Miriam Defensor Santiago's Blog, page 2

MIRIAM VOWS JOBS IN COUNTRYSIDE

Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Tuesday vowed to create more jobs in the countryside if elected president, so that Filipinos would no longer need to relocate to urban centers or work overseas to support their families.

Santiago said her administration would focus on economic development, poverty reduction, and jobs creation by investing heavily on public infrastructure, modernizing agriculture, and attracting foreign investors.

“I commit that the Philippine economy will grow faster than ever before, and that it will be truly inclusive. We will make sure that real incomes of workers all over the country will increase over time,” the senator said.

The program of government Santiago posted on her website shows that she intends to spark economic activity outside Metro Manila by implementing one major infrastructure project and setting up one mixed-used government center per region.

She also promised to build an entirely new railway system from Manila to Sorsogon and a modern urban transit system in Metro Manila, with lines reaching urban communities in Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna.

Santiago’s statement was in response to results of an online poll that three out of four Filipinos prefer to work in their hometowns rather than seek jobs elsewhere. The survey was conducted by the Labor Department and online job marketplace Jobstreet.

Santiago, a former Agrarian Reform Secretary, also lamented the poor state of agriculture in the country. This directly impacts the Philippines’ poverty situation, she said, noting that agricultural workers belong to the poorest of the poor.

“For the income and productivity of farmers to grow, the government should attract rather than chase out private capital in the agriculture sector. We must also match private capital with public investment,” the senator said.

Santiago’s agenda includes investing in farm-to-market roads, irrigation and water impounding facilities, as well as research, particularly for the development of disaster-resilient farming technologies and crop varieties.

She added that her administration will consider how the existing Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program, where most beneficiaries are farmers and fisherfolk, may be improved to become a more direct form of support for the agricultural sector.

“Grant-for-produce programs may be put in place in rural areas, following the logic of grant-for-work programs we will implement in urban poor communities. This means that incentives will be provided to more productive farmers,” Santiago said.

To boost manufacturing and the creation of national industries, the senator said she will work to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) and at the same time provide a business climate for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to flourish.

Santiago’s agenda includes streamline business process and licensing procedures, improving the power situation, and enhance trade facilitation measures. The constitutional expert is also open to easing restrictions on foreign ownership.

“Preparing our local government units to accommodate FDI is the same as encouraging more Filipinos to put up their MSMEs. The complaints about red tape and lack of transparency are the same,” the senator said.

Santiago earlier announced that she has joined clinical trials for a new anti-cancer pill, but she remains the top choice for president among millennials, winning by landslide almost all campus surveys held after the filing of certificates of candidacy.

MIRIAM STILL U.P. BET

Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Tuesday reinforced her command of the University of the Philippines (U.P.) vote, as she won by landslide a new survey across three campuses of the country’s top state-run school.

Santiago, a distinguished U.P. alumna and former law professor, was chosen president by 56.5 percent or 6,606 of the total 11,700 respondents in polls conducted in U.P. Diliman, U.P. Los Baños, and U.P. Manila.

She was followed by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, with 2,356 votes; Sen. Grace Poe, with 1,273 votes; Liberal Party bet Mar Roxas, with 641 votes; and Vice President Jejomar Binay, with 288 votes. Some 500 respondents abstained.

“I am honored to have been chosen by U.P. students, who are some of the most discerning voters and opinion leaders. If elected, I vow to continue the tradition of honor and excellence embodied by U.P.,” the senator said.

Prior to winning the cross-campus survey, Santiago dominated at least four separate U.P. campus surveys: U.P. Baguio, 78.2 percent; U.P. Manila, 59.5 percent; and two U.P. Los Baños polls, where she got 86 percent and 65.75 percent.

De La Salle University Manila, 75 percent;
Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 64 percent;
University of Santo Tomas, 66 percent;
Ateneo De Manila University, 36.6 percent;
University of Northern Philippines, 35.85 percent;
Malayan Colleges Laguna, 54.7 percent;
Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 58.5 percent;
Holy Angel University, 40 percent;
University of Asia and the Pacific, 43.2 percent;
Adamson University, 64 percent;
Ateneo de Naga University, 37.4 percent; and
Philippine Normal University, 76 percent.

Commission on Elections data as of January 17 showed that 24.73 million registered voters for the May polls were aged 17 to 34 years old. Youth voters thus comprise almost half of the country’s 54.36 million registered voters.

MIRIAM: PHILIPPINES RISKS BEING ‘MONEY LAUNDERING HUB’

Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Wednesday said that, if elected in May, she will certify as urgent a bill expanding the coverage of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) to include casinos.

Santiago said the recent $81-million fiasco involving funds hacked from Bank of Bangladesh highlights the urgent need to require casinos to report questionable deals to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

“If the casino sector remains outside of the coverage of AMLA, the Philippines risks becoming the world’s money laundering capital,” the senator said.

Santiago won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1988 for reforming the Commission on Immigration and Deportation, which was then known as the “fake passport capital of the world.”

Her statement comes as the Senate blue ribbon committee continues to probe how the funds hacked from U.S. accounts managed to enter the Philippine financial system unchecked.

The funds were later transferred to accounts of major casino players, and were reportedly used to either “buy chips” or “pay for casino losses.”

Santiago said the AMLA amendment is necessary for the Philippines to keep out of the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body against money laundering and terrorist financing.

If blacklisted by the FATF, the country would suffer higher financial transaction costs and stringent cross-border measures for money transactions. At present, the Philippines remains in the FATF “grey list.”

The Congress has sought to require casinos to report to AMLC in 2012, but the proposal was opposed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., saying that the provision might drive away investors.

Santiago vowed to match the lobby from the casino sector with political will. “The Filipinos should elect a president who will not bow to the whims of big business, to the detriment of public interest,” the senator said.

(PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSEPH PASCUAL)

MIRIAM: NO REAL POLITICAL PARTIES

Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Monday lamented that the absence of real political parties in the Philippines erodes democratic institutions and turns the all elections into a personality contest.

Amid talks of the need to implement a two-party system, Santiago said her presidential agenda would include the passage of a law that would authorize the use of public funds to support dominant parties.

“We will invest in political institutions. It has been thirty years since we restored democracy in the Philippines, yet political institutions remain shaky. There exist no stable political parties in the real sense of the word,” the senator said.

She added that this results in a situation where the public votes solely on the basis of popularity instead of track record and where officials campaign not on platforms but on personal issues.

“The Filipino people cannot hold accountable a political party for the mistakes of its candidates because it disappears as soon as the offending elected official leave office,” Santiago said.

In the May elections, five political parties have fielded candidates for the top position in government. Santiago is running under her People’s Reform Party, the same vehicle that was mobilized for her 1992 presidential bid.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, meanwhile, is the standard bearer of the United Nationalist Alliance; former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, of the administration’s Liberal Party; and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan.

Sen. Grace Poe is running as an independent, but has reportedly been endorsed by the Nationalist People’s Coalition. Several other political parties are participating in the May polls, but have not fielded presidential bets.

MIRIAM VOWS BETTER HEALTH FOR MOTHERS, CHILDREN

On Women’s Month, presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago vowed to take better care of Filipino mothers and infants by addressing unequal access to health services among women of different social classes.

Santiago, author of the Reproductive Health (RH) Law, said that delayed implementation of the law passed in 2012 cripples the government in addressing the alarming maternal and infant mortality rates in the country.

“The total fertility rate has been going down, but poor women are still having twice as many children as they desire. Moreover, a rising trend in teenage pregnancy and delivery has been observed,” the senator said.

These two trends “lead to an increase in maternal deaths, and are strongly associated with inadequate access to family planning information, goods, and services among poor and young women,” Santiago added.

As of 2012, the government reported that some 221 mothers die per 100,000 live births in the Philippines, a far cry from the target of 52 mothers dying per 100,000 live births set by the international community, and even higher than the baseline of 192 mothers dying per 100,000 live births in 1990.

Santiago claimed that the maternal health index is an indicator that thoroughly demonstrates the wide gaps in healthcare and the remarkable inequality among women of differing socio-economic classes.

“Poor mothers in rural communities are more than five times as likely to die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. This reflects the inability of poor women to access family planning—something that rich women take as a given,” she said.

The senator added that the poor state of maternal health is linked to high infant and under-five mortality. As of 2012, the Philippines posted a ratio of 24 infants dying per 1,000 live births. Some 75,000 children also die before their fifth birthday.

Besides fully implementing the RH Law, Santiago promised that her administration will veer away from disease-driven initiatives and focus on strengthening health systems to improve maternal and child health. “A health system is weak if it fails to protect women and children,” she said.

