Legarda: T’boli Dreamweavers to Showcase their Craft at National Museum

MANILA-T’boli weavers from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato will showcase their famous dream-inspired weaving during a two-day demonstration at the National Museum, said Senator Loren Legarda.

Legarda, patron of the country’s first permanent textile gallery, Hibla ng Lahing Filipino, said that the T’bolis are the featured weavers at the gallery on November 22-23, from 1:30-4:30 p.m.

“For the T’bolis of Lake Sebu, weaving, embroidery, beadwork and belt-making are important skills in keeping traditions alive because every item they make is an important part of their life,” she said.

For instance, the t’nalak is a cloth made of abaca that is usually used by the T’bolis during milestones like birth, marriage and death; while the embroidery they use to accentuate their traditional blouses narrate the story of their relationship with nature and the spirits.

“T’boli weavers are often called dreamweavers because the patterns they use for weaving are usually inspired by their dreams. The weaving demonstration is a chance for citizens to interact with these weavers,” said Legarda as she encouraged Filipinos to visit the museum for the demonstration.

The weekly weaving demonstrations at the Hibla gallery are part of the Lecture Series on Philippine Traditional Textiles and Indigenous Knowledge, which Legarda, in partnership with the National Museum, initiated since 2012 to perpetuate weaving and indigenous knowledge.

Previous demonstrators include the Ifugao weavers from Kiangan; the Kalinga weavers from Mabilong Weaving Center of Buscalan; weavers from Samoki, Mountain Province;sinamay weavers from Arevalo, Iloilo; the Panay Bukidnons who showed their panubokembroidery; patadyong weavers from the Bagtason Loom Weavers Association in Bugasong, Antique; weavers from the Yakan Village in Zamboanga City; and Mandaya weavers from Caraga, Davao Oriental.

The weaving demonstrations can be viewed on Saturdays and Sundays, at the Hibla gallery, located at the 4th Floor of the Museum of the Filipino People, Finance Road, Manila.

Drilon: Malicious lies and accusations vs. ICC to blame for project snags

MANILA-Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today said that the baseless allegations weaved from Wikipedia articles and whispered rumors are to be blamed for the latest delays on the construction of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC), which is gunning for completion in time for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Iloilo City.

Drilon underscored that the accusations made by a known political operator against the ICC, which is now the subject of a Senate probe, is “directly responsible for the failure of bidding for the second phase of the ICC’s construction.”

         

“Because of the malicious and baseless allegations against the construction of the ICC, contractors and other participants are getting afraid that their names and businesses will be the next target of lies being concocted, and that their names will be dragged into the issue,” said Drilon.

He cited the statements of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region VI Director Edilberto Tayao, who admitted that the ICC project is facing delays because contractors have apprehension participating in the bidding to complete the project.

“Contractors with the capability to complete a project as big as the ICC did not join anymore, and those who remained were hesitant to bid at lower than P200 million, which is above the project’s approved budget of contract of P187 million,” according to Tayao, adding that major contractors who had previously participated in the bidding for the ICC’s first phase did not do so anymore in the second bidding conducted last October 20.

Tayao also noted that due to the delay, the project’s completion is pushed back to May or June of 2015: “It will take another month to find a qualified contractor for the project’s Phase 2. If that second bidding also fails, we then have to go into a negotiated bidding, as permitted under law.”

“It is unfortunate that just because of lies, and of spiteful and baseless allegations hurled against the project and its proponents and implementers, Ilonggos could lose the opportunity of hosting the 2015 APEC meetings, along with all the tourism and economic developments prospects that this event brings,” Drilon stressed. 

Drilon said he agreed with the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Iloilo City that the ICC overpricing issue could “delay the edifice’s completion and jeopardize Iloilo City’s hosting of the APEC ministerial meetings.”

“If that happens, Ilonggos stand to lose the chance to make new jobs and sources of livelihoods in their communities. This is a very rare opportunity we fear we can never have again,” he emphasized.

The Senate chief said he will continue to answer questions regarding his participation in the ICC project. But he wished that the Iloilo and its developmental plans be spared from politically-motivated smear campaigns.

“I have nothing to hide, and I will hide nothing. But this sinister agenda of some should not spoil the progress of Ilonggos, who have been trying to achieve their dreams of progress in the past years, made possible by opportunities provided by the present administration,” Drilon concluded. 

DSWD to get P3.4 B for free meals for 2 M underweight kids

MANILA-Government’s massive feeding program for undernourished children next year will cover even those not yet in school, as two million 2 to 5 year old tots will be fed healthy meals by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said today.

Recto said this will be made possible through a P3.36 billion allocation in DSWD’s P109 billion budget for 2015.      

Recto said there will be “a division of labor” in government in erasing the nutritional deficiencies of millions of “wasted and severely wasted” children.

The DSWD will take care of those not yet in school while the Department of Education will undertake its own supplemental feeding program for 1.93 million gradeschoolers courtesy of a P3.8 billion allocation in the national budget.

The Senate, he said, has raised the Education department’s schoolfeeding budget by P2.49 billion.

“Combined, the budget for supplemental feeding is about  P7.2 billion while the total number of beneficiaries will reach almost four million,” Recto said.

DSWD's program involves serving one hot meal a day for 120 days to 2,053,383 2-5 year olds in daycare centers, or those under the care of neighborhood associations or community nurseries.

Bulk of the funds will be coursed through local governments, Recto said.  

“But the implementation will be handled by a local consortium which will include the parents of beneficiaries, barangay councils, and civic groups.”

“I think the program will operate under the motto ‘It takes a village to feed a hungry child,’” he said. 

Recto said the Senate Finance subcommittee he chairs has also recommended to increase the DSWD budget for care and nutritional needs of streetchildren by P50 million. 

Legarda Pushes for Provision on Heritage Sites Conservation under 2015 Budget

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda, Vice Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, is proposing to include in the 2015 National Budget a provision that will ensure the protection of heritage sites and structures all over the country.

Citing the destruction of many historical structures—among the most recent include the Art Deco Michel Apartments, the Army and Navy Club and the Admiral Hotel in Manila, the Bancal Bridge in Zambales Province, and the Dampol Bridge in Nueva Vizcaya—Legarda said that Congress must act now to protect the country’s built heritage.

“We wish to propose a special provision that would prevent the use of public funds for infrastructure projects that will destroy or alter built heritage, open spaces, and cultural landscapes regardless of whether or not these were previously declared by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), or the National Museum,” she stressed.

The Senator said that renovation of built heritage and infrastructure projects on heritage sites will only be allowed after due consultation with the public and stakeholders, which consultation shall be administered by the NCCA. She said that there might be instances when such infrastructure projects may be necessary especially if the heritage structure may put at risk public safety.

Moreover, Legarda also proposed a special provision for the preservation and restoration of existing Gabaldon school buildings as part of the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.

Gabaldon school buildings were designed by American architect William Parsons and funded through Act No. 1801 authored by Philippine Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon. They have high ceilings, spacious corridors and rooms that are divided by wooden collapsible partitions with wide windows made up of capiz shells.

“I am confident that our agencies tasked to protect our culture and heritage are committed to their duty. That is why we continue to empower them by providing them with sufficient budget and manpower. These special provisions aim to give further support to our cultural agencies to effectively carry out their mandate,” said Legarda.

Drilon asks gov’t to intensify info campaign on Ebola

MANILA-Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today underscored the urgent need to address the growing misinformation and misunderstanding about Ebola.

Drilon said the flak received by acting Health Secretary Janette L. Garin when she went to Caballo Island highlights the need to step up information campaigns about Ebola.

“There is undeniably a growing misunderstanding about the disease which creates unnecessary panic and anxiety among our people. I myself have a very limited knowledge about the virus and so do my colleagues,” said Drilon, adding that many Filipinos are unaware of the on the nature and symptoms of Ebola, hence the panic and fear.

“That is why the government must immediately intensify its information dissemination campaign in order to allay fears and prevent the spread of speculations and rumours which only confuse the public,” Drilon stressed.

“At this time when Ebola is a threat, I appeal to everyone to allow the experts to speak and educate the public. Let us avoid creating undue fear and panic. Let us be united in maintaining our country’s Ebola- free status,” Drilon emphasized.

The Senate leader also said he believes that Garin, as the chairperson of the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Philippine, was only performing her duties when she went to Caballo Island to ensure that the Filipino United Nation Peacekeepers are afforded the proper medical care.

“Peacekeepers were checked and nobody was symptomatic when the inspection was conducted,” noted Drilon.

“As a health professional, Garin is fully aware of her actions. Let us not go overboard. I believe she will avoid actions that will endanger the public,” he added.

