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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Anachronistic, Part II
Written by Antonio C. Abaya November 26, 2008 For the Standard Today, November 27 issue In the first part of this essay, I had written that the ultimate reason why a Communist insurgency still lingers in the Philippines, decades after our neighbors had solved their Communist insurgencies, is the failure of one Philippine president after another, from Ferdinand Marcos to Gloria Arroyo, to create broad-based prosperity. In the East and Southeast Asian context, this failure was caused by wrong choices in economic strategies and policies, most especially in exports and in tourism. Two other East and Southeast Asian countries share our failure: North Korea and Myanmar, both of which have followed autarkic economic policies � meaning they were not interested in importing or exporting anything. Both countries have also deliberately shunned the presence of foreigners, tourists and otherwise, out of a deep-seated xenophobia. But in the case of the Philippines, our failures in exports and tourism were not the result of deliberate autarkic and xenophobic policies, but rather the result of poor, mediocre, myopic, unimaginative, even stupid, leadership at the very top, from Marcos to Arroyo. Marcos is pilloried for having been corrupt and authoritarian. But all the other leaders in East and Southeast Asia in the 1970s were corrupt and authoritarian, with the possible exception of Singapore's Lee Kwan Yew, who was also authoritarian but was apparently incorruptible. The greatest sin of Marcos, I told my audience at Camp Aguinaldo, was his failure to build an export-oriented economy for the Philippines, as the other Asian leaders had succeeded for their countries at that time. The Communists and nationalists blame our poverty on the Americans, the Japanese, the IMF and the World Bank. But neither the Americans nor the Japanese, nor the IMF nor the World Bank exerted any pressure on us NOT to develop export industries or tourism. These were the sovereign choices of our leaders, and they have been proven spectacularly wrong. I wrote in the first part of this essay that our failure in exports and tourism, compared to Malaysia's success, cost us 12.3 million foregone jobs, one and a half times the number of Filipinos forced to work abroad because they could not find gainful employment in the Philippines, jobs that our domestic economy failed to create because of wrong and poor choices in economic policies and strategies. The export of manufactured goods was the basis for the industrialization of our neighbors which enabled tens of millions of their citizens to rise from poverty to middle-class status. Broad-based prosperity, generated by exports of manufactured goods, dulled any interest in and appetite for Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolution. Aided in no small measure by successful efforts to slow down population growth. As I wrote in comparing Thailand and the Philippines, it is far easier to feed, clothe, house, educate and provide jobs for (Thailand's) 65 million people than for (our) 89 million. The growth of enterprises in their export-oriented economies mopped up their pools of unemployed and underemployed, thus raising wages and salaries without the crutch of a minimum wage law, as entrepreneurs bid higher and higher for the workers and employees that they needed In the light of the current economic crisis ravaging the entire world, there is an upside to our failures. As millions of people in the developed and developing countries lose their jobs and/or reduce their family expenses, markets for everything � including foreign tourism and imported manufactures � will shrink in the next two to four years. As the East and Southeast Asian country with the least developed export and tourism sectors, the Philippines will suffer the least from the global meltdown, not because of any astute defensive measures taken by our stupid leaders, but because we just happen to have accumulated the least crockery that can be broken as the financial tsunami sweeps through our neighborhood.. This is our consuelo de bobo. The tsunami also means that, for the time being, exports and tourism will not generate the GDP needed to raise tens of millions of Filipinos from poverty to middle-class status, as they did in the 1970s, 80s and 90s in other Asian countries. It is the enduring tragedy of us Filipinos that, having missed the exports and tourism buses in the past, because of the myopia and stupidity of our leaders, we now see that there is no bus going anywhere anytime soon. While the tsunami is raging worldwide, GDP has to generated largely in the domestic economy. This means domestic producers have to be encouraged to start and expand their enterprises, with the domestic market, by necessity, their target market. This also means that global trade has to be conducted on a fair or managed trade basis, not on a free trade basis, despite the hue and clamor against protectionism