The Change You Want to See

PHOTO: Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson plants a tree at the Laguna State Polytechnic University in Siniloan, Laguna, shortly before addressing Class 2008 in their commencement exercises. Lacson exhorted the graduates to fight and uphold the right for equal opportunities and reject the "conventional" wisdom that success is only for the well-connected or those willing to play dirty.

(Speech delivered by Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson before the Graduating Class of 2008 delivered April 24, 2008 Laguna State Polytechnic University, Siniloan, Laguna)

Before anything else, my warmest congratulations.

Pero bago ang lahat palakpakan muna natin ang ating mga magulang. Kung hindi sa kanila hindi mauuuso ang graduation. Palakpakan din natin ang ating mga guro, kung wala sila wala tayong lahat dito ngayon.

You finally made it but before you can continue on your way, you must face one final hurdle – my commencement address.

We live in a very exciting time, in the midst of an explosion of knowledge.

Twenty-five years ago, no one would have predicted how the internet would revolutionize the way we communicate with each other. Sino ang mag-aakala mga 25 taon nang nakalilipas na maari nating kunin ang lahat na information at kaalaman na kailangan natin sa isang kwadradong bagay na ang tawag natin ay computer? Cell phones have become a ubiquitous accessory. Sa Manila nga, kahit mga pulubi habang magmamalimos busy na busy sa kate-text. New medicines have been discovered to make people live longer and healthier. Nabanggit ko ang cell phone naalala ko ang isang maikling salaysay. Pakinggan ninyo ito. Ang buhay ng tao ay may pitong yugto. Seven stages in the lives of men. Ang bawa’t yugto ay hitik na hitik sa pakikipagtunggali sa competition. Ang unang yugto from 3 to 8 years old, padamihan ng laruan ng mga bata. Pagdating ng 9 hanggang 18, pataasan ng grade sa iskwella. 19 hanggang 25 padamihan ng syota. 26 hanggang 35 pagandahan ng asawa. 36 hanggang 45 padamihan ng cell phone. Ito na ang malungkot, 46 hanggang 55, padamihan ng kabit. At ito pa ang mas malungkot, 56 and over, padamihan ng sakit.

We also live in a frustrating time, because in spite of all these opportunities, this is also a time of great inequality. Not only here in the Philippines but in so many parts of the world as well.

Despite this being a packed gymnasium, we must remember the millions out there who are shunned from this graduation and others like them because they had to drop out of school due to lack of money.

These are the very same people, who at a very young age, will have to join their parents in backbreaking labor just to earn enough for a rice-and-noodles meal. The very same people reduced to queuing up for rice rations.

I apologize if the tenor of this afternoon has changed from enthusiastic to somber; I have broken a tradition as a result.

I especially apologize to the parents who are here today. This is your shining moment, I could only think of a handful that could compare to this. You deserve the applause and the recognition for bringing up these children and educating them against all odds.

I am a parent too and thus concerned that if we continue to ignore reality then we cannot promise our children the future that they deserve, a future that we want them to experience.

As a senator, I have traveled all over the country and have seen how things are at the barangay level. I could no longer count the number of individuals who are forced to live with the indecency of no access to basic education and health services.

It is certainly not a question of lack of funds, the fertilizer scam, the ZTE deal and the latest Quedancor scam and all the other scams that preceded it suggest that there is certainly plenty to go around.

Seven years of active stealing from the good taxpayers of this country and this government shows no sign of stopping.

And it is no longer an isolated issue when you see on the news how even the middle class are forced to queue for inexpensive rice.

This is our reality, it is happening right before our very eyes whether we deny it exists or not.

A great temptation is when we believe that some people deserve their good fate and some are just unlucky. This is the trap into which we shouldn’t fall, because poverty should not be a death sentence.

I hope we would not be sidetracked by the rice crisis and calls for reconciliation and forget who put us in this mess in the first place.

I implore you, my dear graduates, you whose future is at stake, to fight and uphold the right for equal opportunities.

Reject the now-conventional wisdom that success is only for the well-connected or those who are willing to play dirty.

