I think my first train-related entry was back in 2005, in Debating solutions to squatting, I pointed to this entry by Torn and frayed in Manila on how our country possesses “one of the most ramshackle railways in the world.” That’s putting it politely. Torn was reacting to a report by Howie Severino (and The Unlawyer also commented on it, including detailing the extremely low fares charged by the railroad).
One major problem, as recalled in Pain On The Train, was that squatters had encroached on the tracks and were, at times, hostile to train passengers. There was once a haunting post by Pulsar in 2006 (well, who says once on the Interweb, something’s forever? The blog’s gone!). Or sometimes, the problem were the passengers themselves, see Test-Riding The Metro-Tren:
But there were dreadfully more — and this was what made me uneasy and had second thoughts about using this mode of transpo on a regular basis or asking friends and family to patronize it. Dark thoughts ran in my mind thinking if I can actually still get out of this situation alive! Here we go:
Amongst the passengers in my coach were shirtless dudes who were not even drunk but were just as dangerously rowdy. Okay, to be fair, not all of them were topless. Two were wearing sando, one did not even have a footwear, and all of them did have confidently loud voices enough for anyone to understand that they are the “masters” in this place. They were huddled on two right-side doors. Some were standing and some were seated on the floor and the little steps that people use when boarding or getting off via those doors. Obviously, no one passed by those two doors. They were not just rowdy in the normal kind of kid things. They had very foul language offensive to many.
These folks were not young kids either. They were men probably in their 20s up to late 40s and they seemed to know just about every person who lived along those rail tracks as they often had a lewd or foul comment at everyone they saw. Samples? Here we go… “Hoy hostess, bihis ka na! Rampa ka ng maaga nang makarami”, or — Tangina! Nakaw ang cellphone na yan, kahapon lang”! And they most certainly elicited equally shouted responses from those they were shouting at. Some of the younger kids they teased even ran with wooden sticks or little stones attempting to catch and whack or pelt them as the train chugged along. And you guessed it, these men would run scampering towards the inner portions of the train (which was naturally a commotion that would make you panic). When kids on the ground can’t keep up with the train, these men would be back at the two doors and back to their usual shouting spree at people we passed by. I even saw two women-passengers stand up and walk further front — obviously to get away from this.
I’d be a liar if I said I was not alarmed. I was actually more than frightened! Then again, I could have been over-reacting, right?
Now hear this: As the train went a chugging slowly after that Espana Station going towards Blumentritt, a guy came walking from the front coaches who seemed to be looking for nothing but trouble. As he passed where I was seated and just about to pass the rowdy men by the door, someone shouted on top of his voice saying “o kayong lahat, ingatan nyo mga gamit nyo, yan naglalakad na yan isnatcher yan… The walking man did not even look back but shouted equally loud saying “tangina mo, hindi ako isnatcher, naghahanap ako ng masasaksak” and as he said that he lashed out a knife in mid-air. I looked at the faces of many passengers and almost all had the same facial expression — they pretended to have not heard that and they all did not look at the knife-brandishing man — and so I did not dare look at him too! This time I felt my balls were already above my forehead.
After having gone to the end part of the train, that knife-wielding man returned to the men perched by the doorway and he joined in the laughter, banter and dirty shouts at people we passed by. I clearly heard him telling the group that it was too unusual the week was almost over and he has not had a fight yet. As if to emphasize that, he said “kahit asawa ko ayaw akong patulan, nakakainip pare”!
This is a Wikipedia map of the NorthRail and SouthRail lines of the Philippine National Railways -theoretically, at least. I happen to like trains very much (perhaps not to the extent of being a trainspotter) and really wish rehabilitating our railways will be accomplished: just getting NorthRail and SouthRail functioning will actually merely return us to where we were prior to World War II, the last major extension having been accomplished with the inauguration of the Manila-Legazpi Line in May, 1938. That still marks the last major addition to our railway network. However, Marcos’ obsession with highways had led to the deterioration of the railroad.
The result? See photos in A Ride On Philippine National Railways Part I and A Ride On Philippine National Railways Part II. See also RILES in Digital Phtographer Philippines. In response to this sad state of affairs, an ambitious program of modernization has started.
One sad side-effect of modernization, however, is the destruction of heritage sites: see Las Estaciones Ferrocarril Manila-Dagupan in the ICOMOS Philippines site.
There are some extremely informative railroad enthusiasts’ blogs out there, which combine a strong historical sense with efforts to document the rehabilitation of the Philippine National Railways. See their mother organization, Railways and Industrial Heritage Society of the Phils. (and its Reese Blog), and these enthusiasts’ blogs: Philippine Railways S.I.G., Philippine Railways, and Laguna Railways,
Courtesy of Augusto de Viana is The railways in Philippine history which, however, so compresses the most interesting years, the 20s to the 50s, as to render that section meaningless. Oh well. Viviana overlooks the ambivalence and even hostility American officials felt towards railways, since it would affect the Philippine market for automobiles (see The Colonial Iron Horse: Railroads and Regional Development in the Philippines, 1875- 1935). When autonomy was achieved, railroad development accelerated. And the policy debate on highways versus railways also began, along with still-unrealized plans such as a railroad for Mindanao (the development of Maria Cristina Fall’s hydroelectric power was originally envisioned as primarily powering the Mindanao railways: there are interesting snippets on these debates in F.B. Harrison’s diary: as an Anglophile, he was pro-railways, pointing with envy to Britain’s not altogether altruistic promotion of its own steam engine industry in its colonies; as for its biggest handiwork in that regard, here’s an interesting item on accomplishing transport reform: Things Looking Up for India’s Trains).
I remember when I was still new in the Inquirer, the President had a dinner with editors and spent much of her time discussing the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (this will be one of her lasting achievements, I think). Along the way, she discussed trains and how she wanted to eliminate the old PNR lines, and have new railroad lines simply feed the metropolis, with intra-city travel done on the LRT. At the time I remember remarking that her strong grasp of detail was one of the President’s most impressive qualities, but one little-seen by the public: just as the overall schemes fed by her grasp of detail failed to be grasped, in turn, by the public: and government is at fault for this.
Today’s Inquirer editorial, Derailed, looks at the possible permutations of the ongoing problem with NorthRail: Even as our government insists that NorthRail project to push thru the reality seems to be Gov’t scrambles to save NorthRail: China threatens withdrawal, legal suit over a situation caused by the sad reality that Northrail ‘mobilization’ ate up 23% of total loan. (Here’s a helpful Northrail timeline.)