Drilon also said that he was informed by DOH that the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPEs) is only required when in close contact with a person who is displaying the symptoms of Ebola. PPEs are also in limited supply around the world, hence the DOH is ensuring that PPEs are used properly only when needed. 

NOLCOM Christmas Park Opens for Viewing

CAMP AQUINO, Tarlac City – Northern Luzon Command opened a new attraction with the lighting of NOLCOM Christmas Park located inside Camp Aquino, San Miguel, Tarlac City on November 18, 2014 at exactly 6:00 pm.  This is an additional attraction for the Yuletide Season after Camp Aquino captured attention from the public when the AFP NOLCOM Belen entry for Belenismo sa Tarlak 2014 Festival was unveiled and lighted last November 4 at NOLCOM main gate. The Christmas Park is open to the public for viewing.

The NOLCOM Christmas Park include a Belen, giant Christmas Tree and Christmas lanterns, to include the entries of the Lantern Making Contest participated by the different NOLCOM offices. These Christmas lanterns are made of recyclable materials which were crafted by the soldiers with their own initiative and creativity.

“We did this not only for our own benefit, but also to join the Filipino people in the time honored Filipino Tradition of celebrating Christmas and add festivity in the celebration of this season.” LtGen Trinidad explained. He further added that, “Although we only have limited resources, we still give much importance in sharing the spirit of Christmas and to be united in pursuing the peace and development of our nation.”

Cabanatuan trike driver tears P20 bill, is arrested, charged

CABANATUAN CITY – A 36-year-old tricycle driver has been arrested by police and is facing charges and a possible prison term here after tearing a P20 bill paid to him by a lady employee of the Department of Justice.

         Police Superintendent Joselito Villarosa, Cabanatuan police chief, identified the tricycle driver as Alexander Sunga of Purok 3, Barangay San Juan Accfa.

         Villarosa said Sunga was arrested by local police after he angrily tore the P20 bill, with serial No. JT935015, paid as transportation fare by Elizabeth Pangilinan Diesta, 54, administrative assistant of the DOJ here.

        The bill-tearing incident, Diesta said, happened Monday morning.

        Tearing of central bank notes and coins is prohibited under Presidential Decree 247 signed on July 18,1973 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos.  Aside from tearing, it also prohibits and penalizes defacement, mutilation, burning or destruction of notes and coins which are issued by the Central Bank for circulation as medium of exchange.

          The law said utilizing them for other purposes does not speak well of the due respect and dignity befitting the currency and unfavorably reflect on the discipline of the people and create a bad image for the country.

          Any person found to violate the Decree shall be slapped with conviction, a fine of not more than P20,000 and/or by a maximum imprisonment of five years.

          Police said that Sunga apparently was disgusted with the amount given him by Diesta and was demanding for more.

         Tricycle drivers in this city have often been the butt of complaints of passengers due to overcharging and refusing to convey them among other complaints.

        This city has been hailed as the country’s tricycle capital with an estimated 14,000 tricycle units plying this city’s route daily.

        A criminal complaint for violations of PD 247 (Tearing of Currency Notes) and unjust vexation was forwarded to the Cabanatuan City Prosecutor’s Office. – Manny Galvez

Legarda Urges TESDA to Create Culture-Based Vocational Courses

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today urged the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to create culture-based vocational courses as part of efforts to support indigenous peoples (IPs) and promote Philippine culture.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, made the statement at the opening of the Conference on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Indigenous People of the ASEAN held today at Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros, Manila.

“Through TESDA’s TVET, we can provide our IPs better employment and livelihood opportunities. But while we empower our IPs through skills development and enhancement for employment in mainstream industries, I urge the creation of culture-based vocational courses,” she said during her keynote speech.

“Many of the crafts of our IPs are sought after in other countries, but the supply, especially of handmade products, cannot keep up with the demand because a handwoven cloth made of abaca or handmade basket made of nito would take weeks or months to complete. This economic opportunity is what we must present to our IPs. We need not take our IPs out of their communities, which they strive to preserve as part of their heritage. We can provide the needed livelihood support to them by promoting their culture through traditional skills training program,” she added.

Legarda said that TESDA can partner with local government units, especially those with Schools of Living Traditions (SLTs), and cultural agencies in creating culture-based courses.

“We have to develop interest in traditional skills like hand weaving, embroidery, tabungaw-making, basket-weaving, pottery, and likewise present the economic opportunities that can be derived from acquiring or improving on such skills,” she stressed.

