A Sad Day for Filipinos
Posted on | Saturday, 9 April 2011 | No Comments
By Benjie Oliveros
bulatlat.com
March 30 is a sad day for Filipinos. Three overseas Filipino workers Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain were executed after being caught by Chinese immigration authorities and subsequently sentenced to death for carrying heroin into China. Even before the execution, one could already feel the somber mood of the people being shown in television coverages. It’s as if time stood still until the announcement that the three were already dead.
Malacañang came out with a statement expressing sympathies to the families. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte reminded the people of the efforts the government exerted in trying to stop the executions. Malacañang also talked tough against drug syndicates.
Reading from the statement, Valte said, “Their deaths are a vivid lesson in the tragic toll the drug trade takes on entire families.” The government also vowed to break the “chain of victimization” being done by drug syndicates and called on the support of the citizens to do this.
However, Migrante International blamed the government for not doing enough to save the three OFWs. It also pointed to the continuing labor export policy of the government as the cause of the woes of OFWs.
The anchors of both Channels 5 and 7 defended the government saying that it has done a lot in trying to save the three OFWs from execution, even sending Vice President Jejomay Binay to China to appeal in behalf of the three OFWs. Tulfo of Channel 5 said the government should investigate Philippine airport authorities to find out how the drugs were slipped out of the country, in the first place.
Well, an investigation of drug syndicates, their network and dealings and a thorough asssesment of the handling of the cases of the three OFWs by the Department of Foreign Affairs(DFA) and consular officials in China are in order. The government, through the Philippine Natonal Police, has a continuing program of breaking drug syndicates and catching the culprits. There is nothing new in that. However, the government really needs to investigate how these drugs were slipped out of the country through the airport. Either some one is sleeping on the job or is earning extra money because the manner by which the drugs were concealed, such as through the lining of suitcases, is not new.
The Aquino administration should also not merely brush aside the allegations of lack of assistance by Philippine embassy officials. After all, Migrante International has received more than enough stories and reports of OFWs in distress who have not been assisted by DFA officials and of OFWs in death row who were not provided with lawyers and were not even visited until their execution was about to be promulgated. By that time, it was too late.
Migrante is also right in pointing to the country’s continuing labor export policy as the root of all these problems. First, because the country is being able to export migrant workers, the government is not pressured to address the worsening unemployment situation by generating jobs. It is even not pressured to solve the country’s economic problems. The government benefits a lot from labor export in the form of revenues from licenses and fees; it is the biggest export earner for the country; it props up the country’s dollar reserves; and it boosts domestic consumption.
The government could just go on implementing the neoliberal prescriptions of the IMF-WB. In the meantime, advanced capitalist countries try to save their failing economies by implementing stimulus programs and generating jobs through government spending, implement protectionist measures and provide hidden subsidies such as in agriculture, and try to gain undue advantage for their investments, multinational companies and export products by pressuring third world countries to further open up their economies and not to deviate from the neoliberal policies of deregulation, liberalization and privatization.
Second, because Philippine embassies have the task of opening up opportunities for the country’s labor export, consular officials walk on eggshells in dealing with officials of host countries and employers of OFWs. This is why they always advise OFWs who escape to return to their employers or to just go back home and not file cases or demand for what is due them. This is also the reason why the Department of Foreign Affairs rarely, if at all, files diplomatic protests against abuses committed against Filipinos abroad. The US was able to spirit out of jail a convicted rapist Lance Cpl Daniel Smith, who was accused of raping a Filipina in Subic in 2005, and even had him acquitted. But the Philippines would never do such a thing. There is truth in the saying, “Do not bite the hand that feeds you.”
Thus, OFWs are always vulnerable to abuse by their employers, unscrupulous recruiters, and even by Philippine embassy officials. The sad thing is that OFWs, even those who have experienced being abused or were subjected to stressful situations such as wars, would still prefer to risk working abroad just to earn a decent income than risk hunger and slow death for his or her family. This makes them vulnerable to the machinations of drug syndicates and white slavery gangs.
