DESALINATION, ANYONE?

At the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy, floodwaters were extremely everywhere in several hard-hit places. No high ground was assured of safety as the water levels were rising rapidly. But the irony of it all was that there was also no safe drinking water around. For this reason, perhaps the government's technical advisers would consider desalination as a solution to a serious (drinking) water shortage, especially in times of calamity.

This process, the removal of salt from sea water, is practiced routinely in many countries like Israel, which has turned many deserts into lush fruit and vegetable farms. Distillation is the most widely-used desalination process today. A simple form of distillation apparatus is used in countries with salt water and intense sunlight - like the Philippines. Salt water is placed under a transparent cover and the sun's rays partially vaporize the water. The water vapor is caught in the transparent cover and, when it condenses into liquid form, water flows into a collectiong through. Other processes make use of the fact that when salt water is frozen, the ice crystals contain no salt. There are already proposals for large-scale nuclear desalination which our government can make inquiries. But other more affordable desalination processes include freezing, reverse osmosis, ionic processes, electrodialysis and techniques that change the physical and chemical properties of salt water.

With the hundreds of millions of pesos used by the water agancies in the country, how come no government expert has been assigned to look into these desalination programs? Preliminary inquiries could be made with embassies of countries which utilize successful desalination projects, and perhaps even our experts can be sent abroad to look for the most suited and economical apparatus which should be immediately purchased and used back here. This is one expense that the public will surely welcome.

But first, these officials should be warned against thinking first of commissions and overpricing, which may sabotage their missions.

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

AIRPORT ROBBERY

Government officials have assured our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are returning home for the holidays a warm welcome and a hassle-free treatment at the airport. Here we go again. That's the same old tune they have been singing every Christmas season - and every Christmas season, the poor OFWs are victimized by crooks and grafters both in and out of government. Don't shoot off your mouths. Just do it and those returning workers will be grateful.

At least 100,000 OFWs are expected to come home. Add to these the permanent Pinoy residents from the US and Canada. Unless our officials can really give them protection and courtesies at the airport, these kababayans of ours are going to complain again. Customs officials should crack down on customs examiners who just have the nasty habit of appropriating for themselves items they take a fancy to while going through the luggage of the returnees. Some are even brazen enough to ask for Christman gifts, especially when they see expensive perfume, signature clothing and quality leather goods brought in by the OFWs. Likewise, the immigration officials should also slap the wrists of immigration people at the airport who make things difficult for the OFWs unless they come across with some cold cash.

Our officials even promised that the OFWs can go through customs and immigration clearance in no more than 25 minutes.

This we gotta see.

(Image from http://pinoyworld.org/)

"I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE ..."

The Comelec should not accept the candidacies of candidates who are U.S. Green Card holders, a.k.a. resident aliens. There are many of them. I will be furnished a list of these candidates soon and I am sure most if not all of our presidentiables are in that list. Check your candidates of choice, especially the more popular ones. I bet they're doing a disservice to the country by concealing their green cards. I suspect that quite a number must be US citizens too, and have not really bothered to give up their foreign citizenship. So young, and so traitorous. They should not be allowed by the Comelec to file their candidacies. The list should also include candidates who have acquired Canadian immigrant status or citizenship - and other countries for that matter.

Take the classic case of former Sorsogon Governor Juan Frivaldo and Baguio City Mayor Jun Labo who were both disqualified from public office even after they had been elected. Frivaldo fought the citizenship issue for many years when he was accused of being a US citizen, while Labo was accused of being an Australian citizen. There were at least three other provincial and municipal executives who were charged with non-eligibility to possess Philippine elective positions due to their holding foreign passports. One problem here is that some other countries like Spain, Australia, the UK and of course the US allow dual citizenship, a fact which several Filipinos, notably those in the upper echelons of society, have taken advantage of for prestige and convenience.

And one of the reasons why many of our prominent state officials and business leaders go regularly to the US is to renew their green cards while visiting family members abroad. Methinks even most appointive officials including the cabinet, the judiciary and the executive department are all green card holders, while some are 'dual citizens.'

We can determine which of these officials have family members, notably spouses and children, who are green card holders and who have latched on to their foreign papers as some sort of "insurance" in case of trouble in the Philippines. This way, these family members could easily fly to the US and to other countries in case of civil strife here or even economic crises such as a financial crunch or meltdown.

As one cabinet member recently said when asked what he would do in case of trouble here, "no sweat, my family can easily fly to the US," and that he would eventually follow if things grow worse here.

The time is ripe for these people to be exposed for who they truly are, and their much-proclaimed patriotism and so-called love for this country be put to the test.

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

SABAH SPIN

The saber-rattling of the administration against Malaysia is really an old ploy used as a last resort by Philippine officials from way back whenever crisis managers meet to devise means to take the heat off from an angry citizenry over government failures as misrule, high prices and lack of essential services.

During a crucial make-or-break meeting of political and propaganda strategists during the height of anger over the martial law regime of President Marcos, declaring war with Malaysia was discussed as a way to divert the people's anger from the military rule.

The proposal was defeated by a narrow vote mostly from peaceniks who said the consequences might become too horrible to handle. Even as far back as the regime of President Garcia, war with Malaysia was also discussed mainly through a former newsman who had become one of Garcia's trusted advisers and who served as a diplomat in that country.

The thorn in the relations between the two countries is the claim to oil-rich Sabah, traditionally a part of the Philippines until ceded to Malaysia by the British when they pulled out of that country. This was bitterly contested by the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, the recognized owners of the island.

There are more than half a million Pinoys in Sabah. This has prompted Kuala Lumpur to beef up its military facilities there to counteract the Pinoy presence. Malaysian officials had admitted that if armed hostilities break out in the island now, it would be a walk away for the Philippines due to the big Filipino group of settlers there. Malaysia has ordered modern air and naval craft and weapons from the United Kingdom, which has caused grave concern in Manila.

War with Malaysia? Why, the AFP can't even annihilate the Abu Sayyaf.

(Image from http://www-users.york.ac.uk/)

FROM THE CEO

As your CEO of this company, I have resigned myself to the fact that Noynoy Aquino could be our next president, if elections materialize in 2010, and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a big way. To compensate for these increases, our prices will have to go up by about 10%.