The Senator also said that stronger support for IPs is needed especially with the emergence of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

“ASEAN’s bold vision of achieving the free flow of goods, services, investment, and skilled labor in the region may help us achieve higher productivity and economic diversification. But we have to consider a lot of things—our indigenous communities are among our concerns. Aside from protecting their traditional and intellectual property, IPs should be socially and economically empowered," she said.

“Basic services, including access to education and healthcare, should be provided to them. Most indigenous communities are located in isolated and disadvantaged areas. We must create a system that would enhance delivery of basic, social, technical and legal services,” said Legarda, who has filed Senate Bill No. 2209 that will create resource centers for IPs, which shall serve as access centers to enhance delivery of these services.

Budget needs rearview mirror

MANILA-The 5,947-page national budget package may be as thick as an encyclopedia set, but it has one fault : It doesn’t tell what happened to funds appropriated in the previous national budget.

Senate President Pro-Tempore cited this weakness of the current budgeting system in pushing for “the installation of the rearview mirror on the national budget.”

Recto bewailed that despite the “fine print of nine budget documents”, nowhere is there a section which says that the projects and programs authorized in the past budget have been implemented or not.

“You can go through the almost 6,000 pages line by line but you won’t find anything which says that the projects lovingly enumerated in the previous year’s budget have been completed,” Recto said.

“Wade through the thicket of numbers and there’s nothing there which says if 61,510 teachers were indeed hired last year, if the plan to recruit 9,000 pushed through, if the roads catalogued in the DPWH budget were indeed built,” Recto said.

To cure this defect, Recto proposed a “new budget accountability” form which reports on the status of projects funded by the immediate General Appropriations Act.

He said this can be done by using the GAA format, “but it will now be returned to us with annotations showing line-by-line if the projects were indeed implemented.”

“If a line-item in the 2015 GAA says that P100 million is appropriated for this road in Cebu, then what we want is for the government to submit in 2016 the same GAA with a status report opposite the said line-item,” Recto said.

 “If the GAA authorizes the recruitment of, say, 10,000 new policemen and 50,000 new teachers, then what we want is for the executive to later indicate in that GAA a note stating the actual number of policemen and teachers hired,” he added.

Recto said his proposal is easy to implement. “We are not reinventing the wheel or imposing a new administrative budget.”

“We are not even creating a new book. Just the old GAA, but this time, there’s a note opposite line-item indicating if it’s completed, still under construction, or the funds have been impounded,” he said.

“Formatting wise, hindi mahirap, kasi sabi nga nila isang Excel column lang ang idadagdag,” he said.

“Ang status na gusto natin ay hindi kilometric ang haba. One-liner lang or one brief sentence pwede na. Pag tapos na ang isang project, eh di sulatan nila ng “implemented”.

Recto asked the executive branch to embrace his idea as it would lead to more transparent budgeting.

His proposal, Recto said, will lead to the disaggregation of multi-billion lump-sum funds.

“Kung halimbawa block fund ang Calamity Fund, sa proposal ko itemized na sa post-budget reporting kung saan ito napunta,” Recto explained.

Recto lamented that at present it is impossible for taxpayers to check if a specific project authorized in the GAA has indeed been implemented.

He blamed the “data vacuum” in the “budget accountability phase” to the discontinuation of the same format used from budget preparation to budget authorization to budget execution.

“The National Expenditure Program evolves into the General Appropriations Bill and the latter morphs into the GAA which in turn is used as budget release document,” Recto said.

“But what is supposed to be the seamless progression of using one reference format stops at post-implementation because there is no way we will be able to know if a project has been implemented.”

He said this can be solved by using the same GAA as report card of fund utilization.

“The annotated GAA can be one easy-to-read document which show where the money went,” he said. 

Recto : Higher tax cap on 13th month pay merely recovers what was lost to inflation

MANILA-The senator who introduced the amendment to raise to P82,000 the tax exemption cap for 13^th month pay and other bonuses says the amount merely restores the value of the peso which has been lost to inflation since 1994.

Sen. Ralph Recto, principal author of the bill increasing the no-tax zone on bonuses, said the peso has lost two-thirds of its value over the past 20 years.

“One peso in 1994 is worth 36 centavos today. Adjusted to inflation, the P30,000 then should be P82,300 today. That is why we peg the new cap at P82,000,” Recto said.

