Harmony is pure love, for love is complete agreement.
-- LOPE DE VEGA :
Harmony can't be attained if one of the couple is motivated only by desire while the other by pure love. Sooner or later, desire for the same person will fade away while love will survive. No complete agreement, no harmony.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
HOW TO HARMONIZE ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMY
To harmonize the environment and economy and create a win-win solution, we must do the following:
1. Review all environment laws and policies; as well as all laws pertaining to economy. Come up with laws that balance human needs and nature.
2. Environment-friendly governance is necessary; hence, education must be the priority. All schools must prioritize the study of nature and moral values.
3. An energy transition is necessary. Harness and store the world's vast supplies of wind, biomass and other forms of solar energy which are more abundant than oil. Solar cells, wind turbines and fuel cells can power factories, homes, automobiles and aircraft. Clean energy now!
4. A shift to organic farming; a shift away from excessive consumption of chemical products; and application of the precautionary principle to the chemical industry.
5. Stabilize population by improving the economic and social status of women; design cities in ways that reduce distances traveled between home and work, shopping and school; and in urban transit systems, shift emphasis from cars to public transportation, bicycling and walking.
6. Stop the rush to use genetically-modified organisms in agriculture.
7. Reduce the use of pesticides because public health is non-negotiable.
8. Reduce the use of harmful chemicals in the production process. For example, glucose is better than benzene; paper can be bleached without use of chlorine or chlorine-based compounds.
9. Blend ecology and economy and make the universal law of: if you love nature, nature will love back work.
10. Revamp the educational system from grade one to college. Make more values the main priority and love for nature will follow. Moral decay leads to nowhere.
11. Excessive logging, mining and fishing are an assault on the soul of the environment.
12. Save water and energy. Since oil is not a forever thing, come up with other sources of energy, like the sun, water, wind, etc.
13. Reduce air, water and land pollution. Enforce the solid waste management law. Garbage in open dump sites emit methane gas; pollute the water and land. Recycling and reuse of materials preserve natural resources.
14. Protect the forest-dwelling and indigenous people. They are the caretakers of our forests and part of nature; whether you believe it or not.
15. Protect the forest by providing livelihood for kaingeros who make a living of cutting trees.
16. Bamboo is the savior of our environment. The national and local government should cultivate bamboo. It is a substitute for timber and mild steel. It grows anywhere and fast. It provides food and shelter.
17. On a personal note, buy only what you need. Over consumption weighs on natural resources.
18. Slow down on building shopping malls. Besides increasing air pollution and consumption of energy, they displace small retailers and entrepreneurs and cause poverty (besides pollution). We already have an over-abundance of shopping malls.
19. Slow down on building of golf courses. They consume gallons of water daily and pollute the land with chemical fertilizers.
20. Destruction of corals which they use for markers.
Give nature a breather. Live a healthy, happy life by just harmonizing the environment with economy. Money is necessary. But what good is money if you are dead? That's what Mahatma Gandhi said.
1. Review all environment laws and policies; as well as all laws pertaining to economy. Come up with laws that balance human needs and nature.
2. Environment-friendly governance is necessary; hence, education must be the priority. All schools must prioritize the study of nature and moral values.
3. An energy transition is necessary. Harness and store the world's vast supplies of wind, biomass and other forms of solar energy which are more abundant than oil. Solar cells, wind turbines and fuel cells can power factories, homes, automobiles and aircraft. Clean energy now!
4. A shift to organic farming; a shift away from excessive consumption of chemical products; and application of the precautionary principle to the chemical industry.
5. Stabilize population by improving the economic and social status of women; design cities in ways that reduce distances traveled between home and work, shopping and school; and in urban transit systems, shift emphasis from cars to public transportation, bicycling and walking.
6. Stop the rush to use genetically-modified organisms in agriculture.
7. Reduce the use of pesticides because public health is non-negotiable.
8. Reduce the use of harmful chemicals in the production process. For example, glucose is better than benzene; paper can be bleached without use of chlorine or chlorine-based compounds.
9. Blend ecology and economy and make the universal law of: if you love nature, nature will love back work.
10. Revamp the educational system from grade one to college. Make more values the main priority and love for nature will follow. Moral decay leads to nowhere.
11. Excessive logging, mining and fishing are an assault on the soul of the environment.
12. Save water and energy. Since oil is not a forever thing, come up with other sources of energy, like the sun, water, wind, etc.
13. Reduce air, water and land pollution. Enforce the solid waste management law. Garbage in open dump sites emit methane gas; pollute the water and land. Recycling and reuse of materials preserve natural resources.
14. Protect the forest-dwelling and indigenous people. They are the caretakers of our forests and part of nature; whether you believe it or not.
15. Protect the forest by providing livelihood for kaingeros who make a living of cutting trees.
16. Bamboo is the savior of our environment. The national and local government should cultivate bamboo. It is a substitute for timber and mild steel. It grows anywhere and fast. It provides food and shelter.
17. On a personal note, buy only what you need. Over consumption weighs on natural resources.
18. Slow down on building shopping malls. Besides increasing air pollution and consumption of energy, they displace small retailers and entrepreneurs and cause poverty (besides pollution). We already have an over-abundance of shopping malls.
19. Slow down on building of golf courses. They consume gallons of water daily and pollute the land with chemical fertilizers.
20. Destruction of corals which they use for markers.
Give nature a breather. Live a healthy, happy life by just harmonizing the environment with economy. Money is necessary. But what good is money if you are dead? That's what Mahatma Gandhi said.
WHEN FAME TURNS INTO SHAME
Don't cling to fame. You're just borrowing it. It's like money. You're going to die, and somebody else is going to get it.
-- SONNY BONO :
Fame will only bring us shame if we place it on our head instead of our heart. Fame will massage our ego. Shame will disable it.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- SONNY BONO :
Fame will only bring us shame if we place it on our head instead of our heart. Fame will massage our ego. Shame will disable it.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
TO BELIEVE AND LIVE IT
To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.
-- MOHANDAS GANDHI :
Except when we are under duress or when circumstances tilt against our favor, our life must be in consonance with the beliefs and principles that we advocate. We lose our credibility and reputation altogether when we digress and fail to walk our talk.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- MOHANDAS GANDHI :
Except when we are under duress or when circumstances tilt against our favor, our life must be in consonance with the beliefs and principles that we advocate. We lose our credibility and reputation altogether when we digress and fail to walk our talk.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
WHAT MAKES THE WORLD GO 'ROUND?
How can we stop the sun from shining? What makes the world go 'round?
-- BEE GEES :
Nobody can stop it. Love and money make the world go 'round. Excessive love for money makes people in the world go nuts.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- BEE GEES :
Nobody can stop it. Love and money make the world go 'round. Excessive love for money makes people in the world go nuts.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
WALL CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO DOOR
Every wall is a door.
-- RALPH WALDO EMERSON :
A wall isn't a permanent separator. It can be transformed into a gateway of opportunities, hope and prosperity. By being creative, we can reshape and put knob on it to pave the way for our grand movement forward.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- RALPH WALDO EMERSON :
A wall isn't a permanent separator. It can be transformed into a gateway of opportunities, hope and prosperity. By being creative, we can reshape and put knob on it to pave the way for our grand movement forward.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
Monday, July 29, 2013
Degradation of environment is tantamount to economic suicide
"We won't have a society if we destroy the environment." MARGARET MEAD
By Alex P. Vidal
WE are destroying our planet at an unprecedented rate and over-exploiting 2/3 of the ecological systems on which human life depends, discovered a study by 1,300 experts in 95 countries.
Thirty one million of hectares of rain forests are approximately destroyed all over the world each year, according to Leonarda Camacho of the Unesco Commission on Science and Technology who called the degradation of the environment as "economic suicide."
Of the 15 million hectares classified as forest lands in the Philippines, 6.5 million hectares are still forested, with less than a million hectares of virgin forests. Some 8.5 hectares are denuded, said Camacho.
There are reportedly 28 bodies of water still polluted by mining operations and 22 abmine sitesinesites and an executive order that state "remediation and rehabilitation of abandoned mines shall be accorded top priority to address the negative impacts of past mining sites."
DEPLETED
Fishing is a battle between fisherfolk and industrial fishermen, and our fishing grounds were being rapidly depleted, mostly by foreign poachers, added Camacho. She feared that the industrial fishing fleet was rapidly outstripping our supply of fish.
It was learned that local subsistence fisherfolk were the worst-affected. They could not compete with destructive fishing methods such as dynamite, cyanide, purse-seine, "zipper" (blocks of cement dropped on corals). The Pacific Ocean and the China Sea are reportedly exploited by the industrial fishermen and coastal fishing communities are the hardest hit by this battle of fish.
