General Information

CALL OF THE TIME

Our travail as a nation is worsening. The steeply rising price of rice, our staple food, has seemingly dampened the political turmoil in the country, but it is actually threatening to bring us to greater political instability.

Food riots have broken out in other countries which are, like our country, severely affected by increasing global food shortages and rising fuel prices. Here, the queues of our people enduring the scorching sun to buy a few kilos of cheap rice from NFA are getting longer everyday. Prices of other basic food items have started increasing as well. Expectedly, workers are pressing for wage adjustments. Drivers, likewise, are clamoring for fare hike. It is feared that the economy will see a spiral of rising wages and prices of basic commodities. Meanwhile, some anti-government groups have already started exploiting the situation by staging demonstrations.

Uncontrolled increases of basic commodity prices will mean greater sufferings and insecurities for the majority of our people who are poor. The landless rural poor, the urban poor and the unemployed will bear the greatest brunt of the crisis. But even the rice farmers themselves, who will somehow benefit from government’s increased support price for palay, will also be, ultimately, at the losing end as food prices become increasingly inaccessible to the poor.

The situation is underscoring the stark reality of increasing poverty and hunger in the country amidst our aggregate economic growth in recent years. It is also rudely reminding us that we are in the throes not only of a chronic political crisis but of a worsening social breakdown. At the root of our political turmoil, we have to remember, is the grave failure of our existing political system to bring the country to progress, free our people from poverty and ensure the nation’s basic securities, including food security.

The poor state of our rice security and agricultural sector is now getting our attention. We are also seeing anew the weakness of our government against defiant landowners who resort to land conversion to evade agrarian reform, rice hoarders, monopolistic interests in the agriculture sector, and corrupt government officials conniving with unscrupulous rice traders.

The current rice problem and its threat of greater political instability are emphasizing the urgent call of our time. We need a society that ensures at all times its basic securities. Moreover, we need a society that takes care of all its members, secures the dignity of everyone, and strives to provide each one the opportunities and capacity to live a good life. Building and keeping such a society requires a strong government and solidarity among the people and between government and the people.

Our recurring political crisis is telling us that if we are to pursue these things, we have to start moving clearly away from our elite-dominated, patronage-driven and corruption-infested democracy that serves only the interests of the wealthy and powerful few. We have to revision our democracy to make it meaningful for all.

Our society needs social democracy now.

PARTIDO DEMOKRATIKO SOSYALISTA NG PILIPINAS (PDSP)
On its 35th founding anniversary, May 1, 2008

PAGBABAGO TUNGO SA SANLIPUNANG DEMOKRASYA

Mayo 1, Araw ng Paggawa. Araw din ng paggunita sa mga paghihirap, pagpapakasakit, pakikibaka at tagumpay ng kilusang paggawa.  Mahigit  isangdaang taon na ang nakalilipas mula ng maganap ang makasaysayang Haymarket Square Riot sa Chicago, USA na nagbigay daan sa  8-Hour Labor Law noong 1886, at ang pag-uumpisa ng kilusang unyon sa Pilipinas na pinangunahan ni Isabelo Delos Reyes, noong 1896,  nananatiling pa ring mailap sa uring manggagawa ang pinakamimithi nitong sapat na sahod, kaseguruhan sa trabaho, makataong pagtrato, at demokrasya sa paggawa.

Patunay dito ang patuloy na kahirapan ng maraming mamamayan.  Ang kawalan ng trabaho ng karamihan. Ang kakulangan ng mga batayang serbisyo gaya ng maayos na edukasyon, sapat na pangangalagang medikal, disenteng pabahay, at iba pang batayang seguridad ng lipunan.  Pinalalala ito ng malawak na katiwalian sa pamahalaan; ng patuloy na pagkawasak ng kalikasan; ng napipintong krisis pang-enerhiya; at ang kawalan ng pakialam at gumuguhong pag-asa sa karamihan.

Nakakadismayang isipin na patuloy na nagaganap ang mga suliraning ito sa kabila ng ipinagmamalaking paglago ng ekonomiya ng bansa.  Kabalintunaan din ito ng kasalukuyang nararanasang krisis sa suplay at presyo ng bigas at iba pang mga pagunahing bilihin.

Naitatanong tuloy natin: Ano ba talaga ang problema ng ating bansa?  Mayroon  ba tayong alternatibo?

Ang problema ng ating bansa ay nakaugat sa mga depekto ng kasalukuyang sistema na minana pa natin sa mga dayuhang mananakop. Ang sistemang ito, bagamat  naninindigan sa demokrasya, kalayaan, at pagkakapantay-pantay, ay likas na makasarili at mapagkamal na siyang dahilan ng patuloy na kahirapan  at kawalan ng pagkakapantay-pantay sa ating lipunan.  Ang kaayusang ito ay pinananatili at pinagtatanggol ng iilang mayayaman at makapangyarihan.  Dahil diyan ay nananatiling mahina at walang tinig ang higit na nakararaming mamamayan.

Maliban na lamang na mabago ang mapang-aping sistemang ito, magiging mailap sa ating mga mamamayan ang isang lipunan na totoong kakalinga at maglilingkod sa ating interes.  Ang magandang balita, hindi natin kailangang magtitiis  sa kasalukuyang bulok na sistema.  Posible ang isang magandang kinabukasan sa ating lipunan.  Mayroon tayong alternatibo sa kasalukuyang kaayusan ng hindi hindi kinakailangang isuko ang demokrasya. Panahon na para sa SANLIPUNANG DEMOKRASYA.

