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Anti-marijuana livelihood project in Kapangan, Benguet fails

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - Yacon, a healthy rootcrop touted as a sugar substitute, was also seen as a crop that would wean Kapangan farmers away from marijuana production.

But after more than a year that the Philippine National Police signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kapangan municipality and other government agencies on the cultivation of yacon as an alternative to marijuana growing, the parties found out that there was no market for their crops and some went back to growing the illicit but far more profitable crop.

Kapangan Mayor Roberto Canuto said that the yacon production was a failure.

"There are still no roads and when they bring their yacon to the market, they find that there is hardly any demand," Canuto said.

Why don't we just recognize marijuana as a therapeutic drug, legalize it and then regulate its sale? That will give the Kapagan farmers and others who raise the crop illicitly a legitimate source of income.

Of course the government will come up with various reasons why Sen. Pimentel's proposal is not feasible, viable or even constitutional. Sen. Trillanes cannot be allowed to legally present what he knows regarding corruption in the military, it would bring down all of GMA's Praetorian Guard.

It would be interesting to see if other oppositionists pickup on Sen. Pimentel's move. I would be one of the people in the standing ovation that may meet Sen. Trillanes should he find his way into the session hall.

Abangan...

HONJO, Japan--Thinking of throwing out your old cell phone? Think again. Maybe you should mine it first for gold, silver, copper and a host of other metals embedded in the electronics -- many of which are enjoying near-record prices.

It's called "urban mining," scavenging through the scrap metal in old electronic products in search of such gems as iridium and gold, and it is a growth industry around the world as metal prices skyrocket.

The materials recovered are reused in new electronics parts and the gold and other precious metals are melted down and sold as ingots to jewellers and investors as well as back to manufacturers who use gold in the circuit boards of mobile phones because gold conducts electricity even better than copper.

"It can be precious or minor metals, we want to recycle whatever we can," said Tadahiko Sekigawa, president of Eco-System Recycling Co which is owned by Dowa Holdings Co Ltd.

That ought to give some of our own urban entrepreneurs an idea. I just wonder if our own urban miners, if any, have the equipment to do what their Japanese counterparts can do.

Ever wondered where your tax pesos were going, other than paying for the giant BF posters which are now history in the cities of Pasay and Makati?

They go to salaries and/or perks that are paid/given to the members of the over populated government agencies.

Check out this table from the PCIJ.org website as they tell just what the numbers are.

Top Ten Most Bloated Agencies Source: Civil Service Commission
A. POSITIONS BY VIRTUE OF REPUBLIC ACT
AGENCY	NO. OF POSITIONS		TOTAL	ACTUAL OCCUPANCY	EXCESS	RANK
	USEC	ASEC
Office of the President	4	2	6	37	31	1
Department of National Defense	1	0	1	9	8	2
Department of Agrarian Reform	1	1	2	9	7	3
Department of Foreign Affairs	3	11	14	19	5	4
Department of Health	1	2	3	8	5	4
Department of Interior and Local Government	2	3	5	10	5	4
Department of Justice	3	0	3	8	5	4
Department of Social Welfare and Development	2	3	5	9	4	5
Department of Tourism	4	0	4	7	3	6
Department of Education	4	4	8	9	1	7
B. POSITIONS BY VIRTUE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER OR ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER
Presidential Management Staff	1	2	3	6	3	6
Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council	1	0	1	4	3	6
Office of the Press Secretary	2	1	3	4	1	7

Read the report from the pcij.org blog here.

Around 25 years ago, the homeowners association of a small subdivision called Sto. Nino Village in Banilad, Cebu would sponsor a mass every Sunday. This mass was held at the Village clubhouse, and was attended by most of the Catholic residents of the village, as calling on God had become more convenient. Several priests were invited to say mass, but the crowd had favorites even back then, as they have favorite American Idols today.

Back then the favorite priest was Achilles Dakay, then just Fr. Achilles Dakay and not yet Monsignor Achilles Dakay. Fr. Dakay was our favorite priest because his sermons always made the congregation laugh and think, and he seemed at the time a very likable person. First Sundays were reserved for Fr. Dakay, and I remember the mass goers felt a little disappointed when he could not make it to mass, and sending someone in his stead.

I stopped going to mass in 1985 (for reasons that shall be discussed elsewhere) and I left Cebu in 1999. I had not seen or heard of the Monsignor mainly because I had lost interest both in the Catholic Church and in the goings-on in Cebu City, which to me is now alien territory.

But seeing Monsignor Dakay on the news tonight, hearing him say that the medical scandal at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) is the fault of the victim and that the victim should accept some of the blame for what happened---I could not believe what I was watching and hearing. Monsignor Dakay's popularity, or at least what I remember of it, stemmed from his open-mindedness and compassion. Or maybe I remember wrongly.

Danton Remoto of Ladlad has been quoted as saying that the Monsignor's statement is expected because it only reflects the church's stand on homosexuality.

The pains and travails that can happen in any person's life seem to be magnified when the victim happens to be homosexual. This statement may be subjective, but in our hearts we know it to be true. But that is still not the issue in question in the case of the victim at the VSMMC. For me, the victim's sexuality is incidental in this case.

