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Shut out, shut in; shut down, shut up

Shut out Mexico, US President Donald Trump insists. It had been his campaign promise from back in 2016 to “Build that wall” along the 1,954 miles (3,145 km) US border with Mexico to keep out illegal entrants into the US. We’ll make Mexico pay for it, Trump boasted then (BBC, Jan. 26, 2016). How could he have ever expected Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to happily say “Si!” to a wall pre-paid by Mexico to shut out Mexico from the US? “Mexico doesn’t believe in walls,” Nieto expectedly said on national television, and of course he would not spend up to $25 billion to shut Mexico out (BBC, Jan. 26, 2017).
Then shut in the US, Trump said. “Our country is under siege,” he said. For Trump, the border situation amounts to an invasion by criminals that can only be solved by more walls (AFP News, Jan 11, 2019). And so Trump had included an initial $5.7 billion in the national budget for his obsession to build The Wall. “Ninety percent of the heroin sold in America floods across from our southern border, he warned (washingtonpost.com, Jan. 10, 2019). True or not true? Media fact-checkers reported that Customs and Border Protection data show virtually all drugs confiscated by border security happen at legal ports of entry, rather than at open border spaces where a wall might be built (Ibid.).
But Trump’s budget inclusion was stopped in Congress. “I am proud to shut down the government for border security,” Trump told House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in a televised message (Ibid.). And the US government has been shut down since Dec. 20 — 24 days now — the longest shutdown in US history since the 21-day stretch in 1995-1996, under President Bill Clinton, whose Medicare program met Republican objections (AFP News, Jan. 11, 2019).
“Shut down the government” sounds chilling. A government shutdown physically closes the nonessential offices of the government like national parks and national museums, and halts work for federal employees except in “essential” areas like the military, health, the Federal Reserve, Post Office, etc. According to a fact sheet released by the Democratic staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, “more than 420,000 federal employees were expected to work without pay” and “more than 280,000 federal employees would be placed on furlough, effectively on leave without pay” (investopedia.com, Jan. 12, 2019). Disrupted government services and increased costs to the government due to lost labor during the 16-day 2013 shutdown over Obamacare had “taken $993 billion out of the economy and shaved at least 0.6% off annualized fourth-quarter 2013 GDP growth, according to Standard and Poor’s (ABC News, Sept. 12, 2017).
In the US, a government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass sufficient appropriation bills or continuing resolutions to fund federal government operations and agencies, or when the President refuses to sign into law such bills or resolutions. In European parliamentary systems, the executive must maintain the approval of the legislature to remain in power and typically an election is triggered if a budget fails to pass. In other presidential systems, the executive branch typically has the authority to keep the government functioning even without an approved budget (Zurcher, Anthony “US Shutdown Has Other Nations Confused and Concerned,” BBC News, Oct. 3, 2013).
And that is how it is, in the Philippines, that the separation of powers between the executive and the legislative is blurry, with regards to the approval of the budget and its appropriations. Same as in the US, Congress has the sole power of the purse and responsibility for appropriating government funds. An appropriations bill must be passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and then go to the President for approval. If the President signs the bill, it becomes law. In the US, if the President vetoes it, it can go back to Congress for a two-thirds vote or the President can stand pat and declare a shutdown. But in the Philippines, if instead the President vetoes it and the fiscal year commences, the previous year’s budget is “reenacted,” or disbursements follow the last year’s allocations, inclusive of savings. Quietly, the executive always wins.
One can say that in our country, there is no shutdown, only “Shut up,” when it comes to conflicts between the President and Congress over where our (tax) money is to be spent.
And in our politics and culture, a shutdown would perhaps be only redundant and superfluous to the tacit acceptance of the “Shut up” that settles apprehensions and conflicts between and among the distinct and independent executive, legislative and judicial powers of government on the one hand, and the common good, on the other hand. Trump declared early in the new year that he could “continue the shutdown for months or even years” to force funding of the border wall and is considering declaring a national emergency to build the wall without congressional approval, but softened later in the week when he started “grasping the consequences of an extended shutdown, including sharp reductions in SNAP payments and delays of $140 billion in tax refunds” (www.wsj.com, Jan 11, 2019). Would our President Rodrigo Duterte hesitate to declare a national emergency and use his emergency powers, anyway? Shut up!
The US government shutdown has two main teaching points for us, small democratic economies. First and most important is the separation of powers between the executive and legislative (and judicial) branches of government that ensures the common good by the ingrained system of checks and balances ruled by the Constitution. In the US, the allocation of $5.7 billion for the Mexico-US border wall goes beyond the political egos of Trump and the Republicans, vis-s-vis the Democrats. It would not even be fair to compare the cost of the shutdown versus the cost to the economy, caused by this difference in opinions about spending the people’s money on building a border wall. But it clearly shows the conflict in the American soul between two groups of political leaders: those in the level of principles, who believe in and push for the openness to human rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness — above and beyond race and nationality; and those who are focused on the tactical details of legal and illegal immigration, which anyway and by the way, also show opposing views on those universal human rights.
Would that the “opposition” in current Philippine politics rise to their sworn duty to analyze conflicts in governance, and act as true check-and-balance, in behalf of the common people, to the acknowledged and accepted “strong-man rule” that seems to have surreptitiously accustomed society to the “New Now” of “Shut up” as the final settlement of differences.
And connected to that is the second teaching point from the US government shutdown experience(s): the US two-party system is very strong — a political model efficient to protect the common good. From observation, the Democrats are flexibly more socially-oriented (outward, e.g., accept the “Dreamers”) and the Republicans more strict in their nationalism (inward, hence “Build that Wall”). Here in the Philippines, there is practically no party-system. The elections for Congress/Senate and local government are coming in May, and the people effectively do not vote for party stands and principles. Our elected officials can switch party affiliations so easily.
Is “Shut up” the only option?
 
