THE NATION HAS VIEWED WITH SOME DISMAY the inability of the Commission of Elections to enforce its thrice-issued writ of execution for the installation of Roberto Pagdanganan as governor of Bulacan, and the unheeded cease-and-desist order on Joselito Mendoza?s continued occupation of that office. It has been two years and a half since Pagdanganan filed his protest case. Last December the Comelec Second Division ruled him the winner and two weeks ago the Comelec en banc upheld it, but the Supreme Court ordered a status quo ante until March 16 on Mendoza?s appeal. There should be a faster way to resolve electoral protest cases, as oftentimes the rightful winner doesn?t get to hold office for a decent period of time. A deadline should be imposed on the resolution of protests so it doesn?t become a travesty of justice.
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I do not write about the SSS because my husband is a part of it, but a recent development there involves public interest. Cecile Alvarez and I invited to our dzRH program SSS Commissioner Sonny Matula and Alfredo Parungao, executive assistant to the chairman, to discuss RA 9903, which grants the SSS a ?one-time authority? to condone penalties on delinquent remittances by employers. Signed into law by President Macapagal-Arroyo last Jan. 7, the Social Security Condonation Law of 2009 was passed by Congress to help employers whose businesses have been affected by the financial crisis and recent calamities and who, as a result, have failed to remit the contributions of their employees. It?s only the third time since Edsa 1 that a condonation law was passed (in 1986 nearly 23,000 employers availed themselves of it, resulting in SSS collections of P159 million, and in 1997, 17,630 delinquent employers remitted P859 million). At the moment, 528,000 delinquent employers owe the SSS close to P76 billion, incurring penalties of up to P164 billion. They now have the opportunity to work out a condonation with the SSS, whereby accrued penalties on delinquent remittances due on or before Feb. 1, 2010 do not have to be paid, but they have to get approved within the period from Feb. 1 up to July 31, 2010. Under this program, they can pay 5 percent of the delinquent remittances and the balance can be paid over 48 months at 3 percent interest. The law was a good collaboration between Malacañang, Congress and the SSS. Employers should take advantage of it.
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During the run-up to the official campaign period for candidates for national posts, I noticed that Edu Manzano had no TV commercials, which was quite an irony given his long stint in this medium as a witty program host. Recent news hinted at inadequate funding for his vice-presidential campaign, a situation that led Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos to say, ?Nakakaawa naman siya.? But this is a remark that observers say could be more appropriate for her husband, former Sen. Ralph Recto, who has to contend with the continuing stigma of being the brains behind the E-VAT in his Senate bid.
With proper logistic support, Manzano shouldn?t lag behind his rivals, given his impressive record as former vice mayor of Makati, longtime president of the Vice Mayors? League and chair of the Optical Media Board. This LaSallian does not belong to the stereotype of actors-turned-politicians whose performances outside the big screen leave much to be desired. His pronouncements on a range of issues are sensible and articulate and to a growing number of people, his team-up with Gibo Teodoro (baptized by the media as the fist-bump team) is perceived to be quite workable.
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From time to time, I grab the opportunity to attend international conferences as these release me from the Pinoy mentality that the world revolves exclusively around us. In Kathmandu, Nepal, where I recently joined the 6th standing committee meeting of the International conference on Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), I realized that some good does come out of such gatherings. At the ICAPP General Assembly in Kazakhstan last year, former Speaker Jose de Venecia, its founder, had proposed the activation of the India-Pakistan peace talks on Kashmir via informal, intra-party talks between India?s ruling Congress Party under Sonia Gandhi and the Pakistan People?s Party headed by President Zardari, the late Benazir Bhutto?s husband and an ICAPP co-founder. At Kathmandu, where ICAPP leaders sought to shore up the fragile government of national unity, they happily learned from former Pakistani presidential candidate Mushahid Hussain that two weeks earlier, the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers began talks in New Delhi after a long stalemate. JDV opined that talks for a negotiated political settlement between these two nuclear powers would free hundreds of thousands of troops now eyeball-to-eyeball in South Asia?s long borders, so that they could confront instead Taliban and al-Qaida extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Maoist guerrillas in India.
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JDV also stressed that Asean?s political parties could seek to create a role for North Korean President Kim Jong Il in the Asean Plus Three process, so as to prevent that country from being completely isolated in the ensuing Japan-endorsed East Asian community. The same principle of Asian political and economic integration, he argued, would be the final solution to the China-Taiwan conflict. The irony was not lost on us Pinoys, however, that despite his international stature, JDV?s humbling role back home is now to campaign for his wife Gina in Pangasinan?s 4th district and for his son, Jose de Venecia III, now running for the Senate with Joseph Estrada?s Partido ng Masang Pilipino.
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Ace photographer Mandy Navasero, has been taking interested parties to her famous photo safaris in Batanes for years now, in cooperation with Nice Travel and Tours. This summer she will conduct them on March 19-22, April 1-5, April 23-26 and May 7-10. She will do another one in beautiful Coron, Palawan, from May 15-18?a perfect way to unwind after the elections. Call Mandy at 899-1767and 896-3208 and 0915-220-0104.
