Workers join Lakbayan against poverty

Thousands of worker members of the BUKLURAN NG MANGGAGAWANG PILIPINO (BMP), together with allied organizations—Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod (KPML), Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (AMA), Makabayan-Pilipinas, and joined by SANLAKAS and Kalayaan! launched their own version of Lakbayan (people's march) which kicked off from Crossing, Calamba  in Laguna on April 29 and marched onward to Muntinlupa, Parañaque and Bicutan today, and finally, a protest rally in Mendiola on May 1 after staying overnight at Brgy. Pio in Makati City.  Dubbed "Martsa Laban sa Kagutuman, Kahirapan, at Katiwalian", the three-day Lakbayan, organizers say, has one destination — Malacañang,  because the responsibility for the rice and food crisis and the grinding poverty now suffered by the toiling masses lies nowhere else but at the doorstep of the Arroyo government.

 

BMP President Leody de Guzman pointed out, "A few weeks after the rice and food crisis erupted, the problem of rice shortage and increasing prices of basic food commodities is still very real.  It is real because, despite Arroyo's recent moves to allocate a P44 billion package to solve the rice crisis, address food security and improve agricultural productivity – the ordinary Filipino is yet to be relieved that the crisis will be over soon. The people are even asking why this government insists on 'short-cut' solutions such as the food rationing and discount coupon system of the NFA and DSWD instead of implementing strategic government policies and programs which prioritize food security, protect labor and the livelihoods of workers and farmers, and provide sufficient subsidy to our agricultural sector to improve productivity."

 

Meanwhile, Pedring Fadrigon of KPML slammed the Arroyo government's hunger mitigation program in response to recent surveys saying that Filipinos are becoming hungrier and poorer.  Ka Pedring explains, "The Ahon Pamilyang Pilipino is a palliative and media opportunity for Malacanang to mitigate, not hunger but the continuing rise in prices of rice and food!  Arroyo is allocating a hefty amount, but this will not in any way mitigate the poverty and hunger situation of poor families. The amount to be given to the 300,000 beneficiaries of this program will simply not be enough for them to relieve from hunger and poverty if prices continue to soar.  Government would do better if it imposed price controls on rice and other basic commodities if it seeks to intervene significantly in mitigating the current crisis."

 

Sanlakas spokesperson Rasti Delizo exclaims, "Arroyo's effort to address the rice and food crisis is too little, too late.  The problem of rice cartel is long standing and should have been dismantled a long time ago.  Fund allocations for agriculture and mitigation programs may help, but the question is will the funds actually redound to the the beneficiaries?  Even now the Jocjoc Bolante case and Swinegate scam remain unresolved.  What we need to do is to prioritize the country's food security in our government plans and program, stop liberalizing agriculture, and reverse policies akin to neo-liberal strategies that render our economy, and thus our people, helpless and defenseless against market volatilities, especially under prevailing global conditions.  Unfortunately, these are the very precepts of Arroyo's enchanted kingdom ambitions."

 

BMP's Leody de Guzman adds, "Efforts of the Arroyo government to mitigate hunger and poverty in the face of the food crisis will not alter the squalor and misery that the toiling masses are already being made to suffer.  Further, Arroyo's insistence to convene regional wage boards to work out wage hikes for labor is obviously her way of compromising with the business sector, as these wage boards have long proven to be mechanisms for pinning down rather than providing adequate relief through just increase in wage.  Thus, we assert that a legislated wage increase may cover the difference between the current market prices of basic commodities vs. the purchasing power (capacity to pay) of our average minimum wage workers, but of course, this is surely not enough.  Thus, we believe that it is the right time to start the discussions and implementation of a law on the family living wage (FLW)."

 

De Guzman concludes, "As measures taken up by the Arroyo government to mitigate the effects of the rice and food crisis fails to alter the poverty and misery of the masses, neither has it succeeded in altering our course to oust Gloria and to take action for decisive change.  The ZTE broadband investigations may have been stalled by Gloria's moves to force her will through new appointees in the Supreme Court, but the movement to oust Gloria and pursue basic reforms continues.  The food crisis and the fact that no significant and decisive resolution is forthcoming from Arroyo's government only stokes the fire that blazes even more intensely to pursue this course." 

 

BMP, Sanlakas, Kalayaan!, KPML, AMA, Makabayan-Pilipinas and other affiliate organizations held a press conference at the BMP Office in Calamba, Laguna on April 29 to announce the line-up of activities for the three-day Lakbayan and this year's May 1 celebration.  The activity's focal theme was "Kagutuman, Kahirapan, Katiwalian: Sobra Na! Oust Gloria! Reject Noli! Itayo Democratic Transitional Council, Pagbabago Ngayon Na!"

 

Civil society to ADB: Stop pushing privatization program and profiteering from it

The Asian Development Bank should stop pushing for and profiteering from the privatization of the energy and grain sectors in the country amid the skyrocketing prices of rice and electricity, according to civil society groups.

The Philippine Working Group on the ADB issued this call days before the Bank's 41st Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Madrid, Spain, on 3-6 May 2008.

Milo Tanchuling, secretary general of the Freedom from Debt Coalition, said ADB should seriously reconsider its strategy of pushing for the participation of the private sector in the power sector.

"Clearly, today's problems come from yesterday's solutions. Our problem on the rising electricity rates today is a result of the ADB's private sector participation strategy," said Tanchuling, adding that the Masinloc coal-fired power plant is a case in point.

Masinloc case

"First, they funded the construction of Masinloc in the mid 1990's. The total cost of the dirty power plant amounted to $687 million which the government owed mostly to the ADB. Then in 2001, the Bank pushed for reforms in the energy sector and funded the passage of the Electric Power Industry Restructuring Act (EPIRA) which pushed for the privatization of the state-owned power plants. The government, in pursuing this goal, attempted to sell Masinloc. But the sale of the 'country's gem' failed at first due to lack of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with distribution utilities and big end-users. The sale only consummated recently  after the AES Corp. acquired the 660-MW plant in Masinloc, Zambales, at $930 million, with the help of the National Power Corporation securing 265-MW PPAs for the new owner and with the $200-million loan from ADB," explained Tanchuling.

The Bank announced earlier that AES Corp. also raised $400 million from equity investments and subordinated loans, $35 million from a loan from the International Finance Corp. (IFC) and $295 million from loans from the IFC and four commercial banks. The AES Corp. has already paid the government in full last April 16.

"Where do you think this new Masinloc owner will get its return of investment? Obviously, from us, the consumers," said Tanchuling. "And the ADB is allowing that because it is acting like a commercial bank, a great profiteer. It has profited a lot, in terms of repayments, from construction of the power plant to restructuring of the industry to privatization of Masinloc."

Maris dela Cruz of EmPOWER Consumers said that in reality, the so-called power sector reforms or privatization program being peddled by the ADB is not about providing access to all, especially the poor nor it is about making power rates more affordable for the poor.

"In fact, the recent increase in electricity charges is because of the more expensive power bought through the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM) which is the heart of the privatization and restructuring program financed by the ADB. A separate funding for this was provided by the ADB which profits again from this in the process. With so much investments on this, the consumers still end up paying high electricity rates, now among the highest in the world," dela Cruz said.

Further, FDC's Tanchuling said that the power sector receives the largest sector loan in ADB's portfolio, from financing the energy sources development in the 1970's to early 1980's, power crisis management in 1980's to early 1990's, up to electric power sector restructuring from mid-1990's to present.  

Private sector participation was first introduced in the 80's and intensified in the 90's, primarily to address the lack of capital of the government to finance the rehabilitation and construction of new power plants in the country to address the power crisis.

In the 21st century, the Bank wants full private sector participation – not just in management, operation, but full ownership of the utilities to free up government resources for this sector and use it instead for other services. This was the aim of the EPIRA whose passage in 2001 was facilitated by the $300-million loan from ADB.

Grain sector

Meanwhile, Alice Raymundo of the Task Force Food Sovereignty (TFFS) said the ADB is "guilty of compromising food security" not only in the Philippines, but also in some parts of Asia.

