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16 February 2010

U.P. forum on The Promise of Redemption: BESRA and the Need for Higher Education Reform

The University of the Philippines

Office of the President

Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs

College of Education, College of Law and the

Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UCIDS)

cordially invite you to a forum on

The Promise of Redemption: BESRA and the Need for Higher Education Reform

Maria Serena I. Diokno

Convenor

Ma. Cynthia Rose B. Bautista

Allan B. I. Bernardo

Dina Ocampo

Panel Members

Arguing that Philippine education should be treated as cohesive passageways to learning, the panel examines the philosophical and practical underpinnings of current reform plans and proposals. The nature and pace of reforms already in place will be analyzed. Despite its rich and progressive content, for example, why has the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) not moved fast enough? The panel also extends its analysis to higher education and proposes guidelines for reform in the tertiary sector.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 2:00 – 5:00 pm

NISMED Auditorium, UP Diliman Campus

Beamed live to

UP Baguio, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Mindanao, UPOU, UP Visayas at Iloilo, Cebu and Tacloban

For inquiries please call 4359283 or fax 9293540

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05 February 2010

CALL FOR PAPERS: International Conference on Postcolonial Praxis

CALL FOR PAPERS
International Conference on Postcolonial Praxis


Department of English and Comparative Literature
College of Arts and Letters
University of the Philippines
UP Diliman, Quezon City
21-23 July 2010


Through this conference, we invite participants from other parts of the Philippines and from other former colonies /countries in the “Global South” (i.e., “underdeveloped , “developing”, “Third World”, decolonizing societies) to reexamine and to re-territorialize Anglo-American, English, American, French, German, Dutch, Hispanic, Latin American Studies, programs and projects.


The conference aims to provide a venue for the construction of a general programmatic of postcolonial knowledge-production and other postcolonial cultural practices which can be disseminated through formal educational institutions as curricula and courses; informal/alternative educational groups; professional organizations; mass media; computer-aided technologies, and through cultural networks.

Plenary speakers include Professor Reynaldo C. Ileto of National University of Singapore and UP Diliman University Professor Emeritus Gemino H. Abad.


Postcolonial Praxis: Theories, Cultural Practices and Movements for the Global South

THEMES


• Postcolonial Writing/ Visual Arts / Performance Arts and the New technologies • Recuperating Colonial Languages
• Re
territorializing Language and Literature Studies in the Global South
• Problematizing the “National” in National Cultural Practices • Issues and Concerns of a National Language in a Decolonizing Society
• Dialectics of Native Authenticity & Cultural Hybridity
• Politics of “Otherness”, “Politics of Othering” Nation Formation and Postcolonial Cultural Studies
• Understanding / Re
semanticizing the Role of the “the Folk” / “Millenarian”/ “Cargo Cults” in the Histories of Nation Formation
• History and Counter Memory or Alternative Historiographies in / for Postcolonial/ Cultural Studies
• Problems of Representation (e.g., essentialism vs. ghettoism; “strategic essentialism”; tokenism)
• Politics of Location (ethnic, class, race, gender, religion, generation, etc ) and Cultural Praxis
• Postcolonial Politics and Climate Change
• Postcolonialism and Critiques of Disciplinary Domain Assumptions / Theoretical Legacies / Subject Areas

Please submit panel and paper proposals to the Conference Convenor:
Professor Priscelina Patajo
Legasto

Deadline for submission of abstracts is on 30 March 2010
Final conference details will be posted on 15 April 2010
Conference website: www.updecl.org

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01 February 2010

DZUP back on the air

DZUP 1602, the official radio station of UP Diliman, returns to the airwaves starting February 1, 2010. The station will be testing a new programming grid, and will be officially launched on March 1.

DZUP 1602 will be using a new tower and transmitter, and will be broadcasting at 5 kilowatts power making the station available throughout Metro Manila and in parts of Bulacan and Pampanga (up north) and Cavite and Laguna (down south). The station, which broadcasts from the Media Center of the College of Mass Communications in UP Diliman, will be available from 12 noon to 8 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.

