The Peace Corps are back in Negros

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney visited Negros Occidental over the weekend. Expectedly, she delivered a message hailing the creativity and ingenuity of the Filipino as she optimistically predicted we could hurdle the worldwide economic crisis.

Neither does she expect major changes in the work the United States is doing in the Philippines on development and security under President-elect Barack Obama.

In short, her messages were the predictable ones from a representative of the United States. But that impact upon Negrenses was when she also inducted into office the 65 members of the US Peace Corps. These will reinforce the socio-economic thrust of the US in Negros Occidental.

The induction was held at the Provincial Capitol with Gov. Isidro Zayco in attendance. And the message from Ambassador Kenney was soft but moving “make things happen and make the world they are in better.”

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, DSWD Undersecretary Celia Yangco and some foreign and local dignitaries were also present.

The reply message was just as touching. Excerpts from that statement are: “We assure you of our commitment to service. People tend to view service as a sacrifice, an act of nobility. Our friends in the United States frequently express how proud they are of us. However, our new communities will give each of us so much more than we, as individuals could ever reciprocate.

Negros Occidental is one area where the Peace Corps in the past had left their imprints on the hearts and minds of the people, especially the common tao in the rural areas of the province.

We eagerly anticipate they will contribute to faster development of the province and bring about the meaning of a US reachout to the Filipino people.

Sugar coops to protest Wednesday

Thousands of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries and CLOA-holders will spearhead Wednesday their demand for the removal of the advance VAT which they contend is illegally collected from sugar cooperatives.

Their protest march is expected to be augmented by farm workers and other marginalized sectors, according to Fr. Armand Onion, president of the Ma-ao Parish Multi-purpose Cooperative, Inc.

The protest action will coincide with the visit of a BIR team from Manila. This have been given instructions by BIR Commissioner Sixto Esquivas to dialog with leaders of sugar cooperatives who had asked for a moratorium on the advance VAT collection.

Actually, the sugar coops had already filed a petition for temporary restraining order against the BIR. There is a move to ask for a mandatory preliminary injunction and nullification of BIR Revenue Code 13-2008 before the Court of Tax Appeals in Manila.

The advance VAT collected rose from P46.1 kg., then increased to P86/1kg in 2002, and hit P102 in 2004. Among those participating in the protest action will be sugar cooperatives, church-based groups, professionals and sugar farmers.

The sugar coops are mostly made up of small sugar farmers who were able to partake of small parcels of land under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.

With the price of raw sugar plummeting to less than P1,000 per kg, most of these are hardly able to raise enough for their livelihood, Fr. Orion explained.