.

For example, the National Capital Region, composed of more than a dozen cities, has posted a 4.3-percent poverty incidence level in 2003. In an eight-year period beginning 1998, almost a million overseas Filipinos came from this region.

However, the data that the nonprofit group Imdi compiled couldn't cite if these Filipinos just used the NCR as temporary residence prior to going overseas or which rural area they came from if they, indeed, migrated from farm villages.

It is difficult to determine so since the NCR is the reservoir of major government agencies processing the export of Filipino labor as well as the receptacle for the air travel and remittance industries.

Likewise, despite Davao del Sur, for example, posting a 24-percent poverty incidence rate and having recorded 55,117 Filipino migrants, Batanes island posted only a 9.2-percent poverty incidence level despite only 72 of its residents having left that fishing and farming province that's the tip of the Philippines.

Another example is Pampanga, President Gloria Arroyo's home province, which posted a six-percent poverty incidence level. It is second to the NCR for having the most number of Filipino migrants at 125,226. Compare this to Pangasinan, home province of former President Fidel V. Ramos, which had 111,029 of its citizens migrating in the eight-year period ending 2005. Still the province posted a poverty incidence level of 18.6 percent, more than double neighboring Pampanga's.

With the exception of Batanes, 14 provinces have poverty incidence levels above the national average of 25.7 percent.

"The high poverty levels of these provinces can perhaps explain why citizens from these areas cannot easily migrate overseas," the Imdi scoping study on migrant philanthropy released last August said.

Impacts

Even the World Bank report admits it is difficult to establish migration's direct impact on rural poverty reduction levels.

"Migration can be a climb up the income ladder for well-prepared, skilled workers, or it can be a simple displacement of poverty to the urban environment for others," the report noted.

The report also cited that while remittances from migrants back to the farm household "can relax capital and risk constraints, the relationship between migration and agricultural productivity," for one, is "complex."

"The (temporary) absence of household members reduces the agricultural labor supply. Agricultural productivity can therefore fall in the short run but rise in the long run as households with migrants shift to less labor intensive, but possibly equally profitable, crops or livestock," the report said.

Remittances, the report noted, "often drastically change the composition of the rural population" and "can pose (their) own challenges for rural development, because migration is selective."

"Those who leave are generally younger, better educated, and more skilled. Migration thus can diminish entrepreneurship and education level among the remaining population," the report said.

Likewise, the report cited there are evidence suggesting migration "is most accessible for the wealthiest and best educated of the rural population, as moving requires means to pay for transportation and education to find a good job."

"Moreover, better-educated migrants are the most likely to have a successful migration outcome," the report added.

It particularly cited the Philippines as having more female migrants to urban areas faring better than the less-educated males.

The report estimated some 575 million people migrated from rural to urban areas in developing countries over the past 25 years.

Of these, it said, "400 million lived in transforming countries, where migration flows increased to almost 20 million a year between 2000 and 2005."

Migration flows as a share of the rural population have been traditionally highest in urbanized economies, but they have fallen over 2000–05 to an annual rate of 1.25 percent. In transforming and agriculture-based economies, the annual flow of out-migration steadily increased to 0.8 percent and 0.7 percent of the rural population, respectively.

The report also noted that international migration out of rural areas is male-dominated in Ecuador and Mexico, but female-dominated in the Dominican Republic, Panama, and the Philippines. - OFW Journalism Consortium


Note: To download the complete World Development Report 2008, go to this link: http://siteresoruces.worldbank.org/INTWDR2008/Resources/2795087-1192111580172/WDROver2008-ENG.pdf

Kin of dismissed workers push for Sentosa suspension

Kin of dismissed workers push for Sentosa suspension
Posted 11:57pm (Mla time) (Mla time)
By Jerome Aning
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- An alliance of organizations representing the welfare of overseas Filipino workers and their families held a picket at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration in Mandaluyong City on Thursday to ask for the suspension of operations of the controversial Sentosa Recruitment Agency. [ Read more ]

The Corruption of Power

ISSUE ANALYSIS No. 20
Series of 2007

Power breeds corruption, and corruption anesthesizes.

