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A4 COMMENTARY Saturday, 13 July 2019 Daily Tribune Demonization overdrive “The stand of the administration of Rody is that the responsibility to protect starts with protecting the innocent against the vicious elements of society. Daily Tribune WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR Chito Lozada Aldrin Cardona Dinah Ventura John Henry Dodson Roy Pelovello Larry Payawal Komfie Manalo Geraldine Datoy The shrill voices of the international detractors of President Rody Duterte, notwithstanding, public order had recorded huge strides particularly in the reduction of crime on the streets in the three year of his administration. According to the latest data of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the crime volume from July 2018 to June 2019 fell by 11 percent compared to the previous year mainly as a result of the government’s focus on public order. DILG secretary Eduardo Año attributed the improvement to “participatory governance” among the government, local agencies and ordinary citizens President Rody Duterte bombards listeners of his speech about the need for citizens to be assertive and alert while government have to respond quickly to calls for assistance. The basic tenets of Rody’s pursuits for a better life for Filipinos is based on the best way that he can achieve reforms within the limited term of six years. Such a philosophy have been lost to his international opponents who are fed with unproven conjectures. Another proof that the efforts of the administration had led to improved lives was the three notches gain in the country’s ranking in the 2019 Global Peace Index in which it placed 134th out of 163 countries, up three places from 137th. Through the maligned war on drugs, DILG records showed 12,099 barangays have been declared as “drug-free” while 1.3 million drug dependents have surrendered to the police. Año said those who yielded were given a second chance in life through the Balay Silangan Program and institutionalized the community-based drug rehabilitation program in all local governments which counter allegations of executions of those involved in the drugs menace. The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), in a close vote, adopted an Iceland-initiated resolution to initiate an international probe on the anti-narcotics campaign through 18 votes in favor, 14 against and 15 abstentions. Department of Foreign Affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. questioned the validity of the UNHRC resolution since it was not universally adopted. “It does not represent the will of the Council, much less that of the developing countries who are always the target of such resolutions,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, said in a statement. He noted that the usual detractors of “Through the maligned war on drugs, DILG records showed 12,099 barangays have been declared as “drug-free” while 1.3 million drug dependents have surrendered to Patricia Ramos Board Chair Willie Fernandez Publisher and President Executive Editor Managing Editor Associate Editor Digital Editor Central Desk Editor Central Desk Advertising and Marketing Rody, which are mostly European countries, pushed for the resolution to impose their arrogance on developing countries who must not stand up to them. The Iceland resolution was solely based on data provided by the political opponents of Rody who have concocted extrajudicial killings figures which were already debunked by official data and investigations conducted by Congress. Locsin described as politically partisan and one-sided the Iceland resolution, reiterating Manila’s position to reject it. “We will not accept a politically the police. partisan and one-sided resolution, so detached from the truth on the ground. It comes straight from the mouth of the Queen in Alice in Wonderland, ‘First the judgment, then the proof’,” he said. Fourteen nations voted against the resolution including Angola, Bahrain, Cameroon, Hungary, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. Japan, South Africa, Brazil and Pakistan abstained. “We renew our solidarity with our true friends who have stood by us in this farce. But we will not tolerate any form of disrespect or acts of bad faith. There will be consequences; far-reaching ones,” Locsin said. The UNHRC action boils down to the methods on the war on drugs which the European nations wanted changed so that addiction is treated as a health problem instead of a social menace. Such a shift is untenable for the country since it is expensive and would encourage syndicates to thrive. The stand of the administration of Rody is that the responsibility to protect starts with protecting the innocent against the vicious elements of society. Rody once said “Your concern is human rights, mine is human lives” which is a pretty straightforward and basic English but which his prejudiced faultfinders refused to understand. “The only reason why the president gave the suggestion is those vying for it went to him and sought his wise suggestion to settle the row between and among them. Apparently, the reported 18th Speaker, Alan Peter Cayetano, may not become the 18th Speaker after all — if a House vote called before the President’s State of the Nation Address rejects him. Presidential son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte was said to have thrown broad hints that the speakership fight is far from over as it seems that Cayetano does not have the votes, and that one of three candidates for Speaker will be challenging the Duterte endorsed speaker. This message was the hint to House members in a sense a negative vote for Cayetano. The talk of a House coup of sorts is not quite an all-out coup, as a takeover by another candidate as it will reportedly be done through a congressional vote, which then would be done according to constitutional and House rules. And it does look like Cayetano may not even be speaker for a day, despite being President Duterte’s candidate