Releases should be subjected to line-item budgeting in GAA Recto: Use Malampaya fund for power rates reduction, AFP modernization

MANILA-Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto has filed two separate measures seeking to make use of the Malampaya funds for the reduction of power rates and to speed up the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The two bills, Recto said, also mandate increased transparency and accountability on the use of the gas project funds by requiring that the disbursements be subjected to line-item budgeting in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

“The utilization of the Malampaya Fund is currently not under scrutiny in the budget process. This is why I proposed to make use of the fund for two purposes and incorporate them in the GAA,” he said.

“I offer three choices here: we can either use it to reduce power rates or spend it to modernize our AFP, or do both.”

In Senate Bill No. 465, Recto said the Malampaya funds should be used to reduce power rates by using it to pay for the debts of the National Power Corporation (NPC) that are currently being passed on to power consumers.

In particular, he proposed to allocate the net national government share from the Malampaya Project to pay the NPC’s Stranded Contract Costs (SCC) and Stranded Debts portion of the Universal Charge (UC).

Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), a UC will be imposed on all electricity end-users to cover payment of NPC’s stranded debt and stranded contract costs, he added.

“Instead of using Malampaya Fund to finance non-energy related programs and projects of national government agencies, the said Fund would now directly benefit power consumers,” Recto explained.

If enacted, he said that the proposal would provide timely and substantial relief to power consumers in the light of the February decision of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to set the UC for the recovery of NPC’s SCC at PhP0.1938/kWh, which became effective in March.

In Senate Bill No. 466, the Batangas lawmaker proposed to channel a portion of the proceeds of the Malampaya fund to finance the AFP modernizatiolln program in order to enhance the country’s capabilities in addressing internal and external security challenges.

“The emergence of internal and external security threats has been putting the capabilities of our armed forces to the test. As we stagger to protect our borders in international territorial disputes, our forces struggle to address internal security threats that continue to persist,” Recto said.

He said it was necessary to bolster funding support for the AFP as required under Republic Act No. 7898, otherwise known as the “AFP Modernization Act”, as amended by Republic Act  No. 10349, establishing the “Revised AFP Modernization Program.”

He recognized the “slow pace” in implementing the AFP modernization program due to the lack of funds coming from the national government.

“While the law provides for a ceiling for annual appropriations for the program, in reality, only a small fraction of it was provided,” Recto said.

“This bill seeks to include the Malampaya Natural Gas to Power Project as one of the fund sources for the AFP Modernization Act Trust Fund. Under this proposed law, thirty percent (30%) of the annual net government share from the Malampaya proceeds will be earmarked for the implementation of the revised AFP modernization program,” Recto explained.

According to latest data, the MNGP has an aggregate government share amounting to P136.5 billion as of June 30, 2013.

“Such amount can be tapped to substantially support the P75 Billion funding requirements of the AFP modernization program, for the acquisition of 39 projects intended to boost the armed forces’ capabilities in the next five years, which includes acquisition of communications equipment, lead-in fighter trainer jets, closed air support aircraft, long-range patrol aircraft, radar systems and engineering equipment, among others,” he stated.

In fact, he added, President Aquino himself recognized the MNGP as a source of fund for efforts to modernize the AFP when he authorized the release of P5.32 billion from Malampaya funds to reinforce the AFP’s territorial defense capabilities, including the purchase of a USS Hamilton-class cutter for the Philippine Navy.

Seat of Ecija capital undergoes major face-lift

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – The seat of the city government in this provincial capital is undergoing a major face-lift under the fledgling administration of neophyte Mayor Rianne Cuevas who – barely two months in office – has undertaken drastic political and administrative reforms.

          The makeover of this city, Cuevas explained, is intended to claim for it a rightful place among the emerging modern urbanizing areas in the province.

          For a start, the City Hall is being renovated to make it more elegant and attractive to local constituents and visitors.

Cuevas has hired as her consultant architect Margie Angeles for the physical makeover of the City Hall which – at present – appears dry and an “eyesore” because of its dark-blue colors.