The P30,000 cap entered the tax code in 1994 when, Recto recalled, “the minimum jeepney fare was P1.50, rice was P13 a kilo, bread was sold for P7 a loaf, gasoline was priced at P8.50 a liter, a can of sardines was P6.”

He said the P30,000 was set so that it could cover the highest salary in the government then which that of the President who was then receiving P25,000 a month.

“The idea was that when all government employees get their 13^th month pay, it will be in full and without tax deduction.”

Recto said the hike in the tax exempt cap should not be viewed as a revenue loss for the government but as “income gained by the workingman.”

“And even if his 13th month pay is tax-exempt upon receipt, it will be taxable when spent, so tax not withheld at source will later be captured in the form of sales tax at points of sale,” the senator explained.

Another good point of the bill passed by the Senate on Second Reading on Tuesday is that the tax cap on the 13^th month pay and other benefits will now be indexed to inflation.

“There is now automatic adjustment every three years,” he said.

“This means the adjustment is a mandatory executive action. No need to run to Congress for a law setting a higher threshold,” Recto said. 

Ecija judge facing dismissal, disbarment anew for invoking ‘obsolete law’ in poll protest

CABANATUAN CITY – A Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge, who was dismissed and disbarred by the Supreme Court in 2010 for dishonesty and falsification of public documents but later escaped with a mere one-year suspension, is facing disbarment anew for grave misconduct and gross ignorance of the law for issuing a ruling based on an obsolete provision of law.

Cabanatuan RTC Branch 30 Presiding Judge Virgilio Caballero has been slapped an administrative complaint before the SC in a 28-page administrative complaint for grave misconduct, manifest partiality, gross ignorance of the law and willful violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct and Code of Professional Responsibility in the discharge of his official duty as member of the judiciary.  

Caballero is the same judge who was charged with an administrative complaint in 2009 and found guilty of dishonesty and falsification of an official document by the Supreme Court which in 2010 dismissed him as a judge and disbarred him.

He filed a motion for reconsideration with the High Court which reduced his penalty to one-year suspension from service and practice of law. 

The latest complaint was filed by Aliaga, Nueva Ecija Mayor Elizabeth Vargas who sought to turn the said complaint as a disciplinary action against Caballero. Vargas is locked in a legal battle with her rival, businessman Reynaldo Ordanes for the mayorship of Aliaga.

Vargas, a four-term mayor and wife of former three-term mayor Marcial, was proclaimed winner by the municipal board of canvassers last year, garnering 11,477 votes to Ordanes’ 11,413 or a difference of 64 votes. 

But Ordanes, brother of Quezon City assessor Rodolfo, filed an election protest before the court, claiming massive fraud. He questioned the results in 13 of 58 clustered precincts.

Vargas sought the dismissal of the protest on the ground of insufficiency of form and substance, saying the protest does not contain a detailed specifications of fraud nor any competent evidence that would justify the revision of ballots.

Last May 28, Caballero promulgated a decision proclaiming Ordanes the winner by 11 votes after deducting 72 votes from Vargas’ total. On June 19, he issued an order granting Ordanes’ petition for the issuance of a writ of execution pending appeal until further notice.

The Commission on Elections, sitting En Banc, has issued a Temporary Restraining Order enjoining Caballero from implementing his June 19 order.

In her complaint, Vargas noted that Caballero, in his decision deducted 72 votes from her on the ground that the shades of ballots failed to comply with the threshold limit  and by this, should have been considered stray and not counted in her favor.

Vargas claimed that Caballero based his ruling on an old law which has already been amended. She added that Caballero also did not credit in her favor an additional 21 votes which represent the increase in her votes in the contested precincts based on physical count over the election returns.

Vargas cited that the Commission on Elections’s Second Division, in a July 15,2014 resolution said that after examining the records of the case, it found that Caballero “appears to erroneously rely upon the 2010 Rules of Procedure in election protests.”

In the same resolution, the poll body said assuming the disputed ruling is still applicable, Caballero also committed an error when he himself examined and appreciated the ballots  when the same ruling provides that “any issue as to whether or not a certain mark or shade is within the threshold shall be determined by using the PCOS machine and not by human determination.”

Vargas said Caballero is liable for gross ignorance of the law when he displayed “utter lack of familiarity with the rules, thereby eroding the public’s confidence in the competence of the courts.”

