Utang ng Pilipinas: Umuurong o Sumusulong?

Gov’t debt hits P5.38 T
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 23, 2013 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - The national government’s outstanding debt rose by P22 billion to P5.38 trillion as of November last year from P5.359 trillion a month ago due mainly to higher domestic borrowings, the Bureau of Treasury reported yesterday.

The bulk of total debt or P3.41 trillion came from domestic creditors while P1.975 trillion came from foreign entities.

Domestic debt went up by P33 billion to P3.41 trillion from the end-October level due to net issuance of government securities.

External debt, on the other hand, fell by P11 billion due to the appreciation of the local currency as well as the net depreciation of third currencies against the dollar which reduced the peso value of the national government’s debt by P14 billion and P12 billion, respectively. This was partially offset by the P15 billion net availment for the period, the BTR said.

Meanwhile, total guaranteed debt of the national government stood at P509 billion, down by P19 billion from end-October 2012 level of P528 billion. The decrease in external guaranteed obligations of P8 billion was due to local currency appreciation and third currency net depreciation against the dollar which accounted for a P2 billion and P6 billion reduction in peso value of guaranteed external obligations, respectively.

Domestic guaranteed debt likewise decreased by P11 billion due to the redemption of zero coupon bonds issued by the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

http://www.philstar.com/business/2013/01/23/899945/govt-debt-hits-p5.38-t



REPLEKSYON:

Ang pagkakaroon ng maraming utang ay nangangahulugan na hindi matibay ang ekonomiya ng bansa dahil hindi nito kaya tustusan ang mga sarili ntiong pangangailangan. Kinakailangan pa ng gobyerno na humingi ng tulong sa mga bansang mas asensado kaysa sa atin upang umahon tayo. Hindi naman ako tuwirang tumututol sa pangungutang natin sa ibang bansa. Sa mga ganitong pamamaraan ay nasisigurado na maayos ang relasyon natin sa mga bansang inuutangan. At sa bawat pera o "donasyon" na natatanggap natin ay natutulungan tayo nito na marating ang mga pagkukulang natin. PANSAMANATALANG napapawi ang mga pagkukulang ng ating bansa na hindi kaya tugunan ng pamahalaan.  

Ang problema nga lang ay: pansamantala lamang ang tulong na maibibigay ng perang ito sa bansa. Syempre, hindi ko naman inaasahan na sapat ang ipauutang ng mga ibang bansa sa atin para mabuhay lahat tayo ng isang daang taon. Mauubos at mauubos din ang perang inutang.  Ang problema lamang sa ating bansa natin ay matagal tayong magbayad. Aabutin ng limampung taon bago tuluyang bayaran ang kabuuang halaga ng inutang. At ang masama, kadalasan ay mataas ang interes na pinapataw sa mga ganitong usapin. Mabilis dumoble ang perang dapat ibayad sa kanila. At syempre, hindi rin naman tayo nakasisigurado kung lahat ba ng pera ay nakakarating sa tamang paroroonan nito. Hindi natin maiiwasan na may mga corrupt na pulitiko talaga na palihim na nagnanakaw ng kaban ng bayan,

Basta, ito lang ang maipapayo ko: BAYARAN ANG MGA UTANG NG MAS MAAGA upang hindi lumaki ang interes. :) -Hazel Gail T. Lacandalo, X_SLDM

Coconut Exports

THE PHILIPPINES targets to export 900,000 metric tons (MT) of coconut oil this year, about 6% higher than in 2012, anticipating high production and demand for the oil, which has been touted for its health benefits.

United Coconut Association of the Philippines, Inc. Executive Director Yvonne V. Agustin said the goal is to export 900,000 MT of coconut oil this year, 5.63% higher than last year’s exports of 852,000 MT, but 2.7% lower than the targeted 925,000 MT for last year.

"We based our target this year from last year’s actual production," Ms. Agustin said. 

She noted that last year, "most coconut producing provinces experienced above normal rainfall in the first three quarters." She explained that coconut, like other crops, benefits from higher rainfall but the effects on production will be felt only a year later. 

Most of the coconut oil is sourced from Mindanao, she pointed out.

Aside from higher production, demand from export markets is expected to stay high.

The country’s major markets are still the United States and Europe, capturing at least 80% of total coconut oil exports. The rest goes to Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and China.

Last year, coconut oil exports grew by 3.71% on the back of increased demand from the major exports market as they slowly recovered from an economic slowdown, Ms. Agustin said, citing preliminary data.

Coconut oil is one of the country’s top dollar earner among agro-based products. It contributed 28.62% of the total value of all agro-based products exported last year, National Statistics Office data showed.