And since we cannot increase our prices right now due to the dismal state of the economy, thanks to the Arroyo administration, we will have to lay-off six of our employees instead. This has really been bothering me, since I firmly believe we are a family here, and couldn't quite determine who among you would have to go.

So, this is what I did. I walked through our parking lot and found six 'AQUINO-ROXAS 2010 FOR CHANGE' bumper stickers on our employees' cars and have decided these are the ones who will have to go. I can't think of a better way to approach this problem.

They were asking for CHANGE. I gave it to them.

I will see the rest of you at the annual company outing.

(Image from http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/2328879637_c0d2e376ff.jpg/)

FUTURE NOYNOY VS BONGBONG?

Back in the early 90s, when Rep. Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. of Ilocos Norte went to Malacanang to take his oath as a member of the Northern Alliance, Rep. Rodolfo 'Rudy' Albano told everybody there that Bongbong will return to Malacanang someday as President.

This prediction aroused concern among the Cojuangcos and the Aquinos, with some wanting to groom Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino as Ninoy and Cory's political heir. They wanted Noynoy to run for Congress in Tarlac in 1995 - and thwart any attempt by the Marcoses to return to Malacanang.

According to the scenario some political observers envision, the Aquino-Marcos political feud will endure into the next century, with Noynoy and Bongbong running against each other for the presidency.

This may be true, or not, with Bongbong "missing" still. However, it's still premature to count Bongbong out for good. After all, he is only 51 and the so-called 'Solid North' is still behind him 100 percent, not to mention the Eastern Visayas block of Imelda Marcos.

But yes, his silence is deafening, especially after Noynoy had recently mentioned at Club Filipino that if ever he wins the presidency, his administration will look into the ill-gotten wealth issues hurled against the Marcoses. That to me is like testing the waters for future warfare. Bongbong can always retaliate by demanding an accounting of the wealth the Aquino government "sequestered" via the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which I think is a misnomer - the PCGG being known for having officials taking advantage of their positions to enrich themselves as well. A case of "ill-gotten wealth from ill-gotten wealth?"

Including the gold hoard.

Hence, stories from many quarters seem to bolster reports from officials of the PCGG that the Marcoses really possessed gold bullions amounting to some US$ 25 billion, the bulk of which came from the Yamashita treasure.

The late Ambassador Emmanuel Pelaez was reported as having attested to the existence of the gold. He was believed to be privy to efforts by certain relatives of President Aquino to have President Marcos agree to share the gold hoard in exchange for his freedom from prosecution. The relatives allegedly demanded that Marcos turn over 80 percent of the gold to them, and not to the Philippine government.

Let the negative comments on this post begin.

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

LOVE IN A TIME OF WAR

65 years ago today, my parents who were so in love with each other decided it was time for them to be solemnized as husband and wife. He was 21. She was 19. That was exactly on September 16, 1944, amidst the turmoil and destruction brought about by the war, two people were planning their future.

In her book 'Myself, Elsewhere,' Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil makes mention of my mother and father's controversial wedding at the Ermita Church. She writes, "The Americans kept to themselves in reverse ghettoes. Those who attended the Episcopalian Cathedral of St. Mary and St. John on Isaac Peral or the small Methodist church on San Luis and went swimming at the YMCA faced a social barrier. Ecumenism was yet to be thought of. There were some exceptions: Nenita Caballero, daughter of Don Felipe Tuason Caballero married Ariel Bocobo, Protestant and Mason, son of Dean Jorge Bocobo of the U.P. Their wedding, solemnized at a side altar of the Ermita Church, as decreed for mixed-marriages, is still recalled half a century later by the groom, now a retired journalist, with tears in his eyes."

My father and I returned to Ermita Church some 2 years ago. Walking to that small room where he married my mother in simple rites witnessed by Father Blas, the church's parish priest, and officiated by a certain Archbishop O'Dougherty courtesy of my mother's cousins on the Monserrat side, he recalls how that day was so special for him. It was the day he would marry his one great love. Today, a widower since 2001, memories of the past may appear not as clear anymore as before. At 87, many things tend to be forgotten. But not this one. Not their wedding day 65 years ago.

(Image from http://www.mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/)

YANQUI GO HOME, COME BACK SOON

Tomorrow, September 16 will be a day of mixed emotions for some people. It was a normal day in 1991 when the Philippine Senate rejected the newly-signed US-RP Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security which would have maintained the US presence in Philippine territory for many more years.

To those who fought the treaty, September 16 marked the end of almost 100 years of the pervasive American presence. At long last, this country would be completely free and sovereign in the sense that for the first time in 470 years, it would no longer have foreign troops on its soil. Really? Just watch Mindanao and see that this ain't so.

September 16 marked the day the Philippines turned its back on a friend and benefactor, and invited the economic and political difficulties that would result from the loss of US support.

But for both the antis and the pros, September 16 is special in the sense that it marks a watershed in our history. Anti-treaty people say September 16 is Liberation Day, just like when the colonial rule by Spain and the military occupation by Japan were broken. The pro-treaty people say September 16 was the beginning of the day of infamy and betrayal.

President Corazon Aquino had said that the fight was not yet over. She announced she was calling for a referendum three months after (December) to let the people make the final decision. The Constitution provides, however, that this final act be given to the Senate with its treaty-ratifying powers. But President Aquino and her legal advisers said the same Constitution also gives the people the power to review and pass judgment on any act of Congress under the peoples' initiative and referendum system.

The signatures of three million citizens can compel the Commission on Elections to conduct a referendum on any act of government under public scrutiny.

Later on, scores of President Aquino's supporters refused to support her plan to hold a referendum to nullify the Senate's rejection of the treaty. It was a referen-doom.

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

COUNTERFEIT MASTERS

The great Pablo Picasso had a friend who was an art collector and dealer. The gentleman asked Picasso to go through his collection and separate out the fakes and the forgeries from the real ones.

Picasso, going through his paintings - "real, real, fake, real .. that's fake .. that one too .. real, fake, real, real ..." - when his friend interrupts him.

