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Electoral Reforms
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on May 19, 2008 For the Standard Today, May 20 issue Before I get on with the topic at hand, I would like to report that my [email protected] account was blocked, by person or persons unknown, from April 14 to 28. I could not send or receive email during this period, and had to use my gmail account to send out my articles to my online readers. During this period last month, my website www.tapatt.org was also blocked for two days. We could not load new material, nor could we even open it. An error message would always appear: "This page is not available." After we complained to Yahoo Geocities, an Avery Wood replied, apologizing for the disruption of service but offering no explanation for it. At least, www.tapatt.org was back in circulation. But on May 11, www.tapatt.org was again blocked by person or persons unknown. We have sent two emails to Avery Wood. He replied to the first, asking for more details, which we supplied him, but he has not replied since. To this day, my website, which archives my articles since 2002, remains blocked and inaccessible. (Even the transmission of this particular article has been delayed for 24 hours [and counting] because I have had no email or internet access again: my zpdee server has been down again, kuno, since May 20.) I have my suspicions on who is doing this to me and why, but I do not want to sound paranoid. Would anyone offer an explanation for this apparently deliberate and malicious harassment? Would anyone have any suggestion on how to avoid or overcome it in the future? Now for electoral reforms. During my TV interview with Harry Tambuatco on Destiny Cable last week, we discussed my objections to the Federalism resolution of Sen. Nene Pimentel on the grounds that federalists have not shown any empirical evidence that switching from a unitary to a federal system would "spur economic growth" etc. Harry asked, Are you against all changes? Are there any changes that you would like to see? By all means, yes. But these changes should be made through an elected Constitutional Convention AFTER the 2010 elections. Hurrying them through with a hastily convened constituent assembly BEFORE the 2010 elections merely creates a Trojan Horse, with President Arroyo crouching inside, scheming to become prime minister, in the manner of Vladimir Putin in Russia. And what changes would I like to see? First and foremost, I would like to see senators elected by region, instead of at large. By this means, all regions are represented in the Senate all the time. In the present system, in which senators are elected by nationwide vote, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Bicol are over-represented, Visayas and Mindanao are under-represented, and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao is not represented at all. When was the last time we had a Muslim in the Senate? As far as I can recall, that was in the 1970s or 80s, in the person of Mamintal Tamano, father (?) of the opposition spokesman Adel Tamano. No wonder the Bangsamoro want to secede To have no Muslim presence in the Senate, for one whole generation, is against all political commonsense Why didn't the framers of the 1987 Constitution think of it? What other changes would you like to see, asked Harry. I would like to see qualifying exams for all candidates for all elective positions, from municipal councilor to president. This would disqualify, right from the start, the stupid and the ignorant, no matter how popular they may be with the squealing masa. We require qualifying exams, or their equivalents, for doctors, surgeons, med-techs, nurses, anesthesiologists, ophthalmologists, lawyers, dentists, psychiatrists, architects, engineers, accountants, economists, educators even for Grade I, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, computer programmers, airline and private pilots, captains and officers of maritime ships, call center agents, bus and jeepney drivers, truck drivers, private motorists, real estate agents, insurance agents, harbor pilots, air traffic controllers, radio and TV technicians, and just about every other modern occupation. Why the hell shouldn't we require qualifying exams or their equivalents for those who want to manage or represent our barrio, our town, our city, our province, our region, our country?. I would like to see a total and permanent ban on all radio and TV political ads. Instead I would like to see the three government-owned TV channels � Ch 4, 9 and 13 � and their nationwide radio and TV networks, deputized by Comelec to be the sole venues for all political programming during the 45- or 90-day campaign period. Managed by a non-partisan commission made up of members from academe, the Churches and NGOs, the deputized TV channels will schedule EQUAL and FREE air time for all registered parties and candidates. This would level the playing field for all candidates and remove or drastically reduce the advantages of moneyed politicians. I would like to see the Comelec deputize all registered parties and candidates to remove all illegal campaign posters, illegal either because these posters are oversized or because they are pasted or hung illegally such as on trees, lampposts, LRT columns, private and public walls, bridges, overpasses, etc. Every election time, illegal posters and streamers are a visual plague that