Tomorrow, Gloria Arroyo leaves for Davos, Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum.
She had done the preliminary work of impressing the Swiss government by having the Ombudsman file a case of bribery and graft against her favorite former justice secretary, Hernando Perez.
We are not sure if the Swiss government, which supplied the money trail of Perez’ mysterious $2 million deposit, would be able to see through the charade because the Ombudsman’s charges actually protect Perez from the higher and non-bailable charges of plunder and money laundering.
On Friday, Arroyo will hold court in a power dinner to be hosted by Maurice Amon, chairman of SIPCA, an 80-year old firm that supplies 90 percent of the ink used in bank notes all over the world.
We have no doubt that Malacañang will regale us with reports of how Arroyo impressed corporate giants like Michael Porter, professor at the Bishop William Lawrence University and Harvard Business School; E. Nerville Isdell, chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company; Ronald S. McEacherm, president Asia region of Pepsico International; Yoshihiro Morita, deputy governor and managing director of Japan Bank for International Cooperation; Amr A. Al Dabbagh, governor, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority; John Lipsky, first deputy managing director, International Monetary Fund, with her accomplishments in Philippine economy.
Never mind that the economy is being propped up by 8 million Filipinos who had to escape the grinding poverty in Arroyo’s paradise.
We, however, got a tip about a possible deal from that dinner hosted by Amon.
It came from my blog (www.ellentordesillas.com). A blogger named Francis posted this info last Monday:
“Who is Maurice Amon? And why is GMA attending a dinner hosted by him? We heard that Maurice Amon and Swiss-based SICPA of which he is a chairman have been trying to sell a ‘track and trace’ technology to the ROP Department of Finance and the BIR worth US$250M that will be used to collect uncollected taxes from cigarettes and alcohol.”
Another blogger logging under the name Expatriot, followed it up with:
“Through reliable sources, I was able to confirm that Maurice Amon and SICPA director Hans Schwab have made presentations to DOF and BIR regarding their Sicpatrace system that is supposed to monitor cigarette manufacturing to ensure the taxes being paid are accurate.”
We googled Sicpatrace and this is what we got: “Sicpatrace is a unique and complete secure solution for coding, verification, tracking and data management of products and documents of value. This is used for tracking products from the moment they are manufactured through their distribution and availability in the field.
“A proprietary code is applied on an item to be traced utilizing a highly secure marker using digital technology. The code is then imaged or scanned with a camera. The information is sent via a secure data transmission link to a central server or database. Field inspection sets are part of the solution.
“Applied to branded goods, Sicpatrace can determine where counterfeit products are being introduced in the distribution chain and to see if authentic products are diverted for sale in other markets than those intended.
“For government agencies, Sicpatrace is the ideal tool to deter smuggling and protect public health.”
Blogger Expatriot cautioned against being impressed with Sicpatrace. He said,
“Laudable, at first glance, except that their technology does not exist – there is no operating program not even a prototype anywhere so they will basically use the Philippines as testing ground for this unproven technology while collecting millions of dollars in licensing fees – and you can make your assumptions on who will partake of the proceeds.”
Expatriot further remarked,
“It does seem unseemly that the President of the Philippines is having dinner with contractors who stand to make a fortune from projects that will eventually end up on her desk.”
This may be a free dinner for Gloria Arroyo. But it looks like the bill will be on the Filipino people.
This is actually nothing new. The Burot has been charging the Philippine government even perhaps for the tissue papers they use at the palace by the murky river, and if she has not reached menopausal age, even her sanitary napkins, and all because she thinks she deserves it. She thinks that it is the duty of the Filipino people to pay her even for cheating on them.
Unfortunately, with hers and her husband’s friends and kin filling up the positions in the agencies supposedly charged with arresting and putting crooks like her and her lackeys to jail, it seems the Filipino people can do nothing but cry and gnash their teeth until a savior comes along!
My condolence and sympathy to all! It’s the sign of the times. Right now, all over the world we hear of leaders who are messing up the affairs of the world leading to the destruction of the earth as has been prophesied. Gotta be ready for that eventuality as a matter of fact.
Forgot to mention that over in Japan, when the Burot calls for a dinner aimed at luring the OFWs in Japan, the lowest cost to the taxpayers is no less than 3M yen (\117/$1). She’s entertaining bigshots in the financial world so the cost must be higher.
Kawawang mga pilipino! Ginugutom ng husto. Same extravagance as the father apparently! Gutom din ang mga pilipino noon sa totoo lang. Daig pa ng mga Vietnamese who could still export rice to the Philippines then despite the war.
PATALSIKIN NA, NOW NA! HOW ABOUT A DO A THAI NOW!
“Applied to branded goods, Sicpatrace can determine where counterfeit products are being introduced in the distribution chain and to see if authentic products are diverted for sale in other markets than those intended.”
Do SIPCA people mean that the branded goods have miniscule GPS in them and will, on their own, run after the litte cigarette packs and scream, “Fake, Fake, Fake!”
Well, how come SIPCA ain’t making a mint out of their so-called technology in Europe where all the while, hundreds of millions worth of fake branded cigarettes are being smuggled in and out of the EU as well as in Eastern Europe.
Kinda odd that SIPCA wants to sell their little technology in little, gullible Pinas when they could be making mountains of mint in EU countries (which are frankly at their doorstep)?
For starters, they should be able to sell their technology to the UK, where Billions of pounds in VAT is being lost in to tobacco smugglers, a key Commons committee says.