See Target for Northrail: ‘substantial’ completion by 2010:
As things stand now, the most realistic assumption is to have a partially – or at least, substantially – completed stretch of rail road some kilometers short of the first section of the 80.2-kilometer distance between Caloocan City in Metro Manila and Clark in Pampanga.
Officials familiar with the twists and turns of the project told abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak that the initial goal to complete at least the first phase, or the first 32 kilometers up to Malolos in Bulacan province, is not realistic anymore…
A year since the project’s 36-month construction period kicked off in February 2007, clearing the tracks, acquiring right-of-way, and relocation works are still to be crossed out from the list of pre-construction must-do’s.
No civil works on the actual railway have commenced nor has a project design been finalized, yet the designated contractor, the Chinese National Machinery & Equipment Group (CNMEG), wanted to add almost $300 million on top of the current $421 million agreed upon and signed construction cost…
According to various sources, including correspondences from NLRC and the demand letters from CNMEG, the latter unilaterally suspended work on the Northrail in February 1, 2008, with CNMEG’s Chinese engineers returning home.
Pamintuan explained that the engineers have run out of things to do since the project design has yet to be finalized.
But that was only part of the story. Apparently, while the design plan is still pending, CNMEG has been verbally demanding to increase the project cost. In succeeding correspondences, CNMEG has pegged the additional cost, based on computations as of March, 2008, at $299 million.
That would increase the project cost of the 32-kilometer Caloocan to Malolos stretch from $421 million to $720 million. That means the cost of the entire 80-kilometer Manila to Clark distance, which has no financing in place yet, will increase from $1 billion to $1.39 billion…
…After President Arroyo thumbed down CNMEG’s verbal demand in February to increase the construction price by $299 million, CNMEG formalized its demand in their May 13 notice of claim and in their June 3 demand letter to Northrail.
Of that amount, $88.63 million was due to variations in the original scope of work, such as the need to build viaducts instead of embankments in Valenzuela and Marilao areas.
The remaining $211 million was mainly due to foreign exchange losses ($106 million), inflation ($71 million), and cost of the delay in construction. CNMEG pointed fingers at Northrail’s inability to clear obstacles within the right-of-way areas and its non- completion of squatter relocations…
…In the April 24, 2008 letter of resigned Northrail president Arsenio Bartolome III to President Arroyo, he referred to a “presidential directive” regarding the completion of the Caloocan-to-Clark phase.
The directive emphasized two things: that it should be finished by 2010, the end of President Arroyo’s term, and that it should be within the project cost of $1.008 billion.
Construction cost for the 32-kilometer Section 1 from Caloocan to Malolos is $421 million, while Section 2 from Malolos to Clark is $673 million.
The design, supply, construct contract with CNMEG, for Section 1, Caloocan to Malolos, stipulates a construction period of 36 months, or 3 years, after Notice to Proceed was issued in Feb 19, 2007. It was meant to be completed by February 2010, perfect timing for the national election in May 2010.
The relocation of urban poor residents (one day, perhaps, destined to be only immortalized in photos or some videos) has proven expensive but relatively successful (most recently: an amazed foreign friend who had done some filming for a documentary in Blumentritt, Manila, and then saw how the community he’d filmed has been relocated and disappeared) see From ‘Home Along Da Riles’ to ‘Dreamland‘) Of course, not every delay is due to gross inefficiency or corruption on the part of government:
The report also says,
Unlike other controversial projects that were also cancelled, like the NAIA-3 airport terminal, where there is already a massive building that just needs a few months worth of repair and remediation work, the Northrail project’s railway construction has not even started.
I’m not sure if this is accurate.
The thing is, if you look at the reports and photos in the railroad enthusiasts’ blogs, you’ll see that a tremendous amount has been accomplished in terms of rehabilitating the railways (see Northrail-Southrail Linkage Project Update and Rail Lifting at Paco Station for example) though perhaps it’s fair to say no real laying down of track has taken place.
The question is to what extent the whole gigantic effort -and it is gigantic, you’re reversing the deterioration of the past forty years while at the same time laying down an entirely new railway system- has been marred by inefficiency or even corruption. These things take a toll on ongoing projects, as the headlines make pretty obvious, but it also raises another problem: even if hounded by corruption and inefficiency, is the solution to simply tear up contracts and scrap the project?
I once heard someone explain Romulo Neri Jr.’s pragmatism as follows. First question: does the country need a modern railway system? Yes. Since it does, can it be built without corruption? No. If it cannot be built without corruption, then whether major or minor corruption takes place, what is essential is for the railway to be built, because the economic benefits of the project dwarfs whatever corruption will take place.
And pragmatically speaking, Neri is correct and was thinking in true Southeast Asian fashion. This was the Marcos way: anyone who remembers the ferocious debates on MRT-1 along Taft Avenue (expensive! impractical! will never work!) will realize that despite all the objections, the elevated railway line has become an essential part of metropolitan infrastructure.
And this brings me to Neri, his latest reincarnation as SSS Chief.
The PCIJ in a Special Report reveals that the resignation of Corazon de la Paz and the assumption of the leadership of the SSS by Romulo Neri Jr. has a major policy shift at its core:
De la Paz first intimated how she has not been able to accustom herself to the workings of government, indicating a preference to return to her work in the private sector. But upon further questioning by the media, she eventually relented to a little known fact: she had stood up against the use of SSS members’ funds for the government’s pro-poor agenda, in the process offending the powers that be.
“Using the fund has limits. (It) cannot be used to finance pro-poor projects of the government unless it is defined in the (SSS) Charter,” De la Paz explained, serving up a warning to SSS members and the public of the potential danger of the fund being misused.
With Neri at the helm of the SSS, many have indeed expressed fear that the funds will be used for partisan political interests. Both Malacañang and Neri’s avowal that the funds will not be touched for government’s welfare programs has not helped assuage such concerns for the very reason that the appointment boils down, not so much to the issue of competence, but to Neri’s integrity and credibility - and that of the one who appointed him – as a public official.
