Take a look at this article I read from Manila Times. It talks about Tita Cory's talent being a painter. This brought inspiration to other artists as well. Read on:
From a simple housewife, Corazon Aquino became the symbol of democracy and was admired by the whole world for her role in the People Power of 1986 which toppled the two-decade old Marcos dictatorship.
Former President Corazon C. Aquino’s first ever painting
While she was president of the country and even after she had relinquished the presidency to her successor, Fidel Ramos, Tita Cory, as she was fondly called, continuously received honors from various international organizations. Among such honors include Time Magazine’s “Woman of the Year” in 1986, the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, United Nations Silver Medal, Canadian International Prize for Freedom and International Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants, the Prize for Freedom Award from Liberal International, J. Willian Fullbright Prize for International Understanding, World Citizen Award, David Rockfeller Bridging Leadership Awards, Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Award, and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding, among many others.
While working on measures to reestablish the country, Tita Cory also made sure that culture and the arts would not be left behind.
Under her administration, the Presidential Commission for Culture and the Arts (PCCA) was created. Several years after, the commission was strengthened and became the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) through a bill co-sponsored by Senators Heherson Alvarez, Edgardo Angara and Leticia Ramos-Shahani which she signed into law in April 1992.
Unknown to many though, the country’s first woman-president was also a painting hobbyist. In 1996, after her term as Philippine president, she studied painting under the tutelage of visual artists Jeff Consumo and Araceli Limcaoco Dans. In a short time, she became adept at her new hobby, painting her favorite subjects: flowers and the holy rosary.
Unlike most visual artists though, Tita Cory did not sell her works; instead, she gave them as gifts to family and friends. Among the lucky few who received gifts from her included Philip and Margarita Juico, Secretary Jose de Jesus, Franklin Drilon, Jose Mari Chan and Hexilon Alvarez.
Now, Tita Cory is one of the favorite subjects of young and upcoming artists, depicting her in the various roles she held in the Philippine society: as a woman, as a mother, as a prayerful soul, as president, as mother of democracy and justice, among many others.
In the commemoration of her first death anniversary last August 1, a photo mosaic depicting her smiling face was unfolded at the Luneta Park on July 31 with President Benigno Simeon Aquino 3rd in attendance. Conceptualized by Photographer Revoli Cortez and Deedee Sytangco, the photo mosaic measures 250 feet by 200 feet and comprised of 3,200 photos taken of her in different occasions by 20 photographers who saw through her years as president. The mosaic, sponsored by Edsa People Power Commission and the Spirit of Edsa headed by Chris Carreon, is expected to break the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest photo mosaic in the world. The current record holder measures 93 feet by 68 feet.
In his speech, President Aquino said, “Beyond the expressing of sympathy [my mother’s death] was a resurgence of hope and a realization that each of us has a role in alleviating our common burden. This mosaic or photograph is a symbol of that hope. The real challenge, however, is in making Cory Aquino’s example and legacy a part of our daily life . . . My mother confronted many challenges and no matter how difficult they were, she never gave up. Remember this when you feel like surrendering to your problems.”
Tita Cory as an Artist, and the multiplicity of roles she played in the Philippine society and the world served as the highlight of the two-hour commemoration of the first death anniversary of former President Cory Aquino in Sining Gising on August 1. Hosted by Cecile Guidote Alvarez, the show had former President Fidel Ramos and DepEd Undersecretary and NCCA Chairman Vilma Labrador as guests.
For the commemoration, Guidote-Alvarez, whose husband was a colleague in the battle against the dictatorship to restore democracy and a former cabinet member of President Cory Aquino, commissioned the transformation of two literary pieces into songs with dance interpretation. She asked Jose Mari Chan to compose the music for Ninoy’s poem to Cory — “I Fell in Love with the Woman Three Times”. She also requested Babes Alejo to compose music for Cory’s “Prayer for a Happy Death” which was translated into Filipino by Noli Dumlao. Heber Bartolome did the arrangement. Heber had two versions from members of Musika, one church version co-sponsored by Jeff Paride and Mandy Ferrer and a chant form folk-style composition. Dance interpretation was rendered by Pamela Ortiz Bondoc Ballet, Theatre Company, the Rizal Technological University, Dance Rondolla Group with the members of the Earthsavers Dreams Ensemble and Pamana Group. The fusion and synergy of collaborating artists is a response to P-Noy’s call for unity and harmony through working together.
Among those who gave their reflections were Vice-President Jejomar Binay, Senator Franklin Drilon, Rodolfo Biazon, Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Ping de Jesus, Popoy Juico, protocol Ambassador Perez Rubio, former Tourism Secretary Tony Gozales and former Chief of Security Major Gen. Bodet Honrado.
more from here: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/lifestyle/23076-cory-aquino-the-artist-the-inspiration
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Artists commemorate Cory through masterpieces
Another great article in commemoration of President Cory's death anniversary:
Julian Paguiligan was barely three years old when President Corazon Aquino, with multitudes of supporters rallying behind her, succeeded in toppling a dictator’s regime in 1986 through the historic People Power Revolution.
Julian, as he admitted himself, grew up learning all of Mrs. Aquino’s deeds from history books.
Yet when he was asked to portray the late democracy icon and her legacy on canvass for a nationwide poster-making contest late last year, Julian, 27, knew precisely what details to include and what emotions to evoke.
The purely-Filipino-inspired image in Julian's painting shows a smiling Mrs. Aquino, with her arms outstretched, ripping open a traditional rattan bird cage and setting free not a dove, the usual symbol of peace and freedom, but a Philippine maya.
So captivating was the image conjured on Julian's canvass that it eventually went on to win first prize last February, besting almost 70 entries and landing on the cover of a telephone directory for Metro Manila.
"Hindi ko siya talaga ganoon kakilala, pero nung nakita ko iyong pagmamahal ng tao sa kanya nung nilibing siya last year, doon ko siya nakilala talaga (I am not that familiar about her. But when I see the outpouring of love when she died, that's when I realized how great she was)," Julian tells GMANews.TV.
Superhero
Julian says from that moment, his respect for Mrs. Aquino was elevated to new heights. "I now consider her my superhero," adds the fourth year Fine Arts student from the Bulacan State University.
Julian says making Mrs. Aquino’s portrait "was my way of giving her my 'thank you.'"
On the eve of Mrs. Aquino’s first death anniversary, he somehow got a feel of how it would have been like to rub elbows with her when the budding painter met with her son, President Benigno Aquino III, to present the telephone directory bearing his artwork.
President Aquino and Julian were at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila for an early commemoration of Mrs. Aquino’s death anniversary, which was highlighted by the unfurling of a 250-by-200-foot photo mosaic of the democracy icon.
Julian Paguiligan was barely three years old when President Corazon Aquino, with multitudes of supporters rallying behind her, succeeded in toppling a dictator’s regime in 1986 through the historic People Power Revolution.
Julian, as he admitted himself, grew up learning all of Mrs. Aquino’s deeds from history books.
Yet when he was asked to portray the late democracy icon and her legacy on canvass for a nationwide poster-making contest late last year, Julian, 27, knew precisely what details to include and what emotions to evoke.
The purely-Filipino-inspired image in Julian's painting shows a smiling Mrs. Aquino, with her arms outstretched, ripping open a traditional rattan bird cage and setting free not a dove, the usual symbol of peace and freedom, but a Philippine maya.
So captivating was the image conjured on Julian's canvass that it eventually went on to win first prize last February, besting almost 70 entries and landing on the cover of a telephone directory for Metro Manila.
"Hindi ko siya talaga ganoon kakilala, pero nung nakita ko iyong pagmamahal ng tao sa kanya nung nilibing siya last year, doon ko siya nakilala talaga (I am not that familiar about her. But when I see the outpouring of love when she died, that's when I realized how great she was)," Julian tells GMANews.TV.
Superhero
Julian says from that moment, his respect for Mrs. Aquino was elevated to new heights. "I now consider her my superhero," adds the fourth year Fine Arts student from the Bulacan State University.
Julian says making Mrs. Aquino’s portrait "was my way of giving her my 'thank you.'"
On the eve of Mrs. Aquino’s first death anniversary, he somehow got a feel of how it would have been like to rub elbows with her when the budding painter met with her son, President Benigno Aquino III, to present the telephone directory bearing his artwork.
