Philippine Justice is compromised

Criminal gangs already admitted it--the entire New Bilibid prisons facility has been taken over by gangs. They control the prison. They operate their illicit activities there with impunity and even the Justice secretary Leila de Lima is helpless in implementing the law right there. 


I can't seem to accept that De Lima stopped the order to destroy those kubols just because these gangs threatened her with a riot. So what if they do it? 


Fact is, I welcome a riot inside the New Bilibid prisons. Why? Because the State can use and show its police power. So what if these prisoners announce a riot? Soldiers can come in and kill all of these scums.


Imagine, we have been injured by this issue personally. These criminals violated our laws, killed our loved ones with impunity and now they even control our justice or penal system? Ano na lamang ang mararamdaman ng mga naging biktima ng mga hinayupak na ito? Na habang sila'y nagluluksa dahil sa pagkawala ng kanilang mga mahal sa buhay, buhay mayaman naman sa bilangguan ang mga demonyong ito?


New Bilibid is a microcosm of Philippine society. Criminal elements, both big and small, lord it over our lands simply because we have a very weak state. Demons in barungs who portray themselves as Honorable men with criminal minds dominate our affairs. Government officials continue their wanton pillage of our coffers. 


IN his Rizal birthday celebration speech, President Aquino urged the people to tread Rizal's "tuwid na daan".


Those who heard him, just shrugged their shoulders.


How will the People obey him when Aquino continues to be the foremost promoter of the crooked path?


Aquino has lost all credibility in the eyes of the people. He does not have the right to lead the straight path movement simply because he can't even discipline his own buddies, relatives and classmate in office?


A friend said that we must judge Aquino on two things: he's not using public funds for his personal use and he's not abusing his power.


The first is we don't know for sure. Who really gave him that Porsche? The second, well, Aquino already abused his powers by allowing Big Business to take over the roles and responsibilities of government and by tolerating the illicit actions of his men.


Justice will forever be compromised in this country if we continue this practice of tolerating weak leaders to head our government.

Noynoy Aquino: Anti-Labor?

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda was asked if Monday, May 2, is a holiday. Lacierda said no. Under Republic Act 9492 moves regular holidays and special days to the nearest Monday.

" In the event the holiday falls on a Wednesday, the holiday will be observed on the Monday of the week. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday will be observed on the Monday that follows."

May 1 falls on a Sunday. Labor Day is one of the most important days in the calendar because it is the only day dedicated to the toiling masses. Labor is the power, the strength behind modern and successful societies.

Seems like this administration is truly anti-labor.

Consider these---Aquino already told workers not to expect any wage hike or wage adjustment following a string of price hikes. Aquino allows companies to hike their prices but when it comes to benefits and wages of workers, Aquino acts like Mr. Scrooge.

Aquino says its okey if oil companies jacked their prices up illegally by 40 centavos. Yet, Aquino does not even forgive workers who militate against unfair labor practices.

And now this: it is only one day of the year when society recognizes the value of labor and then what? Aquino poo-poohs declaring May 2 as a holiday.

Wow.

Good news, what is it?

President Aquino blames the media for not being cooperative enough in spreading the good news about what's happening in our country. That 13% slide in the President's ratings is nothing to sneeze at. It reminds us of the slide that former president Joseph Estrada had before he was ousted. 


Aquino said, media always write the bad things and leaves out the good ones. I don't agree.


Look at the business sections of every major daily and you'll see that there is enough good news there to tickle the minds of investors willing to give some of his money and get something in return fast. 


The responsibility of media is to report what's happening, period. It is not their duty to beautify what is there or invent something which is not there. 


It is the responsibility of the Communications team of the President to convey the right and proper messages for the media to write about. 


If there is corruption within this new administration, it is the responsibility of journalists to write something against it. 


If there is widespread poverty and joblessness, it is the duty of a responsible journalist to report that it exists. Government's turn is provide solutions.


It is not for the media to glorify sensationalized or self-hallelujahs coming from the Palace. No. The media's role is write what they see, they hear and they feel.


Example would be the continuing rise in fuel prices and basic goods. Everyone feels the pain. This probably is not being felt by the Powers-That-Be, because they're awash with money. Journalists, especially the honest ones, feel the pinch every single time they go to the grocery or they ride a jeepney. Journalists are part of the working class, those oppressed and alienated by the system.


The Philippine media is not a toy, or a PSP which Noynoy can toy about, no. Just like in previous dispensations, the Philippine media remain as the vanguard of the people. It is not the trumpeters of good news as envisioned by a president. Probably, the president needs a more effective PR team than what he has right now. 


