February 2008 Archives

I BELIEVE that the Makati rallies play an important part in awakening the real feelings of the Filipino people. The true sentiments of disgust and loss of trust in the government must be expressed, must be shown for the entire world to see. This GMA government and all its henchmen will do all at their disposal to prevent and stop all negative sentiments that our people will manifest toward them. Even a "no-fly zone" over Makati where the rally was being held was suddenly declared. -- Bong Cendana, Quezon City, Philippines (via e-mail)

I AM no fan of GMA. I abhor what's going on in Philippine government and politics now, but I choose to see things from a higher plane. I often wonder, if GMA is so evil and corrupt, why is GDP growth the highest in 31 years? Why is inflation in the low 2 percent? Why is the peso at P40.50 [to the dollar]? The problem with many is they think corruption can go away overnight. Why don't we try to place ourselves in Malacañang and imagine funding a P6-billion presidential campaign, a P200-million-per-senator campaign, P20 million per congressional bet, local, etc., etc. from our own pockets? We drag GMA out of Malacañang and you think all our problems are over. Haven't you considered the biggest potential winners in such a scenario are the rightist military or the extreme left? Sadly, we may be playing to the tune of rightist and leftist power grabbers... and unknowingly leading the nation to the way of Burma! Unfortunately, GMA is about the best this rotten political system can produce. She is a small part of the problem. Someone said the opposition can't seem to gain any headway because nobody is above the fray. Of course no politician is above the fray. They are all part of this extremely flawed political system. To fix the system, we must first work long and hard to attain an economy that will support a principled political system. The only way there is sustained economic growth. Somewhere along [the way], we change the electoral system so one does not have to steal or sacrifice his/her principles to get elected and do his/her mandate. After a sustained 10-year growth, for example, government may be able to partially reimburse election expenses. It will be able to pay government employees wages that afford basic necessities and more dignified lives. By then, ordinary Filipinos can afford to donate part of their growing disposable incomes to help elect competent and principled leaders. My call to media and so-called moralists: Think! -- Gerry Ditching, Makati City, Philippines (via e-mail)

THIS pertains to the letter to the editor of Mr. Francis Oca dated 22 February 2008 ("OWWA's Undeclared Priority," 22 February 2008). We at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), sympathize with the relatives of the late OFW Roberto E. Panganiban. However, the medical assistance program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) was transferred to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) or PhilHealth since March 2005. OWWA provides to OFWs, among other programs and services, disability/dismemberment, life insurance and burial benefits. The life insurance and burial benefit, of which OFW Panganiban is entitled to as an OWWA member, has already been facilitated. Also, OWWA provided financial assistance to his family while the said OFW was ill on top of this entitlement. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the feedback that OWWA receives from our clients and social partners as those aid the agency in improving its operations and the services provided for OFWs and their families. We are in the process of reviewing the package of services to the member-OFWs to be more responsive to their needs. -- Marianito D. Roque, Administrator, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration

By Lester Cavestany, Contributor INQUIRER.net

IT would always be the same crooks, the same money interests who would take fullest advantage of democracy or any kind of government in the Philippines, while the poor and the brave would always lose out. The batters change in the game of Philippine politics, but the baseball team remains the same and the game remains fixed.

