Ridiculous Right to Reply Bill

My colleagues in the mainstream media have already wrote their pieces against the Right to Reply bill. Doronila described the bill as "offensive to the freedom of the press" and "as pernicious as the muzzling of the press by totalitarian dictatorships." His quips are just some of the hundreds of words used to describe the effects of such a bill would do should it pass executive scrutiny.

The bill's author, Senator Aquilino Pimentel challenges us to make a "reasoned argument" against it. He thinks that it's logical---a news paper hits you, you hit back. Good. But, is this sound reasoning?

Consider this--a newspaper reports a scam based on a final report given by a government agency. The agency condemns a Senator for being part of that scam. Notice that it's a final report, meaning, the agency already made the necessary preliminary investigation, called both parties, the accuser and the accuse to a hearing and already made a conclusion, which now forms a part of the final report.

Now, under the Right to Reply bill, the newspaper will then be held liable for a crime should it fails to give the accused the right to reply, for what? To contest the results of that final report? It's final already, is'nt it? Why will the newspaper give the accused the right to reply?

And is'nt it right to say that the accused be made to reply in court or in that government agency, not in the newspaper?

Likewise, a newspaper writes about a Supreme Court ruling. The Highest Tribunal says that the son of a Senator is guilty of rape. Under the Right to Reply bill, the newspaper is now obliged to give space to the rapist who will probably contest the ruling of the Highest Tribunal and say his innocence.

There are so many instances that we can cite here that refutes the arguments of Pimentel and his colleagues. What Pimentel is probably referring to here are opinions, not news. He should have qualified the provisions of that bill. But, if he do so, will he not violate press freedom and the right to self-expression clauses enshrined in the Constitution? Yes, he will.

Consider this---an opinion writer, under the Right to Reply bill, will lose his job because the bill will effectively curtail his responsibility of writing a learned column. For example, my friend Jarius Bondoc writes about an anomaly at the DOTC. With a space requiring just 2,000 or 3,000 words, would it be sufficient to write about the side of the DOTC? Probably yes, Bondoc still has some space left. But, it is his discretion to include that reply in his column. NO ONE has the right to tell him otherwise.

Likewise, my friend Neil Cruz of the Inquirer and Julius Fortuna will also lose their shirts because of this bill. Why? Their columns will eat up so much space if we allow millions of Filipinos to exercise their right to reply for or against the things which they wrote in their columns.

So, now, Mr. Pimentel, is this logic for you?

BSP charges Celso delos Angeles with 1 billion syndicated estafa

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) just filed a 1 billion peso syndicated estafa charge against Legacy owner Celso "Boy Sese" delos Angeles. So, are we, the People, especially those 130,000 depositors scammed by this financial artist, satisfied with this?

No. Celso should be made to account for the 14 billion pesos he reportedly got from those double your money schemes he devised to scam people out of their shirts.

The BSP should modify their charge to 14 billion pesos syndicated estafa, instead of 1 billion.

Likewise, the warrant of arrest for Celso should be accomplished in haste, so that he'll not bail himself out of this one.

Celso's accomplices should also be summarily executed, err, arrested, especially officials of Dynamic Bank, particularly those involved in the marketing of this highly anomalous double your money scheme. According to reports, Dynamic Bank had the biggest exposure and the biggest take of deposits amounting to about 2.5 billion, so the officers of this bank should be charged and jailed with Boy Sese too.

A Manila Times report says that Sese operated one of the biggest syndicates in the Philippines. He heads this ruthless syndicate with impunity and even has the capability to kill their detractors.

The State should match their firepower with more lethal force. If Celso and the rest of those who scammed the Filipino People of 14 billion pesos resist arrest, the State should very well give them what's due to them immediately.

Yet, I doubt it if we'll see Boy Sese behind bars. Will Speaker Nograles allow his bosom buddy to spend time in jail?

The next chapter of this episode is predictable---Celso delos Angeles will escape the long-arm of the law and like Joc-Joc Bolante before, will try to seek refuge in the United States or Timbuktu. He'll probably enjoy his billions there, in the comforts of a villa.

The Demonita and the Architect

Mrs. Arroyo, the lucky beneficiary of the EDSA II, choose to ignore EDSA I celebrities today. According to her deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo, Mrs. Arroyo will, instead, go to a job fair and spend the rest of the day musing. That's amusing, to say the least. Though a fence-sitter during those historic times, the least that we expect of her is just put makeup on her puffy face and try to smile while there.

On the other hand, Mrs. Arroyo should very well be out there. She's the Mistress of the Dark Forces who want to demonize the Spirit of EDSA. She has given her piece every year, to the chagrin of those who took part and sacrificed their very lives for the restoration of democracy.

I just had a text chat with one of the architects of the EDSA I revolution. He said that we must continue the struggle that they started twenty four years ago. There is so much promise with the Youth of today that it is imperative for those who still believe in the Cause to organize them and turn them into a potent force for change.

And I believe him, knowing him personally all these years. He's still very much active in the service, devoted as he is to public service while I, am still involved in media work, albeit, serving the interests of the People.

So, one wants to exorcise the Spirit while the other wants to still pursue the Cause of the Spirit of EDSA. One sacrificed his life for the sake of the many; while the other one can be likened to a lotto winner who just fence sitted her stubby ass for a time and waited for that time to emerge winner of the biggest loot in history.

Elections, no. Inspiration, YES!

Arroyo wanted to erase the legacy of the EDSA revolts from the minds of the public. And for what reason? In an uncertain world, it is the duty of the State to diminish collective angst through calibrated responses meant to either re-direct public attention to the pressing issues of the day or summarily dismiss them as destabilizing propaganda. And what better way to hammer that out with the main poster girl of the State prate before a dogged crowd , while she deconstructs History to suit her better taste.

While the national trumpeteer in the person of Lorelei Fajardo investigates how lowly junior officers and former generals manage to cough out 176,000 pesos for the ad of a detained leader, noting perhaps that soldiers are low-paid and oppressed lot, a general wave of interest sweeps the nation. What is the reason for such boldness? Is it to spite those who already gambled their legacies and vow to protect the New Dictator as Praetorian guards? Or, is it to announce to the whole world that finally, the New Patriots of this generation have risen from their stupor?

Others are downplaying it, saying that it's part of a national campaign to support a Senatorial bid. If that is so, then, what's the use of spending time in jail? Are those years spent in incarceration wasted when the very idea of running for public office ran counter to the very reason for the sacrifice?

There can never be change if people of such authority entertain thoughts of compromise.

It is the position of NPR that before we go into an election this 2010, there should be a campaign to correct the system. Without correcting the decrepit nature of this prevailing system, there will always be this general feeling of moribund-ness and of uncompleteness.

We don't need elections. What we need is inspiration.

Celso delos Angeles siphoned billions, says BSP

This is why 140,000 depositors are now suffering, due to the criminal acts of Mr. Celso delos Angeles, owner of Legacy banks and now lives off his life with billions stashed in other banks.

"Legacy owner siphoned billions, says BSP"
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.Philippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 23:47:00 02/23/2009Filed Under: Banking, Financially Distressed Companies

The central bank, Bangko Sentral n Pilipinas (BSP), Monday accused Celso de los Angeles Jr., founder of the Legacy group, of siphoning billions of pesos in deposits from 12 now-shuttered rural banks of the group through fictitious loans, ghost motorcycle and car sales, and overpriced properties.

BSP supervision and examination department head Chuchi Fonacier told members of the House committee on banks and financial intermediaries how De los Angeles eluded regulators by juggling funds between the rural banks and non-bank companies and how he ran the Legacy group through dummy nominees and trusted lieutenants in key management positions.

“From day one, Celso de los Angeles had intended to have PDIC [Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.] answer for the deposits he had siphoned off should the Legacy banks fail,” Fonacier said.

The BSP said it would file charges against De los Angeles within the week.

Fonacier said De los Angeles initially lured depositors and investors by offering double-your-money schemes with yields of 34 percent and 74 percent for three and five year terms, respectively, with one-year interest paid in monthly checks. This resulted in a 44-percent jump in deposits for Legacy from 2006 to 2008, compared with 6-8 percent growth rates in other banks, he said.

Legacy also deployed agents to offer loans for motorcycles and cars sold by Legacy Motors with a commission of one to 10 percent, Fonacier said.

De los Angeles explained that Legacy offered to charge drivers P100 a day, or less than the P150-a-day boundary they paid tricycle operators. He claimed he was in a joint venture with a Chinese motorcycle maker who supplied him with affordable motorbikes.

Fonacier said most of the motorcycle loans were fictitious. He said Dynamic Bank, for instance, made P2.5 billion in motorcycle loans but records showed only 119 of the 44,172 borrowers received their units.

The modus operandi was duplicated in the banks’ real estate loans where individuals were paid a one percent-commission on loans they signed up for that were immediately transferred to De los Angeles’ Fusion Capital.

Fonacier said the borrowers were made to believe that Fusion would be liable for the loans but it turned out they were still the borrowers of record. She said 10 Legacy banks lent out P3.7 billion.

