Advocatus Socialis...

If I were Melo...

2010-02-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across a news report by Carmela Fonbuena posted in abs-cbnNEWS.com on October 2, 2009. The news report is all about premature campaigning. The COMELEC chair Jose Melo was quizzed by the honorable members of the House of Representatives during the commission's budget hearing. The latter were said to be concerned whether their printing of calendars, speaking in fiestas and/or giving away of groceries may be considered premature campaigning.
What caught my attention was the line from the Representative of the Lone District of Occidental Mindoro.
She asked the COMELEC Chair: "How about our projects from our Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Because hinahanap ng tao saan napunta ang PDAF. There's a billboard that says it's under the initiative of the candidate. We are not asking for votes. It's just information that the project was completed during their term. How would you treat that?"
Melo's answer to her was it was okey -- that is, it's not considered premature campaigning.
I would absolve Melo's innocent response. For one, he does not know Occidental Mindoro and the kind of governance that Mindorenos get from their leaders. Second, he was just answering the question -- which I suppose he considered to be sincere.
Sincere question?
This is precisely my point. That Villarosa gets and never accounts for -- as members of the House of Representatives are privileged to -- millions of pesos masquerade as PDAF is known by many Mindorenos. But, whether this amount goes really for the development of the province --- that is a one hell of a question!!!
It is a common site in Occidental Mindoro to see a billboard with the picture of supposedly-mother-like-looking Representative announcing a road upgrading, but which is found in a stretch of potholed-road. Or another billboard announcing her project to provide clean drinking water to the people, but which is found in a decrepit deep well.
Sincere question?
I think the sincere question of the people of Mindoro is this: Where does Villarosa's PDAF really go?

Fiery blog

2010-01-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

I recall that there were a good number of people to whom I shared this blog who made their common comment. They were -- as far as I know -- unknown to one another; and I did not meet them together at just one time and in just one place. But, what was striking to me was their common impression of Didaskalos.
They all said that Didaskalos is fiery, and that he's obviously angry. I remember that one of them even said that he was trying to see what must have been causing me to create this blog and express my anger through it. He even posed a question to me: what have they (referring to the frequent subjects of this blog) done to you?
I tried to understand what they were trying to bring across. I tried to scrutinize the contents of the blog, and examine the words and expressions that I used. I have to admit that I've used fiery terminologies, and resorted to less civil phrases especially when describing particularly the persons I wrote about.
However, what is interesting in this is that despite this I have never felt remorse over this blog. After all, from what I learned in my studies, anger -- being a human emotion -- is more than a-moral. On certain occasions, when distinctions are made and lines are drawn, it is even indeed morally encouraged.
For who would not feel angry when political patronage is rule in the province, and when political leaders -- who benefit from this system -- do not lift a finger to set the system aright? For who would not be angry when the province is under-developed while the political leaders are living a high-end life? Who would not be angry to travel by land transportation from San Jose to Abra de Ilog through very rough highway? Who would not be angry when Occidental Mindoro, the food basket of MIMAROPA, has the highest incidence of malnutrition? Who would not be angry when the whole province is on certain occasions thrown back to Stone Age when IPC, NPC and OMECO fail to supply the basic amenity called electricity? Who would also not feel angry when people -- who would want a change in leadership -- mistake a self-serving and incompetent priest-politician as their political redeemer?
In moral philosophy, there is a mention about moral wrath. It is said to be the starting point for bigger and bolder actions to correct whatever wrong there is. It is a step away from culture of indifference, and a step towards liberating oneself for a better life.
Even Jesus is portrayed in the Gospel manifesting his (moral) wrath against the capitalists who were taking advantage of the poor fellows from far flung areas who visited the Temple in Jerusalem.

Cortege from Occidental Mindoro

2010-01-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

I remember that when Occidental Mindoro Representative Amelita Villarosa was newly appointed deputy speaker of the House of the Representatives she planed home to her congressional district where she was accorded a heroin's welcome. Her supporters were telling that it was a rare and great honor not only to her but also to the province.

As I already said in my previous postings, her designation as deputy speaker of the House meant nothing to me.In fact, it should even be viewed as source of shame rather than honor, and reason for notoriety than good name.

She was named so by no less than Speaker Jose De Venecia – who she subsequently backstabbed after his son and namesake, Jose III, made the exposition about the NBN involving the First Gentleman and for which a golf match was held in Schenzen, China among the company officials and the First Couple. By backstabbing, I mean Villarosa was among those behind the plot of ease De Venecia out of House of Speakership as he was perceived to have abandoned the “Hello, Graci” President. Blood is thicker than water, as the cliché goes.

On the occasion of her being named as deputy speaker, De Venecia justified that it was to address the gender imbalance in the House, so that women legislators will be represented in the House leadership – about which, Villarosa finds it difficult to explain. She was quoted by the media saying that she’s a deputy speaker for everyone, and not just for particular sector. She continued: There is no such position (deputy speaker for women) in the House.

This is not surprising, actually. Since in the first place, political appointments are made not on the basis of merit but on the basis of – frankly said – what one contributes to the political interest of the whoever is the big boss.

In the case of Amelita Villarosa, she must have been made deputy speaker of the House because she was travel companion of her big boss. No, she’s more of a travel attendant. A retinue. A cortege. In Tagalog, taga-bitbit ng maleta ng mas malaking tao kaysa sa kaniya…

And, hey, Occidental Mindoro has sent her to the House for two consecutive terms!

At the very least, Villarosa is alien to women’s causes. In her first term in the House, she filed 57 bills. Out of these, only one may be considered pro-women. It was House Bill 4948, which aims to expand the grounds for legal separation and to amend the definition of psychological incapacity under the Family Code.

In the current congress, she claims to have co-authored two pieces of legislation on women. The first is the Magna Carta for Women that would operationalize the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The second is the Reproductive Health Care bill. (I just do not know whether the members of the Family and Life Apostolate members in every parish in Occidental Mindoro -- who are known supporters of Villarosa -- knew this.)

Over-all, as the current congress is about to close, Villarosa’s appointment as deputy speaker has failed to become a victory for women as it falls short to influence and advance women’s causes – which, whether she likes it or not, is an expectation to her by her own gender group.

In a certain respect, insofar as she is concerned, this is not novel. For, she has more evidently failed to serve her congressional district.

Unfortunately, she’s expected to win her third term in the House. For which, Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will again be grateful to the Mindorenos. She would say: “Salamat sa inyo. May taga-buhat na uli ng aking maleta papunta sa ibang bansa…”

Advocatus Socialis is resurrected!

2009-12-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

I knew that this blog has been sidelined for quite a long time. My last entry in this blog was in April 2008. It was more than a year and a quarter.

Looking back, I recall that Didaskalos was born with an intent to simply think aloud about what's happening in the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose and craft an online medium for social advocacy in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. That was some time since the last provincial election (2007). Didaskalos was not able to anticipate that the same election period was going to have a tremendous impact on his blogging activity -- and his life as a whole!

By and large, it's going to be election time again. Indeed, how time flies!

I recall a conversation with a student of philosophy in Mindoro. He was telling me that he's writing on "God is dead" proposition by Friedrich Nietzsche with the political realities in Occidental Mindoro as his backdrop. To my mind, it is a daunting task. But, since I do not know how well this student has blossomed into a "lover of wisdom," I give his capacity to complete his project a benefit of the doubt. And, to him I said that he may explore the angle of Fr. Ronilo Omanio's candidacy then and now as an instance of "killing God".

Since then I thought of resurrecting this blog, and giving a new breath of life to Didaskalos. In 2004, I believe that he was able to accomplish his self-designated mission -- i.e., that of providing an alternative perspective on particular issues and developments in the province.

This time, as Mindoro prepares for another provincial election in 2010, Didaskalos may find another reason to exist.

Bear with him, then, as he again exposes what he knows.

Costly Political War

2008-04-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

I should have immediately taken note of yesterday morning's breaking news of http://www.inquirer.net about the diving spree of PGMA in Apo Reef last Thursday, April 24, 2008. It was a day after she went to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro concerning, expectedly, the rice issue that's hounding not just her strong republic but more so the poor Filipinos.
So, what's the news about the president visiting the Apo Reef? Of couse, Apo Reef is famous across the globe as among the most beautiful diving spots.
Actually, it was not that the president took notice of Apo Reef that caught my attention. It was the information based on inquirer.net's breaking news that together with the president aboard the presidential yatch were Rep. Girlie Villarosa and Gov. Nene Sato of Occidental Mindoro. The internet news provider adds that the reason for the two political stalwarts' unusual getting together was to mend their fences.
In the first election that Gov. Nene Sato participated in, she ran as vice governor to the husband of Rep. Girlie Villarosa. Until... well, the more-seasoned politicians and "feeling-close-to-the-politicians" in the province could tell us more about how the two politicians started to part ways.
In 2001, Occidental Mindoro saw the head-on meeting of Sato and Villarosa for governorship -- which the latter miserably lost, and during which the former nearly met her death not once but twice.
I could only suppose that the ensuing political war between their two camps has been taking its toll on both of them. I mean, individually. Villarosa's murder case, as reasoned by the Quintoses, was politically motivated. Sato, for her part, had to endure a couple of ambushes. On the level of the personal, their political war has threatened and in fact grossly affected already the personal integrity of both.
I can only imagine the anguish of a man behind bars, and the fear that is known to anyone who had to crawl -- literally -- for cover as live bullets were very narrowly missing her head.
And, ... well, the president of the Philippines was reportedly trying to reconcile the two..
I would like to put forward that the costliness of their political feud is not limited to their personal or individual spheres. It spills over and drowns the province, actually. And it is the people of Occidental Mindoro who suffer more than they -- individually -- do.
While this is debatable, I would like to say that partly their political war is the reason for the absence of a long-term governance plan for Occidental Mindoro. The plan of action of the Capitol is dependent on who sits as the governor. Anyone who wins the election is expected to begin from the scratch as he/she would refuse to build on his/her predecessor's gains (and follies) and as the loser scrambles also to tear down what he/she has built on ensuring that his/her successor could have a rather late start.
If sustainable plan for governance is too abstract as a topic, let us take the case of the Capitol employees. Their's is definitely a more existential proof of my point. After every elections in Occidental Mindoro, the succeeding news to hear is about who's in and who's out in the Capitol. Casual employees are replaced, and even career employees are "floated".
Still, this is just the tip of the real effect on the people. The most crucible thing to happen to the people of Occidental Mindoro as a result of this political war is very poor service.
Occidental Mindoro is more than half-a-century old as a province; and yet the more than 200 kilometers highway from the northmost tip to the southmost municipality of Occidental Mindoro is still rough road. And this is very telling.
In the end, I can only await the outcome of the PGMA-arbitrated reconciliation between Villarosa and Sato. For one, it likewise tells that politicking in Occidental Mindoro (which is the microcosm of Philippine politics) is patronage, and is divorced from the real political animals -- the people.

Thanksgiving Masses

2008-04-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

In the height of the Lozada expose on the very controversial NBN project of the Arroyo regime, Masses for Truth and Accountability were held in many parishes, schools and even in streets. We expect more to be held sooner than later particularly now that the Supreme Court is going to rule with finality on the petition filed by Romulo Neri -- still in connection with NBN deal, especially on the subject of executive privilege.
As the holding of these Masses for Truth and Accountability was the most recent to copy from, the acquittal of Jose Tapales Villarosa is being celebrated in Occidental Mindoro with Thanksgiving Masses. One was held in San Jose (cf. earlier posts) and the second will be on Saturday, 19 April, 2008 in Mamburao.
Of course, I do not discount the possibility that the Villarosa's are among the traditional Catholics. (My apology to those who consider themselves traditional Catholics, but I would just like to deliver my point.)
According to the Catechism that I knew, there has already been a shift in the understanding of the Mass -- which happens to be the supreme form and act of worship or prayer for Catholics -- following the epoch-changing convocation of Vatican II. The Tridentine concept of the Mass was on the celebration's sacrificial nature and meaning. The Mass is said to be a sacrifice. And truly it is! It is the bloodless memorial (in its Greek etymology, memorial is more than remembering, as it is not a re-enactment. In Tagalog, it is pagsasa-ngayon. That is, a past event is re-lived in its entirety in the here and now).
The problem with this understanding of the Eucharist is its inability to provide even an ample space for the ideals of communion. For, accordingly, an act of sacrifice may be between I and my God. Hence, until now, people are writing on a sheet of paper their "pamisa" -- which is to remain as the diocese's one of the main source of revenue until the Catholics learn and wholeheartedly embace the spirituality of tithing.
Precisely because of the absence of the ideals of communion in a pre-Vatican II understood Mass, we see people of questionable social standing who attend and even actively participate in the sacred celebration.
My catechetical training further tells me that what the Council of Trent took for granted, the Vatican II made as its primary theme in all its documents. Among others, the architecture of the Church should reflect more the actual gathering of people; hence, the tabernacle was moved to the side and the communion rails are gone. The notion of collective over individual salvation is emphasized in eschatology. The Church per se is said to be the sacrament of communion, that is, the sign of and the one who is to effect communion. And the Mass is, over and above all, a faith-community-event.
Along this line, a couple of things may be inferred. For one, as it is a faith-(community-)event, Mass is at the service of faith. The ordering of the universal and national catechism of the Church suffices to explain the different components of a living Catholic faith -- it is doctrine, morals, (prayers), and liturgy. To the liturgy, the Mass belongs. As a faith-event, anyone who attends and participates actively in the Mass is expected to improve on his/her doctrine (thus, while it is the homily that directly instructs people, all the other parts of the Mass are similarly pedagogical), and celebrate his/her everyday triumph in terms of faithfully living out the requirements of the moral living as taught by the Church. This is the over-riding design, so that at the end of every Mass, the faithful has grown on their knowledge of the faith and become more resolved in committing themselves to Catholic morality.
Obviously, it has no place for partisan political agenda.
And this leads me to my second point -- that a mass is about community life. I remember a story of a Jesuit priest who in the beginning committed himself to lead the celebration of the Sunday Mass for a far-away community. On his way to the barrio, he passed along two or three houses in the outskirt of the community. He came to know that these huts were well within the territory of the barrio, and that the reason for their not joining the Sunday Mass was a long-ago feud with the families living in the center of the place. The priest used the occasion to give a particular slant in his preaching on community life and brotherhood, among others. After a month or so, the people were surprised when the priest said that he's no longer coming for the Mass. When pressed for the reason, he truthfully said to them: "Bakit kayo magmimisa kung hindi kayo mabuo bilang isang pamayanan?"
After San Jose, for every succeeding celebration of Thanksgiving Mass for JTV, an insult is even added to the wounds of the Quintoses.
I pray for the pastor's/pastors' discretion over this...

Untold Truth Behind JTV Acquital

2008-04-15T03:57:00.001-07:00

Note: The following came as a comment to one of the posts of this blog. I deem it very informative to copy-paste the comments into a main post for people to more easily see and read.
------------------------
Power, Politics & Influence
The Untold Truths on the Acquittal of Jose Tapales Villarosa

1. The Government, through the Department of Justice, found probable cause to file two (2) separate Informations against Jose T. Villarosa and his gang for the murder of Paul Quintos and Michael Quintos, sons of former Cong. Ricardo Quintos, the political rival of Villarosa in Occidental Mindoro.

2. After eight (8) years of trial, Hon. Judge Ma. Theresa Yadao of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City rendered a Decision finding Villarosa and his gang, GUILTY of double murder and imposed upon them the mandatory penalty of DEATH;

3. Jose Tapales Villarosa is the spouse of Congresswoman Girlie Villarosa, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, KAMPI Officer, President GMA’s rapid ally and constant travel companion. The public remembers Congresswoman Villarosa as the same “fall guy” who voluntarily and publicly admitted that KAMPI was the source of the P500K “assistance” to each governor and congressman present in Malacanang last October 11;

4. Jose Tapales Villarosa and his gang appealed the Decision of Judge Yadao to the Court of Appeals. On December 2006, Ex-Congressman and then Solicitor General Antonio Nachura filed a Manifestation recommending the acquittal of Jose Tapales Villarosa. Less than 60 days from the filing of said Manifestation, SolGen Nachura was elevated to the Supreme Court.

5. While supposedly being detained at the National Bilibid Prisons, Jose Tapales Villarosa enjoyed special privileges such as numerous “hospital leaves” without the prior consent of or knowledge of the Court of Appeals.

6. Jose Tapales Villarosa’s appeal was assigned to Justice Tijam of the 5th Division of the Court of Appeals, for study and report. As there were very disturbing reports on the partiality of Justice Tijam in favor of Jose Tapales Villarosa, a Motion to Inhibit Justice Tijam was filed by the Quintos family. A motion to suspend proceedings was also filed by the Quintos family.

7. The acquittal was handed out even though there were two (2) separate pending incidents, namely the Motion for Inhibition before the Supreme Court and the Motion to Suspend Proceedings before the 5th Division;

8. Justice Tijam and the 5th Division reasoned that while conspiracy existed and that gunmen and look-outs played out their respective roles and therefore deserved to be convicted, THERE WAS NO MASTERMIND. More importantly, while the confession of the gunman was entitled to full credence and was sufficient to uphold his conviction and those of his co-conspirators, insofar as powerful Villarosa was concerned, said confession cannot be used;

9. Justice Tijam and the 5th Division plainly disregarded the conspiratorial facts such as the established linkage between Villarosa and the gunmen before, during and after the murders, and that Villarosa gave financial assistance to the gunmen as proven by encahsed checks that were presented in evidence;

10. Justice Tijam and the 5th Division completely disregarded the testimony of Co. Winston Ebersole recounting how four (4) months prior to the murders, he attempted to arrest one of the gunmen on a robbery charge, only to be prevented by Villarosa. This gunman eventually disappeared only to be seen again on the night of December 13, 1997 repeatedly shooting Michael Quintos until his gun ran out of bullets. (A few weeks after his damaging testimony against Villarosa , Col. Ebersole was murdered.)

11. Justice Tijam and the 5th Division completely ignored and disregarded the confession of the one of the look-outs who disappeared from Mindoro right after the murders, only to be arrested in 2002 working as a security guard for an agency where Congresswoman Girlie Villarosa had been a long-time officer. Moreover, while in NBI custody by virtue of an outstanding warrant of arrest, Congresswoman Villarosa and her lawyer rushed to the NBI and tried to have the self-confessed look-out released to their custody, but this was aborted due to the timely arrival and vigorous protest of former Congressman Quintos.

12. Meanwhile, Malacanang in rather bad taste, considering the sensitiveness of the issue, immediately congratulated Congresswoman Villarosa on her “early Easter gift”. The acquittal apparently did wonders for Villarosa’s health, since he had been confined at the Makati Medical Center for months recuperating from “major lung surgery”: He walked out of the hospital smiling the afternoon the CA decision was handed down;

13. Under the Administration, the perception grown that there are two types of justice in this country, one for the rich and well connected, another for the hoi polloi. Those in the first category are granted bail for murder, never serve time in prison for corruption, and see their convictions for double murder overturned by the Court of Appeals. To the second category belong those who rot in prison for picking pockets to feed their family (Editorial, Philippine Star March 31, 2007).

14. Congressman Jose T. Villarosa is more equal than others. Established rules and jurisprudence may be twisted to suit his needs. Power, Politics and Influence have once again reared their ugly heads;
To the Quintos family, we sympathize and share your pain in the senseless loss of Paul and Michael.
To our dear friends Paul and Michael Quintos, we will continue to pray and soldier on for you. DIVINE JUSTICE will be yours.

JUSTICE FOR PAUL AND MICHAEL QUINTOS MOVEMENT
Concerned Citizens of Occidental Mindoro , Friends and Fraternity Brothers, Class of 1983 and 1988, Xavier School , University of the Asia & Pacific (Pioneer Batch) 1993

Quintoses File Second Plea in Murder Case

2008-04-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

(http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080414-130211/Quintoses-file-2nd-plea-in-murder-case)

MANILA, Philippines—The family of another Quintos brother is seeking the reversal of the Court of Appeals’ decision acquitting former Mindoro Occidental Rep. Jose Villarosa and three others in the Quintos double murder case.
Earlier, the parents of Michael T. Quintos, Paul’s younger brother, made the same plea.
In a partial motion for reconsideration, Paul’s wife said the appellate court ignored evidence that would have shown the participation of the four in the 1997 murders of the Quintos brothers.
The Quintos family argued the appellate court should not have decided on the case because they were still appealing the Supreme Court ruling that denied their motion to have Justice Noel Tijam inhibit himself from the case.
After eight years of trial, Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Ma. Theresa Yadao found Villarosa and his co-accused guilty of double murder and sentenced them to death.
But the appellate court, in a decision penned by Tijam, reversed the murder convictions of Villarosa and farmers Ruben Balaguer, Gelito Bautista and Mario Tobias, but upheld the guilty verdicts on farmers Eduardo Hermoso, Manolito Matricio and Josue Ungsod.
The appellate court ruled Hermoso’s extrajudicial confession implicating all seven accused in the killings was admissible, but it could not be used to convict the former lawmaker and the three others since it was uncorroborated by other evidence.
The brothers were sons of Villarosa’s political rival, former Mindoro Occidental Gov. Ricardo Quintos.
Paul’s heirs said the appellate court focused on Hermoso’s extrajudicial confession made before the National Bureau of Investigation, where he had made another confession, and a judicial one, before the Mamburao Municipal Trial Court.
There was also plenty of evidence to prove the four men’s involvement in the crime, they pointed out.
“Moreover, what is frustrating and clearly erroneous is the ignorance of this Honorable Court of the other evidence of the Appellees showing the conspiracy between the Appellants in the killing of Paul and Michael Quintos,” they said.
Evidence ignored
Among those not considered by the court, they said, was the fact that Hermoso and Matricio were Villarosa’s political followers and illegal occupants of the Quintoses’ Golden Country Farms Inc.
They also insisted that Villarosa was present at the October 1997 meeting of the conspirators to the killing, and that Villarosa had given money to the families of Hermoso, Matricio and Balaguer.
Villarosa had interceded for Matricio when the latter was being arrested during a congressional hearing, they said, while another accused, Orlando Estanes, was employed by Villarosa’s wife.
Paul’s heirs said Estanes had issued a confession that interlocked with Hermoso’s. Since Hermoso’s and Estanes’ confessions corroborated each other, they bolstered the guilt of all seven accused, they said.
But this circumstantial evidence was ignored by the court, they said.
“From the foregoing, the Appellees humbly submit that the acquittal of the Appellant Villarosa and his cohorts was inevitable and that the decision of the Honorable Court is marred with grave abuse of discretion,” they said.

Victims' Kin Seek Reversal of Villarosa Acquittal

2008-04-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

(http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080411-129682/Victims-kin-seek-reversal-of-Villarosa-acquittal)

Since a conspiracy to kill the Quintos brothers existed, all the participants should have been convicted.
The family of Michael and Paul Quintos made the argument in seeking the reversal of the Court of Appeals’ acquittal last month of former Mindoro Occidental Rep. Jose Villarosa and three others in the killings.
In the motion for reconsideration they filed separately in the appellate court for Michael, who was single, his parents also said that it appeared from the way the case was going that the acquittal of the four was certain.
The family of Paul Quintos, who was married with children, will file a separate motion for reconsideration.
Aside from Villarosa, farmers Ruben Balaguer, Gelito Bautista and Mario Tobias were acquitted and ordered freed by the appellate court.
The court, on the other hand, upheld the convictions of farmers Eduardo Hermoso, Manolito Matricio and Josue Ungsod who were sentenced to 40 years in prison for each count of murder and ordered to pay damages to the Quintoses’ heirs.
Hermoso, Matricio and Ungsod, in two separate motions for reconsideration they also filed in the Court of Appeals, questioned the affirmation of their guilt.
The court had ruled that Hermoso’s confession implicating all seven men in the December 1997 killing of the Quintos brothers was admissible, but could not be used to pin down Villarosa and the three others because it was uncorroborated by other evidence.
Hermoso confessed to being the gunman and admitted being present at the Oct. 7, 1997, meeting during which Villarosa allegedly discussed killing Michael.
In its motion, Michael’s family said the appellate court erred when it stated that the rules of court require that the participation of a coconspirator named in the statement of another conspirator must be proved by other evidence. They said only the existence of a conspiracy must be shown by separate evidence.
“In this case, the existence of a conspiracy has been sufficiently shown by independent evidence, namely, the eyewitnesses who testified that Hermoso, Matricio, Ungsod and other persons acted as one and in concert to kill the unsuspecting brothers,” Michael’s family said.
They also said the court’s ruling that the extrajudicial statement made by Hermoso was not enough to convict the four men was “not true, incomplete and misleading.”
In the first place, they said, Hermoso made a judicial statement to the Mamburao court, aside from the extrajudicial one he made to the National Bureau of Investigation.
They said Hermoso’s statements were corroborated by Orlando Estanes, who had been arrested earlier in connection with the murders, in the latter’s two sworn statements.

Is the (Woman) Deputy Speaker for Women?

2008-04-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

(This is culled from Women of the House, an article by PCIJ dated 7 September 2007.)

The 14th Congress boasts of having the most number of lady-solons in its roll. Observably, however, not most of them are staunch promoters and/or defenders of causes of/for women.

Of course, outside of party-list groups for women rights, we have our memory of Leticia Ramos-Shahani. She and Santanina Rasul were the first female senators in the post-Marcos Congress. While she rhetorically refused to be “a class legislator,” her first bill was RA 6725 that seeks to strengthen the prohibition of discrimination against women and workplace. In 1994 too she was able to introduced into the national budget the mandatory allocation of five percent of the budget of every government department and agency for gender development. Further, according to her, the two laws on rape (RA 8353 redefining the crime of rape and RA 8505 which provides assistance to rape victims and their families) are the centerpieces of her feminist legislation.

Congress observers say few women in the Lower House can actually matched Shahani (and Rasul and the late Raul Roco – the honorary woman) for their pro-women legislative efforts. An exemption may be Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, who was a strong advocate not only of women’s rights but also of gays and lesbians during her stint in Congress. (She is now the provincial governor of Aurora).

And, so, what are women-solons - except those with women’s-issues activists -- doing for women issues?

Observers for one say that women legislators choose to be quiet because of their lack of skills to defend bills on the floor. Likewise, women solons have different profiles – from the most conservative to the most progressive – thus, explaining why they do not act as one.

In fact, several female legislators ended up in their seats primarily because they belong to political families – and not because they were seen as potential supporters of women’s causes! The deputy speaker of the House, Amelita Villarosa, herself took the seat vacated by her husband JTV several years ago.

Interestingly, when Villarosa was named deputy speaker, the former House Speaker, JDV himself said that her (political) appointment to the post “(was) to address the gender imbalance in the House, so that women legislators will be represented in the House leadership.” Paining to explain her appointed, though, Girlie Villarosa reportedly said: “I was elected as a deputy speaker, period, not a deputy speaker for women. There is no such position in the House… I am deputy speaker for everyone, not just for a particular sector.”

At the very least, Villarosa is never known for women’s causes. Of the 57 house bills she filed in the 13th Congress, only one could be described as being pro-women. It was House Bill 4948, seeking to expand the grounds for legal separation and to amend the definition of psychological incapacity under the Family Code.

For the current (14th) Congress, Villarosa says she co-authors two major pieces of legislation on women. The first being the Reproductive Health Care Bill; the second is the Magna Carta for Women, which would “operationalize” the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), an international women’s rights treaty to which the Philippines is signatory.

If Villarosa’s output as (women) deputy speaker is to be a gauge, she is miserably failing the women’s rights advocates who expect her to fight for the women’s issues with all her muster.

Hontiveros-Baraquel says: “Villarosa’s election is a victory for women in the sense that it created gender balance. But it is yet to become a fully realizable victory (until) (she) (lends) her position and influence to advance women’s causes.”

To which Senator Legarda agrees: “Women legislators have to support women-related legislations. Women comprise half of our population, and while women in our country are considered better off than (women in other cultures) in terms of rights and welfare, there is much to be desired in terms of women’s participation in governance and decision-making. So those who have the opportunity to speak up for other women because of the positions and posts that they hold must do so with zeal and dedication.”

Very diplomatically put, I would say.

But it boils down to this challenge: If you cannot, then give way to the more able.

Where have our values gone?

2008-04-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Some weeks ago, the governor of New York Eliot Spitzer was forced to resign from his office because of a scandal. He engaged the service of a high-profile prostitute for his sexual gratification. More than a month ago, a Malaysian health official was caught by a CCTV inside a hotel room with “a friend of (his)”. He too was sacked from his office. Some time ago, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin, resigned from his post following the accusations of corruption; he is facing them now. During the same time, there was a Japanese Prime Minister who was joined by his men in resigning on account of their similar scandal. (Actually, one of them even hang himself out of shame…)

Values – although still being debated whether these are innate – are the principles, standards or quality, which guide human actions. Personal values evolve from circumstances with the external world; these are changeable over time. Those that were developed early in life may be resistant to change. These are derived from those of particular groups or systems – such as culture, religion, and political party.

Let us compare the scenario in Occidental Mindoro last Friday when the pardoned JTV came home to San Jose. After all the shame and disgrace that he heaped upon himself and the province that he once ruled as a governor and represented as congressman after the RTC under Judge Yadao found him guilty of double murder, his homecoming was prepared as if a king was going to return to his turf and he was welcomed as dramatically as possible.

Well, what could account for the difference?

I would contend that values spell the distinction. And, at play in here is the personal value of the main persona of the scandal. And I would like to point out to hiya, Filipino as we are.

Hiya is the consciousness of dishonor or disgrace. It comes from being humiliated for our behavior.

Another values that I would like to stress is the society’s acceptance and tolerance of the practice of right and wrong. In the examples that I cited -- unfortunately from the other countries -- the people of, say, New York, Thailand, Japan and even Malaysia knew and accepted the fact that a discredited leader has no more place in the government, much less a moral ascendancy to govern them – which is tantamount to entrusting their future into the leader’s hands.

The homecoming of JTV very clearly manifested that these two values of hiya and the communal sense of right and wrong – at least, in San Jose – are inoperative. And, of the two, I would like to dwell more on the people’s sense of right and wrong. Which to me is very clearly superseded by other values – like pagtanaw ng utang na loob (Pinaaral kasi ni JTV! or Natulungan kasi ni JTV) – or simply formed by being-un-informed of who really this guy is, while in fact at the base of our personal and societal values it is the sense of right and wrong that should be found, serving as the foundation and the unifying elements as it were of our other moral standards…

If some people consider JTV’s homecoming as a sort of a political comeback, I definitely see it as an indication of our value-crisis…

Sino pa kaya ang dapat magtuwid ng ganitong kalagayan?

Gusto ko sanang manawagan sa Simbahan…

How's our Representative?