"Wait, Pablo! That one's not a fake. I saw you paint it with my own eyes."

Picasso replies, "I can fake a Picasso as well as anyone else."

Back here at home, we do have a law punishing forgery of art works. There have been too many counterfeit paintings appearing in the market, especially from the masters such as Fernando Amorsolo, Juan Luna and Botong Francisco. The syndicates behind the fake masterpieces mean business. They had organized a lobby against this law and have even "silenced" a witness, a forger in their employ who was ready to testify against them. The law is necessary. Most of our courts simply warn that buyers must beware when looking around for collections. Caveat emptor, the courts say.

(Image from http://britannica.com/)

DIRECTORSHIPS / LIQUIDATE THEM! (CASH ADVANCES)

Isn't there a Supreme Court ruling that explicitly prohibits Cabinet members from holding additional posts such as chairmanships and directorships in government corporations like the GSIS, SSS, Philippine banks, and even the Philippine Airlines? If there is still an ounce of delicadeza in them, they should immediately resign such posts and furthermore, return the money they had earned from these juicy mini-thrones.

Many Cabinet members had scrambled to get directorships that carried huge honoraria and lavish perquisites. The Anti-Graft League and the Civil Liberties Union should ask the Supreme Court for an amendatory ruling directing these Cabinet men to return the sums they got from their additional positions.

In addition, there too is an anomaly in government which needs to be checked immediately. This is government officials' failure to liquidate their cash advances and insistence on making more such advances without making the proper accounting of previous ones. One top ranking current official in the government propaganda arm has unliquidated cash advances amounting to PhP 30 million already. Hence, how too can he build a mansion up in Tagaytay City with just a government official's salary unless of course he is into something immoral and illegal, like unliquidating his cash advances?

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

"WRITTEN OFF"

The Philippines, desperately trying to solve its foreign debt problem, could follow the example of Poland, where most of its foreign debts were written off by the rich Western powers and the international lending institutions after it had switched from Communism to Democracy.

Our country could formally declare itself a 'Communist State' and simulate a class struggle where Democracy would eventually win, with the Western powers rooting for a Filipino Lech Walesa.

After the return of Democracy, then the country's multi-billion dollar debt would be written off by the IMF-World Bank upon prodding of the US and the other members of the Paris Club.

Of course, I'm only kidding.

But seriously, it seems that the US helps only former enemies. Look how it helped rehabilitate Germany and Japan. It was busy helping Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet Union - and then Vietnam, which handed the US its first military defeat.

Perhaps we fought on the wrong side when we defended the US in the Pacific War. We should have sided with Japan. Then maybe we would have been given massive US aid and we would now have become one of Asia's economic tigers instead of economic pussies.

Of course, I'm only kidding again. Or am I?

(Image from http://money.cnn.com/)

JOKER VS JOECON

As a steady observer in the past feud between former Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo and NAMFREL big cheese and former DTI Secretary Jose 'Joecon' Concepcion wherein Malacanang decided in favor of the latter, I had suspected then that Aquino officials feared that one simple statement from JoeCon could have blown the entire Aquino government to smithereens. It was also at this time when Joker launched his tirades against JoeCon and his alleged involvement in the PetroScam.

The statement? "President Marcos really won the elections."

The NAMFREL, then headed by JoeCon, suddenly stopped its tabulations when a deluge of Marcos votes began arriving from the Ilocos and Eastern Visayas regions. This raised a howl of protests from the Marcos camp and only the EDSA revolt rendered the controversy moot and academic. Unless of course JoeCon suddenly revives it.

Remember also that the controversial NAMFREL was boiling in a mess over charges that it had manipulated the tabulation of election returns in favor of President Corazon Aquino. These charges earned credence when, immediately after the Aquino victory, many of NAMFREL'S ranking officials were gifted with high government posts, enabling them to boost their political and economic fortunes. Hence, the new meaning of NAMFREL should be 'Never Again Manipulate Free Elections."

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

MY OCTOGENARIAN AUNT

I will never forget that frantic call in 1991 from my octogenarian aunt from Gerona, Tarlac, expressing worry that the family's ancestral home there might get buried in mud if government engineers were determined as ordered them to divert the mudflow from Mount Pinatubo toward towns in Northern Tarlac namely Gerona, Moncada, Paniqui and San Miguel in order to save Hacienda Luisita, which is owned by Noynoy Aquino's family.

All these northern towns are inhabited by Ilocanos, who strongly support Danding Cojuangco, Cory Aquino's estranged cousin. Danding, who hails from Paniqui and Moncada, is still loyal to the family of the late Jose Roy, a Nationalista Party stalwart and Marcos leader.

I could only advise my aunt to pray. When she asked why nothing could be done, I told her that the President, of course must come first, ahead of the common people.

But what really hurt her was that she had bucked her Ilocano relatives and voted for President Aquino in 1986. She went on to say that she would pack up her belongings and evacuate to her relatives in Santa or Sinait towns in Ilocos Sur, and leave the ancestral home to the diverted mudflows.

I could only think of my great-grandfather Lolo Tranque (Jorge's father) and the other revolutionaries who met several times in that ancestral abode to plan their fight against the colonizers - and my heart ached.

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

FIGHT CHILD PROSTITUTION

We join the many caring people in praising the efforts of the officers and members of ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) who have dedicated themselves to stopping the exploitation of children all over the world, especially in Asia. ECPAT reports that in the Philippines alone, there are roughly over 70,000 prostituted children below 18 years old, who have been deceived to sell their bodies as cheap commodities or used by sex perverts in pornographic magazines. These children are regarded as objects of loot and lust, it was stressed.

The Philippines is said to be a favorite destination of sex perverts from the West, because poverty has driven many families to sell their children. We denounce a recent publication by a Japanese magazine nude photos of children aged 12-14 years, from Cebu City and Manila. The mag even printed the addresses of brothels where the children could be found. The publication was quoted as stating that "Manila and Cebu are the treasure lands of girl prostitutes. If you want to buy young girls but cannot afford to go to Thailand, Manila is the place to go. Night entertainment in the Philippines is one of the best in South-East Asia. Filipinas are full of hospitality ranging from services in bed to serving food."

