28
Feb

Treason! Have we ceded/sold out Spratlys to China?

Be the judge:

Basically the report presents several agreements entered into by China and the Philippines through two companies. The said agreements allow China to explore Spratly Islands (subject of dispute by China, the Philippines, and other countries) for mineral resources, most specially oil. The Constitution expressly prohibits this practice – unless we have already surrendered Spratlys to the Chinese. The question now is: at both counts, was treason committed?

For more information, read the following:

* Today the Spratlys, Tomorrow Palawan
* Treason
* Treason in the Spratlys

Will update this post when I get more information.

21
Feb

Want to sing

Love is better expressed through songs. Here’s one in Japanese.

Uta Utai no Ballad
Bank Band

ah, utau koto wa/muzukashii koto janai
tada koe ni mi wo makase/atama no naka wo karappo ni suru dake
ah, me wo tojireba/mune no naka ni utsuru
natsukashii omoide ya/anata to no mainichi

hontou no koto wa/uta no naka ni aru
itsumo nara terekusakute ienai koto mo
kyou datte anata wo omoinagara utautai wa utau yo
zutto ienakatta kotoba ga aru/mijikai kara
kiiteokure ai shiteru

ah, utau koto wa muzukashii koto janai
sono mune no mekakushi wo sotto hazuseba ii

sora ni ukanderu kotoba wo tsukande
MERODeI wo noseta kumo de tabi ni dekakeru

jounentsu no kanata ni nani ga aru ?
ki ni naru kara ikou yo
mado no soto ni kitakaze ga
udegumi suru BIRU no kage ni fuku keredo

bokura wo nosete/ melody wa tsuzuku

kyou datte anata wo omoinagara uta utai wa utau yo
dou yatte anata ni tsutaeyou
ame no yoru mo fuyu no asa mo soba ni ite
HAPPII ENDO no eiga wo ima imeeji shite utau yo
konna ni suteki na kotoba ga aru mijikai kedo kiiteokure yo,/ai shiteru

(English translation by The Runaway Cat. Disclaimer from the translator, and I quote: “I do NOT guarantee the accuracy of the lyrics.”)
Ah, singing
It’s not a difficult thing to do
Entrust your body to my voice now
Just empty your mind

Ah, if I close my eyes
I can reflect everything inside my chest
Things like the dear memories I had with you everyday

Truth
They can be found in songs
Even embarrassing words that I can’t say

However today I think back about you and
I wanna sing this song
There are always words I could not say
It’s short but please hear me, I love you
Ah…

Ah, singing
It’s not a difficult thing to do
It’s better that I slowly remove this heart’s blindfold

I catch the words that rise into the sky
Riding the melodies on a cloud
I go out traveling

What is there in this passion’s spot?
Because we can reach this mood, let’s go
With the north wind outside the window
We fold our arms as the wind blows on the building’s shadows
The never ending melody rides on us

However, today I think back about you and I wanna sing this song
Somehow I’m gonna let you know
Even on the rainy nights and in the winter mornings, I’ll be by your side
Now I’m singing with the image of a movie’s happy ending in my head
Although short, there’s such a wonderful word and I want you to hear
I love you…

13
Feb

Bitterness to the extreme

Got this via SMS at an ungodly hour (1:58AM) from an unknown source.

Lord,

Kung wala kayong ibibigay na ka-date sa akin ngayong Valentines…

Please…

Dapat lahat ng friends ko,

Wala rin!

Damay-damay na to! Wa ha ha ha!

I almost threw the phone away. Almost.

12
Feb

Short, open letters

To Donald Dee:

There you go again, ranting against anything thrown against your amo, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. There you go again, raising that bogey called the economy.

To shut you up, here’s a deal: if all the members of your organization will unilaterally increase the minimum wage by Php 125, then I will shut up and join you in ranting against destabilizers. Deal?

Arbet

To Sergio Apostol:

Wow. Your law school must be proud of you. Actually I agree with you. Let’s deport all of the Chinese people out of this country! Let’s include those Chinese who were already naturalized, and those who have Filipino blood. Let’s do that, and see your beloved amo’s economy crumble down. Suportahan ta ka!

Arbet

To Joker Arroyo:

Pag bad ka, lagot ka, says your campaign slogan last 2007. I just wonder if you even understand that. Maybe your handlers should have translated that into English, so that you’d understand what that slogan meant, since it is clear you don’t.

Just a thought: maybe you really need to take a long, hard look at a mirror.

Arbet

To Juan Ponce Enrile:

I know this regime is considering appointing your wife as ambassador to the Vatican. I am not suprised by the way you conduct yourself in the Senate. Heck, no one is surprised. We all know you serve to please. Not us, of course. That Vatican appointment, that is.

Arbet

To Johnny and Joker:

What a sight you were! The two of you, seated together, working as a tag team! How time flies! Thirty years ago, you were opponents, obviously on opposite sides of the political fence. Now, look at you. As if history meant nothing.

No wonder this country is in deep sh*t.

Arbet

5
Feb

The House at its all time low (Updated)

I think a congresswoman’s explanation of her vote best sums up why the majority of congressmen voted to unseat Pangasinan Representative Jose de Venecia, Jr. as Speaker of the House of Reprehensibles. If I remember correctly, her vote has something to do with staff, pork barrel, and projects.

In short, it is all about the money.

And if gossip is right, the price for a yes vote was Php 1 million – the half paid after the vote. So, that would be Php 174 million. Neat. No wonder everyone wants to be a congressman.

Here’s the list of how congressmen voted last night. See if your congressman voted yes, and then ask him/her to show you the money.

For residents of district 2 of Caloocan, Mary Mitzi “Mitch” Cajayon voted yes. So yes, you can ask her money for your needs and projects. (And to think I shook hands with her when she campaigned last year *shudders* When I get to register in Caloocan, I will definitely not vote for her. I mean, come on. We are all for change and reform, but what happened last night was not for change and reform. Lokohin nyo lelang nyo.)

Seriously, if JDV meant what he said, and assuming all he said was true, then his removal was a calculated move by the Fortress. If JDV really knows a lot, the vote last night was a big risk for the Fortress, yet it pushed for such a vote. Maybe the Fortress is assuming that the fallout will be minimal. The Fortress is banking on JDV’s very low credibility (see this post and this post, for example); that the people would assume that JDV was just mounting a desperate attempt to save his seat. The Fortress is operating on the assumption that the people is on a “let’s move on” mentality. On that, the Fortress is correct – we have been in that mode since 2005.

An act of desperation, maybe. But a desperate man will do anything because he has nothing more to lose.

In one part of his speech, JDV warned that if it had happened to him, it will happen to others, too. That’s what I have been telling everyone since 2005.

UPDATE:

It seems that the Arroyo regime knows the pulse of the people. After stabbing JDV with 174 knives, the Fortress attempts to downplay his “exposes”, calling him “too late the hero.” And the Fortress is prolly right, based on initial reactions from bloggers.