Ang Sanlipunang Demokrasya ang ating alternatibo sa kasalukyang bulok na demokrasya na ummiral sa ating bansa. Layunin ng sistemang ito na maisabuhay ang demokrasya at gawin itong makabuluhan sa lahat.  Hangad nito ang isang masaganang lipunan na kumakalinga sa lahat  at walang iniiwan.  Ang lipunang naka-ugat sa Sanlipunang Demokrasya ay sinisiguro ang dignidad ng bawat isa at nagka-kaloob sa lahat ng kakayahan at oportunidad na mabuhay ng sagana.  Dahil sa ang lahat ay kinakalinga, ang bawat isa  ay may pagtataya sa kinabukasan ng lipunan at kikilos  na mapanatili ang katatagan nito.

Taliwas sa pagiging makasarili at kawalan ng pagkakapantay-pantay ng kasalukuyang sistema, ang Sanlipunang Demokrasya ay naninindigan sa kahalagahan ng Kalayaan, Pagkakapantay at Pagkakapatiran.
Ang kalayaan para sa Sanlipunang Demokrasya ay ang kakayahan ng bawat indibiduwal na iugit ang kanilang buhay at kinabukasan.  Tungkol din ito sa pagkakaroon ng bawat indibiduwal ng kakayahan at oportunidad upang mabuhay ng sagana.  Nangangahulugan ito ng pagkakaloob at pag-respeto sa mga batayang karapatang pantao ng indibiduwal.

Samantala, ang pagkakapantay-pantay ay tumutukoy sa pagkilala sa pantay na dignidad ng lahat ng tao anuman ang kanilang katayuan,  kulay, at paniniwala sa buhay.  Itinatakwil nito ang anumang anyo ng diskriminasyon.  Nangangahulugan rin ito ng pagkakaroon ng makatwirang pamamahagi ng yaman, kita at kapangyarihan ng lipunan at ang kolektibong responsibilidad.  Ang katuparan ng kalayaan at pagkakapantay-pantay ay nakasalalay sa pagkakapatiran ng bawat mamamayan.

Ang pagkakapatiran ay nakasandig sa paniniwalang kailangan natin ang bawat isa.  Hinuhubog natin ang ating buhay sa iisang pamayanan.  Magkakaroon lang tayo ng kalayaan at pagkakapantay-pantay sa pamamagitan ng paggarantiya sa karapatan at pagtutulungan ng bawat isa.

Mahalagang pundasyon din ng Sanlipunang Demokrasya ang karapatan at tungkulin bawat manggagawa sa disenteng trabaho. Tungkulin ng gobyerno na garantiyahan ang trabaho ng bawat manggagawa habang pansamantalang sinosuportahan ang mga wala hanggang sa makahanap sila ng trabaho.

Tungkulin din ng pamahalaan sa Sanlipunang Demokrasya na maipagkaloob sa lahat ng mamamayan ang mga batayang pangangailangan tulad ng libreng edukasyon, maayos at sapat na pangangalagang medikal, at disenteng pabahay.  Kapalit naman nito ang obligasyon ng bawat mamamayan ang pagbabayad ng tamang buwis.

Sama-sama nating itatag ang isang lipunang pantay ang paglingap sa lahat.

Sanlipunang Demokrasya sa Pilipinas … panahon na!

Mabuhay ang mga manggagawang Pilipino!

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

STATEMENT OF THE PARTIDO DEMOKRATIKO-SOSYALISTA NG PILIPINAS ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS PERPETRATED BY ROGUE MILF ELEMENTS IN MINDANAO

The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were scheduled to formally sign a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (GRP-MILF MoA AD) last 5 August. This Memorandum of Agreement could have provided an equitable framework for formal negotiations that would have furthered the goal of lasting peace for the people of Mindanao, based on justice and development for all the people of this southernmost of our island groups.  As one respected religious leader put it, “. . . the MOA-AD . . . is a remarkable document. It is a very serious attempt to balance national sovereignty and Bangsamoro aspirations for self-determination and freedom. For this reason, I believe that the MOA-AD can bring lasting peace.”

As it turned out, the efforts of the Philippine national government and of concerned citizens to build a constituency in support of the MoA AD, through sharing of information and effective replies to objections, proved to be inadequate in the face of obstacles to public acceptance of the MoA AD.  These obstacles include the massive inattention, the uninformed and flippant reactions, and even the self-serving vociferously negative agitation of some politicians and media practitioners, rendered more plausible by recent outrageous violations of human rights and humanitarian law by rogue elements of the MILF and its Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), violations that amount to terrorist atrocities.

These terrorist atrocities made even more adverse the sociopolitical climate for acceptance of the MoA AD, deepened the unease of the Supreme Court with said document, and subjectively reinforced the arguments of those who find the MoA AD fundamentally unacceptable.

Such adverse developments in relation to the MoA AD are extremely unfortunate, because it has so far frustrated the emerging probability that the negotiations ensuing therefrom and toward a Comprehensive Compact would lead to an enduring peace based on justice and understanding in Mindanao, peace for which our war-weary fellow citizens in Mindanao have awaited patiently many long years.

On these premises, the PDSP denounces the rogue elements in the MILF and BIAF for their egregious crimes against fundamental human rights and international humanitarian law, more so that these atrocities have been severely destructive of the unity in diversity that should characterize our life as citizens in the religiously and culturally plural Republic of the Philippines.

We call upon the Government of the Republic of the Philippines to pursue, arrest, try, and appropriately punish these rogue MILF and BIAF elements.