During his inaugural address, President Benigno Aquino III promised that his administration would create enough jobs in the country so that Filipinos would no longer feel the need to work abroad. In the meantime, he said, the government would intensify its services to OFWs. Well, the tragic fate of Villanueva, Credo, and Batain shows that this is all rhetoric as of now. And there are no indications that this would change in the future. Republished by Cordillera News Portal
bulatlat.com
March 30 is a sad day for Filipinos. Three overseas Filipino workers Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain were executed after being caught by Chinese immigration authorities and subsequently sentenced to death for carrying heroin into China. Even before the execution, one could already feel the somber mood of the people being shown in television coverages. It’s as if time stood still until the announcement that the three were already dead.
Malacañang came out with a statement expressing sympathies to the families. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte reminded the people of the efforts the government exerted in trying to stop the executions. Malacañang also talked tough against drug syndicates.
Reading from the statement, Valte said, “Their deaths are a vivid lesson in the tragic toll the drug trade takes on entire families.” The government also vowed to break the “chain of victimization” being done by drug syndicates and called on the support of the citizens to do this.
However, Migrante International blamed the government for not doing enough to save the three OFWs. It also pointed to the continuing labor export policy of the government as the cause of the woes of OFWs.
The anchors of both Channels 5 and 7 defended the government saying that it has done a lot in trying to save the three OFWs from execution, even sending Vice President Jejomay Binay to China to appeal in behalf of the three OFWs. Tulfo of Channel 5 said the government should investigate Philippine airport authorities to find out how the drugs were slipped out of the country, in the first place.
Well, an investigation of drug syndicates, their network and dealings and a thorough asssesment of the handling of the cases of the three OFWs by the Department of Foreign Affairs(DFA) and consular officials in China are in order. The government, through the Philippine Natonal Police, has a continuing program of breaking drug syndicates and catching the culprits. There is nothing new in that. However, the government really needs to investigate how these drugs were slipped out of the country through the airport. Either some one is sleeping on the job or is earning extra money because the manner by which the drugs were concealed, such as through the lining of suitcases, is not new.
The Aquino administration should also not merely brush aside the allegations of lack of assistance by Philippine embassy officials. After all, Migrante International has received more than enough stories and reports of OFWs in distress who have not been assisted by DFA officials and of OFWs in death row who were not provided with lawyers and were not even visited until their execution was about to be promulgated. By that time, it was too late.
Migrante is also right in pointing to the country’s continuing labor export policy as the root of all these problems. First, because the country is being able to export migrant workers, the government is not pressured to address the worsening unemployment situation by generating jobs. It is even not pressured to solve the country’s economic problems. The government benefits a lot from labor export in the form of revenues from licenses and fees; it is the biggest export earner for the country; it props up the country’s dollar reserves; and it boosts domestic consumption.
The government could just go on implementing the neoliberal prescriptions of the IMF-WB. In the meantime, advanced capitalist countries try to save their failing economies by implementing stimulus programs and generating jobs through government spending, implement protectionist measures and provide hidden subsidies such as in agriculture, and try to gain undue advantage for their investments, multinational companies and export products by pressuring third world countries to further open up their economies and not to deviate from the neoliberal policies of deregulation, liberalization and privatization.
Second, because Philippine embassies have the task of opening up opportunities for the country’s labor export, consular officials walk on eggshells in dealing with officials of host countries and employers of OFWs. This is why they always advise OFWs who escape to return to their employers or to just go back home and not file cases or demand for what is due them. This is also the reason why the Department of Foreign Affairs rarely, if at all, files diplomatic protests against abuses committed against Filipinos abroad. The US was able to spirit out of jail a convicted rapist Lance Cpl Daniel Smith, who was accused of raping a Filipina in Subic in 2005, and even had him acquitted. But the Philippines would never do such a thing. There is truth in the saying, “Do not bite the hand that feeds you.”
Thus, OFWs are always vulnerable to abuse by their employers, unscrupulous recruiters, and even by Philippine embassy officials. The sad thing is that OFWs, even those who have experienced being abused or were subjected to stressful situations such as wars, would still prefer to risk working abroad just to earn a decent income than risk hunger and slow death for his or her family. This makes them vulnerable to the machinations of drug syndicates and white slavery gangs.