Don't believe it.

Believe instead that if you worked hard and played fair, things would be different.

It is once said that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

People should not be afraid of government. Instead, it is government should be afraid of its people. This is the real essence of governance.

Each of us, rich or poor, especially the poor, is a reminder that fairness and justice are more than just concepts. They are inalienable rights.

Let me close my address with a story.

There was once a jeepney driver. His wife was a dry goods vendor. They brought up eight children together, they fed, clothed them, sent them to school and they never complained. All eight finished college.

The parents never graduated from high school but they taught their children more by their example, by their hard work and by their decency and honesty – the true lessons in life.

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the graduating class of 2008, I am the fourth child of that man and woman in the story and it is honest and decent parents like mine who believed in this country and gave my generation the opportunity to live the life we want to live.

Will your generation do as much for yours and the next?

Class of 2008, I challenge you to embody the change you want to see in this world by helping others experience meaningful opportunities.

It does not matter whether you do so in the capacity of a private citizen or a public official.

Because when you come together with your time, passion and compassion, it is only then that you can truly change this country.

Thank you very much and good luck to everyone!

*****

Lacson: Malacañang Hits New Low by Picking on Bishop

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson today scored the move of the Department of Justice to file libel charges against Pangasinan Archbishop Oscar Cruz as a desperate attempt by the Arroyo administration to silence its most vocal critic from the ranks of the Catholic church.

“This is but part of this administration’s signature tactics to hush the opposition. If they can’t buy them off, they throw everything upon them, including the proverbial kitchen sink,” Lacson said.

He said the administration sank to a new low in applying this underhanded strategy against a senior member of the Catholic Church.

On the other hand, Lacson said Cruz may have reached a new high in Malacañang’s list of opposition characters.

“Why would Malacañang unleash its most rabid attack ally in the person of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez if the perceived enemy is not menacing to them,” Lacson said.

It only establishes that Cruz’s efforts to expose the ills and stink of the Arroyo government are hurting Malacañang’s tenants.

“I am optimistic that Archbishop Cruz will weather this storm induced by Malacañang. I have always adhered to the fact that justice sides with the truth; and I believe that the truth is on the side of Archbishop Cruz,” Lacson said.

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"Here's to the Champ!"

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson raises the hand of Geronimo "Gerry" Peñalosa, the current World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion, at the Senate session hall. Lacson co-authored Senate Resolution 360, congratulating and commending Peñalosa and Filipino boxing champions for bringing honor and pride to the country.

Ping Gets Festive Welcome at Philippine Pharmacist Association convention in Zamboanga City

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson gets a festive welcome at the annual convention of the Philippine Pharmacist Association in Zamboanga City last April 10.

Lacson Resolution Seeks Probe of Swine Scam

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson on Tuesday filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation into the multibillion-peso swine scam, which involved alleged irregularities in the Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corp. (Quedancor).

Lacson filed Senate Resolution 340, which sought to find the status of the funds that went to the program amid claims that they ended up in the administration’s campaign kitty.

“It seems that multi-billion anomalies are becoming the hallmark of this administration to the detriment of our people ... Like the fertilizer scam, there are allegations that the fund for the Swine program were diverted to the 2004 campaign fund of the administration to ensure the re-election bid of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,” he said in his resolution.

He also noted the scam brought “memories” of a P1.3-billion textbook scam, where the bidding process was “tailor-fit” for a select group of favored bidders with interlocking sets of officers.

Quedancor launched a swine program in 2003 to assist farmers venturing into hog-raising. Some P5 billion in funds went to the project, with P3 billion coming from the Land Bank of the Philippines and P2 billion from Equitable-PCI Bank, and government bonds issued as collateral.

But the Commission on Audit’s 2005 Annual Report found that P755.62 million in outstanding loan balance and P663.77 million in receivables was doubtful.

The COA findings also said the procurement of input supplies for Quedancor swine program amounting to P1.67 billion during the year was not in accordance with government procurement procedures, and the high cost of credit was not beneficial to farmer beneficiaries.

