3 towns in northern Aurora to be declared under state of calamity

CASIGURAN, Aurora, July 29, 2011-After the heavy continuous rains and floodings brought by typhoon ‘Juaning’ in northern Aurora, the towns of Dinalungan, Casiguran and Dilasag are now on the process to be declared under the state of calamity today.

Rommel Angara, chief of staff of Congressman Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said that the proclamation of the 3 towns under the state of calamity would enable the provincial government and the congress to help the affected villagers in northern Aurora.

Although sporadic heavy rains have stopped, nearly 1,000 villagers in northern Aurora were evacuated due to tropical storm ‘Juaning” which caused flash floods last Wednesday.

Angara said that last night, they reached Dinalungan town and they are now proceeding to Casiguran and Dilasag after the department of public works and highways has cleared the main route. “The offices of the congressman and the provincial government have already given relief goods in Dinalungan,” Angara said.

Dinalungan, Aurora.

“The provincial government and GMA7 Kapuso foundation trucks with relief goods were brought to the Philippine Navy in barangay Dinadiawan to transport them by the sea for the immediate response to the victims of typhoon in the towns of Casiguran and Dilasag,” Angara added, although the LGU’s prepositioned their relief goods in advance for immediate response.

The provincial government teams of 48^th Infantry Batallion, Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, police and rescue volunteers were sent to flood-prone areas in northern Aurora.

“Assessment on the damage to infrastructure and agriculture are still on-going; however, we will declare the 3 towns under the state of calamities today and progress report to follow,” Angara said in a telephone interview.

Casiguran, Aurora.

Earlier, it was reported   that 942 families involving 4,635 persons were evacuated in the towns of Dinalungan, Casiguran and Dilasag which have been isolated after landslides struck the landslide-prone Sitio Pimpolisan, Barangay Dianed and Barangay Abuleg in Dinalungan.

In Dilasag, 450 families were evacuated, followed by Dinalungan with 340 and 152 families in Casiguran.

The DPWH started clearing operation together with the army troopers yesterday and projected to be finished today. (Jason de Asis)

Quirino under state of calamity

QUIRINO, province, July 28, 2011-The entire province of Quirino has been declared under a state of calamity due to the devastation wrought by typhoon ‘Juaning’ in agriculture.

“There is a pressing need to give fullest assistance to our farmers in the province that was whipped by ‘Juaning’; thus, we declared the entire province under the state of calamity,” Governor Junie Cua said.

Cua told newsmen that a large portion in agriculture such as banana and corn fields among others which were at flowering stage have been destroyed by heavy rains and strong winds due to the storm.

Quirino Capitol Mart.

“The department of public works and highway already stopped in clearing the main route provincewide due to early operation of cleaning the area toppled by trees,” Cua said, adding that they are still conducting assessment on the damage in infrastructure and agriculture brought by typhoon in order to make a rehabilitation program to the affected villagers.

Prior to the declaration, other provinces such as Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Catanduanes were already under the state of calamity.

Partial reports from the national disaster risk reduction and management council revealed that the death toll caused by tropical storm ‘Juaning” jumped to 35 Thursday afternoon with more than 146,000 families affected by floods and heavy rains.

25 people were still missing including the 19 fishermen from Masbate who disappeared last July 27, 2011. (Jason de Asis)

(Update) Typhoon “Juaning” wrecked northern Aurora towns

BALER, Aurora, July 28, 2011-A close to 1,000 families were evacuated forcibly by the provincial government as heavy rains dumped by tropical storm “Juaning” Wednesday which caused flash floods in northern Aurora, stranding hundreds of commuters.

Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said that they are still assessing the extent of the damage to properties, infrastructures and agricultures by the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council who is out today exerting fullest effort to help Auroran’s.

“All relief goods were already pre-positioned to the affected families for the immediate response,” Angara-Castillo said.

Erson Egargue, chief of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council, said that 942 families involving 4,635 persons were evacuated in the towns of Dinalungan, Casiguran and Dilasag which have been isolated from this capital town after landslides struck the landslide-prone Sitio Pimpolisan, Barangay Dianed and Barangay Abuleg in Dinalungan.

Egargue said that Dilasag accounts for almost half of the number of families evacuated with 450, followed by Dinalungan with 340 and Casiguran (152 families).

Mud flowed and rocks littered the Baler-Casiguran-Dilasag national road which was closed to vehicular traffic. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started road-clearing operations today morning.

Elmer Dabbay, DPWH district engineer in the province, said that they expect to open the road at the soonest time possible.

Some Portions of the Baler-Bongabon road in Barangay Villa, Maria Aurora town was also closed when a makeshift bridge was washed away by floods. Also destroyed was the approach of the Dimalang Bridge in Barangay Culat, Casiguran.  

Disaster officials have advised against traveling through the Pantabangan-Canili road, the main route to the province because of continuous heavy rains.

Toppled trees in Dinalungan, Aurora.
(Photo Courtesy: LGU Dinalungan)

In Casiguran, almost chest-deep floodwaters buried nine (9) barangays when the Minanga, Muntay and Tabas rivers overflowed Wednesday.  

Rommel Angara, chief of staff of Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said that the flood affected barangays were Culat, Dibacong, Dibet, Esperanza, Estevez,  Poblacion 1, 2, 3 and 4 and Tabas.

Villagers from barangays of Culat, Dibacong and Esperanza were moved to higher grounds for safety with the help of Bravo Coy of the 48^th Infantry Batallion, Philippine Army (PA) led by Captain Ronaldo Ferrer and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

LTC Kurt Decapia, chief 48^th IB, PA said in a telephone interview that the soldiers are now helping our government in clearing the main route from Baler going to Dinalungan, Casiguran and Dilasag, adding that they are now bringing the relief goods donated by GMA7 Kapuso foundation for the affected villagers who were whipped by ‘Juaning’.

Strong winds blew off the roof of 30 houses at barangay Estevez and toppled the town’s century-old tree at Ermita Hill, Poblacion.

Heavy rains and winds toppled electric posts and trees, cutting off power last Tuesday night. (Jason de Asis)

Typhoon Juaning wrecked northern Aurora towns

CASIGURAN, Aurora, July 28, 2011-Rommel Angara, District chief of staff of Congressman Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara revealed that continues heavy rains starting Tuesday due to typhoon Juaning which struck Wednesday resulted to the flooding of nine (9) barangays here.

The Tabas, Minanga and Muntay river overflowed and the latter’s drainage culvert was damaged that caused the flooding in the barangays of Culat, Tabas, Esperanza, Estevez, Dibet, Poblacion 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The strong winds blew off the roof of 30 houses at barangay Estevez, including the falling of the town’s century tree at Ermita hill, Poblacion here.

Villagers of the affected barangays in Dibacong, Esperanza and Culat yesterday moved to the hills to escape the strong river current and rising floodwaters at past 10 in the morning which reached chest deep in this town.

“Casiguran was battered by strong heavy rains, winds and the town’s coastline was struck by strong waves,” he said.

Strong winds toppled electric posts and fallen trees hit the power lines that resulted to total black out Tuesday night.

Heavy strong winds blew off the roof of the school building in barangay Lawang in Dilasag.

At least 340 families along the riverside of village zone 1 in Dinalungan were evacuated Wednesday morning.

Effect of Juaning in Poblacion Dinalungan, Aurora.
(Photo Courtesy: LGU Dinalungan) 

“The local government units, police, army are already in the place and exerting fullest efforts to evacuate families in the flooded areas,” Angara said, adding that the relief goods were prepared to distribute to the victims of typhoon that hit northern Aurora to include the municipalities of Dinalungan, Dipaculao and Dilasag aside from Casiguran.

Angara said that clearing operations are on-going to fix landslides at Brgy. Dianed, Dipaculao. “The DPWH is in-charge in clearing the mud and rocks that blocked various portions of the Baler-Casiguran road,” he added.

