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10 May 2001
Tanada to NEDA: "No time-bound commitments to aid donors, please!"

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) today questioned the making of "time-bound commitments" with major aid donors and multilateral financing institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

"May we know what these time-bound commitments are?" the Quezon solon asked. "Do they involve commitments to privatize the National Power Corporation and the National Food Authority, or the further liberalization of certain sectors of the economy?"

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in its "first 100 days" report says that the government has agreed with major donors on "a time-bound set of measures to bring on track the implementation of the government's development efforts."

Tanada cautioned against making time-bound commitments and would rather see commitments that are "condition-bound." "Our experience has shown that time-bound commitments, especially those that need legislative action, lead to disastrous results," he said, citing the oil-deregulation law. "The first time the oil-deregulation law was enacted due to pressure from multilaterals, it was declared unconstitutional and had to be sent back to Congress," Tanada said.

Time-bound commitments also "bind the hand of the Executive to things that need to be acted upon by a deliberative body," Tanada added. "For me, they diminish our sovereignty."

The lawmaker stressed that Congress has the duty to set the parameters for major policy shifts in government. "NEDA should exercise caution because time-bound commitments could need congressional action," Tanada said.

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09 May 2001
Review loans that aggravate plight of the poor, Tanada tells ADB

"The Asian Development Bank should review the terms of loans extended to the Philippines, because some of these terms negatively impact on the poor."

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada made this call as the ADB board of governors began its 34th annual meeting in Hawaii. The May 9-11 board meeting will reportedly review ADB efforts to reduce poverty in the region.

Tanada was referring to pressure from multilateral financing institutions such as ADB to push for the privatization of the National Power Corporation and the National Food Authority. "Privatization is not a cure-all for our economic woes," he said. "It will not work at all times and may even aggravate the plight of the poor."

The Quezon solon noted that price subsidies for NFA serve as safety nets. "Once government relinquishes control of the NFA, it can no longer assure a steady supply of rice," he said. "An inadequate supply will cause price increases, which will really hit the poor, as they have to spend more of their limited income to meet their food requirements."

In the case of Napocor, Tanada objected to privatization if it means that the agency's liabilities will be shouldered by government, in effect passing on the burden to consumers.

Tanada also expressed opposition to an ADB condition lifting the import quota for rice and replacing it with import duties in line with trade liberalization. He noted that even President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo finds this condition "onerous," since rice farmers are likely to encounter difficulties in an open trading environment at this time.

Tanada hailed the declaration made early this year by the ADB's Philippine office that it is prioritizing lending that will support poverty-reduction programs in the country. But he stressed the need for the ADB to review its strategies so that such poverty-alleviation programs do not play second fiddle to growth-oriented projects that only increase the gap between the rich and the poor.

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4 May 2001
"We're on their side, too"--Tanada

"Let's show them and make them feel that we're on their side, too", said senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition, after the violent dispersal of rallyists in Mendiola last Tuesday.

"Many of the participants of EDSA TRES believe that Erap is their only hope and the only one they can rely on to help them," pronounced the former senator. "The bigger burden is with government to demonstrate that it, too, is on the side of the poor."

Tanada said that the Arroyo government's main objective is to fight poverty And has programs to do so. The Quezon solon, however, stressed that mechanisms for the poor's participation in governance and decision-making should be working. "These mechanisms will clearly demonstrate that government is listening to the voice of our poor and that the latter are actively involved in shaping policies and programs to address poverty."

Lastly, Tanada emphasised the need for a culture of empathy and understanding. "Rather than cynicism and contempt, the best approach is to understand where many of the EDSA TRES participants are coming from. Everyone's job now is to help build bridges that would unite our divided people."

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4 May 2001
Danding victory at SMC is a setback--Tanada

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) lamented the result of the controversial San Miguel Corporation (SMC) stockholders' meeting where Danding Cojuangco retained control of the food conglomerate through the re-election of Estrada appointees to the SMC board.

"This is a setback in our struggle to protect the coco levy," said the former senator who is a staunch advocate of declaring the coco levy funds as public funds. "The new nominees are supposed to replace the Estrada appointees because the former are in a better position to defend the sequestered SMC shares which were bought using the coco levy funds," Tanada asserted. "The appointees of the former president Estrada never acted as judicious agents of the PCGG nor as prudent conservators and directors of the sequestered shares. Instead, they simply acceded to every investment decision of Mr. Cojuangco, questioning not even once the propriety and viability of such investments though many were uncovered as no longer within the ambit of SMC's core business," the Quezon solon pointed out.

The absence of a temporary restraining order, sought by the Solicitor General, allowed the SMC stockholders meeting to push through. The efforts of the Arroyo administration to get majority seats in the board fizzled out after failing to install its new nominees pending a decision of the Supreme Court on its petition on the matter.

"I hope that the Supreme Court would soon rule in favor of allowing the new government to replace the incumbent PCGG agents and conservators. They have to be booted out for gross neglect of their sworn duty to defend the interest of the government and, most especially, our small coconut farmers," Tanada argued.

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04 May 2001
Tanada welcomes release of funds for sugar industry

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition hailed the Arroyo government's recent decision to release P278 million to enhance the productivity of the sugar industry.

Noting that the Philippine sugar industry "did not receive a single centavo under the Estrada administration," Tanada said the release of funds would in the long run redound to the benefit consumers, in the form of lower prices for sugar and for products using domestic sugar.

The amount of P278 million comes from the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF), a special fund raised from allowed importation of agricultural products under the Minimum Access Volume (MAV). The MAV refers to the volume of imports entering the country at tariffs lower than the negotiated official rates. When sold at prevailing market prices, the margin would then form part of the ACEF.

"It is high time that the sugar industry be given a portion of the ACEF, now estimated to have reached more than a billion pesos," Tanada said.

He pointed out that the ACEF was created under Republic Act No. 8718, or the Agricultural Tarification Act, precisely to finance productivity-enhancing projects meant to help farm producers meet head-on the challenges of trade under globalization.

The Quezon solon expressed the hope that the P278-million fund "will spur the sugar industry to seriously engage in programs and projects that will make it more efficient and competitive, resulting in lower prices for domestic consumers."

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1 May 2001
Labor Day statement: Tanada calls for labor-friendly policies

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) issued the following press statement on the occasion of Labor Day:

I join the trade union movement in its call for government to address the serious issues affecting the working masses, particularly the issues of low wages and contractualization. A review of our industrial policies is crucial to ensure not only that our suffering enterprises are saved and modernized, but that they become labor-friendly as well.

The harsh reality facing the new administration is that one out of ten workers is unemployed, one out of five is underemployed, and unmitigated casualization and contractualization aggravate the situation.

Those who oppose wage increases argue that the productivity of our workers is low. But how can this not happen when workers do not get regularized, remain casuals both in the private and public sectors, and are deprived of just wages and salaries, as well as the good working conditions vital to spur them to be more productive?

While I am in favor of a legislated minimum wage, I believe this issue must be thoroughly studied in a tripartite manner with the clear intent of preserving jobs, protecting small and medium-scale industries, and enhancing productivity. Wage legislation should particularly target the most vulnerable workers or those not covered by collective bargaining agreements, who comprise the majority of our working class. For the unionized, I would rather that wage adjustments be achieved through a CBA. This will make union organizing a desirable objective.

Because of the continuing retrenchment and re-engineering undertaken by many enterprises in response to globalization, union organizing has suffered great setbacks.

We have all sorts of modernization, such as AFP modernization, agricultural modernization, education modernization. What we sorely lack is a genuine industrial modernization program, as well as adequate safety nets to counter the ravages of globalization.

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25 April 2001
National interest should decide release of Rowe killers--Tanada

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) today said that the release of the convicted killers of JUSMAG's Col. James Rowe will be a great boost to the country's peace efforts. Tanada said that he does not see any reason why the political prisoners who were recently released and the suspected assassins of an American officer are treated differently.

"All of them committed political offenses because of their disenchantment with the Marcos government, and they see foreign military presence as an affront to our sovereignty," Tanada said. "Of course, if I were an American, I would insist that Rowe's killers stay in prison, but I am not," he added. "Achieving peace and stability for our country is my primary goal, and I believe that among the demands of the National Democratic Front, this is the most feasible."

Tanada said he is aware that the US government is exerting pressure on the Philippine government to keep Rowe's killers in prison, but stressed that the national interest should dictate our stand on the issue. "Let the current peace process be a matter that will be decided among our people, our government and our common aspirations. This time, let's not bungle the job."

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25 April 2001
Tanada supports local cement firms on safeguards law

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) has expressed support for Filipino cement manufacturers in their drive to make use of the General Safeguards Act against the dumping being practiced by their foreign competitors. "The Safeguards Law gives Filipino manufacturers the best option so far, and the cement industry which to my knowledge is the first to avail itself of the law should make full use of it until a favorable precedent is established," Tanada argued.

"With the flood of cheap cement imports, and with no viable and convenient legal option to avail itself of, the local cement industry would suffer irreparable and irreversible damage," Tanada pointed out. In a new tack to get protection from government, the Philippine Cement Manufacturers Corporation (Philcemcor) has begun to invoke the recently passed Republic Act No. 8800, or the General Safeguards Act, against the dumping of foreign cement by competitors from Japan, Indonesia and Taiwan.

In anti-dumping cases, cement prices are usually the basis for seeking protection, and cases are filed against individual competitors. But under the safeguards Law, the volume of total imports regardless of the source or sources would be the focus of investigation. "Proving that the prices of imported cement are dumped prices requires exhaustive investigation on a per-country basis, and even the filing of cases is also on a per-country basis," Tanada said. "Philcemcor's drive to make use of the Safeguards Law will make the filing of cases against erring foreign competitors more convenient and less tedious."

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20 April 2001
Tanada calls for punishment of culprits in SSS mess

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) hailed the government decision not to push through with planned increases in Social Security System premiums, but called for the punishment of those responsible for questionable investment decisions that have caused the loss of P6 to P8 billion in SSS funds.

"There should be an honest and detailed public disclosure of what happened in the SSS, and those responsible must be punished," Tanada said.

"We must exhaust all efforts to recover the losses and nurse the SSS back to financial health," he added.

The precarious state of the SSS, the largest pension fund in the country, was partly caused by bad stock-market investments last year. SSS net income plunged to a record low of negative P3 billion during the Estrada administration.

"The questionable investments were in speculative crony stocks, as well as in companies that knowledgeable investors would not even touch, such as property developments that have not recovered from the Asian financial debacle," Tanada said.

The planned increase in SSS contributions, currently set at 8.4 percent of an employee's monthly salary, would have adversely affected 23 million private employees, self-employed individuals and pensioners.

"SSS members would be the ones to suffer for the fault of SSS officers who made the bad investment decisions," Tanada said. "This is no different from the case of behest loans, which the public was eventually made to shoulder."

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20 April 2001
Happy birthday but face the music, Bobby tells Erap

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) greeted former president Joseph Estrada with a "Happy birthday!" on April 19, but said his former Senate buddy would have to face the music in the cases filed by the Ombudsman.

In an interview over radio station DZRH, Tanada stressed that it is important for people to realize that no one, not even a former president, is above the law. "No one must be spared from the full force of the law, if found guilty of wrongdoing," Tanada said.

Tanada and Estrada fought on the same side in the Senate vote for the removal of United States military bases, but Tanada was also the lead prosecutor for the plunder charges in the impeachment case against Estrada. "Walang kumpa-kumpare at kai-kaibigan kung paglilingkod sa bayan ang pinag-uusapan (There are no buddies and friends when service to the people is at stake)," Tanada has been quoted as saying, taking off on a slogan popularized by Estrada.

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10 April 2001
Tanada urged IRRI to refrain from conducting GMO Tests

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power coalition (PPC) hailed the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for its pronouncement that it will not conduct experiments on live GMOs involving rice varieties. IRRI Spokesperson Duncan MacIntosh even hinted that biotechnology research on GMOs is just one of the alternatives that IRRI offers to rice farmers.

At the same time, Tanada challenged the IRRI to categorically wave its immunity from all suits and judicial actions for GMO research should it be found to have reneged on its public announcement.

"IRRI enjoys an all-inclusive and pervasive immunity from all suits and judicial actions granted by Presidential Decree (PD) 1620, hence, it can practically do anything it wants particularly on research and development initiatives on rice," Tanada said.

Through the Asian Biotechnology Network (ARBN) established in IRRI in 1993, capturing rice yield potential through biotechnology falls within current activities for 1999-2001. Among its projects is to develop and use transgenic rice using the genes from the bacteria bacillus thurgiensis (Bt) for resistance against rice stem borers and to use transgenic rice with enhanced resistance to sheath blight caused by fungal attack. Moreover, reports have it that IRRI is into promotion of research on another transgenic rice, the "golden rice" variety, which is supposed to be rich in vitamin A.

The Quezon solon added that it is common knowledge that IRRI has applied for open-field testing of rice-varieties that will be genetically engineered to be resistant to pests or contain nutrients incorporated into the grains and that funds have been allocated for such experiments."

"Nothing could prevent IRRI from undertaking these tests and experiments because the Marcosian PD exempts it from any and all litigation. At best, it can voluntarily waive its immunity. Publicly saying it will not pursue GMO tests if the government does not favor it, cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be considered a waiver of such immunity," Tanada said.

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10 April 2001
Tanada wants party-list abuse corrected in time

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) joined concerned citizens and groups in assailing what appears to be wanton abuse of the party-list accreditation. Reportedly, the COMELEC has accredited some 178 party-list organizations to compete for 53 seats or 20% of the total membership of the House of Representatives in the incoming 12th Congress.

Tanada said that he was deeply alarmed at the apparent violation of the spirit and intent of the law on party-list elections. "There are groups in the list that are patently bogus and dubious in character, some even representing powerful lobby groups and comebacking and scheming political has beens. They will just make a mockery of the party-list system," Tanada warned.

"The list should be purged before the May 14 election. COMELEC Chair Alfred Benipayo has indicated that such move is still possible. Some quarters vie for contesting their qualifications after the elections, but by then, it will be too late," Tanada stressed.

The law specifies that participation in the party-list election should be limited to coalitions, minor political parties, and sectoral groups representing the marginalized and the underrepresented. A cursory reading of the 178 accredited organizations will show how COMELEC has stretched the meaning of the law to ridiculous proportions.

The former senator lamented over such indiscriminate accreditation. "It not only violates the very law from which it draws sustenance, but in the process, subverts the mandate of the Constitution to further democratize true representation in Congress, referring to the truly marginalized," Tanada said.

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10 April 2001
Tanada urges U.S. Congress to pass Veterans Equity Bill

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC), in commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan, urged the United States Congress to immediately repeal the Recission Act of 1946 and to hasten the passage of the Veterans Equity Bill.

"For decades, aging Filipino veterans, though many of them have already passed away, untiringly lobbied and waited for a law in the United States that will amend the infamous Recission Act of 1946. The Act was most discriminatory to many Filipino war veterans who were required by the military order issued by then President Franklin Roosevelt to fight side-by-side, as members of United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), with the Americans during World War II ." Tanada said.

Tanada noted that the Recission Law declared that military service rendered by Filipinos under the military order of Pres. Roosevelt shall not be deemed service in the military or naval forces of the United States, a qualification that bestowed specific rights, privileges and benefits. He lamented that this law denied benefits for Filipino veterans with non-service or non-combat-related injuries or ailments, thus, limiting such benefits only to service-connected death and disability.

"A great number of Filipino veterans were simply left out in the cold when after the victory over Japan, the 79th U.S. Congress enacted the Recission Act which nullified the wartime active military service of Filipino soldiers. This Act deprived them of the benefits they used to enjoy under the G.I. Bill of Rights," Tanada said.

Tanada elaborated that this notorious law deprived Filipino war veterans and their compulsory heirs of the rights and benefits accorded to American soldiers, such as pension benefits, educational assistance, hospitalization, and burial in American cemeteries. "For over 50 years, Filipino veterans suffered such grave injustice. Out of more than 100,000 Filipino soldiers who fought alongside U.S. soldiers, an estimated 77,000 are still alive but deprived of the benefits and recognition due them." Tanada lamented.

Tanada welcomed the disclosure of United States Democratic Congressman Bob Filner, who visited the country recently, that he re-filed in the 107th US Congress the Veterans Equity Bill. Filner said that there is a good chance for this bi-partisan bill to get approved, since the new chairman of their committee on veterans affair was a co-sponsor of the said bill when it was re-filed in 1998. He added that the new House leadership is expected to push for the passage of this legislation.

"It is important that this great injustice be rectified, the valiant role of our veterans in the war be recognized and that their compulsory heirs be granted the benefits due them with some improvements if possible," the former senator said.

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06 April 2001
Tanada Welcomes Filing of Cases vs. Erap

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) hailed the filing by the Ombudsman of plunder and seven other cases against former President Joseph Estrada. "It's about time those cases are filed and tried, not only to give substance to the gains of People Power 2, but also to give former president Estrada his day in court," Tanada said.

As one of the public prosecutors at Estrada's impeachment trial, Tanada was supposed to present Article 4 of the impeachment complaint, dealing with several counts of plunder, a capital offense. The People Power 2 uprising, however, aborted the presentation of Article 4.

The Supreme Court decision sustaining the legitimacy of the Arroyo government and stripping Estrada of immunity subsequently paved the way for the filing of charges before the Sandiganbayan.

The Quezon solon criticized the former president for saying that the Supreme Court's 13-0 ruling is tantamount to the absence of the rule of law in the country. "His trial will prove to one and all that we have a rule of law that spares no one, not even a former president," Tanada said. "Yet this same rule of law affords him the opportunity to challenge those cases and prove his accusers wrong."

Tanada pointed out: "The Supreme Court is the court of last recourse, and its recent decision becomes part of the law of the land only insofar as his claim for immunity is concerned. Former President Estrada can still prove his innocence insofar as the cases filed before the Sandiganbayan is concerned. With a battery of good lawyers, he has a fighting chance of disproving the allegations heaped upon him and upon his family and close associates, allegations that he has kept dismissing as lies."

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06 April 2001
Tanada Supports Subsidy For Copra

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) has expressed support for moves to subsidize the farm-gate price of copra, saying that "the depressed farm-gate price makes life all the more miserable for impoverished coconut farmers, but a subsidy will create hope."

Secretary Leonardo Montemayor of the Department of Agriculture has been reported as saying he is reportedly mulling over the idea of raising the farm-gate price from P4 to P6 a kilo and distributing subsidized rice for one million identified coconut farmers. He also took note of a proposal to use coconut oil as substitute fuel for power plants, as well as a scheme directly linking coconut farmers to coconut-oil mills.

Tanada urged the agriculture secretary to act on these proposals immediately. He noted that "present copra prices are below production cost, and at P6 a kilo, coconut farmers will be realizing a profit." Getting subsidized rice from the National Food Authority "will also help coconut farmers survive the present crisis," he said. The Quezon solon, who represents a major coconut-producing district, stressed that in earlier press statements he had batted for the use of crude coconut oil (CNO) as substitute for bunker fuel. He said he also favors linking coconut farmers directly to coconut-oil mills, but added: "I want to see the day when coconut farmers themselves, through cooperatives, can go into the commercial refining of coconut oil."

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05 April 2001
Tanada welcomes creation of super anti-crime body

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) hailed the government's plan to review the powers and functions of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF). The PAOCTF should be dissolved, if warranted, and replaced with an interagency superbody which may include civil society groups advocating crime prevention, according to Tanada. "The review of PAOCTF powers and functions is a timely response, considering that even with the death penalty law, the existence of other stringent anti-crime laws, and the establishment of the PAOCTF, incidents of heinous crimes have not ceased or abated," said Tanada. "I am for the creation of a better, more professional and more efficient super anti-crime body that will engage the participation of civil society. This is a novelty in crime fighting that needs to be seriously considered," Tanada stressed.

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05 April 2001
Tanada favors GMA's commutation of all death sentences to life terms

Senatorial candidate Wigberto "Bobby" Tanada of the People Power Coalition (PPC) lauded Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's directive to commute to life imprisonment the death sentences of all those on death row. Some anti-crime groups are in an uproar and want to petition Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo to recall the commutation order in the forthcoming anti-crime summit. "Under the law, the President has the power and authority to commute sentences, including the death penalty conviction, and having done so makes her administration more humane in treating convicts facing lethal injection," Tanada said. "The Catholic Church, other religious denominations and human rights groups have a strong stand against the death penalty. I share their view that imposing death sentence has not proven to be an effective deterrent to heinous crimes," Tanada said.

As for the victims of heinous crimes and their relatives, Tanada said he understood their anguish and their clamor for just retribution. "But having the perpetrator of the crime shut up for life also serves the ends of justice," he added. "Just retribution for heinous crimes need not always take the form of taking another life. Staying in prison for the rest of one's life is a punishment that is also severe yet more humane," Tanada said.

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