Online palliative Los Baños scientist

care center for dreams big

kids with cancer
launched in by looking up
Laguna

A lifeline for Laguna’s small entrepreneurs

Laguna mayors in
‘narco list’ cry foul

Politicizing probable cause

Alleged drug pusher slain
in San Pablo buy-bust

‘Narco’ lists, orders

of battle, ‘red tags’ Named, shamed, killed

LN_v1n8.indd 1 19/03/2019 9:53 AM

 2 LagunaNow Vol. 1 No. 8

A lifeline for Laguna’s

Los Baños board mem-
ber Ruth Hernandez said
residents need advice from

small entrepreneurs
experts and opportunities to
start or expand their busi-
ness. “Marami po talaga
BPI Direct BanKo opened its 200th branch in Los Baños on March dito na gusto po magsim-
ula, magtayo ng negosyo.
12, promising better days ahead for small businesses and OFWs. They need advice from ex-
perts at magkaroon din ng
By JERVIS GONZALES valid IDs for loans be- pagkakataon na makapag-
low Php100,000, while loan,” she said.
LOS BAÑOS — Nenita Mamaril has been selling cas- small assets like motor-
sava cakes for more than 14 years. In all those years, Help for OFWs, too
cycles can be used as col-
she faced a persistent problem: securing extra capital to laterals for loans above Mary Jane Corcuera,
maintain and expand her business. With little to no alter- Php100,000. BPI Di- head of One-stop Migra-
native, she was forced to turn to loan sharks, often pay- rect BanKo offers lower tion Resource Center from
ing as much as Php4,000 a day for the high interest and interest rates ranging the Office of the Governor’s
a small portion of the principal. As a result, Mamaril’s from 2.5% to 4% and Public Employment Services
business, Net’s Cassava Republic, hardly flourished as loanable amounts rang- Office (PESO), said BPI Di-
she got trapped in a vicious cycle of indebtedness. ing from PhpP25,000 to rect BanKo can help not only
But Mamaril has reason to be optimistic these days: She Php300,000 depending SMEs but also OFWs and
is one of the beneficiaries of BPI Direct BanKo, which on the loan scheme. their families who plan to
offers small and medium enterprises (SMEs) like hers These rates, accord- open businesses. “BPI and
low-interest loans. BPI Direct BanKo opened its 200th ing to BanKo president BanKo have been part of our
branch in barangay Maahas last March 12, 2019, which Jerome Minglana, are advocacy to promote invest-
Mamaril attended. ment among OFW families,”
“one of the lowest, if
A subsidiary of the Bank of the Philippines Islands, BPI she said.
not the lowest among
Direct BanKo is a microfinance enterprise for SMEs. It is important to sus-
microfinance loan pro-
Since its inception in 2017, it has assisted over 45,000 tain the livelihood of OFWs
viders.”
clients and is looking forward to help over 85,000 clients BanKo Chairperson Simon Paterno and Mary Jane Corcuera of families when they no longer
by the end of 2019. Although a bank ac-
One-stop Migration Resource Center (above) cut the ribbon dur- work abroad. One way to do
count with BPI is not ing the opening program of Banko’s 200th branch in Los Baños.
High interest rates necessarily a require- BPI Direct BanKo beneficiary Nenita Mamaril (top) shares to the that is by going into busi-
Microfinance companies are crucial because these are ment for the loan, Min- public how BPI’s microfinance loans have helped her business ness, said Mabiasen of the
a more viable alternative compared to informal lending glana said BPI Direct flourish. (Photos by Jervis Gonzales) Microenterprise Loans and
services, said Rob Mabiasen, head of BPI Direct BanKo’s BanKo encourages cli- Branch Network, stressing
Microenterprise Loans and Branch Network. Although ents to open a bank account afterwards that will be used to the importance of saving up among OFW families.
informal loan services are easier to avail as most do not settle their loans but also for savings purposes. “We want Mamaril, the owner of Net’s Cassava Republic, attests to
require paperwork, these loans tend to have higher inter- to set up the behavior of savings among our clients. We BPI Direct BanKo’s effectiveness. She settled her outstand-
est rates coupled with a daily payout. This, Mabiasen said, want to teach them the value of savings,” Minglana said. ing loans within a week of her loan filing, allowing her to
drains out earnings or savings of SMEs. Los Baños officials expressed gratitude to BPI Direct secure a bigger capital to grow her business. Freed from
In order to encourage SMEs to avail of microfinancing BanKo for choosing to open its 200th branch in the town. the clutches of high-interest lending, Mamaril was able to
from reputable companies and discourage the use of in- “Malaking tulong ito para sa mga mamamayan ng Los develop parts of her house and also build a small factory
formal loaning services, BPI Direct BanKo only requires Baños na nangangailangan ng tulong-pinansyal,” said and office. “Maganda na po ang aking tindahan ngayon.
SMEs to present a barangay or mayor’s permit along with Robert Laviña, Los Baños municipal administrator. Very presentable na po yung tindahan,” she said. L

