A violent man as an ambassador of peace?

Let's admit it: Boxer Manny Pacquiao brings glory to the Filipinos. Unintentionally. Pacquio wants to be a US citizen and nobody can deny it. But bringing unintentional glory to the place where he was born does not automatically qualify him to be an ambassador of peace.

Yes, ambassador of peace. Inquirer.Net, quoting Lorelei Fajardo, noted:

Pacquiao will be officially named "ambassador of peace" when he pays a courtesy call to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang on Wednesday.

Wala na bang maisip ang palasyo para maki-ride on lang sa kasikatan ni Pacquiao? On what logic did they base the idea of calling a man who punches another an ambassador of peace? A person who was so willing to be named a military sergeant an ambassador of peace?

Kung sabagay, it's like the "I am sorry" story. No, not GMA's "I am sorry". It's the story of two sons the youngest of whom was boxed by his kuya. The youngest then made sumbong sa nanay nila na sinuntok siya ng kuya niya. The nanay asked the kuya to make sorry kay bunso. And the kuya did. Noting that it's just normal to punch a person as long as there is an apology, the youngest boxed his brother with all his might and after doing so, said "I am sorry". Then he boxed his elder brother again and again saying "sorry" after every punch. Ayos di ba? But try hitting GMA and say sorry after doing so and see where you'll be next.

GMA and the Cha-cha Train

Action speaks louder than words.

Presidentiable Mar Roxas is correct: If Gloria in the Palace wants, all she can do is to tell her allies in the lower house to stop the Cha-cha train.

But Arroyo is still hopeful to extend her term. Thus, she wants to amend the charter. Clearly, "Press Sec. Jesus Dureza said that the Palace will not intervene in efforts to push Charter change at the Lower House.A report aired over dzBB radio quoted Dureza as saying that the President will leave Charter Change in the hands of the Congress. Dureza said President Arroyo remains supportive of efforts to amend the Constitution." (source here)

Buking!

First, it was Press Secretary Jesus Dureza's prayer, now it's the son's turn to show what is obvious: Gloria Arroyo will sit beyond 2010.

In a televized prayer with Arroyo listening, Dureza said: Bless the president so we will have forebearance, good health, the tolerance to lead the nation up to 2010, and perhaps who knows, even beyond.

GMA was embarassed. Indeed. But GMA did not scold Dureza in public just like what she used to do everytime her underlings commit an error. Remember the LTO incident? And the reporting of OIC of DepEd Ms. Fe Hidalgo? This just shows the obvious and Dinky Soliman is right: Embarassed sa media si Arroyo but she liked the prayer. And very much.

And to sustain her liking, her son, Cong. Mikey Arroyo even endorsed the moves to amend the constitution. And proud pa si Mikey. And to note, Arroyo can only extend her term if the charter will be amended.

These being so, what can we say? Shall we say na ang isda ay nabibingwit sa bibig? Or shall we say: Ang taong may bad breath nalalaman pag ibinubuka niya ang kanyang bibig either dahil magsasalita siya o maghihikab lang.

Mafia and de la Paz

When I was still struggling in my profession, and the world during the time of Tabako Ramos was still chaotic and uncertain, my mentor taught me the difference between a legitimate business man and a person involved in illegal business transactions. Sabi niya, ang legitimate businessman ay mahahalata mo dahil kung makipag-usap yan it's either in cash or in cheque. Pero kung nakikipag-deal siya using cash at laging makapal ang bulsa, it's either that he is a mafiosi or a yakuza.

Does this confirm na may mafia nga diyan sa loob ng gobyerno? And De la Paz is a mafiosi?

If RETIRED PNP comptroller Eliseo De la Paz is in an official mission (which is amazing kasi nga retired na siya), he should be carrying cheques and other bank notes. Besides, the Philippine Government uses cheques in paying its transactions. Si Mang Impong nga na sanlibo lang ang sinisingil sa gobyerno kailangan pang sumuot sa butas ng karayom makasingil lang at makuha ang tseke niya. And we are talking here of millions? Ano to, tulad ng expose ni Panlilio with regards the cash gift? O baka cash gift din yun na dala ni De la Paz?

Peace, men! Peace!

The people have rendered their judgment

Inquirer's headline:

Palace: Let people be judge of Arroyo


Well, the people have rendered their judgment already. The problem, Garci bastardized it. Well, Garci would have not done it had it not for his lady caller who said "So I will still lead by more than one M., overall?". As to who the lady caller is, Malacanang is not aware but for those who have heard the recordings both the tampered and not believes it is not Loren Legarda.

Second, the people also rendered their judgment through surveys by making her the most infamous and most unpopular president. The problem, Malacanang is always questioning the survey every time the results are not favorable to the sitting-president. Pero pag paborable, gusto pang sambahin ang pollster.

According to the report:

(Ermita) wondered about the accuracy of the SWS survey that showed the President’s public approval rating plunging to a record low of negative 38 percent in June when, he said, she has done so much for Filipinos, including crisscrossing the country to oversee antipoverty projects and typhoon relief and rehabilitation.

Kelangan pa bang i-memorize yan? She had done much. But the question is: How much? Isa pa, ano ba ang ginawa? Namigay ng noodles? What about long term projects with impact like employment?

Second, what about the solution to the issues like corruption, ZTE scandal, jueteng, betrayal of public trust?

Next, sabi ni Ed Ermita:

Of course people have to wonder why after the many things that she is doing for the well-being of our citizens that that should still be the perception.

Sorry po Mang Ed. Ikaw lang po ang nagwa-wonder why and wonder how. Just open your eyes and see for yourself. Don't leave in dreams...

Assessing the Competency of a Public Official: From Coffee to Golf

Earlier, capabilities of applicants for public posts are done over a few cups of coffee and tete-a-tete. This was "revolutionized" during the time of Erap when, instead of coffee, they used beer. But after the ZTE scandal, government officials find it convenient to assess the competencies of prospective officials for higher posts: PLAYING GOLF!

In a statement, press secretary Jesus Dureza was quoted as saying:

We went out for a round of golf at Wack-Wack (yesterday) morning ... to celebrate ES (Executive Secretary) Ermita's birthday. We were in foursomes, so (two) groups of players..

After holing out in the last hole, I am all the more convinced that I can entrust to Romy (Neri) all my funds or the resources of SSS for that matter.

WTF! If this is the way competencies are assessed in choosing SSS Chairmen, I think we need to withdraw all our contributions from the said agency. It's our god damned money earned through sweat and blood tapos ima-manage lang na parang sugal? And Dureza, a press secretary issuing statements like that? Where the heck is the constitutional provision: Public Office is a Public Trust?

Hmmmnnn....

Pero teka, aside from the idea of SSS members withdrawing all their hard-earned money from the social security, me isa pang maganda ring idea na itinuro si Dureza. All those aspiring for government posts should study and master golf. If you are poor and you cannot afford to do so, sorry ka na lang... bebe. This just affirms the claims that the government is for the rich, by the rich and of the rich.

Gloria needs a reality check

It is impossible to heal a physician who believes that he has no sickness. And Malaya hit it on the head when it ran an editorial entitled: Gloria Needs a Reality Check.

For this reason, no Filipino should expect that he will have a beautiful life for the rest of Arroyo's term. The editorial says it all. Read here.

Credibility Problem

In virtual forums, there is this large number of US citizens demanding the resignation of George W. Bush for suffering a decreasing satisfaction rating. Sabi nila, dati ang rating ni Bush ay lagpas 50%. Minsan nga daw lumagpas din ito ng 60%. Pero ngayon, lagpas na lang ng 40% kaya dapat na itong mag-resign.

Most of the Republicans, Bush's political party, slightly agree. But since the November presidential elections is just a few months away, it is better that the idea be shelved na lang. Instead of resigning, wag na lang daw sumama si Bush sa kampanya ng pambatong kandidato ng mga Republicans na si John McCain.

Well, kahit papano, me nipis din pala ng mukha itong mga Kano. So winner pa rin si Aling Gloria na negative na nga ang rating, ayaw pang umalis. At hindi nga buwan ang bibilangin kundi taon pa bago dumating ang eleksiyon!

Kung sabagay, hindi lang naman niya solo ang problema. Si Toting Bunye na sabi ng ilang espiritu santong prayle na nakausap ni Tikboy ay isang magaling at respetadong tao sana bago nadikit kay Aling Gloria, naapektuhan na rin. So when he left his office as a presidential spokesperson, kumabit na sa kanya ang mantsa at amoy ng baho ni Aling Gloria. Tiyak, susunod na rin dito si Lorelei Fajardo at Anthony Golez. Mahahawa rin sila tiyak... o nahawa na nga. Consider, for instance, Ms. Fajardo's twisted logic.