in the recently concluded APEC Summit in Lima, Peru.. Under free trade � embraced foolishly by Gloria Arroyo, even while she was still a senator � rich and developed economies will always have advantages over poor and developing ones. Rich and developed countries have the capital, the technology, the marketing connections to overwhelm poor and underdeveloped ones with their products. Poor and developing countries will never manage to develop their economies � and generate the jobs they need to survive - if they are overwhelmed right from the start by the superior products of rich and developed ones. Under fair and managed trade, poor countries should have the option of choosing which products they can import and from which countries, so as to protect their producers and their workers from being overwhelmed by floods of imports, under the rubric of reciprocity. Nations will have to come to mutual agreements that "we will buy your products a, b and c, but only if you will buy our products x, y and z, in more or less equal measures." This may be the direction that President-elect Obama is heading, after he promised the American electorate that he would create "five million jobs that cannot be outsourced." My sense is that American producers and American jobs will be protected under an Obama administration, and rightly so. Copycat Filipinos should do no less. President Arroyo is correct in proposing a P100 billion package to stimulate the Philippine economy through a crash public works program. The US has set aside a similar bailout package now totaling $1.5 trillion, China more than $530 billion, parts of both of which will go into public works spending. This would be similar to the New Deal emergency employment program launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s to pull the US economy out of Depression. Which, for the information of McCain-Palin supporters who labeled Obama a "socialist", was socialistic and against the tenets of laissez faire capitalism. In the Philippine context, however, caveats have to be raised: how much of those P100 billion will really go into building infrastructure and generating jobs, how much will get attached to the sticky fingers of President Arroyo's relatives and favored bureaucrats, and how much will go into bribing congressmen and women into passing ChaCha that will allow her to stay in power beyond 2010 as prime minister? ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to "Anachronistic II" More Reactions to "Bishops versus Queen" More Reactions to "Obama and Gloria" More Reactions to Coup de Chambre" Re Miguel Syjuco's Ilustrado Dear Mr. Abaya, You wrote:: President Arroyo is correct in proposing a P100 billion package to stimulate the Philippine economy through a crash public works program. The US has set aside a similar bailout package now totaling $1.5 trillion, China more than $530 billion, parts of both of which will go into public works spending. In the Philippine context, however, caveats have to be raised: how much of those P100 billion will really go into building infrastructure and generating jobs, how much will get attached to the sticky fingers of President Arroyo's relatives and favored bureaucrats, and how much will go into bribing congressmen and women into passing ChaCha that will allow her to stay in power beyond 2010 as prime minister? You are right about the P100 BILLION package to stimulate the Philippine economy through a crash public works program, but you are wrong about Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to be the one to implement it. Considering the damage that she has done since JANUARY 2001, the best thing that can be done for the PHILIPPINES is NOT to get into anything that will simply provide additional opportunities for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to continue the syndicated plunder of public funds. Reason dictates that since Gloria Macapagal Arroyo PLUNDERED P728 MILLION of the Fertilizer Subsidy Program SCAM, given the amount of P100 BILLION package to manage, it is guaranteed that she can not help herself from PLUNDERING that P100 BILLION package. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is a hopeless case, including her son Mikey Arroyo and the husband Mike Arroyo. There is only one sure way for dealing with cancerous cells like the family of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with finality. JMC Nepomuceno, (by email), Nov. 27, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You wrote: "...the result of poor, mediocre, myopic, unimaginative, even stupid, leadership at the very top, from Marcos to Arroyo." Tony, one has to go farther back than Marcos and Arroyo to uncover the roots of Filipino leadership failure: "The political success of the Nacionalista Party was the skill of Quezon and Osmena in tying the traditional patron-client relations (utang na loob) to the new institutions of the modern civil state. It was also their worst mistake. The Nacionalista Party was a network of overlapping patron-client relations that were more concerned with particular local and personal interests and little inclined to address the larger national issues of social reform; land ownership, tenancy rights, population growth and the distribution of wealth. The Party built the power and influence of the old landed elite into the new institutions of democratic governance. And what is the same thing stated differently, the new party politics excluded the non-elites from the rewards and benefits of representative institutions. The failure of democratic politics in the Philippines to represent its non-elites and mitigate their grievances has been the recurrent cause of violent discontent and the desperate resort to revolt and insurrection." Excerpt from: "American Colony and Philippine Commonwealth 1901 - 1941" http://www.ualberta.ca/~vmitchel/fw5.html The pre-Hispanic datu-timawa-alipin system of governance is alive and well in the Philippines. Philippine-style democracy is a big joke that no one gets. Bobby Manasan, (by email), Burke, Virginia, Nov. 27, 2008 (So how do you explain why the Indonesians and the Malaysians, whose ancestors shared similar pre-Hispanic, pre-European "datu-timawa-alipin" systems of governance as our ancestors, have been more successful than us in lowering their incidence of poverty, suppressing Communist insurgencies, controlling their population growth, fighting corruption, attracting tourists, promoting domestic industrialization, instilling a sense of nationhood among their people, not to mention manufacturing goods for export [which can be credited to the Chinese, in the case of Malaysia]? ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, This was also already done in the Philippines before. In fact it was during the time of Arroyo's father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal. Remember the Emergency Employment Administration. Although corruption then is not so rampant than now. If Arroyo is really sincere in this project, I believe this would be her legacy when she steps down, if it is in her vocabulary. This will not only improve the economy but also our infrastructure. What happens to that barangay roads? Thanks and more power! Bert Celera, (by email), Nov. 28, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, kudos to your articles! Indeed our Nation by this time should be more progressive, and with less poverty were it not for the greediness, and corrupt practices of our leaders. Just imagine that we are the longest years of being a developing nation among the UN members! Our Nation is not so poor as to borrow money from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), nor sell our Petron Share, nor the other Government Owned Corporations which are making money for our Government. Our Nation is poor, and still becoming poor with no sight of alleviation despite the promises of those in governance because of the following: 1. Our Leaders, especially our President and our Legislators do not have the sincerity and intention to serve the Filipino people as mandated in their oath of office, and our Constitution. 2. Our leaders make use of our taxes as their personal funds for their luxury and convenience, like: FOREIGN TRAVELS, EXCESSIVE OPERATING BUDGETS, PORK BARRELS ( this makes our poor poorer!). 3. Our leaders, especially our President GMA has priorities other than improving the life of all Filipinos as she is not transparent to the Filipino people. Consider the ZTE broadband deal, the Northrail project, the ZTE Mining deal at Mount Diwalwal, and the MOA with the MILF, and the JOCJOC Fertilizer scam. As the Chief Executive, she becomes responsible to all these dealings, and is accountable to the Filipino people. Needles to say, with money involved, she should have these cases investigated by the Commission of Audit who can check on the money trail and documents involved. For the MOA with the MILF, she should make those involved accountable. With GMA's inaction on this would mean a betrayal to serve the Filipino people, and a betrayal to her constitutional mandate. 4. Apparently the role of COA, a Constitutional body, is not being harnessed to stave off corruption in Government. Actually COA's main existence is to PREVENT CORRUPTION in Government financial transactions by way of Pre-Audit and Post-Audit. However, the Pre-Audit Powers had been clipped by a Presidential Act during President Ramos' tenure. Hence, only the Post-Audit are being undertaken at this time. 5. To ensure Good Governance and Transparency in Government then, GMA, and our Legislators should restore the Pre-Audit Powers of COA. At the same time, COA should be given Police Powers, and Power to file Cases where corrupt practices of Government Officials are involved. 6. Currently, the poor are still becoming poorer due to the high prices of Consumer goods. Apparently, Government is not keen of helping our poor. Actually, our Government Officials are spending and splurging the Filipino peoples' tax money, even during economic crisis by way of: FOREIGN TRAVELS, especially GMA,and her CABINET, and LEGISLATORS, and PNP GENERALS, GIVING MONEY BAGS to Legislators, buying late edition Cars for their official use. And not making any Conservation, and Belt tightening efforts!! 