Iyan, kasi

Nature trip lang!

San Juan, Batangas -- My elders used to tell me that our clan (Mayuga) originated from this town. Well, historically, Mayuga really came from Batangas and what made ours, meaning my ancestors (Lolo Martin Mayuga) to migrate to Panay Island is one hell of a story. So let us skip that part. I was in San Juan with some of my colleagues in the media covering the "Environment Beat" on 25 and 26 April, 2008 for a nature trip in this beautiful town. Ahhh yes, the white beaches and pristine sea. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out well. But it is worth the adventure. The thrill. We did a shallow river trek to the foot of the Laiya Aplaya Mountain. Six of us, which include me, rode horses, of course, guided by the horses' owners.

The horse, Alasan, and me

The horse owners are actually farmers who are trying to be tourist guide on that particular adventure - the trip to Bat Kingdom. The Laiya Aplaya Mountain is home to two species of giant fruit bats. Well. The place was indeed swarming with giant fruit bats.

The giant fruit bats

On the foot of the mountain, we needed to scale the mountain on foot because it will be too difficult for the horse to go up, much more, to go down. It was 45 degrees to 90 degrees elevation. As expected, I had a very hard time catching up with the younger ones. Fortunately, I stopped smoking a year ago which perhaps helped me stay fit to eventually make it to the Bat Kingdom. Uhaw, pagod and gutom, not to mention. There we saw the bats. Really plenty of them. Flying and hanging unto those trees. We can't get close enough to see if they really taste good. He he. Of course, the Municipality of San Juan has banned the hunting of bats in the area, because they really wanted to promote the place as an ecotourism destination. I say it's good. The place has the potential. A lot of nature tripper will be willing to try the place. On our way back, it's a lot easier. Kung pwede nga lang gugulong na lang ako eh. He he he. Anyway, the trip was, well worth it. Unfortunately, not all good trips are good trips. The bad thing about the trip is that, on our way back, I fell from the horse. The horse that I picked on our way back was somewhat picky. She doesn't want someone pulling her hair. She doesn't want some horse getting near her, too. Why and how I fell from the horse? One stupid horse got too close to her and she kicked the other horse. She was hysterical. She was jumping up and down. The guide can't seem to stop her. I lost balance and fell. Fortunately, I was able to avoid falling from the big bolder nearby. Otherwise, I could have sustained serious injury. Anyway, the guide blamed me for jumping from the horse. Well, I wouldn't want the horse to fall with me. My God, I'm 100 kilos and I can see why she's so uneasy. He he. Anyway, I rode her again and went on. We were able to reach the river where our vehicles were waiting and finally, I'm safe. Another thing... after I fell, my sister's canon camera fell and nearly soaked in the river. It was wet so I guess it needs cleaning. Fortunately, it is still working. After the horseback riding and visit to bat kingdom, we went to join a boat ride to see the mangrove forests. There’s nothing new in there, though. Nothing amazing, either. But the boat ride was exciting. It was already noon and the wind was strong. The waves could have caused our small motorized banca to capsize. Luckily, we were able to go back alive. Well, as I've said, not all adventures are can be considered great. My colleagues were dismayed because our host sent us to a place to spend the night with nothing except a small kubo (hut) a pillow and a blanket. Of course, the food was good but the place. Well, it's too much a nature trip for the girls and boys. Thanks anyway to our hosts and I will say, that they have been a generous host and sponsor to us all.

Bahala na Diyos

Riding motorcycle is a risky business

Negotiating the road, even with a four-wheel vehicle is risky enough. Much more if you are riding a two-wheeled vehicle – like a scooter or a motorcycle which I have been using for the past several months. It’s a Honda Wave 100, payment of which I took over from my younger brother who decided that he’ll never ride a motorcycle again after a minor accident back home in Cavite. I can’t blame him. Last Tuesday, April 29, I figured in another accident. Many of the accidents I figured in for the past months are not as serious as this one. Thanks to my helmet, I’m still alive and still blogging. He he he. Well, what can I say? I’ve figured in several accidents before. I have nine stitches on my left thigh, severed knees (it means both knees), hit my head with helmets on several times, and burned my right thigh by the steaming hot muffler, among others. The latest was, well, a little more exciting. It happened between 9 am to 9:30 a.m. (Exactly, I clocked it at 9:15) in front of the main entrance of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center along North Avenue, Quezon City.

I was on my way to work (actually, I was on my way to the Land Transportation Office to renew the motorcycle’s registration, its plate number ending in 5) and was traversing North Avenue when a taxi cab cut my path. I was running at a speed of 50 kph and was about five to seven meters away when I noticed the taxi in front of me. It came from a training center just across the main entrance of the hospital. How stupid of him to cross North Avenue, a major thoroughfare, when in fact he knew the vehicles were fast moving towards Quezon Circle. We have the green light, by the way.Quick thinking on my part, perhaps, saved me from more serious injuries, if not death, as well as other motorists. Had I avoided the taxi, I would have hit another motorcycle rider on my right… Had I turned left, I would have hit the taxi’s front nevertheless, or be hit by the taxi myself, because the taxi was still moving when I hit it. So what I did was stepped on the break hard and strong but still, I hit the taxi. Because of the impact, I flew and rolled over the taxi’s compartment then fell on the concrete road. I was able to stand up quickly and avoid incoming vehicles. Checked myself up and decided I wasn’t seriously injured. All that I suffered from were abrasions and bruises on the left leg and thigh. Not to worry. My very reliable motorcycle was the one that suffered the most… When I checked, its front was badly damaged. I believe the wheel needs re-alignment and the body cover, well, needs replacement. I also need to have the breaks repaired, as well as the steering wheel, if I may call it that. It took me and the driver of the taxi more than two hours waiting for traffic policemen to arrive and investigate what happened but to no avail. They never came. An MMDA traffic enforcer came by and drew a sketch of the accident. I wasn’t about to let them haul my motorcycle yet despite the traffic the accident was causing along North Avenue, because I wasn’t sure that’s the right procedure. In my experience as a journalist, the traffic enforcer should be the one doing the sketching and investigating. Anyway, some of the traffic policemen’s “boys” went over to take pictures and so I agreed that we proceed to the traffic sector 6 in QC which has the jurisdiction.
Does it mean I'm quitting motorcycle riding? Definitely.... NOT. Imagine the traffic and the skyrocketing bus and jeepney fare? Imagine how much you're going to save when you ride a motorcycle than take a taxi? And imagine the time and effort you save when you get yourself stocked into traffic which Metro Manila is notorious for nowadays?"
And the accident? Well, it’s just another day for a pusang gala like me. Everyday is an adventure. Everyday is a learning experience. And this one, I will definitely remember well. By the way, I’m pursuing charges against the driver. He doesn’t deserve a driver’s license. Moreso, he doesn’t deserver a professional driver’s license.

Paano na sila?

The question is, will there be an available relocation site for these people? Maybe, or maybe not. The point is, the Philippine government has no comprenesive human settlement plan. Metro Manila's squatters continue to grow in number because people in the province where employment opportunity is scarce are forced to migrate to where they think job hunting will be easy. Apparently, there's no job for them in Metro Manila. The country's rich natural resources should be sufficient to feed the country's growing population but how, when even the lands devoted for food production belong to the few ruling class - the rich and the moneyed who run the government, or control their dummies in Malacanang, the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives.
If demolished, where would these poor people go?

50,000 Laguna de Bay squatters must go
Published at Business Mirror April 25, 2008

By Jonathan Mayuga
Correspondent

AFTER starting to dismantle illegal fish cages at Laguna de Bay, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is now faced with the bigger challenge of relocating some 50,000 squatters to rehabilitate the lake.
This was revealed by Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) general manager Edgar Manda after leading the dismantling of the illegal structures on Wednesday.
So far, a total of illegal 74 fish cages with no pertinent permits have been dismantled.
Environment Secretary Lito Atienza commended Manda, but said he will closely monitor the clearing operation to ensure the successful revival of the lake.
The dismantling of the illegal structures will allow water to flow smoothly, which, hopefully, will help reverse its degradation.
“This is just the first phase of the clearing operation. Fish pens will follow. The dismantling operations will take about two years to allow fish-pen owners to recover their investment and to lessen the impact of zero fish pen and fish cage to Metro Manila’s freshwater-fish supply.”
He added that the gradual phase-out will address the growing concern on freshwater-fish production, especially for Metro Manila, where 30 percent of its supply of milkfish (bangus) and tilapia came from Laguna de Bay.
However, Manda said dealing with solid waste, both domestic and industrial, and the proliferation of squatters in the area is the bigger task at hand for the DENR and the LLDA.
“There are 50,000 squatters on the lake banks and surrounding areas of the lake, adding up to the degradation of the water quality,” Manda said.
He said the dismantling of fish pens and fish cages is just one part of the rehabilitation plan for Laguna de Bay. Relocation of squatters is another.
“We cannot fully rehabilitate the lake unless other problems are addressed, like the squatters who immensely contribute to the degradation of the water quality of the lake,” Manda said.
About 77 percent of Laguna de Bay’s pollution load reportedly comes from households, 11 percent from industries and 12 percent from land run-off.
Laguna de Bay is the largest freshwater lake in the country. It is also the largest freshwater basin in Southeast Asia. It is being eyed as a potential source of potable water for Metro Manila, and is currently being utilized for power generation.

