New congressional district for Cotabato proposed

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 30, 2008) – North Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Mendoza has filed a bill seeking to establish a third congressional district in the province.

“This is all about providing the entire Cotabato province its fair share of national development funds and basic social services,” said Mendoza, who filed recently House Bill 4947.

“Since we have only two districts now, Cotabato is getting funds meant only for two districts. This is because while the province is already fully entitled to a third district, Congress has yet to be establishing the new district,” she said.

She said national agencies tend to apportion their funds, whether for education, health, social services, farm modernization or public works, along districting lines.

North Cotabato is divided into two congressional districts with Mendoza representing the First District and Rep. Bernado Pinol on the Second District.

Mendoza said her district, which is composed of 9 towns - Carmen, Kabacan, Banisilan, Alamada, Libungan, Pigkawayan, Midsayap, Pikit and Aleosan – had a population of more than 584,000 as of August 2007 and is qualified to have three congressional districts. The total population of the province is 958,643 as of 2000 Census.

The House of Representatives at present has 240 members and the Constitution provides a maximum of 250 congressional seats. Each of the members of the House of Representatives is entitled to P70-million Priority Development Assistance Fund annually.

In Zamboanga City, a similar proposal by Rep. Maria Isabelle Climaco is also drawing huge support among residents. Zamboanga, which has a population of 774,000, is divided into two congressional districts with Climaco representing the First District and Rep. Erico Fabian on the Second District.Climaco said the new funding that goes with it could help develop many poor areas in Zamboanga City.

“A new congressional district would give us additional representation in Congress and additional voice and representation of the people in the House of Representatives,” she said.

Informal and random surveys by a local radio network, Radyo Agong-dxRZ, showed that many residents have been supporting Climaco's proposal. Many of those who joined the survey cited the benefits of the Priority Development Assistance Fund that the new congressional district could get from the House of Representatives.

The Priority Development Assistance Fund makes possible the implementation - in every congressional district - of small-scale, but significant projects which can not be part of large-scale projects of national agencies. These projects, mostly infrastructure, health, education and social aid packages, directly touch the lives of district constituents. (Mindanao Examiner)

Child traffickers prowl Mindanao evacuation centers

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 23, 2008) - The massive dislocation of families due to the raging armed conflict in Mindanao has spurred the trafficking of children, Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Mendoza warned Sunday.

"A growing number of young girls and boys whose families have been displaced by constant armed strife have become extremely vulnerable to trafficking by illegal job recruiters and all sorts of predators," Mendoza said in a statement.

Many of the underage victims risk mistreatment and exploitation as sweatshop laborers, street slaves and child prostitutes under the employ of gangsters, or illegal workers abroad.

"Sadly, the condition in many parts of Mindanao that are being tormented by armed clashes has become highly conducive for child traffickers," Mendoza said.

She appealed to the Department of Social Welfare and Development as well as operators of passenger buses, inter-island vessels and airlines to exercise greater vigilance and take extra precautions against child traffickers.

"One practical way to discourage trafficking is for domestic passenger carriers to check the identity and age of every traveling minor, and to ascertain whether the child is accompanied by a verified family member or relative, or by a person who is not related to the minor," Mendoza said.

She said unrelated adults chaperoning traveling youngsters should be checked, and their identities should be recorded and verified.

A leading non-government group closely monitoring human trafficking in the country has corroborated Mendoza's apprehension.

Human traffickers are definitely preying on children dislocated by rebel attacks and the operations of government troops running after them in Mindanao, according to the Visayan Forum Foundation Inc.

The foundation said syndicates have been prowling evacuation camps for potential young laborers for overseas deployment.

It added that 34 minors have already been rescued by social workers from traffickers that sneaked them out of conflict zones in Mindanao and tried to deploy them to the Middle East on spurious travel papers.

The Visayan Forum works for the welfare of trafficked women and children as well as marginalized migrants, especially those employed in the invisible and informal sectors, like domestic helpers. The foundation runs two shelters in Davao City.