The Corruption of Power
By the Policy Study, Publication, and Advocacy
Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG)
Oct. 23, 2007

Seen from all angles, the latest scandal that has wracked the presidential office should only lead to either an impeachment or resignation by its occupant. But if Mrs. Gloria M. Arroyo goes, will that have solved the real problem? Will her departure and, possibly prosecution, guarantee that briberies, malversation, fraud, and nearly all other violations of every provision of the Constitution, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and other laws involving this high office won't happen again?

A senator last week called for the President's resignation, saying that her term as chief executive is beyond repair and beyond redemption. But that is just looking at one side of the coin. Having been in public service himself for decades and with a record of sorts as a critic of authoritarianism and misgovernance, he should be able to see the whole picture that it is the entire government institution run by the elite that is beyond repair and beyond redemption.

In this government, every scam and every scandal that hogs the headlines throws Arroyo in the spotlight. The heat generated by the $330-million ZTE national broadband scandal has not simmered down and there she was embroiled in yet another reported bribery. Exposes and admissions made by at least three governors and two House members told of an Oct. 11 meeting at the presidential office where 190 pro-administration congressmen and 50 governors were given brown bags each containing cash ranging from P200,000 to P500,000. The money, according to some estimates, totaled P150 million to P200 million. The provincial executives were told that the "cash gifts" were for "barangay projects"; those given the congressmen were supposed to preempt another impeachment against the President. There were no receipts, just cold cash, and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) denied it ever came from its office.

Based on the admissions and evidences shown, the distribution of "cash gifts" constituted bribery. If it was intended for "barangay projects," it was still illegal under the election code which prohits fund releases during election period. The barangay elections take place on Oct. 29.

A garbage of filth

The bribery scandal has unwrapped a garbage of other filth. There were reports about how several congressmen would regularly receive similar cash gifts as "productive bonuses" and during the two impeachment complaints against the President; and of how local officials after meetings in Malacanang would leave clutching thick envelopes. "Pork barrels," the release of which is now under the DBM, were being collected only by pro-Arroyo congressmen. There were also stories, not the least denied, about the President meeting Catholic bishops where money changed hands for "charitable projects" and how Palace assistants keep a birthday list of some 100 eminent clergymen.

The stories about crooks, thieves, and liars in high places go deeper. As the new controversial bribery sparked renewed calls for presidential resignation and impeachment, GMA News Research revealed a Commission on Audit (CoA) report admonishing offices under the President to account for "sundry questionable expenses" in 2006. The CoA, the TV report said, asked the offices to account for donations for calamity areas diverted to spruce up the Palace golf course, huge amounts of unliquidated cash advances, loans issued without records, and questionable purchases of supplies, equipment, and property. Based on the GMA story, the unaccounted expenses amounted to at least P2.074 billion.

The limelight captured by the scams and scandals involving the President for several weeks had stirred another public outrage with a new report by the anti-graft watchdog, Transparency International, where the Philippines dropped several notches lower in corruption rating. The Philippines was ranked earlier as one of the top countries in Asia in terms of corruption. The report came on the heels of allegations of corruption and illegal gambling money involving the President, her family and cronies, questionable transactions, election fraud involving billions of government funds, and other cases that took place since Mrs. Arroyo came to power in 2001.

Abuse of power

The culture of impunity that has marked the extra-judicial killings of dissenters and presidential critics rears its ugly head in another form here: the impunity of abuse of presidential power. Although the scams and scandals wracking the present regime have deep roots in the culture of patronage and clientelism practiced by all presidents since Manuel Roxas, Mrs. Arroyo brings into this system another dimension. Political survival due to lack of constitutional legitimacy, as a result of election cheating in 2004, has forced Arroyo to rely on the support of the military and police as well as on patronage politics, in the case of pro-Malacanang legislators and LGU officials. To maintain this support mechanism, patronage system is given full play in which money changes hands – often, as alleged, sourced from public funds – coupled with preferential treatment in multi-million development projects and other incentives.

