Image courtesy of Instagram: maxenemagalona
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
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The People's Congress on NOV 9
Image courtesy of Facebook: People's Initiative and Referendum Movement Alliance
The Empowered People’s Initiative and Reform Movement Alliance (ePIRMA) will hold their The People’s Congress at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center, Paseo de Roxas corner Benavidez Street, Makati City, on November 9, 2013 from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m.
ePIRMA’s The People’s Congress is an offshoot of the events in the recent series of protests against the alleged abuse by certain members of Congress of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which began with the Million People March protest and was sustained by more movement in the streets, including the more recent Ayala Avenue rally and Million Mask March.
Answering the recurrent question “what now?” or “what’s next?”—signifying some protesters’ apprehension about the citizen’s role as mere protester obliged to wait for people in government to act on his demands—EPIRMA was formed even before former Chief Justice Reynato Puno made his pronouncements on TV about a people’s initiative as a possible answer to the pork barrel issue.
ePIRMA convenors are familiar with a direct democracy feature in our Constitution, namely the people’s initiative clause (Article XVII, Section 2), as well as its enabling law, Republic Act 6735, the Initiative and Referendum Act. ePIRMA later announced to the press saying the people could go in this constitutionally-bestowed direction wherein the people can become a third house of Congress, armed with the power to craft a law that the people want when the Congress of the Republic fails or refuses to craft that law or ignore its importance to the people.
While acknowledging the importance of the continuing protests, ePIRMA took the parallel route of a dream initiative that it hopes would finally address the problem and subject of the continuing spurts of protest: a bill to reform the public finance system, but written by the people.
First, ePIRMA’s convenors formed an alliance with various other reform-seeking groups and individuals, with the aim of consolidating various ideas. The alliance then hastened to form a legal team that would craft the framework of their dream law. Finally, they decided to call for a People’s Congress.
ePIRMA’s People’s Congress idea came about due to the following occurrences:
Two events confirmed ePIRMA’s apprehension about protesting as a frustrating act when it’s the sole act people can resort to. First, there was the petition by the government in the Supreme Court to withdraw the Court’s prior restraining order on the PDAF, which displayed Congress’ general reluctance to scrap the PDAF. Second, the lengthy Congressional debate on whether to junk the PDAF (“pork barrel” or discretionary fund) or not, which was held despite protesters’ call for its final and immediate scrapping. These events prompted ePIRMA to hold the belief that Congress will never legislate against its own interests, and therefore that the people must establish and hold its own alternative Congress.
But, above all, the legal team of ePIRMA—tasked with the responsibility of writing the initiative bill—felt that they cannot be content with a bill with mere legalese. With their mission born from the tenets of participatory democracy, ePIRMA and the group’s legal team decided that their bill must first be presented to the people and to leaders of various groups willing to join the movement.
ePIRMA’s People’s Congress thus renders the ePIRMA legal team as akin to a congressional committee that has crafted a bill (or the framework of a bill) that shall now present its product to a plenary session that would debate on the bill, suggest emendations to it, or simply laud it.
The group realizes, however, the enormity and tediousness of their task that not only must be open to suggestions coming from the appreciation of various parties, but that they must likewise avoid any challenge to the initiative bill’s constitutionality. ePIRMA know the bill cannot be done by either the eagerness of amateurishness or the inspiration of anger, even realizing the possibility of endless emendations on the bill that might be necessary before it can be filed at the COMELEC. Furthermore, the group also know that the government may open itself to compromise, discussion and counterproposals regarding the people’s bill. In short, the group know that the People’s Congress may have to be sustained even after the November 9 event.
For information or inquiries, please contact:
Empowered People's Initiative and Reform Movement Alliance (EPIRMA)
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pirma/
Email: epirmaph@gmail.com
For those interested to join the People’s Congress, please PM me or email @epirmaph@gmail.com
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Question: Did NCCA Make Credible Choices for Ambassadors of Arts and Culture?
Image courtesy of Facebook: Philippine Arts Festival
Source: www.rappler.com
The post announced the NCCA had selected Boy Abunda as its ambassador for art, Lucy Torres-Gomez for dance, Sarah Geronimo for music, Shamcey Supsup for architecture and the allied arts, Ogie Alcasid for heritage, Piolo Pascual for culture, Dingdong Dantes for youth, and Venus Raj and Jericho Rosales for indigenous peoples.
The post said the ambassadors "are expected to advocate and stir everyone's interest in our culture and the arts scene with many fun-filled, exciting, and educational activities particularly in the coming month-long Philippine Arts Festival in February 2014."
Critics in social media took offense at the selection, with many questioning the celebrities' qualifications to serve as pillars of Philippine arts and culture.
Some called it a "marketing move" or a "commodification of art." Others defended NCCA, saying it was a legitimate way of drumming up support.
NCCA 'icons'
The NCCA is aware of the backlash. Rene Napeñas, head of the NCCA Public Affairs and Information office said the ambassadors were chosen to make the NCCA more visible to the public.
They are not so much representatives of the country's art and culture scene as a whole, he said. Instead, they are "icons to call for attention."
Napeñas said many of their programs are not heard or seen among certain markets, including the masses and the youth.
"We just needed popular celebrity icons who could represent us in popularizing festivals," he told Rappler.
The ambassadors were commissioned to guest in cultural events around the country as well as participate in NCCA infomercials.
They were approached by the NCCA artistic committees, and by Napeñas himself, who admitted a number of other celebrities had turned them down.
Global reach
Napeñas said that each ambassador was invited to serve according to need, and would remain an ambassador for roughly a year.
Boy Abunda and Dingdong Dantes, for example, were the first two NCCA ambassadors chosen in 2009 to promote the National Arts Month held every February.
Abunda was chosen because of his global reach, a distinction that would make it easy for him to promote NCCA events to Filipinos abroad. Dantes was appointed because the commission believed his achievements in as an actor and director made him a suitable role model for the youth.
Napeñas also clarified that the NCCA did not pay any of the ambassadors to promote their events. In fact, the celebrities even shouldered their own airfare to join out of town events. The ambassadors considered their assistance a "way of giving back" to the community.
Not discounting other artists
He said the celebrity ambassadors are part of the "mainstream layer of NCCA," not to be confused with national or folk artists.
"With the celebrity ambassadors," said Napeñas, "NCCA and its events became more recognized and visible to the public... mas malayo ang mararating ng presence ng voice ng NCCA in terms of pop culture, but we don't discount the maximization of other artists."
Napeñas added that while their affiliation with the celebrities helped boost the NCCA's popularity, they are "not discounting other artists" who are not celebrities, actors, or actresses.
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