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| Caricature (c. 1920s) by George Grosz |
BAD GOVERNANCE, MASSIVE CORRUPTION
WHAT KEEPS US BEHIND?
By: Cielito F. Habito - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:04 AM August 14, 2018
My last piece on how the Philippines remains the “kulelat” (tailender)
among the five original Asean members (and now even including Vietnam) begs the
question, why? Years ago, I surveyed fellow economists and other associates as
part of a study that a multilateral development agency requested of me. I
polled my respondents on what they believed to be the top three impediments to
achieving high and inclusive economic growth in the Philippines.
The runaway winner was bad
governance. One respondent was more precise and emphatic about it: His
three listed answers were corruption,
corruption and corruption!
Last week, I found myself in a discussion with various eminent
thinkers. The strong consensus that emerged on why the Philippines has
consistently performed poorly relative to its neighbors pointed to the same
answer: governance. Professor and fellow Inquirer columnist Winnie Monsod, who
was in that discussion, recently wrote of “governance failure across the
board,” and noted how the Philippine Statistics Authority has reported that the
country has remained stagnant or fell back in its rankings on various global
governance performance indices. In other words, she says, the war against
corruption is being lost.
…our government officials either had their priorities (and methods)
wrong, or have never really been serious about curbing the cancer of corruption
in our society, because they also benefit from it.
…our weak sense for the common good finds manifestation in a greater
propensity for corruption.
Political histories have also shaped people’s work ethic.
…Filipinos, on the other hand, have the dubious distinction of spending
the most time on online social networking sites (over 3.5 hours per day vs the
world average of 1.77 hours) — yet another sign of so much idleness among us.
Perhaps partly behind this is the 40 days of annual forced labor imposed on our
male ancestors by the Spanish colonizers, likely contributing to the demeaned
view of manual work in the Filipino psyche. Our seeming greater propensity for
easy-money ventures and pyramid scams, and for rent-seeking behavior in
business and politics such as bribery and smuggling, may be associated with
this flawed work ethic as well.
PHILIPPINES CORRUPTION RANK
DUTERTE IS LEADING THE WRONG REVOLUTION
By Panos Mourdoukoutas
Forbes.com
Aug 2, 2018, 07:12pm
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is leading the wrong revolution.
His policies divide and weaken the country in the eyes of international
community, and have undermined confidence among investors.
The Philippines market has underperformed emerging markets.
…The Philippines remains at least as corrupt as before Duterte assumed
office. In fact, the Philippines is
getting more corrupt under Duterte, dropping 13 notches in the 2017
Corruption Index published recently by Transparency International.
That follows close on the heels of the six notches it dropped in 2016,
which had already pushed the country closer to highly corrupt Asian countries
like Pakistan, and far below countries like Singapore and New Zealand -- that
are almost corruption free.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo
Duterte’s war against drug traffic has brought little sense of safety to the
Philippines. Filipinos feel roughly as safe walking alone at night in the
streets in 2017 as they did in 2016.
That’s according to the recently released Gallup 2018 Global Law and
Order report, which assigns the Philippines a score of 82.
A close look at the score reveals that there has been no meaningful change in Filipinos’ sense of
safety (61% felt safe walking alone at night in 2016 vs. 60% in 2017) or their confidence in local police
(82% for both 2016 and 2017). Additionally, Filipinos were not statistically
more or less likely to report having been a victim of theft (10% in 2016 vs. 9%
in 2017) or a victim of assault or mugging (6% in 2016 and 4% in 2017).
Meanwhile, Duturte’s cruel tactics in fighting drug traffic have been
dividing up the country. And they have diminished its image with international
rights organizations, including the UN.
Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2018/08/02/duterte-is-leading-the-wrong-revolution/#46aafbe03dfc
WE’RE STILL ‘KULELAT’
By: Cielito F. Habito - @inquirerdotnet
WE’RE STILL ‘KULELAT’
By: Cielito F. Habito - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:30 AM August 10, 2018
In past decades, our neighbors, especially those among the original five members of the Asean (Asean 5), had left us behind to be the kulelat (bottom-dweller) in most key economic performance indicators.
The sad fact is that, today, we remain very much the kulelat; in some indicators, we now lag even farther behind. Let’s look at a few indicators to see what I mean.
In past decades, our neighbors, especially those among the original five members of the Asean (Asean 5), had left us behind to be the kulelat (bottom-dweller) in most key economic performance indicators.