How revolting.

In their enthusiasm to lure in foreign tourists, the Department of Tourism (DOT) would do well to coordinate with concerned private groups like ECPAT just to make sure we don't also bring in the wrong visitors who are perverts and sex maniacs. ECPAT reports the failure of authorities to the rise of prostitution in the country. The existence of sex tours catering to Japanese, European, and now Korean tourists have resulted in the proliferation of prostitution houses and sex dens. The failure of authorities to end these sex tours (at times they are the promoters) and illegal tour guides makes one wonder what really is the government doing to protect our children. It is said that not a few officials and police officers are being bribed regularly by vice lords who run the brothels.

The law's effectiveness could only be seen when the rights of the child are fully protected and children are no longer seen in the streets being sold for sex. Sex syndicates, perverts and pedophiles and owners of brothels must be punished severely, as corrupt police and government officials who abuse power by allowing child sex exploitations must be exposed and sent to jail.

Our children are our future. Let us protect them well.

(Image from http://info.anu.ed.au/)

FILIPINOS COOKIES: BROWN OUTSIDE WHITE INSIDE

Remember all that fuss over chocolate cookies sold in London called Filipinos? And how some of our instant nationalists bashed the British for racism against Pinoys because the cookies were dark outside but white inside, implying being non-white to be inferior? Methinks many of us Filipinos are really guilty of the fact that while we are dark outside, we really are white inside as in suffering from an acute case of colonialic mentalitis.

It turned out the cookies were not even made in the UK, but by a US food giant, with branches in Spain where it had been quite a hit for several years. Some friends say that on the contrary, we Pinoys should be happy and proud over having a favorite food named after us which simply means we are a source of delight and satisfaction. And after all, since many years back, one of the basic food items in almost all Pinoy homes has been the good old Pan Americano and not a squeak was heard from the Yanks on this.

There are times when nationalism and racial sensitiveness can be overdone, wouldn't you agree? And, aren't we also oh so guilty of even bigger crimes when we ourselves have added to our exciting vocabulary of cuss words such slanders as intsik, negro, bumbay, muslim and hudyo?

(Image from http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1343/822053781_0ab2d11f27.jpg)

FLYING BUSES

Disciplining erring bus companies may be a difficult and futile thing to do. A bus company can go around the revocation of its franchise by simply maintaining a second company plying the same route. But, transport officials are not blind to these attempts to circumvent regulations. It is suspected most of them are in the payola of these bus firms. It is also reported that several judges get weekly gasoline ratios from bus firms, which explains why no cases against these firms have really prospered in the salas of these judges. Most traffic officials, including the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are openly known to receive regular tongs from bus firms and this is why their drivers do not hesitate to violate traffic laws.

Some officials of the MMDA must be hallucinating when they express confidence that they can enforce an order limiting jeepneys and buses to special lanes on the public highways. For the buses - EDSA in particular. No way will Metro Manila's undisciplined drivers of PUJs and PUBs obey this simplistic directive, unless the MMDA can post one honest traffic aide at 100-meter intervals along EDSA.

The late Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson tried this solution once and failed. He felt so frustrated he considered putting up spiked dividers to force the defiant drivers to keep to their lanes, but the good mayor was stopped by the courts, declaring Lacson's plan as illegal.

What is it then that turns the Filipino into a monstrous anarchist once he gets behind the steering wheel?

(Image from http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2413081964_ace8a7bfb0.jpg)

CHINOYS Y TORNATRAS

President-not-so-wannabe Noynoy Aquino, who had recently crushed the dreams of president-so-much-wannabe Mar Roxas and first lady-extremely-wannabe Korina Sanchez to a pulp, will have to look back someday soon to trace his roots, and focus perhaps once again, just like what his late mother President Corazon Aquino did some years ago, proving an extensive and pervasive influence of the Chinese in the Philippines.

Cory indeed said she was proud of her Chinese heritage and believed that many Filipinos share her pride. Hence, Noynoy's family on his mother's side (Cojuangco) descended from the Koh family of China whose members settled in the Philippines in the 19th century.

The Chinese influence seeps down into almost every facet of Philippine life and more so in the economic aspect. This strong influence has extended to the political life of Cory Aquino who, during her term, appointed many with Chinese lineage to high government positions and helped several get elected to local and legislative seats. To name a few: Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee, Undersecretary Manuel Lim, Police General Alfredo Lim, Representatives Jose Yap, Jose Cojuangco, Emigdio Tanjuatco, Renato Yap, Orlando Pua, Jose Ong and Nikki Coseteng. Also, NFA Administrator Emil Ong, Ambassadors Alfonso Yuchengco and Domingo Lee, and BIR Commissioner Bienvenido Tan. If and when Noynoy makes it to the presidency, he could very well appoint Chinoys to his administration, as some old habits are really hard to break, good and bad alike.

Even our very own national hero Jose Rizal was part Chinese. The first Filipino Catholic saint Lorenzo Ruiz of Binondo was half-Chinese.

Contributions of Chinese businessmen spell the difference between victory and defeat especially in local elections. No self-respecting politico would be caught without at least one Chinese millionaire as his compadre.

The first Chinese immigrants to the Philippines came as early as 200 A.D. as traders. Many remained in the country and intermarried with the natives. Their descendants contributed much to the country's economic growth. Dr. H. Otley Beyer says that the first considerable trade between the Philippines and China was initiated by the hardy and venturesome traders who went through the route of the Malacca Straits after they fled South China which was then in turmoil. Dr. Andres V. Castillo writes, "Chinese industry, patience and skill have been demonstrated time and again in practically every phase of human endeavor they have chosen to undertake - in the arts, crafts and trade, the processing and manufacture of commodities from indigenous raw materials, the distribution and marketing of produce, the mining of ores and the use of metals."
The effects of their activities have permeated nearly every social and economic stratum in the Philippines. Chinese blood flows in Filipino veins.

(Image from http://17.media.tumblr.com/)

RAIN RAIN DON'T GO AWAY . . .

