Magna Carta of the Poor

MARAMI ang nagtatanong sa panukalang Magna Carta of the Poor. Ito ay kalipunan ng mga kinikilalang karapatan ng mga maralita at ng mga kinakailangang programa at serbisyo ng pamahalaan para matulungan sila na umangat ang buhay at maging mga produktibong bahagi ng lipunan. Ang panukalang ito (Senate Bill 2901) ay inakda ng aking anak na si Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada.

Ito ay alinsunod na rin sa mga pandaigdigang kasunduan, partikular ang Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), na pinagtibay ng United Nations.

 Narito ang bahagi ng panukala:

“As enshrined… in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living and an improved quality of life for all.”

“To attain the foregoing policy:

a) Government must invest in anti-poverty programs to empower the poor to participate in the country’s growth and development;

b) All government departments, agencies and instru­mentalities must provide full access to government services for the poor at all levels;

c) Government interventions shall address the genuine concerns of the poor for daily survival, while long term strategies and solutions for the economic empowerment of the poor are being put in place in order to advance their economic status above the poverty threshold; and

d) The capabilities and competencies of the basic sectors, the nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs), as partners of the government for the effective delivery and implementation of a wide range of anti-poverty programs and basic services shall be enhanced and promoted.”

Ayon kay Jinggoy, ang paglalaan ng resources at efforts ng pamahalaan sa taumbayan partikular sa mga maralita ay magbubunsod ng ganap na pag-unlad ng bansa.