The Davao Declaration: We must now transform our vision into reality

DAVAO DECLARATION: WE MUST NOW TRANSFORM OUR VISION INTO REALITY

5 December A.D. 2014/12 Safar A.H. 1436

HAVING FOLLOWED WITH ABIDING INTEREST THE VARIOUS ASSEMBLIES CONVENED EARLIER BY HE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL, AND SHARING THE COUNCIL'S DECLARED VISION FOR OUR COUNTRY AND PEOPLE, WE, CITIZENS FORM VARIOUS PARTS OF MINDANAO AND OTHER REGIONS, MET IN DAVAO CITY THIS 5 DECEMBER A.D. 2014/12 SAFAR A.H. 1436 TO UNITE OUR EFFORTS WITH THOSE OF THE COUNCIL IN SEEKING TO TRANSFORM OUR LAND INTO A WELL-RUN, PEACEFUL, GOD-LOVING AND PROSPEROUS DEMOCRATIC NATION.

WE BELIEVE THAT REGIME AND SYSTEMS CHANGE, AS PROPOSED BY THE COUNCIL AND SUPPORTED FULLY BY THE PREVIOUS ASSEMBLIES, IS THE ONLY VALID COURSE OF ACTION FOR OUR COUNTRY AND PEOPLE, AND THAT WE MUST EXERT ALL EFFORTS TO ATTAIN THIS OBJECTIVE AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME.

WE AFFIRM AND ADOPT AS OUR OWN THE DECLARATIONS ISSUED BY THE PREVIOUS ASSEMBLIES AND COMMIT OURSELVES TO UNDERTAKE SUCH LAWFUL ACTION AS IS NECESSARY AND DESIRABLE TO TRANSFORM THE MORAL, POLITICAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER OF THE NATION.

MULTIPLE PROBLEMS OF VARYING MAGNITUDE HAVE COMPELLED THE PREVIOUS ASSEMBLIES TO DEMAND THAT THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION PROMPTLY ADDRESS EACH OF THESE PROBLEMS. BUT NO ACTION HAS BEEN FORTHCOMING. THE NATION REMAINS SADDLED WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS ON TOP OF AN UNCARING ADMINISTRATION WHOSE VERY EXISTENCE IS IN CONTINUED VIOLATION OF THE MORAL ORDER AND THE CONSTITUTION.

WE DEPLORE THE PRESIDENT'S CONTINUED STRANGLEHOLD UPON CONGRESS, IN VIOLATION OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS AND THE DOCTRINE OF CHECKS AND BALANCES AMONG THE THREE CO-EQUAL AND COORDINATE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT AS GUARANTEED BY THE CONSTITUTION.

WE DEPLORE THE ONGOING EFFORT OF THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION TO RAILROAD A P2.6 TRILLION 2015 BUDGET WHICH RESURRECTS ALL THE LUMP SUM DISCRETIONARY APPROPRIATIONS, WHICH THE SUPREME COURT UNANIMOUSLY DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL WHEN IT VOIDED THE PORK BARREL SYSTEM, CONSISTING OF THE PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FUND AND THE DISBURSEMENT ACCELERATION PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED 2014 P23-BILLION SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET, REPORTEDLY TO FUND PROJECTS WHICH THE PRESIDENT HAD CREATED WITHOUT THE REQUIRED CONSENT OF CONGRESS, BUT WHICH LOST THEIR FUNDING WHEN THE HIGH COURT VOIDED THE DAP.

WE DEPLORE THE FAILURE, IF NOT DOWNRIGHT REFUSAL, OF THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION TO COMPLY WITH THE SUPREME COURT'S EXPRESS DIRECTIVE TO PROSECUTE ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND ILLEGAL MANIPULATION AND MISUSE OF THE DAP, INVOLVING AT LEAST TWO HUNDRED BILLION PESOS.

WE DEPLORE THE FAILURE OF THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION TO PROMPTLY AND ADEQUATELY ADDRESS THE NATIONWIDE TRANSPORTATION CRISIS, THE ENERGY AND ELECTRIC POWER CRISIS, THE WATER AND FOOD SUPPLY CRISIS, THE PEACE AND ORDER CRISIS, THE UNEMPLOYMENT CRISIS, AND ABOVE ALL, THE NATIONAL GOVERNANCE CRISIS, WHICH BEGINS WITH PRESIDENT AQUINO'S VIRTUAL CONTROL OF THE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING THE CONDUCT OF ALL ELECTIONS.

AS MINDANAOANS, WE SPECIFICALLY LAMENT THE ADMINISTRATION'S HALF-BAKED EFFORTS TO PASS A BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW WITHOUT SUFFICIENT CONSULTATIONS WITH ALL THE AFFECTED PARTIES IN MINDANAO AND BEYOND, WHICH IS INDISPENSABLE IN CREATING THE CONSENSUS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY SUPPORT THE LAW'S MOST AMBITIOUS PROVISIONS. THIS IS MOST UNFAIR AND UNJUST TO ALL MUSLIM FILIPINOS AND ALL OTHER FILIPINOS, WHO LOOK FORWARD TO LONG LASTING PEACE AND PROSPERITY THROUGH A MEANINGFUL, AUTONOMOUS STRUCTURE.

