Senate Starts Public Hearing on the New UP Charter

The Committee on Education of the Senate led by Senator Juan Flavier have started yesterday its public hearing on the new UP Charter. As of 9:30 AM yesterday there were a total of 6 bills filed by individual Senators to revise the UP Charter. Almost all bills filed have similar features primarily on the the highest governing body (Board of Regents), utilization of UP assets (geared towards commercialization. Our version (UP Widem II) of the revised UP Charter was not yet filed in the Senate

The hearing started at around 9:30 AM with all the twelve members of the committee attending. Our set of speakers were the first to state their positions. Our speakers (in order of acknowedlement by the Committee Chair) Prof. Judy Taguiwalo of AUPAEU, Dr. Ed Villegas and Dr. Delen Dela Paz of AUPEAU, Manila, Mr. Noli Anoos, AUPWU, representative from from the Office of Student Regent and Mr. Ken Ramos from the UP Manila's University Student Council. After all our speakers have finished delivering their respective pieces, the UP Administration's set for spekers follows. The Administration's side (of course favoring all the bills filed) was headed by Vice President Mariz Diokno, representatives from the UP Diliman's University Student Council ad the Medical Student Council, and one other Professor from UP Diliman. The Vice Chancellor of UP Manila Prof. Roland Simbulan also spoke but have a vague position on the issue.

After all speakers for and against the filed bills have finished, each of the Senators present have commented, made some clarificatory questions and their views on the issues raised. In winding up, the chair ruled that considering that the previous committee on education of the 12th Congress had already came up with a report, such report will be adopted and be part of the materials that will be tackled by the Technical Working Group (TWG) that will consolidate all reported bills on the subject. He further ruled that no more public hearings will be called, instead all interested gruops shall be consulted by the TWG while in the process of consolidation.

N.B. Our version of the UP Charter will be filed by the Office of Senator Bong Revilla this week or at most next week.

Government Nurses Shortchanged by 114,000.00 Each

NEWS RELEASE/14 September 2004

For Reference: REP. LIZA LARGOZA MAZA <lizamaza@tri-isys.com>
0920-9134540Tels: 9316268, 9315001 loc7230;
Jang Monte (Public Information Officer) 0917-8226635

GABRIELA Women's Partylist Liza Largoza Maza sought today the investigation of the national government's non-implementation of a salary hike due government nurses since the implementation of the RA 9173 or the Nursing Act of 2002. This, as government nurses, health workers and employees intensified their call for the immediate legislation of a P3,000 across the board salary hike.

According to Maza, "The Nursing Act of 2002 provides for an increase in the basic pay of government nurses from P8,000 or Salary Grade 10 to P14,000 or Salary Grade 15. This means that government nurses have been shortchanged by P6,000 monthly by the national government for almost two years now."The lady solon said, "President Arroyo signed the Nursing Act into law last October 2002. This means that an increase in the government nurses' salaries should have been incorporated in the 2003 budget. At the minimum, nurses should have enjoyed this increase in wages since 2003. Thus, the national government now owes every single nurse in government service since January 2003 as much as P114,000."

Maza is set to file today a resolution calling on the House of Representatives to investigate the non-implementation of the nurses' salary adjustment as provided for in the Nursing Act of 2002. "We cannot just legislate and fall short on implementation to the detriment of our nurses and the delivery of health services."

The Philippine Nurses Association earlier said they have been lobbying for the longest time at the Department of Budget and Management as well as Congress and the Senate for the salary adjustment. But Maza notes, "they shouldn't have had to lobby because it is already provided for in the law."Maza further said, "Our nurses work hard to give patients quality health care and services. They most certainly deserve an increase in their basic pay. Moreover, their present salaries are simply not enough to cope with the skyrocketing prices. It is not surprising that over 13,000 nurses leave the country annually to serve either as nurses or even caregivers and domestic helpers abroad."

"If the national government wants to avert a health crisis of epidemic proportions resulting from the lack of government health workers, then this adjustment in wages is most urgent and necessary," Maza concluded. #

PGH Nurses Go Bald, Demands Pay Hike

WHAT SHOULD A U.P. PRESIDENT BE?

