Even with new laws,Pinoys still disadvantaged

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

The way lawmakers voted and explained their vote on the RH bill on the floor until past 1 AM of the next day was fast and quite entertaining. This means that making laws, including those that are not so urgent, can possibly be done in just three to four days, as long as the will is there. For almost 15 years of being immovable in Congress, lawmakers finally cast their historic votes and passed two versions of the reproductive health bill last Tuesday.

The new law gives the government the mandate to make reproductive health services and free contraceptives accessible to poor families. It promotes responsible parenthood, the education of the youth on reproductive health issues, and the use of both natural and artificial methods of birth control.

The Catholic Church has fought against the passage of the RH bill because of its provisions on artificial contraceptives but the proponents of the law said the RH Bill is neither about religion nor population control. Some quarters from the Catholic Church also called it an immoral law. Focusing on the reasons why the law was proposed, one finds that the act of voting for or against the bill was not an immoral act but simple legislation. It does not even make people who support the bill immoral, nor become lesser Catholics.

I was entertained when three women senators namely PiaCayetano, Loren Legarda and Miriam Santiago stood up one after the other and blasted Tito Sotto who said the term “satisfying” sex in the definition of “reproductive health” should be deleted because according to him, the word was contrary to the “conservative” culture of Filipino women. The three feisty lady senators instead said that Filipino women should have the right to have “satisfying” sex. Even Santiago vowed to file a bill that would penalize a husband “who does not give satisfying sex to his wife.” Sotto eventually withdrew his amendment. By the way, can anyone tell me what Sotto’s sweeping basis was in saying that Filipino women were conservative? I believe Filipino women do not deserve a senator who thinks that way.

Tuesday the other week, senators voted 10 to 9 to ratify the bicameral conference committee report on the reformed sin tax bill or SB 3299, while 210 congressmen voted in favor of HB 5727 with 21 against the measure and five abstentions. The law was projected to generate around P250 billion over the next five years. PNoy signed it into law last week.

Congress reported that it has also been more than 15 years since a sin tax bill made it out of committee meetings and was finally voted on. Of the P33.96 billion that is expected to be collected in the first year of implementation, some P23.4 billion will come from increased taxes on tobacco, while P10.56 billion will be generated from taxes on liquor, representing a percentage sharing of 69-31 between tobacco and alcohol products. The law also allocates 15 percent for affected farm workers while 80 percent will go to health programs.  Twenty percent of the remaining balance was allocated for medical assistance and the upgrade of government hospitals. How fast will these multi-billion revenues trickle down to the poorest of the poor is the question. How fast will the positive effects of these laws be felt?

Over the week before Christmas, the Freedom of Information bill was also signed into law by PNoy. Let’s just hope that people who violate it do not question its applicability and resort to long drawn court battles. Whatever, government should see to it that the recently approved laws are made easily applicable and available to anyone who need them. In many cases, laws are barely implemented because of the difficulty in obtaining the requirements attached to it. Because of the requirements, would-be beneficiaries succumb, surrender and walk away, feeling unsatisfied. In certain cases, the laws are unused while some are abused or implemented improperly.

In Baguio, there are special ordinances that are being implemented. The spirit of the law is not the basis for its implementation but for compliance only, if not for money. The smoke-belching law is now being abused as it has partly contributed much to the coffers of the city through the collection of smoke-testing fees worth P1,100.00 but it has not contributed much to reducing carbon emission in the atmosphere. Lately, people noticed that the Leonard Wood Rd. sidewalk has been removed and made part of the road. When will our congressman lift a finger and stop allocating funds for road widening that encroach on sidewalks for pedestrians?

  

Motorists and the riding public have also noticed that Gov. Pack Rd. fronting my Alma Mater Baguio City High School has been returned to its previous status as a two-way road. Thanks to police traffic czar James Logan. He saw what others before did not see. The road blocks if one comes from Vallejo Hotel to the back of the Post Office has likewise been opened. I have been suggesting this to people who had the authority to meddle with the traffic problem, but it seems no one forwarded it to whoever could act on it. I suggest again that traffic managers open all intersections to give breathing passages during traffic jams. In fact, intersections are placed mainly to ease traffic. But in Baguio, we close road intersections so that multi-million overpass infra projects become reasonable and useful.

While I was about to finish this article, uncle Joseph Zambrano of the Philippine Information Agency sent me a text message asking me what I think are the “present issues and concerns in the Cordillera that the Aquino administration should act on.” My answer to him was relevant to the article I was writing about. I answered back Uncle Joseph’s query saying, “If PNoy is really sincere with EO23 or the total log ban, then he should recall all tree-cutting and earth balling permits that Paje of DENR issued in order to maintain the number of trees that are still standing.” The recall should be strict, of course, this would include the “midnight” permits issued to SM so it can construct its money-making parking lot, and those issued to other subdivision developers, whether friend or foe of Sec. Ochoa. I really feel deprived when I read about new laws that are not implemented properly. I look at EO23 that was made effective in 2011, but find out later that logging and tree-cutting permits are still issued left and right.

I believe that with or without the reproductive health law, a sin tax bill, a smoke-belching ordinance, an EO23 or anything; what matters to people is that their lives are made comfortably livable. Sorry to say, but there are quite a number of good laws that have been abused or unused, while many have been completely forgotten. Merry Christmas to all! – marchfianza777@yahoo.com