7. Just imagine that Government wants to rehabilitate the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant wherein there are many alternative Power sources to harness like Wind Power, Geothermal Power, Solar power, and Hydro Power! 8. Just imagine that Government intends to sell some Government Owned Corporations that are profitable like the shares in Petron, and some Government owned Power Plants! Is this stupidity or being wise on their part for their own self aggrandisement? May God help the Filipino people, and forgive these Greedy Officials and Legislators in our Government!! 9. Additionally, Government should look into the OIL PRODUCTS pricing. When Crude oil in the World Market was $60.00/bbl, premium gasoline was only php30.00/liter. Now that the crude oil cost is below $60.00/bbl, premium gasoline is still php42.00/liter. What's our Government doing about this? In Singapore and in the US today, premium gasoline costs as much as php28.00/liter only! Why can't DTI or DOE do something about this, consider that the Tariff on crude was reduced from 7% to nothing! And the 12% RVAT is imposed, again making the Filipino poorer! 10. In summary, if GMA and our Legislators are honest, and sincere enough to alleviate the poor condition of the Filipino people, and make a progressive Philippines, they should have a good conscience to help the Filipino people by: A) REMOVING PORK BARREL FOR LEGISLATORS B) PRACTICE BELT-TIGHTENING EFFORTS THRU REALISTIC OPERATING BUDGETS C) REMOVE RVAT D) EMPOWER COA TO HAVE PRE-AUDIT, POST-AUDIT, POLICE POWERS, AND POWER TO FILE CASES AGAINST CORRUPT OFFICIALS. E) CONSIDER IMPORTATION OF BRANDED CHEAP MEDICINES THAT ARE VERY COSTLY HERE IN OUR COUNTRY. F) CONSIDER MAKING PETRON A TOTALLY GOVERNMENT ENTITY AS THIS COULD BECOME A BASIS FOR A STANDARD PRICING OF OIL PRODUCTS. G) DO NOT SELL MONEY MAKING GOVERNMENT OWNED/PARTIALLY OWNED CORPORATIONS AS GOVERNMENT RECEIVE DIVIDENDS. Avelino Lagman, Jr., (by email), Nov. 28, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you so much, Tony, for this second column. Informative in their historical order and analytical indeed. More power to you. Victor Manalac, (by email), Nov. 28, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, With great interest I read the first part of your column 'Defeating the Communist insurgency'. I was looking forward then to the second part, which appeared in your column today. Reading this second part I am kind of disappointed because I had expected that somehow you would address also the issue of how to deal with the Communist insurgency. In that sense, I don't believe that Communism has become anachronistic, and you lost an excellent opportunity to give a 'lecture' to those people of the National Defense College of the Philippines. I agree, of course, with everything what you are saying why there still is a Communist insurgency in the Philippines, and I believe that even our inssurgents would agree with you, at least in general, except for what you say that Communism is dead in the Philippines. Those two Communists left in Europe, Jose Maria Sison and Luis Jalandoni may be diehard ideologues, at least Sison, but not so I believe Luis Jalandoni. And this brings me to the question how to deal with the communist insurgency in the Philippines. I am sure that the Communists will review their stand on US imperialism once Obama has taken over as the new American president. The problem is with the Philippine government and the military, and that is what you should have made clear during that 5-day seminar on national security at Camp Aquinaldo. There is something fundamentally wrong with our national security system. The national security advisor Norberto Gonzales wants to defeat the Communist insurgency by eradicating the insurgents and their sympathizers like the Bayan Muna. That is evident from the Oplan Bantay Laya. Gonzales and Esperon refuse to drop the tag of 'terrorists' from the insurgents and so the peace negotiations are called off time and again. With terrorist you do not negotiate. I believe that we should take the peace negotiations out of the hands of the government and the military, because they have lost all authority and credibility to seriously negotiate for peace. A group of competent, sincere and honest members of our civil society should be given the full authority to continue the negotiations. The group should be backed up, of course, by powerful civilian institutions like the churches and the business sector and of course civilian society as a whole. (But who will determine who are "competent, sincere and honest members of civil society"? The South Koreans, the Taiwanese, the Malaysians, the Singaporeans and the Indonesians did not conduct "peace negotiations" with their Communists. They just made Communism irrelevant with broad-based prosperity through correct economic policies. ACA) Last