2008-04-01T23:57:00.000-07:00

JTV says Didaskalos has a strong sentiment against his wife, the Deputy Speaker of the House. Didaskalos thinks so, too. But he's not without reason.
Consider this: She was elected into Congress in order to represent the people of Occidental Mindoro in the lawmaking body for the Philippine Republic. And, from this viewpoint, one might ask: so, how's she so far?
I would refer you to http://www.congress.gov.ph/members/search.php?congress=14&id=villarosa-ma#. This site is the data bank of the Philippine Congress especially about the authorship or sponsorship of individual solons.
Well, according to the site, Villaroze -- for the 14th Congress -- already has more than 30 house bills under her name. But what is observable are the following: for one, all these house bills have the same label pertaining to their status: PENDING. Secondly, Villarosa is really until to date still has to come up with a bill that's going to be a landmark legislation. Most of hers are too local in scope -- for instance, establishing a school named after a former governor with whom she or her husband share(s) their surname, or appropriating a fund for the concreting of Villarosa Street in Mamburao. Thirdly, most of the bills that Villarosa has filed in the 14th Congress are actually the bills that she herself in the 13th Congress -- Remember, the costliest Congress? -- but were all shelved? And, finally, one suspects that the reason for Villarosa's filing of so many "pagawaing bayan" is pertinent to her CDF -- particularly, since CDF at the present is no longer handed in to the reputable solons in cold cash, but most in the form of projects to be handled by government line agencies like the DepEd or the DPWH.
An unsolicited advice for Madame Girlie: Ma'am, you enjoy your perks from the taxes paid by us as you represent us in Philippine Congress. Puwede po bang seryosohin na lamang ninyo ang paggawa ng batas, at bawasan na ang pagiging alalay ng iyong Pangulo?
Anyway, Ma'am, you've gotten your heart's desire.. You're husband is already OFFICIALLY freed..
Please, ... for the sake of Occidental Mindoro.

Of Which Side Are You, Sir?

2008-04-01T00:22:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, the supporters of the acquitted murderer Jose T. Villarosa enthusiastically welcomed his homecoming to San Jose. There was a parade, where JTV was made to ride on an open rear section of a car, with two -- or more than two, who knows? -- bodyguards; emotional was the throng of the supporters, with some shedding tears upon the sight of their leader and on hearing their leader's speech; a thanksgiving Mass was celebrated on the Cathedral, with no less than the Parish Priest of the Cathedral officiating -- he must be the priest-of-the-day, or his assistant pastors must have their respective schedules; and a press conference was held.
At long last, the "efforts" of the Deputy Speaker of the House cum "alalay" of the President of the Strong Republic paid off. What I heard lately simply confirmed what I was expecting to happen -- that is, that JTV's acquittal was a handiwork of The Palace after Madame Girlie poured out her crocodile tears following the JTV-pronounced lung cancer that afflicts him. (What's unconventional about this sickness -- to state the obvious -- was the absence of any pronouncement from the doctor, or the availability of any medical transcript that the-man-of-the-hour really has this life-threatening illness... Unless JTV, on account of his resolve to make his years behind bars productive, decided to take a course on medicine and passed the medical licensure exam. Who knows?)
But, before we get sidelined from the topic of our post for today, I would like to point out that, during the press conference held in his bailiwick in Bubog, JTV BADMOUTHED the Church and the priests. One might wonder why; to him/her, my answer is well accordingly JTV never sat well with a number of the diocese' clergy. I repeat -- only with some. For definitely among the priests in Mindoro, one is his relative; one or two or three or even more are recipients of his "benevolence;" and one even became his candidate for a provincial post last 2007.
Yes, this posting is about the last priest that I referred to -- him who ran for gubernatorial post. For JTV to badmouth the Church is no surprise to me. I knew him to really have a "foul-smell emitting mouth" -- not that he is badbreath, for he has a fortune to procure for his use drums of Listerine sourced out from the misery of electric consumers in Occ. Mindoro (remember his connection to and the benefits he reaped out of the exclusive contract of OMECO to IPC, which he previously owned?), but that he is simply known to have badmouthing anyone and everyone whose demeanor or attitude or principle he does not like his way of life.
JTV is practically cursing the Church -- and, what I knew is that the employees of the Church-owned DZVT, who were invited to invite the homecoming as a media event, walked-out! But what was a sight to behold was the continued presence of the priest-turned-political-pawn during that part of the press con, as if JTV was proclaiming the Gospel from the ambo!
Hu!!!!
What has the Church done to you, Sir (pun intended for not addressing you Father), that you publicly betrayed your true color -- that is, that to date you are clearly on the side of your political benefactor and in effect you have turned your back from the faith community leaders who were once your co-ministers and, until now by virtue of your ordination -- if my college religious education is rightly remembered -- are your sacramental brothers????
This is practically the problem with people who have never known principles. They are backbone-less, that they are swayed where the strong wind goes. Now, as in a bamboo, they are tilted towards you (and this gives an impression that they are on your side); by and by, they tilt towards the opposite direction (and profess their loyalty to whoever or whichever side they find themselves in).
Finally, Sir... Of which side are you?

He was actually released... long before his acquital??

2008-03-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

Exoneration does wonders for Villarosa’s health
By DJ Yap, Jocelyn Uy, Julie M. AurelioPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 03:29:00 03/20/2008
MANILA, Philippines—His exoneration appears to have done wonders to the health of former Rep. Jose Villarosa, who had been confined at the Makati Medical Center where he said he was still recuperating from “major” lung surgery more than two months ago.
Villarosa left the hospital Wednesday afternoon to go to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) facility in Muntinlupa City for his official discharge, according to NBP officer in charge Supt. Ramon Reyes.
He came with his wife, Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa, and about five bodyguards, Reyes said.
“He was smiling but he looked very frail,” the prison official said.
By then, the former congressman, whose conviction for the murders of the sons of a political rival was overturned by the Court of Appeals, was already garbed in civilian clothes, “a light blue polo shirt and dark pants,” Reyes said.
Reyes said prison authorities officially released Villarosa from the NBP custody Wednesday afternoon.
“He is no longer in the custody of the NBP. He’s free to go,” the prison official said.
Release order
The correctional facility received the order of release from the Court of Appeals midmorning Wednesday and Villarosa, a former congressman from Occidental Mindoro, was formally discharged at past 4 p.m.
The release order was signed by the appellate court’s 5th Division Justices Martin Villarama Jr., Noel Tijam and Sesinando Villon, Reyes said.
Villarosa said the favorable court decision was expected because his lawyer, Estelito Mendoza, had raised very good points in asking the appellate court to overturn the guilty verdict.
“We appealed the decision because we believe that we are not guilty. So I am very thankful for the decision of the Court of Appeals,” he said.
Based on ‘conjectures’
His family hailed his acquittal as a “triumph of justice” and a vindication of his innocence.
“He’s happy that justice prevailed,” Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa said in a phone interview shortly after visiting her 65-year-old husband at the Makati Medical Center.
“I’m glad that justice prevailed. My husband has been innocent all this time,” she added.
To celebrate his acquittal, his family might hold a reunion in Tagaytay City after his release from the hospital.
The Villarosa family expected the acquittal because Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Teresa Yadao had convicted him and his co-accused, and sentenced them to death based on “conjectures,” according to Villarosa’s wife.
“My husband can’t be in two places at the same time,” she said, referring to prosecution testimonies supposedly given weight by the judge.
The death sentence was lowered to life imprisonment after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo abolished the death penalty.
Villarosa made a last visit to the NBP to pack his things and give away some personal items.
An insider spotted Villarosa back at the NBP at around 4 p.m., packing his luggage at his “kubol” (a structure like a house where he was detained) at the maximum security compound.
“He auctioned his other stuffs like his electric fan to other inmates. It seems like he’ll spend Holy Week a free man,” said the source, who asked not to be named.
Cask gifts to inmates
The insider added that as a last act of generosity, Villarosa gave his close “staff” of inmates about P500 each.
Other prisoners got P100 as a going away gift.
The source noted that Villarosa sported a shaven head and had visibly slimmed down after reportedly undergoing an operation.
In December, Villarosa went on hospital leave and underwent surgery reportedly for cancer. He has stayed out of the NBP since then.
Doctors operated on him and removed his left lung in early January this year. He has been undergoing treatment since then.
Villarosa also reportedly made a last visit to his capiz-making livelihood stall at the maximum security compound to assure the workers that operations would continue.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer source said he spotted Villarosa exiting the NBP’s Gate 1 at around 6:50 p.m.
Villarosa told Reyes that he would likely be back at the Makati Medical Center very soon, but he did not say when.
Itching to return to his hometown, Villarosa had said before he went to the NBP that he was expecting his doctors to release him by the end of next week.
“My doctors said I should stay here two to three weeks more. But by the end of next week, I could be out of the hospital,” he said in a phone interview with the Inquirer Wednesday.
Medical furloughs
In his two-year incarceration, Villarosa had enjoyed “medical furloughs,” which were approved by jail authorities and the Department of Justice.
Ricardo Quintos, father of the slain brothers, had complained to the appellate court about Villarosa being brought to the hospital in December, contending that the latter was not really sick and only wanted to enjoy the amenities of the private hospital which are more luxurious compared with the prison facilities.
Sources in the NBP earlier said that the former lawmaker had even put up a livelihood center and a five-foot deep “pond” next to his “kubol” to pass time.
Warning to NBP
In its decision, the Court of Appeals took to task the NBP for failing to inform it of Villarosa’s hospitalization.
It warned the NBP that failing to inform the court of a prisoner’s release for hospitalization or any other purpose would be dealt more severely next time.
The appellate court asked the NBP to inform it if Villarosa had returned to the NBP or was still at the hospital.
Glad about the appellate court’s ruling, he is set to get busy with politics and his businesses again and might file a case against the judge that meted him the death penalty two years ago.
When he returns to his hometown next week, he said he would attend full-time to his fish ponds, cattle ranch and mango plantation.
“I would also resume my meetings with my allies in politics,” he told the Inquirer on the phone before he went to Muntinlupa.
Disbarment
Villarosa said he would meet up with his lawyer to talk about the possibility of filing a disbarment case against Yadao “to preclude her from doing judicial injustice to others.”
He said there could be others who suffered his fate, but unlike him, chose to keep silent.
The former lawmaker accused the judge of handing down an “unjudicial verdict” by coming up with conjectures in his case.
“In her decision, she said I could have used a helicopter to get to Congress on time after a supposed meeting with the New People’s Army in Mindoro. But this was not in any of the affidavits of the prosecution,” he said.
Time to move on
With the acquittal, the Villarosa couple and their five children could “now move on with their lives” without the tag “murder convict” attached to the elder Villarosa’s name.
“We will go on with our life. But it’s much nicer having the shadow of conviction reversed finally,” said Villarosa’s wife, 64, who rued that she had often been referred to in the news as the wife of a “convicted murderer.”
Traumatized
The stigma of the Villarosa patriarch’s conviction and later incarceration at the NBP took a heavier toll on the children, especially the youngest who is now 19.
“Our children were traumatized. When my husband was convicted, the youngest was in grade school, and his grades took a nose-dive. It’s a good thing a guidance counselor was around to guide him,” the congresswoman said.
“The trauma made them stronger, but I wouldn’t wish that on my friends,” she added.
Otherwise, the whole experience brought the family even closer together.
Much closer now
“We bonded together; we’re much closer now. The family is intact all this time. We’re stronger than ever,” Ms Villarosa said. “We look forward to moving on with our lives, with our children and grandchildren.”
The Villarosa couple have three boys and two girls, aged 19 to 38, and eight grandchildren.
The Villarosas are looking forward to spending the Holy Week together at the Makati Medical Center, or at their home in Makati City, if Villarosa is discharged.
“It all depends on the doctor,” Ms Villarosa said, when asked if her husband would be discharged in the next two weeks. With a report from TJ Burgonio

Truly an Easter Gift... From the Palace???

2008-03-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

Palace congratulates Villarosa on ‘Easter gift’
INQUIRER.netFirst Posted 16:31:00 03/19/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Malacañang congratulated former MindoroOccidental congressman Jose Villarosa for getting an "Easter gift" -- the decision of the Court of Appeals to overturn his conviction for murder.
"I can just congratulate them on their Easter gift," ExecutiveSecretary Eduardo Ermita said, referring to the former lawmaker, andhis wife, Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa of the House of Representatives.
"We are living by the rule of law. We have to respect the decision of the court," he said.
Ermita said the court's decision had nothing to do with the Villarosa couple's close ties with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

-------------------

Palace congratulates Villarosas, shrugs off rumors
By Christine AvendañoPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 03:31:00 03/20/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang shrugged off speculations that the acquittal of former Occidental Mindoro Rep. Jose Villarosa resulted from his and his wife’s closeness to President Macapagal-Arroyo.
“We are living by the rule of law,” said Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, a former congressman, as he congratulated the Villarosa couple for the “Easter gift.”
Speculations were rife last year that Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa’s move to defend Malacañang from allegations that it bribed a number of members of the House of Representatives to kill an impeachment complaint against the President had something to do with her lobbying for her husband’s freedom.
At the height of the alleged payoff scandal, Villarosa said the funds received by House members and a number of governors belonging to her and Ms Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) party were the political party’s money.
Brown envelopes containing P500,000 were handed to the legislators and governors in Malacañang in October.
Villarosa, secretary of Kampi, is also a regular part of Ms Arroyo’s delegation on the President’s trips abroad—Spain last December and Davos, Switzerland last January.
Ermita said the speculations stemmed from the Deputy Speaker’s close working relationship with the President.
“It has nothing to do with the Court of Appeal’s [ruling] because in law, it’s better to release 99 percent of the criminals who had been brought to court than imprisoning just one percent who had not been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt,” the executive secretary said.

Political Influence in JTV Acquittal?

2008-03-20T22:09:00.001-07:00

VACC: Villarosa acquittal a huge setback for justice
By Jerome AningPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 21:37:00 03/19/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption expressed its “dismay” over the Court of Appeals reversal of former congressman Jose Villarosa’s conviction for the murders of his political rival’s sons.
“I'm dismayed. We're not happy with the decision. This is a setback in the crime victims' quest for justice,” VACC founding chair Dante Jimenez told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.
Through its “Court Watch” program, VACC monitored the Villarosa trial at the Quezon City regional trial court. Jimenez said that based on their monitoring, they established that Judge Teresa Yadao “made the right decision” in convicting the former congressman for the murders of the two sons of former congressman Ricardo Quintos.
While he hoped “no political influence was involved in rendering the reversal,” Jimenez said VACC has been “alarmed” by the number of high-profile convictions that have recently been reversed by the Court of Appeals.
“We hope that the CA justices who reviewed the Villarosa case are able to sleep peacefully at night,” Jimenez said.

Here's the Side of the Victim-Family...

2008-03-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Quintos hopes for ‘divine justice’ after Villarosa acquittal
By Jocelyn UyPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 23:31:00 03/19/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Crushed by his rival's acquittal, former congressman Ricardo Quintos now only hopes for the "ultimate divine justice."
Though he was not surprised about the acquittal of former lawmaker Jose Villarosa, Quintos said it only illustrated the "dysfunctional" judicial system in the country.
But he would not give up the fight, Quintos resolved.
"I still believe in the ultimate divine justice. Doon walang lagayan, walang palakasan. [With God, there are no bribes, there is no patronage.] But we will also do everything humanly possible," Quintos told the Philippine Daily Inquirer over the phone on Wednesday
His two sons Michael and Paul were killed in 1997 over a land and political dispute in Occidental Mindoro. Ricardo accused his longtime rival, Villarosa, of masterminding the killing.
Quintos said he was planning to question the Court of Appeals resolution acquitting Villarosa of two counts of murder before the Supreme Court.
"It took Judge Theresa Yadao eight years and six months to study the case, but the appellate court came out with the ruling [so soon], that it didn't bother to read the transcripts of the case," Quintos pointed out.
He also accused the Court of Appeals Associate Justice Noel Tijam of accepting bribes for a decision in favor of Villarosa.
Quintos claimed the "speedy" resolution of the case buttressed his suspicions. "Totoong bayad nga siya (It’s true he’s been bribed]," Quintos said boldly.
He added that the Villarosas were trumpeting about the former lawmaker's acquittal three days ago over the radio.
"They were very sure of an acquittal. They have been boasting about it even before the CA issued the ruling today (Wednesday)," he said.
Since the radio announcement, Quintos has been bombarded with calls from concerned people. "I was really expecting his acquittal already," he said.
Quintos was also set to file an administrative case against Tijam for supposedly disregarding his motion for certiorari which he filed with the high court after the CA junked his petition asking for Tijam's inhibition.
He pointed out that Tijam handed down the resolution on Wednesday, while his motion was still pending with the Supreme Court.
Suspecting that Tijam was on the take, Quintos earlier sought his inhibition but was turned down. The court, in turn, threatened to cite him in contempt.
"But I told the court that I was ready to go to jail just so that Justice Tijam would inhibit from the case," Quintos recounted.
He also doubted the reasons Villarosa gave for his hospital confinement, saying that his doctors kept mum about his real condition. "It is he who always explains his condition, not the doctors or the hospital," Quintos observed.
Quintos’ efforts to retrieve hospital documents were futile as his lawyers were always instructed to seek a court order first
According to Villarosa, he has not been released from Makati Medical Center as he was still susceptible to infection following a "major" lung surgery last January. He has not gone back to the New Bilibid Prison since December.

A Longer Version of the Sad Story..

2008-03-20T22:06:00.001-07:00

Court acquits Arroyo ally
CA rules gunman’s confession not enoughBy Leila SalaverriaPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 01:52:00 03/20/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Former Occidental Mindoro Rep. Jose Villarosa Wednesday walked out of the Makati Medical Center a free man. He had been staying in the hospital since December after reportedly undergoing lung surgery.
Saying the mere confession of the gunman implicating Villarosa as one of those who planned the killing of brothers Paul and Michael Quintos was not enough, the Court of Appeals overturned his and three others’ murder conviction handed down by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court in 2006.
Estelito Mendoza, Villarosa’s counsel, said the acquittal of the four men was immediately executory.
In acquitting Villarosa, the appellate court said circumstances failed to show “an unbroken chain which leads one to fairly and reasonably conclude that accused-appellant Villarosa planned or authored the crimes.”
“If a person is acquitted after trial, his presumption of innocence becomes conclusive because of the principle of double jeopardy ... Those who are acquitted are completely free,” Mendoza told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.
The appellate court’s fifth division, in a decision penned by Justice Noel Tijam and dated March 18, ordered the release of Villarosa and “Mamburao 6” farmers Ruben Balaguer, Gelito Bautista and Mario Tobias.
The other members of the fifth division are Martin Villarama and Sesinando Villon.
Prison authorities officially released Villarosa from custody Wednesday afternoon, said Supt. Ramon Reyes, the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) officer in charge.
Conviction of 3 others upheld
The appellate court upheld the conviction of three other farmers, including that of Eduardo Hermoso whose confession had implicated the ex-lawmaker in the planning of the killings.
Hermoso, Manolito Matricio and Josue Ungsod were sentenced to reclusion perpetua (up to 40 years) for each count of murder and ordered to pay damages to Paul and Michael Quintos’ heirs.
Because it was established that the three had conspired to shoot the brothers, each of them should suffer a “three-fold penalty of reclusion perpetua for each count of murder,” the appellate court added.
Sons of political rival
Paul and Michael were the sons of Villarosa’s political rival Ricardo Quintos, who were slain in an ambush inside a friend’s house in Mamburao town on Dec. 13, 1997. Michael was shot first by a group of gunmen, who followed him as he tried to escape from the house. Paul was later seen slain inside the same house.
Villarosa and a group of farmers known as the “Mamburao 6” were sentenced to death for the murders.
As for Ricardo Quintos’ plan to question the acquittal in the Supreme Court, its spokesperson Jose Midas Marquez said such a petition could be filed based on the possible grave abuse of discretion on the lower court’s part.
But Marquez said reversals of acquittals are not common.
Uncorroborated confession
The court said Hermoso’s extrajudicial confession was not corroborated by any other evidence, hence it could not be used to pin Villarosa down.
The appellate court added that even the political rivalry between Villarosa and Quintos was not enough proof of the former’s involvement in the crime. That Villarosa knew Matricio did not necessarily mean that the former lawmaker was involved in killing the brothers either.
Hermoso, in his confession, said that he was the gunman and that he was present in the Oct. 7, 1997 meeting where Villarosa discussed the killing of Michael. Hermoso later recanted the confession, however, and alleged that he was tortured by the National Bureau of Investigation to make the confession.
“The political dispute between Villarosa and Ricardo Quintos, or Villarosa’s association with Matricio, did not place Villarosa in the conspiratorial meetings or at the scene of the crime. Indeed, the prosecution presented no independent physical or testimonial evidence that could connect Villarosa to the crime or its preparatory stages,” the appellate court said.
Circumstantial
“In the end, the circumstantial evidence relied upon by the Trial Court consists merely of familiarity and motive; these are clearly insufficient to corroborate Hermoso’s confession as to prove Villarosa’s guilt to a moral certainty,” it added.
The appellate court also pointed out that Villarosa’s alibi that he was at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on the day of the alleged planning of the attack in Mindoro appeared to be credible.
It pointed out that the House’s journal showed that he was in Congress from 5:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. of that day and was defending a fisheries bill that he sponsored, thus corroborating his argument that he was far from the province during the alleged planning. The planning allegedly took place in the afternoon of that day.
The Quezon City RTC had ruled that there were other modes of transportation that Villarosa could use, such as a helicopter or a light plane, which was why he could have been in Mindoro in the afternoon and then flew to Quezon City later.
“The Trial Court’s opinion, however, overly stretches the realm of possibilities in the appreciation of Villarosa’s alibi ... Mindoro, by common standards, cannot be considered geographically proximate to Manila (or Quezon City where the Batasan is), and travel by helicopter or light plane remains an uncommon and infrequently utilized mode of transportation,” it said.
Money given to farmers
The checkbooks presented by the prosecution to show the alleged connection between Villarosa and Matricio and Hermoso were also inadequate proof of a conspiracy.
What these showed, said the appellate court, was that Villarosa gave money to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the families of Matricio, Hermoso and Balaguer, “but they do not show that the payment was made in pursuance of the plan to kill the victims or in consideration of the killing.”
As for the three farmers also cleared of the murder charges, the appellate court said the only evidence presented against them was Hermoso’s uncorroborated extrajudicial confession.
The court said the constitutional presumption of innocence of Villarosa, Balaguer, Bautista and Tobias was not overturned by the prosecution.
“We commiserate with the bereaved families of the victims Michael and Paul Quintos, but as a court, we can only render judgment based on the evidence, and apply the law and jurisprudence,” the appellate court said.
Eyewitness accounts
In ruling to uphold the conviction of the three farmers, the appellate court gave greater weight to eyewitness accounts that placed them at the crime scene. It also said it was shown that the three men had conspired to kill the brothers.
It also said Hermoso’s confession was admissible because he failed to provide evidence that it was not voluntarily given.
The appellate court noted that Hermoso had many instances during which he could complain about allegedly being forced to own up to the crime.
The voluntariness of Hermoso’s confession was shown by the many details of how the crime was planned and executed, despite his claim that the NBI and another man had fed him the details, according to the appellate court.
Contrary to OSG comment
The court’s finding was contrary to the contention of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), which had told the court in a comment that the confession should not be admitted because it was made in the absence of Hermoso’s lawyer.
The OSG had also sought the acquittal of Villarosa, Bautista, Balaguer and Tobias and the conviction of the three others.
The appellate court said a videotape, plus pictures, also showed that Hermoso had confessed on his own volition, with the help of a lawyer and without any intimidation from NBI agents.
The death of another accused in the custody of the NBI did not prove torture or that Hermoso had been maltreated, it added.
The appellate court also said that even if Hermoso’s confession was admissible, this did not mean that it was completely credible.
Lookout
It said Hermoso claimed to be a lookout along with Tobias, while Matricio shot Michael, but eyewitness accounts showed that Hermoso was the one who shot Michael in Nicasio Tadeja’s house.
As for Matricio, the appellate court said there were also eyewitnesses who testified that he shot Michael and poked a gun at a woman who had tried to help the victim.
Ungsod’s conviction was also upheld because a witness saw him firing his gun upward outside Tadeja’s house during the killing.
Artist sketch
The appellate court junked Ungsod’s argument that the artist’s sketch presented in court looked too different from him. It said there were similarities in the shape of the face, prominence of cheekbones and size of the ears.
It also said the credibility of the eyewitnesses were untarnished, and added that it was immaterial that Tadeja used to work for the Quintoses at GCFI Farms.
As for Hermoso, Matricio and Tobias’ argument that the elder Quintos had wanted to implicate them in the murder to silence their fight for farmers’ rights, the appellate court said it was unnatural for a father who lost two sons to push for his political interests instead of punishing the true culprits behind the killings.
The appellate court also found no merit in the three men’s alibis that they were in another place during the time of the killing.
It said KMP chair Rafael Mariano, who testified that Matricio had asked his permission to work in a construction site in Batangas where the latter was supposedly working during the killings, had no personal knowledge of Matricio’s whereabouts that day.
Motive
As for the three men’s motive, the appellate court said there was animosity between the Quintos family and the farmers who claimed to be beneficiaries of GCFI Farms.
The elder Quintos had been accused of abuses, with farmers alleging that he refused them entry into the farms and had his security guards fire at them.
Hermoso’s confession also showed that the killing of the Quintos brothers was to vindicate the farmers’ rights and avenge the killing of Marcelo de la Cruz.
“Taking these circumstances together with other evidence pointing to the accused-appellant Hermoso, Matricio and Ungsod as the culprits, this Court is convinced that they had a sufficiently plausible motive to kill the victims who are sons of Ricardo Quintos,” the appellate court said.
NPA admission not enough
The communist New People’s Army’s alleged admission of the crime was also not enough to acquit the three men because the one who gave the statement, a Rizaldy Prado, was not presented in court. NPA spokesperson Ka Roger Rosal’s admission was also hearsay, it added.

I saw it coming...

2008-03-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

(UPDATE) CA overturns Villarosa murder conviction
Lack of evidence citedBy Maila Ager, Tetch TorresINQUIRER.netFirst Posted 10:06:00 03/19/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The Court of Appeals has overturned the ruling of a lower court that convicted a former congressman and six others of murder.
The 5th division of the appellate court said there was not enough evidence to convict Jose Villarosa, husband of Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa of the House of Representatives.
This was confirmed to INQUIRER.net Wednesday by Villarosa himself when sought for his comment at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) where he has been undergoing treatment for lung cancer.
“The decision came out at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. But we were advised by my lawyer at 5:00 p.m.,” Villarosa said.
Aside from him, Villarosa said also acquitted were Gelito Bautista, Mario Tobias, and Ruben Balader.
However, the court upheld the murder convictions of three others.
With the decision of the appellate court, Villarosa said he might be released in a few days.
Villarosa and his co-accused were convicted in 2006 for the murders in 1997 of Paul and Michael Quintos, sons of the lawmaker’s political rival, former Occidental Mindoro governor Ricardo Quintos, and were sentenced to death by Judge Teresa Yadao of the Quezon City regional trial court.
Villarosa appealed his conviction before the appellate court thereafter.
But Villarosa said his lawyers were now preparing a case against Yadao for alleged “abuse of the judiciary and ignorance of the law.”
“Pinag-aaralan ng mga lawyers ko kung ano ang isasampa naming kaso sa kanya [My lawyers are studying what case to file against her]. Maaaring kasuhan namin siya ng [We can file a case of] disbarment sa [before the] Supreme Court at [and] ignorance of the law,” he said.
“In effect, we are condemning her guilty verdict on us. Papatayin niya kami sa maling desisyon niya [She’s going to kill us with her wrong decision] that is totally biased and unjust?” he said.
During his stay at the National Bilibid Prison, the former representative of Occidental Mindoro was diagnosed with lung cancer and was allowed to leave jail for confinement at the MMC.

--------------------------
I saw it coming. And I suppose Quintos saw it coming, too.
For this, Amelita Villarosa literally licked the ass of her Madame President -- serving as great alalay, and even sold her personal integrity for (remember her "lie" to divert to herself the media attention in the light of the bagged-cash distributed to the governors in Malacanan?).
I saw it coming in a country where the judiciary is for sale and hence reproachable..
I saw it coming in a country where the right is make wrong and the wrong rendered right.. If one has money and "right" (read: dubious) connections...
What makes me fearful is what I am seeing to happen in Occidental Mindoro... Now that JTV is back..

The Un-Reported Is...

2008-02-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Consider this news item from Philippine Star, February 23 2008:

2 soldiers dead, 8 hurt in Mindoro encounters (The Philippine Star)

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna – Two Army soldiers were killed while eight others were wounded in separate encounters with the New People’s Army in the towns of San Jose and Magsaysay in Mindoro Occidental this week, an Army official said.

Maj. Randolf Cabangbang, of the Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command, identified one of the two slain soldiers as Pfc. Gonzalo Muyco of the 23rd Division Reconnaissance Company of the Philippine Army.

Eight men of the same Army unit were wounded. They were identified as 2Lt. Julius Daog, Sgt. Julito Cosgata, and Pfcs. Allan Curangcurang, Jerry Imalay, Herbert Lindog, Erwin Desinggano, Erwin Gomez, and Guillermo Reduca.

Cabangbang said the Army personnel were on a combat mission in Sitio Bantulaw, Barangay Paclolo in Magsaysay town last Tuesday when they chanced upon at least 30 rebels, resulting in a 30-minute firefight that led to Muyco’s death.

The following day, a member of the Charlie Company of the 80th Infantry Battalion was killed in an encounter in Sitio Quintal, Barangay Murtha in San Jose town. – Arnell Ozaeta

-------------------------------------

Life is important, of course. Thus, the strongest counter argument against the continuing insurgency in the Philippines is the toll that it exacts on the lives of people.
Soldiers and rebels -- and even civilians -- are victimized by this internal strife.
Yes, I emphasize civilians. Specifically, as in the military encounters mentioned in the news item, the Mangyans of Occidental Mindoro.
And to think that they were not even mentioned in the news item.
The reporter made mentioned of two soldiers who were killed and eight who were injured. But no mention was made about the hundreds of Mangyans who were displaced from at least three communities in San Jose.
What to expect from people who do not even regard the existence of the Mangyans, by the way?
Malungkot ito...

Ex-Solon: Ex-Gov Does Not Look Sick To Me

2008-02-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

(cf. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080218-119557/Doesnt-look-sick-to-me-ex-gov-says-of-ex-solon)

MANILA, Philippines -- If former Occidental Mindoro Representative and murder convict Jose Villarosa underwent surgery for lung cancer at the Makati Medical Center, he did not look it, former provincial governor Ricardo Quintos said, basing his statement on photographs purportedly taken in the former’s hospital room.

Instead of a hospital gown, Villarosa in the pictures was wearing a polo shirt. He also had on a necklace but no tubes -- such as for dextrose, for instance -- in his arms, Quintos told the Court of Appeals which is hearing Villarosa’s appeal of his murder conviction for the killing of two of Quintos’ sons.

The photos showed Villarosa lying on a bed sheet and pillow with the MMC logo on them. He had a copy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer of Jan. 16, 2008, lying across his chest. The photos were taken by a Malacañang photographer who accompanied Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye to the MMC the day an Inquirer story came out saying Villarosa could not be found at any of the hospitals he was supposed to have sought treatment at.

Villarosa was sentenced to death for the killing of Paul and Michael Quintos in 1997. He had been incarcerated at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. The Villarosas and Quintoses were political rivals.

Villarosa’s wife, Amelita, is the incumbent representative of Occidental Mindoro and is an ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Villarosa denied he had gone missing, saying he was at the MMC -- where he remains to this day -- and underwent surgery on Jan. 5.

“As a matter of fact, the appellant Villarosa, after his alleged surgery, was wearing a necklace, a polo shirt and not a hospital gown and without any IV fluid being introduced to him as shown in the newspapers that circulated two weeks ago after he was reported to be missing,” Quintos said in his Feb. 5 reply to the Court of Appeals in response to Villarosa’s comment to the court that he had had surgery for lung cancer and had to be confined at the MMC.

Villarosa was originally taken to the MMC on Dec. 7, 2007, with chest pains secondary to pneumonia, hypertension and type-2 diabetes. The Court of Appeals sought his comment after Quintos complained about his hospital stay.

Quintos said Villarosa had failed to present to the court the records of his operation as well as the pathology report on his illness that would justify his continued hospital confinement.

He said Villarosa could recover from his surgery at the NBP since its medical facilities were more than adequate for his needs.

“As of the moment, appellant Villarosa is a free man and not in prison inside the MMC considering that he is receiving special and unwarranted benefits above that of the ordinary convicted felon. The appellant Villarosa is being allowed to receive guests and is staying in a luxurious suite of the MMC, which is a hundred-fold better than the cells of the NBP where he is supposed to stay for his reformation and rehabilitation,” Quintos said.

He said the NBP violated the Bureau of Corrections’ operating manual when it allowed Villarosa to go to MMC.

If I May Say Something About the IP's...

2008-02-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

February 13, 2008 was rather historic for the indigenous peoples -- or aborigines -- of Australia. It was on this date that the Prime Minister of the Aussies, in behalf of the government that he leads at present, has apologized to the IP's of the Down Under because of the First Step. TV footages showed manicured green lawn with lighted bulbs aligned to form the message: Sorry for the First Step.
What is/was the First Step?
It refers to the intervention of the Aussies, intending to bring about what was perceived then -- i.e., during such historical point -- as beneficial to the aborigines. On account of the abject conditions of the IP's of Australia, the government moved -- or authorized the move -- to "confiscate" the children of the natives of Australia from their families, place them in separate communes where it was thought they could be reared better and educated better.
Studies about the effect or results of the so-called First Step pointed to social trauma of different sorts that have been endured by generations of the Australian IP's.
In any case, what matters now is that the government has acknowledged its wrong in the past. And the confession of its sins is done, according to PM Rudd, in view of achieving the healing of the past as together the Australian society moves on -- the IP's and the non-IP's together.
This to me is extraordinary opus coming from a government.
As of this posting, I cannot but think of the Mangyans of Occidental Mindoro.
Well, at present, there is an impending -- or it must be on-going now -- military operations in the bondocks of San Jose, right in the ancestral domain of the Mangyans. Hundreds of NPA cadres are reportedly seen in the area, thus provoking the Philippine Army to prepare for a possible clash.
Obviously, we in Mindoro are still far from acknowledging the wrongs that we have inflicted against the IP's. For until now, we are still in the process of inflicting them with harm..
Masasabi ko na kahit hindi na muna sana mag-sorry dahil sa mga nagawang hindi maganda sa mga Mangyan; sana man lang matigilan na ang kasalukuyang pagkakamali laban sa kanila...

Write Up On OSG for Villarosa

2008-02-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

SolGen under fire
(http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=felMaragay_jan25_2007)

Solicitor General Antonio Nachura has made it to the short list of five nominees to the vacant slot in the Supreme Court. He probably has a pretty good change of inheriting the coveted position, considering that he is the chief government lawyer and there is a need to beef up the number of justices in the bench who are “friendly” to Malacañang.

Nachura’s bid for a seat in the highest tribunal is bound to provoke objections from people who are unimpressed by his handling of government cases before the courts. With him as solicitor general, the government suffered successive losses in major political cases before the Supreme Court, such as those pertaining to Executive Order 464 banning Cabinet members from appearing in congressional inquiries without presidential clearance, the Calibrated Preemptive Response dealing with street protests, Proclamation 1017 placing the country under a state of national emergency and the petition for people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

Now here comes a private citizen, Ricardo Quintos, who believes that Nachura does not in any way deserve a seat in the high tribunal. Quintos, a former congressman of Mindoro Occidental, is the father of Paul and Michael Quintos, who were murdered by gunmen in a neighbor’s house in Mamburao town on Dec. 13, 1997.

Seven persons, led by former Mindoro Occidental Rep. Jose Villarosa, Quintos’ political archrival, were found guilty in the twin murder case and meted out a death sentence by Judge Ma. Theresa Yadao of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court-Branch 81 in March 2006. The decision came after more than eight years of trial.

The others who were sentenced to death by execution—who came to be known as “Mamburao Six”—included Josue Ungsod, Manolito Matriciio, Mario Tobias, Ruben Balaguer, and Gelito Bautista. Villarosa and his fellow accused were convicted on the strength of the confession of Eduardo Heromoso, one of the gunmen, who was caught by the police two weeks after the murder.

But there is a possibility that the guilty verdict on Villarosa, Balaguer, Bautista and Tobias handed down by Judge Yadao may be reversed by the Court of Appeals. The Office of the Solicitor General has filed a manifestation with the CA recommending the acquittal of the four. The OSG cited a supposed retraction by Hermoso on his sworn statement.

The OSG said the statement made by Hermoso “was not voluntary,” and cited his allegation that he was subjected to torture and coercion by his police handlers. It said Hermoso’s extra-judicial confession was “inadmissible as evidence,” and could not be used against his other co-accused.

Naturally, Quintos was outraged by the action taken by Nachura in recommending the acquittal of Villarosa and the overturning the lower court’s verdict. Quintos and his lawyer contended that the position adopted by Nachura on the case “is a clear breach of its legally mandated duty to act as counsel of the People of the Philippines in call criminal proceedings before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals.”

“It should be borne in mind that a criminal offense against the People of the Philippines and the State, by reason of its inherent duty to protect its people, acts as prosecutor in all criminal cases. This duty to prosecute criminal case is delegated by the state upon the Office of the Public Prosecutor in the lower court, and in the Office of the Solicitor General in the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court,” the complainant said.

The complainant also presented the following arguments:

The law specifically mandates the OSG to act as the lawyer of the government or state in all criminal proceedings before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Thus, the law created a system for the prosecution of criminal cases in the higher courts. It therefore leaves no discretion to the OSG to act in any other capacity than to stand for the cause of the government or the state, which is to prosecute the accused in the case.

“With the OSG taking the side of the accused, the People of the Philippines was effectively left without any counsel to advance and/or argue its position with the Court of Appeals. The proceedings before the Court of Appeals would center both on questions of facts and law. In the absence of counsel then, the people would have nobody to explain to the Court the factual antecedents of the case, as well as the legal implications of the same, and would be left totally at the mercy of the defense.”

With the manifestation, the OSG was attempting to substitute its judgment with that of the lower court judge. This is improper, considering its duties and responsibilities as defined under the law.

The complainant pointed out that Matricio and Hermoso were acknowledged political followers of Villarosa. He said the execution of the sworn statement by Hermoso was voluntary, as shown by the records of the case, and was taken with the assistance of a counsel. He said no proof was offered by the defense to show that Hermoso was tortured coerced into giving his testimony that incriminated Villarosa and his co-accused.

Former Rep. Villarosa’s wife is the incumbent congresswoman of Mindoro Occidental. Amelita Villarosa, a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, is perceived to be very close to Malacañang. Quintos, also a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, suspects that the congresswoman flexed her influence with the powers-that-be so that the OSG would take a position favorable to her husband. Quintos, by the way, has no plans of running for any public office in the May polls.

Quintos and Amelita Villarosa faced each other during the 1998 congressional race in Mindoro Occidental. Villarosa was proclaimed winner by the Commission on Elections, but Quintos claimed he was cheated and filed his protest before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal. The tribunal in 2000 ruled that Quintos was the legitimate winner over Villarosa. Villarosa appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which subsequently upheld the tribunal’s ruling.

Money and Power Dethroned JDV -- and Girlie Villarosa Lent her Hand!

2008-02-07T16:46:00.000-08:00

(http://news.ph.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1230125)

The ouster of the leader of the Philippine congress has once again highlighted how a small group of political elites here use their power to sway colleagues and enrich their loved ones, analysts say.

Jose de Venecia -- who accused President Gloria Arroyo, her government and her family of corruption -- was voted out of his seat after a marathon session that started on Monday, and replaced with close Arroyo ally Prospero Nograles.

Experts said the move showed how lawmakers, whose monthly salary is a mere 35,000 pesos (850 dollars), are easily swayed by more powerful members with lots of cash and influence in the worlds of politics and business.

"It is not like other democracies where you have a solid party system," political analyst Antonio Abaya, of the Foundation for Transparency and Public Accountability, told AFP.

"Here it is all about money and power. We call it the politics of patronage."

Edmund Tayao, a political scientist with the University of Santo Tomas, agreed, saying: "Politics in this country is dominated by a small group of rich and very powerful families."

One of the most sought-after jobs in the country is Speaker of the House, a position that wields enormous power -- especially when it comes to dividing up the yearly congressional budget for local spending.

This year the financial allotment totals around 16.7 billion pesos (481 million dollars) for just 239 lawmakers to be used in their constituencies for projects such as roads and schools.

For some lawmakers, "pork-barrel" allocations for their congressional districts can be upwards of 70 million pesos -- which, along with all the other perks of holding public office, are not audited.

"With all that largesse at his fingertips, the speaker of the House has one of the most influential positions in the Philippines," said Clarita Carlos, a political scientist with the University of the Philippines.

"This is the taxpayer's money and we have no idea how it is spent or where it is spent. Why should these clowns be allowed to have all that money without any accountability?"

De Venecia -- who served as speaker for 12 years -- was the fall guy in a classic dispute between two powerful political families over money, Tayao explained.

The 72-year-old veteran had been an ardent supporter of Arroyo for years, guiding her through the fallout following the disputed 2004 presidential election and deflecting repeated congressional attempts to impeach her.

He rewarded those lawmakers who fell in line with generous financial support for their constituencies.

But on Monday, he turned on her, delivering a stinging speech against her on the House floor, accusing her of corruption and cheating to win re-election.

According to Tayao, De Venecia lost faith in Arroyo when his son Joey lost a controversial broadband contract last year to a Chinese company -- a deal Joey says was tainted by massive corruption at the highest levels.

Joey de Venecia also accused the president's husband, lawyer Jose Miguel Arroyo, of trying to silence him over the deal.

During a Senate investigation, it was alleged the 330-million-dollar project was overpriced by 200 million dollars.

"That was the straw that broke the camel's back," Tayao said.

Arroyo's two lawmaker sons, Juan Miguel and Diosdado, eventually led the campaign to remove the speaker.

Amando Doronila, a columnist for the Philippine Daily Enquirer, described De Venecia's ouster as "a vendetta between the Arroyos and the De Venecias over the spoils of office -- an issue basically concerned with corruption."

Another commentator, Jarius Bondoc, wrote in the Philippine Star that with Nograles as speaker, control over the congressional pork-barrel "would land in the hands of the Arroyos -- including First Gentleman Mike."

"That would make their family truly the most powerful in the land -- with Mrs Arroyo in charge of the executive and the other Arroyos lording over the House."

Tayao said Arroyo had taken a "big gamble" in dumping De Venecia.

"He has been around for a long time and knows where the skeletons are buried," he said.

-----------------------

This is already the degree of rotten-ness of our politics, as practised even at the national level...

And, lest we forget, may I add that to this political quagmire, we have seen how Girlie Villarosa participated..

Anyone wondering why her district is still backward?

When Our Representation Votes...

2008-02-04T08:33:00.001-08:00

As of this posting, the House of Representatives has a new Speaker. JDV, the personification of traditional politics in the Congress, lost the Palace-initiated and -backed mutiny against his unprecedented -- in almost all respect -- speakership.
Amado Doronila, in his commentary (PDI, 4 February 2008), warns the Palace about the possible negative political effects of dethroning JDV.
But, well, as matter-of-factly said by one of the representatives in explaining his vote, the exercise is nothing but a number game.
But, to me, the significant thing in the nominal voting of the representatives for or against the motion to declare the position of speaker vacant was how the Representative of Occidental Mindoro.
Well, her YES vote is not surprising. I expected her to vote for or in favor of the Malacanan resident. For, it is PGMA who's going to grant what her heart truly desires -- the eventual clemency for her husband.
The more interesting occurrence was when she voted. Her family name was called: "Villarosa..." Despite the quality sound system of the Congress and the good coverage of DZMM TeleDyaryo, I did not hear her vote. Actually, the presider of the nominal voting even had to ask: "What's the vote of the Representative of Mindoro?" And then he quickly quipped: "PLEASE USE YOUR MIC..."
Of course it is not naive to think that our representative did not only know how to vote... for a baser thing is that she did not even know how to use the Congress' microphone...

Kuryente Issue in Mindoro (sigh...)

2008-01-31T02:53:00.000-08:00

Prior to the end of 2007 and most likely in the entire 2008, the global buzz word happens to be global warming (and its related terminologies and phrases). Remember the Bali Conference conducted under the auspices of the UN in the last part of 2007, where there was a high-level of diplomatic acumen and of course a forgetable emotional instance pushed the US to sign -- finally, though with much reservations -- the Kyoto Protocol? By and large, the significance of this lies in the country-signatories' avowal to gradually improve in their use of renewable energy sources and -- the other side of the story -- to subsequently lessen the use, if not the dependence, of fossil fuels.
As of this writing, China is experiencing the worst winter in the last half of the century. Last year, we saw a number of wild fires that did not only consumed forest reserves but also devastated even the posh communities of the rich and the celebrities in US and in Australia. Last year, too, the continuing melting of the iceberg in a number of sites in the world had been brought to the consciousness of the world.
And all of these is said to be in one way or the other connected or related to the phenomenon of global warming.
As this issue hits the media headline around the world, I wonder if it could hit the same chord of interest in the mind of Mindoro people. Well, for some probably -- and I hope so!
As I do this post, I come to realize that in San Jose where the power producer and distributor -- the notorious IPC, NPC and OMECO -- is heavily dependent on bunker fuel to go about with their syndicated business, i.e., to produce electricity.
Naisip ko lang: "Kailan kaya mapapag-usapan ang isyu ng global warming na pinapalala ng kasalukuyang elektripikasyon sa Mindoro dahil sa kanila mismong sistema ng paglikha ng elektrisidad?" Sa ngayon, ang mahalaga sa mga taga-Mindoro ay may ilaw sila (kahit pa nga ba hindi maaaring ihalintulad sa ibang lugar); at hindi pa kasama sa pagtaya ng lipunang Mindoro ang paggamit ng renewable source of energy.
In fairness, may nakausap na akong personalidad at grupong sibiko na nagnanais na magsimula upang masimulan at mapagyaman ang posibilidad ng paggamit ng hangin para panggalingan ng enerhiya. Pero dahil sa takot sa katotohanan ng byurukrasya ng pamahalaan, hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin nagiging realidad ang kanilang nasa kukote.
May isa pang nakakalungkot na katotohanan kasi, ... Ano yun?, maitatanong ninyo.
May sariling problema kasi ang OMECO -- ang kooperatibang hindi naman kooperatiba -- kaya't hindi pa bahagi ng mga pinagkakaabalahan nito ang ibang posibilidad ng pagkukunan ng enerhiya.. Halimbawa, napakalaking problema ng OMECO ang kontrata nito sa IPC. Ang OMECO, ibig sabihin, ang mga consumers ay apektado; samantalang ang pamunuan nito -- ang general manager at mga miyembro ng board of directors -- ay nakikinabang..
Sa katulad na dahilan, di nakakagawa ng hakbang ang OMECO kasi ang mismong lugar ng kanilang bakuran ay napaka-kalat... at nangangailangan ng seryosong paglilinis..

Girlie Villarosa Joins PGMA's Foreign Trip for the Nth Time!!!

2008-01-25T04:12:00.000-08:00

Wondering where the Representative of Occidental Mindoro?
Well, she is where her boss is -- in Switzerland. Of couse, it is her boss' official business. She tags along.
She is said to be one of the 86 companions of the President.
According to PDI report (25 January 2008), the lawmakers in the President's entourage have come along in order to talk with prospective investors in the Philippines. And, lo and behold, they were to talk with Dr. Zuellig, a pharmaceutical investor in the Phillipine, in the wake of the issue of the passing of the cheap medicine bill in the congress.
The PDI further insinuates on the cost that each one may incur for the daily board and lodging in the Swiss county -- it was (three years ago!) US$300.00!
Anyway, the 2008 budget is done; and if reports are to be believed it contains heftier porks for the solons...
Sarap maging kongresista! Pag malapit ka sa Pangulo, nagiging insensitive ang iyong konsensiya habang kumakapal ang iyong bulsa...

Post Script to The Changing of Guards in Magsaysay..

2008-01-25T03:23:00.000-08:00

There was a rather "confirming", in the sense of validating, observation that many of the people who were in Magsaysay witnessed when the legal-winner Barrera took the mayoralty seat from the election-winner Tria. It was the presence of the priest-defeated-gobernatorial-candidate Omanio serving as aide-de-camp of Barrera.
Talk of a continuing negation of all his brouhaha during the campaign period, it was it!
Of couse, he began accordingly as an independent candidate -- who was simply adapted or adopted by the Villarosa party. Their partnership was not only evident in the campaign paraphernalia that they jointly had; it even extended up to the life-after-elections of Omanio, when he served to manage his lord's radio station, nay propaganda mechanism.
In a way, the presence of Omanio beside Barrera is politically explainable. Marunong lang siguro talagang tumanaw ng utang na loob ang pari (of course, he technically remains a priest). Yan ay kung hindi siya inutusan ng kaniyang panginoon para samahan sa isang napakahalagang pagkakataon ang isang kapanalig sa pulitika, o kasama sa partido.
Nonetheless, Didaskalos for one finds such a scenario morally distressing. At the surface level, it testifies to the continuing actions of the priest to sow division. As I said he remains technically a priest (on account of the indelible mark that ordination effects).
I understand he has expressed his intention to get back into the priestly ministry -- from which he's been suspended.
Thus, one wonders how this transpiration is received by the hierarchy of the AVSJ.
For Didaskalos, the black-and-white scenario is: for Omanio to make up his mind once and for all -- to get back into his ministry (and seriously mean so), or to totally serve the political interest of his current lord and master..

The Changing of Guards in Magsaysay

2008-01-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

Days ago, a rather not-altogether expected transpiration took place in the idyllic town of Magsaysay. Mayor Cesar Tria, Jr was unseated in favor of the already "two-timer" (read my lips, as Clinton said) Mayor Marleo Barrera. The latter lost in the elections of May 2007, but -- with a rather legally bizzare manner -- won the seat via a court decision.
I am in contact with another fellow from Magsaysay who's now based in the US of A, and it was him who confirmed or validated my hunch...
What made Barrera snatched the seat from Tria is... Girlie Villarosa!
Well, the issue is significant to me. As in the past elections, the Catholic Church in Occidental Mindoro mobilized its entire resources in order to fulfill its socio-political apostolate that is to ensure a clean, orderly and peaceful election. Now, it is precisely this that baffles me. As per the count of the NAMFREL/PPC-RV, it was actually Tria who won! The thing is, the election sheets that served as the basis for the parallel count done by the Catholic Church ought to be the electiosn sheets that were based upon by the court.
Are we talking here of confusion of basic mathematical operation, presuming that indeed one and only one election sheets were used?
I supposed otherwise... that is, that the election documents that were presented in and used by the court were distinct.
Nonetheless, a consideration of another factor may be made in here -- that which is called HUMAN FACTOR.
Human factor may mean a lot of things... For one, it means Villarosa Factor.
Disgusting... It is our top politicians who decide for whoever is going to govern us...

Done in the still-ness of the night...

2008-01-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

There is a rather significant development concerning the supply of electricity in Occidental Mindoro that was realized before the 2007 closed, and which unfortunately was never made public. No, this is not about OMECO -- the fate of which is very bleak insofar as the present administrator clings to his seat and enjoys all the perks made available to him (thanks hugely to complacent electric consumers!).
This is about the alleged sale of the IPC to a what is said to be a foreign personality.
IPC, or Island Power Corp., previously owned by a corporation comprised of the Villarosa's and their business associates, is into a contract with OMECO for exclusive supply of electricity for 25 long years! The power producing corporation, despite its failure to supply the stipulated volume of electricity as per the contract, was recipient -- at least in last year's statistical and financial reports of OMECO -- of millions of pesos as this is provided for in the said contract.
So, if IPC was already sold, what's the heck?
I am raising this point precisely because it is never known to me if together with the sale of the plant and machineries the contract with OMECO is (was) also sold? For, if so, then what can be anticipated as eventualities can be too important to ignore.
While I knew that IPC is a private corporation, I understand that for such a public utility any major corporate decision -- such as the alienation of its major assets -- must be made known to all its consumers.
Unless one argues that Villarosa's are more politician than businessman...

Thanks to Free Media!

2008-01-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

Today, we read about Girlie Villarosa's clarification about the PDI report that her husband -- the convicted murderer JTV -- is not actuallymissing. Notwithstanding the cries of the Madam Deputy Speaker (with all the pun intended), I am reminded of the role that the national media played in relation to the Jalosjos release case.
Specifically, what was media's role?
It consisted in their effort to bring to the open the entire brouhaha.. Nobody knew that Jalosjos was already released. In fact, if we are to believe the Secretary of Justice, he himself was not aware that his former colleague in the House of Representatives was already released.
Thanks to the media, we were informed. And thanks to the media, a concerted outcry was made manifest. Which eventually accounted for the metanoia of the prison officials..
We still do not know how PDI would respond to Villarosa's denial that her husband is missing. Baka nga naman nagkamali ang PDI. On such account, PDI will definitely be professional to publish an erratum and seek an apology from the Villarosa's.
But, it would take a resident of Occidental Mindoro to dismiss -- if not altogether -- Villarosa's rebuttal of PDI's report. Why, and on what ground? Well, the lady solon has proven herself that she's very very capable of lying. Remember how she had to tell lies just to distance the president of the strong republic from the bribery issue last year?
Needless to say, between Villarosa and the PDI, I would subscribe to the latter.
---------------------
If indeed the convict is really illed with lung cancer, I realize the veracity of a conventional pinoy wisdom that goes: ano/sino ka man (i.e., you may be convict or a free man, a rich or a pauper, an ordinary citizen or a government official, truthful or a duper) darating din ang panahon na haharap ka sa iyong "limit-situation"...

Let us compare... (Kuryente uli!)

2008-01-12T02:38:00.000-08:00

It was in November of the previous year when I posted my last post in this blog. The succeeding month of December -- being the last month of the year, i.e., the time when office reports are to be drafted and sent to appropriate authorities -- practically prevented me from keying in some thoughts in this blog.
This time, when I have more time to ponder things over -- and when I am enjoying a little distance from Mindoro -- I cannot but draw a number of comparison and contrast between the province where I am from and the locales I am privileged to see and live in even temporarily.
To the readers of this blog, may I say that in Singapore, an island state which if not for its ports initially was thought to be a place that is not capable of development, a rather interesting plan concerning the household and even industrial use of electricity is being proposed.
In the Philippines, we know of the "tingi" system -- which has been employed even in securing our pre-paid load for mobile phones. Load is secured by card -- in the amount of 300 or 500 pesos (depending on the network provider).
In Singapore, the availment of electricity is proposed to be made akin to "by-card" system. That is, households and even industries can procure electricity "by-card", too. Say, one can go to the store and secure a pre-paid power-card, bring it home and he/she has a supply of electricity for specified period of time...
Hearing this proposal over the broadcast, I cannot but think of our beloved OMECO.
The proposal concerned is to a certain extent not primarily about an out of this world technology. It is born out of, I suppose, a strong desire to innovate -- all for the convenience of and better service to the consumers.

Didaskalos, A Solitary Critic of the Villarosa's? Think Again...

2007-11-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine forwarded to me a number of internet address where to find opinions regarding Villarosa. Here are samples:
"Meanwhile, the Office of the Solicitor General, the advocate of the People of the Philippines, wants to undo the justice that the courageous Judge Teresa Yadao of the Quezon City RTC did for the grieving family of Michael and Paul Quintos, who were murdered close to a decade ago in Mindoro Occidental. The OSG is now on the side of the convicted mastermind, Jose Villarosa, former governor of the province. What is the message here? Iba na ang malakas. No wonder Congresswoman Girlie Villarosa always sashays into the "majestic" presence of her bosses – GMA and her FG, in every photo opportunity, proud to be in their "Team"." (This is taken from http://www.malaya.com.ph/mar10/edbanayo.htm.)
In Pinoy Big Briber Blog (see http://blog.codesignstudios.com/2007/11/10/pinoy-big-briber-political-satire-on-the-philippine-government/), one reads: "So, the other day, they came out with a parallel storyline. This time, House Deputy Speaker “Girlie” Villarosa, speaking as Secretary of Kampi – the President’s very own political party, owned up to the cash given to Abante and the other Congressman. Of course, she had to qualify that the “President had no knowledge of this, and that Puno – as Party Chair, knew of the funds but not the details of its disbursement.” Puno, on his part, feigned being hurt for being put “out of the loop” of such an important transaction.
I was listening to Anthony Taberna interviewing Villarosa and I was both amused and appalled at her gall in peddling such incredulous lies. She was fumbling all over and could not even answer basic questions like who selects the recipients, who authorized disbursement, etc. They forgot to tell her it takes professionals like Bunye and Puno to lie with a straight face and without mumbling words.
The text-in reactions said it all. To Villarosa, one texter said, “More practice!” and to Puno, another texter said, “Fire your scriptwriter.” But the real clincher was Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol’s reaction. He was visibly irked at the contradicting statements coming out of the Palace and its allies. His advice: “Just shut up!”
My own advice is for them to first agree on which lies they would like as to believe as true, before speaking up.
Tama na! Sobra na! Ginagago na talaga tayo!"
See also http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=193&a=24191. The piece is written by Amado Doronila. He says, Villarosa's revelation actually raises more questions, one of which is where or who is KAMPI's source of funds? A KAMPI member says probably their chest only contains some P700,000.00, coming from the monthly 5,000.00 contributions of KAMPI members. In parting Doronila says, "There's a limit to the lies that the administration can fabricate to extricate the President from the hole she has dug for herself, not only in the payoff scandal but also in several other corruption scandals. There's a limit to the public's tolerance to take lies."
I quoted Doronila's parting words precisely because Villarosa made herself an accomplice in the fabrication of lies. Anyway, the article's banner title is MALACANAN'S CLUMSY LIARS.
For Gerry Baja, writing for http://www.abante-tonite.com/issue/nov0807/opinion_puntos.htm, the entire Villarosa brouhaha was nothing but intending to earn JTV his much needed presidential pardon. He writes: "Sa isang tunay na nagmamahalang subok at hinubog ng panahon, dedma na diyan ang mga sasabihin ng iba at wala ng pakialam sino man ang masagasaan.
Kaya naman itong si House Deputy Speaker Amelita "Girlie" Villarosa kahit kulang sa practice at seminar...ayon kumana ng kumana.
Kailangang sumipsip ng todo ng kongresista para maibaon sa utang na loob ang AKING MAHAL NA PANGULO at masingil sa takdang panahon.
Ang mister kasi ni congresswoman na si dating Gov. Jose Villarosa ay kasalukuyang pakuya-kuyakoy sa New Bilibid Prisons dahil sa pagpatay sa magkapatid na Paul at Michael Quintos sa Occidental Mindoro noong 1997.
Ang kaso ay naka-apila sa korte suprema matapos ibaba ni Judge Ma. Theresa Yadao ng QC RTC ang matapang na desisyon noong march 2006.
Nakakahiyang isang taon pa lang sa bilibid eh mabibigyan kaagad ng pardon si Villarosa. Pero kung tatagal sa puwesto si PGMA hanggang 2010, hindi malayong makalaya si mister.
Ito po ang dahilan kung bakit ang papel ay walang kagatol-gatol na tinanggap at ginampanan ni Congresswoman Girlie kahit walang preparasyon.
Nagmukha tuloy artistang puyat si Girlie na dumating sa set ng late at nagkasablay-sablay dahil hindi kabisado ang script.
Ang problema nito Assec Bryan Yamsuan, hindi na pwedeng humirit ng take 2... dahil pati si DILG Sec. Ronnie Puno ay naibenta ng hindi oras..hehe
Pero sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, ang ginawa ni Cong. Girlie ay kahanga-hanga. Hindi na bale na siya ay magmukhang tanga, manloloko at sinungaling... masagip lamang si PGMA at ang pinakamamahal na asawa.
Isinakripisyo ng kongresista ang kaniyang integridad at kredibilidad para maihirit ang pardon ng asawa.
At kung tatanaw ng utang na loob ang AKING MAHAL NA PANGULO na siya namang katangian nito, eh maaring humanap ng paraang legal para sa pardon kay Villarosa.
Sabi ko nga sa inyo, bilang tanging otoridad o taong may hawak ng kapangyarihang magbigay ng pardon...kahit si Satanas ay pwedeng palayain ng pangulo.
Kapag nagkataon, si dating Cong. at Gov. Jose Villarosa ang ikatlong mabibigyan ng pardon ni PGMA."
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Well, Didaskalos knew he's not solitary.
Kahit dito sa Mindoro, marami naman talagang nakakaalam sa mga nangyayari, o mas nakakaalam kaysa sa mga Villarosa... Pagdating ng panahon, mangyayari rin ang dapat.
Ikaw, ano persepsyon mo sa ating Kongresista?

To His Damsel in Distress, JTV Comes to the Rescue

2007-11-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

After the abuse of the Congresswoman from Occidental Mindoro of everyone's right to commit stupidity (yes, I got this line from a friend through SMS: everyone is given a right to be stupid, which some people tend to abuse) when she in vain tried to cover up the potential -- and actually her only hope being the President of the Strong Republic -- rescuer of her husband from the prospect of spending his life in jail in relation to October 11 bribery, JTV comes to the rescue.
As I monitored in San Jose, the radio station of the Villarosa's is up to defend their boss. Politicians associated with the Representative have been interviewed to explain -- in Girlie's stead -- to the public. The radio station of the Catholic Church, on the other hand, which happens to be more credible than that of Villarosa's, has been trying to bring to people's mind the issue, and belaboring to elaborate for Mindorenos the repercussions of Villarosa's confession as the bag-lady for the bribery to stifle the impeachment bid against the sitting president.
For example, last Saturday, in a radio program hosted by Mr. Polding dela Cruz, a live interview was made to JTV involving the issue. It was after his Damsel in Distress days before went to San Jose and graced a number of occasion (to purportedly explain her side to the people). JTV, of course, was in Muntinlupa. Or was he?
Likewise, for this week, JTV through his FM station explains their side.
While I do not deny to JTV the right (and responsibility) to proceed to the side of his damsel and take up the fight for her, I cannot but be frank to him in telling that in so doing he heaps upon themselves further stupidity.
For until when can they openly defy the requirement of common sense, if not the law, about the non-possession of any inmate of a mobile phone -- let alone the access to media interview on any subject to further their political agenda?
Akala niya siguro natutuwa ang mga tao -- siyempre, maliban sa mga supporters nila at yung mga umaasa sa kanila para mabuhay -- na marinig ang boses ni JTV mula sa kulungan.. By the fact that he's in jail, I do consider him a disgrace to Occidental Mindoro. Sana nga dahan-dahan na lamang siyang maglahong parang bula..
Note the brazen-ness...
This is now the problem. Air has gotten into the head of the political leader(s) of Occidental Mindoro; they now think they are more than the leaders -- but the law personified.