uglifies our urban and rural landscapes, and the Comelec is powerless to enforce existing bans because of lack of personnel. By deputizing all registered parties and candidates to enforce the bans, the Comelec would be using a self-policing mechanism. Candidate A would not want to be upstaged by candidates B, C, and D. So he would remove the illegal posters of his rivals, just as his rivals, candidates B, C and D would also make sure that candidate A will not post illegal posters and streamers. Removal of illegal posters and streamers, however, must be done in the presence of deputized policemen, to avoid plain vandalism and violence. Lastly, I would like to see the dismantling of political dynasties. The 1987 Constitution calls for such a move against political dynasts. But in the past 21 years, eight Congresses have been convened, yet no action has ever been taken against political dynasties? Not surprising, since political dynasts controlled and control these Congresses. On the contrary, political dynasties have proliferated like mushrooms, plunging this country deeper and deeper into what I call neo-feudalism, from which the only liberation may be a revolutionary government. I have written about these reforms in articles dating back to 2004. But since my archive-website has been blocked, I cannot cite the specific article/s. ***** 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. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Reactions to �Electoral Reforms� More Reactions to �Prelude to 2010� Lawmakers� Obligations to the People Decentralization I felt a glimmer of hope when I read your item on Electoral Reforms, with your clarity of vision and the logic of your thinking. Short of a revolution, I find your prescriptions doable and inspiring. Tila may pag-asa pa. Josie Banaag, May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony. Your recommendations would be ideal. The essence is -the democratic government has to be Unitary, a wholly collective national strength and effort -districts or regions are created so that they have political and economic representation to the national government for the development and progress of their particular districts, and to contribute the collective welfare and progress of our nation as a whole. -elected ministers representing the districts are the intellectual, educated and moral that they have to work for the progress and welfare of their districts -elections are funded by the national government, to prevent the wealthy to dominate and to corrupt, and to create political family dynasties -the Laws and Justice, and Crime and Punishment are very strictly carried out, where the corrupt government officials, politicians and the wealthy cannot escape and make a mockery of them, and a mockery to our ordinary people who are driven to hate. And with the sweat, labor and dreams of our people united in national values and good citizenship, and are dedicated in advanced modern education, science, innovation and technology, to become creative, productive, enterprising and enlightened, our Nation will be well on our way to become the Pearl Of The Orient Seas. THE PARLIAMENTARY FORM OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IS OUR BEST VEHICLE,AND IS WELL PROVEN BY MANY ADVANCED PROGRESSIVE MODERN COUNTRIES, AND THAT WE CAN STILL PERFECT. Rod Gabuya, (by email), Rolling Hills Estate, CA, May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, The devils in Government and trade are working on you. Let the good angels also help you bring out the truth . Rex Rivera, (by email), Gen. Santos City, May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir Antonio, 1) I hope you have a backup copy of all your articles. Server disc space allocated to your website could have reached limit. You can request for more storage. Regarding email response being blocked, check with your ISP provider if your email domain has a volume traffic limitation. Likewise you may request them to increase it however may involve a fee. (We pay for sufficient storage in our website, and this was not the first time our email traffic blocked. During the height of the ZTE hearings in the Senate last Sept-Dec, I was mistaken by �intelligence sources in Malacanang� for the Tony Abaya who was supposedly coaching Joey de Venecia on how to discredit the ZTE Corp, and my email traffic was blocked. ACA) 2) To require politicians to pass exams before they can run for election ...that was a joke. Rampant corruptions in government licensure agency is undeniable. Remember the Nursing board exam scandal. Even employers abroad are skeptical of our board exam certificates these days. If exams for politicians was implemented long time ago then Magsaysay could have not been a President. (The fact that the nursing board exams were corrupted in previous years is not a logical reason to do away any other exam, nor to desist from setting up other qualifying exams. Magsaysay may or may not have passed such exams is not material. Why do you look backward. You should look forward. ACA) The problem is in our court system who are unwilling to penalized offenders and violators because of monetary bribe which they cannot resist. Then comes the corrupt military and police who also ask for a cut in the transaction. Also the subservient attitude in our culture whereby even employees knew their boss are committing illegal acts will just ignore it. A cycle getting worst. To reset the values of government leaders and agency employees had already reached to almost impossible. I dont know if God can still find a solution. No mortals can solve it ! ... not in my lifetime. 3) Why are there no muslim in the senate? To win in politics requires truck loads of money. Muslims have no money. They will not win a post. The southern Philippines was already known as Bangsamoro long before the Spanish colonizers occupied the Philippine islands. Mindanao or southern Philippines are now run by rich christian & Chinese migrants families who hails from the northern part of the country buying acres of farm lands when peso was still at its prime. Basically muslims are poor. Practically, the only option they know to improve their life condition is thru revellion then secede. They were long time ignored by the Philippine government. How I wish Bangsamoro secede then becomes another Singapore like economy. Wishfully those pinay professionals turned housemaids need not go to Singapore anymore. (You missed the point. If senators were elected by region, and each region was assigned two senators, then there would always be two Muslim senators in the Senate, whether they have money or not. Is this really difficult to understand? ACA) Nonoy Ramos, (by email), Pennsylvania , May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya: While I have disagreed with some of your articles, we want to offer to you our site, the www.mabuhayradio.com, which is based in Los Angeles , CA . We can publish gratis et amore your column and all the commentaries from your readers. We can authorize you or your staff to post anything in your own column in our website; and we would not remove or delete your columns for as long as we exist and that can be like forever. We can also reprint all your past columns and commentaries from readers. I think I have saved some of your postings and feedbacks from your readers. We can accommodate you as our capacity is 300 gigabytes. In other words, our www.mabuhayradio.com can be your back-up site and we would not mind hosting you as your column will increase our traffic. We are now the leading Filipino community website in the United States . Please let us know if we can be of help. Mabuhay, Bobby M. Reyes, (by email), Los Angeles , CA , May 21, 2008 Editor, www.mabuhayradio.com wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I have lived with the same problems for years, as they come in various forms and degrees. Emma Orozco, (by email), May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Just to confirm to you my receipt of the following. I'm no computer savvy but in the angle of sabotage, whoever that nut or those nuts are will get no benefit out of harassing you. On the other hand they are probably hoping that you will get more angry at the establishment which may be their motive. Pls continue to share your findings on this. In my case, i can not anymore receive through EDSAMAIL but can still send if I want to. I prefer EDSAMAIL's more user friendly layout or format. Kind regards, Ed Tirona, (by email), Paranaque City , May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Dear Tony, While I personally agree on most of your recommendations on the subject I believe that foremost of all, JUDICIAL REFORM should be introduced by the adoption of the Grand Jury and Trial Jury systems wherein the people in the private sector shall be made partners, and shall have a deciding voice (or vote), in justice affairs. The current exclusive control and monopoly of justice by the government in the avaricious hands of corrupt high officials are, in fact, the consenting element in the pervasive corruption in the government. With the vote of private citizens in justice through the juries, they will be able to over-ride and counter-check abusively arbitrary decisions of judges and justices who are fundamentally under the control of their appointing or recommending political god-fathers/mothers, i.e. the president, governors, mayors, and legislators. The so-called check and balance among the three branches of the government is inadequate to stop public officials from conspiring to loath the public treasury for example by giving unto themselves excessive pork barrels and intelligence funds (for stupid public officials who have no intelligence in the first place). Private citizens will not be scared to decide in justice regardless of who gets hurt because their livelihood or jobs in the private sector cannot be easily sabotaged by vindictive public officials. Furthermore, the jury system, either the grand jury or trial jury, can become the binding spirit of unity of the people with different tribes, ethnicity, creeds and financial status in the community. When they troop and sit together in their halls of justice all over the country on the side of the law against an out-law, a grafter, or any crime offender, it symbolizes their unity behind the law and also with their government because they act under the supervision of a judge in behalf of the government. Adoption of the jury systems is the ultimate device that allows the people to exercise their sovereign power and authority under Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution. With that sovereign authority, it is no longer necessary that the Philippine Bill of Rights expressly declares adoption of the jury system. It is the implied right of the people to participate in government by the constitutional declaration that