#EveryWoman: Privilege Speech of Sen. Risa Hontiveros

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Mr. President, I rise on a point of personal and collective privilege. I rise as Senate Chair of the Committee on Women, as senator, but most importantly as a woman.

Last Thursday, during the committee hearing for the budget of the Commission on Human Rights, I was jolted by news of the passing of Miriam Defensor Santiago.

Sen. Miriam was many things to many people. To those with whom she crossed swords, they would likely remember her sharp unrelenting tongue. To her family and close friends, she was a loving wife and mother. To the millennials of this country, her biting wit and pick-up lines are the stuff legends are made of. To her supporters from various generations, she was and I quote, "the best President we never had."

To me, I choose to remember her as an ally and fellow traveler in our long struggle for reproductive health. In her I saw the tenacity required to shepherd important and historic legislation into fruition, and with her -- as well as the legions of women advocates -- I saw the importance of the women's voice in pushing policy.

Because love her or hate her, one thing is certain: Miriam Defensor Santiago is a woman who made sure her voice was heard. She paved the way for women like me who believed that there was a glass ceiling that needed to be broken, an old boy's club that needed to be penetrated because this club sought to make decisions about our bodies, our health, our lives and our futures without our consent. In this club, women are either outsiders who must request to get in, objects of spectacle whose existence and agency are defined according to the men in their lives, or recipients of tokenist favors.

Buhay na buhay pa din ang Old Boy's Club sa gobyerno. This Old Boy's Club phenomenon is alive and kicking. At its most benign, it manifests itself in statements like, "of course I will yield to the beautiful senator..".

Then it can progress to catcalling and rape jokes.

Sabagay, hindi lang ito sa Pilipinas. In America, their presidential candidate just called a woman Miss Piggy.

At its worst and ugliest, this Old Boy's Club in the Philippines seeks to shame a woman senator into silence by threatening the release of a video purported to capture her in a sexual act.

Now, Justice Secretary says, we are not going to present anything about the sex video. We are not in possession of any video. Mr. President, we have yet to know from the House of Reps. If they indeed will cease and desist from this threatened assault on a fellow legislator, the victory will be of the netizens, women writers, women representatives, women senators who said: Enough!

Whether you think the video is fake or not is of no moment. What you think of the drug-related allegations leveled against her is of no moment. Isang usapin lang ang inilalatag ko sa inyong harap ngayon: will we allow the House of Representatives to show the sex video allegedly showing Senator Leila de Lima?

In the first place, the release of the video would be illegal. It is in violation of Republic Act 9995, or the Anti-Photo or Video Voyeurism Act of 2009, which requires the consent of the person in the video before its release or distribution. The House Speakership and the Committee on Justice will be party to the commission of a crime under RA 9995. It is, for all intents and purposes, a sex crime. Do we allow our colleagues in the House to be party to a sex crime? Do we allow a fellow senator to be the victim of a sex crime?

But, Mr. President, the legality or illegality of it is not the core issue that I want to get to: it is the systemic and structural machismo that pervades our political culture. The double standards that are so ingrained in our life that they become invisible tools of oppression.

Sa paggiit ng opinyon: Pag lalaki, assertive and decisive. Sinasabi ng lipunan, take a bow. Pag babae, hysterical and shrill. Sinasabi ng lipunan, take a break.

Sa pag-abante ng career: pag lalaki, go-getter. Pag babae, bad mother.

Kaya naman: Pag ang lalaki may sex video, macho, matinik. Pag babae, malaswa, malandi.

Mr. President, we could still be about to cross the rubicon. If we stand by in silence while our colleagues in the House perpetrate this indignity against a fellow senator, we have chosen vulgarity over civility, misogyny over basic respect and decency.

We are telling our daughters that they can be shamed for their sexuality, in ways that that their brothers or husbands will never be. We are telling our little girls that their sexual choices are fair game and that their bodies can be policed.

Sino ang susunod? Sino ang susunod na gagawan ng pekeng sex video? Sino ang susunod na hihiyain sa madla? Ako? Si Senator Nancy, si Senator Grace, si Senator Cynthia o si Senator Loren? O ang babaeng iniwan ang nambubugbog na partner at bilang ganti ay inupload ang sex video nila? Kasi pwede na. Sabi ng kongreso, pwede.

Mr. President, Sen. Leila has her political battles and many of you might disagree with her positions. So be it. But on the singular issue of the sex video, the battle is bigger than Leila. It is about respect and decency between institutions. It is about chipping away at the structural misogyny that pervades our culture. Most of all, it is about raising little girls who believe that they can define themselves with no fear of shame, and who believe that their bodies and their lives are theirs and theirs alone.

This is not just about Sen. Leila. This is about every woman.

Thank you, Mr. President."

DOE Sec. Alfonso Cusi Speech: EU-Philippines Economic Ties A New Chapter Unfolds

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Here is the speech of the Department of Energy (DOE) Sec. Alfonso G. Cusi during the EU-PH Business Summit earlier today October 4, 2016, held at Shangri-La Hotel Makati

Theme: EU-Philippines Economic Ties: A New Chapter Unfolds

To the EU-Philippine Business Network (EPBN) and its members from the various European Chambers of Commerce based in the Philippines, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, panelists, European business leaders and stalwarts, esteemed guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,

"Good morning.

It is a privilege to be invited here and be with our energetic business partners from the EU who are looking for investment opportunities in the world. We are grateful as a people for the gift of innovation, infusion of capital and infrastructure development that you have shared with us through the years and which helped build our nation into what it is today.

And what an exciting chapter is opened this year indeed! Among other things, a new Administration is in place and is making headway in its first 100 days. With its beginning emphasis on curbing drugs, criminality and corruption, the Administration is making good its promise to improve the peace and order situation in the country, which of course is necessary to a healthy and conducive business and investment climate.

The Philippine energy sector is one area rife with investment opportunities, it being capital-intensive and primarily private sector-led. Our priorities in the sector remain centered on energy security‎, with stark focus on increasing supply, improving reliability and resiliency of our energy infrastructure.

We are aiming for total electrification of every household throughout our three major islands by 2020. We are also targetting a "One-grid Philippines", with the Mindanao grid finally interlocking with the Visayas and Luzon grids, not later than 2022.

‎In our pursuit of energy security, we build on and improve on the well-considered and highly evolved Power Development Plan, which comprises sectoral strategies on transmission, distribution, missionary and household electrification.

We will continue to explore and use local or indigenous sources, like renewables, fossil fuels and alternative fuels, focusing primarily on the development of our geothermal energy. Guided by our international and environmental obligations, we are geared to promote and adopt innovative, green, efficient technologies without compromising DOE’s mandate to provide reliable, quality, secured and affordable supply of electricity.

In his first State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte has firmly declared that with our vigorous pursuit of industrialization and economic development, we will be expecting an increase in the demand of power supply. As such, we are now in the process of reviewing our fuel and capacity mix policy to really ensure the right level of diversification and balance in our existing energy resources, to avoid overdependence on any one fuel source.

‎To ignite interest and pave the way for investments, we will identify the portfolio of installed and dependable power capacities, specifically for baseload, mid-merit and peaking requirements. ‎We have held and lined up various energy investment fora and regional energy investment briefings to inform, update and stoke interest in the business and investment community.

Deserving of special mention, our nascent natural gas industry urgently requires substantial investment in infrastructure development. Our plan is to build a common liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving and distribution infrastructure as part of the future "clean energy city". ‎Worthy of note also is the plan for total privatization of PSALM's remaining power generation assets within the next 3 years.

‎The DOE will mirror the Administration's priorities of fostering a safer and healthier business‎ climate for investors. Thus, with the same tenacity, we will implement measures to improve the conditions and ease of doing business in the energy sector.

We will streamline and simplify our permitting processes. Not only have we remodeled our office workflow and procedure, but have also developed, for pilot-testing in renewable energy projects, a web-based system--the Energy Virtual One-Shared System (EVOSS)--to enable prospectors to monitor the status of their applications.

Pursuant to the DOE’s commitment to maintain and strengthen the predictability, certainty and consistency of investment rules of the country, the DOE has strongly affirmed its position in its Motion for Reconsideration pending before the Commission of Audit that the income tax of the Malampaya contractor shall form part of the 60% of government share.

One of our major strategies to manage the surge in demand for energy is the promotion of Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EEC) in all sectors. We thank the EU for helping us draw the Roadmap and Action Plan for Energy Efficiency and Conservation. To attain permanence and general application of these EEC measures, we will advocate the enactment of an EEC law in Congress‎. Senator Win Gatchalian is here, and being the one in charge of energy-related initiatives in the Senate, he can perhaps give us a lowdown on the particular developments in the sector.

At any rate, for as long as I am here as its chief steward, the DOE will be a proactive advocate and partner of Congress in the timely passage of legislation, especially those that parallel the Administration's priorities and those sought for by the energy sector and, more importantly, our consumers.

We also plan to lay down important energy policies that bear an impact on business and investment.

(1) First, we desire a policy of declaring energy projects as projects of national significance--which they really are anyway. Hence, they should enjoy expeditious and preferential treatment in the permitting process, should be protected from court injunctions, and be entitled to incentives, such as exemption from real property taxes and other local taxes.

(2) DOE will also draw up and streamline the preferred areas for locating energy infrastructure, which can‎ lessen, if not eradicate, right-of-way (ROW) issues and improve competitiveness of local governments.

(3) We are also studying a National Policy on Clean Civilian Nuclear Energy in order to determine its rightful place in the energy mix, and to resolve with finality the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) impasse. ‎

In fact, just last month, we successfully hosted here an Asia-Pacific clean civilian nuclear energy conference. It may have caused some frowns and drawn criticism from the ECCP. However, but please kindly understand though that these efforts of ours are neatly aligned with the current regional policy developments and commitments in the ASEAN.

Finally, and most important of all, the DOE commits to strengthen and forge further international ties‎, with other States and international organizations, cognizant that comity and reciprocity are what really set the stage and the tone for a healthy inflow of investments to the country.

In the process, we not only contribute to our economic development, but also enhance our reputation in the international community and help achieve the ideals of the United Nations, one of which is Sustainable Energy for All.

Anyway, being in the energy sector, I should be the first to ensure fullness of energy here, and not lack or unnecessary dissipation of it. So I will relent and not prolong this any longer. We assure the ECCP and the EU business community that investment prospects in the Philippine energy sector are full of promise and potential‎ energy.

Again, thank you to the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP) and the European business community for continuing to bet on the Philippines, which definitely improve the condition of our citizenry and communities.

Maraming salamat po at mabuhay kayong lahat!"

STI Celebrates 33 Years of Well-Rounded Education

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Taking pride in its rich history and looking forward to a bright future, STI Education Services Group, Inc. marked thirty-three years of real life education in a grand festivity on September 30, 2016 at the country’s famous amusement park, the Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

More than 20,000 senior high and college students nationwide joined in the much anticipated celebration filled with exciting activities and social competitions, providing STI students a stage to showcase their creativity, talents, and achievements beyond the classroom.

While students enjoyed the exclusivity of the theme park, the real deal went down at the Enchanting Events Place where the most talented STI students battled it out for the STI Talent Search’s National Finals.

These competitions featured the best of the best in musicality as gifted singers and young musicians belted out for the Singing Idol and Battle of the Bands. Another crowd drawer were the electrifying dance groups who showed their breathtaking stunts in Hataw Sayaw. The night continued with The Search for Mr. and Ms. STI 2016 where the candidates captivated the audience with their beauty and wit. All contestants are winners in their own right having championed in their respective local cluster competitions, coming from as far as Laoag to Zamboanga, to represent their perspective schools.