“This government must step down”

For a truly sustainable solution framework, look no further than the following document:

http://www.getrealphilippines.com/solution/

Sustainable solutions require an understanding of fundamental realities about our society and culture. And these realities have to do about how our very character as a people hinder our ability to progress.

If the president resigns (or for that matter doesn’t resign), the big question is SO WHAT? Our society will still remain the same old dysfunctional society it has always been, regardless of who sits in Malacanang.

hey benigno,
hey ichirosan

why don’t both of you have a look at IGCRP, it’s not leftist, it’s not rightist, it’s for restoring equilibium between contending forces with the elite retaining back its position but with moderation. see IGRP and see how you can improve it to have balance (at least not too much inequality) in the Philippine society.

The problem is.. where is that unity?? Where is the united powers? They are scattered… outnumbered? I dont know.. but it seems so abstract.. lets all be vigillant.. keep on praying..

Godbless and takecare!

Siding with the Left, these bishops have just lost their credibility.

Bordering on irresponsible, they are very sure on their leftist statements with conclusions on some issues without explanation for basis:
1. “…Imminent bloody confrontation”
2. “Government… adheres to…colonial economic-political model that has reduced our country to a laggard in Asia”

They think they have the solution as they say “We dare to come forward, to mediate in the spreading unrest” with hints of bravery as the knights in shining armour… And then, they went on to enumerate what a “new” government should do.

What are these bishops thinking? Do they really believe they know how to run a country and establish good economic policies? One more similar statement from them and I will not be surprised anymore if they will also enumerate the proper steps on how to perform brain surgery!

For clearer understanding where these bishops are coming from, it is important to note also that they are already drumming up their message even before the Gloria-Garci Tapes scandal broke out as in this columban news clip in May, 2005.

http://www.columban.com/phil_bishops_protest.htm

tobebs;

Amen, amen. I have reservations though, arrest them and wait for the Philippine style of justice to mete out sentences?

To those who readily brand these bishops as Left, you are promptly shutting out beginning of a healthy discussion and debate.

Halimbawa; ang pribadong negosyo ng mga TUBIG ay nakakapangutang ng pera at ang kanilang garantiya ay ang pera ng Republika? Ang galing naman. D ba sinuka na ng S. Korea ang ganito?

Ang hiling na “…repudiate all onerous and unjust debts… ” , saan ba ang Kaliwa dito? Aba, kahapon lang meron malawakang musikal na konsyerto, LIVE 8, at ganito rin ang tema ah?

Ang reserbasyon ko lang sa posisyon ng mga Obispo ay ang tungkol sa mga minahan. Matagal nang pro-lokal negosyante ito, pero wala pa ding pagbabago sa buhay ng mga ordinaryong minero. Subukan natin. Alam ba ng mga ekonomistang pumirma na sa Regions 10 and 11, ang lokal minahan ay nakakapag-prodyus ng 2-3 TONELADA ng purong ginto taun- taon (konserbatibong istemeyt)??

Tingin ko, kaya mula ng matuto akong magbasa hindi na nagbago ang kalagayan ng mga tao kasi hindi talaga natin binigyan pansin ang mga sinasabi ng mga katulad nina Bishop Labayen.

Sa mga takot sa sinasabing Kaliwa, habang ang agwat ng mayaman at mahirap ay langit ang distansya meron nito. Sa mga takot naman sa Kanan, habang may nagpapautang ng pera na may tubo, meron talaga nito.

Maraming bansa ang patuloy na umu-unlad na magkasabay ang dalawa at iba pang grupo, bakit di natin kaya?

We need to realize how to live side by side with each other rather than reaching for each other throats and branding ideas as pula, puti, o orange.

Basta ako agree sa lahat ng nakasulat sa article na ‘to.

So it’s true… There are still ‘white’ Bishops in the Philippines.

Ipanalangin natin na sana ay dumami pa at magkaisa na ang mga Bishops natin sa pagpapabangon sa ating Bansang Pilipinas.

