"What this Country needs is not a change OF men but a change IN men" March 1980

Friday, July 31, 2009

On President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino's passing

My family and I join the nation in mourning the passing of President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino.

She was an icon that inspired one of the greatest events of the century that led to the peaceful transition of power and restoration of our democracy and freedom in 1986.

That transformation must be imbibed by the Filipino people whom she has left behind and renewed once more within ourselves, our values and our dignity.

Transformation involves the revolution of the soul, spirit and character. Only then shall we truly uphold President Aquino's dreams and aspiration with our redemption.

My family and I extend our condolences and deep sympathy to her family who mostly grieve for her loss. We are with them and the entire nation in prayer.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Gov't housing system, an abysmal failure

The government has terribly failed to implement an effective housing policy, which resulted to the alleged housing-loan auction anomaly currently being investigated in the Senate, Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.) today concluded.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, came to this conclusion after Vice President Noli de Castro, concurrent chairman of the Housing and urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), admitted that the housing program is a failure under the unified housing loan program.

"The record is very clear. You lend money and people do not pay under a unified housing scheme. If it is not a success, if it is not paying then you are depriving the government. Pinapabayaan natin na hindi makabayad ang mga taong ito. Hindi nababawi ang capital, hindi napapaikot para makapagpautang pa sa mas maraming tao. Ilan lang ang nagpapasasa dun sa pinahihiram ninyong bahay. Iyan ang nakikita kong sitwasyon dito," he said.

"That is why I consider the housing policy of the government an abysmal failure. Mabuti nakita ngayon na malaki pala ang bukol (housing loan problem) na ito, lalaki pa ang bukol na ito, magiging cancer, eventually malulugi tayo. That is why walang nangyayari sa pabahay natin," he added.

The blue ribbon panel and the committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement are jointly conducting a further review of a joint-venture deal between the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporations (NHMFC) and Deutsche Bank Real Estate Global Opportunities (Global) amid concerns over violations in the auction of delinquent loans affecting 53,000 families listed as beneficiaries of a government-backed housing program.

Gordon pointed out that the government should come out with a better housing policy, similar to those implemented by past administrations, which were very successful.

"In the 1950's, in the 1930's, gumawa ang gobyerno ng mga Roxas District, Quezon City, Quirino District, Pandacan, Project 1 to 8. Mukhang nakabayad lahat iyan. That is a successful housing program," he said.

"Ngayon, nagpapautang tayo, meron pa tayong socialized housing, merong low-cost housing pero hindi tayo makasingil. Something is wrong with the housing policy. We have to have a better policy and you in the executive should give us better policies here," the senator asked the executive officials who attended the hearing.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Transcript of PPCRV-NAMFREL Plaza Miranda Presidential Forum (16 July 2009)

OPENING REMARKS:


Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat. Alam ko nababasa kayo diyan. Pero nagpapasalamat po ako at nagpapakita kayo ng interest sa ating parating na exercise, lalo na yung automated elections. And it is my hope na hindi kayo magpapakabasa ng husto at lahat kayo ay makikinig sapagkat sa mgamalayang mga pahayag na ganito makukuha po natin kung ano ang mga issue at hindi po tayo boboto sa mga panga-pangako lamang o dun sa mga nagsasalita na hindi nila kayang tuparin. Kaya ngayong araw po na ito nagpapasalamat po ako sa inyo at sana magkaroon tayo ng magandang talakayan ngayong araw na ito. Thank you po.


ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS (60 seconds):


1. Ano po ang posisyon ninyo sa graft and corruption?


Alam po ninyo ang ating nawawala sa graft and corruption according to the World Bank ay $1.3 trillion sa loob ng limang taon. Samakatuwid ay napakalaking pera o salapi, P1.3 trillion pala. Yun po ang halaga ng budget natin sa buong taon. Limang taon po, P1.3 trillion ang nawawala sa atin. Kaya kailangan po masinop ang mamumuno upang mabawasan iyan at iyan ay kailangan ang tulong ng mamamayan. Una, ang pangulo ay dapat mamuno by example. Hindi po siya talaga dapat makikitang talagang nagpapabaya sa paghawak ng kanyang tungkulin. At sa kanyang gagawin, makikitang may approval. Hindi siya magastos. Hindi lang siya marunong humawak ng pera pero talagang iniipon niya ang pera sapagkat talagang kulang na kulang po ang pera sa ating bayan. Pangalawa, pag ang isang bansa po ay kilala sa graft and corruption, mahihirapan po ang tao sapagkat hindi po maghahanapbuhay ang mga investment. Hindi po mapapasok dito ang investment. At kung walang investment, wala pong makakapagtrabaho dito sa ating bayan sapagkat umiiwas. Noong tayo po ay nasa Subic, dahil walang smuggling, mas mabilis po ang takbo. Kailangan pagbutihan mo. Noong araw ang tao kailangan naka-Focus, mabilis, Friendly, Flexible at Forward-looking. Ang ibig sabihin niyan, tuloy-tuloy ang trabaho. Mabilis, hindi po nanghihingi ng kurakot kaya nagpapabagal. Friendly na madaling intidihin ng tao. At talagang Flexible in the sense na hindi papahirapan ang tao. At Forward-looking palagi ang mga policy para sa ikauunlad ng mga tao. Kaya ang dami pong pumasok sa Subic at ngayon sa Subic there are over 95,000 jobs. Kung ang isang gobyerno ay maayos ang pamunuan mas maraming investments at iyan po ang magdadala ng ibayong pagunlad sapagkat magkakaroon ng pagkakataon kung wala pong graft and corruption, ay talagang makakakuha po tayo ng pondo para sa ating mga paaralan, at ang mga bata magkakaroon ng mga titser na tama ang bayad. Kaya kailangan pag naupo ang isang pangulo, dapat may sarado o may closure ang tinatawag nating mga kapwa para talagang kulong ang dapat makulong at talagang walang lusot po pagdating ng araw. Maraming salamat po.


2. Ano po ang posisyon ninyo sa persons with disabilities?

Kailangan po palakasin natin ang bansa para makaka-afford tayo ng pagbibigay sa mga taong may kapansanan. Ngunit mas maganda po kung bigyan natin ng dignidad ang mga may kapansanan sa pamamagitan ng pagte-training sa kanila para kahit sa kabila ng kanilang kapansanan, makakapagtrabaho sila. Dapat po yung mgas batas na pinaiiral na dapat ang mga may kapansanan ay makapasok sa trabaho, ay pairalin. May batas na pong ganyan pero hindi po pinapairal at maraming dahilang binibigay. Kung gusto maraming paraan, kung ayaw maraming dahilan. Kaya dapat ang pangulo binabantayan ang mga yan para pairaling makapagtrabaho para may dignidad ang mga mamamayan nating may kapansanan. Pangalawa po, dapat yung mga may kapansanan kapag pumasok sila sa grocery meron silang mga dapat na diskwento. Pero ano po ang nangyayari? Ang dami-daming papeles na pinapagawa sa kanila ng gobyerno. Dapat alisin yung anim na listahan para makapasok sa grocery. Pag nakita na yung pangalan, nilalagay po kung anong bibilhin, anong klase. And dami pong hinihingi ng batas na iyan. Yung gumawa po ng rules and regulations, dapat isantabi iyan at kung tayo po ay makakapaggawa ng paraan para tanggalin lahat iyan para lalong madaling makaakuha ng biyaya ang may kapansanan sa ating bayan.


3. Ano ang magagawa ninyo sa mga pinapakitang hindi magandang halimbawa sa mga kabataan ng mga nasa katungkulan?


Kailangang ipakita na kapag may kasalanan ang tao, isasara yung kaso. Dapat pag may conviction dapat pairalin, walang exemption. Malaking tao, pinakamalaking tao, kapag kayo na-convict, walang pardon sapagkat lalong magbibigay ng hindi magandang halimbawa sa ating bayan. Kaya nga po bilang senador, sapagkat ako po ay talagang naninindigan, sa Blue Ribbon Committee tayo at nakikita ninyo na talagang hinahabol po natin at pinag-reresign po natin ang Ombudsman sapagkat hindi pa niya dinidemanda hanggang ngayon si Joc-joc Bolante samantalang ang Blue Ribbon Committee sinabi na sa kanya idemanda. Kaya hindi ko po ia-appoint, kung ako ang pangulo, ang kaklase ng aking asawa bilang Ombudsman sapagkat talo kaagad ako sapagkat pagbibintangan ako na hindi ko ginagawa ang tungkulin ko. Makakaasa po kayo sapagkat ako ay nag-mayor, naging chairman po ako ng Subic at lahat po niyan ginagawa ko po ang lahat ng tungkulin. Kahit na sino kapag nagkamali dapat may parusa. At iyan po ang dapat nating gawin dahil meron tayong interest na nasyonal o siguridad na dapat pangalagaan. Kaya makakaasa po kayo pantay-pantay tayo. Firm but fair leadership ni Dick Gordon, whether as Mayor, as Chairman ng Subic, as Tourism o saan mang lugar mapunta si Dick Gordon. Marami pong salamat.


4. Sinasabi pong kayo ang pinaka-kwalipikado mag-presidente pero hindi kayo mananalo dahil wala kayong pera, paano niyo po mababago ito?

Pag sinabi po ninyong walang pera ang isang kandidato, sinasabi niyo na pinagbebenta niyo ang inyong katauhan at inyong kinabukasan kaya hindi po tayo lumalabas, hindi po tayo ginawa na may salapi at talagang ginagamit ang lahat ng paraan para manalo. Pero sinasabi ko sa inyo, lahat ng imposible, dinaanan po natin. Pinaslang ang aking ama, sabi sa akin huwag na akong papasok, pumasok po ako para sa ganoon mahabol ko po yung pumaslang sa aking ama. Tayo po ay diniscourage sa Olongapo. Narinig po natin hindi raw pwedeng ayusin ang bayan, naayos po natin. Ang Subic, pagkatapos pumutok ng Pinatubo, hindi raw pwedeng gamitin ang volunteers, nagawa po natin. Yung Intramuros hindi raw pwedeng ayusin sapagkat marami raw mga informal settlers, yung automated elections, hindi daw natin magagawa, yung Red Cross hindi raw pwedeng tumulong. Kaya ngayon po, ang level ko po sa bloggers, maraming naniniwala dahil kaya ng Pilipino kahit ano, kung gusto kakayanin kung siya ay magmamalasakit at malakas ang kanyang loob. Thank you po.


5. Naniniwala ba kayo sa customized social protection program upang maisalba ang mga workers sa krisis ng ekonomiya? Ano po ang inyong programa tungkol dito?


Alam nyo, anuman ang makakatulong sa manggagawa syempre kung makakayanan ng ating bansa susuportahan natin yan. Pero ang manggagawa dapat isipin na talagang ang ating bayan ay palaging hinahaplit ng panahon. Pataas ng pataas ang halaga ng bilihin. Kaya kinakailangan productivity ang sagot. At kung aasa tayo sa gobyerno, maraming pangako ang gobyerno na hindi natutupad, ako po ay naniniwala na halimbawa kung ako ay nagtatrabaho hahanap ako ng gilas para mas maganda ang aking masusweldo, o di kaya naman yung aking asawa ay tuturuan ko rin maghanap-buhay. Yun ang talagang proteksyon ko at hindi ako pala-asa sa gobyerno. Pero ganunpaman, kung may mga social protection program na dapat ibigay katulad ng pagpapautang sa mga taong nangangailangan at mga skills na dapat ituro sa kanila, dapat suportahan. Dapat din hanapan natin ng paraan para magkaroon sila ng pagkakataon na yung pera nilang naiipon ay mailagay sa mas mahabang investment at para sa ganun yung perang nakukuha mas mahaba rin ang mabibili. Ang pinakamahalaga, walang tigil. Kailangan mas maraming tao ang nagtatrabaho sa isang pamilya para maka-abot sa pagtaas ng halaga ng bilihin at panay training para umangat, yan po ang kailangan ng ating bayan para maka-angat. Huwag ho tayong pala-asa sa gobyerno talagang magiging palasisi tayo pag umasa tayo sa gobyerno.


CLOSING REMARKS:

Labing siyam na taon na ang nakaraan nagkaroon po ng earthquake sa Central Luzon. At tayo po ay nandun nung nag-earthquake. Marami po ang nawalan ng pag-asa, nagiba yung kanilang mga tahanan hanggang Baguio hanggang Dagupan hanggang Cabanatuan . Tayo po ay nandoon ganitong oras at naglalabas ng mga bangkay at mga nabubuhay ng mga panahon na yun. Pero sabihin ko sa inyo, today nakabangon po ang Central Luzon. One year later, pinaalis ang base, pumutok ang Pinatubo, nilahar kami, nagiba ang mga bahay at nawalan ng maraming trabaho. Pero ngayon, ang Subic po, ang Clark nakabangon sa Central Luzon . Talagang pinagpilitan, pinagsikapan ng mga kababayan natin na makabangon. Ngayon po, sa gabing ito, gusto kong sabihin sa inyo na kung gusto natin maging isang marangyang bansa nasa sa atin po ang tunay na pagbabago, kailangan po sa pagpili ninyo, kahit na sino sa amin, piliin nyo yung inaakala nyo na may kakayahan, may experience, may integridad, para sa ganun maiahon. At ngayong gabi, ipagdasal po natin yung mga namatay doon sa Cabanatuan, doon sa Baguio, doon sa Dagupan nung July 16, 1990 at pati na rin po yung mga tao doon sa Mindanao. Thank you very much.

Friday, July 17, 2009

10th RPDEV Lecture with Presidentiables: Opening Statement and Open Forum Answers

Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat.

It’s a great pleasure and honor to be here in this wonderful forum which I think will open the minds of many of our countrymen, and to allow us not to be bludgeoned by advertising or by positioning that they are pro-poor, and really try and make the Filipino more analytical insofar as electing the best president that we can have in our country, not the best president money can buy.

I would like to point out that, perhaps, it is relevant to begin our discussion this afternoon by citing a favorite quotation of mine from the late Robert F. Kennedy when he said

“A revolution is coming, it would be peaceful if we’re wise enough, compassionate if we care enough, successful if we’re fortunate enough, you can affect its character, but you cannot alter its inevitability.”

That revolution I speak of could be peaceful or violent. But in reality, when we start looking at our country, we used to be Southeast Asia’s number one. Today, we have become Southeast Asia’s used-to-be. We used to have the highest literacy rate in Asia. Today, we’ve come down to about no. 4 or no. 5. We used to have the best Air Force in Asia, we had the blue diamonds, which flew in the Congo and got an award from the United Nations. Today, our defense is woeful, and our Air Force has become all air and no force. We sent troops to Korea; and Korea has overtaken us. President Ramos went there, and he also went in Vietnam; and again, Vietnam has already overtaken us. Today, what do we have? A country, as Marietta Goco said in her prayer, a country that appears to have been broken.

I do not believe we are broken. We may have lost our confidence, but we are not a broken country. And so today, I can only say that what we need is the confidence to get back the initiative. Gandhi once said: “Man is the center of a circle, the circumference of which is self-imposed.” We are the once who would master how far we can go. The trouble is, we have presidents who keep insisting that they are the ones who can take us there, without motivating our people, without drawing the best in us. Leaders are supposed to uplift the level of dignity, the level of behavior of our people.

I can only think of one or two leaders in the past, one of them is President Ramos, who had vision, who encouraged us to think of Philippines 2000, kept thinking of a future, but also demanded the highest kind of work ethic. I did not vote for President Ramos, and yet I could go around in Asia and say the Philippines is a sincerely changed country under President Ramos, because although I did not vote for him, he put me in Subic Bay. I can tell you, that is an achievement by itself by any president, because you need to unify our country.

You have to draw out the best in our people when you become president. You have to demand volunteerism, you have to motivate them, you have to get everybody to get all hands carrying the load of our country; not the hand-out, because as an African saying goes, “The hand that gives is higher than the hand that receives.”

That is why today I speak as a proud Filipino. And I can say we can all talk about our promises for the country, we can all come out with the best powerpoints, I can do that, I have a powerpoint here. But I don’t want to do that right away. Why? Because I would like you to believe that we can effect change in our country—unity, stability, transformational leadership versus transactional leadership. Transactional leadership that is borne out of the sayings of a, certainly one of our most severed president’s statements, “I’d rather have a country run like hell by Filipinos, rather than a country run like heaven by Americans.” It became a self-fulfilled prophecy.

And so today, we need to rediscover ourselves, to reinvent ourselves, so to speak, and to find out what would be our vision in our country. I can talk to you about golden cities or cities in the hill. I can talk to you about many other things. But simply put, I would like to go back to Rizal, because I am a preacher of history and government. I would like to go back to our history before we can talk about the future. I would like to talk about the first Asian to beat the colonial invader, Lapu-Lapu. Today, the Koreans had given us, like the New York, a gift of a statue of liberty in Lapu-Lapu 40 feet high, beside another statue of liberty, Mr. Jose Rizal.

Lapu-Lapu, the Visayan-Muslim, stands with Rizal who created the idea of making the Philippines the first Asian nation to go beyond the colonial yoke. Today, we should look back at that past instead of calling Lapu-Lapu a murderer or a fish. That is why we are unconfident of ourselves, we are unhinged, we have been painted by the colonial forces, they put walls like Intramuros in our minds. When you’re inside Intramuros you cannot see beyond the horizon. And that is why it’s important for us to have vision, because vision is a mental picture of something that is better of what is today and what could be the best for us. I see that vision as an enabled and ennobled Filipino, free because he has been enabled and ennobled.

Why can’t we do that today? Because over the years, we have failed to make a political party that is consistent. We look at our leaders and they transform themselves into lesser beings. When you transform you should be better. But what do we have? Transition going from one party to the other; one party, two factions—NP, LP; LP, NP. Then it metamorphosed to other things. We cannot stay the course even with our parties. So we have no principles in our leadership. Even with the party we cannot stay the course. And so there is no continuity. If you look at Lee Kuan Yew, PAP, they got their independence in ‘59, and yet by 1980 they’ve already beaten Philippines. I can tell you that Korea, President Ramos went there in the 50s and by ’88 they became a first world nation. It is about 20, 25 or 30 years for a country to become first world. It would be facetious to say in six years we can do that. I wish we could. But Japan took 19 years before they hosted the Olympics in 1964; nineteen years before they became again a first world nation.

And so today, what have we got? We are poor because we have not learned from our disasters. We have a cycle of disaster and poverty in this country but we cannot seem to learn. We build houses right beside the beach, they’re blown away quite fast. We can’t even have A-frames beside Pinatubo, so that they won’t collapse under the hill of the sand. We are a creative people. We have architects who build this mighty building right here, but we cannot build buildings for our people that would last. We keep having these disasters, we don’t prepare for them, we don’t organize our people to make sure that we can get away from disasters. I have learned that people must always be part in the process of change. That is why in Red Cross we’re putting up 143—44 in every barangay, to blow the whistle, to know where the evacuation centers are, to know how to save lives, to be able to use the cellphone, which has become synonymous with Filipino. We can text the central office or the chapters so we can get help while we are helping ourselves.

We are poor because of corruption, so simple, but in reality, lack of governance. We’re not corrupt. America is corrupt. They have Madoff. They made up billions with their technology. But they have good governance. They may be corrupt but they have good governance. Madoff is now in jail, Celso delos Angeles is in a hospital, and Joc-Joc Bolante is running for Capiz governor.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are poor because we have war. Can you imagine, sixty years na, bata pa kami naririnig ko na si Kamlon; and yet today, merong MILF, MNLF, Abu Sayyaf, we have all these alphabets coming out of the woodwork. But in reality, isn’t it true that we have stop caring because we have forgotten the history of the Muslim; that it was the Muslim who fought against with Spain and beat them and stayed the course; and we forgot Lapu-Lapu was a Muslim; and yet we forget a Muslim went from Sulu to China, he was honored; we forget about them and we don’t want to dialogue with them. We are far away. I would not want to be somebody in Sulu because government has forgotten me. I have no schools for my children, teachers are not certified, my mangoosteen is bought at five pesos isang pulutong because I cannot get it out, and I have no future. I would not be surprised, if I were there, I probably would be one of those in the MNLF, I probably would not be in the ASG.

If you go to education, it’s same thing. I would not want to go to school in a public school. Why? Because butas-butas ang eskwela; our teachers are not trained; 67% of our children have intestinal helminthiases, how can you study kung masakit ang tiyan mo; 97% of our children have dental caries, because of that masakit ang ngipin, they cannot study; 57,000 schools are lacking. You have schools in Dasmariñas, because we keep throwing and throwing informal settlers over there, 110 or 120 to a classroom. My goodness! Would you like to study in a place like that?

Are we surprised we are no longer attractive? Why we can’t get foreign investments? No president can do it even if he is good, because our power is high; because our education is not competitive anymore; because we can’t seem to learn to be united, stable and transformational; and because of that, I can tell you this, we are behind.

