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CONTACT DETAILS
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107 Scout de Guia St.
Quezon City 1104
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Tel: (632) 4104768/9
9293117
Fax: (632) 9293571
Email: pcij@pcij.org
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GOODBYE AUTOMATED ELECTIONS?
Testy, costly arbitration in S’pore looms for squabbling contractors
by Malou Mangahas and Ed Lingao
THE COURT and not the boardroom looks like the next destination of the two proponents of the yet unborn joint venture project that was supposed to give the Philippines its first national automated elections in May 2010.
The parties call their differences “irreconcilable,” and by the letter of the existing Joint Venture Agreement (JVA), the conflict may be resolved only through tedious and costly arbitration in Singapore, under the commercial arbitration rules of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce.
SEE ALSO:
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SURVEY OF REPORTERS:
Execs give flimsy, inane excuses to rebuff access to info requests
by Ed Lingao and Rowena Carranza-Paraan
WHEN U.S. federal authorities caught the family of Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia smuggling thick wads of dollar bills into the United States in 2003, reporters covering the defense beat scrambled for documents to check out the lifestyle of top officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
So in early 2004, defense reporters filed a request for the Statements of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of Garcia and other officers with the AFP Public Information Office and the AFP’s Office of Ethical Standards and Public Accountability (OESPA).
Multiple requests for access to info meet with flat denials
by the Philipine Center for Investigative Journalism
THE PUBLIC’S right to information is enshrined in the Philippine Constitution, but the absence of an enabling law has apparently enabled various government agencies and officials – including Supreme Court justices – to violate this.
Some agencies do know and observe the Constitution’s guarantee of transparency, which is a prior condition to good governance. Far too many others, however, seem stuck in confidentiality mode and require prodding and coaxing to release documents. The most hostile, in fact, simply flatly deny or altogether ignore requests for public documents.
Big Infra Spending Fails to Lift Plight of Poorest
by KAROL ILAGAN
Poverty incidence has worsened in five of 10 provinces that got the biggest value of infrastructure project contracts.
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A typical rural road
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PART CRAGGY mountains and part deep valleys, Apayao in the Philippine north is probably not a place for those seeking an easy life. Yet up until six years ago, the ruggedly beautiful province had a relatively respectable poverty incidence rate of 16.8 percent, which meant more than 80 percent of the families there were consistently meeting their basic needs without much problem.
By 2006, however, majority of Apayao families were struggling, with the province posting a poverty incidence rate of 57.5 percent. As a result, Apayao had also become the newest entry in the Philippines’ list of 10 poorest provinces, and even earned the dubious honor of clinching rank No. 4.
SEE
ALSO:
BURMA BEFORE AND AFTER NARGIS
Where Journalism is a Living Hell
by TITA C. VALDERAMA
As the world marks Press Freedom Week (3-9 May 2009), it is most fitting to
review situations in Asia where that freedom remains an elusive dream. Burma is one such critical situation that we should all keep to heart. IT IS Southeast Asia’s largest country in terms of land area, yet there is reason why Burma is unfamiliar to many people, even within the region.
For one, it has been isolated for the last few decades as a result of both Burmese and international actions. For another, press freedom is unknown in Burma, which means accurate and up-to-date information is hard to find — and report — even within the country itself.
CORRUPTION IN ROAD PROJECTS
WB Suspects, Whistle-blowers Bagged Biggest DPWH Deals
by
Roel R. Landingin THE four contractors debarred by the World Bank anti-corruption unit, the Department of Institutional Integrity (INT), had received among the biggest contract, by value, awarded by the Department of Public Works and Highways. However, the contractors who had been spared from sanctions — apparently because they blew the whistle on the alleged cartel of contractors, bureaucrats and politicians rigging public works projects — in fact obtained an even greater amount of contracts from the DPWH.
