Migrants’ group urges probe of P30 million fund transfer to president’s office
 
The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) urged Feb. 2 the investigation of the alleged anomaly involving the unexplained transfer of P30 million by the Manila Economic Cultural Office (MECO) to the Office of the President in August 2003, nine months before the 2004 elections. MECO serves as a de-facto embassy of the Philippines in Taiwan.

“Considering that for the longest time, MECO has been claiming that lack of personnel hampers their capability to  attend to the problems of OFWs in Taiwan, we wonder why it has become convenient for them to donate such a generous amount to the office of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?” said Ramon Bultron, managing director of APMM, a Hong Kong-based regional non-government group that has a Filipino migrant’s program in Taiwan.

During the Jan. 25 Senate hearing on the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Secretary Romulo  revealed that MECO is a private entity.   

Bultron expressed surprise that MECO is considered by the DFA as a private entity and yet it collects millions of pesos (P235M in 2005) for processing documents of OFWs in Taiwan. He added that it is “an even more serious crime against migrants” for MECO to exact fees from migrant workers for processing their documents when this task is supposedly the responsibility of government agencies. Bulatlat

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Solon dares DA, DTI, SRA to name “new” sugar cartel

Anakpawis party-list Representative Rafael Mariano dared officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) February 3 to reveal the names of people belonging to the sugar cartel and called on the House of Representatives to immediately conduct an investigation on soaring sugar prices.

Mariano’s challenge came after Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban disclosed that “the surge in sugar prices is artificial and driven by hoarders belonging to a new cartel.”

Mariano said that the cartel and their protectors in government should be identified and criminally charged. Mariano said that with the implementation of  the expanded value-added tax, “the skyrocketing prices of sugar are bleeding the poor.”

Meanwhile, DTI secretary Peter Favila and SRA head James Ledesma acknowledged that small players in the industry have been shut out by the “big boys” who maneuver to control the market with their bulk purchases of at least 10,000 bags during auctions.

Mariano is set to file a House Resolution to probe the causes of increases in sugar prices and the existence of syndicates to break the monopoly in the sugar industry. Bulatlat

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Consumer groups call for refund, ask ERC officials to resign 

The consumer group People Opposed to Warrantless Electricity Rates (POWER) demanded a refund from Meralco after the Supreme Court (SC) nullified the 13 centavo power rate increase implemented in 2004.

The SC nullified the decision of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approving increases in Meralco's generation charge from P3.1886 per kWh to P3.3213 per kWh, saying it was issued "with grave abuse of discretion." The ruling did not specify if Meralco customers should get a refund.

“Now that the Supreme Court has ruled nullifying the increase, it is only logical that a refund be in order for the same amount that was collected during the implementation of the automatic recovery scheme,” said POWER convenor Engr. Ramon Ramirez.  

After the SC proved the flaws of an automatic recovery scheme like the Generation Rate Adjustment Mechanism (GRAM), Renato Reyes, spokesperson of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) said that the ERC should stop implementation of the GRAM itself as “it does not inform the public of forthcoming increases.”

Reyes also urged the members of the Energy Regulatory Commission to tender their resignation. Reyes said that the ERC has been overruled by the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals several times already. 

Ramirez shared the same sentiment saying that it is “not a very good hallmark for a regulatory body” to be accused of “exercising, so many times, grave abuse of discretion.” Bulatlat

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