BERN, Switzerland – Thomas Oliver Kellenberger was an ordinary policeman here. But not to children working in the garbage dumps in Cagayan de Oro. Kellenberger, 27, quit his job to relocate to the Philippines this month, where he will work full-time in the love of his life — a foundation helping scavenger children. READ FULL STORY.

By Martin Benedict Perez

Towards the end of 2009 the debate on the controversial Reproductive Health Bill pending in the two houses of Congress registered several decibels higher when two presidential candidates voiced support for the measure. For a while supporters of the bill thought the endorsement by Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro would finally give the bill the focus and attention needed to get the nod of lawmakers.

The RH bill was still up for plenary debate for second and third reading in the House of Representatives. The Senate has not even started its floor deliberations and debate on its counterpart bill. But less than two months later, Aquino and Teodoro backtracked from their initial position. And then Congress adjourned without any action on the bill. In short, the measure is now dead. The simple explanation: it’s a highly charged issue that politicians dreaded to tackle.

The Reproductive Health Bill, or House Bill 5043, seeks to provide education about reproductive health, facilities to improve maternal health, and essential medicines and supplies to couples raising their own family. Nowhere is abortion legalized, supported, or mandated in the bill. Neither does the bill promote promiscuity or make pornography more widely available. Completely absent in the bill – in both spirit and form – are additional powers for the state that would infringe on a person’s right to freely practice religion or live out virtues such as abstinence and chastity.

‘Election catechism’

And yet, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) asserts — through an “election catechism” in the form of 20 pages of “election guidelines” –  that “it would not be morally permissible to vote candidates who support anti-family policies, including reproductive health, or any other moral evil such as abortion, divorce, assisted suicide and euthanasia. Otherwise one becomes an accomplice to the moral evil in question.”

A candidate’s position on the RH bill is thus the basis on how a Catholic should vote, the CBCP suggests. CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life Executive Secretary Fr. Melvin Castro would further suggest that when casting their votes, Filipinos must consider social interest over self-interest, and decide guided by moral principles.

The suggestions, however, come somewhat forcefully. With these come the threat of a candidate losing a sizeable number of votes due to their support for the bill, and the attendant promise of the Church endorsing candidates who oppose the bill. .

The veiled threat obviously paid off. Speaker Prospero Nograles on Feb. 2 said the measure would not be discussed in the last two session days of the House as it was too contentious and had little chance of being voted on. Feb. 3 was the last session day at the House.

Turnaround

In explaining his turnaround, Teodoro said the debate over the measure had become so “acrimonious” that the stakeholders totally forgot about the problem of population.

“The big debate is whether or not the government can shape a moral choice. And that is the argument of the Church. That the government should not actively advocate for making a moral choice. The debate stopped there,” he said.

Teodoro indicated that he agreed with the Church position, and said that the government should be “neutral” but should support the “moral choice” of every individual with resources. “I’d rather have resources to support a moral choice rather than fight over a bill,” he said.

For his part, Aquino pointed out, “There are provisions that I cannot support.” After saying last October that he was in favor of making contraceptives available in all government hospitals, Aquino later said he now believes the RH bill must be amended. And like the other presidential hopefuls, Aquino would now leave it to parents to plan the number of children they want and to educate them on the issue.

Constitutional separation

By its involvement in the electoral process, specifically in how voters choose and what side of the issue one must side on, isn’t the Church in violation of the constitution separation of Church and State? How decisive is the Catholic vote really, and is marching lock-step with the Catholic Church the politically safe thing to do?

The first question can be answered most easily from a legal standpoint. Both University of the Philippines sociologist Randy David and constitutional law expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas are in agreement that when it comes to the constitutional provision of the separation of the Church and State, only the state can be a violator.

Sec. 5 of the Bill of Rights states, “No law shall be made respecting an establishment of a religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious text shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.”

These commands can be interpreted to mean that our political system will not allow the adoption of an official state religion, nor the banning of any religion or sect. Every citizen is free to choose and worship as he pleases, and that belief in a Supreme God is not required to enjoy one’s political and civil rights. Moreover, Sec. 28 of Article 6 provides tax exemptions to all charitable institutions, churches, convents, mosques, non-profit cemeteries, and lands and buildings used exclusively for religious, charitable, and educational purposes.

Only State can violate

Fr. Bernas concludes that only the State can be in violation of the separation of Church and State either by prohibition or compulsion. In an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he wrote, “Thus only the State can violate it. As far as the churches are concerned, they can be beneficiaries of the State’s violation of the non-establishment clause but they cannot be the violators. Thus when politicians decry a violation by the Church and churchmen of the Church and State separation principle, what they are really doing is violating not only free exercise but also freedom of speech and expression.”

But this will not suffice. Even Fr. Bernas would admit that the real question whenever we feel uneasy about the Church’s advocacy against the RH Bill or about priests who endorse politicians in their homilies is not one about legality, but about propriety.

This unease is best explained by the sociologist David who often argues that our country is in a state of transition from one that is traditional – relying on forces such as family honor, clan loyalty, and the power of the pulpit – to one that is more modern, where society is further subdivided into spheres with their own set of norms and laws. Hence, modernity recognizes the bonds of family, the truth of the Bible, the power of the constitution, and the judgment of the individual.

Hence, he sees the Catholic Church as a traditional force that is trying to make its way into the modern world. It is still grasping for its place – at times thinking that it still has the power to make kings – and it is still in denial about the harsh reality of our times: 78% of Filipino adults support the Reproductive Health Bill and, if we aggregate the survey results of the leading candidates supporting the RH Bill, more than 60% are inclined to vote a candidate that supports the controversial legislation.

Thus, politicians who try to curry favor with voters by falling in lockstep with the Church are equally confused. If their plan is to secure the Catholic voting bloc, there is none; or if they fear a Catholic backlash if they support the bill, there isn’t one either. They will neither gain nor lose votes, but their positions can suggest how they intend to move our country forward, or whether they are transformational or traditional politicians.

Hence the irony of a democracy is that the Catholic Church too can have its say, but its voice is a dwindling one, lost in the wilderness and tempted by its own power.

By Marites Dañguilan Vitug

What is happening in two countries not far from us must be giving President Arroyo the chills. Last week, Thailand’s Supreme Court ruled that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra should be stripped of more than half of his contested $2.3 billion fortune. These assets, the Court said, were gained illegally when Thaksin was prime minister. He abused his power to benefit the companies that he owned. Earlier, in January, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the government to reopen cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, citing President Ferdinand Marcos and other heads of state who were taken to court to answer corruption charges. The Supreme Court asked the government to account for $600 million in Zardari’s bank accounts in Switzerland. FULL STORY.

By Arnold Padilla

In a poor country where one out of every two people dies without receiving any medical attention, 50 percent of the population do not have access to health care, 40 percent do not have access to essential medicine, 10 mothers die daily due to pregnancy and childbirth-related causes, and 100 municipalities are doctorless and nurseless, while more than 7,700 nurses, 83 doctors, and 196 professional midwives leave the country yearly to work abroad, trainings to equip ordinary citizens attend to the basic health needs of poor and neglected communities should be welcomed. READ FULL STORY.

By Pepper Marcelo

It used to be that the Philippines’ biggest competitive advantage in the global job market is the proficiency of our skilled workers in the English language. This advantage, however, is fast being eroded by rising competition from other countries coupled with declining mastery of the English language by our college graduates.

Recent language test results released by the IDP Education Pty. Ltd. Philippines, an accredited group that administers the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to Filipinos seeking to work and migrate abroad, showed that the Philippines is no longer the top English-speaking country in Asia.

With an overall score of 6.71, Malaysia is now the No. 1 in English proficiency in Asia. The Philippines placed only second with 6.69, followed by Indonesia (5.99), India (5.79) and Thailand (5.71). This was gleaned from IELTS results in 2008, during which some 35,000 Filipinos — 70 percent of them nursing graduates applying for jobs abroad — took the language exam to evaluate their English proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening.

During a conference on English organized by the Centre for International Education (CIE) in Manila, Andrew King, country director of IDP Education Pty. Ltd. Philippines warned that the continuous decline in Filipinos’ English proficiency could affect the growth of the call center industry which provides thousands of jobs at home and abroad.

English still rules

In an interview with Planet Philippines, King stressed that English remains the lingua franca or default language of international business and diplomacy.

“Things like international treaties, business contracts and so on, are written in English, because it’s an exact language,” he says. “You have to have people that can speak, read and write it well. To operate at high levels, you need very good English.”

He states that employers in today’s global market want people that have not only international experience and good qualifications that are recognized all over the world but also high proficiency in spoken and written English. “English has less elasticity and flexibility so you can say exactly what you want to say and not argue about the meaning. If you get your tenses, plurals and prepositions wrong, then you’re not going to be accurate.”

He adds: “Here and around the world, people are asking for better competency in English. Being able to get by is not enough.”

King says proficiency in English is a huge advantage for every job seeker, even those who have no plans of working overseas. Foreign companies in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, he notes, locally administer their contracts in English. “A foreign company won’t enter into a contract that’s not of their language.”

For business consultant Peter Wallace, who also spoke at the CIE English conference, comprehension is the problem. “Do you understand what you’re hearing? Do you understand what it means when you say that? These are the issues.”