Those who insist that the economy in general, or government financial matters in particular, can and ought to be insulated from politics have another lesson coming in why this is neither possible nor desirable. This is a defect that afflicts not just loyalists of the present dispensation, but bureaucrats, too, as the PCIJ report reveals:
Neri also probably felt his detachment that he had to bring along with him to NEDA people whom he could trust. His consultants, many of whom were not known to the NEDA staff, were like a parallel office which acted as his political arm. At first, some at NEDA appreciated the arrangement as it insulated the staff from politics, preferring not to deal with politicians and just continue to do their work professionally. Later, on instructions by Neri himself, NEDA officials had had occasions to interact with his consultants. Even his meetings with them were recorded as part of his official schedule.
The way one director understood it, Neri played politics as a matter of course in public policy. The NEDA Secretariat and other oversight bureaucracies are to exert effort in providing full information to decide policy, he says, and that necessitated engaging with politicians and playing the game of politics.
From his own experience working with him, the CPBO’s Vicerra believes Neri played politics not in the sense of politicking, which he says Neri always tried to avoid. “It’s more of realpolitik,” he explains, “as he always wants to involve himself in policy issues. And he has his advocacies.”
Doing so may have made the NEDA Secretariat more aware of the nature of public policy in their work, but it also made them vulnerable, admits the same director. “It put the organization and employees unprecedently in an unrequitedly bad light,” he says, though maintaining that the Secretariat has remained nonpartisan, its own standard of integrity and professionalism undiminished by this initiation into politics.
But Neri’s pragmatism, the NEDA staff also claim, conflicted with his reformist image. Some would say on hindsight that this probably explains why he is seemingly not appalled by unethical behavior, that is, corruption by way of commissions, extortions, kickbacks and the like, because these make things move or work. Others find it ironic that he wanted reforms yet “still wants to be in the good graces of this government.” Still others comment that since he is a “political animal” himself, it was not surprising that he had been offered bribes as he had admitted.
This is a confusing passage, but then it neatly illustrates the confused, because ignorant, attitudes of bureaucrats themselves about politics and its place in governance.
Government’s policies and management of the economy can be left alone if the public feels officials are capable and trustworthy stewards. If not, then they can and should be guarded every step of the way.
In its editorial, The Business Mirror, not inclined to be an instinctive critic of the administration, advocates retaining the VAT on oil, but points out the essential problem with expectations being built on spending the windfall for the public good:
Removing the oil E-VAT may be akin to a voluntary disarmament at a time when we need all the weapons we can get our hands on to confront grave threats to our economy.
Gordon’s proposals may not be popular – but they make sense. Having said that, the only problem with following his tack is this: Local experience is replete with evidence that, in this country, it’s next to impossible to get a good accounting of where and how precisely special-purpose funds – say, E-VAT “windfall” as used for infrastructure to rebuild disaster-ravaged areas and spur local economies – were applied. For even as critics complain that letting the government use the E-VAT windfall for doles is tantamount to giving more money to crooks, that same peril lies in using the funds instead, as Dick Gordon wants, for infrastructure.
Finally, in a town where a crusading auditor who keeps asking a warlord to “please liquidate” millions of pesos in public funds may easily get what he prays for – that is, be literally liquidated from the face of the earth, his killer(s) never brought to justice – accountability, like honesty in the Billy Joel song, is such a lonely word. So, to Dick Gordon, you may be right on this one, but, good luck.
Which goes to my point about NorthRail, the handling of the economy, and what Yen Macabenta points out: that the economy is coping with increases in the cost of oil pretty well, not least, it seems, to some pretty OK handling of economic matters by the powers-that-be; the problem is that while this redounds to the benefit of big business, ours is Still a jobless-growth economy; and the powers-that-be don’t quite know how to effectively toot their own horns and even if they do, there’s a widespread assumption officialdom’s on a looting spree (made even deeper, I think, because most of the public can’t quite grasp how it’s being done):
The report on Monday that the government kept its first-semester budget deficit at about P18 billion – only half of the programmed ceiling – despite the food and fuel price crises is encouraging. Two points stand out in the report:
First, revenue collection improved during the first semester.
And second, our fiscal managers were concerned that the various agencies of the government have not been able to absorb additional funding to help perk up domestic growth. In other words, the problem is not lack of funds, but projects to spend on.
When the President decided that the government would no longer aim for a zero budget deficit this year, it was for the specific objective of cushioning the impact of high consumer prices on the most vulnerable among our people. The government has the resources to provide subsidies to the needy during these trying times. And just as important, it has the funds to put into infrastructure and social and economic programs that will boost economic growth this year and next year.
Inflation for now is our biggest worry, as it hit a 14-year high of 11.4 percent in June. But Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. believes the problem should ease before the end of the year, and the country should fully recover by next year.
If you’re wondering why skyrocketing oil prices – with talk of crude hitting $200 a barrel by the end of the year – are not taking the bottom out of the economy, here are a few reasons:
1. It’s not just the price of crude oil that has soared to record levels this year; the prices of other commodities have hit peak levels, as well. This is the difference between this oil-price shock and the shock of 1974. Higher commodity prices across-the-board are also benefiting the exports of the Philippines and other countries. So our import bill is not as crushing.
2. Oil is not as all-pervasive in our economy as many believe. It affects mainly transport. Most of our electricity needs are fueled by other sources of energy, such as hydropower and geothermal energy.
3. The general prognosis of experts is that oil prices should come down during the second half of the year, though not to the same level as last year. The bubble is simply unsustainable. Demand will ease and supply will rise following the basic law of economics.
But again, the windfall is there. Surely it’s helped fund the following: Government subsidy for cheap rice in first half reaches P8.6B:
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the rice stocks were distributed and sold through 3,197 Bigasan ni Gloria sa Palengke, 8,080 Tindahan Natin outlets, 540 Bigasan sa Parokya and 199 rolling stores nationwide.
Government subsidy for cheap rice is expected to rise as the DA said 28 million more bags of rice will be infused into the domestic market from now until December to stabilize prices.
The NFA will be injecting some 6.5 million bags monthly, from now until August.
This volume will be reduced to 5 million bags by September, when palay harvests for the wet or main crop will start coming in.
Yap said the government is confident that it will have more rice to distribute until the end of the year as 900,000 metric tons (MT) will arrive in the country before September 30.
But the questions won’t go away whether the windfall’s economic potential’s being maximized. As it is, the President has announced Round Two of her “Katas ng VAT” program (no mention if it’s part of the commemoration of National Nutrition Month):
Which brings me to something Jarius Bondoc puts forward in his column for today (no link to the Star because it still hasn’t figured out permanent links):
The truth is unraveling, slowly but surely. A clique in the Arroyo admin is capturing the energy sector for kickbacks.
First, there was a sudden flurry to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act. Rep. Mikey Arroyo, the presidential son who chairs the House committee on energy, said it was necessary to bring down consumer rates. His congressmen-brother Dato and uncle Iggy assented as committee members. It turns out, however, that the main amendment is to advance the start of open access from the time 70 percent of Napocor generators are privatized to only 50 percent. While speeding up open access is fine on paper, since it will allow big users to pick their own electric retailer earlier, it would be unfair in practice. State-owned Napocor will still control half the power plants, so there won’t be true competition. Worse, the Napocor mafia will continue to dictate, for multimillion-dollar kickbacks, imports of coal to fuel the plants, whether sold or not.
Then, Gloria Arroyo appointed amiga Zenaida Ducut as Energy Regulatory Board chief. Aside from Ducut being the town mate from whom Mikey inherited his congressional seat in 2004, they have a common friend, the oft-named jueteng lord Bong Pineda. Ducut’s posting jolted the industry because of a recent Napocor scam. The state firm last Feb. awarded to a four-month-old, undercapitalized and flighty broker a P956.4-million coal import from Indonesia. There must have been P258-million overprice, since the bid price was $109.50 per ton, although the Indonesian posted rate then was only $77 (at P40.418:$1 for three shiploads of 65,000 tons each).
Among the listed incorporators of broker Transpacific Consolidated Resources Inc. are Leslie and Ressie Ducut, but Zenaida disclaims kinship. Still, there are many inconsistencies. Napocor faxed the bid invitation two weeks prior to TCRI’s only known address then, the nearby Danarra Hotel’s business center, closed since Christmas. Now Napocor insists it awarded the deal when TCRI moved into a real office – in two short weeks. Paid-up capital was only P62,500, but Napocor says “so what?”, in disregard of the Public Bidding Act that requires congruity of capital with contract price. Ducut says the scam does not matter since, as ERC chair, she will have nothing to do with Napocor operations. But Napocor spokesman admits that the ERC, aside from the energy department and NEDA, needs to approve coal imports.
The capture of the electricity sector is complete - from the executive and legislative branches to the quasi-judicial ERC. From there the clique can move to other energy sectors - say, oil exploration - if it has not already.
(Incidentally, a sense of deja vu comes from this article: Lights Out in Indonesia: Jakarta as 1990s Manila? With India, Indonesia, Vietnam,scrambling to put up more power plants, and with the Philippines going to need more power plants soon, those who position themselves in the energy sector now are going to be positively minting their own money in years to come) If you’ve ever read how Ferdinand Marcos squirreled away funds abroad, then the stories -occasionally dribbled out in the press, but more often than not, whispered about in business circles- of what’s going on in the energy sector are equally intriguing -because the money’s come home, unlike most of Marcos’ stash. One day, hopefully, someone will write it all down, from the time money began to leave the country, a hop, skip, and a jump ahead of sleuthing legislators, journalists, and American anti-money-laundering officials, with the money making its way to places as far afield as Austria, then eventually, back home again where it could be used to buy banks, and dummy firms.
Manuel Buencamino looks at the curious story of Homobono Adaza’s alleged attempt to extort money from a Japanese businessman.
Ellen Tordesillas has the skinny on what the President was up to in Washington:
A Malacañang source who was part of Arroyo’s entourage in her recent US visit said there was no mention by Arroyo of any plans to implement martial law or authoritarian measures in her meeting with Bush, the first since she fell out of his grace after she pulled out the Philippine military contingent in Iraq in exchange for the release of kidnapped Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz in July 2004.
But he admitted that increased military assistance was top in her agenda in her talks with American officials.
The source was amused that Philippine media covering Arroyo’s US visit followed Malacañang’s spin about the near passage of the Veterans Equity when they know very well that it has a slim chance of it passing in the House of Representatives despite the approval of the Senate.
He said the real reason Arroyo wanted to meet with American congressmen was to explain to them the government’s side on extra-judicial killings. Like in the Philippines, any appropriation bill originates in the House of Representatives. That’s the reason behind the idea of giving the newly minted Order of the Golden Heart Award, which is different from traditional Order of Sikatuna awards given to diplomats or nationals of other countries who have made outstanding contributions to strengthening of relations with the Philippines. According to press reports, not all awardees showed up during the conferment affair in Washington D.C. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came very late.
(Just a correction, which I told Ellen: the Order of the Golden Heart was established by President Magsaysay. It was not “newly-minted.” A more relevant question might have been whether the Philippine Legion of Honor might have been more appropriate; but then a lower-ranking Order might be appropriate because no law has been passed yet.)
Foreign Affairs officials lobbied hard to get a meeting for Arroyo with Senator Barbara Boxer (D., Cal.) chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific. It will be recalled that Edith Burgos, widow of press icon Jose Burgos and mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos, met with Boxer last March.
In the hearing that she conducted on alleged extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the military, Boxer said, “We do not want blood on our hands. We do not want to use US taxpayers’ money to train their (Philippine) military and police to kill their own people.”
Arroyo was able to meet with Boxer, the source said. The meeting must have been so insignificant that it didn’t merit a line in Boxer’s website. Not even Malacañang reported it.
It was unfortunate for Malacañang that whatever propaganda it wanted to generate domestically for Arroyo’s US trip was negated by typhoon Frank which struck on the eve of her departure, sank a passenger ship and devastated many parts of the country. Compounding the stigma was the junket of 63 congressmen whom Arroyo brought along with her as part of her pre-2009 impeachment payment.
But the source said, despite the bad press that Arroyo’s US visit got, she feels that she accomplished her main objective which was to impress the military that she still has the support of the US establishment.
It maybe a meeting of lame ducks but it was still a White House meeting, the source said. Add to that was her meeting in Pentagon with Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
She may not have gotten categorical support for the things she might do in case her unpopular administration is shaken by the wrath of a long-suffering people, but it is good enough for Arroyo that she has given the military the illusion that the US is behind her. With that, she believes that her presidency, whatever questions about its legitimacy, is safe.
In the blogosphere, radicalchick aims a broadside at ABS-CBN and its Ces Drilon Kidnap Special.
bencard, i only believe the fact that interest payment are already added to our debts… whether it’s $400,000 or $1 mil a month.
Philippine most corrupt according to surveys: To the question “How effective is the judicial system at prosecuting and punishing individuals for corruption when abuses are uncovered?” the respondents gave the Philippines a score of 9.06, with 10 being “ineffective.” our lawyers are ineffective.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/13/business/peso.php
“Yes, that’s true,†Georgina Jota, NLRC executive vice president, said of the interest payments that the government has been paying for the $400-million government-guaranteed loan from the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank of China.”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=100560
“Bencard, you can trace our inability to build our own railroads (while Korea has its Hyundai Rotem as mentioned by Supremo above) with the different road we took from countries like South Korea. Over there, they implemented land reform and then focused on home-grown industrialization. In summary, addressing the problem of inequality works from two directions” – CVJ
Believe na talga ako sa paging fanatic mo sa Land Reform. …
We do have Land Reform in Philippines. Panahon pa ni Marcos or even beyond. And we all know that it did not produce the same results. MAy naipamigay ng mag lupa sa ibang mag sasaka . Myabe you shoould get out from teh book sthat you have been reading and do soem actual results onw hat happened to those Land Reform Beneficiaries in the past
Patunay lang na what work with Vietnam Korea and other countries doesn’t automatically work in teh Philippines. We have to find another way that is effective in Philippines setting.
And not all countries did land reform just to move forward.
Of course you can argue that we can overhaul the Land Reform Law. But I believe its too late for that now. Gutay gutay na ang mga malalaking lupain sa Pilipinas except for some families like Cojuangcos, Tuazons etc etc and of course some government lands
leytenean, you don’t want to open that can of worms about “surveys”, do you? never mind, enough already.
ok bencard ..here’s another story… my point.. the monthly interest payment is an obvious paper trail..
“The Arroyo government has claimed that the funding agreement for the North Rail Project is advantageous to the Philippines since it will carry a 3 percent interest payable in 20 years. But Pimentel pointed out that the government could tap other foreign sources of financing with more concessional terms like the overseas development assistance from Japan which has an interest rate of only .75 to 1 percent payable in 30 to 40 years.”
http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2006/1211_pimentel1.asp
dito nagsimula yan sa UP paper.
1. The absence of public bidding even if the exceptions on competitive
bidding contained under Republic Act 9184 were absent.
2. The contract cannot be viewed as a treaty or executive agreement
whether seen from the perspective of international or Philippine law.
3. The contract failed to comply with the Government Auditing Code and
the Administrative Code of 1987, because the government’s counterpart
fund is not supported by a certification on the availability of funds.
wala pa implementings rules for foreign funded projects,it has yet to be drafted:
from the case I have been following,G.R. No. 167919, February 14, 2007
The petitioners also argue that the “Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 9184, Otherwise Known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, Part A†(IRR-A) cited by the respondents is not applicable as these rules only govern domestically-funded procurement contracts. They aver that the implementing rules to govern foreign-funded procurement, as in the present case, have yet to be drafted and in fact, there are concurrent resolutions drafted by both houses of Congress for the Reconvening of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee for the formulation of the IRR for foreign-funded procurements under RA 9184.
RPCHINA agreements:
even the SMC Kuok deal shown in the papers invites controversy:
Article XII
SEcton III
Section 3. Lands of the public domain are classified into agricultural, forest or timber, mineral lands and national parks. Agricultural lands of the public domain may be further classified by law according to the uses to which they may be devoted. Alienable lands of the public domain shall be limited to agricultural lands. Private corporations or associations may not hold such alienable lands of the public domain except by lease, for a period not exceeding twenty-five years, renewable for not more than twenty-five years, and not to exceed one thousand hectares in area. Citizens of the Philippines may lease not more than five hundred hectares, or acquire not more than twelve hectares thereof, by purchase, homestead, or grant.
Taking into account the requirements of conservation, ecology, and development, and subject to the requirements of agrarian reform, the Congress shall determine, by law, the size of lands of the public domain which may be acquired, developed, held, or leased and the conditions therefor
before that many are aware that many MOAS were signed with china
one is this:
MOA allowing the Fu Hua Company of China to invest some US$ 3.83 billion (30 billion RMB) in one million hectares of land in the Philippines for the cultivation of hybrid corn, hybrid rice and hybrid sorghum.
and another:
MOA with the Agricultural Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the development of an initial 40,000 hectares of agribusiness lands for cassava and sugar for ethanol production for China’s domestic consumption
me tanong ako in the last few threads, what ever happened to those rp china deals, me petition na paal sa supreme court.
http://jaefever.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/rp-china-supreme-court-petition.pdf
why did we do business with China to build our railways in the first place instead of Japan ( or others) who are well known for quality. Let’s study quanti and quality
for example: ( the interest payment of loan was taken from pimentel’s concern)
Cheap China railway will cost $1 B at 3% payable in 20 years
Quality Japan Railway will cost more at $1.5 B at .5 % for 30 years or 1% for 40 years…or even try 20 years at .5% and 1% for 30 years.
Try to calculate amortization of monthly payment in each scenario. Which project do you think will enhance our country and with less monthly payment. Also take consideration of warranty of service and stability of the lender.
Who is the guy who said that vested interests have captured the regulatory agencies that is supposed to regulate them?
That is obviously made possible by the vested interests capture of the institutions of government.
So Neri Jr. and in so many ways Salceda accept that as reality. But Neri Jr. is now a super fund manager of funds taken from entitlement taxes.
Why does’nt he instead ask Big Mikle and GMA to put him in charge of the revenue generating agencies and consolidate it under a super collecting agency.
That means he will collide with the very regulatory agencies that he wants freed of control by vested interests.
That means the various economic fiefdoms in the bureaucracies of the government will have to be destroyed. The bureaucracies of revenue generation have all detiorated not only due to vested interests control but the emergence of these economic blocs within the bureaucracy that have a vested interests in the way government works. Endemic corruption is a sign or effect of weak economic fundamentals.
They have commoditized bureaucratic power and monetized it to create streams of additional income.
This deadly virus has permeated all branches of government. What has happened is this type of fiefdoms have multiplied by the creation of additional agencies or offices to do the job of agencies who are failing.
This also applies to the BSP. Let us look at the Monetary Board. You have clearly vested interests that are loyal to the Palace. Bunye and the wife of Villafuerte.
Why does it matter you ask. The probability is high that advance information of BSP intervention in the forex markets is akin to insider trading in the financial markets. Millions can be made without anyone being the wiser. Luis Villafuerte is a trained investment banker who trained under Bancom. Anyone looking for edges in the marekts, the information available in the BSP is a literal treasure trove.
This most important function of the BSP price stability is directly influenced by the forex rates since we are import dependent.
Rates are determined on the trading floor of the BAP.
That gives the BSP awesome discretion without any sort of oversight from anyone or institution.
At the end of the original Bretton Woods agreement, the U.S. took institutional control of the Bretton Woods twins the IMF-WB. They as Neri Jr. likes to say captured these so called multilateral regulatory agencies that managed the supply of currency availabe for international trade clearly to favor U.S. interests.
Now the abuse of that capture is shaking the foundations of the world economy.
The world is scrambling to find a replacement. The G-& led by the U.S. would like the world to continue with the slight adjustment of the world compeletly liberalizing capital account flows so the world can continue subsidizing U.S. interest rates with their savings.
The exchange is protections under the U.S. military umbrella. Sort of like the Soprano’s model of protection.
‘why did we do business with China to build our railways in the first place instead of Japan ( or others) who are well known for quality.’
Only God knows but don’t discount stupidity.
rego and cvj: Now here is a monster-problem growing in size:
—————-
More children out of school
By Michelle Remo, Beverly T. Natividad, Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippinesâ€â€One in six school-age children is being deprived of education and the number is rising steadily, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said Monday . . . ..
The percentage of children enrolled in primary school was down to 83 percent in the 2006-2007 school year from 90 percent five years earlier, the NSCB said in a study, according to Agence France Presse (AFP).
———–
High school?? Worse!!! Participation is 59%.
Side-topic: The Executive Branch is using the UNDP Millenium Development Goals as key driver for shaping policy. Education-participation is an explicit goal.
Land-reform land-for-urban-poor//rural-poor IS NOT a development metric.
And apparently, the MTDP (Medium Term Development Plan), in the section for poverty reduction, makes no mention of giving away land for free nor forcing the hacenderos to give up land. The MTDP states:
‘More children out of school’
Distribute free condoms with the kilo of rice and this problem will go away in about 6 years. Rice for the kids and condom for the parents.
All China Hi Speed trainsare based on technology transfer licences from other countries, kahit na imported ang design,the thing is sila pa din ang gumawa,unlike what I read in the hard copy of the UP law center claim that China relies on other countries for the modernization of its railways.
* CRH1 based on Bombardier’s Regina C2008.
* CRH2 based on Kawasaki Heavy Industries E2 Series Shinkansen
* CRH3 based on Siemens’ Velaro
* CRH5 based on Alstom’s Pendolino
china is no longer the low quality stereotype, even made in taiwan for low quality no longer applies.
if you may,
lets look at comparative costs.
Express Rail link Project Of malaysia, constructed from July 2000-2002
length is : 57 km
Project Cost: MYR 2.4 B
or $ 631.68 M
2000= MYR 1 = $ .2632
Cost per km= 11.08 M
track gauge: Standard
no. of tracks: double
design speed: 160 kph
Traction: electric
Sige diesel na lang:
Australia Railway project bult: april 2001- september 2003
length is :1,420 km
Project Cost: A $ 1.3 B
or $ 659.23 M
2001= A $ 1 = $ .5071
Cost per km= .464 M
track gauge: Standard
no. of tracks: single
design speed: 115 kph
traction: diesel
North Rail Phase 1
length is :32.2
Project Cost: php 28,188.12 M
or $ 503 M
2004= $ 1 = php 56.04
Cost per km= 15.62 M
track gauge: Narrow
no. of tracks: double
design speed: 120 kph
traction: Diesel
SouthRail Phase 1
length is : 34
Project Cost: php Php 2,823.52 M
or $ 50.42 M
2006= $ 1 = php 56.00
Cost per km= 0.28 Mouble
track gauge: Narrow
no. of tracks: single
design speed: 58 kph
traction: Diesel
Southrail cost per km
0.28 M
blockquote>Cheap China railway will cost $1 B at 3% payable in 20 years
Quality Japan Railway will cost more at $1.5 B at .5 % for 30 years or 1% for 40 years…or even try 20 years at .5% and 1% for 30 years.
Try to calculate amortization of monthly payment in each scenario. Which project do you think will enhance our country and with less monthly payment. Also take consideration of warranty of service and stability of the lender.</blockquote.
This is a nursery analysis of analyzing which is a better project.
An mba graduate would tell you to use ;
1. net present value
2. discounted cash flow
3. payback
For ODA funded project, the recipient country has to come up with a certain amount as equity.
They have also priority areas for loan assistance like poverty reduction…
PLUS the implementation policy of hiring their own consultants whose salaries are paid from out of the loan proceeds.
cat-
we were arguing apples and oranges, you’re right, i was mainly discussing executive positions where most of the coming and going is taking place. and i’ve written before that much of my experience with civil service bureaucrats was not only pleasant but considering the limitations they’re working under, seems to me they’re doing as good a job as can be managed.
still, a lot of discretion is granted the chief executive and it just keeps widening over time. the administrative code grants the president continuing power to reorganize the op when prior to martial law, it required special acts of congress to authorize a government reorganization. and the check and balance of congress viz presidential appointments, through the commission on appointments, keeps getting weaker and weaker.
bencard, the disagreement we tend to have stems from your approaching things from the perspective of “pure law,” of course on paper everything is beautiful, rational, balanced, etc but the practice is far different.
Ca t, you having trouble with blockquotes eh.
Tip: Type
pronto. then copy from where you wish to copy. go between >< then paste or ctrl/v. You can’t go wrong.
should go:
type “
” pronto (minus the ” “)
haha heck the line disappears. forget it.
mlq3, that’s the whole trouble with our officialdom. most buckle under extreme pressure. the usual pattern is kiss, resign and tell (with diminished credibility).
if one is convinced that he/she is on the side of reason and the law, why quit instead of fight?
the cat,
were you really a teacher? i feel sorry for the students. a teacher should stimulate participation in or outside the classroom.
one thing ive learned from my professors which was very effective , they allow students to GET INVOLVED by challenging them. I have seen results in our attempt to revitalize our student committees by encouraging greater participation and providing more opportunities for leadership.
