A Model Community

Iloilo province is now a model  of political unity, good governance and economic development, thanks to President Aquino' "daang matuwid" or straight path.

This was the message conveyed by Senate President Franklin M. Drilon in his remarks on the occasion of the celebration of the 117th year of Philippine independence in Santa Barbara town on June 12. President Aquino himself led the commemoration. "Iloilo has made giant leaps and strides. Iloilo is on the move," Drilon said.

The Senate leader cited the gains made in  reviving the dying Iloilo River. "We revived it. The river esplanade is now a prime tourist destination.The Iloilo River has become the pride of Iloilo," he said.

The Iloilo River Plains, where the 1,000 families living along the river banks have been resettled, is now a model resettlement site, Drilon said. Among the other projects implemented in Iloilo in the past five years are the  Iloilo International Airport and the Iloilo seaport.

Drilon also reported on the progress made in the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project. Authorized under Republic Act 2651 in 1960, the project was fully funded  with a US$208 million ODA loan from South Korea.

Once completed, the project will irrigate 32,000 hectares of land, benefit 783,000 farmers, increase annual rice production to over 300,000 tons, produce 6.6MW of electricity, and provide up to 86,000 cubic meters per day of good quality potable water. Another achievement of the province, Drilon said, is the world-class convention center which will position Iloilo as a prime convention destination. It will be the venue of the upcoming APEC meeting in October.

Also on track is the upgrading of the road network. The provincial government widened the existing Senator Benigno Aquino Avenue to make it a 10-lane road, complete with a red-tiled bicycle lane.  The 14-kilometer four-lane President Corazon Aquino Avenue around the city has opened new areas for land development. "In Iloilo, we have our own versions of NLEX and SLEX, but unlike the two expressways, ours is free of charge, " Drilon said.

"In Iloilo, we have proven that if we are united, and put our collective interest before individual interest, we can create change. In Iloilo, we are nurturing big dreams, and are working hard to realize these dreams," Drilon explained.

In conclusion, Drilon pointed out: "I know that in each and every Filipino, there is a longing to make a difference.  There is an innate capacity to rise to the challenges of the times. And there is a profound love for our country. However, the best way to honor their legacy is to unite and bring our beloved country to its development goals on the wings of good governance."

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Anti-trust law will enhance PHL preparations for ASEAN integration

The recent approval by Congress of the Philippine Competition Act will bolster the country's  preparedness for eventual ASEAN market integration, Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said today.

Drilon said the approval of this landmark measure "will greatly boost the nation’s preparations as Southeast Asian markets unite under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the year’s end."

“With the Philippine Competition Act one step away from being enacted into law, we are much closer to ensuring that our country is at par with our ASEAN neighbors in terms of preventing unfair trade behavior within our shores,” he pointed out.

The Senate President noted that the Philippines remains the only original nation-member of the ASEAN without a comprehensive anti-trust law in effect. A competition law, he stressed, is a commitment under the AEC Blueprint.

He emphasized that the long-standing absence of a competition law “has discouraged and stymied the flow of investments to the country, thus inhibiting our long-term economic development.”

Drilon commended the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Chair Sen. Bam Aquino and the bicameral panel from both Houses of Congress “for all their hard work in crafting a landmark national competition policy.”  

"After nearly three decades of attempts by Congress to pass this law, finally, we will have a competition law in place which will protect businesses and consumers,” he said.

Drilon said that under the act, a Philippine Competition Commission will be established to enforce a national competition policy prohibiting anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position, and anti-competitive mergers and acquisitions.

The law will penalize enterprises guilty of engaging in unfair business practices with fines reaching up to P250 million, with amounts adjusted for inflation every five years. Offenders of the act may also face up to seven years in prison.

The Senate leader said the Philippine Competition Act will complement many of the economic reforms the government has been pursuing: “The Philippine Competition Act is just one of the many pro-economy reforms and policies which are being pushed to make the country more competitive and more compliant to international standards, thus maximizing our true economic potential.”
The Senate has already passed economic reform measures such as the amendments to the Cabotage Law and the Tax Incentives Transparency and Management Act (TIMTA).

Other proposed measures like the Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives, and the Customs and Tariff Modernization Act (CTMA) are part of the Senate's priority legislative agenda when it resumes its session next month.

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Underspending slows down economy

Senate President Franklin Drilon said today that 20 percent of the economy relies on government spending thus the failure of several government agencies to push through with their programs and projects already budgeted by Congress is saddening.

The underspending of such agencies like the education and social welfare departments, and even the Commission on Elections (Comelec), results in the country failing to meet its target to expand the national economy, he said.

“We failed to meet our GDP (gross domestic product) target because of the underspending of the agencies. The only agency I see utilizing its allocation is the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) under Secretary Singson,” said Drilon in Filipino.

In tackling the 2016 budget, Drilon said lawmakers would determine the root causes of underspending for which some sectors want concerned officials of the underspending agencies to be held accountable for.

“But just to be fair, because of the Supreme Court decisions on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), many of our colleagues in government are just being careful so as not to be dragged before the Ombudsman,” he added.

“A little mistake and then find themselves before the Ombudsman. That’s why government employees are being careful, but that’s not an excuse not to utilize the funds.”

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Sta. Barbara takes spotlight on Independence Day

Senate President Franklin Drilon confirmed today (June 10) that President Aquino would grace with his presence the country’s 117^th Independence Day celebration at Santa Barbara in Iloilo on June 12, Friday.