MIRIAM: AD SPENDING WARRANTS LIFESTYLE CHECK

Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Wednesday said that the scandalous amounts her rivals allegedly spent for election advertisements so far should prompt graft and corruption investigations.

Santiago, author of the proposed Anti-Premature Campaigning Law, questioned how other presidential aspirants can afford to spend way beyond the wealth declared in their statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) for their campaign.

“They spent at least five times the net worth they have declared for ads. One candidate even spent by 17 times his net worth. Where did they get the money? If the public is to speculate, they would think that these candidates have either stolen from public funds or peddled their influence,” the senator said.

Her statement comes at the heels of a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report that four of the five presidential candidates have collectively spent some P3.2 billion in ads from January 2015 to January 2016, or before the campaign period.

The PCIJ report also showed gaps between the candidates’ ad spending and their declared wealth. Vice President Jejomar Binay was allegedly the top spender, having placed P1.05 billion worth of ads, 17.4 times his net worth of P60.2 million in 2014.

He was followed by Sen. Grace Poe, who reportedly spent P1.016 billion on ads despite a net worth of only P89.5 million; Liberal Party bet Mar Roxas, who spent P969 million despite a net worth of only P202 million; and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who spent P146 million despite a net worth of P21.97 million.

“Almost all of these candidates are incumbent public officials, and have access to government funds. They are also prohibited by law from receiving gifts ‘if the value of the gift is under the circumstances manifestly excessive,’” Santiago said.

The senator added that although accepting campaign contributions are standard practice during elections, the candidates are nonetheless obliged to reveal their donors and to pay for taxes for contributions received outside of the campaign period.

“The people deserve to know who bankroll the campaigns of elective officials so that when a campaign contributor enjoys benefits to the detriment of the public under the official’s watch, the people would know who to hold accountable,” Santiago said.

MIRIAM EYES IMPROVED 4Ps

Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Monday pledged to improve the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) if elected in May with the hope of lifting more Filipinos out of poverty.

Santiago, who authored a bill that seeks to institutionalize the 4Ps as early as 2009, said she will plug leakages in the flagship poverty alleviation program that has spanned two administrations and reduce the cost of running it.

“We need to invest in our people. Only by investing in people can we truly make growth inclusive. Only if the young are educated and healthy can they benefit from growing economic prosperity,” the senator said.

Santiago proposes to match the 4Ps with a grant-for work program. This means that if either the mother or father in a beneficiary family works, the family will get higher stipends. “There is more pride in working than in getting dole-outs,” she said.

In Senate Bill No. 2858 filed in July 2015, Santiago also sought to expand the reach of the 4Ps to include children aged 15 to 18 years old in order to ensure that the current beneficiaries will finish high school.

To reduce the administrative cost of running the 4Ps, Santiago said she will involve local government units, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) still supervising the program’s implementation.

“LGUs should be involved so that they will also get credit for the 4Ps. DSWD has no monopoly of righteousness. Besides, social welfare is a devolved function. Local authorities should be given a chance to prove their worth,” she said.

Despite accolades, the government’s conditional cash transfer program has been hugely controversial, because of allegations of corruption and lack of absorptive capacity of the implementing agencies, primarily the DSWD.

Santiago said that her administration will create an inter-agency council that will oversee and implement the program. “We should also put in place mechanisms to penalize those who use the program for personal or political gain,” she added.

(PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSEPH PASCUAL)

MIRIAM WANTS MORE ‘PORK’ CASES FILED

Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Friday questioned the speed at which cases are being filed against legislators allegedly involved in the P10-billion pork barrel scam, even as six former solons face new charges.

Santiago, laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service, raised concern over the fact that the Office of the Ombudsman has so far charged only three senators and 11 former congressmen since the scandal was exposed in 2013.

The Department of Justice has recommended charges against 24 legislators in the racket allegedly led by Janet Lim Napoles, while a Commission on Audit report has named some 118 legislators had questionable deals involving their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

“Once elected, I will expedite the investigation and prosecution of cases against those involved in the PDAF scam. If these corrupt politicians remain at large, they will return to power and again steal public funds,” Santiago said after a speech before some 3,000 youth voters at the Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela City.

Her statement comes as the Ombudsman ordered cases filed against six former legislators who allegedly funneled funds to bogus nongovernment organizations.

The list, which is the second batch of individuals charged over the PDAF mess, included former representatives Zenaida Ducut of Pampanga, Ruffy Biazon of Muntinlupa, Rodolfo Valencia of Oriental Mindoro, Marc Cagas of Davao del Sur, Arrel Olaño of Davao del Norte, and Arthur Pingoy, Jr. of South Cotabato.

Santiago is one of the most vocal critics of the pork barrel system, which she said continues to this day in the form of lump sums in the national budget.

Her platform includes the abolition of all forms of pork barrel, including the PDAF and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which is also called the “presidential pork barrel.” Both have been struck down by the Supreme Court.

“I will support the recent Supreme Court decisions on PDAF and the DAP. They espouse the appropriate roles of the President and Congress in the use of public funds. The decisions ought to be supported not resisted,” Santiago said.

MIRIAM HITS COMPLACENCY ON CHINA

Amid renewed Chinese aggression, presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Thursday said that the Philippines under her administration will take a more proactive approach in resolving the West Philippine Sea dispute.

China has reportedly stationed up to five ships in the contested Quirino Island, barring access to Filipino fisherman, a move which Santiago said highlights failure of negotiations despite ongoing international arbitration.

“The government seems to have grown complacent on the issue of the West Philippine Sea dispute, confident that the international tribunal now hearing the memorial it has filed against China will rule in its favor,” Santiago said.

“It is not true at all that the arbitral tribunal may decide on the Philippine side in the face of China’s excepting itself from the application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Articles 297 and 298,” she added.

The two UNCLOS articles outline the cases that may be submitted for arbitration, as well as the limits of jurisdiction. Article 298 particularly states that “a State may… declare in writing that it does not accept any one or more of the procedures…”

“The dispute with China requires a second level of diplomacy as the other party takes keen interest in bilateral negotiation bordering on conciliation, relying on the principles set forth in the UNCLOS, Part XV, Section 1,” Santiago said.

The UNCLOS, Article 280, gives states the right to “…agree at any time to settle a dispute between them concerning the interpretation or application of this Convention by any peaceful means of their own choice.”

Santiago also hit the current administration for relying heavily on U.S. support to deter Chinese expansionism, noting that both military giants have interests in controlling the West Philippine Sea.

The senator, who is also chair of the Senate foreign relations committee and the legislative oversight committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement, rallied her colleagues in January to assert that any treaty, including the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the U.S., is void without Senate concurrence.

The Supreme Court has since ruled on the validity of the EDCA, which it considered an executive agreement implementing the VFA. The Senate has joined Santiago in 2009 to call for a renegotiation of the VFA, or its abrogation if the U.S. refuses to negotiate.

Santiago said her administration will not depend on U.S. support to resolve a dispute with a neighboring country. “If elected, I will negotiate with China together with other Asian countries,” she added.

MIRIAM CALLS FOR FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY

(Transcript of the speech delivered by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago at the University of Perpetual Help System in Biñan, Laguna, 1 March 2016)

Thank you very much. When I left Manila this morning, it was likely going to rain. Quickly, my staff called me from the office and said, “Ma’am we have a problem about the campus tour: It is likely raining and there is heavy traffic.” I said, “Do not worry; I will go. I have a secret. I will abolish these two obstacles. We will have light traffic and the rain will stop. I am going to pray to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.”

Manalangin din ang mga nagnanakaw ng pera ng gobyerno, dahil kapag naging presidente ako, kulong silang lahat. At ‘yung iba pa ngang magnanakaw tumatakbong presidente, ang lalakas ng loob!

Hindi muna ako magpi-pickup lines. Sa halip, may kwento ako. Maikli lang ito.

Juan: Noong 2013, tumakbong mayor ang tatay ko.

Pedro: Wow! Ano na ang ginagawa niya ngayon?

Juan: Wala. Nanalo siya eh.

Tanong: Bakit hindi naho-hold up ang politiko?

Sagot: Professional courtesy.

Tanong: Kung ang opposite ng pro ay con, ano naman ang opposite ng progress?

Sagot: Congress.

Tanong: Lahat ba ng fairy tale nagsisimula sa “Once upon a time…”

Sagot: Hindi, ang iba ay nagsisimula sa “Kung iboto ninyo ako…”

This is a country that suffers the grip of poverty. What we need are genuine leaders, leaders like the young people from the University of Perpetual Help. Dapat ang ating mga pangulo manggaling sa magagandang campuses at makikita mo na sa likod ng mga iyan ay mga teachers na qualified na magbibigay ng sense of values sa ating lipunan.

