A Student's Publication

Slipping away again?

2011-01-06T11:13:00.005+08:00

I was listening to the radio while going to work and heard this commentator talking about the plea bargain of Gen. Garcia and how it was done behind our backs. Normally I would not have paid attention to the issue since I had known long ago that cases involving high ranking officials almost always get away with any issues linking them through the use of time and money. But somehow I can't fathom how shitty our judicial system is since these tactics have always been in play and they don't do something about it.

If we look at the past, how many corrupt politicians out there are now behind bars? After years of "in depth" investigations, how many were incarcerated? I could only count a handful compared to the magnitude of cases that were acquitted.

Our judicial system is flawed. Flawed because they are subjected to the same political strategies and never learn from it. If cases are not prolonged for the public to lose interest, they are then bought with chunks of cash. I believe this was exactly how Garcia was able to have the plea bargain.

According to the sandiganbayan in January, graft evidences against Garcia was strong enough to put him behind bars, but when March came they suddenly switched sides and said it was insufficient. And by May, while we were all concentrated on the Presidential Elections, Garcia was offered the plea bargain. If these were true, then what else can we think? There might have been some underhanded negotiations going behind our backs.

Time and money has always been the loophole of our Philippine justice system. If acquittal cannot be accomplished through time, then they're going for money. In some cases both strategies are used to acquit an accused.

The judicial body always argue that the slowness of the proceedings was a result of the lack of personnel, or the lack of funds, or the observance of due process and what not. I don't agree that all of these cannot be resolved by the government. Due process cannot be an excuse since other countries observe these processes (some even more) and still ended up with a verdic in a month's time.

The shortages of people and funds can be easily addressed by the government's budget. If they're serious about finishing these cases quickly and truthfully, then I believe they know what to do.

Fastfood acquaintances

2011-01-05T15:09:00.007+08:00

I've had a chicken fillet meal at Mc Donalds glorietta earlier today and felt nostalgic while eating the small meal. Half of my college life was spent eating Mcdonalds with my friends that it felt lonely eating one without them. I'm not really very fond of eating in this fastfood chain becaues of its repetitive dishes, but for some reason I can't seem to get the habit out of my system.

Eating at a fastfood restaurant has been the ways of college students for an affordabel and clean meal. With just a P49, one can get a rice meal and drink with free wifi for those that need it. Besides the affordability of the restaurrant, what I liked about it most are the memories I've had during college. I can't count how much time I've spent eating that fillet with my friends while enjoying the company with each other. Whether it be because of acads or just to soothe grumbling tummies, Mcdo has become a part of my college life.

Of course, half of my college life is not all Mcdo. Prior to coming to Diliman, my lunch in UP Manila consisted of eating the thirty niners of a Jollibee food chain. I remember every lunch, my friends and I would go to Robinsons Palce in Manila to pick our lunch or dinner choices from the arrays of restaurants in the fourth floor. But for some reason we always ended up eating at Jollibee and ordering the same old thing. It might be because of affordability that led us going back to that restaurant, or it might also be the memories we've shared doing our Philo 11 and Pol Sci 14.

When I'm with my high school friends, we don't go to McDo and Jolibee because they prefer something more special than the ones we usually have. That is justified because we only get to see each other once a month due to our different schools. So instead, we settled for a more fancier restaurant. A..K.A. Burger King.

Yes, a place a bit fancier (and pricier!) than your average burger shop, but still a fast food restaurant. We can spend hours just seating there talking about what was happening with our lives while eating the same old Whopper combo meal or BK chiken burger for a few extra bucks. For the past four years, we would never let it pass without mentioning eating at that restaurant despite our pallates getting tired of it. Right now, despite moving on to a more pricier...ahem... more sophisticated restaurants out there, we often look out for that BK sign at any mall we go to.

It was amusing that my college life can be boxed with the three fastfood restaurants commonly found around the metro. It became a place for having fun chatting with old and new friends. A tambayan for acads or extra curriculars. A meeting place for long lost acquaintances, and a start of a new beginning.

*photo taken from clickthecity.com

What's the problem?

2010-12-03T16:01:00.000+08:00

I was again covering an event near Manila Bay and I got a chance to sit down again at the ridge and look at the vast expanse before me.

The sight was beautiful, especially around this time when the sun was about to set and the clouds turning a shade of orange and the water reflecting the fading light above. I ignored the stench of the putrid waters as I gazed at the sunset.

Beside me was a woman on her thirties eating Kwek-Kwek, a street food where a duck egg is covered in a dough mixture and deep fried, while noisily talking to her friend.

I glanced on the surroundings and saw the trash scattered around the bay. When the woman beside me finished her snack, she threw the styro container right into the bay. I looked at where she threw her trash and saw a big pile of rotting garbage right below where we were seated. Now I know where the stench was coming from. I was disgusted. With her and with the bay.

A professor told me once before that you can gauge a country’s state by looking at the trash in the streets..In other countries like in Hong Kong and Singapore, you can see how clean the streets are and how well the people behaved. There are laws prohibiting trash that is being observed by the citizens and nobody tries to violate the law since they know they will be sanctioned accordingly.

Now look at the Philippines. We have laws against littering. We have laws against throwing trash at the bay. We have laws protecting our environment against pollutants, but are they being followed?

The problem of Philippine politics is not just the implementation of the government, but also the people living in the government. Of course we know that the Philippine bureaucracy is suffering from degradation brought by corruption, but that does not mean the citizens have the right to violate the law.

Perhaps if we look closely, the government is being run by the Filipinos, and it was the Filipinos who voted for them for a seat in the government. Does the problem really lie with the government or does it really lie within ourselves, as citizens of the country? As Filipinos?

New and Old

2010-11-28T17:01:00.000+08:00

It’s been over a month since I left school and entered adulthood. It ‘s really been difficult adjusting from a life you’ve had for 18 years then suddenly plunged to an unknown place where everything’s not like you would’ve thought. All those pressures and expectations dumped on you and no longer having friends backing you up. It is hard.

It is really difficult moving forward, but I now realized that life is like that. You can’t stay trapped in the past and lock yourself from what was happening in reality. It will only pain you more if you refuse reality than to accept it head on.

But the price of moving on is letting go of what you love in the past. For me it was the life I had in college and the company of my friends. Slowly, as I move on, I see the divide I’m creating from my college friends. Whenever I visit them after work, I could see a barrier that sets me apart from them. They no longer treat me as a colleague, but someone older or something, I don’t know, something not like them.

Just last month I’m sharing laughs and sharing jokes with them, but now I usually stay silent and listen to them yapping what they did in school and me slowly not understanding what they were saying.

My friends say I was getting more mature every time they see me. I’m not sure if I could accept that as a complement or that I was immature when I was in college. Perhaps I value each day more than I was an undergrad.

Sometimes I still go back to the past and reminisce what happened during my college years. From entering UP Manila and meeting my first classmates to transferring in Diliman and changing my course. The times I spent in college were the most memorable, and I wouldn’t trade them up for anything.

During my coverage near the Manila Bay, I sat down near the polluted waters and took a deep look at my life. I began remembering the time I spent with my block mates at the bay and the time we went to Bataan for an unsuccessful research that left us stranded at that province for the night.

I remembered the first time I stepped to the College of Mass Communication to secretly file my application to transfer, but was found out when I met my old block mate, who shifted there a year before me, coincidentally as I was leaving the college.

I also remembered just last month when my orgmates and I went to Bacolod to teach high school students. It has been very memorable and I was able to strengthen my bonds with my friends and managed to create new ones at that.

It was fun remembering the blunders and the laughs we shared, and it also hurts because you will never experience the same thing again. Those memories of the past are meant to be in the past. I can no longer go back to them.

I regret that I would not be able to share the same talks with them or the same experience they have had. I wasn’t able to enjoy the company of those I had not been close to before. But I believe in the future, when they graduate and are working, the bond we shared would become stronger just like what is happening now with my high school friends.

So cheers for my first month in reality and let’s continue to move on.

facing the real world

2010-11-09T15:53:00.000+08:00

I’ve been working at my job for almost a week, and things were getting better. I was able to contain my emotions better without the need for any crying or feeling sorry for myself. In fact, I was starting to look forward to my job instead of stressing if I’m about to mess something up.

Perhaps it was because I DID mess something up and was shouted at. But by doing that, the pressures were a bit lifted from my shoulders.

Perhaps it was the realizations that I’m already a college graduate and I need to get my ass of the ground and start seriously.

Perhaps I was getting the hang of the job and understood my place in the world.

Perhaps it was because my friends and family were right behind me.

I don’t know why, but I’m not feeling depressed anymore. I hated myself in the past few days for being weak, but I knew I had to do that to remove everything from my system.

I know that there will be times when I’ll be getting depressed again for the same reasons, but I believe I can overcome that now and face it head on

My mind is clearer now, and I’m ready to face the world.

Confused

2010-11-07T12:33:00.004+08:00

November has come by and I don’t know what to do. Everything feels like a jumble inside. What should I feel, what am I feeling, or how should I feel. I don’t know.

This month marks my new life. I’m no longer a student and am now part of the real world. I’m scared of facing it because pressures keep piling up without any hint of stopping. All I can do is face it head on and never look back. But I tried and kept failing.

Just fresh out of college then instantly thrust into the professional world without any rest, I feel confined. I don’t know. I miss my friends and classmates. I never had the chance to say goodbye to them, or even relish the thought of just finishing school after eighteen years of studying. My plans of kicking back and taking slowly were shattered by having a job.

I planned to spend this month reflecting on what I should do the rest of my life, but it was suddenly taken away from me without a second thought. I was swept by the glamor that I agreed without thinking of the future. I thought it would be a “great” experience for my career, but for my emotional well-being, it was a train wreck.

I should be happy because these kinds of jobs do not go by often, but being swept with the flow and not taking into considerations my own feelings has made me depressed and confused.

I often cry for no reason, which I have never done before, and feel anxious whenever I wake up in the morning or sleep at night. I wanted to have someone to talk to, but all they do is cheer me on without understanding what I’m going through. It pains me whenever I look at their happy faces while I’m suffering from the shock of being a fresh graduate with a high pressure job. There’s no room inside to straighten it all.

I blindly call out to anyone who would listen to my story, but it falls to deaf ears. I try to stay strong and bottle it up, but it's bound to burst. Even though I was given plenty of advices from family and friends, it was only a temporary relief that would often leave me when I become alone. I tried and I tried to stay strong, but it always fails me when I needed it most.

I want to leave it all behind, to go somewhere far away so that I can understand what is happening inside me. To understand what I really want and do what I really wanted to do. To go someplace that doesn’t confine me to the pressures of reality, someplace safe and secure. But it can only be a dream. A dream I used to have every night, but can no longer have. Sleepless nights have replaced my sanctuary without giving me a speck of contentment.

How I wished time would turn back to the way it was before. Maybe if that happened, I could have said no and find my real self instead of blindly walking a purposeless path.

I really am scared. Please help me. I need someone to talk to. I need a friend.

Surprisingly interesting for someone with little interest in games

2010-06-24T21:40:00.005+08:00

I never realized I would enjoy watching a basketball game on TV.

I watched the whole Celtics-Lakers finals on Friday, and despite my apathy regarding basketball, I still enjoyed it.

I'm not really an avid fan of shooting hoops since I'm more interested in rallying games like tennis/badminton, but seeing the energy from the finals-- especially the Laker's redemption on the bottom half of the game-- I had a change of heart.

It was different from your local PBA games. They put more of a show in each slam dunks and lay ups than what we have in all our games combined. There was passion and anticipation as to who will be the at the top of the game. Fans (my classmates) cheering for every score from their team only boosted the adrenalin rushing from just watching the game.

Intrigued by the finals, I did a research on the whole rivalry thing between the two teams, and found out that these two had been rivals since the 80s. From 1959 to 2010, Celtics and Lakers have clashed about 12 times, with Celtics leading nine games in total.

According to the article, the clash cooled down a bit in the 90s when these two team's best players retired, and Jordan from the Bulls became rose to prominence. But the rivalry came back in 2008 when Celtics bashed the Lakers with 131-92 in the final score of game six. Seeing that Lakers redeemed themselves this year, it will be another anticipated season once the two clashes again.

Seeing the finals had made me realize that I'm a Celtics fan despite Lakers' victory. I felt that the Lakers were very arrogant for their own good. While they do have the right to gloat, just like what Cobe did when he made a great shot during the third quarter, I just don't like their overconfidence.

During the game, I felt more passion from the Celtics than what I saw from the Lakers. The way each player planned their assault (even though their energy went down during the last few minutes of the game), I felt their conviction and aspiration to win the game. Of course, add that to what my classmates who were Celtics fan told me about the team.

Though it had been my first game watching an NBA finals,I had realized why many people watch this particular sport and why they prefer it more than the Philippine counterpart. And even if the team I picked had lost, there was no remorse since it was a great show, especially coming from someone who has little interest in basketball.

*Photos from PRlog.com

Some dirts are true

2010-04-22T16:21:00.003+08:00

All I see on TV these days are all bickering and trash talking. Seriously, their mindless accusations are getting tiresome, but it doesn't necessarily mean all those mudslinging are fake.

In fact, mudslinging happens because there are some parts of that dirt that are true. For example, Aquino's Hacienda Luisita estate. Even if he said he owns a very small share, he still owns part of it. He could have convince his family to give up on the estate right now instead of halfheartedly promising it when he becomes president. And you know his track record about promises.

Villar's C5-road issue, coupled by past "shady" business deals have been hounding him for the past months. It was impossible for Villar not to know about the road project going to his property or how it manages to GO into his company. He could have just allowed the extension project to his property without cost if he really wanted to help the country.

Teodoro, on the other hand is plagued by Arroyo's kiss of death and his stint as the National Defense Secretary. He might have one of the best educational background, but his actions while in office puts him behind. If he really want to lift the people from poverty (especially in Mindanao), then he should have removed the civilian armies (since he knew the problem all along) and lift Mindanao from the bloodshed and fear.