"These activities are what humans call economic development or growth," Camacho explained. "Economics is a subject taught in school without any consideration of its most fundamental component--the environment, which is the system of nature on which all economic life must ultimately depend."
MEASURE
For example, she cited that economists measure the value of produce coming from a farm but does not subtract the amount of topsoil eroded in the process, the effect of toxic run-off from chemical fertilizers and insecticides, the health costs to the farmers.
"Economists do not regard deforestation soil degradation, air and water pollution as costs of economic activity," she pointed out. "If monetized, the cost of environment degradation and public health could run to billions of pesos. Some economists consider environment concerns as obstacles to growth. Which is stupid. Actually, economic growth and sustainable development are very compatible. They can and should be harmonized. Environmental protection makes economic sense."
By Alex P. Vidal
WE are destroying our planet at an unprecedented rate and over-exploiting 2/3 of the ecological systems on which human life depends, discovered a study by 1,300 experts in 95 countries.
Thirty one million of hectares of rain forests are approximately destroyed all over the world each year, according to Leonarda Camacho of the Unesco Commission on Science and Technology who called the degradation of the environment as "economic suicide."
Of the 15 million hectares classified as forest lands in the Philippines, 6.5 million hectares are still forested, with less than a million hectares of virgin forests. Some 8.5 hectares are denuded, said Camacho.
There are reportedly 28 bodies of water still polluted by mining operations and 22 abmine sitesinesites and an executive order that state "remediation and rehabilitation of abandoned mines shall be accorded top priority to address the negative impacts of past mining sites."
DEPLETED
Fishing is a battle between fisherfolk and industrial fishermen, and our fishing grounds were being rapidly depleted, mostly by foreign poachers, added Camacho. She feared that the industrial fishing fleet was rapidly outstripping our supply of fish.
It was learned that local subsistence fisherfolk were the worst-affected. They could not compete with destructive fishing methods such as dynamite, cyanide, purse-seine, "zipper" (blocks of cement dropped on corals). The Pacific Ocean and the China Sea are reportedly exploited by the industrial fishermen and coastal fishing communities are the hardest hit by this battle of fish.
"These activities are what humans call economic development or growth," Camacho explained. "Economics is a subject taught in school without any consideration of its most fundamental component--the environment, which is the system of nature on which all economic life must ultimately depend."
MEASURE
For example, she cited that economists measure the value of produce coming from a farm but does not subtract the amount of topsoil eroded in the process, the effect of toxic run-off from chemical fertilizers and insecticides, the health costs to the farmers.
"Economists do not regard deforestation soil degradation, air and water pollution as costs of economic activity," she pointed out. "If monetized, the cost of environment degradation and public health could run to billions of pesos. Some economists consider environment concerns as obstacles to growth. Which is stupid. Actually, economic growth and sustainable development are very compatible. They can and should be harmonized. Environmental protection makes economic sense."
MISTAKES MAKE BY STRONG AND WEAK PEOPLE
Strong people make as many mistakes as weak people. Difference is that strong people admit their mistakes, laugh at them, learn from them. That is how they become strong.
-- RICHARD NEEDHAM:
Weak people have the propensity to resort to knee-jerk reactions when they commit mistakes. Because they have low self esteem, a mistake for them is like an Apocalypse or end of the world!
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- RICHARD NEEDHAM:
Weak people have the propensity to resort to knee-jerk reactions when they commit mistakes. Because they have low self esteem, a mistake for them is like an Apocalypse or end of the world!
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
KEY TO KEEP OUR TEMPER
One of the best ways of keeping your temper in an argument, as most of us know only too well, is not to listen to anything the other person has to say.
-- ALICE MILLER :
The more we hear the person spew venomous words against us, the more we see the person's face transform from Snow White to Incredible Hulk. As our adrenalin pumps up, we become a party to exorcism. We also become Incredible Hulks.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- ALICE MILLER :
The more we hear the person spew venomous words against us, the more we see the person's face transform from Snow White to Incredible Hulk. As our adrenalin pumps up, we become a party to exorcism. We also become Incredible Hulks.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY KNOWLEDGE IS KEY TO LEARNING
Much learning does not teach understanding.
-- HERACLITUS :
The key to correct understanding is quality learning, not quantity. A person becomes knowledgeable not by how much he learns, but by the kind of wisdom he shares with others and adopts in his life.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- HERACLITUS :
The key to correct understanding is quality learning, not quantity. A person becomes knowledgeable not by how much he learns, but by the kind of wisdom he shares with others and adopts in his life.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
LOVE AND PATIENCE
With love and patience, nothing is impossible.
-- DAISAKU IKEDA :
When somebody plants hatred, we must harvest love. When we are provoked and lured into violence, we must maintain our composure and treat our tormentors with utmost kindness. Even the most ruthless persons on earth deserve our mercy and compassion.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- DAISAKU IKEDA :
When somebody plants hatred, we must harvest love. When we are provoked and lured into violence, we must maintain our composure and treat our tormentors with utmost kindness. Even the most ruthless persons on earth deserve our mercy and compassion.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
IT'S OUR AVAILABILITY, NOT ABILITY
God does not ask about our ability, but our availability.
-- UNKNOWN :
It is not necessary to present our transcript of records, diploma, awards, rank, bank account when we serve God and help others. The spirit of volunteerism resides in a pure and sincere heart.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- UNKNOWN :
It is not necessary to present our transcript of records, diploma, awards, rank, bank account when we serve God and help others. The spirit of volunteerism resides in a pure and sincere heart.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
WHAT WE CAN'T DO AND WHAT WE CAN DO
Knowing what you can't do is more important than knowing what you can do. In fact, that's good taste.
-- LUCILLE BALL :
Knowledge has taught us to produce chemicals to kill terrorists in one strike. But wisdom tells us we can't use them in a civilian population where some of the terrorists reside.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- LUCILLE BALL :
Knowledge has taught us to produce chemicals to kill terrorists in one strike. But wisdom tells us we can't use them in a civilian population where some of the terrorists reside.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
BLOW WITH A SWORD AND BLOW WITH A WORD
A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword.
-- ROBERT BURTON :
A fatal blow with a sword will cut our body to pieces, but a blow with a word from a wicked tongue will render us emotionally and psychologically wrecked.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- ROBERT BURTON :
A fatal blow with a sword will cut our body to pieces, but a blow with a word from a wicked tongue will render us emotionally and psychologically wrecked.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
SHARING MORE DEMANDING THAN GIVING
Sharing is sometimes more demanding than giving.
-- MARY CATHERINE BATESON :
Giving is the language of heart. Sharing is the language of soul. When we give and share, everybody is happy. We are all winners!
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- MARY CATHERINE BATESON :
Giving is the language of heart. Sharing is the language of soul. When we give and share, everybody is happy. We are all winners!
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
SHAME AFTER ANGER
Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.
-- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN :
When our blood is boiling hot and temper at all time high, there is tendency for us to hit hard a certain object and yell at our perceived adversaries. A mixed feeling of guilt and shame will follow suit when we realize our outburst has inflicted emotional and mental wounds on objects of our rage.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN :
When our blood is boiling hot and temper at all time high, there is tendency for us to hit hard a certain object and yell at our perceived adversaries. A mixed feeling of guilt and shame will follow suit when we realize our outburst has inflicted emotional and mental wounds on objects of our rage.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
MOVING FORWARD AND REFRAIN FROM DWELLING ON WHAT WENT WRONG
Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer
-- DENIS WAITLEY :
Let's pick up ourselves from where we fell and leave yesterday behind. In unison, we can unlock the gates of hope and opportunity sans regrets, doubts and pessimism.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- DENIS WAITLEY :
Let's pick up ourselves from where we fell and leave yesterday behind. In unison, we can unlock the gates of hope and opportunity sans regrets, doubts and pessimism.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
FAITH WITH SELF AND OTHERS
Only the person who has faith in himself is able to be faithful to others.
-- ERICH FROMM :
We can't build a church of trust, hope and devotion in the hearts of others if our own heart doesn't even have a single altar.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- ERICH FROMM :
We can't build a church of trust, hope and devotion in the hearts of others if our own heart doesn't even have a single altar.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
WHAT MAKES THE WORLD GO 'ROUND
How can we stop the sun from shining? What makes the world go 'round?
-- BEE GEES :
Nobody can stop it. Love and money make the world go 'round. Excessive love for money makes people in the world go nuts.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- BEE GEES :
Nobody can stop it. Love and money make the world go 'round. Excessive love for money makes people in the world go nuts.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
WALL CAN BE A DOOR
Every wall is a door.
-- RALPH WALDO EMERSON :
A wall isn't a permanent separator. It can be transformed into a gateway of opportunities, hope and prosperity. By being creative, we can reshape and put knob on it to pave the way for our grand movement forward.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- RALPH WALDO EMERSON :
A wall isn't a permanent separator. It can be transformed into a gateway of opportunities, hope and prosperity. By being creative, we can reshape and put knob on it to pave the way for our grand movement forward.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
TRUE STATE OF OUR NATION
“A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” JOHN F. KENNEDY
By Alex P. Vidal
1. Most of those who are in power — President, vice president, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors (and even some barangay captains) are billionaires and millionaires who don’t live a frugal life; they are not role models for the hoi polloi;
2. Graft and corruption has depleted our resources and we have become the object of derision and unsavory spiels by observers from other countries. No corrupt public official has been jailed or shot in public;
3. Poverty, unemployment, overpopulation, ignorance have spawned more social maladies such as squatter, child and adult prostitution, criminality, drug addiction, suicide, insanity, cult fanaticism, religious dogmatism, poor sanitation and garbage disposal, among other serious health and environmental problems;
4. “Pork barrel” will not be eliminated. Politicians will swim and sink with this budgetary cellulite, the biggest source of their moolah to sustain their extra-curricular activities outside the marital bed and after office hours;
5. Women and children are still being exploited in labor, whorehouses, film, and in other salacious and prurient activities in the name of livelihood and economic buildup;
6. Criminal elements — those involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping-for-ransom, human trafficking for prostitution and labor, holdup and hulidup, gambling, akyat bahay, gangsterism, street mugging and mulcting, begging syndicates — are making a pile and are not neutralized. Many of them enjoy protection from corrupt policemen;
7. There is a culture of impunity. Killing of activists, labor leaders, and crusading journalists has continued unabated owing to the failure of authorities to solve one murder after another. No efforts from the higher authority to run after and prosecute the perpetrators who are mostly hired killers;
8. RH law has been muzzled and frozen by no less than the Supreme Court;
9. We are still being bullied by China and other neighboring countries that are numerically and militarily superior; and our unguarded islets and territorial waters are being invaded one after the other;
10. Our overseas Filipino workers (OFW) continued to be enslaved by exploitative and heartless employers in cahoots with unscrupulous agencies that hired them. Many of them live under sub-human conditions, receive paltry sum for their salary, and are treated shabbily if not raped and maltreated by sadistic bosses and malicious embassy consuls.
By Alex P. Vidal
1. Most of those who are in power — President, vice president, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors (and even some barangay captains) are billionaires and millionaires who don’t live a frugal life; they are not role models for the hoi polloi;
2. Graft and corruption has depleted our resources and we have become the object of derision and unsavory spiels by observers from other countries. No corrupt public official has been jailed or shot in public;
3. Poverty, unemployment, overpopulation, ignorance have spawned more social maladies such as squatter, child and adult prostitution, criminality, drug addiction, suicide, insanity, cult fanaticism, religious dogmatism, poor sanitation and garbage disposal, among other serious health and environmental problems;
4. “Pork barrel” will not be eliminated. Politicians will swim and sink with this budgetary cellulite, the biggest source of their moolah to sustain their extra-curricular activities outside the marital bed and after office hours;
5. Women and children are still being exploited in labor, whorehouses, film, and in other salacious and prurient activities in the name of livelihood and economic buildup;
6. Criminal elements — those involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping-for-ransom, human trafficking for prostitution and labor, holdup and hulidup, gambling, akyat bahay, gangsterism, street mugging and mulcting, begging syndicates — are making a pile and are not neutralized. Many of them enjoy protection from corrupt policemen;
7. There is a culture of impunity. Killing of activists, labor leaders, and crusading journalists has continued unabated owing to the failure of authorities to solve one murder after another. No efforts from the higher authority to run after and prosecute the perpetrators who are mostly hired killers;
8. RH law has been muzzled and frozen by no less than the Supreme Court;
9. We are still being bullied by China and other neighboring countries that are numerically and militarily superior; and our unguarded islets and territorial waters are being invaded one after the other;
10. Our overseas Filipino workers (OFW) continued to be enslaved by exploitative and heartless employers in cahoots with unscrupulous agencies that hired them. Many of them live under sub-human conditions, receive paltry sum for their salary, and are treated shabbily if not raped and maltreated by sadistic bosses and malicious embassy consuls.
IF WE WISH TO ASSOCIATE WITH HONORABLE PEOPLE
Be honorable yourself if you wish to associate with honorable people.
-- WELSH PROVERB :
We know what to do if we wish to be identified with brutes, nincompoops, rascals and scalawags.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- WELSH PROVERB :
We know what to do if we wish to be identified with brutes, nincompoops, rascals and scalawags.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
Friday, July 19, 2013
NO MONEY FOR LITTLE LEAGUE GIRLS BUT
GENERALS, MISTRESSES GET CASH ADVANCE
"The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means." GEORGE BERNOS
By Alex P. Vidal
Filipino police generals caught in a Russian airport carrying large amount of cash during a junket in Moscow didn't pass through the proverbial eye of the needle when they were allowed to have cash advance in millions from government.
In most of their trips abroad, high-ranking government officials could even tag along their mistresses if not their wives or entire family, and managed to charge their expenses to the taxpayers.
They could avail expensive hotels, salubrious meals, and pocket money for shopping and pasalubong at the expense of the taxpayers (there are always thousands of ways to skin a cat when it comes to liquidation report. Attention Commission on Audit).
DISPARITY
There is a big disparity and double standard when it comes to access to public funds. Any abusive police, military or civilian officials can easily avail of exorbitant cash advance from government while our athletes, who give the country glory and fame, always settle for leftovers and crumbs, if not forced to beg like famine-stricken street waifs and abandoned tots.
By the time this article comes out, we presume that Philippine organizers of the Little League Asia-Pacific (age category 12-13) were able to produce the needed amount for the trip of our contingent to the World Series in Portland, USA on August 7-14.
The Philippines, as Asia-Pacific and Middle East Tournament winner, will be represented by softbelles from Zarraga, Iloilo.
It was reported over the weekend that team coach Reynaldo Fuentes was still groping in the darkness where to find at least P600,000 to help defray for the expenses to be incurred during the trip. Since the tournament will be hosted by the United States, it is expected that the girls will be given proper board and lodging during their week-long stint.
ORGANIZERS
The team automatically gets at least $20,000 from organizers of the 2013 Little League Softball World but Fuentes, a veteran of many World Series, claimed the amount is not enough. He was described to be "having sleepless nights" these past days because of the financial shortage.
Fuentes' woes came days after the team, which recently earned the berth to the World Series by topping the tough tournament in Tanauan, Batangas representing the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA), paid a courtesy call to Gov. Art Defensor Sr. at the provincial capitol. Both the provincial government and the municipality of Zarraga have launched fund-raising drive for the team.
It's a disgrace that we have to always hear or read depressing stories like this one each time a team--especially from outside Imperial Manila--is scheduled to compete in a gigantic sporting event abroad. Where have all the funds for sports gone? What's the use of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) or the president's social and sports fund when they can't even assist a tiny baseball team that will carry our flag to a global competition?
ENDURE
Must a softball team that will compete against the world's best Little League kids endure humiliation of desperately raising funds in the eleventh hour just to be able to leave the country when they are supposed to be already revving up and doing body and mind conditioning for the gigantic event?
Since time immemorial, we haven't corrected this abnormality in the system. Every now and then we hear and read the same predicament of our athletes badly beaten psychologically and emotionally in their own homeland even before they could leave and take part in actual competition.
When our athletes come home bringing the bacon and other evidence of gallantry and heroism abroad, who do we usually see in the front seats of publicity sharing if not grabbing credits? The thick-faced politicians who did not lift a finger to help when help was most needed, but are quick issue statements in media and pose for newspaper and TV.
GENERALS, MISTRESSES GET CASH ADVANCE
"The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means." GEORGE BERNOS
By Alex P. Vidal
Filipino police generals caught in a Russian airport carrying large amount of cash during a junket in Moscow didn't pass through the proverbial eye of the needle when they were allowed to have cash advance in millions from government.
In most of their trips abroad, high-ranking government officials could even tag along their mistresses if not their wives or entire family, and managed to charge their expenses to the taxpayers.
They could avail expensive hotels, salubrious meals, and pocket money for shopping and pasalubong at the expense of the taxpayers (there are always thousands of ways to skin a cat when it comes to liquidation report. Attention Commission on Audit).
