Pnoy has awakened from his stupor and the refugees along Roxas Boulevard

There are exciting things happening right now that, unfortunately, I am not at liberty at disclosing all. What is certain is that this president is dead serious in reforming the system. When I realized that certain persons are being given nation-building tasks, I told myself that there is still hope, somewhat.

What our people need is something new, something that will give us, hope. What happened in Leyte will have a catastrophic effect in the entire country very soon, as peoples from Manila and the rest of the country have relatives who died or affected by this natural disaster.

Try to drive along Roxas boulevard and you"ll find numerous tents set up by refugees from Leyte. Ask around and you"ll know that these people were victims of Typhoon Haiyan. They were so traumatized that they followed their instinct and decided to leave their hometowns. They don't have relatives here.

The entire country is still in a state of disbelief. Most want to leave our country. I know of some who want to migrate and live in another country.

President Aquino should put his act together and at least bring a message or sign of hope for all of us.  What things Pnoy should do for the next few weeks that would bring hope for all of us:

1. Call for a Cabinet reshuffling. I don't know what prevents this President from doing this. Hey, there are a lot of controversies already happening in his cabinet that it is time to convince some to retire.  What is so wrong with asking some people to leave his cabinet, especially if these people prevent him from doing the right thing?

2. Ask GOCC officials to tender their resignations. Hey, the head of the mwss, this Esquivel, is reportedly very close and "very influential" to the president, he, being a bosom buddy of the President. Yet, he is actually causing so much trouble at the MWSS and his actions even threaten the condition of the metro's water distribution system. Esquivel is a contractor. He got his wealth by dubious means, according to some people.

3. Continue appointing new blood in the bureaucracy. We need fresh minds to tend to the old problems of the bureaucracy. When Pnoy appointed Fred Mison at the Bureau of Immigration, changes immediately happened there. Revenues were even exceeded.

I just got word that those whom he appointed at the Bureau of Customs are all honest men, especially, Ariel Nepomuceno, the deputy Commish of the Bureau's enforcement unit. We need more of these people, and less of the Esquivel kind.

Ratsada sa Inquirer featured Fred Mison and Erin Tanada,some of the best and most progressive leaders of our time

Yesterday's show, Ratsada sa Inquirer was fun and highly entertaining. We have as guest, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Fred Mison and a representative from Megaworld. Our co-hosts Deputy speaker Erin Tanada and social media maven Noemi Dado were in their element yesterday, asking guests and putting relevant and highly important questions. 


Mison is one of the most promising public servants around. Having graduated at the top of his class at West Point, the US military academy and likewise, became a lawyer shortly after his graduation from the academy, Mison is one of the most principled men in government. 


We asked several questions to Mison, including one about uploading posted by our co-host Erin Tanada. By the way, Erin just came from a climate change summit in Rio de Janeiro. He also reported his accomplishments.


Like Mison, Erin Tanada is one of the most idealistic and most promising legislators of our generation. Tanada is the deputy speaker of the 15th Congress and by far, the most energetic and the most dynamic legislator in our history.


The show was exciting and fun because we had a dynamic group that discussed things in gusto. Social media advocates Juanxi and Tonyo Cruz took turns asking questions to Mison and Erin, and even convinced the Deputy Speaker to actively promote and advocate the passage of the Freedom of Information act.


Tonyo Cruz even pointed out that among countries in Asia, it is only in the Philippines where there is no FOI. Tanada said that he will continue advocating for its passage.


Next show we will be focusing our discussion on the Freedom of Information bill.

Firestarters and game-changers in 2012

Alex Lacson, who just celebrated his birthday yesterday, continues to inspire our people through his works at the Kabayanihan Foundation. From his monumental work, 12 Little Things Every Filipino Should do to help our country, that smash hit propelled  other versions of this little book. Lacson has published several other inspiring books for the Overseas Filipino Workers and for little kids. You might want to check these out at the National Bookstore.

Jay Jaboneta, this creative firestarter, continues to work hard for his foundation, the Philippine Fund for Little Kids, a non-governmental organisation that helps kids go to school. I just heard that a European institution invited him to speak before them in France and talk about change. Congratulations!

Other firestarters I know of...

Josiah Go, an inspirational speaker and entrepreneur, is also a great firestarter. He helped Jay and continues to help others discover their passions.  He is an inspiration to all entrepreneurs.

Fred Mison, who now serves government as Associate Commissioner, is really making a big dent in cleansing the Bureau of Immigration of misfits and grafters. His honest-to-goodness campaign against erring and corrupt men inside the bureau, has boasted the morale of most BI employees who want nothing more than see their bureau as a graft-free one. There should be more like him serving government.

General Danilo Lim continues to fight grafters and big time smugglers inside the Bureau of Customs. His crusade for good governance inspires others.

Susan "Toots" Ople flew to Dubai to help several distressed Filipinos. This small dynamo in the OFW NGO sector continues to keep the hallowed name of her father sanctified. Inspite of her poverty, Toots remains very rich in terms of friends and supporters. She spends her own money for others to be able to regain their shattered lives.

How about game-changers? Who will be the game changers this year, 2012?

BBDO Guerrero and Fleishman-Hillard are two outstanding agencies that are sure to change the advertising and PR landscape not just here in the Philippines but abroad. Fleishman-Hillard remains as 2011's Agency of the Year (Holmes Report). Right now, many companies are relying on Fleishman-Hillard to help them promote their products. 2012 will see Fleishman-Hillard attaining greater heights!

How about you? Are you a firestarter or a game changer?