Gibo: Go Slow on Peace Pact

MANILA, Philippines - Administration presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro cautioned President Arroyo against rushing to forge a peace pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as one of her legacies, without proper consultations with affected communities in Mindanao.

Teodoro, a former defense secretary, said he has been receiving disturbing reports of lack of transparency and consultations with communities in the course of negotiations with the MILF.

He urged Mrs. Arroyo to be very careful with the peace process, and that any agreement should not violate the Constitution and the country’s territorial integrity.

“I don’t think the people will accept a peace agreement if they have not been adequately consulted. And from what I hear on the ground, there’s a feeling that consultation has not been as extensive as they want,” he told the presidential forum of the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) last Friday.

“Communities are requesting more consultations with them. And I think that the lesson of 2008 with the MOA-AD is very clear in our mind that you have to adequately consult and inform communities who are going to be affected every step of the way. If not, there will be massive opposition. And with the political climate that we have, it’s very easy to turn a molehill into a mountain,” he said.

Teodoro was referring to the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) that was supposed to have been signed by both sides in August 2008 in Malaysia but was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (SC).

The SC decision to quash the agreement led to deadly attacks and bombings by the MILF and the eventual collapse of the peace talks.

The MOA-AD dealt with the scope of the territory and use of natural resources in that area under a new autonomous government.

Mrs. Arroyo revived the peace talks last year with the formation of a new negotiating panel. There is a feeling within the administration and other stakeholders that she is rushing to forge a peace pact as a showcase of the Mindanao peace process as part of her legacy.

There are also lingering reports on the ties of some MILF leaders with the radical Jemaah Islamiyah, said to be the arm of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terror network in Southeast Asia.

Earlier, the government and MILF panel announced that they have exchanged “drafts” of the final peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur.

Teodoro noted some worrisome signs in the peace negotiations with the resignation of two members of the government panel: former Cotabato congressman and General Santos City mayor Adelberto Antonino and Thomas Cabili, who cited lack of transparency in the talks.

“Those are warning shots across the bow that you cannot deny, so prudence is once again the order of the day,” he said. “Because we have something very precious right now in Mindanao, that is, the existing ceasefire (with the MILF).”

Testing the waters

The two panels met in Kuala Lumpur last Friday in a question-and-answer session that clarified many of the proposals of the MILF with respect to its draft agreement.

The government was represented by negotiating panel chairman, Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, and panel members Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and Ronald Adamat.

Seguis said they are in the process of bridging the gaps between the positions of the two sides on contentious issues.

These issues are currently being discussed in reflective dialogues mounted by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process in nine regions in |Mindanao, Palawan, Bacolod, Metro Manila, and Baguio.

Secretary Annabelle Abaya, presidential adviser on the peace process, said the government is actually laying the groundwork for a framework of agreement with the MILF before the term of Mrs. Arroyo ends in June in preparation for the continuation of the dialogue with the incoming administration.

Abaya said the reflective dialogue line in the “Dialogue Mindanao,” which was held in San Mateo, Rizal yesterday, is aimed at capturing the sentiments of different sectors and getting the maximum inputs that will be summarized and presented before the Filipino people.

She expressed hope that the dialogues would be over by March 15 and her office could collate the inputs of the public to come up with recommendations.

“Hopefully, there will be a framework of agreement during the term of Mrs. Arroyo so we can prepare for the continuation of the peace talks of the incoming government,” Abaya said.

A state within a state

Mohaqher Iqbal, chairman of the MILF peace panel, told government negotiators during the question-and-answer session in Malaysia that they remain firm in their position not to pursue “independence” for Southern Muslim communities in favor of a “state and substate” arrangement as a solution to the decades-old Moro uprising, meaning a “sub-state” to exist under the Philippine Republic.

Iqbal described as “blunt, frank and tiring” their brainstorming session.

He clarified, however, that the meeting of the two panels was merely a “Q and A session” and not formal talks.

He said the MILF is not amenable to the government’s earlier offer of “enhanced autonomy” to cover areas where there are Moro communities, apparently those already part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

In an e-mailed statement, Iqbal explained that it was a “gentleman’s agreement” with the government that they would not pursue independence as a solution to the Mindanao problem as long as the other panel would not assert constitutional restraint on concerns and issues both sides are to iron out in crafting a final peace pact.

“If the peace talks are passing through a turbulent zone today - and on the verge of signing nothing until President Arroyo’s exit on June 30 this year - it is because the government is not very truthful to what is agreed by the Parties at the start of their engagement,” Iqbal said.

“Up to now, the MILF has not breached this commitment, and we have declared time and again that the MILF will no longer pursue independence as solution to the Bangsamoro problem in favor of an asymmetrical arrangement of a ‘state and substate’ arrangement,” he said.

