Bush Fires; US burn

Under Bush, Americans suffered two monumental disasters, all in September. In September 2001, terrorists attacked America, killing 5,000 people. Seven years later, a more lethal attack against America happened, this time threatening the very lives of each and every American. Again, it was both a failure in intelligence and plain and simple negligence.

Two disasters in two serious fronts. How will America recover from these huge bush fires? First, a real, physical threat now, a crisis in money.

Former president Bill Clinton said, a certain amount of regulation should be put in place to avert a further slide of the US economy towards recession. The British already did that, putting into regulation two troubled financial firms. Will the US do the same? Obviously, with the rejection of the bailout plan, the Bush administration will have to do it the hard way.

The US Congress sent a strong message with the rejection. For Bush, we don't trust you. Bush failed on two fronts already--the global anti-terror campaign and the economy. Reports say the anti-terror campaign did not weaken Al Qaeda, despite the Bush administration forking billions of dollars worth of the people's money. And now this.

I think the core issue lies on the lack or absence of trust. Americans have lost trust in Bush due to these failures.

Bush and his treasury chief are the ones to blame for the mistrust Americans have about this administration. During the first and second quarters of this year, Henry Paulson have been going the rounds, assuring the public that the US economy is on a recovery mode. With that, Bush gave a State of the Nation address, even mentioning that the government is having success in repairing the damaged economy. A few months after, disaster struck.

The solution is not a bailout. Government must try its best to tell people to again trust the system. Money will flow if people trust the system enough of their monies. 

Villar should be prosecuted for plunder

" Those who have no sin, let him cast the first stone," said Jesus Christ when he spoke before a throng of Jews who accused a woman of adultery. No one threw a stone nor a pebble.

It is in this context that I ask Senators Jamby Madrigal and Ping Lacson--can you possibly say with all honesty that you did not use your power to influence any activity in government? Did you or did you not, in one instance or another, use your influence to push for a project?

Yes, they would probably tell me. Yes, there are instances where we used our standing to push for a project. But, this is different, Pat. We are casting a stone against Senate president Manny Villar because he used his influence to gain more money from his projects. We pushed for projects using our influence, yes, but we did not gain a single cent from it.

Imagine, Senator Enrile categorically saying that Villar did, indeed, requested for a double insertion in the C-5 project. Yes, Villar did that, and the good senator admitted it. He did push for that project because it would benefit his constituents. Yes, they will gain from the C-5 project, I agree, Mr. Villar. They'll benefit from a flyover without a road. They'll benefit from it, especially those living in your subdivisions.

Who pushed for the c-5 project to pass the properties of Brittany and Vista Land? Villar. Who gained from selling "right of way" properties worth 1,500 per square meter to 15,000 per square meter? Villar. And who'll amass billions of billions of pesos from that C-5 extension road? Villar.

Madrigal and Lacson are right--this is not a political issue. No. This is plain and simple corruption or plunder even. Villar should be cruxified and jailed.

Erap and Jinggoy are laughing right now. Remember that Villar banged the gravel when he was Speaker of the House, after accusing Erap of plunder. Erap is now free, and those who accused him of crimes against the people, are those who are now being accused of the same. And this time, there's no Jose Velardes.

Those who have no sin, let him cast the first stone.

Global Tensions Rising

The United States military has deployed a regular army unit inside the US mainland to deal with local insurgencies and possible civil unrest. This is the first time that the US government did this. The US State Department has considered contingency measures in the event of a possible outbreak of violence due to the worsening economic crisis.

Over at the US Congress, US Treasury Chief Paulson reportedly pleaded with Democratic congressmen not to reveal the close door theatrics displayed by politicians and financial experts discussing the $700 billion bailout proposal. Republicans are up in arms over the proposal, saying that it's still a raw deal, which could not possibly end the increasing financial tensions. US President George Bush has said that the US is in for a long and painful recession, should Congress fail to pass the proposal. At this time though, things over at Washington seem to have turned from bad to worst, with politicians and officials fighting against each other. 

While the US tries to put out its financial fires, the Russian military has sent its fleet to South America, obviously as part of its global strategic military plan. In Iran, the tiny nuclear Islamic Republic is reportedly preparing for war, possibly against the United States and its allies. Analysts say, conflicts could possibly escalate after Ramadhan. Meanwhile, North Korea has banished nuclear inspectors and indicated a possible revival of its atomic energy programme.

Obviously, the enemies of the US are starting to flex their muscles. This financial crisis is more than a sneeze--its a serious illness which the world's superpower could find hard to cure. While the strong man remains bedridden with financial woes, enemies are now in the midst of preparing themselves for possible confrontations since historically, the US resorts to its war machines when faced with extreme economic difficulties. War provides the needed push for its industries and the US could do the same thing given the seriousness of the crisis.

Lipton Milk Tea Tainted by Toxic China Milk

Have you bought or drank Lipton Milk tea lately? I've been scanning regional news reports and came across an item that says that Unilever already withdrew the Lipton green milk tea from the shelves off Taiwanese groceries and supermarkets after finding out that Unilever might have used tainted milk from Chinese companies. That tainted milk, my friends, contain melamine, a plastic resin used for manufacturing plastic cups and plates. 

How many boxes of Lipton Green milk tea are in the Philippine market? How many groceries and supermarkets here sells Lipton Green milk tea? The Department of Health and the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) should advise the Philippine Retailers Association or the Philippine Association of Groceries and Supermarkets to immediately take those Lipton Green Milk Tea from the shelves. These tea bags could cause many deaths since there's a high concentration of the deadly chemical in them.

Unilever Philippines should be responsible enough to tell the people (a) how many boxes of its Lipton Milk tea are in the market (b) how many of those supplies came from Taiwan and Indonesia and (c) what are the measures being done by the company to protect the consumers from these toxic milk teas. 

Implosion of the Philippine State

Jose Montelibano's article says it all. There's a palpable tension in the air caused by the worsening economic crisis, coupled by a deepening political turmoil. People feel a deep resentment against the established order, and the obvious lack of leadership from organized change setters are further fueling the frustration. What we are seeing, says Montelibano, is a building up of tensions which is expected to lead to an implosion.