During his inaugural address, President Benigno Aquino III promised that his administration would create enough jobs in the country so that Filipinos would no longer feel the need to work abroad. In the meantime, he said, the government would intensify its services to OFWs. Well, the tragic fate of Villanueva, Credo, and Batain shows that this is all rhetoric as of now. And there are no indications that this would change in the future. Republished by Cordillera News Portal
Category:
opinion
City to reconcile conflicting laws on land disposition
by Aileen Refuerzo
The city government is working on reconciling conflicting laws relative to the disposition of alienable lots in the city.
The mayor last week convened a committee earlier requested by the city council to review, study and recommend actions on the developments surrounding Republic Act No. 10023, a new law that authorizes the issuance of free patents to residential lands.
The mayor said that with the committee at work, the city hopes to find a common ground amid the conflicting provisions of the city’s present procedures of disposing lots in accordance with its status as a townsite reservation vis-à-vis the provisions of the Free Patent law and the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) law.
“I hope that this will resolve the issues arising from these conflicting laws and guide us properly in dealing with the disposition of lands here in our city,” the mayor said.
The mayor also said that whatever decisions on the land disposition procedures that will be agreed on by the committee will be adopted by the city for incorporation in the proposed bill to amend the city charter which is now undergoing deliberation before the Senate.
The committee which the mayor heads is composed of the city legal officer as co-chair with the chair of the city council committee on urban planning, lands and housing, the city planning and development coordinator, city assessor and representatives of concerned line agencies primarily the Dept. Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as members.
The city has been asking the DENR to defer the implementation of the Free Patents law in the city due to the conflict.
City and DENR-CAR officials earlier agreed that the free patents law runs counter to the city’s present procedure of disposing alienable and disposable lots and thus is inapplicable to the city’s setting as a townsite reservation.
They said townsite sales applications (TSAs) cannot be converted into residential free patents.
TSAs have a maximum of 1,000 square meters of land to be claimed as compared to residential free patents with a maximum of 200 square meters in highly urbanized cities like Baguio.
Officials fear that this will be abused by land claimants of alienable or disposable lands by opting for residential free patents because under the new law, multiple applications may be made up to 12 hectares of land owned by claimants nationwide resulting to land monopoly.
The committee is looking into the DENR Administrative Order No. 2010-12 which promulgates the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the issuance of free patents under the act and the Draft Administrative Order providing guidelines for the disposition of alienable lands for residential purpose in the city of Baguio relative to the free patents law.
Republic Act No. 10023 entitled “An Act Authorizing the Issuance of Free Patents to Residential Lands” was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in March last year.
The DENR considers said new law as a “landmark measure as it streamlined the requirements and procedures of land titling involving zoned residential lands.” *(AR/Baguio City PIO//PIA CAR)
The city government is working on reconciling conflicting laws relative to the disposition of alienable lots in the city.
The mayor last week convened a committee earlier requested by the city council to review, study and recommend actions on the developments surrounding Republic Act No. 10023, a new law that authorizes the issuance of free patents to residential lands.
The mayor said that with the committee at work, the city hopes to find a common ground amid the conflicting provisions of the city’s present procedures of disposing lots in accordance with its status as a townsite reservation vis-à-vis the provisions of the Free Patent law and the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) law.
“I hope that this will resolve the issues arising from these conflicting laws and guide us properly in dealing with the disposition of lands here in our city,” the mayor said.
The mayor also said that whatever decisions on the land disposition procedures that will be agreed on by the committee will be adopted by the city for incorporation in the proposed bill to amend the city charter which is now undergoing deliberation before the Senate.
The committee which the mayor heads is composed of the city legal officer as co-chair with the chair of the city council committee on urban planning, lands and housing, the city planning and development coordinator, city assessor and representatives of concerned line agencies primarily the Dept. Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as members.
The city has been asking the DENR to defer the implementation of the Free Patents law in the city due to the conflict.
City and DENR-CAR officials earlier agreed that the free patents law runs counter to the city’s present procedure of disposing alienable and disposable lots and thus is inapplicable to the city’s setting as a townsite reservation.
They said townsite sales applications (TSAs) cannot be converted into residential free patents.
TSAs have a maximum of 1,000 square meters of land to be claimed as compared to residential free patents with a maximum of 200 square meters in highly urbanized cities like Baguio.