The sad fact is that, today, we remain very much the kulelat; in some indicators, we now lag even farther behind. Let’s look at a few indicators to see what I mean.
Up until about 10 years ago, Indonesia had a lower average income (GDP
per capita) than we did, making it last, and us fourth, among the Asean 5 in
average income. Last year, Indonesia was already 12 ranks (113th) ahead of us
in the World Bank listing of 184 countries, with a nominal GDP per capita of
$3,847, while we ranked 125th with $2,989.
In 2005, we had the lowest export earnings among the Asean 5 with $41
billion, trailing Indonesia, which earned $86 billion (Thailand had $110
billion, Malaysia $141 billion, and tiny Singapore, $230 billion). We still did
better than Vietnam’s $32 billion then. Last year, 12 years later, our $69
billion from exports trailed behind Indonesia’s $169 billion, with the gap
having more than doubled to $100 billion from just $45 billion in 2005.
Vietnam had already overtaken Indonesia with $214 billion in exports,
having grown its exports nearly seven times in the last 12 years. Our total
trade was deep in deficit last year, with imports exceeding exports by $27.4
billion. But the rest of the Asean 5 saw trade surpluses, from Indonesia’s
$11.8 billion to Singapore’s $45.5 billion.
We had $10.1 billion in net foreign direct investments last year,
slightly edging Thailand and Malaysia’s $9.1 billion each—but well behind
Vietnam’s $14.1 billion, Indonesia’s $22.1 billion, and Singapore’s $63.6
billion.
We had the worst annual inflation (4.8 percent) as of the second
quarter this year, as our neighbors ranged from Singapore’s 0.2 percent to
Vietnam’s 3.8 percent. We also had the highest joblessness last year at 5.7
percent, versus Thailand’s 1.2 percent, Singapore and Vietnam’s 2.2 percent,
Malaysia’s 3.4 percent, and Indonesia’s 5.6 percent.
And while our neighbors (except Indonesia) saw their currencies go up
from a year ago, our currency dropped about 8 percent—telling us we must be
doing something differently, and wrongly.
All told, we have not gained any ground relative to our neighbors. In some ways, we’re even more kulelat than
ever. Yes, we seem to have achieved so much—but, alas, it’s still far from
enough.
CHA-CHA AND ONE-MAN RULE
By: Danilo S. Venida - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:26 AM August 10, 2018
The 1972 declaration of martial law was preceded by the 1971
Constitutional Convention, which Ferdinand E. Marcos orchestrated to shift the
legislative function from a bicameral Congress to a unicameral Parliament.
Marcos established “legitimacy” to his one-man rule, initiated on Sept. 21,
1972, when the 1973 Constitution was purportedly ratified through barangay
assemblies. For 13 years, Marcos governed under a “constitutional
authoritarianism.”
Today, the proposed shift to a federal system of government via Charter
change (Cha-cha) dividing the country into several autonomous states is one
more model for a one-man rule, in a transition that can take years.
…The scenario opens up real opportunities for what ex-US president
Barack Obama referred to as the growing trend toward “strongman politics,” in
his remarks at the memorial lecture for Nelson Mandela. One-man rulers strive to
have a semblance of constitutionalism—using democratic processes precisely to
undermine the fundamental basis of democracy.
Populism is the current impetus for the seeming global trend toward
“strongman politics.” Governance systems all over the world have generally
failed to deliver basic necessities to the greater number of people.
Frustrated, these people are turning over their aspirations to a leader they
deem will be able to change the directions of failed governance. Institutions have
failed the people; the people, in desperation, take a radical option by giving
up on institutions in favor of a strongman.
It is, thus, understandable for such a ruler to continue undermining
the failed institutions to reinforce the people’s continuing support for his
leadership. Congress is controlled; the Supreme Court is intimidated; media is
attacked. Blame is thrown all over the place to justify to the people the merit
of their choice. Sooner than later, all the people end up totally subjugated.
When the institutions of governance have been completely placed under
control, the burden on free and independent media becomes increasingly more
urgent. Fortunately, the social media infrastructure makes it impossible now
for total control over media by any one-man regime. The struggle for the minds
and souls of the people will be waged in cyberspace.
This is a distinct difference between 1972 and 2018. The absolute
muzzling of media is no longer an option, the way it was for Marcos. Only by
trolls and bots will the ruler fight media, constantly charging media with
disruptive fake news accusations while proposing alternative facts and
contrived realities.