year I was in Holland and I talked to my friend Luis Jalandoni about this proposal. Luis is open to the idea. I wrote an Open Letter to the CBCP about the same proposal but I never got a response so far. I wish you could have presented my proposal at the your seminar in Camp Aguinaldo and I wonder what would have been their reaction. Even the peace negotiations here in Mindanao with the MILF should be conducted that way. Of course, the American troops should be pulled out first, and both sides of the warring parties should agree to a cease fire and a strategic defense position. I am looking forward to your comments. Arnold van Vugt, (by email), Cagayan de Oro City, Nov 28, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony Abaya, Congratulations on using the word autarkic, that's only the second time I've seen it in the past 10 years or more. I wonder if there is perhaps some small advantage in the Philippine's past failure to industrialize and export, in that under an enlightened, honest and competent government the country might leap over the Industrial Revolution straight into the 'Knowledge-Based' economy? The younger generation of middle-class Filipinos seems very well educated in, and enthusiastic about, this field of endeavour, and their skills seem prized by foreign 'out-sourcers'. Many overseas Filipinos are also successfully employed in IT, telecommunications and the like. The country seems well blessed with the most important natural resource of the modern age, clever, ambitious, well-educated young people. If only Filipino politicians and capitalists could be persuaded to exercise the enlightened self-interest that Adam Smith identified as the driving force of a successful economy, rather than the destructive greed that appears to afflict them now, might there yet be a homecoming of the diaspora and a Golden Age in the archipelago? Regards, Tom Hewitt, (by email), United Kingdom, Nov. 28, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww All the things you mentioned are true and just thinking about them is enough to raise one's blood pressure. Let's get together on this and build-up steam. Maybe we could find the self-esteem even 'verguenza' as the Spanish colonizers taught us, to go out there and pull them down from their arrogant perks. These "Jerks" no longer feel insulted even if we actually throw 'mierdas' to their faces. They lie without blinking an eye and they use invented terms in law to justify their stands. They look funny but the situation is no longer funny. We need guts to take them down! It comes to a point now that democratic processes no longer mean a thing to these Jerks. We witnessed how Those Kong-gross-men hags-thugs manipulated the proceedings in the Lower chamber (underhouse?) when they were trying to justify their stand to protect Arroyo from being impeached. What arrogance! Those incumbent Ongressmen think they can get away with anything by the use of technics and 'twisters' and 'language' they believe we, the people, can't/don't understand! But unless we get together in these, by using, utilizing, the same technics they use, they will continue to lie and cheat and laugh in our faces. I never thought that one day I get to see "The Filipino" depicted --as the "Sinverguenzas" of this world. What a shame! Branded as the most corrupt people in this planet is something I never thought we would be known. " 'Sus maria-hosep"! As I write this 'sentiments' I could not help shedding tears. I feel ashamed and even useless. Compared to the jungle denizens in category, we are now lower! They live by the rules of the jungle, but they never waver by their 'necessity and import' to survive. So, I categorize them as higher than we are. As we at times share our Sunday-thoughts, I simply couldn't explain to our grand-children why "The Filipino" is where we are today. I could not find the right answers to their questions. Can I tell them that we can lie without 'mincing' an eye like Joc-Joc Bolante? or equate the present Malacanang politics to that of Jesus Christ, as one politician thought it was just a funny thing to say, in context? Oh boy! I apologize if my thoughts seem extraordinarily out of this world. But how can one explain where "Our Leaders" are taking us? I can't Jose Regino, (by email), Zamboanga City, Nov. 29, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to "Bishops versus Queen" (Nov. 13, 2008). Dear Tony, After Cardinal Sin, there has been none as strong in leadership and vision. and so, our bishops have become fragmented when it comes to making a stand on political issues o, if it is about putting pressure on government, to right its ways. slowly, although steadily, The CBCP is losing its grip on its people, the Catholics and Christians. Someone amongst them must soon rise to galvanize the group into the same powerful force as in the time of Sin. Victor Manalac, (by email), Nov. 