Category: Politics

Sabi nga nila no good deed goes un punished (for the devil is more vindictive fellow)

My past experiences have often made me a skeptic. But one thing is clear in my mind: for those six days in Eastern Samar, many people were simply trying to do their jobs to the best of their abilities: the mayor who left her hospital bed in Manila to be with her people; the planning officer, in over his head when he was made DRRM officer; the governor who deferred his chemo treatments to stay in the command center; the local and international NGOs and relief volunteers who rushed to help without hesitation; the media men and women who were on the ground reporting responsibly from the start; and many others who did their share.
Like them, Mar Roxas was merely doing his job. He was serving the people.
I know. I was there. – Rappler.com
Rep. Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmote represents the 6th district of Quezon City in the Philippine House of Representatives.
via Mar Roxas and the motorcycle slide.

The memorandum circulars provide, among others, for the full disclosure of the LGUs’ budgets.
Former Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymond Villafuerte Jr. had questioned the legality of Memorandum Circular 2010-83, Memorandum Circular (MC) 2010-138 and Memorandum Circular 2011-08 for “lack of merit.”
MC 2010-83 pertains to the full disclosure of local budgets and finances and bids and public offering.
MC 2010-138, on the other hand, pertains to the use of the 20 percent component of the annual Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) shares.
MC 2011-08, meanwhile, pertains to the strict adherence by local government units on Section 90 of Republic Act 10147 or the General Appropriations Act of 2011.
Villafuerte claimed Robredo, who died in 2012 in a plane crash, went beyond his supervisory powers. He said the circulars violate local and fiscal autonomy.
The SC dismissed his claims, saying “it is inconceivable, however, how the publication of budgets, expenditures, contracts and loans and procurement plans of local government units required in the assailed issuances could have infringed on the local fiscal autonomy of local government units.”
“The posting requirements are mere transparency measures which do not at all hurt the manner by which local government units decide the utilization and allocation of their funds,” it added.
via SC upholds Robredo’s orders on good local governance | ABS-CBN News.

Wow it would only take about 100 Billion Pesos per year to push up the income and practically eradicate extreme poverty in the Philippines.  This makes me hopeful. Please do read the whole article.
 
 

Another measure of poverty is the poverty gap index representing the average amount of income required by the poor to reach the poverty line, in relation to the poverty line. APIS 2013 data shows that Pantawid has increased the income of beneficiaries so that they have moved closer to the poverty line: per peso cash grant, the poverty gap has been reduced by 61 centavos.
In 2013, Pantawid beneficiary families received an average of P1,407 of monthly cash grants, if they sent their 3 beneficiary children to school, and received health services for their household members. Without the cash grants, these families had an average per capita income of P13,293, whereas the poverty line per person was P19,262. Thus, the amounts given will not really help them cross the poverty line, but are only truly “Pantawid.” About half of cash grants are used for food, a quarter (25%) on educated-related expenses, while 7% is used on health, and close to nothing is used for recreation or alcohol.
The PSA estimated that in 2012, the “income gap” of the poor, i.e. the total amount required for all poor persons to cross the poverty line (assuming we could identify them and give them just what they needed, without even considering the costs of identifying them) was P136.6 billion, whereas the full CCT budget covered P39.4 billion.
So while the CCT budget is large, when you drill to the beneficiaries, this is still not enough to help them get out of poverty.
via The costs and benefits of Pantawid Pamilya.

Jejomar Binay would not be a presidential candidate in America. Period.
He has not been convicted of breaking any laws. But he would be convicted of violating the sense of good behavior that we . . . as informed, thinking voters . . . demand.
Why are so many Filipinos just standing by and waiting for a court conviction? Waiting for the Ombudsman? Waiting for impeachment? Waiting for an official act?
Perhaps because in the space between laws and freedoms, Filipinos have no clarity of conscience themselves. Frankly, I don’t wholly understand why there so little condemnation of Vice President Binay from important people who are SUPPOSED to have good ethical bearing. Leaders concede every benefit to the top crook in the land waiting for an official to tell them what to think. It’s like they are ethically impotent. I have shied away from the term cowardly. But . . . they . . . just . . . can’t . . . speak . . . up.
There are no Rizals among the current crop of leaders, I’d guess.
via Binay does not have to be declared guilty to get thrown from the presidential race | The Society of Honor by Joe America.

The famous UP lawyer who can’t read between the lines. Vietnam is not a lackey of the US yet is encountering aggressive action by China. Is it too much of a stretch that maybe China is aggressive against US not specifically because of our close ties with the US?
 
Add blaming the President for the failings of the Judiciary and someone has to say it:
Harry Roque is a hack!
I wish that we eventually get a lawyer of principle who fights for principle instead of his ego.
 
 

I answered all of the options except for strengthening our ties with the US since China already views us as a mere lackey of the US, I explained that with the billions of pesos that we have lost in PDAF and DAP, we could already afford the cost of modernizing our navy. I am unsure though until now what Justice Carpio was leading to since he ended his interpellation by observing that China has also been aggressive against Vietnam despite the latter’s staunch independent foreign policy.
via Harry Roque’s Blog « Thoughts of an activist lawyer.