Scale of the problem http://www.ash.org.uk/html/factsheets/html/fact17.html
Approximately one third of internationally traded cigarettes (355 billion per year) are eventually sold illegally with the avoidance of duty. [1] This reduces the price, increases demand, undermines national tobacco tax policies and, as a result, harms health by increasing tobacco use. By the late 1990s, cigarette smuggling in the UK had reached epidemic proportions: according to tobacco industry estimates, 25%-30% of the total market was made up of illegally imported cigarettes [2] although Customs & Excise estimated the figure to be no more than 21%. [3] Tobacco smuggling was costing the Government more than £3 billion a year in lost revenue. [4] Action by Customs & Excise since 2000 has helped reduce the proportion of smuggled cigarettes to approx 16% of the UK market. Despite this success, 1 in 6 cigarettes and about half of hand-rolling tobacco smoked in Britain are still illicit resulting in a net loss to the Government of more than £2 billion a year. [5]
So, why haven’t SIPCA people sold their “fabulous” technology to Europe yet? Is it because, it doesn’t exist? In other words, they expect Pinas to pay for the research money to put into a “possible” technology that will track non-paying VAT or cigarette tax? Heh!
Not even my dog is gonna bite that blarney pitch!
2.5 MILLION SMUGGLED CIGARETTES SEIZED IN WEST OF SCOTLAND
Smuggled goods now make up 15% of the UK cigarette market and more than half of all smuggled cigarettes seized in Scotland are counterfeit. …
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=201541&NewsAreaID=2 – 26k –
Ellen,
Pinas should tell the Swiss to tell their tall tale about branding cigarettes with their ink to the Irish.
The Irish love blarney! Am sure, they’ll love the Swiss (who are known for not having a sense of humour!)
Do you know how to make the Swiss understand a joke? Tell him/her the joke twice!
Do you what a Swiss does to show his friends that he’s wearing clean socks? He lifts his left foot, puts it on a stool and bends over to lift the pant covering the right other foot.
Do you know why the windscreen inside the car of a Swiss guy is covered by saliva? Coz, he blurts “vrooom, vroooom, vroooooom, vroooooooooooom” whenever he drives it.
A Swiss arrives home one night, his wife tells him:
“Btw, you know a fellow dropped by today.”
“Is that so? What did he say?”
“Nothing! He came in and grabbed me.”
“Oh yeah? And what did he say?”
“Nothing, He just took off my clothes.”
“Oh! But what did he say?”
“Nothing. He just took me and got on top of me.”
“OK, but what did he say?”
“Nothing, he just left afterwards.”
“Shit, so we’ll never know why he came!”
It’s all palabas, Anna. They cannot even make the registration of voters right with simple software on the ordinary computers. Lots of wasted energy and most of all money for that silly voters’ registration in 2003.
I could only scratch my head kasi ang yayabang pa ng mga kinuhang extra help for the registration of voters here as if they alone could do computing. Labas din palpak! I understand that even the voter’s ID of the ambassador did not come out right. A lot of people even had voter’s ID that are practically blank! Pinadala pa palpak naman!
Like the taxi meters in the Philippines, these machines will end up being readjusted to cheat rather than make things right so the Burot can have more money to squander no doubt!
Kawawang mga pilipino who will take the burden for these extravangance by the Burot calling herself president!
Why do the inhabitants of Davos go to sleep with their shoes on?
To avoid dirtying the bed linen.
Yuko,
What Pinoys don’t realize is when a Swiss is bitten by a snake, it’s the snake that dies!
Also, speaking of cigarettes, Gloria doesn’t seem to realize that the Swiss manufacture their cigarettes by putting the filter in the middle.
Gloria’s soon to be best friends, Amon and Schwab were walking in a park in Davos.
Suddenly, Amon steps on and crashes a snail with all his might.
Schwab, surprised said, “You crazy or what? That poor snail wasn’t doing anything wrong to you!”
Amon replied, “You gotta be kidding, it’s been following us for the last half hour!”
Just opened this blog again. Happy to know that it’s back in cyberspace after a few hours of being in limbo because it has exceeded its bandwidth limit.
I’l have to do something with the bandwidth limit but thanks for your continued visits.
Maki-singit nga po rito. Off-topic.
Just arrived from Laguna few hours ago, malapit lang naman pero doon na ako natulog at madilim pa’y lumuwas na. Ilang kabuong niyog lang aking dala, panggata, ilang buwig na saging na saba at mga gulay na pinitas sa aming bakuran. Nagbayad kasi ako ng amilyar ng lupang sinasakahan para naman makatulong ang buwis sa bayang sinilangan ng aking misis, sa bayan ng Liliw na sa dami ng batis, ang agos ng tubig ay nakaka-aliw. Wala, gustuhin ko mang tumula, hindi ko kaya ang style at porma ni Mrivera at ngayon, si Pareng Cocoy, Pareng Miron, Manay Chi, Isabel, Zenzennai, Chabeli at si Apoy at ibang napapadako sa sinulid na pagkahaba-haba na. Lahat na ay tumutula habang hinihimay ang isyu ni Gloring.
Pag-upo ko rito, aba’y wala ang blog ni Ate Ellen. Sabi ko, lagot! Naputulan na tayo ng Meralco. Pero ano kayang nangyari? Sari-saring guni-guni ang nagsalimbayan sa aking isipan. At katulad ng tula ni Pareng Cocoy, baka pinutol na ni Ate Ellen kasi pakilasa ko, hindi na tayo nasusubaybayan at kung ano-ano na lang ang ginagawa natin samantalang sila sa kabila ay pandalas ang mga diskusyon. Pero may self-imposed discipline naman tayo. Walang magbababag. Pag may nang-away, tsupi. Patalsikin na, Now Na (pahiram Ystakei)! Alis dyan! May kiliti ako dyan (pahiram, Diwata)!
Pero hindi naman pala. Kung ganoon, continue the going.
Sa oras na ito, 770 responses na ang si Gloria na ang isyu!!!
Anna: you said “Applied to branded goods, Sicpatrace can determine where counterfeit products are”.
Does this mean that their device will chase the evil wonder woman around screaming ‘Fake, ‘Fake, ‘Fake. Waaaaahaha!
Ystakei, Anna, WWNL
Talagang ginugutom tayo pero wala, talagang makapal at garapal kaya Makapagal.
At ito ang kwento dyan.
Uso sa Pinas and text messaging and if you are a celphone owner, you must have received by now the this joke before but now totoo na:
Noon, kapag sinadya mong gawin ang isang bagay, ay tawag sa iyo ay “makapal” (or thick-faced). Then, as time went by, the word changed, and a wrongdoer came to be known as “garapal” (one who brazens it out). When Gloria Macapagal Arroyo cheated herself into presidency not once but twice, so the text joke goes, the word underwent another etymological transformation in view of the perceived grand and large scale anomalies she committed.
At ngayon, one who does something wrong, knowing it to be wrong, is now called MAKAPAGAL.
I just don’t know if the Institute of National Language (INL) will adopt this as a new dictioary word in Pilipino. In time, maybe Merriam-Webster Dictionary will.
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Aba bino-boong gloria, sumasa sa switikzerland ka.
Aba’y huwag namang ang kasama ay sangkaterba
Gastos ng mga Pinoy sa hirap nagkakanda-kuba na.
Nasa iyo na lahat ang grasya,
Ang bansang Pinas puro disgrasya.
Aminin!
WWNL, that’s a good one!
Joeseg, I exceeded by bandwidth limit again. I had to upgade it again.
When in Switikzerland attending the World Economic Forum, gma will surely speak of her oft-repeated line that the Filipinos are wallowing in progress as a result of the economic boom under her administration.
Not so according to Jess Sison of Malaya. People have to feel economic progress.
President Arroyo said that Filipinos are experiencing the benefits of the economic boom but they just don’t know it yet. Is this the fault of the rah-rah boys of Malacañang? It must be, because the people don’t see, feel or understand it. That’s why they don’t know it. Besides, the high prices of prime commodities negate the benefits from the economic boom.
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Joeseg:
Heto ang listahan ng takdang aralin na ginawa ko kagabi , salamat na lang at nabigyan mo ng pansin na kailangan kong bisitahin ang sinasabi mong artikulo.
Napanood ko kagabi sa TV ang pagbibigay importansya ni Kit Tatad sa salitang responsable.
Narito ang aking sariling listahan:
1. Amina Rasul Bernardo – Carol Pagaduan Araullo
2. Arthur Yap / Romualdez(either Benjamin Philip or Ferdinand Martin) – representing the business sector
3. Josie Lichauco – Sonia Roco
4. J.V. Baustista – Satur Ocampo – Fernando Hicap
5. Teddy Casiño – Nathaniel Santiago – Rafael Mariano
6. T.J. Guingona / Koko Pimentel
7. Anthonio Sonny Trillanes IV – Renato Reyes
8. Greg Honasan / Randy David
9. Liza Masa – Joel Lamangan
10. Crispin Beltran / Renato Magtubo
11. Teresita Deles – Rissa Hontiveros Baraquel – Ronald Lumbao
12. Dodong Nemenzo – representing education sector ; Tita Midz S-R(kailangan natin ang mga palaban, excuse muna kanila Winnie,Malou at Mirriam)
13. Bangsa Moro/MNLF/MILF Representative
14. Oscar Orbos – representing the Media
Sana mabigyan din ng pansin ang Health, Environment, Education, Disaster Preparedness(attn NDCC), Social Justice, Overseas Filipinos, Housing, Senior Citizen atbp para magkaroon tayo ng national direction.
Kung magkakaroon ng sectoral representation nominate ko na si Rey Carandang(ganda ng speech nya sa Ateneo FP round table duscussion noong 2004 about National Pride).
Roy Señeres, Ram Antonio(entrepreneurship), Albert Lim(nabasa ko lang sya sa BizNA, representing Phil. Business-Industries)
paunawa: bawal ang naka-Lacoste, Sergio Tacchini at Fred Perry sa pangangampanya 💡
A quote from Thierry Henry:
“People are talking about me more than they talk about Eastenders.”
“Switzerland are not inferior to anyone. They played well against England. With a bit more luck, they could have scored early against England. It was very close and at 11 against 11 I though they played very well.”
This is another boo-able.
Sana magkatotoo ang kutob, while gma is in switikzerland, she will be confronted with the case of the deported Columban priest, Fr. Frank Nally.
His case should go into the Guinness Book of Records as the only Christian priest to have been deported from a Christian country only to be immediately allowed to enter a communist country. After arriving in Hong Kong on the Saturday of his deportation, Fr Nally paid a visit into mainland China to visit some Columban colleagues!
A reports says that the deportation of Fr Frank Nally appears to one of incredible stupidity. In general, deportations are for criminals, terrorists and persons considered to be a threat to national security.
Fr Nally, 52, had flown into Manila on Friday 5th Jan only to be held overnight within the airport and put on a plane to Hong Kong the next day. He had already had his passport stamped with a 21 day visa when the immigration officer suddenly exclaimed “you’re blacklisted”.
Whoever was the idiot who put in motion this sequence of events is now unleashing a wave of revulsion and criticism. Fr Nally is a priest pure and simple. He was also part of a fact finding mission to the RP to investigate the activities of mining and its effects. A report which is co-authored by among others a British lawmaker and former Cabinet Minister Clare Short will be published Thursday Jan 25th in the British House of Commons, home to the British Parliament.
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Joeseg’s report: “A report which is co-authored by among others a British lawmaker and former Cabinet Minister Clare Short will be published Thursday Jan 25th in the British House of Commons, home to the British Parliament.”
Oh, Yessss!
