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‘Ganito kami noon, ganito pa rin kami ngayon’

Published by Ellen on January 27, 2010

Malaya editorial

Our favorite “pa-pogi” guy in government, Arthur Yap of the Department of Agriculture, is at it again. In the face of soaring prices of sugar, he directed the National Food Authority to make available 150,000 kilos to poor families through NFA’s “Tindahan Natin” outlets in Metro Manila.

The volume of 150,000 kilos translates into 150 tons of sugar. At an estimated nationwide consumption of 6,000 tons a day, the volume the NFA has been directed to inject into a market represents 2.5 percent of consumption. The volume will last about half an hour assuming people buy sugar round the clock during a 24-hour day.

(And, yes, we know that in doing the pencil-pushing exercise above we might be accused of intentional misrepresentation. The 150,000-kilo infusion is limited to Metro Manila, hence, we should not have used the nationwide consumption figure as the denominator. But we deliberately did so to show the silliness of Yap’s announcement given the obvious gap in demand and supply situation.)

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Tunay na kulay

Published by Ellen on January 27, 2010

Kahit na pangit ang nangyayari ngayon sa Senado, mabuti na rin dahil lumalabas ang tunay na kulay ng marami sa kanila.

Kung hindi sila nagbabangayan, di hindi sana natin nalaman ang mga behind the scenes na ginawa ni Sen. Manny Villar katulad ng pakiki-usap kay Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile na parang ang dating daw ay nag-aalok ng tulong kapalit ang favorable na report tungkol sa C-5 road extension na proyekto.

Nalulungkot lang ako sa nangyari kay Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. na malaki rin naman ang kontribusyon sa ating demokrasya sa kanyang paglaban sa diktaturang Marcos.

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A conspiracy to continue illegitimate governance

Published by Ellen on January 26, 2010

Gloria Arroyo must be the happiest person today.

While the people are pre-occupied watching the Senate circus and other political entertainment, she is laying down the infrastructure for what looks like her last try to stay in power beyond 2010.

The group that calls themselves Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO) has information of a sinister plot by Arroyo and her allies that will spell the death of democracy in this country.

The FSGO issued a statement that warns of “A Conspiracy to Continue Illegitimate Governance.” Let it not be said that we were not warned:

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Tensions run high in C-5 showdown

Published by Ellen on January 26, 2010

by JP Lopez
Malaya

Tension ran high yesterday as Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile reported out to the plenary Committee Report 780 censuring Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. for allegedly using his position to realign the C-5 road extension project that will benefit his and his family’s real estate firms.

Villar, who never showed up at any of the committee’s deliberations to answer the accusations against him, was a virtual no-show, arriving at the session hall only after the session was adjourned.

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. tried to delay the sponsorship speech of Enrile by questioning the Senate procedure on treating committee reports and resolutions.

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Pati simbahan nangangamba sa automated election

Published by Ellen on January 26, 2010

Mabuti naman at nagsalita na rin ang Simbahang Katoliko ng kanilang pangamba tungkol dito sa automated election sa Mayo.

Sa kanilang annual general assembly noong Sabado, sinabi ni Bishop Nereo Odchimar, presidente ng Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines na marami tanong tungkol sa ‘reliability” (maasahan ba?) at integridad ng mga makina na gagamitin sa eleksyun ay hindi nasasagot ng Commission on Elections.

Katulad ng dati, ang sagot ng Comelec, okay lang daw lahat at hindi ra mangyaayri ang “failure of elections” na kinakabahan ng marami.

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Three critical turnovers

Published by Ellen on January 24, 2010

There are three changes that would be happening in May and June that should be a cause of concern for the Filipino people.

No, we are not talking about the presidency. It’s not the replacement of Gloria Arroyo after June 30, 2010 that we are worried about. It’s more of she might be replacing herself.

The most discussed impending change is in the judiciary, when Chief Justice Reynato Puno retires on May 17.
Article VIII, Section 4(1) of the Constitution states that any vacancy in the Supreme Court shall be filled within 90 days of the occurrence. Gloria Arroyo’s minions say that she can appoint Puno’s replacement because he term ends on June 30.
However, Article VII, Section 15 of the Constitution prohibits midnight appointments . It states that after two months immediately before the next presidential election and up to the end of his/her term, a President or acting President shall not make appointments except temporary appointments to executive positions when continued vacancies will prejudice or endanger public safety.

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The egotist

Published by Ellen on January 24, 2010

Editorial
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Estrada
Estrada
The presidential bid of Joseph Estrada can be summarized in three words: it is about I, Me and Myself. He is the male counterpart of the faded silent movie-era star Nora Desmond in Billy Wilder’s classic film, “Sunset Boulevard.” It tells of a failed screen writer who gravitates to Desmond, who dreams of making a cinematic comeback. In the end she kills the screenwriter in a jealous fit, and ends up losing all touch with reality, thinking that the news crews covering the murder are a film crew that has begun filming her comeback role.

One of the Nora Desmond character’s famous lines is “I am big! It’s the pictures that got small.” In his mind, Joseph Estrada is still the big shot matinee idol, champion and idol of the masses; but the reality is it’s his fantasy of relevance that has enlarged over time even as his box office and electoral clout has diminished. This is not to say that the clout has evaporated totally or that he hasn’t retained his fan base. He obviously still does.

The surveys show him increasing his percentage but it needs to be asked if this is purely a function of his reclaiming his constituency, or more the interaction of official concessions and that constituency rallying because of these unexpected signs of official favor.

Prior to Estrada’s throwing his hat into the ring, the legal consensus was that the Constitution prohibited former presidents from seeking the presidency. This was a view we believe was widely shared by the public. The Palace, for its part, had tried to limit Estrada’s freedom of political action by holding over his head a condition in his pardon that stated he would give up political aspirations. But when the deadline for the filing of candidacies for 2010 approached, the Palace itself announced it had no intention of blocking his comeback plans.

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May tupak ba si GMA?

Published by Ellen on January 23, 2010

Talaga naman. Hindi ko alam kung sino ang mas matindi ang tama, si Gloria Arroyo o si Marlene Aguilar-Pollard.

Kasi, sabi ni Aguilar-Pollard nakilala raw niya si Mayor Andal Ampatuan sa isang gabing pamamalgi niya sa detention quarters ng National Bureau of Investigation at sinabi niya sa media na huwag daw husgahan ang suspek sa pagpatay ng hindi kukulang sa 57 na tao sa Maguindanao dahil “mabait” naman daw. Dios mio naman!

Ito namang si Arroyo, sa interview sa kanya ni Joe Taruc sa DZRH, sinabi niya na “swerte” raw ang susunod sa kanya dahil matatag daw ang ekonomiya na kanyang iiwanan. “Alam mo siguro, suwerte yung susunod na pangulo sa akin.Iyong susunod na administrasyon maipagpatuloy lang niya, uusbong ang ating bansa.”

Continue readingMay tupak ba si GMA?