Toyota’s adopted public school in Santa Rosa goes digital

PSCES students try the donated computers. Toyota Foundation and DepEd officials during the unveiling ceremony for the project.
SANTA ROSA CITY — Toyota Motor Philippines
Foundation (TMPF), the social and humanitarian arm of
the leading automotive company in the country, trans-
forms its adopted school, Pulong Sta. Cruz Elementary
School (PSCES) in this city, into a “digital school” with
the completion of its computerization project.
This three-phase, school-wide project is part of
TMPF’s initiatives under the Department of Educa-
tion’s (DepEd) Adopt-a-School Program. PSCES was
transformed into a digital school by integrating infor-
mation technology (IT) into a classroom setup and the
school’s teaching methodology. Through Toyota’s ex-
tensive support, PSCES students will have the oppor-
tunity to experience the benefits of digital technology
that would help them acquire the necessary knowledge
and skills.
Digital equipment provision
Toyota initiated the computerization project in August
2016, providing each of the 53 classrooms with a 55-inch
“smart TV” and a laptop computer to assist teachers in
everyday teaching. Eleven colored printers were also pro-
vided to support production of more enticing and inter-
active teaching materials.
The second phase focused on internet connectiv-
ity. IT infrastructure was set up in 2017 to connect the
classrooms and offices to the internet. Through wi-fi
connection, each classroom gained access to useful and
appropriate educational resources available online, such
as step-by-step exercises and student engagement ac-
tivities. Teachers were given exclusive internet access so
they can download multimedia content to enhance their
teaching methodology.
For the third phase of the project, Toyota provided
a content-oriented teaching and learning environment.
This means that teachers can access a ready source of
appropriate e-learning modules for practice exercises
and interactive tutorials in one online portal.
Likewise, the school’s library was refurbished and
has been equipped with six all-in-one computers. As a
result of consultation with teachers, Toyota also pro-
vided educational manipulatives, Lego robotic kits, as
well as mastery kits, to enhance the students’ aptitude
in Reading and Comprehension, Mathematics and Sci-
ence.
As PSCES students maximize learning with the en-
hanced environment, their analytical capabilities and
problem solving skills will be sharpened by these tools.
IT integration in class also helps generate greater in-
terest and appreciation of academic subjects among
students.
Toyota has so far invested a total of Php10.88 mil-
lion for the computerization project. It will continue to
assist the teachers through IT skills trainings in the fu-
ture. Toyota’s advocacy in providing quality education
will be sustained at PSCES through other existing aca-
demic and non-academic programs under the Adopt-
a-School Project. These include the “Brigada Eskwela,”
annual educational tour and quiz bee, feeding activity,
academic recognitions, as well as sponsored medical
examinations for faculty and staff.
PSCES is located in Toyota’s immediate community
in Santa Rosa City and has been the company’s adopted
school for almost two decades. As the city progresses,
Toyota sees the student population to continuously
grow. Currently, PSCES has over 3,000 students from
Kinder to Grade 6. L

LN_v1n8.indd 2 19/03/2019 9:53 AM

 March 21 - 27, 2019 LagunaNow 3

The ABC of palliative care ACT teachers

for children with cancer will serve as
Aruga sa Batang May Cancer is the first web-based service provider in the Philippines poll inspectors
— Comelec
for children with cancer, launched this month by the University of the Philippines Open
University from its headquarters in Los Baños. By EVE MATTA
SANTA ROSA CITY — A new online plat-
form allows cancer patients access to pallia- The poll body denies issuing a set of guide-
tive care — at their fingertips. It aims to pro- lines that supposedly barred members of the
vide some form of relief to patients and their leftist Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)
families, especially those in distant provinces from serving in the May elections.
as traveling to hospitals is not only “very ex-
pensive” but physically and emotionally ex- By EVE MATTA
hausting.
Aruga sa Batang May Cancer (ABC) is the SANTA ROSA CITY — The Commission on Elections
first web-based service provider in the Phil- (Comelec) denied issuing a set of guidelines that suppos-
ippines for children with cancer, this month edly barred members of the leftist Alliance of Concerned
by the University of the Philippines Open Teachers (ACT) from serving as election inspectors.
University (UPOU) from its headquarters in This after a one-page document “circulated” among
Los Baños, Laguna. public teachers in Siniloan town who applied for the Board
One of the features of ABC is Telemedi- of Election Inspectors (BEI) for the May 13 elections.
cine, which allows oncologists to remotely It listed “qualifications (required of) electoral board
communicate via video conferences and applicants” that included an item saying a teacher must
share medical files online for clinical health have “no connection with any political/sectoral party/
care of patients, said Dr. Primo Garcia, dean group (not a member, not a contributor or donor or
of the Faculty of Management and Develop- supporter) for instance ACT (Allegiance of Concerned
ment Studies of the UPOA and project leader Teachers).”
of ABC. The document erroneously said “Allegiance” instead
Once diagnosed, the patients can seek help of “Alliance” but ACT secretary general Raymund Basi-
from their rural health units (RHU) for an lio believed it referred just the same to the progressive
initial “face-to-face” consultation. The RHU teachers’ alliance, recently tagged by the government as a
will then seek out experts in tertiary hospi- communist front whose members are subjected to profil-
tals for the online consults. A mother and her child with cancer cared for by ABC. (Photo from ing by the authorities as a way to harass them.
Dr. Garcia, however, cautions that Tele- arugaproject.com) Alvin Fuentes, a Laguna teacher and ACT regional co-
medicine should not replace actual treat- ordinator for Southern Luzon, said they did not know the
ments that must be done in hospital setting. “These high incidence of economic hardship among newly di- origin of the document.
are for treatments that can be done at home, like dress- agnosed cancer patients was attributed to healthcare
ing the wound, or even (giving out) drug prescrip- costs related to cancer treatment and management,”
tions,” Garcia said. the website read.
Most oncologists are based in urban centers. While
Pediatric cancer there are 35 registered palliative care facilities in the
ABC, through its website www.arugaproject.com, Philippines with 18 outside Metro Manila, none of
also includes online courses for health professionals, them specializes in children.
learning materials for primary caregivers, and a data- ABC is funded by the Philippine Council for Health
base or cancer registry in the Philippines. Initially, it Research and Development of the Department of Sci-
targets pediatric cancer given its high morbidity rate ence and Technology. Currently, the project works in Independent from party list
in the country. partnership with the Philippine Children’s Medical A petition filed by a private lawyer is still pending before
According to the website, the most common types of Center (PCMC) in Quezon City; the Bicol Regional the Comelec, asking the poll body to disallow ACT teach-
cancer in children are leukemia, which afflicts about Training and Teaching Hospital in Albay; Vicente ers to be part of the BEI since its party-list group, ACT
47.8 percent of children with cancer; brain and spi- Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu; the Southern Teachers Party List, is also running for a Congress seat.
nal cancer; lymphoma; retinoblastoma or eye cancer; Philippines Medical Center in Davao; and the Ruth Basilio said ACT, as a teachers’ union and alliance,
gonadal or germ cell sites; Wilm’s tumor or kidney Foundation for Palliative and Hospice Care. works independently from its party-list group.
cancer in very young children; osteogenic sarcoma, a After its pilot run this year, Garcia said they plan to Laguna election supervisor Juliet Villar on March 7 de-
type of bone cancer; and rhabdomyosarcoma or soft turn over the registry to the PCMC and share the sys- nied that the document came from their office and that
tissue cancer. “In the Philippines, it was found that the tem with the Department of Health. L they were, in fact, already training teachers in Laguna to
serves as poll inspectors.