SEE
ALSO:
MINING IN MOUNT PULAG
Village Folk Resist Illegal Deals, 'Bribes' for Leaders
by
Arthur L. Allad-iw and Harley Palangchao IRREGULAR exploration ventures hound Mount Pulag, a national park and the 'playground of the gods' of the Ibaloi that layers of laws have firmly declared off-limits to mining and all other “economic activities.”
SEE
ALSO:
BEAUTIFICATION IN A TIME OF CRISIS?
House Facelift to Cost Taxpayers P1 Billion; Fund Source a Puzzle
by
Tita C. Valderama THE
massive renovation project at the House of Representatives in time for the eighth state of the nation address (SONA) of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was initially estimated to cost P200 million. But the PCIJ discovered that the prettified House will actually cost taxpayers some P1 billion.
Arroyo Allies Linked to 'Garci' Behind Mystery Firm in Pagcor 'Tourism City'
by
Malou Mangahas and Tita C. Valderama THIS
two-part report, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) uncovers the mysterious and muddled ownership interests behind Bloombury, and gaps in Pagcor's decision to enroll it as an investor in “Tourism City.”
SEE
ALSO:
DESPITE PROTECTED AREA STATUS
Illegal Fish Cage Operations Poison Taal Lake
by
Marlon Alexander Luistro ASIDE
from being an eyesore, the unregulated fish cage operations at the world-famous Taal Lake are killing this declared protected area.
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Maguindanao, RP Fall Behind Key Indicators for Education
by
Jaileen F. Jimeno THE
Arroyo administration is falling behind all key indicators of progress in a most strategic Millennium Development Goal: education. In faraway Maguindanao, for instance, more children are failing to enroll and stay in school, and the ratio of students to teachers, classrooms and books is getting worse.
WHEN POLITICS POLLUTES CIVIL SERVICE
New CSC Chief Faces Pack of Ineligible Bureaucrats
by
Isa Lorenzo and Malou Mangahas THE
appointment of Cabinet secretary Ricardo Saludo as chair of the Civil Service Commission signals the virtual capture by political appointees of senior government positions previously reserved for career service personnel.
SEE
ALSO:
THE
PERILS AND PITFALLS OF AID
ODA Surge Sparks Scandals for Arroyo, Debt Woes for RP
by
Roel R. Landingin THIS
three-part series caps a six-month review by the PCIJ of project
and official documents covering 71 ODA projects funded by the Philippines
biggest ODA lenders. Part 1 looks at how the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA) and its project evaluation process
have been weakened and violated by pressure from lobbyists and political
sponsors of some projects.
SEE
ALSO:
Price-Control-Board Debate May Delay Cheap Drugs Law
by
Alecks P. Pabico
AFTER
almost a decade, a bill seeking to ensure access to affordable,
quality medicines by majority of poor Filipinos is on the verge
of finally becoming a law. But unless the matter devolves into one
of political expediency, contentious issues between the House and
Senate versions of the bill could delay its immediate passage.
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Online
Edition
OPEN BUDGET SURVEY 2008
Philippine Budget Process: Less and Less Transparent
by
the PCIJ
This report focuses on the increasing lack of transparency in the
budget and financial processes of the Philippine government, a situation that allows citizens no opportunity to hold officials accountable for possible abuse, misuse and corruption of public funds.
SEE
ALSO:
MINDING MINING
The Canadian Quandary
by
Isa Lorenzo and Philip Ney
Canadian mining firms are subject to strict environmental and social regulations in their home country, but away from the prying eyes of Canadian citizens and media, they do not behave as well overseas.
SEE
ALSO:
IN THE NEWS
House Opposition Seeks Caps on Arroyo's Spending Habits
by
Tita C. Valderama
In light of the fertilizer funds scam, a bill at the Lower House seeks to control the president’s wide discretion in disbursing public money and other unspent amounts in the annual budget program.
CROSSBORDER
Thailand's Continuing Crisis
by
Johanna Son
Relative calm has returned to Bangkok, and reports reaching here say the protesters’ politician-allies are fast gaining numbers in parliament. But deep schisms in Thai society have now been exposed, indicating that this crisis is far from being over.
DISPUTE OVER HACIENDA BACAN
Mike Arroyo Claim Stalls Land Reform in Negros
by
Annie Ruth C. Sabangan
For seven years now, efforts of the farmer-beneficiaries to claim the 157-hectare Hacienda Bacan in Isabela town, Negros Occidental, an estate owned by the First Couple, spouses Gloria Macapagal and Jose Miguel Arroyo and their families, have yet to bear fruit, no thanks to the First Gentleman.
SPECIAL REPORT
Every 6 Hours, Pirates Seize a Filipino Seaman
by
Roel R. Landingin
It’s no secret that the shipping industry is one of the most dangerous in the world, with the many threats seafarers have to face seemingly growing each year. Recently, however, piracy has become among the top risks endured by Filipino seamen.
PERSPECTIVE
That Bumpy Ride Called Democracy
by
Johanna Son
Despite their fairly different histories and cultures, the Philippines and Thailand have wound up with similar political experiences.
PUBLIC EYE
Amid the Fighting, the Clan Still Rules in Maguindanao
by
Jaileen F. Jimeno
The Ampatuans are the latest in the string of clans that wield power and privilege in Mindanao.
FIRST PERSON | AUGUST 21, 1983
A Million Came for Ninoy as Reporters Battled with Censors
by
Joel C. Paredes
This is a first-person account of how journalists tried to fight off Marcos's censors in Malacañang, as the streets of Metro Manila swelled with protest rallies for the slain Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr.
TILL DEBT DO US PART?
Gloria's Inglorious Record: Biggest Debtor, Least Popular
by
Alecks P. Pabico
In her eighth and latest State of the Nation Address, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo boasted that her administration has managed to retire debts in great amounts, "reducing the drag on our country's development." Under Arroyo, however, the national government's debt stock has grown to a staggering P3.87 trillion.
THE ECONOMY
Misplaced Government Spending Worsens Woes
by
Jaileen F. Jimeno and Karol Anne M. Ilagan
In her State of the Nation Address, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reported on the economic gains her administration chalked up in 2007. Her speech, however, ignored the bleak data that government statisticians have collected in the last six months.
SEE ALSO:
PUBLIC EYE
Romulo L. Neri: Can Golf, Realpolitik Work at SSS?
by
Alecks P. Pabico
Romulo Neri's designation as head of the Social Security System drew a mix of surprise, criticism and revulsion. Going by his performance record as NEDA chief as seen by his deputies, staff personnel and other informed sources, the public reaction could just be appropriate.
PUBLIC EYE
Arroyo Fails COA Audit: Fairness of Presidency's Books 'Doubtful'
by
Malou Mangahas
The Arroyo government has repeatedly called for belt-tightening, on both the private and public sector. But the latest Commission on Audit report on the Office of the President reveals the seat of power itself has not been judicious in its use of taxpayers' money.
PUBLIC EYE
No Cure for Costly Medicines? Draft Law Affirms Patent Rights of Drug Firms
by
Alecks P. Pabico
Some legal experts fear that despite its promise of affordable medicines, the recently ratified law would face difficulties in its implementation, in large part because pharmaceutical companies could take advantage of the loopholes in the patent-related amendments.
SEE ALSO:
2015 OR BUST?
Naga City's Class Act
by
Alecks P. Pabico
BICOL'S model city is trying its best to address its 'weakest link' in achieving the Millennium Development Goals: keeping schoolchildren in class to complete elementary education.
OTHER
FEATURE:
FIRST PERSON
Still Reeling from Military Junta, Burma a Mess After Cyclone
by
Tita Valderama
Tita Valderama was in Burma as a fellow of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance when cyclone Nagris battered Yangon (Rangoon), its former capital, last weekend and left thousands of Burmese dead.
PERSPECTIVE
An Absolute Privilege
by
Nepomuceno Malaluan
Former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri scored a legal victory when the Supreme Court said the Senate could not compel him to answer three questions that it found to be covered by executive privilege. But transparency advocates say the public may end up the loser should that decision become final.
PERSPECTIVE
Executive Privilege Versus Public Interest
by
Nepomuceno Malaluan
Executive privilege has
become a bogey of sorts for those who want to scrutinize government
projects and programs.
PREVIOUS
ISSUES
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RP is world's 'poster child of impunity' — CPJ
JUSTICE remains elusive for murdered journalists and their families as this year’s Global Impunity Index showed little to no improvement, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
A trail of bodies, unsolved killings
PCIJ guest blogger Tonyo Cruz shares this article on human rights reporting after attending a training seminar conducted by the PCIJ and Newsbreak last week.
Enrile and Edsa 1
USUALLY nonchalant about the subject matter, Juan Ponce Enrile was in a surprisingly revelatory mood to tell the public what his sentiments are about the 1986 Edsa People Power revolt, whose annual official anniversary every February 25 he has been snubbing until last week.
America's second-class veterans no more?
DEEMED as an act to correct a “historic wrong,” the $787-billion economic stimulus package recently approved by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama comes with $198 million in lump-sum benefits to surviving Filipino veterans who fought alongside American soldiers during World War II.
Victim's point of view
IF the alleged post-Christmas day mauling of businessman Delfin de la Paz and his 14-year-old son by the sons of agrarian reform secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. has generated as much attention, it’s not only because the incident involved an unequal encounter, as Inquirer columnist Amando Doronila put it, pitting the family of a high official of the Arroyo administration, a Cabinet secretary no less, against plain powerless citizens. It’s also because from the start the public had ready access to an important point of view: that of the supposed victims.
Filipinos in Barack’s America
THIS week, the PCIJ Channel features an interview with U.S.-based Filipino journalist Benjamin Pimentel, author of Pareng Barack: Filipinos in Obama’s America.
MCC: No grant assistance forthcoming until Arroyo gov’t shows it can curb corruption
WHENEVER it is confronted with the latest survey findings about the worsening levels of corruption in the country, the Arroyo government would typically dismiss the results as based on “mere perception.”
A torrent of Cha-cha measures
THEY usually begin with promising phrases like “to strengthen” or “to improve” governance, and then almost always end up making a common recommendation — either “to amend” or “to revise” the 1987 Constitution.
So much for delicadeza
WITH delicadeza just so easily dispensed with, the fourth impeachment complaint against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was junked last week and goes to a plenary vote this Tuesday. But it is unlikely that enough votes will be garnered to overturn the House of Representatives justice committee’s ruling declaring the impeachment complaint void for being insufficient in substance.
SEE
ALSO:
PCIJ reaps 2008 DAJA honors
THE PCIJ again emerged victorious at the 2008 Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA) held recently in Tokyo, Japan, garnering the top prize in one of four categories and clinching runner-up honors in another.
Is there a storm on the horizon?
WE feature on the blog this latest paper written by Dr. Joel Rocamora, chairperson of the Akbayan party-list group and former executive director of the Institute for Popular Democracy. In his paper, Rocamora presents his reading of the current situation in light of the recent call for the setting up of a “new government” by some Catholic bishops, including Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, the president of the influential, albeit divided, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
REPORTING ON CONFLICT AND PEACE: THE STORY OF MINDANAO
Journalism and conflict in the Philippines
THE media have abdicated their watchdog role on the issue of the peace negotiations between the Arroyo government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), particularly with regard to the abandoned memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain.
SEE
ALSO:
GRP-MILF MOA ON ANCESTRAL DOMAIN
The U.S. and the Bangsamoro struggle: Selfish-determination vs self-determination
PCIJ contributor Herbert Docena, an associate of the regional policy research institute, Focus on the Global South, provides a timely Perspective piece on the scuttled peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation front (MILF) over the issue of the controversial memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD).
