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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm,

Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City

I.

INTRODUCTION:

The term Politics is derived from the Greek word polis which means a city and/or a state. It is defined as the art or science of governing and/or government especially the governing of a political entity such as a nation and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs.

To understand politics in a broader sense, we will use a way of modeling different political positions by placing them into a geometric axes symbolizing independent dimensions which is called as the political spectrum

It is divided by the ideologies in the left and the right, and the ideologies upwards and downwards. To the right are the conservatives, to the left would be the liberals, to the upperwing would be the libertarians, to the lower-wing would be the statists or sometimes referred as authoritarians, and to those who attempt to blend these ideologies are referred as centrists.

II.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF AN IDEOLOGY TO SOCIAL WELFARE

Each Ideology in the political spectrum has different viewpoints in the relationship of the state to the people which shall be presented by determining the social, economic, political, beliefs as well as their views on social welfare and the nature of the social work practice. This includes Neo-Conservatism, Liberalism, Social Democracy, and Marxism as well as including the viewpoints of the order and conflict perspective and the emerging trends of the progressive view on social work and the structural social work theory.

REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City

Neo-Conservatism:

Social Beliefs: Freedom (from government coercion), Individualism, and Inequality. Economic Beliefs: Free Market, Competitive Capitalism, and Private Ownership Political Beliefs: Elite Rule, Depoliticization of the economic system, a strong emphasis on Law, Order, & Stability, and as well as Paternalism View of Social Welfare: Fundamentally Hostile Ideal = residual model Nature of Social Work Practice: Use of coercive measures to make people look after themselves, control peoples behavior, poor law treatment of separating the deserving and the undeserving, emphasize investigation, and monitoring to prevent cheating the system.

Liberalism

Social Beliefs: Freedom, Individualism, Inequality (in a humanitarian and pragmatic sense) Economic Beliefs: Competitive Capitalism with Government intervention (i.e. mixed economy) Political Beliefs: Representative Democracy, and Pluralism View of Social Welfare: An instrument to modify negative aspects of capitalism, Ideal = Institutional model, provides the social minimum. Nature of Social Work Practice: Personal Reform, Limited Social Reform, and Advocacy.

REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City Social Democracy

Social Beliefs: Participation.

Humanitarianism,

Collectivism,

Equality,

Freedom,

and

Democratic

Economic Beliefs: Government Intervention, Public control of the means of production and distribution, equitable distribution of income and opportunities. Political Beliefs: Participatory decision-making in all areas of life, capitalism can be transformed by a social democracy into a better form of socialism, and the state has the highest positive role to perform in the society. View of Social Welfare: Welfare Capitalism can be used as stepping stone to a socialist state. Ideal: Social Welfare State = structural model. Nature of Social Work Practice: Provide practical humanitarian care to casualties of capitalism, further the democratization and restructuring of society along socialist lines.

Marxism

Social Beliefs: Liberty, Collectivism, and Equality Economic Beliefs: Public ownership of means of production, industrial democracy, distribution of resources according to need, and a planned economy. Political Beliefs: Government planning, participatory democracy, parliamentary system of government, and transformation of capitalism into socialism/communism by class conflict. View of Social Welfare: Welfare capitalism props up capitalism but also represents the fruits of the working-class efforts. Ideal: Social Welfare State = Structural Model Nature of Social Work Practice: Revolutionary Marxists doesnt acknowledge a role of Social Workers for Social Transformation in a capitalist society. Evolutionary Marxists see the practice of Social Work as similar to its role in Social Democracy but emphasizes and adheres more into class conflict. REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City

Order Perspective:

Nature of Existence: Competitive, Contentious, Individualistic, and Acquisitive. Nature Social Institutions: It must endure and regulate human interactions to avoid disorder. Nature of Society: It consists of interdependent and integrated institutions and a supportive ideological base; viewed as an organism or system with each part contributing to the maintenance of a whole. Continuity of Social Institutions: It prevails because of agreements among societys members. Nature and Relationship between people and the society: The members are expected to conform and adapt to consensus-based social arrangements. Nature of Social Problems: Socialization will occasionally fail whereby reverence for institutions and respect for rules will not be learned; such occurrence on a large scale is a social problem. Approach to Social Problems: A) Behavior must be changed through resocialization or neutralized through formal systems of state control. B) Social Change can only involve minor adjustments that are consistent with the nature of the existing system. Ideologies: Neo-conservatism, and Liberalism

Conflict Perspective

Nature of Existence: Cooperative, Collective, and Social

REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City Nature Social Institutions: Dynamic with no sacred standing as well as facilitate cooperation, sharing, and common interests Nature of Society: In a society of structural inequality the social nature of human existence is denied with social institutions serving private rather than public interests. Continuity of Social Institutions: It prevails in a class-divided society because of control and coercion. Nature and Relationship between people and the society: There is acceptance, conformity, and adaptation to a coercive social order is questioned. Nature of Social Problems: Faulty socialization is more of a matter of defective rules than defective control; rules are problematic. Approach to Social Problems: Institutions and Ideology must be changed to protect the social nature of human existence. Behavioral change can only involve minor adjustments consistent with cooperative and collective nature of society; massive commitment to behavioral change is a form of blaming the victims. Ideologies: Social Democracy, and Marxism

As a result of these ideologies an emerging trend of a progressive view on social work and the structural social work theory was developed.

The Progressive Social Work Ideals and Beliefs

Social Beliefs: Humanitarianism, Community, and Equality Economic Beliefs: Government intervention, Social Priorities dominates economic decisions, and equitable distribution of societys resources. Political Beliefs: Participatory Democracy (Self-determination) on both governmental and nongovernmental areas. View on Social Welfare: An instrument to promote equality, solidarity, and community. REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City Principles of Social Work Practice: Treat people with respect, enhance dignity and integrity, facilitate self-determination and self-realization, accept differences, lastly, advocate and promote social justice.

The Structural Social Work Theory

It is a theory on Social Work with a socialist ideology, a radical social work heritage, a critical theory base, an adaptation of the conflict perspective with the dialectical analysis, the inclusion of the all the forms of oppression, and a conceptual framework that incorporates and integrates these components into social transformative and emancipatory form of social work practice. It is structural in the sense that it believes that all matters are built-in parts of the present social order. It is focused on the structure of the society and not to the individual. It believes to be more flexible, inclusive, and realistic. It acknowledges the fact that all groups oppressive or oppressed are victims of the social order. In its radical social work heritage, it states that to understand the nature and power and the role of social work as an element of state control and oppression and to construct an approach to practice which is underpinned by this understanding such practice must be directed at challenging and changing structures that oppress. In its critical theory base, it focuses on informing a critique of domination and driven by a goal of liberation. People cannot be freed about which they are ignorant. Its goals are to locate the sources of domination in actual social practices, to present alternative vision of life free from such domination, and to translate the tasks in a form that is intelligible to those who are oppressed in the society.

REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City

CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIAL WORK (In the Philippine Setting)

Politics is the source of our legal framework from which the structure and system of the society is shaped.

Through the enactment of Republic Act 4373, the Social Work Profession was recognized and regulated as well as the existence of Social Work Agencies in the Philippines which was followed by its amendment through Republic Act 5175. Another significant contribution was the enactment of Republic Act 5416 creating the Department for Social Welfare.

Other contributions of the legislature was the enactment of laws on children, women, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, health, labor and employment, environmental laws and laws that directly or indirectly affect the Social Functioning of People as well as the operation of Social Work in the Philippines.

III.

SPECIALIZED FIELDS IN SOCIAL WORK IN RELATION TO POLITICS

The specialized fields of Social Work in relation to politics are primarily focused on the Secondary Methods of the Profession which are namely the following: Social Action or Social Reform, Social Welfare Administration/Supervision, and Social Research.

1. Social Action/Social Reform involves research, education, cooperation, arbitration, negotiation, organization, joint-action, mild-coercion, and the violation of legal norms in order to protect the welfare of the citizens of the state. i.e. social awareness drives and advocacies to amend or repeal oppressive laws and for the enactment of laws deemed to be in favor on the general welfare of the people.

REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City

2. Social Welfare Administration deals with the management of social services on social agencies which are from existing policies and programs for Social Welfare. 3. Social Research as common to all professions, Social Work research aimed at the improvement of the practice and/or services and improves/ builds theoretical foundations. The research process: development of hypothesis, observation and collection of data; analysis and organization of data; conclusions and recommendations.

IV.

ROLES OF THE SOCIAL WORKER IN POLITICS

The roles of the Social Worker in Politics are also taken from the interventive roles in direct practice and the interventive roles beyond direct practice: Social Broker, Mediator, Advocate, Enabler, Mobilizer of Community Elite, Documentor/ Social Critique, and Policy Program Change Advocate. As a Social Broker- he is the worker who seeks and secures resources that the client needs or matches the client with the resources. As a Mediator- worker who seeks the enhancement of the clients social functioning through activity designed to secure some services or resources for persons with unmet needs. As an Advocate- social worker as a partisan who is exclusively serving the interest of the client or a citizens group. Some of the tasks involved are: providing leadership for collective information, for arguing the correctness of the clients need and request, and for challenging the institutions decision not to provide the service requested. As an Enabler- the worker who makes change possible by supplying the client with the means, the knowledge or the opportunity to be or to do something. As a Mobilizer of Community Elite- the intervention involves the worker in activities aimed at informing and interpreting to certain sectors of the community, welfare programs and services, as well as needs and problems, with the objective of enlisting their support and/ or involvement in them. This sector of the community called elite is comprised of individuals and groups who REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City are usually in a position to provide, in one way or another, the resources the worker needs in her work with the client. As a Documentor/ Social Critique-one who reports, records, case studies and other official documents to account for services rendered for the general information of the supporting community or public. As a Policy Program Change Advocate- the term advocate was used earlier but in another context. The same term is being used here but this time, in a different sense: the worker is involved in efforts to change policies and programs on behalf of particular sectors of the population based on the values of the profession.

LIST OF REFERRENCES:

Social Welfare and Social Work; Revised Edition by Thelma Lee Mendoza Welfare Theory by Tony Fitpatrick and Palgrave Macmillan Structural Social Work by Maurice Moreau Politics and Social Work by Ray Lees European Politics into the Twenty-first Century, Integration and Division; 2000; page 32 by Hans Slomp American Heritage Dictionaryof the English Language, Fourth Edition; 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company Dictionary of Social Work by Leonora Serafica-De Guzman, 1988

Attached: Case Studies with references related to the report

REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City Case 1: June 2, 2011 Posted in: Governance, Noynoy Watch

The political perils of the 4Ps


TENS OF thousands of new personnel hired, trained, supervised, and deployed all over the country by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). An elaborate system to select beneficiaries, another to monitor their compliance to program conditions, and still another system for grievance redress. An organizational structure that ensures all cash grants will go from DSWDs head office straight to the beneficiaries special Land Bank accounts. All these, says the DSWD, are necessary precautions to shield the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program from political interference. These prerequisites might seem like an administrative nightmare, perhaps even a bit overthe-top, for just one program. And yet, all these measures still failed to keep a number of politicians from attempting to appropriate the CCT also called Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as their own. This tendency by local politicians was particularly pronounced during the run-up to the May 10, 2010 national and local elections, says 4Ps public relations officer Pamela CaperinaSusara. There were candidates, she says, who tried to sway CCT beneficiaries to vote in their favor, citing removal from the program as a repercussion for unfavorable votes. Still other political wannabes reportedly used the programs monthly seminars for CCT parents as a venue for campaign sorties. All these prompted DSWD to stop CCT-related activities at the time, says Susara. In truth, this attitude is merely a reflection of the system of local patronage that the poor and local politicians have long been used to. The beneficiaries, who are at the bottom 20 percent of the population, used to go to authorities to tide them over, explains DSWD Secretary Corazon Dinky Soliman. She says this system has kept the poor perennially indebted literally and figuratively to politicians. With the introduction of the CCT (which give selected poorest residents in a municipality monthly cash subsidies of up to P1,400) the poorest voters can now cease being entirely dependent on politicians during lean periods and emergencies. In effect, the CCT could put an end to the system of local patronage. At least thats what DSWD says. In any case, Soliman says that local politicians, who have suddenly found their source of power taken away from them, are now seeking other ways to have the program somehow attributed to them. In that sense, says Soliman, were very open to saying, This is a national program, everyone is welcome to help. REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City Its really patiently explaining why and what this program is about and assuring them that its to their interest to support this program, she says. That does not work all the time though. Soliman herself says that her agency had to pull out some of its staff from certain parts of Mindanao because they were receiving death threats from local bosses. Meanwhile, interviews with mayors from different municipalities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao reveal different viewpoints of local chief executives on the CCT. There are those like Maigo, Lanao del Norte Mayor Rafael C. Rizalda who enthusiastically welcome the program. Others, however, consider the CCT a doleout, like Cabugao, Ilocos Sur Mayor Edgardo S. Cobangbang Jr. who would rather have livelihood programs than the CCT. Magdiwang, Romblon Mayor Ibarra R. Manzala, meanwhile, has mixed feelings about the CCT. On the one hand, he says that the CCT is an important anti-poverty instrument if both the government and the beneficiaries would do their part. On the other hand, he says that the national government should not ask his local government unit a fifth-class municipality for any counterpart to keep the program running. PCIJ also found similarly mixed views from mayors whose municipalities were not included in the CCT. Dolores, Eastern Samar Mayor Emiliana P. Vilcarillo and Santa Lucia, Ilocos Sur Mayor Estrella Hernandez both say they want their constituents to be included in the program. But for Garcia-Hernandez, Bohol Mayor Miguelito B. Galendez, universal Philhealth coverage for his constituents would be more beneficial than the tiny amounts that they will get from the CCT. PCIJ, June 2011 Reference: http://pcij.org/blog/2011/06/02/the-political-perils-of-the-%E2%80%984ps%E2%80%99 Time: 11:48 a.m

REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City Case 2:

P325M intel fund could have built 474 more classrooms ACT Teachers solon
DISCLAIMER | What you are reading is either a press release, a press statement or a manifesto. These materials are published as a matter of public service and do not go through PinoyPress's editorial process and do not reflect the website's policy or position.

NEWS RELEASE July 11, 2011 In view of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) fund controversy wherein huge amounts of money were expended in rather questionable ventures, ACT Teachers PartyList Representative Antonio L. Tinio said that the so-called intelligence fund amounting to P325 million could have helped the shortages of critical school inputs such as classrooms. This huge amount could have built 474 more classrooms, said Tinio. We could have prevented scenarios during the school opening like that in Payatas B Elementary School where pupils can hardly concentrate on their studies because of their congested classrooms, he added. It can be recalled that during the Senate probe, former PCSO General Manager Ms. Rosario Uriarte said PCSO utilized P325 million for clandestine intelligence from 2008 to 2010. Furthermore, Uriarte bared that the biggest chunk of expenditures, amounting to P138 million, was disbursed between January and June 2010, covering the period of 2010 elections. The PCSO fund is intended to provide for the poor Filipinos who are in dire need of health and other social services, added Tinio. Unfortunately, it was clearly used by the Arroyo administration as its own pork barrel to distribute material support to its political allies, said Tinio.# References: ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. Antonio L. Tinio Julie Anne D. Tapit, Media Officer

Case 3: REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City

Plunder charges filed vs Arroyo for PCSO scam


PUBLISHED ON JULY 15, 2011 by INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO

MANILA Stealing from the Filipino people is bad enough, but stealing from the poorest of the poor is the worst.