A good accompanying read with this is the Daily Tribune's Editorial: A problem of credibility.

Free Text Issue: Another "Wag the Dog" Tactic

It's "Wag the Dog" time again for Malacanang. After successfully fending off the ZTE scandal with the rice price crisis, Malacanang is once again buying time to channel the attention of the public from the rice price crisis and the Meralco problem to "free texts" in mobile phones. And Speaker Prospero Nograles also joined in when he said last week that he will ensure that the franchises given to mobile phone service providers will be reviewed. Thus, reacting to the lower House's statements, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) announced that it will conduct a study. And the Commission, even before conducting a study, already made a biased statement through its Deputy Commissioner Jorge Sarmiento who said that they will certainly reduce the rates.

Teka, teka, teka. Ok lang naman yun. Sino ba ang ayaw ng free texts? Pero bakit di muna unahin ang dapat unahin?

First, the ZTE Scandal remains an open book. Asan na ang parusa sa mga involved? Di ba sabi ni Gloria in the Palace she is battling against corruption? Ba't walang napaparusahan para huwag ng pamarisan? Ok na ba ang "200"? Or talagang inamin ng Malacanang ang statement na "Back off!" ni FG?

Second, ano ba ang ginagawa ng palasyo sa problema sa mahal na presyo ng bigas? DSWD Card? Ganyan lang ba ang kayang arukin ng Palasyo? O ok lang ang mataas na presyo kasi pabor sa mga smuggler ng bigas? Ilan na nga pala ang nahuli na rice smuggler? Zero? Nada? Wala?

Ikatlo, ano na ba ang nangyari sa Solomonic decision ng presidente? Ba't ang mahal pa rin ng kuryente? Dahil ba di na kaya ng Palasyo ang pressure kaya binabaling na naman sa free texts kung saan 3 sa 5 Pilipino me cellphone?

Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk!

Arroyo and her Solomonic Decision

If King Solomon were alive today and he heard the "Solomonic decision" of sitting president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, he would curse his mother for giving him that name.

Because of the quarrel between GSIS president Winston Garcia and Meralco, GMA had to issue a 'solomonic decision' which is: Throw the matter to the NEDA core group so that they can come up with a position to be recommended to us (Arroyo and the Cabinet).

Di ko ma-imagine ang expression ni Doy na "HUWAAATTTT!!!!"

Ganyan ba kasi kababaw si Arroyo? Kahit ang municipal councilor sa bayan ni Aling Tonya na Grade 2 lamang ang natapos, alam na alam na ang gasgas na linyang yan para di maipit sa mga interbiyu. Pag tinatanong ng mga reporter ang laging sagot: pag-aralan muna natin ito.

Kung sabagay, ba't ba naman tayo magtataka pa eh solusyon nga ni GMA sa rice price crisis: Mag-import.

Solusyon din naman niya sa problema sa pagkagutom: Kumain ng noodles at bigas.

At dahil kulang na ang bigas: Kumain na lamang ng kamote.

Ganyan siya katalino. Kaya talagang magagalit si Haring Solomon sa kanyang nanay dahil
nababoy ata ang pangalan niya sa 'Solomonic decision' ni aling Gloria.

GMA feeling secure over rice importation?

I don't know what kind of economist is Gloria in the Palace. As Malaya reports:

Arroyo on Friday said the Philippines has concluded contracts with Thailand, Vietnam, and other Asian countries for 1.2 million metric tons of rice. The volume, she said, is "enough to cover the 10 percent differential which is our production and consumption."

She said the country is buying more rice only for "buffer stocks."

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap also Friday said government would try to maintain at least a 30-day inventory of stocks during the third quarter, a traditionally lean period for rice supplies.

"We are going to enter July with 32 days inventory so we will continue procuring to keep buffer stocks at 30 days," he said.

He echoed Arroyo's statement, saying the National Food Authority has bought enough imported rice to meet domestic demand and remaining tenders will go to boosting buffer stocks.