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to "Obama and Gloria" (Nov. Nov. 17, 2008) Dear Tony: You failed to mention that one of the causes of poverty , corruption and injustice in our Philippines is dirty and dishonest elections. Many notorious and rich thugs and morons win in elections. Without clean and honest elections, good and competent men like you will not be attracted to public service. Thus, I hope that you will support the automation of elections so we will have leaders who are truly elected by the people, unlike Gloria Arroyo who was catapulted to power by dirty officials and politicians. These dirty officials (Comelec) and politicians (Congressmen) are shielding her and preventing the truth to set the people free. Please continue fighting for the Filipino people who are continuously oppressed and impoverished by crooks in government and in Congress. Best wishes and may God Bless you always. Sincerely yours, Reggie Gazmen, (by email), Nov. 29, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I read the email of ODY LUMANGLAS, our countryman from Auckland, New Zealand, who wants a campaign for Tony Meloto to run for President. I truly admire his enthusiasm to convince Mr. Meloto to aspire for the highest position of the land. However, the problem is that the impressions of our compatriots abroad are based on what they read in the newspapers, which are usually coming from press releases. They really have no idea on what is going on the ground. The same can be true for the myriad Filipinos at home who have been impressed by what they read, hear and see in mass media. I, myself, was terribly impressed with Gawad Kalinga (GK) and Mr. Meloto that I talked to a client-friend to support this wondeful phenomenon happening inthe country. As a result of my initiative, my client-friend signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Gawad Kalinga to finance the construction of One Hundred (100) houses. We started off with Fifty (50) houses and our experience was a Big Disappointment. With the problems that ensued, I was very embarassed having been the one who initiated the whole thing and really pushed for its implementation. The problem was not GK, but its Executive Director. I am not trying to say anything derogatory against Gawad Kalinga, which is a wonderful project of the Couples for Christ (CFC). This is why CFC truly deserve the Ramon Mgasaysay Award they received for Gawad Kalinga. My concern is when there are wrong notions or misconceptions that Mr. Meloto was responsible for the success of Gawad Kalinga and the "Founder of GK" as if he is single-handedly behind it.Likewise, as if GK under Mr. Meloto is well-managed. Those who want Mr. Meloto to run for president obviously have not actually worked with him on specific GK projects. They really do not know him except for his gift of gab or sales-manship and charismatic personality. Indeed, he has the eloquence fof Barack Obama to inspire many people. However, there are many more qualities that a person should possess to be president of a country like leadership, management ability and integrity. I hope that people are not misled into thinking that someone like Mr. Meloto is fit to become the president of the Philippines. In the early 1990s, there was a similar attempt for a young charismatic personality to run for president in 1992. They nearly succeeded with the effective use of mass media. His name: Oscar Orbos. Just read the book A Matter of Honor by Alfredo "Alran" Bengzon on the negotiations of the US Military Bases and it will reveal what Orbos did. Best regards. Ric Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa,, Laguna, Nov.30, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, This is still a belated comment on why Miriam Santiago was not elected to sit in the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Aside from the fact that Gloria has been campaigning for her, Miriam herself had a good explanation for it. It was hypocrisy and discrimination, she said, and rightly so. I assume that those judges had wanted a woman to sit in their court, but certainly not a 'man-wife' like Santiago. They must have done their homework. I tell you frankly, I myself felt quite relieved when I heard that she was not chosen. If she was, I could imagine how she would have been received in Holland by the Dutch people, this arrogant woman with a mouth of a spitfire and a tongue sticking out of her mouth like that of a serpent. How contrasting this image is with the beautiful image that the Filipinas have in Holland. I am sorry to say this of Miriam, despite her brilliance of mind, which really could have been an asset to the International Court of Justice. Arnold van Vugt, (by email), Cagayan de Oro City, Dec. 01, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I think there's more important topic than this. We should think of alternative plan to improve our individual interest than talking about Gloria and Obama. Whether we like it or not Gloria is still our President. With Obama to have concern on the Philippines, maybe after he fix the US problems first. I don't expect it until he finish his term. Gregg Ignacio, (by email), Dec. 02, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww We can never have an Obama, at least not in the near future. This is because the administration is so powerful that its influence will go on to the next generations. Its supporters in Congress and in the Senate benefit too much from the current leadership and they will keep strengthening the powerbase. What we have in fact is an enemy for change. And because most of us would like change (of leaderships), so the existing leaders would like to make changes in the Constitution so that the change we want and need will not happen. Victor Manalac, (by email), Dec. 02, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Our politics make me sick�then sad Have been watching the proceedings on TV on first the euro generals shenanigans, the hearings of the justice committee in Congress and Joc Joc Bolante. The stories these shameless Filipinos testifying weave is an insult to the Filipino people. It evokes, anger, than despair... finally sadness that people have come to this. Absolutely lying under oath, so blatant in their testimonies. You watch and become helpless and wonder... can the power and money being dangled really make them what they are? The answer is a resounding yes... keep on enlightening our readers. Carmita Francisco, (by email), Dec. 02, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Proud No More They talk of numbers on the issue of Gloria Arroyo's impeachment which means that if the majority of the members of the House of Representatives are loyal and/or indebted to her, there is no way that such move will succeed in spite of the preponderance of evidence and glaring violations of the Constitution and the Rule of Law. But should it be that way? What happened with the love for country? Does the word PATRIOTISM means anything to this so-called representatives of the people? Do they still believe in TRUTH and JUSTICE? The latter being a DIVINE ATTRIBUTE and the FOUNDATION of every VIRTUE? These Congressmen believe that since they have the 3 Gs and support of Malacanang, their stay in power is secured. It is very sad and unfortunate that many Filipinos don't care what will happen with the rest of the country as long as their Congressman provides dole out every now and then and hands out money during election time, that's good enough for them. Never mind if these " public servants " steal millions of people's money by way of commissions from the contracts and other transactions. No wonder, this benighted nation of ours is far behind her Asean partners and shamefully tag as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. I get misty eyed whenever I hear the song " Ako ay Pilipino " particularly the lyrics " TAAS NOO KAHIT KANINO " . But that pride is now beginning to wane because of the deterioration of MORALS and VALUES not only of our leaders but of so many Filipinos as well. God help the Philippines! Narciso Limsiaco Ner, (by email), Davao City, Dec. 02, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to "Coup de Chambre" (Nov. 20, 2008) I think BIG MOUTH Dureza is the biggest SSB the Philippines ever had! I'm sure you all know the Tagalog phrase of SSB! (UNPRINTABLE HERE). Juan Manuel C. Del Prado, (byu email), Dec. 01, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Re the comments of Col Dennis Acop on Sen. Honasan, in February 1986, I thought he had a strong potential of becoming the chief of staff of the AFP, then secretary of national defense and eventually president. He should have supported Cory and FVR instead of Enrile, who wanted to be president without being elected by the people. Instead, he is just one of our mediocre senators. He became a failure as a coup plotter and a senator. General de Villa became the CS-AFP and SND, and could have been president, if FVR did nor select JdV over de Villa in their party convention, the local equivalent of a presidential primary. De Villa and JdV both ran for president together with a lot of qualified peresidentiable, resulting in the election of Erap, one of the least qualified but the most popular among the ignorant masses. Jose Dado, (by email), Dec. 01, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, this is interesting. There are certain terms used for groups of animals: A litter of kittens A pride of lions A pack of wolves A herd of sheep A school of fish A flock of birds A colony of ants A congress of baboons ( that should be a capital C. How appropriate) Best, Yett Montalban, (by email), Dec. 01, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww RE: Miguel Syjuco's Ilustrado When I read that Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco had won an Asian Award for Literature, I immediately tried to buy a copy at National Book Store. But they didn't have a single copy. I guess this is one reason why we're what we are. I could imagine, if it were, say, an American book winning a prestigious award, copies would be readily available in major bookstores and/or online. Ethel, [email protected], Dec.01, 2008 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |