CBCP renews opposition to RH bill ahead of SONA

MANILA, July 23, 2011— The Catholic hierarchy has renewed its strong opposition to the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill which is crafted based on “secularist and materialistic spirit.”

The proposed measure, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) warned, could further destroy the society morally just like it had done in other countries.

“It is a spirit that considers moral and religious norms as regressive,” said Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, CBCP president, in a statement.

“The bill ignores moral and religious considerations in the name of democracy and freedom of choice in a pluralist society,” he said.

Odchimar made the statement yesterday ahead of President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25.

The date also coincided with the 43rd year of the “Humanae Vitae,” the landmark papal letter about the Church's uncompromising stand on birth control.

Aquino is a known supporter of the RH bill which requires the government to guarantee wide access to reproductive health care services, methods, devices, and supplies to the people.

The bill also pushes the use of “modern” methods of family planning, including condoms, birth control pills, intra-uterine devices (IUDs), and injectables.

In a country where government hospitals have long been dealing with scarce equipment and medicines, the bill categorizes artificial family planning supplies as “essential medicines.”

The Catholic Church accepts only natural family planning methods.

The CBCP head also called on the faithful to defend Christian values by rejecting the bill.

“Ignoring moral values is moral corruption; and moral corruption breeds corruption in public and private life. Its fruit is social decay and disintegration," Odchimar said.

He said the people's right to choose must always be guided by the Gospels and the teachings of the Church.

“To ignore this principle is to ignore the light that illumines an upright conscience," Odchimar said. [CBCPNews]

CBCP calls for nominations for outstanding youth ministers, orgs

MANILA, July 23, 2011—The Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is inviting dioceses and parishes to nominate youth ministers and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the growth of the youth apostolate in their respective locales.

ECY chairman and Albay, Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon made the invitation as he announced the start of nomination for the Blessed John Paul II National Youth Ministry Awards. The awards, which will be conferred to 25 outstanding youth ministers and organizations during the National Youth Day 2011 celebration on November 14 to 19, was established in line with the ongoing celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of ECY this year.

Baylon said the Blessed John Paul II National Youth Ministry Awards is meant to recognize the selflessness, commitment, and dedication of youth ministers and organizations in championing the cause of the youth and the youth ministry in their respective dioceses and parishes.

“Help us identify these youth ministers and organizations by nominating those you think are worthy of recognition for the contribution they made for the youth ministry in the Philippines to grow, bloom and bear fruit,” Baylon said.

According to Fr. Jose Favie Faldas, SDB, head of the ECY Recognition Committee, this year’s recognition of the sacrifices and dedication of youth ministers is “long overdue” considering that it took 25 years before the ECY established such an award-giving initiative.

“The awarding is long overdue for me. For so many years now, those who are in the youth ministry have been unappreciated, misunderstood and uncared for. It is about time that they are put in the pedestal,” Faldas told YouthPinoy.

Faldas said the National Secretariat for Youth Apostolate (NSYA) has started writing diocesan youth ministry heads, calling on them to submit their nominations for the outstanding youth ministers, who may be ordained, religious, or lay, or groups of persons, institutions or organizations.

From the nominations, the Recognition Committee, members of which were appointed by Baylon, will come up with a shortlist of 50 nominees, from which a 5-man jury will judge the top 25 nominees who will be awarded with trophy for having earned the merits to warrant a Blessed John Paul II National Youth Ministry Award.

Mechanics

According to the NSYA, anyone may nominate. An individual or a group only has to submit their filled out nomination forms. Submissions can be made through post mail addressed to Episcopal Commission on Youth, 3/F CBCP Bldg., 470 Gen. Luna St., 1002 Intramuros, Manila, or e-mailed to ecynsya@gmail.com.

The deadline for submission of nominations will be on September 8, when the Recognition Committee will sift through the nominations and send certificates to all those nominated. The initial nomination fee of P1,000 was waived.

“The award will be a special trophy befitting this first nationwide recognition of youth ministers,” the NSYA added.

Inspiration

According to Faldas, the John Paul II National Youth Ministry Awards was not only created to recognize outstanding youth ministers in the Philippines.

He said the awards also aim to inspire the young and other youth supporters in uplifting the values and morale in the youth ministry.

