Veritas Vol. I, No. 11 (January 29-February 4, 1984)

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Part of Veritas

Title: Veritas Vol. I, No. 11 (January 29-February 4, 1984)
Issue Date: Vol. I, No. 11 (January 29-February 4, 1984)
Year: 1984
Rights
extracted text: VERITAS wrrw JITTERY People have become wary of J fcWw I elections ever since the blatant S|K. r ^^^^k***M* 1 anomalies of the June 16, 1981 presidential polls which have - ’ * been documented by a group concerned with ensuring the ex pression of the electorate’s free will. Page 7 “■BP .... . .... WHO’S KILLING WHAT? The government is in effect ■ j killing the export industry with l i-Vf~ 1‘Wl the imposition of high taxes s&gr, ■ tggjta- aSMil and interest rates, says the Con p 2~~ " j' * *** 10 federation of Philippine Ex ■h lif - j : rrjl porters. Page 9 NATION VERITAS By CHIT L. MACAPAGAL EVEN IN death, Viilamor Air Base in NiFr. Edgar Kangleon. horae of Fr Palad Fr The 30-year-old priest Kangleon instructed his who shocked a Chris- driver to go back to Camp tian nation with a con- Arnaldo and exchange Land Rover for the Kharfesston of communist man Cuia_ tatter ve_ elements within the hide was lent to him by clergy and the church Marikina Formation House hierarchy died reported- R'rtor F.euUcito Bayb®y I, in . vehieular^acci. * 3XS m dent on New Years Around 10:30 p.m., Day. But circumstances Fr. Kangleon headed back raised more questions According to the only rather than ended his person with the priest from tale this moment on till the Both in Manila and in faraway Leyte, his home province, people wonder whether the accident was for real. Foreign and domestic press accounts of “sal vaging” are still so fresh in the minds that a si milarity is hastily struck and a detailed account of the accident does not seem to convince. Cpl. Ronald Lee, the driver of the ill-fated Khar man Guia the priest was riding in, described the ac cident to Msgr. Tony Pe tilla, parish priest of Catba logan, Samar, and current ly episcopal vicar and ec clesiastical governor of the diocese of Calbayog where Fr. Kangleon served before his arrest. According to Msgr. Pe tilla, Fr. Kangleon was in vited to dinner and an overnight stay in the resi dence of Col. Ed Ermita that Sunday, Jan. 1 The priest and his military driver rode a Land Rover to the officer’s house at Camp Aguinaldo where Fr. Kangleon was also residing. The officei was not home but left word for the priest to wait. Instead, Fr. Kangleon decided to visit two other persons, Fr. Palad at the /REPORTS FROM THE SOUTH The unending controversy of Fr. Edgar Kangleon JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 PAGE J -----------------------------------------------! of something. . . “Gusto niyang umalis." Proddr for more details, J uni&>., refused further comment;'Kangleon wanted to stop over at Greenhills for a ’snack. And so they de toured. On the comer of Ortigas Avenue and Connecti cut Street, a Toyota Crown driven by Jose Balonan with his wife as passenger collided with the Kharman Guia. The police blotter pins down the time of the accident at 11:40 p.m. Cpl. Lee and Balonan suffered minor bruises. Mrs. Balonan, according to the investigating patrol man, had multiple physical injuries. Fr. Edgar Kang leon suffered brain damage and was clinically dead when admitted at the near by Cardinal Santos Memo' rial Hospital. The status of the priest upon hospital admission is confirmed by a letter from Bro. Andrew Gonzalez to Veritas columnist Luis Bel tran. The letter states: “... Fr. Prosper de Wilde, CICM . . . was there to adminis ter the last sacraments. . . Fr. Kangleon did have an accident. . . and was clini cally dead (because of brain damage) on arrival but was kept alive since his vital functions of breathing and blood circulation were still present.” One doctor who was able to see Fr. Kangleon in the Intensive Care Unit said that the priest’s heart beat was revived by a ma chine. The respirator, how ever, failed to register any breathing signs. Any chest movement, he added, was due only to the pumping action of the respirator. The same doctor ob served that there were no bruises or wounds on the body. He saw no signs of broken ribs. But he said there was a hematoma (blood clot) on the frontal (right side of the fore head) extending to the optic area. NEWSPAPER reports on the accident said the priest was hanging on to life and that his doctor had given him 48 hours to live. Friends -of the attending physician folk , about the doctor’s consternation at the alleged false report. The doctor apparently nc★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★★★ ♦ I * * * ♦ * * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ * WELCOME TO " HE WORLD OF BROADWAY & HOLLYWOOD Enjoy enduring popular music as performed by the great talents of stage and screen. February 2 Evita - Part I 9 Evita - Part II 16 Pajama Game 23 Annie 29 Hans Christian Andersen/ Tubby The Tuba s deep imprints of pain. March 1 South Pacific 8 Carousel 15 Damn Yankees 22 Man of La Mancha April 5 My Fair Lady 12 Applause 19 Somewhere In Time/ The Competition 26 Brigadoon I** * * * * * * ♦ ♦ ♦ * * * * * * ♦ * ♦ ver gave any details about Fr. Kangleon’s chances of surviving. The priest was officially pronounced dead, in the afternoon of Jan. 3. Rumors quickly sur faced and were fanned even more by military over-reaction and sketchy newspaper reports. San Juan policemen, respond ing to the routine report of a vehicular accident, found a great deal of mili tary attention at the scene, prompting them to be all the more curious as to who the “V.I.P. in the Khar man Guia was." Nuns at Cardinal Santos told some priests they had orders not to allow any priest or nun to see Fr. Kangleon at the Intensive Care Unit. Further comments from doctors were almost im possible to get and news reports seemed to point to only one source. The San Juan Traffic Bureau said that all information, other than what is written on the blotter, must come from the Ministry of Na tional Defense. In Baybay, Leyte, hometown of Fr. Kangleon, friends and strangers ask the same question about the priest’s death. “Aksi- :-—B----- — dente daw,” the family is isolation. Nobody quick to answer but with- 1------1 *------ u:“ ' out much conviction. How ever, they say the matter ____ ....„ of pursuing a more tho- Fr. Kangleon rough investigation will be with a nine-^. discussed after the burial statement admitting on Jan. 17. "We are still ....................... *’very confused,” said Ju nior Kangleon, youngest brother of Fr. Edgar. “Tapos na naman ang lahat. Hindi na maibabalik ang buhay ni Edgar," he add ed with a tinge of bitter ness. Fr. Kangleon’s in the Baybay p a church. Tradition, for the pasiyam (nine days of prayer) to be held before the funeral. In death he wore a cream sutana with a stole of the same color around his neck. On the glass of his coffin was placed an album-size photo of the Fr. Edgar everybody knew. Clad in black and with a proud but friendly coun tenance - that was Bay bay’s memory of her priestson before an onslaught of trials brought considera ble damage to his fellow priests in the diocese. FR. KANGLEON was arrested for subversion on Oct. 10, 1982. A fact sheet from the Office of the Curia, Diocese of Calba yog, dated Oct. 13, 1982, states that the priest, while going about his pastoral duties as parish priest of Silanga, Catbalogan, was forcibly taken by Capt. Nestor Marmita of MIG 8 and two soldiers in civilian He was taken to the Eastern Command camp under Brig. Gen. Salvador Mison where he was de tained. In .the last week of November and the -first week of December, Fr. Kangleon was placed in lowed to sec him, not even members of his family. After these two weeks, with a nine-page sworn s’.cte-e.-t cd—.ittir.g to his revolutionary involvement. He was flown immediate ly to Manila. He appeared on a Channel 4 television show and publicly read his confession. Fr. Kangleon said that he diverted some P60.000 -- of church funds to the Fr. Kangleon s body Communist New People’s lay for almost two weeks Army and mimeographed ■n the Hr.vhav n , r j s h the CPP publication Aug calls Bayan in his church social action office. He confessed to being a candidate mem THE KANGLEON con fession hit the diocese H Calbayog like a storm? The Social Action Center ceased operations. Of the five priests served with Presidential Commitment Orders, one other has been arrested, Fr. Pete Lucero. Of the 10 lay workers, two have signed confessions and are now working in the military camp. The rest, including the nuns and the vicar general, are all in hiding. The debris of the storm is still apparent in Catba logan. Rebuilding is slow and difficult. Church sup port from lay people has weakened. The residents have had too many lessons to be learned from the case of Dr. Bobby de la Paz and the wave of arrests of the clergy in 1982. The priests in the diocese have grown wary. Informers abound, two out of five civilians, it is said. Every action they make, every visitor they, receive - all is duly recorded, t h e priests say. The diocese has been polarized, it’s social action program paralyzed. Realizing the havoc he had raised, Fr. Kangleon after his amnesty last Oc tober called upon Msgr. Petilla. If there is a word to describe Fr. Kangleon at that point, according to Msgr. Petilla, it would be “remorseful.” The Catba logan parish priest said that Fr. Kangleon regretted put ting so many of his fellow priests in danger. • Msgr. Petilla also said Fr. Kangleon wanted some advice. He was effused - Where could he go? He i feared the ostracism he thought he would get from his flellow priests. He feared the NPA.” “After due consulta tion with the clergy of our diocese,” Msgr. Petilla conto come and serve the diocese immediately after the amnesty.” Msgr. Petilla said he told Fr. Kangleon that Camp Aguinaldo, un der the custody of Bishop Magugat was by far “the safest place” for him to stay. He also advised Fr. Jeon to work for li’is papers so the priest could back after five years. Fr. Kangleon liked the idea and said he planned on ber of the CPP. Fr. Kang leon also implicated bro ther priests and fellow re ligious workers by confirm ing another detainee’s con fession that the Catbalo gan Social Action Center personnel were all involv ed in the revolutionary movement. The staff to talled 18 people: five priests, two nuns, 10 lay workers and one vicar ge neral. Fellow priests, then as now, did not believe Fr. Kangleon issued his state ment without a great amount of pressure. A classmate in the seminary said: “He was a good friend, sincere and loyal. He wouldn't just leave you if you needed him.” One of his teachers in the seminary pointed out that the priest’s confession was too “detailed and sophis ticated” for the writing style of the seminarian he used to know. Still, in the seminary, Fr. Kangleon showed cer tain weaknesses which could surface anew under abnormal conditions. Class mates remember him as one too fond of drinking. His ordination was post poned for a few years due to disobedience. Once, he was even linked with a nurse in Tacloban. But a close friend says all this only describes the priest before his transfor mation. The friend said. “Edgar was rather carefree but when it came to social action, there was a drama tic change in him. He then looked more mature, with a definite direction in life." An information kit on the Kangleon case pre pared by a church group includes a nun’s analysis ln>Ci. rcuua r of the psychological state tinued, “j advised him of the priest during the •- ------- —J -----first few days of his deten tion. The nun recorded the recollection of a visi tor who said that Fr. Kangleon was concerned “about his contribution to church work while in priOn Nov. 27, 1982, a group of clergymen and Kangle journalists were able to see papers EIICm «.u the priest. They reported go abroad, forget and co that Kangleon was in fine - r’--~ -----condition. Later, however, the psycho-analysis reports ___ ___ __ said that the detained leaving by mid-1984, priest complained. “Para akong emotional roller coaster. . . please get me out. . . don’t blame me if 1 go crazy.” Fr. Kangleon also allegedly related that the army chaplain in the detention camp told him that “it is not a sin to sign a statement.” His brother Junior told Veritas that he was one * Fr. Kangleon lold Msgr. Petilla: “I will start life anew." But there will be no new life to start. The tale of Fr. Edgar Kangleon has ended in the coastal town of Baybay. Peace and jus tice might not follow, but he has gone home to wel coming arms. His brother nri»ctc fravolltnn hOUTS ----- ... _..e of priests, travelling six hours those able to visit the by bus from Catbalogan, priest at this point. He accompanied Fr. Kangleon said Fr. Kangleon talked to his final resting place about “wanting to get out jn Baybay. in Baybay. 815-05-08 Brought to you by RENTACOLOR We want you to enjoy color TV. Anson Arcade, Pasay Road corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati Tels. A SHROUD OF FEAR IN CATBALOGAN ONLY A day with some priests in Tacloban, Leyte, and I already speak in a whisper, ask my ques tions in a hushed tone and go about my research in the most unobstrusive manner. The sensitivity of touching a subject like Fr. Edgar Kangleon and the social action program of the church in the south is gauged by the almost para noia fear of the military. The wounds caused by the purge of the clergy of neighboring Samar in 1982 have not healed. The thin line between subversion and radicalism grows thinner still, some times diminishes in many cases, in this part of the country. Many of the priests I’ve met are under 24-hour surveillance. They know. They’ve been ac costed more than once. They say they work with the people - amidst poverty, injustice and op pression, especially in the mountain barrios. Real izing that a simple prayer will not cure social ills. ------------3tCa they help by organizing committees, teaching the people to be more vigilant of their rights, exposing military abuses. For their pains, they are suspected of having communist links and leanings. So they go about the streets of Tacloban, look ing over their shoulders every , now and then to see whether they are being fol lowed. I, as a companion, easily acquired the habit. They point out to me every vehicle they know that belongs to intelligence people. They can spot an intelligence man in the crowd. Although made aware of this, I still lack the expertise. Even the matter of finding a guide for me to heavily militarized and NPA-infested Baybay, Southern Leyte, poses a big problem to my clergy friends. They have to find someone who js not "ttiarkatlo" by either side. " Mindful of more than enough'words of caution, I dare visit the church of Catbalogan, Samar, which, they say, is under consstant watch by the mili tary. A mere visit, they say, will merit a photograph in the military files. In search of my story, I ignore the warnings and merely pre pare to put on my nicest smile as soon as I reach the portals of the church. ' My hosts in Catbalogan are only too careful. Inter views are conducted inside rooms with curtained win dows. They say that in formers abound in the houses around which they have a good view of the rectory with its big open windows. I am also told to be on the noonday bus back to Tacloban. Any later time would risk too much danger on the road. Of course, I’m more than happy to oblige. On a quick tour of Cat balogan with my priest guide, I notice the stark difference between them and their counterparts in Tacloban. Whenever my priest-friends and I drove around Tacloban, we would be greeted left and right by friendly residents. Catbalogan, scarred by military purges, is less friendly to my priest-guide. I can count on my 10 fingers those who wave at him on the streets. From all indications, to be or not to be friendly with the cletgy will soon * be problematic for Taclo ban residents. The “ele ments in the mountains” are now creeping down to’ southern Leyte. Already, a priest in a barrio just an hour’s drive outside TaclP ban talks about reporj from his parishioners in th mountains that strangl heavily-armed women haVe-T * been seen asking for “support” in the form of a cup of rice a day The pattern is familiar. What happens next seems inevitable. The people know they will see more of the military - and their scenarios o f Samar. — * Chit L. Macapagal FROM ALL OF US AT MANILABANK Our deepest thanks and renewed pledge of golden service 1983 was a year of important achievements for Manilabank. It registered an all-time high of P6.5 billion in total resources and F4.2 billion in total deposits by yearend, thereby becoming,the 8th largest local private commercial bank in terms of resources and the 7th largest in terms of deposits. The number of our deposit accounts surpassed the'million mark totalling 1,050,022. Expansion programs for both local and international networks were pursued vigorously with the opening of 5 local branches, bringing the total to 72. Last September, we inaugurated a wholly-owned commercial banking subsidiary in Los Angeles, California. Other highlights of our 23rd year included the accreditation of Manilabank by the Central Bank and the World Bank as an APEX lender and the winning of the first Central Bank Kayamanan Award of Excellence for outstanding achievement in its efforts to generate foreign exchange. WE MOVE FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE As we enter our 24th year, we are confident that with your support, we will continue to perform well through persistent hard work marked by efficiency, integrity, and total dedication. While we remain committed to our traditional role as a financial intermediary providing effective banking services, we will be actively involved in the development of our country’s production capabilities and resources. On this significant occasion, we thank our valued clients and depositors without whom Manilabank. will not be what it is today, and renew our commitment of service to you undaunted by the challenges of the times. MARAMING SALAMAT PO. MANIU1BANK YOUR UNIVERSAL BANK - -- --------- ---------------------------------------- -MEMBEB-PDIC--------- .......................................... . ............................................ .ADVERTISES PAGE 4 «HE WAS mortally wounded in an automobile accident, according to news reports. Because of brain damage, he was pronounced “clinically dead” on arrival at the hos pital. Two days later, the last signs of any vital functions flick ered out and he died. On the face of it, one more accident victim in a metropolis not noted for safe, disciplined driving. One more routine entry in the police blotter out of scores of such cases each day, each week. Nothing out of the ordinary, one might say. But the death by accident of Fr. Edgardo Kangleon now seems to have been anything but routine or ordinary. Rumor, conjecture and certain curious details about his confinement in the hospital have conspired to reopen, as it were, the file on Father Kangleon, to fan renewed interest in his case. To begin with, Father Kangleon was no obscure, anonymous cleric. His social action work, his arrest and detention by the military, his TV confession to charges that he was involved in the Communist underground—all these had turned him into something like a famous figure, a news event. Not a few re garded him' as a symbol of sorts, one of the more militant in the growing number of priests and nuns driven to “subver sion”— by working for the poorest of the poor, the downtrod den. There are many questions surrounding Fr. Kangleon in life and in death, questions whose answers may never come to light. But they must be asked still - if only to remind us that the Christian vocation to go to the aid of the least and the most op pressed of our brothers can exact a heavy price, in our Christian country, in our time. Father Kangleon lived, suffered and died in a time of assas sins. A fatuous answer SOME of the best-known and/or most respected names in the political opposition have written an appeal to Presi dent Marcos. Through a full-page, paid advertisement (one wonders why they had to pay to get their appeal publish ed), they defined what the government ought to do to make the May 14 parliamentary election a meaningful exercise in demo cracy. Among other things, they said that the President should di vest himself of his legislative and emergency powers and that the four vacancies in the Commission on Elections be filled through the appointment of impartial and unbiased men of inte grity. President Marcos chose not to answer the appeal, but one of his spokesmen did. And it was an answer so fatuous, so cloaked in the arrogance of power that it gave substance to the claim-aired in this paper last week by Banker Enrique Zobel-that while the government has a duty to feed us the truth, all it does is give us a lot of hogwash (the term he used was more pungent, but we changed it to hogwash in deference to the more faint-hearted among our readers). The spokesman said that the oppositionists’ appeal was in fact no appeal. It was, in truth, the party’s platform. A platform, he lectured the oppositionists rather pom pously, is supposed to be put into effect-after the party has won power. What they them’11 e£feCt asking’ he went on’ was that the .government should implement it for We can grasp the fatuousness of this position more fully if we were to put it in another context Suppose the coming election were a boxing contest between the titleholder, the government, and the challenger, the opposition. Suppose the challenger is convinced that, as arranged, the champion has everything in his favor: the judges, based on thor past record, cannot be expected to render a just verdict. They will look the other way if the champion resorts to foul tactics. More important, in the unlikely event that the challenger should knock out the champion, the boxing commissioner can be depended upon to step in and, by virtue of the powers he has, declare the bout a no-contest by stripping the new champion of his crown. If the challenger knows all these things, shouldn’t he ask for a change in the com position of the board of judges? Fading that, shouldn’t he at least ask that the num ber of judges be increased to the limit allowed by the law? Shouldn’t he demand, finally, that the boxing commissioner be stopped from using his extraordinary powers and nullifying the results if they are unfavorable to him? But the presidential spokesman concerned says no. The challenger does not have the right to ask any of these things. First he must win the fight, no matter how hope lessly the odds are stacked against him. If these conditions remain, there is no point in continuing with the bout. The challenger would be well-advised to wait and fight another day-in another way. VEIQTAS Published every Sunday by Veritas Publications, with editorial offices at 155 Panay Avenue, Quezon City, Telephones: 98-55-44 or 98-55-33 and at 164 Salcedo St cor. de la Rosa Legaspi Village, Makati, Metro Manila. Telephones: 818-0156, 818-8158. Board of Management Vicente R. Jayme, chairman • Felix B. Bautista • Jose S. Concepcion Jr. • Bro. Rolando Dizon, FSC • Santiago F. Dumlao, Jr. • Jaime V Ongpin • Vicente T. Paterno. Felix B. Bautista Editor Francisco R. Claudio Jr. Business Manager Jorge P. Diomampo, Jr. Circulation Manager VERITAS EDITORIAL &. OPINION Concerning the death of Father Kangleon of repression, one professor quoted Rizal’s state ment that when a house is in disorder, the master of the house can and should be held responsible. This dictum was part of Philippine political philo sophy, he declared. The officials around the President bolstered his stand by saying that they were just is concerned as the professors over the welfare of the student youth. Indeed, a joint committee of the Senate and the House was scheduled the following week to conduct hearings that would go into the roots of student unrest. The hearings would give the faculty the opportunity to present evidence in support of allegations contained in the Declara-' tion. The professors accepted the challenge. The U. P. side, which included three vice-pre sidents, three deans, two directors, seven profes sors, and two administrative officers emphasized the nature of the Declaration as a statement of concern rather than an accusation, and the com pelling moral obligation felt by the professors on behalf of their students. They reminded the Presi dent that the thinking of the professors covered a wide ideological spectrum since the University itself was bound to reflect all the shades of opi nion that were found in the society of which it is apart. The President was reminded that his over whelming success in winning an unprecedented se cond term the year before had aroused fear of one-man rule that would seek to perpetuate itself in power. The statement drew from Mr. Marcos the assurance that he would not seek a third term. The discussion then turned to the fear that the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention would be manipulated to favor the few who were seeking a monopoly of power as against the inte rests of the people. The meeting was brought to a close with Presi dent Marcos observing that he had rarely found occasion to engage in candid intellectual discus sion, and that the exchange of views with U. P. professors was therefore welcome—a sentiment which the faculty members reciprocated. Thus, the “confrontation,” far from being a —* :?r " 2..