“An mba graduate would tell you to use ;
1. net present value
2. discounted cash flow
3. payback”
huh? you are outside your classroom ..you are full of theory. I don’t think you have managed over 10,000 people and have done projects over $2 B. If you have then challenge me, anytime. sounds like you want to get personal again. take it literally.
in this blog site, try to get GET INVOLVED in improving it. Encouraging greater participation and providing more opportunities for leadership should be your approach of teaching. Now I’m worried of all the students that had graduated underneath you. you said you were like devil’s advocate? not enough..
KG,
thanks for expanding the chinese railway discussion. please try to consider the loan terms involve in financing then contracts and employment. which contractor uses more of our own people to build the railways?
i mean lots of things to consider.
Also consider that china remains in the early phase of branding its product. it has not been tested over time. they don’t have the real LV..
It is not a theory, honey, we use it to on actual project evaluation. it is just that you also do not have that experience doing it so you say that.
do not impress me, your comments reflect what you are. your remarks are clueless bordering to stupidity.
See this comment. You do not know the difference between a teacher and a professor.
The professor is an expert in his own field or specialization.
I do not stimulate outside the classroom. Outside the classroom, my professional students are in the same level.
I may ber expert in finance, accounting and economics, but my students who are marketing executives are experts in their area.
In the same manner that a professor in economics of manolo may be expert in that subject, but in the field of journalism, it is manolo who has more expertise.
I do not have to IMPROVE this blog site. It is good as it is. Remember you are not the blogger nor the webmaster of this website so you cannot do anything about the post and the design. hahaha
You are just a commenter. Clueless one.
I have the impression that you do not even think before you submit your comments. some of your observations are not yours, they were merely copied from other writers.
Thank you for reminding about my former students.
Some of my students in the executive programs which were conducted in modules in our satellite classes are already successful in their own professions.
two of those who finished the regular program became my partners in the business that I’ve put up here in the States.
thanks ricelander.
Manolo, I agree with you. but in management, you want to hire your own people…your team…people who can you trust…people who you expect to become team player…regardless of their qualification.
you do not hire people who you will be suspecting will sabotage your organization.
in private organizations, the executives are allowed to bring their own team that some people are displaced, transferred or terminated to accommodate the new people.
I recognize this weakness in the bureaucracy like when neri was appointed in the CHED and now appointed in the SSS.
Corazon dela Paz lamented that the position should have tenure so that projects that are in the procss of implementation does not suffer with the change of leadership at the pleasure of the president. Between Corazon de la Paz who is a fellow PICPAn, i would go for this lady.
but this is reality as real as the appointment of the person we know and discussed about when we were talking about teaching in the university.
“just because we have spineless and timid leadership in our civil service system, easily cowed and intimidated by malacanang, does not necessarily mean that the commission itself is “incapable of enforcingf anythingâ€Â. “-Bencard
Bencard, those are not ‘spineless and timid leadership’ in our civil service system. Some of them are people of proven characteristics; examples, guts, talents, loyalty, face-thickness, etc., appointed by malacanang to their positions not to be easily cowed and which require no intimidation by the appointing power.
‘the cat – The lady confuses the political appointees from the government employees.’
‘bencard – just because we have spineless and timid leadership in our civil service system, easily cowed and intimidated by malacanang, does not necessarily mean that the commission itself is “incapable of enforcingf anythingâ€Â. in short, it has the power but is it courageous enough to test the limits of its prerogative under the law?’
‘mlq3 – well you know as well as i the real decisions are made in the palace and that the civil service commission isn’t particularly capable of enforcing anything. and certainly not in influencing the quality or lack thereof of executive appointments.’
pcij –
This one-part story exposes how the Career Service Executive Board (CESB), the government body that oversees the top tiers of the country’s bureaucracy, is being punished by Malacañang for its defiance.
In a March 20 resolution, the CESB did something unheard of: it accused Malacañang and the Cabinet of “transgressions†of civil-service laws, rules and regulations.
It cited the unjust termination of Education Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz and former Pag-IBIG Fund president and chief executive officer Manuel Crisostomo, both career bureaucrats, and the appointment of non-civil service eligible officials. These, the CESB said “have resulted in growing apprehension and demoralization†in the civil service and threatened to “further erode the institutional foundations of a professional bureaucracy.â€Â
In return, Malacañang has reacted with a series of what appear to be punitive and retaliatory moves against the CESB.
Within days after the resolution, two of the CESB’s eight members lost their seats. Two others  one of whom was reportedly forced to resign  were replaced after a couple of weeks. Insiders at the agency say the resolution also strengthened the resolve of Palace officials to replace Civil Service Commission Chair Karina David as CESB chair.
Earlier, Malacañang had withdrawn its then two-week-old nomination of CESB executive director Mary Ann Fernandez-Mendoza as commissioner at the Civil Service Commission. Mendoza had issued a ruling that Luz was a tenured civil servant who could not be summarily terminated.
http://www.pcij.org/stories/2006/cesb.html
“Manolo, I agree with you. but in management, you want to hire your own people…your team…people who can you trust…people who you expect to become team player…regardless of their qualification.”
Or reputation. Hehehehe, Gloria is not too far ahead.
It all started with rumours and whispers about a fund that had been set up in the wake of the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty to help promote federalism. The money was supposed to be used to raise Canada’s profile in Quebec.
But it wasn’t clear how the money was handed out: there were no application forms for this fund that was supposed to help pay the costs of social and cultural events and programs. There were rumours that the money was little more than a vehicle to reward loyal Liberal supporters.
No paper Trails, transfers were all done under the table. No value in exchange for money.
By the early spring of 2002, then prime minister Jean Chrétien was forced to address the issue. The Globe and Mail – under the Access to Information Act – tried to find out why the government paid $550,000 to advertising firm Groupaction Marketing for a report that could not be found. No one at Public Works or the company could explain it.
See, took Seven Years before before a Reporter Suspected something amiss..why, because there was no Paper Works.
Chrétien asked federal Auditor General Sheila Fraser to see what she could find out. She learned enough to launch a full investigation – and to ask the RCMP to get involved as well.
By the time Fraser released her explosive report on Feb. 10, 2004, Paul Martin was prime minister.
Still no Paper Trails, but the RCMP already got involve and Paul Martin after being elected to a minority Government was pressured to Call a Judicial Inquiry and the Paper Trails was written and composed to the very minute details by Justice Gomery in 2l months of his Inquiry which saw both the former PM and the sitting PM testified under oath, and the RCMP in their Parallel Criminal investigations also was able to build up enough Evidence to send the culprits for a “very nice†vacation in Jails and ruined quite a few political career of some and the enactment of the amendment in 2006 to Accountability , Procurement and Electoral Acts.
