October 2008
Dear friends of Philippine liberalism,
Forgive our long silence. We have been very busy with one activity after
another. The hectic pace started in August, which was the 25th anniversary of
the death of liberal hero Benigno Ninoy Aquino Jr. The Friedrich Naumann
Foundation for Liberty (FNF) marked this day of valour by recognizing living
liberal examples of courage. Together with the liberal family, FNF extolled
Ramon Magsaysay awardees for government service: Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo
(2000), former Senator Jovito Salonga (2007) and Isabela Governor Grace Padaca
(2008) as examples of integrity in leadership.
September opened with two major back-to-back events. Manila was host to the
10th anniversary conference of the Economic Freedom Network Asia (EFN Asia).
Aside from returning to its roots in the Philippines, it also revisited the
basics of economic freedom with property rights as this years theme. The
conference attracted over 200 international and local participants and
discussed such topics as: the legal and economic perspectives, acquisition of
property by the state, significance of property rights in the Economic Freedom
of the World index and the challenges to property rights in Asia.
Highlighting the EFN Asia conference was the launch of the Philippine edition
of the Economic Freedom of the World: 2008 Report. This is a statistical index
of economic freedom worldwide, and it shows empirically that countries with
economic freedom are richer and more developed.
October was devoted to officials both local and international. Two German MPs:
Jürgen Klimke from the Christian Democratic Union and Hellmut
Königshaus from the oppositionist Free Democratic Party were in Manila to
learn about the human rights situation from civil society. They had two
meetings. First they met with the Philippine Working Group for an ASEAN Human
Rights Mechanism to learn about developments in establishing a human rights
body in the ASEAN Charter. They also had a dinner discussion with
representatives from the academe, think tanks, research institutions,
grassroots organizations, human rights groups and the media about the current
state of democracy in the Philippines and the various reform proposals.
Later on in the month, the FNF Alumni Group organized its second International
Academy for Leadership replication seminar in the Philippines. This time the
topic was on new public management: lean state, lean government. Twenty-one
local officials met in Naga City to explore how to run governments more
efficiently and effectively at the least cost possible. Key speakers were Mayor
Jesse Robredo and Isabela Governor Grace Padaca who shared their personal
experiences on how to make government more transparent, accountable and
accessible.
Until next time & stay tuned!
Siegfried Siggi Herzog
Foundation Recognizes Liberal Leaders for Excellence in Government Service
21 August 2008 marked the 25th anniversary of the assassination of former
Senator Ninoy Aquino and the 37th anniversary of the bombing of Plaza Miranda.
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, the National Institute for Policy
Studies and the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) marked this day of valor
by honoring the LPs present day heroes of government service: Naga City Mayor
Jesse Robredo, former Senate President Jovito Salonga and Isabela Governor
Grace Padaca. Liberals gathered at Club Filipino, San Juan to extol their
examples of good governance and to applaud their recognition by the Ramon
Magsaysay Foundation. More:
http://www.fnf.org.ph/news/foundation-honors-magsaysay-awardees.htm
EFN Asia Holds Property Rights Conference in Manila
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia, the
Network decided to return to its Philippine beginnings by holding its ninth
conference on 18-19 September 2008 at the University of Asia and the Pacific,
Pasig City. Choosing Private Property Rights: The Economic Foundation of a
Free Society" as its theme, EFN Asia linked up with the Friedrich Naumann
Foundation for Liberty (FNF), Center for Research and Communication, the
Philippine Economic Society, the Foundation for Economic Freedom and the School
of Economics University of Asia and the Pacific for this event. Over 200
international and local participants from civil society, government and
academia gathered at the university for two days to listen to both foreign and
resident experts address: legal and economic perspectives, acquisition of
property by the state, significance of property rights in the Economic Freedom
of the World index and challenges to property rights in Asia. More:
http://www.fnf.org.ph/news/economic-freedom-network-asia-conference.htm
Economic Freedom of the World: 2008 Report Philippine Edition Launched
To highlight the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asias Manila conference on
