The Legislative Branch of Government

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Seems like Sen. Tito Sotto has the wrong understanding of what the essence of "Freedom of Information" Act is all about. Sadly he now wants to use this to justify the plagiarism done in his “turno en contra” speech instead of owning up and taking responsibility for this mess for actually neglecting to do his due diligence after all he is ultimately responsible for the content of his speech. Bistado na, Magpapalusot pa! Typical "Trapo" politician. It's really high-time that we need to vote in better politicians in our Gov't. This Sen. Tito Sotto is a real joke.

Cayetano Drafts ‘Responsible Plagiarism / Replication Habit Bill’
Sotto Opposes
http://sowhatsnews.wordpress.com/201...sotto-opposes/

MANILA, Philippines — After the admission of Senator Tito Sotto’s chief of staff that parts of his anti-RH Bill speech last Wednesday were copied from a US based blogger, Senator Pia Cayetano, author of the Senate version and staunch supporter of the Responsible Parenthood or Reproductive Health bill, announced that she is drafting a new bill that will prevent future instances of blatant copying of other’s works for use in one’s speech.

The Responsible Plagiarism Bill, also known as Replication Habit Bill, announced today by Cayetano, has the title “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Plagiarism, Speech Writing, Weep Control, and for other purposes.”

“This bill aims to address the incessant copying of our colleagues from online sources but fails to give them credit, even going so far as to belittle the origin when confronted,” said Cayetano. ”We should be more responsible in knowing where our speechwriter copies the words they want us to say are from.”

She was referring to the comments made by Sotto when he said during an interview that, “Bakit ko naman iqu-quote ang blogger? Blogger lang iyon. (Why should I quote the blogger? She’s only a blogger).”

Bloggers and other netizens went up in arms at what they believe was a wrong move for Sotto, and also attacked his supposed belittling of one of them.

The following are the provisions for the Responsible Plagiarism/ Replication Habit Bill:

■The bill mandates the government to “promote, without bias, all effective natural and modern methods of speech writing and fact checking that are categorically ‘safe’ and legal.

■Although plagiarism/piracy is recognized as illegal and punishable by law, the bill states that “the government shall ensure that all speechwriters needing assistance for post-delivery backfires and complications from their employers shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner.”

■The bill calls for a “multi-dimensional approach” integrates a component of speech-writing and responsible plagiarism into all government programs.

■Under the bill, content-appropriate replication and plagiarism education is required from interns to senior chief of staff using “writing-skills and other approaches.”

■The bill also mandates the Department of Labor and Employment to guarantee the rights of speechwriters against their employers. Senators who washed their hands after finding out that the speech he or she just delivered was cribbed from another source and blaming the former, shall be given assistance to defend themselves equally.

■The national government and local governments will ensure the availability of search engine services in all government offices, including but not limited to Google, Bing and Yahoo, so as to avoid future incidents of ‘face palming’.

■Any person or public official who plagiarizes other’s works, whether oral or written, online or off, without proper consent or credit will be meted penalty by imprisonment or a fine.

This early, Senator Sotto is already objecting the passage of the bill saying that information should be free and non-creditable. “Diba kaya nga tinawag na ‘Freedom of Information’ kasi nga libre (Isn’t it why it’s called ‘Freedom of Information’ because it’s free)?”

He was quick to clarify that he is not against Responsible Plagiarism, but only certain provisions about the new bill. “Everybody is willing to have responsible replication. But we live in a fast-paced world. We don’t have time to check whether what we will say on national television was already written by others on the interweb,” said Sotto.

A pro-RH Bill advocate commented that people should also check the facts that Sotto was dishing out the other day, accusing the Senator of misinformation or rehashed of older issues which were already clarified during the debates.

The comedian turned politician, also blamed pro-RH Bill advocates of changing the focus on the events that transpired. “Hindi isyu dito kung kinopya o hindi, banyagang blogger o lokal. Ang isyu dito eh naiyak ako nung nagsasalita ako. Nakita nyo bang yung luha ko (The issue is not whether it was copied or not, foreign blogger or local. The issue is I cried while delivering my speech. Did you not see the tears in my eyes)?

We are receiving reports that the Senator’s office is already hard at work drafting a new speech for a scheduled turno en contra against the Responsible Plagiarism/Replication Habit Bill to be delivered in the coming weeks.

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5 lessons to learn from plagiarism at the Senate
by Analiza Perez-Amurao
Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/10703...-at-the-senate

At the height of the plagiarism uproar at the Philippine Senate, the issue of intellectual property rights has once again come to the fore. As an educator, here are some lessons I’ve learned and taught to avoid plagiarism.

Lesson 1: Cite your source.

The most fundamental rule when using someone else's ideas in your own paper or speech – whether through a direct quote, a paraphrase or a summary – is to always cite the source. This includes not only academic research, but also both old and recent readings, which have eventually become part of your stock knowledge. At the end of the day, every writer should realize that she or he still owes these ideas to the source.

Applying this rule would have prevented the lifting of excerpts from the blog of Sarah Pope who said, "I don't like the fact that my blog was used without my permission against the education of the women of the Philippines and their reproductive rights. That is the issue and it was indeed plagiarism"

Lesson 2: There is such a thing as a "source in another source."

Sotto's use of Sarah Pope's blog entry would have been all right had he and his staff understood what is known in academic circles as citing a "source in another source." Sotto or his aides should have said something like, “According to Natasha Campbell-McBride who is quoted in Ms. Pope’s blog…” Pope has good reason to claim that the Senator and his staff used her paraphrase of Campbell-McBride’s ideas without acknowledging Pope’s authorship.

Pope said: "If his staff did it, he (Sotto) condoned it. He is responsible for your actions. My blog was quoted, not Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I put her work in my own words and you copied my words."

Lesson 3: Acknowledging a source belatedly does not correct the error.

Recognizing the source belatedly has no place once plagiarism has been committed. An attribution to the source, which is a plain after-thought, as what happened, becomes moot and academic. This is what Sotto's chief of staff Atty. Hector Villacorta tried to do when he wrote on the comments section of Pope’s blog after the plagiarism was exposed: “If you wish that you also be credited with the contents of this book, let this be your affirmation. I can do it and by this message, I am doing it. Hope this satisfies you.”