For In-depth of Uncovering Crimes of No Paper Trails you may check this site:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/groupaction/
“if one is convinced that he/she is on the side of reason and the law, why quit instead of fight?”-Bencard
One brave person in Mindanao, name Dimasidsing, who was so convinced he’s on the side of reason and the law, decided not to quit that easily.
He is now a martyr.
bert, the way things are, i’m not too sure about that. in the philippines, especially mindanao, as elsewhere, people get killed, the good, the bad and the fraud. it seems we are a little too quick to confer martyrdom, and politics is not the least reason why we are. everybody will eventually die but not everbody will have an opportunity to die for a right cause, and most of those who have would rather cower “in peace”.
btw, further to my response to mlq3 @ 7:00 pm, law is not theoretical – it is most “real world” than anything. nothing is not touched or governed by it. the entire nation exists by virtue of it. remove the law and there’s no government, no state, no philippines. law is not rendered non-existent or ineffectual by its violation, or non-compliance “in practice”.
supremo, whatever happened to comm. mendoza’s ruling that juan luz’s was a “tenured civil servant” and may only be fired for cause as provided by law and after due process? did it ever reach the court? if not, this is exactly what i am talking about.
Back to Road and Track:
The Tutuban Station is now the 168 Mall, where the bargain-hunting shoppers flock everyday. I heard on radio that even former first lady Imelda Marcos is a patron. But of course, most if not all of the items are made in China. where else? It has been reported that the mall hosts Chinese illegal aliens who are fronting as businessmen.
Contrary to popular belief, Tutuban got its name not from the sound that train engines make but from the fact that the area was where the popular native drink tuba was made i.e. “Tuba-an”. The Tutuban area is also where the true revolutionary Andres Bonifacio was born.
Talking about transportation (bus) depot, the area in the North Triangle is where high-end Ayala Land developed the mall TriNoMA (Triangle North of Manila). But really, there are so many malls in Metro Manila. I’m not sure if demand could be sustained but I guess as long are thousands of OFWs leave everyday, the malls would have free-spending customers as even the middle classes are tightening their belts.
The Philippines is such a consumer-driven economy that I won’t be surprised if SM and Robinsons are now the biggest employers in the country.
Soon, Manila will change its name to Mallina.
>the whole trouble with our officialdom. most buckle under extreme pressure. the usual pattern is kiss, resign and tell. if one is convinced that he/she is on the side of reason and the law, why quit instead of fight?<
Philippine is obviously not America. There is huge gap between the strong and the weak as there is that unbrigdeable gap between the rich and the poor. In democracy, the groundworks are laid with the institutions to secure and protect the rights of the weak. Unfortunately those institutions malfunctions in the Philippines just taking account of the padrinos alone in high places. Point in case, Philippines has the highest death casualty of local media next to Iraq, just fighting for the side of reason and the law. In America, they would be heroes for having the courage to fight and what they believe in. In Philippines, they are stupid and forgotten.
PSI, I’m confused. Last time I was there Tutuban Station, or part of it, was Tutuban Mall east of Divisoria. There was a 168 Mall located corner of Reina Regente and Soler St. in the Binondo side west of Divisoria.
Two times my wife was in 168 shopping same time that Imelda Marcos was there shopping also.
Tutuban PNR Station is still there where you can take an aircon train to Bicol if you are not in such hurry, 15 hours it will take for the whole trip if luck be with you.
bencard,
On Juan Miguel Luz
http://www.bingguanzon.com/wp-content/files/Luz_vs_Ermita_Memorandum_on_Appeal_final.doc
Now
‘In 2006, Juan Miguel (Mike) Luz was appointed as Pratima Kale ‘s successor. Mike Luz comes to IIRR with extensive experience and leadership positions in NGOs, academia, government and the private sector. He most recently hails from the Department of Education, the Republic of the Philippines, where he served as Undersecretary of Education. Prior to government, he was associate professor at the Asian Institute of Management and headed the Institute’s Center for Corporate Responsibility. Mr. Luz also served as associate director of Philippine Business for Social Progress, the largest developmental NGO in the country.’
One honest-to-goodness government official who didn’t cower in his duty was the late Assistant Solicitor General Nestor Ballacillo. They said he was such a simple man (and most probably not on the take ), he took public transportation almost everyday. That where his and his son’s murderers got him.
The assailants were never caught.
PSI,
‘Talking about transportation (bus) depot, the area in the North Triangle is where high-end Ayala Land developed the mall TriNoMA (Triangle North of Manila).’
This is American style transportation center. Malls in the US are usually transportation hubs where motorists park there cars and hop on a bus or train nearby. Most of these hubs have funny names like Kiss and Ride, and Park and Ride.
>>The assailants were never caught.<<
“Pards, read his miranda’s rights”, said a police to another. “You have right to remain silent and I will make sure you use that right” and then shoot the victim.
Case closed.
Supremo, I don’t think our good, prudish Catholic bishops will like the name “Kiss and Ride.” Such double entrende!
Could we have “Wave and Pray” instead?
Or maybe the old reliable “Stop, Look, and Listen” (with no condom attached).
Dodong, SolGen Ballacillo was handling so many high-profile, ‘dangeorus to your health’ cases (including the NAIA terminal III case, big time consumer rights cases, etc.), that the police didn’t know where to look for suspects. Then, it was reported that murderers were really after the son who was involved with drugs. I don’t know.
Correction please:
“were really after the son who was ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED…”
MMDA should consider the Curitiba Bus Rapid transit model for EDSA. No need to buy buses.
supremo: I’m impressed the ideas — Curitiba, Casa, the light rail cargo — you’ve tossed into this blog threads. Must be MaSci.
Thanks PSI.
These crusaders of the law ended up like dead flies, a very high price of fight instead of dancing to the music. These happened not in lawless Mindanao but right in Luzon frontyard.
1. Assistant Solicitor General Nestor Ballocillo handled the the government’s expropriation case with the PIATCO, operator of mothballed NAIA terminal 3. The work documents were taken by the assailant at the time of his death. NBI Vallejo confirmed the killing was work related.
2. Judge Henrick Gingoyon of Pasay City Regional Trial Court, Branch 117, who ordered the government to pay Piatco was killed by unknown gunmen in Cavite.
The law exist but useless when easily muzzled by the guns.