PCIJ WebAlert #14.2008

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W H A T ' S N E W @ www.pcij.org
23.April.2008


---------------[ i Report Feature )------

2015 OR BUST?
WHither the MDGs?
by Leonor Magtolis Briones

THIS early, some politicians are already gearing up for 2010. But
there’s another year that’s worth keeping in mind: 2015, which is the
deadline for countries that signed the Millennium Declaration to meet
the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs.

We confess: our eyes glazed over and we had to resort to copious
amounts of coffee while plowing through papers explaining the MDGs.
The goals, after all, are broken down into 18 “quantifiable” targets
“that are measured by 48 indicators,” as the United Nations put it.
Read that as a list of statistics and paragraph upon paragraph of U.N.-
speak.

But behind those statistics and numbing jargon are people — millions
of them, in fact. Some are part of the government bodies and
international development institutions that are supposed to work
together to reach the MDGs. The bulk, however, is made up of the
world’s poorest who are the target beneficiaries of the 15-year global
effort. Considering that the Philippines is not only among the
Millennium Declaration signatories, but also has about a third
(although it feels more than that) of its population deemed poor, the
MDGs should be on almost everyone’s radar in this country. Yet even
those who were supposed to have been given the task to meet the
specific targets seem clueless when asked about these, let alone the
MDGs.

Last October, the Philippine government came out with the midterm
progress report on the goals. Its assessment is that the country is
doing fairly well in terms of meeting most of the targets, but it also
admits there are some sore spots that need to be looked at and
addressed. In the piece that opens i Report’s latest series, which
focuses on the MDGs, former National Treasurer Leonor Magtolis Briones
asserts that the picture becomes even less rosy when the national
figures are broken down to local levels.

The next few weeks will have us visiting places up and down the
country (and maybe even your very own hometown) to see how local
governments are faring with the MDGs. As you can already guess, the
reports on their performances will not all be glowing. But we do hope
to show you precisely why 2015 should be tattooed especially on
politicians’ foreheads.

Read on at http://pcij.org
Post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2300

HIMIG PINOY

The Business of Making Music
by Prime Sarmiento

YES, international stars like George Michael and Prince have painted
major record labels as Big Bad Business that cramp their creativity
(which could be true). But money does make the world go round, and it
also helps keep those CDs spinning merrily and spewing music. Of
course, the music may not stop altogether should the record companies
disappear. It’s likely, though, that many of our musical talents would
then start searching for other means to make a living. At the very
least, they may cut down on their gigs. Which still means less music
to listen to and enjoy.

The closing piece in i Report’s Himig Pinoy series thus looks at how
the local recording industry has been faring in the face of an
increasingly complicated market and the rise of piracy. It finds an
industry that, while still alive, is not exactly doing very well. For
sure, local record labels have managed to find new revenue streams,
which have helped keep them going. But all indications are that this
is one industry that is unlikely to be singing “Hallelujah” anytime
soon.

The piece comes with a sidebar that discusses composers and the issue
of copyrights.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2295


---------------[ The Daily PCIJ )------

VIDEOCAST
Alternative planting method key to rice self-sufficiency
by Alecks P. Pabico

EVEN as the government continues to insist that there is no rice
supply shortage but only an abnormal increase in the price of the
staple owing to soaring world market prices of commodities, the fact
is the country is not 100-percent self-sufficient in rice.

As it is only able to produce 90 percent of the rice it needs, the
Philippines has had to import the grain from other rice-exporting
countries every year. For this year, the government is importing 2.1
million metric tons to maintain its two-month inventory.

To be sure, the Philippines has been resorting to rice importation
over the last half-century. Since 2001, however, rice imports have
grown to 1.32 million metric tons every year, making the country the
number one rice importer in the world.

But to farmers and NGO advocates who have been propagating a rice
planting method developed in Madagascar back in 1983, rice self-
sufficiency is not only not impossible to attain, the government need
not have to resort to importation to feed almost 90 million Filipinos.

Read on, watch the video and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2297