Legarda Reports Results of Senate Investigation on Glenn Defense

MANILA, January 6, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda today reported the results of the joint investigation of the Committees on Foreign Relations and Environment and Natural Resources on the alleged dumping of wastes in seawaters by MT Glenn Guardian, a vessel owned by Glenn Defense Marine Asia Pte Ltd.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that the investigation by the Senate produced wide-ranging inputs from various stakeholders which showed that Glenn Defense clearly violated Philippine laws when it dumped sewage waste in seawaters covered by the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on October 15, 2012.

The Senate investigation also established that the dumping of sewage wastes it collected from US ships was an established practice of Glenn Defense over the past years.

“We are talking here of millions of liters of sewage wastes disposed at sea by Glenn Defense over a period of time, without the requisite permits from the government. They do not even have the necessary accreditation as waste collectors from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority,” Legarda said.

In October 2012, MT Glenn Guardian was found to have dumped in the Philippine EEZ, around 200,000 liters of sewage wastes it had collected from US ship Emory Land.  It was found that these wastes were in excess of the permitted effluent standards set by the DENR.  

The investigation also established, based on the analysis of the Philippine Coast Guard, that the sewage wastes were dumped by MT Glenn Guardian in areas outside of the designated dumping sites, again in violation of Philippine regulations.

The Senator also said that the mandate of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFACOM), which is to ensure “respect for Philippine laws, state policies, and strict compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the concerned departments and agencies” under Executive Order no. 199, needs to be strongly enforced.  The investigation established lapses in the enforcement of laws and regulations.

“The DENR and the Philippine Coast Guard should pro-actively carry out their mandated functions in relation to marine pollution control. It is lamentable that all these violations are happening under the noses of government officials; some of them looking the other way while disrespect for our laws is happening,” Legarda said.

Legarda said that among the recommendations in the report is the conduct of administrative proceedings and criminal proceedings against Glenn Defense and, if warranted, even its blacklisting. 

“This incident and the unfortunate grounding of a US minesweeper in Tubbataha Reef are two different incidents, grounded on the same issue – the need for better coordinative and implementing arrangements to ensure, as stated in the Executive Order creating the VFACOM, ‘respect for Philippine laws, state policies…and strict compliance with rules and regulations’ by our treaty partner and all entities performing services outside of the VFA,” she stressed.

“Our government agencies need to understand that in any Agreement or Treaty, national interest is first and second to none,” Legarda concluded.

Ecija mayor, 9 town execs charged before Ombudsman for graft

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija, February 5, 2013–A municipal mayor in Nueva Ecija and eight municipal officials were slapped with criminal cases before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged anomalous transactions and malversation of public funds.

          Charged with falsification of public documents, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to public interest before the Office of the Ombudsman were Mayor Richard Ramos of Lupao, Nueva Ecija and his subordinates engineer Bernardo Bascos, municipal planning and development coordinator, municipal treasurer Arthur Villar, municipal social welfare and development officer Danilo Jacang, and bids and awards committee (BAC) members Camilo Orofino Jr., Roger Nerizon, Benigno de Vera, Veritum Tolete and Charito Alambra.

          Also charged was businesswoman Shiela Marie Jacalan, owner of the SRS gas filling station, a first cousin of Ramos, and sister of Orofino.

          Ramos is running for reelection against councilor Marivic Bajet-Vendivil, wife of slain former mayor Alfredo Vendivil.

          The five-page complaint against the 10 were filed by Joselito Zarate,an employee of the treasurer’s office. It stemmed from the purchase by the municipal government of P767, 627.66 worth of gasoline and diesel from Jacalan who was accused of being favored for being a relative of Ramos.

          The complaint cited a Commission on Audit that the municipal government incurred gasoline and vehicle repair and maintenance expenses worth P3.1 million without official documents.

          In his complaint, Zarate said Ramos and the other officials allowed Jacalan to participate in the bidding even though she is his relative in violation of Rule 15, Section 47 of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9184, also known as the Government Procurement Reform Act).

          “Respondent Ramos knew but he just let her take part in the bidding and did not do his duty to protect the interest of the municipal government,” Zarate said in his complaint. 

         “Worst,” Zarate added,  “the respondent-members of the BAC had disqualified other bidders with respondent Jacalan emerging as the only remaining bidder is respondent Jacalan.”

              Batid aniya ni Ramos na disqualified si Jacalan na makilahok subalit hinayaan lamang nito.