property rights, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF), the Center
for Research and Communication, the Philippine Economic Society and the
Foundation for Economic Freedom launched the Philippine edition of the Economic
Freedom of the World: 2008 Report (EFW) in Mandaluyong City on 18 September
2008. More: http://www.fnf.org.ph/news/efw-2008-report-philippine-edition.htm
Democracy and Human Rights
Visiting German Parliamentarians Meet Philippine Civil Society
The worldwide promotion and protection of democracy and human rights is a key
concern of Germany. It is reflected in Germanys foreign aid priorities. It is
therefore not surprising that two parliamentarians visiting the Philippines who
sit on the parliaments foreign aid committee would pay special attention to
issues of democracy and human rights in the Philippines and in the region. And
since civil society plays a pivotal role in both fields, they sought out its
perspective on two occasions this week. More:
http://www.fnf.org.ph/news/democracy-and-human-rights.htm
Foundation Leads Seminar on Good Governance Replication
Good governance model city Naga, Camarines Sur hosted the Friedrich Naumann
Foundation for Libertys (FNF) Alumni Group seminar on new public management:
lean state, lean government (NPM) from 7-10 October 2008. Naga City planner and
NPM 2007 alumnus, Wilfredo Prilles Jr. and FNF Resident Representative
Siegfried Herzog gave 21 elected local officials first-hand experience on how a
city can be run more efficiently and effectively at the least cost possible
based on private-sector management practices. More:
http://www.fnf.org.ph/news/seminar-on-good-governance-replication.htm
A three-part episode featuring liberal examples of leadership: Mayor Jesse
Robredo, former Senator Jovito Salonga and Governor Grace Padaca.
Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo explains that his Ramon Magsaysay award is his
peoples affirmation of their continuing quest for meaningful politics and
governance. http://www.fnf.org.ph/podcast/news/episode-31.html
Former Senator Salonga recalls vividly the bombing of the Liberal Partys
proclamation rally in Plaza Miranda on 21 August 1971.
http://www.fnf.org.ph/podcast/news/episode-32.html
Isabela Governor Grace Padaca talks about how her Ramon Magsaysay award
reaffirms her efforts to empower people to use their democratic right to elect
leaders of their own choosing.
http://www.fnf.org.ph/podcast/news/episode-33.html
Visit the library for a wealth of information on key liberal issues. Here are
the latest additions:
"Harnessing Human Capital for Development: The Naga Experience"
http://www.fnf.org.ph/downloadables/Harnessing%20Human%20Capital%20for%20Development%20
-%20The%20Naga%20Experience.pdf
"From Government Bureaucracy to a Customer-Service Administration"
http://www.fnf.org.ph/downloadables/Jesse-Robredo-NPM.pdf
"Developments in Public Administration in the Philippines"
http://www.fnf.org.ph/downloadables/Francisco-Magno-NPM.pdf
"The Philippine Judicial System: A Contemporary Vision in Public Management"
http://www.fnf.org.ph/downloadables/Judge-Tan-NPM.pdf
"People Participation in the Governance of the City of Naga: Active Citizenry:
Constituents as Stakeholders"
http://www.fnf.org.ph/downloadables/Naga-City-People%27s-Council-NPM.pdf
"Brick by Brick: Delivering Good Governance"
http://www.fnf.org.ph/downloadables/Delivering-Good-Governance.pdf
International Online Conference
The International Online Conference "Free Markets and Sustainability Liberal
options for Climate Change and Energy Crises" discusses free market approaches
to environmental protection such as: emissions trading, ownership rights and
business sector contributions to environmental protection. The conference
aspires to build a platform for liberally-minded persons who are interested in
market-oriented environmental politics. It will be from 315 November 2008.
We would like to invite you to join! Together we want to document, exchange and
make available best practices to a broader audience by learning from each
other. This one-off conference is conducted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
for Liberty and participation is free. You do not need to travel and - of
course - you do not have to be online all the time.
The conference topics include:
- Liberalism vs. Environment?
- Market Instruments in Environmental Protection
- International Case Studies from Participants and Local Experts
- Global Player or Regional Initiatives Who Should Start?
Follow the link to register:
http://sustainability.virtuelle-akademie.fnst.org/webcom/show_blog.php?wc_c=20816
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty
Makati Central Post Office Box 3196, Makati City, 1271 Philippines
Tel.: (63)(2) 8403728/29
Fax: (63)(2) 8103189
Website: www.fnf.org.ph
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