Editorial 3/4/16 (Philippines, ISIS, Mindanao, budget, women, politics, poverty, economic growth)
Philippine Star "IS at the Door"
Despite military denials about the terrorist Islamic State gaining a foothold in Mindanao, IS is seen to have at least inspired the assassination attempt on a Saudi Arabian cleric and a Saudi diplomat Tuesday night in Zamboanga City.Sun.Star Cebu "New Supplemental Budget"
Mindanao is already plagued by several violent groups: the Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and, in several areas, the communist New People’s Army. The leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has promised to continue observing a truce with the government despite the failure of Congress to pass a law creating the Bangsamoro. But IS can inspire adherents among any of the Islamic groups, including the MILF. [full text]
CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama is again putting the majority Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) councilors on the defensive after he submitted a proposed supplemental budget, the first for this year, to the City Council. The BOPK councilors last year sat on the proposed Supplemental Budget (SB) 1 that included an appropriation of P2.4 billion for the prepayment of the balance of the South Road Properties (SRP) loan. [full text]
Mindanao Times "Women in politics: getting the vote"
NOW on its 106th year and 17th year, the International Women’s Day and Women Summit Celebrations, respectively has continued to unify the agenda of women and in calling the attention of various government units and agencies in giving appropriate action and intervention. Alarmingly, 60% of the actual voters are women, yet an average of only 10-20 % hold electoral positions. Thus, it is difficult to talk about gender equality, when 53% of the country’s population is women but their share in the decision-making process does not reach 20%. [full text]
Manila Bulletin "And Now Bayabao"
The BBL would have been the central legacy of the Aquino administration. It hoped to end decades of fighting in Mindanao with an autonomous regional government with greater authority than the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), indeed of any other local government in the country. It was granted powers considered unconstitutional by some legal minds, including some in the Senate. But others believed the situation could be saved by a rewording of the bill to conform with provisions of the Constitution. [full text]Inquirer "To stamp out poverty"
The robust economic growth during the Aquino administration has seen domestic wealth getting so large that the richest Filipinos have landed in Forbes magazine’s annual listing of the world’s billionaires. The latest tally released by the international publication the other day showed 11 Filipinos making it to the roster dominated by US-based entrepreneurs.
The extent of the wealth of the richest Filipinos is enormous. In 2015, the 50 richest Filipinos in the Forbes list had a combined wealth of $76.6 billion, or P3.62 trillion at current exchange rates. This is bigger than the entire government budget of P3 trillion for 2016. "Economic growth led to poverty reduction. [P]overty in the Philippines has not been reduced by its GDP growth. The Philippines’ GDP from 2004 to 2009 grew by an average 4.9 percent, but its poverty incidence even increased to 26.5 percent in 2009. [full page]
