METRO MANILA's BOSS PLAYS HARDBALL WITH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
2008-07-24 12:50:49 -
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday challenged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to file charges against the agency for allegedly having committed human rights abuses against the sidewalk vendors while conducting sidewalk clearing operations in Metro Manila.
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'I challenge the CHR to formally file charges against the members of the Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group (SCOG) found to have violated human rights in the conduct of their duty," MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando (pictured) said during the Metro Manila Regional Development Council (RDC) meeting to unveil an information and education campaign on food and energy security at the MMDA office in Makati City.
'I challenge them to charge the alleged culprits in court instead of making public pronouncement on our supposed human rights violations,' Fernando said.
CHR chief Laila De Lima said she would ask the MMDA chair to explain his side regarding the violent clearing of vendors and destruction of their goods during previous and recent operations by the SCOG.
The CHR had reportedly sent numerous summons and invitations to the MMDA chair, who, had so far ignored all of these opportunities to explain their side on the complaints of some group of vendors.
Earlier, Senate majority floor leader Francis Pangilinan has put to task the CHR to investigate the MMDA's 'brutality' against the vendors as he deplored the confiscation of goods being done by the SCOG members.
Fernando, when asked about the summons, said he has not received any of such invitation from the CHR regarding formal complaints of some vendors.
'I don't know of such personal invitation for me. I, myself, and our lawyers are all willing to confront them,' he said.
Fernando said it's premature for the CHR to come up with a statement prejudging the agency of human rights abuses when they have yet to receive copies of the complaints, if any.
'It's too irresponsible, premature for her to have said those things in public. It's like they have condemned us already without trial,' Fernando said.
Unless the commission has validated the complaints, he said the CHR should refrain from giving alarming statements as it would embolden the vendors to fight against the authorities.
Fernando explained that it is part of the standard operating procedure of SCOG members to actually destroy the goods and food they confiscate in front of the vendors.
That way, he said, people will know that MMDA people are not interested with the vendor's merchandise, which are deemed as garbage and, as such, should be disposed to the dumpsite.
Fernando, who presided in the meeting, said the campaign is an interagency effort among concerned government agencies headed by the Department of Energy (DOE) with the participation of the Department of Agriculture (DA), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the MMDA.
'The Philippine government has come up with this campaign as another measure to help the country manage food and energy security. Its aims to convey to the public that the food and energy situation in the country is a reflection of global trends and conditions,' the MMDA secretary said.
'The interagency body seeks to assure the public that the government is working nonstop to address these problems,' Fernando said who had just met the Metro Manila Development Council a day ahead of his birthday celebration on Friday.
Also in the meeting, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Angelo Reyes could not tell if this would translate to a rollback in local fuel prices.
Actually, the cabinet member could not also tell if another round of increases in pump fuel prices is in the offing this weekend.
'We saw five day drop of per barrel in the price of Dubai crude. That's very good news,' Reyes said at the MMDA in Makati City.
Reyes explained, however, that local oil companies compute their losses or 'under-recoveries' on a monthly basis, and that July's dollar drop on Dubai crude and resulting price adjustments would be reflected this August.
'It's hard to predict a rollback. Let's wait and see because July is not yet over. All I'm saying is that this is a good development,' he said, pointing to the decrease in world prices.
As for the possibility of another price hike, the official gave an all too-familiar answer.
'Oil prices are set by the (world) market. I always say this. It has to be kept that way. Let's see how the market will behave.'
When asked if another weekend increase would be justified in spite of the drop, Reyes simply brushed off the question as a 'speculative' one and told the reporter to just wait and see.
(Balita Pinoy - Philippine news & Analysis)