-- ident and a group of tongue-tied and intimidated professors,turned out to-be a full, frank and force ful exchange of ideas and opinions. The President ed debater, including the rule that the best defense, is offense. He was aggressive at all times and press ed his points relentlessly. But the delegation of N January 20, 1970, exactly fourteen years ago, the professors of the Univer sity of the Philippines marched in peace ful and orderly demonstration from Agrifina Circle behind the old Legislative Building to the gates of Malacafiang. No, they were not demanding higher salaries and shorter hours, or asking President Mar cos to resign: that wasn’t necessary since he was in "the second year of his second and, presumably, last term of office. The professors were marching to protest the pdlice brutality that had shocked the nation on the night of January 26 when scores of students were injured, some seriously, while demonstrat ing in front of Congress where President Marcos was delivering his State-of-the Nation address. The U. P. professors were making history that day, and as President of the University I felt-proud to be marching with them, not shouting slogans or bear ing placards but with quiet dignity, behind the colors of the University and the banners of the va rious colleges and units. At a meeting on January 20 the faculty had ex pressed alarm over what they saw as an emerging pattern of repression of civil liberties. They stress ed the need to consider the incident of two days before in the context of a broad program of action to bring about the political, social and economic transformation of Philippine society. They formed a committee to draw up a Declaration to be pre sented to President Marcos at the end of a peace ful march and demonstration the following day. In front of Malacafiang, while some professors were speaking over a jeep-borne loudspeaker, I led a group of about 20 deans and professors through the gates and into the palace reception hall, on the. invitation of the President. There we had a “confrontation” with President Marcos who was surrounded by the highest officials of the land. We presented to him the text of our Declara tion. After reading it, President Marcos demanded an explanation for the statement in the Declaration concerning the “emerging pattern of repression of the democratic rights of the peopl£” He demand- . ■. ---------------- > ,----- ----------■= - ed proof of the charges of the “politization of the meeting between an angry and intolerant Presiarmed forces” and “foreign interference in our denf a am,m national affairs” which he described as “mere generalizations.” On the issue of police brutality, . V------.............................................. he said he hacf no power to control the police e™P * °y ed 311 the gambits familiar to an experiencforces that were under the authority of the local ed debater- deluding the rule that the best defense governments. In roniw I D J x . cu 1115 Pu»us reienuessiy. out me delegation or demnncAt n aS^ * red President Marcos that the U. P. professors, far from being overawed, quickly • J Pr°fe“ors had been sponta- recovered from the initial shock of the Presidenneously organized out of genume sympathy for tial debating tactic, rallied their forces, and an their students and a deep concern over the go- swered him point for point, firmly yet respectvemment s increasing reliance on the use of vio- fully lence to stem the growing clamor for social change. * * * The Declaration was being presented to him in the hope that the brutal repression of the student demonstration of January 26 would not be re peated. When asked by President Marcos to explain latter went through the palace gates, right into the why the faculty was holding the administration sanctum sanctorum of what later turner} out to be “accounrable and responsible” for the “pattern an absolute, perpetual dictatorship. So, if you want to know where the peaceful Makati demos of office workers, young executives, and burgis intellectuals had their beginnings, you could perhaps trace these to the historic march of U. P. professors of January 29, 1970. But the JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 --------------- V— VERLTAS PAGE 5 The human factor 1 Straight from the shoulder A MELINDA QUINTOS DE JESUS LUIS D. BELTRAN Opposition demands impossible to fulfill? s The Perez calculator and the Noah Principle SURELY nothing pleases President Marcos more than to have it said by even the most well-intentioned observers that the demands of the opposi tion are impossible to fulfill. The view reflects the blinders people so readily put on when viewing Marcos and his regime of 18 years. Now instead of forcing Marcos to heed public clamor, there are those who think his critics have asked for the moon. But the conditions set forth by 29 lead ers of various political parties, movements, and citizens’ groups force the return to democratic processes as a basis for holding elections. And their position simply states that the elections can be meaningful only if substantive reforms take place that will restore and extend human rights, set limits to the president’s power to legislate, to make key appointments and to declare Martial Law. It seems obvious that without such changes the elections can only be an empty exercise, effecting nothing more than a cosmetic pretense at democracy. The primary question then is not how Marcos can implement these changes but whether Marcos should put all his resour ces to bring about these reforms. While Marcos’ loyalists insist that these requirements are unrealistic, no one has yet given any satisfactory reason why the President should continue to hold the kind of powers that contradict the point of the elections. And we don’t think any reasona ble person can without justifying Marcos as a dictator. But are these conditions really impossi ble? A FREQUENTLY heard argument against participation in voting exercises is that participation in plebiscite or election will legitimize an illegitimizedregime and constitution. Thus, don’t vote in the plebiscite of January 27 or you will legitimize the 1973 Constitu tion''under whose auspices the plebiscite will be held. After all, when we ratify an amendment to a contract, we also implicit ly ratify the contract which is being amend ed, don’t we? Again, don’t vote in the May 1984 elections because you will thereby legitimize the constitution and administra tion under whose auspices they will be held. The argument is very attractive especial ly if you are not somehow guilty of some act of legitimation. It should be less at tractive for the tainted. These include those who voted in past plebiscites, refe renda, and elections, especially those of 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1981; those who ran for office in these elections; those who have recognized the courts under the 1973 Constitution by litigating in them, even if only to ask for release on habeas corpus; those who have supported the present regime by their tax, even if it was only tra vel tax; those who have accepted employ ment in the government and government owned corporations or entered into con tracts with them. Even those who ask the President to resign implicitly acknow ledge that he is occupying a position from whifih resignation would be legally mean ingful. When you add all these up, you could have a substantial majority of the electorate. Thus, an intriguing question: how many times do you have to legitimize a consti tution before it becomes legitimate? In the electoral exercises of 1976, the legiti mation argument was used. People voted. Did that mean that legitimation succeeded? Again in 1978, in 198Q, and in 1981 ap peal was made to the legitimation argu ment; again people voted in substantial numbers. Did that mean that legitimation triumphed once again? The legitimation Most people do not have the kind of legal and constitutional know how to pres cribe the means for implementation. But common sense suggests that for the man who so craftily wrenched such radical powers from the constitution, it should be relatively simple to work out the proce dures so he can “legally” give them up. Assemblyman Francisco Tatad’s recent column in Mr. and Ms. sets forth very con crete ways of implementing the reforms. Our space does not allow us to cite them all, but the repeal to amendment 6 deserves attention. There are those even in the KBL who are of the opinion that amendment 6 ceases to be in force upon the establish ment of the new Batasan. Tatad suggests two things: submit the amendment for rati fication simultaneously with the May elec tions or the Minister of Justice could write an opinion expressing the above judgement and the President could issue his agreement in a formal statement. Simple? As with all the other conditions, the means really depends only on the Presi dent’s desire and will to examine the cove nant, he claims to hold with the people and to be faithful to it. All through the years, Marcos has had people playing the game his way, by his rules. And he has become so clever at it that he has been able to project an image that has Western observers praising his “ad herence to democratic principles” even as he exercises autocratic powers. It is time perhaps to force the man to be true to his claims. To call his bluff. To withdraw the benefit of the doubt about his real intentions. And that time is now. argument is once again being used in 1984. If people vote in droves, will the 1973 Constitution be finally legitimized? Or is that a relevant question? To my mind, it is an unrewarding ques tion. Constitutional legitimacy is not eternal verity. Constitutional legitimacy is principally a function of the system that is in power. The final arbiter of the legiti macy of a constitution of a system is the Supreme Court of the system. According to what norms? Naturally, according to the norms of the system by which the Supreme Court’s bread is buttered. The Justices of the Supreme Court swore to defend this 1973 constitution and not the 1935 constitution or the Malolos consti tution. And the constitution of a system means what the Supreme Court of that system says it means. Frustrating, yes; but that is basic constitutional dogma. Thus, arguments based on constitutional legitimacy will not get us anywhere. The real challenge is how to dismantle the structural horrors and stop the behavioral aberrations of the regime. We did finally classify the Japanese puppet republic of the 40’s as de facto merely; but only after liberation. THE other day, Local Governments Minister Jose Roho said that all the demands of the Opposition had been met and he could not understand why they were continuing to threaten to boycott the elections. 1 happened to run into one of the KBL advisers at the 365 Club and he also said that indeed all the Opposition demands had been met. “They’re unreasonable, that’s what they are”, said Gerry, the KBL adviser, “the President has already agreed to hold elec tions by district, restore the Vice-presiden cy, call for a new registration of voters, amend the Constitution, why are they still complaining? ” “Well, some of them complain that even if a National Assembly composed of Op position men were to be elected, the Presi dent still has powers under Amendment 6 of the Constitution and he could simply abolish the National Assembly.” “Well, isn’t that good? What if the As sembly degenerates into a body like the Old Congress, always, investigating. What if they started investigating the PLDT, the Meralco, the CDCP, PAL the coconut agen cies, the sugar agencies — or worse, the University of Life or The Film Center — why, our entire democratic system could be threatened. They might even try to impeach the President and that would be like trying to defrock the Pope. Definitely, the President has to make sure he can make them jobless at any time.” “W?ll, Namfrel’s Joe Concepcion says the Comelec should be reorganized and membership should be completed so they can find out why there are 1.4 million voters in Metro Manila than there are sup posed to be.” “That Concepcion, he should stick to food and air-conditioners. Why should he object if there are 1.4 million voters not accounted, for? It simply means that elec tions in Metro Manila are so exciting that even people from Ilocos Norte and Leyte vote here. Besides, the administration is trying to solve that. That’s why we have the Population Commission, to encourage family planning. In a few decades, there will be less voters.” The Opposition says the President shouldn’t be allowed to retain his power under Amendment 6 of making his own laws, because if the Assembly passed a law and the President didn’t like it, all he has to do is issue a presidential decree and re peal that law.” “Well, isn’t the Oppositiomalways ad vocating a system of checks and balances? That’s an example of a check.” “Yes, but the Batasan can’t repeal presi dential decrees.” “Well, that’s what you mean by ba lance.” “But what about the main fear of the Opposition that even if they participated in the voting, their votes might not be counted, or worse, they may be counted in favor of the KBL,” “That’s the trouble with the Opposi tion. We are already doing everything to make sure they can vote, why should they insist that the votes be counted? ” “You mean you aren’t planning to even count the votes? ” “Of course, we are. The people who will count are already being trained on the Perez calculators and the Noah principle.” “What are the Perez calculators?” “They are a New Society invention named after one of our truly great mathe maticians. They can add and multiply— but no one can make them subtract or divide?’ “What about the Noah principle of counting votes? ” “The principle is really very simple and was derived from the instructions given by the Commander-in-chief to Noah.” “Can you please summarize the Noah Principle? ” “Its really very simple: go forth and multiply.” Voting on the plebiscite questions this week is like eating durian - the first two questions on the restoration of the Vice presidency and the election of assembly men by district are the sweet meat. To get to it, however, you have to endure the terrible smell, which comes from the ques tions on urban land reform and disposal of public lands. The first two questions gives back some thing that martial law took away,4 the last two is the ammunition the KBL needs to win in Metro Manila during the May elec tions. Urban land reform and socialized hous ing- in case you were in Saudi Arabia and haven’t heard — is taking somebody’s pri vate land away and “selling” (? ) them to squatters on easy terms. How is the game going to be played in May? The Minister of Human Settlements, Mrs. Imelda Marcos, has already unfolded the scenario at the Folk Arts theater. She says she will raise P60-million to buy the land on which her ZIP projects are located, and sell them to the resident (i.e. squat ters). An example of two such ZIP projects are those within the property of the Uni versity of the Philippines in Diliman, where some 25,000 squatters have taken over some 20 hectares of land which the UP had intended for academic buildings, staff housing and dormitories. The 20 hectares have been declared ZIP projects by the Ministry of Human Settlements. Mrs. Mar cos has followed up by conceding owner ship of this land to the squatters residing on them by saying publicly that she in tends to buy the land and then resell them to the “ residents.” Okay, this will give the KBL about 5,000 votes in the UP area, but what will some 9,000 administrative personnel, 4,000 faculty members and some 35,000 stu dents and their parents say. Some of them are even boarding with these squatters because there is limited faculty housing (only 800 houses) and no new dormitory has been put up in the thirteen years that Mr. Marcos has been “reforming society and saving the Republic.” Are these squatters your destitute type from the slums, stereotyped by pictures of unkempt people wearing tattered clothes? A survey done by the University of the Philippines two years ago showed that these “squatters” hold down permanent jobs, live in well-built (even concrete) houses, own cars and appliances, take in boarders, are engaged in business etc.— in fact many are richer and have higher stand ards of living than UP professors. All Mrs. Marcos has to do is take a look at the places involved, and see if its worth sacri ficing academic programs, student dormi tories and educational facilities— just to get a few more votes. Incidentally, Mrs. Marcos came to the UP in August, 1981 together with High ways Minister Jesus Hipolito and Deputy Minister Jolly Benitez. At that time, she ordered the building of new dormitories for UP students. If she takes out her two year old newspaper clippings, she will see the pictures. Not of the dormitories — but of the Promising of them. And where are the dorms? In the Promised Land, probably. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: From Central Bank Governor Jose B. Fernandez on why the negotiations for re-scheduling the fo reign debt might take some time: “This is not like going up to a bar and ordering a drink.” Absolutely right, Jobo. At a bar, they don’t ask you if you have money to pay for your drinks. And they don’t ask if you can add or subtract. And the bartender acts as if he believes you if you tell him you have $600-million more where tliat came from. At the Malacafiang clinic recently, rural health doctors were given a lecture by a Malacafiang physician on what was good-for their health. “Remove the word YELLOW from your vocabulary and ANG BAYAN KO from the list of songs you know”, thundered the Malacafiang doctor. MATION________________________ VERITAS ? JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984' FAGE_6 INTERVIEW: AGAPITO BUTZ’ AQUINO / ‘I didn’t want anyone to say that I organized v KOMPIL to promote my personal ambitions’ AT THE Ateneo where he went to college, Agapito “Butz” Aquino had dim ples that could make the coeds swoon, and a soulful look that could make them melt. Today, five months after his brother was gunned down on the airport tarmac, the dimples have become fatigue lines, and the soulful look is framed by crow’s feet around his eyes. Today, also, this businessman-turnedactor-turned crusader is playing the most important role of his life, not for laughs or for kicks, as before, but for keeps. He wants to make sure that Ninoy did not give up his life fruitlessly, that by his dying, he would give his countrymen a new life in freedom. In the beginning, as Ninoy lay in state in his Times Street house, Butz’s goal was much more modest Like his mother, Dona Aurora, all he wanted was to let the world know what “they” had done to him. And so, with a few friends, he started planning the funeral route to give the largest possible number a chance to pay their final tribute to the fallen man. "Do you think we can get 20,000 to line the route?” Butz asked anxiously. When two million turned out, and when the controlled media chose to treat the event with a deafening silence, when people he did not even know started going to Butz to express their shock and outrage, when he realized that, throughout the land, only the voice of Radio Veritas was daring the people to listen, he began to see the situation in a new light. “I saw the outpouring of grief and anger,” he told Veritas in an interview held at his office in Makati, “and I realized they could be har nessed to bring about what Ninoy came back . for.” And, realizing this, he resolved to devote all his energies, all his waking hours, to give bone and sinew to the slogan just when gaining wide acceptance: ‘‘Ninoy, hindi ka nag-iisa. ” In the beginning, his efforts were diffuse: marching in a rally here, speaking at a college convocation there, perorating at a meeting somewhere else. The response of the crowds was exhilirating and heady. It gave him a big lift hearing his brother’s name being chanted every where, seeing him hailed as the new national hero. But, in the silence of his room at night, as he tossed restlessly in bed, sleep eluding him be cause he was so bone-tired, Butz started having serious thoughts. After the rain of yellow con fetti what? After the rally fever had subsided, after the last slogan had been shouted, what will have been accomplished? \ “I saw how disunited the various opposition groups were,” he said. “I saw also how they were united only in their common desire to see the Marcos rule ended. But they were working at cross-purposes, there was no unity in their methodology. And I said to myself, something has to be done. We should decide who should take over.” And that was how the Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino, now better known as KOMPIL, was bom. As he envisioned it, KOMPIL would be a multi-sectoral aggrupation of political parties, civic organizations and concerned citizens who would address the question: is there life after • Marcos? And they would do this in a two-day consultative congress which would be held in early January at the Ateneo covered courts in Quezon City. People whom he approached for support of the idea, Butz admitted, were frankly skepti cal. “What good would come out of a dialogue among people who are meeting each other for the first time?” they asked. But he persisted. And when he said that the congress should select 15 “alternative names” who could take over after Marcos departs from the scene, the skepticism grew even more. The experienced politicians said it would never work. Butz listened to everybody - he had, after all, promised he would keep an open mind be cause he was, quite frankly, a tyro in politics and he needed the valuable advice of the ex perts - and reserved his judgment. When he finally decided to go ahead, he put everything into the effort And he infected all his co-workers - volunteers, all of them - with his enthusiasm. But, as the date of the congress loomed ever nearer, their nerves got frazzled. The tensions increased, and everyone was highstrung. “No one is permitted to get sick,” he told his group with a wry grin. The quip dissolved the tension, and it was all systems go. In retrospect, despite the inevitable snags that blight such gatherings (misplaced registra tion forms, insufficient food trays, etc.), the congress was a howling success. It attracted peo ple from all over, including some from the Muslim areas. It arrived at a consensus of alter native leaders as varied in background as Enrique Zobel, the business tycoon, arid Jose Ma. Sison, the Communist party head now languishing in durance vile. Butz beamed as he went over the roster, a roster so distinguished that it sounds like a who’s who of Philippine politics, even of Philippine so ciety. “It was democracy in action,” he said as he recited the names of those in the magic circle, names like Laurel, Diokno, Tafiada, Rodrigo, evenSin. ---- -----By ROCHITTANEDO Butz Aquino: “Ninoy came not in the spirit of confrontation.” In fact, the only name that was conspicuously missing was that of Aquino himself. But Butz had a ready explanation for that one. “I made it clear that I did not wish to be included,” he said. “I didn’t want anyone to say that I organized the KOMPIL to promote my personal ambitions.” He did say that his ambition right now is to see the diverse political groups united so that they can present a common front. This ambi tion - if we are to judge from the full-page adver tisement published recently - may already have been realized. The advertisement, coming in the form of an appeal “for meaningful elections,” contains the signatures of the heads of various groups - UNIDO, Liberal Party, COMPACT, JAJA, to mention only a few — and adopts a uniform stand vis-a-vis the May 14 elections. The leaders - and they include two Aquinos this time, Butz and Cory, Ninoy’s widow - asked the President to accede to certain demands — the release of political prisoners, the appointment of additional Comelec commissioners, the lifting of the sus pension of the writ of habeas corpus, the relin quishing of his extraordinary power to issue decrees, the compiling of a new voters’ list. If these demands are granted, they said, they would participate in the May election. If not, they would boycott. The fact that the opposition groups, hitherto believed to be hopelessly and irreconcilably frag mented, have joined hands and presented a united front, Butz is convinced, has made “Mar cos vulerable.” And this, he added, “is a victory in itself.” Just five months ago, when Butz’s world was circumscribed by his business (an automotive agency, fiberglass furniture) and his stage acting, LETTER A question of honor THE President stated that the assassi nation of Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. was a national shame. Since his assassina tion was executed while he was in the cus tody of, and being escorted by, elements of AVSECOM, a unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the reputation and image of the AFP has been seriously affected and blemished. This stigma has naturally tain ted the reputation of not only officers and men in the active service, but also those who have given their lifetime service to the nation and are now in retirement. The fa milies of these officers and men so affect ed share in this unfortunate situation. If investigative bodies and individuals believe that by covering or shielding those responsible for such a tragedy are doing the AFP a favor, they are entirely wrong. The day he was interviewed, he had to rush to. the airport to fulfill a speaking engagement in Masbate. Then he had to rush back to Makati to address a rally at Ugarte Field. And, in the eve ning, he had to meet his daughter’s classmates at the UP School of Business Administration and brief them on the current situation. He expresses amazement over the fact that he seems to be in such high demand as a speaker at rallies nationwide. But those who have heard him do not share that amazement. They say that Butz has the same spell-binding quality that Ni noy had, and they point to the fact that in Leyte, which by any yardstick can be described only aS “enemy territory,” he kept a crowd of some 30,000 asking for mare. Butz does look like Ninoy in many ways. He may be leaner, but the family resemblance is unmistakable. Dona Aurora, in the widely cir culated Betamax film on Ninoy, “Eleven Days in August,” adverted to this similarity. She said that the airport crowd waiting to welcome Ninoy on August 21, shocked into silence when news of the assassination reached them, suddenly perked up when Butz showed up. “They thought that he was Ninoy and that the news of the assas sination was not true,” she said. The resemblance is more than skin-deep. In their bubbling personality, thetf outgoing atti tude, their gift of gab, they are very much alike. But their communion is complete in their adhe rence to the ideal of national reconciliation. “Ninoy came, not in the spirit of confronta tion, but of reconciliation,” Butz told Veritas. “He did not believe in violence. And those of us 'who are left to carry on, we can do no less.” It is incredible how a man can age so fast One has heard of people turning grey overnight, For so long as those responsible, regardless of who they are, are not exposed, tried and punished, all other members of the AFP, especially the officers and men who risk and even lose their lives almost daily in the different fronts in defense of our coun try, will always carry that stigma so un fairly attached to them on that fateful day of 21 August 1983. ” It is, therefore, the awesome duty of any Fact Finding Commission or investi gative body, as well as eye-witnesses, civi lian and military, to lift that stigma resting so heavily on the AFP. ’On their con sciences lie such a heavy responsibility that will haunt them the rest of their lives if they do not act true to their oaths. Unless this is done it may be difficult to restore the much weakened confidence of the ind this is almost true in Butz’s case. People re mark how much he has aged in five months. But he also says that he has never felt better in his life. Perhaps this is because he knows he is not alone in what he is fighting for. The Aquinos, for one, have rallied behind him solidly in stand ing fast on KOMPIL> demands. “If the six de mands are met, the whole family will campaign for participation; if not, everyone of them will campaign vigorously, and I say vigorously for a massive boycott. After all, we are fully prepared either way.” Butz’s hectic schedule shows his determina tion to spread the demands of KOMPIL. “I be lieve these demands are the people’s demands.” And it seems that almost everyone has joined cause with Butz: business, the Church, the farm ers, students, laborers are all agreed that the battle is still far from over and that rallying be hind KOMPIL could yet be the best weapon to pursue the struggle for freedom. few would have dreamed that the debonair man about-town wouuld undergo such a magical trans formation within so short a time. He remembers, with quiet embarrassment, that he was so “unpoliticized” that he didn’t even know what “salvaging” meant. When he was told that that was what had been done to his brother, he began his re-education. Today, much of the flamboyance and the ebullience that he had been known for has gone. In their place has come an unobtrusive self-confi dence, a quiet determination to work for the cause. He has little time for his business now, and ' no time at all for his acting, but he grows more ’ and more convinced that he has found new mean ing and purpose in his life. people on its Armed Forces. Lt. Gen. Jesus Vargas (Ret.), Brig. Gen. Luis A. Villareal (Ret.), Col. Fran cisco R. Isidoro (Ret.), Brig. Gen. Dionisio S. Ojeda AFP (Ret.), Brig. Gen. Simplicio F. Rivera (Ret.), Brig. Gen. Aristeo T. Feraren (Ret.), Brig. Gen. Restituto B. Sarcos (Ret.), Col. D.C. Victoria (Ret.), Maj. Gen. Antonio de Veyra (Ret.), Maj. Gen. Daniel G. Lopa (Ret.), Brig. Gen. Crispino de Castro, AFP (Ret.), Col. Constancio R. Velasco, AFP (Ret.), Col. Jose R. Austria (Ret.), Col. Salvador C. Medina (Ret.), Col. Alberto Cruz (Ret.), Col. Antonio N. Moreno, Col. Ramon P. Men doza, Col. Arturo Prudencio, Brig. Gen. Albert B. Friedlander AFP (Ret.), Com modore Simeon B. de Castro (Ret.), Col. Marcial Moral (Ret.), Col. Agustin M. Miciano (Ret.), Col. Luis Rivera (Ret.), Col. Adamin A. Tallow (Ret.), Col. H.B. Tuazon (Ret.), Col. Godofredo Juliano (Ret.), Brig. Gen. Ramon Z. Aguirre (Ret.), Col. Florentino Cuaresma (Ret.), Col. Leonardo Mayuga, and Co!. Juan Arroyo (Ret.). PAGE 7 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 VERUAS NATION LP SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS: S y Presidential decrees, proclamations, etc., make ‘84 elections meaningless BRIEFING POST ABRAHAM Sarmiento, Secretary-General of the Liberal Party, revealed in a forum last Saturday that President Marcos’ produc tion of issuances totalled approximately 1,915, far exceeding the 1,200 acts and resolutions of the Ba tasang Pambansa over a sixyear period. “The coming elections are absolutely meaningless because of Amendment No. 6," said Sarmiento, a staunch advocate of the “militant but peaceful al ternative" boycott. “Amendment No. 6 proclaimed to be in full force and effect on Octo ber 27, 1976 by Proclama tion 1595 negated the lawmaking power granted to the Batasang Pambansa by Amendment No. 1,” Sar miento pointed out. “The latter abolished the already existing but unconvened Interim Batasang Pamban sa mandated by the 197 3 Constitution. Thus, to all legal intents and purposes, the^97^ Amendments 4981 Section anomalies: NO WONDER people are loathe or hesitant to go to the palls, because they know the results of past elections have not always truly reflected the popular wilL Such past exercises were marred by anomalies, fraud and cheating, promptting people to ask, “Will the coming plebiscite and the Batasan elections in Maj be dean, honest and orderly as elections should be?” Below are -examples of anomalies, irregularities add' voter intimidation in the June 16,1981 presiden tial elections. • Presidential Decree * * Nos. 1296 and 1052 inti midated voters by compel ling them to participate in the polls or risk imprison ment from one to six months, disqualification from holding public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage for six years. • Presidential Decree No. 1053 warned that those who did not vote would either be jailed or placed under house arrest, be obliged to render ma nual labor in government projects or report daily to . the local police chief for the duration of the sen• In Tondo, Manila, 16 public utility jeepneys. 2 p.m.' a At Tones High School in Tondo, the re sults of the balloting were prepared while votes were still being tallied. • Blank ballots were filled up by barangay tanods in Bago Bantay and Old Balara, both in Quezon City. • At the National Housing Authority voting center in Caloocan City, ah unidentified man was seen filling up blank ballots earlier opened by KBL poll watchers at around 4:30 p.m. • In Pasig, ballots with “Marcos” written on them were distributed in batches of 50 in each of the 45 precincts of Sta. Lu cia Elementary School. • Tandang Sora High SchooL Caloocan City - is not more than 24 hec tares. d) Private corporations or associations may rent develop or be permitted to use forest lands with a size of not more than 1,000 hectares. The area, however, may be increas ed by the Batasang Pam bansa upon the recom mendation of the National Economic and Develop ment Authority. The State shall imple ment an agrarian reform program wherein public lands shall be distributed to qualified tenants, far mers and others landless citizens in accordance with limitations set by law. Urban Land Reform and Social Housing Program The State shall under take an urban land reform and social housing program to give deserving landless, homeless or not properly sheltered low income re sident citizens opportunity to acquire land and decent . ,-.J .#itw several private vehicles were seen taking nonTondo voters to different polling centers to vote. • At the Manilas Chapel and the Manilas Elemen tary School in Caloocan City, people not listed as registered allowed teams i marked ■ Marcos ------ --------Movement of North Metro Manila” ferried these Voters. The same was ob served in East Bagong Bar rio and Grace Park districts of the citv. • In Pasig, a group of military men was seen voting repeatedly at Pre cincts 2 and 3 of the Orambo Elementary School, using certificates issued by barangay officials and in voking some “special or der.” • The use of dubious certificates and names from barangay captains allowing just about any body to cast his ballot was rampant in Pasigjn Baran gay Bagong Ilog, Ador Re yes, a Radio Veritas re porter who questioned this procedure on election day, was roughed up by Mayor Emiliano Caruncho Jr. and „ r_________ , his policcmen-bodyguards. three military jeeps and Volunteers reported PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION MILLIONS of Fili pinos are expected to troop to the polls this Friday to decide whe ther or not the pro posed amendments to the Constitution should be adopted. However, provisions embodied in the proposals are still "hot too clear in many people’s minds. As a public service, Veritas ■is printing the provi sions in detail. Representation to the Batasang Pam bansa The two hundred mem bers of the Batasang Pam bansa shall include: a) re presentatives elected either by the different provinces, highly urbanized cities, or districts of Metro-Manila; b) elected ot selected re presentatives of different sectors like the youth, labor, and other sectors, and c) members of the , Cabinet appointed by the First Regular session - 35 statutes 13 resolutions; Second Regular Session - 44 statutes 20 resolutions; I voters were to vote. Four using vehicles with ‘President for Re-election President to the Batasang Pambansa. Presidential Succes sion A Vice-President shall be elected at the same time with the President. The manner of election and removal from office, as well as the length of stay in office, of the Pre sident and the Vice-Presi dent are the same. During the presidential elections, a vote for the President shall automati cally be a vote also for the Vice-President running un der the same ticket or party. In case the President can no longer do his duties for some reason or ano ther, the Vice President shall become President. If both the President and the Vice-President can not do the work of the President, the Batasang Pambansa shall decide on who will be President. In the event that a va cancy of the O.’fice of the President o<f’vc;s, , before,, lands By ROCHIT TANEDO Third Regular Session - 49 statutes, 18 resolutions; Third Regular Session, with the BP sitting as a Constituent assembly - 4 resolutions; First Special Sessiori - 2 resolutions; Fourth Regular Session, Second Special Session - 101 laws and 27 resolu tions; Fifth Regular Ses sion - 410 laws and 44 resolutions. There are eight ways by which presidential en actment can become law and these are: through pre sidential decrees, letters of instructions, letters of au thority, letters of imple mentation, general orders and proclamations, admi nistrative orders and exe cutive orders. The first five are martial law innova tions. Sarmineto said there are no distinctions and differences among the eight presidential issuances ac cording to the 1973 Con stitution. To be included in the list are the memoByGIGIOYOG that policemen, Metrocom troopers, barangay offi cials, and various members of barangay brigades open ly campaigned for Marcos in all voting centers men tioned. e Marcos sample bal lots, the only sample bal lots in circulation, at voting centers, were openly distri buted and precincts were saturated with Marcos pos ters at the Pio del Pilar Elementary SchooL the P. Burgos, Emilio Jacinto and Hizon elementary schools, and Villamor and Quirino high schools, all in Manila. e Policemen, both in uniform and in plain clothes, barangay tanods arid noto rious military agents were seen threatening or other wise pressuring voters at the precincts of the Juan Sumulong, Pio del Pilar, and P. Burgos elementary schools and Villamor High SchooL all in Manila. a e Metrocom operatives campaigned for Marcos at the UP Elementary School in Diliman. • At the Manila Sci ence High School in Ma nila, Kabataang Barangay poll watchers accompanied voters and were campaign ing even inside poll booths. „. • „A! ,th.e ViUamor acnooi, vaioocan vny - High Schoo in Sta. Ana, ' ballot boxes were opened the principal posted a me- and contents were examthe presidential elections in 1987, the Speaker of the Batasang Pambansa shall act as President until a President shall have been eleoted during a special presidential election Distribution of Pub lic Lands The Batasang Pambansa shall decide the size of public lands which may be acquired by any qualified individual, corporation or association under the fol lowing conditions: a) Private corporations or associations may only acquire public lands declar ed as alienable or non forest areas by renting it for a fixed period of time. The size of the land shall not be more than one thousand hectares. b) Any Filipino citizen may rent alienable lands for a specified period of time as long as the size of the land is not more than five indred hectares. i Any Filipino citizen may own public alienable randum circulars and me morandum orders. “Volume 74, No. 76, of the Official Gazette dated September 4, 1978, pages 7004-J to 7004-Y tells us that on June 11, 1978, or one day before the. start of the regular session of the Interim Ba tasang Pambansa, President Marcos enacted or issued' more than 160 presiden tial decrees,” SarmjMlfo" explained. “He wM'not to issue PD No. 1604 grant ing franking privilege to members of the BP until July 21, 1978, or 40 days after the June 11, 1978 production of more than 160 decrees. At the time, of the issuance of PD 1604 on July 21, 1978, the Ba tasan nad not yet come up Sa single law. Batas ansa No. 1, the Apiations Act for 1979, was not approved until August 1978, but was of ficially gazetted only on December 27,1982.” The number of presi dential issuances are but A reprise in’84? morandum threatening people to vote or face im prisonment of six years, much longer term than what PD No. 1296 pre scribes. • At St. Scholastica’s College in Malate, precincts opened with 1,144 regis tered voters but the number.was increased to 1,728 by mid-day. • Of 32 ballot boxes assigned to 25 precincts, 'J nJ an estimate because of the many gaps in our law, said Sarmiento, Administrative Orders 380 to 433 are missing. “Besides, the num ber has, in all probability, grown.- We have relied on issuances as published in the Official Gazette, but the issuance of a decree, for example, its publica tion in the Official Gazette, but the issuance of a dec fee, for example, its pub lication in the Official Gazette, is an entirely dif ferent matter. To date, the last Official Gazette released to the Sarmiento Law Office was dated Oc tober 24, 1983. The No vember 1983 and succeed ing issues include a pro clamation with a number higher than 2296, Adminis trative Order 446, and Executive Order 904.” “In view of all this, Sarmiento concluded, the elections this year are meaningless, the Batasan Pambansa being merely a useless, expensive and ob sequious second 1 e g i slature.” ined. Laban watchers were forced to leave. e Mandaluyong Elem entary School - ready-made ballots were already inside ballot boxes. e Precinct 14, Poblacion, Makati - votes writ ten in pencil were erased and changed.' e Kamuning Elemen tary School, QC - count ing was left to KBL watch ers while Laban watchers were forced to leave. Nate: The preceding data were lifted from the re ports prepared by Peo- ' pie’s Mind and the Citi zens’ National Commit tee on Referanda, Ple biscites, and Elections (CINACORPE). Elegant Dining Durable narra rendered in classic oriental lines. In natural lacquer finish. Reg. Now Table P4.600 P4.140 Host chair 1,435 1.290 Side chair 1,305 1,175 We also have rattan and bentwood furniture! SOARING INFLATION RATE The country’s highest inflation rate recorded since 1975 was posted at 26.1 per cent last month, accor ding to a report submitted to the Monetary Board late last week by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The report showed that the country’s inflation rate started to climb by late October when the Philippines declared a moratorium on debt payment The deva luation of the peso in October also helped to spur inflation, the report said. MORE LAY-OFFS With the labor sector still reeling from the impact of the economic crisis spawned by the rash of events which closely followed the airport killing of former Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., 110 companies are re portedly preparing to lay off about 68,000 workers in the next few months. These firms are scheduled to either shut down or suspend normal operations because of difficulties in getting vital raw materials abroad. Another 38,000 workers will also be affected by production slow downs in some 122 firms, according to a survey con ducted by the Employers Confederation of the Phil ippines. PVTA ANOMALY An anomaly involving millions of pesos was re cently unearthed in the Philippine Virginia Tobacco Administration (PVTA) in which high-ranking officials have been accused of misappropriating funds of the tobacco firm which has assets totalling P81,378,486. PVTA sources revealed that most of the PVTA’s money have been placed in the money market, time deposits and in other banking institutions by highlyplaced officials of the firm. The same sources said that these' officials used. PVTA funds in business deals which are specifically prohibited under the tobacco firm’s charter. GRANT THEM, PLEASE Cagayan de Oro City was the scene last January 18 of an emergency meeting by the PDP-Laban’s national executive committee calling on President Marcos to grant the six points being asked by various opposition parties, movements, and organizations to insure clean and honest elections in May. Mayor Aquilino PimenteL Jr., who is still under . house arrest, said that if Marcos is sincere about hold ing clean and honest elections, he should grant these demands. Former Tarlac Congressman Jose S. Cojuangco added that “unless the credibility of the democratic processes is restored, our country’s state of crisis can only worsen.” WORKERS’ MARCH MOVED A lot of people thought that the workers’ rally last J anuary 22 simply fizzled out, but the Kilusang Mayo Uno says it has simply been moved to February 5, also at the Liwasang Bonifacio at 3 p.m. Called the “Poverty and Unemployment Rally,” the march is aimed at protesting the widespread po verty besetting Filipino workers and the people at large, massive unemployment and lay-offs, low wages, the high cost of commodities and the continued sup pression of workers’ democratic rights. I.YIMHIT WAR1JIOUST FURNmjPEGAUfFY corner Meralco Ave. and Gen. Atienza JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 VHQIAS PAGE 9 Will the peso be devalued further? THE QUESTION of whether the peso will be devalued further is being raised by everyone these days. Although the ques tion is deceptively simple, there is unfortu nately no simple answer. My own response to the question is that there is no economic reason for a further devaluation at this time, but unless public confidence in the present exchange rate is established and maintained, it will not be possible to prevent further repeated deva luations in the future. Each time the peso has been devalued in the past, we have been given the usual eco nomic reasons by our financial authorities, namely, that the “price” of foreign ex change has to be increased in order to cor rect our balance of payments deficits by encouraging exports and capital inflows on the one hand, and by discouraging imports and capital outflows on the other hand. Considering, however, that the peso had just been devalued to Pl l/$ 1.00 as recent ly as June 23 for these very reasons, it is obvious that the further devaluation to P14/$ 1.00 on October 5 was different from the usual exercise because it was pre cipitated by factors other than the usual economic problems. (See related story on page 12) I In fact, the government itself publicly I admitted at the time, that the October 5 I devaluation was intended to stem the rapid deterioration in our foreign exchange rer serves due to “massive capital flight” in the wake of the Aquino assassination. What the government failed to admit publicly until three months later, however, was that the capital flight was not as massive as had been originally reported because $600 mil lion of our reserves never left the country after all - the amount was not there to be gin with! (The Central Bank had been “window-dressing” its foreign exchange re serves for some time by swapping pesos for By JAIME V. ONGPIN short-term dollars on deposit with PNB; but somewhere along the way, the windowdressing turned to outright fraud when $600 million of these deposits were no longer with PNB but CB continued to reflect this amount as part of its reserves! ) While it is now clear that the post-assas sination capital flight was overstated by $600 million, it is also clear that our for eign exchange reserves were overstated by the same amount. Which is like saying that our problem is not so much massive hemor rhaging as it is chronic anemia (complica ted by a pathological lack of integrity). Notwithstanding the peculiarities cited above, however, the fact remains that the magnitude of the capital flight since August 21 has been severe, and that speculative pressure on the peso has intensified even more despite (and perhaps partly because of) tha. October 5 devaluation. The black market premium over the official ex change rate had been approximately 20 per cent before October 5; by November-December the premium had increased to 50 per cent and cur rently it is around 60 per cent. What is causing such heavy pressure on the official exchange rate? More importantly, will a further deva luation at this time relieve this heavy pressure'.^ 1 submit that there are two principal factors behind the extraordinary pressure on the ex change rate as manifested by the present 60 per cent premium for black market dollars. The first of these is the fundamental law of supply and demand, i.e., there are far too few dollars avail able at the official exchange rate to satisfy even “normal” demand because of the CB debt mora torium and suspension of all foreign trade fin ancing. In addition, the supply of dollars from exports has been below normal since the October devaluation because more than a few exporters are probably trying to maximize their peso pro fits by holding back in one form or another in anticipation of a further devaluation. To com pound the problem, importers and virtually everyone else who have pesos to spare are buying dollars on the black market on the premise that the exchange rate can only get worse but not any better in the future. Thus, we have the worst possible situation where the price (i.e., the black market rate) for a scarce commodity (i.e., dol lars) is being pushed up simultaneously by an abnormal contraction in supply and an abnormal intensification of demand. The second factor behind the pressure on the exchange rate is lack of confidence in CB’s abi lity to defend the present rate. It is apparent to everyone including the CB that we simply do not have adequate foreign exchange reserves at present with which to defend the P14/$1.00 official rate, or any other rate for that matter. And until such time as the CB is able to resche dule our foreign debts, restore normal trade fin ancing, and obtain new loans to rebuild our international reserves, this situation will not change. Given the foregoing factors, common sense should tell us that there would be no point what soever in devaluing the peso further at this time. In fact, to devalue at tins time would only aggra vate rather than alleviate our problems. To begin with, such a move would only serve to reward currency speculators by proving they were right all along, and this in turn would provoke even greater speculation in the future against the new official rate, no matter how high that new rate is raised. Even more importantly, a further devalua tion would inflict increasingly painful and per haps unacceptable social costs upon those who are least able to afford such costs at a time when the population is already reeling not only from severe inflation due to the last two devaluations, but also from widespread unemployment due to the unavailability of imported raw materials. What is needed most at this critical time is to persuade exporters who may have been stock piling finished goods, delaying shipments, post poning collections or undervaluing their exports to place the national interest above their own by resuming normal transaction levels. If normal ex port levels can be quickly restored, the effect will be to increase the supply of official foreign ex change and thereby enable CB to ease the pres sure by making more dollars available to those who have the greatest need. CB has complete his torical records of every exporter’s transactions prior to the October devaluation, and it should not be too difficult to identify and “persuade” those who have been holding back to forego their short-term gains in favor of everyone’s long-term benefit, including their own. Reducing imports, while equally important, is not a problem at the moment because the debt moratorium has virtually resulted in the suspen sion of all importations except for the barest essentials to keep the economy from grinding to a complete halt. Once conventional trade fin ancing is resumed, however, it will be imperative to devise effective measures to ensure that the overall level of imports is kept within our limited means. For this purpose, I would favor a twotier exchange system whereby exports, essential imports and capital transfers would be transacted at a fixed exchange rate, but all other imports and payments would be transacted at free market Under a two-tier system, the CB would handle all transactions at the official rate, and the com mercial banks would handle all transactions at free market rates, using dollars supplied by CB. Among other things, the latter procedure would render black market operators largely super fluous, and the enormous profits from free mar ket dollar sales would then be realized by CB which could eventually reallocate such profits for more productive purposes. It has been said repeatedly that a two-tier system would never work in this country because such a system would be vulnerable to bureaucra tic corruption. Considering our track record and demonstrated “ingenuity” however, I challenge anyone to come up with any system in this coun try that would be invulnerable to corruption. In any event, a two-tier system would at least make it possible to keep domestic inflation and prices for essential goods within reasonable bounds, whereas a completely free float of the exchange rate, given the present abnormal levels of supply and demand for dollars, would only wreak into lerable havoc on an already beleaguered consuIn the meantime, what else can be done to es tablish confidence in the present exchange rate? The recent appointment of a new CB governor who is widely respected both here and abroad is certainly a step in the right direction. And the new governor’s recent public statements that the present exchange rate will remain at P14/$ 1.00 are likewise helpful. What would even be more helpful, if it could be arranged, would be a public statement from the IMF itself that it is not advo cating a further devaluation of the peso at this time, if that is in fact IMF’s position. While we realize that it is not normal proce dure for the IMF to make such public statements, the present circumstances in the Philippines are hardly normal, to say the least, and an an nouncement from IMF would certainly go a long way to relieving the artificial and intense pres sures on the peso at this critical time. The fact is, whether we like it or not, the average Filipino will not believe sflch a statement from his own government, but he will probably believe it if it comes from the IMF. ✓Government ‘killing’ export trade By EFREN L. DANAO THE government is killing export trade al though everybody ag rees that it is vital to Philippine economy, a leading exporter said re cently. Nemesio Co, presi dent of the Confedera tion of Philippine Ex porters (COPE), told members of the Philip pine Economic Society that the gains brought about by the Oct. 5 de valuation of the peso have been eaten up by the ensuing cost in creases. Co cited the imposi tion of export taxes and the increase in the interest rates of export loans as the measures that are “killing the goose that lays the gol den eggs.” He said that the in terest rates on export loans in the Philippines are higher than those in Taiwan, Malaysia, Ko rea, Indonesia, Singa pore, and Thailand. “We must take into account that these neighboring countries in the region are produc ing practically the same products as we do and -sell to the,same markets that we cater to. “Everything being equal, except for the taxes that we pay and our interest rates being the highest, we can ne ver make a go of it. What is happening right now is that they are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs,” Co emphasized. He questioned the government line that the export taxes and in creased interest rates on export loans have been imposed “to curtail in flation.” “Is it inflationary to maintain lower costs for exports? I will agree if the end products are consumed locally. How ever, we are talking here of production for the world market!” he argued. “The g overnment should suspend all these export taxes which, ac cording to our techno crats, are for the wind fall profits exporters are getting because of the peso devaluation. The assumption of a windfall profit is a total misconception because the gains brought by the Oct. 5 devaluation have been eaten up by the ensuing cost in creases,” he added. He Criticised t h e Central Bank for in creasing the interest rates on export loans. “The Central Bank seems to be overpro tecting the commercial banks at the expense of exporters who are sweating it put in con trast with the bankers who just stay inside their beautiful offices surrounded by the pret tiest secretaries in town,” Co said. Co also proposed the eliminations of red tape and the giving of higher priority in dollar allocation for raw ma terial importations by export industries. “Since this is an ab normal situation as claimed by our techno crats, we should remove all barriers and red tape connected with the outshipment of goods. We should do away with the regular forms and just have one requiring a single signature,” he proposed. He deplored the fact that the orientation of the Philippine economy has always been toward importation. “It should be other wise now,” he stated, adding, “A d r a s t i c change in orientation is what we need. “We must increase produc tivity to a greater deg ree of self-reliance, thus limiting our craving for imported goods. At the same time, we must focus our eyes on the world market to find out what other things we can supply out of their normal require ments of goodsand ser vices,” he said. He said that the change in orientation may be achieved through education, re vision of government policies and practices, concentration on agri based industries rather than on a massive in dustrialization program, a more realistic export marketing strategy, and increased efficiency of labor. “Our desire to change our orientation can only be realized if we educate our chil dren that way. Produc tivity and world trade should be made a basic part of the curricu lum,” he said. Turning to govern ment policies and prac tices, Co said that these should be revised “to make them more adap table to our expanded trading operations with the world.” “Competition from government agencies or government-controlled corporations should not be tolerated,” he em phasized. He voiced approval of the attention being given to the promotion of seven non-traditional products which have the highest export po tentials. “On the market side, concentration must be given to those coun tries where we have the biggest deficit at the moment. As a general rule, these countries should be buying more from us since thdy de luge us with their pro ducts. We can even pro bably apply barter ar rangements in this re gard,” he said. “Labor must he made more efficient. Our come-on to foreign investors is that labor here is very cheap. This is a misconception. Once you start analyz ing productivity and efficiency vis-a-vis the cost, you end up not getting any bargain,” he argued. He said that even training on labor effi ciency may not be enough “since the pro blem is mainly attitu dinal.” Co suggested an exchange program or hiring of some foreign technicians to change the wrong attitude to ward labor efficiency. “A drastic change in our orientation cannot be achieved overnight. It may take a lifetime to achieve this change, but we must start NOW,” he concluded. BUSiwbSS VESTAS JAN. 29-FEB. 4,1984 PAGE 10 Local industries last priority for forex THE ESSENTIAL domestic industries is the sector that has been most affected by the present economic crisis. To us in industry, our survival is at stake. Every day of delay in our ability to import our raw materials means huge losses, while our factories and workers remain idle. Had we been warned about the situation, perhaps it could have been easier for us to face such problems. But I guess it is typical for us, Filipi nos, not to act on a problem until it has grown out of propor tion. Thus, we take measures to avert a disaster when we are already faced with it and not while we are still not directly affec ted by it. I think this is what happened to us as re gards our balance of payments problem. Our government officials knew that the crisis was forthcoming but they preferred to keep the matter to themselves. It was only on Aug. 20 when Philippine Cham ber of Commerce and Industry officials had a dialog with Prime Minis ter Virata that we real ized the seriousness of our problem. At that time, we were told that our foreign exchange receipts were not suffi cient to cover our for eign exchange obliga tions and that unless something was done about the situation, we would be in real trouble. What happened on We take measures to avert disaster only when we are already facing it and not while we are not yet directly affected by it. Aug. 21 aggravated the situation. As explained to us by the Prime Minister, the termina tion of bank lines acce lerated and shortened maturities such that by October, the balance BUSINESS EXPRESS The inflation rate last December was 26.1 per cent, the highest since 1975, the National Economic Development Authority reported. * * * Central Bank Gov. Jose Fernandez echoed official denials of another peso devaluation. * * * The Philippines’ first importation of whale meat to Japan has been im pounded by Japan. The whales reportedly belonged to an endangered spe cies whose hunting has been banned. * ♦ ♦ Labor Minister Blas Ople said that some 68,000 workers may lose their jobs during the first three months of 1984. * * * President Marcos has ordered the Ministry of Trade and Industry to prose cute profiteering suppliers of raw materials needed by export manufac turers. * * * The government is asking for a new $165 million loan from foreign banks for the Bataan nuclear plant. ♦ * * Total paidup capital investments in 1983 was P4.789 billion, down by 14.8 per cent from 1982’s PS .62 billion, the Securities and Exchange Com mission reported. ♦ ♦ • The government will closely monitor garment exports to check dollar salting. * * * Firms registered with the Board of Investments found guilty of overpric ing, hoarding or profiteering would lose all fiscal incentives from the go vernment, Trade Minister Roberto Ongpin warned. By FELIX K. MARAMBA, JR. of payments deficit had already exceeded $2 billion. Capital outflow amounting to about $800 million resulted in an unmanageable li quidity position. The result was that letters of credits could not be opened and some which were opened were not honored by banks ab road. Confidence in the Philippine banking sys tem reached a new low. Interest rates started shooting up. Inflation crept in. The net re sult practically crip pled our nortnal ope rations. After our Aug. 20 dialog with Prime Minis ter Virata where he called on private sector assistance to solve the problem, the PCCI im mediately organized the Balance of Payments Task Force. Through a series of consultations with in dustry association pres idents and the 25 in dustry sectors, four measures were adopted to alleviate the prob lem. These are: 1. A voluntary 15 per cent cutback on imports by firms. 