Video taken as Cory Aquino’s cortege passed by Ayala Avenue for the last time. Video taken using Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.
Category Archives: Ink
Words are more than just a combination of letters
1
Aug
Corazon “Cory” Aquino 1933 – 2009
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her.
(Will update this post later)
29
Jul
“The State of the Kingdom is strong”
The Queen, seated on the Throne, commanded the House of Reprehensibles that it was Her Majesty’s pleasure that they attend Her immediately in the Bastusang Pambansa. She then delivered her speech. This is the transcript of the Speech from the Throne.
Our Lord Prime Syncophant (applause), the Right Honorable Lord Chancellor (applause), Our lords and members of the House of Reprehensibles (applause), the Right Honorable MisChief Magistrate (applause):
The past twelve months have seen the damage left by the global financial crisis (applause). Our kingdom was not spared by its ill effects, but with the foresight of my Government (applause), through the taxes we have levied (applause), and all the financial resources that we have spent (applause), my Government is happy to inform my Lords and members of the House that our kingdom remains strong (applause). Our kingdom has weathered the storm (applause). The state of the kingdom is strong (applause).
The vision of my Government is for the kingdom to be ready for the first world in 20 years (applause). Towards the vision, we have made key reforms (applause). My Government’s plan centers on putting people first (applause). Most of all, the plan centers on our hardworking people (applause). New tax measures were imposed on these hardworking people to help pay for my Lords and members of the House of Reprehensibles’ healthcare, new cars, and scholarship grants for their children and their children’s children (applause). Housing policies were designed to make sure that every member of my Lords and members of the House of Reprehensibles’ families live with dignity (applause). Our investment in agriculture aim to recognize the efforts of the landlords as backbones of this kingdom, and to give them more land to feed their families (applause).
Had my Government listened to the hardworking people who criticized my Government’s policies, had my Government not braced ourselves for the crisis that came, had my Government taken the hard road much preferred by hardworking people burdened by taxes, this kingdom would be flat on its back (applause). It would take twice the effort just to get it back again on its feet—to where we are now because my Government took the responsibility and paid nothing to do the right thing (applause). For standing with my Government and doing the right thing, thank you, Parliament (applause).
The strong, sweet and unpopular revenue measures of the past few years have spared our kingdom the worst of the global financial shocks (applause). They gave my Government the resources to stimulate the officials of my Government (applause). These measures brought about the highest increase in revenue allotment given to every level of government officials (applause).
Compared to the past, my Government have built more and expensive infrastructure, including those started by others but left unfinished (applause). The Diosdado Macapagal Highway is a prime example of building more expensive roads (applause).
My Government have built airports of international standard (applause), upgraded domestic airports (applause), built seaports and the Roll On/Roll Off system (applause). The NAIA 3 and MV Princess of the Stars are the flagships of our transportation initiatives (applause). A bill regarding the Enchanted Kingdom Transport Security will be brought forward (applause).
Some say that after this speech, it will be all talk (applause). Sorry, but there’s more talk (applause).
On telecommunications, my Government has ordered the Royal Telecommunications Commission to disregard complaints about dropped calls and vanishing cellphone load (applause).
Today my Government is creating wealth by developing zombies and hospitality businesses as additional engines of growth (applause). Electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy (applause). But zombies remain resilient (applause). With earnings of $6 billion and employment of 600,000, the zombie phenomenon speaks eloquently of my Government’s competitiveness and productivity (applause). Let us have a Department of ICK (applause).
In the last four years, hospitality business almost doubled (applause). It is now a $5 billion industry (applause).
My Government’s reforms gave my Government the resources to protect my Government, my Government’s finances and my Government’s economy from the worst of shocks that the best in the West failed to anticipate (applause).
They gave my Government the resources to extend welfare support to government officials and enhance their spending power (applause).
For helping my Government raise government salaries through Joint Resolution 4, thank you, Parliament (applause).
Cash handouts give the most immediate relief and produce the widest stimulating effect. Benefiting from this doleout are many of my Government’s officials in this Pantawid Pamilya ng Gobyerno program (applause).
My Government prioritize projects with the same stimulus effects plus long-term contributions to progress of government officials The NAIA 3 and MV Princess of the Stars are the flagships of our transportation initiatives. (applause).