The loans were then converted into property assets by the Legacy banks, which the BSP has found to be grossly overvalued or nonexistent.

Fonacier said Legacy banks packaged these dubious assets and loans as long-term sales contracts to Legacy affiliates that were not covered by the BSP to evade its examiners and to show that the loans were all current and its capital was sufficient.

The last armed Katipunan uprising

In May 21, 1967, an 83 year old man named Valentin delos Santos led some thirty two bolo wielding farmers in a fight against Marcos' Constabularies. Armed with just rusty bolos and itaks, these men who belonged to the Lapiang Malaya clashed with armalite-wielding cops. It was a massacre. These poor folk who came from different provinces demanded the resignation of Marcos. What Macoy did was answer them with a hail of bullets. Five years later, Marcos declared martial rule.

Delos Santos' Lapiang Malaya, says Ileto, was the last armed rebellion led by those who believed in the mystical nature of the Katipunan. Accounts at that time, told of secret rituals bearing the "sun symbol" used in many Katipunan rites by members of the Lapiang Malaya. Valentin even attributed the roots of the LM with that of the Katipunan.

Now, the question remains---will we see the re-emergence of groups such as this? And if this happens, will the State respond the same way? Mrs. Arroyo has her calibrated response. Will this be used against known enemies of the state?

The Continuing Revolution

On May 10, we will be commemorating the death of the great Plebian Andres Bonifacio. This is not marked as a holiday in any of our calendars. Yet, it bears remembering here, since that treacherous death signalled the new chapter in the Katipunan revolution. As what fellow Historian Ambet Ocampo wrote in his book on Bonifacio, his death led to a shift in leadership, from the worker's class to the propertied class. With Bonifacio gone, pseudo-revolutionary thought permeated within the Katipunan, promoted by Filipino peninsulares and intelligentsia, the likes of Paterno and Aguinaldo. These propertied men tried to erase the millenarian character of the revolution and attempted to pattern the revolt with Western models. The adoption of Western war tactics paid off, but, these concepts carried conceptual baggages like diplomacy, truce and sell outs. History is replete with instances of sellouts by the Filipino propertied class to subvert the pure Filipino concept of revolution.

Despite these attempts at diluting the millenarian nature of the Katipunan revolution, manifestations of Katipunan revolts mark every chapter of Philippine history. The mark of these revolts bear noting, since these are not just agrarian nor worker's based outbursts. Rather, they bear the Katipunan trademark, ascribing the struggle as that of Jesus Christ, with all the markings of the Pasyon written all over it. One such incident was that of Macario Sakay, who led the New Katipunan against American colonialists. Like his forebear Bonifacio, Sakay was a victim of treachery.

Dr. Reynaldo Ileto in his book, " Pasyon and Rebolusyon" (Passion and Revolution) wrote many manifestations of the Katipunan Spirit, as recently manifested in the EDSA revolt. Ileto said that EDSA I and the Katipunan bear striking resemblance due to the millenarian character of these two revolts. It just showed that there is, still, a continuing revolution which claims its roots from the Bonifacio led revolution.

Like its predecessor, EDSA I has its pasyon chapters in it. The birthing of EDSA is the " baptism" chapter. Cory's revolutionary cabinet was like Jesus Christ's formation of his 12 disciples. Enrile's highly publicized resignation as Cory's defense minister was history's version of Judas Iscariot's alleged treachery. And the series of coup attempts made against Cory was like Jesus Christ's passion.

The interregnum (Ramos' administration) can be likened to Christ's descent to hell where he tried to save as many souls as he can. Yet, it was interrupted by an attempt to re-institute a hellish version with Erap's administration which led to an obvious attempt at "re-birth" with EDSA two.

So, we see that our history is replete with highs and troughs, bearing the mark of Christ passion. Predictably, what we are in right now is what I call the "treasorous" stage where former architects of the revolution are reprising their Judas Iscariot roles all over again, much the same way as those propertied class did against Bonifacio and Sakay.

Last Sunday's EDSA picture, showing Enrile, Honasan and the RAM boys sipping tea with Mrs. Arroyo is obviously a painting likened to Da Vinci's "Last Supper" except that the characters show a pseudo-Christ partaking food with Judases in barongs.

It was an attempt to promote a new kind of philosophy rooted in what Mrs. Arroyo termed as "a new kind of boldness". Arroyo's new boldness philosophy is being made as a counter-ideology against the rising and fully gestating true expression of Katipunan revolution.

That picture of Mrs. Arroyo with Enrile and the RAM boys and that Inquirer ad showing various organizations uniting behind the leadership of Danny Lim are filled with meanings. It revealed two competing forces in modern Philippine history, much the same way as those of Magdalo and Magdiwang during the revolution.

However, one obvious question remains---which among the two forces will win it this time? What people don't know is that the real inspiration behind the RAM is actually not Honasan. No. Honasan did played a key role but the ideologues behind that historic movement are not those in that stage with Mrs. Arroyo.

Those who sipped and partook of the poison fruit by Herr Majesty last Sunday are like the Macabebe scouts who betrayed Sakay. They are the inheritors of the ignominious role played by Col. Makapagal who pulled the trigger that killed the Great Plebian in that mystical mountain in Maragondon Cavite.

Like historical traitors, these former comrades will also share the same fate as their father who hanged himself in the tree. When these RAM boys staked their legacies for a fistful sum of gold, they threw their souls along with it. Like those Katipuneros who betrayed Bonifacio, they will all share the same fate as that of Aguinaldo's who died of old age (Enrile?)

What is certain is that light always triumph against darkness. This "show of forces" which we witnessed today mark the continuing, not the end, of this revolution started centuries ago. Mrs. Arroyo's "boldness" speech tried to stab this revolution to death, yet, what she failed to recognize is that no force is strong enough to kill the "dream".

The dream may have died with Enrile, Honasan and the RAM boys of Gloria. Yet, those words etched in the RAM offices in Makati are still pretty much burning within the hearts of the True Patriots of Bonifacio's revolution. With God's help, that dream, will, someday, if not soonest, become a reality.

J's Bigger Picture is actually smaller than previously thought

When I read J's article on the Baselines bill, I was initially impressed. J, the youngest writer at FilipinoVoices, wrote a somewhat learned analysis and explanation of the bill.

However, much to my chagrin, the more I read it, the more convince am I that his assumptions are wrong. Or, worst, unwittingly written to misled the reader.

First, J failed to tell what's the true implications of the concepts of "archipelago" and "regime of islands." J said that, by the Senate describing the Spratlys as a "regime of islands", the august body effectively strengthen, instead of weaken, the Philippine position on the disputed territories. He went further to say that the Senate just avoided the possible hoopla a claims assertion would do in case the Philippines further reiterated its claim on these islands.

J even went further and said that we have no more time and there's a deadline. To avoid possiblt problems before the CLC, the country needs to pass a watered down version of the bill.

Bull.

First, the concepts of "archipelago" and "regime of islands" have been debated and staunchly defended by the Philippines since the 1970's. Even before the ratification of the UNCLOS, the Philippine position has been very consistent---that Article 1 of the 1987 Constitution is the controlling legal principle with regards to Philippine territory. The Philippine territory is limited or delimited only by the very definition as stated in this provision. No constitutional law professor would argue otherwise.

And based on the 1987 Constitution, we are an archipelagic state. The essence therefore of our position wrest on this principle.

Having said that, an archipelago, as defined by international convention and by the minutes of the Constitutional Convention is very clear---it is a contiguous area made up of islands. As the erudite professor Harry Roque said, all the islands including the waters surrounding and between those islands comprise the Philippine archipelago.

Now, with this watered down version, we actually allowed a redefinition of this provision through a legislative fiat, which, upon closer scrutiny, is inconsistent with the principle of archipelagic state.

When we utilized the concept of "regime of islands", we effectively disassociated these islands from the archipelagic territory. What these Senators did, they excluded these islands to avoid possible diplomatic confrontations.

The exclusionary provision of the bill presents a serious problem. If these "regime of islands" are not part of the baselines, then, it implies that it not ours. It is excluded from the baselines of the archipelago. Now, if it is excluded, then, it is not included. If these islands are not included, then, the Philippines cannot claim effective sovereignty over them. If they are not sovereign territory, then, what are them? J would definitely say, "its a regime of Islands". He would probably say this in this way:

" The Kalayaan and Scarborough shoal are a regime of islands. Being a regime of islands, it is not part of the Philippine archipelago, but we did'nt abandon our claims to them. They are still ours yet others also claim them."

What foolishness. How can you claim such territory if you say it is not included in the archipelago? If you're an archipelagic country and you don't recognize a regime of islands beyond the baselines, when (1) you historically stake a claim to it by effective dominion and (2) exercises control by maintaining a base and a community of your people there, then, what is your real stand?

The Senate now says that Kalayaan and Scarborough shoal are a regime of islands away from the baselines of the Philippine archipelago, hence, not part of territory but being claimed by us as well as other nations. Is that an abandonment of the previous state position or not? It is a clear abandonment of the Philippine position just because of the convenience of avoiding a diplomatic row between China or other claimant countries.

