Season’s greetings of hope and solidarity in the continuing quest for Peace! — From the IBON Family | 2017
The IBON 2018 Planner: Why Support Community Schools?
Society is their book; and the people, their teachers
The Save Our Schools Network (SOS) unites right to education advocates supporting community-established Mindanao schools. The schools have been under attack by State forces resulting in various civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights violations against children, their teachers and families. During the first-ever national conference of the SOS Network, educators and students hailing from colleges and universities across the country as well as various sectors joined calls to stop the attacks and pledged their commitment to support the fluorishing of these schools. Pioneered in Mindanao by the Lumad, the initiative will soon be replicated in Luzon and the Visayas. IBON lists why community schools deserve everyone’s support in the introduction of the 2018 IBON Planner.
The IBON 2018 Planner is available at the IBON Bookshop at #114 Timog Ave and at selected National Book Store and Powerbooks outlets in Metro Manila.
The Small Press and Anti-Feudal Pedagogy
Author’s note: From now, until the end of the year, I shall write in English about articles originally written in Filipino, share thoughts regarding their respective contexts, and discuss related themes. Part translation, part summary, part review, I hope these previews pique the curiosity of the readers about the essays and their ongoing conversations with other texts that challenge national narratives and preconceived notions on Philippine literature, art and culture.
Last week, I was haunted by the spectre of the paper “Propaganda at Pedagohiya kontra Pyudalismo: Ilang Tala sa Piling Komiks mula Kanayunan” (Propaganda and Pedagogy against Feudalism: Notes on Selected Komiks from the Countryside) that was initially presented during the Lenin Conference held earlier this year by the Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND-UP). After being invited for the Better Living Through Xeroxography (BLTX) forum on food security, land conflict, and agrarian reform, titled “Root Cause,” I unearthed my draft that I am supposed to revise into a full-length paper, among other works-in progress, this “vacation.”
***
“Root Cause” concluded the two-day event “BLTX Mazinehawa St. Features Your Ever Reliable Malcontents” at 154 Maginhawa, Diliman, Quezon City, last December 15-16. At the forum, Faye Cura of Gantala Press started with an overview of Mindanao’s land and history, followed by Nash Tysmans & Ica Fernandez on Maranao food, culture, Marawi and the Siege. I discussed two komiks titles, one serialized, “Ang Buhay ni Pedro Ortilano,” and the other one-shot, “Mga Anak ng Rebolusyon.” For this article, I shall only pertain to the former. Angie Ipong of Sama-samang Artista para sa Kilusang Agraryo (SAKA) elaborated on land sovereignty and agro-ecology. Interestingly, I am the only “other” in the panel, as the only male resource person who would not talk about his own creative work. Cura, Tysmans/Fernandez, and Ipong helped produce, respectively, the books Laoanen, Mga Tutul a Palapa, and Bungkalan; they talk about their work in conversation with the forum’s theme.
***
Through the aesthetic scanning of the physical features of Pedro Ortilano’s visual narrative, I tried to hypothesize how the original komiks were printed and where could it have been distributed. I flipped and read through two anthologies, tangible half-page-sized books that I borrowed titled Inang Larangan. So far, there have been twelve (12) issues. The number of pages of each issue is divisible by two. Hence, 2-pagers could have been back to back pamphlets, while 4-pagers could have been an A4 or letter-size paper, folded into two. Its contents imply that it could have been disseminated for free, as it was not meant to entertain. Its illustrator, writer, letterer, layout artist, and other members of the creative team seem to have had no formal training; but we should take caution in imposing the standards we have learned in institutions. Anyhow, it gets its message across: the irony that food producers like tillers themselves starve, because of feudalism. The series dared show that there are a number of options to resist the oppression of the landlords, which does not exclude taking up arms, if necessary. Some issues of the komiks addressed issues on irrigation, dams, and machines, and the farmers’ organizations often collectively decide on how to deal with these “developments.”
***
During a chitchat the night before the forum proper, Cura said that she found digital copies of the Ortilano komiks online. You may see for yourself, but, if like me, you are an outsider who have not gathered enough data or well thought out insights, try to refrain from judging the actions of peasants in the narrative. Don’t be like me. For instance, I initially found the act of destruction or arson of the mechanical harvester a bit harsh, unproductive and reminiscent of the Luddites. But over dinner, someone shared an informed guess: if the land does not belong to the farmers, taking and utilizing the harvester would not be ideal, since it is difficult to store and the landlord might seize it later anyway through varying forms of violence. Unlike weapons that guerrillas take from the army or the police during raids, the harvester is perhaps too bulky to be kept in a territory that does not belong to the deprived? In a latter issue, however, they kept the harvester, which implies that, at that moment, they could have taken the power and the land back, therefore they somehow own the means of production in the area.
***
I shall end this brief article with how I began my BLTX talk: addressing the “root cause,” as the concise title of the forum goes, shall be more conducive if there exists no culture of fear, demonization, red-baiting against concerned individuals who consider the class war in the countryside legitimate enough to have space in public discourse. The government shall, at least, foster an environment that “let[s] a hundred flowers bloom” by dropping the “terrorist” tag against communists and suspected sympathizers and refraining from overdosing from literal and metaphorical fentanyl. But, after a couple of years under this regime, we could have known better. The peasants reached by the small press that operates outside the center and the capital have been educated to be skeptical and critical of the topmost representative of the ruling classes.
***
The phenomenon of zinesters and independent presses may have reached further and farther than the five or six simultaneous BLTX last December 15. In the countryside, it helps consolidate political power meant to eventually overturn the modes of production into something far more progressive.
Duterte’s TRAIN a scourge, not a gift—IBON
Research group IBON said that contrary to its claims, the Duterte administration affirmed its apathy towards the low-income majority of Filipinos upon its signing of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN). By signing the tax program into law, government has proven its determination to collect funds for its purportedly pro-poor centerpiece programs but at the expense of millions of poor Filipinos who will have to cope with TRAIN-triggered price hikes, said the group.
President Duterte, upon inking TRAIN, said that it would be his administration’s best Christmas gift to the Filipino people. Following deliberations on proposed amendments to the Department of Finance’s (DOF) original package, Congress ratified last week a final version of the first package of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP).
According to IBON, government has in fact grossly exaggerated how lower income taxes will benefit Filipinos, and downplayed how the country’s poorest will be burdened by higher prices on basic goods and services without getting any tax exemptions. The overwhelming majority of Filipinos in fact do not get any income tax benefits from TRAIN, the group said.
“TRAIN is a scourge, not a gift, to the people,” IBON executive director Sonny Africa said. “Though Filipino families certainly deserve income tax cuts to cope with rising costs of living, it is misleading to claim ‘6.8 million’ benefiting from TRAIN because this figure includes millions of minimum wage earners already exempted by law,” said Africa. He added that if anything, the DOF, House and Senate have even proposed to remove this minimum wage exemption.
Africa also said that 15.2 million Filipino families not getting any increases in take-home pay will have to deal with more expensive food and drinks, cooking expenses, jeepney and bus fares, electricity and other goods and services next year. Higher taxes will be imposed on sugar sweetened drinks; oil products including liquid petroleum gas (LPG), kerosene, diesel, and gasoline among others; and coal. Broadening the VAT base will only worsen the burden on poor Filipinos, Africa said.
Africa also noted that the biggest chunks of flagship infrastructure projects for which the administration claims to have earmarked most of the collection from TRAIN are concentrated in already economically-active regions such as the Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon. That the poorest regions like the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Caraga Administrative Region (CAR) are getting only small portions of the Build Build Build projects indicates that the Duterte administration marginalizes poor Filipinos, said Africa. The projected cost of Build Build Build is at Php8-9 trillion over five years with projects to involve China and Japan, as well as known oligarchs such as the Ayalas, Cojuangco and the Pangilinan group.
LTFRB warns ‘picky’ taxi drivers
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday, December 19 warned all taxi drivers here against refusing passengers with destinations away from downtown areas.
“If that is how you act then you will meet the sanctions you deserve. We will direct our enforcers to monitor all of you,” lawyer Aileen Lizada, spokesperson and board member of LTFRB said in an interview.
Lizada maintained that the drivers’ act of overcharging and refusal to take passengers were strictly prohibited as taxis are considered public utility vehicle (PUV) and drivers are doing “public service.”
“If you are not interested to be a public utility driver anymore, no one is forcing you. You better find another job,” she said.
Lizada also said that they will be directing enforcers to monitor taxi drivers especially now that Christmas is nearing and people will be busy for the holidays.
“Do not abuse the season of Christmas,” she added.
Taxi operators will be penalized with P5,000 for first offense, P10,000 for second offense and P15,000 plus cancellation of franchise for third offense.
Stricter penalties
Lizada said LTFRB is currently in partnership with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to impose stiffer penalties among drivers since the current law punishes operators only.
“Kaya malakas ang loob ng mga taxi drivers kasi walang penalty sa kanilang lisensya (That is why drivers are emboldened because there are no penalty in their licenses),” Lizada said.
Violators will be soon facing three to nine months suspension and possible cancellation of driver’s license. This is expected to be implemented by early quarter in 2018.
Lizada urged PUV drivers to take care of their license by “doing what is right and proper.” (davaotoday.com)
Davao City to release funds for Urduja-hit areas
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte announces on December 19, 2017 that the local government will be giving aid to areas hit by typhoon Urduja. (Robby Joy Salveron / davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio announced on Tuesday, December 19, that the city government will give a portion of its disaster fund to areas hit by typhoon Urduja (Kai-tak).
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, December 19, Duterte-Carpio said she has requested the City Council to hold a special session to proceed with the fund’s release.
“We have P96 million from December 19 to December 31 to use for disasters here in Davao City and I think we can spare a little for our fellow Filipinos who have been affected by the typhoon particularly in Biliran and Samar,” she said.
