Congressional Record - House of Representatives€¦ · Congressional Record 16th CONGRESS, THIRD...

Vol. 1 Wednesday, October 7, 2015 No. 36g

Congressional Record16th CONGRESS, THIRD REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

RESUMPTION OF SESSION

At 10:00 a.m., the session was resumed with Deputy Speaker. Rep. Giorgidi B. Aggabao presiding.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The session is resumed.

The Asst. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we proceed to the Additional Reference of Business.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

The Secretary General will please read the Additional Reference of Business.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE OF BUSINESS

The Secretary General read the following House Bill on First Reading and the Subpoenas Duces Tecum, and the Deputy Speaker made the corresponding references:

BILL ON FIRST READING

House Bill No. 6190, entitled:“AN ACT DECLARING SEPTEMBER 21 OF

EVERY YEAR A SPECIAL WORKING HOLIDAY IN THE CITIES AND PROVINCE OF CEBU INCLUDING ALL ITS HIGHLY URBANIZED AND COMPONENT CITIES TO BE KNOWN AS 'CEBU PRESS FREEDOM DAY' ”

By Representative Del MarTO THE COMMITTEE ON REVISION OF

LAWS

SUBPOENA DUCES TECUM

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 6 July 2015 of Atty. Francisca A. Maullon-Serfino, Acting Director,

Assets Investigation Bureau, Field Investigation Office I, Office of the Ombudsman, on Case No. FF-C-14-0364, directing the submission before their office of clear and certified true copies of the following documents pertaining to Mr. Ronald Samonte and Mr. Barry Zarote:1. Latest Personal Data Sheet with Picture;2. Appointment/Designation Papers;3. Service Record;4. Oath of Office; and5. Position Description Form.

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 4 August 2015 of Atty. Philip C. Camiguing, Acting Director, Regional Office No. VI, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. FF-C-14-0522, directing the submission before their office of clear and authenticated copies of the following documents pertaining to Mr. Chrysogonus Y. Parot, Chief of Staff, Office of Representative Joseph 'Ace' Durano, 5th District, Cebu:1. Updated Personal Data Sheet or its equivalent

(with photo);2. Oath of Office; Position Description Form/

Summary of Duties and Functions as Chief of Staff; and

3. Updated Service Record.

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 4 August 2015 of Atty. Maria Olivia Elena A. Roxas, Supervising Director, LSC Panel of Investigators, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. FF-C-12-0205 directing the submission before their office of clear and certified true copies of the following documents pertaining to Hon. Arnulfo Palma Fuentebella, former Representative, 4th District, Province of Camarines Sur:1. Service Record;2. Personal Data Sheet (latest on file); and3. Summary of yearly compensation, bonuses and

other remunerations received for CYs 2000 to 2012.

2 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 4 August 2015 of Atty. Maria Olivia Elena A. Roxas, Supervising Director, LSC Panel of Investigators, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. CPL-C-10-2168 (LSC) directing the submission before their office of clear and certified true copies of the following documents pertaining to Hon. Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, former Representative, Lone District, San Juan City:1. Personal Data Sheet;2. Oath of Office;3. Service Record; 4. Position Description Form;5. Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth

for CYs 2010 to 2013;6. Permits to Travel and all Authority to Travel

granted for CYs 2010 to 2013; and 7. All Income Tax Returns for CYs 2010 to 2013.

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 4 August 2015 of Atty. Maria Olivia Elena A. Roxas, Supervising Director, LSC Panel of Investigators, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. CPL-C-11-0964 (LSC) directing the submission before their office of clear and certified true copies of the following documents pertaining to Hon. Pastor Montero Alcover, Jr., former Representative, Alliance of Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) Party-list:1. Service Record:2. Personal Data Sheet (latest on file);3. Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth

for CYs 2004 to 2010; and4. Summary of yearly compensation, bonuses, and

other remunerations received for CYs 2004 to 2010.

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 10 August 2015 of Atty. Maria Olivia Elena A. Roxas, Director, General Investigation Bureau-B, Field Investigation Office I, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. FF-C-14-0496 directing the submission before their office of clear and authenticated copies of the following documents pertaining to Hon. Rodolfo C. Bacani, Former Representative, 4th District, Manila:1. Updated Personal Data Sheet/Curriculum Vitae,

with photo or its equivalent;2. Certificate of Election;3. Updated Service Record; and4. Orders or similar issuance designating

the Congressman to any Standing/Special Committee of the House, indicating his term.

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 10 August 2015 of Atty. Maria Olivia Elena A. Roxas, Director, General Investigation Bureau-B, Field Investigation Office I, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. FF-C-14-0508 directing the submission before their office of clear and certified true copies of the following documents pertaining to Hon. Jose R. Ping-ay, former Representative, COOP-NATCO Party-list:1. Personal Data Sheet and/or Curriculum Vitae;2. Service Record;3. Certificate of Election;4. Oath of Office; and5. Order or similar issuance designating Hon.

Ping-ay as member of any House Committee or Special Committee during his term.

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 11 August 2015 of Atty. Maria Olivia Elena A. Roxas, Director, General Investigation Bureau-B, Field Investigation Office I, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. FF-C-14-0479 directing the submission before their office of clear and certified true copies of the following documents pertaining to Hon. Yevgeny Vicente B. Emano, former Representative, 2nd District, Province of Misamis Oriental:1. Personal Data Sheet and/or Curriculum Vitae;2. Service Record;3. Certificate of Election;4. Oath of Office; and5. Order or similar issuance designating Hon.

Emano as member of any House Committee or Special Committee during his term.

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 11 August 2015 of Atty. Maria Olivia Elena A. Roxas, Director, General Investigation Bureau-B, Field Investigation Office I, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. FF-C-15-0046 directing the submission before their office of clear and certified true copies of the following documents pertaining to Hon. Isidro E. Real, former Representative, 1st District, Province of Zamboanga del Sur:1. Personal Data Sheet and/or Curriculum Vitae;2. Service Record;3. Certificate of Election;4. Oath of Office; and5. Order or similar issuance designating Hon. Real

as member of any House Committee or Special Committee during his term.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 3

Pursuant to Section 151, Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives transmitting the Subpoena Duces Tecum dated 26 August 2015 of Atty. Maria Olivia Elena A. Roxas, Director, General Investigation Bureau-B, Field Investigation Office I, Office of the Ombudsman, in Case No. FF-C-14-0524 directing the submission before their office of clear and certified true copies of the following documents pertaining to Hon. Carlos M. Padilla, Representative, Lone District, Nueva Vizcaya:1. Latest Personal Data Sheet (preferably with

picture);2. Oath of Office; and3. Updated Service Record.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The Chair notes those subpoenas.


SUSPENSION OF SESSION

REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, I move for a brief suspension of the session.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The session is suspended.

It was 10:02 a.m.


At 10:27 a.m., the session was resumed.


The Dep. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. DURANO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we proceed to the Unfinished Business.



CONSIDERATION OF H.B. NO. 6132Continuation

PERIOD OF SPONSORSHIP AND DEBATE

REP. DURANO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we resume the consideration of House Bill No. 6132, as contained in Committee Report No. 894, and we direct the Secretary General to read the title of the Bill.


The Secretary General is directed to read the title of House Bill No. 6132 contained in Committee Report No.894.

Please proceed.

THE SECRETARY GENERAL. House Bill No. 6132, entitled: AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE OPERATION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES FROM JANUARY ONE TO DECEMBER THIRTY-ONE, TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The Dep. Majority Leader is recognized.

PHILIPPINE SPORTS COMMISSION

REP. DURANO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we consider the proposed budget of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and open the period of sponsorship.


The budget for the Philippine Sports Commission is open for floor deliberation.


REP. DURANO. For this purpose, Mr. Speaker, I move that the Hon. Maria Zenaida B. Angping be recognized for her sponsorship.


The Lady from Manila, the Honorable Angping, is recognized to sponsor the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission. The Lady has the floor.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am here to sponsor the budget for the Philippine Sports Commission. If there are any queries, we are open to them.


REP. DURANO. Mr. Speaker, I move that the Hon. Neri J. Colmenares from the BAYAN MUNA Party-List be recognized for his interpellation.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The


Gentleman from the Party-List BAYAN MUNA, the Honorable Colmenares, is recognized to interpellate the distinguished Sponsor. He has the floor.

REP. COLMENARES. Maraming salamat, Mr. Speaker.A few questions lang naman tungkol sa Philippine Sports Commission. I am glad that our distinguished colleague, Congresswoman Angping, is sponsoring the budget of the PSC so we can ask some questions lang. Magkano po ba ang budget na hinihingi ng PSC for 2016 at magkano naman ang budget niya for 2015?

REP. ANGPING. Magandang umaga po, my distinguished colleague. Iyong budget nila for the year 2016, they are asking for P189 million.

REP. COLMENARES. One hundred fifty-nine?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, one-eight-nine.

REP. COLMENARES. So, P189 million?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, po.

REP. COLMENARES. Tama.

REP. ANGPING. For this year 2015, they had a budget of P186 million.

REP. COLMENARES. P186 million?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, po.

REP. COLMENARES. Ganito po kalaki ang budget para doon sa pag-fund ng ating mga sports activities, raising the standards ng mga athletes natin, participation ng ating mga athletes abroad or pag-hold ng mga iba’t ibang events to encourage them? Ganito lang pala kaliit iyong total po na kailangan natin. Ang dami-dami nating athletespero bakit parang ang liit po ng budget ng PSC? Or may iba pa ba siyang mga budget for the other needs for sports, the Philippine Sports Commission po?

REP. ANGPING. Opo, maliit nga talaga ang P189 million para sa pagtulong natin sa mga atleta kaya mayroon pa silang ibang source at ang ginagamit po nila na budget ay galing sa PAGCOR po.

REP. COLMENARES. PAGCOR?May we know anu-ano ang mga sources ng budget ng Philippine Sports Commission? Ang isa, siyempre, iyong ina-allocate sa GAA or sa General Appropriations Act. Ang pangalawa, iyong galing sa PAGCOR. Are there other sources ng PSC funds, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Aside from iyong galing sa atin sa GAA, iyong NSDF o National Sports Development Fund na galing sa PAGCOR as of 2015, it came out to, supposed to be, P900 million.Iyan ang para sa 2015.

REP. COLMENARES. It was P900 million po noong 2015, tama po?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, for 2015, ito po ang galing sa NSDF ng PAGCOR.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes.

REP. ANGPING. Ito ang galing sa PAGCOR. Pagkatapos, mayroon pa ho sila galing sa PCSO na P10 million.

REP. COLMENARES. From PCSO, P10 million, okay.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. Is that for 2015?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, for 2015.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay. Sa 2016, may projection ang PSC kung magkano ang NSDF na manggagaling sa PAGCOR?

REP. ANGPING. Unfortunately po, pareho rin, P900 million.

REP. COLMENARES. So, noong 2016, ang tantiya ninyo ay ganoon din more or less.

REP. ANGPING. Opo, ganoon din ang maibibigay.

REP. COLMENARES. May we know lang, noong 2014, magkano po ba iyong GAA budget noon at magkano naman iyong galing sa PAGCOR at sa PCSO.

REP. ANGPING. Noong 2014 po, iyong GAA ay P182 million.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay.

REP. ANGPING. Tapos, iyong NSDF na galing sa PAGCOR ay P700 million.


REP. ANGPING. Opo, mas mataas ang para sa 2015 by P200 million.


REP. COLMENARES. Opo. Ang galing sa PCSO naman po, magkano ito noong 2014?

REP. ANGPING. Pareho pa rin po, P10 million.


REP. ANGPING. Hindi po nagbabago iyan.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay. So, are there other sources other than the GAA, PAGCOR and PCSO?

REP. ANGPING. Unfortunately po, wala na.

REP. COLMENARES. Wala na? Okay.So, itong sa PCSO, is there a law that governs this, bakit magbibigay ang PCSO ng pera sa Philippine Sports Commission?

REP. ANGPING. Opo, ito iyong Section 26 of R.A. No. 6847.


REP. ANGPING. That law states that five percent of the gross income of the Philippine Gaming Corporation shall be automatically remitted directly to the PSC, Philippine Sports Commission, as National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) to cover the Sports Development Program of all national sports associations, lahat ng mga asosasyon, and to implement a nationwide grassroots program. Iyon po.

REP. COLMENARES. Salamat po.So, grassroots program po ang pagkakagastusan nito?

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. May we know magkano po ang gross income kasi ang sabi sa batas, five percent of the gross income of the PCSO should go to the PSC. Magkano po ang gross income ng PCSO noong 2014? Simulan natin sa 2014 po.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Sir, puwedeng pa-correct po, sa gross income lang po ng PAGCOR.

REP. COLMENARES. What about the PCSO?

REP. ANGPING. Sa PCSO,flat rate lang talaga na P10 million, walang change.

REP. COLMENARES. Is there a law that governs the PSC share sa PCSO income?

REP. ANGPING. Yes. Can the Gentleman give me a minute, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Kukunin ko iyong copy ng law.



REP. ANGPING. May we move for a one-minute suspension of the session, please.


It was 10:36 a.m.




REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, my dear colleague, itong tinatanong ninyo kung may law ba, yes, it is also provided in Republic Act No. 6847 which states that “thirty percent (30%) representing the charity fund and proceeds of six (6) sweepstakes or lottery draws per annum”—30 percent.

REP. COLMENARES. Thirty percent?

REP. ANGPING. In the law, yes, it says so.

REP. COLMENARES. Thirty percent of the charity fund and the proceeds of six sweepstakes draws.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.


REP. ANGPING. Unfortunately, wala na kasi ngayong sweepstakes.


REP. ANGPING. So, that is why they negotiated with the PSC to give them a flat rate of P10 million.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay. So, hindi puwede iyong six lotto draws?

REP. ANGPING. Hindi puwede po iyong lotto draws.

REP. COLMENARES. Hindi puwede? Okay. So, P10 million kaya talagang kawang-gawa nalang iyon ng PCSO.

REP. ANGPING. Oo, para mabigay sila.


REP. COLMENARES. Para palang charity ward itong ating Philippine Sports Commission napumipila sa PCSO para makahingi ng P10 million. Kaya pala hirap na hirap iyong mga atleta natin e kinakapos po pala tayo ng pondo. So, maraming salamat po.

Now, we go to the PAGCOR. Under the law po, ano ang nakalagay sa batas sa Republic Act No. 6847 with regard to the share of the PAGCOR?Conscious po kasi ako sa grassroots development ng athletes natin, hindi lang iyong mga elite athletes natin peroiyong grassroots. In fact, most countries that advanced doon sa athletic field have very, very good grassroots sports preparations po kasi.

So, ano po ba ang nakalagay sa batas?

REP. ANGPING. Actually, before we go there, ang talagang kailangan na kailangan nating tulungan ay ang ating mga nasa grassroots kasi, as you said, marami talagang mga atleta, very many potential athletes doon sa atin. Alam mo naman po, pareho tayo, iyong ating puso ay para doon sa mga grassroots, at saka ng PSC Chairman po; si Harry, ang asawa ko, iyan din ang kanyang focus. So, I was also asking that. But the reason is ganito, as you said, ...

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, if I may comment lang, distinguished colleague. Congresswoman Angping, isa pala kayo sa most knowledgeable dito kasi, si Congressman Angping pala, your beloved spouse, used to be the Chairman nga pala ng PSC, and I am sure he knows the problem and the dearth of funding na sina-suffer noong athletes natin, lalo na sa pag-develop ng grassroots participation in sports.

REP. ANGPING. Kaya nga, dito sa sinasabi mo, I am happy that you brought this up kasi, dito sa batas ay nagsasabi silang five percent of the gross income of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, ang PAGCOR, shall be automatically remitted directly to the PSC, hindi ba, to cover the sports development programs and all the NSAs and especially the national grassroots sports program. Pero po, ngayon, ang nare-remit lang po nila ay 2.5 percent.

REP. COLMENARES. Two point five percent...

REP. ANGPING. Two point five percent.

REP. COLMENARES. ... of the gross income.

REP. ANGPING. Of the gross income instead of the five percent.

REP. COLMENARES. So, paano po nangyari iyan na ang nakalagay sa batas, Republic Act No. 6847, five percent ng gross income ng PAGCOR ay

pupunta sa Philippine Sports Commission, pero in complete violation of what this Congress passed, PAGCOR is only giving 2.5 percent sa Philippine Sports Commission, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Kasi doon daw sa batas na iyon may marginal note daw na 2.5, ng isang Presidente natin, during the time of President Ramos, doon nakalagay na 2.5 lang ang kayang ibigay muna ng PAGCOR.

REP. COLMENARES. Can you repeat, did I correctly hear you, distinguished colleague, na ang Presidente ang nag-isyu ng order in violation of the law and in complete disregard sa interes ng sports na, “Huwag na lang iyong five percent, mali naman iyong Kongreso, hindi maganda iyong batas na ipinasa ng Kongreso na iyan. Two point five percent na lang iyong inyong kunin.” Hindi tama iyon. Puwede po ba iyon mangyari, that the President can just violate the laws passed by this Congress not only in violation of the Constitution, but also in violation of the interest of our athletes, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Ganoon nga po e, kaya siguro, 1997 pa po itong marginal note doon na 2.5 percent lang ang ire-remit sa PSC.

REP. COLMENARES. Oh, it is a marginal note.

REP. ANGPING. It is a marginal note.

REP. COLMENARES. Distinguished colleague, it is really difficult to understand. May isang batas, nag-First Reading dito, nagkaroon ng maraming hearings, nagkaroon ng committee hearings, ipinasa, pinagdebatehan dito on Second Reading, pumasa on Third Reading, ipinasa ng Senado, naging batas, Republic Act No. 6847, ang sabi, five percent ang ibigay sa Philippine Sports Commission, a mere marginal note can repeal or amend an act of this Congress, Mr. Speaker. How is that possible?

REP. ANGPING. That is the question po, kung papaano. E tinanong kasi ng PSC iyan kung bakit, upon the recommendation daw po ng then PAGCOR Chairman Alice Reyes. Kaya in 1997, iyong Presidente natin noon ay iyan na lang ang ginawa. Naglagay siya ng marginal note. But I believe na kailangan talaga nating tulungan itong batas na ito, kung papaano ba po, paano iyan? E, ang Office of the President ay kailangang pumunta dito sa atin, manghingi ng amendment, ganoon ba po?


REP. ANGPING. Ganoon ba po?


REP. COLMENARES. Tama po. So, I am really shocked by this revelation. So, saan napupunta po iyong 2.5 percent na share dapat ng Philippine Sports Commission, if I may ask?

REP. ANGPING. Iyan ang hindi natin alam, pero baka puwede nating ipagtanong doon sa PAGCOR.

REP. COLMENARES. Really, can the PSC not know what happened to these funds, 2.5 percent? Magkano po ba ang income ng PAGCOR noong 2014, if I may ask, distinguished colleague?

REP. ANGPING. Unfortunately po, kailangan yata tayong mag-research diyan at tanungin ang PAGCOR, kasi ang alam lang nila, iyong nare-receive lang nila po, na they got P900 million last year.

REP. COLMENARES. Ito naman ang problema..

REP. ANGPING. Twenty fourteen, I mean.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. Ito naman ang problema natin sa Philippine Sports Commission. Konting giit naman ng karapatan ng mga atleta. Alamin naman natin kung magkano ang kita ng PAGCOR. Kahit na 2.5 percent iyon, kasi, kung hindi natin alam iyong kita ng PAGCOR, how do we know na ang binigay nila ay actually 2.5 percent, kahit na nga naman, you know, maliit na nga iyon, hindi pa nga five percent? But still, puwede pa rin kayong dayaan, ang kita namin P1 billion lang, so itong 2.5 percent ay ganito lang. It is only P250 million. I am not imputing anything, except that I am imputing na puwede talagang gawin naman ng PAGCOR iyan, hindi ba?

So, I would really like to ask, I am sure madali lang ito ma-research ng ano, siguro kung may Internet kayo ngayon diyan, kapag hindi naman pumalya itong mga telcos natin na ma-research, maybe we can have a one-minute suspension, Mr. Speaker, if I may, para lang naman makuha ng PSC iyong kanilang data kung magkano ang kinita ng PAGCOR noong 2014.

REP. ANGPING. Opo, ipinapa-research ko na po.

REP. COLMENARES. Salamat po.

REP. ANGPING. At saka tinanong ko din, at saka sabi nila ay talagang nag-appeal sila sa Presidente, pero ganoon lang daw pala talaga ang gagawin, iyong 2.5 percent lang.

REP. COLMENARES. Does the President have any reason as to why he is also in conspiracy for violating the law passed by this Congress? I mean, hindi ko po

maintindihan, very clear iyan, kahit hindi ka abogado, the law says five percent, so, bakit 2.5 percent lang ang ibigay? Ngayon, tanungin ang Philippine Sports Commission, saan napunta iyong 2.5 percent na naiwan? Hindi na namin alam.

So, I mean, we are guarding public funds. If P900 million ang 2.5 percent noong 2015, e di ang nawala, another P900 million. Hindi po chicken feed iyan. That is almost P1 billion na hindi ma-account, Mr. Speaker. I mean, pinagdedebatehan natin na tanggalin ang VAT sa kuryente, pinagdedebatehan natin na ibaba iyong income tax, pinagdedebatehan natin dito na bigyan ng P2,000 na dagdag sa pension ng SSS, tapos hindi ma-account ng ating gobyerno kung saan napunta ang P900 million, e, hindi po siguro maganda iyan na ipakita natin sa ating mga taumbayan na dine-deprive natin ng mga remedies, pero at the same time meron po pala tayong malalaking pera na hindi naman natin ma-account as of now.

I am sure it is not the PSC which should be held to account for this. So, ang tanong sa PAGCOR actually, pero for the people, iisang gobyerno lang naman kayo, ke PSC kayo o PAGCOR o Malacañang, you should account for the funds, Mr. Speaker. So, may we know the clarification of our distinguished colleague with regard to this issue.

REP. ANGPING. Well, actually, tinanong ang PAGCOR nito, at saka, ang sabi ng PAGCOR na ang PSC cannot get their share before the government gets its share. So, kalahati lang daw muna, 2.5, pagkatapos daw niyan, makakakuha sila ng kalahati nila, pero doon na sa 50-percent share ng gobyerno.

REP. COLMENARES. But still, Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleague, that is not what the law says, hindi ba? Ang mangyari diyan pala, si PSC pupunta sa Presidente, “Iyong 2.5 percent na natira, pahingi naman po diyan.” E hindi naman ganoon dapat. That is why the law allocated five percent precisely to give fiscal autonomy on the part of the Philippine Sports Commission, para naman sa funding ng mga atleta natin.

REP. ANGPING. Yes. I agree, my dear colleague. So, baka ganyan na lang talaga siguro. Pumunta na lang doon kay Presidente, o sa Office of the President, para magtanong kung puwede ibalik sa kanila iyong five percent. Or else, pumunta dito sa atin para mag-amyenda kung kailangan na kailangan, kung ganyan talaga ang gusto nila. Pero I think we should fight for the five percent, kasi, as you said, kailangan talaga ng ating mga atleta, mga athletes.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, po. So, is there any data na on the PAGCOR income for 2014?


REP. ANGPING. My dear colleague…

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, po.

REP. ANGPING. Hindi nila makuha iyong exact amount, pero ang ano is about P40 million for the year 2014.

REP. COLMENARES. Forty billion?

REP. ANGPING. Sorry, P40 billion, P40 billion.

REP. COLMENARES. P40 billion.

REP. ANGPING. For 2014.

REP. COLMENARES. So kung P40 billion po iyan, ang five percent po dapat niyan na pupunta sa PSC, is about P2 billion, tama po? More or less, average na natin, is about P2 billion, kung five percent po iyan ng P40 billion. Pero ang binigay ng PAGCOR, instead of P2 billion ay P700 million lang, ang sabi po ninyo sa akin kanina.

REP. ANGPING. I am sorry.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, po. So, kung P40 billion ang gross income ng PAGCOR noong 2014…

REP. ANGPING. They should have gotten P2 billion.

REP. COLMENARES. They should have gotten P2 billion. Pero ang binigay sa PSC was a mere P700 million. Ni hindi nangalahati po. So, saan napunta ang P1.3 billion noong 2014 na hindi na-deliver ng PAGCOR sa PSC, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Iyan ang question of the hour. Hindi nila alam kung saan, at hindi naman po tinanong. So, siguro kailangan, we should dig deeper into this problem.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. Maraming salamat, distinguished colleague. This is a revelation naman sa mga ilang Miyembro ng Kongresong ito. To think that the President has, in fact, tolerated and encouraged this kind of anomaly. This one, first, is disrespect ng Executive sa institusyon ng Kongreso. Klaro ang batas na ipinasa ng Kongresong ito, five percent ng PAGCOR funds, five percent ng kinikita ninyo sa mga casino ninyo, sa mga pasugalan ninyo, ibigay ninyo naman sa atleta. Pero nilabag iyon ng Executive, Mr. Speaker, without respect sa batas at sa Constitution mismo because, para que pa tayo magpasa ng batas, e puwede naman palang i-marginal note ng Presidente,

e, mawawalan na pala ng P1.3 billion ang kabang yaman.

Second, Mr. Speaker, disrespect din ito sa atleta natin, at kapag walang konsiderasyon at kamanhiran sa ating mga atleta--hirap na hirap na nga ang mga atleta natin sa pag-compete abroad, hirap na hirap sa equipment, hirap na hirap maglunsad ng activities dito na sports, tapos ganyanin pa natin. Klaro naman iyong—in fact iyong five percent dagdagan pa natin iyan, otherwise talunan talaga tayo sa international sports, Mr. Speaker. And for the President to tolerate is, sa akin, hindi po iyan “tuwid na daan.” Kasi, kahit na ang P1.3 billion pupunta sa Presidente, pero tingin mo, paglabag ng batas, if you are really conscious about ”tuwid na daan,” then you should say, “Ay, mali, hindi ko naman dapat kunin iyong P1.3 billion na iyan noong 2014, kasi labag iyon sa batas. Hindi bale na, PSC, let us follow the law, iyong P1.3 billion, sa inyo na iyan.” Kung ganoon man ang kinagawian noong unang panahon, ginagawa iyan ng ibang Presidente, there has got to be a better reason than tradition. Ibig sabihin, porke’t kinagawian iyan, itutuloy na lang natin kahit mali? No. Even if it is the tradition before, it is up to the public officials na mayroong pag-respect doon sa rights naman ng beneficiaries like the athletes na baguhin ito.

So, Mr. Speaker, this is probably one of the main reasons bakit hirap na hirap na tayong manalo doon sa ating mga international competitions. Sabi nila, noong 1950s, 1960s, tayo ang pinakamagaling sa Asya pero unti-unti, through the years, nawala po itong advantage na ito and, in fact, nagiging talunan na tayo in many sports, not because our athletes lack the quality to excel, Mr. Speaker, kundi the government itself is not giving the legal funding for these athletes.

So, kung i-quote mo si Heneral Luna, Mr. Speaker, “Bayan o kita,” ang inuna ng Presidente natin ay iyong kita. Ang masama pa, hindi natin alam kung saan pumunta, Mr. Speaker. So, I would demand during the budget deliberation for the DBM, the Lump-Sum Funds, and the General Principles ng budget na ito, kung saan nila ginastos iyong P1.3 billion, at least, para sa atleta noong 2014 na ngayon po ay hindi ma-account, according to the agency we are asking.

So, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mme. colleague.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, before we go on.


REP. ANGPING. It seems that there is an amendment in the House right now that they be given the right amount, the five percent of the right amount that is due the PSC, and it is now with the Committee on Youth and Sports Development. So, I guess we should look into that.


REP. COLMENARES. There is a…

REP. ANGPING. It is still there. Yes, there is one, there is a pending resolution.

REP. COLMENARES. A pending bill …

REP. ANGPING. Yes, to amend.

REP. COLMENARES. … to amend the law and make it 2.5 percent?

REP. ANGPING. No, to make it five percent talaga of the whole gross.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. Now, Mr. Speaker, nadagdagan pa ang komentaryo ko sa Malacañang.

REP. ANGPING. Sige.

REP. COLMENARES. Ang dapat pong pumunta dito para magpa-amend ng batas, ang Malacañang. Sila ang pupunta dito at sabihin nila, “I-amend namin iyong Republic Act No. 6847. Instead of five percent ng gross income ng PAGCOR, gawin naming 2.5 percent.” Sila dapat, pero baligtad. Parang ang Philippine Sports Commission pa ngayon ang magpapasa ng bill dito na gawing five percent iyong share ng PSC from PAGCOR. Eh five percent na nga po iyong sa batas, eh, so why do we need a bill? It is not going to amend the old law, it is not going to repeal the old law, it is to amplify an old law.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. Nowhere in the Constitution can we find a provision that says you can file a bill to amplify an old law. So, parang ang nangyari dito, ito pang mga atleta ang gustong mag-file ng bill para i-reiterate lang legally their interest under the law. So, hindi ko maintindihan ang Malacañang. Kung gusto nilang baguhin iyong Republic Act No. 6847 at gusto nilang sabihin na, “Huwag nang five percent, 2.5 percent na lang ang ibigay sa PSC,” sila dapat ang pumunta dito, sila dapat ang humingi ng approval ng Kongreso na amyendahan ang batas.

Ngayon, mayroon tayong 2.5 percent sa gross income ng PAGCOR na unaccounted for, hindi natin makita, at so far P1.3 billion. This is what you get if you violate the law. So, I will not be surprised, Mr. Speaker, if marami-rami ang makakasuhan after this administration ends precisely because they flouted the law and refused to respect it despite the fact na interes sana ito ng ating mga atleta.

Maraming salamat po, Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleague, at sa Philippine Sports Commission.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). Thank you; thank you, Your Honor.

The Gentleman from BAYAN MUNA has yielded the floor.



REP. DURANO. May I ask for a suspension of the session, Mr. Speaker.


It was 11:00 a.m.





REP. DURANO. Mr. Speaker, I move that the Gentleman from the First District of Misamis Occidental, the Hon. Jorge T. Almonte, be recognized for his manifestation.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The Honorable Almonte is recognized to interpellate the distinguished Sponsor.

The Gentleman has the floor.

REP. ALMONTE. Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, the Philippine Sports Commission family, my fellow colleagues, good morning. Actually this is not an interpellation, but for the most part, it would be a manifestation.

On August 27, 2015, His Excellency, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, approved Republic Act No. 10680 which created and established the Misamis Occidental Sports Academy in the capital city of Oroquieta, province of Misamis Occidental. There were two other laws which are of the same nature and these were approved on the same date, August 27, 2015.

Section 3 of Republic Act No. 10680 provides, and I quote:

The construction, establishment and operation of the Misamis Occidental Sports Academy shall be funded by the Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental and such funds as may be granted by the PSC or by the Office of the President.


It is on this note, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, that I would like to call the attention of the Philippine Sports Commission, if need be, that this matter of providing funds should be addressed. That is a point of information, and I do hope and I would even say that if there is a need to augment or increase the appropriation of the Philippine Sports Commission as a consequence of the establishment of this sports academy, I would certainly support it.

Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, thank you so much.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you so much, my dear colleague.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). Thank you. The Honorable Almonte has yielded the floor.


REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, I move that we recognize the Hon. Jonathan A. Dela Cruz from the ABAKADA Party-List for his interpellation.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The Gentleman from the ABAKADA Party-List, the Honorable Dela Cruz, is recognized.

The Gentleman has the floor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Before I start my interpellation, Mr. Speaker, may I request this Chamber to pause for a one-minute silent prayer on the demise of our respected Sen. Joker Arroyo.

Everybody rose for the silent prayer.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). Thank you. Please proceed.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Will the distinguished Sponsor yield to a few questions, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, my dear colleague, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, the distinguished Sr. Deputy Minority Leader mentioned the contributions coming from the PAGCOR which, to this point, have yet to be properly worked out, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. Are there any other agencies of government that are supposed to provide certain funds to the Philippine Sports Commission in addition to that of the PAGCOR?

REP. ANGPING. The PAGCOR and the PCSO are the only two agencies, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How much is the contribution of the PCSO?

REP. ANGPING. I am sorry, I think the Bureau of Customs is the third agency.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, that is the information that we are getting, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, that in addition to the PAGCOR and the PCSO, there is also an amount coming from the Bureau of Customs.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, the Bureau of Customs.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Do we have any figure, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, let us say, for the past two years, 2013 and 2014?

REP. ANGPING. It is about P5 million a year on taxes for the sports equipment.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This is only for purposes of tax exemption?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, only for the purpose of tax exemption, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How much was that, let us say for 2013 if you have the figure?

REP. ANGPING. 2015?

REP. DELA CRUZ. No, for 2013, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, if you have the figures, then for 2014. One of the things mentioned by our sports enthusiasts is that the Philippine Sports Commission, although chartered by the government and properly given all the powers and responsibilities to develop our sports program, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, has been hampered by a number of things and one of these is the inability of the Philippine Sports Commission to avail of the most modern equipment for training. So we want to find out if there is a program on the part of the PSC for the acquisition of training equipment and materials that will be provided to our sports organizations. Is there such a program and if there is a program, where is that, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we do have a program. Is it all right with our distinguished colleague if we provide him with it?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. When was this particular program on the acquisition of the equipment undertaken, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, if you have any idea? When was this program developed and what has been the outcome of the implementation of this program? How


much was actually allocated for this kind of program and which particular sports was given priority as far as training equipment and materials are concerned?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, there is no particular sports. It is one for all, all the sports equipment coming in and this has been going on for years. We do not remember when it really started but in 2014, it was more or less P8, 800,000.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, are you trying to tell us that the Philippine Sports Commission has never come out with a program of acquisition for training equipment and materials? That is supposed to be part of their program as I suppose that the Philippine Sports Commission has also a plan for sports development in this country.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, my dear colleague, Mr. Speaker, they do have a program. In fact, they have a new football field and a new track oval. Are these the ones we are looking into?

REP. DELA CRUZ. The point I am making, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is this: Under the Aquino administration, we were informed that we will now have a revitalized national sports program that included what the distinguished Minority Leader earlier mentioned about grassroots development.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I was wondering if that particular program was actually proposed and if that particular program had been proposed, how much was allocated for that and what is the outcome of this particular program of reenergizing, redeveloping and rehabilitating the national sports operation, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. I am mentioning this, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, because it appears that the private sector has been more involved than government. If that is the case, then we are going to have big problems because in other countries, the national sports program is a national priority. It is a government program that also involves the private sector, not a private sector program that also involves the government.


REP. ANGPING. May I request for a suspension of the session please to put all these things together.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, there is a request for a suspension of the session.


It was 11:10 a.m.




REP. ANGPING. My dear colleague, Mr. Speaker, the Gentleman asked about the grassroots program.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I requested, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, a copy, if there is such a copy, of the sports development program under the Aquino administration because we are informed that there is such a program. We want to find out what kind of priorities we have in that particular program; what particular training materials and equipment have been provided under that particular program; who are the recipients of this particular distribution; and what kind of funding was provided under this national sports development program of the Aquino administration, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, we will be providing the Gentleman with such but may I suggest, perhaps I could mention some of these programs.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, please.

REP. ANGPING. We have the Laro’t Saya sa Parke program. This is a park-based national sports program that they do every week in many parts of the country. Then we have the Philippine National Games, a national competition program that validates the performances of the national team members. We have another national competition program called the Batang Pinoy held annually and designed for children aged 12 to 15. Its primary objective is to develop the youth at the grassroots level for talent identification.

Now, as for the budget for each, as I said, we will be sending the Gentleman a copy. The Batang Pinoy games program costs about P35 million, the Philippine National Games competition program is about P38 million, and the Laro’t Saya is about P8 million. They have also the sports seminars which cost them about P10 million. The rehabilitation of the track oval and the football field costs P35 million each. Equipments are provided the athletes and the rehabilitation of their dorms amounted to P20 million. Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of the NSDF that comes from the PAGCOR goes to the NSAs.

Is that satisfactory, Mr. Speaker?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, thank you very much, Mr.


Speaker. We will go to the national sports associations (NSAs) issue later on, but I just want to find out, in the contemplation of the Philippine Sports Commission, what are the priority sports that we should be developing in order that we can compete properly in the international arena? What are the sports that, in the contemplation of the Philippine Sports Commission, will probably be given some other arrangements? What are the top priorities as far as the Philippine Sports Commission is concerned? If there is a national sports association that is working on this particular sport, what kind of support has the Philippine Sports Commission given to this particular association?

REP. ANGPING. Okay. They have 10 priority sports projects called Sports Prioritization Program. The Sports Prioritization Program is a performance-based funding scheme of the Philippine Sports Commission to ensure a highly reasonable support system to sports associations through a strict screening and assessment process. The priority sports are archery, athletics, billiards, boxing, chess, judo, karate, taekwondo, wrestling and wushu. These are the 10 priority sports under the Sports Prioritization Program.

REP. DELA CRUZ. These are archery, athletics, billiards …

REP. ANGPING. Boxing.

REP. DELA CRUZ. … boxing, chess, taekwondo, judo, what else, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Karate, wrestling and wushu.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, karate, wrestling and wushu. Which of these sports, Mr. Speaker, are considered competitive sports in international competitions?

REP. ANGPING. All of them, Mr. Speaker, my dear colleague.

REP. DELA CRUZ. All of these?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In the case of archery, what kind of particular support has been provided by the Philippine Sports Commission, how much was given and what kind of equipment was bought, if there is any? What kind of training was provided by the Philippine Sports Commission?

REP. ANGPING. The budget for archery is about P15, 256,420. We have the bows and arrows and all those needed for the sports.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This is coursed through the national sports association or this is being undertaken directly by the Philippine Sports Commission?

REP. ANGPING. This is done by the Philippine Sports Commission, but upon the request of each NSA, they are given their budget, my dear colleague, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What kind of support will P15 million provide in archery, Mr. Speaker? I suppose we have a good chance of being competitive in the sports called archery, Mr. Speaker. I think we have had some athletes who made good in archery. Can you name what particular or specific items had been provided out of this, say, P15 million? This P15 million was actually given in 2014?

REP. ANGPING. In 2015, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So this is for 2015. What about last year, did the Philippine Sports Commission give anything to the archery association?

REP. ANGPING. The amount, Mr. Speaker, was almost the same, around P15 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Almost the same?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, it was P15 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What kind of equipment, what kind of materials, if any? What kind of support will P15 million provide to the national sports association in charge of archery?

REP. ANGPING. For the P15 million fund, the support goes to the priority training of athletes and to their allowances when they go out to international events and local events, for international hosting and grassroots development, for international and local training, for equipments such as bow and arrows, for basic allowances like meal allowances for both athletes and the coaches, then we have the regional and foreign coaches who we have to take care of, my dear colleague.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. Who are our most competitive archers, Your Honor, if we have a listing? What is their placement, if there is already such, in international competitions for example? In Southeast Asia, did we get any medal for our archers?

REP. ANGPING. Luis Gabriel Moreno won


the gold medal in the 2014 Youth Olympic Games competition.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Luis Gabriel Moreno. Is he locally trained or he is trained outside of the country? What is the provenance of Mr. Moreno?

REP. ANGPING. He is trained both here and abroad, my dear colleague, but mostly here.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, who are the other ones who may be considered internationally competitive...

REP. ANGPING. In archery?

REP. DELA CRUZ. ... as far as archery is concerned? I suppose we should be very competitive in archery because we have a talent for that kind of sports, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. ANGPING. Mai-mai Cojuangco, a lady, is one of them.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, and probably there is, of course, a program for the development of archery as a competitive sport and for which we should be grateful to the Philippine Sports Commission for providing this P15 million as support. I suppose the national sports association in charge of archery has poured in more money in this particular undertaking. Is Mr. Moreno also supported by other sponsors, do you know, Mme. Sponsor?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they are also supported by some private individuals.

REP. DELA CRUZ. By the private sector?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I suppose, at some point, we will be able to get an idea on the kind of development program we have for archery because as you said, we just got a gold medal from Mr. Moreno.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There should be a number of other archers who should be as competitive as Mr. Moreno. How do we compare as far as archery is concerned in the Asian Games?

REP. ANGPING. It is also Mr. Moreno, Mr. Speaker, who excels in Asia and we are ranked fourth in Asia.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Your

Honor. What about athletics, how much was provided by the Philippines Sports Commission for purposes of support to the athletics program? What is the athletics program, Your Honor? What kind of competitive athletes are we supposed to be nurturing or this is in track and field? What particular sports are we interested in?

REP. ANGPING. The particular program for this, athletics, is more for the track and field.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How competitive are we in track and field, Your Honor, let us say 100-meter dash?

REP. ANGPING. We are the record holder in Asia for men and women.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For Southeast Asia?

REP. ANGPING. For Southeast Asia.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Who are our record holders, are they domestically trained or they are imports coming from America, for example? Are these Fil-Ams?

REP. ANGPING. The two are Eric Cray and Ms. Richardson.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Cray, I suppose, was trained in the United States.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, you are correct, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Do we have a program of encouraging ...

REP. ANGPING. Local?

REP. DELA CRUZ. ... Fil-Ams, Fil-Canadians et cetera, to join us in our sports program?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we do.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What about our own development program as earlier advised by the Honorable Colmenares, are there any such efforts at the grassroots level?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we do. We have a bigger program here, that is why they rehabilitated the French oval track and field.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How much was provided in terms of support to the athletics program, Your Honor?


REP. ANGPING. It is P24,859,840.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Twenty-four million pesos, is that enough? Compared, for example, with the budget that is provided by the China Sports Agency, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, for athletics alone, P24 million is given to only one athlete. So if we are going to have this for our National Sports Program for athletics, this is quite pitiful, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. ANGPING. We are very pitiful, Your Honor, because Thailand has $580 million for this particular event and we have only $80 million support.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Are there any private sector sponsors of athletics, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, there are.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Who are these particular private sector sponsors? If they are sponsoring, what kind of incentives does government provide so that we will have more private sector sponsors for our National Sports Program? Are there any tax incentives, benefits or loans that can be provided?

REP. ANGPING. For the athletics, Mr. Speaker, the main sponsor is Milo and they give support through the NSA, money support.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. Thank you very much. This is a grassroots program that is being supported by Milo, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, and this is Nestlé product. If the distinguished Sponsor is informed, may I be advised on how much is being provided insofar as the private sector sponsorship is concerned for our National Sports Program in athletics?

REP. ANGPING. Can we send you the figure, Mr. Speaker, my dear colleague, as they do not have it with them, will that be possible?