Drilon said that the President decided to attend the flag-raising in Santa Barbara because it was there that the Visayans raised the Philippine flag in November 1898 and established a revolutionary government under General Martin Delgado.

The traditional vin d’ honneur, in which the President, along with members of the diplomatic corps, would toast the country’s independence will follow.

More than 100 ambassadors are expected to attend the celebration, along with officials of the three branches of government, Drilon said.

Drilon said the people of Iloilo would use the occasion to showcase the progress that has been made under President Aquino’s “daang-matuwid” advocacy. -end-

Drilon: We will make sure BBL follows the Constitution

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today reiterated that the version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law to be approved by the Senate should be "within the four corners of the Constitution." 

Drilon made the statement in reaction to the statement of Sen. Ferdinand Marcos, chairman of the Senate committee on local government, that he cannot support the Palace version of the BBL.

"It is the prerogative of the committee certainly. Nobody has said that we will not revise the BBL as submitted by the Palace. We have always said that we will review and make sure that the BBL is within the four corners of the Constitution. So we will debate on the substitute bill when it is submitted to the chamber," Drilon said. "I don’t think the statement of Senator Marcos should cause much concern," he added. "The substitute bill is the committee report. It’s just called a substitute bill because it doesn’t refer to Section 1 of the BBL as submitted by Malacañang. So, maybe what he (Marcos) wants is that instead of going through an amendment of the measure, it is more convenient to present for debate a substitute bill. A substitute bill is the result of the hearings conducted in the committee," Drilon explained.

The Senate President said the senators have common ground in so far as the BBL is concerned. One, that it should pass the constitutional test. Two, that it should result in peace in Mindanao. And three, that national interest should be served.  "The Senate is a collegial body. No one can dictate (to us). The senators are all independent. They have their own independent assessment of the situation and we will debate on this," Drilon said.

As to whether the Senate can pass the BBL this month, Drilon said: "We are a democracy. We have totally independent branches of government. I think it cannot be denied that the Mamasapano episode delayed the debates on the BBL. No matter what you say, the Mamasapano incident delayed the enactment of this critical piece of legislation that can bring stability, peace and progress to Southern Mindanao."

       

Drilon also emphasized that it is not necessary for the BBL to be ratified by the people in a national plebiscite. Under the Constitution, the plebiscite is only for the affected areas.

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Voter Education

Senate President Franklin Drilon said that since 2016 is just around the corner, the government should focus on voter education, especially for the youth who will be voting for the first time and those who do not fully understand the importance of elections.

2016 is important if we want to continue the reforms of the present administration. We should not get carried away by what some people are saying. Rather, we should look at the integrity of those presenting themselves as candidates," Drilon said.

"For me integrity is the most important of the qualities of those we should elect as leaders of the country. If he does not have a clean record, it is likely that he would continue to be so even after elected into office," he said.

For Drilon, voters’ education is important "so that we can explain to our youth the importance of  voting for the right leaders, because the future of the nation will depend on it."

While the primary responsibility for voters' education  lies with Commission on Elections, Drilon pointed out, NGOs and election watchdogs should have their own voters’ education campaigns.

"This is part of our duties as citizens. We should teach our youth about the importance of elections, and we should not allow the nation to be ruled by those who do not deserve to be leaders," Drilon said. -end-

Ombudsman dismisses case vs Drilon et al

The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the plunder and malversation case against Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, and Tourism Secretary Ramong Jimenez Jr. in connection with the construction of the Iloilo Convention Center.

In its 27-page decision, the Ombudsman said that “there is no basis for this Office to charge respondents with malversation of public funds and plunder.”

“There is also no specific evidence that respondents appropriated, misappropriated, consented, or through abandonment or negligence, permitted another to take the subject funds,” it said.

The Ombudsman also criticized complainant Manuel Mejorada for relying on online sources in filing his case.

Mejorada, during the Senate hearing, admitted that he had no material evidence to prove his allegations, and that he merely relied on online sources such as Wikipedia.

“Complainant’s reliance to online sources cannot be given credence in establishing the culpability of respondents. Given the seriousness of the allegation, complainant should come forward not with unreliable sources but with concrete evidence,” the Ombudsman said. 

The Ombudsman also said that Mejorada’s allegation that the total cost of the ICC should have been pegged only at P192,000,000 is “misplaced.” It said the complainant’s assertion of the industry standard of P30,000.00 per square meter ”has no actual basis or supporting evidence.”

Contrary to Mejorada’s claim of undue injury to the government, the Ombudsman found out that the government was even able to save a huge amount of money allotted for the ICC’s design.

The Ombdusman also dismissed Mejorada’s claim that there was no public bidding conducted for the project.

 “Contrary to complainant’s allegation of rigged bidding, competitive bidding was still observed even during the negotiated procurement stage,” it said.     

The Ombudsman stressed that “having failed to establish the commission by respondents of the criminal offenses charged, it finds it unnecessary to dwell on the alleged existence of conspiracy (among Drilon, Singson, Jimenez, and others).”

 “We are grateful that the Ombudsman acted promptly on the case, for it was not only my reputation – which I have worked so hard for for the past 30 years – that was being maligned, but also that of the good secretaries of Public Works and Tourism, whose integrity and credibility have never been put into question until the baseless case against the ICC was maliciously filed,” said Drilon.

He said that the dismissal of the case "just goes to show that the baseless and malicious allegations hurled against the ICC are completely without merit.”

 “I have always been confident since day one in the Office of the Ombudsman's wisdom and competence to see through these lies concocted to discredit us and to jeopardize the implementation of the ICC,” the Senate President said.-end-