GOD BLESS AND REVIVE THE PHILIPPINES!

Ang pinakabuod ng mensahe ay eto, “Mabuhay ang Sambayanang Pilipino!
Palayain and bansa at sambayanan sa hirap, gutom at pang-aaping local at dayuhan!
God bless the Philippines!
-Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME)”.

.A fraction of mass they call themselves, “Sambayanang Pilipino”
They claim for country’s freedom from the bondage of poverty, famine and slavery”.

In my humble opinion, poverty mentioned here refers to “lack of social and material possessions”. Pinagkait ba sa atin talaga ang magkaroon nito? Hindi pa ba sapat ang mga naitalang rights natin sa Saligang Batas? Hindi kaya sa ating kapabayaan at katamaran nagbubunga ang mga eto? Itanong kaya natin sa ating mga sarili.

Famine o kakulangan ng pagkain. Sa isang Christian Nation na tulad ng Pilipinas headed by Catholic Bishops and Priests, walang pagkagutom, not to elaborate the Biblical Scriptures in Mathew 4:4. Kung tayo ay Kristiano o nananampalataya, there is enough room for food for our brothers.

Bondage of slavery o pang-aapi. In the eyes of Heaven , we are equal. Let’s accept what we have achieved in life and be contented. The truth of slavery is, when we are driven by the forces of others…to which I call them here… the self-proclaimed Masters..political and religious leaders!
Tingnan natin ang mukha ng ating mga kabataan, ano sa palagay mo ang naituro mo sa kanila? Do you expect them to obey as what you wanted them to do? Nakakahiyang isiping we don’t even deserve to be called as father by them.
Mga kababayan, in the end, we are required to answer this Heavenly question,”What have you done being my child?”.

In my humble opinion, poverty is the difference of endurance and laziness. In a Christian nation, headed by Catholic bishops, there is enough room of food for our brothers, not to mention Biblical scriptures on Mathew. Bondage of slavery, in reality, when one is driven to work by outside force…from the self-proclaimed Master, which I refer on here.. some politicians and religious leaders.

some of the bishop’s economic prescriptions are of the sort.

been there done that.

On renationalizations for instance.
it has been shown government cannot deliver power and water
efficiently. they have only incurred huge debts without giving good service. MWSS just finally threw up their hands and gave up.

(I hate paying expensive water but part of it is paying for past
mistakes of MWSS and their accumulated debts)

The solution according to the bishops. don’t pay the debt? brilliant.

Napocor, a government entity is the biggest generator of debt.
The bishops in effect is asking for more Napocors.

To be fair. I don’t disagree with all the prescriptions. But enough are
controversial. it is best for the bishops to avoid them entirely
and leave that to another debate.

All groups who wish reform the country should submit themselves to the sovereign will of the people through a peaceful and honest election. But our most urgent task is to depose this pretender in malacañang and address the transition and election process and its composition now. Afterwhich, we we can have a Presidential and VP election where we can ventilate our platforms. We should avoid developing more enemies.

bishops prescription is prescription for disaster.selective debt repudiation is a green light to international financial sector to stop lending money to us, if ever at very onerous rates. argentina, hello? ideally mining should be for filipino citizens but due to high capital outlay, no filipino can do it all. that’s why we need foreign capital. this is supposed to be the quickest way to generate rural employment. this talk about developing smes, agriculture, etc. is fine. but we need money. as such, we need to balance our budget first, collect more taxes unfortunately so we can have funds to provide all these projects. there is no ifs and buts about it. we have to bite the bullet now or suffer the fate of argentina later. these quick fix solutions are actually voodoo economics and may find quite an adherent among the filipino masa.

Being a Mindanaoan I concur with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the formation of the FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF MINDANAO. Then we can transform the DDS (Davao Death Squad) to MDS (Mindanao Death Squad).

dsaint

tama ka nagbibiro lang ako

All you need to govern is COMMON SENSE, which is terribly lacking in most our congressmen and government officials. We need a Lee Kwan Yu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also a good point freewheel! We have to remain vifillant..
Godbless and takecare!

