Kabataan Party-list is at the height of its campaigns. All through the years, the culture of Philippine politics had always been painted with name calling, harassment, destroying a candidate or a group's reputation and even murder and homicide. Most recent is the hideous Ampatuan Massacre in Maguindanao. We critique those who are not worthy, specially the government puppets. Oftentimes, those who just want to do it for fun and baseless rattling taints the essence of these critiquing. Oftentimes as well, we critics or the opposition are being critiqued. This became evident in one of the comments in our official campaigning website (http://kabataanpartylist.com/):
ray joey 03:53ano ba yang nilagay nyo na text sa isang poster nyo binasura nyo ba ang no permit no exam policy? di yan totoo, tsaka sa pork barrel na natatanggap nyo sana marami kayong skolar,nagpapayaman rin kayo
I cannot blame the likes of Ray Joey. A politician even told us the same thing when we solicited assistance for a regional activity.
A party-list is a group that represents the minority. Duly mandated by none other than our constitution itself, it aims to protect the rights and interests of the minority or the marginalized and underrepresented sectors. Yes, as a party-list voted upon by the people, we are also entitled to the P70 Million annual pork barrel allocation which will finance identified, worthy and endorsed projects for the sector or group the party-list is representing.
On our case, such big money could have indeed financed a lot of less fortunate yet worthy students through scholarship programs. However, as a matter of fact we were never given our pork barrel allocations. Last year, we, including other left-wing party-lists Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela, were even accused by Bantay Rep. Jovito Palparan Jr. and Anad Rep. Pastor Alcover Jr. (both government puppet party-lists) of using our pork barrel to organize and finance anti-government rallies and procure firearms and ammunition for communist rebels.
Then Quirino Rep. Junie Cua, chairman of the House committee on appropriations confirmed this and then after he briefly conferred with Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr., he told us that the problem was lack of funds.
“We will not beg for the pork barrel funds and we cannot be silenced despite the oppression that we are being subjected to. But we want the people to know that despite the absence of our pork barrel funds, we even earned two seats for Gabriela and Bayan Muna got three seats in this chamber,’’ quoting Rep. Liza Maza of Gabriela as she told the Manila Standard Today.
There is no lack of funds. We were oppressed. Hon. Prospero C. Nograles, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Hon. Edcel C. Lagman's, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations explained and justified pork barrel in their Understanding the “Pork Barrel”, "Indeed, understanding the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) is appreciating its necessity and import. It is not by any measure akin to the sinful “pork barrel” of the original American mold."
Despite the justification, many still believed that it is being used in favor of and against the enemy of the government. It was used during the times of the dictator Pres. Ferdinand Marcos (Salvador Miranda, “The Politics of Pork”, November, 1996). It is being used as well today by the corrupt and neodictator Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to oppress her enemies and critics, including us leftist party-lists. You might want to ask, how is that possible? She cannot. Well, unfortunately, she can. Let me copy here the exact words of Nograles and Lagman:
In the precedent-setting case of Philconsa vs.Enriquez, et al., the High Court declared in no uncertain terms that the CDF is valid and constitutional. It was ruled that:
Under the Constitution, the spending power called by James Madison as “the power of the purse,” belongs to Congress, subject only to the veto power of the President. The President may propose the budget, but still the final say on the matter of appropriations is lodged in the Congress. The power of appropriation carries with it the power to specify the project or activity to be funded under the appropriation law. It can be as detailed and as broad as Congress wants it to be.
The Supreme court further held that:
The Constitution is a framework of a workable government and its interpretation must take into account the complexities, realities and politics attendant to the operation of the political branches of government. Prior to the GAA of 1991, there was an uneven allocation of appropriations for the constituents of the members of Congress, with the members close to the Congressional leadership or who hold cards for "horse-trading," getting more than their less favored colleagues. The members of Congress also had to reckon with an unsympathetic President, who could exercise his veto power to cancel from the appropriation bill a pet project of a Representative or Senator.
And the sad truth is that, the Congress is dominated by Administration representatives. President Arroyo can veto our prospected projects and the Congress will support her. In spite of this, we were able to deliver impressive number of votes last 2007 elections. We were able to accomplish a lot even before we aspired for Congress and run as a party-list.
The most recent of our youth's victories are:
1. Anti No Permit, No Exam Policy
It was Kabataan Partylist that filed the HB6799 or the “Anti-No-Permit, No-Exam Policy” filed by Palatino last September 10, 2009. CHED duly acknowledged and said Okay to it with Commission on Higher Education's (CHEd) issuance of CHEd Memorandum Order (CMO) 02 series of 2010, directing Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to be flexible in the implementation of ‘no permit, no exam’ policy.
CHED officially issued the memo on January 22, 2010. The CHED Memo states in Section 3 . Specific Guidelines, “As such, HEIs shall allow students with delinquent accounts to take school examinations.”
2. No to Tuition Fee Increase (TFI)
The stoppage of tuition fee increase in Major Universities in the country and even hundreds of other Universities nationwide after Rep. Raymond "Mong" Palatino of Kabataan, along with student and youth leaders, conducted a dialogue with Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman Emmanuel Angeles. He even asked to be furnished a list of schools being complained in the Kabataan Partylist hotlines that are planning to raise tuition fees and so that he would not approve them - that was after Palatino raised that most of the 233 private schools have tuition hike proposals that have violated consultation guidelines with students and parents. (http://kabataanpartylist.com/blog/breaking-news-students-triumph-over-tuition-hikes-ched-chair-angeles-declares-no-tuition-hike-in-pup/).
This May 2010, we are running once again for Congress not to collect our pork barrel and worse not to make ourselves rich, but to continue what we have started and aim for more and greater victories - victories that will address one by one the roots of the problems and dilemmas that confront not only the youth but the Philippine society as a whole. We, as the first and only youth partylist in Congress today, will continue to stand for the rights of the youth, students and every Filipino citizen to free and accessible education; adequate jobs for all new graduates and the protection of workers’ rights; against corruption and works for the immediate prosecution of corrupt government officials at all levels; continue its pro-environment advocacy.
Most importantly, Kabataan Party-list means politics of change.
In this time of corrupt governance and political unrest, the nation needs young, vibrant and innovative minds that will restore integrity and morality in governance and lead the nation to genuine progress and social change. This is what we stand for.
Ipagpapatuloy natin ang laban!
Mabuhay ang mga Iskolar ng Bayan na lumalaban!
Mabuhay ang Kabataang Pilipino!
Re-elect for Congress - KABATAAN PARTY-LIST!!!
References:
http://kabataanpartylist.com/
"Understanding the “Pork Barrel," by Hon. Prospero C. Nograles, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Hon. Edcel C. Lagman, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations
"Leftwing solons demand release of their pork barrel," http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2009/october/17/news5.isx&d=/2009/october/17
"10 Reasons Why We Should Vote for Kabataan Partylist on May 10," http://kabataanpartylist.com/blog/10reasons/
