The President's SONA 2012

The President’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) will start in about 1 1/2 hour from now. Seems to be a lucky day for the President, the sky has cooperated, cloudy but no rain, the Sun is showing up a bit, after four days. Usually SONA day is SONAbath as the rains, heavy or mild, would fall on that day. July to September are the three wettest months of the year always.

Meanwhile, thousands of anti-government protesters are out on the streets near Batasan, the venue of the annual SONA. People who complain against certain programs of the government and exclaim, “anak ng tokwa” or “SONAmatofu”.

Government climatism bureaucracies like the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) keep pounding on “fight climate change” and “fight man-made warming”. How can they fight something that is naturally occurring? Climate change is purely natural, warming-cooling-warming-cooling, in endless, natural, multi-decadal cycles. And global warming should mean less rain and less flood, not more; less snow, not more. They just keep deceiving the public to justify their huge budget and junkets to various global climate meetings.

A SONA is a summary of the administration’s achievement of the past year or two, and a list of promises of what it intends to do the next year to improve the lives of the citizens. When promises are not met, people often exclaim, “anak ng tokwa” or other worse terms. From what I observed among the promises in the President’ SONA in 2010 and 2011, here are some of the SONAmatofu.

One, reduce business bureaucracies. He said in SONA 2010, “Ang walang-katapusang pabalik-balik sa proseso ng pagrehistro ng pangalan ng kumpanya, na kada dalaw ay umaabot ng apat hanggang walong oras, ibababa na natin sa labinlimang minuto. Ang dating listahan ng tatlumpu't anim na dokumento, ibababa natin sa anim. Ang dating walong pahinang application form, ibababa natin sa isang pahina.”

SONAmatofu, this did not happen in 2011, and did not happen this year. The volume of business bureaucracies, both at the local and national government levels, generally have remained the same or even got worse. A few cities though, like Quezon City I heard, were able to simplify their business registration and/or renewal procedure and hence, shorten the process. But many have remained bureaucratic. If the government has succeeded in that promise, it should have figured prominently in his SONA 2011 or in his speeches lately, but they did not.

Two, imprisonment for the corrupt, SONA 2011. Aside from former President Gloria Arroyo and the father-son Ampatuan clan, there seems to be no other high profile corrupt officials who went to prison. At least three high profile personalities accused of murder have remained at large – former Congressman Ruben Ecleo of Dinagat Island (murder of his wife), former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes (accused mastermind of the killing of media and environmentalist Gerry Ortega, and former AFP General and party list Cong. Jovito Palparan (accused mastermind in the abduction and murder of two UP students, Empeno and Cadapan).

Cases like these of powerful people committing serious crimes and not getting arrested while ordinary folks are being penalized for minor concerns like driving a motorcycle without helmet or driving a car with a busted headlight, make the citizens’ trust of the police and the government in general to remain low. But even if they distrust the police and the government in general, people simply have to pay lots of taxes and fees to sustain the various bureaucracies in government, from national down to local governments.

Three, lower unemployment rate, SONA 2011. The latest labor force survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed that as of April 2012, the unemployed plus underemployed (those with jobs but are seeking additional work) constituted 26.2 percent of the total labor force. This is still high, more than one-fourth of Filipinos looking for jobs are either jobless or have jobs but are looking for extra work mainly to augment their low income.

Part of the explanation why this is so is in problem #1 above. To start a simple barber shop, bread shop, internet shop, carinderia, etc., one needs a barangay permit, electrical permit, health and sanitation permit, fire department permit, Mayor’s business permit, BIR-SSS-DTI permits, etc., with their corresponding taxes and fees, and penalties for delayed registration and payment. So the formal sector’s capacity to generate jobs is drastically limited. And that is how the informal sector, micro- and small entrepreneurs who go on with their wares, are subject to extortion by some local governments and the police for lack of necessary business permits. SONAmatofu.

Lest this article be accused of endless whining and complain, there were also promises in the past two Presidential SONA that were attained. Among them:

One, no more wang-wang, SONA 2010. People thought, me included, that it was just a short-term campaign, but so far it has been sustained, for two years now. Hats off to the President and his administration for such achievement, both symbolic and actual.

Two, bring the South China Sea (SCS) or West Philippine Sea (WPS) conflict to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), SONA 2010 and 2011. This is a significant action that must be sustained, to further internationalize the issue, non stop. Use various regional and international fora (UN, APEC, ASEAN, etc.) to engage China at the diplomatic level, never at the military and warships level.

Three, some governance-related measures like having the new Ombudsman, compensation for victims of Martial Law, children immunization law, etc.

The President will definitely have a long list of its own definition or perception of achievements over the past two years in office. But two important measures that it has failed to act are the enactment of a Freedom of Information (FOI) bill and controlling the rising public debt.

While it is true that FOI is already in the Constitution, there are no details how government agencies can be penalized for not being transparent to the citizens and taxpayers. And while the ratio of public debt to GDP has declined somewhat, from about 60 percent a few years ago to around 50 percent today, this ratio is still high. A high public is a big problem that requires big payment from taxpayers, not from politicians and legislators. At around P328 billion a year in interest payment alone, average for 2010 to 2012, this problem will continue to hound us as it is the single biggest problem in many European and North American economies now.

But more than waiting for what the government will promise, or over-discussing what it has not promised and not delivered, it is important that citizens’ action – more personal and parental/guardian responsibility in running our own lives, our households and communities, more civil society and voluntary organizations’ involvement – be put into action always.

Government is coercion. By expecting less from government, by demanding less from government, and demanding that government should confiscate less from our pockets and savings, slowly but surely, we should be able develop a more peaceful, more economically dynamic society.
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See also:
SONAnyms and Anthonames, July 25, 2009
The President's SONA, 2010, July 26, 2010
The President's SONA 2011, July 24, 2011
The President's SONA 2011, part 2, July 26, 2011
Fat-Free Econ 17: SONA, the Budget and Debt, July 22, 2012

Weekend fun 18. Gloria Arroyo cartoons

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA), the 2nd longest President of the Philippines (2001 to mid-2010) is possibly next to Ferdinand Marcos (President, 1965-February 1986, 20 years in power) in number of political scandals and corruption charges. Here are some of them, as expressed by the cartoons posted in the web from various sources.

1. Hello Garci, cheating in the 2004 Presidential elections

During the 2004 Presidential and local elections, her conversation with COMELEC Commissioner Garcillano where she asked the latter where she can get several million votes to cheat on strong opponent, former actor Fernando Poe Jr., was bugged.

The taped conversation was released to the public from some quarters of the military who did the bugging. A strong case for impeachment against her was filed in Congress, but due to simple technicalities, her impeachment and disgrace to the jails were squashed.

2. ZTE-NBN scandal

Perhaps the next big robbery scandal against her and her husband was the aborten National Broadband Network (NBN) project, to be supplied by a Chinese company, ZTE.

More than $320 million of Philippine government deal, a big portion of it were for kickbacks, was discovered as there were many witnesses. From former House Speaker Joe de Venecia's son, Joey de Venecia to several government officials.

Her husband, then First Gentleman (FG) Mike Arroyo, and former COMELEC Commissioner Benjamin Abalos, were the main characters in the scandal, with GMA to just sign the deals.

Remember the alphabet song, "ABC"? Filipinos who are creative in inventing jokes composed a funny song out of it. "A-B-Z-T-E-F-G..." :-)

Former Joe de Venecia boy in Congress, later appointed as NEDA Secretary, Romulo Neri, earlier testified at the Senate accusing Abalos of saying, "Sec, may P200 (million) ka dito, approve mo lang deal" (Sec, you have P200 million here, just approve the deal). But he approved the deal anyway, for signature by the President.

In the succeeding Senate investigations, Neri did not cooperate with the Senate anymore, kept silent citing "Executive privilege." Joe de Venecia was angry at his former tauhan, of course. In exchange for his silence at further implicating GMA, Gloria appointed him as head of the Social Security System (SSS).

3. Global travels

Her official travels in so many countries, often with a huge entourage of legislators, Cabinet officials and business friends, were highly publicized.

Family menbers like hubby Mike Arroyo, children, were also among the members of the entourage in some countries.

During one of their last few foreign trips, in Washington DC, their dinner at an expensive restaurant was photographed by some Filipinos there and the photos were circulated in the web. Another scandal of their luxurious lifestyle.

She is the first former President who did not retire from politics after her term ended. With so many political scandals during her term, she was assured of endless legal harassment.

To reduce such risk, she ran as a Congresswoman, and there were loud speculations then that she could be running as Speaker of the House. It did not happen as her political party was routed in the 2010 Presidential and local elections.

4. Ampatuan connection

The "Maguindanao massacre" were some 58 people were killed, point blank, some were tortured first before shot, was another big scandal during her term. Thirty (30) of those killed were media people.

Her name was dragged naturally because the perpetrators, the Ampatuan clan -- Governor of Maguindanao province, about 2 sons were Mayors of (2) municipalities, many other relatives were provincial and municipal officials -- gave her huge lead over opponent Fernando Poe Jr. during the 2004 Presidential elections.

Unfortunately, the case is dragging until now, more than one year after the massacre.

5. Gloria magic

Money and Power. That was the guiding light of her administration, as President for 9 years, and as a Congresswoman. Her 2 sons are also Congressmen, one of which as a party list Congressman "representing private security guards." What a shame.

"Burn baby burn, Disco inferno". Yeah, rock on! Power and fame.

A graph of satisfaction rating of former Presidents, from 1986 to 2010.

Rock on, Gloria.

See also

Weekend fun 3: Al Gore cartoons
Weekend fun 9: Mubarak cartoons
Weekend fun 12: Marcos corruption
Weekend fun 16: Gaddafi cartoons
Weekend fun 19: Political jokes

Criminals 5: One Year of Maguindanao Massacre

Today will be the 1st year anniversary of the heinous "Maguindanao massacre" where 57 people were killed in close range, in broad daylight, by the Ampatuan clan of Maguindanao province. The victims were the family members of a rival but smaller political clan of the Ampatuans, the Mangudadatu, their friends, members of media who accompanied the group, and some hapless civilians who just happened to pass by.

That news was so gruesome, so sick, it was picked up by the international media. A number of my friends from the US, like good friends from Atlas then like Jo Kwong, immediately wrote to me to ask if I was alright as some international media reports did not specify that the massacre occured several hundred kilometers south of Metro Manila.

This was my reply to them, 3 days after the massacre:

Hi Jo and all,

Thanks for the note. The massacre happened in Maguindanao province, in the southern island of Mindanao. It's far from Manila, so we are ok.

It's pure rule of men, zero rule of law. The perpetrators, the Ampatuan family, are an "untouchable" political clan in the province. The governor ran unopposed, his 1 or 2 sons are mayors of other municipalities in the province.

The President has big political debts to that clan because the latter cheated super big time in the last 2007 elections and delivered all the votes for the administration. For instance, that province delivered 12-0, meaning all 12 Senatorial candidates of the administration won, whereas in the overall result, only about 4 administration senatorial candidates ultimately won.

So 4 days after the massacre, 57 bodies so far recovered, there should be more, 18 were media people. Some victims were tortured. For instance, the wife of the politician intending to run for governor and challenge the Ampatuan clan, was severely tortured. Pardon the graphics but this is how barbaric those thugs are: They slashed her organ several times, slashed her breasts, gouged her eyes, shot her mouth and head, chopped the feet, etc. The sister and niece of the potential candidate suffered tortures as well, before they were killed.

A group of innocent motorists who were unlucky to be following the 5-cars convoy of the victims by just a few minutes, were also killed. One car contained all employees of a municipal hall in the nearby town.

So far, not a single arrest was made! Not a single arrest warrant was issued! Despite the fact that there should be several dozen armed men who commited the massacre, including local policemen and local militias. Despite the fact that a provincial backhoe was used and left on the graveyard.

The 57 bodies plus at least 3 vehicles were buried deep in an isolated place using a backhoe owned by the province, with the name of the provincial governor, Mr. Ampatuan, boldly painted in it. When the army came looking for the missing convoy, the operators of the backhoe and the armed men fled.

Almost everyone here in the Philippines is angry, especially the media. The Federation of Intl Journalists has declared yesterday that in terms of threat to media and casualty of media people, Philippines is now 1st, Iraq is 2nd.

A few weeks after the massacre, Mr. Andal Ampatuan, the main suspect as the one who ordered the massacre, the son of the Governor then, and purported to run for Governor to replace his father whose 3rd term was going to expire, was arrested. Several other Ampatuans were arrested in the succeeding weeks.

But still, the rule of law still has to be promulgated in this case. Slow procedures in the justice system, the perpetrators have not been convicted with finality.

The rule of men -- men who are above the law, people who are exempted from the elementary laws against killing, against massacre, and there are people in government who made such exception -- still prevails.

The sooner that this case is closed, that the perpetrators are convicted and given the maximum penalty, like being sent to the electric chair and electrocuted to death publicly, the clearer the signal that the current administration is serious in promulgating the rule of law.
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See also:
Criminals 1: Killings in Thailand and Military Crackdown, April 16, 2009
Criminals 2: Pakistan, the Criminal state, August 17, 2010
Criminals 3: Kidnappers in Government, August 24, 2010
Criminals 4: Hostage-taking of HK Tourists in Luneta, August 31, 2010