This was the statement of Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares and Teddy Casino explaining why the filed plunder charges against former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Manager Rosario Uriarte last July 12. For the last two weeks, media has been reporting irregularities in the PCSO wherein the former president was charged of abusing her powers to manipulate funds in the said agency. It has also been reported that Uriartes appointment to the post violated several civil service laws including the very charter of the PCSO itself. Uriarte has admitted during the July 7 senate investigations that she was close to Arroyo and that she had been working with her in various capacities since the latter was an undersecretary in the Department of Trade and Industry. This, critics said, was the foundation of Arroyos trust for Ariarte and why Arroyo appointed her as PCSO general manager, vice-chairman, and eventually lead implementor of its intelligence fund. Immediately after, Bayan Muna filed plunder charges against the two officials at the Office of the Ombudsman. The complaint was filed on the basis of documents in our possession such as the PCSO Letter Memorandum requesting for intelligence funds with the signed approval of then Pres. Arroyo in the marginal portion, the COA reports, and the transcripts of the Senate hearing where Ms. Uriarte admitted to technical malversation at the very least -that the intelligence funds taken from operations funds were used for operational expenses like blood money and relief operations, Colmenares said. Earlier in May this year, Colmenares delivered a privileged speech on the various irregularities and anomalies that took place in the PCSO during the RRoyo administration. These include the PCSOs brokering a contract with the Philippine Gaming and Management Corporation (PGMC) on the rent of overpriced machines; and a 50-year contract on thermal paper protection. Both contracts, Colmenares said, were highly disadvantageous to the government. REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City The activist lawmaker also exposed how the PCSO utilized a bloated media fund wherein it received a 40 percent commission from various media advertisers; and how the said fund was eventually transferred to the intelligence fund. Both acts were approved only through the say so of then president Arroyo and without passing through the PCSO board. Illegal reallignment and use of funds Uriarte had requested for a total of P325 million (US$ 755,814) for her administration as intelligence/confidential fund including a realignment of at least P150 million (US$348,837)of the media fund PCSOs 2010 to the intelligence fund. It was discovered that she issued at least eight official memoranda addressed to Arroyo on the matter, which Arroyo approved. In one of the memoranda dated January 4, 2010, Uriarte suggested to Arroyo that the General Managers office be given at most 20 percent of the Public Relations Fund or a minim of P150 million (US$ 348,837) to be used as intelligence/confidential fund. In the plunder charges against Arroyo and Uriarte, Colmenares and Casino said that both public officials violated Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code. The said article penalizes the illegal use of public funds: Any public officer who shall apply any public fund or property under his administration to any public use other than that for which such fund or property were appropriated by law or ordinance shall suffer the penalty of prision correccional in its minimum period or a fine ranging from one-half to the total value of the sum misapplied, if by reason of such misapplication, any damage or embarrassment shall have resulted to the public service. In the recent senate investigations, she admitted under oath that she informed arroyo that the realliagned funds were not to be used for intelligence task but to bank roll small town lottery (STL) all over the country; for calamity and relief measures; and as blood money for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) imprisoned abroad. Despite full knowledge that the funds were not going to be used for their originally intended purpose, Arroyo still approved the transfer and the utilization of the funds. Uriarte also said that she discussed the matter extensively with Arroyo personally. These two officials blatantly conspired to use the intelligence fund for other purposes than intelligence work. Uriarte could not have succeeded in realligning the funds and using them for illegal and unapproved purposes without Arroyo backing and supporting her actions, said the two lawmakers. The Bayan Muna lawmakers also said that Arroyo and Uriarte should also be charged under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code on malversation. The said article states that Any public officer who, by reason of the duties of his office, is accountable for public funds or property, shall appropriate the same or shall take or misappropriate or shall consent, through abandonment or negligence, shall permit any other person to take such public funds, or property, wholly or REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City partially, or shall otherwise be guilty of the misappropriation or malversation of such funds or property. It was also stated that a public officer failing to be forthcoming on any public funds or property should be found guilty and that the neglect should be considered evidence that he has put such missing funds or property to personal use. These two officials