SALCEDA DOWN PLAYS AFP'S BLAMING OF INSURGENCY TO LGUS

By CET DEMATERA

LEGAZPI CITY---Economist and Albay Gov. Joey Salceda has down played yesterday
the pronouncement of Armed Forces Chief General Ricardo David Jr. that local
government units (LGUs), and not the AFP, are the ones to blame for the
continued existence of communist insurgency in the Philippines.

Citing facts and figures, Salceda stressed out that though LGUs are the ones in
the front line of solving the insurgency problem, but they are not equipped with

enough resources and shares of collected revenues to effect steps that would
dissolved the 41-year-old communist revolutionary movement.

Salceda was reacting to a story recently published in a daily newspaper where
David was quoted to fingerpoint to the LGUs as the ones to blame in the
country's communist insurgency for their alleged failure to "be good in their
delivery of social services."

"With LGUs accounting for measly 2.84% of Gross Domestic Product and 17.67% of
the national budget and further diffused over 42,000 bgys, numerous towns and
cities and 79 provinces, it is simply not feasible to pin down the resolution of

the insurgency problem on LGUs?. Compare that to China where GUs account for 66%

of the budget and they retain collections and just remit the balance to the
central government," Salceda told The SUN through email.

Salceda said that due to such unjust distribution of assets, LGUs being at the
forefront of government have to contend with the day-to-day concerns of their
constituencies and make up for the sweeping deficiency of an imperial central
government.

"We are loaded with mandates and imperatives but are deprived of resources and
powers," the economist governor lamented.

He even cited as a specific example the case of the on-going Rapu-rapu mining in

Albay which he said creates so much socio-political tension but it is largely a
national imposition on the local community. The company is paying mining taxes
to Makati City and not in Albay.

"With insurgency already a historical initial condition to LGUs economic effort
compounded by deficit in resources in face of mounting demands for better
standards of livings, LGUs are first to be crushed in the

middle," Salceda stressed out.

Salceda, who is also the chairman of the Bicol Regional Development Council
(RDC), said that social injustice articulated by intergenerational mass poverty
is the real culprit behind the longest running insurgency in world.

"As graphically depicted by a World Bank illustration of GRDP/sq km, the
countryside has been

structurally deprived of economic opportunity. And 74% of the country's poor is
rural. And such marginalization, in fact pauperization of the countryside
continues unabated till now. " Salceda said.

Salceda said the situation is even "being aggravated by structures of injustice
in the guise of market efficiency- spikes in WESM prices with NPC power assets
now 91% privatization, 277% hike in SLEX tolls."

The Albay governor was among those who opposed before the Supreme Court the SLEX

toll rates hikes. (cet dematera)
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