Amelia H. C. Ylagan is a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.
ahcylagan@yahoo.com

Isko Moreno: The Man with the Plan

The city of Manila has lost its competitiveness and is drowning in its own poverty. This is why the next mayoral elections is critical to its very survival.
Running for Mayor are 90-year-old Alfredo Lim who served as Mayor from 1992 to 1995 and again from 2007 to 2010; 87-year-old Joseph Estrada who has been the incumbent since 2013; and 47-year-old Isko Moreno who served as city councilor for three terms and Vice Mayor also for three terms until 2016.
We all have a stake in this mayoral race as Manila is the capital of the nation and its face to the world.
MANILA TODAY
The nation’s capital had everything going for it. It is home to the most number of universities in the land and therefore should, in theory, be a bastion of knowledge and innovation. It is the site of the country’s first central business district, Binondo, the country’s principal seaport, the Banco Sentral and the Department of Finance. All these should make it the country’s center for finance and trade. It hosts the most number of historical and cultural sites including Intramuros, the CCP complex and the national museum. Again, in theory, it should be ground zero for culture, tourism and entertainment. Lamentably, Manila is none of these.
Due to wanton mismanagement, Manila has spiraled down to new depths of poverty, urban decay, blight and squalor. It is a shadow of its former self, the Pearl of the Orient. It is widely regarded as a massive failure in urban planning and governance.
In the last two decades, neighboring cities like Makati, Taguig, Parañaque and Quezon City have all risen to become modern business hubs. They did this by developing swaths of their territories into modern CBDs like BGC, Vertis North and the ASEANA City. These CBDs have attracted multibillion-dollar enterprises which in turn, boosted each city’s tax base. Manila, on the other hand, was left to rot. Due to the lack of investment in infrastructure and the inefficient delivery of basic services, Manila’s caché of business establishments has plummeted from 60,000 in the year 2000 to some 40,000 today.
Progressive cities like Makati and Taguig are already thinking of ways to facilitate hyper-connectivity, disaster resilience and pedestrianism. The city of Manila still grapples with trash collection, a manual tax collection system and a low tax collection rate of only +/- 79%. Development-wise, Manila is 30 years behind.
Mayor Lim had his chance to reform the city but unfortunately, squandered it. Evidently, the former policeman possesses very little talent outside the realm of peace and order. It will be recalled that he was responsible for padlocking the red light district of Manila (which he thought was a good idea), only for it to mushroom in random places where it is more difficult to manage. It was a mistake.
He repressed the development of the bohemian district of Malate and was the approving Mayor of Torre de Manila, the eyesore that mars the background of Jose Rizal’s monument. By the time Lim’s term in office ended in 2013, insiders revealed that he left P800 million worth of past obligations and nearly empty coffers.
The city’s poor financial health was what prompted Mayor ERAP to raise taxes by 300% in 2013. With the windfall of cash, ERAP was able to pay for the P800 million in overdue obligations. However, he failed to invest in meaningful infrastructure and modernize the city’s management systems.
The problem with ERAP is the absence of management. ERAP is too old that his busted knee, broken hip and jaw problems prevent him from reporting for work as often as he needs to. He is an absentee Mayor who has relegated the daily management of the city to men who have neither the vision nor capability to do even a mediocre job of it.
Mayors Estrada and Alfredo Lim have had their chance to do good by Manila but made a royal mess of it. Proof positive is the sorry state of the city today. As Filipinos, we should hold them accountable and never forget the damage they have wrought on our capital city.
For them to seek another term as Mayor reeks of shamelessness and entitlement. Suffice to say that to vote for them again is akin to eating one’s own puke.
ISKO MORENO
Let me be direct about this. I support Isko Moreno not only for having the advantage of youth but also for coming to the table with a vision and a working plan. This is a basic requirement for any aspiring chief executive.