The beneficiaries, in turn, consider this as part of political culture in which presidential dole-outs help sustain support from their network of relatives and constituencies, as well as to guarantee electoral votes for the President and her allies. So deeply embedded is this web of pay-offs and dole-outs that it has led to the paralysis of constitutional checks and balances, with, for instance, Congress which is dominated by pro-Arroyo allies using their numbers to block impeachment complaints against their patron. As alleged, even some members of the Catholic hierarchy have been trapped in this culture so that the voice that they used to lend in the ouster of Marcos in 1986 and Estrada in 2001 is now sealed. Power breeds corruption, and corruption anesthesizes.

For decades, the Philippines has earned a notoriety in the realm of corruption precisely because of the wrongdoings of its top bureaucrats, whether civilian or military, and where graft and corrupt practices, like termites, devour every layer of the bureaucracy and every unit of government. Key institutions that are supposed to check this malady – including the conservative Catholic hierarchy, business, and some "civil society" technocrats – have also been infested with these corrosive and anti-people practices.

The poor as victims

Yet the money that is lost to graft and corruption would have sent millions of poor children to school or increased the wages of government employees, including rank-and-file military and police forces. The funds squandered because an allegedly plunderous president must stay in office could have saved the lives of millions of sick people who have never seen any doctor in their entire lives.

Government has been in the hands of the ruling elite ever since it was introduced by the Americans as an adjunct of their colonial rule. Name any president, a member of Congress, or a local official and chances are big that he or she comes from a political dynasty whose rise to power is made possible by the considerable share of economic wealth it has appropriated. Not for reasons of making this country a better place to live in or for some altruistic goals of freeing the poor from centuries of bondage of class exploitation and oppression do they get themselves elected or appointed – chances are, through fraud or influence - to the niches of power. They are in government because political or bureaucratic power enables them to ransack public funds and inflate the ill-gotten private wealth that they already possess. Corruption helps increase the power of the elite and renders the poor classes more marginalized economically, socially, and politically.

The scams and scandals that plague the bureaucracy aggravated by the paralysis of institutional mechanisms against graft and corruption are what make the governmet system rotten to the core. At the rate by which the government is losing its credibility one begins to ask whether a mere transfer of presidential seat from one person to another or a shift to another form of government is enough to cure the cancer that afflicts the infrastructure of governance. The ultimate victims, after all, are the people. The sooner the nation realizes that it's about time elite power must end the better for its future. Governance is about who wields the political power. Political power should be in the hands of the people.

For reference:

Prof. Bobby Tuazon
Director, Policy Study, Publication, and Advocacy (PSPA)
Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG)
Tel/Fax +9299526
www.cenpeg.org

ERMITA'S SPIN IS NO TRUE INDICATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION-- NYCHRP

News Release
October 23, 2007

Reference: Jamie Mapa, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, email: nychrp@yahoo.com

ERMITA'S SPIN IS NO TRUE INDICATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION-- NYCHRP

The NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, a committee of human rights advocates, has absolutely no faith in the well-spun tale Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita will be telling the United Nations this week as to what is the human rights situation in the Philippines. Ermita is in New York as the head spin doctor in a so-called Philippine Human Rights delegation to answer the UNHRC's queries after a disturbing report published on the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the Philippines by UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston last February.

The Philippines is a country that is fundamentally hot-wired for human rights violations across all sectors of society because it has a government that is desperately trying to suppress all forms of dissent that is growing larger everyday due to failed domestic policies, deepening poverty, and growing militarism.

It taking lesson and re-applying the tactics of the darkest days of suppression in the Philippine history, namely with the resurrection of Martial Law under the Human Security Act of 2007.

From the nearly 900 killings of students, church workers, trade unionists and journalists that caught the world's eye, to the high-profile abductions of Jonas Burgos, Sherlyn Cadapan, and Karen Empeno, instances of extrajudicial killings and abductions prove to be targetted towards only those who have joined or lead the ranks of the broad opposition in and out of parliament. As long as the Arroyo-led military decides to handle dissent by curtailing democratic rights and killing off opponents, then the human rights crisis will continue to intensify.

The Arroyo government is in a position where it must defend itself from intense scrutiny worldwide, not just for human rights violations, but now for bribery, failed economic trade agreements, and others. As unrest grows throughout the country, the Arroyo government staged a means to distract and divert media attention to itself with the Glorietta bombing in Makati one week ago, blaming so-called communist insurgents for the social unrest instead, mirroring Marcos's diversion tactic with the Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971.