“The provincial government is ready to give assistance to the affected families and the military and police are there to rescue them including the reported hundred of stranded vans and bus passengers in the barangays of Dianed and Dinadiawan,” he furthered.

Retrieval operations in the affected villages are still on-going to include the assessment of the damages on crops, livelihoods, properties, buildings among others. (Jason de Asis)

PhilRice developed rice hull gasifier that reduces irrigation costs by 44%

SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ, Nueva Ecija, July 28, 2011-To reduce irrigation costs by up to 44 percent and environmental hazards, a new rice hull gasifier engine-pump system was developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).

PhilRice executive said that farmers who use gasoline to run irrigation pumps in their farmlands can now heave a sigh of relief.

The facility was developed by a PhilRice team composed of Arnold S. Juliano, Joel A. Ramos, Leo B. Moliñawe, and Dr. Eulito Bautista. The team, led by Juliano, said that running the engine-pump with rice hull will only cost farmers less than a peso to generate a cubic meter of water while using gasoline-fueled pumps costs about P2 where the local mobile gasifier engine-pump system reduces irrigation costs up to 37 percent when using gasoline and 44 percent when utilizing diesel.

“A four kilogram rice hull load could run the engine for 90 minutes at a maintaining speed of 2000 rpm and discharges an average of five liters per second water from a ground water table of 2.15 meters.  Field tests also showed the gasifier can run up to 100 hours with minimal problems,” Juliano said.

He said that during the 24th National Rice R&D Conference at the institute’s central experiment station here and during the 61^st Annual National Convention of the Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers in Zamboanga del Norte, the study on the development of a mobile ricehull gasifier engine-pump system won best paper.

PhilRice, a government owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), is in the forefront of  developing high-yielding, cost-reducing, and environment-friendly technologies as part of its mandate to ensure that farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

“The machine is designed to be compact, mobile, and affordable and reduces green house gases emissions as rice hull is converted to power the machine. The wastes produced after rice hull burning within the system can be used as soil conditioner in seedbed, mulching material, and ingredient in producing organic fertilizer,” Juliano explained, adding that the machine has been improvised to be more movable by reducing machine components to 40 percent, cutting its volume weight from 500 to 400 kilogram. More significantly, he said with less parts, the cost is reduced from P86,000 to P65,000.

He said that by continuously improvising the machine, we hope that more farmer cooperatives will invest not only to save, but to help reduce the contribution of burning rice hull in global warming.

“I advised farmers who will use the machine to clean and dry the rice hull load to produce quality gas that can run the engine with high speed and maintain good water pumping performance. After an 80-hour operation, oil should also be changed,” Juliano ended. (Jason de Asis)

Senate approves Senator Chiz bill on enforced disappearances

In white T-shirt (L): Fr. Francis Lucas, CMN Chairman and
Senator Chiz Escudero at CBCP-CMN Forum.

MANILA, July 27, 2011-The Senate yesterday approved Senator Chiz Escudero’s senate bill no. 2817 that penalizes perpetrators of enforced or involuntary disappearances.

The bill is also known as “an Act defining and penalizing the crime of enforced or involuntary disappearance,” which imposes a jail term of 20 to 40 years on perpetrators of involuntary disappearance.

“Involuntary disappearance refers to the deprivation of liberty committed by state authorities such as the military, police or other law enforcers or by persons or groups of persons bearing authorization or the consent and support of public officers.”

Escudero, chairman of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, explained that there is no law at present that defines and penalizes enforced disappearances, saying that at present, complaints filed against perpetrators of involuntary disappearance are lodged as kidnapping, murder or illegal detention.

“The measure, in tandem with the recently approved Anti-Torture Law, provides strong “muscle” against abuse of state power,” Escudero said, adding that the crime of involuntary disappearance is not yet considered a crime under our laws so we are endorsing this bill to institute mechanisms and to strengthen existing policies in favor of human rights.