2. An increase in the marginal deposit for importations. 3. Submission to BOI/MT of a list of locally manu factured items to the end that im portations of nonessential consumer items locally avail able be suspended. 4. To allow domestic industries which had never export ed to earn their foreign exchange requirement for the importation of their raw mate rial requirements to the extent of their cutback. Although Central Bank and MTI favor ably considered our re commendations, we soon found out that these were not enough. In a meeting with the BAP on Nov. 15, it was apparent that cutbacks will have to be in creased to 20 per cent for highly essential items and 50 per cent for all others. Obviously, due to the acute shortage of Only $70 million has been allocated for imports and this is not enough. foreign exchange, every body cannot be accom modated at the same time. Although PCCI is working for the allo cation of foreign ex change for all domestic industries, a system of prioritizing still has to be devised to ensure the maximum utilization of whatever foreign ex change is available. Again, thru consulta tions with the various industry associations, a list of vital industries was drawn up, which incidentally was also submitted to the 9th Philippine Business Con ference for approval. This list was endorsed by the Central Bank for observance by commer cial banks in the priori tization of available for eign exchange as embo died in CB Circular No. 970. Prioritization of for eign exchange alloca tion as defined by CB Circular No. 970 m follows: 1. First priority shall be given to: a. export producers for imports necessary for their export produc tion and indirect ex port producers for their import require ments to service ex ports; and b. de nestic producers/ importers requiring imported raw mate rials, spare parts and supplies (EP and EC) for petroleum and petrochemical based products, food grains and food products, fertilizers and pesti cides, medicinal and pharmaceutical pro ducts, textile fibers for basic clothing, livestock, iron and steel products, and paper products for newsprint, printing and writing paper, in dustrial packaging, sanitary paper and paper boards (box, kraft, chip); 2. Second priority shall be given to domes tic products/exporters requiring imported raw materials, spare parts and supplies (EP and SEP category) for the manufacture of products other than those listed under 1-b above; 3. Third priority shall be given to domes tic producers requiring raw materials, spare parts and supplies ne cessary to complete the manufacture of pro ducts in priority 1-b and 2 above. It must be pointed out that on the overall priorities in foreign ex change allocation the government will have to attend to the following order of priorities: oil imports; soft loans; grains and fertilizers; exports; and vital and all other industries. As you can see, do mestic industries are the last priority. As it is now, only about $79. million has been alloca ted to. imports which is not jenough to go around. Indeed, this situa tion has serious implica tions. It means that the solution to our foreign exchange problem is still far from being achieved. This means that firms will be forced to layoff work ers and some factories will have to shut down; others will have no re course but to stop their operations totally. It is a sink-or-swim situa tion. But are there choices left under the circumstances’? If you will recall, the recent 9th Philippine Business Conference addressed the problem of national economic survival. We pointed out to our national leadership the ramifi cations of our present, problems which are both economic and political in nature. One of the recom mendations of the 9th Philippine Business Con ference was the estab lishment of a National Recovery Group. This crisis management team subsequently formed now addresses itself to the urgent national con cerns, particularly the formulation of a ba lanced economic pro gram, the continuous operations of factories with minimum supply bottlenecks and layoffs, excess procurement re strictions and regula tions and other issues. The National Reco very Group will liaise with NEDA, the Office Of Prime Minister, Cabi net Action Group and the particular govern ment office concerned with specific issues. There are at present eight programs which are identified as fol lows: 1. Foreign Invest ments - It was pointed out by the foreign chambers that foreign investors are mqre inte rested in greater equity participation than in tax incentives. As per their recommendations, the President issued re cently a presidential decree allowing 100 per. cent foreign participa tion. However, certain aspects of the PD like divestment still have to be studied. 2. Tulong Sa Bayan - This program will seek to ease the burden of the unemployed and other elements of socie ty, through community efforts, by a variety of ways, e.g., job match ing, return to the prov inces, etc. To cany out the unemployment ad justment program it was agreed to seek the support of the Church, Jaycees, Rotarians, Lions, PTA, and other civic organizations. The national recovery group will simply act as the clearing house. 3. Communication - A meeting with the me dia will be conducted on a regular basis to apprise them of devel opment in the recovery. The approach should be positive to build up confidence in the im provement of the econ-' omy. 4. Buy Local Pro ducts - This program, .will promote patronage for locally manufac tured products. 5. OU Conservation - Considering the huge foreign exchange drain for the oil bill, an oil conservation program should be vigorously pursued. In Taiwan, no office is allowed to use airconditioning during the cold season. In Ger many, during their pe riod of development, no car was allowed to PAGE 11 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 VESTAS BUSINESS run on Sundays, except during emergency. 6. Anti-economic 'Subversion - This pro gram has been underta ken by PCCI through its PCCI/ Customs Con sultative Council in the implementation of the anti-smuggling drive. Studies are being made to expand the program to include tax evasion, dollar salting, etc. 7. Dollar Utilization - This program is at present being pursued to a limited extent by the PCCI/MTI Task Force on Balance of Payments which is tasked with determi ning and prioritizing imported raw materials. 8. Exports - The program for export pro motion is a long-felt need and, therefore, PCCI will undertake such a program to gene rate more foreign ex change earnings for the country. These are programs that will be undertaken on the national level. I must point out that the instability of export returns creates recur rent balance of pay ments crisis unless we venture to restructure our industries. For the past centuries, we have been relying to a large extent on a few export able commodities. What is needed is a proper balance between export and expansion and im port substitution in the years to come. There are more im mediate steps that can be undertaken on the firm and industry level. These are: 1. Manufacturers within industry can meet to discuss raw materials requirements and available invento ries. Out of inventories available, firms within a particular industry can agree to borrow and lend from each other’s inventory of raw mate rials during the dura tion of the crisis. 2. Studies are now being made to maxi mize the utilization of local substitute mate rials. The need to sti mulate domestic re search and development activities along this line should be emphasized. 3. Relative to item No. 2, studies should be undertaken regarding the utilization of local production of export components and maxi mizing the use of the same. Perhaps manage ment should also divert some of the technolo gical capability of their organizations to increase the ease of recycling their product by means of changes in raw mate rial or design. 4. Studies should -also be undertaken to limit importations to basic instead of inter mediate or finished ma terials to maximize pro duction facilities and capacities and thereby reduce importations. 5. Inasmuch as no dollar imports are be ing ' encouraged, it is suggested that this be utilized for the small amount of importation of materials required to complete a given pro duct. 6. For those who are not yet exporting, it is strongly recommend ed that maximum ef forts should be exerted for them to penetrate the export market, and maximize their idle capacity. Limit importations to basic instead of intermediate or finished materials to maximize production and reduce importations. More than ever, there is need to look for ex port opportunities in other developing coun tries. We have relied too much on developed countries, both as a source of imports and a market for exports. But experience has shown us that increasingly, these countries are get ting more protectionist in their stance. It is also about time that Asean countries act together and pursue joint plan ning to decide formally which countries should specialize in particular product lines so that we may improve our com petitiveness in the ex port market. We face a more diffi cult year ahead. The domestic industries will bear the brunt of the financial crisis. But I believe that success will belong to those indus tries, firms and indivi duals who are willing to adjust and let loose their creative energies, innovate and try new ideas and accept change in order to hurdle the crisis we find ourselves in. The Earliest Bird San Francisco. Only Pan Am Gets You To San Francisco Before Noon. Daily... Non-stop From Tokyo. Catch a lunch appointment...or attend an early afternoon meeting in San Francisco. Pan Am will get you there before noon, in plenty of time to get things done. When you fly Pan Am, you get more than an early flight. You get a choice of gateways to the USA. From Tokyo, Pan Am flies daily, non-stop to San Francisco. Daily, non-stop to XZ Los Angeles. Daily, non-stop to New York, Q * Daily, non-stop to Honolulu. One airline, one baggage claim all the way to the USA. Plus convenient connections anywhere in the USA. With Pan Am, you get to where you want to go with less bother. In less time. And in the style that's become a legend in luxurious airline P.. service. Nothing beats Pan Am to the USA. In schedule. In service. In style. Pan Am. You can't beat the non-stop experience. PAN AM'S SERVICE L TO THE U S.A. VIA TOKYO Manila (Mon) (Tues to Sun) Arrive New York Los Angeles San Francisco Chicago Houston Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1145 1200 1740 1125 1030 1925 1851 2112 Call your Pan Am Travel Agent or dial 818-5421; 818-7321 Pan AmExperience.Di Kayang Pantayan. - - “~~~~____________ ___________ _________________________________________________________ J BUSINESS VERITAS JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 PAGE 12 (Economists Omar T. Cruz and Julio D. Climaco Jr. of the Center for Research and Com munication assess the exchange rate pros pects in 1984.) THIS YEAR should prove to be the most difficult since 1946 when the Philippines had to pick up the pieces after being ra vaged by the Japanse. The country recover ed from the destruction of that war. It suffered a dreadful economic malaise in 1970 but again, economic mana gers successfully handl ed the situation. It is difficult, however, to be optimistic about 1984, which threatens to be more challenging than our 1970 expe rience, even if there is no further adjustment in the threatened peso. This year, the infla tion rate is expected to jump to at least 20 per cent once the full ef fects of the Oct. 5 1983 devaluation have per meated our economy. The domestic mass mar ket, after experiencing an erosion in real wages in 1981 and 1982, will be seriously affected as z Devaluation worked well the first time DEVALUATION, together with fiscal measures, was an effective re medy to yawning balance of pay ments deficits the first time it was implemented liberally (in February 1970 when the peso was released from the prevailing official rate of P3.90 to $1 and allowed to float). To give us better insight into our economic malaise, let us review first our 1970 experience. The late 1960s saw mounting ba lance of payments (BOP) deficits resulting from wild speculation against the peso, piling short-term obligations, excessive domestic de mand, and heavy government spend ing. By 1969 BOP shortfall hit $140 million, with the country’s interna tional reserves at only $120 million or just enough to cover 1.3 months of imports. To rein in the BOP deficits, as well as stabilize our overall economy, the national leadership removed the peso from its official exchange rate to the dollar (at P3.90 then), and allowed it to float freely. With this bold peso float and a host of mea sures that included raising the banks’ reserve requirement by 4 per cent imposing export tax, new taxes on travel and stock exchange transac tions; lowering the rediscount ceilings; raising the marginal require ments in LCs; restraining imports; and reducing fiscal spending; our BOP problem in 1970 was imme diately corrected. The steps taken were so effective that 1970 had a BOP surplus of $20.9 million. Moreover, the govern ment’s cash position recorded a substantial improvement. Curing this BOP problem, how ever, was not without a tradeoff. In flation during the year surged to 16 per cent, the highest since postIMPACT OF THE (%gr war economic history. A 33 percent adjustment in minimum wages from P6 to P8 could not induce higher consumer spending with its growth rate failing to 1.8 per cent in 1970. Gross investment dropped by 3.5 per cent as government slowed down in its infrastructure and public works, while private business firms postponed their plant and equipment expansions. The restrictions on im ports and the apparent wait-and-see attitude of foreign investors further exacerbated this decline in overall investment. Volume of imports, both goods and services, also dropped by 9,.4 per cent. This drop was directly the out come of the peso devaluation along with stringent import measures en forced by monetary authorities. Cost of credit in 1970 soared by 6.5 per cent amid Central Bank’s stiff policy measures to control cre dit expansion and ultimately lessen our BOP gap. Meanwhile, the primary growth contributors were exports and go vernment consumption expendi tures. Exports during the period were kept high by favorable world prices, especially those of our prin cipal products, and expanded pro duction of major exports like sugar and copper concentrates. The adop tion of the floating exchange rate and the new export incentives set in place further boosted the country’s exports. Government current expenditures also perked up our overall activity. A slight deceleration in growth, how ever, was recorded as the govern ment kept its expenditures at bay. Higher wages plus increased prices of goods and services resulted in larger outlays for operating expenditures. 1970 DEVALUATION owth rate) Average 19_67-69 1970 Personal Consumption Expenditures 4.6 Gross Investment 10.2 Government Consumption Expenditures 7.9 Imports of Goods and Services 10.7 Gross Domestic Product 5.5 Inflation Rate 4.7 Interest Rates 1'9 P-S Exchange Rate (December average) 0.0 Sources: NEDA-NIA, Central Bank Another peso adjustment will compound our woes By OMAR T. CRUZ and JULIO D. CLIMACO JR. consumer spending is expected to rise by a minute 2.2 to 2.3 per cent. The only possible saving factors are the domestic copra prices, which are foreseen to remain at their high levels, and the increas ed purchasing power of the families of over seas workers who great ly benefited from the two devaluation. Investment is ex pected to drop precipi tously in 1984. Only private housing can ar rest the fall of invest ments. The low busi ness confidence, among ourselves and within the foreign business community, is the pri mary setback in this sector. Imports will have large volume drops. Despite the negative re percussions, our import dependent industries may just have to ac cept the harsh import barriers put up by the monetary authorities, if only to give due im portance to the coun try’s primary objective of reining in the BOP deficits. Exports are' expect ed to post a 5 per cent volume increase in 1984 because of a 10 per cent rise in nontraditionals that will off set a flat growth in tra ditional exports. High er peso sales and in creasing international demand can provide the basic push to ex ports. Government con sumption spending will be seriously affected by the tight financial bind. The higher wage rates, increased operating ex penditures and debt servicing of public sec tor debt will put consi derable pressure on the budget deficit. The already high cost of credit will climb anew by 7 to 9 per cent from the third to the fourth quarter this year. The contractionary mo netary policies by the Central Bank plus the higher inflation rate are the primary propelants to surging bank loan rates. This deve lopment will mean a 3 to 5 per cent add-on to the already prohibitive rates charged to the dif ferent sectors of the economy. All these elements translate into an econo my with zero growth in the near term. Already known as the laggard in thewholeof ASEAN, this no-growth pros pects is the worst so far in our economic history. The Uncertain Peso General perceptions point to another “ad justment” of the peso against the US dollar. Still it is our belief that the peso can be kept at P14:$l till 1984 is over. This optimistic prognosis is condition ed by the following factors: Adjusting the peso further will neither help discourage imports nor boost exports. For most of 1984, opening of letters of credit will be a very serious busi ness problem. Even af ter the second gigantic exchange rate adjust ment, the surrounding psychological factors will tend to destabilize the buying attitude of our export customers. Thus, a further adjust ment can no longer guarantee a boost in exports. To maintain the competitive standing of our exports, we have to insure that our curren cy maintains its pur chasing power relative to our major trading partners. Given this simple long-term mea sure of comparing the Personal Consumption Expenditures Gross Investment Government Consumption Expenditures Exports of Goods and Services Imports of Goods and Services ‘Gross Domestic Product (real Inflation Rate Interest Rate P:$ Exchange Rate (Yearend) 10.2 6.0 9.17-'' ♦Percent increase - IVth oQ over IIIQ CRC Economic Forecasting Unit, October 15, 1983 relative price (inflation) differentials between the United States (our major trading partner) and the Philippines, the present exchange rate appears to put us on a competitive stand ing (based on economic considerations) up to the end of 1984. Over the immediate term, however, a deva luation can be rational ized if there was a scheme for equitable or better distribution of income. Since we have yet to rectify our agricultural pricing po licies for coconut, sugar and other commodities (which is the subject of the recent World Bank study), the benefits from a peso devaluation will not filter down to the majority of the po pulace. Rather, its ad verse inflationary im pact would become more predominant. The scenario of a P14:$l till 1984 is a reason for optimism. It assumes a fairly opti mistic capital account picture in the balance of payments and a ma jor restructuring in our foreign debt. Moreover, a slight surplus in the balance of payments is assumed. Peso Under Pressure? A scenario of a fur ther peso adjustment, which an increasing number of people would term as more realistic, has to be look ed at. This will be de termined by the follow ing forces: * The presence of a two-tiered market (of ficial and blackmarket rate) will exert further pressure on the official P14 to $1 rate. The continued scarcity of dollars will undoubted ly force non-priority entities and those that cannot be just accomo dated in the allocation to source the needed foreign exchange from the grey market to sus tain their operations. * The pressure, how ever, will be less than that on the black mar ket rates. The weakness in the economy and the increased rate of business closures will dampen the demand for dollars, easing the IMPACT OF THE 1983 DEVALUATIONS (% growth rate per year) 1982 1983 pressure on foreign ex change rates. Still the bag shortage of foreign exchange will exert a considerable upward push on the official rate to as much as P-18 to $1. * The equilibrium rate which economic factors dictate can be reached in several ways. A complete float would mean a gradual adjust ment towards market levels. This approach will have less debilitat ing effects on inflation and the economy. Its major setback is that it could fuel another round of speculation on the foreign exchange rate. An outright deva luation, on the other hand, will exert imme diate inflationary ef fects and impact ad versely on the econo my. Another peso adjust ment will definitely compound our econo mic difficulties. It could only sever the frayed fibers that hold our economic fives. Needed: A Bias For Action When and how the economy will go back to normally will de-’ pend on how the cur rent crisis is handled. It is clear that the con straints on foreign ex change availability and, therefore, on importa tions will be with us at least up to the end of 1984. This will impact negatively on industrial production and the eco nomy’s growth pros pects. We can continue to drift to far worse scenarios, in contrast to the upturn in the inter national economy, as long as the air of uncer tainty and low confi dence is not cleared. Since any underlying solution is dependent on how immediate cre dibility and confidence on national leadership is restored, an imme diate resolve is impera tive. Over the medium and long term, the Philippines remains a very attractive market. Thus, entrepreneurs and businessmen will have to adopt a long-term perspective in order to partly offset the pre sent short-term difficul ties we are undergoing. In periods like this, it is our optimism that can pull us out of the Despite the' heavy cloud of gloom, a num ber of opportunities and bright sectors abound. The area of nontraditional exports * 12 5-10 * 14 remains very attractive especially during these times when the inter national market is mov ing forward. Agribusi ness, aquaculture and food production will find lucrative markets not only in the coun try but also in other parts of the world. The area of private residen tial construction re mains to be fully ex plored. These are just some of the few attrac tive sectors which will enable us to weather this critical times. It is exactly during’ periods of crisis when we must face the issues squarely. We must face’ our responsibilities and accountabilities. We cannot afford ambiva lence. We cannot con tinue playing a game of “should haves.” We have to make decisions -now, not later. At this point, it is our wil lingness and ability to endure short-term set backs that can pull us to faster long-term growth. -j PAGE 13 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 VERfTAS HEALTHZSOENCE Kidney transplant in RP conies of age By CHIT L. MACAPAGAL NONE of the offi cially registered top five killer diseases in the Philippines are related to the kidney. This, however, has little effect on the local attention given to this particular ailment. Popular interest, however, has recently been focused on the often-ignored organs. Despite denials from the government, talks persist that President Ferdinand E. Marcos is having some kidney problems. The retiring minister of foreign af fairs, Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, went into dia lysis treatment when his kidneys malfunc tioned due to pros tate problems. Even So viet Prime Minister Yuri Andropov is said to be sharing similar renal troubles. Outside of these cofmedicine in the Philippines was placed in the limelight with the successful double kidney transplant per formed at the National Kidney Foundation of the Philippines last December. Cadaver organ donation has yet to make headway in a predominantly Chris tian Philippines. The bone of contention lies not so much in technological capability or medical know how but rather in the mo