Sara’s unethical act should disqualify her from DepEd

 

"The seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom, in the heart." 

—William Hazlitt

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IN my opinion, Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio is not the most qualified to sit as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

But because she reportedly personally asked for the position from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. days after the May 2022 presidential election, the president, as a courtesy, handed to her the DepEd top portfolio in a silver platter.

Truth is, he just couldn’t say no to his lady political partner, who now sits in the two powerful offices—Office of the Vice President and DepEd—with a whopping combined amount of P800 million in intelligence fund for her disposal.

Again, being the incumbent vice president and daughter of the fire-spewing former president, what Inday Sara wanted, Inday Sara got: a P500 million intel fund for the Office of the Vice President and a P30 million intel fund for the DepEd.

Congress, like President Marcos, couldn’t resist or say no to the pugnacious political spoiled brat.

This seemingly unethical act of the vice president, alone, should disqualify her from taking over the top DepEd position. 

The president wasn’t given his primordial prerogative to choose his secretary for the education department because the vice president had salivated for it from the very start of the new administration in 2022. 

 

-o0o-

 

With barely a year in office, Mrs. Duterte Carpio is at it again.

As if her egotistical resignation from the Lakas-CMD Party on May 19 wasn’t enough, she posted this arcane message in her social media account May 21: “Sa imong ambisyon, do not be tambaloslos.”   

The message is loud and clear: Mrs. Duterte-Carpio is a plain and simple politician.

And she is on a political warpath; her hands are loaded in a political skirmish. Her feud with someone she referred to as “tambaloslos” (I have no English translation for this gutter and weird word) is just starting, or just a portent of things to come.

Based on her demeanor and choice of words in a social media platform, she’s not a true-blue educator, or a role model for education. 

Mrs. Duterte-Carpio should have tendered her resignation, as well, as DepEd boss.

The Philippines needs a full-time DepEd secretary who is apolitical and one who focuses on the welfare and development of education alone sans any political distraction and wanton hurly-burly.

She can’t serve two masters, nay battle two adversaries at the same time: 1. Problems that plagued the education system in the country;  and 2. Politicking or constantly picking a fight against fellow politicians and, possibly, her perceived rivals for the presidency in 2028.   

She has resigned from a hitherto dominant political party, perhaps, in sympathy with former President and now demoted Deputy Speaker Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but not in her ongoing and protracted strife with fellow political combatants. 

In the interest of the nation and in the name of delicadeza, Mrs. Duterte-Carpio should resign now as DepEd secretary.

 

-o0o-

 

AVOID MENTAL LAZINESS. From the chin down no man is worth much more than a dollar or two a day. 

Even what we do with our hands depends for its value on the amount of sense we use. 

We can train and improve our mind as well as our fingers. 

Mental laziness is the most common disease.

Let's put in a certain amount of time every day at making our brain more efficient. 

Let’s read. Let’s study. Let’s think. 

Let’s not fritter away all our spare time. 

It’s all habit. We can get used to hard study as well as to hard work. And it pays. 

Let’s improve ourselves from the chin up.

FRENCH OPEN. The French Open tennis tournament gets underway at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris May 22. Missing from the action is 14-time champion Rafael Nadal, who withdrew last week due to injury. Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, hopes to return to Paris next year for what he said will be his "last year" in professional tennis. Australian star Nick Kyrgios is set to miss the tournament after injuring his foot when his car was stolen earlier this month.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed) 

A friendly advice to political appointees

“Don't let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn't go with it.”

—Colin Powell

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

TO all appointees in the national and local government offices: don’t be too proud and loud.

Your appointments aren’t crowns; they’re not jackpot prizes in the raffle or lottery draw. 

They’re not something to be bragged about like passing the bar exam or winning a gold medal in an international sports event. 

They’re not special distinctions like being adjudged as a cum laude in the batch or a grand champion in the national quiz or math contest.

