Insights and opinions from our contributors on the current issues happening in the region

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Never trust a communist!

Bunang and the Pulahanes

Tabang Palo

An Experiment in Happiness

Stop the Killings in the Philippines

Rich, socialite Filipina Senator meets with Maoist and “Communist” Revolutionaries in the Netherlands

 
 

 

 

Let us continue our march for progress

(Inaugural speech of re-elected Eastern Samar governor Ben Evardone delivered during the Oath Taking Ceremony held July 2, 2007 in Borongan City)

The passion of politics is over. Let us get back to work.

We had divergent voices and votes last May 14.  But we have one hope.

Unity in diversity has been our recurring story.

Our politics of consensus and focus on collective effort has transformed Eastern Samar in a big way.

We are now out of the Club 20, the list of the poorest and the most depressed provinces.

The short period it took us to pull our beloved province out of the quagmire of poverty is in itself an inspiring story.

Our record for the past three years is something we can all be proud of. We posted great strides in all areas where government ought to be present.

But the tasks ahead are far from over. 

On infrastructure, we will embark, with the active support and cooperation of the municipal and barangay officials, on a massive rehabilitation of our provincial, municipal and barangay roads which have long been neglected, especially access roads to agricultural production areas.

I assure you. Aided with a fleet of brand new heavy equipment, we now have the will and determination to tackle this perennial problem head-on because the people have already suffered so much from bad roads.

To carry out this task, I will issue an executive order creating the Provincial Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Task Force to be headed by no less than your governor with the provincial engineer as vice chairman. All kapatas and construction and maintenance man (CMM) personnel will be recalled to report to the capitol to be members of this Task Force for proper deployment to various areas which need urgent attention.

A company from China will soon start the construction of Amandaraga Hydropower Plant at a cost of P700 million. It will have a power generating capacity of 4 megawatts, enough to supply the energy requirement of the four gateway municipalities of Lawaan, Balangiga, Giporlos and Quinapondan. The rehabilitation of the Amanhuray Hydropower Plant will start soon.

We will intensify our program to energize some of the barangays in the province. To date, there are already 411 barangays which were energized.

We will also intensify our efforts at providing potable water to the various barangays in the province.

On agriculture, we have started an earnest modernization of production and post-harvest facilities, even as we have recorded decent increases in crop and fishery production.

We have acquired 340 units of hand tractors, 100 water pumps for irrigation and 200 units of pump boat engines for distribution to our farmers and fishermen who have long been yearning for government support. (Later in this inaugural program, we will start the distribution of the first batch of recipients of pump boat engines.)

We facilitated the release of P120 million pesos for the rehabilitation of some irrigation projects and farm to market roads.  And some more are coming. We have been propagating certified seeds to further increase the yield of the farmers.

We will revitalize our coconut industry by maximizing its value-added products – like coco coir etc. – and by encouraging intercropping of Jethropha and other cash crops.

On tourism, we are proud to report the influx of local and foreign visitors, awed by the natural wonders we have and the hospitality and warmth of our people. Calicoan Island will be the next Boracay. Or even better.

This week, your governor, together with Presidential Assistant for Eastern Visayas Vic Domingo and Guiuan Mayor Annaliz Gonzales-Kwan will go to Seoul, South Korea to seal the intention to a leading Korean real estate company to put up another world-class resort hotel in Calicoan, and on August 8 a memorandum of agreement will be signed by the parties for the construction of a 200-room Intercontinental Hotel to be finished in three years.

At this juncture, I would like to thank the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for coming up with Investments Incentives Ordinance. And hopefully, the SP will prioritize the approval of the proposed Tourism Ordinance to further enhance our efforts to attract tourists and tourism investors. As you know, there is already a world-class surf camp and a P5M yoga center in Calicoan.

To compliment these tourist facilities, the provincial government will actively pursue the construction of a convention center here in this capitol site and at the same time explore the possibility of establishing a new capitol building on top of the mountain at the back, to give the provincial seat of power a new face befitting a vibrant province. (Early this year, the League of Board of Members from Eastern Visayas wanted to hold its convention in our province. However, they decided not to proceed with the convention for lack of facilities, among other reasons. Now that Borongan is a city, the province should compliment.)

I need not stress the tremendous multiplier economic benefits that these developments will bring to the people of our province.

On healthcare, there is a long list of tangible achievements. The operations and management of our two public hospitals – the Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital and the Albino M. Duran District Hospital - had been cited by the Philippine Hospital Association.  The PHA had likewise cited your governor for two consecutive years already for implementing a comprehensive and integrated approach to health development.