AS MINDANOANS, WE DEPLORE THE FAILURE OF THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION TO HELP THE LOWLY COCONUT FARMERS ACQUIRE WHAT IS DUE THEM, BY PASSIVELY STANDING B WHILE A GROUP OF ELITIST POLITICIANS AND THEIR CRONIES TRIES TO TORPEDO AN AGREEMENT THAT WOULD FINALLY GIVE THE FARMERS THE RIGHT TO USE THEIR OWN FUNDS COMING FROM THE COCONUT LEVY.

THIS LIST OF GRIEVANCES IS MERELY ILLUSTRATIVE, RATHER THAN EXHAUSTIVE, BUT WHEREAS EACH OF THESE PROBLEMS NEEDS AND DESERVES A SPECIFIC SOLUTION FROM THE GOVERNMENT, WE HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT NO SOLUTIONS IS POSSIBLE WHILE THE AQUINO GOVERNMENT IS IN OFFICE. THE SOLUTION WILL COME ONLY UPON THE REMOVAL OF THE AQUINO GOVERNMENT, AND ITS REPLACEMENT BY A MORE RESPONSIBLE AND CARING GOVERNMENT.

FOR THIS REASON, WE UNANIMOUSLY DECLARE THAT THE TIME TO COMPEL PRESIDENT BENIGNO SIMEON AQUINO STEP DOWN IS NOW, THAT THAT AT THE END OF THIS DAVAO ASSEMBLY, THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL SHOULD EMBARK UPON A NATIONWIDE MOBILIZATION EFFORT IN ORDER TO TRANSFORM IT VISION INTO REALITY.

DONE IN THE CITY OF DAVAO, 5 DECEMBER A.D. 2014 / 12 SAFAR A.H. 1436.

The Pampanga Declaration: Step Up the Campaign for Regime and Systems Change

THE CENTRAL LUZON DECLARATION

STEP UP THE CAMPAIGN FOR REGIME AND SYSTEMS CHANGE, MAKE CENTRAL LUZON JUETENG-FREE AND TURN THE FORMER US BASES (CLARK AND SUBIC) INTO AN INTERNATIONAL LOGISTIC HUB FOR TRANSPORT, TRADE, TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT.

3 DECEMBER A.D. 2014/10 SAFAR. A.H. 1436

DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE NATION'S WORSENING MORAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CRISIS, AND THE GOVERNMENT'S UTTER FAILURE TO RESPOND TO IT, WE WHO REPRESENT THE BROAD POPULATION OF CENTRAL LUZON, TOGETHER WITH FRIENDS FROM VARIOUS PART OF THE COUNTRY, GATHERED AT ANGELES CITY THIS 3 DECEMBER A.D. 2014/10 SAFAR A.H. 1436/ TO AIR OUR MOST URGENT GRIEVANCES AND GRAVEST CONCERNS TO THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL, AND TO PROCLAIM OUR UNQUALIFIED SUPPORT FOR THE COUNCIL'S CALL FOR IMMEDIATE REGIME AND SYSTEMS CHANGE.

GUIDED BY THE OBJECTIVE MORAL LAW AND THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT, WE HEREBY AFFIRM AND ADOPT AS OUR OWN THE MAJOR POINTS EMBODIES IN THE LIPA DECLARATION OF 27 AUGUST A.D. 2014/2 DHU AL-QA'DA A.H. 1435, THE CEBU DECLARATION OF 1 OCTOBER A.D. 2014/7 DHU AL-HIJRAH A.H. 1435, AND THE BUTUAN DECLARATION OF 11 NOVEMBER A.D. 2014/18 MUHARRAM A.H. 1435.

WITH THE LIPA ASSEMBLY, WE SIMULTANEOUSLY DECLARE THAT PRESIDENT BENIGNO SIMEON AQUINO 3RD HAS LOST HIS MORAL RIGHT TO LEAD THE NATION, AND HAS BECOME A DANGER TO THE PHILIPPINE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN STATE AND TO THE PEACE, FREEDOM, SECURITY AND MORAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE.

WITH THE SAME ASSEMBLY, WE UNEQUIVOCALLY CALL ON PRESIDENT AQUINO TO IMMEDIATELY RELINQUISH HIS POSITION, AND ON THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL TO ASSUME THE URGENT AND NECESSARY TASK OF RESTORING OUR DAMAGED POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS BEFORE WE BEGIN TO CONSIDER ELECTING A NEW GOVERNMENT UNDER NORMAL POLITICAL CONDITIONS.

WITH THE CEBU ASSEMBLY, WE LIKEWISE CALL ON THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL TO PURSUE ALL NECESSARY AND LAWFUL MEANS TO COMPEL PRESIDENT AQUINO TO STEP DOWN AT THE SOONEST POSSIBLE TIME AND TO IMMEDIATELY ORGANIZE AN ALTERNATIVE GOVERNMENT COMPOSED OF MEN AND WOMEN OF INTEGRITY AND PROVEN WORTH.