-- Ninoy Aquino[1] As we celebrate the 22nd8th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, it would be good to look back on the wisdom of the man who inspired us to unite as a people and to defend our country against a corrupt government. We are more aware of Ninoy's oft-quoted, "The Filipino is worth dying for," but I chose the one above because it is more suitable to our present times. To fight again another day After two weeks of excitement about Jun Lozada's testimony, the opposition has yet to come up with more witnesses and more evidence that will prove the corruption in the Arroyo administration. Even after the show of support that the public has done to encourage more people to come out and testify, no new witness or evidence has appeared. To be honest, I am a bit confused as to how other leaders can continue to demand for President Arroyo's resignation when we haven't even proven anything yet. We are being led to believe that having another People Power Revolution (EDSA III) will solve the problems and issues that our country is facing today. But if we listen to what our great hero Ninoy Aquino said, I hope you will also realize that many of the problems we face today are systemic ones and they can't be changed by having another EDSA.[2] Systemic problems need systemic changes Last week's Inquirer Opinion-Talk of the Town article, "Poverty reduction: What we know and don’t know," gives us a concrete example of a systemic problem: the lack of rural development in the Philippines.[3] Nothing much has changed since 1781 when Gov. José de Basco y Vargas introduced commercial farming in the Philippines[4]. Moreover, no authentic land reform has been implemented in our country since the feudal Spanish times. The Americans tried in 1903 when Gov. Gen Howard Taft bought the friar lands in the Philippines from Pope Leo XIII with the intention of reselling it to Filipino peasant-tenants. The good intention never materialized of course, as wealthy Filipino businessmen and politicians (whose descendants still have clout in Philippine society today) stepped in and bought the land and converted them into their private haciendas.[5] And as they say, the rest is history.* In a country where 70 percent of the population live in rural areas and where 2/3 of the people get their livelihood from agriculture, we must make sure that we have programs that promote genuine rural development. This is just one example, but it is a major one. Other systemic problems include public education, economic development, good governance, population control, environmental sustainability, peace and order, and many others. Other bloggers have also written their issues in Janette Toral's Important Issues on Philippines 2010. Of course somewhere in the wish list for political reform, you will also find fighting graft and corruption. But I hope we can all see that it is a small piece of the puzzle. In my personal opinion, we cannot call for President Arroyo's resignation unless we have court-admissible evidence against her. Just because some opposition leaders are trying to convince us that President Arroyo is corrupt doesn't mean we all have to believe it. The opposition leaders bear the burden of evidence. I say to them, Show us proof! Stop using us as your pawns! Stop using the court of public opinion to gain the upper hand. Take your accusations to the court of law and let your evidence, if you have any, speak for itself. And speaking of evidence, what proof or track records have you got to show the public that if you replace the present administration, you will do a far better job than President Arroyo's government in addressing our systemic problems.[6] Happy 22nd8th People Power anniversary! In light of the lack of evidence plus the personal and social troubles that this J-Lo fiasco has caused, I believe that it might be best to set aside our calls for a change in the government and perhaps we should concentrate more on asking for changes in the government and in our country. Unless we are presented with new witnesses or new evidence in the ongoing political raucity, we, the Filipino people, should join the rallies and demonstrations with more focus on the the public outcry for truth and social reforms. I, for one, would love to join in! And so from here in Hanoi, I would like say "Happy 22nd8th People Power Anniversary!" to all my kababayans in the Philippines and around the world. Mabuhay po tayong lahat! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

===

Notes: [1] The Martyrdom of Ninoy Aquino Revisited, Joker P Arroyo [2] Systemic problems have been with us even before the presidency of Pres Arroyo; even before 1565 when Spaniards who left from Mexico led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in Cebu; and even before 1521 when Magellan claimed our archipelagic country for Spain and called it Las Islas de San Lazaro.

[3] "Poverty reduction: What we know and don’t know," By Arsenio M. Balisacan Philippine Daily Inquirer, 16 Feb 2008 [4] In Search of Southeast Asia: A Modern History. David P. Chandler, William R. Roff, John R. W. Smail, David Joel Steinberg Robert H. Taylor, Alexander Woodside, David K. Wyatt, David Joel Steinberg. Allen & Unwin. Sydney, N.S.W. 1971

[5] The US Congress passed the Cooper, or Organic, Act of 1902, which authorized the American commission to sell Philippine government bonds to finance purchase of the friar lands in the Philippines from the Vatican --- Bound to Empire: The United States and the Philippines. H. W. Brands. Oxford University Press, New York. 1992.

* Atty. Ma. Gracia Rinoza Plazo has recently started an online forum to discuss agrarian reform issues. Please join the discussion and share your inputs.

[6] Mom knows best! My Mama wrote a comment in my post, Sundin ang Utos ni Supremo.