In spite of her family name, Clare Short is perfectly capable of staring down the unano!
““Switzerland are not inferior to anyone.” says Thierry?
Of course not, that’s why it’s the snake that dies when it bites a Swiss.
I only hope the unano will bite Amon in Davos.
joeeg said:
“When in Switikzerland attending the World Economic Forum, gma will surely speak of her oft-repeated line that the Filipinos are wallowing in progress”
Anna will confirm that the Swiss don’t have a sense of humour, so if the wicked wonder woman comes out with this line, problem is they won’t even treat it as a joke and analyse every word she utters. In other words the Swiss won’t be fooled by her exaggerations.
Glo on yer bike Enough is Enough
Anna:
Wow Clare Short haha we need her in the Congress she’d sort them out and for real hahah.
WWNL,
“In other words the Swiss won’t be fooled by her exaggerations.’
Heheh! No way she can fool ’em Swiss guys. The’ll fool her – they ain’t Swiss for nuthin! Hah!
I can’t wait to read praises and updates from Gloria’s asslickers once she arrives in Switzerland.
Likewise, will the planned trip to Germany of those wanting to investigate the issue of Pidal’s account coincide with the Switzerland trip of the Unano?
Just wondering. If ever, they might have rendezvous and try to reconcile their accounts/accounting of their money?
Why, why do you they sell millions and millions of those “cuckoo” clocks even if the blasted clocks tell buyers they’re cuckoo all the time?
How do you reckon the Swiss managed to stay on top of the laundered money business heap and get away with it?
Ain’t because they’re fools – just look at what they’re trying to sell to Gloria? Ink to track cigarettes that are not VAT stamped. Heh! I imagine they will devise another cuckoo tracker attached to the cigarette pack which will scream FAKE, FAKE, FAKE as you pointed out.
Heheh! The Swiss can sell anything – they can even outdo the Jewish. They can sell sardine bones to the Jewish by making him believe that the bones will make him intelligent. Heh!
Anna:
Is that really true that sardine bones makes you intelligent because it doesn’t work on my Filipino dog Waaaaah! Laffin
Joeseg, hindi ko nahanap kung saang thread mo nailagay. Pakilagay na lang dito, kung saan madali kong mabasa 🙂
Am from Naga City in Bicol, pero medyo matagal nang wala sa Pinas. Pauwi-uwi na lang para magbakasyon. Pero, Pilipinong totoo pa rin ako.
Sometime early this year, pupunta daw dito sa NZ si Gloria. Kung yung ibang Pinoy dito (na puro mga kasosyalan ang hanap) mag-aagawan pagsalubong, ako, ibang klase ang gagawin ko. Kahit mag-isa pa ako…..magdadala ako ng placard na may nakalagay: BOOOO!!! in big silver fern na katabi ang kiwi. Lintek lang ang walang ganti sa Gloria na yan.
Kahit mag isa pa ako, i bo BOOO ko siya!!!
Bravo Myrna!
“Kahit mag-isa pa ako…..magdadala ako ng placard na may nakalagay: BOOOO!!! in big silver fern na katabi ang kiwi. Lintek lang ang walang ganti sa Gloria na yan.”
Yeehaw!
Sige, heckle ng heckle lang para lalong maging unano iyang bogus presidente na yan!
Myrna
Magayon ang Naga City, very progressive. Magaling ang Mayor ngayon doon, si Jessie Robredo, outstanding mayor several times already. Pero yong congressman at governor, mag-amang villafuerpweh!
Punta ka sa thread si Gloria na ang isyu. Pwede kang mag-boo nang mag-boo roon. Pero baka mahirapan mong nang hanapin yong ipinoste ko. Nearing 800 na ang responses doon. Humaba nang humaba ang sinulid kahihintay sa pagdalaw mo. Pero andun sina Pareng Cocoy at Apoy. Si Manay Chi, Miron at Zenzennai nandoon din kanina. Si Mrivera, mamaya ang dating. Mga iba rito, pasilip-silip doon.
Punta na, now na!
Ellen says, “Never mind that the economy is being propped up by 8 million Filipinos who had to escape the grinding poverty in Arroyo’s paradise.”
Here’s my take: Gloria unano as an unano can be, will SELL hundreds of thousands of Filipinos to those businessmen, offering Filipino labour at a fraction of the cost they pay their blue collar workers.
Can you imagine, Bush, Blair, Chirac, Merkel, Zapata, and all other Western heads of state telling people around the world that they have decided to export their citizens for cheap labour because they can’t provide them with jobs back home?
Why, there will be a revolution in those countries.
It’s only in the Philippines where a supposed head of state can GO ON AN INTERNATIONAL ROAD SHOW (and treat millionaires to a food fest like there’s no tomorrow) BOAST TO THOSE COUNTRIES that there ARE NO JOBS back home, SELL her countrymen for a fraction of the international labour wage norm and GO BACK home to virtually tell her people that THERE ARE NO JOBS IN THE COUNTRY and get away with it! (social murder!)
And there are dumb Filipinos who are prepared to vote for this kind of harlot? Yuck, yuck, yuck again!
Now, think about that!
Yeehaw! I am on the train wiling away time on the way to another case. I thought I’d cheer up Myrna! Iyan din ang ginagawa ko dito sa Japan. Sabi daw ng ambassador bakit daw nakikialam ang isang haponesa (me). Sabi ko naman, “Pakialam niya?” I’m a free agent. At saka dito sa Japan, walang problema. Freedom of speech ginagalang!
Arya Myrna! Hindi ka nag-iisa!
The platform of any sensible and right thinking political party is basically composed of social issues TOPPED by the CREATION OF JOBS.
Or under this unano, the policy of state is to export its citizens to find work and to slave it out in foreign countries because the government cannot creat jobs.