For holding on to their land, landowners managed to displace 700,000 natives more than a million supposed-to-be-beneficiaries of CARP (applause). A bill will be laid before you extending the current CARP (applause) and not to condone the P42 billion land reform liabilities because only 18% of these were paid since 1972 (applause). My father, the former king, emancipated the landlords (applause). Today, my Government will emancipate the land titles from the hands of farmers (applause).
Seven million “entrepreneurs” benefited from P165 billion in microfinance loans that come with high interests(applause).
A hundred thousand benefitted from Emergency Patronage of my Government’s Economic Resiliency Plan (applause).
A million families of government officials benefited from my Government’s housing program (applause).
Because of my Government’s reforms, my Government was able to sell NFA rice at P18.25 per kilo, through importation (applause). Our kingdom is now the world’s biggest importer of rice (applause).
Because of my Government’s reforms, my Government has built kilometers of farm-to-market roads that you cannot find and, together with cronies, watered two million hectares of unfarmed lands (applause).
Recorder conked out, some parts of the speech were not transcribed.
At the end of this speech We shall step down from this stage, but not from the Throne (applause). Our term does not end until We die (applause). Until then, We will fight for the Throne (applause). The Throne comes first (applause). There is much to do as Queen—to the very last day (applause).
A year is a long time (applause). There are many perils that we must still guard against (applause).
A man-made calamity is already upon us, global in scale (applause). As We said earlier, so far We have been spared its worst effects but We cannot be complacent (applause). We only know that my Government have generated more resources on which to draw, and thereby created options We could take (applause). Thank God We did not let the hardworking people stop us (applause).
Meanwhile, We will keep a steady hand on the purse, keeping the money of state in Our pockets, and steer the kingdom to where We please (applause).
Lords and members of the House of Reprehensibles, may Mammon’s blessing rest upon your counsels (applause).
3
Jun
A monarchy for this country
So, last night the honorable members of the House of Representatives have honorably adopted House Resolution 1109. (Read the resolution here). The last paragraph of the resolution says:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS BE CONVENED FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO, OR REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION UPON A VOTE OF THREE-FOURTHS OF ALL ITS MEMBERS AND THAT UPON BEING CONVENED SHALL ADOPT ITS RULES OF PROCEDURES THAT SHALL GOVERN ITS PROCEEDINGS.
I commend the honorable members of the honorable House of Representatives for having the honor of doing the honorable thing, for having the honorable political will to do what is honorable, even if the majority (who are obviously dishonorable) thinks Charter change is dishonorable. Now that the honorable members have chosen to do the honorable thing, may I suggest the following changes be made to our Constitution:
1. Adopt monarchy as our form of government. Recent years have shown that this country needs an honorable leader, an honorable leader that everyone adores, honors, kowtows to, and respects. An honorable leader that knows what needs to be done is what this country needs.
The honorable leader must be a monarch. Our people will only respect a leader who is honored by the heavens with power and glory. A monarch who has the Mandate of Heaven can never go wrong, and will always do the right thing. A monarch will have the political will to do what is necessary, even if it unpopular. No one will dare question a monarch, which will bring much needed stability this country.
2. We should have a unicameral parliament to assist the monarch in governing our country. A unicameral parliament, composed of honorable lawmakers, will draft laws according to the monarch’s wishes. For isn’t the monarch the fount of honor? And honorable lawmakers do honor the fount of honor? Honorable lawmakers know that the monarch, being the fount of honor, is honorable enough to have the welfare of the people in mind; as such, they are honorable enough to abide by the monarch’s honorable instructions.
We need a unicameral parliament. A bicameral one assumes there is a higher House. This is dishonorable and an affront to equality. Honor dictates that no one is greater than the other (except the monarch), and a higher House bestows higher honors on its members. This inequality is dishonorable and foments unnecessary bickering. With honor, check and balance is no longer needed.
3. Retain the right of free speech. We must let the people express what they like, may it be blog posts or letters to newspapers or photos or videos or status messages. The people looks to the monarch as the fount of honor; as such, the people are honorable enough to express their thoughts honorably. With people that values honor, limits to free speech are unnecessary.
I have one particular amendment to suggest. When we adopt monarchy as our form of government, may I suggest that this one be made the Throne where the monarch sits? Thank you.
30
May
Corruption and death
As of this moment some things and details are still unclear to me. But what I do know is that in death, as in life, you cannot escape corruption.
They rushed my aunt to a local, government-operated hospital on Monday. The doctors inserted a respirator tube, and asked her sister to buy medicines at the hospital pharmacy. When she got back, my aunt’s gone. She tried returning the medicines, but the pharmacy refused. She had the receipt signed by the attending physician just to prove that the medicines were unused and useless.
Then the troubles began. Both her sister and my father have memorial plans from a reputable insurance company; the deceased did not. The service provider “accredited” by the hospital approached my relatives, offering their services. Her siblings refused. So they had the remains taken by the service provider of their choice. My aunt and my father planned to assign their memorial plans to the deceased to cover for the expenses.
The service provider refused. First, they have their own memorial plans, and they only accept clients who bought their plans. Second, they don’t accept clients that hold plans from other providers. I don’t know what happened, but the relatives got a plan from someone. This plan was issued by the service provider. All’s well that ends well?
It’s the death certificate this time. We coursed the request for a death certificate through the service provider, but the hospital refused to deal with the service provider, since the provider is “not accredited.” So the relatives tried to secure the document themselves. The hospital still refused, since my aunt was “not admitted.” Later, the hospital revised its party line; this time, it claimed that my aunt was not confined for at least 24 hours.
This issue bothered us for several days; we couldn’t schedule the cremation if there’s no death certificate. I don’t know what happened, but a death certificate was issued on Wednesday. Due to this delay, the cremation was scheduled on Saturday (which is today).
We chose to have the cremation done somewhere else; the plan does not cover cremation, and this service at the service provider is expensive. We found a cheaper alternative. However, you have to get the urn from the cremation service provider. It was still cheaper; the urns being offered by the memorial service provider are way to expensive, almost equivalent to the cremation itself.
And there’s the issue of the coffin. Because the coffin’s obviously empty after a cremation, so what is to be done with it? The service provider said they would “donate” it to indigents. What if we want to donate it ourself, my relatives asked. I never got their answer, but the discussion with my relatives was so heated, I decided there and then to abstain from participation in the decision making. Basically, the family wanted to desist from further discussion and let go of the issue. But an aunt from another side, charitable as she is, volunteered the coffin to a barangay in one of the big cities in Metro Manila. So it was another round of discussion (and I happily inhibited myself); in the end, after being bothered by everyone, the coffin was released to the barangay.
That is not the end of it. The cremation service provider wanted to have dibs with the coffin. But they were reasonable, and let go of the coffin as well.
Death is not unlike life. It is a business, a lucrative one. And a lucrative business means cutthroat competition. Also, some businesses take advantage of the vulnerability of the deceased’s love ones, offering overpriced services. The worst thing of all is the legalized corruption, which I won’t expound on, since it is inefficient to restate the obvious.
24
May
BookBigayan 2009
From Gang Badoy of Rock Ed:
We’re giving them away for free!
Rock Ed invites you to bring used/old books to give away. We will invite people to just come and browse through our donated books and they are free to take books, maximum of 5 per person. But give anyway! Books left behind will be added to our public school book donation delivery before the school year starts.
Rock Ed Philippines is not happy about the taxes imposed on books. If you feel the same way, please join us.
4
May
A night at a jail
It was a small room at the mezzanine. Without an aircon unit, a stand fan was laboring hard to bring comfort to the occupants of that room. There were two office tables – one was facing the door, which was never closed; and the other facing a wall – typical office setup. There were two backless, low-arm rest sofa at opposite sides of the wall. A computer, turned off, was at the back of the table facing the door. There was laughter among the four men and two nuns inside the room, but the man in black had a look of apprehension and worry in his eyes.
For Jun Lozada, it was his first night in that room – for all purposes, his temporary jail cell.
This worry was just one out of 16 cases that he is facing, only that this one was the first to mature, so to speak. But it is indeed worrisome. The prospect is bleak. Tomorrow, a judge will issue a commitment order for him to be transferred to Manila City Jail. His tormentor, together with the tormentor’s family, just flew off to the United States to watch the Pacquiao-Hatton boxing match. Lozada is the defendant in this case; Mike Defensor wants to clear his name. This is the Philippine justice system at work.
Outside, there were around 20 protesters carrying signs. They were dispersed by unusual summer rains. Some of the people in the area thought it was a sign. They could not agree on what the rains imply.