The implementation of the P560 million Provincial Health Investment Plan will start this quarter, starting with the acquisition of ambulances for our district hospitals, to make health services more accessible, more affordable and more efficient.

We have had breakthroughs in reining in child malnutrition, a silent killer, and in checking maternal and child mortality.

There is still much to be desired in our efforts to improve the delivery of health services to our people.

We will not be discouraged by the magnitude of the problems confronting the health sector – from the lack of medicines to the scarcity of medical doctors, which is a national phenomenon.

We are the host of UNICEF, Plan Philippines, European Commisison, GTZ, Spanish International Red Cross and UNFPA-aided health programs.

And we express our sincere appreciation for the continued trust and support of these international institutions, a concrete manifestation of a vote of confidence to our leadership and our people.

On education, our elementary and high schools have been outperforming those in key and progressive provinces and cities nationwide where financial support is not a problem, be it in the National Achievement Test or the National College Admission Test and other barometers of academic excellence.

We hired about 300 province-paid teachers. We supported the WB/JBIC-funded TEEP. Last Thursday during the oath taking ceremonies of governors in Malacañang, I was informed that the President has approved the release of P40 million for school repair and 48 new teacher items.

About 200 provincial scholars are now taking degree courses at the Eastern Samar State University and in TESDA-accredited schools for technical courses.

Recently, the 1st batch of welders and plummers, who were all provincial scholars, graduated at the Llorente Training Institute, the only one in the whole island of Samar. (Congratulations and thank you Mayor Cardona and the local officials of Llorente.)

About 500 youth have so far availed the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) under RA 7323. This is on top of those who have earned gainful employment as a result of our sustained program to generate jobs locally and abroad.

On the environmental front, we have arrested the despoliation of our marine resources. We are nurturing our wounded ecosystems back to full health. While we are promoting responsible mining, we have been very extra careful in allowing mining operations in the province to make sure that the primordial interest of preserving the environment is not compromised.

Our finances are healthier, with surpluses posted after I assumed office in 2004 up to the present. We contained waste, undertook austerity measures and avoided the usual profligacy with public money.

We are in the Hall of Fame of the AGAP, the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines for a more efficient handling of our financial matters.

This is the ultimate proof that we are prudent with public funds. As a result of this, we are able to provide almost all the legally-mandated benefits of provincial employees. Also, because of this feat, we have gained the confidence of international funding agencies, particularly the European Commission, in pouring in resources to our province.

The next three years covered by my 2nd term as steward of the province will also be spent on re-engineering and re-inventions. To start with, I will abolish the Provincial Transportation and Equipment Office and transfer some of its functions and personnel to the Provincial Engineering Office to beef up our road rehabilitation efforts and help maintain our heavy equipment.

Our reorganization and streamlining scheme, however, will not put in the back burner our ambitious programs of education, health, anti-poverty, infrastructure development and agricultural modernization.

The leadership of an LGU in this millennium requires parity concern to both the traditional concerns of government – the usual mandate to lift up education and health – and facing up to the challenges of the ascendant themes of this age.

By this I mean, putting governance in sync with the technological breakthroughs in the area of information and communication technology.

It is either we adopt or we loose our growth momentum.

In line with this, we are embarking on a computerization program, covering our crucial operational work and key provincial offices. We will install a wireless LAN or Local Area Network. Our Bio-Metrics Attendance System will be full operational this year.

We will craft a program to intensify computer education. Our target is to make Eastern Samar a source of knowledge business workers. We have the talent, the creativity and the bent. With adequate training, we can place our young men and women in good and high-paying jobs in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

On my invitation, a leading international outsourcing company will come to the province to train young Eastern Samareños to work in call centers. I will ask the SP to allocate an initial amount of 500 thousand pesos to finance the training. All the trainees who will pass will be hired immediately by international firms.

For the next three years, our educational thrust will cover a very broad range, from early childhood care and development to improving tertiary education. Again, let me thank the SP for coming up with a revised Child Welfare Code. We are one of the few provinces which have adopted this measure that is aimed at promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of the children.

As an initial step, I will ask the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to allocate P1 million to hire an army of day care workers province-wide which will help prepare our children shape a better future.

Skills training and retraining will be a priority. The mastery of a skill is a premium in this Knowledge Society.

Our health programs will be along the imperatives of the World Health Organization: improving primary health care, improving the basic health care infrastructure and disease prevention. We will carry out a comprehensive poverty-reduction program based on the 13 poverty indicators. We have partnered with foreign and local institutions in this effort, institutions that have been witness to our relentless effort to combat the scourge of poverty.

I have already directed the Provincial Planning and development Office to come up with a viable livelihood program through microfinance.

As you steward, I am committed to lead by example. Not by words but through deeds, selflessness, commitment, integrity.

I will continue to introduce unorthodox, innovative and pro-active style of governance to enable us to compete with the rest of the 81 provinces, 130 cities, 1,500 municipalities and 42,000 barangays nationwide as we continue to march for progress.

As we embrace new approaches to meet the challenges of the times, I call on all sectors to support all our initiatives in facing up to the challenges.

The Pacific, the part of the world where the sun rises, is where Eastern Samar is.

This is where the streaks of light break out to later blossom into the full light of day.

Let us then work to transform our streaks of growth, our seminal light, into a full-blown morning of growth, stability and prosperity.

Thank you and May God Bless us all.

 

 

 

 

Will taxes increase after Catbalogan's cityhood?

By TONYBOY MORALES
June 22, 2007

Does being a city entail increased burden on the people to pay higher taxes? This issue is an important issue that everybody should know. I am glad that the avid readers of Samarnews.com are now debating over the said issue. Let me remind everybody that a 5-year moratorium on tax increases is embodied in R.A. 9009, Catbalogan City organic law. Thus, there would be no tax increases during the five-year period starting on the date the law was ratified by the constituents of Catbalogan.

The caveat on tax increases

However, tax increases should be viewed in a "real" and not "nominal" sense. To illustrate let us use some hypothetical examples: First, if the business sales tax is at one-half of 1% of gross sales before the ratification of the law, the tax rate cannot be increased within the five year period. So, if businessman X earns 10,000 pesos for the year 2008, he will only pay the existing tax rate of one-half of 1% which is 50 pesos. If he earns 15,000 in 2009, he will still pay one-half of 1% of gross sales which is 75 pesos and not the 50 pesos he paid in 2008. Hence, the rates remain the same but the amount of tax paid increased due to the increased gross sales.

Second, another deviation is when the city council imposes a new tax. For example, the city deems proper to impose a new tax on those who would use public beaches, like Buri and Sunshine, because there is no existing tax at the moment. The imposition of a new tax is not viewed by law as an increase in tax because there is no existing tax from which increases are to be reckon with. So, if the city wants to earn some money outside of IRA and other incomes, to be creative is the name of the game. Thus, a new tax is not a tax increase.

Third, let us focus on property taxes which will be subject to a lot of contentions later. Property taxes are shared between the provincial and municipal government. If you are currently paying say 1,000 pesos as annual property tax as assessed by the municipal assessor and during this year you have made some significant improvements to your house that would increase its value, the assessor may increase its assessment of your house and you'll probably be paying more than what you are currently paying. Therefore, the increase is due to the increase in the value of your house while the rates remain the same.

Do not worry

For the next five years, there would be no "real" increase of tax rates in the city of Catbalogan. I guess that statement is a little bit correct. That to me is an assurance that the price we pay for a city we wanted won't bite us the moment we said yes to cityhood. Or, maybe after five years, tax increases would be unnecessary because of efficient collection of taxes, who knows. We should not be worried with things that may not come to pass.

Taxes are essentially good and the evils of taxation

However, taxes must be viewed as a necessity for an orderly society and a responsive government. The list of things that the government should do is long and taxes are important to run the turbines of government. Only corruption and tax evasion are the two evil pilfirages for the smooth running of a government system. If we can pluck these two pilfirages, the people will benefit tremendously from the services provided by the government. People are willing to pay taxes if they know where their taxes go. Taxes should go to the proper bucket and not to a corrupt pocket.

 

 

 

 

The Legal Issue of Catbalogan's Cityhood

By ANTONIO MORALES
June 16, 2007

The issue of Catbalogan's cityhood being contested by the League of Cities, represented by its Secretary-General Mel Senen Sarmiento of Calbayog, is anchored on the fact that Catbalogan failed to comply with the new income requirement now pegged at 100 million pesos by the Local Government Code, as amended, in order for it to be converted as a component city of Samar. The other requirements being land area and population.

The crux of the matter is that Catbalogan failed to comply with the new requirement but was exempted together with other aspiring municipalities because these municipalities used to have incomes above the previous requirement of 20 million pesos. In effect, therefore, these municipalities have surpassed the old requirement but were blocked when the income requirement was increased by 500%. Since the bills converting these municipalities were already pending, meaning that they have been filed, in congress when the increased income requirement took effect, the bicameral committee of congress thought, and rightly so, that they should be grandfathered, meaning that they should be exempted from the new requirement since the bills pre-dated the new requirement.

It's Money that is causing the controversy.

The opposition of the League of Cities is not because they do not want somebody to belong to an elite group of local government units (LGUs) called "cities" but because their respective Internal Revenue Allotments (IRA) will be reduced with the entrance of new cities. An IRA is like a commission you get from the government for all BIR-collected taxes like corporate and personal income tax, sales tax (EVAT), estate tax, capital gains tax, gift tax, and other internally-generated income of the government. Cities get a fatter check from the central government than the municipalities hence the contention.

The current system is wrong.

The current system of giving more money to a more progressive LGU is highly questionable. The number one reason why Catbalogan wants to become a city is not to become independent and self-sufficient but to have more money from the national government or simply and plainly said to be more dependent from the national government.

IRA is like the lifeblood of LGUs. Without it, many LGUs will become bankrupt. The problem with this system is the too much centralization of the government. When the local government units rely so much on the national government for its simple operations then it should not have been created in the first place because it cannot stand on its own feet. Decentralizing tax collection and authority to tax should have been prioritized so these local government units should no longer be too dependent on the national government for income. It is sad that almost 90% of LGUs in the country are IRA-funded and the hopes of the Local Government Code of 1991 to create independent and self-reliant LGUs have failed miserably.

Back to the Legal Issue of Catbalogan's Cityhood.

The League of Cities will definitely go to the Supreme Court to question the validity of converting Catbalogan and other municipalities into cities for their failure to comply with the 100 million peso-income requirement. They will assail that even the president did not sign R.A. 9009, the organic act of converting Catbalogan into a component city. Many would ask now why GMA did not sign it into law. It was at the middle of the campaign season and she wanted a solomonic solution to the contention of the two opposing factions. She did not sign it to become a law but has merely allowed it to lapse to become a law by not doing anything to it after it was transmitted to her from congress. So, in effect, R.A. 9009 became a law by mere lapse of reglamentary period.

Is R.A. 9009 (An Act Converting the Municipality of Catbalogan into a Component City of the Province of Samar and for other purposes) valid?

Although this is a test case for the Supreme Court, it will eventually decide in granting the cityhood status for Catbalogan and others similarly situated. The doctrine on special and general law will come into play in their decision. R.A. 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines is a general law while R.A. 9009 (Catbalogan Cityhood Law) is a special law. When a special law and a general law run in conflict with each other, the special law will become an exception to the general law. Thus, the cityhood of Catbalogan is actually an acceptance of congress that it is an exception to the general rule provided by the general law which is the Local Government Code. And, once the plebiscite is done and an overwhelming majority says yes to cityhood, the Supreme Court will recognize now the vox populi, vox dei doctrine that the aspirations and hopes of the people shall forever be respected and given due consideration as if it is a divine call.

How can Mel Sarmiento stop the cityhood of Catbalogan?

The only logical way for Mel Sarmiento to block the cityhood of Catbalogan is to campaign heavily against the ratification of the law, RA 9009, before the Catbalogan voters. It would be quite a gargantuan task for Mel and he could not possibly stop an idea whose time has come.

 

 

 

 

The role of media in development work

(A message delivered by Most Rev. Isabelo Abarquez, Bishop of Calbayog, during the CARHRIHL and Peace Building Training for Samar media practitioners on June 9, 2007 in Calbayog City)

First of all, I would like to express my great joy at being invited to this affair of yours, which I consider to be very important in our diocese and society. As media practitioners, you are engaged in a very delicate job that has great influence on the lives of people, taken individually or socially. Thank you for this invitation.

You have asked me to talk about “The role of media in development work,” and I would like to start this by commenting on the gospel we have for today. It’s about the poor widow who put into the treasury the last cent that she had. Our Lord praised her mightily, telling his disciples, “I want you to observe that this poor widow contributed more than all the others who donated to the treasury. They gave from their surplus wealth, but she gave from her want, all that she had to live on.” (Mk 12,44)

What a wonderful lesson for all of us to learn! In our dealings with God and with everybody else, we have to give our all, down to the last cent. Applied to our work, this lesson can mean that we have to be very generous in giving ourselves to it, doing it as best as we can, which means perfecting it as much as we can, both materially speaking and spiritually speaking. That’s because we always have to remember that our work, no matter how lowly, always has both material and spiritual dimensions. In fact, it has both human and supernatural dimensions. This is because our work cannot help but reflect who we are. We are not just creatures, nor even God’s masterpiece in the world of creation. We are persons who know things and choose and love. More than that we are children of God meant to share the life of God himself.

We have to learn to fulfill all the requirements the different dimensions and aspects of our work demand.

Thus, my brothers and sisters in Christ who are media practitioners, you have to have a clear idea of what development is, that is, integral human development. Especially in your field of work, the mass media, you play a very crucial role in both the Church and world today. This is because your work has direct relation to people’s minds. You can easily reach many, many people. You can readily and massively communicate news, views, opinions and teachings of every sort. Your work is truly a great service to mankind, since you can widely contribute to our entertainment and instruction.

Thus, going back to what development is, we have to understand that integral human development is not just a physical, financial, or social thing, measured in terms of inches or money or prestige and popularity or political power. It is what brings us to the fullness of our dignity as persons and as children of God. Therefore, it necessarily involves our duties toward God and others, and elements like charity, justice, prayer, sacrifices, respect for freedom, common good, solidarity, etc. Working for development is working for God and for others. It is not a self-centered activity at all.

At this time when the world is experiencing a very rapid pace of development, we have to see to it that we have our goals and standards clear, otherwise, we can easily get lost, swallowed up by the rampaging waves of technological progress, multiplication of data and information, the confusion of many ideological and cultural influences, etc. We have to know where we are going and what means we have to get there.

Of course, we can have several, different and even conflicting intermediate and secondary goals, with their respective validity and legitimacy. We can also use several valid and legitimate means. But we have to be clear about our ultimate goal, our indispensable means and our constant standards, which we all have to use and pursue even if we find ourselves in different sides of a particular issue.

For this purpose, you and I have to develop an increasingly fine sense of the POWER OF THE WORD, which we use, you in your media work and me in my preaching. The word can mean many things to many people. It can just be a sound, a concept or idea. It can be used to evoke a number of things at present, or to bring us to the past or to the future. It can project a grand idea. It can effectively reveal us, our inner world. It can reveal many and all things. It has infinite possibilities.

The WORD is very powerful. And it demands a great sense of responsibility from each one of us. In whatever way we use it, we have to see to it that word – any word and all words we use – should be an integral part of the living word of God, where there is concern for truth, charity, justice, freedom, common good, solidarity, and everything that goes with our dignity as children of God here and now. We have to understand that in the final analysis, every word we use comes from God and should go back to God, and that’s why whenever we use, even in our earthly affairs, we have to see to it that it is praise to God, and because of God, a source of goodness to all people.

For this purpose, I now wish to remit to you some indications articulated by our Mother the Church on how we should use the word in media.

We have to be well-acquainted with the norms of morality and to conscientiously put them into practice in our work. We therefore have to look to the nature of what is communicated, whether it is proper or not to communicate that information, as well as consider the entire situation or circumstances, namely, the persons, place, time and other conditions under which communication takes place, to see if they can affect or totally change the propriety of communicating said information. In other words, we have to have a keen sense of what can be communicated and what should not, or what can be communicated under certain circumstances. This is the virtue of discretion. This is because as St. Paul said, not all knowledge is helpful, but “it is charity that edifies.” (1 Cor 8,1)

In this regard, we have to examine whether all gossips and rumors, especially involving celebrities and other public figures, ought to be announced to the general public. The right to information is not unconditional. It has to conform to the Gospel commandment of love. We have to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to the public.

Also, we have to consider very closely the precise manner in which something is communicated. Especially in areas validly allowing different and even opposing opinions, that is, in the world of public opinion, the manner should be characterized by cordiality, respect for all parties, earnest attempt to dialogue to resolve a problem. We have to avoid indiscriminate partisanship, reckless sensationalism, bad manners. The language should always remain calm, objective and reasonable. We have to avoid giving knee-jerk reactions, flippant commentaries. Things ought to be studied thoroughly, making the necessary checking and consultations to insure that the presentation is proper and decent. In this regard, it may be good to realize the importance of being sporty, open-minded and cheerful. These traits help us in carrying out work well.

While the narration, description or portrayal of moral evil can serve some valid purpose in the media, it should be subject to moral restraint, lest it can harm rather than benefit people. Let’s be more constructive, positive and encouraging, rather than destructive, negative and discouraging.

There are more indications. But I think we have covered the basic ones. I just hope that you develop a certain code of conduct in doing your job so that your work can truly contribute to the common good. Let’s take care of your spiritual life, let’s always acknowledge the need for continuing formation and conversion, because these are indispensable for us to do our job well.

Let us ask Our Lady, Our Mother always to be with so we would know how to handle the power of the word, essential in our work in the media and in preaching.

 

   

 

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