While some of the mudslinging are just black propaganda, there must have been something within that person to inspire that dirt.

Why do we rely on these people who, even before the elections, are covered in dirt. They don't answer their issues, nor help the country. They just like to throw these dirt at each other to entertain the masses.

What we really need today is someone not thrown in dirt. Someone who has the skills to run the country. Someone who do not attack others below the belt. Someone who do not shift sides in fear of public opposition. Someone who thinks about the country first, before themselves. That's what we need today.

Missing the debates

2010-04-21T20:05:00.002+08:00

I remembered my professor telling our class about debates being an “ideal form of public discourse”. He said debates have been a place where people voice out their opinions on certain issues, that is why debates are important in the presidential race. It not only gauges the presidentiable’s intellectual capacity to answer the questions, it also helps them lay out their stand on certain issues.

But recently, only a few presidentiables were attending these debates, claiming that their stands have already been presented during their attendance to the previous forums. They said their campaigns are much more important than doing the same thing all over again. If what they said were true, then why do many people still ask about their stand on certain issues?

To tell you the truth, I was disappointed by their refusal to attend such debates, because I believe debates are the best way to know a candidate inside and out. It gauges their intelligence instead of face value.

It was wrong for them to belittle the debates and claim they had said all they needed to say. Not all Filipinos are able to watch the debates, and not all questions are answered because of the little time.

I salute those presidentiables who keep attending the debates like Sen. Richard Gordon. He, and the other lesser known presidentiables like JC Delos Reyes, was present when debates were held.

Like in the ABS-CBN tandem debate, those in the lead like Villar, Aquino and Teodoro revoked their attendance, disappointing the masses since the company had to stop the debate, but Gordon was there. In the CBCP presidential debate, the same thing happened, those in the lead were not present and those not in the leading surveys are the ones attending.

“Those who refuse to join debates show that they cannot stand the pressure of facing the people,” Gordon said in an interview with the Philippine daily Inquirer when he was asked about the other candidates’ refusal to attend the debates.

“Candidates should demonstrate not only their ability to spend money
or their ability to use their family (to campaign) but also their capability (to lead),” he added.

I don’t know if it was because these people are afraid of public discourse, or they just don’t care about their platforms. I mean, they only relied their campaigns based on popularity than on intellect.

I agree to Gordon’s statement because debates are there to test candidates when they are pressed with issues surrounding the country. They shouldn’t be relaxed just because they have the money for campaign advertisements or they were in the lead of the surveys. If they really were sincere in their campaign, then they should be wiling to go out of their way and attend the debates.

Surveys doing more harm than good

2010-04-20T14:30:00.001+08:00

I saw Sen. Richard Gordon in the news yesterday commenting about surveys misleading the public to consider only the top presidentiables. Gordon said he will be filing a case on the survey companies for allegedly misleading the public’s mindset into thinking that those in the top positions were the most probable to win the presidential race. He said it was an injustice to those in the bottom half of the survey since those who commissioned the companies were most likely the top presidentiables.

Survey companies are supposed to gauge the public’s thoughts on the presidentiables, but I also believe that Gordon has a point. Showing surveys of the leading presidentiables every week would eventually lead the voters to vote for those in the top of the list.

Nobody wants to waste their votes, and with the surveys showing that presidentiables like Gordon in the lower half of the tier, even his supporters would eventually shift their mindset to vote for those capable to win. These survey companies were shaping the public’s mindset since showing the leading candidates, not to mention the media’s air time for those in the lead, will eventually change the voter’s thoughts to the leading candidate.

While I do agree that surveys are important to gauge the public’s interests, doing the surveys almost per week, not to mention making the commissioner anonymous, would eventually affect voter’s turnout. Instead of being a tool of the public, it becomes a political tool benefiting those in the lead.

Since we do not know how the surveys were conducted, what areas were covered or what type of questions were asked, we can only trust the survey’s credibility based on their results. Even if the survey companies did say their methodologies are academic based, how the questions were constructed will affect the voter’s mindset.

Perhaps, survey companies should limit their findings in order to not affect the public’s votes. They should also reveal the commissioner of the survey, since by doing so will give the public a concept of fair survey results.

We also shouldn’t rely entirely on surveys, but instead make our own decisions on who is fit for the presidency. A simple background check will be helpful for choosing the right candidate. We must vote for those who are fit to run, not because of popularity, but because of their ability. It doesn’t necessarily mean those in the lead will eventually win the presidency, if we won’t shy away and be swayed by the surveys, even those in the lower tier can become the next president.

Low cost housing scam?

2010-04-19T15:22:00.001+08:00

I received this email message about Villar and his low cost housing program in the 90s, and this message was disturbing. Villar’s boast about putting low cost homes for the poor almost destroyed our economy, according to Tony Hidalgo. He said Villar got his billions from this project, and not because he cared for the poor.

Villar was not really aiming for the “mahirap”, it was only a side line from his true aim--- getting rich. Of course, he is after all a businessman, and business is his top priority. If it could help the poor along the way, then why not help them. But Hidalgo said this did not happen in Villar’s low-cost housing project. In fact, millions of the marginalized sector did not benefit from the program.

I’m not an economics major, so I don’t know much about the details like builders, buyers, etc., but Hidalgo made a point about how Villar managed to acquire his wealth with the program. If Villar made this clever tactic before, then what’s keeping him from doing it again once he becomes President?

Villar used his position and the country’s problem, and used it for his own benefit. It only shows his insincerity for helping the poor. His commercials are actually nothing but lies, and his selfish interest would permeate his intentions to help the poor. How can we elect a selfish president?

You can read this email message by Tony Hidalgo and decide for yourself what Villar did with his low-cost housing project.

Subject: Villlar and low-cost housing

Here's an addendum to the exchange between Tony Hidalgo and Tong Puno. It really is important to be enlightened about the background of Manny Villar's wealth in light of his quest for the presidency. He is hell bent in covering his tracks and gaining more wealth at the expense of the nation.

Dear Tong,

To believe in Manny Villar’s “cause”, whatever that may be, is certainly your prerogative, brod. But it does not allow you to distort the facts—to say that black is white or that greed is good.

Winnie Monsod’s writings on Villar’s anomalies on the Paranaque road projects are pretty clear. I don’t need to comment further on them.

But I will answer as briefly as I can the downright false and sometimes outrageous claims you make concerning Villar’s “heroic” role in the government’s low-cost housing program.

True, Villar built many thousands of low-cost houses over more than a decade under the Unified Home Lending Scheme (UHLP) of the socialized housing law (E.O. 90) that he and his CREBA minions drafted and got Cory to sign in 1986, during her emergency government when she had legislative powers, by promising the pie in the sky of solving homelessness in the Philippines once and for all. But he did this to rake in billions in profits at the expense of the government, not out of a concern for the homeless poor.

Look at the results of Villar’s thousands of houses under the UHLP from 1986 to 1997 (when we reformed the UHLP to prevent Villar from bankrupting the country). Villar became a billionaire. NHMFC, the financial coordinator of the program, was bankrupted. The funders (SSS, GSIS, Pag-Ibig) were stuck with billions in bad home mortgages covering Villar’s houses and flirted with bankruptcy for a while. Eventually, these bad mortgages had to be covered by the national government using its tax revenues (including your taxes and mine) because the funders were covered by a sovereign guarantee. Subsequently (beginning 2003 or 2004), the losses on the bad mortgages had to be written off by selling them through special purpose asset vehicles (SPAVS) at a fraction of their face value.

Meanwhile, look around you. Nearly half of the residents of Metro Manila still live in squatter areas!

I repeat: Villar became a billionaire while the funders and the national government suffered many billions in losses and the housing problem is still there, as intractable as ever. Consequently, I strongly disagree with your admiration of Villar’s record in low-cost housing. It was motivated by greed and, in the end, enriched only himself and his cohorts at the expense of the government and, ultimately, the taxpayers.

These outcomes were inevitable because of how Villar and his buddies designed the UHLP. The roles of lenders, builders, and financing agencies were jumbled up on purpose to benefit only the developers. Billions were taken annually from the SSS, GSIS, and Pag-Ibig and given to the NHMFC to disburse. The owners of the funds lost all control over how they were lent out. But this control was not given to the NHMFC, which just allocated mortgage quotas to developers (the Villar companies had the biggest quotas) from the annual funds of the lenders and automatically released the face amount of mortgages to the lenders upon submission of the mortgage papers. No one checked the creditworthiness of the home buyers. The developers were “originators” of mortgages—meaning that they went around the malls with blank mortgage papers, waylaid passersby and enticed them to sign the papers, and then went to the NHMFC to cash in.

This diabolical system without any financial controls was designed by developers like Villar to rake in the profits. It resulted in default rates of more than 70% in the mortgages and nearly caused a Philippine economic crisis. It required the coordinated intervention of HUDCC, the Dept. of Finance, SSS, GSIS, Pag-Ibig, and HIGC to prevent a financial collapse. This was a very real danger then: we need only look at the recent US financial crisis to see how bad home mortgages can drive even the world’s largest economy to its knees.

Naging bilyonaryo si Villar sa low-cost housing at the expense of Filipino taxpayers. Kumita na siya, Tong. Huwag mo nang bigyan ng medalya.

Finally, you imply that I am inconsistent in my position on Villar’s role in this program because you say that HUDCC had “boasted” of its production of low-cost houses thanks to Villar’s “vision.”

This is not true. I was always critical of Villar’s profiteering in low-cost housing and never claimed credit for the houses his companies built. I was appointed HUDCC Secretary General by President Ramos in June, 1995. I spent a few months going through the documentation of the housing program and holding intensive discussions with the developers’ organizations, lenders, the Dept. of Finance, and the HUDCC financial agencies. Then I wrote a series of memos to President Ramos that explained the hopelessly flawed nature of the program, the extent of the financial problems it had created, and what needed to be done to prevent financial collapse. After getting the President’s instructions to proceed in 1996, I set up the inter-agency task force to reform the UHLP and we completed our work and stopped the profiteering of the developers in 1997.

Your brod,

Tony Hidalgo

Sent: Thu, March 4, 2010 12:31:02 PM
Subject: Fw: Worth passing on ...

Before passing this, I googled Antonio A. Hidalgo to make sure he is a real person. I found that he is an economist and writer-publisher. My banker friends are all anti-Villar. They know whereof they speak...

Am forwarding to you an email sent by Antonio HIdalgo who was the
Secretary-General of the Housing & Urban Development Coordinating
Council from 1992 to 1998. Here is his first personal anecdote on how
the real Manny Villar conducts his business; a far cry from what his
image-engineers are trying to portray. We must be dessiminating this
factual events to the people who will vote this coming May.

Tong,

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -------
Whatever the merits of your abstract argument about the presumption of innocence, let me assure you and the brods that Manny Villar is far from innocent. He is as crooked and greedy as they come.

Winnie Monsod has made a very good case about his crookedness in the Paranaque road projects that passed through his properties at his behest as a lawmaker, enabling him to sell some of his land to the government at much more than market prices and to reap many millions in property appreciation from the government roads.

He is also guilty of making billions out of government funds for
socialized housing through a questionable, unsustainable scheme that nearly destroyed our financial system in the 90's.

It's a bit complicated, but I was right there, trying to stop what was
essentially Villar's scheme as Secretary General of HUDCC (housing).
Fortunately, we succeeded (Dept. of Finance, Pag-Ibig Fund, SSS, GSIS, HUDCC, HIGC-I was head of the multi-agency Task Force that did this) and avoided a financial disaster in the Philippines that would have preceded the similar one that recently hit the US and hurt the world economy.

It started when Cory became president. Villar, through the CREBA he
controlled, drafted a socialized housing law to spur low-cost housing in the country. Cory approved it with her emergency powers, not
seeing through Villar's scheme.

To oversimplify, the law required the SSS, GSIS, and Pag-Ibig Fund to
put billions of pesos of their funds each year into a fund for mortgages for low-cost housing (defined initially as 150T max, later going up to 250T through the years).

This fund would be managed by the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC - an agency of HUDCC). The NHMFC then established quotas for allocating the annual common funds of SSS, Pag-Ibig, and GSIS based on the building capacities of registered developers. The largest quotas every year were for the Camelia and Palmera (C & P) company of Villar which got a very large chunk of the funds for their home mortgages.

Within the annual quotas under the law, builders could submit completed mortgages and NHMFC would promptly buy them at their face amounts and pay the builder. It was the builders actively sold mortgages in the malls and everywhere else, approved the papers, and submitted them to NHMFC. NHMFC only checked to see that the amounts of mortgages submitted by the builders were within their annual quotas before paying, it did not check the credit-worthiness of the borrower or even if the papers were genuine in that the stated borrower was a real person and the house being mortgaged actually existed. The situation the law created was unique in the entire world. The pooled funds of SSS, Pag-Ibig, and GSIS were effectively put into the hands of developers, who built the houses, found buyers willing to take out mortgages, approved the mortgages, submitted them to the NHMFC, and got the money in a few months. In effect, the builder controlled the credit funds and approved the loans using funds that were not theirs but were funds of SSS, Pag-Ibig, and GSIS.

This was a clear conflict of interest, for the builder would maximize
his profits from easy credit and would not bear the cost of mortgage defaults. Naturally, lots of problems arose in just a few years -- fake mortgages to fictitious borrowers, nonexistent houses sold to noexistent buyers, and the more common case: real, but substandard, houses, hastily sold to buyers who clearly did not have the capacity to pay back the loan during the agreed loan period. By the time HUDCC took action to correct the anomalous situation in 1996 under my
coordination, some 42 billion had been disbursed in mortgages under the Villar scheme. Only a little more than 20 percent of the loans were
being repaid by borrowers, more than 70 percent of the mortgages had
been defaulted or were in serious arrears.

