MANILA, July 26 (PNA) — As Congress opens its final regular session this Monday, the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Sector urge Congress to speed up the passage of bills that will lay down pathways out of poverty.
“Hinihiling namin, bago man lang matapos ang Administrasyong PNoy, na maipasa ng ating Kongreso ang ilang mga panukalang batas na makakatulong upang maka-ahon kami sa kahirapan,” said Ruperto “Ka Uper” Aleroza, NAPC Vice-chair for Basic Sectors. (Before the PNoy Administration ends, we ask Congress to pass bills that will help us move out of poverty.)
For more than 30 years, poor coconut farmers have lobbied for a law that will ensure that the P71B coconut levy that was collected from them during the Marcos dictatorship will finally be used to improve their lives. Coconut farmers remain the poorest among the farmers, earning only around P800 a month.
The Kilusan para sa Ugnayan ng mga Samahan ng mga Magniniyog (KILUS Magniniyog), a national farmers federation known for their 71-day march from Davao to Malacanang, filed an Initiative Bill in Congress. The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food has approved the consolidated measure of the Coconut Farmers Trust Fund Bill. On the other hand, the counterpart committee in the House of Representatives has yet to bring the measure to plenary.
“Tanging ang batas ang makatitiyak na ang P71 bilyong coco levy fund na kinolekta sa amin noong panahong-Marcos ay mapakikinabangan ng mga maliliit at mahihirap na magniniyog,” emphasized Ka Ed Mora, one of the KILUS Magniniyog farmers and head of the NAPC Farmers Sectoral Council. (Only a law can ensure that the P71 billion coco levy fund collected from us during the Marcos era will be used to benefit and uplift small and poor coconut farmers).
The NAPC Farmers Sectoral Council also supports the NOC bill that seeks to extend the acquisition and distribution of lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). The measure has already been approved by the Senate but the House of Representatives has yet to pass its version.
The NAPC-Urban Poor Sectoral Council is also pushing for the passage of the bill that seeks to establish on-site, in-city, and near-city resettlement program for informal settler families (ISFs).
The measure has already been approved on third reading by the House of Representatives while a counterpart bill has already been filed by the Senate. Walang buhay ang bahay kung walang hanapbuhay, Sectoral Representative Noel Cano said. On-site, in-city, and near-city resettlement programs would ensure safe, affordable, and decent housing that are accessible to employment and livelihood.
The NAPC Victims of Disasters and Calamities (NAPC-VDC) Sectoral Council meanwhile, call for the swift passage of Senate Bill No. 2785 or the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Act (RIDPA).
Passing SB 2785 would be a monumental achievement to safeguard basic human rights. Millions of Filipinos are displaced and straddled in precarious living conditions; victims of a vicious cycle of poverty every year,” said Regina Salvador-Antequisa, head of the NAPC-VDC. “For 2013 alone, around 7.5 million people were displaced due to major disasters like the Bohol earthquake, super typhoon Yolanda, and the Zamboanga crisis,” Antequisa elaborated.
The VDC Council also throws in their support for the passage of the BBL. The BBL is a step toward achieving peace, social justice, and progress not only in Mindanao but for the whole country.
And, the NAPC Youth and Students Sectoral Council, calls for the urgent passage of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform and Empowerment Bill. The bill will allow young men and women aged 18-21 years old eligible to run as SK officials.
The SK Reform Bill will ensure transparency and accountability of SK officials, that funds will be used for relevant programs. The law will also demolish political dynasties and will ensure fair elections, said NAPC-Sectoral Representative Ninian Sumadia.
There is not much time left but a determined Congress can pass laws that will take definitive steps to end the cycle of poverty. (PNA)