Alleged drug pusher slain

Teachers, she said, need to undergo trainings and ac-
quire a certification from the Department of Science and
Technology, saying they are capable of handling the au-

in San Pablo buy-bust

tomated elections.
“When I assumed (as provincial election chief in Feb-
ruary), the (BEI) is already almost constituted,” Villar
told Laguna Now.
SANTA ROSA CITY
— Another suspected “Confusing”
illegal drug pusher was “It seemed (the document) was just meant to confuse
killed in a buy-bust op- the teachers,” Fuentes said in a separate interview. He
eration in San Pablo said the Department of Education in Laguna also denied
City last week. issuing such guideline.
The suspect was “Hindi na raw nila tiningnan kung ACT member o
identified as Jeffrey hindi. Hindi naman daw nila kayang i-trace pa isa-isa,”
Cado, 34, a resident of Barangay VI-E. A police report said Fuentes said of the election officers in Siniloan town.
Cado sold a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover po- Fuentes said teachers are looking forward to serve as
liceman at around 8pm on March 16. election inspectors because it is not only part of their
The suspect allegedly drew and fired a .45 caliber gun, responsibility — it also provides them extra income. A
prompting the police to return fire, said Chief Inspector Jojo teacher earns Php2,000 for trainings and Php7,000 for
Sabeniano, Laguna police spokesman, in a report. the actual service during the election.
Cado sustained multiple gunshots and died on the way to A pool of blood beside the dead body of Jeffrey Cado. According to Comelec data, some 4,624 public teachers
the Pagamutang Panlalawigan ng Laguna. (Eve Matta) L (Photo from the Laguna Provincial Police) in Laguna are going to serve as poll inspectors in May. L

