#changeIsComing

Mar Roxas could have been Philippine president. He has the credentials – US educated, Lee Kwan Yu leadership award recipient, has a reputable experience both in Legislative and Executive department, articulate, was very popular once, and has a family name we can all recall.

 

But the people did not want his service. Im my humble view, this is because he ran a narcissistic and egoistic campaign telling voters: we have been the best administration the Philippines has ever had in recent history. This should be continued and only I can make that happen. Their illusions are grand and there message is out of touch with reality.

 

Some political analyst call Mar’s defeat and DU30’s victory a protest vote. While that could be inaccurate, it is not entirely false. Six years ago, I was quite hopeful that PNoy can usher in the changes that we all aspire for. The message that change should begin from ourselves isn’t new. Like the rest of responsible Filipinos, I did my share for the past six years.

 

I followed rules. I paid my taxes. I return excess change. I cross only on designated pedestrian lanes. I used foot bridges. I deliver quality work so that co-workers from India, US, UK, Australia, China, Denmark, etc. would have nice to say about my work ethic in the hopes that it could represent all Filipinos as a whole. I exceeded expectations and got promoted every 12 -18 months. When I pray, I pray to God to make me useful not only to myself or my loved ones but also to society. I am not perfect and I will not enumerate my flaws just to prove it. But believe me when I say that I did my best to be the best version of myself and be useful at least to my community, if not to society at large.

 

But as I was doing all these, I got stuck in traffic and paid thousands of pesos because of fare surges. I braved knee to waist deep floods. I was victimized by pick pockets. I was compelled to smell an sweaty armpit of a passenger inside MRT. I don’t have anything against that passenger because I myself was sweaty, maybe even smelly too. I had to walk along EDSA because MRT was malfunctioning or traffic was in complete stop. I had to cry while watching eulogies of the wives and families of 44 of our bravest defenders. I had to cringe as I read reports about DAP being used to bribe legislators to remove an opponent in office. I had to see live footages of dead bodies lying in the streets of Tacloban for days. I had to endure all these while trying to be a good citizen of my country. This is the story of millions of Filipinos. And this story is the reason for their frustration.

 

I was made to believe that If I do my part in society, I will be okay. But I learned that our government was not as reciprocal to its citizens as we had hoped it to be. And I believe that this is the reason why Duterte is a runaway winner in this elections – he represents a leader that will feel for his citizens. And if he genuinely feels both our aspirations and frustrations, maybe he can usher in a government that is more sympathetic, more reciprocal, more dependable.

 

Duterte is not my choice for president but now that he is clearly our new leader come June 30, I join his 16 million voters and the rest of the Filipinos hoping for real change and pledge my support for him. With all my heart, I hope that the sacrifices of the good Filipinos will be reciprocated. 

 

Weeks from now, I will be leaving my beloved motherland to go on an adventure overseas. But it will not stop me from looking after my country. Only this time, I will be from outside looking in. Though I pledge my support for our new administration, it does not mean that I will rationalize and defend it for its blunders. I will continue to express my views. For the first time, I will have the perspective of an outsider – how administration is portrayed internationally. And as a Filipino overseas, I hope with all my heart to be proud that I am Filipino whoever I am with anywhere. 

 

Duterte, we are giving you six years to be in control. All state funds and powers will be at your disposal. Please, don’t fail this nation.

Dear Megaworld

Dear Megaworld,

Every night, between 8 PM to 9 PM, I am welcomed by more than 3 dozen commuters waitng in line for transportation service just outside Eastwood. We are compelled to stand for 30 minutes to an hour before we can be accomodated. If we dont have an umbrella, we have to endure getting wet by the heavy rain because we only have the sky above our heads. We are forced to inhale the polluted air of C5 while waiting. We are sometimes yelled at by the ill tempered 'barker' and/or driver. And so many other additional misfortunes that commuters experience on a daily basis. This is just my personal experience. Others may be experiencing worse. I refuse to be treated this way. 

We, the commuters, are not only the employees of the companies that rent your office buildings. We represent the workforce that sustains your business. We dine at your restaurants, shop at your malls, watch movies at your cinemas, unwine at your pubs. We patronize your business. We contribute to your earnings. We enable you to grow. We give life to your business.

Please return us the same courtesy by at least setting up a decent terminal for commuters. Please treat us the way we should be treated. Treat us human.

PS:

I wrote this while standing in line under the rain together with a dozen or two people waiting for a van. This is not right.

Antithesis of Love

The Vatican II council revolutionized the Roman Catholic faith. Before it, the Church was viewed as a supreme authority lead by the Pope whose words are taken as if coming from God himself. Vatican II emphasized the Church as a "very imperfect, unfinished reality". Pre-Vatican II church sees priests as sacred individuals, who are being treated as a special caste in society. Post Vatican II church now sees priests as ordinary individuals, capable of sin. The church is no longer consists of priests and bishops alone, but of the whole faith community.

Thus, in a post Vatican II era, it is disgusting to see a video of a priest berating an unwed mother during the baptism of her child. However, now that he has asked for forgiveness, as Catholics we must learn to understand and forgive a sinner like us. While we must continue to intensely protest such arrogance of some members of the clergy, we must not make hasty generalizations that all priests share the same attitude. 

I hope that Catholics like myself do not make the wrong interpretation that this issue is a proof that all priests are closed minded and are not willing to understand. 

Most of all, I hope that the priests can a find an effective way to deliver the good news, without making violent judgement especially to those who are lost. 

The message of God is all about love. Passing judgement to the sins of others is the antithesis of love.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/07/08/14/nakakahiya-ito-what-cebu-priest-said-unwed-mother

What is A Bonus?

A bonus is the amount granted for employees whether for (1) industry and/or loyalty (merit-based bonus scheme), (2) based on the company’s performance or (3) a combination of the employee’s and the company’s performance. Whatever type or scheme the bonus might be, payment of which is discretionary or given at the prerogative of the employer. [1]

Based on what I know about our labor laws, there is no existing provision in the Philippine Labor code which governs payment of bonuses. However, I believe that there are generally accepted principles related to bonus and/or incentive schemes.

One principle is that employers must exercise the discretion fairly and reasonably when deciding to pay any bonus. In addition, though the bonus is discretionary, a legitimate expectation may be created where it has always been paid to employees. Most importantly, if employees have met the criteria for the bonus, the employer cannot only pay the bonus to some employees and not to others. [2]

Though there are no specific law related to bonuses (to the best of my knowledge), it is my humble but considered opinion that payment of bonus to some employees and not to others who all met the criteria of the bonus may  constitute a violation of the equality clause under the Bill of Rights.

The equal protection clause of the Bill of Rights provides that if persons are equally or similarly situated, they must be treated equally. Specifically, Art. 3 Sec. 1 of the Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws. [3]

In countries with more mature labor laws, if an employer refuses to pay an employee their bonus entitlement, when they are entitled to it, they may file charges for breach of contract and may seek arrears in wages. Hence, a well drafted bonus provisions are crucial in the avoidance of unnecessary inconvenience both to the employer and the employee.

References:

[1] Basics on the Philippine Labor Law

[2] Human Resource Institute of New Zealand

[3] 1987 Philippine Constitution

The Concrete Jungle

The corporate world is actually a jungle where wild animals wear business attires. They wear branded leather shoes to protect their feet. Feet that they use to step on other people's shoulders in order to stand out. They wear expensive wrist watches but waste other people's time. They wear decent clothes to look good while they strip others down naked. 

I will admit. Nearly four years of working has taken its toll on me. For the past four years, I have to compel myself to deal with the problem of evil, politics and daily heavy traffic. The people are bully and envious. They steal ideas and say we're up to no good. I may have been cynical along the way. I have lost my faith on some people. I find the system disgusting. 

Though I may have allowed myself to be dragged by the stress of earning a living, I will never allow myself to lose hope that I can make a difference. One day, I will be taking the shots, making the calls and giving the last say. But in the process of getting there, I will exert all my effort to resist the temptation to inflict unnecessary cruelty in order to succeed. I will inspire others to be passionate without being brutal, to fight for survival fairly and with compassion. So when that day comes, I will be different from those who now enjoy my vehement criticisms. 

In my humble view, leadership is not about having power or having entitlement to anything.   It is certainly not about being the big man bullying the small boys. It is not about asking people to do things, it's about doing it with them. Leadership is about the responsibility to empower people, to influence them to do better, to inspire them to lead. 