WE CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE FILING OF CRIMINAL CASES AGAINST ALL THE OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN THE MISUSE OF THE PORK BARREL SYSTEM, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FUND AND DISBURSEMENT ACCELERATION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO THE DIRECTIVE CONTAINED IN THE SUPREME COURT RULING DECLARING THE PDAF AND THE DAP UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

WE CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT OF THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS AS A CONDITIO SINE QUA NON FOR THE HOLDING OF ANY FUTURE ELECTION, THE FORMAL PROSECUTION BEFORE THE SANDIGANBAYAN OF ALL THE COMELECT OFFICIALS CHARGED WITH THE RIGGING THE 2010 AND 2013 ELECTIONS, AND ALL INCUMBENT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHO "OVERSPENT" IN THE LAST ELECTIONS.

WITH THE BUTUAN ASSEMBLY, WE CALL FOR MORE EXTENSIVE CONSULTATIONS ON THE PROPOSED BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW, NOW PENDING IN CONGRESS, AND FOR SPEEDING UP THE PROPOSED FEDERALIZATION AGENDA FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY TO ENHANCE THE MOST EQUITABLE, SIMULTANEOUS EMPOWERMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF ALL THE REGIONS.

WE LIKEWISE CALL ON THE CONCERNED GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO FIND AN IMMEDIATE SOLUTION TO THE ELECTRIC POWER CRISIS IN THE COUNTRY INSTEAD OF MANIPULATING THE SITUATION TO JUSTIFY THE PROPOSAL TO GRANT EMERGENCY POWERS TO THE PRESIDENT, WHICH WILL SIMPLY ADD NEW BURDENS TO OUR PEOPLE, WHILE ALLOWING MONOPOLIST GROUPS TO RETAIN CONTROL OF POWER DISTRIBUTION EVERYWHERE, ESPECIALLY IN MINDANAO.

WE DENOUNCE THE UNCONTROLLED RESURGENCE OF JUETENG IN PAMPANGA AND ITS NEIGHBORING PROVINCES, WHICH CORRUPTS THE POLITICAL SYSTEM AND PROMOTES POLITICAL DYNASTIES IN THE REGION, THE SHARP DETERIORATION OF PEACE AND ORDER AND THE LOCAL POLITICAL CULTURE BECAUSE OF THIS DEVELOPMENT, AND THE CONTINUED WASTED POTENTIAL OF CLARK, SUBIC AND THE PACIFIC COAST AS A DEVELOPMENT HUB IN CENTRAL LUZON.

WE THEREFORE CALL ON THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL TO HELP EXPOSE THE SURGE OF JUETENG-RELATED CORRUPTION AND DISMANTLE THE CRIMINAL SYNDICATE AND POLITICAL MACHINERY CREATED BY SUCH CORRUPTION, AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF POWERFUL NATIONAL POLITICIANS.

FINALLY, WE CALL ON THE COUNCIL TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLARK, SUBIC AND THE PACIFIC COAST AS AN INTERNATIONAL HUB FOR TRANSPORTATION, TOURISM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS BE GIVEN TOP PRIORITY BY THE NEXT GOVERNMENT, GIVING FULL VALUE TO THE PLANS AND PROGRAMS EMANATING FROM THE GROUND.

DONE IN ANGELES CITY, PROVINCE OF PAMPANGA THIS 3 DECEMBER A.D. 2014/10 SAFAR A.H. 1436.

Bangsamoro Law triggered resurgence of moves for federal government, say advocates

Bangsamoro Law triggered resurgence of moves for federal government, say advocates

The Butuan Declaration: Peace and Good Governance in the Country should begin in Mindanao

THE BUTUAN DECLARATION:
PEACE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN THE COUNTRY
SHOULD BEGIN IN MINDANAO

RECALLING THE TWO ASSEMBLIES CONVENED EARLIER BY THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL IN LIPA ON AUGUST 27, 2014 AND CEBU ON OCTOBER 1, 2014, AND DESIRING TO SEIZE THE MOMENTUM AND BUILD UPON THE GAINS ACHIEVED BY THOSE ASSEMBLIES, WE WHO BROADLY REPRESENT THE VARIOUS CONCERNED SECTORS AND CONSTITUENCIES OF EASTERN AND NORTHERN MINDANAO, TOGETHER WITH OUR ALLIES FROM OTHER PARTS OF MINDANAO, FROM BASILAN, THE SULU ARCHIPELAGO, AND FROM LUZON AND THE VISAYAS, HAVE COME TOGETHER IN BUTUAN CITY THIS 11TH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2014, TO PROCLAIM OUR SUPPORT FOR AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMMEDIATE REALIZATION OF THE DECLARED AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL.

WE COMMEND THE INITIATIVES OF THE TWO PREVIOUS ASSEMBLIES, EXPRESS FULL AND UNEQUIVOCAL SUPPORT FOR THE LIPA DECLARATION—“AN URGENT CALL FOR NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION”—OF AUGUST 27, 2014 AND THE CEBU DECLARATION—“DEFINING THE FIRST STEPS TOWARD NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION”—OF OCTOBER 1, 2014, AND BIND OURSELVES TO UNDERTAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO HELP BRING THEM TO FRUITION.

