THE FIL-AM PERSPECTIVE

“All Out War” vs Rebels: Will this be the Way to Lasting Peace in Mindanao?

 

By Gel Santos Relos

 

 

 

 

"All-out justice, not all-out war." President Aquino said it is tempting to pursue an all-out war against the Muslim secessionists especially because 19 soldiers had been sacrificed in last week’s attacks in Basilan. But the Commander-in-Chief said this sentiment is born out of anger and backed only by individuals who want political leverage.

 

“We will not pursue an all-out war but an all-out justice, which is more sober and fair and based on rules.”  While still remaining firm in his resolve that peace talks would still be the best way to solve this long-standing problem in the South, the manhunt for the perpetrators had been ordered. 

 

It was indeed heartbreaking to hear the bereaved families pour their hearts out for losing their loved ones to the tragic encounter that happened recently in Basilan. These widowed women, orphaned children, and agonizing parents give face to the brutality of war. 

 

 
Last October 18, 19 brave men of the Philippine military were killed by the heavily armed Moro rebels in Al-Barka, Basilan in Southern Philippines. This happened despite peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) .

 

 When he was elected president, Benigno S. Aquino III reopened talks with both the Moro rebels and the communist New People's Army to give peace a chance. This, despite opposition from some of those in government who had been tasked to deal with these rebel factions in the past. And even after the bloody massacre, Aquino said the use of an all out war against the MILF is off the table. Peace talks, he said, would still be the best way to resolve this long standing problem.

 

 Representative Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the committee on national defense of the House of Representatives and former chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, advocated for an immediate suspension of peace talks with the MILF. He said the government should instead concentrate on hunting down those involved in the Al-Barka clash.

 

 This position was likewise expressed by Army spokesman Col. Antonio Parlade, who said in a radio interview, “If I were asked for my opinion, it’s very clear that we need to pursue the MILF (perpetrators), by temporarily suspending the cessation of hostilities specifically in Basilan.” 

 

 Parlade added, “I am sure this will not be the last time or last incident that such will happen. I think this is the eighth or ninth time that every time we engaged Abu Sayyaf, suddenly there are MILF rebels in the area.”  Parlade is also a member of the Army’s elite Special Forces.

 

  Former President Joseph Estrada, his son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, and Sen. Panfilo Lacson have all urged President Benigno Aquino III to declare an all-out war against the MILF following the attack.

 

 In an ABS-CBN report, Estrada said his administration was able to capture the main MILF headquarters Camp Abubakar, along with 13 major and 43 minor camps, when he declared an all out war against the MILF in 2000. His son, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, said the MILF should be given a deadline to forge a lasting peace agreement or suffer the  consequences.                                                           

 

 Senator Panfilo Lacson,through a text message sent to the press said, "It's time for PNoy to do an Erap. Peace in Mindanao cannot be achieved unless a tactical victory is attained first by the AFP” (Armed Forces of the Philippines). Lacson was a former National Police chief during President Estrada’s administration, and is the current chairman of the Senate defense committee.

 

 Lacson argued that it is time to "untie the hands" of our soldiers and authorize them to fight the MILF on equal terms and not "handicapped" by the peace talks "characterized by treachery and deceit."

 

Through its peace talks with the Aquino administration, the MILF made public its demand for the establishment of a Moro sub-state. In the official website of the MILF Central Committee on Information, the rebel group likened the proposed sub-state to self-governing states under a federal system of government.The MILF insists the proposed sub-state is not an independent entity and would still form part of the Philippines. It will have no army, only police and internal security forces. (ABS-CBN News)

 

 Meanwhile, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal reportedly  said the encounter in Al-Barka showed that the military had no regard for the peace process and the agreement on the cessation of hostilities which the Philippine government and the MILF have signed. 

 

“We were the ones attacked and the Special Forces, who are highly-trained, were in full battle gear and their mission was to kill as many MILF forces including Commander Dan Laksaw Asnawi. We were only very lucky, because we have received an A-1 intelligence report earlier from our agent in the military that they are going to attack us that very early morning; so we prepared ourselves.” 

 

 On the other hand, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom)  head Lieutenant General Raymundo Ferrer said the military was not at fault and that the MILF should be held liable for the bloodbath.  He pointed out that the encounter took place outside of the MILF's "area of temporary stay". 

 

 ABS-CBN news reported that President Aquino said he wants to get to the bottom of the investigation regarding the operation, and wants to determine the truth behind the MILF's claim that its spy in the military tipped the rebels regarding the Special Forces operation.

 

  ABS-CBN News reported Former President Fidel Ramos also rejected such proposals to declare all out war against the MILF.  Instead, he  advocated  for “a select military strikes against so-called lost commands and criminal elements but not an all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Ramos said an all out war could lead to massive internal deplacement among non-combatants in the South.

 

 "Alam niyo, yung mga sundalo katulad namin na beterano at yung nasa field ngayon, they are the persons who want peace. Lalong lalo na ang mga pamilya nila, hindi dahil sa takot sila sa combat. Hindi. Combat is to build peace," Ramos said in an interview with radio dzMM.

 

 Ramos, a former soldier and Defense Secretary also added: "Combat is to carry out the instructions of the government but the outcome is enduring peace and sustainable development. I hope they don't forget that because a lot of people now are calling for war. They think they're in a movie."

 

Senator Francis Pangilinan said, "History hs taught us that a military solution in Mindanao hs failed time and time again while the Ramos administration's aggressive peace efforts in the 90s helped create the window of opportunity that laid the foundations for economic progress in cities like Gensan, Cagayan de Oro and Davao."

 

Pangilinan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Social Justice and Rural Development added, "In the Mindanao experience,war has brought only misery and more poverty while peace effort have brought real, tangible progress and development in these areas."

 

Despite his position in support of the peace talks, however, Pangilinan advocated for the government to show no mercy for the murderous lost commands. “We trust that the MILF will agree that these lost commands should be dealt with the full force of the law."

 

UP College of Law Professor Harry Roque told Move.Ph, “Let us not allow them to get away with their criminal acts”. He explained that killing of detainees under custody is against international humanitarian law.  Roque said the Philippines should instead bring this matter up to the International Tribunal to negotiate with rebels instead of the Philippine Courts.

 

Many kababayans from Mindanao and elsewhere in the Philippines believe war is not the answer to the long standing conflict in the south. Concerned about the growing number of Mindanaoans displaced by war, they say there are a lot of Moro civil groups who still want to push for peace process. 

 

 Some, however, argue that it is no good negotiating with the enemies. They say the  only way to give justice to the more than 120,000 lives lost in the past 40 years of MILF’s fight against government troop is for the Aquino administration  to use its full force and authority through the unnecessary evil that is an all out war.

 

 In a press briefing after Aquino talked to the families of slain soldiers last Friday, he said he awaits the results of the investigation regarding the operation. He said the military should learn from the incident. "Iyung mas maganda po, iyung susunod na mga operasyon, mas talagang pinaghandaan."

 

 The President told reporters,  "Magandang headline natin ngayon, anong presyo sa dugo ng ganyang mungkahi?  Sugod tayo agad sa MILF? ..Hindi puwedeng haka-haka.  Dito, pag sinugod natin lahat ng MILF, obligado silang lumaban.. Kapag lumaban sila lahat, na karamihan na sa pananaw sa akin sa ngayon ay nananahimik...ay tuloy-tuloy na naman ang bakbakan. Marami na namang sibilyan na madadamay."

 

In a televiseds statement on Monday, President Aquino said it is tempting to pursue an all-out war against the Muslim secessionists especially because 19 soldiers had been sacrificed in last week’s attacks in Basilan. But the Commander-in-Chief said this sentiment is born out of anger and backed only by individuals who want political leverage.“We will not pursue an all-out war but an all-out justice, which is more sober and fair and based on rules.”  

 

Aquino  said he has already ordered the soldiers to hunt down these criminal elements, led by Ibrahim Malat Sulayman and the Asnawis, some of whom are supposedly protected by MILF soldiers.

 

President Aquino expressed faith that MILF’s intentions for peace are clear, although acknowledged that some members are not supportive of the idea. The Commander-in-Chief has signified his willingness to engage the MILF in the process but warned, “Those who will be assisting them will be treated as criminals. We’ve already set a message that we’re not out to get them. But if they participate, there will be no exception.”

 

 

 Further reading:

What are the demands of the MILF?

http://zamboangajournal.blogspot.com/2011/09/milf-stands-firm-on-demand-for-muslim.html

The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, is unlikely to sign a peace deal with the Aquino government unless its demand for a sub-state in Mindanao is granted. ...(Read more...)

 

Background on Moro Islamic Liberation Front:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moro_Islamic_Liberation_Front

 

Charter Change needed for MILF Sub-state:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/08/11/11/cha-cha-needed-milf-sub-state

(Photo Credit--coming home of fallen soldiers--Philippine  Inquirer )

 

 

 

Occupy Wall Street Protests: Are you part of the 99%?

 

By Gel Santos Relos

 

 

The rich have become richer and the poor have become power. And yet struggling hardworking Americans say the government continues to coddle the 1% richest Americans as the 99% carry the heavy burden of the economic recession. Marginalized, tired, and desperate --  they  took their fight against corporate greed and economic injustice to the streets to save their American dream. This is their perspective.

Many of them have lost their jobs, had their homes foreclosed on, homeless, living on food stamps.  Most have been desperately holding on to their unemployment benefits that would soon dry up.  Many of these protesters had their hours cut, or their salaries slashed, pushing them down beneath living paycheck-to-paycheck.  Others have been young disillusioned students who just graduated from College and could not find a job to support themselves and pay for their huge student loans.

 

Having already dipped into their life savings, they wonder how and where they could get the money to pay for rent, utilities, health insurance premium, children’s school expenses, and many more basic needs. 

 

 And they would hear about bail out for big businesses using taxpayers’ money.  Adding insult to injury, many of the CEOs of these bailed out financial institutions unabashedly got their undeserved fat bonuses over and above their stratospheric salaries for doing such a bad job of making their companies fail -- at the expense of the struggling taxpayers.

 

 Yet to this date, nobody among these corporate giants, government regulators, and other powerful entities who have caused the collapse of the economy have been charged, convicted and made to pay for what they did or did not do. 

 

Mansions in posh neighborhood, vacation homes, luxury cars, designer clothes, traveling in style, jewelry, spa and cosmetic surgery for some...For many of the 1% ultra rich, the “good life” has continued -- on the backs of the 99% struggling hardworking Americans. 

 

 Finding no hope and change from the gridlock and political dogfight in Washington, people began to take their battle against corporate greed, as well as social and economic injustice to the street.  It began on September 17, when hundreds marched up Broadway and camped out at Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, New York, near Wall Street.

 

 Eventually called the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, these protests grew stronger and more pervasive, spreading not only throughout the United States, but around the world.

 

  Protesters never left the park, and continued their shout out to Wall Street and the world -- despite fierce and sometimes brutal harassment from the New York Police Department, the Bloomberg administration and some businesses in Lower Manhattan.