The corporate world is actually a jungle where wild animals wear business attires. Let us not fall easy prey to these self absorbed predators. Let us not allow ourselves to be eaten by the system. Let us not be dead meat. Instead, let us change the landscape. We can begin by being the opposite of those that we hate. Let us strive to always be objective, impersonal and professional. But first, we must know the essence of those terms. 

Going against the current is a difficult task. Changing it is even harder. But I know we can. And we will start now.

NO to Fixation on Showbiz News!

Netizens are said to be an intelligent population. Hence, let us put an end to the culture of fixation on trivial events like controversies involving celebrities. I am obviously referring to the scandal involving Vhong Navarro. My FB and twitter feed is full of posts related to this 'scandal'. Even worse is the airtime of primetime news being dominated by this story.

There are other stories to listen to. There are other topics to talk about. There are REAL ISSUES that hound our society that requires public scrutiny and attention. 

To qoute a certain showbiz reporter loosely, "Never take an entertainment story seriously. For all you know, it could be scripted. After all, entertainment news should bring you entertainment."

Regardless whether this latest showbiz scandal is scripted or not, we shall not allow ourselves to be deviated from the real issues that we need to confront.

The worldly issues of Vhong, Cedric and Deniece involving sex, power and violence has nothing to do with our personal lives. The misbehavior of the rich and the famous, their lack of self control and the consequences of their actions is not a matter of NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. Having stories of such nature take precedence over issues related to our national interest as a subject of public discourse speaks lowly of our priorities as a people. Let us be a mature, intelligent population.

Let's stop giving a sh*t about this. Please.

Time is of the Essence

I see nothing wrong in pressuring the government to deliver the needed help timely and efficiently.

I refuse to sit idly by while members of the international press, reporting from ground zero, express their concern and frustration over the lack of governance in the facilitation of relief and rescue.

Once and for all, this is in no way an attempt to put the blame of nature's wrath on the government. This is an appeal to the government, that now has the role to facilitate the delivery of help, to do it timely and efficiently.

To those who continue to say that now is not the time to do what I am doing, I say this: NOW IS THE ONLY TIME TO DELIVER THE HELP. THE DELAY CAUSES THE DANGER OF LIVES BEING LOST BY THE MINUTE.

While there are those who continue to villify and demonize people like me who express frustrations over this matter, I refuse to return them the negativity. I am not afraid to be called ugly names because of what I do. For I do this because I am afraid that lives will be lost.

Be not afraid to pressure the government until they give in. The goal is for the victims to receive the help timely.

Now is not the time to rally behind our favorite political personality. Now is neither the time for political colors to shine nor for political lines to be established. The time calls us to defend the dignity both of the survivors and the perished. We need to salvage whatever is left and pay respect to those that are already gone.

At this very hour, my officemate who has a family in Leyte is on her way back to her town, braving the uncertainties, to personally deliver some basic goods survivors may need. Like you, we have already helped and are still helping. But we need to make sure that help will be delivered completely, timely and efficiently.

Deliver Help Timely and Efficiently

May mga nagsasabing mali at hindi nakakatulong ang mga taong nagpapahayag ng pagkadismaya sa mabagal na pagpaparating ng tulong sa mga lugar na nasalanta ng delubyo. Pinagdududahan pa nila kung may nagawa na ba ang mga taong iyon bukod sa pagiging kritiko. Nagkakalat lang daw sila ng negatibong bagay sa social media.

Ang akin lang: Why demonize and villify those who express their frustrations over the inefficiency of the government in carrying out the relief and rescue operations?

Mali ba na sabihin natin sa gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng social media na "Bilisan nyo ang pagpapahatid ng tulong at huwag ng magpatumpik-tumpik pa!"

Sa mga nagsasabing walang kabuluhan ang mga ganyang pagpapahayag sa social media ay kailangan magbalik tanaw na ang ilang mga pandaigdigang kaganapan na naging bahagi na ng kasaysayan ay nagsimula lamang sa isang status sa facebook o sa twitter.

Anim na araw na po ang nakalipas. Hindi na bagyo ang papatay sa mga nasalanta. Pipinsalain sila ng bawat minutong walang tulong na nakakaabot sa kanila.

