On the 8 Spot

pointer from here: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2010/02/25/what-you-see-is-what-they-buy/

this is nice , hope we advance enough to be able to do this!! Manny Villar (Vista Land) ,  Noynoy Aquino (ABS-CBN, Ayala Group of Companies), Gilbert Teodoro  (Government???), Eddie Villanueva ( His followers?) , Jamby (Meron ba?)

This new law is washed from the blood of all those who have died to the GREED of ship operators and the carelessness/greed of officials. In some ways I have a feeling that laws are not enough for people can and will still be bribed. This is a small but important step for the transportation industry of an archipelago of 7100 islands.

New law lets Coast Guard stop ships from sailing

By Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 22:08:00 02/22/2010

MANILA, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has signed a new law giving the Philippine Coast Guard increased law enforcement powers, including the authority to detain and prevent from sailing substandard passenger and cargo vessels plying the country’s waters.

Known as the “Philippine Coast Guard Act of 2009” or Republic Act 9993, the new law aims to further enhance maritime safety and prevent sea tragedies.

Investigations into some of the worst disasters in maritime history that occurred in Philippine waters showed there was need to pinpoint clearer responsibility for the enforcement of maritime safety regulations.

Eight years in the legislative mill, the new law strengthens the arm of the Coast Guard to issue and enforce rules and regulations covering the “promotion of safety of life and property at sea on all maritime-related activities,” as well as promote marine environmental protection.

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza called the Philippine Coast Guard Act of 2009 a measure that “has long been awaited by the maritime industry and the riding public.”

via New law lets Coast Guard stop ships from sailing – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.

This is good news.

MANILA, Philippines – The business process outsourcing industry has estimated that 90,000 new jobs will be created this year as companies abroad continue to seek lower costs and tap the Philippines for skilled workers.

In an interview, industry association head Oscar Sanez noted that the target new jobs this year is higher than the 74,000 actual jobs created in 2009.

Last year, the original forecast was 100,000 new jobs, but the industry players had to reduce this as some clients faced business uncertainties amid the global economic slowdown then.

Nonetheless, the new target of 90,000 this 2010 was announced as new graduates from universities and colleges in the country start looking for jobs starting March.

Sanez said that of the 90,000 target jobs, call center agents will account for 55% while non-voice service agents will fill up the remaining 45%.

The call center segment, usually manned by agents with flawless English facility, accounted for bulk of industry jobs at 280,000 in 2009.

via BPO targets 90,000 more jobs in 2010 | ABS-CBN News Online Beta.

nice read. napanood na ni noy ang invictus???

We must find a unity that transcends the divisions of today, based on a shared commitment to transforming our country into one that works: One where traffic flows well, garbage is collected efficiently, crimes are solved, justice is served, and our kids are educated properly. It works in the sense that you do not have to flee the country to move up in the world, improve your lot in life, and rise to the highest level your personal merits can achieve.

We are a nation of sacrifice, of diligence, dedication and, idealism, because we are a people imbued with compassion even when we have officials who lie, cheat, and steal. Our faith teaches us that we are our brother’s keeper. Our logic should tell us that in taking care of others, their growth equals our own.

In the movie “Invictus,” Nelson Mandela says, “In order to rebuild our nation, we must exceed our own expectations.” It requires us to insist, always, that we are not a nation of crooks, of thieves, of murderers who get off scot-free and where justice is won by the highest bidder.

In May, you will be asked to make a choice. Will you choose transformation and change or will you choose to uphold the status quo?

We have already made our choice. Ours is a journey towards transformation. I ask you today to join us in this journey now.

via MLQ3 on Tumblr!: A Philippinres That Works: Benigno S. Aquino III.

Millions share his vision because they see, and feel it. Perlas is someone crying out in the wilderness and asking people to come to him and share his vision for the Nation. Perlas wants to unite people and fight against poverty. Perlas wants to eradicate graft and corruption. Perlas will exercise strong political will to fight the forces that weaken the Motherland. And Perlas will see to it that those who have committed grave injustices against the People are put behind bars.There is something terribly wrong when people like Nicanor Perlas who once lived peacefully in their rich hamlets are suddenly seen in the streets, preaching the Gospel of Salvation from poverty and wants. When people who hate politics are suddenly going around town, preaching of “New Politics”, that’s surely a sign that things have turned for the worst.It just means that the exploitation, the degradation, the immorality, the amorality, the misery of the human condition, has seeped into the comfort zones of those who are not of the hungred kind.And I laud Blogwatch.ph and the Vibal Foundation for allowing me to partake of Nicanor Perlas’ vision even for an hour. Meeting him just makes me realize that the end is definitely not near, because there are still a few good men left who will sacrifice everything, just so that others may live better lives.

via Nicanor Perlas and the Dreams of an Ordinary Citizen | Filipino Voices.

This was an excellent write up of a speech/lecture? Prof Randy David gave. It’s an interesting read!!!

Quest for political stability

David observes that Filipinos are “sick and tired” of politics. In other societies, people are not overburdened with politics. And normally citizens think only about it during elections. The fact the politics consumes much of our national imaginary has both good and bad effects, he says. It is good in that citizens are kept informed. It is bad in that the constant politicking leaves little room to do much of anything else. It is time spent away from thinking about ways to improve education and health, growing businesses and the arts.

He says in the region the Philippines has had the longest experience with elections and yet we cannot seem to get it right. Elections are a good way of making the transition from a ‘traditional’ to a ‘modern’ society.