Kami rin, pwede mag-negosyo!

Philippines fishers to establish seafood restaurant, turning area into ecotourism location
Jonathan Mayuga, Business Mirror ABS-CBN 17 Mar 08;

KABASALAN, Zamboanga Sibugay—A small group of municipal fishermen-turned-fish-cage operators in this town are going big time with their innovative livelihood projects, transforming their community into an ecotourism destination with the support of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
Members of the Kalugpungan sa Gagmay Mangingisda sa Concepcion (KGMC) are planning to put up a seafood restaurant soon to promote their barangay as an eco-tourism destination. Besides creating additional employment, the initiative will also empower people in the community.
Roberto A. Ballon, KGMC chairman, said the restaurant will serve cultured grouper fish, oyster or talaba and freshwater crabs.KGMC, or the Small Fisherfolks Association of Concepcion, is composed of 251 agrarian-reform beneficiaries belonging to the Greenfields agrarian reform community.
Through the help of the DAR-Western Mindanao Community Initiative Project (WMCIP), KGMC’s 251 members who used to be municipal fishermen made a complete turnaround, as they started to culture talaba, catch alimango, then later, invest in "high-end" fish-cage operation—culturing maya-maya and various species of grouper fish, legally."Before, we earned less than P100 a day. Our fishing methods were even illegal, considering we used nets that catch even the small fishes.
"We know it is illegal, but we have no choice. Through the DAR-WMCIP, we changed. Now, we are fish-cage operators," he said.The fishing method, locally called sudsod, is destructive since it kills seagrass and the fishes’ natural habitat in the coastal areas.Now, Ballon, who owns 12 floating fish cages, with his P50,000 investment now earns P8,000 to P10,000 net, on top of other sources of income such as culturing talaba and catching alimango.
Ballon boasts of receiving two national awards, including a Presidential Award for sharing his talaba culture technology to others. While others who culture talaba use bamboo pole as tulos, or rope that they hang underneath to allow talaba to grow, Ballon simply scatters them in the mud.
The talaba grow bigger and even taste better and juicier."I just tried it. To my surprise, it worked. So why need to invest to put up structures to culture them when they grow in the mud?" he said.
KGMC members have rights to a 17-hectare land situated in the coasts in barangay Concepcion.In 2001, DAR, through the WMCIP, a United Nations-funded project under its International Fund for Agricultural Development Program, convinced them to help manage the marine coastal resources and start their own livelihood project, encouraging them to try fish-cage operation.
The group has undergone various seminars to strengthen their capacities, until members are confident enough to start their own livelihood projects. Recognizing the big demand for grouper fish, they agreed to culture the fish variety.
Ballon also organized KGMC, which now has more than two hundred members."From 10 members, we now have 251 members. We are doing good business," he said.DAR-WMCIP provided KGMC financial support in the amount of P150,000 for the net and fingerlings, including payment for their training.From six floating cages when they started in 2001, there are now a total of 42 fish cages in the area.
Fish-cage operations generate jobs, according to Ballon.While some of their members operate fish cages, others catch fingerlings which they buy at P25 each.
Within six months, the grouper fish can be sold from P75 to P250 each, depending on the size and variety of the fish.Ordinary grouper fish, which weighs less than half a kilo each, costs P65 each. However, those that weigh up to a kilo cost P130 each.
A fish cage can accommodate 200 fishes, with a 90-percent survival rate, which is much higher than those that come from hatcheries, according to Ballon.They also buy what he calls "scraps," or caught fish that cannot be sold because they are either too small or damaged, at P15 a kilo.
Normally, he said, it will cost a fish-cage operator P3,000 for every 10 feet by 10 feet fish floating cage for the entire season.
To protect their livelihood, KGMC volunteered to help protect the marine coastal resources, including the all-important bakawan or mangrove which they planted.
The bakawan serve as natural habitat and protection from predator for young and small fishes.
"People used to laugh at me, because they saw me planting mangroves. They even teased me, saying they will be the ones to cut them later when they mature," he said.Fortunately, the local government of Kabalasan passed a resolution that provides permanent protection to the mangrove forests in the coastal barangay, as well as the entire town."We have a tie-up with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, that’s why we can move freely. Otherwise, all our livelihood projects here will not be possible," he said.
Mangrove trees now thrive, resulting in other benefits, including breeding freshwater crabs that could guarantee a P3,000 monthly income for every hard-working member.
"Lazy people don’t get anything. But those who work hard earn more than enough to feed themselves," he said.
The freshwater crabs are caught using traps with dried fish as bait during high tide."It is easy to catch those crabs. You just put the trap, put some dried fish, and wait for the high tide. In the morning, when the water subsides, you’ll have your crabs," he said.
Ballon said since they have their own source of fresh seafood, they conducted a study regarding the feasibility of establishing their own restaurant to sustain their livelihood.So far, KGMC has constructed 15 cottages which have started to attract local tourists, who gave them the idea of serving those fresh maya-maya or lapu-lapu that they grow in fish cages, the talaba and those delicious freshwater crabs.
"If other seafood restaurants are making good business out of the fish we sell to them, why can’t we? This way, we can also help provide jobs not only to our families, but other people in our barangay," he said.

