F R I D AY : J U N E 24 , 2 0 1 6
A2 Lopez...
fering to our rivers and streams, our agricultural land, our fishery resource, From A1 you kill everything. Is it Duterte has also asked worth it?” she said. The DENR post was miners to apply the standards of responsible min- among four departments ing practiced in developed that Duterte offered to the countries such as Canada Communist Party of the and Australia, to ensure Philippines “if they decide the protection of the envi- to join my government” but later withdrew the ofronment. Abella said a responsi- fer, saying there are serible miner will replant the ous problems particularly trees that were cut during on mining that would retheir excavation while the quire the active role of the irresponsible miner would military. In his victory party at just leave it as it is. He also said mining the Crocodile Park here, companies must be care- Duterte warned largeful in making sure that scale mining firms that any toxic chemicals do not are destroying Mindanao that they have no place get into the water. Lopez, whom Duterte under his administraappointed as Environment tion. He vowed to give secretary, has gone around priority and assistance to the country campaigning poor Mindanawon minagainst mining, particu- ers who will band into a larly in Palawan and other cooperative. “The mining people eco-tourism sites, advocating the need to protect must shape up,” said Duthe country’s rich biodi- terte as he cited the destruction wrought by big versity. Lopez’s appointment mining firms, especially as Environment secretary in Surigao. “You have to had sent mining investors stop,” he said. Philex Mining Corp. in panic and stocks entered a third day of volatil- said Thursday it is open to working with Lopez to ity. Stock analysts say inves- help improve the country’s tor jitters are seen to con- mining industry. In a statement, Mitinue until Lopez presents chael Toledo, MVP Group her mining policies. Mining and oil, which Media Bureau head and consists heavily of miners, senior vice president for lost 736.48 points, ending Public and Regulatory Afat 10,715.36 as of noon fairs at Philex, said that the Thursday. The PSE index president-elect has every was almost flat, closing at right to appoint whoever he deems fit to become the 7,767.06. In January 2013, Lopez next secretary, not just on rallied with residents in a matter of competence, the seven towns of Surigao but also on a matter of del Sur to oppose mining trust and confidence as in eco-tourism sites. She a member of his official also urged them to join her family. “Philex has committed in generating 10 million votes for the Save Palawan to support President Duterte and his drive against Movement. At the International illegal and irresponsible Conference of Mining in mining,” Toledo said. “We are open to sitting Mindanao held at the Ateneo de Davao University down and working with in January 2012, Lopez the new DENR secretary asked if it is possible to to further the president’s have “responsible mining call, to stamp out the ilif government has a prob- legal and irresponsible miners who give the inlem with governance.” “The fact is, people are dustry a bad name,” Tosuffering and government ledo added. Toledo said that Phihas not demonstrated the ability to protect our peo- lex has adhered to “doing ple. Should we go on in what is right” according to this enterprise when we international standards, in can’t even assure the well response to the presidentbeing of our people?” she elect’s statements made at the recent Sulong Pilipinas asked. Lopez, scion of the Davao conference. Toledo said that Lopez Lopez group which owns broadcast giant ABS-CBN should be given a chance and has vested interests as she is a known advocate on power generation and for climate change and enenergy, explained her op- vironmental protection. “I understand that she has position to mining last made recommendations Tuesday. “Mining has a pathetic to President Duterte on track record. Pathetic. how to move the industry Wherever there’s mining, forward; we are always the people are poor. So open to working with why are we doing it? It’s whoever would want to crazy,” Lopez said in an improve the industry ANC television interview. and move the nation “For me, large scale, forward towards economic small scale, it’s just...when development and inclusive you destroy the environ- growth,” Toledo said. With ment and you cause suf- Anna Leah E. Gonzales
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editorial@thestandard.com.ph
Incoming DSWD head scoffs at dole program
“It is a pantawid program. Why would you institutionalize a stop-gap measure?” Taguiwalo said in a television interview. “We should legislate longterm economic initiatives that will create more sustainable jobs and livelihood,” she added. Taguiwalo pointed out that while the government’s conditional dole program, more popularly known as the 4Ps, will continue, it is still a temporary solution to the problem of poverty.