Isko is not pedigreed. As a former garbage collector, pedicab man and later on, actor, he is often dismissed by intellectuals as an opportunist who took advantage of his popularity to get into politics. I thought the same — at least until I engaged him in hours of conversation and peered into his thinking process.
Outside having finished public administration courses at Harvard and Oxford University, the man is clearly well read. Throughout our conversation, he quoted Lee Kwan Yew, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Albert Einstein and even Adolf Hitler on numerous occasions. It was no put on. It came out naturally amid speaking with disarming honesty.
As an economist, I did not want to be impressed by an actor — but I was. Lessons derived from studying the ways of political luminaries and 21 years of public service has turned Isko into a thinker.
He maintains a pragmatic view of Manila’s situation, something that I think is very important. He offers no quick fix solutions as he admits that it would take 15 years to bring the city at par with likes of Pasig or Pasay today. He is committed, however, to lay the foundation of urban renewal from day one.
At the heart of his urban renewal plan are three pillars: Infrastructure development, attracting businesses and urban housing.
In infrastructure, Manila is unfortunate in that it is bereft of open spaces wherein a new CBD can be built. What it has, however, are sites that can be repurposed. Among them is the 12 hectare Pandacan oil depot, strategically facing the Pasig river. The property is presently dormant and owned by Petron and Shell.
Through a joint venture or PPP arrangement with the petroleum companies, Isko proposes to build a new CBD called the Pandacan Greenfield City. It is foreseen to be a vertical township that will house knowledge-based businesses and those involved in research and technology. Special incentives will be given for those who employ graduates of Manila-based universities. A 15-year tax holiday on land and business taxes will be given to the developers and its locators.
On the northwestern side of the city, a skydeck and pedestrian skywalk will connect the planetarium in Luneta to Liwasan Bonifacio and onwards to Escolta. This will mark the urban renewal of the old town.
The idea is to convert Escolta into a retail and entertainment hub similar to Clark Quay in Singapore. Owners of buildings in Binondo will be given a 10-year property tax holiday should they renovate or rebuild. The idea is to increase gross leasable areas so as to add tenancy capacity in Binondo.
Vertical parking buildings will be built in properties owned by the city along with pedestrian lanes to connect Binondo and Escolta. Encouraging pedestrianism should minimize PUV congestion.
As for the bohemian quarter of Malate, Isko hopes to attract artists, writers and the theater community back to the district. Malate is the artistic soul of the nation and it deserves to thrive, he asserts.
A modern city hall will be built on an adjacent site of the existing one through funds derived from a long-term lease of the old building. The historic city hall will be repurposed into a museum, cultural and retail center. It’s all about creating new landmarks for the city — landmarks that add value in terms of the city’s image and income, says Isko.
In housing, the city owns numerous properties in Baseco, Vito Cruz, Valderama del Pan and even in the city of Marikina. These will be the sites for which vertical mass housing complexes will be built. The financing scheme is not ironed out yet, but suffice to say it will be patterned after the socialized scheme adopted by the Home Development Board of Singapore.
These initiatives, taken collectively, are seen to attract capital, generate jobs and increase the tax base of the city while a new CBD on reclaimed land is being constructed.
Isko is well aware that none of this will come to fruition unless the city gets its operational act together.
Operational efficiency will be realized by automation and becoming ISO certified. The move will also eliminate human contact in tax collection thereby minimizing, if not eliminating, corruption.
The infrastructure plan is grand and it will require massive funding. To this, Isko plans a general amnesty program where taxpayers with obligations in arrears can pay the principal without the weight of interests and penalties. The amnesty will allow the city to collect taxes it could not otherwise collect. It is a scheme designed to raise capital through bad debts.
The city of Manila needs a new Mayor to arrest its free-fall and set it on the right path. Isko Moreno is the better option among the three contenders.
 
