Widespread, extreme poverty

As we end 2011 and almost 18 months of the Aquino Administration, a wide sector of civic, labor and socio-religious groups headed by Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, S.J. of Cagayan de Oro have called attention to the lack of effective anti poverty programs being implemented by the government. He said:

 “Poverty is mounting, streets all over the country are teeming with beggars and dislocated indigenous peoples.”

“The children of the poor wake up to poverty, eat poverty for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and sleep poverty — without understanding why they are such. There is a proliferation of poor households erected right on the bangketas, above the esteros, under bridges, in the karitons on the hillsides and even in the cemeteries.

“Overcoming poverty requires the decisive reform leadership from the center,” he added.

At the three-day summit on poverty, inequality and social reform attended by 200, held at the Bureau of Soils in Quezon City, keynote speaker Christian Monsod said: “It is not only guns that kill. Poverty kills. It is slow death from hunger, from diseases that we thought no longer existed, from the loneliness of a life with an empty future. It is also the dying of dignity,” said Monsod.

The conference noted that it requires P7,000 per month for a family of five to survive, aggravated by the continuing increase in the prices of basic commodities. Monsod pointed out that the P1,400 a month CCT doleout will not solve the poverty problem because of the small amount and the limited coverage to less than half of poor families nationwide.

This is another election pledge of President Aquino that has not been fulfilled so far.

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FOR LP MEMBERS ONLY. . . More and more complaints have been aired on the extreme partisanship of DBM Sec. Butch Abad to the detriment of many districts of the country. Politicians following up releases by DBM are accommodated on the basis of party affiliation.

 First, he has withheld and continues to withhold the PDAF or pork barrel funds of the minority Congressmen.

Abad has now taken control of the Road Board funds to the dismay of DPWH Sec. Rogelio Singson. Lists submitted by Singson to DBM are revised and projects for districts or provinces not headed by a LP Congressman or Governor are rejected.

Abad went as far as reducing the recommended P50M for Senate President Juan P. Enrile to P20M and reallocating the P30M to Liberal Party Chairman Frank Drilon whose allocation has been increased to P60M.

Zambales Cong. Mitos Magsaysay (Lakas) revealed that 1,200 scholars were unable to enroll for the 2nd semester and five health clinics closed down due to the non-release of her pork barrel.

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GOOD JOB. . . CSC Chairman Francisco Duque wrote us a letter informing us that the Civil Service Commission has been awarded the “Government Trailblazer Seal” after receiving the highest compliance rating at the Performance Governance System (PGS) Revalida conducted during the PGS Public Governance Forum held on Oct. 14, 2011. 

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ANOTHER BLACK MARK . . . On the occasion of World AIDS Day, it was reported by DOH Asec Eric Tayag and Celia Flor Brillantes, a DOH epidemiologist, that the Philippines is one of 7 countries with a steady increase in AIDS cases. The other countries with steadily increasing AIDS/HIV cases are Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

UN data showed that in the Philippines, most of the cases involved homosexuals having sex with other men. The number of AIDS/HIV cases in the country have increased by almost 2,000 in 2011 alone.

What’s the Department of Health doing? Again, they claim lack of funds. There’s need to conduct more education and awareness campaigns.

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OUTSTANDING GOVERNORS (3). . . Governor Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur — Successfully hosted the Mindanao Jamboree with 12,000 Boy Scouts in attendance with the theme “Building Tomorrow Today” from Nov. 23 to 27. 

Launched Rice-Duck Integrated Farming, an upland cassava planting and an organic farming program recognized in China. Pursued vigorous anti illegal drug programs.

Governor Faustino Dy III of Isabela — He handled the numerous typhoons that hit Isabela this year, marshalled all available personnel and resources to minimize casualties. Gov. Dy has organized a successful agricultural development program extending the needed help to farmers adding 10,000 hectares of corn. He is building a hydroelectric dam in San Agustin which will produce 104 megawatts of electricity and irrigate 44,000 hectares.

Governor Manuel Ortega of La Union — A Dangal ng Bayani awardee, Gov. Ortega is focused on the peace and order condition in the province personally monitoring police action and solution of crimes. He has pushed educational programs, especially basic education by extending computer training to Grade 5 & 6 students besides high school.

He is focused too, on environmental concerns turning down 3 lucrative applications for magnetite sand mining.

Governor Lilia “Baby” Pineda of Pampanga — Active personal management of search and rescue of persons affected by provincewide floods, reaching all flooded areas in 16 towns of Pampanga, improved collection of provincial fees increasing provincial collections and distributing more funds to the barangays.

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TIDBITS . . . There is no truth to rumors that DOTC Sec. Mar Roxas will replace Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa. . .

According to Mercer’s Quality of Living survey, Manila ranked 128 out of 221 cities but in personal safety, it ranked 173 highlighting high crime levels and ineffective law enforcement.

Concerned citizens of Bacnotan, La Union called our attention to 6 killings in that town, including 2 barangay Chairwomen.

Greetings to Col. Arthur Castillo (ret.) who is celebrating his birthday on Dec. 8, Atty. Siegfried Fortun, Paul Soo of Abacus Securities and Frisco Castro of Teachers Village, Q.C.