The Romualdez, Roxas, & Aquino political Drama in Haiyan’s aftermath

The bickering, blaming game, and the crying drama have been dominating my Facebook wall and it can really get tiring or even annoying. What makes it even obnoxiously annoying is how this squabble is starting to create a wedge or was it a simulated wedge that what I am seeing are just paid hacks influencing the gullible social media people?

Fish tale straight from the fishes mouth.

It’s a damn if you do and damn if you don’t situation, thanks and no thanks to the paid hacks muddling the issue. Not that the national government was remiss in early warning. As a matter of fact the president no less went on prime time national TV to announce the dangers of the impending super typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. How exactly did some people react if I may ask? They ridiculed the president and even got upset because their prime time idiot box show was interrupted by the president who they believe just wants his face splattered on national TV. They can't believe the president they keep calling abnoy is wasting their time on some typhoons that is a normal occurrence of hitting the country 20 times a year anyway. Or so they thought not realizing this one packs a wallop so powerful that it has becomes the strongest that ever made landfall.

Sadly ignorance can kill and in the hands of the disgraced now resurrected political family dynasty it can kill not just one or two human beings but thousands that could have been prevented with just a few keystroke on the computer. How hard or how difficult is it for the mayor of Tacloban to go search the web what is a storm surge? Don’t tell me they don’t have the luxury of time because in 22 seconds google came out with 55,100,000 results and they could have grasped the enormity of the grave dangers to start evacuating the people to safer grounds. If the people of Tacloban see their mayor ignorantly thinking that he can sit out Yolanda/Haiyan's wrath how exactly will the people react especially when no one told them that a storm surge is one of the major causes of death in a super typhoon?

Instead of overseeing and monitoring the emergency situation he decided to just order his chief of staff to stay at city hall to monitor what is happening while he sits it out in comfort by his beach front mansion rendered useless as he clings for dear life by the roof. Imagine the stupidity! Knowing his mansion is right smack the path of a super typhoon and he opted to sit it out is like a script out of the Dumb and Dumber movie, LOL.

So far Mayor Alfred Romualdez has successfully deflected the issue on his accountability and responsibility on the thousands of death that could have been avoided. By playing a blaming game complete with crying drama that gives tear jerker soap opera a run for their money. Romualdez story telling a lie is just like a tele-novela that gets improvised as the series unfolds as if concocted by writers for audiences to demand for more drama or was it? I am not a fan of Roxas but I can surely understand where he is coming from being a victim of outright lie myself concocted by a guy but worse than a fishwife gossip monger that's so fantastic to even be believable, hehehe.

Politicians are known for white lies while corrupt public officials as we all know have elevated lying into an art form. So while DILG rules indicate that B&W communication is needed for them to take over it is still just a formality. One has to insist on it when dealing with a liar. The media blitz complete with edited video highlighting Roxas comment presented in the wrong context plus the crying drama and outright lies of Romualdez validates such fears coming from Roxas. This is where the irony is, while people complain about the use of the term storm surge that they have no clue and even the Kring Kring of the wife of Romualdez admits on TV. There seems to be no lack of talent when it comes to editing audio and video to present Roxas in the wrong context enough to convince the gullible that Roxas and the Aquino administration is unfairly pressuring the poor victim of a mayor in "politicizing" the tragedy for Mar's presidential ambition, LOL. Well, to say that people are a sucker for the underdogs is an understatement but is Romualdez really an underdog? Lest some people forget Romualdez belongs to the long disgraced and discredited political family dynasty, a close relative of the frozen stiff one former dictator who once ruled the country with an iron fist and a reputation as a congenital liar. A Romualdez of the Imeldific tribe wannabe royal blood that's more like prone to blood sucking than royal.

Romualdez should consider himself lucky that the president only blamed him for his debacle and poor preparation, he should have been held accountable and responsible for the thousands of death for dereliction of duty and incompetence with deadly consequence. But guess what, this is where trapos excel at like the Arroyo’s, able to deflect the issue by saying the president is playing a blaming game and gullible people are taking the bait hook, line, and sinker.

Funny how people or were those paid hacks accusing Roxas of politicizing the tragedy when it was Alfred Romualdez that sees politics in what is asked of him. He sees the a black and white request as a resignation letter when he wants curfew imposed by the soldiers and his fans rants and raves right away that Mar was too fixated on processes and too legalistic. Perhaps, Roxas came in too strong but this is a nation where nothing moves without the “processes” that was put in place due to decades old corruption. This is a nation where processes are interpreted in so many creative ways and failure to do so can also be interpreted in various creative ways. Despite all the whining and crying and on national TV at that by Romualdez he never wrote anything as requested. Come to think of it, he maybe the dumbest person there is because how can you write a letter of request that serves as a resignation letter beats the crap out of me? LOL. But then again this the husband and wife that has no clue what is a storm surge and now does he think his crocodile tears is enough for him to escape responsibility and accountability for the deaths in the thousands of his constituents?