GATHERED HERE IN BUTUAN SO CLOSE TO THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF SUPER TYPHOON HAIYAN/YOLANDA, WHICH FLATTENED TACLOBAN CITY AND DEVASTATED MUCH OF THE VISAYAS AND THE CALAMIANES ON NOVEMBER 8, 2013, AND THE 7.2 EARTHQUAKE THAT EARLIER DESTROYED CENTURIES-OLD CHURCHES, PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND HOMES IN CEBU AND BOHOL ON OCTOBER 15, 2013, AND ON THE EVE OF THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE FLOODS THAT KILLED AND INJURED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, AND DISPLACED THOUSANDS PARTICULARLY IN DAVAO ORIENTAL AND COMPOSTELA VALLEY ON DECEMBER 4, 2012, AND SHARING THE SUFFERING OF THE VICTIMS OF THESE TRAGEDIES AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO HAVE WAITED IN VAIN FOR ADEQUATE GOVERNMENT SUPPORT IN THEIR RECOVERY AND REHABILITATION, WE RAISE OUR VOICES IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF THESE COMMUNITIES TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO CAME TO THEIR AID AND COMFORT DURING THEIR HOUR OF GREATEST NEED, AND TO EXPRESS GRAVE DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE WAY THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION HAS FAILED TO RESPOND ADEQUATELY TO THESE CRISES.

WE JOIN THE PEOPLE OF TACLOBAN, THE VISAYAS, AND THE CALAMIANES IN DEMANDING A FULL AND ACCURATE ACCOUNTING OF THE MONEY AND OTHER FORMS OF ASSISTANCE, WHICH THE AQUINO GOVERNMENT HAS RECEIVED FROM FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, MULTILATERAL INSTITUTIONS, AND OTHER DONORS, AND HOW, WHERE AND WHEN THEY WERE USED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE VICTIMS.

AT THIS TIME OF SERIOUS DIFFICULTIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF MINDANAO, WE EXPRESS GRAVE CONCERN OVER THE CAVALIER WAY THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION HAS TREATED THE “MINDANAO PROBLEM.” WE ARE DETERMINED TO FIND A JUST AND LASTING SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM, ONE THAT WILL BRING ABOUT TRUE AND LASTING PEACE, AND A RADICAL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER IN THE LIVES OF ALL OUR PEOPLE.

WITH GREAT SADNESS, HOWEVER, WE MUST SAY THAT THE PROPOSED BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW (BBL), NOW PENDING IN CONGRESS, IS NOT THE FRUIT OF HONEST AND SINCERE CONSULTATIONS WITH OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS AND THEIR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.

THIS THREATENS TO FALSIFY OUR PEOPLE’S DEEPEST LONGING FOR GENUINE SELF-MANAGEMENT OF THEIR OWN AFFAIRS, AND INSTEAD TO CREATE NEW DIVISIONS, DISUNITY AND DISCONTENT, BOTH AMONG THOSE WHO ARE PART AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT PART OF THE NEW ENTITY TO BE CREATED UNDER THE BBL.

WE THEREFORE ASK THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL TO INTENSIFY GENUINE CONSULTATIONS WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH A REAL SOLUTION COMING FROM THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES RATHER THAN FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES.

WE SPECIFICALLY ASK THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ADVANCING THE FEDERALIZATION AGENDA FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY AS THE ULTIMATE MEASURE TO ENSURE THE MOST EQUITABLE, SIMULTANEOUS EMPOWERMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF ALL THE REGIONS, AND NOT JUST OF THOSE IN MINDANAO ALONE.

AS CONTINUED HOSTAGE-TAKING FOR RANSOM AND OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES BY THE ABU SAYYAF GROUP IN THE SULU-SIPADAN AREA THREATEN TO TURN OUR REGION INTO AN UGLY COUNTERPART OF SOMALIA, THE HOME COUNTRY OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS PERPETRATORS OF PIRACY AND KIDNAPPING IN THE INDIAN OCEAN AND THE HORN OF AFRICA, WE CALL UPON THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL TO DEMAND A CREATIVE APPROACH TO THIS PROBLEM THAT WILL DRAW THE VARIOUS GROUPS INVOLVED IN THESE ACTIVITIES INTO LAWFUL AND LUCRATIVE PURSUITS, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE VARIOUS COMMUNITIES IN THE AREA.

AS THE WORSENING ENERGY SITUATION THREATENS TO THROW MINDANAO BACK INTO A NEW DARK AGE, WE LIKEWISE CALL UPON THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL TO INTERVENE AND DEMAND A SOLEMN COMMITMENT FROM THE AQUINO REGIME THAT IT WILL PUT AN END TO MONOPOLIST ACTIVITIES WHICH IS TRYING TO SEIZE CONTROL OF POWER DISTRIBUTION IN MINDANAO AND BEYOND, THROUGH THE USE OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE, INTIMIDATION AND FORCE.

IN DIRECT RELATION TO THE FOREGOING PROBLEM, WE MANIFEST OUR SOLIDARITY WITH THE MILLIONS OF MEMBER-CONSUMERS OF AUTHENTIC ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, WHOSE RIGHTS OF OWNERSHIP BY VIRTUE OF THEIR CAPITAL CONTRIBUTION ARE BEING IGNORED AND VIOLATED BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHO ACT TO PROTECT SOME BIG BUSINESSES RATHER THAN THE PEOPLE’S INTEREST. THE ACTUATIONS OF THIS REGIME’S OFFICIALS SHOW THEIR CONTEMPT FOR THE COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT AND THE LATTER’S FUNCTION OF CORRECTING SOCIAL INEQUITY, PROMOTING SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND ENABLING THEIR MILLIONS OF MEMBERS TO ATTAIN SUSTAINABILITY IN THEIR ENDEAVOR TO ENJOY THE BASIC LIFE-BLESSINGS THAT MAKE FOR A DIGNIFIED LIFE OF FRUGAL COMFORT.