        

            The other official were included in the complaint for allegedly conspiring to rig the bidding, with Orofino signing the purchase documents covering the gasoline supply from SRS, a company owned by his sister Jacalan.   

           

           “It indeed appears that respondents are in unison and conspiracy to rig the bidding to award the supply of the fuel and oil products to SRS Gas Filling Station for their own personal benefits and advantage  to the prejudice and damage of the Municipal government of Lupao, Nueva Ecija,” the complaint said.

        Zarate attached in his complaint-affidavit a supplemental complaint accusing Ramos, Villar at municipal accountant Marciano Panahon of  malversation of public funds, grave misconduct, dishonesty, gross negligence and conduct prejudicial to public interest.

           This is in connection with P730,000 reportedly deducted from municipal employees from December 2005 up to June 2007 as their share in the Pag-Ibig Funds. Due to the non-remittance of their Pag-Ibig contributions, the employees could not avail of loans.

        

      “This is a clear violation of Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code (malversation of public funds or property),” he said. 

       

           Zarate said Villar and Panahon advised him to talk to Ramos regarding the problem but the mayor did not do anything.

“Evidently, he must be an accomplice or accessory, if not conspirator, for malversation of these personal and government shares which are considered as public funds,” the supplemental complaint stated.

He said the problem worsened when the loan to Pag-ibig ballooned to P2 million in 2011. (Manny Galvez)

Trillanes: News reports on Senate spending incomplete, misleading

MANILA, February 4, 2013-Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV challenged media practitioners to publish the full report of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the expenditure of the Senate in 2011.

Trillanes said the COA report, which was the basis of news reports, was “partial and misleading” because it only presented the office expenses and permanent committee expenses of each senator.

What the reports failed to include, he pointed out, were expenses of oversight committees of Senate members and their realigned budget for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) from their unfilled plantilla positions, as well as the additional budget given by the Office of the Senate President.

“I urge our responsible media practitioners to publish the full COA report, including the oversight committee expenses and the realignment of budget of each senator in the interest of transparency and fairness,” said Trillanes.

  

“If we are going to include the oversight committee expenses in the COA report, I am among those with the smallest expenditure. Unlike other senators handling multiple oversight committees, I handle only the Senate Select Oversight Committee on Government Procurement. This is not shown in the released COA report,” Trillanes protested.

He added that “based on the figures shown in the yearly COA reports, most of my expenditures are categorized under the office expenses, which is due to the fact that I have the most number of employees. It is based on the quota given to my office and I simply filled it up. ”

“Furthermore, the report did not reflect that most of the senators with unfilled plantilla positions realigned their budget to their MOOE. If we are going to factor this in, it will show that I am also among those with the smallest expenditure,” Trillanes said.

The senator also explained that his office expenses “are within the limit set by the law and are used to perform my functions as a legislator.

Since 2010, Trillanes has been the 4th most productive senator in terms of number of bills and resolutions filed with 729 bills and resolutions, 29 of which have been passed into law. He is 2nd both in terms of the most number of national bills sponsored and committee hearings conducted. 

Legarda Hopes for Passage of World Interfaith Harmony Week Bill

MANILA, February 3, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda, author of Senate Bill No. 3276 or the World Interfaith Harmony Week Bill, said that the measure has been approved on third reading in the Senate and now awaits the concurrence of the House of Representatives.

"I hope that the World Interfaith Harmony Week Bill will be passed by the House before the close of Fifteenth Congress next week. The rationale of the UN resolution is a need to find genuine understanding amongst people of different faiths and belief systems. This finds resonance in the Philippines, as we will certainly benefit from dialogues between leaders and representatives of religious institutions. The harmony we are pushing for is democratic, and built on effective communication and mutual respect," she explained.

The proposed measure will mandate all government agencies and instrumentalities on the first week of February every year to carry out the observance of activities designed to advance the message of harmony and goodwill in accordance with religious traditions and practices.

"Gatherings and activities for World Interfaith Harmony Week have been held in various countries across the world with diverse backgrounds, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Italy, and Jordan. Even in our country, the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines (NUCP) staged a gathering in Zamboanga City in honor of inter-religious cooperation. Beginning 2014, we can conduct nationwide immersion programs and educational discussions geared towards forging lasting friendships," she added.

"I believe that this measure will greatly contribute to easing any conflict or tension caused by differing religious beliefs in the country," Legarda concluded.

Legarda Bats for Mandatory Healthcare Coverage for Indigent Filipinos

MANILA, February 2, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda today stressed the importance of the passage of a measure that would institutionalize mandatory healthcare coverage for poor families in the country.