I see nothing wrong in pressuring the government to deliver the needed help timely and efficiently.

Katulad ninyo, tumulong na kami at tutulong pa kami sa paraang kaya namin. Pero kailangang makarating nang mabilis at kumpleto ang mga tulong na ipinapadala natin.

Konsensya at Social Media: Tungkol sa Paggamit ng Social Media sa Panahon ng Sakuna.

Ang daming nangangaral tungkol sa tamang paggamit ng social media sa panahon na 'to.

Pag nagpost ka ng tungkol sa sarili mo (lugar na pinuntahan mo, pagkain kinain mo, pagtitipon na dinaluhan mo), insensitive ka. Sasabihan kang hindi ka raw nakakatulong sa mga napinsala. 

Pag nagpost ka naman na tumulong ka na nga (donasyong pera, volunteer, impormasyon), nagpapakitang tao ka raw.

Kahit ano pa ang naging paghuhusga sa'yo, ikaw lang ang nakakaalam ng laman ng puso mo. Kung ang naging intensyon mo sa pagpopost ay hindi naging sensitibo sa sitwasyon natin ngayon, hindi pa huli ang lahat. May delete na tinatawag. Kung malinis ang konsensya mo, wala kang ikababahala.

The online community is a REAL COMMUNITY.  Hence, the norms that we observe in our physical community must also be upheld here. 

Dahil tayo lang ang nakakaalam ng intensyon natin sa pagpopost, ito ang apela ko: Huwag na muna tayong magtawag ng atensyon sa sarili. Huwag magyabang. Huwag manghusga. Pairalin ang konsensya. 

The Government has powers to declare suspension of work in Private offices.

Para sa kaalaman nating lahat:

It is well within the executive's power to suspend work on both government and private offices. 

In fact, during habagat last year, the government by virtue of Memorandum Circular No. 33, suspended work on both private and govt offices. The labor department then issued Labor Advisory 1 ensuring add'l 30% pay for those who will report for duty.

Tulad ng empleyado ng gobyerno, tao din ang empleyado ng pribadong sektor. Kaya kung sila ay papasukin sa panahon ng panganib, hindi ba marapat lamang na bigyan sila ng dagdag na bayad? Isasakripisyo nila ang kaligtasan para makapagpatuloy makapagbigay ng serbisyo. 

Naniniwala ako na hindi karakter ng gobyerno na magpasindak sa mga makapangyarihan, tulad ng malalaking negosyante, lalo na kung ang gagawin ng pamahalaan ay para sa kapakanan ng publikong sinumpaan nyang poproteksyunan.

Kaya uulitin ko ang tanong: Bakit hindi magdeklara ng suspension ng trabaho sa pribadong opisina ang gobyerno? 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/246977/labor-department-additional-pay-for-work-during-habagat

A Young Heart’s Creed

Something that I wrote when I was 17 inside my room at Men's Dorm. As a new freshman in UP, I was at the precipice of change. I see my new environment as an ideological jungle and myself as a helpless prey. Afraid that I might lose myself or the things I felt was fundamental to my identity during that time, I came up with this creed. 

A Young Heart’s Creed

I believe that there is a God that makes every entity rhyme in perfect unison. All objects in the universe are perfectly designed to benefit and give benefit from all and for all.

I believe that there is an innate nature of goodness in the heart of every steward of the world just as their Creator is absolutely good where their blueprint is patterned.

I believe that each and every single being has the capacity to love unconditionally. Because of this ability, the world can be a better place.

I believe that bitterness is evil. Nobody needs to be cruel to a fellow soul. Everything can be treated with love. Love makes the heart grow healthier. Bitterness can kill.

I believe that discrimination in any form ruins the whole of humanity. Everybody is created equal. In terms of non material belongings, there is nothing that X possesses that Y does not. Every day we are showered with graces and blessings from above.

I believe that skin color does not preclude the idea of being beautiful. All are beautiful just as our Creator is exceedingly beautiful. Physical beauty is only skin deep. Skin wrinkles, therefore, making outside beauty vanish gradually every single day. Skin deep beauty is not as important as the beauty of the heart.

I believe that in times of sorrow, agony and pain God is nearest. In times of crisis, all we need to do is pray. I believe in the power of prayer.