When heavy rains come, just like today, it's not only the frogs and toads that leap for joy. Perhaps more so are the crooked officials in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), especially the regional directors. Why? Because then they can again amass millions of pesos in connivance with racketeering contractors in reparing hundreds of kilometers of roads destroyed by the downpour.

Ever wonder why those "chocolate" roads are easily washed away during the rains? That's because the conniving contractors and the DPWH officials use inferior materials, especially asphalt and cement for those roads which disappear from the rains and need to be repaired over and over again, netting monster dirty money for the DPWH men and their contractor-co-conspirators from billions of infrastructure funds, and their slimy schemes consist mainly of use of inferior materials, over-charging, under-delivery, non-delivery, padding of construction payrolls, ghost projects, and abandoned infrastructure jobs.

These rackets in the "chocolate" roads construction are as old as the hills and most everyone knows that DPWH officials, notably its regional directors are among the richest people in the country in spite of their meager salaries, and oh how they frolic in their lifestyles of the rich and famous. When it rains, you hear them sing a happy tune and see them jump for joy, turning green with warts and all.

(Image from http://z.about.com/)

WANTED: IRON COJONES

The month of September marks three significant dates in the life of the Filipino, depending on whose side you're on. First, the birthday of former President Ferdinand Marcos on the 11th, his death anniversary on the 28th, and more significantly, his proclamation of martial law on September 21, 1972. I expect that on this year's commemoration of that fateful date, something eerie could be the mood of the nation. Why so? Well, whereas people reflected on September 21 with abhorrence, the strange new mood could very well be gladness over any coup rumor, that a military takeover could be in the offing, considering the unfolding of events that may look similar with those that preceded the declaration of martial law - particularly the rash of bombings in Mindanao, including parts of Metro Manila.

Comments on the impendng military takeover could be from "It looks like this is the only way we can save this country from its path of chaos and destruction" to "Everything else has failed, so why not bring in the military again?" This possible shift in mood of the public could only prove how bad the government has failed its citizens. The very same reasons they used to boot out Joseph Estrada are also the very same reasons they too should be booted out (with a sharper boot). Hence, the government has really failed miserably that its citizens would give up their liberties for some semblance of law and order, just to get the nation going again.

Reflections on September 21 in 1972 could bare a general statement that the first few months and years of martial rule were edifying for the country with Filipinos learning national discipline and respect for the rule of law under strict compulsion.

Filipinos, by nature and psyche, need a strong leader to which the only alternative would appear to be for the whole country to be a conquered nation. But the martial law gains crumbled when several of Marcos' cronies and relatives twisted the impetus and gains of the military takeover for political power and self-aggrandizement. If this did not happen, the Philippines could have been one of the strongest leaders in Asia both in politics and economics. And maybe, with lessons learned from the Marcos regime, the country may now accept another strongman rule and move with proper direction towards what may be called as the Pacific Era.

(Image from http://cafepress.com/)

THE LIE IS CAST

Every time a politician dares another politician to take a lie-detector test to see who is telling the truth and who isn't, I can almost always smell the stink coming out from his motives. As such, I have often wondered why our local authorities, especially the police, rely so much on polygraph tests more commonly known as lie-detector tests in their investigations, particularly of murder cases.

As in the US, polygraphs are useless in court and their results cannot be used in testimonies. Time and again, lie-detector tests have been proven to be far from conclusive and psychologists themselves frown on their use.

A study of the development of polygraphs will show they really cannot probe the twisted emotions of a suspected criminal. They can only measure blood pressure, pulse rate and respiration simultaneously by means of a pneumograph tube around the subject's chest and a pulse cuff around the wrist. Impulses are picked-up and traced on moving graph paper which is driven by a synchronous electric motor. The theory is that respiration, blood pressure and pulse are involuntary actions, not subject to the person's will, yet they are bound up with the person's emotional state. Fluctuations from the norm, generally a heightening of those actions, signify emotional tumult and the police conclude this to be a lie. The outcome of the lie-detector test is dependent on the abilities of the test giver and this is the reason why they have been frowned upon as inconclusive. Our police investigators and lawyers have to stop depending too much on the polygraph test results in the pursuit of their cases.

Hence, Mareng Winnie Monsod's recent interview with a solon would prove one thing: A polygraph's electric motor can simply overheat as it receives more lies than it was originally manufactured to take, if ever he subjected himself to such test.

(Image from http://fayobserver.com/)

"SUBOK NA MATIBAY, SUBOK NA MATATAG" (PAG PATAS ANG LABAN)

Do you remember that dark moment in our banking world when the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shut down the Banco Filipino for "alleged insolvency?" At a time when BF had some PhP4.9 billion in assets, had 89 strategically-located branches, and with it came "satisfied customers." As such, no amount of effort then could sway top officials of the BSP to hear BF's side. In fact, in a historic stockholders' meeting of old presided by no less than Anthony Aguirre and Teodoro Arcenas, BF chair and prexy respectively, they presented what was called as a "Cry For Justice," which detailed the history of Banco Filipino's persecution by the Bangko Sentral, including a well-known and well-oiled law firm retained by the BSP.

This story at that time made the rounds of government and financial institutions, the banking community and media, where it had generated a sympathetic and an understanding response. However, several other headlines that followed soon pushed this aside. BF officials said that their bank and its 2,500 employees, 2,000 stockholders and 3.6 million depositors will someday get the full justice denied them by the BSP. I agree.

The BSP should look into this case once more to correct and finally put to rest a collective injustice done to legions of innocent depositors.

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

BILIBID OR NOT

A Malacanang plan (which fizzled out) to relocate the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa should be pushed through without delay. The 500-hectare national penitentiary, if sold at the current real estate prices, should raise an amount that will go a long way in easing the government's financial woes. Besides, the national penitentiary has become an incongruity in an area that has become highly urbanized. Most of the country's economic and political elites have for some time now already relocated to the plush villages there, especially at the Ayala Alabang Subdivision. But then again, one is also reminded of a number of residents there with their illegally-acquired wealth. Too close for comfort you say?

A small portion of the proceeds from the sale of the New Bilibid could be used to establish another national penitentiary, which could incorporate new trends in penology, and would ease fears of residents in nearby areas about breakouts of hardened convicts who take peace-loving citizens as hostages when cornered by pursuing lawmen.

