Pay Taxes or Feed the Masses

As the country celebrated Valentine's Day, the RH Bill reared its beautiful head yet again. As condoms flew around, who else but the holiest of holy again reminded us the evils(?) of contraception. I cannot overemphasize the separation of church and state. They rally their base and demonize the government's solution to population explosion. The church reaps in billions in collections and donations. They own schools, hospitals and even banks. Every time a child is baptized, confirmed or if someone dies, the church collects fees.

All these earnings are tax-free. Not a centavo goes to the country's coffers. I am quite sure that only a fraction of these funds goes to the poor. Everything else goes to the church. Perhaps to pay for their Macs. cars and the Pope's wardrobe. Like I said before, I am a Catholic and have seen how the church goes about its affairs. There good priests and there are those who care about nothing but the finances of the church. I have seen up close how these so-called priests devour these funds.

They dictate upon us as if they were God. I am sure that God would not like seeing the poor slowly die of despair and hunger because His men like us to be rabbits. So they meddle in the affairs of the state, threatening everyone who goes against them. Of course they dare not touch PNoy's predecessor or they wouldn't receive their white envelopes. See the hypocrisy? There are those who believe that the poor should never vote because they don't pay taxes yet these men in robes vote.

If you want to have a say in affairs of the state, pay your taxes. We are answerable to God and God alone. If the church is bent on blocking the RH Bill, they should have concrete solutions to overpopulation. You even call off classes so you can drag your students to the streets to condemn the bill. I am very sure their presence was compulsory. We need to arrest the rapid growth of the population. Seminars won't cut it. We should be given free choice. Even the Pope condones the use of condom if only to prevent disease from spreading. We must respect our partners too. When you can "honestly" hold accountable your members who have sinned, maybe I will listen to what you have to say.

Human decency is what's at stake here. We need to step back and take a look at the bigger picture. It is our money that you spend on the poor. It is our donations that keeps the church afloat. Perhaps it is time that we take your exemptions away. It is time for you to give your fair share. I am sure that only a small portion of what we donate actually reach the poor. My challenge to you is to pay your taxes. If not, you feed the masses.

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Tele-babad Queen

The Godmother of institutionalized corruption loves her telephone. For the second time in her life, she used it to ensure that she is in the clear. In '04, she called the godfather of electoral fraud to make she'll win the presidential race by one million votes. This time around, she called her favorite general to make sure that that buck stops with the general. I wonder how many times she had used her phone to make sure that she will never be implicated in any corruption case? Her knack for calling personalities to cover up her shenanigans is onve very bad habit.

The general did not take this lightly and succumbed to the pressure. El Generalismo once said that "hindi siya nang-lalaglag and yet back in '01, at the height of the calls for a disgraced but popular president to step down, he withdrew his support for the constitutionally elected president. Di ba pan-lalaglag yon? Now El Generalismo is gone and with his demise brought scandalous secrets to his grave. Godmother must be laughing her heart out. She has dodged the bullet yet again. Unfortunately for her, she is no longer in power. I do not think that he gang of military REMFs will follow what El Generalismo did. Someone will surely sing his heart out and save his neck. Nothing can escape the eyes of Godmother especially when it come to MONEY. Her micromanaging skills in the realm of corruption is legendary.

So what happens now with the corruption investigations in congress and the senate? It will continue for sure. Wives and mistresses might even get to socialize with each other when they appear before the committees investigating these scandalous thievery in the AFP. When the smoke of these investigations clears, ghosts of corruptions will begin to haunt Godmother. And for the last time she may again use her phone. . Who you gonna call Godmother, the Ghost Busters?

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Pride and Prejudice

I'm glad that Enteng Romano has resigned from the government. Not that I am one of those who thinks his brainchild stinks but because I appreciated his efforts. Greg Macabenta couldn't have written it better. I first met Enteng Romano when I was just 16. The Altos Computers took me in as an apprentice while I waited for the semester to open. although we did not work together directly, we shared the same small office together with my mentor, Myrna Jopson (sister of the late Ed Jopson). Last time I saw him was during a prayer rally in Makati. He has always been a hard worker, vibrant and enthusiastic.