Hanggang ganyan na lang ba talaga ang kayang arukin ng pag-iisip ni Gng. Arroyo? Or is she just doing a Rovian Tactic to hide some things from the public? PolitechWatch (see also Biklish) has this conclusion:

It should be noted that early this year, the Arroyo Government has been assuring the public that there is no rice shortage in the country. Even independent economic analysts have been forecasting the same as the National Food Authority (NFA) had ample stocks to last for months and that the harvest season is yet to come. But when the Lozada expose on the ZTE Scandal became out of control, the government immediately shifted its stand and started carrying the issue of food security. This, in a way, became a clear Rovian tactic aimed at killing the messages thrown at the Arroyo Administration particularly on government mismanagement and rampant corruption.

True, the issue on food security is an issue that affects not only the Philippines but also the rest of the world. Even then, it cannot be said that the Arroyo government is just responding to the fact. First, when Mrs. Arroyo took over the reins of government, she already know that the trade imbalance with regards rice and other agricultural produce is already unfavorable to the country. As a matter of fact, the Philippines is already the largest importer of rice in the world. Still, she did nothing to correct this mess by at least giving special attention to the farmers.

Second, now that the country is already being threatened by food shortage, her policy is still leaning towards food importation. This had been made clear when the NFA's thrust for this year is to buy more rice from other countries rather than directly address the issue of high costs of production. The problem, rice producing countries like Thailand has instituted ban on exports of the staple food. To make the matters worse, other rice exporting countries also decided to form a cartel to regulate rice exports and prices. Thus, to quote Palawan Representative Abraham Mitra: What’s the use of your money if no rice is available at any price overseas? It’s like looking for water in the desert. You may be willing to exchange a bar of gold for a cup of water but it’s totally worthless if there’s not a single drop around.

Third, the sincerity of the government is also lacking as until now, no member of the local rice cartel has been caught and punished. What Arroyo government had been boasting in the last few weeks is the apprehension of the “Mosquito Gang” in Isabela – a loose organization of rice traders who are known for stocking a few hundred sacks of rice. What it failed to catch are the giant rice hoarders some of whom are known to be the members of “Binondo 9” – also a loose organization of rice traders known for hoarding tons of rice.

The sincerity is also lacking as the Arroyo government failed to catch rice smugglers. To note, in addition to the regular anti-smuggling agencies, Mrs. Arroyo has also organized the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG). With the numerous anti-smuggling agencies of the government, how come there is no catch? Whether or not this just validate the rumors that some members of the first family are also involved in rice smuggling, nobody can tell. But one sure thing is that the PASG, one of highly financed agencies to eradicate smuggling, has concentrated its efforts mainly on curbing the smuggling of luxury cars rather than eliminating the smuggling of basic commodities. For this reason, rice smuggling continuous. If reports are to be believed, smuggled rice consists of 15-percent to 21-percent of the total rice imports of the country – a raison d'être of the Organization of Rice Exporting Countries. And this hurts more the local producers as their price becomes more and more uncompetitive due to the influx of smuggled rice.

Lastly, and the clearest evidence why the Arroyo Government is just warding off the issues on mismanagement and corruption, is her US$120 million (P5 billion) aid for the poor program. This she announced a few days ago with the idea of doling out a maximum of US$33 (PhP1,400) per poor family per month as an additional money to buy food for the table. In short, instead of addressing the root cause of the food security issue, Mrs. Arroyo will be issuing a placebo to show that she is a working president and thereby ward off the claims that are haunting her administration.

GMA vindicated from the NBN scandal?

While the report is yet to be prepared, Malacanang is already confident that sitting president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be vindicated from the NBN scandal. The reason: There is no evidence linking the president to the scandal.

First, paano ba sila nakakasiguro lalo na si Ed Ermita na vindicated nga talaga si Gloria? Mukhang me whitewash na agad na nangangamoy ah?

Second, paano nga ba talaga magkakaroon ng ebidensiya? They controlled all the possibilities to come out with an evidence? Parang Impeachment Trial. They kill it immediately with technicalities.

Pero vindicated nga ba? Not beyond reasonable doubt. Hanggang ngayon lutang pa rin ang mga koneksiyon ni Gloria sa mga iskandalo ng gobyerno. Actually she even admitted these categorically. She said sorry when she called Garci. And she said she still signed the NBN Contract despite the anomalies. This means she is not scot-free. And this will haunt her til the rest of history.