You can definitely see it coming. Huge throngs of people leaving the country, seeking greener pastures abroad. You see large numbers of families scraping everything they can find just to survive. Middle class families are drastically changing their lifestyles to fit their ever decreasing budgets. On the extreme side, you see normal poor families turning into neurotic ones, frustrated because they can't feed themselves properly.

One obvious good from all these is the blossoming of the entrepreneurial spirit. Just go around Metro Manila, and you'll see literally thousands of small nooks, eateries and what-have-yous scattered almost everywhere. The Filipino is finding their own solutions to the problem of the purse. Yet, with the national economy going to the bunker sooner or later due to serious attacks from the depressed global economy, we might see a further escalation of this deep seeded frustration in the next few months. 

What's the solution? A change of governance before 2010 could change all these. What we need is a drastic change that would prop the people's morale up. Without a political solution soon, we may yet find the people resorting to their own extra-constitutional means to lift themselves up from damnation

US as the world's only financial superpower

Regulation, says former US President Bill Clinton is the solution to the US sub-prime crisis. Speaking at Dave Letterman's show, Bill blames the American's penchant for making money out of money which created this pyramidal financial web that now threatens the economy. What's needed, says Bill, is for the Fed Reserve to infuse life in the economy, by absorbing the toxic debts, and enabling banks to free their books and expand their loan portfolios. That will allow American enterprises to still borrow money and support expansion of their businesses. Without expansion, the economy will continue to remain laggard and could seriously lead to depression.

Or, Washington could allow mortgagees to restructure their loans, making payments reasonably low to enable them to at least pay those amortizations. In this way at least, money would pour in instead of the present situation where there's nothing coming in.

And Washington seems to be the obvious winner in all of these. By infusing $700 billion into the financial system, it would control most of the global financial institutions through loans. That will, in effect, make Washington the world's biggest financial institution.

Some Americans are worried that the US will lose its global dominance due to this crisis. Yet, it's the opposite. The US government, through the Federal Reserve, will now become the world's only financial superpower should the US Congress allow Paulson and Bernanke's bailout proposal.

If that happens, then the world has entered a New era of neo-imperialism. Scrumpeter maybe right that obviously capitalism dies within a cycle of 50 years, then, slowly comes to life through creative deconstruction. What we are now seeing is the death not of capitalism per se, but the rise of regulated capitalism. What will be the effects of this newer kind of capitalism? We will never know, says Bill Clinton.

Being personal for a change

Finally, I met Jester-in-Exile and some of the younger writers over at FilipinoVoices. I also met Manolo Quezon at the Philippine Blog Awards 2008. It's really nice meeting fellow bloggers and it was just my second time to do so.

I'm not supposed to reveal who I was but there's an itch to connect with those whom I consider as colleagues. And it is equally nice to know that Jester, Marochim and even their common friend, Maya, are all young people attending the University of the Philippines-Diliman. I told myself, there is still hope since my alma mater is still producing such fine young specimens of brilliance with a conscience.

Sometimes I think that it is time for me to rest my pen and pursue family interests. Because whenever I don my activist robe, I sacrifice my family. Truly, the time I'm spending with my family now, I consider the best of my life. For most of my young life, I spent pursuing causes which either nearly destroyed my professional career or put my life in extreme danger. The last four years are ones I consider stable since I'm blessed with jobs that provide me financial comfort. Yet, I'm still not that financially stable and it's just 3 years before I reach 40.

My contemporaries are enjoying the prime of their careers. Mike Defensor, a classmate of mine, has his own companies and enjoying the fruits of his collaboration with Gloria. Same as Miro Quimbo and even Bong Bongolan. My batchmates at the University are now either here, practicing law or abroad with their families. I heard that I can only count with my fingers the number of classmates I have here, still living a tough life in this patch of earth, called home.

The ones we've beaten during our active university life are now political heavyweights. Alan Peter Cayetano, who lost his campaign against Angelo Jimenez for the UP Student Council plum post, is now a Senator defending his political patron, Senate president Manny Villar. Those who still hold the torch for the masses, they are those who still continue the struggle.

Sometimes I think that those years studying Marx, Engels, etc. are just worthless years since I'm not even using them in my job. My job requires me to think like Guy Kawasaki or a Nora Ephron or do the things that Charlie Agatep or Dante Ang or Babes Romualdes did in their prime. If I think like Marx, i'll go wreck the establishment and probably de-construct it the way many people want it to be. But, would it be the best thing to do?

And sometimes, I blame myself for going back here. My years working in Singapore, I consider, truly the most memorable years of my life. Probably, I should not have left Singapore. It could have been great studying another Masters over at Nanyang Business School. Yet, I chose to raise a family instead of pursuing my intellectual interests.

I told Marochim that I tried to write lifestyle pieces. But I can't. My soul lives and breathes politics. But, irony of ironies, I'm not directly involved in politics, just doing polemics. And I'm doing it just here, in the blogosphere. My years doing political work is probably over. I'm too out of touch and too far of reach by those who are still working for a Truly Just and Humane Philippine society.

And I'm probably doing okey, since my peers nominated me for the Best Blog in the Social, Historical and Political Commentary division. I lost eventually to a guy whose passion is to write about birds. Well, I could have wrote something about the Philippine eagle and probably, won? Like what the Rebel Pixel said, it's not the award, it's the peer recognition.

I long for the day when I can (a) make money out of a business which I have a passion about (b) not report to a boss (c) directly work for the liberation of the country from tyranny and (d) raise my family while building a country. Someday, I'll do it. I'll plunge myself into the entrepreneurial world and make history.

DBP in trouble?

Where is Development Bank of the Philippines president Rey David? Rumours have it that David is now in the States. And why there? Is it to attend the UN meeting? Maybe. Or maybe not. David had been away since the Lehman Brothers collapse. And why in the US?