Also posted in www.lestercavestany.com

I WISH to see the day (soon) when the Senate hearing is concluded. Then we will see who has the longest nose in the Senate investigation. -- Ed Valeriano, Union City, California (via e-mail)

SINCE the NBN [national broadband network] deal has already been scrapped, I believe that the Senate should stop its inquiry and spend its time on what they are supposed to be doing in the first place. Let the justice department or the Office of the Ombudsman take over. If the senators want to pursue the case, let it be outside the Senate hearing and through the justice system, otherwise what they are doing is being used for the purpose of positioning themselves in the coming election -- or are they not? -- Johnny Nicar, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada (via e-mail)

THE PANIC that the Arroyo administration has over its (mis)handling of the ZTE-NBN [national broadband network] controversy has obviously further clouded its ability to think. The administration should, by now, have learned something from the lack of intelligence that all the President's men had exhibited when they testified at the Senate to demolish the testimony of the ZTE-NBN star witness, Jun Lozada, and save the scalp of their lady boss. The bright boys of Malacañang should realize that the more this administration violently fights its way out of the quicksilver it has gotten itself into, the faster that it would sink. They should instead face the music rather than spin stories not even nitwits would believe. The assassination plot against PGMA is another of these and the people might get fed up because of the contempt its spinners have for their intelligence and would stage another EDSA out of their pique. -- Raul Galang Sarmiento, San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines (via e-mail)

A FORMER congressman, a bar topnotcher and a public official, Secretary Sergio Apostol was one of the prominent politicians respected during his term as a congressman, championing the cause even of OFWs when he was one of the first congressmen to use their CDF to finance OFWs overseas. But as a Filipino with Chinese origin (from the Lim family clan), I find it hard to believe the good man Apostol as I used to see him become tactless in his words against Lozada, being emotionally driven as to spark the ire of the Chinese community. I can only imagine how much of a bad influence the Palace could give good politicians like Apostol. I have not met him personally, but I only heard good things about him in the past. Now this, such an outrage. Regardless of who they are, or their origin, Palace should amply react to such an outrage, quickly salvaging its image by getting rid of such people who would tactlessly make such remarks against cultural or religious minorities in the country. Malacañang is looked upon as the epitome of public administration, regardless of how its image is being questioned these days, and should do its best to protect or maintain its integrity, for whatever is left of it. -- Jun de Vera, Barangay San Isidro, Makati City, Philippines (via e-mail)

IF your answer is yes to one or more of the following questions, then this article is for you:

1. Were you affected by the Malu Fernandez controversy?
2. Do you know anyone who is an overseas Filipino worker? (OFW)
3. Do you have a relative who is an OFW?
4. Do you believe that many Filipinos are working abroad because of the lack of opportunities here in the Philippines?
5. Do you believe that OFWs help the Philippine economy?
6. Do you believe that the present administration is corrupt and there has to be some changes?
7. Are you an OFW, or an ex-OFW, or are you planning to become an OFW?

If you said yes to any of these, read on… Perhaps you’ve heard of the controversial memorandum (1) of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) regarding the Guidelines on the Direct Hiring of Filipino Workers. Please allow me to explain to you why OFWs need your support against this memorandum. We really need your help! Please forward our plea for help to as many people as possible. Who are the 'direct hire' OFWs? There are two ways to get a job overseas. You can either go through an authorized recruitment agency in the Philippines or you can directly contact the employer. Obviously, those who can directly communicate with the foreign employer don’t have to go through a recruitment agency and so the process is referred to as “direct-hire” and they are called “direct-hires.” OFWs who go through a recruitment agency usually have to pay their recruiter a placement fee and/or a commission. While those who are direct-hires sometimes take greater risks by staying in a foreign country (sometimes as tourists) and then by God’s grace and through their contacts, they find work. Some direct-hires find work while still in the Philippines when the employer comes to the Philippines to screen applicants. Both ways of finding work have their own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the jobsite, employer, work, and the contract. (2) There are those who say that it’s important to go through a recruitment agency because they make sure that the employer is a good one. Recruitment agencies also look after you when you’re already in your jobsite. On the other hand, there are others who think that they can do away with recruitment agencies. They think they can deal directly with their employers and they can handle their own problems. And if not, they can always run to the Philippine embassies for help. That’s why they’re there, right? If you were to choose between the two, which one do you prefer: Go through a recruitment agency or directly deal with the employer? There is another important thing that we should keep in mind when it comes to the definition of direct-hires. Let’s say an OFW who went through a recruitment agency in their first overseas job finishes their contract with their employer. If he/she decides to find another job overseas with another employer, he/she is now a “direct-hire.” Before Memorandum No. 4 Let’s say, an employer in the Middle East needs to hire an engineer. A Filipino engineer, who has just finished his contract with another employer, applies for the job. He came highly recommended by his previous employer and so he was accepted in the job. His new employer offered him a salary of $1,000 a month. He was more than happy to take the job, especially because if he can’t find work, he will be forced to go back to the Philippines. They signed the contract and the OFW starts working the next day. Simple, right? That’s direct-hiring! Enter Memorandum No.4! Memorandum No.4 (Series of 2007) signed by POEA Administrator Rosalindo Dimapilos-Baldoz took effect on January 15, 2008. All employers, whether individuals or companies, must abide by the so-called “guidelines.” Let’s go back to the story of our Filipino engineer. Now, according to this memorandum, he can’t start working for his new employer. Not yet! First, his employer has to register with POEA. But there’s no need to worry, because the process will not take longer than one month. One month! You mean to say that the Filipino engineer has to wait for a month before he can start working! That’s okay, says POEA. I’m sure his family can wait for a month before he can send money for their food and utilities. But there’s more to it. There are more requirements that the employer has to submit. Here are the other requirements:

1. The employer must submit the following documents to POEA: a) copies of their business registration, license, and identification paper b) sample contracts for the OFW c) proof that the OFW won’t be charged a placement fee (hello? it’s called “direct-hire”)2. Pay a “performance bond” equivalent to the worker’s salary for three months. The performance bond will be used to guarantee compliance of the employer of the contract. So, the performance bond will serve as a penalty fee for the employer in case there’s a breach of contract by the employer. It’s not clear in the memorandum if this performance bond will be given in full to the direct-hire OFW. In the case of our OFW engineer, his employer has to pay $3,000 ($1,000 x 3 months) which is approximately P120,000. This sum is to be paid even before the OFW starts work. Wow! 3. Provide a “repatriation bond” in the amount of $5,000 or approximately P200,000. This money is to be used for the direct-hire’s repatriation expenses in case the contract is terminated. Also, in case the OFW dies while overseas, this money is going to be used to bring the remains back to the Philippines. I thought the government considers OFWs as our modern-day heroes. Then how come they can’t even afford to bring back the remains of OFWs who die while working overseas. I thought this is why OFWs are required to pay their PhilHealth even though they’re not in the Philippines. 4. And the last requirement to get the registration process started is the submission of a Medical Insurance Certificate Isn’t it common practice that the application for medical insurance gets started as soon as the employee starts working? I think this is also true for companies in the Philippines. And isn’t it true that it takes a while before the insurance company releases the medical insurance certificate. Sometimes, it even takes about three months before the document is released. Wow!

In other words If you were an employer looking for foreign workers, would you really go through the trouble of doing all the above requirements? Would you be willing to set aside $8,000 or approximately P320,000 so your Filipino employee can start working for you? I do admire our government’s high regard for our OFWs. They really believe that employers will jump through hoops to get a Filipino worker. I really hope that employers will do all these things to get a Filipino worker. But what if they don’t? What if there are so many foreign workers in the global market these days that they can easily get workers from other countries whose governments don’t have ridiculous requirements? What if they decide not to hire Filipino workers? Who is going to be directly affected by this? Who is going to suffer? Who is going to suffer? It’s fairly obvious that our OFWs are the ones who will be badly affected by this memorandum and I am one of them. Whether you are an engineer, teacher, domestic helper, nurse, doctor, or any other overseas employee, as long as you hold a Philippine passport and you have a job overseas, you will suffer because of this memorandum. If you don’t lose your job now, you’ll have trouble looking for a job later. Families who rely on remittances of their OFWs will also be badly hit by this memorandum. How can OFWs send money home if they don’t have a source of income because they have no work? We all know that many OFWs have mouths to feed and siblings to help send to school. Another victim of this memorandum will be our economy. OFWs brought in $15 billion to our economy in 2007.(3) This amount of money is not to be taken lightly. If you think that the call center industry is helping our economy, then multiply it by five times and it will match the amount of money brought in by OFWs. And how will this affect small and big business companies in our country? Well, let’s try to simplify it for everyone. Less employers mean less work for our OFWs. Less work means fewer OFWs. Fewer OFWs means less remittance. Less remittance means less “spending power” of Filipinos. Less spending power means less money for other things. People will only have money for their basic needs and commodities. Other businesses will close and there will be less jobs for the millions of Filipinos who are working in the Philippines. So they will start to look for work overseas but they won’t be able to find any. All thanks to Rosalinda Baldoz’s Memorandum Circular No.4. So who’s going to suffer from this memorandum? You! Me! Everyone! What should we do? If you ask me, the first thing we should demand is the immediate resignation of Rosalinda Dimapilos-Baldoz, the POEA administrator who signed Memorandum Circular No.4. This memorandum is evidence that she doesn’t understand the needs of OFWs and she does not deserve to be at the helm of POEA. Our second demand should be the immediate revocation of Memorandum Circular No.4. We should all join the mass protest action. It’s clear that we will all suffer because of this new policy on direct-hires. Don’t hesitate to take it to the streets. That’s the only way we can get their attention. Let’s show them that we are serious in demanding for the resignation of Baldoz and the revocation of the memo. If in case you can’t join the mass protest action, here are other ways you can help this urgent cause:

1. E-mail your relatives, friends, and every one you know and ask them to join the protest. Forward the link to this post and other posts about this issue to your friends. There’s also a Filipino version of this post.
2. Text all your contacts and ask them to support our protest.
3. Support the Senate inquiry of Senator Manny Villar (4). E-mail Senator Manny Villar at mb_villar@yahoo.com or go to his website, www.mannyvillar.com.ph
4. Support the Congress resolution of Representative Teddy Casino of Bayan Muna party-list (5)
5. Sign the online petition (6)
6. Blog and comment in blogs about Baldoz and her memorandum. When Malu Fernandez spoke badly about the OFWs, we were quick to point out her wrongs and we succeeded. More than ever, our OFWs need your help. Please hear our plea.

My friend, let’s take action! Let’s demand for the resignation of Rosalinda Baldoz and for the revocation of Memorandum No.4! Click here for the Filipino version of this post. === Notes: (1) POEA Memorandum Circular No.4 - Guidelines on the Direct Hiring of Filipino Workers (2) Magandang ipalabas ng POEA ang kanilang statistics kung ilang OFW ang dumaan sa recruitment agency at ilan ang direct-hire. (3) Top international economist says Philippine economy has to grow 14% to stop OFW exodus, Positive News Media, Jan 31, 2008 (4) $5K bond hinders Pinoys’ search for better opportunities - Villar seeks Senate inquiry on new direct-hire guidelines (5) Solon wants memo on OFW hiring scrapped, Feb 3, 2008, GMANews.TV (6) Online Petition - Abolition of (POEA) Memorandum Circular No. 4

WE commend Mr. Jun Lozada for his courage in coming out with what he knew about the anomalous ZTE NBN transactions. Abalos' continued insistence of his innocence is a pathetic display of arrogance and lack of integrity among our politicians and public officials. The dots can now be connected with regards to the Hello, Garci controversy! Mr. Abalos clearly had a hand in rigging the 2004 elections in favor of Gloria Arroyo and he was collecting his due from the First Family through the $130M "commission" from the NBN [national broadband network] deal! Garci and Esperon were the henchmen in the widespread manipulation in Mindanao while Abalos was the one controlling the entire operation to rig the results and hand the victory to GMA on a silver platter! It really sucks from the very start, entrusting the Comelec to Abalos was like hiring a thief to guard a bank! And the biggest thief among them is still squatting in Malacañang! Disgusting! -- Romeo Oida, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (via e-mail)