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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Jobless in Colombia
By Antonio C. Abaya Written Aug. 12, 2007 For the Standard Today, August 13 issue Manolo Teodoro, who describes himself as a Colombian-Filipino mestizo, is � as far as I know � my only reader in the whole of South America . He says that he used to co-anchor the evening news in Channel 9, with Kathy Santillan. For the past several years he has been news anchor or co-anchor for Bogota �s largest TV network. He recently sent me the following email, �Tony, There is a Filipina living in Bogota , Colombia . �She had made a huge mistake. She believed a Nigerian citizen in Bangkok who convinced her in 2000 to come here to pick up some emeralds to bring back to Asia . . �Emeralds are one of Colombia �s chief legal exports. She accepted the offer and came to Colombia in 2001 . Here she was given a suitcase. In it was a pack of emeralds. What she did not know was that the suitcase also contained two kilos of pure cocaine hidden inside the lining. �She was caught at the local airport and was detained. Llocal authorities assume guilt and not innocence, and she was incarcerated for four years. She was released a year ago. But her nightmare continues. The local honorary Filipino consulate has done nothing to help --- she has cleansed herself of any responsibility, saying the Filipino government helps not �I have tried to help this woman on my own. Another Pinoy expat has also helped. His name is Tony Carmona. Again, the honorary consulate has done nothing. . Why am I helping? Tony, I have been a journalist for 22 years and like you, I have developed instincts. I firmly believe she was framed. She is innocent. �She has two children in Antipolo. She yearns to go home. She lives in the street, literally. Would you know of a Filipino television network who might be interested in a 30-minute or one hour documentary on her saga? If so, would they pay for her ticket home? It�s a hell of a story I have all the resources to produce the docu, shoot in jail, follow her with cameras, and deliver. Google me and you can learn more about my credentials�. I hope Rocky Carandang or someone else from ABS-CBN reads this. I hope someone from the Department of Foreign Affairs reads this. I hope his cousin, newly appointed Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, reads this. I hope President Arroyo reads this. My Internet server is at present down, but I can be contacted by fax at 824-7642. I will give Manolo�s telephone numbers to whoever wants to help that poor woman. ***** CARLESS IN SUBIC . President Arroyo is to be commended for ordering the destruction of smuggled luxury cars impounded at the Subic Freeport. She has ordered a stop to the usual SOP at Customs of placing the impounded cars on auction. More often than not, the smugglers themselves bid for those cars and, to no one�s surprise, win the bidding, And most probably paying less than the taxes due if they had imported the vehicles legally. This has been going on for so long, it can best be described as a well-oiled racket worthy of the Mafia, obviously with the collusion of the usual suspects at Customs. Fourteen luxury cars, scheduled for auction last month, will be destroyed instead on Thursday, with President Arroyo in attendance and with TV cameras rolling. Included in the public destruction are two Mercedes Benz sedans (S350 and S550), Infinity FX45, three BMWs, two Audis, Cadillac Esplanade EXT and SUV, a Corvette, a Nissan Armada, and two Acura MDX.. Not being a car fancier, I am not awed or impressed by these glossy brand names. To me a car is only a vehicle that takes me from Point A to Point B, and a lowly Altis or Lancer can perform that function just as well as any of the above. If the importation of these luxury cars is illegal or requires the payment of huge amounts in customs duties, so be it. And anyone whose ego demands the embellishment of a snob brand should be ready to pay the full taxes due for his or her security rubber duckie. If not, then burn the expensive toys to send the message that this has to stop. ***** HEADLESS IN ZAMBOANGA.. And I support the presidential directive to the military to move the Army headquarters to Zamboanga so that the army commander is close to the ongoing military operations in Sulu and Basilan. The risk here is that Muslim militants, even now, are probably planning to score a major hit on that army command HQ when it is set up, to add injury to the insult of inflicting heavy casualties at the front. The AFP should also consider a change in tactics and methodologies. I recall that during two hostage crises in the recent past � the Sipadan kidnapping in 2000 and the Dos Palmas kidnapping in 2002 � the responses of the AFP under Gen., then Defense Secretary, Angelo Reyes were identical: send an invasion force of 6,000 men, supported by 105mm howitzers, naval gunboats and OV-10 Bronco light bombers. In my article Abu Sayyaf: Why the AFP Failed (Jan. 31, 2002), I suggested a more low-key but surgical response, using smaller groups of commandoes or special forces to hunt down the enemy. I cited several cases of successful rescues of hostages - in Lima (Peru), Entebbe (Uganda), Ratchanburi (Thailand) - using small groups of commandoes who crept up to their quarries, unannounced by media and undetected by the enemy, and then struck in the wee hours of the morning when everyone else was asleep. In this particular situation in Sulu/Basilan, the Indonesian experience in Irian Jaya several years ago is instructive. Melanesian separatists had kidnapped some 30 employees of a mining firm and were hiding them under the thick canopy of the New Guinea jungle. Using a pilotless aircraft equipped with infra-red sensors � to detect body heat - the Indonesians were able to pinpoint the exact location of the separatists and their hostages, to neutralize/rescue whom the Indonesians dropped several dozen sticks of paratroopers. No need for an invasion force of 4,000 to 6,000 men, backed by howitzers, gunboats and light bombers. The AFP should acquire one or two pilotless aircraft or drones, which should be sent aloft to precede a military convoy to make sure no one is hiding in the bush, waiting to ambush it, which is what happened, twice, recently in Sulu. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to Jobless in Colombia Reactions to Carless in Subic Reactions to Headless in Zamboanga More Reactions to �Moro-moro in Maguindanao� More Reactions to �Extra-judicial Blah� More Reactions to �Kidnapped Pinoys atbp� �A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Communism� Hi Tony: I have forwarded this piece about the unnamed jobless Filipina in Bogota to Butch Raquel of GMA7 and Vergel Santos in case they may want to do an exclusive on the poor girl. However, can you ask your friend emailer their emails so it will be a lot easier to help them find help for the poor jobless girl. I understand if your emailer wants things coursed through (him) only, but (he) did not even give (his) email--even if (his) server is down. Thanks. Gil ( Santos ), (by email), Aug. 15, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Magandang araw po Mr. Abaya. Ni hindi ho yata lumabas sa mga pahayagan ang balita na �to patungkol sa isang Pinay na nakulong sa Colombia . Kung ito ho naman ho pala e napaabot sa ating embahada doon e may ginawa ho ba silang aksyon? (Wala po. ACA) Kalakip po nang sulat na ito e gusto ko rin sana sa inyong ipaalam ang nilalaman nang natanggap kong email (circulated) galing ho sa ating mga kababayan dito sa Saudi Arabia. Hindi ko lang po alam talaga kung gano ho ito katotoo pero napag isipan ko po na ipasa sa inyo dahil baka po kayo makatulong sa nawawala nating kababayan na ito. Alam ko pong hindi kayo ang tamang tao para idulog po ang panawagan nang isang Ina pero nag bakasakali po ako. Paki basa nalang po ang nilalaman nang panawagan nang kanyang Nanay. Salamat po. Gilbert Meneses, (by email), Saudi Arabia, Aug. 16, 2007 My daughter's name is Christia A. Solomon and she worked as a baby sitter in a prominent family in Riyadh , KSA. She came to Saudi Arabia in May 2002. She is married with three children; the eldest son is in 2nd year high school and the youngest daughter Indah Alyssa is only 7 years old. While she was in Riyadh , I can contact her from time to time until the evening of 03 February 2005. After that her cell phone wasn�t in service anymore. I was worried because I couldn�t contact her from then on. On 05 March 2005 , I decided to call up her lady employer and she told me that my daughter left already for the Philippines last 07 February 2005 . I was surprise because my daughter did not inform me about her leaving. Immediately, I called up her husband and my son in Jolo, Sulu, but I was very disappointed because she was not there. I got more scared, and I called up her employer again. Her employer said that Christia was turned over to the agency in Riyadh . After a few weeks the manager of the agency sent me an immigration letter stating that my daughter left the Kingdom. In my heart and mind it seems like there was something wrong going on with regards to the disappearance of my daughter because her disappearance happened so fast. I remember one time when she called me up in a trembling and scary voice and said that her employer's sister wants to beat her. When I talked to her lady employer she assured me that nothing bad will happen to her. On March 2005, I sent fax to the Philippine Embassy through Labor attach� Honorable Delmer Cruz and on 30 July 2005 I talked to the Ambassador Bahnarim A. Guinomla and on May 15, 2006 I faxed to Hon. Consul Gerardo Abbiog of the Philippine Embassy, I even approached Rocky Beltran of ABS-CBN asking for help regarding my daughter's situation but it was all in vain. I did everything to find my daughter but still there is no clue to her whereabouts and I am really losing hope. I decided to write our story on the hope that there is someone who can help us. I remember my daughter was mentioning a name Indah Jamasali: To you INDAH JAMASALI , Please contact me wherever you are. Please I need your help��. To anyone who can give information to the whereabouts of my daughter I am praying that Allah will bless you and your entire family for your good deeds. Susan A. Arastam Royal Commission Hospital Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tel. # 03-346-4000 Ext. 2672 / 3707 (Office) CP # 0502933729 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello Tito Tony, This is Jory. I've forwarded your friend's story about the Filipina who got into trouble in Colombia to a friend of mine who used to be in your field. She said she will follow up on it and check with her former exec producer. Jory Improgo, (by email), Aug. 16, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Re the Filipina and the emeralds in Colombia: Last night the Oprah show devoted the whole program to scams and much was said about the modus operandi of some men/women who duped victims of big sums of money. This Colombian case is a slight variation of a modus operandi.. Lesson: Except for the rest of us who have no access to the CDF, there is no way to make money, a lot or just a small amount, except by sweating for it. Sorry about this Filipina's case, but that is just about it. Remy Marmole�o, (by email), Aug. 16, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: I thank Manolo for bringing up the plight of our kababayan incarcerated in Colombia . My initial reaction is to feel sorry for her plight and a feeling of rage towards the Consulate for not lending a hand for her release. If this were true, the Consulate has some serious explaining to do. The behind-the-scenes issues and factors of this case do raise a lot of questions as well. But rereading the case again indicating a Nigerian Connection was involved, then all kinds of red flags were raised. The big question is how in the heck did she get into this mess? The simple answer is GREED. She answered the ad and acted on the premise she would receive large compensation if she delivered the goods. She took a chance on something very dumb and stupid. Naive perhaps but she might be interested to know she is not alone. There has been thousands of victims fleeced by acting on impulse simply based on GREED all over the world. Majority happens to unsuspecting Americans who are very willing to respond to these phony solicitations emanating from Africa and mostly Nigeria of untold and vast riches coming from inheritances. The modus operandi is the typical pigeon drop where they offer to share thousands of dollars but asks for an amount of money as a token, large enough as a gesture of goodwill. Once they get hold of the gesture of goodwill--they disappear--GONE! This month alone I received three solicitations home-based in Nigeria and Great Britain in my Spam folder. The letters are well written in the Queen's English of course which should be you immediate red flag. When I was working for a large Financial and Investment Institution, one area I was responsible for was the shareholders base. We kept tract of these scam solicitations targeting investors. It is incredibly surprising how many we received each day and how these scammers are fanatically diligent in their intent to fleece money from unsuspecting individuals. These are well organized and experienced groups mostly operating in Nigeria and various African and European countries. I caution all to be AWARE and VIGILANT. The Internet is their effective tool to channel and get to you. So be cautious and be smart and protect yourself. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Roseville , CA , Aug. 16, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Moral of the Story: Don't depend or expect help from the Philippine Consulate when you are in trouble. "You made your bed, sleep on it"....as they will tell you. Remember the appeal of the Filipinas in the Middle East when Sen. Raul Manglapus was the Secretary of Foreign Affairs! Ernie Aragon, (by email), Hagerstown , Maryland , Aug. 16, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I read your article and drew it to the attention of DFA Undersecretary Edsel Custodio who has very kindly responded as shown below. Regards. Ruy Moreno ,(by email), Aug. 19, 2007 To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Fwd: Jobless in Colombia Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:41:13 +0200 Txs Roy, Sent the article to Consular. They might do something about it. Edsel Custodio wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reactions to �Carless in Subic � Dear Tony: I admit that once in a great while I react with rage! It is usually on matters quite perplexing and bordering in the absurd. The Philippine government destroying luxury cars because they are illegally acquired just so the bad guy don't get to bid on them successfully? Have they gone nuts? Has anyone with a capitalist mind raised the question as to how much the poor Philippine treasury is losing to make such an expensive statement with little recrimination? Wow! that is idiotic at best. Does anybody think these bad guys would stop illegally importing luxury cars? Listen, people are primarily Greedy and can't seem to have enough no matter how materially rich. What is the lesson the government is imparting here? I am not very smart, so please help me collect the dots. Listen guys, tax free organizations here in America are always soliciting for donations of used cars. They fix them, sell them at a profit and use the proceeds to run their organizations. If Arroyo wants to begin her epiphany she ought to consider donating these luxury cars to Gawad Kalinga a very worthwhile organization, instead of burning them. I have this image of her, like Nero demonstrating something absolutely ironic. While the cars burned I hear the song Just Dusts in The Winds. What a waste. Such a waste. What a colossal mistake. Amen. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Roseville , CA , Aug. 14, 2007 (My take on this is: If the government were to donate the smuggled vehicles to, say, Gawad Kalinga, the smugglers themselves would bid for them, as they do in the Customs auction. They would then turn around and resell them to their established market. Their motivation would be to reduce their losses and even make a (reduced) profit. They would then smuggle more luxury cars, to restore their profit levels, knowing there would be a way to cut their losses if they were found out. (If the government were to burn or destroy these (and all future) smuggled vehicles, as they have done, the smugglers� losses would be total and complete. And chances are they would stop smuggling luxury cars. I prefer this solution. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reactions to �Headless in Zamboanga� Hi Tony, Re tactics ... for heaven's sakes, in enemy territory (which to a terrorist is anywhere) stop moving our troops around in trucks!!! That's how our soldiers get ambushed!!! And that's how demoralizing heavy casualties happen!!! Warmest regards, Lito (Pedrosa), (by email), Aug. 16, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I fully understand your concern(s) on GMA's order to move the Army Headquarters to Zamboanga. But allow me to share my knowledge of our system. Our real command system is that the Unified commands conduct the real tactical operations which give that job to the Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM). Army HQ do not command and control operations, it only support the operations by providing well trained troops and organized units or command for the unified commands to use. So by sending the Army Commander to Zamboanga, GMA lost the confidence of her Area Commander in that part of the country. LTG Tolentino has been in Sulu for more than 10 years, so he knows at least how to deal with situations like these. That must be the reason why GMA knee-jerked him to the province. Your other concern on acquiring those high speed equipment for special operations is well appreciated because those may help somehow in solving immediate concerns. But the lamentable truth is that "we may be able to afford them, but the leadership are not willing to spend hard-earned money to fast-track AFP modernization". I guess modernizing the military without a well-standing economy is wrong. Those equipment are hard to maintain and sustain. Acquiring them would also need a lot of well-trained human resource; otherwise if non-experts manipulate them, we'll just waste them. The recent events in Basilan and Sulu are tactical blunders and the military should analyze and learn how to cope with them in the future. We are not talking of just ASG but the whole MNLF and MILF. We should work hard for our economy because I guess only with this means we could hope for peace. I believe that the present communist terrorist insurgency is the cause of our nation's poverty. It is not what Joma Sison's slogan that "poverty is the cause of insurgency" With a better economy, I guess nobody wants to rebel or secede. Eduardo Davalan, (by email), Aug. 16, 2007 (So use the pilotless aircraft or drone against the CPP/NPA also. How much does a drone cost? I am sure much less than a two-seater MSG-520 helicopter would, like the one that crashed into the sea off Basilan the other day. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello Kuya Tony, You idea to have a small force of commandos to engage the culprits in Basilan, Sulu, etc. is also the idea of so many our Kababayans. But I doubt such solution would be adopted by those concerned. Why? It is better to have this problem remain unsolved for the next decades. Alam muna. Leona Guera, (by email), Australia , Aug. 17, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Your suggestion to go after Moros-malcontents using trained scout rangers, as other nations are doing, is the most viable solution hereabouts. Battalion-sized invasion forces and howitzers are only for show. They are never successful. The way things are going, the kidnappings and waylaying and ambush of our poorly-equipped foot-soldiers are being tolerated by this administration "for a purpose"! Having first hand knowledge of the hostage incident in Zamboanga in 2001, you will be surprised if you knew how it was handled. But to this regime, "the people" don't count! More power to you. Jose Regino, (by email), Zamboanga City , Aug. 17, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reaction to �Moro-moro in Maguindanao� (June 29, 2007) Dear ACA, Although I do not open my email that often, I always make it a point to read your articles. The writer who wrote the posting below made a good observation. Lawyers have a different way of seeing a problem and finding ways to solve it. They have a tendency to stretch themselves thin to cover all grounds, forgetting in the process to focus on the heart of the matter, or the center of gravity. I recall many years ago, our boss got fed up with the Agency Legal Officer. This is due to the fact that the latter would always end up obstructing good ideas and programs by citing legal impediments and procedures. As a result, the office was like a ship that's dead on water, we're not moving! Our boss, a former Army general finally got fed up with the lawyer and promptly "exiled" her to some place where she can't do damage anymore. I think lawyers have the tendency to complicate simple matters. Most of them have forgotten the fact that they were given positions in order to clear up legal issues and ensure that projects or efforts will proceed without legal problems. However, the opposite usually happens. Instead of them clearing the way, they are the very ones who create the problems, either through omission or commission. Their penchant for endless debates and discussions also ensures that nothing will be done for days on end. Worse, those who have been in the business for a long time and acquired what we call "tamang gulang", would resort to shortcuts, horse-trading and dirty tricks just to make life easier. The men of the other professions do not function that way, generally. Military, engineers, doctors and scientists who were given the reins have a different approach. They will identify the mission, set the goals, identify the problems and the resources at hand. After analyzing these factors, several courses of action will be formulated and weighed as to their viability and feasibility. As soon as a particular COA is selected, all resources and efforts will be channeled to the implementation of that COA. Another difference, I believe, that differentiates lawyers from other professionals is the fact that the former have little or no need to develop leadership traits. Their "ace" is best kept secret and they do not need a big organization to realize their goals. This is in contrast with the military, engineers and scientists who have to lead and manage men and logistics in order to attain their objectives. I had the good fortune of working for a lawyer and a former military officer a long time ago. The office then had a big problem on backlogs. The lawyer, whenever reminded of the backlog, would simply cite the administrative and operational obstacles that prevent us from reducing the backlog. Presto, you cite the problem, he gives you the cause of the problem, reminding everybody that the obstacles are beyond his control and he is off the hook. Then came a former military officer, he identified the problem and the causes of the problem and asked for our inputs on the matter. The following day, he issued a series of orders. In effect, he worked around the obstacles, preferring to concentrate on what is doable and revising operational procedures, which is well within our sphere of influence. He accomplished in three months what the lawyer failed to do for more than one year. Bong Aspacio, (by email), Aug. 17, 2007 P.S. Like the writer below, I have nothing against lawyers. I am married to one. I am just citing my observations borne out of my professional dealings with a number of them in the past. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Your article (Moro-moro in Maguindanao) was nicely written and brought out the truth. My feeling is this: Most, if not all, members of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government in the Philippines ....including nearly if not all heads of department and/or sub-department running every move or action in the country are LAWYERS. Could this be the hidden reason behind we have a corrupt government because they know how to BEND the law? I am not pointing at lawyers as the cause or the root-cause of the problem in our country. As a former OSHA compliance officer and former regional manager, I believe it is the SYSTEM that is the underlying culprit. I remember too well when I was asked to provide safety and occupational health training to the DOLE inspectors in northern Luzon (year 2000). After a few hours talking about electricity, chemicals and chemical reactions, noise and noise monitoring, accident investigation and reporting; I noticed that no one asked a question. So, I asked if there was anyone in the class who was an engineer (civil or electrical) or anyone who understood what I was talking about. The response was: "Sir, we are all LAWYERS." I asked why all of them are lawyers and no one has the basic background to conduct a comprehensive accident investigation of the fatality that occurred inside the Baguio mining facility (the accident happened a week earlier)? The response was: "we are hired to protect the government from lawsuit...." Again in this case, it was a SYSTEM failure. In fact, they had a big unopened box of industrial hygiene and safety equipment in the storage room. It was not opened because no one knows how to use any of the "tools of the trade" or have someone to train them. So, I spent the afternoon giving basic equipment training. Rudy Hermosa, (by email), July 01, 2007 PS: My sincere apology to any lawyer who feels my comment is not warranted. Nothing personal wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Extra-judicial Blah� (July 27, 2007) Tony, John Howard is not a leftist, quite the opposite. He is a rightist, our "Liberal Party" is not of the same bent as the US Democrats and their meaning of "liberal". The present government of the coalition between the Liberal Party and the National Party is a right wing one, similar to the Republicans. They favour free enterprise and less public spending as opposed to the political arm of the Union movement, the Australian Labor Party who are, indeed, leftists and have far left and middle left and even some right lefts! Since they all earn far more than I do and have lost the plot as far as the average Australian is concerned I lump them all together anyway! Cheers, Perry Gamsby, (by email), Sydney , Australia , Aug. 20, 2007 (Thank you for the correction, Perry. A Fil-Aussie made an earlier correction ahead of you. I stand corrected, mates. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Kidnapped Pinoys atbp� (Aug. 06, 2007) It's not Christian values that rally behind George W (really Cheney's) war on Iraq and other causes. As FDR said, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." The increasing senior population has been fed with the notion that any type of opposition to GW/Cheney policies have to be nipped in the bud--better to kill the people of other nations in their homeland than to wait for anyone to attack the US again, as in 9/11. About GMA vs. Estrada, one has to play the three monkeys of the No Evil Family- Hear, See, and Say as long as someone has a Ph.D. Does it really take even a HS Equivalency Diploma to see that a Ph.D. does not an honest and law-abiding leader make? It's about time that our people wake up-- in our culture where a RECTO University and an Institution for Professional Certification and Thesis Generation run from Sta. Cruz to Sampaloc, our people had been sold the bill of goods that education is nothing but "schooling with a diploma." The elite and the rich and famous had convinced the people that "Form is to be preferred over Substance." The degreed (highly educated?) people have always treated ERAP as the Aguinaldo faction treated the Supremo, Bonifacio. These people probably truly deserve GMA as they sing her praises, but unfortunately, in most circumstances, it's the innocent that suffers most from some people's reckless disregard of other people's rights. And unfortunately, in the Philippines , 75% of the 85 million suffer from GMA and her minions hiding behind credentials that evidently are not worth the paper they are written on. Need I be specific, for example, about the Secretary of Injustice, the Uneducated Secretary, the Customary and Uneconomic Revenue Generators, ILL-Legislators of the Lower than the Pit House pushed in by GMA funds with stench not even any kind of laundering could wash clean? Aurora Riel, (by email), Murfreesboro , North Carolina , Aug. 20, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Can you give space for the request of so many OFWs with regards to our problems, OFW are asking for a fixed rate or either an OFW bank where we can remit our remittance directly and be apart of it with regards to what ever income it might have, I think since fixed rate is not possible, the proposed OFW bank might help us. Thanks and best regards. Amedeo D. Chavez, (by email), Aug. 21, 2007 (A fixed exchange rate is the best for OFWs, exporters and tourism operators, but would be rejected by the IMF and the credit rating agencies (who are in cahoots with currency speculators). An OFW bank would only be a slight improvement over the current remittance system because the exchange rate would remain the same, unless that was changed to a fixed rate, which is not going to happen. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww �A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Communism� SalaMuch Tony Abaya! I just received your well-written booklet" A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cpommunism" A Great and a must-read for both OFW and homeland Pinoys! I will pass it on to Bert Pelayo, my Editor and Publisher of NY Filipino Reporter weekly, for whom I've been doing cartoons since 1976! Let's both hope Bert will take note and re-print it in several parts or at least, excerpt it! A classic ACA ("Abaya's Classic Article!") Dani Aguila, (by email) Nashville , Tennessee , Aug. 21, 2007 Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Me again from Bayanihan News. Thanks for those interesting articles and feedback from your countless readers that you are sending me. I am amazed by the responses. I thought Filipinos are already numb that they could no longer react to anything about their country. Anyway, I am writing to request if possible for a copy of your A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Communism. I am reading as much as I can on the subject. I am scheduled to interview a nephew of the late Luis Taruc who is now residing in Sydney . This nephew is now a retiree but still careful of talking with people whom he is not familiar with. I understand that his family came here as refugee during the Marcos era. I thought having your view on the subject would give more knowledge on that period. I am very much learning from the interaction between you and your readers from both sides of the issue. Renato Perdon, (by email), Sydney , Australia , Aug. 21, 2007 Editor, Filipino Section, Bayanihan News OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |