PIA Dispatch - Thursday, June 4, 2009

Palace hails House for extending CARP  

Malacanang lauded the House of Representatives for passing the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) extension bill.

"The farmers will finally get justice,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Anthony Golez said.

Aside from extending CARP for another five years, the bill also allocates a P100-billion outlay for land acquisition and distribution, support services, agrarian justice delivery, and other funding requirements during the extension period.

The bill covers all public and private agricultural lands as provided in Proclamation 131 and Executive Order No. 229, including other lands of the public domain suitable for agriculture.

The measure stipulates that prioritization of coverage “is not necessary” and that after June 30, 2009, the modes of acquisition will be limited to voluntary offer to sell and compulsory acquisition.

The bill provides for the creation of a joint congressional oversight committee to be composed of three members each from the Senate and the House.

CARP, the land redistribution scheme mandated by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, or RA 6657, expired in December 2008. 

Last December, Congress adopted a joint resolution extending the CARP for six more months, or until June 2009, to allow the Department of Agrarian Reform to continue its mandated tasks pending the enactment of a new law to extend the operation of the program.

Last month, the President certified as urgent the CARP extension bill.

On June 3, the House of Representatives approved the CARP extension bill on the third and final reading.

The Senate passed last Monday its own version of the bill.

The final version of the consolidated bill will be enacted when Congress resumes session last week of July.

PGMA appoints actor Cesar Montano as Special Envoy

Cesar Montano is now a presidential envoy.

As Presidential Special Envoy for Film and Digital Cinema, Montano will coordinate with the Departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Tourism (DOT), Trade and Industry (DTI), and Energy (DOE) in developing appropriate strategies and activities that will enhance the appreciation of Philippine cinema.

He will also lead in mobilizing the private sector in the Philippine cinema promotion.

Although he will not receive salary or emoluments from the Department of Foreign affairs, Montano will be accorded diplomatic status and be issued a diplomatic passport for the duration of his overseas missions.

His appointment was signed by the President last May 19. 

Montano was a candidate under the administration party in the last senatorial election.  

With reforms, RP unlikely to slip into recession –- JFC 

MANILA, June 4 (PNA) -- Foreign businessmen said on Thursday that despite the very modest 0.4 percent growth in the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of this year, the Philippines is unlikely to slip into recession as long as the necessary reforms are put in place. 

“We don’t think the Philippines will go into recession,” said American Chamber of Commerce and Industry director John Forbes. However, he stressed the need to introduce the needed economic reforms to prevent the country from slipping into recession. 

“The more reforms, the more growth,” Forbes said. 

AmCham executive director Robert Sears also said that despite the economic difficulties, the domestic economy is holding its own. 

“There are bright spots like the still robust business process outsourcing, tourism and mining,” Sears said. 

“We are holding our own,” he added. 

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Edgardo B. Lacson also discounted the likelihood of the local economy slipping into recession as what other analysts portrayed. 

“It is unlikely,” he said, adding “the economy has proven its resiliency and the economic stimulus (package) of the government is stimulating growth.” 

Expenditures for the national elections next year are going to help, he noted. 

“That is part of the economic stimulus,” he added. 

The Joint Foreign Chambers has urged for the passage of the pending bills in Congress to help stir the sluggish economic growth. 

This is part of the chamber's eight-point recommended strategy for rapid recovery and future growth. The recommendations are part of the JFC paper, “Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on the Philippines: Preparing to Rebuild Foreign Investment Inflows” presented to the media Monday. 

Foremost, the JFC urged government to avoid complacency, stressing that the crisis justifies the implementation of the needed reforms. 

The other recommendations of the JFC include: passage of reform legislation, reduce barriers to foreign participation, take forceful and effective actions against corruption, build modern infrastructure faster, vastly improve education, create a more efficient and competitive business environment, and build really big winners. 

To avoide complacency, the JFC would like the government to be more aggressive in its growth targets by setting 10 to 11 percent by 2013 and 2014 instead of getting complacent and preaching about the local economy’s resiliency. 

Forbes stressed the 10 to 11 percent growth may not be feasible this year because of the global financial crisis, but is feasible in the medium-term, say 2013 or 2014. 

“We urge the Philippine leaders to develop an ambitious vision for the country, to undertake a program of bold reforms, to target double-digit economic growth, to aggressively remove obstacles co competitiveness, and to develop vigorous strategies that give more Filipinos better alternatives to working abroad,” said European Chamber president Hubert d’Aboville. 

“The current administration speaks of resiliency, but not ambitious reform, implying that Filipinos will survive and are less affected than other economies and that the status quo will see the nation through tougher times,” the JFC said. 

The foreign business community even proposed that government organize a Special Crisis Experts Group comprising of leading economists, businessmen and senior government leaders to recommend key reforms that will help the economy recover and grow at least 10 percent by the middle of the next presidential term. 

“Why not set a recovery growth target as high as 10 percent by 2013 or 2014 and design and implement a plan to achieve high growth?” stated the JFC with seven foreign chamber affiliates and 2,000 individual members. 

GDP growth has been targetted to reach as much as over 7 to 8 percent in the past few years, but not double-digit. The highest growth was registered in 2007 at 7.1 percent. 

The GDP growth target this year was set at 3.1 to 4.1 percent, but with growth in the first quarter at 0.4 percent, the foreign business community was skeptical over growth sustainability. 

The JFC paper noted that since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, few efforts have been made to undertake reforms, noting that the government’s development plan did not even target double-digit growth even at the time when the global economy was booming. 

On pending legislations, businessmen said they are pushing for the important bills such as the Customs Brokers Act Amendment, Department of ICT, Investment and Incentives Code, Pre-Need Code, Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Strengthening the Stock Market, Reproductive Health Bill, Residential Free Patent, Freedom of Access to Information, Ratification of the Revised Kyoto Convention and Reform of the Labor Code. 

On foreign investment participation, the JFC paper has reiterated the foreign chambers’ earlier call to make the Foreign Investment Negative List less negative, particularly on the restrictions on foreign equity on ownership on utilities, land ownership and retail trade, practice of certain professions, and special taxes and fees on foreigners. 

“Progress in reducing barriers to foreign participation sends message that the Philippines is seriously preparing for free trade negotiations with the EU and US and would facilitate access of such negotiations,” the paper said. 

The JFC paper also called for a solution to smuggling as this undermines investment, depriving the government of much-needed revenues. 

On infrastructure development, the JFC said there are over 10 major road projects designed but not implemented, with only one light rail line on EDSA expected to open in the next 18 months. 

In 2008, only slightly above 2 percent of GDP was devoted to public infrastructure, while per capita spending on social infrastructure for education and health was relatively low. 

The JFC has urged the building up of power infrastructure to satisfy future demand as construction of power plants takes time. 

Sean Georget, executive director of the Canadian Chamber, stressed the need to add two more years of basic education to align with other countries. 

“JFC supports massive increase in education budget and extending basic education by two years, and higher salaries for over 500,000 teachers,” he said. 

DOH reports 7 new cases of Influenza A (H1N1) 

The Department of Health reported 7 new cases of Influenza A (H1N1), raising the number of confirmed cases to 29.

One of the six new confirmed cases is a 20 year-old male international graduate student of the De La Salle University, who is a contact of the first positive case at DLSU. 

This student also arrived in the country on May 12.  

On June 2, he manifested mild respiratory symptoms and consulted a health facility where he was tested for the presence of A (H1N1).  

RITM confirmed the test Thursday morning and he is now confined in the health facility.

The other six cases are Filipinos who all have a history of travel to the US.  

Three belong to the same family: two females aged 12 and 16; and an 18-year old male.  

The other three include a 22 year-old male, a 33 year-old pregnant woman and a 52 year old-female.  

All of the six show only mild flu-like symptoms and are now being observed and managed in health facilities.

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said the 10-day suspension of classes is applicable only for the students, faculty and staff of DLSU Manila due to the confirmation of at least one A(H1N1) case.  

Duque reminded all other schools in the country to be on alert for possible cases of A (H1N1) particularly for students and staff who have a history of travel within the last 10 days in affected countries and who are showing flu-like symptoms.

In reaction to a possible Pandemic Level 6 declaration by the World Health Organization, Duque, Chair of the ASEAN + 3 Health Ministers Meeting on A (H1N1) held in Bangkok, Thailand last month, emphasized that this move should be made in the most careful and prudent approach voicing the joint view of the ASEAN + 3 countries for WHO to also consider the severity of the disease and not just the geographic range of the virus.

“We do not want a disproportionately destructive global scare from a virus that has thus far only shown mild symptoms in most of the cases that we are seeing in affected countries. We do not need at this at a time of great economic crisis and uncertainty. But at the same time, we should not also underestimate the potential of the virus to become more severe in the future,” Duque said.

In the country, Duque stressed that in all of the 29 confirmed cases, patients manifested only with mild symptoms reflecting the general trend and behavior of the virus in other affected countries.

“With further characterization of the virus in our local cases, if we see that A (H1N1) poses no severe threat and is self-limited in most cases, we may be seeing a shift in our control strategy to outpatient and home management of patients showing only mild symptoms. This is already being done in countries like Mexico and the US which already have sustained community transmission,” Duque said.

Meanwhile, as the world braces for the WHO’s possible announcement of Pandemic Level 6, Duque reminded other government agencies as well as the business and private sector to consider implementing their business contingency plans.  

In 2006, DOH already convened the heads of major business groups and members of the private sector to help them craft their own business contingency plans during the height of the Avian Flu scare. 

This plan will ensure that commercial activities and essential government and non- government services will continue even during a pandemic.

Since May 1, 2009, the DOH has monitored a total of 414 CUOs. Of these, 29 are positive A(H1N1) cases, 47 have pending laboratory results, and 338 are negative for A(H1N1) and have been discarded.  

There are 13 new Cases Under Observation (CUOs) as of June 3.

In their latest report, the World Health Organization reported 1,863 new cases and 2 new deaths.  

There are now a total of 19,273 cases and 117 deaths from 66 reporting countries. Bulgaria, Egypt, Lebanon and Nicaragua are the newest countries with confirmed A (H1N1) cases


Mancao holds key to resolve Dacer-Corbito Twin kidnap-slay case, says Dacer family counsel

MANILA, June 4 (PNA) –- The lawyer of the late publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer
 was optimistic that the case will finally be resolved with the return of former police Sr. Supt. Cesar Mancao II. 

Dacer was abducted and killed along with his driver Emmanuel Corbito.

Mancao arrived Thursday morning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) escorted by a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) team. 

"Magandang development ito na after 10 years magkakaroon ng kaliwanagan ang pagkapatay kay Bubby Dacer (This is a positive development that could lead to the resolution of the case after almost ten years)," Dacer family legal counsel Demetrio Custodio said in a radio interview. 

Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito were abducted and slain in November 2000. Their remains were later found charred beyond recognition in a deep ravine in Maragondon town, Cavite. 

They were allegedly executed by members of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), of which, Mancao was a member then. 

"Ang importante ngayon ay maisiwalat ni Mancao sa madla kung ano talaga ang nangyari kay Bubby Dacer (What is important now is that Mancao would be able to divulge to the public what really happened to Bubby Dacer)," Custodio further said. 

Following his execution of a sworn-affidavit on Feb. 14, 2009 before the United States federal court, Mancao has expressed his intention and willingness to turn state witness in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case. 


Alston says unexplained killings in RP went down  

Unexplained killings in the Philippines have “dramatically” gone down, a United Nations special rapporteur told a Human Rights organization in Switzerland. 

Based on the report of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva to the Department of Foreign Affairs, UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston said the drop went as low as 70 percent and the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has been reinvigorated.

DFA reported that Alston has acknowledged, in his follow-up report, the efforts that the government has been doing including the investigation on the alleged Davao death squads which he describes as “highly credible”. 

The Philippine government was heavily criticized after Alston reported a high number of unexplained killings in his first report to the United Nations which was largely based on information provided by left-leaning organizations. 

Malacanang was grateful for the acknowledgement made by Alston.

“We thank Prof. Alston for recognizing the Philippine government’s and the Arroyo administration’s promotion and protection of human rights in the country in his presentation of his follow-up report Wednesday (June 3) to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland,” said Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.