It is the behavior of the attending medical team that has been questioned and deemed highly irregular. The video showed not only the poor victim's state, but also the attitude and the state of mind of some of the members of the medical team. A few doctors have been quoted as being of the opinion that only the person who uploaded the video should take the full brunt of whatever sanctions are to be imposed.

I am of the belief that the video should be used to take note of who among those on the medical team snickered or laughed or made snide remarks. Their having done so does not prove that they are only human, but that they have failed to rise above the level of humor at another person's expense, to the correct behavior of people in their profession.

That, I believe, is more the scandal.

(Also posted on Balay ni Bambit)

April 22, 2008
Updated 12:21:20 (Mla time)
Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando is facing possible charges if he fails to answer allegations that he misused government funds for his personal agenda, an opposition lawmaker at the House of Representatives said Tuesday.

Deputy Minority Floor Leader Roilo Golez said he would ask the Ombudsman to investigate Fernando if he could not justify the construction of pink road signs and “ugly" three-lane-U-turn slots in major roads in the metropolis.

Golez said he would also file appropriate charges against Fernando for allegedly not paying MMDA employees their P4, 000 clothing allowance for two years, destroying government property with the U-turn slots along Commonwealth Avenue and other places, and violating his own MMDA regulation mandating use of international standards for road signs.

He lamented that until now, the MMDA chief has not answered serious allegations that he was using government funds to advance his personal agenda with his giant tarpaulins bearing his picture purportedly in preparation for the 2010 elections.

"Looks like he [Fernando] is bent on creating a personality cult with his giant facial tarpaulins at government expense," Golez said in a statement.

"In recent history, two persons festooned roads and highways with his giant photos: Saddam [Hussein] and Great Leader Kim Il Sung [of North Korea]," he said.

It's been said that the MMDA Chairman has not confined his stomping grounds to EDSA in particular and Metro Manila (the first two M's in MMDA do mean Metro Manila, don't they) but has gone as far north as Laoag and as far south as Aklan. As far as I know neither Laoag nor Aklan are part of Metro Manila, not even the Strong Economy highway passes through either of those provinces.

So did the MMDA Chairman channel funds for MMDA personnel's clothing allowance into tarpaulin banners of his ugly face along EDSA? Quite possible. It is not the first time BF has been at odds with his own employees. In March 2006 Metro Aides held a lie-down strike right at BF's doorstep at the MMDA. This was for non-payment of salaries, and the requirement for the street sweepers to provide for their own brooms and dustpans and trash bags. That was also around the time when there was a trash problem in the metropolis and bright boy BF suggested we flush our trash down the toilet.

I would much rather really flush BF down the toilet.

With the impounding of close to 200 illegal buses, it would now take less time to travel from one end of Edsa to the other, MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno said on Sunday.

“We did not expect that the impact would be so immediate,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.

Just over two weeks ago, MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno may have stood at his office window (can you really see EDSA from inside the MMDA building? I really can't remember if they have windows, and if they do that they're clear enough to see through), gazing in awe at the no-traffic situation on what used to be known as Highway 54.

These photos were taken around half past 10 in the morning of April 21, 2008 from the pedestrian overpass on EDSA/Estrella, a stone's throw away from where I work and less than a block away from where Mr. Nacianceno works.

Uh, you were saying?

Nograles: Pork barrel Web site up in 2 weeks
04/20/2008 | 06:18 PM

MANILA, Philippines - If the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee plans to put up a Web site on its investigations into graft-ridden deals, the House of Representatives plans to set up its own new Web site, this time on pork barrel funds.

A statement on the House Web site said the site's development team would make the presentation this week.

"The development team will make their presentation this Tuesday and hopefully we will be able to have it publicly accessible in the next two weeks," Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. said.

When he took over the House's top post last February, Nograles revamped the House's public information unit and instructed it to "defend" the pork barrel funds.

The pork barrel fund system, which allows lawmakers to identify projects for funding, had been criticized as a temptation for graft and corruption.

Nograles: Pork barrel Web site up in 2 weeks

First of all, even at a time when every centavo counts, I wouldn't want to be on a web team that has been tasked to defend the pork barrel, not even with the chance of earning millions of pesos along the way. Any job that is commissioned by the House of Representatives or the Senate or the government in general will be paid with taxpayers money ... which in my humble opinion should be used to serve our deserving and less-fortunate countrymen. Certainly NOT to defend the very institution that legalizes and even encourages corruption among those in power.

While we're on the subject of pork and pigs, if I were one of the piggery owners that are now feeling the results of the Quedancor scandal I would load up as many live porkers as I can onto a truck, drive up to the gates of that house on the Pasig and let them loose on the grounds. I'd call them a gift. I'd even bet the pigs would know exactly where to go if I told them to go find their parents.

Ex-rebel: Pardon for 9 mutineers a cover-up

MANILA, Philippines - The pardon issue on the nine Army officers involved in the short-lived Oakwood mutiny in July 2003 could be part of a cover-up for the government’s refusal to implement the agreement it entered into with the mutineers.