Legarda, principal author and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2849 which aims to amend the charter of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), said that even as the national government is doing its share to cover the health insurance needs of indigent Filipinos, a law that will institutionalize such arrangement is needed to ensure continuity of the program.

“It is encouraging that through the Department of Health’s Kalusugan Pangkalahatan, the poorest 20% of Filipinos identified in the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction have been automatically enrolled by the national government to PhilHealth. It is now the task of Congress to institutionalize this program through an amended National Health Insurance Act,” she explained.

The Senator pointed out that the bill, which was recently approved on Second Reading, mandates that an affordable and accessible healthcare coverage should be made available to all citizens and that the national government will subsidize the contributions for indigent enrollees and abandoned children.

“As we race to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, the health of the public deserves to be on top in the scheme of priorities of the government. By institutionalizing this program through the Amended National Health Insurance Act, we can extend quality and cost-effective healthcare to families in need,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda Stresses Need for Better Regulation of Environmental Planning Profession

MANILA, February 1, 2013-Stressing the crucial role of environmental planners in the development of sustainable communities and ecosystems, Senator Loren Legarda said that there is a need for a more responsive and comprehensive regulation of environmental planning practice in the country.

Legarda, principal author of Senate Bill 3138, the Environmental Planning Act of 2012 recently approved on Second Reading, said that the law regulating the practice of Environmental Planning in the Philippines, Presidential Decree No. 1308, was enacted more than 30 years ago and many parts of the law have to be updated.

“Senate Bill 3138 provides a more responsive and comprehensive regulation for the registration, licensing and practice of the profession of Environmental Planning in light of local and international developments in the field, which encompasses a plethora of planning concerns such as climate change, natural and built environments, subdivision planning, disaster prevention/mitigation/response, among others,” she explained.

“With the need of the national government and local government units (LGUs) for various types of planning for the super-regions, regions, provinces, districts, cities, and municipalities, it is imperative that these environmental planners are proven competent to perform such sensitive tasks and to assume the attendant professional responsibilities and civil liabilities for their prepared, signed and sealed plans,” Legarda said.

The bill also proposes a clearer definition of the practice of Environmental Planning and the expansion of the types of academic degrees required to qualify for the licensure examination, likewise providing for continuing professional education to make Philippine Environmental Planners globally recognized and competitive.

P468-M JICA-funded bridge to provide infra link to 50,000 folks in Aurora, Quezon

DINGALAN, Aurora – An estimated 50,000 residents in 22 barangays in the twin provinces of Aurora and Quezon will be the direct beneficiaries of a P468-million,  Japanese government-funded bridge which was launched in this coastal town.

Sen. Edgardo Angara said the 358-linear meter Umiray bridge, funded mostly by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, will – for the first time – open the province to Quezon (formerly Tayabas) by June 2014 and will open up a third gateway to Aurora through the Manila-Infanta Road.

“As you can see, Aurora is connected to Manila only via the Baler-Bongabon (Nueva Ecija) and the Pantabangan (Nueva Ecija)-Canili (Ma. Aurora) Road. So essentially, you are opening a third gateway to Aurora with this bridge,” he said.

Angara and Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe led the ground-breaking rites for the bridge in Barangay Umiray in the boundary of the twin provinces. Also witnessing the event were Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, JICA senior representative Sachiko Takeda,Department of Agrarian Reform undersecretary for support services Jerry Pacturan,  Quezon Gov. David Suarez, and Mayors Zenaida Padiernos of Dingalan and Leovigildo Ruzol of Gen. Nakar.

The Umiray river serves as a boundary for the two barangays that are named after the river, one side is in Dingalan, Aurora belonging to Central Luzon. The other side is in Gen. Nakar, Quezon which is under Southern Tagalog.

Angara said the river is a very important river basin because its water supplies Metro Manila with drinking water and the provinces of Bulacan and Rizal with irrigation water.

Pacturan said the  bridge project is part of the government’s efforts to spur rural development, ease poverty and ensure food security through improved trade and commerce in the area where people could bring with ease their goods from one side of the river to the other.

Pacturan said Umiray folks  pay a high cost in hauling a sack of farm goods from either side of Gen. Nakar or of Dingalan, which is pegged at P70 – P50 for manual hauling and P20 for boat fare.

He said the amount would substantially be reduced to P15 once the bridge becomes available for traffic by June 2014, its target date of completion, the very year when the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) expires. By then, farm goods can be transported on passenger jeepneys or tricycles.