THE NEW ORDER

RESTORING DECMOCRACY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Present political system forestalls the growth of the nation and its people. Poor economic condition is a resultant of political incompetence, amateurism and misadventure of elected and appointed gov’t officials.

A crisis of extra ordinary proportions now confronts the Filipino nation. The constitutional order and the rule of law are gone; the political institutions destroyed; the economy in disaster; the people’s basic needs unmet; and above all, our country is marching towards uncertainty.

The status quo can no longer be maintained. The Constitution must be amended, the political system must be restructured, a credible reform agenda and a morally upright and effective leadership put in place.

The Filipino people’s sovereign will, which we soldiers and concerned citizens swore to protect, must reassert itself, and set in motion the necessary change that will ultimately restore the moral and constitutional order and the rule of law.

We are launching our own operation to save and rehabilitate the Filipino nation. We are laying down our Vision to be adhered upon and must be done. We are enjoining all sectors of the society to be aware of the our vision and help disseminate it to our people. We must take an active part in pursuing real change. This is Operation Para sa Bayan.

We declare and strongly believed that the direction and future of our country rest on the institutionalized Political Party and its platform. Stable and strong political system is the focal point of all developments. Hence, more effort should first focus on the establishment of a desired political system and climate.

1. On straightening the Political system:

A THOROUGH CONSTITUTIONAL AND POLITICAL REFORM.

Institutionalize Political party.

a. There shall only be two Political Parties. No party list. Membership is onetime. Membership age shall be from 21 yrs old and up to 65 yrs old. Each member must be a college graduate, natural-born Filipino, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten (10) consecutive years and non-holder of any other citizenship. No two or more persons related up to 3rd degree of consanguinity shall become members of the same Party.

b. Only Party members selected thru Party Convention can run for public office from Local to National levels.

c. Any member who volunteers to quit or whose membership is terminated by the Party shall no longer be eligible to run for public office in his lifetime.

d. Anyone whose profession is in the media shall be automatically disqualified to party membership unless he/she resigns from his/her profession three (3) years prior elections when he/she intends to run subject to party rules and the preceding paragraph.

2. On Suffrage.

The right of suffrage shall be exercised by all Filipinos who are at least twenty one (21) years of age up to sixty five (65) years old.

Absentee voting is prohibited.

3. On Govt structure.

Executive headed by the President

President – eight-year term, one term only for a lifetime.
V-Pres – co-terminus with the President. Running mate of the President shall be automatically becomes the Vice President. Will assume presidency when the President resigns, impeached, or dies. Will finish the term of the President and cannot run for Presidency for a lifetime.
Governors and Mayors – maximum of two five- year term for a lifetime in the same office. Vice Gov- running mate of the governor.

Board Members and Councilors – five year (5) term but can serve for a maximum of three (3) terms, consecutive or not, subject to party rules.

Appointed Officials – co terminus with the President. If the president resigns, impeached or dies before his term ends, VP (now the Pres) may replace them.
Appointed officials who are non-party members can only join any of the two political party three (3) years after the end of the term of the appointing authority.
Appointed officials need no confirmation from the Congress.
Appointed officials cannot be impeached.
Appointing authority is the President.

Legislative Branch headed by a Speaker.

Congress shall be merged into one legislative body. Representation shall be limited to one (1) per province and one (1) per highly urbanized city. Congress is headed by a Speaker elected by majority vote of the Congress.

Members of the Congress are elected for one five-year full term. No reelection. If he resigns, impeached or dies, special elections will be held.

Judiciary headed by a Chief Justice.

Justices must not be a member of any political party. Justices will be selected by majority vote by the Congress thru the recommendation of JBC. Justices will serve until they reach the age of retirement of sixty five (65) years old.

Justices may be impeached by the congress.

Constitutional Commissions and Independent bodies:

Chairmen of constitutional commissions and independent bodies shall be selected by majority vote by the Congress thru the recommendation of the President. Must not be a member of any political party. Twelve (12) years fixed term.

