MINDANAO DAILY T H E P U RV E YO R O F T R U T H , J U S T I C E , A N D D E V E LO P M E N T
Volume VI, No. 285
Website: www.mindanaodailynews.com
Tuesday
May 16, 2017
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NPA confirms arrest of famous miner in Agsur By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN Contributing Editor
SAN Francisco, Agusan del Sur--Communist guerillas in Caraga region have confirmed that the well-known miner of this town was arrested by New Peoples Army Front 14 on Saturday morning as a punitive action for the long record of abuses
to the “broad masses.” Ka A r i e l Mont e ro, spokesperson of Regional Operational Command of NPA Northeastern Mindanao Region, said Carson Ceasar “Abud” Lademora along with his aide Leonardo Cacao were held by their comrades at his mine site in the sub village of Sinug-ang in Rosario town.
Lademora operates a mining tunnel in the highgrade gold rush area of Sinug-ang in the village of Bayugan 3 in Rosario town which his family have claimed since the early 1980s. The guerillas also seized 21 firearms when it raided the mine site without a single shot fired at around 7 am.
The 21 firearms included 2 M16, 1 AK47, 1 BAR, 1 M14, 1 Garand, 4 Carbines, 3 M79 launchers, 3 shotguns and 4 caliber .45 handguns and 1 .38 revolver. The NPA also confiscated assorted ammunitions, magazines and other military supplies. Lademora is the youngest son of the late Constabulary colonel Carlos
Lademora, the leader of the dreaded Lost Command, whose reign in this town in the dark years of 1980s have sown terror and gripped fear among residents here. “Through the continuing control of said armed forces and the remaining notorious Lost Command forces, the Lademora family monopolize mining in
Sinug-ang, Bayugan 3 and deprived other people of livelihood. Residents feared the existence of said armed group controlled by the Lademoras,” Montero said. Montero described the Lost Command as a ragtag band organized by the elder Lademora composed of former Philippine See confirms, page 7
Moro leaders: no to ‘diluted version’ of draft Bangsamoro law By Carolyn O. Arguillas of MindaNews
Leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ended their two-day meeting of the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by taking a “strong stand against any attempt to come up with a diluted version” of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) “during the congressional review.” The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which hosted the meeting, said in a press release posted on its website that during the meeting on May 7 and 8, the participants exchanged views about the work of the Bangsamoro Transition Council (BTC) which is crafting Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation invited leaders of the a draft basic law for the Bangsamoro and “took a strong Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) factions and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for a meeting of the stand against any attempt to come up with a diluted verBangsamoro Coordination Forun. Photo shows the OIC SecGen with the MILF delegation led by chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim (left) and the MNLF delegation led by chair Yusoph Jikiri (right) on May 7, 2017. Nur Misuari, MNLF founding sion of the draft bill during the congressional review.” chair and chair of another faction, was a no-show and did not also send a representative. Photo courtesy of the OIC
Army nabs 11 ‘Maute’ members By Edwin O. Fernandez of PNA
CAMP Siongco, Maguindanao--Eleven suspected members of the Lanao del Sur-based Maute terror group were arrested by the military Monday morning, an official said. The raiding team, composed of personnel from the 6th Infantry Battalion (IB), also confiscated eight unlicensed high-powered firearms during the 5:15 a.m. raid on three houses in the village of Maragondong, Marogong town in Lanao del Sur, said Major General Arnel dela Vega, commander of the 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division Dela Vega said the military received a tip from local A member of the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) controls the flow of traffic along Osmeña Street in Cagayan residents about de Oro City as the influx of mallgoers visiting the newly-opened SM-CDO Downtown Premier continued unabated. See members, page 6
Photo by Gerry Lee Gorit for Mindanao Daily News
See draft, page 7
Medina’s ‘coco fashion show’
MEDINA, Misamis Oriental--The municipality of Medina is promoting coconut and its various parts by having its bevy of beauties parade in a “coco fashion show” during the crowning of the annual beauty pageant scheduled Monday night at the town’s covered court here. During the “Bestida de Lubi de Medina Fashion Show” held at the town’s covered court Sunday last week, 21 ladies representing the municipality’s 18 villages and from three other sectors vying for the Ms. Medina Tourism 2017 crown paraded various locally created “coco” gowns and accessories The event also served See SHOW, page 6
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MINDANAO DAILY SECOND FRONTPAGE
Group condemns police, military mark francisco, Section Editor EDITOR: RUEL V. PELONE
By Antonio L. Colina IV of MindaNews
Human Rights group Barug Katungod Mindanao condemned the police and military for arresting last Friday in Ozamiz City Bishop Carlo Morales of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), his wife Ma. Teofilina Morales, church driver Isadome Dalid, and alleged National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Rommel Salinas. In a statement released on Saturday, the group also criticized government authorities for “fabricating charges” against Morales, head of the IFI diocese in Ozamiz City, and Salinas, alleged secretary general of the Communist Party of the Philippines in Western Mindanao, for alleged possession of firearms and ammunition. The group maintained Morales and his companions were arrested by the police when the warrant of arrest was only against Salinas, a duly accredited person under the Joint Agreement on safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and who is a holder of Document of Identification No. ND978453 under the name of Hermie Abella as identified by the NDFP. The JASIG prohibits state forces
