Way to enlightened choice for DENR - FROM A DISTANCE By Carmen N. Pedrosa

Will President Macapagal-Arroyo take up the challenge of greatness? I had the opportunity to see President Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang at close range since she became President during a special day for Assumption alumnae. She has lost weight. It must be the workload and the enormity of the job of the Presidency but she is altogether more serious and grave. Someone once said the presidency endows an individual with a special aura. Something happens to individuals when they are given the highest authority of the land. That was the case with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Contrary to popular opinion, Mrs. Thatcher was not always the Iron Lady that became her trademark. There was a time when the male-dominated Conservative Party, still smarting from macho Prime Minister Ted Heath’s removal, belittled her and thought her experience with the education portfolio was inadequate for the job of prime minister. But Ms. Thatcher was unfazed. Like the Queen Bee, she became queenly when she became the queen. She learned and worked hard to change her persona. With her academic preparation and political experience, President Macapagal-Arroyo has the potential to be an outstanding president even if she does not think so at the moment. Starting from a disadvantage is the best impetus to work hard. It is when persons think they are already good that there is no hope for improvement.

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The issue of forest management as the guideline for the choice of the DENR post. It is a paradox that critics of Congressman Heherson Alvarez should attack him on his selective log ban stand when this should be his strongest point. I know Sonny personally and would endorse him as an exemplary public official and freedom fighter. Among freedom fighters, he has remained consistent to the principle of the struggle against the Marcos regime. But it is not just his personal qualities that recommend him. I am anxious that these recommendations will get in the way of the real issue in the matter of his appointment. To my mind, the single most important qualification is his position on forest management. Alvarez’s position on selective logging is consistent with sustainable development. It is also the accepted policy in almost every country in the world today. I believe sustainable development is also a cornerstone of a Christian Democratic government. Those who criticize him on this point simply do not know what they are talking about. I am afraid that if he is not appointed on the basis of criticisms against selective logging, it will make us once again the laughing stock of the world.

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A simplistic total log ban policy is not enough. Here is what a respected conservationist wrote on the matter of forest management that might enlighten the choice for the DENR. "Although first conceived with admirable idealism and passion, a simplistic total log ban policy will not suffice. Governments and conservationists worldwide recognize that an environmentally literate and responsible citizenry is the key to successful forest protection and biodiversity conservation. The Philippines has been among the leading lights of the global forestry sector in the conceptualization and development of approaches to community-based resource management. Let us provide full support for its implementation as the primary strategy in the management of forest resources and coastal areas." In 1985-86, Marcos declared a log ban in various provinces. During that time, the deforestation rate increased in Quezon, Negros Island, Panay Island, Laguna, Bicol Region and Quirino. What is needed is a community-based resource management that takes into account the livelihood of some 20 million Filipinos, among them indigenous cultural communities as well as an effective National Integrated Protected Area System to protect the remaining old-growth natural forests, the critical zone areas and those natural forests designated as protection forests. In short, a selective logging ban policy which, the Lakas-NUCD-UMDP secretary-general Heherson "Sonny" Alvarez has championed.

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From my e-mail: Where was Secretary Lim? Although it’s over, here are bits of information that ought to be known by more people. From: <[email protected]> elagda <[email protected] they sent this message from Baguio at the time of the crisis: What I have just heard over the radio is truly reminiscent of the Marcosian tactics of suppressing, if not outright violating the rights of individuals to free expression! The Bishop of Baguio called the radio commentator of Radyo Bandido or Barangay RJ (810 AM channel) this evening to report that he and 5,000 Baguio citizens are being prevented to come down from Baguio to join the anti-Erap protest rally at the EDSA Shrine! I also heard that he had already reported to Cardinal Sin, who has called the PNP Chief Lacson, but as of this late hour, nothing has been done by General Lacson! What about Secretary Lim??? I thought he was a valiant defender of the people’s Will? Sayang talaga si Mayor Lim . . . I voted and supported him pa in 1998! Ganoon talaga! Life is a continuing education indeed! Sobra na sila talaga!

The disenfranchisement of overseas Filipinos. From: "PhilippineUpdate.com" <[email protected] comes this letter from overseas Filipinos who vowed to continue the campaign to end their political disenfranchisement. Just for the record, the campaign to give Filipinos overseas the right to vote was begun in 1980 when my husband and co-political exile, Alberto Pedrosa, delivered a paper at the East-West Center in Hawaii. Disappointed by the "killing" of the Absentee Voting Bill – which reached committee level both in the Lower House and the Senate – as a result of the jueteng scandal, Filipinos overseas and local allies are even more determined to push for the passage of the CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED law that will allow them to exercise their fundamental right to vote. Please visit the Web site up to coordinate the global campaign:

Responses from Senators Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. and Sergio Osmeña III. From: Tessie [email protected]: She sends a letter of thanks to the 10 senators who voted to open the envelope especially those who replied to her. I have written a letter of thanks to the 10 senators who voted "Yes" for the opening of the second envelope. These senators have sought the moral high ground and have transcended the call and lure of money and privilege, and have stood by the people in their search of truth and justice in the impeachment hearings. I have been privileged to receive two of their comments as of today, and expect that some more will be writing in the next few days. In their reply, I was most specially struck with the reason they gave for making the moral choice.

I am sharing their comments to you in the hope that you might perhaps give them some play in your future columns. We need to show our appreciation for their gallant action, thereby encouraging others to do the brave thing. – Teresita C. Castro

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"If I have earned my father’s respect by standing up to my convictions and echoing the clamor of the Filipino people in that chamber, then my being in public service is not in vain. I’d like to think that every vote cast on me was worth it." – JUN MAGSAYSAY

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"Faced with the unprecedented challenge of trying a President on serious charges of wrongdoing, I had tried my best to be impartial and to serve the national interest in the search for truth, justice and fairness. What took place in the evening of January 16 was a regrettable travesty of justice which robbed the Senate impeachment court of its credibility as an institution that can render judgment in the service of the Filipino people. Our search for a peaceful resolution to the present crises will continue, even in the days of uncertainty that lie ahead. What your senators could not achieve for you, you must now achieve on your own." – SERGIO OSMEÑA III

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My e-mail address: [email protected]