This was according to retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles, a member of the fact-finding committee that looked into the Oakwood mutiny and himself a participant in several failed coup attempts in the past.

“It (pardon) is just part of a cover-up which started when the Arroyo government turned their backs on the agreement in Oakwood," Robles said.He was referring to the agreement reached between former Armed Forces chief and now special envoy to the Middle East Roy Cimatu with the core leaders of the mutineers, collectively known as the Magdalo group.

The said agreement, which led to the surrender of the mutineers, specified that only the Magdalo leaders would be tried and detained over the incident while the rest would be freed and allowed to return to their respective units.

Cimatu claimed the agreement was approved by Malacañang.“General Cimatu said this (agreement) was approved by Malacañang. The President approved it. There was an agreement. That’s why they (Magdalo) surrendered. But the government turned its back on it," Robles said.

Ex-rebel: Pardon for 9 mutineers a cover-up

A government is as powerful only as its people allow it to be. If the people do nothing to support those who have pointed out the ills of its government, corruption will flourish. Unfortunately, the government, being in power, has a wide and varied arsenal with which to make sure that finger-pointing by opposing camps are deemed petty in the light of ongoing crises.

Diversions have always been the weapon of a corrupt and incompetent government to enable it to stay in power. To enable an unwelcome government to come out smelling like roses from a full-blown scandal, a crisis totally detached from that scandal must be invented for the government to overcome. Such schemes by those in power have been hatched time and again to counteract any move to unseat them.

Such may be the rice crisis, and this the "cover-up" pardon extended to the Magdalo group.

This government tells barefaced lies. Its leader admittedly has told barefaced lies time and again. Evidence of corruption have surfaced time and again yet GMA has remained in power. Why is this so?

Has she bought everyone off? Is such a thing possible? Is everyone in the sidelines just waiting for someone else to make the move, and if so where is the catalyst everyone seems to be waiting for?

Alternative use for Bayani Fernando tarps
April 9, 2008

Bayani Fernando’s tarpaulin eyesores in Metro Manila should be removed, sewn together so it can be used as tents or roofing materials in evacuation centers across the country.

Para may silbi naman yang mga tarpaulin na yan.PS:I think Bayani Fernando’s audacity to pinky-fy the Metro, and put up self portraits slash campaign materials disguised as public announcements, has a psychological explanation. I leave it to the experts to crack what’s really going on in BF’s head.

Alternative use for Bayani Fernando tarps « mackybaka!

Tama ka jan Macky. Siguro kung gagawin yan baka may chance pa ang BF sa 2010 elections, at least masasabing nakatulong pa siya sa mga walang bubong, diba.

Pero duda ko kung ang pagbububong ba sa mga walang bubong ang pakay ni BF sa kanyang pagtakbo sa 2010.

Ayokong abangan, pero mukhang wala akong choice. Should be an interesting movie though.

House resolution granting Arroyo emergency powers filed
By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:46:00 04/14/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) A resolution urging the House of Representatives to grant President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo emergency powers to “immediately and effectively address the rice crisis in the country in the most efficient and judicious manner” has been filed at the House of Representatives.

House Resolution 512 was filed Monday by La Union Representative Thomas Dumpit Jr., member of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino founded by the President herself.“

The urgency of the situation compels drastic measures on the part of the government in order to address pressing need on the rice crisis, whereby mitigating, if not eliminating, the colossal effects of the crisis,” Dumpit said in the resolution.

House resolution granting Arroyo emergency powers filed

He has got to be kidding. Somebody tell me he's kidding please, this is like the CBCP asking GMA to police corruption in her government, which has been likened to the shepherd asking the wolf (the hyenas even) to guard the sheep.

I hope this is one resolution that will not see the light of day in Congress when it opens next week.

Transport group backs MMDA posters
04/13/2008

MANILA, Philippines - An organization of private motorists on Sunday branded as pointless the removal of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) tarpaulins by Makati mayor Jejomar Binay.

¨I don´t see any reason why Mayor (Jejomar) Binay want these harmless tarpaulins removed. He should focus his efforts in getting rid of the giant billboards in the city which poses danger to public, ¨ Roberto Cruz, spokesman for the Private Motorists Alliance Coalition (PMAC), said.

Binay, through Makati City Department of Environmental Services (DES) head Danny Villas, had ordered the removal of the MMDA posters bearing a picture of MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando with a message promoting order and discipline.

According to Cruz, the removal of the MMDA tarpaulins is more of a personal attack on Fernando rather than a legitimate operation, which is what the Makati City government is claiming.

GMANews.TV - Transport group backs MMDA posters - Nation

A search for the group "Private Motorists Alliance Coalition" on Google and Yahoo yields news results only as far back as January 2008. Although this group may have coalesced on an earlier date, the PMAC with its spokesperson Roberto Cruz, started appearing in the news in January of this year, when it stated its opposition to the implementation of Driver’s License Enhancement Program (DLEP) for the renewal of driver’s licenses.

Later that month they were on the news again as they called for a review of the contract held by Stradcom, the IT provider of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), as Stradcom has allegedly failed to live up to the conditions of its contract.