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from arresting any person covered by it and cannot be charged in courts “to be able to freely participate and promote the peace process in the country” and to ensure the continuity of the peace talks “by assuring both parties that their negotiators and consultants can move and speak freely in relation to their role in the peace process.” It called on President Rodrigo Duterte to look into this “disturbing circumvention of the rule of law and a blatant turnaround on previouslysigned GRP-NDPF peace agreements like the JASIG.” It noted that what the Ozamiz police and military did “clearly shows that government forces “arbitrarily refuse to honor the JASIG by arresting NDF consultants based on trumpedup charges.” It also cited the case of NDF consultant Ariel Arbitrario, who was arrested at a Davao City checkpoint in early February, even as he was supposed to be protected by the JASIG. Charges against the bishop’s wife, Teofilina, and Dalid, the driver, were dropped but Morales and Salinas have been charged for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition that they claimed were planted by the military
allegedly to justify their arrest and detention. When accosted at the checkpoint in Barangay Gango in Ozamiz last Friday, the Barug Katungod claimed the police did not declare Morales’ group was in possession of any illegal material and were made to ride another vehicle going to the police station while their belongings were separated and taken to antoher vehicle. Authorities claimed to have recovered from their possession a hand grenade, six Nokia mobile phones, battery packs, a map of Misamis Occidental, and P80,700 in cash. Barug Katungod said the at the police station, Morales, Salinas and company were “surprised to be informed by the police and elements of military that they were in possession of one hand grenade and “subversive” documents. “This is clearly a variance of the government’s ‘tanim droga’ and ‘tanim bala’ schemes. Only that this practice has been with us since Martial Law and is perpetrated by state security forces with impunity,” it said. It added the police obtained a commitment order from the court for their continued detention
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May 16, 2017
Bishop Morales on handcuffs. Photo from IFIOzamiz’s Facebook page
See GROUP, page 7
Moro leaders told: Come up with ‘single, harmonized’ draft Bangsamoro law By Carolyn O. Arguillas of MindaNews
Moro leaders “must come up with a consensus” so that what is submitted to Congress in July is a “single, harmonized” draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that incorporates the gains of the four peace agreements government signed with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the last four decades, Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI and Deputy Speaker Bai Sandra Sema said. In his 15-point “Credo on Peace in Bangsamoro Land”, Quevedo, Archbishop of Cotabato and Mindanao’s lone Cardinal, cited the need for the “main protagonists for peace” among the Bangsamoro which he identified as the MILF, MNLF, leaders of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Bangsamoro civil society and the Sultanates, to “come up with a consensus agreement that is expressed through a single,
Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI, Archbishop of Cotabato during the mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cotabato City, upon his return from his installation as Cardinal in Rome. File photo taken on March 11, 2014 by Toto Lozano
harmonized BBL draft to be submitted to Congress.” “I believe that Congress is not the appropriate body to harmonize various Bangsamoro peace proposals, but harmonization should be done by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC),” Quevedo said. The 21-member BTC is crafting the draft BBL that
BTC chair Ghazali Jaafar said they will submit to the Office of the President on the first week of June. The Commission met in plenary last week and is embarking on public consultations from May 15 to 26 in the proposed core territory comprising the ARMM provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi.
Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Bai Sandra Sema of the first district of Maguindanao says convergence of the MILF and MNLF peace tracks must be done at the level of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission or the Office of the President instead of letting Congress do the convergence, citing the experience of the previous BBL under the Aquino administration. MIndaNews photo by Carolyn O. Arguillas
Sema, Representative of the 1st district of Maguindanao, told MindaNews in a telephone interview Saturday that convergence of the MNLF and MILF peace tracks should preferably be done by the BTC “because that is why the BTC was expanded in the first place.” But if convergence cannot be done at the BTC level, Sema said it can be done at
the Office of the President. Legacy “A decision has to be made,” Sema said, adding that if the Duterte administration wants the Bangsamoro government as its legacy, it is best that the BTC-crafted draft BBL and the MNLF draft amendatory law be harmonized into one draft law for submission to Congress instead of letting
Congress do the convergence, citing the experience of the first draft BBL under the Aquino administration. The BTC then was composed of 15 members, eight from the MILF and seven from the government. After committee hearings, the two houses of Congress filed substitute bills that the MILF said would render the future autonomous region less autonomous than the ARMM that it sought to replace. Congress adjourned without passing the law. When the Duterte administration took over, it increased the number of members to 15, supposedly to make it more inclusive and to ensure representation of the MNLF factions. But only the MNLF faction under Muslimin Sema, (now under Yusoph Jikiri), agreed to nominate three members who are now BTC Commissioners. Deputy Speaker Sema is wife of Muslimin Sema, who was Secretary-General of the MNLF when it negotiated peace with See single, page 7
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Tuesday, May 16, 2017
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IFI leader condemns arrest of its bishop, 3 others in Ozamiz City By GERRY LEE GORIT Correspondent
STOP FAKE NEWS. The board of directors of the Philippines Communication Society (PCS) participates in the covenant signing led by trainers Tess Bacalla and Ariel Sebellino to highlight the campaign of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC) to stop fake news at the NCR leg of the seminar series at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA). This was attended by 123 journalism and communication students and educators from various schools in Metro Manila, information officers, and PCS members. The last for Luzon will be conducted in Malolos City on May 16 at the Bulacan State University.
