Privilege Speech of Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino
Delivered on January 25, 2012

Madame Speaker, my dear colleagues in the House, a pleasant afternoon.

I rise to speak on the killing of Gerardo Ortega or Doc Gerry, a radio talk show host, veterinarian and environmental defender, who was shot dead in the back of the head in a thrift store in Puerto Princesa City, where he was shopping shortly after his daily broadcast on Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN). This week is the first year commemoration of his tragic death. I also wish to discuss the case of Doc Gerry in relation to the alarming rise of human rights abuses suffered by environment advocates in the country.

Doc Gerry was a former Palawan provincial board member and a staunch critic of the anti-environment activities of the provincial administration and of mining companies in the province, often speaking out also against corruption in his radio program.

The police investigating his case suspected Doc Gerry’s broadcasts to be the motive for the killing. As the police stated in their investigation, “Ortega’s hard-hitting commentaries were against mining companies he had accused of destroying Palawan’s environment.”

The police filed charges against the hired assassin Marlon Recamata. Recamata implicated other suspects including one Rodolfo Edrad Jr, the security aide of former Governor Joel T. Reyes who, later on, was tagged by Edrad as the mastermind.

In June last year, a Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors’ panel absolved former Governor Reyes, along with other alleged principals – former Marinduque governor Jose Antonio “Bong” Carreon, Reyes’ brother and Coron Mayor Marjo Reyes Jr., and Reyes’ former provincial administrator Romeo Seratubias, who was already established by the police as the original owner of the murder weapon.

Only Edrad, Recamata and two accomplices, Dennis Aranas and Armando Noel, have been charged for Doc Gerry’s murder.

It came as shock that the prosecuting panel formed by the the Department of Justice has dropped the case against the implicated politicians. This despite the abundance of evidence to establish probable cause. Another special panel of prosecutors formed by the Department of Justice is reinvestigating the case.

Madame Speaker, my dear colleagues, the commemoration of Doc Gerry’s murder this week, amidst the busy impeachment proceedings, has got me to thinking: If President Aquino and the lower House were able to hasten the impeachment process, why can’t the same amount of time, energy and prioritization be given to address equally urgent issues such as extra-judicial killings and the deep-rooted impunity in all branches of the government?

While impeaching Chief Justice Corona and jailing former President Macapagal-Arroyo are essential, this should not eclipse the urgency of other people’s issues that are taking years to be even substantially addressed. Two among these issues I speak of today are extra-judicial killings and impunity.

The commemoration of Doc Gerry’s death is an agitating reminder that journalists and media practitioners remain in danger under the Aquino government. Why is it that the people behind the Maguindanao massacre have still not been brought to justice? Why is it that the family, friends and supporters of Doc Gerry are seemingly made to wait in vain before a basic warrant of arrest is issued against suspected politician masterminds?

We have to exercise political will to end impunity which remains strongly operational in our country up to this very day.

According to the environmental activist group Kalikasan Peoples Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE), Doc Gerry’s death is a serious loss to the movement for environmental protection and that environmental defenders like him are still targeted, hunted, and killed under Aquino government.

Mr. Speaker, colleagues, this statement is valid. What is more, it unearths another urgent issue that is closely tied with the killing of Doc Gerry – environmental degradation. The plundering of our country’s natural resources has proven to be a very bloody business not only due to degradation of our country’s natural wealth but also due to the killings of environmental advocates. Sadly, the case of Ortega is similar to other environment martyrs who were murdered because they wanted to preserve the natural wealth of our islands for the benefit of the next generation.

Since 2001, at least 51 recorded human rights violations against environmental advocates, including Ortega and nine others under the present government, have remained unaddressed. Of this number, 28 are anti-mining activists, including Doc Gerry.

The rise of human rights abuses in militarized mining areas can be attributed to the decision of Pres. Aquino to deploy regular army and CAFGU paramilitary forces in communities with mining applications and operations. Anti-mining activists are right to question this move since it violates the rights of rural villagers who are resisting the entry of big mining companies.