In February they were in the news again as they expressed support for the MMDA's Pink Line project, where spokesman Cruz said that the project is one way of conserving energy by clearing roads and sidewalks of obstructions.

In March the PMAC declared that the reduction of toll fees at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) is not enough to compensate for the inconvenience caused by its traffic congestion. In this month they also expressed their support for the single traffic ticketing system devised by the MMDA in the National Capital region and appealed to the local chief executives who are opposed to the system to reconsider their stand and help address the issue.

In April, you have the story quoted above.

I suppose Mr. Cruz does not know about Rep. Roilo Golez's House Resolution 511, which seeks to investigate the same banners as well as other projects entered into by the MMDA. As it has already been said over and over again that the Bayani Fernando tarpaulin banners are illegal both by Rep. Golez and Mayor Binay, I am surprised that Mr. Cruz should say that they are harmless.

Or should I really be surprised? Could it be that this is the third Robert in a curious succession of Robert's, Nacianceno, Esquivel --- Cruz?

Palace seeks ‘political ceasefire’ over rice problem
04/12/2008 | 07:50 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Barely a week after President Arroyo took a dig at the Senate for its investigations on graft-ridden deals, Malacañang called for a ceasefire with its political opponents Saturday, citing ongoing rice crisis.

Presidential Management Staff (PMS) chief Cerge Remonde said the "responsible" political opposition should link up with the Palace in finding solutions to the rice problem.

"Kami ay nananawagan sa lahat na sector lalo sa responsioble political opposition, magkaisa tayo sa paglutas imbes na sa bangayan sa pulitika. Magkaisa tayo sa paghanap ng lunas sa problema (We are calling on all sectors, especially the responsible opposition, to unite with us in finding a solution to the problem, instead of locking horns in politics. Let us unite in finding solutions)," he said in an interview on dzXL radio.He added that the problem could get worse in coming weeks as prices of fuel and other food items such as bread and processed meat are due to go up.

Remonde said this is one problem that all sectors must face together.

Earlier this week, Arroyo took a dig at the Senate for its continuing investigations on allegedly graft-ridden deals such as the $329.48-million ZTE broadband deal mess.

Arroyo had said the Senate investigations will "not put rice on the table," adding her government is bent on putting food on the table and not headlines in newspapers.

GMANews.TV -Palace seeks ‘political ceasefire’ over rice problem

Is there really anyone out there who still believes what the Palace says. I mean really. Even Cerge Remonde who used to be a respectable broadcaster back in Cebu cannot rely on his former reputation as so, and neither can the Palace, with Remonde, Igancio Bunye, Anthony Golez, and that woman, whats-her-name, the K-9 corps pitbull---ah! Lorelie Fajardo mouthing excuses and stories as diversions to the reality.

And the reality is, of course, that their boss is one corrupt momma.

So now they want people to stop saying that it's their boss's fault and start thinking of ways to solve the rice crisis? We don't have to stop doing anything. Then man on the street knows when its time to tighten his belt, he knows when it's time to spend less on other things because the budget for rise must be increased. We can all eat (or not eat) and at the same time point a finger, and we're pointing the finger at GMA.

But I suppose it's wishing too much to expect the Palace to issue admissions of corruption.

The message is clear: Bayani Fernando's giant posters are not welcome in Makati City.
This was the message relayed by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay as he ordered officials to dismantle posters of the chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority along the the stretch of EDSA starting from Barangay Guadalupe Viejo to Sen. Gil. Puyat Avenue.
At the same time, Binay branded Fernando's posters as an "arrogance of power" and likened them to the ones with the image of President Arroyo, which were also put up along EDSA.
"That's arrogance of power, he took off from his master... No one should be above the law," Binay said.According to Binay, the MMDA did not coordinate with the local government of Makati when it put up the posters.
The MMDA, meanwhile, said it does not need to coordinate or seek authorization from anybody since EDSA is a main road and the agency oversees its operations.
On Wednesday night, Binay's team was able to take down 29 of Fernando's posters that were put up at concrete foundations of the Metro Rail Transit.

Binay scraps BF posters in Makati

At long last! No more Bayani Fernando tarpaulin eyesores along EDSA, at least not on my route to work. Thank you Mayor Binay!

Next step, Congressman Roilo Golez's House Resolution that ought to shed light on the various MMDA projects that have been installed along EDSA and other main thoroughfares in the Metro.

Japanese man held for punching Cebu gov's daughter

A Japanese man is now languishing at the detention center of the Bureau of Immigration in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City after allegedly punching the daughter of Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Centennial Terminal on Tuesday.

At the same time, Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan ordered his men to conduct deportation proceedings against the 65-year-old Japanese man identified as Isao Tanaka, alias Dick Tanaka, for being an undesirable alien.

NAIA officials nabbed Tanaka and brought him to Libanan’s office after allegedly punching lawyer Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia.

In her complaint, Garcia, a Makati City-based lawyer, said the incident happened around noon at the Centennial Terminal arrival area after she arrived on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 848 from Cebu.

She alleged that Tanaka punched her in the back after the Japanese complained she had placed her pushcart in front of the carousel.

