Entrepreneurial Farmer by Ambrosio R. Villorente

Lifting Bank Secrecy Law

Sen. Chiz Escudero has requested Malacanang Palace to support his bill which when approved into law will lift the Bank Secrecy law for government officials and employees. According to Escudero, the bill will amend the restrictive  regulation the government wants to relax for tax purpose.

According to Sen. Escudero, his Senate Bill No. 16 was filed in July 2013. It is the same bill he filed in 2007 and in 2010.

“Public office is a public trust. Government officials and employees are accountable to the people”, Escudero stressed. To ensure a civil servant does not use his/her position to enrich himself/herself in office, a mechanism is needed to allow government audit of the finances of government officials and employees.

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares agrees to the income tax cuts if Congress amends the law to allow (BIR) to monitor bank accounts for tax purpose, and the people in government to submit waiver of rights under the law on the secrecy of bank deposits.

Senate Bill. No. 16 if approved into law will enable the government to audit the finances of all government officials and employees. It will compel them to permit the Ombudsman to look into all deposits of whatever nature with banks within and outside the Philippines. Any official or employee who fails or refuses to comply with any of the provisions will be barred from entering or continuing the functions of his/her office.

Senates Lauds Victoria Lucia Tauli – Corpuz

In a resolution the Senate adopted, it commends Victoria Lucia Tauli-Corpuz for being named United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on indigenous people’s rights. The commendation is embodied in Senate Resolution 568 authored by Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and adopted in consideration of Senate Resolution 1527, Sen. Loren Legarda authored.

Tauli-Corpuz is a Cordillera Kankana-ey tribe member. The UN Human Rights Council during its organizational meeting in Geneva on May 14, 2014 appointed Tauli-Corpuz Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People. 

Tauli-Corpuz is a nursing graduate from the University of the Philippines, Manila. She is the founder of the Tebtebba Foundation and the first indigenous Filipino woman to be appointed to the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, according to Sen. Legarda. Her appointment is a fitting recognition of her active involvement with the UN and multi-stakeholders cross-regional bodies on indigenous issues and past collaboration with and commitment to constructive engagement among government and indigenous peoples, Sen. Legarda added.

Tauli-Corpuz had discussed International Human Rights at the University of Toronto and Colombia University. She drafted and negotiated the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She served as chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on indigenous issues and member of the Board of Trustees of the UN Voluntary Funds on Indigenous Populations, a member of the ILO World Commission on Social Dimension of Globalization, and of the Philippine government’s National Commission of the Role of Filipino Women.

As Special Rapporteur, Tauli-Corpuz will conduct researches on issues relevant to the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. She will visit countries to observe and hear about the challenges indigenous peoples face and communicate with governments on alleged human rights violatin committed.

Victoria Lucia Tauli-Corpuz highly deserves the Senate Resolution of Commendation.

“Pangalay”

Another Senate Resolution approved is Senate Resolution No. 1527 Senator Legarda authored. It is a resolution commending Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa for her successful efforts in the promotion and conservation of “Pangalay”. This is a traditional dance form of the Sulu Archipelago.

Ligaya Fernando is a native of Marikina. After her marriage with her schoolmate who is a relative of the royal family of the Sultanante of Sulu, she moved to Sulu. While there, she perfected Pangalay “by looking at her own silhouette on the wall by a lighted candle since there was no electricity in their place”.

Pangalay means gift offering or temple of dance in Sanskrit, a pre-islamic dance tradition among the Samal, Badjao, Jama, Mapun and Tausug. It features complex body postures and gestures. It renowns for its graceful arm and hand movement, emphasized with the use of janggay, to the beat of kunlintang, gadang, agong, and gabang performed during weddings and festivals.

Amilbangsa graduated from Far Eastern University, Manila, where she was awarded the Green Gold Artist Award For Dance in 1994. She also received Tanglaw ng Lahi and the First Most Outstanding Artist of Tawi-Tawi.

The Senate Commendation is in recognition of Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa’s “love of the performing arts and Filipino culture”. /MP