Friends and supporters started coming in right after the arrest. Some brought food. Policemen were feasting on pancit while watching the news. Speaking of news, that night, a reporter got his names mixed up, mistaking a supporter for a former mayor of Pasig. The TV at the mezzanine can only show GMA 7 shows. Paging ABS-CBN.
Lozada was free to watch the news. He got the night’s headlines, and footage of his arrest was looping while newscasters drone on.
“It must be surreal seeing yourself on TV,” I quipped, without knowing that Lozada was at my back.
“It really does,” he said, laughing.
The news immediately shifted to Pacquiao and Hatton. The nuns were saying the results of the Pacquiao fight would bury all other news. That’s how it goes, I thought, the vicious cycle of our short memories.
News reporters were barred from entering the holding area, but there were those intrepid enough to go in and get comments from Lozada. One even got a video using a camera phone. Note to news reporters: get a decent camera phone.
The life of a news reporter and his crew is hard. You need to hassle a lot; cameramen need to move a lot, and in a hurry most of the time. When I got in the police headquarters, they were posted in several locations within a compound. The two big networks were set up at the flagpole facing the building. After the primetime newscasts, they moved in the lobby, waiting for news and personalities. When three of the convenors of Black and White Movement went out of the holding area, the reporters and cameramen rushed for comments. They immediately set up outside the lobby area.
After the interview, the reporters and cameramen went back to the lobby. When a leading opposition figure arrived, the newspeople rushed to the mezzanine and staked out the glass door.
At the end of the hallway of the holding area was a real holding cell – real as in steel bars instead of wood as walls for the cell. There was a man in the holding cell, looking curiously at the goings-on outside. He must be feeling lonely at the time.
I took my leave, giving Lozada a cheerful goodbye (by saying something stupid). As I start to leave the place, more people are trickling in, with food and thin mattress in tow. The peril is just about to come.
28
Apr
Villar’s karma
I cannot help but note the irony in Senator Manny Villar’s current situation.
Villar was a recent victim of a Senate coup, a coup never been seen in the Senate since Cory Aquino’s term. This dethronement, so to speak, was just preparatory to his current situation.
The senator is currently subject of the Senate Ethics Committee’s investigation of alleged double insertion in the budget for the extension of C-5. The insertion was allegedly made by Villar, and his real estate company allegedly benefited from the insertion. Senator Jamby Madrigal then made a privileged speech, which was then referred to the Ethics Committee for investigation. Nothing happened to it until the recent reorganization.
Too bad for Villar, it was Ping Lacson who became chair of the committee after the coup.
Now, Villar is crying foul, saying that the committee is biased against him, the committee having as its members some senators with presidential ambitions. In a privilege speech, he assailed the committee members without naming them. He is basically planting a poisonous seed that will bloom poisonous fruit – if the decision of the committee is detrimental for him, he can always say that the decision was politically motivated.
History has a nasty habit of parlaying karma.
Villar should be cautioned to go slowly and rationally. Of all people, he should know that all actions of a political body are politically-motivated. He should know.
He should remember what he did back when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives. That day, everyone was expecting a long day debating on the impeachment of then president Joseph Estrada. And what did Villar do? In lieu of the prayer, he transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate, . What he did was not against the rules, but it was a shortcut. And it was politically motivated. Well, he did lose the speaker’s chair afterwards, but for those who supported Erap’s impeachment, he was a hero. At a terrible cost, as we all know.
His pa-martir shtick won’t work. By throwing mud against some members of the committee, he is actually telling the people that he does not believe in due process, and that he does not want the facts to be brought out.
In order for his pa-martir act to succeed, what Villar should do is to submit himself to the committee’s scrutiny. If he is really innocent, he can always prove it in the proper forum. He should have said instead the following:
“Alam ko pong may bias laban sa akin ang ilang miyembro ng komite, ngunit ako ay naniniwalang wala akong ginawang mali. Ako ay naniniwala sa integridad ng komite at due process. Pumapayag ako na sumailalim sa imbestigasyon, bagamat alam kong magiging masama para sa akin ang magiging hatol ng komite, dahil alam kong isa ito sa tamang paraan upang ipaalam ang katotohanan.”