This drew the attention of the World Bank and the Dept. of Finance, for
the SSS, GSIS, and Pag-Ibig Funds are retirement funds. The funds are
commtted to future retirement obligations to the contributing members.
If the housing mess continued, the SSS, GSIS, and Pag-Ibig would default on its retirement obligations, creating a financial crisis for the country. All of us who changed the housing program to give the control over their housing funds back to the SSS, GSIS, and Pag-Ibig, who would be more careful in screening mortgages to make sure they would be paid for they would bear the penalties of mortgage defaults -- we were all harrassed by Villar and his minions in the CREBA who slapped law suits on us and attacked us in the radio, TV, newspapers, etc. The Makati regional trial court found in our favor and threw out the
CREBA-Villar law suit. For a long while, we lost in the media wars and
were painted as anti-poor bureaucrats. But the furor eventually died down and the reformed housing program we fashioned has stood the test of time. Since 1997, the repayment rates of socialized and low-cost housing mortgages have high enough to make the program sustainable. The looming financial crisis was averted and we are now in better shape than the US, which did nothing to reform its own defective housing mortgage system.

Of course, the share prices of C & P homes of Villar collapsed, for
everyone knew that the company was profitable only for as long as it
could bilk government funds. But then Villar found other rackets and the rest, as they say, is history.

Tony Hidalgo

Hi,

This guy is for real. He is the husband of our writing teacher Ms Jing Hidalgo Pantoja, UP Creative Writing Director, Palanca hall of fame awardee. Our teacher just mentioned that this article is really arousing interest.. Antonio Hidalgo was there. So we can truly pass this on.

Too hot to handle

2010-04-16T12:35:00.001+08:00

The Philippines is certainly drying up. With temperatures ranging from 34 to an outstanding 39 degrees in some areas, crops are slowly dying as the heat rages on. Electricity has already been affected and businesses are slowing down due to the rotational brownouts. People are starting to grow hungry as the prices of commodities have slowly risen up. But it seems that the El Nino phenomenon, though have been happening in this country for years, is being treated lightly by the government.

Of course, we can’t do anything to stop the unusual weather, but we may still mitigate the problem through adequate planning through the government. But sadly, the government also has the same thoughts about the weather as we do and preferred to sit tightly and pray for rain.

They never realized how the shortage has affected Filipinos since we managed to survive the heat throughout our lives. True enough, we might be able to survive the heat like we did before, but we can’t rely that the weather would pass since they are highly unpredictable. The heat may go on until July, and without much planning on the government’s part, then where will we be?

I did not mean that the government is not doing anything to help us survive the weird weather. There have been produce imports and cloud seeding operations going on around the country; but the only problem IS, compared to other countries that have the same kinds of problems, our preparations are simple and will not work in the long run.

It’s not all about the heat. In Luzon, the one hour rotational brownouts have caused a large damage to the production of businesses, losing revenues that would supposedly help boost the economy. Mindanao has its worse with seven to eight hour brownouts thereby halting most businesses in the area. If this continues, businesses would have to lay off workers and the problem would only worsen with unemployment going up.

Most candidates in the 2010 elections do not have any concrete solutions for this problem and would rather stick to general statements like “I will help the farmers with their problems” without anything to back up their statements, maybe because they thought once they’re elected the crisis would be over.

This makes the May 2010 elections even more relevant for the Filipinos. We should not be lulled by motherhood statements and look for concrete ones unlike the rest. If we want to survive worse calamities, we must elect leaders who plan ahead and create measures when calamities strike.

Sadly, those presidential candidates who’ve been leading the surveys are the ones providing those motherhood statements. They don’t provide solutions because they don’t have the capacity to do so. Credentials alone speak themselves. Can we still let them lead if their platforms are all full of “trapo” promises?

Given this situation, it’s much better to choose those who are not leading in the surveys like Sen. Richard Gordon. He has the capability to mitigate these problems. When calamities struck like Ondoy, he was at the front lines to help those in need. He has plans that would provide long term solutions. If that is not a mark of a good candidate, then what is?

A bite from the past

2010-04-15T21:37:00.007+08:00

I’ve read Gordon’s statement in April 9's article at GMA News.TV regarding Villar and Aquino's political issues, and I do agree with him. Both leading candidates will surely be hounded by their pasts once one of them becomes president.

For Villar, it will be the controversial C-5 road extension where he allegedly benefited from the government’s road extension project. And for Noynoy, it will be the Hacienda Luisita estate and the harsh dispersal that lead to a massacre of farmers that happened a few years ago.

In fact, both candidates have already been hounded by issues ever since they ran for the presidency. Even if you think that it is jut another propaganda brought by those against them, the fact that both issues actually happened and were not “fully” resolved will remain a thorn on their campaign.

How can these two candidates, who’ve been at each other’s throats in the elections, be in the top of the surveys? Even before running the campaigns, their names have already been under the mud, without any solutions to clean it. Even if their names are cleared, there will still be a small smudge that will remain. Can we leave it to them to run our country?

I also do not believe the two's statements regarding their issues. It's impossible for Villar not to have known that the road extention will pass through his land, let alone benefiting him.

On Noynoy's part, he said he will sell the hacienda to the farmers when he becomes president. Why wait to become president if he can do it right now? I believe he will do what his family did and prolong the issue indefinitely. He doesn't really want to sell the land, he's only saying that to get more votes.

Why choose these people if you could choose other candidates like Richard Gordon who doesn't have any dirt to his name. Even from his track record alone, Gordon can beat the leading presidentiables. Competency is not a question unlike those leading in the surveys.

I know many people are scared of voting for candidates like Gordon because they think their votes will be wasted from a candidate who has a lesser chance of winning, but if we change that thought, people like Gordon might have a fighting chance.

Link to Gordon’s statement here: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/188073/gordon-past-controversies-will-hound-noynoy-villar

Treating it like "The Apprentice"

2010-04-14T19:26:00.002+08:00

Now who’s the right candidiate?

That might be the million peso question we’ve been itching to find out. The 2010 election is becoming more like a game show where texters choose their most favorite contestants among the rest. Well, yeah if you put it that way, but it should be more of a “The Apprentice” type of game show where Donald Trump finds the right “apprentice” from the group of businessmen for his million dollar job of a lifetime.

He chooses the winner based on past records, accomplishments, failures, and popularity of each surviving contestants. In fact, that show can be a role model for us voters since Trump does not base his choice from flashy celebrities, but by their records of accomplishments throughout the season.

It’s not just any game show where you pick the most handsome/beautiful contestant from the rest, but by analyzing each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, then deciding if that person is fit for the job.

If we employed Trump’s assessment for the presidential candidates, sadly most of the leading presidentiables would’ve been fired right from the start. Either because they have nothing to show in terms of track record in governance resulting in a weak political background and policy making capabilities; or they have been proven to have acted/legislated based on what’s good for their personal businesses. After basing on track record alone, only a few contestants will remain given this situation. Among them will be Sen. Richard Gordon.

With that said, let’s take a brief look at his resume:

Gordon has 33 years of executive experience – as the youngest 1971 Concon delegate and as Olongapo City Mayor.
After the US base in Subic closed down in 1991 leaving 400,000 Filipinos jobless, Gordon successfully transformed the US naval facility into a world-class freeport facility that attracted investors and created jobs.
As Tourism Secretary from 2001-2004, he made the country a preferred tourist destination in Asia.
As Senator from 2004-2010, he has authored 270 bills and resolutions, 13 of which have been passed into law – including the automation of the elections.
He has been working for the past 40 years as a volunteer for the Philippine National Red Cross and helping many Filipinos who are victims of tragedies as well as natural disasters.

Even businessmen think of Gordon as the right candidate for the job. In the mock polls conducted last March, foreign business executives and members of the diplomatic community in the Philippines Gordon as the best person who “can do the best job” in running the country for the next six years.

So even in game show format, we can see that Gordon has what it takes to be “the apprentice” for the job. Let’s stop believing in surveys and look at each presidentiable’s records and you will see who is right for the president’s seat.

Just a short comparison between the presidentiables

2010-04-14T19:23:00.003+08:00

The wrong kind of advetisements

2010-04-13T17:33:00.000+08:00

Barely a month before the 2010 elections, many political advertisements spouting nonsense had crowded television and radio airwaves to its peak. Most of them full of crappy cliché lines that only appeal to the emotions without any substance.

Take Villar for example. All of his advertisements rely on marginalized children who talked about alleviating them from poverty through his guidance. Noynoy on the other hand, advertised his parents (instead of himself) to boost ratings. Gibo, well he’s all about airplanes and how he can lift people up from their current state, etc.

With only a few weeks left to show their worth to the public, very few presidentiables have been giving the right kind of advertisements, like how a candidate can SOLVE poverty, how they might IMPROVE the economy, and how to DEAL with issues like corruption in the country. Most only employed flashy advertisements from known celebrities (Yes, even Villar’s kids were actors) that attacks the Filipino’s sympathy for change. Most relied on boosting emotion than prividing solutions.

I’m sorry to say this but most Filipinos are suckers for celebrities and entertainment. Instead of answering dire issue, we enjoy mudslinging in debates. Gossips and scandals are second entertainment for us, even though we know it’s not true. Recently, this presidentiable discovered showbiz news as fertile campaign propaganda by employing “chizmiz” for more air time.

This is the reason I hate Philippine elections because it is all about popularity contests and not issues. I get frustrated at many politicians who win because this celebrity endorsed him or that advertisements has a catchy jingle therefore we should vote for him. Haven’t they realized we are making the same mistakes again?

Instead of looking at all the glamour, why don’t we look at each presidentiable’s track record to see what these people have done for us. Were they able to author bills that actually helped the country when they were senator? Were they hooked in an issue while running in office? Do they have they skills to manage the country? If we made questions like that and apply them to the current presidential candidates, then very VERY few candidates would remain, and I assure you they are not one of those leading in the surveys.

Choosing the "lesser evil" crap

2010-04-12T16:03:00.001+08:00

I remembered a friend telling me about voting for the “lesser evil” among the presidential candidates, instead of someone who has the skills since that lesser evil will be the most likely to win. My friend said it would’ve been better to choose yellow because he hasn’t done anything much to screw his name. But I said, THAT is the reason. He hasn’t done ANYTHING, that’s why there’s nothing to talk about, except his celebrity parents and siblings.

Can a person expect someone who hasn’t even done anything for years in office effectively run the country? Can we expect economic development from someone who easily bends his knees to please the crowd? Can we expect somebody who easily turns tail after being criticized for his stand? Certainly no. He will be easily crushed in the political area, let alone help the in the country’s development.

It is not only about the weak political will, but the skills needed to properly handle business as big as the country. Choosing the “lesser evil who’ll win” over the “not evil person with skills, but most unlikely to win” is doing disservice to the country. My friend’s not the only one thinking like that; most Filipinos (who are politically literate enough) actually do. If all of us thought like that, then that politician with skill will certainly lose. And if we chose the lesser evil, who do you think can we blame when that person wins and do the corruption thing all over again? It’s not the politician’s fault--- it’s ours.

If there’s a choice between the “not evil” over the “lesser evil”, then why not choose the “not evil” one instead? Even if he might not be able to win, at least we still have the face to criticize the incumbent for his actions. It’s not about the concept of who will win in the race, it’s about idealism. If we chose the lesser evil, then we are accepting the responsibilities that entails with voting for that person. We are giving him the power to abuse since we already expect him to abuse it, though not blatantly compared to the others. For years, we were so used to this thought that we blindly chose our presidentiables for popularity than experience.

We shouldn’t follow what the surveys told us and vote for the popular leading candidates or the lesser evil between the two. Let’s consider each candidate’s track record and analyze what he has done through the years, then choose the right person for the job. In fact, if you analyze enough, there will be VERY few candidates left who can fit the job; and trust me, they are not in the top surveys.

It’s just sad to think that Filipinos are always blinded by the glamor and popularity that it does great disservice to the others who actually did well on their work, but failed to get credit for it. Perhaps it’s time for the people to shape up and choose someone better than just someone with a lot of face on TV.

Remember, this election will be the most critical point in the Philippines. With so much problems piling up, choosing the right candidate to run the country is the most important thing a Filipino must do right now.

Botong Isko Results

2010-04-11T16:42:00.001+08:00

It was not surprising that Gordon won the University of the Philippines’ mock polls Botong Isko last month. Compared to the other presidentiables, he is by far suitable for the post.

Gordon was able to tap in to the student’s plea for good governance and solutions for long term economic development. Some of his plans were straight to the point, and some were even harsh, but he was able to defend them through his straight-to-the-point answers.

Of course, there were other students and most professors, especially the “older generations”, who were surprised by the turnouts of the mock polls. For an activist institution voting for someone who was claimed to be an avid supporter of the US troops stationed in the country, it was something gone mad.

But I believe the students were not voting based on color or a particular stand, but by the overall bearings a presidentiable has in order to lead the nation. Out of all the candidates, Gordon was able to provide concrete solutions on issues surrounding the country. While most presidentiables were bashing each other in the debates, he was able to be cool enough to answer the questions without the motherhood statements these people love to hand out (then bash at the other’s foolishness).

They weighed in what the candidates were offering from the past debates and chose the right person. They didn’t rely on popularity contests like the leading candidates, they preferred more on what a candidate has to offer.

Most students also believed that out of all the presidentiables, Gordon was true enough to answer the questions without fear of any backlash. When he was asked if he would increase taxes when he became president, he instantly said yes because he believed it was impossible not to increase taxes, since it was needed to stimulate the economy. Other candidates, especially the leading ones, plainly said no just to please the crowd; but in the end they changed their tune once they realized their response was unfavorable. This act alone was Gordon’s strong point.

But being true to the public has its shortcomings as a politician. Let’s face it, our country is still mired by popularity contests. The only reason those in the top were leading the surveys was because of the millions of pesos spent on campaign advertisements. For a campaign strategist’s perspective, it was the best move to garner the masses’ votes. But it only shows how shallow they are by dancing on TV and getting celebrities to endorse them for money.

What the majority of the Botong Isko did was not listen to surveys or enthralled by the flashy jingles they saw on TV, they weighed in, analyzed and thought who will be best suited for the job--- and they have spoken.