the Philippine Government shall be democratic and republican in form. I have drafted the proposed "People's Jury Initiative" and I would be glad to furnish without cost to anyone on a CD containing said initiative by providing the postal address of the requesting party. Marlowe Camello, (by email), Homeland, CA, May 21, 2008 email: [email protected] wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I am with you in the dismantling of political dynasties. I suggest that we count readers from your blog or newspaper column that is receptive to the idea and let us help campaigning via net or elsewhere even if we don�t physically come together. Thanks and God bless. Albert Banico, (by email), May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished of email sent to four yahoo egroups) Dear friends, I hope you have time to read ACAbaya�s articles. He really talks sense about our Philippine political system. How I wish there would be honest elections in 2010. How I wish that that new President in 2010 will be serious in convening a real constitutional convention after 2010. How I wish ACAbaya's suggestions will be adopted. How I wish everybody will remain united in supporting good causes like these. So much wishful thinking and hallucinations! Action is the crying need of the hour. I guess, the only thing you can do is spread these ideas among your friends, specially among the young. The best tool to spread education is the internet. It's the cheapest. It's the fastest. Thanks. TJ, [email protected], May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Sir, I have not witness your interview on tv.But what i read in this artlcle I understand a lot. Believe talaga ako saiyo MY PRESIDENT. Baka pweding idagdag ang age requirement Sa gustong komuha nang exam.for the position of PRESIDENT of The Republic of the Philippines . Kayo po sana pumasa para ma qualify. My suggested age is below 65 yrs old. Thank you. Kind regards, Emilio Vargas, (by email), Bicutan, Taguig City , May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, You asked: When was the last time we had a Muslim in the Senate? As far as I can recall, that was in the 1970s or 80s, in the person of Mamintal Tamano, father (?) of the opposition spokesman Adel Tamano. No wonder the Bangsamoro want to secede To have no Muslim presence in the Senate, for one whole generation, is against all political commonsense Why didn't the framers of the 1987 Constitution think of it? What about Santanina Rasul who served from the late 80s and again in the mid 90s? Ricardo de Leon, (by email), May 21, 2008 (You�re right. I stand corrected. But my point is still valid. If senators were elected by region and each region had two seats in the Senate, we would ALWAYS have two Muslim senators. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Sino pa nga ba ang gumagawa sa iyo kungdi mga galamay ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Huwag ka nang magduda. Ganyan sila ngayon kabastos. Ed Fajardo, (by email), May 22, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I came upon your column by accident when searching for someone in Google who happened to be one of the �contributors� in your column. Reading some of the comments from people who are for federalism makes me think these are the very reasons we should fear it. We are very regionalistic, almost tribal. We mistrust people from other regions. Intolerant even. When you think that the question of religion is also present in the south we really should think deep and hard about federalism. I hope Sen Pimentel does for he might be unleashing forces with unintended consequences. There is the wide economic disparity that exists today among the regions. A strong economic base needs infrastructure - roads, communication centers, etc. - and a well trained labor force. Where would poorer regions get the wherewithal to finance these? Federalism would not �spur� but stump economic growth in poorer regions, especially where natural resources are absent. Declaring that mere change to federalism will change the economic situations of the poorer regions is akin to egging a dog trying to catch its tail to run faster so it gains some distance. Poorer regions would remain poor without meaningful, positive outside intervention. It is the reason I favor the pork barrel but with tighter controls and accountability. Yugoslavia is a very apt example of a federalism gone awry. It held together as long as Tito was there to rein in the states� internal forces from causing the federation to fragmentize. We all know too well what happened after he was gone. We should remember that the American civil war was not only about freeing the slaves but also about state rights, and the economy. The southern states� economy was dependent on the slaves unlike the North where it was industrialized and had less need for human labor. They resented the federal government imposing their will on something that affected them deeply, their way of life, their economy, and would rather break away from the federation than submit to the North�s demand. Had Lincoln been less resolute, the US might be different than what we see today. And, we should not forget how Bangladesh came to be. Federalism would only deepen and widen the chasm that today exists among the regions. It might even rend what we know today as the Philippines . But I have strayed from the real reason I am writing you and it is that I completely agree with you. It is not the form of government that is the reason for the present state of our country, although it needs changes, but the policies the government had pursued through the years. I am almost tempted to paraphrase, Bill Clinton�s �92 election slogan: It is the politicians, stupid! to stress the point. What Sen Pimentel and group is doing is obfuscating the real reason or reasons we are economically lagging from our neighbors. This mad rush to change our form of government reminds me of an old French soldier saying: �When in doubt gallop.� In July 2005, when there was so much noise about changing our form of government to federal/parliamentary by, con-con, con-ass, initiatives, etc., I made suggestions (herewith attached) in an GMA website. It was very naive of me to think she reads them. Anyway, my rationale for the suggestions, in addition to those already in the suggestions are: 1. The proposed changes are, in my opinion, mere amendments to the �87 Constitution and can be taken by both houses of congress, so less expensive. The only expense is at the plebiscite stage. Change to parliamentary or federal government would be a revision to the constitution and therefore needs con-con or con-ass and a plebiscite after that. 2. Without pronounced philosophical distinction among political parties parliamentary form of government, which many favor, will not work. As proposed the legislature will function similar to a parliament but with safeguards, fixed presidential term. Otherwise, the government would be under constant flux because of shifting loyalties, which very often happen in Phil politics. The term of the English parliament is five years, it is dissolve after this period. The actual term length of the English parliament, on the average, had been about three and one-half years that is why I suggested three year term for the president. 4. It is very expensive to finance a national candidacy so those running practically mortgaged their �soul� because of the expense. 3. Election would shift to the local/regional level and would become less expensive for candidates and government. Thank you very much for allowing me to express my thoughts. [email protected], May 21, 2008 Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Great, great article. I think this should be the headlines of the current times para mapag usapan na. I really believe that today is the best time to really improve our electoral process and you are right about the qualifying exams for all candidates. This may not really result instantly but the operative word for this topic is " improve." However, with your suggestion on the govt channels being the only source of advertising for the candidates, medyo kwidaw ako jan. This govt is known to be very fair with the allies but to ridiculous with their opponents. As what doj gonzales has bragged, " what are we in power for?" Baka naman ang humawak nyan na " citizen " group called mahal ko bayan ko, patay tayo jan. This is a GMA group. I still believe that we should also pick the voters. Basta me ITR and college diploma, yun na lang ang bumoto. Mike Delgado, (by email), May 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, You mentioned the qualifying examinations to prospective candidates for political office, but you did cite who would manage or give the test. Would it be the Comelec or other bodies? Thanks again and more power. Bert Celera, (by email), May 22, 2008 (Ideally, the qualifying exams should be managed by a non-partisan academic body such as the UP College of Public Administration , perhaps with inputs from the NGO community. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I agree with this statement:...federalists have not shown any empirical evidence that switching from a unitary to a federal system would "spur economic growth" etc. Yes to this! ...senators elected by region, instead of at large. By this means, all regions are represented in the Senate all the time. Wasn't Santanina Rasul in the Senate after Tamano? (You�re right. I stand corrected.ACA) This would be too elitist. Who is to set the passing score on the qualifying exam? ...qualifying exams for all candidates for all elective positions, from municipal councilor to president. Yes to this as well. ... total and permanent ban on all radio and TV political ads. Yes to this too: ... Comelec deputize all registered parties and candidates to remove all illegal campaign posters, illegal either because these posters are oversized or because they are pasted or hung illegally such as on trees, lampposts, LRT columns, private and public walls, bridges, overpasses, etc. A thousand yeses to this:... dismantling of political dynasties. Remy Marmole�o, (by email), May 22, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I suggest you host the web site offshore using a server other than one of the big guys like Yahoo. I would doubt whoever it is has much clout here in Australia for example. If I had a server or knew what the hell you have to do to have one I would host it for you at cost. Alas I am not that computer savvy! I hope you recover your archives and then store them on disc or somewhere other than just online. Cheers Perry Gamsby, (by email), Sydney , Australia , May 22, 2008 Formerly of Cebu wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Hi Tony! In addition to the changes you are proposing in our electoral process, why not also look into the spending aspect? How about