P-NOY CONFIRMS OBAMA INVITE TO U.S. OGP FORUM, SEPT 19 / WHAT IS OGP?
[PHOTO - NOYNOY MEETS US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AT ASEAN MEET]
MANILA, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 (STAR) By Delon Porcalla - President Aquino yesterday confirmed his upcoming trip to the United States, saying he was invited by President Barack Obama to attend a forum there this month, which will also be attended by other heads of state.
"We will be going to the US upon President Obama's invitation for the Partnership for Open Governance (forum). I think I'll be talking also before the World Bank there," Aquino told Palace reporters in an informal interview.
Aquino said the other details of the US trip, scheduled on Sept. 19 to 22, are still being threshed out by both countries. He said the US visit – his second since he assumed office in June 2010 – will be an official visit. He will be in Washington and later in New York.
His first US trip was in September 2010, to the UN General Assembly in New York.
Obama's invitation, according to Aquino, is "specifically for governance, that open governance aspect."
"There are I think 12 countries that are participants and two are in Asia, one of which is Indonesia and the second is the Philippines," he said.
The President also confirmed that he will visit Tokyo, Japan for an official visit, after his US trip, which according to reliable sources is scheduled on Sept. 26 to 28.
"In Japan, it's an official visit. I think there will be good news, if not for both (countries), at least definitely for one that I'll be going back home," Aquino said.
The President had just arrived from a five-day state visit to China last Saturday.
After his US and Japan trips, the President will also be attending the ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia in late October, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Hawaii in mid-November.
Aquino had so far visited nine countries since he assumed office in June 2010, among them the US last September, Vietnam for a state visit in October 2010, and Japan for the APEC summit in November 2010.
He had also been to Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei on state visits.
By next year, sources said Aquino may start his visits to Europe.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the President could not just limit his foreign trips to four or five countries per year, because fellow heads of state have been sending out invitations. She said there is also a need for the President to visit neighboring countries.
"Given the very hectic schedule also of the President, we take into consideration what can be done in deciding on these trips," Valte said.
RELATED HEADLINE FROM DAILY TRIBUNE
POPE'S ENVOY CALLS SIN A 'MAJOR OBSTACLE' TO THE HOLY SEE'S INFLUENCE OVER BISHOPS By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 09/06/2011
'Vatican silenced CBCP amid Gloria quit calls'
Despite an earlier denial, President Aquino admitted yesterday that he is set to travel to the United States and Japan this month right after his five-day State Visit to the Peoples' Republic of China where he tagged along around 200 businessmen and around 70 cabinet members and secretariat staff.
Before his China visit, the President has visited Vietnam, United States, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand although he is just a little over a year in office.
Aquino's admission came only a few days after deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte retracted her pronouncement that the President is also set to go to the US and to Japan and claimed that the President has pending invitations for the two countries but has not given his green light on any of them.
But it now appears that Valte's retraction was a mere attempt to downplay observations that Aquino has been bitten by travel bug as Aquino himself confirmed after administering the oath of newly appointed government officials that he will be going to the US to attend the formal launching of the new international anti-corruption group called the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and after which, he is also set to go to Japan for an official visit.
The OGP will be formally launched in New York on Sept. 20 and Aquino said that he will also take advantage of the opportunity to speak before the World Bank.
The OGP is described a " a new international initiative aimed at securing concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, increase civic participation, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to make government more open, effective, and accountable" and "a vehicle to further advance President (Barack) Obama and Secretary (Hillary) Clinton's goals of strengthening democracy and human rights, fighting corruption, and harnessing technology and innovation to transform governance in the 21st century."
The Philippines is reportedly a member of the multi-stakeholder International Steering Committee which is comprised of government and civil society representatives from around the world. The committee is co-chaired by the United States and Brazil in its inaugural year.
This was reported by the Tribune in 2000, but then Jaime Cardinal Sin, along with former President Corazon Aquino, rejected the call of the Vatican not to meddle in the political affairs of a country nor lead and join street protests against Estrada.
At that time, even the papal nuncio joined the anti-Estrada protesters and the elite civil society, along with the coup plotters, to oust Estrada. The papal nuncio was on the Edsa stage, together with the Sin and the Supreme Court justices, all hailing Gloria Arroyo.
Apparently, the bishops then led by Sin defied the Vatican and the papal wishes, and went on to oust Estrada.
It was then that the bishops alienated themselves from the Filipino masses, as another protest, this time staged by the masses, was rejected by the bishops, priests and religious, turning against the masses, and calling them "unworthy to be in sacred holy ground," apart from calling them the "smelly" and the "unwashed."
While the military and police shot and killed over a dozen protesters and maimed many more, Sin even applauded Gloria Arroyo and praised the military and police for the "right response."
Monsignor Luis Montemayor, Holy See Country Director for the Philippines, was quoted in the US Embassy cable dated July 15, 2005 as saying that the Vatican, through Apostolic Nuncio Antonio Franco, ordered the prelates "to remain neutral" in the controversy surrounding Arroyo, who was accused of massive corruption and cheating in the 2004 presidential polls.
Montemayor told US embassy officials: "We put a lot of pressure on the bishops" not to support the protests calling for the president's resignation, adding that the Vatican "insisted that the bishops distinguish between pastoral care and political involvement."