“More importantly, we want to generate Gospel models for youth ministers and for the youth in general from these awardees,” adding that awardees will be looked up for their commitment to the Catholic faith and outstanding leadership in the field of youth ministry. (YouthPinoy)

Trillanes bill on retirement benefits signed into law by P’Noy

MANILA, July 22, 2011-Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV bill which provides expeditious and timely release of the benefits, pension and gratuities of government workers retiring from the service was signed into law by President Benigno S. Aquino III where he lauded the latter for his swift action on the bill.

The new law, Republic Act No. 10154, provides for the release of retirement benefits of state workers within 30 days from the actual date of their retirement.

“The immediately signing of my bill into law by P’Noy would mean that he effectively recognized the sacrifices of our public officers and employees who have rendered decades of faithful, loyal and dedicated service to the public, often toiling and laboring with salaries and benefits barely enough to meet their personal and family needs,” Trillanes said, the principal author of the bill.

“The least we can do is to ensure that they will receive their retirement pay, pensions, gratuities and other retirement benefits immediately or at least within a fixed and reasonable time after their retirement. Retiring government employees should not be made to wait, much less grovel and beg, for what is actually due to them under the law,” he said.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV

Trillanes law seeks to penalize officials who would cause undue delay on the release of these benefits. These erring officials, after hearings and due proceedings, shall be subject to administrative disciplinary action and shall be penalized with suspension from service without pay from six months to one year, at the discretion of the disciplining authority, except in cases of force majeure and other insuperable cases.

“I and other senators received numerous and persistent complaints from civil servants that they were made to wait for unreasonable period of time, sometimes years, before they were able to get their retirement benefits,” Trillanes said.

After being released from detention late last year, the said bill is among the first few bills sponsored by Trillanes at the Senate plenary.  After seven and half years of incarceration for his role in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Pen incident, Trillanes was formally granted amnesty by President Aquino last January 2011. (Jason de Asis)

Recto urges P’Noy for joint exploration on the disputed Spratly islands

MANILA, July 22, 2011-Senator Ralph G. Recto, a senior member of the Senate committees on foreign relations and of national defense and security yesterday bated the Aquino government to take the lead in pursuing a joint economic exploration of the disputed Spratly Islands among claimant countries as a way of moving forward on the long pestering issue.

“We just can’t say we’re open to the idea and sit idly. There is a pressing need to take the initiative to make this happen where a joint exploration is the only sensible thing to do in harnessing the economic potentials of Spratlys without having to fire one single shot or sinking a gun boat,” Recto said.

Recto added that the joint exploration initiative could be pushed even while issues on ownership are still being resolved under the auspices of ASEAN or United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Senator Ralph Recto.

“For this issue to resolve there is no need to wait for another 30 years. If claimants would only agree now, whatever natural resources underneath Spratlys could be shared equitably for the economic benefits of all nations,” Recto said.

“Who knows, after 30 years when the oil or natural gas is fully depleted, not a claimant would show interest anymore,” he said, adding that the joint exploration would not mean surrendering one nation's claim or sovereignty but embracing a common workable solution to a long-standing problem.

Recto explained that our country did its own joint exploration with the natural gas find in Malampaya off Palawan not with another sovereign nation but with a private multinational consortium led by Shell and Chevron. The Spratly islands is said to be sitting on large deposits of natural gas and oil.

“For starters, the country could spearhead the forging of another joint marine seismic undertaking (JMSU) among claimant countries, after the first one with China and Vietnam that was signed way back in 2005 and lapsed in 2008,” he furthered.

The JMSU, which was signed last March 2005 by the Philippines and China, called for the two countries’ joint exploration of petroleum resource potential in the South China Sea.

When Vietnam, a claimant of portions of the Spratlys, protested, it was included in the agreement. The JMSU was not renewed after it lapsed in July 2008.

“We probe together for oil then we harvest the proceeds equitably,” the chairman on the Senate committee on ways and means said, adding that the country is in a unique location to mediate a joint exploitation among claimant nations because of its proximity to the disputed islands.

“The Chinese nor the Vietnamese could not singlehandedly lay down their own natural gas or oil pipelines all the way from Spratlys to their home soil. The more economical way is to use our existing Malampaya gas pipeline that stretches from Palawan waters to South Luzon where each claimant would converge to pick up and load their share,” he said.

“In return for the use of the gas pipeline, the country could just charge handling fee,” Recto said, saying that the joint exploration proposal could be part of the talking agenda that the President will bring to the table when he visits China in August or September this year.

“If we could sell this idea to the Chinese, it would not be difficult to convince the others,” he said.