REP. DELA CRUZ. In addition to the private sector participation, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, I suppose that in athletics, we should be having a track and field oval et cetera, everything. We should also be training our coaches. Is this something that the Philippine Sports Commission is doing? If it is doing it, what kind of program do we have for such? How many track ovals do we have in the entire country that are of global standards, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. We have three track ovals all over the country, one in Baguio and two in Manila—the Rizal Memorial Stadium and the ULTRA oval track.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We are still using the Rizal Memorial Stadium?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, just for running, my dear colleague.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is the distinguished Sponsor aware of the age of the Rizal Memorial Stadium track? Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, is she aware? How old is this Rizal Memorial Stadium?

REP. ANGPING. It is 86 years old.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Eighty-six years old, it is almost like the respected, just departed Senator Joker Arroyo. He was 88 years old and the Rizal Memorial is 86 years old.

REP. ANGPING. Eighty-six years old.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Do we have any another such ovals, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? Do we have any program? I remember that last year when we were discussing the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission, there was an effort on the part of the Philippine Sports Commission to advise Congress that we will have one big national sports complex in Clark. Whatever happened to this particular program?

REP. ANGPING. Well, yes, last year, Mr. Speaker, my dear colleague, there was a proposal to move the sports center to Clark but this fizzled out.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is this still something that we can look into, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? I also remember that in our earlier discussions, the effort was to have, at the very least, one, I would say, globally competitive sports complex in every region. If not in every region, at least, on a progressive basis over a five-year period, we should have that kind of a sports complex, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. For example, if we have 15 regions, probably over the next five years, we will have one every year, so five such sports complex where our athletes can train and where we can have a real, honest-to-goodness competitive sports being undertaken.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is the Philippine Sports Commission, in any way or form, trying to establish that kind of an effort, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, establishing these milestones, this kind of activities? I think the government will have to look into that particular program, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. In addition to the support that is being given to the national sports


associations, I think that insofar as the structure is concerned, it will have to be the government. Is there such a program on the part of the Philippine Sports Commission?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we do, Mr. Speaker, my dear colleague. In fact, there are some local governments that are helping out, like, we have one in Tagum, Pagadian, Ilocos and Bacolod.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes.

REP. ANGPING. These are run by the local government.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How is our relationship with the local government because many of our local government officials are actually sports- minded?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I remember in the case of Bacolod, for example, where we held some games for football, there is a huge sports complex.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we do.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is that being run by the Philippine Sports Commission or is this being run by the local government unit?

REP. ANGPING. By the governor, local government.

REP. DELA CRUZ. By the local...

REP. ANGPING. Yes. In fact, we do have very good relations with the local governments because all of these are all aimed for the grassroots level.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, but the national government spends for all of these. Are we going to stage any international sports competition pretty soon, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? For example, next year, is there any international sports competition that will be staged in the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, there will be a sports summit this year in Cebu City from November 17 to18 and this will be attended by the local government units.

REP. DELA CRUZ. If we are talking about a sports complex of quality, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, has the Philippine Sports Commission actually looked into and investigated what kind of sports facilities are available nationwide, whether these sports facilities are being

administered by the Philippine Sports Commission or administered by local government units? There must be certain standards on this, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. Do we have that kind of a listing? For example, in Region I, how many sports facilities or complex do we have in Region I that can be used to stage specific international events?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, actually, they have an inventory of all the Philippine sports centers.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We have an inventory?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we will be sending you one because they work together with the Palarong Pambansa and they take care of the sport centers.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, I understand that private schools also have that kind of a program and I suppose the private schools have their own sports complex or facilities. Do we have that inventory?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There is such an inventory.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, my dear colleague, and we will be sending you one, a copy of the inventory.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Therefore, if we are going to stage, for example, the Asian Games, we will be in a position to—for example, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, tomorrow we are going to bid for the staging of the Asian Games here. Will we be prepared to stage the Asian Games, for example? What are the requirements, for example?

REP. ANGPING. We are only ready for the SEA Games in 2019, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In 2019. What are our initiatives in order that we will be staging it quite responsibly, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? What kind of sports complex, requirements and the like will be needed in order for us to stage this properly?

REP. ANGPING. Well, we do not have new constructions but we will be using all the existing facilities all over Metro Manila, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I will request, if that is possible, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, just to give us an inkling of what needs to be done in order to stage an international sports competition such as the Southeast Asian Games,


if the distinguished Sponsor is minded, for the Philippine Sports Commission to, perhaps, submit to us some sort of a roadmap. If we are going to stage it in 2019, which is three years from now, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, I think we should be preparing now.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. If we are going to prepare now, what kind of plan do we have, how much are we going to spend, where are we going to get this money, what kind of private sector participation will there be—those kinds of thing. Is it possible for the distinguished Sponsor to ask from the leadership of the Philippine Sports Commission to provide us with this kind of a roadmap so that we can also be prepared and probably, …

REP. ANGPING. Help them out.

REP. DELA CRUZ. … start the process already, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, in 2016 because this is the 2016 budget. Probably, we can already input that in the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission because we have a lot of lump-sum funds, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, billions of lump-sum funds. Probably, we can already include in the budget of the Philippines Sports Commission some amounts so that we can already prepare for the 2019 staging of the Southeast Asian Games.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you very much. That would be very welcome for the Philippine Sports Commission. We do not …

REP. DELA CRUZ. How much will that be, do you have any idea? Just the pre-staging—P100 million, P200 million, P50 million? What kind of preparation …

REP. ANGPING. Well, we have to look into the times now. When we hosted in 2005, we spent about P300 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. P300 million?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, at that time, in 2005. This will be in 2019, so, …

REP. DELA CRUZ. In 2005, it was P300 million and that was for what? We did not put up or construct any new structure.

REP. ANGPING. None.

REP. DELA CRUZ. These are all operating funds.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, operating funds.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There is no Capital Outlay, no nothing, et cetera.

REP. ANGPING. Nothing.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, P300 million in 2005 was the budget that we had. How many medals were we able to get in 2005, if the distinguished Sponsor is in a position to provide us?

REP. ANGPING. We were number one, so, we …

REP. DELA CRUZ. We were number one in 2005?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many medals?

REP. ANGPING. We got 113 golds, 84 silvers, and 94 bronzes. This was in 2005.

REP. DELA CRUZ. When was the last time we had a Southeast Asian Games?

REP. ANGPING. This year in Singapore.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, 2015. What is our standing because in 2005, we were number one; in 2015, what are we?

REP. ANGPING. Number six.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What happened along the way, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? Number six from number one—that is only a matter of a decade, 2005 to 2015. In 2005, we were number one, we had 113 golds, 84 silvers and 94 bronzes.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In 2015, we are now number six.

REP. ANGPING. In 2015, we had only 29 golds.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Whatever happened along the way, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? I suppose we have been supporting the Philippine Sports Commission. We have been supporting the development of sports in the country for a long, long time. Why we are now number six when we had all the opportunity to maintain our position as number one?

REP. ANGPING. Really, it goes down to the budget


on how we will be able to help out our athletes. The other countries have bigger budgets than we do.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Did the Philippines Sports Commission come out with some kind of an analysis, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, on what happened along the way?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we will ask them to give you—I think they have. So, we will look into that.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I suppose it is not just a matter of money but it is also a matter of prioritization, probably.

REP. ANGPING. The training facilities …

REP. DELA CRUZ. Probably—I am asking all of these things, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, because my estimate is that the Philippine Sports Commission has been quite timid …

REP. ANGPING. Timid?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Timid.

REP. ANGPING. Okay.

REP. DELA CRUZ. … timid in undertaking its mandate under the law. You know, the Philippine Sports Commission, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, in my view, being the central government agency in charge of developing Philippine sports, has every power under the law to impose and assert its will on the development of sports in this country—directional, providing funding, putting together public-private arrangements for that purpose, and the like. I am sorry to say that if we have started as number one in 2005 and now we are number six in 2015, that just means two things, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor: either the Philippines Sports Commission has been quite timid in asserting its powers and its mandate, or it has allowed private sector interest to intervene insofar as sports development is concerned.

That is quite problematic, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, because to my mind, it should be the Philippine Sports Commission that should provide this kind of directions and ask the private sector to participate actively in the development of sports where we can be internationally competitive and internationally recognized. I remember, for example, that in the case of basketball, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is the distinguished Sponsor in a position to provide us with some figures or the Philippine Sports Commission, I hope, will be able to provide us such? How much is being spent for the sport of basketball in this country? I think that should be in billions of pesos.

REP. ANGPING. Unfortunately, I think the Philippine Sports Commission is not taking care of these athletes anymore because the NSA is under the godfather program. In other words, the private sector takes care of the athletes and their training.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee are just providing the accreditation for our teams participating in international...

REP. ANGPING. Yes, accreditation, tax exemption.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In what other sports are we just providing accreditation? Is the Philippine Sports Commission not involved in any way or form in the development of such sports? What other sports is the Philippine Sports Commission just providing the documentation?

REP. ANGPING. Football and skating.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, basketball, football, what else, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Ice skating.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ice skating?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, these three.

REP. DELA CRUZ. These three? We are just providing documentation for our sports to...

REP. ANGPING. We have also another one under Congressman Benitez—badminton.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Badminton, ok. These particular sports are being administered in a sense by the private sector and the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee is just providing accreditation.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, and the training venues.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The training venues?

REP. ANGPING. We provide them—the Philippine Sports Commission.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For example, in the case of football, is the Philippine Sports Commission providing, say, tax incentives through Commission for equipments and the like for football?

REP. ANGPING. For football.


REP. DELA CRUZ. For football?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they have the football field in Rizal.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The 86-year old football field?

REP. ANGPING. It is in Rizal but it is a brand-new field with artificial grass.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Okay. Is the Philippine Football Federation getting any kind of incentive through the Philippine Sports Commission for equipments, materials, et cetera. Are they getting ...

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How much would that be, if the distinguished Sponsor is in possession of some information?

At this juncture, the Deputy Speaker relinquished the Chair to Rep. Jorge “Bolet” Banal.

REP. ANGPING. My colleague, Mr. Speaker, of course, when they use the football field, they pay rent for that and then they provide equipments through the Philippine Football Association.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Okay. Thank you very much, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. Since you had mentioned all the other sports that are being considered the priority sports as far as the Philippine Sports Commission is concerned, what kind of support is being provided in the case, for example, of billiards where we can be very, very competitive? We actually have ...

REP. ANGPING. We have P7 million for billiards.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Seven million?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What kind of support is that, is that for international competitions, the provision of equipments, for training?

REP. ANGPING. Both—international and their allowances.

REP. DELA CRUZ. All?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, all.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In the case of billiards, for

example, I remember that the boxing icon and our colleague here in Congress, Cong. Emmanuel D. Pacquiao, is one of the most avid billiard players. Is the Philippine Sports Commission working with him in order to stage some of our international billiard tournaments, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they are. In fact, they will be having an event in Sarangani in the next few months.

At this juncture, the Presiding Officer relinquished the Chair to Deputy Speaker Giorgidi B. Aggabao.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, I remember that at some point in time, we were considered the billiards capital of the world. As a matter of fact, we got the franchise for the staging of the World Pool event. What happened to this particular effort, Mr. Speaker? It will be a pity if you are not going to continue with this kind of an event because it is a world-class event. It is being recorded and is being transmitted all over the world. I think it will be a good thing for all us, not only for sports but also for purposes of tourism, to have this staged all over again.

Is the distinguished Sponsor in a position to advise us if this particular event is still in the PSC’s program? Or is it no longer in that particular program, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. World Pool is an international event—I am sorry, not international but there is professional fee. It is professional.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I remember there was a World Pool event and we staged it for, I think, for three or five years. It was supported at one point by the Philippine Sports Commission and unfortunately, I understand, it has not been staged for the last two years because of some issues. So, I was wondering if the Philippine Sports Commission is still interested in looking into this because this is something that will enhance our tourism activities as well as sports development.

I understand that we have about five million billiards enthusiasts in the country. I am sure they will be happy to have that kind of world event staged in the Philippines on an annual basis. Is this something that the Philippine Sports Commission can seriously look into?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, they will be looking seriously into it. It is just that there is an internal problem but we will see what they can do with it.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Okay, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. In boxing, again, this is one sport where we can be very, very competitive internationally. What kind of support are we providing for boxing?


REP. ANGPING. Well, the budget support, in terms of money, we give out or the help is P18 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Eighteen million pesos?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, P18 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many boxers of world caliber are we training, Mr. Speaker, if you have any idea? What kind of support can we probably provide so that we can really generate and have a pool of boxers who can really compete.

REP. ANGPING. There are 48 in the pool with free board and lodging.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Do they have allowances as well?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they have allowances.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, we have 48 boxers in the pool?

REP. ANGPING. Yes. In fact, right now, they are in Baguio. They are training in Baguio.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Are they also provided with some training? Are there such things…

REP. ANGPING. With equipment—everything.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Everything, and P18 million will be enough for 48 boxers, Mr. Speaker? That is even less than 50 percent if we have 48,...

REP. ANGPING. Eighteen million pesos is being given as support but …

REP. DELA CRUZ. … less than P500, 000 per boxer.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, but they are also being supported by a private sector.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There is a private sector?

REP. ANGPING. MVP, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The Pangilinan.

REP. ANGPING. MVP-Smart.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The Pangilinan group.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, the Pangilinan group.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, they are also being supported by the MVP-Smart Foundation. This is a foundation?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I will not go to the other priority sports that the distinguished Sponsor mentioned earlier, Mr. Speaker. I will just request probably the Philippine Sports Commission to provide us with its own roadmap for all of these sports—archery, athletics, billiards, boxing, chess, taekwondo, judo, karate, wrestling and wushu.


REP. DELA CRUZ. Also include in that particular submission, Mr. Speaker, if it is possible, the kind of support that the PSC is providing, how much is that in terms of money and probably, in terms of other nonmonetary support as well as the support or the direction of support coming from the private sector. If there are any private sector enthusiasts that are providing support for these sports, we will also appreciate that list, Your Honor.

All of these sports are, of course, being administered or being supervised and monitored through national sports associations.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There are national sports associations for all of these?

REP. ANGPING. For all of these, NSAs, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. By the way, Your Honor, what is really the relationship between the Philippine Sports Commission and the national sports associations? How much is being coursed in terms of the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission for purposes of sports through the national sports associations? Let us say, the budget right now of the Philippine Sports Association is more than a billion and so, how much of that is being coursed through the national sports associations?

REP. ANGPING. Their support to all the NSAs is 60 percent of the NSDF.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Sixty percent of the total funds of the Philippine Sports Commission are coursed through…

REP. ANGPING. It is for the NSAs.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For the NSAs and how much is that?


REP. ANGPING. For this year, it has come out to a total of P415, 964,000 now.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Four hundred fifteen million pesos.

REP. ANGPING. It is about P420 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This is the budget that is being provided...

REP. ANGPING. To all the NSAs.

REP. DELA CRUZ. … by the Philippine Sports Commission to all the NSAs?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This is the budget that is being provided by the Taiwan Sports Federation for its athletics team.

REP. ANGPING. For athletics only.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For athletics only?

REP. ANGPING. For athletics only, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We are giving this to—how many NSAs do we have?

REP. ANGPING. There are 53.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, we are giving P415 million to 53 NSAs and this P415 million is the budget that is being provided by the Taiwan Sports Federation to the athletics group in Taiwan?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, that is just like what Thailand provides for their athletics for…

REP. DELA CRUZ. That is why, probably, at some point, we will have to convene and if the distinguished Sponsor is so minded, I will have to propose that we convene before we end 2015 or perhaps after the campaign in 2016, Your Honor. The Philippine Sports Commission should probably convene a sports summit so that we can seriously look at the state of our sports development, Your Honor.

I will suggest that the distinguished Sponsor advise the Philippine sports community, through the Philippine Sports Commission, to make sports development one of the priority discussion points insofar as the elections is concerned. Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, we have to elevate the state of our sports and our sports development program to an issue of political

consequence. I think we have had enough of all of this, you know, finger- pointing, et cetera, and the like. As you correctly mentioned, Your Honor, we have actually slid down from number one in the Southeast Asian Games in 2005 to number six in 2015.

There must be a way by which we can get the public and our decision-makers to take a second look at the sports development program of the country, otherwise we will lag behind, and I really dread the day when we will be in the company of Afghanistan or other countries that are now at war, Your Honor. We are a 100-million country; we have a population of 100 million. We have 10 million Filipinos overseas, and we have a lot of Fil-Americans, Fil-Canadians, a lot of people who, I am sure, will be interested in helping us out insofar as sports development is concerned.


REP. DELA CRUZ. I am sure that the Philippine Sports Commission will be in a position, if it is so minded, to provide the kind of spark as well as the kind of action where we can put sports development at the top of minds of our decision-makers for their consideration, especially since we are having elections in 2016.

REP. ANGPING. In 2016, yes, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For purposes of the record, Your Honor, I just want to bring this to the attention of the distinguished Sponsor and the Philippine Sports Commission leadership—I just got a text message, Your Honor, from some of those beneficiaries of the sports equipments coming from the Philippine Sports Commission—and they said, “The beneficiaries are grateful for the basketball boards and other sports equipments but please advise the PSC to upgrade the quality of these equipments and other materials that are being provided.” Ang sinasabi po dito, “Naglalaro kami sa Lunes, nasisira po sa Martes.”

REP. ANGPING. Kailangang-kailangan talaga.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ang mga naibibigay daw po...

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Kawawa naman ang mga atleta natin.

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Yes, they will look into that.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I just want to bring that to the


attention of the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, and to this plenary so that we can probably take a look at that.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Again, as I have said, this may just be a matter of being able to put everything together, in coordination with all stakeholders and that include the local government units as well as the private sector, Your Honor, for us to come around together and really revive sports development as one of the priority programs of government. I am really sad to say that we are giving the Philippine Sports Commission only a pitiful budget.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. If there is a way and I was suggesting, Your Honor, since we are already preparing for the 2016, which is next year, Rio de Janeiro Olympics—by the way, what are the preparations being undertaken by the Philippine Sports Commission for our participation in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, my dear colleague, they are still in the process of qualifying. So, two of them will be going to Doha this week and …

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is not true, as it is being reported, that we have more officials who will be going to Rio than athletes. That is not true, that is speculative?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, and weight lifting and boxing will be going out next month for qualifying.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We are already qualified for weight lifting and boxing?

REP. ANGPING. Isa pa lang, sa athletics lang tayo qualified. The ones that are going next month is for qualifying.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ano po iyon, weight lifting or boxing? Sa anong sports na po tayo qualified papunta sa Rio kasi next year na po iyon, I suppose September?

REP. ANGPING. It is only athletics, there is only one.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Athletics?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, sa athletics. It is a 400-meter hurdle.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Sa boxing po natin, we are going through qualifiers?

REP. ANGPING. We are still going to qualify.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What particular sports are we contemplating to participate in insofar as the Rio Olympics is concerned? So, we are in athletics. Boxing, is that something that we are looking into?

REP. ANGPING. Boxing, weight lifting, shooting, archery, swimming.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Weight l i f t ing and swimming.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Of course, we are qualifying, we are going to be in the pool of qualifiers for the wildcard insofar as basketball is concerned. The Philippines is going to be in the qualifiers, the wildcard for basketball?

REP. ANGPING. There will be a wildcard by next year.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, and we are in the wildcard for basketball?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We are in the qualifiers for the wildcard. There will be 18 countries that will be participating in that wildcard sports, Your Honor.

REP. ANGPING. That is right, and in other sports, we have taekwondo too.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Also taekwondo, okay. So we are already preparing. How much are we dedicating to develop our athletes to such competitive level in time for the 2016 Rio Olympics? How much is being allocated in terms of the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission for 2016, magkano po?

REP. ANGPING. P30 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. P30 million?

REP. ANGPING. Only P30 million, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For all these?

REP. ANGPING. For qualifying.


REP. DELA CRUZ. This is just for qualifying. In terms of training, in terms of other things, et cetera, wala pa diyan?

REP. ANGPING. Sama-sama na din iyan. REP. DELA CRUZ. Sa P 30 million?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, P30 million, from qualifying to training to et cetera.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We expect to place in any respectable manner with P30 million? Are we getting any support from the private sector in addition, Mr. Speaker, because there are seven sports that we are looking into?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We are allocating P30 million for the seven sports?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, P30 million in allocation.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many athletes are involved?

REP. ANGPING. They are less than 15.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, 15 athletes are involved. We are thinking that probably with P30 million, if we are going to dedicate the P30 million only to the athletes, we will actually be allocating P2 million per athlete. That is the rough arrangement.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Now that you are telling us …

REP. ANGPING. That is the one that is in the GAA but we can also …

REP. DELA CRUZ. There are billions of pesos in lump sums. Is the Philippine Sports Commission not in a position to provide us with some estimates so that we can, at least, realign part of the funds to provide for the preparations for the Rio Olympics?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they can and we would be appreciative of that.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is the Philippine Sports Commission in a position to provide us with some estimates so that—we only have two more days of budget discussions, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we will, they will, by this afternoon, by tomorrow.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Can they submit something?

REP. ANGPING. By tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Times 10—ang P30 million, sayang po ito. That will be our opportunity to highlight our development. Is the Philippine Sports Commission in a position to provide us with some program?

REP. ANGPING. They will. They will provide that.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Finally, Mr. Speaker, now that the Sponsor mentioned swimming, whatever happened to all of the controversies that arose as a result of, I think, the continuing internal struggle insofar as swimming is concerned? Ano na po ang nangyari doon because I understand that the national sports association, controlled by Mr. Mike Joseph, has been in a lot of squabbles, insofar as this sport is concerned, with other enthusiasts led by Ms. Papa and former Senator Nikki Coseteng.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, it seems that they are still there. They are still squabbling.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They are still there and they are still squabbling?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, the two factions are still squabbling.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How is it?

REP. ANGPING. It is the Olympic Committee now, the POC, which is handling …

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is in the level of the Olympic Committee?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, right now.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It will be unfortunate if we are not going to provide some kind of a mediation arrangement so that the athletes that are being nurtured by the existing group of Mr. Joseph and the other one, the group of Senator Coseteng—if we cannot find a way by which we will be able to get all of these swimmers into play because sayang po iyon, sa totoo lang. Ang nabanggit po sa atin, may mga magagaling na nandodoon sa grupo ni Mr. Joseph pero mas marami daw magagaling na nandodoon sa grupo ni Senadora Coseteng. So, sayang kapag hindi man lang natin mapagsama ang mga ito through the auspices of the


Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, para naman po magkaroon tayo ng tsansa na manalo sa swimming kasi marami po yata tayong magagaling na swimmers, e. When was the last time we had a swimming medal? Sayang.

REP. ANGPING. In the last SEA Games, we were able to get a bronze medal and two silver medals for swimming.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I understand that Senator Coseteng is a good friend of the Philippine Sports Commission C and that they have been talking.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, we can look forward to some amicable arrangements, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So that we can have our swimmers under the two wings compete in Rio as one national team. Magkaisa na po sila at maganda ho ang ating magiging performance doon.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, okay. On that note, Mr. Speaker, I will just have to reiterate our request. Of course, the Philippine Sports Commission has, through the distinguished Sponsor, advised that they will provide us with the roadmap as well as the requirements for the 10 priority sports program that we are contemplating to develop over the years, Mr. Speaker, for purposes of competition and for purposes of grassroots development. I am talking about archery, athletics, billiards, boxing, chess, taekwondo, judo, karate, wrestling and wushu.

I had also been informed that the Philippine Sports Commission will give us an inventory of all the sports facilities that are available, which of these facilities need to be upgraded and which of these facilities need to be replicated in other areas. That includes, Mr. Speaker, what we are going to do with the 86-year old Rizal Memorial Complex so that we can have a venue, probably larger, more competitive than the Rizal Memorial Complex, somewhere in the Philippines so that we can have an internationally- upgraded venue.

In the case of the Rio Olympics, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, I was advised that we are looking at 15 athletes in athletics, boxing, weightlifting, shooting, swimming and taekwondo. If there are any other information that we will be able to get, Mr. Speaker, including the estimates of private sector contributions to sports development, we will appreciate it because that will also help us. We will have to find out which particular

private sector groups are actually the most active in sports development so that, probably, we can redirect part of their contributions to the sports that we are looking forward to as competitive sports for purposes of international competition.

On that note, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, I thank you for giving us the opportunity to ask a few questions, and I hope in time we will be able to regain our standing as the number one sports country, at the very least, as far as Southeast Asia is concerned.

So, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, for providing us—I will also expect, Mr. Speaker, the ones that the Philippine Sports Commission has advised us, these estimates, these amounts that will be needed for us to include these in the 2016 budget of the Philippine Sports Commission because, as I said, we have billions of pesos in the lump sum funds which we can actually realign for purposes of providing the incentives and the necessary assistance for our sports development program.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much, distinguished Sponsor for providing us with the opportunity to ask these questions.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you very much, my dear colleague. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). Thank you, Your Honor.


REP. DEFENSOR. Mr. Speaker, may we recognize the Honorable Tejada for the Minority.

REP. TEJADA. Mr. Speaker, in behalf of the Minority, there being no more Members who wish to interpellate, I move for the termination of the debate on the proposed budget of the Philippine Sports Commission.


REP. DEFENSOR. Mr. Speaker, the Majority joins the motion of the Gentleman for the termination of the sponsorship and debate on the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). To the motion of the Minority, concurred in by the Majority, is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

The period of sponsorship and debate on the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission is terminated.




REP. DEFENSOR. Mr. Speaker, I move for the suspension of the session.


It was 12:08 p.m.


At 1:18 p.m., the session was resumed.



REP. DEFENSOR. Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary status is that we are in the period of sponsorship, interpellation and debate on House Bill No. 6132, and with that, I move that we open the sponsorship and debate on the proposed budget of the Department of National Defense, including the attached agencies.


The period of sponsorship and debate on the budget of the Department of National Defense, including the attached agencies, is opened.


REP. DEFENSOR. Mr. Speaker, to sponsor the proposed budget, we have the Lady from the Second District of Manila,...

REP. ANGPING. Third District.

REP. DEFENSOR. … the Hon. Maria Zenaida B. Angping. May the Lady be recognized, Mr. Speaker.

DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The Lady from Manila, the Honorable Angping, is recognized to sponsor the budget of the Department of National Defense.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you.

REP. DEFENSOR. Mr. Speaker, to interpellate, we have the Gentleman from ABAKADA Party-List. May we recognize the Hon. Jonathan A. Dela Cruz.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao).

The Gentleman from the Party-List ABAKADA, the Honorable Dela Cruz, is recognized to interpellate the distinguished Sponsor.

You have the floor, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Maraming salamat po, Mr. Speaker. Sa Kagalang-galang na Sponsor po ng budget ng DND, the Department of National Defense, maaari po bang magpahiwatig ng ilang mga concerns at magtanong?

REP. ANGPING. Opo, my dear colleague, Mr. Speaker, yes, I am ready.


REP. ANGPING. May I just correct, my dear colleague, that I am from the Third District of Manila.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, from the Third District of Manila.

REP. DEFENSOR. My apologies, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you. Yes, my dear colleague, I am ready.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. In the last budget hearing on the budget of the Department of National Defense, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, we requested a number of documents regarding that particular budget. We raised a number of issues regarding certain concerns as far as the Department is concerned. So, I would like to thank the Department of National Defense for giving us this very voluminous set of documents, Your Honor, in response to our earlier request.

Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, the first thing that was requested of the Department of National Defense was the issue regarding the pension and retirement benefits available to the uniformed personnel, of course, that means the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the other uniformed personnel in the bureaucracy. I was wondering if the distinguished Sponsor can now update us on this particular request especially since I understand the Department of National Defense is very much in the forefront of this particular effort precisely because we do now want to have a system where we will have to allocate more funds for retirees rather than those in the active service.

So, I was just wondering if the distinguished Sponsor can just update us on what is the situation right now and whether the budget of the Department is adequate to answer the requirements of retirement and the pension benefits of our retirees.


REP. ANGPING. Yes, my dear colleague, there is a draft now being finalized to address the situation and to come up with a pension reform bill, programs.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I have with me a summary of the things that were mentioned in that particular effort, Your Honor, and I just want to confirm with the distinguished Sponsor whether these particular initiatives on the part of Department of National Defense have been properly advised to the concerned agencies, Your Honor, specifically the Department of Budget and Management and of course, the other agencies involved.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Probably, including the Department of Finance.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, the interagency group consists of the DBM, DOF, Department of National Defense, DILG and the GSIS. They created a TWG to collectively study the problem on the ballooning costs of the pension and retirement benefits of the uniformed personnel.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, thank you very much, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. One of the more important findings of that particular technical working group is the fact that at present, the rate of salaries and allowances of active uniformed personnel are used, meaning there is an indexation feature insofar as the determination of pension entitlement of a retiree is concerned. Is this a correct assessment, Your Honor, of the technical working group?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. When we say automatic indexation, what does this actually mean?

REP. ANGPING. It is the use of present rate of salaries and allowances of similarly-ranked active uniformed personnel in determining the pension entitlement of a retiree.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For example, Your Honor, how much is the salary of an enlisted personnel right now? 1325 07 OCT

REP. ANGPING. The cadet and the private, for the private, it is P23, 687.

REP. DELA CRUZ. That is the basic or that is the gross salary?

REP. ANGPING. This is the gross.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This is the gross salary, and on what particular …

REP. ANGPING. The base pay is P14, 834.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The base pay is P14, 000. For purposes of indexation, that particular figure will apply on the basic or the gross salary, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. On the base pay.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It applies on the base pay?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, it applies on the base pay

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is it a hundred percent application or there is a percentage application, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. It is 80 percent of the base pay and 20 percent of the longevity pay.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is 80 percent of the base pay and …

REP. ANGPING. I am sorry, it is 85 percent.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, it is 85 percent of the base pay....

REP. ANGPING. Plus longevity.

REP. DELA CRUZ. …plus longevity. How much is the longevity arrangement?

REP. ANGPING. It depends on the length in the service of the soldier.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For example, if the enlisted personnel has been in the service for 15 to 20 years, what will be the arrangement?

REP. ANGPING. For a private, it would be P7, 417.

REP. DELA CRUZ. For 20 years of service?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is that a 20-year service record?


REP. DELA CRUZ. So, the 80 percent of the basic


pay plus, for a 20-year service record, P7, 000. So how much will an enlisted personnel, a private in the Armed Forces of the Philippines get upon retirement, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? So, 85 percent of P14, 000 plus longevity for 20 years of service, how much will he get upon retirement?


REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, may I request for a one-minute suspension of the session, please.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). The session is suspended to allow the distinguished Sponsor to consult with the agency concerned.

It was 1:28 p.m.




Please proceed, Your Honor.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, to your question regarding the longevity pay...

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, regarding the pension entitlement and retirement benefits of the personnel.

REP. ANGPING. Okay. For a private, as I said, they received P14, 000 basic pay now.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. The distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, advised us that a private with a longevity service record of 20 years is entitled to 85 percent of the basic pay plus a longevity allowance. So, how much will that be on a monthly basis, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. It will be P10, 859.23, Sir.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, P10, 000?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, P10, 800.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many retirees do we have right now in the roster of the Department, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, as of September, we have 123,098 pensioners.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, there are 123,098 pensioners, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. On a monthly basis, what are the estimated benefits being afforded all of these pensioners?

REP. ANGPING. For these 123,098 retirees, it is P2, 641,183,100.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So it is P2.641 billion.

REP. ANGPING. Right.

REP. DELA CRUZ. That is almost equivalent to P36 billion a year.

REP. ANGPING. Almost a year, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much. Of course, the DND and the Armed Forces itself, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, have already mentioned that this particular retirement and benefits plan cannot be sustained. Is that a correct appreciation of the sentiments of the Department of National Defense, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?


REP. DELA CRUZ. Therefore, there is a need for us to reform the retirement and benefits program for the Armed Forces.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, that is why there is a draft now.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There is, I understand, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, a draft program being prepared for purposes of adjusting and reforming the pension and benefit system without, of course, degrading the allotments that are already provided for as vested rights to these existing retirees, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, if ever there is going to be any reformation on the pension and retirement benefits plan, it will only apply to new retirees.

REP. ANGPING. To new retirees, yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. In accordance with the proposal of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, there are three possible measures to be looked into: number one, the deletion of the automatic indexation feature of the pension fund so


that the pension and retirement benefits will no longer be subjected to automatic adjustments. Is this correct, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.


REP. DELA CRUZ. For new entrants, there shall be a mandatory contributory scheme. New entrants will contribute 9 percent and the corresponding share of 18 percent will be provided for by the employer, in this particular case it is the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Is this a correct statement, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. The formation of the mandatory …

REP. DELA CRUZ. Then, of course, the designation of a minimum pensionable age…

REP. ANGPING. Yes. The three are correct, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. … at 56. It is still 56. The Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, are they not in any manner or form considering, probably, increasing the compulsory rate retirement age, say 60 for example, to be uniform with those in the civilian bureaucracy, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. Is there no such effort?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, the current position of the DND and the AFP is to maintain the current pensionable age to 56 which is the retirement age.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is there any specific reason for this? In the case of the civilian bureaucracy, there has been an effort to increase the retirement age from 56 to 60. Is that possible especially for those not in combat duty, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, for those administrative personnel who may, perhaps, be considered for a higher retirement age.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, but the requirements of their job require a younger …

R E P. D E L A C R U Z . A g i l i t y s k i l l s a n d probably, …

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many active personnel do we have right now in the Armed Forces of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. It is around 125,000, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This is almost equal to the number of retirees.

REP. ANGPING. To the number of pensioners, yes, the retirees.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many of the 125,000 are considered in combat duty, and how many are in administrative work, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, if you have any idea?

REP. ANGPING. Did I hear right? You are asking how many are in combat duty?

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many are in what we might call the active combat duty, and how many are in what we might call the non-combat or administrative work?

REP. ANGPING. Admin?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, admin work, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, of the 125,000 active personnel.

REP. ANGPING. May I correct that. It grew and it is now 129,780.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, it is 129,000.

REP. ANGPING. Yes. May we submit to you the number of personnel both in the active and in the administrative work later.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, I can wait for that.


REP. DELA CRUZ. Is it going to be submitted today? When is this going to be submitted, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. Before the session ends.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, before the session ends. So, 129,000, and I understand there is another round of recruitment for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Is this correct? Is there any recruitment fund embedded in the 2016 budget for new entrants to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. The ongoing recruitment is to replace the attrited personnel.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, how many are attrited on a yearly basis, if the distinguished Sponsor has any idea?


REP. ANGPING. Around 4,000, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Four thousand? So, in the 2016 budget of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, how many positions are being requested to be filled up, Mr. Speaker? If there are 4,000 personnel being attrited on an annual basis, I suppose there should be an equal number of personnel to be recruited to fill up the positions that are being vacated, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. The objective is to fill up the DEBM, which is 129,780 personnel.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, that is in the contemplation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense.

REP. ANGPING. National Defense, yes, the ceiling.

REP. DELA CRUZ. That is the force that we must have in order to maintain our capability as a nation to defend ourselves and also to assist in securing our territory, as well as working with the Philippine National Police and other security agencies for purposes of maintaining internal peace.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, this is the ceiling.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This is the force, 129,000 more or less?

REP. ANGPING. This is the force, 129,780, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. At any given time, we must have that kind of personnel complement.


REP. DELA CRUZ. Now that we are discussing the threats, Mr. Speaker, in the previous briefing, we requested an update on the part of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines regarding what we may consider external threats to the country’s stability and territorial integrity. It was mentioned, Mr. Speaker, that in the contemplation of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, they consider China’s active intervention in the West Philippine Sea and other areas as the number one external security threat. Is this a correct appreciation of the estimation of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is a serious concern.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is a continuing serious concern. What is the estimation right now of the Department of National Defense, Mr. Speaker? Is this going to be a continuing concern or are there any other threats that may come about as a result of these continuing battles that we may be confronting pretty soon in the West Philippine Sea? Are there any other areas considered as threats to the territorial integrity and security of the country?

REP. ANGPING. The concern with China still stands to be a very serious concern, but there are also some regional concerns such as the conflict between South Korea and North Korea, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Apart from those that are already in existence, Mr. Speaker, are there any initiatives on the part of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in order to lower these particular threats, to lower the possibility of this metamorphosing into something else? Are we in contact with the Chinese military, Mr. Speaker, or do we have any active contacts with the Chinese military?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, our diplomatic and defense relations exist, and the South China Sea is not the main concern. In fact, we still send military students there and we continue to dialogue with them, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is the distinguished Sponsor telling us that we have an active program and if so, what is that program? Is it an ad hoc program, Mr. Speaker, or this is a state-to-state program that has been in place for some time?

REP. ANGPING. This has been a continuing exchange program, Mr. Speaker. It is not a new thing.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It has not graduated into an arrangement similar to what we have, for example, with the United States of America where we have the Mutual Defense Treaty as well as the VFA and the EDCA, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, we have a dialogue system with the Ministry of Defense of China and the DND, and the People’s Liberation Army with the AFP.

REP. DELA CRUZ. When was the last time we had this kind of dialogue, Mr. Speaker, in Beijing?

REP. ANGPING. In 2012 in Beijing, Mr. Speaker.


REP. DELA CRUZ. After that, we are now in 2015 and we have not had any kind of dialogue with the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Speaker? Or are we having certain levels of discussions, maybe not at the level of the Armed Forces chief but probably at the level of senior officials?

REP. ANGPING. We have been inviting them, Mr. Speaker, for the last years but there has been no response. Through other regional meetings like the ADMM, we have an opportunity to consult with them when we meet up with them, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Is there any possibility in the near future, Mr. Speaker, that we might have an arrangement whereby we continue to have that kind of top-level discussions with the People’s Liberation Army as well as the other senior officials of the Ministry of Defense of China, in the same manner that we are having that kind of dialogue with our ASEAN counterparts as well as, of course, the United States, Australia and other nations, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, there is an existing MOU between China, the Ministry of Defense of China and the Philippine DND, and they have regular—for the regular exchange of students in conferences up to date.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker. So, in the meantime that we are having this kind of semi-tension in the West Philippine Sea, for example, there is no way that the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces are looking at the possibility of lowering the tension and possibly continuing these discussions to arrive at a mutually acceptable arrangement in the meantime.

REP. ANGPING. Actually, Mr. Speaker, we continue to engage in the Department and the military levels.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, thank you very much.

REP. ANGPING. In fact, they have defense and military attachés here while we also have our military defense ….

REP. DELA CRUZ. We have military and defense attachés in Beijing?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we have one in Beijing.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, we have this kind of lines of discussion with the Chinese military.

REP. ANGPING. With the Chinese military, yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In what other countries do we have defense and armed forces attachés, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. In all the ASEAN countries, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. All the ASEAN countries?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What about Australia?

REP. ANGPING. Also Australia, Japan.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Japan, and of course, the United States.

REP. ANGPING. Of course, the United States; also Spain, Pakistan, India and South Korea.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Do we also have defense and military attachés in Israel?

REP. ANGPING. In Israel? Yes, we do.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What about in the Arab countries?

REP. ANGPING. We do not have attachés in the Arab countries as of yet, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We do not have?

REP. ANGPING. None.


REP. ANGPING. We only have a liaison officer in Bahrain.

REP. DELA CRUZ. We have a liaison officer in Bahrain?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The officer is somebody who is organic to the Armed Forces of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. The Philippine Navy.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Okay. So, in other words, we are almost covered insofar as our relations with other countries is concerned.


REP. ANGPING. Oh yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, if we are talking about or we are discussing external threats, there is a strong possibility that this may not metamorphose into a more serious threat at any given time?

REP. ANGPING. Serious threat?

REP. DELA CRUZ. There are l ines of communications that we can look into and probably use for purposes of lowering the possible threats.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we have that, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Recently, the Japanese Diet, Mr. Speaker, passed some sort of a military upgrading and rehabilitation program for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Can the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, advise us on what this means insofar as the Philippines is concerned? Is this something that is good for our country? Is this something that is good for the stability of the region? Is this something that can provide us with some kind of an assurance that in the future, we will not have a conflagration that we will not be aware of and that at some point in time, we will be prepared to accept any kind of possibility that may arise as a result of this rearming of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces? What is the contemplation of the Department of National Defense as far as the rearming of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces is concerned?

REP. ANGPING. We welcome the development, Mr. Speaker, as we believe that it can help in the regional stability and collective security.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How can that be, Mr. Speaker? The Chinese government has actually condemned this kind of rearming because in the Constitution of the Japanese government, they are only allowed to have a self-defense force and if you are going to rearm—is this not going to be the start of a systematic rearming of the major forces in our area, Mr. Speaker, and it might involve us in a conflagration not of our own making? Is this not something quite alarming? So that we can at least prepare.

REP. ANGPING. Their concentration is on self-defense and in their contribution to the United Nations.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, it is more of self-defense?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, it is more on self-defense.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is not aggressive?

REP. ANGPING. No, not aggressive.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I hope that even after the budget deliberations, Mr. Speaker, the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces would provide us with some analysis regarding this particular development and if that can be made available to Congress, we will appreciate it.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we will do so, thank you.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Now, I will go to the issue of the contribution and remittances of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. As the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, is very well aware, the BCDA was precisely created in order to optimize the use of all base lands and other assets for the Armed Forces Modernization Program. In the letter that was provided us by the honorable Secretary of National Defense, there is an indication that from fiscal year 1995 to 2015, the BCDA has remitted P17.080 billion from the sale or lease and joint-venture transactions entered into by the BCDA. Will the distinguished Sponsor confirm this particular figure?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, that is correct.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Are the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense content with the fact that the BCDA has only remitted P17.080 billion since 1995? Has there been any effort on the part of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to check these particular figures?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, the validation is ongoing to see whether we can get some more from this.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. In the BCDA Law, if the distinguished Sponsor is in a position to advise us, what is the actual share of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from any sale, lease or joint-venture transaction of the BCDA? What is the actual share, if there is a percentage share and the like, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. From the sale, it is 35 percent, Mr. Speaker, and in joint venture, it is 50 percent.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, it is 35 percent if it is a sale and 50 percent if it is a joint venture. If it is a joint venture, that is going to be on a continuing basis because it is a joint venture?


REP. ANGPING. That is correct.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, and the BCDA has advised in terms of the sales because the AFP share, as far as the BCDA is concerned, was only P7, 612,194,223 …

REP. ANGPING. Point 38.