We enjoin the MILF leadership to assert control of their ranks, and to show moral probity by cooperating with the Government in apprehending, indicting and fittingly punishing these wrongdoers, or at the very least by not obstructing the efforts of government authorities to deal appropriately with these wanton lawbreakers.

We urge our fellow citizens to be vigilant, not only against violations against human rights and humanitarian law, but also against opportunistic and malicious or psychologically pathological disinformation campaigns to agitate communities, deepen prejudices, heighten tensions, and stoke armed hostilities.

We join persons of good will in government, in the MILF, among religious leaders, and in Philippine society at large, in continuing engagement in the peace process, an engagement that is open-minded and creative because it is faithful to moral and political principles in an authentic and not merely mechanical way.

We call upon the citizenry to unite in the struggle for the survival and common good of our people, especially the poor and the marginalized—a struggle based on authentic humanism, on a unifying respect for our diverse religious and cultural traditions, and on interreligious and intercultural dialogue and cooperation for societal peace and harmony based on justice, development, and the integrity of creation.

21 August 2008

Transport leader slain fighting for socdem advocacies

27 August 2006

IN the face of unabated extra-judicial killings in the country, activists belonging to the extreme are not the only ones who are unsafe. The country’s social democrats, whose leader is the national security chief, are also increasingly facing threats to their lives because of their advocacy for social revolution, both nationally and locally.

One of them, Aksyon Sambayanan’s transport leader in Makati, Ambrosio Paler, Jr., paid dearly for this advocacy. He was gunned down, while plying his route, by still unidentified men on August 22 in Pasay City.
Paler was killed because he led his fellow drivers in Makati in fighting for one of their most basic human rights, their right to earn an honest living free from threats, harassment or intimidation, according to human rights advocate Atty. Ramel Muria, head of the legal department of Aksyon Sambayanan. Paler was the president of the Samahan ng mga Operator- Drivers ng Jeepney Biyaheng Evangelista Libertad Inc. (SODJEBEL).

Paler’s dispute with officers of the Samahang Operator Driver Evangelista-Libertad Association Inc. (SODEL), has emerged to be the reason why he was killed. Because of his campaign against colorum jeepneys, Paler and members of his group were harassed by the officers of the rival transport group. This prompted them to file a civil case against SODEL officers led by Anselmo Atienza, president, and its officers Alfredo Lacdao, Eleanita Fortentado, Vicente Nallete, Jose Tabornal, Barangay Chairman Virgilio Hilario and Chief Inspector Celerino Sacro Jr., the commander of the police precinct in their area before the Makati regional trial court. Sacro and Hilarion were likewise charged before the Office of the Ombudsman for violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act and code of ethics of public officers because they tolerated the harassment of SODJEBEL members who were apprehended by policemen everyday on trumped up charges.

Through all the harassment, Paler stood tall in that he did not bow to pressure that would have allowed the other group to gain control of SODJEBEL. He was constant in his “advocacy” – to get fair treatment for members of his group, the only recognized transport organization in the Evangelista-Libertad route by the Makati Transport Federation. The irony is that while SODJOBEL was the legitimate transport group, its members were harassed by the officers of the rival group because they were in power. SODEL members were allowed to ply longer routes, while SODJOBEL drivers were prevented from getting near EDSA, and in the process, were deprived of a bigger income.

Muria reminds Paler’s colleagues in the transport group and his comrades in Aksyon Sambayan that Paler was killed struggling to help build a society that equally cares for all its members. “Ka Jun (as Paler was called by his comrades) lived, and died fighting for what he believed were basic rights of everyone – the right to earn a decent living, the right to a peaceful and quiet life, the right to justice.”
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‘Guimaras clean up underscores need for mandatory ROTC’

10 September 2006

THE vital role played by ROTC cadets in the cleanup operations in Guimaras underscores the need to make Reserve Officers Training Corp. mandatory once more, according to the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas.

The importance of having disciplined teams of students who can be tapped during calamities or emergencies should prompt lawmakers to work for the repeal of Republic Act 9163 which made ROTC optional, lawyer Jose “Nonong” Ricafrente, PDSP spokesperson, said.

Ricafrente noted that ROTC cadets in Western Visayas proved their worth when they helped clean up the oil slick that hit Guimaras island. President Macapagal-Arroyo acknowledged the need to train the youth in emergency preparedness when she herself directed ROTC cadets to participate actively in the environmental rehabilitation of Guimaras, taking into consideration their discipline, perseverance and training.

“As the cadet corps of the Citizens Armed Force, the ROTC can be called upon to respond to man-made and natural disasters. They may even be properly utilized in counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism efforts,” Ricafrente said.

He called on lawmakers to act swiftly on a bill that aims to restore the mandatory character of ROTC.

“Time and again, history has told us that the ROTC produced for our country not only brave and gallant men but also exemplary leaders in business and public service, who can be relied upon in times of war and peace,” Ricafrente said. He noted that the program also helps in keeping the spirit of patriotism alive among the youth.
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Socdems throw support behind Sabio

14 September 2006

SOCIAL democrats yesterday condemned the arrest of Presidential Commission on Good Government chair Camilo Sabio by the Senate.
The 750,000-strong Pambansang Koalisyon ng mga Samahan ng Magsasaka at Manggagawa sa Niyugan, which belongs to the socdem movement, demanded the immediate release of the PCGG head as it questioned the legality of his arrest.

PKSMMN president Efren Villaseñor said the senators should uphold the provision of the PCGG charter prohibiting any official of the agency from attending any investigation about its job of recovering ill-gotten wealth.

The Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas also expressed support for Sabio who is a member of the party. The PDSP maintained that Sabio is not involved in the dissipation of assets of Philcomsat Holdings. The group said the PCGG Charter grants officials of the commission immunity from judicial and legislative investigations even in aid of legislation.

Lawyer Jose “Nonong” Ricafrente, PDSP spokesperson, said it is for the Supreme Court to decide if Executive Order No. 1 issued by former President Corazon Aquino creating the PCGG clashes with the 1987 Constitution which grants Congress the power to conduct investigations.

Ricafrente also noted that the Constitution provides safeguards to protect the rights of persons summoned to attend legislative inquiries.
“Section 21, Article VI requires that any inquiry by the Senate of the House of Representatives be done in accordance with the duly published rules of procedure. Section 21 also mandates that the rights of persons appearing in or affected by such inquiries be respected, an imposition that obligates Congress to adhere to the guarantees in the Bill of Rights. Thus, it should be determined if the Senate committee on government corporations and public enterprises which issued the arrest warrant attached a copy of the Senate’s duly published rules of procedure,” the lawyer said.

“The committee should have provided Sabio with a set of said rules, attached to the invitation sent to him, so that he could have been properly apprised of the way the inquiry would proceed and be conducted. This right to know of the procedure to be followed constitutes also a part of Sabio’s constitutional right, which the Gordon Committee should have respected in accordance with Section 21 of the Constitution,” Ricafrente said. If the Senate panel failed to provide Sabio a copy of the rule, Ricafrente said the legislative inquiry is infirm, and Sabio’s arrest is illegal.

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Let us uphold the supremacy of the law

18 September 2006

WE, the members of the Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas (PDSP) and Aksyon Sambayanan(AkSa), fully support and rally behind our beleaguered comrade Camilo Sabio, the incumbent Chair of the Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG), in his fight to uphold the rule of law in this country.

Not that we are against transparency and good governance. Not that we are against accountability of those in government.

It is just that the law, Executive Order No. 1, prevents officials of the PCGG from participating in any manner in any judicial, legislative and administrative proceedings where they may be called upon in the course of the performance of their duties, except the Sandiganbayan and the Supreme Court.

Executive Order No.1 is still valid and operative, and it is not inconsistent with the 1987 Constitution. As a matter of fact, the Supreme Court in PCGG vs. Pena, G.R. No.L-77663, 159 SCRA 556, held in no uncertain terms that E.O. No.1 has been confirmed not only by the Freedom Constitution but also the 1987 Constitution. In short, E.O. No. 1 is the LAW. And no one is above the law—even if they are SENATORS.

Twenty years after the enactment of E.O. No. 1, it is only in this 13th Congress that Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, one of Sabio’s tormentors, filed Senate Bill 2250 seeking the annulment of the immunity granted to PCGG by E.O. No.1. In short, Enrile, who represents one of the warring Philcomsat factions, himself admits that E.O. No.1 has not been earlier repealed, and that it is still valid and subsisting.

We condemn the abuse by some of the Senators of the power of legislative inquiry to advance their personal and parochial interests in the guise of public accountability. Let us unmask this hypocrisy on the part of the Senate—who pretends to be the last bastion of democracy, but in actuality the fortress of the vested interest groups of the few and the wealthy in this country.

Chairman Sabio’s fight may be a lonely fight. But we and all those who still believe in the supremacy of the law lend him comfort in these trying moments.

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PCGG chair’s socdem comrades renew call for senate abolition

21 September 2006

ONE year after their leader, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, was abused and detained by the senators, the country’s social democrats are back in the senate renewing their call for its abolition.
This time around, another comrade, Presidential Commission on Good Government chair Camilo Sabio, is bearing the brunt of oppression of arrogant senators. He was cited for contempt and ordered detained by the Senate.

Some 200 members of Aksyon Sambayanan, a broad-based socdem movement, trooped to the senate crying “Bastos na senado, buwagin!” The demonstration was both to rally behind the beleaguered PCGG chair and to mark the first anniversary of Gonzales’ own senate detention. Gonzales is the founding chairperson of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas.

The Supreme Court conducted yesterday the first hearing on the case of Sabio who challenged his Senate detention before the high tribunal.

The PDSP and Aksyon Sambayanan earlier issued a statement supporting Sabio’s refusal to be released from senate custody upon Senator Richard Gordon’s order. Sabio maintains that his case should be decided by the Supreme Court.

“Public interest dictates that the Supreme Court rules squarely on the petition for habeas corpus filed by our comrade,” the social democratic groups said.

“Once and for all, the judiciary should make a formal declaration on the extent of the power of the Senate to order the arrest of persons cited for contempt in connection with its legislative inquiries. Otherwise, it could be an open-ended issue that will not settle the magnitude of this awesome authority,” the two groups added in their statement.

Don’t be afraid of PDSP—Intengan

19 November 2006

STOP being paranoid.

Father Romeo Intengan made this call to lawmakers who accused him and his group, the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, of “indoctrinating” junior military officers through seminars.

Intengan, head of the PDSP education commission, said the seminars, participated in by junior military officers, do not aim to “politicize” the military but to make soldiers aware of the national security situation in the country.

He said the purpose of the seminars is to make the military better prepared to face threats to national security, one of which is the communist insurgency.

“The AFP’s role is to fight the insurgents so that the economy could grow. Lawmakers should not be paranoid. Democratic forces should unite against the extreme left and anti-democratic groups. If you’re not with communists, we’re you’re allies. You should not be afraid of us,” Intengan stressed.

