Domino Effect

Anti-RH Bill devotees are now calling for civil disobedience. Politic ans like Tito Sott, Roilo Golez and Joey Lina have even thrown in their voices in the debate. Let's dissect these issues one by one. The anti-RH fanatics are saying that they will not pay their taxes and risk facing sedition charges. Fine with e, it's their choice. What really grabs me is how some men of the cloth are saying they too are prepared to be jailed.

First, the church does not pay taxes, they are exempted from taxing. This only means that the billions they collect during mass and other services go directly to the church's coffers depriving the government additional revenue to spend for social services. Unless they pick up arms, they're immune from anything. Have you heard of a priest being jailed for molestation or rape? How about priests who use the church's money for their private pleasures.

Secondly, what we do in the confines of our bedrooms is none of your business. Whatever means we see fit to plan our family is our own choice. I am accountable for any choices I make in life and will face my Creator for my judgement. It is how you lived your life that will matter most. Who knows, I may even be more charitable than most of you? I can face my creator with a clean conscience anytime.

Thirdly, overpopulation creates a domino efect of sorts. Too many people leads to hunger because agriculture cannot keep pace with rapid population growth. This also leads to unemployment as we need to keep creating jobs. That is also the reason why we have a shortage of classrooms to accommodate students. Unless of course those who want us to be live like rabbits would create more businesses for jobs, turn their lands into farms for food production and build more schools, then by all means let's throw the RH Bill into the trash bin.

Tito Sotto should show proof of his allegations. We all know that some local execs are against family planning. Why then should be given funds for a program they do implement? He should substantiate his allegations with credible proof instead of listening to local officials without listening to the what the concerned agency have to say before going to the media. He should have investigated the matter thoroughly than simply wasting taxpayers, money on a witch hunt.

Thanks to the Lina Law, we have millions trooping to the cities. They then turn private properties into havens. Without assured employment, these people become slum-dwellers. Urbanization Mr. Lina is not a measurement forprogress. Without food security, urban areas will starve. This is the reason why an agricultural like the Philippines has high incidents of hunger. It is stupid to say that we should urbanize the entire country. Do you want us to import all our foods to feed our people? What then do we do with our farmlands, turn them into resettlement sites or sell them to unscrupulous real estate developers. Would friends from the CBCP donate their lands for resettlement?

Golez shoudl study more closely his claim that the more people we have, the more productive our country will be. Perhaps he should go to the slums of India and China to get the real score. Yes, despite the growth of these nations, they have many who live in poverty. I suggest you watch Discovery or National Geographic. We simply cannot produce food or jobs at the same pace our population is growing. Having no grasp on what the reality on the ground leads tomisinformation and disinformation.

We must face the problem head on. We cannot play around with the issue of overpopulation. When God ordered us to "Go and multiply", the world was in its infancy. It was sparsely populated. With population growth comes increased demand. If we cannot meet those demands, poverty is the result. Poverty drains government funds which deprives a country not only of progress but of decency and dignity as well.

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URGENT: Public Service

I would like appeal to your kind hearts to help out a struggling family. Mrs. Judith Bautista gave birth to a premature baby girl. Both she and her husband Romwell are daily wage earners. Their baby girl needs to be incubated for a month. Their daily hospital bill amounts to P24,000.00.

If you can find a little space for this family in your hearts, you may directly contact Mrs. Bautista through her phone: 0999-438-8872.

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Thieves Like Who?

My favorite senator, Manny Villar has filed a bill seeking stiffer penalties for theft and robbery in places of worship. Well it is a welcome bill, what I'd like to see are laws that gives stiffer penalties on thieves in church. Yes, there are wolves in priests' robes too. Another perhaps and should really be addressed is stiffer penalties for thieves of land. The latter I doubt very much if Villar would go along with.

We don't need more laws on theft and robbery. What we need are laws that address the plight of farmers and indigenous people against land grabbers and opportunistic real estate businesses. Theft of these lands have economic and national repercussions. National food security is what is at stake here. Theft of land also deprives our indigenous people to preserve their heritage and threatens their very existence.