BOP takes action

The biggest obstacle for the ever-growing BPO industry sector is recruiting enough capable graduates with the required English skills. Industry observers estimate that only three in every 100 applicants are able to gain satisfactory employment. In certain cases, the BPO industry has taken it upon themselves to train prospective employees so that company growth will not be impeded.

“The formal educational system is hard-pressed to train young Filipinos in proper grammatical English, so the private sector has taken the lead,” says Frank Holz, CEO of Outsource2Philippines.

Observers have attributed the decline in English skills to budgetary constraints and lack of proper infrastructure in the country’s educational system. “In fairness, the Department of Education is trying its best, but unfortunately, this generation of teachers does not have the capability,” says Wallace.

King attributes the decline in English to the poor quality and training of local schoolteachers, as well as the continuing use of outdated or erroneous textbooks. “Students are not being taught correct English and the resources and materials they’re given is incorrect.”

Bilingual policy

Another problem, and a continuing topic of debate, has been the educational system’s bilingual policy, adopted 35 years ago which compels schools to use English and Filipino as medium of instruction. “People use the excuse that there’s ‘Filipino English.’ Filipino English is English as long as it’s correct. If it’s incorrect English, it doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s just being an apologist for people’s mistakes is wrong,” King points out.

The incorrect use of the language on local TV newscasts and English-dubbed cartoons, also contributes to the decline in English proficiency among Filipinos. “Everyday, on virtually all television and newspapers, you hear incorrect use of prepositions,” adds King.

He cites the words “in” and “on” as examples. “You hear the car was driving on the lane, which would mean on top of, rather than in, as in within the two lines.”

He also blames technology such as the internet and SMS messaging (texting) on cell phones, which favors speed and levity but fosters poor written skills. “We use abbreviations in chat rooms, and we have created a whole new language, and texting on cell phones has created a short language.”

Even cultural prejudice and ignorance is an issue, King laments. “Snobbery – you’re a snob if you speak English. No, you’re a person that’s committed to learn more than one language.”

Gov’t response

In response to IDP’s released test results, the government assures that it remains committed to improving the quality of teachers in the Philippines, particularly in public schools. Malacañang cites a number of ongoing projects to improve the English proficiency of teachers and students in public schools, such as the “Project Turning Around,” “Every Child A Reader Program,” and the National English Proficiency Program. Officials also said the government is allotting P1.1 billion to train nearly 400,000 teachers in Math, Science and English skills.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said he brought up the problem during one Cabinet meeting and top government officials agreed to do something about it.

“We are part of the global community and there is economic competition among countries in the world. Let’s face it, English is still the number one language in the entire world,” said Santos.

King says that the problem could be traced to the prevailing social and political conditions in the country. “One of the issues is that there are too many children for teachers to cope with. You can go back to population control, so there are so many that you can’t manage within the education system. But that’s a whole different argument.”

One possible solution he suggests is to import external people to analyze the English curriculum and resources, and try to identify the issues that are affecting the ability to communicate accurately.

Another solution, adds Holz, is to use the internet in English training. “More work needs to be done on this, but eventually there won’t be as great a reliance on instructor-led training,” he says. “Rather the entire process from assessment through delivery through final validation will be able to be done online.”

Whatever the solution, King says it’s going to take time. “You’re not going to magically turn around a generation of people whose English has been taught incorrectly.”

By Tonette Orejas

Porac, Pampanga — It’s a Friday afternoon and Adonis Simpao is in the company of more than 20 public school teachers. The meeting, which the teachers requested three weeks ago, is finally pushing through in Barangay Pias here.

Simpao apologizes for not finding time much earlier, bowing his head as he entered the backyard of the host-teacher. It turned out that more than a month before the actual campaign period, this Liberal Party candidate in Pampanga’s second congressional district already has a full schedule.

“I get invitations to talk in small crowds of teachers, farmers, workers, students, parents, out-of-school youth, traders, laity, senior citizens, drivers, pastors,” the 41-year-old architect says.

By all measure, that’s quite a feat considering Simpao’s unenviable and abject situation. But whether the residents reach out to him because they support him and want to know what he has to offer or because they are merely curious to meet the modern-day David is another matter. And whether he stands a Chinaman’s chance to win is an entirely different (sob) story.

To say that Simpao is facing an uphill electoral battle is the understatement of the coming May election. His fellow cabalen – and the whole nation, for that matter – believe that the battle for the congressional seat in the second district of this province is finished long before it began. Simpao is making history for battling an incumbent President in an electoral contest for a lower position that is unheard of in our history. Come May 10, there won’t be an iota doubt that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be the “hands down winner,” in the words of Rey Roquero, executive director of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party. (There are two aspirants aside from Simpao — Feliciano Serrano, an engineer and Filipinas Sampang, wife of a doctor – who are both running as independent candidates.)