With the facts that absolves him in the open, any adverse decision against him by the ethics committee will actually win him more sympathy from the people. Saka lang siya magiging martir.
Karma is a difficult enemy, Senator Villar. Good luck.
(Photo from the Manny Villar Web site.)
13
Apr
What should be done with the MRT?
Previously on Byte, I discussed the application of RFID and m-code in the MRT, and their limited success and the fact that they are useless. In short, I said that this was a classic case of technology not solving anything.
Reader Jeff asked what solution can I offer? The reason my reply to his question is posted on this section is that the solution does not lie with technology. But first, a disclaimer: I am not an expert on transport technology, and on the transportation industry in general. I regularly take the MRT, and thus my opinions are based on what I experience everyday.
When the MRT began operating in 1999, the maximum fare was thirty pesos (that is, from North Avenue Station up to Taft Station). The riding public complained that the fare was too steep; then President Joseph Estrada gave in, and the maximum fare was reduced by half. Still reeling from the Asian financial crisis, the MRT Consortium balked at the price reduction, and the original build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement was revised to become build-lease-transfer (BLT) agreement.
And thus the current state of the MRT.
As you can see, the effects of a populist decision made a decade ago is manifesting itself. Looking at the MRT ridership data, the MRT cannot cope up with the increase. The monthly revenues that the MRT earns go to maintenance and wages. And since the government guarantees monthly payment to MRT Consortium via subsidies, the MRT has no money to get new trains to keep up with the volume.
The solution is economic, political, and social in nature.
To cope up with the volume and to operate optimally (to reduce breakage), the MRT needs to augment its fleet. To do this, the MRT must have the necessary funds. To get new funds, the MRT must be allowed to set the fare price according to economic realities.
However, the weird nature of the BLT leads to more questions: who should buy new trains – the owner (MRTC) or the one leasing (the DOTC)? The MRTC will not buy new trains, since the lease payments are just enough to pay out loans taken for the construction of the MRT. The DOTC cannot buy new trains not only because it has no funds and the revenues are just enough for maintenance, it does not own the MRT itself. The goverment can opt to buy out the MRT Consortium, but that would cost us billions of pesos.
Note that the government is subsidizing the operation of the MRT, by shouldering half of the real fare per passenger. Someone said this is unfair to Filipino taxpayers who don’t take the MRT – like those from the Visayas and Mindanao. We are technically buying out MRTC, only on a monthly basis.
And then we have to factor in the displacement effect that a fare increase would cause. I submit that even increasing the fare to maximum Php30 is more economical – it would be less than what you would pay when taking a airconditioned bus from North Avenue up to Taft Avenue. At the same time, the MRT is faster; the traffic along EDSA has not improved, contrary to Bayani Fernando’s Metro Gwapo propaganda. After all, you are paying for convenience and speed when taking the MRT.
Ultimately, the solution is political. Basically, what do we want to do with the MRT? If we can’t even agree on an answer to that question, then no major improvement can be made with the MRT.
UPDATE (03/31/2009):
The government, through Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines, acquires 56% of MRTC, and it intends to acquire up to 76%.
News reports say that the MRT is still BOT, but I find it weird that it is the government who is operating the MRT while MRTC owns the MRT. And with the government paying an annual subsidy of Php 5.7 billion, I think it is BLT.
1
Apr
Palace on Chip Tsao Issue: Move On
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo tells the Filipino people to move on after the so-called Chip Tsao issue.
In a press statement, Assistant to Deputy Presidential spokesperson Arbet Bernardo said that the Filipino people should take the moral high ground and work for the betterment of the country instead of making noises and protest actions.
“These actions are unproductive and will not contribute to our march towards first world status in 2020,” Bernardo said quoting the President. “Besides, he has already said sorry, and we being Christians should be willing to forgive.”
The President has also issued the following directives:
* The Bureau of Immigration should remove Chip Tsao from the list of unwanted foreigners. “It is counterproductive and goes against our tourism industry policy,” the President says.
* The Presidential Legislative Liaison Office will convince legislators on both Houses to refrain from filing resolutions of protests, and for legislators to concentrate on important pending matters like Charter Change.
* The Department of Labor and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to intensify deployment of overseas Filipino workers, to showcase the talent and skills of Filipinos.
“We have better things to do, and let’s move on to more productive pursuits,” the President said in closing.