ral issues surrounding the definition of death. When can a person be pro nounced dead so that doc tors can take out an organ for transplant? In the medical profes sion, most practitioners go by the definition of “brain death" (flat EEG for at least one hour; fixed di lated pupfl; no sponta neous respiration: no re 2 share kidney of dead donor TWO of the happier souls last Christmas were Jaime de la Cruz and Irene Pangan. They now share the two kid neys of one cadaver do nor in the first double kidney transplant per formed at the National Kidney Foundation of the Philippines early last month. “Napakaganda ho ng Christmas namin," beams Jaime, a 33-year old sales agent from San Ddefonso, Bulacan. This is Jaime’s second transplant. He first re ceived a kidney nine years ago from a sister donor. That kidney functioned well for the next seven years until it started to fail from “chronic rejection.” Since that happened, he has been on dialysis treat ment while waiting for a donor to come along. “We were spending around P4.000 a week,” says Jaime who had to stop working since dialysis start ed to drain his strength considerably. For two years, Jaime searched for a possible do nor. He and his wife asked a number of relatives and approached several other persons, mostly prisoners, for a possible kidney dona tion. Almost all, says Jai me, were willing, but they could not match his tissue flexes whatsoever; loss of consciousness that is not due to drugs or overdose). This definition, how ever, is contested by many others, even by some me dical practitioners them selves. There is as yet no clear-cut laws on the issue. But according to nephro logist Dr. Enrique Ona, an Organ Act incorporating the brain death issue is already awaiting presiden tial signature. It is estimated that about 8,000 people in the Philippines die every year from kidney disease. Dr. Ona says that a consider able number of these pa tients can have their lives saved or prolonged reason ably well by dialysis and transplantation. According to urologists, a person whose kidney starts to maUundfion may exhibit the following symp toms: weakness, pallor or paleness, black-outs, hyper tension, edema on the legs or on the face, and blood in the urine or wine dis coloration. If the kidney failure leads to uremia, then the patient may experience dif ficulty in breathing,restless ness, abdominal pains and vomiting. Because the ailing kid ney could not excrete the body’s nitrogenous wastes, these wastes reach a cer tain poisonous leveL When something like this hap pens, then the patient un dergoes dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant. According to Dr. Ona, there are about 200 pa tients presently undergo ing . chronic dialysis throughout the country. This number, says another kidney doctor, might even represent only patients who are attached to a dia lysis machine (hemodialysi»). Another dialysis method is called perotoneaL This does not need a machine and can be home-based. Perotoneal dialysis, how ever, involves a continuous treatment for two days type. He took about 20 tissue types, aside from relatives, but he could not find a match. Irene Pangan, 33, did not have to search for so long. She was working in Abu Dhabi as a baby sitter when her kidneys malfunc tioned. She went home and was placed on dialysis late last year. But she was immediately listed in the cadaver program list of the NKFP, which meant that if a suitable donor comes along, a transplant can be performed on her right away. After a brain operation, days of observation, and several tests, one victim of a vehicular accident was proclaimed brain dead early last December. The family agreed to a kidney donation so that, according to the husband, “in her misfortune, some other hu man being can be saved.” On Friday, December 2 at 8 p.m., the woman was wheeled to the oper ating room of Medical City. After a three-hour operation, both her kid neys were removed and immediately cooled with a special hypertonic solu tion. The kidneys were placed in a special plastic bag and ice box then rushed to the NKFP where they were stored over night. The next day, the two transplants on Jaime and Irene were successively per formed. Now, both have gone back home, thankful for another chance to live normal lives. in a week whereas demo dialysis takes only about three to five hours per ses sion, but usually done three times a week. After the body fluids are cleansed by dialysis, a person may feel normal and strong for a few days. But then the un-excreted wastes rise up again to a level needing another dia lysis treatment This may go on and on until the pa tient dies or gets a new kid ney. If. there is any headway in Philippine kidney medi cine, it is the successes made in the field of trans plantation. Since 1970, a total of 284 transplants have been performed in the Philippines, the majority of which (156) were done at the Kidney Center of the ODD HEE THEM _______ WAS GOLD We started mining gold in 1903, and as the largest gold producer in the Philippines, we have mined some 10,900,000 fine ounces worth over US$5.0 billion at current prices. We expanded into refractory chromite in 1934, and have since produced over 14.0 million tonnes of concentrates as the world’s largest producer of this strategic mineral. In 1959, we ventured outside mining, and today our principal subsidiary is an outstanding success in overseas and domestic industrial construction, alloy steel foundry castings, steel fabrication, and machinery sales. In 1979, we completed our US$106 million Dizon Copper-Gold mine, which is now the fourth largest copper producer in the Philippines. Our future goal: to build an enduring earnings base via programmed growth and selective diversification in mining as well as other basic industries. 1982 Consolidated Highlights TOTAL ASSETS P3.166 million REVENUE P2.014 million EARNINGS P 113million PAYROLL & FRINGES P 511 million TAXES PAID P 80 million EMPLOYEES 19,542 Benguet Corporation Executive Offices: 2259 Pasong Tamo Ext . Makati. Metro Manila Mines: Antamok. Acupan and Atok. Benguet e Masmloc. Zambales e San Marcelino. Zambales Subsidiaries: Engineering Equipment. Inc e Benguet Management Corp Benguet Corp Philippines. Ninety per -cent of transplant donors are sib lings (brothers or sisters) ana parents. The average age of a possible donor is 30. Patients who get their kidneys from a relative have longer life spans. Among the transplant pa tients here, the longest re cord is 13 years. Transplant patients can also get kidneys from non relatives. Many of the do nors, says Dr. Ona, are pri son inmates who are ap proached by patients or doctors for a kidney dona tion. Dr. Ona says these prisoners are not under any pressure to donate nor is such an act a basis for par don. “It is only duly re corded in their papers that they donated a kidney and it is up to the authorities to take that as a matter for consideration,” Dr. Ona explains. The longest life span of a patient from a non-related donor is so far seven years. After a kidney trans plant, a patient may go back to a normal diet and physical activity. But he must avoid any form of contact sports. He also undergoes con tinuous medication which typically includes two kinds: steroids and immino-suppressives. Steroids suppress kidney rqection by preventing the body from building new anti bodies. A patient under steroids usually show puffi ness in his extremities like the face. The other medication normally prescribed for such conditions are immino-suppressives which are also prescribed for collagen diseases like the systemic lupus erythematosus. Col lagen and kidney diseases, according to many kidney experts, are so interrelated that the usual mode of exit of a collagen disease is kid ney failure. At such a stage, the status of the patient, says one urolo gist, is a “little grave.” There are two institu tions established specifical ly for the treatment of kid ney ailments: The Kidney Center of the Philippines (KCP) built in 1975. Loca ted on the 4th floor of the Medical City Hospital, the KCP has 11 beds each one with its own dialysis machine. The center uses the facilities of the hospi tal, particularly the operating rooms, for its kidney surgeries. The cen ter is headed by Dr. Ffloteo Alano who was once a physician of President Marcos. Only last February, the National Kidney Founda tion of the Philippine * (NKFP) started full opera tions. It is equipped with six dialysis machines, five operating rooms, and other modem machines for kid ney treatment like the ultra-sound machine, the renal scan and the digital subtraction and geography machine which takes 30 x-rays pictures in one sec ond. The head of NKFP is Dr. Claver Ramos, current ly an attending physician to President Marcos. VEKLTAS Media coverage foul-up blamed on officials when Aquino was shot. On the same day, Lu ciano Caliwan of Balita also testified. “I was alone when I en tered MIA at around 11:30 am.,” he started. “At 12 noon all media men who re gularly cover the airport beat were at the holding area. Col. Vicente Tigas was with us. 1 also saw MIA Manager Luis Tabuena talk ing with the CAL station manager, Richard Yu. . . I heard from my compa nions that ex-S e n a t o r Aquino might be on board CAL 811. But we all knew . r- that CAL would Park at BARBARA MAE Gate 8 as indicated in the ■kedo-dacanay the taxiway that the plane was coming in, we pro ceeded to the concrete air bridge, but Colonel Tigas instructed us not to go on to the movable tube. He further told us just to take photos and not to in terview Aquino. We all thought it was not a stand ard procedure. After a few minutes I heard a shot. After some seconds there was another single shot. Then I heard several more shots. I turned to the left side of the bridge that had an accessible view of the tarmac and I peeped out through one of the glass windows,” Caliwan narra ted. He remembered that he was at the second wind ow to the last which was quite a distance from the movable tube. “I saw AVSECOM sol diers running about under the plane then I saw two bodies on the tarmac and I started taking pictures. I can’t recall how many 1 took. “One woman, a CAL passenger who came in from the tube, was crying and when I asked her why, she said. . . patay. . patay na. . si Ninoy,” Caliwan continued. “When I went to the arrival area, I saw a guard who prevented the foreign and local newsmen from entering the place. “I left MIA at 3 p.m. I was at the office from 7 to 10 p.m. No, Riofrir did not ask me to surrender my negatives,” Caliwan said. On Dec. 29, Titties Journal phot o-joumalist Benjamin Malumay took the witness stand. “On Aug. 21 at 7 p.m., Mr. Riofrir came to my office to borrow my nega tives. 1 consulted with my editor, Gus Villanueva, who finally said Mr. Riofrir could take all my negatives. That was the first time he ever borrowed my neFourteen pho to journalists who regularly co ver the airport beat were the ones accredited for the coverage of former Sena tor Benigno Aquino’s ar rival. They were envied that day. But the nearest they ever got to CAL 811 when it arrived at around 1:04 p.m. - was the conCrete air bridge. They could have march ed to the adjacent mova ble tube leading down to the gaping mouth of the plane and taken photos of Aquino, but they were prevented from doing so by three military men in polo barong. Later, some media men blamed Col. Vicente Tigas, media relations officer of the Presidential Security Command, for “herding” them to that air bridge. Even MIA Manager Luis Tabuena was blamed for not allowing them to fol low Aquino down the mo vable tube when Aquino was being “escorted” out of the plane. The media men ex pected Aquino to talk to them because of his known friendliness to the press. They were unaware that seconds before his plane docked, a boarding party of four whisked him down the stairs, a secret passage for an alternate exit codenamed Plan Bravo. Gen. Luther Custodio, relieved AVSECOM com mander, told the Board earlier that he, alone, de cided to change Aquino’s exit ten minutes before the~ plane arrived. When the first shot was heard, p a n d e m o n iu m broke out. The media men peeped through the win dows of the concrete air bridge and managed to take photos of the dead men on the tarmac and of jittery AVSECOM soldiers rushing towards the SWAT van and parked vehicles • where they sought cover s with guns drawn. Despite hundreds of : photographs taken that : day by media men, one important frame which re portedly shows the actual I shooting of Aquino is still missing up to now. On Dec. 29, Jose Men doza of Philippine News Agency testified and said 1 that his two rolls of film were taken by Jolly Rio frir, president of the Philipi pine Press Photographers. “It’s the t e ch ni ci an who usually prints the negatives. But I found out from him that my films were taken later by Jolly Riofrir who took them on the pretext that they were needed by Malacanang for the investigation of the Aquino case. It was the first time that my films were taken in that man ner,” said Mendoza. At the MIA, Mendoza said that from the concrete air bridge where they were herded, they could not see the stairs. “When we heard the first shot, Ruby Serra of Channel 4 panicked. We ran and I went to the left side of the bridge. There I saw through the window two bodies lying on the tarmac. It was only at this point that we started tak ing pictures,” Mendoza narrated. The first 13 frames of Mendoza’s negatives were missing. “I used them up on a different assignment. The copies or the negatives are in my office. I hope they have not been mis placed.” Members of the Board were very anxious about the missing frames which, they insinuated, might have recorded something vital to the Aquino as sassination. But Mendoza insisted that he was not able to see Aquino £o down tjie stairs with his escorts, thus explaining he missed the moment Bulletin’s airport reporter Louie Perez examines the photographs he took last Aug. 21. Justice Corazon Agrava (behind Dean Narvasa) looks at other photo graphs. JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 PAGE 14 negative strips. Behind him is Dean Andres NarvaManuel Silva of the Daily Express looks at some sa, general counsel of the Agrava Board. gatives,” said Malumay. “Would you know of other photographers whose films were. . . I’ll use your word, borrowed?”- Board member Luciano Salazar asked. “No,” said Malumay. “Did Mr. Riofrir ever bother to return the nega tives that he borrowed from you?” “No. In fact, it’s only now that I’ve seen them again,” Malumay answered. He was asked, to exa mine his negatives and he said that they tallied with the pictures he took on Aug. 21. On Jan. 5 Manuel Silva of Daily Express and Visnews in London testified. “On the night of Aug. 20 I got an overseas call from my boss, Tim Arlott, who was in Tokyo. He said that ex-Senator Aquino was arriving on a CAL flight from Taipeh,” Silva narrated. As a journalist, he said, instinct told him not to share this information with his colleagues. “I went to MIA with my wife who is a corres pondent of Visnews. At around 10 a.m. most of the airport reporters were al ready there. Later in the day, Colonel Tigas ques tioned the presence of foreign correspondents at the third floor,” said Silva. Silva and other media men went to the second floor of the arrival area be cause they heard that Co lonel Tigas wanted to give a briefing. Silva said that in the briefing, Tigas stressed that “only the duly accredited media men with IDs issued by MIA manager Luis Tabuena can get to Gate 8 for the coverage of the ex-solon’s arrival” and that “we cannot delay the movement of ex-Senator Aquino by asking him more than two questions.” “He told us that they were not sure if Aquino would be on CAL 811, that he might use the tube or the stairs, thus he told us to be on the alert,” Silva went on. “At around 12:15, I joined the newsmen at the concrete air bridge. We noticed that the MIA ma nager, Luis Tabuena, pass ed by and we tried to fol low him. He was on his way to the movable tube but he stopped us and told us to stay where we were because we might block the passageway and the tube might collapse. “1 also noticed Col. Avelino Aviol who went through the tube. We wait ed for a long time. Then all of a sudden we heard a commotion. Parang nagkakalampagan. Parang nagaaway na hindi rrio maintindihan. We thought the walls were being hit and the sound reverberated through the entire tube. “Then I heard a loud scream of a woman or the flight stewardess who norm^lly jtatjds.by. the^dpoj,’’ Silva narrated. “The scream was preceded by a gun shot. It was a strong burst of fire and I thought it exploded inside the tube. My camera was pointed at the end of the tube be cause I was hoping that somebody or something might appear. Instinct made me press the button of the camera. Then three men in 'barong rushed in from the tube and they all looked into the wind ows overlooking CAL 811. 1 heard Colonel Tigas give an order: Take cover, back out!” “And did you obey?” asked Narvasa. “1 released the trigger on my camera. 1 backed out, then I heard Ruby Sera say sa bin tana tayo. So we rushed there and took photos. We could hear Colonel Tigas giving another order in Tagalog. Tama na, tama na. Let’s clear the place, he said. But I noticed that my co-news men continued taking pho tos so I went back and shot more photos with them. The last part of my footage shows ex-Senator Aquino being lifted into the van. “I saw a Filipina who disembarked from the plane,” continued Silva. She shouted at us: Pinatay na nila siya hindi pa kayo umiiyak. ” “My negatives were turned over to Mr. Riofrir. Honestly, I did not pose any objection. I had the impression that he was a person with authority as he often helped in our cove rage. He is very valuable in assisting us when we cover the First Family. Both Colonel Tigas and Mr. Rio frir often help us in this endeavour. “When Mr. Riofrir ask ed for my negatives I had the impression that it was a ticklish matter since the films would be used for the investigation.” “As of now I don’t know if there’s a picture showing the ac tual shooting of ex-Senator Aquino,” said Silva. In this connection, Sil va blamed MIA Manager Luis Tabuena for the fail ure of the cameramen to take pictures of the fatal moment. “He knew we were not security risks. He knew that we wouldn’t harm Aquino, that we had no intention of crowding him. Had we been given that elbow room we could have recorded the actual shooting,” Silva concluded. According to Silva, the newsreel which he needs for Visnews, the world’s largest TV syndicate, was used by 230 stations in some 110 countries. Recto Mercene of Times Journal came to testify on January 6. He had the same story to tell but his pictures showed something else. At least 10 frames of his negatives- showed a mysterious man in T-shirt who had his gun drawn near the tug while facing the terminal building, away from the scene of the mur der. For a time, he was conjectured that he was the gunman. He was later identified as Sgt. Leonardo Mojica, an AVSECOM intelligence man under Col. Romeo Bautista. Mercene said that at the concrete air bridge, three men in polo barong pre vented mediamen from proceeding to the movable tube. “When the plane docked at Gate 8 we had our came ras ready,” Mercene testi fied. “We waited for some time, like 10 minutes, but nobody was coming into the tube. It was unusual to wait that long. Sudden ly, there was a commotion, noises coming out from the tube, unrecognizable voices. It was hard to say or de; scribe the commotion. It was not normal. Then there was single shot. We looked at one another be cause we were not pre pared for that at all. All the while we thought the gunman was in the tube. Prudence made us decide to leave the concrete bridge. I went to the arrival corridor and ran all the way to Gate 9. But I did not get there because when I looked over my right shoulder, I saw two bodies on the tarmac. I posi tioned myself at one of the windows and started shoot ing. “I remember one hyste rical woman who was cry ing and shouting. She said, Nakita ko, binaril si Aqui no! She could hardly make a coherent statement. As expected, members of the media tried to interview her. ' Colonel Tigas was within earshot. He accost ed the woman and got her away from the passengers. He told her: Okay, calm down. Tell us what you saw. Somebody asked for water. She drank and thought for a while, then retracted her statement. She said: Nabigla langako. Hindi ko talaga nakita kung sino ang bumaril kay Aquino. Then Colonel Ti gas allowed her to join the other passengers.” Narvasa wanted to know if Colonel Tigas at that time was in uniform. Mercene said, “I cannot re member but I took his pic ture that day. His negatives, Mercene told the Board, were taken by Riofrir “on orders of Gen. Prospero Olivas.” It was Roberto Siete Reales of the Office of Media Af fairs, he said, who made the contact prints of thenegatives. On January 9, Jose Macaspac III of Metro Manila Times was before the Agra va Board to inspect his photos taken on August 21. Like Mercene, he was able to take shots of Sgt. Leonardo Mojica with his T-shirt and drawn gun near the tug. On the same day, Louie Perez • H Bulletin.. Today took the witness stand and shook the Agrava Board with his observation. He said that he saw the SWAT van leave the bodies of Aquino and Galman for a time. “It moved 10 to 15 feet away and backed up before the SWAT men loaded the bddy of Aqui no,” Perez said. Perez admitted that he did not take the photo of the van leaving because he “did not see anything im portant about it. I took a photo of the van with its door closed, then another one when it was leaving and another one after Aquino had been put aboard.” Perez insisted that he saw with his own eyes the van moving away. “There were times when I was ta king pictures without look ing at my lens because I was peeping through the window,” he explained. After the first shot, Pe rez said he Parted to take photos but * 1 had to duck because an AVSECOM sol dier pointed his gun at me. So I took photos with my camera above my head.” He added that he did not stay long in that position. Asked members of the Board during the proceed ings: “What was the role of Tigas and Riofrir in so far as the 14 media men were concerned?” “Who was the crying woman? Where is she now? Did she actually see who shot Aquino?” “Is there no picture of the actual shooting?” The “crying woman” who was interviewed by the media men was Arlenina Santos. “I know where she is now,” said Ag rava. She is not to be found in the country. One reporter conjectured that “she is the same woman who was seen kissing Aqui no in the Japanese tape.” On January 9, Col. Vi cente Tigas of PSC came to testify and defend himself from the numerous accusa tions hurled against him. He was self-assured and eloquent as he gave this testimony: MIA manager Luis Tabuena, Col. Avelino Aviol and the military men at the concrete air bridge, prevented him, Jolly Rio frir and 14 other media men from going anywhere else. „ “I was not familiar with Oplan Balikbayan,” said Colonel Tigas. “At 11 in the morning, Minister Cendana’s secretary, Lita Ro mero, called up my home at Fort Bonifacio. I was instructed to report to the MIA because of problems in the media coverage of ex-Senator Aquino’s arri val.” “When I arrived at the second floor of the MIA, I met Colonel Aviol. He said all the mediamen would not be allowed to enter. Masyado kasing marami, .was . the reaspn he. gave,” JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 VERITAS PAGE 15 Boxer out to break jinx By ROMY DE LA CRUZ Italian cyclist sets new world record HE WAS only 12 when he had his ring debut and marked it for posterity by winning a gold medal in a barangay-level competition in Bago City, Negros Occidental. Since then, Leopoldo Cantancio has won more gold medals as a representative of Bago City to several national boxing opens. At 17, he started campaigning abroad, winning a bronze as a fly weight in the Golden Gloves in far-away Kenya. He has seen action in about a dozen more international boxing meets, winning four other bronzes and five golds in the process, the latest of which was the 1983 Asian amateur boxing cham pionships in Okinawa, Japan where he won a gold medal as a featherweight. Now battle-weary after eight long years as ring gladiator, Cantancio aims to win just one more medal for posterity - the Olympic gold. This is not an easy task, notwithstanding the golds he has won in the Marcos Cup in 1981, the King’s Cup and ASEAN Cup in 1982, and the SEA Games and AABC last year. No Filipino has won a gold medal in the Olympic Games! But his handlers at the ABAP gym on Malugay street in Makati believe Cantancio stands a good chance of breaking this Olympic jinx. “He has already blossomed into a world-class boxer,” noted Clarito Deliva, a veteran trainer who was with Cantancio’s comer in Okinawa. “He moves very well; his opponents could hardly keep up with the pace he sets.” Deliva, together with other boxing experts, trains Cantancio for endurance, speed, strength, grace, and precision. These traits plus fighting spi rit, according to a boxing adage posted conspi cuously in one comer of the gym, make a cham pion bbxer. Cantancio has been in serious training for se ven months or five months before the AABC in Okinawa. His shock defeat in the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi instilled in him a stronger resolve to train and work harder. He goes jogging in the morning, works out in the afternoon, and observes the 10 p.m. curfew imposed on him and the rest of the boxers in the national pool, without complaining. The only time he complained, which he actually just kept to himself, was when he did not win the “Boxer of the Year” award in 1982. He won two international titles that year, so he thought that was it. But the annual accolade was given instead to light flyweight Efren Tabanas by virtue of his silver medal finish in the Asian Games, one of two international meets where Can tancio failed to win a medal. The other one was the world boxing championships in Munich, West Germany. But he is not one to-sulk at his defeat. Right after his Asian Games defeat, he trained hard and was awarded two successive gold medals - one in the ASEAN Games and the other at the AABC. He hopes to make it three golds in a row when he flies to Jakarta to participate in the Pres ident’s Cup. Hard work is no stranger to him. He is the eldest of six children of a poor farmer and a plain housewife from barangay Atipuluan, Bago City. Recently, he bought his father a tricycle from his income as a PC corporal and his savings from his allowance as Project: Gintong Alay trainee to aug ment his parents’ meager income from farming. After the Olympic Games, he is undecided whether to pursue a career in pro boxing or in the military. He thinks of the honor he could reap for himself and the country in the Olympics, but he also knows that life does not stop after the Olym pics. MEXICO CITY - Francesco Moser of Italy Friday sensation ally wrote himself into the annals' of cycling history here - just when his career ap peared to be approach ing its close. At 32, Moser, on a bike which looks as though it is straight out of science fiction, be came the first man in cycling history to break the 50-kilometer barrier in an hour, answering all those critics who said he was too old. The Italian managed 50.80937 kilometers on Mexico City’s high alti tude concrete track, which had been covered with a film of plastic for the record attempt, to beat the great Bel gian Eddy Merckx’s ele ven-year-old record of 49.93195 km, set here in October 1972. On the way to his re cord Moser, whose heartbeat was recorded throughout by sophisti cated electronic equip ment, broke the world record with his times at five km, 10 km and 20 km. Incredibly, Moser and his back-up team had been planning to restrict themselves to a 20-kilometer test with the hour record bid scheduled for next Monday. But Moser felt in such good shape, and with conditions so fa vorable, he decided to force ahead for his ulti mate goal. The former Italian road race champion, who has been at the top of cycling for just over ten years, got off to an ultra quick start and never looked back. It was a triumph for science and the tech nicians behind the enor mous preparation for Moser’s attempt. For outside the rider’s team few considered him capable of such an ex ploit. Moser is the first Ita lian to hold the hour re cord since Ercole Baldi ni managed 46.394 km. at Milan in 1956, his re cord standing for only a year before being bro ken by Roger Riviere of France. Riviere broke his own record five days later in Milan and his mark of 47.34689 km. stood until 1967 when Ferdinand Bracke of Belgium managed 48.093 km. in Rome. A year later Den mark’s Ole Ritter came along with 48.65392 km. here, his record standing until Merckx’s effort in October 1972 Fly title unification GRENOBLE, France — European flyweight boxing champion Antoine Montero of France will still have a world title fight in June despite the fact that the man he was scheduled to meet had lost his crown in Tokyo. Robert Gonzales, Montero’s Tight-hand man, said Koji Kobayashi’s second round knock out of World Boxing Council champion Frank Ce deno of the Philippines did not change anything as they had already agreed terms with Kobaya shi and Mexico’s Gabriel Bernal, due to meet the Japanese in March, for a world championship at Nimes in the squth of France on June 1. Tigas said. “It was MIA Manager Luis Tabuena who insisted that mediamen should be allowed to cover the affair as earlier arranged. But he specified that only MIA mediamen would be accre dited. And Aviol agreed to the suggestion. So the list of 14 media men plus my self, Riofrir and Siete Rea les was drawn and was approved by Mr. Tabuena. I cannot remember if Macaspac was the one who prepared the list.” “Those who were called moved away horn other mediamen,” Tigas went on. “I did not join them at once because Tony Lopez of Asiaweek and Willy Bicoy of UPI asked if they could join the group. I said it was too late because Mr. Tabuena was no longer around. From there I went to the comfort room of Customs, Immigration and Quarantine. When I went back to the mediamen, I informed them of what Colonel Aviol had told me: that ex-Senator Aquino might not be on the CAL plane; that he might use the tube or the stairs. Actually there is another passage: the caterer’s which I did not mention because I was sure it would not be used. I also said it would not be proper to stop Aquino with inter views because they (the Avsecom) would not allow “When the CAL plane was about to land, the 14 media men rushed to the concrete air bridge. I was having a cup of coffee and when I joined them I was met by two to three secu rity men who allowed us to stay but not beyond the second window of the bridge.” Board Member Dante Santos asked Tigas why he did not allow the media men to go down to the tar mac. “Had they asked me, I would have even escorted them down although I was not sure if the AVSECOM would have allowed us there,” Tigas answered. “Perez and others testi fied that they wanted to go down to the tarmac but they failed to ask your permission,” Santos conti nued. “I think they were thinking of their own com fort when they forgot to ask me. It was so hot downstairs,” said Tigas. “I would not use of the word ‘herded’ to describe how I took the mediamen to the concrete air bridge. When we met at the holding room, they offered me a sandwich and a drink. Our relations are very cor dial, in fact” Board Member Amado Dizon asked Tigas what he meant when he said that Senator Aquino would be treated “like any ordinary citizen.” “Don’t you agree that he is an opposition leader who has gained both na tional and international prestige?” asked Dizon. “I can’t give an opi nion,” Tigas said. “Do you know that he is very popular in other countries?” Dizon asked with a poker face and even voice. Tm not sure if he’s known in other countries,” Tigas answered. “After this assessment, do you think it proper to treat ex-Senator Aquino like an ordinary Citizen?” asked Dizon. “I can’t give any judge ment. It was Colonel Aviol who said that ex-Sen. Aqui no would pass through Customs, Immigrations, and Quarantine just like an ordinary citizen,” Tigas declared. After this spirited exJose Macaspac III of the Metro Manila Times iden tifies his negatives. change, other members of the Board did not bother to ask Tigas anymore about the “crying woman” who said she saw who shot Aquino. On January 13, Jolly Riofir, President of the Press Photographers of the Philippines and chief came raman of the Office of Me dia Affairs in Malacaiiang, appeared before the Ag rava Board. He was fresh from a trip to China with the First Lady. Little did he know that Justice Agrava would blow her top because he was able to take only four shots out of 36 on Aug. “I expected you to be an ace photographer and a super newsreel camera man,” said Justice Agrava with shaking voice and stem stare. “Why were you so afraid that you were prone all the time while the rest of your colleagues finished one to two rolls of films?” When Agrava learned that Riofrir did not ask for a receipt when he for warded the films that he had “borrowed” from the mediamen to the office of Colonel Tigas, she scolded him again with a trembling “I believe this was a very careless action on your part,” she stressed. “That’s the only way I can judge it. You’ve opened the door to suspicion -be cause there is something out of the ordinary on the way you dealt with the matter.” Two of Riofrir’s photos clearly show that the AV SECOM soldiers were all inside the van while the bo dies of Aquino and Caiman were still on the tarmac. The photos have captured what Mercene also caught. The pictures imply that the soldiers never really thought of rushing Aquino to the hospital. “I believe that no one was able to take photos of the actual shooting,” Rio frir concluded. Alleged com munist Party head Jose Maria Sison denounces govern ment witness Rosendo Ca wigan by calling him “a liar and a military merce nary.” Sison claims that Cawigan’s testimony before the Agrava Board was “selft»ntradicting, self-cancel ling, and obviously fabri cated.” The statements of Si son were written to his lawyer, Juan T. David, dated January 9, 1984, from his maximum securi ty cell at Fort Bonifacio. Sison claimed that the presentation of Cawigan as a “star witness” and an “NPA commander” before the Agrava Board was “ma licious, and immoraL” What was more danger ous, according to Sison, were the “fabrications” of Cawigan that were “calcu lated to make the New People’s Army a scapegoat and to slander the assassi nation victim, Ninoy Aqui no.” ___ Sison. reiterated that Cawigan’s testimony was “such a big joke and a jumble of lies that the audience at the Agrava Board could not resist laughing.” Sison avowed that he is in a position to assess the testimony of Cawigan who linked the New Peo ple’s Army and the Com munist Party of the Philip pines (CPP) in the Aquino assassination. Sison stated that his “extensive and serious stu dy of the ideology, poli tical program, system of organization, activities and morality of the CPP and the NPA” makes him a legitimate spokesman of these two groups. To start with, Sison said, he was not aware of any antagonism between Aquino and the NPA. “It is well known in Tarlac and in the entire country that Ninoy and his family have always re lated themselves, in an enlightened manner, with the peasantry and the rest of the people. In fact, Pre sident Marcos, himself, has accused Aquino of being a communist or a sympathi zer of the CPP and NPA. Even Cawigan foolishly called him the highest NPA commander and said that NPA actually stood for ‘Ninoy’s People’s Army’, ” Sison alleged. Sison heaped praises on Aquino, calling him an “avowed liberal democrat, a populist and an outstand ing anti-fascist leader.” Sison added that the CPP and the NPA consi der Aquino an ally since they often cite him “for his courage in fighting the Marcos regime, even as he was subjected to the most cruel kind of torture to soften him up.” Sison stated that Pre sident Marcos was giving self-contradictory statements when he claimed that -the CPP or NPA were vengefully mad at Aquino because he was the alleged mastermind behind the mysterious deaths of those who testified against him, Bernabe Buscayno, and Victor Corpuz in mid ’70s before a military tribunaL Sison says the false witnesses who were brand ed as “communist leaders” were actually “special agents” and “assets” of the AFP intelligence services. “They were killed while in military custody after JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 PAGE 16 EDUCATION______________________________VERJTAS AFTER GETTING DEMANDS /Teachers say fight is not yet over THE STRIKING public high school teachers in Quezon City, Mari kina, San Juan, and Mandaluyong have re turned to their class rooms but their fignt for better pay and bet ter working conditions is still far from over. The 3,500 public school teachers ended their two-week-old sitdown strike last Jan. 15 after local authorities and the Metro Manila Commission substantial ly granted the teachers’ demands. Quezon City teachers got a 10 per cent salary increase, a P300 cost of living allowance, a P200 emergency allowance, a P50 clothing allowance and a longevity pay of P10 for every five years of service. San Juan teachers got a monthly salary of P1,043 (former pay was P992), P25O cost of liv ing allowance, P200 emergency allowance, P50 clothing allowance and P10 longevity pay for every five years of service. The victory of the teachers, however, did not come on a silver platter. The teachers, headed by Adriano Va lencia of the Ramon Magsaysay High School, presented their de mands before Vice Gov. Ismael Mathay Jr. last November yet but Ma thay told them to con sult first with the QueDumlao defends appointment of Laya DEPUTY Education Minister Hermenegildo Dur.iao, considered to be the one most likely to succeed O.D. Cor puz, is expansive about giving in to new MECS Minister Jaime C. Laya. “Why should I feel slighted? I would feel slighted if I was sure about getting the post, and I was never sure I’d get the position,” he emphasized. “If, in the process, I was considered for the position, fine. If not chosen, then it’s still okay,” Dumlao said and shrugged. Sources at the MECS By EFREN L. DANAO teachers remained stead fast in their decision to continue striking while talks go on “because it i» the only way we could enforce our de mands. Valencia obviously got the goat of the offi cials, especially when he refused to accept their promise to look into the teachers’ de mands. He said they will lift their strike only if they have already re ceived what they were zon City government to verify if the city could afford their demands. The teachers had another fruitless meet ing with Mathay before presenting their de mands to Quezon City Mayor Adelina Rodriguez in mid-December. January 2 came and they still did not get any reply from Rodriguez, so the 3,500 teachers from 36 schools went on strike. Valencia and other leaders of the striking teachers finally met with Rodriguez, Depu ty Education Minister Hermenegildo Dumlao, Marikina Mayor Osmundo de Guzman, and other officials on Jan. 4. The teachers, how ever, were told that their demands could not be met unless exist ing ordinances are amended. Valencia repudiated these ordinances, saying that they are “already obsolete because they no longer serve the best interest of the people.” When told that the government had no mo ney, Valencia said, “The money is there. What is lacking is the willingness of officials to grant our just de mands.” They were threat ened with dismissal from the service should they continue with strike but the thought that with Dumlao’s “close association” with the President, he was the most likely choice for the position. Unlike Corpuz, Dum lao was not complain ing about any “cordon sanitaire” or Mafia schemes that were out to isolate him from the President. “It’s true I have known the President for sometime. Is that a qualification? ” Then he paused. “Sometimes, that’s even a disqualification,” he said with a faint credibility has gone so low that even the teachers who are among the most pa tient persons suspect your word,” he said. The officials, how ever, had no choice but deal with Valencia be cause of the strong sup port given him by ma jority of the teachers. Valencia said that some teachers, supervi sors, and principals were against the strike but in the end, even they thanked him for they were covered by the increases in pay and allowances. The teachers’ eyes are now trained to re presentation in the school board to protect the interest of the teachers and to the recovery of some P3,000 due each teacher from the Quezon City government. Valencia recounted that the local govern ment granted teachers By PATRICIA L. ADVERSARIO he smile. When asked to ela borate, he drew back, then shuffled uneasily some papers. “Forget that. I wasn’t serious about that 1nst remark,” then grinned. “It’s the President’s prerogative to appoint any one he thinks is best for the post - even if he got somebody out side the ministry.” Some educators, however, cannot con ceive how a technocrat was picked to run the education ministry. and policemen a P50pay hike in 1971 through Ordinance No. 8635 authored by then Councilor Rafael Mison. The policemen got their salary increase but the teachers did not, forcing the teachers to sue the Quezon City government. In 1981, Judge Jose Castro of the QC court of first instance ruled in favor of the teachers. < POUTIQS BLAMED 17 state colleges created without sufficient funds THE BAT AS AN Pambansa created 17 state colleges and uni versities (SCUs) this year in spite of Budget Minister Manuel Alba’s report that there are not enough funds to support already exist ing ones. There are now 74 SCUs in the country. Sources from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (MECS) believe that the substantial increase of SCUs involves “politick ing” rather than meet ing the educational needs of the rural ares. “Legislating the con version of schools into state institutions is a means of insuring the people’s goodwill so that when election time comes, these assembly men are assured of the people’s votes,” a MECS source candidly remark “But there’s no con flict. One can be a tech nocrat and a good edu cator at the same time. What counts is perform ance. I don’t know why one puts added mean ing to the word techno crat. “I strongly feel Laya is qualified. I feel comfortable with him,” he added. The new minister considers his appoint ment as a “meeting of the worlds of finance and education.” Alejandro Roces, for mer secretary of educa tion believes otherwise. The leader and law yer of the teachers, however, went into a compromise with the Quezon City agreement, agreeing to only onehalf of what was due the teachers. That agreement preci pitated the change in the leadership and law yer of the teachers’ or ganization. Valencia, who as sumed his position as president of the teached. For those who cannot af ford to study and live in Metro Manila, a state insti tution offering higher edu cation is a welcome meaIn the absence of clearcut guidelines, however, a spate of “low-rate” ter tiary schools have been converted into state schools. MECS sources said that in spite of the sub stantial increases in the number of state schools, there has been no corres ponding improvement in the quality of education these schools are suppos ed to provide. An official from the Philippine Association of State Colleges and Uni versities (PASUC) said one guideline should provide that the school should have distinguished itself in a field before it can be consi dered for conversion to a state school. It is also important to find out whether the school’s per formance is at par with the standards of existing state schools. But these “It is bad to appoint any body to a different post just because he has lost his credibility some where. Why should the education ministry be the dumping ground of a Central Bank fail ure? ” Roces said. When asked to react to Roces’ remark, Dum lao appeared momenta rily at a loss. “There’s no basis for that remark. Though failures and mistakes can happen anywhere, the MECS and CB are entirely different institutior ” Dumlao stresses. association only last Nov. 12, said that he had been consulting with their new legal ad viser on how to void the agreement between the former lawyer and leader and Quezon City. Another issue they want to pursue is the representation of teach ers in the local school board. “The interest of the teachers are not well guidelines are not being followed, the official said. A glance at the BP bills which converted high schools into national schools this year showed that these schools failed to undertake any field of specialization. Further more, the schools did not show competency in a field which justified their elevation to state schools in the first place. Charters of some of the new SCUs also showed that the guidelines set by PD 1437 regarding the se lection of state college or university president, the composition, functions and term of office of the pre sident and the board, have not been followed. The Battad case par ticularly has brought to the fore “irregularities” in the selection of a presi dent. The case also figured prominently in the resig nation of Education Mi nister Onofre Corpuz last Dec. 15. The education minister, who maintained that the “choice of state college president is not a popula rity contest” but based on relevant qualifications and training to head a state college, had been by passed twice in the selec tion of a president. PD 1437 provides that the President of the Phi lippines appoints the pre sident of a state college or university upon, the recom mendation of the educa tion minister. Rosario P. Pimentel, president of Bulacan Col lege of Arts and Trades, was appointed based on the recommendation of Labor Minister Blas F. Ople, Bulacan Gov. Igna cio Santiago and Minister of State for Justice Teodulo Natividad. Fortunato Battad, pre sident of the Benguetbased Mountain State Agricultural College, was reportedly backed by Ben guet Gov. Ben Palispis. Battad was not even favor ed by Corpuz who wanted Willie Depositario, a UP Los Banos agriculture pro fessor, instead. protected in the school board. Under a MECS memorandum, teachers also cannot sit as offi cers of the ParentsTeachers Association. If a teacher sits in the school board, then we can help prevent unne cessary purchases and over pricing and see to it that parts of the school fund would be channeled for the bene fit of teachers,” Valen cia stressed. Gov. Palispis was even said to ha^e lambasted the education minister’s “in terference” when Corpuz wrote a letter to the Pre sident protesting BattacPs appointment. PD 1437, promulgated on June 10, 1978, also de fines the composition, term of office and the powers of the governing board. Technically, a state school does not fall un der MECS supervision but under its own governing body, the board of trusAccording to PD 1437, the governing board should consist of the MECS mi nister as chairman, the president of the univer sity or college as vicechairman, a representative from NEDA, and two pro minent citizens who have distinguished themselves in the specialized acade mic fields of the school, (e.g. agriculture, fisheries, commerce) A PASUC source re vealed that in some of the charters of the new SCUs created by the Batasan, the mayor or gover nor is included in the board and not the required authorities in the academic fields of competence the - college wants to pursue. One state college edu cator candidly remarked that while the “motiva tions” of educators are different from politicians, political strings are “nor mal”. “The college and the board were created by legislative acts. Therefore, we are political creatures.” Another source went on to say that with these strings, what ensues is a political courtship dance of give and take. A state college president needs funds to maintain the up keep of his college and “he cannot bite the hand that feeds him”. PD 1437 fixes the term of office of the president for six years. The source said some charters have no term of office. Under PD 1437, the college pre sident has the authority to appoint school officials and employees. — PA VEK1TAS PAGE 17 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 FLOY QUINTOS I WAS twelve that summer when Sesame Street was first broadcast in>Manila. and like most other twelve year olds who had al ready learned to count beyond ten and tell “which of these Things was not like tfiS other,” I relished Sesame Street purely for the whole hour of entertainment it offered. I remember sitting whole mornings with younger cousins and enjoying no less than the aid, the light banter of the muppets. Even if there was no thing more that I could learn from the show and its characters, it was important to me then, to traverse as often as I could that whole street which seemed so special. I cannot tell what made Sesa me Street so magical. I soon found out from watching Barr eta and Starsky and Hutch that the street where muppets and humans lived looked no different from the streets of the Bronx and the lower Eastside where muggings and shoot-outs were also so com monplace. Looking back at those mornings, I sometimes wonder what made Ernie and Bert’s end less jelly-bean squabbles so en grossing, or what it was that made Oscar the Grouch and his garbage can world so interesting. What, I still ask myself, could have made a selfish monster with an insatia ble desire for cookies, so lovable? Of Big Bird, the Sesame star, 1 remember only two things: that he was incredibly stupid and that he was yellow before the color was fashionable. Eventually Big "Bird travelled to China for a spe cial, and I was glad that he had crossed over from Sesame Street <o the Great Wall just as I was glad when Kermit the frog went on to host his own show, complete with a porcine seductress and celebrity human beings as guests. Of course, that first generation that grew up on the Sesame Street imports evolved sensibili ties touched by American culture. How many youngsters mimmicked Ernie or Bert or tried to laugh like Grover, or wanted milk and cookies for merienda and rubber duckies in their water pails? One thing for sure, it was a generation that learned not to fear monsters, growing instead to find them cute and lovable. So, just when I thought I had finally outgrown Sesame Street, Sesame comes along, and one can’t help wondering what sensi tivities and sensibilities are now being nurtured by these pre schoolers who watch Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing frolicking through their own neighborhoods, one strewn with old tires and pigeon coops, with rusty tin cans and old iron grills, lined with water tanks, laundry lines and the back view of slightly greying apartment houses. If someone asks a child what color his skin is, he might now say with pride, like Sesame’s Aling Nena does, that it isn’t just brown, it is kayumangging kaligatan - and that it is the color of the Filipino. Children in more affluent homes in the Philippines may be learning earlier in life how to relate to ambulant street vendors like Ben or repairmen like Mang Lino, how to find harmony and symmetry in the shapes, colors and noises of a crowded, lower-income urban neighborhood rather than just whitewash them in their mind. Perhaps these children would be learning to speak Pilipino, not Taglish, making their native lan guage truly the language of the heart. The fact is that I’d like to think of myself as an adult for whom the learning process has just begun and that is why I watch Sesame every chance I get. Never mind if the Philippine Sesame Street Project targets an audience of 4 to 6 year olds from the urban areas, and from the socio-economic group that a PSSP hand-out labels as “middle class.” Children from 4 to 6 are sup posed to be equipped with the basic cognitive and socio-emotional skills and concepts about their own selves and their envi ronment. The choice of urban children was based on the obvious fact that most television sets in the country are found in areas with electricity. The TV street where Filipino children live, love, laugh, and learn The specification, however, does not mean to exclude the child from the rural areas or from other socio-economic groups. Another Sesame brochure says that the show is, “perhaps the most thoroughly researched TV program in the country,” The de velopment of the curriculum was marked by six months of research and extensive consultations with the country’s leading educators, social scientists, linguists and child development experts. The curri culum goals for the first experi mental season of Sesame stresses values and the development of a child’s emotional and moral growth. Through the ’ situations featured in the show, Sesame hopes to support home and school in teaching children the positive values of caring, sharing, cleanliness, resourcefulness, co operation and perhaps the most difficult goal of all, to emphasize growing up as a Filipino child. Thus, the distinctly Filipino envi ronment and community. There have been previous at tempts at creating a Filipino sc ries that was geared towards the education of children, but these paralleled Sesame Street only in the use of puppets and animation. It was obvious that those produ cers had missed out on those qualities that enable adults to communicate with children: the wit, the spontaneity, the sense of fun. What direction would the show have taken without the expert guidance ofNew York’sChildren’s Television Workshop, which pro duces Sesame Street? There are no furry monsters on this street, instead there is an endearingly naive tortoise in a> baseball cap, sneakers, sweatshirts and jogging pants and a street wise monkey and his jeepney. It’s obvious that Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing have been cast in the molds of Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch (The creation of these puppets was su pervised by the Children’s Tele vision Workshop in New York), but somehow you forget all US prototypes the moment Pong opens his mouth and begins -to ask questions.. Never mind if Pong resembles the minor, less compli cated creations of CTW and is dressed like any other American Kid or if Kiko speaks in the same raspy voice as Oscar. With Pong’s multi-colored shell and Kiko’s gaily decorated jeepney, they’ve become distinctly folksy. Deo Noveno, a Filipino puppeteer who trained with CTW’s Kermit Love, essays the role, complaining only of the “sauna-like” heat inside the shell. Sammy and Violy Badon, who work Kiko Matsing, are se nior puppeteers of the performing ensemble of the conservative Bap tist Ministry. The husband and wife team have been puppeteers for the past 8 years. Noveno’s ex perience includes a two year stint with Batang Pinoy and the handl ing of Japanese Bonraku puppets. Much as the puppets are hailed as Sesame’s star attractions, the Filipino community who live on the street prove themselves equal ly engaging. My own personal favorite is Aling Nena, a 69-year old widow who runs a sari-sari store. No sugary Iola is Aling Nena and unlike Sesame Street’s Mr. Hooper, the character she most strongly parallels, she gives the impression that senility will never overtake her. As Aling Nena, ac tress Angie Ferro reminds one of a matriarch who’s lived through a lot and emerged strong and wise, a woman of dignity. Stage experience is a common factor that binds the Sesame per formers. Mario, the science teacher is played by Junix Inocian, who has made a name as one of Repertory Philippines’ lead actors. Sylvia, his amiable, soft-spoken wife is the model and actress Susan Africa. Bulwagang Gantimpala’s Joe Gruta is Mang Lino. Tito and Dessa Quesada, who play Ben and Luz, began in theater during their high school days. The greatest challenge of Sesame, the cast generally agrees, is working with children. As Tito Quesada puts it, “You cannot fake your emotions here. Chil dren have a built-in Geiger coun ter of sorts; even if you smile, they can feel your real disposi tion. So I learned how to level with them. I go gentle but straight arid