Thursday, May 31, 2012

Corona Conviction is not a Deterrent to Corruption


PRESS STATEMENT
May 30, 2012
Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)
Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM)
SANLAKAS

Corona Conviction is not a Deterrent to Corruption

Malacanang and its paid hacks in media are now making a mountain out of a molehill. They say that the conviction of Renato Corona by the impeachment court is a triumph of democracy and a cleansing of the bureaucracy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. 

The telenovela that was the impeachment of Corona ended with a predictable and lackluster climax, leaving the masses unentertained and not craving for more. The single and simplistic moral lesson of the story: “tell the truth in your SALN”. 

Despite the long proceedings, the Senate could only prove one fact: Corona did not properly disclose his dollar deposits in his SALN. Hence, its verdict rested on the sole issue of “non-disclosure”, covered by Article 2, which it raised to a “culpable violation of the Constitution”.

In so doing, the complaint, reduced to Articles 2, 3 and 7 during the deliberations, was further narrowed down to “non-disclosure” (Article 2, paragraph 2.2). It did not determine if such cash assets were ill-gotten or acquired illegally, leaving unanswered the people’s questions on “ill-gotten wealth”, “court decisions for sale”, “misconduct and corrupt practices”, etc., etc. The result was a “narrowing down” not to focus on more substantial issues; the case was watered down to insignificance. 

The respondent’s admission of non-disclosure was enough for the prosecution and the senator-judges to obtain a guilty verdict. They did not use Corona’s waiver of his dollar deposits to put such bank accounts under scrutiny. Hence, it is clear as daylight that the real intention of the impeachment court was not to expose and punish immoral conduct and corrupt practices in government but to merely remove Corona in the Supreme Court, to replace an Arroyo crony with an Aquino lackey in the judiciary.

If the impeachment court truly wanted to cleanse the bureaucracy, it should have let the sun shine in the dark and shadowy corridors of power. Let the people know how Corona acquired his millions of dollars; how Lucio Tan compelled the Court to flip-flop on the FASAP (Flight Attendants and Stewardesses Association of the Philippines) case; how much perks and privileges are given by PAL to members of the Supreme Court. 

But it did not; the impeachment court stopped in its tracks. It did not go beyond the question of non-disclosure. To the people, especially the workers and the poor, we believe that they did so because further investigation would reveal their modus operandi, the prevalent malpractice of officials in the bureaucracy who use their power and influence for economic and personal gain. 

Hence, the conviction of Corona would not be a deterrent to corruption since no “crime” other than “non-disclosure” was established. While government officials should properly disclose their properties in the SALNs, a statement of how much one owns is not enough. Public accountability requires public scrutiny on how such wealth was acquired. Therefore, we reiterate our demand for DISCLOSE ALL, for the full disclosure of all bank records and financial transactions by all government officials – a political reform that would test the Constitutional provision on “sovereignty”, if all power and authority truly resides in and emanates from the people. #

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Disclose All or Resign All! Genuine Cleansing of the Bureaucracy not a Telenovela of Elite Infighting


PRESS STATEMENT
Mayo 23, 2012
Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)
Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM)
Sanlakas

Disclose All or Resign All!
Genuine Cleansing of the Bureaucracy not a Telenovela of Elite Infighting 


We have said it before and we will say it again. Give the Filipino people a chance for real reforms and meaningful cleansing of the rotting bureaucracy.

The impeachment of Corona is not enough. The process is a spectator sport for the Filipino masses who are neither senator judges nor members of the prosecution and defense panels. More so, it is atelenovela of elite infighting being used by the Aquino regime to consolidate its control of the state and to advance its economic interests.

In impeachment proceedings, the masses are being induced to take sides between two oppressors. They are made to choose the lesser evil among rival camps of the ruling elite, which is nothing more than a choice between hell and purgatory.  By so doing, it fosters the illusion of democracy, of people’s participation in the affairs of the State.

But while the impeachment process is patently limited in its scope and objective and is being utilized by factions of the elite to pursue their self-serving economic and political agendas, it would inevitably open more meaningful questions. Its narrowness and limitation would provide exact arguments for the necessity of genuine and widespread reforms, and for other means of political activity that ensure public participation in the cleansing of the bureaucracy.

Hence, upon the opening of impeachment proceedings against Corona, we issued the “Disclose All” slogan, the demand for the full disclosure of all financial records and transactions by all government officials.

The beleaguered chief justice – who is more an astute politician than an honorable judge – knows this Achilles heel of the impeachment process. Hence, Corona is now piercing the veil of Noynoy’s anti-corruption pretense in order to save his skin as he challenges Senator Drilon and the 188 signatories of the impeachment case to “disclose all”. Truly, crooks know when to speak the truth to hide a lie.

We are neither “pro-Corona” nor “pro-Noynoy”. Both politicians are personifications of the social evil of a corrupt bureaucracy under an elite democracy. If government officials want to dispel public mistrust, they should let the sun shine into dark places. The broad masses of the people, not just the workers and the poor demand the public scrutiny of their private wealth.

If they could not “disclose all”, then they should all resign. And if the demand for “full disclosure” is continuously not met, the cry for “Resign All” would transform from an appeal for delicadeza into a call of action for their ouster. #

Sunday, May 13, 2012

PLM statement on the deteriorating Philippine-China relations


Philippine-China Relations: Why Isn’t Diplomacy Working?

We are extremely concerned at what appears to be a deteriorating situation between the Philippines and China regarding the dispute over the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal. China is definitely stepping up its bullying and is now targeting our economic interests – tourism and agricultural produce – to make us accede to their claims. To make matters worse, belligerent protests, attended by flag burning, have erupted in the Philippines, in China, and in other parts of the world, targeting embassies and consulates of the contending countries. These are happening despite both governments’ brandishing their commitments to a diplomatic solution.

We demand to know why the diplomatic efforts are not working despite statements by Chinese and Philippine foreign diplomats that they are pursuing the talks and remain in contact with each other. We call on the Aquino government to be transparent about our diplomatic effort and explain to us what’s going wrong. We call for open diplomacy so that the whole nation is informed and we can all prepare for better or for worse in this deteriorating situation.

However, we reiterate that a diplomatic solution, rather than belligerent protests, is the best way to protect our national interests in this conflict.  We also urge protesters from both sides to stop burning each other’s national flags; we do not believe that this kind of nationalist posturing serves the national interests of any nation.

We also note that the Aquino government was following a policy of involving the United States government in the dispute, hoping that the US would back us to the hilt. This was a mistaken strategy. We warned then that the US would ultimately protect only its national interests and not ours. Now the US seems to be backing off from its commitment of support in case we are attacked by a foreign country.  Is the deteriorating situation today also the result of this strategy gone wrong?

While we condemn China’s bullying, we continue to call for a calm response, i.e., a negotiated, diplomatic solution to the problem. We maintain that an independent foreign policy, especially one that does not pit the US and other foreign powers against our neighbors, will genuinely serve our national interests today and in the years ahead.

To help in moving forward to a peaceful solution to the conflict, the Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) is organizing a peace gathering at the Peace Bell in Quezon City Memorial Park next week. We have deliberately chosen a non-government symbol in order to emphasize the need for a diplomatic and peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Aquino’s wrong mathematics equals wrong economics


Ka Sonny Melencio's letter at the Inquirer
http://opinion.inquirer.net/28449/aquino%E2%80%99s-wrong-mathematics-equals-wrong-economics 

Aquino’s wrong mathematics equals wrong economics
Philippine Daily Inquirer
8:23 pm | Thursday, May 10th, 2012

President Aquino has rejected workers’ demand for a P90-P125 wage increase, saying it would cost the private sector P1.43 trillion for an economy that only produces P9-trillion worth of goods and services. This argument doesn’t hold water, for a number of reasons.

First, the computation is wrong. P-Noy based his figures on a labor force of 40 million Filipinos. But only half of this stands to gain from a wage hike; the rest are non-wage workers, such as the unpaid family workers and the self-employed (e.g., jeepney drivers, vendors, tricycle drivers, etc.).

The argument that a P125-wage increase will drain the economy of trillions of pesos is a classic capitalist claptrap. Capitalists like to argue that every peso given to workers is a waste to the economy. The reverse is true—every peso snatched by capitalists end up as a waste to the economy. An increase in workers’ purchasing power increases workers’ productivity (such that a healthy, satisfied worker is more productive than a malnourished worker). It also increases the production of subsidiary goods and services in the economy, which for one provides income for a growing number of vendors and tricycle drivers. On the other hand, capitalists do not add much to productivity and their personal expenses do not magnify economic activity, especially if they stash away their earnings in dollar deposits, or use them to buy imported luxuries.

P-Noy also said that the minimum wage in the Philippines, at more than $9, is better than Vietnam’s $2.4 to $3.2. P-Noy should know that in Vietnam, food and rent are subsidized; education is free; people have land (so they don’t die of hunger); universal healthcare is implemented; and there is a host of other benefits that workers in the Philippines do not enjoy. Even in Indonesia, the food is relatively cheaper than in the Philippines. And what about electricity costs? The Philippines has the most expensive electricity rates in Asia.