The programs on DZUP are station-produced by the faculty members and student-interns of the Broadcast Communication Department, which utilizes the station as a laboratory. Included in the station‘s revitalized program line-up are "Abogado ng Bayan" (daily at 4:00-5:00 p.m.) produced with the UP College of Law, and "Itanong kay Engineer" (daily at 6:00-7:00 p.m.) produced with the UP College of Engineering.

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Beyond 2010: Leadership for the Next Generation -- A UP Academic’s Congress To Challenge our Next Leaders

Beyond 2010: Leadership for the Next Generation

A UP Academic’s Congress To Challenge our Next Leaders

February 1 to 5, 2010

Malcolm Hall, College of Law

University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

(admission is free / open to the public)

This academic congress intends to identify the current issues, map the various approaches that have been tried in the past, provide some assessment of their gains and failures and draw out possible actions that must be done by the next administration. It is intended to empower the general public by making these issues transparent. It is not solely addressed to the candidates for the 2010 elections. At the end of the forum, the public should be able to draw their own measurable objectives and milestones that can be achieved within the next six years hence allowing them to craft questions which they can ask from their candidates and make wise choices. The forum should draw responses from the political candidates that will go beyond mere generalities or rhetoric.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

DAY 1 - February 1, 2010, Monday

8:30 AM Start of Registration Proper

9:30 AM Opening Ceremonies

9:30 – 9:45 AM Opening Remarks by Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen

9:45 – 10:00 AM Message from UP President Emerlinda R. Roman

10:00- 10:45 AM “What Truly Matters to Filipinos?” by Prof. Randolf S. David

10:45 – 12:00 AM Open Forum

12:00 – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 1: Jobs and the Cost of Doing Business

3:45 – 5:45 PM Session 2: Debt and Deficits

DAY 2 - February 2, 2010, Tuesday

8:30 AM Registration Proper

9:00 – 11:00 AM Session 3: Political Economy of Mindanao

11:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1:00 – 3:00 PM Session 4: Health and Politics

DAY 3 - February 3, 2010, Wednesday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 5: Diaspora of Filipinos

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 6: Property Reform and Related Issues

12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 7: Urban Development and Housing

3:45 – 5:45 PM Session 8: Science and Technology

DAY 4 - February 4, 2010, Thursday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 9: Confronting Trade, Markets and Regulation

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 10: Foreign Policy

12:30 – 2:00 PM Lunch Break

2:00 – 4:00 PM Session 11: Climate Change and DRR

DAY 5 - February 5, 2010, Friday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 12: Culture of Impunity

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 13: Elections and How to Choose Leaders

12:30 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 14: Labor

3:45 – 4:45 PM Summary by the Chief Rapporteurs

4:45 PM Closing Remarks by UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao

Session 15: Energy Security (Third week of February)

Beyond 2010: Leadership for the Next Generation

A UP Academic’s Congress To Challenge our Next Leaders

February 1 to 5, 2010

Malcolm Hall, College of Law

University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

This academic congress intends to identify the current issues, map the

various approaches that have been tried in the past, provide some

assessment of their gains and failures and draw out possible actions

that must be done by the next administration. It is intended to

empower the general public by making these issues transparent. It is

not solely addressed to the candidates for the 2010 elections. At the

end of the forum, the public should be able to draw their own

measurable objectives and milestones that can be achieved within the

next six years hence allowing them to craft questions which they can

ask from their candidates and make wise choices. The forum should draw

responses from the political candidates that will go beyond mere

generalities or rhetoric.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

DAY 1 - February 1, 2010, Monday

8:30 AM Start of Registration Proper

9:30 AM Opening Ceremonies

9:30 – 9:45 AM Opening Remarks by Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen

9:45 – 10:00 AM Message from UP President Emerlinda R. Roman

10:00- 10:45 AM “What Truly Matters to Filipinos?” by Prof. Randolf S. David

10:45 – 12:00 AM Open Forum

12:00 – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 1: Jobs and the Cost of Doing Business

3:45 – 5:45 PM Session 2: Debt and Deficits

DAY 2 - February 2, 2010, Tuesday

8:30 AM Registration Proper

9:00 – 11:00 AM Session 3: Political Economy of Mindanao

11:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1:00 – 3:00 PM Session 4: Health and Politics

DAY 3 - February 3, 2010, Wednesday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 5: Diaspora of Filipinos

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 6: Property Reform and Related Issues

12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 7: Urban Development and Housing

3:45 – 5:45 PM Session 8: Science and Technology

DAY 4 - February 4, 2010, Thursday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 9: Confronting Trade, Markets and Regulation

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 10: Foreign Policy

12:30 – 2:00 PM Lunch Break

2:00 – 4:00 PM Session 11: Climate Change and DRR

DAY 5 - February 5, 2010, Friday

8:30 – 10:30 AM Session 12: Culture of Impunity

10:30 – 12:30 PM Session 13: Elections and How to Choose Leaders

12:30 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1:30 – 3:30 PM Session 14: Labor

3:45 – 4:45 PM Summary by the Chief Rapporteurs

4:45 PM Closing Remarks by UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao

Session 15: Energy Security (Third week of February)

First Day – February 1, 2010, Monday

Morning

Opening Sessions

Message: “The Imperatives for Philippine Society within the Next Generation”

(President Emerlinda R. Roman, University of the Philippines)

Discussions: “What Should Truly Matter to Filipinos?” (Prof. Randolf S. David,

Department of Sociology, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Afternoon

Session 1: Jobs and the Cost of Doing Business in the Philippines (Former Dean

Raul V. Fabella, School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dr. Cielito F. Habito

Department of Economics, Ateneo Manila University

Dr. Cayetano W. Paderanga Jr.

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Session 2: Debt and Deficits (Dean Emmanuel S. de Dios, School of Economics,

University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dr. Felipe M. Medalla

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Benjamin E. Diokno

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Leonor M. Briones

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

The panel on debt and deficits will critically examine what is right and what is wrong with the state of public expenditures and revenues. It will assess what room, if any, exists for fiscal expansion beyond 2010. A concrete proposal will be put forward regarding the level and pattern of spending, with priority areas being delineated. The panel will identify urgent, high-impact, and readily implementable reforms to raise revenue effectively and equitably. Potential threats to continuing fiscal stability will be identified. Finally, the political economy of the budgetary process involving the executive, legislature, and local governments will be explained and directions for reform indicated.

Second Day – February 2, 2010, Tuesday

Morning

Session 3: Backrooms, Battlefields, and Backhoes: The Mindanao Conundrum (Dr. Eduardo C. Tadem, Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dean Julkipli M. Wadi

Institute of Islamic Studies, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Rudy B. Rodil

Department of History, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology

Dr. Eduardo C. Tadem

Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Mr. Francisco J. Lara Jr.

Ph.D. Candidate, London School of Economics and Political Science

Panel Abstract

In contrast to the belief that growth and development have bypassed Mindanao, its socio-economic development shows that the region has been a primary contributor to the country’s productive capacities. But the wealth generated has only resulted in a more distressed socio- economic condition for Mindanao than for the nation as a whole, an enigma exacerbated by internal colonialism—the transfer of wealth from the south to the nucleus of political-economic power in the north.

The relation of the Philippine State and the Bangsamoro polity has often been subjected to a “Sisyphean ordeal,”—each time a new development emerges, e.g., a vision of social order, political arrangement, or policy reform, it is always followed and often times countered by subsequent development, leaving the whole relation in tatters while the vision is left to cascade into dramatic irrelevance. Of equal concern is the plight of Mindanao’s 35 Lumad tribes—indigenous communities who live outside Moro areas.

Severely marginalized as a result of state resettlement programs, they now assert their own identity and right to self-determination by focusing on securing ancestral domain claims, a right that government and the other Mindanao sectors must recognize to allow the Lumads to create and develop their own social spaces.