          Angeles is the same architect who exquisitely designed the renovation of the new Gapan City Hall during the administration of former mayor Christian Tinio. Before it was renovated, the Gapan City Hall was also far from  attractive.

          Angeles said the city hall is now being repainted with a kaleidoscope of colors ranging from a stone beige, chocolate brown, white, mocha and cream color scheme that creates a modern distinction.

“These are neutral colors personally chosen by the mayor herself,” she said, adding these are intended to make the City Hall cozy and a homey, conducive workplace for personnel complete with a garden landscape.

At the façade, stainless steel bold letters emphasizing the city as the “Capital of Nueva Ecija” will be installed. 

The renovated City Hall, once completed, would provide a breath-taking, relaxing and rejuvenating atmosphere from the hustle and bustle of daily city living.

          The existing two-story City Hall building, which stands in a two-hectare complex in Barangay Singalat, was constructed through a P50-million loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines in 1998. The main building was designed by architect Reynaldo Flores.

          This city was created as the new capital of Nueva Ecija on June 19,1965 by virtue of Republic Act 4475 signed by then-President Diosdado Macapagal. It first rose to prominence when it hosted the National Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines in 1969 at its campsite, attended by thousands of scouts from Asia-Pacific countries. 

          The campsite is considered the BSP’s largest regional campsite where the Josefa Llanes Escoda national training center is also housed.

          Cuevas said that as part of the administrative reforms she is currently implementing, she has ordered dismantled curtains hanging in each of the offices at City Hall. That way, she explained, visitors and Palayanos can easily peep from outside and see people inside the mayor’s office and the various offices.

          “This will show to the people that we are transparent, that we are not hiding anything and that they are welcome to enter our offices,” she said.

Cuevas has expressed optimism that the city – which also hosts the headquarters of the Army’s 7^th Infantry Division at the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation - would eventually evolve into one of the urbanized cities in the province and in Central Luzon. (Manny Galvez)

Southwest monsoon induced-intense rains claim 16 lives in Zambales

IBA, Zambales-Intense rains brought by the southwest monsoon since Sunday have claimed 16 lives and left five missing in the province of Zambales.

According to the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), there are nine dead in barangay Wawan Due and six in barangay San Isidro, both in Subic town due to landslides.

Confirmed dead due to landslides in San Isidro are Gabby Bueno, Jenalyn Bueno, John Clifford Bueno, Shanly Bueno, Pananing Bueno, and Merlyn Ednalaguim.

Moreover, Hermenegilda Escobar, 67, of Gordon Heights in Olongapo City died of drowning due to strong current of water.

“We have four confirmed missing, a family, in barangay Aglao in San Marcelino town due to landslides. They are Suzette Flores, Christian Flores, Christine Flores, and April Flores. Retrieval operation is still ongoing as we speak,” RDRRMC Chair Josefina Timoteo confirmed Monday evening.

“The family’s father, Joseph Flores, has been recovered alive from the landslide site and is now undergoing medical treatment at the San Marcelino District Hospital,” Timoteo added.

There is also one unidentified missing in Wawan Due village. Retrieval operations in the area are likewise ongoing.

Meanwhile, seven villages in Olongapo City are submerged with 3-4 feet flood waters.

These are Sta. Rita, Old Cabalan, East Bajac-bajac, East Tapinac, New Cabalan, New Kalalake, and Barreto.

“Rest assured that after the retrieval operations, we will shift our focus to providing relief and financial assistance to affected families,” Timoteo underscored. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)

Legarda Celebrates Greatness of Philippine Weaving Culture in Hibla

MANILA-A row of weaving looms, a line of photographs of indigenous peoples in traditional garments, and a display of tropical fabrics from Senator Loren Legarda’s collection are among the highlights of the expanded exhibition, Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles, the country’s first permanent textile gallery.

Legarda, patron of the gallery, led the inauguration of the expanded exhibition last September 20 at the Museum of the Filipino People in Manila.

