Author: Ed Lingao

Still enough time for FOI – if House leadership supports it

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by Che de los Reyes

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WITH ONLY NINE SESSION DAYS remaining before Congress adjourns for a long election break, members of the Right to Know Right Now Coalition are reminding members of Congress that they still have enough time to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill even without the prodding of Malacanang.

All that is needed, the Coalition says, is a clear commitment from the leaders of the House of Representatives.

In a statement signed by more than a hundred organizations, the Coalition challenged House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Majority Leader Neptali M. Gonzales II to declare the bill as urgent so as to facilitate its immediate passage.

Under Rule X, Section 52 of the House Rules,  the Committee on Rules, through the Majority Leader, “may declare a bill or resolution urgent and consider it in accordance with a timetable.”

If the House leaders would not act immediately on the FOI bill, the Coalition says the current House leadership would just go the way of their predecessors in the 14th Congress, who killed the FOI bill on its last hurdle.

In a press briefing today (Jan. 18) at Annabel’s Restaurant in Quezon City, the Coalition joined the authors of the bill in the House of Representatives, media groups, netizens and bloggers, business groups and leaders of the Catholic Church in calling on House leaders to “muster the political will” and “rally” lawmakers to pass the FOI bill even without President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III’s certification of the bill as urgent.

The Coalition also says that the non-passage of the FOI bill would be “the supreme irony” for re-electionist lawmakers who would once again court voters with “more and newer promises of reforms” in the coming elections.

The Coalition issued the following statement:

FOI: A Bill that Unites
18 January 2013

JUST as it happened in the 14th Congress, the Senate of the 15th Congress has delivered yet again and passed on third and final reading the long-awaited Freedom of Information Act. And just as it happened in the 14th Congress, the FOI bill once again teeters on the brink of death in the House of Representatives of the 15th Congress.

The leaders of the House have two choices: Kill the FOI bill by extended inaction, as their counterparts did in the 14th Congress, or act with dispatch and muster the political will to bring to light a law that will empower citizens to participate directly in the drive for good governance and against corruption.

Even without a certification from the President as to the necessity of the FOI bill’s immediate enactment, the House Committee on Rules, through the Majority Leader, is empowered to declare a bill urgent to facilitate its immediate passage. This is a clear option that the House leaders can take to fast-track the bill in the nine session days left from the resumption of session on January 21 to the next adjournment on Feb. 9, 2013.

Rule X, Section 52, of the House Rules reads:

“Urgent Bills and Resolutions. – The Committee on Rules, through the Majority Leader, may declare a bill or resolution urgent and consider it in accordance with a timetable. The timetable, prepared by the Committee on Rules, shall fix the date when the bill or resolution must be reported by the committee concerned, the number of days or hours to be allotted to the consideration of the bill or resolution in plenary session, and the date and hour debate must be concluded and final vote taken.”

The FOI bill is a bill that unites all sectors of Philippine society. The right to information is every citizen’s human right, and the passage of the FOI bill for the effective operationalization of this human right is every citizen’s demand.

As things stand, the FOI bill is just a few steps away from passing into law. It would be most unfortunate if, by sheer inaction of the House, the citizens will again be denied a legislation that is truly crucial to solidifying and institutionalizing governance reforms. The pending bill in the House, without the right-of-reply rider, is already a balanced bill. It adopts fully Malacañang’s inputs addressing the President’s concerns, and enjoys wide support from stakeholders.

The opportunity costs of not passing the bill are clear. Non-passage means a waste of painstaking efforts, resources, and taxpayers’ money. The FOI bill will have to go through, yet again, the tortuous legislative process in the next Congress.

Yet other than these cost concerns, the death of the FOI bill in the 15th Congress could well be an indictment on how some politicians eschew political reforms, particularly those that may diminish their perks and prerogatives. The death of the FOI bill would be the supreme irony that politicians in the House seeking reelection or election to new positions could offer to voters whom they are now courting with more and newer promises of reforms.

We challenge the members of the House of Representatives who continue to resist the passage of the FOI bill, to cast their personal fears aside and take a stand for FOI. We exhort Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to be a leader, and rally his colleagues to pass the FOI bill now.

Signed:

1. Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan, Co-Director, Institute for Freedom of Information and Co-Convenor, Right to Know. Right Now! Coalition
2. Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, Chairman, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace (CBCP-NASSA)
3. Atty. Roan Libarios, President, Integrated Bar of the Philippines
4. Ms. Malou Mangahas, Executive Director, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
5. Mr. Peter Angelo V. Perfecto, Executive Director, Makati Business Club
6. Ms. Annie Geron, General Secretary, Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK)
7. Prof. Luis Teodoro, Deputy Director, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility

8. Mr. Josua Mata, Secretary General, Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)
9. Ms. Yuen Abana, Campaign Coordinator, Partido ng Manggagawa
10. Ms. Clarissa V. Militante
Coordinator, Focus on the Global South, Philippines Programme
11. Mr. Jun Aguilar; Mr. Elso Cabangon, Filipino Migrant Workers Group
12. Mr. Max M. De Mesa, Chairperson, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
13. Mr. Ramon R. Tuazon, President; Dr. ?Florangel Rosario-Braid, President Emeritus & Senior Adviser; Ms. Madeline B. Quiamco, Dean
Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication
14. Atty. Roberto Eugenio Cadiz, Executive Director, Libertás
15. Mr. Alwyn Alburo, Vice Chairman; Ms. Rowena Paraan, Secretary-General, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
16. Prof. Leonor M. Briones, Lead Covenor, Social Watch Philippines
17. Ms. Maxine Tanya Hamada, Executive Director, International Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance (INCITEGov)
18. Mr. Ariel Sebellino, Executive Director, Philippine Press Institute
19. Dr. Edna A. Co, Professor, University of the Philippines Diliman
20. Mr. Norman Cabrera, Secretary General; Mr. John Carlos G. de los Reyes, Candidate for Senator (2013); Mr. Rizalito Y. David, Candidate for Senator (2013)
Atty. Marwil Llasos, Candidate for Senator (2013); Mr. Carlos Cabochan, Candidate for Representative, 2nd District of Caloocan City (2013); Mr. Harry Tambuatco, Candidate for Representative, Lone district of Muntinlupa city (2013); Mr. Edilberto M. Cuenca, Candidate for Representative, 1st District of Makati City (2013); Mr. Frank Reyes, Candidate for Representative, Lone District of Mandaluyong City (2013), Ang Kapatiran Party
21. Atty Eirene Jhone Aguila, FOI and New Politics Advocate
22. Ms. Joy Aceron, Program Director, Government Watch/ PODER, Ateneo School of Government
23. Mr. Sixto Donato C. Macasaet, Executive Director, Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO)
24. Ms. Jenina Joy Chavez, Southeast Asia Monitor for Action
25. Mr. Vincent Lazatin, Executive Director, Transparency and Accountability Network
26. Dr. Segundo Romero, Program Director, Ateneo School of Government
27. Mr. Ricardo Reyes, President, Freedom from Debt Coalition
28. Dr. Joseph Anthony Lim, Professor, Economics Department, Ateneo De Manila University
29. Dr. J. Prospero de Vera, Professor, UPNCPAG, Executive Director, Pimentel Institute for Leadership and Governance
30. Mr. Bong Fabe, Freelance journalist
31. Atty. Risa Halagueña, Fellow, Action for Economic Reforms
32. Sr. Cres Lucero, SFIC, Co-Chairperson; Mr. Emmanuel Amistad, Executive Director, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines
33. Atty. Corazon Valdez Fabros, Lead Convenor, Stop the War Coalition Philippines
34. Ms. Ana Maria R. Nemenzo, National Coordinator; Ms. Mercy Fabros, Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator; Ms. May-i Fabros, Coordinator of Young Women Collective; Ms. Rosheic Sims, Assistant Coordinator of Young Women Collective, WomanHealth Philippines
35. Mr. Rolando Ocampo, Spokesperson, Prudentialife Warriors/Movement for Change and Good Governance

36. Ms. Cielo Magno, Coordinator, Bantay Kita
37. Mr. Red Batario, Executive Director; Ms. G. Sevilla Alvarez, Program Director, Center for Community Journalism and Development
38. Mr. Isagani R. Serrano, President, Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement
39. Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Director, University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies.
40. Ms. Jessica Reyes-Cantos, Lead Convenor, Rice Watch and Action Network
41. Ms. Ellene Sana, Executive Director, Center for Migrant Advocacy
42. Mr. Jaybee Garganera, National Coordinator, Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM)
43. Mr. Jong Pacanot, Secretary General, Freedom from Debt Coalition – Southern Mindanao
44. Ms. Evita L. Jimenez, Executive Director, Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG)
45. Ms. Andrea Maria Patricia Sarenas, Chairperson, Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE)
46. Fr. Albert E. Alejo, SJ, Ehem Anticorruption Program
47. Mr. Jason Alacapa, Chairperson, University Student Council (UPM USC), UP Manila
48. Ms. Jean Enriquez, Executive Director, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific
49. Dr. Nymia Pimentel Simbulan, Executive Director, PhilRights
50. Atty. Ray Paolo J. Santiago, Executive Director, Ateneo Human Rights Center
51. Ms. Zenaida S. Mique, Executive Director, Claimants 1081
52. Sr. Nelda L. Balaba, OND, Program Coordinator, Justice and Peace Desk – Social Action Center, Diocese of Marbel
53. Ms. Marjorie Anne Yoro, Suprema, UP Kabataang Pilosopo Tasyo (KaPiTas), UP Diliman
54. Ms. Moses Albiento, Chairperson, Alliance of Student Leaders (ASL), Ateneo de Manila University
55. Mr. Joseph Angelo Gutierrez, Chairperson, Movement of Students for Progressive Leadership in UP (MOVE UP), UP Los Baños
56. Mr. Tristan Daine Zinampan, Chairperson, Linking Everyone Towards Service CDC (LETS CDC), College of Development Communication, UP Los Baños
57. Ms. Mary Ann Fuertes, Executive Director, Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (Davao City)
58. Atty. Arvin A. Jo, Focal Person, The Access Initiative – Philippines
59. Ms. April Lamentillo, Supremo, Sandigan ng mga Iskolar para sa Nagkakaisang CAS (SINAG CAS), College of Arts and Sciences, UP Los Baños
60. Mr. Curt Russel Lopez Delfin, President, Metro Manila Alliance of Communication Students (MACS)
61. Mr. John Mark Salvador, President, Bagong Benilde, De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde
62. Mr. Van Battad, President, UP Sirkulo ng mga Kabataang Artista (SIKAT), UP Diliman
63. Ms. Luisa Lioanag, Bos Tsip-Tsip, UP Bukluran sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Buklod-Isip), UP Diliman
64. Ms. Starjoan Villanueva, Executive Director, Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao
65. Mr. Joseph Purugganan, Coordinator, EU-ASEAN FTA Network
66. Ms. Patricza Torio, Tagapangulo, UP Lipunang Pangkasaysayan (LIKAS), UP Diliman

67. Ms. Marian Bahalla, Chairperson, Laban COC Party, College of Communication, Polytechnic University of the Philippines
68. Mr. Arjay Mercado, President, UP Economics Towards Consciousness (ETC), UP Diliman
69. Mr. Joshua Layog, Primer, Katipunan CHE, College of Human Ecology, UP Los Baños
70. Ms. Ema Escanilla, Speaker, UP People-Oriented Leadership in the Interest of Community Awareness (UP POLITICA), UP Diliman
71. Mr. Edward Dayog, President, UP Organization of Human Rights Advocates (OHRA), UP Diliman
72. Mr. JC Tejano, National Chairperson, Bukluran ng mga Progresibong Iskolar – UP System (BUKLURAN – UP SYSTEM)
73. Ms. Ara Tan, President, UP Kalipunan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Sosyolohiya (KMS), UP Diliman
74. Mr. Ace Ligsay, Chairperson, UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA), UP Diliman
75. Mr. Mickey Eva, President, Coalition for Students’ Rights and Welfare (STRAW Coalition)
76. Mr. Carlo Brolagda, Chairperson; Mr. Chris Alquizalas, Councilor, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council (CSSPSC), UP Diliman / Convenors, FOI Youth Initiative (FYI)
77. Mr. Joshua Young, Chairperson, Bigkis ng mga Iskolar Para sa Bayan Tungo sa Makabuluhang Pagbabago – UPM (BIGKIS-UPM), UP Manila
78. Mr. Viko Fumar, President, BUKLOD CSSP, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, UP Diliman
79. Julliano Fernando A. Guiang, Councilor, University Student Council, UP Diliman
Convenor, Disclose All Records (DARe) Movement
80. Mr. Deg Daupan, President, Alternatibong Katipunan ng mga Mag-aaral (AKMA), UP Baguio
81. Mr. Walter Tamayo, History Department Representative, AngKAS (CSSP History Department Core Group), UP Diliman
82. Mr. Gio Alejo, President, Sanggunian ng mga Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila, Ateneo de Manila University
83. Mr. Jose Valencia, President, KASAPI Kaisahan ng Migranteng Manggagawa sa Gresya
84. Mr. Lejun Dela Cruz, Acting Chairperson, Alab Katipunan
85. Aurora A. Regalado, Managing Trustee, Management and Organizational Development for Empowerment (MODE)
86. Mr. Renato Dela Cruz, President, Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (AMA)
87. Mr. Walter Balane, President, Bukidnon Press Club
88. Ms. Sylvia Paraguya, Chief Executive, National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO)
89. Mr. Pete Pinlac, Chairperson, Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya
90. Mr. Pablo Rosales, Chairperson, Progresibong Alyansa ng mga Mangingisda
91. Mr. Boy Alban, Chairperson, League of Urban Poor for Action
92. Mr. Jun Pascual, Acting Chairperson, Pambansang Katipunan ng Makabayang Magbubukid
93. Ms. Edeliza Hernandez, Executive Director, Medical Action Group
94. Dr. Renato G. Mabunga, Chairperson, Human Rights Defenders – Pilipinas

95. Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Coordinating Committee Member, Faith-based Congress Against Immoral Debts
96. Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB, Co-chairperson, Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines
97. Mr. Acmad Maruhom-Macatimbol, Executive Director, Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates
98. Ms. Jennifer Julia Lacaba, President, Animal Concerns and Awareness Club (AC2), University of the Philippines – Visayas Tacloban College
99. Mr. Xander Losaria, Secretary General, SENTRO – La Salle, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas
100. Mr. Wilson Fortaleza, Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay
101. Prof. Flordeliz L. Abanto, Broadcast Journalism Coordinator, St. Scholastica’s College, Manila
102. Prof. Nelson J. Celis, AES (Automated Election System) Watch
103. Prof. Angelina E. Borican, Journalism Professor, College of Communications
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
104. Philippines Communication Society (PCS)

Pass the FOI bill, PH media tells Congress

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

MEDIA AGENCIES across the Philippines are demanding that Congress take care of “unfinished business”  by passing the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill before going on extended break to prepare for the 2013 midterm elections.

In a pooled editorial published by various national, regional, and local media organizations beginning Monday (January 14), media organizations belonging to the Philippine Press Institute, the national association of newspapers, and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), the national association of broadcasters in the country, called on congressmen to fulfill all the promises they made of transparency and accountability when they campaigned for office in the previous election.

ppi 2

The editorial noted that there will only be nine working days left for Congress when it resumes session on January 21, since it adjourns for an extended break on February 6. After February 6, many legislators are expected to start preparing for their reelection bid in the May 2013 midterm elections.

This allows for a very tight schedule if ever Congress does decide to calendar the FOI bill for floor debates. The measure was approved in the House committee level late last year, and there is no indication yet that the bill will be prioritized by the House leadership.

On the other hand, the Senate has already approved its version of the FOI on third and final reading.

“We, the newspapers, television networks, radio stations, online and independent media agencies, and citizen journalists of this nation state here and clearly now our expectations of the House of Representatives: Get back to work, assure a quorum, pass the FOI bill in your last nine session days,” the pooled editorial read. “You have all promised and sworn to serve by matuwid na daan, transparency, and accountability in government, and we expect nothing less than clear, concrete results on your promises.”

The pooled editorial emphasized that the passage of the FOI bill is “a constitutional obligation” that overrules other “private concerns” by legislators that the measure could be abused by media.

Several legislators have been trying to block passage of the FOI by insisting on a rider that provides for a right-of-reply (ROR), where officials are to be guaranteed free and equal print and airtime to give their side on an issue. The Philippine media has insisted that the ROR provision violates the freedom of the press, since it effectively legislates editorial content.

“Lawmakers that they are, they must be well aware of the Constitutional principle of “a public office is a public trust,” the very reason why the news media and all citizens must pry and probe, critique and censure, and report news good and bad about issues and events vested with public interest,” the editorial read.

The pooled editorial is just part of a series of actions programmed by media organizations all over the country to remind legislators of the importance of the FOI. Media groups are concerned that the non-passage of the FOI in the last nine session days would mean the bill would go back to square one with the incoming 16th Congress.

The pooled editorial published by members of the PPI and the KBP reads as follows:

Pass the FOI bill now

QUICK and correct action. This is the best and justly deserved path for the House of Representatives to take on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill.

Slow and wrong. This is the worst and justly reasonable judgment that Filipino voters would have of the House members, most especially of those seeking reelection in May 2013, should the FOI fail to pass.

Time, the dribble drivel in the House, and an Executive seemingly less than lame in his support for the bill – the odds seem stacked against the passage of the FOI bill in the 15th Congress. This is even as the Senate had passed its version of the bill on third and final reading before Christmas last.

Only nine session days remain from Jan. 21, when lawmakers return to work after a month-long holiday break, to Feb. 6, 2013, after which lawmakers will have another extended break and plunge into election campaign mode. They will have just three more session days in June intended mainly for closing ceremonies, before adjourning sine die to give way to the incoming 16th Congress on June 30, 2013.

Failure by the incumbent House to pass the FOI up to third reading, so it could be submitted to bicameral action thereafter, in the coming nine session days is certain death for the bill in the 15th Congress. Legislative work on the bill will revert to step one yet again in the 16th.

This is why only quick, focused action to pass the FOI bill is the absolutely correct path for the 280-odd members of the House to take, in their last nine session days before the election campaign kicks off.

It avoids wasteful spending of scarce taxpayers’ money on legislative work that often start and end as mere verbal jousts among lawmakers.

It is, most assuredly, also the right thing for the House to do.

The FOI bill implements the state policy of transparency and accountability that the Constitution we Filipinos ratified in 1987 explicitly and fully guarantees.

Passing the FOI bill is thus a constitutional obligation that lawmakers have had to fulfill, to do right by all citizens, from 25 years ago.

Passing the FOI bill is a public good that trumps any and all supposed private concerns that a few lawmakers claim are the reasons why they do not favor FOI and insist on loading it up with right-of-reply (ROR) provision. They have had, they say, fallen victim to negative reporting by the news media.

Lawmakers that they are, they must be well aware of the Constitutional principle of “a public office is a public trust,” the very reason why the news media and all citizens must pry and probe, critique and censure, and report news good and bad about issues and events vested with public interest.

Libel laws, codes of ethics, and self-regulation mechanisms are fully observed in most news media agencies. There are no reasons that are writ in law for these few lawmakers opposed to the FOI to now dangle ROR as a precondition to their vote. In this instance, it is clear that to them, ROR is truly just a monkey wrench to kill the bill.

We, the newspapers, television networks, radio stations, online and independent media agencies, and citizen journalists of this nation state here and clearly now our expectations of the House of Representatives: Get back to work, assure a quorum, pass the FOI bill in your last nine session days.

You have all promised and sworn to serve by matuwid na daan, transparency, and accountability in government, and we expect nothing less than clear, concrete results on your promises.

It is election season once more and you are all likely to offer more promises to get elected. But before we vote, we ask you to finish your unfinished business. Start with one you swore to deliver two decades and a half ago: Pass the FOI bill now.

 

Here are screengrabs of some of the news organizations that published the pooled editorial:

Philippine Star

malaya 1

Sunstar Davao

Standard Today

For its part, the Manila Times ran its own editorial last January 11 stating that it has not yet given up on the FOI bill. The Times said the Aquino administration and Congress should “realize by this time” that the Philippine media was not giving up easily on the FOI. “We still want to see the act passed into law despite misinformed parties like House Minority Leader Danila Suarez promising to block the bill at all cost.

“We consider the right to access government records as important as any right guaranteed by our Constitution,” the Times editorial read. “Democracy without transparency in government and its institutions is no democracy at all.”

Manila Times

Filers, watchdogs brainstorm with COMELEC on new rules

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by Che de los Reyes

The May 13, 2013 midterm elections could turn out to be different from all elections past. At least, as far as enforcing campaign finance rules is concerned.

Based on recent issuances and pronouncements by the highest officials of the Commission on Elections, campaign finance regulation – a task that COMELEC only gave token observance to in the past – will now be receiving serious attention from the Commission.

On June 22, 2012, the COMELEC issued Resolution No. 9476 or the “Rules and Regulations Governing Campaign Finance and Disclosure in Connection with the 13 May 2013 National and Local Elections and Subsequent Elections Thereafter.” The resolution mandated the creation of a Campaign Finance Unit, whose sole function is to look into the contributions and spending of candidates and political parties and enforce the laws on campaign finance.

And then in October 2012, COMELEC Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes himself announced that the 2013 elections would be the first in which the Commission would be seriously looking into the issue of campaign finance.

But even with the the commitment of its officials and the new Campaign Finance Rules in place, COMELEC is still facing the enormous challenge of educating candidates, political parties, and service providers, as well as election watchdogs and the media on its new campaign finance policy.

And then there is the question of whether the Commission would be able to muster the necessary resources and capability to monitor candidates’ spending and contributions, much less audit them.

It is a task that just might prove too unwieldy for COMELEC to go it alone. Not without the buy-in and assistance of the relevant stakeholders.

This fact is not lost on the officials of the Commission, who had started engaging various campaign finance stakeholders in recent months. Last Dec. 19, 2012 for instance, the COMELEC engaged not only the candidates, political parties, contractors, and service providers — those who are expected to file campaign spending reports — but also other government agencies, election watchdogs, and members of the media.

cf1

 

 

In the forum and workshop sponsored by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), more than 50 stakeholders focused on identifying the gaps in enforcement of, and compliance with, the Campaign Finance Rules, and how each sector could better assist the Commission in these areas.

The workshop of the ‘Filers,’ which included representatives of major political parties and coalitions such as the Nacionalista Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition, and United Nationalist Alliance; party list groups such as AGHAM and Kabataan Party List; the sales and legal departments of ABS-CBN 2 and GMA 7; and media/advertising agencies  such as Campaigns & Grey — yielded concrete recommendations on how the COMELEC could still improve on the Campaign Finance Rules.

