UNLIQUIDATED CASH ADVANCES

Malacanang Palace, specifically the shameless Office of the President has with it a whopping unliquidated P632 million in cash advances. Just imagine how many toilets that money can build for our public schools where the average ratio is 1 toilet for every 2,000 pupils. In the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) alone, my unimpeachable source tells me that a top official of that agency has a total of P30 million in unliquiated cash advances. If those figures are indeed true, then something is wrong with the values of our public servants - or they simply have no values at all. These pseudo-servants of the people treat government agencies like convenient ATM machines, but are always a bunch of flunkies when lifestyle checks are conducted. Obviously, the stink begins at the top all the way to the bottom. Matter of fact, I have always maintained that "our ship of state is the only ship in the world that leaks from the top," and if that is so, what kind of legacy is this administration boasting about? In the subject 'moral bankruptcy,' they are all straight-A students. But in delicadeza and honor, they are as useless as an old pager of the 90s era having a moral capacity of a minor kitchen appliance.

(Image from http://www.philsite.net/)

PETER WALLACE, THE UGLY AUSTRALIAN

His name is Peter Wallace of the Wallace Business Forum, an Australian living in the Philippines who I believe owes every Filipino a sincere apology. At a recent gathering for the signing of a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and several business groups such as the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and the Makati Business Club (MBC) with Wallace as the emcee, he tried to be cute like an old Koala Bear by cracking a joke on the Glorietta blast last October 2007 - pointing out to the Philippine National Police's (PNP) official findings that the cause of the explosion was Methane gas from the sewage system in the Glorietta mall's basement. Wallace's racist remarks irked many people when he said, "I've seen this international report recently. The Glorietta blast is being blamed by the police on Methane gas, from shit in the old Makati Supermarket building. Ever since the police made the report known, the world is fearing Filipinos as the people with the most explosive shit in world." He also said that scientists from Russia and China are now analyzing the typical Filipino "to learn Filipino shit." In addition to that, he went on to to say "several Filipinos kidnapped in Afghanistan and Iraq, surprisingly by Arab terrorists ... kidnapped Filipinos have been asked to produce shit to be made into bombs for suicidal missions." He added more insults by saying that "the US State Department, fearing deadly consequences, has assigned Delta Force operatives to keep watch on Filipinos and their shit from falling into the hands of terrorist groups." And on the Batasan blast, he said that "the explosion wasn't caused by a bomb, but was triggered by a congressman who couldn't hold on to his shit any longer." Well, if Wallace was trying to be cute and funny, one thing he surely achieved was not that, and instead created a lot of enemies that night. And hey, I'm a typical Filipino, and I'm not taking shit from a typical racist pig like Peter Wallace. He's the one who's full of it with his verbal diarrhea, for "when the defecation hits the ventilation," he should start finding another country to live in.

(Image from http://www.pcs-ict.org/)

GIVE THEM LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMS THEN KILL THEM?

The very day news came out on Ces Drilon's abduction, I have maintained that ransom shall have to be paid. No other option was available. In fact, in the following days of her captivity, as ABS-CBN and Malacanang insisted on the "no ransom policy," I knew that was just plain and simple baloney, for the more they denied the possibility of ransom, the more I suspected a ransom was in the offing. Take the case of this silly pronouncement made by Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji: "Instead of ransom, we will offer livelihood programs for the kidnappers." And then, a day after Ces' release from her barbaric captors, no less than President Arroyo gives the order to "crush the Abu Sayyaf." Give them a living and then kill them?? Duh! "Durugin ang Abu Sayyaf" is a statement we've heard many times already before. And as it was the practice done before of paying ransom in exchange for the safe release of kidnap victims, it's so obvious that ransom indeed has been paid again.

(Image from http://www.eontarionow.com/)

FREE AT LAST!

Philippine Commentary claims that ABS-CBN news anchor Ces Drilon has been released earlier, contrary to the same station's report tonight at 10:00pm that "she will be released in a few hours." Now if that is true, I rejoice and thank God for this wonderful news! And if it is true also that a ransom has been paid by ABS-CBN, I dread receiving my next Meralco bill. The Lopezes might just try to get back that amount from its consumers thru Systems Loss.

(Image from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/)

ANC'S SHOP TALK SHOULD READ THE PHILIPPINE FLAG LAW

While watching Pia Hontiveros' Shop Talk the other day on ANC with guests Bambi Harper, Mark Higgins and Eric Zerrudo, I noticed something embarrassingly wrong with the way our Philippine Flag was displayed on the studio wall right behind the host. The red was on the left (of the observer), while the blue was on the right (of the observer). Section 10 of RA 8491 specifically says that "when a flag is displayed on a wall during peace time, the blue field is to the observer's left and the red field is to the observer's right." So, in times of war, the blue field is to the observer's right and the red field is to the observer's left. I wonder, was this done on purpose by ABS-CBN to send a war declaration message to Winston Garcia and the GSIS? Or was it simply carelessness on their part? The irony of it all you see, is the topic of Hontiveros' show was all about Filipino Heritage.

(Image from http://www.wikimedia.org/)