Category Archives: For the Record

For the Record: Only 29 not 304 legislative measures have been officially transmitted to the Office of the President for Presidential action

Published: . Latest update: .

Philstar.com, the online arm of the Philippine Star, reported today that 304 measures are awaiting the President’s signature. The number, as reported, is grossly inaccurate and misleading. The report cites a Press Release from the House of Representatives which said, “Meanwhile, House records (until February 6th) show there are 304 Congress-approved measures—79 of national and 225 of local concern—now under review by the Office of the President for subsequent enactment into law or, in rare cases, could be vetoed by the President.”

For the record, the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs reports that there are 29 bills currently being processed by the Office of the President. As per the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, nine are of national application, and 20 are of local application.

According to the Constitution, the President may do one of three things with the bills submitted to him:

1. Sign the bill into law;
2. Exercise his veto power; or
3. Allow the measure to lapse into law after 30 days.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary Bernardino Sayo of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office noted that 225 measures have yet to be transmitted by Congress. Please note that the President cannot take action on a bill unless it has been transmitted to him by Congress.

Once again, we urge the reporters and their editors to exercise prudence in vetting the facts before publishing stories which would create false impressions of an issue or a person.

For the Record: Report on the state of Agrarian Reform, January 2013

Published: . Latest update: .

In light of the criticism of some sectors that, at current pace, the acquisition and distribution of agricultural lands under the Agrarian Reform Program will not be completed by June 30, 2014, please see the following, as previously reported by the Department of Agrarian Reform:

____________________

I. Report on the Land Acquisition and Distribution Aspect of Agrarian Reform, January 2013

CHALLENGES, STRATEGIES, AND PROSPECTS

Lands which were easier to distribute make up bulk of past distributed lands. Land distribution accomplishment of the DAR from 1972-2012 show that more than three-fourths of distributed lands (76%) are either government-owned lands (GOL/KKK lands and settlements) or lands distributed through voluntary modes of acquisition (voluntary land transfers or voluntary offer to sell). Past DAR Secretaries rode the wave of easily acquired lands and the distribution of collective certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) to abbreviate the protocols in achieving targets. Consciously or unconsciously, the DAR prioritized lands that were easier, less contentious, and less tedious to acquire and distribute, effectively leaving the hardest for last and resulting in the progressive increase in the complexity of lands slated for acquisition and distribution.

What is left to distribute is radically different: more difficult, more tedious and more contentious. It is these more complex lands that government is now acquiring and distributing.  Around 90% of the current land acquisition and distribution (LAD) balance consists of private agricultural lands, with 83% of lands being compensable by the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and 61% requiring coverage by compulsory acquisition. Moreover, 42% are large private agricultural lands of more than 24 hectares. As of January 1, 2013, the remaining LAD balance to be acquired by DAR is at 879,526 hectares.

Though huge at first glance, completing the land acquisition and distribution component of the agrarian reform program is by no means impossible. Indeed, if the target date for completion is June 2016 as per Your Excellency’s commitment during the Third SONA, this is eminently doable.

a. The 879,526 hectares is the gross area of what it left for acquisitions, i.e. this is the total area of all landholding from which distributable lands will be segregated and actually distributed to agrarian reform beneficiaries.

i. Thus from the gross LAD balance, we have to take away the so-called “non-CARPABLE” portions such as roads, easements, creeks, undeveloped portions of more than 18° slope, and others.

ii. Also, landowner retention area will, of course, not be distributed to agrarian reform beneficiaries. Retention area becomes more significant since the LAD balance consists mainly of private agricultural lands. This becomes more when we consider that there are almost 35,000 landholdings (out of a total of 93,926 landholdings) which are of sizes from 5 hectares to 10 hectares and 18,684 landholdings with sizes of more than 10 hectares up to below 24 hectares. All in all, it is estimated that landowners will claim 175,000 hectares as retention area.

b. The LAD balance is not static. Every year, there are lands deducted and lands included in the LAD balance. For 2012 alone, 117,432 hectares were newly identified and included in the LAD balance. On the other hand, 119,319 hectares were deducted from the LAD balance.

c. Considering the above figures, it is estimated that NET LAD Balance (or actually distributable lands) amounts to 704,526 hectares. Of the Net LAD balance, 182,121 hectares are tagged as problematic (with pending cases, technical problems, etc.). This leaves us a Net WORKABLE LAD Balance of 522,405 hectares.