requiring a kind of candidacy/filing fee depending on the position being sought for. The government will take care of all campaign expenditures and will also set-up a campaign concept. One such concept could be a joint campaign by candidates where they will be allowed to present their respective programs/platform in a public forum under the supervision of the Comelec. One on one and house to house campaigning should be banned too. It is a fact that there are some people particularly in depressed areas who ask for money/ financial help from candidates. Many members of the media also ask and some even demand money from candidates. Candidates who spend usually see to it that they recover the money spent plus plus at the expense of tax payers money. By the way, messages I saved which were mostly critical to gma have been deleted. Very suspicious indeed! Narciso Ner, (by email), Davao City , May 22, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello, Tony I really appreciate your quite incisive proposals on electoral reforms. I am in favor of senatorial representation by region. This is the better alternative to Federalism. Your proposal to use government channels for free air time for all candidates is also the best. This will give deserving candidates without financial backing the much needed exposure. The above two can solve the problem on political dynasties and idiot or undeserving representatives. Actually, qualifying exams will solve only half the problem. Most of our officials are actually academically and/or technically qualified for public office. But education and experience cannot transform a crooked or corrupt person, rather it aids him in bringing corruption to a higher level. One reason why political dynasties are so entrenched is name recall, most especially if the incumbent is very popular. But lately, the electorate seems to be getting more intelligent, and we have seen scions or relatives of political clans getting clobbered/replaced by deserving newcomers. Equal free airtime in our government channels can help a lot in getting this message across - that our country doesn't necessarily need relatives of trapos to get us on the right track. Best regards, Bong L. Alba, (by email), May 22, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Tony, It appears that you believe electoral reforms can be done without resorting to federalism. I hope more people can see your point. How much money would the government save by working towards your enumerated reforms as compared to the cost of changing the present system into a federal style? Thanks. Lourdes Ceballos, (by email), May 22, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, We will remain vigilant with you, My suggestion is to share this untoward incident to the newspapers and share this to as many people, because this is another suppression of the free press, Freedom must never be curtailed. Praying for you, Gerry Garay, (by email), Clermont , Florida , May 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello Tony I have been following your email reports, From all these debates and email discussions, I should say that the most convincing issue, (not that I disregard the other issues such as federalism, corruption and GMA etc) which I think need so much attention and must be campaigned now is the issue SUBJECTING ALL CANDIDATES TO QUALIFIYING EXAMINATIONS,FOR ANY PUBLIC POSITION FROM LOWER LEVEL, BARANGAY TO HIGHEST POSITION. I single this out because I have observed that most Filipinos are not doing anything about this matter when in fact this is one of the basic ingredients which caused our government system inefficient and insignificant. This is one of the changes that we must take into account together with other issues and changes you have presented in the interview, to bring a good standard to our election process and selection of public servants It is logical that the electorate must not be fooled by too much propaganda of many political candidates , who aspire for public service without any credential at all, except that they are well known tabloid makers and fancy personalities. It is time to educate our people specially the majority of naive Filipinos who are vulnerable and the prime targets of these kind of candidates. I have thought about this long before, I wonder why we allow this kind of stupid practices of popularity contest for our supposed public servants. My goodness, no wonder why our country have been going backward and downward. Your rationale why these aspiring candidates must be subjected to qualifying exams or its equivalent are very true. Those popular personalities who charmed winning votes from their fan clubs and followers, and sitting now as senators and congressmen, do they really know why they are there? I am not so sure how good is their knowledge about our constitution and good governance. How good is their moral values, do we need a yardstick to measure the integrity of these personalities and candidates who have records of malpractices and corruption during their function? It is too much to think, that many Filipinos keep on repeating the same mistakes. I often encounter remarks from foreigner that the Philippine is an easy way to get rich and become powerful, just run for any public office, Be a mayor of the town and hitch your wagon to the stars. Is that so? It is offending (insulto) to some intelligent Filipino candidates who lost because he is unpopular to majority