It’s all-go for GMA

Last Jan. 28 the second division of the Commission on Elections officially lowered the boom on Simpao’s aspirations when it dismissed the petition of Akbayan Rep. Rissa Hontiveros to disqualify Mrs. Arroyo from running for a congressional seat in Pampanga and ruled that the President was not prohibited by the Constitution to run under a lower position. Hontiveros has asked the Supreme Court to reverse the poll body’s ruling.

Hontiveros also claimed that the President, by refusing to vacate her post after filing her candidacy for Congress, will be violating the constitutional provision regarding “equal protection of the law.”

“As current President, she has all the powers and resources as well as access to it that will definitely prejudice the chances of any opposing candidate in any electoral competition against her,” she said.

According to Hontiveros, the President spent around P459 million in infrastructure projects in her district last year. “That’s the most compelling reason why she should be disqualified from running. As the highest official of the land, virtually no one, not a sitting legislator and especially not an ordinary civilian like Mr. Adonis Simpao, can compete with the resources that she has at her disposal,” she said. Malacañang has disputed the figure cited by Hontiveros.

Simpao says he is not surprised by the poll body’s decision. “That was expected. That division and the Comelec are known not to decide on issues of public interests,” he said.

He concedes that Mrs. Arroyo has undue advantage because as sitting President she has almost unlimited access to government resources. She visited the second district 50 times during the past year (that translates to one visit per week), handing out various dole outs and infrastructure projects.

Somebody’s got to do it

Despite the great odds, Simpao is unperturbed and bent on pursuing the fight to the end.

“Kailangang ating libutad (Somebody has to take the fight),” he said in the local dialect, explaining why he decided to file his candidacy a few hours before the deadline last December. “The second district needs a true representative. If Mrs. Arroyo really loves us Kapampangan, why didn’t she run as governor instead? She seems to have other interests, like being Speaker or Prime Minister.”

Back to the huddle in the yard, the teachers began sharing their thoughts on the May election before grilling Simpao on his platform on education, agriculture and environment.

His answers are direct. “As a legislator, I will bring and protect the people’s interests in Congress because I have no interests other than theirs, especially the poor. Public funds will be used properly, without graft. Infrastructure projects will be done based on the needs of the people, not because I or any contractors want to make money,” he explains. “I will serve with fear in God and respect for His commandments.”

Simpao talks more like a community organizer than a candidate. Humble and dressed modestly in an inexpensive shirt, he listens intently as his cabalen detail their problems and aspirations. His friends Eddie and Janet Ayen share that a number of times Simpao was mistaken for a worker because he usually slings a hand towel on his shoulder.

Rich girl, poor boy

Unlike President Arroyo who was born into power and wealth, Simpao, the eldest of 11 children, came from a poor family. His late father Pablo farmed a small plot of Riceland and built deep wells to support his family. His mother Cecilia ran a sari-sari store and sold vegetables she grew in the backyard for the daily baon to school of the children.

He was barely 16 and in third year high school when he chaired the chapter of the League of the Filipino Students at Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trade (DHVCAT) in Bacolor town. The militant group led the mass walkout of students at the school to protest the murder of labor leader Rolando Olalia, a native of Bacolor, in 1984. They also held marches and pickets against the National Service Law and tuition fee hikes.

“It was easy to understand poverty and fight for an end to this form of injustice because we were poor,” he says.

After finishing one semester of an architectural course at DHVCAT, his parents asked him to stop schooling for lack of money. Not wanting to be a burden to the family, he worked as a waiter in a restaurant in Olongapo City and later as a janitor in a bank. After finishing a short course in computer programming, he joined a construction firm, serving as timekeeper, warehouseman and laborer. With his meager income, he resumed his architecture studies, enrolling in evening classes at the Technological Institute of the Philippines in Manila. In 1992 he was thrust again into the LFS leadership at TIP after the chapter chair went missing. He presided over the student council from 1993 until his graduation in 1994.

After short stints at Allied Bank and F. J. Jacinto Roofing, Simpao partnered with his four engineer brothers – a geodetic, a civil, an electrical and a sanitary engineer – to set up a company in 1998 offering design, construction and contracting services to local clients. His modest income has enabled him to build for his wife and three children a modest bungalow that remains unfinished until now, seven years after he started it.

Nothing personal

The Guagua native emphasizes that there is nothing personal about his fight with President Arroyo. “Hindi si Pangulong Arroyo ang kinakalaban natin kundi ang sistemang dala ng mga tradisyunal na pulitikong tulad niya,” he explains.