LN_v1n8.indd 3 19/03/2019 9:53 AM

 4 LagunaNow

Laguna mayo
Vol. 1 No. 8

Named, shamed, killed

against Duterte
SINCE he took office in June 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte has publicly identi-
fied certain politicians and individuals as being involved in illegal drugs. This is a
tactic that he used in Davao City where he was mayor for more than 20 years, often
just rattling off names on live TV. Many of those he named — in Davao City then and
across the country now — ended up dead.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch called the “narco list” that Duterte released
last week as “a veritable hit list in his ‘drug war,’ as past politicians accused of drug Duterte’s “narco list” included three incumbent Laguna mayors: San Pablo City m
involvement all too often end up being shot dead by the police.” Duterte’s list, it Bay mayor Bruno Ramos. Perez called the allegation “foolish,” Ramos described i
said, “deprives those named of due process and the presumption of innocence.”
Here are just a few of many such deaths that followed the government’s disclo- By EVE MATTA ños mayor Ceasar Perez, and Bay mayor
sure of its “narco list.” Media reports have indicated many more similar killings of Bruno Ramos.
local government officials are included in these lists, among them barangay captains SANTA ROSA CITY — Incumbent Amante, who has been implicated in il-
and councilors. L mayors in Laguna province who were legal drugs in the past, has not reacted to
included in President Rodrigo Duterte’s the “narco list,” although a source close to
recent list of local officials allegedly in- him described it as “nothing new.”
volved in illegal drugs are crying foul over ‘Katarantaduhan’
the release of the list but said they were Perez, meanwhile, expressed frustra-
not surprised. tion, calling the allegations against him
President Duterte’s March 14 release nothing but “katarantaduhan” (foolish-
of the so-called “narco list,” built up with ness). Perez said he was consulting his
so much suspense given its proximity to lawyers on the administrative case the
the May elections, has been widely criti- Department of the Interior and Local
cized for violating the rights of those in it. Government (DILG) said it would file be-
Mayor Antono Halili Mayor Mariano Mayor Samsudin Duterte has also been accused of trying to fore the Office of the Ombudsman. From left: San
Tanauan, Batangas Blanco III Dimaukom influence the conduct and outcome of the Two years ago, the DILG stripped Per- have been pu
Killed July 2, 2018 Ronda, Cebu Datu Saudi Ampatuan, elections for legislators and local officials. its toll on him
ez and Ramos of control over the police
Killed September 5, 2018 Maguindanao “President Duterte’s naming of politi- in their respective towns. The move, the
Killed October 28, 2016
cians he accuses of involvement in illegal agency said, was based on a resolution by by Duterte
drugs is an outrageous attempt to influ- the National Police Commission (Napol- The clan pa
Mayor Rolando ence local elections in May,” said Human com), which is under the DILG, tagging Loreto’s fath
Espinosa Sr. Rights Watch, the US-based nongovern- them as protectors of the illegal drug trade. Philippine N
Albuera, Leyte ment group. It described the list as “wea- The same Napolcom resolution includ- Rosa but no
Killed November 5, 2016 ponizing of the ‘drug war’ against politi- ed former Tanauan City, Batangas, mayor The next y
cians (that) further undermines the rule Antonio Halili, who was gunned down cente’s broth
Mayor Reynaldo of law, democracy and civil liberties in the later, in 2018, during a flag-raising cer- 2017 intervi
Parojinog Philippines.” emony in City Hall.
Edwin, were
Ozamiz City Duterte included three incumbent La- The Amantes, meanwhile, were among
Killed July 30, 2017 guna mayors in his list: San Pablo City the first batch of mayors, governors, po-
mayor Loreto “Amben” Amante, Los Ba- licemen, and court judges publicly named Ramos sa

NEWS ANALYSIS

Politicizing probable cause

WHEN President Rodrigo Duterte
made public last week the names of local
officials he accused of involvement in il-
legal drugs, he cited “probable cause” as
the “standard” that he needed to meet to
support his move. “Our job,” he said in
his speech, “is to reach that standard of
probable cause. For the judges, it is proof
beyond reasonable doubt. For the police
and the armed forces, you only have to
come up with probable cause,” he said.
“Is he probably the criminal of this act?
Then, if he is, I must arrest him.”
There are a few things to consider
in Duterte’s statement. One is that he
makes it sound as if people in these lists
have been arrested or are going to be
arrested anytime soon. None of those
listed have been issued arrest warrants
or are in jail.
Another is that, the government will
have to satisfy the legal standard of
probable cause before it can start arrest-
ing people. Regardless of what the Presi-
dent might think, probable cause is the
bedrock of due process and civil liberties
in the Philippines. It says so right in the
Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Due process dictates that for cases that
are criminal in nature — like drug deal-
ing — the accused need to be charged by
law enforcers before the Department of
Justice where prosecutors will determine
probable cause after a preliminary inves-
tigation. Only after determining probable
cause can a case be filed in court, where
the judge can either issue an arrest or
search warrant or dismiss the allegation.
This is what the government did in the
case of Senator Leila de Lima. Setting
aside whether the charges against her are
bogus or not, this process should have
been applied as well in the case of those in
the “narco list.”
As a former prosecutor, Duterte should
know this. But with the “narco list,” he
made probable cause sound so simple.
Worse, he seems to have twisted its mean-
ing and application to suit an apparent
political objective.
Under the law, probable cause is a com-
plicated but, at the same time, clear legal
standard. To be sure, it is more complex
than whether a person is “probably” the
perpetrator of an alleged crime but can be
as simple as whether a case has merit or
not in order to proceed.
“Probable cause under the Constitu-
tion is the legal standard for issuing a
warrant, whether search or arrest, but it
is the also the same legal standard for the
Department of Justice and its prosecutors
to determine if there is a criminal case to
be filed after preliminary investigation,”
said Theodore Te, former spokesman of
the Supreme Court and now a law profes-
sor who does pro bono work with the Free President Duterte and interior secretary Eduardo Año the day th
Legal Assistance Group (FLAG). said it has filed cases against the officials in the list. (Malacañang
While the executive department led
by the president can determine probable former dean of the Ateneo Law School ment before
cause, “it is really (meant) for the filing of and currently a law professor. probable ca
cases and only after preliminary investi- Any use of probable cause by the ex- Department
gation, where the respondent is given an ecutive department to justify actions that low “eviden
opportunity to be heard.” fail to satisfy due process can be viewed yer Romel B
Applied in the full spirit of the law and through a political lens. for Internat
rules of criminal procedure, probable In the case of the “narco list,” the indi- The DILG
cause can only be determined by pros- viduals have been charged by the Depart- that the gov
ecutors and judges, said Antonio La Viña, ment of the Interior and Local Govern- Bagares poi

LN_v1n8.indd 4 19/03/2019 9:53 AM


ayors cry foul
March 21 - 27, 2019
rte’s ‘narco list’
Pablo City mayor Loreto “Amben” Amante, Los Baños mayor Ceasar Perez, and
s described its effects as “parusa,” while Amante’s camp said it’s “nothing new.”
From left: San Pablo City mayor Loreto Amante, Los Baños mayor Ceasar Perez, and Bay mayor Bruno Ramos
have been publicly accused of involvement in illegal drugs by no less than the president. Ramos said it has taken
its toll on him. (Photos from their Facebook pages)
by Duterte in 2016 as having links to illegal drugs.
The clan patriarch, former mayor Vicente Amante,
Loreto’s father, sought to clear his name with former
Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela
Rosa but nothing, apparently, came out of that.
The next year, unknown assailants gunned down Vi-
cente’s brother Damaso in San Pablo City. Vicente, in a
2017 interview, said Damaso and their other brother,
Edwin, were the ones into illegal activities, not him.
‘Parusa’
Ramos said being named in the “narco list” has
do Año the day the president released the “narco list.” The DILG
e list. (Malacañang photo)
ment before the Office of the Ombudsman. While
probable cause can still be applied, the fact that the
Department of Justice is not involved indicates the
low “evidentiary threshold” used for the list, said law-
yer Romel Bagares, executive director of the Center
for International Law.
The DILG case is an “implicit” acknowledgment
that the government can’t determine probable cause,
Bagares pointed out. Even then, the Ombudsman,
LN_v1n8.indd 5
caused him sleepless nights. “Parusa ito.
Hindi na ako makatulog sa gabi,” he
said. Ramos, 76, said he is bowing out of
politics as a result because the drug issue
against him has taken a toll on his health.
He denied involvement in illegal drugs.
“Disappointed talaga ako. Ilang taon
kong serbisyo (as a mayor), nawala lang
sa isang iglap,” he said.
The DILG said it’s going to file admin-
istrative cases against those named in the
“narco list.” L
being quasi-judicial, determines prob-
able cause, not the president.
What makes executive determina-
tion of probable cause prone to political
misuse is the “lower evidentiary thresh-
old” of cases such as those prepared by
the DILG, Bagares said. In these cases,
the government only needs to come up
with “substantive evidence,” which can
be anything that the government can
produce — such as unverified “intelli-
gence reports” — regardless of whether
this will stand in a court of law.
Te likens the “narco list” to the mili-
tary’s “order of battle,” a list of its en-
emy targets that it comes up on its own.
“It’s the same thing with tokhang — ex-
ecutive determination of probable cause
but not for filing of cases,” Te said, add-
ing: “It’s Marcos all over again.”
Publicizing the names of those in the
list without first filing criminal cases —
in which case the proper determination
of probable cause would kick in — sug-
gests that the motive behind the “narco
list” is politics, not criminal prosecu-
tion. Te, La Viña, and Bagares agreed.
It remains to be seen whether the
government will file criminal cases
against those in the list. For now, the
politicization of probable cause seems
to serve Duterte’s purpose. L
‘Narco’ lists, orders
of battle, ‘red tags’
LISTING enemies is an old politi-
cal trick. Governments do this all the
time, from the “blacklists” in Hol-
lywood during the McCarthy era to
President Duterte’s “narco list” re-
leased last week. Governments and
their agencies are expected to come
up with these lists. The question,
however, is how they’re using it.
In the case of the “narco list,” crit-
ics have alleged that this was meant
to influence the upcoming elections
in May, questioning the release of
the list so close to the polls. While
the government insists that the rights
of those listed will be respected, the
damage to the individuals named will
have been done by the time any case
gets filed in court. By then, many will
have been eliminated, either political
or physically.
Other similar government lists
have likewise resulted in such politi-
cal or physical elimination.
The military maintains what it calls
an “order of battle” where people they
have been gathering intelligence on
are listed. These are individuals and
organizations that the military clas-
sifies as enemies or threats. Among
them are activists, journalists, and
leftist organizations that the military
claims are supporting the Communist
Party of the Philippines and its armed
wing, the New People’s Army.
Some of those listed in these OBs
have been killed, like Celso Pojas, a
peasant activist and leader who was
shot dead in May 2008 in Davao
City. His name was included in the
military’s PowerPoint presentation
“Knowing the Enemy” that was first
disclosed in 2007.
These OBs are no different from
the “red-tagging” or red-baiting of
The ‘narco list’
as election weapon
IN disclosing his latest “narco list,” Presi-
dent Rodrigo Duterte insisted that this
was not related to the upcoming elections.
“I’m not really interested in releasing it
before or after the elections because I do
not have the slightest intention to hurt
anybody or to be a cause of the failure of
an election of a certain man who wants to
serve the public,” Duterte said.
The Department of the Interior and Lo-
cal Government, which drew up the list
based on its intelligence reports, defend-
ed Duterte’s move. “It would be unfair for
them to ascribe bad intentions on our part
because this was not done for politics,”
DILG spokesman Jonathan Malaya told
ANC last week, referring to critics of the
“narco list.”
But the DILG itself has said publicly
that these lists are meant to disqualify
politicians from running for public of-
LagunaNow 5
The name of peasant leader Celso Pojas was
in a military “order of battle” when he was shot
dead in 2008. (Photo from davaotoday.com)
individuals and groups perceived by
the state to be enemies. Benjamin Ra-
mos, a lawyer representing farmers
and peasants in Negros Occidental,
was accused of being an NPA rebel
before he was murdered in Novem-
ber. Some of those who were killed in
the so-called Sagay Massacre in Oc-
