opinion


BIG DEAL


REPUBLIC SERVICE


A 4


The Manila Times


MONDAY


D e cember 13, 2010


Edit orials The great swim dud


HE organizers of “The Great Pinoy Peace and Unity Swim” couldn’t have chosen a worse time and place to attempt a record-breaking feat. As things turned out, this vain effort at grabbing a Guinness World Record ended up a dud. The event was meant to break the existing record of a marathon swim involving 5,028 swimmers in 24 hours. It may well have attempted—unwittingly—to break another record involving the worst traffic snarl in Metro Manila history.


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The first problem is that the venue—the Diliman Prep School—has no ample parking to accommodate the thousands scheduled to take part in the event. Let’s face it, we’re not just talking here about a little over 5,000 cars. Considering that the swim-off would involve the participation of groups—such as 3,000 policemen and 1,000 street-children—you’d expect that these people would be hauled to the venue using buses. A bus could accommodate around 50 people. So simple arithmetic would yield about 60 buses for the police contingent alone. Count in another 20 buses for the street children. We didn’t expect the street-children to just walk over to the venue, now did we? (No pun intended). Then there are the celebrities, who obviously have their


convoys. Leading the list are Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, his Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, Sen. Jambi Madrigal, a number of TV personalities, and team players from the Philippine Basketball Association. The objective was to get people from different walks of life to swim within those 24 hours. Allowing them to appropriate a number of lanes in front of the school obviously would invite the worst traffic, especially—and this is the second problem—on a Friday at about that time of the night when everyone is trying to get home following some Christmas shopping. As it is, that stretch of the northbound section of Com-


monwealth Avenue in front of the school is one of the narrowest segments of what otherwise is the widest na- tional highway in the Philippines. Imagine converting some lanes into parking areas for the swim-off participants, and what do you end up with? Horrific traffic well into midnight. With everyone trying to get home after the hurried purchases in shopping malls, witness the utter disregard for traffic rules, leading to not a few altercations, if not accidents, and stranded vehicles. Its chaos, simply. We’re disturbed that the organizers didn’t inform the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority about the extent of the area they would be appropriating for their ego-driven endeavor. We’re very upset that the mayor and vice-mayor of Quezon City were part of the event, and yet failed to anticipate the trouble this would create. Many infrastructure bottlenecks in this country are the product of serious resource limitations coupled with corruption. Last Friday’s bottleneck was a display of poor leadership and management—something this country is supposed to be in surplus of. We’re just glad that it was the last working day of the week, and that it happened when everyone was on their way home. Had it been otherwise, think of the man-hours of pro- ductivity wasted waiting in traffic and not having to wake up early for work the following morning. And all because the organizers wanted to break a record—something they failed to accomplish.


Coming to their senses


ALACAÑANG’S decision to free the so-called Morong 43 is a welcome gesture, as the govern- ment prepares to re-engage Communist rebels for peace negotiations starting next year. As we suspected all along, the rebels were poised to make this issue a stumbling block to the talks. Had the government insisted on the military’s line that the 43 detainees are Communist rebels, then the Palace would have consigned its peace initiative to a failure. Now Malacañang has to follow through on its deci- sion, and not let this move end up like the amnesty declaration for the soldiers who staged coups against the previous administration.


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But after giving in to one demand made by the Commu- nist rebels, the government should not allow itself to be bullied into a corner.


Negotiations after all are about give-and-take. The


government should ask that the rebels in turn make a gesture of their sincerity in talking peace. Without these exchanges, we find little hope in ending the oldest Communist insurgency in this part of the world.


MONDAY December 13, 2010 The Manila Times DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, Executive Editor


FRED DE LA ROSA, Chairman Editorial Board RENE Q. BAS, Editor in Chief ROMY P. MARIÑAS, News Editor


ARNOLD S. TENORIO, Business Editor CONRAD M. CARIÑO, National Editor


TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA, Lifestyle Editor ARIS L. SOLIS, Regions Editor


PERRY GIL MALLARI, Acting Sports Editor BRIAN M. AFUANG, Art Director RENE H. DILAN, Photo Editor


 DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, President and CEO


Telephone All Departments. 524-5665 to 67 Telefax 528-1729; Subscription: 524-5664 Local 222 URL http://www.manilatimes.net • e-mail newsboy1@manilatimes.net Letters to the editor


THE MANILA TIMES is published daily at 2/F Dante Ang and Associates Building, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002


VOLUME 112 NUMBER 063


More trouble for EO 1 even if amended? T


HAT it violates the “equal pro- tection” clause in the Con-


stitution is not the only reason why the justices of the Supreme Court thumbed down President Benigno S. Aquino 3rd’s Executive Order No. 10.