I believe in miracles. An infinite number of miracles are happening every day. The rising of the sun after an episode of darkness, the continuous flow of the river, the blooming of the flowers, a baby’s laughter and tears, every single simple and complicated process that can and can not be explained by science at the moment is a miracle.

I believe that one needs to work hard in order to deserve the things that he dreams of. Although an infinite number of miracles are happening every day, nobody should depend the realization of their dreams on miracles. To experience a miracle, you must be deserving. Remember that the Lord is just and rewards accordingly.

I believe that there is an enough space in the universe for every creation. All of us can live side by side harmoniously. Wars are unnecessary. If we could only be a little considerate and articulate in expressing ourselves then maybe there’d be no bloodshed.

I believe that everybody should live to be happy. We must not let another day pass by without making just one single soul smile on us. In order to be eternally happy, we must not stop longing to be happy by making others happy. Each and every person’s ultimate goal is to die happy. Happiness is what makes the world good beyond its evil.

-  JPOS

Keep Wanting More

This my reaction to Vice Ganda's VONA or Vice of the Nation.

Read: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/07/23/13/vice-ganda-lauds-pnoy-calls-support

Though I respect his view and agree that we must work with our government, I disagree with what he is trying to imply. I will no longer comment on his relationship with the presidential sister Kris Aquino since it may raise doubts against his objectivity and personal bias. Instead, I will talk about the power of social media.

Netizens are the new opinion leaders. We must never stop expressing our views, if we believe we need to be heard.

In a global scale, we have seen how views expressed through social media triggered the transformation of nations, revolutions even. We have seen the role of Twitter in the massive protests in Brazil and how Facebook powered the Egyptian Revolution.

In our own country, we have seen how our loud voices in social media were heard as we oppose the Cybercrime Law and support the RH Law. Our leaders are now using what is trending in social media as a barometer of the will of the people.

So long as the views being expressed are valid and informed, objective and constructive and most of all honest, I see nothing wrong with complaining.

It is through the people's complaints and dissatisfaction that our leaders strive to deliver better service. It is through wanting more that we progress as a nation.

Let's never be satisfied and keep wanting for more.

Opinyon

Lahat may karapatang mag-opinyon. Sanay akong makinig at magproseso ng opinyong kaiba sa akin. I do not villify those whose views are different than mine. 

Ang akin lang, siguraduhing pinag aralan mo muna 'yung sasabihin mo. Hindi  'yung magdadada ka lang at magpanggap na matalino. Lawakan ang perspektiba. Sociological Imagination is key.

Magsiyasat. Manaliksik. Magbasa. 

Kung hindi mo gagawin yan, dadagdag ka lang sa polusyon sa social media. Higit sa lahat, pag-iinitin mo ang ulo ng taong makakabasa ng kagaguhang sinulat mo. 

The World View of Miss Gonzalez

Hindi ko kasi siya finofollow kaya ngayon ko lang nabasa 'to. 

Totoo, kailangang maghanapbuhay para magkabahay. Magbayad ng buwis at tumulong sa gobyerno.

But to be able to find a job that will eventually enable a person to buy a house, s/he needs education.

Ang edukasyon, trabaho, pabahay ay responsibilidad ng gobyerno. Sa kasalukuyan, pinaghihirapan natin itong solusyunan.

Hindi lahat ng squatter ay sindikato. At hindi totoong binebeybi sila ng gobyerno. Ang baby ay nabubuhay ng kumportable. Walang taong magiging kumportable kung nakasilong siya sa ilalim ng tulay habang umuulan at kumakalam ang sikmura.

Masalimuot ang isyung ito. At iresponsable ang komento ni Bianca Gonzalez.

Her tweet is not only hasty, it is full of apathy and ignorance. Maaring nakikita nga nya ang paghihirap ng ating mga kababayan dahil sa hanapbuhay na mayroon siya, pero kahit kailan hindi nya ito naranasan.

So my hasty response to her is:

Kauululan ang mga salitang binitiwan mo.

An old actor with a worn out script

This is my reaction after reading ERAP's article on Rappler "The long walk to freedom continues". You can read the text here: 

http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/31420-estrada-the-long-walk-to-freedom-continues

ERAP, please stop furthering the divide between the poor and the rich. You were not overthrown by the elite because of your ties with the poor. You were ousted because you are corrupt, plunderer, womanizer, alcoholic, gambler. You have been convicted guilty of plunder. You were incarcerated. You are only free because of a presidential pardon given by your successor whose authority you've always questioned.

