As President Benigno Simeon Aquino III prepares for his upcoming state of the nation address (SONA), Akbayan Party joins the Filipino people in celebrating our victories these past two years. Since the people’s break from a corrupt and decadent past, we immediately worked to rebuild and fulfill our dreams. We have planted the seeds of change and reclaimed some of the lost social and political reforms.

However, while much has been won in the past two years, we believe much has still to be fought for and won to hasten, broaden and deepen the process of implementing essential and far-reaching reforms.

In the people’s quest for truth, justice and accountability

Arroyos, Corona, Abalos

In this manner, Akbayan joins the Aquino government in its important victory brought about by the prosecution of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former first gentleman Mike Arroyo and former Comelec Chairperson Benjamin Abalos for the crimes they committed against the people. We commend Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales for filing plunder charges against Arroyo and other erring government officials. We also laud the Department of Justice for preventing the Arroyos’ escape and seeing through a defective TRO issued by Renato Corona who was convicted and removed as Chief Justice through a successful impeachment process.

These are clear triumphs of truth and justice, responding to the people’s clamor for accountability and demonstrating the resolve of the Aquino government to eradicate corruption. Supported by an active citizenry, we have began the process of restoring the confidence of the business and international communities in our political system and created the necessary impetus in our effort to rebuild our democratic institutions.

Ampatuans, Palparan, Marcos

But much still needs to be done. To begin with, the Ampatuan massacre trial remains to be a slow, winding road where vital witnesses to the case are one after the other ending up dead. Added to this, former General Jovito Palparan, accused for numerous extrajudicial killings, is still a fugitive from the law. Worse, the human rights victims of a dictatorial past are still crying for justice.

Akbayan calls on President Aquino to heed the people’s call for “all-out-justice.” Akbayan earnestly hopes that the Ampatuans and Palparan will be made to answer for their crimes. We expect President Aquino, himself the son of democracy icons who fought the dictatorship, to include the Marcos Compensation Bill in his priority legislations.

FoI and “Silip SALN” Bills

To further the campaign against impunity and corruption, we also call for the inclusion of the Freedom of Information (FoI) and Akbayan’s “Silip SALN” Bills in President Aquino’s priority legislations to help the people’s effort to weed out systematic corruption. The FoI bill is the “mother of all waivers” that will herald a new era in the people’s effort to weed out systemic corruption while the “Silip SALN” bill will allow the public unimpeded access to the statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth of public officials.

Agrarian Reform

In the arena of agrarian reform, Akbayan hails the Filipino farmers’ triumph in the Hacienda Luisita case, validating the decades-long struggle for agrarian reform and vindicating CARPER. With the high tribunal’s final ruling, we call on President Aquino to accomplish what the first Aquino government had failed to do and effect meaningful redistribution to the landless farmworkers of the Hacienda.

Akbayan also welcomes the pledge made by President Aquino to distribute all large landholdings through CARPER by 2014. The Aquino government’s definitive statement on the issue of land distribution eased the growing concern among Filipino farmers that the government is dragging its feet on this important task.

Fast-track CARPER, Amend DAR AOs, Coco Levy

We hope the Aquino government will stay true to its word to fast-track and complete land distribution under CARPER and amend Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Administrative Orders 7 and 9 to repeal all the controversial sections that give privilege to the landowners’ dilatory tactics.

We also call on the administration to utilize the 24% San Miguel shares purchased with coco levy funds to develop the coconut industry in order to lift more than 20 million Filipino families from poverty. The agricultural sector must be modernized and freed from all feudal vestiges if we desire a strong national economy.

On economic development and addressing poverty

Subsequently, Akbayan calls on the Aquino administration to intensify its pursuit of economic development with the people at the core of its paradigm. We call for a comprehensive review of our economic policies geared towards the crafting of a new development plan that will re-distribute wealth, reinvigorate the domestic market and generate regular jobs. In the immediate, the government should implement policies and programs that will hold back if not address the immediate manifestations of poverty.

Moratorium on Demolitions, Security of Tenure

Thus, we welcome government’s move to allocate Php 50 billion, on top of the conditional cash transfer program, through the NAPC, DILG and the DSWD for the humane relocation of informal settlers in Metro Manila living in danger zones. However, this should be accompanied with an executive order from President Aquino calling for a national moratorium on forced demolitions to give informal settlers a respite from violent demolitions and the enactment of the Security of Tenure Bill to overhaul the governing rules of contractual work.

Pass the RH bill

Alongside this, Akbayan asks President Aquino to use his political capital to finally pass the Reproductive Health Bill which has been languishing in Congress for 16 years. Beyond drastically reducing the number of deaths due to unsafe childbirths, unwanted pregnancies, and the rate of infection of sexually transmitted diseases, the RH Bill is an important development policy for economic empowerment.

Reconsider $1 B IMF Pledge, increase social spending

Furthermore, we hope the Aquino government will reconsider its US$ 1 billion pledge to the IMF. While we join the government in its call to extend solidarity and assistance to other countries ravaged by the economic crisis, it is injudicious to lend to international financial institutions which are primarily accused of causing the crisis in the first place. Instead, we join the European people in their call for IFIs and big banks to take responsibility for their role in the global economic crisis. We also join them in the call for a sovereign, democratic and responsible financing system. The Philippine government has no business in rescuing irresponsible banks. It is prudent for the government to use the money to increase social spending to address its chronic underspending and serve as the Filipino people’s protection from the ill-effects of the worsening global economy.

On the environment

In the government’s effort to safeguard the environment, we laud President Aquino for explicitly declaring in Executive Order. 79, which areas should not be included in mining operations. This includes tourism sites, farmlands, marine sanctuaries and island ecosystems. We also welcome the EO for recognizing the indigenous people and their communities as important stakeholders in the mining issue.

Alternative Minerals bill

Nevertheless, there are still many issues which the EO—which was based on the defective Mining Act of 1995—cannot fully address. Akbayan believes no less than an Alternative Minerals Law coupled with a National Land Use policy will completely address the multifaceted issues surrounding mining. We therefore urge President Aquino to certify as urgent Akbayan’s House Bill No. 3763, also known as the Minerals Management Bill to put premium in the ecological value of our country’s mineral resources, and shift the land use priority towards environmental protection, food security and sustainable development.

Promoting peace and regional security

Lastly, Akbayan commends President Aquino as well as our armed forces for their resolute defense of our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. Despite being a small country, we have shown to the whole world our courage in securing our sovereignty against China’s regional bullying and expansionist ambitions.

We also acknowledge the efforts of the government in implementing reforms in the ARMM as well as its commitment to pursue peace with the MILF. We are hopeful that after 14 years of negotiations, the government and the MILF will finally forge an agreement for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

Independent and Progressive Foreign Policy

Yet, we strongly caution the Aquino government from anchoring its foreign policy to the political and military interests of the United States or any other country. While we support the government’s strong stance against China and support efforts to strengthen our ties with our allies, Philippine foreign policy must be independent and outside of any country’s shadows.

Much still to be fought for and won

Akbayan looks forward to seeing the struggle for reforms result in the transformation of ambulatory socio-economic schemes into comprehensive social protection programs, that the campaign to weed out corruption will go deeper to its systemic causes to bring about functional institutions and deepen democracy, and that the gains from promoting peace and sovereignty would translate into an independent foreign policy rooted in international solidarity.

We expect that as President Aquino embarks on the second half of his term, the reform initiative would undergo a process of instituting policies and programs that would not only expand the people’s victories but also, hopefully, make the structural reforms both felt and irreversible. Akbayan Party, being a progressive coalition partner of this government and with the support of the Filipino people will strive to significantly contribute to this undertaking.

Akbayan

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