Por Cándida Cotto
Claridad jueves, 25 de febrero de 2010

Del 3 al 5 de marzo próximos, el Grupo Interagencial de Casa Blanca, nombrado por el presidente Barack Obama, celebrará audiencias públicas en la Isla supuestamente para atender el tema del estatus y asuntos económicos. ésta sería la primera vez que un cuerpo que responde al Ejecutivo celebre unas vistas públicas en la Isla. La última ocasión en que representantes del poder colonial llevaron a cabo vistas públicas en Puerto Rico fue una delegación del Congreso para la discusión del proyecto Young en el 1998.

Aunque el citado Grupo de Trabajo, o “Task Force” de Casa Blanca fue creado bajo la presidencia de Bill Clinton en el 2000, nunca antes ha celebrado vistas públicas. Su acción se limitó a celebrar reuniones a puertas cerradas en Wáshington con los presidentes de los partidos Nuevo Progresista (PNP), Popular Democrático (PPD) e Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP).

En noviembre del 2009, Obama emitió una orden ejecutiva para reactivar el Grupo de Trabajo en la cual incluyó que además del tema del estatus, trabajara también sobre asuntos sociales y económicos de Puerto Rico. Según la orden, el Grupo Interagencial debe rendir un informe para el Ejecutivo y el Congreso no más tarde de un año luego de su designación, es decir, en octubre de este año.

Las audiencias a celebrarse la próxima semana serán dirigidas por el secretario adjunto del Departamento de Justicia Tom Perrelli y la copresidente del grupo Cecilia Muñoz.

Claridad auscultó la reacción de portavoces del independentismo respecto a las expectativas de las futuras audiencias, las cuales tanto el gobierno de Wáshington como el de Luis Fortuño y los tres principales partidos políticos habían mantenido en secreto, bajo el argumento de que sería el Gobierno de Estados Unidos quien anunciaría la celebración.

MINH denuncia secretividad
Fue el Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano (MINH) quien dio la voz de alerta sobre la celebración de las vistas públicas y denunció la secretividad con que era mantenido el asunto, según uno de sus copresidentes, el profesor universitario Julio Muriente Pérez.

“Desde Wáshington recibimos una información de que ya las vistas estaban programadas para los días 3, 4 y 5 de marzo y que los partidos políticos estaban reservados para el día 3, que ya todos los partidos sabían que tenían ese turno”, denunció Muriente.

El Copresidente del MINH fue crítico al denunciar que mantener en secreto las audiencias hasta pocos días antes de su celebración hacía muy difícil la participación de otros sectores de la sociedad civil. “Mientras, los partidos políticos estaban informados y aparecerían como las expresiones más importantes y quizás como únicas, en el peor de los casos. Evidentemente aquí ha habido una manipulación de las vistas. Es importante advertir que nosotros de ninguna manera estamos considerando que las vistas den un resultado afirmativo, como nunca hemos confiado en que esa comisión interagencial en efecto no lo ha hecho, ni lo vaya a hacer”.

Describió que el historial de la comisión es negativísimo, que lo que pretende es dar la impresión de que hay una preocupación de parte del Gobierno de EE UU de tomar cartas en el asunto del estatus de Puerto Rico. “No se debe entender como que nosotros, el MINH, tengamos expectativas de que va a haber un fruto positivo. Ellos (refiriéndose a Wáshington) tendrían que demostrar con sus actos que en efecto tienen la intención de dar pasos en la ruta de la descolonización. Eso no lo han hecho nunca. Pero ya que va a haber vistas, que se abra a una discusión del caso, sin crear falsas expectativas, pero la ciudadanía tiene derecho a participar”.

Reiteró que las vistas en sí mismas no significan un cambio excepto que como resultado de ellas se vean unas acciones concretas. “El gobierno de Barack Obama tendría que demostrarle al pueblo de Puerto Rico, tiene que reconocer, que hay un problema colonial. Que no es un problema de ciudadanos estadounidenses que se ven privados de sus derechos, sino que es un problema entre dos naciones, entre dos pueblos, que es un problema de carácter colonial, de autodeterminación, de reclamo de poderes. Si como resultado de las vistas, el gobierno de Barack Obama admitiera eso y procediera de conformidad con esa admisión, entonces pudiéramos decir que las vistas han tenido un resultado. Pero la realización de vistas en sí mismas no constituye resultado”.