Just Another Fallacy: Fajardo and SBMA on Hanjin

Malacanang Spokesperson, Atty. Lorelei Fajardo, and the Subic Bay Metropolitian Authority committed another fallacy by arguing that Hanjin should not be put into bad light with regards the environment as it is contributing a lot to the Philippine economy. Sabi ni Fajardo, it is infusing billions of dollar-worth investments. Sabi naman ng SBMA, it is generating a lot of employment as Hanjin helps build ships, which employs Filipinos, and ships employ seamen, which also utilizes Filipinos.

The problem is, they seem to evade the issue -- the effect of Hanjin operations on the environment particularly on the construction of the condominium in the middle of a forest. And clearly, there is already a violation for the company had cut trees more than what it is permitted to do so. Para bang argumento ni Catholic Bishop Cinense na wag na muna nating palitan si Arroyo dahil negatibo sa ekonomiya.

These people seem to forget to argue by attacking directly the argument not belaboring it with other things. The Arroyo issue, for instance, involves a moral issue and therefore, Cinense should argue on moral grounds not on economic grounds. Besides, morality is Cinense's expertise being a supposedly guardian of morality. Kaya lang, it appears na he shifted his area of expertise -- economy.

The same with Fajardo. As a lawyer, she should argue on legal grounds. The problem she has to solve is whether or not what the Hanjin did is legal. If bastardizing the environment is legal, ok lang yun. Ang importante, Fajardo answered based on her area of expertise. But talking about investments? And economy? And evading the issue of legality?

Argumentum ad envidiam is also the line of the SBMA. Though simple lang naman sana ang tanong: Base ba sa SBMA land use plan, tama ba ang ginawa ng Hanjin? Kaso, they made it complicated by appealing to the social condition of the people. Are they hiding something?

Kung sabagay, consistent din naman sila. Their boss who, instead of answering the charges of corruption and mal-administration, would rather appeal to the "need to consider the economy and economic growth". And there is this saying: Kung ano ang puno, ganun din ang bunga.

But one funny thing: When Satan tempted Jesus, the devil also used food (which Gloria is also doing when she is offering rice and noodles to the hungry "masa")and wealth (just like the economic argument of Cinense, Fajardo, and the SBMA). Is this just a plain coincidence?

Hmmmnnn :-?

The Church and the "Arroyo to finish her term" debate

As the debate whether or not to allow Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to finish the term given to the supposed winner of the 2004 presidential election neared its conclusion, a Catholic Bishop made another hirit: Let Arroyo finish her term.

Florentino Cinense, a Catholic bishop from Tarlac said that it would be costly to replace Arroyo at this moment and that economically, the idea would be disadvantageous to the Philippines. He also said that instead of calling for Arroyo to step down, the people should just call for more projects instead.

Is Cinense's view the voice of God? That we do not know. But his logic sounds like: Huwag na muna nating itigil ang jueteng kasi it would be costly to stop the illegal numbers game (considering the number of employment it generates) and that ceasing its operations would be economically unsound (i.e., konti na lang ang papasok sa kaban ng Simbahan dahil mababawasan ang mananalo na magbibigay-pasasalamat sa Diyos). Kung sabagay, it took the Catholic Church several centuries before acknowledging that Galileo, the man they declared as heretic and a disciple of Satan for proving that the earth moves around the sun and not otherwise, is right. Even though they already knew the truth behind Galileo's claim, they did not retract the declaration easily dahil it would be costly on part of the Church -- that is, they might lose their face for the mal-declaration.

Cinense's view also resounds the same old Catholic logic na di puwede mag-asawa ang pari dahil reserved lang ito para sa Diyos. And they turn blind eye sa mga pari na nagiging ama... unless ang ipinagbubuntis ng mga kaibigang babae ng ilan sa mga pari ay out of immaculate concepcion. But if that is the case, walang pinagkaiba ngayon ang Diyos ng mga Katoliko kay Zeus, isang tsikboy na diyos ng mga Griyego.

While we are still weighing the consequences of Arroyo reaching 2010 or not in the presidential seat, mas maigi siguro na tumahimik na lang ang mga obispong ito. When people were seeking for their guidance, tahimik sila. Ngayon na di naman hinihingi ang kanilang opinyon, saka lang sila nag-iingay. Which makes people ask: Nagbe-benefit nga ba talaga sila sa Malakanyang?

Whether they do or not, it's hard to tell. But circumstantial evidences seem to show that they do. Imagine nga naman: Discussing the morality issue in economic terms instead of moral terms!