DISPARITY
There is a big disparity and double standard when it comes to access to public funds. Any abusive police, military or civilian officials can easily avail of exorbitant cash advance from government while our athletes, who give the country glory and fame, always settle for leftovers and crumbs, if not forced to beg like famine-stricken street waifs and abandoned tots.
By the time this article comes out, we presume that Philippine organizers of the Little League Asia-Pacific (age category 12-13) were able to produce the needed amount for the trip of our contingent to the World Series in Portland, USA on August 7-14.
The Philippines, as Asia-Pacific and Middle East Tournament winner, will be represented by softbelles from Zarraga, Iloilo.
It was reported over the weekend that team coach Reynaldo Fuentes was still groping in the darkness where to find at least P600,000 to help defray for the expenses to be incurred during the trip. Since the tournament will be hosted by the United States, it is expected that the girls will be given proper board and lodging during their week-long stint.
ORGANIZERS
The team automatically gets at least $20,000 from organizers of the 2013 Little League Softball World but Fuentes, a veteran of many World Series, claimed the amount is not enough. He was described to be "having sleepless nights" these past days because of the financial shortage.
Fuentes' woes came days after the team, which recently earned the berth to the World Series by topping the tough tournament in Tanauan, Batangas representing the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA), paid a courtesy call to Gov. Art Defensor Sr. at the provincial capitol. Both the provincial government and the municipality of Zarraga have launched fund-raising drive for the team.
It's a disgrace that we have to always hear or read depressing stories like this one each time a team--especially from outside Imperial Manila--is scheduled to compete in a gigantic sporting event abroad. Where have all the funds for sports gone? What's the use of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) or the president's social and sports fund when they can't even assist a tiny baseball team that will carry our flag to a global competition?
ENDURE
Must a softball team that will compete against the world's best Little League kids endure humiliation of desperately raising funds in the eleventh hour just to be able to leave the country when they are supposed to be already revving up and doing body and mind conditioning for the gigantic event?
Since time immemorial, we haven't corrected this abnormality in the system. Every now and then we hear and read the same predicament of our athletes badly beaten psychologically and emotionally in their own homeland even before they could leave and take part in actual competition.
When our athletes come home bringing the bacon and other evidence of gallantry and heroism abroad, who do we usually see in the front seats of publicity sharing if not grabbing credits? The thick-faced politicians who did not lift a finger to help when help was most needed, but are quick issue statements in media and pose for newspaper and TV.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
10 MOST FAMOUS PENISES IN THE WORLD
Jesus, David, Rasputin included
in '10 most famous penises'
“If I had no penis, how would I pee? How would I make love? How would I think?” JAROD KINTZ
By Alex P. Vidal
The very first moment that Jesus bled, according to a historian, was when Jesus was taken to the temple to be circumcised. The event was significant for those who consider that Jesus' blood gave man redemption, according Jamie Frater, who listed the Catholic Feast of the Circumcision, Jesus' circumcision, as No. 5 in the "10 Most Famous Penises" along with David (No. 1) and Rasputin (No. 4).
"The Catholic Feast of the Circumcision is considered so important that on January 1 every year, all Catholics in the world are obliged to attend Mass under pain of mortal sin," writes Frater, who points out that Jesus' actual account of the circumcision can be read in Luke 2:21.
David's penis is reportedly "the most looked at penis in the world," found in Michelangelo's masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, "David."
Although David was a Jew, he does not appear circumcised in the statue that stands 17 feet tall. "This is in keeping with the rules of style governing that period of art," explains Frater. "During the Victorian era when the Victorians destroyed the genitalia of many statues in a fit of repressed sexual energy, David survived unscathed."
For the benefit of royal visits by Queen Victoria, however, a detachable ivy leaf was fashioned to gird the loins, it was learned.
MYSTIC
Rasputin is famed as the bizarre mystic who cast spell over the ladies of the court in Imperial Russia. He was murdered in 1916 by a group of noblemen who thought he was convincing their wives to sleep with him and influencing the affairs of the state. After many attempts to kill him, they finally succeeded and also mutilated his sexual organs, severing his penis. Frater recalls that the penis ended up in a museum "for all to see."
At No. 2 is John Curtis Holmes, one of the most popular male adult film stars in the 70s. Frater says Holmes' popularity was mostly due to his enormous penis, which was 13-and-a-half inches long. His co-stars likened having sex with him to "doing it with a big, soft kind of loofah."
"His notable size was the cause of much mirth," write Frater. "A popular joke in the industry said that Holmes was incapable of achieving an erection because the blood flow from his head to his penis would cause him to pass out."
John Wayne Bobbitt is at No. 3. His name will forever be remembered in history after his wife cut off his penis on the night of June 23, 1993. Bobbitt fortunately managed to find his penis (which his wife tossed into a field) and it was reattached. "Bizarrely," writes Frater, "he went on to star in a number of very tacky porn movies."
WOMAN
"What is this? A woman on a list of penises?" asks Frater. He is referring to Lili Elbe, No. 6 on the list, and happens to be the first documented case of transexual. Born in Denmark, Einar Wegner was a famous artist in Paris in the roaring 20s. After Wegner's wife asked him to pose as a woman for a portrait she was painting, he realized that he wanted to be a woman. He was subjected to a series of experimental operations that involved removing his penis and having ovaries and a uterus implanted (the surgeries were unsuccessful). Despite the conservatism of the times, Einar became Lili, and the government annulled his marriage and granted him a new birth certificate listing him as male.
At No. 7 is Bart Simpson. Frater says in The Simpsons Movie, viewers of all ages (due to its PG-13 rating) were surprised to see a full-frontal image of a naked, skateboarding Bart. The scene involves Bart eagerly accepting Homer's dare to skateboard at high speed to Krusty Burger, stark naked. After a series of fortuitous cover-ups, there is a fleeting glimpse of the 10-year-old's modest, but distinctly yellow, penis. "Fortunately," writes Frater, "audiences around the world took it for what it was: a humorous drawing."
Numbers 8, 9, and 10 are Dirk Diggler, Banned MM Penis, Juan Baptista Dos Santos, respectively. Boogie Nights is a 1997 film that follows the life of nightclub dishwasher Dirk Diggler. Due to his enormous penis, he becomes a famous porn star and engages in drug use. "While this is essentially a film about Dirk's penis," writes Frater, "it does everything possible to conceal it from the viewers until a brief glimpse in the last scene."
BOOK
Banned MM Penis is a German children's book by Rotraut Susanne Berner. A request was made for an American publishing house to print English translations of the book for distribution in the US. "It was really a sensation at first," Frater quotes Berner as saying. "As it turned out, there were a couple of changes that had to be made before the books could be unleashed on the American public. First off, smokers had to be removed from the illustrations. But that wasn't all. One image shows a scene from an art gallery--and for realism's sake, there is a cartoonish nude hanging on the wall along with a tiny, seven-millimeter-tall statue of a naked man on a pedestal."
The publisher said, "American kiddies, obviously, could never be expected to handle such a depiction of the human body." Frater says the series is popular all around the world, and the United States is the only country to kick up a stink and the books are still unpublished here because of a tiny penis on a cartoon of a statue."
Born in Faro, Portugal around 1843, Dos Santos was in all ways normal except for his third leg and second penis. Both of his penises were fully functional, and he claimed that he could use both during intercourse--after using one, he would start on the other. "He apparently had an extremely high sexual appetite," concludes Frater. "Juan was famous for having a relationship with a French courtesan who had three legs and two vaginas."
in '10 most famous penises'
“If I had no penis, how would I pee? How would I make love? How would I think?” JAROD KINTZ
By Alex P. Vidal
The very first moment that Jesus bled, according to a historian, was when Jesus was taken to the temple to be circumcised. The event was significant for those who consider that Jesus' blood gave man redemption, according Jamie Frater, who listed the Catholic Feast of the Circumcision, Jesus' circumcision, as No. 5 in the "10 Most Famous Penises" along with David (No. 1) and Rasputin (No. 4).
"The Catholic Feast of the Circumcision is considered so important that on January 1 every year, all Catholics in the world are obliged to attend Mass under pain of mortal sin," writes Frater, who points out that Jesus' actual account of the circumcision can be read in Luke 2:21.
David's penis is reportedly "the most looked at penis in the world," found in Michelangelo's masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, "David."
Although David was a Jew, he does not appear circumcised in the statue that stands 17 feet tall. "This is in keeping with the rules of style governing that period of art," explains Frater. "During the Victorian era when the Victorians destroyed the genitalia of many statues in a fit of repressed sexual energy, David survived unscathed."
For the benefit of royal visits by Queen Victoria, however, a detachable ivy leaf was fashioned to gird the loins, it was learned.