President Aquino and Julian were at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila for an early commemoration of Mrs. Aquino’s death anniversary, which was highlighted by the unfurling of a 250-by-200-foot photo mosaic of the democracy icon.
See more from here: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/197551/artists-commemorate-cory-through-masterpieces
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Snapshots of icon capture Cory in magical mosaic
Here's an interesting news about Cory's death anniversary.
A GIGANTIC photo mosaic featuring a larger-than-life image of the late President Corazon Aquino was unfurled at the Luneta grounds yesterday, one of the many tributes commemorating the first anniversary of her death a year ago today.
Her son, President Aquino led family, friends and supporters in the unveiling of the mosaic—mounted on a tarpaulin weighing four tons and measuring 60 by 76.2 meters—containing 3,200 color and black-and-white photographs of his mother. Most of the photos were taken during her presidency by amateur and professional photographers.
Mr. Aquino said the mosaic symbolized the hope that sprung among Filipinos, beyond the expressions of sympathy for the loss of his mother.
“When she passed away a year ago, I must admit that at first I was a bit concerned that public support for the principles that she stood for had waned over the years. However, I was more than reassured at the record number that flocked to pay tribute to her and what she stood for. It was an expression of tremendous love we did not expect,” he said in his remarks.
Symbol of hope
“[However], beyond the expression of sympathy, it was a resurgence of hope and a realization that each of us has a role in alleviating our common burden. This mosaic of photographs is a symbol of that hope,” he said.
He recalled an important lesson about conviction that his mother had taught him which, he said, was critical in his decision to run for President.
“I remember her best for what she taught me when she said, ‘I could not live with myself knowing that I could have done something and I chose not to.’ The burden she once carried is now upon me. She managed to overcome it with the help of the people. [She] confronted many challenges and no matter how difficult they were, she never gave up,” Mr. Aquino said.
“I hope and pray that you will also be by my side so that the change that we committed to work on together will soon become a reality,” he told his audience.
Goosebumps
The President later told reporters how much he missed his mother and how he was touched by the continuous outpouring of love and support for her, particularly from the youth who participated in yesterday’s unveiling.
More than 100 rain-soaked Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila students unrolled the photo mosaic which covered almost the entire grassy area fronting the Quirino Grandstand.
A small remote-controlled model plane fitted with a camera hovered in the air as the mosaic was being laid out on the ground. The camera captured an aerial view of the mosaic that was flashed on to a giant screen, eliciting cheers and applause from the crowd.
“It gave me goosebumps, it was so beautiful,” said one woman bystander.
Main photo by Tess Rivera
Viewed from above, the mosaic of photos formed a giant close-up of Cory’s face.
The main image that was used was contributed by Tess Puzon-Rivera, a breast cancer survivor who said she was a big fan of the late President.
“I took that photo in November 2004 at her house. Originally, I took it with some of her paintings in the background,” said Rivera, who described herself a photo hobbyist.
Rivera said she couldn’t believe it at first when she was told that it was her entry that was chosen for the mosaic’s main photo.
“I feel very proud,” she said, tearing up as the mosaic was flashed on the giant screen.
“It’s really something very special for me because we spent time talking after the shoot, she was really very nice,” she said.
During the program, composer Jose Mari Chan sang “I Have Fallen in Love with the Same Woman Three Times,” a poem that Ninoy wrote for Cory, which left some people in the audience misty-eyed.
Size of 10 basketball courts
The mosaic is the handiwork of photojournalist and mosaic artist Revoli Cortez who covered the Cory presidency.
Cortez is hoping that the mosaic will make it to the Guinness Book of World Records.
“Its size is equal to more than 10 basketball courts combined. It’s also enough to cover the entire facade of a building, say the Manila Hotel, when it’s laid in full from the rooftop to the ground,” he said.
It took Cortez, with the help of Cory’s friends and supporters, about nine months to finish the mosaic.
“It was initially intended for President Cory’s birthday last January but we lacked the time and resources,” he explained.
He said the actual cost of the mosaic was about P1 million, “but with the help of generous sponsors, including the Golden Touch Corp., which printed the tarp, we were able to cut the cost by half.”