Lilia sells food in the streets but hasn’t heard of microfinance

2010-04-11T16:41:00.000+08:00

By Peter Blaza, Nephele Kirong
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:57:00 03/10/2010

Filed Under: Poverty, Entrepreneurship, Economy and Business and Finance

MANILA, Philippines—Life could have been easier for Lilia Roseryo had she been a beneficiary of a microfinance program, a government blueprint to ease poverty.

But she hasn’t even heard of it. And maybe most of the Filipinos who belong to that poor segment of society with little education or access to capital or credit.

Every day, Roseryo wakes up at 4 a.m. to cook dishes like sinigang and adobo. By 7 a.m., she leaves her small home in Tondo, Manila, and heads wherever there are crowds of people she could sell her ready-to-eat meals.

She once owned a small carinderia (eatery) right in front of her home, but it fell on bad times. Her husband deserted her two years after the youngest of her four children was born. He is sickly. The three other kids have stopped schooling.

Borrowed capital

Capital is borrowed from a neighbor. She takes home about P60 to P70 a day, minus all the expenses, a little repayment for the loan and setting aside the required money for the next day’s enterprise.

The family eats the unsold lunches, when they haven’t yet been spoiled.

“I’m cooking food, but they’re not for my children,” she laments.

No, she hasn’t heard of the microfinance program that the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) claims it is promoting to ease creeping poverty hounding a third of the Philippine population.

Flagship program

It is one of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s flagship programs to provide livelihood opportunities.

Under the NAPC, accredited organizations are provided loan from P1,000 to each individual to as much as P150,000 for groups of borrowers at minimal interest.

Emmanuel Esguerra, an economics professor of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, says that the government’s microfinance system is flawed and limited.

He says the dominance of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) involved in the programs puts the program’s sustainability under question.

“NGOs are still very heavily dependent on subsidies,” Esguerra says.

Arcane guidelines

Like any bank loan, money borrowed under the program is given through a set of guidelines. Often, the poor fail to meet the standards of credit and project feasibility, something arcane for the unschooled.

“Credit markets in the Philippines are so imperfect that people who are not even poor are not even able to obtain themselves credit,” he says.

Esguerra says that even if the poor present the necessary documents, there’s no assurance the loan will be processed because collaterals are still needed.

“The better way to help these poor guys is not to expect them to be entrepreneurs,” he says, as entrepreneurial skills are not equally distributed among everyone.

Esguerra says it may be more appropriate for the government to engage the poor in conditional cash transfers instead of microfinance.

He says this program enables poor households to receive funds, in return providing the household’s children enough time to concentrate on education and improving employment opportunities.

Better fighting chance

“The next generation will have a better fighting chance,” Esguerra says, in comparison to households engaging in microfinance.

For Mariel Vincent A. Rapisura, program manager of the Ateneo de Manila University Microfinance Capacity-Building Program, where proper information and guidance are provided results are positive.

“In our research, it has been consistently shown that microfinance prevents the poor from becoming poorer. Microfinance clients typically have improved quality of life derived from improved business income,” Rapisura says.

“The improvements in their quality of life include better nutrition, better housing, gender empowerment, higher propensity to save, better ability to send children to school and better access to health services,” he adds.

It could certainly help people like Lilia Roseryo.

What the heck are they doing? (opinion)

2009-11-27T00:04:00.002+08:00

What could have been the worst political massacre in history was actually deemed to happen sooner or later---- with a well-bread warlord under the administration’s care.

Philippine Star columnist Jairus Bondoc said Arroyo was the one who unleashed these warlords because of her “utang na loob” syndrome where she gave a free hand to the Ampatuans to return a 12-0 vote in the 2007 elections.

"How could Andal and his heavily armed band have acted with such impunity? No less than a Malacañang source answered: ‘He already had horns; Gloria Arroyo let them grow longer.’

Warlords rise because abetted by the President, with shortsighted army and crooked police generals. The Ampatuans came to control Maguindanao, Muslim Mindanao’s largest province, ever since Arroyo became Commander-in-Chief in 2001. A good number of town mayors are sons of Andal Sr. by different marriages, sons-in-law, and grandsons. Zaldy, a son, is governor of the Autonomous Muslim Region. The Mangudadatus are related by blood and affinity.

Arroyo returns the favors by letting them rule Maguindanao like a fiefdom. All economic initiatives need the Ampatuans’ assent; state funds are released through them. Even the posting of police and military generals are cleared with them."

I liked Bondoc’s article about the Maguindanao Massacre because it really reflects what was happening in Mindanao. It was Arroyo who nurtured these “barbarians” to commit such heinous acts for their political ambitions, and it was her fault that these mass killings have happened. In fact,it's no longer about what happened between the massacred journalists and women; it’s more than that. It was a reflection of the corrupt practices that has besieged Mindanao when Arroyo stepped in power.

What irritates me most was the inability of the militaryin arresting the Ampatuans. Ted Failon on DZMM earlier asked why the military doesn’t just arrest the Ampatuans since there was evidence pointed against them. When Ted Failon was suspected to have killed his wife last May, he was immediately arrested by the PNP, but when everybody suspected the Ampatuans, a government official just went on a visit. What was the difference between the two? What’s with the special treatment? The PNP has the initiative to detain any possible suspects within 36 hours for possible evidence, but the DOJ turns a blind eye and said “procedures must be done.”

It was also reported a few years back that Maguindanao was one of the poorest province in the country. Behind the run down shanties of the residents lie lavish mansions of the governor and his sons. Funds that were meant to rehabilitate the province have been placed in the pockets of these officials who rule them with terror because, according to Bondoc, even the police are under their control.

There was also a report last 2007 of residents being threatened to vote for the administration party. It’s not surprising because it was technically impossible for any province to vote the same people without using force.

With all these problems being fanned out because of this incident, I pray that justice must be served. Justice without Malacanang’s blessing.

*photo taken from airamerica.com

Escudero's bold move

2009-10-29T14:55:00.001+08:00

Haha sem break at last! At least just for a week maybe…

Anyway, the 2010 elections are just around the corner and we are seeing some unique developments on who will be running for the presidential seat next year. From an aspiring 12 candidates who publicly claimed to run for the presidential seat, only seven (I think) remained.

One of the most recent developments in the political arena was Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s declaration of leaving the National People’s Coalition (NPC) in Club Filipino yesterday.

Escudero said he was leaving the Party to remove any links and biases he may have had to the party in order to better serve the masses.

“Sino man po ang nagpapaplanong tumakbo bilang pangulo, dapat wala pong partidong kinabibilangan – NPC,LP , NP, Lakas o ano pa man. Ang dapat na partidong kinabibilangan ng sino mang nagpaplanong tumakbo, dapat po Pilipinas,” he said.

Escudero said running for the highest position while in a political party would bind the person’s interest that would be for the party and not for the people.

“sino mang tumatakbo, o tatakbo o magiging pangulo ng ating bansa, hindi po pwedeng nakakadena ang kamay at paa sa partido. Hindi po pwedeng nakapiring ang mata, at nakabusal ang bibig,” Escudero said, “at higit sa lahat, ako’y lumilisan sa aking partido dahil naniniwala po ako na mas matatanaw ko ang dapat kong gawin at papel na dapat kong gampanan kaugnay sa darating na halalan.”

Escudero’s bold move to split from the NPC has brought many cheers and speculations in his bid for the 2010 race. Some speculate a rift between the NPC members, while some thought it was propaganda to increase Escudero’s reputation.

While Escudero’s intentions might be pure, as pure as any politician can be, but his decision to split the party might have a repercussion, especially during the campaign period.

Escudero’s decision to run as an independent might have increased his popularity and status for his candidacy, especially since he will be separated from all the issues and controversies surrounding some members of the party, but having lost political machinery would eventually slow his campaign down.

One reason many aspirants belong in the party was to extend their reach throughout the country and provide back ups, both physically and financially, especially during the campaign period.

But, belonging to political parties are not a solution to winning elections, in fact it all relies back to the candidate’s track record and ideals are being recognized by the masses.

His split from the NPC might be a good move to his image but if he really wants to win, he would need to double his efforts now that he lost his backing.

*For more information about the 2010 elections and presidential profiles, check out our site www.votethenation.clanteam.com

Update: Number of affected families by TS Ondoy increases

2009-09-30T11:58:00.000+08:00

* Taken from CDRC

The number of families affected by Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name Ketsana) increased to 89,116 families or 448,454 persons. Ondoy battered Metro Manila and parts of Luzon after it made landfall near the boundary of Aurora and Quezon Saturday morning, September 26. Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, Laguna and Rizal were the most affected by massive floods.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council reported that 100 people died in the National Capital Region, CAR, and Region IV-A. In the NCR, 7 people died, 3 in Muntinlupa City; 2 in NIA Road; 1 in Marikina City; and 1 in Brgy. Bato, San Juan. In Region III, 36 people died, 24 in Bulacan; and 12 in Arayat, Pampanga. In Region IV-A, 56 people died, 1 in Calaca, Batangas; 1 in Calauag, Quezon; 23 in Tanay; 1 in Theresa, 10 in Angono; 5 in Baras; 2 in Cavite; 5 in Laguna; 3 in Montalban; and 5 military personnel. In CAR, 1 died in Kabugao, Apayao. Meantime, 32 people remain missing in Kabayan, Benguet (1); Tanay, Rizal (20); Infanta, Pangasinan (9); and Arayat, Pampanga (2).

In Metro Manila, over 5,000 people from 45 barangays were evacuated after incessant rains caused heavy flooding in Manila, Marikina, Malabon, Muntinlupa, Makati, Pasay, Pasig, Valenzuela, San Juan and Quezon City. Flood water in some areas have already reached the second and third floors of buildings, forcing residents to seek refuge on the roof of their houses. A total of 50 road sections were also left impassable to vehicles due to raging flood waters, leaving several commuters stranded.

In Bulacan, 113 baranggays in Marilao, Meycuayan, San Miguel and Bocaue Sta Maria, Calumpit, Bustos and Norzagaray were heavily flooded. In Pampanga, 64 barangays in San Simon, Guagua, Masantol, Apalit, Lubao, Porac, Sto Tomas and San Fernando.

In Rizal, several barangays were flooded and 5,000 families were affected by rising floodwater. Many villages were not accessible to the rescue teams, leaving several families trapped on rooftops for hours.

Landslides occurred in Mt Province-Cagayan via Tabuk in CAR; Brgy. San Juan-Banyo, Arayat, Pampanga in Region III; Brgy. Bongalon, Sangay, Camarines Sur in Region V; Tagaytay-Taal Road, and Tagaytay-Talisay Road in Cavite; and Antipolo-Teresa Road and Sumulong Highway in Rizal.

The total cost of damage has already reached P108.9M. The damage to infrastructure has reached P108.7M; and to agriculture P212,537.

The Secretary of National Defense declared a State of National Calamity in the following areas in view of the extensive effects of Tropical Storm “Ondoy”:

- The whole of National Capital Region (NCR)

- CAR: Mt. Province, Ifugao and Benguet

- Region I: Pangasinan, La Union and Ilocos Sur

- Region II: Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya

- Region III: Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac and Bataan

- Region IV-A: Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon

- Region IV-B: Mindoro (Occidental and Oriental) and Marinduque

- Region V: Catanduanes, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur

Table 1. Affected Population by Tropical Storm ONDOY

Region	Number Affected
Region	Brgys	Families	Persons
Region 1	5	75	244
NCR	67	10,921	58,161
Region III	188	47,720	229,223
Region IV-A	102	27,834	148,504
Region IV-B	4	720	3,600
Region V	3	1,191	5,957
Region IX	8	191	436
Region XII	3	320	1,600
CAR	2	4	29
TOTAL	384	89,116	448,454

Source: NDCC

Appeal for assistance

Right after the typhoon, CDRC and its Regional Centers immediately conducted a Damages, Needs and Capacities Assessment (DNCA) in the affected areas.

Of the total number of affected families, the most vulnerable were carefully identified, taking into account the gravity of destruction, their economic capacity to cope, their accessibility to relief services conducted by other agencies, and their willingness to help themselves. On the basis of these criteria, 25,473 families have been short-listed as the most vulnerable families from among the total affected.

Table 2. Selected Areas for Relief Delivery Operation:

Region	Province/City	Number of Affected
Region	Province/City	Brgys	Families
NCR	Taguig City	Western Bicutan	320
		Bagong Bayan	350
	Manila City	Tondo Dumpsite	452
		Hapilan	400
		Parola	520
		Baseco	600
		Punta Sta Ana Brgy 905	330
		Brgy 679 Paco	355
		Brgy 836 Peter Paul Pandacan	400
		Brgy 868/867 Pandacan	700
		Dagupan Extension, Tondo	380
		Brgy 173 Gagalangin, Tondo	300
	Pasig City	Maybunga	500
		Rosario	500
		Sta. Lucia	500
		Kalawaan	350
	Pandacan	Dapo Ilang-ilang	325
		Banana	300
		Kahilom	250
	Caloocan	Dagat-dagatan	500
		Bagong Silang Tala	700
		Brgy 35 Dagat-dagatan	500
		Brgy 14 Dagat-dagatan	500
		Brgy 28 Dagat-dagatan	350
	Malabon	Panghulo/Tonsuya/Catmon	600
		East Riverside Tulyahan	250
	Valenzuela	Malinta/Marulas	400
	Navotas	San Roque/Daan Hari/San Jose/Tanza/Tangos/NBBS	1,000
	Marikina	Tumana River	1,000
	San Juan		300
	Paranaque	Sucat Creek and Lawa Side	1,785
		Brgy Buli	120
	Muntinlupa	Cupang	1,600
		Alabang	200
		Putatan	1,650
		Poblacion	450
		Tunsan	1,000
		Advan	250
		Triumph	200
III	Pampanga	Arayat	940
IV-A	Batangas	Ambulong, Tanuan	48
		Aya, Talisay	51
	Laguna	Malaban, Binan	507
	Rizal	Sto Nino/Sta. Inez/San Andres/Daraitan/Mamuyao/Tandang Kutyo/Laiban, Tanay	1,025
		San Jose, Antipolo	118
	Quezon	Anoling/Banglos/Minahan Norte/Minahan Sur/Magsikap/San Marcelino/Sablang/Maligaya/ Umiray/Lumutan, Gen. Nakar	523
IV-B	Mindoro Occidental	Sablayan/Rizal/San Jose	328
	Mindoro Oriental	Roxas/Mansalay/Bulalacao/ Victoria/San Teodoro/Naujan/Baco	746
	Grand Total		25,473

The above-mentioned communities are among the worst affected by the typhoon and floods. Their houses were destroyed by the floods, and many of these areas are still difficult to access and therefore receive very little assistance if any. Immediate needs are food supply augmentation and other essential non-food items.