Wagging tongues say he's there with a mission--how to recoup US$160 million losses due to exposure to the Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch collapse. Is this true?

And why is GMA in the US? Official statements show that GMA went to the States to learn more about the US sub-prime crisis. Whattah? Meaning, Gloria wants to see first-hand what it means when people say "crisis"? She just needs to look around the Pasig river and she'll already see and feel crisis.

Is there a connexion between GMA and David's trips to the US? Has David been successful in mitigating the investment losses of the First Family, as some sectors alleged? Sectors say GMA and her husband the First Grafter, err, the First Golfer have incurred millions of dollars worth of failed investments in the US that David, a trusty lieutenant, has been tasked to "re-coup".

Is this true?

Other sources say, wealthy Pinoys are frantically withdrawing their monies from foreign banks and trying to either setup their own or buy banks, especially rural banks. And sources say, that's the plan of the First Famine, err, First Family, to try to get what's left of their investments and re-invest locally. Is this true? Is there a "conjugal crisis" happening there in the Enchanted Kingdom?

Sub-prime crisis in RP not that serious enough

Signs that things will get worse before we see some comfort seems to be the current news. Yet, upon closer study of the global financial crisis, there are indications that things are really not that bad afterall, especially to the Philippines.

First, I realized that Gloria and her factotum, NEDA Chief Ralph Recto could have told us the truth that there will be minimal impact on the economy. But, it's not because they prepared for this or because of VAT. No. It is the very nature of the Philippine economic superstructure that would probably insulate us from further serious damages to our financial institutions.

First, our financial structure is still underdeveloped. Exposure to riskier investments is minimal because our bankers are traditionalists. Most banks invest in long-term instruments, like bonds, and government-backed securities. We don't have enough rogue traders to cause a downfall of our system simply because our bankers are mostly "seguristas". They don't play the games that big players do. Under normal circumstances, that's foolish. Yet, Philippine bankers have foresight that foreign bankers don't. That's why local banks do not have huge exposures in foreign risk investments simply because our bankers are sophisticated enough to know the limits of playing risky. And they know what risk management really is.

Second, most foreign bank branches here are deposits-oriented and off-shore operations. They are mostly retail banks. We have a small number of investment banks, the kind that caters to big players and financial investors. The reason is obvious--most of our rich, wealthy brothers and sisters invest their monies abroad. And those monies are kept in long-term, high-yielding investments, mostly in term deposits. They can't park their monies here for obvious reasons--they don't trust our banks enough. Exposure would probably emanate from those who deposited their monies with banks that have exposures with Lehman and Merrill Lynch but they'll not feel it simply because their monies are insured and guaranteed against risks.

Lastly, the number of maturing mortgages are small compared with those of the United States, or even Singapore and Hongkong. Upon closer scrunity, the BSP can very well absorb these. I don't know about GSIS, SSS or Pag-Ibig and how exposed they are right now (since I have'nt found the time to study their declared financial statements), but the 30 billion peso problem of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) could easily be absorbed.

The question is--how much money will the BSP actually absorb before it says "enough is enough"? That should be determined at this early and government should help banks not only through financial transfusions, but also in managing their books. I mean, government and the private banking groups should sit down, be transparent with each other, lay down their cards and focus on what contingency plans they should do if projections go to the wrong direction. There should be plan a, b,c and even d. Crisis management plans should be set in place in case tremours from the US sub-prime crisis hits us in areas where we least expect it. Yes, we see one potential problem--the effects of an economic slowdown.

Yet, this economic slowdown can be mitigated by (a) focusing our sights in Middle Eastern financial markets and probably seeking assistance there and (b) China. These two places have tons of money. By encouraging Middle Easterners and more Chinese investments in the country could mitigate the impact of the crisis. Likewise, encourage more Filipino professionals to go abroad especially in these areas so that the level of remittances will go even higher than what analysts say would be reduced due to the impact of a global slowdown.

Makati Cops Solicit Eyes From Traffic Violators

If you don't want to lose your eyes, don't violate any traffic rule in Makati City Philippines. That's because traffic cops will get your two eye balls if you violate traffic rules.

Don't believe it? Read this:

story at: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/classified-odd/09/17/08/makati-cops-traffic-violators-stop-hand-me-your-eyes

So...for those kaskaseros out there, beware! Makati Cops are hunting for your eyes!

Rural banks are vulnerable in an RP sub-prime crisis

Gloria pictured a stable financial environment for the Philippines yesterday (there was a Philippine economic briefing yesterday at Shangri-La Makati), even saying that the government is on top of the situation. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas backed her up, saying that we have enough reserves to help ailing banks and financial institutions in the event of a full-blown financial crisis. Former senatoriable and now NEDA Chief Ralph Recto was quick on his feet, saying that the reason why the government remains confident is the fact that it has collected billions of billions of revenue from VAT, which is being cursed right now by consumers.

What we failed to recognize is this---Recto failed to say that we are just experiencing the beginning of woes, so to speak, and we're still not out of the woods, no, not yet. He failed to say that the economic slowdown would affect government revenues and yes, even the dollar reserves. Up to what extent will government extend its hand to help ailing banks, insurance firms and financial institutions? 

A slowdown would surely affect VAT collections and taxes. Firms have to raise their commodities prices more to cope up but what will the impact be for the people? Hey, consumers have been experiencing the effects of the global financial crisis since the start of the year and it's not true to say that we are really insulated.

What I fear the most are the rural banks. Rural banks have billions of pesos worth of mortgages that are still in their books. How would they possibly free these mortgages is anybody's guess at this point. The sheer enormity of these mortgages could eventually paralyze the entire rural economy and would definitely affect even the national economy.

The BSP should look into the rural banking sector and try to implement measures that would keep these banks afloat. Bear in mind that thousands of home mortgages have been absorbed by these rural banks which eventually would be affected by an economic slowdown. If these rural banks fail to transform these mortgages into financial instruments, what would happen to our economy? It would surely impact on the entire economic superstructure!