for the top House post especially since the Palace the other day came out to state that the speakership depends on the members of the House FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares The ambitious infrastructure development program of “While the government has spurred most of that unprecedented capital expansion stigma was initiatives from both the government due to the and the private sector. Government needs money, more money to build failure of those roads, ports, airports and the Aquino bridges which it hopes will not administration merely upgrade our crusted old to spend for infrastructure facilities enough to infrastructure attract foreign direct investments much (FDI) and produce real growth but required in the short run, likewise provide spending that is a principal driver of and needed GDP. Hopefully these catalyze true by FDI. and meaningful employment that leads to economic inclusivity. It’s a development roadmap that the previous administration did not only dismiss as it stole away credit from previous economic initiatives, but one sorely necessary given exclusivities of its growth rhetoric and the eventual hollowness of its promises. Seeing such government initiatives from the sidelines, the private sector has taken its cue. They’ve likewise been catalyzed to invest. And we are not only talking about the large business consortia that have come together to build airports and dams. There are quite a number of small time investors who buck the trend and have been bravely and boldly speculating on real property likely to increase in value once water, electricity and accessibility features are developed from government’s “Build, Build, Build” program. Local businessmen are naturally more approving of the government’s economic initiatives. They seem to be leading the way far in front of foreign equity investment. Note the sudden House coup? of Representatives to elect its own leaders. Moreover, Sal Panelo, Palace spokesman, in a press briefing made it clear that it is the members of the House who make the decision on their next speaker. “In the ultimate analysis, the vote on the speaker would lie on members of Congress. The only reason why the president gave the suggestion is those vying for it went to him and sought his wise suggestion to settle the row between and among them,” Panelo said. “He’s not interfering. They approached him so they granted their request. It’s up to them,” Panelo added. The Palace’s seeming turnaround on the issue may be traced to the congressional perception that Cayetano just doesn’t have the gravitas of a fourth successor to the presidency. And quite honesty, he fails to gain the respect of other members of Congress, as Cayetano is not only a divisive leader, as his days in the Senate serve as proof of not only his divisiveness but worse, his well-known penchant to accuse without proof, then needlessly destroys reputations of those he Deeper in Debt increase in credit lines opened by rural builders and contractors outside the metropolis. Unfortunately, there is a stigma carried over from the last administration with regard to attracting FDI. While most of that stigma was due to the failure of the Aquino administration to spend for infrastructure much required and needed by FDI’s, Duterte’s own infrastructure program has been delayed by a number of snags the most notorious of which was the just-concluded budget impasse created by openly vicious disputes on congress’s pork barrel insatiability and our congressmen’s underlying propensity for greed and corruption. These FDI stigma and the unnecessary delays in fund drawdowns and expenditures caused by dirty rotten partisan politics at the House of Representatives impact on an investor’s choice of sources for capital expansion and investments. “Local businessmen are naturally more approving of the government’s economic initiatives. Risk mitigation has become a more important factor than it would normally be had not the delays and political volatility been present and continuing. Investment horizons for equity are shorter and greater internal rates of return are expected when risks margins are included wants destroyed to aggrandize himself. On a congressional vote — and if one other candidate that has the majority votes in his pocket — whoever are still with Cayetano in their belief that he is the presidential anointed — will make a U-turn and dump Cayetano, instead give their vote to whoever has the numbers — and whichever committee leaders have the promised choice committees in the bag — should the other candidate get the majority vote. “Even Cayetano knows he doesn’t have the majority of the congressional vote. BYSTANDER Dean de la Paz As the presidential son stated: “There is still an election on 22 July and I am more interested in that on who will win because there are reports that someone is planning to launch a coup that day. It seems that the fight is not yet over for the three candidates and their supporters.” It should be fairly easy for the House majority with a challenge to junk the speakership bid of Cayetano, given that he has the least votes in the House, and he knows it, which is why he rushed to Malacañang and cried for help from President Duterte. He did not even have the votes to become the vice president in the electoral battle in 2016, and even as Duterte’s vice presidential bet. And he hasn’t even shown strong leadership qualities, which may mean that he can’t get the programs of Duterte going. If one of two other candidates for the Speakership get together, they certainly can get their supporters in the House to jointly vote for the strongest candidate between the two contenders to end Cayetano’s bid, as he has the least supporters, should it come to a vote for him as speaker in a few weeks. The way it really looks, even Cayetano knows he doesn’t have the majority of the congressional vote, which is the reason he ran to get Duterte’s open endorsement, which may not work for his bid on House election day. Still, if some House members