Since 2001, the foundation has rescued and aided more than 32,000 victims and potential victims of trafficking, and has assisted in the filing of 66 criminal cases on behalf of 166 victims.

According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council, since August, more than 600,000 civilians, including over 40,000 children, have been displaced as a result of military-rebel clashes and armed incursions by wayward Moro Islamic Liberation Front factions across three regions in Mindanao.

Some of the evacuees are in 123 evacuation centers while others have sought refuge elsewhere, mostly in the homes of relatives and friends in other nearby towns.

Besides Cotabato, the three other provinces bearing the brunt of the armed conflict are Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan.

Since August, the fighting in Northern Mindanao, the provinces of South Cotabato, Sarangani and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also caused more than P1.2 billion-worth of damage to farms and fisheries, industries and public infrastructure.

North Cotabato Solon Favors Women In Constitutional Bodies

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 03, 2008) – North Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Mendoza said she favors the selection of highly qualified female nominees to fill at least four vacant posts at three independent constitutional bodies -- the Civil Service Commission (CSC), Commission on Audit (COA) and Commission on Elections (Comelec).

"We will definitely gladly receive highly capable female candidates to the open slots," said Mendoza, who is also a member of the Commission on Appointment.

"The empty posts provide the administration a great occasion to designate female nominees who, by their perceived independence and indisputable probity, will unmistakably convey the administration's resolve to further improve governance," she said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Last month, Karina David and Guillermo Carague completed ended their terms as chairpersons of the CSC and the COA, respectively, leaving the posts vacant.

Meanwhile, at the Comelec, only four commissioners have been attending to election duties following the retirement of Resurreccion Borra and Florentino Tuason Jr. last month.

Malacañang recently designated Jose Melo as the new Comelec chief, but he has refused to assume his new post until the CA confirms him. Commissioner Romeo Brawner is now acting head of the poll body, which is supposed to have seven members, including the chairperson.

Without a chairperson, only Commissioners Reynaldo Villar and Juanito Espino Jr. are now attending to the duties of the COA.

Also without a chairperson, only Commissioners Cesar Buenaflor and Mary Ann Fernandez-Mendoza are now attending to the duties of the CSC.

As the country’s supreme audit institution, the COA has the mission to promote "good governance with the attributes of honesty, transparency, accountability, credibility, efficiency and effectiveness to enhance trust in the government and foster a better quality of life for the Filipino people."

The COA has the power and duty to audit and settle accounts pertaining to revenues and receipts, as well as expenditures or uses of funds and property owned or held in trust by the government; prescribe government accounting and auditing rules; and recommend measures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations.

The CSC is the government's central personnel agency tasked to render final arbitration on disputes and personnel actions on civil service matters. It is also responsible for the recruitment, building, maintenance and retention of a competent, professional and highly motivated government workforce truly responsive to the needs of the public.

Meanwhile, Mendoza has urged the business sector to give preference to women, cultural minority members in hiring policies. Mendoza said many firms abroad have their own affirmative action plans.

She cited the case of the US, where such plans are required of firms holding government contracts worth over $50,000 or around P2 million.

According to her, the Western concept of affirmative action in hiring and employment policies goes beyond non-discrimination by taking purposeful efforts and specific actions to advance the rights of qualified women and cultural minority group members.

"This means that, given two equally qualified job seekers, firms are encouraged to give preference to either a woman or minority group member," she said.

Mendoza said companies should adopt more progressive personnel policies and be extra conscious in giving preference to qualified women and minority group members.

She added that policies on job training and promotion should also be modified along affirmative action lines.

Mendoza urged the Employers Confederation of the Philippines and the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines to consider integrating affirmative action plans in the hiring and employment policies of their member firms.

She said the plans could be done in consultation with trade unions, women's groups and the Department of Labor and Employment, but lamented that many fully qualified women and minority group members remain unemployed due to "regressive" corporate hiring policies.

She expressed confidence that affirmative action plans would give more meaning to the constitutional mandate to provide "equal employment opportunities for all." (With a report from Mark Navales)