SEE
ALSO:
JPEPA: A case of 'giving away everything but getting nothing'
INDEPENDENT consultant Edna Espos offers her own critique of the controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), giving senators yet more reasons why they should not ratify the proposed treaty many of whose provisions have already been established to be constitutionally infirm.
'News as a living organism'
BELOW is the full text of Sheila Coronel’s lecture last Friday, August 22, at the University of the Philippines National Institute of Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) Auditorium. The lecture is part of the ongoing “UP: View from the Outside” lectures of the UP Centennial Lecture Series to commemorate the 100th-year foundation of the State University this year.
Of neoconservatives and neoliberals: U.S. foreign policy in post-Bush America
THAT the eight-year presidency of George W. Bush is finally coming to an end may be comforting a thought to many in light of elections in the United States to choose a new president this coming November. But the choices of American voters, having since been narrowed down to John McCain, the Republican Party nominee, and Barack Obama, the Democratic Party nominee, are hardly offering the rest of the world much hope in terms of any fundamental change in U.S. foreign policy.
NBN-ZTE
SCANDAL
Lacaba: Keep the NBN-ZTE issue alive
FOR poet and YES! magazine executive editor Jose ‘Pete’ Lacaba, the national broadband network (NBN) scandal had reached an early saturation point. Thus, he stresses that while no Senate hearing currently air, it is important to “keep the issues alive.”
SEE
ALSO:
SPRATLYS DEAL
Selling out Philippine sovereignty?
IF the tripartite agreement entered into by the Philippines with China and Vietnam to conduct a joint marine seismic undertaking (JMSU) in the disputed territories of the Spratly Islands is currently mired in controversy, the Arroyo government has only itself to blame.
SEE
ALSO:
MORE AT
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Podcasting from the Philippines
A MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION
READ THE i REPORT ARTICLES.
LISTEN
TO THE PODCASTS:
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Newsbreak, PCIJ stories win in 2008 JVO awards
IN-DEPTH stories on governance and corruption, human rights, and environment won in the 19th Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ) held yesterday at the Asian Institute of Management.
Roel Landingin’s “The Battle for Manila’s Gateway,” published in the September to December 2007 issue of Newsbreak, was named best in investigative and explanatory reporting. The story examined the account of events surrounding the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) 3 - Philippine International Air Terminal Co. (PIATCO) controversy.
Another Newsbreak story, “Trapped in a Web of Lives” by Glenda Gloria, published last December 2007 to February 2008, also won the grand prize. It was cited as “a comprehensive, well-researched and compelling story” on the disappearance of Jonas Burgos, which emphasized the need to address the problem of human rights violation.
Landingin, also a fellow of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, and Gloria both received plaques of distinction, P70,000 cash prize each, and the Australian Ambassador’s Award from the Australian Embassy and the Marshall McLuhan Prize from the Canadian Embassy, respectively.
Another PCIJ fellow, Prime Sarmiento, also received a citation for her story “What’s Swimming In Your Soup?” which delved into the country’s continuing lack of proper drainage systems. She received a plaque of merit and a cash prize of P25,000.
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PCIJ
Training Schedule
BELOW is the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism's
(PCIJ) training schedule for the second half of 2008:
- August 4-7
— Investigative Journalism for Visayas Journalists
- October
— Investigative Journalism for Journalism Educators
The courses are by-invitation only. But if you wish to be
considered for future PCIJ trainings, kindly email
us your brief resumé and sample stories. |
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News for Sale
THIS book probes how corruption and commerce (or the pressure
to rate or sell) have shaped media coverage of what is supposed
to be the pivotal event in our democracy — elections. In a
continuation of her groundbreaking-exposé on the ways in which
journalism is corrupted by bribes and other inducements, Chay
Florentino-Hofileña examines the new forms of media corruption
that have emerged in the 2004 elections.
The Rulemakers
THIS book tells the story of the Philippine legislature by
examining the men and women who make up that body. It looks
at their demographic characteristics (age, gender, education,
profession), their assets and sources of wealth, and also
their family lineage.
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