Andrew J. Masigan is an economist.

Tobacco Tax: Good for the tobacco farmers, too

A focus group discussion (FGD) with 23 farmer leaders from Candon and Cabigao, Ilocos Sur last Dec. 17, 2018 should be of interest to the politicians who are now deliberating the passage of the tobacco tax.
In that FGD conducted by Action for Economic Reforms (AER) and Social Watch Philippines (SWP), the respondents revealed that allocations from the incremental revenue collections of Republic Act 10351 (RA 10351), also known as the Sin Tax Law of 2012, were utilized on programs that directly contributed to support the farmers in the tobacco-growing province.
RA 10351 mandates that based on a complicated formula, about 15% of the incremental revenues from the additional tobacco excise taxes will go directly to tobacco-producing provinces to finance programs that will provide support for tobacco farmers and workers. This can be in the form of inputs, trainings, safety nets, infrastructure, livelihood, and agri-industrial projects.
According to the respondents in the FGD, the direct impact of the additional revenues from Sin Tax was felt in a major way when it comes to additional equipment and inputs provided by the local government units (LGUs) to the tobacco farmer groups. They said that this form of government support greatly reduced their cost of production. They also gave credit to the new farm-to-market roads funded by the tobacco tax, which provided an easier way for them to transport their produce.
Since the passage of RA 10351, the allocated funds for tobacco-growing regions (for both barley and Virginia tobacco producers) almost doubled from P5.6 billion allocated for 2014 to P10.7 billion allocated for 2015. For 2018, the allocated funds reached P15.813 billion. Contrary to arguments of some lawmakers (e.g. Representative Miro Quimbo) that additional taxes kill the livelihood of farmers, the taxes have actually financed programs that support the tobacco farmers.
The feedback from the FGD is also consistent with the data obtained by AER from the Department of Budget and Management. Through the Freedom of Information (FOI) portal, AER was able to retrieve data on submissions of LGUs on proposed programs that they would like to be financed using the sin tax revenues. From the data that AER collated, most of the proposed programs are directed towards construction of farm-to-market roads, purchase of inputs and equipment, and irrigation programs.
However, the farmers raised a concern that more funds from the tobacco tax revenues should be utilized for additional financial support in the form of cash subsidies or loans. They mentioned that the initial capital in farming is still a major problem. They also mentioned the need to improve health care and education programs for their families.
This new information from the FGD provides another reason why supporting tobacco tax increases shouldn’t worry politicians, especially those gunning for Senate seats this 2019 such as Senator Sonny Angara, who heads the Senate Committee on Ways and Means that is tasked with conducting committee hearings on tobacco taxation.
It can be remembered that Senator Frank Drilon, the principal author of the Sin Tax Law, ranked second in the senatorial race in 2013 even after the tax was passed into law in 2012. Senator Drilon takes pride in winning heavily in tobacco-growing provinces. The bipartisan support for the passage of the tobacco tax, as well as the certification of its urgency, should make it a lot easier for the politicians, including the reelectionists, to pass the bill.
In the proposed Senate Bill 1605 of Senator JV Ejercito, which mandates a tobacco excise tax increase to P90 per pack of cigarettes, health advocates estimate P87.31 billion in incremental revenues. Of that amount, about 15% will be used as additional funding for the farmers and others in tobacco-growing areas. The bulk or the remaining 85% will be used for the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, which will benefit all Filipinos.
It makes us wonder then why some politicians are afraid of passing increased tobacco taxation. It is good for the health of the entire Filipino people. It increases revenues that will be used for universal health care and for the welfare of tobacco farmers and workers.
Hence it will mean support of the people to politicians who will champion the tobacco tax. For the reelectionists, it means votes. This is not a mere opinion; it is validated by a recent Pulse Asia survey that two out of three Filipinos support higher tobacco taxes and will support politicians who will champion tobacco taxation.
To Senator Angara and his colleagues in the Senate, take heed.
 