IN THE FACE OF THE EVIDENT INCREASINGLY SEVERE DETERIORATION OF THE MORAL, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY, WE CALL UPON THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL TO SPEED UP ITS EFFORT TO COMPEL PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. AQUINO 3RD TO RELINQUISH HIS POSITION, SO THAT THE EARNEST WORK OF NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COULD BEGIN. MORE THAN EVER, WE BELIEVE THAT PEACE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN THE COUNTRY MUST BEGIN IN MINDANAO.

DONE IN THE CITY OF BUTUAN, THIS 11TH DAY OF NOVEMBER A.D. 2014 / 18th DAY OF MUHARRAM A.H. 1436.

The Cebu Declaration: Defining the First Steps toward National Transformation

THE CEBU DECLARATION:

DEFINING THE FIRST STEPS TOWARD NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION

ENCOURAGED BY THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST OPEN ASSEMBLY CONVENED IN LIPA CITY, BATANGAS BY THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL ON AUGUST 27, A.D. 2014 / DHU AL-QA’DA 2, A.H. 1453, WE WHO BROADLY REPRESENT THE CITIZENRY, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF DELEGATES FROM THE VISAYAS AND MINDANAO, HAVE GATHERED IN CEBU CITY ON OCTOBER 1, A.D. 2014 / DHU AL-HIJJAH 7, A.H. 1453 TO PROCLAIM OUR SUPPORT FOR THE LIPA DECLARATION AND TO PROPOSE CONCRETE AND IMMEDIATE STEPS TO TRANSLATE THE DESIRED OBJECTIVE OF NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION INTO A VIABLE PROGRAM OF ACTION.

WE NOTED WITH GREAT PAIN THAT WHILE THE MORAL AND SPIRITUAL CRISIS AND ITS POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS CONTINUED TO DEEPEN, THE NATIONAL POLITICAL LEADERSHIP CONSISTENTLY FAILED TO SHOW THE WILL OR THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO THESE ILLS IN ANY APPRECIABLE MEASURE.

ASIDE FROM THE GRAVE PROBLEMS WHICH PROMPTED THE LIPA ASSEMBLY TO CALL ON THE PRESIDENT TO IMMEDIATELY STEP DOWN, VARIOUS NEW ISSUES HAVE SINCE EMERGED, TO WHICH THE INCUMBENT ADMINISTRATION HAS FAILED TO ADEQUATELY RESPOND.  THESE INCLUDE:

1       1)   THE EXACERBATED TENSIONS AMONG THE COMMUNITIES OF MINDANAO AND THE SULU ARCHIPELAGO CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION TO ADEQUATELY CONSULT ALL THE CONSTITUENCIES AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PEACEBUILDING EFFORT, THUS REVIVING THE ATTRACTION OF ISLAMIST EXTREMISM;

2) THE TOTAL FAILURE, IF NOT DOWNRIGHT REFUSAL, OF THE AQUINO REGIME TO COMPLY WITH A DIRECT ORDER OF THE SUPREME COURT TO FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST ALL THE LAWMAKERS AND MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMISSION ON AUDIT WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE GRAVE MISUSE OF THE PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FUND (PDAF) AND THE DISBURSEMENT ACCELERATION PROGRAM (DAP), BOTH OF WHICH THE COURT HAD UNANIMOUSLY DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL;

3) THE TOTAL ABSENCE OF ANY OFFICIAL EFFORT TO REFORM THE AUTOMATED ELECTION SYSTEM, WHICH WAS THOROUGHLY CORRUPTED AND DEBASED BY THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS (COMELEC) IN ITS EFFORT TO PRODUCE “MACHINE-MADE” AND “DE FACTO” HIGH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS DURING THE 2010 PRESIDENTIAL AND THE 2013 SENATORIAL ELECTIONS, BUT WHICH THE ADMINISTRATION IS ONCE AGAIN PREPARING TO USE IN THE PROJECTED 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, WITHOUT RESTORING THE SAFETY FEATURES AND ACCURACY MECHANISMS WHICH THE COMELEC HAD ILLEGALLY REMOVED IN THE PREVIOUS TWO ELECTIONS;

4) THE UNPRECEDENTED YET UNPROSECUTED AND UNPUNISHED CORRUPTION IN THE TOP LEADERSHIP OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE (PNP), WHICH HAS THOROUGHLY DEMORALIZED THE PNP RANK AND FILE AND SUBSTANTIALLY ERODED PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR AND CONFIDENCE IN THE LAW ENFORCERS;

5) THE ARBITRARY IMPOSITION OF UNREASONABLE TAXES ON THE POOR, INCLUDING THE SMALLEST SARI-SARI STORE OWNERS AND SIDEWALK VENDORS, ON THE VARIOUS PROFESSIONS AND ON ALL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS, WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC HEARING OR ACCOUNTING, OSTENSIBLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF RAISING REVENUE TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, BUT IN EFFECT FEEDING THE ADMINISTRATION AND NOMINAL OPPOSITION POLITICIANS’ INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR CORRUPTION; 

6) THE UNRESOLVED ELECTRIC POWER CRISIS WHICH HAS BROUGHT ABOUT THE MOST EXPENSIVE ELECTRICITY RATES IN THE WORLD AMID EXTENDED POWER OUTAGES THAT THREATEN TO THROW BACK THE COUNTRY INTO A LITERALLY DARK AGE, AND FOR WHICH THE ONLY SOLUTION IMAGINED BY THE ADMINISTRATION IS THE GRANT OF EMERGENCY POWERS TO PRESIDENT AQUINO.