ABS-CBN News Online (Beta)

I've seen this bit on the news for the past few days but there has been no detail on whether Atty. Garcia really did put her pushcart in front of the carousel, which may mean that she had cut in front of a Senior Citizen.

If she really did cut in then bully for her. Imagining a 65 year old man giving a young healthy woman a hematoma from a push, and having only one witness to corroborate the fact may have also been something worth witnessing.

Bayani Fernando lumalabag sa patakaran ng MMDA - Golez
MANILA –

Nakahanap ng panibagong butas si Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez upang batikusin si Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando dahil sa paglabag umano sa pandaigdigang patakaran sa traffic signs dahil sa paggamit ng kulay pink.

Bukod dito, sinabi ni Golez na nilabag din umano ni Fernando ang sariling patakaran ng MMDA sa paggamit ng road at traffic signs na kulay pink.

Ipinaliwanag ni Golez na batay sa international color standards sa road at traffic signs, ang kulay pink ay ginagamit na babala para sa bagyo, emergency shelters at civil defense warnings.

Ngunit ginagamit ng MMDA ang kulay pink sa road signs na dapat, alinsunod sa international standards, ay kulay pula at puti, ayon kay Golez.Bilang patunay, sinabi ni Golez na maging ang MMDA ay nagpalabasng regulation 04-04 noong Sept. 2, 2004 at pinirmahan ni Fernando na nagpapahayag na "all traffic signs to be installed in all streets of Metro Manila whether local or national roads, shall conform to the international standards as to design."

"Therefore, the MMDA, in using pink road and traffic signs, violates their own rules," pahayag ng kongresista ng Parañaque.

"I believe the MMDA chairman is imposing his whimsical and capricious taste for the color pink in pursuit of his political agenda and in violation of his own MMDA rule, in the process uglifying Metro Manila," idinagdag niya.

Taliwas din umano sa sariling kampanya ng MMDA laban sa billboards at iba pang karatula sa EDSA na nakakaagaw sa atensyon ng motorista ang mga malalaking tarpaulin na may mukha ni Fernando at may nakasulat na, "Kaayusan: Mga Batas ay Alamin at Sundin.

"Hindi kaagad nakunan ng reaksyon si Fernando na nasa ibang bansa umano, ngunit nanindigan ang isang opisyal ng MMDA na epektibo ang paggamit ng kulay pink at mukha ni Fernando sa kanilang kampanya upang ipatupad ang desiplina sa mga lansangan sa Metro Manila.

Una ng binatikos ni Golez at hiniling imbestigahan ang pondong ginamit ni Fernando sa mga tarpaulin at mga permanenteng U-turn slot sa EDSA at Commonwealth Avenue sa Quezon City. - Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV

GMANews.TV - Bayani Fernando lumalabag sa patakaran ng MMDA - Golez

Yes, BF is in Brazil, sent there apparently by the World Bank to observe the city of Curitiba's bus system which is touted to be the best in the world.

I'm sure the engineer in Bayani Fernando can hear the cogs turning in his head on how to implement such a system in Metro Manila during his tenure as MMDA Chairman, along the lines of his pink and blue metal walkways (built where, you would ask and wouldn't we all like to know, as if we don't already).

When it comes to implementations such as this I have no truck with the MMDA Chairman. After all, we do need pedestrian walkways and we do need an efficient bus system.

But what irks me is the way people tend to turn a blind eye on corruption as long as the products thereof benefit them. What irks me is they way the MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando himself is milking his current position for all its worth in obvious preparation for his presidential bid in 2010.

His minions in the MMDA, Nacianceno and Esquivel, can defend their master all they can, and they seem also to be turning a deaf ear to their own mouths when they try to explain their master's latest edicts.

For example, Nacianceno has said on national TV news that the Bayani Fernando tarpaulins along EDSA would not be as effective if they had his (Nacianceno's) face on it.

To Mr. Nacianceno: Of course it wouldn't be as effective with your face on it. You're not the one running for president, your boss is, which is why it's got his face on it. Nakikipag lokohan lang naman kayo eh. If you wanted to get the message across, then you would have stuck to just the message. But it is so obvious to everyone that it's Bayani Fernando's face you want to get across, to get instant recognition when the time comes for him to file his candidacy in 2010.

In fact you are milking this event for all its worth. Congressman Golez and Mayor Binay and everyone else who have expressed disgust on national television and newspapers and on the internet, over the way your Chairman has plastered his face along EDSA---this is publicity for your Chairman.

In fact it's what he anticipated in the first place, isn't it? He anticipated the flak the banners would raise among the people who are questioning his motives, and now he's not just on EDSA but on national television.

Tuso talaga yang boss mo, Mr. Nacianceno. Heaven help us if he actually should become President.

MMDA chief’s tarpaulins to be removed in Makati
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:56am (Mla time) 04/08/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay will order the removal in his city of the tarpaulins showing Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando.

Binay, who participated in the march to the Supreme Court this Tuesday to press the high tribunal to reconsider its decision that upheld the executive privilege claim of former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri against a Senate inquiry into the national broadband network controversy, said he would give a deadline to the MMDA to remove the tarpaulins but did not say when.

