Saturday, March 31, 2007 Candidates told: Focus on fighting corruption
Fr. Aloysius Cartagenas Seminario Mayor de San Carlos
1. A national agenda of the poor, crafted by the poor, and for the poor. The massive poverty of our people is no longer a fiscal issue or managerial problem. Poverty of massive proportions is about survival. Every candidate of every election promises to address poverty but always on their own terms. The time has come for a social agenda crafted by the victims of elite democracy, if we are to survive as a nation.
2. A legal mechanism that does away with pork barrel and redirects these massive funds to education, health, agrarian reform and social services. The greatest perversion of the democratic process is to have legislators and/or policy-makers playing “Santa Claus” or patrons to their constituents. This I think is the first serious step to break the cycle of patron-client politics that has hounded our nation for ages.
3. A legal mechanism that would make it impossible for those who do not have the qualifications for public office to run during elections. Public office is a public trust, yet we are selling it to the highest bidder. The atmosphere of fair play in the electoral process is a basic presupposition of healthy democratic exercise. But that is practically nil.
So we end up giving the mandate to those who should not have been elected in the first place. To level the playing field, there should be a set of legal provisions that can unmask the pretensions of someone who has an agenda other than serving the public good.
Ruben Almendras
President, Cebu International Finance Corp.
1. The economy. We have a huge unemployment rate. We should be thankful for the eight million overseas Filipino workers who bring in money. Looking at it, we seriously have to pump up our employment.
2. Peace and order. The economy does not grow if there is no peace and order. No businessman would invest in a country if there is no proper peace and order imposed.
3. Graft and corruption. This happens everywhere. That’s why I placed it all in that order. According to a survey done by the World Bank, government expenditures in 2007 are P1.1 trillion. About 20 percent of that goes to graft and corruption; 80 percent goes to operating expenses, salaries and wages.
Now, lower graft and corruption to, say, seven percent—that may be livable for a developing country.
Cris Evert Lato
Awardee, 10 Outstanding Cebu City Youth Leaders
1. Education. The reason I am a part of a non-government organization, Tsinelas, is that education is not accessible to all people. Of 100 students in grade one, for example, only 13 will graduate and only three may graduate from college. Tuition increase is one of the problems.
2. The environment. I am not a die-hard environmentalist but what concerns me is global warming. The Ormoc flash floods, the Guinsaugon landslide… I think these should be everybody’s concern.
3. Employment. I will be graduating this April from the University of the Philippines... Unemployment and underemployment should be among the issues candidates address in their campaigns.
Atty. Carmela Fernan
Director, Department of Budget and Management 7
1. Moral degradation 2. Poverty. Our leaders should provide a level playing field and opportunities for improvement. 3. Corruption in the government
Atty. Augusto Go President, University of Cebu
1. I think all the people are concerned about the graft and corruption prevailing in the country. I hope that we can elect people with integrity.
2. My second concern is peace and order. In my many trips abroad, I always invite my friends to come and visit the Philippines and they always beg off because they say the Philippines is not a safe place to come to.
3. The third is infrastructure. The roads, not only are they narrow, but they are bad. In other countries, they have beautiful roads and their airports are beautiful. We’re happy with one million or two million tourists. Singapore is such a tiny state but they get more than 10 million visitors. I think Macau has more visitors than the Philippines. I think Disneyland in Hong Kong probably has more visitors than the Philippines.
Erlinda Parame
Executive director, Venue for Initiatives and Genuine Development
1. Corruption. Transparency in government should be practiced and pursued. It is very important that linkages among the local councils and non-government organizations be strengthened. Only a few of the local councils encourage participation.
2. Women. Bills and policies should be designed to favor greater opportunities for livelihood and health, most specifically reproductive health. The government now is considering natural family planning alone, over other more effective methods. Women should be given a free choice.
3. Youth. Education for the many should be emphasized and acted upon. Even when the policy is for “free” education, students are still asked to pay fees. The first option for an impoverished family would be to no longer send their children to school.
Francis Monera President, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry
1. We need to dramatically address infrastructure requirements to be globally competitive, while keeping corruption in check to conserve resources.
2. We also need electoral reforms to address the root cause of corruption.
3. Third, the quality of education, which should be both value-based and has market relevance.
Atty. Alejandro Alonzo Jr. Regional Director, Commission on Human Rights
1. The political killings. In fact, this is what concerns the European Union. Political killings endanger political stability. 2. Socio-economic issues, like poverty and hunger. 3. A clean and honest election.
(Elisabeth Baumgart, Ace Jayssan Tapulado, Bai Hayde Quiñanola and Bejay Villaflores, STC Media Comm Interns)