toe what they think is the presidential line, the supporters of the two other candidates, Lord Allan Velasco and Martin Romualdez don’t vote for Cayetano and vote for one of two bets, Cayetano will not win the vote for the speakership, which is Cayetano’s just desserts. But if the majority of congressmen toeing the presidential line give their vote obediently to Cayetano, a repeat of another congressional coup may yet further cut short Cayetano’s speakership — if he ever gets it. in discounting future cash flows. Added to the tendency toward risk sharing these altogether compel those with expansion plans into debt financing more than the equity route. Such debt bias is noticeable and measurable, manifested especially in recent months. At the start of the year our total outstanding debt rose to a new high of P7.494 trillion. Domestic debt, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total outstanding amount, increased 2.8 percent month-on-month in January and 10.8 percent year-on-year to P4.91 trillion. The increase in locally sourced debt is due to the net issuance of government securities which, other than fund government’s programs also offsets the downward valuation of onshore dollar bonds brought about by the fluctuations of the peso. The latter was evident when the peso appreciated slightly over the dollar recently. From the start of the year through to the end of the last quarter, even as domestic debt remained at two-thirds of outstanding, its absolute amounts grew even where the peso eventually depreciated. Domestic debt from P4.91 trillion in January is now P5.26 trillion. This total includes an additional P50.95 billion secured through Treasury bills and bonds. All told, at the end of 2019’s first semester total debts effectively rose by as much as 8.5 percent compared to the end-2018 level. Count the money. We are indeed deeper in debt. Published daily by the Daily Tribune Publishing Co., with offices at 3450 Concept Bldg., Florida Street, Makati City • Editorial: (02) 831-0496 • Administration: dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To advertise and subscribe: ads@tribune.net.ph, dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To submit an opinion article, email opinion@tribune.net.ph. To submit a letter to the editor, email: letters@tribune.net.ph • News: news@tribune.net.ph • Metro: metro@tribune.net.ph • Lifestyle: lifestyle@tribune.net.ph • Business: biz@tribune.net.ph • Sports: sports@tribune.net.ph • PR: pr@tribune.net.ph.
Saturday, 13 July 2019 Daily Tribune “There are those of us who hate to be reassigned, to cover beats other than what we do at the moment some have been known to quit and work at a rival newspaper instead to remain in place. This must have been well before the turn of the millennium, around 1998, when as financial reporter at The Daily Tribune with the red masthead I was sent on an errand as proxy of the business editor. Then, as now, the business editor was busy at the desk and delegated the task of meeting then Sen. Gloria Arroyo at dinner. As soon as I entered the room I already wanted out because all the big names in all the news publications were there with their fine clothes, their big stories and their hearty laugh. But one of those guys, Philip Lustre, who hardly knew me personally, quickly saw that I hesitated and would have none of what I was planning to do. He would ask for my name and introduced me to everyone and when that was done and the conversation went quickly back to normal, he would say to my ear, “don’t go small over these big guys at table. At some point ahead, you, too, will be editor.” Philip and I would toast about that aborted early evening turnabout over his favorite bottle of beer in Timog many years later. I would Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares desperately wants to be in the news as often as possible. The on-going power struggle for the leadership of the House of Representatives has relegated Poe to the sidelines. For almost all of the last two weeks of June, nothing was heard from her. In the Senate, neophyte “Commuters will be pleased to know that last November 2017, the DoTr officially terminated its contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc., the maintenance service provider engaged by the Aquino administration for “In a sense there is some truth to this assertion as the military often did express concern over domestic issues and did something about it. senators led by Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go have filed so many bills upon assuming office, enough to upstage Poe. Poe is still recovering from her embarrassment in the May 2019 senatorial polls. She was expecting to reprise her first place finish in the 2013 senatorial elections. Alas, the honor this year went to Senator Cynthia Villar. Being dislodged from the MRT-3 system. first place was enough to upset Poe, and to make her assistants regret it. Her failure to make it to number one indicates that Poe’s plans for another presidential run in 2022 will not be a walk in the park after all. Cynthia Villar is now in Poe’s list of possible adversaries for the highest office in the land. Last week, when Poe criticized the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte for what she alleged as the slow pace in the renovation of the mass transport system in the metropolis, particularly the MRT-3 train system, she wasn›t really concerned about the transport woes of the citizenry. She simply wanted to give the public the wrong impression that a vital need of the populace — adequate transportation — is being neglected by LIMBAROK Jun Vallecera Is the military restless? If we are to go by the Mr. Duterte’s public pronouncements and the subsequent clarifications by his people, the answer is yes. The men and women in uniform are agitated, but not necessarily for the reasons he stated. In his remarks after holding talks with the three presumptive bets for the House speakership, Mr. Duterte said he needed the House to be quickly in order because of the urgent need to amend the 1987 Constitution to avoid an uprising by the military, which, according to Mr. Duterte, was “really hot on it.” A rough English translation of Mr. Duterte’s mix of Tagalog and English remarks reads: “I said, ‘If you want to change the Constitution, do it now. I am still here.’ And I can tell the military, ‘No, no, no. You better… Because tempers are rising in the military. And I have told you all the corruption in the government, its worse in the higher positions.” As is usual with Mr. Duterte’s often elliptical and garbled stream of consciousness pronouncements he did not clearly elaborate on what he exactly meant. Mr. Duterte’s mouthpiece Salvador Panelo subsequently explained Mr. Duterte’s explosive remarks about the military’s supposed intentions about giving the jackboot to this administration. Panelo speculated the military brass may have told Mr. Duterte of the growing dissatisfaction among troops even if both military and the police publicly assured there were no plans to oust Mr. Duterte. Last Tuesday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson reassured the public with the usual and appropriate statement the military “shall remain loyal to Reporters and editors remind him of that dinner a few times since then and he would always say he does not remember. But I do. Among my own set of colleagues in reporting, very few aspire for an editing job. Most would rather remain reporters all their lives. Recto Mercene comes to mind. He’s been at it for so long he’s been said to have “shot” Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. on that fateful day in August decades ago. He reported on the country’s foreign policy when the Department of Foreign Affairs was simply known then as the foreign office and he knows airlines and airports far more than anyone reporting on the subject at present. There are those of us who hate to be reassigned, to cover beats other than what we do at the moment some have been known to quit and work at a rival newspaper instead to remain in place. There is wisdom in covering as much of the field as one possibly can, be a well-rounded reporter, but for some of us the inertia is just too immense. In my own time, when I was finally asked Jackboot to move up and do desk work, I, too, initially refused. The thought of sitting on your ass for the greater part of the day cleaning after other people’s mess is just too much. I would have none of it. I said no quite a number of times then and it was all the guys upstairs could do to persuade me to change my mind and handle other people’s copy. What got me in the end was not the strength of the argument that it is more professionally rewarding upstairs. To some extent that is true but most of that argument is bull. Editing copy at six in the evening knowing that colleagues are out there drinking beer and hobnobbing with sources is not my idea of fun. But I did go, finally, at some point, convincing myself this was for professional growth, as confusing as that sounds. I must admit that I keep looking back. I remember the editor who would teach me financial reporting, Ely Lopez, who would not tolerate factual and grammatical mistakes. He was one loose to using P.I. curses on a mistake as important at the proper use of prepositions and idioms. Then there was Butch del Castillo who would ask me to explain inflation, GDP and other economic concepts in Tagalog, unmindful that my Bisaya tongue that often gets in the Grace Poe’s undisclosed secrets the administration. Poe pretends to be unaware that the Department of Transportation (DoTr) has arranged for the purchase and delivery of high-grade rail tracks for the MRT-3 train system. The tracks were purchased from Nippon Steel, an industrial giant based in Japan. A shipment consisting of 50 percent of the total order will arrive at the port of Manila before the end of August 2019. The Japanese-made steel tracks are sturdier and smoother than the low-grade existing tracks installed on the MRT-3 system by corrupt officials identified with President Benigno Aquino III and his the flag, to the Constitution, and to the Filipino people.” Panelo, however, could not adequately explain what the military wanted. “It is not clear what changes in the Charter are being proposed to specifically solve corruption, drugs, terrorism and other problems supposedly raised by the military. When asked about it Panelo gave two unrelated examples: the removal of restrictions to foreign investment, and the solution to EDSA traffic…” as one news report had it. Nonetheless, in other news reports Panelo said “the premise there, under the Consitution the AFP is the protector of the people. So, if the military knows there are anomalies and corruption… they react, why is it like that?” In all of the above, it is obvious the Palace wants us to believe that whatever is agitating the military it is about pressing domestic concerns like corruption. In a sense there is some truth to this assertion as the military often did express concern over domestic issues and did something about it. Recent history bears out this assertion as the Reform the Armed Forces (RAM) in the Marcos years, the Young Officers Union (YOU) in the Cory Aquino and Ramos years, and the Magdalo in the Arroyo years had the unmistakable stamp of expressing domestic concerns, not only about corruption but also whether or not the military should grab political power in face of those concerns. Panelo is also correct to emphasize the constitutional provision stating the AFP is “the protector of the people,” a key phrase which has defined the military’s relations with civilian government. cohorts in the now disgraced Liberal Party. Commuters will be pleased to know that last November 2017, the DoTr officially terminated its contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc., the maintenance service provider engaged by the Aquino administration for the MRT-3 system. When the rehabilitated MRT-3 system becomes fully functional, train capacity is