Officials fear that this will be abused by land claimants of alienable or disposable lands by opting for residential free patents because under the new law, multiple applications may be made up to 12 hectares of land owned by claimants nationwide resulting to land monopoly.
The committee is looking into the DENR Administrative Order No. 2010-12 which promulgates the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the issuance of free patents under the act and the Draft Administrative Order providing guidelines for the disposition of alienable lands for residential purpose in the city of Baguio relative to the free patents law.
Republic Act No. 10023 entitled “An Act Authorizing the Issuance of Free Patents to Residential Lands” was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in March last year.
The DENR considers said new law as a “landmark measure as it streamlined the requirements and procedures of land titling involving zoned residential lands.” *(AR/Baguio City PIO//PIA CAR)
Category:
Baguio City
Banaue Imbayah festival promises culture and fun
by Lito Dar
“Come and visit our Imbayah festival in Banaue, Ifugao this April 26 to 29 and experience our culture, native games, songs, and native products, in addition to our rice terraces.”
This was the invitation extended by Mayor Jerry Dalipog to the public as well as to the people of Banaue, who are now residing in Baguio or elsewhere in the country, during a media forum at the Department of Tourism Regional Office here, last week.
According to Banaue Ifugao Councilor Jun Dumar, the Imbayah festivities will kick-off on April 17, with the “nabah” - a nine consecutive nights of Imbayah merry making, dancing, and chanting.
On April 23 to 25, Banaue will also offer local and foreign tourists alike with an Eco-tour Trekking Challenge, which will bring participants to cultural villages of the municipality, wherein aside from the adventure and great view of the rice terraces, local communities are also preparing different ethnic activities such as rice wine making and stone walling for visitors to witness and experience.
Dumar also announced that the Imbayah ritual “baki” will be performed on the 25th, as the festivity highlights will be celebrated from April 26 to 29.
Dumar also stressed that the Imbayah festival usually showcases the indigenous sports of Banaue, but now more activities and events are added to ensure that local and visitors alike would surely enjoy the festivity.
Scheduled activities for April 26 are ethnic parade with street dancing followed by a program at the Market Plaza, a rice wine tasting contest, “hicha” (public lunch), backstrap weaving, and the start of the ethnic games competition.
On the 27th, there will be a street dancing completion, shooting competition, wood carving presentation, and a cultural dance, music, and instruments presentation.
For the 28th, a new game – “buttuan,” a marathon in g-string will be held, as well as the amateur boxing and taekwondo tournament, an exhibition game of volleyball in g-string and another cultural dance, music, instrument presentation. To highlight this festive day is the wooden scooter race which can only be seen in Banaue.
Closing the festivity on the 29th will be the catching of a greased native pig and the closing program and the awarding ceremony for the winners of the ethnic games. *(LD -PIA CAR)
“Come and visit our Imbayah festival in Banaue, Ifugao this April 26 to 29 and experience our culture, native games, songs, and native products, in addition to our rice terraces.”
This was the invitation extended by Mayor Jerry Dalipog to the public as well as to the people of Banaue, who are now residing in Baguio or elsewhere in the country, during a media forum at the Department of Tourism Regional Office here, last week.
According to Banaue Ifugao Councilor Jun Dumar, the Imbayah festivities will kick-off on April 17, with the “nabah” - a nine consecutive nights of Imbayah merry making, dancing, and chanting.
On April 23 to 25, Banaue will also offer local and foreign tourists alike with an Eco-tour Trekking Challenge, which will bring participants to cultural villages of the municipality, wherein aside from the adventure and great view of the rice terraces, local communities are also preparing different ethnic activities such as rice wine making and stone walling for visitors to witness and experience.
Dumar also announced that the Imbayah ritual “baki” will be performed on the 25th, as the festivity highlights will be celebrated from April 26 to 29.
Dumar also stressed that the Imbayah festival usually showcases the indigenous sports of Banaue, but now more activities and events are added to ensure that local and visitors alike would surely enjoy the festivity.
Scheduled activities for April 26 are ethnic parade with street dancing followed by a program at the Market Plaza, a rice wine tasting contest, “hicha” (public lunch), backstrap weaving, and the start of the ethnic games competition.
