Population Issue and the Wrong Premise

Even before warming his seat, President Noynoy Aquino already stirred the ire of the Catholic Church for expressing his support over the artificial birth control issue. Hence, what PNOY did is to blink and seek talk with the Church.

But while there is nothing wrong with consulting with the different sectors and talking with the latter on issues affecting the country, it is unsound to always sit down and talk and never come to a resolution. Kelan pa ba yan nagsimula na usapang yan? Bakit hindi natatapos?

The reason why nothing comes to a closure is because of the wrong assumptions both on the part of the government and the Catholic Church.

• First, the government thinks that the Church is all-powerful kaya maraming opisyal ang tiklop ang tuhod pag nagsalita na ito. Dahil ba sa sinasabing 80% ng mga Pilipino ay Katoliko? Even if sabihin na 100% ng mga Pilipino ay Katoliko, it is non-sequitor to say na powerful pa rin ang Simbahan. Numbers doesn't mean power dahil marami pa rin kasing Pilipino ang ayaw matawag na atheist kaya everytime na tinatanong sila kung ano ang relihiyon nila, sinasabi na Katoliko sila. Well, ang gobyerno naman kasi ang may kasalanan nito. Mantakin mo ba namang lagyan ng mga larawan ng Diyos (kuno) ang mga classrooms at i-emphasize ang panalangin sa pagbubukas ng klase sa mga public schools, and at the crucial stage kung saan nagsisimulang makipag-socialize ang mga bata? Siyempre, mapipilitang maki-ayon na lang ang mga bata para di sila ma-outcast sa kanilang mga klase.
• Second, the government believes that numbers mean power but doesn't conduct scientific studies to show which numbers are true. Dahil ba sinabi ng Simbahan na 80% ng mga Pilipino ay Katoliko, yung equivalent number na yun ay ayaw na sa contraceptives? If this is true then sana yung sinasabing "huwag makikiapid" na nasa 10 Commandments ay sinusunod din lalo na nang mga kaparian. Si Fr. Anton, napapabalitang anak daw yung bunso ni Aling Jenny na asawa ni Mang Mark na seaman. Ganun din si Fr. Marlon na maliban sa girlfriend na si Anggie, kinakalantare din ang asawa ni Charles. Okay lang siguro si Anggie kasi dalaga naman siya at binata naman ang pari. Pero yung asawa ng may asawa? Meron pang isa, si Fr. Dindo. Nagkaanak din sa isang dalaga pero sa halip na panagutan, nagpa-assign bilang misyonero sa Africa. Pero bago siya napunta sa Africa, may mga nagalaw din na kababaihan sa parokya nila pero di nagbuntis. Gumamit na daw ng condom dahil natuto na sa pagkakamali nila ni Lora, yung dalagang nabuntis. Isa lang ang naging anak ni Fr. Dindo, na ngayon ay happy na daw sa Africa. Si Fr. Anton naman, dinala na sa Roma. Yung mga kawawang mga anak nila, nasa pangangalaga ng kanilang mga ina na ni isang kusing na sentimo, walang natatanggap na suporta. Ibig sabihin, walang solid control ang Simbahan hindi lang sa mga miyembro nito kundi maging sa mga kaparian. Kaya ba't nagpapadala sa numero at moralidad ang mga taong-gobyerno eh bluff lang ang mga ito?
• Third, balik sa numero. Takot ang karamihan, lalo na ang mga pulitiko, na hindi sila mananalo kung lalabanan nila ang Simbahan. Me political clout nga ba ito eh brown bags lang nung panahon ni GMA at jueteng payola, bow na ang ilang pari? At si Bishop Cruz mismo ang nagsabi, di ba? Assuming na me political clout nga ang Simbahan, bakit natalo si Fr. Ed Panlilio sa Pampanga o kaya si Grace Padaca ng Isabela? At bakit nanalo si GMA bilang kongresista? Gayun din si Edcel Lagman na tahasang sumuporta at nagsulong sa Reproductive Health Bill noong nakaraang Kongreso? Kung ang Iglesiya ni Kristo siguro o kaya mga Muslim ang magsabi, baka puwede pang paniwalaan. Pag dating ng eleksiyon, nasa 64% ng mga miyembro ng Iglesia ang solid na bumoboto sa ini-endorso ng kanilang mga lider samantalang 48%-52% naman ng mga Muslim ang sumusunod sa ini-endorso ng kanilang mga Imam.
• Fourth, mukhang parehong nag-aasume lang ang Simbahan at Gobyerno. Di natin alam kung bopols silang pareho pero ni hindi nga nila kabisadong husto ang kanilang mga isyu. Mantakin ba naman na sabihin ng Simbahan na kasama sa artificial birth control ang abortion? Papaano mangyayari yun eh wala namang batas ang isinusulong para amyendahan ang Revised Penal Code na nagbabawal sa abortion? 

Malaki ang intelligence funds ng gobyerno. Malaki rin tong, este, ano nga yun, abuloy(?) na nakukuha ng Simbahan. Bakit di sila mag-invest sa research para me matino naman silang desisyon? 

The reason why this is happening is because of the wrong assumptions. Masyadong takot ang gobyerno at masyado namang nananakot ang Simbahan. Pero ano ba ang ginagawa ng gobyerno para ayusin ito once and for all?

Lapid and his School Bags Law

Mona Lisa senator, Lito Lapid, passed a bill prohibiting the overloading of the school children's bags. Numbered as Senate Bill 2179, the bill proposes to

limit the maximum load of schoolbags to 15 percent of a student’s body weight. Schools should provide weighing scales to implement this regulation. He also proposed that schools provide more lockers and buy thinner and lighter textbooks.

The reason: Lapid doesn't want other kids to experience what he did when he carried heavy woods and sugarcane in his younger years that instead of growing 5 feet 11 inches, he only grew 5' 9".

Lapid's bill was countered by DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro saying there is no need for a law on that. Nasa discretion na yan ng mga magulang at siyempre, ng school officials. Which is correct. Dahil sa kakulangan ng school buildings at teachers, kailangang wala nang uwian at tapusin na nang mga bata from 6AM to 12NN ang kanilang mga subjects na dapat ay from 8AM to 11AM, at 1PM to 5PM. Ibig sabihin, kailangang dalhin nila ang kanilang mga gamit at wala nang uwian para ma-maximize ang oras.

Sa halip sana na schoolbags overloading ang tinumbok ng kawawang senador, nagpasa na sana siya ng batas na mage-ensure ng quality education sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng: tamang oras at hindi long shifts, dagdag na school rooms at hindi lang lockers, matino at kumpletong mga textbooks hindi panipisan ngunit walang kalidad na laman, at de-kalidad na mga guro. Siyempre, dapat gumawa rin siya ng batas na nagtatakda ng dagdag na pondo para sa edukasyon.

At sana rin, sa halip na schoolbags ang tinumbok ng kawawang senador, sana yung batas na lang na nagtatakda ng matinong employee performance evaluation system at automatic kick out policy sa mga nagtatrabaho sa gobyerno na may poor performance. Lalong lalo na sa mga teacher sa rural areas na ang ginagawa sa mga estudyante nila ay pinapag-linis ng bakuran ng paaralan at pinapag-bunot ng damo. At ang pinakasimple, sana nagpasa rin siya sa ethics committee ng Senado ng resolution na ang mga Senador na kakaunti o kaya walang quality na naipasang bills ay bigyan ng parusa sa pamamagitan ng pagkaltas sa kanilang suweldo at pag-a-allocate ng pera para sa mga paaralan.


Kaso, kawawa talaga itong si Senador. Kung feeling niya kulang pa rin siya sa height, mas matindi ang kakulangan niya sa buhay: talino o kahit common sense para makagawa naman siya ng isang makabuluhang batas.

What are we jueteng for?

The frogs are croaking. Sec. Rico Puno is now in hot water while Senator Miriam Santiago had her well-thought jueteng equation. Of course, Mona Lisa senator, Lito Lapid, is to the rescue saying his kabalens Bong and Lilia Pineda are not jueteng operators. We heard this during the time of Gloria Arroyo and we are hearing it again. Anyway, the latest winning number combination according to whispering spirits is 11-23.

Chavit Singson is also on the limelight as Santiago said the governor is a jueteng operator. The problem is: Santiago is not offering evidences to pin Singson and the other names she dropped. Kaya nga tanong ni Sen. Cayetano (sino na nga yun? yung lalaki? Marami na kasi sila - 2 sa senado and earlier meron sa Kongreso): What are we jueteng for?

Ano na nga ba ang ginagawa natin? We have names, we conducted investigations, the police has a list .. and we are pissed. Sino na nga ba ang nakulong? Kahit si Erap na nasipa sa puwesto dahil sa jueteng kuno ay ayun, kumandidato pa at nag-ikot pa sa bansang Pilipinas. What are we jueteng for nga ba talaga?

Merci gets Mercy from SC

The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, speedily gave an immediate relief to Ombudsman Merciditas Gutierrez by directing the committee headed by Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. to observe a status quo ante following Gutierrez’s petition for certiorari and prohibition. Gutierrez had been a subject of impeachment cases which she claims as “capricious and whimsical.” (See full report here.)

Sa wakas, bumilis din ang takbo ng Korte Suprema. Pero teka, preno, alto, halt, stop! Bakit sa kaso lang ni Gutierrez? Bakit sa ibang kaso, hindi? Dahil ba sa karamihang Supreme Court Justices ay appointee ni Gloria Arroyo at si Gutierrez ay ganun din? Ibig bang sabihin, ganito rin ang mangyayari sa mga kaso na ilalatag laban kay Arroyo? O revenge ito ng Korte dahil sa budget cuts nito for 2011?

If this is the case, then the high court should not be a hypocrite claiming that it is apolitical. And if this is the case then it should not expect to get the trust of the Filipinos. Pero sana naman hindi. Dangan kasi ay last resort dapat ng mga tao ang korte sa mga wrongs committed against them. Not unless isa itong recreational and leisure resort kung saan libre ang mga mayayamang may koneksiyon lalo na sa mga Arroyo?

Jueteng

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are rushing to conduct an investigation on the alleged recipients of jueteng payola. Are they serious on curbing the illegal numbers game or are they just curious on who gets how much?

Sabi ni Aling Munding, mukhang may ilang opisyal ang interesado sa congressional inquiry para malaman kung tama lang ang kanilang nakukuhang payola. Matapos daw kasi nung eleksiyon ay nasaid na ang kanilang mga bulsa. Ang iba nga, nagtatago na sa kanilang mga pinagkakautangan eh palapit na nang palapit ang pasko. Wala na ring choice kasi inubos na nang administrasyong Arroyo ang pera ng gobyerno. Totoo kaya ito?

Pero ang nakapagtataka, ayaw pang pangalanan ni Archbishop Oscar Cruz ang mga opisyal na tumatanggap ng payola. Ang sabi ni Archbishop, "Bakit ko sasabihin? Hindi ba nila alam? Eh, sila itong may malaking intelligence funds na ni hindi nga ina-audit?"

Sabagay, tama naman ang Arsobispo. Pero tanong lang: Saan pong intelligence funds: Yung galing sa gobyerno o galing sa jueteng payola?

Pero naniniwala si Chipipot. Kaya daw ayaw sabihin ni Archbishop yung mga pangalan ng mga opisyal ng gobyerno ay baka mapilitan din siyang sabihin yung pangalan ng mga taga-Simbahan na tumatanggap ng jueteng.

Nakowww!!!

P-Noy to let go of Robredo?

If the slogan before is "Goodbye, Gloria!", this time it appears to be "Goodbye, Robredo!" An interesting analysis is shared by Thoughts on the Loose a portion of which are as follows:

One of the loyal Liberals in the Bicol Region is former Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo. He was the one who kept the LP’s torch burning when the alleged last bastion of Liberal Party, the Alfelor Clan, jumped ship to Lakas-NUCD. But will he still hang on now that many wants his head axed and that the President he serves will not even recommend the confirmation of his appointment in the Interior and Local Government?

While we cannot read what’s in Robredo’s mind, it cannot be denied that he is on the brink of becoming a victim of power play. First, when Gloria Arroyo’s adviser, Joey Salceda, jumped ship from Lakas-NUCD to Liberal Party during the campaign period, something immediately started to boil in Noynoy Aquino’s camp. Chiz Escudero was already campaigning for NoyBi (Noynoy Aquino for President and Jojo Binay for Vice President) and it is often said that “two is a company and three is a crowd”. Worse, rumors spread in the grapevine that political stalwart Luis Villafuerte released on the last hour NoyBi ballots. Now, that means not just getting crowded but overcrowded and an overcrowded ship needs to reduce cargoes and even passengers. Since Robredo is the least of these Bicolano figures who can deliver votes is Robredo, definitely he will be the first to be left out.

 The complete post is found here.

Euro Generals suspended

Finally, after two long years and the death of 8 persons in a well-televised hostage-taking incident, the Ombudsman suspended six Euro-generals. The Inquirer reports:

MANILA, Philippines—The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered six Philippine National Police officials involved in a controversial trip to Russia in 2008 to be placed on preventive suspension for six months without pay pending its investigation of the case tagged in media as the “euro generals” scandal.

Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez, head of the anti-graft body, identified the PNP officials as Director Silverio Alarcio Jr. of the Directorate for Operations; Director German Doria of the Directorate for Human Resources and Doctrine Development; Chief Supt. Orlando Pestaño, finance service director; Chief Supt. Tomas Rentoy III, budget division director; Supt. Samuel Rodriguez, special disbursing officer and Supt. Elmer Pelobello.

But three of them—Alarcio, Pestaño and Doria—have reportedly retired from the service. (More here)

 Interesting.  So kailangan lang palang me mga mangyari muna bago ang aksiyon. Di ba may kasabihan: Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo?

Kung sabagay, it is better late than never. Ang Ombudsman kaya, kelan din mapapalitan? Mukhang ito rin ang dahilan bakit namatay ang mga Intsik sa Manila Hostage Crisis noong Agosto 23, di ba? Tanungin natin si Capt. Mendoza.

Maguindanao Massacre: Perfect Crime But...

The plan was perfect: Kill everyone and bury them including their cars and properties underground and announce to the world that a UFO (unidentified flying object) came and abducted them. The problem: Something went amiss as the media, indeed being a media, was able to report that the UFO is nothing but the private army linked to the Ampatuans.

Because of the mistake, and the information leak, a planning was done in front of the dinner table according to Lakmudin Saliao, a former household help of the Ampatuans who acted as a close-in aide of Andal Sr. The plan: Release Andal Jr., but only under the care of then President Gloria Arroyo.

Though outside the story of Saliao but the plan was slowly bared with the unfolding of the events. The suspects in the Maguindanao Massacre will be charged with rebellion and not 57 counts of murder plus illegal possession of firearms. Mahirap kasing palabasin kung murder unlike rebellion kung saan puwede agad bigyan ng amnesty ang mga akusado at pronto! Laya na. Kaya nga wala nang masyadong objections ang kampo ni Andal Jr., sa mga pinag-sasabi ng Department of Justice.

But while the plan was overtaken by events. When election was held, wala na silang nagawa. It was clear: Arroyo would step down then. So yung promise to take care of Andal Jr., was not realized. The Ampatuans naman kasi never read history. Whatever GMA says, she does otherwise. In simple terms, sorry na lang sila.

To salvage the situation, Andal Jr., started wearing yellow. He thought he can still court Noynoy Aquino, then the emerging winner of the presidential race. Pero he was disowned and it was a double blow. So ngayon, palpak ulit.

It was a perfect crime sana kaya lang ... palpak!

Inch by inch

Finally, the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is moving. Just today, the complaints filed by former Akbayan Representative Riza Hontiveros et. al., and the other one from the Bayan Muna camp have been declared sufficient in form and in substance.

Merci is unfazed, though. We should not be surprised. It's taking her long to internalize things or feel everything through her bones. Kaya nga usad-pagong ang mga kaso dahil sa sobrang bagal niya mag-internalize, di ba? At kaya nga nagwal rin si Capt. Rolando Mendoza.

But we should not blame Merci for her usad-pagong na galaw. Malay natin, nature na talaga yun. Pinag-iisipan niya lang na maigi. So kung mamatay na ang mga may kasalanan na hindi pa nasi-sintensiyahan, ayos lang. Whether or not sintensiyahan sila, mamatay din lang naman sila. Ganun din ang logic sa government service. Whether or not gawin nila ang trabaho nila sa Sandigan, sasahod din naman sila. O di ba?

PNP has no "Nego Team" but has "Euro Generals"

It's interesting to note that the Philippine National Police has no "Negotiating Team" organized or trained to handle situations like the Manila Hostage Crisis. This was disclosed by Supt. Orlando Yebra, the one who acted as a negotiator during last month's mismanaged hostage crisis. And worse, the PNP also has no TV or radio that could have assisted in monitoring the situation.

But on the contrary, the PNP has millions of pesos that can finance euro generals and their families to make "lamierda" in Europe. Interesting, isn't it? That's only here in the Philippines.

Magtibay: Just Once

Gen. Rodolfo Magtibay has a new theme song when he faced the National Bureau of Investigation probe on the Manila Hostage Crisis handling last August 23. The song: "Just Once" by James Ingram. It goes:

I did my best
But I guess my best wasn't good enough
'Cause here we are back where we were before
Seems nothing ever changes
We're back to being strangers
Wondering if we oughta stay
Or head on out the door

 We can't blame him naman. He really did his best as he claims and we can do nothing naman talaga kung yun lang ang kaya. Kung sabagay, nagpa-impluwensiya nga siya kay Mayor Alfredo Lim sa pag-handle ng sitwasyon kaya let's not blame him for the total wreck. Wala nga talaga siyang alam kahit ano'ng piga natin. Kahit nga yung kotong cops diyan sa may Lagusnilad di niya alam kung di pa na-"hindi ko kayo tatantanan" ni Mike Enriquez sa Imbestigador. Ano ka, P300 din yung nakuha kay Igme, ah! Buti si Tikboy nagtanong ano violation niya at lahat ng sabihin ng kotong cop, nabara. Si Igme kasi nagmamadali. Mantakin ba namang P500 ang pera niya binigyan pa nang sukli? (Teka, me share kaya dito si Gen. Magtibay? Papaano niya natustusan ang kanyang pagiging general kung ganun? Maliban na lang kung nakinabang siya sa Euro-general money.)

Pero dahil wala siyang alam, papaano ba siya naging heneral? Nagbayad din ba siya tulad nung mga driver na dumaan at nakotongan sa Lagusnilad? Posible. Kaya heto ang ebidensiya: Walo ang patay di pa kasama ang hostage-taker sa bilang kasama nang ilan pang sugatan. At mukhang naghihingalo na rin ang relasyong-pulitikal at pang-ekonomiya ng Tsina at Pilipinas. Lima ring OFW ang nakatakdang pugutan ng ulo dahil sa sentensiyang death penalty na posibleng revenge ng China sa 5 rin nilang national na napatay. Dahil dito, puwede pa ba tayong kumanta niyan ng "Just Once"?

Ewan.