Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:30:00 10/21/2009
Filed Under: Inquirer Politics, Eleksyon 2010, Joseph Estrada, Chiz Escudero, Richard Gordon, Casinos & Gambling, Poverty
MANILA, Philippines—Of five presidential aspirants who spoke Tuesday on how they intended to address poverty, only Joseph Estrada said “jueteng” should be legalized.The ousted President said millions of families were benefiting from the illegal numbers game and that he favored legalizing it “until the time we find alternative jobs for our people.”
“I am not tolerating it but I am for the legalization of jueteng,” said Estrada, who was convicted of plunder in 2007 for accepting jueteng kickbacks but was quickly pardoned by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
At a leaders’ forum at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City, Estrada, Senators Richard Gordon and Francis Escudero, environment activist Nicolas Perlas and Olongapo Councilor JC de los Reyes discussed their priorities should they win as president in 2010, as well as their views on reproductive health, sex education, and whether they would go after Ms Arroyo for alleged corruption.
The three-hour forum—which was organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines and the United Nations Development Program—ended with the five aspirants pledging support for the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
All 189 UN member-states have promised to stamp out poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental stability and develop a global partnership for development, by that year.
The five aspirants sealed their agreement to support the MDGs through a symbolic hand print. But De los Angeles of Ang Kapatiran political party later wrote in the hand print plaque that he supported the goals except for the “reproductive health code.”
The United Nations wants governments to ensure universal access to reproductive health under the goal of improving maternal health.
The issue has become controversial in the country because of the fierce opposition posed by the Catholic Church and conservative groups to the reproductive health bill pending in Congress.
Gambling and gov’t
The five presidential aspirants were first asked about their views on poverty and questioned on their position on jueteng vis-à-vis poverty.
Estrada said he favored jueteng’s use as alternative employment for the poor.
But Escudero, Perlas, Gordon and De los Reyes said jueteng and gambling in general should not be made a policy tool in eradicating poverty.
“I’m sure there are better ways more innovative and more moral other than jueteng,” said Escudero of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
He also said the government should not engage in gambling whether as an operator or regulator.
Perlas said the government should rethink its national policy on gambling and expressed opposition to the use of “gambling funds” for political purposes.
He said money from Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. was used to “buy favors from the media and co-opt the Church” during the “Hello Garci” poll fraud scandal of 2005, which put in question the legitimacy of Ms Arroyo’s election as president in 2004.
De los Reyes said gambling was “counterproductive.” He said that as a city councilor, he had fought any ordinance aiming to legalize gambling, including small town lottery and cockfighting.
“We should not have a double standard. Our party platform is to make any form of gambling illegal, and that we will do if elected president,” he said.
Creation of jobs
Gordon said he would go after illegal gambling and jueteng “hammer and tongs.”
He said he would ensure that poverty would be addressed through the creation of jobs and other opportunities.
Perlas said that in order to address poverty through job creation, funds for agriculture should be provided.
“Poverty is the top priority of my platform,” Perlas said, adding that he had helped farms in 25 provinces shift to organic farming and launched a microfinance program benefiting 250,000 people.
Escudero said the next administration should first study the employment and work force situation here and abroad.
That done, “government must endeavor to match and find out market demands here or abroad,” he said.
Estrada said he would continue his pro-poor programs in the field of agriculture when he was president.
De los Reyes said there was a need to bring home Filipinos working abroad by encouraging them to get into micro, small and medium enterprises.
Gordon said more jobs in tourism, agriculture and information technology should be created.
To reduce poverty, Perlas said corruption in government should be stopped; Escudero said he would fight for good governance; and Estrada and De los Reyes said peace and order should be ensured to restore confidence in government.
Gordon also said ensuring peace and order and fighting corruption were important to reduce poverty.
Arroyo in jail?
Asked if they thought the MDGs would be achieved if purportedly corrupt officials such as Ms Arroyo would be sent to jail, this was how the five presidential aspirants responded:
• Perlas said he would not hesitate to do so if there was evidence against the President. He said there were “a lot of unfinished questions” under her administration.
• Escudero said that if a case is filed against Ms Arroyo and she is convicted, “the next president must simply do his or her job to implement the law.”
• Estrada initially evaded answering the question but later said: “Let’s not single out President Arroyo. All those crooks in government should be given due process and punishment.”
• Gordon said “no one will be above the law” when he is president. He said this was what he had been doing since he served as mayor of Olongapo City.
• De los Reyes said the law should be allowed to “take its due course.”
Educating couples
On the issue of maternal health, Perlas said there was a need to “further refine” the reproductive health bill.
He said he was “open” to contraception as long as this was backed by education, and that he was against abortion.
Escudero said the government should educate couples on their options, and spend for measures to allow mothers to take care of their unborn babies.
“Nobody should die while giving life,” he said, adding that he was against abortion “except in extreme cases, such as to save the life of the mother.”
Said Estrada: “We should concentrate on giving women free choice and promote family planning and prevent unwanted pregnancies.”
Gordon said the continued lack of education and programs, of facilities, and of access to medical health was among the reasons behind the deaths of mothers and newborns.
He raised the need for safe contraception that would not create problems for mothers in the future.
De los Reyes was the most vocal in opposing a reproductive health bill.
He said he was against artificial contraception because it was “dangerous to womanhood,” and pointed out that the government should not provide funds for it.
Sex education
On sex education for the young, De los Reyes said he did not think it should be included in the grade school curriculum.
Perlas said sex education should only be taught when a child had the capacity to understand such issues.
Escudero said he was open to having sex education taught in school, but wondered what was the best age or grade to have these lessons.
Estrada and Gordon said it was best to teach sex education in high school.
Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091021-231401/Only-Estrada-favors-legalization-of-jueteng
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