Recto pointed out that there is a pressing need to leave the sovereignty issue to the Department of Foreign Affairs, saying that the focus would be on how to make use of the economic potentials of Spratlys now while zealous foreign ministers debate over the next decade their sovereign claims.

A meeting of senior foreign officials from ASEAN countries and China to finalize the implementing guidelines on the 2002 Code of Conduct of Parties (DOC)  in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea  has produced mixed reviews with other participants griping over a watered down version of the draft guidelines.

He said that the ASEAN secretariat noted with appreciation the proposal of the Philippines to declare South China Sea into a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation in the same meeting.

To start the ball rolling, Recto said that the country's top foreign officials should have been more specific in calling for a "joint economic cooperation" in Spratlys.

Contesting the country’s claim over Spratlys are Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. (Jason de Asis)

Church launches 'anti-RH with a smile' campaign

MANILA, July 22, 2011—The Catholic hierarchy has found a new weapon to fight away the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill – smile.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has launched Friday various campaign materials to bring the Church’s message on the value of human life to the faithful.

One that notably caught the media’s attention was a sticker depicting a yellow smiley with texts “I am pro-life. I am anti-RH bill.”

Msgr. Juanito Figura, CBCP secretary general, agrees that smile can influence others and it also reflects how the Church conducts its mission.

“Maybe we can summarize the position of the Church as it continues to do its campaign against the RH, it is peaceful, friendly campaign and we are saying that we are pro-life and we are anti-RH with a smile,” Figura said in a press briefing at the CBCP office in Intramuros, Manila.

The stickers, he said, will be placed in various parish Churches across the country and will be distributed to the public to intensify their campaign against the birth control measure.

“You will see stickers displayed on vehicles. We would place stickers that are more friendly because we are actually not adversarial, not against anybody in particular, not against any group in particular but against the RH bill specifically so we are doing this mission with a smile,” added Figura.

Aside from the stickers, the CBCP also have anti-RH bill tarpaulins. One of which even has an image of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

“He is not only our national hero but this year we celebrate his 150th birth anniversary. He has always been known for his works and he always said that the youth is the future of the nation,” he said.

“If we teach our youth today the wrong values about life, if we teach the youth today on the wrong values about society and the family what will they become when they become adults and leaders of the nation in the future?” the CBCP official said.

Figura also revealed that the Church has produced a video advertisement which will be shown inside parish Churches.

“We are coming out with TV ads even with our meager income. Maybe you would see the ad not on television, but on the Church projectors before Masses because we are spreading these TV ads exponentially by using our very own network and our resources,” Figura said. [CBCPNews]

Oldest Filipino bishop marks Golden Jubilee

SAN PABLO City, July 22, 2011―Bishop Pedro N. Bantigue, the first Bishop of San Pablo, will celebrate his fiftieth anniversary as a bishop come July 25, Feast of Saint James the Apostle.

The announcement was made by Msgr. Melchor A. Barcenas, the Vicar General of the Diocese of San Pablo, last July 18, during the monthly Clergy Assembly.

A celebration is scheduled on July 25 to commemorate the 50th Episcopal Anniversary of Bishop Bantigue and the 24th Episcopal Anniversary of San Pablo Bishop Leo M. Drona, who was also ordained bishop on the same date last 1987.

To mark the event, a solemn Mass is scheduled at 5:15 pm at the Cathedral of Saint Paul the First Hermit, San Pablo City, and will be followed by a simple dinner at the Bishop’s Residence. Bishops, priests, religious and laity are expected to grace the event.

Bishop Bantigue is currently the oldest living Filipino bishop, by age and by date of episcopal ordination. He was ordained bishop on 25 July 1961 by His Eminence Rufino Jiao Santos, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Manila, and was given the Titular See of Catula and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Manila.

Upon the creation of the Diocese of San Pablo in the Philippine Islands, Bishop Bantigue was appointed its first bishop by Pope Paul VI.

Born in Hagonoy (Bulacan) on January 31, 1920, Bishop Bantigue proved to be a trusted priest in the Archdiocese of Manila. Shortly after his priestly ordination in 1945, he served as Private Secretary to three archbishops of Manila: Archbishop Michael J. O’Doherty, Archbishop Gabriel Reyes, and Cardinal-Archbishop Santos. As a young prelate, he participated in the third session (14 September to 21 November 1964) of the Second Vatican Council .

Upon becoming the first Bishop of San Pablo, Bishop Bantigue guided the newly erected diocese in its early years. One of his hallmark acts as its Bishop is the convocation of the First Diocesan Synod of San Pablo in 1994.