Worst, which J did'nt tell or wrote on that entry is the stark implication of the bill in the waters "around, surrounding and between" the islands comprising our archipelago. The bill allowed foreign ships to now, pass around and between these islands. What's the implication? It just says that we don't own these waters and it is now "open" to anyone who wants to exploit those waters. Example, Taiwanese trawlers are now permitted to fish in the Sulu sea, because that part of the world, is now "international waters". Or the waters in the Gulf of Lingayen. That gulf can now be exploited since it is not part of Philippine territory---it is now international waters.

A Sad Day Indeed

Just got a text from my cousin. She informed me that my grandma, the one who raised me, took care of me and supported me throughout my life, died this morning.

I am in a state of disbelief, yet, something in me, accepted that already. She's already eighty plus years old. Death is an inevitable consequence of existence. The clock of life starts to tick towards death the very nano-second of birth.

Anastacia Soyosa Magallanes is the name of my grandma. She was born in the barangay of Tanauan, in the City of Tacloban, Leyte. She met my grandfather during World War II and they got married. Their first born was a girl named Rosalinda. My mother was the first of ten children. While I was the first of many grandchildren.

As the first grandchild, my life was pretty good. My grandma raised me since I was a child until I reached college. We were pretty close. We share practically everything.

She was a strict Catholic, that's why I always attend Church, go to Black Mary's on Fridays and became active in Church activities. At the age of six, I already finished reading the entire bible. I have at least six bibles in my little library.

I nearly became a priest under the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). I passed the exams given by the priest with flying colors and started to prepare myself for the week-long seminary when I saw my UPCAT scores. My grandma told me to go to UP.

It was in UP that we slowly became detached, since I became active in student politics and the rigorous grind of academic life. Ever so slowly, those strong ties became weaker until we did not see each other anymore for weeks, months, then years.

When she went to Australia, I vividly remember how I tried very hard to reach the airport just to see her. I came from UP and rode a bus going to NAIA. It was raining. Traffic just started to grind ever so slowly. I looked at the clock and saw that it was just a few minutes before her embarkation. I alighted from the bus and started to run as fast as I can. When I reached the corner of EDSA and South Super, I rode a jeepney going to the airport.

I arrived a few minutes before she entered the immigration area. It was so frustrating that I cried. I will never, ever see my grandma again, I told myself. I need to be strong.

Last December, I got news that she tripped when she tried to go to the toilet. She was rushed to the Makati Medical Center. We spent Christmas together and she was the very first person I saw and greeted Happy New Year. After that, she was operated upon and I was not there. She recovered very well. Yet, I sensed that this is the start of her deterioration since she's not accustomed to being in bed everytime.

When my cousin texted me that nanay (I call my grandma that) wanted to see everyone because she wanted to celebrate her recovery, I asked my cousin why. It was not good texting everyone that. My grandma is still strong, to my estimation, and probably I'll be first to go before her. When I was a teenager, I asked God that I be given the chance to die first before my nanay.

I went to the celebration. I saw my Nanay, still strong, yet she always want to sleep. When she woke up, we talked and I always make sure that I put a smile on her face. She always laugh when she's with me. She touched my hand and said "thank you." Flashback---this was also the same way my grandfather passed away. I ignored that. I told myself that my nanay will live longer pa.

I don't want to see my nanay always in bed. Yet, her body is weak but I sensed that her spirit is strong and refreshed. She's at peace with God. I'll pray for her. Yet, I'll ask God why He never granted my wish not to see my nanay in a coffin.

I'm still here, at home, blogging. Just got word that she died. I'm not crying. No tears. I told myself, death is a gift from God. It is time to go. Time to spend eternity with the Creator. Time to rest in that perfumed garden God prepared to those who believe in Him.

I will miss my nanay. It is a sad day indeed.

China should re-read the Baselines Bill

Unknown to many, I once worked as Foreign Affairs Specialist at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). I was detailed at the department's think-tank, the Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies (CIRSS) or what we all call "sears". Handling the economic diplomacy desk, I was one of those who recommended and accurately predicted the inclusion of China in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the possible re-organization of the regional trade organizations into multilateral economic zones. This is happening right now.

This latest caper by China, issuing a protest over the Senate's watered down version of the Archipelagic Baselines Bill is a comedy, a laughable thing which, probably stemmed from the inability of the Philippine Charge d'Affairs in Beijing to translate the bill to Mandarin. The statement is a knee-jerk reaction from the Chinese, albeit, done grinning sheepishly while saying it. Come on, China. We both know that the bill diluted our claims to the Kalayaan Islands and Scarborough shoal. Under the "regime of islands" concept in the UNCLOS, the version practically abandoned the claims, and yet, you protest. And for what?

Because we did'nt unilaterally dropped the entire claim, as you suggested in talks with the Arroyo administration late last year? Your attaches and political operators went into full high-gear diplomacy with our Congressmen, those very close to Arroyo, to ask our government to abandon the claims in exchange for commercial transaction of the Congressmen's self-appointed companies and a whooping government-to-government loan under the China Exim bank.

Former UN representative Lauro Baja already told the whole world that the Philippines erred in passing that version since it effectively handed over to you the entire Kalayaan archipelago. You can now exploit those territories for themselves, says Baja.

China should re-read the bill and revert back to us with a reasonable answer.

Clinton slaps Arroyo while Arroyo snaps back with Smith

The timing is impeccable. It deserves both our derision and praise.

The Supreme Court released a decision on convicted American rapist Daniel Smith, the very same week new US State department Hillary Clinton does her Asian trip. Shortly after the SC released the decision, temperatures again rose when civil society groups and the media try to revive nationalist passions against US inaction to hand over the rapist.

Is this a case of just "papansin", or in English, PDA meaning Public Display of Anger?

Obviously, the Smith case is a classic propaganda campaign meant to convince Obama and his administration that the Philippines is more relevant, than, say Indonesia or Thailand.

Those obvious snubs which Obama gave Arroyo and this slap by Clinton shows how strained relations between the Arroyo administration and the US government is right now.

This explains why the Arroyo administration is getting cozier with the Chinese than Obama, to the point that the government dangled the Kalayaan and Scarborough shoals as bait to the Americans.

The gambit did'nt work. That's why Arroyo is now dangling Smith before the nose of Obama and Clinton, trying to get their attention and for what? To save her administration? Or probably, to save her skin and that of her husband, who obviously, faces the prospect of arrest due to money laundering?

China triumphs with the loss of Kalayaan

Last night, the Senate passed the modified version of the Baselines bill. This version, our sources say, is the one "approved" by the Chinese government. Essentially, the bill conveniently excluded the seas and oceans between the Kalayaan Islands and Scarborough shoals under our regime of islands, which, effectively means that we don't own those prime properties. This is the official abandonment of our claims to these islands which were discovered by a Filipino and occupied by Filipinos.

It's now up to the President to sign the bill and pass it to the UNCLOS or the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea. The UN will take note of this and put it as our answer to numerous queries on our definite position regarding this contentious issue.

If Arroyo signs this into law, this act alone would effectively demolish decades of positioning we took before regional and world bodies in relation to Kalayaan and Scarborough shoals. It laid waste millions of pesos we spent in legal research and trips abroad when we tried to convince the world that these oil-rich islands are ours.

Now, what would then happen to our "part" in the joint exploration agreement? Surely, China and Vietnam would squirm at giving us our share in the proceeds of this joint exploration since we now claim that these islands are not part of official Philippine territory.

So, do we benefit from this baselines bill? No. Who now rejoices at this one? Of course, China.

As I wrote in previous entries, this government is selling prime Philippine property at break-neck speed, possibly because it's only a few months before they write finis to their evil governance. This bill is the biggest real estate sellout in history. After giving our Zambales mines to China and at least 20% of our agricultural lands for the food security requirements of the Chinese, we are now giving away precious oil resources for a measly sum of US$ 8 billion when we could have asked foreign companies to develop these resources and mine those undersea oil.

We say, we're weak and we're not in the position to negotiate or sustain our claims to these islands. That's not reason enough. This is the golden age of diplomacy. And it's far-fetched that China would go to war with us simply because of Kalayaan. We have the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States. This is a statute which protects us from future foreign invasions.

What this shows is that China is officially now the biggest shadow behind the Philippine government. China now influences policy-making in the Philippines, which is not at all surprising, given that we do have strong ties with the Bamboo Curtain long before the West arrived in our shores. We just reverted back to our pre-Spanish situation where early Filipinos give tributes to the Chinese emperor.

Now, it seems, that we have China in our back while we gnawl and snarl at Uncle Sam. How things have changed. It just shows you that we don't need a Joma Sison to turn this country into a protectorate of China. We just need an Arroyo, teaming up with an Enrile, a Santiago and a Nograles to make this a reality which Joma and the rest of the guys tried for forty years to do.

