Posted: 30 Aug 2013 10:58 PM PDT
 Rights defenders and families of desaparecidos exhibited an installation made of old clothes to form the word “SURFACE” as they call for justice to victims of enforced disappearances. (Macky Macaspac)This was the first time families of desaparecidos commemorated the International Day of the Disappeared with a Philippine law that criminalizes enforced disappearances. But for the organization, Families of the Desaparecidos for Justice (Desaparecidos), there is nothing to celebrate as they keep searching for their loved ones. “For years, we keep commemorating the International Day of the Disappeared to remember all the desaparecidos in the world and to call to stop enforced disappearances. Regimes had passed, but enforced disappearance still exist while our missing loved ones have yet to be found,” said Lorena Santos, secretary general of Desaparecidos. Santos is the daughter of Leo Velasco, a consultant of the National Democratic Front who was allegedly abducted by military agents in Cagayan de Oro in 2007. “We, families of desaparecidos, have nothing to celebrate about,” said Santos, as she slammed Aquino government’s inaction to solve cases of enforced disappearances despite the newly enacted law. The group said that since the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, there have been 1,896 missing victims, with 17 victims missing under the current administration. The recent case of disappearance was that of Bryan Epa of Nueva Vizcaya, an anti-mining activist, who was allegedly abducted by Nueva Vizcaya police on August 21, 2013. Santos charged that law itself will not stop enforced disappearances, much less surface the disappeared. “This law has so far served only as a mere token to appease our outrage; but nothing has really changed since its enactment,” Santos said.  Mrs. Editha Burgos holds a picture of Jonas. (Macky Macaspac)The group also criticized President Aquino, who provided special treatment for pork barrel scam suspect Janet Lim Napoles, while dillydallying with prosecution of military officials involved in cases of abduction and enforced disappearances. The group cited the case of fugitive ex-general Jovito Palparan who had a warrant of arrest since 2011 and a 2 million bounty. “It’s like looking for a needle in the middle of the sea, because the government does not help us,” said a frustrated Erlinda Cadapan, mother of Sherlyn. Recently, the court denied the petition for bail of Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado and Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio who are in military custody, but Palparan remains at large. The group insisted that families are the ones’ pursuing cases filed against perpetrators, Mrs Editha Burgos mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos recounted their tedious quest for justice. After a lengthy court hearing, the Court of Appeals on May ruled that the military and the police should be held accountable for the enforced disappearance Jonas in 2007. The Burgos family also recently filed another motion urging the Supreme Court to re-investigate the case after the family obtained new evidences regarding the abduction of Jonas. “The high court still silent, only ordered security for us,” Burgos said. Burgos asked the public to help in their advocacy for justice, as she lauded the efforts of lawyers and human rights organizations in giving assistance to the families of the disappeared. “If they did not help us, we might never stop crying,” she said. “The fire in the hearts of each yearning mother, daughter or son, wife or husband for justice will never die. The search for justice will not stop, until enforced disappearance is ended,” Santos added.
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Blogs and news articles for OFWs
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Pinoy Weekly - Desaparecidos kin call for justice, hit Aquino for continuing abuses
Streetwise By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo Businessworld - Bureaucrat capitalism
Streetwise
By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo
Businessworld
By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo
Businessworld
Bureaucrat capitalism
Why is it few were truly surprised that Janet Lim Napoles, prime but wily fugitive in the pork barrel scandal, would have not only the cunning but also the ability to arrange her "surrender" to no less than the President of the Republic. Is this in exchange for much needed “pogi” points for President Benigno Aquino III and the prospect of cooling down the already overcharged and overheated atmosphere?
This suspiciously stage-managed “surrender” in light of the lack of progress in the Aquino government’s investigation into the humongous pork scam and in addition to Mr. Aquino’s continuing defense of the pork barrel system betrays his intent to merely do damage control, minimize and contain the impact of the exposes, and retain the pork system albeit in a disguised and deodorized form.
Malacaňang has taken pains to explain that indeed, the pork barrel system has become an indispensable part of the entire political system. What it does not say is that the pork system is part of, or a manifestation of, what makes this whole political system rotten to the core.
The pork barrel system is the exposed tip of the iceberg of continuing plunder of public funds wrung out of the sweat and blood of hardworking people through taxes and other government exactions and mechanisms. This abomination by which the ruling elite use the government machinery and resources to further enrich themselves and entrench their families in power at the expense of the people is what activists have long been calling "bureaucrat capitalism".
Each and every occupant of Malacaňang without exception, from Manuel Roxas down to BS Aquino, has been the biggest and leading bureaucrat capitalist lording over and benefitting from the system under their watch.
By means of huge discretionary funds controlled solely by the Chief Executive (and by extension his alter egos in the line agencies) and the members of both houses of Congress through their share in the presidential largesse, hundreds of billions to more than a trillion pesos of the people’s monies are spent by the bureaucrat capitalists with little or no effective oversight.
The latter are the members of the ruling elite who make a lucrative business out of their government positions, who protect and advance their economic interests and privileged positions in society using state power, and who are therefore at the forefront of preserving the rotten political system and the socially unjust status quo.
What has become starkly clear is that all along, those government officials who belong to various factions of the ruling classes have been conniving with each other to appropriate for themselves billions of people's money, under the guise of providing for the people's needs, without accountability and with full impunity. It would be interesting to compute how much of the vaunted "economic growth" is in reality corruption-generated representing phantom projects, kickbacks, bribes, etc. The pork expose explains where that "growth" had really gone and who benefited from it.
Last August 26, National Heroes Day, at the massive Luneta protest action, the overwhelming cry that reverberated was this: “Abolish the pork barrel system, punish the guilty in the pork scam, and rechannel the pork funds for the benefit of the people.”
Yet one can discern a spectrum of positions. On the one hand, the organizations and individuals who marched under the banner of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, the Pagbabago People’s Movement for Change and the Makabayan Coalition of Party lists in Congress have categorically called for the abolition of both the Congressional and the Presidential pork; that is, the P25 billion, lump-sum, discretionary budgetary allotment for members of Congress called the Priority Development and Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the hundreds of billions of other lump sum funds named special purpose funds and off-budget items like the Malampaya Fund and the PAGCOR Presidential Social Fund under the exclusive control of the President.
They pinpoint President Aquino to be the main defender and promoter of the pork barrel having not only maintained but tremendously enlarged its total amounts compared to that of his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo. As a consequence, Mr. Aquino’s Liberal Party together with his alliance with the other pro-administration parties have emerged as the biggest, strongest and most dominant of the reactionary factions of the political ruling elite, its ranks enlarged mostly by turn-coats from the shrunken coalition of parties formerly loyal to Mrs. Arroyo.
They reject Mr. Aquino’s announced “abolition of the pork barrel” as another attempt at a sleight of hand to damage control the volatile political situation sparked by the Napoles pork scam and more exposes of long-standing, unperturbed, complex schemes for stealing the people’s money.
In truth, the 25 billion PDAF is intact in the 2014 proposed national budget albeit now incorporated and hidden in outlays for specific national line agencies. But the legislators’ entitlement to identify projects, channel funds, choose beneficiaries and ensure implementation of their pet projects outside of the normal legislative process of reviewing and approving the General Appropriations Act remains untouched. Thus the cozy, you-scratch-my-back-I-scratch-
There were many in the Luneta protest whose outrage is still inchoate, mainly fueled by anger at the corrupt members of Congress in connivance with the Napoles-type scammers. Many are still unaware of the overweening role and culpability of President Aquino in keeping this system in place. They are not fully appraised about how the thievery is carried out so that they are vulnerable to being lulled into complacency or even deceived by Aquino’s announcement of the so-called abolition of the PDAF. But they continue to be incensed about how this has gone on for so long that they are nonetheless wary of again being taken for a ride by the “trapos” exemplified by the implicated members of Congress. They constituted the mostly unorganized, spontaneous, and least politically experienced sections of the Luneta crowd.
Then there are those who constitute the fifth column. For example the Akbayan Party List, who sport themselves as the “progressive partners in the Aquino coalition”, say they are for abolition but actually merely wish to reform the pork system so that is shielded from public scrutiny and protest. They are there to ensure that President Aquino appears spotless, escapes blame, and to falsely claim that the hundreds of thousands who marched to Luneta are on Mr. Aquino’s side, still bewitched by his mantra of “tuwid na daan”.
They are noisy in social and the mainstream mass media focusing all the attention, public revulsion and calls for accountability on Napoles, on the thievery that went on under the Arroyo regime and on the members of the Opposition who have been named.
Worse, they question the integrity, consistency and moral high ground of the progressive lawmakers under Makabayan by harping on the non sequitur line that the latter, having accessed the pork barrel for their projects, are prevented from exposing the corrupt system and calling for its abolition.
They maliciously lump progressive party list representatives with the bureaucrat capitalists despite the fact that former were elected by the small window of opportunity provided by the party list system, through the strength and political grit of their organized mass base, and their ability to mount an effective campaign without becoming beholden to rich sponsors or relying on patronage politics. They engage in red-baiting, Left-bashing, political innuendo and malicious intrigues.
Be that as it may, it is heartening that people from all walks of life have taken the step forward of making their voices and warm bodies count in common protest against the pork barrel system in whatever form. It stands to reason that a lot more discourse and ground work is needed to raise the level of unity, sustain and strengthen the protest actions to ensure that these do not serve as mere outlets for indignation, only to cool down in the face of cosmetic changes and propaganda barrages, gimmicks and maneuvers by Malacaňang and the rest of the ruling elite.
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Philippine Daily Inquirer Editorial - Special treatment
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Friday, August 30th, 2013
Friday, August 30th, 2013
Malacañang has only itself to blame for the massive flap it found itself in after fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles was allowed to surrender to President Benigno Aquino himself—right inside the Palace. What were the President’s men thinking? That it would burnish Mr. Aquino’s crime-fighting and corruption-busting credentials to have the country’s most wanted person surrender to him only hours after he announced a P10-million bounty on her head? That it would signal the Palace’s determination to ferret out the truth behind the festering pork barrel scandal, even at the cost of cheapening the Office of the President?
The wonder was that no one in the President’s inner circle apparently thought through the implications of having Napoles received by the highest official of the land. All they had to do was look around them; every single politician that has had more than a passing acquaintance with the woman has deemed it fit to pretend not to know her. Sen. Bong Revilla, despite photographic evidence to the contrary and his own acknowledgment that one of his sons is a business partner of Napoles’ son, has maintained that Napoles is merely an acquaintance. Ditto with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
So radioactive is the “pork barrel queen” at this time that even Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, who got Napoles as a principal sponsor for his splashy wedding to Shalani Soledad last year, insists that he knew her only “socially.” It may well be so, but that explanation flies in the face of the Filipino tradition of tapping close family elders and social patrons to serve as ninongs or ninangs in so public a ceremony as one’s wedding, especially like the star-studded one that Romulo and Soledad had. In any case, Napoles’ presence in the constellation of politics, show biz and society that converged on the Romulo-Soledad nuptials only showed the deep connections she had established with these rarefied realms. Until the pork barrel controversy made her into a pariah, she was the consummate insider, a full-fledged member of the ruling elite.