Finally, the Maguindanao massacre can be understood by looking at the interface between two types of armed challenges—“vertical armed challenge against the state,” (i.e., MNLF and the MILF), and “horizontal armed challenges” symbolized by “inter- and intra-clan and group violence.” An “exclusionary political economy developed through contest and violence” has impoverished Muslims. Growth has been artificial while “the exploitation of lootable or non- lootable resources opens up new arenas of conflict, and a rise in violence.”

Afternoon

Session 4: Building Blocks to the Universal Enjoyment of the Right to Health (Prof.

Mary Lou L. Alcid, College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the

Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dean Alberto G. Romualdez Jr.

Graduate School for Health Sciences, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila,

Dr. Edelina Padilla-Dela Paz

College of Medicine, University of the Philippines-Manila

Dr. Elizabeth R. Paterno

College of Medicine, University of the Philippines-Manila

Former Dean Fatima A. Castillo

College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines-Manila

Panel Abstract

Every one has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical, mental, reproductive and sexual health, and an enabling environment to guarantee its enjoyment. This frames the panel’s analysis of persisting and widening health inequities in the Philippines with adverse consequences on the poor, women and other marginalised sectors.

The panel examines health care system with focus on the organisation and governance of health services, cost of medicine and other health supplies, the training and distribution of health professionals, and health financing. Moreover, it interrogates the contentious terrain of reproductive health using the gender justice lens.

Working on the thesis that the health of the Filipino nation will not progress until meaningful improvements in the health of its most disadvantaged sectors are achieved, proposals to reform the current health care system NOW are discussed. Primary health care as key to democratizing health care and partnership development amongst stakeholders are underscored.

Session 5: Secularisms and Fundamentalisms (Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Center for

Women’s Studies, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio

Center for Women’s Studies, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Ibarra M. Gutierrez III

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Third Day – February 3, 2010, Wednesday

Morning

Session 6: The Diaspora of Filipinos: Strategic Issues, Concerns, And Alternatives

(Prof. Mary Lou L. Alcid, College of Social Work and Community Development, University

of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Prof. Mary Lou L. Alcid

College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Virgel C. Binghay

School of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Jorge V. Tigno

Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Maria Angela C. Villalba

Executive Director, Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation

Panel Abstract

At least ten percent of the 91 million Filipinos are overseas on a permanent or temporary basis in pursuit of a better quality of life for themselves and their families. While freedom of movement is a fundamental human right, the continuing reliance of the government on overseas employment as an economic strategy, if not a de facto policy, for more than three decades and its concomitant social costs are critical development issues. More so in the context of neoliberal globalization that virtually subsumes human rights to market considerations, and institutionalizes framing of labor migration within trade in services.

The panel shall provide the terrain on current discourse on the diaspora of Filipinos, both land and sea-based, and give voice to strategic issues and concerns from the perspective of migrants. It will highlight engagement by migrant organisations in governance, particularly the exercise of the right to suffrage, and the building of socio-economic alternatives to overseas employment.

Session 7: Property Reform and Related Issues (Prof. Elmer M. Ferrer, College of

Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Prof. Maria Dolores R. Bernabe

College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Ernesto M. Ordoñez

Chair, Agriwatch, Inc.

Prof. Jay L. Batongbacal

Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

The persistence of structural inequities, market imperfections and weaknesses in governance in Philippine society calls for approaches to social development beyond conventional delivery of social services. It demands for approaches that address equitable opportunity and social justice. Property reform as a strategy to social development hopes to empower people to be more responsive, democratic and accountable for their own development. The panel presentations will examine the state of current property reform programs in the agricultural and coastal and marine sectors, identify current challenges, and propose institutional, policy and resource requirements that must be met in order to undertake an effective property reform program in the country.

Afternoon

Session 8: Rethinking Urban Policy: Spatial, Economic, and Institutional Aspects

(Dr. Toby Melissa C. Monsod, School of Economics, University of the Philippines-

Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Former Prof. Ernesto M. Serote

School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dean Danilo A. Silvestre

School of Architecture, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Cayetano W. Paderanga Jr.

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

Thirty years ago, less than 40% of the population was considered urban. Thirty years from now, more than 70% will be. An urban area may be a city or municipality in its entirety or a central district/poblacion or barangay alone, and is officially considered urban based on a minimum population density or the presence of establishments and structures of a specific type and predominant occupation (non-agriculture). Urban development is the creation of the built environment; urban land use planning, the regulation of location, intensity and direction of development of the built environment.

How is urban policy currently practiced? To what degree did it contribute to the scale of Typhoon Ondoy’s impact in Metro Manila and contiguous provinces? What lessons can be learned for emerging cities and metropolitan areas across the country? The panel examines the efficiency of urban policy, its formulation and implementation, and what local officials can but often fail to do as urban planners and managers.

Session 9: Science and Technology (Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, Institute of Mathematics,

University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dean Rowena Cristina L. Guevara

College of Engineering, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dean Caesar A. Saloma

College of Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Roger D. Posadas

Technology Management Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

It is widely recognized that science and technology are essential to economic progress. Thus dismal public investment in research and development in Science and Technology (S & T) is among the reasons cited why the Philippines, once considered the region’s second strongest economy, now lags behind many of its neighbors. Many Filipino scientists and engineers have joined the exodus of talent overseas, as our weak industry is not able to provide enough jobs and has no need for Research and Development (R & D).

What is the state of S & T in the country? What are the main problems and challenges faced by the S & T community and how can these be addressed? How should we measure scientific productivity and technological innovation and how can these be harnessed and integrated into national development strategies? The discussions in this panel will address these questions and suggest a way forward.

Fourth Day – February 4, 2010, Thursday

Morning

Session 10: Confronting Trade, Markets, and Regulation (Dean Marvic M.V.F.

Leonen, College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dr. Maria Joy V. Abrenica

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

School of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

Our economic reality is constantly shaped by rules-based systems. This is true at the global level through formal treaties such as those within the World Trade Organization or those that create new preferential trade agreements. This is also true at the local level through constitutional provisions, statutes and regulations. How the next administration will intervene at the global and the domestic level to facilitate or address the weaknesses of “market forces” will continue to shape the lives of all Philippine societies.

The panel will explore issues relating to how the Philippines may, internationally or domestically, relate to the market. It discusses various frameworks and questions which the next administration may have to deal with.

Session 11: Philippine Foreign Relations (Dr. Eduardo T. Gonzalez, Asian Center,

University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Former Dean Aileen S.P. Baviera

Asian Center, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Herman Joseph S. Kraft

Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

In the past, Philippine foreign policy has, at times, been criticized as reactive and lacking a strategic framework to guide the definition of the nation’s interests and goals. The current fluidity of the international environment makes it imperative that a policy assessment be conducted with the end in view of helping re-define many of our key interests in relation to this environment, and examining critical interventions for policy makers to undertake. This panel hopes to make an important contribution in identifying challenges as well as opportunities, especially in key issues arising from US primacy, human security, regional integration trends, and the emergence of new Asian powers China and India.

Afternoon

Session 12: Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Trends, Challenges,

Lessons, and Response Options (Prof. Lenore P. Dela Cruz, College of Social Work

and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Dean Antonio G. M. La Viña

Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University,

Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay

National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Emmanuel M. Luna

College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

Over the last decade, the Philippines ranked 10thin the Global Climate Risk Index. Without doubt, climate change is one of the most important challenges to social development and human security of our time. One of the impacts of climate change is the increasing frequency and intensity of weather-related disasters such as tropical cyclones, floods and droughts. Evidence suggests that the impact of climate change will be felt first and hardest by the poor. Disasters bring about loss of lives, damage to properties and other assets, and costly reversals of development gains. This makes climate change and disaster risk reduction a strategic economic and moral imperative for the Philippines. The panel presentations will argue that addressing this imperative requires multi-dimensional, multi-disciplinary, multi-scale and multi-stakeholder responses at the policy, program and practice levels.