To see yourself comparable to Mandela is disgusting. Not even Ninoy and Cory can equal the greatness of the man.

I very strongly appeal to you, please stop capitalizing on the poor. Don't exploit them, it is immoral.

Your ouster from office and conviction from plunder isn't because of social inequality. It is a celebration of equality before the law. 

Put your charisma to better use. I know you can, for I do not doubt your intelligence, given your experience in politics and exposure with the poor. 

Please stop explaining yourself by propagating your twisted version of history which is favorable only to you.

You are an old actor and your script is worn out. 

The Filipinos and Taiwan

More than 80,000 OFW lives in Taiwan are in great danger. Day to day, Filipinos in Taiwan endure racism and experience violence from Taiwanese people without protection from their government. The Taiwanese people are outraged because of the death of a Taiwanese fisherman allegedly shot by the Philippine Coast Guard in Philippine Territory. Though true that we should have acted more prudently on the matter,  according to international law expert Miriam Santiago, the hostile acts against the Filipinos in Taiwan is already considered an act of aggression from the point of view of international law.

As a man of reason, I cannot fathom how the death of one Taiwanese be blamed to the entire Filipino people. Much more, cause the lives of some 87,000 OFWs to be in danger.

Taiwanese Media and Taiwanese Government can ease the Tension, if They want to

Media is one of the most potent agent of change in society. In fact, public opinion can be shaped by the media. A government both has the power to influence and the power to police, among its many powers. Under these premises, I wanted to know how the Taiwan Media reported the incident to cause the entire Taiwan people to go mad against 87,000 OFWs in their country. Second, why is there an inaction from their government to protect the well being of our Filipino brothers there? Did their media played the Filipino people as the antagonist in their reports? Does their government, whose president has become very unpopular, has a hand in it?

Whatever the answers to these questions are, one thing is for sure: Taiwan Media and Taiwan Government can do something to ease the tension in Taiwan.

Taiwan Needs Us Too

87,000 OFWs contribute to the economy of Taiwan. These 87,000 workers are professionals, technical, skilled workers. Very few of them are domestic helpers. In other words, the Taiwan economy will suffer a great deal of self inflicted pain should they choose to lose the OFWs either by sending them home or by scaring them away.

We Have Issues Back Home

We have to admit that we have issues back home. PNoy administration is very weak on Foreign Policies and in managing international affairs. What on Earth have our officials been doing that allowed this minor political crisis to escalate this big, endangering the lives of our brothers overseas? Are they even aware of the incident? Our officials have to wait for a deadline set by Taiwan to act. This made us look bullied before the whole world! Much worse, the action made was poorly thought out. The president didn't even affix his signature on the letter delivered by his "personal" representative. We have very bright experts on Foreign Affairs, PNoy should make use of their intelligence if he doesn't have his own.

PNoy government should have learned from the Manila Hostage crisis. Its aftermath is still being felt today. In fact, we're still paying for that blunder.

It is sad to admit, but the Philippines has made herself a kontrabida in Southeast Asia. As Alex Magno puts it:

          In three years, we have made  ourselves the least liked in the neighborhood.

The Cambodians do not like us because of what they consider President Aquino’s ill-manners during the Phnom Penh Asean meeting. The Indonesians cast a wary eye on us because, the year before when they hosted the Asean summit, President Aquino closeted himself in his room and avoided the functions. At the Vladivostok Apec summit, we misrepresented Singapore’s foreign policy positions. We escalated the spat with China without close consultations with our Asean partners. 

When the Thai prime minister paid Manila a visit, presidential sister Kris publicly speculated about a possible romantic link between her brother and the guest. The Thai prime minister is very happily married. 

Malaysia, of course, blames Manila for letting the Lahad Datu incident happen. The Vietnamese probably feel we are not consulting them enough about the South China Sea claims. 

China does not like us because of the way we handled the South China Sea issues. Hong Kong does not like us because of the unfortunate Luneta incident. Now Taiwan does not like us too. 