“I am happy to launch the expanded textile gallery, which is now bigger, better, and with more items in display. It includes more traditional garments made from indigenous fiber and weaving looms from several weaving communities, revealing more about our rich weaving culture,” she said.

“But one museum cannot hold a nation’s overflowing cultural richness. This is only a portion of a vast collection made by our ancestors, scattered all over the nation and seen even in other countries. In fact, when I visited the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, I discovered that Dr. Jose Rizal and I have something in common—the love for Philippine tropical fabrics,” said Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities.

Coinciding with the launch, Legarda turned over to the National Museum photographs of Rizal’s textile collection, which is in the care of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin.

“As other nations undertake efforts to preserve cultural items from our country, like the Rizal textile collection, I hope that Filipinos will also see the significance of this heritage,” Legarda stressed.

“The Hibla ng Lahing Filipino is not only an effort to celebrate indigenous artistry through textiles and provide more Filipinos the opportunity to discover priceless information about our heritage, but an attempt to bring the challenge of nurturing our weaving traditions into the national stage, to a wider audience,” she added.

Legarda is the author of Republic Act 9242, the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law of 2004, which mandates the use of indigenous fibers for the official uniforms of government officials and employees, with the objective of strengthening the local fiber industry.

Rechannel PDAF to overcrowded PGH, PCMC public hospitals

MANILA-The health sector should be the major recipient of rechanneled Priority Development Assistance Fund, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said today.    

Recto said PDAF should be “reinvented as a cure for the sick and a medicine for the ailing.”

Specifically, Recto wants a large chunk of the soon-to-be-abolished PDAF to pay for “the chemotherapy of cancer patients, the dialysis of persons suffering from kidney failure, and heart bypass operations.”

“These are all expensive procedures beyond the reach of ordinary people.  As a result, people do die from cancer, but secondary only to poverty,” Recto said.

Although at present, lawmakers funnel their PDAF allocations to individual patients in selected hospitals, “these are on a retail basis,” Recto said.  “What is needed is the wholesale augmentation of the budget of government hospitals.”

He cited tertiary hospitals like the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and specialty medical centers like the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) which are sieged by patients daily as “worthy recipients of the rechanneled PDAF.”

Recto said Congress can raise the budgets of these hospitals and “treat such move as a collective, block allocation by all congressmen and all senators.”

“For example, Congress can increase the budget of the PGH by P1 billion, thus increasing by 50 percent its proposed operating budget for 2014,” Recto said.  “Or it can uniformly add P200 million each to the 14 regional hospitals.”

Among public hospitals in need of budgetary augmentation, according to Recto, are the four specialty hospitals clustered in Quezon City - the Lung, Kidney, Heart and Children’s Centers.

He described as measly the P173 million proposed 2014 subsidy for the Lung Center of the Philippines; the P189 million for the National Kidney and Transplant Institute; the P345 million for the Philippine Children’s Medical Center; and the P372 million for the Philippine Heart Center.

PCMC has reportedly been served a notice to vacate a portion of its property which has been sold by the National Housing Authority to a third party.  “Prior to this eviction notice, the PCMC already needed more funds to treat poor kids, especially those battling cancer,” Recto said.

In the case of the NKTI, Recto said 10,000 Filipinos are diagnosed each year with end-stage renal diseases but less than ten percent have the means to sustain dialysis or pay for a transplant.

An epidemic of heart diseases is also taking its toll on the PHC, Recto said. In 2010, 101,000 Filipinos succumbed to cardio-vascular ailments.

“The question is, can we use pork to treat heart disease? The answer is yes.”

Recto said that based on the national budget, government annual per capita spending on health will only be P998 in 2014.

“From whatever angle you see it, it needs to be increased. And the ready reinforcement is provided by the PDAF,” he said.    

Recto said a “reconstituted PDAF” can also be used to increase the P4.3 billion that will be set aside next year for the purchase of new hospital equipment.