Someone please organize all the survivors of the Tacloban Yolanda/Haiyan and sue the LGU, yes that means the crying drama prince mayor and Kring Kring of a wife councilor of wrongful death class action lawsuit for incompetence and criminal negligence to protect the welfare and well being of their constituents. No one says that taking the straight narrow path is easy, it is not as straight as we thought it is and there are roadblocks and other hurdles that we need to pass in order to get where we want to be............. But then again is this administration really serious or are they being taken for a ride by the corrupt people around them?

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Social Media's susceptibility to rumor mongers

The problem with social media is no wait I take that back.......... The problem with liars is that they have "better opportunities" to spread their story telling a lie worldwide as fast as they can pound on their keyboards. 

Really now!? How much more drama do people need amidst a major catastrophe where tragedy struck thousands of people losing their love ones in a horrific destruction coming from super typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan?

There are quite a number of people in despair finding themselves in a miserable plight they had never imagine will happen to them in an instant losing everything they had materially and some even their love ones. One has to be the lowest of the low and really a lazy bum to take the short cut instead of going to the ground to find human interest story. It must have been difficult for them to find it but way convenient to just snag an AP photo and concoct their not so accurate story. 

If this is the same outfit or if they are connected with ABS CBN, the people or maybe just a person responsible for this really need to get some serious professional help or this is really the game people play in a nation where lying is considered an art form as espoused by the Trapos? Unfortunately even if this was the handiwork of an unscrupulous employee or some nut job not connected and not sanctioned by the corporation it still reflects poorly on the company philosophy. Just the same ABS-CBN Corporation ought to be ashamed of themselves for allowing the plagiarization and the blatant story telling a lie!

How dare them manipulate and exploit people's emotion by lying and misrepresenting the picture of 2 boys they claim was shot in Tacloban. NO! they were nowhere near Tacloban but the pictures were taken in a stadium in Zamboanga during the MNLF siege. Contrary to the soap opera like tele-novela that they produce for the gullible public the boys are actually related, they are brothers.

If this image is being used to solicit donations, they should be held accountable for misrepresentation and fraud. What a shame and shame on them for turning social media into a worldwide cyberspace corner sari sari store gossip and rumor monger congregation!
 
The problem with emotional people and those of the highly partisan kind whether of the personality based patronage politics in the Philippines or any religious or even social stand is they can easily get exploited and manipulated. A little lie here and there and they get excited like little brats willing to defend it with their life, even if it was wrong but due to their highly partisan behavior, tend to be on self denial refusing to see reality. Another one circulating on the social media is the picture of VP Jojo Binay allegedly being stopped by US soldiers to get near the UN relief goods.

I was never a fan of Binay or any trapo even Noynoy Aquino but the people behind this irresponsible black propaganda truly redefines the Media PR practitioner in a different way as suggested by Hector Miñoza at Facebook:

MEDIA PR (political rumor) - The art of creating catastrophe in relief convergence operation at the ground. Instead of building bridges, they confuse and encourage people to build more walls to impede the process. (^_^)

The  image above circulating social media did not only lie about Binay being stopped by a soldier to go near the UN relief goods, but in the process demoted a rear admiral to a foot soldier. It was a visit to the Operation Damayan a joint military rescue mission and  the man they demoted down to foot soldier was Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, commander, Battle Force 7th Fleet, have they no shame? If that was a Philippine military official I am sure there will be a lot of howl and protest coming from the "nationalist" and pretend nationalist politicians creating a scene over the demotion, LOL. What comes to mind is Senate President Frank Drillon having a tantrum when he was asked by a Filipino American TSA agent after 911 to go through security check and have his shoes removed arrogantly protesting telling the guy he was a big honcho (big fat guy alright, hehehe) back home as if it matters to the TSA guy.

Now how exactly does that help anyone or people to work hard for a common cause which is the rescue and relief operations for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan and of course not to be forgotten the Bohol earthquake and those displaced people of Zamboanga? What is the point of concocting lies? Are they are banking on the gullibility of the people that they shamelessly concoct lies when all they need to do is watch and listen with their hearts? But then again one with evil intentions can't see or hear realities before them.

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There is no sunshine in the Philippines today

You and I are very blessed in more ways than many of us realize.

But not many of our fellowmen back in the Philippines are, especially those who are languishing in the gutter of poverty and then hammered by back to-back super earthquake and the worst monster typhoon ever!
 
Let's picture ourselves and our children in their shoes....

The two natural disasters in the Philippines could conceivably leave at least 15,000 Filipinos dead  and tens of thousands more, at least 60% children,  displaced, with  no shelter or food, much less  the ability to recover soon from their misery. Their future is uncertain, shaky at best

The Filipino United Network - USA has donated P500,000 to lessen the  suffering of the devastated victims of these calamities. But this modest donation will only take care of about 1,500 families (4,500 to 5,000  individuals), and  provide 50 tents to be used as makeshift classrooms for the countless children, whose schools were totally  destroyed.