Doc Gerry’s killing is related to his active involvement in preserving the biodiversity and environment of Palawan against large-scale and foreign mining. He is a strong critic of mining projects and advocate for a mining moratorium in the province. He also consistently exposed the deforestation, pollution, community displacements and other impacts of mining in Palawan

Recently, our government proudly launched a tourism slogan “It is more fun in the Philippines” to promote the natural wonders of our country. This slogan, I am afraid, is blood-stained in light of the killings of environmental advocates like Doc Gerry, who precisely worked for the protection and preservation of our country’s natural beauty.

There is nothing fun, and certainly there is nothing democratic, in a country like the Philippines where media practitioners and environmental advocates are killed and are constantly at the risk of being killed.

Aside from Doc Gerry, we remember Eliezer “Boy” Billanes, Leonard Co, Armin Marin, Father Pops Tenorio, and other unsung green heroes whose tragic deaths should make us realize that environment advocacy is something the state should prioritize. At the minimum, we should ensure the safety of ordinary citizens who seek to be active in this cause. Our green warriors are doing something that the government should be spearheading but their sacrifice, it seems, is not highly appreciated by our leaders. Environment protection should not be a dangerous affair but unfortunately in this country, it’s even considered a national security issues.

Last year, I, together with other House members, filed House Resolution no. 0863 which seeks the Committee on Human Rights to investigate, in aid of legislation, the extrajudicial killing Doc Gerry on January 24, 2011.

Today, I once again urge Congress to revitalize efforts in swiftly exercising its political power for Doc Gerry, for all the victims of extrajudicial killings, for environmental protection and preservation, and for finally ending impunity in our country.

Madame Speaker, colleagues, may the speedy impeachment of Chief Justice Corona in the Lower Houser serve as a concrete inspiration in addressing the aforementioned issues that continue to plague our nation.

Thank you very much.

In light of the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino today urged the Senate, with the help of television stations, to use “closed caption” during the coverage of the impeachment trial to make it accessible for persons with disabilities especially the hearing impaired.

“The impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona is a concern of all Filipinos. Persons with disabilities should be provided with equal opportunities to take part in this historical moment. We must install measures that will encourage and allow them to take an active role in nation-building. Important public proceedings such as the impeachment should be inclusive, not exclusive,” said Palatino.

Palatino filed last year House Bill 3838 or the Closed Caption Bill which seeks to require holders or operators of television shows, producers of television programs, home video programs and motion pictures to broadcast or present their programs and films with closed caption.

Closed captioning is a method of captioning or subtitling of television, home video programs and films for persons with hearing impairment without interfering with the normal television picture and films by coding captions as vertical interval data signal which is decoded at the receiver and superimposed on the television pictures or on films of motion pictures.

HB 3838 is set to be tackled in Congress today.

Palatino cited the Department of Health and the University of the Philippines survey on persons with disability conducted in 2003 which states that the country has at least 4.5 million Filipinos with hearing disabilities.

Palatino furthered that the percent distribution of the types of disability in the country is as follows: movement disability (39%), hearing (33%), speaking (10%), mental (10%) and vision (8%).

“We laud the efforts of television programs which provide sign language interpretation during their coverage of the ongoing impeachment proceedings. But as sign language may take years to learn, solely relying on this method may prove limiting for the hearing impaired. The use of closed captioning is strongly urged as a supplement to ensure participation of our deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens,” Palatino said.

According to Nielsen Media Research, television remains to be the Filipinos’ preferred medium to get their daily dose of information, whether in terms of news content or advertising.

Palatino said that closed caption is not only useful for the hearing impaired. He listed as follows the other benefits of closed captioning:

- Beneficial to those learning a new language
- Advantageous to those starting to learn how to read.
- Helpful for viewers to expand their vocabulary and improve reading comprehension
- Excellent for those staying in a noisy environment (especially the workplace)
- Ideal for those staying in places that need to be quiet (e.g. hospitals, offices, etc.) ###

As both defense and prosecution teams are expected to lock horns on the first day of the impeachment trial in the Senate today, Kabataan Party-list, with participation of law student members of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) and the Department of Social Sciences of the University of the Philippines in Manila, simultaneously launched today a youth-led impeachment watchdog alliance called “#i-monitor” to push for bringing Arroyo and her cohorts, including Corona, to justice as it remains vigilant to oppose Palace moves to install an “Aquino Supreme Court.”