Agricultural production support
Despite the government’s attempt to develop other industries as economic drivers, the agriculture sector remains central to the Philippine economy. According to the January 2016 Labor Force Survey, it is the second largest employer in the country, providing op-
portunities to 27 percent of Filipino workers. It also produces the bulk of the population’s food needs and provides the raw materials that fuel the rest of the economy. However, the sector has registered laggard growth for many years despite the
huge public investments poured into it. In 2015, the government spent PHP 114 billion for agriculture, 32 percent higher than the expenditures in 2014, based on Philippine Statistics Authority data. Roehlano Briones, senior research fellow at the Philippine
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Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), attributes the sector’s perennial poor performance to the government’s failure to adopt the necessary reforms, such as the transition from mere farming to agribusiness. This can be achieved, See support, page 6
CAGAYAN de Oro City-The leadership of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) has condemned the arrest and detention of one of its bishops in Ozamiz City last Thursday night. “The Iglesia Filipina Independiente strongly denounce the illegal arrest of Bishop Carlos Morales and his wife Maria Teofilina, and two other companions, Isadome Dalis and Rommel [Salinas],” said a statement of IFI Obispo Maximo Ephram Fajutagana posted on social media on Friday night. The four were arrested by a joint team of police and soldiers in a checkpoint in Barangay Gango, Ozamiz. They were then brought to a police station in Ozamiz. The police regional office said Rommel Salinas has standing warrants of arrest for destructive arson, murder, frustrated murder, attempted murder, and robbery, issued by judges in Dinagat Island and Surigao City. Taken from Salinas’ possession was a hand grenade, six Nokia 1133 cellphones with assorted SIM cards,
25 reserved battery packs, P80,700 in cash, a drafted map of Misamis Occidental, a Lenovo tablet, a pair of rubber boots, a 12-inch bolo, various pre-paid card and an National Democratic Front (NDF) identification card. In an interview, Morales said Salinas hitched a ride in his Starex van and was arrested when law enforcers flagged down the vehicle they were riding in. Per police report, Morales is the secretary of the Secom Sendong, the largest unit of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) Western Mindanao Regional Party Command. Morales earlier said the arresting team was only after of Salinas but handcuffed him, his wife and driver when they refused to leave the suspect. The bishop also heard Salinas telling investigators that he is a consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF). In his statement, Fajutagana said: “The arrest and the filing of trumpedup charges against Bishop Morales and his companions are but a brazen violation of their rights.” Morales, he said, See condemns, page 7
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Opinion
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Good faith can’t exculpate PNoy from DAP raps
LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “… Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them…” (Isaiah 1:23, the Holy Bible). -oooGOOD FAITH CAN’T EXCULPATE PNOY FROM RAPS OVER DAP: Here’s one for academic discussion for my former law students: can the invocation by former President Benigno Aquino III of good faith on his role or participation in the outlawed “disbursement acceleration program” (DAP) of his administration exculpate him from criminal liability for graft or even plunder for the misuse of some P150 billion in government funds? The answer is yes, according to the Supreme Court in its 2014 decision declaring the DAP unconstitutional (see Araulo vs. Aquino III, G.R. No. 209287, July 01, 2014), but he has the burden of showing concrete proof of his “good faith” in the planning and execution of the DAP, after he has been sued in court first on account of the Court’s declaration of illegality of
RODRIGO B. SEVILLA Regional Editor-Davao
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hospitals, classrooms and the like. Not to apply the doctrine of operative fact to the DAP could literally cause the physical undoing of such worthy results by destruction, and would result in most undesirable wastefulness. “Nonetheless, as Justice Brion has pointed out during the deliberations, the doctrine of operative fact does not always apply, and is not always the consequence of every declaration of constitutional invalidity…” -oooOMBUDSMAN DISOBEYED SC RULING ON DAP: The Supreme Court went further: “It (the doctrine of operative fact) can be invoked only in situations where the nullification of the effects of what used to be a valid law would result in inequity and injustice; but where no such result would ensue, the general rule that an unconstitutional law is totally ineffective should apply. “In that context, as Justice Brion has clarified, the doctrine of operative fact can apply only to the PAPs (or the projects) that can no longer be undone, and whose beneficiaries relied in good faith on the validity of the DAP, but cannot apply to the authors, proponents and implementors
Atty. Batas Mauricio
of the DAP, unless there are concrete findings of good faith in their favor by the proper tribunals determining their criminal, civil, administrative and other liabilities…” What the Ombudsman should have done here, pursuant to this decision of the Supreme Court, is to charge Aquino with graft and corruption, at the very least, in view of the tribunal’s finding that the expenditure of billions in government money through DAP by Aquino and his cohorts was illegal and unconstitutional. But then, the current Ombudsman refused to charge him, in violation of the Court’s direct order. Oh well… -oooWATCH “ANG TANGING DAAN”, “KAKAMPI MO ANG BATAS”, AT FB LIVE: Please watch “Ang Tanging Daan”, a Bible Exposition and prayer session at www.facebook. com/angtangingdaan and “Kakampi Mo Ang Batas”, a legal counseling-news commentary program at www.facebook.com/kakampimoangbatas. Reactions: 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0193, 0977 805 9058. Email: batasmauricio@yahoo.com.