See more at: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=Philippines-sets-target-for-coconut-exports-in-2013&id=66253#sthash.MwtOQT3G.dpuf

REPLEKSYON:

Isa sa mga mabebentang produkto ng sektor ng agrikultura ay ang mga niyog. At dahil marami silang mga produkto ay nag-eexport sila sa ibang bansa.Malaki ang naambag ng mag kinikita natin sa mga export nating produkto. Gaya na nga nitong mga coconut products na tinatangkilik pala sa US, Europe, Japan, Indonesia at Malaysia. Sino bang mag-aakala na world-class pala ang dating ng mga produktong made in the Philippines? At hindi lang ko lang ipinagmamalaki ang mga produkto, alam ko din na karapat-dapat na mapuri ang ating mga produkto sa ibang bansa dahil ang mga ito ay inalagaan ng mga magsasakang Pilipino. 

Sana lang naman ay panatilihin ng ating bansa ang magandang pangalan ng mga produkto natin. At mas maganda kung mas tataasan nila ang quality ng iba't-ibang produkto ng bansa. Hindi lang sa mga export, maging ang mga local products na rin natin. Panget naman tingnan sa isang bansa kapag mabababa ang quality ng mga produkto ang ginagamit ng mga mamamayan natin habang sosyal naman ang mga produkto na iniluluwas sa ibang bansa. At tsaka, dapat ayusin din ng pamahalaan ang mga patakaran nila sa pag-export at pag-import ng mga produkto. Dapat siguraduhin muna nila na ang mga pinapasok sa bansa natin ay qualified at hindi mga pinaglumaan nila. Kailangang mas unahin ng pamahalaang Pilipinas ang kaniyang mga mamamayan kaysa sa ekonomiya nila. -Hazel Gail T. Lacandalo, X_SLDM

Mock Elections: The Reality

No Further Test Polls – Comelec
By Leslie Ann G. Aquino
February 16, 2013, 7:56pm

MANILA, Philippines --- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ruled out conducting another mock election after it received a positive review from the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC).

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes told the Manila Bulletin that the Comelec will not be having a follow-up to the mock polls it held last February 2 to test the automated system of voting in different parts of the country.

“TEC already validates our mock elections… that’s already good,” he said.

In its February 12 resolution, the TEC, among others, had approved the conduct of the mock elections of the Comelec despite the glitches encountered by the poll body.

The TEC is composed of a representative from the Comelec, the Commission on Information and Communications Technology, and the Department of Science and Technology.

“The Technical Evaluation Committee, having considered the totality... the on-site evaluation of field test and mock elections... resolves, to certify, that the AES (automated election system)... can operate properly, securely, and accurately be used by the voters, boards of election inspectors, local and national boards of canvassers, and Comelec in the May 13, 2013 National and Local Elections,” said the resolution.

During the conduct of mock elections at the University of the Philippines Integrated School in Quezon City, the initialization of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine encountered problems early on after the password keyed in by the chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) was not accepted until the unit was restarted.

Later on, it became necessary to replace the PCOS unit after the first four voters had their ballots rejected.

Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez has already expressed the commission’s determination to educate all 52 million voters on how to deal with the PCOS machines come Election Day.

He said this does not necessarily mean that everyone would be aware of the “nuts and bolts of how a PCOS machine works” but simply capable of knowing how they will vote through it.

“No one needs to be a technical expert. And within those parameters, we will continue with our education efforts and we will try to answer all of their concerns. Just give us a chance,” said Jimenez.

The poll official said it is the Comelec’s goal to make the PCOS machine “a casual element of elections” in the Philippines much like how a computer works in the daily lives of Filipinos.

To note, the Comelec has been engaged in the conduct of PCOS demonstrations in various parts of the country, wherein voters are given the chance to experience voting and get information on basic troubleshooting.

REPLEKSYON:

Para sa akin, kailangan magkaroon ulit ng pangalawang mock elections upang masigurado ang kaayusan ng election day. Sabi nga nila, "Practice makes perfect." Kung mauulit ang ganitong practice, masisiguro na magiging maayos at matiwasay ang magiging takbo ng pagboboto ng mga mamamayan. Magiging minimal ang mga "glitches" na mangyayari sa mismong botohan dahil naayos na ang mga ito sa pangalawang ensayo pa lamang. Ang pagprapraktis ng dalawang beses ay sobra-sobra ang maitututulong sa kawastuhan ng araw ng botohan.

Pangalawang beses na ng bansang Pilipinas na gumamit ng mga automated machines para sa botohan. Sanga-ayon naman ako sa ganitong pagbabago dahil siguradong mas mapapadali ang pagbibilang ng mga boto at mas maipapahayag ang mga nanalong kandidato ng mas maaga. Ngunit dahil mabilis din ang paggawa ng mga bagong softwares ng computers ay mas mabilis ang pagdaraya sa mga bilang ng boto. At dahil nga makabagong teknolohiya ito, ibig sabihin ay umaasa ito sa kuryente. Kapag may hindi inaasahang black-outs, back to square-one ang trabaho ng mga PCOS machine. Kaya ang mga pag-eensayo na ito ay talagang makakatulong upan gawing handa ang lahat ng mga magbabantay ay mga botante. 

Ang pagkakaroon ng tahimik at matagumpay na eleksyon ay maaring mangahulugan na matatag ang ekonomiya ng bansa natin dahil kaya ng ating gobyerno at mamamayan na magsagawa ng maayos na eleksyon. Ang 2013 halalan ay mahalaga dahil ito ang magdidikta kung ang pinuno na mapipili ay miaahon tayo sa titulong 3rd world country. -Hazel Gail T. Lacandalo, X_SLDM

PRIVATIZATION of Government Hospitals: DEAL OR NO DEAL?

Sunday, July 22, 2012

MALACANANG on Sunday clarified reports of Aquino administration’s plans to privatize government hospitals.

“No, no. There has been a misnomer,” Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in an interview on government-run Radyo ng Bayan.

“Government hospitals will not be privatized. They have just been set up as a juridical entity,” Lacierda added.

The Palace official made the statement after Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Maranon Jr. warned about leading a riot to oppose bills that will seek privatization of government-owned hospitals.

“It is not privatization. Like the PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office), it is a juridical entity. It is not private and it is still owned by the government,” he said.

Lacierda said as far as the Department of Health is concerned, there are no plans to privatize government hospitals and they are only in the process to create juridical entities out of government hospitals.

Maranon described House Bill 6069, titled an Act Creating National Government Hospital Corporations, authored by Bacolod Representative Anthony Golez as “disadvantageous” to poor as it would deprive them of free hospital services.

Jose Reyes Hospital: government-owned

The governor said more than 15,000 indigent beneficiaries of Negros Occidental Comprehensive Health Care Program had availed themselves of free hospital services and medicine.

Golez earlier explained that his bill seeks to give 26 national government hospitals corporation status that would give them fiscal autonomy.

He added that it would allow hospitals to engage in income-generating activities that will enable them to improve health care services.

Lacierda said the misnomer on privatization of government hospitals is the same as the issue that charity wards will be dissolved.

Philhealth and DOH officials earlier denied closing down charity wards in public hospitals saying that it will only be converted into Philhealth wards, where poor patients will be provided with free hospitalization, medicines and laboratory services.

Lacierda said both plans of the Health department would benefit Philhealth beneficiaries or the “poorest of the poor” enrolled by the Social Welfare department under its National Household Targeting System.

“PhilHealth wards will cover all beneficiaries, all enrollees,” he said. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)

Read more: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/07/22/privatization-government-hospitals-misnomer-233425

REPLEKSYON:

Iba't-ibang reaksyon ang aking naririnig kapag napag-uusapan ang pagsasapribado ng mga ospital na nasa pagmamay-ari ngayon ng gobyerno. 

Ang mga ospital na nasa pagmamay-ari ng gobyerno ay mas nakakapagbigay serbisyo sa mga mamamamayan ng Pilipinas. Mas nararamdaman ng mga tao ang pagtulong ng gobyerno sa kanila dahil ang pamahalaan mismo ang may hawak ng mga ito. Dumederetso na sa mga ospital ang mga binabayad na taxes ng mga manggagawa sa awtoridad. Tinutulungan sila ng gobyerno sa  mga isyung pinansyal. Ibig sabihin, direktang natutulungan ang mga mahihirap. Sa mga pampublikong ospital, may mga discount o libre na na natatanggap ang mga pasyente sa paggamit ng kanilang mga pasilidad at mga gamot. 

Sa kabilang dako naman, ang mga private hospitals ay kabaliktaran ng mga public. Hindi lamang may babayaran ka sa kanila, MAHAL pa ang ibabayad mo dahil na rin na sa sariling mga bulsa ng pamahalaan ng ospital ang gumagastos para sa mga pangangailangan nila. At tsaka, sila ay nasa pangangalaga ng mga pribadong tao.

Kung ako ang tatanungin, mas maganda kung hindi isasapribado ang mga ospital dahil mas matutulungan ang mga mamamayan ng ating bansa. Mas mabibigyang hustisya ang ating bansa. -Hazel Gail T. Lacandalo, X_SLDM

Agricultural Problems in the Philippines

The Philippines is still primarily an agricultural country despite the plan to make it an industrialized economy by 2000. Most citizens still live in rural areas and support themselves through agriculture. The country's agriculture sector is made up of 4 sub-sectors: farming, fisheries, livestock, and forestry (the latter 2 sectors are very small), which together employ 39.8 percent of the labor force and contribute 20 percent of GDP.

The country's main agricultural crops are rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, bananas, pineapple, coffee, mangoes, tobacco, and abaca (a banana-like plant). Secondary crops include peanut, cassava, camote (a type of rootcrop), garlic, onion, cabbage, eggplant, calamansi (a variety of lemon), rubber, and cotton. The year 1998 was a bad year for agriculture because of adverse weather conditions. Sector output shrank by 8.3 percent, but it posted growth the following year. Yet, hog farming and commercial fishing posted declines in their gross revenues in 1999. The sector is burdened with low productivity for most of its crops.

The Philippines exports its agricultural products around the world, including the United States, Japan, Europe, and ASEAN countries (members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Major export products are coconut oil and other coconut products, fruits and vegetables, bananas, and prawns (a type of shrimp). Other exports include the Cavendish banana, Cayenne pineapple, tuna, seaweed, and carrageenan. The value of coconut-product exports amounted to US$989 million in 1995 but declined to US$569 million by 2000. Imported agricultural products include unmilled wheat and meslin, oilcake and other soybean residues, malt and malt flour, urea, flour, meals and pellets of fish, soybeans and whey.

One of the most pressing concerns of the agricultural sector is the rampant conversion of agricultural land into golf courses, residential subdivisions, and industrial parks or resorts. In 1993 the nation was losing irrigated rice lands at a rate of 2,300 hectares per year. Small land-holders find it more profitable to sell their land to developers in exchange for cash, especially since they lack capital for seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and wages for hiring workers to plant and harvest the crops. Another concern is farmers' continued reliance on chemical-based fertilizers or pesticides that have destroyed soil productivity over time. In recent years however, farmers have been slowly turning to organic fertilizer, or at least to a combination of chemical and organic inputs.

Environmental damage is another major concern. Coral-reef destruction, pollution of coastal and marine resources, mangrove forest destruction, and siltation (the clogging of bodies of water with silt deposits) are significant problems.

The agriculture sector has not received adequate resources for the funding of critical programs or projects, such as the construction of efficient irrigation systems. According to the World Bank, the share of irrigated crop land in the Philippines averaged only about 19.5 percent in the mid-1990s, compared with 37.5 percent for China, 24.8 percent for Thailand, and 30.8 percent for Vietnam. In the late 1990s, the government attempted to modernize the agriculture sector with the Medium Term Agricultural Development Plan and the Agricultural Fisheries Modernization Act.

Read more: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Philippines-AGRICULTURE.html#ixzz2LkIvCQ1E

Repleksyon:

Ang agrikultura ay ang nangungunang sektor na nakatutulong sa ating ekonomiya. Ibig sabihin, malaki ang naambag nito sa kaban ng bayan, GNP o GDP. Sila ang mga pangunahing tauhan sa mga pagmamanuypaktyur ng iba't-ibang industriya dahil sa kanila nanggagaling ang mga hilaw na materyales. Ngunit, ang sektor ng agrikultura ay maraming nakakaharap na suliranin.

Isa dito ay ang paggamit ng mga pansakang lupain sa mga makabagong teknolohiya gaya ng housing communities. Maaaring sa maganda nga ang patutunguhan ng sakahan na iyon, subalit nawawalan na ng lupain ang mga magsasaka na pwede taniman. Naniniwala ako na kailangan ng sobrang masusing pag-aaral sa panig ng gobyerno ang mga ganitong pagbabago. Kailangan nilang isiping mabuti kung tama o may proporsyon pa ang mga pansakang lupa sa mga indutriyang lupain. Kailangang bigyan ng pansin ng pamahalaan ang mga opinyon ng iba't-ibang uri ng tao na maaring maapektuhan nito. Kung tama ang naging desisyon ng mga nsa itaas, giginhawa ang parehas  na panig.

At dahil na rin sa mga problemang hinid maiiwasan na dulot ng kapaligiran ay bumababa ang produksyon ng mga magsasaka. Hindi lamang mga magsasaka ang magproproblema na wala silang aanihin, kung hindi pati na din ang mga ordinaryong tao na maring makatanggap ng kakaunting "rasyon" ng mga ani. Upang maiwasan ang mga ganitong problema, kailangan na maging "Boy Scouts" ang lahat. Maging handa sa anuman ang maaring ibigay sa atin ng Inang Kalikasan. Kailangan nilang mag-adjust upang hindi masyadong maaagrabyado ang mga magsasaka.