Extra rice, please!

When we eat, wether at home or at a local carinderia, we almost always order for extra rice. Some, however, would later leave their plate with a lot of wastes on their plate. The reason is simple. We take everything for granted. We take rice for granted.
Filipinos eat rice more than any other nation in the world. According to the Department of Agriculture, rice feeds 90% to 95% of the country's close to 90 million popupulation. We start eating rice cereal at the early age of one. Even as an infant, some of us are fed with am, which our parents use as alternative to the more expensive infant formula. We eat rice, sometimes even for breakfast. Sinangag or fried rice is commonly served with tapa, fried egg, tuyo, or sardinas. At lunch, we can't work without eating a plateful of rice. Even at night, we eat rice sometimes twice when we are at home. But when it comes to wasting rice, Filipinos are also number one.
I eat rice perhaps more than any member of the family. Even when I wake up late at night, instead of a midnight snack, I eat rice. My dad used to joke in the morning that some cat ate all of our food the previous night, then would look and smile at me.
Why rice. Well, no other food in the world can be better source of energy. Rice is easy to grow. The Philippines used to be one of the world's rice producer. Until, of course, we got used to importing them because farmers no longer find planting rice profitable. Land conversion is being blamed for the poor rice production. The shrinking area devoted to rice because most landowners sell them to real estate developers who in turn make a subdivision, a golf course, mall or commercial complex out of what used to be ricefields.
Of course, the government is also to be blamed for failing to develop Philippine agriculture. Imagine despite all those years that our rice production is falling short of increasing demand, we have not invested in irrigation to ensure adequate rice will be produced. Talking about food (in)security.
Now, we are facing a rice crisis. Not because there are no more supply of rice, but because unscrupulous traders take advantage of the panic buying among consumers that was triggered by irresponsible media reporting that there's rice supply shortage. This was aggravated by the NFA's failure to secure adequate supply of rice to strike a balance between the price of commercial rice and government subsidized rice during these crucial times when the government can't stop panic buying and can't impose price control among local traders. And why not, most government officials are the ones involved in price manipulation and excessive rice importation for their own vested interests.
Today, we say please for an extra cup of rice when eating at a fancy restaurant or carinderia.
Tomorrow, we may be begging for even our first cup of rice.
Soon enough, we will be eating corn and cassava because there will be no more rice.
Kaya habang meron pa, let's enjoy eating rice and whenever we ask for extra rice, let's not forget to say "please."

Saludo ako sa iyo, bata!