TFFS criticized the bank for its loan conditionalities that forced governments to deregulate and turn over agriculture to the profiteering private sector, citing the case of the Philippines and many other Asian member countries that are now threatened by the rice shortage.

The Philippines is among the world's top rice producers (rank = 8) yet it remains a net importer of the staple. It was rice sufficient up to the early 80s but lost control and relied on importation since the early 90s. Current RP rice production can only cover for 80 per cent of the country's needs.

"The ADB must be held accountable to the growing food insecurity in developing countries. Since its founding in 1967, the Bank had financed countless agricultural projects, but weakened farmers and communities instead of strengthening them. ADB supported the commodification of rice, application of market mechanisms and the price system in agriculture, liberalization and opening of trade," Raymundo said.

"ADB projects like the Grain Sector Development Program (GSDP) in the Philippines and the Khulna-Jessore Drainage Rehabilitation Project in Bangladesh have been given with many policy conditionalities, including the removal of quantitative restrictions and lowering of tariffs of agricultural products. ADB conditionalities force countries to adopt policies that are harmful, especially those in the margins, farmers and fishers included," Raymundo said.

"Many of the Bank's projects are controversial and are considered "onerous" because other than its anti-poor conditionalities, the projects have destroyed lives. The Khulna-Jessore Drainage in Bangladesh now caused prolonged flooding in surrounding communities, causing families to lose livelihoods and wallow in poverty. The Philippines' Grain Sector Development Program barely took off, and was cancelled after $100 million had been taken by government. In both instances, the supposed benefits are non-existent, and beneficiaries continue to suffer. The absurdity of it all is that the ADB will collect on these debts, no matter what," explained Raymundo.

Group asks GMA, allies to pass twin pillars of food security before SONA

Echoing concerns that granting GMA emergency powers to solve the rice crisis would be counter-productive, Deputy Minority Leader and AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros said that the long-term solutions to the rice shortage are actually right under the administration's nose.
 
"The long-term solutions do not take the exercise of emergency powers, just political will," AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros said. "If the government has the political will to seriously address the crisis, all President GMA has to do is certify two bills, the CARP extension and reform bill and the land use bill, as urgent measures. We challenge her to rally administration solons in Congress to pass these bills before her State of the Nation Address (SONA) this year.
Rep. Hontiveros said that booth bills would boost rice and agricultural production in the country. "This global crisis is expected to worsen, and we have no choice but to respond to this food security crisis with strategic solutions. Reliance on imported rice is not strategic for the Philippines," Rep. Hontiveros said.
 
The solon added that GMA's pursuit of rice hoarders would  give the government pogi points but would not significantly contribute to the country's rice stocks to prevent the price of rice from increasing.
 
"The rice hoarders and smugglers are small fries. The question is whether the GMA administration has the political resolve to go after the bigger culprits why our food security is in such a dire condition – the big land owners that, by blocking agrarian reform and by evading CARP through land conversion, have compromised our food security," Rep. Hontiveros said.
 
"Real solutions to the food crisis – such as the passage of the land use bill and the CARP extension and reform bill – would require the government to step on the toes of its allies in Congress. Is she ready and willing to do that?" Rep. Hontiveros asked.
 
She said that the land use bill has been languishing in Congress due to strong opposition from landlords in Congress that resort to land conversion to evade CARP. The CARP extension and reform bill, on the other hand, face the same resistance from landlords and their allies in Congress. "Without these two pillars of food security, the country would face tremendous hardship because of the rice shortage," Rep. Hontiveros warned.
 
She said that the government has no choice but push for genuine solutions to the crisis. "It cannot scale up importation because of declining rice stocks worldwide and the government's revenue shortfalls. An unpopular and inefficient government plus a hungry populace is a sure recipe for a political disaster bigger than Jun Lozada," the opposition solon said.
 
AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros is the principal author of HB 1257, which extends and reforms CARP, and HB 3637, a bill that creates a national land use policy and which prohibits land conversion, among others.

 

 

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Simona Fusco in hot beach bikini

There's no bikini than the one Simona Fusco wears I love, really love to watch. With lovely big racks she's endowed, I don't think I would see anything than this for, say, another month.