Mickey says it all

Who says Mickey Arroyo is doing nothing in the Congress?

Just this afternoon, at the Newsbeat in Net 25, Mickey Arroyo was interviewed on his withdrawal of support from Speaker of the House, Jose De Venecia. Arroyo forwarded two reasons: De Venecia's lack of transparency, and the Speaker's failure to push reforms in the lower house.

Pero teka, kung ito ang mga dahilan bakit pinipilit mag-resign si De Veneca, di ba ito rin ang mga dahilan sa pagpapatalsik sa ina ni Mickey na si Gloria? Bakit ambilis ngayong magturo ni Mickey ng bang tao eh ang mama niya mismo ganun din ang mga isyung binabato? In the issue of reforms, for instance, corruption is an all time high in the Philippines. Killings, disrespect for freedom of the press, freedom to air grievances and assemble, and lack of genuine anti-poverty and other economic and social reforms continue. In the same way, di pa rin natatapos ang isyu ng “Hello, Garci!”, ZTE, jueteng, smuggling, malversation of funds, liquified fertilizer scandal, ang P500,000 Malacanang payoffs, proper accounting of expenditures, sobrang biyahe, ang di pagbibigay pahintulot sa mga Cabinet members para magsalita sa Committee hearings sa Senado, etc., etc., etc., etc....

Kunsabagay, understandable naman si Mickey. Nanay niya si Gloria so why would he also withdraw his support from her. To consider, one of the reasons why he run for District Representative is to save her mother. And shifting the burden as well as the limelight to De Venecia is one way of realizing his objective.

Which reminds me of the Tammany Ring in the drawing pen of Thomas Nast. Tammany Ring is a sort of a mafia in the early 1900's in New York. All the persons involved have been pointing at each other as the corrupt official. Yun pala, lahat pala sila involved.##

Not all elections symbolize democracy

Medyo pumalpak na naman si Toting Bunye. In a statement with regards the downgrade given to the Philippines by the New York-based Freedom House he said: Our people know best. We held elections last year and many potential candidates have been preparing for the 2010 elections even this early. These are examples of the vibrancy of our democracy.

The communist parties in China and the former USSR are used to holding elections. And almost before every elections, potential candidates also prepare. Pero democratic nga ba ang mga ito? Even the most dictatorial governments in the world also claim to hold elections. Democratic din ba ang mga ito?

In simple terms, elections do not always symbolize democracy. In 2004 we've had elections. And there were questions of legitimacy of the winning president as well as the vice president -- questions which were buried in technicalities. Shall we also say democratic din ito?

Or pinaka-simple: Can we call the Philippines a democratic country when it shun its eyes and ears to the voices of its critics? For instance, Raul Gonzales, in his capacity as the Secretary of the Department of Justice, has been calling the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Freedom House to jump in the river and the Pacific Ocean, respectively, for giving negative ratings to the Philippines. Is this fair and democratic enough? The fact na binabato pa ng mga akusasyon ang mga kritiko ng gobyerno instead of taking their ideas in and incorporating the same to further improve the system of administration, is a clear indication of how undemocratic the Philippines is.

Sabagay, ang mga isda nabibingwit sa sarili nilang mga bibig.

Foreign hiring: Who's next?

Sabi sa Inquirer: Baltimore hiring more Filipino public school teachers

From seamen, to domestic helpers, to nurses, to doctors and now, to teachers. Just lately, Australia also opened its doors for other skilled workers. All our workers are already starting to leave the country. Sino na ba ang susunod na aalis? Ang mga pulitiko ba?

Teka muna, wag niyong bigyan ng visa si Gloria!.... Waittt....