Statement ON THE 2004 SELECTION OF A NEW UP PRESIDENT

ALL UP WORKERS UNION and ALL UP ACADEMIC EMPLOYEES UNION

September 14, 2004

The University of the Philippines is now in the midst of a selection process for a new President. There are 11 nominees to the UP Presidency new UP President will preside in the commemoration of the centennial of UP in 2008.

In 1999, the All UP Workers Union issued the following statement during the search for the UP President who would replace President Emil Javier:

“Officers and members of the All-UP Workers Union have been asked to support this or that candidate. As an organization, the All UP Workers Union does not support any particular candidate. This is due to several reasons.

The selection process remains undemocratic. Under a process of selection which leaves to the Board of Regents the final decision on who would serve as the president of the university in the coming six years, the direct participation of the All UP Workers Union and other sectors of the university is at best only a form of tokenism. We have witnessed in the past selection of the UP president that even with a semblance of participation of the faculty, REPS, administrative employees and students in the form of straw polls, balloting, or show of hands, the popular choice, if he or she was not the choice of Malacanang, was easily disregarded by justifications that the leadership of an academic institution is not a popularity contest. Even this concession to a show of participation has been removed with the elimination of the straw polls, balloting or show of hands, as a key consideration for the selection. It is not surprising then, that the efforts of generating “popular support” for a particular candidate is aimed at influencing members of the Board of Regents or the President of the Philippines, who eventually has the final say in the selection. In the end, the UP President is accountable not to the majority of the university’s constituency but to a handful of people, and especially to the President of the Philippines who has the power to appoint the majority of the members of the Board of Regents. Therefore, the direct participation of the All-UP Workers Union as an organization, would merely mean an exercise in futility or worse, a means to provide legitimacy to a flawed and basically undemocratic process.

The All-UP Workers Union remains consistent in its criteria for the selection of officers of the university. The union as an organization of faculty, REPS, and administrative staff of the university, is committed to advancing the welfare and democratic rights of all employees of the UP and in supporting the just demands of the students and community residents of the university. The union recognizes that the situation and problems of UP employees cannot be divorced from the situation and problems of other government employees and identifies itself with the struggle of the rest of the citizens of the country. It takes to heart the vision of a university that is truly in the service of the Filipino people. Consequently, the union, in previous selection processes of university officials, whether they be chancellors, faculty regents or deans of academic units, has opted to come out with a set of criteria by which candidates for the position may be evaluated prior and even after their selection.

The All-UP Workers Union seeks a UP president who:

• Is committed to improving the welfare of university employees.
• Believes in the democratization of the university and supports efforts of the university constituency to exercise their democratic rights including the right of the faculty, REPS and administrative employees to form and maintain their unions and associations.
• Opposes the commercialization and privatization of the university in whatever forms and guises as these violate the basic character of the UP as a safe university.
• Resists all forms of foreign intervention, whether in the curriculum or in national affairs, that put at risk the autonomy of the university and the sovereignty of the country.”

The selection process for the search of a UP President for 2005-2011 has not essentially changed from the one conducted in 1999. However, in the present context of the continuing attack against state support for social services including education and health; the faster pace of commercialization of the University; the ongoing reign of an anti-democratic chancellor in UP Los Banos; the obstacles to the implementation of salient provisions of the Collective Negotiation Agreement and the struggle for a new UP Charter in Congress, the All UP Workers Union and the All UP Academic Employees Union forward the following specific and additional criteria for the UP President we would support:

1. A UP President who will support a democratic governance structure for the University and explicitly oppose the commercialization and privatization of UP as contained in HB 2327 or the UP Charter of 2004
2. A UP President who will fight for a bigger budget for education and health and for a moratorium in the automatic appropriations for debt payments in the national budget
3. A UP President who will implement the provisions on additional economic benefits contained in the Collective Negotiation Agreement between the UP Administration and the All UP Workers Union signed in April 2002;
4. A UP President who will support the payment of the back COLA of UP employees
5. A UP President who will not tolerate, oppose anti-democratic actions of university officials, and will seriously investigate charges against high ranking UP Officials; such as the charges against the current UP Los Banos Chancellor

===================

UP Presidency Selection

The eleven who accepted the nominations for UP President are:

