Congressional · PDF filewe approve Journal No. 20, dated October 22, 2014, Wednesday. THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). ... pagsasama ng aralin hinggil sa kooperatiba sa ating

Vol. 2 Monday, October 27, 2014 No. 21

Congressional Record16th CONGRESS, SECOND REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

CALL TO ORDER

At 4:00 p.m., Deputy Speaker Carlos M. Padilla called the session to order.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The session of the House is called to order.

NATIONAL ANTHEM

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). All rise for the singing of the Pambansang Awit ng Pilipinas.

Everybody rose to sing the Philippine National Anthem.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Please remain standing for the Invocation to be led by the Gentleman from the First District of Davao City, the Hon. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles.

Everybody remained standing for the Invocation.

INVOCATION

REP. NOGRALES. My Lord and my God, we firmly believe that You are here, that You see us, that You hear us. We acknowledge Your omnipotence, that without You, we are nothing.

We adore You with profound reverence.We give You thanks for giving us another blessed

day. May we make this day count as one giving greater glory to You by crafting legislation that are in keeping with the common good and never in conflict with Your divine laws.

We humbly implore You that You spare our nation from epidemics and natural calamities. May You keep our faith steadfast and our resolve strong, so that we transcend from previous catastrophes, trusting that You have better plans for us than our minds can comprehend.

Teach us with Your divine wisdom, so that we deliberate laws based on reason and facts and not on the dictates of our feelings.

Guide us with Your compassionate justice, so that we give importance to the most pressing issues that need our utmost attention.

Envelope us with Your unconditional love, so that our halls and our debates would be filled with mutual respect and camaraderie, knowing that we all are on the same boat, regardless of political affiliations.

Please help us remember that we are not battling against each other, but fighting together for the good of our nation.

And speaking of fighting, may we take this opportunity to ask You to bless our colleague Manny Pacquiao for his upcoming bout next month.

As we draw closer to November, the month commonly dedicated to our departed loved ones, we pause for a moment of silence to remember our deceased brothers and sisters in Congress, as well as our departed family members, relatives and friends, who are now in Your loving arms. (A few moments of silence).

May they all rest in peace. Amen.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The Hon. Monique Yazmin Q. Lagdameo, the Asst. Majority Leader, is recognized.

SUSPENSION OF SESSION

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session for a few minutes.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The session is suspended for a few minutes.

It was 4:04 p.m.

RESUMPTION OF SESSION

At 4:18 p.m., the session was resumed.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The session is resumed.

The Hon. Francisco Emmanuel R. Ortega III, the Dep. Majority Leader, is recognized.

2 MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014

REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we defer the calling of the roll.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the calling of the roll is hereby deferred.

APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL

REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we approve Journal No. 20, dated October 22, 2014, Wednesday.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; Journal No. 20 is hereby approved.

REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we proceed to the Reference of Business, and may we ask the Secretary General to read the same.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

The Secretary General is directed to read the Reference of Business.

REFERENCE OF BUSINESS

The Secretary General read the following House Bills and Resolutions on First Reading, and Message from the Senate, and the Deputy Speaker made the corresponding references:

BILLS ON FIRST READING

House Bill No. 5111, entitled:“AN ACT ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL HIGH

SCHOOL IN BARANGAY TUBURAN, MUNICIPALITY OF JANIUAY, PROVINCE OF ILOILO TO BE KNOWN AS TUBURAN N AT I O N A L H I G H S C H O O L A N D APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR”

By Representative DefensorTO THE COMMITTEE ON BASIC EDUCATION

AND CULTURE

House Bill No. 5112, entitled:“AN ACT MODERNIZING THE PHILIPPINE

COAST GUARD, CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD MODERNIZATION TRUST FUND AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR”

By Representative MadronaT O T H E C O M M I T T E E O N

TRANSPORTATION

House Bill No. 5113, entitled:“AN ACT PROVIDING FOR PEOPLE'S

DIRECT PARTICIPATION IN FUNDING CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT ORIENTED CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH A PERCENTAGE OF THEIR PERSONAL INCOME TAX”

By Representatives Paez and Bravo (A.)TO THE COMMITTEE ON PEOPLE'S

PARTICIPATION

House Bill No. 5114, entitled:“AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE FINAL

FORESTLAND BOUNDARY OF THE PROVINCE OF SIQUIJOR”

By Representative PernesTO THE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL

RESOURCES

RESOLUTIONS

House Resolution No. 1575, entitled:“ R E S O L U T I O N S T R O N G LY U R G I N G

T H E D E PA RT M E N T O F S O C I A L W E L FA R E A N D D E V E L O P M E N T (DSWD) TO INCLUDE ALL FAMILIES W I T H FA M I LY M E M B E R S W H O HAVE DISABILITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH CEREBRAL PALSY, AS AUTOMATIC BENEFICIARIES OF THE PANTAWID PAMILYANG PILIPINO PROGRAM (4Ps) AND TO PROVIDE FOR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR THESE FAMILIES BY MODIFYING THE CONDITIONALITIES OF THE 4Ps PROGRAM TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE AND REASONABLE COMPLIANCE”

By Representative RobesT O T H E C O M M I T T E E O N S O C I A L

SERVICES

House Resolution No. 1576, entitled:“A RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING

JOLLIBEE FOR BEING CITED AS ONE OF THE TOP 10 INTERNATIONAL FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS IN THE UNITED STATES BY THE DAILY MEAL, US-BASED FOOD AND DRINK WEBSITE”

By Representative CasteloTO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES


FILIPINO-CANADIAN TEENAGER, MARTINA ORTIZ LUIS, FOR BEING

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014 3

BESTOWED THE FR. ANDREW CUSCHIERI AWARD, A HUMANITARIAN AWARD FOR SHARING HER TALENTS IN VARIOUS CHARITABLE ADVOCACIES”

By Representative CasteloTO THE COMMITTEE ON YOUTH AND

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

House Resolution No. 1578, entitled:“A RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING AYALA

CORPORATION FOR BEING AWARDED THE 19TH ANNUAL IMD-LOMBARD ODIER GLOBAL FAMILY BUSINESS AWARD AT THE 25TH SUMMIT OF THE FAMILY BUSINESS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL (FBN-I) HELD ON OCTOBER 16, 2014 IN DUBAI”

By Representative CasteloTO THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND

INDUSTRY


MARLISA ANN PUNZALAN, PINAY TEENAGER, FOR MAKING IT TO THE X FACTOR AUSTRALIA 2014 FINALS”

By Representative CasteloTO THE COMMITTEE ON YOUTH AND

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

House Resolution No. 1581, entitled:“A RESOLUTION COMMENDING TASK

FORCE KAPATID AND THOUSANDS OF ITS UNSUNG VOLUNTEERS FOR THEIR HEROISM, SELFLESSNESS AND SACRIFICE BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY FOR WORKING UNDER ADVERSE AND HARSH CONDITIONS TO R E PA I R A N D R E H A B I L I TAT E P O W E R L I N E S A N D S TAT I O N S , THEREBY IMMEDIATELY RESTORING P O W E R I N D I S A S T E R - R AVA G E D AREAS”

By Representatives Batocabe and RiveraTO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES

House Concurrent Resolution No. 9, entitled:“CONCURRENT RESOLUTION APPROVING

THE TRANSFER, SALE OR ASSIGNMENT OF THE CONTROLLING INTEREST OF ASIAN SPIRIT, INC. (NOW ZEST AIRWAYS, INC.) TO THE GROUP OF ALFREDO M. YAO AND THE SUBSEQUENT SALE, TRANSFER, OR ASSIGNMENT OF THE

CONTROLLING INTEREST OF ZEST AIRWAYS, INC. TO AIR ASIA, INC.”