After twenty eight years of being the Pastor of the flock of San Pablo diocese, Bishop Bantigue retired at the age of seventy five years and four months. He was succeeded by Bishop Francisco C. San Diego.

At present, the Diocese of San Pablo has Bishop Leo M. Drona as its current shepherd.

July 25 is a double celebration in the Diocese of San Pablo, for it marks the celebration of two great jubilees: that of its first shepherd and its current Bishop. (Fr. David Reyes)

After giving money, TV host donates cars to bishops

MANILA, July 21, 2011— After donating cash yesterday, television host Willie Revillame is giving two new vehicles for the charity work of some Catholic dioceses.

Lawyer Romulo Macalintal said that Revillame is donating one Foton 15-seater van and one Foton pick-up car.

“Revillame is making the donation to show his deep concern for the needs of our bishops,” Macalintal said.

Yesterday, the television personality also donated P100,000 to a fund drive that will be used to buy utility vehicles for some dioceses.

The total donation has already reached P1.5 million as of July 21, nine days after the fund raising campaign was launched.

Macalintal and former Mayor Lito Atienza are leading the fundraising drive for the seven bishops who were maligned over the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) donations controversy.

Last week, the prelates, four from Mindanao and three Northern Luzon dioceses, returned the utility vehicles which they bought from PCSO donations in 2009.

The decision was made after the current PCSO administration told media that former President Gloria Arroyo distributed “luxury vehicles for personal use” of some bishops for political reasons.

The prelates, however, clarified that what they got were not luxury cars but utility vehicles for Church-operated missions. [CBCPNews]

Angara bats to create a world-class infra to boost Phl tourism industry

MANILA, July 21, 2011-To create world-class infrastructure that would boost tourism industry throughout the country, Senator Edgardo J. Angara bats the government and the private sector to work hand-in-hand in his goal for better development of the country in his keynote address at the 4th General Membership Meeting of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association.

Angara revealed that the Philippines ranked 94th out of 139 countries in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2011 on a global scale, and 18th of 26 in the Asia-Pacific regional index despite offering some of the best value-for-money tourist prices. 

“One of the reasons for this is the dismal state of infrastructure in the country and we belong to the bottom quartile of the index in most aspects of infrastructure,” Angara lamented, figuring in air transport, 112th; roads, 114th; and 131st in both port infrastructure and ground transport network.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara

“We may have the most breathtaking sights and gorgeous seascapes, but without the necessary infrastructure, tourists will not be able to get to them with ease, if at all,” Angara added.

World Bank study revealed that asserting that the poor quality of infrastructure curbs tourism by impeding mobility, allowing only limited choices of transport and raising vehicle operating cost per kilometer. Studies of the World Bank also show a positive correlation between the quality of airports and the number of foreign tourist arrivals.

Angara is taking steps to ensure that such quality infrastructure is built in the Philippines, beginning in his hometown province in Aurora. The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is an emerging haven that exhibits the marriage of nature and modernization, adding that to encourage access to the area, while preserving the biodiversity, roads and  airport have been built.

APECO office, Casiguran, Aurora.

Earlier, four (4) Taiwanese companies signed up to locate in Aurora as they believe that APECO generates greater interest among international investors.

Angara is optimistic that this vision can become a reality in the near future, the first in the regions and to the nation at large.

It is being primed as the country’s premier Gateway to the Pacific due to its strategic location where its accessibility to Manila and to other logistic and investment hubs in Luzon via land, water and air that makes it ideal for business climate. (Jason de Asis)

Angara urged Phl geodetic engineers to lead remote sensing in agriculture

MANILA, July 21, 2011-“I urged the country’s geodetic engineers to take the lead in researching the utilization of remote sensing technology for our agriculture to get precise agricultural information,” Senator Edgardo J. Angara, chair of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) said, citing the research undertaken by COMSTE.

In the recent induction ceremonies of the Geodetic Engineers’ Development Foundation, Inc., Angara said that there are numerous advantages of utilizing remote sensing data to get exact information on agriculture, saying that remote sensing technology allows farmers to make the best decisions in managing their crops properly through satellite images of agricultural crops and other relevant data on agriculture.

“Our farmers and fisherfolks will be guided on appropriate land use and cropping intensity through the use of remote sensing where it will provide with detection and early warning mechanisms against pest, diseases and inclement weather, Angara said, adding that they will also be better equipped to deal with pollution, disasters and health hazards; thus, remote sensing will be instrumental in averting food crises and attaining food security in the country.