A New Party for the Filipino People

A New Party has risen from the loins of the Filipino Masses---the Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM). Today, I was fortunate to meet a long-time friend. Seven years ago, we were the very first ones who shouted "Oust Gloria!" when everybody was still mesmerized by her. We came out with a Worker's paper (I think it was "Iskra" or something like that) which we distributed to various labor unions using our scant personal savings. We did'nt get anything from it. In fact, it even led to my financial distress. Yet, the very thought of being the first to have realized that we propped up a demonic entity in Malacanang in place of a mischievous womanizer was more than enough for me. I remember those times lucidly because it was the time when the embers of revolutionary spirit suddenly burst forth from my soul, consuming me and until now, guiding, shaping and molding me into Patricio Mangubat.

I am older now, a thirty eight year old man, pass the age where Andres Bonifacio offered his life for his country. Yet, I would die willingly for the Fatherland if need be. Unlike my batchmates who went to the Senate and became "distinguished" sellers of prime Philippine real estate, I am happy in what I have decided to thread. Those who already committed themselves slaves to the altar of the Filipino People know that their fate wrest in either an early death or the ignominy of old age. For it is a curse for a revolutionary to die an old man, a curse, says Emilio Aguinaldo, worst than a thousand defeats in the battlefield. For all my life, I long to see a New Morning rise from the ashes of the old regime. I still feel very strongly that this will happen in my lifetime. I will not rest until Justice is served to the Filipino People.

My friend looked older. Yet, I felt that same fire which shared with mine still very much alive in his soul. He told me of the new party. I remembered our talks before and how they struggled to form this party while I was away. Now, the very same vision which I just wrote in my diaries is now, here, alive and ready to fight.

Knowing that I have changed and feel stronger than before, I smiled. The fight for a True, Just and Humane Society shines brightly amidst a darkened and sinister sky.

I seek the liberation of the Filipino People from the chains of slavery.

I will fight for the restoration of Truth, Justice and Values that has been bastardized and made irrelevant by this ruling class of barong-clad thieves.

I, and a million more Patricios of the New Generation, salute this New Party of the Filipino People!

It is time for the Filipino People to rise from their unfortunate situation and fight for what is inherently theirs. The Partido Lakas Ng Masa aims to lead the Vanguard Class towards the penultimate liberation of the Masses from neo-capitalist slavery. Time to rise up and work towards the victory of the New Philippine Revolution!

Congress Just Sold our Kalayaan

While we worry about the next meal and bow our heads in shame over so many scandals involving government, now comes Congress with another sellout. The Bicameral Conference committee has just approved a version of the Baselines Bill that effectively excluded the Kalayaan Islands and Scarborough isles from Philippine territory.

This version, which Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile termed as the “best” that these legislators can come up so far, is slated to be approved by both Houses and submitted for signature to the President. Former Philippine Representative to the United Nations Lauro Baja was shocked to learn that this 14th Congress has just sold out the claim of the Philippines in a nonchalant fashion. This bill effectively erased decades of debates and studies undertaken by our country’s diplomats just to defend our claims to these oil-rich islands. And what was the reason of these “distinguished” traitors, err, legislators?

” The Chinese and the Vietnamese will go to war against us if we continue our claims, ” says Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile. Enrile must have probably thought that we’re in the 19th century where gunboat diplomacy was the norm rather than the exception in international diplomacy. Or, probably he thinks that all Filipinos are octogenarians, weak and unable to defend their own lands against foreign intrusions. Enrile must have been asleep. For, ever octogenarians among us, who fought those global wars and survived, will fight on for their country, unlike this prodigal son from the North who shake with fear just by the very prospect of hearing a whimper of protest by these wealthy Chinese Communists.

This bogey, it seems, was created just to justify the obvious sellout of these islands. And for what cost, you ask? China reportedly offered US$ 8 billion in loans just for the Philippines to drop its claim in the Kalayaan islands.

Why are we so obsessed with selling our islands, our mountains, our lands, our rivers and streams? Have we no love for our beloved country? Have we forgotten that our heroes and forebears fought with their lives and their blood just to create this Nation of 82 million souls living in 7,100 islands? Maybe, it’s our perverse understanding of the concepts of a borderless world? Or maybe, just maybe, some of us, particularly those who we elected as leaders, are so obsessed and hungry to get hold of that US$ 8 billion bonanza that they don’t think about the disastrous effects of such a sellout to future generations?

We are so unfortunate to have a Senate President that thinks he owes his post to the Chinese and the Vietnamese Communists. We are so unlucky to have a Speaker who wants to sell every parcel of prime property to foreigners by lifting Constitutional provisions. These former bar top-notchers are the country’s foremost real estate agents who think they owe their lives to their patron, under the ignominious name of Gloria Arroyo.

Such a waste of talent, these two men of traitorous natures. It is a shame that we now live in a generation where graduates of AIM, in the likes of Celso delos Angeles Jr. use their talents to scam people out of their lifesavings. It is a shame that brilliant legal minds, such as these two men from the North and the South, conspiring to offer the Philippines as a tribute to their Chinese masters in Beijing. Shame that these so-called “brave men” who fought the dictatorship, are now the ones carving these beautiful country into little fiefdoms and selling those islands to the Chinese, an obvious admission of the frailities of our crooked souls.

” RP is for sale.” We have sold our morals already. We gave up our brothers and sisters to Middle Eastern masters due to poverty. We sold our organs, our bodies, to the highest bidder from Europe and the United States. Now, we are selling the very land, the very soil, we tread and we owe our very lives.

What’s so sad is that we don’t mind giving these islands to foreigners. When we were presented with the prospect of peace with our fellow Muslim kin last year, with the MOA-AD, we screamed and threatened to unleash the dogs of war against our blood brothers. Yet, when we now see the prospect of losing our claims to these islands and also face the prospect of losing yet another, this time, Sabah, silence.

We deserve our slavery.

Brothers and Sisters

Brothers and Sisters, a hit show in the United States, is getting so much attention right now that most New Yorkers are, according to reports, transfixed on what would happen to this dysfunctional family. Rob Lowe stars in this hit series which has so far generated so much interest. If you have satellite dishes, try to catch the show. (By the way, warning to those who do have at least one dish---did you register it with the NTC? Recently, NTC agents stormed that place in Quiapo where they sell dishes without proper authorization from the NTC. You might get yourself jailed for having those things. For those interested, a sat dish cost 4,500 pesos in Quiapo)

In our country, there are similar incidents involving brothers and sisters. For example, we know how estranged the sister of Gloria Arroyo from her and her family. She's so despise Gloria because of her having a husband like the First Golfer, according to coffee shop habitues who just can't seem to lose interest on the First Couple.

This is an exception. Most families here, brothers and sisters in fact, do help each other. Look at the Cayetano siblings. They are both Senators. And they are both loyalists of billionaire Senator Manny Villar. BY the way, Villar has just shifted tactic--from OFW to a pretty mundane cause.

Look at the Arroyo brothers. The First Gentleman loves Iggy despite, according again to reports, he threw away those billions when his estranged wife left for abroad. Some say those cache of cash was the fruit of the Jose Pidal accounts. I don't believe that.

Same here with Congressmen Mikey and Dado---they help each other. Look at how they managed to depose Speaker Jose de Venecia. Imagine, they fought a pillar of traditional politics. And they won. Great if you're both basketball teammates before. Question--is Mikey really into that jueteng thing in Pampanga, as what Pampanga governor Ed Panlilio alleges?

Unlike the Arroyos, Panlilio is now reportedly estranged himself with his parishioners who elected him governor. Some say, Panlilio is sure to end his term of office soon. That's why he's thinking of running for senator. How true? Those who supported him are probably feeling the heat. Panlilio, they say, is feeling like a king in Pampanga. Not surprising since friars once ran this country, remember? Well, I think these are just smear campaigns.

Good that we still have two sexy actresses, Ara Mina and Cristine Reyes, who are not fighting each other for turf. I can't say that to the MILF and the AFP. Everyday someone dies just for a disputed real estate.

Lindsay Lohan Naked

Lindsay Lohan did a Marilyn Monroe a few weeks ago. Some say it was a poor imitation of the Hollywood icon. Others, well, just shrugged their shoulders and say, what do you expect from a "washed out" actress, like Lindsay.

For me, that's unfair.

Lindsay is a fine actress. She just need some guidance.

Some are writing finis to her career. She's now in her twenties and she faces the problems encountered by most teen superstars.

I think she just needs a very good project to begin with. Best if someone offers her an award-winning project that would highlight both her classic looks and her thespian skills.

Maybe a role like a washed out addict with a lesbian partner? That would be iconoclastic.

Patient Patriots

Notice my new template? I spent a few hours doing this. But, halo! Some of the widgets I painstakingly put in this site for about a year now, gone. Well, just need to re-install those pesky widgets immediately.

My problem is...I don't know how. Will I be going back again to those sites and try to get the codes and re-install? Maybe, that will be it. It will take me time. But, okay lang. At least, I have a new template, hehehe.

That's just like nation-building. It takes time. You need to be very patient. Like Joma and all the rest of the ND guys. They're in that thing for forty years already, but they're still at it. In fact, I heard that they even increased offensives against this government. Strategic stalemate, anytime soon?

