***three (3) stories***
Story No. 1
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Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 15, 2002
Kiss and Make Up for the sake of the country, Sen. Barbers told
Roco and President GMA
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"Kiss and Make up for the sake of the Filipino people."
Administration Senator Robert Barbers today urged both President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former Senator turned Secretary of
Dept. of Education Raul Roco to iron out matter brought about by
the latter's resignation following Malacanang's supposed
endorsement to the Presidential Anti-Graft commission to
investigate him for alleged graft practices.
If both the Chief Executive and Roco openly pronounced that they
are willing to mend fences, Barbers expressed optimism that it
would augur well for government particularly for the Department
of Education.
The Mindanao solon stressed that Roco's abrupt resignation took
many people by surprise even as many students and school
officials felt upset and are urging him to reconsider his earlier
decision to leave the Cabinet of President Arroyo.
"It would be very unfortunate for the country if matters
will not be settled between the President and Sec. Roco and if it
will be final that will leave the DepEd after effectively
enhancing the welfare of public school teachers and implementing
reforms particularly the Basic Education Program.
Undoubtedly, Sec. Roco's resignation would be a big loss to the
government and it will not be easy for the DepEd to have another
Secretary who is as principled as him.," Barbers added.
The former Interior and local government secretary further
advised the President and Roco not to allow the issue become
bigger as certain quarters are just waiting to exploit it for
their own ends.
Barbers pointed out that what matters most is the manner by which
a government officials like Sec. Roco is competently performing
his duty to serve the public. "One cannot please everybody.
In the case of Sec. Roco, he has shares of detractors too."
"Sec Roco's critics are barking on the wrong tree and this
may boomeranged on them, it will not be easy for the DepEd to
have another Secretary who is as competent and efficient as
him" he said.///camille p. balagtas
Story No. 2
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Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 15, 2002
PIMENTEL CALLS FOR EARLY PASSAGE OF BILL REPEALING DEATH PENALTY
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Senator Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr., (PDP-Laban) today said
Congress should make it a goal to approve the bill repealing the
death penalty before the date of the first execution of a death
convict under the Arroyo government this October.
Pimentel said the prospect for meeting this objective is a good
in view of the approval of the bill at committee level in the
House of Representatives last Tuesday (August 13) and the
anticipated parallel approval by the Senate within the soonest
time possible.
"We welcome the approval of the bill on the abolition of the
death penalty by the House committees on revision of laws and on
civil, political and human rights. We are pleased to know that 97
congressmen are now supporting the measure," he said.
"Certainly, this will hasten the corresponding passage of
this important bill by the Senate," Pimentel added.
He said he was assured by Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chairman of
the committee on justice and human rights, that he will call for
a voting on the Senate version of the bill by the committee
members as early as possible.
Pimentel expressed confidence that Senate Bill 2060 calling for
the repeal of the death penalty faces smooth sailing in the
chamber considering that a majority of 15 senators have affixed
their signatures as authors of the measure.
He stressed the urgency of passing the bill in view of President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's declared policy to send convicted
heinous crime offenders to the lethal injection chamber to
backstop her campaign against criminality.
He said Congress must act fast in order to prevent the Chief
Executive from carrying out this policy and spare the lives of
convicts scheduled for execution and give them a chance to turn
over a new leaf.
Pimentel, principal author of Senate Bill 2060, has consistently
fought for the abolition of the death penalty believing that it
is unchristian, barbaric and an inhuman form of punishment that
is "constitutionally permissible."
The execution of convicts, he argued, goes against an enlightened
system of penology which gives emphasis on reforming the convicts
and giving them a chance to become productive members of society
again.///Camille p. balagtas
Story No. 3
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Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 15, 2002
FILIPINOS TO LOSE JOBS IN SABAH
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Senator Ralph G. Recto criticized "Johnys come lately"
whose ten days are running out to save thousands of Filipinos in
Malaysia threatened with permanent loss of jobs.
"Perhaps our officials need the adrenalin-pumping excitement
in a countdown, but that's too much when it concerns threatened
jobs of thousands of Filipinos. The original deadline announced
last March yet had lapsed weeks ago but Navy boats are yet to be
cleared for what is clearly an emergency."
Recto said "had concerned agencies been not sleeping in
their posts the documentation in Malaysia would just be ordinary
government business. The Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration
(OWWA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs had known of this
problem long ago."
The Social Welfare regional office in Zamboanga City, which is
remotely concerned with the documentation process, had agonized
while waiting the trickle of Filipinos voluntarily returning to
process their papers, and who paid for their own fares when our
embassy could not help them, Recto noted.
Recto warned against treating Sabah deportees "like
fugitives, which is how the preparations in Zamboanga sound like.
Just because their earnings don't register in our foreign
reserves doesn't mean they don't deserve fair treatment like OFWs
from Europe, the Americas, and Middle East. Filipino workers in
Sabah remit earnings to their families outside of the commercial
couriers and banks soit would look like they had little
contribution to the national coffers."
"We don't hear of their families being robbed of
remittances, that's because they earn much less than other OFWs.
They worked at jobs that are least liked."
Before the amnesty ended, first-hand accounts tell of Filipinos
being hunted down by dogs even before July 31. After this ten-day
extension, those caught will be thrown in jail, whipped and fined
heavily.
Illegal Filipinos in Malaysia comprise a fifth of 500,000 illegal
aliens granted a blanket amnesty by Malaysia.
Some 150,000 illegals, Filipinos included, have left the country
since the announcement of the amnesty in March. OWWA estimates
there are 595,000 OFWs in Malaysia, the majority of which are
domestic helpers who entered the country through the backdoors of
Mindanao.
"If they cant make it to the deadline, then we lose out on
those countries which had come to the aid of their citizens ahead
like China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, and even
from African countries.
"This is one area where micro-managing by the President must
be welcomed to be followed by a dressing down of the laggards in
theirs posts," Recto said.
Recto urged the government "to be honest about the gravity
of the situation. It is not merely from the whipping that we want
them saved, it is the loss of jobs that we frankly cannot replace
at all."///Camille p. balagtas