MYSTIC
Rasputin is famed as the bizarre mystic who cast spell over the ladies of the court in Imperial Russia. He was murdered in 1916 by a group of noblemen who thought he was convincing their wives to sleep with him and influencing the affairs of the state. After many attempts to kill him, they finally succeeded and also mutilated his sexual organs, severing his penis. Frater recalls that the penis ended up in a museum "for all to see."
At No. 2 is John Curtis Holmes, one of the most popular male adult film stars in the 70s. Frater says Holmes' popularity was mostly due to his enormous penis, which was 13-and-a-half inches long. His co-stars likened having sex with him to "doing it with a big, soft kind of loofah."
"His notable size was the cause of much mirth," write Frater. "A popular joke in the industry said that Holmes was incapable of achieving an erection because the blood flow from his head to his penis would cause him to pass out."
John Wayne Bobbitt is at No. 3. His name will forever be remembered in history after his wife cut off his penis on the night of June 23, 1993. Bobbitt fortunately managed to find his penis (which his wife tossed into a field) and it was reattached. "Bizarrely," writes Frater, "he went on to star in a number of very tacky porn movies."
WOMAN
"What is this? A woman on a list of penises?" asks Frater. He is referring to Lili Elbe, No. 6 on the list, and happens to be the first documented case of transexual. Born in Denmark, Einar Wegner was a famous artist in Paris in the roaring 20s. After Wegner's wife asked him to pose as a woman for a portrait she was painting, he realized that he wanted to be a woman. He was subjected to a series of experimental operations that involved removing his penis and having ovaries and a uterus implanted (the surgeries were unsuccessful). Despite the conservatism of the times, Einar became Lili, and the government annulled his marriage and granted him a new birth certificate listing him as male.
At No. 7 is Bart Simpson. Frater says in The Simpsons Movie, viewers of all ages (due to its PG-13 rating) were surprised to see a full-frontal image of a naked, skateboarding Bart. The scene involves Bart eagerly accepting Homer's dare to skateboard at high speed to Krusty Burger, stark naked. After a series of fortuitous cover-ups, there is a fleeting glimpse of the 10-year-old's modest, but distinctly yellow, penis. "Fortunately," writes Frater, "audiences around the world took it for what it was: a humorous drawing."
Numbers 8, 9, and 10 are Dirk Diggler, Banned MM Penis, Juan Baptista Dos Santos, respectively. Boogie Nights is a 1997 film that follows the life of nightclub dishwasher Dirk Diggler. Due to his enormous penis, he becomes a famous porn star and engages in drug use. "While this is essentially a film about Dirk's penis," writes Frater, "it does everything possible to conceal it from the viewers until a brief glimpse in the last scene."
BOOK
Banned MM Penis is a German children's book by Rotraut Susanne Berner. A request was made for an American publishing house to print English translations of the book for distribution in the US. "It was really a sensation at first," Frater quotes Berner as saying. "As it turned out, there were a couple of changes that had to be made before the books could be unleashed on the American public. First off, smokers had to be removed from the illustrations. But that wasn't all. One image shows a scene from an art gallery--and for realism's sake, there is a cartoonish nude hanging on the wall along with a tiny, seven-millimeter-tall statue of a naked man on a pedestal."
The publisher said, "American kiddies, obviously, could never be expected to handle such a depiction of the human body." Frater says the series is popular all around the world, and the United States is the only country to kick up a stink and the books are still unpublished here because of a tiny penis on a cartoon of a statue."
Born in Faro, Portugal around 1843, Dos Santos was in all ways normal except for his third leg and second penis. Both of his penises were fully functional, and he claimed that he could use both during intercourse--after using one, he would start on the other. "He apparently had an extremely high sexual appetite," concludes Frater. "Juan was famous for having a relationship with a French courtesan who had three legs and two vaginas."
FAULT-FINDING WITH OTHERS
Happy are those who find fault with themselves instead of finding fault with others.
— MUHAMMAD IBN ABDULLAH :
Faults we find with ourselves will lead us to the biggest room in the world: room for self improvement. Faults we find with others will only stir the hornet's nest and put our values and character to a big question mark.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
— MUHAMMAD IBN ABDULLAH :
Faults we find with ourselves will lead us to the biggest room in the world: room for self improvement. Faults we find with others will only stir the hornet's nest and put our values and character to a big question mark.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
TRUE GENEROSITY
Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find it out.
-- FRANK A. CLARK :
When our left hand extends help to someone--monetary, in kind, services--it is more glorious and more spiritual if we don't let our right hand know it. It is best when we help without any hoopla and soundbites.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- FRANK A. CLARK :
When our left hand extends help to someone--monetary, in kind, services--it is more glorious and more spiritual if we don't let our right hand know it. It is best when we help without any hoopla and soundbites.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
Monday, July 15, 2013
Bunch of hypocrites!
"Resistance on the part of people to the supreme legislative power of the state is never legitimate; it is the duty of the people to bear any abuse of the supreme power." IMMANUEL KANT
By Alex P. Vidal
THE light of common sense is the spark that has burst over the Senate when senate president-in-waiting Franklin Drilon sought for the abolition of the much-abhorred priority development assistance funds (PDAF) notoriously known as "pork barrel".
But like the Roman senators who praised Julius Caesar to high heavens when they faced him and lynched him when he turned his back, no one from among Drilon's peers was brave enough to sincerely support his stand in public.
Whether the Ilonggo senator meant what he said in a recent dzMM interview, at least he had the guts to speak on something many of his ilk wouldn't dare say: "Payag ako na itigil etong pork barrel para matigil na etong mga reported anomalies. Itigil natin pork barrel. Sa akin ang buod nito kung i-retain ang pork barrel talagang i-limit na lang natin among sa institutional recipients."
Most of Drilon's fellow senators and their counterparts in the Lower House pretend to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, and principles, that they do not actually possess. Their actions belie their stated beliefs.
In matters involving public interest and public funds, they also feign some desirable or publicly approved attitude, but their opinions and principles speak otherwise.
PURPOSE
The primary purpose of government is supposedly to create and maintain a stable domestic environment, but this bunch of hypocrites and their colleagues in the Lower House have eroded the people's trust and confidence on public officials in general.
Some of them are the number one thieves in government. They stole the people's money on pretext of "public service" and "countrywide development" when in truth and in fact, they serve their own wallets and develop their own pockets.
Even if they will be arrested and put inside a cage, none of them will give up the "pork barrel", the chief source of corruption and scandal that has bedeviled public service in the legislative branch.
They would rather lose and suffer embarrassment in a televised debate than face the grim prospect of finishing their terms without the fragrance of oodles upon oodles of moolah from the public coffer.
Legislators are mandated to create laws, not to decide which infrastructure project should go to a certain district in the city and province.
It's mind-boggling how our national officials were able to institutionalize appropriation of "pork barrel" for lawmakers when they are fully aware such responsibility falls under the executive branch.
DISHONESTY
This mental dishonesty among our legislators has become a culture and has been tolerated with impunity in the past and present administrations.
As long as our leaders don't have the political will and conscience, this immoral practice, the rampant misuse and squandering of taxpayers money, will go on unabated even in future administrations.
How can we right the wrong when no less than the head of the House of Representatives, Speaker Sonny Belmonte of Quezon City, has fallen in love with "pork barrel"?
"I'm against abolishing PDAF. There are so many things we can do to make sure PDAF goes to people that's doable...I'm for 100% scrutiny of PDAF. I'm also in favor of the House periodically upgrading its mechanism for knowing how it is spent and improving the way it is spent and also for making the whole thing open to the public," went Belmonte's justification.
"To the credit of the (Department of Budget and Management), they have actually been tightening up on the uses of the PDAF over the past 3 years. The rules have been tightened up for what purpose can you spend it. May listing yan, which was considerably lessened and definitely mentioned. Also the COA I know for a fact has been looking into the uses of the PDAF that has been turned over the (local government units)."
By Alex P. Vidal
THE light of common sense is the spark that has burst over the Senate when senate president-in-waiting Franklin Drilon sought for the abolition of the much-abhorred priority development assistance funds (PDAF) notoriously known as "pork barrel".
But like the Roman senators who praised Julius Caesar to high heavens when they faced him and lynched him when he turned his back, no one from among Drilon's peers was brave enough to sincerely support his stand in public.
Whether the Ilonggo senator meant what he said in a recent dzMM interview, at least he had the guts to speak on something many of his ilk wouldn't dare say: "Payag ako na itigil etong pork barrel para matigil na etong mga reported anomalies. Itigil natin pork barrel. Sa akin ang buod nito kung i-retain ang pork barrel talagang i-limit na lang natin among sa institutional recipients."
