Why P-Noy didn't rush making Dolphy a National Artist

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo (The Philippine Star) Updated July 17, 2012

Your Chair Wrecker’s May 8th column (“Are Dolphy, Nora and Vilma qualified to be National Artists?”) delved on the need to properly select our National Artists.

In that column, your Chair Wrecker wrote: “There have been many controversies in the past over the nomination of certain National Artists and many of these protests against previous nominees had raised valid issues. These days, there’s another controversy brewing with the way some folks have been eyeing comedy king Dolphy, Vilma Santos and Nora Aunor as candidates for National Artist.

When we nominate National Artists — that should result in Filipino pride and recognition all over the world, and not become another point of derision. If Filipinos are to nominate freely as National Artists those persons who don’t qualify as artists, we’ll be adding another point to what many other nationals hold against us. To be considered a National Artist is to be named one of the finest of your race and country in a given artistic field. If we nominate somebody who isn’t qualified at all, then we only demean ourselves.

The below par media standard in our country has resulted in a public appreciation that’s way below the accepted global norm. Our media freely talk about “artists” when in fact they’re referring to entertainers. Singers are falsely called recording artists. Some entertainers could be considered artists when they meet certain criteria but being a very popular entertainer, even for a long time, doesn’t mean that one has risen to the level of artist.”

Shortly after running that May 8 column on how we should select our National Artists, your Chair Wrecker sent 

President Noynoy Aquino (P-Noy) a text message to suggest that the government should consider the recommended points. He was fully supportive of the move to apply the proper standards when selecting National Artists and that this should be religiously followed. 

Three years ago, the unlamented Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) regime got embroiled in a controversy over the selection of National Artists. It was reported that the GMA administration took a direct hand in pushing for the awards that reaped wide scale criticism, a lot of them from previous National Artist awardees. We select National Artists every three years and that controversial selection three years ago necessitated the imposition of correct standards when selecting the 2012 batch.

Although P-Noy agreed to following the proper selection process when nominating National Artists, he made this remark about the case of Dolphy: “In high school, we had lectures on the question art for art’s sake or art for man’s sake. If it doesn’t communicate, then it leaves one vulnerable to emulating the emperor trying out his new clothes. Dolphy has used humor to focus on ills of our society. Has he therefore not uplifted our condition?” This clearly establishes that P-Noy recognizes Dolphy’s qualification to be nominated a National Artist. It doesn’t mean though that he sees Vilma and Nora differently but that he sees no problem nominating Dolphy.

As early as May, P-Noy was ready to declare Dolphy a National Artist. If there weren’t any objectors, P-Noy could have circumvented the process of selecting a National Artist and he could have given Dolphy the distinction even before he passed away or last week after the comedy king had passed away. However, P-Noy isn’t an ancient Roman emperor and will not pander to the fickle wishes of the mob. He opted instead to be guided by the bigger national objective to institute system reform.

One of the vital cogs of his DAANG MATUWID (straight path) mandate is system reform. P-Noy hopes to leave as his legacy a reformed system that promotes instead of circumvents our democratic processes. He realizes that good governance will not extend beyond his term that ends in 2016 if it isn’t institutionalized in our system.

Had P-Noy used his power to accelerate the process for selecting our National Artists — then he would also be in violation of the NO WANG WANG (sirens, as symbols of rank and privilege) policy. Not only that, but he would have undermined the selection process and jeopardized system reform. The essence of system reform is enforcing the right ethical standard that’s to be followed by all, and with no exception.

Many of us frown upon our politicians when they demonstrate the opposite of doing well without patting one’s self in the back. However, few Filipinos appreciate this sterling quality of our president. The easiest thing to do in our country is to find a hundred politicians who would grab a rare opportunity to grandstand before a national audience. Only a president with a powerful and passionate sense of mission could have resisted doing that. P-Noy did.

P-Noy knew that he would have been popularly hailed had he used his power and declared Dolphy a National Artist. It takes a man with no feelings of insecurity to make the choice to respect the system and the process despite the clamor of the mob and the media. It’s hard not to admire this president.

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Shakespeare: “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”

*      *      *

Chair Wrecker e-mail and website: macesposo@yahoo.com and www.chairwrecker.com

Genuino, 3 others charged for overpriced coffee

(The Philippine Star) Updated July 17, 2012

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) on Tuesday filed before the Office of the Ombudsman plunder and graft charges against its former officials, including former chairman Efraim Genuino, for an allegedly overpriced coffee contract.

