Manila urged to act on 'killer highway'

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Quezon City councilors are urging the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to address the unabated road accidents along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

The highway, already infamous for high accident rates, has been the subject of increased monitoring after a taxi-bus collision killed veteran journalist and UP professor Chit Estella on May 13.

In a draft resolution, Councilors Roderick M. Paulate and Raquel S. Malangen urged MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino to install closed-circuit television cameras, additional street lamps and reflectorized traffic signs along Commonwealth.

"Most of said accidents happen during night time due to the inadequacy of street lamps and reflectorized traffic signs," such that drivers fail "to notice the accident-prone areas in Commonwealth Avenue," they pointed out.

Installing "precautionary measures" could lead to catching traffic violators and minimizing road accidents along the highway, they said.

Another resolution authored by Councilor Precious Hipolito Castelo urged the MMDA "to strictly implement the yellow lane policy" or to allot "the two outermost lanes ... for buses plying Commonwealth Avenue for road safety."

US not coming to Philippines' aid vs China

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - The United States has said it will not side with any party in the Spratlys conflict, which is to say that the Philippines' most powerful ally will not be coming to its aid should its spat with China escalate into a shooting war.

The US Embassy made this clear in reaction to a Malacanang (the presidential palace) statement expressing confidence that Washington would honour its commitment under the two countries' Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT) to come to the aid of a beleaguered ally.

"The US does not take sides in regional territorial disputes," the US press attache Rebecca Thompson said in an e-mailed statement when contacted for comment to deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte's invoking of the 60-year-old MDT.

Thompson said the US was "troubled by incidents in the South China Sea in recent days that have raised tensions in the region" and that Washington opposes "the use or threat of force" by any of the countries with rival claims to the Spratly islands.

The brief statement said the US "shares a number of national interests with the international community in the South China Sea" but did not mention the Philippines or the two countries' over-a-hundred-year-old ties and mutual defence pact.

In an interview on state-run dzRB radio earlier on Saturday, Valte figured the Philippines could count on its superpower ally should the situation with China deteriorate because of the MDT.

"I haven't seen the terms of the MDT quite recently but I know that as an ally, the United States will help if ever it reaches that point because of the Mutual Defence Treaty," she said.

"Hopefully, it doesn't get to that point because, again, we are committed to the resolution of the issue in the most diplomatic and the most peaceful way possible," she added.

Armed Forces Chief General Eduardo Oban was also earlier quoted as saying that the military remained "hopeful that the Americans will not stand aside should the conflict erupt and that they can invoke the MDT with the US".

The MDT was signed on Aug 13, 1951, in Washington, DC with both parties declaring "publicly and formally their sense of unity and their common determination to defend themselves against external armed attack".

Under the eight articles of the treaty, both parties agree to aid and support each other in settling any international disputes by peaceful means, among others.

Sentor Francis Escudero said the Department of Foreign Affairs should be designated as the lead agency to talk about the Spratlys issue in public.

Avoid any mistakes

He said Malacanang should not do so through its spokespersons "in order to avoid any faux pas on our part".

Escudero said the government should also review the MDT to ascertain if US forces would indeed come to the rescue if the Philippines is attacked because of the Spratlys dispute.

He said Palace officials should carefully review the MDT, read through its fine print and get confirmations from the US government "if indeed this situation is covered".

But he remained optimistic that US military support would be given in case of an armed conflict as "a gesture of longstanding friendship".

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the House would leave it to the Department of Foreign Affairs assert the country's sovereignty claim over the West Philippine Sea.

"The DFA is articulating our position and we're supporting it," he said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Commodore Miguel Rodriguez said the AFP leaves it to the DFA to make an official comment on the developments in the Spratlys issue.

Not joining Viet Nam

"We submit our reports to the DFA and the DFA crafts the country's position on KIG [Kalayaan Island Group] affairs," he said, referring to the portion of the Spratlys claimed by the Philippines.

He also said the military was not joining Viet Nam, another Spratlys claimant, in the deepening rift with China over the issue.

"We are not looking at partnering with one country against another country," he said.

At a Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Independence Day dinner Saturday night, President Aquino came face to face with Chinese Ambassador Liu Jiangchao who only a few days ago had warned claimant states to stop exploring for oil in the Spratlys.

"Like all neighbours, I know we may have our disagreements sometimes," Aquino said in his speech, acknowledging Liu's presence.

"(But) no one can deny the benefits our relationship has brought to both our countries throughout the years," he added.

Liu adverted to "incidents" that have arisen between the two countries since Aquino came to power.

"But facts have manifested we are stronger than these tests," he said.

Liu said the August 23 botched hostage crisis involving Hong Kong tourists had been settled with a "loving and understanding heart".

"The last thing the Chinese government and people want to see is that the [Spratlys] dispute stands in the way of the progress of our wonderful relations and the friendship and brotherhood of our two peoples," Liu said, who hinted at a visit to China from Aquino later this year.

In the past two weeks, the Philippines has accused China of making at least six incursions into Philippine territory in the past four months, a charge that Beijing has dismissed as rumors.

Recently, the Aquino government has made a point of referring to the South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea to bolster its claim to certain parts of the Spratlys. With reports from Christian V. Esguerra, DJ Yap and Cynthia D. Balana

Sex trade flourishes in Philippine prison

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - A sex trade is flourishing in the maximum-security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), according to insiders at the national penitentiary located in capital of the Philippines, Manila.

Moneyed prisoners wanting a break from their routine can pay for sex with prostitutes through inmate-pimps, or even with female employees of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), the insiders told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in separate interviews.

They said the arrangements appeared to have the blessings of prison officials because the women could enter the NBP gates unhampered.

The insiders agreed to disclose how the illicit trade was thriving under the noses of BuCor officials on the condition that their identities would be kept secret for their safety.

Asked to comment, BuCor officer in charge Manuel Co said the matter was "being looked into." He refused to elaborate.

But he later acknowledged the issue, saying that he chanced upon a television interview the other day with an alleged prostitute working at the NBP.

"What would be her motive in saying that if it is not true?" Co said.

"What our penal system needs is total reform. That is the mandate I received from Justice Secretary [Leila] de Lima, and we are going to do just that," he said.

With help of drugs

A prostitute can earn as much as P5,000 (US$115) a night within the walls of the penitentiary in Muntinlupa City, one of the Inquirer sources said.

The catch is that the woman has to have sex with an undetermined number of men to make the amount, the source said, adding:

"Some of the women are made to take drugs first so they will do what they are paid to do."

The source claimed firsthand knowledge of the sex trade, saying he had escorted several women from the gates of the maximum-security compound all the way to the kubol (huts or cubicles) of the inmate-pimps.

He received "gas money" in exchange for the task, the source said. But he later begged off because his conscience was bothering him, he said.

"A number of the women came from Binondo [in Manila], and the others from different places," the source said.

He said the women usually came at night in taxicabs, and were escorted by contacts to enable them to get past the sentries at the gates and proceed to the kubol of the pimps.

Asked how this arrangement could have gone unnoticed by officials, the source said: "It's impossible for them not to know."

"It's possible that some officials are on the take," he said, but refused to name names.

"But the guards allow the women to pass through without inspection and questioning. Who's the boss of the guards?" he added.

Even female employees of the BuCor are giving wealthy prisoners sexual favors for money, according to another insider.

Broken families

He said this had strained the employees' marriages or relationships, causing families to break apart.

What's worse is that some of the employees get pregnant by their sex partners, which make it more difficult for the women to cover up their acts, the source said.

The first source confirmed this piece of information, and described in detail some of the cases that BuCor officials had discovered.

"The women involved were told to resign under pain of disciplinary sanctions," the first source said.

Another cause for concern is the health of the prisoners, with a number complaining of symptoms associated with sexually transmitted diseases, the insiders said.

Leviste controversy

De Lima appointed Co officer in charge of BuCor last month, after Director Ernesto Diokno resigned his post amid the controversy generated by the arrest of former Batangas Governor Antonio Leviste, a homicide convict, in front of a building he owns in Makati City.

Diokno, a close friend and shooting buddy of President Benigno Aquino III, insisted that he was not to blame for Leviste's unauthorized trip outside prison and that reforms were well underway at the NBP.

Leviste's "caper" resulted in the filing of charges against him in a Makati court, which remanded the case to the Department of Justice on Friday afternoon for preliminary investigation.

A fact-finding panel formed by De Lima uncovered excesses and security problems in the penitentiary, resulting in the cancellation of certain practices like the "sleep out" privileges of VIP prisoners.

A recent inspection of the NBP facilities by members of the House committee on justice also resulted in an order from De Lima for the dismantling of the prisoners' kubol.

The justice secretary has since lifted the order pending recommendations for alternative arrangements at the congested penitentiary.

Philippine bishops worried by new Charter Change talks

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Catholic bishops in the Philippines have reacted cagily to fresh talks about amending the Constitution, saying lawmakers might go beyond limiting changes to the charter's economic provisions.

"Instead of calling for a charter-change, why not just amend its economic provisions?" suggested Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo in a phone interview with reporters.

The bishops were reacting to a disclosure by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Thursday that he and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte had agreed in principle on the need for deliberations on the amendments to the Constitution at the resumption of Congress sessions next month.

But Enrile emphasized that the charter-change debate must be limited to constitution provisions restricting foreign ownership of certain industries and exclude proposals to revise the political structure of the country.

Pabillo, chair of the Catholic bishops' National Secretariat for Social Action, said he was worried that lawmakers pushing for a revision of the Constitution would go beyond their pronouncement that amendments would be confined to economic policies.

He proposed that lawmakers must talk only about amendments to the Constitution's economic provisions to pave the way for needed reforms instead of moving for a total change of the Constitution.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez echoed Pabillo's concern, but said he would like to look at the proposed revisions.

"Let us follow what reasons they will put up and then let us weigh their relevance to the society," said Iniguez, also chair of the Catholic bishops' Public Affairs Committee.

For his part, Cotabato Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo said he would favor charter-change only if lawmakers committed themselves to limiting revisions to the Constitution's economic provisions.

"I favor it but only on agreed-upon issues such as those concerning the economic provisions... if not, then we should just go by the existing amendments process in Congress," said Bagaforo in a separate interview yesterday.

Is it okay to lose your language? Not for these Filipino-Americans

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - "Would you like to learn Filipino?"

Ask a very young Filipino-American, and you will most likely draw a blank. It's okay. He can't decide for himself yet.

When puberty hits, that's when it hits them. They can't communicate with their parents or relatives as much as they want to. Speaking only in English, they feel isolated in family gatherings or Filipino parties.

Agnes 'Bing' Magtoto knows a thing or two about the frustrations of Filipino-Americans trying to learn Filipino. Since 2004, Magtoto has seen all sorts of Filipino-language learners from her basic to advanced classes. Magtoto is adjunct instructor at New York University's Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program.

Aside from Filipinos, she has had non-Filipino students who surprised her with their enthusiasm in learning and practicing the language.

A Jewish guy turned out to be her best student. Being a linguist, he learned the language like a native speaker. She also points out the dedication of one American woman to learn Filipino before her move to the Philippines.

And what could be more motivating than having an inspiration? An American guy tried to learn as much as he could to show his affection for his Filipino girlfriend, Filipino-style.

Not easy to learn

Magtoto knows Filipino is not easy to learn past puberty, so she digs into her thespian roots to make the lessons fun and interactive. Having been a theater artist for the Philippine Educational Theater Association (Peta) in 1978-1996, she has her class go beyond lectures to role-playing and immersion in Filipino enclaves where they can interact with other Filipinos, especially native speakers like herself.

At her basic Filipino-language weekly class in February-March outside of NYU, her seven students consisted of Filipino-Americans, some of pure Filipino descent.

The classes were held weekly in different locations. Magtoto admits she didn't want to pay what she considered steep rent, even at the Philippine Consulate, so she relied on the kindness of friends to accommodate them in one office at one time and a school in another.

One student who takes the classes seriously is Katrina Landeta, a 22-year-old immigration paralegal in the city - for a good reason. When she interviewed domestic helpers in Hong Kong as part of her internship with a nonprofit organization, she said she needed a translator. Landeta was born in San Diego, California, to Filipino parents from Cagayan Valley in the Philippines.

"I felt I was letting them down when I told them I couldn't understand Tagalog (or Filipino), and we would have to communicate in English," says Landeta, who, transformed by the experience, proceeded to write her senior thesis on New York Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights. She lives in New York now.

Landeta admits to having a little knowledge of the Filipino language, but hopes to learn more, so she can better communicate with Filipino clients at her place of work. She is eager to take more lessons, because she sees how her classmate, Isis Arias, decided to take a lesson again six years after her first lesson.

Arias, 27, a marketing professional, attended her first Filipino-language lesson in Los Ba?os, Laguna province, in 2005. It's a long way from the Bronx, where she lives, but she said she learned a lot from her Philippine trip.

"From not knowing Tagalog at all, I'd say my knowledge increased about 45 percent," she says, thanks to the program she attended with the organization Tagalog On Site (tagalogonsite.org), an organization headed by Susan Quimpo, an educator and community organizer who moved back to the Philippines from Athens, Ohio. Today, she says her level of understanding is at 65 percent.

Asked why she didn't learn Filipino when she was younger, Arias says her mother didn't speak the language and her grandparents didn't teach her, although they spoke it at home.

She is half-Filipino, half African-American. She hopes to learn more as she interacts with Filipino customers in her sister's Filipino restaurant, called Maharlika.

Learning the culture

Learning the language is one thing, but for Lorial Crowder, 29, a social worker from Norwalk, Connecticut, it's also about getting involved in the Philippine community. She is vice president of the Filipino American National Historical Society.

It was Crowder who encouraged Magtoto to hold a special Filipino language class for Filipino-Americans. The two women met briefly in 2005 and again in 2007, when Crowder attended two sessions of Magtoto's Filipino language class. Crowder also went to a class at the University of the Philippines.

For all her sociocivic efforts, it seems the only thing Crowder is missing is the language of her motherland. Her reason for learning it is admirable. "I want to pass it on to my 4-year-old son."

Crowder did not have a chance to learn Filipino; an American couple visiting Olongapo adopted her when she was 5 years old, and she grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood in Connecticut.

She knows how adoptees like herself feel disconnected from their Filipino roots, so next year she plans to host a two-week Philippine tour with the Filipino Adoptees Network.

In a city where about 800 languages are spoken daily, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world, learning one's language gives one a sense of belonging. Ethnic neighborhoods abound and celebrate their culture.

Many affluent parents are aware of the city's rich diverse population, which is also why they require baby sitters to know another language other than English, a newspaper report said. They believe their children will grow up with a richer vocabulary and higher IQs.

But why is it so important to learn your parents' language?

For other ethnic groups that stick to their languages, it's about retaining one's culture. Many Latinos, Chinese and Koreans pass on the legacy of their languages to their children, more than young Filipino Americans, in fact.

It doesn't help that first-generation Filipinos know English only too well that they end up speaking in English all the time with their kids.

But what exactly will Filipino-Americans lose when they lose their language? Will they lose their distinct voice, relevance and culture in the general American marketplace? If language is culture, you know the answer.

For Magtoto's students, though, "Hindi pwede 'yan." (No way.)