When one is a thinking citizen-voter, she will NOT VOTE for members of unano’s party for the very reason that they cannot create jobs. So, why are there Filipinos who are still suckers to unano’s non-job creation policy?
Filipinos MUST THINK before voting! Kick her in the teeth by giving her a walloping and a thrashing through the ballots come election day!
May palagay akong gma is still smarting on the booes and heckling at Il Divo concert. prisidinti, hindi iginalang sa Pinas? Tamo, silent ang Malacanang except Prestoza asking to respect the office naman only.
With her coterie of minions and sycophants at mga sabit na tsiwari-wariwa going with her to Davos, Switzerland, charging everything to the people of the Philippines, she’ll be receiving all praises and hosannas in her every step and movement. Kaya ang feeling niya, habang nasa Davos siya, naturalmente, siempre, ano pa nga ba, she’s ‘da bos’.
Allow me to post this forwarded email in relation to the economic progress gma is blurbing about:
Gloria was not my choice during the 2004 elections, but just had to accept her and adapted a “life-must-go- on” attitude when she was declared President despite the suspicion of vote rigging.
But, after the Garci tapes, no way will I tolerate an illegitimate president!
Better an honest-to-goodness- winner highschool drop-out (FPJ) than a cheater-liar/ power-grabber master’s degree holder (Gloria).
Then came the reports that the peso-dollar exchange rates started to improve, so, I thought that if she was doing well after all, then, maybe, her works outweighed her transgressions. ..causing me to soften my stance and forgive the sinner.
I didn’t realize that I was almost fooled!
I thought my being a degree holder was enough education for me to understand that the upward movement of the peso against the dollar was an indication of economic development – thanks to her being an Economist (?)!
But, after reading this article (globalnation.inquirer. net/news/ news/view_ article.php? article_id= 44209) and learning the economics behind the scenes, my impression was incorrect after all.
If Gloria was able to deceive a college graduate like me, how many more Filipinos had and will she continue to pull her tricks with?
To the non-economist nincompoops like myself, it’s the OFW remittances which is keeping our economy afloat! Not Glorias brilliant (?) head!
Mabuhay and mga Overseas Filipino Workers!
Let’s all vote for the Oposition in the coming mid-term elections so that we can get the required number to have her impeached!
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Ellen, did your ISP find the reason for exceeding the bandwidth limit? I hope it’s not a denial of service attack.
If gma will ever talk at the World Economic Forum and brag how her administration made a turn around on the Philippine economy, here’s an alarming analysis on the real economic situation which should belie her claim.
Rising dependence on OFW remittances alarming – Workers’ money accounts for 10% of GDP.
The growing dependence of the country’s economy on the money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) has become alarming, the head researcher of the think tank Ibon Foundation Inc. said.
Sonny Africa said the OFWs had become the government’s biggest source of precious dollars, remitting $11.4 billion from January to November last year.
What is alarming, he said, is that the remittances were equivalent to 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
“The double digit mark makes the Philippines the most overseas remittance-dependen t economy of any significant size in the world. This means that the economy continues to be kept afloat by the external and volatile OFW remittances, and not by a strong local economic capacity,” he said in a statement furnished
the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
He added that the declines in domestic investment implied a diminishing capacity to expand production and warned of a slowdown in the near future.
Africa pointed to the glaring lack of decent jobs in the country as the main factor on the exodus of Filipinos seeking employment overseas.
According to an Ibon research, an estimated 3,000 Filipinos leave the country everyday to find jobs abroad.
“The sheer scarcity of jobs is already a sign that all is not well and that the economy lacks an internal dynamism that is able to productively harness and employ the Filipino workforce,” Africa said.
Ibon is an independent development institution established in 1978 and provides research, education, publications, information work and advocacy support on socioeconomic issues.
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sana, matupad ang hinihingi ni yuko na doon na matigok ang salot na switik. huwag nang iuuwi sa pilipinas ang bangkay. sunugin na lamang doon at gawing pataba sa halaman.
Hi Mrivera
Dito pa tayo nagpanagpo baga? Ano mo ga kung baken ako’y naparine? Hila ko lang itong sinulid mula sa kabilang thread.
Sabi ko kasi kay johnmarzan sa kabilang thread, ang pagpunta ng fact finding committee sa Germany ay ang tinatatawag nating exercise in inutility.
Gagastos lang ang mga yan, eh alam na natin ang sasabihin nila pagbalik. Alam nating marami silang pasalubong sa kanilang mga no. toh.
Pero swerte rin ni gma, ang plaka ng kotse niya. no. 1.
Itong kakilala ni fg, si Vicky, no. toh.
ay lalayas na naman pala ang prangulong turista
gastos sa pasahe’y kaninong bulsa baga
manggagaling ito’t hakot pa ng kasama
wala namang gagawin kundi magpakyut maglam’yerda?
ano ba kaya ireng dumapong kamalasan
sa ating minumutyang sintang inang bayan?
ano baga itong ating naging kasalanan
upang lahat ng dagok ay ating maranasan?
wala namang ginagawa kundi magsinungaling
itong pansamantalang permanenteng prangulo ng bansa natin
sa bawat diyes na pangakong kanyang babanggitin
asahan ninyong beinte ang palpak na maituturing.
kanyang mga kritiko’y binubusala’t sinisikil pilit
bawat batikos sa kanya ang ganti’y dobleng hapdi’t sakit
gayung ang pagkukulang mula’t sapul wala sa matuwid
mga hakbangin niyang walang buting ang bansa ay nakamit.
ngayo’y tutulak na naman, ano kayang pakulo
itong binabalak na namang kayang niluluto?
pawang pambobola sa mga mabubunying pinuno
wala na ba siyang hiya, kailan kaya magtitino?
Mrivera
Nabanggit mo ang 10 at 20, aba’y yang ang kombinasyon ng lumabas sa jueteng kanina. Sabi ni gma, nasugpo na ang jueteng. Oo nga naman. Dati, 2 bola maghapon, ngayon 3 na, mawning, eatbulaga time at saan ka man naroroon.
joeseg, ay gay’an talaga ang mga nagkakaamuyang langgam, kung nasaan ang tamis ay duon nagkukulumpunan.
The worst kind of foreign investments – especially First World nations trying to impose First World solutions on Third World problems are those that siphon precious foreign exchange from the country’s coffers, usually off the backs of the nation’s working stiffs.
This Sicpatrace is a case in point. From an engineering perspective, it’s probably no more than barcode or magnetic strips imbedded in the cigarette packs and scanned, just a redundant counter that is already present in the manufacturing process. RFID will be practical for branded goods but too expensive for cigarettes (sorry for the techspeak – I’m a Pinoy engineer based in Leeds, UK). They may have to increase the price of cigarettes and guess who will pay for that? The Filipino consumers, naturally – and it’s ironic that those from lower income groups smoke more, perhaps it’s one of the few vices they can still barely afford.
So why not just employ more BIR inspectors and monitors at the cigarette manufacturing plants to validate the quantity of cigarettes manufactured? Well, humans – especially those with meager incomes can probably be bribed but at least the money still ends up in the Philippines where they are spent not end up in some Swiss gnomes’ pockets.
Anna de Brux is right – how come EU nations have not bought into this technology? Probably because Western nations are not too readily impressed by Western technology, but more likely because there are no “commissioners” within government entities who act as evangelists for new, if unproven technology for selfish gain.
Excellent point, Filnerd-UK. I think they are overreaching with the technology. They can track cigarette production within the factories but can’t possibly track the millions of packs that are in the Philippine market short of installing scanners and readers in every street corner, in which case you will have a solution that is more expensive than the problem.
But here’s the curious thing that I hope Ellen can help shed a light on – among the luminaries attending the Davos dinner is a name that sticks out like a sore thumb – Stephen Zuellig, President of the Zuellig Group. What is he doing among the world’s economic and entrepreneurial elite? He is obviously the Swiss connection and SICPA’s point-man in the Philippines, but also note that Herminio Desini used to be a Zuellig CEO and that this Philippine company has a less-than sterling reputation as a breeding ground for unscrupulous businessmen.
The more things change, the more they remain the same – we still see the same cast of characters who have been feasting on the carcass of our decaying nation.
When will we put national interests ahead of personal aggrandizement? Once we do that, I bet we will be selling watches to the Swiss.
As written:
“A proprietary code is applied on an item to be traced utilizing a highly secure marker using digital technology. The code is then imaged or scanned with a camera. The information is sent via a secure data transmission link to a central server or database. Field inspection sets are part of the solution.
Now who pays for the technology? If the factory owns the system, then he controls the servers, the databases and the field inspection sites. He could always choose the “best” inspections sites and hire the best IT engineers and programmers who could give a lucrative “total cost of ownership”. If the government opts to purchase the system, the factory could always complain that the system could not cope with the speed of production. Ot it could, influence the location of the inspection sites, then dump the factory’s “unscanned” lots on unmanned sites.
There was a part where mike Aroyo told Alan (These are not exact quotes). “You have no balls. (That’s in a Congress hearing, ha.)You don’t want to come with us to Germany because you will be proven to be lying.”
Alan answered: You don’t want to sign a waiver because you will be exposed to own millions of dollars. and you would not be able to account where it came from.
Isn’t this a career for most politicians, to look for foreign products the Filipinos can buy so they will benefit from the contracts? This is how most of these vultures enrich themselves. After the product is purchased, it will be a dust collector. Best example are the voting machines.
Western countries love to experiment in the Philippines, medicine and all, at our expense! Tiyanak knows that but she likes to be a social butterfly. She wants to be where the world biggies are. She wants to be a first class leader, kuno. Only in her dreams!
in today’s technology there is no use travelling half across the globe just to find out something. in fact the truth is in the pinas.
Norpil said it all!
Gusto yang sabi mo, norpil.
****
Sa Pinas pala ngayon, kahit na ang pag-unlad kuno ng ekonomiya ay itinatago pa rin sa tao! Ang sabi ng pekeng pangulo ay BOOM daw ang kabuhayan hindi nga lang nararamdaman ng mamamayan! Sinungaling! Boooooo!!!
http://www.abante.com.ph/issue/jan2407/main.htm
thanks ellen am finally
able to log in again after
kupong-kupong times.
about that trip to Davos:
Gloria is out of place in that Devos gathering, where there seemed to be no known crooks attending. Malacanang should tell the people if Gloria as faked President was invited. She must have invited herself, or is she gatecrashing? The Philippines will be highly honored if honest Dolphy and Susan are the ones attending. Never mind if the miseducated elite will be smirking. Our politicians and their families since Dadong Macapagal have no known positive contributions to climate change, political conflict, and fair conduct of business policies. Even advances in IT (three cheers for the COMELEC) had been used for monkey business by greedy monkeys. Our shameless leaders are again blackening the already tarnished image of our country in that part of the world.
FilNerd_UK,
You said it, “because Western nations are not too readily impressed by Western technology, but more likely because there are no “commissioners” within government entities who act as evangelists for new, if unproven technology for selfish gain.”
Gloria and her delegation to Davos should ask Mr Amon pointblank ONE & ONLY one question:
If what the Swiss purport, i.e., their technology could earn government coffers well-deserved tax money and prevent, stop smuggling of cigarettes (sold cigarettes with non-paid VAT are equated with smuggled of FAKE cigarettes), WHY IS IT THAT THERE ARE NO MAJOR EU NATIONS who have bought into their technology?