What is starting to unravel right now is the similarities between the previous and the present administration. Actually, this new administration is worse than the Arroyo regime because it does not know what to do. It is clueless of what's happening in the ground, that's why, most of its policies do not conform with what the people expect the government to do. Hence, the communication gap. 


This communication gap always register whenever there is a survey. 


The good news that Noynoy probably should do is very simple: do the right thing and punish those who continually manipulate the market to suit their revenue needs. If you compare prices of fuel in this country with those from other markets, you'll know what I mean. The public is helpless. Government is unresponsive and irresponsible. How then can you actually solve something of a worsening economic situation?

Aquino: Terrorists behind bus explosion at EDSA

A twenty one year old call center agent became the fifth casualty in yesterday's bus explosion at Makati City. Thirteen others were injured when an IED or an improvised explosive device exploded at sixth row seat of the bus. Police said the IED was made out of an 80 mm mortar.


Who has access to 80mm mortars? There are only three groups which have access to 80 mm M1 mortar. Such kinds of mortar, according to my research, expels smoke and an explosive sound. Its range is about 3,000 meters and weighs 3.1 kilograms.


The AFP uses this against the CPP-NPA-NDF. The rebels also has their own mortars, seized from the military and quite possibly, even the MILF and the MNLF. 


Can an ordinary citizen purchase an 81 mm mortar? No, except of course if this malevolent person bought it from the black market. 


There are still World War two vintage mortars out there, dugged by several people and confiscated by police. 


President Noynoy Aquino immediately dispelled speculations that groups are out to destabilize the government. Terrorists are behind this, says the President. 


What was so stupid about the President's statement was when he told the media that a particular group was monitored by the intelligence community last year, trying to figure out how to terrorize Metro Manila. This group, says the President, failed due to financial constraints. 


Now, this group is being eyed as the ones responsible for the blast. 


Crap.


Naispatan na pala, bakit hindi pa nai neutralize ng pamahalaan ang mga teroristang ito noon pang isang taon?

Tunisian situation--a lesson in effective economic governance

Economy did him in

The political situation in Tunisia should provide a valuable lesson to President Benigno Noynoy Aquino--when you sleep on your job, you'll find yourself packing your bags and going on exile.


Former Tunisian president Ben Ali just got the end of the stick when he:


1. Failed to arrest the sudden decline of the Tunisian stock market---it was the coup d'grace, many of Ali's big business supporters lost billions when the stock market slumped to its lowest in twenty years. It likewise, decisively weakened the economy. The elites blamed him for the crash.


2. Rise of unemployment--at least 2/3rds of the Population were jobless. This is a regional phenomenon, yet, Ali was unable to adequately explain this to the public.


3. Food price hikes---The general population suffered from a phenomenal price hike adjustments across the board. Hunger pervaded throughout the country. People were'nt able to buy essential goods, even the basic staple. The purchasing power of Tunisian dinar diminished almost overnight.


If you noticed, Ali's ouster was not precipitated by any political scandal---the economy "did him in", so to speak. 

Noynoy Aquino should keep the economy
in check

When Ben Ali managed the economy like an effective technocrat, no one even dared oppose him. No one in the Tunisian elites called for his resignation. The elites and even the general population tolerated his administration. And for twenty two years, the political situation was stable. 


Things shifted from bad to worse when problems in the regional economy suddenly reached the shores of Tunisia's local economy. 


Food became so expensive, people went hungry. Rising inflation discouraged investments, thereafter, affecting the performance of the market. Companies started losing money and their stocks naturally depreciated. Many of Tunisia's elite lost money. Re-investing the money to the economy became slower than usual, since elites were saving up rather than re-capitalising. Of course, job generation ceased. 


The suffering masses and the elites all blamed Ali for mismanaging the economy. To be fair, Ali actually has nothing to do with it. Fact is, even if Ali use all of the state's resources to save the ailing economy, it would not be enough. Pressures coming from external economic forces are so strong, no one, even an expert economist, was able to arrest the slide of the local economy.


Notice that this transition was not political--it was economic. The bad shape of the economy forced a political transformation. 


This transition is nothing spectacular, it was actually a classic one. The Russian Revolution of 1918 was more economic than political. The Chinese Revolution of 1949 and the Cuban Revolution of 1959 were all revolutions based on the presumption that the Socialist model was more effective than the capitalist one. 