Pacturan said the project is the culmination of a three-year consultation and planning conferences between and among all concerned national and local government agencies in partnership with JICA which will finance P368 million out of its total cost of P468 million.

Once completed, the bridge would also considerably reduce travel time and expenses from Aurora to Quezon and vice versa, and spare local residents from negotiating long stretches of rough and rugged road just to get to the town proper of either Dingalan or Gen. Nakar.

A total of 50,093 residents in 22 barangays of the two provinces, including 13,735 in four agrarian reform communities (ARCs) – Umiray in Gen. Nakar and Umiray, Ibona and Matawe in Dingalan – will directly benefit from the bridge.

Ruzol said the bridge will also help ease the long-standing problem of local residents of Nakar of being isolated, especially during rainy seasons or when natural calamities occur, such as flashfloods and rain-induced landslides. (Manny Galvez)

Legarda Pushes for Declaration of Waling-Waling as Nat’l Flower

MANILA, January 31, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda is pushing for the declaration of the Waling-Waling as another national flower to make its beauty known to the whole country and to the world.

“The Waling-Waling’s beauty adorns our treetops, especially in Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is endemic. But there are threats to its survival, as the flowers that grow and thrive in the wild are harvested for commercial and decorative purposes, and their habitat is destroyed by deforestation,” Legarda said.

In October 2012, Legarda filed Senate Bill 3307, or An Act Declaring the Waling-Waling Orchid as National Flower of the Philippines in Addition to Sampaguita as Declared in Proclamation No. 652 Dated 01 February 1934 by Governor-General Frank Murphy.

The bill, which was submitted for the Senate’s approval under Committee Report 497, was passed on second reading on January 28.

“The approval of this measure will place the Waling-Waling under protection, as it will mandate the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources to promulgate rules and regulations for conserving and propagating the Waling-Waling orchid together with Sampaguita,” the Senator stressed.

The Waling-Waling, known as the Queen of Philippine Orchids, has been confirmed by the National Museum of the Philippines as indigenous and endemic to our country, while the Sampaguita is native to India and Arabia.

“Our national symbols are vital to our identity as Filipinos. As we discover more about ourselves, we must also update the symbols that represent us. I believe that initiatives to do so increase the engagement of everyday Filipinos with the symbols of our nation, and aid in our nation-building process. Thus, in addition to Sampaguita, I hope that the Waling-Waling Orchid be declared a National Flower of the Philippines,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda Pushes for Declaration of Waling-Waling as Nat’l Flower

MANILA, January 31, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda is pushing for the declaration of the Waling-Waling as another national flower to make its beauty known to the whole country and to the world.

“The Waling-Waling’s beauty adorns our treetops, especially in Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is endemic. But there are threats to its survival, as the flowers that grow and thrive in the wild are harvested for commercial and decorative purposes, and their habitat is destroyed by deforestation,” Legarda said.

In October 2012, Legarda filed Senate Bill 3307, or An Act Declaring the Waling-Waling Orchid as National Flower of the Philippines in Addition to Sampaguita as Declared in Proclamation No. 652 Dated 01 February 1934 by Governor-General Frank Murphy.

The bill, which was submitted for the Senate’s approval under Committee Report 497, was passed on second reading on January 28.

“The approval of this measure will place the Waling-Waling under protection, as it will mandate the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources to promulgate rules and regulations for conserving and propagating the Waling-Waling orchid together with Sampaguita,” the Senator stressed.

The Waling-Waling, known as the Queen of Philippine Orchids, has been confirmed by the National Museum of the Philippines as indigenous and endemic to our country, while the Sampaguita is native to India and Arabia.

“Our national symbols are vital to our identity as Filipinos. As we discover more about ourselves, we must also update the symbols that represent us. I believe that initiatives to do so increase the engagement of everyday Filipinos with the symbols of our nation, and aid in our nation-building process. Thus, in addition to Sampaguita, I hope that the Waling-Waling Orchid be declared a National Flower of the Philippines,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda Pushes for Declaration of Waling-Waling as Nat’l Flower

MANILA, January 31, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda is pushing for the declaration of the Waling-Waling as another national flower to make its beauty known to the whole country and to the world.

“The Waling-Waling’s beauty adorns our treetops, especially in Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is endemic. But there are threats to its survival, as the flowers that grow and thrive in the wild are harvested for commercial and decorative purposes, and their habitat is destroyed by deforestation,” Legarda said.