We are renewing our charitable fund-raising campaign and are calling on the compassion and generosity of caring people like you.  No amount of help is too small; every little bit helps.

As I have said before, let us not wait for surgery to open our heart for the needy and desperate.

Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.  FUN - USA is a 501(c)3 humanitarian advocacy Foundation in the United States, with Tax ID Number  261-71-7446.

Donations may be made conveniently and securely on the FUN Website.  This website also shows a list of donors, for transparency and accountability.

Please click on FUN Website and see for yourself. Your heart will melt to see the desperate victims who continue to suffer as they grieve for their dead, as shown on CNN, FOX, and all major TV channels around the world.

I am begging for your kind help and compassion. For info about the undersigned, please Google the word SCALPELPEN.

And please be a FUN Advocate by forwarding this appeal to all your contacts, including Americans, who are now well aware of  this great  tragedy.

Thank you, best wishes, and may God bless you and your loved ones.

Philip
Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS
Chairman
Filipino United Network - USA
Click to send Email
Booksite: www.LetsStopKillingOurChildren.com

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*Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana, USA, trained at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, is Chairman of Filipino United Network (FUN-USA), Vice Chairman of Filipino American Leadership Council (FALCONadvocacy) and Vice President for Far East of Cardiovascular Hospitals of America, Wichita, Kansas. He is a columnist for five newspapers and one magazine in the United States and five newspapers and one magazine in the Philippines.

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Super Typhoon Yolanda's Wrath

Calamities are not exactly a pretty picture to see and it gets uglier when we see mass looting going on.

Barely a few weeks past after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the southern part of the Philippines another natural calamity strikes again from a 195 to 200+ MPH super typhoon Yolanda known as Haiyan internationally hitting the south once again causing unfathomable destruction and loss of lives.

Families were separated by the powerful gust of winds and sea water going inland like a tsunami swept people away from each other while holding on to each other or others even tied together. Those not strong enough like small children, the sick and weak old people drowned and swept away lifeless together with the debris. Some happened to be at the wrong place and time got hit fatally by flying debris while others are trapped in the crumbling structures of their homes. The damage and destruction is beyond description and even hardened workers of aid and relief agencies used to seeing disasters that went rushing to the area was shocked at the sight of massive horrific damage and destruction.

Who knows but maybe had they listened to the tearful plea to diplomats assembled in Doha by the Philippines’ lead climate negotiator, Nadarev Saño, things might have been different.




Then we see videos of the looting and we were shocked. I myself was shocked not because I have never seen people looting before. I have seen and saw first hand on the ground actual looting taking place during the Los Angeles riot after the Rodney King verdict. But this widespread looting taking place in Tacloban is indeed shocking. Perhaps it was quite unusual considering the submissive nature of the Filipinos that we are used to seeing but faced with hunger and dehydration what is it that we really expect of them?

Department of Agriculture Secretary Alcala was on the air explaining the rice supply situation and when he was unable to satisfy the querry of the radio announcers tried to deflect the issue as if castigating Tacloban for the looters on why can't they be disciplined and patient enough like the Japanese during the Fukushima disaster. Of course we have seen and read about the little boy who returned his share of the food back to the table for others who are more hungrier than he is. A small yet giant gesture considering the situation he is in that truly melts the heart. So young and yet his kind unselfishness and humanity shines in the midst of disaster that makes a grown man turned worse than animals resorting to uncivilized behavior in order to survive. 

Indeed why can't some of out fellow Filipinos exhibit the same humanity and virtue that the Japanese people show the world? Well, in the first place wishing is not exactly realistic and it is nothing but idle wishful thinking without considering why we have these "kind" of people. Have they not noticed that we have a very unequal economic development and sharing of wealth that 20 to 30 percent of any city population are living in squatters area? The problem with mimicking or aping other nations is that they seem to not notice that there is a huge difference between a 3rd world country and that of a developed country. When politicians or Trapo leaders reduced the people into a serf like subject squandering government funds in patronage type politics thus encouraging mendicancy instead of spending for infrastructure that encourages setting up of job generating industries, can we expect our people to act like the nobility class?

You have a big chunk of population that are reduced to squalid living conditions and their dignity taken away from them with no decent stable jobs to survive, how exactly do we expect them to behave? No one wants to see rampant criminality but in the same manner we must ensure that we must also keep criminals out of the government, but then again how can we when our electoral system is the exclusive domain of the criminal posing as leaders of the people? If there are so-called honorable ladies and gentlemen and women that are really nothing but lowly thieves or worse even plunderers, is it a surprise that we have lawlessness during calamities? Perhaps, we need to ask ourselves if that was us facing with the same desolate uncertainty for days feeling trapped in an apocalyptic scenario desperately foraging for food and water where there is none to be found with our immediate love ones, what will we do?