The mayor added that the exact amount will be finalized during the special session which will be conducted once the executive department obtains all the necessary documents.
Areas declared to be under state of calamity include the provinces of Eastern Samar, Western Samar and Northern Samar, and cities of Tacloban and Ormoc.
Duterte-Carpio emphasized that the city government’s cash assistance will be given directly to affected municipalities so that access will be faster.
“We are looking at the population of the municipality and the people affected and from there on we will be computing how much will be the aid,” she said.
“We will be basing on the data that we secured from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the area,” she added.
Just like her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor also said she is planning to go to Biliran to visit the wake of the victims.
In the province of Eastern Visayas alone, the number of casualties reached 42 while 25 others remain missing after typhoon Urduja made landfall on December 16. (davaotoday.com)
Prices will increase beyond the Christmas season
On the day that Pres Duterte signs the tax reform package, IBON underscores how TRAIN will entail price hikes on various goods and services beyond Christmas.
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From stalled WTO to a new world order
Trade deals were stalled mainly due to large developed countries’ differences at the recently concluded World Trade Organization (WTO) 11th ministerial conference (MC-11) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The bigger powers especially the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) pushed their own development agendas and set aside that of the lesser economies, while accusing the WTO to be biased for certain countries.
This crisis of a standstill highlights the intense maneuvers of the world’s dominant powers in protecting their own economies. On the other end, underdeveloped countries like the Philippines can only expect more biased global trade and investment mechanisms like the WTO. These will facilitate how the big countries thrive at the expense of the smaller ones, thanks to the facilitation of the latter’s national governments.
The shift. The disagreements that stalled the WTO is rooted in how the world’s most powerful countries are shielding their economies from the onslaught of globalization. The situation has only gotten worse since the 2008 global financial crisis. The year 2016 for instance saw the lowest global gross domestic product (GDP) in three years at 2.4%, according to the World Bank, with the EU, US and Japan experiencing significantly slow growth in the same period. Of the total US$217-trillion ballooning global debt, meanwhile, one-third is by the US alone, or two percentage points bigger than the combined debt of the poorest countries across the globe including the Philippines.
Market-oriented policies promoted by developed countries have taken their toll on the global economy especially underdeveloped nations. For instance, the International Labour Organization (ILO) conservatively expects the ranks of the global unemployed to exceed 200 million this year. Over 1.4 billion of those with jobs are employed in low-paying and insecure work – especially in the Latin Americas, Asia and Africa. Workers’ wages are pegged at low rates and 2015 saw the slowest wage growth recorded in four years at 1.7 percent.
The repercussions of globalization have triggered the superpowers to increasingly turn to protectionist measures to keep market-oriented mechanisms from affecting their own industries. Yet, the crisis also drives them to persist in wielding neoliberal policies in order to fully utilize the human and natural resources of less developed countries in the continuous drive for profit.
The US’ position to shift from multilateral trade agreements to smaller regional and bilateral deals that it can dominate to push its ‘America First’ agenda would be the biggest factor in the disagreements that stalled the WTO. The US has expressed dissatisfaction towards WTO’s enforcement of existing trade rules particularly against countries it feels are employing trade distorting measures such as China.
On the other hand, the European Union (EU), which appears satisfied with its current level of trade protection, is seeking greater market access and deregulation in other WTO-member countries. Yet, it unites with the US and Japan in trying to restrain China from using WTO rules and technicalities to its advantage.
Standstill. Against this backdrop of big power rivalry, underdeveloped countries were unable to get even incremental reforms. The WTO still restricts public stockholding for domestic food security. Special Safeguard Mechanisms (SSM) for agriculture remain unworkable. Developed country subsidies that undermine small farmer and fisherfolk livelihoods in backward agrarian economies around the world remain.
Nonetheless, dragging negotiations have forestalled efforts to expand the mandate of the WTO and open up economies even more. Proposals to take up investment liberalization, discipline domestic regulation, and discuss e-commerce and restriction of fishing subsidies that would have immediate and far-reaching adverse effects on underdeveloped countries did not advance.
The abrupt barring of civil society representatives from participating in MC-11 also confirms the nontransparent and undemocratic nature of the WTO.
Redirect. The wealthiest 1% of the world including the highest-paid executives and owners of the biggest companies are the ones that benefit from governments’ market-oriented policies. According to Oxfam International, the combined wealth of the world’s eight richest individuals of US$405 billion is equivalent to the combined incomes of the 3.6 billion poorest.
The existing global trade and investment system remains grossly inequitable and disadvantageous to underdeveloped countries. This is among the biggest factors creating poverty, worsening inequality, destroying the environment, and indeed creating the conditions for political violence and repression in the Philippines and so many other countries around the world. That governments, such as the Philippines’, continue to implement neoliberal measures from local policies to trade deals like the WTO, keeps underdeveloped countries at the losing end.
The challenge remains to redirect nations towards a more just global order upholding human, economic and social rights. The farmers, workers, informal sector workers, and low-paid employees of the world will be better served if the national governments assert their economic sovereignty beyond the WTO.