IN LIGHT OF ALL THESE, AND RECALLING ALL THE POINTS RAISED IN THE LIPA DECLARATION, WE CALL UPON THE NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION COUNCIL:

1)      TO NOW PURSUE ALL NECESSARY AND AVAILABLE  LAWFUL MEANS TO COMPEL PRESIDENT AQUINO TO STEP DOWN AT THE SOONEST POSSIBLE TIME;

2)      TO IMMEDIATELY ORGANIZE AN ALTERNATIVE GOVERNMENT, CONSISTING OF MEN AND WOMEN OF INTEGRITY AND PROVEN WORTH, IN ORDER TO ASSURE THE NATION AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT PRESIDENT AQUINO’S REMOVAL AND THE PROSECUTION AND IMPRISONMENT OF EVERY CULPABLE MEMBER OF THE GOVERNMENT FOR CORRUPTION WILL NOT CREATE A POLITICAL VACUUM;

3)   TO INITIATE SUFFICIENTLY EXTENSIVE CONSULTATIONS WITH THE ISLAMIC COMMUNITY AND OTHER CONSTITUENCIES IN SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES IN ORDER TO ARRIVE AT AN AUTHENTIC CONSENSUS ON HOW TO SOLVE THE LONG-FESTERING INTERCULTURAL PROBLEM IN THE AREA, FREE FROM UNWARRANTED INTERVENTION BY ANY FOREIGN INTERESTED PARTY;

4)   TO ACTIVELY SUPPORT THE CALL AND EFFORT OF concerned citizens to establish a People's Truth Commission to discover and reveal the accountability and any consequent liability of HIGH OFFICIALS OF the AQUINO administration, arising from its massive MISUSE of public funds through the Disbursement Acceleration Program that has been ruled unconstitutional by unanimous vote of the Supreme Court;

5)   TO CAUSE THE IMMEDIATE FILING OF CRIMINAL CASES AGAINST ALL THE SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN, MEMBERS OF THE CABINET, THE COMMISSION ON AUDIT AND THE VARIOUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THE MISUSE OF THE PDAF AND THE DAP FROM 2010 TO DATE, AND TO USE WHATEVER PUBLIC PRESSURE IS NECESSARY TO MAKE ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THESE CASES TO IMMEDIATELY VACATE THEIR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS;

6)   TO VIGOROUSLY SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OF CONCERNED CITIZENS TO INFORM THE PUBLIC THAT AS LONG AS THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM REMAINS AN INSTRUMENT OF ELECTORAL SABOTAGE PERPETRATED BY CORRUPT OFFICIALS OF THE COMELEC IN COLLUSION WITH DISHONEST POLITICIANS, ELECTIONS ARE HARMFUL TO DEMOCRACY AND TO THE PEOPLE;

7)      TO AMPLIFY THE CALL OF THESE CONCERNED CITIZENS FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE TOWARD NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION AS THE ONLY REALISTIC MEANS TO ABOLISH THE UTTERLY CORRUPT COMELEC, ESTABLISH AN HONEST AND CREDIBLE ELECTORAL BODY, AND CARRY OUT OTHER REFORMS NEEDED TO RESTORE THE INTEGRITY AND CREDIBILITY OF THE ELECTORAL PROCESS;

8)      TO ORGANIZE PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE PNP RANK AND FILE IN THEIR CALL FOR A THOROUGH CLEANUP OF THE PNP AND AN IMMEDIATE CHANGE IN ITS TOP LEADERSHIP;

9)      TO STRONGLY SUPPORT THE CITIZENS’ RESISTANCE TO THE IMPOSITION OF UNREASONABLE TAXES AND THEIR CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY OF GOVERNMENT TAX COLLECTION AGENCIES AND OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, IN THE COLLECTION OF TAXES AND THE APPROPRIATION AND SPENDING OF GOVERNMENT REVENUES FROM TAXATION

10)  TO ORGANIZE A PANEL OF EXPERTS WHO WILL CRAFT A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO ADDRESS THE COUNTRY’S ENERGY REQUIREMENTS IN A MANNER FREE OF BIAS FOR ANY PARTICULAR ENERGY SOURCE AND TAKING INTO PRIMARY CONSIDERATION THE INTERESTS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND THE CONSUMERS RATHER THAN THOSE OF THE VARIOUS ACTORS IN THE POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION CHAIN.