With the NET LAD Balance of 522,405 hectares as basis, and June 2016 as deadline, the DAR came up with its January 2013–June 2016 Strategic Targets as follows:

2013 160,000 hectares
2014 180,000 hectares
2015 120,000 hectares
Jan-June 2016 62,406 hectares

This strategic target is realistic and doable.

The DAR will, of course, do its best to resolve the issues facing the problematic landholdings. In which case, the yearly annual accomplishment from 2013-June 2016 will be:

2013 160,000 hectares
2014 240,707 hectares
2015 180,707 hectares
Jan-June 2016 123,113 hectares

For 2012, the Department completed the processing for acquisition and distribution of 113,866 hectares for which EP/CLOAs were distributed for 101,858 hectares. A further 21,491 hectares at the LRA for EP/CLOA registration. This totals 135,357 hectares which is the true measure of the accomplishment of DAR’s field personnel.

a. It is important to note that with the generation of EP/CLOAs and its submission to the LRA for registration, DAR’s land acquisition and distribution work is essentially finished.

b. In addition to the 135,357 hectares, a further 24,352 hectares are at the advanced stages of the land acquisition and distribution process.

DAR’s 2012 LAD accomplishment is more than the figures above. The DAR processed 47,858 claim folders of covered landholdings totaling 471,415 hectares and issued 25,841 Notices of Coverage for 299,337 hectares of private agricultural lands being covered through compulsory acquisition.

a. In order for the DAR to have a more realistic view of the magnitude and nature of the LAD balance, the DAR processed 47,858 claim folders of landholdings covering 471,415 hectares. This is the first time in DAR’s history that the processing of claim folders was done in this massive scale.

b. It is important to issue Notices of Coverage for all landholding under compulsory acquisition so that even after June 30, 2014, these lands can still be distributed under Section 30 of RA 9700.

Section 30 of R.A. No. 9700 provides that the DAR can continue its acquisition and distribution of landholdings with pending cases or proceedings even beyond 2014.  This is the reason why the DAR has been diligently working to issue and validly serve before June 2014 all Notices of Coverage for lands that will be subjected to compulsory acquisition.

a. A Notice of Coverage initiates the compulsory acquisition of private agricultural lands and is similar to summons issued by courts.

b. The new rules of DAR in fact instituted a similar – almost identical – process of serving Notices of Coverage and summons.  As a matter of policy of the DAR, once a Notice of Coverage is served, the landholding it covers is deemed encompassed by Section 30 of R.A. No. 9700.

c. It is therefore critical for the DAR to issue and serve all Notices of Coverage before 30 June 2014. As of December 2012, it has issued around 95% of the Notices of Coverage for all agricultural landholdings above 10 hectares for which DAR has a copy of title in its possession.

In order to achieve its Strategic Target, the current DAR management thus instituted policy and operational measures to speed up land distribution. Generally, there are 22 major steps in the process of acquiring and distributing private LBP-compensable agricultural lands which take approximately 8.5 months to complete.  This assumes normal conditions. Unfortunately, problems arise in many cases while the documentation and processing are being done. These problematic landholdings take much longer to acquire and they make up 30.7% of all Phase 1-3A lands. The following strategies and interventions were undertaken.

a) Streamlining of the LAD Process.  New rules for land acquisition and distribution were drafted and issued simplifying the LAD process and shortening time process as well as providing remedial measures for CARP-covered lands subjected to unauthorized transfers or conveyances, commonly referred to as chop-chop titles.

b) Inventory and Review of All Claim Folders. Mass inventory and review of ALL claim folders was undertaken to determine the actual magnitude and status of the LAD balance, identify the issues and problems that need to be resolved so that timely interventions can be provided.

c) Intensification of the Monitoring of the Performance of the PAROs and MAROs. The progress of acquisition is being monitored on a per landholding basis and time standards and cost parameter per LAD activity have been instituted to track deviations, immediately identify problems and put in place remedial measures.

d) System-Wide Solutions to Problems Encountered in Land Acquisition. Global solutions to technical and administrative issues that delay the acquisition process have been put in place and further solutions are being explored as well. For this, the DAR is working closely with its partner agencies, the Land Registration Authority (LRA), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Land Bank of the Philippines.

II. On issues raised by the CBCP letter, as reported in the media

1. ISSUE RAISED: At current pace, the acquisition and distribution of agricultural lands will not be completed by 30 June 2014.

a. It was present DAR Administration who in 2011, after assessing the limitations placed by the law (CARPER) on land acquisition and distribution and the nature of the remaining lands to be distributed, revealed that land acquisition and distribution will not be completed by June 2014. It is being pilloried for telling the truth. But it’s assessment also revealed that completing land acquisition and distribution is doable before the end of the President’s term.

b. During his Third State of the Nation Address, the President made a commitment that the land acquisition and distribution component of the agrarian reform program will be completed before his term ends.

c. Note that nothing in the law states that the DAR cannot distribute CARP-covered agricultural lands beyond 2014.  In fact, Section 30 of R.A. No. 9700 states that the implementation of CARP can be conducted even beyond 2014 with respect to those with pending case/proceeding.  This is the purpose why the DAR has been diligently working to issue and validlyserve ALL Notices of Coverage before 2014.

i. The Notice of Coverage initiates the compulsory acquisition of private agricultural lands and is similar to summons issued by courts. 

ii. The new rules of DAR in fact put in place a similar – almost identical – process of serving Notices of Coverage and summons.  As a matter of policy of this Department, once a Notice of Coverage is served, the landholding it covers is deemed encompassed by Section 30 of R.A. No. 9700. 

iii. It is therefore critical for the DAR to issue and serve all Notices of Coverage before 30 June 2014. As of December 2012, it has issued around 95% of the Notices of Coverage for all agricultural landholdings above 10 hectares which DAR has a copy of title in its possession.  Close cooperation between DAR and LRA allows DAR to obtain,in bulk and in a speedy manner, the certified true copies of titles that it need for the issuance of Notices of Coverage. By April of this year, it will start issuing all Notices of Coverage for all 5-10 hectare landholdings.  DAR plans to completely issue all Notices of Coverage by the end of June 2013.

d. Last January 2012, the gross balance of DAR for land acquisition and distribution is around 962,000 hectares. However, in order to reflect the real balance for distribution at this moment, the following must be considered:

i. It is estimated that retention area (portions of the landholdings that, by law, the landowner can retain) would amount to around 175,000 hectares. This must be deducted from the balance of actual distributable lands.

ii. Aside from these are deductibles such as timberlands, creeks, and rivers, double counting and the like. This aspect of the land distribution data was “cleaned” after the DAR conducted a nationwide evaluation of ALL claim folder some of which had never been opened again in the preceeding years. This massive claim folder processing was the first in the agency’s history. DAR opened all claim folders to determine their actual status any problems that must be fixed. These deductibles amount to 120,000.

iii. There are around 158,000 hectares which the administration cannot be distributed immediately because of problems that do not have quick solutions – such as titles that require judicial reconstitution and erroneous technical descriptions in titles.

iv. We also take away from this gross balance the actual accomplishment of DAR for 2012 – 113,000, hectares.

v. We have to include though newly identified landholdings for coverage, around 125,000.

vi. This leaves us around 521,000 hectares that can actually be covered and are actually distributable at this juncture.  The DAR can acquire and distribute 160,000 this year (2013), 180,000 next year, 120,000 on 2015, and 62,406 on the first half of 2016.  The DAR can definitely accomplish the distribution of these 521,000 hectares before the President’s term ends.

e. Furthermore, the landholdings that are easier, less tedious and less contentious to acquire have mostly been distributed in the past. When the Aquino administration commenced, the remaining lands left for distribution are the ones that are more tedious or harder to document and process. More than 60% of the remaining lands will have to be covered through compulsory acquisition (cf voluntary).

f. Moreover, around 16% of lands still to be distributed have been tagged as problematic with problems ranging from defective technical descriptions in the title, titles that need to be reconstituted, ownership issues, and those with pending legal issues or court cases.

g. An important reason why LAD cannot be finished with LAD by June 2014 is the CARPER itself. Aside from adding two major mandatory requirements in the compulsory acquisition of private agricultural land, the Phasing mandated by CARPER means that the DAR cannot distribute until July 1, 2013, some 187,959 hectares of Phase 3B lands (lands that are 10 hectares and below) and 163,660 hectares of the 10-hectare portion of Phase 3A land (lands above 10 hectares up to 24 hectares). This totals 351,619 hectares or about 40% of the remaining undistributed lands and these lands have to be distributed within one year and only at the last year of CARP extension.

h. Incidentally, the DAR’s work is not limitedto just the acquisition and distribution of agricultural landholdings.  As it is zealously pursuing its acquisition and distribution balance, it must also simultaneously subdivide collective CLOAs, work on landholdings under PD 27 that has been distributed without complete documentation during the Marcos era thereby impeding the release of the landowner’s just compensation, provide support services to its beneficiaries, assist farmers in agrarian legal cases, and resolve cases within its jurisdiction.

2. The dismal pace of DAR is further shown by its lowering of its 2012 accomplishment target from 260,000 hectares to 180,000 hectares.

a. The original 260,000 hectares target for 2012 was initially set as indicative annual targets during the previous administration.  While the current administration primarily adopted this target, it subsequently recalibrated this figure after the DAR conducted its claim folder days operation (literally, the DAR opened all claim folders to determine their actual status any problems that must be fixed).  With the results of the claim folder days operation on hand, the DAR reconfigured the annual targets distributing the remaining balance to 2016 rather than 2014.

b. Take note though that while the DAR has indeed recalibrated its target for 260,000 to 180,000 hectares, the allocated budget was utilized to beef up the activities (i.e. finance land acquisition activities up to the conduct of land survey) for the 111,000 hectare that was in the pipeline for that year (landholdings in the pipeline are those where preliminary activities, such as documentation and survey, are conducted in the year prior to the year it is poised to be acquired and distributed [i.e. those in the pipeline in 2012 are those that are in the targetfor 2013]).  We are fortunate that for the first time in history, budget was released for the DAR to conduct preliminary activities for the acquisition and distribution of landholdings for the following year.

3. LAD accomplishment should not be reckoned at registration of CLOAs but at the time the actual possession of the beneficiaries.

a. The manner of reporting by the DAR of its land acquisition and distribution accomplishments, for purposes of accounting its expenses and budget, has always been based on the number of CLOAs registered.  This has been used not only by this administration, but all the past administrations as well.

b. The DAR, by no means, is saying that it will not ensure that beneficiaries with CLOAs have actual possession of their landholdings.  It understands that it is its duty to install the beneficiaries, and thus is continuously conducting this.  The DAR however should not be criticized that this is not used by DAR in determining its accomplishment.

c. Note as well that not all CARP-acquired lands would require that the agrarian reform beneficiaries be installed into their CARP-acquired lands. In cases where tenancy or leasehold arrangements obtain, installation is not necessary because the agrarian reform beneficiaries are in place.

4. DAR’s budget for 2013 is lower than P30 billion requirement of the law.

a. Nothing in the law provides that the DAR must be given a budget of P30 billion annually.  What is stated is that P150B must be allocated for the program.  The annual budget, however, is to be based on the annual targets of the DAR, not on a designated lump sum regardless of the balance.

b. The DAR’s budget for 2013 under the General Appropriations Act is around P23 billion. Note, however, that funds appropriated under the Department of Agriculture benefit farmers, most of whom are agrarian reform beneficiaries such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation projects, credit facility for agrarian reform beneficiaries, etc. All in all, this amounts to a lot more P30 billion.

5. No funds were appropriated for socialized credit.

a. This is simply not true.

b. The President has directed the DBM to release P1 billion to be used as socialized credit for agrarian reform beneficiaries.  The Agrarian Production Credit Program was created using the P1 billion released through the DA to be used as socialized credit.  This will be implemented mainly by the Land Bank, with DAR designated as the agency who will verify if the applicants are agrarian reform beneficiary organizations.

c. Around P300M of the P1billion released is reserved for agrarian reform beneficiaries of Negros Occidental.

d. For 2013, another P1 billion was appropriated in the budget of the Department of Agriculture for credit facility for agrarian reform beneficiaries.

6. DAR’s accomplishment for 2012 is doubtful considering that as of December 13 of that year, its accomplishment was only 53,580 hectares.  Does this mean that DAR distributed more than 63 thousand hectares in the final two weeks of the year?

a. It is unfortunate that some groups relied on figures that they have obtained in 13 December 2012.  It is more unfortunate that these figures are interpreted as the accomplishment of DAR as of that date.  Figures that the DAR had on hand in 13 December 2012 were partial figures of DAR as of November 2012.  As with any other operations, there is a natural time lag between the actual accomplishment and the consolidation of its figure.

b. Moreover, the LAD process takes around 8 months for private agricultural lands; more if problems are encountered along the way. Considering the period required to finish the entire LAD process, landholdings covered during the year usually matures by December. An examination of the monthly accomplishment of DAR in the past years will bear this out.

c. Partial figures obtain in the middle of a particular period should not be relied on as a determination of what will be accomplished therefor.

d. Per the DAR’s records upon collating figures from the field offices, it has accomplished distributing around 113,000 hectares in 2012.
Systems put in place are too legalistic and has added bureaucratic layers.