Federalism: potential and pitfalls
PAT SAMONTE CHRIS PANGANIBAN By William R. Adan Regional Editor Caraga Regional Editor-Davao of MindaNews Rene Michael BaÑos uRIEL C. QUILINGUING NAAWAN, Misamis Orien Regional Editor Northmin Contributing Editor AL JACINTO Regional Editor-WestMin
the DAP. In other words, the defense of “good faith” on the part of Aquino should or could be considered only when there is already a court case against him in connection with the DAP. He cannot invoke it yet, during the preliminar y investigation of the DAP at the Ombudsman, since the Supreme Court ruling is clear: Aquino, as a proponent and executor or implementor of the DAP should be criminally sued first, because his DAP was entirely illegal. -oooTHE DOER OF UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACT CAN BE PENALIZED FOR A CRIMINAL ACT: And so everyone is apprised all over again on this point, here was what the Supreme Court, through Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, said relative to this issue: “The other side of the coin is that it has been adequately shown as to be beyond debate that the implementation of the DAP yielded undeniably positive results that enhanced the economic welfare of the country. “To count the positive results may be impossible, but the visible ones, like public infrastructure, could easily include roads, bridges, homes for the homeless,
tal––What are the problems obtaining in our current government system that may be addressed to and hopefully solved by adopting federalism? And what problems are likely to worsen under federalism? Federalism Solves Inefficiency. The existing highly centralized mode of governance is very inefficient. The national government attends to the many if not all the problems besetting the country, for instance, from the sizzling trouble at West Philippines Sea to an environmental disaster in a mining community down to the crazy traffic situation in Metropolitan Manila. The many and sometimes conflicting layers of decision making in the current system makes the fulfillment of these expectations and delivery of services wanting and ineffectual at best. Instead of digging into and unleashing their very own resources and talents in solving the problems that directly affect them, the local government units generally invoke and wait for the intervention of the central government where
Turning point the bulk of the treasury for governance is held. This develops a dependency governance culture and stunts the growth, strengths and capacities of the LGUs. Moreover, in expecting a national solution to all problems one ends up with solutions that would be effective in some areas but are unworkable in others. In adopting federalism, more powers of government is responsibly dispersed to member states via the federal constitution giving them the right to solve some problems that distinctly and directly affect them. To allow states to create solutions to their own problems, using policies and laws that work best in their state, means that each state can come up with its own solutions, making government more efficient and responsive in the exercise of its functions. Tyranny. A centralized government can be a breeding ground for tyrants. A CEO riding on his popularity may use his power and authority to act beyond what is allowed by the Constitution supposedly for the benefit of the people but in reality for his selfish interest to remain and
entrench himself in power. The unbridled use of executive power could destroy the legal system and would hurl the country back to the justice system of the dark ages. Under a federal government, an emerging tyrant will reckon with the restrains readied for such hazard by the federal government as well as by the constituent states. The CEO of a federal government is under constant check by other branches of the government and has lesser or no opportunity at all to run berserk. Lack of Participation in Governance. In a democracy where most of determining power is exercised by the national government, the participation of the people in governance, say, in planning and policy making and other matters affecting them is almost non-existent. At best they can only protest, albeit unproductively, to what is imposed on them. Responsible federalism may solve this problem through the constituent states. The state brings the government closer to the people. There could be more avenues for partici-
pation at the state level both at the initiative of the state government and concerned citizens, making the government more responsive to the needs of the people. Moreover, with greater citizen participation in the affairs of the state, transparency and accountability in governance will be enshrined. Corruption which often plagues the central government will be given focus and extra attention at the state level and may likely reduce or curtail it. Historical and Cultural Conflicts. Conflicts arising from the accident of history and culture have wasted the lives of armed combatants and innocent civilians, depriving certain regions to live in peace and prosperity. In a federal system, people with common customs and traditions may form into a constituent federal state. As may be allowed by the federal constitution they may establish institutions and systems to carry out legitimate goals and purposes through their own policy and law-making to solve area problems and meet their needs and aspirations. Particularly in the south of the country, allowing See PITFALLS, page 7
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RCEP is undemocratic and anti-development IBON Foundation Statement for the Stakeholders’ Meeting of the Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC)18th Round of Negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Manila, May 10, 2017 Our countries should not be prevented from implementing real development policies. After over three decades of globalization we need to reclaim our economic sovereignty, not erode this even further. IBON Foundation welcomes this stakeholder engagement. However, as with many other civil society organizations (CSOs), we find the general secrecy surrounding the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the correspondingly very limited public participation to be very disappointing. Our organizations are keen to analyze and discuss the terms of the RCEP for their far-reaching impact on tens of millions of Filipinos and hundreds of millions of others across RCEP nego-
Statement
tiating countries. We have made many formal requests to various governments for copies of the negotiating text so that they could be analyzed and discussed among the workers, farmers, and other marginalized sectors. These requests are unheeded and we have had to rely on extremely sketchy information and on socalled leaked texts. The consequent absence of meaningful participation is not consistent with the principles of democracy and inclusiveness that our governments often espouse. Secondly, it is often ar-
gued that we have to enter free trade agreements (FTAs) or else be “left out” and lose out. This is a poor guide to economic policymaking. The measure of success is not of being able to avoid being “left out” but rather if economic development has been or is being achieved. That defeatist position has resulted in the Philippines steadily liberalizing and opening its markets over the last three decades. The negative Philippine experience is something that we invite our neighbours to learn from. The Philippines is party
to six (6) FTAs, one (1) bilateral FTA, various agreements under the multilateral World Trade Organization (WTO), and at least 31 bilateral investment treaties (BITs). These are aside from a whole range of marketoriented domestic laws and policies. These have made the country already more open than its neighbours in Southeast Asia in many aspects of foreign trade and investment. These neoliberal policies have kept agriculture backward and caused it to decline to its smallest share of the economy in history. Filipino industry has been in decline for decades and is already a smaller share of the economy and employment than in the 1950s; some 20 firms have been closing on average every day since the 2000s. This has been compensated for by the bloating of a largely low value-added and low productivity service sector. It has also resulted See rcep, page 6
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Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Letters from Davao
Sublime paradox By Jun Ledesma of PNA
THE critics of President Rodrigo Duterte have increased in numbers but raised the same issues that had been rehashed many times over. Political harassments, human rights violations, extra-judicial killings and befriending China, among others. Last week, Agnes Callamard, a rapporteur (reporter) of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights, sneaked into the Philippines with the help of the local Commission on Human Rights and Free Legal Assistance Group. Callamard tucked along a “Dr.” Carl Hart obviously to buttress her claim that Shabu does not damage the brain of the user. Earlier, Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo proposed to decriminalize the use of shabu, which the Duterte government wants to eliminate as the substance has hooked millions and had been attributed to be driving addicts to commit heinous crimes and violence. The presence of Callamard, was timed with the meeting of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. In her speech, Callamard
negated the World Health Organization findings on the danger of shabu and had her sidekick Hart, who was introduced as a doctor, to confirm it. She even had the gall to demand that death penalty should not be reimposed in the Philippines. Philippine CHR Chair Jose Gascon, the midnight appointee of past President Benigno Aquino III, was ebullient he found an ally in Calamard and Hart. And I can only imagine how VP Robredo is smiling from ear to ear. From her prison cell, a very privilege detainee, former CHR Chairperson now member of the Philippine Senate rattled of statement to her friendly journalists how wrong Duterte was and that the President should answer for the death of the victims of extra-judicial killings. Not to be left, an aging but still garrulous Ex-CHR Chair Etta Rosales, who, like her predecessor (Leila) De Lima is so consumed at indicting Duterte on EJK (extra-judicial killing), came out from the cold to denounce who else but their common pet peeve Duterte. But the cabal of antiDuterte critics cannot celebrate despite the magma See PARDOX, page 6
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he said, by shifting to high-value crops, which are more profitable than traditional crops. For a full agricultural transition, Briones also urges the government to capitalize on agricultural production support, such as infrastructure, credit and insurance, and research and development (R&D). Unfortunately, it is also in these aspects that the Philippine government usually falls short. PIDS President Gilbert Llanto, in a paper, noted that the lack of rural infrastructure can partly explain the decline in the country’s agricultural productivity. He underscored that greater mobility and access to markets and support services through infrastructure permit entry into new and possibly more profitable opportunities. He encouraged the government to invest in rural infrastructure, which has direct and indirect effects on the productivity of the agriculture sector. A modern and operational irrigation system is also vital in attaining agricultural progress. However, the country has ineffective and outdated irrigation facilities. In a study, PIDS Consultants Cristina David and Arlene Inocencio attributed these to “inadequate water supply, inappropriate designs, and difficulties in operation and maintenance”, which the government must address to improve the national irrigation system. In recent years, weatherrelated shocks have taken a huge toll on farmers’ livelihoods. The government provides agricultural insurance through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to help farmers cope with natural hazards and pest infestations. However, a multisite impact evaluation project conducted by PIDS revealed that the program has a low uptake among farmers due to PCIC’s low presence at the grassroots and insufficient insurance coverage. According to PIDS Senior Research Fellow and Project Director Celia Reyes, because of the inadequate funding given to PCIC, the agency had to offer a small insurance cover to service more farmers. R&D activities can also bolster agricultural gains. Unfortunately, they remain one of the government’s underfunded programs. Ideally, the average spending for R&D should be equal to 1 percent of a country’s gross domestic product. In the Philippines, this is only 0.14 percent in 2013 based on World Bank data. Inarguably, the Philippines’ agriculture sector still requires a great deal of comprehensive review and analyses, research-based interventions, innovations, and political will to make it more efficient, competitive, and resilient.
people with irreconcilable differences to live separately in different states may yet put to an end the recurring armed conflicts and the vicious bloodletting resulting from endless disagreements. Federalism Worsens On the other hand, what are the problems obtaining in the present order that may yet worsen under federalism? The highly imbalance political and economic development among provinces, cities and regions does not augur well at the moment for the adoption of federalism. Naturally such imbalance will carry over into the formation of constituent federal states. There would, therefore be, in this regard, strong and weak states. How each would operate, especially the weaker ones, with the burden of underdevelopment and its accompanying problems, would define the stability and survival of the entire federal government. Nonetheless, if the country has to change then it should be ready for the inevitable. There is no virtue in waiting for the right time because the right time may never come. Again, there are virulent problems now obtaining in the country that may further worsen in adopting federalism. Consider this. In constituent states the territory of which were once held or dominated by strong political and economic elite, political dynasties instead of being dismantled by the new system may in fact get entrenched and defeat the very purpose of the democratic change towards a more participatory governance. Once this happens mega life-draining corruption will no longer be concentrated just in the central government as obtaining in the present structure but will instead flourish and disperse across politically weak states. Political dynasties subvert the whole gamut of governance and spawns inefficiency, injustice and wasteful development-obstructing conflicts. Moreover, in family or clan-oriented communities with private armies, the state that may be formed in the area may yet become an arena for violent political engagements that could wreck its development and progress and push its people down deep into the quagmire of poverty and suffering. The turmoil and havocs in such states may sprawl to neighboring states and will ruin the peace and development of the entire archipelago. Will the Bangsamoro people secessionist struggle finally end once they are given more power and authority to govern themselves as a constituent federal state? The prospect is high but only if they succeed in harmonizing their inter-tribal
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differences and unite and work together as one people. Federalism will allow them to develop productively under their very own direction and control the rich resources in their territory. The major proceeds of the development may now be used directly to meet the needs of the people, reduce inequality and free them from the clutches of poverty. Otherwise, the atavistic competition for power and dominance may worsen and will continue to divide them and revive secessionist aspirations – away from the constituent state and out from the federal republic. (MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. William R. Adan, Ph.D., is retired professor and former chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines.)
