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Open letter to Pres. Noynoy re. the inclusion of Passage of FOI as one of his Priority Measures |
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20 July 2010
His Excellency
BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
President of the Philippines
Malacañan Palace
Manila
Thru:
Hon. Paquito Ochoa
Executive Secretary
Hon. Julia Abad
Presidential Chief of Staff
Hon. Edwin Lacierda
Presidential Spokesperson
Subject: Appeal for Inclusion of the Passage of the Freedom of Information Act as one of the President’s Priority Measures for the 15th Congress
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Non-government, basic sector organizations endorse UP Dean for top labor post |
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 Amid news of political supporters and kin endorsing allies and friends for various posts in President-elect Noynoy Aquino’s government, the NGO sector is tapping on the selection process Aquino initiated as he forms his cabinet, to ensure that the basic sectors’ interests are not sidelined.
In a letter signed by 59 endorsers—39 organizations and 20 individuals—and sent to Aquino, these people recommended Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo, former Dean of the University of the Philippines’ School of Labor and Industrial Relations (UP-SOLAIR), for the post of labor secretary, one of the toughest jobs in government and an often aspired-for position by politicians.
Citing Aquino’s Social Contract with the Filipino People, which underscored the primacy of “integrity, humility and trust-worthiness in public leadership,” the groups said these are the qualities that the 60-year old Ofreneo has exhibited throughout his eight years of service as SOLAIR dean, as a recognized leading scholar in the Philippines and Asia on labor and industrial relations, as advocate of a pro-poor development agenda and as volunteer arbitrator for the labor department, among other functions he performed.
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Philippine Democracy: Alive, but is it well? |
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by Walden Bello
from NQUIRER.net
he 2010 campaign has drawn to a close, and it’s time to distill my experiences after registering hundreds of miles by land, sea, and air crisscrossing the country as a party-list candidate.
On the purely physical side, my shaking thousands of hands—I estimated some 3,500 in one two-hour period in the public market in Angeles, Pampanga—has apparently given my right arm a life of its own, like that of Dr. Strangelove or one of Jim Carrey’s characters. It twitches uncontrollably when not in action, as if waiting impatiently to be fed.
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Is Congress Worth Running for? |
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y Akbayan! Representative Walden Bello
from Inquirer.net
Is Congress worth running for?
As someone that comes from civil society, I am often asked this question.
I do not blame people for being so cynical. After a year in the
institution, I cannot deny that all they have heard about the House of
Representatives is true.
Chronic Absenteeism and other Foibles
The
problem goes beyond the chronic absenteeism that forces the House
leadership, for lack of a quorum, to resort to various subterfuges to
conduct a modicum of business. I would say that about 50 per cent of my
colleagues are there mainly to get their priority development funds or
pork barrel to distribute to their constituencies. This being their
sole interest, they are easily manipulated by the Executive which—no
matter what the Constitution says--really holds the power of the purse.
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Does Corruption Create Poverty? |
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By Walden Bello*
From Common Dreams, April 23, 2010
The issue of corruption is a very resonant one in developing
countries. In the Philippines, for instance, the slogan of the
coalition that is likely to win the 2010 presidential elections is
“Without corrupt officials, there are no poor people.”
Not surprisingly, the international financial institutions have weighed
in. The World Bank has made “good governance” a major thrust of its
work, asserting that the “World Bank Group focus on governance and
anticorruption (GAC) follows from its mandate to reduce poverty—a
capable and accountable state creates opportunities for poor people,
provides better services, and improves development outcomes.” (1)
There is no doubt that corruption is to be condemned and corrupt
officials resolutely prosecuted because it erodes trust in government.
It also weakens the moral bonds of civil society on which democratic
practices and processes rest. But while research suggests that
corruption has some bearing on the spread of poverty, the claim that
corruption is the principal cause of poverty and economic stagnation,
although popular with voters, is questionable.
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