Can the economics-minded please answer this question: when we have news of a roaring stock market, no one ever explains just how big, or small, the stock market is, and thus, how important it is, really, in the economic scale of things.
The decision of Pangilinan to go it alone (and his being booted as a guest candidate of the opposition, as Amando Doronila advised) frees up the 12th slot for a candidate I’d regretted being unable to support until this opportunity came along. So my 12th vote is going to Danton Remoto.
How other people (particularly young people) are deciding on their senatorial votes makes for interesting reading. See the choices of The Morning Eclipse, and April’s Site, as well as Cold Weather, as well as Kiss The Rain. Most interesting of all was the mock survey conducted by Manila Boy. General observations on the campaign from My Silent Scream and quasi_stoic.
My column for today is A year of murder. What’s been a bad week for the Philippines, as Torn and Frayed puts it, has been long in the making. The Inquirer editorial takes another look at the Alston statement.
Liling Briones (former national treasurer) brings up the rmotor vehicle user’s tax:
Vehicle owners – and there are millions in the Philippines – know all about the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC). This is the charge which is imposed on all vehicles. The law provides that the funds generated will go to the maintenance of roads throughout the country. The fund is managed by a Road Board.
How the fund is managed, disbursed and accounted for is therefore of interest to all Filipinos, especially those who own vehicles.
For the past two years, the Commission on Audit has rendered qualified opinions on the fairness of presentation of the financial statements of the MVUC. The 2005 audit report has 15 detailed findings which should raise the hackles of citizens. The report mentions the case of one contractor who was paid twice for the same amount of P373,05.88.
COA further noted that the Repairs and Maintenance account was overstated by the huge amount of over P124 million! It admonished the concerned offices to “refrain from utilizing the MVUC Fund for purposes other than those for which it was released/intended…”
Another finding is that expenses “not related to the implementation of the Road Maintenance Project and Motor Vehicles Pollution Control Programs totaling P 57.3 million were charged to the MVUC funds…”
These are just three of the COA findings which are based on financial reports and documents. What is more enraging is what is not in the COA report. This is the sharing system. As mentioned earlier, many congressmen have raised their share of the cost of projects implemented in their region to 50 percent! If the bureaucrats pocket 15 percent, DPWH retains 3.5 percent which is required by law, and the contractor wants a 10 percent profit, how much is left for the project? A mere 21.5 percent of total funds!
Overseas, History Unfolding says the USA is still losing in Iraq and compares it to Vietnam in 1963. Blog Them Out Of The Stone Age looks at the “guns for felons” program. One thing our media isn’t reporting is how the Iraq War has surely expanded a traditional path for immigration to the Us for Filipinos: the US armed forces. Last Saturday, at Clark, the hotel was filled with US Army and Air Force personnel, including quite a few Filipinos, either Fil-Ams or (in at least one case I saw and overheard, a Capangpangan whose parents got to visit their serviceman son) Filipinos.
Technorati Tags: elections, philippines, politics, Senate
“With the ghost of the Hello Garci tapes scandal still lengthening upon the doorsteps of GMA and her military co-operators, the party in power has a tall order to show to the world that a win on its part is fair and square. A contrary perception may prolong instability or test anew the patience of People Power. ” – Abe.
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The way the opposition argued their case in the past years, I believe theres nothing that Gloria can do that will convince them oppsition that this coming election has been fair and square. Kahit pa mag 12-0 ang opposition. The opposition want nothing else but the head of Gloria.
Talamak na ang sa mentalidad ng mga politiko sa Pilipinas ang wag umamin ng pagkatalo. And in this coming election I ‘ll expect it to worsen.
I really believe that the Phil Electoral System is seriously flawed that you can never expect much from it. Not even the impeachment. Kasi kung kayang iipeach is Gloria di dapat nangyari na. Tapos heto pa ang political dynasty na talagang garapalan na. Sinimulan ng senado, now we have a Joson -Joson, Angara -Angara running for Goernor and Vice Governor. And A mayor and Vice mayor coming from close relative be far behind.
Sa totoo lang kung hindi lang kay Danton Remoto, I will never waste my tiem going to Phil Consulate in Manhattan just to vote….
I have no positive feeling for this coming lection other than be curiousity on how the “new” and younger generation of senator will perform if they got elected. I am just curious about Antonio Trillanes, Noynoy Aquino Miguel Zubiri, Mike Defensor. I dont expect anything from Chiz Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano. I think I have I have seen enough of them. These two just did not psositively impressed me at all, Same goes with Kiko Pangilinan and Ralph Recto There is nothing much to expect from these two senator anymore. Sinayang lang nila ang pagkakataon na binigay…..
This is the reason why I never ever agree with Manolo and teh rest of the opinion writers who wanted to sue this election as tool for illegitimization or anything.
You cannot just use a defective tool to fix anything.
cvj,
oh ibig mong sabihin, nagarci ni erap si jdv.
Semantics
DJB,
Are you Dean Jorge Bacobo? I goggled you and it say you are a dean of UP College Of Law. Well……
DJB,
Are you Dean Jorge Bacobo? I goggled you and it say you are a dean of UP College Of Law. Well……
Does Remoto have anything in mind that doesn’t have anything to do with gay rights? From the way it sounds, he’s coming into the race with the focus of a party list representative.
http://www.atheista.net/?p=155
When’s the next survey due? I think the last survey continues to delude Filipinos into thinking that Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel is the same person as the former Senate President. The awareness ratings do not add up at all! Can you even believe that he’s more popular that Defensor, Escudero, Cayetano et. al.? Crazy!
http://www.atheista.net/?p=150
This part of Chiz Escudero’s plans really rile me up. I thought he was smart. Now he’s just proving how retarded his mental faculties really are.
This part of Chiz Escudero’s plans really rile me up. I thought he was smart. Now he’s just proving how retarded his mental faculties really are.
Maybe he hated Algebra, Trigonometry and other subjects that he is proposing to be stricken out of the curriculum.
Eh mahirap naman talaga and Algebra at Trigo ah! di kaya ni Chiz yun….
devil, from what depths of Hell did you come from? your thoughts are as putrid as your language. in the name of everything Holy, go back where you came from!
Bencard, the truth hurts! gma is really playing dirty tricks.
…it’s she who should go back to where she came from.