By Representative AggabaoTO THE COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE

FRANCHISES

ADDITIONAL COAUTHORS

The list of additional coauthors is reflected in Journal No. 21, dated October 27, 2014.*

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE

Message dated October 20, 2014 informing the House of Representatives that the Senate on even date passed Senate Bill No. 2042, entitled:“AN ACT PROHIBITING THE DEVELOPMENT,

PRODUCTION, STOCKPILING, USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS AND PROVIDING FOR THEIR DESTRUCTION AND PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”

in which it requests the concurrence of the House of Representatives

TO THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The Dep. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, may we be allowed to acknowledge the presence of guests in the gallery?

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Please proceed.

REP. ORTEGA (F.). May we acknowledge the presence of the guests of the Lady from the Third District of Camarines Sur, the Hon. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo. We have here Brgy. Capt. Magno Reyes and company from Barangay Mabolo, Naga City.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Please rise. We welcome the guests of the Honorable Robredo to the House of Representatives. (Applause)

REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, we also acknowledge the presence of the guests of the Hon. Pedro B. Acharon Jr. We have here Marie Jean Merañez, Hannah Villaflor, Mary Rose Pastillero, Mr. Rombel Catolico, Judy Lim-Pasman, Kathrina Hagoriles, Halie Concepcion, Keezajoy Sarria, they are law students

* See ANNEX (printed separately)


from the College of Law of Mindanao State University in General Santos City.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The guests of the Honorable Acharon from the Mindanao State University in General Santos City are welcome to the House of Representatives. (Applause)


REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session for a few minutes.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The session is suspended for a few minutes.

It was 4:22 p.m.




The Dep. Majority Leader is recognized.

PRIVILEGE HOUR

REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we open the Privilege Hour.


The Privilege Hour is hereby opened.

REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, the Gentleman from the Party-List COOP-NATCCO, the honorable Rep. Anthony M. Bravo, wishes to avail of the Privilege Hour.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The Hon. Anthony M. Bravo from the Party-List COOP-NATCCO will take the floor for his privilege speech.

PRIVILEGE SPEECH OF REP. BRAVO (A.)

REP. BRAVO (A.). Maraming salamat, G. Ispiker.

G. Ispiker, mga pinagpipitagang Ginoo at Ginang ng Mababang Kapulungan, nais kong magpahayag alang-alang sa pagdiriwang ng Pambansang Buwan ng Kooperatiba. Nais kong bigyang pansin ang isang mahalagang pananaw para sa hinaharap ng sektor ng kooperatiba, at ito ay ang pagpapalaganap

at pagpapalakas ng kooperatiba sa pamamagitan ng pagsasama ng aralin hinggil sa kooperatiba sa ating sistemang pang-edukasyon ng bansa.

Ang kooperatiba ay kumakatawan sa matatag, makulay at praktikal na alternatibong pang-ekonomiya, subalit ang suliranin sa kasalukuyan ay marami sa ating mga kababayan ay hindi lubos na nauunawaan kung ano nga ba ang kooperatiba, ang mekanismo nito at ang papel na kanyang ginagampanan sa pang-ekonomiyang pag-unlad ng bansa, G. Ispiker. Ang pagpapalawak sa impormasyon at kaalaman hinggil sa kooperatiba sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon ay mabisang makakamtan kung ang pag-aaral patungkol sa kasaysayan, pilosopiya, konsepto, mga bagay na pinahahalagahan ng tao, mga prinsipyo at mga kasanayang pang-kooperatiba at kanilang mga kontribusyon sa pambansang pag-unlad ay maituturo sa pamamagitan ng pormal at hindi pormal na edukasyon. Ang mga kabataan, ang mga susunod na lider, ang mamumuno sa sektor ng kooperatiba sa hinaharap, ay dapat masangkapan ng wasto at sapat na kaalaman upang sila ay maihanda para sa hinaharap na may kalidad na pandaigdigang antas.

Ang malaking kontribusyon ng kooperatiba sa katubusang pangkabuhayan at panlipunang pagkakaisa sa buong mundo ay kinikilala ng mga pandaigdigang kilusan katulad ng United Nations at International Labor Organization. Sa buong mundo, ang kilusang kooperatiba ay may isang bilyong kasapi at nakapagtala ng mahigit na 100 milyong manggagawa ayon sa datos ng International Cooperative Alliance.

Sa Pilipinas, G. Ispiker, hindi mapapasubalian na ang sektor ng kooperatiba ay may malaking kabahagi sa ating tinatawag na inclusive growth at sustainable development goals ng ating pamahalaan bilang bahagi ng Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016. G. Ispiker, sa kasalukuyan, ang kilusang kooperatiba sa Pilipinas ay may kabuuang pakikilahok ng humigit-kumulang sa 12 milyong Pilipino. Ang mga ito ay pawang mga kasapi ng 23,672 kooperatiba na nasa 17 rehiyon ng ating bansa. Noong taong 2012, ang sektor ng kooperatiba ay nakapagbahagi ng 4.87 percent o may halagang P307 bilyon sa gross domestic roduct o GDP at direktang nakapag-empleyo ng 259,527 na manggagawa noong nakaraang taon. Sa pagtatapos ng taon noong 2013, ang mga kooperatiba sa Pilipinas ay may pinagsamang assets na P266 bilyon. Sa katunayan, G. Ispiker, ang kontribusyon ng sektor ng kooperatiba ay hindi hamak na mas malaki kumpara sa kontribusyon ng sektor ng pagmimina na umaabot lamang sa 0.7 percent ayon na rin sa datos ng National Statistical Coordination Board.

Higit sa mga estadistikang aking nabanggit, G. Ispiker, ang lawak ng saklaw ng operasyon ng kooperatiba sa buong bansa ay nagiging daan upang


dumaloy ang mga serbisyong pangkomunidad maging sa mga kasuluk-sulukang bahagi ng Pilipinas na kung minsan kahit ang serbisyo ng pamahalaan ay hirap makarating. Tunay nga na ang kooperatiba ay epektibong nakagaganap sa kanyang layunin na maging kasangkapan sa pagpuno sa mga agwat kung saan ang pamahalaan ay kinakapos.

Isang magandang halimbawa, G. Ispiker, ang Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative na matatagpuan sa bulubunduking bahagi ng Pinamungahan, Cebu. Noon ay walang mga kalsadang nag-uugnay sa komunidad patungo sa siyudad, walang kuryente at wala ring supply ng ligtas na inuming tubig. Wala ring tansportasyon na magdadala ng mga pangunahing pangangailangan ng mga tao gaya ng pagkain at gamot. Subalit sa ngayon, sa pamamagitan ng maayos na pagpapatakbo ng kooperatiba, ang Lamac ay isa nang maunlad na komunidad. Ang kooperatiba ay nag-develop ng isang water system at nanguna sa electrification katulong ang pamunuan ng barangay. Sa ngayon, ang Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative ay ang pangunahing social enterprise na nagpupuno sa pangangailangan ng mga tao sa kabuhayan at trabaho, transportasyon, komunikasyon, post-harvest facilities, kalusugan at sanitasyon at maging sa paggawa ng mga kalsada. Lumawak na rin ang abot ng serbisyo ng kooperatiba sa buong munisipalidad ng Pinamungahan.