 

 
From a month ago about 1,500 people have reportedly been arrested in protests across the United States -- with New York, Boston and Chicago protestors leading the pack.  Around the world, hundreds of thousands of people have joined more than a thousand protest actions, the most turbulent ones were reported to be in Barcelona, Spain, London and Italy.  Asian cities showed their support as well, including kababayans in the Philippines, as the message of the Occupy Wall Street protesters have painfully resonated loud and clear in their own realm of experience.

 

 The past decade has seen the rich becoming richer, and the poor becoming poorer. 

 

 Federal Reserve data quoted by the LA Times show that the wealthiest 1% of families in America own roughly 34.3% of the nation's net worth, the top 10% of families own more than 71%, and the bottom 40% of the population own far less than 1%.

 

 The combined wealth of the 400 wealthiest people in America rose 12 percent to $1.5 trillion, with an average net worth of $3.8 billion, according to Forbes.  On the other hand, Pew Research reports that the median wealth, or net worth, of US households fell from $96,894 in 2005 to $70,000 in 2009, a drop of 28%.

 

An IRS data showing that the number of individual returns with adjusted gross income of $1 million or more was about 323,000 in 2008, or an overall tenth of 1% of the 312 million people in the United States:  the richest of the rich 1%.

 

 

Income inequality has reportedly “spiked up to levels not since the 1920s which led to the Great Depression.”  According to a UC Berkley Economics Department study:  between 1993 and 2008, the top 1 percent of Americans captured 52 percent of all income growth in the United States. (http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/saez-UStopincomes-2008.pdf)

 

 

Just how much do these 1% ultra rich Americans earn?  A CEO of a Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index company reportedly received, on average, $11.4 million in total compensation in 2010.  According to the AFL-CIO’s analysis of 299 companies based on Bureau of Labor Statistics, “the combined pay of 299 CEOs could support 102,325 workers earning the median wage (www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/paydisparityratio.cfm).  Conversely, a hundred median wage earners would have to be laid off to keep 299 CEOs with all their fat salaries, perks and bonuses.

 

 

 Meanwhile, about 46.2 million people, or one in seven Americans, were living below poverty level in 2010 (US Census).  Since 2007, the year before the most recent recession, “real median household income has declined 6.4 percent and is 7.1 percent below the median house- hold income peak that occurred in 1999.” 

 

 

 Even when many of these struggling Americans try for months – or even years -- to be employed after being laid off, job openings remain scarce. There are currently 14 million jobless Americans, and the national unemployment rate remains at 9.1%, despite all the tax breaks given to corporations and rich Americans so they can expand their business and hire people.

 

 And what about equity? "For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required."(Luke 12:48.)?  How true is this in today’s world?

 

About a quarter of all millionaires in the United States pay a smaller percentage of their income as taxes than millions of middle class households.  According to a study by the Congressional Service cited by the Washington Post -- for some millionaires, the tax burden is as low as 24 percent, compared with the better than 26.5 percent tax rate faced by many families making less than $100,000 a year. Worse, 1,400 millionaires paid no income taxes at all in 2009, according to IRS reports.  

 

 

 Billionaire Warren Buffet has been advocating for higher taxes for the super rich to help solve deficit problems and create jobs.  Supporting President Obama’s call to make those earning $1 Million or more to give their fair share, Buffet urged politicians in Washington to raise taxes on the "mega-rich" who have been "coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress."  He has repeatedly argued that the tax rate on his 2010 taxable income was about 17.4 percent, which is far lower than any of the other people who work for him with tax rates ranging from 33 percent to 41 percent.

 

 A recent Quinnipiac University survey says 67% of New Yorkers said they agreed with protesters and support their cause.  Several polls likewise show that 38% of Americans nationwide side with protesters.  And the support grows by the day. 

 

Most Occupy Wall Street protesters say they are for democracy and still support capitalism, but just want it to work for everybody, not just for the 1%.  They continue to hope Washington will now listen, and finally do something about the injustice in the system that has been killing the American dream of a growing number of the 99%.

 

 

Flying the (Un)Friendly Skies (Part 2)

By Gel Santos Relos

 

PAL says the law, PNoy, DOLE, DOJ, are on their side. And will that now include even the Supreme Court, too, in its reversal of its own resolution? Management says they need to fire people and contractualize to save the company. But some experts disagree--saying union busting is the real reason behind the move and they explain why!  Sino ang tunay na makikinabang sa ganitong patakaran ng PAL?

 

 

LAST October 10, the Supreme Court of the Philippines reversed its resolution on the case involving the alleged illegal retrenchment of 1,400 flight attendants of flag carrier Philippine Airlines(PAL) where it ruled with finality that said retrenchment was illegal.

 

If you would recall, the Supreme Court upheld its own 2008 decision in favor of the employees, stating in their resolution:  “This case has dragged on for so long and we are now more than duty-bound to finally put an end to the illegality that took place; otherwise, the illegally retrenched employees can rightfully claim this Court has denied them justice.”

 

Such September 7, 2011 ruling of the 2nd Division chaired by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio effectively  "denied with finality" PAL's 2nd motion for reconsideration and stated that, "no further pleadings shall be entertained."

 

Yet the highest court of the country heeded the question raised by PAL through the letter of its Counsel Estelito Mendoza, which pointed out that it should have been the high court's 3rd Division, not the 2nd Division, which should have passed upon the case. 

 

This move may essentially pave the way for the nullification of the SC’s own argument as to why PAL had to reinstate the 1,400 flight crew it had terminated:

 

 The 2008 decision of the Supreme Court said, “It was unfair for PAL to have made such a move; it was capricious and arbitrary, considering that several thousand employees who had long been working for PAL had lost their jobs, only to be recalled but assigned to lower positions, and, worse, some as new hires, without due regard for their long years of service with the airline.” Would this rationale go down the drain now too?