RCEP... from page 5
in the worst crisis of joblessness in the country’s history. There is unprecedented unemployment in the country especially if we also count all the discouraged workers who dropped out of the labour force from finding no work around. We estimate an unemployment rate of over 10% with over four (4) million unemployed Filipinos. On top of this is the greatly worsening quality of work – real wages have fallen to lower than they were fifteen years ago in 2001 and nearly twothirds (63%) or 24.4 million of those employed are in non-regular, agency-hired, informal sector or unpaid family work. This severe domestic job scarcity has forced some 11-12 million overseas Filipino workers to find work abroad to support themselves or their families, suffering separation and a host of abuses. All this while a few families have become even richer and a few large corporations have become even more profitable. This is very alarming. We don’t want more policies of inequality and underdevelopment. Thirdly and overall, we then have serious reservations with RCEP which is a race to the bottom for countries to give the most favourable conditions for capital even at the expense of people and national development. Many of the specific areas of concern have already been wellarticulated by colleagues from CSOs and people’s organizations. IBON has also submitted a position paper detailing the threats to Philippine agriculture (especially rice farmers) and industry, to people’s access to cheap generic medicines, and to farmers’ seeds. We would like to add that Philippine economic policies are already shackled by profit-, market- and capital-driven trade deals and laws as it is. RCEP is an additional neoliberal shackle that is irrational and anti-development. RCEP is restrictive and for instance
prohibits economic development policy measures listed as “performance requirements” or the use of trade barriers and other protections for domestic producers. Yet such policies are exactly what RCEP negotiating countries China, Japan, South Korea, India and others have used to develop their industries to what they are today. Their positive experience with these is something that we should learn from. The double-standard for industrial policy and progress is already jarring — but the proposals for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) where corporations can bring our governments to secretive commercial courts for undertaking such measures in the national interest just make it worse. Our countries should not be prevented from implementing real development policies. After over three decades of globalization we need to reclaim our economic sovereignty, not erode this even further. For whom is RCEP? If it is so good for all, then the people should be brought in rather than kept in the dark. If the people are kept out, then this only underscores that RCEP is for the select few involved and not really for the people.
Paradox... from page 5
of issues that was to denigrate the Philippine President in and out of his turf. As Callamard was speaking, US President Donald Trump was talking on the phone to President Duterte requesting him to persuade Chinese President XI Jinping to still the nerves of North Korean strongman Kim Jong-un. Acting as a go between the two most powerful men in the globe, Duterte called on his friend Xi to convey Trumps message. Trump is a believer of Duterte’s all-out war against drugs and for obvious reason. The candidate Trump had proposed to put up a concrete wall -- ala Berlin wall -- in the border of the US and Mexico not only to deter illegal Mexican nationals looking jobs but also to curb the illegal drugs from entering the US. Before Calamard and her doctor Hart could go on a honeymoon as Duterte suggested, the Social Weather Station came out with its recent survey on trust rating of the President and Vice President. To the chagrin of the President’s critics Duterte’s trust rating was +70 for EXCELLENT while VP Robredo took a nose dive chipping off 15% from her previous rating but remained GOOD anyway. While President Duterte was taking off for the World Economic Forum in Cambodia, the Central Bank reported an 11% growth of Foreign Direct Investment
which simply means the confidence on the investment climate in the Philippines under the leadership of the hillbilly Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and his Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez is back. Duterte was sound asleep when he landed in Cambodia while back home and elsewhere his rabid critics are grinding their teeth in exasperation. Such is a sublime paradox. While Calamard, Gascon, Robredo, Trillanes and De Lima along with their perjured witnesses defamed President Duterte and destroyed the image of the country, the trust of the leaders of the most powerful countries on earth and of his own countrymen was an all-time high and never equaled in the Philippine history. It is a paradox indeed that some characters want to crucify Duterte in the International Criminal Court and other nit-witted Congressmen want him impeached while his people extol him like they never did to any of their leaders before. (Mr. Jun Ledesma is a community journalist who writes from Davao City and comments from the perspective of a Mindanaoan)
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as the introduction for the Ms. Medina Tourism 2017 candidates, one of the activities of the nine-day celebration of the town’s annual fiesta, which kicked off May 5 with a pre-pageant swimwear competition. Medina Mayor Donato Chan said that the fashion show was meant to promote coconut, the town’s main
product, and its many uses not just in the province of Misamis Oriental but also to the entire Northern Mindanao region. He said that Medina celebrates seven festivals annually, including the Medina “Kapistahan” in honor of its patron saint, San Isidro Labrador, on Monday, May 15. (CD/PNA)
Mining... from page 1
the presence of “new faces” in their communities who were “armed to the teeth.” After receiving the information and verified through a week-long surveillance, a law enforcement operation was carried out. Dela Vega said the guns recovered from the arrested suspects include a homemade sniper Barret rifle, 60 mm mortar launcher, a cal. M-60 machine gun, M-14 rifle, M-16 rifle, M1 Garand rifle, carbine and ammunition. Dela Vega said the operation “was bloodless because the suspects were caught by surprise and failed to react.” The names of the arrested suspects were not available as of posting time, as follow-up operations are still ongoing. Dela Vega said the suspects are now undergoing interrogation at the 6th IB’s main camp in Malabang, Lanao del Sur. Also seized from the suspects were flags used by the Maute Group -- which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria --- mobile phones and military fatigue uniforms. The Maute Group is also allied with the Abu Sayyaf Group. (PNA)
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Constabulary colleagues and criminal elements. It functioned as a private army of the National Guthrie Plantations Inc. (NGPI) and Agusan Plantation Inc. (API) to grab land from farmers in the towns of Rosario and San Francisco, for oil palm plantations. Thousands of farmers were victimized and forced to sell or abandon their lands for fear of the harassment and brutality of the Lost Command, Montero said. He said the Lademora sibling continued to wield such abuse of power to the people and his arrest (not abduction as reported by the Army soldiers) was carried out at the most opportune time so he will be held under investigation while under their custody. In a live interview over Virgin Radio FM, Ka Sandara Amihan , a female spokesperson of the NPA Northeastern Mindanao Region, said Lademora will be presented before the people whom his family had allegedly abused and it will be up for them to hand down the verdict of his fate. She dismissed earlier media reports that Lademora was held as a victim of kidnap-for-ransom saying “it would never be a vocabulary of the revolutionary movement.” She said it is but proper to dismantle and confiscate the firearms owned by the Lademora family since these have been used for a long time to terrorize the people. She assured the captive will be treated with the best medical care while being held in the mountains. The captive was said to be suffering from hypertension that family members were said to be worried if he can withstand the rigors of trekking the difficult terrains of the forests. Amihan however the NPA will still confirm if Cacao was already released according to earlier sketchy reports from the local media. She said negotiations for Lademora’s release is not possible since his chances would just depend on the results of the investigation. But the Municipal Crisis Committee has been activated by Rosario Mayor Jose Cuyos Jr. to reach out to the NPA captors and deal with a humanitarian release.
