Month: December 2021

CIBAC Party-List Representatives House Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Domeng Rivera call out to the government to widen its course of actions in decongesting near-full capacity hospitals in Metro Manila and nearby provinces including creating make-shifts or any potential hospital substitutes. “Our hospitals are already full to the brim, patients are now confined in tents or along corridors. It’s time to make substitutes for our choked hospitals because we cannot rely on just reallocating hospital beds for COVID-19 vis-à-vis non-COVID patients. We need to augment our healthcare system bed capacity, either within hospitals or outside. We cannot afford to deprive non-COVID patients with beds just because COVID cases are increasing,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva. The CIBAC lawmaker makes this call after the claims of hospital associations that the country is “losing” the battle against COVID-19 because hospitals are already operating in full or near-full capacities. However, health authorities denied this claim saying that our healthcare system is still intact to accommodate the surge in COVID cases as hospitals are reallocating their bed ratios to assign more beds for COVID patients. “Mere reallocation of bed ratios will give us a false sense of stability in this war against COVID-19. We need out-of-the box solution for our overwhelmed healthcare system,” adds the CIBAC lawmaker.

The country recorded 15,310 cases on Friday, the highest single day increase since the start of the pandemic, pushing the total active cases to 153,809, which is the highest in the Southeast Asian region. “Funds and resources are always there available for the government. There is no acceptable excuse to not be able to make more isolation, confinement or treatment beds. We demand a more proactive stance and initiative from our health authorities,” ends CIBAC Rep. Rivera.

CIBAC Party-List Representative and House Deputy Speaker Bro Eddie Villanueva urges lawmakers to fast track the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill as Congress starts tackling the bill today.

The House Committee on Public Information has started today the deliberations of various FOI bills filed at the House of Representatives, including House Bill 1975 authored by CIBAC Representatives Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Domeng Rivera.

“I beseech my fellow lawmakers to expedite passing this measure. We need the FOI law now more than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic has created more opportunities for corruption to flourish. If we will not have this FOI bill urgently passed into law, we will just continue to expose our government resources to be devoured by scrupulous and rent-seeking individuals – at the detriment of our Filipino people. We need to raise our demands of transparency and accountability now more than any time before,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva, House Deputy Speaker for Governance and Moral Uprightness.

“Social and physical distancing in this COVID-19 pandemic does not stop corruption; conversely, it even opens opportunities for shady deals to flourish behind people’s backs. We badly need a mechanism to put officials accountable even while people are within the confines of their homes. The FOI will bridge that gap,” explains the Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva.

The FOI bill provides the people the legal presumption in favor of access to information. This means that the government agency has the burden of proof to prove otherwise that a certain document or information must not be disclosed based on a list of exemptions provided also in the bill. The bill enumerated a list of clear exemptions that will not be covered by the policy of full disclosure. Among these exemptions are information relating to national security, right to privacy on personal and sensitive information, trade and financial secrets as well as privileged communication. The measure likewise provides for the procedure of access by which citizens can obtain public information as well as legal remedies in case of denials

“The free flow of information will also be our vehicle towards recovery. Unhampered access to information will lead to better policies, informed decisions of the people as well as fair level playing field for business firms and other economic entities,” adds the CIBAC lawmaker.

According to the CIBAC solon, the current pandemic has caused the government to have expanded budgets and acquire more loans in order to sustain COVID-19 response efforts. The large economic stimulus, the loans, the local and international contracts for vaccines and other health-care supplies and facilities are always in the danger of being ‘cash cows’ for opportunistic persons.

The CIBAC lawmaker emphasizes the need for FOI law as a necessary tool to help the country’s fight against graft and corruption. He notes that in the past decade, the prevalence of corruption in the country remains unchanged as evidenced by hardly improving scores in the annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by international watchdog Transparency International. In 2020, the Philippines ranked 115th out of 180 countries and had a score of 34 (100 is very clean while zero is highly corrupt) which is lower than the average score of 45 for the Asia Pacific.

The bill also galvanizes the policy of full disclosure in the government by obligating certain information to be mandatorily and automatically disclosed in government agencies websites or places of display. These include the Sworn Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SAN), bids and bidding results for government projects, procurement contracts entered by the government either locally or internationally, bilateral or multilateral agreements, and loans from local and international financial institutions, among others. There will be administrative and criminal liabilities for any government officer or employee who will withhold information contrary to the provisions of the bill.

“With FOI law, wielders of government powers and funds will be perpetually within the eyes of the public because government transactions are mandated to be disclosed anytime and anywhere. Refusal to make such disclosure of information will mean administrative or criminal penalties for the erring government officer,” says CIBAC Rep. Domeng Rivera.

“Tayo po ay nagpapasalamat sa liderato ng Kamara dahil sinimulan na ang pagtalakay ng FOI bill ngayong araw. Kami po ay nananawagan sa kapwa naming Mambabatas na agaran natin itong ipasa upang maging sandata ng ating mamamayan upang labanan ang katiwalian at pagmamalabis sa ating pamahalaan,” ends Rep. Rivera.

CIBAC Party-List Representative and House Deputy Speaker Bro Eddie Villanueva joins calls for the lifting of Executive Order 128 which set for a lowered tariff rates for pork imports from 40% down to 5% – saying that the move is aimed at directly “killing” the local hog industry.

“The lowering of pork imports tariff in this period of pandemic and when our local hog industry is in “critical” if not dying condition due to African swine fever is not only shocking but at the same time unbelievable! Allowing more pork imports to flood the market will surely kill the livelihood of our Filipino hog raisers! It is surely never the most apt policy to enforce, it is devoid of any serious concern for our local pork producers,” says CIBAC Deputy Speaker Villanueva after the Senate hearing on the food security crisis brought about by the African swine fever that is currently affecting the local hog industry.

“The circumstances which led to the issuance of such order that allows unhampered importation of pork more than our country’s demands are suspicious. First, it is not established that our local producers do not have the ability to meet local demand. Second, volume of allowed pork to be imports is without basis and excessively more than the consumption demand of the country, so why import? Lastly, the fictitious nature of leading companies of pork importers seems indicative that this is done in connivance with scrupulous individuals in the government. I will file the necessary House measure to appeal to the President to abrogate EO 128,” says the CIBAC lawmaker, who is also the House Deputy Speaker for Good Governance and Moral Uprightness.

This month, the President issued Executive Order (EO) 128 which lowers the tariff rates on pork imports from 30% to 5% on pork imported under the minimum access volumes (MAV), and from 40% to 15% for out-of-quota imported pork. The government said such a move is aimed to supply the market with enough pork so that prices will not go up as the country’s hog industry is grappling with the African swine fever which hit the sector back in 2019. However, the CIBAC lawmaker is not convinced. The market price of pork is currently pegged at around P400 per kilo from P250 per kilo before the pandemic.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reveal that the annual average production of Filipino hog industry is pegged at 2.25 million metric tons, much higher than the Filipino average annual consumption which is only set at 1.85 million metric tons.

“It seems that rent-seeking individuals in the pork importation sector as well in the government connived to grab this opportunity to make profits for themselves at the expense of our 68,000 local hog producers and potential billions of government revenues. Instead of aggressively initiating policy interventions to repopulate and resuscitate our local hog industry amidst the African swine fever malady, the government did not take the extra mile but conveniently resort to allow increased importation to address the issue. We cannot allow this unconscionable indifference!” adds the CIBAC lawmaker who hails from Bulacan which is one of the leading provinces in pork production.

“Dito sa amin sa Bulacan, bagsak na bagsak ang kabuhayan ng mga mag bababoy. Wala na din silang ganang magpatuloy sa negosyo kasi tatalunin lang sila sa presyuhan ng mga imported na karneng baboy at kulang din ang ayuda ng gobyerno para tulungan ang industriya. Kaya, kami ay nanawagan sa mas makatwiran, mas pinag-aralan at mas may pagsa-alang-alang na polisiya para sa ating mga magbababoy. Umpisahan natin iyan sa pagbasura ng Executive Order 128 at sundan ng konkretong suporta ng gobyerno para matulungan ang mga magbababoy nanawalan ng mga alaga dahil sa sakit na African swine fever na makabawi uli,” ends Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

Two House Deputy Speakers joined the calls for the termination of Executive Order 128 which set for a lowered tariff rates for pork imports from 40% down to 5% – saying that such is a sloppy policy solution aimed at directly “killing” the local hog industry.

Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva (CIBAC Party-List) and Deputy Speaker BienvenidoAbante Jr. (Manila 6th District) filed House Joint Resolution No. 38 which seeks to revoke Executive Order No. 128 that temporarily modifies the rate of import duty on fresh, chilled or frozen meat of swine, and calls for the adoption, implementation and pursuit of a more pro-Filipino hog raisers policy in view of the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in the industry.

