Campaign Day 37: GO, TU in mud fight

When it comes to the poverty problem, most candidates tend to dish out concepts and rhetoric rather than lay down the numbers in dealing with individual and community deprivation. A network of nongovernment groups thought it provided the wake-up call for candidates to address the specter of poverty in their election platforms on Wednesday, Campaign Day 37, which was a lackadaisical day for voters seeking enlightenment. The group, however, failed to realize that the senatorial candidates are aiming at legislative positions and not executive offices, which could directly spur economic activity. In the Philippines, legislations seldom create jobs. Meanwhile, Genuine Opposition bigwigs and a Team Unity senatorial candidate tried to kill their campaign boredom through mudslinging during a pre-lunch weekly forum. ’Tuta’ word makes a comeback The word "tuta" (lapdog) sparked a shouting match between Surigao del Sur Representative Prospero Pichay, a Senate bet of the administration’s Team Unity, and Adel Tamano, spokesman of the Genuine Opposition, at a forum in San Juan. Pichay cried foul when Tamano used the word "tuta" during the weekly forum at Ciudad Fernandina in Greenhills, San Juan, to attack TU bets. Pichay shot back by saying TU candidates don't refer GO bets as former President Joseph Estrada's "tuta." "Tuta" is a colloquial term used to refer to a person who follows whatever his leader tells him to do. Estrada, ousted in January 2001 by People Power 2, is the opposition's figure head. He is detained at his villa in Tanay, Rizal, while waiting the verdict of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan on his plunder charges. At the forum, Pichay bristled when Tamano referred to controversial “Hello, Garci" wiretapped conversations between President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and a poll official, who the Chief Executive’s critics say was former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. For his part, GO campaign manager Jose Victor “JV" Ejercito, son of detained former President Joseph Estrada, said Team Unity, despite having more resources, is jealous of the opposition ticket’s popularity. He also chided opposition candidates that they should not have filed their candidacy if they believe that the elections would be marred by cheating. Despite the heated exchange, Pichay and Tamano shook hands after the forum. Bongbong speaks out vs Lozano, ‘Cayetano’ Ilocos Norte Gov. Ferdinand “Bongbong" Marcos Jr on Wednesday said Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) senatorial candidates Joselito “Pepito" Cayetano and Oliver Lozano caused shame to the party founded by his father, the late president Ferdinand Marcos. “My father did not create the KBL to be a repository of nuisance candidates," Marcos said during a press conference held for the Genuine Opposition (GO) candidates at the provincial capitol. He added: “All those people who claim to be KBL stalwarts are an embarrassment to us who have been with the KBL since its inception and even before it was only a movement." Marcos, who is running for the congressional district to be vacated by his sister Imee said it was possible that Malacañang was behind the fielding of Joselito Cayetano to derail the bid of GO candidate Alan Peter Cayetano but stressed “we’re not aiding that machination." “To be perfectly clear, I don’t recognize him as a KBL candidate," he said. Marcos called Joselito, Lozano and the rest of the “purported" KBL senatorial slate as “renegade members who will be handled internally" by the party. The outgoing Ilocos Norte governor nevertheless said the party would not waste its time questioning their candidacies before the Commission on Elections (Comelec). “We can question (their candidacies), but there’s no point actually. It’s not necessary...," Marcos said. Marcos, KBL’s president, said the party should have fielded senatorial candidates who have chances of winning. Marcos said Joselito and Lozano would be dealt with by the party leadership after the elections. “There’s an election and an ongoing campaign. This is not the time. It would only distract us," he said. Marcos said he doesn’t believe Joselito’s candidacy would not hurt Cayetano’s candidacy. “I don’t think [Joselito] is ruining his candidacy. I think Congressman Cayetano knows what he’s doing," he said, noting that he spoke with the GO candidate over the phone and was personally informed about his absence during the Ilocos swing of the GO ticket. Cayetano has sent formal notice to the GO campaign team that he could not attend the Ilocos sortie since he was to attend a hearing on his petition against Joselito Cayetano. A call for nonsense approach vs poverty A network of nongovernment groups on Wednesday challenged senatorial candidates to address the problem of poverty in their election platforms. “The electoral platforms of the senatorial candidates should be responsive to the rising incidence of hunger and poverty in the country," said Marivic Raquiza, coordinator of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP)-Philippines, a network of nongovernment and people's organizations. Reacting to statements made by government officials, Raquiza said: “With more than 50 percent of the labor force or roughly 16.1 million Filipino workers earning poverty wages we wonder what growth this government is talking about. Unfortunately, the administration is in denial about this reality. The first step in addressing the problem is to admit it exists." Edwin Nacpil, chairman of the Kalipunan ng Samahang Maralita sa Pilipinas, said “life has indeed worsened" for ordinary Filipinos. “The government claims today that unemployment went down because of a rise in jobs in the service sector, but just like last year, this could be in the areas of unpaid family labor, ambulant vendors and domestic helpers, or in occupations marked by low productivity, bad working conditions and poverty wages," Nacpil said. A survey done by the Social Weather Stations early this month revealed an increase from last year’s 16.5 million Filipinos who experience “involuntary hunger" has risen to 17 million Filipinos or 1 in every 5 households (with at least 3.4 million households). “What we have is not only bad governance, but absent governance," said Penny Disimban, chairman of Assalam Bangsamoro People’s Association. He said allocation for basic social services has been going down since 1999. In the 2007 proposed budget, allocation for education has gone down to 11 percent, health to 0.9 % and Social Welfare and Development 0.3%. Debt servicing will get 29% of the budget. The Freedom from Debt Coalition, a partner of GCAP, said the total borrowings of the Arroyo administration, at P2.77 trillion, is already higher than the combined debt of the Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada administrations that amounts to P1.51 trillion. Arze Glipo, executive director of the Integrated Rural Development Foundation, described as “ridiculously low" the government estimate of the national poverty threshold, which is pegged at P41 per person per day for food and non-food needs. “This means poor Filipinos have to survive on less than a dollar a day for food, water, medicine, transportation, education, shelter, electricity and others," Glipo said. “We Filipinos should exercise our right to vote," he said, adding that every Filipino should take a stand against poverty and “vote for change." The group challenged senatorial candidates to include a strong anti-poverty component in their platforms by considering the following issues: 1. Equitable distribution of growth, which includes supporting the completion of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, and investments in infrastructure that benefit the poor; 2. Increase employment opportunities through an integrated agro-industrial plan; 3. A P125 across the board wage increase to partially close the wage differentials and to help improve the quality of life of our workers; 4. Expose and stop the “systematic exploitation" of Filipino migrant labor; 5. Increase public investments in basic health, education, water and sanitation, toward the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals; 6. Call on congress to repeal PD 1177 (the automatic appropriation of debt payment) and to undertake a comprehensive Legislative Debt Audit of all public debt and contingent liabilities; 7. Address ecological deterioration, especially those that affect livelihoods and the general habitat of the poor and socially excluded; 8. Call for ordinary citizens to come forward, be involved and make a difference. - GMANews.TV