This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VI, No. 1, February 5-11, 2006
NEWS AT A GLANCE
Migrants’ group urges probe of P30 million fund transfer to president’s office 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
* * * 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. 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.
* * * 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 13.27 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 © 2006 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
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.
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.”
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