4. On government and people in the government.

Appointed officials may or may not be members of a political party.

Government employees shall not participate in any activity against the government. Hence, Labor unions are outlawed in all government agencies and institutions.

Priests, imams, pastors and those who are directly involved in any religious groups and services are prohibited to hold in any government posts in any capacity.

The bureaucracy should be downsized and depoliticized, and government must make it sure that its workers are as highly qualified, motivated, and compensated as their counterparts in the private sector.
All government records shall be computerized, and implement the National ID system.

Except for military properties, all structures, vehicles and other properties built, procured by, or donated to the Phil government shall be appropriately marked “PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT PROPERTY”. There shall be no printed or painted names of a Public or Private individuals on the said government properties.

5. On Executive Authority.

Department Heads shall have the authority to suspend or dismiss any appointed employee under his department. His authority for civil service eligible and career officials shall be limited to suspension for a maximum of six (6) months without pay.

For the AFP members, military law applies.

6. On the police force.

The police force shall be absorbed back to the AFP as a major branch of service.

Hence, CPNP, and all RDs, PDs and chiefs of police, shall be appointed by the AFP.

7. On AFP.

Unify all armed forces under AFP whose principal task is to enforce the law and maintain the peace. Hence, a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) shall be established.

The CSAFP shall be appointed by the President among the members of the JCS and will serve a straight four (4) year fixed term. Members of the JCS shall serve for a three (3) year fixed term. The Joint Chiefs of Staff shall be composed of the Chiefs of Army, Navy, Airforce, Police, VCSAFP and TDCSAFP.

All officers shall have a mandatory retirement age of 56 years old except for the CSAFP whose term is fixed to four (4) years and members of the JCS whose term is fixed to three (3) year unless appointed by the President as CSAFP.

All AFP officers who wished to join a Political Party shall resign their commissionships before reaching the rank of Colonel. Otherwise, they shall not be eligible to join any Political Party for life.

Promotions and designations of AFP officers require no congressional confirmation.

8. On Peace and Order.

No peace negotiations with the rebels.

Intensify the physical development and rehabilitation of the old theatres of conflict, while shifting the focus of military activity from combat, to development. More engineering and civic action units should be created.

Enlist the support and cooperation of former enemies of the state in combating criminality and lawlessness, especially in their respective localities.

9. On Media

Members of the press should have no affiliation in any political party.

Media releases should be limited to responsible news reporting and positive commentaries.

Opinionated news, speculative reporting and trial by publicity are considered crime. All accusations should be referred to courts of law. There should be no media coverage for any allegations.

Newscasting should not draw speculation that will create confusion among the people. It must be a plain reporting for the people to decide.
10. On Justice system.

The best 24-hour free legal aid should be made available to all who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, whether to bring a case against another or to defend oneself in court.

Abolish all fees arbitrarily imposed by the courts for the filing of criminal complaints.

Strengthen the Public Attorney’s Office. Help post bail for indigent respondents in criminal cases, through a Special Fund specifically set up for that purpose. .

Parties of a case are only given three (3) times to postpone hearings.

Appeals and petitions for review shall be limited to three (3) times for finality of judgment.

11. On Crimes.

Capital punishment shall be in the form of Firing squad. Executions shall be covered by all TV stations in the country. Members of the firing squad should come from the AFP.

Capital offenses include murder, rape, drug trafficking, kidnapping, smuggling and illegal logging.

No pardons for death convicts.

National Bilibid Prison shall be transferred to Iwahig, Palawan.

Whenever crime is committed, the AFP has the power to physically produce uncooperative witnesses present within 1km radius from the scene of the crime for immediate investigation and filing of the case.

12. On Economy.

Make the economy globally competitive.

Upgrade the infrastructure to include at least one cross-country railroad, new national and regional road networks, ports and airports, irrigation dams land power plants, hi tech communications and high grade tourism facilities.

Maximize use of foreign assistance/grants to support high-impact infrastructure projects.