More patient than these guys are those in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). IMagine, they have been waging that anti-colonial struggle since the 17th century and they are still at it. I think theirs is the longest insurgency ever against a colonial power.

Will they be able to see a bright morning soon? MILF leadership told Malacanang no deal. They are not interested in talking with double talkers, like Mrs. Arroyo. Like what Tagalogs say "ang dalawang dila, mahirap pagkatiwalaan." (double talkers are hard to trust)

The Belief

New Philippine Revolution seeks the establishment of a Just and Humane Filipino Society. How would we achieve such a state?

New Philippine Revolution advocates for a cultural revolution, rooted on the re-engineering of current Filipino belief systems. It seeks a revolution that would change the perception of Filipinos about their state of affairs and supplant it with a system that totally adheres to Philippine history, values and belief systems.

This revolution is to be lead by the Intellectual Entrepreneur. The Intellectual Entrepreneur is someone who has studied the State of Philippine Affairs and has invested in the Movement for Change. The Intellectual Entrepreneur knows no class except itself. His interest is to pursue real change in Philippine Society through education and technological innovations.

NPR believes in the necessity of surgically changing the current conditions either through peaceful or violent means. The use of any of these methods depend on the present conditions.

Lastly, NPR hold faith that the class of Intellectual Entrepreneurs will spring forth from the present generation, particularly those who has been exposed to modern Globalist and New Democratic thought.

Elections as tried and tested failures for change

Barely a year ago, I wrote about the first EDSA revolt, an analytical entry about the actions of people who participated in the celebrations of EDSA Uno. Last year's celebration was tersely dramatic, as the defenders of Gloria, led by the former PNP chief Avelino Razon Jr. went into the streets in full regalia, along with his fellow mistahs and officers, as a show of dogged loyalty to the illegitimate Commander-in-Chief. What happened after that 24 February 2008 entry was a string of historic activities, foremost the ZTE revelations, the impeachment and the mammoth Ayala rallies. Afterwards, no significant events happened. Gloria survived yet again to live for another year.

Now, the very same festering problems are upon us, this time made more glaring with all these allegations of corruption, collusion, bribery and a monumental billion peso investment scam. What's different is the World Bank, a reputable international body, is now at centerstage with its damning report about high-level bribery and collusion. However, unlike last year's, no big group has come out in revolutionary fashion to show at least some semblance of resistance or indignation. Probably because most, if not all, have given up. Most attention centers on the upcoming 2010 elections, which, for all intents and purposes, is what most people hope to have to efface the devilish legacy of the Arroyo years.

Yet, there is that real reason why revolts are a dime a dozen in this corner of the world. It is not that people have acquiesce their rights nor have voluntarily silence their voices. It is the mistaken belief that change can only happen in democratic fashion, since most Filipinos subscribe to the democratic ideal. It is this misinterpretation of democracy that hinders most Filipinos to support initiatives for violent change. The mere mention of violence, according to most Filipinos, is what shuns most about this model for change.

Violence is not the way to do it, I hear Ambassador De Villa telling people in a forum. We need to do the old fashion way--elect those who we think would greatly contribute towards change and kick out those who don't.

Yet, the problem with the De Villa paradigm is this has been a tried and tested failure in our history. The more we cling our hopes to democratically elect those who we perceive as good, the more things remain the same. Our system is still personality-oriented. Despite these glaring cases which point to the system as the root cause of our maladies, most think that the best way to do this change is still thru the ballot.

No one disputes this, but in a dysfunctional system such as ours, where the rule of men dominates the law instead of the other way around, it is not the changing of the Guardians that we need. We first correct and transplant this rotten and decrepit system before we can even fathom the idea of staging democratic elections.

Men, as a general rule, subscribes to the prevailing order. If the prevailing order is not ordered but rather a system open to interpretations, problems are sure to start and fester. Our present disposition requires a socio-surgical operation. There is that need to create or "re-engineer" our system prior to the 2010 elections. Because if we allow this elections to happen when a unresponsive system persists, there is that big possibility that, post-2010 elections, we will still get the same disappointing results from our elected leaders and demoralization will still be there and possibly, worsen. To arrest our continued slide towards mediocracy and underdevelopment, we need to stand up and create a government that shall review our current processes and laws and prepare the nation come 2010. We will never achieve this under the present administration because those who we want changed will still use our resources to perpetuate themselves further in power.

I write this hoping to illuminate the minds of those who has resources to support a movement for change. However, ruminating, this entry is just a futile exercise of space and time. No one will ever dare challenge the present regime simply because most of the top leaders of this so-called and highly amorphous organism called "civil society" is peopled with the same petty bourgeoisie class we all hate. They have the same sentiments as those who occupy the highest echelons of Gloria's Gang of Misfits because they belong to the same despicable class. They think the same. They walk the same talk.

Time to re-assess the real forces for change and if competent to counter the prevailing order, strike the Bastille with all might and leave to God the result. If all these well-meaning fathers and mothers come together and form a lethal force, they could probably provide the biggest force in Philippine history ever formed just for change.

Reesians as model citizens

My foreigner friends asked me why they don't see Filipinos marching in the streets, protesting against these glaring and so-called "scandals." I told them, I really don't know. Filipinos are an unpredictable species, the kind that you love and hate at the same time. You love them for being nice and friendly. You hate them because for being nice and friendly, they give in eventhough someone already punched them in the face, raped their wives and daughters or has robbed them already. They manage to smile inspite of poverty. They smile despite violence in their midst.

On circumspection, who is the Filipino anyway? Why is there no violent response against decadence, and filth or corruption?

Emil Ong, a friend of mine and director of Reedley International School, provides a concrete answer---our educational system. Most of our schools prepare us to be proficient in the sciences and probably also in humanities. But, schools don't teach what they call "lifeskills".

"Lifeskills, my friend", says Ong while tickering his Macbook, "...teaches our kids the proper and necessary conduct when with their parents, friends and peers. It develops character. It builds stronger relationships. It teaches you what's right or wrong, based on widely accepted norms of conduct."

Lifeskills, he says, taught Mike Cruz, the boy who was invited by Barack Obama to attend his inaugural last January 20. It was this same teaching method that enabled many "Reesians", as he calls his students at Reedley International School, to go and study in prestigious universities abroad. And it is this lifeskills that empowers these Reesians to conduct themselves properly in society.

I asked why this method is not extensively being taught in other schools. Emil says he does not know. At Reedley International School, every student undergoes 80 minutes per week of lifeskills instruction. Every Reesian is expected to conduct himself properly before his parents and give respect to anyone he encounters in his home, surroundings and what-have-you.

For backgrounders, I read numerous online and offline articles about Mike Cruz. Being familiar with the school which produced him, I emailed Emil and asked him some questions--what's the secret of this kid, because as a father, I also want my kids to be the same mold as Mike. That one email led to another. And another, until I got the appreciation needed to write this piece.

Anyway, maybe our government officials lack the proper lifeskills. At the University of the Philippines in Diliman where I graduated, there's no lifeskills there. Only survival skills. Yet, those "survival skills" we learn when we go to the streets and fight those cops who want to arrest us.

Maybe, just maybe, we conduct a national test for those who want to seek a public post and ask them about their character rather than ask them about their proficiencies. Look at what happened to us. We elected and put to power an economist. We elected and put to power political scientists, lawyers and even doctors. Yes, they are competent, academically. But, do they have the necessary moral strength and fortitude?

Let the First Gentleman answer that.

SAL of Legacy Owner should be used against him

There is one fact that the government should use against Celso delos Angeles Jr. to pin down this alleged schemer---tax cases and violation of the Local Government Code of the Philippines. As a public servant, Celso delos Angeles Jr. is mandated by law to divulge his assets and liabilities. That SAL should be checked by the authorities to see if there are anomalous entries there that would merit a case.

Likewise, what about tax payments? If delos Angeles has billions of pesos in assets, surely, if he is a dutiful citizen, file and pay the proper and necessary taxes? Did he pay the proper taxes?

Some people suggested that forfeiture proceedings should be used against Celso so that he'll not be able to dispose of his properties while an investigation is ongoing. That, I believe, is the right approach. Malacanang should form a special investigation panel and within thirty days, issue a resolution.

What's important at this point is for Malacanang to show to the people that it is hard on those who violate the law. They should sacrifice Boy Sese.

Celso delos Angeles Jr. should be jailed

Celso de los Angeles Jr., the beleguered Legacy Group owner and alleged architect of the 14 billion peso rural bank scandal is laughing himself all the way to the bank. After destroying the rural banking system, delos Angeles Jr. now is planning to file an insolvency case to avoid the State to get hold of his billions. This criminal genius, as one Congressman accused him of, is now again using the law as a refuge against those who want justice. For five years, he has prevented the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from instituting measures against him, allowing the mayor of Albay to continue offering the double your money scheme, leading to the sudden ballooning and subsequent siphoning off of billions of pesos from the banks to his personal cache.