“Because of respondent Judge Caballero’s gross ignorance of the law, he applied an outdated, obsolete and already amended rule which in effect caused the disenfranchisement of 72 voters from Aliaga, Nueva Ecija,” the complaint stated. “Had respondent Judge Caballero not been so grossly ignorant of the law, he should have applied Comelec Resolution 9765 in its May 28,2014 decision,” the complaint said.

It added that Caballero also violated Canons 5,6 and 10 of the Code of Professional Responsibility which provide that a lawyer shall keep himself abreast of legal developments and participate in continuing legal education programs.

The complaint also cited the previous administrative complaint against Caballero which, it further noted, was not reversed but was actually affirmed wherein the High Court even warned that “subsequent misconducts on his part will be dealt with more severely.”

           It described Caballero as a “recidivist” whose infractions show that “he had not learned his lessons and heeded the warnings|” of the Supreme Court. (Manny Galvez) 

Bill passed to give martial law victims more time to file claims; ethnic origin to be included in national census

MANILA-The Senate passed on third and final reading a joint resolution seeking to extend the deadline for the filing of claims by martial law victims by six months.

 

    Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights and sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution No. 10,otherwise known as “Joint Resolution Extending the Period For Filing Of Claims For Reparation Of Human Rights Violations Victims under Republic Act No. 10368, said that the approval of the joint resolution would give martial law victims more time to file their claims for repatriation and compensation. RA 10368 is known as the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.

 

     Aside from Pimentel, the measure was co-authored by Senators Chiz Escudero and Teofisto “TG” Guingona III.

 

     “The Human Rights Victims Claims Board (HRVCB) has encountered an unprecedented number of claims from human rights victims. Due to the sheer number of the applications, compounded by the board’s undermanned staff, the Board may not be able to accomplish its duties within the period prescribed by law,” Pimentel told colleagues during his sponsorship speech.

 

     “So as not to duly prejudice our aggrieved countrymen for whom RA 10368 was primarily enacted, and to accord the HRVCB sufficient period to discharge its statutory duty, the HRVCB should be allowed to extend the period to accept human rights victims’ claims for another six months from November 10, 2014 or until May 11, 2015,” he added.

 

    According to the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), a coalition of human rights groups, the HRVCB had received only around 29,000 claims as of October this year. PAHRA chairman Max de Mesa said the board expected about 55,000 to 90,000 more applications to be processed.

 

    "There are, in fact, more than 7,000 undocumented human rights victims from the cursory research conducted by our group, apart from the more than 9,000 Hawaii class suit claimants, De Mesa said.

 

“The extension, more than the filing of claim, ensures that all human rights victims will be given access to a means of gaining redress for the sufferings and sacrifices that they endured during the Martial Law,” he added.

 

Pimentel, whose father, former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr. was jailed for opposing former President Ferdinand Marcos during the martial law era, said in a radio interview early November that martial law victims could continue to file their claims for compensation once Senate Joint Resolution 10 and its counterpart, House Joint Resolution 16 would be enacted into law.                                                                            Akbayan party-list Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez, one of the authors of  House Joint Resolution No. 16, said the resolution would have a retroactive effect. The House of Representatives had passed Joint Resolution 16 on final reading before Congress adjourned last October.

 

Pimentel said he already asked the HRVCB to continue accepting claims even after the filing period as prescribed under the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 had elapsed.

 

“I asked the Board to continue receiving claims. We will approve the resolution by mid-November that would give chance to all human rights victims to file their claims for another six months,” Pimentel said.

           

    Meanwhile, the Senate also passed on third and final reading a bill which seeks to include the ethnic origin in the national survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

 

Senator Loren Legarda, who authored and sponsored Senate Bill No. 2426 or the Ethic Origin Act of 2014, said the government had no adequate information on the population of the different ethnic groups in the Philippines.

 

“The population data on the indigenous peoples (IPs) and indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) vary depending on the group handling the research or using the data. This reality compels us even more to obtain the accurate data. The Episcopal Commission on Tribal Filipinos (ECTF) estimates our IP/ICC population to be between 6.5 and 7.5 million, while the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates it to between 12 and 15 million. This reality compels us even more to obtain the accurate data," Legarda said in her sponsorship speech.

 

Under the proposed measure, she said, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), in coordination with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), would employ enumerators or deploy NCIP employees to gather data on Ethnic Origin during the conduct of the national survey and national census.

 

Such information, Legarda said, would contribute to the effective implementation of the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA). (Pilar S. Macrohon)