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A previous attempt to pass the BBL under the Aquino administration failed. The MILF said the House and Senate substitute bills watered down the draft law and that these versions would render the future Bangsamoro less autonomous than the present ARMM. Congress adjourned without passing the BBL, the law that would have translated provisions of the political agreement into
law to pave the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro, a new autonomous political entity that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The Jeddah meeting was attended by representatives from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) under chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim and a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under chair Yusoph Jikiri. MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari, head of another faction, was a noshow and did not also send a representative as he did in previous BCF meetings. Randolph Parcasio, chair of the MNLF-Misuari’s Peace Implementing Panel told MindaNews Misuari could not attend due to a “legal impediment.” Parcasio had represented Misuari in most of the BCF meetings. Expansion of BCF The leaders also discussed the expansion of the BCF to include other stakeholders, among them the Bangsamoro civil society organizations. Qualifications for membership were also discussed. The OIC press release also noted that BCF members welcomed what they said was the “promise of President Duterte … to lift the arrest warrant against chairman Misuari and to restore his freedom.” Misuari’s six-month liberty lapsed on April 27 but a motion to extend it has been filed with the court. The court gave Misuari temporary liberty in October last year “to allow him to attend peace talk sessions with the government.” Ju d ge Ma . R owe n a Modesto-San Pedro of the Pasig Regional Trial Court in Pasig City in an order dated October 27, 2017 granted the “motion to suspend proceedings and enforcement of warrants of arrest against Misuari” for a period of six months from October 27 or until April 27, “unless sooner lifted by the court.” Warrants of arrest had earlier been issued against Misuari and 59 others for rebellion and violation of Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and other Crimes against Humanity following the September 2013 stand-off in Zamboanga City between his followers and government troops that left 137 persons dead, 251 injured and 118,889 of the city’s 807,000 population displaced, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s October 2, 2013 report. The Department of Justice, the City of Zamboanga and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process made no objections to Misuari’s October 2016 motion to the court. San Pedro said the Court
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 “acknowledges that the matter of peace talks is exclusively within the realm of the Executive Department,” and that as manifested by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), it is a “top priority of the current administration.” Misuari signed the December 23, 1976 Tripoli Agreement under the Marcos administration and the September 2, 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) under the Ramos administration. Misuari was elected governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) a week after signing the peace agreement. Backed up by the administration party, Misuari ran unopposed. Misuari’s faction did not agree to be part of the expanded BTC. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza in November created a separate peace implementing panel for the MNLF-Misuari faction. ‘Narrow the gap’ At the just concluded BCF meeting, Ambassador Sayed El-Masry, OIC Special Envoy for Peace Process in Southern Philippines and Chair of the BCF, declared that the OIC “has always maintained that Chairman Misuari is indispensable for the peace process” and they “were assured by the Philippines Authority that they will work to remove any impediment on his participation in the peace process.” He expressed hope that Misuari will be able to attend the next formal session of the BCF in Abidjan on the margins of the Foreign Ministers’ conference on July 10 to 12. The BCF was set up on May 18, 2010 when Prof. Ekemelddin Ihsanoglu, then OIC Secretary-General, initiated the talks between Misuari and MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan, where both leaders agreed that unity is indispensable to the success of the Bangsamoro struggle and that there are no basic differences between their Fronts as both are seeking to achieve peace, justice and a fair solution to the problems of the Bangsamoro people. At the 43rd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 18-19 October last year, the OIC expressed its “support and expectation” for the passage of the BBL under the Duterte administration. It also called upon Misuari and Murad and other leaders of the Moro people to “close ranks and narrow the gap between them for the purpose of finding common grounds to preserve the gains of the previous agreements in order to incorporate these gains in the enabling law and utilizing the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum as the main venue for that purpose.” President Rodrigo
Duterte on April 10 told a press conference at the airport here prior to his departure for the Middle East that he would call on Moro revolutionary leaders to come up with a consensus on how to move forward in the legislation aspect of the implementation panels. The President said he will certify as urgent only one draft Bangsamoro law. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
