NEWS RELEASE
June 22, 2006
From the Office of Anakpawis Rep. Crispin B. Beltran
Lisa C. Ito, Public Information Officer (+63)927.796.7006
"Socio-economic development' component of AFP's all-out war is only a deodorizer for bloodbath."
Anakpawis Congressman Crispin Beltran today challenged the Palace and the AFP "to prove their sincerity in achieving a just and lasting peace by rechannelling the controversial P1 billion counter-insurgency fund to basic social services, such as education and health, and to the peace talks with the CPP-NPA".
"The government should be channeling such funds to augmenting grossly inadequate basic social services, instead of funding murderous counter-insurgency campaigns in the countryside. The Arroyo administration should be castigated by all societal sectors for splurging on the military allotments while chronically neglecting and scrimping on the budget for health and education. This shows that the President is only interested in protecting herself rather than the nation's interest and welfare," Beltran said while confined at the Philippine Heart Center.
"The people's money would be better spent on laying the groundwork for the resumption of peace talks with the CPP-NPA rather than an all-out counter-insurgency bid. Yet the Arroyo administration seems to favor wielding the bloody sword of war over going back to the negotiating table," Beltran said.
Beltran also criticized AFP Chief Generoso Senga's claim that criticisms of the counter-insurgency fund were "unfair".
"Senga should quit denying the obvious and call a spade a spade. He is evading well-founded and historical observations that the military counter-insurgency fund will only increase the number of civilians killed, tortured, and harassed and the extra-judicial killings of activists who are operating well within the law. He is lamely and illogically trying to justify a bloodbath by saying that the AFP will be having all these small livelihood projects anyway," Beltran said.
"The 'socio-economic development' component of this counter-insurgency campaign is only a deodorizer for the stench of blood and tears that is sure to come if the military war dogs go on such a killing spree in the provinces. These small-scale projects will not fundamentally alter the causes of widespread poverty, and can never compensate for the human rights violations by the military," Beltran said.
Beltran said he was wary of such "socio-economic development projects, especially those bearing the seal of approval from the Palace".
"Frankly speaking, we have witnessed how the Arroyo administration has only used such Palace-approved allotments as a convenient piggybank for Pres. Arroyo's campaigns at shameless self-promotion. The 2007 elections are nearing, and President Arroyo will be needing subtle and not-so-subtle ways to promote herself, her allies and her cohorts in their bid to extend their abominable presence in governance," Beltran said.
"This socio-economic development component of the P1 bilion military allocation might only end up as another Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) fertilizer fund scam or another OWWA Philhealth fund anomaly," Beltran said. ###
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Itchy Trigger Fingers or Itchy Palms?
Editorial
People's Independent Media
THURSDAY JUNE 22, 2006
'The police need not raise the Red bogey to ensure each member has a sidearm. Just waive the 10 percent "SOP," please.'
The Philippine National Police is itching to get its licks in at the communist rebels following Gloria Arroyo's declaration of "all-outwar."
"We want an active role, like conducting offensives," PNP spokesman Sr. Supt. Samuel Pagdilao said.
According to Pagdilao, the PNP has always been on a "defensive mode" toward the communist rebels. The police can act only when attacked. As a result, they have been relatively easy targets for raids which usually result in firearms being carted off by the rebels.
The zeal of the PNP is commendable. But why can't it devote its attention to maintenance of peace and order first?
Criminality is rampant. The PNP admits as much by saying it could not perform its job well because it is undermanned and inadequately equipped. The PNP has 118,000 members securing 80 million people, for a policeman-to-population ratio of around 1:700, well below the 1:500minimum.
The PNP even lacks basic firearms, let alone prowl cars, ships and planes to carry out its mission. Of hand guns, the PNP has 100,500 in its inventory, leaving 14 percent of its men without this basic equipment.
So why should the police look for a new fight when it cannot even lick the enemy at hand?
Perhaps, it's not a case of itchy trigger fingers, but of itchy palms?
This is probably unfair to the PNP leadership but, let's face it, themilitary and the police have not exactly been known for, ah, scrupulous financial accounting.
Gloria has ordered the release of P1 billion to bankroll her all-out war against the communist rebels. A total of P400 million is earmarked for the Armed Forces, P300 million for the PNP and P300 million for unspecified "developmental" projects.
We are not begrudging the PNP for seeking a fair share of the P1billion funding. It certainly needs the money. Let's go back to the handgun shortage. Let's place the shortage at an even 18,000. AtP30,000 a piece, the price the PNP is paying for it latest negotiated purchase, 18,000 guns already cost P540 million. (Of long firearms, the PNP has 60,000, including those on the pipeline. That's a shortage of 58,000. But Gloria says 100,500 handguns plus 60,000 long firearms gives a total 160,000 firearms. There is, therefore, no shortage by Gloria's kind of arithmetic.)
Our suggestion to the PNP is to use all P300 million to buy 10,000 hand guns. That still leaves an 8,000 shortage. But it has to start somewhere. The police need not raise the Red bogey to ensure eachmember has a sidearm. Just waive the 10 percent "SOP," please.
COPYRIGHT 2004 (c) People's Independent Media Inc.
People's Independent Media
THURSDAY JUNE 22, 2006
'The police need not raise the Red bogey to ensure each member has a sidearm. Just waive the 10 percent "SOP," please.'
The Philippine National Police is itching to get its licks in at the communist rebels following Gloria Arroyo's declaration of "all-outwar."
"We want an active role, like conducting offensives," PNP spokesman Sr. Supt. Samuel Pagdilao said.
According to Pagdilao, the PNP has always been on a "defensive mode" toward the communist rebels. The police can act only when attacked. As a result, they have been relatively easy targets for raids which usually result in firearms being carted off by the rebels.
The zeal of the PNP is commendable. But why can't it devote its attention to maintenance of peace and order first?
Criminality is rampant. The PNP admits as much by saying it could not perform its job well because it is undermanned and inadequately equipped. The PNP has 118,000 members securing 80 million people, for a policeman-to-population ratio of around 1:700, well below the 1:500minimum.
The PNP even lacks basic firearms, let alone prowl cars, ships and planes to carry out its mission. Of hand guns, the PNP has 100,500 in its inventory, leaving 14 percent of its men without this basic equipment.
So why should the police look for a new fight when it cannot even lick the enemy at hand?
Perhaps, it's not a case of itchy trigger fingers, but of itchy palms?
This is probably unfair to the PNP leadership but, let's face it, themilitary and the police have not exactly been known for, ah, scrupulous financial accounting.
Gloria has ordered the release of P1 billion to bankroll her all-out war against the communist rebels. A total of P400 million is earmarked for the Armed Forces, P300 million for the PNP and P300 million for unspecified "developmental" projects.
We are not begrudging the PNP for seeking a fair share of the P1billion funding. It certainly needs the money. Let's go back to the handgun shortage. Let's place the shortage at an even 18,000. AtP30,000 a piece, the price the PNP is paying for it latest negotiated purchase, 18,000 guns already cost P540 million. (Of long firearms, the PNP has 60,000, including those on the pipeline. That's a shortage of 58,000. But Gloria says 100,500 handguns plus 60,000 long firearms gives a total 160,000 firearms. There is, therefore, no shortage by Gloria's kind of arithmetic.)
Our suggestion to the PNP is to use all P300 million to buy 10,000 hand guns. That still leaves an 8,000 shortage. But it has to start somewhere. The police need not raise the Red bogey to ensure eachmember has a sidearm. Just waive the 10 percent "SOP," please.
COPYRIGHT 2004 (c) People's Independent Media Inc.
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