Arjay Mercado is a fiscal policy analyst and researcher of Action for Economic Reforms.

Pimentel to push inquiry into passport data breach

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
Reporter
SENATOR AQUILINO L. Pimentel III plans to file a resolution to look into the reported passport data breach in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) involving a previous contractor.
In a text message to BusinessWorld on Sunday, the senator said he told his staff to draft the resolution so “hopefully, it could be filed this week.”
In a Twitter exchange last week, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said the department was “rebuilding” its files on passport applicants, which included birth certificates, after a “previous outsourced passport maker took all the data when contract (was) terminated.”
He disclosed the information on Twitter after he was addressing the concern of an overseas Filipino worker who was encountering some problems with renewing his passport.
“Because previous contractor got pissed when terminated it made off with data. We did nothing about it or couldn’t because we were in the wrong. It won’t happen again. Passports pose national security issues and cannot be kept back by private entities. Data belongs to the state,” Mr. Locsin said in a Jan. 9 Twitter post.
In another series of tweets on Sunday, Mr. Locsin said he wanted the “problem fixed” and left it to the Senate and the Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate and to prosecute, respectively. He also mentioned that he just wanted the process of passport renewal “quickened” by removing the birth certificate requirement.
Mr. Pimentel told reporters in a separate mobile phone message that the DFA should explain how the alleged data breach occurred. He also wanted to look into the terms of contract with the previous passport provider.
“Why is there a provision that the provider should hold all the data while the DFA has no copy? And who in DFA allowed this kind of contract? Who was the Secretary at the time?” the senator said.
“We need to know what other data gathering government agencies have entered into such a contract, which is disadvantageous to the government and the people,” he added.
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay Jr provided more information in a Facebook post Saturday evening, which Mr. Locsin shared on Twitter, into the change of passport makers between 2006 and 2015.
Back in 2006, the former government official said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas awarded, through bidding, the production of machine readable electronic passports (MREPs) to Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciare (FCOF).
But in 2015, the DFA awarded the production of a new E-Passport system to APO Production Unit, Inc. (APUI), which is under the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). APUI then tapped United Graphic Expression Corporation (UGEC) for the production of the new E-passports, which Mr. Yasay said was a contract violation.
By early 2017 when he was DFA Secretary, Mr. Yasay recounted that chief presidential legal counsel Salvador S. Panelo demanded that all rights over the personal data and other information connected to the E-passport printing services “be reconveyed to the DFA or be acknowledged to be exclusively owned and controlled by the DFA.” Mr. Panelo purportedly said assigning the passport printing services to UGEC was “illegal.”
“Upon information and belief, it appears that UGEC which continues the illegal production of the E-passports has not complied,” Mr. Yasay said as he called for thorough investigation into the controversy. “Under the present scheme of things, the DFA cannot hold UGEC accountable for any breach or screw up in the printing of the E-passport.”
“Indeed this matter should be thoroughly investigated without any political bias or cover-up so that the whole truth, which the public deserves, will be exposed,” he added.
For her part, Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo on Sunday issued a statement calling on the government to “take action on stolen passport data.”
“It is shocking and it is scary,” the statement also quoted her in her weekly radio program.
Ms. Robredo said she agrees with Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon that the government should file a case against the former service contractor “to compel that company” to return the data.