How about the small restaurant owner who lost his house and almost everything except his restaurant started cooking and feeding fellow survivors and victim for free, now why can't our richest of the rich like Henry Sy, Gokongwei, and other big capitalist do the same? Perhaps they should help the less fortunate instead of the trapos, but then again the poor even if they look the other way unlike the trapos and the government agencies like the BIR are not capable of giving them sizable "savings" in the hundreds of millions.

Of course we can't expect all of them to step up even Imelda Marcos the wife of the frozen stiff former dictator that used to be their representative in congress. I really would love to be wrong here but you know what, we are the only one's that can help ourselves and do something to make things right. Then we have some quarters wanting Noynoy Aquino to declare martial law in Tacloban, ayayay. The looting brings me back to that unnamed Philippine lawmaker quoted in a report that is getting too close for comfort and I quote:

You have just one flash flood of money, you keep your people poor. It's like a time bomb and it's scary"

Anyway, here are the list of charitable organizations compiled by Huffington Post for people in the US wanting to help the survivors of the natural calamity unleashed by the most powerful typhoon ever recorded:

World Food Programme
WFP has allocated an immediate $2 million for Haiyan relief, with a greater appeal pending as needs become apparent. The UN organization is sending 40 metric tons of fortified biscuits in the immediate aftermath, as well as working with the government to restore emergency telecommunications in the area. Americans can text the word AID to 27722 to donate $10 or give online. Learn more here.

Red Cross
Emergency responders and volunteers throughout the Philippines are providing meals and relief items. Already, thousands of hot meals have been provided to survivors. Red Cross volunteers and staff also helped deliver preliminary emergency warnings and safety tips. Give by donating online or mailing a check to your local American Red Cross chapter. Learn more here.

The Philippine Red Cross has mobilized its 100 local outposts to help with relief efforts. Learn more here.

AmeriCares
The relief organization is sending medical aid for 20,000 survivors, including antibiotics, wound care supplies and pain relievers. AmeriCares is also giving funds to local organizations to purchase supplies. Learn more here.

World Vision
The organization is providing food, water and hygiene kits at the evacuation centers. World Vision was also still actively responding to last month's earthquake in Bohol, which luckily was not struck by the eye of the storm. Learn more here.

ShelterBox
ShelterBox provides families with a survival kit that includes a tent and other essential items while they are displaced or homeless. Learn more here.

UNICEF
Anticipating that children will likely be among the worst affected by the typhoon, UNICEF is working on getting essential medicines, nutrition supplies, safe water and hygiene supplies to children and families in the area. Learn more here.

Salvation Army
100 percent of all disaster donations will be used for relief efforts and "to immediately meet the specific needs of disaster survivors." Text TYPHOON to 80888 to Donate $10 or give online. Learn more here.

Save The Children
The organization has sent relief kits for children and families, including household cleaning items, temporary school tents and learning materials. Learn more here.

Doctors Without Borders
The organization is sending 200 tons of medical and relief items, including vaccines, tents and hygiene kits. Learn more here.

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Martial Law in Tacloban?

Whoever suggested that PNoy declare martial law in Tacloban is not just a fool but a sadistic inhuman cruel psychopath.

Martial law of course would mean restricting  the movement of the people, now why would someone do that when people are already immobilized with the destruction of the roads, bridges, and even public transportation by the super typhoon Yolanda. Where do they expect people to go when almost everything is destroyed with no place to go or go home during curfew hours when their homes were destroyed rendering them homeless?

The government can't even take care of the dead rotting on the streets of Tacloban and they want soldiers to guard and oppress the living survivors? That is not just adding insult to injury  at a time when they are down and feeling hopeless instead of assisting them to get up will be subjected to repression that will fan the flames of hatred and violence towards civil unrest.

Are they serious or seriously mentally impaired,  they want to put a stop to looting by imposing martial law? The actions of a few criminals and they want to restrict the freedom of an already suffering general population of Tacloban?

Perhaps owners of these business establishment should start paying their security guards decent wages rather than the slave wages and maybe they will be there when they really need them? There is really no need for martial law, besides suggesting that to a president whose family suffered under a despotic martial law dictatorial regime is really insensitive and idiotic. They ought to be glad that the president just walked out on them rather than order that person confined to a mental institution for suggesting martial law that only a psychotic would have suggested.

I am not a big fan of Noynoy Aquino especially now when I am getting impatient at how he deals with the PDAF scandal but I support and laud his effort not to succumb to idiotic brainless twat creating more problems than solution to an already desperate situation.

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Feeling like a fish out of water

Do you ever get a feeling that you're like a fish out of water, I certainly am at times when discussions about a 60 year old man messing with a 16 year old girl is justified in the name of love, LOL.

Perhaps we are really being judgmental and harsh without being aware or consider where it was coming from because oftentimes people see things along the lines of what is considered legal and prevailing culture of people back in the country.

