Center for People Empowewrment in Governance (CenPEG)

Thu 02-Sep-2010

Youth Speaks

Watching the Presidency

Governance

U.S. House member expresses concern over political killings

Rep. Joseph Courtney of the U.S. House of Representatives has expressed concern over the spate of extra-judicial killings that continues under President Benigno S. Aquino III. A member of the powerful Armed Services Committee, Courtney said that although the Philippines is “a friend and …I strongly believe that we cannot tolerate the unacceptable human rights conditions.”

THE TOOLS OF DEATH SQUAD DEMOCRACY
by Roland G. Simbulan

(Book Review of OPLAN BANTAY LAYA: THE U.S.-ARROYO CAMPAIGN OF TERROR AND COUNTERINSURGENCY IN THE PHILIPPINES,Balay Internasyunal, U.P. Diliman, July 29, 2010)

A Huge Challenge in Itself – But Will Tackling Corruption Be Enough To Beat Poverty?
News Analysis by Claire Delfin
Posted by cenpeg.org

With his campaign slogan “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap (When no one is corrupt, no one is poor),” Aquino vowed to lift Filipinos out of poverty by leading a graft-free government.

Corruptionary book is re-launched

Corruptionary, the only dictionary in the world containing corruption-related words, was re-launched on July 20, at the Powerbooks, Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

Aussie, NZ groups urge Aquino to give justice to HR victims, prosecute violators

As diplomats and heads of development funding institutions make a beeline to the Times St. residence of newly-proclaimed President Noynoy Aquino, leaders of 13 organizations in Australia and 12 organizations in New Zealand challenged him to take six steps to restore the public's faith in the justice system and build up public confidence in the proposed peace process with armed critics.

Remembering the Past: Chronology of the Marcos Plunder,"
by Charlie Avila
(Posted by CenPEG.org)

Are elections and international actors effective in promoting democracy?

Do elections guarantee democracy? Are international actors effective in promoting an agenda of change and democratization in the Philippine experience?

Dark Legacies: The Economy Under Arroyo
By Sonny Africa June 11, 2010

The disturbing divergence between the fortunes of a few and the welfare of the many is the most troubling legacy that the Arroyo presidency leaves behind– and among the greatest challenges that the incoming administration has to confront to deliver any real change

Democratic Systems, Elections, and International Actors

CenPEG calls on Congress to ratify Freedom of Information Act

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) on June 4 joined the clamor for the passage of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). A CenPEG delegation, headed by Executive Director Evi-ta Jimenez, joined other groups in trooping to the House of Representatives (HoR) to press for the act's passage. The FOI has been passed by the Senate and for months has awaited a similar action by the lower chamber.

Philippine NGO’s bring Morong 43 and other HRV cases to the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva

A group of Philippine NGO’s that comprise the Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines (Ecumenical Voice for brevity), will send a 5-member delegation to attend the 14th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, and which will be held on May 31- June 18, 2010. The Philippines is presently a member of the said UN body.

Overseas Filipino Workers: The Making of an Asian-Pacific Diaspora
By E. San Juan, Jr.

The Philippines remains an inchoate nation, its polity fragmented into ethnic communities. The exported labor of Filipino women and their treatment as serfs or quasislaves offers a laboratory for the critical analysis of the global market and its impact on poor countries.

Readings on Warlordism:

Dissecting the system of warlordism and political dynasties in the Philippines, in the light of the recent massacre of 57 civilians in Maguindanao province reportedly by the private army members of the Ampatuans.

Beyond Patron-Client Relations: Warlordism and Local Politics in the Philippines
By John Thayer Sidel
Warlordism in Comparative Perspective
By Kimberly Marten

CenPEG chair receives Dangal ng Lahi medallion

UP reaps awards in this year’s literary contests
By Francis Paolo M. Quina and Ynna Abuan
Posted by CenPEG,
Oct. 20, 2009

The season for literary awards has come and gone, and once again UP alumni, faculty members, and workshop fellows have cornered the lion’s share of the medals for 2009.

Can we learn from Cuba's lesson?
The tiny country is known for its hurricane planning that keeps its people prepared and fatalities low.
By SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN,
Times Senior Correspondent
Published September 9, 2005

Before Hurricane Ivan whipped Cuba last year with 160 mph winds, the government evacuated nearly 2-million people. The result: not a single death or serious injury.

CenPEG, other volunteers bring relief to Montalban typhoon victims

Children refugees of Montalban Children refugees of Montalban

(CenPEG, Oct. 6, 2009) - Volunteers from the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) became one with the victims of Typhoon Ondoy in remote barangay (village). San Jose Montalban, Rizal as they conducted a relief million for hundreds of displaced families last September 31.

Political Parties & Elections

The Unseen, Unheard and Forgotten: The Biliran Manobos in the May 2010 Elections
By Nadja Castillo
EU-CenPEG Research

It took us an almost two-hour habal-habal ride from Biliran Islands’ capital of Naval to the community of a small indigenous group nestled at the foot of the Tres Marias Mountain.

Strategic Perspective
By René B. Azurin
June 9, 2010
Posted by CenPEG

An untransparent election

With so many hands having fondled the memory cards and the voting machines, how can anybody still know what "fingerprints" were actually on them?

Erroneous COCs in 57 provinces blamed on Smartmatic’s counting system

June 4, 2010 - At least 57 provinces as well as cities of the National Capital Region (NCR) have certificates of canvass (COCs) with final testing and sealing (FTS) returns.

Poll officials must answer security issues - CenPEG

June 3, 2010 - Even as Congress is set to proclaim the winners in the May 10 presidential race, there remain security issues related to the automated election and until these are plugged, doubts will linger on the credibility of poll results.

A PROPORTIONALITY ANALYSIS OF THE COOP-NATCCO SEAT ALLOCATION FORMULA
Felix P. Muga II, PhD.,
Associate Professor, Mathematics Department, Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)
Senior Fellow, Center for Peoples’ Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG)
1 June 2010

Foreign Observers Challenge Election Legitimacy

1. THE ELECTION RESULTS TRANSMITTED FROM THE PRECINCTS DO NOT HAVE DIGITAL SIGNATURES OF THE BOARD OF ELECTION INSPECTORS.

Based on industry standards, the digital signature on the precinct Election Return (ER) is a summary (hash value) of the ER encrypted using the BEI’s secret key.