G. Ispiker, ang kooperatiba bilang social enterprise na binubuo ng mga pangkaraniwang tao bunsod ng kanilang mga batayang pangangailangan at mga pangunahing suliranin ay may matimbang na pagpapahalaga sa serbisyo higit sa kita o tubo. Ang pinagsama-samang kapital at ang pamamahala nito ay nakalunday sa pagpapahalaga sa paniniwala na tulungan ang sarili at tulungan ang kapwa kaakibat ang prinsipyo ng demokrasya, pagkakapantay-pantay at pagkakaisa.

Sa isang talakayan dito sa Kongreso na pinangunahan ng Committee for Asean Economic Community noong nakaraang linggo lamang, G. Ispiker, ipinahayag ni Dr. Cielito Habito, isang kilalang ekonomista, na kailangan nang baguhin ng mga small-medium enterprises o SMEs ang ilan sa mga kinagawiang practices sa pagnenegosyo. Ayon sa kanya, sa panahon ng ASEAN Economic Committee o AEC economic integration, kailangan nang iwaglit ang ugaling “kanya-kanya” at sa halip ay palaganapin ang clustering at kooperasyon at makakamit ito sa tulong ng cooperative model.

Ang Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008 o Republic Act 9520 ay nagpapahayag sa polisiya ng estado at nagsasaad nang ganito:

To foster the creation and growth of cooperatives as a practical vehicle for promoting self-reliance and harnessing people power towards the attainment of economic development and social justice.

Karagdagan pa rito ang malinaw na deklarasyon ng suporta at pananalig ng pamahalaan sa kooperatiba bilang kasangkapan sa pagtataas ng antas ng kabuhayan sa bawat mamamayang Pilipino at pahintulutan ninyong banggitin ko, G. Ispiker:

The state shall encourage the private sector to undertake the actual formation and organization of cooperatives and shall create an atmosphere that is conducive to the growth and development of these cooperatives. Toward this end, the government and all its branches, subdivisions, instrumentalities and agencies shall ensure the provision of technical guidance, financial assistance and other services to enable said cooperatives to develop into viable and responsive economic enterprises and thereby bring about a strong cooperative movement that is free from any conditions that might infringe upon the autonomy or organizational integrity of cooperatives.

G. Ispiker, mga ginigiliw na kasamahan sa Mababang Kapulungan, samantalang may mga kooperatibang nabibilang sa malalaking kategorya na may kakayahang makipagsabayan sa mga malalaking pribadong kumpanya katulad ng ACDI Multipurpose Coopeative na may P10.5 bilyong assets, ang Philippine Army Finance Center Producers Integrated Cooperative at ang First Community Cooperative na parehong may humigit kumulang sa P6.7 bilyon assets. Nakakalungkot na nananatiling 76 percent pa rin o katumbas ng 18,095 kooperatiba ang nasa kategoryang micro o ang may P3 milyon pababa ang assets. Makikita sa kasaysayan ng mga kooperatiba sa Pilipinas na ito ang mapait na kalagayan at patuloy na hamon na kinakaharap ng sektor. Ang mga cooperative kung gayun ay kinakailangang makamit ang kanilang buong potensiyal at maging epektibong alternatibong behikulo ng paglago ng ekonomiya para sa hanay ng masang Pilipino.

Katangian ng kooperatiba ang pagiging self-reliant o ang “pagtayo sa sariling paa.” Malaking pagpapahalaga din ang ibinibigay sa prinsipyo ng autonomiya ng mga cooperative leaders kung kaya’t kami, sa COOP-NATCCO Party-List, ay naniniwala na ang pinakamabisang paraan na tulong ng pamahalaan ay pangunahan ang pagpapatatag ng sektor ng kooperatiba sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon.

Naniniwala akong ang edukasyon ay isa sa mga pangunahing adbokasiya ng gobyernong Aquino. Sa katunayan, sa kanyang SONA nitong nakaraang Hulyo, mariing ipinahayag ni Presidente Aquino ang mga programa ng gobyerno gaya ng TESDA training, K to 12, 4Ps at iba pang programang mag-aangat sa mga Pilipino sa kahirapan, sapagkat ayon sa kanya, mas mabuting maturuan tayong mga Pilipino kung paano mangisda kaysa bigyan ng isda na makasasapat lamang sa isa o dalawang araw.


Sa kasalukuyan, G. Ispiker, ang mga hasik-pandayan at pagsasanay ng mga cooperative lider ay isinasagawa ng mga akreditadong koop pederasyon at mangilan-ngilan na training institutions na kinikilala ng Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). Ang edukasyon at sapat na kaalaman saan mang larangan ay lubhang mahalaga para sa isang namumuno o tagapamahala. Sa kooperatiba, isa ito sa pandaigdigang prinsipyo na mahigpit na sinusunod ng mga koop lider at practitioner, katunayan, nakasaad ito sa Article 44 ng Republic Act No. 9520 at Section 5 ng Rule VII ng Implementing Rules and Regulations.

Gayunpaman, sa ating pormal na sistemang pang-edukasyon, partikular sa sekondarya at mga kolehiyo, kakarampot at halos hindi maramdaman ang ibinibigay na atensiyon upang ma-integrate o magkaroon ng ganap na kamulatan ang ating mga mag-aaral sa kursong may kaugnayan sa kooperatiba patungkol sa aralin ng ekonomiya. Sa kabila ng katotohanang ito, nais kong bigyang pagpupugay ang ilang institusyong pang-edukasyon na nagsisikap at nagbibigay puwang sa kaisipang kooperatibismo: Ang Polytechinic University of the Philippines, University of the Philippines-Los Baños, Benguet State University, West Visayas State University, University of Northern Philippines at ang Mariano Marcos State University, G. Ispiker. Ang mga unibersidad at kolehiyong ito ay nagkakaloob ng full-blown Baccalaureate at Masteral Degree Programs na kinakailangan at tunay na malaking tulong para makapagluwal tayo ng mga espesyalistang mamamahala at mamumuno na may mataas na antas ng kasanayan at dalubhasa sa kanyang larangan.

Nakalulugod at kapuri-puri din ang ginawa ng UP-Los Baños sa pagtatatag ng Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development o ICOPED, isang unit ng akademiya na may pokus sa cooperative development bilang isang praktikal na behikulo ng ekonomiya at kalakalang pang-komunidad. Sa pamamagitan ng mga instructional materials, malawakang research, mga satellite trainings, networking at policy advocacy programs, epektibong naisasagawa ang cooperative education. Ang kanilang pakikipagtulungan at tuluy-tuloy na ugnayan sa CDA ay mabisang pamamaraan upang makapagpatapos ng mga accredited trainors na siyang mga nagbibigay naman ng serbisyo sa mga accredited training providers. Sa rehiyon ng Kabikulan naman ay may ganito ring kahalintulad na programa ang Bicol University at Central Bicol State University of Agriculture. Sa mga institusyong ito tanggapin ninyo ang aming pasasalamat at pagpupugay.