“It can also be used to increase the drug and vaccine procurement budget of P10.2 billion for 2014,” Recto said. 

Legarda to Launch Twin Cultural Exhibits in National Museum

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda is set to launch the Baybayin Gallery and the expanded permanent textile gallery at the Museum of the Filipino People on September 20, 2013.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, said that the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles, the country’s first permanent textile gallery, has been expanded to include more traditional garments made from indigenous fiber and weaving looms from several weaving communities.

“The National Museum has a vast collection of indigenous textiles and we want these items to be on display for Filipinos, and even foreign tourists, to appreciate. This expanded exhibition reveals more about our rich weaving culture. Traditional garments and looms from my personal collection, as well as those from various local government units, are also included in the exhibit,” said Legarda.

Beside the Textile Gallery is the Baybayin Gallery, also a permanent exhibition at the National Museum, that features pieces from the museum’s collection of artifacts bearing ancient scripts, such as the Laguna Copperplate, the Calatagan Pot, the Intramuros Potsherd and the Monreal Stones.

“The Baybayin Gallery showcases the ancient and traditional scripts of the Philippines. It also features and promotes awareness of the writing systems used by ancient Filipinos. It also highlights the continuing tradition of script writing among a few remaining indigenous communities in Mindoro and Palawan, particularly among the Hanunoo, Buhid and Tagbanua peoples,” Legarda explained.

Coinciding with the launch of the two galleries is the formal turnover of Mother Tongue-Based materials to the National Museum. The event will highlight the relationship between the promotion of mother tongue languages and the preservation of indigenous practices. 

According to the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), there are 181 known languages in the Philippines, 177 of which are currently spoken, while four are already extinct.

“These projects are among the ways through which we can bring our culture closer to Filipinos. Cultural and heritage galleries, such as the Textile Gallery and the Baybayin Gallery, tell stories of our ancestors and our nation in different periods of time. These galleries can ignite the interest of our citizens to know beyond what we have shown them,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda: Strengthen Diplomatic Relations with other nations through ‘cultural diplomacy’

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today urged the government to pursue strengthened diplomatic relations with other nations through cultural diplomacy during the budget hearing of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“We need a cultural renaissance. We need to understand that our culture, shaped by our heritage, practices, and tradition, is a powerful tool in forwarding our diplomatic agenda,” Legarda said.

“I am confident that our artistry and culture would leave other nations in awe. Our indigenous peoples are the epitome of the tradition, the skill and the creativity of the great Filipino mind,” she added.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, also asked the Department to participate in Venice Biennale, a prestigious biannual contemporary art exhibition.

“If Bangladesh and Maldives could participate, why couldn’t the Philippines? We are such a gifted people. Our artists need the opportunity to showcase their work,” the legislator noted.

Moreover, she emphasized the necessity for the Philippines to engage the international community on the cultural level.

“If the problem lies on budgetary constraints, I believe we can be more creative. You’d be surprise with the kind of support the private sector would be willing to give,” she added.

During her stint as Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Legarda has reported 19 out of the 21 treaties, 16 of which were adopted as international agreements.

Legarda: Intensify Campaign Against Climate Change as We Battle “New Norm”

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda urged the government to intensify its campaign to combat climate change as stranded commuters, long queues in public transport stations, students wading in flood waters, stalled cars, and bancas in city streets become usual scenarios.

“Normal sa isang nanay na nagtatrabaho ang gumising nang maaga para ayusin ang pangangailangan ng kaniyang asawa at mga anak na pumapasok sa trabaho at paaralan. Ngunit kung dati ay gumigising siya ng alas-singko ng umaga, ngayon ay gumigising siya nang mas maaga dahil kapag bumuhos ang malakas na ulan, sigurado na kasunod nito ang pagbaha,” Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committees on Climate Change and Environment said. 

“Ang dati’y isang oras na biyahe ay magiging dalawa hanggang tatlong oras, o kung minamalas-malas pa ay baka di pa makarating sa trabaho kung may baha,” she added. 