The two panels last met early this year in Malaysia to exchange their respective drafts of a peace blueprint, but failed to hold another round of talks due to their seemingly irreconcilable concepts of a framework for lasting peace and development in the South. - With Non Alquitran and JohnUnson

Source: PhilStar

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GMA has Enough Powers to Deal with Crisis - Gibo

Lakas standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro answers questions from editors at The Philippine STAR office in Manila yesterday. JONJON VICENCIO

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MANILA, Philippines - Administration presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said President Arroyo has enough powers to deal with the unfolding energycrisis, which has sparked rotating blackouts in many parts of the country including Metro Manila.

Teodoro told The STAR editors and reporters that Mrs. Arroyo should act now to prevent the crisis from worsening and that she should consider allowing the immediate importation of power barges as a stopgap measure.

“I think whatever emergency powers the President has should be exercised because it’s there already,” Teodoro said.

“But we must also have a clear roadmap of what to do in the short-term, medium-term and the long-term. What’s the use of these powers and solutions if we don’t know where we’re going?” he said.

“One way (to address the crisis) is to allow the hassle-free entry of power barges. That’s the fastest way,” he said.

But a downside to such importation, he admitted, is bigger consumption of bunker oil.

Teodoro said Mrs. Arroyo should also call for an emergency meeting with leaders of Congress, officials and representatives from the energy sector, and even leaders of the opposition and other stakeholders.

He also urged Mrs. Arroyo to immediately call an emergency session of Congress to allow both chambers to pass a joint resolution on enhancing the country’s generating capacity.

Teodoro was referring to Section 71 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, which provides that “upon the determination by the President of an imminent shortage of the supply of electricity, Congress may authorize, through joint resolution, the establishment of additional generating capacity under such terms and conditions as it may approve.”

“But in the meantime, let us discover first what can she immediately do under existing law. For example, she may suspend duties on certain badly needed items under the Tariff and Customs Code,” Teodoro said.

“Everything must be clear: what are the powers to be exercised, what are the steps to be taken, etc. so that time and resources are not wasted,” he said.

He said the crisis is likely to be over at the onset of the rainy season.

For a long-term solution, Teodoro said the government should consider nuclear power, it being cheaper and much safer with the present technological advancements.

He noted that developed countries like Japan and South Korea rely on nuclear power. He stressed, however, that he is against activating the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

It was opposition Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro who first broached the idea of giving Mrs. Arroyo emergency powers in dealing with the power shortage in Mindanao where the effects of the El Niño phenomenon have stymied the operation of hydroelectric plants, the dominant power generators in the island.

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes has also issued the same call and a Palace spokesman said she is ready to give his proposal “utmost consideration.”

“Let’s give the President enough time to make her way through this minefield, not only the legitimate issues for her to consider but also the innuendos being raised by overheated campaign rhetoric,” deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said.

Special session

At the House of Representatives, the energy committee chaired by presidential son Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo approved a resolution calling for a special joint session of Congress to discuss the proposed granting of emergency powers to the President.

But Rep. Arroyo is not keen on granting his mother additional powers. “At this point in time, I believe additional powers for the President are not yet necessary,” he said during the committee’s hearing yesterday.

“We need to sit down, the House and the Senate. Let me remind my colleagues in the Senate, even those presidentiables, if they are saying that they are leading in the surveys, then magtrabaho na tayo (let’s work) and let us address this issue,” Arroyo said.

“We are here to serve the people. Let’s not use the elections as excuse to skip a special session,” he said.

Arroyo said granting his mother special powers should be a “last resort.”

“Energy Secretary Reyes admitted there was a problem but he also presented solutions. If the private sector could deliver on their commitments, we will have no problem,” the congressman said.

“But in the event the solutions are not enough, and (there is a) need to grant the President additional powers, transparency should be guaranteed,” he added.

But Rodriguez said people affected by the debilitating blackouts should not be made to wait for long. “We are experiencing four- to 12-hour brownouts in Mindanao. We cannot wait. The matter isn’t whether it is doable or not. We have to do it. We in Mindanao could not delay this,” Rodriguez insisted.

He said parameters should be set to keep the President from abusing emergency powers.

“We are in an election period so we have to see to it that funds to be used for generating additional power capacity would not be re-channeled to campaign funds,” Rodriguez stressed.

Speaker Prospero Nograles, on the other hand, is not keen on calling a special session.

“No need for special session. Energy laws have enough powers to address crisis and act swiftly,” he said.

Special powers backed

Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Simeon Datumanong appealed to government critics to set aside politics and help address the problem.

“I urge the government to adopt measures to address the power problem in Mindanao which is very critical now. Let us now grant the President emergency powers to quickly solve the crisis,” Datumanong said.

Agusan del Norte Rep. Jose Aquino II, spokesman of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, said the power crisis in Mindanao is more urgent and important than the forthcoming elections in May.

“The people in Mindanao are more concerned about their plight as more and more people in the province are being affected by the power problem,” Aquino said.

“Instead of agitating the public with their baseless scenarios, critics should join us in pushing for the granting of emergency powers to the President so that the power problem in Mindanao will be immediately solved,” Aquino said.

Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Antonio Cerilles, chairman of the special committee on land use, also voiced support for special powers for Mrs. Arroyo.

“It is easy for the critics of the government to oppose the emergency power because they are not affected by it right now,” Cerilles said.

“Any presidentiable who is against the emergency power of the President is biased against Mindanao or anti-Mindanao.”

Worse scenario

Senators Francis Escudero and Manuel Roxas II said giving President Arroyo emergency powers might again result in expensive power purchase agreements.

“Extended dry season and water shortage are not alien in this tropical country, why did the Department of Energy under the helm of Secretary Reyes allow this to swell into the problem that it is today? That is why the DOE is there, to make sure that we do not fall again into the pit we were in 10 years ago,” Escudero said.

“An effective and competent government should have been by now equipped with a comprehensive energy plan or road map at the very least to avoid going to the extreme, which is always a burden that ordinary people suffer,” Escudero said.

Roxas said Reyes’ proposal should not be taken seriously because emergency powers for Mrs. Arroyo is not the solution.

“What you need is rain. Even if you give the President emergency powers, what can she do to make rain? For me, the emergency powers for Mindanao (energy crisis) are ridiculous,” Roxas said.

He said the government might not have other choices but to acquire power barges as a short-term response to the problem.

He said new coal-fired power plants could ease the problem in the medium- and long-term.

“The problem is it will take five to seven years to build such kind of plant. So, between now and five years from now, we can only have stopgap measures,” Roxas said.

Former Senate president Franklin Drilon also voiced opposition to special powers for Mrs. Arroyo.

“There are rules in bidding which allow emergency purchase (of standby power). The government can purchase without the need for presidential emergency powers,” Drilon told the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum.

“We can address this by utilizing existing rules which shorten the bidding process but still with public bidding,” Drilon explained.

Metro blackouts

Meanwhile, two-hour rotating blackouts hit most parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces yesterday due to the unexpected shutdown of two Luzon-based power plants, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said.

The manual load shedding or two-hour rotating blackouts started within the franchise area of the Manila Electric Co. at 10 a.m.

“Demand is less after past 10 p.m. so no more rotating blackout after this time and we will just resume the next day,” NGCP said.

NGCP said the two-hour power interruption was a result of the shutdown of Unit 1 of Sual due to a boiler tube leak. The 647-megawatt Sual is run by Team Energy Philippines in partnership with Tokyo Electric.

Another power plant which suffered from the same technical problem, NGCP said, was Masinloc Unit 1 with 315 MW. Masinloc is managed by US-based AES Corp.

The NGCP said the entire Philippines had power deficiency yesterday.

The Luzon grid for instance, as of March 1, had peak demand of 6,655 MW as against the 6,177 MW available capacity, or a generation deficiency of 170 MW.

With Delon Porcalla, Donnabelle Gatdula, Aurea Calica, Helen Flores, Marvin Sy, Christina Mendez

Source: PhilStar

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Gibo Still ‘Doubtful’ of Automated Polls

Administration party standard-bearer Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Saturday said he still has doubts if the country can hold its first nationwide automated elections in May, given the delays in the delivery of the poll machines and the looming power crisis threatening to hamper the coming elections.

“I still have doubts, just like most of our fellow Filipinos… I am still waiting for the massive briefing by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the public so as to assuage all my worries of possible glitches that may occur in May," he told GMANews.TV after the taping of Kandidato, a GMA News and Public Affairs special which will air this March.

Teodoro said the short amount of time left to complete the delivery and the testing of the poll machines makes him more doubtful if the country can hold automated elections less than three months from now.

“My doubt is in the fact that the last poll machines will have to be delivered to the country in the coming days. There is only little time between the delivery of the machines and the actual elections. Perhaps the time to test these machines would not be enough," he said.

The Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential bet likewise said that the power crisis may also affect the public’s perception of whether the automated polls will push through or not.

“Now that there are still more doubts being raised by the power shortage, I hope the Comelec explains to the public how they will resolve these problems," he said.

“The Comelec should also make known their back-up plans in case all our worries turn to reality in May," he added.

The Comelec had earlier said that all 82,200 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines will be delivered to the country before the end of this month. Only 48,900 of these machines have been delivered in the poll body’s warehouse in Laguna as of posting time. (See: Poll machines to be delivered by end-February, Smartmatic says)

Malacanang, for its part, has also assured that no brownouts will take place during the conduct of the first ever nationwide elections this coming May. (See: No brownouts during May polls, govt assures)

Gordon insists automation will be ‘a success’

Bagumbayan presidential bet Sen. Richard Gordon, on the other hand, remains certain the automated elections will be a success.

