Anomalous sports complex project

Don’t look now, but there’s trouble brewing at the Tourism Department, with no less than Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano recommending the filing of charges before the Presidential Antigraft Commission against one of his own men, Philippine Tourism Authority general manager Robert Dean Barbers.

At issue is the PTA Sports Complex project in Intramuros.  

Barbers claims that the stadium project is “valid and legal” and “had the approval of Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano.”

But Durano disputes this assertion as misleading, saying that the PTA as a corporate body can only act through a collegial decision of the board where he is the chairman. 

Durano says that while the project had been included in the 2005 PTA corporate operating budget approved by the board, Barbers was not given absolute discretion in the implementation of the project. Contracts entered into by the PTA, as a matter of policy, should be approved and ratified by the board within 30 days of its execution, otherwise the contract will be considered disapproved.

Barbers, Durano says, failed to present the said contract for approval. Barbers is also said to have failed to comply with the policy that terms of reference of contracts worth more than P1 million should be referred first to the board for approval.

But that’s not all. It would seem that the PTA board approved the amount of P15 million for the stadium, but Barbers entered into a contract worth P24,732,348.77, or a difference of almost P10 million, which Durano says is a clear violation of law as the PTA chief executive officer should only execute and administer policies and measures duly approved by the PTA board.

Barbers apparently also failed to obtain the approval of the Intramuros Administration for the stadium project design and plan. Approval by the Intramuros Administration of any project in the historic Walled City is required by Presidential  Decree 1616.

Seeing that Barbers had violated internal procedures, Durano issued a memorandum asking the former to stop the project. But Barbers ignored the directive and continued the project.

Durano then issued another memo reiterating his stand that Barbers should stop the project, which the latter again ignored. It was at this point that Durano recommended the filing of graft charges against Barbers for violation of existing laws and regulations.  Interestingly, two former PTA chiefs during the Estrada administration have filed graft charges against Barbers before the Office of the Ombudsman.

So how will this issue play out in the weeks ahead as the nation is gripped by election fever? Abangan.     

Taiwan seeks support for WHO bid

With the World Health Association (WHA), the highest policymaking body of the World Health Organization (WHO), due to convene in May for its annual meeting, expect Taiwan to again raise the issue of its membership in the world body. 

Wellington Wei of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila has sent me a short statement that argues persuasively for Taiwan’s entry into the WHO.  

Wei says that while Taiwan has been trying to reenter the WHO ever since 1997 and has been blocked every time by mainland China, it will continue to seek observer status in the WHA and ask for “meaningful” participation in WHO technical conferences. It will also apply for full membership in the WHO under the name “Taiwan” instead of the “Republic of China.”

 This three-pronged approach strategy is seen as giving Taiwan, a democratic country with a bustling economy, a better chance to obtain international support for its campaign to enter the WHO. 

The Taiwanese bid is anchored mainly on the principle enshrined in the WHO constitution that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being.” Based on this principle, WHO has in its fold even nonstate entities, such as the Red Cross. Taiwan argues that its exclusion from the WHO because of stiff opposition from China contradicts one of the founding principles of the world body.

Wei asserts that his country has been a responsible member of the global village, even sending last year a search-and-team to the Philippines to help out in the destructive mudslide that buried a mountainside town in Southern Leyte. In the past decade, Taiwan has provided over 90 countries with more than US$300 million in medical aid and humanitarian relief. 

The outbreak of highly infectious diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and of late, avian flu, across national borders has highlighted the fact that health is an issue of global importance. But with Taiwan unable to become part of the global disease prevention network, there is a gap in the global health system.

Taiwan urges the global community to discard political prejudices and instead foster professional health exchanges and cooperation that would prevent infectious diseases from claiming more lives. In the end, however, the rationale for Taiwan’s entry into the WHO can be reduced to one: the 23 million Taiwanese people deserve as much as anyone else to enjoy the fundamental right to health.

THE departure from office of National Treasurer Omar Cruz, though couched as having been made “for family reasons” (they said he wants to join his family abroad) marks yet another dent on the fiscal armor that the administration has so carefully burnished.

Election season does not bring out the best in our candidates for public office. Well in a sense, I suppose it does since most are running with the promise to be your own personal Santa Claus and ATM machine rolled into one with all they are going to give you from the public treasury.

Today, April 26, governments and organizations worldwide join the World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo) in its annual celebration of World Intellectual Property Day. Wipo’s theme this year is “Encouraging Creativity.”

Don’t look now, but there’s trouble brewing at the Tourism Department, with no less than Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano recommending the filing of charges before the Presidential Antigraft Commission against one of his own men, Philippine Tourism Authority general manager Robert Dean Barbers.

The messengers of salvation like the light of God’s saving love reaches out to all who are in need and in darkness without any discrimination (Acts 13:14, 43-53). What is required of those who would be saved is an open, listening heart, the ability to recognize the voice of God who calls (John 10:27-30).

A controversy is swirling over at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) that started on charges of a tax-dodging mechanism and that has now morphed into accusations of Machiavellian machinations designed to benefit just a few individuals at the expense of UST.