On the 27th, there will be a street dancing completion, shooting competition, wood carving presentation, and a cultural dance, music, and instruments presentation.
For the 28th, a new game – “buttuan,” a marathon in g-string will be held, as well as the amateur boxing and taekwondo tournament, an exhibition game of volleyball in g-string and another cultural dance, music, instrument presentation. To highlight this festive day is the wooden scooter race which can only be seen in Banaue.
Closing the festivity on the 29th will be the catching of a greased native pig and the closing program and the awarding ceremony for the winners of the ethnic games. *(LD -PIA CAR)
Category:
Ifugao
Health office records 3 new HIV in Baguio
Posted on | Friday, 8 April 2011 | No Comments
by Lito Dar
City Health Services Office (HSO) Reproductive Health and Wellness Center (RHWC) head Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes affirmed that there are three new cases of HIV recorded this first quarter of 2011 bringing the total number of HIV/AIDS cases in the city to 44, with 17 deaths, since surveillance started in 1992.
According to Brillantes, the three new cases involves two males aged 22 and 32 years old who are both categorized as MSM (Men having Sex with Men)and a 39 years old female.
Brillantes affirmed the increasing cases of HIV/AIDS, especially among the MSM groups, which is why they are intensifying the surveillance and IEC campaign to the said groups as they are now the vulnerable sector to HIV infections.
Based on the city’s HSO-RHWC HIV/AIDS Registry data, in 2007, out of the five cases recorded, two were MSMs, two HIV cases recorded in 2008 were both MSM. In 2009, two of five recorded cases were MSM, and last year there were four MSM cases out of the six HIV cases recorded.
Of the total 44 HIV cases, 30 were males with the youngest just 17 years old, 19 were overseas contract workers, 12 MSMs, four are blood donors, three were wives of persons with HIV (PWH), two foreigners, a sexually active male and a female who still has an unknown cause of disease.
As for the RHWC, Brillantes stressed that aside from the continuous advocacy and IEC campaign, they are also regularly conducting HIV/AIDS surveillance, conducting trainings to new entertainers, conducting night inspections and contact tracing.
The HSO and RHWC, is also at the forefront of the city’s AIDS Watch Council (AWAC), a multi-sectoral group headed by Dr. Charles Cheng, a long time partner of the city government in combating HIV/AIDS. AWAC’s framework focuses on the prevention, service delivery, advocacy, IEC campaign, and research. *(PIA CAR)
City Health Services Office (HSO) Reproductive Health and Wellness Center (RHWC) head Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes affirmed that there are three new cases of HIV recorded this first quarter of 2011 bringing the total number of HIV/AIDS cases in the city to 44, with 17 deaths, since surveillance started in 1992.
According to Brillantes, the three new cases involves two males aged 22 and 32 years old who are both categorized as MSM (Men having Sex with Men)and a 39 years old female.
Brillantes affirmed the increasing cases of HIV/AIDS, especially among the MSM groups, which is why they are intensifying the surveillance and IEC campaign to the said groups as they are now the vulnerable sector to HIV infections.
Based on the city’s HSO-RHWC HIV/AIDS Registry data, in 2007, out of the five cases recorded, two were MSMs, two HIV cases recorded in 2008 were both MSM. In 2009, two of five recorded cases were MSM, and last year there were four MSM cases out of the six HIV cases recorded.
Of the total 44 HIV cases, 30 were males with the youngest just 17 years old, 19 were overseas contract workers, 12 MSMs, four are blood donors, three were wives of persons with HIV (PWH), two foreigners, a sexually active male and a female who still has an unknown cause of disease.
As for the RHWC, Brillantes stressed that aside from the continuous advocacy and IEC campaign, they are also regularly conducting HIV/AIDS surveillance, conducting trainings to new entertainers, conducting night inspections and contact tracing.
The HSO and RHWC, is also at the forefront of the city’s AIDS Watch Council (AWAC), a multi-sectoral group headed by Dr. Charles Cheng, a long time partner of the city government in combating HIV/AIDS. AWAC’s framework focuses on the prevention, service delivery, advocacy, IEC campaign, and research. *(PIA CAR)
Category:
Baguio City