On the other hand in the course of going around the social networking I chance upon Ninotchka Rosca's comment which became my favorite quote of the day, to wit:

"One has to render judgment, lest these things and views are never changed."

I must admit that I did poke fun and made a joke about it a number of times. I really have to stop joking about this because it does not really help but just makes it worse that we become an enabler of DOM (dirty old man) and exploitation of minors in the Philippines instead of helping come up with solutions.


The problem is we have an antiquated anti-rape law that would you believe was already amended in 1997 but is still in a Taliban like era in protecting or lack of it minor children? In this amended law sex with minor is considered as rape only when the child is below 12 years of age. It makes you wonder if those that crafted and voted for this amendment think that children stops being a child once they had their first menstrual period. What is even more perplexing is the inclusion of incest without classifying it as incest, don't we have laws against incest in the Philippines or did they remove it altogether?

Of course when we hear a celebrity of international fame at that gets embroiled in a scandalous relationship people get shocked and reacts violently. Well at least just in the social networking site, a virtual world in written word and we ought to be thankful for that, I should say more so with Ka Freddie.

There is a need to pressure our lawmakers to first improve HB 0681 by raising the age to 18 or at least 17 instead of just 16 years old in order to discourage and prevent pedophilia. We already have so many problem with criminals and criminal minded misinterpreting due process to be beyond the right to be heard in court in a just and fair manner. It gets even more exacerbated when we have so many antiquated laws that exploits instead of protect our children.

While we are at it we need to really rid congress with PDAF and DAP because if they can't even come up with laws that exploits instead of protect our children what more with enabling laws on anti-political dynasty that's been sitting idle in our constitution for so long?

To those people insisting that it was Aguilar and the 16 year old girls personal business let me leave this question for you to ponder on......... If you have a 16 year old daughter will you give them the blessing to have a relationship with a 60 year old man or even Freddie Aguilar himself?

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Berteni "Toto" Cataluña Causing: RAIDERS OF THE PRESS

Berteni "Toto" Cataluña Causing: RAIDERS OF THE PRESS: RAIDERS OF THE PRESS Exceedingly disgusted over arrest attempt  on ALAM chair for libel at Press Freedom grounds I, the pr...

Freddie Aguilar, cradle snatching, PDAF, DAP & WMD

Leave it to the lazy plundering legislators of the Philippines making Ka Pervie errr Ka Freddie Aguilar as the unofficial ambassador to foreign pedophiles.

Lolo Freddie’s trending  publicity that’s going viral now will eventually serve as an invitation for foreign pedophiles to come on over to the pedophile haven without the risk of dealing with troublesome Taliban. While it is definitely worst in Taliban controlled areas where they marry off 8 year old girls to men as old as sexagenarian Ka Pervie the Philippines is really not that far off with 13 as the age of consent  for little girls.

Some wags are saying that Ka Freddie’s favorite key is “A Minor” and it does have some basis when he brags that it was not his first time to play house errr be in “love” with a minor since his 3rd wife was just 17 years old. Experience so to speak or was it serial pedophile openly admitting his attraction to little girls?

It seems that Ka Pervie consults his dictionary from time to time as his basis for justifying his cradle snatching saying the dictionary never or did not specify who should be in love. My suspicion is he did not just looked it up in the dictionary but the laws on statutory rape because it seems that our greedy legislators are so fixated with their PDAF and DAP that to this day we have a Taliban like laws when it comes to exploiting errr protecting our minor children.

Ex US President George Bush could have avoided waging war in Iraq looking for non-existent WMD when he could not have looked no further because it was in the Philippine congress all along, LOL. Say what, am I nuts or what, WMD in Philippine congress? Well, our present laws are antiquated and if ever they craft a new law they can’t seem to figure out if it makes sense and the reason is because of WMD (weapon of mass DISTRACTION) in the form of PDAF and DAP. They can’t focus because they are distracted and fixated with the millions in windfall profit errrr funds for their pockets ooops,  I meant constituents.

Can you believe that sexagenarian like Ka Freddie Aguilar can have sex with little girls age 12 to 18 without worrying about getting charged with statutory rape? If ever the victim files a complaint the little girl has to prove first that she is a virgin before she had sex with her boyfriend old enough to be her great grandfather. Now how exactly can that be proven when she already had sex with a cradle snatcher is indeed puzzling. Assuming it can be proven the offense is not considered a public crime and therefore the authorities will not pursue the case until the victim files a complaint. As if that is bad enough the complaint that can be filed was just for seduction which carries a light sentence and would probably be most likely a slap in the hand.

It is frustrating that we still lived in the dark ages when it comes to laws protecting our minor children. What is even more annoying is while they came up with HB 0681 that raise the age from 12 to 16 the age of consent it is still short of 2 years. Ironic that while they came up with laws addressing the problem of children in conflict with the law they failed to consider if the government has the infrastructure to implement the law properly to be effective. And while they saw the problem with minor children you would think that they would at least reviewed the flaws of the present law regarding the protection of minors from sexual predatory pedophiles.