firm, never fawning or patro nizing.” The Sesame community is peopled with such refreshingly dif ferent types, and even if they converse with giant turtles and monkeys, they are believable, they are credible. Consequently, this small community of workers has earned the respect of the in dustry. No tearjerking, no melo drama, no mestizo features or garbled attempts at speaking English, no qualms about social classes or “lowly” professions. Instead, Sesame presents its view ers with an ideal community of people (and animals) working and learning together. Now do you understand why I wish Sesame had been around much earlier? Of course, there are other things to wish for. Like say a character built around a farmer from Central Luzon, or a fisher man from Laguna de Bay. How about a Kalinga child or a Samal youngster visiting Sesame and sharing with the neighborhood kids, their own unique expe riences? Or should I be audacious and wish for a Sesame episode on the plight of the urban poor and the displaced minorities and the laborers. I’m not asking for too inuch. Just a television show that seeks to develop the right atti tudes, one that focuses on the human spirit and the sense of community that is so important in times like these, without sugar coating the human condition. It will take a great deal of intelli gence to be able to do just that and still stay clear of blatant pro paganda, but won’t it be worth the effort? Children are, after all, capable of more intelligence than we credit them with. And what about older brothers and sisters, yayas, housewives and lolas who spend mornings in front of the TV set? They could leam too. Clearly, the possibilities arc endless. PAGE 19 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 VERITAS FEATURES PARENTING DURING A PERIOD OF NATIONAL CRISIS By TERESITA QUINTOS-DELES Some people have ob served that the problems we face today constitute the most serious crisis to our nation since the end of World War 11. As with every crisis situation, the times are rife both with the threat of destruction and violence but also with the possibility of new beginnings and re newed hopes for our people. As Christians, we are ob liged to become actively involved with the situation. We cannot remain aloof from the events that are de termining day-by-day the shape of our country’s fu ture. We are not allowed to remain indifferent to our people’s efforts at last to express and exercise their collective option for justice and freedom. But as we participate in the various actions to achieve social redirection, those among us who are parents are also challenged to confront a further con cern: What about our chil dren? What are the implica tions of th€se national deve lopments and our own spcial involvement on the way we raise our children? How shall we raise them so that they will be able to cope with the crisis and in fact remain positive agents du ring these troubled times? Five basic themes may help parents raising their children in these times to evolve socially relevant pa renting. (\) Critical thinking. Cri tical thinking is a sign of an active and independent mind, it refers to a person’s capacity to stand back from a situation, question its premises,, and make a judgement about the truth it espouses. The full and free exer cise of critical thinking is essen tial to the maintenance of the democratic process. Consistent ly enough, eleven years of au thoritarian rule in the Philip pines have attempted to eradi cate the practice of critical thought among our people. Critical thinking constitutes a value for humah survival and human fulfillment in the most ordinary of times, its practice becomes truly imperative during periods of crisis when sharp divi sions among the population be come imminent. Critical thinking in chil dren begins in small ways: participation in the choice of their clothes, in decisions about play - and work time, in reflective discus sions about our relation ships with other people. Even pre-school children can appreciate the fact that the commercials they watch on television can, and often do, lie; that there is some thing wrong when children have to earn their living in the streets; that their pa rents, as with other persons in authority, can make mis takes and that we can talk about it. We plant the seed for cri tical thought in little chil dren when we show them that we value what they say and that it is as important for us. to iisten to their thoughts as it is for them to listen to ours. The prac tice of critical thinking is nurtured every time they see evidence that what they have to say affects the way we do things in our family, that their opinions help to determine the issues that concern us. We encourage critical thinking during these troubled times when we take the time to discuss with our children the mean ing of our actions - from the meaning of the black pin we wear on our shirt and of the yellow ribbons they see waving in the streets to the reason for our increasingly hectic work schedule. (2) Material simplicity. If nothing else is clear about the implications of the crisis we now face, it is that we are coming into very diffi cult times on the economic front. The latest devalua tion of the peso (which brought the rate of deterio ration of the value of the peso to approximately 53% since January of this year) signals the following scena rio: a sharp rise in prices and increasing shortage of basic commodities; the run ning out of raw materials and fuel to meet produc tion needs; massive lay-off of workers as factories cut back production or even shut down; the breakdown of the transportation system immobilizing any available goods; the eventual collapse of the banking system. The most optimistic projections affirm that we are entering a period of scarcity; the only question is how long the recovery or the recon struction of the economy will take. Our question is: what will happen to all the chil dren who have been raised as avid advocates of care free consumerism, whether they could satisfy the con sumerist goal or not -- build ing up their dreams, selfimage, almost their entire pattern of relating with the world according to their capacity to biiy and own things? What happens to the children who have been raised on brand names and department store seasons? Even in relatively more abundant times, the need for material simplicity (or simple living) has been un derscored as a way to free ourselves from purely mate rial concerns to allow for more inner space to grow. In times of scarcity and want, material simplicity be comes a distinct necessity. In a period of economic crisis, children who were raised to respond to basic needs will have a bit of an easier time than those who have been used to catering to their every want (or in vented need). But material simplicity cannot be developed when it is instituted as a form of sacrifice. While it prunes our habits of excessive con sumption, simple living is definitely a life-affirming lifestyle and must be intro duced to children, as a posi tive concept. Material simplicity consti tutes an affirming lifestyle be cause it is based on the concept of stewardship rather than of sacrifice. Stewardship is an atti tude towards things - the world and its resources as well as one’s personal belongings - as being here not for one’s exclusive use but for the welfare of others, for the survival and continued growth of the human face. Finally, material simplicity can be developed and sustained only in community with other people. We need a support group to avoid developing a feel ing of isolation especially in younger people to whom peer group acceptance is of ut most importance. A commu nity is also important to enable us to build alternative structures . that are necessary to make the options of simple living viable and sustainable in a consumeristoriented world. (3) Nonviolent action. In his homily on the third night of the novena-masses for the late Senator Aquino, Fr. Jose Blanco, S.J., spoke on the theme of nonvio lence. He underscored the point that “ ‘prevailing’ or ‘winning’ is not the goal of the nonviolent action, but the working out of the truth of the situation.” There are many situa tions in the country today that we want the truth about. Father Blanco men tioned some of these: the truth about who killed Ninoy Aquino and all the other people who have been ’ killed under similar circum stances before him; the truth of the situation re garding the military - whe ther they are here to pro tect us or to give us fear and insecurity; the truth about our judiciary; the truth regarding media. This conversion to the truth takes place, Fr. Blanco also stated, when the non violent person “stands strong in the courage of conviction and is willing to take blows in order to wit ness to the truth.” Thus, nonviolent action is not an act of surrender to the ene my; it is a concerted act of courage and inner strength by the people. Nonviolent action is nur tured in an environment of support and cooperation. The option for peace is strengthened when we re fuse to settle difference with the use of force but rather insist that we sit down together to work out a mutual resolution of the conflict. We teach nonvio lence when we show the children that winning is not the most important thing in the world -- that “victory at all costs” is meaningless, that it is possible to develop our abilities without step ping on other people’s backs, that cooperation can be more challenging and even more fun than competition. We further the cause of peace when we refuse to make violence an object of play or entertainment. We of justice and freedom in our children. will also refuse to glamorize persons who promote and institutionalize the use of violence. We have to teach our children to recognize the courage and strength of nonviolent action. All these affirmations do not deny the fact that the nonviolent person may sometimes have to under take an act of violence, but this decision is never one to be taken lightly. In the Philippines, we would like to believe that the nonvio lent approach to change is still a viable option for us. In a situation already rife with the threat of a violent struggle, however, it is still imperative to train our chil dren in nonviolent action. We have to teach them to understand that what is im portant is the victory of truth and not of force. (4) Social justice and freedom. The themes of so cial justice and freedom lie at the core of socially con scious parenting. Justice and freedom are timeless values. They spring from our concept and ap preciation of persons as beings with intellect and will, created in the image of God, standing at the apex of creation. Thus, every person has inalienable rights to a life with dignity and free dom. These are also values ap propriate to these times. Never yet in our entire his tory of self-rule have the basic rights of the Filipino people been so grossly vio lated. The political unrest now racking major centers of the country is the erup tion of long pent-up anger against eleven years o f authoritarian rule that have quite effectively turned the Filipinos into “exiles in their own land,” to quote his eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin. Filipinos today are sub ject to arbitrary arrest and detention, alienated from the land and the fruits of their land, who control over their work and the fruits of their work, denied of any structures by which they can seek redress from pub lic servants who exploit ra ther than serve them. We teach children about justice and freedom when we practice justice and free dom at home, affirming our respect for the inalienable rights of all the members of our family and household - adults as well as children, the female members equally with the males, the helpers as well as those whom they serve. The practice of justice and freedom in our homes will lay the foundation on which can grow the values But we must also intro duce our children to the wider issues of justice and freedom outside of our homes. It is pot necessary to undertake an elaborate analysis of social issues with younger children. But we must establish our firm con cern for the welfare of all oppressed people beyond our homes and immediate community. As early in our children’s lives as possible, we must bring them to recognize that there is a vast world of people beyond our homes, often living not, very far away, who may live diffe rently from us but with whom we are interrelated: the farmers who planted the rice and the fisher-folks who caught the fish on our dinner table, the workers who produced the other goods we use, etc. Our children need to see our interest in social issues as an integral part of our regular family lifestyles, normally entering into our family discussions, affecting our decisions about expen ditures and use of goods, permeating our friendships PARENTING FOR PEACES JUSTICE Parenting for Peace and Justice (PPJ) held its inaugural meeting Fri day-Sunday, January 2022 at the Loyola Retreat House in Angono, Rizal. PPJ is part of the US based Parenting for Peace and Justice Network, a movement initiated by James and Kathleen Mc Ginnis in 1981 and which now has spread to every state in the U.S. and Canada. PPJ includes such con cerns as helping children learn non-violent ways of resohhng conflicts, counteracting consumer and relationships. It is im portant that there should not be any serious discre pancy between the social values that we preach and our own personal behavior at home and with others. (5) Prayer and faith. When we pray, we affirm that we are not alone. We establish communion with our God and gather strength from fhis aftunement be tween creature and God. Our people’s movement for justice which arose fol lowing the events of August 21 has, as one of its major characteristics, a- visible di mension of prayer. Our ini tial mass gatherings were centered around churches. Our first forms of action constitut6d of prayer ga therings and processions. In periods of crisis, we affirm the value of prayer. If we want to teach chil dren the value of prayer, we have to set up quiet times and spaces in our homes. Silence is necessary for the two-way communi cation which is prayer to take place. At age two or ninety, we need to take time for this silence in order not to be overwhelmed by events, not to be worn out or crushed by our own round of activities. From our children’s ear liest days, we have to teach them that prayer is not a withdrawal from the world. In the words of one of the Calls to Action that was circulated after August 21, “When we gather in peace ful community to ask tire Lord of the Universe to heed our call, (we express a commitment, 'arising from our deepest spiritual beliefs, not to surrender to the forces that would have us cowering in fear.” From the silence of prayer, we arise to more determined action to “take away the occasion of war” from our world. When my mother heard that I was writing an article on pa renting during a time of crisis, she asked, “Why? Is parenting supposed to be different during a time of crisis? Arent’t we sup posed to raise our children at all times as if we were in a period of crisis?” And iny mother is right, of course. The meaning of parent ing shouldn't suddenly change because we are confronted by crisis. The values which we up hold with our children during ordinary times should be values that will stand no matter what the situation turns out to be. ism, and how whole fa milies can be involved in working for peace and justice. “The families’ res ponse to the current cri sis” is how the members of the local coordinating team primarily see their efforts. They include Ging & Jojo Deles, Ferdie and Tita Hilario, Baby & Toto Malvar, and Fr. Ruben M. Tanseco, S.J. For further informa tion, interested parties may call ME House, tel. no. 8175691 or Tita and Ferdie Hilario tel. nos. 8330092 and 8330043. ENTERTAINMENT VERITAS JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 PAGE 20 cfYIANILATIP-OFF By MA. THERESA R. MARTELINO PERFORMING ARTS Insular Life Theater (Insular Life Bldg., Ayala Ave., Makati) January 29, February 4 - 3:30 and 8 p.m. February 3,4-8 p.m. Torch Song Trilogy. Harvey Fierstein’s Tony Award winning play on the third sex. Cast: Miguel Faustmann, Zeneida Amador, Paul Holme, Tommy Alvarado, and Baby Barredo. Directed by Baby Barredo. Presented by Repertory Philippines. Bulwagang Gantimpala (CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila) January 29, February 4—3:30 and 7:30p.m. February 3 — 7:30 p.m. Kapangyarihan ng Kinulayang Tubig. Ronaldo C. Tumbokon’s 2nd prize win ner in the 1983 CCP Playwriting Contest, Category I presented by Bulwagang Gan timpala. Deals with faith healing. CCP Main Theater (CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila) January 30 — 8 p.m. Ylioppilaskunan Laulayat Choir. Also known as the Helsinki University Chorus, an all-male Finnish choir composed of 90 members with conductor Matti Hyokki. Repertoire includes the compositions of Pekka Kostiainen, Jean Sibelius, Carl Orff, and Jan Sweelink, among others. CCP Little Theater (CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila) February 2 and 3-7:30 p.m. Poulenc-Cocteau’s Evening. The Philip pine Philharmonic Orchestra performs un der the baton of French conductor Jean Pierre Jacquillat. Presented by the CCP in association with the French Embassy. Folk Arts Theater (CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila) February 4-7 pjn. MET Parade of Stars. A gala dinner show featuring all the stars and artists who have appeared in any of the Manila Metro politan Theater’s productions. Includes ex cerpts from various musicals staged at the MET such as Maala-ala Mo Kaya, Hindi Kita Malimot, and Dahil sa Iyo. With the participation of the Metropolitan Theater Chorus, MET Dance Company, and the Ma nila Symphony Orchestra. Directed by Ramon Gil-Alonso. Presented in celebra tion of the METs Sth anniversary. ART Heritage Centre (Cor. Wiliam and Lantana Sts., Cubao, Que zon City) Pintig ng Buhay features the paintings NETWORK The following are some of the special TV shows lined up this week: • Sunday, January 29 at 9 p.m., RPN-9’s Sunday’s Big Event features the concluding episode of the five-part mini series The Thom Birds. The miniseries, based on the best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, records the life of an Austra lian frontier family and the forbidden love between a priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart, and a young girl, Meggie Cleary. • Wednesday, February 1 at 8:30 p.m., RPN-9’s Midweek Special features Tennes see Williams’ The Night of the Iguana done by Repertory Philippines. Nestor Torre, Baby Barredo, Joy Virata, and Paul Holme star. Zeneida Amador directs. • Friday, February 3 at 8:30 p.m. A cast of puppets takes over GMA Motion Pictures in the sci-fi film Revenge of the Mysterious from Mars. • Saturday, February 4 at 9 p.m., The Last Song, GMA-Ts feature on Marvelous Golden Movies, tells of a beautiful, happi ly-married young singer devoted to her engineer-husband and their young daughter. The intriguing drama takes on the thrills of industrial espionage as a company covers up for its chemical wastes and takes drastic steps to prevent the faniily from exposing it. Lynda Carter stars. of Rosella Sicat-Lorenzo and her son, Rus sell S. Lorenzo. Rosella is a business admi nistration graduate of the University of the Philippines who paints as a hobby. Russell is a recipient of the Anita Magsaysay-Ho scholarship. Until February 24. Ali Mall Shopping Center (3rd Level, Cubao, Quezon City) Larawan ’84 exhibits the photographs of camera clubs, professional photographic organizations, and selected accomplished photographers from all over the country. In celebration of Photography Week. Until January 31. FILMS Metropolitan Museum of Manila (Roxas Blvd., Manila) January 29, 4 p.m. - Une Senwine de Vacances. Directed by Bertrand Tavernier. Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of France. Open-Air Theater (Rizal Park, Manila) Every Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., Cinema in the Open Air, a project of the National Parks Development Com mittee. Free admission. January 29-Triplets and Biglang Yaman , two Tagalog comedy films. Presented in cooperation with the LVN Film Archives. February 4 - Berlinger. Directed by B. Sinkel and A. Brustellin. Presented in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut. HOTELS Hyatt Regency Manila (2702 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City) At the Tempura-Misono: Unagi (eel) is the special for January. At Cafe La Hacienda: A Filipino lunch buffet is available the whole week. Also included in the menu are nine dishes fea turing asparagus from Baguio. At Calesa Bar: Cynthia Patag is back performing at 7-9 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Philippine Plaza (CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila) At Pier 7: Los Filipinos entertains night ly starting at 7 p.m. A daily lunch buffet is also offered at Pl 15+ for adults and P77+ for children. At Siete Pecados: Emilie and the Midas Touch alternate performances with the Music Breakers Monday to Thursday at 7:30 p.m.-2 a.m. and Friday to Saturday at 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Lynda Carter stars in The Last Song. Cynthia Patag at the Hyatt. Rosella and Russell Lorenzo The asparagus avalanche at Hyatt. Primetime Specials Rodolfo T. Reyes has reportedly re signed from his position as general mana ger of MBS-4, the government station, ef fective February 1. His successor has not been named although in the latter part of last year, rumors were rife that Imee Mar cos Manotoc would take over Channel 4 since Mr. Reyes had supposedly already resigned his post. Although it was never confirmed that Mr. Reyes had actually re signed, it was bruited about that some body from higher up had refused to ac cept his resignation. 9 Years Before Your Eyes, an 11-hour news documentary series which features the most significant news highlights from 1975 to 1983, premiered on RPN-9 on January 21. It will air for 11 consecu tive Saturdays at 5-6 p.m. If plans go through, Jerry Lewis, the American king of comedy, just might co emcee with Willie Nepomuceno in Tele cause ’84 a charity project in the form of an 18-hour marathon variety special aimed at raising money for 22 charitable institutions. To be aired live from the Araneta Coliseum over MBS-4 starting on February 14 at 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. of Feb ruary 15 without commercial interrup tion, the show is similar to the Jerry Lewis Telethon held every Labor Day in the United States. Movie and television stars as well as other showbiz personalities will perform while they receive phone calls for pledges from the public. Raffle draws and con tests are the other highlights of the pre sentation, portions of which will be tele cast by the other TV stations from time to time. Joe Quirino » »♦ »♦ Joe Quirino’s noontime show JQ on Cue which was recently moved to a primetime slot at 9:30-10:30 p.m. every Sunday has changed its title to Seeing Stars on 2. It seems that the BBC-2 man agement hopes to regain the popularity — and the ratings — the show enjoyed when it was still telecast on IBC-13. RPN-9’s upcoming series include two action-adventure series and a cartoon series. These are Gavilan, starring Robert Urich; The Quest, starring Perry King and Karen Austin, and Pandamonium. VERITAS REVIEW PAGE 21 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 CECILLE CASTILLO’S STAR ON THE RISE Nearly five years ago, a gawky, innocent-look ing, 15-year-old nymphet, just out of high school, was well on her way to becoming the newest star in Philip pine movies. She had been chosen from among 500 aspirants in a nationwide search for the girl who was to play the plum role in Celso Ad. Castillo’s Ang Dalagang Pinagtaksilan ng Panahon, that year’s most controversial mo vie about an Igorot maiden caught between the clashing forces of tradition and change. The movie was, for this young and inexpe rienced girl, more than just a lucky break. It meant the fulfillment of a childhood dream. But as fate would have it, the stillborn star was caught in the real-life legal tussle over the film’s material, with two parties claiming the movie was, in fact, their rightful property. As a result, two ver sions of the movie were made and, worse, simul taneously exhibited. To add to the injury, the girl’s oytn director aban doned her and went on to make the other ver sion (entitled Aliw-iw), with bold star Rio Locsin in the title role. In stead of bringing her the promise of instant stardom, the movie ended up as a monu mental disaster at the box office. Like the film’s illfated title, the career of Cecille Castillo . never got off the ground again. Meanwhile, she decided to pursue her college studies, accept ing assignments which came rather sporadical ly and where she was relegated to nothing but purely decorative roles as in Boy Kano, Barkada, and P i n o y Boxer. She vowed to give herself five years, that is, if she ever had a chance to recover from her being a “hope less case”. The turning point finally came in 1982. Director Lino Brocka offered her a choice part in Cain at Abel, that of a submissive housemaid impregnated by the landlady’s irres ponsible son. Here, she was pitted against such acting stalwarts as Christopher de Leon, Phillip Salvador and Mona Liza, and, for the first time, she eli cited favorable reviews for her fine perfor mance. Her portrayal was, in fact, so finely etched that the critics and the industry people alike took notice of her, resulting in a cita tion from the Manunuris and a nomination from the First Film Academy of the Philip pines Awards. Though she did eventually lose to Liza Lorena in the FAP’s acting derby, her producer, Bernie Yalong of Cine Suerte, promised her another role that would bring to the fore her new found acting resources. That promise was finally fulfilled in Kar nal, where she was per sonally chosen by Di rector Marilou DiazAbaya to play the pivo tal role of Puring, the city-bred wife who goes home to her husband’s hometown, and later falls prey to the milieu’s sexual repression and violence. Her perfor mance is truly memo rable. she is, by turns, timid, tender, and tor mented. The Manila filmfest jurors must have been so impressed with Cecille’s perfor mance that she figured By JUSTINO DORMIENDO Cecille’s disappointment with the results of the recently-concluded Metro Manila Filmfest was partially compensated when Kamal was nominated for best foreign picture in the 1983 Oscar awards. If it wins, the young actress may still have the last laugh. prominently in the best actress race, finally los ing out to Coney ReyesMumar in a highly con troversial decision, one of the last filmfest’s biggest boo-boos. The loss, coming as it does to an actress who was supremely con fident of her ability as well as the film’s over all superiority, drove Cecille to long fits of depression. Not one to mince her words, she even came out in print to denounce the irre gularity. “Masakit talaga ang nangyari, ” she says. “At ang masama pa ay nag-leak ang results doon mismo sa CCP habang nasa backstage ako. I knew I did a good job. The award would have been a most timely Christmas gift for my parents.” For days and nights, she confesses, she sought solace in prayer and reflection, asking Him why it had to hap pen to her at this point in her life. She has moved away from the pain and self-pity and now speaks with cou rage and optimism. Her greatest consolation is that a lot of people have come out of their way to personally cong ratulate her for a job well-done. Cecille admits she had prepared long and hard for her role in Karnal. As part of her training, her director made her attend an in tensive, s e v e n-w e e k workshop in acting, together with Joel Tor re and Grace Amilbangsa, her co-stars who are comparative newcomers like her. The workshop involved lessons in for mal classical ballet, mime, dialogue, speech and body acting. The stint, she says, made her more aware of her resources as a perfor mer. Director Diaz-Abaya was likewise impressed by Cecille’s own efforts to improve