In a 25-page complaint affidavit, Pagcor filed plunder and graft charges against Genuino, former Pagcor president Rafael Francisco, former Pagcor senior vice president Rene Figueroa and Promolabels owner Carlota Cristi Manalo-Tan.

A radio report said that an audit team of the new Pagcor management has discovered that from 2005 to 2008, five Casino Filipino branches paid P258 million to Manalo-Tan's group for coffee products.

It said that the audit team found out that the price of coffee being sold by Promolabels, owner of Figaro coffee company, was overpriced. It said that from 2005 to 2008, the agency paid an overpriced amount of P78 million for the coffee.

“For the years 2005 to 2008 alone, PAGCOR could have saved at least P78 million if only the prices of Promolabels’ Figaro coffee products were the same as those of other Figaro franchisees,” Pagcor said.

The report said that Pagcor also mentioned in the complaint affidavit that Manalo-Tan is close to Genuino. It said that Manalo-Tan's husband, BIDA party-list candidate Johnny Tan, is an ally of the former Pagcor chairman.

Palace exec: Video on Davao chewing incident 1st step in probe on Vice Mayor Duterte

  A video of an incident where Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte supposedly had a suspected swindler chew a spurious document may be the first step in a probe by the Department of Interior and Local Government, a Malacañang official said over the weekend.

 

But deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace is no longer likely to comment further on the case, since it may eventually reach it.

 

“May video yata kasi [na] lumabas. I’m pretty confident the DILG will be getting its hands on that,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio on Sunday.

 

For now, she said the DILG and Commission on Human Rights are poised to investigate the case.

 

Likewise, Valte said that while there is no formal complaint yet against Duterte on the incident, the DILG already ordered a fact-finding investigation.

 

“We will refrain from making any comment kasi baka sa amin mapunta yan. Hindi (kami magku) kumento habang binubuo ang fact-finding investigation,” she said.

Bad breath?

 

The controversy involved Duterte having suspected swindler Manolito Gavas eat his allegedly fake land title after learning he had duped many residents in the city.

 

Gavas was arrested Monday last week for allegedly convincing city residents they can own lots in the city. Many of his victims paid P250 a month for the supposed land title.

 

But Rodrigo, who is known for his no-nonsense stance against crime, said Thursday he had Gavas chew not the land title but chewing gum, supposedly because Gavas' breath smelled bad.

 

The vice mayor's chewing-gum claim came after Commission on Human Rights chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales said on her Twitter account Wednesday that his act was an "insult" to the dignity of the suspect.

 

"Insulto sa dignidad ng nakakulong na suspek sa swindling nang pilit pinaubos ni Davao City Vice Mayor Duterte ang umanoy fake land title," Rosales tweeted.

 

On the other hand, a report on dzBB radio said Gavas is not keen on filing a complaint against Duterte over the incident.

 

City police head Senior Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa was also quoted as saying Gavas would not say if Duterte made him chew the supposedly fake land titles he had, or merely chew gum. — RSJ, GMA News

Binay-Estrada tandem shaping up for 2016

Roxas-Escudero teamup being worked out
By Gil C. Cabacungan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Have Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada gone their separate ways to run for the vice presidency in 2016?

The buzz in Manila’s political circles is that the longtime friends have been jockeying for Vice President Jejomar Binay’s choice of No. 2 in 2016, and that Estrada has edged out Escudero.

And probably out of the senatorial ticket of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for next year’s midterm elections as well.

The UNA is a coalition formed earlier this year by Binay’s PDP-Laban Party and former President Joseph Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).

The two parties teamed up to dominate the congressional and local races next year, but it is widely believed that Binay will use UNA as a springboard for the 2016 presidential contest and that the deal between him and Estrada was the choice of the younger Estrada as his running mate.

But Escudero, the buzz goes, wants that spot as a reward for supporting Binay in the 2010 elections. His endorsement of a “Noy-Bi” vote as the 2010 campaign hit the homestretch cost then Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas the vice presidential election and gave then Senator Benigno Aquino III, the eventual presidential winner, a vice president from a rival party.

Relations between Mr. Aquino and Binay have been good so far, but relations between the President and Escudero may be severely tested when the senator comes knocking for shelter in the Liberal Party.

Escudero can no longer return to the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) of businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco that he deserted in 2010 because it could not bankroll his run for Malacañang.

Not in UNA

Meanwhile, former President Estrada said on Tuesday that Escudero may not be on the UNA senatorial ticket for next year.