COA also said some borrowers denied borrowing from Quedancor, and that the team leader or input suppliers sought their signatures in exchange for amounts ranging from P200 to P300.

Management also did not provide equal opportunity to contractors, leading to a monopoly by a group of input suppliers with interlocking sets of officers.

Records of the COA showed that a certain Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of Metro Livestock Inc., is also a member of the Board of Directors of the BIRKS Agri-Livestock Corporation and a partner of the New Gold Agri-Vet Company.

His name and that of a director of BIRKS Corporation, also appear as former directors of the Silver Rock Resources Corporation.

Yet as of Dec. 31, 2005, Quedancor procured some P1.67 billion worth of input supplies under the swine program. Of this amount, BIRKS, SRC and Metro Livestock got the biggest share of 35%, 29% and 23% respectively. Including the New Gold Rock, the four Input Suppliers acquired 87.53% or P1.46 billion of the total procurements.

Tabulation from the regional office also showed that procurement was concentrated from the three Input Suppliers in the following regions: Silver Stock in Regions I and III; BIRKS in Regions VI, VII and VIII and Metro Livestock in Regions IV, VI and NCR.

Records showed the major suppliers have only P1 million authorized capital stock each and despite their minimal paid up capital they were given huge amounts of purchase orders.

“No track record was required from the Input Suppliers per QSP accreditation process. Even newly organized suppliers were able to participate in the program,” Lacson said.

He added verification showed Quedancor accredited input suppliers who were not among those accredited by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) under its Swine Breeder Farm Accreditation Program (SBFAP).

On the other hand, Lacson noted Malacañang in July 2004 transferred Quedancor from the Department of Agriculture to the Office of the President.

“Considering the said findings, the COA stated that the recoverability of said outstanding loans is deemed remote and that there is a likelihood that the government will lose from the said program,” Lacson said.

He also noted the COA, in its 2006 report, said some P176.40 million cannot be properly accounted for.

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A Challenge to the Graduates

PHOTOS: At top photo, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson (center) joins teachers and officials
of Iloilo City National High School in applauding the newest batch of high
school graduates at the school's 60th commencement exercises last April 5.

Earlier (middle photos), Lacson addressed the graduates and their parents,
where he told members of Batch 2008 to meet the challenges of modern times
by taking their place in nation building and by having an active voice
in how their future is being shaped.

Lacson (bottom photo) also posed with teachers of the Iloilo National High School.

(Speech before the Graduating Class of 2008 delivered April 5, 2008 at the Iloilo City National High School, Molo, Iloilo City)

Good morning.

Lubos gid ang akon kalipay nga maimbitahan liwat diri sa Iloilo, tungod ang mga Lacson halin sa Molo. Una sa tanan, palakpakan natin ang aton mga ginhikanan nga yari dri subong. Without our parents, we will not be where we are now.

I salute all of you for your accomplishments and I congratulate everyone who has supported and made this moment possible for all of you.

The world that you enter today is quite different from decades past.

You live in a time when knowledge is doubling every five years or so.

Back in my day, no one has heard of computers, laptops or even knows what a USB is. Everything was almost done by hand.

Indeed, today is a more stunning time and those with good education can take advantage of it. However, it is not without its attending challenges.

Back in the day, life was kinder and simple.

I am sure that the parents gathered in this room will agree that there was a time when success was earned on the back of hard work and perseverance.

There was none of this padrino business, none of this corruption.

And most especially, being poor was not a death sentence.

But those were kinder times.

Nowadays, poverty is so much an issue that as early as today, some of you are nervous about the future and whether you could find a stable job four years hence.

And that in itself is the greatest tragedy: to be limited in your opportunities in a time of plenty.

Admittedly, there are a thousand reasons for our widespread poverty. But all these reasons are manmade and deliberate.

Just as manmade and deliberate as the grand corruption that has gripped this country for the past seven years.

I am sorry that this speech is far from what a commencement speech should be.

But the past few weeks have convinced me that the youth are more than ready to take their place in nation building and have an active voice in how their future is being shaped.

In fact, it is a great joy and proud moment to see the youth surging in ranks during every rally protesting the ZTE deal and all the other excesses of this immoderate government.

Indeed, you are already realizing what others have taken more years to understand, that the greatest power is found when you take some time to serve.

If you look at our country’s troubles, if you examine the brazen acts of corruption that have been committed for the past seven years, you understand that the people creating these problems are those that believe their power, money and their position are more important than their obligations to this country and the Filipinos.

And as you leave the halls of this school, your challenge is whether to follow suit and consider a corrupt Philippines as business as usual. Consider the billions of pesos in debt as the price you pay for living and working in this country.

Or you could rise up and insist that we will be treated with integrity and dignity. After all, “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”

I think all of you should think about that as I wish you the most that this modern world brings.

I ask you to serve in some way as this school has served you, as your teachers have served you, as your parents have sacrificed for you.

Just as my generation had obligations and responsibilities to the next one, you have obligations and responsibilities not only to yourselves but to the people who sit on either side of you.

Let me close with a story.

Once there was a couple who had eight children. Like the parents gathered in this room, they had big dreams for their children. The father was a jeepney driver and the mother a dry goods vendor at a local market.

These were hardly the ideal jobs to feed, clothe and send their large brood to school but nevertheless, they persevered.

Because to them, education was their children’s only ticket out of poverty.

And so it goes, all finished their education and are now serving in different capacities in various industries.

But what is more incredible is how the parents achieved this no mean feat through honest, hard work and good ethics.

They never put one over others or exploited anyone for their private gain.

Ladies and gentlemen, I had been a police officer, I had been Chief of our national police, I have been elected as a Senator twice and although I am honored and proud to have been given these roles, what I am most proud of is being the fourth child in that story.

Thank you all for listening and good morning.

*****

Meeting the Challenge of Political Governance

PHOTO: Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson (extreme right) swears in the officers of the
Negros Press Club at the L'Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City April 5.

(Speech by Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson before the Negros Press Club delivered April 5, 2008)

The former Japanese ambassador once told me there are three most prominent lies on earth. One, when a delinquent American tenant tells his landlord the check is in the mail. Two, when a Japanese lover tells you he is more romantic than a Frenchman. The biggest lie of them all is when a Filipino politician tells you he is about to deliver a very short speech.

To the newly inducted officers of the Negros Press Club, to the respected members of the Negrense media, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

I am honored to be here today to talk about meeting the challenge of political governance in the context of today’s political morality. Governance, both political and economic, is a prime theme and rightly so. Without accountability, it is difficult for our country to take off and I am with you in realizing this reality.

The single most telling indicator of poor governance over the past seven years has been the high incidence of pervasive corruption.

The problem of political governance in our country is mainly due to the limited accountability and lack of transparency.

There is a lack of public scrutiny of public administration.

And a general lack of citizens’ demand for improvements in public administration which can be explained by the increasing politicization of public institutions. This has led to an erosion of trust in government and its political leaders.

The Senate seems to be just the only institution in this country that remains collectively independent and refuses to be co-opted by the present administration of GMA.

Here is the first point I want to make. The concern for today’s issues is well and good, but we have to understand them in the broader context.

As you might be aware, there has been an increasing trend in paid advertisements by the Arroyo government and how it has single-handedly staged a so-called economic miracle for this country.

With your indulgence, I would like to recount how Mrs. Arroyo has actually performed for the past seven years.

Barely days after her proclamation, Mrs. Arroyo fast-tracked the signing of an anomalous power plant contract. I refer to the $470-million power contract granted to the Argentinean company IMPSA in January 2001, which probably earned her and her associates, among them former DOJ Secretary Hernando Perez, a collective payoff to the tune of $14 million. Only the $2 million “commission” awarded to Mr. Perez has ever been traced, to a bank in Switzerland. The rest of the money seemed to have vanished as if the transaction never existed.

In case you forget, the previous administration rushed a wide avenue that would run parallel to Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, and in essence lighten the traffic going to and from the Manila International Airport. The highway, already almost completed, was then negotiated for a price of P650 million. Under Mrs. Aroyo, the project price had ballooned to double its original cost of P1.1 billion.

The Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard stands today, all 2.2 kilometers of it, built at a cost of P1.1 billion or half a billion pesos per kilometer. It is now known as the most expensive boulevard in the whole universe.

In the second half of 2003, I uncovered incontrovertible evidence pointing to a huge money-laundering scheme being urn by a certain Jose Pidal. Mr. Pidal’s strokes on the checks that were presented to me bear an uncanny resemblance to the signature of one Jose Miguel Arroyo.

These incriminating documents were provided by a certain Udong Mahusay, a confidante and personal assistant of the First Gentleman and Ms. Vicky Toh. Mr. Mahusay would also stand as my witness against Jose Miguel Arroyo’s web of corruption.

Many things happened after that. Someone else stood up to claim that he was the real Jose Pidal. He is now a congressman representing the fifth district in Negros Occidental, and for all his so-called wealth, this man was paying only P8,000 as taxes.

As for Udong, his story reads like a James Bond novel: an extraction by Mike Defensor aboard the presidential chopper and an eventual delivery to the “safety” of Malacañan.

In 2004, Mrs. Arroyo decided to run for the presidency. To ensure her victory, she installed the now-famous owner of Ben’s Borjer, Benjamin Abalos, and a certain “Garci,” a.k.a. Virgilio Garcillano, as Comelec commissioners. Further, she filled her war chest with proceeds coming from jueteng sources, from funds cleverly disguised within circuitous items of the reenacted budget and, of course, from the fertilizer fund.

The fertilizer fund project was originally earmarked to help small farmers increase their efficiency. However, every centavo of its P728-million allocation all went to known political allies of the Arroyos.

The Senate investigated. Former undersecretary Joc-Joc Bolante, the architect behind the scam, refused to appear. Later, he simply flew to the United States and is currently fighting deportation proceedings.

Little did we know that at almost exactly the same time, a P2.2-billion swine scam was also happening. It involved Quedancor and is now known as the biggest swine delivery by the Arroyo government against the Filipino people.

As the greed became greater and more insatiable, it has become harder to hide corruption at its finest.

And so we now arrive at the $329-million ZTE deal, which has become an entity on its own and has spawned numerous rallies and protests.

But where does the president stand amidst all these?

Mrs. Arroyo looks at our country today and scoffs at calls of change as merely the machinations of media-hungry grandstanding opposition senators and presidential aspirants.

She insists that it is possible to feed a family of five at a salary of P8,000. She insists that you can eat noodles and rice with dignity. She insists that she is the only president qualified to rule this country.

Well, this very competent leader is busy trying to get past our noses a deal granting the Chinese government commercial interests in our Spratlys.

That this agreement involves geographical areas that are already part of our recognized coastline does not seem to matter. Or the fact that the Spratlys comprises the world’s fourth largest source of gas and oil and this government is handing that our to foreigners.

Instead of ensuring that it leaves a progressive legacy, Mrs. Arroyo’s government is letting this country come apart at the seams with scandals, corruption and crises like the current rice crisis.

And yet, the president still insists that our house is in order.

Easy words to say, since she won’t be here to pick up the pieces when this country implodes because of her undoing.

During the elections, I have traveled to most parts of our country and have seen what conditions are like at the barangay level. In many areas, health and education facilities have deteriorated, basic services are lacking, and many of our people suffer because of them.

This is not the kind of insecure world we would want to leave to the next generation.

We have a shared responsibility as citizens of this country. It means that whether we work in the government or in private business or in the media, there is no longer an excuse to sitting in the sidelines while others fight our fight. Nation building requires not one or two people. It needs our collective consciousness and our effort to lead and live with dignity and integrity.

It is once said that to sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards of men.

In every aspect of our lives, our focus should not be on ourselves but on others.

That is how we can manage any challenge of our times.

Thank you very much.

*****