Angelo Reyes is 1-Utak's man

Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes need not run for Congress under any political party. The party-list group 1-Utak, which represents the transport sector, says that it wants Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes to represent it in Congress in the event the group wins in the May elections.

A supporter of Reyes told me the party-list group’s support did not come at all as a surprise. That’s because Reyes has worked together with the transport sector, first in his capacity as interior and local government secretary, then as environment and natural resources chief, and now as Department of Energy (DOE) secretary.

This supporter said, as DILG chief, “Reyes cracked down on kotong (mulcting) cops and traffic enforcers, thereby allowing public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers to take home their entire earnings for the day. He also waged war against operators of colorum vehicles which, numbering in the thousands, snarled traffic and ate up the earnings of legitimate PUV drivers and operators. The colorums also endangered the lives of both commuters and motorists as they race along the streets without the proper insurance covers.”

When Reyes became environment secretary, he helped the transport sector in complying with the provisions of the Clean Air Act on minimizing the smoke emissions of their vehicles.

In partnership with Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Reyes initiated moves to help drivers adapt and “tweak” their vehicles to take advantage of cleaner and cheaper fuels. Among these fuels are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for taxis, compressed natural gas (CNG) for buses, and cleaner diesel for jeepneys.

The DENR also helped drivers and operators maintain their vehicles, resulting not only in lesser smoke emissions but the more efficient and cost-cutting use of fuels.

Despite his hands being tied by the Oil Deregulation Law, Reyes is said to have used moral suasion to convince oil players to give hefty fuel discounts to PUV drivers and vehicles. He also tirelessly brought the oil players and the transport sector together for dialogues.

With that “love affair” kind of relationship between Reyes and the transportation sector, it’s no surprise that 1-Utak would want him to represent them in Congress.

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Iloilo Representative Janet Garin refutes the recent pronouncements of some Catholic bishops and leaders saying that the condom has pores or holes big enough for the entry of sperm cells and HIV and other diseases.

According to Representative Garin, who is a medical doctor, even the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of condom against HIV. “Condom is included in the Model List of Essential Medicines recommended by WHO because it satisfies the priority health care needs through the most efficacious, safest and most cost-effective way,” Garin said.

“The consistent use of male latex condoms significantly reduces the risk of HIV infection in men and women,” Garin explained. “Broad objections to condoms as an HIV prevention strategy find no basis in science. Laboratory tests show that no STD pathogen, including HIV, can permeate an intact latex condom,” stressed Garin.

Garin laments that if these Catholic leaders will continue to impose their personal beliefs on our career officials, then they serve as distractions to them. She added, “in effect, it will demoralize our career officials and will stop them from providing the much needed services to the Filipino people, especially the poor.”

“While we do not argue with them that abstinence until marriage and being faithful to one’s partner is a foolproof way to prevent the spread of the disease, we must also open our eyes to realities. The truth is, there are already almost 5,000 recorded cases of HIV and AIDS in the country and the number is growing,” she added. 

Representative Garin emphasized that “the Catholic bishops must not impose their personal beliefs on our government officials and the people, they must let the Department of Health do their work, and above all, they must immediate refrain from spreading baseless information that will impact the health of the people.”

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On another front, First District Cotabato Rep. Emmylou “Lala” Talino-Mendoza pushed for increased funding for public day care centers nationwide, stressing that doing so is the key to freeing pre-schooling of children from poverty-stricken families, as well as help underprivileged mothers find employment.

Existing barangay day care centers severely lack facilities, staff and materials, she said. Worse, many barangays still do not have a single government-run day care center. This, despite the Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of Children Law of 1990, or Republic Act 6972, which mandates the establishment of at least one public day care center in every barangay.

Taliño-Mendoza urged Congress to provide ample funding for the full implementation of RA 6972 and the Early Childhood Care Development Law of 2000, or RA 8990, which converted day care centers into semi-formal learning facilities that prepare children, over a period of six to 10 months, for elementary schooling.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development runs the community-based centers, which are backed mostly by retired teachers and volunteers. Local governments units cover a portion of staff pay and other expenses.

The public day care program is meant “to defend the rights of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and to provide them with special protection against all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development.”

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