We are behind because we don’t do anything. We don’t care enough. We don’t have a picture of the kind of people we must be. And that is why the president must have a bully pulpit. Ronald Reagan, he was a good president even if he slept during the cabinet meetings, because he had words of motivation, he lifted them, he made a face of the American people, and they were the leaders of democracy. And yet, today, we see that this country cannot seem to get by, because presidential candidates joke. They say they’re pro-poor. And it’s an even bigger joke when our people cannot ask their president and it’s permissible to ask your leaders, “How are you going to get us out of poverty?”

We just take it for granted. Panalo na yan, may pera yan. We don’t think. That’s why we’re going to have a lousy president if this is the kind of thinking that we’re going to have.

I come from a city that told me we were a “sin city”. We changed that. We made sure, because my father was killed and the guy rode the jeepney and we couldn’t find the jeepney, and he rode into a tricycle but we couldn’t find the tricycle until somebody, luckily, saw him depart from that tricycle and went into a house. When I came over there, I united the people first. I united the drivers and said, you are professionals, you have to have uniform, a t-shirt with a name at the back, body number of the jeep; have values; aim high Olongapo; bawal ang tamad sa Olongapo, lalong bawal ang tanga sa Olongapo.

I’m teaching them values, made them proud of themselves. They could not ride the jeepney because they know we knew the number, we knew the name, same thing with tricycles. There’s no crime. In this country, you have motorcycle assassins. Everyday somebody is killed by a motorcycle assassin in Mindanao, and yet we watch. “It’s okay.” “That’s the way it is.” “Talagang ganyan, wala tayong magagawa.”

Why can’t we do anything about it? Because we have put walls in our minds. And our leaders just say, “Ako ang bahala.” And if you think our leaders can change it, you get another thing coming, because great nations come about because leaders and people unite in a common vision, drawing out the values and motivating them to produce the necessary volunteerism, to correct crime, to make sure that we have better schools, and to make sure that we have better pride.

What is our agenda therefore? We have to make our country look good. There are no ugly women, there are only women who do not know how to look beautiful; so to with men, so to with countries. If we make our country peaceful, and we can do that in Mindanao, we can start learning by talking. The Abu Sayyaf didn’t just come out, they are in pain; MILF came out because they are in pain; MNLF came out because they are in pain. We have to find that pain, and we have to solve it. And we have to do that by respecting, understanding and accepting the people who are in pain, and there are many, not just the Muslims, but the many who are poor in this country.

Leaders must provide opportunities. Leaders must provide direction. Leaders must provide values. Leaders must be able to say, “I know where I am going, and the world must step aside to let any country pass, because we know where we are going.”

Thank you very much and God bless you.


OPEN FORUM



Question: What are your programs with respect to the explosive population? And if the senators are in favor of the Reproductive Health bill?


Senator Gordon: First of all, I would be very honest with the Filipino people. I have four children. My wife has had tubal ligation. And I would lead by example. And my example would be, you can have as many children as you want, but you pay after two children. You have to accompany everything with responsibility and proper information.

We aim for a quality population. I opted for four children, I made sure that they get everything in life. I think we should tell our people that if they want to have more children, they’re not going to be your retirement program, you’re going to have to worry about it when you have more than two. For example, planning. But what kind of planning? We have seven minutes of ecstasy and nine months to pay for your pregnancy. Therefore, there is no such thing as born free on your third child.

In other countries, population isn’t exactly very, very bad. For example, Japan is now paying for it, they’re quite insecure about their social security because right now their senior citizens are much more than the children that are coming in. Certainly, they’re very, very worried about their future. In India, along with China, it has become positive. It depends on the kind of education we put in. I have known many, many families with a lot of children but they come out as professionals, they come out helping one another, quite close to another. You can have as many children as you want, it’s your choice. But as far as I’m concerned, we aim for quality population, so beyond the second child, you pay for your pregnancy, you pay for public school, you pay for medication.


Question: Can you tell us which is your primary Millennium Development Goal that you will implement as President of the Philippines and if possible, could you interconnect the achievement of the first Millennium Development Goal to one or more subsequent Millennium Development Goals?


Senator Gordon: Education and health would be my priorities. But obviously, education is a priority. Like I said, tignan nyo na lang yung teacher, the teacher in our country makes P12,000 a month, in the next four years they’ll go up to P18,000. Malaysia already pays P17,000; Japan pays P77,000; Singapore pays P129,000 per month per teacher.

That’s why Johnny cannot speak English or Juan dela Cruz cannot pass Math or Science, in the same manner that our counterparts in Taiwan, in Hong Kong and in Singapore can. That is why we have to invest in education. Fifty seven thousand classrooms are needed. Where are you going to get the money? I’m suggesting, we have two billion text messages a day, we levy 200 million of those text messages from the Globe and Smart people who have earned a windfall, and we levy that without any pass on, which will come out with P73 billion a year. We can, at the same time, pump prime the economy. At 57,000 thousand classrooms times P500,000 or a million if you want to put computers, plus food, address malnutrition, and you can invest and send teachers to better, better training and in the process, get education up in track. I’m only asking this for five years. Next year, you can have another P73 billion again, this time you can provide more scholarships, you could provide better opportunities.

Can you imagine this country, how can you have health when you have an average of 151 students to one toilet bowl? They don’t even have water. And you’re talking about H1N1, addressing it. No way. It’s not going to happen. In ARMM, it’s even 252 students to one toilet bowl in high school. We have to walk our talk.


Question: Are you in favor of providing fiscal autonomy to local governments such as increasing the current share of 60-40 to 50-50?


Senator Gordon: Closer is better. I was mayor for 13 years, my parents were both mayors, I know what it means to have to be developed. But nonetheless, we have to prioritize the kind of projects that the money is gonna be used for. And sometimes you cannot just believe in the policy of civil minimums. That is what I think IRRA is right now. Everybody gets a share based on land, on population, etcetera. Sometimes it’s not just equal and there are people who would be left out.

I’d like to see the IRRA spent, for example, in areas of agriculture, where local governments should be encouraged to spend that IRRA with counterpart funding from the national government insofar as irrigation or extension. These are things that are important because that involves food security. If the local government is doing well and there is a need to address, I would not hesitate to provide that local government with the capability to finish the job as quickly as we can so that we can take over and pass the money on to others later on. But there’s got to be some flexibility in the expenditure of those funds, and there’s got to be responsibility on the part of the local government. Of course, I would support anybody, even of he was in the opposition, because that’s what we are for. When we are elected as president, we become president of all the people, and that is important. We cannot just take sides and we cannot just select those that we favor. We have to favor what is best for all and as fast as we can.


Question: What are the proposed projects or programs for our youth?


Senator Gordon: I’ve always said, don’t wait to be a great man or woman, be a great boy or great girl. Get involved as soon as you can. As far as I’m concerned, the government should give you the atmosphere upon which you can develop your full potential.

When you go to school in our communities there is hardly any opportunity for extra-curricular activities, formation of good leadership, for example. There’s not even any physical plan in our educational programs, even our laboratories are really in bad shape, there are no gyms. When you go to another country and you see the schools that are being prepared for the young people out there, then you can see why you feel so marginalized, why we are uncompetitive. It is so important that we show our youth that we mean business.

When the Constitution says number one ang education, it is not just nominal. You can have number one budget in education, which is P158 billion, and yet kulang pa rin yun. It is important that you have a holistic approach that would provide you better teachers, laboratories, information technology, the ability to go out and go to other countries and participate in contests and more particularly in sports. I would also like to restore ROTC. I think that there is an opportunity for ourselves that we have forgotten. Our officer corps cannot just come from the Philippine Military Academy. There’s got to be a historical background here, meaning to say, that when you join the ROTC, you know how to participate. Leadership is something that is thrust upon ourselves at times by present challenges. It is important that we prepare the youth for national responsibility. It is important that hindi lang rights ang ibibigay sa inyo. You have the duty. I would sponsor and make sure that you have chances to join and participate not just in the kabataang barangay. I think it’s more important to have extra-curricular activities such as the Red Cross, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in grade school, and all the way training for better citizenship.


Question: Please give an example where you have fought corruption and sacrificed relationships, money, power and even voting support.


Senator Gordon: I think my stint in Subic showed that there was no smuggling there in my time. That happened because I’ve gotten a lot of young people from other countries who volunteered in Subic and made sure that everybody was honest and we made sure that when there was somebody who turned out sour, who turned out wrong even if he was a fraternity brother, we made sure he was out.

Even in the Red Cross, I was sued in the Supreme Court recently principally because somebody violated the principle of integrity in the Red Cross. I made sure that he was out of the Red Cross along with the entire board because that is not allowed in the Red Cross. Integrity is the most important part of the Red Cross activities because we rely on donations from the whole world.

In addition to that, my stint as a mayor of Olongapo required courtesy, honesty and efficiency at all times. When a cousin couldn’t handle his drink, he got into jail. I put policemen in jail, the security got into jail as well. And people know that because I announce it on radio so that people would know that we live by example.

I think it is important that we put closure in any respect. That is why, I, even if it’s going to cause me a lot from the so-called Estrada votes, was the only senator who said he should never have been pardoned by the President, he should have taken a vacation like the Koreans and then gone out after two years. I was open about that. I stood out against Capt. Trillanes, he violated his oath not just once, but twice. That is why I stood up against him in the Senate because when you take an oath you take it seriously and you cannot now go and say I wanna be in the Senate, especially after you have been sued and then you go into Peninsula and you cause a lot of damage to our international reputation. You’ve got to be responsible and you’ve got to be accountable. One of the main things I think is closure. I try to put a closure on Bolante, I cannot get him in jail because the Ombudsman is there. The Ombudsman should no longer be appointed by the President, he should be elected. In fact, I think there should be no longer an Ombudsman and the President should appoint the Secretary of Justice who should be responsible so that the President can be seen as the person behind it if the Secretary of Justice it appoints doesn’t do his job and there is no impeachment covered on the Ombudsman.


Question: Do you have a plan for providing access to entrepreneurs for the farmers? If you do please explain.


Senator Gordon: The thing that we have to realize is that the farmer is subsidizing our food prices here. Sila ang nagbabayad dahil mine-maintain ng gobyerno na mura ang pagkain ng mga sa siyudad, pero yung farmer napapabayaan. So you really have to allow him some space insofar as making sure that he can be more productive and in line with that kailangan meron tayong mga ACEF, pero di naman alam ng mga farmer at madalas palakasan pa. So kailangan may publication yung mga batas na sinasabi natin, kahit mag-Agri-Agra ka dyan, kahit na mag-ACEF ka, kung hindi alam ng farmer, he doesn’t know how to access that credit, and that’s why I put in an amendment that anyone of this initiatives must have a promotional component at hindi yung kakandidato ang magtutulak ng component na yun.

At the same time, pinapatay din natin ang ating farmers. In other countries they subsidize their farmers, but here in our country takot tayo with the word subsidy. There’s no effort to try, on the part of the government, to get warehouses, farm implements, coupled with the fact we have very, very small farm implements, coupled with the fact na takot talaga ang mga farmers na mag-take ng risk. We have got to put back confidence in the farmer to be able borrow money, but at the same time, the government must provide him with common implements and try to encourage, if I may, I would encourage bigger farm areas, sama-sama sila para yung mga farmers, their families can work in the farms, or for that matter while they are not working in the farm they can do other things like lending them money for dairy. $731 million ang ini-import natin sa dairy at ang ating ginagawa lang is about $31 million. There is obviously an opportunity to go for goats for milk, carabaos for milk, cows for milk, and I think if you lend the farmer three of those things he can get by. At the same time you can get him also to work the irrigations that are destroyed. There are about 400,000 of irrigation na sira so you can get the families of the farmers to repair that at 50,000 per hectare on the average. You can actually make sure and close the gap in that importation which is usually laden by corruption every time we import from Vietnam, or from Thailand or from anywhere else.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Complete solution to conflict and kidnapping in Mindanao

Now is the right time for the government to press forward and apply a comprehensive solution aimed at ending armed conflict and kidnapping incidents in Mindanao,emphasized Senator Richard Gordon (Ind.).

He said that the proposal to grant amnesty to Abu Sayyaf Group members must be complimented with good governance and development projects as well as respect, understanding, and acceptance of Filipino Muslims.

"The door for peace in Sulu is now wide open and government must step in with full, long-term development programs. It's now time to bring in good governance to a province that has suffered not only from conflict but from decades of neglect," said Gordon.

"Amnesty should not be equated with being soft. Our bigger goal is to end decades of conflict and poverty in Muslim Mindanao, amnesty is but part of the solution," Gordon explained.

He said that since his visit to Sulu in August 2007, he has been in constant communication with people from the province. Those whom he had communicated with, he said, expressed their desire to have better schools, good roads, and adequate livelihood.

The senator called for government to step up the building of schools as well as the delivery of health services in conflict affected areas in Mindanao.

"Apart from schools and health services, we should charter ships to aid in transporting agricultural produce from Sulu and other ARMM provinces to major markets in Visayas and even Luzon. We know it will work to bring the peace because we already did this with C-130's for the Fruits of Hope program of the Philippine National Red Cross," said Gordon.

Even during his days as Chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Gordon already supported development initiatives in Mindanao. He convinced Fedex in 1995 to open a link to General Santos City and Davao so that freshly caught tuna could be brought to Japan overnight as well as cut flowers and orchids to Europe. Also as SBMA Chairman in late 1997, he signed a MOA with the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) to farm out excess investors in SBMA to the SPDA and the Zamboanga Economic and Freeport Zone.

Transcript of Interview on Blue Ribbon Hearing re Balikatan Housing

Q: Sir, no-show si VP De Castro.

Sen. Gordon: Well, I was going to take a very liberal attitude at that because after all he is the vice president. But I think Sen. Biazon has questions na gusto nyang ma-answer ng ating vice president. Yun ang mahirap kasi sabi ko, pag vice president ka at tumanggap ka ng posisyon, you are open to questions from the co-equal branch of government na Kongreso. At yan ang sitwasyon nya ngayon kaya pinatatawag namin siya.

Q: Ano ang reason nya?

Sen. Gordon: Ang rason nya hindi sya ang gumawa nun, inabot nya na lang yan. In the meantime, it's still an ongoing problem. Kaya nga pati yung kay Celso delos Angeles siya pa pala ang nag-package nito. So maraming agam-agam sila Sen. Biazon na dapat sagutin ng ating vice president.

Sabi ni Noli, it didn't happen during his watch, hindi sya ang humawak nyan noong araw. Pero you cannot say that eh. After a while you still have to answer because lumalakad yung interes at penalties eh.

Q: Ano ang responsibility ni Celso dito?

Sen. Gordon: The main question here is the nationality principle. I have my own observations about it pero dapat masagot nila yung 60/40 dahil lumalabas nga na may 5% yung IFC. Pero inaamin naman nila sa amin na nagkamali sila doon. We're waiting kung talagang pagkakamali lang yun sa pag-submit ng dokumento na naka-powerpoint. Kung minsan kasi yung nagsa-submit di naman alam yung sinasabi, mga technical terms yun eh. Kaya I'm adopting a very liberal position on that matter unless the other senators will want to pounce on that and really home in on the technicality.

Q: If the VP fails to attend in the next hearing?

Sen. Gordon: Well, he could be subpoenaed. But out of respect for him, pakiusapan na lang natin na dumating. Even in the US people can call high officials of the land.

Q: Sir how much ang involved dito? Billions?

Sen. Gordon: Quite frankly, the intention mahusay eh. Ang nangyari dito, in-assume ng Balikatan na may kasamang foreign element yung mga utang para mabayaran. Na wipe out yung part of the loans, pero ang problema nga gumaganda yung posisyon ng GSIS at SSS pero yung korporasyon naman na nagpasa ng utang sumasama at tila lalong nababaon sa utang. So yan ang isa sa mga tinitignan namin, kung kailangan pa yang National Home Mortgage na yan. Sapagkat ang totoo nyan hindi naman pang low cost housing yan eh, pang medium long term housing yan at yung mga umuutang dyan yung mga kaya ng magbayad pero ganunpaman hindi pa rin nagbabayad.

Ang hinahabol natin dito ay yung pera ng gobyerno, yan ang makikita nyo sa susunod, makikita nyo almost P70 billion yung hindi nababayarang utang sa mga pabahay. At maraming developer ang magpapautang tapos ipapasa sa mga housing agencies na yun ang sasalo ngayon, yung utang hindi mabayaran, gobyerno ang kakain ng utang na yan.

Dito, kinakain nung isang kumpanya, yun nga lang pag siningil nila ngayon medyo commercial na yung rates. Eh talaga namang commercial dapat dahil hindi naman pang low cost yung National Home Mortgage, secondary market lang sila. Magwo-worry ako kung ang pinautang talaga yung mga mahihirap na nasa 6%. Inaabot lang yung National Home Mortgage dahil ang pinakamababa nila ay 9%.

Q: Sir, na-mention nyo yung ads, you were asking the agencies about it.

Sen. Gordon: Yes, kasi may nag-demanda nga na tinatanong bakit yung mga ads very glaring nga. Kapag sa utang may ibang ginagamit, pero pag nagpapautang si Vice President ang ginagamit. We just want to come out kung ano ang mga ads na yan at kung magkano ang ginagastos talaga. Because ang lumalabas P400 million eh, advocacy na magpautang, at ang ginagamit na talent ay si Vice President.

Q: Sir sa tingin nyo nagagamit bay un for political purposes?

Sen. Gordon: That's what I want to find out.

Q: What's the next move of the Blue Ribbon ngayong wala si Celso delos Angeles?

Sen. Gordon: Well, we're not calling Celso delos Angeles, we're just looking at the arguments as to whether in fact a valid exercise. Kasi kung hindi 60/40 yan, kung ang pumasok dyan ay ginamit lang na dummy ang National Home Mortgage, ang epekto nito walang kontrata.

Q: Would you take his deposition?

Sen. Gordon: That's possible. We can do that.

Q: Hindi pa rin ba klaro kung bakit tumaas yung interest rates?

Sen. Gordon: Malinaw eh. Kasi ito naman ay hindi pang low cost eh. Talagang ang pinakamababang interes nila nine percent eh. Imbes na malugi ang gobyerno, libo-libo ang hindi nakakabayad, pinasa nila doon sa kakain ng utang at sila ang maniningil. So far, I think there's nothing wrong with that except the nationality principle that is being violated, in case it is being violated.

Transcript of Interview on Amnesty for Abu Sayyaf

Q: Other senators ayaw yung amnesty

Sen. Gordon: I expect that because syempre kanya-kanyang ideya yan. Eto lang sasabihin ko sa inyo, gaano katagal na yang gulo dyan sa Sulu? Sa Sulu lang ha pwera yung ARMM. Panahon pa ni Kamlon at walang tigil ang bakbakan dyan, ang dami ng namatay, ang dami ng nalustay na pera, ang dami ng nasunog na bahay, hindi matapos-tapos.

Ang sinasabi ko hindi lang naman amnesty. Yung amnesty is not gonna finish it, ang kasama ng amnesty ay yung total socio-economic and political reform dun sa area, na hindi talaga pino-focus ng gobyerno, at paudlot-udlot yung pasok, hindi talaga tinutuloy, kaya makikita mo education is very bad there, mababa ang performance, ang poverty napakalawak. Talagang kung ikaw ang nakatira doon talagang mag-aarmas ka at gagawa ka ng di mabuti.

Q: Wala naman daw ideological moorings ang Abu Sayyaf

Sen. Gordon: Hindi naman kailangan ng ideological moorings dyan. Ang importante dyan, eto lang nakita natin may mapapatunayan tayo sapagkat nung kinuha nila itong mga ito sinabi nila na masyado ang paglalapastangan sa mga Muslim lalo na yung mga Tausug, yung kanilang mga karagatan pinapasok. Kung minsan dahil sila ay Moro, yung kulturang itinuro sa atin ng colonial forces na kalaban natin sila. Hindi natin kalaban yan. Ang dapat nating isipin ay talagang respetuhin natin, understand natin ang sitwasyon at i-accept natin na may problema. Imbes na gumastos tayo ng katakot-takot na pera sa bala at katakot-takot na ang namamatay, eh kung gamitin mo yung perang yan kunin mo lahat yung prutas pag panahon ng harvest dalhin mo agad sa Zamboanga yun, kikita ang mga tao, hindi na sila mag-aarmas. Kung ang mga tao doon ay nakakakuha ng mahuhusay na teacher at pinapaaral, then sasabihin ng mga tao doon, ngayon iniintindi na tayo at ngayon gaganda ang kabuhayan, titigil yan. Tignan nyo lahat yung mga lugar na mahihirap at may mga NPA o di kaya maraming giyerang nagaganap.

Q: Hindi ba parang kino-condone?

Sen. Gordon: No. Because ito hindi naman pinipilit eh. An amnesty for those who want to take it because it is a second chance. By the way, even Gen.. Sabban, at alam nyo nagbakbakan kami ni Sabban dyan, agrees and Sec. Ermita agrees na maraming mga tao dyan na tumanda na at gusto magbagong-buhay. Ano, tuwing hahabulin mo 13 sundalo ang mamamatay? Tapos hindi nahuhuli. Tanungin ko nga doon sa mga senador na nagsasabi nyan, ano ang solusyon nila? Nagbombahan ilang beses sa Cotabato, nagbombahan sa Davao, nagbombahan dun sa iba't-ibang lugar, may nahuhuli ba? May namamatay, naghe-headline tayo pero nahihirapan ang hanapbuhay, nahihirapan ang negosyo. Imbes na ganun, i-amnesty mo pero merong kaakibat na tama at masusing pag-improve ng kabuhayan dun sa mga lugar ng Sulu, mga lugar na hirap sa Lanao, sa Cotabato, para mapawi na yung mga daing ng mga tao dyan.

Q: Dapat daw i-distinguish between those with ideology and those who are merely involved in banditry like the Abu Sayyaf

Sen. Gordon: Who are we to say that? Kung ikaw ba ay nandun, hindi ba ideology yun magpa-farm ka, gusto mo mag-farm pero wala kang pagbebentahan? Kung gusto mong magpagamot walang doktor. Kung gusto mong mag-aral ang anak mo ng mahusay yung teacher hindi certified sa civil service at di sumusweldo. Who's to say that that's not political? Subukan ninyong tumira doon, ako nakapunta na doon eh. Nakikita ko yung mga tao doon. Intindihin natin na malayo tayo.

Sabihin natin may ARMM na sila hayaan mo na. Eh hindi nga makapasok ang COA eh. Hindi nga makapasok ang husgado eh. Paano ka magkakaroon ng katarungan kung ang mga husgado doon natatakot magbigay ng katarungan? Bantayan mo ng sundalo. Kung ikaw namatayan, gusto mo bumawi? O gusto mo may kinahinatnan yung ikinamatay ng tatay mong sundalo, na nagkaroon ngayon ng pag-asa ang tao na pinaglalaban nya na magkaroon ng law and order.

Ang sinasabi ko maglagay tayo ng amnesty pero let's put our money where our mouth is. Palagay ko titigil yan pag nangyari yan kung talagang masusi at long-range ang programa.

Q: Ano kaya ang chance na pumasa ang amnesty sa Congress?

Sen. Gordon: Maybe there's no chance but I'm going to try and say it. That is my right, in the same manner that it's the right of every senator to say I'm against it. But don't say no right away. Pag-aralan muna natin.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Statement on the release of ICRC worker Eugenio Vagni

We are elated to receive the news that ICRC worker Eugenio Vagni has been released.

We congratulate the Red Cross and its local chapters in Sulu; the local government of Sulu; Sulu Vice-Governor Lady Anne Sahidula; the police and soldiers; and even the Abu Sayyaf who demonstrated forbearance. We also offer our profound sympathies to those who lost their lives in the process of freeing the ICRC hostages.

Even as we express our joy for the freeing of the last ICRC hostage, we also realize that the government must work much harder to deliver good governance to the province of Sulu as well as other provinces in Mindanao that face similar situations. Education, health services, jobs, and livelihood must be delivered if we are to hope that what happened in Sulu will not happen again.

We must learn the lesson that peace does not come about on its own, it must be worked on relentlessly and it must be earned.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Condemnation of triple blasts in Mindanao

Three blasts that hit Cotabato City, Jolo, Sulu, and Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte was condemned today by Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.).

Gordon expressed condemnation as he urged the military to step up surveillance and intelligence operations to stop the spate of bombings in Mindanao, which is merely prolonging the conflict in the South.

"Dapat imbestigahan na natin ito ngayon. Masyado ng maraming namamatay sa Mindanao. Ang haba-haba na ng giyera dyan. Bakit nagkakaganyan? Kababayan din natin ang mga Muslim, dapat maisaayos na natin ang labanan na ito," he said.

Reports said an explosion occurred at 7:55 a.m. Tuesday in Poblacion village in Jolo just in front of the Gotoling Hardware on Sanchez Street. The improvised explosive device was placed inside a motorcycle parked in front of a Caltex gasoline station in the area. The incident killed six people and wounded 40 others.

More than two hours after the Jolo blast, another bomb went off in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte province around 10:40 a.m. at the corner of Sabayle Street and Cabili Avenue, in front of a lending firm. An Army jeep, which was passing by the area, was hit in the explosion. Two soldiers were killed and six civilians were injured in the explosion.

Gordon earlier urged both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to go back to the negotiating table.

"I urge the perpetrators of these bombings to stop such terrorist attacks on civilians. Innocent children were killed in Sunday's bombing. Just imagine they could be your own children. Why don't you just go back to the negotiating table," he said.

Sunday morning's bomb explosion near a cathedral in Cotabato City, which killed five people and wounded 45 others, occurred while Archbishop Orlando Quevedo was delivering his homily on the role of priests as peacemakers.

Monday, July 06, 2009

Transcript of interview on Poll Automation and Cotabato bombing

ON POLL AUTOMATION

Q: Will you investigate on the extent of the role of the Aboitiz on the poll automation?

Sen. Gordon: Ito essentially, ayokong sabihin ng tao na just because nag-ayos eh pinabayaan na naming. Lahat yan dapat ma-scrutinize ng publiko kung ano ang nangyari at dapat malaman natin kung ano ang dapat nating iwasan kung saka-sakaling mangyari yan at ano ang plano ng Comelec kung ano gagawin nila.

Yung aboitiz naman yun naman eh ang layo nun eh. Yun ay taga-deliver lang ng mga equipment ng Comelec at yun naman ang hanapbuhay talaga ng aboitiz, bukod sa kuryente, bukod sa ibang negosyo nila sa barko, yan ay talagang ginagawa nila. Kung pupunta kayo sa airport makikita nyo matagal na nilang hanapbuhay yan.

Q: They cannot tamper the machines in transit?

Sen. Gordon: No. I don't think so. Mahirap yan, 82,000 yang makina na yan, mahihirapan naman sigurong i-tamper yan. Pwede naman bantayan yan eh. Ang ini-ingatan ko ay yung sinasabing memory card na binago nila na pwedeng magdala ng memory card na 82,000 tapos yun ay pwedeng tanggalin at ikarga sa bulsa, delikado yan. Dapat alam natin kung ano gagawin doon sa memory card na yan.

Q: Merong umiikot na text na kayo daw ang protector ng Smartmatic and TIM.

Sen. Gordon: That's ridiculous. Naririnig nyo naman ako ang sinasabi ko noon pa gusto ko lahat ng mga may experience, gusto ko nga dalawa sa Luzon, isa sa Visayas, isa sa Mindanao, iba't ibang mga kumpanya para talagang nakakasiguro tayo lalo. Pero siguro may mga talagang nagpapakalat nyan. Okay lang sa akin yun, di naman totoo yun eh.

Q: Sir pero totoo na kayo talaga ang nag-mediate kaya sila nag-reconcile?