Interesting photos
Of the thousands of pictures that were sent in, he found the photograph of Noynoy, the President, holding an Uzi unique. He said the photo was apparently taken during one of the coups d’etat against Noynoy’s mother.
“I also find interesting the one showing President Cory talking to Mother Teresa. There are a lot actually,” said Cortez.
Deedee Siytangco, Cory’s spokesperson who is now a member of the Cory Veterans, said Saturday’s program was called “Cory sa Luneta” because it was here that she decided to celebrate the Thanksgiving Mass after the snap elections in 1986.
“It was here that she saw how much the people loved her,” Siytangco said.
Display period
According to Siytangco, the initial plan was for the mosaic to be on display at the Luneta for a week before being rolled up, perhaps for recycling.
But she later said the organizers would be meeting with the Manila government to allow it to be displayed for the whole month of August.
According to Cortez, who presented the President with a replica of the mosaic, the tarpaulin will eventually be given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development which will fashion tents out of it.
Also at yesterday’s program were Vice President Jejomar Binay, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, former members of the Cory administration and members of various organizations, including Spirit of Edsa, Cory Veterans, among others.
Most of them were in Cory’s signature yellow.
See more from here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100801-284291/Snapshots--of-icon--capture-Cory-in-magical-mosaic
A GIGANTIC photo mosaic featuring a larger-than-life image of the late President Corazon Aquino was unfurled at the Luneta grounds yesterday, one of the many tributes commemorating the first anniversary of her death a year ago today.
Her son, President Aquino led family, friends and supporters in the unveiling of the mosaic—mounted on a tarpaulin weighing four tons and measuring 60 by 76.2 meters—containing 3,200 color and black-and-white photographs of his mother. Most of the photos were taken during her presidency by amateur and professional photographers.
Mr. Aquino said the mosaic symbolized the hope that sprung among Filipinos, beyond the expressions of sympathy for the loss of his mother.
“When she passed away a year ago, I must admit that at first I was a bit concerned that public support for the principles that she stood for had waned over the years. However, I was more than reassured at the record number that flocked to pay tribute to her and what she stood for. It was an expression of tremendous love we did not expect,” he said in his remarks.
Symbol of hope
“[However], beyond the expression of sympathy, it was a resurgence of hope and a realization that each of us has a role in alleviating our common burden. This mosaic of photographs is a symbol of that hope,” he said.
He recalled an important lesson about conviction that his mother had taught him which, he said, was critical in his decision to run for President.
“I remember her best for what she taught me when she said, ‘I could not live with myself knowing that I could have done something and I chose not to.’ The burden she once carried is now upon me. She managed to overcome it with the help of the people. [She] confronted many challenges and no matter how difficult they were, she never gave up,” Mr. Aquino said.
“I hope and pray that you will also be by my side so that the change that we committed to work on together will soon become a reality,” he told his audience.
Goosebumps
The President later told reporters how much he missed his mother and how he was touched by the continuous outpouring of love and support for her, particularly from the youth who participated in yesterday’s unveiling.
More than 100 rain-soaked Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila students unrolled the photo mosaic which covered almost the entire grassy area fronting the Quirino Grandstand.
A small remote-controlled model plane fitted with a camera hovered in the air as the mosaic was being laid out on the ground. The camera captured an aerial view of the mosaic that was flashed on to a giant screen, eliciting cheers and applause from the crowd.
“It gave me goosebumps, it was so beautiful,” said one woman bystander.
Main photo by Tess Rivera
Viewed from above, the mosaic of photos formed a giant close-up of Cory’s face.
The main image that was used was contributed by Tess Puzon-Rivera, a breast cancer survivor who said she was a big fan of the late President.
“I took that photo in November 2004 at her house. Originally, I took it with some of her paintings in the background,” said Rivera, who described herself a photo hobbyist.
Rivera said she couldn’t believe it at first when she was told that it was her entry that was chosen for the mosaic’s main photo.
“I feel very proud,” she said, tearing up as the mosaic was flashed on the giant screen.
“It’s really something very special for me because we spent time talking after the shoot, she was really very nice,” she said.