7. Systems put in place are too legalistic and has added bureaucratic layers.

a. Systems put in place by the present administration ensure the stability of CLOAs issued to the beneficiaries.  With the systems put in place, such as determining prior to the issuance of the CLOA whether a landholding to be distributed is indeed covered by CARP, the beneficiaries are assured that their titles are secured.

b. System introduced also ensured that it is made with a holistic view in mind.  Communication among CARP implementing agencies, such as DAR, DENR, Land Bank, and LRA, spiked during the present administration resulting in rules which looks not only at activities that are worked by individual agencies, but the entire government bureaucracy as a whole.  This means that the process is now more efficient, allowing the government, under normal circumstances, to complete the acquisition and distribution process within six to ten months, compared to the old system which took up eight to fourteen months.

8. Provisions in the current land acquisition and distribution rules allow landowners to delay the acquisition and distribution of their lands.

a. The present law (CARPER) added a provision that required landlord attestation of potential agrarian reform beneficiaries. This by no means can be faulted against the Aquino Administration nor the DAR which can only implement what is provided by law.

b. An issue is being made out of the provision in the current rules which provides that in case there are pending protests or petitions for exclusion/exemption from CARP coverage, the DAR shall continue with the process of acquisition right until the actual payment of just compensation and cancellation of the landowner’s title.  Once a decision by the Regional Director or the Secretary denying the protest/petition becomes final and executory, or if appealed, once the Office of the President has decided against the protest/petition, regardless if it is appealed to the courts or not, the process can right after continue.

c. This criticized provision was enacted for three reasons: (1) it will prevent the premature release of public funds for the payment of landowner’s just compensation pending the determination whether or not the landholding is indeed covered; (2) it will also avoid the situation of having to uproot beneficiaries which was installed prematurely while the issue of whether or not the landholding is covered under CARP; and finally (3) it will accord due process to the landowner by allowing a full determination of whether or not the landholding is indeed covered before his/her/its title is cancelled.

9. No one has been held accountable for the agrarian-related deaths of 13 farmer leaders of TFM.

During the dialogue with the President, the TFM demanded justice for 13 farmer leaders that were murdered in previous years. The DAR immediately requested from TFM a list of the leaders who were allegedly murdered. It took some time for the TFM to submit this list.  As soon as the list was submitted, this was immediately endorsed by the Office of the Secretary to the Philippine National Police for their investigation.  The PNP is currently investigating these alleged murders.

10. The Multi-Sectoral Task Force was not able to hold the DAR leadership accountable.

The MSTF was created to monitor the progress of the agrarian reform program and discuss doables.  It has already met three times since the dialogue of some farmer groups with the President.  Its Technical Working Group has also consistently met last year, which resulted to the fast-tracking of some landholdings – such as the landholding being followed up by “AlingDorita” Vargas, and the problematic Newsal property in Negros Occidental.

11. The current DAR leadership has already lost the confidence of its employees.

a. The noise against the DAR leadership is being staged a handful of disgruntled DAR employees in the Central Office, mostly national officers of the DAR Employees Association (DAREA). No such mass actions have occurred in the field offices of DAR.

b. So far, there are no indications that the criticisms of the few DAREA officers are carried as a common sentiment of the entire DAR employees.

c. Furthermore, the issues raised by this small group – such as the proposed special provision number 5in the DAR budgetand the disbursement of CNA incentives—had already been resolved. Special Provision number 5 was deleted from the 2013 budget and the CNA incentives were released starting January 16 of this year.

For the Record: Philippine scores in the Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index improved compared to 2009

Published: . Latest update: .

According to the 2012 Prosperity Index published by the international think-tank Legatum Institute, which is used as a reference by investors, the scores of the Philippines have improved in comparison to the numbers in the previous administration. The following indices have displayed improvement: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, health, personal freedom, and social capital. Challenges remain in the areas of safety and security and education. However, it should be noted that the Institute’s methodology did indicate a data lag, in which most variables were based on figures from 2011 or even 2010.

Please note that raw scores are more indicative of the country’s performance compared to rankings. That is because ranking are subject to change throughout the years as other countries are added to the list. A closer look at the data will show that the Philippines is scoring above the global average in many prosperity index variables, in particular, confidence in the government which is at 74.8% compared to the global average of 53.7%

This report shows that the Philippine Government is continually addressing many areas of policy concern. In fact, our improved scores show how far the country has gone to where our nation was under the previous administration. This, despite the data lag that may yet have been reported in the analysis of some sectors.