Needs include:

food provisions
water supply
medicines (for common colds and diarrhea)
clothes
bedding (mats, blankets, mosquito nets)
plastic sheet
kitchen utensils
sanitary napkins
construction materials (plywood, corrugated metal roof, etc)

Donations for the evacuees may be sent through the Citizens’ Disaster Response Center at 72-A Times St., West Triangle Homes, Quezon City. Concerned individuals and donors can easily reach us at (632) 929-9822 / (632) 929-9820. Donations may also be sent through the following bank accounts:

Dollar Account

Account Name: Citizens’ Disaster Response Center
Account Number: 2-63600158-3

Bank: Metrobank, Examiner Branch

Bank Address: Corner Examiner and Quezon Avenue, West Triangle, Quezon City, Philippines

Swift Code: MBTCPHMM

Peso Account

Account Name: Citizens’ Disaster Response Center
Account Number: 3-63600741-3

Bank: Metrobank, Examiner Branch

Bank Address: Corner Examiner and Quezon Avenue, West Triangle, Quezon City, Philippines

References:

NDCC
PAGASA
Reports from:

Community Response for Enlightenment, Service and Transformation (CREST)

Alay Bayan Incorporated (ABI)

Southern Tagalog People's Response Center (STPRC)

UPJC 2nd wave (advertisement)

2009-07-30T00:13:00.003+08:00

What she did and did not say in her 2009 SONA (opinion)

2009-07-29T18:17:00.002+08:00

On Monday, the President delivered her final State of the Nation Address. People were tuning in, mostly to see and hear about her plans for the upcoming election. The biggest thought on their mind was her announcement for running as congressman next year.

Nobody really wanted to hear about her accomplishments in the economy. If the economy is really doing well, then she need not say it. The result would show itself eventually. What the people wanted to know was a clear response on her political plans. But did she answer the question? Well, yes. Vaguely---- in a way making the gray part, more gray-er.

Being her supposedly last SONA, people wanted to know if she really will she step down after her term. But being a wise politician as she was, she left the people hanging and gave a not-so-assuring response on her plans next year.

“I have never expressed desire to extend myself beyond my term,” she said.

Well, what’s wrong with that? She did not say that she WILL NOT extend herself beyond her term. She just “never expressed desire” to run again. The way she said it was entirely different than what she meant. It again sets in a more gray-er scale on her political plans that do not set the public’s mind at ease.

There was another issue with her final goodbyes in her SONA. Unlike other presidents before her who bid farewell during their final Addresses, Arroyo never did say any “goodbyes” before she stepped down the platform. What we heard was a “thank you” for electing her as president and the usual “Mabuhay Pilipinas!” tagline.

It may sound trivial to some, but we know that whatever left unsaid is a matter of concern. She did not say a proper goodbye, what we are certain was she thanked the Filipinos who gave her support, and might be asking to do so again if she decides to run for congress the next term.

Regarding attacks on her critics, one can see that her biting known presidentiables is a way to discredit her political adversaries in the upcoming elections.

“To those who want to be President, this advice: If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Just do it. Don’t say bad words in public.”

This was a shot against Senator Mar Roxas on the Cheaper Medicines Act that he passed and his swearing during the Rally against Charter Change in Makati a couple of months ago.

“Those who live in glass houses should cast no stones. Those who should be in jail should not threaten it, especially if they have been there….”

This was another attack against former President Joseph Estrada who was sentenced to jail and pardoned by Arroyo.

“The noisiest critics of constitutional reform tirelessly and shamelessly attempted Cha-Cha when they thought they could take advantage of a shift in the form of government. Now that they feel they cannot benefit from it, they oppose it”

It may sound like a general attack on all Charter Change critics, but I believe that it was an attack on Jose De Venecia who was once a supporter of Charter Change, but now opposes it due to a fight between the two families.

Instead of talking about the state of the country, it became a battleground for political supremacy. She blasted her critics without the gall of respecting the traditions of SONA. It’s like a State of the Political Nation’s Address instead of the country’s report.

The way she acted feels like I was not yet her final SONA. Who knows, we may get to see her again if things go as she planned.

*photo taken from Yahoo! Images

An Inconvenient Truth about Sexual Harassment

2009-07-25T16:40:00.008+08:00

There was a forum on July 15 about battling sexual harassment and how they are affecting the country. To be honest, I was a bit ignorant on the topic as it has nothing to do with me whatsoever. I was just planning to doze off after sitting in a comfy seat just to pass the time. But after a while, I realized my ignorance had taken hold of me. The forum was not boring, nor does it not concern me. What I’ve heard opened my eyes to the horrors of sexual abuse.

Sexual abuse is indeed happening in our country. It may be as small as sexual jokes to as big as near-rape. Whether it be big or small, sexual harassment is happening everywhere.

I remember when Atty. Pinlac talked about the severe cases of sexual abuse. Most of her stories were like what you are used to see in teleseryes involving sex and betrayal. One particular case that stuck my mind was a case involving a certain Korean electronics company. She said that the company only picks women aged 18-21 and trains them for six months in order to be regularized. Sounds normal? No, that’s just part of it.

In order for the women employees to be regularized, they must stand in line to be inspected by the manager. What the manager does is fondle each woman’s breasts to his satisfaction.
I don’t know what that has anything to do with work, but according to Atty. Pinlac’s story, it was the company’s standard procedure. It doesn’t stop there, each woman then bows down to the manager, opens his zipper, and does oral sex. Unbelievable? But it’s true.

Another harassment case I remember was a dad who raped two of his daughters, while the third one was raped by his friends. Atty. Pinlac was handling the case of the third daughter when she heard of the other two. It was sickening. Sickening for someone to do those things to their own flesh and blood. Sickening indeed.

There was also another case, I think I saw this on TV years back, where a grade school teacher molested his male students in his house. The criminal’s defense was that the boys liked it to and did so without any force.

These grave cases of sexual harassments are really happening in our society, and what’s worse is that the only punishment that these perpetrators receive is a six-month imprisonment or a fine of P20, 000.

Senator Escudero, who also attended the forum, said that revising the sexual harassment bill is imminent to curb these sick cases. He said that the current provisions of the sexual harassment act are really not that effective in curbing these cases of sexual harassment.

“In my mind, this is now an issue of enforcement than legislation. The congress should make it more updated to the changing time and ensure that those who commit violations on this line should be punished, and will be penalized,” he said.

But what is the root of sexual harassment? Was it because of the woman’s looks or how she dress? How she acts? No, It was because of our own culture.

“It is not because women were short skirts revealing clothes. It is about power,” Pinlac said.

Both the speakers agree that culture and power are the ones responsible for the abuse. It is inherent in our culture for the women to be submissive. This nature is the reason why men often take advantage into believing that he can do anything to the woman, and because of that, power is involved.

If women learn how to stand up for them---and not cower in fear of peer rejection---- then cases like these ones will cease to exist. Again, culture is the main culprit in our society, and the only way to change that is to change ourselves.

Senator Escudero’s proposal to strengthen the bill will indeed give a bite to those who violate it, but the best way for it not to happen is to change ourselves and fight for our own rights.

"Chizmisan" Muna (opinion)

2009-07-17T16:05:00.002+08:00

I’ve just watched the You Tube video of Sen. Franciz “Chiz” Escudero’s forum in the UP School of Economics held on July 8. Escudero mainly talked about the current situation of our country like the on-going corruptions, the worsening state of education and other things. Most of his talks were primarily based on the shortcomings of the government and his proposition in solving them. Though I felt like what he said were already a reiteration of my past lessons (Especially to me, coming from a political science background) there were still some points that made me think otherwise.

Corruption has been a very common term in the country that even grade schoolers know about them. We shouldn’t be glad about this because it is only an indication that our country is going downhill that even the younger ones are experiencing it; making the word “corruption” a norm in the society.

According to Sen. Escudero, almost 1.4 billion pesos are lost due to corruption. This is indeed an eye opener, considering how much the people are suffering from the lack of funds from the government.

I shared Escudero’s thoughts in wondering what would happen if that 1.4 billion are spent to the welfare of the country. Perhaps it can lift us up from the stumbles of past administrations and even change our outlook to the world! But, going back to reality, it won’t be happening real soon.

Why the pessimistic attitude? Because it’s just like that. It is almost impossible to return that wealth because we ourselves are easily forgetting the past. Remember what had happened to the ill gotten wealth of Marcos? All the jewels of the First Lady? They are being returned to them, even though everybody knows that all the jewels are gotten from the blood and sweat of the people. If people forget, then corruption will continue to prosper.

One way to remove this corrupt practice, according to Senator Escudero, was to promote transparency in government transactions. He said that if government transactions become transparent, then there would be fewer people getting their hands on it.

That strategy would indeed be useful in the future, but there are some problems regarding that strategy. Transparency can only work if those who secure them are clean of corruption because is still using paper, and whatever you put in that paper can be easily altered, especially if you are buddies with those who write on it.

You can easily write in the paper that you will be allocating 3.5 million bucks on a certain project and audit everything that you’ve used, but if the auditor has no credibility, or if that person can gain “kick backs” for helping the politician, then won’t it be the same?

Transparency may indeed be one step closer to solving corruption, but it is just a temporary bandage. If these corrupt people do not get arrested, then they can easily find ways around the transparency issue.

I’ve had a professor in Political Science, I think, who told me the primary root of corruption. He said that corruption actually comes from the Filipino Culture. The concepts of Pakikipag kapwa tao and pamilya muna are the main reasons why corruption exists in the country. Filipinos often care for their family more than themselves. To remove corruption is to change our culture entirely, but to do that would be the big question.

Though what Senator Escudero proposed was a good step, the only way to resolve corruption---- to get back the 1.3 billion pesos--- is to start with ourselves. It may sound cliché, but understanding our culture and removing our bad habits would eventually clean the country from this problem

2009 Gawad Plaridel Award Winner Shares His "Sariling Dwende"

2009-07-15T23:02:00.005+08:00

All of us have our own “Sariling Dwende”.

This was a message given by the renowned Father of Independent Film, Kidlat Tahimik, in his acceptance of the 2009 Gawad Plaridel Award held in UP- Diliman on July 10.

“Sariling Dwende”, a term coined by Tahimik during his time as an independent film maker in the late 1970s, is something inherent inside of us that make us unique from other individuals, he said.

Relating it to Independent Films, Tahimik said that his films express his own “sariling dwende” by using unorthodox style in film making like in his famous works in Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare) and Turumba.

“Independent films are films that express ‘yung sarili mong dwende’ because that is who you are, that is your identity like nobody else’s. It is your unique view of the world,” he said in a press statement.

This vision is something that is inherent in the Filipino culture and should be looked into when developing these types of films, he said.

Tahimik’s love for independent film making comes from his desire to make a movie in his own unique way. He said that his “Sariling Dwende” urged him to create original films than that of the mainstream cinema.

Tahimik also stresses the importance of promoting our own culture in developing out “Sariling Dwende”, saying that Filipino culture should be embraced more than other cultures.

“I’m not against American Idol or anything, but our own culture is better,” he remarked.

Tahimik often gets his inspiration from the ethnic Cordillerans, stressing that this group is one of the “Indi-Genius” (Indigenous Geniuses) tribes of the country.

Since his return to Baguio in the late 1970s, he has been fascinated by the Cordillerans’ unique culture and way of life. He uses this fascination to bring out his artistic vision to the world.

This love for the Philippine culture was the reason why Tahimik changed his name from Eric De Guia, hoping that people would remove biases from his Spanish-European name. As to why he chose Kidlat Tahimik, his answer was simple---- it is the pure embodiment of energy.

“Kidlat is pure energy. Iyon ang spiritual aspiration ko (Lightning is pure energy. That is my spiritual aspiration),” he said.

Tahimik’s outstanding contributions to the Philippine independent cinema had earned him the right to be the recipient of the 2009 Gawad Plaridel Award.

The Gawad Plaridel Award is the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication’s culminating event, honoring media practitioners whose exemplary achievements and public service in the field of print, television, film, radio and the new media had rocked the foundations of the media industry.

Established in 2004, the Gawad Plaridel Award has given praise to pillars of the media Industry. Among them were Eugenia Apostol (Journalism, 2004), Vilma Santos-Recto (Film, 2005), Fideliat “Tiya Dely” Magpayo (Radio, 2006), Cecilia “Che Che” Lazaro (Television, 2007) and Pachico Seares (Community Journalism, 2008).

UP Inquirer Classrooms Officially Open

2009-06-29T21:00:00.014+08:00

The University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication officially opened the two renovated classrooms donated by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The two new classrooms, now called "the Inquirer Newsroom" and the Inquirer.net Classroom" are the brand new additions to the College's continuous plan for modernization.

According to Department of Journalism chairperson, Rachel Khan, the two rooms are vital for the student's continued studies in the print media.

Among those who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony were PDI President "Sandy" Prieto-Romualdez and and her brother, Paolo Prieto.

Digging up the Trash (Opinion)

2009-06-25T15:41:00.000+08:00

Ah, one of the most used tactics for degrading a political candidate. These people would more often than not, do the same tactics every time a presidential candidate is getting more spotlight than its competitors. Well, that’s Philippine politics for you---- So predictable. So Dirty, and yet a bit entertaining.