In October 2012, Legarda filed Senate Bill 3307, or An Act Declaring the Waling-Waling Orchid as National Flower of the Philippines in Addition to Sampaguita as Declared in Proclamation No. 652 Dated 01 February 1934 by Governor-General Frank Murphy.

The bill, which was submitted for the Senate’s approval under Committee Report 497, was passed on second reading on January 28.

“The approval of this measure will place the Waling-Waling under protection, as it will mandate the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources to promulgate rules and regulations for conserving and propagating the Waling-Waling orchid together with Sampaguita,” the Senator stressed.

The Waling-Waling, known as the Queen of Philippine Orchids, has been confirmed by the National Museum of the Philippines as indigenous and endemic to our country, while the Sampaguita is native to India and Arabia.

“Our national symbols are vital to our identity as Filipinos. As we discover more about ourselves, we must also update the symbols that represent us. I believe that initiatives to do so increase the engagement of everyday Filipinos with the symbols of our nation, and aid in our nation-building process. Thus, in addition to Sampaguita, I hope that the Waling-Waling Orchid be declared a National Flower of the Philippines,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda Pushes for Declaration of Waling-Waling as Nat’l Flower

MANILA, January 31, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda is pushing for the declaration of the Waling-Waling as another national flower to make its beauty known to the whole country and to the world.

“The Waling-Waling’s beauty adorns our treetops, especially in Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is endemic. But there are threats to its survival, as the flowers that grow and thrive in the wild are harvested for commercial and decorative purposes, and their habitat is destroyed by deforestation,” Legarda said.

In October 2012, Legarda filed Senate Bill 3307, or An Act Declaring the Waling-Waling Orchid as National Flower of the Philippines in Addition to Sampaguita as Declared in Proclamation No. 652 Dated 01 February 1934 by Governor-General Frank Murphy.

The bill, which was submitted for the Senate’s approval under Committee Report 497, was passed on second reading on January 28.

“The approval of this measure will place the Waling-Waling under protection, as it will mandate the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources to promulgate rules and regulations for conserving and propagating the Waling-Waling orchid together with Sampaguita,” the Senator stressed.

The Waling-Waling, known as the Queen of Philippine Orchids, has been confirmed by the National Museum of the Philippines as indigenous and endemic to our country, while the Sampaguita is native to India and Arabia.

“Our national symbols are vital to our identity as Filipinos. As we discover more about ourselves, we must also update the symbols that represent us. I believe that initiatives to do so increase the engagement of everyday Filipinos with the symbols of our nation, and aid in our nation-building process. Thus, in addition to Sampaguita, I hope that the Waling-Waling Orchid be declared a National Flower of the Philippines,” Legarda concluded.

Team PNoy, not Team Pinoy, clarifies Drilon

MANILA, January 30, 2013-The campaign manager of the administration senatorial candidates, Liberal Party stalwart Senator Franklin M. Drilon, today clarified that the pro-administration senatorial coalition team was named Team PNoy and not Team Pinoy as being reported in the media.

Team PNoy, a coalition that was formed among the Liberal Party-Nacionalista Party-Nationalist People's Coalition and Akbayan last year, is, aside from P-Noy, the most common and preferred reference to President Aquino.

It is the real and only team of the President for the upcoming mid-term elections, stressed Drilon.

“These are the people who the President chose to be his team in order to push his reforms for the last three years of his administration. It is clear to him: ito ang kasama ko sa tuwid na daan,” he said.

“This is his team and he is asking his people to support his team because he has a number of reforms to push for the last three years of his administration. Kung may tiwala sila kay Presidente, iboboto nila itong kasama ni Presidente.” he added.

He also said the coalition’s new-found name clearly draws the line between the people who chose to align with the President’s reforms and to pursue straight path in carrying out their roles in the Senate and those who are only disguising as “matuwid.”      

While there are others who are trying to join the “Daang Matuwid”, not everyone is sincere, not everyone can be trusted, said Drilon. There are 12 names that PNoy can trust: Rep. Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino, Sen. Alan Cayetano, Sen. Francis Escudero, former Rep. Rissa Hontiveros, Sen. Loren Legarda, former Sen. Jamby Madrigal, former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., Sen. Koko Pimentel, Grace Poe, Sen. Antonio Trillanes and former Rep. Cynthia Villar.

Also, the Team PNoy implies that all the candidates running under this team are under the tutelage of the President, ended Drilon.