The 4Ps, she said, is just a “bridging program” that seeks to assist the “poorest of the poor” until they find stable sources of income. She added that the incoming administration would close the gaps in the program to address those who need the program the most. “What we want to look at is the implementation. There are reports of selectivity. Not everyone who really needs the program are being reached. There is still an element of patronage there. We also want
to check if it is being used to campaign as well as used for anti-insurgency,” she said. A better government initiative, she said, would be the enhancement of “social protection initiatives through skills development, cash for work, livelihood projects, among others.” Taguiwalo vowed to review the program, which gives poor families cash assistance provided their children remain in school, visit health centers, and attend family development lessons. “We have to look at the impact on the beneficiaries as well as the community. I’m also aware of the fact that some beneficiaries are not really eligible but who are part of the program and there are those who are eligible who are not included in the program,” she said. “There are also questions about CCT being used for political campaign like the last time,” Taguiwalo added. Her predecessor, outgoing Social Welfare Secretary
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SOCEs, without regard for the fact that other candidates and parties with similarly voluminous records were able to comply on or before June 8, 2016,” Lim said in his six-page dissenting opinion. He disclosed that it was only LP filed a written request for extension of the SOCE filing deadline while other national political parties with national candidates such as the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and Aksyon Demokratiko (AKSYON) made no such request. “Hence, the decision of the majority to extend the SOCE filing deadline is clearly an accommodation in favor of the Liberal Party, whose own deliberate omission to file its SOCE on or before 08 June 2016 deadline is the root cause of the alleged ‘vacuum in public service’,’’ Lim said. Lim said that LP, by failing to file its SOCE, showed a “blatant disregard” of the Comelec’s rules. “There should be no dispute that the failure of the Liberal Party to file its SOCE on or before the 08 June 2016 is entirely due to its own fault or omission, a fault or omission that the commission, as a regulatory body, is not duty-bound to fix and resolve in accordance to the whims of the ruling party, with nary a sanction for such blatant disregard of the Commission’s rules.” He said the Comelec should be independent and steadfast enough “in the face of political pressure to stand by the final and non-extendible deadline” as stated in Resolution No. 9991, a decision that “all the commissioners had unconditionally approved, signed and promulgated.” Lim also slammed the LP and Roxas’ claims about the complexity of the new forms, saying that the Campaign Fi-
nance Office had actually made the forms “easier for candidates and parties to accomplish” by designing the forms in Excel file format with embedded formulas that automatically total and categorize the expenses. “It is unbecoming of an independent constitutional commission to take up the cudgels for the LP and belabor the alleged complexity of the new forms, which were made available in the Comelec website and distributed to every election officer and provincial election supervisor in the country,” Lim said. As for the feared “constitutional crisis,” Lim said such apprehensions are merely “unfounded fear” being created by the majority. “There is no way of knowing at this point in time whether winning LP-nominated candidates will actually be prevented from entering into the duties of their elective offices come June 30,” Lim said. “And while Section 14 of RA 7166 clearly states that they are prohibited to do so because of their political party’s failure to file its SOCE, which agency is actually responsible for enforcing this prohibition?” he added. Lim, as the chief of the CFO, had recommended that the LP petition for an extension be denied, but the en banc disregarded his recommendation in its final ruling. The resolution was promulgated one week after the commission en banc, in a vote of 4-3, opted to extend the deadline of filing SOCEs from June 8 to June 30. Aside from Robredo, five senators, 115 congressmen, and 40 governors all nominated by the LP would have been prohibited from assuming the posts they won had the Comelec not opted to extend the deadline. This is aside from winning
By John Paolo Bencito
INCOMING Social Welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Thursday said she disapproved of institutionalizing the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) because it was a stop-gap measure, even as President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said he intended to continue the cash doles for the country’s poorest families.
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declare all of their expenses correctly. “Ordinarily, it stands to reason that those who failed should not be rewarded with an extension of the deadline. But there is a higher consideration, namely, extending the period for filing will precisely ensure that all possible evidence of election overspending are admitted into the record, rather than excluded,” it said. The Comelec also feared that if it refused to accept SOCE of those candidates and parties who failed to submit it on time, they would simply pay the penalty and avoid disclosing how much they spend in the last election. The commission noted the SOCE’s main purpose is to determine if the candidates were within the legal limits for campaign contributions and expenditures as provided by the law. “The simple expediency of not accepting the SOCE if filed beyond the deadline and just imposing a fine is in effect throwing away the evidence of any infraction of the campaign finance rules and unwittingly assisting in hiding the evidence,” the Comelec said. Comelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, one of the officials who voted against the extension, slammed the en banc explanation, saying that his colleagues had “a very limited view of campaign finance regulation, with very little regard for the consequences that the extension of the SOCE filing deadline will entail in terms of implementation on a nationwide scale.” “The majority adopted the view of only one single party lamenting about the voluminous and tedious [work] to prepare
Corazon Soliman, insisted that Congress should pass a bill to institutionalize the 4Ps or the Conditional Cash Transfer program, which started in 2008, before President Benigno Aquino III steps down. During an economic forum earlier this week, businessmen recommended the “review of the Conditional Cash Transfer program,” which Duterte had repeatedly promised to continue and even expand during the campaign. The program currently benefits 4.6 million poor households. But forum participants criticized the program for promoting “dependency on government.” A total of P62.7 billion was allocated by the government for the scheme, which is enough to cover 4.6 million households this year. Duterte said he will draw funds from sin taxes and the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp. to bankroll his expanded 4Ps program. candidates that were nominated by political parties, Aksyon Demokratiko and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, who also failed to file their SOCEs. The four commissioners who voted for extending the deadline are Arthur Lim, Sheriff Abas, Al Parreno, and Rowena Guanzon. Lawmakers on Thursday rallied behind efforts of certain groups, including the Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, to question the legality of the Comelec extension. Reps. Terry Ridon and Sarah Elago of Kabataan party-list and Harry Roque of Kabayan partylist also agreed with the statement of incoming Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez that the Comelec violated laws when it bent the rules to suit the LP and Roxas. “Speaker Alvarez is correct. The extension was nothing but special treatment for the Liberal Party and Mar Roxas. We hope the Supreme Court wll reverse the Comelec the soonest,” Ridon said. Roque, a human rights lawyer, said there was no doubt that the LP-dominated Comelec favored Roxas at the expense of the law. “Majority of Comelec is very close to Mar. I think that’s why they extended the deadline— to accommodate him,” Roque said. Elago said that Comelec officials concerned must be held accountable for violations of Republic Act 7166 and Comelec Resolution 9991. “The Comelec is clearly a tool of Aquino, Roxas and their clique. They can’t bend the rules in their favor just because they’re the party in power. Shame on those commissioners who voted in favor of the extension,” Elago said.