Hmmmmmnnnnn....

Kaya pala lalong dumadami ang pumapasok ngayon sa ibang relihiyon. If Gloria is the primary recruiter of activitists and people disgruntled of the administration, the Catholic Church is also the primary proselytizer of non-Catholic believers.

The Writings on the Street

When two opposite poles attract each other, the only thing certain is there's a magnet.

Yesterday's inter-faith rally was an interesting sight. There we see ousted president Joseph Estrada and one of the key figures in ousting him, former president Cory Aquino, joining together in a common cause. Inquirer.Net even had a picture of them appearing to be dancing together. We also see the prayerfuls and the prayerless; the religious groups and the atheists; the movie stars and the movie-goers; the left and the right; the capitalists and the anti-capitalists; the employers and the employees; and so on and so forth. All are united in saying that truth must come out. But will the concerned people led by the claiming president Gloria Arroyo herself listen?

For a person trying to save his or her ass, parting with power may disprove Shakespeare's statement that "parting is such sweet sorrow". For this people, parting will be very bitter, hard to take pill. Paano pa kasi magiging Darna si Darna kung wala na ang bato? O paano pa magiging presidente ang presidente kung wala na siya sa puwesto?

But whether these people will listen or not, the writings on yesterdays streets in Makati will show: the end might be near. Ang pagsasama-sama ng magkakahiwalay at magkakatunggaling na puwersa ay isang indikasyon na dapat bigyang pansin. Ganun din ang pagpayag ng mga publicity-hungry na pulitiko na huwag magsalita sa entablado at ang mga anti-imperialist na huwag sumigaw ng "ibagsak ang imperialismo" para huwag mabuwag ang mga tao. It's plain and simple science: Opposite poles attract. When these attract each other, a new shape is forming, and a new shape will surely be formed.

GMA: The Rule of Law

After admitting the presence of flaws in the NBN contract and still signing it, and after doing nothing to immediately punish the erring officials involved, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is calling "on the public to remind the legislators to respect the rule of law in its investigations into alleged corruption in her government."

Teka, bakit ang legislators lang? Di ba kasama sa gobyerno ang executive department kung saan siya kabilang? Or what she means is respect her for she is the rule of law?

AT any rate, kung hindi siya ang rule of law at siya ay tagapagpatupad lamang ng batas, she should have not sacrificed the welfare of the people for the sake of the length of time. Immediately sana, pina-hold niya muna ang kontrata ng ZTE at hindi ito pinirmahan, pinatalsik niya ang mga pumalpak na opisyal ng gobyerno na involved sa pag-aaral ng ZTE, at kinasuhan niya agad ng violation of anti-corruption laws at violation of RA 6713 ang mga involved. Ganun din, inalis niya ang EO 464 at pinaharap sina Romulo Neri at iba pa sa Senado para sa imbestigasyon din na maaring makatulong sa pag-gawa ng mas matitibay na batas laban sa korupsiyon.

Anyway, consistent din ang ale. Dagdag niya sa speech niya sa Trece Martirez, Cavite kanina, "Yes, lahat tayo laban sa katiwalian, pero ang pinaglaban naman ni [hero and first Philippine president General Emilio ] Aguinaldo ay rule of law, democratic principles, ipaglaban natin yun."

Kung maaalala ng lahat, matapos ang eleksiyon at nanalo si Aguinaldo laban kay Andres Bonifacio, the former also insisted that the rule of law prevails. Kaya ilang araw lang, pinatay si Bonifacio para di na mag-ingay laban sa resulta ng eleksiyon na sabi ng ilang historians, tainted din ng dayaan. And Gloria allegedly won also because of cheating. Di ba? Hello? Garci?....

Kaya pala di natin masisi si Jun Lozada when he begged off Jinggoy Estrada's question. Tanong kasi ni Jinggoy during the ZTE hearing: Sino ang idol mo doon... este, ngayon?

Sinabi kasi ni Lozada na dati idol niya si Joker Arroyo kaya lang nagbago na pagtingin niya. Ngayon, di na niya sinagot si Jinggoy. Mahirap na kasi baka mabuking siya. Malaman ng lahat na idol niya rin si ex-Comelec Chair Ben Abalos. While Lozada begged off the question, si Gloria Arroyo naman proud pa na gawing halimbawa si Aguinaldo.