The transfer of the national penitentiary to a faraway site should also help boost the Calabarzon economic growth area being pushed by the government, embracing the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon. The vacated site (if ever) would be ideal for a modern light industrial and commercial zone, with a university, museum and eco-parks. Hence, if sold to a private entity, the local Muntinlupa City government can work hand in hand with the new owners in developing the area to ensure maximum benefits for residents of Muntinlupa.

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

THEIR 'PEOPLES' INITIATIVE' IS OUR 'PEOPLE INIS SA THIEVES'

Since the expose on gargantuan pork barrel outlays called Countrywide Development Funds (CDFs) and Congressional Initiative Alllocations (CIAs) wherein some legislators had been charged with receiving millions in commissions from contractors, the name of Congress with the public has become mud.

The public has become so incensed many will surely be calling for the abolition of Congress amid claims that anyway the country could operate without a legislative body. The country has enough laws to keep it going.

It has been said that the lawmakers were robbing the country blind with their mammoth pork barrel funds. Remember the time when no less than Senator Miriam Defensor - Santiago revealed that no sooner had she warned her seat at the Senate when contractors flocked to her, offering as much as 40 percent for projects under her CDF and CIA outlays? Perhaps we should really consider reducing the number of our representatives now lest they amass more beautiful homes in the U.S. From our present number of over 200 congressmen, we can do well with a lesser number of, say 78, which is the same number of governors in the country. If we can live with 78 governors, I see no reason why we can't live with 78 congressmen. And, the less congressmen we see breaking the law out in the streets each day of our lives, the better for us and for the whole nation as well. Less is best.

(Image from http://wwwpophangover.com/)

MISSING MANING PELAEZ

The late Vice-President and Ambassador Emmanuel Pelaez will always be remembered for his wit and wisdom, and examples are two statements he had uttered which will live long in the lexicon of Philippine government and politics: "What's wrong with our airport?"

These were the words he said when he and his family were trapped for more than an hour in an elevator at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) some time in the 90s. Pelaez had been summoned back to Manila so he could serve as an adviser to the Philippine panel in the then bases talks.

Some years ago, Pelaez was wounded in an assassination attempt and, as he was being wheeled into surgery, turned to his military aide at his side and asked, "What's happening to our country?"

So bitter was the feud between Pelaez and then Foreign Affairs Secretary Raul Manglapus that some political wags claim that the elevator was sabotaged by NAIA officials close to Manglapus. Their objective, the story goes, was to encourage Pelaez to return to Washington immediately and leave the eloquent Manglapus undisturbed as chairman of the Philippine bases panel.

As such, Manglapus' people kept a close watch on the growing desire of top Aquino administration officials to have Pelaez take over the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and have Manglapus shipped out as envoy to any country of his choice. The gentleman Pelaez, refusing to stoke the feud, told newsmen he came to be a mere "resource person" in the bases talks, and not an active participant.

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

OLDEN BUT GOLDEN

Perhaps, age need not be too important a factor in the coming presidential polls. Many outstanding world leaders were the matured persons who had gathered enough experience, wisdom and stature to lead their respective countries through difficult times. Some of these men were no less than Konrad Adenauer of Germany, Charles De Gaulle of France, Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, Mao Tse-Tung of China and Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam. Let's not forget President Ronald Reagan. He was already 69 when he won the presidency.

At par with Reagan, Franklin Delano Roosevelt probably was the best president America ever had. He ruled his country from a wheelchair. The presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the youngest man elected US President, is much remembered for his sexual indiscretions.

Younger leaders could still be susceptible to temptations of wealth, power and the call of the flesh.

(Image from http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/)

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS MOONLIGHTING AS COLUMNISTS (AND VICE-VERSA)

Some people are agitated with certain government officials (you know who they are) who have newspaper columns or radio-TV talk shows, and members of media who have accepted juicy government sinecures (such as board directorships and consultancies on sequestered firms and GOCCs) without giving up their media jobs.

The popular demand is that there should be action to prevent such an anomalous situation because it is the public interest which suffers therefrom. Especially in the case of media where even top editors and columnists flaunt their open acceptance of dishonest money from the government, thus making a mockery of the independence and integrity of the press.

As to the case of government officials in media (pseudo-press), people say they don't read or listen to these officials anymore who should have the decency to quit their jobs in government and stick to media if that is where they find more satisfaction. Owners of publications and electronic outfits will have to crack down on erring personnel who compromise the integrity of the newspapers and broadcast firms they utilize as vehicles to propagate their vanity. Can you guess who they are?

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

A LITTLE PLOT BEHIND THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Has Malacanang already forgotten a past brouhaha over the full military honors given by the elite Presidential Security Group (PSG) for a dead sniffer dog? The public was even stunned to read in the papers and view on TV about the lucky K-9's burial, complete with the playing of taps, the sprinkling of holy water by a Palace chaplain, a rolley of rifle fire from an honor guard platoon, a Philippine flag draped over its coffin, and a strictly subdued atmosphere by the presidential guards. Has our country gone to the dogs? Never!

That Palace K-9 who received military honors not given to soldiers killed in Mindanao in the long war against insurgents joined famous dogs like President Franklin Roosevelt's Fala and President Richard Nixon's Checkers.

Well, another dog always gets us the headlines around the world albeit in ridicule - the common askal. A few years back, Filipinos got worldwide shellacking for reports in London newspapers that Pinoys were dog-eaters. Bad.

But strangely so, to this day, Malacanang is still undecided about giving the same honors to a former head of state, President Ferdinand Marcos. A little plot behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Libingan ng mga Bayani is where Marcos chose as his final resting place. It is where Imelda is determined to bury him someday. It was his dying wish, she said, and she will respect it, even in defiance of the late former President Corazon Aquino, who insisted that he be buried instead in Laoag, Ilocos Norte - but didn't find it odd to bury a dog with all the necessary honors befitting a hero. Blas Ople, who was very close to the late Marcos, confirmed that in his intimate moments of conversations with him, Marcos often stated that he wanted to be buried behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier because he saw himself as a simple soldier who served his country in war and in peace.

