Globe's CSR project: Bridging the digital divide

Before we start our daily fare, allow me to give you some good news. Jeffrey Ochoa Tarayan Head of Globe Telecom’s Community Relations, Corporate Social Responsibility held a presscon yesterday where 65 public high schools were given the due recognition for their commitment to sustain their internet connectivity. This is part of Globe’s BridgeCom project dubbed Internet in Schools Program.

Two schools were present at the presscon - the Florencio Urot High School represented Principal Flores Delfin and Severino Getigan, I.T. Coordinator; and the Tayud National High School represented by Principal Mary Ann Flores and Myrna Soco, I.T. Coordinator. Actually this Globe Telecom project preceded and became the template for the Gearing Up Internet Literacy & Access for Students (GILAS) that the Ayala Corp. has been pushing for our schools.

The I. T. coordinator told Cebu Media that almost all of their students were proud to have email addresses, thanks to this program. Globe’s Corporate Social Responsibility projects which we aired on our Talkshow on Straight from the Sky last year had greatly helped in bridging the so-called digital divide and in a way, educated our high school children to be Internet savvy.

What we also learned from Globe is that, because of this project, Cebu students have easily adapted to using the Internet as part of their way of life. Globe gave a one-year free Internet connection. Now these public schools are paying for that connection because it has greatly helped the students. Now that’s one story we are proud to write here for our Cebuano readers.

* * *

The front-page story Wednesday in a national daily was entitled, “Gov’t Assails ‘Highway Robbery’ by LGUs”. That story came from Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno who complained about the “Legalized Kotong or Extortion” on national roads where the LGUs were charging delivery trucks for passing through the national roads, despite a law that caps the local collection at only P500 per year. This problem surfaced because delivery trucks from Metro Manila going to Bicol complained that each province and town was collecting these supposed unauthorized fees.

Should this issue bring us to question what fees can the LGUs collect or should we get into the bigger issue of Federalism? This is exactly what we’ve been harping for many years ago, that the Law on Local Autonomy passed in the early 90s is nothing but mere lip service by the Central or Unitary system of government that we have today. Today the issue is on delivery trucks; tomorrow it could be something else!

If the DILG is complaining about LGUs trying to earn revenues from whatever sources they can find, the LGUs that operate moviehouses like Cebu City, too, has a beef against the national government. I’m referring to a law that was enacted creating the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) called R.A. 9167 otherwise known as “An Act Creating the Film Development Council of the Philippines in Recognition of Freedom of Expression and support the growth of the Film Industry. This law apparently grabs the 30% Amusement Taxes from the City of Cebu for certain “Graded” films.

These films are graded only by the FDCP without the knowledge of the City of Cebu. Mind you, this law was enacted without public hearing, yet the FDCP is collecting amusement taxes from all the theaters here in Cebu City that already paid their tax share to the City of Cebu. So who should get the tax? The LGU or the FDCP?

During an Executive Session with Laurice Guillen Feleo on Oct.5, 2005 this issue was discussed by the Cebu City Council with Mayor Tomas Osmeña who questioned the creation of this law especially that it was enacted without consulting the LGUs.

Mayor Osmeña said in that meeting, “We have a situation here which is basically one of the grievances of the LGU on how Congress steals our money. 1) It is unconstitutional for Congress to give a non-government agency a taxing power; 2) Under the Constitution, Amusement Taxes must accrue directly to the Local Government. It even says, ‘In the spirit of local autonomy—all Amusement Taxes should accrue directly to the local government and Congress cannot amend the Constitution.” This means we can expect a huge legal battle to solve this issue.