In a separate opinion, Associate Justice Jose P. Perez said: “Virtually, another Ombudsman is created by [EO 1]. That cannot be permitted as long as the 1987 Constitution remains as the fundamental law.” According to Perez, “constitu- tional history, specific constitutional provisions, jurisprudence and cur- rent statute combine to say that af- ter the ratification of the Constitu- tion in 1987, no body can be given ‘by law’ any of the powers, functions and duties already conferred on the Ombudsman by Section 13, Article XI of the Constitution.” Perez said that bodies similar to


Mr. Aquino’s Truth Commission had been created by past presi- dents “to serve as the people’s medium for airing grievances and seeking redress against abuses and misconduct in the government.” Perez recalled that in 1950 then President Elpidio Quirino created the Integrity Board “charged with receiving complaints against public officials for acts of corrup- tion, dereliction of duty and ir- regularity in office, and conduct- ing a thorough investigation of these complaints.”


The Integrity Board did not sur-


vive the Quirino administration. In its wake came a string of simi- lar agencies, which each of the succeeding presidents established, purportedly as proof of their com- mitment to fight corruption. These agencies included the Presidential Complaints and Ac- tion Commission under Ramon Magsaysay, the Presidential Com- mittee on Administration Per- formance Efficiency under Carlos P. Garcia and the Presidential


DAN MARIANO


Anti-Graft Committee under Diosdado Macapagal. Even the president for whom


the word “plunder” gained cur- rency to describe unprecedented rapacity in office, Ferdinand E. Marcos set up, not one, but two anti-graft bodies: the Presidential Agency on Reform and Govern- ment Operations and the Office of the Citizens Counselor. According to Perez, in Uy v Sandiganbayan it was noted that “these agencies failed to realize their objective for they did not enjoy the political independence necessary for the effective performance of their function as government critic.” That these bodies were mere creations of whoever happened to be the chief executive at the moment not only made them vulnerable to political pressure, but also turned the mission of combating corruption into an ad- hoc task—if not a publicity stunt. In order to shield graft-busters from political meddling, the 1973 Constitution was the first to intro- duce the notion of an “ombuds- man,” based on the Scandinavian model. However, it had to take the 1987 Constitution to complete, as Perez put it, “the Ombuds- man’s constitutionalization.” So that “it cannot be touched by the Presidents as they come and go,” the framers of the 1987 Constitu- tion proposed to make the Om- budsman a constitutional office. He explained: “Verily, the Phil-


ippine Truth Commission is a de- fiance of the constitutional wis-


dom that established the politically independent Ombudsman for one of its reasons for being is the very campaign battle cry of the Presi- dent ‘kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.’ Not that there is anything wrong with the political slogan.” Perez added: “What is wrong is the pursuit of the pledge outside the limits of the Constitution. What is wrong is the creation by the Presi- dent himself of an Ombudsman- like body while there stands an es- tablished Ombudsman, constitu- tionally created especially because of unsuccessful presidential ante- cedents, and thus made independ- ent from presidential prerogative.” Certain quarters have pro- posed amending EO1 in order to remove the perception that it sin- gles out former President Gloria M. Arroyo. While amendment might resolve the “equal protec- tion” controversy, it might still not address objections like the ones posed by Justice Perez in his separate opinion.


Nuclear joke


Greenpeace has called upon the Aquino administration to aban- don its pursuit of nuclear energy in favor of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures to meet the country’s electricity demands. Protesting outside the venue of Nuclear Power Forum Philip- pines in Manila last week, the environmental group warned the conference delegates that any in- vestment in the risk–ridden nu- clear power sector would endan- ger national economy, as well as the safety of Filipino citizens. “This nuclear forum is a bad joke—and the Filipino people aren’t laughing,” said Amalie Obu- san, climate and energy campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. Nuclear power is expensive and takes too long to build, Obusan said. Initial investment


costs of nuclear plants increase two to three times higher than originally forecast. According to the industry’s own Nuclear Power Forum, the costs of building seven new reactors and the reha- bilitation of one power plant run to approximately $22 billion. Costs of constructing nuclear


power plants already run in the billions but still subject to massive cost overruns and delays. Also, decommissioning of plants can cost up to tens of billions of dol- lars, and the cost of radioactive waste storage, which must be main- tained for hundreds of thousands of years, is impossible to estimate. Multilateral development banks do not fund nuclear power, due to what they identify as in- vestment and safety risks. The World Bank has stopped financ- ing nuclear plants since 1999 be- cause they are “uneconomic.” In 2009 the Asian Development Bank reaffirmed its policy of “non-involvement” in the financ- ing of nuclear power generation. According to Greenpeace, the substantial risk of accidents with nuclear power plants also means that no insurance company will agree to cover their liability for full damage. Various financing and economic institutions—including Citigroup Global Markets, Fitch Ratings, and Moody’s Corporate Finance—list significant risks related to new nu- clear investments. Standard and Poor’s concluded that for new nu- clear construction projects, “risks remain uncertain but significant.” In contrast, Greenpeace said,


renewable energies have truly limitless sources, can be more easily deployed in remote, under- developed areas, present abso- lutely no risk to global security and are environment-friendly.


dansoy26@yahoo.com Argentina and the Philippines are related


BY AMBASSADOR JOAQUIN DANIEL OTERO


REPUBLIC OF ARGENTINA


Speech of the Ambassador of Argen- tina Ambassador Joaquin Daniel Otero on the occasion of the re-inauguration of the monument to the Argentine na- tional hero, General Jose Francisco de San Martin, on November 25 at Bonifacio Drive corner Padre Burgos Street, in Intramuros, Manila. The event was held on the 200th anniver- sary of the Argentine Republic.


DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio, Excellencies and other members of the diplomatic corps, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Mayor Mr. Ricardo de Guzman, Vice Chairwoman of the Manila His- torical & Heritage Commission Ms. Gemma Cruz-Araneta, Miss Mildred San Martin, Distin- guished guests. Compatriots, Ladies and gentlemen: I want to welcome you all to the re-inauguration of the bust of our national hero, Liberator Gen- eral Jose de San Martin. I would like to express my sin- cerest thanks to the City of Ma- nila most especially to the honorable Mayor Alfredo Lim, who unfortunately will not be able to join us today, and Miss Gemma Cruz-Araneta, vice chair- person of the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission, who made this event possible. Noth- ing is more opportune in the commemoration of the bicente- nary of the May 25, 1810 revolu- tion than a tribute to our national hero, General Jose de San Martin.


Evoking this very special year for Argentina, I would like to empha- size that the struggle for independ- ence from Spain was at the very start a civil war driven by American-born Spaniards, the Criollos and other peoples from our continent. Nev- ertheless there were criollos who fought for Spain and Spaniards who were for the American cause. The creation of the first government of Buenos Aires allowed us to help other neighboring countries in their liberating processes.


The Liberator General Jose de San Martin is a clear example of what was mentioned, an Ameri- can-born Spaniard, a Criollo and a Spanish Army officer who de- cided to offer his services to the Government of Buenos Aires. He became a very important Argentine figure and one of the great men who fought for the Independence of our continent, securing our free- dom and fighting for Chilean and Peruvian independence. The first Philippine envoy to Ar- gentina in 1950, Minister Plenipo- tentiary Narciso Ramos [father of former president of the Republic of the Philippines, Fidel V. Ramos] inititated a study on the family of General San Martin in the same year the Argentines commemo- rated the 100th-year anniversary of the General’s death.


A chapter of this important his- torical research demonstrates that Argentina and the Philippines are related; in this case, two brothers of a family. One of them, General San Martin, hero of the independ- ence of South America and the other brother who served in the Philippines as an official of the Spanish army, contemporarily


within the same historic period. In 1950, Filipino residents in Buenos Aires informed Dr. Nar- ciso ramos that a certain San Martin family lived in Manila and according to unofficial facts; the family was related to the ar- gentine liberator. According to the data received, they personally made contact with the family of Mr. José de San Martin who lived in Man- daluyong, Province of Rizal. The family comprised of five siblings, only two of which survived, Josefina and José de San Martin y de la Vara who were born in Manila in 1903 and 1909 respec- tively. The other siblings died in the battle of Manila on 12 to 15 February of 1945. Their father was Francisco Luis San Martin y Mendez, who was the son of Jose de San Martin y Lanz. The latter was the first cousin or nephew of Don Juan de San Mar- tin, lieutenant colonel of the Span- ish army who served in the Philip- pines. With respect to the latter, it was verified that his exact name was Juan Fermin Rafael de San Martin, elder brother of General José de San Martin.


These pieces of information


were confirmed by several histo- rians to Doctor Ramos, who boasts that Juan Fermin Rafael de San Martin lived and married in Manila between 1809 and 1820 and was born in 1774. In the last century, Jose Luis San Martin 2nd, son of Jose Luis San Martin y de la Vara, passed away in 1998. He was the last to carry the name of San Martin in the coun- try. The sole member of his family still living graces us with her pres-


ence in this auspicious event, his widow, Mildred San Martin. It is an honor that she is able to join us and an honor to know that our hero’s descendants once lived here in this very country. Today, in the frame of the


200th year commemoration of the first Argentine government, it is a good moment to re-inau- gurate the bust of the liberator General Jose de San Martin and to continue tracing our common historical ties, to deepen the fra- ternal bonds of the Republic of the Philippines and the Argen- tine Republic. Thank you very much.


Editor’s note: Argentina’s national hero, Jose Francisco de San Martin, is remembered for his role in liber- ating Argentina, Chile and Peru from Spain. The Order of the Lib- erator General San Martin is the highest decoration given by Argen- tina. Jose Francisco de San Martin’s monument was originally located at Plaza Azul on President Quirino Avenue in Pandacan. It was relo- cated to a more appropriate place in Intramuros at the behest of Ambas- sador Joaquin Daniel Otero.


RICARDO SALUDO This column will resume on Wednesday.


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