Moreover, Legarda said that the torrential rains and the resulting floods do not only affect the poor people and the working middle class but it also affects businesses, schools, government offices, trade industry and the stock market.

“Walang sinasanto ang matinding hagupit ng bagyo at malakas na ulan,” Legarda noted.

AON Benfield’s Impact Forecasting entitled “December 2012 Global Catastrophic Recap,” the single deadliest disaster in the world in 2012 was typhoon Bopha or Pablo, which left 1,901 people either dead or missing in the Philippines.  Our country accounted for 12.5 million victims of natural disasters in 2012 alone or 10.2% of total global disaster victims.

Meanwhile, according to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), from 1900 to 2013, the Philippines experienced 276 natural disasters due to tropical cyclones with 40,277 casualties, affecting 121,567,227 people, with economic damages worth US$ 8.809 billion. 

However, Legarda maintained that without proper precautionary action, this could be worse.

“Hindi pa dito nagtatapos ang hirap.  Batay sa pagsusuri ng Department of Agriculture, gamit ang Geographical Information System, tinatayang labing pitong (17) milyong ektarya ng lupain, na bumubuo ng limangpu at walong porsyento (58%) ng ating mga lupain, ay maaaring malubog sa baha,” Legarda noted.

Legarda also urged the government to incorporate the climate change agenda in both its policies and programs. 

“Sa ating pagsusuri ng budget ng mga ahensiya ng ating pamahalaan ay isaisip natin ang matinding pangangailangan na pag-ibayuhin ang ating kakayahang lumaban sa tinatawag na bagong normal,” Legarda said.

Legarda to Launch Twin Cultural Exhibits in National Museum

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda is set to launch the Baybayin Gallery and the expanded permanent textile gallery at the Museum of the Filipino People on September 20, 2013.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, said that the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles, the country’s first permanent textile gallery, has been expanded to include more traditional garments made from indigenous fiber and weaving looms from several weaving communities.

“The National Museum has a vast collection of indigenous textiles and we want these items to be on display for Filipinos, and even foreign tourists, to appreciate. This expanded exhibition reveals more about our rich weaving culture. Traditional garments and looms from my personal collection, as well as those from various local government units, are also included in the exhibit,” said Legarda.

Beside the Textile Gallery is the Baybayin Gallery, also a permanent exhibition at the National Museum, that features pieces from the museum’s collection of artifacts bearing ancient scripts, such as the Laguna Copperplate, the Calatagan Pot, the Intramuros Potsherd and the Monreal Stones.

“The Baybayin Gallery showcases the ancient and traditional scripts of the Philippines. It also features and promotes awareness of the writing systems used by ancient Filipinos. It also highlights the continuing tradition of script writing among a few remaining indigenous communities in Mindoro and Palawan, particularly among the Hanunoo, Buhid and Tagbanua peoples,” Legarda explained.

Coinciding with the launch of the two galleries is the formal turnover of Mother Tongue-Based materials to the National Museum. The event will highlight the relationship between the promotion of mother tongue languages and the preservation of indigenous practices. 

According to the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), there are 181 known languages in the Philippines, 177 of which are currently spoken, while four are already extinct.

“These projects are among the ways through which we can bring our culture closer to Filipinos. Cultural and heritage galleries, such as the Textile Gallery and the Baybayin Gallery, tell stories of our ancestors and our nation in different periods of time. These galleries can ignite the interest of our citizens to know beyond what we have shown them,” Legarda concluded.

Civil Service Week rites turns Ecija city hall into ‘ghost town’

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–The annual observance of the Civil Service Week  marking the 113^th anniversary of the country’s Civil Service has turned the City Hall in this provincial capital into a virtual ‘ghost town’ Monday after most offices here were padlocked, with employees streaming out for various activities, practically paralyzing the delivery of basic services to Palayanos.