Well, this just proves the saying: Birds of the same feather, flocks together.

And with this, it can also be rightfully said na nabibingwit talaga ang isda sa bibig.

GMA and her uncommon common sense

Truth is like water, it always seeks its level.

Gloria Arroyo's admission that the national broadband network deal (NBN) with ZTE Corporation is flawed simply shows that she really deserves to be ousted and that her spinmeister has really lost its touch. Kung sabagay, ang utot, kahit ano'ng pabango ang ilagay mo, utot pa rin.

Actually, Inquirer.Net has done a good job already. It has shown that Arroyo is a party to corruption and had the deal pushed through, she would be very silent about it. Kaya nga lang, there were talks that the project is anomalous so she only cancelled it. If the PDI reporter recorded it right, the intention is vividly encapsulated in Arroyo's words which we quote: Kaya itong proyektong ito, oras na may pag-uusap na anomalya, ay agad-agad kong kinansela. Agad-agad na gumawa ako ng hakbang para kanselahin (So in this project, soon after talk circulated that it was anomalous, I immediately canceled it. I promptly took steps to cancel it).

Kaya nga lang, why cancellation? Why not investigation and eventual incarceration of those involved? Kala ko pa naman mga beterano ang mga legal advisers ni Gloria. Ba't di nila sinabihan ang ale na ang mga involved sa anomalya ay liable sa mga batas natin foremost of which is Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees? The silence of these legal advisers, idagdag niyo ang machinegun-mouthed na si DOJ Sec. Raul Gonzales, simply shows two things -- either na nalimutan nila ito or me pino-protektahan sila. Pero kung nalimutan nila ito, it simply means that they do not deserve to receive income from the government dahil useless din pala ang binabayaran ng mga tao. Mas marami pa ang magagaling na abugado diyan sa tabi-tabi. O kung wala, marami namang paralegal diyan na wiling magsilbi. Just give them the opportunity.

Pero kahit wala ang mga advisers na ito, kahit simpleng sentido kumon na lang sana ang ginamit. Kaso, mukhang kakaiba ang sentido kumon nitong si GMA.

Worst of these is the following:

The President herself, speaking mostly in Filipino, made the disclosure Saturday in an interview with radio commentator Joe Taruc over dzRH. “Someone told me about it the night before the signing of the supply contract. That was one of many signings [in China]. But how can you cancel it the night before, considering that you are dealing with another country?” she said.

In simple analogy, kung bibigyan pala si Gloria ng kontrata na gagawing testing site ng nuclear bomb ang Pilipinas tulad ng ginawa noon ni French Pres. Jacques Chirac sa Mururua at Fangataufa Atolls, at ibinigay ang kontrata a night before the signing of the contract, pipirmahan niya pa rin pala ito kinabukasan? Being a testing site for nuclear weapons is no different from being the killingfield of the weapons of poverty, debt and hunger. Ang kaibahan nga lang, mas mabilis mamatay ang mga tao sa isang bomba lang. But poverty and hunger is more torturing ang inhuman than dying in an instant.

This being the case, Gloria Arroyo just showed her lack of concern for the plight of the Filipinos than the plight of the pockets of some groups or individuals. Whether kasama siya diyan is another story. The clear story is, she doesn't deserve to be a president and that she is betraying the public trust. And she is betraying the country. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

In a way, tama si Senator Kiko Pangilinan, her former ally. According to the Senator:

“Assuming for the sake of argument that the President is telling the truth … her subsequent act of proceeding with the approval of the contract proves that, at the very least, she tolerated and condoned criminal activities,” Pangilinan said, adding:

“At worst, she was a party to it. Either way it appears she failed to act appropriately and may have betrayed the public trust by this failure.”

Kaya lang, di ba nagsisisi si Kiko sa ginawa niya bilang "Mr. Noted" during the 2004 canvassing of votes for president and vice president?

Erwin Santos: The Second Rate Crying Hard Copycat

Can we convict a person for rape for the very reason that he committed a simple theft?

When Erwin Santos (E.S.), former aide of Jun Lozada (J-Lo) the Program Development Officer of PhilForest Corporation came out, marami na ang nakakita ng real cry-baby. Village Idiot Savant called him a "copycat" while the Professional Heckler called him a cry-baby because "he has not received the talent fee he was promised if he appeared on the show".