Angara added that remote sensing can also be utilized in establishing information systems that reduce the risks arising from disasters and build up society's resilience to natural catastrophes and climate change. “This forms part of what I call technology-based disaster management. I believe that over the long term, mitigation will prove to be more valuable than relief,” Angara furthered. 

“Geodetic engineering has wide applications in land surverying; point positioning, which includes triangulation with Global Position System (GPS) satellites; remote sensing technologies; and geographic information systems (GIS) where it also involves gathering physical data on the surface of the earth through the use of precision instruments, as well as the scientific and methodical processing of data into graphs, plans, maps, charts or documents,” Angara ended. (Jason de Asis)

‘Silent march’ vs RH bill set on SONA day

MANILA, July 21, 2011— A “massive” rally will be staged on Monday, in time for President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address, to oppose the passage of the proposed reproductive health (RH) bill.

Dubbed as the “State of the Soul of the Nation Address,” the gathering will also mark the 43rd anniversary of the Humanae Vitae that deals with the Church’s uncompromising stand on artificial birth control.

Organized by the Pro-Life Philippines Foundation, the rally will also bring together various religious leaders from Muslim and Christian Churches.

“It is in these momentous events that we deem it necessary to hold an activity that calls for the restoration of moral integrity in our country especially on issues that largely affect the family and the sanctity of human life,” said Eric Manalang, president of Pro-Life Philippines.

The rally will be started with a Mass to be presided by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo with healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez inside the Santuario De San Jose Parish Church in Greenhills, San Juan at 9am.

After the liturgical celebration, a “silent march” to Club Filipino, also in Greenhills, will follow and culminate with a short program to be led by various heads of the inter-faith alliance at the Corazon Aquino Kalayaan Hall.

“A consolidated statement written by both religious and political leaders addressing the need to unite Filipinos in rekindling the deteriorating status of morality in governance will be read and will be conveyed to President Aquino himself during the activities,” Manalang said. [CBCPNews]

Hacienda Luisita’s ‘bungkalan’ garners support from city govt.

MANILA, July 21, 2011—Farmer-workers in the disputed Hacienda Luisista have found a new ally, as the Council of Tarlac City has unanimously approved City Resolution No. 293, supporting the move by the farm-worker beneficiaries to till the portion of the hacienda, now owned by the Yuchengco Group of Companies, under the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

The Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA) said in a statement that the resolution was ratified and adopted by the City Council last July 14.

The Resolution urges the Supreme Court to revoke its earlier decision for a referendum regarding the fate of the hacienda, and to distribute the lands of the hacienda without any condition.

Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) vice chair Fidel Castro said, it was City Councilor Emily L. Facunla who personally delivered the copy of the resolution to AMBALA’s campout, inside the hacienda. Facunla, the sister of the late Abel Ladera, who was shot by unknown assassins, on March 3, 2005, was the first city official to visit the farmers’ campout in Barangay Balite, where the RCBC land is found.

“The farm-workers are very happy with the visit of councilor Facunla, especially when she expressed support of the bungkalan (tilling). She is the first government official, aside from the barangay officials, who visited the camp-out,” Castro said.

The bungkalan, which has started last June 15th, is a very historic event, since the portion of the land in the hacienda is converted into a communal farm, Castro said.

Castro explained that they opt to defy the High Tribunal’s decision to have a referendum, and even to face the legal consequences of their actions, as land conversion will impede the productivity of the hacienda as food-producing farm.

The RCBC aims to develop the land into an industrial park, covering more than 1/5 of the 500 hectare property, to house different Japanese companies.

Today, the farm-workers in the hacienda will march to the streets of Tarlac City to protest the non-distribution of the land. Expected to join them are more than 1,000 farmers from different parts of Region 3.

Meanwhile, the farm-workers and their supporters will file, before the Supreme Court, a motion for reconsideration against the proposed referendum, and then later will join the interfaith rally, organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines [CBCP]-Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace (ECSA-JP) and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. (Noel Sales Barcelona)

Four (4) Nueva Ecija robbers killed in shoot-out

SANTO DOMINGO, Nueva Ecija, July 20, 2011-Senior Superintendent Roberto L. Aliggayu, provincial police director reported that four suspected robbers believed to be members of a dreaded robbery-holdup gang who were responsible for a string of incidents in northern province were slain in a shoot-out with Nueva Ecija cops shortly after the suspects held-up a Baliwag Transit bus bound for Manila at dawn here today.

“The robbers who were killed in action (KIA) were Daryl Germino, Jeric Ace Dela Cruz, Raymund Dela Cruz and Mandy Villa, all of barangay Maliolio, Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija,” Aliggayu said, explaining that the four belonged to Petinez group who were responsible in the series of robbery-hold-up incidents in the towns of Talavera and Guimba, Muñoz Science City and San Jose City.

He said that around four in the morning, the Sto. Domingo police led by Chief Inspector Eric De Venancio conducted hot pursuit operations against the suspects shortly after they robbed a Manila-bound Baliwag Transit bus with license plate CBS-472.

The four suspects flagged down the bus in barangay Malasin, San Jose City and at gunpoint announced the heist and thereby divesting the passengers’ cash money, mobile phones, jewelries, and other valuable belongings of the victims then fled aboard with two motorcycles.

Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija Police Station.

Authorities conducted hot pursuit operation where the lawmen gave chase after the fleeing suspects were spotted driving along barangay Burgos here.

“The suspects were told to stop by the police but instead they fired at our police that brought to instantaneous firefight which resulted to the death of the culprits,” Aliggayu said.

Cops recovered from the scene of the crime caliber 45 pistol with magazine, two caliber 38 revolvers, a hand grenade, bag containing the loot, several empty shells for caliber 45 and 38, crash helmet and two motorcycles. (Jason de Asis)

Audit own intel funds, P-Noy told

MANILA, July 20, 2011—The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) urged the Aquino government to properly, transparently and completely audit the intelligence funds, amounting to P1.46 billion (US$34.05 million), which Congress has approved last year.

Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya’s national chair, said the President should inform the public how the amount is used and being used, as the said fund is now hounded by controversy, in relation to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s “intelligence funds scam,” which the Philippine Senate is now investigating.

“Mr. Aquino is legally obliged and morally bound to make an objective and transparent reporting. He should let COA [Commission on Audit] and an independent audit group to conduct an external audit of the P 1.46 B presidential pork barrel packaged as presidential intelligence funds,” Hicap said.

For years, the President’s “pork” had been speculated as being used in corruption and in some activities that do not benefit the public.

Intelligence or special fund for the President represents a portion of the total funds allocated to the Office of the President. The Online Free Dictionary says the fund, supposedly, is “for intelligence activities when the use of other funds is not applicable or would either jeopardize or impede the mission of the intelligence unit.” However, this fund, according to some critics is not subject to auditing, thus, it is prone to misusage and corruption.

On the other hand, the intelligence fund is not the only “highly questionable” money allotted to different agencies and instrumentalities, under the Office of the President.

Independent think-tank IBON Foundation says, 15 percent of the approved funds for 2011 are “ambiguous” as their use is improperly or ambiguously identified.

“These funds, composed of big budget items for no properly identified purpose, run contrary to the administration’s declared thrust of transparency and accountability,” said IBON in a statement.

IBON has enumerated the “ambiguous funds” as follows: 1) the P66.91-billion un-programmed funds and P1-billion contingent fund subject to essentially presidential discretion; 2) the P29.29-billion fund for the greatly expanded Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program (4Ps) and National Household Targeting System, as the DSWD has yet to properly establish that it has the capacity to implement the huge increase in the program and budget; 3) P15-billion fund divided equally among three ambiguous “public-private partnership support funds” under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and the Department of Agriculture; 4) P2.34-billion fund to the military for “support to national development” which is even a matter more appropriately left to civilian departments; 5) P1.46 billion in intelligence funds, which is P403 million more than in Arroyo’s 2010 budget; 6) P1.19 billion for “major information and communication technology projects”, which is reminiscent of the failed NBN-ZTE deal; and 7) the P24.82 billion for the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which increased from PhP10.9 billion in 2010.

IBON said the aforementioned items “should be completely justified with their purposes, programs and project specified.”

“There should also be a significant, if not full, audit and itemization of funds use in time for the budget season next year. These, the group said, are some steps towards greater transparency,” IBON further stated.

Meanwhile, IBON has advised the Congress to ‘clip’ the powers of the Chief Executive to withhold budget releases as the lump-sum funds are often used as “pork barrel” for the president.

“Doing this undermines their patronage character and will make them less prone to abuse,” IBON explained. (Noel Sales Barcelona)