Sen. Gordon: Nagpunta sa akin si Atty. De Borja na kasama ko noong araw pa sa Accra, at tinanong ko kung ano ba ang nangyayari. Syempre may karapatan naman ako, mamamayan naman ako at ako ang gumawa ng batas na ito. Ano ba ang problema ninyo bakit hindi matutuloy yan? Ayoko naman yung sinabi ng Comelec na slim chance na. I think that's wrong. Ang batas ay malinaw, kailangan mag-automate tayo. Ang sinabi ko sa kanila ayusin nyo yan. Ang takot nila, ang liability daw nila ay joint and several. Samakatuwid, yung maliit na kumpanya nila dito sa Pilipinas pag pumalpak yan yun ang kukunin sapagkat napakalaki ng kumpanya sa kabila. So sabi ko lagyan natin ng guarantee na yung foreign corporation na meron silang pwedeng mag-escrow, pwede sila maglagay dyan na gagarantiyahan nila na pag pumalpak sila ang talagang tatamaan at hindi yung maliit na kumpanya.

Q: Sir sabi even if they have reconciled, it doesn't necessarily mean na talagang ayos na lahat, may mga questions pa rin.

Sen. Gordon: Tama yun. But I can also say that about anything. Kahit na bumili ka ng kotse masisira pa rin yan. Pero sa akin, ang pakay natin ay linisin ang ating halalan once and for all at ngayon tayo susubok pang-nasyonal kaya dapat gawin na natin yan dahil pag di natin gagawin yan ang mananalo dyan ay yung mga (nandaraya) sa manual voting. Talagang binabalasubas talaga yung ating demokrasya.

Q: We received a text message saying: Watch for Gordon and Enrile, they are expected to defend to death Smartmatic and TIM

Sen. Gordon: Thank you very much po. Manood po kayo para gumanda ho ang rating ko wala ho akong pang-advertise sa TV eh. Nagpapasalamat po ako dyan sapagkat binibigyan nila ako ng publicity in advance, kami ni Sen. Enrile.

Q: You were paid millions to do that daw?

Sen. Gordon: Ay salamat po. Buksan po ninyo yung bank account ko para makita ninyo.

Q: Kanino kaya galing yung balitang yun?

Sen. Gordon: Siguro yung mga natalo. Di ko naman alam kung sino yung mga yan. Baka yung mga nasasaktan doon sa sinasabi ko na wag natin gamitin masyado yung pera natin sa pag-a-advertise, violation ng batas yan at makipag-debate tayo. Nakita naman ninyo kanina yung isa sinabi na ayaw daw nya makipag-debate, gusto nya lang talaga yung sa maliliit na malalamig na lugar doon lamang siya.

Q: Sabi ni Cong. Locsin baka ma-unsiyami yung poll automation?

Sen. Gordon: Hindi naman siguro, I'll make sure of that. Pinaghirapan ko ito. Alam niyo lahat kung gaano ako dumugo sa batas na ito sa kagustuhan ko na talagang wala ng duda ang ating halalan. Di ba maganda na magising tayo at bumoto tayo ng mabilis at by evening, alam na natin kung sino ang nanalo, wala nang makapagsasabing nadaya sila.

ON COTABATO BOMBING

Q: Sir may update on Cotabato bombing?

Sen. Gordon: Dapat imbestigahan na natin ito ngayon. Masyado ng maraming namamatay sa Mindanao, ang haba- haba na ng giyera jan. Hindi makapasok ang media, minsan yung mga taga-Red Cross hindi rin makapasok, pati yung mga taga-World Food Aid. Dapat alamin na natin kung ano talaga ang nangyayari jan. Bakit andami-daming sinasabi? Sinasabi ng MILF 500 ang namatay, sinasabi ng sundalo, 1000 namatay. Parang propaganda warfare na. Pero ang alam ko talaga, may giyera doon. At ano ba talaga ang pinag-gegyierahan doon, bakit nagkakaganyan? Dapat bumalik na tayo sa peace talks sapagkat kababayan din natin ang mga Muslims, dapat maisaayos na natin ang labanan na ito.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Public urged to get involved in improving RP's education system

The public must be involved in improving the country's education system by supporting the measure called "Text-for-Change", Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.) today said.

"We used to have the best public education system in Asia, now we're trailing far behind and we have long been overtaken by neighboring Asian countries," said Gordon, who will take part in the Talakayan 20.10 Leadership Forum on Education Reform organized by the Movement for Good Governance.

"It is important that we realize that, at some point in time, we should have the determination to find out how we can help our country. Our support to this text-for-change measure is our investment for the future of our youth," he added.

In Senate Bill 2402, Gordon proposed that telecommunications companies remit a portion of their net revenues from text messaging to the Health and Education Acceleration Program (HEAP) Corporation.

The senator explained that the HEAP Corporation would spearhead the rehabilitation of the public education and health care systems of the country.

The fund that would be generated will be used to rapidly wipe out backlogs in school infrastructures, enhance the country's public education system, improve the health and welfare of students, and increase remuneration of public school teachers.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate committee on government corporations and public enterprises, noted that there are approximately two billion text messages sent a day.

He explained that if 10 percent would be allotted for the HEAP, the corporation would gain P200 million a day and P73 billion a year, which is more than enough to fill up all the gaps in health and education infrastructures in a year's time.

"This proposed law is in line with our chief advocacies of citizens taking greater responsibility and taking action to solve national problems. It is a direct way for people to help themselves to get better education for their children. With every text message they send they are investing in a better future for everyone," Gordon said.

Gordon to coalesce with Lakas-Kampi if standard bearer will be chosen according to right criteria

If the Lakas-Kampi CMD standard bearer will be chosen according to the right criteria, Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.) today expressed willingness to join the newly-merged party.

Gordon said he is willing to consider former Pres. Fidel Ramos' offer for him to join Lakas-Kampi CMD if the ruling party will promote his advocacies but he would bring with him the Bagumbayan - Volunteers for a New Philippines, which is awaiting accreditation from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

"Kung ang Lakas, ang pipiliin nila yung pinaka-karapat-dapat, hindi dahil lang sa pera, ngunit yung talagang may qualifications at malakas ang qualifications, malakas yung track record, may integridad, may gagawin talagang mahusay sa bayan, sama ako diyan. Pero isasama ko yung Bagumbayan," he said.

"Kung maipapanalo mo yung tao dahil may track record siya, can motivate people, and has integrity, at yun ang patakaran, pwede tayong sumama diyan. Kung it's on principle that they are going to advocate what I advocate which are no corruption, good governance, integrity of the candidate, bakit hindi?" he added.

However, Gordon said he would have to turn the offer down if Lakas-Kampi would be using survey results in choosing their standard bearer, adding that if he also opts to advertise on television he will top the surveys.

"E kung papasok ka diyan tapos pera-pera ulit e hindi tama yun. Bumabalik lang tayo sa Nacionalista at Liberal, kung sino maraming pera. It is the party of the rich again. I'll take my chances elsewhere kung ganoon. Ang nangyayari sa atin, panay ang survey nung mga mayayaman, yung may pera," he said.

"Wala akong duda. Kapag ikaw nag-aadvertise ng malaki, magna-number 1 ka, magna-number 2 ka, lalo na kung may track record ka. Ganoon lang yun e. Kung hindi ka mag-aadvertise, hindi ka makakalaban dun sa nag-aadvertise. Iyun ba ang gusto natin, yung may pera mananalo kahit walang kakayahan, walang credibility, walang integrity," the senator stressed.