Alam ninyo, ang itsura ng campus ninyo sa loob, para akong nagbalik sa mga campus ko sa Amerika at sa Europa. I have no doubt that the graduates of this university will someday be some of the leaders of our country and real leaders, not leaders who are hypocritical at nagnanakaw pa ng limpak-limpak na pera. Biro mo, bilyun-bilyong pera ng sambayanan ang kinukuha nila at binibigay sa mga sarili nila. Pinupuri pa nila ang sarili nila habang nagnanakaw. Ang nangyayari, kinukuha nila ang pera sa gobyerno, pagkatapos, kapag eleksyon ulit, kunwari ibabalik nila ang pera sa mga botante. Pagkatapos, kapag binoto ninyo sila, nanakawin nila ulit, kaya walang katapusan. Ang nangyayari ay our ladies and gentlemen of perpetual plunder.

We pray to God that in this united country where most of the people’s hard-earned money go to the private pockets of crooks and criminals, we pray that our Lady of Perpetual Help will come, descend to the Filipino people, choose our values, which are faith, hope, and charity. We have faith that the Filipino people will soon rise above their immoral values; we have hope that this will become true in our lifetime; and finally, that we shall all have charity for each other.

Ngayon na nangangampanya tayo sa pagka-presidente, kailangan maipakita natin kung ano ang problema ng ating bansa. Kailangan makapagbigay tayo ng mga dalawang milyong trabaho sa ating mamamayan. Walang kumikilos eh. We all say that we want jobs and the candidates say they will give jobs, but it has never happened. That’s because they don’t mean what they say.

In order to provide employment, we have to have additional jobs. In order to have new jobs, we have to have new businesses. In order to have new businesses, we must have capital both from the local Filipino businessmen and from the imported capitalists. That is the first thing to be done. The first thing to be done is to create two million jobs.

Pangalawa, the best and more important thing is we must have faith in ourselves. Hindi na Pilipinong lagi lang pinaglalaruan ang pangalang Pilipino. Parang wala tayong pagmamalaki sa sarili. I tell you, I have been abroad many times. I have been to several countries, I have competed with other nationalities, and I tell you that in so far as natural resources are concerned, there is no better than the Filipino. Magaling ang Pilipino! There is nothing to hold the Filipino back except our own lack of self-confidence. Parang sinasabi nating ganyan na talaga ang Pilipinas eh, puno ng magnanakaw. Wala na tayong magawa pa kundi mag-OFW nalang tayo, o kaya magnakaw din tayo kamukha ng iba. Hindi yan masasabi ng nag-e-eskwela sa University of Perpetual Help. Hindi nila yan sasabihin kailanman.

Napakahirap, sinasabi ko sa inyo, sa likod ng aking karanasan, napaka-hirap na kalabanin ang mga nagnanakaw ng pera dahil magagalit at magagalit sila, magbabayad pa sila, manunuhol pa sila ng mga black propagandists nila. Ang dami-daming mga taong kamukha nito na halos wala nang hiya. Pero kung mananaig sila, ibig sabihin wala na palang diyos ang ating mundo, but we have been told “every hair on your head has been counted by God.” Kaya alalahanin natin ‘yan habang tayo’y nakagraduate na at naghahanap ng trabaho. Alalahanin natin na may nagbabantay sa ating bawat-isa. ‘Yan ang Panginoon, kaya ‘wag kang malungkot para sa ating bansa o para sa sarili mo. This country loves you and you may not be aware of it, but we love this country with all our heart.

That’s why hindi ako uurong maski anong gawin nila sa akin. Ilang beses ko na silang hinamon na mag-suntukan kami, ayaw naman nila. Talagang mahirap. Nakikita ko na yumayaman ang mga katabi ko at ako naman ay hindi na umangat doon sa kinakaroonan ko. I’m only a plain middle class Filipina. Parang naaawa ako pero sugod pa rin ako nang sugod dahil kailanman hindi tayo magpapatalo sa mga ito.

So, we remember the words of the poet:

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul

Ladies and gentlemen of Biñan, Laguna, help me. Help me to make our country transform itself into the master of our fate and the captain of our soul. Thank you.