electorate 'ang masa' who is the target of those charming personalities Ex; that Doctor from Texas and his colleagues . I would like therefore to express my strong conviction on this issue and I hope that you will go wider and encourage more to bring this matter to the attention of the government, the Comelec, and the simple minded Pinoy> The next election is fast approaching don't you think it is time to bring this seriously to discussion and implementation Mrs Consorcia de Leon-Scholtz, (by email), Brugge, Belgium, May 24, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Great recommendations for electoral reforms, if adopted. Problem is: the dynasties who are in power will fight tooth and nail for status quo. In fact, PGMA wants to stay beyond her term -- shades of Putin and Marcos. Power corrupts ! The corrupt gets drunk and lusts for more. Ben Oteyza, (by email), May 25, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Our political leaders can cross political parties, organize, re-organize and do other silly things, but nothing positive will happen if there is no change in their hearts and minds. Hector Tarrazona, (by email), May 25, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Prelude to 2010� (May 13, 2008) Tony, Mike T. Arroyo, PGMA.s husband told the media a couple of times before and I quote- �Filipinos are stupid to believe that Gloria would only stay in Malacanang until the end of her terms in 2010.� This statement of FG. was followed by a warning from Senator Juan Ponce Enrile just a year back that should Gloria (PGMA) steps down from office as demanded and still being demanded by majority of Filipinos "she is dead." President Gloria Arroyo knows Senator Enrile's warning was correct and she wouldn't mind so much spending the last penny of her new wealth illegally earned "tongpats" from too over priced government projests where she PGMA and Mike T.A. are the main players not forget their wealth going to their big pockets almost weekly "take home pay" from big time smugglers/jueteings and we know who they are. I feel a little bit shy to say that this guy is too closed to them "Gloria and Mike" that media sometimes said this guy sleeps in Malacanang Palace . I truly believe Gloria will do everything she can to stay in power at the expense of civilian and soldiers lives after all she doesn't care about them. All she cares is for her to stay alive and to double her trillions to quadrillions. To good and patriotic soldiers and civilians- Wake Up- Do Something About It. Do not allow a weirdo and corrupt couple to put an end to the existence of our beloved Republic of the Philippines . Mike M. Moreno, (by email), Richmond , BC , Canada , May 20, 2008 Chair- Fil-Am Fil-Can Alliance wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww If indeed you are prescient on GMA matters, my question then is: could she be stopped to hold on to power beyond 2010? It is ironic that GMA is the weakest President who is holding on to power regardless what all the opposition of all shades and colors would like to do to oust her. She lacks enough squeeling masa compared to Erap. Supposedly the Makati Business Club hates her. She is not a military general who can rely on the allegiance of fellow Mistah. The church hierarchy/laity love/hate her at the same moment in time. The Middle Force that engineered her coming in through EDSA II and supported her initially are now head over hills, hell bent, gung ho in toppling her. Unfortunately, their leaders committed suicide jumping from the Hyatt penthouse floor. The holy nuns and priests are opening their cloisters to the likes of JLo, a repentant former smooth operator of misdeeds in the GMA administration, again for the purpose of putting down GMA. And last but not the least, the house of wannabe presidents, the body that would like the kind of truth that suits their interest, the institution that investigates for the purpose of extended media bytes - definitely this house hates GMA to the core. What gives? How could GMA be stopped holding on to power beyond 2010? Felix Zamar, (by email), May 24, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, There are lots of great and positive responses to "Prelude to 2010." First, let us all hope and pray that PGMA [and First GM} come to their senses and with their needs satiated, leave in peace and enjoy the rest of their lives in comfort, after 2010. Then, have an ombudsman gather and analyze the suggestions that make sense and put them to effective use to help the Philippines get out of dire straits. It can be done -- just as the Vietnamese are doing. I have always maintained that the Philippines and its people have the resources and yet untapped potential waiting to be harnessed to full effectiveness. Those who went to other lands succeeded in their undertakings, so why not in the Philippines ? The people are industrious and ingenious with the right ideas to succeed with the right motivation. Was it not Gawad Kalinga's dictum, "Do not feed for a day, but teach to fish, and the man will eat the rest of his life." Ben Oteyza, (by email), May 26, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Lawmakers� Obligations to the People Hi Tony, as always, wish you are quite well, fine, and blesses together with your family. Just want to share with you some of my thoughts in alleviating/improving the lives of our countrymen through our Lawmakers' initiatives. It is really not new to you that our