Whatever, E.S. is really "a second rate crying hard copy cat." Kasi nga, ang tanong (with a tune of Ogie's song): Bakit ngayon ka lang? Bakit ngayon kung kelan... Whatever.

Is E.S. just trying to hitch in the popularity of J-Lo? Gusto niya rin ba na maisama sa pelikula? Gusto niy rin bang mainterview sa Senado? O plano niya rin kumandidato? Kawawa naman. And kawawa talaga dahil nagpagamit lang siya sa gobyerno. Sana sa GMA-7 na lang siya nagpa-interview o kaya sa ABS-CBN. Or much better, sa CNN. Hindi sa radyo ng gobyerno. Lalo lang tuloy siya nahahalata.

Pero ang point, he should have filed a case against Lozada. Andiyan naman ang Ombudsman. Ba't niya pa patatamaan si Neri na “Sir Jun, I care for you, let’s face the consequences of our actions” ? Wala talaga siyang pinagkaiba sa idol niyang si J-Lo. Ikalawa, is he planning to controvert J-Lo's statements by hitting him with something else? Doing so is like trying to convict for rape a person accused of theft.

Kung sabagay, desperate persons try to do desperate things. Payo lang ni Tikboy kay E.S., start ata ngayon ng audition sa Pinoy Idol. Baka puwede pa siya. O kaya antayin niya ang bagong season ng Pinoy Big Brother... kung meron pa.

The Logic of Abalos

Former COMELEC Chairman Ben Abalos yesterday presented "evidences" to debunk the claim that he (Abalos) issued death threats against Jun Lozada. The evidences are receipts showing that Lozada went back to Wack-wack and even ate hamburgers.

Sabi ni Abalos sa TV interview sa 24 Oras: Kung nagbigay nga ako sa kanya ng death threats, bakit pa siya babalik sa Wack-wack at kakain pa ng hamburger?

Abalos is a lawyer but it seems he lost his 8 years of studies with a single twisted logic. It's like arguing that Pedro should not eat food anymore because he was a victim of food poisoning. Or it's like arguing that the "Hello, Garci!" scandal is not true because there are no phone receipts that can be shown.

Kung sabagay, kaya nga pala hanggang ngayon bulok pa rin ang sistema ng Comelec; kaya nga pala hanggang ngayon di pa rin maamin-amin ni Abalos na marami pa rin ang dayaan sa eleksiyon; kaya pala hanggang ngayon di parin ma-automate ang sitema, etcetera, etcetera....

Pero bakit nga ba twisted ang logic ni Abalos? Let us count the ways:

1. It doesn't mean na porke sa Wack-wack binigay ang death threat, di na puwedeng bumalik dun ang tinakot. So what kung bumalik si Lozada sa Wack-Wack after the death threat kuno ni Abalos? Maybe Lozada thinks Abalos cannot kill him in public. In short, it is non sequitor na dahil dun sa area na yun binigay ang death threat, dun papatayin ang tinatakot. Si Tikboy pinadalhan ng death threat sa bahay niya. Does that mean hindi na uuwi si Tikboy sa bahay niya? Eh, bahay niya yun. O kaya si Tikboy, tinext sa CP niya na papatayin daw siya. Does that mean hindi na gagamit ng CP si Tikboy?
   
2. It doesn't mean also na pag binigyan ang isang tao ng death threat at hindi ito natakot, hindi na totoo ang death threat. Its like arguing na "hindi mamamatay si Tikboy kasi di naman siya naniniwala kay Kamatayan."
3. It doesn't also mean na pag binigyan mo ang isang tao ng death threat at ang tinakot ay bumili pa ng hamburger, hindi na totoo ang death threat. Similarly, it does not follow na totoo ang Diyos kasi ang binili ni Aling Conching na Santo Nino sa Quiapo ay walang resibo.
   
4. It doesn't also mean na pag kumain ang isang tao ng hamburger, di na totoo ang death threat.
5. It doesn't also mean na pag ang nagbigay ng death threat ay Comelec official, hindi na rin totoo ang death threat.

At siyempre, marami pang iba. Whether or not the death threat is true, hindi po ebidensiya ang resibo ng hamburger. Otherwise, wala ng tao na may death threat ang kakain sa McDo at Jollibee. Baka kasi pagtawanan lang ito ng mga pulis kung magsumbong na may death threat nga talaga siya.