REP. DELA CRUZ. … from 1995 to 2015. That is the share that has been received by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

REP. ANGPING. That is the share, yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Are the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in a position, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, to advise us as to how much has been sold of the base lands from 1995 to 2015? Does the Sponsor have that kind of a figure because if we are talking about 35 percent, then that means P7, 612,000,000 is 35 percent of the total sales. So, how much has been the sale of government base lands from 1995 to 2015? Does the Sponsor have that kind of an information?

REP. ANGPING. It is approximately about P35 billion.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The Armed Forces of the Philippines accepted that, hook, line and sinker. Mr. Speaker, you mean to tell me that there has been no effort on the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense to check these figures because I cannot believe that from 1995 to 2015, Mr. Speaker, the sale has only amounted to about P35 billion. That is very, very small as far as I am concerned. Fort Bonifacio, the Global City, has been a very, very active business hub, Mr. Speaker, and there has been a lot of sales such that P35 billion, to my mind, is not a figure that we can work with.

So, I think the Armed Forces of the Philippines should take a second look at this particular sale.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they did. It is now P66 billion. The total sales is P66 billion.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is P66 billion, and this is as audited?


REP. DELA CRUZ. Or is this a contemplated sale? Do you have a list? Is the distinguished Sponsor in a position to provide us with a list of all the base lands that have been sold, whether the sales happened in Fort

Bonifacio, Clark or wherever, Mr. Speaker, all of the base lands?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, we will be providing you with a list. Mr. Speaker, for your information, in the summary of the AFP share from the BCDA disposition proceeds, as I said, the AFP share for the modernization program was P17 billion. They have the AFP share for replication which is P11.364 billion, so the total that they have received from the BCDA is P28 billion.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is P28 billion?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, P28.444 billion.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Prior to anything, Mr. Speaker, during the bidding for the BCDA, for example in the case of Fort Bonifacio, was there any estimate on the part of the government on the value of the lands that were going to be sold or entered into in joint venture, Mr. Speaker? What was the estimate, if you have any idea at that point in time?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. For the 250 hectares, the estimate was at P72 billion.

REP. DELA CRUZ. That P72 billion, was it based on 1995 figures?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, 1985. I mean, 1995.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It was based on 1995 figures and so, it is expected that that has increased exponentially, Mr. Speaker. How many more hectares in Fort Bonifacio are supposed to be sold or that remained unsold, Mr. Speaker, if you have any idea?

REP. ANGPING. We will be providing you the exact figures, but it is less than 100 hectares. We will provide you with that together with the other documents that we will submit to you, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I am asking this, Mr. Speaker, because I also asked this last time in the deliberations on the 2014 Budget and so, I suppose the Department and the Armed Forces of the Philippines should have this figure at their fingertips, Mr. Speaker. When do you think this can be provided because this has everything to do also with our modernization program. We have always opined that the AFP Modernization Program has not progressed as much precisely because of the lack of funds and we have expected that the funds should have come from the sale or joint venture activities on all of the base lands, Mr. Speaker. So, I will appreciate it if that can be provided. When?


REP. ANGPING. They will be able to give it to you by tomorrow morning, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. Is that satisfactory?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. It was also mentioned here that P2, 043,000,000 was given to the BCDA from lease payments due to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Did the BCDA provide you the list of all the properties that are being leased and for which P2 billion was provided from 1995 to 2015 by the BCDA? Is there a list of properties/assets that were leased and are under lease up to now for which the Armed Forces of the Philippines got P2, 043,000,000? What are the terms of lease, if you have any idea?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker. They will be giving you a list together with the other documents tomorrow. They have a list of the lease, but they do not have it as of now.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Do you have a list of the properties and assets that are being leased?

REP. ANGPING. The properties that are being leased, yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The terms of the lease, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, the terms of the lease.

REP. DELA CRUZ. If the distinguished Sponsor is in a position to answer this, what is the number of years, if there is anything? Do you have an average lease period for any of these properties? Do we have any idea, or none?

REP. ANGPING. It is an average of 15 to 20 years, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is 15 to 20 years, and many of those leased were entered into in the 1990s, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, so many of those leased are about to expire. Therefore, there should be a way by which the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines should now come out with some roadmap for the use of these properties, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, under lease.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, that is correct.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is there such a roadmap, and is the Armed Forces of the Philippines in a position to provide us with that kind of a roadmap?

REP. ANGPING. Yes. There is a joint technical

group with the BCDA that is working on all these, and we will see if it is ready and we will provide you with the document.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. The reason we are asking this, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is, apparently, the BCDA has been undertaking a number of initiatives and I was wondering if the Armed Forces of the Philippines was ever consulted in these things, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. For example, there is a BCDA project called the Clark Green City. Was the Armed Forces of the Philippines ever consulted insofar as this particular project is concerned? Was there any effort on the part of the BCDA to consult the Armed Forces of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. For areas that are adjacent to the properties of the BCDA, they are being consulted and they are being asked whether their properties will be included, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, but they are not also members of the Board that decides on all these.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There are no Armed Forces representatives, there are no Department of National Defense representatives in the BCDA Board?

REP. ANGPING. There is none, unfortunately.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There is none? That is a travesty, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. I think the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines should have been represented.

REP. ANGPING. That is based on law.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I know. That is the reason I am asking this is, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, if they are not represented, then it behooves the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to at least advise us in Congress that they should be represented. The proceeds of this particular program, the Bases Conversion Development Program, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, accrue specifically to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and if they are not represented, there can be a lot of transactions that can be hidden from them. So, is the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, advising us right now through the Department of National Defense that there should a revision, an amendment to the BCDA Law so that a representative from the Department of National Defense and from the Armed Forces of the Philippines should be included in the Board?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. In fact, they will be providing us a letter request regarding this and how they can do it and to approach us in Congress so we can amend the BCDA Law.


REP. DELA CRUZ. I am asking this because I really have a lot of problems regarding the BCDA, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, and unfortunately, we have to ask these questions from the representatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the DND because they are most affected by the activities of the BCDA aside, of course, from the communities in and around the BCDA lands. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, these are formerly the base lands.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, I agree with you, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Tha t g ive s me an opportunity to ask, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, regarding the participation of the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation. The report that was provided us, thanks to Secretary Voltz Gazmin, is that the BCDA received P2,720,500,000 in dividends from the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation where the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense have a 45-percent share, and this is for the period 2001 to 2011. Is this a correct figure, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, P2, 720,500,000?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, that is correct.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Who are the representatives of the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation?

REP. ANGPING. None.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Why? They are supposed to own 45 percent of the shares.

REP. ANGPING. They are represented by the BDCA in the Board.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They are represented in the Board?

REP. ANGPING. By the BDCA.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Who is the representative from the Armed Forces of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. None.

REP. DELA CRUZ. None? The BDCA did not even consider giving a seat to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation?

REP. ANGPING. None, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, in the report that has been given to me, is the most lucrative corporation that has been using the base lands for its own purposes. It is controlled by the Ayala Group of Companies and if the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are not even represented in this Board and they are just relying as a third party on the representations of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, again, that is another travesty. I cannot agree to such a situation and therefore, I would like to ask the distinguished Sponsor if the Department of National Defense has ever been given any kind of update on the activities of the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation by the BCDA. The Armed Forces of the Philippines being the main recipients, the principal beneficiaries of the sale and ventures that are happening in the base lands, has there been any effort on the part of the FBDC, the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation, to update at least the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces regarding the activities and transactions of the FBDC? Has there been any such effort?

REP. ANGPING. They never received any updates and they do not even receive any amount in dividends, so nothing.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In other words, they have been getting tsismis, tsinitsismisan lang sila ng BCDA.

REP. ANGPING. Pero hindi sila—opo.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Iyong mga reports po na nakukuha nila, pati iyong mga information na nakukuha nila dito, puro mga BCDA tsismis ito. Kung ano nalang ang sinasabi ng BCDA sa kanila, iyon nalang po ang nakukuha natin. Tama po ba iyon o hindi? Hindi pa ho kayo—ang Armed Forces of the Philippines at ang DND, ni hindi kayo nakokonsulta kaya hindi nagkakaroon ng pagkakataon na alamin kung ano ang nangyayari dito sa Fort.

Alam po ba ninyo, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation is the mother lode of all of the billions of transactions at the Bonifacio Global City. If the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense which are the principal beneficiaries of all of these activities at the Bonifacio Global City, have never been consulted, or there has never been any effort on the part of the BCDA to undertake any kind of updating for the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department


of National Defense, then there must be a problem somewhere. As mentioned, and I am quoting now, in the report of the Commission on Audit for Fiscal Year 2012, it noted:

The BCDA has refused to remit to the Armed Forces of the Philippines half of the cash dividends received from the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation on the basis of an opinion of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, which stated that the cash dividends derived from the BCDA’s FBDC shareholdings do not form part of the Asset Disposition Program and shall be retained as its corporate income in accordance with the nature of dividends under the law.

Of course, this has been questioned by the COA and I understand and I thank the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for questioning precisely this opinion of the OGCC, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, because that should not be the case. I am just wondering if the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have already been updated insofar as this thing is concerned. May we know what kind of updating has happened as a result of this? I suppose the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense have questioned this opinion of the OGCC because this is just an opinion and this can change. This is not a ruling of the court.

REP. ANGPING. There are already ongoing negotiations between the DND and the BCDA where the latter has acceded to sharing its cash dividends with the DND provided that they waive their claim to the P2.720 billion it received in previous years, but the DND has not agreed. This is starting from 2014 because of all of these, they will already be given a share but not before that.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How much is being contemplated to be given as a share of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines?


REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, can we ask for a one-minute suspension of the session while we look into this.


THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). We suspend the session to enable the Sponsor to consult with the agency concerned.

It was 2:17 p.m.




Please proceed.

REP. ANGPING. The share from the dividends coming from the BCDA for the AFP-DND is not yet reflected in the report. We can provide the exact amount, together with all the other documents that they need.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The documents that we will be requesting from the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, will include insofar as the FBDC is concerned, the discussions that had happened between the BCDA and the Armed Forces of the Philippines specifically on the issue of the FBDC; the arrangements that are being proposed by the BCDA in representation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the DND as far as the FBDC is concerned; and the measures that are being proposed, moving forward as far as the participation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense in the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation is concerned, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

I am mentioning all these things, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, precisely because of my concern that a lot of the funds that are supposed to be due to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program are being kept in some kind of limbo through the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation. I have with me the records of the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation and if the amount that has been given over a 10-year period by the BCDA from 2001 to 2011, is supposed to be the 45-percent share of the DND and Armed Forces of the Philippines in cash dividends from the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation, this P2, 720,500,000, that is a very pitiful amount, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, as far as I am concerned.

I have with me the records of this FBDC because this is a corporation that is being controlled by the Ayala Group of Companies and if we are talking about cash dividends, P2, 720,000,000 is a pitiful amount. It will be more problematic if the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines will not assert themselves as far as this corporation is concerned. They have to be in control because they are the 40-percent owner of this particular corporation. If they let the BCDA or the Bases Conversion Development Authority monkey around with their participation of up to 45 percent, then that is


a dereliction of duty in the highest form, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. We cannot contemplate that and we should not let that happen as far as the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the DND is concerned.

So, I will request the distinguished Sponsor to raise this with the Armed Forces of the Philippines properly so that they can safeguard, in behalf of our men in uniform whether they are retirees or in active duty personnel as well as their families, the benefits that should accrue to them in their participation in the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation. These base lands, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, were acquired, were actually maintained as a result of the blood, sweat and tears of our people in uniform, of our soldiers. We should not let companies such as the Ayala Corporation handle these things and the BCDA, under the baton of the Ayala Corporation, do their worst because this is the worst thing that can happen to our soldiers, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

The fact that the dividends that are due them, the things that are due them or supposed to be provided to them are not being provided precisely because of the greed that accompanies all of this kind of transactions, I think the Armed Forces of the Philippines has a duty to make sure that these particular things will not happen, especially under an administration that prides itself as an administration of Daang Matuwid. I think it behooves upon the Armed Forces of the Philippines leadership and the Department of National Defense to make sure that they guard their honor and they guard the resources that are due our soldiers and their families.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you very much. We appreciate your concern and we have noted all those things, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Please, and we will appreciate it if the measures that are being undertaken by the Department of National Defense as well as by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, will be provided to us as soon as possible.

REP. ANGPING. As soon as possible, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Right now, we are in the process of looking into the activities of the Bases Conversion Development Authority, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, and we will have to question them on the manner by which they have been handling all the base lands. As I said, these base lands have been acquired and have been protected out of the blood, sweat and tears of our soldiers.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you very much. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much.

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, we will provide you all of these documents by tomorrow.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. Last December 2014, I filed House Resolution No. 1544, directing the House Committees on Good Government and Public Accountability, and National Defense and Security to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the reported problems affecting the AFP Modernization Program. At this point, Mr. Speaker, I would just like to advise the distinguished Sponsor about some of the comments that came from the Commission on Audit. Specifically, I will request the distinguished Sponsor to take cognizance of the observations of the Commission on Audit insofar as the Force Protection Program projects, and I want to read this. First is a letter dated May 27, 2015 of State Auditor IV, Luz Cadano and Supervising Auditor Lucena Gana. May I read for the record:

We have conducted auditorial review of the contract for the supply and delivery of 3,480 units of force protection equipment for the Philippine Army under the AFP Modernization Act trust fund and we have noted deficiencies as discussed below: Inadequately prepared specification of procured items and lapses in the selection of the suppliers in the award of the contract for the supply and delivery of force protection equipment which resulted in contract termination due to uncorrected defects of the items delivered by the supplier which delayed the realization of enhanced modernization for the Armed Forces and the improvement of readiness and protection during operations.

What is the status of this particular contract, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, which, under an award that was given to the UM-Merkata, a corporation organized under the Republic of Serbia, awarded the contract of P120 million. What is the status of this particular force protection project?

REP. ANGPING. The DND, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, terminated the contract for failure…

REP. DELA CRUZ. Has terminated the contract?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What happens now? Did they ever deliver any of the 3,480 units as provided under the supply and delivery contract?


REP. ANGPING. Yes, they delivered but they failed in the technical inspection and acceptance, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is the Sponsor saying they were able to deliver the 3,480 units, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?


REP. DELA CRUZ. All of the units?

REP. ANGPING. All of the units.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Where are these units right now?

REP. ANGPING. They were returned, Mr. Speaker. No, I am sorry. They are in their possession because the DND has not accepted them.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The DND never accepted any of the units?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, that is correct, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, they never accepted since they failed in their procedures.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They never accepted the units. Was the UM-Merkata ever given any kind of funds? Usually when there is an award, there is what we may call a 15 to 20 percent mobilization fund. Was there any such amount provided?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, there was no advanced payment or downpayment.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There was no advance?

REP. ANGPING. None.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So there was never any delivery.

REP. ANGPING. There was delivery but it was unaccepted.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many units were delivered, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor?

REP. ANGPING. The 3,480 units were delivered but they were not accepted.

REP. DELA CRUZ. These units are now in the possession of the Armed Forces of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. The physical possession, yes, it is there but it has not been accepted.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So what will the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines do with these units, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. The suppliers were advised to redeem their equipments.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So the P120 million that was supposed to have been the contract price for these particular 3,480 units, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, is still intact.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, the P120 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is still available. What are the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the DND contemplating about the use of this particular fund? I suppose there will be a number of units in the field needing this kind of force protection equipment.

REP. ANGPING. They need it, so, they will pursue this.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Are there any other biddings contemplated as far as this force protection program is concerned, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? Are there any such activities?

This is considered a squirt, this is considered to be force protection equipment project 1.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, the question was? I am sorry. You were asking what they will do with it?


REP. ANGPING. There will be a rebidding on it.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This force protection equipment, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, is always a continuing requirement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, that is why they will be rebidding it, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, because they have to pursue this since it is needed.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They will be bidding it?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they will be rebidding it.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Was this allowed by the COA?


Usually, if the lowest bidder cannot comply—the process goes like this, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker—then the agency that bid it out will have to talk with the second lowest bidder. Is this not the case?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, the other bidders were also disqualified. As of now, there are no bidders.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In other words, this particular bid was considered a failed bid already.

REP. ANGPING. That is correct, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. After going through that process, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, this particular bid is considered failed because the winning bidder failed to satisfy the post-qualification requirements, but the units, the equipment that were supposed to have been provided the Armed Forces of the Philippines are still in the possession of the AFP. Where are these, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? Are these in the Logistics Command or are these in some other places in the camps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines? Where are the units?

REP. ANGPING. They are at the GHQ Supply Unit.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Let us get this clear, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, first, UM-Merkata, the Serbian company, won the bid. They actually shipped 3,480 of such force protection units and the said units are now in the possession of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Since the units were not accepted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, for all intents and purposes, they remain to be the property of UM-Merkata. Is that what you are trying to say?


REP. DELA CRUZ. These particular units are now in a warehouse, where?

REP. ANGPING. In the Supply Unit of the GHQ.

REP. DELA CRUZ. In the Supply Unit of the GHQ. The P180-million fund which was supposed to pay for this particular shipment, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, is intact and can be used for other purposes. Has this been cleared to be used for other purposes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. The P120 million is going to be used again to pursue this procurement.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you.

REP. ANGPING. It is intact and is there to be used.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is intact. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. Is it correct to assume that there had been other biddings for the same force protection equipment requirement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor? Has there been any bidding?


REP. DELA CRUZ. When was this bidding undertaken, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, if there is any information?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, would you repeat the question. Did you ask about any other bidding on the same equipment?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, the force protection equipment is always a requirement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So there are continuing requirements for this, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, and the force protection equipment project for P120 million was for 3,480 units.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, that was for the 3,480 units.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The distinguished Sponsor just told us that this particular project was awarded originally to to UM-Merkata but unfortunately it failed in the subsequent post-qualification requirements.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, that is correct.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Therefore, even if the company shipped 3,480 units, these units were not accepted by the Department of National Defense.

REP. ANGPING. It was refused, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Therefore, the fund for this, nothing, not even a single centavo, had been released.

REP. ANGPING. That is correct. There was none and so, the P120 million is still there.


REP. DELA CRUZ. The P120 million is intact and the 3,480 units are in a warehouse of the supply group of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Now, the question that I will ask, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, are there any other biddings for force protection equipment?

REP. ANGPING. For other force protection equipments?


REP. ANGPING. Not for this particular P120 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Not this one because this has been discarded.

REP. ANGPING. Yes. All right. In 2012, they had a bidding for 44,080 units.

...

REP. DELA CRUZ. In 2012 and so, what happened to these 44,080 sets, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Sets, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What happened to this particular bidding?

REP. ANGPING. They had three bidders and Kolon was declared the winning bidder.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. The information that we are getting, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is that this is a joint venture of Achidatex, Israel and Colorado Shipyard in Cebu and it was the winning bidder. Is this correct?

REP. ANGPING. That was the third winning bidder. There were three.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Sino po iyong mga nanalo?

REP. ANGPING. Kolon.


REP. ANGPING. Okay. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, there were three bidders, right? Kolon failed in post-qualification, so Kolon lost. Then UM-Merkata also failed.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is this the same UM-Merkata?

REP. ANGPING. This is the same UM-Merkata.

REP. DELA CRUZ. You mean to tell me they were not blacklisted after having failed in delivery?

REP. ANGPING. When the bidding was conducted in 2012, they were not yet blacklisted.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They are now blacklisted.

REP. ANGPING. They are now blacklisted and the winning bidder is Achidatex Elite of Israel.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. So, it was Achidatex. Kolon was disqualified, UM-Merkata was disqualified and now blacklisted. We are now dealing or the Armed Forces is now dealing with the third—is it the third bidder, the lowest bidder, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, ano? So this is the lowest bidder.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, this is the third lowest bidder.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The third lowest bidder and the name of the joint venture is Achidatex, Israel and Colorado Shipyard. This is for 44,080 units, now what happened? Has Achidatex delivered, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. The delivery, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, will be on the 31st of October this 2015, for 28,000 of them.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The information that we are getting, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is that there was a first delivery of 15,000 sets. They were supposed to deliver but they failed last February 28 to deliver these 15,000 units. Then, the second tranche is what you are telling us, Your Honor, which is supposed to be delivered this October 31, 2015.

In cases like this, what is usually the arrangement, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker? Are they not supposed to be penalized? Are they not supposed to be immediately taken to task and therefore, probably even blacklisted at some point in time because they failed to deliver? The first shipment was supposed to be for 15,000 sets and these were supposed to have been delivered last February 28, 2015 but there was no delivery, Mr. Speaker. Now they are supposed to deliver 29, 080 sets at the end of October. What happened to the first delivery which they failed to undertake?


REP. ANGPING. The first delivery of 15,000 units was affected by the Syrian war.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, what happened?

REP. ANGPING. The facilities were hit by missiles.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, what will happen? They failed to deliver.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. When are they supposed to deliver?

REP. ANGPING. They extended the delivery by 120 days from February 28.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, and that means June 28, 2015. What happened, did they deliver?

REP. ANGPING. They were not able to deliver.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They were also not able to deliver the 15,000 and so, why are we still talking with them, Mr. Speaker, if they failed to deliver? What kind of contractors do we have in the Armed Forces of the Philippines? Ano po ang ginagamit ng ating mga kasundaluhan? Baka banig na po iyan, Mr. Speaker, baka kumot e force protection po ito.

REP. ANGPING. They are now being imposed liquidated damages because of the late delivery.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, that is well and good but what about the requirements of our soldiers? Do we have force protection equipment available to supply our soldiers, Mr. Speaker, because we might be putting them in harm’s way if we do not have this kind of force protection equipments? What is happening at the level of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, they do, they have these equipment, but they lack it now.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes?

REP. ANGPING. I mean, because of all these deferments of deliveries and these disqualifications, they really need more. In the meantime, they have some.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How many of our active duty soldiers, Mr. Speaker, are provided with force protection

equipment, and how many lack force protection equipment? Do we have any idea?

REP. ANGPING. About 29,000, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, 29,000.

REP. ANGPING. Iyong nasa inventory nila ay nasa 29,000 po.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Hindi po. Ang akin pong nais malaman ay, ilan ba sa ating mga kasundaluhan ang dapat mayroong force protection equipment?

REP. ANGPING. They are short, Mr. Speaker, by about 85,000.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Eighty-five?

REP. ANGPING. Eighty-five percent, I am sorry.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, by 85 percent.

REP. ANGPING. It is about 65,000.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is about 65,000. How many of our soldiers should have this kind of force protection equipment? These are armored vests, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. About 29 percent.

REP. DELA CRUZ. No, no, how many?

REP. ANGPING. I am sorry, you are asking how many soldiers …

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ilan po dapat sa ating mga kasundaluhan ang mayroon ganitong force protection equipment?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, 29,000 are protected.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Hindi po, ang tinatanong ko po, Mr. Speaker, ay ganito: ilan po ang ating mga kasundaluhan at ilan po sa kanila ang dapat na nagkakaroon ng force protection equipment? Ang force po natin ngayon ay 129,000.

REP. ANGPING. All right.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Opo. Ilan po dito ang dapat mayroong force protection equipment?

REP. ANGPING. They are 109,600.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, 109, 000? Ang sinasabi


po natin ay, out of the 109,000 po, 29,000 lamang ang mayroong force protection equipment sa ngayon.


REP. DELA CRUZ. So ilan po ang kulang natin? More or less, mga ilan ho ito?

REP. ANGPING. Mga 80,000.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mga 80,000 something, Your Honor. Ang ginagawa po natin ngayon ay nagbi-bid out. Ang sinasabi po natin ay, doon sa unang force protection equipment bidding po, ang UM-Merkata—nagkadisgrasya po ito sapagkat hindi nakapagbigay sila ng tamang mga equipment kaya kahit na-deliver ng 3,480 units ay hindi po tinanggap ng Armed Forces of the Philippines at ang mga ito po ay naka-warehouse ngayon sa Armed Forces. Iyong pera na dapat ibigay diyan, P120 million, nandidiyan pa ho at gagamitin natin uli.

Ngayon, ang sinasabi po natin ay mayroon pang second bidding, 44,080 units, at ang tinanggap po ng Armed Forces of the Philippines ay itong Archidatex at Colorado Shipyard Joint Venture. Dapat nag-deliver sila ng 15,000 units noong February 28 po and then another 29,000 units ngayong October 31 pero iyon pong first delivery na 15,000 ay hindi po nangyari. Kailan po dapat idi-deliver daw ito, kung mayroon po tayong alam, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. Iyong una, talaga, dapat February 28.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Opo.

REP. ANGPING. Hindi po na-deliver.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Hindi po na-deliver?

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Iyong susunod ay dapat noong June 28 ay naka-deliver na sila.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Noong June 28 pero hindi rin po na-deliver.

REP. ANGPING. Hindi rin ito na-deliver.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, ano po, may penalty sila?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they are paying imposed penalty.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Magkano po?

REP. ANGPING. It is one-tenth of one percent for every day of delay, Your Honor.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, magkano po iyon, Your Honor, if you have any idea?


REP. ANGPING. May I request for a one-minute suspension of the session, please.


It was 2:54 p.m.




REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I understand from the distinguished Sponsor that they will provide me with the information on this, but I just want to find out what is happening in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense because we always have this information about failed biddings, about all the things that are happening, and nothing has come out as a result of all of these requirements, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. It is not only sad but very revolting, Mr. Speaker, that we have 109,000 soldiers, military personnel who are supposed to be provided force protection equipment but we only have 29,000 provided that, and 80,000 not provided those things, Mr. Speaker. We have this travesty of having failed biddings all over the place for 3,420 units and now for 44,080 units.

I was wondering, Mr. Speaker, who are the people involved insofar as these things are concerned? May I know from the distinguished Sponsor if she has any information on the people involved in the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines who have failed our people, who have failed even our soldiers, Mr. Speaker, with all of these delayed transactions, with all of these failed transactions. I just want to find out if the distinguished Sponsor is in any position to advise us.

REP. ANGPING. I will just have to find out, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, because I believe that they have a procurement board and they are supposed to go through biddings and all.

So, maybe we should just look into it, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes. I have here with me a letter and I will read for the record, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, on January 28, 2013, this was the letter of


the former Armed Forces Chief, Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista, questioning precisely the technical proposals submitted by then UM-Merkata. Immediately after that, just three days after that, we had a letter coming from Asst. Secretary Patrick M. Velez which tend to justify why UM-Merkata was actually given the go-signal to be awarded this particular contract and actually, to deliver this particular contract. It is good that the Department has actually not accepted the deliveries, Mr. Speaker, but again, this has something to do with the manner by which the procurement process in the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines is being conducted, Mr. Speaker, and if this is the manner by which this is being conducted, I have to fear for our soldiers.

Their basic requirements, Mr. Speaker, for force protection equipment, for example, cannot be delivered is precisely because of the manner by which these bids are being conducted at the level of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. I just want to find out, Mr. Speaker, what is really the process right now as far as the AFP Modernization Program is concerned? What are the processes involved, who are the people involved, and who are the beneficiaries, meaning the units that are supposed to use this particular equipment, Mr. Speaker? Are these beneficiaries ever involved in these activities for acquisition? I just want to find out the people involved, Mr. Speaker, as far as the AFP Modernization Program is concerned. Is Atty. Velez still involved? He is supposed to be the assistant secretary for acquisition, installations and logistics.

REP. ANGPING. The procurement board follows and complies with all the procural requirements of R.A. No. 9184, Mr. Speaker. As per the other questions that you are asking me, I will have to look into them because the Department should take full responsibility for all.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, I will appreciate it the distinguished Sponsor can provide us all the documents regarding this. Who are the people involved? Why is it that we are failing? What seems to be the problem with the drafting and definition of the terms of reference for each and every bidding, Mr. Speaker, for each and every acquisition, Mr. Speaker? We want to know precisely because, as I said, we are doing a lot of disservice not only to our country but more especially to our personnel, Mr. Speaker, because they are being put in harm’s way with all these failures that we have at the level of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense. I pity our soldiers and our officers who are in the field right now, who have to make do with equipment and things that are not available to them precisely because of these failures that we have in the bidding process, Mr. Speaker.

So, Atty. Velez, Asst. Secretary Velez is still involved in these particular activities? Who are the other people involved, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. As far as I know, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, Mr. Velez has already resigned.

REP. DELA CRUZ. He has resigned?

REP. ANGPING. Yes. So, I will have to look into all the other concerns that you have and we will ask the DND to come up with a report and that will be part of what they will be bringing tomorrow.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Also the coping measures—how the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, especially the recipient units, Mr. Speaker, are coping. How do they plan to work out something so that the procurement process will be simplified, and the equipment that are required for our troops will be provided them in as responsive and responsible a manner as possible?

Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, I will now go to another issue which has something to do with the armored personnel carrier (APC). I have here with me a copy of the Commission on Audit Report regarding the procurement of 28 units of armored personnel carrier for the Philippine Army, which contract has been given to a company called “Elbit Systems Land and C41 Limited of Israel” in the total amount of P880 million. What happened to this particular contract, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, we confirm that the award was given to Elbit Systems and C41 Limited of Israel.

REP. DELA CRUZ. When was this award given, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. The Notice of Award was dated January 1, 2014, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor

REP. DELA CRUZ. January 1, 2014?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This was for P882 million.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, for P882 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

Is the distinguished Sponsor aware that as early as 2013, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact,


in 2012, the Armed Forces of the Philippines was already in receipt of an advisory coming from the United States Armed Forces that the US government was donating 114 units of the same type of armored vehicles, APC M113, for free and these were actually already inspected by the Philippine Army in 2013? Is the distinguished Sponsor aware that this was actually worked out already at the level of the US government and the Philippine Republic, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker? There was a donation from the US government of a similar type of armored personnel carrier, 114 units for free, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, and these were already inspected by the Philippine Army in 2013. Whatever happened to this?

Yet, on January 1, 2014, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense proceeded with the acquisition of only 28 units of the same kind of armored vehicle for P882 million. We are talking about a big difference, 114 units for free coming from the US government as against 28 units for which we are going to pay P882 million. Bakit po tayo pumayag sa ganito? Ano po ang nangyari sa buhay natin at bakit tayo nagbabayad ng P882 million para sa 28 armored personnel carrier samantalang magbibigay po ng libre, 114 units of exactly the same type of armored vehicle ang US government. Ayaw po ba natin sa gobyerno ng Amerika o mas gusto natin na magbayad maski na may libre na ganito?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, the total requirement of the AFP for M113 is huge, so while they are pushing through with the receipt of donation from the United States, that is the reason they still have to acquire more and that is the reason for the P882 million.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ah, maganda pong ano iyan ha.

REP. ANGPING. Ang requirements po kasi nila is 230 units.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ang ibig po ba ninyong sabihin …

REP. ANGPING. 230 units po.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Opo. Ang ibig ho bang sabihin ng Armed Forces of the Philippines ay mayroon tayong requirement ng 230 units pero 114 units po dito ay ililibre na ng US government, exactly the same po as the 114?

REP. ANGPING. Yes. So, 230 minus 114, that is what we need.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, but my understanding,

Your Honor, is that the US government was prepared to provide all these 230 units and yet, we proceeded with this acquisition of 28 armored vehicle units from Elbit Systems and Land Corporation for a whooping amount of P882 million, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. Bakit po natin ginagawa sa buhay po natin iyan? Bakit natin gagawin ito at magkano po ang pinag-uusapan dito na babayaran pa natin?

REP. ANGPING. The 114 units were the only ones that were offered to the AFP and these had no armaments. Now, the other 28 units that we are procuring is of a higher kind, with armaments, with more capabilities, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Iyan po ang rason.

REP. ANGPING. Iyan po.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Iyan po ang inirarason sa atin ng Armed Forces of the Philippines.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ano pong diperensiya nitong 28 units na binayaran natin ng P882 million as against the 114, puwede po bang banggitin ninyo sa amin? Anu-ano po ang mga armaments na wala dito sa 114 vehicles na libre po as against the 28 vehicles na P882 million? Puwede po bang banggitin sa atin ito sapagkat nakapagtataka po iyon.

Kung ako po ang bibigyan ng 114 units na libre, e bakit ako bibili ng 28 units na P882 million? Maski na Mercedes Benz iyan o kaya Lamborghini, kung puwede namang gamitin ay Toyota, kasi mukhang ang binibili natin rito ay 28 units na Lamborghini kasi P882 million, e libre naman po itong 114. Bakit ayaw natin doon sa 114?

REP. ANGPING. Hindi po sa ayaw natin ang 114. Hindi ba tinatanggap din natin ang 114 except na kulang nga po, kaya, …

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ang problema po …

REP. ANGPING. Saka basic lang itong 114 po, walang mga armaments so ngayon, ang tinatanong natin ay kung ano ba ang wala dito na mayroon ang binibili natin?


REP. ANGPING. Itong 20 na ating pino-procure ngayon are equipped with a remote control system, a fire control system, a lock-on-target system, guns and advanced platform, e wala po daw nito iyong 114.


REP. DELA CRUZ. Ang isang armored personnel carrier po na bare, magkano po ang isa noon, wala iyong mga sinasabi po ninyo na remote et cetera na iyan? Magkano po ang isang bare armored personnel carrier, iyong bare lang po? Para maintindihan po natin kasi mayroon pong susunod na question diyan e, tungkol dito sa pag-acquire natin nitong P882 million worth of …

REP. ANGPING. Para saan?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Sa 28 units. Ano po ito, ha, hindi po ito bago at surplus po ito. Mayroon po akong dokumento dito na ito ay binili lamang sa surplus from the Belgian army. Kaya gusto ko lang pong malaman, iyong bare na armored personnel carrier, magkano po? Iyong sinasabi po ng Armed Forces of the Philippines at ng Department of National Defense na additional equipment, magkano naman iyon bawat vehicle to justify the P882-million acquisition cost?

REP. ANGPING. Mukhang wala yata silang exact value doon sa 114 na iyon kasi wala nga tayong babayaran doon, and so, hindi nila alam. Ang babayaran lang kasi natin doon sa 114 units na ibinibigay sa atin ay ang transport fee po which is P67 million. Kung magkano po talaga ay kailangan ko pa silang tanungin ngayon, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mahirap po iyan ha. Bumili tayo 28 units for P882 million pero hindi natin alam ang cost ng bawat equipment na iyan. Magkano ang bare? Magkano ang mga additional tulad ng remote control et cetera? Magkano po iyon per vehicle?

Ang ibig ninyong sabihin, nakipag-kontrata tayo, Mr. Speaker, at magbabayad tayo o nagbayad na tayo ng P882 million pero hindi natin alam lahat ng mga specifications. Kawawa po tayo dito kasi baka tayo magkaroon ng mga problema.

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Ngayon, I am sure, may mga breakdown sila nito.


REP. ANGPING. So, ngayon, puwede ba, ipadala nalang nila sa inyo kasama doon sa mga kailangan ninyong mga dokumento?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Puwede po. Kaya lang gusto kong malaman din sa inyo kasi ang equipment po na ito is supposed to have been procured under a government-to-government agreement with the Israeli government.

REP. ANGPING. Israeli, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is that correct?


REP. DELA CRUZ. The Elbit Systems Land and C41 Limited, was it designated, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, by the Israeli government as the equipment supplier?


REP. DELA CRUZ. Where is that designation and do we have a copy of that designation, Mr. Speaker? The information that I am getting, Mr. Speaker, is that Elbit was represented or is being represented in the Philippines by a company called Data Trail Corporation, Philippines and the person involved is a certain Mr. Sta. Teresa. Is this correct? Is this Mr. Sta. Teresa a personality that is known to the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines? Is this person known to you, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. The DND talked directly to the Ministry of Defense of Israel, not to …

REP. DELA CRUZ. Who is this person who claims to be representing Elbit in the Philippines, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. They have not talked with him. They talked diretso doon.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Please, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, I will request that the distinguished Sponsor have a one-minute discussion with the Armed Forces of the Philippines because I have the document here with me and it detailed the discussions that had been made between officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense. If the Department is telling us that they have not talked with this guy, I will have this document put on record, Mr. Speaker.


REP. ANGPING. May I ask for a one-minute suspension of the session, Mr. Speaker.


It was 3:17 p.m.





REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, the procurement as I said, is in accordance with R.A. No. 9184. Now, they say that the DND, regarding the contract, talked with the Ministry of Defense of Israel.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ministry of Defense of Israel.

REP. ANGPING. Now, the procurement is between them but as the Gentleman said, they have a supplier here, a man here, this Sta. Teresa—is it Sta. Teresa?

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, Mr. Speaker, is it correct to assume that there was a memorandum of agreement on a continuing basis between the Department of National Defense of the Philippines and the Department of the Defense, Israeli Defense Forces? Is this correct?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, there was a MOA.

REP. DELA CRUZ. That particular MOA exists up to this day, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, very valid.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What are the terms and conditions of that memorandum of agreement, if you have any idea, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. It includes defense operation and a procurement of the equipment.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Under that particular agreement, the Ministry of Defense of Israel as well as the Israeli Defense Forces can actually be represented by a private sector company, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. They are represented by a private company only for administrative purposes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is there such a provision in the memorandum of agreement for that kind of an arrangement, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. No, none.

REP. DELA CRUZ. None, and under that agreement, Mr. Speaker, my information—I have a copy here of the memorandum of agreement between the Department of National Defense of the Philippines and the Israeli Defense Forces, which stated that if there is such an organization to be nominated by the Department of Defense of Israel, that organization should be a manufacturer of the equipment being procured from Israel. Is Elbit Israel a manufacturer of armored personnel carrier, Mr. Speaker? Is it a manufacturer?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, in terms of refurbishing, yes they are. In terms of manufacturing and refurbishing, they are manufacturers.

REP. DELA CRUZ. No, no, for the armored personnel carrier. Is it a manufacturer of armored personnel carrier which is the basic equipment, Mr. Speaker—Elbit?

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). Please proceed.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, with regard to the Gentleman’s question of whether they were the manufacturer, they are not the manufacturer because these are refurbished vehicles.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They are not, Mr. Speaker. They are not the manufacturer of armored personnel carriers, the basic equipment that is being procured through this company, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, because what the DND asked for was for refurbished vehicles, refurbishing.

REP. DELA CRUZ. The MOA, Mr. Speaker, does not speak of any such thing. The MOA, Mr. Speaker, speaks of a company that is supposed to be the manufacturer of the basic equipment being procured by the Philippine government. That is under the MOA that we signed with the government of Israel, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, it is stated thereat that they are the legitimate defense industry supplier of the Ministry of Defense of the State of Israel for armored vehicles.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, Mr. Speaker, I suppose there is an explanation coming from the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines why they allowed this kind of procurement to be undertaken using an organization that is not even the manufacturer of the basic equipment. There is an explanation for this.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, they were designated by the Ministry of Defense of the State of Israel.

REP. DELA CRUZ. That particular designation, Mr. Speaker, will be given us, including the justification for why we allowed ourselves to get 28 armored personnel vehicles for P882 million instead of immediately getting the 114 vehicles from the United States Army and equipping them. Perhaps equipping them would not have amounted to P882 million and we would have


already 114 armored personnel vehicles in operation and used by our troops, Mr. Speaker. Again, as I said, Mr. Speaker, we will have all the justifications, including the so-called “designation” by the Defense Department of Israel provided us before the session ends.

REP. ANGPING. Before the session ends.


REP. ANGPING. Can they give it tomorrow before our sessions end, Mr. Speaker?

REP. DELA CRUZ. Well, if they do not have it with them right now, Mr. Speaker, of course, I have to give way to the request of the distinguished Sponsor. I understand that the distinguished Sponsor is already in a position to actually complain about the discussions, Mr. Speaker. In any event, I have to thank her for giving us this information, Mr. Speaker, that Elbit Systems Land and C4I Limited is not the manufacturer of the basic equipment being procured with the P882 million, and this company was designated by the Israeli Defense Forces. We will get a copy of that designation that this company is being represented by a private person, not by the Israeli government in the Philippines, Mr. Speaker.

Then, what is Elbit Israel then, Mr. Speaker, if it is not a manufacturer of armored personnel carriers? What is it a manufacturer of, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, this is based on their website:

Elbit Systems produces a diverse and comprehensive range of systems and sensors for land forces. The Company’s total solution concept covers all aspects of combat vehicles – from complete modernization and training to maintenance depots and life-cycle support services.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Where did Elbit Israel get the armored personnel carrier that it is supplying to the Philippines, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. To continue: “The Company’s battle-proven systems include target acquisition, battle management, laser warning and protection, weapon stations, surveillance, fire control (FC) and turret drives.”

REP. DELA CRUZ. Is Elbit Israel getting the armored personnel carrier from the Israeli Defense

Forces, Mr. Speaker, or is it getting it from somewhere else?

REP. ANGPING. This is a US-made platform.

REP. DELA CRUZ. This is a US- made platform? It is getting it from?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, US-made. M113 is made in the US...?

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, it is getting it from the United States? Mr. Speaker, is the distinguished Sponsor telling us that this particular equipment, armored personnel carrier, will also be taken from the United States?

REP. ANGPING. They must have, Mr. Speaker, because what the Defense Minister of the Philippines asked for was just refurbished M113 vehicles.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, this is surplus equipment, surplus?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, surplus.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, and Elbit is getting them from the United States. Is that the information, Mr. Speaker, that the distinguished Sponsor is telling us? It is getting them from the United States?

REP. ANGPING. Oh, I am sorry, not United States but Belgium.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is getting them from Belgium?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Are they part of the Belgian army’s surplus, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker. They were used by the Belgian forces with a mileage only of around 1,000 kilometers, and they were not used in major operations. They were stored in warehouses.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They were stored in warehouses. Were these directly procured, Mr. Speaker, from the Belgian army or were they procured from some other sources?

REP. ANGPING. The contract is with Israel, so, we are procuring from Israel. So, we do not really know where Israel bought this M113.


REP. DELA CRUZ. No, we are procuring them from a company that the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, is telling us, is a manufacturer of some other equipment, not the armored personnel carrier. Now, we are being told that the armored personnel carriers were actually procured from Belgium, that they were used sparingly by the Belgian army and we are getting these 28 units from Belgium. Now I asked the distinguished Sponsor whether this was procured directly from the Belgian army, and we are now being told that this was procured not from the Belgian army but from some other sources. Which particular source, if there is such a source, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. No, it was procured by a subsidiary of Israel, by the company Elbit.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It was procured ...

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. ...by a subsidiary of Elbit?

REP. ANGPING. Correct.

REP. DELA CRUZ. What is the name of the subsidiary?

REP. ANGPING. The name of the company, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is Sabiex.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Sabiex.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. And that is a subsidiary, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, of Elbit.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is a subsidiary of Elbit.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, of Elbit.