          At the City Mayor’s Office, not one of the employees were present to provide a skeletal force to attend to residents having transactions with the city government.  Monday is the usual flag-raising ceremony for City Hall employees but it was waived since Mayor Rianne Cuevas was indisposed. She was reportedly recuperating in Manila.

          The city administrator, Cocoy Medina was also not around. She was also reportedly in Manila.

          Only architect Margie Angeles was around but she is not a rank-and-file employee but the mayor’s personal consultant.

          Several employees reportedly went to the city plaza in Barangay Concepcion to grace the Ginoo/Mutya ng Palaro 2013.

          The absence of City Hall employees has left many visitors empty-handed, including one from the nearby town of Bongabon who was unable to settle tax obligations for a property she owned.

          Only Vice Mayor Florante Mercado and city councilors were around but only because there was a session of the Sangguniang Panlunsod.

          The lack of City Hall personnel apparently stemmed from a memorandum issued on August 28 by Cuevas to members of the SP and the chiefs of offices requiring their participation in the anniversary rites for the Civil Service Week.

          In her four-page memorandum, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR, Cuevas enjoined all City Hall employees to be part of the celebration for this year’s rites which carries the theme : “Tatak Lingkod Bayan : Isabuhay, Ipagmalaki, Ipagbunyi.”

          Cuevas stressed that the celebration aims to promote camaraderie, unity and personnel development among the men and women in the city government.

          Aside from the search for the Ginoo/Mutya ng Palaro ng mga Kawani, the activities lined up were ehersisyaw (dance exercises), sportsfest, stress management seminar and the conduct of medical and physical examination for all City Hall employees wherein they would avail of free laboratory, physical and medical check-up provided by accredited clinics. These include ECG, urinalysis, X-ray, CBC, uric acid test, lipid profile and others.

          However, Cuevas’ memo failed to mention the need to maintain a skeletal force.

         A STAR source said the employees exploited the situation and went out of their offices. “’Pag wala ang pusa, naglalaro ang mga daga (When the cat is away, the mice will play),” the source said, quoting a popular saying.

The source said this would not have happened if the mayor, whom he described was “hard-working” and “very strict,” was around. (Manny Galvez)  

Legarda: P378-Billion Lost Due to Natural Disasters

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today warned that unless the Philippines takes concerted effort against climate change, such would continue to threaten the Philippine economy, and the lives of millions of Filipinos.

“According to the International Disaster Database (IDD) maintained by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), the Philippines lost US $ 8.809 billion, roughly Php378 billion in damages due to natural disasters from 1900 to 2013,” Legarda said. 

She also noted that Typhoon Pablo accounted for almost 19% of this number after it recorded economic damages worth US $ 1.6 billion, or about Php68 billion.

“The tragedy of Pablo happened because of the absence of an effective disaster risk strategy. For example, had the barangay captain of Barangay Andap received and understood the geo-hazard map, he would have never relocated his constituents in the barangay hall. He might have never built it in the first place,” Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committees on Climate Change and Environment, said.

“It is about time that the we push for the full implementation of our environmental laws, build climate-resilient infrastructure and sustainable long-term programs through an effective communication campaign,” she added.

Legarda, who authored landmark environmental laws such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009 and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, called for constant vigilance as heavy rains continuously plague the country with threats of poverty, environmental degradation, and economic paralysis.

“The fact that five of the most devastating disasters in the Philippines for the last century have occurred in the last five years can only mean one thing: the necessity to act now,” she noted.

Table 3. Top Ten Natural Disasters in the Philippines,

Based on Economic Damages, 1900- 2013 (in US$ Thousands)

Disaster	Date	Economic Damages
Storm	4 December 2012	1,692,961
Flood	4 September 1995	700,300
Storm	29 September 2009	585,379
Storm	12 November 1990	388,500
Earthquake (seismic activity)	16 July 1990	369,600
Storm	21 September 2011	344,173
Storm	21 June 2008	284,694
Storm	18 October 2010	275,745
Storm	3 November 1995	244,000
Storm	21 October 1988	240,500

Source: Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters