Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas ANG Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo

English Edition Vol. XLIII No. 16 August 21, 2012 www.philippinerevolution.net

Editorial The Aquino regime is catastrophic to the Filipino people

major disaster struck , Southern Tagalog, Cen- town centers, they are the ones tral and Northern Luzon in early August. More than ten days who live along the esteros, riv- Aof torrential monsoon rains precipitated massive floods that erbanks, lakesides and other ar- swept away and destroyed the homes and properties of up to two mil- eas where the infrastructure for lion people, causing loss of lives and the ruination of agricultural sanitation, garbage disposal and land, fishing grounds and other sources of livelihood. flood control are inadequate or totally absent. In the country- This calamity brought back of the necessary infrastructure side, they are the ones who are painful memories of typhoon to control flooding and ensure most in danger of being swal- Ondoy in 2009 that inundated the people's protection. lowed by the waters of swollen wide swaths of Metro Manila, This grave disaster demon- rivers or buried under tons of typhoon Sendong in 2011 that strated the stark divisions mud. flooded vast areas of Northern among classes in Philippine soci- They are the ones who strive Mindanao and the Visayas and ety. The floods mainly wrought to eke out a living in the face of other storms and floods that havoc on the lives of workers, deepgoing crisis and widespread struck the country in the past. the unemployed, farmers, fish- poverty. They belong to the Typhoons have been causing ev- erfolk, rank and file employees most oppressed and exploited er worsening loss of lives and and small professionals and oth- classes whose protection and property due to severe environ- er ordinary safety lie at the bottom rung of mental destruction folk. the state and ruling classes' pri- and the In orities. deterio- cities Whenever typhoons and oth- ration and

In this issue...

Government negligence in the face of tragedy 3

Aquino’s budget: Anti- people 7

32 enemy casualties in SMR 10 er disasters strike, the lives and Aquino resorts to, he cannot the gall to use the recent calam- safety of the toiling masses are cover his multitude of sins. He ity as a pretext to call the always in peril, while big capital- has failed to institute measures planned evictions of the urban ists, landlords and bureaucrat against flooding and disaster poor as measures to ensure capitalists remain in the comfort preparedness. He must answer their safety. It is the height of of their luxurious homes in ex- for banning the use of calamity irony for Aquino to claim that clusive subdivisions far from the funds to prepare for disaster. destroying (and even blasting) floods. While the ordinary folk This August, Aquino did people's homes and livelihoods are in danger of losing their nothing in the facing of rising are acts that are meant to "pro- lives, the wealthy classes' big- dam water levels, despite the tect" them. In fact, they will be gest headaches are temporary fact that the people have for torn away from their sources of power outages or the loss of years been demanding that dam livelihood and exiled to farflung cellphone service. waters should not be allowed to areas that are just as prone to The Aquino regime mani- reach dangerous levels. For flooding, landslides and other fested its real class character three years, he has been in pow- disasters. in the face of this major disas- er, but he has yet to undertake a Aquino's real objective in ter that affected millions of major overhaul of the system of evicting the urban poor is to people. The landlord Aquino garbage collection and waste turn over the land where their bared his contempt for the poor disposal, the cleanup of water- houses are, for the use of his big when he slammed the victims ways, the desilting of lakes and businessman friends and their for their "hard-headedness" rivers and the rehabilitation of foreign capitalist partners. This and blamed them for the trage- forests and watersheds. In- has been his intention since he dy that had befallen them, even stead, he has occupied himself came to power—to launch wide- as hundreds of thousands of with enticing foreign companies spread demolitions, in accord- families were still mired in the to invest in mining operations in ance with plans to construct mud left behind by receding the country's denuded mountain structures under his Public-Pri- flood waters. Aquino even exe- areas. vate Partnership program. crably exploited the tragedy to A far greater catastrophe The far greater catastrophe parade his favored senatorial awaits the poor with the Aquino afflicting the Filipino people is candidates before several evac- regime's plan to effect the wide- the catastrophe of unemploy- uation centers. spread demolition of urban poor ment, slave wages, landless- But whatever gimmickry communities. Aquino even has ness, upwardly spiralling prices of food and other commodities, unaffordable education and health care, intensifying milita- ANG Contents rization, repression and human Editoryal: The Aquino regime rights violations. Vol. XLIII No. 16 August 21, 2012 is catastrophic to the people 1 Aquino's insistence on serv- Government negligence 3 ing the interests of foreign big Ang Bayan is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Iloko, Hiligaynon, Waray and Bayanihan amid crisis 4 capitalists and the exploiting English editions. and oppressive classes is the It is available for downloading at NPA assists flood victims 5 worst debacle that will bring un- the Philippine Revolution Web Central Masterplan for demolition 5 located at: told harm to the Filipino people. Greed for water and profit 6 The criminal neglect and the op- www.philippinerevolution.org. Stop the privatization of water 7 pression and suffering inflicted Ang Bayan welcomes contributions on the victims of calamities and Aquino’s budget is antipeople 8 in the form of articles and news. the toiling masses are rousing Readers are likewise enjoined to send Pork barrel 9 in their comments and suggestions for them to tread the path of strug- the betterment of our publication. You Enemy suffers 32 casualties in SMR 10 gle and revolution. It may be can reach us by email at: Bounty for Madlos, Tiamzon fraught with danger and hard- [email protected] ship, but it is the path that will violates JASIG 12 surely lead the people to a Violence against women and children 13 bright, prosperous, just and Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the Central Committee democratic future. ~ of the Communist Party of the

2 ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 Government negligence and floods spurred the release of `5.9 billion out of the `7.5- in the face of tragedy billion Calamity Fund for 2012, leaving a mere `1.6 billion for and disaster the regime to spend for the oth- er storms and calamities up to he Filipino people once again bore witness to the Aquino re- the end of the year. Worse, gime's grave neglect in the face of disaster and unbridled ex- Aquino ordered the cancellation ploitation by big capitalists amid tragedy. in 2011 of 19 flood-control pro- T ` jects (worth 1.9 billion) such Typhoon Gener struck the He bragged that huge quan- as dams and dikes in various country on July 28 and continued tities of relief goods for evacu- parts of Central Luzon. its onslaught until August 9 due ees had already been preposi- Still part of the regime's to the monsoon winds. Initial es- tioned. After three days of con- gross negligence is its disregard timates put the number of people tinuous floods, however, the for the welfare of employees of affected by the strong rains, truth blew up in Aquino's face. the Philippine Atmospheric, Ge- floods and landslides at up to two No less than local government ophysical and Astronomical million. By August 7, up to 1,266 officials admitted that they only Services Administration (PAG- villages in 152 towns and 28 cit- had a day's supply of relief ASA), the government agency ies in Central Luzon, Southern goods. Government agencies tasked with weather prediction. Tagalog, Cordillera, the National were practically paralyzed in Rank and file employees of PAG- ` Capital Region and Western Vis- mobilizing enough resources for ASA receive only 7,000 a ayas bore the brunt of the calam- quick rescue and relief opera- month, which is woefully inade- ity. Diseases like dengue fever tions. Neither could they accom- quate for their and their fami- and leptospirosis likewise be- modate the steady stream of lies' day to day needs. The em- came rampant, bringing to the flood victims in the cramped ployees had been asking for a fore the government's failure to evacuation centers. raise since March, along with a deliver social services. Aquino and his regime are demand to restore their bene- The people's abject condi- guilty of grave negligence. In fits. The regime has failed to tions were brought about by the 2011, Aquino refused to allot address these issues to date. lack of effective measures and funds for disaster preparedness. Instead, Aquino berated the programs by the Aquino regime He also barred moves to in- employees by telling them "not to address disasters. When ty- crease the `5-billion Calamity to add to the disaster" when phoon Gener had just entered Fund. By the middle of 2012, the they asserted that government the Philippines, progressive par- fund had almost been depleted. provide the proper salaries and ~ ties and organizations urged the This August, the prolonged rains benefits. Aquino regime to take immedi- ate action. In particular, the Ka- likasan Partylist proposed that the government allot the funds and resources needed to mobi- lize local disaster response sys- tems; immediately put a stop to the operations of Philex Mining in the face of a spillage in the mine tailings dam of the Philex- owned Padcal Mine in Tuba, Benguet as well as 37 other big mining companies nationwide; and provide immediate relief to flood victims. Not only did Aqui- no disregard such warnings, he boasted that his regime was ready for any disaster.

ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 3 Bayanihan movement who acted as if they were on stage and waved at the evacu- for the people ees. Among these brazenfaced politicos were Aurora Rep. Ed- gardo Angara Jr., Bureau of hen disaster strikes, the toiling masses and progressive Customs chief Ruffy Biazon, sectors further strengthen the bonds of solidarity. Thou- TESDA director general Joel Vil- Wsands of them volunteered in early August to undertake or- lanueva and Akbayan Party ganized rescue efforts for the victims of calamity and provided relief stalwart Risa Hontiveros. despite the absence of funds from the government or big private cor- In their desire to portray porations. themselves as the only people giving aid to the needy, they Among those who led such joined hands under Task Force even had the gall to stop pro- efforts was the MAKABAYAN Obrero (TFO). The All UP Work- gressive organizations. In Pi- coalition which launched Baya- ers Alliance, Anakpawis and Ka- nagbuhatan, Pasig, policemen nihan Alay sa Sambayanan likasan Partylist in coordination barred members of Kabataan (BALSA). Under BALSA, various with the Southern Tagalog Partylist from conducting relief sectoral undertakings such as Serve the People Corps also operations because they were ACT Relief Operations; Lingap conducted relief operations. holding discussions with the GABRIELA; Oplan Sagip Kana- This "bayanihan" was joined by victims. yunan of KMP, PAMALAKAYA, famous personalities like ac- But nothing tops the greed Amihan, UMA, NNARAYouth, Si- tresses Angel Locsin and Moni- of foreign and local companies nagbayan and Rural Missionar- que Wilson and athlete Phil for huge profits. On August 7, ies of the Philippines; Sagip Mi- Younghusband. amid non-stop torrential rains, grante Fund Raising Ride; Bulig While the people's solidarity oil companies raised the prices Bayan of BAYAN-Panay; DAM- shone through, the corruption of petroleum products by up to BANA (Damayang Simbahan sa and greed of the ruling classes `0.80 per liter. They raised Panahon ng Disaster); Sining reared their ugly heads in the them again on August 20 and Kalinga of young artists; and midst of tragedy and disaster. are slated to impose another Tulong Kabataan of Kabataan On August 8, Aquino and hike on August 25. The day be- Partylist and its organizations members of his political party fore, the Manila Electric Co. solicited and distributed shamelessly exploited the terri- (Meralco) raised power rates. relief goods. Un- ble situation to self-servingly Meralco and Petron, one of the ions, federations, campaign for the coming elec- three biggest oil companies in NGO and vari- tions. Aquino purposely visited the country, are owned by Aqui- ous other work- victims at an evacuation cen- no's uncle Eduardo "Danding" ers' groups ter in Muntinlupa aboard a Cojuangco. likewise six-by-six truck. With him in The Business Processing As- the truck were his par- sociation of the Philippines ty's proba- (BPAP) likewise asked Mala- ble sen- cañang to exempt call centers atorial from an order suspending the candi- operations of all schools, busi- dates nesses and government offices during the disaster. The BPAP wanted its employees to report for work, saying that their cli- ents were not from the Philip- pines and were therefore not affected by the floods. It did not care if their employees drowned or got caught in the flood. The BPAP is an associa- tion of 600 companies running call centers nationwide. ~

4 ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 NPA assists flood victims Flood control in Rizal and masterplan is a masterplan he New People's Army’s (NPA) entire Tmembership in Rizal and Laguna provinces for demolition declared a week-long cessation of military ac- tions against the Armed Forces of the Philip- pines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to mobilize Red fighters in providing continued assistance to flood victims. In separate statements, the Narciso Anta- zo Aramil Command (NPA-Rizal) and Nilo Ha- tol Command (NPA-Laguna) announced a tem- porary ceasefire from 12:0 a.m. of August 11 to 12:00 a.m. of August 17. Meanwhile, Comrade Luis Jalandoni, a member of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Executive Committee likewise appealed to foreign friends and the in- ternational community to provide assistance to the calamity victims in the Philippines. During the ceasefire, all NPA units in the two provinces, including members of partisan units and people's militias remained on a de- fensive mode in order to devote all forces and resources to assisting the victims of calamity. p to 195,000 families victimized by the mas- Nonetheless, the NPA units remained vigilant sive floods are to be victimized twice over by against any attack and offensive actions by Uwidespread demolitions should the Aquino the AFP-PNP against the people within the ter- regime's planned "flood-control" projects push ritory of the People's Democratic Government through. (PDG). To justify the Flood Control Masterplan, the During the same period, elements of the Aquino regime has been portraying it as the solution AFP-PNP at CAFGU were able to freely enter to future calamities. In fact, it is nothing but a mas- the territory of the PDG to visit their loved terplan for widespread demolitions that will be done ones and help their families who were likewise in the name of "protection." victimized by the massive flooding. It was pos- Aquino pins the blame for the floods on the urban sible for them to do so without fear of possible poor, saying that their shanties have been blocking offensive actions by the NPA against them. the water ways. This is pure nonsense, as the regime On August 5, however, while most of Lagu- knows full well that the real reason behind the floods na was under water and pummeled by strong is the wanton destruction of the environment. rains, NDF-Laguna members Jesus Abetria and On August 13, Department of Public Works and Restituto Galicia were abducted in Longos, Ka- Highways secretary Rogelio Singson said that "if layaan, Laguna and mercilessly tortured by push comes to shove, we will have to blast the hous- the military. es if they won't leave within a certain period." De- They were kidnapped while en route to a partment of Interior and Local Government Sec. hospital for medical treatment after consult- Jesse Robredo likewise said that barangay chairmen ing with members of the Nilo Hatol Command would be held accountable for the "cleanup" of es- on plans to mobilize Red fighters to assist the teros, and for ensuring that residents do not return victims of the massive flooding. They are cur- to rebuild their houses once these have been demol- rently detained at the Philippine Army nation- ished. al headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. The first target of Aquino's masterplan is to re-

ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 5 pair and raise the level of Dam owners' greed dikes in Pampanga, Malabon and Navotas; improve a num- for water and profit ber of pumping stations in Metro Manila; and clean up he irresponsible and dangerous system of releasing water from esteros especially at the Ma- Tdams came to the fore when floods rampaged through and inun- rikina and Pasig rivers and dated vast areas of Luzon after typhoons Ondoy and Pedring in 2009. around Laguna Lake. The But after three years, the reactionary state has failed to undertake funds for these projects will any measures to enforce a protocol for releasing dam water. be sourced from the master- As usual, the greedy capitalist dam owners allow dam water to plan's `352-billion budget. reach dangerous levels and release water only at the last minute. Part of the masterplan in- This has worsened flooding in many areas of Metro Manila and vast volves the construction of an areas of Central and Southern Luzon. industrial and commercial dis- Before the San Roque Multipurpose Dam released water, the lev- trict on a 94,000-hectare area el had reached 278 meters, compared to its maximum capacity of 280 around the lake—one of the meters. The Ambuklao Dam in Benguet allowed water to reach 751.8 54 principal projects under meters, a mere 0.14 meters away from the maximum 752 meters. At the Public-Private Partnership the Binga Dam, also in Benguet province, the water was at 574.37 program. meters, just 0.63 meters away from its spilling level of 575 meters. More than 120,000 fami- At the La Mesa Dam in Quezon City, the water was at 79.91 meters, lies who depend on fishing for just 0.24 meters away from its maximum capacity of 80.15 meters. a living are in danger of being These dams are owned by big comprador bourgeosie like the Lo- evicted from this area. Anoth- pezes and the Aboitiz group. Their greed for water is driven by their er 20,000 urban poor families greed for profit. For them, the higher the water level, the lower the are being targeted for evic- cost of power generation and the bigger the profit. They refuse to tion this year. First in line are consider the destruction to the environment and the people's liveli- houses that have been built hoods once they release excessive volumes of water, especially when above esteros and beneath agricultural lands and fishponds become flooded. bridges, and second are hous- The rampaging dam waters likewise dump silt in rivers, making es built within three meters the latter shallower and prone to overflowing. New waterways are from the esteros. created, resulting in flooding in hitherto unaffected areas. Soil in ar- The urban poor find the eas around the dams that come under water loosens, resulting in regime's relocation program widespread landslides. ~ unacceptable, especially since the resettlement site in Rodri- guez, Rizal itself was hit by Stop the privatization massive floods and landslides. Also, the government can ac- of water services commodate only 9,000 out of the 20,000 families whose arious sectors strongly condemn the program to privatize the houses will be demolished this potable water system nationwide. According to the Water for year. Vthe People Network (WPN), the privatization of water and Relocation is likewise not a the agencies that distribute this resource will result in severe water simple matter of moving peo- scarcity and sharp increases in the cost of services. ple to another site, but of live- lihood in the relocation area The WPN is a broad network (M-Power). as well. Said a community with members across the Philip- In particular, WPN is bat- leader, with the forcible dem- pines advocating people's con- tling Senate Bill 2997 or the so- olitions, they will be removed trol over water services and called Angara Bill and its coun- from the "danger zones," on- natural resources. Another terpart version in Congress, ly to be transferred to the group that is greatly opposed to House Bill 5497, which will pave "dead zones." It is the equiv- water privatization is Mindana- the way for the full privatization alent of Aquino declaring war won against Privatization of of water districts nationwide. against the urban poor. ~ Water and Energy Resources Both bills call for the forma-

6 ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 tion of the Water and Sanitation Foreign and big comprador Regulatory Authority (WSRA) un- der the Office of the President bourgeois control over water that will ensure the regime's im- plementation of the Public-Private he Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) was Partnership program related to Tprivatized in 1997 through a `7-billion loan from the Inter- water. national Financial Corporation (IFC), a company under the The privatization of water runs World Bank. Its business partners include big bourgeois com- counter to the people's interest. pradors like the Ayalas and the Lopezes and foreign companies Access to clean water is one of the like British United Utilities, the US-owned Bechtel and the Japa- basic human rights. Thus, water nese-owned Mitsubishi. services must be under the public Maynilad, one of the private water concessionaires that took sector and not under the control of over, went bankrupt. In 2006, it was sold for US$504 million to corporations whose only concern is a consortium composed of DM Consunji Holdings (DMCI), Metro to amass huge profits. Among the Pacific Investments Corporation and Japanese corporate giant biggest bourgeois compadors inter- Marubeni. ested in water privatization in the Currently, the Ayalas are on an expansion binge in Cebu. In Philippines are the Ayala and Lopez May, the Manila Water Consortium comprising the Ayalas and families. the Gaisano family (owner of Metro Gaisano mall) began the History has proven that the cost `700-million Carmen Bulk Water Project under the Public-Pri- of water services skyrockets once vate Partnership program. The group will be controlling water they fall in the hands of the private from the Luyang River in Barangay Cantumog, Carmen town to sector. A striking example is the the detriment of the people. The Ayalas plan to allot 200 cubic Manila Waterworks and Sewerage meters (the equivalent of 200 drums) of free water to Carmen's System (MWSS), which was priva- 45,000 residents who used to benefit from the waters of Luyang. tized in 1997 on the orders of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. In 15 years, charges for wa- ter services in Metro Manila shot Aquino's budget: up by more than 1,000%. Since Feb- ruary this year, Metro Manila con- Antipeople spending sumers' monthly bills have been hiked by `58-69 without prior con- he Aquino regime's proposed budget for 2013 is deceptive sultation. and antipeople. Behind the supposedly bigger allocation The private water concession- Tfor social services, the budget is geared towards the mas- aires likewise raised water charges sive privatization of public services and facilities under the Pub- even if they have already been col- lic-Private Partnership program (PPP). lecting `1.00 per consumer per month (for a total of `1 billion per Contrary to Aquino's ment of bribery in reactionary year) for the improvement of water claims of empowering the politics. Despite criticisms of services and other infrastructure people, debt service remains the "pork barrel," a huge fund that have yet to be implemented. his priority, with an alloca- has been allocated for this The water companies have thus tion of `333 billion, as well as means of fattening up allied been charging more in order to ex- strengthening the fascist politicians (`44 billion). pand their businesses. armed machinery (`122 bil- Aquino boasts that his re- Neither is privatization the so- lion). These allocations far gime has raised the budget lution to the lack of water. After 15 outstrip the budgets for for basic education by 23% years of being run by private water health care (`57 billion) and compared to 2012 levels; for concessionaires, consumers contin- housing (`21 billion). state universities and colleg- ue to complain about inadequate On the other hand, up to es by 44%; and health by 24%. water supply in Metro Manila. To `30 billion has been set aside But the better part of these date, there are more than 200 are- for the empty, deceptive and funds will be allocated to the as in the national capital region corrupt Conditional Cash regime's PPP program. that do not have continuous supply Transfer (CCT) program which Aquino's big businessman of water. ~ is also being used as an instru- allies are very eager to be

ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 7 part of the PPP, among them a `26-billion project services. to construct and repair classrooms and other edu- Contrary to Aquino's claims that the people's cational facilities, a `14-billion project to repair health is his priority, his regime has not allotted a 25 hospitals at the provincial and district levels single centavo to national and regional hospitals and a `3.2 billion project to build infrastructure and health institutions capable of comprehensive- for state universities and colleges (SUC). ly treating the majority of diseases. It has allocat- No less than Aquino has said that the higher al- ed a very inadequate amount for the purchase of locations for education and health are in accord- medicines and other basic medical needs (`891 ance with his regime's "reforms." He particularly million) to combat the major diseases that are kill- referred to the advancement of the pro-imperialist ing , such as tuberculosis and dengue. It K+12 program for basic education and the reorien- has also provided a very small amount (`9 billion, tation and further commercialization of SUCs to including the Calamity Fund) to address flooding serve the needs of foreign corporations. The cor- and other disasters. poratization of national and regional hospitals al- Its budgetary allocations for agricultural de- so falls along this line. velopment and irrigation (`74 billion), setting up This early, foreign and local capitalists are local industries (`700 million) and other endeav- already in a mad scramble to get their hands on ors that would guarantee genuine economic devel- these projects. For not only will the regime opment are grossly inadequate. It has not allocat- guarantee the profits of private contractors ed a single centavo for across-the-board salary in- against the rising cost of public utilities. The creases for employees and other measures that PPP budget itself guarantees that they will prof- could provide them even temporary relief from it as soon as the projects are begun. For in- economic hardship. stance, the budget for the construction of 9,300 Worst of all, Aquino plans on spending money new classrooms under the Department of Educa- that his regime does not have. More than a third tion's PPP School Infrastructure Project that is (37% or `758 billion) of the 2013 budget will be slated to begin this year is highly bloated. Aqui- sourced from loans. The remainder (`1.7 trillion) no has allotted `650,000 for every classroom will be coming from projected tax revenues and that is estimated to cost only `325,000. At other income, with the targets based on economic 9,300 classrooms, the contractors can expect to growth estimates and other indicators that have rake in up to `3 billion. rarely conformed to reality in the past 13 years. In To obscure continuously spreading poverty, the final analysis, the Aquino regime will rely and massive unemployment and landlessness, Aquino depend on more debt to the greater detriment of relentlessly pours in funds for the Pantawid Pa- the people. The government has already incurred milyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), his regime's bogus more than `5 trillion in debt so far this year. ~ poverty alleviation scheme. The regime uses 4Ps to cover up its drive to priva- tize education and health

8 ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 "Pork barrel," a tool of the patronage system

in the way the senators use orrect spending: the people's command" was the Aquino their "pork barrel." Most of regime's message in its proposed budget for 2013. But them have favorite local baili- "Ccontrary to its "path of righteousness" slogan, Aquino's wicks, home towns or provinces, budget remains a milch cow for bureaucrat capitalist politicians. Like favored local governments and the past regimes, the Aquino government uses the budget as an in- institutions. This is how they strument to strengthen its influence among politicians, mainly decide where to allocate their through the "pork barrel." "pork barrel." The senators' favorite prov- "Pork barrel" (`12.5 billion). inces are Albay, Pampanga, Ba- "Pork barrel" is the term used Claims by the ruling classes tangas, , Bulacan, Nueva for the funds allotted to con- that the "pork barrel" addresses Ecija, Pangasinan, Rizal and Ba- gressmen and senators. It has the people's most urgent needs taan which have the biggest vot- long been a symbol of widespread are pure hogwash. Most legisla- ing populations. Metro Manila is and systematic corruption in the tors use the "pork barrel" to among the favored areas for reactionary government. Despite strengthen and further expand projects, especially the 4th and Aquino's claims to the contrary, their influence and ensure that 2nd districts of Manila which the dirty patronage system per- they remain in power. For in- have become the wealthiest dis- sists under his rule. stance, despite the urgent need tricts because they happen to be The "pork barrel" consists of for potable water systems, only the bailiwicks of most senators. the Priority Development Assist- up to 4% of the entire PDAF is Usually, the local politicians in ance Fund (PDAF), Financial allotted for this purpose. their favorite areas are allies or Subsidies to Local Government Politicians prioritize their family members of senators. Units (FSLU) and funds for in- bailiwicks, favored local govern- frastructure projects identified ments and institutions that are "SOP" in the PDAF by Congress. This system has often led or controlled by their From now on, the requisites been in place since 1990. relatives and allies. They choose for PDAF projects will be strict- The Aquino regime has been projects that will attract the ly complied with, or so Aquino increasing the "pork barrel" al- most attention, among them claims under his "path of right- location yearly. From `7 billion roads, waiting sheds and other eousness" slogan. Among the in 2009, Aquino raised it to `22 structures where they could items that would supposedly be billion in 2011 (an increase of prominently display their 233%) and `25 billion in 2012. names and faces. Next year's allocation will be a They exploit the whopping `30 billion, three people's poverty, times bigger than the combined giving out financial budgets of the Congress and assistance for edu- Senate. cation, medical Congressmen receive up to treatment or burial `70 million yearly while sena- expenses in order tors get `200 million annually. to court their sup- They choose from a "pork buffet port. They control menu" or a list of projects in the the distribution of national budget that may be resources and fa- funded through the "pork bar- vors or rewards such rel." The four biggest items as jobs or recommen- funded by the PDAF are roads, dations, subsidies and 27% (`23 billion); financial as- other benefits. These are sistance, 18% (`15 billion); mul- tried and tested methods ti-purpose buildings, 17% (`14 used by politicians to expand billion); and financial assistance and deepen their influence. for general programs, 15% There is not much difference

ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 9 subjected to close scrutiny are the awarding of es, the Aquino regime has been able to use the contracts and the process of procuring materials "pork barrel" to advance its own interests. The de- for projects. But these measures amount to noth- cision on who could be given his or her "pork bar- ing in the face of the decades-strong practice of rel" allocation or when this will be released is the SOP ("standard operating procedure") in the based on political considerations, among them the use of the "pork barrel" and the rampant corrup- need to ensure the "cooperation" of legislators in tion that permeates the entire ruling system. meeting the regime's objectives. No less than Sen. Under the SOP system, congressmen submit a Miriam Santiago has disclosed that Aquino used list of projects targeted for funding via the "pork the "pork barrel" to secure the senators' vote to barrel." After approval, the Department of Budget convict Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Coro- and Management (DBM) issues a Special Allotment na. Release Order (SARO). As soon as they choose Oppositionist Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and DBM their projects, the congressmen indicate to the lo- Sec. Florencio Abad Jr. also recently figured in a cal governments which company (usually owned by verbal tussle when the latter declared that the their friends or family members) should implement Aquino regime would not be releasing the PDAF al- the project. locations of Arroyo allies because of certain "polit- A bogus "public bidding" follows, where the ical realities." This runs counter to Aquino's earli- participating companies submit their cost esti- er statements that he would never, ever use the mates for the project. The estimates automatically "pork barrel" to bribe congressmen. Aquino is ex- include the following "SOPs:" 20% or more for the pected to likewise use the "pork barrel" to ensure congressman, 10% for the DPWH district engineer, that charter change is advanced and to gain sup- 2% for the Commission on Audit, 2% for the DBM port in the coming elections. and 5-20% for the town mayor. In militarized are- The system of patronage and dirty politics is as, the AFP battalion commander and the PNP pro- one of the basic characteristics of the rotten ruling vincial director also receive their own cuts. semicolonial and semifeudal system. The big com- This system of "SOP" ensures that the con- prador bourgeoisie and big landlords use state gressmen are able to pocket their share of the lar- power to ensure the subjugation of the majority of gesse, even if the funds are directly released to the the people under the exploitative and oppressive company or agency that will be implementing the system. Bureaucrat capitalism permeates the en- project. Infrastructure projects are the sure fa- tire political system, in all branches and levels of vorites for "pork barrel" funding because of the the reactionary government. ease with which the "SOP" can be hidden in the Genuine systemic change or treading the "path cost estimates. The bigger the project, the bigger of righteousness" can never be initiated by the rul- the kickback. Thus, estimates put the proportion of ing classes. These will be born out of the ovethrow public funds that actually go into project imple- of the rotten and parasitic bourgeois state, and mentation at a maximum of 40%. arise from the forging of genuine people's power Because Malacañang controls the fund releas- under the People's Democratic Government. ~

Enemy suffers 32 casualties in SMR

he enemy suffered 32 casualties in a series of armed actions explosives and other special op- launched by the 3rd Pulang Bagani Company (3rd PBC) of the erations against the 66th IB TNew People's Army in Southern Mindanao Region against the and 5th SRC, which have been abusive troops of the 66th IB and 5th Scout Ranger Company (5th deployed to the area to protect SRC). huge foreign-owned mining companies and banana planta- On July 31, at around 4 a.m., dez. Ten other soldiers were tions. The AFP suffered at least the 3rd PBC ambushed a platoon wounded. A Red fighter was 15 other casualties in these under the 66th IB in Purok-1, martyred in this gunbattle. previous military actions. Barangay Paloc, Maragusan, The ambush that resulted in Aside from being instru- Compostela Valley. Seven sol- 17 enemy casualties was part of ments in seizing the farmlands diers were killed on the spot, in- a series of tactical offensives of settlers and Mandaya and cluding their commanding offi- launched by the NPA in the form Mansaka minorities, the 66th IB cer Second Lieutenant Fernan- of ambuscades, detonation of and 5th SRC were also involved

10 ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 in attempts to bust the legitimate work- ers' union at the DOLE-Stanfilco banana Bounty on Madlos and Tiamzon plantation through the establishment of the yellow WIPER (Workers for Industri- violates JASIG al Peace and Economic Reforms). The group is led by Chito Herbolingo, a mem- enigno Aquino III's order to renew and raise the ber of the rabidly anti-communist Alli- Bbounty for the capture of Benito Tiamzon and ance for Nationalism and Democracy or Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos, both prominent leaders of the ANAD. National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in- The AFP has retaliated through indis- volved in the peace talks is a violation of the Joint criminate bombing raids and combat op- Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JA- erations that have wrought havoc on the SIG). Aquino announced on August 17 that the reward livelihoods of hundreds of farmers in the for their capture had been raised to `5.6 million. ten villages of Maragusan covered by the This latest move shows that the Aquino regime is military's rampage. The AFP has also not serious about negotiating peace with the NDFP, been imposing food blockades and limit- said the Communist Party of the Philippines. The JASIG ing the number of hours that residents prohibits the surveillance, arrest, imprisonment and fil- could work on their farms. Soldiers have ing of criminal charges as well as the conduct of pursuit also mauled and inflicted serious physical or punitive operations against personalities of both injuries on a number of peasants and parties involved in the talks. The agreement was signed mass leaders. by the principals of the Government of the Philippines Meanwhile, in Barangay Bit-os, Butu- (GPH) and the NDFP in 1998 in order to create favora- an City, the NPA seized four firearms ble conditions for the peace negotiations. (two M16 rifles and two 9 mm pistols) NDFP-Mindanao spokesperson Ka Oris slammed the and rounds of ammunition in an ambush issuance of the bounty as malicious and designed to by the Cesar Cayon Command on abusive scuttle the NDFP-GPH peace talks. policemen who have long been extorting A `2 million bounty was also offered for the capture money from smallscale loggers in the ar- of fugitive fascist Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, accused ea. personalities like ex-Gov. Joel Reyes of and The NPA ambushed PO2 Adonis Du- Delfin Lee of Globe Asiatique and convicted Surigao del maboc and PO2 Sergio Saragospe at Norte congressman Ruben Ecleo. "To maliciously peg around 9 a.m. of August 6. They were criminals such as Palparan and Ecleo at level with rev- both aboard a motorcycle. Dumaboc was olutionaries like Tiamzon and myself is ... worthy of re- killed while Saragospe was wounded in buke," said Ka Oris. the attack. The NDFP-Mindanao spokesperson likewise assailed Residents and the so-called "bukot- the filing of trumped-up criminal charges against his bukot loggers" (smallscale planters of son Vincent Isagani. Vincent was among those charged falcatta, gmelina, mahogany and other by the military in connection with an attack by the New fast-growing trees) have long been com- People's Army (NPA) on the Platinum Group Metal plaining about extortion. Everyone is vic- Corp. last year. Ka Oris said that his son is timized, whether they are illegal or legit- an ordinary employee at a imate loggers. The two policemen were private company in among the various forces and agencies of Cebu and is not a the reactionary government maintaining member of the NPA. checkpoints along all land and river Ka Oris asked routes going to Butuan City, in order to Aquino to order the harass everyone passing through and ex- revocation of the war- tort money from them. rant of arrest against The residents call them "Lolong," af- his son so he could trav- ter the biggest crocodile ever captured in el freely and represent Philippine history. The extortion victims his father at the wake were elated when they heard about the and burial of Ka Oris' ambush, because it serves as a warning mother who died recently against other greedy gators. ~ at the age of 98. ~

ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 11 Military steps up violence rangay San Isidro, also in Sta. Cruz and brought to the same against women and children military camp with her two-year old child. arking the intensification of violence against women and The victims, who were ar- children by the fascist military, three women and two chil- rested without warrant, are Mdren became victims of human rights violations in the first feared to be undergoing inter- half of August. Children from various towns in Bondoc Peninsula also rogation and possible torture. fell victim to various forms of abuse when troops from the 85th IB en- Maj. Jake Obligado, 10th ID camped at the village centers and used the elementary school build- Civil-Military Operations chief ings in these areas as their barracks. gave a different story and claimed that the victims volun- August 15. Elements of the helmet. tarily surrendered. Philippine National Police (PNP) Bermas had served as village The arrests of Dawang, arbitrarily blocked 28 members chair for more than 15 years and Magwan and her child are viola- of the human rights watchdog courageously defended the hu- tions of the rules of war, partic- Karapatan who had just attend- man rights of her constituents. ularly the Geneva Conventions ed the group's 4th national con- She was aboard a tricycle with a and the United Nations Conven- gress in Tagaytay City. The del- sidecar and was on the way tion on the Rights of the Child. egates were on the way back to home from marketing in Baran- They are likewise violative of Manila aboard a Victory Liner gay Anameam, Labong when she the Comprehensive Agreement Bus when policemen blocked was shot by the gunmen. on Respect for Human Rights them in front of the PNP Acade- Bermas was shot twice in the and International Humanitarian my in Silang, Cavite. They were back. Gerald, a four-year old boy Law signed by the Government detained for half an hour. The who was sitting on her lap was of the Philippines and the Na- policemen did not give any rea- hit in the head. Neither of them tional Democratic Front of the son for the detention. But the made it to the hospital alive. Philippines. delegates heard some policemen Bermas had led an investi- February to April. The Chil- at the back conversing with a gation on the massacre by mili- dren's Rehabilitation Center re- high-ranking official who said, tary elements of a peasant fam- ported that minors from South "Those people are members of ily on February 25. Farmer Ben- Quezon suffered various forms Karapatan. Investigate them jamin Mancera and his sons of military abuse, as document- and take their pictures." Richard and Michael were killed ed in a psychosocial activity August 7. Merlyn Bermas, in this incident. His daughter conducted by the child rights barangay chair of Malaya, Labo, Leonisa was wounded. Bermas advocacy group in San Andres Camarines Norte was gunned and other barangay officials ex- and Lopez towns from June 25 down by two men aboard a mo- tended sanctuary to Leonisa to July 2. More than 200 chil- torcyle. One of and her mother Lourdes. dren aged five to 16 attended the assail- August 6 and 7. Elements of the activity. ants had his the 39th IB under Lt. Col. Nor- The children recounted the face con- man Zuniega illegally arrested military accusing their fathers of cealed by and detained two women mar- being NPA guerrillas. Most of the a ski ried to NPA guerrillas. The vic- children were interrogated by mask tims, who are members of the soldiers on whether their par- and the B'laan tribe are Lindy Dawang, ents kept any firearms. A child oth- 21 and Tayet Magwan, 27. said that a soldier took their er, Dawang is six months boat while another child said a pregnant. She was arrest- that soldiers had stolen their ed on August 6 in Baran- rice. Most of the children ex- gay Daligasaw, Sta. Cruz, pressed fears that their parents Davao del Sur and forcibly would be killed or abducted by taken to the 39th IB head- the military. The children called quarters. Magwan was ar- for the withdrawal of military rested on August 7 in Ba- troops from their communities.~

