ManilaMailDC.Net - RP democracy in decline

Jose Luis Gascon, a Filipino leader, has suggested ways in which the Filipino and international community can focus their efforts to bolster democracy in the Philippines which he said is in recession. Gascon, a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow and executive director of Libertas (Lawyers League for Liberty), gave a lecture before the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington D.C. July 17, 2007. Libertas is a Manila-based network of civic-minded legal professionals committed to the promotion of freedom, equality, and the rule of law in the Philippines.

He said that since the 1986 “People Power” movement toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippines has become known as a democratic success story in the region. But he said that two decades after this historic breakthrough, the country now finds itself in a democratic recession: elections marred by irregularities, political polarization, and low public trust in key institutions now characterize the political landscape. Gascon, who lectures in the political science departments of Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle Universities in Manila, said signs of creeping authoritarianism indicate that Philippine democracy is at risk, and Southeast Asia, in turn, stands to lose one of its few democratic governments.

*** Filam in VA nursing board
Mrs. Perry Francisco has been appointed by Governor T. Kaine to the Virginia State’s Board of Nursing Her term started July 1, 2007 and will last for the next four years. Lobbying for Filipino American leaders and support from state political leaders resulted in her appointment. Special mention was made of State Senator Frank Wagner, the Democratic leaders of Virginia Beach, and Ms. Benavides who helped overcome the obstacles for her appointment.

Supporters said Perry will be an outstanding asset to the Filipino American community in the State of Virginia most especially to the Philippine nurses.

*** LOC Director’s award for Filam
Ms Angela Napili, an information research specialist in the Knowledge Services Group, of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), is this year’s recipient of the Director’s Award. CRS is a department within the Library of Congress which directly serves the US Congress. On its headline, the CRS Report, the CRS staff newsletter, proclaimed Angela Napili as “The Ideal Information Professional!”

In presenting the award, CRS Director, Daniel Mulhollan, stated that “the award criteria set a high bar. This year’s recipient easily cleared the hurdle. She has in innumerable ways demonstrated the high quality of work, professionalism, collaborative skills, judgment and outstanding service to our clients that serve as a model for all CRS staff." he Director’s Award is given for excellence in work that serves the Congress, directly or indirectly, in research, analysis and writing or operations, service and support. Ms. Napili was recommended for the award by Heidi Yacker, head of the Domestic Social Policy Consulting Section of the Knowledge Services Group, and Assistant Head, Fran Larkins, who says: “Angela continually amazes me. To me she’s the ideal, the example of what an information professional should be. Her response to congressional requests is phenomenal -the questions she’s able to answer, the resources she’s able to find, and her speed and energy in doing it.”

As a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in library and information services at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Angela Napili was selected as an intern in CRS in the summer of 1999. She was permanently hired the following year at the CRS Office of Information Resources Management and was eventually assigned to the Knowledge Services Group (KSG) when it was formed in 2005. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University. She was born in Makati, a suburb of Manila, but grew up in San Francisco, where her parents, originally of Legaspi City in the Bicol area of southern Luzon, settled when they immigrated to the United States. (Herminia Ubaldo Smith)

*** GMA greets Filipino achievers
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in a special message to the Filipinos extends her warmest greetings to the Twenty Outstanding Filipinos Abroad (TOFA) who will be presented on September 1, 2007, according to a press release of Filamimage magazine, Pinoy Global Online News and Ram Memorial Foundations all owned by Nonoy Mendoza. The President said: “This event, which pays homage to Filipinos who have exhibited excellence in their respective fields, sends a strong message to the world that Filipinos are not only hard-working and responsible citizens but also world-class achievers who strive to make a difference wherever they may be.” writes President Arroyo.*“I laud FILIPINO IMAGE Magazine."

*** DC mayor hit on new hirings
DC Mayor Adrian Fenty’s appointments have generated some form of resentment within the African American community for appointing non-Blacks to top posts in the city. In a city which is nearly 60 percent African American, Black Mayor Adrian Fenty has somehow managed to fill the top ten most powerful positions in his cabinet with five whites, three Asians, one Hispanic and just one black.

The above fact has been overshadowed by the controversy over his selection of Korean American Michelle Rhee to be chancellor of the city's public schools. Rhee has minimal teaching experience, admits she has had difficulty dealing with black school children and acknowledges that students ran her out of the classroom when she taught briefly in a low-income neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland.