Hitting Birds With Just a Stone
Some things can be done by the current administration which could at least save its face in the history books, and one of them is even mentioned in the SONA. Increasing the current rate of taxes on "sin" products such as cigarette, liquor and etc. would certainly be appreciated if not by today's hyper sucking and drinking generation but by the cleaner-lunged kids of the future with all the proven harmful effects of second-hand smoke.
It's actually a classic application of the age-old adage, hitting two birds on one stone. Not only we could breath freely but it could also mean increased internal revenue for the government. I just hope congress would act fast on the only topic that made sense on Arroyo's SONA. Knowing that most of these lawmakers are smokers and drinkers, this undertaking is all but easy. If only the congressmen and senators would think on the ripple effect this policy would have on the country. Healthy kids, more revenue for state education, roads and much, much more.
Lots of policies are needed to be put in action to improve the lives of our fellowmen, not just statistically and I know it won't happen overnight nor will it be taken lightly by greedy politicians whose personal interests stand in the way of national development. The cheaper medicines act surely underscored how tough it is to pass a law with the people's welfare on its top priorities in this bureaucracy we call home.
by: Ivar
7/31/09 10:03 P.M.
An Hour and Three Minutes in Wonderland
I soaked in, thought of nothing else. I left my oppositionist view behind and played my digital copy of Monday's SONA in the comforts of my bedroom. I was touched by her speech about how the country weathered the storm in 2008 in her command, she painted a state so beautiful with her words that I wanted to live there. For a moment I forgot that she was GMA, our own president delivering the "state" of our own nation. Memories of poor Filipinos rushed through my mind and the hour and three minutes of wonderland courtesy of Her Excellency was now nowhere to be found.
It is true that the country did not technically went under recession last year but for most Filipinos, recession started a long time ago. Yes, many Filipinos underwent improvements in the quality of their lives but more plunged into deeper poverty. Arroyo presented a good, strong economy on paper but somebody has to remind the president that paper is not edible. Hungry Filipino population got bigger and bigger as her reign got longer and longer. Just a point to ponder.
She related her "achievements" in education by hiring 60,000 teachers and building 9,000 more classrooms but never mentioned the current student-book ratio and even the error-ridden new books. I was a product of a public elementary school and can attest that books were not available for every student in our central school, how much more in primary schools? Another interesting thing she pointed out was the scholarships given out in the course of her presidency. Again, somebody should open the eyes of the president on how her scholarships are being implemented in the grass roost level, using the "palakasan" system. Why not increase the budget of STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES in order to have a zero tuition and other fees. The pocketed funds on different controversial projects could have been more than enough to realize this dream. More students could have been benefited.
She said that JOBS ABROAD SHOULD BE A CAREER CHOICE, NOT THE ONLY OPTION. As a matter of fact Mrs. President, in the current STATE of our nation, jobs abroad are the only option because OFW remittance is our shield against the recession and the reason why we are still floating.
The president might have lived in the bubble for the past nine years or maybe she was just misguided by I don't know who. Yes she has concreted roads and gave out one-time relief to the poor but we must know that she is in power for over eight years now. A teacher once said that six years is too short for a good president but too long for an awful one. How do we classify Her Excelleny?
by: Ivar
7/29/09 8:23 P.M.
Black and White
City of friendship are the first words one will see upon exiting Tagbilaran City's seaport. The sandugo (blood-compact) is an act of friendship said to have taken place in Bool barangay although now "accurately" moved to Loay. It is in my deep dismay though that provincial media centered in and around the city have demonstrated signs of partiality in both radio and print and word wars have raged their pages and airtime in total incoherence with the monicker the city is trying to live up to. In the course of this post utmost impartiality will be observed based on what I have heard and read in the last couple of weeks.
First is the way below the belt hits between the DYRD-Bohol Chronicle and City Mayor Lim which apparently got hotter when the mayor ordered the city treasurer to audit past books of the said media establishment for unpaid taxes. Not to defend the mayor but ever since that fateful day I could not read anything about the mayor that's good or close to that. It is the right of every journalist to tackle government issues but a line should be left uncrossed. "Trabaho lang walang personalan" as a Filipino saying goes. I hope this would not be taken the wrong way by the aforementioned entities. The same also goes with paid programming which I understand is the lifeline of the radio stations but has become a source of misleading information to the public and fuelling further political unrest.
Another thing is the "latest" HNU survey on radio listeners throughout the province and just this morning as I was reading the SundayPost, words of congratulations from Guv-wannabe Cesar Montano to DYTR as the leading radio station here. As I grabbed a copy of the Bohol Chronicle, I could not help but scratch my head upon reading greetings to DYRD for being number one. I know that the respective papers are married to the stations but as far as I know, there is only one Holy Name University or could they mean another HNU? These instances have made media more and more cheaper (not literally though).
It is my humble prayer that issues would be presented black and white for the people to gain leverage in 2010 elections and beyond.
by: Ivar
7/28/09 9:46 P.M.
SONA: Democracy is at Stake
July 27, 2009 will be a turning point in Filipino democracy whether something "unscheduled" will happen or not. I say this because the SONA of PGMA might yield something that could put an end to what Cory Aquino fought for 23 years ago, ironically the former president is not in a good condition and still in the hospital as of this moment. We still don't know if the rumors are true that martial law will be declared based on the multitude of bombings a few weeks back or the Lakas-Kampi people will railroad one more time the highly controversial Con-Ass.
Another scenario might happen though, the President could once and for all silence her detractors and declare categorically, no ifs and buts that she will respect the fundamental law of the land which exists to uphold fairness and equality among Filipinos that she would step down from office next year and not seek for any other elective position in the government. By doing so, she could save her reputation as one of the most unpopular presidents of all time and leave with grace and dignity.
Saying that she won't run however does not constitute that she wouldn't really run. Quite amusing is the fact that one of the most untrusted persons in the country is the one who runs it. She has proven not once but a gazillion times that she can't help but lie. I need not specify because it has been apparent ever since she assumed the presidency in 2001. I would love to listen to her reveal the "true" state of the nation for one last time.
by: Ivar
July 26, 2009; 4:30 P.M.
Hope in Our Midst
A handful of the young populace of this country might be hesitant to cast in their votes for 2010 or even trust COMELEC enough to go there and enlist themselves as registered voters. A portion of the blame could be put on the media for blowing out of proportion the issues and to the opposition for creating scenarios which put the current administration in bad light but the majority of which should be on the administration itself. In the mind of the prospective first time voter, he may count himself out as early as now in the electoral process because maybe change is a word not found in today's political scene.
A young voter might remember 2004 elections when the current president won the tight race against the late FPJ. The same voter might also remember the next big thing in 2005 when the voice of her excellency was heard chatting with Comelec-man Garcillano re: cheating. I was in Sweden then visiting some relatives and I could honestly say that I was embarassed seeing her pictures in leading newspapers there with that information. The same young voter might now wonder, does my vote really count?
I registered a few weeks ago to vote for the first time in national elections and I am encouraging every qualified citizen to do the same (at least 18 years on May 11, 2010). I am not saying that I have full confidence in the COMELEC especially with a new system but my vote as well as yours are needed to make a better Philippines. It is our duty not only to vote but also to be vigilant and guard our votes for it to be an effective catalyst of change. It is not going to be easy but as long as the youth will work hand in hand, by our vote we can have a better Philippines.
by: Ivar
7/22/09 3:10 P.M.
Cheap Medicines for RP: A Long Shot
First issue, the Philippines drug prices are among the highest in Southeast Asia. Second issue, nobody seemed to care until this time when the 2010 elections is practically visible within the horizon. Another obvious and devious plan to get more points in ratings in time to bag their party's nomination or not to lose one in case of Sen. Mar Roxas. Slated for implimentation this month, the cheaper medicines act just turned ugly with talks of bribes with no less than the senate president Juan Ponce Enrile accusing the multi-national drug company Pfizer and her excellency PGMA. Word wars between the Malacanang and Roxas is on and could continue up until the SONA of Arroyo.
I have no problems with Sen. Roxas using the cheaper medicines act as his leverage come election time as long as the medicines are actually cheaper and not just a news maker to feature his face. If indeed the act will be true to its name, then the Filipino people will be of great relief which could be good for Roxas' presidential bid. I don't know who handles his PR but in my point of view he has become a laughing stock with an advertisement which lacks substance and his frequent guestings with girlfriend Korina Sanchez in different shows. The senator is clearly using his private relationship to connect with the voters instead of explaining his cheaper medicines act and other laws he passed that is crucial ian the ordinary Filipino's daily sustennce. Well, bad news for him is the fact that he is nowhere in the top 3 in recent surveys for presidentiables which goes to show that the country's voters have become more intelligent in choosing our future leaders.
by: Ivar 7/14/09 8:31 P.M.
The Curious Case of the Disappearing Load
It has been years now that the ordinary consumers of prepaid load from the giants of telecommunications; smart, globe and sun have been complaining of mysterious exhaustion of their credits. They say in vernacular, "Karon pa gani ko nagpa-load, check op na pud". Little has been done to remedy this problem but when the time came that the NTC acted upon the claims, meager resolutions were the outcome.