How, then, did the Palace intend to spin the jarring sight of Napoles evading the usual indignities that common suspects have to go through, to be accorded instead a private audience with the President? Worse, not only was she received cordially in the sanctum sanctorum of the nation’s seat of power, the President also deemed it necessary for him to accompany Napoles to her temporary detention cell in Camp Crame. All this time, nobody in the presidential retinue ever paused to say that the optics looked bad from any angle? That the government was vulnerable to being accused of favoritism, of giving this woman preferential treatment, and that the extraordinary accommodations she’s being accorded might, at the very least, give rise to speculation that the administration has secretly worked out some kind of deal with her to manage the expected fallout from her upcoming explosive testimony?
Which is exactly what has happened. Malacañang’s exceedingly thoughtless, clumsy handling of Napoles’ surrender has only spawned wild second-guessing and conjecture, and who could blame the public if its default position is disbelief, if not outright cynicism? Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda have tried all manner of verbal contortions to explain away the charge of special treatment for Napoles; the facts, however, speak otherwise. On her first night in Crame, Napoles was held in an airconditioned room that had to pass inspection by the President himself. Now that she’s been transferred to the Makati City Jail, she’s kept away from other inmates in another airconditioned cell. And while all her cellphones have been taken away from her, Napoles’ family has been allowed to bring her an airbed, to make her incarceration more comfortable.
The Aquino administration has only one way of redeeming itself from this fiasco, and that is to ensure that the ensuing investigation of the pork barrel scam is thorough and transparent, and results in airtight cases against everyone involved, including those allied with the administration. All this bending over backwards for Napoles must better be worth it in terms of the value of her testimony. But for the whole truth to come out, the government cannot be left on its own devices. The public must remain on vigilant watch, even as the creaky justice system finally starts to grind.
The chief goal is, still, to force the system to scrap the pork barrel, not merely to see Napoles in jail.
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End the impunity of the Benigno S. Aquino IIIPresidency on Enforced Disappearances. ICCHRP
Surface the 17 Enforced Disappeared during the Aquino Presidency
Present the perpetrator, Ret. General Jovito Palparan, in court
Present the perpetrator, Ret. General Jovito Palparan, in court
Despite President Aquino’s attempts to project himself as sensitive to the issues of desaparecidos, enforced disappearances continue with impunity under his government, and a notorious perpetrator has been able to evade an arrest warrant for more than 20 months.
Desaparecidos (Families of Desaparecidos for Justice), together with progressive legislators, worked hard to design the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012. It was signed into law in December of last year. Yet, three additional citizens joined the list of enforced disappearances after the new law againstenforced disappearances came into force in January this year.
As in Orwell’s book 1984, words mean their opposite. The international community should tolerate it no longer.
More forced disappearances
On January 22, 2013 - in Labuan, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Muslim scholar Sheikh Bashier Mursalum was abducted by suspected state security agents. Witnesses said Mursalum’s car was first hit by an Adventure utility vehicle from which armed men got off and shot him. He was then forced inside the vehicle. Mursalum is a Modeer (principal) of the Madrasa in Labuan and is well respected by the Muslim community in Zamboanga City. The Darul Iftah in Zamboanga supports the family in searching for Mursalum, who remains missing to date.
February 5, 2013 – Balangas Anlamit, of Davao del Norte, Mindanao, was resting with his daughter and sister-in-law while walking to gather abaca, their livelihood. Two soldiers came and pointed their rifles at him, the women fled, and watched Balangas being tied up and taken away. On February 14 the family took a writ of habeas corpus, but the 8th Infantry Battalion denied it held Balangas.
August 21, 2013 – Bryan Epa was seen at around 9 pm being beaten and forced into a police patrol car outside his house at Brg Salvacion, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. The next day the police denied he was in custody. Bryan Epa was identified by CAFGU (government militia) at an anti-mining barricade at Binuangan village on August 19-20, 2013. The barricades have successfully blocked exploration by Royalco, an Australian mining company.
Where is Palparan?
In December 2011, Ret. Maj Gen Jovito Palparan went into hiding after he, along with three other military officials, were finally charged with kidnapping with serious illegal detention for the disappearance of students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan. The two were abducted and disappeared in June 2006. Witnesses also confirm that a farmer, Manuel Merino, was abducted in the same incident. Palparan continues to brazenly evade the warrant for his arrest.
A heavy burden
Marcos dictatorship: 1972-86 759 cases of enforced disappearances
Corazon Aquino presidency: 1986-92 821 cases of enforced disappearances
Ramos presidency: 1992-98 39 cases of enforced disappearances
Estrada presidency: 1998-2001 26 cases of enforced disappearances
Arroyo presidency: 2001-2010 206 cases of enforced disappearances
Benigno Aquino III presidency: 2010-13 17 cases of enforced disappearances
The Filipino people carry this long legacy of loss, grief and injustice. It is high time that the global community takes effective action to help lift this burden.
Call for global solidarity
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines stands with the families of the disappeared in their grief and anger, and salutes them for their organised struggle for justice through Desaparecidos-Philippines. We call on the international community - from grassroots communities to the United Nations Security Council - to stand in solidarity with them, and to end the impunity of the Philippines government for their cynical breach of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.
Reference:
Canon Barry Naylor
Chairperson, Global Council, International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP)
Honorary President, Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines-United Kingdom (CHRP-UK)
Chairperson, Global Council, International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP)
Honorary President, Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines-United Kingdom (CHRP-UK)
Origin of International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
Three years ago, on 21 December 2010, in the UN General Assembly expressed its deep concern at the increase in enforced or involuntary disappearances in various regions of the world. They passed Resolution 65/209 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and declared 30 August the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, to be observed beginning in 2011.
According to the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 47/133 of 18 December 1992 as a body of principles for all States, an enforced disappearance occurs when:
"persons are arrested, detained or abducted against their will or otherwise deprived of their liberty by officials of different branches or levels of Government, or by organized groups or private individuals acting on behalf of, or with the support, direct or indirect, consent or acquiescence of the Government, followed by a refusal to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the persons concerned or a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of their liberty, which places such persons outside the protection of the law."
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Pinoy Weekly - Judy A. Pasimio | Hide and Seek
Pinoy Weekly - Candice Reyes | The Things Aydo Left Behind
by Candice Reyes
Glenda Ancheta, or “Baby” as her father fondly called her, left for Dubai to work as a driver on the May 28, 2006. She used to drive her father Aydo around and accompany him to most of his appointments as a consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Their trips made their father-daughter relationship stronger—they were “buddies”.
In her first weeks in Dubai, Baby and her father frequently talked on the phone. Aydo felt helpless knowing that the distance between him and his daughter made it impossible for him to be there to protect her should trouble come. Baby was on a 6-month work contract since she wanted to be home for Christmas. But one ill-fated day brought her back sooner than she expected.
Leopoldo Ancheta or “Aydo”, as Baby fondly called him, was abducted on June 24, 2006 in Guiguinto, Bulacan, almost a month after she left. He was on his way home, walking from where his companions dropped him off. It was a 30-minute walk and he was alone. Suddenly, four armed men appeared by his side and forced him into a vehicle. Witnesses said that Aydo tried to fight back. They also tried to help him but were threatened by the armed men. Two days later, Aydo’s companions, Celina Palma, Gloria Soco and Prudencio Calubid, were also abducted by armed men using the same vehicle that took Aydo away. The vehicle was believed to be owned by military elements.
The threats to her father’s life were not a secret to Baby. But she had a hard time working, eating and sleeping when she learned of what happened to Aydo. She recalled how he tried to convince her not to leave the country too soon as he would miss her. She remembered how he reminded her of their plans. Baby wanted to fly home as soon as she heard the news. But she was ordered to pay her agency quite a sum of money—a sum she didn’t have. Fortunately, her husband and relatives managed to borrow the money she needed. Since Baby’s arrival in July 2006, Baby’s search for a father’s welcome-home embrace has not ended.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Pinoy Weekly - Negosyo (A video documentary on #MillionPeopleMarch) Posted: 29 Aug 2013 05:09 AM PDT PW-negosyo-jl-burgos-thumbFilmmaker JL Burgos shot and edited this short video documentary on the #MillionPeopleMarch against pork barrel last August 26, for Red Ants Productions and in cooperation with PinoyMedia Center. As the title suggests, pork barrel — or the lump-sum, discretionary allocations to legislators, executive officials and the President — is indeed one glaring example of how government positions in the current political system are treated as “negosyo” or business ventures. Through the pork barrel system, local and national positions become opportunities of members of the ruling classes to accumulate wealth and engage in patronage politics to remain in power. The system’s perpetuation becomes even more possible with the patronage of local and foreign big businesses whose interests the ruling politicians protect in the different branches of government. Some might call this plain, ole’ greed. Activists call this “bureaucrat-capitalism”. Either way, it is a scourge for the overwhelming majority of the Filipino working people.
Posted: 29 Aug 2013 05:09 AM PDT
Filmmaker JL Burgos shot and edited this short video documentary on the #MillionPeopleMarch against pork barrel last August 26, for Red Ants Productions and in cooperation with PinoyMedia Center.
As the title suggests, pork barrel — or the lump-sum, discretionary allocations to legislators, executive officials and the President — is indeed one glaring example of how government positions in the current political system are treated as “negosyo” or business ventures. Through the pork barrel system, local and national positions become opportunities of members of the ruling classes to accumulate wealth and engage in patronage politics to remain in power. The system’s perpetuation becomes even more possible with the patronage of local and foreign big businesses whose interests the ruling politicians protect in the different branches of government.
Some might call this plain, ole’ greed. Activists call this “bureaucrat-capitalism”. Either way, it is a scourge for the overwhelming majority of the Filipino working people.
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Pinoy Weekly - Diana Verzosa Moraleda | Moving On
Posted: 29 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT
 On May 28, 1987, community organizer Reynaldo Garcia (24) started the day early for some errands. He left his home at 6:00 a.m. and never returned. Reynaldo’s wife Emily, who was then eight months pregnant, did not hear from him the whole day. By late afternoon, she went searching and learned that someone had been abducted that morning at a bakery not far from their home. Witnesses’ descriptions and a slipper left behind reveal that the victim was Reynaldo. No evidence pointed to the perpetrators. No faces were seen. No plate numbers recorded. Death allows mourning and a prospect of healing and closure. Disappearances only spawn doubts and indecision. Often, families of victims of stealth removals are paralyzed into inaction, hoping that if they do not create noise, their husbands, wives, fathers or children might be freed. Not Emily. She immediately vowed to do all she could to find her husband. She owed it to him, she said. For ten years, Emily worked for Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, FIND and Karapatan, an alliance of human rights organizations and advocates. As a coordinator for various activities, she was introduced to other families of the disappeared and found encouragement and strength. By the fifth year of her search, Emily finally accepted that she may never find Reynaldo. Yet she stayed in the movement vowing to raise awareness so that no one else will be abducted or executed again. After twenty years, Emily has only started to move on. She now runs a t-shirt printing business. Most of her free time is spent taking care of her one-year-old grandchild.
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Napoles has direct access to PNoy, says Lozada
JUN LOZADA, Whistleblower of the ZTE NBN deal and AES Watch convener, says Napoles has direct access to Pnoy....
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
Napoles has direct access to PNoy, says Lozada
Posted at 08/29/2013 10:41 AM
MANILA - Why did businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles surrender to President Aquino? And why did President Aquino meet with her and not the other whistle-blowers in the P10 billion pork barrel scam?
These and more are just some of the questions raised by the surender of Napoles, alleged mastermind in the pork scam, on Wednesday night.
In an interview, NBN-ZTE whistle-blower Jun Lozada said he is angered by the treatment given to Napoles especially after she was identified as the mastermind in the alleged P10 billion pork barrel scam.
"It made me angry because this administration has not even met or the President or Secretary has not even met with the whistle-blowers but chose to meet with the principal accused. This tells you the priorities of this government," he told ANC.
"Can you imagine being driven by the President to Camp Crame at sa Tagalog nga e ipagbibilin pa sa Chief PNP at DILG Secretary. This tells you the relationship that Napoles has with the Office of the President warrant this presidential escort to Camp Crame," he added.
Lozada said he has never seen a President escort a wanted person to custody. He said the closest example is when then Secretary Ramon Magsaysay picked up the body of Moises Padilla in Negros.
"The only time I can think of is Ramon Magsaysay picking up the body of Moises Padilla in Negros but that is picking up a victim of injustice but here the principal factor or beneficiary of injustice to the Filipino people is being escorted by the President to Camp Crame," he said.
"The President has to be prudent with the company he keeps. Now it opens up the question - was there a deal made?" he added.
Lozada questioned reports that Napoles was previously represented by the law firm of Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa and how Napoles kept denying her ties with Ochoa during her interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
He said a consultant to the Office of the Executive Secretary was fired after it was learned that he had links to Napoles and had arranged the Inquirer interview.
"Janet Napoles herself wrote directly to the President and his office received (the letter) on the same day that she wrote it. It is becoming more and more obvious that Janet Napoles has direct access to the Office of the President," he said.
ANC HEADSTART, August 29, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
What is Zero Remittance Day?
Zero Remittance Day (ZRD) is a symbolic protest and a political exercise for Filipino im/migrants from different parts of the world to collectively show their outrage.
The first ZRD was launched last October 29, 2008 in protest against the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) which was held in Manila. The ZRD criticized the GFMD and the Philippine government’s promotion of modern-day slavery through the labor export policy. It was supported by more than 112 Filipino migrant organizations all over the world, resulting in hundreds of millions lost in remittances according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The second ZRD protested former Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s attempts to implement charter change through a constitutional assembly last July 26, 2009.
September 19 is ZERO Remittance Day for ZERO pork!
On September 19, 2013, Filipino im/migrants from all over the world will once again send a united message against the pork barrel system. Our remittances that keep the economy afloat are being plundered by greedy officials. Through the ZRD, we will claim our stake in the call to abolish the pork barrel and re-channel funds to free, more efficient services and welfare assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in distress.
While we are hardly surviving by the day due to the global crisis combined with the onslaught of price hikes, to learn that our hard-earned money is being plundered for patronage politics and self-serving interests of a privileged few is a huge injustice. We are more than ready to take the lead in the international indignation against corruption and the plunder of our hard-earned money.
On September 19, Filipino im/migrants will refrain from remitting to demand the following:
Abolish the pork barrel system! Scrap the presidential and congressional pork barrel!
Prosecute and punish all officials and agencies involved!
Re-channel funds to provide free, more accessible and more efficient services and welfare assitance to OFWs in distress!
Why September 19?
September 19 is the anniversary of the implementation of the Overseas Workers Welfare Assistance (OWWA) Omnibus Policies (OOP) that effectively made the $25 OWWA contributions mandatory per contract. The OOP also streamlined benefits and services provided by the OWWA to member OFWs.
The OOP had since been deemed anti-migrant. It is one form of taxation imposed on OFWs that has gathered an estimated P14 billion in revenue for the government from OFWs’ contributions alone. OWWA funds have long been misused and plundered by government. But despite resounding calls for a full audit, the Philippine government has kept OFWs in the dark on how their hard-earned contributions are being utilized. In fact, despite billions of OWWA funds and the $21 billion worth of OFW remittances, services and assistance for Filipino migrants in distress have gone from bad to worse under the Aquino administration.
The power to send or not to send remittances rests on Filipino im/migrants and OFWs alone. By not remitting for one day, Filipinos all over the world will harness their economic power and take a stand against corruption, patronage politics and social injustice. ###
Ano ang Zero Remittance Day?