____________

Posted on January 28, 2013

For the Record: The composition of the Transition Commission

Published: . Latest update: .

As stipulated in the historic Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a Transition Commission will be constituted for the purpose of crafting the Bangsamoro Basic Law—the instrument that will establish the new autonomous entity.

Under the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, specifically Article 7, Section 5, the Transition Commission shall be “composed of fifteen (15) members all of whom are Bangsamoro. Seven (7) members shall be selected by the GPH and eight (8) members, including the Chairman, shall be selected by the MILF.”

On December 17, 2012, the President signed Executive Order No. 120, s. 2012, which created the Transition Commission. Section 2 of the Executive issuance states that the Transition Commission “shall be composed of fifteen (15) members appointed by the President in accordance with the 2012 Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.”

____________________

Posted on December 18, 2012

For the Record: Secretary Lacierda on the Performance Enhancement Incentive, December 11, 2012

Published: . Latest update: .

This is to clarify a report on the Philippine Star regarding the Performance Enhancement Incentive (PEI) for government workers. The amount of the PEI is determined by an executive issuance signed annually. This year, the PEI remains constant at P5,000, while the additional P5,000 last year, which was for everyone regardless of performance, will instead be given to the most deserving government workers in much larger amounts, which may go as high as P35,000. This is prescribed under the Performance Based Bonus (PBB) scheme that rewards bureaucratic excellence and efficiency. Inasmuch as the evaluation would be for the previous year, the PBB will be released in the first quarter of 2013.

The Presidential Spokesperson explained such in response to a question raised in yesterday’s press briefing:

____________________

Q: Sir, may mga teachers na nag-caroling in front of the DBM office today and they are asking to bring back the P10,000 na PEI nila from P5,000.

SEC. LACIERDA: Ang nangyari po doon talagang P5,000 lang ‘yon. Ang additional P5,000 ‘non talaga, Weng, kargo ‘yon ‘nung agency. Ang ginawa last year, inako po ng national government ‘yung additional P5,000. Pero ang binibigay talaga po ng government is P5,000.

Now, at least may 13th month pay; may mga ibang bonuses pa silang matatanggap. ‘Yung performance-based bonus naman po that will come after Christmas. So ‘pag ubos na ‘yung pera ninyo ‘nung Pasko sa kakabigay ng aginaldo, at least there is something to look forward to after Christmas.
But that is a merit-based bonus. So I’m sure kung kayo naman ay maganda ang inyong trabaho, we see no reason why you will not be able to receive your performance-based bonus.

Q: So they can’t expect something doon sa pagpapagod nila na mag-abang doon sa harap (ng DBM office) ngayon?

SEC. LACIERDA: Kasi talaga ‘yung PEI natin is really P5,000. We have committed P5,000 to that. ‘Yung balanse ‘non inako lang namin. But now we’re using that additional P5,000; instead of giving it to everyone—<whether> nagtatrabaho ka o hindi—unfair naman doon sa mga masisipag magtrabaho.

Kaya nga in-institute itong performance-based bonus para <kilalanin> ang mga kawaning masipag sa trabaho para may incentive sila na lalong magpursigi sa kanilang trabaho at hindi po i-reward ang mga taong batugan sa gobyerno. This performance-based bonus is a way of recognizing the people who work hard in the government.

____________________

For the Record: Call me, maybe—MMDA Hotline 136

Published: . Latest update: .

A November 13, 2012, press release from the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson

Philippine Star columnist Federico D. Pascual, Jr. wrote today of his difficulty reaching the the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) by phone. In his column, he claimed the MMDA hotline 163 was “forever busy” and thus was unable to contact the necessary personnel. Simply put, Mr. Pascual dialed and called the wrong number.

In MMDA’s collaterals and even on its official website, their hotline number is 136. Meanwhile, the number 163 is for “Bantay Bata” which is a program of ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc.

For the Record: As former Senate President Maceda writes concerning his nephew

Published: . Latest update: .

Introduction

The misunderstanding between Atty. Howard Calleja and on-duty members of the PSG has recently caught the attention of no less than a former Senate President, who wrote about it in his column in the Philippine Star, which came out November 1, 2012. Atty. Howard Calleja is the nephew of the former Senator Maceda.

The issue has already been tackled during the regular briefings with the Malacañang Press Corps, as can be read in the excerpt provided below.

_________________________________

Excerpt from the press briefing by Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte:
On Atty. Calleja and the PSG 

[2F Briefing Room, New Executive Building, Malacañan Palace, on October 30, 2012]

Q: On another topic po, Undersecretary. Balikan ko lang po if you were apprised by the Presidential Security Group on the particulars of the incident that was mentioned by Atty. Howard Calleja in his Facebook page?

VALTE: Pinaimbestigahan din po kasi ‘yung nangyari at ang lumalabas ho ay nagkaroon ng maliit na misunderstanding dahil doon po sa course nung insidente, ang kausap po ni Atty. Calleja ay ‘yung parking attendant at hindi din po kasi sinabihan nung parking attendant si Atty. Calleja kung bakit po hindi puwedeng pumarada. Nandoon po sa blog post din ni Atty. Calleja na he was not advised kasi naiintidihan naman din po niya ‘yung security measures that are required kung ‘yung pangulo po ‘yung darating. But nonetheless, nagkaroon po sila ng maliit na misunderstanding doon and I am told that the PSG on scene already conveyed their apologies dahil hindi po malinaw kung bakit sini-secure ‘yung area.

For the Record: The Presidential Spokesperson on the UN report on the PH meeting its MDGs, October 29, 2012

Published: . Latest update: .

Statement of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda:
On the United Nations report on the Philippines meeting its MDGs

[October 29, 2012]

An article published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer entitled, “Change CCT scheme, lawmakers urge gov’t,” quoted the “Asian-Pacific Regional MDG Report 2011/12: Accelerating Equitable Achievement of the MDGs,” which was published in February this year but contained dated information that does not reflect the current state of our efforts to achieve our Millennium Development Goals.

Data presented in the report were from before the Aquino administration took office on June 30, 2010. Since then, in the area of poverty reduction, the conditional cash transfer program or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) has been reformed and expanded. From less than a million beneficiaries before we entered office, we are now on track to cover 3.1 million by the end of this year.

While the CCT program has its critics, even Junko Onishi, Social Protection Specialist of the World Bank said, “(t)he evidence suggests that Pantawid Pamilya is on track and having impacts on the beneficiary households.” Moreover, a World Bank-AusAID report stated that 4Ps can raise its beneficiaries’ incomes by 12.6 percent and “reduce overall food poverty in program areas by 5.5 percent.”

We maintain that the 4Ps is an investment in the best asset of the Philippines—the Filipino people and that it not only provides beneficiaries with resources but also creates, in the long term, a skilled and productive citizenry. Poverty is a social concern that government and other stakeholders have taken steps to address and reduce. It is certainly not a political pulpit from which partisans preach.

For the record on the Oct. 25 PDI story: We blamed no one

Published: . Latest update: .

Introduction

When asked about the World Bank and International Finance Corporation report on the ease of doing business, the Presidential Spokesperson merely reiterated the findings as presented by the study. This transcript will show that there was no blame subscribed by Secretary Lacierda, only a factual explanation that the permits and functions that which the report covered were those under the local government units. The headline and lead of the story, “Palace blames LGUs for PH rating slide,” published on October 25, 2012, used the term “blame” which is a conclusion of the desk and an assumption that deviates from the original intent of the Secretary as shown in the transcript below.

_________

Excerpt from the press briefing by Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda:
On the report of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation: Doing Business 2013: Smarter Regulations  for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 

[2F Briefing Room, New Executive Building, Malacañan Palace, on October 24, 2012]

Q: Hi, sir. Sir, the government has been saying that the ease of doing business in the country has improved, but there’s a report from the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation saying that the Philippines has slipped two notches in the ease of doing business.

SECRETARY EDWIN LACIERDA: Mia, there has been no specific report yet on the Philippines but we saw the general report and, I think, they’re referring to the business—doing business by local governments because they tackled there, for instance, construction permits, business permits. These are mostly actions that we would do or you procure at the local government level.

Insofar as the national government is concerned, we have the one-stop shop that we have started with the DTI [Department of Trade and Industry]. For instance, you register your business name with the DTI you already have—you’re able to enroll immediately your TIN, your SSS [Social Security System]. Those are the e-reforms that we have done.

The World Bank report, I think, focused on—and a cursory look at the report that we’ve gone through, it seemed to focus on doing business in the local government level.

But certainly, it’s something that we need to reckon with and, of course, we’ve always been in the process of trying to improve the services both on the national and the local government level.

Q: Sir, would you use the findings of the survey to urge local governments to cooperate with the national government in making it more easy for businesses to operate in their areas?

SECRETARY LACIERDA: There are some local governments which have received the Seal of Good Housekeeping. That’s started by Secretary [Jesse] Robredo and, I think, for those local government units, they have improved already their system of doing business.

Certainly, it is a call for all local government units to improve their services in procuring various permits that are required to start a business. 

Q: Sir, last. Sir, does Malacañang think that the results of this report would in anyway deter investors from looking at the Philippines?

SECRETARY LACIERDA: No, I don’t think so. We have already started, like we said, embark on our one stop processing center and there are more interests for the Philippines. They’re eyeing the Philippines as an investment haven.  And certainly, part of our obligation is to make certain that we continue to improve the manner and the services that come along with doing business here in the Philippines.

For the Record: Lacierda calls out Natdems on propaganda

Published: . Latest update: .

Introduction

The issue at hand is that, in order to secure election, certain candidates are trying to monopolize certain issues and constituencies: namely, human rights and the desire of victims for justice.

Secretary Lacierda never trivialized the issue of human rights. What the Presidential Spokesperson has done, is to point out this effort: to monopolize a cause, and deny all possibility of others having a right to discuss and engage on this subject. In others words: there is a propaganda war going on.

It is unfortunate that some politicians insist on spin and propaganda to further their personal ambitions. This transcript will contextualize the statements of the Presidential Spokersperson in relation to attempts by some groups to confuse instead of clarify the issues at hand.

 _______________________________________________________________

Excerpt from the press briefing by Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda:
On the comments made by Representative Teodoro Casiño criticizing the President and his family

[2F Briefing Room, New Executive Building, Malacañan Palace, on October 24, 2012]

Q: Sir, in regards to—kay Teddy Casiño.

SECRETARY EDWIN LACIERDA: Yes.

Q: Medyo nagpatutsada ang ating Pangulo umano, at sabi po ni Teddy Casiño, “Let me remind the President that before his mother died, he did not even rate in any survey nor considered by anyone to be of presidential calibre.” Kasi nakuha lang daw po niya ang simpatiya ng bayan kaya siya naging presidente. Any comment on this?

SECRETARY LACIERDA: With due respect to Congressman Casiño, don’t take it personally. If you read the context of the President, he was saying that the left has a massive propaganda. And if you notice, the propaganda is all about criticizing the government.

Ang point ng Pangulo, kung effective ang inyong propaganda, ‘di dapat ang inyong kandidato tataas sa survey. It’s not about your parents; it’s not about being personal. It’s about your propaganda. The truth of the matter is, people do not believe your propaganda otherwise—for instance, the left would always… Bayan Muna would always attack the CCT [Conditional Cash Transfer] program, but the CCT program addresses the poorest of the poor. It’s an investment on the poorest of the poor.

For instance, Bayan Muna also accused that we’re abolishing government hospitals. That is, again, not true. We are saying, in fact, we’re expanding the coverage of the universal healthcare and we’re providing coverage to more diseases.

These are the things na lumalabas po ngayon na nagpapatunay na ‘yung kanilang propaganda bagama’t malakas, and it is something that media would always notice, and in spite of the fact that it has widespread attention, the people do not buy into it.

So it’s not personal. It’s the propaganda that’s the problem. So it’s not about his parents, Congressman Casino, it’s about your propaganda.

 _______________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, on the issue that Rep. Casiño insists on putting forward despite its lack of context, the President has been a consistent and tireless ally of those seeking justice for human rights violations. In his most recent pronouncement in Auckland, New Zealand yesterday, the President said: 

“Well, we won’t claim that there are no human rights issues within our country. But I think in the past two weeks, for instance, we’ve had a lot of abuses done on state agents. When they were enforcing, for instance, eviction notice on land issues, they were pelted with human waste and a lot of danger has happened to our people. Perhaps I keep saying that human rights is for everybody. Not because you’re … a government employee that your rights are any less than any other citizens.”

“So they are very good at propaganda but I think the record speaks for itself. One of the accused former general of our army is our fugitive from justice because there is a warrant of arrest … We’re trying to remove that impunity that used to exist. My predecessor is currently in jail awaiting trial. She’s detained. We’ve removed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court through an impeachment process. So basically we want to ensure that the rule of law applies to everybody.”