In most cases, you were appointed by the President or by any local chief executive not because you are the best or the most qualified in the field.

It’s because of what you and your political clan have contributed, or are capable of delivering during the elections, not because of what and who you are. 

You may be oozing with qualifications, but, sometimes it’s more of special considerations, a form of “utang na loob” or political debt of gratitude. 

A high appointed or elected position in government is not and will never be equivalent to a championship belt or trophy. Public service has no prize tag and special adulation.

It’s an honor to be elected or chosen from among the elite list of contenders, of course, and should be something the constituents must be ebullient about.

It’s another story if we think highly of ourselves for having annexed the corridors of power. 

 

-o0o-

 

It may be a reward after you and your political clan went all out to support the appointing official—the President in the case of cabinet and other “lucrative” national and regional positions.

Just a friendly advice. After you have received the appointment papers, REFRAIN from sending out press releases that you have been “duly appointed” to certain positions. Be humble and keep your feet planted on the ground.

Also, if possible, avoid using the social media to “advertise” your appointments as if your friends and constituents will surely be ecstatic that you have secured the appointments.

Let the media independently report about all the appointments for civil service in an objective and straight news. 

Remember, you’re not the only appointed officials; there’s no special treatment whatsoever, and all your names are on the long list of “among others.”

Sometimes, when you’re too noisy and brassy about the newly acquired positions, you attract hordes of envious characters who will wish that you slip in the banana peel.

Louis XIV once said, “Every time I appoint someone to a vacant position, I make a hundred unhappy and one ungrateful.”

And having cornered an important government portfolio isn’t yet equivalent to instant success.

Booker T. Washington said, “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”

 

-o0o-

 

Hyundai and Kia have agreed to pay approximately $200 million to vehicle owners to settle a class action lawsuit over claims that many of the companies' cars and SUVs are too easy to steal. The settlement will be distributed to up to 9 million owners whose vehicles have been stolen to help cover their out-of-pocket losses, CNN report said.

Next year is my last year.

SEE YA NEXT YEAR. Tennis champion Rafael Nadal announcing recently that he has withdrawn from the French Open and may conclude his tennis career next year. This is the first time the 22-time grand slam champion will miss the competition since making his debut in 2005. Additionally, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios—the runner-up at Wimbledon last year—will also miss the French Open, his agent told CNN, after he was injured during a robbery earlier this month.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

Demolish or repair?

“Science is about knowing; engineering is about doing.”

—Henry Petroski

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THERE are only two options for a condemned building: demolish or repair.

To save time and money, it’s normally a total demolition to pave the way for a new edifice—or the building of a modern commercial, industrial, residential, or sports complex. 

Contemporary engineering regulations prohibit the repair of structures that have been condemned or those that are no longer fit for human habitation.

We’ve seen lots of old and tall buildings toppled by explosives and other authorized demolition devices after being condemned or restricted by a local ordinance for being hazardous to public safety and public health.

A mere repair won’t be a wise option if the building owners aim for longevity, durability, upgrade and modernization; and, most of all, wise investment.

They have to cut and cut clean.

With a striking parallelism, this brings us to the controversial multi-million infrastructure project in the boundary of Iloilo City and the Municipality of Pavia known for its spectral acronym UFO (not the Unidentified Flying Object). 

Here’s the situation where the opposite seems to be inexorably imminent: repair over demolition.

 

-o0o-

 

Now that the P680-million Iloilo flyover project or the Ungka Flyover in Ungka, Pavia has been found to be defective by a third party consultancy entity tasked by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), there’s no way it will open for the use of pedestrians and motorists soon. At least not yet.

Although it was supposed to open in September 2022, there’s a strong indication it may still not be available for the vehicular traffic for an indefinite period of time.

Unless the DPWH will be able to fork out the enormous P250 million (at least, according to the consultancy entity) needed to fix the problem soon, the doomed project will become a liability rather than a public asset.

The longer the DPWH will find hard to produce the budget, the longer will be for the public not to be able to use the flyover.

Teetering and unreliable, the flyover can’t stand there forever like the stale giant statues of Andres Bonifacio and Lapu-Lapu if it cannot serve its purpose.

It will not only pose a gargantuan hazard to the public, its iniquitous image will constantly remind the public of the grand chicanery and swindling that once-upon-a-time descended on that area and eternally left a blot of disgrace and dishonor.    

Which left the authorities with no option but to forage for the magic amount and start the repair soon. But, please, leave the taxpayers alone  and let the contractors foot the bills.

Demolition isn’t the best option—just in case some smart alecks are still entertaining this notion.

 

-o0o-

 

DON’T ATTRACT BURGLARS. If we have just purchased expensive items and have vacation plans, please don't mention them in Facebook or in any other social media platforms. A Swedish insurance company has found that unguarded use of blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can attract burglars (makawat or magnanakaw). Many have been victimized because they also posted their contact information, reports said.

PAPARAZZI STRIKE IN NYC. “It's clear that the paparazzi want to get the right shot ... but public safety must always be at the forefront,” declared New York City Mayor Eric Adams, condemning "reckless" paparazzi after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan alleged photographers pursued them on Tuesday for hours through the city in a "near catastrophic" car chase. The couple was left shaken by the incident, although ultimately no one was hurt, their security detail claimed. Prince Harry has been vocal about the security of his family, often highlighting parallels between his wife's treatment by the paparazzi to that faced by his mother, Diana. The late Princess of Wales died in 1997 after suffering internal injuries resulting from a high-speed car crash in Paris.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Right intention at the ‘wrong time’

“In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign. Secondly, a just cause. Thirdly, a rightful intention.”

—Thomas Aquinas

 

By Alex P. Vidal

PEOPLE in Panay Island, especially in the city and province of Iloilo, don’t want a repeat of the nauseating three to four days of power interruptions in April, which affected their health, almost destroyed the local economy, and sabotaged the tourism industry.

When they experienced tremendous inconveniences, hassles, and scary moments during the three to four days of infamy, the Ilonggos almost thought the furor became a matter of life and death.

Local elected officials dreaded the possibility that “the worst is yet to come”, thus there’s a need to grab the bulls by the horns, so to speak; or, the problem must be resolved soon—no ifs, no buts.

The Ilonggos and their elected officials were up in arms against the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for its failure to warn the people and avert the ignominious power outages.

NGCP is supposed to be tasked to ensure that the country's transmission assets are in optimal condition to convey safe, quality, and reliable electricity by doing regular inspection and repair of lines and substations, clearing of Right-of-Way obstructions, and timely restoration during and after natural disasters.

 

-o0o-

 

It is supposed to be transparent and protect the interest of the power consumers.

The hullabaloo prompted Senator Grace Poe to file Senate Resolution No. 579 calling for an inquiry into the Panay Island power outages and seeking a solution to finally end the residents’ woes.

This was a whiff of fresh air and a good news for the people of Panay Island.

However, the sudden participation of the aggressive and turgid Senator Raffy Tulfo in the perusal of NGCP might disrupt Poe’s search for “light at the end of the tunnel” in as far as the pursuit for truth on the power interruptions in Panay Island is concerned.

Without prejudice to Poe’s upcoming face-off with the NGCP on the Panay Island power outages, Tulfo waged a separate battle against the NGCP when he recently asked President Bongbong Marcos Jr. to hold a “comprehensive study” or senate hearings to determine NGCP’s security aspect and, if possible, wrest control of the NGCP which is reportedly dominated by China in ownership.

If Poe’s resolution is a Plaza Miranda, Tulfo’s proposed resolution is a Taj Mahal. 