 

 Retrenchment, firing, contractualization, outsourcing -- these business decisions of Philippine Airlines could be summed up to a very simple economic principle:  More income and less expense equals bigger profit. Labor is, plain and simple, is a big part of the expense that needed to be sacrificed.

 

 And for PAL management, this is the only way to go to save Asia’s first airline. 

 

 PAL President Bautista explained, “The airline is now experiencing a difficult time, not only PAL but the whole airline industry.  And everybody is thinking of how to save costs. Outsourcing is now the practice in the airline industry.” 

 

This already happened 12 years ago: Prof. Winnie Monsod 

 

UP Economics Professor Winnie Monsod believed it was union busting.  “The irony of it is that this whole sorry mess gives anyone with a long memory a sense of déjà vu. Twelve years ago, PAL did the very same thing -- terminating pilots and flight crews over 1,500 employees.  PAL made the same claim: losses (arising from the Asian financial crisis).”

 

 
“It then rehired a great number of them, but at entry level wages, loss of seniority (and for the pilots, a promise not to form a union).  PAL sold off its profit centers to Tan-owned companies, terminating the PAL employees in the process, and then rehiring them at lower wages and no job security.  And managed to swing a 10-year suspension of the CBA with PALEA,” Monsod recalled.

 

 PAL President Jaime Bautista explained that higher cost of fuel, stiff competition and limited operations in the US accounted for the company’s losses.  Professor Solita Monsod likewise debunked these:

 

 “The low demand part is easy:  the global economic crisis was in full flow in 2008 and 2009, and travel was a natural victim, something like a 7-percent decrease in worldwide demand,” Monsod explained. 

 

 “The restrictions part is a little more complicated: it involves the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the former having downgraded the Philippines in 2008 due to deficiencies in our Air Transportation Office (ATO), and the ICAO giving the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), ATO’s successor, a failing grade in its audit.  All these wreaked havoc on PAL’s flight expansion plans in the United States, as well as its use of two brand-new Boeing 777 aircraft for US flights (not allowed),” Prof. Monsod added.

 

 
Addressing the issue of losses due to high cost of fuel, Monsod ponted out, “This was sometime in 2008, when there was speculation that the price of oil would go through the roof (over $150 a barrel).  PAL management bet that prices would go up, so it bought its oil forward, paying current prices against future deliveries. It lost the bet, i.e., prices went down instead of up.”  PAL’s loss reportedly ranged from $150 million to more than $300 million.

 

 “The reasons for PAL’s losses in 2008 and 2009, as reported by Bautista, had nothing to do with high labor costs. So why is labor bearing the brunt of the losses?” Monsod added.

 

An attack against the Union?

 

UST College of Law Professor in Labor Law Marlon Manuel said the mass termination of employees consisted of:  70 percent of PALEA’s membership and the total number of rank-and-file employees; 62% of the union leadership; 35 percent of the total employee complement of PAL.

 

 
Affected three departments, which according to according to PAL were “non-core” in the company’s day-to-day operation:

 

 Airport Services - passenger handling, ramp handling, station control, central baggage services, airport equipment maintenance, and cargo handling (about 2,000); In-Flight catering - planning, preparation, production, servicing, and delivery of in-flight snacks, meals, and beverages for all PAL flights (about 400); and Call Center Operations - reservations and bookings (about 300).

 

  Atty. Manuel wrote, “PAL earned a total comprehensive income of US$ 72.5 MILLION (net income of US$65.5 Million plus other income) for the fiscal year which ended on March 31, 2011.  According to the company’s Financial Statement, this is “a significant turnaround from the previous fiscal year’s total comprehensive loss of US$ 14.4 million. Converted to Philippine Pesos, PAL’s income amounted to MORE THAN PhP 3 BILLION  (computed at $1: PhP 42.50).”

 

 


Atty. Manuel laments, “After asking the workers to sacrifice for ten (10) years for the company and the country, PAL and the government will now sacrifice the workers themselves.  The company wants to continue to benefit from the loyal services of the workers, but without their job security, union, and CBA.”

 

 

  PALEA argued that, “the mass termination of thousands of employees, at the start of collective bargaining negotiations, done in violation of the parties’ CBA, and which is not commensurate to the improving financial condition of PAL, is clear bad faith.”

 

 The employees’ union said, “the scheme being implemented by PAL will eradicate union membership and exclude from the coverage of the bargaining unit the positions that are now being held by regular employees who are union members.  These acts are deliberate interference with the employees’ rights to self-organization.”

 

 “As shown by recent developments, the mass termination is aimed at defeating the negotiation of a new CBA,” PALEA added.

 

 PAL Pres. Bautista through their press statement said that if PALEA employees were really concerned about the company, then they should just apply for a job with the independent service providers SkyLogistics Philippines Inc., and SkyKitchen Philippines.

 

PAL Outsourcing: Musical Chairs of Ownership Among LT, Friends and Family?

 

 Investigative journalist Raissa Robles dug deeper on the ownership and business ties of these companies and said “Billionaire Lucio Tan has sacked 2,600 Philippine Airline (PAL) employees so most of them can be rehired by two dummy companies formed by Manuel H. Osmeña, a long-time business partner of his family.

 

 After examining SEC disclosures and table of organization of the companies formed and involved with PAL, Robbles found out that “Osmena, is in fact, a part of the Lucio Tan Group of Companies”.

