Tagline creator breezes through CA

By Macon Ramos-Araneta | Posted on September 06, 2012 |

The campaign taglines “Big Man sa Senado” and “Kapag corrupt ka, Lagot ka,” which he had crafted for Senator Franklin Drilon and Senator Joker Arroyo for their election campaigns, drove the two members of the bicameral Commission on Appointments to approve the nomination of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., an official said on Wednesday.

“First, I must make my full disclosure why I am voting for the nominee,” Drilon said before voting to confirm Jimenez.

“He was the one who created my tagline in 2001, ‘Big Man sa Senado,’ but I am not alone.

“You remember the other tagline in that election, ‘Kapag corrupt ka, Lagot Ka?’ That was the tagline he gave to a good friend, Senator Joker Arroyo.’’

“It is on that premise that we are endorsing the nominee, the very competent executive and practitioner in this field,” said Drilon who was seated beside Arroyo in the confirmation hearing at the Senate.

No member of the commission objected to Jimenez’s appointment, and the proceedings lasted only 30 minutes.

But Alagad party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, who is opposed to the Reproductive Health bill that seeks to guarantee universal access to contraception methods, fertility control, sexual education and maternal health care, quizzed Jimenez on his stand on the same bill.

“If I may your honor, I would just answer that the proper response to your question is to cite the very first book in the Bible, which says that when everything started, God created light and then he created the Heaven, the Earth, and then the animals and when he had all of that, it was then and only then that he brought man into the world,” Jimenez said.

“Our Lord was the very first responsible parent in human history. He made sure we had everything.”

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, the commission’s vice chairman and who is also opposed to the RH bill, said they should recommend Jimenez for confirmation immediately.

“I was really going to vote in favor of the secretary, but hearing that, we should have approved him two years ago,” Sotto said.

When Marcoleta asked Jimenez to clarify his statement, Jimenez said he was “for responsible parenthood which is another name for…”

Jimenez was not able to finish his statement because Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian, who heads the commission, cut him off and told them to talk about the matter in private after the confirmation hearing.

In brief statement before the confirmation hearing, Jimenez said he reached his first year at the Tourism Department on Sept. 1.

“I seek, of course, the honorable committee’s approval of my appointment today. I come here with colleagues and friends from the tourism industry,” Jimenez said.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte was the first to inquire about Jimenez’s program in his department, and Jimenez said he was now employing a cluster strategy.(END)

 

Sereno told: Stop ‘ex cathedra’ talk

By Macon Ramos-Araneta | Posted on September 05, 2012 |

Senator Joker Arroyo said he did not believe that the chief justice of the Supreme Court had an “angelic status” and instead asked her to refrain from speaking “ex cathedra.”

 

Reacting to Sereno’s declaration that her appointment as chief justice “came only from God,” Arroyo said he hoped it did not mean that she thought she was all-knowing.

 

“When you talk ex cathedra that means infallibility. We hope she does not think that way because that is not good. That does not allow dissent,” Arroyo said.

In her flag ceremony speech at the Supreme Court on Monday, Sereno said her appointment was God’s will. She denied that her appointment was a result of political lobbying.

 

As a junior member of the Supreme Court, Sereno bypassed 11 other senior justices. She is President Aquino’s first appointee to the Supreme Court and the first female chief justice.

 

Arroyo, a former human rights lawyer and one of the senior members of the Senate, showed surprise when told about Sereno’s divine referral of her appointment to the Supreme Court.

 

“Anointed by God?” he said.

 

“She said God’s will. You see the subliminal [message]? Her faith can be mistaken for infallibility.”

 

But Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said government positions did not require religious tests, and that non-believers could be appointed as chief justice of the Supreme Court.

 

“You can appoint a born-again Christian, or a Catholic. You can also appoint a Buddhist if he’s qualified. We have religious freedom in the country,” Enrile said.

 

Senator Francis Escudero said Sereno was just a religious person, and that he believed her religious beliefs would not infringe on her functions as chief justice. (END)

 

5-year plan to lick joblessness bared

By Macon Ramos-Araneta | Posted on September 04, 2012

 

• Wishful thinking? Trade chief says it can be done

 

The Trade and Industry department on Monday said the country’s unemployment problem can be solved with the creation of 9.1 million jobs within the next five years if the current $55-$60 billion merchandise and service export will be doubled.

“If we double our exports, it could add an additional 9.1 million job opportunities,” said Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo during the Senate finance committee hearing on his P4.093 billion proposed budget for 2013. DTI’s budget in 2012 was P3.2 billion.

“Doubling our estimates, our target up to 2016, we hope to double our $55-$60 billion to $120 billion which include both merchandise and service export,” Domingo told the committee chaired by Senator Franklin Drilon.

“Then that solves the unemployment problem because presently 2.8 million are unemployed based on present figures you mentioned, 7.3 million workers are considered underemployed and 2.8 workers are deemed unemployed,” commented Senator Loren Legarda.

Legarda also noted that even if the export market will not be doubled and simply increase it marginally, the problem of 2.8 million jobless Filipinos would be instantly solved.

Senator Edgardo Angara echoed Domingo’s claim that doubling one sector which is the merchandize export will address the unemployment and underemployment problem with 9 million jobs to be created.

“That’s what I’m saying. By just increasing our export and just concentrating on it, then we create better paying, better quality jobs. The IT-BPO is already on auto pilot, already on track. But the export number—it’s a roller coaster. So that’s the chance for our ‘farm boys’ to get better jobs in the factory and for the domestic, to do meaningful work,” he explained.

Legarda, however, noted that doubling the country’s export remains an objective, which may be accomplished in 12 months or even in 3 years.

Later, Legarda said that in the meantime, the government needs to put in place the micro, small and medium enterprises law that can generate jobs in the grassroots, the countryside.

“Perhaps, we need to provide incentives and get everything working. I always believe in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs),” Legarda said.

She added that micro enterprises, should be provided the needed funds.

“We believe that implementation of the SME law will give solution to the problem of unemployment. We need to help product development and capital small business firms so they become self-employed, and may even be a part of the export market and help reduce unemployment,” Legarda said.

She branded as a “dream” DTI’s vision for a double merchandise and service export. But she considers it a ‘good dream’.

In a separate interview, Angara said the DTI’s projection may be possible within the next five years. He said the level of our export is $50-55 billion, 2/3 of which is on electronics.

But now that the demand for electronics in the United States and in Europe has gone down, the export on these products had declined.

But Angara said the decline was compensated by the increase in the non-electronics exports such as furniture and processed foods.

As a result, Angara said the country was able to maintain its export at $50-55 billion level.

“So it is possible in the next 3 yrs or up to the time President Aquino steps down in 2016 to double it to 100 billion. Well, they’re quite optimistic, they say they can double it, but it requires effort,” said Angara.

He added however that the DTI also has to double its efforts to advertise and market the products they wish to export.