tober were later “red-tagged,” as if to
justify their killing.
More recently, a list of alleged com-
munists rebels circulated in Cagayan
de Oro City, including journalists and
activists.
In Laguna, students at the Univer-
sity of the Philippines Los Banos ac-
cused the military last month of red
baiting following the death of former
student John Carlo Alberto during a
firefight with rebels. L
fice, saying last year — after it bared more
names in its “narco list” — that it would
ask the Commission on Elections to do
exactly that.
In April, weeks before the barangay and
Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the gov-
ernment released the names of more than
200 barangay officials.
The government insists that these lists
are meant to raise the public’s awareness
about their politicians. There is no deny-
ing, however, the impact these lists have
on the conduct of elections.
One Laguna mayor, Bruno Ramos of
Bay town, has said he would not seek re-
election because of the list, even though
he has not been charged in court for any
drug offense. Critics have accused the
government of “weaponizing” the “drug
war” and these lists to influence the elec-
tion. L
19/03/2019 9:53 AM
 6 LagunaNow
EDITORIAL
So young
and so fascist
THE images of Ronald Cardema online, many
of them taken before he was appointed chair-
man of the National Youth Commission, are
disconcerting. Some show him doing the
closed fist salute with politicians, like President
Duterte and Davao City mayor Sara Duterte.
Others show him lined up with Duterte Youth
members in poses and accoutrement — like red
armbands — reminiscent of Nazis. In at least
one photo, he is shown in a nighttime parade
holding a tiki torch, as neo-Nazis often do.
These allusions to Nazism are upsetting, to
say the least. What’s worse is that Cardema, a
native of Laguna, is embodying the sordid poli-
tics of these images. This is reprehensible giv-
en his position in a government agency whose
main mandate is to look out for the welfare of
the youth. Cardema is supposed to be a model
for young Filipinos, which is a scary notion giv-
en the fascistic politics that underpins his ac-
tions and statements.
Cardema endorses the violence that his pa-
tron, the president, unleashed on the nation in
the name of a bogus “war on drugs.” Several of
his constituents, many of them children who
had no link at all to the drug trade, have fallen
victims to the “drug war” that has killed tens of
thousands.
“Ronald Cardema is supposed to be a
model for young Filipinos, which is a scary
notion given the fascistic politics that
underpins his actions and statements.”
He engages in the same reprehensible con-
duct by the military of “red-tagging” activists,
even proposing that the government deprive
funding for student activists in state universi-
ties. Like the military, he equates dissent with
taking up arms against the government, never
mind that protest is a legitimate and constitu-
tionally protected right that Cardema himself
enjoyed when he was an activist himself, albeit
briefly. In the process, he puts crosshairs on the
back of students whose only “crime” is to em-
brace the opposite of his convictions.
Fascists, whether old or young, don’t have a
place in a democratic society. That Cardema has
been empowered by this regime to spread his
virulent politics and ideology among the young
is offensive and detrimental to the nation.
L
www.lagunanow.ph
Editor Reb Abanador Contributing Editor Dana Batnag Contributing
Writers Leobel Bernadette C. Colona, Eve Matta, Kimmy Baraoidan,
Jervis Gonzales, Neal Andrei A. Lalusin, Shane Valerie B. Muallam,
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Ayishah M. Conde Graphic Designer Maricris R. Santilles
Marketing Manager Laarni M. Bautista Administrative Officer
Rosiedin G. Lanao Operations Liaison Yasir S. Muallam Legal
Counsel Atty. Dana Batnag
Laguna Now is published every Thursday by Conde Media
Publishing Services, a duly registered company in Santa Rosa City,
Laguna, Philippines. Editorial and business offices at 140 BelAir
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LN_v1n8.indd 6
How to make this country work
ON my way down south
last weekend, my seatmate
inside the van from Shaw
Boulevard appeared impa-
tient. “Haist, buhay Pinas
talaga! Dapat may gawin
sila sa impyernong trapik
THE RUDE TRUTH na ito!” she exclaimed.
Aya Jallorina Who she was referring to
exactly, I don’t know. The
government? Our legislators? The MMDA? The LGUs?
Or commuters themselves?
At a state university where I attended classes, I heard
the same lament of my classmates concerning the school’s
facilities, particularly the women’s toilets. Many are an-
gry at the university’s inaction to upgrade the facilities
but only a few did something to change the situation.
Someone who knows my advocacy about rate reforms
in electricity often asks: “May increase na naman sa sin-
gil sa kuryente. Sobrang burdened sa overcharges ang
konsyumers! Kelan kayo mangangalampag sa ERC at
Meralco?” She supports my group’s lobbying but it is
more of a provocation rather than actual cooperation.
When the going gets rough, she hides in her comfortable
cocoon. She doesn’t want to be in hot water, she said.
Familiar, right? People complain about irregularities
yet are evasive in taking action to change the course of
things. They can be likened to bystanders who cheer at
street fighters but are quick to scamper for safety when
the police come.
This kind of attitude leaves impassioned souls to la-
bor against the abusive system, while the apathetic ones
go on with their mundane lives as if every little victory
earned by dissidents does not affect them. Passively, they
wait for heroes and heroines, for the knight in shining
armor to rescue them. They look timidly, without lifting
a finger, for fear of retribution. They say they cannot ac-
cept abuses but they will never talk about it. “‘Hangga’t
sila ang nandiyan, all we can do is be silent. Ayaw natin
na mi kumatok sa ating pintuan sa kadiliman ng gabi.”
To them, the apathetic side is always the safe side. So
they delegate the job of dissenting to courageous souls.
