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.

The tragedy speaks for itself.

That was the statement of Kabataan Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino to counter the claim of Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Butch Abad that disaster management and response of the Aquino administration is “robust”.

“The Sendong tragedy strongly disproves the fallacious claim of Secretary Abad that the disaster management and response of the government is robust. The tragedy speaks for itself. A tragedy of this magnitude would not have happened if the government had a rational disaster plan that put premium on disaster preparedness,” Palatino said.

Also responding to Abad’s claim that President Aquino did not veto disaster preparedness in the P5 billion calamity fund for 2011 but merely cautioned that quick response measures be prioritized, Palatino said:

“Secretary Abad’s attempt to cover up the accountability of the Aquino government in the tragedy only makes it more apparent. It is precisely the prioritization of quick relief efforts at the expense of disaster preparedness that we take as culpable negligence. What did the President’s “caution” against disaster preparedness in the calamity fund result to? Weak pre-disaster efforts and, tragically, more than 1,000 dead and half a million gravely affected due to a typhoon that could have been mitigated by disaster preparedness.”

“It is exasperating to hear the President and members of his cabinet rebut the issue of disaster preparedness by merely bragging about having billions to pour into quick relief efforts. They are evading the fundamental issue.Hindi lang po simpleng pera-pera ang hinaing ng ating mga kababayan kundi hustisya at pagbabago dahil sa kawalan ng maayos na disaster plan ng ating pamahalaan,” Palatino added.

Under Section 22 of Republic Act No. 10121, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDDRMC) is mandated to primarily ensure disaster risk reduction, prevention and preparedness. Quick response measures, the law states, should only play a secondary role.

Palatino said that once Congress resumes session in January next year he will push for the immediate discussion of his House Resolution 1864, a measure seeking an investigation on the impact of the President’s veto in the calamity fund and the lack of rational disaster plan by the government. He furthered that he will push the investigation to also include Executive Order 23, signed by President Aquino early this year, which exempts mining corporations from the indefinite total log ban.

He said that the youth party-list group will also reach out to scientists, urban planners, people’s organizations and concerned sectors to revitalize calls to repeal anti-environment laws such as the Mining Act of 1995 and the Forestry Code of 1975.

Palatino also appealed to the all sectors especially the youth to gather more efforts to aid affected persons in Mindanao. Kabataan Party-list, together with national youth groups, has an ongoing “Tulong Kabataan” campaign aimed at consolidating calamity assistance and initiating disaster preparedness in communities. ###

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.