Their much vaunted technology has no takers in the UK, none in France, none in Germany, none in Italy, none in Spain and none in the EU capital where SMUGGLING of cigarettes has proliferated these last few years! These are countries whose government seats or ministries of finance are WITHIN “spitting distance” from Switzerland!
Madame Arroyo must NOT allow Monsieur Amon to get away with making the Philippines his PIGGY BANK in the hope of coming up with such bombastic technology!
Mike Pidal is acting like physical presence in Germany is the only way to prove that he has no account there. Pwede ba niyang maloko si Allan C, e balita ko technology geek ‘yan!
If Pidal knows nothing about technology, he should bodily carry his wife into oblivion. Halos lahat ngayon ay pwedeng pinasusulong ng technology.
****
The Pidal woman and minions will fly to Davos only for another R&R paid for by the pinoys. Who is she fooling? She has another agenda and just uses the meet to justify her going to Davos. I maintain that the Davos meet is useless in Pinas case because the economy is non-performing since she stole the presidency!
Or if Gloria wishes to be polite to her hosts, she can ask them:
WHICH MAJOR NATIONS (at least three are necessary to prove it works) have promised to buy into the technology? (I’m taking into consideration that the Swiss are trying to sell or transfer their technology with the caveat that they will help the Philippines sell it to other nations once it’s up and running)?
I’ve been involved in technology sales, technology transfers, joint ventures, build operate transfer, build operate lease, most of my professional life and I would like to believe that the Swiss are in good faith – but at this point, I can only see one thing: Monsieur Amon needs a guinea pig to finance his company technology research in order to come up with some kind of prototype which in effect tell us, these Swiss are trying to put one over the Philippines.
So, I can only agree with FilNerd_UK when he said, “but more likely because there are no “commissioners” within government entities who act as evangelists for new, if unproven technology for selfish gain.”
The consultant that this Swiss company hired in Pinas to sell, promote their technology is doing it by undermining Philippine government interests all the way through and Gloria is complicit in the act.
Alan Cayetano has dignity while the Junior Mikey Don has none!
Welcome back, Jay. I’m glad you are now able to connect.
Looks like Sicpa’s Maurice Amon felt the heat and has handed dinner hosting honors to Zuellig. Instead, Amon will be granted presidential audience. He may not even attend dinner – that’s a rather expensive dinner tab he is picking up where he won’t even get to eat a single dinner roll. But Amon and Zuellig are peas in a pod. They will be pushing for the same agenda in the backroom meetings that are part and parcel of the Davos experience.
“But Amon and Zuellig are peas in a pod. They will be pushing for the same agenda in the backroom meetings that are part and parcel of the Davos experience.”
Of course, Expatriot! You are jsut spot on…
Well, if Amon decides to skip that ‘festin’, it’s a big slap on Gloria, meaning he’s keen to show that he has some sort of “delicadeza” (but this is of course, BS) not wanting to be seen with Gloria.
Presidential audience? What on earth for one might ask? That’s SOP when a big deal is in the making where hundreds of millions of dollars will disappear in private bank accounts and pockets of RP government officials, Gloria Pidal and family on top of the cheating heap.
That’s exactly how the Mabey-Johnson chief executive of the bridges to nowhere operated.
First he was granted a presidential audience and left with an exclusive contract to supply bridges to nowhere paid for by UK taxpayers’ money destined for the Philippines. Gloria approved the Mabey-Johnosn offer and presto, RP got the grant; prices of the bridges were doubled thereby effectively cheating UK govt (in other words instead of UK govt obtaining 100 bridges for 100 pounds, RP received only 50 bridges but Uk govt was charged for 100 bridges, Mabey Johnson undoubtedly split the difference with some folks in Pinas.)
The same CEO attended a party in honor of the Papua New Guinea PM in Malacanang hosted by Gloria who played the host and lobbied for the execution of a contract and who was witness to the contract signature!
Now, Papua New Guinea govt and Mabey Johnson execs are being investigated in the UK and by extension their dealings with Pinas are also being investigated.
UK govt may not indict Gloria and her family or other RP govt officials, but they sure can send Mabey-Johnson officials to prison and sent to the cleaners if they are found guilty.
The ironic thing is that Zuellig was part of a cabal of Marcos cronies who brokered the mothballed Batangas Nuclear Power Plant, led by Herminio Disini during his heyday as Marcos supercrony. (Disini was Zuellig CEO at one point). This monumental folly cost the Philippines billions of dollars to build and $155,000 per day in interest loans and has not produced a single watt of power. This has formed a huge part of the country’s seemingly insurmountable debts.
So now, decades later, we have a sitting Philippine president being hosted by a Marcos accomplice in Switzerland, where Marcos and crony millions are stashed away in Swiss bank accounts – no doubt mingling with the new millions stashed by the likes of Hernando Perez and other political nouveau riche.
Disini, of course, got his first millions through Marcos-mandated monopoly of cigarette filters, the same cigarette industry that Swiss company SICPA now wants to get into, with the intercession of Zuellig. So they change the dinner host from Amon to Zuellig but the menu remains the same – Philippine projects for the well-connected and unscrupulous power brokers.
I hope before they dig into their hundred dollar caviar and truffles, they will at least say a prayer for the millions of Filipinos who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
FilNerd_UK, Expatriot,
FilNerd_UK said, “The worst kind of foreign investments – especially First World nations trying to impose First World solutions on Third World problems are those that siphon precious foreign exchange from the country’s coffers, usually off the backs of the nation’s working stiffs.”
You are absolutely spot on.
There are catalogues of patents in the vaults of a number of conglomerates which they cannot launch for want of real markets.