G. Ispiker, kung ganito ang kalagayan sa mataas na antas ng pag-aaral, hindi hamak at higit na hikahos at kapos ang pansin sa kaalaman patungkol sa kooperatiba sa ating basic educational system. Sa katunayan, wala akong ibang batid na isinasagawa o anumang pagtatangka upang mabigyang puwang ito sa ating

batayang edukasyon. Ang National Confederation of Cooperatives ay naglunsad ng inisyatiba sa pakikipagtulungan sa Department of Education ng isang programang tinatawag na Aflatoun. Ang programang ito ay naglalayon na mapalakas at ma-develop ang social at financial program ng mga eskuwelahan sa elementarya.

Simpleng sistema subalit epektibo, nagagabayan ang mga kabataan sa pamamaraan ng pag-iimpok at wastong paggastos. Nagsimula ito noong 2007 at naipatupad sa 539 elementary at high school sa bansa. Sa kasalukuyan ay may 255,551 kabataang kalahok sa programang ito. Ang kabuuang halagang naimpok ng batang kalahok dito ay umaabot na sa mahigit P63.5 million.

Masidhi ang aming paniniwala na kagyat ang pangangailangan na maimulat at matutuo ang ating mga kabataan sa pamamahalang pinansiyal kaakibat ang panlipunang kalakalan upang sila ay maging handa sa hinaharap. Ang mga paniniwalang ito ang nagbunsod sa Kinatawang ito upang gawing adbokasiya at isulong ang pagpapanukala na isama sa K to12 program ng DepEd ang aralin hinggil sa kooperatiba partikular sa huling dalawang taon nito bilang mga elective subjects. Batid naming ang kahalagahan ng edukasyon sa pag-panday ng kinabukasan ng isang tao tungo sa kanyang pag-unlad.

G. Ispiker, kami ay nananawagan sa pamahalaan na ma-institutionalize ang pagbubukas ng mga kursong cooperative development and administration bilang isa sa mga field of study at makapagbigay din ng baccalaureate, post–Baccalaureate at Master’s Degree Program sa mga state universities and colleges na tumutugon sa pamantayan at panuntunan na ipinatutupad ng mga board of regents, Commission on Higher Education at Cooperative Development Authority.

G. Ispiker, kung mabibigyan ng kinakailangang kaalaman at karunungan ang ating mga cooperative leaders sa hinaharap, kaakibat ng wastong konsepto, pilosopiya, mga bagay na pinapahalagahan ng tao at prinsipyong kooperatiba upang pamahalaan ang mga organisasyong kooperatiba, tiyak na ito ay magbubunga ng malawakang propesyonalismo sa sector, kung gayon, maitataas ang antas hanggang sa pandaigdigang pakikipagkumpetensiya. Ang inyong abang Kinatawan ay naniniwala na ang ganitong pamamaraan ay ang pinakamabisang estratehiya upang maitaas ang antas ng sektor ng kooperatiba lalung-lalo na ang malaking bahagi nito na kabilang sa micro at small category.

Kagalanggalang na Ispiker, mga pinagpipitaganan kong kasamahan, sa pagtatapos nais kong ibahagi sa inyo ang aking pananaw na ang pagpapaunlad ng sektor ng kooperatiba ay maituturing na isa sa matibay na moog at sandigan ng ating katubusang pang-ekonomiya at katarungang panlipunan. Ako ay nanawagan ng pakikiisa at suporta sa pagpasa ng aming panukalang


batas—ang pag-amyenda ng Charter ng Cooperative Development Authority at iba pang panukalang batas na naglalayon ng kaunlaran ng sector ng kooperatiba.

Maraming salamat kagalang-galang na Ispiker at mga magigiting na Kinatawan ng Mababang Kapulungan, magandang araw po sa ating lahat.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Thank

you, Honorable Bravo. The Asst. Majority Leader is recognized. REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move

that we refer the speech of the Honorable Bravo to the Committee on Rules.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Is there

any objection to the motion to refer the speech of the Honorable Bravo to the Committee on Rules? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that

we recognize the honorable Rep. Rico B. Geron, from the Party-List AGAP, to avail of the Privilege Hour.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The

honorable Gentleman from Party-List AGAP shall take the floor to avail of the Privilege Hour.

PRIVILEGE SPEECH OF REP. GERON REP. GERON. Maraming salamat po, G. Ispiker.As we celebrate Cooperative Month this year and as

we celebrate the 100th year of the passage of Republic Act No. 2508, entitled: AN ACT REGULATING THE CREATION AND OPERATION OF RURAL AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATIONS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, and while we ponder on the significance of the event consistent with the Cooperative Month celebration this October, more than ever, the cooperative sector remains a main driving force for growth and development of the country especially in channeling and utilizing resources to attain inclusive growth.

Mula noon hanggang ngayon, patuloy na kinikilala ng estado ang kahalagan ng kooperatiba sa mga batas na sumasaklaw dito.

In Republic Act No. 9520 or the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008, Chapter 1, Article 2, in its Declaration of Policy:

It is the declared policy of the State to foster the creation and growth of cooperatives as a practical vehicle for promoting self-reliance and harnessing people power towards the attainment of economic development and social justice.

The State shall encourage the private sector to undertake the actual formation and organization of cooperatives and shall create an atmosphere that is conducive to the growth and development of these cooperatives.

Para sukatin ang kontribusyon ng sektor ng kooperatiba, tinataya ng Cooperative Development Authority o ng CDA ang gross domestic product contribution ng sektor kooperatiba, sa kabuuang GDP, ay umaabot ng 4.87 percent noong 2012. Bagamat hindi ganoon kalaki, ang mga kooperatiba ay nanatiling isang malaking sektor ng lipunan lalong-lalo ng kung usapin ng inclusive growth ang pagbabatayan.

According to the NEDA in its Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016, inclusive growth should be rapid enough to matter and it is sustained growth that creates jobs, draws the majority into the economic and social mainstream, and continuously reduces mass poverty.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, in pursuit of inclusive growth, we want everyone to have a second look at the breadth and depth of the cooperative sector. Data from the CDA show that, on the matter of membership, in the year 2010, the total membership of the cooperative movement is around five million or more than five million while at the end of 2013, the total membership of the cooperative movement has 12.6 million. Mula 2010 hanggang 2013, nagkaroon ng 124 percent increase sa bilang ng mga kasapi ng sektor kooperatiba. Ang 12.6 million na bilang ng mga kasapi noong 2013 ay kumakatawan din sa 23.8 percent ng kabuuang estimated population ng bansa na may edad 20 pataas.

Kung pag-uusapan naman ay ang pag-aari ng mga kooperatiba sa ating bansa, kung noong 2010 ay mayroong mahigit P72 billion na kabuuang pag-aari ang kilusang kooperatiba, nitong 2013 ay mayroon tayong mahigit P266 bilyon ang kabuuang pag-aari ng mga kooperatiba sa buong Pilipinas. Mula 2010 hanggang 2013, nagkaroon ng 268 percent na paglaki sa halaga ng ari-ariang ginagamit ng sektor ng kooperatiba.