REP. DELA CRUZ. And this particular contract award was for a total of P882 million.

REP. ANGPING. That is correct, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Was this particular award given in one award, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, or this was given in several awards or was there only one award?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, one award.

REP. DELA CRUZ. There was only one award.

REP. ANGPING. One contract.

REP. DELA CRUZ. May I ask the distinguished Sponsor, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, if it is true that this was given under one award for P882 million. May I request the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, if they can show us any GPPB, this is the Government Procurement Policy Board, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, approval for this alternate mode of procurement. Because under the law, a P500 million project would require such GPPB approval, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. Is there such an approval for P882 million?


REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, it is one contract, there are three—can I have a one-minute suspension of the session, please.


It was 3:42 p .m.





THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Aggabao). You may proceed.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, on the question on the

contract, there were three contracts. They made it into three lots: Lot 1 for P405 million, Lot 2 for P335 million and Lot…

REP. DELA CRUZ. Lot 1 for?

REP. ANGPING. Four hundred five. That is for fire support vehicle.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Lot 2?

REP. ANGPING. Then, Lot 2 is for P335 million, for infantry fighting vehicle.

REP. DELA CRUZ. And then?


REP. ANGPING. And the last one is P142 million for arsenal, armored personnel carrier and armored recovery vehicle, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, Mr. Speaker, the distinguished Sponsor is telling us that the P882 million contract that was awarded to Elbit Systems Land Corporation was actually split into three lots, contracts, in effect, three contracts, Mr. Speaker, one for P 405 million, another one for P335 million, and the other one for P142 million. Is that …


REP. DELA CRUZ. Is that what the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, is telling us? In other words, in effect, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines went beyond the provisions of R.A. No. 9184 and the GPPB Resolution, which they are supposed to submit to us, Mr. Speaker, regarding emergency procurement of P500 million and more, and they split the contract into three. That is what is being advised to us, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, because there are three different products.

REP. DELA CRUZ. And the total …

REP. ANGPING. The three contracts.

REP. DELA CRUZ. … totaling the available fund that was provided for of P882 million.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, correct, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, insofar as this particular contract is concerned, Mr. Speaker, it was taken from a company that is not the manufacturer of the basic equipment, which is the armored vehicle for 28 units. And that it was taken from another company in Belgium, a subsidiary of the same company, Sabiex is the name, which is a trading corporation. It is a surplus vehicle, Mr. Speaker, and the contract was split into three. Is this how the whole thing worked out, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?



It was 3:50 p.m.




REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.So, let me understand this properly, Your Honor.

These particular 28 units for which we paid P882 million were procured from a company designated supposed to be by the Israel Defense Forces and the Ministry of Defense of Israel, called Elbit Systems Land and C41 Ltd., for a total amount of P882 million, and this particular award was divided into three contracts, Your Honor, Lot 1 up to Lot 3, Lot 1 for P405 million, Lot 2 for P335 million, and Lot 3 for P142 million, all totaling the available fund of P882 million. And the Elbit Israel is not the manufacturer of the armored personnel carrier. That basic unit was actually bought from a subsidiary of Elbit Israel called Sabiex based in Belgium. Is this correct? Is this how the whole thing worked, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, that is correct.

REP. DELA CRUZ. That the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, will provide us with all the documents, including what she mentioned earlier, the designation of the Israeli government of Elbit, the arrangements that were made insofar as the procurement of this particular contract was concerned, and the justification for why we procured these 28 units immediately instead of putting the necessary weapons systems in a 114 lot of armored personnel vehicles that were supposed to have been given or were being given for free by the United States government, and that these 114 units will still be taken by the Philippine government, Your Honor, at some point.


REP. DELA CRUZ. How much will be the expenses, the fund? Is there any fund that is attached to these particular 114 units, Your Honor, so that these become operational armored personnel vehicles? How much is going to be spent so that we can put the necessary remote control system as well as weapons system for the 114 units that are going to be taken for free from the Department of Defense of the United States government, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, the acquisition is as is where is, and it is operational, so it can be used.

REP. DELA CRUZ. It is operational.

REP. ANGPING. It is operational. But it lacks armaments.


REP. DELA CRUZ. It lacks armaments, so how much…

REP. ANGPING. But it is basic.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, it is basic equipment, Your Honor. Obviously, we are supposed to put in the necessary weapons system, remote system and everything else. So, has the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines provided for such an acquisition of the weapon system, Your Honor, and if so, how much is it?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, these are—what they are going to put on are basic, and they have it on inventory so they will not cost anything.

REP. DELA CRUZ. They have it on inventory.

REP. ANGPING. They have the .50 calibers on inventory.

REP. DELA CRUZ. All of the requirements, the weapons, the weapons system are in inventory.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. How soon do you think, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, to correct you, they are going to put on the caliber .50, the machine guns. These are the ones that they are going to put on the M113, the 114 of them

REP. DELA CRUZ. How much?

REP. ANGPING. So, they are already—we already have it on inventory so walang gastos para sa paglagay noon.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Opo. Ang nais ko lang pong malaman, iyong mga inilagay na mga equipment systems diyan at lahat, iyon po ba ay comparable doon sa mga systems na nandodoon po sa binili natin ng P882 million from Elbit Israel? Comparable po ba iyon?

REP. ANGPING. Hindi pa, kasi kung gusto nating pareho ng caliber noong 28 natin na bibilhin ay mangangailangan sila ng P8 billion.

REP. DELA CRUZ. P8 billion.

REP. ANGPING. Eighty.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Eighty.

REP. ANGPING. Eight point zero, P8 billion.

REP. DELA CRUZ. P8.0 billion.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, to make it of the same level of the 28 that they are procuring, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. So, parang ano po ito, bibigyan tayo ng Vios, ang binibili pala natin dito sa 28 units na ito ay Rolls-Royce, parang ganoon.

REP. ANGPING. Something like that, yes.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Bakit po natin kailangan ng Rolls-Royce para sa Armed Forces of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. It has special …

REP. DELA CRUZ. Ano ba ang mga special na requirement natin bakit tayo bibili ng Rolls-Royce samantalang sinasabi po ninyo sa amin ngayon na ang puwede nating gamitin ay Toyota Vios eh puwede rin pala iyon? Bakit tayo bumibili ng ganyan katitinding mga gamit?

REP. ANGPING. Kasi po kailangan din nila ng may mga remote system, para specialty, at saka infrared para for day and night viewing and to stabilize …

REP. DELA CRUZ. Saan po natin gagamitin iyon?

REP. ANGPING. Pang-operation, pang-combat operation, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, kailangan po natin ng justification naman po sapagkat alam ninyo sa sitwasyon po natin ngayon, naghahanap po tayo ng mga pondo. Kailangan natin ng pera para sa ating mga retirees. Kailangan natin ng pera para sa ating mga active personnel. Kailangan natin ng pera para sa force protection equipment. Tapos bumibili tayo ng Rolls-Royce na ang mahal-mahal. Bakit po natin ginagawa sa buhay natin iyon, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Kasi sa modernization naman din po ito. But can we ask them to give us a justification in writing, Mr. Speaker.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Please, Mr. Speaker, kasi puwede pala tayong magkaroon ng 114 units, mayroon na ho pala tayong mga equipment dito na magagamit na rin natin para doon sa pangangailangan natin at nasa imbentaryo na po natin iyan eh bumibili po tayo—ano po ito, parang pamparada ba ito? Ipaparada po ba


natin itong mga equipment na ito? Ano po ba ang paggagamitan? Kasi hindi ko po maintindihan iyong logic na iyan, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, and I wanted to be very, very supportive.

As I said, I have been very supportive of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense. As a matter of fact, I have also other documents about all the other procurements that are being undertaken in the Department of National Defense that are questionable, Mr. Speaker. I am not going to ask them anymore, but if the Department of National Defense insists on buying Rolls-Royce when in fact we can use Vios, Mr. Speaker, for our purposes, I will have to ask all of these questions.

At this juncture, Deputy Speaker Aggabao relinquished the Chair to Deputy Speaker Pangalian M. Balindong.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor. It seems that when they procured the 28, hindi pa naibibigay, hindi pa nao-offer ng United States iyong 114 na vehicles, kaya—e nag-offer din ang United States, e di kukunin din nila ang 114.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, please, huwag po nilang sabihin sa atin na hindi pa ito available kasi ito pong 114 units na ito ay in-inspect na po ng Philippine Army noong 2013, in-inspect na po ito. Itong tungkol dito sa Elbit po ay bibilhin natin, na-award lang po ito nitong 2014, kaya huwag hong sasabihin na ito po ay hindi available. Available na po ito. Twenty twelve pa ho available ito kaya huwag po, Mr. Speaker, please lang, you can justify.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. DELA CRUZ. I know that you can justify but do not give us this kind of information, Mr. Speaker, because it is leading us to other questions about the procurement processes of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. So, do not give us this kind of information, Mr. Speaker, please. It is not something that we need at this point. We are looking at the budget of the Department of National Defense properly. We are trying to be of service to the country and to our soldiers, Mr. Speaker, but please do not give us this kind of false information. This is misinformation of the greatest degree, Mr. Speaker.

Please do not give us this kind of information. Do not let us be led into this kind of miscommunication, misinformation, Mr. Speaker. Do not tell us that these 114 units were not available because these were already inspected by the Philippine Army as of 2013. So, do not

tell us that this was not given to us already. Do not give us that kind of information.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker. I would really ask them to give us a written justification, please, if we can.

REP. DELA CRUZ. But please clarify this, Mr. Speaker. These particular 28 Rolls-Royce type of armored personnel carrier that we are buying for P882 million was awarded January 1, 2014. The US government was donating 114 units of similar type of armored vehicles and were about to be given to us for free, and it is still going to be given to us for free as of 2012, Mr. Speaker. They were already inspected by the Philippine Army as of 2013. Do not give us that kind of information, Mr. Speaker, because that is not correct. Please respect this institution, Mr. Speaker. We are trying to assist the Department of National Defense. We are trying to provide our soldiers all the necessary equipment and protection so that they can properly maintain peace in this country and ensure that our territory is protected. So do not give us that kind of information.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, point well taken.

REP. DELA CRUZ. When do we expect all of these justifications, Mr. Speaker, because the manner by which we are being treated, at this point, is not really conducive to this kind of discussions?

REP. ANGPING. Yes. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, I was told that it would be given by tomorrow morning. I will look into that.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, it would have been best if the Armed Forces of the Philippines just tells us, “You know, nagkamali po kami. Mayroon pong ganitong nangyari, sorry na lang po.” Ganoon dapat. We are discussing it properly. Nag-uusap-usap po tayo. Pero huwag ninyo kami bibigyan ng mga maling impormasyon kasi nakakainsulto ito. Hindi po tama iyon sa atin. Mas mabuti pang sabihin ninyo na, “Mr. Speaker, nagkamali po kami. Ito po talaga ang nangyari at kami naman po ay nakahanda na ayusin ito in accordance with appropriate rules and regulations.” Kung ganoon, maiintindihan pa natin. Pero kung babanggitin ninyo sa amin na bibili tayo ng ganito, samantalang hindi naman pala, hay naku, hindi po pupuwede iyon, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

Kaya ito, kinakausap na lang po ako ng mga kaibigan natin sapagkat marami pa akong hawak dito—electronics, helicopter at iba pa na mga ginawa na equipment procurement, na kung saan involved dito sina Asst. Sec. Patrick Velez at Usec. Fernando Manalo.


Do you want me, Mr. Speaker, to read all of these things for the record so that we can proceed? Because I can read this for the next four hours if you want me to proceed with these things. I have it with me, all of the documents. So do not give me misinformation. Do not tell us the kind of information that is not proper and responsible, Mr. Speaker. And do not give me a copy that is not proper because I have the copies with me.


REP. ANGPING. May I request for a suspension of the session, Mr. Speaker.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The session is suspended.

It was 4:04 p.m.



THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The session is resumed.

The Honorable Dela Cruz is recognized.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

As I said, Mr. Speaker, regarding the procurement of these 28 units of armored vehicles, I just wanted to confirm, and I am now confirming, Mr. Speaker, the timeline for this particular procurement as contrasted with the donation, for free, of the US government for exactly the same kind of armored vehicle, Mr. Speaker. As I said, and I would like the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, to confirm this, as early as 2012, the US government had already indicated that they were prepared to donate 114 units of a similar type of armored vehicle, APC M113, which was inspected in February of 2013, Mr. Speaker, by the Philippine Army.

At the same time, there was already an agreement, in principle, although the documentation was supposed to be undertaken at that time, Mr. Speaker, for the said donation of 114 units, which the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are now telling us, will only require almost P70 million just for transportation purposes because we already have the weapons system in inventory at the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Mr. Speaker.

The actual expenses to make sure that these 114 units will be put in service, Mr. Speaker, is only P70 million, and yet, we bought 28 units of exactly the same type of armored vehicles from Elbit Systems, for P882 million in three lots, Mr. Speaker, on January 1, 2014.

In other words, there was already an indication that the 114 units from the United States government, for which we are going to pay only P70 million, Mr. Speaker, were already available for use by the Philippine Armed Forces. That is why I want to find out, and that is why I requested, Mr. Speaker, from the distinguished Sponsor to provide us all the information relating to this particular procurement.

As the distinguished Sponsor herself, Mr. Speaker, was advising us, one of the main problems that she has seen in the course of looking and sponsoring the budget of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines is the problem of procurement for such weapons. I had wanted from the distinguished Sponsor, and I was supposed also to discuss with her the possibility of amending the Procurement Act, specifically for our AFP Modernization Program and for the Defense Procurement Program, Mr. Speaker. I was about to tell her that I am amenable to discuss this kind of an arrangement, Mr. Speaker.

That is why I was really, truly concerned that I was being given the kind of information that should not be given to somebody who is very positively involved in promoting the requirements for modernization of our armed forces, Mr. Speaker. That is the reason I had wanted to request from the distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, all the documents that are supposed to be related to this particular procurement as well as the earlier procurement that I mentioned and for which a number of questions have been issued, Your Honor. I am talking about the Force Protection Equipment Procurement for Project 1 and Project 2 involving UM-Merkata and the other one involving Achidatex of Israel.

I hope this particular information will be made available to the undersigned as soon as practicable so that we can make the necessary adjustments, and if warranted, Your Honor, so that we can make the necessary information related to violations of our Procurement Act, Your Honor, at the level of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense.

As I said, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, we had wanted to discuss, but at this point, apparently, this is not the right time and this may not be the right occasion for us to discuss amendments to the Procurement Act, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. Mr. Speaker.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). What is the pleasure of the Hon. Fredenil “Fred” H. Castro?

REP. CASTRO. In connection with the interpellation of the Gentleman from ABAKADA about the subject APCs, may I ask the Gentleman from ABAKADA


whether he is not going to request the production of documents of purchase, payment and inventory of these APCs so that we can, in exercise of our oversight function, see whether or not indeed these APCs were purchased.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The honorable Representative from ABAKADA may respond.


I thank the distinguished Representative from the Second District of Capiz, the eloquent orator, and the brilliant Chairman of the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, for his manifestation, Your Honor. I will now request that the distinguished Sponsor produce all the documents as mentioned by the distinguished Representative from the Second District of Capiz.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Are you satisfied, Your Honor?

REP. CASTRO. Yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Gentleman from ABAKADA.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, we will comply.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The honorable Sponsor may respond or react.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, we will comply.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Please proceed.


REP. DELA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, when do you think you can produce all of these things?

REP. ANGPING. By tomorrow.

REP. DELA CRUZ. May I add also all the other documents essentially the same as mentioned by the distinguished Representative from the Second District of Capiz, on the other procurement for the force protection equipment, for the two projects, Your Honor. So, we are now talking about three kinds of documentation that will involve also the production of receipts and other such documentary requirements, Your Honor, for the APCs and for the force protection equipment projects, Your Honor.


REP. DELA CRUZ. Is that something that we can expect?


REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, yes, we will comply with it and we have it all noted down and I have asked them to deliver it tomorrow morning.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.


REP. DELA CRUZ. On that note, I will now have to end this interpellation, Your Honor, and thank the distinguished Sponsor for providing us the opportunity to come out with all of this information and to discuss the matter of the procurement of the equipment in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Not only that, Your Honor, the matter of ensuring that the defense establishment is provided all the necessary resources as well as the necessary undertakings, Your Honor, in order that the Department and the Armed Forces of the Philippines can perform their duties as the protectors of the state and the protector of our people.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and distinguished Sponsor for providing us with this opportunity.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Thank you, Your Honor.



THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The Asst. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we recognize the Hon. Fernando “Ka Pando” L. Hicap from Party-List ANAKPAWIS for his interpellation.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Your Honor, is recognized.

Please proceed with the interpellation.

REP. HICAP. Maraming salamat, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor.

Ayon sa Karapatan, mula sa inagurasyon ni Pangulong Aquino noong Hunyo 2010, ipinagpatuloy lamang ni Pangulong Aquino ang patakaran ng militarisasyon sa kanayunan ng sinundan nitong rehimen ni Arroyo, gaya ng mga counterinsurgency


operation ng militar sa kanayunan na tumatarget hindi lamang sa New People’s Army kung hindi sa mga sibilyan. Ibayo pang sininsin ng rehimen ang patakarang ito noong 2011 nang buuin nito ang Operation Plan Bayanihan, Oplan Bayanihan o ang kasalukuyang Internal Peace and Security Plan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines na sinasabing ang US mismo ang nagbalangkas.

Kasing-aga ng first quarter ng 2011, na-monitor na ng grupong Karapatan ang 45 kaso ng extrajudicial killing, isang kaso ng enforced disappearance. Sa mga biktima ng extrajudicial killings, 25 ay nagmula po sa sektor ng mga magbubukid, apat mula sa hanay ng mga katutubo, 12 ang lider ng Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, at isa ay aktibong kasapi ng ANAKPAWIS Party-List na kinakatawan ko.

Sa unang quarter ng 2011, may higit 100 ang naging biktima ng ilegal na pag-aresto at detensyon. Lumaki rin ang bilang ng kaso ng torture, illegal search, violation of domicile, divestment of property, coercion as guide or shield for military operation. Dalawang libo ang naging biktima ng forced evacuation, may 1,700 na kaso ng paggamit ng militar sa istrukturang sibilyan. May naitala rin sa panahong ito na 4,600 residente ng threat, harassment, intimidation, na ang karamihan na biktima ay mga magsasaka, katutubo at ibang naninirahan sa kanayunan.

Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, ano po ang masasabi ninyo dito sa mga datos na ito?

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The Honorable Angping may answer.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, may we have a suspension of the session.


THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The session is suspended for one minute.

It was 4:29 p.m.




The honorable Sponsor is recognized.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, President Aquino’s administration is focusing on human rights. In fact, he issued Administrative Order No. 35, dated 22nd of November, 2012, which created the inter-agency group led by the DOJ to concentrate and

prosecute extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture cases, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. HICAP. Maraming salamat, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

Kaya mayroong policy, mayroong Administrative Order No. 35 para lutasin …

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. HICAP. … itong mga problemang nailahad ko na mga datos mula pa noong 2010 nang maupo si Pangulong Aquino at hanggang 2011.

Maraming sa lamat , Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

Ipagpapatuloy ko po ang ilang mga datos nang sa gayon ay makita talaga natin kung itong Administrative Order No. 35, para buuin iyong inter-agency led by DOJ kaugnay dito para sa mga human rights violation at maparusahan iyong mga biktima.

Mme. Sponsor, G. Ispiker, ang ilang paglalahad ng datos lalo na mula sa human rights na grupo ng Karapatan, mula Hulyo 2010 hanggang December 2014—ayon sa Karapatan, may naitalang 229 na kaso ng extrajudicial killings at 26 na enforced disappearances, 138 na biktima ng extrajudicial killing ay mula sa sektor ng mga magsasaka at 55 naman ay mula sa hanay ng mga katutubo. Sa mga biktima ng enforced disappearances, 21 ang mula sa mga komunidad ng mga magsasaka at katutubo.

Itong Marso 2015, umabot na sa 238 ang extrajudicial killings kung saan 145 ay mga magsasaka, 55 ang katutubo, lima ang mga mangingisda. Ibig sabihin, sa 205 o 86 percent ng mga biktima ay mula sa sektor sa kanayunan. Mahalaga at gusto ko pong ipunto ang mga isyung ito, mga datos, dahil karamihan sa naging biktima sa mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao ay mga mahihirap na mamamayang magsasaka. Wala na ngang tunay na reporma sa lupa, walang suportang agrikultural ang mga magsasaka, kaya lubha silang naghihirap. Sa mga pagkakataon naman na sila ay nagkakaisa para ipanawagan sa pamahalaan na tugunan ang kanilang kahilingan para sa lupa at sa kabuhayan, sila naman ay dinadahas.

Hindi ba, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, ito ay hindi makatarungan. Legitimate iyong kanilang mga demands, mga legal na organization, pero ang nangyayari ay extrajudicial killings, samo’t saring human rights violations, napakarami at patuloy hanggang sa kasalukuyan, Mme. Sponsor, G. Ispiker.

Kaya kung noon, kung mayroong Administrative Order No. 35 para buuin iyong inter-agency para mag-lead para sa issue ng human rights violation, Mme. Sponsor, G. Ispiker, ay hindi po nawawala, nagpapatuloy at lalong lumalala, at ang biktima po kung


saan mayroong mga land dispute iyong mga magsasaka na iginigiit iyong karapatan nila sa lupa; mga Lumad, katutubo na naggigiit sa kanilang ancestral domain, sila po iyong nagiging biktima ng extrajudicial killings, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, ano po iyong ...

REP. HICAP. Ang tanong ko po, bakit hindi po nalulutas, bagkus ay nagpapatuloy mula pa noong 2010 hanggang sa kasalukuyan at dumarami, at ito ay nagaganap pa doon sa mga magsasakang komunidad na naggigiit sa kanilang lupa, mga Lumad na katutubo, naggigiit doon sa kanilang lupang-ninuno, sila ang mga biktima ng ganitong mga karahasan, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, totoo iyan. It is true that ang mga EJK, ED, at saka mga torture cases are happening up to now. But I guess it will have to go back doon sa Administrative Order No. 35 na talagang ang inter-agency group that is being led by the DOJ, to concentrate and possibly look into these killings. Iyon lang po ang babalikan natin po kasi, oo, totoo talaga it is continuing at ...

REP. HICAP. Kaya hindi nalulutas, walang resolusyon doon sa mga ...

REP. ANGPING. Kaya kailangan ang resolusyon talaga. However, ang mga AFP naman teach adherence to human rights and international humanitarian law and the rule of law kaya sana dito mahinto din ang ating mga killings na ganito at saka mga torture.

REP. HICAP. Sana mangyari na magkaroon talaga, na umiral ang rule of law.

REP. ANGPING. Sa courts, sa rule of law.

REP. HICAP. Kasi ang katunayan, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, ay talagang wala pong nakakamit na katarungan, hindi lumiliit kundi dumarami. Bago pala iyon, magpatuloy po ako, gusto ko lang itanong, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, ilan po ba ang nakalaang mga unit o bilang ng sundalo sa Mindanao sa kasalukuyan? Ilang porsyento po ang na-deploy natin sa Mindanao ngayon?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, mga around 60 percent po.

REP. HICAP. Sixty percent ng ating law enforcers, ang militar.

REP. ANGPING. Opo, ang militar, opo.

REP. HICAP. Kaya napakalaki ng konsentrasyon natin sa Mindanao, ang deployment. Ipatuloy ko po, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker. Ayon sa mga mamamayan doon, malawakan at malupit ang militarisasyon sa komunidad ng mga Lumad, may mga aerial bombing, artillery bombardment, forced evacuation, at iba pang porma ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao.

Noong Enero ng 2015, humigit-kumulang 1,000 Lumad ang lumikas mula sa kanilang komunidad sa 14 na sitio ng Barangay Balit, Barangay San Luis sa Agusan del Sur dahil sa militarisasyon, harassment, at mga banta. Nag-evacuate sila sa isang abandonadong ospital kung saan nakaranas sila ng gutom, kasalatan sa tubig, malnutrisyon, mga sakit na nagresulta sa pagkamatay ng apat na evacuees kasama na ang isang dalawang-taong gulang na batang Lumad. Ito po ba ay naimbestigahan na o inalam o nalaman man lamang ng DND ang insidenteng ito, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, it has not been reported to the AFP, to the military, but they will take note and look into it and make a report to you, Mr. Speaker. They will give you a written report on this.

REP. HICAP. At least, alam ng DND at nai-report na ang mga insidente.

REP. ANGPING. PNP ba po? Ano iyong pangalan ho? May pangalan ba iyong…

REP. HICAP. Wala, wala. Ang nangyaring ito ay nabasa ko kanina, malawakang evacuation, dahil nga ito sa malawakang nagaganap na militarisasyon.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. HICAP. Ang sabi ninyo kanina, ito ay reported.

REP. ANGPING. Oo, hindi pa nila alam, kaya …

REP. HICAP. Hindi pa alam ng ano.

REP. ANGPING. Wala pa raw report sa kanila, nito po.

REP. HICAP. Enero pa po ito, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, 2015.

REP. ANGPING. Enero pa, 2015.

REP. HICAP. Pero hindi pa po ninyo alam.


REP. ANGPING. Maybe you can give us the details, Mr. Speaker, baka puwede pong mabigyan mo kami ng detalye nito para ipaano, ipaalam natin sa kanila, dapat malaman. Bakit hindi pa nila alam?

REP. HICAP. Alam mo, imposibleng hindi natin alam ito, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, ng ating mga law enforcer, lalung-lalo na iyong AFP kasi sila nga po iyong itinuturo na responsible dito dahil sa naganap nga na mayroong aerial bombing, artillery bombardment, forced evacuation at iba pa doon sa lugar sa Barangay Balit, Barangay San Luis, Agusan del Sur.

REP. ANGPING. Saan po?

REP. HICAP. Dahil dito kaya sila po ay napilitang mag-evacuate doon sa abandonadong ospital na nagresulta po sa pagkamatay ng apat na evacuees dahil sa kahirapan ng buhay, gutom, kakulangan ng pagkain, tubig, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor.

REP. ANGPING. Opo, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, we will have them look into this, because talagang hanggang ngayon, wala pa silang specific report or complaint tungkol dito, iyong sa Agusan po. Iyan lang ang masasabi ko. Oo, so, we will …

REP. HICAP. Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, nakababahala po, nakababahala. Enero pa itong mga kasong ito.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. HICAP. Hanggang ngayon po ay hindi pa natin alam na ang involved, ayon sa mga nagsilikas na biktima sa nabanggit na dalawang barangay, ay mga military, law enforcers natin.

Patuloy na lang po ako ng ilang mga datos pa. Hindi na lingid sa kaalaman ng publiko ang lala ng kalagayan ngayon sa Mindanao, lalo na sa mga Lumad area kaugnay ng mga karahasan at paglabag sa karapatang pangtao. Hindi ko na po babanggitin ang hinggil sa Al Kadib dahil pamilyar na ang karamihan sa trade niyang ito at ang sagot lamang dito ng military ay walang kinalaman ang AFP sa mga pangyayari.

Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, ayon sa KMP, pinaslang noong Mayo 24, 2015 sa Barangay Tacpao, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental ang vice-chairperson ng Kaugmaon-KMP, Negros Oriental, na si Endric Calago at ang kanyang asawa na si Rosalie. Ayon sa mga saksi,pinaslang sila sa loob ng kanilang bahay, mga elemento po ng 11th Infantry Batallion ng Philippine Army ang itinututo.

Noon naman hatinggabi ng June 13, minasaker ng 69th Infantry Battalion ang tatlong magsasakang Lumad sa Paquibato District, Davao City. Ang mga

biktima ay sina Datu Ruben na sabi ninyo doon sa briefing sa ano, ay ito ay NPA, pero ang bahay ng lider na si Seisa ang minasaker. Kasama dito—ito po si Ruben Enlog ay lider ng Nagkalupa Lumad Group sa Paquibato. Kasama po sa napaslang dito ay sina Randy Carnasa at Olegario Quimbo, mga miyembro ng Paquibato District Peasant Alliance o PADIPA, asosasyon ng magsasaka sa Paquibato. Ayon sa militar, ito raw ay legitimate encounter na naganap, pero sa bahay po ng isang lider at kilalang lider ng magsasaka na si Seisa.

Ilang dagdag na datos naman ito, Mr. Speaker, na nagpapatibay sa panawagan po ng maraming organisasyon ng magsasaka at katutubo na tumututol sa napakalaking budget ng DND sapagkat ayon sa kanila, malinaw na kanilang karanasan na ang budget na ito ay budget lamang ng karahasan at panunupil laban sa mahihirap at api, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

Ano po ang masasabi ninyo dito sa panawagan nila na tanggalin ang budget ng DND dahil ginagamit lamang ang budget ng DND para sa pamamaslang sa mga katutubo at mga magsasaka na naggigiit lamang ng kanilang mga karapatan sa lupa at lupang-ninuno, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Itong insidente na ito was investigated by the PNP and they reported it. Pagkatapos, may mga paraphernalia at mga leaflet na naiwan doon, at ang base nila ay ang NPA ang may gawa po nito. Iyong Calago couple ito, Mr. Speaker, ano? Ito ba ang mag-asawang Calago?

REP. HICAP. Opo, ito po ang mag-asawang nabanggit ninyo sa Barangay Tacpao, Guihulngan City, Negros Occidental. Vice Chairman po ito ng Kaugmaon, si Endric Calago at ang kanyang asawa na si Rosalie, kaya kilala po ito doon sa lugar.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. HICAP. Ang pangalawa ay iyong sinabi ninyo, itong Paquibato massacre, doon sa bahay ng pamilya Seisa, na sabi ninyo naman ay legitimate encounter ito, pero doon sa bahay. Ganoon na ba talaga ang ating mga law enforcers, ang militar, kahit mayroong mga sibilyan at nasa bahay ng sibilyan, kapag nakakita tayo ng kalaban ay wala tayong pakialam doon sa ating mga sibilyan na nasa loob ng bahay, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?


REP. ANGPING. May we have a one-minute suspension of the session, please, Mr. Speaker?



It was 4:52 p.m.




REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Mme. Sponsor, please proceed.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, ang insidente na ito

started doon sa, iyong local population ay nag-report na may presence daw ng NPA. So, ang AFP responded. When they were nearing the House, pinaputukan sila kaya nagkaroon ng encounter. Iyan ang report na nandito.

REP. HICAP. Mr. Speaker, iyon po ang problema natin sa ano iyan eh …

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. HICAP. Kilala po ng komunidad iyong mga leader iyon, mga magsasaka at mga datu.

REP. ANGPING. Opo, sila Datu Ruben.

REP. HICAP. Kaya iyong sabi nila, pero iyon nga iyong isang tanong eh. Iyong sinasabi nilang mga datu, leader, nagsasalita iyan. Ang kanilang adbokasiya ay igiit ang kanilang karapatan sa lupa, iyon ang nagiging biktima at madali na lang na sabihin natin na sila ay mga NPA, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

Anyway, mahirap na mag-ano tayo diyan sa magkaibang datos, doon sa aktwal at ang datos na pinaninindigan ninyo na iyon ay legitimate na encounter ng military at NPA, Mr. Speaker.

Ano po ang masasabi ninyo doon sa panawagan nila, ng mga magsasaka, ng mga katutubo na tanggalin ang pondo o badyet ng DND dahil ginagamit ito para doon sa pamamaslang ng ating mga kababayan?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, the AFP is just performing their mandate to protect the people and fight insurgency. The presence of the military is in accordance with its mandate of protecting the people. Apart from conducting security operations, it also conducts peace and development programs in remote communities po, IP communities included, in coordination with local leaders, local government, civil

society units, organizations, and government agencies po. Iyan ang kanilang mandate, pero papaano naman sila makagagawa nito kung wala silang …

REP. HICAP. Sana ganoon, pero in real life, based sa nabanggit ko kanina, from 2010 hanggang sa kasalukuyan …

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. HICAP. … ay mukhang hindi, hindi to protect the people ang nagaganap kundi protect doon sa mga mining companies at mga malalawak na plantasyon na planong mangamkam ng lupa doon sa ating mga magsasaka at mga Lumad, doon sa kanilang mga ancestral domain.

Ipagpatuloy ko po, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, ng ilan pang mga datos para makita natin na ito ay hindi isolated na mga pangyayari o iyong partikular lamang sa Mindanao kundi nationwide na nagaganap itong ganitong mga mararahas na extrajudicial killing at iba’t ibang porma ng mga human rights violation.

Dagdag po diyan, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, noong August 3, sa Barangay Del Carmen, sa Uson, Masbate, tatlong habal-habal na motorcycle driver na sina Adam Fajardo, Jobert Badillo, Gary Vistar, at Rogelio Abelida Jr. na inutusan ng kanilang barangay chairman na si Sulpicio Abelida Mahinay upang tulungan ang mga sugatang sundalo ng 9th Infantry Battalion ay pinaslang ng mga military at pinaghinalaan na sila ay mga NPA. Iyan po ay sa Masbate. Tinawag ni kapitan para tulungan ang ating mga military na nagkaroon ng encounter noong August 3 doon sa Barangay Del Carmen, sa bayan ng Uson, Masbate, imbes na ano ay pinatay, pinaslang, minasaker ng mga military.

Noong August 18, sa Barangay Tagdon, Barcelona, Sorsogon, pinaslang ang ANAKPAWIS–Sorsogon provincial chairman na si Teodoro Escanilla. Ang biktima ay matagal nang media practitioner at spokesman din ng Karapatan-Sorsogon. Noong August 19 sa Arakan, North Cotabato, pinaslang nang nakasakay sa motorsiklo si Joel Gulmatico, chairperson ng Arakan Progressive Peasant Organization o APPO. Si Gulmatico ay matagal nang naging aktibo sa paglaban sa militarisasyon at mining operation sa kanilang lugar. August 19, sa Sitio Mando, Barangay Mendis, Pangantucan, Bukidnon, limang residente, kasama ang 70 anyos at bulag na si Herminio Samia, ang pinaslang ng mga elemento ng Third Company, First Special Force Battalion. Ang bituka ni Samia ay naka-expose dahil sa pamamaslang. Kasama rin sa napaslang ang anak ni Samia na si Joebert, ang kanyang mga pamangkin na sina Emir at Elmer Somina at ang kanyang apo na si Norman na edad 13. Ang mga biktima ay inakusahan


ng military na mga NPA—isang 70 years old na bulag at 13 taon ay NPA daw, Mme. Sponsor.

Mme. Sponsor, malinaw na hindi lang talagang nationwide, pambansang patakaran talaga iyong nagaganap, hindi lang partikular doon sa Mindanao kung hindi sa buong bansa nagaganap. Ang nakakagalit po, Mme. Sponsor, G. Ispiker, karamihan po ay mga magsasaka, mga katutubo at mga lider at organisador ng partido ko, ng Party-List ANAKPAWIS, ang mga biktima. Kaya po, ganoon na ba ang turing ng ating law enforcers, ng AFP, sa mga anakpawis, mga magsasaka at mga katutubo na naggigiit sa kanilang lupang sinasaka laban sa pangangamkam, at ang tingin natin ay NPA na, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. As a rule, ang AFP po, they do not condone. In fact, they teach and adhere to human rights. They also investigate and prosecute their own, if need be. Ganoon po iyon, ang kanilang gawain.

REP. HICAP. Sana, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, at umaasa ang Kinatawang ito na matigil na itong pamamaslang, karahasan sa mga komunidad. Sana mapanagot din iyong mga responsable dito sa pamamaslang dahil hindi katanggap-tanggap ang nagaganap na karumal-dumal na mga pagpaslang o extrajudicial killing, sa ating mga magsasaka, sa ating mga Lumad na ang tanging layunin lamang ay ipagtanggol ang kanilang karapatan sa lupa para sa kanilang kabuhayan, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

Bilang panghuli ko na lang po na tanong, ilang clarification lang ito kaugnay doon sa COA report, isa rin po ang Kinatawang ito sa seryoso na naghahangad ng katarungan para sa mga biktima ng Yolanda, lalung-lalo na, dahil karamihan, mayorya ng biktima ng Yolanda ay mga magsasaka at mga mangingisda. Hanggang sa ngayon ay wala pa ring sariling tirahan ang mayorya. Kahit iyong Emergency Shelter Assistance, dalawang taon na, magda-dalawang taon na ay hindi pa po nakakarating sa kanila, hinggil po ito sa report ng COA.

Ayon sa COA report, ngayong taon, imbes daw na mapunta sa mga biktima ng kalamidad, maling ginamit ng DND ang malaking bahagi ng P352.5 million na emergency funding para raw lamang sa gasolina ng mga sasakyan—ito po iyong budget sa relief sa mga biktima—ng mga sasakyan ng DND, para rin daw sa repair ng mga opisina. Ayon sa COA report, dalawang porsyento lamang o P6.65 million ng Quick Response Fund ng DND noong 2013 ang ginamit para sa mga gastusing may kinalaman sa pagbibigay ng relief sa Yolanda victims. Ibig sabihin, may natira pang P345 million na hindi naman ginamit para sa relief at rehabilitation para sa mga Yolanda victims. Ang Quick Response Fund ay isang standby fund para sa relief, rehabilitation at reconstruction ng program para sa mga komunidad na apektado ng kalamidad, hindi po ba,

Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker? At bakit po ginamit dito sa, ayon sa COA, para sa gasolina at iba pang gamit na hindi intended doon sa allocation noong budget ng Quick Response Fund, Mme. Sponsor? Ano po ang katotohanan dito sa COA report?

REP. ANGPING. Kasi, iyong Quick Relief Response Fund ay hindi lang para doon sa relief victims. Ginagamit din nila ito sa operations, iyong pagdadala, kaya nagagamit ang gasolina kasi iyan ang ginagamit kapag hinahatid iyong mga pagkain para doon sa mga responders natin po, kaya nagagamit iyong gasolina doon.

REP. HICAP. Hindi ba mayroon ding budget na sarili ang DND na hiwalay dito at puwedeng pagkunan na gamit na hindi kukunin doon sa Quick Response Fund. Kasi iyong Quick Response Fund, ia-allocate natin iyan dito sa GAA para naka-standby fund iyan para kung mayroong mga kalamidad na may pangangailangan ay doon lamang gagastusin, hindi po ba, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker? Bakit ginagamit sa mga ibang gamit, hindi doon sa intended ng pondo at bakit hindi nagamit ang lahat? Nasaan ba itong sinasabi na may natitira pang mga, more or less, mula sa P345 million, na P6.65 million noong 2013 na Quick Response Fund, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Iyong regular budget po kasi ng AFP is for military operations. Wala silang budget para doon sa HADR, humanitarian assistance, kaya ang ginagamit ay doon sa QRF para maihatid iyong mga kailangan ng ating mga responders na mga kailangan na pagkain po.

REP. HICAP. Hindi po ako kumbinsido, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker. Para sa ano na lang siguro, as a request, para mapalalim natin, mapag-aralan pa, maaari po bang makahingi ng report nitong sa …

REP. ANGPING. Opo, papagawan natin ng report, opo.

REP. HICAP. … P6.65 million. Kailan po puwedeng makuha, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Bukas, ipapadala din sa Kinatawan po.

REP. HICAP. Bukas. Iyon lamang po. Muli, …

REP. ANGPING. Salamat.

REP. HICAP. … magandang hapon, marami pong salamat.


Sana matigil na, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, sana matigil na ang extrajudicial killings, malawakang human rights violation, at sana maparusahan iyong mga responsable at magkaroon ng katarungan iyong mga biktima.

Iyon lamang po. Muli, magandang hapon.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Thank you.


REP. ANGPING. Salamat po.

REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, before we go to the next Member who wishes to interpellate, we would like to acknowledge the presence of guests in the gallery.


REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, we have present the guests of …

REP. CASTRO. Mr. Speaker, will the distinguished Sponsor yield to a few questions?


THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). What is the pleasure of the Honorable Castro?

REP. CASTRO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to interpellate and, thus, this Representation is asking the distinguished Sponsor whether she will yield to a few questions.



REP. CASTRO. Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, does the Lady recall the question of the Gentleman from ABAKADA about the APCs donated by the United States government to the government of the Republic of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, the 114 M113.

REP. CASTRO. I intervened and, in fact, I interjected during his interpellation because I wanted to abbreviate the proceedings, and that is why I suggested to the Gentleman from ABAKADA that instead of a prolonged and kilometric interpellation, he should

rather request the Department to submit the document of purchase, the document of payment, and the inventory of these APCs. Does my colleague recall that?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I do recall.

REP. CASTRO. Just for clarification, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, does the distinguished Sponsor recall when is the deadline set by the distinguished Gentleman from ABAKADA, or when will these documents be submitted to the Gentleman?

REP. ANGPING. To the Gentleman? Yes, Mr. Speaker. I remember, I specifically said that it will be brought to him tomorrow morning.

REP. CASTRO. Tomorrow morning.

REP. ANGPING. Tomorrow morning.

REP. CASTRO. Will the Department of Defense be generous enough …

REP. ANGPING. To give the Gentleman a …

REP. CASTRO. … to include this Representation by furnishing me with a copy of that, of those documents, I mean.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, we will give the Gentleman a copy. We will do so. Thank you.

REP. CASTRO. Thank you, distinguished Sponsor.

Again, distinguished Sponsor, could the Gentleman please educate me, when was the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, which is under the control or supervision of the Department of National Defense, organized?

REP. ANGPING. The question, when was it organized—the question was, when was it organized?

REP. CASTRO. Yes, distinguished Sponsor.

REP. ANGPING. One minute, Mr. Speaker.



It was 5:13 p.m.





REP. ANGPING. Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to P.D. No. 1076, it was

in 1977.

REP. CASTRO. 1977?

REP. ANGPING. 1977.

At this juncture, Deputy Speaker Balindong relinquished the Chair to Deputy Speaker Sergio A.F. Apostol.

REP. CASTRO. Therefore, the Sponsor based her answer on the record that was furnished to her by the Department of National Defense.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, by Philippine Veterans.

REP. CASTRO. Therefore, by memory alone, by memory alone, my question could not be answered without referring to that document.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. CASTRO. Do I get it correctly, …

REP. ANGPING. From me.

REP. CASTRO. … Mme. Sponsor, those people in the Department of National Defense have poor or short memory, that is why they could not answer my question without referring to that document?