Unless Ermita speaks of the Arroyo government's inefficiency to handle the country by employing truly democratic policies and respecting national sovereignty, it cannot speak about finding a real solution to the human rights crisis.

We call upon the United Nations and the general public to dismiss Ermita's claims and seek the real data care of the results of countless fact-finding missions launched by peoples organizations since 2001 and the findings of the Permanent People's Tribunal back in March 2007.

Palace misused charity funds, gave loans sans records - COA

Palace misused charity funds, gave loans sans records - COA
10/17/2007 | 07:29 PM

EXCLUSIVE: Months ahead of last week's row over "cash gifts" for local politicians and legislators, the Commission on Audit had admonished the Office of the President, under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, to hold its officers accountable for sundry questionable expenses in 2006.

The COA said the Palace had diverted donations for calamity areas to spruce up the Malacanang Golf Course, incurred huge amounts of unliquidated cash advances, issued loans without records, and could not explain big discrepancies between the booked and physical inventories of supplies, property and equipment.

The COA, in its official audit of the accounts and operations of the Office of the President from January to December 2006, rendered "a qualified opinion on the fairness of the financial statements" and listed 10 adverse "observations and recommendations."

In particular, the COA audit revealed that Mrs Arroyo's office:

• Failed to settle cash advances worth P615 million made to officers and employees, local government units and government corporations;

• Granted P269 million in loans out of the President's Social Fund "without supporting documents and disbursement vouchers;"

• Diverted P8.8 million in donations for calamity areas, including P900,000 to spruce up the Malacanang Golf Course, P3 million for hotel and conference expenses, and P4 million as "donation" to an unnamed foundation;

• "Improperly recorded" P112 million in fund transfers to local government units, government corporations and nongovernmental organizations;

• "Erroneously recorded in the books of the Office of the President" the P48.9 million balance of a trust account under the name "President's Social Fund-Livelihood Assistance Program" deposited with the Land Bank of the Philippines;

• Failed to reconcile booked and physical inventory office supplies, property, plant and equipment, worth P70 million in all;

• Understated the accumulated depreciation and depreciation expense accounts of property, plant and equipment worth P950 million;

The COA said the audit sought to "ascertain the propriety of the financial transactions and determine the fairness of the presentation of the statements" of the Office of the President that consists of "the OP Proper and the agencies under it."

The 60-page COA report was submitted to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita on June 25, 2007. The report was signed by COA Director IV Bato S. Ali Jr., Cluster I – Executive and Oversight director, while the transmittal letter to Ermita was signed by COA Commissioner and officer-in-charge Reynaldo A. Villar.

Atty. Susan D. Vargas, Malacanang's deputy executive secretary for administration and finance, and Teresita P. Valdellon, department chief accountant, signed the "Statement of Management's Responsibility for Financial Statements."

'Best estimates'

Vargas and Valdellon certified that "the financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted state accounting principles and reflect amounts that are based on best estimates and informed judgment of management with an appropriate consideration to materiality."

Too, they wrote that, "management maintains a system of accounting and reporting which provides for the necessary internal controls to ensure that transactions are properly authorized and recorded, assets are safeguarded against unauthorized use or disposition, and liabilities are recognized."

The OP Proper, COA explained, consists of "the Private Offices, the Presidential Assistant System, the Executive Offices, the General Government Administration Staff, the Internal Administration Staff, the Internal Audit Service Unit, the Locally Funded/Foreign-Assisted Projects, and other Executive Offices."

In addition, "the OP directly supervises 61 other executive offices, agencies, commissions and committees that warrant the special attention of the President."

COA cited that "Article VII of the 1987 Constitution vests the executive power upon the President," who also "exercises control of all the executive departments, bureaus and offices" and "ensures that laws be faithfully executed."

Unliquidated millions

For 2006 and even two years prior, COA noted that the OP had failed to liquidate cash advances made to cash-disbursing officers worth P77 million; cash advances to officers and employees worth P29.5 million, and "other receivables" worth a whopping P508 million.

In its qualified comment, the audit cited that under Section 89 of Presidential Decree 1445, "A cash advance shall be reported on and liquidated as soon as the purpose for which it was given has been served."

On the other hand, COA Circular 97-002 prescribes deadlines for liquidation of cash advances, and failure to do so "shall constitute a valid cause" for withholding the salary of the accountable officers. COA has proposed that the OP "compel" these officers to settle their accounts within the prescribed period, and refrain from granting additional cash advance to those with unsettled accounts.

Loans sans records

Last year also, COA said that "loans granted under the President's Social Fund in CY (calendar year) 2003 and January 2004 totaling P269,527,000 were not booked up, thus understating the appropriate Loan Receivable accounts while overstating the Cash in Bank account."

The report explained that "one of the main funding sources of OP is its share in the net earnings of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), also called the President's Social Fund."

Initially, the PSF provided funds to implement the "Isang Bayan, Isang Produkto, Isang Milyon," that Mrs Arroyo eventually institutionalized through Executive Order No. 176 issued in 2002.

Under the program, "to simulate economic activity and growth of small and medium enterprises" Malacanang allotted P1 million loans for a borrower in each town and city, payable to the Land Bank.

The COA determined that loans granted totaling P216 million in 2003 and January 2004 "were not recorded in the books." Just as bad, "reports required from grantees/borrowers pursuant to the MOA (memorandum of agreement) such as accomplishment, financial and terminal reports were not submitted."

Donations diverted

The diversion of donations received for calamity victims by Malacanang was also discerned by COA.

In 2006, COA said the Office of the President received "from various sources" donations totaling P65,413, 463.79 or P65 million, for the following purposes:

• Donation for the Southern Leyte landslide, P7.1 million
• Donation for Socio-Economic Projects of the President, P35.6 million
• Donation for Typhoon Milenyo victims, P2.7 million
• Donation for the relief and rehabilitation of affected areas in Albay province, P20 million.

COA's adverse finding follows: "We noted, however, that out of the actual expenses incurred totaling P64,079, 173.40 from the donations, expenses totaling P8,807.621.75 could not be identified with any of the purposes of the donations."

According to COA, Malacanang had reported using the donations thus:

• Burial expenses, P795,000
• Hotel Expenses, P815,380.15
• Maintenance of the Malacanang Golf Course, P900,000
• Summit Conferences/General Assembly, P2,295,241.60
• Donation to Foundation, P4,000,000

These expenses "out of the purposes of the donations are contrary to Section 13 of the General Provisions of the General Appropriations Act of 2005," which stipulates that "donations, whether in cash or kind, shall be deemed automatically appropriated for the purpose specified by the donor."

"We recommend that management strictly use donations for the intended purposes specified by the donors," COA stated.

However, it took note of the explanation given by Malacanang officials that, "some donations have (a) general purpose, so they have wider discretion of what purpose these donations shall be released."

Still, COA stressed that, "the provisions of the law on donations… shall be faithfully observed."

Inventory discrepancies

Yet another qualified comment COA made pertained to discrepancies between physical and book inventories of supplies and equipment in the Office of the President.

The audit report said that under "Construction in progress – Agency Assets," Malacanang booked a balance of P198 million, but "per physical count, it has no balance since such construction of assets was already completed."

Too, the Inventory Committee of the Office of the President "failed to conduct physical count of other inventories worth P13,495,998.07," and failed to file the required semestral reports on the same.

The balance sheet of the inventories reported to COA by Malacanang included:

• Merchandise inventory worth P726,339.39
• Drugs and Medicines Inventory, P264,155.15
• Medical, Dental & Laboratory Supplies Inventory, P152, 286.56
• Gasoline, Oil and Lubricants Inventory, P3,511,843.18
• Other Supplies Inventory, P8,788,899.79
• Livestock Inventory, P52,474.00

However, COA determined that:

• "There was no physical count of the Merchandise Inventory and Livestock Inventory since the balances of these were carried in the book s of accounts and non-moving since 2000."

• "Drugs and Medicines Inventory have been immediately issued upon receipt."
• "Gasoline, Oil, and Lubricants Inventory had never been inventoried semi-annually or annually."