That explains why Speaker Nograles is really hell-bent on allowing foreigners to buy Philippine real estate because the Speaker knows that we have a ticking time bomb, what with these billions pesos worth of bad mortgage accounts being mismanaged by some rural banks.

The BSP should look into this immediately and avert a possible crisis in the provinces. Billions worth of investments are exposed and it would not be fair if government would absorb these losses via the PDIC (Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation).

Remember September 21

Two days from now, we'll commemorate the imposition of dictatorial rule. The once strongman Ferdinand Marcos, one of the most intelligent yet the second most despised Philippine leader (based on recent survey, its Gloria who tops the list of the most despised), declared martial rule and from that year on, 1972, he ruled the country with an iron-fist. He was only deposed 14 years after with a mammoth rally in that fabled avenue, now known as Epifanio delos Santos (EDSA) avenue.

Now, talks are rife that Gloria is poised to declare martial rule herself, just to prolong her regime beyond 2010. Malacanang is tight-lipped on its incidious plan, even denied the allegations made by its former defense secretary. Former secretary Avelino Cruz said the People should be vigilant against attempts at imposing a de-facto martial rule, saying that Gloria has the "tendency" to go that route. 

However, New Philippine Revolution thinks otherwise. The palace is really not hot on the idea, since this will further erode public trust and could even lead to a massive destabilization. Cruz is right--Gloria has ruled this country for so long, more than enough to effect damage to government institutions. It does'nt take an intensification of the Mindanao conflict to actually justify an emergency rule. Since 2004, the country has been under tremendous seige from big-time operators, unscrupulous government officials and profiteers. Government has been doing a balancing act eversince and it has done a very good job, to the detriment of the People.

What we need is an emergency plan to insulate the country against global financial attacks, in the light of the US sub-prime crisis. The next few months would truly be challenging, especially to Small and Medium sized enterprises, real estate companies and even manufacturing firms. A slowdown in economic performance is expected from all of these, but, it will not lead to a systemic breakdown, no, not yet. 

A breakdown will happen after 2010, when housing mortgages mature and the financial sector finds it hard to convert these into financial instruments. That breakdown unfortunately will be quite hard to solve, even by transfusions from the national government. 

Impact of the US sub-prime crisis in RP

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) says that we have enough dollar reserves to insulate us from the impact of the US sub-prime crisis. The crisis has reached alarming levels, when even the investment firms Lehman Brothers and Merryl Lynch succumbed to the financial pressures. Many feared that Asian countries, especially Singapore, Hongkong and Japan would be affected. The Bank of Japan already injected $23 billion to at least protect their markets from the crisis. While Temasek Holdings of Singapore which has extensive exposure to Merryl Lynch and Lehman Bros investments has refused to admit that it's investments are now endangered.

Many banks and insurance firms here in the Philippines have investments abroad. Reports say SunLife, Philam and AIG banks could probably succumb to financial stresses since their foreign principals are now being attacked. AIG stocks fell 4% yesterday and reports say that it could be the next one to fall. 

How would all these impact on the Philippine economy? The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says this could slow the economy down considerably since banks will find it hard to free their books and extend their loan portfolios. When this happens, many firms will have difficulty looking for capital. Less capital means less production capability. And less production means higher prices of commodities since there will be less supply to meet increasing demands. 

Higher prices means higher inflation. Higher inflation impacts on the banking sector since investments depend on the macroeconomic performance of the country where they operate. Short-term solution is for the Central Bank to support the local banking sector with its dollar reserves. Yet, when this happens, it threatens the entire economic superstructure. 

This early, many fear that a localized sub-prime mortgage crisis would also happen here since many people would find it hard to meet their housing amortizations. At this time, government controlled mortgage company National Housing Mortgage Finance Corporation reported a 30 billion peso worth of bad or delinquent mortgage accounts. This will balloon in the coming years since high inflation is expected to last until 2013. 

C-5 Project Scam?

Who are the construction firms who'll benefit from the 2.5 billion peso C-5 project, which is now subject to a Senate probe? The project is now embroiled in a controversy where Senate president Manny Villar reportedly requested for a double insertion to the tune of 400 million pesos. Villar already admitted that, yet stressed that he'll not benefit from it. And who will?

Surely, whoever approved of this project already received steady assurances from the construction firm. But why did Villar requested for a double insertion when it is patently illegal to do so? Right now, media handlers of Villar are "managing" the situation, trying to downplay the impact of the news and even portraying Villar as a "victim" rather than the ST villain. They are also portraying Lacson as someone who does'nt know what he's talking about. 

Whatever Villar's handlers do right now, the fact is this--the people already heard and saw what happened on TV, Radio, in the newspapers and in the internet. Surely, these images will stick to their minds and come election time, will probably influence how they'll vote.

Politics behind food crisis

There's another scam over at the Philippine Department of Agriculture now being headed by Secretary Arthur Yap. The Inquirer today bared a Joc-Joc Bolante type of scam which occurred again in the same department. Names of beneficiaries were faked and funds siphoned off to other uses and possibly, lined the pockets of greedy men.

So, that explains why our farmers were unable to plant seeds because they have'nt received their rations from the government and that also explains why there's low harvest yields.

And why, aside from graft and corruption, the DA allows this (meaning low rice production)? To justify rice importation, that's the reason. If the country continues to produce only 90% capacity, it allows rice importers to puncture the market with their stocks. Also, an insufficient supply due to low production, also justifies the entry of smuggled foodstuffs, ergo, giving a windfall to importers.

The pressure of imports plus low local food production causes pressures for local food costs to rise. This, my friend, is an artificial tool that is the core cause of our present day misery!

This is too much already.

This government is too greedy and doing these at our expense. What's worst, this scam involves food security and how would we secure our food stocks if these continue? No wonder we have exorbitant food costs. Food costs continue to rise due to low productivity. And we allow smuggled goods and foodstuffs, even import rice when the main problem lies not in production capabilities rather in graft and corruption.

Politics have totally corrupted our state. Governance has now been totally transformed from being public service to public nuisance. What's worst, this threatens the very lives of each and everyone of us because it concerns food.