failed to present any accounting of the said founds. Uriarte claimed during the senate investigations that her one and only copy of her report was with Arroyo. The P150 million (US$348,837) fund was disbursed months before the May 2010 polls and most likely the money was used in the elections. This is malversation and approporiation for Arroyos gain and benefit. As for Uriarte, it was revealed that she cleaned out almost all of the intelligence funds for the year six months into 2010 and even withdrew P2.5 million (US$46,629) and another P10 million (US$23,256) on June 18, 2010, a mere 12 days before her term ended.What else could this but fund malversation for her own personal benefit? I doubt if they can liquidate properly how the P325 million in (US$ 755,814)intelligence funds were spent. In fact, during the hearing, Ms. Uriarte said that her only copy of the report on the P150 million (US$348,837) intelligence fund for 2010 could not be presented in the Senate because it is with is with former Pres. Arroyo. General allegations, such as bomb threats, terrorism and destabilization cannot be the liquidation contemplated by law. Under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code a public official is deemed to have malversed public funds if he or she could not account for it upon demand, Colmenares said. Money stolen from the poor and helpless Colmenares and Casino also want the two officials charged under Republic Act 3019 or the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act. They said that Arroyo and Uriarte violated Section 3 (e) of the said law: Causing any undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. The provision applies to officers and employees of offices or government corporations charged with the grant of licenses or permits or other concessions. As for the changes of plunder, the two lawmakers said tht Arroyo and Uriartes crimes are succinctly described in Section 2 of RA 7080 or the Anti-Plunder Law: By receiving, directly or indirectly, any commission, gift, share, percentage, kickbacks or any/or entity in connection with any government contract or project or by reason of the office or position of the public officer concerned; and By the illegal or fraudulent conveyance or disposition of assets belonging to REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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REPORT ON POLITICS AND SOCIAL WORK Social Work 18a- Social Services and Related Disciplines MWF, 4pm-5pm, Academic Year 2011-2012 Room 403, Waldo Perfecto Bldg., Saint Louis University, Bonifacio St., Baguio City the National government or any of its subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities or governmentowned or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries. What has been stolen in the PCSO is money for the poor. Money that should have been used to cure those who could not afford to get sick, feed those who could not buy food, build homes for the homeless, and give help to the helpless. These two officials are guilty of graft, malversation and plunder involving at least P325 million (US$ 755,814) in PCSO funds that should have went to the poor . Part of these funds may have been used for political largesse, part to retain the loyalty of public officers to the President. Some were most likely used for partisan electoral purposes, and some were amassed as ill-gotten wealth. These disbursements came from illegally diverted and malversed intelligence funds, they said. The lawmakers expressed certainty that there are more irregularities at the PCSO. beyond what theyre charging Arroyo and Uriate. They said that the Office of the Ombudsman should move quickly for the sequestration of all documents including liquidation reports the PCSO submitted to the Commission on Audit (CoA). Theyre also calling for a lifestyle check against the two officials. 90 High Tolerance for Graft Finally, the progressive solons countered allegations by former justice and now Iloilo Rep. Raul Gonzalez and other members of Arroyo bloc in congress that the complaint is baseless. If our colleagues find nothing suspicious about realigning operations funds to intelligence funds only to spend it on operations funds, then there is a problem in their legal analytical skills. If they find nothing suspicious about the fact that a P150 million (US$348,837) project has a one and only copy report and the said copy was submitted, not to the PCSO board, but to the former President, then maybe their tolerance level for graft cases is fairly high, Colmenares said. For his part, ACT Teachers Party-List Representative Antonio L. Tinio said that the PCSOs socalled intelligence fund could have helped the shortages of critical school inputs such as classrooms. This huge amount could have built 474 more classrooms, he said. He said that the government could have prevented negative scenarios during the last school opening such as what happened in Payatas Elementary School where pupils reportedly cannot focus on their lessons because of the distractions caused by congested classrooms. The PCSO fund is intended to provide for the poor Filipinos who are in dire need of health and other social services. Unfortunately, it was clearly used by the Arroyo administration as its own pork barrel to distribute material support to its political allies, he said. REPORT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL WORK AND POLITICS BY EDUARD AUNG COLOD KYU JR., PATRICK PAHIGON BABAYONGAN, and HERSHEE GAYBAN MOLINA
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