It would do well for this government to bury this issue (pun unintended) once and for all, and give honor where honor is due.

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

FIBBING THE FILIPINO

Wouldn't it be a treat to see for a change President Arroyo defend her own self in public, not so much relying on her spokespersons who are paid to confuse and fib the people with rough rhetoric? In doing so, the citizenry will have a clearer view of the sincerity or insincerity of Arroyo although it is common knowledge how comfortable she feels when surrounded by anything but the truth. As it is, take the case of Press Secretary Cerge Remonde. Long before he opens his mouth, he is already branded as a twister of fabulous facts and a juggler of weak words. Gone are the days when a press secretary spoke impeccable English and communicated with clarity and logic. Today, we have a bunch of apologists in the Palace who really are the only ones left believing their own spin. Does Gloria still believe in herself?

In the US, some American presidents who have had it with the media took matters in their own hands. They didn't hesitate at all to write nasty letters to their critics in this sector. The most famous letter written by a US president against media was that made by President Harry Truman addressed to a Washington Post music critic who had hit his daughter Margaret's singing in her recital in Washington. Truman wrote: "I have just read your lousy review. If I ever meet you, you will need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes and perhaps a supporter below." And only a few years ago, President Bill Clinton got so sore against New York Times columnist William Safire for calling Mrs. Clinton a "congenital liar." Clinton was quoted by his spokesman as saying if he were not president, he would have delivered "a forceful response on the bridge of Safire's nose."

GMA may have to emulate these US presidents to let off some steam and fire off some angry letters and issue angry statements against her critics in the fourth estate. We're simply tired of her spokespersons' litany of lies, making them like wind-up dolls that say the same stuff over and over again. It's time we hear Gloria speak for herself. She need not worry. If these fellows can dish it out, they can surely take it.

(Image from http://cocktales.ph/)

SELL OR ELSE

Do you remember that plan by a previous administration to sell a government-owned property in Fujumi, Tokyo (Japan), and how it could not be sold because it was donated to the Philippine government by former wartime President Jose P. Laurel? The condition was that it should never be sold to any party, and therefore must only be for the sole use by the government diplomatic mission in Japan. The property was purchased by Mrs. Pacencia H. Laurel with her personal funds and donated to the government during the Japanese occupation years. Remarkable and admirable.

Today, we have a government that landgrabs property and pockets the money it earns from overpricing its sale. Other than that, we too have a regime that buys land for a song and then twists the arms of reluctant buyers under pain of harassment, in order to sell it at astronomical figures. Our government officials have been buying properties left and right as if they were being sold during 'midnight madness' sales. It seems that they are in a frenzied rush to purchase prime property. Do they know something we don't? Unbelievable and abominable.

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

MARGINALIZED SABUNGEROS?

What will they think of next just to become a congressman? We have more than enough useless members in Congress. Now, they want a representative for "marginalized sabungeros." Say what? Methinks this is unecessary because many congressmen are already sabungeros. It's simply an abuse of the sectoral representation, which really is an easy way to land in the House. A useless bunch just took their respective oaths of office. We should be cutting down the number of congressmen instead of adding more of them in Congress. There are only a handful of excellent sectoral representatives today, like Akbayan's Etta Rosales, surpassing even the 'traditional congressman.' Enough.

Sectoral representation was first devised during the martial law years as a means to ensure the late President Ferdinand Marcos' control of the Batasan Pambansa and to send court favorites, who cannot win any elections, to Congress. Actually, this whole matter of sectoral representation was a brainchild of the late brilliant politician and tactician, Local Government Minister/Rep. Jose 'Peping' Rono. He hatched the plan to ensure his control of the local legislative body and his own political supremacy as well. He was one of Marcos' and the KBL's most brilliant political strategist. As political adviser to the power-packed ruling party, he presented his plan which worked so well for him in the local levels. President Marcos was totally sold on the idea, and he ordered it incorporated on a national level.

(Image from http://www.census.gov.ph/)

THROUGH THICK AND THIN

On every special occasion like Christmas or a birthday, one of the questions persistently asked is what makes a man stick to one particular woman, even if there are much prettier and more attractive others in the field. Of course, to be faithful to your woman is something men must always be. Every man, of course, has to spend the precious Christmas Eve dinner with his special someone, whether it be his wife or his girlfriend. I'd like to stretch it a bit further - spending a special occasion with mother dear. The same thing is applied to birthdays. Hence, what makes these special girls tick?

There may not be really one hard-and-fast answer to this question. The best I can do is to tell a story of the late German dictator Adolf Hitler, who married his long-time mistress Eva Braun, hours before both of them committed suicide and their bodies were doused with gasoline and then burned.

Hitler said Eva would "go to her death with me at her own wish." Their brief marriage he explained, would "compensate us both for what we have lost in my work in the service of my people." What the artist-dictator admired most in Eva, who was a mere store clerk in Munich when he met her, was her "lack of intellectual ability" and "unquestioning loyalty."

A lot of Filipino women, especially those identified with the activist circles and the academe will protest my making Hitler's idea of the most desirable traits in women as an example here. Apologies then are in order. It's only because I thought Hitler made a lot of sense and articulated what most of us men would really want in our women - on the "unquestioning loyalty" part. Wasn't this also what our fathers and their fathers before them wanted in their women - to stay home and take care of the children and stick to their men through thick and thin, not asking why? Just pratlling off some thoughts.

(Image from http://www.evabraun.dk/)

A DEPARTMENT FOREIGN TO ITS AFFAIRS

It turns out that when the late Vice-President Salvador 'Doy' Laurel was foreign secretary during the term of President Corazon Aquino, he had issued Foreign Service Circular 221-86 requiring all foreign service personnel to assist any Filipino national, especially OFWs in need of help in a foreign country.

These personnel were required to submit a weekly report on Pinoys facing court charges and how they had been assisted by these foreign service personnel. They were also required to visit their countrymen who end up in jail, and see to it that they were given adequate legal assistance. The labor attaches were required to be on call at all times to serve OFWs in trouble and make regular reports of their activities to the DFA.