• "In the absence of the physical count, the reliability of the balance of inventories are doubtful," COA said.

Dormant accounts

Finally, COA said Malacanang continues to keep in its books, as of December 31, 2006, various dormant accounts totaling P293 million dating from as far back as 1992.

The biggest item under this account pertain to "Other Investments and Marketable Securities" valued at P275.6 million.

"Management reasoned that their pertinent records are no longer available due to the fire that gutted the agency's Administration Building sometime in August 1995," COA said, "hence the difficulty or the impossibility to retrieve the required papers." – Malou Mangahas, GMANews.TV/GMA News Research

JDV III joins calls for Arroyo's resignation

JDV III joins calls for Arroyo's resignation
ABS-CBN news 10/18/07

Days after expressing disenchantment with the leader he used to call "my president," businessman Jose "Joey" de Venecia III has joined calls for President Arroyo's resignation in the wake of allegations of bribery in her administration.

The son of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. made the statement during a luncheon Thursday tendered by Senate Minority Aquilino Pimentel Jr. to honor the businessman's courage in exposing the alleged bribery, corruption and overprice in the ZTE-broadband deal.

"The easiest, but maybe not the softest, is for her to resign, but I don't see it happening," the younger de Venecia told ABS-CBN News correspondent Lynda Jumilla.

From the bribery-tainted ZTE-national broadband network deal to the Malacañang meeting where bags of cash were allegedly handed out to congressmen and local officials, de Venecia said it was clear Mrs. Arroyo knew all the alleged corruption going on and allowed these to happen.

He, however, said since resignation was next to impossible that the president's impeachment must be pursued.

The businessman said his father made a mistake in allowing a weak impeachment complaint to be referred to the House justice committee. He said it was something the speaker could and should correct.

"In the process he might lose the speakership but at least he goes down fighting. That may be his legacy at this point," said the businessman.

The younger de Venecia has accused the president's husband First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo of demanding him to back off from the government's negotiations with Chinese corporation ZTE.

Mr. Arroyo, however, denied the allegation, saying that it is not something that he would do to somebody he just met.

JDV denies
The elder de Venecia, meanwhile, merely laughed at reports tagging him as the suspect behind the controversies now hounding the Arroyo administration, particularly the alleged bribes given to some officials last week.

At the same time, the House chief shot down accusations made by Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno that the money given to congressmen and governors came from his office.

"I saw nothing. If I were involved, why would I do it at the palace? It would have been done elsewhere," de Venecia told ABS-CBN News correspondent Jing Castañeda, explaining his side regarding the alleged distribution of bribes at Malacañang on Thursday last week.

De Venecia said he has no reason to destroy his relationship with President Arroyo.

The Arroyo administration grabbed the headlines following reports that it allegedly distributed cash gifts to lawmakers last week.

Early this week, Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio and Bulacan Gov. Joselito Mendoza admitted receiving P500,000 in cash each stuffed in a paper bag after a governors' meeting in Malacañang.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante and Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco admitted receiving money from Malacañang after news broke out about the controversy. Cuenco, however, retracted his statement later, saying he was "just kidding."

Ermita off to NY to discuss RP rights situation with UN

Ermita off to NY to discuss RP rights situation with UN
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 11:04pm (Mla time) 10/21/2007


MANILA, Philippines--PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has dispatched a team to New York led by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita to discuss with United Nations officials the country's efforts to end the wave of political killings that has been hounding her administration.

Arroyo sent Ermita, who is also chairman of the Philippine Human Rights Committee, Commission of Human Rights chairperson Purificacion Quisumbing and other officials to meet with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ahead of the submission of a formal report to the international body of the UN team that looked into the killings early this year, according to a statement from Ermita's office.

The UN team, led by Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, said a military could have involvement in a number of the cases of killings. It also said there was need for the Arroyo administration to acknowledge that the killings were a problem.

Ermita is expected "to personally update UN officials on government efforts in dealing with the situation."

He is also expected to convey "to them the government's continuing resolve and commitment to address all forms of human right violations, especially in light of the country's recent election to the UN Human. Rights Council."

Ermita and the other officials left Sunday night for the week-long mission.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye has been designated acting Executive Secretary.