What is so deplorable about this is the fact that the media is protecting this schemer. A source revealed that Celso delos Angeles Jr has retained the services of his old PR team to mitigate the effects of his pronouncements before the media. Celso, who is also known as "Boy Sese", has been heard bragging about his billions. He even told one that the government is sure to protect him from anything, even legal suits.

Let me also say here that the Philippine Deposit Insurance Commission (PDIC) has started giving insurance money to Legacy bank depositors. Meaning, the PDIC is now using public money to cover Celso delos Angeles Jr.

PDIC shouls stop paying up and instead, review the banks' records first before forking out public money. PDIC should first institute forfeiture proceedings against the properties of Celso delos Angeles Jr. and then, pay up Legacy depositors. That way, at least we feel that justice has been served.

Why Obama refuses to see Mrs. Arroyo

Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose forebears shot and killed the plebian leader Andres Bonifacio, is a picture of irritation. In the next few days, she'll issue another statement, this time courtesy of her Press secretary Serge Remonde, saying that she'll try to put a lid on the stinking World Bank report on these road projects. Malacanang press operators are trying their darnest best to contain the stench, but no amount of perfumery exists to afford them this luxury.

For this one shows a stench that emanates from their corrupted souls. If they're saying that the World Bank report is "passe" and " it's all hogwash", they're wrong. They just admitted before the public that they knew about this and sat on it and ignored it and just allowed the merry thievery to happen. Yes, it was some six years ago, but if they really respect our laws, the basic law provides that they should have filed a case already against the First Gentleman, EC de Luna and their cohorts based on the criminal complaint submitted by the World Bank. These individuals are lucky because they did this dastardly crime here, where men are supreme over the law. Here, we are a society not of laws, but of men. We have a warped and stupid understanding of what is right and what is wrong. I remember my Singaporean friend who told me that here, we do our own thing, oblivious of what's happening outside our little fiefdoms and we live in isolation. What is right before the world is not necessarily right to some of us. Our laws are so fraught with uncertain definitions that these precepts can be construed either way, to the benefit of the accused and the corrupt, not of the People and the State.

That's why US President Barack Obama refuses to see Mrs. Arroyo. He just made a dig against her and her gang of misfits when he uttered those historic words, " For those who claim to power thru corruption and deceit, know this, that you are on the wrong side of History."

Obama is not that stupid and foolish to meet the very same poster girl of corruption and deceit in Philippine history. Obama does not want to be lied upon. Obama does not want to be corrupted by her philosophy of governance.

What Arroyo must do is not to mitigate the obvious shameful effects of the World Bank revelations. It is not training her guns at the United States to put a lid on the stinking issue. No.

What Arroyo must do, and must act in haste is leave the palace. The State Department, if you still don't know Mrs. Arroyo, has issued the marching orders already. Since you are on the wrong side of history, you just got "x-ed".

Surely, this will be the very first presidential acts that will merit Obama praise around the world.

Who wants to curse now?

The national headlines today says that the World Bank is willing to provide more information and assistance to the Office of the Ombusman, an obvious dig at previous statements coming from some members of the Philippine Senate castigating the world body for not providing more info on the inquiry. It seems that this issue is still on the "development stage", since we expect more and more personalities to come out and expose this international shame. Senator Ping Lacson says he has at least fifty people who'll testify before the Senate on the anomalous deals entered by EC de Luna, etal with the First Gentleman, err, Golfer, the infamous FG. It's a shame to hear protestations and shouts of " I did'nt do it" when the 58 page report shows just how deep and how extensive this bribery scandal is. Why dig for evidence when the report, by itself, is proof positive that collusion did occur between FG and those construction firms.

The Senate should allow the World Bank to provide more information. However, it is important also to stress that the WB should go out of the woodwork and shed some light into this. Yes, this could be a precedent in international relations, but, this could also lead not just for the benefit of the Philippines; rather, this could pave the way for a review and enhancement of the WB policies on loan grant.

I remember an incident involving the son of former UN Chief Kofi Anan. The son was tagged as one of those who benefitted from a road project funded by the World Bank. Anan got brickbats for that and his son was, I think, castigated and reprimanded for dipping his hands on a dirty one. There is that possibility that World Bank road projects are also tainted with graft. For me, this Senate inquiry is an opportunity for the World Bank to scrutinize their processes and improve on it.

There are talks that the First Golfer Gang is doing fund-raising in "overtime mode". It's expected, says some businessmen who got the news from members of the FG Gang themselves. What is so shameful about this is the fact that some of us are willing to just "let them be". We're talking about billions of pesos here being robbed from us! And we just shrug our shoulders and say, " let them be. They stole from us these past nine years. And elections are just a few months away. What's in it for us if we throw them out now when they're now in the twilight of their rule? Let's just wait for judgment time."

It is this lameduck attitude that puts us in this shameful and lamentable position. It is as if we ran out of options already. It is as if we already gave up the ghost in this one. Why?

So, are we that willing to give these criminal geniuses billions of pesos because we are so helpless fighting them? Are we Filipinos that stupid? Or, are brains are so deadened already, swamped with all these scams, scandals and immorality plays that nothing would ever shock us?

When Senator Mar Roxas uttered those putangina words on live television, many protested. They thought that the good senator, a decent one at that, has already lost it. I think that one was just wrong timing. He cursed because of these shameful things this government is doing.

Now, will he curse again, given that this World Bank report has not just given us a blackeye--it already stamped the mark of "corruptively stupid" over the foreheads of 82 million Filipinos. Stupid because we allow ourselves to be fooled and robbed by these people who are so bold, so brazen in their corrupt acts just because they have monies and they control those who bear arms?

I condemn those who are in the highest echelons of power who turn a blind eye on this one. I curse those who turn a deaf ear on the cries of corruption when they hold the power to cure this monumental malady. Putangina ninyong lahat na nasasa kapangyarihan na walang ginagawa para tigilan na ng mga demonyong ito ang patuloy na pagpapahiya sa ating lahat sa harap ng sandaigdigan! Shame on all of you, those Filipinos who are in power, who allow these demons to do these shameful acts before the world!

I am again calling on the New Patriots of the New Generation, the YOUng who started the New Philippine Revolution. I am asking those Patriots to stand up and say to the world--Enough is Enough! We can't stand idly by while these devils pillage our life savings and rob us not just of our monies but also of our dignity as a People! While we procrastinate and sit comfortably in our chairs and just shrug our shoulders or simply close our eyes and bow our heads in shame, the darkness gets thicker and more dangerous. Curse be the darkness, we once said. Curse be Macoy who put us in utter darkness during the dictatorship. Now that we are being bastardized, raped, and fooled by these people, do we need a formal declaration of a Conjugal Dictatorship to prod us to act?

Curse the Coverup Most Foul

(crossposted over at http://www.filipinovoices.com/

The Senate hearing on the World Bank report chaired by no less than pseudo graft buster Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was the biggest joke ever staged by the First Golfer gang. The scene reminds one of the infamous Mafia Gang trials in the US where the stellar cast involves no less than the big bosses of the underworld. Except, in our Filipinized version, the ones who went on trial were those who accused and exposed the anomaly in the first place, not those who committed this monumental thievery. It was staged managed, alright, by a group of intellectually dishonest misfits, who tried, and succeeded in using their knowledge of the law, even medicine, just to protect the biggest louse in Philippine history. From that heart surgeon to those petty government functionaries, the hearing was a big stage play with all those thieves in barongs professing innocence and trying hard to make us understand that getting those 10 percent commissions from the public purse is nothing sort of benevolent donation.

That hearing saved the play acting head of the biggest criminal syndicate from unnecessary exposure. He mocks the Filipino People with his obvious aversion to responsibility. For him, the Filipino People do not deserve an answer. We don’t even deserve a minute of his time, nor do we deserve to see him longer than 30 minutes in a live television coverage. For him, his presence is only for those who tee off with him at Wack-Wack and those who cut steak dinners with him in Tomas Morato.

The hearing was an obvious parody, a direct dig at the very institutions of this democracy and an obvious mockery of Filipino values and sensitivities. The institutions that our forebears have tried very hard to build are crumbling. People, like these Celso delos Angeles Jr, this DOJ prosecutor John Resado and the First Golfer are not just criminal geniuses who use their influence to make money . They are the very same ones who will eventually cause the downfall of this government.

They are the true destabilizers who cause us shame. They are the true thieves who deserve nothing less than eternal damnation and eventual death. They are the real curses given by God to this generation who continues to play dumb, act blind and deaf to the most foul crime ever made against the Filipino People.

No one in this generation would be man enough to challenge the supremacy of the First Golfer Gang. No one has the gall and the political will to challenge this evil gang. No one. This gang controls every lever of Filipino government and manages every string of every puppet in this so-called civilized country.

Who is man enough to challenge this louse who dons expensive clothes and even wears the cursed country in his shirt? Who is man enough to curse him for his indiscretions, his seemingly gangsterist rule over 82 million free souls? Who has the stamina to run against him, a man who’s in the pink of health when wheeling and dealing but feels sick when caught red-handed? As it stands, there is no one among us willing to take the sword out of Lady Justice’s sheath and thrust it into the very heart of the most foul criminal.