“The #i-monitor alliance, composed of youths, students, professionals, concerned citizens and groups, is part of youth initiatives to ensure that social justice will prevail during and after the impeachment proceedings. The fate of our country cannot be left in the hands of the contending powers that be,” Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino said.

“The youth and people must take an active role in bringing Arroyo and her cohorts, including Corona, to justice while exercising extreme vigilance to counter any maneuver from Malacañang to install an Aquino Supreme Court,” he added.

Palatino, among the 188 House members who signed the impeachment case, said that the responsibility to take part in the impeachment trial is heavily upon the youth and people since it is ultimately their welfare that is at stake.

“We have to challenge the idea that only those immediately involved in impeachment trial have the power and right to direct the course and outcome of the proceedings. We may not have the battery of lawyers and legal experts from both the defense and prosecuting teams, but we have the mass movement which we shall rely on and activate in pursuance of genuine social justice. The situation is excellent for an intensified people’s action amidst the chaos among the ruling elite,” Palatino said.

Terry Ridon, convenor of #i-monitor and graduate of UP Law school, for his part, said that among the actions the alliance shall take are monitoring of the impeachment trial and reporting to schools, workplaces and communities of pertinent updates; arranging of audience trips in the Senate; organizing of forums and discussions; popularization of the campaign call “Arroyo at Corona, panagutin! Aquino, singilin!” in various platforms including social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter; and holding of mass actions to incite public awareness and participation.

Victor Villanueva, another member of the alliance and officer of the law student council of UST, said on the other hand that the alliance will also call on law and non-law students alike to extend focus beyond the rules of court and put premium on social justice and common good.

“We must not be confined within the impeachment process and take it as the final horizon in seeking social justice. After all, it is not the court or law but the youth and the people—the commons—that are the true shapers of our country’s future,” Villanueva said.

The launching of #i-monitor today hosted by the UP Manila Department of Social Sciences gathered more than 300 participants and members.

Palatino said that the membership will further increase in the progression of the impeachment trial.

Among the current members of #i-monitor are students, including those taking up law, from the UP, UST, Ateneo, San Beda, PUP, PNU, and Earist. The alliance will also be partnered with the Association of Law Students of the Philippines (ALSP) and other national organizations such as the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), League of Filipino Students (LFS), Anakbayan, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines and Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan (Karatula). ###

Following the condemnable demolition in Barangay Corazon de Jesus in San Juan city yesterday, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino today called for an indefinite moratorium on all demolitions in the country as he hit the Aquino government for failing to implement a humane blueprint for housing services especially for the poor.

“The demolition in Barangay Corazon de Jesus is a condemnable act that should have no place in a country that claims to be democratic and on the path to progress,” Palatino said during a press conference held in Corazon de Jesus.

“The issue on housing is a salient concern of the people especially the poor. We demand the Aquino government to impose an indefinite moratorium on all demolitions in the country until it comes up with a rational and humane housing plan which addresses the root causes of informal settling and widespread poverty in our communities,” Palatino added.

Palatino said that in the National Capital Region (NCR) alone, not less than seven (7) communities are facing demolitions affecting thousands of families. These are the Corazon de Jesus in San Juan, Quezon City Central Business District, Laperal compound in Makati, Dypac Compound in Tondo, Kadiwa in Navotas, Pangarap Village in Caloocan, and medium-rise tenements in Manila.

Palatino said the rampant demolitions portray President Aquino as “demolition President.”

In December 2011, Aquino added P10 billion to the P7 billion housing services budget as part of the government stimulus package.

However, Palatino said that the budget is rendered insubstantial by the lack of proper housing framework of the Aquino administration. He said that the relocation sites being offered to the informal settlers are far from work, school and other infrastructures like hospitals.

“It is the failure of the government to provide secure jobs and decent wages in both rural and urban areas, aggrandized by the lack of genuine agrarian and urban land reform and national industrialization, that produces informal settlers. The government cannot solve this fundamental problem by demolishing homes and inflicting violence on the landless poor.”