If the senate have not done an investigation in aid of legislation concerning the problem (although politicking can be very evident) the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) would have just shrugged the problem off as irrelevant. Sen. Enrile was furious when he received unsolicited messages from his network thereby reducing his prepaid credits, in response, the network answered that the senator subscribed to songs by RnB star Akon which made Enrile more angry due to the fact that he don't even know who Akon is. Sen. Enrile is only one of millions of Filipinos who receive different contents from the networks without them requesting for it which in layman's term could be equated to stealing, a crime.
Results of the senate inquiry: extension of load expiry, another problem the people have endured over the years. Unsolicited messages which secretly eats our load credits would likely still bother us in the coming days. We hope the NTC would wake up soon and straighten these disguised crimes against consumers.
By: Ivar
7/09/09 9:53 P.M.
Automated Mayhem
As a first time voter next year, I feel very excited and anxious to exercise my right of suffrage. Automated or not, as long as there would be elections ( the Con-Ass move could stop the elections if we let them push through). Automation is a really huge step and I don't know if our Pearl of the Orient will be able to take such. Automation if done right, we'll have clean and accurate elections but if done wrong, we'll be lost in a system we've never encountered before which could result in a tilted democracy, another people power, or a civil war. It's a sad fact that losing candidates will never concede and may in fact find bugs in the hurried automation system to come up with unfounded allegations which in turn could unseat the real people's choice or the other way around.
The proposed automation for 2010 was on, or so the COMELEC thought, until they faced the senators. Sen. Escudero is very critical of the mechanics of the bidding and of the background of the winning bidder, Smartmatic-TIM partnership. Smartmatic is based in Barbados, an island nation in the carribean and is partly owned by the Venezuelan government. Hugo Chavez is the Venezuelan president and will likely to keep his post decades from now, thanks to Smartmatic? Some critics said that the referendum of extending Chavez's term indifinitely was handled by Smartmatic and the "yes" vote won inspite of massive protests against it. Does Sen. Escudero fear that the same could happen here?
TIM or Total Information Management is the Filipino partner of Smartmatic. According to the 1987 constitution, Filipinos should own at least 60% of any business ventures in the Philippines. News reports during the week infrormed of the withdrawal of TIM from the partnership due to inability to meet the 60% requirement needed but some say it is because Smartmatic refused to pay Jose Mari Antunez 500 Million pesos. Antunez's ties to the FG was also cited but he was quick to shrug it off.
Unless this Smartmatic-TIM marriage will work out, then 2010 will be old school.
by: Ivar
6/2/09 11:09 P.M.
Twisted Fate
Bohol's political scene is as of this moment a mess. As the deadline for filing of the certificate of candidacy (November 30) nears, the more blurry the situation become due to the fact that the ruling coalition provincial bigwigs of PGMA, LAKAS-Kampi CMD have not finalized gubernatorial and other capitol posts candidates for next year's elections. More and more aspirants from the aforementioned party have declared through their body language their desire for the top provincial positions. Cong. Edgar Chatto of the first district have not expressedly declared his intentions but the posters, letters and countless appearances in the district and beyond can speak for themselves. He is a LAKAS-Kampi member ever since he turned his back on former-governor and ally Rene Relampagos and joined hands with Gov. Aumentado. Much has been said of the congressman's performance and many are endorsing his supposed candidacy. Second district solon Roberto Cajes was once a speculated candidate but the May fiesta season proved otherwise. Why, you may ask? Posters of Cajes with fiesta greetings were hung side-by-side with Chatto's in the first district and the same could be said in the second.
Second aspirant from LAKAS is the incumbent Vice Governor Julius Ceasar Herrera. Aumentado annointed Herrera right after their win in the 2007 elections became apparent to be his successor which the VG has presumably accepted. This former Calape mayor is also a former ally of Rene Relampagos just like the congressman. Frequent release of financial assistance to different barangays can be a sign of the VG's intent, appearances have become more frequent too. Rumored running mate is HNU College of Law Dean and Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo, another first-second district tandem which makes it more interesting. Who is more influential in the second district, Cajes or Aumentado/Abapo? I Can't wait to find out.
The singing bee host and award winning actor-director Cesar Manhilot a.k.a. Cesar Montano is the latest administration-alligned politician to not just signify his interest but unequivocally declared his plans to run for governor with or without the blessing of Aumentado. It could be noted that the PGMA appointed Cesar through the recommendation of the governor as Philippine special envoy for film and digital cinema which could have given him the diplomat status. Cesar declined the appointment and decided to focus on his gubernatorial plans. Montano's panaghoy foundation scattered through the province stickers bearing the actor's face as if he needs more publicity. Running mate is still hazy and I can't name names simply because I can't think of anyone within the party who could defy Aumentado nor Chatto.
Who will I vote for? Your guess is as good as mine.
by: Ivar
July 1, 2009; 5:04 P.M.
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