During the program, composer Jose Mari Chan sang “I Have Fallen in Love with the Same Woman Three Times,” a poem that Ninoy wrote for Cory, which left some people in the audience misty-eyed.
Size of 10 basketball courts
The mosaic is the handiwork of photojournalist and mosaic artist Revoli Cortez who covered the Cory presidency.
Cortez is hoping that the mosaic will make it to the Guinness Book of World Records.
“Its size is equal to more than 10 basketball courts combined. It’s also enough to cover the entire facade of a building, say the Manila Hotel, when it’s laid in full from the rooftop to the ground,” he said.
It took Cortez, with the help of Cory’s friends and supporters, about nine months to finish the mosaic.
“It was initially intended for President Cory’s birthday last January but we lacked the time and resources,” he explained.
He said the actual cost of the mosaic was about P1 million, “but with the help of generous sponsors, including the Golden Touch Corp., which printed the tarp, we were able to cut the cost by half.”
Interesting photos
Of the thousands of pictures that were sent in, he found the photograph of Noynoy, the President, holding an Uzi unique. He said the photo was apparently taken during one of the coups d’etat against Noynoy’s mother.
“I also find interesting the one showing President Cory talking to Mother Teresa. There are a lot actually,” said Cortez.
Deedee Siytangco, Cory’s spokesperson who is now a member of the Cory Veterans, said Saturday’s program was called “Cory sa Luneta” because it was here that she decided to celebrate the Thanksgiving Mass after the snap elections in 1986.
“It was here that she saw how much the people loved her,” Siytangco said.
Display period
According to Siytangco, the initial plan was for the mosaic to be on display at the Luneta for a week before being rolled up, perhaps for recycling.
But she later said the organizers would be meeting with the Manila government to allow it to be displayed for the whole month of August.
According to Cortez, who presented the President with a replica of the mosaic, the tarpaulin will eventually be given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development which will fashion tents out of it.
Also at yesterday’s program were Vice President Jejomar Binay, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, former members of the Cory administration and members of various organizations, including Spirit of Edsa, Cory Veterans, among others.
Most of them were in Cory’s signature yellow.
See more from here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100801-284291/Snapshots--of-icon--capture-Cory-in-magical-mosaic
Friday, August 6, 2010
Malacañang and esteros
A very interesting article by Dennis Murphy from Inquirer.
RECENTLY WITHIN a span of one week, I visited two places that are within walking distance of each other, but look so completely different you wouldn’t think they belong to the same city: Estero de San Miguel and Malacañang.
We had a host in each area: Aling Imelda Ramos, 72, on the estero and President Aquino himself in Malacañang. We were fortunate to spend a good bit of time with each of these persons. At the end, we felt that the places may be very different, but there is the same Filipino sensibility in both, especially the ability to see the serious side of reality, but also the amusing side, which is surely a great virtue for a poor woman or a president to have.
Along one of the dark and narrow alley ways of Estero de San Miguel we met Aling Imelda. She was seated on her bangkito washing clothes, but she stood up to talk to us. It was a dismal place. She could see we were reacting to the smells of urine and worse, so she said, “We don’t smell it anymore. We’re used to it.” Back along the alleyway we had seen human waste pouring from pipes that extended out over the water from buildings across the way. At one point there was an explosion like a bomb going off. We ducked but it wasn’t a bomb. It was a large plastic bag of garbage dropped into the estero from the fourth story of another building. There were other “explosions” as we talked to Aling Imelda.
She is now in her 70s and has lived there since the time of President Elpidio Quirino. There are between 500 and 600 families living in her section of the estero. She says they are happy because they are long-time residents who know each other and trust each other. “We take care of each other. Most of us are vendors, so we are close to our working areas.”
The government is threatening to remove them from the estero, because it is judged to be a “danger” area, she said, though in the 50 years or more she has lived there nothing bad has happened to them. Even “Ondoy” didn’t hurt them. “It came up to my waist but no one was hurt,” she said. She added, “We don’t want anything from government. We wish they would leave us alone.”
The government talks of esteros and the estimated 80,000 families living on them as if they were all the same and as if one solution could suit all. Esteros differ from one another as much as people do. Not all people on esteros have to be relocated. Some can be accommodated along the banks, allowing for proper easement. Some have to move out. Some can live on idle land nearby. In some esteros people may very well block the water. In others they probably don’t. The government should study each estero carefully. God and the devil are in the details.
Rats peered out at us from cracks in the flooring of the alley. Maybe they wanted to know what was going on.
Replacing the warmth, friendship, security and mutual aid practices of such communities as Aling Imelda’s is very, very difficult for government to do in the best of circumstances. How can it do that for 80,000 families who don’t want to move?
Patiently Aling Imelda answered all our questions, though the soap bubbles in her washbasin had disappeared and her once clean looking clothes were lying there like dead fish. It was simple courtesy that kept her there talking to us.
A few days later my wife, myself, some urban poor people and NGOs were invited to meet President Noynoy in Malacañang. My wife had complained to friends in the Cabinet that the President and his advisers had completely neglected the urban poor once the election was finished. When the President heard of that complaint, he called for the meeting.
We met in a truly beautiful room. It is used for meetings, but it had the comfortable lived-in air of a family sala. President Cory Aquino had held office there. There were flowers, rare white orchids and oil paintings, one of which showed the moon and a pine forest at night in a blue mist. Everything was restful. We waited for the President at a table for 20 people.
There was a rustle of activity and a powerful looking bodyguard came into the room and gave us a quick look-over. There was no sign of what he thought of us. Then the president came in, talking even as he came near, drowning out the voice of the female assistant who called out, “The President of the Republic of the Philippines.”
We spent over an hour with the President. He could have handled our complaints in 10 or 15 minutes if he wanted. We presented some good and some not-so-good ideas. He listened to them all and talked about them. He explained why he had made certain appointments. He reminisced about concerns that had recently been brought to his attention, that most Philippine provinces, for example, are at high risk of very damaging disasters, and no province is not at risk. He talked about Pagasa’s failure to predict the path of “Basyang” and how he’ll have to attract investments to get better facilities.
Our group appreciated the way he put everyone at ease. He talked about his problems and listened to his visitors’ problems. He laughed a lot. He is not in a hurry. He had time to inquire into the details of some problems presented.
As I was listening to him talk I was reminded of Aling Imelda on Estero de San Miguel.
“Who do we go to when we have problems?” our group asked.
“Come to me,” he said. An agreement was made that he would meet once a month with the urban poor.
The places are totally different—the estero and Malacañang—but the people living in the two places are very much alike, which promises well for the long-range progress of the country, it seemed to us.
Denis Murphy works with the Urban Poor Associates. His e-mail address is upa@pldtdsl.net.
more from here: http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100728-283727/Malacaang-and-esteros
RECENTLY WITHIN a span of one week, I visited two places that are within walking distance of each other, but look so completely different you wouldn’t think they belong to the same city: Estero de San Miguel and Malacañang.
We had a host in each area: Aling Imelda Ramos, 72, on the estero and President Aquino himself in Malacañang. We were fortunate to spend a good bit of time with each of these persons. At the end, we felt that the places may be very different, but there is the same Filipino sensibility in both, especially the ability to see the serious side of reality, but also the amusing side, which is surely a great virtue for a poor woman or a president to have.
Along one of the dark and narrow alley ways of Estero de San Miguel we met Aling Imelda. She was seated on her bangkito washing clothes, but she stood up to talk to us. It was a dismal place. She could see we were reacting to the smells of urine and worse, so she said, “We don’t smell it anymore. We’re used to it.” Back along the alleyway we had seen human waste pouring from pipes that extended out over the water from buildings across the way. At one point there was an explosion like a bomb going off. We ducked but it wasn’t a bomb. It was a large plastic bag of garbage dropped into the estero from the fourth story of another building. There were other “explosions” as we talked to Aling Imelda.
She is now in her 70s and has lived there since the time of President Elpidio Quirino. There are between 500 and 600 families living in her section of the estero. She says they are happy because they are long-time residents who know each other and trust each other. “We take care of each other. Most of us are vendors, so we are close to our working areas.”
The government is threatening to remove them from the estero, because it is judged to be a “danger” area, she said, though in the 50 years or more she has lived there nothing bad has happened to them. Even “Ondoy” didn’t hurt them. “It came up to my waist but no one was hurt,” she said. She added, “We don’t want anything from government. We wish they would leave us alone.”
The government talks of esteros and the estimated 80,000 families living on them as if they were all the same and as if one solution could suit all. Esteros differ from one another as much as people do. Not all people on esteros have to be relocated. Some can be accommodated along the banks, allowing for proper easement. Some have to move out. Some can live on idle land nearby. In some esteros people may very well block the water. In others they probably don’t. The government should study each estero carefully. God and the devil are in the details.
Rats peered out at us from cracks in the flooring of the alley. Maybe they wanted to know what was going on.
Replacing the warmth, friendship, security and mutual aid practices of such communities as Aling Imelda’s is very, very difficult for government to do in the best of circumstances. How can it do that for 80,000 families who don’t want to move?
Patiently Aling Imelda answered all our questions, though the soap bubbles in her washbasin had disappeared and her once clean looking clothes were lying there like dead fish. It was simple courtesy that kept her there talking to us.
A few days later my wife, myself, some urban poor people and NGOs were invited to meet President Noynoy in Malacañang. My wife had complained to friends in the Cabinet that the President and his advisers had completely neglected the urban poor once the election was finished. When the President heard of that complaint, he called for the meeting.
We met in a truly beautiful room. It is used for meetings, but it had the comfortable lived-in air of a family sala. President Cory Aquino had held office there. There were flowers, rare white orchids and oil paintings, one of which showed the moon and a pine forest at night in a blue mist. Everything was restful. We waited for the President at a table for 20 people.
There was a rustle of activity and a powerful looking bodyguard came into the room and gave us a quick look-over. There was no sign of what he thought of us. Then the president came in, talking even as he came near, drowning out the voice of the female assistant who called out, “The President of the Republic of the Philippines.”
We spent over an hour with the President. He could have handled our complaints in 10 or 15 minutes if he wanted. We presented some good and some not-so-good ideas. He listened to them all and talked about them. He explained why he had made certain appointments. He reminisced about concerns that had recently been brought to his attention, that most Philippine provinces, for example, are at high risk of very damaging disasters, and no province is not at risk. He talked about Pagasa’s failure to predict the path of “Basyang” and how he’ll have to attract investments to get better facilities.
Our group appreciated the way he put everyone at ease. He talked about his problems and listened to his visitors’ problems. He laughed a lot. He is not in a hurry. He had time to inquire into the details of some problems presented.
As I was listening to him talk I was reminded of Aling Imelda on Estero de San Miguel.
“Who do we go to when we have problems?” our group asked.
“Come to me,” he said. An agreement was made that he would meet once a month with the urban poor.
The places are totally different—the estero and Malacañang—but the people living in the two places are very much alike, which promises well for the long-range progress of the country, it seemed to us.
Denis Murphy works with the Urban Poor Associates. His e-mail address is upa@pldtdsl.net.
more from here: http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100728-283727/Malacaang-and-esteros
Monday, August 2, 2010
Aquino looks into 'real' state of Philippine finances
PNOY digs further into Philippines' financial health. Go and read from this article:
MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino and his team spent their first full day in office Thursday inspecting state coffers as a crucial first step in meeting his vow to root out corruption and help the poor.
Already stuck with a record budget deficit, Aquino has accused his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, of painting an unrealistically rosy picture of the economy to burnish her legacy after nearly 10 years in office.
Aquino has warned massive corruption that infected politics would be rooted out, and in this light his finance secretary promised an unrelenting campaign against tax evaders that could result in prosecutions within days.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Thursday Aquino wanted to be able to report the real situation to parliament during his "State of the Nation" address on July 26, when he will seek funding support for his programs.
"The president gave his marching orders to each cabinet member. They have two weeks to get to know the lay of the land," Lacierda told AFP.
Aquino, a 50-year-old economist, took office on Wednesday with a vow to lift his nation out of poverty and wipe out crippling corruption that he said thrived under his predecessor.
He also pledged to set up a "Truth Commission" to investigate alleged corruption by Arroyo and her official family.
Lacierda said that over the next few weeks Aquino would fulfill his campaign promise to go after tax cheats and begin implementing programs specifically targeted at the very poor who comprise a third of the population.
The Philippines posted a budget deficit of P162.1 billion ($3.5 billion) in the first five months of the year, and analysts agree it is unlikely the full-year funding gap would be kept below P300 billion.
Aquino has also ordered a review of all ongoing government programs and an inventory of all assets to determine which can be sold off to support future projects, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima told reporters.
The government needs more funds to finance Aquino's pledges to increase spending for education, health, and low-income housing.
To underline the government's intent, Purisima said the government would soon start filing charges against tax evaders.
"We are not sure whether we can file some cases next week, but certainly the mandate is to send a very clear signal to the revenue-collecting agencies as well as taxpayers that this administration means business."
Using a basketball analogy, Purisima added: "This will be a full-court press, it will be unrelenting, until we believe we have achieved a tax effort that is commensurate to what our legal system provides for."
Withholding taxes from salaried workers accounted for 90 percent of all individual income tax collections, suggesting tax evasion was pervasive, he said.
The goal is to slash the budget deficit to bring it down to two percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) within three years, he added.
The Philippines posted a record budget deficit of P298.5 billion last year, equivalent to 3.9 percent of GDP.
Aquino won a landslide election victory on May 10 on the back of his message of change from corruption and a culture of impunity in which only 18 percent of all criminal cases were resolved.
He also benefited from his status as the son of democracy heroes Benigno and Corazon Aquino, who remain revered for their efforts to overthrow dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
More from this article here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100701-278568/Aquino-looks-into-real-state-of-Philippine-finances
MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino and his team spent their first full day in office Thursday inspecting state coffers as a crucial first step in meeting his vow to root out corruption and help the poor.
Already stuck with a record budget deficit, Aquino has accused his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, of painting an unrealistically rosy picture of the economy to burnish her legacy after nearly 10 years in office.
Aquino has warned massive corruption that infected politics would be rooted out, and in this light his finance secretary promised an unrelenting campaign against tax evaders that could result in prosecutions within days.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Thursday Aquino wanted to be able to report the real situation to parliament during his "State of the Nation" address on July 26, when he will seek funding support for his programs.
"The president gave his marching orders to each cabinet member. They have two weeks to get to know the lay of the land," Lacierda told AFP.
Aquino, a 50-year-old economist, took office on Wednesday with a vow to lift his nation out of poverty and wipe out crippling corruption that he said thrived under his predecessor.
He also pledged to set up a "Truth Commission" to investigate alleged corruption by Arroyo and her official family.
Lacierda said that over the next few weeks Aquino would fulfill his campaign promise to go after tax cheats and begin implementing programs specifically targeted at the very poor who comprise a third of the population.
The Philippines posted a budget deficit of P162.1 billion ($3.5 billion) in the first five months of the year, and analysts agree it is unlikely the full-year funding gap would be kept below P300 billion.
Aquino has also ordered a review of all ongoing government programs and an inventory of all assets to determine which can be sold off to support future projects, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima told reporters.
The government needs more funds to finance Aquino's pledges to increase spending for education, health, and low-income housing.
To underline the government's intent, Purisima said the government would soon start filing charges against tax evaders.
"We are not sure whether we can file some cases next week, but certainly the mandate is to send a very clear signal to the revenue-collecting agencies as well as taxpayers that this administration means business."
Using a basketball analogy, Purisima added: "This will be a full-court press, it will be unrelenting, until we believe we have achieved a tax effort that is commensurate to what our legal system provides for."
Withholding taxes from salaried workers accounted for 90 percent of all individual income tax collections, suggesting tax evasion was pervasive, he said.
The goal is to slash the budget deficit to bring it down to two percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) within three years, he added.
The Philippines posted a record budget deficit of P298.5 billion last year, equivalent to 3.9 percent of GDP.
Aquino won a landslide election victory on May 10 on the back of his message of change from corruption and a culture of impunity in which only 18 percent of all criminal cases were resolved.
He also benefited from his status as the son of democracy heroes Benigno and Corazon Aquino, who remain revered for their efforts to overthrow dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
More from this article here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100701-278568/Aquino-looks-into-real-state-of-Philippine-finances
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