Most of Drilon's fellow senators and their counterparts in the Lower House pretend to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, and principles, that they do not actually possess. Their actions belie their stated beliefs.
In matters involving public interest and public funds, they also feign some desirable or publicly approved attitude, but their opinions and principles speak otherwise.
PURPOSE
The primary purpose of government is supposedly to create and maintain a stable domestic environment, but this bunch of hypocrites and their colleagues in the Lower House have eroded the people's trust and confidence on public officials in general.
Some of them are the number one thieves in government. They stole the people's money on pretext of "public service" and "countrywide development" when in truth and in fact, they serve their own wallets and develop their own pockets.
Even if they will be arrested and put inside a cage, none of them will give up the "pork barrel", the chief source of corruption and scandal that has bedeviled public service in the legislative branch.
They would rather lose and suffer embarrassment in a televised debate than face the grim prospect of finishing their terms without the fragrance of oodles upon oodles of moolah from the public coffer.
Legislators are mandated to create laws, not to decide which infrastructure project should go to a certain district in the city and province.
It's mind-boggling how our national officials were able to institutionalize appropriation of "pork barrel" for lawmakers when they are fully aware such responsibility falls under the executive branch.
DISHONESTY
This mental dishonesty among our legislators has become a culture and has been tolerated with impunity in the past and present administrations.
As long as our leaders don't have the political will and conscience, this immoral practice, the rampant misuse and squandering of taxpayers money, will go on unabated even in future administrations.
How can we right the wrong when no less than the head of the House of Representatives, Speaker Sonny Belmonte of Quezon City, has fallen in love with "pork barrel"?
"I'm against abolishing PDAF. There are so many things we can do to make sure PDAF goes to people that's doable...I'm for 100% scrutiny of PDAF. I'm also in favor of the House periodically upgrading its mechanism for knowing how it is spent and improving the way it is spent and also for making the whole thing open to the public," went Belmonte's justification.
"To the credit of the (Department of Budget and Management), they have actually been tightening up on the uses of the PDAF over the past 3 years. The rules have been tightened up for what purpose can you spend it. May listing yan, which was considerably lessened and definitely mentioned. Also the COA I know for a fact has been looking into the uses of the PDAF that has been turned over the (local government units)."
Sunday, July 14, 2013
POLICE MAY BE UNPOPULAR BUT NOT 'THE MOST CORRUPT'
Police may be unpopular
but not 'the most corrupt'
"All institutions are prone to corruption and to the vices of their members." Morris West
By Alex P. Vidal
The recent survey conducted by the Global Corruption Barometer of the Transparency International should not be used as the basis to determine which government agency is the most corrupt in the country.
Surveys only determine who is popular and unpopular--just like during the election period. They don't satisfactorily and conclusively establish that the most unpopular is also the most corrupt like in the case of the Philippine National Police (PNP), which was tagged recently as "the most corrupt government agency" based on the "opinion" of the 69 percent of Filipinos surveyed by the anti-corruption watchdog.
Opinion does not make any person or agency guilty of corruption or any misdemeanor. Conclusions should be based on court convictions or number of complaints or cases filed in the proper forum; on how many uniformed men and women failed the lifestyle check, those found to have amassed unexplained wealth, and those caught red-handed with their hands in the cookie jar.
PERCENTAGE
Global Corruption Barometer showed only the percentage of "those who believed" that the most corrupt agency is the PNP, not the statistics of court cases, administrative and criminal complaints, and convictions involving organic PNP members. It did not show any number of cases filed with the National Police Commission (Napolcom), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the courts of law. It did not indicate how many cops were under investigation, under preventive suspension, or have been dismissed and convicted for abused of authority, coddling of criminals, extortion, bribery, among other criminal and administrative violations.
Opinion is merely a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. It is the beliefs or views of a large number or majority of people about a particular thing and does not reflect any factual truth or reality.
PERCEPTION
Public perception about the PNP, or any government agencies for that matter, is not fixed. It depends on circumstances and events unfolding when the survey was conducted; it depends on which agency and its personnel was the "most behaved" and "most notorious" when the survey commenced. Guilt based on coincidence isn't a de rigueur or compulsatory in this case.
Current events help shape public opinion--and perception. If the survey was conducted at the time when several anomalies in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Bureau of Customs (Boc) and the Department of Education (DepEd) were in the news, PNP could be relegated in the lower level as "the most corrupt."
Psycho-cybernetics plays a crucial role in this undertaking. If the survey was held at the time when social media and TV networks were playing up the heroism and gallantry of some cops in actual crisis and calamities, respondents would think twice before making disparaging remarks against the law enforcers, judgment that would demoralize dedicated and honest members of the police organization.
GO DOWN
It was reported further that the latest survey also showed "35 percent of Filipinos thought corruption in the country had gone down a little in the past two years, while 31 percent believed it had stayed the same."
"Nineteen percent of surveyed Filipinos said corruption had increased a lot, while 12 percent said it had increased a little. Only two percent thought corruption in the country had decreased a lot. Some respondents also admitted to paying bribes in the last 12 months. Nineteen percent admitted to bribing the police while 14 percent did the same for registry and permit services."
Corruption remains to be the number one scourge in government and is blamed for the massive poverty in the country. Already pandemic in the system, almost every government agency has its own share of scalawags and these rotten apples deplete the national treasury at the behest of powerful characters who run the affairs of the state.
but not 'the most corrupt'
"All institutions are prone to corruption and to the vices of their members." Morris West
By Alex P. Vidal
The recent survey conducted by the Global Corruption Barometer of the Transparency International should not be used as the basis to determine which government agency is the most corrupt in the country.
Surveys only determine who is popular and unpopular--just like during the election period. They don't satisfactorily and conclusively establish that the most unpopular is also the most corrupt like in the case of the Philippine National Police (PNP), which was tagged recently as "the most corrupt government agency" based on the "opinion" of the 69 percent of Filipinos surveyed by the anti-corruption watchdog.
Opinion does not make any person or agency guilty of corruption or any misdemeanor. Conclusions should be based on court convictions or number of complaints or cases filed in the proper forum; on how many uniformed men and women failed the lifestyle check, those found to have amassed unexplained wealth, and those caught red-handed with their hands in the cookie jar.
PERCENTAGE
Global Corruption Barometer showed only the percentage of "those who believed" that the most corrupt agency is the PNP, not the statistics of court cases, administrative and criminal complaints, and convictions involving organic PNP members. It did not show any number of cases filed with the National Police Commission (Napolcom), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the courts of law. It did not indicate how many cops were under investigation, under preventive suspension, or have been dismissed and convicted for abused of authority, coddling of criminals, extortion, bribery, among other criminal and administrative violations.
Opinion is merely a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. It is the beliefs or views of a large number or majority of people about a particular thing and does not reflect any factual truth or reality.
PERCEPTION
Public perception about the PNP, or any government agencies for that matter, is not fixed. It depends on circumstances and events unfolding when the survey was conducted; it depends on which agency and its personnel was the "most behaved" and "most notorious" when the survey commenced. Guilt based on coincidence isn't a de rigueur or compulsatory in this case.
Current events help shape public opinion--and perception. If the survey was conducted at the time when several anomalies in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Bureau of Customs (Boc) and the Department of Education (DepEd) were in the news, PNP could be relegated in the lower level as "the most corrupt."
Psycho-cybernetics plays a crucial role in this undertaking. If the survey was held at the time when social media and TV networks were playing up the heroism and gallantry of some cops in actual crisis and calamities, respondents would think twice before making disparaging remarks against the law enforcers, judgment that would demoralize dedicated and honest members of the police organization.
GO DOWN
It was reported further that the latest survey also showed "35 percent of Filipinos thought corruption in the country had gone down a little in the past two years, while 31 percent believed it had stayed the same."
"Nineteen percent of surveyed Filipinos said corruption had increased a lot, while 12 percent said it had increased a little. Only two percent thought corruption in the country had decreased a lot. Some respondents also admitted to paying bribes in the last 12 months. Nineteen percent admitted to bribing the police while 14 percent did the same for registry and permit services."
Corruption remains to be the number one scourge in government and is blamed for the massive poverty in the country. Already pandemic in the system, almost every government agency has its own share of scalawags and these rotten apples deplete the national treasury at the behest of powerful characters who run the affairs of the state.
LOVE OF MEN AND WOMEN
One of my theories is that men love with their eyes; women love with their ears.
-- ZSA ZSA GABOR :
Once a woman is willing to sit down with a man and listen to him, he who is wishing to win her heart shouldn't let the golden opportunity pass without revealing his best qualities. She can't be won by any smart aleck with the best pair of eyes in the world by just employing a pa-cute look.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- ZSA ZSA GABOR :
Once a woman is willing to sit down with a man and listen to him, he who is wishing to win her heart shouldn't let the golden opportunity pass without revealing his best qualities. She can't be won by any smart aleck with the best pair of eyes in the world by just employing a pa-cute look.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
ANGRY WIFE
A man would prefer to come home to an unmade bed and a happy woman than to a neatly made bed and an angry woman.
-- MARLENE DIETRICH :
Never make a woman angry if we expect her to do a dual role--that of a quite home-maker and a thrilling nymph.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- MARLENE DIETRICH :
Never make a woman angry if we expect her to do a dual role--that of a quite home-maker and a thrilling nymph.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
Friday, July 12, 2013
MAYOR MONICO PUENTEVELLA DESERVES RESPECT
Mayor Monico Puentevella
deserves respect
"Unity is strength. When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."
Mattie Stepanek
By Alex P. Vidal
People of Bacolod City thought when their former congressman Monico "Nyok" O. Puentevella was elected as city mayor in the recent elections, his political detractors would refrain from aiming their rifles at him and give him cooperation and respect due the father of the "City of Smiles".
People expected a ceasefire and forging of camaraderie among newly elected officials; smoking of the proverbial peace pipe among squabbling politicians, burying the hatchet and letting bygones be bygones for the good of general public.
But even before Puentevella, 67, assumed office last July 1, eight newly elected councilors sent him a curt message by boycotting the new administration's flag ceremony. After being ribbed by media for the snobbery, others gave lame excuses while Puentevella's more acerbic critics in the group were mum if not truculent.
Those who failed to show up were councilors Jocelle Batapa Sigue, Caesar Distrito, Em Ang, Carl Lopez, Mona Dia Jardin, Keith Ramos, Bobby Rojas and Alex Paglomutan. We presume not all of them intentionally avoided the occasion.
JOIN
Those who joined the newly elected city mayor in the first flag raising ceremony at the Bacolod Government Center grounds, were Vice Mayor Greg Gasataya and Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, Wilson Gamboa Jr., Claude Puentevella, Ana Marie Palermo, El Cid Familiaran and Archie Baribar.
The no-show of some city councilors was viewed by some observers as a portent of events to come in the Puentevella administration. Many observers fear some of the councilors allied with the former mayor and now Rep. Evelio "Bing" Leonardia are bent on giving Puentevella a nightmare in the next three years. Vindictiveness begets vindictiveness and public interest would be the first casualty if the internal conflict accelerated and exacerbated.
Bacolod is one of the cities in the Philippines where politicians don't see each other eyeball-to-eyeball and not on good speaking terms. Both Leonardia and Puentevella have been locked in a bitter political rivalry that escalated when both their loyal followers in the barangays and sympathizers in media and city hall joined the fray.
VICTORY
While Leonardia always breezed his way to victory in the past elections, Puentevella had to endure the agony of a series of defeats in his quest for the city's mayoral post. In his most recent candidacy, critics threw at him everything but the kitchen sink to ensure he would be slaughtered again and prevented from conquering city hall after his three terms as congressman expired in 2007.
The plunder case the sports commission had filed against Puentevalla had been marshaled with ferocious intensity in media and during the campaign sorties aimed at dismantling his aura of political invincibility.
Bacolodnons have had enough. Among the city's grizzled politicians who have carved a national niche in public service, only Puentevella wasn't given the chance to govern city hall as chief executive. Other prominent names from Sugarlandia's fabulous political clans have either retired or faded away, but not Puentevella, who has been grabbing national headlines either as sports analyst or the country's chief of contingent in various international sports events in his capacity as chair of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
TRAVESTY
It would be a travesty of Bacolod's grand reputation as producer of icons and illustrious leaders if Bacolodnons did not elect Puentevella as city mayor.
Now that he is at the helm of city hall, it is incumbent upon both his critics and supporters in the city council to give Mayor Puentevella the respect he deserves like a father in a family. The sacredness of the fresh mandate people gave him in the last elections must be honored and safeguarded because it is the will of the people.
Instead of being piqued though, Puentevella reiterated his appeal for support and cooperation: "We should now act as servant leaders of Bacolod. We should serve our fellows with a smile, same as beauty of our government buildings, be it Government Center or our City Hall. Let us always remember that customers are always right."
He added: "I would like to hear feedback from the public that, in the Government Center or at the City Hall, that the work attitude of the public officials and government employees are worthy of recognition and it should start from me. As the song goes, 'Let there be peace and let us begin with me.' We have been chosen by the people to lead this more beautiful and progressive city. I am the captain of the ship and the team should go in one direction."
SHIP
"Some of you are wondering what can of Ship Captain I will be? I heard stories in the past that the benefits of the employees are always low or less compared to other cities. Let us work hard for the good of our city so that your benefits will increase. If our finances will improve and be stable again, I want to see a Christmas that will mean an increase in your benefits."
"I will never succeed if I am alone. This is a team and we need team work. The people of Bacolod have spoken. The elections are over and please help me. Let us go to work. What matters now is really our work performance. If the performance is good, it will also bring goodness to Bacolod and that will also boil down to your benefits," he concluded.
deserves respect
"Unity is strength. When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."
Mattie Stepanek
By Alex P. Vidal
People of Bacolod City thought when their former congressman Monico "Nyok" O. Puentevella was elected as city mayor in the recent elections, his political detractors would refrain from aiming their rifles at him and give him cooperation and respect due the father of the "City of Smiles".
People expected a ceasefire and forging of camaraderie among newly elected officials; smoking of the proverbial peace pipe among squabbling politicians, burying the hatchet and letting bygones be bygones for the good of general public.
But even before Puentevella, 67, assumed office last July 1, eight newly elected councilors sent him a curt message by boycotting the new administration's flag ceremony. After being ribbed by media for the snobbery, others gave lame excuses while Puentevella's more acerbic critics in the group were mum if not truculent.
Those who failed to show up were councilors Jocelle Batapa Sigue, Caesar Distrito, Em Ang, Carl Lopez, Mona Dia Jardin, Keith Ramos, Bobby Rojas and Alex Paglomutan. We presume not all of them intentionally avoided the occasion.
JOIN
Those who joined the newly elected city mayor in the first flag raising ceremony at the Bacolod Government Center grounds, were Vice Mayor Greg Gasataya and Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, Wilson Gamboa Jr., Claude Puentevella, Ana Marie Palermo, El Cid Familiaran and Archie Baribar.
The no-show of some city councilors was viewed by some observers as a portent of events to come in the Puentevella administration. Many observers fear some of the councilors allied with the former mayor and now Rep. Evelio "Bing" Leonardia are bent on giving Puentevella a nightmare in the next three years. Vindictiveness begets vindictiveness and public interest would be the first casualty if the internal conflict accelerated and exacerbated.
Bacolod is one of the cities in the Philippines where politicians don't see each other eyeball-to-eyeball and not on good speaking terms. Both Leonardia and Puentevella have been locked in a bitter political rivalry that escalated when both their loyal followers in the barangays and sympathizers in media and city hall joined the fray.
VICTORY
While Leonardia always breezed his way to victory in the past elections, Puentevella had to endure the agony of a series of defeats in his quest for the city's mayoral post. In his most recent candidacy, critics threw at him everything but the kitchen sink to ensure he would be slaughtered again and prevented from conquering city hall after his three terms as congressman expired in 2007.
The plunder case the sports commission had filed against Puentevalla had been marshaled with ferocious intensity in media and during the campaign sorties aimed at dismantling his aura of political invincibility.
Bacolodnons have had enough. Among the city's grizzled politicians who have carved a national niche in public service, only Puentevella wasn't given the chance to govern city hall as chief executive. Other prominent names from Sugarlandia's fabulous political clans have either retired or faded away, but not Puentevella, who has been grabbing national headlines either as sports analyst or the country's chief of contingent in various international sports events in his capacity as chair of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
TRAVESTY
It would be a travesty of Bacolod's grand reputation as producer of icons and illustrious leaders if Bacolodnons did not elect Puentevella as city mayor.
Now that he is at the helm of city hall, it is incumbent upon both his critics and supporters in the city council to give Mayor Puentevella the respect he deserves like a father in a family. The sacredness of the fresh mandate people gave him in the last elections must be honored and safeguarded because it is the will of the people.
Instead of being piqued though, Puentevella reiterated his appeal for support and cooperation: "We should now act as servant leaders of Bacolod. We should serve our fellows with a smile, same as beauty of our government buildings, be it Government Center or our City Hall. Let us always remember that customers are always right."