 

 Based on the evidences she gathered, Robles concludes that  “OUTSOURCING” arrangement between PAL on one hand and SkyKitchen and SkyLogistics on the other becomes understandable if PAL’s real intent is to bust the union PALEA”.  Read more and view proofs gathered by Robles at http://raissarobles.com/2011/09/30/sacked-pal-employees-to-be-hired-by-2-possibly-dummy-companies/.

 

 PAL President Jaime Bautista said, “The law is on our side. We’re implementing the outsourcing program not on mere whim or caprice but on the basis of legal and valid orders from the Department of Labor and Employment and the Office of the President.” And with the turn of events, would the Supreme Court be on PAL’s side too?

 

 While the business decision of PAL may fall within the principle of “free market” and that it has to do what it takes to remain afloat and be profitable for its investors, the downside here is that this may set a precedent among other companies. 

 

 What do workers fear? Other businesses may follow PAL’s lead.  Job security, union, and CBA that protect workers’ interest may someday be a thing of the past.

 

 Read Part 1 and know more about PAL's side: http://gelsantosrelos.typepad.com/my-blog/2011/10/flying-the-unfriendly-skies.html 

 

(My Asian Journal Column Article, October 12, 2011)

It’s Final: No State Burial for Marcos-- Our Kababayans’ Comments

 

By Gel Santos Relos

 

Do you agree with President Aquino's decision? Sen. Bongbong Marcos did not mince words to express his disappointment. Read the comments of our kababayans who weighed in on the issue.

 

"Mahirap kasi ang kausap mo walang isang salita. Pabago-bago ang sinasabi. Nagtataka ako bakit pa tayo pinag-aksaya ng panahon kung di naman talaga susundin yung mga rekomendasyon, mga study, yung mga salita ng iba, pati resolution ng House of Representatives. Lahat naman yun eh mukhang walang kabuluhan sa ating pangulo," was the reaction of Senator Bongbong Marcos, and son of former President Ferdinand Macos, to the decision of President Noynoy Aquino. His said that while he is President, he will not allow a hero's burial for the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

 

Speaking before the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Aquino said it would be the "height of injustice" to give any honors to the person who inflicted suffering on the Filipino people during the martial law years.

 

The President pointed out those victims "have not been accorded an apology.” Moreover, the bill on their compensation has yet to be passed.

 

Aquino apologized to Vice-President Jejomar Binay, who was tasked to conduct a study on his behalf about the issue of Marcos' burial and come up with a recommendation saying he, Aquino, would be biased on the issue.

 

Binay recommended that Marcos be given full military honors, but his body would have to be buried in his home province of Ilocos Norte and not at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

 

The vice president responded through a statement, saying, "It is the prerogative of the President and we must all accept, respect and support his decision."

 

Sen. Bongbong Marcos said, “He has wasted a good opportunity to unify a nation," adding, "He obviously does not want to heal the divisions. He wants to widen the divisions."

 

Here are the passionate reactions of our kababayans on this long standing issue:

 

 

Why not give in to the Marcoses' wish? Para maka-move on na. This country has got more important issues needing attention. Come on. The man deserves a burial, state or what. After all, he was once RP's President. I once heard President Cory say, "Reconciliation without justice is no reconciliation." She must have meant vengeance. Now it’s handed down to her son. Unless we put this issue to a stop, the past will have a hold on us. Hence, we can not move on as a nation. What an irony, the only Christian nation in Asia, is the most unforgiving too??? -- J.S.

Sangayon ako sa desisyon ni PNoy na di bigyan ng State Burial ang dating pangulo, at 'No' to Libingan ng mga Bayani. Please, baket kasi Marcoses are pushing it until now? Ilibing na lang kasi sa Ilocos. No apology to Filipinos, No State Burial too!-- Nora Macayan

 

Actually, ang dapat sumagot nyan e yung mga nakaranas sa martial law. Ang mga pinanganak ng 80s to the present di maka-relate mabuti -Marzan Oanes

If we aren't a forgiving nation, they shouldn't be holding any position in the government today. -- NR 110575

 

 

FM's son is now seated in the senate. Who knows in 10 years time, and with another generation of eligible voters that comes, they'll be given another chance to lead the country--as President. That’s the time, his father will be buried. -- Martin Sampaga

 

 

If PNoy wanted vengeance, he'd have had Bongbong in jail and solitary confinement. I think Bongbong should spend the amount of time that Ninoy Aquino and all the other political detainees did in jail. Then he'll know why many are still against a state funeral for his father. -- Gene Guarin

 

 

Majority of our people believe that FM deserves to be buried at libingan with honors is more than enough -- Joel del Prado

 

 

Marcos should be given a state burial. Aquinos should be thankful because if not for the Marcoses, they won't be heroes and they won’t be at power. -- Atty. Eric Subia

 

 

They may have put the Aquinos to power, but let's not forget, it was the Marcoses who ordered Ninoy's assassination -- Alex Flores

 

Burial in Ilocos is enough. Not sure about honors. But, FM topped his bar exam in jail.-- Thorns Arquero

 

It's disappointing to see the administration taking this immaturely. He died and he needs to be buried. It’s as simple as that. Hindi naman lahat ng bayani ay perpekto diba? Naisip ko lang, si Aguinaldo. Bayaning naituring diba?-- Michael Angelo Abelo

 

 

FM Burial issue would not have become an issue had they buried him 22 years ago.-- AndreJohn Cruz

 

He's been displayed for all to see for the past 20+ years. Now it's time for all those who suffered under his regime to get some rest too. -- Michi V. salta

 

Sa mga Filipino, ano ba ang pamantayan ng pagiging tunay na 'Bayani' ? Dahil naging dating Presidente?-- Maria Perido

 

