This deficit spending is causing havoc even in the world's biggest economy, the US. Couples usually argue every time one is spending more than what they earn. And here we are approving a budget of 1.5T like we are earning trillions and the usual explanation is that they do not want social services to suffer. True indeed, very, very true! Unfortunately, they are referring to services for themselves and their friends and relatives only with just a token for the suffering public. Almost every politician has a word about how the Ampatuans have misused government funds but I cannot help but wonder how they themselves can afford to live the life of luxury with a salary that cannot even send their children to private schools. Well, we really only have ourselves to blame. I have just come from a misa de gallo, and I cannot help but wonder why as a people, who would want always to be seen practicing our faith, we are unable to choose the right people to lead us. Instead of honest and genuinely God-fearing people we chose to be led by evil. If we continue along this path, we really are not going to see the upliftment of our people. It is time we stop worshiping these politicians, sever our relations or patronage of them, stop seeking them out for favors. Only then can we truly call ourselves a free people.

Martial law is just precisely what we need

If only for the likes of Rep. Dilingalen, I would embrace the declaration of martial law, even one covering the entire country. I pity the military for working very hard to preserve our democracy yet hamstrung by our politicians. I can imagine their over-eagerness to move in given the fact of their frustrations against these people who are untouchables. If the Magdalo's have won, am certain they would have opted for the same path. Our country is desperately in need of a messiah with a radical solution which would cleanse our country of corrupt politicians.

I cried countless of times for the death of former President Cory Aquino, but I cried more on the realization that we have wasted the sacrifices of both Cory and Ninoy, and innumerable others. Now that another patriot has finally been laid to rest I am certain that the same people who tirelessly lined up or accompany her to her final resting place, will continue to elect over and over again the kinds of the Zialcitas, the Abaloses, the Defensors, Antoninos, the Villafuertes, the Nograleses, the Dutertes, the Garcias, the Gonzaleses, and all the shameless politicians who continue to enslave the Filipino people, the same phalanx of priests who concelebrated the requiem mass will continue to be equivocal on issues of corruption involving their master, the sanctimonious president Arroyo, who will continue to be silent on the murders and disappearances of many vocal Arroyo critics, the same businesses, with a few exception, who will continue to conduct their business in a corrupt manner, the same media who while incessantly extolling the virtues of the former president, will abruptly turn quiet concerning issues of corruption, just as suddently as they have started it, as soon as they have received their retainers. How very sad and unfortunate indeed it is when there's no one else we can trust, but even more tragic is the reality that we only have ourselves to blame. For while we noisily condemn the evils that other public officials do till we are hoarse, we are silent on the excesses of our relatives and friends, or even those of our own. It was said that the kind of government we have reflects the kind of people that we are, that the government is corrupt because we are corrupt. So instead of asking is there no one else whom we can trust, maybe it will do us good if we start asking whether we can even trust ourselves or not. The answer is what really makes me cry.

Democracy has actually done more harm to the Filipinos than the martial law during the Marcos regime. Whereas before we only have one dictator, now we have even Bgy. Captains who behave much worse than the former dictator. No one accused former President Marcos of being himself abusive except that he has to absorb all those attributed to his underlings, who were all over eager to please their master, because of command responsibility. Whereas before we only have the former president to accuse of ill gotten wealth plus his prominent cronies which continue to hold sway, and even more so under our so called democracy, now we even have Bgy. Captains who have amassed wealth by reason of their position. Whereas before we see how it is so difficult to gain liberty even for those who were entitled to it, now it is even easier for moneyed criminals to secure liberty than for the innocent. Whereas before we have connected the archipelago with quality roads and brought electricity to even the most remote municipality with just $11B in debt which grew to a little over $20B by the time the former President was driven out of malacanang, now a little over 2 km. stretch of road would already cost billions of pesos, and a car park close to a billion. Whereas before the take of crooks in government was only between 10-20% to line their pockets, now the take is as high as 80%. Whereas before those who will tell the truth were extolled for what we still consider as exemplary behaviour, now those who tell the truth will in many instances be the first ones to get condemnation. By the way, who really would want to retain the kind of congress we have now under the so called democracy of ours? I would rather that we put up with GMA alone, than bear the arrogance and thievery of our congressmen. And the killings, there were actually fewer killings then compared to the present, criminality is on the rise, while insurgency and the secessionist movements continue to grow and confront the government, thanks to civilian support, principally from businesses who have no qualms about giving aid to the insurgents in order to preserve their financial positions. Worst, here we are, even before the last of the victims of the massacre is buried, the media is now treating Ampatuan, Sr. as the victim. Pheew!

