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.

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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)

Discussion: “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 Presenters
Dr. Cielito F. Habito
Department of Economics, Ateneo Manila University

Dr. Cayetano W. Paderanga, Jr.

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

To create jobs we need to reduce the cost of doing business.

What are these costs, how do we compare, what do we do about
them?

"In order for jobs to be created, investments have to be made. In

turn there must be reasonable prospects for profit. In the
Philippines job creation has been slow because the investment
rate is very low. One big reason is that the cost of
starting and running a business is also very high with the cost
of power, transport cost and cost of security and remediation
through the courts. This is especially true of firms competing
with foreign goods. We look at these costs and suggest
remedies."

"Most of the poverty and unemployment is in the rural and

agricultural sector. To create jobs in the rural areas, we have to
make our agriculture and agri-based industries very dynamic.
One way is to lower transportation cost, reduce input cost and
allow larger firms to participate via sanctioning larger land
ownership."

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 Session 2: Debt and Deficits (Dean Emmanuel S. De
Dios, School of Economics, University of the Philippines-
Diliman)

Panel Presenters
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

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 Presenters
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

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 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

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.‖

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 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 Presenters
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

Dr. Elizabeth R. Paterno

College of Medicine, University of the Philippines

Former Dean Fatima A. Castillo

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

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 marginalized sectors.

The panel examines health care system with focus on

the organization 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: Fundamentalisms and Secularism (Dr.

Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Center for Women’s Studies,
University of the Philippines-Diliman)

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 Panel Presenters
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

A discussion of current challenges to the Philippines as a

secular state. Panelists will focus on the question of religion,
constitutional provisions on secularism and violations in law
and practice. Religious fundamentalist attacks on the political
process and political candidates will be dissected. Secularism
will also be "unpacked" as a concept in order to surface certain
broad principles for governance.

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 Presenters
Prof. Mary Lou L. Alcid
College of Social Work and Community Development, University
of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Virgel C. Binghay

Director, Center for Industry Productivity & Competitiveness,
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

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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 organizations 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 Presenters
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

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

7
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 Presenters
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

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.

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 Session 9: Science and Technology (Dr. Fidel R.
Nemenzo, Institute of Mathematics, University of the
Philippines-Diliman)

Panel Presenters
Dean Caesar A. Saloma
College of Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dean Rowena Cristina L. Guevara

College of Engineering, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Roger D. Posadas

Technology Management Center, University of the Philippines-
Diliman

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)

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 Panel Presenters
Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo
School of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of the
Philippines-Diliman

Dr. Maria Joy V. Abrenica

School of Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Dean Marvic M.V.F. Leonen

College of Law, University of the Philippines

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 Presenters
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

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

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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 Presenters
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

Over the last decade, the Philippines ranked 10th in 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.

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Fifth Day – February 5, 2010, Friday

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

Panel Presenters
Prof. Ibarra M. Gutierrez III
College of Law, University of the Philippines

Former Dean Raul C. Pangalangan

College of Law, University of the Philippines

Rep. Lorenzo R. Tanada III

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

Former President Francisco Nemenzo

University of the Philippines

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: Election and How to Choose Leaders

(Dean Alex B. Brillantes Jr., National College of Public
Administration and Governance, University of the
Philippines-Diliman)

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 Panel Presenters
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

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.

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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. Salvador Daway, College
of Law, University of the Philippines)

Panel Presenters
Prof. Patricia R.P. Salvador Daway
College of Law, University of the Philippines

Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo

University of the Philippines

Former Dean Merlin M. Magallona

College of Law, University of the Philippines

Dep. Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac

Ateneo de Manila Law School, Ateneo de Manila University

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
application 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 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.

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Finally, the panel will look into labor policy reforms for the 21 st
century, in the light of labor market realities and reshaping of
the world of work, focusing on labor relations and
contractualization.

Closing Remarks by Chancellor Sergio S. Cao,

University of the Philippines-Diliman

Session 16: Energy Security (Third week of February)

Synthesis by the Chief Rapporteurs (Dr. Maria ynthia

Rose Banzon-Bautista, Department of Sociology,
University of the Philippines-Diliman
and Dr. Maria Serena I. Diokno, Department of History,
University of the Philippines-Diliman)

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 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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