…One-man rule is a system our country experienced just over 35 years
ago, and the experience was traumatic. We have yet to get over the trauma. If
we allow Cha-cha to bring us to this point once again, we will have no one else
to blame but ourselves. We will be constantly taunted by that dictum: Fool us once, shame on you; fool us twice,
shame on us.
Danilo S. Venida (danilosvenida@gmail. com) is a former president of
the Philippine Daily Inquirer and now a business consultant.
WILL PH BECOME ANOTHER VENEZUELA?
By: Joel Ruiz Butuyan - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:08 AM August 13, 2018
Recent news reports coming out of the South American country of
Venezuela are very alarming. Hunger has become so widespread, with almost 90
percent of the population now reduced to poverty, and 64 percent of Venezuelans
losing an average of 11 kilograms in body weight last year, according to
reports.
Venezuela’s inflation rate is predicted to reach an astounding 1
million percent this year. In 2010, one American dollar was worth eight
bolivars, the Venezuelan currency. Today, it’s worth 200,000 bolivars. Severe
shortages of food, medicine and necessities are causing riots, crimes and the
mass exodus of Venezuelans to other countries.
There are worries that the Philippines
may become the next Venezuela, with our own slowing economic growth, rising
inflation and political turmoil.
Venezuela was once the richest country in South America, while the
Philippines was once the second most economically progressive country in Asia,
next to Japan.
…Because of big gaps between the privileged few and the marginalized
majority, widespread disenchantment catapulted populist leaders like Hugo
Chávez and Rodrigo Duterte to the presidencies in both countries. After Chávez
died in 2013, his successor, Nicolás Maduro, continued his policies.
…there’s a looming convergence
of events that can make the Philippines experience the Venezuelan tragedy
to a troubling degree. These are: the shift
to federalism, which will drain or mess up national government revenues;
the recent Supreme Court decision precipitously reducing to 50 percent the
national government share in taxes; expensive
Chinese loans; economic sanctions due to extrajudicial killings; widening
budget deficit; rising prices due to the TRAIN Law; spiraling oil prices;
world market instability due to threats of military war, trade wars and natural
disasters; decreasing overseas employment; and shrinking foreign investments.
Venezuela is on the brink of economic collapse because of rushed and
carelessly studied policies, and lack of contingencies. The Duterte
administration must ensure that it will not take the Philippines on the same road to perdition.
Debt
in itself is not bad. It is gargantuan dollar-denominated debt combined with bad
governance that results in economic disaster. Bad governance, including
economic mismanagement, incites political instability and diminishes business
confidence, inhibiting fresh and recurring investments, which fuel the
capacity to service debt.
“Good governance is hard to find.”
“Good governance is hard to find.”
WHY DOESN’T IT IMPROVE?
ReplyDeleteBy: Peter Wallace - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:24 AM August 30, 2018
Corruption—it’s still alive and well. Transparency International (a recognized, independent expert on the subject) ranked the Philippines 111th out of 176 countries in 2017, down 10 spots from 101st in 2016. But the Philippines’ actual score of 34 was almost unchanged from 35 in 2016.
…No big-time official has gone to jail through a final court decision. In fact, there’s almost nobody of wealth or influence who’s in jail. And until there is corruption, the big stuff—which is what matters—will flourish. Forget the small stuff, that’s simply annoying and would be nice if it were gone. But it’s the hundreds of millions and the billions of pesos that get stolen with impunity that is dragging the country down, and that remains unresolved.
The message is clear: If you’re going to steal, steal big. That has to be changed. But it won’t happen, until some really big fish are clapped in a crowded jail for life.
In his last State of the Nation Address, Mr. Duterte stressed that he would not tolerate corruption, and blamed it for the slow construction of public projects and ineffective implementation of social service programs. He has fired friends and political supporters linked to corruption, and vowed he would continue to. But his message would have been stronger if those terminated were taken to court, charged and convicted.
If he pushed harder for the approval of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, it could help, too. The law could play a central role in his anticorruption drive. But, instead, it’s gathering dust in both chambers of Congress. There is an executive order directing government agencies to be more transparent, but it needs a law to be more effective.
The approval of the FOI law, and actually putting people in jail, could provide a major boost to the country’s global anticorruption ranking. An effective anticorruption drive is among the key prerequisites in attracting more foreign direct investments, which will then help make economic growth more inclusive. But the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman have to be more ruthlessly effective than they are.
