KEY ISSUES

By REY O. ARCILLA  

Malaya

(The government said it has reached “common understanding of key issues” with the US on the latter’s planned increased military presence here. What are those “key issues”, the people would like to know.)

I agree with President Noynoy Aquino… the international community should now voice in the strongest possible terms its support for the Philippines in resisting China’s increasingly aggressive moves in the South China Sea.

The only problem is that it ain’t gonna happen. Within ASEAN alone, there is a lack of consensus on how to approach the problem with China. China, as we all know is the second biggest world economy and as such, wields tremendous influence over a majority of the international community.

Still, if the world truly wants to avoid the mistakes and lessons of the past, it should stand up and be counted now.

******

Noynoy thanked the Chinese for calling him names after he made that statement comparing China’s aggressive moves in the East and South China Sea to an episode that preceded World War II.

How about thanking China for giving 800 metric tons of rice for the victims of Yolanda? The donation arrived at the Port of Cebu on February 1, according to the Chinese Embassy.

“This is the latest disaster relief effort made by China after providing in-kind assistance carried by three cargo planes, two medical teams and the hospital ship Peace Ark in 2013,” the embassy said.

The Chinese government has also offered to donate prefabricated houses to Yolanda victims.

******

A government statement said that a “common understanding on key issues” has been reached during the last round of talks between the Philippines and the US on the latter’s insistence for an increased rotational presence on our shores.

What are those “key issues”? The people would like to know. It is incumbent upon the government to reveal them to be consistent with its vow to be transparent in all its endeavors, especially those that affect the national interest.

The chairman of the Philippine panel, Defense undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino merely said that the key fundamental principles on Philippine sovereignty and interests were “fully articulated and amplified”. What are those fundamental principles, pray tell?

And what are we getting in return for their increased presence here? In precise language, please.

And please, no more of that stuff like “enhancing their cooperation in the security and related fields, particularly in humanitarian assistance and disaster response”… and that the agreement will enable the Philippines to achieve a “minimum credible defense”. That’s for the birds!

One only has to remember what Steve Chabot, Republican chair of the US House of Representatives’ subcommittee overseeing US policy toward the region to understand the raison d’etre for Washington’s “pivot” to this region:

“The Asia-Pacific region is the future. It’s the driver of the global economy and will make or break our geopolitical role in the world,” Chabot said.

So there…

******

Chief presidential mouthpiece Sonny Coloma voiced the hope that the US will come to the defense of the Philippines if and when China becomes more aggressive in claiming the entire West Philippines Sea.

Fear not. I don’t think the situation will ever come to that point, notwithstanding the recent US rejection of the validity of China’s nine-dash-line claim over the South China Sea. And if China does become even more aggressive, and that is a big if, all that the US will do is talk with the Chinese to cool it or bring the latter to the UN Security Council.

Like Coloma, I would like the US to categorically and unequivocally state that she wants the status quo to remain in the West Philippine Sea, as she had done on the Senkaku islands, a virtual recognition of Japan’s sovereignty over the islands.

But no! As far as the US is concerned, she is “neutral” on the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea, which simply means that she does not recognize our sovereignty over those areas we claim by virtue of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other relevant international laws!

******

Noynoy is right… newspapers can give readers high blood pressure.

In my case, my blood pressure shoots up only when I come across news that have to do with graft and corruption of government officials, their ineptitude and apparent lack of concern for the plight of the masses, including the unabated rise in criminality… the amateurish conduct of our foreign policy… the unkept promises of Noynoy, some of which are listed in the Reminders portion below… and his seeming indifference to the demands of his bosses (it was he who said “kayo ang boss ko”, remember?), the latest of which is the total abolition of the hated pork barrel. Other than those, I simply gloss over the other news items in the papers.

Now, if some newspapers do not carry such items as a matter of policy, I can understand why reading them would not raise Noynoy’s and other readers’ blood pressure.

******

Noynoy retained his individual shooting title in a shooting contest organized by the Philippine Army recently.
He beat a Mr. Junny Guadalupe, reportedly a senior official in the Bureau of Customs (BoC). I wonder how high up Guadalupe is in the agency’s hierarchy. Surely, he must have engaged Noynoy in a chit-chat before and/or after the competition.

Given what has been going on in the BoC in the past weeks, did Noynoy ask Guadalupe for his insight on what’s really troubling the agency? No matter. I don’t suppose he would have.

After Noynoy won, an army officer allegedly said “he was very fast and his accuracy in hitting the target was really great”, adding that “since he’s the President, he has an unlimited supply of bullets to use for practice.”

I suppose Guadalupe is not similarly situated. Or is he?

******

After being dared to ride the trains of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Railway Transit (LRT) to experience the daily problems of the passengers, chief presidential mouthpiece Coloma said there was no need for Noynoy to do that.