lawmakers- politicians are the powerful people in our present society now. They can break or make our system of government. They can make or break businesses ,infrastructures, educational systems, power resources, agricultural resources, educational systems, and even judicial systems. In short, they can make or break our mode of living. Can you imagine the resources and power they wield? Yes, there was a time when the Congressmen used to go to the DPWH for projects they intend to implement; Now, its vice-versa; DPWH goes to the congressman for projects. Around last year, Senator Miriam Defensor announced in TV of the perks of the Senators and Congressmen, wherein she made mention of the monthly budget of at least 1.5 million pesos for Congressmen and 2.5 million pesos for Senators in addition to their salaries, foreign travel allowances, and 20% perks from their pork barrels. Indeed with the money and power they possess, our Lawmakers could improve the lives and lots of all Filipinos if they really wish to help us, and our country to become progressive. For a start, our Lawmakers can pass laws for the good of our people, and country like the following: 1. Enabling Law for Anti-Dynasty. 2. Low costs of medicines, including low Physicians' fees in visiting patients. 3. Improved Public Hospital Services and Facilities thats free to the public. 4. Free public elementary and high school education. 5. Regulated costs of private elementary and high school education. 6. Regulated costs of College Education. 7. Laws to regulate oil and energy prices. 8. Development of organic fertilizer industry. 9. Support and improvement of DOST to undertake researches to improve herbal medicines. 10. Support for Filipino inventors, and to give them assistance to commercialize their inventions that can result to low costing of their products. 11. Sourcing of fuel/oil/power alternatives - use of Solar power, Wind Power, Geothermal power to generate electricity to reduce oil consumption. 12. Use of gasul for cars to reduce oil import. 13. Use of mass transport or develop the PNR to have trains for mass transport from Manila to Ilocos, Manila to Nueva Ecija..instead of highways. This will reduce our oil imports. Thid can be implemented also in the Visayas and Mindanao . 14. Strengthen the COA jurisdiction and power to check on corrupt practices in government and semi-government agencies. Maybe, with the true intentions of our Lawmakers as per their obligation to serve and help our countrymen and country, our country can progress, and our countrymen will have a better future here in our country.. Best regards Tony... Avelino Lagman, Jr. (by email), May 23, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Decentralization Eleven senators filed a resolution to convene congress into a Constituent Assembly for the purpose of revising the constitution to establish a federal form of government. It is aims to decentralize and sped up the development of the countryside and help dissipate the causes of poverty and insurgency, particularly the Moro rebellion. It points out that our highly centralized system has spawned a host of problems, including nationwide poverty and insurgencies that feed on social inequalities. About the only good thing we see in this resolution is that it opens of a dialogue that may eventually lead us to see the light. While we agree with the challenges it seeks to address, the solution suggested is downright unacceptable. The proposed system is so expensive and unwieldy that it may do more harm than good. How much would cost to maintain 11 State Officials and employees? How would it function? And it is an exercise in futility. Can anyone imagine the Filipino people voting to have 70 senators and 350 representatives? They would rather vote for the abolition of both houses! Maybe the idea would not be so bad if the alternative is not so workable, not so inexpensive and not so effective. But it is! And what might it be? Local autonomy, plain and simple! Review the Local Government Code of 1991 authored by Senator Pimentel himself. The answers are all there. We doubt if senility or ulterior motives it all, but we can't understand why the father of local autonomy would rather spouse federalism rather than decentralization. Where was he all the time that the Code needed to be updated? It's been 17 long years and the League of Provinces are still pushing for amendments! It is supposed to be dynamic. It is so provided in the code itself: a visit every five years. Did Congress do what it is supposed to do with the Code? No. And its author was too busy with the ambition of his son to even let out a whimper. Who knows that the adjustments that might have been could have produced effective LGU's. Maybe they would have prevented Gloria from doing her thing, instead of licking her heels Why not? Our failure to devolve more powers enabled Gloria to use and abuse all the powers given to her. And who can stop any of her successors from doing the same thing? This is why we appeal to all senators and congressmen. Get real. Stop this nonsense about federalism. Listen to the League of Provinces. Maybe what they want is not even enough. Give it all to them. Give them now as much as you would to federalism. It could be our easiest way out. Also Gloria's. Eustaquio Joven, (by email), May 23, 2008 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected] To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |