Number coding in the Philippines

I have always been a stern believer that only stupid people can come up with stupid ideas.

And it takes a multitude of indescribably inept nincompoops mired in corruption to come to agree.

The number coding scheme is one such stupid idea.

In 1995, then Metro Manila Development Authority chair Prospero Oreta signed MMDA Regulation No. 95-001 which aimed to reduce the volume of vehicles in Metro Manila. The idea here was to reduce traffic by reducing the number of vehicles plying the metropolis. The original program, which began December 1, 1995 prohibited vehicles with plate numbers ending in ODD numbers from plying major thoroughfares on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and cars whose plate numbers ended in EVEN numbers on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during the rush hours - 7:00-9:00 AM and 5:00-7:00 PM. There were a few exemptions then (ambulances, government vehicles, registered school buses, diplomatic vehicles), including cars that carried two or more passengers. The latter was done to encourage car pooling.

For public utility vehicles, the original plan was to make them color their roofs with a particular color so that it is easily recognized when they should or should not be seen on the road. Hence, it was also called the color coding scheme.

While the strategy may have worked to probably some degree at reducing the number of vehicles on the road, the original idea was more practical and did not usurp on the rights of the citizen who owns a car.

Over the years, the original plan of the MMDA was rewritten by idiots who replaced Mr. Oreta.

Today, this has had its own version called the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program. And the original scheme has been replaced by so many versions. There are some cities in the metropolis that adapt this scheme, while others don't. On the other hand, EDSA alone carries with it the number coding scheme for a particular window hour, which means that from 9 AM - 3 PM, cars with plate numbers that are banned on those days can use EDSA. But this can be tricky because if you're "number coded" that day and would like to travel from say Paranaque to Makati and will traverse EDSA at 1 PM but will have to hit Makati, well well well, welcome to the City of the Binays. In Makati, there is no such thing as an exemption to the rule!

The number coding is confined to Metro Manila alone. Which means that if your car's plate number ends in 1 & 2 you cannot use the roads from 7AM to 7PM on Mondays; 3 & 4 on Tuesdays; 5 & 6 on Wednesdays; 7 & 8 on Thursdays; 9 & 0 on Fridays. This tyrannical idea had evolved from what was once a more justifiable concept that the vehicle reduction program be confined only to rush hours to a stupid, inane, idiotic, brainless, machiavellian, ridiculous, mind-boggling, corruption-tainted program which government officials insist on carrying on. From one idiotic MMDA chair to the next!

What I do not get is why the private sector (and now the public) has to suffer continuously at this medieval attitude of implementing a rule that has no factual basis at all. The MMDA screams that a study done by the University of the Philippines has shown that there are too many private cars clogging the metropolis. So does that mean that we have to reduce the number of vehicles drastically to the point where even the tax payer is deprived of use of his own vehicle because a study says so? Perhaps we should just go ahead and say that everyone from the University of the Philippines should not own a car. Period. That way we would have reduced the number of cars on the road as well, since the study came from their end.

So it results in having to buy an extra car or not use your car and take a public vehicle for the day you're number coded. Unfortunately, we're not all PNoys who can afford to buy a Porsche as a hobby car. We save our hard earned cash for the extra cost of gasoline which we need to shoulder. We need to take the unreliable public transportation system because we are number coded for the day. We resort to swapping plate numbers of cars so that we can use our car on the days we are number coded. We put fake MD signs on the plates of cars so that we are exempted from the number coding scheme. We bribe the traffic enforcer P100 so that we can get away with having to get harassed over using our cars during the number coding days.

Metro Manila is not the only place in the world that has traffic woes. Even in Los Angeles or Bangkok or HongKong or Tokyo or Paris, rush hour is horrendous. But they don't ban cars from the roads like we do. It's a given right of every citizen to make use of his or her vehicle, paid for from pure blood, sweat and tears. Bought with taxes which we remitted to the government and which the government has already claimed and put to use - either for their own purposes or for the public.

What one has failed to see is the larger scale of where the traffic is coming from.

The number coding scheme has been revised into oblivion. It has been the mulcting grounds for lowly traffic enforcers who don't do anything on the streets of the metropolis but look at the plate numbers of the cars on the road. Never mind the public utility vehicles that violate so many regulations on the road in front of their very eyes! Their obsession with catching private vehicles that do not adhere to the number coding scheme has been the source of traffic congestion on the streets of Metro Manila. Never mind if anarchy on the road rules. As long as they're able to make a quick buck, these vultures dressed in various shades of uniform colors (depending on the city they work at) are up and about during regular work days. You can see that when there is a directive from the MMDA that they are suspending the number coding for a particular day, these traffic enforcers are nowhere to be seen!

Worst of all, when the traffic is all in a snarl, and you look for a traffic enforcer, he's busy chit chatting with the security guard or some other colleague or texting on his mobile phone. Sanamagan this country!

There's also the poor coordination between those that plan to fix the road or water pipes or whatever they want to fix and the local government. One day you see that traffic is flowing smoothly, the next day you wake up to your worst nightmare because some gopher called Maynilad decided to dig the streets overnight and you're in for the surprise of your life the following day! No notice from the local government official. "Surprise surprise!!! You'll be so late today because you got caught in our surprise!!" Or that the garbage trucks are out at 7AM together with all the cars during rush hour, stopping to pick up garbage at every nook and alley of the squatters area in broad daylight. Why in God's name can they not do that between 10PM - 12midnight?!?!?!?!?

We need to review this number coding scheme and just scrap it in the meantime.

It is a disservice to the Filipino people to continue a program that is mindless and baseless, considering that the real contributors to the ever worsening traffic scenario in the country are actually violators of laws and regulations - public utility vehicles that load and unload where and when they want, people who do not use pedestrian lanes and cross when and where they want, illegal parking or parking on the major thoroughfares because they want to park there.

I bet I can do a better job at managing the traffic conditions in the Metropolis without resorting to the number coding scheme. But in the Philippines, there are just too many supporting actors who want to win the best actor trophy. These are the metro manila Mayors who are most likely mired in just as much graft and corruption that they wouldn't want to lift a finger to help alleviate the traffic conditions in Metro Manila.

The only way to put order in chaos is to scrap a very bad idea and review the process. All stakeholders must be well represented during the committee reviews when they implement new policies. That's the way a true democracy works. And if PNoy is really bent on curbing graft and corruption, he must start at this level where the lowly traffic enforcers are the clearest examples of corruption among our lowest animal kingdom.

[All pictures were taken from my iPhone during a really bad traffic along Alabang Zapote Road]

Postscripts from the grave

I received the text message at 840 am that Angelo Reyes had died at 832 am on February 8, 2011.

A former AFP Chief of Staff who held several key positions in government after his stint in the military from Ate Glue, who became embattled in the imbroglio of the AFP scandal, had committed suicide.

During the senate inquiry on the AFP scandal - former comptroller Garcia getting a slap on the hand through a plea-bargaining agreement with the Ombudsman, Rabusa spilling the beans on the alleged malversation of funds and former COA auditor Heidi Mendoza revealing the very bad audit trail and alleged cover-up in the military funds - I could not help but want to share my thoughts as citizen Juan de la Cruz on the matter.

And while I was waiting for the perfect timing to write it all down, the perfect storm happens. Angelo Reyes commits suicide.

HIs death has left more questions from the Filipino people, who probably for the longest time, are tired of the corruption in government.

It is without doubt that the average Juan de la Cruz has suffered tremendously and has perhaps become callous with the way graft and corruption has become a lifestyle for government officials. When Heidi Mendoza points out that not all in government are corrupt and that still those in government who join this institution as public service to the Filipino people, this practice has become the exception rather than the rule.

I do not cast aspersions against Angie Reyes. He had an illustrious career. An officer and the chief of staff of the Philippine Army. While he is known for his bravery and his rise to the ranks, he is also better known as the chief of staff of ousted president Erap. He took a stand to defy his commander in chief for reasons perhaps only he will know and which he takes to his grave. And if this is so much of the bravado that was Angie Reyes, Erap's successor undeniably was ridden with more questionable ethics and moral values when she stole the presidency from the rightful winner of a democratic election. Ironically, he stood by her.

Ate Glue had stayed in office because her generals were well rewarded. That, no one can doubt. It is evident that key governmental posts were provided to the chiefs of staff on a silver platter.

But the graft and corruption that riddled the AFP is no different from the graft and corruption in the Philippine bureaucracy. One does not need to look far to see this. From the BIR to the Bureau of Customs to congressmen and other local government officials who utilize pork barrel funds in order to enrich themselves while in public office, they are a dime a dozen. This apparent lack of transparency has numbed the average Juan de la Cruz. If those who serve public office can steal from the coffers of the government, then why not the average worker? And as long as public officials remain exempt from being dragged to court or are incarcerated for enriching themselves in public office, it will be a lonely battle for PNoy who seeks to change the ethical and moral conduct of those in government.

And this is where I beg the indulgence of the Reyes family. You see, after all the flames have been put away, it cannot be underscored that the money used to enrich those in public office come from hard earned money by the average Juan de la Cruz. For us who strive to make a decent living, who toil each day and probably work several jobs or take an exodus and work in dangerous countries in order to provide a better future for our families, the misuse of public funds will definitely catch the ire of every average Filipino.

You see, it is not only you as a family that grieves for the death of a loved one. There is no heroism in the act of suicide of Reyes. He takes to his grave the quest for justice of Juan de la Cruz.

The fact is, that those who serve in government will never be able to enrich themselves or even provide palatial homes or pay for trips for wives and family around the world, or own multitude of cars and bank accounts with how much they earn. And this is what strikes a chord with every Filipino. Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is wrong and lying when she says that there is no way you can pin down ex-Maj Gen Carlos Garcia for plunder. His family have lived the good life while 70% of Filipinos live below the poverty line. His SALN do not match what he has in the bank. His wife, unless she is Jackie Onassis or Jinky Pacquiao or his children will never be able to buy a condominium in New York with how much the husband makes.

The media has simmered down and wrote only the good things Angie Reyes had done during his career as a public servant. And those that have come to his defense are colleagues and comrades who are mostly generals as well.

As a family man, there is no doubt that Angie and all the generals have provided well to their families. How well, is apparent in their lifestyles. Where their children are schooled. The kind of houses they live in. And how disproportionate their living conditions are compared to even the average business manager who seems to have to shuffle in between jobs in order to send their children to school, provide a house over their heads and food on the table.

Angie Reyes, a bemedalled soldier had fought the physical battles in his lifetime. It was unusual that the man who led the destruction of Camp Abu Bakkar would be so engulfed with depression when the time came to prove his innocence from a fight with allegations on corruption in the military.

To the Reyes family - media or the senators or those who casted aspersions against Angelo Reyes did not kill him. An innocent man will always stand and fight for his innocence. I for one would be in a fighting stance if someone maligned my family and my personality. No amount of puny senate inquiry or people who are out to destroy my reputation will succeed in destroying my spirit and resolve to clear my name. There is no doubt that Angelo Reyes earned his medals bravely, but behind his downfall was a more powerful person who had destroyed and besmirched his reputation.

His death was tragic and it left a large void in the hearts of the Filipino people. He took what he knew to his grave.

And justice will remain elusive to the average Juan de la Cruz.

(In)justice we swear

Former military comptroller Major General Carlos Garcia's P303Million plunder case has been dismissed after he pleaded guilty to bribery and violation of the anti-money laundering act - two lesser offenses he faces before the SandiganBayan. Of course, after he pleads guilty to these, he was granted P60,000 bail. On December 18, 2010, at 11 am, Garcia walked out of the PNP custodial center after serving almost 6 years in jail. Then there is talk of a compromise deal on the supposed return of the ill-gotten wealth. And that since he has served the maximum time for jail for an offense called bribery, he probably will go scot free.

The case of Garcia stemmed from the confiscation and eventual prosecution by United States authorities on trying to sneak in $100,000 in cold cash by his sons to the US. His wife Clarita, and all his sons - Ian Carl, Timothy Mark, and Juan Carlo - are US Citizens. They are co-accused in two cases against them.

A general in the Philippines does not and will never in his lifetime make that much money even if he dies in the line of duty. If you set the pay check of the President of the Philippines as the highest pay grade for government officials, well you can figure the math. He earns P37,000 a month. He is reported to have transferred P44M to the US in 11 years. Their family own several properties in the US.

The sequence of events leaves much room for cry for justice in the Philippines where those that are in power and those that have money have preferential treatment, are able to get better lawyers who go around the bush to find a way out of the corrupt practices of our government officials who steal from the coffers of the nation.

If the current administration is serious in its mission against graft and corruption, it must begin with this case. The wife and children of Garcia should be extradited and all ill-gotten wealth must be recovered, even if it means that the Garcias will be poorer than the poorest of the poor. It is, after all, the money of the people of the Philippines.

It should be done soon and swiftly so that it will serve as a lesson to others in government who will dare touch money intended for the development of its citizens and not the few who choose to steal and get away with it.

But justice in this country is wanting. The case of the Marcoses is a perfect example. And as long as we turn a blind eye at the the way money changes hands in exchange for justice, we will remain third world.

How many more lives and more Filipinos should live in poverty because those that are supposed to serve us steal from under our nose?

[For those interested in the whole story trail of Garcia's travail, copy and click on to this site

http://trapo.freeservers.com/garcia.html]

Of Millionaires, Billionaires, and Tax Evaders - Part II

Philippine Star columnist Boo Chanco is one of my favorite writers. He is the son of my former Microbiology professor at the University of Santo Tomas, Dr. Pedro Chanco.

Paying taxes from your salaries/stipend/honoraria in the Philippines is based on your income bracket. In short, these gazillionaires or CEOs or whatever you want to call them to be paying P2M in taxes should be making at least P500,000/month including a 13th month pay which is also taxable. This is also presuming that that is all they are getting - nothing more and nothing less. Which of course is highly doubtful.

Based on this premise, you can understand more clearly the article of Boo.

In his article entitled Demand and Supply, Boo writes: (what I comment is in parenthesis, so some of you may get a little dizzy reading this)

"Instead of just buying their own copy of Tony Lopez's BizNews Asia with the list of the Top 500 taxpayers in 2008, I keep getting asked if this or that business leader is on the list and how much he or she paid. It is either Tony's magazine is so difficult to find in news stands or people just don't want to shell out P130. Tony told me it is his exclusive because the BIR took the list down from their website." (You can just smell the people whom the BIR do not want to displeasure.)

"...Donald Dee, Mike Varela, Sergio Luis-Ortiz who are the noisy supporters of Ate Glue and who rotate the leadership of PCCI and ECOP among themselves (were not on) the list. That probably means they paid less than P2.1M in taxes or are in another list as corporations. Because they were vocal Ate Glue supporters, it is difficult to think that they apparently weren't ready to go all the way to their wallets. Then again, talk is a lot cheaper...I did not find any of the Zobel brothers in the list. Their first cousins Inigo Zobel and his sister Mercedes are not on the list too. There is, however, a Patricia Miranda Zobel de Ayala in the list, number 11, with P20M in paid taxes. Makati Business Club chair Ramon del Rosario is number 97, with P6M in paid taxes..."

"Other personalities from the Makati crowd in the list: Joey Cuisia at 29th with P11.2M, Ricardo Romulo at 39th with P9.5M, Oscar Hilado at 41st with P9.3M, PLDT executives Ray Espinosa at 22nd with P12.2M and Napoleon Nazareno at 77th with P7M. Peter Garrucho is at 152nd with P4.4M, Joey Leviste at 197th with P3.6M, urban planner Jun Palafox is 207th with P3.5M and Raul Concepcion is 223rd with P3.3M."

"Other interesting personalities in the list: Eusebio Tanco of STI at 236 with P3.3M, Cosmetic doctor Vicky Belo is 257th with P3.1M, former Chief Justice Art Panganiban is 289th with P2.9M..."

"Curiously, Tonyboy Cojuangco, reported to have donated substantially (P100M) to the PNoy campaign,, was only at 471st and paid only P2.208M, about the cost of a couple of Gretchen's Hermes bags. Medical City big boss, Dr. Alfredo RA Bengzon is 469th at P2.209M."

"Even if it takes so little to be on the list, I didn't find the veritable Washington Sycip, despite his many directorships in blue chip companies and his biting lectures on good governance. Maybe he is also in another list, as a corporation or something."

"On the taipans, here is how Tony Lopez saw it: 'The country's richest individual Henry Sy Sr is in the Top 100, No 73 with tax payment of P7.27M...the second riches, Lucio tan, also missed the grade...' The Gokongweis, father and son are not on the list but son-in-law Perry Pe is 367th with P2.5M in taxes paid. I don't remember seeing the Yuchengcos either who are probabaly in another list too. Also missing in the list is property tycoon Manuel B. Villar, once and probably still is the richest senator. Gibo Teodoro, said to have been the richest in Ate Glue's cabinet isn't there either. Also missed on the list are the former First Gentleman and all of the past presidents..."

"How is it possible that the country's richest are not the highest taxpayers? Tony quotes Mike Varela, a lawyer and chair emeritus of PCCI. 'Maybe these people incorporated themselves...when you are a corporation you can charge everything to it, including the grocery allowance of your wife.' Tony Lopez quotes Donald Dee, the PCCI Treasurer."

"According to the BIzNews Asia article, former BIR Commissioner Joel Tan Torres initially published the list in the agency's website. The list however, disappeared. The current Commissioner Kim Henares told the magazine. "The former commissioner posted it for a time but had to remove it because of complaints."

"The main excuse is that kidnappers will use that list. But I don't think so. Kidnappers, will on the contrary, be disappointed that the folks they thought are rich don't seem to be that rich, based on their tax payments. It is just frustrating that the burden of financing this government placed on the middle class like us whose tax payments are mostly withheld at sourced or added on to the things we buy. And of course, we cannot afford to get top notch tax accountants and are at the mercy of BIR examiners. .."

"Oh well...let us just end with this quote Tony used from Oliver Wendell Holmes: TAXES ARE WHAT WE PAY FOR CIVILIZED SOCIETY. Otherwise, stop complaining about the anarchy around you."

(And I couldn't agree more.)

Tim Who?

His name is Timothy Mark Depakakibo Garcia. He is the 25 year old son of former Maj. General Carlos Garcia, the erstwhile former military comptroller of the Philippines who has been accused of plunder charges to the tune of 300M pesos (together with his wife Clarita and sons Ian Carl, Juan Paolo and Timothy Mark).

Who is Timothy Mark Depakakibo Garcia? Last September 16, 2009, out of nowhere, Peter Davis wrote a feature article on Tim Garcia in the news website "The Daily Beast" on the young Tim who is now a publicist for fashion label Marc by Marc Jacobs. In the article, Tim is seen living out his house arrest fashionista style. He is supposedly kept company by a friend named Bryanboy (whatever that means). The family is wanted in the Philippines for a string of plunder cases, what with the father supposedly making headlines years ago from acquiring multimillion dollar cash from his measly pay as an army official. In January 2004 (or when Tim was only 19), he and his mother purchased a $765,000 condominium unit (Unit 6A) at the Trump Park Avenue Condominium right smack in the heart of Park Avenue, New York City.

Interestingly for those that failed to follow the trail after the expose on the illegal wealth of the general, this is the trail as reported:

On March 5, 2005, Timothy Garcia was "arrested by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents and presented in this District."

The court was also informed that Clarita Garcia was arrested and presented in the Eastern District Court of Michigan in Detroit and Ian Carl and Juan Paulo Garcia were arrested in the Northern District of California. All four are currently detained.

Clarita Garcia, 58, and her husband, retired Major General Carlos F. Garcia, and their three children – Timothy Mark, 25, Ian Karl, 30, and Juan Paulo, 27, are all facing plunder charges in the Philippines. Plunder carries a penalty of 30 years to life in prison.

General Garcia, a former comptroller of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and others were accused of “willfully, unlawfully, and criminally amass, accumulate, and acquire ill-gotten wealth in the form of funds, landholdings, and other real and personal properties in the aggregate amount of not less than 303-million pesos (US$6.2 million)."

The source of funds used by Timothy and his mother, Clarita, was believed to be the unexplained 303-million (US$6.2-M) acquired by General Garcia. The Garcias were able to transfer $2 million from the Philippines to the United States.

Except for General Garcia, the rest of the members of the family are all US citizens and are subjects to extradition.

In addition to extradition, Juan Paulo and Ian Karl are detained in the Northern District of California in San Francisco for bulk smuggling charges related to $100,000 being transported to the United States from the Philippines in 2003.

Timothy Mark and Clarita Garcia are only facing extradition charges and have no other criminal charges.

General Garcia is serving his two-year sentence for perjury in the Philippines. The Garcia couple, as well as their three children, will face plunder charges in the Philippines as soon as the Garcia family members are extradited to the Philippines.

Before purchasing the Trump condominium unit, Clarita Garcia deposited on Jan. 15, 2004 $308,327, approximately $200,000 in cash and in two certified checks from the Bank of the Philippine Islands totaling $108,327 into the Citibank account in New York she holds jointly with Timothy Garcia.

The Garcia also transferred over $1-M from Export and Industry Bank in the Philippines to the United States in a three-month period. On Jan. 21, 2004, $357,418 was wire transferred from General Garcia’s account in the Philippines to Clarita and Timothy Garcia’s Citibank account in New York.

On Feb. 3, 2004, $265,673 was again wire-transferred by Gen. Garcia to the same account of Clarita and Timothy.

On Feb. 20, 2004 and on March 11, 2004, $263,809 and $176,324 were transferred from Merceditas Garcia, sister of General Garcia, to the same bank account of Clarita and Timothy Garcia, respectively. - GMANews.TV


We probably would not know what was going on in the mind of Mr. Davis when he came out with the "fashionista" lifestyle of Tim but this definitely was not a venue to brag and brandish the lifestyle of the crooked and famous. One of the readers had commented that unless proven guilty, no one had the right to lambast the Garcias. Come on, give us a break. Not all are morons in this country, where money laundering and corruption in government is the RULE, rather than the exception.

A fashion statement? Duh, yeah right. But highlighting the "fashionista approach" with Garcia "perched on a sleek white Armani Casa chair in his apartment in the modern, gilded Trump Plaza at 502 Park Avenue, Garcia is decked in head-to-toe designer: a supple caramel leather Alessandro dell’Acqua jacket, Alexander McQueen jeans, a thin white LnA tee shirt and YSL boots. His wrists are adorned with a big Cartier gold and silver Tank watch, a Cartier Love bracelet, a white enamel Hermes bangle and a $1000 dollar large gold plated spiked Hermes cuff called the Collier de Chien." is a crime on the the Filipino people by displaying ostentatious living from apparently "stolen" wealth. This apparently obnoxious display of travesty of the Philippine justice system can hardly be downplayed and must affect the senses of even the most callous and the most snobbish among the faux elitist fashion circles.

As if the rise to the Imeldific or the Arroyo banquet were lifestyles that would catch the ire of the citizens of the world, Tim is not some important personality that is provided the God given right to go ahead and spend the money of the impoverished country where his father happens to have been the former comptroller and happens to have plundered from. And I have no idea who and what Marc by Marc Jacobs is. Marc may be some fashion icon in the hubris of New York whose eclectic crowd of wannabes may be going gaga over his world, but he definitely needs some constant reminder that the rest of the world does not revolve around him and that a little sensibility on social responsibility among these fashionistas should slap some sense into their ever snobbish attitude of never care.

I praise the Filipino for being able to rise above the proverbial poverty level and make it big in, yes, New York New York, there has got to be some reality check among the youth on how to grab the limelight with a conscience. The likes of Manny Pacquiao, Aling Dionisia, Boy Abunda, Lea Salonga or other Pinoys who have shown that their lifestyles have changed because of hard work are the epitome of the kind of people that those of us who struggle to make it big in this crazy world should emulate.


I loathe, however, those who have no right to spend other people's money for their own gains.


We do not need to publicize people like Tim Who, who seems oblivious of the limitations of what his family financially is capable of and utilize the Filipinos money to pamper his sordid taste in fashion with the approval of "fashionista" cohorts in New York City. It's people like these who justify the glamor and glitz of an empty lifestyle. No morals. No values. A designer's name attached to their wrist, their backpacks, or their ankles.

But Tim Who is no Paris Hilton and like the other thieves of the night, he has no right displaying unabashedly the gold that he has no right to wear. It is a shame that people like Davis even make a sense out of nonsense.

Delicadeza and pardon my skepticism

Effective June 30, we celebrate our one year countdown of the Arroyo administration. One of the longest and most corrupt political career of a president, I have to hand it to Ate Glue for playing the Game of the Generals in order to survive in public office.

During her term of office, there have been so many allegations on her husband's alleged graft and corruption and the collusion with friends and families close to them in order to corner government deals or big business ventures. Then again, there are the paid cronies and spokespersons who stood by her side defending her to their grave, rewarding the military officials with choice positions in government controlled corporations or diplomatic positions in foreign countries. As if there is no other competent person in the Philippines, the choice of some lacky cabinet official was based on friendship or being neighbors at her La Vista home, rather than credentials.

For the 3 year illegal term of GMA (through some weird People's Revolution Part II and Part III), up to the time that she supposedly questionably won a 'real term of office', she has not received any accolade from the Filipino people. It has been one quirky decision to another, from one scandal to another, from one graft and corruption allegation with her husband to another, from one son to another entering public office...it has been a calculated effort at putting her family in the political circle, akin to the time of the Marcoses.

The mere fact that she was able to defy gravity at the rate she was going, and that the people particularly the middle and upper class showing laziness and ending up tired with the kind of government system that the Filipinos have been used to, leaves little to say about the respect that Filipinos have towards themselves.

When I picked up the newspaper this morning, I was curiously astonished to find out that owner of Total Information Management, part of the consortium that won the automated election bid for next year's election, is linked to the Aboitiz clan. A clan close to the Arroyo family, especially the first gentleman. Doesn't the government participate in any exercise of bidding that does not involve FG or do all these scandals happen to be coincidental? I don't think so, because the graft scandals have been so far accurate by 100% and statisically speaking, the probability of this being a chance outcome is nil.

I formally announced on Facebook and Twitter that the health advisories and globe trotting soirees of the president being advertised in whole page ads in the newspapers leave a bad taste in the mouth. This, particularly with the pictures of both GMA and the health secretary! But hey, it's free campaign material for a health secretary who is practically unknown to the community, and who has minimal knowledge of what he is talking about. I am fine with the health advisories, but to put your face on the advisory is electioneering. It actually has NO RELEVANCE to the advisory.

The presidential election is simply a few months away. There are calls for a new movement, for renewed morals, for choosing a candidate that will lead the Filipinos to the promised land.

Pardon my skepticism. But the average Filipino has no delicadeza. In selecting a candidate, the average Pinoy will always vote for someone who he/she will "invest in". He/she must qualify for the question - what's in it for me?

Pardon my skepticism. But the average Filipino is a masochist. It's probably because we are used to the flagellations of our colonizers that we will always think of ourselves as slaves. We easily forget a crime. We feel the need for a bad spanking every day.

Pardon my skepticism. Today, they have involved the youth, hoping that this group of new voters can and will make changes for this country. They have put all social networking sites to work and are banking on the world wide web to make a difference. Perhaps this could be a strategy, but 60% of Filipinos still do not have access to the internet and live in the hinterlands where the votes can be bought and snatched and where a Garci scandal will always be ready to preserve the political dynasties in the Philippines.

Pardon my skepticism. Unless we band together for a greater cause and unless we reach out to our Filipino brothers and sisters who live below the poverty line, I do not see much change in this country in the next election. If this happens, there will be the continued exodus of OFWs, continued graft and corruption where delicadeza can always be bought for a loaf of bread, where only a few will benefit from the ties that bind the government official and the culture of corrupt practices...where the choice of heaven for one is hell for the other one.

Pardon my skepticism. But the momentum on reforms has practically died. The Filipino was the model for the peaceful revolution to unseat an unpopular president during the Marcos regime. Ironically, the Filipino is the model for keeping the devil in its place during the Arroyo administration. Scandal after scandal, the Filipino has been callused to simply live in hell on earth.

What a mess!

The headlines in the local papers are having a heyday on the various scandals rocking the GMA government.

The Alabang Boys and the drug peddling scandal of three young men from prominent families. The public outrage is to hang these boys to dry! It's actually a showdown on how the government can handle this type of corruption scandal through alleged bribes accepted by the prosecutors office or the PDEA. The barbs they're throwing at each other is like a movie that has us all glued to see who wins this round. It's a reflection of what money can do in this country. It's the kind of story that viewers watch closely as it's riddled with whodunnit theories.

Of course, this scandal eclipsed the scandal of the Generals. Who can forget the Euro Generals that led the PNP on an excursion to Moscow bringing millions of pesos in taxpayers money? While they call it legit, some say otherwise. It's ironic at how these senators and congressmen despise the "junkets" pharmaceutical companies endow the doctors, but hey, it's okay if they go on a junket using taxpayers money. I cringe at the thought of their justifying their actions. I puke at their proclamation of service to the people.

Finally, we have a new scandal on the Department of Public Works and Highways. Large construction companies which have been banned by the World Bank because of graft and corruption charges have been allowed to participate in bids for local projects not funded by the World Bank! Damn these idiots. This does not only smell of fish, but these people involved have the temerity to stand their ground in spite of the overwhelmingly voluminous proof of lies!

Only in the Philippines!

And then Ate Glue issues a statement before leaving for Davos through her mouthpiece Ermita that she will not make those people involved in the mess resign because they have her confidence.

Amen.

In another country, these lackies would have been hung in public. But this is the Philippines.

The administration officials are more brazen with graft and corruption now. Just do it! We'll explain later. The election is just around the year and they have just a year and a half to steal from the coffers. Time is running out.

Since justice in this country can take forever, let the stealing begin!

Damn.