UNA wants to turn PNoy into a lame duck president, says Drilon

MANILA, January 30, 2013-Senator Franklin M. Drilon, the campaign manager of Team PNoy today said the victory of the administration senatorial candidates in the May 2013 elections will thwart any plan of the opposition to turn President Aquino into a lame duck leader in the next three years.

Drilon, a Liberal Party stalwart, also stressed that the victory of the administration’s senatorial bets in the upcoming elections will play a crucial role in escalating the reforms that President Aquino intends to do in the last three years of his governance.

“In the last three years of this administration, the opposition is trying to make this administration a lame duck. We are conscious of that. The President is conscious of that. We draw the line and we will not be lame duck. We will have the majority of the people with us because we still have reforms to do,” emphasized Drilon.

“That’s a challenge for us. We will show that for the next three years, we will do things correctly; we will do things in a manner that a decent right-thinking will do regardless of politics,” he added.

Drilon also said the President is ready to campaign for his team to ensure its victory in order to help him push the reform measures he wants to see in the next three years.

“He is not afraid to spend his political capital because there are a lot of reforms that he has to do in the last three years of his administration and it is essential that he should have the majority in the Senate in order that he can push these reforms,” explained Drilon.

“The platform of the President is daang matuwid. The President is taking his political capital on this advocacy. He has chosen a team that he will tell in his people: give me the majority in the Senate that can help me push my programs for the last three years,” he added.

Drilon also challenged the rival party, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), to define the lines by coming out as the opposition.

“Let’s define the lines. We are the administration; you are the opposition. There is nothing wrong with that. In democracy, opposition is necessary,” he said.

“We have to do that because we want to define where we are and where they are. In my 15 years of experience in the Senate, I have proven that this is the most unmanageable group. Look, in the recent past and even today, can you tell me who is in the majority and the minority in the Senate?” ended Drilon.

Legarda: Senate Concurs in Ratification of Treaty Establishing UNESCO Learning Center for Sustainable Dev’t.

Senator Loren Legarda today celebrated the Senate’s concurrence in the ratification of the agreement between the Philippine government and the UNESCO to establish the Southeast Asian Center for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development (SEA CLLSD) in the country.

“The establishment of the SEA CLLSD envisions the creation of an educational framework that works for sustainable development. It seeks to develop and provide appropriate learning programs, which aim to benefit the marginalized, the disadvantaged, and the under-served members of the population, including our indigenous peoples, our out-of-school youth and our non-literate adults,” she said.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that broadly defined in UNESCO parlance, lifelong learning encompasses formal, non-formal, and informal modes of providing education to learners, with the end view of empowering people of all ages to become responsible for their surroundings and for them to strive for a sustainable environment.

She added that the Center provides the Philippines an opportunity for technical exchanges, collaboration and cooperation with its neighbors in the area of lifelong education for sustainability. 

“Through this, we are able to share, compare, and learn from one another’s practices and experiences. We can expect to continuously renew, improve and innovate on our learning and education systems to serve the higher goals of social development and sustainability,” Legarda concluded.

BICAM REPORT ON SWIFT, INEXPENSIVE LABOR DISPUTE SETTLEMENT GETS SENATE NOD

MANILA, January 30, 2013-The bicameral conference committee report which seeks to institutionalize conciliation-mediation as mode for voluntary labor dispute settlement was adopted by the Senate last Monday.

 

Conciliation-mediation is described as “a non-litigious, non-adversarial, less expensive and expeditious mechanism in assisting contending parties towards reaching their own mutually-acceptable settlement to the labor dispute.”

 

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, principal author of the measure, says that the report on the disagreeing provisions on Senate Bill 2918 and House Bill 6686 prescribes that all cases arising from labor and employment shall now be subject to mandatory conciliation-mediation.

 

Sen. Estrada, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, says that the measure follows the success made by the Single Entry Approach (SEnA) Program implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment.

 

Under the SEnA, labor disputes (including money claims, termination of employment, unfair labor practice, OFW cases, among others) shall undergo a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation process to effect settlement between parties.

 

Since the implementation of the SEnA in October 2010 up to August 2012, the DOLE Regional Offices settled 71% of the cases referred to them, while other attached agencies settled 81% of the cases.

 

“This alternative labor dispute mechanism does away with the hassle of going through the usually brutal and slow process of adjudication and litigation. As we have seen in the initial implementation based on SEnA, this has effectively declogged the adjudication system and allowed parties to reach agreeable settlement without delay and through continued dialogues” Jinggoy states.