The president has to realize that as president, his audience is not only the Filipino people but the international community. His words and actuations are heard and seen by the world. He is not allowed to make poorly thought out personal opinions concerning the nation because words from his mouth are heard by the world and becomes a national policy. In other words, when a president opens his mouth, he is not only talking to the Filipino people, he is making a proclamation for the whole world to hear in behalf of all Filipinos. His predecessor understands this so much so she did not entertain ambush interviews during her time to avoid saying the wrong words that could further damage our international reputation.

Law, Not Blood

Ultimately, we have the international law to govern us in this incident. I am positive that this can be settled peacefully, without further damaging international relationships. Miriam Santiago already offered her analysis and what actions the Philippines can do should worse comes to worst. Let us use the collective intelligence of experts to come up with the best solution to this crisis. But while we are still figuring things out, let's pray for our Kababayans overseas. 

The Need for Additional Requirements for Voters and Candidates

Given the manner by which the Filipino Electorate vote, (majority of which poorly educated) it is my humble view that the criteria required by our Constitution both from the voter and the candidate are not enough to ensure that competent leaders will be elected. The criteria for a voter are age and residency while the criteria for a candidate include basic literacy.

I now consider taking the unpopular position first taken by John Stuart Mill in his book "Considerations on Representative Government". In this book, he drew a correlation between education and competence as a voter. Here, he points out that educated men make better decisions. Thus, not all votes should be equal and that voting should be limited to the literate.

Though this position sounds unpopular (or even discriminatory to some), it is my considered belief that the principle of "one man, one vote, one value" only works for, and thus, must only be observed in educated societies.

In a country like ours, where majority of the 50 million voters are not well educated and candidates are not required to have certain educational attainment, the principle of "one man, one vote, one value" is counterproductive and inefficient. This is proven by every election outcome in our country including the one we had today.

In conclusion, the most apparent solution to this dilemma in Phililippine election is revisions in our charter. We can start by adding literacy as a prerequisite to vote and demanding certain educational attainment from candidates.

Hopefully, the inclusion of these criteria if ever, can develop our country into an educated society. Then we can meet the implicit goal of our electoral system which is "one man, one vote, one value"

Sometimes I SNAP

Sa isang Fast Food, umorder ako ng 2 pcs chicken.

Ako: wala po bang larger size (maliit kasi talaga, parang bagong silang na manok).
Crew: wala sir. Blah blah blah.
Ako: yan na... (I would have wanted to say, "yan na talaga un?")
Crew (interrupted me): yes sir (sabay talikod)

Ung 2 customer right after me, binigyan ng larger sizes. Di ko napigilan, bumalik ako sa counter.

Ako: (habang banayad na nakahawak sa may braso nya)
Excuse me. I asked you if I could have a larger piece (of chicken). You said no. But then you provided other customers with larger sizes. That's ok. Nagsinungaling ka.
Crew: Eh kasi sir...
Ako (interrupting him): Nagsinungaling ka! (Glared at him for at least 3 secs, sabay talikod din)

On Sabah issue

Reading developments in the Sabah issue, I can't help but recall the words of Macli-ing Dulag, Tribal Chieftain of the Cordillera Mountains when he was asked by the government to show titles to prove that they own the land: 

"How can we say we own the land? How can we own something that will outlive us? Truly, it is not we who own land, rather it is the land which owns us."

Though the circumstances faced by Macli-ing Dulag and his tribe are different from that being faced by the Kirams and the Tausugs, both hold on to the cultural, historical and social basis of land ownership.

Land is a way of life.

The government should have considered this together with the mindset of our brothers from the south.

For the president to simply say "Surrender without conditions" is blunderous. His position is reprehensible beyond belief.

It's official. The President of the Republic does not have my trust and confidence.

Read more about Macli-ing Dulag:
http://www.bantayog.org/node/96

Accessible to all

My sister was a consistent first honor student during her elementary. In high school, she was consistently at the top percentile while engaging in extracurricular activities. At the beginning of her first semester in UP, she was tasked to deliver a speech at the convocation of more than 2000 new students. She is bright and her education is being threatened. This predicament is shared by thousands of SUC students and faculties. I call on all graduates of SUC’s to take a public stand against education budget cut.

Accessible education is a provision of the Philippine Constitution.

Section 1. The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.