INVOKING THE AID OF ALMIGHTY GOD THE MOST GRACIOUS AND MOST MERCIFUL, AND REPOSING OUR TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN THE FILIPINO PEOPLE, WE PRAY THAT ALL THESE MAY COME TO PASS SOON.

DONE IN CEBU CITY, THIS 1^ST DAY OF OCTOBER A.D. 2014 / 7^TH DAY OF DHU AL-HIJJAH A.H. 1453.

Moral Foundations for Transformation

Moral Foundations for Transformation from Jerry Ocampo

The Lipa declaration: An urgent call for national transformation

http://www.manilatimes.net/lipa-declaration-urgent-call-national-transformation/122184/

August 27, 2014 11:47 pm

Adopted on August 27, 2014 by groups demanding the resignation of President Benigno Aquino 3rd.

We are Filipino citizens of different personal, professional social and economic backgrounds and political persuasions and religious beliefs. We have gathered here in Lipa City on this 27th day of August A.D. 2014/ 2nd day of DHU AL-QA’DA A.H. 1435, under the auspices of the National Transformation Council, to reaffirm our deeply held convictions and beliefs about the common good and our highest national interests, in the face of the most pressing challenges.

We invite all our compatriots everywhere to reaffirm with us the same convictions and beliefs.

We believe that:

A crisis of unprecedented proportions has befallen our nation. The life of the nation is in grave peril from the very political forces that are primarily ordained to protect, promote and advance its well-being, but which are aggressively undermining its moral, religious, social, cultural, constitutional and legal foundations;

Unbridled and unpunished corruption and widespread misuse of political and economic power in all layers of society have not only destroyed our common conception of right and wrong, good and bad, just and unjust, legal and illegal, but also put our people, especially the poor, at the mercy of those who have the power to dictate the course and conduct of our development for their own selfish ends;

Far from preserving and defending the constitution, as he swore to do when he assumed office, the incumbent President Benigno Simeon Aquino has subverted and violated it by corrupting Congress, intimidating the judiciary, taking over the treasury, manipulating the automated voting system, and perverting the constitutional impeachment process; President Benigno Simeon Aquino 3rd has also damaged the moral fabric of Philippine Society by bribing members of Congress not only to impeach and remove a sitting Supreme Court Chief Justice but also to enact a law which disrespects the right to life of human being at the earliest and most vulnerable stages of their lives, in defiance not only of the constitution but above all of the moral law, the customs, culture, and consciences of Filipinos.

Therefore, faithful to the objective moral law and to the universally honored constitutional principle that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them, we declare that President Benigno Simeon Aquino 3rd has lost the moral right to lead the nation, and had become a danger to the Philippine Democratic and Republican state and to the peace, freedom, security and moral and spiritual well-being of the Filipino people.

We further declare that we have lost all trust and confidence in President Benigno Simeon Aquino 3rd, and we call upon him to immediately relinquish his position.

And we call upon the National Transformation Council, (Hereafter the council), to assume the urgent and necessary task of restoring our damaged political institutions to their original status and form before we begin to consider electing a new government under normal political conditions.

The role of the council will not be to succeed President Aquino, but solely to prevent the total destruction of our political system, and to rebuild and nourish its institutions back to health so that all those interested could join the political competition later, without the dice being loaded in anyone’s favor.

Like a crew whose task is to put everything in order before a commercial carrier, which had earlier developed some problems in midair, is cleared again for takeoff, the council’s duty will be only to repair the battered tripartite system and to make sure that the people are once again able to freely and intelligently elect their own leaders.

In this connection, we welcome the council’s proposal to open broad public consultations on the need to modify and strengthen the presidential system or to shift from the Unitary / Presidential system to a federal / Parliamentary System, endowing such structure with:

A totally independent judicial department, free from any kind of intimidation or bullying by either the Executive or the Legislative Department, and with the sufficient wherewithal to clear the backlog of the courts and fast-track all cases;

A merit-driven, professional civil and military service;

Totally transparent government budgeting, procurement, disbursement, accounting and auditing systems and procedures; and

An irreproachably independent and completely dependable electoral system, free from the virus that has corrupted the Automated Voting System Since 2010.

Whatever the final form of government the citizenry decide to adopt, absolutely indispensable are the integrity and independence of the courts, and the existence of an incorrupt electoral system by means of which we, the people, are able to freely and intelligently choose our own leaders in free and honest elections. Without these, we cannot speak of a normally functioning democratic and thus we fully support the council’s position that until we have such a fraud-free electoral system, we should refrain from holding any farcical election. But once we have it, we should encourage the best qualified men and women in the country to participate in the open electoral process so that together, we could put an end to the stranglehold exercised by the corrupt and incompetent political dynasties upon our elections.

Finally, we support the council’s proposal that with political reform there must go hand in hand comprehensive economic reform. With one strong voice, we must now say a vigorous “NO,” as Pope Francis has suggested, to an economics of exclusion and inequality, coming from a misguided vision of the human being and of society harmfully acted upon through myopic laws, policies and programs.

As the council prepares to embark upon the necessary reforms, we call upon the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as the constitutional “protector of the people and the state,” to extend its protective shield to the council, and not to allow any armed group to sow violence, disorder or discord into its peaceful ranks.