Target a yearly GDP growth of at least ten (10) percent, through higher productivity, more favorable terms of trade, and more efficient and effective economic management.

Revisit the BOT law, notably its “take or pay” provision, and review all contracts entered into under that law, and all turnkey arrangements, and reaffirm incentives to foreign firms that invest in major infrastructure projects, without however requiring government to exempt them from financial risks or to guarantee their return on investment.

Accelerate the development of the country’s energy resources —oil, natural gas, geothermal, deuterium, etc.; revoke the costly political decision to prohibit the use of nuclear power and mothball the Bataan nuclear power plant.

Initiate and intensify serious research on alternative sources of energy, including fuel-free self-powering “energy from the vacuum” (EFTV) systems, and reduce immediately the price of electricity by reviewing the operations of independent power producers and removing all unnecessary charges being passed on to consumers by the utility firms.

Liberalize all land, sea and air transport policies and guarantee full interconnectivity of all communication carriers and service providers, and the highest efficiencies in transport and communication services.

Target selected industries such as mining, agribusiness, electronics, tourism, higher education, medical care, care-giving, and retirement support services as a primary focus of development, and provide incentives to investments in these industries equal, if not superior, to those offered by other countries.

Utilize the nation’s diplomatic service to enlarge the country’s external markets, secure more foreign direct investments, economic grants and aid, and debt relief, protect Filipino workers, products and services, and recover monies that have been salted abroad by rich and corrupt Filipinos;

Help Filipino producers and exporters produce and export more, by teaching them exactly what to produce and export for optimum profits;

Make local government, from the Barangay up, the spearhead of economic development.

Make available land for agriculture.

Commerce and businesses shall be given more freedom provided that it will not jeopardize and render disadvantage to the Filipinos.

Major airports and port areas will be designated in manner that it discourages conglomeration of people.

Federalism shall be instituted. Provinces shall be given economic autonomy.

13. On Foreign Debts and Deficit.

The National Debts should be cut.

There must be a cap on foreign borrowing.

Borrow from local sources only to avoid undue foreign exchange risks, except when foreign borrowing cannot be avoided, to finance the foreign exchange cost of public expenditures.

Tap the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to undertake the foreign borrowing, so as to make sure the foreign exchange and external debt are well-managed, and the stability of the peso is maintained.

Work for meaningful debt relief, beginning with a reduction of the yearly debt service, and finally including the possible forgiveness of a portion of the external debt.

The Deficit must be brought under control.

Determine the exact magnitude of the deficit, and decide how much will be reduced.

Observe the strictest standards of austerity, in order to realize savings, teach people to live within their means, and institutionalize a new lifestyle in government.

Properly classify the outstanding public sector debt. Determine the quality of all the components of the national debt so the they could be provided for in future NG budgets.

Adopt utmost transparency and consistency in the accounting treatment of all relevant transactions.

Increase the tax base, effort and efficiency, by eliminating the smuggling syndicates, removing all unjustified tax exemptions, raising the excise tax on tobacco, liquor and gasoline, and finally abolishing the tax on income from labor and taxing consumption and net worth instead.

Redirect to the General Fund, PAGCOR’s and PCSO’s contributions to the President’s Social Fund, so they could be used more wisely to support public spending under the General Appropriations Act.

Amend the formula for determining the IRA so that it will be distributed equitably among the rich and poor LGUs; and create a nationwide mechanism to ensure utmost transparency in the utilization of the IRA by all LGUs.

Eliminate all bureaucratic waste by downsizing government and professionalizing the civil service; privatizing every agency or activity that can be privatized, shutting down all windows of graft, such as the unusually large “intelligence” fund of various officials and offices, and arbitrarily priced licenses and permits, etc., streamlining procurement procedures, and abolishing all political “confidential positions”.

Dispose of all non-performing – and only non-performing – assets, in highly transparent, corruption-free and profitable auctions.

Conclude a just and satisfactory settlement of the various wealth recovery cases that have not moved forward in court since 1986, and get the most money out of it.

14. On educational system.

Promote free education.

