vonjobi: wow, congratulations! kelan ang trip? i hope i'll be around when you come. had a good time with diosa last...
Keith Bacongco: Knowing Nograles and his Big Boss...garapalan na lang talaga.
Vinia Datinguinoo Mukherjee: Congratulations, PCIJ! Mabuhay kayo!
Lead Philippines: But without credible mass media there, what is left to protect the people..?
vonjobi: it's juned sOniDo.

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hopeless_race : Lets not just focus sa mga malversation of funds, sa mga overpricing..ating pagtuunan ng atensyon ang diskarte ng mga politiko na umuutang ng bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno."Small time" ang ibang pamamaraan ng pangungurakot kumpara sa pag-utang sa gobyerno ng bilyon na tunay ngang masasabing "pinaka big-time" at wala pang sabit.
hopeless_race : Mukhang tikom ang bibig ng lahat pagdating sa diskarte ng mga politiko sa pagutang ng mga bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno na tinatakbuhan. Itong pamamaraan na ito ang tunay na kumakain ng malaking porsyento ng ating national budget batay na din sa sinasabi ng world bank.
hopeless_race : Pakisilip naman po ang mga utang ni Villar sa BSP, ang mga utang nila RAMON JACINTO, RONNIE ZAMORA, JOE DE VENECIA at madami pang ibang mga pulitiko. Iilan lamang yan sa mga nababanggit sa balita na may mga malalaking utang sa gobyerno.
hopeless_race : Nagmimistulang "small time" lamang ang malversation of funds kumpara sa laki ng kinakamal ng mga umuutang sa gobyerno. At ito ay malinaw na natatakbuhan dahil hindi nga naman pwede makulong ang may-ari ng kumpanya sa pagkaka-utang lamang. Tunay na mga tuso at magagaling sa batas itong mga politiko natin. Masasabi ko na malamang lahat ng mga politiko ganito ang diskarte...wala pang kulong.
hopeless_race : PCIJ pkitingnan naman po ang mga gaya ni Villar na my malaking utang sa Gobyerno pero tinatakbuhan. Magtatayo ng kumpanya at uutang ng bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno ng walang balak bayaran. Tunay ngang walang nakukulong sa utang...ito ang prinsipyo ginagamit ng mga politiko ntin kaya nakakapagtaka kung san napupunta ang daang bilyong pera ng gobyerno.
hopeless_race : Sana itreat naman po ng media ang hacienda luisita at mendiola massacre na parang MAGUINADANAO MASSACRE. Ipublicized ang mga katotohanan at ipakita sa tao ang karumaldumal na pinaggagawa sa mga farmers dun. Untouchable po ba sila cory at danding at hindi magawang batikusin ng media about these two massacres?
hopeless_race : Kapag napaguusapan ang mendiola at hacienda luisita massacre ay parang walang nangyari at parang hindi big deal. Anu po ba ang pinagkaiba ng dalawang nabanggit na massacre sa maguindanao massacre?
hopeless_race : Its sad that we pinoys are blind to the fact of what had happened in mendiola and hacienda luisita. Ang tanong..bakit ang media ay hindi manlang matackle ang ganitong usapin? Takot ba sila kay cory at danding?
hopeless_race : Wilkins" brand, for P1.4 billion.-1999 Sugarland Multi-Food Corp. for P2.9 billion 2001- Purefoods Corp P7 billion P60 billion Coca-Cola ... See More 2002- Cosmos Bottling Corp. from RFM Corp. for P14.1 billion October 2008- GSIS' shares in Meralco worth PHP30 Billion. December 2008- country's biggest oil refiner, Petron Corporation. international company shopping spree: Australian boutique brewer J. Boag and Son for A$96 million in 2000. $97 million for Thai Amarit Brewery Ltd $35.5 mi
hopeless_race : Gud am..glad to be back.
jr_lad : rip mr. alecks pabico. you'll be greatly missed!
sevens21 : Dati input mo lng name at SSS ID makukuha mo agad STATIC INFO...
sevens21 : tawag ka sa HOTLINE nila walang ANSWER grrr we need pa namn ng static info SSS Gising!!!
sevens21 : Gawa naman po kayo ng article about SSS. Pangit ng site nila dali ma blocked ng account
guest_899 : we must check the background of each potential candidates to avoid having another big mistake like GMA
guest_899 : congratulations to PCIJ, more power and God Bless !
jazzymuver : how did Arroyo swallow that kind of things!! how come that she just spend the money our countrymen for her own sake!!
guest_3664 : i would be glad if u can include the investigation of the manner public officials announce infra projects as per COA regulation. It is frustrating to see their faces on the tarpaulin instead of the prescribed information like name of project, date of implementation,amount of contract, source/s of fund, among other things. This is very rampant here in Marikina. Thanks and more power on your noble endeavors. We need people like you to have make our country great again.
jhanz_08 : im making research on R.A 9136...with rgards to the privatization of NPC..could someone out there can let me understand more bout this matter?why was monopoly dismantled?email me..jhanycem@yahoo.com...thanks much
erika marie : P.S.:) my paper is due next week and i do hope someone could provide me these reports coming from reliable resources thank you ulit.
erika marie : P.S.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study regarding political killings in the philippines. could someone out there please send me human rights reports under Aquino and Ramos administration. you could send it at my email: erikamariet@yahoo.com your response would surely be very much appreciated. thank you everyone. god bless.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study for my paper regarding political killings in the philippines. i noted that there are no human rights reports during the Aquino and Ramos administration. could someone out there please send me reports regarding these matter? i do hope these reports came from reliable resources you could send it in my email; erikamariet@yahoo.comyour response would surely be appreciated. thanks everyone. god bless.
jayson bourne : gusto ko po maging member ng PCIJ, panu po ba? may application po ba? sana mapadalhan nyo ako ng info sa email ko... www.jboxpenshoppe@yahoo.com
jayson bourne : cory is OK, but kris & Noynoy sensationalize masyado...
guest_9891 : LABAN pa rin!
meow : boycotts worked during marcos years. how about doing it now against the businesses of the con-ass congressmen?
meow : aside from 168, what other establishments can we boycott that belong to the arroyos and their cronies?
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Cha-Cha’s ’seven deadly sins’