Empowering the press and convincing the public to report corruption could also help. But no one is going to report wrongdoing when impunity dominates, and when those who do are threatened with retribution by powerful people. Also, it’s not in Philippine culture to report wrongs, anyway. So, even though we’re convinced the President himself is not corrupt (despite the absurdities of Senator Trillanes) and has fired some officials for suspected corruption, any serious reduction has not been achieved.
And there won’t be, until some major corrupt officials are found guilty and put in an ordinary, overcrowded jail (400 prisoners in a cell designed for 100 people) with all the small, forgotten souls. Not in a special, well-supplied and ventilated room, because they end up corrupting as well the poorly paid jail officials. Fear of a life of hell in jail has to dominate the minds of the crooks in public office.
Read more: https://opinion.inquirer.net/115717/why-doesnt-it-improve#ixzz5PnW5QwSE
Gonzalinho
We have to recognize that a major part of the problem of degenerate governance is the population itself. This is the same population—in terms of cultural values and attitudes—that elected Estrada president. And Estrada was as corrupt as they come. It is this same population that today supports the psychopath Duterte in office. What has to change is the attitude of the population and their support for Duterte the mass murderer. Unless the Philippine people change the way they operate our political system, this continuing problem of a massively corrupt pervasively weak democracy will persist through generations.
ReplyDeleteGonzalinho
Bonhoeffer, On Stupidity, from Letters and Papers from Prison:
ReplyDelete“Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. … The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other. The process at work here is not that particular human capacities, for instance, the intellect, suddenly atrophy or fail. Instead, it seems that under the overwhelming impact of rising power, humans are deprived of their inner independence and, more or less consciously, give up establishing an autonomous position toward the emerging circumstances. The fact that the stupid person is often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that he is not independent. In conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with him as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings.”
Gonzalinho
Image labeled free for noncommercial use
ReplyDeleteImage link: http://intergalacticrobot.blogspot.com/2012/09/vulgaridade-cinica.html
Gonzalinho
CALIDA FIRM BAGS P150M IN DEALS FROM GOV’T, INCLUDING DOJ
ReplyDeleteThe Department of Justice, which supervises budget for the Office of the Solicitor General, awards contracts to a security agency owned by the family of Solicitor General Jose Calida
By Lian Buan @lianbuan
Rappler.com
Published 1:56 PM, May 27, 2018
Updated 2:39 PM, May 28, 2018
MANILA, Philippines – Solicitor General Jose Calida's family-owned security firm has bagged P150.815 million in contracts from 6 government agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), since he became the Philippine government's top lawyer.
Calida's company, Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Incorporated, won 10 government contracts between August 2016 and January 2018, based on award notices accessed by Rappler.
Two of these contracts, worth P12.4 million, were with the DOJ, which prepares the budget of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG). Vigilant bagged them in 2017.
Calida, however, denied any conflict of interest. He said he resigned as chairman and president of Vigilant on May 30, 2016, or before he assumed office at the OSG in July of the same year.
Vigilant notified the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 14, 2016, that Calida resigned as president and chairperson of the company effective June 30, 2016.
The notification said the Solicitor General's wife, Milagros Calida, was its new president and chairperson. Their son, lawyer Josef Calida, was its vice president and corporate secretary. Their daughter Michelle was its treasurer.
However, SEC documents also show that Calida still owned 60% of shares in the company as of September 29, 2016.
This was at least two months after he took his oath as Solicitor General in July 2016.
Vigilant has no shareholders other than Calida and his immediate family. Based on their General Information Sheet (GIS) at the SEC as of September 29, 2016, Calida owns 60% of the company's shares, Milagros has 10%, and their 3 children Josef, Michelle, and Mark Jorel each have 10%.
Link: https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/203441-jose-calida-security-agency-goverment-doj-contracts?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1536143491
Gonzalinho
‘BUILD, BUILD, BUILD’ HITS CHOKEPOINT
ReplyDeleteFIRMS OF BONG GO KIN, TOP CONTRACTORS: MANY JVS, DELAYED PROJECTS IN DAVAO
By Malou Mangahas and Karol Ilagan
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
DAVAO CITY – For his home region and bailiwick of Davao Region, President Rodrigo R. Duterte gave the largest share of public works funds in the 2017 national budget, the first proposed and passed under his watch.