All dependents of government officials and employees are required to study and finish primary and secondary levels in public schools.

Every child must be given basic education. Those who are likely to drop out of school for reasons of poverty should be paid a small sum to compensate for the time they take out of the farm or their house chores in order to go to school. They should be fed in school.

Make full use of distance learning and transform every home into a learning center, through the home schooling program.

Propagate the dual training program (for various technical skills) and the family farm school program (for agriculture) nationwide, with full state support.

Thoroughly upgrade teachers’ education and offer appropriate incentives to attract the best possible materials to join and stay profession.

Encourage as many world-renowned universities as possible to open local campuses in the Philippines, in order to make the country a major educational center in this part of the world.

15. On military service.

All men at the age of 21 shall be enlisted into the regular force of the AFP as combatants for two (2) years.

16. On agrarian reform.

All Filipinos are allowed to own a parcel of land not to exceed ten (10) hectares each. All excess lands shall become a public property.

Corporations may own up to 1000 hectares provided the land is used for agricultural production or energy exploration.

17. On Labor.

Protect the interest of the workers in private firms or corporation. Promote and make enough jobs locally and protect workers abroad.

Create a world-class English-speaking, computer-literate work force, providing the most highly competitive education and training for its workers.

Create jobs that raise productivity and living standards and encourage Filipinos to seek employment in the private sector at home rather than in government or abroad.

Protect the rights of those who choose to work abroad. It should sign labor agreements with as many labor-importing countries as possible to enlarge the external jobs market and secure maximum benefits and protection for Filipino workers

Work for the lifting of all immigration barriers that prevent the free movement of migrant Filipino workers and their dependents.

18. On Revenue Collection

Bureau of Customs, BIR, and other revenue collecting agencies shall be absorbed by Dept of Treasury. Legislate measures to help facilitate fast and efficient collection of taxes and prosecute tax evaders.

19. On Elections.

Commission on Elections shall be headed by a Chairman.

Decision of the Commission shall be final. All Courts of Justice have no Jurisdiction over electoral questions.

Replace the entire Commission on Elections—before holding new elections.

20. On Government Services.

Basic services like Water, Electricity/Power generation and Petroleum shall be nationalized and be controlled by the Government.

THE POOR MUST BE MADE PART-OWNERS OF THE ECONOMY

They must be protected from the shock of unsustainable price increases.

They must have immediate access to government assistance and support during natural calamities and man-man emergencies.

They must be taught various technical and managerial skills, encouraged to save and to become small producers and entrepreneurs.

MAKE OUR CITIES AND COUNTRYSIDE MORE LIVABLE.

A comprehensive zoning and land use law should once and for all put order to the country’s landscape.

Plan for a comprehensive urban development.

Prohibit the establishment of commercial centers within a radius of one kilometer from the entry and exit points of major thoroughfares and highways, and require shopping malls and similar establishments to build their own access roads to such thoroughfares and highways.

Integrate a Mass transport facilities.

Relocate factories, production sites and informal communities away from the crowded cities into new townships.

Invited foreign investors to develop these new townships and transport systems on a turnkey basis.

MORE PARKS, FOREST AND OPEN SPACES MUST BE BUILT.

Involve the citizens in maintaining the environment— from the daily collection and disposal of garbage, to the maintenance of public infrastructure and facilities, to the nurture of the air, water, land, flora and fauna, etc.

Make communal reforestation/tree-planting a round-the-year citizens’ project and target at least a couple of million hectares each year for the next ten years.

Set up and enforce public standards for sanitation, hygiene and aesthetics, making sure that public buildings and facilities are properly maintained, that no condemned structures remain standing and inhabited, that consumerist advertising does not create anywhere jungles of unsightly billboards and signage that offend public morals and good taste.

Maintain all open spaces, parks and other public facilities and put them back to their original use where they had been arbitrarily converted into commercial areas in highly questionable, if not corrupt, LGU proceedings.