herself. “Ce cille proved to be a most diligent student,” she says. “Her physical and emotional stamina were extraordinary. She does not only have a fantastic memory but also has the body equip ment necessary for a role as challenging and as difficult as that of Karnal. All her features worked together in the delineation of charac ter.” Cecille herself feels privileged about having worked with the direc tor. It was an exposure worth all her time and effort. “Marilou treat ed me like her own daughter, person ally coaching me on eye movement and line de livery, which were my pitfalls before. I haye also gained invaluable exposure from the rest of the cast. They were all very helpful and cooperative. Kaya nga siguro lumabas na maganda ang pelikula da hil lahat kami sa cast ay nagmamahalan. ” Has C e c i 11 e’s 1 i f e drastically changed af ter Kamal? She says the only perceivable change is that it has made her more self-as sured and more discri minating, particularly in choosing her next assignments. Her ma nager, Josie Manago, who has constantly supported her through thick and thin, says that there are several offers but these are mostly ten tative. One is a bold drama while another from Jessie Ejercito is yet in the planning stage. Meanwhile, Cecille is taking time off from the movies until that elusive dream role final ly materializes. Instead she is now concentrat ing on her school work at San Juan de Letran where she is a candidate for graduation from the college of Business Ad ministration this March. “Movies,” she points out, “can wait, but my studies can’t. Iba na ‘yung nakatapos. The movies are not stable, especially now that the industry has been grave ly affected by the deva luation.” Cecille who is 19, comes from a middle class family where tra ditional values still hold: hard work, res pect for elders, and the , necessity of a formal education. The third in a brood of three girls and two boys, Cecille is bent on pursuing her master’s degree after graduation. “Hindi na ako kailangang magapura sa moyie career ko, tutal may iba naman akong options sa buhay. Napatunayanko na sa sarili kong pag ginusto ko, ay kakayanin ko. Mabuti na ang nakasisiguro ka kaysa masira ka na naman sa isang mating desisyon. ” While she is in no hurry, events have a way of overtaking young actresses with her kind of talent. Ce cille’s star may shqot beyond her w i 1 d e s t dreams when Kamal enters the 1983 Oscar competition. PtLIPINO JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 PACE 22 / SANGGUNIANG BAYAN__________ Binabaog ang Negatibong Pwersa SA ISANG tipikal na bayan, hindi na kataka-taka kung may mga taong lantarang nagpapakita ng kawalang-kasiyahan sa gawa o performance ng kanilang sangguniang bayan -ang lokal (pambayan) na lehislatura. Hindi na nakapipitlag marinig ang ganito: “Ala namang ginagawa ang mga konsehal natin kundi magpalaki ng tiyan! ” Kaya sa maraming pagkakataon, ang nangangailangang mamamayan ay nagdadalawangisip na magharap ng kanilang karaingan at mamahayag ng interes sa harap ng sangguni ang bayan. Hindi na buo ang paniniwala nilang ang kapulungan ay may magagawa o nahahandang gumawa ng hakbang kaugnay ng kanilang problema o ha ngarin. Bakit nangyari ito? Bakit naging mabuway ang paniniwala at panghahawakan ng tao sa kakayahan ng sanggu niang bayan para maibigay sa kanila ang marapat na paglilingkod? Ano ang nagtutulak sa mamamayan para magisip na ang interes nila ay hindi na mapangangalagaan - huwag nang maitaas pa-ng sanggu niang bayan sa pamamagitan ng lokal na lehislasyon? Sa tuwirang tanong, bakit nag-iisip ang taong ang sangguni ang bayan ay wala nang totoong kapasidad na magbatas? Ang sangguniang bayan Alinsunod sa tadlpana ng batas, ang sanggu niang bayan ay binubuo ng mayor bilang tagapangulo, ng bisemayor, ng walong halal na kasangguni (konse hal) at ng tagapangulo ng Asosasyon ng mga Punong Barangay at Kabataang Barangay na hinihirang ng Pangulo bilang kasangguni. Batay sa pangangailangan ng bayan, ang sangguniang bayan ay nagpupulong minsan, makalawa, makaitlo o kahit ilang beses sa isang.huwan. Sa maliliit. na bayan, ang pagpupulong minsan sa isang buwan ay sapat. Ngunit sa mga primera at segunda klaseng bayan, kung saan higit na kumplikado ang operasyon ng pangangasiwa at marami ang bagay na nangangailangan ng lehislasyon, ginagawang maka lawa sambuwan ang sesyon. Sakali at kailanganin, tumatawag pa ng pangkagipitang pagpupulong sa pagitan ng pangkaraniwan at dipangkaraniwang sesyon. Kung ang pagbabatayan ay ang binanggit na set-up, walang dapat maging dahilan para masira 'ang tiwala ng bayan sa kapulungan. Tila hindi iyon magkukulang sa pagtugon sa pangangailangan ng tao. Laging naroon para aksyunan ang anumang bagay na humihingi ng pagbabatas. Pulitika Tanging ang matamang pagsusuri ang maglalantad sa mga ba gay na gumagapos at pumipigil sa sangguni ang bayan para maging totoong epektibo. Makapangyarihan ang pulitika sa kapulungan. Iyon ang unang pwersang may malakas na impluwensya sa aksyon ng lokal na lehislatura. Dahil sa tendensiya ng mga kagawad na mamulitika - sa pag-iiwi sa ambisyong muli pang kumandidato pagkatapos ng 'kasalukuyang panunungkulan - at “bumango” sa tao, naduduwag silang tumalakay nang malaya at matapat sa mga sensitibong isyu. Alam nilang pumanig o kumontra man sila sa ganoong isyu ay may magagalitmga taong hindi na “magboboto” uli sa ka nila sa turigkulin pagdating ng panahon. Kaya sa halip na matalakay nang ganap ang paksa, at mailantad ang pinakamabubuting bagay roon na mababatas sa kabutihan ng interes ng marami, ang isyu ay natatapos talakayin nang hindi naeeksployt ang mabubuting aspeto; hindi nababatas sa kapaburan ng mga mama mayan. Hatid din ng konsiderasyong pulitikal, ang mga kagawad ng sang guniang bayan ay madaling nagpapatibay ng isang bagay na inisponsor ng mayor sa pamamagitan ng isang kagawad. Walang halaga sa kanya kung iyon ay para sa kabutihan ng iilan o ng marami. Hin di na importante sa kanila kung iyon ay mapaniil sa interes ng tao. Kailangan lang nilang mabigyang - kasiyahan ang mayor. (Sa mga kapartido, ang mayor ay kasamang dapat tulungan; sa mga kakontrapartido, ang mayor ay “punong” dapat pakisamahan para malapitan sa pagkakataong sila’y nangangailangan.) Pulitika pa rin ang ikinamamatay ng ilang magagandang panukalang mababatas. Kapag makapapabor sa sektor ng mga kalaban sa puli tika ng mayorya sa sangguniang bayan, hin di mapagtitibay ang anuman. Kahit mara ming iba pa ang matulungan noon, higit ni lang binibigyang-diin ang pagsasagawa ng paghihiganting pulitikal. Halimbawa, ang isang ordinansang mangangalaga sa pangisdaan sa isang bayan ay “mamamatay” kapag makapa pabor sa mga lider-pulitiko-bukod sa mara ming mamamayan - na nakalaban. at kalaban pa rin ng mga nasa pwesto. Dudurugin ng mga pulitikong kasangguni ang kalaban sa pulitika sa anumang paraang le gal, tulad ng partidistang lehislasyon, mangahulugan man ng perwisyo sa kahit sino -kahit sa kawawang publiko. Minsan, sa pagitan ng mga kasangguni mismo ay lumilitaw ang multo ng pulitika. Ka pag isang oposisyonista ang nakapagharap ng isang panukalang ordi nansang maganda at kung mapagtitibay ay makapagpapalaki sa anino ng isponsor sa konsiderasyong pulitikal ng mga tao, ang naiinggit na pangkat ng mayory? ay magmamaniobra para maatraso —at, sa huli, maikahon-ang panukala. Sa kaalaman nilang ang iskor para sa oposisyon ay puntos laban sa mayorya, gumagamit sila sa pribilehiyo bilang kasangguni para kapunin ang magandang pro posal ng kalaban. Kung sakali mang naipagkait nila sa tao ang mga biyaya ng mabubuong ordinansa, nasisiyahan si lang isiping hindi napi ngot ang kanilang katatagang pampulitika. Kwalipikasyon Lakas ding sumisira sa abilidad ng sangguni ang bayan ang indibidwal na kakulangan ng kwalipikasyon ng mga kagawad. Kahit sila mga propesyonal- titser, komersyante, inhinyero, arkitekto-hindi sila tiyak na kwalipikado sa pagbabatas. Madaling mangyaring ang isang kagawad na propesyo nal - liban kung may background sa batas o lehislasyon sa sukatang pormal o di-pormal - ay maalam sa samut-sari ng mga umiiral na batas at kasalukuyang pagbaba tas. Kaya nga, hindi niya kayang gumawa ng matalino at mabuting lehislasyon bilang bahagi ng kapulungan. Maaaring matapat siya sa tungkulin, mabuti at malinis ang intensyon sa pagsisilbi sa interes ng publiko, ngunit apg gawain ay hindi abot ng kanyang kakayahan. May mga pagkakataon rin namang ang ka sangguni ng sangguni ang bayan ay talagang walang alam. Sapagkat ang kasangguni ay halal na opisyal, at ang pagkandidato sa pwesto ay nangangailangan lang ng pagiging-literado, may mga kasangguniang nahahalal dahil sa popularidad sa halip na dahil sa kwalipikasyon. Maaaring gawa ng botong pakikisintimyento o bo tong emosyonal (bunga ng tuwirang pabor na naibigay ng kandidato sa mamboboto o nakaraang sakripisyong nagawa ng kandidato para sa bayan sa kabuuan.) PINTIG Sa pagkabuwag ng Kredibilidad ng Pamahalaan IMPORTANTE sa alinmang pamahalaan ang ganap na kredibi lidad. Sa bagay na iyon nakasalalay ang kapanatagan, kaayusan, at lahat ng iba pang bagay na kaugnay ng pamamahala. Mahirap buuin kahit sa isip lang ang kalagayan ng isang bansang ang administrasyon o pamahalaan ay walang kredibilidad. Sa ating bansa, ang pamahalaan ay kasalu kuyang nagdaranas ng unprecedented low sa sariling kredibilidad. Para sa maraming Pilipino, hindi lahat ng ipahayag ng pamunuan noon ay totoo at dapat panghawakan. May agam-agam sila; may pagdadalawang-isip. Hindi nila agad tinatanggap ang nalaman bi lang bagay na totoo o kasinungalingan. Pwedeng ito ay dahil sa mga nagdaang pangyayaring nagpakita sa kanila sa talampakang pagsisinungaling ng ilang malaking pinuno kaugnay ng mga pambansang isyu na ang pinakahuli ay ang di-totoong 600 milyong dolyar na reserba ng bansa. Walang malamang gawin ang matataas na pinuno ng gobyerno ngayon para mapaniwala (uli) sa kasaluku yang pamahalaan si Juan dela Cruz. At nakaharap sila sa isang mabigat na gawain. Una, manhid na ang isip ng tao. Hindi na gustong kumilala sa totoo at sa kasinungalingan, at sa halip, tinatanggap ang lahat ng bagay nang may reserbasyon. IkaPAHAlANG I 1 Isang disyerto 7 Gamit sa baril 11 Dalhin sa pinagmulan 12 Sigabo 13 Ina 14 Ibukod 16 Y____ ' - sSawa ni John Lennon 18 Dalok 19 Arts & Letters 20 Isang sindikato 22 Babago 24 Isang hayop 25 Isang tribu 26 Panimpla 28 Tanggalin 31 Ahensya sa pagbabalita 32 Unang babae 33 Ekspresyon 34 Minaliit 37 Taya 38 Kasamahan ng pato 40_______ Amerikana 42 Baterya 43 Singaw sa bibig PABABA 1 Hihip 2 Himaymay 3 Ekspresyon ng pagtataka 4 Sapi 5 Maliliit na piraso 6 Opinyon 7 Sisidlan 8 Boksingero 9 10 Espanya Ni AGUSTIN V. TORRES lawa, aktibo ang oposisyon para tuluyan nang masira ang paniwala ng tao sa gobyemo at magkaroon ng pagkakata ong matupad ang sarili nilang intensyon. Kung tuluyang mawawasak ang paniniwala ng tao sa kasalukuyang administrasyon, kailangang-kailangang magawa ang isang matahimik na sistema ng pagpapalit doon. Maaaring sa pamamagitan ng eleksyong malinis, matapat at malaya. Sapagkat kung hindi ito maga gawa, malaki ang posjbilidad na bumangon ang tao at, tulak ng mga nararanasang kahirapan, gumamit ng karahasan para tangkaing maipasok arig hangad na pagbabago. May isang mapanganib na posibleng resulta ang kaguluhan, ganoonman. Kapag umibabaw ang kaguluhan sa bansa, walang salang mabubukPalaisipan 41 International Harvester 15 Hindi (Inggles) 17 Pagkaing yari sa kalabasa 19 Kurso 21 Napapanahon 22 Sakit sa pagdumi 23 Ipabahala 25 Ikadkad 26 Suklob 27 Orden ng Pari 28 Maraming ginagawa 29 Bawasan ang lakas 30 _____ a - nadarang 32 Sukat ng letra 34 Libo 35 Tikod 36 ____- Atihan san ang pinto ng pamamahala para sa ibang elemento - tulad ng mga dayuhan 6 sakim na interes ng ilang nasa pwesto para sumunggab sa pamamahala ng ban sa—at kapahamakan ang matatanggap ng tao. Mula sa kalagayang ma sama, mabubulid sila sa lalong malala. Kaya sa pagtataas sa interes ng nakararaming mamamayan, bawat isa ay dapat magsikap at tumulong para sa pagsa sagawa ng malinis at malayang eleksyon sa sandaling mabuwag nang tuloy ang paniniwala ng mga Pilipino sa pama halaan ni Pangulong. Marcos. Iyon ang pinakamalaking pagkakataon para matanggap ng tao ang bagay na para sa kanila. Wala pang ibang paraan ng pagpapalit ng tagapamahala o administrasyon na sing-epektibo, simbuti ng malinis na eleksyon. (Sagot sa nakaraan) km hbe |w VERITAS YOUTH PAGE 23 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 Graduates become unemployed An Imperial couple right out of my history class No vacancy. Mass lay-offs. Strikes, etc. These are just some of the signs of the times reflecting the almost in surmountable problems new graduates face everyday of their lives. Finding jobs is no easy task nowadays, consi dering the present state of the Philippine eco nomy. About a year ago, who could ever have guessed that we would be in the situation we are in right now? The escalation of prices of commodities has result ed in the escalation of mass lay-offs and the By WILSON FLORES (First Year, Management/Economics, Ateneo de Manila University) (History has always been dull reading for most people. After all, who wants to get acquainted with a lot of dead kings and fallen monuments? But there are times when history surprises -us with some thing strangely familiar, a reflection of people we have met, events we have known. It does seem sometimes as if 'rulers and conquerors ’never really die and mo'numents fall only so they can rise again - and with a more terri ble beauty than before.) AFTER THE decline of the Roman Empire, it broke up into two - Western Europe which w as uvc>. an by barbaric hordes and the East which endured as By zantium. Emperor Jus tinian, the last of the Roman emperors, reigned .over Byzantium during 527-565 AD. He pire, making it great again by reconquering its lost western provin ces. His reign spurred a golden age of Byzantine art and the climax of imperial autocracy. Justinian’s achieve ments were not only the products of his sheer determination and ambition. He had wise predecessors in the past, and was aided im measurably by his wife and co-ruler, Empress Theodora. Theodora was a resolute woman of no mean ambition. A for mer public entertainer and courtesan, she was gifted with extraordi nary energy and practi cal intelligence. The plans to rebuild the capital city of Constan tinople, reform Roman law and reconquer the West are usually attri buted to Justinian, but since he consulted Theodora on all matters of policy, it is impos sible to distinguish his from hers. And without Theoiron will none of these policies would have been carried through. For early in Justinian’s reign a great urban riot rocked the empire and burned much of Constantino ple. With the city in flamed and rioters clos ing in on the imperial palace gates, Justinian was about to resign from his imperial office and flee when Theodo ra, refusing to depart, announced that she in tended to die an em press. Justinian’s cour age was restored, the riots were quelled and the regime survived. After the destruc tive riots, Justinian and Theodora set out to rebuild Constantinople on an unprecedented^ scale. Immense funds were poured to this end. The great church of Sancta Sophia^ one of the greatest ancient works of art, was a pro duct of this period. Jus tinian was himself so dazzled by the Sancta Sophia that he ex claimed, “Glory to God who has judged me worthy of accomplish ing such a work as this! 0 Solomon, I have outdone thee! ” Roman law was also transformed by Justi nian. He ordered the compilation of the Cor pus Juris Civilis, the “body of civil law,” which became the key stone of future Euro pean jurisprudence. Ro man law once con tained strong elements of popular sovereignty, but under the aegis of Emperor Justinian, it < acquired an autocra tic flavor. Late medie val and early modem European monarchs would someday adopt Justinian’s precept that the emperor’s decree is law. With visions of re viving Rome’s lost greatness again, Justi nian and Theodora pushed into the West with vast armies to drive the barbarians out of Europe. They al most succeeded, occu pying almost all of the Mediterranean coast line regions during the final years of Justinian’s reign, but the empire became impoverished and backrupt. The re conquest efforts and extravagant expendi tures drained the treas ury and the military victories proved mostly ephemeral. A devastating plague swept across Europe, crippling the Byzantine economy in 541-543 AD. Theodora died in 548 AD, leaving Justi nian demoralized. The audacious policies of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora left the empire unstable and prostrate. Source: Medieval Europe: A Short History by Prof. C. War ren Hollister By NOMERC. NUNEZ (College of Commerce, Jose Rizal College) temporary (? ) ceasing of operations of some companies in the coun try. These companies have been unable to ob tain the Letters of Cre dit which they need to import raw materials necessary for the com pletion of the products they manufacture. With out such Letters of Cre dit, the companies can not function. At the same time, the increas ing population of un employed and the limit ed number of job open ings has caused an in tense competition be tween the new, inexpe rienced graduates and the experienced un employed for those po sitions still left open. What brought about all these problems in our society today? The floundering state of our economy result ed from the recent double devaluation of the local currency which in turn was caused by the flight of foreign capital out of the country. The situa tion was also triggered by the social upheaval following the assassina tion of the late exs. avalanche of price in creases for basic com modities, the hoarding of these goods by some unscrupulous business men, and the tempora ry halting of supplies of these commoditiesall resulting in panic buying among most Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. at the Ma nila International Air port upon his * return from a three-year self exile in the United States. —— The social unrest- consumers, sent foreign investors away, and with them investments of about $200-600 million. The investments could have helped create more jobs, stabilize the eco nomy and create an inflow of capital for the country. The bleak ness of political and economic conditions in the country has now created doubts in the minds of foreign inves tors about the govern ment’s ability to nor malize the situation. Such doubts have been reinforced by the re cent reports about the Central B a n k’s n o nexistent $600-m i 11 i o n reserves, the closure of many companies, and the rapid decrease in some big multinational companies’ manpower resources to minimize expenses and still make a profit. To complicate mat ters, there has been the For those who have more in life, such un happy phases in the country’s economy, al though felt, are not really that worrisome. But to a great number of the masses, they are terrible. JVhile the govern ment is still trying to stabilize the situation in the country, what will happen to the laidoff employees and workers? And what about the new gra duates? What shall they do now? How about us, the students? What future awaits us? For if experienced .workers are laid off and the new graduates cannot find jobs, what chances do we have for employment when our turn comes? Is there still hope in sight? The future we face is bleak indeed, but life must go on. The big question is, HOW? BULLETIN BOARD 1984 STARTED off like a whirlwind for the concerned youth as they formed new organ izations and greeted the year with protest actions. On January 14, for instance, the Science and Technology Move ment - an organization of science students - was founded. Then on January 17, there was a students’ demonstra tion at the U.S. Embas sy. The issues: the “far cical lifting of martial law,” and the “role of the U.S. in the econo mic crisis.” More activities were also slated for the suc ceeding days. As of presstime, these in cluded: participation in a Poor People’s March on January 22, with marchers starting off from five designated points and converging at the Liwasang Boni facio at 3 pjn.; the for malization of the Stu dents and Teachers Fo rum on January 25 and 26; the founding con gress of the revived Na tional Union of Stu dents of the Philippines (NUSP), on January 28 and 29; and the celebra tion of National Youth Week from January 23 to 31. of CROPS Who says the physically unfit can’t teach physical fitness? And kids at' that! “Able” PE teacher, above, with a crutch and one foot slung aside easily toes his students in line. The role of transna tional corporations (TNCs) in the country’s A “Coffee Hour” was held at the Social Hall of the Philippine Women’s University on January 18 from 3 to 5 p.m.The “Coffee Hour,” an informal discussion period organized by the CEGP Education and Cultural Committee, had as guest speaker Dean Armando Malay. Dean Malay spoke on the lifting of martial law which, he said, was not a true “lifting” at all, but merely a means to redeem the Philippine government’s interna tional image. In the open forum that fol lowed, the audience, composed mostly of students from PWU and other schools, expressed their views and reactions regarding the points raised by Dean Malay as well as some other is sues, notably the com ing Batasang Pambansa elections and the boy cott campaign. economy was tackled in a talk at Letran Col lege. Following is a re port from the CEGP News Bureau: Transnational corpo rations (TNCs) and their role in the Philip pine economy was the subject of a talk given by Loreta Ann Rosales of the Association of Concerned Teachers (ACT) at the 13th Stu dent Leaders Forum meeting held January 14 at the Quezon Hall of Letran College, Ro sales discussed the eco nomic control exerted by TNCs in the coun try, the government’s support of these corpo rations, and their effects on the small business men here. She also ex plained that it was be cause foreign investors' require a peaceful cli mate and docile work ers to operate, that martial law was de clared and laborers pro hibited from striking. The SLF meeting was attended by stu dents from different national organizations, alliances, and student councils. - (Henry Tuason, CEGP News Bu reau Director) CELEBRATION VERjTAS JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 1984 PAGE 24 By MAUR A. LICHAUCO CHILDREN S COOKSHOP {Without our planning it, this issue has turned out with a special focus on children. What better way to cap these pages than this collection of children’s recipes from no less than Maur Aquino Lichauco, one of the country’s acclaimed cooks. These simple recipes could start out your young ones to discover one of the great pleasures in life - the loving preparation of food for friends and loved ones. Ed.) THE EGG AND YOU Soft Boiled Egg: Into boiling water put 1 egg. Courtt 60 for a one-minute egg, count 180 or say three Hail Marys for a three-minute egg. Hard Boiled Egg: Into boiling water put 1 egg. Leave there for ten minutes. Fried Egg: • Heat 54 cup cooking oil in a nail skillet. (Use oil that has Oeen used once to prevent stick ing). Break the egg in a saucer, place a pinch of salt and a small pinch of pepper. Slide the egg into the hot oil and fry till the egg white is soft but firm. Scrambled Egg: Beat 1 egg in a cup. Add 1/8 tsp. salt, a pinch of pepper and 1 tablespoon of milk. Place 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a skillet and pour the beaten egg in. Mix rapidly with a fork ■ until semi-dry. Serve hot. Poached Egg: Put water 1/3 full in a small skillet and let it boil. Break 1 egg into a saucera and slowly slide it into the water. Count two minutes and remove gently. FIXING THE MIXES Champorado: Use prepared mix. Follow the instructions on the mix and add 2 more tablespoons of cocoa. Use fresh milk instead of evaporated milk. Hot Cake: Use hot cake mix and follow the “ordinary” recipe. Instead of water use sojja water (bottled). The hot cake Will turn out more Serve together hot Brownies: Increase the butter to 2 more tablespoons and add 1 more egg to the recipe specified by the mix. The brownies will be “cakier.” The same thing may be done to a butterscotch mix. Note: These recipes will be enjoyed by smaller children because they’re so easy to prepare. OTHER BREAKFAST FOODS French Toast: 4 eggs slightly beaten 14 cup milk 3 tablespoons sugar or Karo syrup 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon % teaspoon salt 6 slices raisin bread or plain Pan Americano 2 tablespoons butter Mix first 5 ingredients together. Soak bread in the mixture for about 20 minutes. Turn and let soak for another 10 minutes. Melt 2 teaspoons butter and fry. Do not turn except once. One side is cooked after reciting three Hail Marys. Churros and Chocolate churros: 1% cups boiling water 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cooking oil Mix together the flour and the salt. Put into the boiling water, mixing vigorously until it forms a ball. Put in an icing gun or paper icer squeeze in figure eights. Drop in 2 cups of boiling oil. chocolate: 1 tablet Antonio Pueo chocolate ’ cup pure evaporated milk 3 tablespoons water 1 14 tablespoons sugar Mix together and put on the fire. When boiling beat with a rotary egg beater or an old fashioned chocolate beater until QUICK SNACKS Ice Drop Buy plastic ice drop bags from Divisoria. Buko: To the water of one young coconut or buko, add 2 tablesppons sugar. Grate the meat and put it in the ice drop. Langca: To the Sugared water of one coconut add 14 cup pre served langca from bottle bought in supermarket. Com: To the sugared water of one coconut add 14 cup of canned creamed com. FIVE JUICES Santolada: Make a light syrup of: Vi face of panocha 2 cups water 1 tsp. kalamansi juice Polvoron cup powdered milk cup flour cup sugar cup soft butter (not melted but softened at room temperature Toast powdered milk in a pan in very low heatrimtil, beige colored. Mix in a bowl with all other ingredients. Shape in polvoron moulds. Wrap in multicolored lantern paper fringed at the edges and twist. Note: If you wish to give this away make a box out of cartolina and put a handle. Decorate the basket with crepe paper. Sampaloc Juice: Boil 2 cups of ripe sampaloc and simmer till pulp is mushy. Drain. Strain the juice. Mash the sampaloc and add 1 cup of sugar if the sampaloc is sour and !4 cup sugar if it is sweet. This is a semi concentrate. To serve: Prepare a parfait glass with finely cracked ice. Place concentrate. Garnish with a dayap or orange slice. Boil these together till slightly thick. Skim off the scum and pass the syrup through cheesecloth. Peel 3 ripe santol. Chop the rind with a knife then scrape off. Separate the seeds and add to the chopped meat. Add the syrup to the santol and add 3 cups of ice water. Serves 6. Orange Julius: 14 cup fresh milk 54 tsp. vanilla 1/3 cup orange juice (if none, Tang maybe used) 4 tablespoons sugar 5 ice cubes (cracked) Put everything in the blender. Makes 2 cups. Serving tip: Orange Julius is very popular with teenagers who like hearty drinks. Put in parfait glasses. Serve with straws tied with a ribbon made with the red cellophane of a cigarette pack. (Remember eating is not all taste - it is art t,oo!) Guyabano Juice: Open very ripe guyabanos and remove from skin. Take out the seeds. Puree in the blender in the following proportion: 1 cup pulp % cup sugar 1 tablespoon kalamansi juice To make the guyabano juice: Add water and some sugar to taste. , Serving tip: May be served also as a puree in which case it should be put in an ice cream cup and served ' with a spoon. This is one of the cheapest, richest sources of Vit. C and B-l. Kalamansi Concentrate: Squeeze enough kalamansi to make 1 cup of juice. Add to this 2 14 cups sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let stand until the juice becomes clear and there is a white foam on top. (This is the dirt maybe of your hands or the kalamansi). Remove the foam as all the bitterness of the kalamansi is there. Place this concentrate, (syrupy juice) in a bottle. To prepare: Put 2-3 table spoons per 8 ounces of ice cold water. Note: This takes a long time to prepare but the concentrate will keep in the freezer up to 6 months.