He was reacting to published reports that he and PDSP had been “brainwashing” soldiers through seminars. Sen. Rodolfo Biazon and his son, Rep. Rufino Biazon, earlier asked Congress to look into the matter. They said the PDSP, through these seminars, “is silently creeping and stealing the minds of the military.”

Intengan said the lawmakers are misinformed about the seminars and about PDSP.  He said the seminars are initiatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser in collaboration with the Ateneo-based Center for Strategic Studies.

He pointed out that military officials know about the seminars, which are being held with the permission of military commanders. Some of the speakers in these seminars are National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, Intengan and fellow PDSP leader Charlie Avila.

“We’re not communists and we’re not recruiting soldiers. We believe that the Armed Forces should be non-partisan and soldiers should resign if they want to join a political party,” Intengan explained.

He noted that published reports named Gonzales’ brother as one of the usual resource persons in the seminars when in truth he has never been a speaker in any of these seminars.
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Gonzales pledges full PDSP support to Dan Fernandez in Laguna

15 January 2007

NATIONAL Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales vowed full support to former Laguna vice governor Dan Fernandez, who will be running for governor of Laguna in the May elections.

Gonzales, chair of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, said Fernandez can count on the party’s total backing when he starts campaigning. Fernandez had been a PDSP member since 1998. He is a member of the party’s electoral commission.

The national security chief said Fernandez deserves the full and unequivocal support of the PDSP since he is the best candidate for the position and he deserves to win. The pledge of support was made as a gift to the former actor, who celebrated his birthday Sunday.

The united opposition had also declared that it will support Fernandez’s candidacy.

Gonzales admitted that in the past elections, the PDSP scrimped on the support it gave to Fernandez. This time, he said, the actor-politician can rely on the full backing of the PDSP.

Fernandez first ran under the banner of the PDSP in 1998, when he won a seat in the provincial board. He ran for vice governor in 2001 and won, but failed to capture the gubernatorial post when he sought it in the 2004 elections.
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Sultan’s win victory for Muslims

16 February 2007

THE inclusion of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in the administration’s Team Unity aims to put to an end years of non-representation of Muslims in the Senate.

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said Kiram is the lone Muslim running for senator, hence, he is the only hope of Muslims who also want a voice in the Senate. He noted that Muslims have had no representation in the Upper Chamber since 1995, when the term of former Sen. Santanina Rasul ended.

Gonzales is the chair of Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas under which the sultan is running. He said Kiram’s candidacy is the social democrats’ contribution to the administration’s Team Unity.

Gonzales said by choosing the heir of the sultanate of Sulu to fill in the 12th senatorial slot of the Unity team, the administration acknowledged the need of Muslims to have a wider representation in Congress so that issues and concerns affecting them would be sufficiently addressed.

“Muslims have suffered from legislative neglect in the Senate for so long. Kiram’s victory will ensure that Muslims will have an ally in the Upper Chamber. He will give voice to the country’s Muslim community,” the security chief said.

Jesuit priest Father Romeo Intengan, PDSP co-founder, said Muslims should have at least two representatives in the Senate since they make up 20 percent of the country’s population.

Intengan said Kiram is the best choice to represent Muslims because he has wide influence and is respected by Muslim leaders, being a descendant of a royal family. The priest said the sultan’s victory will ensure representation of Muslims in national government.
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Radical reforms will fulfill promise of EDSA–Intengan

24 February 2007

TWENTY-ONE years after the bloodless EDSA revolution in 1986, its promise of economic progress and social justice remains unfulfilled. So much so that many Filipinos have grown cynical and politically apathetic.

Today, the Filipinos need to overcome feeling of helplessness and recover the spirit of patriotism so they can work for the fulfillment of the promise of people power, according to Jesuit priest Father Romeo Intengan.

Intengan noted that the vision of EDSA remains a vision because many of the Filipinos are still mired in poverty and the gap between the rich and the poor remains wide.  Bridging this gaping divide is a challenge that the government should confront, he said.

Intengan, co-founder of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, will officiate today’s mass at EDSA shrine to commemorate the peaceful uprising that ended two decades of dictatorship, restored democratic processes and inspired similar political revolutions in other countries.  Former presidents Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos are expected to attend, as well as President Macapagal-Arroyo.

The priest said after the political revolution in 1986, the country needs a social revolution that would usher in a better way of life for Filipinos, who continue to face the specter of unemployment, hunger, political instability, and a plodding justice system.

The term people power will be meaningless, particularly to the poor majority of Filipinos, if the political freedoms they regained in 1986 do not lead to equal social power and opportunities, he added.

“Government leaders should work to fulfill the promise of people power and for socio-political upliftment. The nation should move to a society that cares equally for all,” Intengan said.

To achieve this, he said, the poor should be organized into potent social movements and political parties that will push and work for comprehensive and radical reforms, the priest said.
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Villena declared true mayor of Taysan, Batangas

06 March 2007

A regional trial court declared Hernando D. Villena as the real winner in the mayoral race in Taysan, Batangas in 2004.

The Regional Trial Court Branch 87 of Rosario, Batangas voided the proclamation of Taysan Mayor Anacorita P. Portugal, saying that Villena was the true winner, having garnered more votes than Portugal.

Villena, a member of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, filed an election protest against Portugal questioning the counting of votes in 99 precincts. Figures from the Commission on Elections showed that Portugal obtained 8,478 votes while Villena got 8,231 votes.

However, Presiding Judge Pablo R. Chavez found that Villena garnered 8,217 votes while Portugal got only 8,156 votes, thus Villena won by a margin of 61 votes.

“Accordingly, the Court hereby declares null and void the proclamation of protestee Anacorita P. Portugal as the winning candidate for the May 10, 2004 mayoralty election in the Municipality of Taysan, Batangas and Hernando D. Villena is thus hereby declared the duly elected Mayor of the said Municipality during the May 10, 2004 Mayoralty election,” the court said in a decision issued on Feb. 28.

Upon learning of the court’s decision, supporters of Villena camped out in front of the Municipal Hall. Villena ran under the platform of reform and delivery of basic services.
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NSA Gonzales to stay in cabinet

26 March 2007

NATIONAL Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales yesterday announced that he has decided to abandon his plan to run as congressman in the second district of Bataan.

Gonzales, the chairperson of Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, told supporters in Mariveles that he made up his mind to stay in the cabinet after his talk with President Macapagal-Arroyo Friday night. “Pasensiya na po kayo. Ginawa ko na po ang lahat ng magagawa ko para makumbinsi ang Pangulo. Talagang ayaw po akong payagan.”

Gonzales visited Balanga and Abucay Sunday afternoon to inform his relatives and team mates of his decision.

The national security chief also said he had been warned by police officials and other friends in the government that NPA snipers will certainly try to assassinate him once he started campaigning.
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Barangay officials favor troops presence–PDSP

28 March 2007

THE Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas disclosed yesterday that barangay officials want the soldiers to stay on in their communities and have even wrote the Commission on Human Rights to refute charges of abuses leveled against the soldiers.

Jesuit priest Father Romeo Intengan, co-founder of PDSP with National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, said that in their letter to CHR chair Purificacion Valera-Quisumbing, 19 barangay chairmen from the cities of Manila, Quezon, Caloocan and Taguig said it was them who invited the troops to stay in their communities.

Intengan was set to be one of the speakers in a “peace rally” scheduled yesterday afternoon at the EDSA People Power Monument to inform the public about the truths concerning the deployment of military troops in Metro Manila. The rally was organized by the Council of Commonwealth Affairs, an organization of concerned citizens including barangay officials.

The barangay officials who wrote CHR said that because of the presence of soldiers, peace has prevailed in their areas and they can now sleep better.

“Lubha po naming ikinagagalak ang mga proyekto ng ating kasundaluhan sa aming mga lugar. Dahil sa aming pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga sundalo, kami po ay namulat sa katotohanang may mga grupo na nanghihikayat sa aming mga kabataan na ang tanging hangarin ay labanan at pabagsakin ang ating gobyerno. Kami ay naliwanagan na may mga grupong nag-uudyok sa aming mga kabataan pati na rin sa iba naming nasasakupan na labanan ang ating gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng pagwewelga at pagpoprotesta,” the barangay leaders said in their letter.

They also denied allegations that the troops have been urging residents to reject certain candidates in the May elections.
“Taliwas sa mga nababalita na nangangampanya ang mga sundalo upang huwag iboto ang ibang kumakandidato lalo na ang mga party-list, sila nga po ang umiiwas sa mga ganitong paksa sa aming mga ugnayan,” they added.

The barangay officials urged the CHR not to push for the withdrawal of the troops, stressing that the soldiers have contributed much in maintaining peace and order in their communities.

“Kami po ay nagsusumamo na pigilan po sana ang sino mang nagmumungkahi na paalisin ang mga sundalo sa aming lugar. Napakarami po nilang naitulong sa amin, marami po silang magagandang proyekto na nais isakatuparan para sa ikauunlad ng aming mga pook,” they added.

Intengan also justified the troop deployment, saying soldiers have the responsibility to protect the people from anti-democratic groups, especially those known to support a violent struggle against the government.

The PDSP leader noted barangay officals and soldiers deployed in Metro Manila are pointing out that party-list groups belonging to the extreme left, not the people in these communities, have been clamoring for the withdrawal of the troops.

The military earlier said the troop deployment was meant to prevent the New People’s Army from gaining a foothold in Metro Manila.
Intengan said there is nothing wrong with the deployment of troops in poor barangays if their aim is to prevent insurgency from taking root in these areas.

“Members of the military are expected to fight anti-democratic forces. If the deployment of troops is meant to fight insurgency, then the Armed Forces should not pull out its troops but deploy more soldiers in more areas,” Intengan said.
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Soldier’s death shows deployed troops helpful—Intengan

03 April 2007

THE death of an Army soldier deployed in Tondo, Manila shows that the presence of troops in depressed areas in Metro Manila is helpful, according to a leader of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas.

Jesuit priest Father Romeo Intengan, PDSP co-founder, said the killing of Army Sgt. Rowell Papaan also proves the military’s sincerity in its desire to protect the people from criminals and anti-democratic elements.

Intengan said the soldiers deployed in poor communities deserve to be praised for their readiness to protect the people from criminals and enemies of democracy to the extent of sacrificing their own lives as Papaan did when he tried to help a robbery victim Saturday night. Papaan is the first casualty suffered by the Armed Forces since it started deploying soldiers to depressed areas five months ago.

Intengan noted Papaan’s heroism supports the military’s firm decision not to pull out troops. He pointed out earlier that contrary to the claims of extremely militant groups, military troops are welcome in poor barangays since their presence helps criminals at bay.

The priest cited a letter signed by 19 barangay chairpersons in Manila, Quezon, Caloocan and Taguig asking the Commission on Human Rights to stop its call for the withdrawal of the troops. The barangay leaders said that their communities are more peaceful since the soldiers arrived, even as they denied accusations that the soldiers have been campaigning against left-leaning party-list groups.

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Gonzales launches movement vs gov’t corruption

05 October 2007

(Cebu City) NATIONAL Security Adviser and Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas chair Norberto Gonzales urged government bureaucrats to face the issue of corruption in government “squarely” by creating “a good governance society” among themselves.

“We, in government, should be the ones to address the issue of government corruption,” Gonzales told some 600 government auditors Wednesday at the opening of the 3-day annual national convention of the Association of Government Internal Auditors.

Describing corruption as “the biggest enemy” of government workers who sincerely want to help propel the Philippines towards becoming a First World country, Gonzales appealed to the auditors’ patriotism and challenged them to make a personal commitment to avoid and fight corruption by joining him in creating a good governance society among public servants. The campaign, he said, will not be a witch-hunting endeavor but will instead seek to identify and correct defects in the structures and processes within the bureaucracy that allow corruption to take place.

As an arm of the good governance movement he is initiating, Gonzales said he intends to establish “corruption alert centers” in different government departments and agencies to look into cases of corruption to find out and correct defects in existing systems. “Let us address occasions of corruption in our respective offices,” he said.

“I’m afraid that corruption is no longer just a problem within the system, but it has become the prevailing system, resulting in public perception that people in government are corrupt,” Gonzales lamented.
He expressed the conviction that the majority of civil servants are not corrupt but honest workers who love their country and the people. He challenged his audience to “help restore the nobility of working in government” by leading the fight against corruption in government.

The national security chief received the loudest applause from his audience when he said that the biggest threat to national security is neither communist terrorism nor Muslim rebellion but “our political environment” which he described to have become “so bad that we can no longer do what we need to do for our people.”

Gonzales also urged government workers to help each other in addressing individual concerns by forming mutual help associations as another way of avoiding and preventing corruption. He said he will support such self-help initiatives.

Most of the delegates welcomed his challenge and expressed their willingness to join his proposed anti-corruption movement among civil servants.

Convention chair Josefina Martin, a senior vice president of Quedancor and one of the officers of AGIA, committed her group to Gonzales’ anti-corruption project.

Noting that “public servants are demoralized and becoming very restive,” she said the national security adviser offered them an alternative “at the right time.”
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Moral leaders denounce hypocritical moralizing
By Charlie Avila

(Ka Charlie is a member of the PDSP Foreign Affairs Commission and is a Consultant to the PDSP Cluster on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development. He is one of the pioneering champions of social democracy in the Philippines.)

Manila – 26th October 2007

At a time when many people find it ordinary to read statements from bishops – at least three Manila-based ones – on the political situation, eighteen Roman Catholic archbishops and bishops from the Mindanao-Sulu area – and, as of this writing, nineteen more from the Luzon regions – decided to reflect on Pope Benedict XVI’s motto, “In veritate, Pax! Reach the truth and achieve peace.”

At Surigao City last Tuesday the prelates declared “solidarity with those who expect moral integrity and fiscal transparency from our leaders, including ourselves.” This was partly in reference, no doubt, to their exasperation with the sanctimonious call for “a moral revolution” by Speaker Jose de Venecia, leader of what the majority populace perceives to be the most corrupt institution in the country, barring none, namely the House of pork barrel fame. De Venecia and son were suffering from a three-hundred-million-dollar frustration. The cry of pain was a cry for moral revolution.

The bishops were quite aware of all this – “certain controversies regarding the morality and legality of government contracts like the one on the alleged broadband facilities as well as the issue on the monetary expression of political patronage”  – in other words, the cash gifts. They were also quite aware that “these controversies have drawn reactions from various sectors, including Church leaders” – like the plea of the Manila-based three and the de Venecia cry for moral reforms.

Nonetheless, the bishops would soberly declare “that the whole truth about any moral issue must be ascertained first before subjecting it to moral scrutiny and judgment, otherwise, any statement on the matter may be premature and counter-productive.” In sum, what the bishops prefer is not the style of grandstanding accusations so much as “a thorough and impartial investigation” in accordance with the laws of evidence and the systems and methods of critical thinking which underscore “truth and honesty and a sense of patriotism.”

During their discussion of their brief Pastoral Statement, the bishops acknowledged how nothing less than a transformation of the Filipino soul can solve the current crisis of corruption that is fast leading the whole country to perdition.

They are saying, again, that we have not yet developed a strong enough sense of the common good as each individual’s own good in the context of nationhood. In fact, the reality of nation is something we do not honestly accept – not as much as we do family and individual self. As a result there is no corruption in our system – corruption itself is our system. Because we are in effective denial of nation, it is fine in our minds to take what belongs to all in common as something we can keep for ourselves alone.

Lets make our country First World, Gonzales urges cooperative and govt executives

24 November 2007

NATIONAL Security Adviser and Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas chair Norberto Gonzales has urged the country’s cooperative sector and civil servants to make a personal commitment to contribute in making the Philippines a First World country.

“We will be a First World country if we make the decision to be so… Our neighboring countries succeeded in doing so. There is no reason why we cannot,” Gonzales asserted in his recent addresses to leaders of the cooperative sector and regional development executives in Zamboanga City and San Fernado City, Pampanga.

The national security chief was the guest speaker in the 3rd National Tripartite Conference for Cooperative Development and in the conference on good governance of the Regional Executives Association of Western Mindanao (REASMIN) in Zamboanga City on November 22. The following day, he also addressed the convention of the Central Luzon Association of Regional Officers (CLARO) in San Fernando City .

Gonzales blamed the country’s “so-called political leaders” for keeping the Philippines lagging behind its more prosperous ASEAN neighbors, particularly Singapore and Malaysia .