Back to the subject, we’ve been hearing about some presidentiables getting the bag from their pasts. Some of these came from positions during the First Quarter Storm, some from past positions in the congress, some even from their personal lives.

I would like to take an example from the recent clamors against a leading presidentiable. Recent bloggers are starting to attack Sen. Escudero’s statement on secondary education last 2006. He said that advanced math subjects like trigonometry and algebra should be removed from the curriculum. This had been an uproar since then, and I’ve been hearing it again lately as a propaganda against him.

Just like in 2006, what Escudero said was again placed out of context. What he meant was he wanted the students to experience more on other subjects like sports and the arts. Advanced Math subjects should be taught, not as a core subject, but as an elective for those who want to experience a higher understanding of mathematics. What he wanted was a strong foundation in the basic skills on Mathematics that we would be needing in real life, not to mention a higher aptitude in sports and the arts. Sen. Escudero looks at his proposal more on the practical side, which in fact more important than complex numbers and formulas.

If we look at past records of the country, the Philippines rank as one of the lowest in the field of sports (Well, boxing is an exception). Remember the 2006 Olympics, we only sent seven (I think) athletes to compete from the hundreds of sports events. Doesn’t that say anything to our current status in the field of sports?

While I do support Escudero’s proposal to revamp the High School Curriculu m----especially since I’m one of those who has a BIT of problem in Math--- I have mixed feelings on the subject. Recently, I realized that there is something important that we are unconsciously learning and I don’t agree that it should be removed as a core subject in High School. Algebra and Trigonometry (though I hated it and I can’t seem to remember how I passed trigo since I can’t even remember a single bit of it) stimulates the mind in having a deeper analysis compared to other subjects. It tests our mind to think of a solution, not based only on the formula given, but on how we manipulate it to suit our need. Perhaps we might not like the subject as much as the next person, but it is a way to stimulate our minds to think rationally. So instead of thinking it as a worthless subject, think of it as a way to challenge the mind.

But I do agree that there should be a revision in other subjects to increase the student’s awareness on the other fields. Instead of focusing the curriculum based on science courses like Medicine or Engineering, there should be an equal focus in the field of Arts like social sciences. Because out of Millions of students entering colleges, more than half of them would be choosing B.A. courses than B.S. ones.

ANC Leadership Forum Part2

2009-06-08T17:33:00.009+08:00

In response to the growing clamors on responsible voting, another leadership forum sponsored by ANC was conducted in UP Diliman last Friday.

Among those who were invited were Sen. Loren Legarda, former Pres. Erap Estrada, MMDA Chief Bayani Fernando, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, and Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Lacson failed to attend the forum and announced that he will not be running for the presidency next year.

Students and audience alike were driven with laughter and interests as the four who attended talked about various issues and controversies surrounding them and the country.

Estrada told the audience about his change of mind in running for the presidency next election, saying that he will be willing to run if there is no unified opposition.

When asked about his change of mind when he told the media last 2007 that he was not going to run in any political position, he said that his words were not set in stone.

“Wala naman akong sinabing di ako tatakbo kagaya ng Presidente,” Estrada said.

Meanwhile, MMDA Bayani Fernando was also greeted with corruption allegations regarding contracts on road developments. Fernando denied these allegations and said that there is no proof with these allegations.

Opposition candidates Sen. Legarda and Mayor Binay were asked if they are willing to step down once a single candidate by the opposition was elected. Both agreed to step down, but not without a fight.

“Wala namang perpektong candidate[for presidency], pero if that person has the same views and work ethics….. why not?”Legarda said.

Other questions were also raised by the audience regarding the candidates’ plans on economic developments and reforms in the constitution.

Sen. Legarda and Mayor Binay advocated micro enterprising and education as a way to solve the unemployment, while Estrada agreed to a family planning solution to reduce the unemployment due to overpopulation.

When asked if they were willing to support an investigation with the Arroyo family, all the opposition candidates were in agreement, while the only Administration candidate in the forum was left to defend the ranks.

“I don’t want to get in trouble,” Fernando commented.

*Photos taken from the ABS-CBN Website

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opinion:

After watching the forum on TV yesterday, I had mixed emotions on the four presidentiables. I prefer Legarda more than the other three because her advocacies and her plan of action was sound compared to the other three, though I kind of felt like all that she said was rehearsed.

Binay was alright as a candidate, though he eminates a "Yabang" factor when he speaks about his accomplishments in Makati. I don't blame him for that considering the progress of Makati.

Estrada.... I did not understand much about his stand on the issues. He kept on getting sidetracked on every issue he had answered. He was also slow in answering the questions and took up most of the forum's time. His platforms were somewhat more of a "Trapo" and did not provide any concreate solutions to the pertinent issues raised.

Bayani Fernando's start was good, though when the forum went on, he kept slipping with his advocacies to the point that what he was saying was complete nonsense. Like Estrada, he had no concreate solutions to the issues raised.

For me, Legarda won the forum in UP Diliman. Next to Chiz Escudero and Dick Gordon, she's my third choice as a presidential candidate.

Survey Wars (opinion)

2009-06-04T16:15:00.001+08:00

On Tuesday, Pulse Asia released a survey ranking the top 10 presidentiables for the upcoming elections. Rounding the top spot was Vice President Noli De Castro, followed by Sen. Escudero, former President Estrada, Sen. Villar, and Sen. Roxas respectively. There have been many praises and thanks emanating from these presidentiables, saying that people are staring to trust them more; though there was one who, instead of being thankful of the spot, back lashed against the survey by labeling it as “inaccurate” and not the voices of the people.

Manny Villar, who recently dropped the polls due to the clamors made by Sen. Jamby Madrigal’s accusation on the C-5 road extension project, bashed at the recent Pulse Asia survey and said that he was leading in another survey and Pulse Asa’s were more likely to be inaccurate.

Just yesterday, Villar proved his statement with a release of the Social Weather Station (SWS) which puts him on top of the rest. Journalists from The Inquirer revealed that Manny Villar Commissioned the recent survey and that the SWS were not allowed to divulge how they got the statistics. While reading this particular column, only one thing came into mind---- something’s wrong with the survey.

Villar’s drop on the polls was inevitable because of the C-5 Road Extension controversy. He acted like a child and refused to undergo the Senate investigation, either to buy time or to discredit the Senate like the predictable tactics of the Administration.

What is wrong in the SWS survey was that Villar was the one who commissioned the study. With him on the top spot, people would surely doubt the results even if the SWS divulged their methods. Though I’m not criticizing on how SWS got its results, what was bothering me is if Villar has a hand on it to boost his tarnished image.

In fact, there has been plenty of damage control resulting in Villar’s controversy. Among them are new advertisements on the newspapers, his reactions to the senate hearings, the SWS survey, and a new “advocacy commercial.”

With all these damage controls on his popularity, he is playing the same tactics as the Administration that he opposes. He discredits the senate, advocates himself, and even risks his own ideology just to save himself. He plays the game of politics in terms of the last man standing instead of righting the wrong.

Bottom line, for me, is that I don’t believe in the release of the SWS as much as the Pulse Asia Survey. Villar should’ve been a sport and looked at the Pulse Asia survey optimistically than to commission another one which puts him on the top.

I appreciated the top ranking presidentiables like Noli De Castro and Chiz Escudero where they did not heed to needless praises more associated with the top ranks. It was also surprising to see how people placed their trusts in these two even though they have not yet decided to run in the elections. Mar Roxas was also a sport by saying that he was glad that the people restarting to look at him differently.

If Villar was like that, then he could’ve saved his face on this survey.

Solution to Corruption?

2009-06-02T16:08:00.004+08:00

Transparency.

A controversial word. Most hated by those who has something to hide. A word easily eluded in the public’s mouths. A word often talked about, yet lied to. A word that can bring judgment to those who hide in the dark----- ‘tis a bane of corruption.

With all the recent controversies like Sen. Manny Villar’s allegedly ill gotten wealth and his C-5 road extension project, one solution can come into mind to end all these----- and that is through transparency.

Let’ just be frank. When we’re hiding something, it is often a thing we do not want others to know. That may be because it can hurt them or it can hurt us and our reputation. We often hide these secrets in hopes that no one can find them and expose our weaknesses.

This is indeed true for politics. There are always secrets going on underneath these politician’s tables, most often hidden from the eyes of men. Because of this, the public’s image on these officials is often corrupt.

I understand that there are some things that should be left secret, especially in politics. Military operations, logistics, and other secrets that protect the country should be considered as something we should not talk about. Yet more often than not, there are many secrets that is supposedly private that should be told in public.

Remember the NBN-ZTE Deal with China. I don’t believe that the negotiations should be kept secret because it was a deal concerning the negotiations of both countries. Many issues have been raised in the deal because the public was not informed about such negotiations or the bid for the broadband project. Whether or not the allegations were true are still pending on the senate investigation. But corruption aside, would we be content if, for example, our country was sold to China without us knowing about it?

Let’s look at a more recent issue surrounding Manny Villar. If he was more transparent with his businesses and his earnings, wouldn’t he be not in the hot seat of the senate investigation of Jamby Madrigal today? If he was transparent enough to tell the senate beforehand about the road going into his property when it was still in conception, then wouldn’t there be anymore issue today?

These corruption allegations all stem out of not being transparent with their transactions. It is of human nature that we speculate something if that person is hiding secrets. We gossip about the speculation and it sometimes go out of proportion. More so on high ranking officials like Sen. Villar and Pres. Arroyo. If transparency ran in the veins of these people, then corruption would likely cease to exist.

I remember during the Leadership debate in Ateneo last month when someone discussed about transparency in the bureaucracy. What I liked about Sen. Escudero is his advocacy to be transparent when it comes to government transactions. He was the one who pushed the bill to include in the procurement law the executive agreements and treaties to ensure a corrupt free negotiations in the executive branch. He was also the one who said that if he ever ran for the upcoming elections, he would be transparent enough to let the public know about his transactions and expenditures in his campaign.

If all politicians try to advocate transparency like Escudero did, would you think that it is possible to remove corruption in our country?

More Bark Than Bite

2009-05-26T17:42:00.002+08:00

I’ve been watching the drama unfold in the Senate regarding Manny Villar’s ethics case and it got me wandering that all these people do is blab about the issue without taking any action at all. Not only that, these people often try to discredit each other by relieving their pasts and getting side tracked from the actual issue.

Take for example Sen. Pres. Enrile and Sen. Pimentel, both were at each other’s throats that they often reminisce each other’s past during Martial Law that they forgot the reason why they were there in the first place. It has already been months since Jamby Madrigal complained about the C5 road extension project and until now they were just starting with the preliminary investigation. These senate investigations are taking more time because these people often try to be the lead characters of a teleserye that after a while, it gets irritating.

If I was one of those in the spotlight of the investigation, I would’ve been able to fabricate my defense and get away with it because these people do is talk and talk nonsense.

Looking at their past investigations, I don’t think that any of these people are really sincere with their work. We often see them conduct their investigation on major issues like the NBN-ZTE Deal and the Fertilizer Fund Scam, the media arrests in the Mania Peninsula siege, and many more investigations that we often see on TV and talk about----- but out of all their hearings and investigations on the issues, how many people do you think have been prosecuted?

Without focusing on one issue, they often jump to the next issue without closing the first one, and all you get is these partial revelations that you would doubt if it were true or not.

As we have often seen on TV lately, the famous Hayden Kho sex scandal has been the center of attention this past week. Instead of continuing with the debate on Villar, they will open another investigation on this case. Then if another issue pops up, they will conduct another hearing with that issue. What happens to the other cases currently being investigated? Are they stored back in the archives until a new “evidence” pops up?

While we’re on the Hayden Kho issue, I would like to make a point about the sex scandal. Why is it that the congress are more concerned with this issue than more important once like the CARP extension?

I’ve been hearing a lot about the plights of these farmers and how they were treated with water cannons yesterday. I sympathize with these farmers because they only want to benefit from the land they’ve toiled in for years. But to be treated like that because the congress does not mind them is rather harsh.

I know that the senators were saying about these women being scandalized by the sex videos, but we know better that they were only there para makisakay and not really to protect women’s rights. If they really care about the issue then they should’ve done that a long, long time ago when it first became known to people.

I remember the debate a few weeks ago in Ateneo where only a few presidentiables attended the debate, the others who did not attend were interviewed by the media and said that that debate was a good thing and that it should be repeated again to let the public know who they were voting for. These people who were interviewed were the very same people who nakisakay with the Hayden Kho Scandal! They did not really cared about the issue; they just said that to gain publicity.

It feels like they are all bark and no bite. I only wish that there are people who would be serious enough to investigate and to prosecute these corrupt people in order to clean the government of its century old sickness.

Youth Voters Rising

2009-05-21T17:34:00.000+08:00

Only a few months left before the 2010 national elections and the youth are getting more active than ever in standing up for their rights as a citizen of the country.

According to the recent COMELEC’s survey, they said that the total number of young voters had been steadily increasing these past few months, mainly because of the various information campaigns and media companies, and the youth’s desire for change. Most of these young voters comprise of about 5 million Filipinos, which they said can easily affect the turnouts of the elections.

Indeed, the youth are becoming more aware of their right to vote and the conscience to choose wisely. No longer are they passive when troubles rise from the dagdag bawas of the ballots. No longer are they ignorant of the countless frauds and vote buying in the precincts. The youth today is now stronger than ever in seeing the truth prevail.

Perhaps the youth did learn from what had happened in the past few years when corruption and misguided information spread in the campaign polls.

Remember the various controversies surrounding GMA and his family, especially the Hello Garci Scandal which questioned the legitimacy of the incumbent president. Other than that, there were many armed attacks on various poll precincts which injured many civilians and killed a teacher last 2007 elections.

With all these dirtiness during our voting system, no wonder the youth are stepping up to the challenge.

Just last Sunday, youth groups and various organizations sponsored events and concerts to help the younger generations to be informed and join the stand for a clean and free elections. This was to promote the youth’s participation in the next election.