Maituturing ba nating bayani ang isang taong nagpahirap,nagpakulong at pumatay ng mga inosenteng tao? -- 3Don

 

We should honor the people who died fighting for our democracy, not the man who deprived us of our democracy!! -Macoy Nicdao

 

There's nothing immature about the human rights violations that happened during the Marcos administration. Bury him in his own land. If the Marcoses are serious about reconciliation they should start apologizing for what they did to the thousands they violated. -- Che Remollo

 

As a Marial Law victim (family), one word from the Marcos that they are sorry will be fine. But at the moment, we're hurting-- Pat Demaclid

 

Ok lang sanang mag forgive kaso yung mga Marcoses humingi ba sila ng tawad sa mga pinatay nila? Did they return what they stole from our poor people? I think not until they acknowledge, repent and return the ill-gotten wealth, I guess there will be no true reconciliation and closure to this. -- Jeff Manalang

 

Marcoses should give our money back. Then they'll have their state burial.. -- Iceblade

 

No admitting, no apologies, no making amends, no returning of loot = no burial. Ano tayo, gago? - Jim Paredes

 

 

I totally agree with Pnoy on this one. Youth of today should be reeducated on historical background leading to EDSA PeoplePower. -- Aileen Nyulaszi

 

A state burial for Ferdinand Marcos is like saying that the 1986 People Power Revolution was wrong.-- Pinoy Sentiment

 

 

Steve Jobs: The Great American Story

By Gel Santos Relos

 

 iPhone. iPad. iPod Touch. MacBook ... and many more. Steve Jobs changed our world. But do you know that he came from an immigrant family, was born out of wedlock, and that his mom had him adopted as a baby? This is the story of Steve Jobs. This may be your story.

 

 

It was the first time the passing of a CEO of a company caused so much sadness and grief on a global scale.  Most never even knew him personally, yet they mourned for his death so deeply. On October 5, Steve Jobs died at the young age of 56, reportedly because of pancreatic cancer -- a disease he had been battling with for seven years.

 

If you are calling, texting, or tweeting from an iPhone; listening to your music from your iPod; purchasing music or videos from iTunes; reading this or the news; updating your status on Facebook on your iPad; surfing the internet and doing your work from your Mac laptop or desktop computer -- you are living Steve Jobs’ vision.

 

Steve Jobs was THE American computer genius, entrepreneur and inventor. He was co-founder of Apple, Inc.and served as Chairman and CEO of the company, until he retired in August 2011 because of his illness. 

 

 

He was chief executive of Pixar Animations, became member of the board of directors of The walt Disney Company in 2006, and was executive producer of the very popular animation film, “Toy Story” in 1995. 

 

Apple Inc. was reportedly richer than America, its cash holdings had swelled to more than $76-billion. Steve Jobs himself was listed by Forbes to have a net worth of more than $ 7-Billion as of September 2011, placing him #39 among the Forbes 400 Richest Americans, and #110 among Forbes Billionaires worldwide. 

 

You would think Steve Jobs was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, to a rich white American family and his success was not a surprise. 

 

But the fact is, Steve Job’s humble beginnings were like those of many ordinary Americans. His family story is more heartbreaking than what we see in our favorite telenovela or “Maalaala Mo Kaya” episode. 

 

New America Media reported that Steve Jobs was the son of a young Syrian Muslim immigrant in Wisconsin named Abdul Fattah Jandali, who never met his son. When a baby was born to 23-year-old Jandali (now known as John) and his 23-year-old German-American girlfriend, Joanne Schieble in 1955, there was no chance he'd be able to grow up with his biological parents because of the complexity of their situation then. 

 

The narrative of Steve’s biological parents was a classic "forbidden love" story you see in teleseryes. 

 

The New American Media article said his mom Joanne, who belonged to a white, conservative Christian family, could not convince her parents to marry an Arab and a Muslim. 

 

According to his biological father, Steve’s biological mom “secreted off from Wisconsin to liberal San Francisco to sort out the birth and adoption without letting either him or her parents know.” 

 

Jandali and Joanne eventually did marry  but only after the big impediment to their relationship--Joanne’s father-- died. This, however, happened ten months after Joanne gave birth to Steve and had given  baby Steve up for adoption.  

 

The New American Media report said that Joanne and Jandali had another child -- a daughter, with whom Steve Jobs eventually had a relationship. Mona Jandali (now Mona Simpson) is a world-renowned author and claimed that she was "very close" to her brother Steve once they established a relationship as adults. 

 

But Steve and his biological father never had a relationship. Jandali said he never knew the popular and rich computer genius was his son, until a few years ago. 

 

In an interview with the Reno Gazette, Steve's now 80-year-old biological dad (who now  lives and works as the Vice President of a casino in Reno, Nevada) said  "The Syrian pride in me does not want him ever to think I am after his fortune. I am not. I have my own money. What I don’t have is my son...and that saddens me," he said.

 

On August, 2011, Jandali tried to publicly reach out to Steve via the London Tabloid The Star. But Steve, reportedly, never replied.  Less than two months later, he passed away.

 

 The parents Steve Paul Jobs knew and recognized were his adoptive parents. He was the baby Clara Hagopian and her husband Paul Jobs, an Armenian American couple,  had always wanted. They were then married around seven years and had not been able to conceive. 

                             Steve Jobs with Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak

But Clara and Paul jobs were not rich. In fact, Steve’s biological mom almost did not sign the final adoption papers, when she found out that the couple who will raise her son were not college graduates (which was her requirement in choosing the adoptive parents for her son).

 

In Steve Jobs’ own words, “My biological mother found out later that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later, when my parents promised that I would go to college.”

 

Steve and his adoptive parents lived in San Francisco, California and then moved to the Silicon Valley in Mountain View, California when he was five. His working class parents sent him to public school from grade school to high school. Steve attended after-school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard Company in nearby Palo Alto, California ,where he was hired as a summer employee. 

 

“This was the start in my life. And seventeen years later, I did go to college, but I naïvely chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition,” Steve shared in his 2005 Harvard Commencement Exercise Speech. 

 

So Steve dropped out of Reed College in Oregon and just dropped in courses he was interested in like calligraphy-- from knowledge of which he developed the different fonts later in Mac , which was eventually adopted by the PC. 

 

With no money, Steve had to sleep on the floor in friends' rooms, returned Coke bottles for food money, and got weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple. 

 

 
Having grown up in Silicon Valley, Steve was exposed to the world of computer technology.  He knew early on that this was what he was passionate about. He was, in his own words, "idealistic, hungry, and foolish." He dared to be different -- to think outside the box and to traverse unchartered territory, guided by his vision of changing the world.

 

And so from being an employee in several companies in Silicon Valley, Steve started Apple in his parents’ garage when he was 20. He worked very hard until the company has evolved to be one of the most innovative and successful companies in the world. 

 

 

President Obama said Steve Jobs “exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity.  Steve was fond of saying that he lived everyday like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.”

 

 

Steve Jobs married Laurene Powell on March 18, 1991 in a wedding  presided by the Zen Buddhist monk Kobun Chino Otogawa. The couple have a son and two daughters.  Fortune Magazine reported that he also had a daughter  from his relationship with Bay Area painter Chrisann Brennan in 1978. His biography is coming out soon and he said he authorized this so that his children would know him better.

 

Steve Jobs’ life is a testament to the fact that one’s past should never be a hindrance for a person to dream big. His life may very well be the story of many Americans.

 

He was a son of an immigrant from Syria , born by an American-German mother , and raised by his Armenian- American adoptive parents who are Americans of foreign descent.  His adoptive family belonged to the working class. He knew how it was to be "hungry and foolish".

 

He had a vision and worked hard against all odds to make his dreams come true,  even despite his illness in the last years of his life. And as he profoundly told the graduates of Stanford University:

 

"Our time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary...Stay hungry...Stay foolish...".

 

And that was how he changed the world.

 

(Asian Journal Column Article, October 8, 2011)   

 

 

 

Flying the (Un)Friendly Skies (Part 1)

By Gel Santos Relos

 

 

PAL cancelled flights, strikes, protests at tanggalan sa trabaho: Pakinggan ang punto ng magkabilang panig sa problema ng Philippine Airlines.

 

Many of our kababayans around the world who’ve had the opportunity to visit the Philippines, almost always, want to fly via Philippine Airlines. This is especially true for OFWs who have not been home for a long time. 

 

Being in a PAL flight to Manila -- hearing our native language being spoken, eating traditional Filipino food and watching Pinoy movies in flight and being attended to by the caring and attentive Filipino PAL crew -- is like being closer to home during the journey. This is why despite having old planes, poor amenities, and not quite competitive airfare, many Filipinos remain loyal to PAL.

 

But many kababayans, whose flights were cancelled on September 27 (at the height of the Pedring typhoon), could not be as gracious nor forgiving, and it was very easy to cast the blame on the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) employees’ protest,  which PAL management said was the reason why they had to cancel flights.

 

Who would want to be inconvenienced, especially during a typhoon? Lalo na yoong mga pauwi na sa kanilang bayan, o yoong may hanapybuhay na hahabulin sa ibang bansa. But let us set this aside and listen to both sides of the issue.

 

 

PAL management and many people criticized PAL employees for being heartless -- for going on strike and for not doing their job under these unfortunate circumstances. PAL President Jaime Bautista said in a press statement that there’s no doubt on everyone’s mind that the concerted refusal of PALEA members to perform their official duties in the early morning of September 27 is a strike.

 

Bautista said PALEA members’ refusal to work forced management to cancel flights for more than 16 hours Tuesday which caused untold suffering to more than 14,000 PAL passengers. "This doesn’t include the millions of dollars PAL lost as a result of PALEA’s illegal acts."

 

Even President Aquino weighed in and announced that the Philippine government is considering filing a case of economic sabotage against PALEA, as the union vowed to continue the protest against contractualization.

 

PALEA's Side

 

Let me share with you the side of PALEA from Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and vice chair of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM):

 

“PALEA has repeatedly asked PAL to resolve the labor dispute, to no avail. Thus, PALEA had advised the public of the protest to be held at anytime, but PAL foolishly dismissed our warning and kept on assuring passengers that operations will not be disrupted.” 

 PALEA dismissed the loss of job is also economic sabotage by a capitalist to the worker. PAL is guilty of 2,600 counts of economic sabotage. Why is PNoy not considering that?”

 

Kara Santiago, a 19-year-old, third year Communication major in the Ateneo de Manila University, explained how this economic sabotage translates to the lives of these PAL employees and their families:

 

“My parents have both been in service to the company for 25 years and have flown as PAL’s flight crew ever since. What does this mean? This means that 20 years of hard work and loyalty will be flushed down the drain.

  There will be a reset button on all supposed benefits: travel, healthcare, and even the basic salary pay. Lucky are the few who have earned their lifetime assurance (hitting the 20-year mark before the new protocol is to be implemented) before September 30. At least, for some, they will now be able to breathe.

 In essence, re-hired employees will be treated like lab rats: disposable and stripped off every right to a humane labor deal. With salaries being cut and benefits scrapped, job stability is now an intangible idea. After a good six months, it’s a seesaw between being employed and scouring for the next temp job to last anyone the next couple of months.”