Abolition of Road Board, budget top Congress agenda

By Camille A. Aguinaldo and
Charmaine A. Tadalan Reporters
CONGRESS RESUMES session on Monday, Jan. 14 with the proposed P3.757 trillion national budget for 2019 as the top priority measure in the Senate and the House of Representatives set to tackle the Road Board abolition bill.
“These are the only remaining administration bills pending,” House Majority Leader Rolando G. Andaya, Jr. of the 1st district of Camarines Sur said in a phone message on Saturday. “All others including tax measures are done with as regards the House of Representatives,” he added.
The government is currently operating under a reenacted budget as the 2019 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) remains pending in the Senate.
The House, for its part, approved House Bill No. 8169, or the “General Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2019,” on Third reading on Nov. 20.
Both chambers have until Feb. 8 to tackle priority measures before it goes on break for the campaign period. The 17th Congress will then resume for three weeks beginning May 20 and will officially adjourn on June 7.
On the abolition of the Road Board, which was passed under the leadership of then Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez, Mr. Andaya said the chamber will designate conferees for the Bicameral Conference Committee on Jan. 14.
The Senate has yet to discuss whether it will convene the panel to amend the provisions provided in House Bill No. 7436, which it adopted.
Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo told reporters on Friday that the bicameral deliberation and ratification of the priority measures identified by President Rodrigo R. Duterte “are dependent on when the Senate will be able to finish them.”
For her part, Senator Loren B. Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said in a statement on Sunday the Senate will continue to hold marathon sessions on the GAB with 10 remaining government agencies lined up for plenary debates.
She added that the Senate is targeting to approve the GAB on third and final reading by Jan. 21. This will be followed by a bicameral conference committee and the bill’s ratification by both chambers of Congress before Feb. 8.
“We aim to have the budget signed by the President by the second week of February,” Ms. Legarda said.
Congress adjourned session last Dec. 13 with the national budget still under the period of interpellations in the plenary or pending for second approval. Senators have cited the delayed transmittal of the House of Representatives of the GAB as the reason why Congress failed to pass the GAB before the end of 2018.
Agencies that will face the Senate’s scrutiny this week include the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Tourism (DoT), Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Health (DoH), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Commission on Elections (Comelec), Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO), and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
“While pressed for time, we will perform our duty to pass a budget that is geared towards our collective desire to provide our people with programs and services that would usher in personal growth, community development, and national progress,” Ms. Legarda said.
“We want to ensure that every peso from the people’s taxes go back to them through actual delivery of services and programs,” she added.
Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III earlier said the chamber will also hold an all-senator caucus on Monday to discuss the GAB, the issue on the abolition of the Road Board, and the Senate’s other priority measures.
Last Thursday, the Senate leader also listed the following priority bills that the chamber will pass in the four-week January-February session: proposed amendments to Human Security Act, medical scholarship bill, proposed amendments to the Public Service Act, the proposed Mindanao Railways Authority, unified uniformed personnel retirement benefits and pension Reform Act, budget reform bill, rightsizing the national government bill, value for money procurement bill, traffic and congestion crisis bill, and the salary standardization bill.