But recognizing the author in a discourse different from the form where plagiarism was committed just does not rectify the error. It only shows deeper ignorance of the accepted practice. It can, in fact, be punishable by law.

As discussed in Plagiarism and the Law, “Plagiarism covers a spectrum from word for word textual copying, through changing some words but retaining the basic structure, through to copying ideas and arguments. The common thread is that the copying is dishonest because it is unacknowledged.”

In discussing the right of attribution, Ronald Standler cited Article 6 of the Berne Convention saying, “the true author has the right to have his/her name on the work.” This principle is also shared by the UK Intellectual Property (IP) rights government body which says that respect for copyright “…also gives moral rights [for the true author] to be identified as the creator of certain kinds of material, and to object to distortion or mutilation of it.”

New Directions in Copyright Law emphasizes that “Plagiarism and copyright are different aspects of the same core issue: respecting and appropriately acknowledging the intellectual property of an individual or group of individuals responsible for the creation of original work.” Hence, seen from any of the two perspectives, copyright- or plagiarism-wise, something was not done right.

Lesson 4: Plagiarism is fraudulent.

There is no such a thing as unintentional plagiarism or "oversight" as claimed by Villacorta. While some sources claim that plagiarism on its own may not be considered illegal, it can be considered one if "…it offends against the law of misrepresentation,” as argued in New Directions in Copyright Law.

Apart from issues concerning intellectual property rights, Dr Eleanour Snow of the University of South Florida said the plagiarist can be committing “fraudulence that is closely related to forgery and piracy – practices generally in violation of copyright laws.”

Earlier, Villacorta owned up to the "oversight" and said Sotto was not involved in plagiarizing Pope’s work.

Lesson 5: A plagiarist has little reason to complain.

A plagiarist has no right to state a grievance because "...it is unwise for a plagiarist to complain about how he/she was treated," according to Checkforplagiarism.net, one of the leading online management tools used by universities to detect and avoid plagiarism.

It was odd for Villacorta to request Pope to "take their side in the discussions on the RH bill and not 'deflect the debate toward this issue of plagiarism. It is so out of sync in this great debate.'"

What can be learned from Sotto's situation is that legislators (and their staff) – who regularly research vast amounts of information, and whose products, namely, legislative bills, have far-reaching consequences on citizens – must strictly observe rules on intellectual property rights.


A 2011 Bagong Bayani awardee and a 2010 SEAMEO-Australia Press Award finalist, Analiza Perez-Amurao teaches at Mahidol University International College, a leading state university in Thailand. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Multicultural Studies. Ideas expressed in this article, however, are entirely hers. To follow her work, visit www.analizaperez-amurao.com. Follow her tweets, too, at @analiza_amurao.

[Bosnyboy]

Originally Posted by red_jasper

Sotto: Why should I quote a blogger?



Full story here

Typical pulitiko, nahuli na nga ayaw pang umamin, kapal muks. Kung sa hapon yan nangyari sigurado harakiri na, may kasama munang public apology. Kaya mababa ang tingin sa atin ng ibang lahi kasalanan ng mga taong ganyan. From the luneta tragedy and now this. Mga walang manners, walang civility.

Dati rati ang kaban ng bayan lang ang pinag nanakawan ng mga pulitiko ngayon pati na ren ang lathain ng ibang tao ninanakaw na harap harapan. PWEH!!!!!!!!!!!! Bat di pa kayong mga pulitko ang mga nalunod sa baha???!!!!

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Sen. Sotto is an idiot alright and a stubborn egotistic one at that. He said the buck stops with him and takes responsibility for this mess and yet he hasn't really shown any remorse nor has he really acknowledged and apologized for his/their actions. In short all talk no action. If a President of another country had the decency to resign from his post for plagiarism, Sen. Sotto should do the right thing and resign from his post as well if he has any decency left in him. Even MVP resigned for the same kind of fiasco but I highly doubt Sotto will have the balls to do same. Guess that shows the difference in character between MVP and Sen. Sotto and why MVP is much more of a man than Sotto will ever be. Only goes to show Sen. Sotto is nothing more than a "Trapo" politician lacking in principle and integrity. Sotto is a joke. This mediocrity in gov't has got to stop. Voters should really wise-up and vote in better leaders in our government in coming elections.


MVP, Sotto, and plagiarism
Rappler.som
http://www.rappler.com/nation/10738-...and-plagiarism

MANILA, Philippines – One offense, two different responses.

Like Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, top businessman Manuel V Pangilinan committed plagiarism for a graduation speech at the Ateneo de Manila University in 2010. But unlike Sotto, Pangilinan immediately took responsibility for it after the public took notice.

Pangilinan also resigned as Ateneo's chairman of the board after observers spotted unattributed quotes from US President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Conan O'Brien, and J. K. Rowling in his much-applauded graduation speech.

In a letter to then Ateneo president Fr Bienvenido Nebres, Pangilinan described the incident as “a source of deep personal embarrassment.” “I am afraid the damage has been done – wala talaga akong mukhang ihaharap pagkatapos,” said Pangilinan, explaining his decision to resign. (Now I have no face to show.)

The respected businessmen, of course, could have told the public to blame his speechwriters. But he himself confronted the issue. “I have had some help in the drafting of my remarks, but I take full and sole responsibility for them,” he told the Ateneo president.

Nebres, in convincing him to stay as Ateneo chair, said the incident happened “without his full awareness, though he takes full and sole responsibility.”

But Pangilinan wouldn't budge. He stepped down, because he “would seek only the honorable and principled way out.”

Not saying sorry

In contrast, Sotto has refused to say sorry “because he can't apologize for something he did not know.” His camp said it was a speechwriter who copied quotes, without attribution, from a blogger who calls herself “The Healthy Home Economist.” Sotto used the quotes for a speech against the Reproductive Health bill.