I admire how he handled the situation he was in. He took it like a man while an ingrate people screamed for his head. I suppose people were just envious that this public servant was trying his best to serve the country. How many public servants (past and present) can match his delicadeza? I guess, Filipinos have yet to grasp national pride. The easily questioned the use of Pilipino as a selling point to promote tourism. You would be surprised of how how many foreigners know the meaning of "ganda". Perhaps because we are not proud of who we really are. Instead we would like to go with the flow and imitate the slogans of our Asian neighbors. We did not even give the project a chance. It all boils down on how you market the brand. The Dept. of Tourism can explain what the phrase "Kay Ganda" means.

But like geniuses envious that we did not come up with a slogan, we quickly shot the idea down. I did not find anything bad in the slogan. Along with the media, stakeholders who really did not care jumped on the bandwagon and showed their prejudice. Romano may not be brilliant but at least he's doing what he thinks is good for the country. Day in and day out, all I would hear and read is how bad the slogan was. It was only after the slogan came out that the concerned(?) sectors came out, and they had nothing good to say. A friend who owns a travel agency found it different, innovative at that. I suppose we prefer to lose our identity in the sea of English. It's no wonder why we are being left behind. We lack a national goal and vision. It's everyone for himself. Are we not proud of who we are? I guess not.

Kudos to you Enteng for showing the people what you are made of. And to all you geniuses, join the government. Let us see how well you'll perform. I doubt if you'll come out with a slogan that embodies what is truly the Philippines.

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With or Without A Slogan

I couldn't care less if the Department of Tourism has a new slogan to promote our country. The fact of the matter is that unless we can protect foreign tourists, we'll have a hard time selling the Philippines. Two weeks ago, the Asian Intercity Bowling Championships was held here. Despite the travel advisories that several countries issued, the event was well participated. My team represented one of the three local cities that participated. Several cities from Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Saipan and Guam also sent teams to participate in the annual meet. Unfortunately, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia and China did not send their teams due to the travel advisories and the botched hostage rescue.

A very sad incident involving a player (of Australian descent) from Guam happened. While waiting for a taxi cab in front of Robinson's Place in Ermita, two thieves riding in tandem snatched her necklace. The poor girl was dragged for several meters because her necklace di dnot easily break. She sustained bruises on her elbows and knees and he right wrist was sprained. This did not happen in the wee hours of the morning but early evening. She vowed that she will never visit the Philippines again even if her sponsored her travel.

This is not an isolated case. Many tourists are victimized by thieves, prostitutes and even our police. No matter how much we spend on advertising, or how many times we change our "branding", unless we can assure our visitors that they will be protected, the Philippines would be a hard-sell. It's not about the terror threat that we lose tourists to our Asian neighbors but
due to crime. Even our "balikbayans" fall prey to crime. Is this just the government's problem? It concerns us all. How many taxi cabs dupe even the locals? We've lost our sense of hospitality as well. What most people see in tourists is simply the color of money. We no longer see them as guests. It may just be a case of a few rotten eggs, but perception plays a big part in all these. When even local tourists are treated badly, the tourism industry will continue to suffer.

With or without a catchy slogan, we will continue to lag behind our neighbors in terms of tourism. We must go through a re-education of sorts. Tourism should not be limited to the DoT's and travel agencies, it should be a national concern. We, the Filipinos are our tourism's greatest endorsers. It is our good nature that will back our foreign guests.

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Welga You Like It Or Not

The bus operators showed us last Monday how they can hold the riding public hostage. Thousands were stranded and they blamed the drivers and conductors for the strike. Yet last Friday, a defiant Claire dela Fuente said that they will call for a transport strike shoud the MMDA impose the number coding on them. With the DoJ and DOTC threatening to revoke their franchise.

Bus operators claim that they have no control over their drivers and conductors. What a lot of crap. No driver or conductor in his right mind would want to lose the only income they have. Clearly, these operators are trying to dodge the bullet. We all know that drivers and conductors have no fixed monthly pay and relies only on commissions (boundary system). You don't drive, you don't earn. Operators set a fixed amount which these people have to meet. Anything over the amount is theirs for the keeping.

The number coding scheme being imposed on them is meant to reduce the number of buses plying the EDSA route. How many empty/half-empty buses do you see on the EDSA during rush hour? There are many. How many of you encounter traffic at every loading and unloading zones for buses? I'm very sure many of you experience this everyday. Because drivers and conductors do not have fixed salaries nor the benefits other employed people do, they try to run as many trips as they can in one day. This is why we see them jockeying for position at every corner and driving like demons on steroids. How many lives have been lost because they try to outrace themselves so they can add a little more to their earnings?