1. Dr. Consolacion Alaras, former Chair of the Department of English and Comparative Literature,College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman
2. Dr. Soledad Cagampang-De Castro, former faculty, UP College of Law
3. Dr. Ernesto De Castro, Acting Chancellor, UE Caloocan Campus
4. Dr. Georgina Encanto, former Dean, College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman
5. Ambassador Edgardo Espiritu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Iceland, and former member, UP Board of Regents
6. Dr. Ester Garcia, former Chair, Commission on Higher Education and former Professor of Chemistry, UP Diliman
7. Dr. Federico Macaranas, Executive Director, Asian Institute of Management-World Bank Development Resource Center
8. Prof. Solita Monsod, Professor of Economics, UP Diliman andformer Philippine Socio-Economic Planning Minister (later Secretary)
9. Dr. Emerlinda Roman, Chancellor, UP Diliman
10. Regent Abraham Sarmiento, former Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the Philippines, currently member of the UP Board of Regents
11. Dr. Eduardo Sison, Chairman of the MADECOR Group, a consulting firm based in the Philippines and former faculty, UPLB Institute of Food Science and Technology

Revised Schedule

• UP Baguio, Friday, September 10, 2004; 10 am
• UP Visayas (Iloilo), Wednesday, September 15, 2004; 10 am
• UP Cebu, Thursday, September 16, 2004; 9 am
• UP Mindanao, Friday, September 17, 2004; 10 am
• UP Manila, Monday, September 20, 2004; 9 am
• UP Los Baños and UP Open University, Thursday, September 23, 2004; 1 pm
• UP Diliman, Monday, September 27, 2004; 2 pm

Attendance of the nominees in the public fora is optional; non-appearance in the fora shall not disqualify a nominee. Members of the UP community who will attend a public forum shall be requested to submit written questions before the start of the public forum. The Board has requested the Chancellors to help solicit questions from different sectors. The source of the question shall not be identified during the forum. Only written questions shall be entertained by a panel consisting of the regents present, the Chancellor or his/her representative and the ALL-UP Workers' Union representative. One of the Regents shall chair the panel during the forum.

The criteria for the selection of the UP President (see Update #1) are repeated below to help you think of questions to ask.

1. Stature in the academic profession, administrative capability, national and international reputation as a scholar, probity and moral integrity;
2. Possesses the political will and the political skills to defend and promote academic freedom and institutional autonomy, commitment to academic excellence, a clear and inspiring vision of UP's role in the 21st century;
3. Ability to raise funds without compromising the traditional values and ideals of academia, capacity to manage available resources to sustain the UP modernization program, fairness in dealing with all constituents; does not persecute or dispense special favors; does not engage in factionalism;
4. Preserves the secular and non-sectarian character of UP, maintains and enriches intellectual diversity; does not promote a particular religion or school of thought, keeps UP above politics, but respects the rights of faculty members and students to participate in political debates and campaign for their beliefs within the limits of law.

The BOR is scheduled to interview the nominees during the period October 11-15, 2004.

Shaved Haircut For Salary Increase

PRESS RELEASE
September 13, 2004

Health Workers of the Philippine General Hospital and the University of the Philippines Manila today have their heads shaved, in order to dramatize their call for a P3,000.00 across the board salary increase for all government employees. The shaved haircut was a form of protest to the apathy of the national government on the flight of ordinary government employees, amidst the continued rise of prices of petroleum, fare, services and basic commodities. The shaved haircut also symbolizes the government workers’ going bald in thinking of means to make both ends meet amidst the ever-increasing prices of goods and services. Finally, the shave haircut symbolizes the near desperation, or “almost like a death-row convict” state of government workers under the regime of President GMA. The activity is spearheaded by the All U.P. Workers Union - Manila. Their demand is written in their cleanly shaven heads.

"Yes, there was a fiscal crisis, as a matter of fact the problem of uncontrollable budget deficit by the national government has started way back in 1981. But, this was largely due to overwhelming graft and corruption by high ranking officials and their cronies, and the liberalization policies enforced by the government. This results to undelivered or substandard projects and diminishing revenues by both the BIR and the Bureau of Customs. It also results to economic dislocation of our local farmers, as well the small and medium industries,” said Jossel Ebesate, the Union’s Chapter President. “We also believed that our government have skewed priorities in the allocation of its budget. For the 2005 budget proposal of P907.6B for example, P645.9B was earmarked for debt payment (interest and principal), leaving only the crumbs for basic services like health, education, and other social services. Primitive logic would tell us that between someone’s food to eat and debt from nearby sari-sari store, one would always prioritize food. This contrasts to our government who would tell its largely impoverished people to save even more so that it can continually pay its foreign debts some of which was not even utilized for productive purposes.

“Our demand of P3,000.00 across the board salary increase is just a token increase (pantawid gutom). Our families now barely eat three square meals a day, the Filipinos are sick. We cannot take this by just sitting down. We’ve been asking this for years! And yet the government played blind, instead they kept giving higher appropriations on debt servicing and the military” said Ely Estropigan, a Union supporter.

Aside from the All U.P. Workers Union, the said activity was supported by the All U.P. Academic Employees’ Union, the PGH - Physicians’ Association, the Utility Workers Association of PGH, and the Alliance of Health Workers. xxx

AUPWU Manila Spearheads the 97th PGH Foundation Anniversary Sportsfest

The All U.P. Workers Union, Manila Chapter contingent during the opening day parade of all participants to 2004 Sportsfest in commemoration of the 97th PGH Foundation Anniversary held on August 16-20, 2004. Mr. Jossel I. Ebesate, AUPWU Manila Chapter President, chaired the Sports Subcommittee in the 97th PGH Foundation Anniversary Committee

Magpakatotoo Ka, Administrasyong Nemenzo

NO! Sa Bawas Sa Cash Incentive!
YES! Sa Dagdag Na Benepisyo!
YES NA YES! Sa Isang Sakong Bigas Bawat Quarter!

Hango mula sa: PANDAYAN
Opisyal na Pahayagan ng All U.P. Workers Union at
All-U.P. Academic Employees Union
Espesyal na Isyu Hulyo 2004

Sa tuwing tayo ay hihingi ng dagdag na benepisyo katulad ng rice subsidy, ang sinasabi ng kasalukuyang administrasyon ay wala o kulang ang savings ng UP. Sumusobra na ba tayo sa ating mga hinihingi? Di ba natin nababalanse ang ating mga hinihingi sa pang-akademikong misyon ng Unibersidad?

MGA KAPWA KAWANI: MAKATWIRAN AT MAKATARUNGAN ANG ATING MGA KAHILINGAN. KAYA NG ADMINISTRASYONG NEMENZO NA IBIGAY ANG APAT NA SAKONG BIGAS BAWAT TAON AT ANG IBA PANG PANG-EKONOMIYANG BENEPISYONG NAKAPALOOB SA ATING COLLECTIVE NEGOTIATION AGREEMENT.

Mainam na suriin natin ang ilang mga datos pampinansya na galing mismo sa Quezon Hall para muling ipahayag na makakayanan ng administrasyong ito na ipatupad ang nilalaman ng CNA na pinimarhan mismo ni Presidente Nemenzo.

1. Nakapaglaan sila ng P295 milyon para sa Academic Distinction Fund at Creative and Research Scholarship Fund noong Nobyembre 25, 1999. Dito kinukuha ang tig P50,000 gantimpala sa bawat faculty o REPS na nakapagpalabas ng artikulo sa isang international refereed journal. Sa laki ng halagang inilaan para dito, nakasasapat na ang interes bawat taon ng pondo para matustusan ang taunang pagbibigay ng gantimpala.
   
   Samantala para sa mahigit na 9,000 kawani, P5 milyon lamang ang inilaan nitong Hunyo 15, 2004 para sa Administrative Personnel Development Fund. Masyado naman yata ang laki ng agwat ng P295 milyon at P5 milyon! Ang bait, bait nila, di ba?
   
   
2. Ayon sa UP Newsletter nitong Hunyo 28, 2004, ang UP System ay may revolving fund (RF) na P680.553 milyon habang ang PGH ay may P255.150 milyon. Ayon din sa naturang isyu ng UP Newsletter, kadalasa’y 75% hanggang 80% ang nagagamit mula sa RF para pandagdag sa panustos sa operasyon ng Unibersidad.
   
