The press conference had two parts.

Part 1- Brief presentation of FDC fiscal justice agenda and strategies and demands to be addressed by the new government in the first 100 days (FDC President Ed Tadem). Then responses from FDC members and allies running for seats in Congress – Former House Rep. Walden Bello, and party lists nominees Ang Ating Guro (Benjo Basas), Sanlakas (Leody de Guzman), Partido Manggagawa (Rene Magtubo), Umalab Ka (Atty. Gen Du), and re-electionist Ang Nars (Leah Paquiz).

Part II - Short presentation on illicit financial flows, Panama papers and the Philippines, regional (ASEAN), and global campaign for universal social protection, life of dignity for all. (Speakers: Lidy Nacpil – Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development; Maris Dela Cruz – DIGNIDAD Alliance/Asia-Europe People’s Forum; Kris Vanslambrouk – 11.11.11. – Belgium/Global Campaign on Social Protection for All; Tina Ebro – Network for Transformative Social Protection/Working Group on Agenda for a Social ASEAN)

15 April 2016

PANAMA EXPOSE SHOW THERE IS MONEY FOR ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICES, SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR ALL

MANILA – The Panama papers that exposed the offshore dealings of around 140 political figures worldwide, including the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s descendants, indicate that there is money for essential public services, several civil society groups said Friday.

In a press conference, Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development and convener of Tax Justice Network in Asia, detailed the illicit financial flows revealed in the recent expose by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

“The Philippines is one of 20 countries with the largest average illicit financial flows globally. Traced largely to various types of trade misinvoicing, these flows represent billions of lost and foregone tax revenues critical to developing countries such as the Philippines,” said Nacpil.

Maris dela Cruz, co-convener of DIGNIDAD Alliance, stressed that these billions of dollars can fund the alliance’s eight “urgent demands” so that everyone may live a life of dignity: decent work and livelihood; safe and affordable food; humane housing; free quality health care; free quality education up to tertiary level; guaranteed access to water and power services; living pension for senior citizens and adequate income guarantee to persons with disabilities, unemployed, and survivors of calamity; and safe and efficient public transportation.

“These are what the people, the voters, need from the winners in the upcoming elections. Our demands are urgent because Filipinos are entitled to these rights, and have been deprived of them for a long time. We deserve to enjoy them in our lifetime,” dela Cruz said.

DIGNIDAD’s dela Cruz said these people’s demands need complementary reforms in the agricultural and industrial, as well as in economic, fiscal, and tax policies.

“All these will remain a pipe dream if these are not translated into laws and mechanisms that are funded. For these to become a reality, we also need champions in Congress and government. During this election season, we are raising people’s awareness and building alliances with like-minded people and groups to generate pressure from below,” dela Cruz said.

ASEAN AND GLOBAL CAMPAIGNS

Tina Ebro, co-convener of Network for Transformative Social Protection (NTSP), said networks of trade unions, migrants, civil society organizations, and parliamentarians in the Southeast Asian region are pushing for similar set of demands through the Agenda for a Social ASEAN. A Social ASEAN is one where people’s rights and demands stand above markets and profits; it works for the realization of the people’s economic, social, and cultural rights to a life of dignity for all.

“We call for the adoption of a full social dimension to regional integration by building a Social ASEAN, where sustainable jobs and livelihoods, workers’ rights, essential services especially universal healthcare, food, social security and access to productive resources are guaranteed,” Ebro added.

Ebro said ASEAN integration is irrelevant to its peoples if these demands, which are a means of solving poverty and inequality, are not addressed. “And they can be addressed through a universal and comprehensive social protection system throughout the region,” she said.

Citing a study of the United Nations’ Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), Ebro said that universal and comprehensive social protection system is key in tackling inequality especially in ASEAN.

Ebro said ASEAN member states need to allocate more for social protection spending, noting that such expenditures in ASEAN has been historically very low — average of 4% of GDP when the UN-ILO (United Nations-International Labor Organization) study recommends at least 6% of GDP for social protection floor initiative.

Even in developed countries in Europe such as Belgium, there are massive clamor for social protection for all. Kris Vanslambrouck, Asia Program Manager of the coalition of Belgian civil society organizations 11.11.11 shared that there are twenty organizations in Belgium composed of trade unions, health mutuals and NGOs from various ideological families that formed a coalition last year and have since been campaigning together for a universal and solidarity-based social protection.

“There are more civil society organizations across the globe that also advocate for better, solidarity-based social protection systems with a common goal of ensuring every person – during his/her entire life cycle – a sufficiently large income and access to quality basic services, in order to make sure they are able to cope with the risks and events of life. This can be achieved when social protection systems consist of a coherent set of solidarity-based, structural and collective initiatives and measures.”

Vanslambrouck shared the Global Action for Social Protection this year which enjoins civil society groups in different parts of the world to share their campaigns or initiatives on social protection through a website which shows a world map of actions – to send strong signal for politicians that people and civil society worldwide demand a universal social protection. This web-based campaign is accompanied by endorsement of a manifesto that has the following general demands: right to social protection be embedded in laws and treaties, guaranteed sustainable and solidarity-based financing for universal social protection, involvement of social actors in the development and governance of social protection; and conduct a coherent policy to strengthen social protection at national, regional and international level.

The initial list of countries that will be participating in the Global Action for Social Protection are South Africa, Mali, Uganda, India, Nepal, Congo, Senegal, Peru, Colombia, Indonesia, and Philippines.

DIGNIDAD’s dela Cruz said civil society organization in Asia and Europe, will bring the agenda for a life of dignity for all, universal and comprehensive social protection, to the ASEM leaders during the 11^th ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) summit in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia this July, through the Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF) that will take place, also in Ulaanbaatar, two weeks before the ASEM Summit.

ORGANIZATIONS

Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development is a regional alliance of peoples’ movements, community organizations, coalitions, NGOs and networks. www.apmdd.org

Buhay na may Dignidad para sa Lahat (DIGNIDAD) is a newly-established broad alliance of grassroots networks from labor, urban poor, women, and peasant sectors, political blocs, party lists, human rights NGOs and issue-based coalitions advancing an urgent agenda that will ensure a life of dignity for all Filipinos. It advocates for a universal, comprehensive, and transformative social protection based on human rights, social justice, solidarity, ecological sustainability, and participatory democracy.

Network for Transformative Social Protection (NTSP) is an alliance of urban-poor organizations, trade union federations, social movements, networks for the elderly and people with disability, and progressive parliamentarians and scholars in Asia, especially in ASEAN, seeking to put a sustainable life of dignity for all at the forefront of its key advocacy platforms, including the establishment of the ASEAN community, mainly through regional dialogues and capacity-building seminars in Asia.http://www.lifeofdignity.org/

11.11.11 is a coalition of non-government organizations, unions, movements, and solidarity groups in Belgium that seeks to create a fairer world with no poverty.