Here he gives quick yet unerring definitions of these broad concepts. A ‘traditional’ society is one of hierarchies. One might also call them ‘feudal’, ties and associations based on families. He also calls this society ‘limited-access’ in that only certain people enjoy monopolies of power and influence. A ‘modern’ society is ‘open-access’ and allows associations not based on familial or personal ties but through functions. They are ‘functionally differentiated’, allowing for clear divisions between politics and business, politics and religion, politics and other public realms. One might argue that a modern society is also more democratic.

David then makes an astonishing claim, one that many of us will probably instantly recognize but which we have not yet articulated, most of all to ourselves. I know I was struck by it. David claims we cannot seem to make that transition from being a ‘traditional’ (i.e. hierarchical, monopolistic) society to a ‘modern’ (i.e. truly democratic) society. We are stuck somewhere in the middle, exhibiting characteristics of either model. And here is where David makes a crucial point. He asks, why is it important to modernize?

via “A Message of Modern Politics” by Randy David | Filipino Voices.

People give the MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) a lot of flak for their ever changing rules and a lot of useless projects. I prefer to think differently. I see that the way the political system is structured here encourages doing nothing and not really solving anything. Whenever one tries to solve anything a powerful group or sector usually benefits from stopping you and the net effect is nothing is done.  That is what sets Bayani Fernando apart from alot of the politicians who has handled any line department for the government.

What sets him apart?

• Willingness to experiment: A lot of what bf (Bayani Fernando, bf starting now) does best is that he thinks like the engineer he was educated to be, and the experimentalist sensibilities that he may have naturally been born to. You can see this with the different schemes that he has concocted. From the throwing of dirty cloth to buses who open their doors at areas not designated as loading and unloading areas, to
• Use of Metrics: When I was still a college student I walked a lot and thus overpasses were my friend. During one of my crossing an overpass I happened upon people with counters happily clicking away with each car passing by quezon ave infront of the INC Central Temple. From sheer coincidence I was able to go at different overpasses  in the metro,  Philcoa, and a few more streets like the intersection of quezon ave and edsa. I was able to observe all these people from morning upto around 8 at night. This happened from monday to wednesday and at wednesday I was so curious that I asked them what they were doing, It seems they were tracking the number of cars passing by. Correct me if I am wrong but BF was probably the first MMDA chairman to do this. Simply put without the proper metrics , success and failure is just a frame of mind.
• Wise use of resources. The MMDA used convicts to do demolition of informal settlers. This helped in clearing up alot of informal settlers in many areas. (I wish I knew where to get data so we can compare the number of clearing operations at post pre and BF days). Although I do not completely agree with clearing informal settlers en mass.
• Pro Technology: MMDA was almost able to implement an IT enabled system that allowed traffic violations to be caught on camera and billed directly to the operator/car owner. I also see multiple Bayani Fernando google ads. This shows a surprisingly good grasp , if not at least a non technology averse personality.

This post may have been praising BF/MMDA alot but what I am just pointing out is that assuming almost everyone is tainted by corruption at least MMDA/BF has done more than most of the other PGMA appointees.

The challenges that the future hold are simply baffling. To be shackled or not be open to new ways of doing things, or at least to good ways of doing things is a sure recipe for failure. The people who came before us had many failures, but that does not mean we must fear failure, rather we must learn to learn from everything. Learn from mistakes. Learn from success. Let us embrace experimentation. Only through this can I win my bet the the Philippines would be A-OK in 20 years (3 years has already passed so its actually 17).

Bjorn Harsman and John Quigley describe Stockholm’s adoption of congestion pricing in a recent paper. Before holding a referendum on congestion pricing in 2006, the city conducted a trial. For seven months, drivers paid congestion charges upon entering Stockholm’s center. Officials also increased citywide bus service to demonstrate the benefits of the charge to non-drivers. In pretrial polls, the majority of residents opposed the charge. After the trial ended, 52 percent of residents voted in favor of permanent congestion pricing. Firsthand experience with the benefits of the scheme appears to have tipped the scales.

via Charter Cities: Meta-Rules: The Success of Congestion Pricing in Stockholm.

Philippines is mentioned.

Nice fact:

Healthwise Philippines in 2007 is US in 1957.

Economy wise Philippines in 2007 is US in 1915.

talk here

Big Fuck You!  I made a bet with vince that the Philippines would be a great country in 20 years , this was around 4 years ago, I believe I am losing, THis is the first post in the 20 year Bet Watch series!

Sometimes I have this fantasy of being a punisher like character and extract vengeance in behalf of all the soldiers and all the poor people of the Philippines. damn.

Readers protest vs Davis’ piece

Davis’ article on Garcia’s lifestyle did not sit well with some angry readers.

“My good lord, I could not even articulate how disgusted I am by this article, or, to be more accurate, by this animal. His father was a mere major general in an impoverished country where a college teacher earns $300.00 a month, and here’s a family who can afford all these luxuries,” wrote a reader named “moqueuo.”

“As the butterfly son wails over his lost little freedom, an ankle monitor by his branded leather boots, soldiers of the Philippine army (are) fighting in wet and dangerous jungles…with their worn out boots, dying to help stop terrorists who are part of the group who destroyed your World Trade Center eight years ago,” wrote a certain FlipNFlip.

“People are dying here (Philippines) because money needed to feed and care for people here have to give it up because of the frivolous lifestyle of this Tim Garcia,” FlipNFlip added.

“Pathetic story, pathetic excuse for a man, pathetic family. If Peter Davis is trying to develop a sympathetic character in the form of this guy, Tim Garcia, he’s missed completely. But if he’s revealing the repulsive self-indulgences and wallowing of a depressing little man, well, he succeeded,” read a comment by a certain Edmond Dantes. – GMANews.TV

via Son of ex-general Garcia lives in style amid US house arrest – Nation – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News.