“Hindi naman niya kailangang gawin yan dahil batid naman niya iyong paghihirap na dinaranas ng libo-libong mga commuters sa kanilang araw-araw na paggamit ng ating mass rapid transit facilities,” Coloma said

Perhaps it was for security reasons that Noynoy did not accept the challenge. But it would have been a great opportunity to show his bosses how much he cares for them, how mindful he is of their hardships, their misery.

Certainly, it would have been a much better publicity stunt, if you will, than Noynoy going to an LTO office, accompanied by no less than his DOTC secretary, to have his driver’s license renewed. He may have waited for his turn but that didn’t even take half an hour and he must have been sitting in an air-conditioned room… a far cry from his bosses queuing up for long periods to board the MRT and the LRT, only to be packed like sardines in the coaches.

Sayang!

******

Reminders (for Noynoy):

1) Filing of charges against officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) during Arroyo’s illegitimate regime. Noynoy himself said on several occasions that there is documentary evidence to prove the venalities in the past in that agency.

In an attempt to jar his memory and spur him to action, quoted hereunder is what Noynoy said about the anomaly in his first State of the Nation Address on 26 July 2010:

“Let us now move on to the funds of the National Food Authority (NFA).

In 2004: 117,000 metric tons (of rice) was the shortage in the supply of the Philippines. What they (the government) bought were 900,000 metric tons. Even if you multiply for more than seven times the amount of shortage, they still bought more than what was needed.

“In 2007: 589,000 metric tons was the shortage in the supply of the Philippines. What they bought were 1.827 million metric tons. Even if you multiply for more than three times the amount of shortage, they again bought more than what was needed.

“What hurts is, because they keep purchasing more than what they need year after year, the excess rice that had to be stored in warehouses ended up rotting, just like what happened in 2008.

“Is this not a crime, letting rice rot, despite the fact that there are 4 million Filipinos who do not eat three times a day?

“The result is NFA’s current debt of 177 billion pesos.

“This money that was wasted could have funded the following:

- The budget of the entire judiciary, which is at 12.7 billion pesos this year.

- The Conditional Cash Transfers for the following year, which cost 29.6 billion pesos.

- All the classrooms that our country needs, which cost 130 billion pesos.

“This way of doing things is revolting. Money was there only to be wasted.”

So, how come, Mr. President, you have not done anything about this in the last three and a half years?! And to make things worse, the corruption in the NFA today appears to be even worse than during the Arroyo regime. Your bosses want to know!

2) Investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia and ordering his successor, Robert “Pretty Boy” Vergara, to file the proper charges, if warranted, against the former.

Noynoy should also order Vergara to report to him on COA’s findings that:

(a) He received the obscenely excessive compensation of P16.36 million in 2012 making him the highest paid government servant then (how much did he get in 2013?) and;

(b) That, as of seven or eight months ago, at least P4.13 billion in contributions and loan payments made by 12 government offices to the GSIS had not been credited to the offices as of Dec. 31, 2011.

COA also said at the time that the amount of unrecorded remittances could go much higher because only 36 agencies have so far responded out of the 186 that were sent confirmation requests by government auditors. Of the 36, 27 confirmed “discrepancies” in their premium and loan payments ledgers when compared with those of the GSIS.

There are three questions being raised when remittances, or parts thereof, of government agencies are not recorded by the GSIS on time: a) Where are these huge sums “parked” in the meantime?; b) Do they earn interest?; and c) To where (whom?) does the interest, if any, go?

Pray tell, Mr. Vergara, what is the present status of these funds, including those that may have been remitted since and not yet recorded by the GSIS?

3) Facilitating the investigation of rampant corruption in the military and police establishments.

4) Resort to his immense presidential powers to expedite the resolution of the Ampatuan massacre case that is now on its fourth year.

*****

Today is the 268th day of the seventh year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance

The Justice Department has dismissed the charges against several of those accused in Jonas’ disappearance. Cleared were former AFP chiefs of staff Hermogenes Esperon and Alexander Yano, ex-PNP chief Avelino Razon, retired Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, Brig. Gen. Eduardo Ano and Lt. Col. Melquiades Feliciano. Only Maj. Harry Baliaga will be charged for arbitrary detention, murder and obstruction of justice on the disappearance of Jonas.

“Pwedeng kasuhan ang kamay ng krimen pero ang utak ay hindi?” rued Lorena Santos, daughter of a desaparecido like Jonas.

Mr. President, is this what you meant when you called for a “focused, dedicated and exhaustive” probe of what really happened to Jonas?

******
Something funny happened to me last night. I was dreaming and I fell off the bed…
Wala lang… I thought it was funny because adults aren’t supposed to do that. My right knee hurt a bit though.

******

11 February 2014 Email: ambaroarcilla@gmail.com