Ang Zero Remittance Day (ZRD) ay simbolikong protesta ng mga Pilipino mula sa iba’t ibang dako ng mundo para sabay-sabay na ipakita ang kanilang galit.
Ang unang ZRD ay inilunsad noong Oktubre 29, 2008 bilang protesta sa Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) na noo’y naglunsad ng ikalawang kumperensya sa Maynila. Kinondena ng ZRD ang sabwatan ng GFMD at gobyerno ng Pilipinas sa pamamandila ng ‘modern-day slavery’ sa pamamagitan ng patakarang labor export. Mahigit 112 organisasyon ng migranteng Pilipino ang lumahok, at daang milyong piso hindi na-remit sa loob ng isang araw ayon mismo sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
Inilunsad naman ang ikalawang ZRD noong Hulyo 26, 2009 bilang protesta sa naging panukala ni dating Pang. Gloria Arroyo na ipatupad ang charter change sa pamamagitan ng isang constitutional assembly.
Setyembre 19 ay ZERO Remittance Day for ZERO pork!
Sa Setyembre 19, 2013, muling ipapamalas ng mga Pilipino sa buong mundo ang nagkakaisang mensahe laban sa pork barrel system. Habang sinasagip natin ang ekonomya sa ating pagtatrabaho sa labas ng bansa, nilulustay naman ng mga gahaman ang pera ng bayan. Sa pamamagitan ng ZRD, isisigaw natin ang ating panawagang ibasura ng pork barrel at ilaan ang pondo para sa libre at mas mahusay na serbisyo para sa mga overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in distress.
Habang hirap na hirap at nagsasakripisyo ang mga OFW dahil sa pandaigdigang krisis at tuluy-tuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin, nakakagalit malamang ang ating pinaghirapan ay kinukurakot lamang para sa sistemang ‘padron’ (patronage politics) at pansariling interes ng iilan. Sa pamamagitan ng ZRD, ipamalas natin ang pandaigdigang protesta laban sa pangungurakot sa pondong pawis at dugo natin ang naging pinuhunan.
Sa Setyembre 19, hindi magpapadala ang mga migranteng Pilipino upang ipanawagan ang sumusunod:
Ibasura ang pork barrel system!
Panagutin ang lahat ng sangkot!
Ilaan ang pondo para sa libre at mas mahusay na serbisyo para samga OFW in distress!
Bakit Setyembre 19?
Ang Setyembre 19 ay anibersaryo ng pagpapatupad ng Overseas Workers Welfare Assistance (OWWA) Omnibus Policies (OOP). Sa pamamagitan ng OOP, naging mandatory (sapilitan) ang paniningil ng $25 OWWA contribution sa kada kontrata ng bawat OFW. Nilimitahan din ng OOP ang mga benepisyo at serbisyo ng OWWA para sa mga OFW.
Malaon nang itinuturing na kontra-migrante ang OOP. Isa itong porma ng pagbubuwis sa mga OFW na nakalikom na ng tinatayang P14 bilyong kita para sa gobyerno mula sa mga kontribusyon ng mga OFW. Ang OWWA funds ay malaon nang kinukurakot ng gobyerno at ilang mga opisyal. Gayunpaman, sa kabila ng mga panawagan para sa full audit, itinatago pa rin ng gobyerno kung saan napupunta ang bilyun-bilyong pondo ng OWWA. Mas masaklap pa, sa kabila ng bilyun-bilyong piso mula sa OWWA funds at $21 bilyong OFW remittances, mas naging masahol at tila nanlilimos ng serbisyo at benepisyo ang mga OFW mula sa kasalukuyang gobyerno.
Tanging tayong mga migranteng Pilipino ang may kapangyarihan sa ating remittance. Sa pamamagitan ng hindi pagpadala sa isang araw, ipapamalas natin ang ating nagkakaisang paninindigan laban sa korupsyon, sistemang padron at kawalang hustisiyang panlipunan.
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