Posted by: Alecks P. Pabico | August 12, 2006 at 11:49 pm
Filed under: Charter Change, Civil Society

SAVE for a couple of TV ads by One Voice, the anticipated “great debate on Charter Change” has so far been a one-sided affair as efforts to challenge the claims of the Arroyo administration and groups pushing for drastic changes in the 1987 Constitution in the media have been few and far between.

Understandably, given the formidable resources at their disposal, Malacañang and its anointed charter-change adherents are dominating the information campaign waged on all fronts, including attempts to push for Cha-Cha via a people’s initiative.

Realizing this lopsidedness, lawyers’ organizations under the Alternative Law Group (ALG) have joined hands with at least 500 people’s organizations composed of peasants, workers, indigenous peoples and other marginalized sectors in launching a nationwide campaign to oppose efforts of the government to tinker with the 1987 Constitution.

The month-long campaign called “Walang Gloria sa Cha-Cha” has lined up a series of press conferences, school hoppings, TV and radio guestings, concert, awareness-building through public forums and mobilizations in various cities and provinces in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

“Lalabanan namin ang Cha-Cha ni GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo), sa kalye man o sa korte,” said lawyer Marlon J. Manuel, ALG spokesperson and executive director of Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (Saligan). “Charter change was designed to perpetuate the illegitimate rule of a fake president, re-establish dictatorial rule, violate the people’s democratic and political rights and totally give up the country’s economic sovereignty to foreign interest.”

Debunking the arguments of pro-charter change groups, the ALG said the public must be warned about the “seven deadly sins” contained in the Arroyo-led Cha-Cha as these are detrimental to the interest of the poor and marginalized sectors of society and the country’s political and economic sovereignty.

As ALG pointed out, the Cha-Cha’s “seven deadly sins” are:

One, it will subjugate the country’s economic sovereignty to foreign interests.

Two, it will make Arroyo an impeachment-proof president.

Three, it will pave the way for Arroyo’s dictatorial rule.

Four, it will give Arroyo the power to declare martial law sans the scrutiny and review of Congress and the Supreme Court.

Five, it will indefinitely suspend the writ of habeas corpus.

Six, it will lead to the proliferation of private armies and paramilitary groups.

Seven, it will weaken sectoral representation and the party-list system.

Manuel said the proposed deletion of several provisions in Article XII (National Economy and Patrimony) of the 1987 Constitution will not address the problem of poverty. Instead, he said, it will subjugate the country’s economic sovereignty to foreign interests by allowing foreign ownership of the country’s residential and industrial lands, the utilization of the country’s natural resources (logging, mining and fishing), and the operation of the country’s public utilities (water, electricity and communications) by companies that are 100-percent owned by foreigners.

Such proposals will be inimical to the country’s economic interests since the primary motivation of foreign companies is to amass profit and not to provide public service, said Lawyer Ingrid Gorre, head of the policy advocacy team of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC), an ALG member-organization.

Gorre also claimed that the Cha-Cha proposal “would lead to the massive conversion of agricultural lands for residential and/or industrial use and would defeat the aim of redistributing farm lands to landless tillers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.”

Allowing the use of the country’s natural resources by wholly-owned foreign companies would also further threaten the land rights and livelihood of thousands of indigenous peoples as ancestral lands would be further opened up to large-scale mining operations controlled by transnational corporations, she said.

Gorre added that small fishermen and upland forest dwellers would suffer the same economic threat should logging and fishing be totally opened up to foreign investment.

The proposal to increase the number of the required impeachment vote from the present one-third to two-thirds of all the members of the House of Representatives is tantamount to making Arroyo an impeachment-proof president, Manuel said.

“Arroyo will be deemed sacred and inviolable as she would virtually rule without accountability, free from public scrutiny and from allegations of corruption, electoral fraud and betrayal of public trust,” he said.

The proposed Cha-Cha is also feared to pave the way for Arroyo’s dictatorial rule as the president would be given the “frightening power” of dissolving the legislature.

This, Manuel said, would make the legislature a “rubber stamp” legislature. “It would have no other choice but to pass the bills being pushed by GMA and support all her policies, otherwise, it would place itself into the danger of dissolution.”

Other Cha-Cha proposals are likewise seen to give Arroyo broad powers such as declaring martial law beyond 60 days without being subjected to the scrutiny and review of Congress and the Supreme Court; and indefinitely suspending the writ of habeas corpus which would allow her to order the arrest of persons who could languish in jail without being judiciously charged.

The proposal to remove Article 17, Section 24 of the 1987 Constitution, which dismantled the existence of private armies and paramilitary groups, is feared as leading to their return and proliferation. Manuel said this could only worsen political killings and other crimes against activists, journalists and other individuals critical of the government.

Lastly, the ALG rejects the Cha-Cha’s apparent silence on sectoral representation and the party-list system which were enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. This, Manuel said, would weaken the power granted to the poor and marginalized sectors to represent themselves in government and push for the passage of pro-poor bills and the promotion of policies that cater to their interest.

Below is the ALG’s statement in Filipino:

WALANG GLORIA SA CHA-CHA

May ginhawa ba sa Cha-Cha? Ito ba ang sagot sa kahirapan ng mga Pilipino? Ang pagbabago ba ng Saligang Batas ay magpapalawig at magsusulong sa demokrasya at hustisyang natamo natin dalawampung taon matapos mapabagsak ang pamumuno ng isang diktador?

Mga katanungang naghihintay ng sagot upang maunawaan ng sambayanan. Ngunit di pa rin maipaliwanag ng husto ni Gng. Arroyo. Ito ay sa kabila ng malaki nang nagagastos ng kampo ni GMA sa mga advertisements, commercials, media exposure at kung anu-ano pang uri ng kampanya tulad ng huwad na people’s initiative.

Ang hamon ni Gng. Arroyo noong isang taon ay ito: “Let’s start the great debate on Charter Change”. Sinasagot natin ngayon ang hamong ito. Ating ilantad at isa-isahin ang mga lihim sa likod ng Cha-Cha ni GMA.

Una, hindi sagot sa kahirapan ang Charter Change ni Gloria. Ang kasalukyang isinusulong na pagbabago sa 1987 Constitution ay lalong magbubukas ng pambansang ekonomiya sa kontrol ng mga dayuhan.

Ang ating likas yaman tulad ng minahan, ng kakahuyan at ng pangisdaan ay pagpapasasaan at pagkakakitaan ng mga transnational corporations. Pati na ang mga public utilities tulad ng tubig, kuryente at komunikasyon ay patatakbuhin na rin ng mga dayuhan na ang pangunahing layunin ay ang pagkakamal ng malaking tubo at di ang interes ng sambayanang makaahon sa kahirapan.

Kapag natuloy ang Cha-Cha, maging ang mga lupaing agrikultural na dapat ay matagal nang nasa pag-aari ng mga magsasaka ay nanganganib na na mai-convert sa industrial at residential na gamit upang maging pag-aari na ng mga dayuhan. Lalo ring lalala ang kasalukuyang pagtataboy ng mga katutubo mula sa kanilang ancestral lands dahil lalo pang ibubukas ang mga lupaing ito sa kontrol ng large-scale mining operations.