"Aabot yan, aabot yan. (It will be in place in time.) I'm very confident as my cellphone works," said Gordon, author of Republic Act (RA) 9369 or the Amended Automated Elections System Law.

Asked what could be the reason for Teodoro's doubts over the automated polls, Gordon said: "May doubts siya kasi gusto ng administration na manual voting (It’s because he has doubts that the administration actually prefers manual voting)."

Instead of casting doubts on the capabilities of the technology planned to be used in May, Gordon encouraged voters to focus their attention more on scrutinizing the candidates.

"Nag-uumpisa pa lang ang kampanya. Magde-debate pa nang mag-dedebate at alamin natin ang nilalaman ng utak at ano ang karanasan at kakayahan ng [mga kandidato](The campaign is just starting. There will be debates and debates, so we should try to see what their brains contain, what are the experiences and abilities [of the candidates])," Gordon said in a separate interview before the Kandidato taping on Saturday.—JV, GMANews.TV

Source: Inquirer

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Pres. Arroyo can Pick Next Chief Justice Ex-justice Secretary

A former justice secretary of deposed President Joseph Estrada has said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may validly appoint the next Chief Justice even with a constitutional ban on presidential appointments some three months before her term ends on June 30.

Former Justice Secretary Artemio Tuquero said Ms Arroyo could still appoint the next chief justice but he also conceded that the issue would be ultimately decided by the Supreme Court itself.

The former dean of the law schools of the University of the East and of the Manuel L. Quezon University said Ms Arroyo has been mandated by the Constitution to appoint Puno’s successor within 90 days after his retirement on May 17, a day well within the constitutional ban.

“Should (Ms Arroyo) decide to fill the vacancy to be created by the retirement of Chief Justice Puno, the appointment she issues would be considered valid,” Tuquero said in a legal opinion.

“Only the Supreme Court, in an appropriate case that may be lodged with, can declare the same null and void,” he added.

The Judicial and Bar Council decided last week to start the nomination process for the post that Puno would leave a few days after the elections in May.

It, however, deferred its decision on whether to submit the list of nominees to Ms Arroyo or to her successor after her term ends.

The JBC has taken note of the contrasting opinions on whether Ms Arroyo can still appoint the next Chief Justice considering the ban on “midnight appointments” late in her term.

It resolved to welcome all opinions related to the matter before deciding on when and whom to submit the shortlist of nominees to.

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Teodoro Not Bothered about Lack of Support from Administration

MANILA, Philippines—Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro on Thursday shrugged off suspicions that President Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, were not solidly behind him in his bid for President in the May elections.

Over dinner at the office of the Inquirer, Teodoro said he had no doubts about the support of President Arroyo and the Lakas-Kampi-CMD hierarchy led by its party president, Sarangani Governor Miguel Dominguez.

“As party members, they should [support my candidacy]” Teodoro said. “My job is to expose myself."

“Whether there is distance, whether there is closeness, at the end of the day, it’s my decision that counts,” Teodoro, who served as Ms Arroyo’s secretary of national defense, said.

He described his relationship with the President as “professional.”

According to Dominguez, 70 percent of all electoral positions in the May elections could be won by the Lakas-Kampi-CMD candidates. He also dismissed survey results showing Teodoro in fourth place, after Senator Aquino, Senator Villar and former President Joseph Estrada.

“We had a late start [in the political advertising race]. We are hoping to correct this once the official campaign period starts this February,” he said.

The 46-year-old Teodoro, who is a reserved colonel in the Armed Forces and a licensed pilot, described himself as a “winnable, not winning, but winnable candidate.”

A bar topnotcher with a master’s degree in law from Harvard, Teodoro began his law career as litigation lawyer at the law firm of Marcos-era Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza, handling various ill-gotten wealth cases filed against his uncle, businessman and known Marcos crony Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco.

In 1998, Teodoro joined Cojuangco’s Nationalist People’s Coalition and won a seat in the House of Representatives for the First District of Tarlac. The Second District seat was won by his second-degree cousin, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, now the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party.

But Teodoro quit the NPC and joined the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, which drafted him as standard-bearer for the presidential elections late last year.

Neither Cojuangco nor the NPC has endorsed Teodoro’s candidacy.

He said he would also move to increase the strength of the Armed Forces and contain the threat groups in Mindanao.

“Employing international paradigm shift in Mindanao will not work. There is no danger whatsoever [of the threat groups winning the rebellion], “ he said.

But he said the AFP was not prepared to handle an asymmetric warfare, such as bombings, in the metropolis.

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