He said the tarpaulins were an abuse of power by Fernando and whatever his intentions were -- whether as a possible election propaganda -- was an abuse of power.

MMDA chief’s tarpaulins to be removed in Makati

For some reason the enormous Bayani Fernando tarpaulin banners that used to hang in several places in Pasay City are no longer there. There were two hugging the tallest column under the Tramo Flyover, and two nearing the MRT stop if you're headed south towards Roxas Blvd. There were also two back-to-back tarpaulin banners on the MMDA Pahayagan at the corner facing the Heritage Hotel, but those are gone as well.

While this could have been through the orders of Mayor Peewee Trinidad, I have seen no evidence on the news or elsewhere that supports this theory.

I hope Mayor Binay's resolve on the matter can be as efficient as it was in Pasay.

State firms urged to lead in ‘corporate farming’
By Jess Diaz
Monday, April 7, 2008
Cebu

Rep. Eduardo Gullas urged government corporations yesterday to take the lead in the planned massive “corporate farming” of rice and other crops in order to quickly build up food production countrywide.

He said all state firms should develop in-house farms and produce food for their employees.

“Let us compel every government corporation to set achievable in-house food production targets. Then let us assign a panel to monitor performance in terms of actual yield,” he said.It was Speaker Prospero Nograles and Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra, House agriculture committee chairman, who suggested that the government revive the corporate farming or “Corfarm” program of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

The two noted that during the Marcos regime, big corporations such as San Miguel Corp. and Meralco were required to produce rice for their employees.

In suggesting that state firms take the lead in corporate farming, Gullas said many of these companies own lands that their personnel can plant with palay or other crops, or are financially capable of buying agricultural land.

Philippine Star - Articles - -

The problem with the Philippines is that it shies away from all things Marcos, regardless of the fact that they may be good things mixed in with the bad.

Corporate Farming, the Green Revolution, Masagana 99---these were projects that had good intentions and good results, prior of course to the eventual corruption they fell under. If they can be revived and redone, without the corruption, they can do good for our country as Rep. Gullas suggests.

And while I'm on the subject of dropping all things Marcos for fear of being "tainted" by that era, I might as well mention the Philippine Village Hotel, situated so conveniently near three airports, sequestered and then left to ruin. The Philippine Village Hotel could have been turned into a state-run hotel where hotel and restaurant management students (as well as other students in related fields) can spend their On-the-job training. The government could have made money out of the Philippine Village Hotel, instead they've let the building go to rot.

It's time we Pinoys put our pride in the right place and our money where it will help us the most.

MMDA: Traffic faster on EDSA due to colorum bus crackdown
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines – The average speed of vehicles traveling on EDSA has climbed from 22 to 23 kilometers per hour (kph) to 45 to 65 kph since the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority started its crackdown on “colorum” buses or those operating without a franchise.

With the impounding of close to 200 illegal buses, it would now take less time to travel from one end of Edsa to the other, MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno said on Sunday.

“We did not expect that the impact would be so immediate,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.

MMDA: Traffic faster on EDSA due to colorum bus crackdown

Yeah, right, and it being the start of summer break for schools has got absolutely nothing to do with it.

Well actually he does go on to say that the summer break MAY have an effect on the easing of traffic on EDSA but not as much as the effect of their spray-painting spree on colorum buses. I suppose the fact that fewer buses go on the road because of the summer break has nothing to do with it either.

It's like if they did a rain dance the day before our rainy season kicks in. Then they'll say it rained because they danced.

Some people will say anything to prove a point.

Binay: ‘Take down BF posters or I’ll do it’
By Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay has warned he would take down the posters of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani “BF” Fernando in the city if the MMDA refuses to do it.

“He (Fernando) has some explaining to do to the Metro Manila Council about the propriety of the posters. It is clear government funds were used because it is indicated the posters are government property,” Binay said.

He said the MMDA should remove the posters if it was serious about its campaign against billboards and other forms of advertisement, especially on Edsa.“They need to take them down because they might cause accidents,” he said.

Fernando has come under fire for the large posters on Edsa that bear his picture and the message: “Kaayusan: Metro Gwapo, Tao Ganado, Produktibo, Kahirapan Naiibisan. (Order: A Beautiful Metro, Enthusiastic People, Productive, Lessen Poverty”).

“I now know why Fernando was so adamant about removing the posters, tarpaulin and other big ads along the entire stretch of Edsa—he wanted to put up his pictures,” Binay said in Filipino.

Binay: ‘Take down BF posters or I’ll do it’ - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

OK... that may take care of the Bayani Fernando tarpaulin banners in the stretch of EDSA under Makati's jurisdiction. What about the ones in Pasay, Mandaluyong and Quezon City? Do we hear a similar threat from the mayors there?

Too bad Peewee Trinidad has put up his own tarps presumably congratulating batch 2008 graduates, but then those do NOT have "Government Property" stamped on them. I've been told that Vice Mayor Bistek has similar banners in Quezon City as well.

Let he who is without sin?

Intel 'ramps down' assembly in Philippines
Mark LaPedus
EE Times
(04/05/2008 12:08 PM EDT)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Intel Corp. is said to be 'ramping down' its IC-assembly and test facility in the Philippines, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Intel denied that it is shutting down the entire operation, according to the report, but it is ''ramping down'' its assembly effforts in the processor arena.