In fact, a day after the Filipino Freethinkers exposed similarities between Sotto's speech and blogger Sarah Pope's piece, the senator flatly denied accusations of plagiarism.

“Bakit ko naman iko-quote ang blogger? Blogger lang iyon. Ang kino-quote ko si Natasha Campbell-McBride,” Sotto said in an ANC interview, referring to the the source whom Pope quoted. (Why should I quote a blogger? She’s just a blogger. I’m quoting Natasha Campbell-McBride.)

On the same day, Pope confirmed that Sotto plagiarized her work. At this point, it was Sotto's chief of staff, lawyer Hector Villacorta, who came forward to apologize for what he called a “single trespass.”

But Villacorta told Rappler it was a “semi-apology” since both Sotto and Pope quoted Campbell-McBride anyway. "If you wish that you also be credited with the contents of this book,” Villacorta told the blogger, “let this be your affirmation. I can do it and by this message, I am doing it. Hope this satisfies you.”

Rappler contributor Analiza Perez-Amurao, however, pointed out such reasoning is unacceptable. The acceptable way for Sotto's use of Sarah Pope's blog entry would be had he and his staff understood what is known in academic circles as citing a "source in another source." Sotto or his aides should have said something like, “According to Natasha Campbell-McBride who is quoted in Ms. Pope’s blog…” Pope has good reason to claim that the Senator and his staff used her paraphrase of Campbell-McBride’s ideas without acknowledging Pope’s authorship, said Amurao, an educator who teaches at a leading state university in Thailand.

A common definition of the word “plagiarize,” based on Merriam-Webster, is “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own,” or to “use (another's production) without crediting the source. It is also “to commit literary theft” or “present as new and original and idea or product derived from an existing source.”


Sotto Won’t Sack Top Assistant Over ‘Plagiarism’
Manila Bulletin
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/370151...ver-plagiarism

MANILA, Philippines --- The office of Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said yesterday it would not give walking papers to the lawmaker’s chief of staff, Hector Villacorta, who had admitted that the senator’s staff used without authorization the blog of an American woman on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

This came as Sotto himself put up a wall of silence on the plagiarism issue, supposedly not to add fuel to the raging controversy following the claim made by the blogger, Sarah Pope, that Sotto copied her blog which she claimed was her intellectual property.

Sotto’s office maintained that they did not commit any mistake, even stating that they were able to get a certification from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) that blogs are not covered by copyright.

Villacorta, when interviewed by phone by the Manila Bulletin, said he has not heard of his principal, the Senate Majority Leader, planning to kick him of the Senate office over the plagiarism issue.

“We all serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. All chiefs of staff serve at the pleasure of the principal,’’ Villacorta said.

Villacorta pointed out that he has no sense that Sotto wishes to terminate his services “but I am always open to any eventuality.”

On the claim of Ms. Pope that the senator plagiarized her blog in his “turno en contra’’ speech last Wednesday to stress his objection to the RH bill, Villacorta said he called the office of the IPO which stated that there is no such crime as plagiarism of a blog.

‘’Blogs are public domain and government can use any information if it is for the common good,’’ Villacorta told the Manila Bulletin after checking with the IPO.

Sotto earlier dared those who claimed that he plagiarized his speech to simply sue him.

‘’I have identified my sources (in the speech). Blog, pareho ang source? Yes, I came out with a blanket disclosure. These (attributions) are not from me. They mean to hurt me. What is the motive? Why attack the messenger,’’ Sotto said.

‘’My staff compiled (the data in the speech). There was a blanket disclosure that these data did not come from me. If the Philippine Insurance Code is the exact copy of the US Insurance Code, what is wrong?” he asked. ‘’They are trying to malign me because of the issues I raised against the bill," he added.

The RH bill has become controversial in that supporters of the legislation, including the United Nations and other foreign organizations, are pitted against the Catholic Church that considers contraception an abortion.

Sotto said he would deliver his final “turno en contra’’ speech on Wednesday after which the Senate goes into a period of amendment on the RH bill.

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Sotto sets privilege speech vs critics
PhilStar
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx...bCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III will again take the floor on Wednesday to deliver a privilege speech, which would take the place of the last part of his turno en contra (rebuttal) speech.

“It’s their fault. I am ready to close my turno but now I will postpone this for my privilege speech,” Sotto said yesterday, referring to American blogger Sarah Pope, who had accused him of plagiarism over his speech against the Reproductive Health bill, and several pro-RH bill groups and individuals.

He said he is fighting back and has threatened to take Pope and the proponents of the RH bill head-on in his scheduled privilege speech.

After two days of hearing the exchanges between Pope, the people attacking him in social media and his Senate staff over an entry the American made in her blog about the pill, Sotto admitted that certain lines in his turno en contra speech against the RH bill were lifted from Pope’s blog.

However, he has repeatedly denied that he committed plagiarism, as alleged by Pope, because he said he made it clear in his speeches that the contents, including the references to ideas, thoughts or medical and scientific findings were not his own.

“She was not the author of the book. If I did not mention her name then she should know that I also did not mention several other people’s names (in my speech),” he said in an interview.

Sotto’s chief of staff, lawyer Hector Villacorta, admitted that they lifted parts of Pope’s blog to present some information contained in a book written by Dr. Natasha McBride.

Pope has since gone on a campaign to make Sotto accountable for what she felt was the stealing of her intellectual property and quickly drew the support of her fellow bloggers here and abroad.

She even went as far as calling Sotto a “lying thief,” which drew the ire of the senator.

He said he was convinced the pro-RH groups are behind the latest attacks against him and that they are the ones orchestrating the smear campaign using Pope as its centerpiece.

“This is clearly a wrecking job. The pro-RH people are the same ones making a big issue out of this," Sotto said.

“Plagiarism, whether you give attribution or not, applies only if you contend that the contents (used) are yours."

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Mmm... Pwede naman ipasa parehong iyan so why only pick one Sen. Enrile? Pass both!

Enrile: Economy needs Charter Change, not passage of RH Bill
InterAksyon.com
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/4...age-of-rh-bill

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said on Sunday he would rather that amendments to the 1987 Constitution are passed instead of the Reproductive Health bill, saying that pro-economic growth policies in the Charter are the better route to human progress than simply controlling population growth.

In a radio interview on Sunday, Enrile said he preferred amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution instead of passing the RH bill, now re-named Responsible Parenthood bill, in order to attract investments that will create jobs and provide people better economic means.

“We should pitch jobs creation, that is why we and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte are pushing the opening of the economic provisions, and providing the means to create more jobs especially for the poor, and so that they can provide for their children regardless of number,” he said.

Enrile said the main objective of the reproductive health bill is to control population growth in order to shrink the so-called dependent generations in society due to lack of jobs.

“The UN says we must limit population growth to only 2 percent. NEDA chief (Arsenio Balisacan) said currently that growth is at that level already, except that there are more of our people who are not yet of working age, from one year old to 16 years old. They are deemed burdens to society. But in the future, they will be our consumers, our taxpayers, our workers. They will be our farmers, doctors, teachers, among others,” he said.

Dependency, we cannot avoid that in any society. They are like a small tree that, when still small and not yet fruit-bearing, we take care of, knowing that in time they will do bear fruit. Like fingerlings, we don’t eat these small fish, we support them so you can benefit from them someday,” Enrile explained.

Exclude contraceptives as essential medicine clause

Enrile also asked proponents to exclude contraceptives such as condoms, pills and IUD (intrauterine device) from the essential medicine clause of the RH bill, which is only used to control population growth, but with no curative values on health.

“You’re going to tag them essential medicines? What disease does IUD treat? What is the purpose of the intrauterine device, except to reduce the number of people, to prevent pregnancies. Why, is pregnancy a disease?” Enrile asked.

“If they want to say the government will distribute IUD, don’t put it as a medicine,” Enrile added.

Enrile also asked proponents not to distort the “truth” about the bill which is essentially controlling population growth in order to attain their objective of maintaining their ideal family size.

“They don’t want people to know they’re simply just out to control the population . . . Let’s educate the people; if we say they’re poor, then let’s give them jobs. There are many ways [of easing poverty],” he added.

Amendments to RH bill

Enrile said he will propose amendments to the bill during the period of amendments, and there will be no interpellation after Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III finishes his turno en contra, which is expected to resume on Wednesday.

“I want to amend the bill; if the sponsors will accept these, thanks. If not, then let’s just vote on it. People will hold all of us accountable,” he said.

Enrile predicted that if the bill is not amended according to the present and future needs of our generation, the nation will be like other countries now suffering the consequence of statutory-controlled population growth, where generations of workers and youth are not growing, and they are all old now.

“Other countries now suffer the consequence of their laws, they acknowledge that now. Why do we wish to repeat their error? They may not feel it today in their lifetime, how about the next generation of our people who are innocent and will suffer from our mistakes today?” Enrile said.

He likened a nation’s population profile to a pyramid. There are more people at the base. But because of this law, he said, that normal structure might be reversed.

That, he said, will impact pension funds and shrink the economy. There won’t be enough pension funds to support old people retiring from the work force, because there will not be enough young people working and paying taxes.


Beyond birth control: there are other uses for oral contraceptives
By AMANDA LAGO,
GMA NEWS
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...ef=editorspick

When people hear of oral contraceptives, they immediately think birth control. But the truth is the controversial pills have a number of other uses as well.

“’Yung pills kasi, hindi lang siya for proper spacing. May mga gynecological diseases na nagagamot ito,” said Ludy Geraldes, representative for new contraceptive pill Couleurs La Femme, in an interview with GMA News Online.

Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Raul Quillamor explained that aside from preventing ovulation, the combination of estrogen and progesterone in oral contraceptives allows for the treatment of common conditions that a lot of women experience.

The following are the non-contraceptive uses of oral contraceptives, according to Quillamor:


1. Acne control

Among the more popular conditions treated or controlled by oral contraceptives is acne, Quillamor said.

“Nagpre-prescribe ang derma nito as an adjunctive therapy to control acne,” obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Raul Quillamor told GMA News Online.


2. Treatment for polycystic ovarian syndrome

Quillamor said that the pill is prescribed to those who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome, which causes menstrual disturbances, ovarian cysts, and infertility, among other symptoms.


3. Regulate menstrual cycles

According to Quillamor, the hormones in female contraceptive pills can help regularize the menstrual cycles of women who experience infrequent menstruation.


4. Prevent anemia

“Ginagamit rin ‘to sa mga patients na heavy bleeder, to lessen blood loss during menstruation, so it can also prevent anemia,” Quillamor explained.


5. Lower ovarian cancer risk

Quillamor noted that the pill can even decrease the risk for ovarian cancer by almost half.

According to an article on the Oxford University website, researchers from the institute found in 2008 that taking contraceptive pills for 10 years can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 45 percent.

Researchers also found that women who took the pill for any length of time lowered their risk for ovarian cancer by 15 percent, reducing the risk further by taking the pill for longer.

“The Pill also causes long-lasting protection against endometrial cancer (cancer or the lining of the womb) but causes a short-lived increase in breast cancer and in cervical cancer (cancer of the neck of the womb),” the article said.

“Young women take the Pill mostly for contraceptive purposes. There are known to be some definite health risks among current or recent users. But these are outweighed by the long-term protective effects against ovarian cancer—one of the most dangerous types of cancer,” the article concluded.


Giving women a choice

Ultimately, Geraldes said that contraceptive pills offer women another choice for family planning methods.

“We created Couleurs La Femme with the modern Filipina in mind, knowing that more Filipinas these days want to savor the very best that life can offer while balancing the demands of their families and careers,” she said.

However, Geraldes added that “about 25 percent of women of reproductive age do not have the right information and access to the choices available to them.”

Responding to RH bill detractors who criticize contraceptives as abortifacients, Geraldes told GMA News Online, “we actually know that oral contraceptives are not abortifacients because the action of the pill is to prevent fertilization in the first place — walang pregnancy na nangyayari.”



The other benefit - RH Bill will help economy reach ‘sweet spot’
By: Ernesto M. Pernia
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://opinion.inquirer.net/34749/rh...ach-sweet-spot

“Demographic sweet spot” is becoming a buzzphrase in business and political circles and the media, thanks to British international bank HSBC’s bold prognosis early this year on the Philippine economy’s rise to global prominence by 2050. This was essentially echoed by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. at the Euromoney forum late in March and by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima around the Asian Development Bank annual general meeting early in May, and reechoed in a comment in the Wall Street Journal (7/24/12).

HSBC predicted that the Philippines would vault 27 rungs to become the world’s 16th largest economy, just one off Russia and distinctly outranking Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Such a prognosis is tied to the Tetangco-Purisima forecast that the economy would hit the “sweet spot” by 2015 as both are attributed to a large population with “a rising proportion of young, consumption-driven workforce” resulting in demographic dividends. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the predictions are pretty iffy as they seem to derive from a misapprehension of demographic-economic dynamics. The development literature says that demographic dividends occur as a result of demographic transition when a country’s total fertility rate (TFR, or average completed number of children per woman) falls sharply from a high toward 2.1 (known as replacement fertility)—such that the working-age (15-64) segment of the population grows faster than the young dependent-age (0-14) share. Imagine a “population pyramid” with a wide base that narrows, resulting in the midsection expanding markedly.

Many of our Asian neighbors have long experienced demographic transition and been gifted with dividends—bigger and more productive work force, larger human capital investment in young dependents, and higher savings and investment rates—altogether leading to faster GDP per capita growth and significantly reduced poverty. These include the older Asian tigers Taiwan and South Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, and the newer ones Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia beginning in the early 1990s or 2000s.

Unfortunately, our country has yet to experience such a demographic-economic halcyon period. Projections by University of the Philippines statistician-economists Dennis Mapa, Arsenio Balisacan et al. (2010) indicate that given the status quo—i.e., no Reproductive Health (RH) program—the Philippines’ TFR would diminish from the current 3.3 to 2.1 by 2030 yet (compared with Thailand’s 1.6 and Indonesia’s 2.1 in 2010). If, however, an RH or family planning (FP) program focused only on unplanned or unwanted fertility (mostly of poor couples) were already in place since 2008, a TFR of 2.1 could be achieved by 2020.

Consider the following demographic data that underscore further how the Philippines has lagged well behind its neighbors in achieving demographic transition. In 1990, Thailand’s working-age population was already 65 percent (and Indonesia 60 percent) of the total population compared with the Philippines’ 56 percent. By 2015, the respective numbers are projected to be 71 percent, 69 percent, and 63 percent, such that our population’s working-age share would still be lower than Thailand’s in 1990!

The flipside, of course, is the proportion of young nonworking dependents, referred to as the dependency burden, which is heaviest for the Philippines: 33 percent in 2010 versus 21 percent for Thailand and 27 percent for Indonesia. By 2015, the Philippines’ burden eases just a bit to 32 percent compared with Thailand’s 19 percent and Indonesia’s 26 percent.

The lesson seems clear. Our progressive Asian neighbors have reaped the demographic-transition bonus by seriously implementing population policies early on that sharply slowed their population growth rates (PGR, evidently related to, but not to be confused with, TFR)—e.g., Thailand’s 0.5 percent and Indonesia’s 1.2 percent versus the Philippines’ 1.9 percent (as of 2008-2010). Slower PGR enabled higher human capital and infrastructure spending, resulting in positive demographic-economic synergies.

HSBC qualifies its prognosis: “There are two ways economies can grow; either add more people to the production line via growth in the working population, or make each individual more productive… Behind these projections we assume governments build on their recent progress and remain solely focused on increasing the living standards for their populations.”

These, of course, are big ifs because making each worker more productive and raising living standards can scarcely be achieved without population management complementing economic policy. For instance, partly due to a lack of a clear population policy in the Philippines, investment in human capital per student has been declining in real terms and worker productivity has been slipping. Meanwhile, calls for a firm population policy since our early FP program stalled in the late 1970s have gone unheeded and stymied by church-state politics.

The sooner the RH bill is passed and implemented, the faster the economy can hit the “sweet spot.” The naysayers are, of course, quick to say that that would bring about the aging problem sooner. It’s actually a common fallacy, because after reaching replacement fertility, a population continues to grow owing to demographic momentum typically for another 70 years or so before it stabilizes.

“All told, RH programs offer a win-win solution. They lift the well-being of individual women and children, and benefit the economy and the environment as well” (30 UP economists, Inquirer, 7/29/12).

Ernesto M. Pernia is with the UP School of Economics and is former lead economist of the ADB.

[diz]

In other countries, politicians immediately resign after being caught doing such a juvenile act. Heck, even in high school and college, kids immediately get expelled when caught plagiarizing. But not in the Philippines...

[GodIsNotGreat]

It is even possible that he will again be reelected in the future. Voters have short memories.

____________________

Asked, Who is the rich man? Epictetus replied, “He who is content”.

[3cr]

Lagman calls for early passage of 'intertwined' 2013 budget, RH bills
InterAksyon
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/4...udget-rh-bills

MANILA, Philippines - Albay Representative Edcel Lagman on Monday exhorted leaders of the House of Representatives to prioritize the passage of the budget and the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, saying both issues are intertwined.

"The affinity between the RH bill and the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) is reasonably intertwined to be overlooked," Lagman said in a statement.

He said the RH bill complements the budget in major appropriations, particularly for social services, risk management during calamities, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

As with the budget bill, the House should also set a time frame for discussions on the RH bill so it could be voted on in plenary, he said.

Lagman, one of the main authors of the RH bill, said that while the proposed national budget has increased to P2.006 trillion, "no amount of augmentation will be adequate if Filipino couples, parents, and women are not empowered to freely and responsibly determine the number and spacing of their children through legal, medically safe, and effective family planning methods of their choice."

"Appropriations are eroded by a huge population growth rate," he added.

The Albay lawmaker also said the ballooning population "exacerbates calamities and makes risk management more expensive and difficult."