The Vatican succeeded in its move to restrain the Catholic Bishops from joining mounting calls for Arroyo to resign, a major shift in the CBCP as it veered away from political engagement. It also showed a distinct contrast to the local Church's position under the leadership of the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin when the clergy was politically active.
Sin was described by Montemayor as a "major obstacle" to the Vatican's influence over the bishops," but with his death, the CBCP, he said, was "now hearing our message" and "more amenable to instruction" from the Holy See.
Despite several attempts to overthrow her government, Arroyo was never toppled from office and finished her term until June 30, 2010.
Sin, who retired from office in 2003 and died on June 21, 2005 was very much an activist in the political sphere, having played a key role in the anti-Marcos movement in the 1980s, endorsed and denounced candidates for political office, and made declarations on political issues.
Montemayor, in the cable, emphasized that he had always opposed Catholic clergy's involvement in popular uprisings against the government.
In 2001, with the protests against former President Joseph Estrada, Montemayor said he "pressured the bishops to stay neutral," the US cable said. "They wouldn't listen to me."
Montemayor, the cable added, had suspected that "the bishops were not getting the message" at the time when Sin was still the head of the Church.
Montemayor admitted to US officials that he and Sin do not see eye to eye on the issue of political involvement of the clergy. Sin, he said, "felt it was his moral responsibility toward the people to intervene."
Although the Vatican's preferences on the matter had never been a secret, Montemayor noted the Holy See did not support popular uprisings as a method to remove a government.
In its assessment, the US Embassy observed that the Holy See "is hesitant to get out in front of its bishops in opposing local political leaders," but "also loath to see clergy take active political roles."
The principle of avoiding direct political involvement is enshrined in canon law, even if not always followed, it pointed out.
"Unlike in matters of 'faith and morals,' the Holy See's control over local bishops on political matters is uneven," the cable also said.
In a separate US cable dated July 12, 2005 that was also released by WikiLeaks, then embassy Charge d'Affaires Joseph Mussomeli noted that the local Catholic Church was moving toward pastoral matters than political with the end of Cardinal Sin era.
"Although Sin was close to John Paul II, especially on doctrinal matters, the Vatican was not fully comfortable with his political activities," Mussomeli said citing information from contacts.
"The Church at this point seems to be in a phase of 'Sin-fatigue,'" Mussomeli said and based on the CBCP's July 10, 2005, which did not call for Arroyo's resignation, the bishops "seem very much open to advice from the Vatican on the need to keep out of politics in a direct way."
Despite this, Mussomeli said there is no indication of any change in its views on social issues, such as artificial methods of family planning and Philippine government involvement in that area.
But if the political situation deteriorated in 2005, Mussomeli believed the CBCP would have taken a more activist stance."
ABOUT THE NEW FORUM, 'OGP' FROM http://www.opengovpartnership.org/
We're starting something new.
And we want you to be a part of it.
The Open Government Partnership is a global effort to make governments better. We all want more transparent, effective and accountable governments -- with institutions that empower citizens and are responsive to their aspirations. But this work is never easy.
It takes political leadership. It takes technical knowledge. It takes sustained effort and investment. It takes collaboration between governments and civil society.
The Open Government Partnership is a new multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. In the spirit of multi-stakeholder collaboration, OGP is overseen by a steering committee of eight governments and nine civil society organizations.
To become a member of OGP, participating countries must embrace a high-level Open Government Declaration; deliver a country action plan developed with public consultation; and commit to independent reporting on their progress going forward.
The Open Government Partnership will formally launch in September 2011, when the eight governments on the steering committee embrace the Open Government Declaration and announce their country action plans. We invite you to stand with us in September and signal your country's intent to join OGP and deliver your own action plans when we meet again in Brazil in March 2012.
We're just getting started, and we don't have all the answers. We need your help to make this work. Help shape the development of the Partnership with your ideas by contacting us.
MEDIA NOTE:
Secretary Clinton and Brazilian Foreign Minister to Launch Open Government Partnership on July 12
[PHOTO - AP Photo: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Brazilian FOREIGN MINISTER ANTONIO PATRIOTA]
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota will announce the Open Government Partnership (OGP) at a high-level meeting of governments and civil society at the Department of State on July 12, 2011. The Open Government Partnership is a new, multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.
In the spirit of multi-stakeholder collaboration, OGP is overseen by a steering committee that includes a diverse coalition of governments and civil society organizations and is co-chaired in its inaugural year by Brazilian Minister of State, Head of the Office of the Comptroller General Jorge Hage Sobrinho and Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero.
Last September at the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama challenged countries to embrace open government saying, "When we gather back here next year, we should bring specific commitments to promote transparency; to fight corruption; to energize civic engagement; and to leverage new technologies so that we strengthen the foundation of freedom in our own countries, while living up to ideals that can light the world." OGP aims to do that by engaging a large and diverse group of countries in a fresh conversation about governance challenges.
The July 12 event will convene government and civil society representatives to discuss best practices through interactive panels, issue framing sessions, and idea sprints. Another feature, "Innovation Alley," will demonstrate technologies and other tools and methodologies available from private and non-profit companies and organizations that enhance open government. Representatives from over 50 countries and more than 40 civil society organizations are expected at the day-long event.
This event will set the stage for the formal launch of the Open Government Partnership in September 2011, when the governments on the steering committee will embrace an Open Government Declaration, announce their country action plans to promote OGP principles, and welcome the commitment of additional countries to join the Partnership.
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