They join the millions who remain silent in the face of
Murder of lawyers silences victims, too
Another lawyer was gunned down last week, the 38th killed since President Duterte took office.
These killings worsen access to justice by poor victims of the “drug war.”
By CARLOS H. CONDE
ANOTHER lawyer has been murdered in the Philip-
pines, the 38th to have been killed since President Ro-
drigo Duterte took office in 2016.
The media reported that unidenti-
fied gunmen shot dead Rex Jasper
Lopoz, 41, as he was about to enter
his car outside a shopping mall in
Tagum City, in the southern Philip-
pines, on the evening of March 13.
Lopoz’s family believes he was
killed because he was representing
defendants in drug cases, and that
his murder was linked to the Duterte
administration’s “war on drugs,” in
which thousands have died. Lopoz
was also known in the area as a left-
ist activist.
Lopoz’s murder has been widely
condemned — the Integrated Bar of
the Philippines said there have been
so many deaths “we are almost losing count.” Like Lopoz,
several of the victims were lawyers representing the ac-
cused in drug cases. Some, like Benjamin Ramos, who
Vol. 1 No. 8
impunity.
It seems a pervasive thing to delegate. Even in the way
we believe, there is a tendency to delegate our problems
to God. We think that when we heap all our problems
on Him, these will all vanish like magic. He will sort ev-
erything out for us but when our expectations are not
met, we back out. We forget that maybe God, with all His
might, has other concerns, too, and cannot attend to the
pleas of every supplicant. We forget that before the alms,
we need to help ourselves first.
“Like it or not, for injustice or irregularity
to be effectively defeated, we need more
than just moan our discontent but remain
bystanders. We must not be oblivious to
events that are actually unfolding before
our very eyes.”
So why delegate when we can actually act on it? We
have the power to expunge anything we see as detrimen-
tal to us — be it the environment, the government, our
leaders, our malfunctioned transport system, and the
flawed bureaucracy. We can dissent when government
policies go astray. We can intelligently criticize.
When our leaders belittle our capacity as skilled work-
ers, we can show them what we can do. When our legis-
lators do not act on their promises, we can reject them
in the next polls. If we are disgusted with how they run
the government, we can join their ranks and see if we
can carry out reforms. When we see red tape, let us not
nurture it by paying a bribe. Rather, let us report the
anomaly.
Let us say what we think — by ourselves and not as
mouthpiece of the politicians we patronize. If we find faults
in our leaders, inform them. Write your concerns. Wheth-
er they act on it or not, the important thing is to send the
message across. Let them know people are watching.
Like it or not, for injustice or irregularity to be effec-
tively defeated, we need more than just moan our discon-
tent but remain bystanders. We must not be oblivious to
events that are actually unfolding before our very eyes.
When exigencies call for it, we need to act. It is a small
contribution to making this country work. L
was shot dead in November in the central Philippines,
represented victims of government human rights viola-
tions. Judges have also been targeted.
The government has subjected
journalists, activists, priests, and re-
ligious leaders who have been critical
of the “drug war” to a withering cam-
paign of vilification and harassment,
including through social media.
Duterte has arbitrarily detained
Leila de Lima, a senator who has
been the president’s loudest critic,
for more than two years on bogus
drug charges.
The killing of lawyers who repre-
sent members of the poorest, most
marginalized parts of Philippine so-
ciety, including many of the victims
of the “drug war” and their families,
has a devastating impact on access to
justice in the Philippines. By silenc-
ing a lawyer, many victims are also silenced. But then
perhaps that is the purpose. L
The author is Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch.
19/03/2019 9:53 AM
 March 21 - 27, 2019
LOS BAÑOS — While many Filipinos are busy look-
ing down, thumbing through their smart phones, and
are preoccupied with their daily affairs, a few decide to
spend their time looking up to the sky, wondering about
possibilities. Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, one of only three astro-
physicists in the Philippines, is passionate about space —
so passionate that he became one of the prime movers of
what is to become the Philippine Space Agency.
A decade ago, talk of space was mostly confined to
the four corners of the classroom and among scientists.
Today, space is slowly permeating into the public’s con-
sciousness. “I’ve been tracking how space is being por-
trayed in media, whether it’s in TV or in advertising. And
the good thing is it’s becoming what we call a ‘sexy’ topic
for the public,” the 37-year-old Los Baños native said, a
hot mug of coffee in hand. However, public awareness of
space leaves much to be desired. Ask an ordinary person
in the street about space and they will equate it to going
to the moon or visiting other planets, Sese said. That is
not entirely a bad thing, he said, as it can spark an inter-
est in the field.
“People will always be amazed with the night sky,” said
the scientist, who at a very young age was already fasci-
nated with space. He cited last year’s super blue blood
moon as an example of how public awareness of space
has heightened and piqued people’s curiosity. “I think
that was one of the best public awareness events that I’ve
ever seen in the Philippines. Everyone was involved. It’s
SPACEMAN. When home in Laguna, Dr. Rogel Mari Sese usually spends his Saturday mornings flying drones on the UP Los Baños
campus. (Photo by Kimmy Baraoidan)
all over the news,” he said. But the public’s fascination
often ends there. “It’s not being translated into the figu-
rative sense of looking up, wondering what is out there,
how [this can] benefit us and other things,” he said. “It
stops at observation. You record it but you don’t analyze