He agreed to enter the political fray when at the last minute no one had wanted to challenge Mrs. Arroyo. He said Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio was frantically urging prospective candidates until the last two hours before the deadline for the filing of candidacy. “Naghanap tayo ng puwedeng itapat sa Pangulo, pero walang gustong lumaban hanggang huling minuto. Kaya kinailangan nating manindigan.”

Simpao is fully cognizant of the odds he faces – “money, machinery, connections.” But he remains undaunted and even professes a healthy dose of guarded optimism.

“I decided to make a go to prove a point that we Kapampangans are standing up to her,” he says. “We are not a coward people. Kapampangans are decent people. . . We Kapampangans proved we are on the side of good in 2007. I believe this will still be the case in 2010.”  (In 2007 former priest Among Ed Panlilio trounced two close allies of Mrs. Arroyo – then Gov. Mark Lapid and Lubao Mayor Lilia Pineda.)

The coming electoral contest, according to him, is not about him but a “test for Kapampangans. . . Will they stand up for what is right and good and do the country a favor? That’s worth seeing this May.”

PHOTO: Adonis Simpao (left) with Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Satur Ocampo.

By Carolyn O. Arguillas

MindaNews

Davao City – Only two of the 12 prominent Ampatuans implicated in the November 23, 2009 massacre in Maguindanao are not running for any posts in this year’s elections: Datu Unsay mayor Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan, Jr., and ARMM governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan. Just as well, their wives and a daughter are running, records of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) show.

Of the 12 Ampatuan clan members implicated as perpetrators or conspirators in the massacre of at least 58 persons (32 of them from the media), six are now in government custody; six others have yet to be arrested.

Detained at the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila is Ampatuan Jr.; father Datu Andal S. Ampatuan Sr., is confined in a military hospital in Davao City;  and brothers Zaldy, Anwar and Sajid,  and brother-in-law Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, Sr., are detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in General Santos City.

At present, only Ampatuan Jr. is detained for multiple murder. Ampatuan Sr. and the clan members in General Santos City are detained for rebellion.

Ampatuan Jr’s dream of becoming governor of Maguindanao ended on November 23 but his wife, Reshal Santiago, is running for mayor of Datu Unsay.

Ampatuan Sr., then OIC governor of Maguindanao, is running for vice governor of Maguindanao against three opponents, including his daughter, Shaydee Ampatuan-Abutazil.

Zaldy’s wife, Bai Johaira or Bongbong Midtimbang is running for mayor of Datu Hoffer town, while eldest daughter Bai Norailla Kristina, is running for councilor. Both mother and daughter are assured of victory. They are running unopposed.

Anwar Sr., then mayor of Shariff Aguak, is running for vice mayor, while wife Zahara Upam is running for mayor. Three of their children are running for councilor of Shariff Aguak: Anhara, Anwar  Jr. (also known as Datu Ipi)  and Rowella. Another child, Manny Upam Ampatuan, is running for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan.

Sajid, OIC Governor from January to shortly before the massacre when Ampatuan Sr. took over, is running for provincial board member; his wife Zandria is running for mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha.

Akmad “Tato” Masukat Ampatuan Sr., then OIC vice governor, is running for vice mayor of Mamasapano against his daughter Lady Sha-honey. Son Bahnarin is running for mayor against another son, Benzar.

The six others  implicated in the massacre – grandsons Saudi Jr., Bahnarin and Datu Anwar “Ipi” Ampatuan, Jr.;  Kanor Datumanong Ampatuan , Datu Mama Ampatuan and Datu  Norodin Ampatuan – have yet to be arrested.

All six are also running for top posts: Saudi Jr. is seeking reelection as mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan town; Bahnarin is running for mayor of Mamasapano; Ipi is running for councilor of Shariff Aguak; Kanor is running for vice mayor of Datu Salibo; Datu Mama is running for councilor of Datu Salibo and Datu Norodin Datumanong Ampatuan, is running for councilor of Shariff Aguak.

Saudi’s brother, Saudi III, is running for vice mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, while Saudi’s wife Jehan-jehan Lepail is running for councilor. Saudi’s mother, Soraida, is running for vice mayor in Parang.

Earlier, only nine Ampatuans were implicated in the massacre. Ampatuan Jr.,was charged with multiple murder on December 1 while the other clan members have yet to go through preliminary investigation:  Ampatuan, Sr., Nords Ampatuan, Akmad Ampatuan, Saudi Ampatuan, Jr., Bahnarin A. Ampatuan, Sajid Islam Uy Ampatuan, Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, Sr. and Datu Zaldy “Puti”  U. Ampatuan.