Estrada said in a phone interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer that it was his impression that Escudero was joining the senatorial slate being formed by the Liberal Party.

Besides talking with the Nacionalistas, the Liberals are also talking with Cojuangco’s NPC.

“Now he is ambivalent,” Estrada said in Filipino, referring to Escudero. “I don’t know why. What I think is that he may have asked for many favors from President Aquino.”

If it is true that the President is fixing things between Escudero and Roxas, then UNA is not looking to get Escudero even as guest senatorial candidate next year.

“We will not accept guest candidates,” Estrada said. “That’s what we have agreed on.”

Estrada denied that his son is being groomed to become Binay’s vice presidential running mate in 2016.

“It’s not true,” he said. “You can ask Binay if we have talked about it.”

Estrada said it was embarrassing for him to talk about his son running with Binay. He acknowledged, however, that “anything can happen” before 2016.

Done deal?

Escudero won’t join UNA to run for reelection next year if Binay is not picking him as his No. 2 in 2016, which seems certain, so the buzz goes, because handing that spot to Senator Estrada is a done deal.

Escudero leads senatorial candidates in national surveys and as such he will be a prized catch for any party. With the NPC and the UNA out and with the Nacionalista Party of Senator Manuel Villar talking of a coalition with Mr. Aquino’s Liberal Party, he has nowhere to go but to the President for adoption.

But Roxas, whom Escudero junked in 2010 in favor of Binay, is the president of the Liberals. Would Mr. Aquino plead with his best friend Roxas to let bygones be bygones and let Escudero come aboard?

Options

A source close to Escudero on Tuesday said that did not pose a problem at all. Escudero, the source said, is considering a number of options for 2016.

If he can’t run for vice president, then he will run for president. Then again, he might stay out of the fray and be a “kingmaker,” as he did in 2010 when he gave the vice presidency to Binay by endorsing “Noy-Bi.”

But the source said that President Aquino had been hinting to friends a Roxas-Escudero team for 2016, which will be a “powerhouse” combination if Escudero has no problem running as Roxas’ No. 2.

If he has, the source said, the NPC is not really lost to him. He may have abandoned the party, but not the party boss, Cojuangco, who considers him a “prodigal son,” the source said.

No rift

Escudero and Senator Estrada denied they have a rift. Escudero said he had a talk with Binay before the Vice President left on an overseas trip. On the other hand, Estrada said UNA was focused only on next year’s midterms. Any talk of a vice presidential running mate for Binay in 2016 is premature, he said.

Binay, who had just returned from his trip, declined to comment.

“It’s too early to even speculate about VP Binay’s running mate in 2016,” said Joey Salgado, Binay’s press officer. “But I guess it’s never too early for political intrigues.”

‘President or nothing’

Estrada said he invited Escudero to be his running mate in 2010, but Escudero took too long to respond. When Escudero responded, he had already picked Binay as his No. 2, he said. Escudero responded only after he had failed to get Cojuangco’s support for his presidential candidacy.

Estrada said he had been told that Escudero’s thinking then was “president or nothing.” But at the last minute, Escudero came to say “he was already open,” Estrada said. “I told him it was already closed.”

So is UNA, if it’s all up to Estrada.

Talks with NP

In the Liberals’ camp, meanwhile, it appears that the talks for a coalition with the Nacionalistas for next year’s congressional and local races are making progress.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, a Liberal stalwart, said President Aquino and Villar had moved forward from their bitter rivalry in 2010 and were now ready to form a congressional coalition.

“We all understand that those things come up and after the election everything is finished, then you move forward and, you know, you deal with what you have to deal with,” Abad said, referring to the mudslinging between Villar and Mr. Aquino during the 2010 campaign.

“In the case of the President, running the country; in the case of Senator Villar, once again, consolidating his party and looking forward to the next exercise,” Abad said.

Partnership

He said Mr. Aquino and Villar had discussed a partnership. The President, he said, made it clear to Villar that if they would have a partnership, he wanted it to be an enduring one based on shared values.

“So it seems that was the starting point of this partnership,” Abad said.

If Mr. Aquino and Villar had differences, Abad said, “those are in the past and  we need to look at this partnership moving forward.” With reports from Christian Esguerra and Norman Bordadora

Philippines alone in ASEAN vs China

By Ellen Tordesillas


As of late afternoon Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who were meeting in Pnom Penh, Cambodia, had not released the joint communiqué which usually concludes the meeting.