He added: "I would like to hear feedback from the public that, in the Government Center or at the City Hall, that the work attitude of the public officials and government employees are worthy of recognition and it should start from me. As the song goes, 'Let there be peace and let us begin with me.' We have been chosen by the people to lead this more beautiful and progressive city. I am the captain of the ship and the team should go in one direction."
SHIP
"Some of you are wondering what can of Ship Captain I will be? I heard stories in the past that the benefits of the employees are always low or less compared to other cities. Let us work hard for the good of our city so that your benefits will increase. If our finances will improve and be stable again, I want to see a Christmas that will mean an increase in your benefits."
"I will never succeed if I am alone. This is a team and we need team work. The people of Bacolod have spoken. The elections are over and please help me. Let us go to work. What matters now is really our work performance. If the performance is good, it will also bring goodness to Bacolod and that will also boil down to your benefits," he concluded.
COMMANDING OUR WEALTH
If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.
-- EDMUND BURKE :
Wealth consists of material and non-material possessions. Having material wealth will make some of us think we are bigger than life. Having non-material wealth such as wisdom, intelligence, values and character will make many of us think we have bigger gains in life.
--ALEX P. VIDAL
-- EDMUND BURKE :
Wealth consists of material and non-material possessions. Having material wealth will make some of us think we are bigger than life. Having non-material wealth such as wisdom, intelligence, values and character will make many of us think we have bigger gains in life.
--ALEX P. VIDAL
Thursday, July 11, 2013
BEST AIRLINE IN THE WORLD
PAL is best airline in the world
"The future of the airlines lay in hauling people, not in hauling mail for the government." Cyrus Rowlett Smith
By Alex P. Vidal
I agree with the observations made by fellow Filipino travelers and other nationalities, my co-passengers in various international flights, that the Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the best airline in the world.
PAL has the most well-trained and well-equipped flight crew and pilots. Their coordination makes life easier for passengers, especially the children, seniors and persons with disability. The crew's PALa-smile trademark is also one of their most prized assets. Meals are delicious and amenities on board are world class and passenger-friendly.
There were occasions when impatient passengers would label PAL as "Plane Always Late" to express their frustrations over a delayed or canceled flight and late flight arrival, but it doesn't mean all PAL flights -- national and international -- will produce high blood pressure for passengers.
Late and canceled flights also happen in other major airlines. There is myriad of reasons; from technical to weather, and sometimes due to some passengers' late arrival to join the flight. Late departure can never be a culture of any airline. Safety is always a paramount concern.
GOLDEN
Just like killing the goose that lays the golden egg, the European Union (EU) realized it goofed when it's executive arm, the European Commission, blacklisted the Philippine Airlines (PAL), national flag carrier, in 2010 "to follow the principle of precaution” with regard to Philippine aviation conditions.
Banning Asia's first airline and the best airline in the world is like banning McDonalds in New York or Jollibee in Metro Manila. Also banned from European destinations that year aside from PAL was a carrier from Sudan.
The ban on PAL came while the Philippines was smarting from losing its good standing with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which downgraded our country's aviation safety standards from category 1 to category 2 in 2008. It meant PAL could not hope to expand in the US, its biggest market, where thousands of Filipino expatriates regularly travel and reside.
In July 10, EU lifted the ban after realizing that the country now has "improved safety oversight."
SAFETY
"Taking into account the improved safety oversight provided by the competent authorities of the Philippines and the ability of carrier Philippine Airlines to ensure effective compliance with relevant aviation safety regulations, it was decided to lift the ban affecting this carrier," the EU said in a statement read by EU ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux in a press briefing on Wednesday, July 10. "For all other carriers registered in the Philippines, the ban remains as further progress is still needed to reach effective compliance."
A report from Rappler said in March, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) lifted this classification and announced that the Philippines had complied with internationally binding safety standards established by the 1944 Chicago Convention. The United Nations body acknowledged that after 5 years, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) finally accomplished the much-needed reforms.
APPEAL
CAAP and PAL appealed the ban before the EU committee in Brussels in April and again in the committee's first meeting for the year held June 26.
President Ferdinand Marcos implemented a one-airline policy when he declared martial law in 1972 and PAL was the lone surviving airline, absorbing Air Manila and Filipinas Orient Airways. On March 10, 1973 PAL was re-designated as the national flag carrier and continued its expansion with the arrival of its first Douglas DC-10 in July 1974. Three years later, the Philippine government re-nationalized PAL, with the Government Service Insurance System holding a majority of PAL shares. In 1979, the Boeing 727, the Boeing 747-200B and the Airbus A300B4, dubbed the "Love Bus", joined the PAL fleet, while the PAL DC-8 fleet was retired.
"The future of the airlines lay in hauling people, not in hauling mail for the government." Cyrus Rowlett Smith
By Alex P. Vidal
I agree with the observations made by fellow Filipino travelers and other nationalities, my co-passengers in various international flights, that the Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the best airline in the world.
PAL has the most well-trained and well-equipped flight crew and pilots. Their coordination makes life easier for passengers, especially the children, seniors and persons with disability. The crew's PALa-smile trademark is also one of their most prized assets. Meals are delicious and amenities on board are world class and passenger-friendly.
There were occasions when impatient passengers would label PAL as "Plane Always Late" to express their frustrations over a delayed or canceled flight and late flight arrival, but it doesn't mean all PAL flights -- national and international -- will produce high blood pressure for passengers.
Late and canceled flights also happen in other major airlines. There is myriad of reasons; from technical to weather, and sometimes due to some passengers' late arrival to join the flight. Late departure can never be a culture of any airline. Safety is always a paramount concern.
GOLDEN
Just like killing the goose that lays the golden egg, the European Union (EU) realized it goofed when it's executive arm, the European Commission, blacklisted the Philippine Airlines (PAL), national flag carrier, in 2010 "to follow the principle of precaution” with regard to Philippine aviation conditions.
Banning Asia's first airline and the best airline in the world is like banning McDonalds in New York or Jollibee in Metro Manila. Also banned from European destinations that year aside from PAL was a carrier from Sudan.
The ban on PAL came while the Philippines was smarting from losing its good standing with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which downgraded our country's aviation safety standards from category 1 to category 2 in 2008. It meant PAL could not hope to expand in the US, its biggest market, where thousands of Filipino expatriates regularly travel and reside.
In July 10, EU lifted the ban after realizing that the country now has "improved safety oversight."
SAFETY
"Taking into account the improved safety oversight provided by the competent authorities of the Philippines and the ability of carrier Philippine Airlines to ensure effective compliance with relevant aviation safety regulations, it was decided to lift the ban affecting this carrier," the EU said in a statement read by EU ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux in a press briefing on Wednesday, July 10. "For all other carriers registered in the Philippines, the ban remains as further progress is still needed to reach effective compliance."
A report from Rappler said in March, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) lifted this classification and announced that the Philippines had complied with internationally binding safety standards established by the 1944 Chicago Convention. The United Nations body acknowledged that after 5 years, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) finally accomplished the much-needed reforms.
APPEAL
CAAP and PAL appealed the ban before the EU committee in Brussels in April and again in the committee's first meeting for the year held June 26.
President Ferdinand Marcos implemented a one-airline policy when he declared martial law in 1972 and PAL was the lone surviving airline, absorbing Air Manila and Filipinas Orient Airways. On March 10, 1973 PAL was re-designated as the national flag carrier and continued its expansion with the arrival of its first Douglas DC-10 in July 1974. Three years later, the Philippine government re-nationalized PAL, with the Government Service Insurance System holding a majority of PAL shares. In 1979, the Boeing 727, the Boeing 747-200B and the Airbus A300B4, dubbed the "Love Bus", joined the PAL fleet, while the PAL DC-8 fleet was retired.
SACRED WORD OF TRUTH
The Bible is God's sacred word of truth.
-- JOSEPH FRANKLIN RUTHERFORD :
It is not our word of truth about God, but God's word of truth about us. Therefore we must must read, analyze, interpret, value, preach and share it sacredly.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- JOSEPH FRANKLIN RUTHERFORD :
It is not our word of truth about God, but God's word of truth about us. Therefore we must must read, analyze, interpret, value, preach and share it sacredly.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
FALSE WITNESS
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
-- PROVERBS 19:5 :
Let us not destroy reputations based on hearsay; let us not make gossips as gospel truth. Let us not wound feelings of others based on envy and jealousy. What comes up must come down. It's otherwise known as karma.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
-- PROVERBS 19:5 :
Let us not destroy reputations based on hearsay; let us not make gossips as gospel truth. Let us not wound feelings of others based on envy and jealousy. What comes up must come down. It's otherwise known as karma.
-- ALEX P. VIDAL
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