Pangalawa, pag natuloy ang Cha-Cha, magiging “impeachment-proof” president si GMA. Mahihirapan nang matanggal si GMA sa puwesto sa pamamagitan ng impeachment. Isa sa panukala ng Cha-Cha ay itaas ang bilang ng impeachment vote sa two-thirds mula sa one third ng buong kasapian ng Kongreso. Kung gayon, magpapatuloy ang pamumuno ni GMA hanggang 2010 na malaya at ligtas mula sa dumaraming alegasyon ng corruption, human rights violation at betrayal of public trust tulad ng malinaw pa sa sikat ng araw na ebidensya ng electoral fraud. We would have a president ruling without accountability, safe and sound from public scrutiny.

Pangatlo, magiging diktator si Gloria pag natuloy ang Cha-Cha. Ang Cha-Cha ay magbibigay ng kapangyarihan kay GMA na lusawin ang lehislatura. Ito ay isang malawak at nakakatakot na kapangyarihang wala si GMA sa ngayon dahil ang ganitong presidential power ay di nakasaad sa 1987 Constitution. Dahil mabibigyan siya ng kapangyarihang lusawin ang lehislatura, matatakot at magiging sunud-sunuran sa kanya ang mga kasapi nito pati na ang oposisyon. Sa ilalim ng panukala ng Cha-Cha, ang parliament ay magiging “rubber stamp” parliament.

Pang-apat, ang dating Martial Law powers ni Marcos ay babalik din sa pamamagitan ng Cha-Cha ni GMA. Tatanggalin sa 1987 Constitution ang “safety mechanisms” at “checks and balances” sa pagdedeklara ng martial law. Sa ilalim ng panukalang Cha-Cha, bubusalan ang bibig ng lehislatura. Tatanggalan ito ng kapangyarihan na mag-suspinde o mag-revoke ng dineklarang martial law ng pangulo. Maging ang Korte Suprema ay magiging pipi din. Tatanggalan ito ng kapangyarihang i-review ang “factual basis” ng pagproklama ng Martial Law.

Pang-lima, ang pagsususpinde ng writ of habeas corpus ay maipapatupad ng pangulo anumang oras at kahit gaano katagal niyang naisin. Dahil dito, maaaring mabulok sa bilangguan ang mga taong ipapahuli niya ng di nasasampahan ng kaukulang kaso at kung gayon ay di mabibigyan ng pagkakataong maipagtanggol ang kanilang sarili sa harap ng hukuman.

Pang-anim, maging ang probisyon sa 1987 Constitution na nagbabawal sa pag-iral at operasyon ng private armies at paramilitary groups ay tatanggalin din sa Cha-Cha ni GMA. Kung magkakagayon, maaaring dumami pa ang private armies at paramilitary groups sa bansa. Maaaring lumala pa ang kasalukyang nagaganap na sunod-sunod na pagpatay sa mga aktibista at mga mamamahayag. Di ba’t ganito rin ang nangyari sa panahon ni Marcos? Nabago ang kahulugan ng “salvage” — imbes na iligtas, iligpit ang naging kahulugan nito.

Pampito, ang karapatan ng mga mahihirap at marginalized sectors na makibahagi sa pamamahala ng goyerno ay maaring mapawalang-bisa rin ng Cha-Cha ni Gloria. Sa pamamagitan ng local sector representation at party list system, pinagtibay ng kasalukuyang Konstitusyon ang pagbibigay ng karapatan sa mahihirap at naaaping sektor ng lipunan na direktang makibahagi sa pagpapatakbo ng gobyerno at pagsusulong ng mga polisiya at batas na sasalamin at sasagot sa mithiin ng sambayanan. Pinagtibay ito sa 1987 Constitution bilang sagot sa kawalan ng accountability, transparency at consultation sa ilalim ng diktatoryal na pamumuno ni Marcos. Ngunit nagbabadyang malusaw o mapahina ito kung matutuloy ang Charter Change.

Ito ang mga hubad na katotohan sa likod ng Cha-Cha. Malinaw na di kaginhawahan kundi lalong kahirapan ang dulot ng Charter Change. Malinaw na lalo pang pagsikil sa demokrasya at karapatang pantao ang hatid ng tren ni Gloria. Sinumang Pilipino na may tunay na malasakit sa kanyang bansa ay di magnanais na matuloy ang Charter Change sapagkat ito ay ginawa hindi para sa sambayanan kundi para kay GMA at sa makasariling interes ng mga dayuhan. May langit bang pangako ang Cha-Cha? Ang sagot natin: WALANG GLORIA SA CHA-CHA!!!

ALTERNATIVE LAW GROUPS, INC.
Quezon City
August 11, 2006

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