As if the situation is not getting worse and at the time that the senate and congress is embroiled in PDAF plunder scandal Senator Ralph “Vilma Santos” Recto is asking for an increased in DAP, is he clueless or what or does he wander in his own reality?  This after his colleagues got caught not just stealing but plundering their PDAF, what was he thinking? When a scandal breaks out regarding thievery and plunder leaders with their moral compass still intact would have come up with safeguards to ensure and prevent their colleagues from raiding the coffers instead of asking for more. What message is Recto trying to send, they need more to speed up their insatiable appetite for dirty money? If you still think that Scrap the Pork is not the right call, think again because money and ton loads of it that can easily be plundered is a distraction thus they can’t do their job of crafting laws that makes sense.

Clearly, retaining PDAF and DAP serves as a WMD and of course makes pedophiles happy since they are too distracted to even come up with laws that makes sense. In the meantime enjoy the song of my idol and FB friend Dennis Garcia of Hotdog who Ka Pervie probably wants to hit with his old people's walker, LOL …………

I am not so sure if Maegan the daughter of idol Ka Freddie of Apo errr Anak fame understood what pedophilia means. She is raging mad and ranting at her dad's critics calling them morons and stupid. Opppps I guess that includes me, hehehe but then again she seems like detached from society because society to her is shackling, LOL.

Freddie Aguilar and her daughter Maegan says it is love, but the what the father and daughter probably failed to do is look up the meaning of pedophilia which is defined as the act or fantasy on the part of an adult of engaging in sexual activity with a child or children. If they look it up some more like in a Britannica encyclopedia it is even considered a mental illness, perhaps they need to add more vocabulary instead of just looking at the meaning of love so they don't get in trouble with society and the online world in particular because our laws are useless.

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Global Filipinos: A Sleeping Giant Our Appointment with Destiny

The origin and formation of the Filipino people dates back at least 50,000 years ago, long before the development of the Austronesian languages.      
                    
Fast forward to March 16, 1521, when the Philippines was discovered by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan.

Filipinos, in general, have always excelled wherever they were. 

One such Filipino was our national hero, Jose Protacio Rizal, an FMG, yes, a foreign medical graduate, who obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree in Madrid, Spain, in 1885, 128 years ago.

He was a European-trained ophthalmologist, one of very few specialists at the time, when specialization was not even popular.

Rizal, believing in the brilliance of his people, exhorted the Filipinos to regain the pride in themselves and in their race.

Some say the history of the Filipinos in the United States dates back to 1763, when the Manilamen, as Filipinos were called then, all sailors on the Manila Spanish Galleons, jumped ship and settled in the bayous and villages at St. Malo and Barrataria Bay, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans. 

That popular historical version puts it at 250 years ago, but actually records show that Filipinos, then known as “Luzonians,” first set foot  in 1587 on Morro Bay San Obispo, now known as California --- 13 years before  the considered first settlers, who were from the Great Britain, arrived in the 1600 in what we now call the USA.

So, to set the record straight, they were Filipinos, and not British or American Indians who first set foot in America, some 426 years ago.

We, Filipino, are therefore technically not foreigners in the United States!

Today, there are more than 3 million of us in America and about 11 million overseas, comprising about 14% of the total population of the Philippines, which is almost 99 million.

Remittances from all us this year is expected to be 22.5 Billion,  US dollars. Without this infusion of money to the  Philippine economy, the government would literally shut down.

If all of us stop these remittances even for a few months, the country would go bankrupt.
   
The global Filipinos are indeed a vital and powerful lifeline for the Philippines, its government and its people.

Filipinos have a literacy rate of 96-98% and majority of us are fluent in English. No less than 47.9 % of us in the United States have at least a Bachelor’s Degree.

Twenty percent of the world’s seafarers are Filipinos. There are 1.2 million sailor and cruise employees around the world.

In the USA alone, there are 22,000 physicians and more than 50,000 Registered Nurses and caregivers,  thousands in businesses, electronics, media, law, art and sciences…the rest in stores, restaurants, casinos, and in almost every facet of the economic and social infrastructure of the nations they live in, serving their communities.

Indeed, the more the world knows about Filipinos, the more they’ll love us….except, of course, our corrupt politicians and some snakes in our won forest.

So, imagine a world without Filipinos!

In the United States alone, most hospitals and clinics, factories, casinos would be handicapped severely, if not paralyzed and close, without Filipinos.
   
We, Filipinos, are indeed a Sleeping Giant, and we have every reason to be proud as Filipinos.

All we, global Filipinos, need today is to wake up from our slumber, unite, and claim the glory of a people long victimized and dominated, no longer by past foreign powers and conquerors, but by our fellow Filipinos themselves, our very own elected officials in the government, whose plunder of our nation, through pork barrel and other means of robbing our national treasury, has disenfranchised, marginalized and neglected our people, more than 30% of them now languishing in the gutter of poverty, robbed not only of clothing, food, and shelter, but of their dignity, honor, pride, and a future.

As these corrupt leaders fill up their pockets and bank accounts, the poorest of  the poor Filipinos go to bed at night hungry, not only with empty stomach but with empty hope and empty dreams.

Fortunately, in 2010, the Filipinos at home and abroad have elected by an impressive landslide a man of integrity and honor.

While the progress of fighting the deeply-rooted culture of corruption is slower than we all would like to see, there are many encouraging signs of the change we all dream and hope for, like the arrest of former president Gloria Arroyo, who is facing several criminal charges, the impeachment and forceful removal from office of former Chief of the Supreme Court, Renato Corona, who is also facing charges for unexplained wealth and tax evasion, and about 4 weeks ago….the incarceration of Janet Lim Napoles, apparently the mastermind behind the ten billion-peso pork barrel (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam.

She is expected to turn state witness against 37 others implicated in this scam, including Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, Senators “Jinggoy” Estrada,  Bong Revilla, Gringo Honasan, and Ferdianad Marcos, Jr.

More than 400,000 vigilant Filipinos marched and rallied against the Pork Barrel scam near EDSA, which has led to the surrender of Janet Napoles and the ongoing investigation today.

I am sure more heads will fall.

There are several other investigations on corruption going on the Philippines…courtesy of the Aquino administration.

All these could NOT, would NOT, have happened if we had a president who was corrupt.

The impressive economic boon in the Philippines and the excellent  international credit rating of the country today are the impact and fruits of an honest and transparent leadership from the top.

I only hope and pray that the one who succeeds Noynoy Aquino in 2016 is equally a leader of integrity, honesty, and transparency.

Otherwise, we shall be back to square one and waste all the changes and progress achieved so far.

Filipinos around the world, must come together, even in our diversity, even without unanimity, and unite for a common cause, and inspire our people towards responsible citizenship, and our nation, towards good governance and ethical leadership.

When united, this sleeping giant could harness super power and clout. 

Just think about it: If each of the 14 million of us outside the Philippines contributes just one single dollar, we shall easily and painlessly have $14 million as our war chest overnight…….for the humanitarian programs  of many organizations like the PMAC and their medical missions, the Gawad Kalinga, and several others.

What we need is a revolution…… not a revolution of arms where blood shall be shed, but a revolution of principles, priorities, attitude, and discipline, where sweat and tears INSTEAD shall be shed to bathe our nation clean.

All the little miracles and providential omens developing in our country and among Filipinos around the world today are a manifestation of positive things to come.    

You, who are here today, leaders of our people in your own right, embolden my sustained faith in the Filipino people.

You represent what is best in humankind, and your nobility and compassion towards our fellowmen ensure the Filipino a rightful place in history.

You are not only the source of hope for our people but the foundation of dignity and pride for the Philippines.

I have an abiding faith that the Filipinos are destined for greatness.

    
Leaving this world after this life is not a tragedy. Dying without making a difference, without significance, without leaving an inspiring legacy behind, is.

I am, therefore, making this clarion call to all of you within the reach of my voice, and to all within the reach of yours tomorrow, to unite and join the crusade, the revolution, and come together for a noble cause, to serve our poor, to renounce corruption, to reclaim our lost glory of the 1950s and ‘60s, and recapture our dignity, honor, and pride as a people and as a nation. 

 
Ladies and gentlemen, with all these signs and symptoms and heartaches of our suffering fellowmen back home, let us not wait for SURGERY to open our heart. 

Let us come together now as our brothers’ keepers, as our nation’s loving patriots, to serve a cause nobler and greater than our individual selves, and, someday soon make OUR appointment …..with destiny. *********************************************************************************

*Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana, USA, trained at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, is Chairman of Filipino United Network (FUN-USA), Vice Chairman of Filipino American Leadership Council (FALCONadvocacy) and Vice President for Far East of Cardiovascular Hospitals of America, Wichita, Kansas. He is a columnist for five newspapers and one magazine in the United States and five newspapers and one magazine in the Philippines.

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Seizing an opportunity for a cultural sea change

So we just had a historic social media-powered Million People March. Now what? Specifically, what can we do to control corruption?

Instead of reinventing the wheel, I suggest that we learn from the best and apply what works. Two Asian neighbors that were once deep in the morass of endemic corruption prove that no country is condemned to the vicious cycle of poverty and the concomitant corruption that shackles and prevents its people from breaking it.

For decades, corruption was a way of life in Singapore. To reverse the tide, the British colonial government created the Corrupt Practices and Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in 1952, a very small unit of civilian investigators that held court in small nondescript offices at the Supreme Court Building. After gaining independence in 1959, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew moved the CPIB to the Prime Minister’s Office and made it a key partner in nation building. Now Transparency International’s annual corruption survey rates Singapore as the least corrupt country in Asia and among the cleanest governments in the world (at number 5). Ethical leadership has hugely helped launch Singapore’s economy like a rocket: Its GDP is now one of the highest in the world ($61,803, surpassing America’s $49,965).

Hong Kong too was mired in corruption for decades. Bribery, commonly called “tea money,” “black money,” or “hell money,” was standard. But public outcry in the early 70s (which reached a crescendo in 1973 when a brazenly corrupt police officer slipped out of the country while under investigation) led to the creation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). Hong Kong’s pragmatic leadership dispatched a task force to Singapore to observe and learn from CPIB. The result: a dramatic turnaround! Hong Kong is now the 14th least corrupt jurisdiction in the world (the Philippines is number 105), and its economy has soared like Singapore’s (current GDP is $51,946, also higher than that of the U.S.).

Of course, it’s not as simple as reaching out to our friends in Singapore and Hong Kong for consultations and creating our own an anti-corruption agency. CPIB and ICAC did not wave a wand to make corruption disappear overnight. But it’s a necessary first step to create a culture that brooks no dishonesty in both private and public transactions. Their approach is multi-pronged, from values formation (education, anti-corruption videos, etc.) to removing the conditions that breed corrupt behavior (transparent processes, streamlining of government services, high salaries for government employees, etc.). Lee Kuan Yew, arguably Asia’s most respected elder statesman, is also wont to point out the need to have political will at the top. The fight against corruption is a constant struggle he says, but “as long as the core leadership is clean, any backsliding can be brought under control and the house cleaned up.”

And Lee Kuan Yew’s single most compelling corollary advice: stigmatize corruption. The public outcry over the Napoles scam has created a momentum along this line. The public shaming of the political and civilian perpetrators sends a clear message to our people, especially the young, that corruption is not just socially unacceptable—it is utterly shameful.

Openings for a cultural sea change do not occur that often. President Aquino should seize this opportunity by creating an independent no-nonsense anti-corruption agency and appointing (for lack of a better millennial-generation word) a badass leader to head it—preferably someone with the maniacal determination of Senator Miriam Santiago. The outraged citizenry too should sustain its vigilance by institutionalizing watchdog activism (e.g., formalizing anti-corruption groups). Add to the mix the powerful Catholic Church that uses its sway not just to pedantically moralize against corruption but to urge people to actually take concrete steps to stop it, and we could very well be on our way to turning the tide against this monstrous scourge.

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Marvin Bionat is the creator of PhilippineUpdate.com, a news and views site that has served as a virtual platform that promotes various advocacies, including the political empowerment of overseas Filipinos and accountability in government. He wrote the National Bookstore bestseller How to Win (or Lose) in Philippine Elections (Anvil Publishing, 1998) and is now based in the U.S. working as an editor. Read more articles by Marvin Bionat
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Los Angeles Filipino Americans Held Vigil at the Philippine Consulate

Filipino Americans from as far back as Apple Valley a good 100 miles distance drove all the way to the Philippine consulate located in the Mid-Wilshire district of LA. That just shows you that people are displeased and disgusted at the state of plunder errr affairs of the government. One has to be numb or clueless not to get disgruntled at the way these legislators disburse their PDAF. It's bad enough that most projects are nothing but a disbursement to promote patronage politics but down their own pockets in connivance with scam artist with a set of bogus NGOs in what appear to be bogus projects too is just unbelievable.

You can tell that they did not come for a get together or a picnic even though they came from different parts of Los Angeles. Here are some of the pictures of the events which hopefully shows that people the world over are in solidarity in demanding for the abolition of PDAF, holding public officials involved in the scam accountable and responsible all the way to the courts and possibly jail time if found guilty. But then again this is the Philippines where there are 2 sets of laws, one for the downtrodden marginalized people and one for the ruling elites.

 

Meanwhile in Luneta, the good news is, it seems they might just hit the million mark and rightly so since it was dubbed as the million march against pork barrel. But the bad news is that while anger is a good thing in showing the legislators that we are disgusted at the plunder that will spur people to action, the unwelcome anger is that of crooks getting angry at the other crooks, LOL. Seen at the grandstand are questionable characters or officials of the past that has been disgraced for graft and corruption now trying to seize the moment at a very opportunistic way as if they can salvage or fish out in the toilet bowl whatever credibility they have.

Then we have Noynoy Aquino valiantly proclaiming that those caught red handed for plundering PDAF will have dire consequence. I am almost inclined to applaud him but after flip plopping on what to do with PDAF he now wants to "lead" or finally realized he has to take the lead is just ridiculous. Hello, anyone home? It seems someone did not explain to Noynoy that although "tuwid na daan" is just a slogan, people voted for him specifically on that promise and they will not take it lightly if they see that they have been had once again.

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