expected to double to 650,000 commuters daily. There will be no more endless waits, surprise stops, and malfunctioning coach doors, thanks to the quality of the Japanese supplies. Article II, section 3 of the Constitution reads: “Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the state and the integrity of the national territory.” Much have been made out of this constitutional phrase “the protector of the people and the State” ever since the ouster of Marcos. The provision led to many an acrimonious debate on what is the military’s exact role in the country’s politics were and whether or not the provision led dangerously to military adventurism. The debates quieted down “The recent incident involving Filipino fishermen left to drown in the Recto Bank showed where the military stood. in recent years owing to the singular fact the previous governments have started modernizing the military. The military modernization program is preoccupying the military as recent as yesterday. Our recent times, however, and in particular in face of the geo-political troubles in the West Philippine Sea, brought to the fore the other important provision that the military is “to secure the sovereignty of the state and the integrity of the national territory.” It is quite obvious the Palace did not want to stray into that explosive provision or acknowledge it as another reason for the military’s supposed restlessness. One can see many reasons for this, but one pronounced reason is Mr. Duterte’s view any COMMENTARY A5 way to on air discussions, in his mid-day radio program. He would call without warning, certain that I could wing whatever it was he requested explained to his noontime audience. He would teach me to think fast and to think clearly, something that I and most others could do only with practice. But I would remember the most about this source who would not speak to me for five years, who would go livid whenever I was in the room and behave abhorrently every chance he gets. He was mistakenly sore at me for something my own editor did and would not listen to any of my explanation. While this “In my own time, when I was finally asked to move up and do desk work, I, too, initially refused. was happening, my paper would not have the important stories that can only come from him and my editor, who started the fire himself, would continue to push for stories unmindful of the firestorm he created. But I would tame that fire after five years and that man would give me a story that won me a citation as reporter of the year. The man, who insists on his privacy even now, taught me patience. By next year, the tram system in Metropolitan Manila will be expanded and major stations will be interconnected using safe, durable and reliable rail tracks and coaches. Before Poe continuous with her unfounded attacks against the administration, she should engage in some stocktaking about herself and her political game plan. There is still no legal closure to Poe›s claim to natural-born Philippine citizenship. As a foundling whose military assertion in the West Philippine Sea is hopeless and a useless sacrifice of soldiers’ lives. But there are indications, all done in private and not publicly, the military is not at all happy about the civilian leadership’s seemingly lack of resolve, at the moment, in asserting constitutional provisions about protecting resources in the contested seas. If anything, the recent incident involving Filipino fishermen left to drown in the Recto Bank showed where the military stood. Immediately after the incident came to light the military brass immediately condemned the incident in no uncertain terms. It was only after Mr. Duterte broke his prolonged silence on the matter that the military moderated its reactions. At any rate, I must express caution here as this is still a quick take on what has been publicly said so far on the issue. There is still the matter of what in the journalist trade is called access journalism, which means making sources involved in the issue talk. In this case, reticent soldiers who still loathe having their view made public. So, as we anxiously await what soldiers really say of their wants, what I have just said can still turn out naively inappropriate and even untrue. Still, this does prevent us from making a momentary conclusion that Mr. Duterte is playing a game of chess with the military. And whatever comes out of that game will have a tremendous impact on all of us. OUT AND ABOUT Nick V. Quijano Jr. biological parents remain unidentified up to today, Poe cannot be considered a natural-born Philippine citizen based on the explicit provisions of the Constitution. The decision of the Supreme Court (SC) which her allies cite as a ruling favorable for Poe is not doctrinal, which, therefore, does not create a binding legal precedent. For the ruling to be doctrinal, it must have the affirmative vote of at least eight of the 15 justices of the SC. From all indications, the ruling has the support of just seven justices, one vote shy of the majority requirement. The de facto Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and then Solicitor General Florin Hilbay were the only notable legal personalities who sympathized with Poe. Fortunately, they are no longer around to corrupt Philippine jurisprudence. In other words, Poe›s citizenship may still be questioned if she runs for president in 2022. At the height of the 2016 presidential campaign, Poe›s American husband promised to obtain Philippine citizenship whether or not Poe wins the presidential election. Poe’s camp has repeatedly dodged that question for the past three years. Instead of criticizing the administration, Poe should prioritize her obligation to explain, among others, the citizenship issues haunting her and her husband. Email: nevqjr@yahoo.com.ph “Poe pretends to be unaware that the Department of Transportation has arranged for the purchase and delivery of high-grade rail tracks for the MRT-3 train system.
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