REP. ANGPING. I gather, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Yes, Mme. Sponsor.I asked that question because since 14 years ago,

veterans in this country are supposed to be entitled to the salary differentials. But for the last 14 years, this salary differential has never been given to our veterans. May I know, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, what effort, if any, has the Department of National Defense or the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office exerted so that this salary differential due the Philippine veterans will be realized in their favor?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, they had written the President recently for the release of the pension differential of P19,743,000—that is for the AFP pension—and also, for the release of P6 billion for the veterans. In other words, there are two: the AFP pension differential and the one for the veterans, which is …

REP. CASTRO. When were these released, Mme. Sponsor?

REP. ANGPING. They just requested this, Mr. Speaker. They just wrote the letter of request, October 2nd.

REP. CASTRO. This year?

REP. ANGPING. 2015, yes, last week.

REP. CASTRO. What other requests, if any, was made by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office or the Department of National Defense, as the case may be, to secure the release of the necessary amount to cover the salary differentials of our veterans?

REP. ANGPING. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, this has always been included in the request for budget every year, but it has never been granted. So, this year, we asked them to write the President for him to release, to help them release the budget, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Do I get it correctly, Mr. Speaker, that for the last 14 years, every budget year, a request is made by the Department of National Defense or the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office to release the amount covering the salary differentials of our veterans?

REP. ANGPING. At least, for the last six years, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. And the request has never been given due course?

REP. ANGPING. It was never included in the national budget, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. May I know, Mr. Speaker, why was this not given due course.

REP. ANGPING. It seems that the Department of—the DBM, it is a question of their priorities, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Is it not, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, that it is not the Department of Budget and Management that legislates any amount for the expenditure of the Philippine government, but it is rather Congress of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, the Gentleman is right about that, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Has the Department of National


Defense and/or the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office ever brought this concern to the House of Representatives and the Senate?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, unfortunately, they do during the committee hearings.

REP. CASTRO. When was this brought to the attention of Congress?

REP. ANGPING. The latest, I think, was during the committee hearings last month.

REP. CASTRO. And was this—whom was this brought to in the House of Representatives?

REP. ANGPING. To the Committee on Veterans Affairs and Welfare, the Committee on National Defense and Security, and the Committee on Appropriations, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Does the Gentleman have any evidence to show this Representation that, in fact, this matter was brought to the attention of the Committees on Appropriations, Veterans Affairs and Welfare, and other concerned committees?

REP. ANGPING. Yes. We could look into the transcripts, into the minutes of each meeting.

REP. CASTRO. Will this Representation be furnished a copy of whatever communication the Sponsor did send the Committee on Appropriations requesting the Committee on Appropriations to look into this concern?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we will do so, Mr. Speaker. In fact, their latest was on October 6, so we can provide the Gentleman a copy of this right now.

REP. CASTRO. Did the Department of National Defense and/or the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office receive any reply from the Committee on Appropriations?

REP. ANGPING. Not written but verbally. Well, I am also very concerned, so I have tried and I will do my best to at least have a portion of this to be released especially for the surviving spouses of the deceased World War II veterans, Your Honor, and maybe I could help you ...

REP. CASTRO. Is this in writing, Mme. Sponsor?


REP. CASTRO. Is this in writing?

REP. ANGPING. This is in writing.

REP. CASTRO. The reply of the Committee on Appropriations, is it in writing?

REP. ANGPING. No, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. How was the reply of the Committee on Appropriations conveyed to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office?

REP. ANGPING. We can consider this additional budget proposed by the agency during the period of amendments, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. How much is being requested by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office?

REP. ANGPING. The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office is requesting for P6.1 billion.

REP. CASTRO. Why that amount, Mme. Sponsor, when this Representation is aware that for the last 14 years, the salary differential due our veterans amounts to P22 billion?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, P22 billion.

REP. CASTRO. Why only one point something billion is being requested?

REP. ANGPING. It is P6.1 for the veterans. That is for the veterans. This does not include the differential of the pensions, for the AFP pension differential. So, this one is only for the veterans. Actually, it is for the surviving spouses of the deceased World War II veterans who had never been given their pensions and for the living post-World War II veterans. This is only for the veterans, the AFP differential, the one for the pension differential for the AFP. What they are asking for is P19 B.

REP. CASTRO. Nineteen?

REP. ANGPING. B.

REP. CASTRO. Billion?

REP. ANGPING. Billion, yes.

REP. CASTRO. And, is the distinguished Sponsor willing to file the necessary motion during the period of amendments that the amount of P19 billion to cover the salary differential due the veterans be filed during the period of amendments?


REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, I am going to fight for it and I hope that we will be able to, at least, get a portion which I do not think we can get the whole portion of, but we will fight for it during the period of amendments, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. Prior to the period of amendments, has the distinguished Sponsor ever consulted the Committee on Appropriations on whether the Committee on Appropriations is disposed to consider giving the salary deferential of the veterans?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. CASTRO. To what extent, Mme. Sponsor?

REP. ANGPING. Well, to the extent of speaking with the Chairman. But we have to wait for the period of amendments. So, that is what I am waiting for.

REP. CASTRO. How much is that halfway?


REP. CASTRO. How much is that?

REP. ANGPING. How much—the P6 billion for the veterans, and the P19 billion for the pension differential.

REP. CASTRO. I understand, Mme. Sponsor, that when you speak of veterans you are not only referring to children and spouses of deceased veterans, veterans from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but there are other people in the government who are covered within the contemplation of the definition of “veterans.” I understand that even retired policemen are also entitled to salary differentials and they are included within the meaning of the word “veteran.”

How about these other veterans referred to within the contemplation of the definition? Are they covered by your request or your discussion with the Committee on Appropriations?

REP. ANGPING. No, Your Honor. I am only taking care of the Department of National Defense. So, those of the PNP belong to the agency of the DILG and the other agencies that have veterans in them, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. Since we are talking of veterans, is the distinguished Sponsor not disposed to take the cudgels for the other people included in the definition of the word “veteran”?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, we have different Sponsors for the other agencies and I am sure they are

taking care of that in their capacity as chairperson for each agency.

REP. CASTRO. So that we can consolidate our request with the Committee on Appropriations to cover everybody including all those who are within the contemplation of the term “veteran,” will the distinguished Sponsor be disposed to coordinate it with the other Sponsors?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, we do coordinate and we do know about the other agencies so it will be really up to us. I mean it will be really up to the time of amendments, and we will be able to see and consider all of these that are needed, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. Will the distinguished Sponsor be kind enough to advise this Representation, Mr. Speaker, as to the result of her coordination with the other Sponsors so that this request could cover the other veterans within the contemplation of the definition?

At this juncture, Deputy Speaker Apostol relinquished the Chair to Deputy Speaker Pangalian M. Balindong

REP. ANGPING. I will, Your Honor, but I just hope I will be able to be of service to the others, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Mr. Speaker, let us now limit our discussion to the veterans within the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Do I understand from the distinguished Sponsor that if the amount of P6 billion, which is being requested by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, is given or is granted by the Committee on Appropriations, it could cover the whole differential for the last 14 years of the veterans of the Armed Forces of the Philippines?

REP. ANGPING. Actually, Mr. Speaker, the Committee is looking for ways to find sources for these proposed amendments without exceeding the budget limit proposed by the Office for the year 2016 in our NEP, in our National Expenditure Program. So, maybe, I could also ask the help of Your Honor, to help us source, to find the source so we can extend help to the budget that is needed.

REP. CASTRO. If it could not cover the whole requirement of the veterans, Mme. Sponsor, how many years could be covered by the present request of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office?

REP. ANGPING. From 1994, Your Honor, to 2010.


REP. CASTRO. Well, that is good Mme. Sponsor. I will be hopeful and, in fact, I am now hopeful that you can work on securing the consideration and approval of the Committee on Appropriations.

REP. ANGPING. With your help.

REP. CASTRO. In any event, I am not going to prolong the agony of the distinguished Sponsor on this matter. I will go to another point, Mme. Sponsor. May I know when was the first time the Philippines laid claim on various islands subject of conflict between the Republic of the Philippines and China?

REP. ANGPING You are asking for when?

REP. CASTRO. When? When was the first time the government of the Philippines laid claim on the disputed islands between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China?

REP. ANGPING. In the 1970s, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Who was the President, if the distinguished Sponsor may recall?

REP. ANGPING. Nineteen seventy, I think that was President Marcos, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. President Marcos. Will the distinguished Sponsor be able to educate this Representation by telling us what so far has President Marcos done in order to fortify our claim militarily, jurisprudentially, constitutionally over these disputed islands?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, he made the municipality of Kalayaan part of the province of Palawan.

REP. CASTRO. How did he do it, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. By Presidential Decree No. 1596.

REP. CASTRO. Other than that presidential decree that declares this Kalayaan Islands as part of the territory of the Republic of the Philippines, what other Act or Acts has President Marcos done to strengthen our physical claim over this group of islands?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, he caused the occupation of the Philippines in the seven islands.

REP. CASTRO. What islands are these?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, if I can read it well: Kota Island, Lawak Island, Likas Island, Pag-asa Island, Panata Island, Parola Island, Patag Island, Rizal Reef and Ayungin Shoal.

REP. CASTRO. Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, militarily, what has President Marcos done to strengthen our physical possession over these islands?

REP. ANGPING. Through the occupation of these islands, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Simply sending our soldiers to those islands is not the physical possession you were referring to, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, nagkaroon din ng mga eskuwelahan, mga government projects doon.

REP. CASTRO. But militarily, ...

REP. ANGPING. Military-wise.

REP. CASTRO. ... what has been done there to strengthen our claim over those islands?

REP. ANGPING. From him and through the years, nagpapadala, may mga troops tayo doon, Mr. Speaker, na-deployed. We deployed most ...

REP. CASTRO. No, only during the time of President Marcos.

REP. ANGPING. Only during the time of President Marcos when he started deploying troops.

REP. CASTRO. No structures, no military structures were built there.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, there was an airfield that was established in Pag-asa Island and a garrison.

REP. CASTRO. Airfield.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, and a garrison.

REP. CASTRO. Other than airfield, no other military structures were constructed.

REP. ANGPING. Iyong garrisons po. Mayroon ding garrisons.


REP. CASTRO. Garrison. What is this garrison for?

REP. ANGPING. To house the soldiers, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, and for other related military services.

REP. CASTRO. Therefore, this garrison is only for housing the soldiers, but to strengthen the military troops there, no other structures were ever built in those islands.

REP. ANGPING. That was in 1970, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, so it seems that was what he put up there—the airport, the garrisons for the troops to have a place.

REP. CASTRO. The next President after President Marcos was President Cory Aquino. Could you educate this Representation if President Aquino has ever directed and, in fact, this direction was complied with, to strengthen our military possession over the disputed islands?

REP. ANGPING. It was to maintain our presence in the islands, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. Come again, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. To maintain the presence of our troops.

REP. CASTRO. Ah, maintenance.

REP. ANGPING. Maintenance of our presence.

REP. CASTRO. Maintenance. Other than this maintenance, no more?

REP. ANGPING. The usual. That is all. The troops are there, and then just to maintain the troops there, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

REP. CASTRO. How about President …

REP. ANGPING. At that time, too, we increased our patrol, surveillance around the islands.

REP. CASTRO. How about President Ramos after President Aquino, what has President Ramos done to strengthen our military possession or physical possession of the disputed islands?

REP. ANGPING. The same, to maintain our presence in the islands, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. But, of course, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, maintenance alone is not an act of strengthening our physical possession of these disputed islands. Do you agree, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. Well, we have the patrols that are patrolling there so that …

REP. CASTRO. How about President Estrada, what has President Estrada’s administration done to strengthen our physical possession over these disputed islands?

REP. ANGPING. It is still the same, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, to maintain the presence of our troops there, and that was the time that we sent the BRP Sierra Madre to the islands.

REP. CASTRO. How about President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, what has her administration done to strengthen our physical possession over these disputed islands apart from what you say, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, as maintenance?

REP. ANGPING. It is still the same, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. It is maintenance—to maintain our presence in the islands with the patrol boats, and with the Sierra Madre there.

REP. CASTRO. How about at present, what have we done to strengthen or fortify our physical possession over these islands?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, aside from all of these, of course, to maintain our presence with the BRP Sierra Madre there, we went for arbitration and, of course, the objective of the modernization is to protect the Philippine seas, and also the air and the ground.

REP. CASTRO. That is insofar as legal fortification of our claim over these disputed islands is concerned. But I was referring to physical possession, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker. What has the present administration done to strengthen our physical possession over these disputed islands?

REP. ANGPING. That is why, with the modernization, the objective is, we have more troops there to protect our seas and our air space.

REP. CASTRO. We have not built anything in those disputed islands.

REP. ANGPING. No, we have just maintained whatever that we have there.


REP. CASTRO. Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, honestly, had President Marcos, President Aquino, President Ramos, President Estrada and Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo strengthened physically our possession or physical possession over these disputed islands, fortified our possession over these disputed islands? Could you tell me whether or not China could have easily done what it has so far done in these disputed islands?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, in 2002, there was a Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, that is why we have no new structures there.

REP. CASTRO. When was that, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. In 2002.

REP. CASTRO. That was already in 2002, but our first claim was made by President Marcos.

REP. ANGPING. Marcos, yes, but that is it.

REP. CASTRO. The Sponsor is referring to 2002 after the administration of different ...

REP. ANGPING. Presidents, yes.

REP. CASTRO. ... Presidents.

REP. ANGPING. That is why.

REP. CASTRO. Now, I am going back to the same question. Had we made or strengthened our physical possession over these disputed islands, could China have easily done what it has done in these disputed islands?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, you are asking me if China could have done it? We cannot speak for China, we can speak only for ourselves. But that is it; that is what we have there. I really do not understand why the Gentleman is asking me, if we had more structures there, would China not have been able to come in, was that the question?

REP. CASTRO. Yes. Had we placed or strengthened our troops in those disputed islands, had we built structures in those disputed islands, had we maintained respectable military strength in those disputed islands, do you think, Mr. Speaker, that China could have easily done what it has done in these disputed islands to the prejudice of our country?

REP. ANGPING. Even if we did, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, even if we did have those structures there, there would have been no assurance that China would not come in. There is no territorial dispute as far as we are concerned.

REP. CASTRO. But for sure, Mr. Speaker, the Sponsor would agree with this Representation that it could not have been that easy had we maintained a respectable strength in those disputed islands.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I will agree if there was, but unfortunately, we did not.

REP. CASTRO. I am not going to invite the Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, to draw a conclusion out of our discussion. But from our discussion, for sure, we can draw a conclusion that something was remiss, something was negligent, someone has overlooked, someone has not realized the importance of maintaining respectable strength or respectable military structures in those disputed islands, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, but, Mr. Speaker, remember that China has claimed the entire South China Sea with the 9-dash line. So, hindi lang po tayo.

REP. CASTRO. But that is only recent, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. This was in 1946, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. In 1972, there was no such dispute the way these islands are now being disputed by the Philippines and China.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, it was in 1946 that they put up the 9-dash line.

REP. CASTRO. But there was no physical implementation of that 9-dash line. It is only recent, Mme. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, that that unimaginable 9-dash line has been implemented.

REP. ANGPING. But, Mr. Speaker, they were already asserting their pressure on us, on all of the others, on that 9-dash line. But they have really been aggressive in the past years. But they started in 1946, not only recently.

REP. CASTRO. That 9-dash line was only contemplated in that year but never enforced, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. If that is what the Gentleman is saying, Mr. Speaker.


REP. CASTRO. May I know a categorical answer, Mr. Speaker.


REP. CASTRO. That 9-dash line was never enforced before. It is only recent.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Please address the Chair.


REP. CASTRO. Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, I have to agree with the Gentleman on that, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Therefore, again, without that implementation of that unimaginable and abominable 9-dash line, had we maintained a decent, respectable military strength and structure in those disputed islands the way we did with the BRP Sierra Madre, so we could have not been prejudiced by this erroneous claim of the People’s Republic of China over these disputed islands, not that easy as they did months or years ago.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Mr. Speaker, that is why we are upgrading our capabilities, and we need the Gentleman’s support on this.

REP. CASTRO. Finally, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor, this might be a joke but this is a serious question. If ever that hostilities break between China and the Philippines, will our defense be able to repel whatever attack or hostilities made by China against our country, honestly, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. But, Mr. Speaker, we will defend our country. That is how we are as Filipinos.

REP. CASTRO. Meaning, our military can defend us. There is no question.

REP. ANGPING. They will do that, they will have to defend us, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Of course, our military will defend us, but can it defend our country?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, it should, it should be.

REP. CASTRO. For how long, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. I guess we will have to look into

their operational plan and see how long they can keep up, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Based on our strength, for how long, vis-à-vis the strength of China, for how long can our military defend us?

REP. ANGPING. That is an operational matter, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, I have no knowledge of that. That is an operational matter. That is what they have.

REP. CASTRO. This is confidential?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. Can we do it in an executive session?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, if we want to, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, we can have it.

REP. CASTRO. Before the Second Reading, Mr. Speaker, Mme. Sponsor?

REP. ANGPING. We will look into that, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. CASTRO. We are willing to join the Department of National Defense in an executive session.

REP. ANGPING. Within the right committee, I think, that should be under the Committee on National Defense, headed by Congressman Biazon, Mr. Speaker.

REP. CASTRO. No, we are not going to make it exclusive. All those Members of the House who are interested to hear may join and, therefore, this executive session should be open to everybody because everybody in this House is a stakeholder on this matter.

REP. ANGPING. Whoever will be interested, Mr. Speaker, they will not be prevented from entering as long as they are House Members. But I believe, I will have to ask, I think it will have to be with the Committee on National Defense.

REP. CASTRO. That is all, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mme. Sponsor.



REP. ANGPING. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.


REP. ROMUALDO. Before we proceed to the next interpellator, we would like to acknowledge the presence of some guests in the gallery.


REP. ROMUALDO. They are guests of the Members of the House who formerly belonged to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, namely: the Hon. Romeo Acop from the Second District of Antipolo City; the Hon. Gary Alejano and the Hon. Francisco Ashley Acedillo from the Paty-List MAGDALO; the Hon. Leopoldo Bataoil from the Second District of Pangasinan; the Hon. Rodolfo Biazon from the Lone District of Muntinlupa City; and the Hon. Samuel Pagdilao from the Party-List ACT-CIS. Their guests are 64 cadets from the PMA Gabay Laya, Class of 2016, led by their head of delegation, Lieutenant Colonel Torbela. (Applause)

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Please rise. Welcome to the House of Representatives.


REP. ROMUALDO. Mr. Speaker, the next Member who wishes to interpellate our distinguished Sponsor is the Gentleman from the Party-List BUHAY, the Hon. Jose L. Atienza, Jr. I move that he be recognized.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The Honorable Lito Atienza from the Party-List BUHAY is recognized to interpellate the Sponsor. Please proceed.

REP. ATIENZA. Maraming salamat po, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Asst. Majority Leader.

If the Lady Sponsor wishes it, we can take a short break before we continue, to give her time to refresh and be more prepared.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you very much.

REP. ATIENZA. If she wishes to answer now, then we would appreciate that.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you very much for your concern, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, but since the time is getting late, perhaps we can go on.

REP. ATIENZA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.At the outset, let me stress that my interest in the

military is very personal. I come from a very militarized family. My uncle was once upon a time a chief of staff, all my uncles were all active in the military. My own father also responded to the call of duty as an ROTC during the war with the Japanese.

I would like to center on the fact that the ROTC or the Reserved Officers Training Corps of our land, of our system, has already been disbanded.

I would like to ask the Lady, while we are discussing the budget of the military, mayroon po bang ipinalit doon sa training ng ating citizens in times of crisis because then, under the direct mandate of Commonwealth Act No. 1, otherwise known as the Citizens Defense Act, nagkaroon po tayo talaga ng paraan upang ang ating mga kalalakihan at kababaihan ay mabigyan ng training. Kaya naman we are proud to say that the ROTC integrees have led the military and many of them have served in different capacities with glorious honor, and in times of conflict, they also were very much part of national defense. At this point, would the Lady be able to brief all of us, what is being done to get our citizens more prepared for any active duty?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, right now, the ROTC is optional to students. In fact, it was just being done in the Committee on National Defense, they are conducting a review on this so that we can increase our ready reserved force. In other words, they are trying to review on whether we can go on and put back the ROTC. But as of now, it is optional, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ATIENZA. Having said that, would the Lady Sponsor be able to assure Congress and the people of the Philippines that we would be ready if any eventuality arises that citizens may be asked to participate in the defense of our land? Meron po ba tayong paraan upang ma-mobilize ang ating mga kapwa Pilipino kung dumating ang pagkakataong ganoon? Kung wala po tayong regular training ay mahirap sigurong masabi natin that we would be ready.

In the same breath, I would like to ask, in the level of the high school students, wala na rin yatang CAT o Citizens Army Training ano po?

REP. ANGPING. To answer the question about the one in the high school, Mr. Speaker, wala na tayong programa para doon.

Pero sa isang question mo naman po, if we are going to be ready, we have reservists that are being trained, who get regular basic training. In the Philippine Army, they have 81 battalions; the Philippine Navy, they have eight naval reserve forces and three marine brigades; the Philippine Air Force has 21 air reserve groups; and in the AFPRESCOM, we have eight groups. In other words, iyan pa lang po ang ready reserves natin kung mayroong mangyayari sa ating bansa.

REP. ATIENZA. We accept that, Mr. Speaker, and I am sure the Lady Sponsor would agree that we are not at par even with our neighbors in Southeast Asia


when it comes to citizens’ participation in any kind of military training.

REP. ANGPING. I agree.

REP. ATIENZA. We have lagged behind already for the past 15 years. At this point, we should all feel inadequate to even think that we can defend our shores without people’s participation.

REP. ANGPING. I agree wholeheartedly with the Gentleman, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ATIENZA. At this point, would the Lady Sponsor give us an idea what is the fighting strength of the military today?

REP. ANGPING. Of the military?

REP. ATIENZA. The formal organization of the military, ilan po ba ang ating sundalo?

REP. ANGPING. We have 129,000 soldiers, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ATIENZA. That is 129,000, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, 129,000 military personnel in uniform.

REP. ATIENZA. Kasama na po ang lahat ng sangay ng ating sandatahang hukbo. That is the total, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. That is Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines—129,000.

REP. ATIENZA. How much would be the basic salary of an ordinary enlisted man?

REP. ANGPING. It is P14,000 basic.

REP. ATIENZA. P14,000. Iyon po ba iyong kanyang take-home pay o iyon ang kanyang suweldo before deductions?

REP. ANGPING. Ang basic pay po ay P14,000. But if he has stayed with the military for 20 years, the conservative pay would be P6,000. P14,000 basic pay plus P6,000 if you have stayed on with the military for 20 years. It comes up to about P23,687 if you have been with the military for 20 years. But if you are just an enlisted one, it is P14,000 basic pay, Mr. Speaker,

REP. ATIENZA. So, you are estimating, distinguished Lady, that the take-home pay could be as much as P21,000, tama po ba iyon?

REP. ANGPING. Sa gross po iyan. Sa gross.

REP. ATIENZA. Gross. Would you say that that is adequate considering the standards of living today?

REP. ANGPING. I have to be honest, Mr. Speaker, it is not. I do not believe it is adequate.

REP. ATIENZA. So, you will agree in the general acceptance of the fact that our military men are not paid enough.

REP. ANGPING. Yes. Kulang talaga.

REP. ATIENZA. Kulang ang kanilang iniuuwing salapi para sa kanilang pamilya.

REP. ANGPING. I agree. I agree. Kulang na kulang.

REP. ATIENZA. So, kailangan po pag-aralan nating mabuti iyan, pagpe-prepare natin ng budget papaano natin mabibigyan ng karagdagang suweldo ang ating mga regular military members, sapagkat sa kanilang balikat nakasalalay ang lahat ng may kinalaman sa depensa ng ating bansa, from any threat. Sa kanilang balikat nakasalalay ang seguridad ng ating bansa, panloob, at sila ang nag-aalay ng kanilang buhay kung kinakailangan. It is but fitting and proper that they be given special consideration and study to adjust their salaries to a realistic level.

Ang survival average ngayon para mabuhay nang maayos ang isang pamilya ay, at least isang libo isang araw ang kikitain ng sinuman. Kapag kumikita kayo ng mas mababa sa isang libo ay parang ano na kayo roon, maituturing na kayong nagdarahop, kulang, kapos. Mayroon po ba kayong pag-aaral na ginawa na dito sa budget na ito at sa darating pang mga budget na pag-uusapan natin na mayroong salary adjustment para sa ating mga militar?

REP. ANGPING. Ang problema kasi diyan po, Mr. Speaker, ay sumasabay lang tayo sa gobyerno. Kung hindi nasa ano ng DBM, eh ang hirap. Kaya siguro, sa tulong po ninyo, baka puwede nating pag-aralan iyan, kung papaano natin magagawan at mabigyan ng mas mataas na salary iyong mga ...

REP. ATIENZA. With this revelation, definitely, I will introduce a measure …


REP. ATIENZA. … to provide the military enlisted men, the military man, in general, a better pay because he is holding one of the most sensitive positions in


government, much more than a clerk, much than an ordinary employee. He is risking himself in the jungles of Mindanao, in the jungles of Sulu, everywhere, that anywhere he is assigned, his life is at risk. Dapat lang, hindi po ba?

REP. ANGPING. That would be greatly appreciated, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ATIENZA. We will prepare the necessary proposal and I would expect the Lady Sponsor of this measure on the floor to be joining me to push for this particular measure.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, you can count on me, Mr. Speaker. I will do so.

REP. ATIENZA. Going back now to a very sensitive matter of how to improve the conditions of our military establishment, we are supposed to be enjoying a huge amount of money coming from the Bases Conversion, di po ba?

REP. ANGPING. Opo, totoo po.

REP. ATIENZA. Naaalala ko noong mag-uumpisa pa lamang itong programang ito, ang Pangulo noon ay si Pangulong Ramos.

REP. ANGPING. Pangulong Ramos, BCDA.

REP. ATIENZA. At ako po ay nagkaroon ng pagkakataong makausap siya. I tried my best to dissuade him from disposing of these very, very important pieces of real estate, and instead use them for the benefit of the ordinary citizen for housing. Malinaw po ang sinabi sa akin ng Pangulo, ang sabi niya, Vice Mayor ako noon e, “Vice Mayor, the money that will be derived from all of this privatization especially Fort Bonifacio will be used for the benefit of the military establishment.” That is why, the Modernization Act emanated from that commitment. Ang militar ay mabibigyan ng mas maayos na pamumuhay at mas maayos na armas kapagka ibinenta itong mga property na ito.

Nangyari naman po ang lahat ng iyon. Under the BCDA ay maraming pondo po ang nalikom, at ang inaasahan ng marami ay magkakaroon talaga ng pagbabago ang kalagayan ng establisimyento ng militar. Magkano na po ba ang total fund that has been generated by the privatization of the properties given to the modernization effort?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, mga P66 billion na.

REP. ATIENZA. Sixty-six billion.

REP. ANGPING. Sixty-six billion, total, as of now.

REP. ATIENZA. At this point, would you say that the utilization of the funds generated from the disposition of properties really went very, very carefully and diligently to the benefit of the establishment?

REP. ANGPING. From May 1995 to June 2015, from the P66 billion, the DND got only P17 billion, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker,

REP. ATIENZA. Did I hear right …

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. ATIENZA. … that of the P66 billion …

REP. ANGPING. Seventeen only.

REP. ATIENZA. … only 17 had been released?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, for the modernization.

REP. ATIENZA. Bakit ho nagkakaganoon? Mayroon po ba tayong masasabing dahilan bakit hindi nagpupunta sa modernization ang pondong dapat?

REP. ANGPING. Kasi po, iyong modernization will get only 35 percent of the total.

REP. ATIENZA. Saan po napupunta iyong 65 percent?

REP. ANGPING. Sa iba’t ibang agencies po e.

REP. ATIENZA. Iba’t ibang agencies na walang kinalaman sa modernization.

REP. ANGPING. Based kasi on the BCDA Law, 35 percent goes to the military, and 65 percent goes to different agencies.

REP. ATIENZA. So, only 35 percent actually goes to improve …

REP. ANGPING. By law, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. ATIENZA. … the capacity, capabilities and the situation of the military.

REP. ANGPING. The military, yes, Your Honor; by law, it is 35 percent.

REP. ATIENZA. Would you say that the P17 billion


has been used diligently, carefully so that this will really benefit the military and nobody else?

REP. ANGPING. I believe so, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, but we could ask them for an itemized report of where the P17 billion went; and we can provide Your Honor with the list.

REP. ATIENZA. Mr. Speaker, I was listening to the interpellation being done by our colleague, …

REP. ANGPING. ABAKADA.

REP. ATIENZA. … Congressman f rom ABAKADA, …

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. ATIENZA. … Congressman Dela Cruz, I cannot help but agree with him that there are many instances, as reflected in official communications from the Commission on Audit, that the limited funds that are now being given or accruing to the exclusive use and benefit of the military are not being done properly, in fact, questionable legally. Iyon po ang mga words ng Commission on Audit that shortcuts have been committed, violations have been committed, and questions of losses from the government, and, therefore, the benefits of the military have not been given, and this has been done by the present leadership. Tama po ba iyon o hindi?

REP. ANGPING. Iyon ang obserbasyon ng COA po.

REP. ATIENZA. I would really say that you have to agree, Lady Sponsor, because the papers that we are holding are official papers …

REP. ANGPING. Are official papers, yes.

REP. ATIENZA. … coming from the Commission on Audit.

Ito po ay nakalulungkot sapagkat pag mayroon pong iregularidad ay hindi nagpupunta iyong salapi doon sa kinauukulan. Maaaring naliligaw iyon o maaaring naaaksaya. Eh, alam ninyo, kailangang-kailangan ng militar ang tulong na nanggagaling sa ating pamahalaan. Sabi nga ninyo ay ang sweldo is not even practical, to be very truthful about it. Iyon lang ang kaya according to present laws. That is why we will look into the possibility of even exempting the military because the military is, definitely, a tough task, one of the most sensitive tasks in government service. Mayroon tayong salapi na dapat ay pupunta 100 percent sa kanilang benepisyo, sa modernong armas, at sa modernong gamit

ay tila maraming questionable transactions, which the Commission on Audit continues to check and take note of.

May we ask the Lady Sponsor what has the leadership done now in the presence of these Commission on Audit findings and their recommendations and even the admission of internal audit in the military establishment? Ano po ba ang mga measures ngayon na ginagawa na para matiyak natin na iyong 35 percent na dapat pumunta sa military establishment, 100 percent dapat pumunta sa kanila sa pagsunod natin sa batas?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, these are observations by the COA and the DND has submitted their explanations to the COA last 29th of June 2015. Rest assured, Your Honor, that the DND has complied with the rigid procedural requirements of the COA.

REP. ATIENZA. You are assuring us, Lady Sponsor, that the leadership now is being more meticulous in seeing to it that the special fund is used more carefully and more diligently. Iyon po ba ang aking nakuhang kasagutan sa inyo?

REP. ANGPING. In fact, observers were invited to the bidding process now such as the media, Coalition Against Corruption, and other NGOs. When they have their biddings, these people are now being invited, so that they can witness and observe.

REP. ATIENZA. Ano po ito?

REP. ANGPING. Iyong sa mga bidding nila, nag-imbita na sila ng mga observers kapag nagbi-bidding sila ngayon. Nag-imbita na sila ng mga observers para makita kung papaano ang kanilang proseso, iyong media, at saka iyong mga Coalition Against Corruptions, at saka iyong MAGDALO. Itong mga tao ay imbitado.

REP. ATIENZA. Salamat po naman at mabuti po naman kung nag-iingat na …

REP. ANGPING. Para may …

REP. ATIENZA. … ang kaibigan kong si Secretary Gazmin. Kaibigan ko po siya. Nandito po siya, nakita ko kanina.

He is my good friend. We served together and I know his integrity remains unblemished. But he has to be careful because in the bureaucracy, unless you develop an anticipatory attitude, my good friend could get into trouble. Iyon po ang reality sa gobyerno. Alam ni Lady Sponsor iyan. Alam namin iyan. Kaya kailangan, ina-anticipate iyong maaaring …


REP. ANGPING. Para mangyayari.

REP. ATIENZA. … hindi kanais-nais na maganap. We are very much interested, considering that this is money that should improve the conditions of the military, especially now that we are taking a very precarious direction with our relations with neighboring countries, and we are also challenged by internal problems.

May I ask the Lady Sponsor, iyong nababasa namin sa diyaryong pagbili natin ng submarine, ng frigate, ng additional warships, ito po ba ay totoo? Ito po ba ay may basehan o speculative on the part of media?

REP. ANGPING. Ito po ay totoo. In fact, we have procurement projects para sa frigates, pagkatapos iyong mga tanks at saka iyong mga jets. Nandiyan po iyan lahat. Hindi ito, ano, na imaginary.

REP. ATIENZA. Bibili po ba ng submarine?

REP. ANGPING. Wala, wala kaming submarine. Wala tayong …

REP. ATIENZA. Bibili po ba ng mga tangke?

REP. ANGPING. May mga tangke po.

REP. ATIENZA. Iyong tangke, hindi na bibili. Armored tanks, …

REP. ANGPING. Armored tanks, yes.

REP. ATIENZA. … hindi bibili.

REP. ANGPING. Bibilhin.

REP. ATIENZA. Bibilhin po?

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. ATIENZA. Magkano po ba ang total appropriation noong submarine? I understand, this is one of the most modern submarines, model submarine that we could probably purchase in the world market. Magkano po ba ang isang submarine? Magkano po ba ang kabuuan nitong pondong ito na inilalaan ng ating gobyerno ngayon para po naman sa tingin nila ay tamang paghahanda sa anumang maaaring mangyari?

REP. ANGPING. As of now po, wala pa tayong submarine kasi masyadong mahal. Kaya they are studying whether such a program would be for the procurement would be okay, if they can do it.

REP. ATIENZA. So, the Lady Sponsor is saying that there is no actual …

REP. ANGPING. There is no submarine.

REP. ATIENZA. … appropriation for a submarine yet.

REP. ANGPING. None for a submarine …

REP. ATIENZA. So, it is merely speculative.

REP. ANGPING. Very speculative, yes.

REP. ATIENZA. Iyon po namang mga frigate at iyong mga bapor na bibilhin, …

REP. ANGPING. Ang frigates, yes.

REP. ATIENZA. … iyon po ba ay totoo o speculative din?

REP. ANGPING. Ang frigates, iyong mga tangke at saka iyong mga jet, totoo po.

REP. ATIENZA. Magkano po aabutin iyon, Lady Sponsor, Mr. Speaker? Just an estimate, we do not need to be very specific in the costings.

REP. ANGPING. Iyong frigates, P18 billion.

REP. ATIENZA. P18 billion initial cost.

REP. ANGPING. Initial cost.

REP. ATIENZA.Iyan po ay mayroong maintenance, mayroong manning iyan at mayroon ng lahat ng kailangan.

REP. ANGPING. Para sa dalawa, opo. Dalawa na kasi iyong frigates natin.

REP. ATIENZA. So, malaking-malaking salapi po ang kailangan diyan para iyan ay mapatakbo nang tama.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. ATIENZA. Ilan pong frigates ang bibilhin?

REP. ANGPING. Dalawa po.

REP. ATIENZA. Dalawa.

REP. ANGPING. Dalawa ang binabalak po.

REP. ATIENZA. Kung iyong pondong iyan na ating iniisip na ipambili sa mga modernong armaments, at iyong submarine na binabanggit, kung ito po ay


ginagamit na lamang natin sa pagsasaayos ng ating kalagayan ng pangkaraniwang militar, hindi po ba mas ayos iyon at mas maganda? Hindi naman natin kailangan talaga ng submarine. We are not thinking of war, we are not even thinking of confronting anyone in the high seas. Dahil kung mayroon tayong isang submarine, mayroon silang 2,000, ay wala rin po namang kalaban-laban iyon, so, why spend …

REP. ANGPING. So much.

REP. ATIENZA. … a single centavo for ships that will not be of any use in any genuine confrontational situation?

Hindi po ba mas magandang gugulin na lang natin iyan upang iyong sundalo natin ay umuuwi nang mayroong katatagan iyong kanyang sariling damdamin, na kung may mangyari sa kanya, ay iyong pamilya niya ay malalagay sa tama?

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Actually po, Mr. Speaker, the mandate of the DND is to prepare for any insurgency or any contingency, so for the protection of the country and the Filipino people.

REP. ATIENZA. We realized that, dear distinguished Lady, but as I have stressed, spending good money after bad does not make sense. Kapag ginugol ninyo ang kaunting salapi sa mga bagay na hindi naman talaga ...

REP. ANGPING. Kailangan.

REP. ATIENZA. ... makatutulong ng anuman sa ating layunin ay mas mabuti pa siguro na ang P20 billion or so many billions and every year thereafter ay gugulin natin sa pagsasaayos ng ating ...

REP. ANGPING. Militar.

REP. ATIENZA. ... sweldo ng ating mga sundalo para sila po ay mabigyan ng seguridad sa kanilang kalagayan. We cannot continue saying we do not have the money, but meanwhile, the ordinary military man will read in the papers and talk amidst talks of buying very expensive armaments. It does not make sense at all. Hindi po ba mas maganda sa budget next year na huwag na nating pag-usapan ang mga mamahaling gamit, pag-usapan natin ang sweldo ng ating pangkaraniwang sundalo?

REP. ANGPING. Sabagay dapat naman talaga nating talakayin ang sweldo, kaya iyan ang sinasabi mo, kaya kailangan talaga nating tingnan kung paano natin ito gagawin.

REP. ATIENZA. Pag-aralan din natin ang ating

training program, citizens training program, so that in case of many conflict, ang 139,000 strong military force ay madagdagan natin ng 1.3 million, two million or three million Filipinos ready to serve our country. Doon na natin gugulin ang salapi, training, training, training, so that our country will be better prepared, rather than maintaining expensive armaments that are not going to help us anyway. It will only send our military men, our navy men to harm’s way. Can you imagine one brigade, one submarine going into the high seas confronting the navy of a superior power or maybe a superpower, kaawa-awa naman ang ating mga ipadadala roon, eh sana kung ang sasakay doon ay ang mga baluktot na mga kawani at opisyal ng ating pamahalaan, iyon ang isakay natin. Sila ang sumakay doon sa mga pangunahing sasakyan na susugod kung saan man.

REP. ANGPING. Opo, kaya nga mas mabuti na nga iyan na hindi pa sila nag-iisip bumili ng submarine kasi it is really, really expensive. So, as you suggested, Your Honor, maybe we should really look into it and they could study kung papaano natin maitataas ang sweldo ng mga militar natin.

REP. ATIENZA. That is a commitment, Lady Sponsor, that we should really take care of our military men simply because there is no choice whatsoever. Mahina na ang ating backbone on citizens reservist force, mahina pa ang moralidad o morale ng ating hukbong sandatahan, wala talaga tayong pupuntahan.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. ATIENZA. Kailangan po nating suriing mabuti iyan.

Now, with regard to and continuing our studies on generated funds, are the talks about privatization of the Veterans Memorial Hospital and Golf Course still ongoing or is this now shelved permanently? Alam ninyo, Lady Sponsor, there is a crazy government now, national and local, ibinebenta ang mga ari-arian ng pamahalaan.

REP. ANGPING. Talaga.

REP. ATIENZA. Sa local government po, sa Maynila, pati palengke ibinebenta.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. ATIENZA. Iyon po ang pinuna natin noong isang araw. Para bagang ang lahat ng mga ari-arian ng pamahalaan ay disposable. We have maintained the Veterans Memorial Hospital and the golf course there that is being enjoyed by our military men and their dependents. Now, we hear talks about selling it, selling


it to whom, to another developer, another mall maker? Itatayo ba diyan ang extension of Makati Commercial Center or itatayo diyan ang extension ng SM Malls?

REP. ANGPING. I am very happy to tell you, Your Honor, and to inform you that the project has been shelved.

REP. ATIENZA. So, that has been shelved.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, and we should keep it shelved.

REP. ATIENZA. Under this administration, well, that is a most welcome news because we really got bothered when we heard again that the Veterans Memorial Golf Course and the Veterans Memorial Hospital were being considered for the beautiful experience of privatization which means selling out very important, valuable real estate owned by the people of the Philippines to private developers, so that we will have more malls, as if kulang pa ang ating malls. Tumingin ka anywhere, in any spot of the country, you will see a mall at least one, two, three, four, five.

REP. ANGPING. Side by side, Your Honor.

REP. ATIENZA. In some areas, you see nothing but malls.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. ATIENZA. We hope this commitment of the establishment would stand and we will continue to guard against any effort in the future that the Veterans Memorial Hospital and the golf course that gives some kind of a semblance of recreational facilities for our military men are protected from this very selfish notion that privatization is good for the nation. Definitely not especially when playgrounds, public markets and valuable real estate properties are being given to the very rich of the nation to be enjoyed by them, meanwhile, depriving the poor lesser opportunities at a good, enjoyable life.

So, with that, Mr. Speaker, we would like to express our appreciation to the Lady Sponsor who has stood on her feet defending the budget of the military and with their answers to our very critical questions and the assurances that she has given, we will support this budget that is now being requested. Thank you.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you very much.



REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, before we proceed, may we acknowledge the presence of some guests in the gallery. In the gallery are guests of the Hon. Leah S. Paquiz, from Party-List ANG NARS. They are Annie Geron of Public Services Labor Independent Confederation, Norman Grecia of Public Services International, and Josephine Pagsuyuin and Vilma Buggay of Philippine Government Employees Union.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Please rise. You are welcome to the House of Representatives. (Applause)



REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move for a few minutes suspension of the session.


It was 6:27 p.m.


At 6:32 p.m., the session was resumed with Rep. Jorge “Bolet” Banal presiding.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The session is resumed.


REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we recognize the Hon. Neri J. Colmenares for his interpellation.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The Hon. Neri J. Colmenares is recognized for his interpellation.

REP. COLMENARES. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I really commiserate with our colleague for the very patient way with which she answered questions. However, there are things that need to be asked, but I will really try my best to really make this short.

At this juncture, Representative Banal relinquished the Chair to Deputy Speaker Pangalian M. Balindong.

REP. ANGPING. Thank you very much, Senator.

REP. COLMENARES. Thank you po. A short question lang muna. Alam ninyo po matagal ko nang naririnig sa media ito pong isyu na hindi nabibigyan


ang World War II veterans na mayroong mga surviving spouses, at may mga total administrative disability o TAD nila, mga arrears. Can you please describe, ano po ba ito, are they entitled to the funds? May na-release na po bang buget para sa kanila at na-release na po ba ito? Kung hindi na-release, bakit hindi na-release po? Para mabilis na lang po.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, ang ating mga World War II veterans ay nabayaran na po sa ilalim ng administrasyon na ito. Pero, mayroon din po silang arrears. So, ito po ay P6 billion na arrears, total TAD arrears, by priority. Ito po ay para sa mga surviving spouses ng deceased World War II veterans, that is P3 billion.

REP. COLMENARES. P3 billion po.

REP. ANGPING. P3 billion po. There are 21,171 surviving spouses.

REP. COLMENARES. Thirty-one thousand.

REP. ANGPING. Twenty-one.

REP. COLMENARES. Twenty-one thousand one hundred seventy-one.

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Eighty years old and above, by 2016, ay 16,000 plus.


REP. ANGPING. Ang 79 years old naman and below by 2016 is 4,934.

REP. COLMENARES. Tama po.

REP. ANGPING. Iyan ang accountability natin sa 3,573,457.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, po. Ang intindi ko po, may allocated budget na ito previously, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ANGPING. Sa regular TAD, iyon ang nasa ating budget. Ang hinihingi natin ngayon po ay para sa …

REP. COLMENARES. Iyong arrears.

REP. ANGPING. … arrears. Iyong arrears ay para doon sa mga World War II veterans who died before they could be paid their benefits in 2013.

REP. COLMENARES. Opo. So, bakit po hindi sila nabibigyan ng karampatang arrears nila? Lumaban

naman sila noong panahon ng giyera laban sa Hapon. So, ano ang dahilan kung bakit hindi naman natin i-recognize ang mga arrears na ito ng mga veterans?

REP. ANGPING. Since 1994 kasi po ay walang naa-appropriate.

REP. COLMENARES. Ah, so hinihingi naman nila …

REP. ANGPING. Ah, hinihingi po.

REP. COLMENARES. Pero ang Malacañang, hindi sila inilalagay sa National Expenditures Program and, therefore, hindi sila nagkakaroon ng pera.

REP. ANGPING. Hindi nasasama sa NEP. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. So, I am sure that the current administration would be willing to provide these funds. After all, P3 billion is chicken feed in a P3-trillion budget, and considering the huge billions given by this administration to various projects, maybe P3 billion is not that big an amount, Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleague, for our World War II veterans.

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Alam mo, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, ay talagang iko-consider natin itong hinihingi nila during the period of amendments.

REP. COLMENARES. Ah, okay.

REP. ANGPING. Sana, matulungan natin sila dito.

REP. COLMENARES. So, ang nangyari pala, humingi ulit sila sa Malacañang, but hindi pa rin na-include ng DBM sa NEP ang budget nila, tama po?

Pero amenable na ba ang DBM ngayon ayon sa information ng DND na, sige na, i-approve, bigyan ninyo na ng budget iyan?

REP. ANGPING. Silent po ang DBM dito, pero sana, matulungan natin talaga sila. So, tayo na ang magtatrabaho dito.

REP. COLMENARES. So, this is now a work of Congress.

REP. ANGPING. It is a work of Congress.

REP. COLMENARES. Kahit hindi inilagay ng Malacañanang, once in a while, mag-e-exercise ang Congress …

REP. ANGPING. Opo.


REP. COLMENARES. … ng kanyang constitutional power na magpasá ng budget.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. Tama. So, iyon po. Maraming salamat po. I really hope that this Congress will now grant the arrears, at matagal nang hinihingi ng ating mga World War II veterans lalo na at kailangang-kailangan na ng kanilang pamilya iyon.

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Talagang kailangang-kailangan na po.

REP. COLMENARES. Salamat. Recognition din sa kanilang ginawa noong World War II. So, maraming salamat po.

For the record, I am really optimistic that this Congress will assert its power to approve the budget and pass this P3-billion budget.

Maraming salamat po.Back na lang po doon sa pinag-usapan natin the last

time, ito pong issue ng Lumad killings. So, naging issue po ito noong panahon ng hearing natin, itong nangyari sa Lianga, in particular, iyong pagpatay kay Aurelio Sinzo, kay Dionel Campos, at kay Emerico “Tatay Emok” Samarca. So, tanong ko lang po, kumusta na ang ating imbestigasyon doon sa pagkamatay noong tatlo po?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, ito ba ang sa Lianga, sa Surigao del Sur?

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, sa Lianga, sa Surigao po.

REP. ANGPING. Ito ang burning and killing incidents. Ito rin po, ano?


REP. ANGPING. Okay. Ang recommendation kasi ay ang commander po has recommended 2LT. Ignacio Gumilab Jr., Philippine Army, the involved platoon leader of Alpha Company, 75thIB, 1-A and 6ID, PA, to undergo court martial proceedings in violation of AW96, poor judgment tantamount to conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman, and AW97, which is poor judgment resulting in conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline.

REP. COLMENARES. Ano po ulit iyong pangalan? 2nd Lieutenant ...

REP. ANGPING. Ignacio Gumilad.

REP. COLMENARES. Ignacio Sumilang?

REP. ANGPING. Gumilad.

REP. COLMENARES. Ano po?

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. Ano ulit?

REP. ANGPING. Gumilad.

REP. COLMENARES. Can you spell it na lang po.

REP. ANGPING. G-u-m-i-l-a-d.

REP. COLMENARES. Cumilad? Dumilad?

REP. ANGPING. Gumilad, G as in go.

REP. COLMENARES. G, ah okay. Gumilad, okay. So, ano po ba ang papel niya? Bakit ang tingin ng military ay mayroon siyang—ano ang relasyon niya sa buong incident po?

REP. ANGPING. Siya po iyong platoon leader ng Alpha Company doon.

REP. COLMENARES. And Alpha Company is stationed where?

REP. ANGPING. Hindi daw siya involved sa pagpatay.


REP. ANGPING. Pero siya ang platoon leader ng operating troop doon.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, ang unit niya ...

REP. ANGPING. So, he has an area of responsibility.

REP. COLMENARES. Ano po ang unit niya, platoon? Ano po siya? Anong kumpanya niya?

REP. ANGPING. Alpha Company.

REP. COLMENARES. Ng anong ...

REP. ANGPING. 75th IB.

REP. COLMENARES. Seventy-fifth infantry battalion. Tama po?

REP. ANGPING. Opo, opo.


REP. COLMENARES. The 75th IB is led by Colonel?

REP. ANGPING. Apas.

REP. COLMENARES. Pardon?

REP. ANGPING. Apas.

REP. COLMENARES. Can I get the first name, please.


REP. ANGPING. May I request for a one-minute suspension of the session please.


It was 6:43 p.m.




REP. ANGPING. The name is Lt. Cdr. Harold Akaz, A-k-a-z.

REP. COLMENARES. Lieutenant Commander? Meaning sa Navy po siya?

REP. ANGPING. I am sorry, Lieutenant Colonel. I am sorry, Lieutenant Colonel.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay. I thought Lieutenant Commander. So, Lieutenant Colonel Harold Apas, a-p-a-s.

REP. ANGPING. A-k-a-z.

REP. COLMENARES. A-k-a-z?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. So, may we know, itong si…

REP. ANGPING. From the 4th Division, from the 4th Division based in Cagayan de Oro.

REP. COLMENARES. Fourth Division?

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. So, itong si Lieutenant—I would really like to make this shorter, gusto ko mabilis, pero kung medyo mabagal ang ating DND to find out the name doon sa lugar na iyon na pinangyarihan ng krimen, medyo matatagalan po tayo nito, so I hope it will not take long for simple things like the name of the commanding officer. So, itong si Lieutenant Ignacio, nandodoon sa lugar, sa Lianga? He is the platoon leader of the one in-charge with jurisdiction over Lianga, tama po?

REP. ANGPING. Tama.

REP. COLMENARES. Tama. At may platoon siya na Alpha Company, sorry, Alpha Platoon?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, Alpha Company.

REP. COLMENARES. Alpha Company—platoon, I am sorry, tama?

REP. ANGPING. Platoon, platoon leader.

REP. COLMENARES. Ilan po ang miyembro nito, ng plantoon niya?

REP. ANGPING. Twenty-seven members po.

REP. COLMENARES. Twenty-seven members, so meron silang—anong tawag po doon, platoon headquarters, o platoon detachment? Anong tawag po doon sa kung saan sila naka-base?

REP. ANGPING. Sa incident na ito, wala po doon ang platoon.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, but there is a base there somewhere. So, saan sila—ano pong tawag doon sa kung saan nakabase ang platoon? Is it a detachment base of a platoon headquarters or—what can we call that, para lang sa tawag ko?

REP. ANGPING. Company headquarters po.

REP. COLMENARES. Company headquarters. Okay. So, ang company headquarters po, saan po ito naka-situate?

REP. ANGPING. Sa Lianga.

REP. COLMENARES. Sa Lianga?

REP. ANGPING. Sa Lianga.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay. So, how far is the company headquarters—so, pero may platoon detachment din doon sa area?


REP. ANGPING. Wala po.

REP. COLMENARES. Wala. So, parang in-assign ng kumpanya si lieutenant doon sa area na iyon.

REP. ANGPING. Siya ang—sakop niya ito.

REP. COLMENARES. How far is the company headquarters from Alcadev, the school where the incident happened? Is it still in Lianga?

REP. ANGPING. Around 16 kilometers from Lianga.

REP. COLMENARES. Sixteen kilometers?

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. So, pag pumupunta si Lieutenant Ignacio doon sa lugar, kasama ang platoon niya, saan na lang sila nag-i-stay, sa barangay hall na lamang muna? Siyempre, operations still take days, hindi ba? Hindi ka naman pumupunta doon, uuwi ka mamayang hapon. So, ano iyan, may detachment sila na maliit na checkpoint or something na kung saan sila nagbe-base?

REP. ANGPING. Hindi sila nasa barangay hall, pero they are in the forested area ng barangay.

REP. COLMENARES. Doon sila nag-e-encamp?

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. So, the forested area is, of course, nearer to Lianga than the company headquarters?

REP. ANGPING. Nearer to Lianga than the company headquarters, yes.

REP. COLMENARES. So, anong ginawa, ano ang kasalanan ni Lieutenant Ignacio?

REP. ANGPING. Actually, ang kasalanan ni Lieutenant Ignacio ay—hindi siya kasali doon sa killings o ano, sa kanya talaga kasi iyong area na iyon ...


REP. ANGPING. … and he might have—kaya nagkaroon ng court-martial proceedings kasi baka mayroon siyang ginawa na para, at least, o meron siyang hindi nagawa para hindi nangyari itong nangyari doon na killings po.

REP. COLMENARES. So, you mean, that is a recipe for the dismissal of the court-martial case, if that is how the AFP will describe the acts of Lieutenant Ignacio, I mean, Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleague.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. And kahit na first year, freshman lawyer ka, kung ganoon ang elements ng crime na isinampa sa iyo, parang kunwa-kunwari lang iyan na kaso kasi, ang laman ng krimen ay baka wala kang ginawa. Di, siyempre, sasabihin noong akusado, “E, ginawa ko naman po lahat.” Di tapos na po ang kaso.

So, can the Gentleman describe ano po ba—I mean, the military investigated this and all that they can come up with is, “Baka wala siyang ginawa.” I mean, it took them months po.

REP. ANGPING. Opo. Actually, ito ay—the Board of Inquiry recommended that the platoon leader face a court-martial so that his actions could be properly deliberated upon and he can fully air his side and his judgment call.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, okay. So, para daw tingnan iyong actions niya, mapag-usapan kung iyong actions niya ay tantamount to an offense under military law. So, ano po bang actions na ginawa niya? Usec. Batino is a very good lawyer. I am sure he will know what can constitute a probable cause when you file a case in a court-martial.



It was 6:52 p.m.




REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, the incident happened in the area of Lieutenant Ignacio, and, if it happened in his area of responsibility, logically an investigation would be conducted to determine if he exercised proper command and control. That is why.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, Mr. Speaker. I hope the Sponsor asked those briefing—ang imbestigasyon po, nangyayari ngayon. The moment you file a case,


hindi iyong korte ang mag-i-imbestiga ng actions po. Parang nagsampa muna ang fiscal sa judge, “O, judge, imbestigahan mo na lang kung ginawa niya o hindi iyong krimen.” No. Usec. Batino knows that. Dapat ay tingnan muna ng imbestigador, kung ano ba ang ginawa nito. Then you build a case, you file a case in the court-martial. Kasi kung ang court-martial mo, sasabihin mo lang, “O court-martial, tingnan mo nga kung ano ang ginawa niya,” e di naging fiscal si court martial. Tapos, in the end, madi-dismiss, kasi ang prosecution pala, wala namang kasong sinabi, tiningnan lang kung ano ang ginawa niya. E di papogi-pogi lang itong kasong ito para may masabi lang nag-file sila ng kaso.

So, ito na lang po ang tanong ko: Hindi alam ng investigation ng AFP until now kung ano ang ginawa ni Lieutenant Ignacio, so parang logical lang po na siya ang in-charge diyan; therefore, kakasuhan siya ng court-martial. (Long lull)

Nasayang po ang oras natin sa—I am not talking to the Sponsor, actually. I am actually talking to the DND ang the AFP. Parang iyon lang pala ang message ninyo. Nobody will be convinced na seryoso kayo kung ganoon lang ang description ninyo sa kaso ninyo kay Lieutenant Ignacio. Everybody will say, “Ah, gawa-gawa ninyo lang. Anong klaseng kaso iyan?” Saan ka nakakita ng kaso na, o, titingnan ng court-martial kung ano ang ginawa niya. Walang ganoon. I am sure marami nang pino-prosecute ang JAGs o iyong military lawyers diyan. And that is not how a case is filed before the court-martial. Sayang ang oras ng court-martial, parang ginawa mo silang imbestigador. Secretary Gazmin, sinusuwelduhan natin ang court-martial, tapos gagawin mong ordinary investigator just to show people na kunwari may ginawa.

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, a board of inquiry was conducted ...

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, and the inquiry said?

REP. ANGPING. … and recommended the filing of charges, which are the Article of War 96, as I mentioned before, and Article of War 97, ...

REP. COLMENARES. Opo.

REP. ANGPING. … specifically, that he did not undertake all actions to prevent this incident.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, opo. Thank you po. So, ano dapat ang ginawa niyang aksyon? Doon na

po ako sa action eh. Saan ba siya? Anong ginawa niya? Did he have a direct—kasi kung wala pong laman iyan, it is just a mere pakitang-tao eh. Walang alam ngayon ang nagbi-brief po sa iyo?

REP. ANGPING. It will be determined, wala, sabi nila, it will be determined by a court-martial.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, ang reason po ng kaso, dahil siya ang may jurisdiction, and as mentioned by the DND, logically, he will be court-martialed as the one in-charge of the area.

REP. ANGPING. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. So logically po, si Lt. Col. Harold Akaz ay kakasuhan din sa court-martial because logically, Lt. Col. Akaz has jurisdiction also over the place. This is one of the rare cases when a case is filed before a court, at ang reason po ay logic rather than law. So, Lieutenant Akaz will also be charged?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, ...

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, po?

REP. ANGPING. Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant Colonel Akaz, it seems, was not recommended by the BOI to be charged. It was only Lieutenant Ignacio that was …

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, po, pero ang reason kung bakit kakasuhan si Lieutenant Ignacio kasi siya ang may jurisdiction sa lugar. So, si Lieutenant Akaz, may jurisdiction din sa lugar, so kung ganoon ang elements ng offense ni Lieutenant Ignacio, it is the same with Lieutenant Harold Akaz. So bakit po hindi siya kasama kung siya rin iyong may jurisdiction? Admitted po kanina, hindi ba, na siya ang may jurisdiction as the head of the 75th Infantry Battalion po?

REP. ANGPING. It was a direct area of responsibility of Ignacio Gumilab, direct. That is the reason he was the one that was court-martialed, because of direct responsibility.

REP. COLMENARES. Thank you po. I will let that go for now po. So, but the actual question that we thought the military is going to find out, kasi tsina-charge sila na ang paramilitary nila ang involved sa killing, was sino ang pumatay. Akala ko, iyon iyong—I mean how many months na ito, tapos all that the DND can come up, “Ay, tingnan po namin kung ano ang ginawa ni lieutenant, o kung may ginawa siya.” Parang it will only take you one day. Actually po, one day nangyari iyong Lianga. Bukas na bukas, puwede na pong mag-issue ang Board of Inquiry ng “O, court-martial, Lieutenant Ignacio. Tingnan na lang natin kung ano ang ginawa niya o hindi niya ginawa.” It is one day. All you need to know, kung ganoon lang naman ang kaso, sino ang in-charge diyan? O, si Lieutenant Ignacio, di tapos, file-lan agad siya ng kaso kasi he is in-charge. Pero, matagal na po ito eh.


So, sino po ang pumatay, according to the investigation ng military? Parang hindi, I mean, hindi ba that is the logical question?

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. Well, at least iyong alam ninyo sa imbestigasyon ninyo.

REP. ANGPING. Nandi to po. Based sa imbestigasyon that was conducted by the police, the witnesses identified the perpetrators as brothers, Bobby and Loloy Tejero, and Gareto Layno, tatlo sila. Said criminal case has already been filed against the three.

REP. COLMENARES. And who are these three?

REP. ANGPING. These said perpetrators are members of the lawless armed group, Lumads, who went to Magahat and announced that the killing is part of the ongoing rido. This is equivalent to the more popular term “rido” of our Muslim brothers.

REP. COLMENARES. Lawless armed group.

REP. ANGPING. Lawless, yes.

REP. COLMENARES. So, ito pala, okay. So, mga lawless armed group sila, hindi naman sila NPA.

REP. ANGPING. Isang grupo lang siguro.

REP. COLMENARES. Parang, what is this, Lumad sila?

REP. ANGPING. Lumads, opo.

REP. COLMENARES. Hindi naman sila NPA. Mga Bagani ang tawag sa kanila.

REP. ANGPING. They claim to be former NPA pero lawless armed group na Lumads, oo.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay na Lumads, okay, sige. So, salamat po. By the way, may presscon sa Crame a few weeks ago where there were three datus who came out with a statement. May we know—nakalagay sa diyaryo iyong pangalan nila but I forgot. May we know sino ang pangalan ng tatlong datus na lumabas sa presscon?

Before that po pala, may nalimutan lang ako, just not to waste time. So, this PNP report, naisampa na po ba itong kasong ito?

REP. ANGPING. Opo, nasampahan na po.

REP. COLMENARES. When was the case filed, if I may ask?

REP. ANGPING. September 8 po.

REP. COLMENARES. September 8 na-file ang kaso, but the police, courtesy of the AFP, also furnished the AFP a copy of the investigation of the case, tama po? That is why you got to know of this case was because the police also furnished you a copy of the investigation, tama po?

REP. ANGPING. Yes. We will ask them to also give Your Honor.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. Kaya ninyo alam na sila Bobby and Loloy Tejero because the police—so September 8 na-file, nabigyan kayo ng kopya ng pulis ng investigation a week or two weeks before that probably, or …

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. …about thereabouts. Kailan po nabigay ng pulis iyong imbestigasyon nila sa inyo?

REP. ANGPING. No, they were not given a copy of the report.

REP. COLMENARES. So, how did you know that?

REP. ANGPING. Through communication.

REP. COLMENARES. There was a communication. The police communicated …

R E P. A N G P I N G . C o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d coordination.

REP. COLMENARES. … on September 8 or before September 8?

REP. ANGPING. They were informed on the actual time that the charges were filed.

REP. COLMENARES. On September 8.

REP. ANGPING. On September 8.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay, so, then the case was filed also on September 8.


REP. COLMENARES. Opo.


So, balik na lang po ako sa tanong. Ano po ang pangalan ng tatlong datu? Even if you do not know the names of the datu now, may we know—totoo ba ang sinabi sa diyaryo that it was held in Camp Crame? There was a presscon in Camp Crame?

REP. ANGPING. They were not aware of it, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. COLMENARES. So, kalian pa—so, no one is aware of that press conference.

REP. ANGPING. Camp Crame daw kasi po iyan ay, PNP.


REP. ANGPING. Oo.

REP. COLMENARES. So, the AFP Spokesman was quoted in the news. May we know from the AFP Spokesman saan nangyari iyon? I will not let go of this issue and I really hope that the AFP-DND will be able to answer this question kasi. It was all over the media e. It is really strange if the DND naman will say, “We don’t know anything about that.”

The slides, mamaya pa iyong slides, I am not asking that right now.

Is the AFP Spokesman present, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. No, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, he is not around.

REP. COLMENARES. So, can we have the data na.

REP. ANGPING. Yes. It says, allegedly, this Datu Belandres was brought by the military to Manila for a press conference …


REP. ANGPING. … in Camp Aguinaldo.

REP. COLMENARES. Camp Aguinaldo, sorry, I made a mistake, Camp Aguinaldo.

REP. ANGPING. Yes. Mr. Arthur Tariman, the convenor of Victims of

Injustice, Criminality and Terrorism in Mindanao or VICTIM invited Datu Marcial Belandres to join him in Manila to inform the media and the public regarding the real picture …


REP. ANGPING. … of the tribal rido in Surigao del Sur between the anti-NPA Lumads and the pro-NPA Lumads. Mr. Tariman contacted Pastor “Boy” Saycon, a bantay-bayan, who brought them all to Camp Aguinaldo.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, the presscon was held in Camp Aguinaldo.

REP ANGPING. In Camp Aguinaldo.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. And sino po ang in-charge from the AFP side sa presscon na iyon? I did not get the name.

REP ANGPING. I am sorry, again.

REP. COLMENARES. Sino po ang in-charge, I mean, you cannot hold a presscon in Camp Aguinaldo, sino po ang in-charge doon? I could not remember the name now.

REP ANGPING. He is right beside me, General Kakilala.

REP. COLMENARES. General …

REP ANGPING. Kakilala.

REP. COLMENARES. Can you spell the name po.

REP ANGPING. K-A …

REP. COLMENARES. K-A …

REP ANGPING. … K-I …

REP. COLMENARES. … K-I …

REP ANGPING. … L-A …

REP. COLMENARES. … L-A, ah, Kakilala.

REP ANGPING. Opo.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay. And I saw in the papers that the datu said that iyong pumatay daw sa tatlong victims were NPAs, tama po?

REP ANGPING. Misquoted po siya.

REP. COLMENARES. Ah, hindi niya po sinabi na NPAs ang pumatay.

REP ANGPING. Hindi daw niya sinabi po.


REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, ano po iyong sinabi niya? Sino po ang pumatay daw?



It was 7:09 p.m.




REP. COLMENARES. Yes, Mr. Speaker. Sino po ang sinabi nilang pumatay?

REP. ANGPING. Iyong tatlo po, iyong si Bobby at si Loloy Tejero, at saka iyong Gareto Layno.

REP. COLMENARES. Ah, iyon ang sinabi noong tatlong datu doon.

REP. ANGPING. Iyong sinabi kanina, opo.

REP. COLMENARES. So, all the media reports were lying.

REP. ANGPING. Only misquoted, not lying.

REP. COLMENARES. Misquoted.

REP. ANGPING. Because Bisaya man, so it seems that datu is a Bisaya, so maybe he was not really understood.

REP. COLMENARES. Ah, okay, so he did not say na NPAs ang pumatay.

REP. ANGPING. He was misquoted.

REP. COLMENARES. So, thank you for that clarification. So, itong Bagani na sinasabi na involved sa killing na ito, ang sabi ng military dito, “Hindi po namin alam iyan. Hindi kami nag-organize niyan. Hindi namin kakilala iyan.” Tama po ba na ganoon ang posisyon ng military, na hindi sila ang nag-train niyan?

REP. ANGPING. Iyong Bagani o iyong tribal warrior.

REP. COLMENARES. Iyong Bagani. Iyong Bagani na miyembro sila Bobby at Loloy Tejero. Tejero ba iyon?

REP. ANGPING. They were not trained because they were entrenched in the political structure of indigenous peoples.

REP. COLMENARES. So, they were not trained by the military.

REP. ANGPING. No, they were not trained by the military.

REP. COLMENARES. But, the military knew them. You have contacts with them, you know them.

REP. ANGPING. They seem not to be aware of that.

REP. COLMENARES. The military is not aware of this group. Tama po?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, that is what they say.

REP. COLMENARES. So, when was the last time you had contact with the group, itong grupong Bagani nila Bobby at Loloy Tejero, Tejero ulit, ano?

REP. ANGPING. Tejero. Ano iyong question po?

REP. COLMENARES. When was the last time that the AFP had contact or, you know, dealings with the group of Bobby Tejero and Loloy Tejero, itong Bagani?

REP. ANGPING. None at all, Sir.

REP. COLMENARES. Never.So, pero, they were reported to be an armed

group for a long time now. Did the AFP even try to investigate sino itong mga armed group na ito na involved dito sa supposed killings dito sa area na ito? I mean, did you investigate, kasi the military has been charged for four, five, six years now na, eh, sila ang nagfu-fuel nito?

REP. ANGPING. It seems that they investigated.

REP. COLMENARES. Ini-investigate. What was the result of the investigation as to the presence or existence of this armed group, distinguished Sponsor, Your Honor?

REP. ANGPING. They have several encounters against these lawless armed groups, including the NPAs such as the group of Datu Jasmin in 2010 and 2013. And the latest on May 13, 2011. The latest was on May 13, 2015 wherein the troops from 36th IB, Infantry Batallon …


REP. COLMENARES. Excuse me. Ang itinatanong ko po, iyong Bagani group ni Loloy at ni Bobby Tejero. That is the one I am asking.

REP. ANGPING. It seems that they are the same group, Your Honor.

REP. COLMENARES. The same group.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. So, nag-encounter ang AFP.

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they had an encounter …


REP. ANGPING. … wherein their troops from 36th IB recovered three high-powered firearms in Carrascal, Surigao del Sur.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, tapos was that the last time nag-encounter? So, magkaaway ang army at saka iyong grupo nila Loloy Tejero, tama po?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, the lawless armed group of Loloy and Bobby Tejero and the other one.

REP. COLMENARES. So, itong Bagani na ito is actually not trained or armed by the AFP. In fact, kalaban sila.

REP. ANGPING. It seems, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. COLMENARES. When was the first time you had an encounter po with this lawless Bagani group of Loloy and…

REP. ANGPING. In 2010.

REP. COLMENARES. In 2010, may encounter po kayo then.

REP. ANGPING. Oo. They had an encounter, yes, in 2010. Then, after 2010, another encounter in 2013.

REP. COLMENARES. In 2013. The group of Bobby and Loloy Tejero po, ano, and Gareto Layno, tama po? Correct, the Bagani …

REP. ANGPING. Yes, it seems.

REP. COLMENARES. So, yes, is there a Task Force Gatasan in the AFP structure?

REP. ANGPING. Task force …

REP. COLMENARES. Gantangan, sorry, Gantangan.

REP. ANGPING. No, they do not have one.

REP. COLMENARES. They do not have.

REP. ANGPING. I am sorry. Task Force Gantangan was established on the 1st of February in 2008 by virtue of AFP G.O. No. 74, but was dissolved on the 8th of February in 2009.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. May we know why it was dissolved?

REP. ANGPING. The task forces under the AFP usually have an operational life span of six months. It can, however, be extended until such time that the task force unit concerned completes its mission or unless it is mandated or terminated by higher authorities.

So, in the case of Gantangan, it existed for one year and 14 days, …


REP. ANGPING. … whereby it was able to accomplish its given mission.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. Is there a Task Force Gantangan-Bagani Force or TFG-BF, Mr. Speaker?

REP. ANGPING. There is none.

REP. COLMENARES. There is none.

REP. ANGPING. There is none, Mr. Speaker.

REP. COLMENARES. Wala. Is there a Lieutenant Gacayan somewhere in Surigao or somewhere near the area?

REP. ANGPING. None, Mr. Speaker. None that they are aware of, Mr. Speaker.

REP. COLMENARES. Is there a Captain Jasper Gacayan, Spokesman of the 401st Infantry Brigade in your roll? I would like an honest answer here, please. Maybe naman may access kayo sa roll ninyo right now, Captain Jasper Gacayan, Spokesman of the 401st Infantry Brigade. Well, maybe, the Spokesman now would know these people because of the nature of their work.



REP. ANGPING. One-minute suspension, please, Mr. Speaker.


It was 7:19 p.m.




REP. ANGPING. Yes. Your Honor, they have located Lt. Jasper Gacayan. He is the Civil-Military Operations Officer of the 401 Brigade in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. I asked that because Captain Gacayan admitted that

the Armed Forces have dealings with the Bagani group, not in an antagonistic fashion, but actually helping each other, and he is the spokesman of the AFP. So, the AFP is now denying, and I would like to even say trying to delude this Body, by saying na “Wala kaming kinalaman diyan, hindi namin kilala iyan.” Pero Captain Gacayan admitted in public that the AFP is even reinforcing the Bagani forces. Was there an instance when you reinforced the Bagani forces in their encounters with the New People’s Army, if I may ask, Your Honor, please?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, they have dealings with other Bagani, with Bagani groups but not this one with Loloy and Bobby Tejero.

REP. COLMENARES. So, there were other Bagani groups that you have dealings with.

REP. ANGPING. That they have dealing with, yes.

REP. COLMENARES. So, what is the dealing of the AFP with these other Bagani groups? May we know which Bagani group is this, Your Honor, please.

REP. ANGPING. They engage the Bagani, being the cultural guards, as part of the indigenous political structure.

REP. COLMENARES. And who is the head of this Bagani cultural guard?

REP. ANGPING. Every clan has a Bagani, and each tribe is headed by their tribal chieftain, Your Honor.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. What other Bagani groups have the military been dealing with, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, please?

REP. ANGPING. It seems that they deal with so many ...

REP. COLMENARES. Oh, so there are many.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.


REP. ANGPING. And there are 24 ...

REP. COLMENARES. Twenty-four Bagani groups.

REP. ANGPING. No, there are 24 tribes and each tribe has several clans.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, so thank you. Does it involve a Bagani group under or headed by Datu Calpet Egua?


REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, what do you call that Bagani group under Calpet Egua? May we know, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, please, or he is just Bagani.

REP. ANGPING. They are just Bagani.

REP. COLMENARES. Just Bagani, okay. And when you say dealings, what does it mean? Do you train them or, at least, ...

REP. ANGPING. Just to coordinate, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, as they are part of the indigenous political structure.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. Is the group of Calpet Egua armed, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, as part of the, of course, defense or counterinsurgency operation of the Bagani group? Armado po sila?

REP. ANGPING. Armado po, they have their own firearms.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, they have their own firearms. Were they licensed firearms or are they—I am sure they are not licensed firearms, are they? Or, you do not know whether or not they are licensed. You do not ask them that.


REP. ANGPING. They just give the information that they are not licensed.

REP. COLMENARES. They are not licensed. Okay.

REP. ANGPING. No.

REP. COLMENARES. So, did this come from the military or from the—where did these guns come from?

REP. ANGPING. They say some come from the former NPAs.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay, so these are armed groups. And so, what does the military, you know, ano ba ang ginagawa natin doon sa kanila? Ano ang part nila dito sa coordination na nangyayari? I mean, you coordinate to do something. Ano po ang ginagawa nilang coordination, magbantay sa lugar, ano po?

REP. ANGPING. Peace and development efforts.

REP. COLMENARES. Peace.

REP. ANGPING. Peace and development efforts.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay. So, in fact, the admission by Captain Gacayan in the Mindanao—sorry, this was published by the Inquirer not the MindaNews—is true. Sabi niya, “We backed the Bagani x x x. The military spokesman also said that there were instances where they reinforced the Baganis. He cited the time when the New People’s Army attacked Egua’s group in July this year”—that was 2011 pala, by the way—“resulting in massive communist casualties. We backed the Bagani up because they are also victims of human rights violation x x x.”

So, part ito ng, tingin ng military na peace and order arm ng army doon sa area na iyon, tama po?

REP. ANGPING. Sa 2014, iyong 401 Brigade, only responded because Datu Calpet Egua was attacked by the NPAs.


REP. ANGPING. And because of the fact that the NPAs blocked the national highway, ...


REP. ANGPING. ... the army came in to clear the highway.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, salamat po. So, these are sort of CAFGU of the AFP, this Bagani group, tama po? I mean, they are accredited, recognized, regular—sorry, not really regular, but part, of course, of the AFP structure.

REP. ANGPING. Not formally, Mr. Speaker.

REP. COLMENARES. Not formally. Okay. So, informally ...

REP. ANGPING. Because they are part of the political structure.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, hindi po ba bawal magdala ng armas kapag wala kang lisensya?

REP. ANGPING. Kasi, hindi naman sila kasapi ng AFP po.

REP. COLMENARES. Tama, lalo silang dapat pagbawalan, hindi ba, kasi hindi sila kasapi ng AFP.

REP. ANGPING. When they talk with the military, they do not have the firearms, they are not equipped with firearms.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, but the AFP just admitted that they were armed.

REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. And, in fact, the AFP even said that they were not licensed. So, the AFP saw them with guns, nakita na may baril. In fact, inalam pa ng AFP, may lisensiya ba yan? Wala. O, di—kaya alam ng AFP na may baril sila at hindi lisensiyado, tama po? Sagot naman kanina, oo diyan e. Am I correct po?

REP. ANGPING. You are correct.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, is it allowed under the law na may taong nagdadala ng baril?

REP. ANGPING. Hindi.

REP. COLMENARES. Hindi. Tama po, di ba? Hindi naman po allowed, di ba? So, kahit alam pala ng AFP na may baril ang grupong ito, hinahayaan nila. Kaya lang ang sinasabi ng AFP, hindi naman CAFGU iyan, tama po?

REP. ANGPING. Tama.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, next slide please.Ito naman po, sa MindaNews ito, military trained


Bagani tribal warriors, NBI said, and ex-governor Piñol said, I am just quoting ha, MindaNews, ano ang masasabi natin dito?

Can you go to the next slide. It says:

Wenceslao Galendez, agent of the NBIs North Eastern Mindanao Office based in Cagayan de Oro City, told the CHR panel that the Bagani was led by Roelito Ayupat Gawilan, who is the barangay captain of Sinoda in Kitaotao, Bukidnon.

Okay. Next slide please. It further says:

In our report, the term Bagani, the Lumad for warriors, was created, organized by the 73rd Infantry Battalion, x x x.”

NBI po ito nagsasabi. So, dito, may admission na, siyempre, na, yes, kasama iyan sa aming—ano tawag ninyo diyan? Parang “force multipliers,” di ba? Iyon naman ang term ninyo dati diyan. So, ang inaano lang naman namin na NBI mismo nagsabi na army ang nag-create at nag-organize ng Bagani forces na ito, tama po? Is the NBI correct?

REP. ANGPING. It seems that—well, the AFP does not train Baganis. And so, they do not know the basis of the report of the MindaNews and the NBI why they answered this way, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. So, the NBI agent was lying.

REP. ANGPING. According to their …

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. If that were so, then he is lying. So, tinanong siya ng CHR, “So who organized this group, the military?” Ang sagot ng NBI, “Yes, Your Honor.” So, you are still saying to the AFP and the DND na nagsisinungaling ang NBI.

REP. ANGPING. They do not know daw po kasi the basis ng report.

REP. COLMENARES. So, hindi totoo iyong sinasabi ng NBI po.

Next slide please.The Baganis, according to former Governor Piñol,

were actually trained by the military. Are you also saying that Governor Piñol is lying? But the intention was to help the tribal people protect their village. Mukhang pare-pareho na ito sa sinabi ninyo po kanina

na tinutulungan ng army para naman may peace and order, whether they were used outside their villages is beyond me. Let me further quote:

Piñol admitted that he used the province’s peace and order funds to help organize the Baganis. “We can’t deny this fact; I was there. They were trained in Barangay Saging in Makilala town, inside a Special Forces camp. And I was there during the training.”

So, may sinasabi si former Governor Piñol na ang military ang nag-train. Is the AFP saying that Governor Piñol is lying?

REP. ANGPING. What they are saying now is maybe they could ask Governor Piñol on basis of all of this.

REP. COLMENARES. So, it is not true that there is a Special Forces camp in Makilala? Is there a Special Forces camp in Makilala?

REP. ANGPING. None.

REP. COLMENARES. None. So, there is none. None in the last what, 10 years?

REP. ANGPING. They do not know the timeline of when this was done, what they were saying, because as far as they know, it is not. There is no Special Forces camp.

REP. COLMENARES. It was in 2012 and 2013 po.

REP. ANGPING. Again?

REP. COLMENARES. In 2012 and 2013 po.

REP. ANGPING. May we ask when he was a governor then?

REP. COLMENARES. No, I am not familiar as to when he was a governor, but he said that there was a training in a camp in Makilala town sometime in 2012 and 2013. So, there is no camp there?

REP. ANGPING. They claim that there is no Special Forces camp there.

REP. COLMENARES. But there is a camp in Makilala, an army or a military camp in Makilala, mayroon po ba?

REP. ANGPING. Yes, they have a camp in Makilala.


REP. COLMENARES. Ah, mayroon, mayroon. What is that camp, may we know? Ano ang tawag dito?

REP. ANGPING. Batasan Makilala, North Cotabato.

REP. COLMENARES. Batasan Makilala. Anong company headquarters or division headquarters, ano po iyan?

REP. ANGPING. Previously, it was a company headquarters.

REP. COLMENARES. Company headquarters. Ano pong company ito, ng anong battalion po?

REP. ANGPING. 57th Infantry Battalion, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. COLMENARES. 57th IB. So, isang company sa Makilala mismo. So, is it in Barangay Saging?

REP. ANGPING. No.

REP. COLMENARES. No. But it is in Makilala, that camp. So, can we get the statement now, na sabi ng former governor publicly, na mayroon daw na-train ang military na Bagani? Kaya lang, ang intensyon naman daw is para tumulong. I mean, if the intention of the military is makatulong, so might as well admit it. Hindi naman, that was your intention naman e. So, I do not see the reason you keep on denying na kayo ang gumawa ng Bagani.

REP. ANGPING. They seem not to be privy to that Special Forces camp, of the training in Special Forces camp.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. But ngayon ang statement, ang unang sentence, ang military ang nag-train ng Bagani. Ang tanong ko po ngayon, is former Governor Piñol telling the truth?

REP. ANGPING. They do not know the basis of why he said that because ...

REP. COLMENARES. So, hindi totoo na nag-train ang military sa Bagani?

REP. ANGPING. As far as the military is concerned, yes, hindi totoo po.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes. Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, paikot-ikot po tayo sa isyu na ito despite the facts that show na napaka-strong,

maraming witnesses, pati governor po ng Surigao, if I remember it right, nasa diyaryo rin, nagsabi rin siya na ang AFP ang nag-create ng monster na ito. Are you also saying that the governor of Surigao, Governor Pimentel, is also lying when he mentioned this publicly?

REP. ANGPING. Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, the military is not saying they are lying but that those are their perceptions. They say that under the IPRA, Section 22, IPs have the right to special protection and security in periods of armed conflict.

REP. COLMENARES. So, balikan ko na lang po ang isyu. May armas ang isang grupo, Armed Forces of the Philippines, ang AFP at DND. Hindi nila CAFGU, hindi nila trained, hindi nila iyan organized, wala silang kinalaman at all sa grupong iyan, tapos may armas. Puwede bang hayaan ng DND Secretary, puwedeng hayaan ng Armed Forces Chief of Staff, puwedeng hayaan ni Lieutenant Ignacio, puwedeng hayaan ni Colonel Akaz ang grupo na iyan, armed, ni wala kayong kinalaman doon? I mean, kung may kinalaman kayo, that explains everything, napaka-logical. Hindi namin hinuhuli iyan, kahit may armas, kahit wala silang lisensya kasi amin iyan, gawa namin iyan e, napaka-logical. Pero ngayon, bigla po tayong naging illogical dito kasi ni wala kayong kinalaman, sabi ng AFP, wala silang alam diyan, alam nilang may armas, isang grupo na walang lisensya, hindi naman nila hinuhuli. Is that possible? How can AFP tolerate such an illegal act?

I would like the AFP Spokesman to explain this tomorrow in the media. Paano nangyari iyon? Mayroong DILG Memo ngayon na lahat ng armed groups, babantayan para sa election. Then the AFP, as early as 2011, mayroon pala kayong armed groups na, well, you may protest the word “coddle” but the fact is, iyon ang interpretasyon natin. Alam ninyong may armas, hindi man lang ninyo masita; hindi man lang ninyo inimbestigahan. Ang dami nang report ng human rights violation ng Bagani na iyan, pitik man lang sa kanilang tenga, wala kayong ginawa. Medyo may illogicality po iyong explanation natin dito, unless the AFP will now say na, “Well, actually po kahit, sa totoo lang talaga, kami naman talaga ang nag-train niyan, kaya namin hindi sila hinuhuli kahit na illegal possession of firearms sila.” Is that not true, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, please?


REP. ANGPING. It seems—can I have a one-minute suspension of the session, please.



It was 7:46 p.m.





REP. COLMENARES. Mr. Speaker.


REP. ANGPING. Yes.

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, do you wish to answer, distinguished Sponsor?

REP. ANGPING. Well, they just want us to let you know…

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The Honorable Colmenares, please continue.

REP. COLMENARES. Okay. Thank you, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

Hindi kapani-paniwala ang palaging kine-claim ng Armed Forces of the Philippines na wala kaming kinalaman sa Bagani, lalo na may mga sinabi ang ilang mga public officials in public, the latest of which was the Governor of Surigao na nagsabing they were created by the AFP, and there are some other public officials, like former Governor Piñol. Mayroon pa nga, spokesman na mismo ng AFP. Tapos, the second point na gusto kong ipaliwanag, alam nilang may armas pala, that was a very, very important admission on the part of the AFP na “Well, alam naming may armas, alam naming walang lisensya, pero dahil sa peace and order na purpose namin, hindi namin ginagalaw,” because that is illegal.

In fact, now the AFP and the various officials involved are liable for criminal cases before the Ombudsman for violation of the Anti-Graft Law. Imagine, illegal possession, isang grupo charged pa ng human rights violation, tapos sabihin mo, “Hindi namin maano e, sa tingin namin nakakatulong sila e.” So, whatever the role of the Bagani, the fact is, they are an armed group and the AFP tolerates them, at the very least. Dagdag pa, Mr. Speaker, ito pa ang clincher dito, nagfa-file ang AFP ng trumped-up charges doon sa mga human rights advocates na nagki-criticize sa kanila, doon sa mga activists and other people’s organization na nagki-criticize sa kanila all over the country. Ang pinaka-latest, iyong

69 na kinasuhan sa Cagayan Valley, Mr. Speaker, and we believe that the Armed Forces is involved in these trumped-up charges to stymie and to stop these people from criticizing the AFP for its human rights violations.

This Congress, this House of Representatives, is mandated to provide for and to approve the budget of each and every agency. Pero hindi naman po pwedeng aprubahan ng Kongresong ito ang isang budget ng isang ahensiyang hindi lang hindi ginagampanan ang trabaho niya as supposedly protector of the people, but in fact practically violates the rights of the people.

For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I am very sorry to say, to the distinguished Sponsor, that we cannot continue with deliberating the budget of the Department of National Defense, and that, therefore, I would like to stress and assert that we defer the deliberation on the budget of the DND until such time when they are ready to admit that indeed the Bagani forces are theirs and that they are actually responsible for the creation and arming them.

Thank you.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Will you put that into a motion, Your Honor?

REP. COLMENARES. Yes, I move that we defer the …

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The Asst. Majority Leader is recognized, please.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). I move that we suspend the period of sponsorship and debate on the budget of the Department of National Defense and attached agencies.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). There is a motion to defer the deliberation on the budget of the Department of National Defense. There being no objection; the motion is approved.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker.


SUSPENSION OF CONSIDERATION OF H.B. NO. 6132

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). I move that we suspend the consideration of House Bill No. 6132.


THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

The consideration of House Bill No. 6132 is hereby suspended.


REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we proceed to the Additional Reference of Business.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Is there any objection? (Silence)The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

The Secretary General will please read the Additional Reference of Business.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE OF BUSINESS

The Secretary General read the following Resolution and Committee Reports, and the Deputy Speaker made the corresponding references:

RESOLUTION

House Resolution No. 2436, entitled:“ R E S O L U T I O N E X P R E S S I N G T H E

PROFOUND CONDOLENCE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO THE FAMILY OF HONORABLE JOKER PAZ ARROYO, FORMER SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FIRST DISTRICT OF MAKATI CITY”

By Representatives Lagdameo (M.) and BinayTO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Report by the Committee on Local Government (Committee Report No. 920), re H. No. 6211, entitled:“AN ACT CREATING A BARANGAY TO BE

KNOWN AS BARANGAY TIGPALAS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SAN MIGUEL, PROVINCE OF BULACAN”

recommending its approval in substitution of House Bill No. 4328

Sponsors: Representatives Acharon and Mendoza (J.)

TO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES

Report by the Committee on Higher and Technical Education, the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Ways and Means (Committee Report No. 921), re H. No. 6212, entitled:“AN ACT CONVERTING THE TARLAC

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE (TCA) IN

THE MUNICIPALITY OF CAMILING, PROVINCE OF TARLAC INTO A STATE UNIVERSITY TO BE KNOWN AS THE TARLAC AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY A N D A P P R O P R I AT I N G F U N D S THEREFOR”

recommending its approval in substitution of House Bill No. 5833

Sponsors : Representa t ives Romulo and Villanueva

TO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES


REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, may we be allowed to acknowledge the presence of some guests in the gallery.


REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). We would like to acknowledge the presence of the guests of the Hon. Lino S. Cayetano from the Second District of Taguig City. They are representatives from the TV and film industry: Direk Ruel Bayani, Direk Don Cuaresma, Direk Nuel Naval, Direk Elfren Vibar and Ms. Mel Del Rosario.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The guests of the Honorable Cayetano will please rise. You are welcome to the House of Representatives.



REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session for a few minutes.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the session is suspended.

It was 7:56 p.m.





REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we take up administrative matters.



ELECTION OF MEMBERS TO COMMITTEES

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). May I move for the election of the following Members to various committees:

Rep. Lagdameo (M.) read the names of the House Members elected to the various committees, per Journal No. 26, dated October 7, 2015.

COMMITTEE ON OVERSEAS WORKERS AFFAIRS

Rep. Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza, ranked as Member no. 1, vice Rep. Nicanor M. Briones.

SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FOOD SECURITY

Rep. Sharon S. Garin, ranked as Member no. 1, vice Rep. Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza.

I so move, Mr. Speaker.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). The Members just named are hereby elected to the respective committees.


REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session for a few minutes.


It was 7:59 p.m.


At 8:06 p.m., the session was resumed with Rep. Francisco Emmanuel R. Ortega III presiding.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). The session is resumed.


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we take up administrative matters.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

ELECTION OF REP. CASTELO TO THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we elect as additional member of the Standing Committee on Ways and Means the honorable Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo of the Nacionalista Party.


CONSIDERATION OF H.B. NO. 6212ON SECOND READING


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we consider House Bill No. 6212, contained in Committee Report No. 921, as reported out by the Committees on Higher and Technical Education, Appropriations, and Ways and Means.

May I ask that the Secretary General be directed to read only the title of the measure.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.*

The Secretary General is directed to read only the title of the measure.

With the permission of the Body, and since copies of the measure have been previously distributed, the Secretary General read only the title thereof without prejudice to inserting its text in the Congressional Record.

THE SECRETARY GENERAL. House Bill No. 6212, entitled: AN ACT CONVERTING THE TARLAC COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE (TCA) IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF CAMILING, PROVINCE OF TARLAC INTO A STATE UNIVERSITY TO BE KNOWN AS THE TARLAC AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). The Dep. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we open the period of sponsorship and debate, and consider the Explanatory Note of the Bill as the sponsorship speech on the measure.


* See MEASURES CONSIDERED (printed separately)


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, there being no Member who wishes to interpellate or speak against the Bill, I move that we close the period of sponsorship and debate.


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we open the period of amendments, but there being no Committee and individual amendments, I move that we close the same.


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we approve House Bill No. 6212 on Second Reading.

VIVA VOCE VOTING

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Ortega, F.). There is a motion for the approval of House Bill No. 6212 on Second Reading.

As many as are in favor, please say aye.

SEVERAL MEMBERS. Aye.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). As many as are against, please say nay.

FEW MEMBERS. Nay.

APPROVAL OF H.B. NO. 6212ON SECOND READING

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). The ayes have it; the motion is approved.

House Bill No. 6212 is approved on Second Reading.

CONSIDERATION OF COMM. RPT. NO. 919ON H. RES. NO. 420

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we consider the findings and recommendations contained in Committee Report No. 919 on House Resolution No. 420.


The Secretary General is directed to read only the title of the Resolution.

With the permission of the Body, and since copies of the Committee Report have been previously distributed, the Secretary General read only the title of the measure without prejudice to inserting its text in the Congressional Record.

THE SECRETARY GENERAL. House Resolution No. 420, entitled: RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE FRANCHISE TO RECOMMEND THE REVOCATION OF THE FRANCHISE GRANTED TO ABOITIZ ONE, INC. THROUGH REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7583, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9170, IN VIEW OF THE SALE OF SAID CORPORATION TO NEGROS NAVIGATION COMPANY, INC., WITHOUT THE PRIOR APPROVAL OF CONGRESS.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F). The Dep. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we adopt the findings and recommendations contained in Committee Report No. 919 on House Resolution No. 420.

I so move, Mr. Speaker.

VIVA VOCE VOTING

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). As many as are in favor of adopting the findings and recommendations contained in Committee Report No. 919 on House Resolution No. 240, please say aye.

SEVERAL MEMBERS. Aye.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). As many as are against, please say nay. (Silence)

ADOPTION OF FINDINGS AND RECOM. IN COMM. RPT. NO. 919 ON H.RES NO. 420


The findings and recommendations contained in Committee Report No. 919 on House Resolution No.420 are adopted.


CONSIDERATION OF H.B. NO. 6211ON SECOND READING


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we consider House Bill No. 6211, contained in Committee Report



No. 920, as reported out by the Committee on Local Government.

May I ask that the Secretary General be directed to read only the title of the measure.


The Secretary General is directed to read only the title of the measure.

With the permission of the Body, and since copies of the measure have been previously distributed, the Secretary General read only the title thereof without prejudice to inserting its text in the Congressional Record.

THE SECRETARY GENERAL. House Bill No. 6211, entitled: AN ACT CREATING A BARANGAY TO BE KNOWN AS BARANGAY TIGPALAS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SAN MIGUEL, PROVINCE OF BULACAN.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). The Dep. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we consider the Explanatory Note of the Bill as the sponsorship speech on the measure; to close the period of sponsorship and debate, there being no Member who wishes to interpellate or speak against the Bill; to open the period of amendments; to approve Committee and individual amendments submitted to the Committee on Rules, if any; and to close the period of amendments.


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we approve House Bill No. 6211 on Second Reading.

VIVA VOCE VOTING

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Ortega, F.). There is a motion for the approval of House Bill No. 6211 on Second Reading.

As many as are in favor, please say aye. SEVERAL MEMBERS. Aye.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). As many as are against, please say nay.

FEW MEMBERS. Nay.

APPROVAL OF H.B. NO. 6211 ON SECOND READING


House Bill No. 6211 is approved on Second Reading.



REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session for a few minutes.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Ortega, F.). The session is suspended.

It was 8:09 p.m.


At 8:10 p.m., the session was resumed with Deputy Speaker Pangalian M. Balindong presiding.


CONSIDERATION OF H.B. NO. 6132Continuation


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we resume the consideration of House Bill No. 6132, and direct the Secretary General to read the title of the Bill.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Is there any objection (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

The Secretary General is so directed.

THE SECRETARY GENERAL. House Bill No. 6132, entitled: AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE OPERATION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES FROM JANUARY ONE TO DECEMBER THIRTY-ONE, TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we consider the budget for the Department of Health (DOH) and its attached agencies/corporations. For this purpose, I move



that we recognize the Hon. Joaquin Carlos Rahman A. Nava, M.D. to sponsor the budget of the DOH and the Hon. Leah S. Paquiz who wishes to interpellate.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

The Honorable Nava is recognized to sponsor the budget of the Department of Health and its attached agencies/corporations.

Please proceed.

REP. NAVA (J.). Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are ready to receive any queries as well as interpellation with regard to the budget of the Department of Health and its attached agencies/corporations.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER (Rep. Balindong). It seems that there are no interpellators. I am sorry, the Hon. Leah S. Paquiz is recognized to interpellate the Sponsor.

Please proceed, Honorable Paquiz.

REP. PAQUIZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues and honorable Sponsor, and to the DOH family, good evening.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, on behalf of the Ang NARS Party-List, let me greet you all today on the occasion of the observance of Global Day for Decent Work. May this day remind all of us that fighting poverty can only be effective if all the working people of the world have decent work, decent pay and decent working conditions.

Mr. Speaker, the proposed DOH budget of the Office of the Secretary has increased by 41.1 percent or P124, 164,000,000 in the total Department budget. The increase in 2015, on the other hand, is almost 100 percent from the 2014 GAA, which is P46 billion to P87 billion. Undeniably, the incredible increase was attributed to the passage of the Sin Tax Law in 2013. Ang problema po, dahil naka add-on ang Sin Tax sa budget ng DOH, imbes na naka on-tap dahil earmarked po ito, napakahirap ma-identify kung anu-anong programa ang tiyak na natugunan ng Sin Tax.

Ngayon, gusto ko pong malaman ang mga specific programs and activities na natugunan ng earmarking ng Sin Tax incremental revenue upang lumaganap ang health promotion and prevention of illness sa bansa pasimula 2014 to 2015. Magsimula po tayo sa Health Awareness Program and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, National Health Insurance Program and Enrolment in Universal Health Care. These are just some of the programs. I want to know how many Filipinos were actually attended to and who availed of the insurance and its corresponding package in primary health care.

REP. NAVA (J.). Under the improved Financial Risk Protection, which is to enroll the poorest of the poor, and the next quintile, for the 2016 proposed budget, approximately 15.4 million indigent families are targeted. This would represent almost, more or less, 40 million individuals for that matter, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, you are saying, my dear colleague, Mr. Speaker, that those who actually were attended to and those who availed of the insurance is 40 million out of 15.4 million target.

REP. NAVA (J.). Fifteen point four million families are being targeted, which would result to more than 40 million individuals, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, this is the real number of those persons who were actually attended and who availed of the insurance, 40 million.

REP. NAVA (J.). Actually, we can add, more or less, five million senior citizens, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I would like to know the actual number of Filipinos who were attended to and who availed of the insurance and its corresponding package. Is it 45 million, 40 million? What is the actual number of those who were given the insurance package?

REP. NAVA (J.). The target for 2015, out of the P37.06 billion, is 15.3 million families specifically, which has a total number of, the principal members plus the dependents, 45.41 million.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, I will repeat, with the 15.4 billion target, it is only 45.41 million who were attended to and were given the insurance.

REP. NAVA (J.). This is under the P37.06 billion subsidy, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Opo. So, malinaw po na 45 million.

REP. NAVA (J.). It is 45.41 million.

REP. PAQUIZ. Opo. This medical assistance, how is this being implemented?

REP. NAVA (J.). The Medical Assistance Program is under the Department of Health and may be availed of by patients admitted in the different government hospitals, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Yes, Mr. Speaker, but how is this


being implemented? How is this being given? It is not the availment but how is this being given by the DOH?

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the Medical Assistance Program is concerned, the patients may request for the said assistance through the hospital where they are confined, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. The social welfare worker of the said institution assesses individually the patients concerned and would eventually provide the necessary assistance based on the assessment.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, for example, I am Juan or Juana, I have a PhilHealth card, so, when I am sick, I will go to the hospital and then I will go to the social worker.

REP. NAVA (J.). In cases where there is PhilHealth, where the patient is a member of the PhilHealth and if ever that patient is under the subsidy program of P37.06 billion, there is the so-called “No Balance Billing” being instituted for those considered to be indigent patients or indigent individuals or families that are beneficiaries of the social health insurance that DOH provides through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, Mr. Speaker, is the Sponsor saying that there is a subsidy program? Are there any programs under the PhilHealth? Is it not that anybody who has a PhilHealth card can avail of the insurance? How many programs, if this is in the subsidy program? How about the other programs, are there other programs?

REP. NAVA (J.). The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation lately adopted the case rate method so that billing would depend on the cases rather than putting a specific premium on every member. The treatment for those that are under the subsidy program are different wherein these patients have further entitlement which is the No Balance Billing, Mr. Speaker. In case of patients without Philippine Health Insurance or non-PhilHealth holders or enrollees, there is the so-called “Point-of-Care Program” where upon evaluation that they are considered indigents, the said hospital may enroll them directly in PhilHealth to enable them to avail of the corresponding benefits, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, who identifies the beneficiaries?

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the P37 billion is concerned, this is based on the NHTS-PR of the DSWD. As far as the Point-of-Care Program is concerned, it is the social welfare officer of the said institution, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Who among the PhilHealth worker identifies the beneficiaries?

REP. NAVA (J.). The PhilHealth workers are dependent on the list that the DSWD provides, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. What kind of assistance is given?

REP. NAVA (J.). As I mentioned earlier, it is a case rate method that the PhilHealth has adopted insofar as benefit packages are concerned, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, is assistance being given like for operations?

REP. NAVA (J.). It depends on the case like, for example, if you have pneumonia or diagnosed as high-risk, there is a specific amount that one may avail. So, a regular PhilHealth enrollee or member, let us say, have pneumonia—for that, if it is P30 thousand plus, a certain part will go to the professional provider, the rest goes to the hospital. For example, pneumonia, high-risk, the case rate that is provided is P32, 000. If I am not mistaken, P9, 000 goes to the professional and the remaining goes to the hospital. This is for a regular member of PhilHealth. However, if you belong to the subsidized program which we have here under the Department of Health, under PhilHealth subsidy, for those under the NHTS-PR provided by the DSWD, it is a different thing. The case rate applies and then if there are other expenses beyond what is the case rate, the hospital would adopt the No-Balance Billing policy. That means all other charges are waived, for that matte and so, the patient goes out of the hospital without paying anything at all, if the patient is part of the P37-billion subsidy program, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, who gives the medical services? Who are the health workers that are part of the case rate that the Sponsor is saying?

REP. NAVA (J.). The personnel of the hospital, Mr. Speaker, the doctors, nurses.

REP. PAQUIZ. Going down to the janitors?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. How much budget has been allotted for PhilHealth for this package?

REP. NAVA (J.). It depends on the illness that the said patient will be diagnosed of. So, for every illness, there is a corresponding rate. For example, for pneumonia cases, there are two kinds, moderate-risk and


high-risk. Moderate-risk has a P15, 000 benefit package and high-risk has P32, 000. Dengue fever has two kinds as well: the severe one and the moderate one. Both have different case rates too. Dengue fever, the moderate one has a case rate of P10, 000; dengue that is severe has P16, 000. So, all these diseases that PhilHealth identifies have specific rates, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to know, with the National Health Insurance Program, how much budget was allotted for this program?

REP. NAVA (J.). For 2016, it is P43 billion plus, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Health Facilities Enhancement Program, what are the specific programs that are implemented and its corresponding turn-out rate, the HFEP?

REP. NAVA (J.). Pardon me, Mr. Speaker?

REP. PAQUIZ. What are the specific programs that were implemented for the HFEP and its corresponding turn-out rate?

REP. NAVA (J.). The HFEP for 2016 has a budget of approximately P13 billion. For 2015, P13 billion; for the proposed 2016, that would be P26 billion. The HFEP for 2015 is for the construction and improvement of different facilities starting from barangay health stations, rural health units, birthing centers, local government unit hospitals, DOH-retained hospitals, specialty hospitals as well as rehabilitation and treatment facilities, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, what is the corresponding turn-out rate for all those facilities that you have mentioned, what is the corresponding turn-out rate?

REP. NAVA (J.). Does the Lady mean the completion rate as far as we are now?

REP. PAQUIZ. Yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. NAVA (J.). There is a little delay in fact for 2015 but we can provide the Lady with the details: barangay health stations, number of funded facilities - 166, that is 83 percent completed and this is for 2013; for 2014, 830 BHS were funded, so far 32 percent completed; RHUs - 558 were funded, 35 percent completed; LGU hospitals - 215 were funded, 26 percent completed. So, a total of 1,603 facilities under the local government were provided through the HFEP, a total of 32 percent was completed.

REP. PAQUIZ. So how many was allocated for the project? Remember, the Health Enhancement Facilities Program is different from the Health Facilities Enhancement Program. So, how much is the total budget that was allotted for this Health Facilities Enhancement Program?

REP. NAVA (J.). For the HFEP, the total amount that was allocated for 2014 was P13, 541,405,000, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. For all these institutions and facilities that were built, do we have the corresponding human resource so that these facilities will function?

REP. NAVA (J.). All the local government units facilities are provided for by the LGUs, Mr. Speaker. It is the commitment of the respective LGUs, the same way with the DOH-retained hospitals and the DOH-specialized hospitals, there is a corresponding personnel complement, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, is the Sponsor saying that the corresponding personnel are enough and are receiving the right salary that they should get?

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the DOH is concerned, yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. With the LGUs...

REP. NAVA (J.). With the LGUs, there are, I think, two modes that the LGUs recently are doing in the hiring process, I believe. Well, I think the job order type of hiring is still there and contractual maybe, aside from the regular plantilla positions.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, we can say that job orders and contractuals are still there, aside from the minimal plantilla positions?

REP. NAVA (J.). I think the majority of those are...

REP. PAQUIZ. Job orders?

REP. NAVA (J.). ... regular plantilla positions, and it is only for purposes of augmentation that most institutions resort to the contractual or job order type of hiring, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that because I believe most of the workers in the LGUs were hired through job orders and are contractuals. So I hope we can really look at this matter, especially the DOH, because looking at this, as we look at the health


workers, sometimes if they are just “job orders,” for the P200 as a job order rate for the day, they will still divide it for five nurses and so, the nurses will only receive P40 a day.

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the data showed, Mr. Speaker, most are hired on a regular basis by the local government units. In the same way that local government units hire for augmentation, contractuals and through the so-called job order mode, the DOH also augments the LGUs by hiring contractual personnel, Mr. Speaker. This is aside from the DOH-retained hospitals wherein most are hired on a regular basis.

REP. PAQUIZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me go back to the 2016 sin tax incremental revenue. It has been projected by the Department of Finance to be in the amount of P56.86 billion. How much is the LGU share in the sin tax incremental revenue?

REP. NAVA (J.). I do not think there is a specific LGU share, Mr. Speaker, but an LGU may be a beneficiary of the sin taxes that are collected due to several programs that the DOH instituted. Among them are the HFEP, the Financial Health Protection Program which is the subsidy to PhilHealth, and other programs like those that are focused to achieve the MDGs, prevent infectious diseases that are endemic as well as the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. So, the LGUs benefit from this, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. You know, Mr. Speaker, I am asking this because health is a human right and the right to health is not just in the Department of Health but in every community and locality of every Filipino. The share of the LGUs must be specifically indicated in the budget and not just as a lump sum in DOH budget. So, allow me to reiterate my question, how much is the LGU share in the Sin Tax?

REP. NAVA (J.). As mentioned in the HFEP Program, Mr. Speaker, most of the beneficiaries are the BHSs and RHUs of LGUs and LGU hospitals, Mr. Speaker. We can provide the Lady with a copy of data for the 2014 and 2015 and eventually, for the proposed 2016.

In fact, it is the intention of the Department to fully complete or provide all LGUs completely with barangay health stations, Mr. Speaker, including rural health units. The investment that DOH provides to local government hospitals is quite enormous, never seen before, Mr. Speaker. With the proposed P26 billion for 2016, what is allocated for barangay health stations is P15 billion out of the P26 billion, P15,591,667,000; for rural health units, it amounts to P3,028,876,000; and for the LGU hospitals, it amounts

to P3,328,113,000. So the total is more than P21 billion out of the P26.9 billion, Mr. Speaker. So, this is how LGUs get their share of the Health Facilities Enhancement Program.

With regard to the subsidy for PhilHealth enrollment, the LGUs avail of this, the total P43 billion to enroll 15.3 families, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. So, we can, I think, quantify from this data that we have. The proposed for 2016 has a total of, this is for the PhilHealth enrollment, P37,060,440,000 billion that goes to indigent families and the P6,775,326,000 that goes to senior citizens, for a total of P43,835,766,000. This is aside from other programs wherein the constituents of all LGUs may avail as well like the MDGs, Millenium Development Goals, realization and the control of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, rabies and malaria, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, Mr. Speaker, I will go back to my question and I would like the DOH to really answer me kahit hindi po ngayon. Are you really studying the LGU share in the Sin Tax incremental revenue and if you do, please, can you send it to our office so that we will know how much is the LGU share in the Sin Tax incremental revenue? We would like an answer to that but I am not...

REP. NAVA (J.). We will provide you the data, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Yes. So, I will be waiting for this because my only question is the share of the LGUs. Now, I will go to the next question and I hope the DOH will give me the answer to that question because it should not be in the lump sum, but it should be in the form of shares for the LGUs.

My next question: the service delivery network is the basis for estimating the requirements for the Medical Assistance and Health Enhancement Facilities Programs. What is the status of the service delivery network in its implementation level, the status of the service delivery network in the implementation?

REP. NAVA (J.). May the Lady qualify please the implementation of which specific...

REP. PAQUIZ. We have now the service delivery network and this is the basis for estimating the requirements for the Medical Assistance and Health Enhancement Facilities Programs. What is now the status of the service delivery network in its implementation level, is it functioning well?

How do you evaluate, how will you rate it? This is a Sin Tax component. So, with the Sin Tax, what is the status of the service delivery network?


REP. NAVA (J.). As far as hospital mapping is concerned, it is fully completed and the epidemiology result is 60 percent completed, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, the implementation level of the service delivery network is 60 percent?

REP. NAVA (J.). For the epidemiology, it is 60 percent. For hospital mapping, it is 100 percent, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Just for epidemiology?

REP. NAVA (J.). It is 60 percent.

REP. PAQUIZ. Yes, but…

REP. NAVA (J.). For hospital mapping, it is 100 percent, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, those are the only components, for epidemiology and hospital mapping?

REP. NAVA (J.). So, I think if we totally assess it, Mr. Speaker, it is approximately 60 percent functioning as far as the mapping of service delivery network by regions is concerned.

REP. PAQUIZ. Let me read from Service Delivery Networks in Section 4:

The DOH, through the Centers for Health Development (CHDs) and in coordination with the LGUs, shall define and facilitate the establishment of service delivery networks for local health referral systems for the integrated, coordinated and efficient provision of health care to specific covered populations. The DOH shall also insure that all skilled health professionals and other allied health professionals hired within service delivery networks possess the clinical competencies required to deliver quality health care services provided in the facilities.

So, that is how we define it.

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the referral system, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, I think it has been working for quite some time.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, my question is, mayroon na po bang service delivery network?

REP. NAVA (J.). I think it is in place, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. If it is in place, then you are saying that there is no referral system.

REP. NAVA (J.). There is a referral system. It has been there for quite a time now.

REP. PAQUIZ. So has this service delivery network been coordinated with the LGUs?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Mr. Speaker. In fact, regional hospitals, of course, the regional centers are the referral centers of most of the government units. I think it is being observed that way, from the barangay to the rural health units, to the local government hospitals and the district/provincial.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, these SDNs are in place?


REP. PAQUIZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, you said that we have already the SDNs. Now, how do we fund these from the Sin Tax incremental revenue? Have we established effective health promotion mechanisms and structures so far with the billions of Sin Tax incremental revenue to fund these service delivery networks? Mayroon na po ba tayong mahusay na health promotion mechanisms and structures para dito sa napakalaking Sin Tax incremental revenue na pera?

REP. NAVA (J.). The health promotion budget for 2015 is P167, 800,000, and we have the health awareness programs amounting to P202, 663,000, Your Honor. So, these funds are for the health promotion programs of the Department, Your Honor, and the said programs vary a lot like the HI-5 Program, the nutrition program, healthy lifestyle, rabies eradication program, the campaign against tobacco smoking. These are few of the programs that are being institutionalized by the Department of Health, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, these health promotion mechanisms are being funded by the sin tax incremental revenue?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. I think we have been getting good results as far as the data that we have gathered on the different targets are concerned.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, let me go to tobacco control. You are saying that the promotion mechanisms are all good, and there are good results. Tobacco is extraordinarily dangerous to human health and highly damaging to our national economy. Overburdened health systems in all countries are already caring for countless people who


have been disabled by cancer, stroke, emphysema and the myriad other non-communicable diseases caused by tobacco. As the world comes together this year to agree on the Post-2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development, no country can afford the health, social, economic and environmental consequences of tobacco. How has the DOH expanded the earmarking of tobacco tax revenues to attain the Millennium Development Goals?

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the MDGs target is concerned, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, we have a diminishing maternal, infant and below five-year old mortality although we are still short of the target, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Has the DOH expended their tobacco tax revenues to attain the Millennium Development Goals? The comprehensive tobacco control programs include supporting community level interventions, engaging in public education campaigns about the harm from tobacco use, providing support to smokers trying to quit smoking and preventing young people from taking up tobacco use.

REP. NAVA (J.). In fact, the data also showed that the number of tobacco smokers is dropping for all age groups, for that matter.

May I ask for a one-minute suspension of the session? We will have the data in a while, Mr. Speaker.



It was 8:56 p.m.




REP. NAVA (J.). From 2012, as far as the prevalence of smokers, according to the SWS, from 35 percent in 2012, it dropped to 21 percent in 2013 and further dropped to 18 percent in 2014 and reciprocally, the nonsmokers have, of course, increased for that matter. This is for ages 18 to24. For Class E smokers, it also showed a drop, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, from 38 percent in 2012 to 34 percent in 2013 and 25 percent in 2014.

REP. PAQUIZ. Siguro po, kaya maraming drop ay namatay na ang mga iyon kasi po kung makikita ninyo

sa kalsada ngayon, kahit six years old ay nagsisigarilyo. I am asking for the programs. Ano ba po iyong mga program? Hindi ko po tinatanong iyong drop rate kasi—of course, now, the tobacco industry is concentrating on the youth, especially young children.

REP. NAVA (J.). The Sin Tax is designed to discourage smoking in the first place, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, coupled with …

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, the Sin Tax is just the revenue.

REP. NAVA (J.). … the programs and promotions on anti-smoking campaigns which contributed essentially, Mr. Speaker, especially LGUs adopting such anti-smoking programs, and anti-smoking ordinances being implemented by most LGUs now as compared before, at least, these have minimized smoking for that matter.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, who is in charge of the program on tobacco control?

REP. NAVA (J.). The technical services of the DOH spearheads the campaign against smoking, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. It is headed by?

REP. NAVA (J.) Undersecretary Belizario.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, Mr. Speaker, how much of the Sin Tax budget has been allocated for the implementation of the programs you just mentioned?

REP. NAVA (J.). As mentioned earlier, it is part of the P167 million under the 2015 budget and the P202 million plus under the 2016 budget, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, it is the Sin Tax money that we are using now.

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. The increments after 2012 are part of the Sin Tax collected, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, the increment increase in the budget of the DOH, and those eventually funded most these programs now.

REP. PAQUIZ. I am asking this question, Mr. Speaker, because there are many constituents who are asking how the sin tax is being used. Let me go to my next question.

REP. NAVA (J.). On a general scale, most go to, like I mentioned earlier, the P43 billion that goes to


PhilHealth enrollment for 2016, another P26 billion that goes to the Health Facilities Enhancement Program. So, these are the two programs and projects where the Sin Tax goes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, dear Sponsor, you are talking in lump sums. I am asking for the exact funds used …

REP. NAVA (J.). We can provide you all the details on this proposal, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, we are talking about tobacco control now. Let me go to the next question.

The slow pace of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control implementation causes immeasurable suffering and imposes economic hardship on governments facing rising health care costs and lost opportunities to invest in sustainable development. When will the graphic health warnings on cigarettes be released?

REP. NAVA (J.). It is scheduled on March 5, 2016, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, on March 5, we will be seeing the graphic health warnings on the cigarette packs?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. What is causing the delay? It must be in October 2015, today. How come it is delayed because in the law that we have crafted, it should be October 2015? It should be one year after the publication of the templates.

REP. NAVA (J.). The IRRs were only published last March 2, 2015. So, for that matter, it will be expectedly out in the following year, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. The law says, not the IRR, it is one year after the publication of the templates.

REP. NAVA (J.). So, the templates were published last March 2, 2015.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, you are saying this is the one-year mark? It is said there in the law that it should be October 2015.

REP. NAVA (J.). This is the amended AO, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, are we saying then, Mr. Speaker, that on March 5 …

REP. NAVA (J.). With all things done, it is expected that it will be out by March 2016.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, because of the first publication, an administrative order cannot suspend the law, could not supersede the law.

REP. NAVA (J.). As stipulated, the tobacco companies should comply within one year after the release of the graphic health warning templates by the DOH. It was released last March 2, 2015, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, is that the first publication?

REP. NAVA (J.). The first publication was October 27 and amended; eventually, that was released on March 02, 2015.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, stipulations of tobacco companies cannot be powerful than the provisions of the law and so, if it is October 27, then it should be October din that we should be implementing this. Can we not track this down now, that we implement the graphic health warnings—because as one of the authors of the law, I am pushing for that—and this is what the law requires. We must reckon on the first publication and the first publication, as what you said, was October 27.

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, but an amendment of the said AO was done and eventually, the use of templates of graphic health warnings published, for which it is the reckoning period, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, established by the DOH.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, regardless, we can amend a million times and we can make one million administrative orders, but we must follow what is in the law. Following your reasoning, we can delay the graphic health warnings a million times.

At this juncture, the Deputy Speaker relinquished the Chair to Rep. Jorge “Bolet” Banal.

So we can—could we not make it October, kasi magtatalo lang po tayo dito. As the author of the law, I want to follow the first publication. It is not the administrative order because if tobacco industries can be as powerful as that, we can amend a million times and we will be waiting for the graphical health warnings (GHWs) but it will not move on because the tobacco industries are here.

REP. NAVA (J.). Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, there was no actual publication in October 27. It was the release of samples, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. The actual publication happened on March 2, which was the final


publication of the 12 templates. The initial, which was on October 27, was the release of sampling of the 24 templates and as provided by the said law, the tobacco companies shall comply within one year after the release of the graphic health warning templates by the DOH. This is referring to the March 2, 2015 publication, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, as legislators, we know that there was a publication. Remember, this is a public hearing, so we need the publication. Okay, please, let me move on but this is my concern as one of the authors of the GHW Law. My next question is, has the DOH liaised with other agencies like the BIR in ensuring that tobacco companies are preparing to release the graphic health warnings on the packs on time?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, we are sure that by March򂷨—aswhat you have promised although that is not what we want because I believe that is not the right time—you are producing, on March 5, all packs that will have GHWs.

REP. NAVA (J.). For the companies, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, it is expected that all products coming out from their factories would have the graphic health warnings by March but for the retailers, an eight-month period is given to them to exhaust their stocks. So, expectedly, until eight months, we can still see retailers selling, perhaps, products without the graphic health warnings. Until then only and all will be expectedly, will have these graphic health warnings from the retailers, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

At this juncture, the Presiding Officer relinquished the Chair to Deputy Speaker Pangalian M. Balindong.

REP. PAQUIZ. That is noted, Mr. Speaker. Let me now go to the health human resource. Tingnan po natin ang projection. Ang DOH po ay kasama sa mga ahensiya na may malaking bilang ng unfilled but funded positions. Kung 31,127 ang plantilla positions ang nais ninyo po lang punuan para sa 2016, bakit humihingi ang DOH ng budget ngayong 2016 para sa 53,347 funded positions? Ano po bang klaseng hiring process mayroon ang burukrasya natin?

REP. NAVA (J.). To date, the total unfilled positions is 15,553, Mr. Speaker. These will be filled up eventually in tranches, so, most of these are for hospital expansion. In fact, the 13,301 is for hospital expansion out of the 15,553 total, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, ang pinag-uusapan po natin dito, human resource, hindi expansion ng ospital. For the 31,127 plantilla positions na nakalagay po doon sa ating GAA ay humihingi kayo ng 53,347 funded. Ito po ang tanong ko, bakit ganoon? Sabi ninyo, you will fill up the positions in tranches. Why? E, ang dami po ngayong plantilla positions na hindi filled up, iyon po bang tranches, halimbawa, kapag sinabing na-aprub natin iyan, mayroon nang pera? Halimbawa, let us say lang, March may pera na pero maglalagay lang kayo sa September? E, di ang laki po nang perang naipon ninyo. Instead na kumuha talaga tayo ng mga tao para mailagay doon, tinitipid natin iyong mga tao. Talaga bang ganito ang kalakaran? You are asking for something which is …

REP. NAVA (J.). First of all, we have to note, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, there are ongoing improvements; in the same way, the release of budget for the positions, also, is done in tranches. So, eventually, expectedly, this would not be filled up in one sitting but in several sittings, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, until this would be fully filled up, particularly, …

REP. PAQUIZ. Ilan po ba talaga ang …

REP. NAVA (J.). It is 13,301 for the hospitals, 193 for regional offices, 549 for the central office and for the treatment and rehab centers, it is about 1,510, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, for a total of 15, 553. Presently, the selection process is ongoing. We are assured that by December, everything will be filled up, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Two-tier implementation po iyong gusto ninyo dahil sa absorptive capacity ng DOH. Looking at this, hindi naman po fair iyon sa mga manggagawang pang kalusugan. Sa Rationalization Plan nga po, ang dami ninyong tinanggal e. Kung two-tiered ang gagawin natin, kawawa naman po iyong mga employees natin na kinakailangan namang sumuweldo ng tama.

REP. NAVA (J.). Mr. Speaker, the releases come in tranches on a yearly basis. We try to get the data on how many positions are being filled up on a year-to-year basis. As far as the filling up like, for example, for 2013, for the initial release, the total was 6,920 positions. For 2014, what was released is a total of 7,519; in August 2015, it was 12,424. So, for 2016, we expect 14,778 positions, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Let me go back to 2014, the number of authorized positions that you are asking for is 43,551. The filled positions were 27,031, the unfilled positions were 16,520. Pang ilang tranche po ba natin ma-fi-fill


up itong 16,520 na unfilled but funded positions? Kung hindi ninyo po ito ma-fi-fill up, saan ninyo dinala iyong pondo na nakalaan po dito?

REP. NAVA (J.). Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, it is only for those filled-up positions which the DBM have releases, so, for the unfunded or I mean, the unfilled positions, there are no releases from DBM. Only for those filled up positions are being released. The allocation intended for a specific position that is not filled up does not go to DOH but rather remains at the DBM level, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ang ibig ninyo pong sabihin, iyong para sa 16,520 positions, ang DBM po ang nagtago nito? Magkano na po ang lump-sum funds na naipon sa hindi pag-fi-fill up ng funded plantilla positions?


REP. NAVA (J.). May I ask for a one-minute suspension of the session.


It was 9:23 p.m.




REP. NAVA (J.). The allocations, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, for 2013, 2014 and 2015, the funding is under the item Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund. The releases are through tranches starting from 2013 and the first tranche amounted to P2.9 billion; in 2014, the amount released was P5.8 billion; and eventually this year, it will be a total of P9.1 billion. If we look into the total positions from 2013, we slowly filled up 36,872 positions out of the 52,117 positions. What we have left for the next year is 15,553 positions. If you will notice, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, there is sufficient increase in the personnel, in the proposed Personnel Services for 2016 from 11 to 22 because for 2016, the funds are no longer lodged under the item MPBF but will be transferred to the DOH, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are tasked to protect the coffers of the government and we cannot fulfill this duty by being an accomplice in the proliferation of lump-sum funds. I move for a decrease in the staffing summary of the

Office of the Secretary of Health. Let us just fund the 31,127 positions instead of 53,347 pursuant to their projection implementation.

Now, let me go to the Doctors to the Barrios Program and the Rural Health Program.

REP. NAVA (J.). Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, the positions that were referred by the Lady are not necessarily under the Office of the Secretary but these would provide the necessary personnel complement to the various hospitals that were stipulated as well as for the regional offices and rehabilitation and treatment centers all over the country, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. NAVA (J.). If we defund or dissolve such positions, we might experience shortfalls on the human resource complement as we continue to expand the facilities of every health institution in the country, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Regardless, my motion sustains. Let me go to the Doctors to the Barrios Program. The DOH has been banking on the system of devolution in order to justify its deployment of doctors, nurses, midwives and other allied health workers to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, the GIDA. Ang malaki pong problema dito ay walang employer-employee relationship ang mga doctors, nurses at midwives na dini-deploy ng DOH sa kadahilanang devolved ang health care system.

Noted po, hanapan nalang po natin ng solusyon para maayos ito. Kung devolution po ang justification ng DOH, dapat hindi lang po services ang devolved o iyon po bang mga manggagawang-pangkalusugan na nagbibigay serbisyo sa mga komunidad pero dapat ay i-devolve din po ang funds para sa basic health care services sa mga LGUs para buo ang kanilang pagiging independent pagdating sa health care delivery at hindi nakaasa sa ayuda na ibibigay ng DOH tulad ng mga sumusunod:

Sa health human resource, ang DOH po ay gumastos ng P4, 255,994,000 nitong 2015. Ngayon po, sa 2016 proposed budget ay humihingi ang DOH ng P7, 042,018,000. Napakalaki po ng ginugol ng gobyerno para sa isang proyekto na nagsulong ng pang-aapi at pang-aabuso sa mga manggagawang-pangkalusugan dahil wala silang matinong trabaho At dahil sila ay tinatrato ng DOH na mga job orders, wala o hindi matukoy kung na kanino ang responsibility at accountability sa health care delivery system. Bakit po ang mga suweldo ng NDP ay three to four months delayed despite the rendered services?

Huwag po nating ilagay ang sisi sa mga health workers dahil administration issue po ito ng DOH.


Bakit hindi kayo mag-hire ng administrator na magmo-monitor ng aktibidades ng nurses, doctors and midwives na naka-deploy sa GIDA? Anyway, mayroon naman kayong 22,220 funded but unfilled positions. I will ask, again: bakit po ang suweldo ng mga NDP ay three to four months delayed?

REP. NAVA (J.). Mostly, the reason, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is the accomplishment of the requirements.

REP. PAQUIZ. Hindi ba po dapat marunong tayong magpalakad as administrators? Accomplishment lang po ng requirements pero made-delay iyong mga tao. Wala po bang nagmo-monitor sa kanila? Ako po, alam ko po, kung gusto kong sumuweldo, aayusin ko agad ang aking mga papeles.

REP. NAVA (J.). Most of these reports, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, particularly the accomplishment reports, are necessary requirements for the release of salaries. It is beyond the control of the agency, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. I do not think it is beyond the control; it should be good management and good leadership. Tingnan ninyo naman po, mga batang nurses iyan, mga batang doctors iyan, tapos, siyempre hanggang gabi po sila na nagta-trabaho. Bakit hindi bigyan ng requirement na sa ganitong period ay dapat ayos na iyan? Tulungan po natin sana ang mga manggagawa natin ng pangkalusugan. Kung nagrereklamo po sila ng ganoon, alam ko po, ito ay dahil nahihirapan sila. Tayo naman po, nandoon lang tayo as administrators, so, why do we not do this? Lahat po sila nagrereklamo na delayed parati ang kanilang honorarium. Hindi naman po suweldo iyan e.

REP. NAVA (J.). We will look into this, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, on the interventions that may be proposed to improve the timely release of their salaries, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Sige po. Isa pa pong tanong. Sa pagkakataon po ng malpractice ng isang manggagawa at nakapatay siya, halimbawa po, dahil mali iyong gamot na naibigay at namatay iyong pasyente, sino po ba ang may liability dito? Sila po ay mga contractuals at wala silang employer-employee relationship. Halimbawa po, nurse ako at ako po ay contractual, mali po iyong gamot naibigay ko, instead na 0.5, ibinigay ko 50 milligrams kaya namatay iyong pasyente. E, hindi naman po ako employed sa DOH kasi contractual lang po ako o isang job order.

REP. NAVA (J.). They will be under the supervision of the municipal health officer for that matter, Your

Honor, Mr. Speaker. The municipal health officer should supervise these personnel, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, ibig ninyo pong sabihin, ikukuha po ako ng municipal health officer ng lawyer kapag ako ang dinemanda, ganoon po? May pondo po ba doon?

REP. NAVA (J.). I think the local government can provide in that case, through the legal officer of the specific local government unit, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ang tinatanong ko kasi po ay liability hindi supervision.

REP. NAVA (J.). The liability falls on the person who supervises, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, as to the administering of the specific drug as well.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, klaro po na walang liability ang DOH dito?