“The lowering of pork imports tariff in this period of pandemic and when our local hog industry is in “critical” if not dying condition due to African swine fever is not only shocking but at the same time unbelievable! It is surely never the most apt policy to enforce, it is devoid of any serious concern for our local pork producers,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

In a statement, Deputy Speaker Abante also lamented the government’s response and handling of the decreased local production of pork due to ASF.

“When there are issues in local agricultural production, the Department of Agriculture’s default response is importation. I believe they need to rethink and reconsider this approach. The solution is support, not import––more support the local hog industry so they can recover faster from their losses as a result of ASF,” exclaims Deputy Speaker and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr.

This month, the President issued Executive Order (EO) 128 which lowers the tariff rates on pork imports from 30% to 5% on pork imported under the minimum access volumes (MAV), and from 40% to 15% for out-of-quota imported pork. It also allows the government to significantly increase the Minimum Access Volume (MAV), or the allowed volume of pork imports, from 54,000 metric tons to 540,000 metric tons.

The government said such a move is aimed to supply the market with enough pork so that prices will not go up as the country’s hog industry is grappling with the African swine fever which hit the sector back in 2019.

However, the lawmakers are not convinced. The market price of pork is currently pegged at around P400 per kilo from P250 per kilo before the pandemic.

“The issuance of EO 128 will serve as a window for further corruption and will cost the government around P3.6 billion foregone revenues that should go to fund the ASF-infested local hog industry, as well as government response efforts against the on-going COVID-19 pandemic,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

“The government must immediately revoke EO 128 and, in its place, adopt, implement and pursue a more sensible, data-based and reasonable policy and provide solutions that will strike balance in serving and protecting both the interests of public as well as the welfare of the local hog industry,” ends the CIBAC lawmaker.

CIBAC Party-List solons Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Domeng Rivera lambasted National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Spokesperson Lt. General Antonio Parlade on his statement last night likening Patricia Non, organizer of community pantry in Maginhawa, Quezon City, to Satan (the Devil).

In a TV interview last night, General Parlade said that the action of  Patricia Non in organizing the Maginhawa community pantry, can be likened to the Devil’s offer of an apple to Eve which started the fall of man. According to Parlade, the community pantry may start the fall of people into the recruitment of communists in the country.

“The statement of the NTF-ELCAC Spokesperson is very intolerable and is already bordering to insanity! I do not know how calloused their hearts are to be able not to feel the struggle of Filipinos amidst these trying times. Imbesnamagingkabalikat, mas lalo pa silangnagigingpabigatsaatingmamamayan. Angdapatpagtuunan ng pansin ng gobyerno ay bakuna at ayuda, nangangamatay at nagugutomangmgatao.” exclaims Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

“I am disturbed that NTF-ELCAC is thinking this way even in the midst of a pandemic where bayanihan must be given due course. This puts into question if NTF-ELCAC is capable of rightly using the billions of funds appropriated to it. Dapatitongsilipin ng Kongreso, bakamasayanglangangpondo,” adds the CIBAC lawmaker.

“Angpagsibol ng community pantries ay nagsisilbing eye-opener nahindisapatangprogramangayuda ng pamahalaanupangmatugunanangpangangailangan ng mahigit 100 milyongpopulasyon ng atingbansa. Therefore, we call on the government to support and channel funds to this initiative. The inspiration, as well as the multiplier effect brought about by the community pantry concept, vividly exemplifies the Filipino bayanihan spirit and resiliency. Higitsalahat, sakasalukuyanglumalalangpaghihirap ng taongbayan, sabayannatinanglahat ng aksyon ng pananalanginsabuhaynaDiyos, upangang nationwide Bayanihan spirit ay manatili at mas mag-alab pa salahat ng Pilipino.” further adds the CIBAC lawmaker.

On his part, CIBAC Rep. Domeng Rivera says that NTF-ELCAC seems going overboard and already “overkill” on its job.

“Sobrangwalasatono, walasalugarangginagawa ng NTF-ELCAC sa organizers ng community pantry. Baka mas lalolanglumayosagobyernoangloob ng sambayanang Pilipino. Hindi niladapati-underestimate angkakayanan ng mga Pilipino na mag-isip ng tama kung angpangagailangannaman ay natutugunan,” says CIBAC Rep. Rivera.