Some even posted blogs for disseminating information regarding the presidentiables and asking their opinions on various subjects. Others sponsored forums and debates to let the younger generations know who they are voting next year.

Presidentiables like Sen. Chiz Escudero advocated the youth, and being part with them in saying that the youth is no longer the “pag asa ng bayan,” but they are now taking the country in their own hands.

The youth today is now more concerned than ever. With so many corruptions in the past, they have started to awaken their sense of nationalism. Instead of just sitting back, the youth are now putting up the effort to clean up the acts of these corrupt people and see to it that the next person being elected is the rightful leader of our country. The only question is, who will they vote for?

Response in Ateneo Debate (opinion)

2009-05-20T18:22:00.002+08:00

After the intense, yet entertaining, debate held by ANC regarding the 2010 presidentiables inside Ateneo de Manila last week, there have been many talks about the episode. While a lot of those generated positive comments on those politicians who attended the debate, there were still those who were unsatisfied with how these politicians conducted themselves in the forum.

One of those who were attacked by the harsh comments of students, bloggers, and columnists was Sen. Chiz Escudero, who was mainly criticized for his blatant attacks on the president without giving any real substance in his speech.

Most people who have watched Chiz in this debate were astounded by his witty comment on the current administration and on how he blamed the current situation on the president. Escudero exposed many faults of GMA, which was why some critics have labeled Chiz’s platform as “anti-Arroyo.” Remember when he said that the only thing GMA was good for was to unite the people to vote wisely and not to repeat the same mistakes again.

But if one looks at deeply on how Escudero played his cards in the forum, he was not really attacking GMA as a person, but is actually attacking the problems and mis-governance of the country. This was what Escudero was talking about when he pointed out the flaws of GMA. Instead of “Anti-Arroyo”, Escudero wants a government which is corruption free and responsible in protecting the interest of its people.

Perhap’s it may also be Escudero’s fault that he was branded as “anti-Arroyo” when he was not able to say anything good on the present government. According to the many research of economists around the country, GMA’s advocacy of bolstering the economy was indeed higher than the rest of the presidents before her. And some of her development projects have been effective in making the lives of some people easier (though only a small portion benefit from this). But many do agree that one of the most controversial administrations in the history of the country was also hers. I think what Escudero may have thought was that we should be informed of the anomalies of the government because the government has already been doing their PR campaign without the need of others to support it. And as an opposition candidate, he’s primarily responsible in exposing the problems in the bureaucracy to protect its citizens.

We‘ve always been hearing the same banters by the administration allies and the opposition regarding the economy of the country. One side says that it is going well, while the other side says otherwise. Think of it as yin and yang of government. One cannot exist without the other. The opposition works as a check and balance on the administration to see to it that the best interest of the country is brought out to its fullest. What Escudero wanted was to right the wrong of what was happening in the country. To remove the world’s conception that the Philippines is one of the most corrupt countries in Asia. In order to do that, then he had to clean the government starting from the top.

One action he did was to file a bill seeking to amend the Government Procurement Reform Act to eliminate opportunities for corruption in public procurement. According to Senate Bill 1963, which Escudero filed in response to the NBN ZTE Deal controversy, this seeks to put treaties, bilateral arrangements, and executive agreements under the coverage of the procurement law. This means that there will no longer be secret agreements between two parties to remove the suspicion and possibility of corruption in the agreements.

People might have misunderstood him as someone who is just one of those who just blabs about the mistakes of the government without doing anything to help it, but as we have seen, he has the will to protect the country from those who wants to steal it from the people.

ERAP Again?

2009-05-16T16:09:00.001+08:00

Many people say that Filipinos are a happy bunch. They forgive and forget everything. They give everything a second chance; hoping that the chance they give will change the outcome of any situation. But is it possible to forgive and forget the issues and scandals of someone who once ruled the country?

I saw the news last night regarding the new “jeep ni Erap” which Former Pres. Joseph Estrada will be using for the upcoming elections this 2010. In a press statement, he said that he was 90% sure that he will be running for the presidency next year. The “Jeep ni Erap”, which he used for his campaign in the 1998 elections, are being brought back and refurbished to help his upcoming campaign if he ever decides to run again.

Many political analysts said that the “jeep ni Erap” was Estrada’s first step to run for the elections, and his “visits” to other provinces are a sure sign of his pre-campaigning, but the question is, will the people vote for him as president again?

I guess many people still believed that Erap should be given a second chance because they think that Era[p is the only one that can bring sanctions on GMA. It’s just like a telenovela where they side with the oppressed hero and cheer him on to win against the Villain. Because they think that Erap was the one most oppressed, then they look up at him as the hero and Arroyo as the Villain. It is ironic that what is happening now is the same as what was happening before.

Personally, I don’t want Erap to be the next president because he has already destroyed the people’s trust in leading the Republic of the Philippines. Remember that he was charged with plunder and corruption, for allegedly stealing the government’s funds and massive illegal gambling, which was the reason why he was deposed by the EDSA 2 in the first place. I don’t believe that he should be given a second chance as being the next president because messing up is not forgivable for someone who is in the seat of power. When that person messes up, then the country falls with him.

Another reason would be the ongoing cycle of revenge in politics. I think that when Erap wins, ten he will be up for revenge on Arroyo (Which I think that the people would want in the first place). Then after that, Arroyo’s allies would mound up on Erap, and once again the cycle begins. This is one reason why they are “trapos.”

I believe that choosing the right candidates someone who is not the foe of the administration. It should be someone who can live up to the expectations of the Filipinos and have the integrity and capability to do so. It should not be someone who has a grudge on somebody, but someone who has an eye of the future; someone who is not into revenge or political bickering, nor someone who is into trash talking.

Also, what happened to the agreement Estrada made prior to his release? I thought he was banned for running in any position again?

Ateneo Presidential Debate (opinion)

2009-05-12T16:39:00.000+08:00

I was surfing the TV the other night and I stumbled on a debate about the presidential candidates running for 2010 at Studio 23. The debate was held on Ateneo last Monday in hopes of getting to know the candidates by 2010. Among those who attended were Sen. Francis Escudero, Sen. Richard Gordon, Sen. Mar Roxas, Gov. Ed Panlilio, and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

I got a chance to watch half of the program as it was showed late last night and it was just by chance. Anyway, the moderator, ANC’s Tina Monzon Palma, gave three questions for them.

The First question was if the candidates would support an investigation of the Arroyo family’s corruption. The five who answered were I think a bit cliché since the Admin supporters said that if Arroyo’s guilty, then they should be punished; the opposition candidates on the other hand, said that judgment should be cast on GMA.

By this time, I was thinking that it was going to be one of those boring debates where candidates would talk and talk about the same problems and making the same promises all over again. I was really planning to switch channels by that time until the second question was asked.

The second question was about the positive contributions that GMA made for the country. I was astounded by Sen. Chiz Escudero’s answer that it made me clap my hands! He said that the only contribution that GMA made was to unite the country in choosing the right candidate, and not to repeat the same mistakes again. Dahil sa pag abuso sa batas, minulat at ginising ang mga tao para seriosohin ang eleksyon. Out of all who answered, Chiz’s reply was the best! It was true and hits the point without any palabok in his words!

Dick Gordon, on the other hand, said that GMA’s strong points were her work ethics, while Ed Panlilio saluted GMA on her projects in the environment (though he questioned if the projects were actually being implemented).

Whn it was Mar Roxas’ turn, I personally did not like his answer. He said that one positive point that GMA did was appoint him as DTI Secretary. Roxas then rambled on about his accomplishments, which deviates from the question. I thought to myself, ayan ka nanaman, pati bas a debate, nangangampanya ka nanaman? Though after a while, Mar linked his accomplishments to the support of GMA.

The last of the five, Sec. Gilbert Teodoro….hmm, just like any Admin allies, he said that Gloria Arroyo made a lot of contributions in the economy and in keeping peace and order in the country. I need not comment on his answer because there are many critics out there who can easily debunk his statements. One texter during the commercial break said that Teodoro was not for the defense of the country, but the “defense” of the Arroyo family. That text made me laugh since it may be true.

The third question was about the historical person most admired. Again, I sided with Escudero’s reply that there is no single person that is kapuri puri because all have their shortcomings. What we need to do is to learn from their mistakes to make ourselves better in the future. Chiz’s comment may sound a bit cliché but I agree with him.

Dick Gordon’s answer was his late father who died protecting his country. You can easily see his love of his father when he talked about his dad’s accomplishments. Teodoro, on the other hand, made a Miss Universe reply that he admired the everyday people since they are doing their best they can in their daily life. Ed Panlilio won’t be left behind with the Miss Universe answer when he said that his most admired persons were Andres Bonifacio and Jose Abad Santos. (And the winner is….. joke!)

I may be a bit skeptical on Mar today, as he said that his most admired persons were Cory Aquino and his dad. Way to get the Cory supporters Mar! (hehe sorry about my bias!).

Out of all the candidates being interviewed last Monday, and after hearing their answers on TV, the best candidate who answered the questions was, for me, Chiz Escudero and Dick Gordon. These two had something to say which not the standard chitchat of presidential candidates. Chiz was really witty with his answers and carried the reality of the situation, while Dick was very logical and impartial with his decisions.

There are actually many more questions and answers that happened that day, and some of those were said to be hilarious and entertaining. Too bad I was not able to watch the entire program, but I was satisfied with what I saw that day.

Childishness

2009-05-08T16:21:00.000+08:00

We’ve been hearing about the ethics case filed by Sen. Jamby Madrigal against Sen. Manny Villar these past few weeks and we all know that this was a ploy to discredit Villar in the upcoming elections this 2010. Other candidates all try to do this trash talking and mudslinging on TV that it makes them look childish in getting the better of their competitors.

I was watching the news last night about the quarrels of Sen. Jamby Madrigal and former congressman Gilbert Remulla regarding the ethics case of Sen. Manny Villar. The scene was actually surprising and funny because you can see the anger and contempt of Sen. Madrigal against this congressman. I remember she called him a “manok ni Villar” and that the congressman was working with the “king of corruption.” It was funny.

Yet, this comedy reflects the childishness of these politicians as they can’t handle their cool when situation like these comes. Jamby’s interview with the media and telling them about the alleged corruption case of Villar, not to mention calling him as the “king of corruption,” without any evidence to support her claim is unbecoming of a senator; though I don’t blame her for thinking about that when Villar has been through many issues surrounding his riches.

If Villar is actually guilty of the issue, then he must be sentenced accordingly, but Jamby already painted a biased opinion on Villar bad by calling him as the “king of corruption.”

I can’t blame Jamby for her anger against Villar because it was Villar who does not want to be investigated in the first place. Villar’s failure to attend the ethics hearing can be a sign that he is hiding something, which Sen. Madrigal hopes to uncover. But as a senator, I think that Jamby went overboard by letting the heat of the argument impair her judgment and start trash talking Remulla and Villar. We also don’t know Jamby’s motive in filing the complaint against Villar, if there was one, since the issue only came recently and it is already nearing the 2010 elections.

I sometimes get sick of these trash talks and underhanded tactics that it gives a dark image when one is into politics. I remember during my Political Science class that our professor said about Philippine politics. He said that “Politics is dirty. The only way to win is to fight dirty.” These plotting and scheming is an “art” in Philippine bureaucracy that it sickens me to think that these people would be sitting again if they’re elected next year. I sometimes believe that what my professor said was true.

I know that there is no politician who is a saint in the country because if there are, then they will easily be eaten by the “sharks” in this bureaucracy. But I’m not closing my mind on the subject by labeling them all as “sharks.” There are still others who can use their “art” by cleaning and hooking these corrupt politicians so that the country may be free from its long sickness. In the upcoming elections this 2010, we must choose our leaders wisely and seek a change from these “trapo” politicians.

Is the Government Serious?

2009-05-07T16:03:00.006+08:00

While walking inside the mall with my friends last labor day, we saw a long line of people vying for a chance to have a job in a company sponsored job fair. This made me realize how severe the unemployment is on the country.

According to Labor Secretary Mariano Roque, more than 25, 000 participated on the government’s job fair last labor day, this does not include the thousands more who participated in other job fairs across the country. With thousand of Filipinos unemployed, what has the government been doing?

For the past months, unemployment has had risen compared to the other years in the country. It may be because of the global financial crisis we’ve been hearing about for the past year. This crisis had affected millions of workers around the world, hitting the US and other economic superpowers the most.

In the Philippines, the government says that we are not much affected because of the strict countermeasures they have been doing these past few months. But is this really true?

I remembered a lecture by our Economics professor, Solita Monsod, who told us that the real reason why we are not much affected by the global economic crunch is because we have a very slow economic performance in terms of the other countries. You can look at it in a positive and a negative way. Positive because the slowness in our economic growth had saved us from the large impact of the financial crisis; Negative because of all the developing countries in the world, we are ranked as one of the slowest to develop.

Regarding the unemployment situation in the country, I don’t think the government is serious about saving our jobless Filipinos. One thing is that the government keeps exporting our labor force instead of giving them proper employment that they deserve. In fact, most unemployed workers due to the financial crisis are the foreign workers around the world, and with the Philippines as having one of the most outsourcing workers, we are most likely to be hit hard.

It is not a solution to find jobs outside the country because if crises like the one we’ve been through worsens, then we will be in for the worst since the government’s main income generating mechanism is the outsourcing of the labor force. I believe that the government should think about focusing on local investments and employment generating prospects instead of relying on the remittance of the OFWs.

Another thing to note about in this economic crisis is how the government mitigates the financial sector and save its local businesses. We’ve been hearing lately that local businesses and pre need companies are shutting down, which contributes to the uneasiness of the Filipinos to spend their money. One solution they did was to provide stimulus package just like the countries around the world. This act may seem commendable as it would help increase the financial spending in the country, but how many will be saved if the stimulus package is less than 1% of our GDP? According to Prof. Monsod, compared to the billions of dollars being spent on other countries stimulus package, we only allocate a trickle compared to them. Not to mention the slowness in the passage of the resolution when we need it most last January when the economic slowdown started. (Can’t remember when it was passed, I think it was March)

This posts a question: is the government really serious in saving the country and its people from the torrents of the global financial crisis or will it turn a blind eye to what is really happening ?