Kung ang volume naman ng transaksyon ang pag-uusapan, noong 2010 ay mayroong mahigit P219 bilyon na kabuuang transaksyon, samantalang sa katapusan ng 2013 ay mayroong mahigit P437 bilyon transaksyon ang mga kooperatiba. Mula noong 2010 hanggang 2013, nagkaroon ng 99 percent na paglaki sa halaga ng negosyo ang mga kooperatiba ng bansa.

Kung pag-uusapan naman ang employment generation, noong 2010 ay mayroong mahigit 200,000 mga empleyado ang mga kooperatiba samantalang sa pagtatapos ng 2013, mayroon tayong mahigit 441 kabuuang empleyo ang cooperative movement.


Mula 2010 hanggang 2013 ay nagkaroon ng 120 percent na paglago sa dami ng mga direct at indirect employment na naiidulot ng mga serbisyo at negosyo ng mga kooperatiba. These data show that though the memberships, assets and contributions to employment generation are growing by leaps and bounds; there is still much to be desired in the development contribution in terms of gross domestic production.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, knowing that the country is moving towards the direction of economic integration with neighboring countries, there is also a need for cooperatives to develop economies of scale in its operation to be competitive. The government should, therefore, institutionalize the provision to the cooperative sector of needed resources to pursue the following roles:

1. The cooperative as a pro-active provider of technology, technical assistance, training to members enterprise. Cooperatives are in the hub for best practices. Advancement in the utilization of existing product, technology for genetics and breeds.

2. The cooperative should be able to offer competitive interest rates in the loan programs, provide assistance in insurance coverage.

3. It shall be consolidator of all production input requirements.

4. It shall actively pursue management of post-harvest facilities such as warehouse, dryers, irrigations, storage, delivery trucks and the like.

5. It shall pursue processing, milling, refilling and processing.

6. It shall create distribution channels, branch and assure quality and quantity of supply.

Kung magagawa ito, ang mga kooperatiba ay magiging isang mahusay na makinarya upang matulungan ang ating mahihirap na kababayan na naghahangad magkaroon ng kabuhayan at maitaas ang kalidad ng kanilang pamumuhay. Bilang patunay, Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, maraming samahan at organisasyon ang naitaguyod, marami ang sumubok ngunit iilan din lamang ang masasabing lumago at magpasahanggang ngayon ay patuloy na nagnenegosyo. Hindi naman po sa pagmamayabang isa na dito ang SIDC o ang Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative, ang kooperatibang aking kinabibilangan. It is the biggest and largest agri-based cooperative in the Philippines, since its birth in 1969. The cooperative operation has been fruitful as manifested by growing membership and affiliations with more than 20,000 households and still growing strong linkages, increasing assets worth around P1.75 billion and income, expanding businesses worth P3.5 billion transactions, optimum services, effective workforce and others. In more than 45 years, the organization has proven to be a prime mover of development in the community by

providing its constituents means of livelihood. Ang SIDC po ay isang malinaw na halimbawa ng isang progresibo at maunlad na kooperatiba na nakakatulong sa pagpapa-unlad ng pamayanan.

The Director General of the International Labor Organization, Juan Somavia once said:

Cooperatives empower people by enabling even the poorest segments of the population to participate in the economic progress; they create job opportunities for those who have skills but little or no capital; and they provide protection by organizing mutual help in the communities.

It is a vibrant example of communities that have organized themselves to address a particular purpose or situation in the community through cooperation. A response to the unequivocal conditions that lead to a profit-driven activities. As a result, better access to market and economy.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, gayunpaman marami pa din problema at suliranin na kinakaharap ng mga kooperatiba sa kasalukuyan. Ilan lamang dito ay ang kawalan ng sapat na resources upang masuportahan ang pangangailangan ng mga kooperatiba, kakulangan ng sapat na kaalaman at kapasidad, at ang mga suliranin hindi natin inaasahan katulad ng kalamidad, pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin at kawalan ng trabaho at iba. Even if the government is responding to these challenges, it seems that solutions are still insufficient. Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, hinihikayat ko kayo na kilalanin natin ang kabutihang dulot ng kooperatiba para sa kapakanan ng ating maliliit na mga kababayan. Kooperatiba lamang ang pinakamabuting halimbawa kung saan ang tunay na inclusive growth ay matatamasa.

My fellow Congressmen, let us develop strategic and long-term legislation to put answer to cooperatives’ struggles and make it them easy for cooperatives to grow. We should work together to support, develop and improve cooperatives. As they say, the cooperative is not the way but, in fact, it is the only way for comprehensive and total social justice.

Maraming salamat po at magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Maraming salamat po, kagalang-galang na Kinatawang Rico B. Geron ng Party-List AGAP.

The Asst. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we refer the speech of the Honorable Geron to the Committee on Rules.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Is there


any objection to the motion? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the speech of the Gentleman from AGAP Party-List is referred to the Committee on Rules.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, before we proceed, may we acknowledge the presence of some guests in the gallery.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Please proceed.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). At the gallery we have the guests of the Committee on Tourism chaired by the Hon. Rene L. Relampagos. We have Ms.Tourism Philippines, Donna Velasco.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Please rise.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.) She is accompanied by the Founder/Chairman of Miss Tourism World, Francisco Blanco Jr. and Rexner F. Rubio, PR and Project Director of Miss Tourism Philippines.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The House welcomes the beautiful guest of the Honorable Relampagos. Welcome to the House of Representatives.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we recognize the Hon. Agapito Guanlao, from the Party-List Butil, to avail of the Privilege Hour.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The Hon. Agapito H. Guanlao from the Party-List Butil is recognized to avail of the Privilege Hour.

PRIVILEGE SPEECH OF REP. GUANLAO

REP. GUANLAO. Maraming salamat, Mr. Speaker, my dear colleagues.

I rise to talk about the recent celebration of the World Food Day on October 16, 2014 and the state of food staples or rice self-sufficiency in our country.

Every year, World Food Day reminds every nation and race of the collective responsibility to keep humankind away from hunger. But every year, we are confronted with what I describe as “Hunger by Numbers.” Today, a total of 842 million people from 2011 to 2013, or around one in eight people in the world were estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger, regularly not getting enough food to conduct an active life. This is reported by The State of Food Insecurity of the World. In Southeast Asia where the Philippines is a member country, 297.7 million are undernourished with a prevalence rate of

10.7 percent, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization or FAO.

In the Philippines, food staples or rice insufficiency translates to hunger. The Social Weather Station (SWS) reported on January 2014 that an estimated 554,000 families or about 2.77 million people suffer from severe hunger, or Filipinos who experienced it “often” or “always” during the first quarter of 2014. The numbers moved up in December and numbered to about 2.9 million hungry individuals or 583,000 starving Pinoy-families.

Rice is a staple food of the vast majority of Filipinos. The tight supply of rice drove its price upward. Regular and well-milled rice prices soared in the middle of 2013 in unprecedented heights since the 2008 rice crisis. Rice prices consistently increased yearly from 2008 to 2013 by as much as P4 a kilogram. This is according to the report of the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Today, the average price of well-milled rice is already P40 a kilo.