BUILD MORE ROADS AND SIDEWALKS, ENFORCE TRAFFIC LAWS, REGULATE THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES INDIVIDUALS CAN OWN, INSTALL MASS TRANSPORT SYSTEMS.

Enforce strict road, air and sea traffic rules and regulations all over the archipelago.

Only one vehicle per individual for the personal use will be registered.

The state should lead the private sector in investing good money in scientific research, and task the scientific community to develop appropriate solutions to the most common problems like pollution, ecological destruction, water, fuel and food shortages, waste disposal, and traffic. Appropriate incentives for research and development should be developed.

21. On Food Security

No Filipino should starve.

Bring down the cost of food, and ensure enough supply for everybody at prices the poor can afford

Young children, the aged and the sick should get adequate and proper nourishment, free of any disease or vitamin deficiencies.

Upgrade investments in agricultural and food production, extend to farmers the necessary training, credit assistance, and associated services to help them shift from traditional to high-value crops, among other things.

Help the beneficiaries of land reform modernize their farms and combine their small landholdings into large compact farms to give them economies of scale and scope.

Provide micro financing for livelihood projects in the cities and countryside.

22. On Health Care

Design primary health care that the health services should be seeking the population instead of the population seeking the services. Satellite clinics should be available at barangay level.

Devote more time, effort and money to preventing and curing the leading killer diseases, which continue to kill the most number of Filipinos

Ensure 100% coverage of health insurance of the population.

Bring down the cost of medicine to what the poor can afford.

Develop the health delivery system beyond responding to the needs of the population. Promote the country as a center of quality medical services.

23. On International Relations.

Stand by all our treaty commitments.

Encourage and assist all Filipinos abroad to organize themselves into coherent and viable communities. This is the only way our national culture would be respected, our political presence felt, and our moral, intellectual and economic contributions appreciated by the host-countries.

24. On Countryside Development and Population Control.

Control urban migration by developing outer regions and educate couples on family planning.

Persuade donor governments and institutions to spend their money on honest-to-goodness human development.

25. On Graft and Corruption

Absolute non-tolerance of corruption and crime demands a total crackdown on all known criminal elements particularly those engaged in economic sabotage and plunder, money-laundering and counterfeiting, gun-running, illegal drugs traffic, illegal logging, illegal gambling, prostitution, kidnap-for-ransom, smuggling, tax evasion, racketeering, theft of intellectual property and other trans-national crimes.

Bring to justice the unpunished and untouchable crime lords.

Thieving officials and their cohorts should be made to return their loot, and have their ill-gotten properties confiscated, in addition to other grave penalties for their crimes.

Fully disclose all contracts entered into and open to public scrutiny.

Rate periodically all offices, agencies, departments, and their personnel not only in terms of efficiency but above all in terms of personal integrity.

Abolish ‘Pork Barrel’ and Congress to act simply as an oversight body, to make sure that all public appropriations are spent as intended, and that every peso goes to the project for which it was appropriated.

This oversight function should extend to local governments, particularly in the use of their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), which is seen as the LGU’s own “pork”.

Adopt the highest moral standards, reject all false distinctions between private morality, and operate as one big anti-corruption unit, instead of tasking one small, inept agency to do the job.

The Commission on Audit should be more proactive in causing the prosecution and punishment of those involved in graft. Like all others tasked to go after the corrupt elements in government, and COA personnel found guilty of covering up for any one who has committed graft shall suffer double the normal penalty for the offence.

Government officials, beginning with those at the very top, should live modest, austere and morally transparent lives. They should be held accountable for the unearned and unexplained influence or affluence of their close relatives and cronies.
The war on corruption must not exempt big businesses, civil society, and the media.

26. On Filipino Identity and Culture..

Bring back the highest standards of morality in our national life. No genuine progress is possible unless based on the correct social values and ethical principles.

Obliged the mass media and the entertainment arts to put moral, cultural and intellectual excellence.

Promote unconditional support to freedom of religion and the public practice of religious belief.

Our vision of man and society is beyond the purely material and economic order.

PARA SA BAYAN!