If Intel were to shut down the operation, it would be a huge blow to the Philippines. Intel Technology Philippines Inc. (ITPI), a subsidiary of Intel, is one of Intel's major assembly operation centers in Asia. The others are located in China and Malaysia.

Established in 1996, ITPI is located in the Gateway Business Park, Javalera, General Trias Cavite. The operation assembles processors, chipsets and other products.

It employes around 3,000 employees, according to Intel. To date, Intel's total investments in the Philippines is $1.51 billion."

First Levis, and now Intel. Just as when new steel framed tarpaulin banners have been put up along Imelda Avenue along the stretch from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, enumerating the investors that are now in the Philippines.

Discover what they have discovered. Invest in the Philippines.

Are these investors slowly changing their minds or are they simply finding cheaper places in which to invest? Investors are not here to help, they are here to make money. Operational costs in the Philippines are rising despite the much touted Strong Economy. If investors discover other places where they can make more money than where they are right now, they will move. It is actually as simple as that.

Lawmaker questions MMDA’s Aklan trip
Saturday, April 5, 2008

Is Kalibo, Aklan part of Metro Manila?

Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez wants Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando to answer this question as he revealed yesterday that Fernando went to Kalibo last January for the Ati-Atihan festival “with an entourage of about 100 MMDA officials and personnel using an MMDA bus transported by RORO (roll on, roll off) ferry.”

He said aside from whether Fernando wants to include Kalibo as part of Metro Manila, the MMDA chief has to tell the public the purpose of the trip and who spent for it.

He said since Fernando brought along MMDA personnel in an agency bus, it was possible that agency funds were used.

He said the Aklan trip could be part of the provincial sorties that the MMDA boss has been making ever since he announced his plan to run for president in 2010.

He added that another question that Fernando should answer is, “Who is funding his provincial travels?”

read more of this article by Jess Diaz in the Philippine Star

Snowballing may be the term for it, when one after another the questionable acts and dealings made by a government official are laid bare.

Comments on this news article in the Philippine Star have been on the expected slant of "the congressman should not waste his time on trivialities such as these when there are bigger crooks to run after".

We must to what we can, where we can. I think this applies not only to people in government but to the entire citizenry. We must do good when we can, where we can. We must point out evil, corruption and injustice when we can, where we can.

Of course the summit is necessary, it is necessary so that the usual leeches on the side can make a killing with all the necessary arrangements that are made when events like these are scheduled. The ratio these days seem to be 30:70, thirty percent of the budget goes to the necessities of the actual event or project, while 70 percent go inexplicably missing. Ask the Quedancor people.

It's like this government has never heard of teleconferencing. But wait, there's money to be made there as well. There's money to be made everywhere, apparently, even on those steel pedestrian walkways going up the south end of EDSA in the Pasay area. While there is indeed a need for walkways in this area, a blind eye seems to have been turned on where the metal walkways have been manufactured.

Therein lies one of the roots of corruption in this country. It is presumably OK to make money for yourself as long as you're helping the community, and it's OK even if you're a government official who happens to own a metals factory, the same way the government thinks its OK to spend millions on a "Food Summit" because they're going to talk about where Mang Pandoy's (remember him?) next meal of rice is going to come from.

By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 18:17:00 04/03/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- A resolution seeking an investigation of the “huge personal tarpaulins” of Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando, the agency’s U-turn lanes, pink fences and other projects, has been filed at the House of Representatives.

House Resolution 511, filed by Parañaque Representative Roilo Golez on Thursday, also seeks to determine how much money had been spent for the MMDA projects.

The resolution also cited other MMDA projects such as pink urinals, pink road signs, and pink lanes.

It also noted what it described as “makeshift, topsy-turvy” U-turn lanes in various major thoroughfares, like the ones along newly widened Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. The resolution said the U-turn lanes are perceived to be “traffic hazards and obstructions, and eating up lanes, thus wasting the hundred of millions of pesos used to widen and improve the said avenue.”

Golez zeroed in on huge tarpaulin signs bearing Fernando’s picture on posts and the centerlines of EDSA, saying these “tend to uglify, instead of beautify, Metro Manila” and to “annoy or offend the senses and unduly obstruct the natural view of the landscape [and] distract or obstruct the view of the public.”

He said the tarpaulin signs could be classified as a public nuisance.

At last!

The end may be near . . .

Abangan.

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Rep. Golez: "But the thing is, it is political. If he says that it's not political, I think naglolokohan tayo."

Nacianceno: "If it achieves what it is intended to do, then I think it's all right."

Ah, but what is it really intended to do, when the portrait of the Chairman far outsizes that of the slogans on the banners?

The banners remind me of how the swastikas unfurled in Berlin in 1935. But even Hitler knew the power of symbolism by using a what was actually stylized Hindu sign, amidst which Nazi Germany marched proudly in the streets.

Bayani Fernando knows no poetry other than his photo-edited face, and this lack of imagination only belies the Chairman's narcissistic disposition, that no other countenance is more admirable than his, and no other laws are important but his.