Mari Brás: Que se defina Estados Unidos
El veterano líder independentista, licenciado Juan Mari Brás, señaló enfáticamente que es el Gobierno de Estados Unidos quien debe decir con precisión cuál es la posición de la Presidencia de ese país sobre el problema vital de la relación política entre Puerto Rico y EE UU. “Ellos son los que tienen la bola en su campo. Ellos son los que tienen que definirse. Nosotros, al menos los independentistas y autonomistas, nos hemos definido en repetidas ocasiones sobre el mismo tema y con la misma línea”.

Mari Brás agregó que no estaba dispuesto a emitir ninguna opinión para beneficio del Presidente hasta tanto éste emita la suya sobre cómo la presidencia norteamericana esté dispuesta a actuar actualmente respecto a nuestro situación colonial.

“El hecho de que envíe el comité y se celebren audiencias y se entregue un informe estereotipado, eso no nos resuelve nada”, dijo Mari Brás.
El dirigente independentista recalcó que depende de los puertorriqueños exigirle a Wáshington saber cuál es su posición.

Colón Martínez: Temeroso el PNP
Otro que criticó la secretividad con la que se quiso mantener las audiencias fue el miembro del MINH y miembro de la Comisión de Desarrollo Constitucional del Colegio de Abogados, licenciado Noel Colón Martínez.

“Si esto no lo averiguamos no se hubiese sabido hasta que se dieran. Lo sabían los presidentes de los partidos, dicen ellos. Por lo menos dice Fortuño que no lo habían anunciado porque estaban esperando instrucciones de Casa Blanca”.

Colón Martínez apuntó que el silencio de Fortuño sobre las vistas responde a que el Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) no cree en el Grupo Interagencial. Incluso el presidente del Senado, Thomas Rivera Schatz, ha dicho que eso es innecesario y que lo que hay que hacer en la Isla es un plebiscito aprobado por el Congreso. Recordó que el Grupo Interagencial fue creado por el ex presidente Bill Clinton en el 2000 e incluso el liderato de los tres partidos participó en una reunión en Casa Blanca pero cuando vino la administración de Bush, éste no activó el grupo de la misma manera, sino que se dirigió mediante memorandos internos de Casa Blanca. Fue así que se produjo el Informe de Barrales en el 2005.

“Ahora Obama revive el procedimiento de Clinton y se provee para audiencias en Puerto Rico no limitadas al estatus político solamente, sino al problema de desarrollo económico. El problema es que sigue la misma táctica de ignorar a todo el que no sea partido político y aquí hay una sociedad civil muy activa que quiere participar en esos procesos”, insistió el ex Presidente del Colegio de Abogados.

Sobre la posición del PNP recordó que en estos momentos hay muchos de ellos en Wáshington pendientes de que la Cámara de Representantes apruebe el proyecto de estatus del comisionado residente Pedro Pierluisi, pero descartó que el proyecto vaya a ser aprobado. Reveló que sabe que el proyecto ni siquiera está en calendario esta semana.

“Aquí hay algo muy extraño. Mientras se está celebrando audiencias de un grupo de Casa Blanca que tiene que asesorar al Presidente sobre las acciones ejecutivas con relación a Puerto Rico, en el Congreso hay un proyecto que no se mueve. Sin embargo Pierluisi, Fortuño y Rivera Schatz en lo que creen es en el proyecto del Congreso, porque ellos lo que no quieren es trabajar con la diversidad. Están apostando a que si aquí hay un plebiscito en estos momentos, como el PPD está muy dividido, ellos pueden ganar por primera vez. No se han dado cuenta que el país prefiere tirarse por un barranco antes de darle el voto a Fortuño”.

