Archive for June, 2009
June 30th, 2009 by bp
Today’s Filipino youth will have to thank the Commission on Elections for ensuring that they too will have the chance to experience the joys of manual elections. If not for the Comelec’s incompetence, the younger generation of Filipinos will have been denied the opportunity to see firsthand how votes are rendered useless.
The older generations also owe the Comelec gratitude for once again they will see their right to suffrage disrespected.
Clearly, all Filipinos should bow down to the Comelec in recognition of its contribution to keeping feudalism alive in this great nation of ours. If not for its inability to insititute electoral reforms, Filipinos will no longer experience how it is to live in a society where guns, goons and gold reign supreme.
Thank you Comelec for not doing your job. You have once again done the Philippines a great disservice.
June 28th, 2009 by bp
I saw a series of special reports last week on one of our local evening newscasts. It was about the New People’s Army. One of the reports featured an interview with a rebel returnee who is now with the Philippine Army.
The former rebel, a female, narrated how the NPA lured her into joining their group with promises of income and livelihood opportunities. She admitted that those promises were the main reason why she got involved with the Communist insurgency. It didn’t take long though for her to realize that those were all just empty promises and that the NPA were doing more harm than good in their community.
In another report from the same series another female rebel returnee revealed how female recruits were routinely raped by the male members of the armed group. She said she herself was abused.
One of them (I forget which one) said when she left the NPA her former comrades attacked her and her family. She and her child survived but not her husband whom she said was killed by the rebels right before her eyes.
There are allegations of similar atrocities against the Philippine military. Reports of torture, kidnappings, forced disappearances and other atrocities hound the military to this day. The latest allegation of this nature involves a Filipino-American by the name of Melissa Roxas who claims to have been tortured. Blogger Ding Gagelonia posted an entry about this case in his blog. His post includes the full text of what is supposed to be Melissa’s affidavit. Read his post here.
Melissa’s case is fast becoming a hot issue in the blogosphere. As I commented in Pedestrian Observer’s blog this could become a big issue against the Arroyo administration especially once the US government gets involved. We’ll have to wait and see how this will develop.
The problem with reports of torture is that they are often difficult to prove. In most cases, victims are also only able to identify those who actually carried out the torture but not the brains behind it.
The United Nations has been working hard to eradicate torture for years but, apparently, to no avail. Read the UN’s stand against torture here.
I don’t think it would make much of a difference but I’m adding my voice to the call for an end to all forms of torture.
June 26th, 2009 by bp
Sociologist and TV personality Randy David has taken a strong stand against the alleged plan of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to run for a seat in Congress in 2010.
From GMANews.TV
“Nakakahiya naman yata ang mga Kapampangan kung walang ni isang hahamon, tatayo at hahadlang sa kanyang mga balakin [It would be a shame for the Kapampangans if no one would challenge, stand up and block Mrs Arroyo's plans],” David said in an interview with GMA News.
I wish you good luck Mr. David. Too bad I’m not a voter in that district. If I were I will most definitely vote for you.
I have no insider information on Mr. David’s chances of winning against PGMA. All I know is that he will certainly be in for a tough fight should PGMA push through with running as representative of Pampanga’s 2nd District.
My gut tells me though that Mr. David stands a chance of defeating PGMA. In a fair and level playing field, he might even win via landslide. I sense that the people of Pampanga know deep in their hearts that it is time to put an end to the rule of the Arroyos. I suspect Kapampangans know that the right thing to do come 2010 is to not vote for PGMA. I seriously feel that this will be the case after all Kapampangans are Filipinos too.
June 23rd, 2009 by bp
The Influenza A H1N1 virus is forcing more local schools to suspend classes. If this continues more schools would probably do the same. While protecting students from the virus is of paramount importance, something should also be done to address the virus spread’s impact on the kids’ studies. June is already almost over but students have yet to complete even just a week’s worth of lessons.
A possible solution to this problem is already staring us in the face. Why not use the Internet as a teaching tool? YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are just a few of the popular social media websites that I think are perfect for this. Check out the following online articles:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/43747152.html
http://www.pixelpod.co.uk/blog/2007/10/04/youtube-as-a-teaching-tool/
http://www.didactalab.de/wp-main/?p=66
Of course, this would only work if all students had access to the Internet. Unfortunately, that is not the case here in the Philippines. A recent report by consulting firm StrategyAnalytics shows the Philippines ranking 52nd among 57 countries in terms of broadband household penetration. It also estimates that only 5% of Philippine households have broadband access.
With the ZTE broadband deal fiasco still very fresh in everyone’s minds, it is unlikely the government will take the lead in setting up a nationwide broadband system anytime soon. That leaves us with the private sector. Unfortunately, local telecommunications firms are also falling short in providing sufficient and reliable Internet connections.
(Incidentally, just last Wednesday (June 17) I bought a prepaid Globe Tattoo broadband kit. I returned the unit yesterday (June 21). I tried using in five different locations in Quezon City. No joy. It was that bad. Just as bad as SmartBro. I’ve had better connections using Sun Broadband Wireless but unfortunately it works only in Metro Manila.)
Despite the less than satisfactory state of Internet connections here, local schools should still explore how they could support their teaching methodologies using the Internet. This Influenza A H1N1 situation and its effect on education should be reason enough to seriously consider the possibility.
June 22nd, 2009 by bp
I am a fan of entrepreneurs. I personally know of a few whom I really admire. Two of them are actually siblings. I have seen how they made it from having little to having a lot.
The older of the two now owns two profitable businesses and I think he is thinking of setting up another one. Originally a seafarer, this person made the shift from being an employee to a business owner after he was diagnosed with a medical condition. For some time, he made ends meet by selling real estate. He later joined a relative in a venture which later became his own.
The younger of the two has always been involved in sales. However, it was quite obvious that his true calling is to be a businessman. He and his wife, who is also entrepreneurial, set up a trading company. For some time, he also ran a small store selling shoes and RTW clothes. He later got into another retail-oriented enterprise, which has since proven to be his jackpot. In my estimate he now earns more than P300,000 a month.
I really admire these people. Truth be told I sometimes envy them. I am particularly envious of the fact that they seem naturally gifted in entrepreneurship. They can easily spot an opportunity and are always ready to take advantage.
In his latest book Outliers: The Story Of Success, Malcolm Gladwell writes about why some people succeed more than others. I haven’t read the whole book but I already have a pretty good idea of what he wants to impart. Here’s part of a Wikipedia entry about the book.
While writing the book, Gladwell noted that “the biggest misconception about success is that we do it solely on our smarts, ambition, hustle and hard work.” In Outliers, he hopes to show that there are a lot more variables involved in an individual’s success than society cares to admit, and he wants people to “move away from the notion that everything that happens to a person is up to that person”. Gladwell noted that, although there was little that could be done with regards to a person’s fate, society can still impact the “man”-affected part of an individual’s success.
Successful people may probably dismiss Gladwell’s assertion that success is also dependent on factors other than just the individual’s skillset and attitude as nothing more than an excuse. I personally think certain factors like family finances, educational background, and other things that may be attributed to ‘bad’ or ‘good’ luck can also influence a person’s chances for success.
I personally know of a young house helper who was offered by her employer a chance to go to school. The girl brushed it aside saying somthing like, “Mula pa nung bata pa ako alam ko na na hindi ako makakapag-college” (I’ve always known ever since I was a child that I won’t be able to go to college).
It’s rather sad if you think about it. Hearing a young person affirm a bleak future, which hasn’t already happened and may never even happen depending on the decisions he or she makes in the present. But, can we really blame her for having such a pessimistic and fatalistic view of life? She probably saw more than her fair share of poverty and probably got conditioned by her circumstance and probably even by her parents that she is poor and will never be anything else but poor.
I guess to some extent I do agree with Gladwell. However, I also subscribe to the idea that attitude can make a lot of difference. We’ve all heard stories of dirt poor individuals who have risen above their circumstances by simply having a positive attitude. Had that house helper been conditioned at an early age to have a more positive outlook then perhaps she could have seen her employer’s offer of free schooling for what it was — an opportunity for a better life. Unfortunately, she was not conditioned that way. Sadly, there are many more like her.
Poor Filipinos generally have a fatalistic view of life. They don’t know that they have it within themselves the power to change their lives. There’s no question their struggle will be greater compared to those who have a little more resources but that doesn’t diminish the fact that they can change their lives if they want to.
This administration has been doing a lot of so-called anti-poverty programs. It claims to have empowered many poor Filipinos to rise above poverty. Has it really? As far as I can tell most of these pro-poor programs are nothing more than dole-outs expect maybe for those livelihood and skills trainings. I personally think a real anti-poverty program should not only be able to open up opportunities for livelihood and education. It should also be able to change how the impoverished think. It should teach them the basic idea that being poor is also a state of mind and that if they strive to be a little more positive and pro-active then the fight against poverty will already be half-won.
Here’s another excerpt from that Wikipedia entry about Gladwell’s book:
When asked what message he wanted people to take away after reading Outliers, Gladwell responded, “What we do as a community, as a society, for each other, matters as much as what we do for ourselves. It sounds a little trite, but there’s a powerful amount of truth in that, I think.”
Government agencies such as the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development should consider coming up with an educational campaign aimed at teaching all young Filipinos about having a positive mindset. The campaign should also cover parents. They too should be taught how to raise their children to be more positive about themselves. If it were up to me I would make positive mindsetting part of the curriculum.
June 15th, 2009 by bp
This was how Deputy Presidential Spokesperon Anthony Golez described how the president’s critics are treating her recent visits to Pampanga. Golez defended the president against suggestions that her visits are part of an alleged plan to run for congress. The palace official said people should just look at the president’s activities at face value. (I’m not sure what he meant by that.)
I’m a little annoyed by Mr. Golez’s statements. Couldn’t he have just said that people are speculating? Why did he have to qualify it with that adverb? Hmmm. I think Mr. Golez was defending the president rather mischievously.
June 12th, 2009 by bp
The 2nd ANC Leadership Forum was not without its share of motherhood statements thanks to Senator Loren Legarda, MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and Former President Joseph Estrada. Thankfully, the participants, with the exception of Estrada, managed to slip in a few ideas worth exploring. These are:
1. government subsidy for election campaigns (Fernando)
2. empowering local government units with increased budgets (Binay)
3. eliminating the “pwede na yan” (that will do) mentality (Legarda)
I am in favor of Fernando’s idea of passing the burden of financing election campaigns to the government. One obvious benefit is that it would level the playing field and give virtual unknowns equal opportunity to make themselves known to the electorate. Voters would then have more choices other than the usual faces.
I’m just not sure if having this set-up could really help put a stop to corruption as some people including Fernando believe. Maybe it could if elected officials only steal to pay back their election sponsors or to recoup their own expenses. Unfortunately, that is not the only reason why graft and corruption occurs. If it were then let’s not allow our politicians to spend another centavo from their own pockets.
Related to this, I think it’s about time media entities especially the big TV and radio networks consider providing real public service by offering free airtime to all candidates. Anyone care to be the first? Kapuso? Kapamilya? As an incentive, I promise to be a loyal viewer of whoever will be the first to heed this call. Religious stations don’t count.
Moving on…
Binay’s idea of empowering local government units or LGUs by increasing their budgets also caught my attention even though it is nothing new. It’s an idea that has been floated around by other politicians in the past.
In an ideal world, giving local government units bigger budgets and free hand to manage it should be enough to ensure the delivery of better government services. The only problem is — our world is far from ideal. Binay himself has said during the ANC Forum that favoritism still comes into play in the granting of budgets. He noted that if the LGU official is not in the good graces of the powers that be he or she would have a hard time securing the funds he needs to effectively govern his area of jurisdiction.
There is one other issue that should be identified with regards to the disbursement of budgets. It’s about checks and balances. This is an issue that needs addressing even under the present set-up. Without proper accounting and auditing the risk of misappropriation becomes greater. Someone should closely monitor the use of any and all government funds. In fact, those doing the monitoring should be monitored as well. And, if we really want to look at it in the extreme, the monitors of the monitors should also be monitored. It’s that or we come up with a measure that would force corrupt officials to control their thievery.
Finally, let’s look at Senator Legarda’s idea that we do away with the “pwede na yan” (that will do) mentality. If I didn’t have anything to add to the idea I would have simply brushed it aside as just another motherhood statement.
In any case, Legarda correctly identified this albeit indirectly as a flaw in the Filipino character. Many, if not all of us, have been guilty of having such a mentality. It’s sad. As a nation, we should once and for all rid ourselves of this kind of mentality if not we condemn ourselves to an eternity of mediocrity. Unfortunately, purging ourselves of this mindset is easier said than done especially where older generations are concerned. It is the younger generations who still have a chance of not developing such a mindset. That is, if we, the older generations, will try to create for them an environment that punishes mediocrity and rewards excellence. We should have done this yesterday.
Come May 2010, this “pwede na” mentality will again rear its ugly head. Many of us will vote for panderers, liars, thieves, and their ilk. Some will do so because they don’t know any better. Others because they genuinely believe their choice. Sadly, most will do so because they are convinced the lesser evil is “pwede na.”
June 10th, 2009 by bp
Do you know what makes Philippine politics one big joke? It’s the hypocrisy.
I’m really beginning to think there is no more hope for this country of ours. How can we expect to realize a better Philippines when we can not even mount a decent and genuine indignation rally. Heck, we can’t even decide exactly what we are being indignant about. Gloria Forever? Charter Change? Corruption? Transactional Politics? All of the above?
The Anti-Con-Ass rally should have been more than just a protest against Charter Change through Constituent Assembly. It should have been more than just an act of defiance against attempts to extend PGMA’s term. It should have been a rejection of graft, of corruption, of all the evils that plague our government.
Those who were there would likely say that it was. Really, now, is that what it was? I caught a live TV coverage of the rally and, boy, was I blown away by the images that I saw. Just as I feared, politicians and would-be politicians took over the stage again, displaying their disgusting smiles and fake posturings. If it were a real indignation rally against government evils then those opportunists shouldn’t have been allowed on stage to begin with.
And, what about those partylist solons who, at the very least, appear to be defenders of the common good? Were they not bothered at all that they were sharing the stage with the poster boy for transactional politics? Ah, the hypocrisy.
Perhaps, the biggest hypocrisy and punchline in all of this is the fact that many of those so-called protesters did not even have the slightest idea what the hoopla was all about. A TV Patrol report showed a couple of “hakots” admitting on camera that they do not even know what Con-Ass meant.
I’m running out of words to express my indignation over this disappointing excuse of a rally. I’ll just borrow the famous words of Anti-Con Ass supporter Senator Mar Roxas, who, according to fellow blogger PinoyBuzz, is actually a closet charter change supporter.
P U T A N G I N A !
(I apologize for the profanity. I just can’t stand hypocrisy)
June 9th, 2009 by bp
TV Patrol aired a report earlier tonight about the apparent indifference of office employees in Makati to the anti-Con-Ass rally to be held tomorrow right in their area. One of those interviewed expressed what could be considered as rally/protest fatigue. She also said instead of participating in the rally she would just hit the keyboards and express her own feelings about Con-Ass online. I wonder how many more people feel this way.
I doubt if the rally will be poorly attended considering that a number of politicians are reportedly planning to show up and lend their voices to the cause. Can you spell hakot?
PinoyBuzz came up with a post today to clarify some of the peripheral issues surrounding this push for charter change through a constituent assembly. Mainly, he pointed out that tomorrow’s rally will probably just turn out to be another political gimmick. He wrote:
I may be exasperating you right now, so let me just simply point out that what will happen tomorrow is anti-Gloria Forever rally as well as a ‘vote-for-me-because-I-am-against-Gloria’ rally.
I completely agree with him on this one. I am almost certain other politicians seeking elected positions will take over the proceedings tomorrow and use it to promote their own candidacies. That will most likely be the case unless the organizers impose a ban preventing prospective candidates from getting up on stage to address the crowd.
Anyway, if you’re planning to attend tomorrow’s rally it would be best to have a clear understanding of why you’re there. Are you there because you’re against charter change through Con-Ass or are you there because you’re against the “Gloria forever” scenario? Whatever your stand is just be clear about it.
It would also help to remember that the enemy of your enemy should not necessarily be your friend. Go ahead and support the movement against whatever it is your against but be wary of politicians getting in on the action. In my case, I would be wary of Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada. While I would welcome his support for the movement against any attempt to extend PGMA’s term, I will never go as far as giving him my support should he decide to run. He is an enemy of my enemy but he is not necessarily my friend.
By the way, did the rally organizers advise the public to show up wearing black? I’m asking because the Department of Health came out with an advisory today against wearing clothes in black or any other dark color.
Now, before I get accused of rumor-mongering or of being a conspiracy nut, I want to clarify that the DOH advisory has nothing to do with protest fashion. It merely wants the public to be safe against dengue because as Health Secretary Francisco Duque explained, mosquitos are attracted to dark colors and not wearing them minimizes the chances of you getting stung. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to consider the DOH advisory.
You might also want to consider my own advice — one that I believe is of even greater importance, that is, if you value your life. I hope you’ll take it to heart. My advise is this: Don’t be stupid so as not to attract blood-sucking politicians.
June 8th, 2009 by bp
I thoroughly enjoyed the second ANC Leadership Forum. It was informative and it really helped me trim down my list of possible presidential candidates upon which I will pick my ultimate choice come May 2010. And, yes, like every other person I know who watched it, I also had a good laugh thanks to the four participants Former President Josep Estrada, MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and Senator Loren Legarda.
The second forum was a marked improvement over the first one. Much to my relief, no one asked the participants about the book they last read or the movie they last saw. The producers and hosts did us a big favor by doing away with those nonsensical, pa-cute questions.
I was especially pleased Ms. Che-Che Lazaro asked the guests about their assets. For me, this is the kind of question we should all be asking our candidates if we want to be able to gauge their honesty and commitment to good governance. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the guests’ micro-expressions and body language as they tried to be as vague as possible with their answers to Ms. Lazaro’s query about their wealth. I’m sure many people noticed how the voice of one of the guests quivered and the facial muscles of another became a bit tense while trying to answer the question. It was beautiful TV in a twisted kind of way.
We should all do as Ms. Lazaro did. We should ask our candidates really tough questions even if we already know they will just beat around the bush and ultimately give us answers not even remotely in tune with the question.
How much are you worth? How did you get to be so wealthy? Have you ever stolen public money? Three simple yet powerful questions that can uncover a politician’s real intentions for seeking public office.
I’ll be looking forward to hearing these three questions asked in the succeeding episodes. And, if I may suggest, the forum hosts should also consider asking this question: Would you push for a law that would have the spouse, partner or closest relative of a government official facing charges of graft and corruption treated as an accomplice and charged equally?
Let’s see how they’ll answer that.