Naniniwala pa rin ako na ang lahat ng mga suliraning ito sa agrikultura ay malalampasan ng ating bansa basta tayong lahat ay nagkakaisa. :) -Hazel Gail T. Lacandalo, X_SLDM

Hacienda Luisita: What Now?

In Tarlac province, about 100 kms north of Manila, Hacienda Luisita was once touted as a showcase of the land reform program. Here, however, CARP has failed to win the hearts and minds of farmers: In recent random interviews, they told Bulatlat.com that their lives have been ruined further because of CARP. Luisita is owned by the family of former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.

One of the workers, Francisco Nakpil, is an agricultural worker in the sugarcane plantation of Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI) for 45 years. When the stock distribution options (SDO) scheme under CARP was introduced in the hacienda in 1989, Nakpil became one of the 7,000 workers who became instant “stockholders” of the agro-corporation. Within 30 years under this scheme, hacienda owners were to transfer 32 percent of the total stocks of the company to the farm workers.

For the past 15 years, Nakpil received an average daily wage of P9, a sack of rice every month, a P4,000 educational loan every June and an average annual three percent profit share of around P2,000. Based on reasonable market price equivalents of the material benefits, Nakpil was in effect getting an average yearly income of P17,760 - or P48.66 daily. For being an HLI stockholder, he also got a 240 square meter home lot.

Yet, has Nakpil become richer through the land reform program?

Today at 62, Nakpil says he has only a home lot souvenir from the HLI, a P20,000 separation pay, and some P2,600 monthly pension from the Social Security System. His retirement ended his profit share from the HLI. He does not have land to pass on to his children. His monthly pension gave him just P86 a day that can hardly meet his family’s needs.

And so his answer in Filipino: “I am poor, past and present.”

http://bulatlat.com/news/4-21/4-21-agrarian2.html

Repleksyon:

Ang lupa ay ang pinaka-puhunan ng mga magsasaka sa kanilang pagtatarabaho. Dito sila nagtatanim at nag-aani ng kanilang mga palay. Kaya nung nalaman ng mga magsasaka ang programa ni Dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino na CARP, ay tuwang-tuwa sila. 

Ano nga ba ang tunay na halaga ng CARP sa mga magsasaka sa bansa? Sa pagkakaintindi ko, ang CARP ay naglalayon na bigyan ng mga sariling lupa ang mga nagbubunong magsasaka upang tuluyan na silang umunlad. Ang mga lupa na binubungkal nila ng maraming taon ay mapapasakanila. Kapag nangyari ito, mababawasan din ang mga bayarin o "taxes" ng mga magsasaka sa mga orihinal na nagmamay-ari ng luha. Mas matutuunan ng pansin nila ngayon ang kanilang mga pamilya kapag hindi na nila kailangan magbayad sa mga haciendero. Ngunit, lumipas na ang halos tatlumpung taon mula ng ilunsad ang programang ito, wala pa ring konkretong hakbang ang nagaganap. Naawa ako sa mga magsasakang hanggang ngayon ay umaasa na matatanggap nila ang pinangako ng pamahalaan ni Cory Aquino. Hindi sila karapat-dapat na maghintay sa mga bagay na walang kasiguraduhan matapos nilang maghirap araw-araw para lamang sa pag-aani ng kanilang sakahan. Nararapat lamang na makatanggap sila ng mga ilang benepisyo kung hindi matutuloy ang Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. 

Ang isang marangal na magbubukid kagaya ni Francisco Nakpil ay dapat na nakatatanggap ng sahod ng mas malaki sa 9 Php araw-araw. Sa tinagal-tagal ng pagseserbisyo nya sa Hacienda Luisita ay nararapat lamang na makakamit sya ng kabayaran na naangkop sa serbisyo na binibigay nya sa nagmamay-ari ng hacienda. Si Francisco ay isang lamang sa mga daan-daang magsasaka na hindi nararamdaman ang silbi ng CARP sa kanilang mga buhay. Ayon nga sa nasabi ni Ginoong Franciso, siya ay mahirap, noon at ngayon. Walang magandang pagbabago ang nangyari sa kaniyang buhay. Sa halip, siya ay naging mas mahirap pa dahil ipinaglalaban din niya ang inaasahang mapapasakanilang lupa. Sa tingin ko, kailangan ng palakasin ng ating gobyerno ngayon ang CARP upang mabigyang hustisya na ang mga magsasakang naghihirap.  -Hazel Gail T. Lacandalo, X_SLDM