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Madam President seize the day, declare martial law over the entire Philippine archipelago! I personally do not like your governance but if the intention is to instill discipline and disband private armies, the declaration of martial law is justified. The creation of a commission is not going to do the trick. We simply have become an undisciplined lot. The Ampatuans while Maguindanaoans, have plenty of their kind all over the country. Take for example the case of the Davao Death Squad, we are enraged at the death of 57 people and rightly so, but what about the hundreds of people who died in the hands of this group which is said to be headed by a prominent politician who himself goes around with a phalanx of bodyguards? We can take a cue from the first days of martial law under President Marcos where people would fall in line, even have good haircuts, and definitely no guns anywhere in the land until discipline itself broke down from within the ranks of the people who were supposed to instill it, and here is where you can make a big difference by preventing it from going the way of President Marcos. The Filipino people has already judged you and no matter what you do, it is not going to change it anymore unless it is as dramatic as the declaration of martial law. I believe in redemption and you can use the opportunity to make amends yourself by simply returning to the Filipino people anything which you believe you or any of your relatives cannot account with your legitimate incomes. Above all, you have to make sure that in declaring martial law, you have to wield its powers with an even hand, otherwise you are going to lose the last opportunity to redemption and be eternally condemned instead. The lawyers will challenge the constitutionality of such action but what the heck, abrogate the constitution itself. After all, isn't everyone interested in its revision anyway? Madam President, SEIZE THE DAY!

Senator Villar finally shed off the last veil which hides his true identity. The alliance entered into by and between NP and KBL is to be expected. They are much like long lost sisters. Pres. Marcos won the presidency under the NP banner, then proceeded to establish KBL after he succeeded in obliterating the opposition at the height of his power. For Senator Villar, the presidency is just another business venture. He is intelligent enough to know that people are not jumping to join his party because of his or the NP's principles but because of his money. He certainly fear that failure in his run would result to his ruin so there is no better strategy than to coalesce with another well-oiled machinery that is KBL. And the fact that the so called cause oriented groups who allied themselves with Villar is taking their own sweet time to decide whether to stick to the coalition or not is really not surprising because these people really do not
want honest governance as they fear that they would become irrelevant. They simply thrive when there is chaos. The 2010 elections is the last chance for our democracy. I call on all the people to be more discerning.

have our religious leaders failed us?
When the bishops held a mass rally at the Luneta sometime ago to
denounce charter change or more specifically the method by which such
change was proposed to be pursued, they declared that what the country
needs is character change, not charter change. The feisty senator, the
Honorable Miriam Defensor Santiago, quickly retorted that such
declaration is an admission by the bishops of their failure in their
pastoral duties. I agree.
The problem besetting the country today while largely political, is
principally and fundamentally moral. Here, our religious leaders cannot
escape responsibility because they are our acknowledged guardians of
morality. They cannot continue to blame our politicians or any other
person for the mess we are in. Rather, it is time that they seriously
consider taking a good look at themselves. So, where did they fail us?
The late, good Father Jaime Cardinal Sin declared, in a statement
published in a newspaper, that he is willing to receive money even from
the devil if only to be able to help the poor. Not too long ago, Father
Nico Bautista on live TV declared that President Arroyo must be truly
blessed because Cardinal Sin is already dead and Fernando Poe Jr. also
died before the "hello Garci" controversy. Had they been alive, he
added, those wanting to unseat Ms. Arroyo could have succeeded. Now,
examining the two statements, even a grade schooler who has just
received his first lesson on catechism, can tell us that these are
inappropriate to say the least. The statement of Cardinal Sin, to me,
is anathema to the basic principle which teach us that the end does not
justify the means, or have some of our religious leaders already
subscribe to the Machiavillian principle? It was also impressed upon
all of us early in life that it is immoral to profit from the misery of
others. So how could GMA be blessed by the deaths of Cardinal Sin and
Fernando Poe Jr. If Father Bautista, or the church for that matter,
should insist that the statement of the former is consistent with
christian doctrine, then maybe I should ponder whether we still worship
the same God. Where we should expect the church to be uncompromising
against cheating, what we heard from them is ambivalence. Their
treatment of President Arroyo smacks of double standard. The church was
quick to condemn the deposed President Estrada while they could hardly
agree on what to say pertaining to the alleged cheating and other
monumental blunders of the Arroyo presidency. Even the alleged
controversies attributed to Erap's predecessor, such as the PEA-Amari
scam and the Clark expo scandal, to name a few, did not merit any such
reaction of the same degree as that they readily and quickly manifested
in the case of Erap. Is this because the latter has no pretentions
about his spirituality while the sanctimonious President Arroyo would
love to have her picture, with eyes closed in worship, splashed on the
front pages of major dailies? Didn't the good Lord Jesus himself
warn us against such people? The people are simply confused. Now
these issues may not be the concern of every Filipino as many political
leaders and even religious leaders would hasten to add. Many of them
would say that these issues are the concern only of those in Manila. So
let us try to examine how the church fare in the day to day conduct of
their pastoral duties.
A friend from Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte
died not too long ago and his body was refused entry into the church
for the burial rites because the poor fellow, according to the church,
was not doing any of the duties prescribed by the latter especially
going to church on Sundays. Yet when my non-catholic aunt died, she was offered a requiem mass after another aunt donated ten thousand pesos. Also, when a prominent politician from Surigao del Norte died, no less than the archbishop himself went to Manila to officiate the requiem mass. Of course I heard about the much
publicized story regarding the one million peso donation given to the
church by the said politician. As to my poor friend, I doubt if
donations he made in his lifetime could even reach one thousand pesos.
Also, when I was in public service, we wanted very much to declare a
priest from our place as persona non grata for the shame he has brought
upon us for his indiscretions. He sired an offspring with a woman who
was said to be a relative and is now keeping the child in Lapulapu
City. The same fellow continues to be open about his womanizing and the
church is absolutely doing nothing. Well they can say that even Popes
were known to have kept mistresses but aren't they interested, at
least, if they don't feel that it is their duty, in correcting such
misdemeanors? And what about priests who cozy up with usurers, alleged
drug dealers and gambling lords who always are generous benefactors of
the church? I really envy these people when they can always have
special masses celebrated for themselves, while we poor parishioners
have to travel far just to be able to hear mass and have to make do and
endure the blunders of a lay minister in case the priest is absent. The
list of woos is long and it continues to grow longer while the other
congregations are consistently drawing large number of new converts.
So, have our religious leaders failed us?
I believe I know the answer and I am afraid