Biofuels scientist offered work to country
By Jonathan L. Mayuga, Business Mirror Correspondent
Published Mar 2006 in The UPLB Horizon

When Normand Secreto discovered there was high ethanol potential in molasses, he didn’t think twice about pursuing a thesis that would impact on the people and the economy. Soon enough, the 22-year-old BS Chemical Engineering graduate found ways to extract high ethanol content from strains of molasses which can be used in the production of ethanol products - including alcohol and fuel. Ethanol can be used as an additive for gasoline to mitigate the steadily increasing fuel process. It can also provide a cleaner and environment-friendly alternative to imported fossil fuels.
Normand got as far as his thesis, distinguished by having determined the highest percentage of ethanol (12 percent against the existing record of 9 percent) that can be extracted from molasses - and both his teachers at UP Los Baños and private firms looking to apply his discovery are excited. But the brilliant young scientist is dead, victim of a recent freak accident. He fell last week from a jeep where he was hanging on the running board, on his way to a retreat in Mount Makiling. He suffered a fatal blow on the skull.
His professor and thesis adviser, Dr. Fidel Rey Nayve, said Normand’s experiment would have been the most significant scientific discovery in ethanol production and would have made him the youngest, sought-after biofuels scientist in the country today.
Normand, however, did not live long enough to enjoy the recognition – or perhaps even the monetary rewards, which would have been useful to his family in General Santos City. “He was so young,” laments Nayve. “He could have done more for the country.”
Nayve described Normand as their “workhorse”, doing much of the job with enthusiasm and high spirits. “He was very patriotic. He dedicated his work to the Filipino people,” he said.
Despite his humble origins and the oft-repeated admonition of people for him to do well for he can provide for a family of six children where he was the eldest sibling, Normand’s sense of duty to country was overwhelming. In the acknowledgement page of his chemical engineering thesis: “Evaluation of Distillery Slops as Medium Component in Molasses-based Ethanol Fermentation Using Biotech Yeast Strains,” Normand wrote:
“To my countrymen, the Filipino people, who subsidized my schooling in this University; may you reap the true worth of the taxes you paid when I graduate. It is my pleasure to serve you all in my own little ways…Mabuhay ang Pilipino! I keep on praying…Babangon ang Pilipinas.”
Nayve admits he had a soft spot for his brilliant chemistry student. The eldest of six children, Normand belonged to a poor family like his teacher. “He was very studious. He knew that his family is depending on him to finish his studies,” says Nayve.
Nayve himself was able to study college through a scholarship offered by the state university to deserving students in the countryside. “I didn’t intend to study at UPLB because we were poor. I’m from Bicol. Even if I pass the UP College Admissions Test (UPCAT), we would not be able to afford the costs of my college education,” Normand’s professor said.
Nayve’s mother, way back in the late 1970s, was a plain housewife while his father was an employee of a bottling company. When 20 application forms were raffled off by their school to 200 students, he was lucky to “win” one application form, prompting him to fill it up and take the test for UPCAT.
Like him, Normand had to work to be able to study - despite the fact that being a state university student entitled them to a lot of benefits, including free tuition and allowance as state scholars. Normand graduated in 2005. He worked for a computer college before transferring to the UP Rural High School in Los Baños, where he taught mathematics last November.
Nayve says Normand continued to be involved in his BIOTECH team, doing most of the work in their biofuels program. “He really supervised it closely, that’s why the results came out well.”
Normand’s experiment was considered a breakthrough in ethanol production. Normand was able to produce ethanol at 12-percent volume per volume (v/v), even in medium containing 40-percent distillery slops. The thesis, which he shared with Nayve, and fellow researchers Irene Gabrido, Francisco Elegado and Catalino Alfafara, was present at the 27th Annual Scientific Meeting of the National Academy of Science and Technology in July 2005.
It focused on the current thrust of the government to expand the use of nonoil energy and fuel sources, especially biofuel. Normand used the simplest strategy of producing yeast strains that produce ethanol. He explained that the expected increase in ethanol production will be accompanied by the increase in distillery slops generation, which is the main waste in the distillery industry.
Distillery slops is a major environmental concern because of their high biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Using the best combination of slops and yeast strain with bioreactor, Normand was able to determine potentially superior yeast strains among 10 local yeast isolates he used for the experiment. He concluded that high ethanol production at 12-percent v/v was possible even in medium containing 40-percent distillery slops, after one of the strains performed much better - perhaps better than most currently used industrial yeast strains.
Impressed by Normand’s dedication to the experiment, Nayve sees a big a possibility for industry players using the thesis in the production of ethanol - both alcohol and fuel.
Although the results of the thesis have not yet been fully validated by industry players, Nayve is confident the result of the experiment is valid and will boost production of ethanol in the country in the future. “This is a very important discovery. He got such a potent strain for use in ethanol production,” Nayve says.
Note: This article is reprinted from the March 13, 2006 issue of the Business Mirror.

Coalition: Senators should be given time
to study committee report on Jpepa
Published in the Business Mirror April 16, 2008

By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Correspondent

OPPONENTS of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) chided President Arroyo’s pitch Monday for the senators to approve the controversial treaty when Congress resumes sessions next Monday.
The Magkaisa Junk Jpepa Coalition (MJJC) said the senators should be given ample time to study the committee report before casting their crucial votes.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago recently announced that the committee report will be released on April 28.
As a matter of procedure, the senators are usually given ample time to study a committee report before it is calendared for sponsorship on the floor.
Members of the MJJC said it is important to give the other senators time to study the report beforehand, as it is their duty to raise questions and points of interpellation to the sponsors, especially on a matter of great impact to the nation, such as Jpepa.
The Senate has yet to announce the date for the voting on Jpepa. For the Jpepa to be ratified, 16 affirmative, or yes, votes are needed.
MJJC, which has been campaigning against the ratification of the alleged lopsided treaty, described the ratification of Jpepa as “a greater bitter poison for the public to stomach.”
Guingona, an outspoken nationalist who was among the so-called Magnificent 12 senators who voted in 1991 to end the RP-US military bases agreement, rallied the country’s senators to resist the pressure to give their stamp of approval on the tarnished pact.
“The Senate should not be deceived by the specious benefits of Jpepa that are being peddled by President Arroyo and her adherents. The economic and financial gains that our country is supposed to reap once the treaty is ratified are purely speculative and lacking real merits as the proceedings of the Senate hearings would show,” Guingona said in a joint statement with MJJC, a multisectoral movement campaigning for the rejection of the alleged “flawed” treaty.
“Japan’s own study reveals that the Philippines is not a priority destination for Japanese investments, at least for the next three years, because of ‘inadequate infrastructure, an underdeveloped legal system and problems with legal operation,’ among others. Jpepa won’t cure the reasons behind low foreign direct investments, but it will definitely be a grand-scale surrender of our rights as a sovereign people,” he added.
Lawyer Golda Benjamin, lead counsel of the MJJC, echoed Guingona in cautioning about the much-ballyhooed profits to be gained from Jpepa’s ratification. He expressed hoped that the Senate will assert its institutional independence and “fight for the sovereign interests of the Filipino people.”
“The President promises P365 billion in direct foreign investments from Japan if Jpepa is signed, something not found in the actual text of the treaty. Even if it was in the treaty, we now ask: Is that the price for Filipinos to violate our own Constitution, to surrender our lands and seas, and even surrender the lawmaking powers of Congress? If the President answers yes to that question, we hope the Senate is brave enough to go against it. Surely, this nation deserves leaders who can say no to the illegal sale of Filipinos and their rights,” Benjamin said.
Guingona and Benjamin cited the 2007 survey on the international operations of Japanese companies by the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro), a government-related agency, which ranked the Philippines as last among 18 Japanese investment destinations.
The same survey showed the country as among the top five places where there are many risks of doing business.
The Jetro survey results, noted the MJJC, disprove what President Arroyo said in her speech yesterday at the Yazaki-Torres factory in Calamba City, where she announced that Jpepa would bring in P365 billion in direct investments and create over 200,000 jobs.

Sweldo naman ang itaas!

Militant groups press
passage of P125 wage hike
Published in the Business Mirror April 16, 2008

By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Correspondent

MILITANT groups reiterated Tuesday the call for legislated wage hike and urged President Arroyo to certify as urgent the P125 wage-hike bill in the wake of the increasing price of rice and other basic commodities in the Philippines.
In a joint statement, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and the Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) said instead of tasking the regional wage boards across the country to act on the workers demand for wage increase, President Arroyo should certify as urgent the bill that will legislate wage hike of P125 for the workers’ daily take- home pay.
House Bill (HB) 345, which calls for a P125 across-the-board wage increase was filed by militant party-list lawmakers, namely, Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran, Bayan Muna Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiٌo and Gabriela party-list Reps. Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan.
“Mrs. Arroyo should instead dismantle the unproductive and antiworker wage boards and send marching order to Congress to pass HB 345 on or before May 1. The law can be passed and signed in less than a week’s time if President Arroyo is really sincere in her wage-hike proposal,” the statement said.
Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap and UMA national chairman Rene Galang said the regional wage boards, by orientation and by design, are meant to further keep the daily take-home pay of Filipino at “depressed levels.”
“The regional wage boards are forever white elephants to workers and chiefly serve the best interests of capital. The passage of the P125 wage-hike bill is very material, very urgent and the most politically, legally and morally correct way of addressing the pressing need of the working class of this country,” the groups added.
Pamalakaya said the passage of the P125-wage increase has become a political and economic necessity for the country given what he described as seemingly unstoppable increases in the prices of rice and other basic needs, which are further compounded and complicated by the weekly increases in the prices of petroleum products.
Citing the recent study made by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) that each family of six needs P768 per day to survive in Metro Manila, Pamalakaya said the P350 minimum wage, which is regularly received by nonagricultural workers is way, way below the required amount for a family of six to survive.
The NWPC also said the P350 minimum wage is actually worth P245.61 today based on the present inflation rate. In the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, this has the lowest minimum wage pegged at P200 a day, a family of six needs P1,008 a day to survive. However, the nominal basic pay of P200 if translated to a real wage would only be P136.71 today.
For his part, Galang of UMA said the real value of workers’ wages had also seriously been eroded. Citing the study made by independent think tank Ibon Foundation, the union leader said the purchasing power of the peso in Metro Manila fell to 70 centavos from 72 centavos from April 2006 to April 2007.
“This means that a worker has lost P2 of actual buying power for every P100 he or she earns. This is despite the fact that the workers’ productivity has increased from P9,265 per month to P9,560 per month from April 2006 to April 2007.

Paano naman kami?

Workers in fishery, agri sector
not covered by wage hike
Published in the Business Mirror (April 18-19, 2008)

By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Correspondent

WHAT about us?
This was the question posed by militant groups in the fishery and agriculture sector following reports that only 5 million of the close to 34 million workers, or 15 percent of the country’s labor force, will benefit from President Arroyo’s promised wage increase.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamala-kaya) and the Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) said the figure will not include the bulk of minimum- wage earners representing organized and unorganized labor, including some 600,000 commercial fish workers and almost the same number of farm workers who were denied of their much-deserved wage increase in the process.
Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said President Arroyo is merely taking the Filipino people for another roller-coaster ride in issuing her directive, which he said was only meant to counter the sharp drop in her approval rating.
Hicap was referring to negative trust and approval ratings according to the latest survey released by the Social Weather Stations, which showed that President Arroyo’s ratings dropped to the same level when the Chief Executive was implicated in the “Hello, Garci” scandal in 2005.
“Mrs. Arroyo merely wants to divide the labor sector by announcing wage increase for 15 percent of the population, and denying 85 percent of the country’s labor force of their much-needed pay hike,” Hicap added.
The Pamalakaya leader insisted that the 33.7 million labor force, which include both private and state workers, badly need a P125 across-the-board pay hike to cope with the rising prices of food and other basic necessities.
Hicap’s sentiment was echoed by UMA chairman Rene Galang, who said the wage-hike order of President Arroyo will not cover agricultural workers all over the country.
“Mrs. Arroyo merely gave false hopes out of her empty promise. Anyway, agricultural workers do not believe her, because for every 10 promises she made, 11 are broken according to her track record as enemy of labor and willing puppet of foreign and local capitalists,” the Hacienda Luisita sugar worker said.
Ciriaco Lagunzad, executive director of the National Wage and Productivity Commission (NWPC), revealed Wednesday that only 5 million of the nearly 34 million labor force in the country will benefit from President Arroyo’s order for regional tripartite wage boards to grant pay hikes to minimum-wage earners.
The NWPC official said the wage increase will not be across the board, saying only the minimum-wage earners will get pay hikes determined by the regional wage boards.
The official said those earning above the inimum wage of P350 per day will not be covered by the wage increase to be determined and approved by the wage boards.
They reminded President Arroyo and Lagunzad, that based on the findings of the NWPC, each family of six needs P768 per day to survive in Metro Manila and that the current P350 minimum wage, which is regularly received by nonagricultural workers, is way, way below of the required amount for a family of six to survive.