On February 8, however, an amended complaint was filed before the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 under Judge Josephine Reyes-Solis, implicating 19 other Ampatuans. This brings the total number of Ampatuans implicated in the massacre to 28, but only 12 are prominent clan members. The name of Akmad Ampatuan, OIC mayor of Datu Salibo town, has been dropped from the list of respondents.

The panel of investigating prosecutors in a joint resolution dated February 5 said 11 Ampatuans were among those “positively identified by witnesses” to have participated in the carnage: Ampatuan Jr., Datu Kanor Ampatuan, Datu Bahnarin A. Ampatuan, Datu Mama Ampatuan, Datu Sajid Islam U. Ampatuan, Datu Anwar Ampatuan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan Jr., Datu Ulo Ampatuan, Datu Ipi Ampatuan, Datu Harris Ampatuan, Datu Moning Ampatuan. Also implicated in the mass murder were Mogira Hadji Anggulat, Parido Zangkala Gogo, Jun Pendatun, Kagi Faizal and Sukarno Badal.

But the panel added that, “the confluence of events before and immediately after the commission of the offense leads us to no other inference than that respondents Andal Ampatuan, Sr., Datu Zaldy “Puti” U. Ampatuan, Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, Sr., Datu Norodin Ampatuan, and Datu Jimmy Ampatuan  or five Ampatuans “connived with the actual perpetrators.”

Of the 16 Ampatuans named as perpetrators and conspirators, 12 are known. There is little information though about the real first names of Datu Ulo, Datu Harris, Datu Moning and Datu Jimmy.

Comelec records show that 68 Ampatuans are running in this year’s election – 50 of them carry the surname and 18 others use Ampatuan as middle name. Of the 50, at least 23 candidates are directly related to Andal Ampatuan, Sr.

At least 58 persons were massacred on November 23, 2009 in Ampatuan, Maguindanao,  including 32 from the media. They were traveling in a convoy from Buluan, Maguindanao and were enroute to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao to file the certificate of candidacy for governor of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu,  when stopped along the highway of Ampatuan town by about a hundred armed men led by Ampatuan, Jr., who dug his own political grave that same day.

PHOTO: (L-R) ARMM governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, Maguindanao OIC Sajid Ampatuan, President Arroyo and Congressman Didagen Dilangalen inaugurate a project in Maguindanao.

By Aries Rufo

The automated 2010 national elections is a potential disaster waiting to happen, with all the explosive ingredients in it, a political risk consultancy group said. Echoing the fears of critics, the Asia-based Pacific Strategies and Assessment (PSA) said “there are simply too many potential human, procedural and/or technical breakdowns that could lead to a major disruption or most drastically a complete failure of the May 2010 elections.” READ FULL STORY.

A young Filipino educator who set up the “Kariton Klasroom” to bring education to poor children has been named CNN ‘Hero of the Year.’

Efren Peñaflorida was declared winner over nine other nominees from around the world in ceremonies at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, California, last Nov. 21.

Anderson Cooper, one of the top anchors of Cable News Network (CNN), presented the award to the 28-year-old teacher from Cavite City. Peñaflorida was selected after getting the highest number of online votes, which reached 2.75 million in seven weeks.

Peñaflorida received $100,000 cash to continue his work with his group, Dynamic Teen Company. The cash prize is on top of the $25,000 bonus that Peñaflorida received after he was included in the top 10 CNN Heroes.

He said 90 percent of his prize will go to his group while 10 percent will be donated to his church.

“Nothing for me. I was here to represent the poor children (of the Philippines),” Peñaflorida said. For him, seeing the smiles of the children who rush to meet him when they see his pushcart is enough reward for his efforts.

He said the real heroes are the 10,000 volunteers of Kariton Klassroom who are now helping in educating more than 1,500 kids in depressed areas in Cavite.

“Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry,” Peñaflorida said in his acceptance speech before an audience of about 3,000.

Peñaflorida urged the crowd to “be the hero to the next one in need” and called on them to “serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve.”

“As I always tell to my co-volunteers… you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be,” he said.

Peñaflorida vowed to continue his work and offer himself as an example of an underprivileged kid who fell victim to violence driven by poverty and yet found a way to lift himself up.

Upon his return from the United States, Peñaflorida was conferred the Order of Lakandula by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang. The Order of Lakandula, one of the highest honors given by the Republic of the Philippines, is conferred on those who dedicate themselves to the welfare of society, perform meritorious political and civic service, and lead lives worthy of emulation.

Peñaflorida’s triumph came exactly one week after boxing champion Manny Pacquaio made boxing history by knocking out Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto to become the first boxer to win seven titles in seven weight divisions.