Duterte offered Davao or Region XI a dose of double love: PhP43.77 billion in infrastructure funds, a 119-percent increase or twice more than its PhP19.97-billion allocation in 2016. It was the first time since 2010 that Davao Region became the most favored with public-works funds of 16 other regions, excluding the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which is not covered by data from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
But a lot of money has not bought Davao a lot of finished projects. Senior officials and some contractors themselves trace the problem to a strange situation in the region: Mostly the same contractors are winning more and more contracts, grabbing more projects than they could finish well within their capability, and within deadline.
And so what should have been a blessing has turned into a curse for residents of at least two villages, Barangays Malugay and Mudiang in this city, where road projects remain unfinished eight months past their completion deadlines early this year. The projects are among 295 projects that, by DPWH data as of April 30, 2018, remain unfinished past contract deadlines.
The unfinished projects, according to data from DPWH’s Bureau of Construction, altogether amount to PhP24.5 billion. This is equivalent to 56 percent if computed against Davao Region’s PhP43.77-billion public works funds in 2017.
These numbers do not look good at all. They raise serious doubts about the absorptive capacity of a region that suddenly has had to manage projects of value and possibly volume twice bigger than what it got a year earlier.
Of the projects awarded in the region in 2017, DPWH said 876 had been “completed”, 186 were still “ongoing”, while three more have “not yet started” by the first quarter of 2018.
Thus, instead of comfort and ease, unfinished road projects here have decked the region with piles of dirt and rubble, daily showers of dust for motorists and residents, and occasional accidents on account of road obstructions.
(To be continued)
Gonzalinho
Thursday, September 6th, 2018
Delete‘BUILD, BUILD, BUILD’ HITS CHOKEPOINT
ReplyDeleteFIRMS OF BONG GO KIN, TOP CONTRACTORS: MANY JVS, DELAYED PROJECTS IN DAVAO
By Malou Mangahas and Karol Ilagan
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
(continued)
…There are still winners here, though. The financial bonanza from multibillion-pesos worth of projects in the region has benefited not only big contractors but also relatively smaller ones that, through a growing number of joint-venture agreements with the former, have managed to snare more and bigger projects.
To this lucky set of top contractors in Davao Region belong two entities owned by the father and the half-brother of Special Assistant to the President, Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Tesoro Go: CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders and Supply.
CLTG Builders stood out in PCIJ’s research because all of its joint-venture projects with big contractors in 2017 failed to complete projects by the original deadline. With just a B license, the firm could not have implemented the big-ticket projects it won in 2017 without having a partner.
The company that bears the initials of the presidential aide appears in Davao City’s 10 biggest contractors year on year from 2010 to 2017, according to DPWH data.
CLTG won a total of PhP1.85 billion worth of infrastructure projects for Davao Region from 2007 to 2017. This has yet to include the PhP2.7 billion worth of contracts won by CLTG through joint ventures with four other contractors, including Alfrego Builders, a firm owned by Bong Go’s half-brother Alfredo Go.
In sum, CLTG has been awarded PhP4.6 billion worth of projects, all from the DPWH, in the past decade. It won more than half of that total only last year, however.
…Unfinished projects
Residents of Barangay Malugay and Mudiang in this city would probably wish that DPWH focus its attention instead on rushing unfinished projects.
The road projects connecting the two villages have been awarded to the same contractor and implementing office: CLTG Builders and its joint-venture partner Three W Builders that won projects from the DPWH regional office.
In separate interviews, DPWH officials and CLTG’s owners cite the same reason for the project delay: the projects were bidded out even before road right-of-way (RROW) issues in the area had been settled.
CLTG Builders, a B-licensed construction firm, is owned by Deciderio L. Go, the father of Duterte’s special assistant Bong Go, while its JV partner Three W Builders is a Triple-A contractor from Las Piñas City.
Malugay and Mudiang are among the many villages in the eastern part of Davao City that are linked by an PhP852-million seven-package concreting and widening road project of DPWH Region XI. Five of those, Packages 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7, were awarded to CLTG and Three W Builders, while Package 6 was awarded to Wee Eng Construction. (PCIJ could not find Package 4 in DPWH and PhilGEPS records and during its field visit to Davao City.)
All the five packages assigned to the CLTG/Three W joint venture should have been done by February and March this year, but, by DPWH’s report as of April 30, 2018, remain still unfinished with 49 to 67 percent accomplishment rates only.