   Kung gayon, mga P544 milyon (80% ng P680.553 milyon RF ng UP System) ang magagamit para sa taong ito at may matitirang mahigit na P138 milyon bilang savings. Mga P36 milyon lamang ang katumbas ng apat na sakong bigas bawat kawani na hinihiling ng Unyon bilang pagpapatupad sa nilalaman ng ating CNA. Di ba kayang ibigay? Sa totoo lang, pati bahagi ng ating back COLA ay kaya ding ibigay kung nanaisin lamang ng Administrasyong Nemenzo.
   
   
3. May P10,000 pala bawat taon ang mga opisyal ng UP para sa kanilang annual executive check up, samantalang para sa mga empleyado at mga karaniwang guro ng UP ay di pa umaabot ng P200 ang nakalaan para sa ating annual physical exam.
   
   Di ba sila nahihiya niyan? Sila na ang malalaki ang sweldo at may mga RATA/honorarium, de kalidad pa ang kanilang check up habang kararampot lang ang halagang nakalaan para sa ating kalusugan.
   
   
4. Sa ilang pulong ng mga opisyal ng UP, tumitira sila sa mga mahahaling hotel tulad ng Waterfront Hotel sa Cebu at Camp John Hay sa Baguio.
   
   
5. Itinaas ang honorarium ng matataas na opisyal ng UP na matataas na ang sahod at may mga RATA pa ang pangunahing nakikinabang dito dahil sa sangkaterbang komite ang kanilang inuupuan. Hinahamon natin ang Administrasyong Nemenzo na magpalabas ng listahan ng mga kasapi ng lahat ng mga komite na may honorarium sa UP System at UP Diliman para malaman ng madla kung sino ang nakakatangap ng halos P20,000 bawat buwan mula lamang sa honorarium sa committee membership!
   
   
6. Tiyak na hindi maipagkaila ng Administrasyong Nemenzo na may investment ang UP dahilan sa may investment office ang Unibersidad sa ilalim ng Office of the Vice President for Finance at lalong tiyak na may investment tayo sa treasury notes/bonds at mga time deposits sa Land Bank at DBP. Sa ating palagay, kahit 1/4th lamang ng interes ng isang time deposit kaya nang matustusan nito ang apat na sakong bigas bawat taon para sa lahat ng kawani ng UP at kaya din ang bahagi ng ating back pay ng COLA.

Uulitin natin, kaya ng Administrasyong Nemenzo na ibigay ang apat na sakong bigas bawat taon para sa mga kawani ng Unibersidad at ang iba pang pang-ekonomiyang benepisyong nakapaloob sa ating CNA. Pero tulad ng iba pang mga laban natin sa nakaraan, kailangang maipakita natin ang ating pagkakaisa at sama-sama nating igiit ang ating mga kahilingan.

Paghandaan nating mabuti ang ating mga susunod na pagkilos; kung kinakailangan tayong mag mass leave gawin natin.

Makiisa, sama-sama nating ipaglaban ang ating dagdag na benepisyo!

Igiit ang mga tagumpay na nakamtan natin sa ating Collective Negotiation Agreement!

_________________________________________________________________
Mga Tanong ng mga Kawani na Hindi Kayang Sagutin ng Unyon:

??? Nagkukulang na ba ng kwalipikadong faculty ang UP? Bakit triple ang responsibilidad ni Prop. Erlinda Echanis? Siya na ang Dean ng College of Business Administration; siya pa ang Officer-in-Charge ng opisina ng Vice-President for Finance at siya pa ang OIC ng UP System Budget Office!!

??? Ano ang nangyari at biglang nagkaroon ng bagong restoran sa loob ng UP Diliman? Ang Tree House na kadikit ng Institute of Small Scale Industries (ISSI) ay bagong bukas at nagsisilbi pa ng beer. Paano nangyari ito Vice Chancellor Pineda: yung may restoran at pagpayag na magsilbi ng beer sa loob ng campus? Magkano ang upa nito sa UP at saan napupunta ang upa?

Baka alam ninyo ang sagot sa mga tanong na ito. Pakipaabot lamang sa unyon!

_oOo_