Analysts cite factors to determine fate of communist insurgency

ANALYSTS sought for comment cited key conditions that the government needs to tackle to determine the fate of the communist insurgency.
The year 2018 marked the existence of both the Communist Party of the Philippines (December 26) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (March 29), for exactly a half century. But the insurgency spans further back in time to at least the immediate postwar era.
Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said the government of President Rodrigo R. Duterte aims to end the insurgency by the end of his term. Mr. Duterte himself had said the rebellion can end by this year, an endeavor that Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria C. Sison said is bound to fail.
Sought for comment, University of Santo Tomas (UST) political science professor Marlon M. Villarin said in a phone interview on Saturday, “The very root cause why the Communist Party survived is simply because of the failure of the government to really address the root cause of rebellion and that is social injustices: their failure to reach the countryside for better opportunities for living, their failure to address and reinforce a genuine agrarian reform.”
Analyst Richard J. Heydarian, when also sought for comment, said, “I don’t think it is realistic to think of their complete extinction unless the Philippines magically becomes an equitable society which is not gonna happen in time soon. But to keep them at bay and to contain them and prevent them from becoming a formidable kind of insurgent group, I think that is doable.”
He added: “You can kill the rebels, but you cannot kill the idea outright. So the ideas will persist. As long as people believe in them, they can come back.”
“(But) I think it is quite realistic to think that in less than a generation perhaps, in a decade or less, we may see the communist movement drawing to verge of extinction, barring any major political transformation in our country. But they will be there as long as long socioeconomic injustice is prevalent on the ground.”
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Mr. Villarin, for his part, said, “The Build, Build, Build project is very instrumental. We have to remember that these road projects, these infrastructure projects will not only benefit the national government but also the countryside. And we are now looking at the possibility that it will translate into sustainable livelihood opportunities in the countryside. So when these things happen in the countryside, peace and order will also prosper.”
Also sought for comment, UST Political Science Department Chairperson Dennis C. Coronacion cited “the wrong notion of government officials that the solution to communist insurgency lies at the hands of our military. This solution has failed to address the root causes of joining the leftist movement.”
“Actually, there are government programs in place designed to address the root causes of the insurgency problems in the country. The agencies in charge include the DSWD and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process,” added Mr. Coronacion, citing further the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the national government’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) in conflict-affected areas.
On Friday, the Department of Interior and Local Government reported that 8,367 rebels surrendered to the government between July 1 and Dec. 28, 2018. Many of the former rebels were granted benefits under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.
Ateneo Policy Center research fellow Michael Henry LI. Yusingco, when also sought for comment, said via email, “I believe the CPP is irrelevant in the broader scheme of things. I do not see them contributing significantly in our nation’s growth. I am utterly perplexed at government’s response to the CPP.”
He added, “On one hand, the government is always saying the CPP is a spent force and the NPA is just a ragtag group of terrorist. And yet on the other hand, they also constantly say that the CPP and the NPA are still serious threats to the country’s peace and order situation. This just seem farcical for me.”
PEACE TALKS
On the always interrupted peace talks, Mr. Villarin said, “The window towards peace talks will always be open to both sides. But the administration is now looking at a different model. For more than five decades, most of our peace talks is always between the national government and the national leadership of NPA. Now, the present administration is looking at a different model. It is now an agreement between the national government and the grassroot leadership of NPA.”
“Kasi tandaan natin (Let’s remember), Joma Sison remains a symbolic leader of NPA. But we have to remember that there are different movements on the ground. Kaya kahit (So even if) Joma Sison is very strong with his words, people are now surrendering their arms to the government because hindi na nakikita ng revolutionary forces ngayon ‘yung essence (they do not perceive anymore the essence). They are now becoming more practical rather than ideological.”
For his part, Mr. Heydarian said, “I think what government is pushing is not peace talk but a surrender agreement with the communist movement….I think there were some sort of historic chance in the past including the earlier months of the Duterte administration. I would even say that if the Mamasapano (tragedy) did not happen, there’s a good chance we would have it in early 2015.”
He added: “The point with the communist movement is that they are internally divided….In economics, we have a principal-agent problem, so clearly we have principals of the communist movement as formally identified and maybe okay with peaceful negotiations. But we have agents on the ground who have contrary interests and they don’t think together. In that absence, the government has two options, to go for an all-out war or divide and conquer them.”
Mr. Yusingco said: “I’m not sure if there is still even a need for a peace agreement between the government and the CPP. If the NPA is simply a ragtag group of terrorists, then the correct approach would be to treat them as such. Why even put the CPP in the same category of the MILF, if they are indeed a spent force?” — interviews by Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Tax Academy in Clark, Tagaytay planned

PERMANENT campuses of the Philippine Tax Academy (PTA) are being planned in Tagaytay City and New Clark City, the Department of Finance (DoF) announced Sunday. In a statement, Finance Undersecretary Gil S. Beltran said that for the Tagaytay campus, the PTA will be located in a complex with other government-run professional learning institutions such as the Development Academy of the Philippines, Philippine Judicial Academy, and the Commission on Audit International Training Center. In Clark, the campus will be within the new smart metropolis under development. Mr. Beltran also said that a benchmarking study for the PTA was conducted recently by the DoF with the National Tax College, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Institute, the Japan Personnel Authority and the Doshisha University in Kyoto. The PTA, as provided under Republic Act 10143, is intended “as a learning institution for tax collectors and administrators of the government and selected applicants from the private sector.” PTA courses are also being prepared for online offering.

Chinese nationals top list of barred foreigners in 2018

THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) barred 133 foreigners from entering the country in 2018, and have been blacklisted, for displaying unruly behavior toward immigration officers. “They were also placed in our immigration blacklist of undesirable aliens, thus they are banned from re-entering the country,” BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton SP. Medina said in a statement. Out of the 133 foreigners, Chinese nationals topped the list with 37, followed by 25 Americans and 23 Koreans. Mr. Medina noted that last year’s number was slightly higher than the 129 recorded in 2017. He also warned foreigners against disrespecting and using foul language in communicating with immigration officers. “The entry and stay of foreigners in the country is only a privilege, not a right. Aliens are not allowed to verbally abuse or disrespect our immigration officers.” BI spokesperson Dana Krizia M. Sandoval said the bureau is strictly imposing a 2009 policy disallowing entry of foreigners “who exhibit arrogance or make offensive utterances against immigration officers” and their inclusion in the blacklist. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Election season starts


THE ELECTION period started Sunday, Jan. 13, for the May 13 national and local polls with Peace Covenant signing ceremonies around the country participated in by the police, military, government officials, religious leaders, and other stakeholders. Throughout the election season, which will be in effect until June 12, checkpoints will be in place while prohibitions include the carrying and transport of weapons unless exempted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), and the hiring of private bodyguards by candidates.
CAMPAIGN
The campaign period for candidates, meanwhile, has been set by the Comelec for the following dates:

Feb. 12-May 11 — Senators and party-list groups

March 30-May 11 — Members of the House of Representatives, and regional, provincial, city, and municipal officials.

Campaigning is banned on March 28 and 29 in observance of the Catholic Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Duterte fires Bacolod City police chief, 4 others

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has fired Senior Supt. Francisco B. Ebreo as Bacolod City police chief and four other officials for their alleged involvement in illegal drugs. Mr. Duterte made the announcement at a businessman’s birthday party at the L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod that he attended last Saturday, according to a press release from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on Sunday, Jan. 13. “I’d like to know if the chief of police is here. If you are here kindly stand up because you are fired as of this moment,” the President was quoted as saying. “In your involvement in drugs and making the people of Bacolod miserable, I am relieving and dismissing you from the service as of now, Senior Superintendent Francis Ebreo,” he added. He also announced the dismissal of four other police officials assigned in the city, naming “Superintendent Tayuan… And Superintendent Yatar… And there is Victor Paulino, police SI… Macapagal, you are out.” The PCOO also said that the police officers were ordered to report to the Office of the President this Monday at 2 p.m. Mr. Duterte said these cops are protectors of the drug syndicate in Bacolod City. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Restored Sunburst Park inaugurated

ILOILO CITY’S Sunburst Park, originally known as Plaza de Aduana, was formally reopened last Friday after undergoing a P19-million restoration and development work. Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) Chief Operating Officer Pocholo Joselito D. Paragas, who led the turnover ceremony of the renovated park to the city government, said he hopes that the landmark will be properly maintained for sustainable tourism. “Now that we already turned over this Sunburst Park to the city government, the maintenance and operation management will be under their authority. It’s up to them to develop it or enhance it,” Mr. Paragas said. TIEZA implemented the renovation, which was initiated by Iloilo native Senator Franklin M. Drilon as part of the Iloilo Heritage and Urban Renewal Project. The Sunburst Park, located in front of the Iloilo Customs House, was named after the US Army 40th Infantry Sunburst Division that helped liberate Panay from the Japanese during World War II. The restored public space features a walkway, chess playground, and park benches. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

Davao City council approves IP traditional conflict resolution for some cases

CONFLICTS and crimes with a maximum prison term of six years involving indigenous people (IP) in Davao City could be settled through traditional mechanisms after the mayor signs the ordinance recently approved by the council. Councilor Halila Y. Sudagar, the mandatory IP representative to the local legislative body, said the passage of the law will allow IP communities to preserve their culture as well as help declog local courts. “Prior to passing this ordinance, we coordinated with the City Prosecutor’s Office and the personnel of the Department of Justice and they were happy about this ordinance,” said Ms. Sudagar. The ordinance specifies that the settlement of cases under the IP customary system will involve and be overseen by the Lupong Tagapamayapa (peace council), Office of the Cultural Community Officers, and the deputy mayors of the different tribes. In cases where the conflicts involve two or more tribes, the jurisdiction is decided by both parties. “They (protagonists) can write a letter if they would like to resort to the judgment of the IP Council of Elders,” Ms. Sudagar said. Davao City is home to 11 IP communities. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

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