“The enactment of the bill will guarantee that the person under detention can immediately inform his/her family, relatives, lawyer or human rights organization of his/her whereabouts and condition,” he furthered.

The proposed bill prohibits the issuances of “orders of battle” or other similar issuances by the police, military or any law enforcement agency to justify an enforced or involuntary disappearance under Section 5.

Since the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, human rights advocates revealed that the rate of enforced disappearances has steadily increased.

Escudero cited the Franciscan International (FI) an organization founded by the Franciscan Order which revealed that the United Nations’ Working Group on Disappearances transmitted to the Philippine government a total of 781 cases of disappearances since it was established.  

Out of the 781 documented cases, 35 have been clarified based on the information received from the source, 126 cases have been clarified based on the information received by the Philippine government while 620 cases remained unsolved.

FI said that the majority of the targets were left wing and community activists who expressed criticisms against government policies and programs, especially those related to economic, social and cultural rights, including land issues.

Karapatan, a human rights advocates revealed that there were more than 900 activists, journalists, street children, petty thieves and outspoken clergy who were victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings last 2009.

“The imposition of penalties on perpetrators of enforced disappearances would drastically reduce the number of involuntary disappearances and extra-judicial killings in the country,” Escudero believed.

Section 14 of the proposed law also states that persons who directly force, instigate, encourage or induce others to commit the act of involuntary disappearance will be meted life imprisonment.

Life imprisonment will be meted to officials who allowed involuntary disappearances or those who abetted in the consummation of enforced disappearances when it is within their power to stop or to uncover the crime. Persons who cooperated in the execution of enforced disappearances by previous or simultaneous acts will also be meted life imprisonment.

The bill stated that those who attempted to commit the crime of involuntary disappearance as well as those who assisted the offenders by destroying evidence to prevent its discovery will be subjected for imprisonment of 12 years to 20 years awaits.

Persons who defy, ignore or unduly delay compliance with any order duly issued or promulgated pursuant to the writs of habeas corpus or amparo on their respective proceedings will also be subjected to imprisonment from six to 12 years.

Senators Escudero, Villar, Defensor-Santiago and Pangilinan filed SBN 2872, consolidated version of legislative measures. (Jason de Asis)

Abducted minor rescued by Nueva Ecija police

GUIMBA, Nueva Ecija, July 27, 2011-Police Supt. Edgar Alan Okubo, Operatives of the provincial public safety company (PPSC) chief of the Nueva Ecija police revealed that they successfully rescued a teenager from her abductor who was arrested in this town Monday. 

“The rescued minor was Donita Anne Baylon, 15 years old, high school student of Purok 1, Barangay Malapit, San Isidro town,” Okubo said.

The PPSC team conducted operation led by SPO2 Jaime Magno Jr. at around 1 in the morning, Monday at Purok 4, Barangay Kawayang Bugtong here. Baylon was rescued and her abductor was arrested who was identified as Sherwin Syegco, 25 years old, a cook, and a residence of Tinio St., Barangay San Nicolas, Gapan City.

“The successful rescue of Baylon was the result of a five-day intelligence build-up. The victim went missing last July 20, apparently when she went out of the house of her guardian Rosita Arribe shortly after the latter scolded her,” Okubo said, explaining that the victim found her way in nearby Gapan City and met Syegco in a nearby store in Barangay San Nicolas where the suspect works as a cook. The suspect, who was known to Baylon and her guardian, was able to convince the girl to go with him.

Aribe, together with her brother, barangay chairman Noel sta. Ines of Malapit, San Isidro tried to locate Baylon but to no avail. Then they were told by Joan Manrique, class adviser of Baylon, that the girl was last seen with Syegco.

Sta. Ines immediately called up Syegco asking the latter if Baylon was with him, which the suspect denied.

Sta. Ines later received information that Syegco brought the girl somewhere in Kawayan Bugtong in this town. Sta. Ines then sought the assistance of the PPSC which deployed a team to scour the area.

Sta. Ines accompanied the police team to help them identify both Syegco and Baylon.

“We have already filed charges of violations of Article 343 of the Revised Penal Code for consented abduction against Syegco,” Okubo ended. (Jason de Asis)

CBCP assures Aquino help to fight corruption

MANILA, July 26, 2011—The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines is with the government in its efforts to combat corruption, a Church official said.

“The Church had long been involved and continues its crusade against corruption and if the government is really serious, we can work together, said Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez.

The prelate, who heads the CBCP’s Committee on Public Affairs, said Aquino’s pronouncement against his administration’s campaign against corruption deserves the support of the public.

“He wanted to call us to participate in the fight versus corruption… That is indeed called for,” said Iñiguez.

Last Monday during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), Aquino said his fight against corruption is “personal” and should be similarly pursued by the general public.

It can be recalled that then CBCP President Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, in February 2008, had called for “communal action” against corruption in the government of then president Gloria Arroyo.

The statement of Iñiguez comes at a time when the CBCP and the government are at odds over the controversial reproductive health bill. [CBCPNews]

P’Noy flagship against corruption should be filed by yearend-Sen. Miriam

MANILA, July 26, 2011-“If President Aquino fails to set a deadline, his flagship program against corruption will become unsustainable,” Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said.

Santiago, who won her Magsaysay Award for fighting governmental corruption advised President Aquino that there is a pressing need to set the yearend as the absolute deadline for resolving the entire backlog of cases pending with the Office of the Ombudsman, explaining that the Ombudsman has a term of seven years, and Pres. Aquino should appoint a muscular, adrenaline-packed nominee, because of the high caseload.

“The President should order that in the resolution of cases, priority should be given to criminal cases unearthed recently, such as corruption among generals in the military, generals in the police, and officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Pagcor,” she said, adding that the way to dispose of the backlog is for the President to authorize the justice secretary to appoint special prosecutors with the sole function of resolving pending cases in the Ombudsman.

“Unless the Congress practices self-restraint and shortens public hearings on anomalies, Malacañang should not wait for the result of legislative probes,” she said where the Congress takes forever to investigate anomalies.

She said that we lose a lot of time because the senators and representatives are fishing for evidence. Some of them also try awkwardly to varnish their image in front of the TV cameras where the public gets exasperated.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, she gives the following grades for President Aquino's first year: general administration - 6.5; anticorruption - 7; family behavior – 8,” the senator said, saying that the SONA event should be supported by the entire political community, because it symbolizes national unity.

“All three branches are present in the SONA event, the only time that we are all together. The ceremony is a symbol of governmental unity. It is not the proper venue for political protests, because contrary to misimpression, this is not beneficial to the President. During this event, all of us in the government should be respectful and civilize,” she said.

Santiago is set to start this week her defense of the RH bill in the Senate, by delivering the first of three parts. “My defense on RH bill is over 60 pages long. I have to break it up into three separate speeches,” she said. (Jason de Asis)

New Nolcom chief assumes post

TARLAC CITY, July 25 2011-The new top official of the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) formally assumed his post last Friday replacing Lt. General Gaudencio Pangilinan who retired from the service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Major General Jessie Dellosa, new Nolcom chief is now leading the unified armed forces command whose jurisdiction covers the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and Central Luzon regions

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Oban witnessed the change of command here at the headquarters of Nolcom inside Camp Aquino, Tarlac.

Dellosa lauded his predecessor and vowed to continue his legacy revolving around for the “daang matuwid” or straight path advocacy of President Aquino.

Dellosa is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA ) “Matapat “ Class of 1979. He served as the commander of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, Deputy Commander of AFP Central Command and the Commandant of Cadets of the PMA, prior to his assignment.

He was also designated as head of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, Chief of Staff of the 4th Infantry Division, Officer-In-Charge of the AFP Office of Ethical Standards and Public Accountability and Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, G 3 of the 1st Infantry Division. (Jason de Asis)

Youth leaders warned of moral corruption if RH bill is passed

MANILA, July 25, 2011―Youth leaders were warned of the destructive outcome of the reproductive health bill on marriage and family life if the proposed measure pending in Congress is ever passed.

The passage of the highly controversial RH Bill will lead to the moral corruption of the youth and foster a decadent lifestyle destructive of Filipino values and tradition, according to a pro-life lawyer.

Lawyer George Dee, pro-life advocacy coordinator of the Commission on Family and Life of the Diocese of San Pablo, aired the warning in a special symposium held July 23 before a gathering of 200 youth leaders at the St. Michael's Retreat House in Antipolo City.

Dee told youth leaders not to be deceived by how the bill is crafted, with nice words and seemingly harmless language purporting to advance the interest and the well-being of women and the youth.

He said the apparently harmless words are merely used as a cover up for the real design of the proposed measure which is a coercive birth control program intended to depopulate the country through an aggressive contraception and sterilization program.

The lawyer stressed that the massive proliferation of contraceptive pills and devices readily accessible even to the young, plus the mandatory sex-education component of the bill geared for grade V to fourth year high school will lead to moral corruption of the youth.

He said the bill's objective of "satisfying and safe sex" for partners regardless whether they are married or not will destroy the sacredness of human sexuality as God-given gift for the exclusive enjoyment of married couples and would treat women as mere objects of pleasure.

This mentality will foment a decadent lifestyle where the sanctity of marriage will be meaningless and the youth would be its foremost victim, he said.

Dee also pointed out that the youth's early exposure to sex education based on the population control agenda will strip them of their innocence and takes away from the parents the primary right to educate their children.

He further explained that in situations where married couples have to space their children for grave reasons, resort to natural methods of fertility regulation is perfectly and morally acceptable.

He urged the youth leaders to take their stand in the fight against the RH Bill and in other similar anti-life bills.

The forum was organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs of the Diocese of Antipolo whose bishop, the Most Reverend Gabriel Reyes was recently elected Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

He will take over the ECFL Chairmanship from Archbishop Paciano Aniceto in December this year.

Fr. Melvin Castro is currently the Executive Secretary of the ECFL. (CBCPNews)

Enrile calls to promptly act on the proposed 2012 national budget

MANILA, July 25, 2011-As the senate deliberation will start on the proposed general appropriation act of 2012 today, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile bats his colleagues to promptly act on the proposed national budget for 2012, citing the need for Congress to pass bills that would help government in building the nation’s fiscal and economic capabilities, as well as to strengthen the country’s environmental and defense mechanisms. 

“Early approval would allow the chamber to assess the various programs of the Aquino administration under a ‘reform budget’,” Enrile said, adding that the ideal scenario is for Congress to pass the budget earlier than the date it passed last year’s budget.

As the Senate prepares to buckle down to work today, Enrile said that the people expect the senate to make tough decisions, saying that the citizenry elected them to see to it that they have a voice in helping reform the society, and owe it to them to see to it that their needs are met. This is the time to crank the gears of the engine of sustainable development and use these available resources for the common good,” Enrile explained.

Enrile pointed out that the Congress needed to pass important legislative measures that will show the Filipino people that their government meant business.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

“The heavy flooding in various parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, the recent findings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on alleged fund misappropriations in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and the allegations of electoral fraud committed last 2004 and 2007 elections which have brought to light the need for Congress to enact legislation that would address these problems,” Enrile cited.

During the first Legislative-Executive Advisory Council (LEDAC), Senate sources said that with the opening of the 2^nd Regular Session of the 15^th Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives are set to focus on bills discussed.

The priority measures included in the LEDAC main concerns were signed into law by the president before the end of the 1^st Regular Session such as R.A. 10151, rationalizing the night work prohibition on women workers; R.A. 10149, promoting financial viability and fiscal discipline in government-owned and controlled corporations; RA 10153, synchronizing the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with the national and local elections; and RA 10154, which mandates all government agencies to ensure the early release of a retiring state worker’s retirement benefits within 30 days of his or her actual date of retirement.

Two pro-poor bills were enacted into law were the Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act of 2011 (R.A. 10152), and the Act Extending the Implementation of the Lifeline Rate (R.A. 10150).

The Senate also passed on second reading three bills discussed in the first LEDAC meeting such as the Whistleblower’s Protection Act of 2011 (SBN 2860), which sought to provide better protection, security and benefits for whistleblowers; the Kindergarten Education Act (SBN 2700) which called for the institutionalization of kindergarten education into the basic education system and prescribing a mother tongue-based multi-lingual education; the National Health Insurance Act (SBN 2849) which sought to amend and improve the country’s current national health insurance policy. (Jason de Asis)

Priests, student activists list down PNoy’s successes, failures in time for SONA

SAN PABLO City, July 24, 2011—Some priests of Laguna and student activists in Southern Tagalog have separately listed down various accomplishments and failures of President Benigno Noynoy C. Aquino III during his first year in office.

Catholic priest Fr. Albert San Jose of Pakil town said that President Noynoy is on the right track because he prioritizes on discipline which is one of the number one needs of every Filipino but he is quite disturbed by the president’s indifference in promoting morality. He did not elaborate.

Fr. Jerry Oblepias, parish priest of Del Remedio Parish in San Pablo on his part, said in a text message that PNoy’s accomplishments included the silencing of “Wangwang” which were being abused in the past by both government and private commuters just to avoid being trapped during heavy traffic.

He also praised the president for setting the example of not putting his name and pictures on every government projects, road infrastructures during his one year old regime.

But Oblepias also listed down the various failures of the president, namely the Hacienda Luisita issue where land reform was still unimplemented. The problem of corruption is not yet rooted out and he failed to bring the people to moral ground and solve poverty.

Fr. Rudy Carabuena of Calumpang, Liliw Parish however, praised Aquino for the resignation of former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez recently and the probe of the alleged over-importation by National Food Authority (NFA) by the previous administration under former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

President Aquino himself had revealed that NFA incurred a debt of P171.6 billion in the over-importation of rice in 2004 and 2007.

Meanwhile a press report said that youth leaders in Southern Tagalog particularly expressed dismay on the Noynoy administration’s continued lack of support to improve the state of education in the country. The effects of the budget cut for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) last December have but worsened the state of education in the province.

Students from the Cavite State University (CVSU) – Naic campus for example has faced tuition and other fee increase (TOFI) of more than 100% this semester. Due to the TOFI, enrollment dropped in the campus including its pioneer course of B.S. Fisheries which nearly got dissolved due to lack of enrollees.

“It is disheartening that the very essence of satellite campuses of SUCs in rural areas - which is to allow the poor to have access to quality education, is slowly becoming a myth. We see Aquino’s policies killing the future of the youth as the hope of the nation,” stressed Ruffa Solano, deputy-secretary general of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) - Southern Tagalog.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Christian University in Dasmariñas only received around 300 enrollees this semester. School administrators may opt to close down the school due to this low number of enrollees. Solano said this is but an indicator that more and more parents could no longer afford to send their children to private schools. “But they have nowhere else to go since tuition fees in SUCs are almost at par with private schools,” she added.

Members of Kabataan Partylist at the high school level in CVSU-Rosario expressed opposition to Aquino’s K-12 program. The campus, which is close to the Economic Processing Zone Authority (EPZA), offers primarily technical and vocational skills to college students.

“Here students are blatantly exploited during internship and right after graduation they are automatically hired as welders and assembly men for EPZA. The K-12 program which offers vocational and technical skills to high school discourages tertiary education and ultimately hurries the youth into serving the foreign capitalists interest instead of serving the people for genuine national development,” said Anakbayan Timog –Katagalugan Spokesperson Neil John Macuha. (Fr. Romy Ponte)