12 ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 Tribute to mass Kontra-Daya: Disqualify bogus parties POLL fraud watchdog Kontra-Daya demanded that the Com- leaders mission on Elections (COMELEC) disqualify 39 groups from the partylist system from participating in the 2013 elections. Said Kontra-Daya convenor Fr. Joe Dizon, most of these parties' he national-democratic move- nominees are not genuinely part of the sectors they purported- Tment bestowed the highest hon- ly represent. Kontra-Daya had earlier filed a case calling for ors on Ka Nelson Mallari, Coun. Ra- the disqualification of Gloria Arroyo's son Mikey as nominee of mon Te and Atty. Federico "Dick" Ang Galing Pinoy. Bunao, leaders of the mass move- Among the other personalities identified by Kontra-Daya ment who had recently died. are Margarita "Tingting" Cojuangco, an aunt of Benigno Aqui- Ka Nelson, an Aeta, was the no III and a former Tarlac governor who is currently a nominee spokesperson of the Katribu Party of Aksyon Magsasaka-Partido Tinig ng Masa; and Stephen Pa- and was one of its nominees. He duano, also known as Lualhati Carapali, one of Aquino uncle died in a vehicular accident on July Danding Cojuangco's men and a member of the bandit Revolu- 22. He also used to be the spokes- tionary Proletarian Army. Paduano is a nominee of the Abang person of the Central Luzon Aeta Lingkod Party. Kontra-Daya also questioned the participation Association. He led campaigns to in the partylist system of Atty. Ferdinand Topacio (nominee of defend the rights of Aeta minorities Pasang Masda); Grace Ibuna of the Movement of Women for and opposed militarization in Cen- Reform and Change; and Leah Navarro of the Black and White tral Luzon. Ka Nelson was harassed Party who all represent traditional political clans or have gov- several times during the Arroyo re- ernment connections. gime when he served as an organi- Kontra-Daya moreover identified bogus parties such as the zer in Zambales province. Alliance of Organizations, Networks and Associations of the Ramon Te, councilor of the sec- Philippines (whose nominee is the son of Quezon Rep. Danilo ond district of Caloocan City died of Suarez); Alliance of Mindanao Elders (whose nominee is Rep. a heart attack on August 10. He was Jorge Banal Jr.'s father); Agrarian Development Association the vice chair for Luzon of the MA- (whose nominees are Eric and Owen Singson who belong to one KABAYAN coalition and was a mem- of the most powerful political clans in the Ilocos region); and ber of Partidong Anakpawis and the Alliance of Rural and Agrarian Reconstruction Inc. (whose National Union of People's Lawyers. nominee is Gen. Quirino dela Torre, who served as PNP-Central He was one of the convenors of the Luzon chief during the bloody Hacienda Luisita Massacre of Riles Laan sa Sambayanan Network, 2004). Taxpayers Unity Against Toll Fee Increase in South Luzon Expressway 30 strikers killed in South Africa and Koalisyon ng Progresibong Manggagawa at Mamamayan. He AT least 30 striking miners of Lonmin PLC Platinum Mine were advanced the platform of the Parti- killed when they were gunned down by policemen in Rusten- dong Anakpawis in his district. burg, Johannesburg, South Africa on August 16. The shooting Ka Dick, on the other hand, was occurred when more than 3,000 policemen attacked the ranks an exemplary lawyer for the working of thousands of strikers and their wives. The day before, nine class and the poor. He died on Au- workers had also been killed in a series of protests that began gust 4 from a heart attack. He was August 14. The strikers were demanding more humane working one of the lawyers of the National conditions and a wage hike. The incident was the bloodiest in Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU) the history of the country's labor movement in the past 20 in the 1980s. He later served the years. Cordillera region under the Cordil- Lonmin PLC is a multinational company that is 25% owned lera Labor Center and the Cordillera by Xstrata of Switzerland. Xstrata is likewise notorious in the Peoples Alliance beginning in the Philippines for its abuses. The company operates in four prov- 1990s. He consciously defended the inces of Mindanao. interests of the working class and Platinum is the rarest and one of the most expensive min- practiced his profession in the serv- erals, with its price almost double that of gold. It is used, ice of the national-democratic among others, in making jewelry and high-end watches and cause. airplanes.

ANG BAYAN August 21, 2012 13