When will all these things stop? When will we wake up and muster the courage to stop these evil administration from pillaging our rice bowls? My God, this government threatens not only our lives, but the lives of our children, our families! My God, this things are sickening already.

Gising na po Pilipinas! Gising na po tayong lahat!

See no evil, hear no evil

"Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said he was not aware of any such move. Sen. Mar Roxas said he did not know anything about it, while Sen. Richard Gordon said nobody had approached him about it. Sen. Benigno Aquino III said he was not aware of any attempt to oust Villar at present."--from the Philippine Daily Inquirer report today, 14 September 2008.

Senators seem incredulous at all those coup stories against Villar. And it seems that, indeed, there's no real attempt at ousting Villar, not at this point. Majority Floor Leader Jinggoy Estrada says he continues to support Villar, obviously since his father, the former president, Erap Estrada, has a strong alliance with the S.T. (Singit at Taga) star.

And the Senate president is confident that a number of senators still support him, despite him being tagged into an anomalous double insertion scam.

So, my friends, it seems that Villar will again survive this one. It's a numbers game at the Senate. Forget about morality. Don't think that the insertion is plain and simple immoral and smacks of graft and corruption. No, no, no!

For Villar and his group of senators, this is nothing. What counts is Villar continues to enjoy the trust and support of the senators. The question is--do the people trust him, now that there's accusations of him making all those double insertions?

I thank God that this early, we are being given the chance to know more about our presidentiables. And surely, we know now who not to support as our president come decision time.

Level-Up in Pinoy Digital Film-making

While our leaders muck up the political scene, we Indios (as DJB would describe us), are looking for ways to perk us up. I know our greyish landscape seems to attract more gloom than usual, but, hey, we still have our Charise Pempengcos to be proud of. 

And of course, there's our heady bunch of digital film makers. They are the new painters of Pinoy life.

Not everybody knows about the rising influence of digital filmmakers in the global scene. If you still don't know, our digital film mavericks are creating huge waves in the international arena. They are showing the beautiful amongst us and the dark and murky slice of Pinoy life before audiences around the world. Thousands stood up when a Pinoy indie film was shown in Cannes and it brought so much accolade that the reverberations of it are still being heard throughout the world.

Here, everything is silent, because most of us are concerned about rising prices of food and fluctuations on oil prices. We are busy working to get more money. 

Come September 30, let's digress a little bit and show some support for our digital film-makers. 

.MOV (dot-mov) - the first digital film festival in the country – is a week long festival that will showcase innovative films from independent filmmakers both from the local and international arena starting September 30 to October 4, 2008 at Robinsons Movieworld, Robinsons Galleria.

Digital Dekalogo 10x10
.Mov will have an exhibition of ten of the very best local and international independently produced digital features explained through ten local filmmakers with aims of mentoring the Filipino audience to appreciate world cinema with an expert's eye and Filipino sensibilities.

Tribute.Mov
Cineastes would look forward to is .MOV's tribute to local filmmaking mavericks – Lav Diaz, Roxlee and Kidlat Tahimik - with a book, CD and DVD launch plus premiers of Melancholia, Green Rocking Chair, and Maikli at Tahimik.

Retrospective.Mov
A retrospective on the wild, wired, digital world of prominent movers in digital film making with this year’s theme of Extreme Cinema Wasakero that highlights films and filmmakers that challenge the norm with the themes of their movies.

Shorts.Mov
The inaugural event will also have a program called Shorts.MOV, a showcase of the best digital short films in the world from two of the most prestigious international short film festivals, Clemont-Ferrand (France) and Oberhausen (Germany)

Silvershorts
A short film competition for students and professionals that range from narrative, experimental, documentary, animation and music video. Finalists for the student category include: 123, Anomi, June 9, Kamatis, Kumot, Papelove, Pisi, Stop, Play and Pause, Ultra and Publico Makata. Finalists for the open category include: # Café, Ambulancia, Ampo, Andong, Libingan, Nekro, Saling Pusa, The Prayer, Tiangge and VTR.

Film Concert.Mov
A special programming of rare, out-of-print Filipino classic films scored live by the country's most recognized independent bands like Radioactive Sago Project, Pedicab, and Queso, will be featured with a digital twist that underscores the festival's aim to showcase film's ever changing language.

Cinemo: Young Artists Initiative
To develop a new breed of filmmakers to follow these legends' footsteps, .MOV will have workshops led by world-renowned industry experts as well as a young critics' initiative that focuses on teaching how to write about films by tackling a new wave of criticism, retrospection, and commentary on films to help artists to interface with the international community.

So, my friends from all over, please support them. Just be there when they launch this festival and maybe, just maybe, you'll be part of something new, something beautiful the next time around.

To you guys, the best of luck!
.MOV is the first digital film festival in the Philippines. Dedicated to the exhibition and promotion of digital filmmaking, the festival spotlights the future of filmmaking with a dynamic line-up of film screenings, in-depth panel discussions and hands-on technology presentations. Sponsored by Filmless Films, Robinsons Movieworld, Swiftsure Group and Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. For more information visit http://www.movfest.com or email dotmov@gmail.com

Level-Up in Philippine politics

Over at newphilippines.newsvine.com, there's an interesting insight on Philippine politics. Almost all institutions of government are being attacked. Over at the Senate, things are starting to get interesting, as seven senators signed a resolution asking for an investigation against Senate President Manny Villar. Villar got involved allegedly in inserting 200 million pesos for a similar road improvement project which has been previously allocated in the 2007 budget. Another anomaly, this time involving the sale of right-of-way of one of Villar's real estate company, Brittany, has got the goat of Villar. Today, he called for a press conference austensibly to clear his name. But, the People want blood. And blood they would surely get should the senate continue its probe on his alleged deals with government while occupying the Chamber's high post.

Another guy whose in hot water now is Speaker Prospero Nograles. There's an apparent coup plan against the 7-month old Speaker, reportedly hatched by Malacanang's hatchet man, DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno. Nograles' handlers tried to downplay this but today, Nograles announced that he'll be doing the rounds. He'll be "consulting" with Lakas-Kampi members on their possible choice for presidential candidate come 2010. Surely, these consultations are being done to determine whether there's cracks in the Lakas-Kampi party.

As if this is not enough, Malacanang is also being attacked. UP Professor Harry Roque has accused Trade Secretary Peter Favila of again selling out Philippine patrimony. Roque said Favila should be investigated for granting a mining deal with TELECOMMUNICATIONS FIRM ZTE. What's so anomalous about this is this--what's the expertise of ZTE in this mining thing? They're suppliers of telecommunications equipment. Do they have a record in mining? Obviously, they don't have anything to prove they're competent.

Plus of course, we must not forget the bribery scandal involving the Court of Appeals justices. CA Justice Vicente Roxas has just been axed and he's crying "politics". Roxas told ABS-CBN that he's been singled out when it was Justice Jose Sabio who admitted having received a call from his brother, PCGG Chairman Camilo Sabio and also admitted having received a bribe offer from businessman De Borja. The DOJ has called for a deeper probe and in the next few days, we'll see the prosecution of the Lopezes who owns Meralco.

What's happening? It seems that there's some "cleansing" going on. Malacanang is trying to neutralize possible opposition come 2010 while reconsolidating its forces. Why? What's the reason? To weaken political forces? For what?

Villar's S.T. means "Singit at Taga"? --Korina

The ongoing spat between Senate President Manny Villar and Senator Ping Lacson seems to be getting out of hand. Lacson dared Villar to get out of his post as Senate president to avoid tainting a possible Senate probe into Villar's alleged complicity with the double insertion scam. Senator Jamby Madrigal meanwhile asked Villar to explain his company's alleged involvement in the C-5 extension to Las Pinas and the scandal involving Villar's alleged role in the construction of the Daang Hari road from Las Pinas to Cavite. Villar's spokesperson Gilbert Remulla tried to parry attacks from all sectors against the beleaguered Senate prexy, saying that Villar's camp is not to be blamed for the decisions of Brittany, a real estate company under the Vista Land Group of Companies, the company owned by Manny Villar. Brittany, says Remulla, is preparing for their own version of this anomaly. Brittany will deny the allegations of Atty. Francisco that they sold their right-of-way to the government for P 97 million pesos.

Villar tried to air his side today with a possible presscon, but things got out of hand this morning when ABS-CBN DZMM anchor Korina Sanchez insinuated that maybe Villar got his billions not from "Sipag and Tiyaga" (ST which means literally in English, hardwork and patience) but probably from "Singit and Taga" (insertions and commissions). Those play of words seemed to have resonated all throughout the country that some of us here in the Internet are talking about it.

This early, I think, Villar should re-think his decision to gun for the highest post of the land. This is a hand-full for his media handlers. I don't think they can change public opinion with just tactical media campaigns. This calls for a more strategic media campaign for them to change public perception and re-imagine Villar's image before the public.

This early, I say, Villar should get out of the presidential derby. Heard from the grapevine that this is just a start of a slew of possible exposes against Villar. Questions---who are orchestrating these attacks?

Answer: Malacanang. Remember that Mike Defensor's sister, Maite, heads the Tollways corporation which transacted with Villar re: the alleged sale of right-of-ways. There are reports that Atty. Francisco got his documents from this company.

The Real Costs of the Mindanao War

Last September 7, 2008, the Philippine Air Force reportedly bombed a village in Maguindanao, killing civilians, including a pregnant woman. The AFP and the PAF tried to deny that there was indiscriminate bombing. The official AFP statement: these civilians were caught in a crossfire.
Yeah, they were. These civilians were in the air, caught between a flying attack Bronco and MILF rebels firing in the air. Look at these photos sent by a friend. See whose telling the truth.

How about this pregnant woman? What do you think killed her?                             

Was it bullets sprayed by soldiers or those of the Bangsamoro rebels?

Or shrapnels from a bomb which the Air Force dropped there? You'll be the judge. As far as the medico-legal report says, her throat was smashed when bomb shrapnels hit her. 

What killed these kids? Are they just shrapnels or bullets? Were they caught in a crossfire as the AFP says they were? Or they were casualties in a stupid war sparked by a nincompoop of a president? 

Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro says the AFP still needs at least 80 billion to sustain the war against the Bangsamoro rebels. I ask Mr. Teodoro---how much more bombs will you authorize to drop on these communities in Mindanao? How many more rounds of ammo will you send flying to the direction of innocent civilians? How many mortar rounds would it possibly need for you and the entire government to force these Bangsamoro rebels to their knees? And how much more money do you need to rebuild these lives lost because of this insane war?

When will you and these Bangsamoro rebels stop?

History has shown that government spent billions and billions of pesos waging this decades-old war and it's still there. One thing I learned from history school---one bullet fired by both sides, additional month of war.

What about Meralco?

The Supreme Court yesterday punished members of the Court of Appeals who reportedly took part in the GSIS vs. Meralco case bribery scandal. CA Justice Vicente Roxas was fired for violating the Canons of Judicial Ethics while his colleague, Jose Sabio, was suspended for 3 months. Other members of the committee who handled the GSIS vs. Meralco case such as Justice Myrna Vidal and Justice Vazquez were merely reprimanded and admonished. Meanwhile, alleged bribe giver businessman De Borja is to be charged with a crime by the DOJ.

So all participants were meted just punishment? I think not.

The Supreme Court did not answer the basic question of the People--did Meralco really gave bribe money to these justices? How many justices got bribed? And why did they not punished Meralco if it did, indeed, allegedly gave bribe money to influence the justices that led to that favorable decision?

How much bribe money changed hands when this case was being heard? And with this tainted decision, should it be proper for the Supreme Court to overturn the favorable decision? There should be a review of the GSIS vs. Meralco case.

The SC decision stopped short in identifying the conduit but never really probed deep enough to really identify who among the Meralco organization coordinated with De Borja in the alleged crime. I don't believe that this businessman acted alone. It is quite improbable for somebody like him to fork out 30 million pesos just because "he has personal interest" in the case? Surely, being a big-time operator, De Borja reports to a principal, which, has not been identified properly by the SC.

Government should order the Department of Justice, particularly the NBI, to probe deeper into this scandal and identify the shadowy figures involved in this mess. These people should be punished.

As of this moment, both Meralco and the GSIS have been trading legal shots at each other. Meralco took the first salvo by filing a criminal case against GSIS which it responded by countering with another case, this time, for malicious prosecution. 

It's getting messier friends and it impacts on the general perception of investors about the state not only of Philippine politics but of the business environment. 

RP Generals in heat

The first one was this general who burst out from a meeting with provincial officials when a Congressman accused the Army of not being there when fighting broke out between the MILF and local vigilante groups. Then Air Force Chief Pedrito Cadungog followed with threats of punching anyone who'll accuse the Air Force of having widow makers and flying coffins in its fleet.

Now, Western Mindanao Command Chief Lt. General Nelson Allaga sending off a text message to an Inquirer journalist who was asking why there's still US troops stationed in Zamboanga City. The text was uncalled for.

It seems that generals right now act like bullies and not gentlemen. We pay for their salaries and we even subsidized their studies as plebes. But when they earn their stripes, they now consider us as if we are their slaves.

Why do we have generals such as these? Umakyat na ba ang kapangyarihan sa mga ulo ng mga yan? I don't want to judge but it seems like it.

Imagine an Air Force Chief threatening everyone with harm should we tell him the truth. Pedrito, have you even reviewed the fleet of dilapidated airplanes you have in your disposal? And those old Hueys which caused the deaths of many of your men? How do you describe them, ha, Pedrito? Do you want us, the people, to just take these all in stride?

I once met Lt. General Allaga when I was covering the 2000 Erap-initiated war against the Bangsamoro rebels and he was a gentleman. What had happened to him?

Where are the generals who serve the people as officers and gentlemen? It seems that the pampering done by Gloria had surely gone to the heads of these so-called generals.

MERALCO the big mafiosi boss should be stopped right now!

Meralco, that behemoth of a power utility firm, is at it again. The Lopez-controlled firm has just announced a rate hike. They want Filipinos living in the Metropolis to give them 5 pesos more per kilowatt-hour of electricity. The reason for the power hike, so they say, is the shortage of electric distribution, which, in the words of Meralco PR boss Elpi Cuna, force their company to again, hike prices. Cuna says Meralco will again suffer from public outrage since the hike will be blamed to them. " It's not our fault", says Cuna. "..it's the fault of government." Or, specifically, the PSALM.

Besides, at the Senate energy committee probe today, Meralco admitted not knowing what's the correct charge to their customers. Without saying outright, Meralco says they may or may not be charging the right rate to us. If they don't know their math, they don't deserve being our distribution company.

I don't know about you but I'm sick and tired of Meralco's oft-repeated refrain of having losses "in the service of the Filipino." I mean, we are being fooled by this Lopez-controlled firm for the longest time. Senator Miriam Santiago is right--if the company is losing millions or even billions, the firm should probably decide to give over the reins of management to other groups (read: GSIS). There's something wrong with how Meralco is being run and government should step in to change the situation.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. This would probably surprise a lot of my friends, since at the onset of the GSIS vs. Meralco war, I made a stand against GSIS simply because Winston Garcia is doing it the wrong way. Now that he has momentarily desisted from his foolish enterprise, and Meralco again acted like a big mafiosi boss, it's time for government to intervene for the sake of the suffering consumers.

Since Gloria has failed to leave a legacy on the peace process in Mindanao, maybe it's time for the illegitimate president to focus on alleviating the plight of the Filipino masses by intervening in this case. Meralco continues to abuse the confidence of its customers and it is time for government to intervene.

Malacanang should start by revoking the franchise of Meralco. Gloria has the power to do that. If Meralco balks and goes to the Supreme Court, then, sige, allow them to do so. Or, better yet, Gloria should use the full force of the law and takeover Meralco. My, this utility firm is causing so much harm to the public welfare that everybody will applaud her for doing so.

It's time to change the policies of this distribution giant and give the reins of management to another who understands what Filipinos are experiencing. Look, Meralco's charges comprise at least 45% of the monthly pay of an ordinary Filipino worker and this is toooo much! I will support Gloria and even kiss her puny face should she win against Meralco.

The Legacy of Arroyo in the Peace Process

Press secretary Jesus Dureza said it matter-of-factly--Arroyo daw has laid the building blocks for peace. Yeah. Good soundbite of a lie.

For eight years, Arroyo and her peace panel dilly-dallied in their negotiations with the MILF. Under Arroyo, the peace process went nowhere and eventually had gone haywire. Malaysia entered into the picture to protect its territory Sabah and nearly convinced Arroyo to abandon all talk about reclaiming it as Philippine territory (in fact I remember a conversation Arroyo had with one of her department secretaries saying that he should not pursue the Sabah claim) if they continue brokering the talks.

At the twilight of her term, Arroyo's peace panel worked for the ultimate failure of the talks by acceding to an impossible thing. Members of the panel should have known that it is next to impossible to create the BJE. US pressure had lead to this debacle and now sectors are demanding Arroyo to step down or they would file an impeachment complaint for culpable violation of the charter.

Right now, we are back to square one. Foreign donors, including JICA, have decided to abandon peace initiatives and projects in Mindanao. I dont know about the Institute for Peace, but indications point to that direction also. And yes, we have not heard any gunfire nor mortar rounds nor seen shelling or bombing since an informal ceasefire has been established. Yet, many say that after the Ramadhan, fighting would definitely commence albeit with more intensity than before.

So, what is this legacy that Dureza is talking about? Is this the legacy of causing more war? Is this the legacy of turning the peace process back to square one? Yeah, it seems like it.

Oil companies and Meralco: Big Players with Big Kapalmuks

Why do giant oil companies find it very hard to rollback oil prices, when small players can do it without batting an eyelash? Answer: they pay big bucks to government to protect their asses compared with what small players give as "tongpats". Remember that Shell, Caltex and Petron executives report to their global asses...err...bosses and they must report big profits; otherwise, as what Senator Kiko Pangilinan says they might as well abandon this tiny republic.

The energy undersecretary this morning admitted on national radio that these giant oil companies can't ask for recovery from losses anymore simply because they already re-coup whatever they incurred since July 2008. So, why are these giant oil companies still refuse to bring back oil prices to respectable levels.

Same as Meralco. You know, this crafty, little old abuser demands a 5-peso increase in their rates this month. I remember when GSIS President Winston Garcia was lambasting them and nearly acquired Meralco, the Lopez-owned utility firm justified the high price of electricity with the high prices of oil. Now that oil prices are falling, why is Meralco demanding for a rate hike? Kapal naman ng mukha ng Meralco!

We have the highest electricity rate and the highest gasoline and diesel prices in the entire Asia! These profiteers are doing their stuff to the detriment of the suffering masses.

Come to think of it...it's not only them who deserve the people's justice. We also must militate against food and rice traders who continue to sell high prices despite the falling global food prices. These people are so brazen in fooling us simply because we allow them to. It's time for the people to hit back at these people, especially Meralco. Meralco is the most vile utility firm ever to walk the face of this country. It should be partitioned and its franchise revoked by this government before it further cause destruction to the lives of the people.

Double talk on Peace

Government has just "retired" members of the peace panel. Yet, those nincoompoops out there say, they are still committed to peace. The announcement of Gloria the Queen of the Enchanted Kingdom came after the MILF says they'll just wait for the next president before they again go and engage in b.s. talk with the GRP.

Does peace still have a Chinaman's chance in Mindanao? Not in a million years, I think.

First, government has changed its tune, from giving up precious territory to disarmament. They think that they could disarm those Bangsamoros out there and talk peace. Yeah, bring it on. Guns have been part of Moro culture since the Spanish era and no way would they give up their arms just for Gloria. They'll just do it probably if forced to.

Nur Misuari, meanwhile, wants to form an army of mujaheddins. That's fresh. He thinks that he can form a 150,000-strong Bangsamoro army that would "police" the purported territory of the Bangsamoro. Where would he get P 18 billion to fund such a massive enterprise? From Malaysia or from Saudi Arabia? I think Saudi would give that amount. But, would the MILF join him? I think not. Murad is not a Misuari, but Murad. Also, Misuari says he's forming a "peace army". Yeah, that's a peace army, alright. Amidst the sounds of gunfire, the sounds of wailing and dying men waifs in the air. After that, peace. And the only ones left standing are members of the peace army, yeah!

I am tired of all these b.s. If these groups are not committed to peace, then, let them kill each other perpetually. We're trying to stop them from wasting precious lives but if they are blood thirsty, I think it's time to let them be. Okey, spill more blood in Mindanao. Drown its people with blood. And maybe in the future, a field of lotuses spring from a blood-filled landscape.

Symbol of Filipino Poverty Lives

Mang Pandoy, the symbol of Filipino poverty during FVR's time, died due to tuberculosis. After being used as FVR's poster boy during his administration, Mang Pandoy's body lies somewhere in Payatas, albeit without a decent funeral.

His death symbolized one thing--how government really thinks about the poor in our society. The Filipino poor is just worth a photo op.

He's only worth during corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns when companies invest huge money to "give back" what they stole from the people. He's only worth as ballot fodder. And when government needs warm bodies to counteract the Movement for Change. Such is the fate of the poor in this country.

I shudder at the thought of what had happened to those bangkang papel boys--Gloria's own poster boys. Will they suffer the fate of Mang Pandoy--neglected and thrown aside like a ragtag doll? Or will they rise up to the challenge of poverty and do something to change their lot?

Mang Pandoy's lungs collapsed, not because of the toxic fumes he's used to breathe. No. Mang Pandoy died ironically from a curable disease. TB is a pauper's disease. It just shows how government really treats us, poor people.

His death shows how alive poverty really is in this country.

Gloria's pay raise

I don't know the reasons why Gloria deserve a pay raise. There's a proposal today to increase the monthly salary of Gloria. I don't know about you, but, for me, Gloria does not deserve a pay hike.

Is'nt enough for her to receive millions from dubious deals which her husband got as First Gentleman? Is'nt enough that she gets millions worth of donations from political patrons? 

And on a sober side, there's a prohibition in the Constitution that government cannot raise the pay of officials during their term of office. I mean, come on! You can't legislate something which would benefit you alone, right?

Instead of raising pay hikes, it's best for government to just raise the morale of government officials and employees. Those who serve the government do so not to enrich themselves in office. No. They think it is their patriotic duty and it should be more than enough compensation for their work.

Nur forming Bangsamoro Armed Forces

Former MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari is said to be forming a 150,000 strong MNLF police force. Misuari said that he intends to train this police force to protect areas said to be part of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE). Now that government refuses to honor its previous commitment as encapsulated in the failed BJE-MOA, Moro groups such as the MNLF are finding other ways to "keep the peace" in Mindanao.

The question is--is this constitutional? Is Misuari allowed by the Philippine Constitution to form his own police force? Obviously, no. The only legitimate armed forces as contemplated in the Charter are those authorized by legislative fiat which are the AFP and the PNP. Any other force are illegitimate. So, how would government view this suggestion?

Misuari cannot form his own armed forces because it is tantamount to rebellion. If he operates within the purview of the Philippine constitution, he risks arrest and possible detention because he cannot form such an army.

Another armed aggrupation in Mindanao will not help the peace process there. What would be beneficial is for the GRP and the MILF to go back to the peace table. But, how will they when obviously both camps are insincere?

In the next few weeks, we expect a temporary cessation of hostilities. However, after 45 days, no body knows what would happen in Mindanao should both sides continue to harden their positions. The MILF already declared that they'll wait for the next president to resolve the Bangsamoro Question, a virtual declaration that they're abandoning the peace talks.