This circular was completely ignored when Laurel was canned by Aquino. The foreign secretaries that followed had a sorry history of ignoring our OFWs. President Arroyo would do well to order the DFA to resuscitate that Laurel circular and require strict compliance with it by all DFA personnel henceforth.

In asking for the revival of the circular, Arroyo could also order all chiefs of mission and other diplomatic officers to get rid of a common practice among DFA staffers of looking down, sometimes with disdain, on our OFWs who run to them for help. Most of these "diplomats" are more obsessed with rubbing elbows with officials of the countries they are assigned to and other diplomatic corps members, than spending time helping our OFWs. If they ever help at all, this would be at a minimal and mostly delegated to low-ranking consular staffers who are anyway also prejudiced against OFWs, in pretty much the same as their superiors are. Arroyo should order ambassadors and other chiefs of mission to personally attend to the plight of our OFWs under pain of separation from the service if they fail or refuse to do so. The President could order presidential monitors to report on the activities of our foreign service people and blacklist those found wanting in their assistance to our OFWs. She should recommend the dismissal of these people from the foreign service. The DFA has embassy inspectors of its own who are supposed to monitor our embassies abroad. Why have their mouths been shut for so long?

As a suggestion, all heads of diplomatic missions abroad should be lawyers or at least have a lawyer in their office to immediatly assure legal assistance to OFWs. There are too many OFWs facing criminal prosecution, and since they have no sufficient knowledge of the law, including customs and traditions of their country of employment, they almost always lose legal cases they face. When a Filipino abroad is investigated, a Filipino lawyer must assist the lawyer assigned by the foreign government. This will ensure that the OFW is not denied due process.

(Image from http://fil.wikipilipinas.org/)

THE HEROES IN OUR HEARTS AND MINDS

Today, August 21 is the 26th anniversary of Ninoy's death, and I hate to be a killjoy to his many followers but, the proposal to have Congress declare the late Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon 'Cory' Aquino national heroes is ill-advised. But I guess it's too late to be carping about it now. The Batasan Pambansa recently approved on second reading a joint resolution declaring Corazon Aquino a national hero. So be it. However, generally speaking, the status of national hero cannot be legislated. As the late historian-writer Renato Constantino said in a past column of his - "Ninoy was a martyr. But whether or not he will have the stature of a national hero, we will have to wait historical scrutiny." Legislative action now could create a precedent that may eventually cheapen the concept of a hero.

Many who are now opposed to the idea ask how Ninoy can claim such honors even ahead of others who had done much for the country, such as Andres Bonifacio, Claro M. Recto and Jose P. Laurel. Even the late Justice Jose Abad Santos, who was executed by the Japanese during the Occupation has yet to be officially proclaimed a national hero.

A stinging editorial once said there was need to carefully scrutinize Ninoy's life, including family background. It raised the fact that Ninoy's father was head of the pro-Japanese Kalibapi, which provided aid and comfort to the Japanese invading forces. Ninoy's supporters claim that by giving up his life, he inspired a national upheaval which resulted in the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of democracy in the country. The EDSA Revolution was led by a breakaway group of Marcos people led by Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel Valdez Ramos. Observers say that the proposal may face rough sailing even in the two halls of Congress, where many legislators share Professor Constantino's thesis that the status of a national hero cannot be legislated. Even some friends of Ninoy Aquino admit that a move in Congress to declare him a national hero could backfire on him. His political enemies may bring out derogatory aspects of his life that could blacken his memory in the public mind. Ninoy already occupies a lofty place in the country's history. It may be better to leave things as they are instead of trying to stir up another divisive national debate by having him declared a national hero. Let him rest in peace, his many friends say.

And as for Cory, history books will be kind to her, and in the hearts of the Filipino people, she is far more than that of a national hero. She, to them was their symbol of democracy. So potent is the democratic spirit she has left behind to the nation, even making Senator Mar Roxas originally suggest EDSA be renamed to President Corazon Aquino Avenue, but is now torn and having uncontrollable second thoughts about it simply because the Liberal Party is presently in a dilemna between him and Noynoy Aquino as their party's presidential standard bearer. Mister Palengke-turned-Padyakero now has a yellow streak running through his spine. Mar's true color is now showing - and it's Mar-oon.

(Image from http://img.webme.com/)

PRESIDENTIAL PECCADILLOES

Reading recently an old magazine featuring former French President Francois Mitterand, with pictures of him and his illegitimate daughter named Mazarine who was then about 20 years old. Indeed, unlike the British who delight in reporting on the peccadilloes of their royals, the French have always kept mum about the hanky-panky of their top officials. Under French law, it is illegal to publish photographs without the permission of the subject especially if he or she is a public figure.

The reports from Paris about the Mitterand lass who had been kept from the public eye would have surely tittilated local circles, where dangerous liaisons of public figures are staple fare each and every day of the week. Pinoys love to brag that in this country, the public official and business tycoon who does not have backstreet affairs are the exception. They will tell observers that Filipino voters support candidates with fascinating reputations for their machismo. Joseph Estrada was the perfect example. The more he flaunted his extra-marital affairs and his illegitimate children, the more votes he obtained. It was certainly wrong and immoral, but it delivered for him what he needed from the citizenry.

For Pinoys certainly love to relate how their leaders, from Jose Rizal to Jose Pidal, are famous lovers. Pinoys will even argue that this is the reason why some men are great leaders. While the nation awaits Erap's "announcement," will he again flaunt his paramours to the delight of the masa, or will he be a "proper presidentiable" this time around and get down to serious business of governance? It's now a waiting game.

(Image from http://spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/)

LESS IS BEST

Do we really need so many congressmen, not to mention the lavish spending-sprees each time they just "feel like it?" Our country has been doing quite fine with some 76 or so governors. Hence, there really is no logical point why we should not have only 76 congressmen and only 15 senators, who should be elected by region. Can you imagine the money we can save with a smaller congress and senate?

By way of comparison, the United States, which is 300 times bigger than the Philippines and about 7 times bigger in population has only about 435 congressmen and 100 senators.

It's time we take a closer look at the matter for the benefit of the Filipino people. That would also mean a smaller bill for us each time they dine in some classy restaurant overseas. Just a thought, wouldn't you agree?

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