 

But why should these PAL employees go on strike during typhoon Pedring?

 

Rivera debunked PAL’s claims:

 

 “PALEA merely held a protest and did not hold a strike. Goodluck to PAL if it can argue its illegal strike case. But we know it is just a threat intended to frighten PAL employees, similar to its repeated warning of administrative cases against protesting workers.

 The facts are clear that it was PAL which shutdown the company’s computer systems and other communication facilities immediately, after the start of the protest, and then cancelled the flights that stranded passengers."

 

Responding to statements that PALEA violated laws, Rivera explained that the penal provisions of Republic Act No. 9497 or the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Act of 2008 refers to the disruption of airport services and damage to airport facilities, and does not pertain to stoppage of airline operations. 

 

 “The airport itself and an airline company are two different entities. If R.A. 9497 prohibits protests and strikes at a private airline such as PAL then it contradicts the provisions of the Labor Code on the right to strike. But it does not. PAL employees are private sector workers that are expressly allowed by law to hold concerted actions and even go on strike. 

We were forced to hold the protest despite typhoon Pedring since PAL had been bringing in scabs and displacing regular employees since last week ahead of the effectivity date of the termination.”

 

 

Perhaps we have seen the videos online. “PALEA condemned the forcible eviction since yesterday (September 27) afternoon up to early this morning (September 28) of hundreds of PAL employees in peaceful protest at the Terminal 2, international cargo terminal and catering department,” Rivera said.

 

The dispersal at Terminal 2 was reportedly led by a combined force of hundreds of Centaur security guards and PNP personnel led by Col. Dionalo Antallan. We have also see videos of these blue guards denying employees entry to NAIA. 

 

Reacting to statements of PAL that protesting employees damaged parts of aircraft, Rivera said:

 

“The door of an Airbus A340 with aircraft ID 3430 was damaged when a reliever who was an unlicensed PAL staff misused the airstep."

 This accident reveals the dangers of inexperienced contractual employees at work. We know that passengers were inconvenienced by the protest but they should understand that airline safety and efficiency is ensured by regular not contractual labor.” 

 

PALEA hopes that PAL’s passengers, “especially the overseas workers, appreciate that the typhoon of contractualization is also a national disaster not just to PAL employees but all Filipino laborers.”

 

PAL Management Defends Outsourcing Decision

 

Defending its outsourcing program, PAL President Jaime J. Bautista said in a press statement that  detractors of the plan see the loss of jobs for 2,400 members of the PAL Employees Association (PALEA) but conveniently turn a blind eye on the 5,000 office personnel, cabin crew and pilots that PAL is trying to save. 

 

“The law is on our side. We’re implementing the outsourcing program not on mere whim or caprice but on the basis of legal and valid orders from the Department of Labor and Employment and the Office of the President. We’re doing it to save the airline from financial ruin.

 The DOLE and the President have spoken; PALEA has filed their appeal with the appellate court. Let’s just wait for the CA’s action on this matter. We have nothing more to talk about. The time for diplomacy is long over, especially after the union’s wildcat strike"

 

That brings us to the question: Why was PAL operations crippled when 400 ground workers went on protest, when they said before that PAL had contingency plans and that no flights would be disrupted, if PALEA would push through with any protest or strike? 

 

And why did PAL insist on an October 1 take over of outsourced personnel,which it calls the "non-core units", when clearly it did not have enough manpower to make PAL fully operational? Was PAL casting  the blame on the protesting PAL employees to cover up for for this mismanaged transition? 

 

Bautista explained that the transition was slowed down by  PAL employees who did not seek employment with the service providers. However, in a press statement, Bautista assured PAL passengers that from the current 70 percent, the airline's flights will be back to pre-strike levels in the next few weeks. However, PAL  announced through its October 2 statement that it would not recall its former workers for the following reasons:

 

1) the outsourcing is now in full swing and service providers have taken over the functions of the three departments; anyone who wishes to render work must apply with these providers;
 2) PAL will only take back its former workers if there is a court order mandating it to do so; so far, there is none; 
3) Former PAL workers have caused damage to PAL's equipment during their Sept 27 wildcat strike. There's no guarantee they won't do that again; and 
4) Mixing former PAL workers with volunteers and service providers poses grave risk to the men and women who have worked so hard to keep the airline flying. It would be most unfair to expose them to possible harassment and physical harm. 

 

Bautista added that Gerry Rivera and Bong Palad have also ceased to be PAL employees and are, therefore, no longer recognized by PAL as leaders of the PAL Employees Association (PALEA). "They have no authority to negotiate for and in behalf of PAL workers." 

 

The same statement stated that PAL's  service providers are doing their best to hire skilled workers to fill part of the vacuum left by its former personnel. "We must understand that they were required by DOLE and Malacanang to absorb all former PAL employees. Now that these workers have shown that they're not interested, the service providers are working double-time to recruit the people they need," Bautista said. 

 

In its press statement PAL management warned its former employees against staging protests infront of the PAL Inflight Center building which hampers the flow of PAL's business.  Bautista said, "If they truly want to help the company, they can start by  recognizing the spin off and consider working for SkyLogistics, SkyKitchen and SPi Global."

 

Questions In Need of Answers

 

But of course PAL is a private business that needs to do what it has to do to stay afloat and be competitive. But to what extent can the company do this? Next: the questions and controversies on PAL’s business strategies that has caused the jobs of 2,600 employees and the cancellations of flights that has inconvenienced passengers. Who really benefits from this outsourcing/ contractualization scheme?  

 

(Asian Journal, October 5, 6, 7)