A few days ago Bayani Fernando sent out his Gestapo in the form of Robert Esquivel, who had gained fame of late during the demolition of market stalls in Diliman, in a spray-painting frenzy targeting non-franchised buses and other public vehicles. This is again defended by the MMDA citing "The end justifies the means." Colorum buses are illegal, ergo spray painting them is legal.

This shame campaign, deemed illegal by the Supreme Court in 2003 is something that is typically Bayani Fernando. Adolf Hitler used the same campaign when he compelled all Jews in Nazi Germany to wear the Star of David. I shudder to think that we may be nearing the time when Bayani Fernando will herd all non-conformists to his laws into figurative (or maybe even real) gas chambers.

Exactly a year ago this March, the MMDA Chairman sent other minions in a spree of legalized vandalism, throwing wet paint rags on shampoo banner advertisements along the MRT line. When the banners were taken down, Bayani Fernando immediately replaced them with banners from the MMDA which announced that it was illegal to install banners on the very spot where the MMDA banners were installed. But since these new banners were from the MMDA, they were not illegal.

I have said time and again that Bayani Fernando's huge tarpaulin banners along EDSA are ILLEGAL. They are illegal according to MMDA laws. They are illegal according to DPWH guidelines on proper governance.

But what Bayani Fernando considers illegal are those that do not conform to his idea of order (kaayusan), and whether other people agree with his ideas matters not to him. If some people think we may be entering into an era of communism if Bayani Fernando should actually become president of the Philippines, I would say those people are wrong.

Communism is made out of committees of people who formulate and promulgate laws after agreeing as a group and obeying the majority vote.

Bayani Fernando knows no group but his own mind, nor does he believe in a law that has been agreed upon by many. He believes only in his own idea of Kaayusan, which is to have his face plastered on every post like a swastika, and the brand of discipline he preaches is meted out with a can of paint.

Heaven forbid anyone should give him a gun.

Golez on the warpath vs MMDA's Fernando
AMITA LEGASPI, GMANews.TV
04/02/2008 | 10:43 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez is on a warpath against Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chair Bayani Fernando.

In a text message sent to reporters Wednesday, Golez accused the MMDA chair of using public funds to further his political ambitions.

Golez questioned Fernando’s intention in putting the latter’s tarpaulin along EDSA and constructing U-turn lanes along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

"Who authorized the MMDA chairman to 'uglify' Metro Manila with his giant facial tarpaulins along EDSA?" the lawmaker lamented.

"Who authorized the MMDA chairman to 'uglify' Metro Manila with his makeshift topsy turvy hazardous U-turn lanes, especially those along Commonwealth Avenue, QC that eat up at least two lanes of an otherwise beautiful avenue?" he added.

In seeking a congressional probe, Golez wanted to know how much the tarpaulins and the signature pink paint used by MMDA cost and if such had the approval of the Metro Manila mayors.

"How much has MMDA spent for all the tarpaulins and all the pink paint for the MMDA chairman’s personal political projection? Do all these expenses have the approval of the MMDA board comprised of the mayors of Metro Manila?" he asked.

Golez said Fernando should be held liable for graft for allegedly taking advantage of his position for his personal benefit.

"Considering that the MMDA chairman has already announced his bid for higher office in 2010, the tarpaulins are obviously for his personal political benefit and he is, in my opinion, liable to be charged under the Anti-Graft law," he said.

As early as January this year, Fernando has expressed readiness to join the presidential race in 2010.

Fernando earlier said that he believed he was the best presidential candidate from the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party. - GMANews.TV

The Metro Manila Development Authority paint brigade strikes again, this time not with wet paint rags but with cans of spray paint. That's an improvement on technology, but the same medieval method of instilling discipline -- the shame campaign.


The MMDA by writ and order of its Chairman Bayani BF Fernando, has sent the MMDA's new Himmler Robert Esquivel to personally tagged over a hundred buses with "Colorum" (Filipino term for non-franchised public utility vehicles) and "out-of-line". Esquivel is of the belief that the end justifies his means--that because these buses were breaking the law, they do not fall under the classification of private property, which therefore makes the MMDA not guilty of malicious mischief. The circumvention of due process has long been a practice of Bayani Fernando's MMDA as well as their outright flouting of the rulings of both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court that the shame campaign is invalid.


This must be an anniversary celebration of paint, because it has been one year ago this month, when the Wet Paint Rag escapade revealed the MMDA Chairman's true colors.

The MMDA, through its general manager Robert Nacicanceno, had promised his organization's help in apprehending the so-called wet-paint-rag vandals who had thrown black paint over shampoo advertisement banners along the MRT line on EDSA. Not a few days later his very own boss Bayani Fernando admitted on national television that it was indeed the MMDA itself who were the vandals.


MMDA personnel were caught in broad daylight splashing wet paint on the advertising banners, and when they were apprehended by the police, it was MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando himself who defended the vandalism. Presumably, vandalism ordered by Fernando himself is not illegal.

This only goes to show that the MMDA Chairman's true colors are neither blue nor pink. His true colors are black and red, both are the colors of the devil.