CLTG officers interviewed by PCIJ said that the projects are currently suspended on account of road right-of-way issues encountered during project implementation. DPWH Region XI, they said, is now trying to finish negotiations with affected residents.
Wee Eng’s part that is situated in Barangay Mahayag, meanwhile, is paved and clear and almost done at 96 percent.
Link: http://pcij.org/stories/firms-of-bong-go-kin-top-contractors-many-jvs-delayed-projects-in-davao/
Gonzalinho
Thursday, September 6th, 2018
DeleteIt’s back to CRONY CAPITALISM.
ReplyDeleteGonzalinho
Duterte’s agenda, which is to destroy democratic institutions, establish a dictatorship, and enrich himself and his cronies through massive corruption, will have catastrophic economic effects in the Philippines. Bad governance is already showing the signs in massive hidden debt to Communist China, weakening foreign investment, a diminishing peso, ballooning inflation, and degraded economic growth.
ReplyDeleteGonzalinho
2 SOLONS BLAME PALACE FOR P52-B PORK INSERTIONS
ReplyDeleteBy: Jerome Aning - Reporter / @JeromeAningINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:30 AM September 21, 2018
The camp of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Thursday said Malacañang was behind the P52-billion “parked” funds suspected to be pork for lawmakers in the P3.757-trillion proposed national budget for 2019.
Pork refers to lump-sum appropriation for pet projects of congressmen and senators, and is a source of kickbacks.
…Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. said there were no lump-sum allocations as all projects to be funded were itemized on the proposed budget.
Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc denounced what they described as “the gall of Malacañang and some solons” in inserting the P51.7-billion appropriation for projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
…Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc denounced what they described as “the gall of Malacañang and some solons” in inserting the P51.7-billion appropriation for projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“We in the Makabayan bloc demand that the said P51.7-billion pork to be rechanneled to restore the budget cuts for basic services,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
They said people should not have to go to lawmakers but go directly to agencies to claim the services they need. “This lessens patronage politics.”
They accused President Duterte and the Department of Budget (DBM) of “callousness” for making budget cuts on essential services, like the P51 billion from the Department of Education (DepEd), the P36 billion from the Department of Health (DOH), and the P548 million from state universities and colleges (SUCs).
…They noted that no fund had been allocated for mass housing for the poor. “This is the height of insensitivity and must be corrected.”
At a press briefing, ACT Teachers Representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro said the new House leadership should eradicate the lump sums and divert them to social services.
“We are ashamed of what happened here in Congress. The Supreme Court had already ruled against pork barrel, but until now it is still being practiced,” Castro said.
Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1034697/2-solons-blame-palace-for-p52-b-pork-insertions#ixzz5TO3tWkXW
Gonzalinho
KEEP DSWD LEADERSHIP CIVILIAN
ReplyDelete05:02 AM October 16, 2018
We, the faculty of the College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines Diliman, are deeply concerned over the recent appointment of Lt. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Bautista is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy with a military career that spans 33 years. He has impeccable credentials as an expert on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, as commander of the Presidential Security Group, and commanding general of the Philippine Army.
His stay in Mindanao also partly covered the 2017 Marawi siege, a five-month war against the Maranao people that resulted in thousands of internally displaced persons and hundreds killed.
The DSWD is the national agency mandated “to develop, implement and coordinate social protection and poverty reduction solutions for and with the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged.” It is not in the business of counterterrorism and warfare. To many impoverished and marginalized Filipino families and children, the DSWD is a lifeline, a lifesaver, a source of opportunity and hope.
The DSWD is a civilian institution that has been headed by civilians even during the martial law years. Its leadership and workforce are composed of various professionals such as social workers, psychologists, educators, and lawyers who strive to live up to the agency’s commitment to provide “tunay na malasakit sa mahihirap; maagap at mapagkalingang serbisyo sa mamamayan (genuine compassion for the poor; prompt and nurturing service to the people).”
Thus, we question the fit of Bautista’s military credentials for the DSWD. Counterinsurgency and counterterrorism skills are not and should not be part of social welfare. People’s empowerment and human rights are moorings of our society, and the DSWD is a crucial institution to fulfill these. We call on our colleagues in social work, social welfare and development to make a direct stake in ensuring that these moorings remain.
The field of social welfare and development in the country has produced more than enough leaders and public servants whose professional competencies are attuned to the mandate of the DSWD. There is no dearth of qualified candidates for DSWD secretary.