Fifth Day – February 5, 2010, Friday

Morning

Session 13: Addressing Impunity (Prof. Theodore O. Te, College of Law, University of

the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Former President Francisco Nemenzo

University of the Philippines

Former Dean Raul C. Pangalangan

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Rep. Lorenzo R. Tanada III

Chair of the House Committee on Human Rights, House of Representatives

Prof. Ibarra M. Gutierrez III

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

This panel will address the culture of impunity that has prevailed in the country with extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of media practitioners and political activists.

While not losing focus on the high incidences of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during this administration, a historical examination of our nation’s experience with impunity will also be made in the hope that we may learn from the past to truly chart a meaningful future. More than just being a discussion on legal remedies, the panel will identify causes of impunity, weaknesses in political, judicial, and even social structures that allow the culture of impunity to flourish. Practical as well as urgent changes to law, policy and practice that address impunity will be put forward.

Session 14: Elections and How to Choose Leaders (Dean Alex B. Brillantes Jr.,

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-

Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Former Dean Jose V. Abueva

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Prof. Leonor M. Briones

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Ebinezer R. Florano

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Edna E.A. Co

National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Panel Abstract

Reforms in governance have always been considered primordial if we are to address the pervasive problem of poverty and improve the lives of our people. The discussion and debates on what reforms to undertake have become more relevant and heated with the coming election of leaders of the country at the national and local levels. More specifically, from a public administration and governance perspective, reforms must be targeted and implemented at three levels: institutions, behavior and leadership.

Indeed, it is imperative to reform institutions. Institutional reforms include reforming structures, processes, procedures, including the electoral process. Governance reforms must also include a long term and comprehensive agenda to change the paradigm mindsets, behavior and even value system of the actors in governance, be they in government, the private sector or even civil society. Finally, governance reforms also must include reforms in leadership.

Conventionally, the traditional manner by which leaders are chosen is through elections. The whole question here is how have elections worked – or not worked – in the Philippine context. And what kinds of leaders have emerged from the conventional electoral processes. Consistent with the abovementioned framework, and proceeding from leadership as a handle, the discussions emphasize reforms in institutions and processes and paradigms. More specifically, the panel will also address proposed reforms in the electoral process, which operationalizes a major principle of governance, that of participation. It will also address proposed reforms in the demand side of the electoral process, specifically in terms of educating the citizenry and changing their paradigms that serve as the basis for the selection of leaders, at the national and local levels.

Afternoon

Session 15: Labor–Revisiting Constitutional Guarantees (Prof. Patricia R.P.S.

Daway, College of Law, College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presentors

Prof. Patricia R.P. Salvador Daway

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo

University of the Philippines-Diliman

Former Dean Merlin M. Magallona

College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dep. Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac

Ateneo de Manila Law School, Ateneo de Manila University

Panel Abstract

The constitutional provisions on Social Justice and Human Rights guarantee seven cardinal rights to workers. In theory, these rights afford full protection to workers but the question of enforcement remains. Are these rights a reality or a mere illusion? The panel thus proposes to examine these rights vis-à-vis their actual application in the workplace. Highlighting issues and concerns raised by workers in selected industries, the employer sector’s level of compliance with national legislation concerning workers’ rights will be reexamined.

The panel will then look into labor policy reforms for the 21st century, in the light of labor market realities and reshaping of the world of work, focusing on labor relations and contractualization. Finally, the panel will explore some problems arising from the context of the global migration processes. These problems are viewed in their interrelation with the country’s foreign policy as a whole.

Synthesis by the Chief Rapporteurs (Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon-Bautista,

Department of Sociology, University of the Philippines-Diliman

and

Dr. Maria Serana I. Diokno, Department of History, University of the Philippines-

Diliman)

Closing Remarks by Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Sponsors

Office of the President, University of the Philippines

Office of the Chancellor, University of the Philippines

College of Law

College of Engineering

College of Science

College of Social Sciences and Philosophy

College of Social Work and Community Development

National College of Public Administration and Governance

School of Economics

Asian Center

Center for Integrative and Development Studies

Center for Women’s Studies

Diliman Interactive Learning Center

Institute of Islamic Studies

Third World Studies Center


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