14
POLITICAL
Aquilino Pimentel III declared winner 4 years
after the elections
Mr. Aquilino Pimentel III was declared the winner of a contested Senate seat on Aug. 11, more than 4
years after the elections.
T
he Senate Electoral Tribunal also annulled the previous
proclamation of Mr. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who resigned
amid allegations that he benefitted from poll fraud during
the May 2007 senatorial elections. The tribunal revised the
Comelec national canvass in 2007 to 10,898,786 votes for Mr.
Pimentel and 10,640,620 for Mr. Zubiri, with 88,561 votes
deducted from Mr. Pimentel’s 10,987,347 originally tallied votes
and the 365,246 votes subtracted from Mr. Zubiri’s 11,005,866
originally tallied votes. The Tribunal’s secretary general, Ms.
Irene Guevarra, said the panel examined 384,680 ballots and
rejected 254,222 spurious ones that were equivalent to 60%
of the total votes cast from 7 provinces in the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao that Mr. Pimentel had contested.
Mr. Zubiri withdrew his counter-protest after resigning from
the Senate on Aug. 4, paving the way for the speedy resolution
of Mr. Pimentel’s electoral protest before the tribunal. The
tribunal declared Mr. Zubiri’s counter-protest withdrawn and
terminated with all other pending motions declared moot and
academic. The resigned lawmaker denied cheating to win his seat
and stressed that he was stepping down to defend his family’s
honor, integrity, and dignity. It would be unfair to the public if he
continued doing his work at the Senate while he was distracted
by the recent allegations of poll fraud, Mr. Zubiri said. Those
charges resurfaced when Mr. Zaldy Ampatuan, the suspended
governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, told
a TV interview that then President Gloria Arroyo had ordered
the 2007 election results in Maguindanao rigged in Mr. Zubiri’s
favor. Shortly afterward, former election supervisor Lintang
Bedol also surfaced to corroborate Mr. Ampatuan’s allegations.
Four years is longer than the terms of congressmen and elective
local government officials. Those years lost are irretrievable
for Mr. Pimentel. But with just 2 years left to serve, he is still
luckier than his father and namesake, who was declared a victim
Philippine Alert
of vote shaving and padding after the term he had won, but
never sat, was over. Mr. Zubiri resigned from the Senate last
week as a probe got underway into reports of fraud in the 2004
and 2007 elections. He has promised to cooperate in the probe.
Alongside the investigation, the electoral tribunals must finetune their rules to speed up the resolution of electoral protests
for example, only votes in contested areas have to be recounted.
Laws have been amended to impose harsh punishment on
those who engage in electoral fraud. But the slow resolution
of poll disputes is also a way of depriving a candidate of
victory. It is an injustice that the electoral tribunal must not
perpetuate. The system of settling disputes is not impossible
to change. The reforms could be put in place before the
midterm elections in 2013. Two years should be more than
enough time to adopt new rules, but it’s doubtful it will be.
August 2011
POLITICAL
Speaker Belmonte says no pressure on Rep.
Ignacio Arroyo to attend Senate hearing
Tourism chief, saying he’s tired of traveling,
resigns
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said on Aug. 17 it was up to
Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo whether or not he
would honor a Senate invitation to testify on the Philippine
National Police’s acquisition of 2 helicopters used by his
brother, former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo. The
latter is accused of selling to the police the 2 used helicopters
that he had passed off as new.
Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said Friday he has resigned
effective Aug. 31 and President Aquino accepted it.
Mr. Belmonte said there was no pressure on Mr. Ignacio
Arroyo to attend the Senate inquiry. “He was just invited,” he
said. “It is up to him to accept or not.” The Senate invitation
came after the congressman issued a statement, ostensibly from
London, saying he was the president of LTA Inc., which had
leased the helicopters from the supplier Lionair. Lionair owner
Archibald Po had earlier testified that the 2 Raven helicopters
were acquired from his dealership for use in the 2004 elections
by Jose Miguel using a blank deed of sale. Jose Miguel’s wife,
then President Gloria Arroyo, was running for reelection that year.
The former First Gentleman denied the allegations
against him and slammed government officials for accusing
him of fleeing while a Senate investigation of the supposed
illegal sale loomed. He purportedly went to Hong Kong for a
medical check up (Why he’d need to go to Hong Kong instead
of seeking treament in the Philippines was not explained).
“So many inflammatory and irresponsible comments have
been made by senators and government officials, to include the
Secretary of Justice, in an effort to paint me as a fugitive on the
run,” Jose Miguel said. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had
placed him on Immigration’s watch list following the Senate’s
hearing of the case. She also said there was no record of Mr.
Arroyo leaving the country for Hong Kong on July 31. However,
she later apologized after an Immigration official confirmed
that, indeed, he had flown to that city on a Cathay Pacific flight.
Recent Senate investigations have focused on anomalous
deals during the previous administration. Apart from resulting in
legislation, these inquiries, combined with the filing of appropriate
charges in court, should pave the way for dispelling perceptions
that in the Philippines, the wealthy and powerful can get away with
anything—if they proceed successfully. At the very least, wealthy
and powerful crooks should get the message that they may get
away with anything, but only until a new administration takes over.
As gleaned since the start of probes on the anomalous purchase
of helicopters by the police, Mr. Po alleges that the former First
Gentleman was the one principally responsible for the deal that
was clinched just a few months before his wife stepped down.
The PNP paid P105 million for the helicopters, for which Mr.
Po and another businessman, Mr. Hilario de Vera, reportedly
received P3.5 million each as commission. All those who have
been accused of wrongdoing in Senate inquiries should be
formally charged and have their day in court. Some of them
might see their names cleared, while others may be convicted,
considering the documents and witnesses so far presented against
them. The Senate investigation and court cases should lead to
convictions, but could by stymied by an ineffective court system.
Philippine Alert
“My reason for resigning is personal. I would like to spend
more time with my family”, he said in a press conference in
Malacañang, adding his position required a great deal of traveling.
Mr. Lim’s resignation followed that of Mr. Jose de Jesus,
who quit as Transportation and Communications secretary in
June. Mr. Lim maintained that he had offered to resign and
was not asked to resign, contrary to speculation he was one
of the Cabinet officials earlier described by Mr. Aquino as
“bearers of bad news.” Mr. Lim, a former executive director
of the pro-Aquino Makati Business Club, said his talks with
the President about his leaving the job “started late last month.
He had his highs and lows as Tourism chief. Mr. Lim
launched the Pilipinas Kay Ganda (Philippines, How Beautiful)
slogan and logo, which eventually was shelved after it became
public that the logo was suspiciously similar to that of Poland’s,
and the slogan was not in English. He also had to deal with
the aftermath of the August 2010 hostage-taking in Luneta,
where 8 Hong Kong tourists were killed. But it was also during
Mr. Lim’s term that international visitor arrivals reached the
“unprecedented” level of 3.7 million between July 2010 and
July 2011. Mr. Lim has been replaced by marketing czar Mr.
Ramon Jimenez Jr., chief executive of Woo Consultants Inc. and
former chief executive of Jimenez Basic Advertising agency.
There is speculation that intrigue led to Mr. Lim’s
departure from government. Whatever the reason for the
resignation, Pres. Aquino should give the tourism sector
more attention as an engine of economic growth. As indicated
even in the national tourism development plan that Mr. Lim
submitted to Mr. Aquino last month, a successful tourism
program will need the cooperation of many agencies, most
of which are outside the jurisdiction of the Tourism secretary.
Mr. Lim submitted the tourism master plan amid speculation
reports that he was 1 of 3 Cabinet members who gave the
President a headache. When the list was pruned down to 1, the
speculation focused on him. Mr. Lim’s master plan proposes a
“clustering” approach to tourism development, with pilot cluster
areas around the country to each adopt a distinctive theme. The
plan aims to increase tourist arrivals from 3.7 million in the past
12 months to about 6 million by the time Pres. Aquino’s term
ends in 2016. The plan also calls for the development of tourism
infrastructure including airports and ports, as well as better law
enforcement to keep travelers safe from the moment they set foot
on a Philippine airport. Infrastructure improvement will benefit
not only the tourism sector but also other economic activities.
Pres. Aquino must make it clear to his Cabinet
members that he is giving priority to tourism development
because of its vast potential for revenue generation
and job creation, particularly in the countryside.
August 2011
15
16
POLITICAL
Pres. Aquino flies to Tokyo to meet MILF
leadership
President Aquino met with the leader of the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) in Tokyo on Aug. 4 and agreed to
“fast-track” the peace negotiations and forge an agreement
with the rebels before his term ends in 2016. It’s unlikely
he’ll succeed.
Pres. Aquino and Mr. Al Haj Murad Ibrahim had a “frank
and candid exchange” for 2 hours at a hotel near the Narita
airport, chief government negotiator Marvic Leonen said in a
statement. It was the first time a Philippine President met an
MILF leader, and it was Mr. Aquino who sought the meeting,
Mr. Leonen said. The President was accompanied by Mr. Leonen,
Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles, Defense Secretary
Voltaire Gazmin, National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia, Budget
Secretary Florencio Abad, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima,
and Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda. Mr. Murad was
joined by some members of the MILF Central Committee, the
rebel group’s negotiating panel, and some base commanders.
The MILF is no longer considered a separatist group since in
the proposed comprehensive agreement, the Muslim group
wants to be considered as Filipino citizens subject to a central
government with recognition of their Bangsamoro identity.
In related developments, a member of the government’s
negotiating panel with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
admitted that the Foreign Affairs department and Malaysia
were kept in the dark about the secret meeting between Mr.
Aquino and Mr. Murad in Tokyo. Panel member Miriam Coronel
Ferrer said the Foreign Affairs department and Malaysia, the
party brokering the peace talks between the 2 sides, were
left out of preparations for the clandestine 2-hour meeting in
Narita because “it was neither a state visit nor a negotiation.”
Even before the Aquino administration has inked a
preliminary peace agreement with the MILF, government
forces are already confronting a new separatist threat: the
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). The BIFF is
led by Mr. Ameril Umbra Kato, who headed the MILF unit that
staged deadly raids on villages in Cotabato and Maguindanao
after the group failed to sign the memorandum of agreement on
ancestral domain with the Arroyo administration 3 years ago.
Since then, Mr. Kato has refused to subject himself to
disciplinary action by the MILF leadership. Last year, he
formed the BIFF and staged attacks on government and civilian
targets, raising the prospect of prolonged violence even if the
government manages to forge a peace agreement with the MILF.
During the separatist rebellion waged by the Moro National
Liberation Front, disgruntled members broke away and formed
the MILF. The MNLF forged a peace agreement with the Marcos
administration in Tripoli, and then had to renegotiate the terms
after the collapse of the dictatorship. But even after a formal
agreement was signed by the MNLF with the administration
of Fidel Ramos in 1996, the MILF stayed away, gathering
strength and collaborating with extremists belonging to the
Abu Sayyaf and Southeast Asian terror cell Jemaah Islamiyah.
Today, it looks like it’s the turn of the MILF to see its group
break up. It increasingly appears that even if the government
is able to forge a peace agreement with the MILF, this will be
ineffective as the MILF clearly has lost control of its members.
MILF infighting, like its rift with the MNLF, shows the limitations
of a peace agreement in bringing actual peace and development
to a conflict zone. Mr. Aquino’s meeting with Mr. Murad may
have even prodded Mr. Kato to become even more belligerent
and obstinate, in the hope perhaps of gaining concessions from
the government. While pursuing peace with the MILF, the
Aquino administration should intensify its development efforts
in the conflict areas of Mindanao, improving basic services,
enforcing the law and keeping the public safe, delivering
good governance and providing social justice. As history has
shown, when these elements are present, insurgencies become
irrelevant. But such gain won’t be put in peace in a short 5 years.
Troops hunt Abu Sayyaf bandits despite
Ramadan
The military will continue to hunt for the Abu Sayyaf militants who recently killed 7 Marines, but they will take care
not to disrupt the observance of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan, officials say.
Regional military commander Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer
said troops will focus their manhunt and assaults on militants
away from Muslim communities. The Marines were killed July
28 in a clash in Sulu. Two were beheaded, while another 26
were wounded. President Aquino has ordered troops to ensure
the al-Qaeda-linked militants are brought to justice. Meanwhile,
an Army junior officer and 3 enlisted men have been placed
under technical arrest for their alleged involvement in the torture
of a suspected Abu Sayyaf member in Basilan. Presidential
spokesman Ramon Carandang said Pres. Aquino would not spare
government troops from possible sanctions if they were proven
guilty of torturing the suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf group.
In related news, the kidnappers of an American woman, her
son and Filipino nephew in Zamboanga City have telephoned their
family demanding a ransom, officials said. At least 14 gunmen
seized Philippine-born US citizen Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, her 14year-old son and 19-year-old nephew on July19 from a relative’s
house they were visiting in a village near Zamboanga City. They
were taken away at gunpoint on board a motor boat, officials
said. Kidnappings have long been a problem in Mindanao and are
blamed mostly on the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, a group also
notorious for beheadings and bombings. U.S.-backed offensives
MILF infighting, like its rift with the MNLF, shows the limitations of a peace
agreement in bringing actual peace and development to a conflict zone.
Philippine Alert
August 2011
POLITICAL
have weakened the group, which is blacklisted by Washington
as a terrorist organization, but it remains a key security threat.
Every time the Abu Sayyaf is written off as a spent
force, it manages to stage a dramatic, bloody comeback. In
the latest massacre involving the Marines, the latter were
reportedly closing in on Abu Sayyaf commanders Radulan
Sahiron and Isnilon Hapilon. But the terrorists fought back,
killing the Marines in the ensuing firefight. The brutality is
reminiscent of an ambush in Basilan in July 2007, when the
Abu Sayyaf also beheaded 10 Marines who were ambushed
while searching for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi.
The Abu Sayyaf has been sowing terror in Sulu, Basilan and
neighboring provinces for nearly 2 decades. Most of its founding
members have been killed, with several of them flushed out of
the jungles of Basilan when U.S. troops returned to the country
and assisted the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Mindanao.
Those victories should have been consolidated and combined
with development efforts to deprive the bandits of sanctuary and
public support, with local governments playing a key role in the
effort. The resurgence of the group in Basilan, reportedly with the
assistance of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the latest
attack in Sulu indicate that more must be done in consolidating
those gains. The military solution needs to be backed by
sufficient non-military initiatives to end banditry and insurgency.
Philippine government is making sure a similar incident does not
happen again. “It is now one year and the Philippine government,
for the past year, has exerted utmost efforts to make sure that such
tragic isolated incident does not happen again... We have been
continuing to work on improving the safety of our foreign tourists
and also the competency of the Philippine National Police in
responding to crisis situations such as that unfortunate incident.”
After the Manila police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)
team became a global laughingstock for its grossly bungled
response to the hostage crisis in Rizal Park, a fact-finding body was
formed, which did a thorough job and submitted recommendations
to President Aquino, many of which were unfortunately ignored
by the president. Criminal charges were filed against the brother
of the hostage-taker. The Manila police chief lost his post and
the SWAT team was grounded. The deputy ombudsman accused
by the hostage-taker of extorting from him has been fired.
The Metro Manila police commander at the time, Leocadio
Santiago, was promoted. Now operations chief of the Philippine
National Police (PNP), he says the police still lacks equipment to
respond to a hostage crisis similar to the one that claimed the lives of
8 Hong Kong tourists and the hostage taker in Rizal Park a year ago
today. The public is still waiting for the creation of a team with the
capability to deal effectively with such crises. It also remains to be
seen whether the PNP has learned better crowd control, including
handling of mass media, or if it has better hostage negotiators.
Sec. De Lima meets with HK hostage survivor,
victim’s kin
Gov. Mangudadatu survives car bomb attack
Justice Secretary Leila De Lima met with a survivor of the
August 23, 2010 Manila hostage-taking and relatives of 1
of the 8 slain Hong Kong tourists, who flew to Manila for
the 1st anniversary of the tragedy.
One person was killed and 7 others were injured when a car
bomb went off at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 near the convoy of
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, which was on
its way to Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat.
Eight Chinese tourists died on Aug. 23, 2010, when a sacked
policeman took over their tourist bus and later opened fire on those
on board after failing to get the authorities to reinstate him. The
attempt by police to rescue the hostages was widely criticized as
inept(which it was). Survivor Lee Ying Chuen, along with Lee
Mei Chun, mother of Hong Kong tour guide Masa Tse Ting-chun,
Ms. Masa’s brothers Tse Chi Hang and Tse Chi Kin, Ms. Masa’s
aunt Sin Cheng Lee, Hong Kong legislator James To, and lawyer
Jonathan Man, met with Ms. de Lima, in an effort to follow
through on cases the Philippine government promised to pursue
against those held accountable for the botched hostage rescue.
During her opening statement, Ms. de Lima said: “It is with
deep sadness that we commemorate tomorrow, exactly August
23, that very tragic and unfortunate incident which, I’m sure, had
caused so much pain and trauma on the part of the victims and
the survivors and also caused embarrassment on the part of the
country and elicited a lot of criticisms.” She also stressed that the
The governor, believed to be the target of the attack, was not
hurt, Senior Supt. Danilo Peralta said. Mr. Mangudadatu, who
was in a bullet-resistant van, said he and his followers were
heading to a restaurant along a national highway to celebrate his
birthday when a parked white Kia Pride car exploded near the
7-vehicle convoy. The lone fatality was a tricycle driver, police
spokesman Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr. said. In November
2009, Mangudadatu lost his wife and sister when they and 56
others were abducted and gunned down in the country’s single
worst case of political violence. Thirty-four of those killed were
journalists following the Mangudadatu convoy. Police and state
prosecutors have linked the massacre to the Ampatuan clan whose
patriarch, former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr,
and sons are standing trial for the killings before a Quezon City
court. The clan’s members have denied taking part in the massacre.
It also remains to be seen whether the PNP has learned better crowd control,
including handling of mass media, or if it has better hostage negotiators.
Philippine Alert
August 2011
17
18
POLITICAL
In related developments, the Court of Appeals has affirmed with
finality its decision indicting former governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.
for 57 counts of murder in connection with the November 2009
massacre in Maguindanao. The court in a resolution penned by
Associated Justice Noel Tijam denied Mr. Ampatuan’s petition to
void the appellate court’s January 31, 2011 decision to turn down
his claim that he never had a hand in the Maguindanao massacre.
His son and namesake is also among the principal accused in
the massacre. The appellate court stressed that the arguments
raised by Mr. Ampatuan in his motion for reconsideration were
a mere rehash of the issues and arguments he raised in his main
petition as well as his supplemental petition. The appellate court
junked Mr. Ampatuan’s petition because the prosecution was
able to establish existence of probable cause that warrants his
inclusion as one of the accused in the Maguindanao massacre case.
It’s good to hear America’s top diplomat promising that her
government is prepared to supply the Philippines with the military
hardware it needs for self-defense. But it would be even better if
the Philippines could be capable of credible self-defense, without
needing to rely constantly on Washington. Beijing’s response to the
U.S. position, as voiced by Sec. Clinton, was immediate: China
has no plans of invading the Philippines or any other country,
according to a think tank controlled by the Chinese government.
Washington and several of its allies have made it clear that
they want continued freedom of navigation in the South China
Sea and a peaceful resolution to long-running territorial disputes
in the region. While the area in dispute is just a small spot on
the map, governments outside the region are also watching
the developments for indications of China’s behavior amid
its increasing economic and military clout. China is looking
out for its own interests, and the Philippines should do the
same, without being overly dependent on other countries.
Military buildup begins; lawmakers visit
Spratlys
The Philippines will acquire 8 new utility helicopters worth
P3.2 billion that may be used to transport troops anywhere,
including the areas being claimed by the Philippines in the
Spratlys, according to Brig. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, head of
the Armed Forces Modernization Program office.
Aside from this, the Philippine Navy has taken receipt of
the Gregorio del Pilar, it’s biggest warship. Malacañang said the
3,000-ton ship, a decommissioned Coast Guard vessel, will patrol
the West Philippine Sea close to the disputed Spratly Islands. A
group of Filipino lawmakers later flew to a Philippine-occupied
island in the disputed South China Sea to assert the country’s
claim to the potentially oil-rich region. Chinese Ambassador to
Manila Liu Jianchao protested the visit. Presidential spokesman
Edwin Lacierda, however, insisted there was nothing wrong with
the visit because the lawmarkers had visited Philippine territory.
The U.S. has publicly expressed concern to China about
the rising tension in the South China Sea. China, on the
other hand, has warned the U.S. not to get involved in the
territorial disputes in the area. Recent Chinese moves to stop
Vietnam and the Philippines from exploring for oil and gas in
disputed waters have drawn criticism from U.S. congressional
representatives. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later
reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defend the Philippines,
a treaty ally, and help upgrade its moribund Armed Forces,
during a meeting with Sec. Albert del Rosario in Washington.
Philippine Alert
August 2011