Senate Misses the Opportunity to Side with Real Heroes

Wazzup Pilipinas!

“It was a missed opportunity.”

This was how Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros described the Senate’s failure to pass a resolution expressing the sense of the institution that the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos is not a hero and not entitled to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). 

“I am sad that the Senate missed the opportunity to defend the truth and our history from the Marcoses’ historical revisionism and negationism. It missed the chance to be on the side of real heroes,” Hontiveros said.

"I, however, commend my fellow colleagues who bravely responded to the test of history and defended the truth and the country’s struggle for collective memory," Hontiveros added.

In a vote of 8-6-6, the Senate failed to get a majority vote to pass Senate Resolution No. 86, authored by Hontiveros, which states that the crimes of Marcos to the country, and the human rights violations committed under his regime, render him unfit to be given a hero’s burial.

Senators Hontiveros, Franklin Drilon, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Grace Poe, Bam Aquino, Francisco "Kiko" Pimentel, Joel Villanueva and Leila De Lima voted in favor of the resolution. Those who voted against were Senators Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, Vicente Sotto, Ping Lacson, Gringo Honasan, Cynthia Villar and Dick Gordon. Meanwhile, those who abstained were Senators Ralph Recto, Sherwin Gatchalian, Sonny Angara, Miguel Zubiri, Francis "Chiz" Escudero and Nancy Binay.

"Ball in Duterte's court"

Hontiveros said the ball is now in the court of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“From the start, this issue, while imbued with valid legal and constitutional questions, is ultimately a political and moral question addressed entirely to President Duterte. The President ultimately has the power to defend the country’s history or be a tool of the Marcos family’s attempt to rehabilitate its image and whitewash its crimes against the people."

"What law?"

Hontiveros also refuted Duterte’s excuse that he was merely following the law on the said issue.

"There is no law compelling President Duterte to give Marcos a hero’s burial. Even the Supreme Court’s decision does not command the Executive branch to do anything. Lest we forget, this all started with President Duterte. What he started, he can end,” Hontiveros said. 

Hontiveros said that if President Duterte proceeds to bury the remains of the late dictator in our heroes’ cemetery, he will satisfy no law, public clamor and interest. "It will not be in the pursuance of national healing and reconciliation. The President will only satiate the whims and madness of the Marcoses. He will be remembered as the President who exonerated a dictator’s brutal legacy at the expense of our history and the dignity of the Filipino people,” she concluded.

ASEAN Transport Officials Convene to Enhance Cooperation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Transport officials and delegates from the 10 Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered today for the opening of the 42nd ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting (42nd STOM).

The STOM, which works under the direction of the ASEAN Transport Ministers, held plenary sessions to discuss various projects and policies designed to enhance regional cooperation, particularly in the aspect of transportation. The meetings will run until November 16. Within this period, STOM officials will also hold separate sessions with this year’s dialogue partners: China, Japan, and Korea.

Among the topics to be discussed is the implementation of short and medium term work plans under the Kuala Lumpur Transport Strategic Plan (KLTSP), the transport blueprint for 2016 – 2025. The KLTSP is an important pillar of the ASEAN Economic Integration, which aims to make the region stronger and more competitive.

Transportation Undersecretary Garry de Guzman, acting STOM Leader for the Philippines, highlighted the role of transportation in making the ASEAN community integrated.

“It is through transportation projects and policies that we make this region a little smaller and a lot more united. By building transportation networks and connecting our cities by air, land, and sea, we empower different industries and businesses. More importantly, we empower our people,” de Guzman said.

Other transportation projects in the agenda include the establishment of an ASEAN Roll-on Roll-off Shipping Network, ASEAN Single Shipping Market, ASEAN Single Aviation Market and other air services agreements, and development of sustainable transport-related policies and strategies.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, ATM Chairman, underscored how these efforts are consistent with the direction taken by the Duterte administration in terms of transportation infrastructure.

“The Philippine government concurs to the fact that the failure to invest, means failure to grow and develop our social and economic fabric,” Tugade said. “We’re using the battle cry build, build, build, which aims to solve issues on lack of employment, high price of goods, traffic, and transportation. The Philippine government aims to build more railways, urban mass transport, airports, seaports, more bridges and roads, and new and better cities.”

After STOM plenary sessions and discussions with dialogue partners, the ATM will convene from November 17 – 18 to adopt recommendations made by the senior transport officials.

 

*Photo from GMANetwork.com

GDG Cebu Holds Its’ Biggest Google Tech Conference

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Get ready Cebuanos!

The largest Google Tech Conference in the Philippines will be coming to you this November 19, 2016 at SM Seaside Cebu CenterStage. GDG DevFest Cebu 2016 is a whole day event composing speaker sessions across multiple product areas, all-day hack-a-thons, code labs, workshops and more .

“This year’s theme is ‘Unity for development, Unity for a better future’. The goal is to bring developers together to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and express their passion for technology.” said Shad Roi de la Cruz, current GDG Cebu Community Manager.

GDG DevFests are large, community-run events. It  provides the opportunity for tech-savvy individuals to learn about the latest technologies and other developer products. Major topics for DevFest Cebu will be Android, Web and Cloud technologies, and the Internet of Things. Keynote speakers from Manila, US, Singapore, as well as the Google Chrome and Cloud Team will be imparting their experience and knowledge on Google technologies to over 1000 participants, composed of professionals, students, businessmen, and tech enthusiasts.

The event is organized by Google Developer Group (GDG) Cebu, one of the main GDG chapters in the Philippines. It is a group of enthusiastic Filipino developers and volunteers interested in collaborating and learning about new technologies. GDG Cebu is an independent group; the activities and the opinions expressed are in no way linked to Google, the corporation.