This also drove families, 86 percent of them, to eliminate or sacrifice food items; 70 percent, to reduce quantity of food they eat; 57 percent, to skip meals; and still, 32 percent, to cut on their number of meals. This is according to the study entitled: “Food Security of Households in Marginalized Philippine Communities.”

Bloomberg reports of a mother in Iloilo, Rhea Buan, who had this to say to her family, “Don’t eat breakfast anymore, let’s just have lunch.” (Huwag na tayong mag-almusal, magtanghalian na lang tayo.) According to her, the family now consumes three kilos of rice a day from the previous five, after an almost 20 percent increase in prices of food and rice in 2013. Mr. Speaker, my dear colleagues, like the case of the Buan family, 70 percent of the rural population are poor who depend on agriculture for a living. It is ironic that those who produce food go hungry.

Whenever we meet shortfalls in production, we resolve them by importing. In the fourth quarter of 2013, the import volume of rice amounted to 500,000 metric tons and an additional 800,000 metric tons in an effort to stabilize it price. The latter was scheduled in August 2014, of which 435.2 metric tons arrived on August 5, 2014. Negotiations for another round of rice importation for 2015 are underway, again, to resolve the expected shortfall in local production.

How much did we pay in 2014 for rice imports intended for the last quarter of 2013? Computed at the level of 2013 market price of Vietnam rice at US$429 per ton, for example, we paid an estimated US$557,700,000 or P24.5 billion. In 2015, we anticipated 1.7 million metric tons importation, which will require about US$751,485,000 or an equivalent of P33 billion.

Meanwhile, the Philippines was slapped a lower tariff of 35 percent from 40 percent for rice import levels reached during the recent negotiations. Thus, in the


2015 importation of 1.7 million metric tons, as Secretary Kiko Pangilinan announced, import taxes due would be more or less nine billion pesos. Ito po iyong taripang dapat makolekta sa importation ng bigas. Moreover, the 350,000 metric tons minimum access volume for rice was upped to 805,000 metric tons. Mr. Speaker, a trade-off had been perfected at the negotiating table and that is, more than double import volumes with lower income tariff.

The questions, Mr. Speaker, are: have we abandoned producing rice in favor of imports, or shall we say, have we left the Filipinos to be fed by the Vietnamese, the Americans, the Thailanders, and other foreign farmers? Have we confined our food staples sufficiency or for that matter, rice self-sufficiency program, in the dustbins of history? I could only hope not, Mr. Speaker, lest it be forgotten, that in our country, rice self-sufficiency is the precursor of food security.

Moving forward, Mr. Speaker, my dear colleagues, this humble Representation cannot help but pose the question: could we ever be staple-sufficient or rice-sufficient in the near future or, so to speak, in 2016 which is barely two years from now?

Mr. Speaker, as my humble contribution to address rice self-sufficiency, the Special Committee on Food Security, together with the Congressional Planning and Budget Department of the House of Representatives, and experts in agriculture embarked on a series of round-table discussions with the end-view of perhaps concluding the long-drawn debate on policies the country must pursue towards food staples or rice self-sufficiency. Kindly bear with me, and I beg your indulgence as I outline some of our initial findings and my recommendations, as follows:

1. The data and statistics employed in strategizing and planning need a review and updating.

A number of data utilized in planning such as estimated quantity of rice held by Filipino farmers of 40-kilogram per family, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics in 2012, must be reviewed and updated, including the per capita consumption, and the volume held by the private sector, including incoming shipments. It is noteworthy to mention that the volume of rice illegally traded or smuggled forms part of the overall volume in circulation. I think that the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) food security database must also be sensitive to this.

2. Rice and agricultural lands and food ecosystems must be protected.

There may be more rice lands that have been converted than the 39,000 hectares reported by the Department of Agrarian Reform. As of 2007, the DAR has approved the conversion of more than 48,000 hectares of agricultural lands mainly for residential and mixed uses. However, these figures are only for formal conversions. Civil society groups claim that more than

200,000 hectares of irrigated and irrigable farmlands, mostly in Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog, had been illegally converted to non-agricultural uses.

3. A national land use plan must be enacted now. This will secure agricultural lands, and protect and

conserve our food ecosystems and food biodiversity. We cannot keep it languishing in Congress for a long time now.

As a humble contribution to the protection and conservation of food ecosystems, this Representation filed House Bill No. 460 as a matter of protecting and expanding our mangrove areas from which communities derive food and livelihood.

4. Expand service area and rehabilitate irrigation systems.

The country must have irrigated 3.1 million hectares of irrigable landholdings, rehabilitated or repaired 500,000 hectares, the total 1.7 million hectares irrigated lands in less than two years if we endeavor to meet rice self-sufficiency target by 2016. This is a more crucial direction in achieving rice self-sufficiency. The anticipated P9-billion tariff collection from rice importation may well be plowed back to expanding service areas of irrigation for increased cropping intensity. Moreover, the government must subsidize irrigation fees by paying for personal expenses incurred by NIA personnel. This will significantly reduce the irrigation fees incurred by small farmers. House Bill No. 461 was filed by this Representation for the purpose of strengthening the NFA by appropriating more funds, among others, for expanded palay-buying operations. I also asked Secretary Pangilinan, through House Resolution No. 1174, to subsidize irrigation fees collected by the NIA from farmers.

To strengthen the crucial participation of small farmers, the increase in the number of farmer-representatives in the NIA board was proposed as embodied in House Bill No. 3747.

5. Strengthen the National Food Authority. Increasing government subsidy and support that strengthen NFA’s influence over local rice procurement, distribution and trade eventually translates into a more stabilized, affordable and accessible rice for the population. Studies show that capturing at least 20 to 25 percent of the locally-produced palay/rice will strengthen the government’s position and influence on the local rice trade.

Embodied in House Bill No. 461, authored by this Representation, are provisions that strengthen the agency’s capacity to procure rice produced by farmers by providing more funds to enable it to influence the local market for rice and increased capability to provide for consumer and farmer subsidy.

This Representation proposes a reexamination of the pricing support policy and structure of the NFA to effect an increase in palay buying price from P17 to


about P20 to P23 per kilogram of farmer’s produce. The NFA must be sensitive to price changes in the local market.

I also humbly propose that the estimated P180-billion liabilities in debts of the NFA be borne by government to provide a new leash on life for the ailing agency. After all, NFA operations must be part of social spending and considered a social cost.

6. Strengthen the country’s rice science. To be able to achieve rice self-sufficiency, the

country’s yield per hectare of land must increase from the average of 3.59 metric tons. Approaching China’s rice yield of about 13 tons per hectare, perhaps, is not far-fetched. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the PhilRice are right within our doorsteps. Public investment in rice research, however, continues to lag behind our Asian counterparts and thus, must be afforded ample attention.

7. Expansion of production resource-base for food and rice.

The potential for upland rice deserves attention as a matter of expanding rice production. This will involve additional focus in research and development, and the development of new technologies and, of course, increased government spending.

Urban farming or urban agriculture and the use of urban spaces are untapped resource bases for food production. This is embodied in House Bills No. 720 and 743 which were already approved by the Committee on Food Security. This Representation and the Hon. Harlin C. Abayon hope that, through this measure, the urban centers may produce their own food and thus, alleviate pressures on rural areas to produce food for the entire population.

8. Reduce agricultural and consumption wastes. The gamut of processes involved from production

to consumption of rice produces waste that, when accounted for, redound to billions of pesos in losses. As part of strengthening the implementation of the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP), this Representation pushes for the complete mechanization of agriculture as a matter of eliminating agricultural production to food consumption waste.

9. Stop smuggling of rice. Smugglers must be deprived of accessing smuggled

rice they themselves smuggled into the country by transferring or conveying all seized, illegally imported rice to the NFA to form part of its buffer stock as embodied in House Bill No. 3536. This also amends certain provisions of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines that will criminalize rice smuggling.

10. Redirect certain funds from the Conditional Cash Transfer for agricultural and rice production subsidy.

The CCT’s appropriation amounts to about P64 billion for 2015. To this Representation, redirecting 20

to 25 percent or, more or less, P12 billion of the funds would be significant in providing seeds, fertilizers and other subsidies which have been stopped by government. This is also a significant fund to be used to attain the complete mechanization of farming.

Mr. Speaker, in ending, please allow me to state the foregoing proposals, together with other measures proposed in this august Chamber which, if implemented, will draw us nearest to rice self-sufficiency and nearer to food security that we all endeavor to achieve.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, my dear colleagues, farmers and farm-workers cooperatives play crucial roles in the achievement of rice self-sufficiency. Through the years, farmers’ primary cooperatives in the country, by their sheer number, lead all others in initiating programs and projects towards increasing farm outputs and are always in the forefront in the struggle for reforms in agriculture.

May I congratulate the cooperative movement, especially the small farmers and farm workers’ cooperatives, on the occasion of this Cooperatives Month that we are celebrating here in Congress, and the relentless movements toward the genuine development of our rural economy.

Mabuhay ang kilusang kooperatiba. Mabuhay ang mga magsasakang Pilipino.

Maraming salamat, Mr. Speaker.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). That is well taken, Honorable Guanlao.

The Honorable Romualdo is recognized.

REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we refer the speech of the Honorable Guanlao to the Committee on Rules.


The speech of the Honorable Guanlao is referred to the Committee on Rules.

REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, there being no other Member who wishes to avail of the Privilege Hour, I move that we close the same.


The Privilege Hour is hereby closed.


REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session for a few minutes.


THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The session is suspended.

It was 5:16 p.m.




The Honorable Ortega (F.) is recognized.

REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, I move for the change of referral of the following measures:

1. House Bill No. 3206, Regulating the Proliferation of Strategic and Dual-Use Goods and Services, from the Committee on Trade and Industry to the Committee on Public Order and Safety;

2. House Bills No. 360, 2153 and 2631, Establishing Marine Protected Areas in all Coastal Municipalities and Cities, from the Committee on Natural Resources to the Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources; and

3. House Bill No. 1263, Providing Funds for the Coastal Management Development Programs, from the Committee on Natural Resources to the Committee on Ecology.

I so move, Mr. Speaker.


The referral of said House Bills to the appropriate committees is approved.


REP. ORTEGA (F.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session for a few minutes.


It was 5:18 p.m.





REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, I move that the

Hon. Jose Christopher Y. Belmonte of the Sixth District of Quezon City be recognized.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). What is the pleasure of the distinguished Gentleman, the Hon. Kit Belmonte?

REP. BELMONTE (J.). Mr. Speaker, I rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Please state the nature of the matter on which the Gentleman is rising.

REP. BELMONTE (J.). Mr. Speaker, I am here to express my grief and outrage over the death of my friend, Arnold Borja Jaramillo.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). The Gentleman has 10 minutes.

QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE OF REP. BELMONTE (J.)

REP. BELMONTE (J.). Thank you very much, honorable Speaker.

I rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege. I am here to express my grief and outrage over the death of my friend, Arnold Borja Jaramillo, who was killed in a so-called “encounter” between the New People’s Army and the 41st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army more than a month ago, Mr. Speaker.

My colleagues, AJ’s death struck me as a personal blow. He and I go way back to our high school days in UP Baguio. I hesitated to speak, my colleagues. It took me quite a while, even during the budget hearing, but I feel that it would be a dishonor to my friend if I do not speak out. When I recall those times, I am amazed at how far we have progressed from the teenagers we used to be, preoccupied with insecurities, bravado, ambitions and yes, crushes on girls who always seemed to be outside of our league. When I look now at the men we have become, I wonder at how our youthful idealism took divergent paths. Even then, we thought of ourselves as the cream of the crop, the best students in the best high school in Baguio City. We were fiercely competitive and we all strove to excel.

An alumnus who graduated four batches ahead of me chose the path of the law and is now a sitting Justice of the Supreme Court. Another who graduated a year ahead of me went to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and is now a superintendent in the Philippine National Police. Another schoolmate, who was a batch behind AJ, likewise went to the PMA and is now a full colonel in the Philippine Army. On my


part, after many years working outside the system, I now seek change by working within it. AJ meanwhile sought to affect change by working in the margins: first, in the student and people’s movements of our hometown in Baguio, then, later in the hills and forests of Northern Luzon. Divergent, yes, but always with a shared goal. UP High School taught us to serve the people, and we were all so deeply influenced by the political fervent of those dying years of Martial Law.

It is surprising how many milestones in a person’s life are marked by a piece of paper: A birth certificate when one is born; a diploma when one completes his studies; a marriage certificate when one marries; and a death certificate when one dies.

AJ, who I am proud to call my friend, was born in 1966. He was 47 years old when he died, and it is not friendship which moves me to say that he is no ordinary Filipino, living a mundane life whose unremarkable details are known only in a handful of documents. He was a key student and mass leader, and was active in many causes. He was a charismatic and eloquent public speaker. Much later, he joined the New People’s Army and eventually became a ranking leader.

To say that he died would, in truth, be misleading. My friend AJ did not die. To say that a person died gives the impression that he was felled by the frailties of the human body, or by illness, or simply by the passage of time. To say that someone died might suggest that he passed away surrounded by the love of his family and friends. My friends, AJ did not die: I believe that he was murdered.

If he fell in battle fighting for his beliefs, I would have left it at that, with mixed emotions of sadness, envy and pride in the gallant manner of his death, but all the evidence points to the contrary. Evidence shows that he was killed in the most brutal fashion, gunned down in the most cowardly and treacherous manner.

The official reports say that AJ was killed in an alleged encounter with the 41st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Guinguinabang, Lucab, Abra. He was not the only casualty; killed, too, were five of his comrades and two civilians who they claim were caught in the crossfire.

Thus, the end of AJ’s 47 years were summarized in a few telling paragraphs of an impersonal document, an autopsy report prepared by one Dr. Ronald R. Bandonill of the NBI Cordillera Autonomous Region. Said report is of such a nature as to convince his wife Cynthia that her husband was not killed simply in an encounter, but was in fact cold-bloodedly murdered. AJ’s body bore multiple gunshot wounds, and he also suffered multiple fractures in his limbs and jaws. The report detailed the wounds likely to have caused AJ’s death as follows:

gunshot wounds, all modified by suturing and embalming; entrance 1.5 centimeters by 1.5 centimeters, oval in shape, edges inverted, with an area of burning of .05 centimeters”—please note the area of burning—“all around the limb located at the right posterior chest wall, just below the right scapula, 13 centimeters from the posterior midline” et cetera. Multiple entrances: with an average size of 0.5 centimeters by 0.5 centimeter, oval in edges, inverted, located at the posterior surfaces of the left thigh and lower leg, and exiting at the anterior surfaces of the right thigh and left lower flank area, et cetera.