Meanwhile, the workshop of the ‘Monitors and Rapporteurs’ involved representatives of media organizations such as the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), the Philippine Press Institute (PPI), and Interaksyon; election monitors and election reform advocates such as the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Consortium on Electoral Reforms/Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms (CER/IPER); academe such as the Association of Schools of Public Administration of the Philippines (ASPAP), citizens’ groups such as the Freedom of Information Youth Initiative, and government agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Recommendations by the filers covered such areas as political advertising, reporting requirements, transparency and disclosure, and imposition of taxes on donations. The monitors and rapporteurs meanwhile, recommended concrete ways on how the sector could better assist COMELEC in improving enforcement and compliance with the Campaign Finance Rules and how to disseminate these. The sector’s recommendations also covered improving transparency and disclosure of campaign finance information, as well as a number of legislative reforms that would directly or indirectly impact on campaign finance.

cf2

The points identified however, were not only directed at COMELEC. The workshop participants also set goals and identified initiatives that they committed to pursue as a sector in order to improve compliance with Campaign Finance Regulations.

The filers, for instance, said they will be pursuing initiatives to better appreciate the letter and intent of campaign finance laws on accounting of campaign funds. These include organizing briefing sessions for media agencies and networks on campaign finance rules and implementation. The media executives meanwhile, volunteered to brief the COMELEC on the process or industry practice of placing ads.

Another initiative that the sector committed to do is to conduct consultations within the advertising industry because of different setups among advertising agencies (i.e., creative agency only; media agency only; unbundled full service agency with both creative and media). According to the sector, it is also important to identify which among the above agencies would be responsible for filing the necessary reports to COMELEC.

Meanwhile, the election monitors and rapporteurs committed to create a group specifically tasked to monitor compliance with the Campaign Finance Rules and draft a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for monitors to initiate prosecution of violators. The sector also said it would involve the public more in discussions about campaign finance.

 

‘SC Justices and their wealth’ showing tonight on SolarTV

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PCIJ SOLAR LOGOS

SOLAR NEWS, the newest news channel in the Philippines, airs tonight (January 11) the results of a collaborative investigation between Solar News TV and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism into the wealth of the justices of the Philippine Supreme Court.

The Justices and their Wealth is a one-hour special on the contents of the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) of the SC Justices. As well, the special looks into the refusal of the high tribunal to make public the asset records of the officials of the judiciary. This, even as all other officials in the other branches of government are required to make full and public disclosures of their asset records as required by the Constitution and Republic Act 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The one-hour program is based in part on several months of investigating by the PCIJ on the SALNs of the justices, their fat allowances, and their many other perks. The print and online versions of the story came out beginning December 9, 2012, with SC justices among PH’s best paid, allowances, bonuses not in SALNs; Corona’s fat allowances not taxed: Same, same still at SC?; Rapidly rising net worth shared bliss of SC justices; and Transparency on ice: Judicial independence or impunity?

Solar TV’s special report will be aired at 8 p.m. Manila time on channel 21 for those with free TV; channel 16 for those using SkyCable; and channel 28 for those on Global Destiny.

 

Should gov’t officials disclose their taxes, too?

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PUBLIC OFFICIALS in the Philippines are required by law to publicly disclose their income and their assets. But since that rule is seldom ever followed, then perhaps government should as well disclose the taxes paid by government officials.

Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) founding director and Tony Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism director Sheila Coronel poses this proposal in her latest story in her investigative journalism blog Watchdog-Watcher.

Coronel argues that since government officials are supposed to set a good example for tax compliance, and since they are required to publicly declare their income anyway, then it follows that officials should also tell the public how much they pay in taxes. This is to show the public that government officials pay the right taxes. As well, this allows the public to cross-check their tax declarations against their declared income.

“Because they (officials) decide how the burden of tax payments is shared, then citizens should be told whether those they elect to office are carrying their fair share of that burden,” Coronel writes. “There can be persuasive arguments as to why heads of state, Cabinet ministers, and members of national legislatures should declare their taxes.”

Coronel adds that the disclosure of tax data could serve as an anti-corruption tool which was the case in Pakistan after the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIRP) published its 70-page booklet, revealing that two-thirds of Pakistan MPs “were not even registered taxpayers and therefore had no (National Tax Numbers).”

Read Sheila’s blog here.