“Our political leaders should be providing direction to the nation… how we can join our neighbors in becoming First World, because we cannot help everybody unless we become so, but they are not,” Gonzales lamented. Instead, he noted that our politicians are concerned with their personal political ambitions.

“Sa Senado, ang daming gustong maging Presidente at hindi makapaghintay. Pero ano ang sinasabi nila tungkol sa direksiyon ng bansa? Where do they want to bring the country? What is their vision for our nation? It’s about time we ask them questions like this,” he said.

He pointed out, however, that he had been going around and he had realized that, fortunately, the country has so many very good local executives. “That’s why there is no reason why we cannot catch up with our neighbors.”

Gonzales believes there are three requirements for the Philippines to move forward towards becoming First World : the Filipinos’ love of country, elimination of corruption, and mobilization of the people.

He said the key to becoming First World is consolidating a national political will behind it. “If we are to succeed in becoming a prosperous society, we have to succeed in mobilizing the entire nation into becoming one. We cannot do this in a way that our people are separated from government.”

Gonzales said national mobilization is what Lee Kuan Yew did in Singapore and Mahathir in Malaysia.

He noted that it can only be achieved by a strong political leadership. That is why, he said, “we do not deserve the national politicians that we have today. I hope that we will have better leaders in the future.”

The national security chief said the Filipinos have demonstrated many times that they can muster national political will “but always in the negative way, against something” like the Spanish colonizers, the Americans, the Japanese, Marcos dictatorship and the Estrada presidency. He said it’s time Filipinos consolidate national political will for something positive—in making the Philippines First World.

Reiterating his appeal to his audiences, Gonzales emphasized that despite our shortcomings as a nation, our country is the only one we have and it deserves our love. “Let us show our children that this nation is worth dying for.”

At one point, Gonzales said: “I wonder how we can sleep soundly at night when many of our brothers are hungry and our children are mal-educated everyday.”

Gonzales had delivered the same messages in his similar sorties in the cities of Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu , Tacloban, Bohol . His messages were invariably greeted with emotional expressions of approval from his different audiences, including civil servants, church leaders and uniformed officers.
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Gonzales advances anti-corruption campaign

25 November 2007

SAYING the country needs to consolidate a national political will against corruption, National Security Adviser and Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas chair Norberto Gonzales pushed his anti-corruption campaign by putting up an Anti-Corruption Center in his office and creating a website for his Good Governance Society.

Gonzales also urged Catholic bishops to launch their own anti-corruption movement even as he said he had discussed his proposals with Mindanao bishops who fully supported the initiative.

Gonzales announced his moves during his recent meetings with members of the Regional Executives Association in Western Mindanao (REASMIN) in Zamboanga City and of Central Luzon Association of Regional Officers (CLARO) in San Fernando City , Pampanga. He urged the government executives to join his good governance movement and establish their own corruption alert centers in their respective offices.

Corruption is one of the biggest problems facing the country and if left unchecked, will turn into a big obstacle to development, the national security chief told the government executives.

Gonzales warned that the Philippines will never make it to the league of developed nations unless corruption is stopped. “We cannot develop into a prosperous society unless we eliminate corruption,“ he said.

The national security chief noted that corruption has become so ingrained in government transactions that it has become the system. He lamented that just like a disease, this scourge has eaten its way into the private sector.

“We have to eliminate corruption not only from bureaucracy but from our entire society. We have to band together to fight this scourge that has damaged the moral fiber of the country,” he said.

Gonzales stressed that his idea of fighting corruption is not witch-hunting but addressing the problem at its roots which are flawed systems. “Fighting corruption requires examining our systems.
Corruption is rampant because of the flaws in our procedures and our systems. And we have to correct these systems that encourage corruption,” he said.

He challenged government workers “who love the country” to lead in fighting corruption.  “Our bureaucracy should be corruption-free. Corruption is taking advantage of an opportunity at the expense of the common good. And we civil servants will fight corruption quietly,” the national security chief said.
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Politics greatest threat to nation—national security chief

27 November 2007

POLITICS, not terror or extremist groups, is the biggest threat to national security, according to National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales.

Gonzales said “classic threats” to national security such as the Abu Sayyaf Group, New People’s Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are “within our control” but politics is doing more damage than these groups put together.

“Politics is the greatest threat today to our future as a nation,” Gonzales, also the chair of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, recently told regional government officials in Pampanga.

He lamented that politicians have failed in their duty to lead the country to progress. “Politics is about giving direction, defining a better future, and planning how we will reach that future. Our so-called political leaders are not providing direction to the nation,“ he said.

“How can we sleep soundly at night when many of our brothers are going hungry and our children are being mal-educated everyday?” Gonzales asked his audience composed of government executives in Central Luzon.

“We are failures because our job in government is to feed our people and educate our children,” the national security chief added.

Gonzales said the level of politics in the country has gone so low. “Para ka sumikat, kailangan mo lang ay manira nang manira,” he said.

“The concerns of our politicians are not the common good, but their personal ambitions. So many in the Senate want to be president, pero wala naman sinasabing direksiyon para sa bansa. Sumusobra na,” Gonzales added.

Gonzales noted that governing “is not about being bright and popular.”

“Rather than ask who is the best presidentiable, we should ask fundamental questions like what is politics? What kind of politics do we have today?” he said.

“We have to asses the kind of politics we have today. If we are to move as a nation, we should start defining where we want to go,” Gonzales said.

The national security chief earlier called on fellow government workers to join him in his crusade to fight corruption, which he described as one of the biggest hindrances to progress.

Gonzales has been going around the country to discuss peace and reforms toward progress with government, military and Church officials and to rally state workers to support the campaign against corruption.
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