Heroes are those who for their courage and exceptional achievements, are considered ideal and are role models. Usually the word is used to define and is associated to heroic deeds in times of war, but in times of peace heroes also do step forward to inspire people and nations, make countries stir from lethargy in order to move forward. As a matter of fact, no country has ever been without its own hero, to whom it accredited its birth. Unfortunately, while a hero brings about the birth of a nation, it does also help bring about its demise. And this we can attribute largely to the kind of people we consider heroes. Are we really in dearth of heroes? Truth is, we are not. The sad thing is we had for heroes those who are heels for others. We have trouble distinguishing celebrities from heroes. Credit should go to our leaders who, as can be expected, are always quick to ride the tide and extol the supposed exploits of an individual in order to gain some publicity mileage for himself. Every politician wants to identify himself with a popular sports hero rather than a visionary who is ready and willing to offer his life for the country. It is rather tragic that those who offer their lives for the country are consigned to the dustbin of history and are quickly forgotten while we continue to lionize our so called sports heroes. As role models for those who want to excel in their chosen fields, yes, sports heroes can absolutely serve as inspirations, but that should be it. United States and China are sports powerhouses and yes, they lionize their achievers, but they were never ever considered in the league of Washington or Mao. Identifying ourselves with the wrong people has definitely affected the psyche of our youth. While there are still those who are willing to sacrifice for others, they have become rather scarce and what we have are youths who are more interested in internet cafes, and are largely apathetic. When the issue of election cheating came out, the attitude of many youths was indifference. A classmate in the university told me why should I bother when everybody cheats anyway, and I am not referring to a classmate my age but somebody much younger to be my son. Now what we have for heroes are those crooked politicians in their fancy SUVs, corrupt government officials in their palatial homes, and greedy businessmen and their executives with their fat bank accounts. People who threw away everything for the sake of others and of their beliefs are looked with disdain. What is my basis for saying this? Look at the queue of people, not a queue actually but the throng of people elbowing each other to be the annointed candidates of certain moneyed political parties and power players. Are they really going to work for your welfare? Not on your life.
And while everyone has a word about how corrupt government officials are, try opening the doors of BIR, or the Bureau of Customs to prospective applicants and you can be sure almost everyone would want to join said organizations and you can bet your life their motivation is not to serve. I assure you mine is not cynicism because I continue to have faith in our institutions no matter how badly they needed repair. It is just that by looking around, it is not difficult to arrive at the same conclusion.
So what our heroes should be? During the State of the Union Address of a former U. S. President, special mention was made for the person who at great risk to himself, saved an epileptic person from certain death after falling onto the tracks of a subway train. He was a special guest during the occasion and was given a standing ovation as his name was mentioned. Another who deserve special mention was a lady entrepreneur who in just a short period of time made her company a $300M business. They were considered heroes because of the impact of their actions to the lives of other people. So you see, we do not even have to die to become heroes, I was reminded of a supposed NGO worker who declared during a meeting that he would rather be a living coward than a dead hero and I can tell you that the guy is one reason why we do not move forward. Small selfless acts, not gigantic undertakings, are what is required of us. Contrast these with our own. President Arroyo, in one of her own SONA, made special mention of General Palparan who is now being accused by the Melo Commission, through command responsibility, as responsible for the summary executions of the critics of government. She should present instead Mr. Henry Sy, the owner of SM, if indeed we are really in dearth of heroes, who started with only a small shoe shop in Sta. Cruz, Manila, or Mr. John Gokongwei, who started as a peddler. So what if they are of Chinese descent? President Bush was beaming with pride when he announced the name of another great American, star NBA player Dikembi Motumbo, who is actually African, who went to the U. S. to study medicine but instead end up with the NBA. Or, she can present a soldier recuperating from wound, or a widow of one who died in defense of our freedoms. These are the people who we should rightfully consider as heroes and should try to emulate, not the so called sports heroes who first and foremost, fought for money and their own glory, or all other sorts of personalities, because theirs are fleeting, while the sacrifices of those who daily got wounded or died in defense of our freedoms and the values that they fought for, are enduring. Theirs, are the foundation of great civilizations.

The Mayor of Candaba, Mr. Pelayo, in rabidly defending GMA's run for congress said that people in Pampanga are intelligent enough to decide to vote for Gloria. If voting for the largely discredited Gloria to Congress is an intelligent decision, I wonder what dumb now is, not for the Pampangos because I trust many are sensible enough to disagree with Mr. Pelayo, but for Mr. Pelayo himself. In defending Gloria, the mayor cited economic growth as the former's achievement. I wonder if the mayor knew that we had three successive quarters of less than 1 percent growth and is estimated to have great difficulty in achieving an already very conservative target of 1.8 percent growth, because if he does, I wonder now what growth means for Mr. Pelayo. However, I absolutely agree with Mr. Pelayo that the Pampangos are intelligent but not because they are going to vote for Gloria, rather, they are intelligent enough to understand that it is but natural for these greedy mayors and other officials to endorse Gloria not because they have the people's welfare in their hearts but because they are salivating on their anticipated share of the Ali Baba stash, that the Pampangos are intelligent enough to know that they are Filipinos first and foremost and they are not going to vote for what most people consider the most corrupt leader we ever had, that the Pampangos are intelligent enough not to let their politicians speak for them when the know very well that these people do not really represent them but their own(the politicians) selfish interests.

The sight of the president filing her certificate of candidacy for congresswoman is truly pathetic. She had that forced smile in her face. I have a feeling she really wanted none of this but at the same time I also imagine at what she must have been through before arriving at this decision especially seeing the infamous first gentleman beside her, how she must have been bullied, shouted at, or even threatened, not by the opposition, but instead by people who should have her best interest in their hearts. For this, I truly pity the president for having been used. On the other hand, she only has herself to blame for allowing herself to be used. She should have learned to stand up for the Filipino people, notwithstanding the presence of the imposing so called first gentleman.

तेओदोरो इस दंगेरोउस person

In last night's debate of presidential candidates aired on ANC, Gilbert Teodoro came in close second to Noynoy. However his rating may have been different if people really listened well to the substance of what he said, which should have forewarned everyone of the true Gibo, in contrast to his obviously packaged image.
When asked about GMA, Gibo proudly declared, as if it really was virtuous of him, that it would be the height of ingratitude if he would bite the hand, so to speak, of the person who gave him the break. The statement did not really surprise me because it came from a person who lives in a world where favors are dispensed with in order to wield influence over certain people, or where favors are exchanged for their mutual benefits and always to the prejudice of the people whom the profess to serve. What is unfortunate though was how the people and certain pundits even approved of what they heard. It is clear that everyone forgot that this kind of attitude is precisely the root cause of corruption, that even priests would forget about their priestly duties after being beneficiaries of countless favors from certain politicians, that they would refuse even just to open their mouths amidst all the corruption around them, opting to remain tight-lipped, which is precisely what Gibo is doing as far as the administration of GMA is concerned. Gibo's statement tells us about two things, first, that he will not take action against anyone to whom he is indebted, and, that he is willing to dispense favors himself if only to buy the loyalty of anyone. This, the people must understand, breeds corruption and is the source of injustice. The same also leads me to ask this question, if Gibo is really the person that his supporters would always proudly tell us that he is, then why on earth would he be so insecure and seemingly so helpless so as to be beholden to the person who he said gave him the break? Was his topping the bar not enough break for him? Of course I know of many lawyers who barely passed the bar but are better lawyers than the topnotchers. So, what's there to crow about? Finally, he declared that he will convene a so called council of elders. Why, does he not have the confidence to perform the duties of a president even when the same are already clearly spelled out in the constitution, that convening a council is already absolutely unnecessary? Where is the much ballyhooed competence?