Reporters covering the 45^th ASEAN FMM said the discussion  Monday was contentious between the Philippines and the chair, Cambodia over the subject of Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippines, represented by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, introduced the following paragraph in the draft communiqué. The capitalized phrases were taken out by Cambodia, apparently in consideration of China, but the Philippines insisted on its restoration: " In this context,we discussed in depth the recent developments in the South China Sea INCLUDING THE SITUATION IN THE SCARBOROUGH SHOAL, and expressed serious concern over such development in the area PARTICULARLY THOSE CONTRARY TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE 1982 UNCLOS RELATED TO THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE AND CONTINENTAL SHELVES OF COASTAL STATES. In this connection we called on all parties to respect THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE AND CONTINENTAL SHELVES OF COASTAL STATES as well as the freedom of navigation in and overflight over the South China Sea as provided for by the universally recognized principles of international law,inclusing the 1982 UNCLOS. "


Information from participating officials said Singapore and Indonesia tried to reformulate the paragraph but there was no agreement by the Philippines and Cambodia, which is known to be very close with China.


This  development should tell  the Philippines to be ready for a lonely fight if we decide to pursue the case on the conflict with China on Scarborough Shoal and South China Sea in the international arena.


It is a fight that we should pursue to uphold our territorial integrity but we should not expect any support from our neighbors in ASEAN, even those with their own conflicting claims with China in the South China Sea.


ASEAN is composed of  Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos , Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and  Vietnam.


Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam are involved in conflicting territorial claims over parts of South China Sea, which China is claiming wholly as part of its territory. Taiwan also claims ownership of SCS.


The stand of ASEAN, which operates by consensus, on the dispute between the Philippines and China, is not at all surprising.


It's all about national interest.


These countries enjoy a robust trade with China . They won't jeopardize the interest of their people by siding with the Philippines regardless of the merits of our arguments against China's intrusion to our territory.


Not even the United States, which has promised to help the us improve the capability of our armed forces, won't join us in a war with China. There is so much going between the United States and China economically.


The comment  of an unnamed  U.S. Embassy official published in Jane's Defence Weekly on the announcement of President Aquino recently that he would ask the United States to conduct overflights over  South China Sea, should  tell Philippine officials to tone down their expectation of  American assistance in a conflict with China.


However, the US official said,"US forces do not lend out our aircraft nor comment where or when or why they fly when over international airspace."


We still have to confirm this but a reliable source  said the Americans advised Philippine officials not to send back government vessels to Scarborough Shoal which was the scene of a more-than-two month standoff with China.


Aquino had met his cabinet on China but, unlike before when  Malacañang was issuing statements that irked China, he ordered complete secrecy.


Whatever the government decides on how to proceed with China, Aquino should be aware of the realities in foreign relations and should have a plan, short and long term, for the consequences of his decision.

Davaoeños list burglary as most feared crime

DAVAO CITY -- This city’s residents are not concerned about the threat posed by a group of gunmen on motorcycles targeting criminals as they are with burglars, according to an independent local survey.

The University of Mindanao’s Institute of Public Opinion, which polled 1,150 respondents in three congressional districts last May, noted that the so called Davao Death Squad ranked ninth in the list of threats to residents.



The survey, titled “Do you feel safe in Davao City?,” asked respondents on what threatens them the most, where do they feel most secure, and whom will they call in time of emergency. The vigilante squad ranked ninth in terms of threat.



Davao City has about 1.5 million residents, the most populous urban center outside Metro Manila.



Maria Linda B. Arquiza, head of the Institute, said the results can be interpreted in two ways: either Davaoeños accept that the extrajudicial killing of criminals is for the greater good, or they don’t believe that the group exists.



Another possible reason is that the gunmen only target criminals, she added.



Based on the survey, the respondents are most scared about burglars, who topped the list with a score of 52.7%, followed by snatchers at 47.6% and drug addicts at 44.9%. Other criminal elements that ranked higher than the death squad are gang members, rapists, robbers and riding-in-tandem criminals, or robbers in motorcycles.



Terrorists ranked seventh even if there has not been an incident in Davao City since 2005 when a bus terminal was attacked in the infamous Valentine’s Day bombing. In 2003, the waiting shed of the old airport and the passenger waiting area of the Sasa Wharf were also bombed, killing at least 40 people in all.



Davao City’s peaceful reputation was preceded by years of bloody street executions during the 1980s when communist hit squads killed soldiers and known government sympathizers with impunity. This gave rise to the formation of the “Alsa Masa” movement, which targeted rebels and their families, earning the city the moniker “killing fields.”



When then mayor and now Vice-Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte took over, he cleaned the streets using colorful language and an iron-fisted implementation of the law. Over the years, men on motorcycles prowled the streets shooting drug pushers and criminals. Mr. Duterte has repeatedly denied having a hand on the killings.



Meanwhile, nearly half of the respondents believed that the peace and order situation improved in the last two years while two in 10 believed that it worsened.



They also feel safest when they are inside their homes (94.95%), followed by churches which scored 90.35%, while about 70% said they are not afraid walking on the streets although they don’t feel as safe when going to bars, shopping malls, public markets and parks.



The region’s Commission on Human Rights (CHR-11) reports vigilante killings in the city started in the early 1990s when two bodies with alleged criminal records were found in the city’s Buhangin district.



The Davao Death Squad was coined by the media to describe a group of vigilantes that supposedly exists to clean the city streets of criminals.



In December 2007, United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston prepared a scathing report of Davao City’s extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, particularly Mr. Duterte’s helplessness in running after the reported death squads gunning down suspected criminals.



In 2010, the CHR, then chaired by Leila M. de Lima, now Justice secretary, conducted a series of public hearings on the summary executions in Davao City. -- J. B. Escovilla

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=Davaoe%C3%B1os-list-burglary-as-most-feared-crime&id=55094

Statistics agency cites worrisome savings data

FILIPINO households are saving less despite higher incomes, a worrisome trend considering that those who are not setting money aside are also cutting back on important items such as education.

Citing data from the triennial Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said real per capita annual savings had fallen: P5,261 in 2003, P4,667 in 2006 and P4,957 in 2009. The share of savings to family income also shrunk over the years: 16.4% in 2003, 14.8% in 2006, and 14.9% in 2009.

This meant that for every P100 in income, P15-16 went to savings, NSCB Secretary-General Romulo L. Virola said in a report posted on the agency’s Web site. “[I]ncome is not evenly or equitably distributed across all families in the country. Therefore, many of us either do not have savings or have been able to save less than 15% of our income,” he said.

Two out of three Filipino families were able to save and out of every P100 earned, they kept P23-25. Non-savers, meanwhile, spent 14-15% more than what they earned between 2003 and 2009, allotting more for food. “This is similar to past findings from poverty analysis that the poor spend proportionately more on food than the non-poor,” Mr. Virola said.

Non-savers also spent more on alcohol and tobacco while sacrificing education as it seems they “could no longer afford to send their children to school” or “that higher education is no longer the priority that it used to be. Among non-savers, the share of education spending declined to 2.62% in 2009 from 2.67% in 2006.

Sought for comment, University of Asia and the Pacific economist Peter Lee U said the data was a cause for worry, adding that the finding on non-savers sacrificing education needs further investigation.

On a lighter note, Mr. Virola said Ilocanos, who have a cultural reputation for thrift, were not the biggest savers. In terms of saving households’ ratio of savings to income, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) topped the list with 23%, followed by Cagayan Valley or Region II (21%) and Central Visayas or Region VII (20%).

Among non-saving families, the biggest ratios of deficit to income were in the CAR (21%), Soccsksargen or Region XII (18%) and Region II (17%).

Mr. Virola noted that the CAR and regions II and VII were not among the poorest. “[However,] CAR and Region II appear to exhibit extreme behavior... they are home to families who are the highest savers as well as the most lavish spenders,” he added.

Data also showed that households headed by females saved consistently higher versus male-dominated households, with the former spending less on food, non-durable furnishing, clothing and footwear and the latter spending less on recreation, special family occasions, gifts and contributions.

For non-savers, households headed by females spent more on personal care and contributions while male-headed households spent more on alcohol, tobacco and durable furnishing.

Households headed by singles had similar saving patterns with households headed by married people, but the former spent less on food, fuel, light, water, education, non-durable furnishing, house maintenance and repair. Households of married couples spent less on recreation, alcohol, gifts, and contributions.

Non-saving households headed by singles had a narrower deficit than those headed by married people -- 15% versus 16% -- which could explain why fewer people are tying the knot, Mr. Virola said.

“Clearly, the challenge for those of us not on the Forbes List is how to spend our money more wisely -- less on non-basic expenditures so that we will have more for essentials...,” he said.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=Statistics-agency-cites-worrisome-savings-data&id=54943