The problem lies in the greed of the operators. They feed on the blood, sweat and tears of the drivers and conductors. I'm very sure that they don't even pay the right taxes. The number coding was to be implemented back in 2003. GMA did not impose it. Perhaps she's afraid that Claire wouldn't do a duet with her. We all know how GMA never had the political will to do take the bull by the horns. These is why NaPoCor has a huge debt and we the people have to shoulder the burden.

I'm enjoying this chicken play between the government and IMBOA. I'd love to see who blinks first. Because the threat of losing their franchises is real, these operators are running to the courts for intervention. EDSA plays a very big role in Metro Manila's economy. As long as a strangling traffic holds up movement, maximum productivity will never be achieved.

Why not revoke all franchises and start from scratch. Cities can create loops for buses. They wouldn't have to fight each other out. Provincial buses should have their terminals in the fringes of Metro Manila. They shouldn't be competing for space on EDSA. I've taken buses in my trips abroad. People walk to stations. Specific stops are assigned to specific buses. The riding public should also learn to share some sacrifices. You want to get off at your doorstep, take a cab. Otherwise, learn to use your feet. I do ot know how this issue will end. EDSA will not widen itself. Every sector involved must sacrifice so that this problem can be addressed.

Drivers and conductors are not slaves. They have the right to earn a decent living. I don't believe that operators are losing money. I also abhor how they use these people as pawns because they want everything for themselves. I hope the LTFRB can conduct a REAL, HONEST TO GOODNESS audit of all franchises so the we can weed out the legitimate from the illegal operators. This would be a good step in the right direction.

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Meron Nga Bang Nagbago?

PNoy promised change. So far, there had been many changes. I laud the changes in the GOCCs and the GFIs. The exposes on how grossly abused these offices were by their boards. These are major changes that created a huge impact on public perception. But there changes that show na "walang pagbabago".

In the Bureau of Customs, "areglo" is still rampant. Before, it was P80,000-P125,000 per container. Now, it's between P165,000-P185,000. Only the faces changed but the same corrupt practices remained. Importers complained that despite their desire to pay the right taxes, officials come up with charges so that the importer would use the "areglo" just so they can bring their goods out. No wonder manufacturing costs are so high.

The new Metro Manila Development Authority administration has also done nothing. In fact, traffic has become terrible. Colorum buses continue to ply their routes with impunity. Of course the LTFRB shares the blame. The "Kabit system" is tolerated. There is a very simple solution to this problem, simple conduct an audit of franchises of these bus companies. EDSA looks like a huge parking lot even on weekends. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to fix this problem.

The revised IIRC report will be released on Monday. This will prove if things really has changed or wala talagang pagbabago. Will justice be blind or would it favor those close to PNoy? I hope there wouldn't be scapegoats.

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Where Were You?

As the debate on the RH Bill heats up, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is gearing up for a confrontation. First they threatened to call for civil disobedience, they now threaten to excommunicate anyone who supports the bill. Claiming that they are doing this in the name of morality. The say that when moral values are the issue, they will resort to these extreme actions to drive their point home.

Pure hypocrisy if you ask me. Where were you in the nine years of Arroyo's immoral reign? Isn't thievery a moral issue? Isn't human rights a moral issue? Isn't increasing poverty a moral issue? Isn't the destruction of the moral fibers of all our institutions a moral issue? The cheating and lying of the past administration and its cohorts were all moral issues, yet they did not even raise a whimper when all these were happening before our eyes.

Calling for civil disobedience just because the president is pushing for an informed choice is totally reckless. Their continuing rejection of the RH Bill runs smack of hypocrisy. They could not even police their ranks. We've seen priests father children, molest altar boys and steal mass collections. Have they done anything significant to address poverty that is a result of the lack or inadequate information and methods to plan for their family?

The Lord gave us free choice. It is up to us to use our God-given wisdom and intelligence to make our own conscientious choices. At the end of the day, it is my God that will decide if I lived my life in accordance with His teachings. We live in a democracy and you have the right to express yourselves. It is your right to call for civil disobedience. As a Catholic and a Filipino, I can also exercise my right to express myself. I'm sure I am not alone in saying that we too can call for a donation disobedience. After all, you get the money you spend on yourselves from us.

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