Theft and robbery are not exclusive to common criminals. They are also committed by politicians and greedy businessmen. or politicians with business interests. I hope Sen. Villar would focus more on the issues I mentioned above. We have many laws concerning common criminality. What we need are laws against those who use their influence, bribery of public officials and intimidation for material gain.

Well Mr. senator, are you willing to pick up the challenge?

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Had We Been Complacent

Had we been complacent, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo could still be sitting as president if not prime minister of the Philippines. She had laid the groundwork that could have turned her 9-year rule into another dictatorship. She had the lower house and the supreme court but fortunately for us, not the senate. Money flowed in 2007 to make sure she got the senate but despite this, the people voted otherwise. The military was not completely hers either. She had the bigwigs in her pocket but not the other officers.

Institution after institution fell to her onslaught. Everyone submitted to her as she clearly micromanaged everything to ensure her absolute control. Pres. Cory Aquino may have saved our country again when she passed away. Noynoy Aquino was elevated to the presidency because of this. Had it not been for the late president, a Villaroyo could have ascended to the presidency. Guns, goons and gold did not work its magic in the 2010 elections. Even Erap fell by the wayside.

Despite Gloria's stepping down, remnants of her influence are still there to protect her. The SC shot down anything that could harm Arroyo. But the peole were beginning to realize that Gloria's unseen hand was still controlling the SC. The people's ire now trained on the SC. To save their necks, the justices had to have a scapegoat. They would not go down with Gloria's ship. They had to give somebody's head to the irate public. Omb. Merciditas Gutierrez was the anointed one. She is the sacrificial lamb. Her impeachment can still delay the Aquino administration. Arroyo's behind would be protected even for just awhile.

Rep. Fariñas is set to impeach 7 of the justices of the SC. They now cry foul and insinuates that the administration wants an Aquino Supreme Court. What's wrong with that? If that's the only way for reforms to be achieved then so be it. Impeachment is the only way we can make the SC accountable for whatever wrongs they have done. Nothing to be afraid of that if the SC is indeed clean. Nothing to worry about if indeed the current SC is not an Arroyo SC. Rep. Fariñas is right, it is only through impeachment that the SC can answer the accusation hurled against them.

Gloria Arroyo's henchmen are falling one by one. At least Angie Reyes got off easy. That rest of her gang will get their asses whooped. Thank God we're not a country of fence-sitters. We were not complacent and watched intently the goings on during Arroyo's reign. We may not have all gone out in the streets but we surely concerned ourselves with what Gloria was up to. In the end, evil did not triumph. With the new presidency, at least our small voices are heard.

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Show No Mercy!

Embattled Ombudsman, Merceditas Gutierrez has nowhere to hide as congressmen tighten the noose around her neck. She will definitely have to face the music, finally. Not even her allies in the lower house's Justice Committee was able to derail her impeachment. Not even GMA's Supreme Court helped her. The SC has image problems of its own to contend with.

The last congress showed us how futile any attempt to bring Gloria to account failed time and again. She had almost everyone in her pocket. The shoe is on the other foot now. Her once formidable allies is the minority now. Public sentiment is also against Gutierrez. Gloria cannot save her now. Weather weather lang yan. Mercy's fighting this battle alone. The last congress's "zarzuela" of due process will not work here. If only she did her work, she wouldn't be in this situation now. That's what you get for sitting on the "bad eggs" too long.

Her no-show made matters worst for her. She doesn't seem invincible now. When her case is brought to the plenary, the usual numbers game is now on the other side. Tsk, tsk....she may end up facing the senate very soon. Arrogance will not win her any sympathies. The people are asking for accountability. We've been deprived of justice for almost a decade. She was supposed to prosecute not lawyer for Gloria's corrupt henchmen.

A new challenge faces the lower house. They too must save face. They have to redeem themselves. The lower house is also a tainted institution thanks to GMA. With all the exposes especially the Garcia plea-bargain, she should fry. I hope the congress shows her no mercy.

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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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