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the Ramos administration from 1992 to 1996. The faction under MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari, however, did not participate in the BTC but now has a separate peace implementing panel that has met at least four times, informally, but have yet to meet formally. Both peace tracks — MNLF and MILF — are racing against time to submit their respective draft laws to the Office of the President for review as President Rodrigo Duterte had said that he will certify as urgent only one draft Bangsamoro law. The President is expected to certify the bill as urgent when he delivers his second State of the Nation Address on July 24. The BTC, according to Jaafar, will submit their draft BBL by first week of June. The MNLF under Misuari on the other hand, according to peace implementing panel chair Randolph Parcasio, hopes to submit its draft amendatory law as soon as they can formally meet. ‘Talk as brothers’ Sema called on leaders of the Moro revolutionary groups to sit down and “talk as brothers.” President Duterte told a press conference on April 10 prior to his departure for the Middle East that he would meet with the Moro revolutionary leaders together, not separately, to come up with a consensus on the legislation aspect of the implementation of the peace processes as he will certify as urgent only one draft Bangsamoro law. The BTC — composed of representatives from the MILF, government and the MNLF faction under SemaJikiri — is crafting a draft law that would pave the way for the creation of a new autonomous political entity that would replace the ARMM while the MNLFMisuari faction is working on a draft law that would amend RA 9054 to strengthen the ARMM. Quevedo said he believes that a just and lasting peace “is the harmony of vision and realism: vision of authentic self-determination by the Bangsamoro; realism on the extent of territory and the doables of law” and that the draft BBL should be compliant with the peace agreements and be made a priority of the Duterte government. “I believe that to make federalism as a first priority is to ignore the urgency of Bangsamoro self-determi-
nation and further delay its realization,” Quevedo said, adding that “federalism that will place all federal states on the same footing, equal in political and financial autonomy, does not do justice to historic Bangsamoro aspirations for self-determination.” Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Jr. had separately told MindaNews in late February and late March that the draft Bangsamoro law will be tackled ahead of the shift to a federal form of government. Inclusive law Quevedo also said the aspirations and fundamental rights of Indigenous Peoples and of the Christian minority in Bangsamoro land “should be explicitly articulated and elaborated in the BBL so as to make this an inclusive law.” He cautioned against a draft law that would go back to the territorial coverage of the Tripoli Agreement of 1976 — nine cities and 14 provinces then (eight cities and 13 provinces in Mindanao and Palawan and Puerto Princesa City) but since new cities and provinces had been created, now refers to 16 cities and 16 provinces — 15 cities and 15 provinces out of Mindanao’s 27 provinces and 33 cities — and Palawan and Puerto Princesa City. “I believe that a BBL that incorporates the territorial coverage drawn by the Tripoli Agreement would be a futile exercise since such law would certainly be rejected in a referendum by the Christian majority in Mindanao,” Quevedo said. The peace agreement with the MILF cites the five ARMM provinces as core territory. These areas of autonomy under the Tripoli Agreement of 1976 as agreed upon by government and the then undivided MNLF, had gone through three plebiscites: 1977, 1989 and 2001, with the predominantly nonMoro areas voting against inclusion in the autonomous region. Quevedo also said he hopes Congress will provide for a three-year transition period for the future Bangsamoro, “to solidify the new socio-political consciousness and structures that the BBL shall have put in place.” “I believe that a just and lasting peace is not simply the result of signed agreements, but the result of peace in the heart – of mutual respect and openness of heart between various cultures and religions,” said the Cardinal who is also convenor of the Friends of Peace, a group accompanying the Bangsamoro peace process. He said the elimination “or at least the substantive reduction of historic biases and prejudices is indispensable and non-negotiable” to achieve “peace in the heart.” “I believe that on this most important issue of bias and prejudice, the role of dialogue and the role of of religious institutions
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and religious leaders, of families, of civil society and of formal and informal education beginning with child-rearing are absolutely imperative and paramount,” he said, adding that a just and lasting peace is “a gift of God, a gift that calls us to collaborate with God in its realization and that to pray for such a gift is a moral duty.” (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
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but the human rights group questioned why the police did not present a copy of the case to Morales’ fellow church leaders. PNP Northern Mindanao spokesperson Superintendent Lemuel Gonda on Friday said a joint police and army team arrested the four at a checkpoint in Barangay Gango. Gonda said they found and confiscated from the four suspects a hand grenade, six Nokia mobile phones, battery packs, a map of Misamis Occidental, and P80,700 in cash. The arrest of Bishop Morales ignited a furor among the IFI clergy who immediately summoned members to go to the Ozamiz City police station. “Those of you who can travel, go now to the Ozamiz police station,” said Bishop Antonio Ablon of the IFI’s Pagadian City diocese. Ablon said Bishop Morales identified himself to the police but the police still maltreated him. The IFI issued a strong statement condemning the arrest of Bishop Morales and demanded for his immediate release. “We find no reason that the good IFI Bishop of Ozamiz will be illegally arrested, handcuffed and illegally detained in jail. He had properly introduced himself as a bishop but was still accorded with maltreatments,” the IFI said Friday in a statement condemning the arrest of Morales and demanding his immediate release.(Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
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is being suspected of being a ranking leader of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the CPP. “Whether or not this is true is beside the point, especially for the [IFI] which has strong ties with the poor and the oppressed in their struggled for just peace. Our Church is a sanctuary to those who are persecuted and those in need,” Fajutagana said. He added, “It breaks the heart of our clergy and faithful to see [Morales], a newly-consecrated Bishop, handcuffed in a police detention facility.” Fajutagana said the IFI is supporting Morales and his companions “as we pray for him that they may endure this test and never waiver from his commitment to serve God’s people.”
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