Without potential markets, these companies will not spend precious research money on their discoveries. What many Western companies have done in the past is to tap little, perhaps not gullible but greedy governments. They sell them volumes of paperwork, beautiful pictures, great technicians and teams of unbeatable salesmen.
They hire local “consultants” and the sales pitch starts. These companies will move heaven and earth, spend money wining and dining the target, i.e., government officials, send them abroad on so-called “business trips”, show them their plants, wine and dine them some more until they reach the highest level of government, i.e., president.
Promises of money by the barrel are made, just enough of lobby funds will be allocated if necessary, then the contract is signed.
With that contract, it’s the client govt that is required to put down the first tranche of funds on the table – in exchange, the client will start receiving plenty more of beautiful files, with pictures, diagrams, the works but in the end, it’s the client government that’s putting out the money, lots of it with a huge portion of that money being siphoned off, destination abroad – split among the govt officials and the seller/foreign “investor”.
The scourge of any growing democracy is corruption! There are two of them involved: the foreign seller/investor and the other is the client government at the highest echelon of power.
They take the money and run leaving nothing behind but death and destruction in their wake, hapless, hungry, miserable living souls in the country.
To give you an idea, an airport radar’s cost is divided into:
40% hardware and 60% software (engineers).
A foreign company would send 2 or 3 engineers to develop the software; their services will be billed to the client government the 50% of the software cost while only 10% goes to local engineers. The company makes profit and are happy.
It is from the hardware part that the consultants/partners/government official contracts will make a mint. Most of the hardware for the radar will be off the shelf and cost only 10% ex works. The remaining 30% overprice is what will pay off the corrupt and greedy politicians, government officials, etc.
For every penny added to any government acquisition, a Filipino child is left hungry!
I’ve already alerted Ellen here in the same blog (not in this post here) that I am prepared gratis et amore to help those in acquisition committees of any government entity by providing them with the real cost ex-works of most of their technology acquisition, hardware and software.
This will enable the members of the acquisition committees to compare the proposals they receive from tenders and companies.
Up to them…
Re: “A foreign company would send 2 or 3 engineers to develop the software; their services will be billed to the client government the 50% of the software cost..”
Often most of the softwares provided, particularly by a company that is world class conglomerate, will be sold to the client govt already from their shelves…
Sabi ni Myrna “Sometime early this year, pupunta daw dito sa NZ si Gloria. Kung yung ibang Pinoy dito (na puro mga kasosyalan ang hanap) mag-aagawan pagsalubong, ako, ibang klase ang gagawin ko. Kahit mag-isa pa ako…..magdadala ako ng placard na may nakalagay: BOOOO!!! in big silver fern na katabi ang kiwi. Lintek lang ang walang ganti sa Gloria na yan.”
Dalawa na tayo, magkita tayo sa Aotea Square.
b2win-marikit, baka gusto mong mag EB tayo para mapaganda pa natin yung placard!!!
hay naku, wala akong pakialam, basta gagawin ko ang gusto kong gawin para maipakita kay Gloria na isinusuka siya, di lang sa Pilipinas, kundi sa NZ!!! hehehheh
Todays History:
Bernanke’s Economy on Global Fight Against Terrorism versus Diego Silang & Elias Journey in the Seven Years War
-The Oriental Campaign
Someone who had been banned from this blog seemed to have resurrected under another name. Let’s be cautioned about that.
From Rep. Roilo Golez:
I will not be joining the Munich “fact-finding” trip, contrary to earlier reports because of the following reasons:
1. without waiver, that trip would be a merry goose chase, more difficult than breaching the Berlin wall. A diligent search must cover not only the names of complainants but their possible nominees, foundations, etc. the usual layering in money laundering that can’t be done with the limited time.
2. the agreement in the committee meeting (the records will bear me out) is that the minority would nominate the minority representatives to the fact-finding team. The minority has not nominated anyone yet. It’s under study.
3. One of my goals as congressman is to be able to say that I have not gone on a foreign trip as congressman at government expense. I have made good that since I became cong in 1992. I intend to maintain that foreign trip free record.
ellen:i wonder if you can be more specific, i thought this is not possible without you knowing who it is.
Sovereign touché of the week:
GMA: My countrymen, I am leaving for Switzerland today to attend an economic forum in order to showcase the economic boom taking place in your midst.
The Sovereign: An economic boom amid the poor who are increasing in number and eating less? Look, why don’t you also reveal your real reason for going to that country, which is to submit to the Swiss-based Anti-Money Laundering Committee the Ombudsman’s findings on the money laundering issue that was raised against Nani Perez, his wife and brother-in-law ages ago! Magpapa-cute ka lang at maglalangis doon!
Tribune columnist Ronald Roy
http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20070126com6.html
Golez is absolutely right. These Congressmen who label their trip to Germany as fact finding tour will end up doing a beer finding tour.
Useless, absolutely useless trip.
They know very well that they can’t get ANYWHERE near any of Pidal’s bank accounts ANYWHERE in Europe unless they have a LEGAL WAIVER and on the condition that they have Pidal’s (1) Exact bank account numbers (2) Exact names of the owners of the said accounts (3) The bank accounts have not been moved from where they were opened.
These Congressmen are shitting the people.
absolutely useful for their own agendas i suppose.
Francis and Expatriot’s expose about Maurice Amon, SICPA and Hans Schwab have now been validated by various news items emanating from Davos, including a front page picture of GMA and Schwab on the Inquirer. I guess they don’t really care that people are on to what they’re trying to pull off….
Thanks for the update, FilNerd_UK!
It has been two years since Sicpa proposed this P12-billion tax stamp scheme. During yesterday’s hearing at the House of Representatives, the cost of the project already ballooned to P18 billion. This is according to BIR deputy commissioner Lilia Guillermo. What gives? I mean, who gave what amount to whom?