February 25, 2010Printby Robert Friedmanrfriedman@prdailysun.net

WASHINGTON
There may be light at the end of the island’s health care tunnel. A White House statement Wednesday that President Obama’s health care proposal is not meant as the last word on the legislation could buoy hopes that Puerto Rico will receive improved treatment in any final legislative version that may be forthcoming on the reform.

While the conciliatory note apparently was made to Republicans a day before the president meets with them in a health care summit, it could also be seized on by Puerto Rico and the territories as they continue to try to get a better deal than was presented in Obama’s proposal. “It is important to understand that this proposal isn’t meant to be the final say on the legislation,” Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, said in an email reported by Reuters.

Republicans in Congress have remained staunchly united against Democratic plans for a sweeping health care revamp, and are expected to remain so after today’s nationally televised summit. Obama will work with both parties at the summit to find common ground, DeParle said.
Nevertheless, the White House apparently has not yet directly answered complaints by Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi and the territorial House delegates about the president’s proposal. Pierluisi summed up those complaints in a one-minute speech he made earlier Wednesday on the House floor.

While saying he supported health care reform, he added that he did not support the president’s proposal “because it treats 4.4 million Americans living in Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories like they are second-class citizens.” He said: “My loyalty to my [Democratic] party, and to our president, is beyond question. But my principles — and my people — come first. This proposal violates my principles and it mistreats my people.”

The resident commissioner noted that the federal government pays less than 25 percent of the cost of providing Medicaid services on the island. He called this “a national travesty.” Noting that the House health care measure moved toward improving the funding, the president’s plan, which drew mostly on the Senate health bill, “does not make a good faith effort to address this inequality,” Pierluisi said.
Pierluisi also was critical of the plan for excluding Puerto Rico from the health insurance exchange, which offers federal subsidies to help working people meet health insurance premiums. “I do not believe this proposal reflects the president’s thinking. And I cannot believe my colleagues will allow it to stand.” Pierluisi said. “The people of Puerto Rico and the other territories fight proudly for their country. Their country should fight for them too.”

Puerto Rico’s anger over Obama’s latest health care proposal was made known Tuesday as Gov. Fortuño called the plan “deceptive and discriminatory” and Pierluisi joining with House territorial delegates to tell the president that the treatment of the territories in the proposal is “clearly unfair.” Before the plan was released Monday, the Obama administration had given assurances that Puerto Rico, and the other territories, would get a much better health reform deal.

Fortuño said Wednesday he would ask the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation’s largest Hispanic advocacy group, to voice its support in getting the White House to give better treatment to Puerto Rico and the territories in the health proposal. The governor was to be feted in the evening at a LULAC gala in the nation’s capital recognizing individuals who championed issues most important to the Latino community.

The LULAC event will cap Fortuño’s visit here this week. The governor met with members of Congress and other federal officials on health care, the rum battle with the U.S. Virgin Islands, political status and job legislation. Like Pierluisi, Fortuño also appeared to absolve the president from direct blame in ignoring Puerto Rico and the territories in his health care plan. “It appears that someone was not paying attention to the issue” when the plan was drawn up, the governor said. “It makes no sense” to give the island the short shrift after all the administration statements on how Puerto Rico would be given a just and fair treatment in the health reform, Fortuño said.

Published on: February 20th, 2010 at 06:50 PMNews Source: NY1
Puerto Rican-Born New Yorkers Have To Get New Birth CertificatesNew York – A new law forces any New Yorker who was born in Puerto Rico to get a new birth certificate after July 1, due to the rising wave of identity theft among people who come from the U.S. commonwealth.
Identity thieves interested in buying someone else’s birth certificate may not have to look very hard, as Puerto Ricans in New York say a certificate from Puerto Rico is easy to find.

The government of Puerto Rico says hundreds of thousands of copies of birth certificates from the island are floating around unprotected and can sell for as much as $10,000. “Puerto Ricans are selling the birth [certificates],” said one Bronx resident. “They got so many in here pretending to be Puerto Rican, but they are not.” An old law required Puerto Rican residents to leave original copies of their birth certificates in various public and private offices as they filled out paperwork, which opened the door to massive identity theft. “If you physically look Latino or physically look Puerto Rican, and you show up with a Puerto Rican birth certificate, no questions are asked,” said Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano. “Because Puerto Ricans, as you know, are born American citizens and can just leave Puerto Rico and travel to the United States.”