 

-o0o-

 

Since this will involve China as a bigger player in this separate NGCP tiff, the initiatives of both Senators Tulfo and Riza Hontiveros might overshadow and eclipse in terms of priority and publicity Poe’s “mere” seeking of truth about the Panay Island power outages.

Pushed against the wall and facing two contrasting battles in the senate, NGCP might fight tooth and nail while struggling to weigh on which battlefield to prioritize.  

If NGCP will unleash two howitzers against the two issues at the same time, the discussion about the security aspect and internal system will definitely get the top priority considering that it involves NGCP’s survival, identify, and integrity. 

NGCP will be obliged to also respond to Poe’s antagonistic resolution, but it will focus the main artillery on the more perplexing Tulfo-Hontiveros resolution where debates are expected to generate serious attentions from higher authorities.

It might be harder to ferret out the truth in the Panay Island power outages if two major issues queue for NGCP’s attention.

Tulfo’s intention to correct what ails the NGCP was plausible. It could be right, only that it came at the “wrong time” for Poe’s resolution. 

Or the other way around. 

 

-o0o-

 

Zinc improves mood in women. Oysters (talaba) are a great source of zinc. According to London-based Dr. John Biriffa, there is some evidence that links zinc deficiency with an enhanced risk of depression. Treatment with zinc improved mood to some extent, he said.

“Let us be of cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come.” -- Amy Lowell. This is true. When our imagination plays a game, we sometimes think we own the debt incurred by Don King and we carry the world on our shoulders. Atlas Shrugged!

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

  

 

 

 

 

The smoking gun

“Our duty is to believe that for which we have sufficient evidence, and to suspend our judgment when we have not.”

—John Lubbock

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF the Iloilo flyover project was built in communist China or Cuba, all those responsible for its apparent “miscarriage” would be executed in public.

Corruption—lower and higher magnitude—is severely dealt with capital punishment in these tough and unbending lands known for law and order.

But it was erected in democratic Philippines, home of the lukewarm, “due process”, padrino system, mercy, generosity, forgiveness, passivity, apathy. 

Meanwhile, the best evidence that taxpayers money in the amount of P680 million was “mishandled” (we don’t have the evidence yet it was stolen) is the report of Engr. Adam Abinales of the third-party consultancy firm hired by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to conduct an independent probe on the substandard Iloilo flyover project in Ungka, Pavia, that at least P250 million is needed to repair the inexplicable infrastructure.

That’s the smoking gun.

If there is smoke there is fire. Si fumus est ignis.

The fire is the perceived anomaly.

The construction of the P680-million flyover project that connects the city and provincial via Ungka, Pavia and Jaro District is supposedly tainted with anomaly based on Abinales’ smoking gun.

Simple logic. If the project’s total cost was handled properly and judiciously, there would be no need for the repair; there’s no need to cough up P250 million (let’s hope they won’t bilk the taxpayers anew) to fix the mess.

The need to repair the stinking flyover project is the result of negligence, incompetence, apathy, and partly corruption.

 

-o0o-

 

MJ will have to eat his own words after the Gilas Pilipinas, representing the Philippines in the 2023 SEA Games mens basketball, captured the gold by trouncing elimination round conqueror and host Cambodia, 80-69, in the final on May 16.

MJ had called as “disgraceful” the RP Team’s shock defeat to Cambodia in the early match. Instead of giving the Pinoy cagers the benefit of the doubt, MJ unleashed his unbridled antagonism like he was giving his employees the dressing down. 

The Gilas' win marks a return to the top after their grip on the Southeast Asian Games basketball title was surprisingly broken by Indonesia last year, according to Chloe Merrell of Olympics. The loss brought about an end to a winning streak that dated back to 1991.

After a tight first quarter, which saw the hosts take the lead by one, the Philippines burst into action in the second, outscoring Cambodia 23-11 to secure a 44-33 lead at half-time.

With the regional title back in their hands the Gilas have been handed an important boost ahead of this year's 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup where the first qualification berths for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be on the line.

 

-o0o-

 

ABNORMAL. The weather anywhere in the world today is abnormal. Summer and winter are unpredictable. Earthquake here, earthquake there. Volcanic eruption there, volcanic eruption here. We should take the climate change and environment issues seriously and be aware of what's going on in every nook and cranny worldwide--before it's too late!

TOP 20 WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: 1. Bananas, 2. Apples 3. Carrots 4. Tomatoes 5. Iceberg Lettuce 6. Oranges 7. Broccoli 8. Grapes 9. Winter Squash 10. Onions 11. Pears 12. Watermelon 13. Peaches 14. Spinach 15. Zucchini 16. Cauliflower 17. Strawberries 18. Cabbage 19. Cucumber 20. Cantaloupe. (Source: Produce Retailer)

LAST SEASONAL FRUITS. Fresh cherries are one of the few items in the produce department that don't have year-round availability. Imports start in November and run through January from Chile, then pick back up in May from California and end in late August or early September from the North-west and British Columbia. There can be as much as 5 to 6 months with no fresh cherry availability.

FIRST iPOD. Apple released their first portable music device on October 23, 2001 and called it the iPod.

When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society -- Pope John Paul II. The late Pope was right. And It will be the disintegration of society and decay of the human race.

Judges rule on the basis of law, not public opinion, and they should be totally indifferent to pressures of the times -- Warren E. Burger.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Must the taxpayers waste P1-B for the Iloilo flyover?

 

“Time and money are almost always saved to be wasted.” 

― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE will wait for the next move of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) now that it was revealed a total of P250 million is needed to “repair” the damaged P680-million Iloilo flyover project in Ungka, Pavia.

If we add the amount needed to fix the ill-fated flyover and the budget appropriated and set aside to build it, it’s a whopping P930 million or nearly P1 billion.

This is the high cost of negligence—and maybe corruption and incompetence.  

Yet nobody is being held accountable. They just dangled the amount of P250 million like it will be taken from the nearest coconut tree.

It’s like the taxpayers are being ripped off for the second time.

Must the taxpayers waste P1 billion for a defective flyover project that will only be refurbished?

 

-o0o-

 

IN a hope to checkmate the Philippines, Kuwait executed a major rook sacrifice in the opening moves by suspending all types of work and entry visas for Filipinos supposedly for violation of a bilateral labor agreement with the Arabic country.

The gambit momentarily wobbled the Philippines, which has 268,000 workers and residents in this Gulf state. 

Sheikh Talal al-Khaled al-Sabah, the Minister of Interior, had reportedly ordered the visa pause after a breach.

It’s not a joke for a Third World country to lose millions of dollars in remittances and absorb displaced OFWs who will lose their jobs in one fell swoop. 

In a chess match, a rook sacrifice—or any major pieces like knight and bishop for that matter—is a tactical but dangerous move. 

It’s like a kamikaze attack: either you win after the opponent’s defense in the king side crumbles, or you resign if the opponent survives the assault and successfully marshals a counter-attack with the superior pieces.   

Thus instead of hammering out a quick victory, Kuwait’s gambit drilled a dungeon and the Philippines appeared to have forestalled the scary invasion and dragged the match into the middle game. 

 

-o0o-

 

The suspension reportedly was due to the Philippines having not “complied with the provisions of the labor agreement between the two countries,” it was reported.

In February the Philippines had barred first-time workers, especially domestic workers, from entering Kuwait after the brutal murder of a 35-year-old Filipina maid by the teenage son of her Kuwaiti employer.

The Philippines government has also recently suspended the accreditation of new recruitment agencies in Kuwait.

Kuwait must have realized it needed to draw the first blood in the form of a rook sacrifice to awaken the Philippines and seize the upper hand.

As of this writing, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWW) officials were reportedly on their way to Kuwait for a “dialogue” or negotiation with Kuwaiti officials regarding the ban. That’s the middle game.

In the middle game, many possibilities could unravel. Theoretical and tactical moves develop; blunders occur; time forfeiture happens. 

Either the ban will be lifted if both sides reach a win-win solution to the impasse, or the Team Philippines will go home empty handed.

Either it will be a resignation, checkmate, or draw.

We will wait for the end game. 

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

  

No time to play ostrich with beauty pageants

 “You are a woman.You are the fire! You are all conquering. You are all powerful! You are Supreme! You were not born to be a mere beauty queen!” 

― Avijeet Das

 

By Alex P. Vidal 

 

THE Philippines has become a country of beauty pageants. 

Every year, even if the economy is sometimes in a tailspin, almost four to five beauty pageants (aside from the regular Miss Philippines Universe) are held, and the country produces dozens of beauty “crown holders” who are sent to compete in different international competitions abroad.

Corporate sponsors and commercial advertisers like travel agencies, shoes, jewelry and cosmetic companies see to it that the pageants have abundance when it comes to cash prizes, hotel accommodations, air travel privileges, first class amenities, among other pelfs and privileges for participants and their entourages.

The amount of national attention and publicity poured on beauty pageants in the Philippines has been overwhelming like the concerts of Tylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, and Justin Timberlake; it’s not easy to produce the next superstars from these events.

Some of these beauty titlists become role models for the younger aspiring pageant candidates especially if they turn out to be truly beauty and brains.

The exposure from the beauty pageants of these talented lasses has either landed them in showbiz and TV hosting jobs, or earned them lucrative modeling contracts abroad.

 

-o0o-

 

If they turn our to be mere flies in the ointment, they become a shame and embarrassment. 

Like the two famous beauty queens who became bold stars in the 80s (and end up as “call girls” thereafter) and the two others who were collared in the different airports abroad and spent years in jail for transporting (they became actually drug dependents) illegal drugs in the 90s.

Two others became part of the shocking and scandalous “Brunei Beauties” scandal where they reportedly became sex slaves of the Sultan’s playboy brother for a certain period in exchange for a large cash.

Another one was nabbed recently in a police entrapment operation somewhere in Manila and was jailed for estafa.

The other became a mistress of an alleged drug lord politician somewhere in Luzon who allegedly committed suicide (although some people believed she was murdered by the alleged politician drug lord). And so and so forth.

The good thing about producing quality beauty pageants is that most of them became ambassadresses for peace and goodwill and they promote the Philippine tourism, Filipino values, culture and heritage in other countries.

Other than beauty queens, we are also known for producing A1 nurses and OFWs with outstanding technical skills, which is a terrific achievement. 

Beauty queens are good, but what if one day as the automation and robotics mechanics advance like what we are experiencing today with the advent of AI (artificial intelligence) chatbot and microchip technology, aliens will invade the Earth?

Shall we parade our beauty queens and ask them to dance while our Asian neighbors that produce scientists and Information Technology (IT) experts, who are equipped with knowledge and technology, nip those uninvited guests in the bud?

-o0o-

 

DUMPING OF GARBAGES. In a nutshell, that’s how we can best describe what happened recently in the Senate inquiry on the killings in Negros Oriental headed by the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs chaired by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

The inquiry was supposed to be to ferret out the truth in aid of legislation about the series of killings—mostly allegedly politically motivated—including the March 4, 2023 massacre in Pamplona where Governor Roel Degamo and eight others were killed.

But what happened in the committee’s most recent sessions was both sides—the warring Degamo and Teves political clans—brought and presented characters—ordinary folks in the province—with damning but dubious testimonies meant to disparage or assassinate the characters both of the Teves and Degamo families.

And Dela Rosa allowed the spectacle.

Obviously, both sides have succeeded in dumping garbages to the committee hearing which has already extended and wasted the taxpayers money while the alleged mastermind, suspended Rep. Arnie Teves is hiding abroad.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)