Russians cried for bread than bullets, so did the Chinese and the Cubans. This should serve as a lesson for any leader--that when you mismanage your economy and isolated yourself from the masses and the elites, you risked your political fate.


In the case of Noynoy, the President and his cabinet are very confident that nothing of that sort will happen in our country.


For one, Noynoy, according to their perception, still enjoys a high political capital. People still love him. 


They also believe that the economy remains bullish, joblessness is still manageable and inflation in check. What they don't know is the prospect of this "good situation" turning into a nightmare, can actually be faster than expected. 


The SWS has already given them a forewarning---hunger incidence has risen over the past six months due to the rise of commodity prices and oil. There are more than 3 million Filipino families going hungry every day. GOvernment's response---give them cash allowances. This is just a palliative. The most obvious solution of providing jobs remain a hard challenge. 


Unemployment rate remains at 7% and experts say it will get into the double digits very soon (possibly when 3 million graduates again flood the job market this March). 


Inflation is expected to rise with these price hikes in gasoline, MRT/LRT, toll and others. 


There is a tinderbox waiting for an ignition. The ignition will definitely come from the gut.

Noynoy Aquino and his Porsche---a crime?

This is just a rejoinder of what I wrote previously in this site.


I just remembered that Noynoy Aquino's purchase of a car might actually be "wrong timing and insensitive" as what my Facebook friend Dennis Garcia said. And it might actually be true.


Fact is, this purchase might even be considered as a crime. Really.


There is a provision in REPUBLIC ACT No. 6713 which prohibits public officials such as Noynoy to indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth "in any form":

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES, TO UPHOLD THE TIME-HONORED PRINCIPLE OF PUBLIC OFFICE BEING A PUBLIC TRUST, GRANTING INCENTIVES AND REWARDS FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE, ENUMERATING PROHIBITED ACTS AND TRANSACTIONS AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Section 4. Norms of Conduct of Public Officials and Employees. - (A) Every public official and employee shall observe the following as standards of personal conduct in the discharge and execution of official duties:
Simple living. - Public officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income. They shall not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form.

Is the purchase of a Porsche and its public announcement an act that showed an "ostentatious display of wealth"? Yes, it is.

Fact is, the courts may stop this purchase, if we strictly follow Article 25 of the Civil Code of the Philippines.

" Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute want or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private charitable institution"

Who would dare file something against Pnoy?

Pnoy's approval ratings dip to 79% while prices of commodities rise up

While President Noy gets a 79% approval ratings, the National Food Authority just hiked the price of its commercial rice to 2 pesos more. People will now buy their rice at 29 or 30 pesos per kilo. 


A tank of LPG now cost 33 pesos per kilo while gasoline and diesel prices are again, expected to rise. 


So, now, i'll be 300 pesos or actually 900 pesos per month for a family of five in Metro Manila. If you're being paid a measly 300 pesos per day or 9,000 per month less taxes (takehome would probably be 7,000), that will only give you 6,000 pesos more to spend.


Meralco nowadays gets at least 1,000 pesos for your electricity, so that means, just 5,000 pesos. Opps, you need to pay water, so that will set you back, at least 300 pesos. Monthly rental of a house nowadays range between 6-7,000. Let's presume its just 3,000. Then you need to pay those jeepney or bus fares. What's left?


Nothing, quite frankly.


Obviously, Noy's official family does not know or does not want to know the real situation of Filipinos living in the National Capital Region (NCR). That 79% rating, for them, is salutory and satisfactory enough. 


That means that the middle class is happy and moreso, the elites who continue to rake in those astronomical profits from an oppressed citizenry.


Hope remains a-flutter so to speak, since this administration has just made its sixth month in office. Six months to go.


This rating will, obviously, prop up those in the Cabinet. First time they say that a Philippine president gets this high a ratings. That shows the effectiveness of the government's programs. 


Well, not exactly.


It just shows that Noy, alone, can spur hope, but not his cabinet members. There are still a high number of people distrustful of his cabinet. 


Governments, I believe, are rated based on their performance. IN our case, survey firms rate how we trust them, not on how we believe their performances are. It is totally different if someone asks you if you trust your government officials, different if you ask them how you think they fare in the accomplishment department.


Different still if you're asked if you approve of someone's performance. What do you know of government functions, except of course if you're applying for an NSO or a passport or a driver's license. 


Why not directly ask people how they rate the government's performance and how government policies impact on the lives of the people? That would probably show us a different picture altogether.