it. So in that sense, that’s where we are lacking, and it’s a
problem that’s not unique to the Philippines.”
Promoting space
Aside from working with policymakers to craft a bill
that will establish the Philippine Space Agency, Sese is
also involved in promoting space to students. “We use it
to encourage students to go into STEM (science, technol-
ogy, engineering, and mathematics) careers. That’s the
hook for them to be interested,” he said. “It’s really the
gateway to the sciences.” Sese knows: He holds a bach-
elor’s degree in applied physics from the University of
the Philippines Los Baños, a master’s degree in physics
from UP Diliman, and a doctorate degree in physics from
the University of Tsukuba in Japan.
LN_v1n8.indd 7
Los Baños scientist
dreams big by looking up
Dr. Rogel Mari Sese is one of only three astrophysicists in the Philippines. He rues the country’s
state of space technology and space awareness but is determined to help change all that.
By KIMMY BARAOIDAN
Currently, there are only three schools in the country
that offer space-related degree programs like aerospace
engineering but the academe is slowly preparing. “Once
we have the Philippine Space Agency, the projection is
about 800 people [will need] to be there who’s trained in
the field of space,” he told Laguna Now in an interview.
Space law is also a field where people will be needed in the
future, he added. But for now, he deals with the headache-
inducing ins and outs of space policy, meeting with local
senators, attending international conferences, or getting
invited to have coffee with foreign government officials.
When news of forming a Philippine space agency
broke a few years ago, people were quick to scoff at the
idea, thinking that with all the problems the country has,
establishing such an entity was not necessary, not realiz-
ing that the benefits of space technology are exactly what
the country needs to at least alleviate some of its prob-
lems. “Imagine if you have a telecom satellite. Basically if
you’re linking the whole Philippines all together as one,
even if you’re on a remote island or barangay, you have
communication access. You can send a simple text mes-
sage or have access to the internet,” Sese explained.
The satellite as a lifeline
Space technology is essential during times of disas-
ter, especially when cell sites are damaged or destroyed.
“When all else fails, your lifeline is a satellite,” Sese said.
Another application is damage assessment. Sese said it
would normally take a day or two to have aerial coverage
but if there are satellites in place, imagery of the dam-
aged area can be generated in as little as 90 minutes. “So
even before first responders are deployed, they already
have information about the extent [of the damage] and
expectations on the ground. They can even bring in the
LagunaNow 7
requirements needed. So that can actually help save a lot
of lives because the first 48 hours of a disaster is always
the most critical,” he added.
Agriculture is also a sector that will greatly benefit
from space technology. Some government agencies like
the Department of Agriculture are already using space
technology, said Sese. Satellite images of farmlands can
help estimate the amount of expected agricultural pro-
duce and can help in water resource management by
showing which areas lack or have excess water. More
importantly, satellite images can also give an idea of the
extent of damage on a farmland when a typhoon strikes,
for example. Sese said this kind of information can aid
policymakers in deciding if the country needs to import
“What drives me is that if I don’t
push this far, if we don’t push for
this, many will suffer. There will be
lots of lost opportunities for the
Philippines.”
agricultural produce or not.
Fishermen can also benefit from the technology. Sese
cited the case of Indian fishermen who are able to receive
text messages that tell them where to fish. “Giving that
opportunity and trickling it down to the subsistence fish-
ermen, that’s a big thing,” he said. “That can make the
difference between them eating for the day and having
nothing to eat.”
Space technology is an indispensable tool for national
security. “One reason why we’re at a disadvantage at the
West Philippine Sea is we don’t know what’s happening.
We can’t see what’s happening because we don’t have our
own satellite to observe that [area] on a regular basis. We
have satellites but our current satellites cannot answer
the needs of the defense sector,” Sese explained.
Determined
These benefits and more are not immediately appar-
ent to most people, and Sese patiently explains these to
policymakers and key government agencies. He is deter-
mined to not only promote space but to realize the goal of
having our own space agency. “What drives me is that if
I don’t push this far, if we don’t push for this, many will
suffer. There will be lots of lost opportunities for the Phil-
ippines,” he said. “Even Bangladesh right now is ahead of
us in terms of space technology. They have their own geo-
stationary satellite. Their satellite is much, much, much
bigger than [all our three satellites] combined,” he added.
“It’s tiring but it needs to be done,” Sese said about
his work. With all the long meetings, conferences, and
trips he had to attend to, Sese still finds time for his wife
and two kids, and for other space-related pursuits. He is
currently the program leader of a drone project with the
Department of Science and Technology and also runs his
own company, Regulus Spacetech Inc., which specializes
in space research and development.
Sese still has more work ahead but remains driven
and tireless. The approval of Senate Bill 1983 on second
reading last February brings the dream of our own space
agency one step closer to reality, a dream that Sese hopes
will be shared by many Filipinos. He lives by something
that the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once
said: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men
to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead,
teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” L
19/03/2019 9:53 AM
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