If Villarosa were to be believed...

2007-11-08T04:25:00.000-08:00

Villarosa confessed of her participation in the October 11 bribery in Malacanan.. But is her version believable?
Let us see. There are a score of questions that need to be squarely answered:
1. If the KAMPI's fund, as Villarosa claimed, was for assistance, we may ask: To assist whom? According to Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, the President of the League of Provinces in the Philippines (LPP), the money was to assist the freshmen governors to formulate their programs on their first year. He also said the millions came from LPP (they came out with a paid ads in the daily papers, claiming that it was from them.) Evardone’s admission came after a series of denials and accusations on the source of the windfall. Fingers pointed to a Palace official, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Pagcor and Speaker Jose de Venecia.
And, hey, two governors—Ed Panlilio of Pampanga and Joselito Mendoza of Bulacan—admitted receiving P500,000 each. Villarosa named Reps. Bienvenido Abante Jr. of Manila and Thomas Dumpit of La Union as two beneficiaries among congressmen. About 50 governors and 190 congressmen attended the breakfast meeting. Pampanga and Bulacan are not cash-strapped provinces that needed handouts. The group of provinces known as the “20 poorest of the poor” is more deserving of the Oct. 11 donation.
2. The cash was handed to the participants while they were leaving the Palace. Why not during the breakfast meeting?
3. The issuance of a check or checks would have been more appropriate and conventional instead of a turnover of cold cash. Right?
4. The money was withdrawn from a Bank of Commerce branch in Mabalacat, Pampanga. Huh, KAMPI's headquarter in Pampanga?

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Well, Madame... You have more questions to answer. We hope to hear from you.

Why the Cover Up of Villarosa?

2007-11-08T03:53:00.000-08:00

Since I learned of the "heroic deed" of Villarosa to confess of her participation in the bribery in Malacanan, I cannot help but think of her possible reason or motivation... Well, in 8 November 2007 issue of PDI, Ramon Tulfo -- that fiery columnist -- made mention for me and for all Mindorenos the known reason.
Tulfo says the action of Villarosa is really to remove PGMA from the scene of the bribery. Thus, hers was made to exculpate the President. Note Villarosa's emphasis that PGMA knew nothing of the plan to distribute cash gifts (read: bribes).
But for what?
Of course, it is conventionally known that anyone acts on the basis of self-interest. If so, then the action of the Representa-thief is traceable to the fate of her husband who for years already is languishing in jail for his conviction to the murder of the Quintos brothers.
Talks there are in Occidental Mindoro concerning how JTV is enjoying amenities usually beyond the reach of ordinary inmates. For instance, he has his mobile phone. In fact, from time to time, and if he so wishes, he is being interviewed over his FM station in San Jose.
In one occasion, PDI likewise bannered about JTV's walking out of the Muntinlupa on the guise that he was sick. The PDI article however contended that according to the eyewitnesses JTV was not sick, or at least simply feigning to be sicked.
On account of that article, the "graced" inmate's holiday outside of his prison cell was shortened.
Back to Tulfo: There are words that actually linked the axing of the former Bilibid Chief Vinarao to Villarosa's political connections. She was not able to get what she wanted for her husband, and so her way of avenging herself was to throw Vinarao out of Muntinlupa.
But, of course, how can I stop a loving wife for all her good intentions and deeds for her husband?
Actually, as I see it, Villarosa's motivation goes beyond the securing of good treatment for her jailed husband. What ever that means. Its part of my anticipation that Villarosa has been "undergrounding", so to speak, for the pardon of her husband.. Well, JTV is nearing 70 years old.. On account of his age, he might move the heart of the President to set him free.
We have here a very hardworking lady who would do everything for her beloved.. Even to bring herself to shame of national scope and magnitude.
Sana ganyan din siya magtrabaho para sa probinsiya ng Kanlurang Mindoro... Malas lang natin, kabayan..

Still Villarosa is lucky...

2007-11-08T03:44:00.000-08:00

Still Villarosa is lucky, notwithstanding the self-dug hole she's in after her attempt to cover up the President of the make-believe Strong Republic in relation to the issue of cash gift, er, bribery of solons and local government stalwarts in Malacanan last October.
Why lucky? Precisely because in the Philippines politics is local..
The extent of the damage to her political damage is confined in Manila (where I heard invictives were meted her, as reported by one radio station). In Occidental Mindoro, nobody seems to have given her revelation of herself being the "bag lady" a damn..
I hope I was wrong..
One time, I chanced upon the Gir-lie Villarosa in the airport of San Jose. She was from Manila, and she was accorded with a quite a size of throng to see her come home. To my mind then, well, for someone who very seldom comes home -- thus, almost a visitor -- a welcome such as this is justified. (Of course, she's our representative in the Congress!)
I actually am pained by my anticipation that even after this brouhaha in Manila when she comes home, she will still be warmly welcomed by her supporters in the airport. Yes, I am very recent for this.. For politics is local.. And for which she is still lucky..

The Problem When You Bribe... And Fail To Control Your Big Mouth!

2007-11-06T23:24:00.001-08:00

The following are reports from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/.

Pangilinan says Villarosa lying, urges Senate probe

Majority Floor Leader Francis Pangilinan said Wednesday he will ask the Senate leadership to immediately start an investigation into bribery allegations involving Malacañang and administration congressmen, radio dzMM reported.

The report also said Pangilinan rejected Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa's admission that the money given to congressmen was part of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino's (KAMPI) assistance fund.

He also doubted Villarosa's claim because it took her nearly a month to own up to the distribution of the "cash gift" inside paper bags.

The senator added that at least P120 million in cash was distributed to congressmen and other local officials during a meeting in Malacañang on October 11.

At the same time, Pangilinan dismissed the congresswoman's statement that said President Arroyo was unaware of the distribution of cash gifts.

He said even a Grade 1 pupil would know that Villarosa was lying.

Mrs. Arroyo is a founding member of KAMPI. Villarosa had admitted that the cash distribution took place after Mrs. Arroyo met administration congressmen in Malacañang.

Pangilinan said he will ask the Senate leadership to act on Sen. Panfilo Lacson's resolution that seeks to investigate the bribery allegations against Malacañang.

Villarosa earlier said she is willing to be investigated by the House ethics committee regarding the cash gift KAMPI distributed to some members of administration coalition.

"Walang problema diyan. Kung ano ang dapat gawin, gawin natin (No problem. We should do whatever must be done) in accordance with the law," Villarosa told ABS-CBN's morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda."

Reports Tuesday said Villarosa admitted that the KAMPI gave up to P500,000 in cash gifts to some congressmen who attended the Malacañang meeting.

Villarosa, however, clarified that only Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante and La Union Rep. Thomas Dumpit received P500,000 each during the meeting.

She said the money came from KAMPI's assistance funds. She added the cash gift given to Abante was intended for his visit to the Saudi Arabia last month.

When asked why it took her almost a month to admit that the cash gift came from KAMPI, Villarosa said the party "doesn't advertise" the help extended to congressmen.

"If we give assistance to our allies, we don't flaunt it. We help silently. That is a private thing for us," Villarosa said, adding that even Mrs. Arroyo was unaware of the cash gift.

The congresswoman added that she decided to keep the cash gift secret even after Mrs. Arroyo ordered the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission to investigate the allegations of bribery. Villarosa said she was confident the truth will come out."

We have a different approach on how things should be handled. We have our ways," Villarosa said.

Abante, meanwhile, said the money is still intact and he never used it while he was away in Saudi Arabia, adding that he learned about the real purpose of the funds only after his return Monday. The congressman said no one told him what the money was for when it was given to him.

"I was gone for more than two weeks. The money is there. Upon my return, my only question was where the money really came from. When I returned on Monday they told me it came from KAMPI's assistance fund," he said.

Abante said he still has his reservations about KAMPI's sudden admission. He, however, said he is thankful. He said he will use the money for his constituents in Manila.

"I received the money, which was given to me in good faith by KAMPI. It's fine with me," he said.

He added that he tried to return the money to Villarosa but she told him, "That is a gift contribution to you and to your [constituents]."

Villarosa said Tuesday that Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, in his capacity as KAMPI chairman, was aware of the cash distribution. He was not told that it will be distrubted in Malacañang, she said.

But at the height of the controversy sparked and questions created by the distribution of the cash gifts last month, Puno made statements that the money might have come from the party funds of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.

He told the media to ask Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. about the cash gift.

Apostol to Villarosa: Stop talking

Short of saying that she should "shut up," Sergio Apostol, President Arroyo's chief legal adviser told Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa to refrain from talking about the distribution of "cash gifts" in Malacanang on Octover 11, dzMM reported Wednesday.

Apostol said Villarosa's statement further mixes up the issue because Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno already attributed the cash gifts that went as high as P500,000 to Speaker Jose de Venecia.

Apostol is a regional officer of the dominant Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party while de Venecia is party president.

Puno, on the other hand, is chairman of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino, the party co-founded by Mrs. Arroyo. Villarosa, meanwhile, is a regional chief for KAMPI.

Apostol said that Villarosa's admission has made the Ombudsman's ongoing investigation into the cash gift scandal easier.

He added that it would also be better to investigate Villarosa immediately.Villarosa admitted Tuesday that the money distributed to administration congressmen were from the coffers of KAMPI.

The congresswoman said that P500,000 individually distributed to administration allies were intended for medical missions and funerals. She also said that the amounts given varied. She said some congressmen receiving amounts as low as P5,000.

Villarosa said that Puno was aware of the cash distribution. He, however, was not told that it was scheduled in Malacañang, she said.The deputy House chief added that she was the one who initiated the distribution inside the palace while the congressmen were convening since most of them were heading to their respective provinces for vacation following the congressional recess.

Villarosa and the Bribery in the Palace

2007-11-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across a news item posted in http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=98296. I copied and pasted it in here for people of Occidental Mindoro to read and ponder upon.

Deputy House chief: KAMPI gave 'cash gifts'

The deputy chief of the House of Representatives on Tuesday said that Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), President Arroyo's political party, was the source of the "cash gifts" distributed to administration congressmen and some governors who attended a Malacañang meeting on October 11.
Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa, the party's regional head, said that the P500,000 individually distributed to administration allies were sourced from KAMPI’s assistance fund.She said that the funds were intended for medical missions and funerals. She also said that the amounts given varied. She said some congressmen receiving amounts as low as P5,000.
"We really do this we have members who need help," she told ABS-CBN News correspondent Paul Henson.Villarosa said that Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, in his capacity as KAMPI chairman, was aware of the cash distribution. He, however, was not told that it was scheduled in Malacañang, she said.
The deputy House chief added that she was the one who initiated the distribution inside the palace while the congressmen were convening since most of them were heading to their respective provinces for vacation following the congressional recess.
Despite her revelations, Villarosa did not name those who received the money except for Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. who earlier said that the money either came from Villarosa or KAMPI. Abante is a member of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.
"Actually party funds… they gave it to me because I was going to the Middle East to help OFWs," Abante said.
Villarosa said that money was also given to other members of the administration coalition.
When asked if President Arroyo, one of KAMPI’s founders, knew of the distribution of money, Villarosa said that the Chief Execurive knew nothing of the cash gifts.
Villarosa defended her late admission, saying she knew that the truth would eventually come out in the end.
Opposition congressmen, meanwhile, said they are not satisfied of Villarosa’s explanation.
"Hindi sapat na si Villarosa at Abante lang, dapat pati si [Arroyo] (The statements of Villarosa and Abante are not enough, Arroyo should issue a statement too)," Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel said.
The opposition urged the President to address the issue because the distribution of the cash gifts took place inside the palace.
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Inquirer.net (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=99156) has more substance.

Kampi gave cash gift to solons--party exec

The money that was given to congressmen in Malacañang last October came from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Partner of the Free Filipino), a party official admitted to INQUIRER.net Tuesday.
Deputy Speaker Ma. Amelita Villarosa of the House of Representatives and regional head of Kampi, issued the confirmation shortly after Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. identified her as the source of the fund that was given to him during the legislators’ breakfast meeting with the President at the Palace last October 11.
Arroyo founded Kampi, a member of the ruling coalition at the House, along with Speaker Jose de Venecia’s Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.
Villarosa said Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Kampi chairman, knew about the disbursement but did not know that it would be distributed in Malacañang.
“Siyempre, chairman yun e. He [Puno] knows the disbursement pero hindi niya alam ang detalye, [Of course, he’s chairman. He knew about the disbursement but not the details],” Villarosa said in a phone interview.
“Tinawagan niya ako. Hindi ba dapat kay JDV [Speaker Jose de Venecia] manggagaling yun? E sabi ko nga, maliit naman yung galing sa kanya, P200,000 [He called me up. Isn’t the money supposed to come from JDV? But I told him that the money that would come from the Speaker was small, P200,000],” she said referring to the monthly allowance of House members.
Villarosa said she took it upon herself to distribute the money at the Palace because the legislators were leaving for their respective provinces for the congressional break.
“Kasi paalis na kami. E andun ako [in the meeting]. Instead na ako ang mamigay, pinabigay ko na lang [We were about to leave. I was there. So instead of me giving the money, I asked somebody else to give it],” she said.
She refused to identify those who had received the money except for Abante Jr., who had admitted to receiving P500,000.
Asked why Kampi would give assistance to Abante, a member of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Villarosa said it was because her party provided assistance on a case-to-case basis, whether they were with the administration or the opposition bloc.
“Yung humihingi, binibigyan naming [Those who ask, we give]. Pag Christmas season o kung may bagyo [If it’s the Christmas season or if there’s a typhoon], it’s normal to us. May assistance funds kami [We have assistance funds] but we don’t encourage them to come to us,” she explained.
“It’s a case-to-case basis, Sinasabi lang sa akin yung request, hindi naman kami kasi ganun ka pormal [The request is being forwarded to me. It’s not that formal]. Sasabihin sa akin [They’ll tell me], I need your help then I’ll tell them, let’s see. But that’s normal,” she pointed out.
Even opposition members sometimes also sought assistance from their party, Villarosa said.
In fact, Villarosa said some opposition members whom she did not name had even asked assistance from Kampi when they traveled to China recently.
In the case of Abante, Villarosa said she gave him money because he had a flock ministry and was leaving for Saudi Arabia that time.
Villarosa said she only came out now simply because they did not want all lawmakers to seek financial help from Kampi.
Asked why Kampi had allowed allegations of bribery to be heaped on the President, Villarosa said it was because they were confident that Arroyo would not be affected by the issue.
“Hindi naapektuhan ng ganyang news si Presidente [The President is not affected by news like that]. Focused siya sa economic reforms [She is focused on economic reforms]. Alam din naman naming [We also know] that the truth will come out later. We’ll just take the news as they come and it will end one day. Hindi kami agad nagre-react sa [We don’t immediately react to] newspapers. Anyway, it can be corrected later,” she said.
But Villarosa admitted that in passing, she had told the President about the disbursement.
When asked, however, why the President had ordered an investigation on the matter when she told her about it, Villarosa said, “Of course, she [Arroyo] has to do that.”
Villarosa insisted however that there was nothing irregular about the cash distribution and that there was no need for an investigation since the money was a private fund.
“What is the investigation for? That is party fund. We’re not supposed to be audited for that. That is our private fund and it should not be subjected to an investigation,” she said.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Hindi naman namin kinuha yan sa [We didn’t get that from] Malacañang. We have our own accounts, we have our own funding, we have our own organization,” she added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Abante spilled the beans on Villarosa.
Abante said Villarosa made the call Monday after he was interpellated by Sorsogon Representative Salvador Escudero of the opposition about the money the Manila lawmaker was given.
“Girlie [Villarosa’s nickname] and she told me that ‘I’m the one who actually disbursed the funds,’” Abante said in a phone interview.
“Tinawagan niya uli ako kanina [She called me again today]. Sabi niya sa akin [She told me] that ‘the funds that were given to you and the other congressmen came from the party funds of Kampi’ and I told her ‘Ganun ba [Is that so]?’ Sabi ko na lang ‘salamat [I told her ‘Thank You’].’”
Abante said he was surprised to receive the money from Kampi since he was a member of Lakas.
“Hindi naman ako magka-Kampi. Pero hindi ko na kinuwestiyon. Pinag-iisipan ko na lang ngayon kung ibabalik pa o hindi. Kung ibabalik ko mapapahiya naman sila [I will not join Kampi. But I did not question it anymore. I am thinking however whether I should return the money or not. If I return it, they might get embarrassed],” said Abante.
Asked if Kampi’s admission would exonerate the President from bribery allegations, Abante said, “In a way, yes she will be.”
Arroyo had been accused of bribery after several lawmakers and even local officials admitted to receiving money from the Palace ranging from P200,000 to P500,000.
Reports said the money was in exchange for the officials’ support for Arroyo who is facing several impeachment complaints at the House.

--------------------------------
What does it say? First, Villarosa belied all the efforts of the ULAP to cover up the bribery in Malacanan. Nagpalabas pa naman sila ng paid ads sa diyaryo.. This is interesting because the Governor of Occidental Mindoro, Nene Sato, was among the signatories of the said paid ads. So, this is now a case of Villarosa telling Sato the latter lied. Sa KAMPI naman pala talaga galing ang pera..
Secondly, si Villarosa, minsan-minsan na nga lamang ma-interview ng national media, controversy pa.. At di lang basta-basta controversy, moral controversy!!!
Lastly, hindi lamang alam ni Villarosa ang tungkol sa controversy... she's a part of it...
Kasalanan ko ito... Hindi ako gumawa nang mas higit pa upang di siya nanalo noong Mayo...

JTV, Barangay Captain

2007-10-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the almost postponed Barangay and SK elections were held. No, I should say, it was the elections that was postponed a number of times that the fear of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel was that the SK’s who were holding their positions were no longer young. It was because the supposedly three-year term reached more than five years. As it is always told of governance – you have a very good leader and the term of three years is just like tomorrow; you have a very bad governance and it seems like eternity.
Yesterday, too, JTV handily won over his rivals for the position of Barangay Captain in Bubog, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.
What accounts for this? At least we can explain his triumph on a number of reasons: firstly, a long time politician that he is, he remains a clout. He has an edge in name recall. He has a track record to show – never mind if his political track record is as gloomy as the stormy night. Side by side with this he has a very wide experience in political exercises such as the elections. He knew how to campaign, to vote buy, to cajole people’s vote and sympathy…
Secondly, he undoubtedly has his big number of followings. Blind followings, I should say. These are people who, despite of the overwhelming evidence of bad leadership, moral failure and even relational fall-outs, still stick to their big boss – “kay JTV kami” emblazooned in their white shirts.
Thirdly, nobody of solid and impeccable political background squared it off with him. It was a joke during the campaign period that because a convict was running, those “who were with him in this contest” were a policeman and a security guard – to mind supposedly the manners of the felon. Anyway, no one from Bubog gave JTV a run for his money. The former Barangay Captain of Bubog, a man surnamed Acla, was reportedly “visited one night” in his house – regarding the prospect of him running against JTV. The result of the visit? Acla ran as Kagawad.
Fourthly, and this already pertains to the people of Bubog, the practise of JTV during the pre-campaign period was he opened his “services” to his constituents. What do I mean? He fed them, he distributed goods, and promised scholarship. The most prudent manner of saying this is: the people of Bubog cannot be counted on still, insofar as the minimum of political maturity is concerned.
Fifth, we have a COMELEC officer in San Jose who is known for his indecision and lousy actions. Mike Artanggo, a JTV opponent in yesterday’s elections, filed a disqualification case against the convict. It was on ground of non-residency. In COMELEC rulings, those who may run for public office must maintain a residency in the place where he/she aspires to serve. And residency is six months before the election time. JTV has been spending years of his life already in Muntinlupa. Artanggo has reason for his complain. And Mr. Balayan, the COMELEC officer, has his own reason too – which he alone knows.
Now that JTV has won, what to expect? I see at least two scenarios. One, Bubog has a Barangay Captian in absentia. I do not know how this is going to be resolved. Will the DILG step in? Or the COMELEC? Kawawa naman ang Bubog..
The second scenario consists in JTV coming home to do his political role… But, how? After the pardoning of Erap Estrada, JTV’s pardon is not far-fetched? This is unfortunate but we have a President who has a pickle mind. Or he wins his appeal, because after the former Solicitor General – the supposedly Government Lawyer – had argued already before 2006 ends that JTV should not have been convicted. It’s the competence of the court, of course. But political influence is going to be a factor.. For sure.

The Convicted President is Pardoned…

2007-10-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today, Erap Estrada is pardoned by the present President Gloria Arroyo, after the former was convicted by the Sandiganbayan to a life imprisonment on account of his plundering the Philippine coffer. We note that PGMA had a hand in the ouster of Erap, when the daughter of Diosdado Macapagal was serving as vice president under Erap.
To me, the pardon is hastily done. Of course, the Palace claims it really passed through a long process already. Considered were Erap’s age, his resolve not to seek political posts again, and that Erap has already serve some seven years in prison.
But still the pardon seems to me a handiwork of a thief in the night. When no one expects it to happen, a thief breaks in and does his evil deed.
The reason for my entry today is my anxious reaction concerning the granting itself of pardon. My first presupposition is: PGMA is an alumna of a Catholic institution run by the religious sisters. She must have been taught about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, if not made her practise confession per se of her sins.
So, what’s the heck?
I, as a practising Catholic, who when I have an occasion would go regularly to confession, can see that the granting of pardon is never in accordance with the process of reconciliation as we know it from practise, if not from theory or its theology.
Of course, the process of reconciliation in the sacrament of penance is never a product of the whims and desires of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, or simply a non-sensical rite that is no different from make-believe rite of paid magicians or quack doctors (no pun intended for the magician-clowns and quack doctors). As I experience it, the process is very realistic and is grounded on life.
To be pardoned of our sins, the precondition is to own up to ourselves that we really and actually sinned. There must be a genuine feeling of remorse. Sorry, Lord, kasi nagkasala ako. Kung puwede lamang ulitin ang pagkakataon na iyon, hindi ko iyon gagawin…
Secondly, there is a need to confess that we really sinned. In the olden times, while there were already priests who were present to grant the absolution of priests, the first Christians publicly confessed their sins. I would like to underline the word PUBLICLY. Now, we do our confession inside the confessional box. At least it is the usual set up in our Churches. This is so after the number of Christians has increased, so that the priests had to resort to alternative measures.
Then, proceeding from this, the “sinner” does something to repair the damage caused by his sin. This is in accord to the principle of retribution. Pag may nasira ka, ayusin mo muna…
In this third process, there is still an ongoing debate as regards which precedes which: retribution, then absolution; or absolution, then retribution. In our confession process, we are given absolution prior to our retribution. But any priest would like to point out that the absolution is given because of that “priestly trust” that after the absolution there is going to be a genuine effort to do retribution. Some priests would even contend that absolution becomes more efficacious the moment a sinner does his retribution.
Now, back to my first presupposition: si PGMA, produkto ng Katolikong institusyon. Well, this is case of an alumna of Church’s educational institution forgetting her training – all in the name of political expediency…
Pity us…

The Governor Signs the LPP Paper on Malacanan Pay Off

2007-10-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

A day before yesterday there was a full-page ads in the daily papers commissioned by the League of Provinces (in the) Philippines casting doubts, er, explaining away -- as a way to counter Governors Panlilio and Mendoza of Pampanga and Bulacan respectively on the pay off that took place right at the heart of governance in the Philippines -- on the claims of the two governors who admitted that they were given half a million pesos each during a meeting that was called by the President herself. Among those signatories were the Governors of Occidental and Oriental Mindoro -- Gov. Josephine Sato and Gov. Arnan Panaligan.
What's the big deal?
Let us see. First, there was an unusual, no, irregular giving away of money right at the corridors of power. Yup, it cannot be unusual. For straight from the mouth of the "flowery" ex-mayor of Manila and now Secretary of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (read: the peddler of our natural resources to foreigners in the name of economic return), Lito Atienza, an information we had that the dole out of cash among the ranks of politicians dated back to Cory Aquino and FVR's regimes (of course, the two denied the "Hawaiian" claim). But it still is irregular. Why irregular? For simple reason that it could only be regular if the money is accompanied by a SARO -- this is an official paper that has all the reportorial requirements of a fiscal transaction, let alone a disbursement of a fund.
This is a case of our politician-leaders' insensitivity to public interest. Ang alam kong ibinigay lamang natin sa kanila ay ang responsibilidad na pamunuan tayo. Kasama ba talaga dito ang kapangyarihang paghati-hatian ang laman ng kaban ng bayan nang parang ginagawa ng mga kawal matapos na magapi nila ang kalaban?
But, of course, one may say, well it depends on where the money came from.. I know, it does. And for this reason, the LPP comes to the rescue of the pilloried President of the (Strong) Republic of the Philippines. The league of the governors explains away that it is the source of the money. The overriding logic is as simple as "Okey, since we stand to have been the source of the money, then the first proposition of Didaskalos becomes unfounded." The Governors say their league is the font of the money; meaning, the money is never a public money.
However, it is one thing that one group owns up to the irregularity; and it's another thing if that group that claims it did the irregular money-giving is credible in itself -- at least in this instance. The first question that LPP has to address is: what took them more than ten days to make the claim? If it was indeed regular, as LPP claims, then why did not at once clarified the issue when the two maverick governors of Luzon initiated the noise? Another question is: if the money really came from the LPP, then where did the money for the more than one hundred congressman proceed from?
As long as LPP is not able to satisfy our query that essentially comes out in view of their admission of the regular-ness of the irregular handing over of funds, we are led to consider a corollary point to the first mark that we noted. Now, we say, the disgusting thing about LPP is their effort to right the wrong, to justify the irregular, to make acceptable the unacceptable, or to explain away the unexplainable.
In the Old Testament, to right the wrong in order to effect reconciliation in and among the community of the Israelites, they were choosing a goat which they all made to bear the sins or the wrongs that they wished the community to be rid of; and the goat is driven away from the community, as it is led to the desert carrying to itself the trespassess of the community-members. This is the origin of the vocabulary "scapegoat". Note, however, that the scapegoat is involuntary. Being scapegoat is imputed.
The LPP is scapegoat? If ever it is, then one can say LPP's being scapegoat is self-imputed. For what reason, er for how much? We don't know. At least, until no one from them is pricked by his/her conscience to tell the truth. And to recognize that at the end of the day he/she is ultimately accountable to the public. Which is the essence of democratic leadership.
And, to me, it's a cause of angst that the leaders of Mindoro are part of the group that has so far tried to help out the President of the Philippines in this trying moment.
Well, ganito talaga, for some, the political weighs more than the moral..
--------------------------
By the way, what explains the noise that Governors Panlilio and Mendoza made? For Governor Panlilio, I suppose it is comprehensible since he is (note the present tense, for technically a priest is a priest forever -- even if he's suspended from exercising his priestly ministry) a priest. His training in the seminary that I can only surmise fortified his training at home, and the formation that he got while he was active in his ministry as a priest for quite a long time must have bestowed in him a sensitive and probing conscience. For anyone who would counter: Are all priests really honest? and point to the one who ran in the last elections, I submit the being man-of-cloth is not equivalent to being honest..
For Governor Mendoza, who was a former PGMA boy until he and Obet Pagdanganan squared it off in gubernatorial race, they say it was his way of exacting revenge, if not a mere display of displeasure, against the Chief Executive. Reason? Because of the continuing support of Malacanan to the election protest filed by Pagdanganan against Mendoza..
Tainted motive?
In morals, one's intention is of paramount importance.
In politics, we are left to judge the nobility of the intention by the product that it produces.. Remember, Chavit Singson was to Erap Estrada.

The COMELEC Check Points

2007-10-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

I was on my way to an appointment this afternoon when I chanced upon a group of PNP personnel manning a checkpoint along the national road. I asked them what it was for, and I got the reply that it's a COMELEC check point. Barangay and SK elections are scheduled to be held next week.
At once, I was reminded of an information I heard over the radio program of the Police Provincial Office regarding the necessity of setting up check points. The police-broadcasters were telling that check points are mandated by the law especially during these times of election; and that on the level of the practical, check points have been instrumental in quelling criminality. Well, the police officers have their stories to tell to buttress their claim on the benefits of check points.
To me, check points are choke points. They serve to clog our movement, particularly when we travel. I just wonder whether those who man the choke points are really briefed on what and how to do their craft. Strictly speaking, for instance, unless there is a grave reason, one cannot be ordered to alight from his/her vehicle. Yet, once I was made to disembark from the vehicle that I was driving. I did not argue against what they do. To my mind, to argue with a misinformed mind is useless -- misinformed, because if they were otherwise, my rights should have been respected voluntarily by them.
Actually, what prompted me to write an entry in my blogs about COMELEC check points is their obvious uselessness. Take for instance the COMELEC check point in Sto. Nino, Rizal. In the middle of the road, there is an iron-sheet-made structure that says "Stop! (This is) COMELEC Check Point." Yet no one was manning the choke point!!!!
A case of implementing the letters of the law, or literally interpreting the legal requirements laid down by the occasion of, say, elections...
Hindi nga lamang choke point, e. Makaka-disgrasya pa sa mga motorista..

Hubris, or Simply Freebies

2007-10-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

In May, 2007 national and local elections were held. In October, 2007 SK and barangay elections are to be held. Not only are the two elections held on the same year; in fact, in some cases, especially in San Jose, I see semblance of campaign strategies and political antics employed during the two elections -- for example, motorcades, pestering posters, tarps with computer-repaired faces of aspiring public servants, and jingles of varying tunes.
I just cannot have a definite view as to the process that these elections have gone through -- the level of politicking in the SK and barangay improving up into the level of that of the municipal, provincial and even national, or the latter degenerating into the level of the former?
What's my basis?
Of course, I do not mean that the level of governance in the barangay and even among the sector of the youth can be below the standard. For the level of the political undertaking is immaterial, and what matters is the quality of public service that our elected leaders can actually dish out.
But consider this -- JTV, the convicted murderer of the Quintos brothers, running as Barangay Captain of Bubog. This is, to a certain extent, very well anticipated. By and large, immediately after JTV launched a failed mayoral bid in San Jose, a confirmed report coming from the mouth of his allies -- in particular, the socialite council-women of San Jose, Vicky Villarosa -- that indeed JTV was contemplating the possibility of joining the barangay elections. The motive is quite clear, accordingly: JTV wins the barangay election; then, he runs as head of the association of barangay captains in the municipal level -- which he could win considering his political clout and his money; then, he vies for the position of a representative of barangay captains in the Provincial Council. In that way, he's going to find his way to the top..
Since Friday, the talks were confirmed. JTV indeed has run unashamedly as barangay captain of Bubog.
I've been asking people especially those residing in Bubog about the prospect of having a convicted criminal as their barangay captain. While most of them consider the influence that JTV still has -- especially since his wife is still in the congress -- and that he can actually "buy" the voting public in his barangay, there are voices that tell about the repugnance of having an absentee barangay captain (because JTV is still in Muntinlupa, although there are talks about his release for whatever reason). More importantly, these voices say, they cannot accept such a character -- a convicted murderer/politician -- as a leader. I suppose their word do not apply to all the convicts, but only to the aspiring barangay captain as a convicted criminal.
One may ask: what is really in political posts that the likes of JTV would leave no stone unturned just to be on the race and win the race?
I suppose I knew a couple of reasons: one is hubris. It is the unquenchable thirst for power. He who leads, and who can direct is powerful.. He who can decide over others is notches above his neighbors. Some people simply enjoy being in power..
The second reason is the freebies that go along with the post. How much is barangay captain's monthly remuneration? Hardly gets over 5,000 or 10,000 for such barangay as Bubog.. But it is a public knowledge in the Philippines that even a pauper who wins an elective post before he is replaced gets rich. And this is magic, no an almost accepted fact in Philippine politics. Definitely, the affluence that gets alogn with political position is not because of the monthly take home pay of a politician..
More on barangay and SK elections of 2007 ---
An ilk of JTV, formerly a Provincial Board Member Ulyses Javier runs as barangay captain of Pag-asa. Another former San Jose councilor Polding dela Cruz -- whose candidacy in the last elections for seat in the municipal council was also a failure -- runs as barangay captain of Mapaya.
A former school administrator, Abe Macaraig, is Ulyses Javier's opponent in Pag-asa. I don't think he should win. When he was in the school, he was involved in the non-remittance of the employees' share for mandated statutory contributions to GSIS, etc. by his teachers and non-teaching personnel alike. The amount involved was millions of pesos!!! He flew to US of A to evade the case. I just do not know the progress of the issue. The last item that I knew of is about the death of one of the should-be beneficiaries of pension, whose death overtook her enjoyment of the fruits of her labor. And now Mr. Macaraig is vying for another public position!!!!
In Bagong Sikat, at least 17 are the candidates for barangay captain...
Bumabalik ako sa aking tanong: bakit ba talaga sila tumatakbo sa mga posisyong di naman talaga malaki ang suweldo?
Sa isang banda, masuwerte tayo kasi marami ang gustong maglingkod!!!!!

Hope for OMECO

2007-09-24T01:53:00.000-07:00

OMECO is losing, as we all know. And it seems the present management is inutile -- as they have shown time and again -- in arrestint the monthly deficit of the electric cooperative.
Nonetheless, there is a NEA Memorandum (2006-018), dated 30 June 2006, that is on Annual Roundtable Assessment of A GM's Performance.
What is this? Let us get the salient points.
The intention accordingly is institutional strengthening, being one of NEA major thrust. Under EPIRA, NEA is mandated to prepare the electric cooperatives (EC's) to become competitive in the deregulated electric power industry. To make this happen, the significant role of GM, that is, his competence and level of performance must be gauged.
Going along with this roundtable assessment is NEA's policy to measure GM's competence or lack of it in different aspects of EC's operations, provide adequate feedback mechanism to enhance and develop his skills and thus improve the operations of EC's, and to provide the venue for change of leadership, if results warrant.
How is it to happen?
GM shall be required to undergo the roundtable assessment before a panel of evaluators composed of NEA top management, invited outstanding EC officials and private sector representatives. The Board President or authorized representative of the Board shall be present during the assessment. GM shall be required to submit his annual accomplishment report for presentation to the panel... on or before the end of February of each year. He shall report before the panel of evaluators his major accomplishments, problems and workplan... The EC's performance shall be evaluated based on key performance indicators (KPI).. and the GM's management skills... The results of assessment (including areas for improvement) in a report card form shall be given to the GM and their respective Boards for guidance and monitoring and appropriate action. The Board of Directors of a GM who has not attained improvements in operations and given a very low mark shall accordingly discuss his possible replacement.
For the rating parameters, the following are the KPI's: 1. Net Margin (Positive); 2. Collection Efficiency (95-100%); 3. System Loss (14%); 4. Payment of NPC (current); 5. Payment to NEA (current); 6. Non-Power Cost (P1,500); 7. Average Collection Period (30-45 days); 8. Customer per Employee (1:350); Power Factor (Not <85%).
For GM's management skills and behavior: Technical Knowledge (able to suggest modifications to an existing system or design a new system to improve performance); Communication Skills (presents information and ideas clearly and concisely, with content and style appropriate for the audience; presents opinions and ideas in an open, unprejudicial way; responds effectively without preparation in spontaneous situations); Creativity/Innovation (ability to produce/recommend artistic and new ideas as well as to introduce new methods, devices and ways of doing things in a more efficient and effective manner); Leadership (able to manage group interaction; promotes open discussion and involvement of all participants while not dominating; motivates and empowers others to act; able to gain cooperation from unreceptive people; challenges existing policies and procedures in a responsible manner; create shared organizational values and culture); Integrity (adherence to high moral and ethical standards); Networking (ability to reach out and establish good rapport among the stakeholders).
Papasa kaya dito si GM Labrador?
For this year, GM Labrador was already evaluated and the results of the evaluation already transmitted to OMECO Board for its appropriate action. Actually, on 29 July 2007, NEA received OMECO Board Resolution No. 48, 2. 2007, "Resolution expressing confidence and support of the OMECO Board of Directors to the commitment made by the GM during the Roundtable Assessment." The Board requested that GM Labrador be given enough time to turn-around the coop towards financial viability and operational efficiency.
Talk of an entire Board that is at the behest of the GM...
Tandaan po natin ito, dahilan sa malapit na naman ang eleksyon ng mga miyembro ng Board of Directors ng OMECO.

The OMECO AFFAIR -- again!!!

2007-09-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate to have gotten a copy of what is supposed to be a document openly accessible to all the subscribers of OMECO. It's the Financial and Statistidcal Report for the Month of July, 2007. From this, salient points may be culled.
1. OMECO paid the IPC the amount of P1,011,432,24. Since the beginning of 2007, the total payment of OMECO to IPC is 7,060,412.09. Umuusok pa ba ang IPC? News has it that IPC is no longer functioning. We are brought back to the old question regarding the IPC's capability to operate. For, if it is still functioning, then why the need for NPC power plants? The point here is that IPC does not deliver according to the stipulations of the contract between itself and OMECO. And it is not penalized. This brings me to a corollary point: I actually expect the Villarosa's to know the demands of delicadeza. In the spirit of concern for the province, can they initiate the rescinding of the contract?
2. For the month of July, 2007 OMECO has negative margin of revenue minus the expenses in the amount of P2,039,510.83. For the month of June, 2007, it was P1,447,006.50. Since January, 2007 the accumulated deficit of OMECO is P8,925,738.71.
3. After depreciation expenses, OMECO lost -- for July, 2007 -- P4,123,681.60; while its deficit is P3,548,638.19 for June, 2007. From January 2007, its accumulated deficit after depreciation is P23,782,450.09. Other way of saying this is: lugi na nga, wala pang pang-improve ng mga facilities.
4. Up to July, 2007, OMECO has an unpaid debt for power supply in the amount of P141,625,030.32. This is OMECO's payable to OMECO.
What shall we do? I suppose all our actions shall commence with the installation of another, this time sensical, General Manager of OMECO.

I Am Back...

2007-09-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

I am back.. Yes, after some weeks of hibernation. It helps to rest if one must, in order to get oneself very well in focus when one goes back to what he vocationally does.
In my absence, there were lessons that I stumbled across which are too valuable in life to ignore. For one, I came into contact with a living testimony of how, for example, a communist state -- although it has begun to experiment with opening its system up, especially its economic system, to influence of capitalism -- can actually overtake a democratic nation like ours in terms of economic progress. I am referring to Vietnam. A war-torn country, that has a history of a hundred years or so of resistance against Chinese invasion, Vietnam defeated the American soldiers and their high-tech military hardware -- as what happens to the same hapless American soldiers in Iraq. I, at the outset, was thinking that probably to explain the phenomenon of our lagging behind and Vietnam overtaking us is our difference of the over all systems of our and their nations' life. We are capitalists, and we love free market. We pride of our practise of democracy. Vietnam is just beginning to open its doors to slowly let in capitalism. Their government is very well into the business of regulating the market, as opposed to neo-liberal economic philosophy. They are yet to go over their communism.
However, I believe that I am still to learn more in order to more fully understand the realism that I've found. For as I am back, I feel distressed -- again!!! -- since I came to know that ours in Mindoro is actually not a hopeless case. Ours is just a result of the confluence of a politically immature population, and a second rate political leaders.

The First Bishop of Occ Mindoro is Gone..

2007-08-21T03:39:00.001-07:00

On August 18, 2007, the Most Rev. Vicente C. Manuel, SVD, DD took his place in the Kingdom of God.
He was more or less 70 years old -- 24 years of which he was a bishop -- when he expired.
According to him, he lived a long life. Yes, if one considers the impact that his episcopate had in Occidental Mindoro. He built the seminary. He had the AM radio station. He served the farmers.
He's such a man of passion..
As his remains goes home on Friday, August 24, 2007, I will be happy to see him home..
I knew the man... that is why...

When One's Action is Divorced From What One Says

2007-08-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Writers would call it integrity, when what one says corresponds to what one does. Or when one does what one says. In a more technical term, it's about the connection between orthodoxy and ortho-praxis; or in a simpler category, it's between word and action.
Consider this, in Monday's session on STL by the provincial board members held in San Jose, the Hon. Romulo Festin, who was visibly playing with the gallery audience by speaking out his mind on the repugnance of STL to his sense of ethics, was equally manifestly taken aback when the STL capitalist by the name of Mr. Rolly Diaz divulged that the truth is an ambulance is already on its way to San Jose courtesy of PCSO. I just have to confirm still if the acquisition of the ambulance is in any way connected to STL proceeds.
This show of lack of integrity by our political leaders was also evident when we were confronting the issue of mining in Occidental Mindoro. The fact is, I for one would appreciate more a politician if he/she honestly states his/her position, like when he/she is keeping an open mind on the possibility of Mindoro being mined. Saddening it is when one promises to join a clamor of a sector, only because he/she does not have the will to show off where he/she really stands on the issue.

Remember Elizabeth Albacino

2007-08-15T02:51:00.000-07:00

Month of August is the month of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's about the Catholic belief that because Our Lady is (or was) not corrupted in any way, she got her reward. She was assumed into the heavens to take her place in the Kingdom of God together with her Son -- body and soul.
Further, Catholic belief assures us -- makes us hope -- that the reward of the Blessed Virgin Mary is going to happen to all the believing Christians. By believing, I mean all that it takes to belief. Which is far more than an intellectual assent, or an emotional acceptance of what the religion teaches.
Anyway, ...
With this as a backdrop, there is a reason to be saddened by a very clear negation of what the Assumption is all about. Years ago, a certain Elizabeth Albacino -- a lass from Central, San Jose -- was raped and murdered by inmates who were brought out from the Provincial Jail in Magbay, San Jose to work in the ricefields of a prison guard by the name of Mr. Maderaso (see older post related to this practise). She was on her way home from the school. She was in the secondary school when she was robbed of her purity and life.
Yes, years have passed. The legal battle still continues.
I can only hope that the presiding judge who hears the case, as an offshot of the consultation that he called for -- what he says as -- the betterment of judicial system in Occidental Mindoro, would expedite the coming of the judgement for the suspects in this crime.
Let us pray for the repose of the soul of Elizabeth...

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives

2007-08-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

A news there is that the Representative of Occidental Mindoro, Amelita Villarosa, was sworn in as -- here's the initial confusion -- the first woman Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, or the first Deputy Speaker for women in the House of Representatives. Reports have it that what prompted the swearing in was the clamor from progressive groups in the Congress for gender balance. That means, just as there are deputy speakers from the three major islands -- Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao -- of the Philippines, so there should also be a speaker from what comprises 22% of the representations currently in the Congress (it is said that the 14th Congress has the most number of lady-legislators, that is 54). In there deliberations, congressmen -- macho as ever -- anticipated the possibility of a deputy speaker for the solons of third sex. Hintayin nga natin, kung may aamin sa kanila.
At least it was Liza Masa who clarified the thing: Rep. Villarosa is not going to be the Speaker of the Women-Legislators. Well, we, in Occidental Mindoro, cannot but agree on Masa's view.
While the clamor, as they named it in the House, was heard, and the ensuing discussions were also held, and the swearing in was already done, let me still think aloud regarding this issue. And I would like to register my strongest objection against the selection of our Congresswoman for such a position.
For one, I am almost sure that her selection was because of her close association to Jose de Venecia (and to Malacanan). Can we expect her to be substantial? As this position is a "first time" in the House of Representatives, I fear that because nothing can be anticipated to happen because of her capacity (evidenced by her performance as Congresswoman of Occidental Mindoro) the Deputy Speakership that is reserved for women shall be short-lived.
Secondly -- and this supports the preceding point -- the capacity of Rep. Villarosa is suspect. (One can always refer to the immediately preceding post (A Congressional Blooper) and the postings on the legislative performance of the Congresswoman.)
Lastly, I would become proud the moment our Rep. Villarosa comes home to Occidental Mindoro and does her work in our lone congressional district. For those who don't know, she is actually coming home very seldom. Kasing dalang ng patak ng ulan sa tag-araw... And she's our Representative in the Congress.

A Congressional Blooper

2007-08-13T02:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was listening to a (community) radio commentary and I almost dropped from where I was sitting. Why?
The Representative of Occidental Mindoro, the "gentle lady" -- a lexical abuse reported by PDI in the House of Representatives -- was interviewed about the state of the national road in Occidental Mindoro. She generously granted an interview but -- lo and behold!!! -- she made mention of the JPEPA (Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement) as the source of salvation for our terrible road...
Inisip ko na lang bagong gising si Ma'am, kaya hindi niya alam ang kaniyang sinasabi...
But, now, I am just telling myself that in the final analysis, konsorte lang naman siya ni PGMA noon sa Finland. That's why she does not know for what the JPEPA is all about..
Kasi naman, ang mga taga-DZVT, sana nagtanong na lamang kung anu-anong kulay ng gown ang dala sa biyahe ni PGMA noon sa Finland...

An Experience of Generation Gap

2007-08-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

Last week, in the municipal plaza of San Jose, there was a promotional activity by Tanduay. To promote the products of Tanduay were two of the Viva Hot Babes and the Six Cycle Mind -- the former being a known rock band.
The day of the show was raining. It of course helped when between 8pm to 12mn the rain stopped -- as if the heavens were sanctioning the show.
The attendance was unexpected in number. The Tanduay people placed their estimate at more or less 30,ooo attendees. And most of those who were around were young people. All through out the show, I was asking myself: pag isyung panlipunan, nasaan ang mga kabataang ito?
And in here was my experience of generation gap. Especially when the band began performing, I seemed to be placed before an unfamiliar crowd. At the promptings of the vocalist of the band, the young people would jump, wave their hands, and join the band in almost all of their songs.
Truth is, when I learned of the band who's coming over, I did not have the interest to go and watch them. Hindi ko sila kilala. Of course, that was the first indication that I am not young anymore.
Yes, it was an experience of generation gap. To my mind, a question is equally forcefully registered: paano kaya maibaling ang potential ng sektor ng kabataan para sa pagsikhay para sa ikabubuti ng bayan?
I bet, the potency of the young is too much to ignore.

The Fate of the Deceitfully Ambitious Priest

2007-08-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

Almost three months after the elections of 2007, what has happened to the priest who aspired to become provincial governor of Occidental Mindoro?
I heard his suspension is still in effect. For how long? I do not know. Certainly the Catholic Church against which he committed treason has its own set of laws -- the Code of Canon Law, that animal which is known only to its ordained ministers and those who reached formal theological studies. Actually, this is one issue that keeps on bothering me. For sure, Omanio studied not only his theology but also his Canon Law. And yet until now he's sturdy in his belief that he does not violate any law of his Church. Which his authorities in the AVSJ -- which I suppose have been doing their homework by consulting competent canon lawyer(s) -- claim otherwise. Noticeably, however, the powers-that-be of the local Church have at their fingertips the canonical items that Omanio violated. I wonder on what canonical provisions will Omanio base his claim. Can he be scholarly enough to debate his authorities?
The support, too, of a handful of people from Sta. Cruz, Occ. Mindoro -- from his parish, which he deserted -- is still strong. But, to my observation, they are "led by a fellow blind". I wonder how well they appreciate the entire situation. Which I suppose should begin by questioning: who really is this priest? What really are his intentions? To where shall he lead us, after he deserted his previous commitment as an ordained minister of his Church and now that he's known as already beholden to a discredited politician?
Well, whoever began the art of brainwashing, Omanio perfected this craft...
At least, he's three year-sustenance is assured. Words are going around that he's driver is boasting that they are payrolled in Congress. Of course, it's from the office of the Rep. Villarosa. For any thinking tax-payer, a moral issue it is. From the coffer of the government, salaries are paid for the services that are given primarily to the Villarosa's. Pagnanakaw ito sa kaban ng bayan, di po ba?
By the way, he's acting as station manager of the radio owned by the Villarosa's.
May I ask a candid question addressed to the authorities of the Church? Fathers, where do you think did you fail in your work of forming your ordained ministers that you have this kind of a priest?

Provincial Jail(s): Source of Cheap Labor

2007-08-06T19:48:00.001-07:00

It's planting time again.. Thanks to the rain these past days.
Too, its time to see inmates from the Magbay Provincial Jail out of their prison cells mingling with the regular farmhands planting rice seedlings.
I understand they are plucked out of the jail to serve their prison officials' needs in their ricefields during this time. They are brought out of the jail in the morning, and are brought back before the sun sets. However, there are instances when they are made to spend the whole week in the fields of their prison guards.
Actually, even the judge of an RTC branch in San Jose is benefitting from this kind of arrangement. A television network in Manila caught the presence of an inmate in the residence of Judge Pagayatan some years ago when the rape and murder of Elizabeth Albacino took place (see the upcoming post on the case).
What this blog exposes is nothing new. For the people of Central, the sight of prisoners in the house of a prison guard is ordinary. And to have prisoners working in the ricefield of the same prison guard is not at all an abnormal practise.
Fact is, an administrative case was already filed against the prison guard before the provincial government. Thankfully, the committee that handled the case was very "compassionate," that after the accountability of the prison guard was established the latter was given a very soft slap in his butt for his punishment. The prison guard still works in the Magbay Provincial Jail.
If this practice does not stop, our Provincial Jail(s) will continue to become a source of cheap labor for prison officials.. And a source of peril for our communities.

Water Crisis in Occidental Mindoro

2007-08-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

The over-extension of the dry season, taken into context of the global warming that has caught the attention of even the former second-in-command of the USA, Al Gore, has been the topic of the news these past days. Media covers the scampering of the government in the latter's effort to address the shortage of water especially for residential use.
As I watch the news, I see no similar issue in Occidental Mindoro. Of course, I knew how the farmers are earnestly praying for rain. In a number of areas, the ricefields are literally opening themselves up for the rain. But, if one comes to think of the state of irrigation for the farmlands in Occidental Mindoro, the so-called water crisis is commonplace in Occidental Mindoro.
NIA has been here in the province since 1980's. But, as expected from a government agency, NIA's accomplishment is still minimal -- for too out of the effort the irrigated farmlands is still lesser in area than the non-irrigated fields.
I knew of barangays in Sablayan, for instance, where farmers can only have one cropping season for a year. The reason is they are not reached by the irrigation canal built by the NIA, and hence have to depend very much on rain. For such small farmers, the option of having their own motorized irrigation system -- which is very costly to erect and to sustain -- is nil in possibility.

The Folly that is STL (4)

2007-07-31T20:41:00.001-07:00

I am printing in this post Resolution No. 67, s. 2007, sponsored by Hon. Randolph Ignacio "Urging the PCSO through its Board of Directors to Implement the Request of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Under Resolution No. 48, s. 2006 on the Suspension of the Operation of STL in Occidental Mindoro".

Whereas, the SP forwarded to the Hon. Sergio Valencia, through the Chairman, PCSO, Resolution No. 48, s. 2006, requesting for the temporary suspension of the operations of the STL in the province of Occ. Mindoro;
Wjereas, said Resolution No. 48, s. 2006 was mailed to the Hon. Romualdo Quinones, Special Project Department, PCSO, under Registry Receipt No. 1020 dated June 22, 2006 and duly acknowledged by the PCSO through its return card on June 29, 2006;
Whereas, in giving accord to the favorable recommendation of this august body for the granting of franchise to STL under Resolution No. 163, s. 2005 dated September 26, 2005 on the belief that the STL operation shall redound to the best interest of our people, as early as May 2006 this body has been receiving adverse reactions from various civic and religious organizations, people's groups and sectoral federations that the SP had to pass Resolution No. 48, s. 2006 to temporarily suspend STL operations in this province;
Whereas, the matter on the continued operationof the STL has unjustly dragged the good name and reputation of the SP to this controversial issue inspite of the strong appeal of this august body for its suspension on the grounds of morality, legal impediments and technicalities, loopholes in the system of sharing between the franchise holder with the province and defective agreement on remittances to the disadvantage of this local government coffers and our constituents;
Whereas, on matter of technicalities, RVRC in their letter for reconsideration for the suspension of operation of STL dated June 13, 2006, declared that the operation of the STL in ur province is merely a test-run for one year, and that after the one year period, the august body and the PCSO may now assess whether or not the operation of STL is beneficial or damaging to the communities in pilot areas. Therefore, on this issue of assessment, after the one year period has elapsed, and on the basis of general clamor of the constituents, this body hereby makes and openly manifests the same stand under our Resolution No. 48, s. 2006 on the immediate suspension of STL operation in this province;
Whereas, on the matter of morality, the operation of STL has been found to be no different from jueteng in the simple sense that most bettors come from the "isang kahig, isang tuka" group that still dominates our society who are easy prey that are lured to bet their last centavo futher, during their trial period of one year, there had been no significant improvment on the lifestyle of this sector that could be attributed to the STL operations;
Whereas, on matters of defective agreement that resulted in unfair and (not) equitable sharing in proceeds by the failure of the franchise holder to present the complete receipts or statements that would show actual income from daily bets, the local government is believed to have incurred tremendous losses during this year of STL operations in this province;
Whereas, having been deprived of the much anticipated recognition from the PCSO-CSO in a period of one year regarding our people's strong manifestation on the STL suspension in our province through our Resolution No. 48, s. 2006 this august body again respectfully seeks any course of action taken by the PCSO on this issue since their receipt of the request up to this time or respectfully consider now disenfranchising STL operations in this province;
Whereas this august body further respectfully requests the PCSO, Board of Director to direct the STL franchise holder, the RVRC to appear before and answer to the SP on the maters of concern as stipulated under our Resolution No. 48, s. 2006 dated May 22, 2006...

---------------------------------------------------------------
This resolution is a product of the board members who were elected in May 2007. Those who signed in favor of the resolution were: Hon. Randolph Ignacio, Hon. Antonio Rebong, Hon. Arnold Abeleda, Hon. Robert Dawates, Hon. Ernesto Pablo, Hon. Roderick Agas, Hon. Gaudencio Espiritu, Hon. Marian Haydee Villarosa, and Hon. Ma. Antonietta Villarosa.
Those who voted for continued operations of STL in the province , hence agains this resolution were: Hon. Rocky Legaspi (PCL), Hon. Inocencio Fabular and Hon. Nathaniel Cruz. Hon. Manuel Mintu, who was expectedly to vote for STL, was absent.

The Folly that is STL (3)

2007-07-31T03:22:00.000-07:00

After Resolution No. 48, s. 2006, a letter for Reconsideration for the Suspension of Operation of STL dated June 13, 2006 was submitted by the Royal Viva Research, signed by Mr. Nelson C. Siquioco and Rolly Diaz, to the Vice Governor and Presiding Officer of Provincial Council of Occ. Mindoro.
I am reprinting in here the arguments of the capitalist-operator of STL in Occ. Mindoro.

-------------------------
Dear Vice-Governor Mendiola,
Our warmest greetings!
The undersigned are the representatives of Royal Viva Research Corporation, a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Philippines. We are also the "bonded authorized corporation" granted authority by the PCSO to test-run Small Town Lottery (STL) in our province, by which recently, the august body wants to suspend our operation of the said number game.
In this regard, may we respectfully move for the reconsideration of the decision of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Occidental Mindoro in suspending the operation of the STL on the following grounds, to wit:

STL has contributed significantly to the income of the local government units in our province;
STL generated jobs;
The august body itself initiated the operation of the STL in our province;
The operation is merely a test-run.

In the first two months of the test-run of STL in our province, Royal Viva Research Corporation has remitted a total of ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED FIFTY EIGHT THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FORTY SEVEN 12/100 PESOS (P1,558,647.12) to the province of Occidental Mindoro. The following shows the breakdown of remittances of RVRC to the different local government units in our province (for the months of April and May, 2006):

Calintaan -- April: 22,919.31; May: 53,405.52; Total: 76,324.83
Magsaysay -- April: 79,684.47; May: 117,610.00; Total: 197,294.47
Mamburao -- April: 23,920.65; May: 52,822.84; Total: 76,743.49
Rizal -- April: 15,248.07; May: 33,444.18; Total: 48,692.25
Sablayan -- April: 54,408.88; May: 98,105.00; Total: 152,513.88
San Jose -- April: 116,459.28; May: 256,068.72; Total: 372,528.00
Sta. Cruz -- April: 20,402.21; May: 61,459.74; Total: 81,861.95
Province of Occ. Mindoro -- April: 178,533.14; May: 374,155.11; Total: 552,688.25

For the month of April, the RVRC remittances amounted to P511,576.01; for the month of May, P1,047,071.11. Thus, for the months of April and May, 2006 the total remittance is in the amount of P1,558,647.12.

Notice the almost 50% increase in our remittances during the month of May. It is expected that the remittances will still increase: we believe it has not yet reached its highest level.

In that very short period, the STL has generated substantial funds that could finance development projects, local charitable undertakings and social amelioration activities of our local government units.

Especially during this rainy season, we are expecting several typhoons to hit the province. Through our local government units, these funds could definitely help ameliorate those who will be greatly affected by these typhoons.

In that short period of two months, the STL has provided jobs to more than ONE THOUSAND residents of Occ. Mindoro. We have four hundred sales agents, five hundred sub-agents, and one hundred ten employees to operate the test run.

By virtue of Resolution No. 63, s. 2005 issued by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan... it was resolved... to request the Hon. Sergio Osmena Valencia, Chairman of the PCSO to grant a franchise to operate STL in our province of Occidental Mindoro.

From this Resolution, the RVRC seek authority from PCSO to conduct actual test run for a small town lottery project in Occidental Mindoro, which was granted on March 27, 2006 (conformably to RA No. 1169, as amended by Batas Pambansa Blg. 42, and PD No. 1157 and PCSO Board Resolution No. 118, s. 1987.)

STL in itself is among the fund raising activities of PCSO to finance health programs, medical assistance and services, and charities of national character of our government.

In line with the mandate of the PCSO, the objectives of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan... in allowing the PCSO-STL is very laudable, quoting from Resolution No. 163:

To discover additional sources of charity funds;
To generate at the provincial and municipal level, funds for local charitable undertaking, economic development, and social amelioration activities;
To combat jueteng and other illegal number games;
To find alternative sources of income for those who might be economically dislocated by the eradication of jueteng and illegal number games through the absorption of their dependents into the PCSO--STL.

We strongly believe that, with the STL, these objectives of the SP can be attained.

The operation of the STL in our province is merely a test-run for one year.

With all due respect we believe that the august body has yet no basis in suspending the operation of STL.

After the one-year period, the august body and the PCSO may now assess whether or not the operation of STL is beneficial or damaging to the communities in the pilot areas. This can serve as a guide in the decision of the august body on whether to continue the operation of STL in our province or not.

Despite being a test run however RVRC has to shell out a substantial amount to start and sustain the operations of STL.

Aside from the expenses in concluding the contract with the PCSO to conduct the test run in Occ Mindoro, RVRC has to post a ten million pesos (P10,000,000.00) cash bond to the PCSO (which it did on March 27, 2006).

Notwithstanding these expenses, however, the RVRC, in order to help the province of Occ. Mindoro, went ahead and sealed the contract with the PCSO to conduct the test run in our province.

Wherefore, in the interest of the province of Occ. Mindoro and its inhabitants, so that we may be able to finance development projects and undertake local charitable undertakings and social amelioration activities, we are most respectfully praying before the august body to reconsider and vacate its decision suspending the operation of the STL in our province.

San Jose, Occ. Mindoro, June 13, 2006

signed: Nelson C. Siquioco and Rolly Diaz

---------------------------------

Is this the reason why Resolution 48, s. 2006 was deemed inutile?

The Folly that is STL (2)

2007-07-31T02:54:00.000-07:00

As documents become available, we can make handy some reliable information related to the Small Town Lottery in San Jose. This is a sequel to the article, The Folly that is STL, earlier posted in this blog.
This time, it might interest every one to know about Provincial Council Resolution No. 48, s. 2006. This Resolution was prompted by advocacy work spearheaded by the Catholic Church. At least, in this occasion, the politicians heeded the voice of the Church calling for observance of morality.
Resolution No. 48 was approved on May 22, 2006 at the Sangguniang Bayan Session Hall, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

Resolution No. 48, s. 2006

REQUESTING THE HON. SERGIO OSMENA VALENCIA,

CHAIRMAN OF THE PCSO, TO TEMPORARILY SUSPEND THE

OPERATIONS OF THE STL IN THE PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO

ON THE GROUNDS STATED HEREIN

WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan... passed Resolution No. 163, s. 2005 for the granting of franchise to operate STL in the province of Occidental Mindoro through an experimental basis, the objectives of which are to discover additional sources of charity funds, to generate funds for charitable undertaking, economic development and social amelioration activities, to combat jueteng and other illegal number games and to find alternative sources of income for those who might be economically dislocated by the eradication of jueteng;

WHEREAS, after several weeks of initial and experimental implementation, the STL has gained negative critiques and rejection from among the different sectors of society within the province, siring disquiet and utterances against this august body for passing Resolution No. 163;

WHEREAS, during this session, members of this body thoroughly deliberated on issues concerning the STL and the following matters were brought up:

There is no proper monitoring system to establish the exact and correct amount of the bets being collected from day to day in every participating municipality;
Winning bettors have no guarantee as to whether or not they will receive the prize as there are no claim tickets or receipts being issued;
There is no control as to the genuineness of the papers being used for the lottery;
There is no defined contract between the PCSO--Provincial/Municipal Government-- Agent Corporation binding the three entitites on the terms and conditions of the sharing and remittance scheme;
Allegedly, winning bettors were paid only P600.00 per P1.00 bet, which is P200.00 lower than the specified amount of P800.00 for every bet of P1.00 as stipulated under the prescribed rules and regulations;
On moral grounds, the above conditions created negative impressions leading to contradictions from among the different sectors of society.

Now, therefore, on motion to temporarily suspend the operation of the STL in Occ. Mindoro by the Hon. Arnold Abeleda, duly seconded by Hon. Ma. Antonietta Villarosa and Hon. Randolph Ignacio, and on the basis of the division of the house conducted wherein (four voted in favor of this Resolution -- Hon. Arnold Abeleda, Hon. Fe Abeleda-Legaspi, Hon. Randolph Ignacio, and Hon. Ma. Antonietta Villarosa) as against four members who voted no to the motion (Hon. Rocky Legaspi, Hon. Vicente Camandang, Hon. Nathaniel Cruz, and Hon. Inocencio Fabular), with one -- Hon. Ulysses P. Javier -- who abstained, and which said tie was broken by the acting Vice Governor and Presiding Officer Rey C. Ladaga who voted in favor of the motion to temporarily suspend STL in the province....

What has happened after the Resolution No. 48, s. 2006?

STL, up to now, still operates... Very effective move by our legislative body, huh...

Explanatory Note (Relative to City-hood of San Jose)

2007-07-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

The following is the Explanatory Note for the Proposed Municipal Resolution/Petition by Hon. Emiliano R. Villanada dated July 10, 2007, "Requesting The Congress of the Republic of the Philippines for the Enactment into Law the Creation Of The Municipality of San Jose, Province of Occidental Mindoro as A New Component City."

There had been in the past an initiative for the creation of the Municipality of San Jose of this province as a city. The fact is that, Resolution No. 0023, s. 2001 was already passed by the municipal council for this purpose and objective. However, for some reasons, the said resolution had not been pursued forward for its realization. One of the reasons, maybe, is that contents of the resolution need to be updated along the line of the present socio-economic situation of our municipality (income and population of the municipality).
Motivating factors that encourage this presentation to sponsor, and be one among those taking the initiative of making the Municipality of San Jose to become a city, is that several sectors now in our society are clamoring for these developmental change -- the change from the municipal way of administration to a city governance.
While the province of Oriental Mindoro has a Calapan City to boast, Occidental Mindoro still wants to have one. It is also interesting to note, that the municipality of Sablayan was seriously working to make their municipality to become a city. Once the Municipality of Sablayan is enacted by the Congress as a city, then San Jose has to wait for a hundred years to be proclaimed or enacted as such! A delay caused primarily will be attributed to local legislative inaction! Pray, it may not be allowed to happen by this honorable august body.
It is also the honest and sincere belief of this presentation that San Jose is now qualified to become a city, since it had already established its capability in compliance with the requisites for a component city, having an annual income of P116,803,109.26 for the year 2006; with a total land area of 446.7 square kilometer; and with a projected population of 121,936 for the year 2005; and will be more than 150,000 projected by the year 2010 (The municipality of Sablayan has a projected population of only 72,099 for the year 2005!). these requisites are for cityhood provided in RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.
The conversion of the municipality of San Jose as a component city will promote socio-economic development and effective management of its component barangays and are beneficial to the general interest and welfare of the public.
City government power will be enjoyed such as: police power, eminent domain, and taxation. It can exercise effectively and efficiently its corporate powers. Unique with the taxing and revenue raising powers of cities is that all the collected revenue shall exclusively for the benefit of the city. The city however shall abide and be guided with the fundamental principles of taxation.
There are many advantages and opportunities for development and beneficial to our constituency, if San Jose will be made and become a city. Numerous, to be enumerated in this Explanatory Note.
Praying that this Resolution for the cityhood of San Jose will be given consideration for deliberation and approval by this honorable august body.

(Signed: Hon. Emiliano R. Villanada)

-----------------------------------------
(Mga kababayan, ito ang kaisipan ng ating Konsehal sa kaniyang pagsusulong ng pagka-siyudad ng San Jose.)

City-hood For San Jose

2007-07-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Lately, news were spread about a move by Hon. Emil Villanada, a municipal councilor, for cityhood of San Jose. For now, the proposal of the good-natured councilor has already passed the second reading in the Sangguniang Bayan.
I caught him being interviewed in a local radio station on this topic. He was asked about where on earth did he get the idea that San Jose be turned into a city when the municipality to date has a lot of problems mostly related to governance. Particularly, the query was: Di po ba mas dapat unang ayusin ang kuryente, basura, utang ng San Jose, drainage system, pasugalan sa napakarum at dis-organize na palengke, atbp. upang mas maging nasa posisyon tayo sa pagiging isang siyudad?
His logic is simple: Maging siyudad muna tayo upang mas maayos natin ang mga tinutukoy ninyong problema.
I beg to disagree, Honorable. For obvious reason.

Sterile Palay Seeds: How It Affects The Farmers

2007-07-28T18:43:00.001-07:00

For an agricultural area like the province of Occidental Mindoro, the possession of palay seeds -- and any seeds for that matter -- is possession of life itself by the farmers. Seeds contain the potentia of life -- not just of the palay, but likewise and more importantly of the farmers and their families.
What do have for now? Glaring mark of the government's hybridization program of agriculture is the inability of the hybrid palay seeds for second generation. This is a result of the modification of genetic make-up of the seeds which were originally naturally designed for propagation. As we know, scientific advancement has already gone this far.
Likewise, thanks to the capitalists who have caused the introduction and eventual proliferation of these kinds of seeds in the market. And, of course, to the government that has included as element(s) of its government programs for the farmers the use of these kinds of palay seeds.
In the concrete, this has resulted to the disappearance of that locus where the farmers used to claim independence from the claws of the capitalists. The farmers were using seeds that can generate itself for infinity. Now, the available seeds need to be bought from the agricultural enterprises -- every cropping season -- and in so doing the farmers are held by their very neck.
Isang pagkakataon na naman ng pagtatanikala sa mga magsasaka..

Why her need to "consort"?

2007-07-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

This posting is prompted by the nagging question on why Rep. Amelita Villarosa has to do the consorting of the president, as typified by her ushering in of PGMA in the latter's SONA in the Batasan..
As I pointed out in the previous post, the province does not get anything out of her extra-curricular activity as a lawmaker. I said extra-curricular activity for her main activity is supposedly to craft law(s). In this area, actually, her performance is quite not satisfactory (please refer to the older postings pertinent to Rep. Villarosa's legislative performance in the 13th Congress).
If this is not in any way bringing benefits to the province, then why her need to consort? A view is there that her consorting the president really intended to project the image that she's close to the president of the Philippines. Again, the question that begs for a straightforward answer: why does she need to consort?
Let me posit a possibility. She needs to because she needs the clout of the president for whatever help it could serve her husband in jail.
Yes, it's a bold assertion.. I just hope I am mistaken.

Ang Dakilang Konsorte..

2007-07-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the President (and not-the-President for some) of the Republic of the Philippines delivered her State of the Nation Address. The speech is traditionally given at the opening of the Congress. For this posting, I will not delve on scrutiny of the contents of the SONA, on the scandalous manner by which Jose de Venecia won his unprecedented fifth term as Speaker of the House, and/or equally "politicized" election of Manuel Villar as President of the Senate.
The President, on her way to the hall of the Congress, was flanked by two lady-solons. On her left is the fiery Senator Miriam Santiago; and on her right -- wearing a gown of the same color with the President's -- is the Representative of Occidental Mindoro.
It isn't strange, actually, having seen similar photo ops of the President with our Representative. Rep. Villarosa made herself "famous" as she travels around the world with the President. She stands -- among with other congressmen/women -- quite very frequently behind or beside the President as a bill is signed into law for instance.
One thing is sure, though. From all of this, Occidental Mindoro which she happens to represent in the Congress does not benefit. Has she gotten projects for the province, or investments from foreign capitalists out of her globetrotting?
Pang-konsorte lang talaga...

Service, for a fee... Anyone?

2007-07-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across an article of PDI, 23 July 2007, about the estimated P3oo million that was required by the attendance of congressmen/women for the quorum to be had for the deliberations (and approval) of the ten bills submitted by Malacanang to the 13th congress. It's said that P250,000.00 was for individual solons just to assure their attendance to the House.
How's that? Actually, it's nothing new. It's a high-profile wrongdoing -- I would say -- that is anyway done down to the level of the Barangay. It is no different when I got my driver's license that I really cannot pass the exams I took twice, I was offered to pay extra to have my license to drive. Or when I happened to be in another government agency to ask for a certification -- a task which I suppose they are paid to do -- they asked for a pang-merienda. Or when I was to ask for a barangay certification the issuing clerk collected a fee presumably for the service that was rendered to me.
Yes, a high-profile wrongdoing... that is being done and practised also by those in lower ladder of government service..
Ano ba ang tamang lohika dito -- ginagawa ng mga nasa itaas, kaya ginagawa rin ng mga nasa ibaba? O nakamulatan nang ginagawa ng mga nasa ibaba, kaya sa pag-akyat sa pamumulitika dinala na rin sa itaas?

Kawawang Magsasaka at Mangingisda (4)

2007-07-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

While I am not a farmer, I am privileged to have connections to the farmers. For this, I am privy too to the fact that -- as in all sectors -- "salvation shall come to this house", if I may use a "Churchy" jargon (for who's not aware of the latest Vatican emphasis on the necessity of the (Catholic) Church as an element of salvation), through and by means of "internal cleansing."
Now, I am here to tell of one "distortion" that is very observable in the ranks of the farmers of Occidental Mindoro. This has been a handiwork of insistent government proddings, since the time of the Green Revolution during the KBL heyday, for the farmers to switch to "modernized farming technology" -- one of the characteristics of which is the use of chemical fertilizers.
It seems that the volume of fora, symposia, trainings, FGD's, and the like cannot cause the un-learning of the use of synthetic inputs in farming activities. It seems no appeal for ecological reasons and no amount of presentation of the "economics of hybrid farming technology" can effect farmers' paradigm shift on matters of farming technology to adapt.
It seems no amount of teaching them to do backyard production of organic fertilizer can be effective in bringing down the bulk of the use of chemical-based farm inputs in the ricefields of the province...
It seems the difference of P900.00/cavan of chemical fertilizer and the P200.00/cavan of organic fertilizer is not enough to do the persuasion.
For the farmers of Occidental Mindoro, the preference is on going to the market and bringing home the ever-available chemical fertilizer and other farm inputs than to exert extra effort to produce an ecologically-friendly farm implements.
Epekto ng pagbabagong teknolohikal? Malamang... Kasi dati naman, hindi ganito ang sistema ng pagsasaka.. At mas may pera ang mga magsasaka sa kanilang dating sistema.

The Quantity of Occidental Mindoro Voters

2007-07-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

With the dusts of the national and local elections of 2007 yet to settle on the grounds -- to date election protests are being heard in the RTC's of San Jose and Mamburao filed by the defeated mayoral candidates Marleo Barrera (Magsaysay), Narding Abeleda (Sta. Cruz) and Bambi Villarosa (Mamburao) -- the barangay ang Sangguniang Kabataan elections are soon to happpen come October or November of this year.
For this posting, it is deemed helpful to have a listing of the numbers of voters of Occidental Mindoro. This has nothing to do with the October/November elections. But, who knows if anyone can find substance on these listings for whatever end this may serve on the c oming elections?

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Occidental Mindoro: No. of Voters
Taken from Inquirer.net
Sunday, 13 May 2007
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OCCIDENTAL MINDORO No. of Voters: 194,802

Towns / Municipalities -- Registered Voters 2004 -- Registered Voters 2007 -- Increase / Decrease (%)
Abra de Ilog -- 12,215 -- 11,562 (-5.35)
Calintaan -- 9,555 -- 9,652 (1.02)
Looc -- 6,459 -- 7,626 (18.07)
Lubang -- 13,305 -- 13,721 (3.13)
Magsaysay -- 14,097 -- 14,669 (4.06)
Mamburao -- 16,140 -- 18,038 (11.76)
Paluan -- 7,373 -- 7,814 (5.98)
Rizal -- 13,299 -- 14,026 (5.47)
Sablayan -- 28,451 -- 29,426 (3.43)
San Jose -- 48,527 -- 50,175 (3.40)
Santa Cruz -- 15,886 -- 18,093 (13.89)

The "Mamburao for Capital Club"

2007-07-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here is an account of history as to how the Municipality of Mamburao became the capital town of the province. This is from Volker Schult, Mindoro: A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th Century (Manila: Divine Word Publications, 1991).
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"The most outstanding event of the post-war period in regard to Mindoro was the division of the province into Oriental and Occidental Mindoro on November 5, 1950. That meant the division of the coasts of the island, characterized by uneven economic, infrastracture, and demographic developments, into two separate provinces. Politicians stated administrative-technical reasons for that decision. But political reasons should be added as well. The administration of this gigantic island from Calapan proved to be very difficult, expensive and time-consuming. There was neither a connection overland between east and west coasts, nor a direct regular linkage by ship. The division took cognizance of this fact.
"The west coast had been politically primarily dominated by the Abeleda family and their many relatives (i.e., the Liboro's) for decades. They could, however, barely have gained a political leadership in the entire province of Mindoro for long. Felipe Abeleda had been elected governor in December, 1940; but, due to his role during the war, he and family were discredited. They would have been unable to gain a majority on the east coast where they lacked a power base.
"In congress, Rep. Raul Leuterio introduced the 1950 bill seeking to divide the island. In November, it was enacted into law. Thus, he paid back the political loyalty the Abeleda's had been giving him since the pre-war period. Leuterio supported the Abeleda's in their plan to gain political dominance in the povince of Occidental Mindoro. For the time being, San Jose became the new provincial capital owing to its prosperity and general importance. A group of influential citizens, among them Jesus Abeleda, started a campaign of the recently founded "Mamburao for Capital Club" in favor of Mamburao as the provincial capital The Abeleda's succeeded finally. Since January 1, 1951, Mamburao has been the capital of Occidental Mindoro. Mamburao is located within the power base of the Abeleda's. This important decision considerably increased the Abeleda's prestige in the province.
"In Oriental Mindoro, Gov. Conrado Morente stayed on in office. In Occidental Mindoro, Damaso V. Abeleda was appointed governor until December 31, 1951. Until 1951, Rep Raul Leuterio represented both provinces in congress in Manila. In the governatorial and congressional elections of November 31, 1951, the Abeleda's came out as the sole winner. Jesus Abeleda became representative of Occ Mindoro in congress, and Federico Castillo, a close friend of the Abeleda's, governor. Thus had the division and the balance of power been also legitimized by elections."
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Kawawang Magsasaka at Mangingisda (3)

2007-07-18T03:04:00.000-07:00

There was a time when the stratification in the sector of agriculture is so simple. There are those who own the land, and most of them do not directly work on their fields; and there are those who do not have a land to till, but work as farmhands to the landowners.
The landowners then and now lord over the landless peasants. They have control over the production, too, since it is most likely they who finance the entire cropping season of, say, rice. They do not soil their feet, and still get the most of the pie -- as it were -- of the farm produce.
The landless peasants (katiwala, or kasama) do not possess a land. They work on the field owned by the landlord. Usually, the landless peasants reside where the fields that they till but do not possess are. They are paid based on a pre-agreed terms. Some are paid on a regular basis; some are dependent on their share of the produce of the land.
Between the landowners and the landless peasants, a dependence-relationship exists. In this relationship, as in capital-labor equation, the landlord (capitalist) always has the upper hand.
Observably, another strata in the sector of agriculture has emerged. These are the -- in the parlance of the progressive groups in Occidental Mindoro -- manggagawang bukid. Like the katiwala, they do not have land to till; but unlike the katiwala, they roam around for labor. They come from one barangay and proceed to another barangay where the planting or the yielding of palay is. They are paid on a daily basis. No work, no pay. I wonder how they make both ends meet during the lull period, i.e., between the planting and the harvesting season.
Also, it is to be mentioned here that the manggagawang bukid are practically governed by a kabisilya. The kabisilya is a middle man. He serves to bridge the gap between the landowners and the manggagawang bukid; that is, he negotiates for both parties.
I suppose, there is a reason to include among these groups the capitalists -- who may not be owning a farmland, or may not have any interest in growing palay or any agricultural products -- whose only stake in this sector is the loans that they extend to the farmers -- usually with a very high interest rates -- and the agro-chemical business that they maintain and from which their wealth proceed.
Hindi nakakapagtaka... Ang agrikultura ay hindi na itinuturing ng iba na hanap-buhay...

The Election Cheating that was (3)

2007-07-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a posting of the substance of Affidavit of Mr. Gaspar Bandoy, a BEI member who was with Mr. de Jesus in Precinct 3-A of Poblacion 2, Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro.

__________________________________

The Affidavit was executed on May 15, 2007 and notarized on May 16, 2007.

The affiant is Mr. Gaspar Bustillo Bandoy of Barangay 3, Poblacion, Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro.

Mr. Gaspar Bandoy was the duly designated poll watcher of Mayor Joel Panaligan stationed at Precinct 3-A, Poblacion 2, Mamburao, Occ. Mindoro.

As a watcher, he positioned himself at the back of Mr. Romulo de Jesus, the BEI chair.

Around 9pm of May 14, 2007, while the counting of the last bundle of fifty ballots was about to begin, Mr. Bandoy saw Mr. de Jesus opened the drawer in the table where he was reading the votes and took a bundle of folded ballots therein.

As Mr. de Jesus opened the drawer, Mr. Bandoy saw another bundle of folded ballots hidden inside the said drawer aside from the aforementioned bundle of ballots.

Immediately, Mr. Bandoy requested Mr. de Jesus to stop the counting and said: "Teka muna buksan natin ang drawer dahil mayroon pang naka-bundle sa loob e, huling bundle na dapat itong hawak mo. Bakit mayroon pa sa loob"?

Mr. de Jesus refused to open the drawer and ordered (Mr. Bandoy) to get out of the room.

Mr. Bandoy went out of the room and directly to Mr. Panaligan to report the incident.

Mr. Bandoy went back to Precinct 3-A to resume his duty as poll watcher.

After the counting of the ballots, Mr. Bandoy saw Mr. Randole Bool who was at that time in Precinct 3-A and told him: "Bro, tingnan mo nga ang pangyayari dito at may dayaan."

Subsequently, Mr. de Jesus took the bundles of ballots inside the drawer and placed it in a brown envelope and placed it inside his bag which was placed under his table.

Mr. Bandoy is charging Mr. de Jesus for violation of Article 261 (z) 14 of the Omnibus Election Code.

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For videos of Mr. de Jesus, you may see http://www.i-site.ph/blog/?p=202. In this site, one will also find the police report on the transpiration, the search warrant that was issued for Mr de Jesus to surrender his bag to the police, and some other documents.

The Election Cheating that was (2)

2007-07-16T23:51:00.001-07:00

I was surfing the net when I chanced upon http://www.i-site.ph/blog/?p=202. It contains an article entitled, "Mamburao Ballot Switching Caught on Tape," and three videos of Romulo de Jesus Sr., the BEI chair who allegedly did the switching of the ballots.

The following is a reproduction of the article.

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"ON May 14, 2007, around nine in the evening, a teacher in Occidental Mindoro was caught red-handed switching two bundles of ballots at Precinct 0003-A in Mamburao Central School.

"Earlier, poll watcher Gaspar Bandoy allegedly saw de Jesus taking out a bundle of folded ballots from his drawer as the votes were being read, while another bundle remained inside. Bandoy then immediately called for the counting to be stopped. Bandoy said de Jesus refused to open his drawer and ordered the poll watcher to get out of the room.

"When Bandoy returned, he saw de Jesus taking the same bundle from the drawer, placed it in a brown envelope and shoved it inside his blue backpack kept under the table. Poll watchers then alerted the police.

"Tension grew as a crowd started to gather around the precinct, pressuring de Jesus to open his bag. He however refused to yield and even tied his backpack around his neck. Police then took de Jesus to the municipal hall where the canvassing was being held.

"He was kept under watch in the municipal hall for two days, until the search warrant was served on May 16, 7:30 pm. The search warrant was issued for violating Article XXII Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code or for “knowingly” using ballots other than the official ballots. (See the search warrant and police reports on the case.) When the police opened the bag, two bundles of ballots inside a manila envelope were found.

"Each bundle contained 50 ballots. All of the votes cast in the 100 genuine ballots were reportedly in favor of incumbent Mayor Joel Panaligan, who lost in that precinct. Results show Panaligan got only about 40 votes in Precinct 3-A, while rival Anthony Voltaire “Bambi” Villarosa had about 120 votes. Despite the ballot-switching, Panaligan still emerged as the winner in the mayoralty race in Mamburao.

"De Jesus was placed under arrest and was brought to the police station for booking. But the 43-year-old teacher had to be taken to the hospital because of hypertension. On May 17, 2007, he had to be released because a complaint had not been filed within the prescribed 18-hour period. Bandoy, who is now in hiding as he had reportedly been receiving death threats, failed to file a complaint.

"Under the Omnibus Election Code, the Commission on Elections has the power to conduct a preliminary investigation on all election offenses and to prosecute. However, it cannot act on a case without a complaint being filed. Any person found guilty of election offenses shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years, and shall not be subject to probation.

"In another town, at about the same time in May 14, three teachers of Caminawit Central School, San Jose were found reading votes from allegedly 90 “spurious” ballots that bore one serial number (0410158).

"The genuine ballots, as in de Jesus’s case, were found hidden inside the drawer of BEI chair Elenita Pesigan.
De Jesus and Pesigan are allegedly among the teachers tasked to switch ballots in favor of the Villarosas, a powerful political clan in that part of Mindoro.

"It was reported that on April 12, 2007, 34 teachers trooped to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa where former Occidental Mindoro Rep. and San Jose mayoralty candidate Jose ‘JTV’ Villarosa is jailed for double murder.

"The teachers, according to sources, were promised P10,000 as downpayment, and P1,000 for every ballot switched.

"Villarosa, husband of re-electionist Occidental Mindoro Rep. Ma. Amelita Villarosa, dismissed the allegations as lies and mere propaganda; although he did not deny that teachers from Mindoro still visit him from time to time.

"Despite these allegations, Villarosa was defeated by re-electionist Romulo Festin this elections. His son, Bambi Villarosa, also lost to Panaligan by 69 votes in Mamburao, where the ballot-switching involving De Jesus took place.

"This is not the first time that the Villarosas had been accused of poll fraud. In 2004, the National Bureau of Investigation was tasked to look into the alleged ballot-switching of 27,000 “fake ballots” in favor of Jose Villarosa, who then ran as governor. Governor Josephine Ramirez-Sato, who again won in this midterm elections, was subsequently declared as the winner.

"Meanwhile, PCIJ sources say some of the teachers who were willing to confess are now preparing their affidavits. Some had also reportedly returned the money they were paid to switch ballots.
The three teachers in San Jose now face criminal charges for violating Article XXII Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code or for “willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously” using ballots other than the official ones.

"De Jesus, meanwhile, went back to Mamburao on May 21 and sued the townspeople for arbitrary detention and kidnapping."

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Is there a dearth of leaders in Occidental Mindoro?

2007-07-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

Occidental Mindoro is akin to other provinces in the Philippines. Politics is being lorded over -- almost exclusively -- by particular personalities or families. Isabela has the Dy's; Ilocos has the Singson's, Marcoses, Valera's; General Santos by the Custodio's; Oriental Mindoro by Valencia's and Umali's; and Occidental Mindoro by Sato and Villarosa.

For one, in Occidental Mindoro, political parties do not really count. Actually, the two contending political personalities are under the party of the present administration. Hence, kung hindi ka kay Sato, kay Villarosa ka.

What accounts for the solidification of personalities' political stronghold? Let me suggest one explanation.

I am a believer that Occidental Mindoro has a pool of potential leaders. That the so called dearth of leaders in Occidental Mindoro is a myth.

The only thing is, these potential leaders are nipped in their buds. What do I mean? Concretely, we have the Sangguniang Kabataan. This mechanism is -- true to its purpose for existence -- a training ground for future politicos (no pun intended). This provides occasion for grassroot-based young people to be in position of leadership. Those who get voted are given training for leadership skills, for facilitation, for consultation, for inter-personal skills, etc. They have their time to manage projects intended for their fellow-youth.

Young as they are, however, they already get a taste of what it means to be immersed in partisan politics. Actually, the SK is and should not be partisan. But, as only the naive would contest this, the SK leaders are reduced to pawns in the process of political machinations of the lording political personalities. This happens specifically when the SK leaders of the barangays come together to choose among themselves the municipal SK leader. And this is repeated in the selection of the provincial SK leader.

As they would eventually narrate, the selection of the municipal and provincial SK leaders are not never influenced by the cold-blooded trapos. Their votes are being courted -- nay, ... are being bought.

One can only wish that these young leaders, who are full of idealism and fiery desire for service, go through a school of leadership where they could have a solid education on the ideals of governance that is based on law and morals and others-centered.

One can only wish that these leaders would finally come to realize that to sit at the foot of the present leaders and learn from their self-serving political styles will not only lead them to become principled future leaders, but is actually more hurting to the province -- that is already suffering at the hands of those who disguise themselves as servants of the people.

Young leaders, rise! Let us change the face of Occidental Mindoro!

Kawawang Magsasaka at Mangingisda (2)

2007-07-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

There is something that is puzzling me. In one of a seminar that I was able to attend, the Department of Agriculture made its commitment to support the possible establishment of an organic fertilizer production center that would service the entire province.

To date, there are private individual-farmers and even cooperatives of farmers who are into production of non-synthetic fertilizer. This kind of fertilizer is cheaper and is actually as effective than a chemical-based fertilizer. A bag of commercial synthetic fertilizer is worth little than a thousand pesos; while an organic fertilizer is more or less two hundred pesos. This can even be produced in one's backyard, and hence would entail no cost -- only sweat. And laboratory tests attest to the latter's efficacy, which is more often than not obstructed by the disturbed of altogether destroyed equilibrium of soil nutrients accounted for by the long-time use of synthetic fertilizer.

However, the production of organic fertilizer in the province is not sufficient. Fact is, big volume still comes from Batangas City. Hence, the idea of DA (in cohorts with the Provincial and some Municipal Governments, and other line agencies) for Occidental Mindoro to produce its own consumption. Good and laudable idea!

Besides, I suppose DA has its pool of qualified and competent scientists and technicians. And they, in consonance with the findings of other agriculturists' groups worldwide, must have been aware of the advantage of using non-chemical or non-synthetic farm inputs. I have my relative who works with DA and who's telling me that if not for his work in the government he would not propagate nor teach the use of chemical fertilizers.

But,... And this escapes from my rationality... The concentration/focus of the DA programs in the province is into hybridization of palay or rice. Which demands the use of more and more chemical farm inputs..

Is this not a case of "the right hand knowing not what the left hand does"? Is this not an indication of dysfunctionality of a government agency?

Kawawang Magsasaka (at Mangingisda)...

A Look at the Issue of Insurgency

2007-07-14T03:49:00.000-07:00

This is a start of discussing the issue of insurgency in our province. It is good to begin the discussion by getting a perspective of a former commanding officer of Phil Army battalion stationed in Occ. Mindoro. This article is available in http://www.army.mil.ph/Army_Sites/INFANTRY%20DIVISIONS/2ID_New/2ID_Headliners/Selected_Articles/The_Road_to_Peace.pdf.

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The Road to Peace and Development in Occidental Mindoro
(Lt. Col. Elmer Quiros, CO, 80 IB)

"Occidental Mindoro has never been known to many as the land of the promise. But to Mindoreños, the province is very rich in natural resources and agriculture is the major source of income to the majority. In fact, the province remains to be the food basket of southern Tagalog and is second in rice production in the
country years back. With more projects at hand, Occidental Mindoro will soon take off and boost its productivity to its highest level.

"The province has been synonymous to insurgency. Accordingly, the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC), known to be the most active front of the communist terrorists (CTs) nationwide has surreptitiously established its headquarters in the northernmost part of the province. Based on some revelations by rebel returnees, the STRPC set its foothold in the late 90s and has orchestrated its operations
in its sphere of influence not until its discovery and dismantling in the year 2004. Since then, they were able to capitalize on the broad mass base that eventually slowed down progress in the region. Coupled with bitter rivalries in politics which has claimed so many innocent lives, the province has struggled to achieve its goals.

"The rest is history. Today, the province is in the bloom. According to Governor Josephine Ramirez Sato, the province has achieved so much in terms of agricultural production which is her administrations centerpiece. She has provided farmers with farm products to include financial assistance to improve production. Furthermore, she has set on the drawing board attainable goals that will benefit all sectors of society particularly in her drive versus insurgency. Lately, the provincial government dispersed high breed cows with the hope of bringing back the glory to the province as the premier cattle raisers in the country.

"Politics is another problem the province has to deal with caution. Governor Sato remains to be very approachable to anybody. Everyone benefits in all her programs to include times of emergency. Still, the pressure of politic is felt by everyone. If only this situation never existed as every Mindoreño had wanted, the province could have been more progressive and more peaceful. Hopefully, this dream will come to a reality.

"Still, insurgency cannot be defeated overnight. In fact, it continues to destroy society at its grasssoots and remains to be the major threat to peace and development especially in the countrysides. Based on latest intelligence assessments, the CTs have established their foothold in some barangays and continue to
influence rural activities in their favor. Not for long, they will try to enhance their sphere of influence in neighboring communities until they will finally encircle the urban centers. This maybe is the desire of the CTs but notwithstanding, the present administration will not allow such situation to prevail.

"Networking and pooling of resources by all stakeholders has been the ultimate formula to eradicate not only CT presence but moreso, its roots. Poverty, injustice, illiteracy and adventurism are at the forefront of communism and if not addressed in its infant stage, you will have a situation similar to what the country has at present. Luckily, the present administration of the different municipalities is very keen in addressing
the malady. Everybody, directly or indirectly, strives and works the extra mile in achieving development. But development has to pay the price before achieving peace."

-----------------------------------------

Now, what does the article say?

First, the province is very promising -- primarily with its natural resources. As an agricultural area, the province is a major rice producer (in the region of Southern Tagalog and in the Philippines). These should have placed the province at the forefront of economic progress.

Second, what hampers the advent of economic development in the province is insurgency. Since 1990's the NPA's were able to put up a command in the northern part of the island of Occidental Mindoro -- until 2004 when it was overran by the military. Col. Quiros must have been reporting about the camp that allegedly the military took over after a massive military operations was launch in the first quarter of 2004 after the NPA's did a big damage to the Calaca power plant in Batangas. The NPA's, as they made their retreat, crossed the sea between Batangas and Paluan, Occidental Mindoro.

Likewise, the good colonel made mention of the NPA strongholds in barangays, and the sympathy that these communists are still enjoying from the rural people.

Actually, and this Col. Quiros never mentioned in his article, Mindoro is said to be the area for rest and recreation of the NPA's. For one, they cannot put up a steady camp in the island. Thus, NPA's from Luzon or from the Visayas are coming and going -- while a little less than a hundred are mainstays in the province. And for them, a batallion is stationed in Occidental Mindoro. The military does have an edge in almost all aspects of these possible engagement with the NPA's -- especially in number.

Thirdly, the military colonel is optimistic of what the provincial and municipal leaderships are doing. This, he asserts, can be a facilitating factor to defeat the cause of insurgency.

Fourthly, he says too that development is hampered because of the presence of the insurgents. Curiously, one may ask the question: which is the cause of which? Is it because of insurgency that development is obstructed? Is development is not coming in so there is insurgency?

Lastly, the causes of insurgency -- or that which fuels insurgency -- are the following: poverty, injustice, illiteracy and adventurism... Precisely, it was my main query in the fourth point.

Kawawang Magsasaka at Mangingisda...

2007-07-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

"There are many multi-faceted problems in Occidental Mindoro's economy. In rice farming, the biggest confronting the producers are the high cost of production. This is attributed mainly to the spiraling prices of farm inputs. A study concludes that from 1997 to 2003, the cost of production rose by 47 per cent, while the income derived from marketing rice has maintained 1997 levels. There are also confused reports that the average production rate has declined due to the reduced application of necessary farm chemicals. In street language, this means that the farmers simply cut the amount of inputs because they cannot afford the high capital requirements of following all the recommended inputs in the farming calendar.

"Another structural problem is the inadequacy of irrigation. Most of the river systems in the province no longer have the demanded volume of water to make irrigation feasible. This is attributed to the greatly deforested watersheds.