Cheating? (opinion)

2009-05-06T16:00:00.001+08:00

As I was watching my favorite show on TV, I saw another political advertisement by a certain defense secretary, and said to myself, WTF! Dumadami nanaman yang mga mandaraya!

I’m really disappointed with these politicians. They never even try to have a fair game in terms of publicity in the media. They always try to get a hand on each other. Always trash talking, always bantering, always CHEATING!

These politicians who had paid advertisements say that it was an “advocacy commercial” or an “infomercial” to increase public awareness on the situation in the country. I say what public awareness? Is it really public awareness about the country or is it about them? The Filipinos are not as stupid as these politicians think they are. We know that it is pre-campaigning. We are not stupid.

Whenever I see these commercial on TV (especially the tagline “sama sama tayo, lalaban tayo” with the pedicab thing) it infuriates me because they do not even have the courtesy to play fair. Some even blatantly sell their names without even trying to be courteous about it. (again, the pedicab commercial!)

The COMELEC cannot even ban them because the Omnibus Election Code doesn’t penalize these politicians if they have not registered yet as a candidate.

I have written an article before about the findings of the UP Communication Research students regarding pre-campaigning as detrimental to the public image. These politicians should know that pre-campaigning would definitely give them a negative reaction to the public. (see my article at www.peterangelo.blogspot .com)

Now I ask a question, who would want to elect these politicians if they are already cheating before the campaign period? Can we expect that they won’t cheat once thy are in office when they already cheated beforehand?

I sincerely support the revision of the Omnibus Election Code banning the use of these paid advertisements as it downplays the ethics of fair play in Philippine elections. But question is, who would want to revise the Code if these politicians benefit from it?

Looking Inside the Politicians

2009-05-05T15:14:00.004+08:00

Only a year left before the 2010 elections and the mudslinging against political candidates are happening again.

Take example on Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, even though he has not yet decided to campaign for the upcoming elections, he has now been a target of mudslinging by presidentiables due to his high ratings in the recent Pulse Asia Survey.

These attacks are common tactics in Philippine politics as it is a way to remove the people’s trust in the person by framing them into a “trapo” politician like the rest. People are easily swayed by the rumors and misguided facts that finding the right candidate for the upcoming elections make it difficult for the voters.

One issue against Sen. Escudero, for example, is that he is lacking the accomplishments needed to lead the country. This might be because of the lack of media coverage on Escudero compared to the overly publicized politicians on TV. Maybe the reason why people think of Escudero as “incompetent” because they do not know the senator’s accomplishments due to the lack of information being relayed by the media. If we relied on rumors or what we see on TV alone, we would be thinking that the issue against Escudero is indeed true, but if we look closely, we see otherwise.

One way we can see how the accomplishments and the credibility of politicians is through the internet. Try visiting the site of Sen. Escudero (www.chizescudero.com), and one can see the many bills he passed and the advocacies he had made through the years. An example would be the passage of Republict Act 9504 which exempts minimum wage earners from paying income tax, increasing tax exemption for all earners and additional exemptions for individuals with dependents/children. This Act would help the marginalized sector through the time of crisis we have experienced.

He also sponsored Republic Act 8980 which implemented an integrated early childhood care program and institutionalize a comprehensive and sustainable system for ECCD. This paved way for Project Bright Child, established in 2004, which focuses on child health care and development.

There are many other accomplishments that Sen. Escudero did in his position that his “incompetence” is just plain nonsense. This fact teaches us that we must not rely on rumors and TV alone; we should be proactive and look at each politician deeply on not through their exposure on TV.

Another reason why we can’t see Escudero much on TV is that most of the media’s coverage are centered on problems and scandals relating to politicians. We often see Manny Villar today because of the C-5 Road Extension Controversy the he was in or Vice President DeCastro’s over expensive North Rail Project. In short, the reason why we can’t see Escudero much on TV is because he is not included in any controversies that these “trapo” politicians are included in.

I believe that the Filipinos should not be guillible enough to listen to the banterings of one politician to the other and should focus on finding the truth for themselves. Just like my example on Sen. Escudero, we must look at each politician deeply and see them if they are really worth it to be elected in the upcoming elections. I know that as the months go by, we will be hearing more of the mudslinging of these aspiring politicians and it is our job to see if what they are throwing is indeed a fact or not.

Labor Day Marked With Job Fairs

2009-05-04T13:17:00.004+08:00

Thousands of jobseekers participated on the various job fairs held over the country last Saturday.

According to a report by Labor Secretary Mariano Roque, more than 25, 000 jobseekers attended the government's "joba-palooza" where the aspiring job aplicants vie for varous positions in the participating companies.

Besides the government's job offers, the SM Corporation also held their job fairs last Saturday, hoping to help the unemployed land a job.

Ted Failon's Case, Over exaggerated? (opinion)

2009-04-29T15:08:00.004+08:00

The recent case of Ted Failon on the sudden death of her wife, Trina, had been a hot topic for the past week. No wonder because Ted Failon was said to be one of the country's most prominent news caster, and with him being suspected of murder, who would not want to talk about that?

During the investigation, the media has been delivering a blow-by-blow coverage on Failon's case like a major catastrophic event, which I believe have been overly exaggerated to a point where the media forgot their objectivity just to sell their news.

While Ted Failon can be called a "celebrity", the way the media portrayed the incident was overly exaggerated that most of its stories revolved around Ted.

Because of this, certain biases are made because the media tends to portray Failon as a “victim” instead of the traditional “suspect until proven otherwise” we see on police stories.

These biases can easily affect the case since the authorities, just like what we saw on TV, can’t conduct a thorough investigation since the media keeps bantering on the technicalities of the case.

While I do sympathize on Ted Failon's case, I believe that the media should stay focused on their reporting and leave it up to the authorities if Ted is guilty or not.

Shoe Capital of the South

2009-04-04T21:15:00.006+08:00

While on the trek of our family reunion, we stumbled upon a quaint place in Laguna---- where shoe stories in great varieties proliferated the streets of Liliw.

The municipality of Liliw is said to be Laguna's shoe capital, where its busy streets are filled with shoe sellers and boutiques that would instantly catch any person’s eye.

These shops mostly sell women's footwear--- from ordinary flip flops, sandals, and step ins, though they also sell men's footwear to a degree.

The price range will definately suit everyone's budget as it costs about P25 a pair upto P200 depending upon the buyer’s taste.

Other than its famous shoe stores, Liliw is also known for its cold water resorts that would definitely refresh anyone who is in the need for a cold dip this summer.

Liliw also offers home made sweets for those craving for some native pastilles de leche or the traditional buko pies and macapuno.

Located near the municipalities of Nagcarlan, Sta Cruz, Majavjav, and Dolores, Liliw offers a chance for visitors to enjoy another unique Filipino experience.

UP Communication Research Shows Pre-campaigning Not Good For Politicians

2009-03-30T14:44:00.004+08:00

Eager politicians who are into pre-campaigning should think otherwise, since they may find themselves losing the public’s votes in the upcoming elections.

According to the study by the Communication Research students of UP- Diliman, prolonged exposure to the media does not relate to a successful victory in the upcoming 2010 National Elections.

“In the last couple of months, certain public officials have appeared in daily newscasts and the front page more than they used to, while some have become endorsers of commercial products or spokesperson of public advertisements. Interestingly, this increased appearance of politicians in the media becomes even more suspicious as we draw closer to the 2010 national elections,” the study said.

According to their findings on the relationship between politicians and the media, majority of the public believes that the motivation behind the politician’s increase in media appearance was because of “name recall, publicity, popularity” or simply put as "pre-campaigning."

Most of the public are well aware of the pre-campaigning strategies by the politicians on using the media for publicity, and only a few believes that these politicians use the media for actual service, said the study.

Because of this, the public is more apprehensive with these politicians since they can suspect that corruption are more likely to happen with these pre-campaigning politicians than those who don’t do pre-campaigning.

“Kase very premature, nangunguna ka na [sa survey], mangunguna ka pa [sa kampanya]. ganyan ba ang gusto mong taong iboto? Ngayon palang nandadaya na ng kapwa (It’s very premature. You are already leading [in the survey]; you still want to lead [in the campaign]. Are these people the one you want to vote? Even before the election, they are already cheating their competitors),” claimed one of the study’s key respondents.

Studies also showed that not all media exposures are good for the candidates; some of them can be displayed in a bad light, especially during controversial issues where the politicians are caught up in scandalous matters.

“High visibility in the media does not necessarily equate to desirability of potential candidates. High media visibility was risky for those with political ambitions since media may emphasize the negative rather than the facets of political candidates,” they concluded.

The study was based on 681 face to face interviews with residents coming from the areas in Metro Manila and other parts of Central Luzon and the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region.

Corporal Punishment Against Children Illegal According to New Bill

2009-03-30T14:33:00.004+08:00

Children will no longer need to fear the leather belts of their parents as a new bill submitted to the congress bans the use of corporal punishment on the child.

According to the “Anti Corporal Punishment Act of 2009” by Tarlac Rep. Monica Prieto-Teodoro and 52 other co-authors, Any person---- including family members--- who disciplines a child through force will be punished accordingly by the Family Code.

The bill recognizes that all forms of corporal punishment of the child will be illegal; this includes physical force like blows to the body and psychological attacks like swearing or threats.

Teachers and parents alike can no longer use harsh words which can humiliate or degrade the child in public or let them be subjected to threats and punishment afterwards.

When the bill is enacted into law, those who violate the provisions wil be sanctioned accordingly by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) depending on the severity of the violation.

The bill also advocates the education of parents and institutions regarding the promotion of positive and non-violent discipline of children by sponsoring seminars and awareness campaigns on proper parenting and teaching methods on the child.

Civil rights groups like the Child Rights Network (CRK) and the Save the Children are in total support of this bill, saying that it is time for Philippines to revise its Child Abuse laws to include Corporal Punishment as punishable by law.

Ignorance: a problem in Mindanao

2009-03-05T12:19:00.006+08:00

Journalists who are reporting out of ignorance in Mindanao will only bring further bloodshed between the government and the militants.

This was agreed upon by a group of panelists after an in depth discussion regarding the impacts of the media in Mindanao at the UP Balay Kalinaw on Feb. 10.

“When they [reporters] are sent to Mindanao, they get very few briefings. And these reporters don’t even bother to read [about the situation] at all,” said Carolyn Aguillas, editor-in-chief of Minda News.

She claimed that there are many ignorant journalists who haphazardly report the conflict without even learning about the situation, especially during the issue on the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).

There are also many news agencies who only send their correspondents to cover stories of bloodshed and chaos, without even bothering to cover other stories which are also worthy of news coverage, she said.

“The only time Mindanao gets in the front page is when there is war and stories about Paqcuiao,” she said.

This stereotyping of Mindanao is something that Atty. Michael Mastura claimed to be the “demonizing” effect on the public’s image on Mindanao.

Atty. Mastura, a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Negotiations Panel, said that the media tends to distort the truth on certain issues due to the lack of knowledge and understanding on the long history between the government and the militants.

Mastura claims that one of the reasons for this ignorance is “pack journalism,” wherein all of the reporters would cover the same issue without even trying to verify the facts.

Mastura said that it is not an excuse for the media to be ignorant since they have the greatest responsibility in reporting the truth to the people.

“Whether the judgment is correct or not is something [that the] media should act and not accept,” he said.

Mastura urged the media to be aware of what they are reporting and look at both sides of the story before reporting their news to the public.

“Media has a role to play in preventing that magkakaubusan ng lahi (mass killings),” he said.

2008 UP Lantern Parade

2008-12-18T21:34:00.001+08:00

Diliman, Quezon City--- What a way to end the UP Centennial Christmas Celebration than to end it with a parade of colorful lanterns topped off with a splendid fireworks display!

Thousands of students and visitors crowded the streets of UP Diliman yesterday as they watched the annual lanterns being paraded around the academic oval.

"Masaya kasi manood ng lantern parade...( it's fun to watch the Lantern Parade)" claimed one of the Alumni of CSSP.

Colorful lanterns in all shapes and sizes with hundreds of students participating in the event.Among the lanterns were the Carabao lantern made by the UP College of Agriculture, the interesting Landcape Puzzle of the College of Architecture, and the Robo Lantern of the College of Mass Communication.

Some colleges even have their own marching bands, some in colorful costumes, others have their own gimiks of attracting attentions.

"Kanya kanyang style yan! ( Each has their own style!)" says Gina, a College of Arts and Letters student.

The UP Pep Squad certainly didn't pass up the chance to wow the audience with their cheers and acrobatic stunts.Various constituents of UP also attended the event, where the Aguila Lantern of UP Mindanao garnered much attention.

After the lantern parade, students and visitors alike were treated with a marvelous diplay of fireworks lasting for about 15 minutes, ending the light show with a flash of light sprinkling like dust under the night sky."

"Worth it yung pagpunta ko!"

Last Centennial Lecture

2008-12-18T21:31:00.000+08:00

UP Diliman--- The last of the UP Centennial Lecture Series ended after the lat lecture was held in the UP College of Music on Dec. 5.

Dr. Ramon P. Santos delivered his lecture entitled, "THe UP and the Cultivate Filipino: In Search of a Spirit-Self in a Culture of Humanism and Aesthetic Judgment," where he discussed how culture affects the University in more ways than one.

After the lecture, Prof. Santos trated his audience with a unique tribal music that he composed.

UP Pailaw 2008

2008-12-18T21:23:00.000+08:00

UP Diliman- UP opened its Centennial Christmas Celebration with a bang by lighting up its colorful christmas lights around the campus on Dec. 2.

The event started with a lighting ceremony, followed by the merry sounds played by the UP Orchestra and the UP Band.

Students and visitors were treated to a night filled with music and lights.

The Pailaw is said to be the start of UP's yearly Christmsas celebration usually held at the very first day of December.