In a letter dated October 2, 2014, AJ’s wife Cynthia implored the help of Dr. Raquel del Rosario-Fortun, a prominent forensic pathologist from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, to determine the real cause of death of AJ.

Mr. Speaker, I have read many medico-legal and autopsy reports during the course of my legal practice, and have learned to treat these reports with clinical indifference and cold neutrality, but I have to confess to you, my colleagues, that nothing prepared me for AJ’s autopsy report. Reading such an impersonal document when it pertained to a friend’s brutal end is painful. Its unmistakable meaning is that AJ was shot repeatedly in the back and one gunshot, likely the fatal shot, appears to have been fired at close range, as shown by the presence of powder burns, using a high-powered firearm. AJ’s body and his face, in particular, was so badly mangled that the embalmer had to insert cement into his mouth to keep its architecture intact.

In criminal law, there are circumstances which aggravate the commission of a crime. One of these would be treachery. Treachery exists when the offender commits any of the crimes against the person employing means, methods or forms in the execution thereof which tend directly and specially to insure its execution, without risk to himself arising from the defense which the offended party might make. In AJ’s case, he was shot multiple times in the back and the placement of the wounds suggested against a confrontation because otherwise, the bullets would have entered from the front and exited out AJ’s back. Likewise, the sheer number of shots fired at AJ belies the Army’s claim of an encounter as more shots seem to have been fired than actually necessary.

Another aggravating circumstance that would accrue would be cruelty. It is when the wrong done in the commission of the crime is deliberately augmented by other wrongs not necessary for its commission. One cannot discount the possibility that AJ, pigeonholed as an enemy of the State, was deliberately shot multiple times, causing him untold pain and misery, until his


suffering was ended with a coup de grace. AJ could have survived these non-fatal shots, but he had no chance with a single shot at close range from a high-powered firearm. With that one shot, AJ was put to death like a dog, without the benefit of a fair trial that ended with the imposition of a nonexistent death penalty.

The military, through the information chief of the 41st IB said that the operation conducted by the 41st IB was a legitimate operation with proper planning following the rules of engagement. Mr. Speaker, the reports on AJ and other casualties of that so-called “encounter” revealed otherwise. The autopsy report of one Recca Noelle Monte, one of those reportedly slain in the said military operations, revealed that she had no gunshot wound and actually died of blunt traumatic injuries, massive to the face and head. Her skull resembled that of a “crushed egg.” She had hematoma and lacerations on the chest, and her left lower extremity shattered.

Mr. Speaker, my dear colleagues, just like what happened to my friend AJ, and based on the autopsy reports conducted by the NBI, I firmly believe that Recca Noelle Monte was not killed-in-action; she was brutally and inhumanely murdered.

I am proud that I am part of this administration. I am proud that we are pursuing peace as shown by our commitment in pursuing the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. However, I believe that we cannot achieve genuine peace without pursuing justice. We need to pursue both.

I point to you, Mr. Speaker, the concurring opinion of Associate Justice Marvic Leonen in the recent case of Ocampo vs. Abando, where the honorable Justice spoke—speaking against atrocities committed in the course of the past years, that the rebel, in his or her effort to assert a better view of humanity, cannot negate himself or herself. Torture and summary execution of enemies or allies are never acts of courage. They demean those who sacrificed and those who gave their lives so that others may live justly and enjoy the blessings of more meaningful freedoms. Torture and summary execution, in any context, are shameful, naked brutal acts of those who may have simply been transformed into desperate cowards. Those who may have suffered or may have died because of these acts deserve better than to be told that they did so, in the hands of a rebel.

I say, Mr. Speaker, that the Armed Forces should be held to the same, if not, to a higher level of conduct and morals in the field of battle in its so-called “war against insurgency.”

The Welsh poet Dylan Thomas urges us: “Do not go gentle into that good night.Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Most people lead unremarkable lives that end in unremarkable deaths.

Dying becomes meaningful when the process reveals the true character of the person. For AJ, he lived as he believed, and he died as he believed. He had the courage of his convictions. The words I speak are paltry in the light of the tremendous esteem in which I hold AJ. To his wife Cynthia, his children Raia and Cholo, your grief is surely shared by AJ’s many friends whose lives have been touched by his grace and honor.

To my dear friend, you have fought a good fight. Though you did not deserve the fate you suffered, know that we, who are still here, will not forget the legacy and the meaning of your sacrifice.

My dear colleagues, I rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege. My friend was killed for his beliefs. My friend was killed in the most inhumane manner. My friend was killed in a manner contrary to the provisions under the international humanitarian law. My friend was killed by those who took an oath to uphold our Constitution and our laws, and to protect our people. The 41st IB claims that it was a valid operation and that the rules of engagement were followed but, my friends, evidence points to the contrary.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, AJ and I joined the student and people’s movement during the dark days of Martial Law. We have since taken difference paths. He took the road less travelled. More than three decades later, the remnants of the injustices we fought against still linger.

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, I do not have to remind you that just last week, we passed on Second Reading a joint resolution of Congress, and we are moving to pass on Third Reading a joint resolution of Congress to extend by six months the period for human rights victims during Martial Law to file their claims for recognition and compensation. Our commitment to seeing justice served for more than 70,000 victims of the atrocities committed during Martial Law may be negated by these occurrences and puts to question our claims and our efforts to uphold human rights.

During this time that we are all focused on peace in Mindanao. During this time that we are focused on promoting and protecting the rights of our people, during this time that we are all focused on ensuring that our people benefit from the country’s economic gains, this is unacceptable.

I call for an investigation in aid of legislation on the series of incidents that took place in Lacub, Abra. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I know and many of us here who have experienced war know that there are no winners in a war, least of all, the people who are its victims. Even the participants in war are affected and are damaged by war. Since we are in the process of peace, I call, Mr. Speaker, that we push and exert all our efforts for the


resumption of peace talks not only in Mindanao but throughout the nation. For all the parties, including the NPA and the NDF, I call, Mr. Speaker for peace.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much my dear colleagues.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). That is well taken, Hon. Jose Christopher Y. Belmonte.


REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, I move that the question of privilege of the Honorable Belmonte be referred to the Committee on Rules.


The speech of the Honorable Belmonte is referred to the Committee on Rules.


REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session for a few minutes.


It was 5:53 p.m.




The honorable Acting Majority Leader is recognized.

ADJOURNMENT OF SESSION

REP. QUIMBO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we adjourn the session until tomorrow, at four o’ clock in the afternoon.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the session is adjourned until four o’clock tomorrow afternoon.

It was 5:54 p.m.

Published by the Publication and Editorial Service, Plenary Affairs BureauThe Congressional Record can be accessed through the Downloads Center of the official website

of the House of Representatives at www.congress.gov.ph AZB/111032014/0900

Documents

Congressional · PDF filewe approve Journal No. 20, dated October 22, 2014, Wednesday. THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Padilla). ... pagsasama ng aralin hinggil sa kooperatiba sa ating