Time and again, studies have shown that the main reason investors shun the Philippines is not labor cost but the high cost of electricity, the unstable political conditions, and graft and corruption in the government. Why should investors choose Malaysia, Singapore or Hong Kong over the Philippines when wages in those places are double or triple those in this country?

Lastly, a wage increase is one way of redistributing wealth in the economy. There are now 40 Filipino billionaires in the country, according to Fortune Magazine, while 40 million Filipinos wallow below the poverty line. This is structurally obscene and something has to be done to address this sorry imbalance. The President’s rejection of wage increase perpetuates the divide between the 1 percent and the 99 percent of the population. The Partido Lakas ng Masa believes that the only way to address this imbalance is by increasing the wages of workers and expanding social welfare services, while increasing the taxes imposed on big-time capitalists and corporations.

—SONNY MELENCIO,
chair, Partido Lakas ng Masa, partidolakasngmasa@gmail.com

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Stimulate growth and redistribute wealth by raising workers’ wages


Stimulate growth and redistribute wealth by raising workers’ wages


PRESIDENT NOYNOY AQUINO has rejected workers’ demand for P90-P125 wage increase by saying that it would cost the private sector P1.43 trillion for an economy that only produces P9-trillion worth of goods and services. This argument doesn’t hold water, for a number of reasons.

First, the computation is wrong. President Noynoy based his figures on 40 million Filipino labor force, which include a big number of non-wage and salary workers, such as the unpaid family workers and the self-employed (mostly jeepney drivers, vendors, tricycle drivers and the likes). Only about half of the labor force are wage and salary workers, or those who stand to gain from a wage hike.

If we ignore the President’s clumsy mathematics, it stands to reason that an increase in wages will increase the workers’ purchasing power, thereby stimulating growth in the economy. The P9-trillion economy will stand to grow. This is basic economics. But by keeping the wages low, President Noynoy is not addressing the issue of rampant unemployment – he is depressing the economic condition of millions of Filipino workers.

The argument that a P125 wage increase will drain the economy of trillion of pesos is a classic capitalist claptrap. Capitalists like to argue that every peso given to workers is a waste to the economy. The reverse is true -- every peso snatched by capitalists end up as a waste to the economy. An increase in workers' purchasing power increases workers' productivity (such that a healthy, satisfied worker is more productive than a malnourished worker). It also increases the production of subsidiary goods and services in the economy, which provides income for a growing number of vendors and tricycle drivers, for instance, in the workers’ community. On the other hand, capitalists do not add much to productivity and their personal expenses do not magnify economic activity (especially if they stash away their earnings in dollar deposits, or use it to buy imported luxuries).

The President also said that the minimum wage in the Philippines, at more than $9, is better than Vietnam’s $2.4 to $3.2. Noynoy should know that in Vietnam, food and rent are subsidized; education is free; people have land (so they don’t die of hunger); universal health care is implemented; and there are a host of other benefits that workers in the Philippines do not enjoy. Even in Indonesia, the food is relatively cheaper than the Philippines. No wonder Filipino workers are malnourished compared to their counterparts in Asia. And what about electricity costs? It has been reported that the Philippines has the most expensive electricity rates in Asia.

Time and again, studies have shown that the main cause why investors shun the Philippines is not labor cost. The leading problems have always been the high cost of electricity, the unstable political conditions, and the graft and corruption in the government. Why should investors choose Malaysia, Singapore, or Hongkong over the Philippines when wages in the former countries were double or triple that of the country?

Lastly, a wage increase is one way of redistributing wealth in the economy. The country has now 40 Filipino billionaires according to Fortune Magazine, while 40 million Filipinos wallow below the poverty line. This is structurally obscene and something has to be done to address this sorry imbalance. The President’s rejection of wage increase perpetrates the divide between the one percent and the 99 percent of the population. The Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) believes that the only way to address this imbalance is by increasing the wages of workers and expanding social welfare services, while increasing the taxes imposed to big-time capitalists and corporations.


Sonny Melencio
Chair, Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

PLM May Day 2012 Statement


PLM May Day 2012 Statement

“Government’s Neoliberal Policies the Number One Enemy of the Working Class!”
“For Labor Unity to Fight Neoliberal Policies!”

“Neoliberalism – contractualization, privatization, economic liberalization, and workforce restructuring in the name of ‘felixibility’ – have weakened and even decimated sections of the industrial working class in this country. Neoliberalism is not dead, it’s alive and kicking. In fact what we are seeing today is a monstrous version of neoliberalism being implemented in response to the capitalist economic crisis in Europe,” according to Sonny Melencio, Chairperson of the Partido Lakas ng Masa.

Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) is a newly formed national electoral party which is planning to contest seats for the first time at the national, congressional and local level in the 2013 elections.

“The Aquino government continues to be wedded to this economic dogma of neoliberalism. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima is a neoliberal technocrat par excellence. Under neoliberal policies implemented by technocrats such as Purisima we witnessed the collapse of the manufacturing sector starting in the 1990s. Since then tens of thousands of industrial workers, such as those in garment and textiles, lost their jobs as  neoliberal policies of successive governments left them completely vulnerable, exposed and unprotected to the whims  of the international markets. Large sections of the industrial working class were converted to under-employed, informal and overseas workers,” Melencio added.

“We believe that the decimation of sections of the industrial working class is a serious impediment to the development of the national economy. It has an impact which can only be described as de-industrialization. All the data indicates that these trends have continued and even increased in the last year.”

According to the ADB’s 2012 economic outlook for the Philippines, there was a sharp decline in manufacturing exports in 2011. Export of electronic products, which make up 50% of all exports, plunged by some 23.4%. Growth was driven by private consumption supported by remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers, up by 7.2% to around $20.8 billion. As a result, according to the ILO’s April 2012  labor market updates, job growth in the Philippines has declined markedly, from 5.6% in October 2011 to only 3% in January 2012.

“We are a consumption driven economy, not a producing economy. So while SM malls flourish, our industries decline and factories close,” Melencio explained. “This burden of unemployment, driven by a lack of industrialization, is now being passed on to new generations, which are suffering mass unemployment today. “

According to the ILO one in six young Filipinos is unemployed. Unemployment levels are higher amongst young women, with the gender gap in youth unemployment being 2.8 percentage points higher for young women than for young men.

“Neoliberalism policy of contractualization of labor has been the single most deadly weapon used to undermine and decimate the industrial working class in this country. A turning point in this was the contractualization of the skilled workforce of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. From 16,000 regular employees in 1995, PLDT now has only about 3,000. At the Philippine Airlines too we have seen contractualization introduced over several years under the neoliberal policies of successive governments, continued under the President Noynoy Aquino.  The remaining 2,600 regular employees of Philippine Airlines were fired in December 2011. Some of them were rehired as contractual workers by agencies owned by PAL president Lucio Tan and made to work in various departments within PAL.

“But they can’t implement these neoliberal policies without coercion. Capitalists need anti-strike weapons such as the Herrera law, introduced in 1989 during Cory’s presidency. Using the coercive powers given to them under this law, capitalists expanded the system of contractualization and thereby intensified the exploitation of workers. Today more than 90% of all available jobs in the Philippines are contractual labor.

“The creation of a skilled industrial workforce with a decent living wage is essential to develop a national economy. Neoliberalism prevents us from being able to do this. It continues to impoverish and even pauperise us, driving us towards an ever-increasing cycle of debt. Even economies much stronger than ours, such as Greece, Spain, Portugal, cannot survive these neoliberal practices. How can we? 

“This May Day we stand in solidarity with workers around the world who are struggling against neoliberalism – from the streets of Athens, to Wall Street and Tahrir Square.

“We demand that instead of neoliberal policies, the Aquino government should work towards the expansion of social and welfare services that the people badly needs today.  Instead of privatization, the government should expand publicly-owned institutions, such as hospitals, schools, public transport, communications industry, and other industries which are now being opened up for private corporations through the so-called public-private partnerships. Instead of economic liberalization, the government should protect Philippine industries. Instead of deregulation, there should be more regulatory mechanisms to protect consumers; instead of regressive taxation, the government should tax the rich and not the poor people; and instead of contractualization of labor, the workers should be assured of regular jobs and security of tenure, “ Melencio added.

While rejecting the neoliberal paradigm of the government, Melencio said that the PLM will campaign for a Welfare State system that expands social services for the population and provides for universal health care, affordable mass housing, food subsidies, free education, and other urgent welfare benefits for the poor.  “The welfare state system should also be deepened and strengthened by ensuring people's control and participation in the state system. It’s about time that the government puts people’s interests first on its agenda, rather than the interests of a few greedy corporations,” Melencio stressed.

“We cannot emphasize enough the need for labor unity to fight against the government’s neoliberal policies. Therefore we welcome the formation of NAGKAISA!, the recently formed broad labor-based coalition. We stand in solidarity with them in their expression of labor unity and will join with them in struggle this May 1.”


For further information please contact Jhuly Panday on 0933 5448350.