The RH bill is currently under the period of amendments on the floor, but lawmakers opposed to the measure have stalled discussions last week by delivering privilege speeches.

Lagman said the complementarities of the RH bill and the GAB are manifest in the following major programs and policies of the government which require sufficient budgetary outlays:

(1) Quality education will always be hampered by huge backlogs in classrooms, teachers, and textbooks as the annual escalation of school enrollment outpaces the budget for education.

(2) Healthcare expenditures will continue to rise if maternal and infant morbidity and mortality are not reduced because reproductive health information and services are not accessible to the marginalized and disadvantaged sectors.

(3) Despite budgetary allocations and incentives for job generation, the problems of unemployment and underemployment will defy solution if the number of annual entrants to the manpower pool remains increasingly high.

(4) The appropriation for the protection of the environment and the containment of climate change is rendered deficient as the ecology becomes the casualty of wanton population growth.

[3cr]

Not just about condoms and birth control
Business Mirror
http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/op...birth-control-

EVEN as the debate on the reproductive-health (RH) bill seems to be turning more acrimonious in the Senate each session day, we wish to point out that a population policy should also be about more than just birth control and contraceptives. It’s also about being able to harness our population and our country’s other resources, about providing the right infrastructure and sociopolitical climate that would lure investments and give people jobs and economic opportunities.

We already have a population fast approaching 100 million, with some 2 million Filipinos born every year. Even if the RH bill is passed this year, and granting that it is able to slow down our surging population growth, we still have to contend with the huge and relatively young population we already have.

Bloomberg in an article on July 23, 2012, titled “Aging Japan-Chinese workers drive jobs to Southeast Asia,” reported that Asia’s manufacturing powerhouses—Japan, South Korea and China—are among the fastest-aging countries in the world, while developing nations in Southeast Asia are among the youngest in the region. As a result, factories, jobs and investment are going to countries like the Philippines that have a relatively young, skilled and cheap work force.

The article cited Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Inc., a Japanese-owned shipbuilding company which put up a shipyard in Balamban town in Cebu, employing more than 15,000 workers, and electronic-parts maker Mitsumi Electric Co., with more than 14,000 workers also in Cebu, as among the businesses looking to move more manufacturing out of China.

Yoshitsugu Murakami, a spokesman for Mitsumi said, “Labor costs in China have been rising. It’s good for us to shift production to the Philippines little by little. It’s easy to recruit talented workers.”

Tsuneishi is confident of pouring some P25 billion into Cebu this year alone.

Our labor force will expand to 75 million by 2020, Merrill Lynch projected in an April 27 note.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said that the country’s steady supply of a young work force could be an advantage. The first Philippine Consumer Finance Survey (CFS) conducted by the BSP in June this year indicated a big net participation rate in the labor force, with the young population expected to turn in big numbers within the next decade.

The BSP agrees that the Philippines would find itself at an advantage compared to developed economies “with mostly an aging population and who are forced to look for their labor requirement from the developing countries.”

But an abundantly young work force will not necessarily be an advantage if they’re not trained and skilled.

So the government should invest heavily on education and skills training in order to make sure that our young people are ready to meet the demands of higher-value and higher-technology industries. It should also control criminality and terrorism, which significantly deter foreign investment. And it should invest more on public infrastructure, particularly on airports and seaports, transportation and telecommunications networks and energy systems, to reduce the cost of doing business in the country.

If we could do all these, perhaps one day, we could say: Population is not a problem—regardless of whether we have a reproductive-health law or not.

[3cr]

Bloody debates on sin taxes expected
Manila Standard
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/...axes-expected/

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said he expected “bloody deliberations” on the floor when the Malacanang-backed measure seeking increased taxes on tobacco and liquor comes up for debate.

Enrile said the proposed measure known as the “sin taxes bill” faced “rough sailing” in the Senate because some senators believe it would kill the tobacco industry once it becomes a law.

“Our tobacco farmers would be in pitiful condition, During summertime, that’s their source of income,” Enrile, who hails from Cagayan, a tobacco-producing province, told reporters last Friday.

The House of Representatives has passed its own version of the bill, but the Senate was still holding public hearings on the proposal. The Senate Ways and Means Committee will also have to consolidate the various versions of the proposals before the plenary debates.

The House-approved sin taxes bill projected a revenue of P31.28 billion excise taxes from tabacco and alcohol. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said he hoped the senators would raise it to P60 billion.

Senator Ferdinand Marcos, whose constituents live on tobacco farms in the Ilocos provinces, said the government must provide alternative livelihood to tobacco farmers who will be displaced by high taxes.

“What will the government do with the tobacco farmers, growers, retailers and traders. They will be adversely affected by the decline in tobacco consumption. Now, what are we going to do with them if they lost their livelihood?” Marcos said.

“The industry supports three million workers. They are dependent on tobacco for their livelihood. They should not be neglected. While this could generate additional revenues for the government, they should also take into consideration the lives of the people who will be prejudiced by killing the industry,” Marcos said.

Sen. Ralph Recto, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said he expected the Senate to pass the bill by December, and the money it will generate would be spent on universal health care.

But Enrile said he was not sure that the bill would pass before the yearend.

[Nabartek]

I am in favor of "sin tax" (come on, what benefits do we get from nicotine?). However upon implementation, the government should immediately provide alternative and compensate affected industries. Say, government assistance to planting tobacco to planting rice. The government could give no-interest loans to businesses/companies that will be affected.

[Nabartek]

Please, please tell me what kind of reasoning is this?????

Parang sinabi nila na puedeng gamitin ang kotse mo ng walang paalam ng di mo kilala!

Plagiarism common practice, OK in Senate, says Sotto’s aide

Plagiarism is rampant in the Senate, but some staff members of senators consider it an acceptable practice.

Passages from various authors are included in the speeches of senators and entire legislative bills are being copied and passed off as their own.

The chief of staff of Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto on Wednesday said it was a common practice among Senate staff members to scout for bills that a previous Congress had failed to enact into law and repackage them as their bosses’ pet measures.


For instance, the reproductive health (RH) bill that Sen. Miriam Santiago filed in 1997 has undergone so many incarnations before its current packaging as the committee report that she and Pia Cayetano, chairperson of the committee on women and family relations, now endorse.

Why reinvent the wheel?

“Copying is a common practice. Why do you need to think of a brand-new measure when a good one that was not enacted already exists?” said Hector Villacorta, Sotto’s chief of staff.

At a breakfast forum, Villacorta said former senators would sometimes approach incumbent ones and ask them to refile the measures that failed to reach approval during the former senators’ term.

“They request new senators to refile [the bills] because (these are) already in the archives. Why reinvent the wheel? Re-filing is an accepted practice. It is called copying,” he said

Word for word

There are also instances when a senator’s staff goes through bills not enacted by a previous Congress and copy these word for word.

“It’s really copying …. Why exert effort when these bills are just lying around?” Villacorta said.

He explained that this was an acceptable practice because “a bill not acted upon dies with an old Congress. So when the new Congress takes over, the staff of the new senators will find out that can still be revived.”

Two senators are being assailed on social networking sites for their alleged failure to attribute information from sources on the Internet contained in their speeches.

Sotto was chastised for not acknowledging a US blogger whose work his researcher cited in a speech against the RH bill last week.

Cayetano was similarly ridiculed for allegedly not mentioning two institutions in separate speeches on maternal health and the environment.

Rationalization

Even Villacorta himself was whipped on the Web for saying that Philippine laws do not have provisions that penalize anyone who freely lifts information from the Internet.

Still, Villacorta said it was easier to rationalize the filing of unoriginal bills than delivering unoriginal speeches because even the Constitution was “plagiarized” from the US charter.

“We plagiarized the US Constitution. All the amendments became our Bill of Rights. But do they call us a plagiaristic country? No, because the law is based on precedent,” Sotto’s chief of staff said.


“Even our Insurance Code is a plagiarized document. The proposed freedom of information bill is plagiarized. What’s more, the Senate and House (of Representatives) versions of the RH bill are very similar. So who is plagiarizing who?” he added.

Villacorta reminded everyone that “the Bible reached us today because the monks copied from the Greeks. Everything really started from a little copying.”

All plagiarists

“Even our image was copied from God. We are all plagiarists,” he said.

Former Sen. Ernesto Maceda was in the Senate Wednesday and acknowledged that the copying of bills from a previous Congress was indeed considered acceptable among his peers during his term.

In the case of speeches, “when we lifted a passage or quotation, we gave the corresponding attribution to the source,” he said.

However, Maceda would not hold Sotto and Cayetano personally accountable for passages in their speeches that might have failed to attribute the right sources.

“I can believe the two senators if they say their speeches were prepared by their staff. It was an omission…. I think to me it’s not a big thing. It’s forgivable if it does not really affect the overall content of the speech…. Almost all senators depend on staff work,” he explained


Magnanimous

Santiago was also magnanimous when asked about the issue

“Maybe the speech writer just overlooked it…. This is politics so I guess we should give more leeway to the senators as long as later on they admit that they took it from some other source and they acknowledge that source,” she said.

“This is not academe where it is grave, in effect a mortal sin not to attribute something to its source or author,” Santiago added.

Still, Maceda said it would be good if the senators would “express an apology to authors asking it.”

Not on Villacorta’s watch in the case of Sotto. “Senator Sotto was not personally responsible for preparing the speech. He only read it on the floor. Besides, I already apologized to (US blogger) Sarah Pope,” he said.


Too awkward

Villacorta said Sotto’s researchers initially tried searching for the website of US author Natasha Campbell-McBride but could not open it.

The researchers resorted instead to Sarah Pope’s blog, believing her quotes of Campbell-McBride’s work was verbatim

“We cannot draw up a speech that says ‘according to this blogger who quoted this author.’ It’s simply too awkward. Besides, what would the Senate President say,” Villacorta said.

“A whole gamut of ‘according to’ would also not make the speech credible. This is the Senate we are talking about,” he added.

Plagiarism -- passing ones work as your own. Nothing wrong with borrowing ideas as long as you cite where you got it and do not claim it as your own or use it as if it was yours.

Schools and Universities should be strict on plagiarism. Professionals and politicians should be fined heavily for plagiarizing.

And just how is the Philippine constitution "plagiarized" from the US Constitution? Although we have borrowed their idea of Congress, Senate, etc... they are different in many ways. Phil constitution was FRAMED from the US constitution but it is not the same as Sotto's speech to the US blogger's entry.

And just because plagiarism was common in the ancient times, does not excuse these people from plagiarizing. Those were hundreds and thousands years ago where there was no concept of plagiarism. However in our time where the concept of plagiarism exist, there is no excuse.

Besides, in Sotto's plagiarism case (or rather his aide) was a plagiarism of opinion on opposition to population control. This implies laziness in researching for facts and reasoning out/defending why they oppose the RH bill.

[GodIsNotGreat]

Originally Posted by 3cr

Enrile: Economy needs Charter Change, not passage of RH Bill
InterAksyon.com
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/4...age-of-rh-bill

Charter Change has been under consideration for a number of years; progress is so slow. Meanwhile the rest of ASEAN is cornering the bulk of FDI's.

I guess the proposal to change into federalism is also dead in the water. I would be in favor of the US or Canada model, dividing the country into 5-7 states or provinces with the federal center responsible for defense and foreign policy.

[Nabartek]

It will be a long road to Federalism. Maraming politiko mawawalan ng trabaho. at mag-aaway sila sa territoryo

On a serious note: Federalism could lessen the burden of the national government as states will have to take care of themselves hindi yung laging subsidized ng national government.

I say convert the regions to states and existing provinces will be converted into "counties".

It could be a cost effective in our part. Less governors and councilors to pay

[GodIsNotGreat]

A Federal Republic of the Philippines would be easier to assimilate by either Canada or the US when the time comes. He he he.

[Nabartek]

Are you dreaming of a Federal Republic of North America and The Philippine Islands?

Someone posted an edited map placing the Philippines just right beside North America. Not sure if you'd be able to dig it up since it was months ago.

[GodIsNotGreat]

What can be posited about the trajectories of economies of countries, in that they are difficult to predict, could also be applied to the political landscape of the future. Looking forward four to five decades ahead, we will never know for sure.

You will be amazed at how many and how often Canadian academics and intellectuals are continually harping on the theme of possible rearrangement of the political boundaries of North America.

[3cr]

Santiago defends Ateneo professors on RH bill stand
Academic freedom recognized by Vatican, says senator Lagman
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/255938/...-rh-bill-stand

The threat to charge 159 faculty members of the Ateneo de Manila University with heresy for expressing support for the reproductive health bill (RH) is an infringement of their constitutional right to academic freedom, which is also recognized by Vatican II, according to Sen. Miriam Santiago.

“Academic freedom is enshrined in our Constitution. You cannot dictate to a professor what to teach. I think this is a backward-looking message,” Santiago reminded the Ateneo management and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which had warned the faculty members they face possible charges of heresy.

Santiago said the Vatican II ecumenical council already defined the changing role of the Catholic Church and society.

“You can no longer punish Catholics for their freedom of conscience… That’s why it was called an ecumenical council because it abandoned all its previous strict conservative ways and is now more open to what can be called questioning concern,” said Santiago, a constitutional expert who has a master’s degree in theology.

RH backer

The senator is one of the most vocal supporters of the RH bill in the Senate. Santiago, in fact, filed the first RH bill in the Senate in 1997.

The CBCP earlier called on Ateneo authorities to investigate the 159 faculty members who signed a declaration of support for the RH bill for allegedly going against Catholic dogma.

The Catholic hierarchy, the most vocal opponents of the RH bill, resists the idea of the government distributing artificial methods of contraception to poor Filipinos. Condoms and birth control pills are particularly anathema as they supposedly encourage promiscuity, especially among the young.

Ateneo president Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, who supports the CBCP position, wrote a letter to the Ateneo community that was posted on the university’s website, telling those “engaged in the Christian formation of our students to ensure that the Catholic position on this matter continues to be taught in our classes, as we have always done.”

Wrong theology

Santiago said the Ateneo and the CBCP are not allowed “to downtrod the academic freedom of all intellectuals of the country… To threaten these (faculty members that they) would be kicked out of the Catholic Church is in effect to impose sanctions on academic freedom.”

“This is wrong theology because there is no dogma involved here, there is no specific dogmatic principle that has emanated from the Pope,” she reiterated.

Only Pope Benedict XVI “can dictate” Catholic dogma “and that is only when he categorically claims that he is speaking ex cathedra in his role as Supreme Pontiff.”

“The Pope never exercised that power with respect to reproductive health or population control or responsible parenthood so we are all agreed among the Catholic theological community that this is not a required position,” the senator said.

Party-list representative Luz Ilagan (Gabriela), who taught at the Ateneo de Davao for four decades, said it was the Ateneo professors’ right to make a stand on an important issue.

“That they view the RH bill as a piece of legislation that will help provide much-needed maternal and infant health services to Filipinos is a laudable demonstration of compassion, social awareness and a commitment for the poor and the marginalized,” Ilagan said in a statement.

True to Ateneo mission

The professors, in taking a stand for the bill, were also being true to the Ateno’s mission statement of social concern by being men and women for others, she said.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the bill’s principal authors, said the Ateneo professors’ support for the bill does not go against Catholic dogma.

“It does not offend or reject Catholic dogma because it adheres to the hallmark of the measure on the right to informed choice, which negates both compulsion and reward, and promotes free will which is a cardinal principle of the Church,” Lagman said in a statement.

He said academic freedom as provided for in the Constitution extends to professors of Catholic universities. The essence of such a freedom also includes searching for truth in various disciplines and revealing this, unhampered by prior restraint or reprisal from authorities.

Lagman also said that since bishops and their supporters invoke freedom of expression in opposing the reproductive health bill, the Ateneo professors should also be given the same freedom to support the measure in good conscience as Catholics.

[3cr]

Lagman calls RH bill opponents extremists
PhilStar
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx...ticleId=840550

MANILA, Philippines - Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the authors of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill, yesterday described his colleagues who are opposed to the measure as “extremists.”

“Some are extremists so much so they block projected amendments that even directly and favorably address their concerns and objections. It appears that they would blindly reject the RH bill even if only a comma remains of the measure,” he said.

Lagman said had these House members “relented in their dilatory and obstructionist filibustering,” certain amendments “responding to their criticisms” could have already been introduced and approved.

Lagman made the accusation following last week’s failure of the House to start the period of introducing changes in the bill due to privilege speeches delivered by those opposed to the measure.

The bill’s opponents have vowed to make more speeches and question the quorum if the chamber’s leadership tried to move the proposed RH law forward.

“They should have enough warm bodies in the session hall,” Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said.

Representatives Jeanette Garin of Iloilo and Kimi Cojuangco accused the bill’s opponents of abusing their “privilege” to deliver speeches on any issue that affects them and the House.

They said whenever there are important bills to consider, such speeches should not be given priority, except on Mondays, as the House rules provide.

They said their colleagues’ perorations are clearly intended to delay consideration of the RH bill.

Lagman said among the amendments the bill’s authors intended to propose are:

Deletion of the provision on “ideal family size” to assure critics that the bill does not impose a two-child policy like China’s one-child policy.

Deletion of the section on “employer’s responsibilities” to address concerns that a similar provision in Article 134 of the Labor Code is already adequate.

Deletion of the section on “family planning supplies as essential medicine” to accommodate objections that such a prior classification cannot be made by law.

In lieu of the protested provision, the Food and Drug Administration is charged with the determination of the safety, efficacy and classification of modern family planning products and supplies pursuant to existing law.

Deletion of the prohibited act on malicious disinformation in order to fully guarantee the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion.

Assurance of funding support to promote modern natural methods of family planning, like the billings, symptom-thermal and standard days methods. Give hospitals owned and operated by a religious group the option not to provide “a full range of modern family planning methods” in order to further guarantee religious freedom.