When CNN early this year announced its annual search for Heroes, Peñaflorida was nominated by Club 8586, a youth group in Cavite that financed his elementary and high school education.

CNN’s Blue Ribbon Panel sifted through 9,000 nominees from over 100 countries, and soon narrowed down its choices to 28. On Oct. 1, CNN announced its top 10 finalists for its Hero of the Year. Peñaflorida made it. The finalists were selected by a panel that included former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, philanthropist and CNN founder Ted Turner, actress Whoopi Goldberg and singers Shakira and Sir Elton John. The winner was chosen online by the public, with nearly 3 million votes cast.

Peñaflorida said his inclusion in CNN’s Top 10 “gave Filipinos a breath of fresh air, a brief moment to cheer and celebrate,” since the Philippines was still reeling from the floods and devastation wrought by storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.”

As a child, Penaflorida chose education over gang life in Cavite City and vowed to create a way for other children to make the same choice. He was occasionally bullied and beaten by street gangs, which prompted him to decide to come to the aid of street children and rescue them from poverty and neglect through education.

Peñaflorida created a program that brought books to children in slums and on the streets, and the 10,000 members of his Dynamic Teen Company have brought reading, writing and hygiene to 1,500 youngsters. (See related story.)

“My message to children of all races, please, to embrace learning and love it for it will embrace and love you back and enable you to change your world,” Peñaflorida said.

Peñaflorida’s group was first recognized after it won the Bayaning Pilipino award for its heroic work in bringing education to poor children in Cavite.

Since 1997, more than 10,000 volunteers are now helping in educating more than 1,500 kids in depressed areas in Cavite.

The group later launched the “Kariton Klassroom,” an innovative way of bringing the classroom to the children in the depressed areas.

The pushcart classroom is now complete with teaching aids, blackboards and even folding tables and chairs to allow children to sit and read materials provided in a mini-library – a far cry from the humble effort of loading the books and school supplies in large plastic bags.

Peñaflorida now earns a living as a public school teacher in Cavite but still continues his pushcart classrooms on weekends where volunteers have started teaching the street urchins of Manila.

Peñaflorida recalled that he and other volunteers had to endure discrimination and even being branded as “trash collectors” with their pushcarts whenever they carry out their noble mission.

Emanuel Bagual, DTC chief executive officer, said the group’s newfound international fame had brought it many positive changes. Before, DTC members had to sell old bottles and newspapers to earn money and sustain operations. But after DTC was featured in the media, the group started receiving private donations, enabling it to increase the number of its pushcart classrooms from two to four.

The sweetest recognition, however, came in the form of replication: Other youth groups in Davao, Metro Manila and Zamboanga approached DTC, asking permission to implement the project in their own areas, Bagual said.

One group put up a pushcart classroom in Kenya. The DTC willingly gave the groups its modules, Bagual said.

By Martin Benedict Perez

Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) poured a month’s amount of rain in six hours on Metro Manila and neighboring provinces last Sept. 26. It would later turn out to be the worst flooding the country has seen in 40 years.

According to the latest data from the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), the storm left 293 dead and 42 missing, mostly in Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon. Moreover, a total of 629,466 families or over three million people were affected in 1,368 barangays. Many of the victims are currently temporarily sheltered in more than 500 overpopulated and undermanned evacuation centers. Damage to property caused by the storm has reached at least P5.1 billion, with P1.9 billion from infrastructure damage including 4, 270 houses totally destroyed and 5,933 houses partially destroyed and P3.2 billion from damage to rice fields, fish pens, and other agri-businesses.

‘Ondoy’ is now among the most devastating storms our country has seen. In 1991, Tropical Storm ‘Uring’ caused the death of more than 6,000 people mostly in Ormoc City, Leyte, and wrought P10 billion in damages. In 1995 there was Super Typhoon ‘Rosing’ which crossed Calabarzon and Metro Manila, leaving more than 900 dead and another P10 billion in damages. What is worth noting about ‘Ondoy’ is the amount and intensity of its rainfall. In six hours, it deposited 341.3 milliliters of rainfall, an amount comparable to the 24-hour rainfall of 1967.

Government officials and experts are sounding the climate change alarm. Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza said, “The alarm bells are ringing. This is climate change. The unprecedented amount of water that we saw over the weekend would not be the first and last. It will happen over and over again unless we take the necessary steps to help our environment.”

True, global warming is one cause of the massive flooding. The increasing greenhouse gas concentrations resulting from human activity such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation have caused most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the 20th century. While it is the industrialized countries that are the major contributors to greenhouse emissions, it is the poor countries that bear the brunt of the consequences. 

Then there is urbanization, or more precisely, the inability of the Philippine government to adopt measures to address the problems brought about by the rapid development of an area, such as increased economic activity and concentration of a large number of people in urban centers, which in turn give rise to pollution, congestion, squatting, breakdown of infrastructure facilities and the collapse of health, educational and social services.

To be sure, no country is immune from natural disasters but it is the government’s level of preparedness and ability to address and mitigate nature’s wrath that define effective governance. Sadly, our government only plays lip service to the concept of preparedness. All too often, it simply reacts to situations. It lacks foresight and is often mired in petty bureaucratic clutter, scandals, political intramural and business-as-usual mentality. 

Internationally known architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. resurrects an old master plan for Metro Manila to illustrate the government’s utter lack of political will and appreciation of long-term planning. 

“We are always reacting to crisis. It bothered me when I saw these reports and pictures and people are saying it’s an act of God. It’s not,” said Palafox. “It’s us not following the plans and proposals. If you are an urban planner, an environmental planner, these have been planned as early as 1905. When I saw the damage caused by the floods recently, I realized that these were the same areas that had already been identified.”

Palafox said a 1977 World Bank-funded study identified Marikina Valley, the western shores of Laguna de Bay, and the Manila Bay coastal area as among development areas that should prepare for flooding, earthquakes and possible changes in topography.

The Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning Project (Metroplan) was designed as a blueprint for urban planning developers and government agencies. Unfortunately, he said, corruption and lack of planning led to the shelving of many of the plan’s recommendations.

“You see the irony here. National government agencies are aware that there is a flooding level of so many meters, then another national government agency would approve subdivision plans for only nine-meter high houses. There are about 32 signatures to obtain just to do a development project. It’s like an obstacle course,” he said in an ANC television interview on Sept. 29.

“There was supposed to be a Parañaque spillway to flush out the excess water to the Laguna Bay and South China Sea, but this was never done. It was part of the recommendation,” he said.

Palafox said that the study had already noted the possibility of heavy flooding in at least three sites of urban growth in the Philippine capital—the Marikina Valley and its northern and southern parts. “Government knows what the flood lines are. Why did developers of subdivisions allow construction of housing projects below the flood lines?” he asked.

Palafox advocates the construction of more high rise or even stilted settlements, and yet there are hardly any requirements or incentives to push for high-rise socialized housing. This has contributed to the growth of slums in the urban areas. Unfortunately, it is the poor who are most vulnerable to natural disasters.

The government also sadly fails even on the matter of acquiring necessary gadgets for such a necessary task as weather forecasting. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is often at the mercy of its critics whenever crises hit. The usual refrain is that fatalities and damages could have been minimized if PAGASA had the proper instruments to track down weather disturbances. The Doppler radar, for example, can measure the amount of expected, which will be used to issue flood warnings.

The Doppler radar was ordered some five years back but for unknown reasons the equipment finally be installed only this December. It was only in 2005, after ‘Uring’ devastated Ormoc in 1991 and ‘Rosing’ ran through Manila in 1995, that the National Disaster Coordinating Council drafted a high priority action plan to modernize PAGASA, 20 years after the Doppler came into the market.

Likewise, a quick note about the government’s calamity fund. About P2 billion is allocated every year for disaster operations but the fund can only be used only when a State of Calamity is declared. But there is no similar fund for disaster readiness. Such allocation will have to vie for a place in the annual budget of national, provincial, and local governments, and oftentimes it is waylaid by other pressing and more lucrative (read, graft-prone) projects.

Finally, every one of us must share part of the blame. It is time we realized that our government is only as strong, vigilant and responsible as its citizens. No plans and programs can deliver the desired result without the full cooperation and involvement of the citizenry. We are all responsible for that stray plastic bag that found its way to the sewers and impede the flow of water, and the noxious fumes from our cars that cause global warming. We must share the blame for electing corrupt officials who pocket the meager resources allocated for flood control and for turning a blind eye to the continued denudation of our forests and the uncontrolled real estate development. Our litany of sins goes on and on.

Images of hapless victims and muddied and crumbling homes crushed our hearts. Stories of volunteers and heroes inspired us to hope for a better day. We heard the question repeated many times: “Why did God allow for this to happen?” Some have suggested that the disaster was punishment for the sins of the Arroyo administration.

But if there is a sin here, it is the sin of human omission. Course corrections need to be set. What people mistakenly focus on in the story of Noah are the people cast away to die in the deluge for their sins and excesses. We need to talk about Noah in the proper context. He was set out to do an impossible task, but he survived. He was rewarded with a new day and a promise that the world will not fall again by His hand.

Thus it can only be by ours, and so our work must begin now.