CBCP's Call for Reform

The conservative Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has finally released a statement calling for radical reforms against government corruption.

The Inquirer reports that CBCP President Angel Lagdameo said the following in a press statement:

In response to the global economic crisis that we are facing today which everybody knows about and in response to the pitiful state of our country, the time to rebuild our country economically, socially, politically, minus corruption is now.

The time to start radical reforms is not later but now. The time for moral regeneration which has been long delayed, the time for moral regeneration is now.

It's about time CBCP says its piece on the matter. This is way long overdue. As a concrete measure, might I suggest that purging be made starting from the top?

<---CBCP's tool for wholesale purge

An Eye for a Ticket

Last Wednesday, Makati police stepped up its efforts to apprehend traffic violators, only to waive the tickets of the violators.

What's the catch?

Violators had to sign a form donating their eyes to the Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines upon their death.

At first glance, it's kind of morbid. But once you think about it, the Makati police had a wonderful idea.

In other countries, donating body parts after death is perfectly normal. Moreover, many of us donate blood regularly to the Red Cross. Why can't we pledge our body parts once we go into the great beyond? We're not gonna need them after we die, after all. Our body is either just going to be incinerated or eaten up by worms. So we might as well donate our parts to help those who are going to need it.

For more information on how to donate your eyes, just go to the Eye Bank Foundation website at http://www.eyebank.com.ph/.


Photo: Caitlinator, Flickr, Creative Commons

Tree hugger

The Intramuros Administration head Bambi Harper is on the hot seat for the tree-cutting fiasco in her jurisdiction. It is released in the Department of Environment and Naural Resources website that Harper "may still face a two-year jail term or a fine of P5,000 or both under Section 3 of Presidential Decree 953 even though she was reported by several newspapers on Tuesday as declaring, 'I apologize, I am sorry' for the offense."

It seems DENR and Secretary Lito Atienza has been relatively active in pursuing environmental wrongdoers. Just last June DENR has dismantled and closed down 60 mini sawmills in Agusan del Sur and Butuan city as part of its crackdown on illegal logging.

But DENR stil has a long way to go. Even Sec. Atienza himself admitted that, "the reasons for the degradation of forests are corruption and our own shortcomings." There are still many reports of illegal logging in the country, specifically in Aurora, Agusan del Norte and Isabela.

Call me an idealist - but I wonder why the Philippines cannot seem to impose a total log ban. I think the tangible economic benefits of allowing logging can be offset by the intangible benefits if a total log ban is imposed. Legal or not, the effect of massive logging is the same. Almost every year during the typhoon season, a province is devastated by flash floods and high death tolls. I only hope the best efforts of Sec. Atienza can prevent another Ormoc tragedy from happening.

Let me segueway to a related video I found. It made me laugh. But I don't know what your reaction would be. It may scandalize you, which makes you a prude. Or it may titillate you, which makes you a perv. See for yourself.

Memorandum of Disagreement

Last week was a hectic one, with the midterms and all. So I missed the chance of pointing out my gripes on the Memorandum of Agreement between the government and MILF. Good thing the Supreme Court issued a TRO, at least to give everyone the chance to assess what the MOA was all about.

When the issue of the MOA first came out, I had a very strong opinion about it. To understand the issues better, I wanted to get hold of a copy of the MOA but was not able to (I also wanted to read the MOA ASAP because I had an upcoming Political Law review midterm, and I had a hunch that the issue will come out in the exam. True enough, there was a question about the MOA and the executive privilege of withholding such from the public. Then it hit me, kaya pala walang umiikot na kopya ng MOA, kasi nag-invoke na naman ng executive privilege ang palasyo.)

Alas, before I had my say on the matter, the issue had already been fully threshed out in the papers. Three of my most admired jurists - Fr. Joaquin Bernas, Justice Isagani Cruz and Dean Raul Pangalangan - already voiced out their thoughts on the issue. Whatever my concerns when I first learned about it were already voiced by the three men so eloquently (and exponentially more intelligently than what I would have written).

Needless to say, like all Miss Universe candidates, we all want lasting peace. It's been long overdue in the province of Mindanao. But a rushed MOA full of infirmities cannot be the answer to the conflict-ridden region. Every provision must stand the mettle of the Constitution. It is the fundamental law of the land, after all. This should not be taken by our Muslim brethren as an affront to them. They may belong to the Moro Nation, but they should not forget that they are also part of the the Filipino Nation.

Bayani Fernando: More Equal than Others

A snippet of an Inquirer report headlined "Lay off my posters, Bayani tells DPWH" reads:

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando gave this warning yesterday to the Department of Public Works and Highways, which has threatened to tear down his posters around the metropolis.

Unlike commercial billboards, the posters bearing his photo do not imperil lives and property, Fernando said in a statement.

“They shouldn't do that,” he said of the DPWH's threat to remove the posters. “Unlike other billboards, they don't pose danger to lives and property.”

“They're part of an intensified information and educational campaign of the MMDA to instill discipline among residents and restore order in the metropolis,” he said.

Yeah right, BF. As a long-time public official, Fernando ought to know that those similarly situated should be treated equally under the law. And there are many reasons why Fernando's billboards should not be given special treatment.

First, what makes Bayani Fernando's billboard stand apart from other billboards? Are his billboards so much sturdier than commercial billboards that the latter will imperil lives and property while his will not?

Second, billboards bearing Fernando's mug cannot in anyway be fathomed even by the most imaginative mind to be informational or educational. All his billboards say is: "Kaayusan, Pagbabago sa Kapaligiran, Pagbabago sa Kaisipan." All it tells us is that Bayani is gearing himself for the 2010 elections. Nothing educational about that.

Third, contrary to his claims, his billboards will not instill discipline among the people. In fact, it reveals the lack of self-restraint of our public officials in using public funds for private gain. If Fernando's goal is really to inculcate discipline among the people, then he is sending the wrong message.

Fourth, Fernando's billboards will not restore order in the metropolis. They just add to the chaos of an already chaotic city - eyesores to a city already filled with so many eyesores. Just look at his billboards for crying out loud. Res ipsa loquitur. At least most commercial billboards show images that are pleasing to the eyes.

So Mr. Fernando, please do the right thing and take down your billboards. Unless you want to be likened to the pig leaders in George Orwell's Animal Farm who proclaimed, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Photo: psd, Creative Commons, Flickr

2008 SONA: The Report Card

I couldn' resist not watching GMA's 2008 SONA. Maybe it's because I'm predisposed to fairy tales ever since I was a kid. The only difference is that in the kinds that I grew up reading and watching, the good guys won. But that's another story.

So I missed my class to watch the SONA, with a truckload of salt beside me for good measure.

If i were to grade this year's SONA, I would give the follwing marks:
Form: A
Delivery: A
Reflection to Reality: D

I have to give it to GMA and her ghostwriter. The speech was well-written, and GMA delivered it perfectly. If I were a foreigner hearing GMA speak for the first time, I would have had the impression that the Philippines is a burgeoning nation teeming with potential. But that is not the case.

The people are mired in poverty, and are likely to stay that way amidst the rising fuel and commodity prices. The programs are ineffective in providing genuine solutions to our problems. At most, the proposals to the problems are merely band-aid solutions - give the people the impression that the government is actually doing something, only to be forgotten when the hottest issue of the day cools down.

Moreover, the SONA is full of dubious facts that will make you think if you're living in the same country as that being illustrated by GMA so glowingly. 65 million Filipinos covered in health insurance? Really now. Increasing profit of a jeepney operator and a rural folk? Surely, this must be the exception to the rule. I was munching on spoonfuls of salt as I was hearing this.

At best, Gloria was most honest when she declared that VAT will have to stay. It's no surprise really, because she needs VAT as cash cow. After all, if VAT is taken away, where will she get the funds for her band-aid projects?

A Tale of Two Gonzalez[s]es

Alberto R. Gonzales was the Attorney General (Head of the US DOJ concerned with legal affairs and is considered to be the chief lawyer of the US government) from 2005 to 2007 under the Bush administration. He was forced to resign because his term was mired with controversies, including the firing of 9 US attorneys and the accusation of perjury.

In contrast, our very own DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez was bypassed by the CA nineteen times. But this did not deter him from keeping his post. I've lost count of the inane statements made by Raul, perjurious or not. In any case, every statement of Raul Gonzalez is always taken with a grain of salt, unless you're a hard-core administration loyalist or just plain gullible. As for firing, I don't think he will have any problems with that, as he even has the gall to recommend a shoot-to-kill against the RCBC suspects (Gonzalez caveat: that is not an official statement from the Department of JUSTICE, that is just his personal view). Clearly the word resign is not in Raul's vocabulary.

Spot the difference and weep.

News: Gonzalez finally gets opposition nod in CA

Inquirer reports that the opposition senators in the Commission on Appointments have given their nod on the confirmation of DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez after 19 ad interim apppointments.

"I am happy that finally they have recognized I am competent for the job," Secretary Gonzalez reportedly said. I am not aware if he said it during a lucid interval or not.