REP. NAVA (J.). It will fall on the immediate supervisor, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Sino po ang nagko-control dito sa mga NDP natin? Kung sinasabi ninyo po na ang liability ay nasa supervisor, kawawa naman iyong supervisor dahil hindi naman siya iyong nagkasala kundi iyong nurse.

REP. NAVA (J.). I think it will always be the responsibility of the officer that supervises this personnel being hired, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, …

REP. PAQUIZ. Kasi po may independent …

REP. NAVA (J.). … particularly in the administering of medicines or drugs and the management of patients, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. I think that is usually what is being observed.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ang ibig pong sabihin, kapag nakapatay po iyong isang nurse, pati po iyong supervisor ay makukulong din.

REP. NAVA (J.). I think the responsibility falls on the health officer that supervises them.

REP. PAQUIZ. Liability resides on the one who controls, and it is the DOH who must be—who holds the control. Siguro po, tingnan din ito ng DOH kasi kawawa naman po iyong mga manggagawang pangkalusugan natin na wala pong accountability at saka responsibility kasi wala naman po silang permanenteng trabaho. After two years ng NDP, wala na silang trabaho. Tapos, wala


naman po iyong employer-employee relationship, wala pong security of tenure dahil tanggal na po sila. So, siguro po tingnan natin ito at kung puwedeng ma-improve ang sitwasyon.

REP. NAVA (J.). We are hopeful that with the growing expansion and improvement of the various health facilities all over the country, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, we definitely will need more medical personnel to man these centers and institutions, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, and we hope we can absorb those that we hired in this program.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, let us stop hoping. It is all so pathetic today. We have been the modern-day slaves of our country. Let us start acting now, and I am asking our dear Secretary, our beloved Secretary to look at this matter so that we can improve the situation of the health workers.

REP. NAVA (J.). Like, for example, the growing number of birthing centers requires more personnel. I think these are few examples where we can hire nurses, midwives eventually when all these are fully done, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Sige po. Kaya po kung hindi kayang i-attach ng DOH ang responsibility, accountability at liability sa health care delivery system, dapat ang P7 billion budget para sa programa nitong doctors, nurses and midwives deployment ay i-devolve na din sa mga geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas upang direktang maka-hire ng manggagawang pangkalusugan ang mga LGU, maayos ang concerns ng employer-employee relationship at hindi matali ang kanilang pondo sa kanilang IRA limitation.

Mr. Speaker, ang pondong pinagkukunan naman nito ay ang earmarking ng sin tax para sa health promotion and achievement of MDG which are all basic health care services. In order to capacitate the GIDA-LGUs in promoting health services, I move to realign the P7-billion budget of DOH to its duly identified geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, and to let the concerned LGUs hire their own health workers with employer-employee relationship. That is my second motion.

REP. NAVA (J.). We will take note of that, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Let me go to PCMC. In the 2014 GAA, Congress allocated P500 million for the acquisition of PCMC land rights. Is this correct, Mr. Speaker?


REP. PAQUIZ. Can you tell us the total contract price of the PCMC land acquisition?

REP. NAVA (J.). If I am not mistaken, it is somewhere around a billion, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ilan po?

REP. NAVA (J.). A billion. So, the Committee has decided to have it in two tranches, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, starting this year.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, magkano po ba ang total contract price ng PCMC land acquisition, exact location po ng contract price?

REP. NAVA (J.). The exact figure is P942 million.

REP. PAQUIZ. Nine hundred forty-two million.

REP. NAVA (J.). After negotiation with the National Housing Authority.

REP. PAQUIZ. Obviously, the mode of transfer is by sale where the National Housing Authority is the seller, hindi ba po?


REP. PAQUIZ. For 2016, you are asking for the second partial payment to the NHA in a proposed budget of P442,629,000. Tama ba po iyon?


REP. PAQUIZ. So, we are leaving a balance of, kung P442 million out of P942 billion, ang laki po.

REP. NAVA (J.). Additional for the building facility, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, which we started also this year.

REP. PAQUIZ. Opo. Magkano ba po iyon? So, doon po sa P942 billion minus P442 million, magkano po iyong matitira?

REP. NAVA (J.). More or less, P500 million.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mga ilan po iyon?

REP. NAVA (J.). P500 million, more or less.

REP. PAQUIZ. P500 billion po?

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as payment is concerned, for the lot, the initial payment is P500 million, and for 2016, we will be paying the remaining amount.


REP. PAQUIZ. Hindi po, teka po. Iyon pong actual price is P942 billion, and you are asking now to pay NHA P442,629,000. So, pag binawas mo po siya sa P942 billion, magkano po ang matitira?

REP. NAVA (J.). P942 million, so about P500 million.

REP. PAQUIZ. E milyon lang po iyon, hindi naman po ako magaling sa math. So, milyon lang po iyong ima-minus mo sa bilyon, hindi ba, so bilyon pa rin po iyong matitira?

REP. NAVA (J.). No, P942 million is the price ...

REP. PAQUIZ. Opo.

REP. NAVA (J.). This year, we paid P500 million, first tranche payment.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, nakabayad na po tayo ng P500 million.

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, and then, we are seeking another amount for 2016. We will be paying the remaining amount that is P442 million, more or less. The other part of the budget that was allocated is intended for the construction of the new facility for PCMC, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, ang tanong ko lang po, magkano po ang natitirang utang pa ng PCMC. Kasi, bakit second partial payment pa din ang hinihingi ninyo sa 2016 samantalang dapat fully paid na siya?

REP. NAVA (J.). For 2015, only P500 million goes for the payment of the lot, the remaining amount goes for the construction of a new facility.

REP. PAQUIZ. I am concerned about the lot muna po, huwag po muna ang facility.

REP. NAVA (J.). I think there is an entry error here as far as payment is concerned. This should be final payment, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, final payment na po tayo.


REP. PAQUIZ. So, iyong pong P442 …

REP. NAVA (J.). …point six two nine, the remaining amount for the final payment of the said lot.

REP. PAQUIZ. Is how much po?

REP.NAVA (J.). This P442. It should not be partial payment, but it should have been full payment.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, mababayaran na po ito, ibig ninyong sabihin.


REP. PAQUIZ. So, hindi na po ako magmo-move dahil sabi ni Secretary, mababayaran na iyong full payment, matutuwa po kasi tayo pag nabayaran na po ito ngayong 2016 in the amount of P442 …

REP. NAVA (J.). This is the agreement that we have come up with the National Housing Authority last year, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, I will still move that we pay the full amount in 2016 for the land for PCMC.

What happened to our agreed additional budget for PCMC’s health human resource component compliment for 200 beds? We agreed during the said budget hearing that we will allocate P84 million in favor of 2016 PCMC budget for its 208 nursing personnel. Kasi alam ninyo po, I am hoping na pag naumpisahan natin ito sa DOH, siguro po ang ibang ospital ay magkakaroon na rin ng tamang staffing pattern, na matatanggal na po ang volunteers, matatanggal na …

REP. NAVA (J.). We will just check the specific amount, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. But we would guarantee, Mr. Speaker, that it is part of the fourth tranche. The PCMC will be included, in the 2016 list of positions that will be filled up.

REP. PAQUIZ. Okay. Hindi ko po makita ang reflection of the said proposed budget in our House Bill No. 6132. Kaya po I will repeat and I move, Mr. Speaker, that the amount of P84 million be included in the 2016 budget for PCMC for its Personnel Services.

REP. NAVA (J.). Noted, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Thank you. Has the P326 million budget allocated in 2014

GAA been fully utilized for the acquisition of hospital equipment? Meron pong P326 million budget for acquisition of hospital equipment, nagamit po ba itong lahat? If not, what percent is the disbursement , as of now? This is in the 2014 GAA budget natin.

REP. NAVA (J.). The bidding is ongoing for that said budget, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Pero 2014 pa po iyon, Mr. Speaker.


Fully utilized na po ba itong 2014 budget for the PCMC hospital equipment?

REP. NAVA (J.). We have a budget item for equipment only listed under the 2015 GAA, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, amounting to P126.940.000.

REP. PAQUIZ. Opo. Ang tanong ko po, nagamit na ba po ang P326 million na sa 2014 GAA?

REP. NAVA (J.). Ang P200 million will be for the building, Your Honor, which is ongoing and the P126 million for equipment is on process, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, but this falls under the 2015 GAA, not the 2014.

REP. PAQUIZ. No, but it is the 2014 GAA that I am asking, the P326 million budget allocated for hospital equipment.

REP. NAVA (J.). The said amount, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is actually intended for the 2015 budget but listed with a date under December 29, 2014. This is the time of the release of the Official Gazette, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, but the budget itself is for utilization in 2015.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, we are at the last quarter of 2015, so you are saying that you have already released the 2014 budget of P326 million?

REP. NAVA (J.). This is 2015, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. No, I am asking for 2014, hindi po iyon 2015.

REP. NAVA (J.). This is Fiscal Year 2015, the publication is 2014, Your Honor, of this Gazette, the utilization of the fund is for 2015; P200 million will go for the facility, and P126 million will go to equipment procurement. So, the building is ongoing and the process or the acquisition of the said equipment is on process, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Itinatanong ko lang po ang budget ng 2014, kung ito po ay nagamit na ba?

REP. NAVA (J.). This is under the 2015, Your Honor, if…

REP. PAQUIZ. No, we have prepared it for 2013, 2014, budget. Itinatanong ko lang po kung nagamit na siya, hindi iyong 2015.

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Your Honor, as far as 2014 budget, yes, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, it has been fully utilized. The 2016 General Appropriations Bill does not provide for the health human resource of the following hospitals: PCMC, Lung Center, Heart Center, and NKTI. So, wala na naman pong naka-budget dito na human resource. Why is this so, distinguished Sponsor?

REP. NAVA (J.). The specialty hospitals, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, have their corresponding budget, and being corporate hospitals, they are not entirely reflected in the General Appropriations except for the subsidy that the national government or the DOH provides them, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, you are saying that, it is because they are government corporations.

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Your Honor, the personnel complement is initiated by the said institutions, and the only budget that is reflected in the General Appropriations is the budget that is intended for subsidy, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. How does the DOH treat these specialized hospitals being government corporations? Is this the effect of corporatization? Obviously, Mr. Speaker, may it be corporatization or privatization, still the end result is privatization. The terms are just rhetoric. Magkano po ba ang kita ng PCMC bilang isang government corporation? Importante po ito para malaman natin kung supisyente ang kanilang kita para makapagbigay ng libre at dekalidad na kalusugan.

REP. NAVA (J.). Inasmuch as the bulk of the patients of PCMC are service cases, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, the income is minimal. The gross income for 2014 is somewhere in P284 million, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, and they are heavily dependent on the subsidy from the national government.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I am just asking for the income, exact amount based on their financial statements.

REP. NAVA (J.). P284 gross million.

REP. PAQUIZ. Siguro po, can you please just submit to us iyon pong lahat nitong …

REP. NAVA (J.). We can provide that, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. … PCMC, Lung Center, lahat ng kinita nila kasi if they are privatized, how come hindi sila kumikita? So, mabuti pa yata sa gobyerno na lang ibalik ito.


REP. NAVA (J.). We will take note of that, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Sige po. With their income, how can we expect quality public health services if that is the case? Kaya siguro po, makikita natin, sa NKTI, alas tres pa lang ng hapon, nakapila na ang mga pasyente para makapila sa madaling araw, para doon naman po sa 200 na quota nila ma-fill up sila.

I will now go to Orthopedic. In House Bill No. 6132, Volume II-A, page 1142, there is a proposed budget of P409,694,000 for the Personnel Services of the Philippine Orthopedic Center or POC and P153,286,000 for MOOE. Obviously, there is no proposed budget under the said volume for Capital Outlays and during the DOH budget hearing, the DOH Secretary declared that the proposed budget for DOH is not yet final.

We are now at the floor deliberations. Can the Sponsor now confirm that the provisions in this House Bill are now final insofar as the budget of the DOH is concerned?

REP. NAVA (J.). The Capital Outlay for the Philippine Orthopedic Center is incorporated under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program amounting to P50 million, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, my question po is, we are now in the floor deliberations, can the Sponsor now confirm that the provisions in the House Bill are now final insofar as the budget of the DOH is concerned? Final na po ba ang budget natin?

REP. NAVA (J.). We are still in the process of First Reading, Mr. Speaker. We still have to go to the Second Reading and not until the Third Reading will the budget be finalized, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. No, but, Mr. Speaker, I am asking our good Secretary. Of course, I know that pero iyon pong sa kanila mismo, final na ba ang budget na iyon na hinihingi sa atin?

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the Rules is concerned, the moment we pass it in the Committee level, all budgets will be final as far as that agency that proposes is concerned, Mr. Speaker, so only the …

REP. PAQUIZ. So, are we saying now that the budget proposal is final?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, unless amended by the Members or the Committee, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Okay. Moving forward, upon perusal of the entire House Bill, it is noticeable that

the Capital Outlay budget of the POC is indicated in House Bill No. 6132, Volume I, under the Health Facilities Enhancement. Now, on page 952 thereof, it is clearly stated that POC has a budget allocation for infrastructure in the amount of P50 million. The POC budget is not isolated. The same budget preparation is applied to other hospitals such as Lung Center, Heart Center, PCMC, RITM, and many more. Can you tell this Body, my dear Sponsor, the reason for this?

REP. NAVA (J.). The Department has made a process of scoring the health institutions to identify the funding requirement for such, which they call as the hospital scorecard, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, and their basis for allocating these funds for the said hospitals, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Bakit po nakahiwalay ang HFEP sa budget ng hospital services?

REP. NAVA (J.). HFEP is under the—technically, it falls under FF02, that is technical services, Mr. Speaker, but HFEP is a specific item in the budget of the Department, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, may I direct the Sponsor’s attention to Section 8 of House Bill No. 6132, the budget of the Office of the Secretary, and it states, let me quote:

Project modification. The Secretary of Health is authorized to change the barangay health stations, rural health units, public/LGU hospitals and other health care facilities to be constructed, upgraded, expanded, rehabilitated or repaired, or equipment to be purchased within each of the activity under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program.

Clearly, the proposed budget for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program amounting to P26,983,517,000 is subject to the discretion of the Secretary of Health because of the blanket authority given her to modify and change the project implementation under Health Facilities Enhancement Program. Is this not a clear violation of our Constitution, Mr. Sponsor, honorable Speaker?

At this juncture, Deputy Speaker Balindong relinquished the Chair to Rep. Jorge “Bolet” Banal.

REP. NAVA (J.). We will look into that, Mr. Speaker, and we will propose the necessary amendments, if necessary. As with the previous General Appropriations Acts that this august Body has approved, we will see


to it that there are limitations to project modifications, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Okay, thank you very much. At this juncture, I move, on the ground of protecting

the power of the purse of this august Body, that we delete Section 8 of the Special Provisions on the budget of the Secretary of the Department of Health.

Let me go now to the Philippine Blood Disease and Transfusion Act. Puwede po bang malaman kung kailan naitayo ang Blood Center sa may Lung Center along Quezon Avenue?


REP. NAVA (J.). We move for a one-minute suspension of the session, Mr. Speaker.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The session is suspended.

It was 10:03 p.m.




REP. NAVA (J.). The Philippine Blood Center was constructed and operationalized last December 2012, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Anong pondo po ang ginamit sa pagtayo nito at magkano?


REP. NAVA (J.). Mr. Speaker, one-minute suspension.


It was 10:05 p.m.




Please proceed.

REP. PAQUIZ. Infectious diseases, emerging and

reemerging diseases—dengue is on the rise. An increase in dengue cases was reported in seven regions. In Region IV-A, dengue incidence is 11,894; Region III, dengue incidence is 11,806; NCR, 8,099; Region X, 6,298. In short, from January 2015 to September 2015, 78,808 dengue cases were reported.

Ano ba po ang role ng DOH upang matugunan ang lumalaganap na dengue?

REP. NAVA (J.). The DOH had provided larvicides to local government units for vector control. Insecticide-treated screens were provided to schools that are affected. Of course, promotions were conducted.

We all know that it is more of a “prevention rather than medical intervention” in these cases, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Larvicides ba po o pyriproxyfen?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Are we saying larvicides or pyriproxyfen?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, it is a …

REP. PAQUIZ. Pyriproxyfen.

REP. NAVA (J.). … larvicide.

REP. PAQUIZ. Larvicide. Sa pakikipagpulong ko po kay Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy,

siya po ang National Program Manager for Dengue Prevention and Control, ang partisipasyon lang daw ng ahensyang ito ay i-augment ang dengue needs ng mga dengue-infected na LGUs. Totoo ba po ito?


REP. PAQUIZ. Magkano po ang 2015 budget na in-allocate para sa pag-augment sa pangangailangan ng dengue-affected LGUs?

REP. NAVA (J.). P263,604,000, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Sa 2015 na budget ng DOH sa “Other infectious diseases and emerging and reemerging diseases including HIV/AIDS, dengue, food and water-borne diseases” na P743,907,000, magkano po ang inilaan ng ahensya para tugunan ang lumalalang dengue cases?

REP. NAVA (J.). For dengue alone, it is P263,604,000, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ano pong specific program ang inilunsad ng DOH?


REP. NAVA (J.). So, starting this year, dengue screens are being provided to all public schools, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ano po ulit?

REP. NAVA (J.). This is nationwide.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ano pong mga insecticides and na-procure ninyo at magkano po ang inilaan ninyo para dito?

REP. NAVA (J.). So, there are two kinds, larvicide and the adulticide. For larvicide, we have temephos and pyriproxyfen, and adulticide. We also have tetramethrin and deltamethrin, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ano po ang level of residual effectiveness ng insecticides na na-procure ninyo?

REP. NAVA (J.). Three to six months, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Tumugon po ang DOH na ang priority ninyo sa procurement ng insecticides for dengue must be WHO-accredited. Totoo po ba ito at ano po ang value nito?

REP. NAVA (J.). So, they are using the WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme with the following objectives, if I may:

1) to facilitate the search for alternative pesticides and application methods that are safe and cost-effective; and

2) to develop and promote policies, strategies and guidelines for the selective and judicious application of pesticides for public health use, and assist and monitor their implementation by Member States.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, international standards.


REP. PAQUIZ. Kahit may disclaimer ang WHOPES na hindi nito wina-warrant ang effectiveness ng isang produkto kahit na WHOPES-accredited.


REP. PAQUIZ. Kumusta po ang monitoring and evaluation na na-procure ng DOH na internal product na pyriproxyfen? Kailan pa po ito ginamit at bakit patuloy pa rin po ang paglala ng dengue?

REP. NAVA (J.). We have to note, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, that dengue transmission is multi-factorial

and is not dependent on elimination of larva alone but it involves, if possible, the community and entails the whole process, Your Honor. So, prevention should have great involvement of the community, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Locally po, hindi pa po ba sapat na FDA-approved? Kasi kung hindi sapat ang FDA approval, ano pa po ang silbi ng FDA?

REP. NAVA (J.). First of all, we have to note, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, that pesticides being used for this purpose are new in the market. The utilization is evidence-based. That is the reason it is imperative that the WHO recognition is important in the selection process, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Approval muna pa po tayo, Mr. Sponsor. Kasi kung sa WHO ho tayo aasa, what is the use of the FDA? So, dapat siguro hindi na po tayo magkaroon ng FDA. Ano po ang value ng FDA approval? Parang wala pong value ang FDA.

REP. NAVA (J.). FDA-approved products may do, Your Honor. But as far as the DOH is concerned, those that are being recognized by the WHO had been subjected to a wide range of trials, Your Honor. For which purpose, the DOH is more inclined to select products which are endorsed by or rather undergone trials such as the products that are being endorsed by or recognized or accredited by the WHO.

REP. PAQUIZ. If that is the case, Mr. Speaker, honorable Sponsor, bakit po may mga epidemya ngayon? Kasi kung ang sinasabi natin na iyon pong …

REP. NAVA (J.). As mentioned earlier, Mr. Speaker, it is an entire process that is necessary considering the prevention of dengue is multi-factorial. I think, elimination of environment or breeding environment is important. I think identification of such is also important, and if we failed to identify breeding areas that cannot be reached by these larvicides, then we would expect that the vectors would still be there. So, I think it is very important that the community will be very vigilant as far as the preventive process that is necessary to put to the minimum the incidence of dengue especially during rainy season, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, is concerned. In fact, dengue can now be seen even in times when it is not raining or during the summer. It is not uncommon to have dengue that time, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, sa proposed budget po na P43 million pagdating sa dengue prevention and control, ang solusyon na napagtuunan ng DOH ay ang pagpatay


sa mga mosquito larvae para wala nang maging full-blown na lamok na magdadala ng dengue. So, babalik po ulit ako kung ito iyong sinasabi nating larvicide at ang WHOPES lang po ang puwede nating authority dito. So, puwede na siguro pong alisin na natin ang mandatos sa FDA na mag-approve ng mga insecticide kasi wala naman pala pong kuwenta ang FDA.

REP. NAVA (J.). The LGUs can also have their options on what products to use, Your Honor, the FDA, non-WHO-accredited products if LGUs wish to. I think the prevention of dengue should not be entirely the responsibility of the DOH but it should be the responsibility of every community, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, nawalan na po ng responsibility ang DOH dito.

REP. NAVA (J.). I did not say that, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. But I said that it is not the sole responsibility of the DOH. As far as prevention of dengue and considering the nature of this disease, the involvement of the community is very important, and this is the reason why the promotion is towards educating the community and instilling responsibility for that matter, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, ngayon po nagtuturuan na tayo, ang DOH at saka iyong LGU. Mayroon po ba tayong planning for infectious diseases and emerging and re-emerging master plan?

REP. NAVA (J.). I think the bottom line in preventing dengue is the strong participation of the community, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ang itinatanong ko po, may master plan po ba ang DOH? Kasi po ang DOH pa rin po ang agency that is involved in the health of the people. Kasi iyong mga LGU naman po ...

REP. NAVA (J.). Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, that is why the DOH has a continued budget to promote as well as the actual intervention in case of outbreaks. It is an annual allocation and, I think, we have to really emphasize that prevention of dengue is more on the status of our environment rather than on the medical side, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. That is why the DOH provides for the necessary promotions on a year-by-year basis. Considering that this is a multi-factorial entity, we have larvicides, adulticides that the DOH procure in case there are outbreaks as well as the installation of dengue screens in public schools, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor. So, if we, I think, fully screen the schools, that is not a guarantee still because, of course, you can always

harbor disease anywhere when the vector bites, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mayroon po bang existing master plan ang DOH para sa infectious diseases and emerging and re-emerging diseases?

REP. NAVA (J.). On the specific diseases, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, there are. Like, for the emerging diseases, there are programs, strategies that the DOH had formulated like, for example, emerging diseases, the goal is prevention and control. The objectives are:

1. Reduce public health impact of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases;

2. Strengthen surveillance, preparedness, and response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases;

3. Develop systems, policy standards and guidelines for preparedness and response to emerging diseases;

4. Provide technical assistance or technical collaboration advocacy, information dissemination for inter- and intra-sectoral collaborations;

5. Provide capability-building for management, prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging diseases that may pose epidemic/pandemic threat; and

6. Provide logistical support for drugs and vaccines for meningococcemia and anti-viral drugs and vaccines for pandemic influenza preparedness.

So, the target beneficiaries are the entire population who are at risk of having the emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

REP. PAQUIZ. Ang tanong ko lang po ay kung may master plan kasi po ang laki ng budget ng Health Sector Policy Services.

REP. NAVA (J.). So, this is why this is instituted, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, to: one, I think, we are still Ebola-free. The Department is very much vigilant on monitoring these diseases, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, and they have the master plan for every disease, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, the master plan is for infectious diseases, emerging and re-emerging diseases.

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. Summing up the infectious diseases pursuant to the principle of devolution—can you, please, also give us the master plan?

REP. NAVA (J.). We will certainly do.


REP. PAQUIZ. Sige po.Summing up the infectious diseases pursuant to the

principle of devolution, I move to devolve the health budget directly to the concerned LGUs by realigning the DOH budget to LGUs who are directly plagued with re-emerging diseases.

Last December 2014, the Department of Health reported 22,527 people with HIV-AIDS. In May of this year, the DOH registered a record high of 748 new cases, bringing the total number this year to 3,157. This is 51 percent higher compared to the same period last year which is 495 cases, and was the highest number of cases reported since 1984. Combining the data last year and the total number this year so far gives us an alarming overall number of 25,684 cases. Moreover, it has been reported last year that more young Filipinos are acquiring this disease.

What is the DOH doing about this? How much of your proposed 2016 budget amounting to P1,057,696,000 for other infectious diseases, and emerging and re-emerging diseases including HIV-AIDS, dengue, food and waterborne diseases is allotted for this? Do we have programs? And if we have programs, just please, also submit it to us. So, how much is the budget for this?

REP. NAVA (J.). The budget intended for 2016 for HIV is P600,317,120, and we will be providing the necessary program for HIV-AIDS, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. I have learned about your new pilot testing program about HIV-AIDS home-testing kit. Its aim is to encourage people to have themselves tested by bringing the kit to them by agents called motivators. Is this correct?

REP. NAVA (J.). So far, it is not yet being practiced. It is not yet accredited by the Department, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, we do not have that program yet.

REP. NAVA (J.). The Department is not a proponent of home testing, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, at this moment.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, wala pa po itong mga motivators.

REP. NAVA (J.). The counseling is considered very important and such practice is not being sanctioned by the Department, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, we do not have the motivators yet, and the kit.

REP. NAVA (J.). There is none, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. So, let me go now to PhilHealth. How much sin tax incremental revenue is the DOH directly allocating to the coffers of PhilHealth? And what are the corresponding specific programs that will be funded by this huge amount?

REP. NAVA (J.). For this year it is P37 billion.

REP. PAQUIZ. Million.

REP. NAVA (J.). Billion.

REP. PAQUIZ. Billion.

REP. NAVA (J.). For next year it is P43.7 billion. And as mentioned way earlier, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, it is those that are entitled of the subsidies avail of the No Balance Billing program, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. I would like to have a copy of the specific programs that are funded by this amount.

REP. NAVA (J.). We will be providing, Mr. Speaker, Your Honor.

REP. PAQUIZ. The PhilHealth package coverage is directly paid to the reimbursing accredited health facilities. How is this being distributed by the health facilities? How is it that the distribution of the PhilHealth share to help professionals are subjected to the discretion of the medical directors and local officials?

REP. NAVA (J.). It depends on the said institution, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. If it is a local government unit facility, then the local government has the authority to identify how the income will be used, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, particularly those facilities manned by regularly hired personnel.

REP. PAQUIZ. Do you agree that it is under the discretion of the medical directors and local officials?

REP. NAVA (J.). It is believed it is under the discretion of the local authorities, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. And medical directors.

REP. NAVA (J.). I believe that the medical or chief of hospitals, or chief of facilities are under the supervision of the local government unit officials.


REP. PAQUIZ. In some institutions, I believe the medical directors also, and together with the local officials, have discretion over this.

REP. NAVA (J.). I suppose it requires authority from the local government, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, discretion is the gateway of abuse of power. In the distribution of PhilHealth shares to health workers, how discretionary is discretionary, Mr. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker? What kind of discretion is being delegated by the DOH and the PhilHealth to the health institutions in managing the distribution of the PhilHealth reimbursements?

Let us take the exploitation in the Tarlac Provincial Hospital. Why is the health facility refusing to release the full PhilHealth share of the health workers? Instead, they are only releasing, I think, 2 percent thereof. What is the PhilHealth and the DOH doing to resolve this problem? My first question is, why is the health facility refusing to release the full PhilHealth share of the health workers in the Tarlac Provincial Hospital?

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the Department is concerned, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, it is the discretion of the local government over the utilization of revenues from that said institution.

REP. PAQUIZ. So how discret ionary is discretionary?

REP. NAVA (J.). It is part of the autonomy of the local government existence or rather of its corporate existence rather, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. What is the PhilHealth and the DOH doing about this because discretion can be abused?

REP. NAVA (J.). The DOH had formed a technical working group to look into the matter, to check on the adopted schemes of various local governments so that maybe a possible policy may be hatched out of this review, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Yes, I believe so. Since we have our Secretary, I believe that policy should be made and in place kasi po, makikita natin that because of discretion, many of our health workers today are suffering from the inequality that is being given them. So we request our Secretary to look into this matter since the PhilHealth is under the DOH, hindi ba po?


REP. PAQUIZ. Because the existing law does not provide for the existence of such discretion, siguro

po, tingnan din natin ang batas kung talagang may discretion sila kasi sa existing law, there is no such thing as discretion. Talagang kailangan po ng policy dito para maayos natin. Hay naku, dapat mag-exert po talaga tayo ng effort dahil hindi lang ito sa Tarlac Provincial Hospital nangyayari. Puwede po bang itigil na natin ang pagsisi sa devolution dahil kung present po ito dito ngayon, namatay na ito sa dami ng sisi sa kanya.

With the mandatory withholding of the PhilHealth contribution as the bulk of sin tax funds being allocated to the PhilHealth, it is time for a strong governance system. I think this is now the great responsibility of our DOH with strict protocol on audit and control system. The PhilHealth fund is a public fund for which the agency must be accountable for. In this case, the PhilHealth and the DOH must be accountable not only up to the release of reimbursement to health facilities, its accountability must extend up to the actual distribution and accounting of expenditures of the PhilHealth share.

How is the PhilHealth doing its accounting and expenditure audit? Nag-a-audit po ba sila?

REP. NAVA (J.). We have a 2014 PhilHealth financial report, Mr. Speaker.


REP. NAVA (J.). May I ask for a suspension of the session, Mr. Speaker.


It was 10:46 p.m.




REP. NAVA (J.). For 2014, as reported by the PhilHealth regarding revenue and expense, the total premium contributions collected amounted to P81,446,681,122, with a total benefit payments amounting to P78,175,424,807, plus other operating expenses amounting to P5,105,000,000 and income from or interest income from treasury bonds, special savings deposits, savings. The total net income registered for 2014 is P4,737,997,012.

REP. PAQUIZ. So there is accounting and expenditure audit.


REP. NAVA (J.). As far as this report, yes, Mr. Speaker.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, let me wrap up my motion for amendments:

1. Decrease the staffing summary of the Office of the Secretary of Health to fund 31,127 positions instead of 53,000;

2. Realign the P7 billion budget to its duly identified geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and let the concerned LGUs hire their own health workers with employer-employee relationship;

3. Increase the budget allocation for the full acquisition of PCMC land, na sana po matapos natin ang pagbabayad nito;

4. Delete Section 8 of the Special Provisions on the budget of Secretary of DOH; and

5. Devolve the health budget directly to the concerned LGUs by realigning the DOH budget to those who are directly plagued with the reemerging diseases.

Mr. Speaker, tandaan po natin, walang kalusugang pangkalahatan kung walang mag-aalaga sa kalusugan ng bayan.

Mga kasamahan, hango sa turo ni Heneral Antonio Luna, may iiwanan akong tanong para sa inyo: Kalusugan para sa bayan o kalusugan para sa iilan?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The Asst. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. LAGDAMEO (M.). Mr. Speaker, we now move to the next interpellator, the Honorable Acop. I move that he be recognized.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The Honorable Acop is recognized for his interpellation.

REP. ACOP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.Would the distinguished Sponsor of the DOH budget

yield to some questions from this Representation?

REP. NAVA (J.). Gladly, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you.May I know if the Department of Health has a

program insofar as HPV is concerned or the Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination Program.

REP. NAVA (J.). It was in 2014 that such was introduced, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, and the Department is in the process of evaluation after that introduction. To date, there is no follow up budget for that for the moment.

REP. ACOP. May I know, Mr. Speaker, the amount of funds allocated for that program in 2014.

REP. NAVA (J.). It was P450 million, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you.According to standards of certain programs, this is

considered a very expensive program. Is that correct, Mr. Speaker?

REP. NAVA (J.). As far as the cost of the vaccines, the Department had acquired it at a cost of P600, and it is indeed adopted by the Department subject to the evaluation whether to continue the program once again, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you.This program was envisioned as a preventive

measure against cervical cancer. Tama po ba, Mr. Speaker?


REP. ACOP. But originally, the program involved making available for free to public school children as young as eight to nine years of age the expensive vaccination against HPV, which was linked to cervical cancer. Tama rin po ba ito, Mr. Speaker?


REP. ACOP. May I know what is the rationale of the DOH in coming up with this expensive endeavor?

REP. NAVA (J.). The trials had shown that the vaccines are more effective before any sexual contact or any sexual experience, for that matter. So, it is recommended that at an early age, the vaccine will be instituted, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Mr. Speaker, this was originally intended for public schools, but before it was implemented, this program was implemented in the public schools for children aged eight to nine. This was abandoned by the DOH, and this program was rolled out in the 20 poorest provinces in the country. Hindi po ba ito ang tama na nangyari, Mr. Speaker?

REP. NAVA (J.). Yes, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, it was initiated only in the 20 poorest provinces.

REP. ACOP. May I know why the school-based program was abandoned in the 20 poorest provinces?


REP. NAVA (J.). The budget, as I mentioned, was made available in 2014. The program is being instituted now, and is intended for 333,000 children from among the 20 poorest provinces in the country. It took a while for the program to be implemented because it took 18 months for the vaccine preparation for this purpose, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you.Mr. Speaker, the intention of the program is

very laudable, but there is information that a woman of science like the gentle Secretary of the DOH changed the program from being school-based to the 20 poorest provinces because of the pressure of certain quarters, and that made the Secretary of the DOH overlook medically proven health benefits for mere speculations on moral behavior. Is this true, Mr. Speaker?

REP. NAVA (J.). Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, if the Department will implement it in schools, several requirements are necessary, for which reason, it was turned over to the local government units to identify recipients of this. Second, the limited logistical resource that is available to cover all pupils on this matter has also contributed to the change of the implementation process.

REP. ACOP. Thank you.Mr. Speaker, Your Honor, would it not be correct

that the diversion of the vaccine program to the 20 poorest provinces created problems insofar as logistics is concerned, like the presence of refrigeration in the listed 20 poorest provinces, often power-deprived provinces, to keep the vaccines fresh and efficacious. Hindi po ba mas malaking problema ito kaysa sa school-based program, Mr. Speaker?

REP. NAVA (J.). Using the municipal health offices, Mr. Speaker, of the respective local governments, they have the necessary capacity as far as the cold chain requirements to preserve the vaccines, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Is the distinguished Sponsor aware of the recent nationwide deworming program conducted by the DOH?


REP. ACOP. According to reports, it landed some school children in hospitals with abdominal pains, vomiting and diarrhea. If this is true, should we not learn from this event, Mr. Speaker?

REP. NAVA (J.). There was a misinterpretation, as far as media reports are concerned. Actually, one of

the adverse effects of deworming is abdominal pain particularly if there is a heavy load of parasites, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you. I would just like to state that, maybe, proper dosage, storage practices, information on its adverse effects might have been entirely absent insofar as the deworming program is concerned, given the program’s sheer magnitude that makes monitoring and info dissemination difficult. That is the report that I have read.

REP. NAVA (J.). The Department agrees and takes note of that suggestion, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Would the Gentleman Sponsor agree that targeting the 20 poorest provinces also presents unique challenges absent in school-based program, for example, tracking the girls in their homes, getting their parents’ permission, bringing the girls to the health centers, and keeping track of the girls for their next shots, second and the third? Will you agree, distinguished Sponsor?

REP. NAVA (J.). We agree, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Is it true that the Secretary of the Department of Education raised some questions on the efficacy of the vaccine, the expense involved, and whether other more common diseases deserve greater attention and funding? Is this true?

REP. NAVA (J.). A presentation was done purposely for information and education of the persons responsible in schools, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you. There are certain statistics on deaths caused by cancer. What is revealing is that, next to breast cancer, cervical cancer is the most common cancer-killer of Filipino women, and that as many as 12 women a day die from it when it could have been prevented because of the existence of such vaccine. Are these statistics correct?


REP. ACOP. Would you agree, distinguished Sponsor, Mr. Speaker, that the program on HPV vaccination should be continued by the Department of Health, and that the structure for it to be implemented fully to our girl students or female students in public schools?

REP. NAVA (J.). The Department agrees on that proposal, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.


REP. ACOP. But the 2016 budget does not carry an amount of fund or account for this specific purpose, distinguished Sponsor.

REP. NAVA (J.). It is hoped that such requirement will be provided for, eventually, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you.For my last question, Mr. Speaker, and this

often asked by my dentist-friends: Is there really a program on oral health insofar as the Department is concerned?

REP. NAVA (J.). For 2016, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker, the Department intends to hire 324 dentists, and this would be jointly operated with the 162 dental vans jointly operated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Education, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker. This is the program that is being proposed for 2016. The budgetary allocation is P155,222,400, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you.I think this problem has to be addressed simply

because in the last Asian conference regarding dental health, the Philippines, I think, ranked first or second insofar as the problem of tooth decay is concerned. So, I hope, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, that this attention given now by the DOH be continued through the years, Mr. Sponsor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. NAVA (J.). This Representation agrees, Your Honor, Mr. Speaker.

REP. ACOP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Maraming salamat po sa pagkakataon na ibinigay

ninyo sa Representanteng ito para matanong po at makumpleto iyong naudlot na pagtatanong ko po sa ating Secretary of the Department of Health during the budget presentation.

Maraming salamat po.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). Maraming salamat po.


REP. NAVA (J.). Thank you.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The Dep. Majority Leader is recognized.

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the period of sponsorship and debate on the proposed

budget of the Department of Health, including attached agencies and corporations.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we open the period of sponsorship and debate on the proposed budget of the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and recognize the Honorable Nava to sponsor the budget of the two said agencies, and recognize the Hon. Jonathan A. Dela Cruz for his short manifestation.

DANGEROUS DRUGS BOARD AND THEPHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The Hon. Joaquin Carlos Rahman A. Nava, M.D. is recognized to defend the budgets of the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Hon. Jonathan A. Dela Cruz from ABAKADA Party-List is recognized for his interpellation.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.Mr. Speaker, I have talked to the heads of the

agencies, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as well as the Dangerous Drugs Board. I brought to their attention, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, the problem of the proliferation of drugs all over the country and the need for us to have a more active role insofar as the anti-drug campaign is concerned. I also brought to their attention the worries of most of our citizens, especially, those that are in the provinces, regarding the inability of many of the drug dependents to be given the necessary care for purposes of rehabilitation and the like.

They brought to our attention, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, the fact that while the country has a national anti-drug program, there is a drug strategy for the purpose, and they have already come out with all kinds of measures, so that the drug problem can be minimized, if not entirely eradicated. The problem remains that a lot of the measures cannot be properly implemented, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, precisely, because of the lack of resources on a number of platforms for purposes of implementation. That is the reason, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, that at the appropriate time, we will request the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, as well as the Dangerous Drugs Board, to provide us with, number one, the necessary plan for the purpose of implementing the strategy that has been adopted by the national government, and endorsed specifically ordered by His Excellency, the


President, and for us to be given the opportunity to look for possible resources, so that these particular measures can be properly implemented at the right time and in the right measure. I understand that they will be able to submit to us, Mr. Speaker, distinguished Sponsor, these particular documents on or before Friday in time for the final consideration of the budget.

On that note, Mr. Speaker, I will now end this manifestation and request that the distinguished Sponsor will join us in ensuring that the appropriate resources, necessary personnel, and all the other measures necessary for us to implement the national anti-drug strategy, will be properly implemented responsibly and in the most responsive manner.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, distinguished Sponsor. If that is something that the Sponsor will consider implementing together with us, at the appropriate time, we will propose the addition of certain resources, as well as amendatory measures to ensure that the national drug policy, anti-illegal drug strategy can be responsibly implemented.

REP. NAVA (J). The Representation recognizes and supports the manifestation of the Hon. Jonathan A. Dela Cruz.

REP. DELA CRUZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, distinguished Sponsor.


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we recognize the Hon. Leah S. Paquiz of ANG NARS Party-List.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The honorable Rep. Leah S. Paquiz is recognized for her interpellation.

REP. PAQUIZ. Mr. Speaker, on the part of the Minority, there being no Member who wishes to interpellate, we move to terminate the period of sponsorship and debate on the proposed budgets of the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. I so move, Mr. Speaker.


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, we join the motion of the Minority to terminate the period of sponsorship and

debate on the proposed budgets of the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). Is there any objection?(Silence) The Chair hears none; the period of sponsorship and debate on the proposed budgets of the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is hereby terminated.


SUSPENSION OF CONSIDERATION OF H.B. NO. 6132

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the consideration of House Bill No. 6132.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.

The consideration of House Bill No. 6132 is hereby suspended.


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we add the name of the Hon. Jose Christopher “Kit” Y. Belmonte to be an additional coauthor of House Bill No. 6191.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; the Hon. Jose Christopher “Kit” Y. Belmonte is added as one of the authors of House Bill No. 6191.

RATIFICATION OF CONF. CTTEE. RPT. ON H.B. NO. 5831 AND S.B. NO. 2669

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, we are in receipt of the Bicameral Conference Committee Report reconciling the disagreeing provisions of House Bill No. 5831 and Senate Bill No. 2669.

May I ask that the Secretary General be directed to read only the titles of the measures.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). Is there any objection? (Silence)The Chair hears none; the motion is approved.*

The Secretary General is directed to read only the titles of the measures.

With the permission of the Body, and since copies of the Conference Committee Report have been previously distributed, the Secretary General read only the titles of the measures without prejudice to inserting the text of the report in the Congressional Record.



THE SECRETARY GENERAL. House Bill No. 5831, entitled: AN ACT ENHANCING THE CURRENT TAX SYSTEM BY IMPLEMENTING MEASURES THAT ENSURE TRANSPARENCY IN THE MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING OF TAX INCENTIVES GRANTED TO GOVERNMENT AND NONGOVERNMENT ENTITIES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; and Senate Bill No. 2669, entitled: AN ACT INSTITUTING A SYSTEM FOR TAX INCENTIVES MANAGEMENT AND TRANSPARENCY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we ratify the said Bicameral Conference Committee Report.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). Is there any objection? (Silence) The Chair hears none; same is approved.


REP. BINAY. Mr. Speaker, I move that we suspend the session until tomorrow, October 8, 2015, at ten o’clock in the morning.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER (Rep. Banal). The session is suspended until tomorrow, October 8, 2015, at ten o’clock in the morning.

It was 11:15 p.m.

Published by the Publication and Editorial Service, Plenary Affairs BureauThe Congressional Record can be accessed through the Downloads Center of the official website

of the House of Representatives at www.congress.gov.ph FLL/11092015/1838

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