“Kailangan mabatid ng gobyerno na kahit saan mang lugar na may banta ng demolisyon, lalaban at lalaban ang mahihirap. Ipagtatanggol ng mahihirap ang kanilang karapatan lalo na kung buhay, bahay at kabuhayan ng mga tao ang nasa peligro,” Palatino said .

Palatino likewise demanded the immediate release of all residents, including minors, and their supporters arrested by the police during and after the demolition in Corazon de Jesus. ###

As youth groups intensified relief efforts with schools to aid typhoon victims, the P21.7 billion calamity budget for 2012 was questioned in the absence of a proper disaster plan that should be created and installed by the national government to mitigate disasters.

In the 2012 General Appropriations Act (GAA) recently approved by President Benigno Aquino III, P7.5 billion was allocated for the calamity fund while P14.2 billion was set for disaster risk reduction and management activities under the unprogrammed funds.

Despite the huge amount, however, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino said that the funding is questionable given that there is no clear and proper disaster plan implemented by the government that will mitigate the impact of typhoons and other natural disasters.

“No amount can forestall a doomsday scenario for Filipinos if the government does not install a clear and proper disaster plan that should put importance on disaster preparedness and environmental measures,” Palatino said.

“Something even worse than the Sendong tragedy is bound to happen should the Aquino government insist on prioritizing quick response measures over disaster preparedness measures,” he added.

In the 2011 national budget, President Aquino vetoed disaster preparedness in the P5 billion calamity fund by issuing a warning that eventually put premium on quick response measures, a move which Palatino said weakened government capacity to alleviate the impact of natural disasters.

Palatino aslo said that the role of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDDRMC) was reduced by Aquino to implementing post-disaster measures when the law clearly states that the focus should be on disaster preparedness.

Republic Act no. 10121, passed in 2009, states that the Calamity Fund should be used for “disaster risk reduction or mitigation, prevention and preparedness activities such as but not limited to training of personnel, procurement of equipment, and capital expenditures” and that only “thirty percent (30%) shall be allocated as Quick Response Fund (QRF) or stand-by fund for relief and recovery programs in order that situation and living conditions of people in communities or areas stricken by disasters, calamities, epidemics, or complex emergencies, may be normalized as quickly as possible.”

“Ang mga buhay na nawala dahil sa trahedya ay hindi maibabalik ng simpleng pagbuhos ng pera mula sa gobyerno. Kailangan may mailnaw at maayos na disaster plan. Ilan pa ang kailangan mamatay dahil kapabayaan ng gobyerno?” Palatino said.

The youth solon added that the Sendong tragedy was aggrandized by the “legal logging” allowed by the President himself which resulted to forest denudation.

Youth groups, meanwhile, have vowed to widen the scope of the relief drive to enjoin students to give assistance to typhoon victims. Protest actions have also been set to call on the government to create and install a proper disaster plan in the next few weeks. ###

Background:

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10121 (Passed in 2009)

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PHILIPPINE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, PROVIDING FOR THE NATIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK AND INSTITUTIONALIZING THE NATIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Section 22. National Disaster Risk” Reduction and Management Fund. – (a) The present Calamity Fund appropriated under the annual General Appropriations Act shall henceforth be known as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRM Fund) and it shall be used for disaster risk reduction or mitigation, prevention and preparedness activities such as but not limited to training of personnel, procurement of equipment, and capital expenditures. It can also be utilized for relief, recovery, reconstruction and other work or services in connection with natural or human induced calamities which may occur during the budget year or those that occurred in the past two (2) years from the budget year.

(b) The specific amount of the NDRRM Fund and the appropriate recipient agencies and/or LGUs shall be determined upon approval of the President of the Philippines in accordance with the favorable recommendation of the NDRRMC.

(c) Of the amount appropriated for the NDRRM Fund, thirty percent (30%) shall be allocated as Quick Response Fund (QRF) or stand-by fund for relief and recovery programs in order that situation and living conditions of people in communities or areas stricken by disasters, calamities, epidemics, or complex emergencies, may be normalized as quickly as possible.