SYLVIA ESTRADA-CLAUDIO, MD, PhD,
Dean UP College of Social Work and Community Development
Read more: https://opinion.inquirer.net/116770/keep-dswd-leadership-civilian#ixzz5WDX38r5p
In his drive to militarize the government and destroy democratic institutions, Duterte implements BAD GOVERNANCE with concomitant DEGRADATION of the ECONOMY.
Gonzalinho
THE CURIOUS 3RD TELCO BIDDING
ReplyDeleteBy: Solita Collas-Monsod - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:12 AM November 10, 2018
The flavor of the week is Davao’s Dennis Uy and his Mislatel consortium with China Telecom. They reportedly “won” the bid to be the Philippines’ third telco. The question on everybody’s mind is, did they win it fair and square?
On the face of it, they did. Three bidders participated. It was a two-envelope system of bidding, where the first envelope submitted by the bidders contained all the documents and other requirements for the bid. Only if all the requirements and documentation were complete would the second envelope be opened.
As it happened, two bidders—PT&T (Manuel Zamora) and LCS-TierOne (Chavit Singson)— failed to comply with all the requirements. PT&T failed to prove that it was operating on a national scale for the past 10 years (it went to court, but I was told that it withdrew its case two days ago), while LCS-TierOne, among other things, failed to submit the P14-billion performance bond required. These are not mere technicalities, Reader. Anyway, they are asking for reconsideration.
Well, Dennis Uy’s group submitted everything. So their second envelope was opened, and their commitment was that, within five years, they would have covered 84 percent of the whole Philippines and 70 percent within three years. They also guaranteed a minimum speed of 55 mbps (megabits per second) within five years (same as Singapore’s), with 27 mbps after three years. If they fail, they will forfeit their P14-billion performance bond. They are not going to go unscathed.
You don’t understand all this, Reader? Here’s a basis for comparison: Globe and Smart’s current maximum speed is all of 10 mbps (never achieved); and it took them 20 years to cover 70 percent of the Philippines. So Mislatel would be a real improvement.
What is curious, though, is that a group, Converge ICT, and its partner, KT (Korean Telecommunications), were all set to bid. Two days before the bid date, they had even called up Acting Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Eliseo Rio (a retired brigadier general) and told him they were looking forward to bid. And on the day of the bid itself, their lawyer was there. But he left and did not submit a bid.
They did make a statement later in the day, giving some limp reason why they decided not to bid. But it doesn’t compute, given the call to Rio and the lawyer appearing on the day of the bid.
Were they strong-armed by Dennis Uy (Davao) or by a call from the Palace? No one knows.
To be continued
THE CURIOUS 3RD TELCO BIDDING
ReplyDeleteBy: Solita Collas-Monsod - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:12 AM November 10, 2018
Continued
What is at stake here, Reader? Well, Mislatel’s foreign partner is government-owned China Telecommunications. Remember, President Duterte had first announced that he was going to give the third telco spot to China—and only backed down when Rio opined that there might be national security problems if a Chinese government-owned company had control over a telco. Besides, there must be bidding.
Converge’s foreign partner is Korean Telecommunications, a privately owned company. Korea is reputed to have the second best technology (after Japan) in the region. Unfortunately, we will never know if their offer would be better than Mislatel’s. But even if it were not, I would prefer the Korean connection. Wouldn’t you? For national security reasons.
There is another very curious thing. Instead of giving praise to Rio who presided with honor and competence over the whole proceedings, his replacement was announced. And he just read about it in the newspapers. Thus is good service rewarded in this administration.
Rio is an electronics and communication engineer and placed fourth in the licensure examinations. He was selected as the “Most Outstanding Professional in the Field of Electronics and Communication for the Year 2002.” His accomplishments while he was in the National Telecommunications Commission range from keeping SMS rates down and allowing the entry of SUN to provide competition to Globe and Smart, to facilitating the entry of call centers and BPOs.
No one will be able to put one over him. He knows his stuff. He would not hesitate to call Mislatel to task if they erred. But he does not know President Duterte.
One would think that, being a retired military general (Mr. Duterte says he loves them), and given his qualifications, Rio would be a shoo-in for the DICT position, which he was holding in an acting capacity.
But having a military background with expertise does not cut it. You have to be a military man with Duterte connections—expertise not necessary.
solita_monsod@yahoo.com
Read more: https://opinion.inquirer.net/117379/the-curious-3rd-telco-bidding#ixzz5WPOPWBIp
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