Adopted in Lipa City, this 27th day of August A.D. 2014 / 2nd day of DHU AL-QA’DA A.H. 1435.

http://www.philstar.com/business/2014/08/27/1362096/costly-mistakes-our-nation-building

Costly mistakes in our nation-building

CROSSROADS (Toward Philippine Economic and Social Progress) By Gerardo P. Sicat (The Philippine Star) | Updated August 27, 2014 - 12:00am

Big mistakes in nation-building arise out of unwise decisions. Small mistakes that serially get repeated are big mistakes.

I have often dealt with such mistakes in my discussions of policy reforms. Today I will be blunt and talk of them as bad decisions. They cost our nation a great deal of distress and pain. They deter and alter for the worse our march toward economic and social progress.

“Reasons for mistakes.” In general, there are three dominating reasons that explain how a mistake is committed: a bad decision could be the result of (a) wrong reasoning; (b) incompetence; and (c) emotions arising from self-righteous indignation.

It is possible that all three contribute to the making of a bad decision. This convergence would not happen all the time.

Yet, a nation’s political system should be able to insulate the leaders from making such terrible mistakes. In our young democracy, the absence of feedback on the errors that we commit in nation-building, the weakness of the country’s economic and political institutions, the lack of sufficient debate on important issues, and the cult of personality contribute to the failure to make sound decisions that help promote the common good.

Let us draw up a list of these mistakes and discuss why they have proven costly to the nation.

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“Restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution concerning foreign investments.” I have put this problem as the most costly blunder in our nation-building. I did write about it about two years ago, and the essay is reproduced in my book, Weighing In on the Philippine Economy and Social Progress (Anvil, 2013, pp. 186-7).

Large economic and political interests benefit from mistaken policies, for they acquire more power from the benefits that they derive. Hence, any moves to rectify mistaken policies could be thwarted by these interests. This is one reason why it is difficult to change the said constitutional provisions.

For a while, there was a strong move in Congress to undertake a reform of these economic provisions through “charter change” (cha-cha). This economic cha cha, however, is now under some jeopardy.

The recent indication that the president now is partial toward seeking a second term of office requires cha-cha to amend the political provisions on term limits. This development inevitably snarls us back to the political cha-cha as the trade-off toward getting an economic cha-cha.

Thus, the reform on economic provisions is held hostage again to political developments.

“No to nuclear power.” The decision to scuttle the nuclear power project was the result of self-righteous outrage of the new president. Cory Aquino associated the nuclear power project with corruption. And the object of hate was Marcos.

The nuclear power project cost the nation some US$1.2 biliion dollars at its cost then. It was thought to be over-priced and large commissions had changed hands. To demonstrate moral outrage, the project was discontinued. The cost of the decision impoverished the nation in several respects.

For one thing, the investment was associated with foreign debts incurred to finance it. Eventually, these debts had to be paid out of the nation’s coffers. That decision burdened us with enormous debts without a single ounce of new productivity (no electrical output).

Hence, it reduced the nation’s capacity to service its debt from this act alone! It also plunged the nation into a power crisis over a prolonged period, the nation’s economic inefficiency rose.

The economic loss from this mistaken decision is a large multiple of the cost of the project. There was economic loss from this mistake in terms of year-to-year output (or GDP) forgone.

Then compare it to the investment already made. It was stopped when it was ready to be commissioned for service! Therefore, it was almost ready to go. The economic loss to us was certainly a grand multiple of the investment cost.

The investment cost to us was real. It was sunk investment. By Cory Aquino’s decision, we had to continue servicing the loans incurred in the project and swallow the other expended construction costs as lost

Yes, other reasons could have provoked the decision – safety, cost, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl. Other countries with nuclear power projects knew better. They tightened their safety requirements (as we did.) The wrong calculus of welfare for the nation was used.

What have we got to show, because of the Cory Aquino decision? It’s not only the empty shell of a wasted investment in the power structure that lies today in Bataan. We got the 1990s energy shortages that cost the nation a lot of foregone industrial progress. In part because of high power costs, many foreign investments have gone to tour neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Moreover, we wasted practically the whole six-year term of a very able president, Fidel Ramos, who spent most of his time repairing the damage left behind by the energy deficiencies that the country suffered. Because he had to cure the problem in the shortest possible time, he got us into fairly high cost contracts for generated electricity that was made available to the nation.

“Our nuclear neighbors.” At the start of the nuclear power project, we were alongside major countries that embraced nuclear power as a source of electricity at the time. In our region, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan initiated their nuclear power projects after the energy crisis during this period.

It brought to their industries higher technological sophistication. Their manpower complement in engineering and scientific capacity rose toward a new level.

Today, China is on a high course of nuclear power development along with other energy projects. The dogged determination of Iran, a country with enormous supply of petroleum and gas resources, to have a nuclear industry can be gauged in part by the leap in technology that this industry would bring to this nation.

If only Cory Aquino did not make the mistake concerning the nuclear power project in 1987, we would be dependent on nuclear power on a broader scale today, like Taiwan and South Korea, now two very highly developed countries, whose growth paralleled ours during the early post-war years.

Possibly too, we might have followed a different path toward progress. Such experience could have also induced us to become much more competitive economy.

My email is: gpsicat@gmail.com. Visit this site for more information, feedback and commentary:http://econ.upd.edu.ph/gpsicat/

"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." 

Thomas Jefferson

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