Now, a new law that takes effect on July 1 will force anyone born in Puerto Rico to get a new birth certificate. “The objective of this law is it will invalidate the old birth certificates so that they will lose their value on the black market,” said Luis Balzac of the office of Puerto Rico’s governor. Serrano is among the Puerto Rican-born New Yorkers who need new certificates. He says the law is a good move but that there is already concern and confusion in his district. “There are people who have called my office who say they have seen things on the Internet that say they are going to lose their citizenship,” said Serrano. Many people along Third Avenue in the Bronx who were born in Puerto Rico told NY1 they had not heard about the new rule, and thought it would be difficult trying to get a new birth certificate.
“It has been rough trying to get the old one. The new one, with what’s this going on now, I doubt it. It’s like I am an illegal alien now,” said a Puerto Rican-born Bronx resident. “I don’t know what to do, what steps should I do?” said another.

Officials urge those affected by the law to contact the Puerto Rican Health Department. “Through the mail, using the Internet, by fax, through the phone, the same way it was done before,” said Balzac. Yet officials say Puerto Ricans should not rush to get their certificates, as the new certificates will only be available after July 1.

by Lolbé Corona
RUMBO/New America Media (Feb 13, 2010)

Editor’s Note: This story, which originally appeared in RUMBO, was produced as part of NAM’s Stimulus Watch coverage and was funded with a grant from the Open Society Institute. It is part one of a three-part series.

Barack Obama’s stimulus package allocated $50 million for the country’s cultural section, but only a few tens of thousands have gone to Latino organizations.

Many were the called, few were the chosen. According to the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC), only 14 artistic and cultural organizations in the United States received support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), with funds allocated from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA, one of President Obama’s first legislative victories, was designed to create new jobs and save others that were jeopardized as a result of the economic crisis.

“We acknowledge that it was a competitive process, but 14 Latino organizations, out of more than 630 beneficiaries of the NEA, constitutes only two percent,” said Maria Lopez de Leon, Executive Director of NALAC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of Latino arts in the country.

In the state of Texas, according to Lopez de Leon, only two Latino organizations received ARRA funds through the NEA: Houston’s Arte Publico Press, and NALAC itself, based in San Antonio (see Table 1 below).

Where did the money go?

ARRA included several initiatives for stimulus purposes. In the art sectors, one of the chief measures included a package of $50 million, to be distributed by NEA, the largest governmental entity dedicated to supporting the arts in the United States.

60% of ARRA funding for the arts was awarded directly by NEA ($29,925,000), and the remaining 40% was awarded through local and state agencies.

Table 1 – 14 Latino organizations funded by ARRA through NEA are:

According to the NEA, of the 2,424 organizations that requested funds directly from them -museums, symphony orchestras, art schools, dance academies, and opera companies, among others- only 636 art institutions received some aid.

Most awards were in the $25,000 – $50,000 range.

“I am not sure that the number [14 Latino organizations that received funding, according to NALAC] is accurate,” said Sally Gifford, spokeswoman for the NEA. “The details of how the funds were awarded are much more complex.”

According to Gifford, more Latino cultural organizations received funds through regional and state arts agencies, which redistributed some ARRA funds for the arts. Altogether, those entities would have granted 63 awards, for a total of $19,790,000.

“Many such funds were channeled directly to Latino organizations through local or regional art agencies,” the spokeswoman said..

“Another element that has not been taken into consideration is how many of the awardees support Latino art, and reach Latino audiences,” she added.

But NALAC’s Lopez de Leon argues that a Latino arts organization should defined as one whose mission is focused on Latino art and culture, one whose executives and directors are of Latino origin, or one whose board of directors is at least 51% Latino.

“Simply because an organization serves a Latino population does not make it a Latino organization,” she said. According to NALAC’s database, there are more than 500 Latino cultural organizations and more than 5,000 Latino artists in the United States.

“We know that funds were allocated at the local and state levels also, but what we observed is that there was a lack of fair representation in the distribution at the federal level [through NEA]. In addition, federal funds were greater than those distributed at the state and local levels,” said NALAC’s Executive Director.

A matter of perspective

Regarding the question of whether or not Latino presence was lacking during ARRA funds distribution, Jim Bob McMillan, deputy director of the Texas Art Commission (TAC) said “with such a small amount of funds allocated to the arts in general, there were some limitations.” McMilliam said his agency received just $427,300 from ARRA to support art organizations in the state.

So TAC set up a series of criteria to screen who was eligible for ARRA funding. The chief selection criterion to request stimulus dollars was that applying institutions had received funding from NEA in the last four years.

In Texas, of the 300 organizations that requested funds from ARRA through TAC, only 26 received grants of $16,000 each. Accoring to the arts commission, this amount helped to keep or create 47 art-related full-or part-time jobs, of administrative, technical, or educational nature.

According to McMillan, of these 26, five were Latino organizations.

Winners and losers

“Our objective is not to attack NEA just to see what comes of it,” said Lopez de Leon. “We understand that they did what they could, but they should have been more inclusive when awarding federal funds to minorities. Especially because of the social and economic repercussions that it will have on the Latino arts, as well as on artistic Latino organizations.”

In 2009, NALAC conducted two surveys. One, in which 64 organizations and more than 120 artists were interviewed, centered on the effects of the economic crisis on Latino organizations. The second -with participation of 34 Latino organizations- focused on the economic stimulus awarded by ARRA through NEA.

Preliminary results from the second survey, shared exclusively with RUMBO, show that 99% of the organizations that did not receive ARRA dollars were forced to carry out a series of cutbacks, including layoffs. 57.9% of those organizations reported programming cutbacks, 31.6% had to lay off some staff or reduced overall labor time, and 36.8% took other measures.

“The decision not to fund minority organizations carries grave consequences for many communities. Many of these organizations will be forced to close their doors, doing away with venues for cultural expression. The creation of art will also be affected,” added Lopez.

NALAC, which initially was not approved for funding from ARRA through NEA, received $50,000 from the stimulus in a subsequent round, which was used to save two jobs and keep a contract to make improvements to its website.

“We estimate that the money awarded by ARRA directly through NEA will help maintain or create 4,000 full or part–time jobs in the country, which is a great contribution to the Arts,” said NEA spokeswoman Victoria Hutter.

For now, the 50 million in funds awarded by the ARRA in 2009 through NEA were one-time award packages, and it has not been decided if similar resources will be available in 2010.

by Alberto O. Cappas
Dedicated to our children and youth:

I pledge to maintain a
Healthy Mind and Body
Staying away from the Evil of drugs
I pledge always to try my Best to understand
The importance of Knowledge and Education
I pledge to paint a Positive picture of where
I plan to be tomorrow
Not allowing obstacles to stop the growth of my Plans
I pledge to seek Answers to Questions,
With the understanding that they
Will lead to other discoveries
I pledge to work diligently
With the Awareness and Confidence
That hard work today will serve
As the seeds for my strong tree tomorrow
A tree that no one will be able to tear down
I pledge to learn proper languages,
Beginning with my Mother’s
Always prepared to appreciate others
I pledge to gain a better understanding of who I am
By understanding my Cultural roots
I pledge to fully accept who I am as a spiritual and human being
A Rainbow of many cultures and colors
I pledge to overcome any Personal misfortunes
Becoming Stronger from such misfortunes
Always striving to become
A wise person.
____________________________________________________
Books by Puerto Rican Poet/Writer, Alberto O. Cappas

1. Never too late to make a U-turn
2. Lessons for Myself
3. Dona Julia, a Collection of published Poems

Please share with others…
From the Educational Pledge Partnership
For more information about these books, go to
www.educationalpledge.com
— or —
http://albertocappas.blogspot.com/
____________________________________________________________

“May the Pledge be with you and your love ones”
AOC