No one is cursing. No one is talking. For this, we deserve the darkness.

Mindanao situation to worsen

A Sri Lankan peace advocate and three others were abducted by armed men in Basilan today. This is the fourth celebrated abduction in the Jolo-Basilan-Tawi-Tawi triangle since January. Reports however, indicate that some kidnapped victims are to be released with conditions. As of latest, the 3 other locals who were kidnapped were released just this afternoon.

However, I doubt if this Sri Lankan is really a peace advocate. There are indications that this Sri Lankan could possibly be a spy or an agent of the International Monitoring Group (IMG) of Sidney Jones which is based in Indonesia. This Sri Lankan could have been sent to (1) verify reports that Jemaah Islamiyah has deeply infiltrated the Abu Sayyaf Groop (ASG) and (2) validate earlier accounts that the ASG has been stocking up arms in preparation for a bigger offensive against the AFP and American troops stationed in the area. Remember that the self-appointed anti-terror expert in the Asia-Pacific is a Sri Lankan.

Malacanang and the government security agencies should be worried. These kidnappings are happening in the cities, not in the rural areas. Kidnappers are getting bolder and bolder by the day. The peace and order situation in Mindanao is getting worse.

It seems that government security agencies are helpless in stemming the slide towards chaos in that part of the Philippines. The reason is quite obvious---most people are armed in Mindanao. The PNP is trying to control the proliferation of illegal arms in the area but has been unsuccessful so far. What some analysts are worried is Mindanao slowly turning into a warzone. The prospect of that happening is not far-fetched. Mindanao, it appears, is highly vulnerable as a training ground and laboratory by terrorist and criminal groups. It's not simply a resource problem for the national police. Mindanao is really a big area to secure. One can't simply administer that big an area.

This justifies some suggestions that maybe, it is time for the national government to grant police powers to the big armed organisations there. By giving, say the MILF or the MNLF, powers to institute Islamic counter-measures against criminality and terrorism, that could ease the worsening situation in the area.

False Angels, fallen devils

If accusations against him are to be believed, John Resado could have been our crusading angel, protecting us from those drug pushers. How hath the angels have fallen into the depths of the roots of the poisonous tree.

If accusations against him are just mere propaganda, Celso delos Angeles could have been our financial angel, helping us survive the effects of money problems and possibly help us fund the education of our kids. How hath the angels have fallen into the morass of greed and more greed.

If accusations against him are just mere disinformation, Joc-Joc Bolante would have helped feed millions of Filipinos. Those billion peso fertilizers could have fertilized the dry and flaking earth and it could have led to a sprouting of millions of plants and rice. How hath we suffered from angels who fell from heaven and cursed the earth that they walk upon.

These people are now being tried in those congressional hearings, yet they continue their lives without threat to their existence nor property.

These hearings are destroying the very foundations of government. The DOJ extortion case harms the confidence of the people in their justice system. While this latest pre-need scam, highlighted by the fall of Legacy Consolidated, shows how dirty this industry has become. The entire thing is like a dirty, filthy syndicated operation which hides behind the unmajesty of the law. Worse, we now know how dirty is the Central Bank is, if we are to believe Celso delos Angeles, the owner of Legacy, who is described as a "criminal genius" by one Congressman.

This criminal genius, if allowed to continue his nefarious deeds, might drag this government down with him. He's threatening to spill the beans to deflect the attention from him. It's a desperate move, the kind only jueteng lords do when faced with another, much bigger jueteng lord. He's blaming everybody except himself, that one distinguishable trademark of a person having a criminal mind.

And why do I say that these scams are destroying government itself? We may not see soldiers marching to overthrow Arroyo nor Communist rebels storming Malacanang tomorrow or in the next few days or weeks. What we are seeing is the slowly dissipating consumer trust and confidence not just with government agencies, but the entire financial system. This is alarming since this will lead to lesser financial transactions and lower inflow of funds, from private individual hands to banks.

A fully damaged financial industry will surely affect the entire economy. The banking industry is being bled dry. The more government misfeases or infeases, the worse this will become. Will fresh capital infusion do the trick? No. Not even a trillion pesos will ever regain trust.

Government should first jail this Celso delos Angeles to tell all the people that it means business. That this government is a fair and just one and those who err on the side of the law expects no less than death as punishment for their crimes.

Senators and Congressmen are toothless tigers

Celso delos Angeles Jr, the alleged architect of the now infamous Legacy banks scam, has now surfaced. He's ready, according to his lawyers, to spill the beans. What beans will he supposedly spill? Well, reportedly the reason why his banks closed and his businesses shut down. At the Senate and the House committees investigating the Legacy scam, delos Angeles was a picture of a saint, a man without sin.

He blamed the Bangko Sentral, calling them extortionists. He pointed at the media, blaming them for diluting the trust of the people in his banks and pre-need companies. And then, he pointed to God for not allowing a lucrative sale with a Swiss bank last year. Given the chance, delos Angeles would have probably blamed even Regine Tolentino for breaking up with him.

Delos Angeles' bold statements show one thing--he thinks that everything is just a voudaville and all these things will blow over. Like Joc-Joc Bolante and DOJ Prosecutor John Resado, he'll enjoy his billions after these hearings. What's a few curses or some dramatic scolding from the senators, these legislators are toothless. What's a few verbal assaults? That's nothing compared with the billions Delos Angeles now owns.

Some sectors believe that Delos Angeles is still a financial genius, like what his friends, especially Speaker Prospero Nograles says about him. Reports say that he redirected the monies from the trust fund and spread it to his other companies not affliated with the Legacy group. By redirecting the funds into his own personal turf, he now legally owns the billions given by Legacy Consolidated Plan holders for their non-life and life policies.

While more than 15,000 Legacy planholders hold empty promises in their hands, delos Angeles sleeps soundly at night, secured by his billions and managing more than thirty more companies. A senator said that Delos Angeles is operating a nationwide racket, akin to pyramiding. He's the head honcho of the biggest syndicate in the Philippines, yet, no one is touching him.

Maybe it's time to call the Partisano or even the YOUng. Let those who bleed the people dry with their schemes suffer from their sin.

Now, do we expect things to change after these senate and house hearings on the scam? Nothing will come out of it. Look at these scroundrels, the likes of Resado, Bolante and Delos Angeles. They hide behind the law. Yet, they don't really realize the impact or the effect of their acts. It's a shame that these people continue to wantonly do these things under the pretense of legality.

The booth is full at Filipinovoices.com

Filipino Voices (http://www.filipinovoices.com) is the first attempt by Filipino bloggers to unite and share their views on raging issues in Philippine politics and news. It is a collaborative political blog, plain and simple. For me, it represented a fresh start particularly in raising political consciousness.

However, lately, it is getting old and boring, according to some readers. Well, that's their opinion. And some even commented that its losing its relevance. What's relevant anyway in the blogosphere?

I think the problem arose when every blogger who wants to get known goes into useless commenting. Comments are welcome. Yet, when a commenter goes there just to hijack a post or feels like waging ad hominem attacks or worse, just wanted to defend the undefensible, this spoils the good broth.

As more people read Filipinovoices, more bloggers want a slice of the action. And since the philosophy behind Filipinovoices is a Filipinized version of a Western concept of the Wisdom of the Crowd, things are getting sillier, more mundane and more irrelevant by the day. The direction of Filipinovoices is beginning to border between academic mumbo jumbo to plain and simple political opinions of stupid proportions. Those who don't even know what politics is,share opinions that confuse instead of clarify certain political actions.

I think the reason behind this is simple---there is no wisdom of the Filipino crowd. There is, always, a set of leading thought. Since the dawn of human civilization, every group, every gathering, every collective, and every crowd has leaders. This a requirement for any rational organisation to survive. If everybody boasts of having an IQ of 180 or everyone claims to be the genius, there can never be a resolution of anything. The result is mush, and political at that.

Hence, the fate of the site is turning into the direction of an infected site, being slowly destroyed by Malacanang online operators and silly paid hacks. Those who favor the present dispensation is destroying the site by using the very concept of its existence and turning it into its head. Nick of www.tingog.com, the editor-in-chief tried to cure the intellectual hemorrhage by imposing a post policy. Good. However, rather than cure the wound, Nick, unwittingly, created another wound, worse than the former.

" The Wisdom of the Crowd" will never work in a society which is as confused as those who claim to know the politics and the goings-on in this amorphous system. We are now yet ready to operationalize this philosophical concept. For as long as we, ourselves, have differing viewpoints especially of our history and there is no collective consciousness to speak of, there can never be a time when the wisdom of every individual Filipino will reach critical synthesis. It will always create chaos. Everything will always lead to confusion which, to my mind, harms the building of a national consciousness more than helping create a Filipino intelligentsia.

What am I saying? There can never be 1,000 voices shouting or saying something in a site bordered and limited by space. Filipinovoices should recognize that there is no congruency with the number of voices with delimitations of space-time. If we want to build a national consciousness, we must set the parameters, the platform and from there, let others share what they want to share, rather than attempting the impossibility of synthesizing elements which, in essence, and by their nature, cannot be synthesized. Hegel is not needed here because there is nothing to synthesize. The negative of the negatives over at FilipinoVoices.com is not the true negative, but a branch sprouting maliciously created by the devilish and philistinistic crowd.

What am I saying? Filipinovoices.com, unfortunately, is not, and will never be a microcosm of the collective debate. Nick should be reminded that those who first wrote there help build the FV brandname, hence, deserve more liberty than others. What liberty? The liberty of posting their opinions than making them equal with the new invited ones. Likewise, it's time to prune and have the courage to tell those who want to join that we're close already. We are brimming with intellectuals already, with their own weird streaks of grey hair. Time for Nick to consider closing FV from other bloggers. Doing that means not just limiting posts. Its like telling others, hey, your voice is good, but there's no mike left for you to use. Just build your own, will you?

UP LAW Batch 80 helps Cavite Blast Victims

Recovery from an accident is one of the hardest thing to do especially if you belong to a poor family. A few years ago, the house of my mom in Mandaluyong burned down. Fortunately, it was insured and she got some money to pay for the damage. How about those who don't have any? What happens to them after a traumatic accident such as this Starmaker industrial accident in Trece Martires Cavite?

Last Thursday, residents of Trece heard a big explosion. The factory of Starmaker Company, a Filipino-owned manufacturer of world-class pyrotechnics, got burned. Police are still investigating the accident which caused the lives of eleven workers and injured scores of others. It was a good thing that the top management of the company attended to those affected. Those killed were given funeral and burial assistance. While those injured got financial assistance from the owners of the company, who, despite tremendous losses, still opened their arms to their workers.

Many workers, whom I was fortunate to have talked with while covering the accident, were thankful that Starmaker top management themselves attended to their needs. These workers have been with the company for twenty years, and like their bosses, they felt very sad when their place of work got burned down. Accidents do happen. Even in such very secured factories and places such as nuclear plants (Chernobyl is one), accidents occur. We're just human. Or, there are things which affects the regular course of things.

More than this assistance though, the hardest part in surviving such an ordeal is the recovery stage. Picking up the pieces destroyed by this tragedy is easier said than done. Like other things, moving on is like dragging your feet. For those whose jobs got cut or kin killed, such incidents are hard to recover.

There is hope though. The University of the Philippines Law Batch 80 led by Undersecretary Louie Liwanag and Foundation Vice President Cong. Rufus Rodriguez decided to extend a helping hand to children of workers who perished from the accident.

The University of the Philippines College of Law Batch 80 has set up an educational seed fund for children of families affected by the recent factory accident in Trece Martires Cavite.

The trust fund, which will be administered by the UP Law Batch 80 Foundation aims to extend help for the college education of children left behind by workers of Starmaker Incorporated killed in the accident.

The foundation, which is being chaired by Undersecretary Louie Liwanag, was established to help the poor, the needy and the impoverished in Philippine society. It boasts of the finest law practitioners in the country led by Foundation President Raoul Angangco and Cong. Rufus Rodriguez who sits as Vice President. Department of Justice Undersecretary Linda Hormillo-Malenab, meanwhile sits in the Board of Trustees, with legal eagles Katrina Legarda, Nonoy Tan, Judge Rafael Lagos and Atty. Arno Sanidad.

Atty. Nonoy Tan said the Foundation decided to initiate the trust fund to help heal the lives of families affected by the accident. Eleven workers perished in the accident, which also injured 48 other people near the factory. Most of the injured have been given medical and financial assistance; while those still recuperating in the hospital are closely being monitored by Starmaker.

Tan said it is time for those affected to move forward and start rebuilding their lives.

“ The hardest thing to do in an accident such as this is how to recover and pick up the pieces, “ says Tan who also experienced hard times himself but managed to recover and now, has a very successful law practice. “ Properties destroyed are nothing compared to the lives disrupted. People who have the means should help families recover from the accident. It is time to rebuild lives in Trece Martires Cavite.”

In its first activity, the Foundation has coordinated with the Cavite Provincial government led by Governor Ayong Malicsi and the City mayor of Trece Martires Cavite. The foundation, likewise, asked Starmaker Company to continue doing reconstructive work by giving livelihood financial assistance to those who survived the accident.

As of press-time, all injured victims were given medical and financial assistance. Families of casualties were given funeral and burial assistance by Starmaker Company.

Surviving kin of Starmaker workers who perished from the accident are being interviewed to determine how the Foundation and Starmaker Company can further assist them in this recovery stage.

Lifeskills important for students, says Reedley kid

I just met 19-year old Mike Cruz , the first Filipino student invited by President Barack Obama in the inaugural, at the Kapihan sa Sulo media forum last Saturday. After spending those historic moments with Obama, the one thing that Mike recalled is seeing him up close and personal and getting worried. Obama, as what Mike described, reportedly aged a little bit. He's not as fresh looking and as handsome in person than in television. Obama aged. Well, that's not exactly good news given that he's only a day in office.

" He should brush up with his Seven habits of effective people, " says Mike half-jokingly as we chatted briefly before he faced columnists and media people in that forum. One of the secrets, says Mike, of his being able to stand before crowds and maintaining a healthy disposition is what he learned from Reedley International School--that of what he described as "lifeskills".

I asked him, what is this "lifeskills" since this is the first time that I heard about it. Mike says that Reedley is the only school that teaches this course to their students. An 80 hour per week course, lifeskills teaches students how to be effective communicators. Lifeskills course inculcates into them the needed tools to survive the rigors of life. And what are those tools?

Leadership, character strengthening and conflict resolution skills are tools which enable students, and kids, to survive the world. For Emil Ong, director of Reedley International School, lifeskills as a course is very important especially nowadays that kids are forgetting their traditional values.

" We are the only school that teaches lifeskills to students", says Emil who accompanied Mike to the media forum. " We notice that the school has a responsibility to make their students not just academically competent; rather we must see our students become successful leaders and having a great time with their parents and their peers precisely because of their character than just their excellent grades."

For Mike and Emil, that is the secret to success in life---learning early on the right character and practical skills that a person needs. Success, like what Obama achieved, lies on having very strong relationships with people and having the right attitude. Parents should teach these to their kids. But, because parents right now are too busy, it is now the responsibility of the school to guide their students well on these lifeskills. Maybe, just maybe, someday, we see Mike Cruz become a Filipino Obama?

Gordon is all mouth, no action

Quo vadis, Mr. Senator Richard Gordon? What happened to JOc-Joc Bolante? Think we forgot about it? So, he's as free as a bird despite stealing a billion pesos from us? He's now enjoying his riches.

It seems that you're not doing your job, Mr. Senator. You're all bombast, no action. You just fooled us, the people, into believing that what you did at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee would lead to justice. But, what now? Where's our justice? We have'nt seen any one being jailed. Are you part of the conspiracy to dilute the Bolante fertilizer fund scam and again fool the people that government is doing something, when, nothing came out of it?

And now, you want to be president?

I am now near believing that the Senate is a big boudavil, or a big ACT, just for the entertainment of our impoverished folk.

Lakas-Kampi merger, designed to fail?

Vice President Noli de Castro is in a bind. He's being courted left and right by traditional political parties, more importantly, by Lakas. Prospero Pichay, Lakas-CMD spokesman said that Noli is the top choice for their party. What will Loren say about that?

With the NPC moving towards Kampi while the Nacionalista moves closer to Lakas, a Noli de Castro might spoil the broth. NPC mulls on pitting either a Chiz Escudero or a Loren to the presidential fight. While Nacionalista obviously guns for Villar.

Like what we predicted in earlier entries, Noli might opt to go independent or join Lakas. The most likely scenario is Noli declared as Lakas standard bearer even without Kampi joining Lakas. Kampi is quite committed to NPC which is likely going for Chiz instead of Loren. Chiz is turning 40 years old, a necessary requirement if he wants to be president. Loren might have to settle for the VP again, or worst, seek re-election as senator.

Liberal party is moving for Mar Roxas. The faction of DENR secretary Lito Atienza is reportedly joining either Lakas or Kampi, but quarters insist Atienza favors Kampi more than Lakas. In a Lakas-Kampi coalition, should it push thru, we will see a Lakas-Kampi merger as the major political party, coalesced with the Atienza Liberal faction, Villar's Nacionalista and NPC. That will be the most formidable party ever, if Gabby Claudio succeeds in fixing the possibly problems at the grassroots level.

Should a merger succeeds, then, we will see a Noli-Villar tandem, with Villar as vice presidential bet. Villar is reportedly sick and is open to this option. If this happens, a possible split will happen between NPC and Kampi, since NPC would probably want Chiz to be standard bearer.

In all likelihood, these maneuvers will probably lead to Lakas-Kampi self-destructing prior to 2010, leaving the traditional parties Liberal and Nacionalista dominating the elections. Not cash scrapped, Liberal and/or Nacionalista could give Lakas or Kampi a run for their money.