"In the fishing industry, one of the serious causes of depletion in the fish catch is overfishing. Since 1965, fishing fleets from other parts of the country have joined the locals in the fishing grounds. It was aggravated by the use of environment-destructive methods, disabling the marine resources to replenish. Other causes of the low fish population is the destruction of habitant, particularly, mangrove forests and corral reefs."

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The above citation of agricultural problems in Occidental Mindoro is supplied by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental_Mindoro.

Can we take off from this, and further the discussion of problems that plague Occidental Mindoro's agriculture?

Do You Know that...? (1)

2007-07-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

In a bend of Anahawin river (in Barangay Poypoy, Calintaan) called Montangcob point, a house-size boulder rests on the river bed, like an island. Etched on the side of the boulder is what is clearly a skeletal impression of a (large) snake. The boulder may be millions of years old.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental_Mindoro)

The Power Industry in Occidental Mindoro

2007-07-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Right from the website of the Provincial Government of Occ. Mindoro, one reads: "Electric power is supplied by the National Power Corporation and the Island Power Corporation (IPC) through the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) while the island municipalities of Lubang and Looc are supplied by the Lubang Electric Cooperative (LUBELCO). The power plant is still inadequate. Plans are underway to increase supply through private capital intervention."

To me, the description of the true state of power supply in the province is not reflected in the above-cited statement. The following is Didaskalos' perception of the real state of power industry in the province:

The supply of electricity in the province is not going to improve in the near future, unless the Villarosa's rescind the contract that they maintain with the OMECO. In 1990's, the IPC -- a power producing corporation that is owned by JTV and some other known and moneyed personalities -- came to terms with the Occ Mindoro Electric Cooperative -- the power distributor in the whole province -- for an exclusive contract of supply of power for 25 years! And this is renewable for another 25 years. Now, the problem is not because there is a contract of exclusive supply, and that the party with which OMECO got into a contract is the family of Villarosa and their business partners. The problem is IPC IS NO LONGER DELIVERING AND YET THE CONTRACT IS STILL IN EFFECT!!! Occ Mindoro has no adequate supply of power because the National Power Corporation's capacity is quite limited. Actually, it is already supplying the volume of electricity that IPC should have been producing. And, mind you, IPC is not and will never be penalized for its failure to deliver. This is mind-boggling! So, one may think aloud: Then, why not challenge the contract in the court? Really, that is the only course insofar as we cannot expect the Villarosa's to finally obey their conscience and decide for a unilateral rescinding of contract to open the provincial requirement for electricity for bidding among competent and able independent power producers. However, since this is a potential civil case, it is doomed to drag in court for as long as the provided lifespan of the contract would last.
Secondly, on account of the abovementioned exclusive contract, there is no independent power producer in its right mind to ever dare to venture to supply power in Occidental Mindoro. Anyone who dares would have to deal with the Villarosa's, and pay them millions of pesos for royalties. Simply because the Villarosa's hold and maintain an exclusive contract with the OMECO.
OMECO, for its part, is and should be a subject of social scrutiny. For one, for the entire 2006, it was consistently losing an average of P6M per month. This loss was accounted for by, among others: excessive administrative costs, engineering lapses resulting to extraordinarily high systems loss, payment of past dues, etc. Likewise, the GM should also be subjected to a lifestyle check -- for the use of the service vehicle of the organization for his family's affairs, his lavish style of living, the dining and wining and womanizing that he affords the members of the board of directors, etc. Organizationally, OMECO is beyond comprehension too. It is cooperative just by name, and not in reality. It is not registered to CDA; and its future prospect of registration to CDA is being blocked by the administration. The GM, because of his close affiliation and connections to the NPC, is more powerful than the Board of Directors. The BoD does not possess the power to hire and fire GM's.
That not all the barangays in the province have electricity is made more complicated by the three conditions of the state of power industry in the province.

Anyway, ... we're still better off than in the days of Stone Age. At least, we have an electric supply that is akin to a smouldering wick.

The Tale of Three Priests

2007-07-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

I am liberally taking an article written by Lala Ordenes-Cascolan for PCIJ Blog (see http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=1727). The intention is to follow up on what had taken place after the elections 2007, as these are going to be reminders for the future people of Occidental Mindoro relative to their political history.

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IT’S been said that “victory finds a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” This quote accurately sums up the fate of three Catholic priests who threw their hats — or habits if you will — in the political ring in this year’s midterm elections.

While Father Ed Panlilio’s electoral victory has been hailed as a triumph of good versus evil, and has even merited a statement from the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which welcomed the “exceptional” victory, not a squeak was heard about the fate of two other priests who ran — but lost — in the May 14 elections. Their names, much like their crusades, have faded into political oblivion.

Panlilio, who ran for governor, anchored his campaign on providing a “credible alternative candidate” for the people of Pampanga. The incumbent governor, Mark Lapid, has been accused of pocketing bribes from quarrying operations in the province, while the other candidate, Provincial Board member Lilia Pineda, has been associated with jueteng, being the wife of alleged gambling lord Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda.

Panlilio vowed to stop corruption and gambling in Pampanga. He won, despite being the subject of a smear campaign for allegedly fathering children with different women, a charge he vehemently denied.

In Occidental Mindoro, Father Ronilo Omanio’s gubernatorial bid seemed to mirror Panlilio’s: man of the cloth running for a local position, seeking to provide an alternative to long-time politician and incumbent governor Josephine Ramirez-Sato, and banking on the people’s sentiments against issues like mining and small town lottery.

Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), the political party of reelectionist Representative Ma. Amelita Villarosa, as well as her husband Jose and son Anthony Voltaire, had no gubernatorial candidate on their slate. Kampi adopted Omanio.

On election day, no “miracle,” like the one that happened in Pampanga, was to be expected in Occidental Mindoro; Sato’s clout proved too much for the priest.

Although, Mindoreños were a witness to a miracle of a different sort, cooked up allegedly by the Villarosas, a powerful political clan in the province.

On May 14, a school teacher in San Jose was caught red-handed allegedly switching spurious ballots in favor of former congressman Jose Villarosa who ran for the the town’s mayoral post. The genuine ballots confiscated from the teacher showed votes for Omanio’s opponent, Ramirez-Sato.

The ballot-switching was allegedly masterminded by Jose. It was not clear whether Omanio knew of, or condoned, the alleged plan to rig the elections.

Meanwhile, in Zamboanga City, a priest’s mayoral bid met an even more controversial conclusion. Monsignor Crisanto dela Cruz, who resigned from priesthood when he decided to run for public office, lost to incumbent mayor Celso Lobregat.

Dela Cruz, who was the parish priest at St. Joseph Parish in the city, was suspended from the priesthood by the Zamboanga Archdiocese and was prohibited from using the title “mosignor” when he filed his certificate of candidacy.

A month after dela Cruz signified his intention to run as mayor, a sex video showing what reportedly looked like dela Cruz having oral sex with another man circulated around the city. The video was allegedly taken inside a hotel room using a phone with a video camera.

Dela Cruz has sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to apprehend the former priest’s bodyguard Ramil Luna.

Luna, a member of the Philippine Air Force, reportedly extorted money from dela Cruz in exchange for the videotape.

On election day, the video was once again circulated, providing an easy ammunition for dela Cruz’s political opponents.

The former priest denied that he was the man in the video, saying “with the advent of technology, nothing is impossible.”

All three members of the clergy were suspended from their priestly duties after launching their political bids.
Father Omanio’s suspension came from Occidental Mindoro Bishop Antonio Palang. A church circular stating that Omanio is not an official candidate of the Catholic Church was read in all parishes in the province.
Monsignor dela Cruz, according to Zamboanga Archdiocese spokesperson Monsignor David Alonzo, was suspended because the priest “violated Church Law when he decided to enter politics.”

The suspension was based on Canon Law number 287 Paragraph 2, a provision, the monsignor added, that specifically forbids the clergy to engage in partisan politics.

In a statement issued after Panlilio’s victory, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, has explained that in Panlilio’s case, the suspension was “to ensure that there (will) be no confusion between priesthood and politics, thus respecting the separation of Church and State.” Panlilio’s suspension came from Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto.

Archbishop Lagdameo earlier said that he would be discouraging priests from running for public office, and added that Father Panlilio’s election is an “exception” and the bishops “want to keep it that way.”

The outspoken Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, meanwhile, voiced doubts on the possibility of suspended priests being accepted back by the Church.

“Rome will not likely allow your return. Once you leave or are dismissed, there’s no turning back,” Cruz said in an interview.

The Folly that is STL

2007-07-12T05:10:00.000-07:00

Gambling has become cultural for the Filipinos. Historians would contend that there are forms of gambling that were part of heritage we got from various nationalities that came to our shore. Nonetheless, a form or two have become so much a part of our lives that today we talk of our identity and we never fail to associate those. Actually, same is true to our collective identity and history. For instance, we talk of jueteng and we cannot fail to mention the (un)fortunate event that is the downfall of the presidency of Erap Estrada, and the more (un)fortunate rise to power of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The latter it was under whose incumbency did the Small Town Lottery began to legally enter into our social life.

Small Town Lottery (STL) is said to have been conceived to "kill" the illegal numbers game of jueteng. Jueteng is illegal, and has been a source of corruption among government officials. The bets of people enrich the jueteng capitalists -- the most prominent of whom is a kumpadre to PGMA.

Thus, to get rid of an illegal number game the government solution is to make it legal. This is just one of the impressions on STL. For mechanics-wise, it is no different from jueteng -- only that it has more numbers (36 for jueteng, 40 for STL) that is tantamount to lesser chances of winning, and lesser pot money for winners.

It was advertised as a potential fiscal source of up to six to ten billion pesos (P6-10B) annually for financing of the government's social services to its people.

Likewise, it is said to be under the PCSO. That means, this requires franchise. It is being claim that the actual operations of the STL is also under the monitoring of the LGU's. This set-up gives the impression that there is nothing wrong with the set-up and the system of the STL. For a government agency -- which is even directly under the Office of the President -- exercises supervision over its operations.

In the province of Occidental Mindoro, STL is being operated by Royal Viva Research Corporation. Frankly, I do not know the corporators of this corporation; what I knew is that it is being housed by the Syquioco family along Mabini Street, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. And its operations is provincial-wide (hence, in this case the Small Town Lottery is misnomer.)!

The fact is it gained its way to Occidental Mindoro by virtue of Resolution 163, s. 2005 of our Sangguniang Panlalawigan being the basis of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for granting the Royal Viva Research Corporation a franchise to operate STL in the province. Another fact is that the Resolution 163, s. 2005 is a pro-forma of PCSO, upon which the provincial board members will only to affix their signatures. Actually, the said Resolution asked for only a year for a trial run, after which the succeeding years of its existence and operations will be based.

The Resolution contended that there are reasons for the operations of STL in the province: (1) it is for employment; (2) it is a source of revenue for the LGU and the national government; (3) it is going to annihilate jueteng; among others.

It has been two years since Resolution 163. The trial run has ended. Actually, I fear that STL is here already to stay. However, I am still trying to psyche myself to be optimistic that it's going to stop anyway and anyhow.

First, because of the present composition of the provincial board members. I understand among the provincial board members, there are those who would like to have STL disappear from the face of Occidental Mindoro. However, understanding the Implementing Rules and Regulations of STL, it actually does need the nod of the provincial council for its continued existence. That is why it is called Small Town Lottery. Any mayor of any municipality can decide to have it within its municipal territory! Already now, the Mintu's of Sablayan have been saying that they are to have it in Sablayan. Fact is, Board Member Manuel Mintu -- a nephew of Mayor Godofredo Mintu of Sablayan -- is one of the prime endorsers of Resolution 163.

Secondly, the trial run of STL can stand against its succeeding operations. It was learned that the monitoring of the LGU is sham. For to totally monitor its operations, the LGU has to assign its personnel to each and every agent of the STL. To just wait when all the bets are in and monitor the recording proves to be counter-productive and self-defeating. However, crumbs it may be that LGU receives, these are still money. Ang a potential source of extra money. Governor Sato was able to launch a project called YAKAP NI NENE out of the STL money. Rep. Villarosa reportedly gets her share -- and as the LGU's point out, the lone district of Occidental Mindoro does not have receipt for any amount that it receives.

And, lastly, in a society of which people's predilection is to gamble, to argue and campaign against the "legalized jueteng" is too taxing. For such people, truth is determined by number of believers and not by the substance on which it stands. Thus, that STL is demoralizing is negated by the fact that Royal Viva Research Corporation is able to maintain a big number of followers.

At least, to their mind...

Of course, this post is never complete withou mentioning that one of the board members, Hon. Nathan Cruz, who is an avid supporter of STL is said to be payrolled by Mayor Hagedorn of Palawan -- the nationally known conceiver of STL.

A Permanent Case in the Political History of Occ Mindoro

2007-07-11T01:38:00.000-07:00

This blog is not only for current discussion; the blogger intends that serves the purpose of future generations' curious glance at political history of Occidental Mindoro. There is one case that is -- anyone may bet on this -- going to be of permanent influence to the future of politicking in the province. In narrating this event, let me take from MST Online's First Crack by Mr. Fel V. Maragay. He had his e-column, A Courageous Verdict, on March 9, 2006. Below is a faithful reproduction of it:

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"WE take our hat off to Judge Ma. Theresa Yadao of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court-Branch 81 for finally rendering the verdict on the murder of the Quintos brothers more than eight years after it took place in Mamburao, Mindoro Occidental. Her courageous feat in resolving the sensational case in the face of pressures from the powers-that-be and threats of harm by communist insurgents vividly illustrate that our judiciary is not lacking in men and women in robes who can be relied upon to dispense equal justice and punish those who have run afoul of the law without fear or favor from anyone.

"In her decision on March 1, (2006) Judge Yadao meted out the death sentence to former Rep. Jose Villarosa, and six farmers for the twin murder of Michael and Paul Quintos, sons of former congressman and 1971 Constitutional Convention delegate Ricardo Quintos, arch-political rival of Villarosa.

"The decision was deemed earth-shaking enough to merit banner headline treatment in a leading national daily and some tabloids in Metro Manila.

"It came as a shock to Villarosa and his wife, incumbent Mindoro Occidental Rep. Amelita Villarosa, who had both expected an acquittal. “Unfair, the judgment is unfair,” muttered an angry Villarosa as he walked out of the courtroom, handcuffed and escorted by jail guards.
On the other hand, the elder Quintos and other members of his family, never lost any hope of seeing the case decided in their favor. They believed they and their lawyers had gathered more than enough evidence to build an airtight case and nail down the perpetrators of the gruesome crime.

"In the 86-page decision, Judge Yadao said she found sufficient evidence that Villarosa and his coaccused conspired to kill the Quintos brothers.

"Also sentenced to die by execution were Josue Ungsod, Manolito Matricio, Mario Tobias, Ruben Balaguer and Gelito Bautista, the so-called “Mamburao Six” who were alleged members of the New People’s Army.

"Michael, a barangay chairman, and Paul were attending a birthday party in a neighbor’s house in Mamburao on Dec. 13, 1997 when five armed men barged into the premises and shot the brothers in cold blood. The killings hogged the newspaper headlines for weeks.

"Villarosa and other suspects were arrested by the police on the strength of the testimony of Eduardo Hermoso who served as one of the lookouts. Hermoso fell under the hands of the police two weeks after the murder. He also pinpointed Villarosa as the mastermind of the murder where seven gunmen and the congressman’s driver and police escort were supposedly involved.

"In February 1998, the double murder case was transferred from Mamburao to the Quezon City RTC upon the order of the Supreme Court in response to the petition of the complainants. The case suffered a setback when Quezon City RTC-Branch 76 Judge Monina Zenarosa, on April 28, 1998, granted bail to Villarosa, Bautista and Balaguer although murder is a nonbailable offense.
The case suffered another blow in October 2001 when the remaining suspects were almost freed from prison. Upon recommendation of the Department of Justice, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved the release on recognizance of the Mamburao Six as part of the government’s confidence-building measures to help restart the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front. But the motion to free the suspects was denied by Yadao.

"The elder Quintos was convinced that Villarosa, a retired military colonel was behind the killing of his sons. The crime was traced to the bitter feud over the 600-hectare Golden Country Farms owned by the Quintos family and managed by Michael. Farmers, many of whom were squatting on the vast farm, wanted it parceled under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), but the Quintoses resisted it.

"Two years before the killing, Villarosa confronted Quintos and told him the squatting problem at the Golden Country Farms could be solved easily. According to Quintos, Villarosa imposed a stiff price: his family would have to give up half of the farm. So incensed was Quintos that he walked out of the meeting.

"At the time of the killing, Villarosa was congressman of the province. In the May 2001 elections, Quintos and Villarosa fought in the gubernatorial contest. Villarosa was proclaimed winner by the Commission on Elections despite the alleged strong proof of fraud. Quintos, who lost the election by a mere 1,000 votes, filed an electoral protest. In the May 2004 elections, Amelita Villarosa won as congressman but her husband was defeated by Josefina Sato in the gubernatorial race. It is said that Rep. Villarosa, who is a member of the ruling Lakas party and a staunch ally of President Arroyo, exhausted all means, using the political clout of her office, to influence the outcome of the case and get her husband off the hook.

"In the face of pressures and harassment to which she was subjected to in handling the twin murder case, Judge Yadao refused to be intimidated, making it clear to all that she would decide on the case purely on its merits and the evidence on hand.

"A judicial official of lesser stuff would have easily thrown in the towel in the face of the forces trying to influence her handling of the celebrated case. In fact, three other RTC judges inhibited from the case one by one for perplexing reasons. Following a motion from the prosecution, Judge Monina Zenarosa inhibited herself from the case in September 1998. It was reraffled in two other Quezon City RTC branches but the judges also inhibited themselves. The case was again reraffled to the sala of Judge Yadao, who proved herself to have the balls to preside over the prosecution of the case down to its logical end.

"The exemplary deeds of Judge Yadao in resolving the case regardless of who gets hurt stands out in stark contrast to the shameful behavior of another judge in Tacurong City who dismissed the murder charges against the suspected masterminds and the triggermen in the assassination of antigraft crusader and community journalist Marlene Esperat despite the fact that the killers had confessed to their crime and squealed on the persons who paid them off for the hastly crime.
"Yadao’s admirable feat should also put to shame the top honchos in the Office of the Ombudsman who keep on sitting on the plunder charges against the commissioners of the Commission on Elections involved in the anomalous P1.3 billion election automation contract.

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For posterity's sake, yes it is. Banking on what may be learned from this line: we are doomed to repeat history should we fail to learn from it.

Justness and Sincerity: Ethics and Accountability in Public Officials and Employees

2007-07-10T04:45:00.000-07:00

(This paper was delivered to MA students of a particular school in San Jose on April 2004).

The Context of Justness and Sincerity (As Among the Demands of Ethical and Accountable Conduct of those in Public Service:

The issue of ethics and accountability pose a direct challenge to any government, and to any act of governance per se. The former are the key to the latter. For practically the people's trust in the integrity of political institutions seems to lie on the existence of ethics and accountability mechanisms and infrastracture and how these are effectively functioning.

The Philippine government actually has accordingly enough initiatives in ensuring ethics and accountability in public officials and accountable behavior in the public sector. In Art XI, sec. 1, "Public office is a public trust." Those in public service, it adds, must observe accountability to the people and offer a service that is done with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency. In addition, the Constitution obliges the State to ascertain honesty and integrity in the public service and take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption. We have comprehensive laws -- (Some Philippine laws against graft and corruption: RA 3019 as amended by Presidential Decree No. 677 -- Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act; RA 6713 -- Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees; RA 7080 as amended by RA 7659, or the Death Penalty Law -- An Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder; RA 6770 -- The Ombudsman Act of 1989; Presidential Decree No. 46 Making it Punishable for Public Officials and Employees to Receive, and For Private Persons to Give Gifts on Any Occasion, Including Christmas). In particular, we have RA 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, which is quite clear in matters of public officials and employees' standards of personal conduct in its fourth section under the heading "Norms of Conduct of Public Officials and Employees".

It has the following on justness and sincerity: "Public officials and employees shall remain true to the people at all times. They must act with justness and sincerity and shall not discriminate against anyone, especially the poor and the underprivileged. They shall at times respect the rights of others, and shall refrain from doing acts contrary to law, good morals, good customs, public policy, public order, public safety and public interest. They shall not dispense or extend undue favors on account of their office to their relatives whether by consanguinity or affinity except with respect to appointments of such relatives to positions considered strictly confidential or as members of their personal staff whose terms are coterminous with theirs."

To reinforce these legal infrastractures, our political leaders at least claim they are politically committed to ascertain the observance of prescribed ethical conducts of public servants and employees. And their political commitment, although too difficult to benchmark, are often demonstrated by some policy pronouncements -- examples are the promotion and institutionalization of one-stop shops in some government agencies, or the implementation of sustained training and orientation program on anti-graft and corrupt practices laws (as in Angat Pinoy 2004, the MTDP or the framework of the Philippine socio-economic development). The legal infrastracture and the political commitment of our leaders are further supported by the existence of oversight institutions -- such are the Civil Service Commission (the central personnel agency of the government), the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Commission on Audit (the fiscal watchdog of the government)-- which are not subject to the fiscal controls of the executive and possess quasi-judicial powers.

We may likewise count among the ethics and accountability infrastractures the role of active citizenry. The people are actually contributing either through government programs that bank on the market principle at work in government operations -- e.g., the Mamamayan muna, Hindi Mamaya Na! program -- or through the people's (PO's and NGO's) initiatives.

But still we have to contend with the very high cost of betrayal of public trust that has become endemic in the government and in public service! Actually, the curving of corrupt practices in the Philippine government has become concern of even the foreign aid donors, including the World Bank, as the correlations between the strong presence of corruption and the undermining of State capabilities are well established.

Failures in the Specific Demands of Justness and Sincerity:

While in delving into the specifics of justness and sincerity, it would have been desirable to "positively" expound on the topic, I fear I have to resort to identifying the failures that are observably obviously committed viz. the demands of justness and sincerity. And I strongly believe you would more easily have a handle on.

A part of life -- that it is in the Philippines! Imagine that just to acquire a driver's license, we shell out "grease money" to facilitate the processing of one's application by the licensing office. To make the matter worse, people do not seem to care enough to weed these practices out on account of the time and effort involved in filing cases and appearing as witness when it is uncertain that erring public servants will be penalized.

We can with great ease identify six main areas of government areas identified as graft-prone. These are:

Elections -- For example, vote buying and padding of voters' list.
Legislation -- The perks and privileges of our solons; they have discretion over the allocation, use and disbursement of development funds.
Revenue Assessment and Collections -- Bribes are paid to lower assessments or into into compromises.
Regulatory and Licensing Arrangements -- Money is given to obtain licenses.
Law Enforcements -- Bribe money is paid to avoid prosecution or to settle cases.
Appointments or/and Promotions --- Preference is given to relatives or friends in appointment or promotion, some positions are "sold" to highest bidder.

As we identify these failures, we must over and over again remind ourselves with the national condition that they have brought us to. Lest we forget that as public servants we are potential contributors to our already sad state.

In 2000, it was estimated that 34% of the Filipino population lived below the poverty threshold level. The cost of living escalates, while the purchasing power of our monetary unit depreciates. The prices of basic commodities steadily rise, while the minimum daily wage remains the same, even eroded by the decelerating value of the peso.
Social inequity, i.e., concentration of landholdings in landlord's hands, political power in political dynasties, and wealth in the hands of the rich
As of January 2004, the country's foreign debt is P3.41 trillion. If the liability is equally divided among all Filipinos, each must cough up PhP41,585.00. 40% of the national budget is for debt servicing (big thanks to PD 1177!), while the budget allocations for health, education and agriculture, among others are on steady decline.
It has been observed that, after deducting debt servicing and personnel expense, at least 20% of the national budget is eaten by corruption.
Corruption wolfs down 30% of tax collection, 20% of government's procurement budget, and 50% of allocations for road building (2004 World Bank Report: Combatting Corruption in the Philippines).
The Corruption Perception Index survey conducted annually by Transparency International reveals that corruption in the Philippines is worsening -- 65th least corrupt in 2001 when 91 countries were surveyed; 77th among 102 countries in 2002; and 92nd among 133 in 2003.

Lord, help us...

The Remaining Parochial Concerns of Rep. Villarosa in the 13th Congress

2007-07-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

After we have seen how "too revolutionizing" are the bills of Rep. Villarosa for education in Occidental Mindoro, one might be interested too in knowing the focus of the other remaining thirty (30) bills of "Herr Representative" in the costliest but most inefficient post-Marcos Congress.

For AGRICULTURE and FISHERIES, she had the following:

1. HB02746 (AN ACT ESTABLISHING A BAMBOO NURSERY IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF CALINTAAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
2. HB03320 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FARMER'S CENTER IN EVERY MUNICIPALITY IN THE PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
3. HB05983 (AN ACT ESTABLISHING FISHERY HATCHERY AND/OR BREEDING FARMS/CENTERS FOR THE PRODUCTION/MULTIPLICATION OF BANGUS FINGERLINGS, LAPU-LAPU, ALIMANGO AND TILAPIA IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF MAGSAYSAY AND STA. CRUZ IN THE PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

For HEALTH:

1. HB04334 (AN ACT INCREASING THE BED CAPACITY OF THE SAN JOSE DISTRICT HOSPITAL IN BARANGAY MURTHA, MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JOSE, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, FROM TWENTY-FIVE (25) TO ONE HUNDRED (100) BEDS, PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A REHABILITATION CENTER ADJUCNT THERETO, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
2. HB04374 (AN ACT ESTABLISHING A THIRTY-BED CAPACITY HOSPITAL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF MAGSAYSAY, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, TO BE KNOWN AS THE DR. FRANCO S. BARRERA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
3. HB05627 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A BARANGAY HEALTH CENTER IN BARANGAY CASAGUE, MUNICIPALITY OF STA. CRUZ, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

For GOVERNMENT BUILDING(S):

1. HB02949 (AN ACT APPROPRIATING THE AMOUNT OF FIFTEEN MILLION PESOS (P15,000,000.00) FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MUNICIPAL BUILDING FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF MAMBURAO, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO)

For (CONCRETING OF) ROADS and BRIDGES:

1. HB02950 (AN ACT APPROPRIATING THE AMOUNT OF ONE MILLION PESOS (P1,000,000.00) FOR THE REPAIR AND CONCRETING OF VILLAROSA STREET AND VILLAR STREET, BOTH SITUATED IN BARANGAY 05, MUNICIPALITY OF MAMBURAO, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO)
2. HB04366 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE UPGRADE OF THE EIGHT KILOMETER PROVINCIAL ROAD FROM BARANGAY ADELA UP TO BARANGAY MALAWAAN, MUNICIPALITY OF RIZAL, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPRORPIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
3. HB04945 (AN ACT CONVERTING THE MAMBURAO-PALUAN PROVINCIAL ROAD IN OCCIDENTAL MINDORO INTO A NATIONAL ROAD AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
4. HB05465 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REHABILITATION OF 1.8 KILOMETER FARM-TO-MARKET ROAD IN BARANGAY CLAUDIO SALGADO, MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
5. HB05477 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CONCRETE BRIDGE ACROSS THE PINAYPAYAN RIVER AND THE REHABILITATION OF THE FEEDER ROAD TO BARANGAY STA. LUCIA-TUBAN IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
6. HB05755 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE UPGRADE OF FARM-TO-MARKET ROADS IN KEY BARANGAYS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF RIZAL, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
7. HB05985 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REHABILITATION OF FARM-TO-MARKET ROADS IN KEY BARANGAYS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
8. HB06026 (AN ACT APPROPRIATING THE AMOUNT OF TWO MILLION PESOS (P2,000,000.00) FOR THE IMMEDIATE REPAIR OF MALISBONG BARANGAY ROAD AND THE KAMBINGAN SECTION OF THE NATIONAL ROAD IN BARANGAY SAN AGUSTIN, MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO)

For an RTC (Regional Trial Court) in Lubang

1. HB03864 (AN ACT CREATING A REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH IN THE ISLAND OF LUBANG, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, FURTHER AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION FOURTEEN OF BATAS PAMBANSA BILANG 129, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
2. HB06058 (AN ACT CREATING AN ADDITIONAL BRANCH OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT IN THE ISLAND OF LUBANG, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 14, PARAGRAPH (E), OF BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 129, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980, AS AMENDED BY R.A. NO. 7154, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

For APO REEF:

1. HB03425 (AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE APO REEF IN SABLAYAN, OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AS A PROTECTED AREA UNDER THE CLASSIFICATION OF NATURAL PARK AND ITS PERIPHERAL WATERS AS BUFFER ZONES, PROVIDING FOR ITS MANAGEMENT, FUNDS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES)
2. HB05907 (AN ACT DECLARING THE APO REEF LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, AS A PROTECTED AREA UNDER THE CLASSIFICATION OF NATURAL PARK AND ITS PERIPHERAL WATERS AS BUFFER ZONES, PROVIDING FOR ITS MANAGEMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES)

For LAND RE-CLASSIFICATION

1. HB04268 (AN ACT RECLASSIFYING 102 HECTARES OF TIMBERLAND LOCATED IN BARANGAY STO. NINO, MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, AS ALIENABLE AND DISPOSABLE LAND FOR RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND OTHER PRODUCTIVE PURPOSES)
2. HB04768 (: AN ACT DECLARING A PARCEL OF LAND OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN LOCATED IN BARANGAY STO. NINO, MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, AN AGRICULTURAL LAND OPEN TO DISPOSITION FOR RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, AND FOR OTHER PRODUCTIVE PURPOSES)

For DAYCARE CENTERS:

1. HB04364 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATIONALIZATION OF DAY CARE CENTERS IN EACH OF THE 162 BARANGAYS IN THE PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

For SPORTS FACILITIES:

1. HB04627 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A GYMNASIUM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF CALINTAAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
2. HB04628 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A GYMNASIUM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF CALINTAAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
3. HB05610 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A GYMNASIUM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF STA. CRUZ, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

For ELECTRIFICATION:

1. HB04659 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE IMMEDIATE ELECTRIFICATION OF SITIOS DUNGON, BAGONG PAG-ASA AND TAGUILAN OF BARANGAY TAYAMAAN, MUNICIPALITY OF MAMBURAO, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
2. HB05810 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE IMMEDIATE ELECTRIFICATION OF IMPORTANT SITIOS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF RIZAL, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO)

For WATER SUPPLY:

1. HB05611 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A POTABLE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR BARANGAYS ALACAAK AND KURTINGANAN IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF STA. CRUZ, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)
2. HB05984 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A POTABLE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR BARANGAY SAN AGUSTIN IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR )

For PROTECTION DIKES:

1. HB05982 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PROTECTION DIKES IN AMNAY, RAYUSAN AND MOMPONG RIVERS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

As a summary, Rep. Villarosa's remaining thirty (30) bills were for: agriculture and fisheries (3); health (3); government building (1); roads and bridges (8); RTC in Lubang (2); for conservation of apo reef (2); land re-classification (2); daycare centers (1); sports facilities (3); electrification (2); water supply (2); and protection dikes (1).

Frankly, the bills -- that are reflections of what's in the mind of our congresswoman or of what she intended to afford us as her service to her constituents -- are simply potential sources for kickbacks. Pardon me, if I have this bias. But, our province longs to see and use infrastractures that are of good quality. For one, when the national road from San Jose up to San Pedro, Rizal was being constructed by a foreign construction firm, the usual observation was the ocean of difference between the craftmanship of local contractors and Han Jin construction company. Obviously, there should not be any point of comparison. Precisely, the foreign company was better equipped than the local contractors. But this was hardly seen as an acceptable explanation. In the minds of people, that the politicians had hard time mulcting from the "big company", or if the former succeeded in asking for grease money the latter had deeper pocket to compensate for the lost financial resource.

I also have this inkling that the reason for such bills is Madam Girlie's pork barrel -- that occasion for graft and corruption, as it is never liquidated. Pork barrel does not reach the solons' hands in cold cash. Sometimes, this is in the form of contracts or projects -- which, if realized, are font of easy money.

May nagawa na sa para sa bayan (daw!), may maibubulsa pa!!!

Unmistakably, too, why are there bills for the construction of gymnasiums for Calintaan and Sta. Cruz? Are these separate from the now-existing gymnasiums? Is the population of Calintaan and Sta. Cruz big enough to be probably afforded with two different gymnasiums? Mas madalas na ngang nakatiwangwang lang ang mga nakatayo na, magtatayo pa uli ng isa...

From the records of the House of Representatives, there is really no indication that the bills on electrification were approved. At least, from what's available on-line. But even before I came to know of this bill (particularly that for Dungon in Mamburao), I understood that Rep. Villarosa was to have Dungon "electrified". How? It was the campaign promise of her son, Bambi Villarosa, who ran for mayorship of Mamburao. Actually, after the defeat of Bambi, the continuation -- hey, was it started? -- of the electrification of Dungon is no longer sure.

Well, this is not what is expected from a member of the costliest Congress. You know, when her husband was the congressman, JTV crafted a law -- the present Fisheries Act -- that's really sensible; at least, by the choice of the subject.

But her husband is now languishing in jail... Hanggang kailan pa tayo magtitiis, Mindoreno?

Will someone better than her take the lead?

Parochial Concerns of Rep. Villarosa in the 13th Congress -- Education

2007-07-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

Let us now take a look at the parochial concerns of Rep. Amelita Villarosa. Her state of mind is revealed by the forty-six (46) bills that she crafted allegedly for Occidental Mindoro.

She wanted to contribute to education; thus she had 16 bills for this concern:

1. HB03014 (AN ACT CONVERTING THE MAGSAYSAY MUNICIPAL HIGH SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF MAGSAYSAY, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO INTO MAGSAYSAY NATIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES)

2. HB03638 (AN ACT CONVERTING THE MAGSIKAP NATIONAL VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN BARANGAY MAGSIKAP, MUNICIPALITY OF RIZAL, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, INTO A VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, TO BE KNOWN AS THE GOVERNOR ARSENIO L. VILLAROSA MEMORIAL VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

3. HB03972 (AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE GOVERNOR ARSENIO L. VILLAROSA MEMORIAL VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE-SAN JOSE CAMPUS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

4. HB04208 (AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO NATIONAL COLLEGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JOSE, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, TO THE OCCIDENTAL MINDORO STATE COLLEGE)

5. HB04209 (AN ACT SEPARATING THE RIZAL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL- MANOOT ANNEX IN BARANGAY MANOOT, MUNICIPALITY OF RIZAL, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, FROM THE RIZAL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, CONVERTING IT INTO AN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL TO BE KNOWN AS THE MANOOT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

6. HB04247 (AN ACT APPROPRIATING THE AMOUNT OF ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (P1,200,000.00) FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SCHOOL BUILDING FOR THE PAARALANG ELEMENTARYA NG MGA KATUTUBO SA SALAFAY LOCATED IN BARANGAY MONTECLARO, MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JOSE, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO)

7. HB04333 (AN ACT SEPARATING THE CALINTAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL - MALPALON ANNEX IN BARANGAY MALPALON, MUNICIPALITY OF CALINTAAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, FROM THE CALINTAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, CONVERTING IT INTO AN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL TO BE KNOWN AS THE MALPALON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

8. HB04344 (AN ACT APPROPRIATING THE AMOUNT OF ONE MILLION, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (1,200,000.00) FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SCHOOL BUILDING FOR THE CABACAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN BARANGAY CABACAO, MUNICIPALITY OF ABRA DE ILOG, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO)

9. HB04495 (AN ACT ESTABLISHING A SCHOOL OF FISHERIES IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF STA. CRUZ, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, TO BE KNOWN AS THE OCCIENTAL MINDORO COLLEGE OF FISHERIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES)

10. HB04771 (AN ACT SEPARATING THE PAWICAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN BARANGAY PAWICAN, MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JOSE, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, FROM THE ILING NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, CONVERTING IT INTO AN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

11. HB05356 (AN ACT CONVERTING THE OCCIDENTAL MINDORO NATIONAL COLLEGE - CAMINAWIT EXTENSION INTO AN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL TO BE KNOWN AS THE CAMINAWIT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES)

12. HB05464 (AN ACT CONVERTING THE GEN. EMILIO AGUINALDO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-SITIO KASTILA ANNEX INTO AN INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO BE KNOWN AS THE SITIO KASTILA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES)

13. HB05523 (AN ACT PROVIDNG FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL CLASSROOMS FOR THE SAN JOSE AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL HIGH SCHOOL MANGARIN EXTENSION LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JOSE, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

14. HB05626 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL CLASSROOMS FOR THE SAN JOSE AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL HIGH SCHOOL MANGARIN EXTENSION LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JOSE, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

15. HB05694 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL CLASSROOMS FOR THE DUNGON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF MAMBURAO, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

16. HB06025 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A TWO(2) CLASSROOM BUILDING FOR THE LIWAYWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATED IN BARANGAY IBUD, MUNICIPALITY OF SABLAYAN, PROVINCE OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR)

I have a different understanding of how the state of education in the province is, and have a different strategy in mind to address it. While the province really needs infrastracture -- classrooms, for example, especially in the far-flung communities -- and that the province is in need altogether of new schools, I wonder how these could uplift the quality of education in the province sans: provision of enough books, additional take-home-pay for the teachers, continuing training of teachers in their fields of expertise, recruitment of new teachers, support or subsidy for the nutritional needs of the students, among others.

A serious investigation, too, of patterns of corruption in the DepEd-Occidental Mindoro could help -- and prove to be contributing element to upliftment of our educational quality. For one, it has been a common place for district supervisors to receive freebies from ranking-applicants; in the process, losing objectivity in the selection of mind-formers of our future generation.

But, the camp of Rep. Villarosa could easily claim: "But, we are financially and materially supporting our teachers in the province, Didaskalos."

"Yes, Ma'am. You are chaining them by the pecuniary favors that you extend, ensuring that come elections again you would have teachers to do the cheating for you."

Do we get our money's worth?

2007-07-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

For the following exposition, I am indebted for my reference to, among others, www.pcij.org/i-report/2007/13thcongress.html and http://www.congress.gov.ph/.

First, how do we characterize the 13th Congress (2004-2007)? PCIJ says it is the COSTLIEST congress. Records attest that its budget was almost P13 billion (P12,511,239,000.00). (Note that the 12th congress costed us P11,231,882,000.00; while we spent P8,876,539,000.00 for the 11th congress.)

Notwithstanding its so huge a budget to partake among its fortunate members, the 13th congress was the most INEFFICIENT (among the post-Marcos congresses). The bills filed were only 8,733 -- out of which only 84 were enacted into law. (The House of Representative's bills numbered 6,114).

Thus -- thanks to the 13th congress! -- the laws that they passed were the MOST EXPENSIVE. Each law costed us, taxpayers, P148,943,321.43!

Well, one becomes curious to take a look at Rep. Amelita Villarosa's stint in the costliest congress. Can she be an exemption to the rule? By her legislative performance -- the yardstick by which all representatives must be measured, says PCIJ -- do we get our money's worth?

For 2004-2007, Villarosa's congressional committees were: Appropriations, Agrarian Reform, Agriculture and Food, Basic Education and Culture, Civil Service and Professional Regulation, Housing and Urban Development, Interparliamentary Relations and Diplomay, National Defense and Security, Public Works and Highways, Southern Tagalog Development, Women, Youth and Sports Development.

Actually, for three years, she filed a total of fiftey-seven (57) bills and three (3) resolutions. If we go by numbers -- i.e., if we equally distribute the 6,114 bills to the 231 membership of the House -- each congressman/woman should be assigned 26 bills individually. At the surface level, Rep. Villarosa must have been an exemption. But is she?

Of her 57 bills, only eleven (11) are of national significance. These are:

1. HB02946 (AN ACT PROVIDING PROTECTION TO CREDIT CARD HOLDERS BY SETTING A CEILING ON INTEREST RATES AND SURCHARGES AND PROHIBITING HIDDEN PENALTIES OR COSTS IMPOSED BY BANKS AND SIMILAR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ON PURCHASES AND CASH ADVANCES MADE THROUGH SUCH CREDIT FACILITY) [The bill sets the interest rate limit which may be imposed by credit card companies at not more than 1% per month or 12% per annum, without compounding. It likewise limits the surcharges or penalties to a ceiling of 1% per month, without compounding.]

2. HB03136 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TIMBANGAN NG BAYAN CENTER IN ALL PUBLIC MARKETS NATIONWIDE, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE CHAPTER II OF THE CONSUMER ACT OF THE PHILIPPINES) [The measure directs all local government units to establish a Timbangan ng Bayan Center in all public markets nationwide to make weighing scales readily accessible to buyers.]

3. HB03447 (AN ACT REQUIRING THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY TO LAUNCH A COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN OF ALL CURRENT LEGISLATION, JURISPRUDENCE, PRESIDENTIAL ISSUANCES AND ADMINISTRATIVE RULES AND REGULATIONS) [The bill directs the Philippine Information Agency to harness to the fullest the facilities of PTV Channel 4 and Radyo ng Bayan in undertaking a comprehensive public awareness campaign of all current legislation, jurisprudence, presidential issuances and administrative rules and regulations.]

4. HB04215 (AN ACT AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8368, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "ANTI-SQUATING LAW REPEAL ACT OF 1997") ["Revised Anti-Squatting Law of 2005". The bill considers as professional squatter/s any person or groups of persons who occupy or possess the property of a landowner against his will, or who, having received a written demand to either vacate or pay rent to said landowner, refuses to do so within a period of 90 days.]

5. HB04365 (AN ACT EXPANDING THE SUPERVISORY AND REGULATORY POWERS OF THE BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE, REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7653) ["Expanded BSP Supervisory and Regulatory Powers Act of 2005". The bill seeks to expand the supervisory and regulatory powers of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to include within the ambit of its authority, bank subsidiaries and affiliates engaged in allied activities, quasi-banks, trust entities and other non-bank financial institutions placed under the BSP supervision through special laws.]

6. HB04841 (AN ACT EXPANDING THE GROUNDS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF FILIATION, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 172 OF THE FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES)

7. HB04864 (AN ACT PROHIBITING THE PRACTICE OF WITHOLDING THE DISCHARGE OF INDIGENT PATIENTS WHO FAIL TO PAY HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL BILLS INCURRED DUE TO EMERGENCY TREATMENT AND SUPPORT, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE, SECTION 3 OF BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 702, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8344) [The bill prohibits hospitals and medical clinics from detaining patients because of their failure to settle their hospital or medical bills incurred for emergency treatment.]

8. HB04948 (AN ACT EXPANDING THE GROUNDS FOR LEGAL SEPARATION AND CONSTITUTING A COMBINATION THEREOF AS PRIMA FACIE INDICATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INCAPACITY, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE, ARTICLES 36 AND 55 OF THE FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES) [The bill expands the grounds for legal separation and make the combination of at least five (5) of such grounds as prima facie indication of psychological incapacity which, in turn, is a ground for declaration of nullity of marriage.]

9. HB05412 (AN ACT PRESCRIBING STIFFER PENALTIES FOR VIOLATORS OF ARTICLE 177 OF THE REVISED PENAL CODE WHEN COMMITTED IN CONJUCTION WITH A VIOLATION OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 493) [The bill prescribes stiffer penalties for the unauthorized use of the prescribed insignia, badge, emblem of the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the Philippine National Police.]

10. HB05449 (AN ACT ABOLISHING THE DEATH PENALTY) [The bill seeks to reduce the penalty of death to reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.]

11. HB05756 (AN ACT TO AMEND THE ANTI-SQUATTING LAW REPEAL ACT OF 1997) [“Revised Anti-Squatting Law of 2006”. The bill seeks to expand the definition of professional squatters. AN ACT TO AMEND THE ANTI-SQUATTING LAW REPEAL ACT OF 1997]

Of the eleven bills cited above, seven bills she co-authored with other congressmen/women -- the most number of co--authors she had was for bills on anti-squatting.

Having observed, thus, one maintains that to her individual credit were four bills (of national significance) only...

I find it interesting, too, that to her is credited HB 05449. Knowing that her husband was given a verdict of double-life for his participation in the murder of Quintos brothers, I came to know her as a very good wife and life-partner of Mr. Villarosa.

Ma'am, do you think we are getting our money's worth? And she would look at us and smilingly she would retort back: "But you are voting for me..."

Note: Representative Villarosa, too, may be described as parochial after limiting herself to the concerns of her district -- that is, forty-six (46) bills for Occidental Mindoro! This shall be described separately.

Political Dynasties in Occidental Mindoro -- the Old and the Budding Ones

2007-07-07T03:24:00.000-07:00

Talk of political dynasties, Occidental Mindoro has its own. First, we should just have to mention that actually the roots of most if not majority of the present political leaders of the province and municipalities of Occidental Mindoro are descendants of the Abeleda clan. They either have Abeleda as their surname or their middle name. They are either immediate past or current mayors, vice-mayor, provincial board member(s), barangay captains. If they were sporting a different surname or middle name, they can readily trace their radix by affinity or sanguinity to the Abeleda.

This is explainable by the geography of Occidental Mindoro; and with it determining the social cohesive-ness especially of the towns in the north of the province, the first political powers came from the place where the Abeleda's settled as they moved from the Cavite and Batangas. Well, that's how we began. Unfortunately, we are yet to see the end of the political tunnel with the Abeleda's.

More unfortunately, these past elections we have seen the emergence of "new" soon-to-be political dynasties. We have Jose Villarosa, his son Voltaire Anthony (a.k.a., Bambi) lost in 1997/8 elections as board member of the second district and lost again for the mayoral position of Mamburao in 2007, his wife Ma. Amelita (the present Representative of the lone district of Occidental Mindoro). Can anyone, please, provide information as to how JTV and Sugar or Candy Villarosa are blood-related?

We have Godofredo Mintu, who has been the mayor of Sablayan for a long time already; his son, Edwin, despite his dismal performance as Municipal Councilor in 2004-2007, ranked first again in 2007; his wife's brother, Mr. Nicanor, who was a long time barangay captain of Sto. Nino, Sablayan, ran -- did he win? -- as councilor of Sablayan. It has been a rumor in Sablayan that Mintu's wife, Edna Nicanor Mintu, could be a contender for the post that he's going to vacate because of his age.

We have Sonia Pablo, the mayor of Rizal, Occidental Mindoro. Interestingly, his son who was serving as an errand boy in the House of Representative courtesy of Amelita Villarosa, the major patroness of Mayor Pablo, campaigned for a seat in provincial council and won. There is speculation that in elections of 2010, Sonny Pablo's going to take the place of his mother, who is serving out her last term.

Another troubling trend is observed in some other municipalities: in Paluan, when Abe Pangilinan was barred by term limits as mayor of his town, his wife took over and served a single term; after which Abe reclaimed the position. He is now serving his second term. In Abra de Ilog, after three terms of Mayor Meg Montenegro, his husband took over. A lawyer by profession, he is now running Abra de Ilog.

Second generation politicians there are also: the deceased Mayor Barrera of Magsaysay was a righteous man; he was replaced by his son, Marleo, whose background as a casino employee in the city did not help him direct his municipality along the right path for six years. The present mayor of Magsaysay is a son of a former mayor and former provincial board member. Councilor Vicky Villarosa of San Jose is daughter of a long-time governor of Occidental Mindoro -- Gov. Arsenio Villarosa, who can best explain why the province has been lagging behind in almost all aspect of development in comparison to its neighboring island provinces.

Then, we have the political accomodations that is observed in the cases of now Mayor Estoya and Vice Mayor Paulino of Calintaan. They must have been thinking that they actually own the political seats! So, to avert the possibility of being replaced, they switched positions..

These are unfortunate occasions and transpirations! Especially if seen from this point of view: is there really a dearth of qualified, new faces and breed of politicians in and for Occidental Mindoro?

Back to the Present

2007-07-06T07:19:00.001-07:00

A Mamburao-hailed political scientist, Dr. Remigio Agpalo, published a book (Adventures in Political Science) featuring his essays on various subjects well within his expertise. I would like to quote from his article: The Politics of Occidental Mindoro (in pages 120-122):

"...(A)n account of the Congressman's politics, no matter how brief, will bring out all the salient points of the politics of Occidental Mindoro.

"Congressman Felipe Abeleda was first elected as representative of Occidental Mindoro in 1953. Since that year he has been serving in Congress continuously, having been elected in 1957 and 1961. In terms of privileged speeches, which are means by which a legislator may ventilate the problems and needs of his constituents or inform and educate the public about significant issues, the records of the House of Representatives showed that the total numbers of speeches delivered from 1954 to 1962 were 735. However, Congressman Felipe Abeleda, until 1962, had yet to deliver his maiden address.

"(...the number of participations in floor deliberations were also tabulated...) for the period from 1958 to 1961 to discover the ten outstanding legislators, and the ... findings were very interesting. Congressman Felipe Abeleda's name was not included among the ten highest scorers under debates, nor under explanations of votes, nor under interpellations, nor under questions of privilege, nor under speeches for or against bills, nor under sponsorship speeches on bills. It is only under amendments where the Congressman's name was included. During the period ..., 1958-1961, the Congressman offered 45 amendments.

"With regard to bills introduced in the House of Representatives, the Congressman's share was only 107 out of the total of 11,788 bills introduced from 1954 to 1960... Since there were 102 members of the House of Representatives, the average share of each legislator should be around 115. Congressman Abeleda's share, therefore, is 8 less than the average. Realistically, the Congressman's share could even be reduced further because not all of the 107 bills were introduced by him alone. Of the 107 bills listed under his name, 64 were introduced by the Congressman in cooperation with other legislators. Thus, only 43 bills can be credited to the Congressman exclusively.

"Congressman Abeleda, for the period of 1954-1960, introduced 25 original bills meant for Occidental Mindoro. Then of these bills sought to grant franchises to certain individuals. Four bills involved changing of names, two barrios and two schools. Four bills were meant to establish schools, two to create barrios, two to establish agencies in the province, one national road, and one to protect and save the tamarao... from extinction. One can easily see that the four bills involving changing of names are trivial and the ten bills involving franchises are meant to favor particular individuals. Although some of the bills are really worthy, one balace the Congressman's record insofar as bills are concerned can stand plenty of improvement.

"Congressman Felipe Abeleda won a berth in the list of ten outstanding Congressmen in 1963 as evaluated by the Philippine Free Press. The Congressman's winning a place in the PFP's roll of honor was primarily based on his fairness in dealing with the investigation of a Congressman's alleged misuse of the privilege speech before the House of Representative. (He) then was the chairman of the committee charged to investigate the case.

"In spite of his record in Congress, the Congressman has won every congressional election in Occidental Mindoro since 1953. Why? He knows how to please voters all over Occidental Mindoro by employing various techniques. In some municipalities, he is a generous road-builder, legal counselor, recommendation-maker, job-giver, and guardian angel; in others he can be harsh by not helping in the releasing of funds for school buildings and other projects. He has won the loyalty of his sub-leaders and followers by taking care of them whenever they need his advice, or help on various matters. He has extended his family through sanguinal, affinal, and compadrazgo relationships. He has multiplied his party followers through patronage at the Bureau of Public Works at the Emergency Employment Agency.

"Aside from these methods, the Congressman wins political support through his personality. He has a nice smile or firm handshake for everyone, and he does not have to force himself to be a man of the masses. The Congressman is sociable and hospitable, and his house is open to any person who needs his personal services.

"In short, all chains are used to bind the voters and minor leaders of Occidental Mindoro to the Congressman's leadership -- the chain of utang na loob, the chain of love and friendship, the chain of fear of deprivation, of desired goods or services, the chain of the party system, sanguinal chains, and the compadrazgo chain."

Nay, as said at the beginning of this entry, it's Rep. Felipe Abeleda's congressional historical performance that is being exposed.

Kung may pagkakatulad po sa kasalukuyan, hindi po ito sinasadya... Pero, sa Kanlurang Mindoro, ang karamihan sa mga pulitiko ay magkakadugo.

Election Cheating that was

2007-07-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

The difference of the May 2007 elections is -- this is true in a national scale -- people seemed to be more vocal in narrating their knowledge and/or experience of cheating. Remember, the current presidency of PGMA is yet to recover from allegation that she cheated her way to Malacanan.
A fellow told me that he was asked by personalities identified with the political camp of Jose Tapales Villarosa (JTV) to proceed to a particular house in Dona Consuelo Subdivision, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. It was learned later that in picking out who to invite for this meeting, politicians usually do their "mapping of precincts", consisting of identifying who the chairmen of the Board of Election Inspectors are and about their political allegiance. In the meeting, a man whom he did not know introduced himself as a COMELEC lawyer from Manila. This guy facilitated the explanation of the modus operandi. He discussed how to switch ballots!
My informant told me further that he was given one hundred filled-up ballots -- fifty ballots were of blue ink, fifty ballots were accomplished with black ink. (As I see it, this is going to put the JTV camp to advantage with an average of fifty votes per precinct.) He was given too rubber bands, blue and black ball pens, and other supplies very similar to those issued by the COMELEC.
The instruction was to switch the ballot during the canvassing. He was given P1,500 -- you know for what? We tell him, it's training fee. Then, he continued: after the canvassing, he was expected to return to the house in Dona Consuelo Subdivision to surrender the authentic ballots, and to claim the remaining balance. It is reported that for any chairman of BEI who could successfully switch the ballots, some twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) was given.
One can surmise: what is there in getting elected that one resorts to cheating just to be of service to his/her fellows?
By the way, it was told too that during the orientation session it was made known that JTV's mind was for the six candidates' names to find their way to the ballots -- later I learned also that this was the same condition for the conduct of vote buying, reportedly in Pag-asa, San Jose, where the candidate for vice mayor of San Jose was even present. These names were: Amelita Villarosa (Representative), Ronilo Omanio (Governor), Rey Ladaga (Vice Governor), Sugar Villarosa (Board Member), Jose Tapales Villarosa (Mayor of San Jose), and Uly Javier (Vice Mayor of San Jose).
After the elections, following the foiling of ballot switching activities of a teacher assigned for electoral duty in Caminawit, San Jose and another one in Mamburao, both political camps of JTV and Sato started their trades of accusations.
As I was emphatically telling Max Marquez and Gaudencio Espiritu, the thing was for the last elections it was their party that was caught brazenly cheating...
I am simply happy for one reason -- the conscience of my informant did let permit him to switch ballot. May pag-asa pa talaga pag may mga ganitong tao!

Moral Shortsightness

2007-07-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

In Occidental Mindoro, politicians during elections are abusing the Mangyans -- resulting to disenfranchisement of the latter. In May 2007 elections, there were reported three areas where the abuse might take place -- in Paluan, Sta Cruz and in San Jose or Rizal where the Mangyan-Buhid are.
The elections -- reduced to a number game, which could and should be won no matter what tactics and antics one applies -- provide the reason and the occasion for the Mangyans to be herded down to the mountains away from their communities by the cohorts of the politicians, and into a place that is either lent to or owned by the political candidate. There, the Mangyans are fed and given an instruction to write on their ballots the name of their politician-"benefactor" -- if they can write -- or tell whoever assists them inside the polling place the name of their candidate.
For the Mangyans, this practise is "pagkukulong." For the politicians, this is "pag-aalaga."
Last May, the practise was documented by GMA-7 and shown in national television through the Imbestigador.
Shamed because they were caught -- and not because of the reprehensible act that they committed against the Mangyans -- the people of Paluan who are identified with Mayor Abe Pangilinan of Paluan wrote a petition letter to the Bishop of AVSJ to remove from Paluan the assigned parish priest. They allege that the pastor was the one who requested for the media coverage; and on that account he put Paluan in bad light.
This is disgustingly interesting: which puts Paluan in bad light -- the media coverage of their violation of suffrage of the Mangyans, or the violation itself of suffrage of the Mangyans?
Sometimes, one's being elected in public office is not a guarantee of moral righteousness... Nay, more often than not, we find moral shortsightedness among our elected leaders.

Note: Actually, GMA-7 likewise attempted to document the same practise in Sta. Cruz. The former mayor's men proved to be more rough to the media people. In San Jose and Rizal, the plan must have been aborted in the last minute.

The Deceitfully Ambitious Priest

2007-07-05T05:05:00.000-07:00

For the elections 2007, there were three men of cloth who ventured into politics. The most known is Fr. Ed Panlilio of Pampanga. He's an alumnus of Saint Augustine Major Seminary, Tagaytay City. A very sensible man, he was for a long time assigned as social action director of their diocese. He was at the forefront during the Mt. Pinatubo devastation. He's the most known, because he won over the wife of a jueteng lord and the incumbent governor whose repute was besmirched by quarry anomalies. Now, he's the governor of Pampanga.
The second priest to run for public office was a certain monsignor from Zamboanga. Frankly, I knew nothing about this former Cathedral parish priest. they say.
The third comes from Mindoro Occidental. He is Fr. Ronilo Maat Omanio. He's from Rumbang, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro. Fifteen years in the ministry, he was assigned as Chancellor, Manager of DZVT -- a Church-owned radio station, and parish priest to the parishes of San Rafael (Abra de Ilog), St. Joseph (Central, San Jose) and Holy Cross (Sta Cruz).
It was the Holy Cross Parish that he deserted for his political ambition.
Take it from an insider. No one really had a hint of his political ambition. For how could one who is not known to have an inkling to socio-political actions suddenly file his certificate of candidacy beating the deadline last March 29, 2007? How could anyone suspect of his thinking when he's known to be a choreographer and never as ideologue?
Things can be presented clearer if we mention some events relative to March 29, 2007. In March 19-23, 2007, the clergy of AVSJ had their Lenten gathering. He was present. As he made it to appear, he was concern about an issue involving a lot/property in his parish (this issue is quite complicated that it begs for separate discussion). So, we were talking about the lot/property issue. In fact, the governor of the province was even invited -- who in turn asked the provincial assessor to join. For me, the significant occurence was as we were dismissed following the adjourment of the meeting, he hugged the governor and pledged his unwavering support to her: 'Nene, wag kang mag-alala; ako pa rin ang tagapagtanggol mo sa Sta. Cruz."
During the Lenten gathering of clergy, too, he asked that the bishop proceeds to Sta. Cruz for a dialogue allegedly with his officers of PPC and PFC. The bishop obliged and proceeded to the place on the 28th. As it turned out, Fr. Omanio wrote his communities and asked for delegates for the dialogue! He even provided them with free transportation. What was supposed to be a dialogue between the bishop and his consorts and the representatives of the faithful of the parish turned out to be a moment where the bishop was booed and embarassed. (I just do not know if the guy knew that he could have been removed from his post in the parish simply by what he caused the bishop...) During that dialogue, he tied the hands of the bishop by declaring that if the bishop decides against the property he's to leave the priesthood; but should the bishop decides for the property, he's to remain. The bishop promised to give his decision the following day.
Unknown to the bishop, on the 27th of March -- or a day before the dialogue -- Fr. Omanio already had his urine sample submitted to the laboratory as prerequisite for filing of candidacy! The sample was brought to San Jose by Board Member Gaudencio Espiritu... tsk!tsk!tsk! Talk of deceit, and this is a classic example.
On the 29th, the bishop conveyed his decision that he's deciding for the property. As per the condition of the ambitious priest, he's to remain. But at around 7pm, he proceeded to COMELEC-Mamburao to file his candidacy. He said he was running as an independent candidate. But, even before he filed his candidacy, an informant from COMELEC talked of a phone call from Jose Villarosa (JTV) -- our discredited politician, who's now in jail serving the double life terms he was given on account of the Quintos brothers murder -- giving an instruction to wait for "his priest-candidate".
Immediately he was suspended.
From the day one of the campaign, the ambitious priest is manifestly not prepared. He had no political agenda -- only political ambition, and all those perks that go with any political position. Actually, he had to resort to peddle lies instead of his plans for governance. His lies are too many to mention here (unless another separate discussion is devoted to it).
After the smoke had arisen to the sky, and the dusts settled on the ground, the victor was clear. Fr. Omanio was defeated by not less than 20,000 votes.
An oriental religion has its concept of karma... but I am a Catholic.

What are priests for?

2007-07-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

For people who have no theological background, the question is easily answered. Priests are for sacral functions. They officiate baptism, preside over Eucharistic assemblies, bless the dead, hear one's confession of sins.

But, are these the priests' functions? Are they being fed by the people for these works?

I do not think these are the essential functions of the priests. Even in the days of the First Christians, the cultic functions are not the reason-for-existence of the sacerdos. Proof is: how can we ignore the historical data about the primacy of the presidency over the community as against the presidency over the liturgical assemblies?

Yes, priests are actually for leadership functions.. Their cultic functions make sense only insofar as they are first acting as leaders of the community.

Nearing its Silver Jubilee

2007-07-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

The Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose de Mindoro, Philippines has just celebrated its 24th canonical erection anniversary (July 1, 2007). It was separated from the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan in 1983.

On its 24th year as an ecclesiatical territory, one can reminisce the periods rough and smooth it has been through. It is now governed by its second Vicar Apostolic, the Most Rev. Antonio P. Palang, SVD, DD since 2002 (he ruled over AVSJ as Apostolic Administrator since 2000 until his episcopal ordination and canonical possession of Occidental Mindoro). The first Vicar Apostolic was graciously eased out following a number of "issues" against him.

What's the significance of this year's celebration? Simplistically, in 2008 will be the silver anniversary of the ecclesiastical territory as a local Church! Such a milestone for any human organization.

Seen from the perspective of faith, the twenty-four or twenty-five years of existence as a local Church is an occasion for the faithful to self-examination or soul-search. The Good Lord has not given the Mindorenos that number of years for nothing. As popularly said, for every grace that is received, there is corresponding responsibility. With every year that passes, one is expected to be more mature and to have learned more; and, in the process, one has become sturdier and stronger and wiser.

For this year, the AVSJ has declared July 1, 2007 -- June 30, 2008 as Year of Family (YF). This is quite novel for the local Church. The primary intention is to consolidate all its pastoral efforts -- at least for this year -- and aim for a singular target. This is -- to my estimate -- a wise administrative step.

Last year (that is, July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007) was Year of Social Concerns (YSC). While the results of the evaluation about the parochial program implementations are still underway, there are already indications of some frustrating occurences. Frustrating, because these are pointers to the absence of a number of -- in some cases, of even basic -- administrative skills among the clergy.

As the YF has begun, I enjoin the readers of this blog to pray for us. Please, ... we do want to learn and build on the lessons that we've gotten with pain from the YSC, to help us get to terms with our YF.