Strike out

Those praying for divine intervention to oust the Malacanang occupant via the Catholic bishops should seek guidance from somewhere else.

For the third time, the bishops are a big disappointment to them.

First, at the height of the Hello Garci election fraud in 2005, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines did not support calls for GMA’s ouster.

Second, at the height of renewed calls to open up the Hello Garci scandal in the wake of the 2007 elections, the CBCP again refused to support such move preferring to help hide the truth.

And now, for a 0-3 at the bat, the CBCP once more rejected calls for GMA to resign amid the NBN-ZTE multibillion scandal.

I say change in this country lies in peoples’, not in bishops’, hands.

Amen.

(5:40 a.m.)

Playing God

That’s the whole trouble of playing God.

When one takes the life of another, can a mere apology bring back the life of the victim? Will the New People’s Army saying “we’re sorry for killing Vicente Ferrazini” be enough?

Something is truly fundamentally wrong when rebels claim they wage a so-called “just revolutionary war” yet targets unarmed civilians.

No, your apology is not accepted.

(6:50 a.m.)

3rd in the World

This is another slap on the face of Save Our Skies (SOS) coalition which is opposing the entry of foreign air carriers in the country via the “open skies” regime. SOS raises the bogey that this would kill the domestic airlines.

Well, here’s another proof that SOS is lying like the Palace occupant.

The Philippines ranked 3rd in the world in air travel growth after India and Mexico. Our No. 1 airline Cebu Pacific recorded a whooping 47 percent growth rate. And this happened in spite of four years already of the Clark experiment on “open skies.”

Proves once more that the fears of SOS are unfounded.

See related posts under “Open Skies”

(6:20 a.m.)

Topnotchers

Cheers to three schools in Davao for producing more topnotchers in the recent nursing board exams, namely:

No. 3 – Joanna Kaye Binoya Remolar – San Pedro College;

No. 4 – Neil Nino Sugitarios Navarra – San Pedro College;

No. 6 – Richard Baguio Saavedra – Ateneo de Davao University;

No. 7 – Cristine Valen Mendez – Davao Doctor’s College;

No. 9 – Ayn Portia De Luna Galamgam – San Pedro College; and

No. 9 – Mary Lenin Pepito Talisic – San Pedro College

(7:40 a.m.)

People power fatigue?

Protest actions are in fashion again these days with renewed calls for the Malacanang Palace occupant to quit over rampant corruption scandals in government.

For the first time since I became an activist since high school, I am not taking an active part in these recent mass actions.

I fully concur with Akbayan that this fresh crisis calls for system, rather than just personality, change. What our nation need, and very badly, is a thoroughgoing system reform. Changing leaders at the top would not have a dent at all as shown by our experiences since Edsa 1 and 2. We had new leaders in Cory instead of Marcos, and Gloria instead of Erap but nothing changed because the system that breeds corruption remained.

Am I one of those afflicted with “people power fatigue?”

Well, I am actually busy building rooms for my children, and I strongly feel that this work is much more important that raising my fist again.

(7:12 a.m.)

Erratic signal

I am having erratic internet signal in my house which explains my erratic postings. I cannot access my mails too because of this problem. I apologize to those who are expecting me to reply to their emails.

In fact, I wrote the previous post on Ambassador Kenney’s visit to a MILF camp last Tuesday yet but I can only post it today due to the same weak signal.

My wife is mulling to cut this PLDT DSL connection. We are paying for a broadband service and gets slower than dial up if, luckily, there is one at all.

Hohum.

(5:02 a.m.)

Defiant diplomat

The ink on the most recent US travel warning to the country’s troubled south had hardly dried up when no less than its top official here defied it.

Ambassador Kristie Kenney went last weekend into the “lion’s den.” Thus, she became the first US top official to ever visit Moro separatists at its stronghold in Shariff Kabunsuan in Mindanao.

The visit was “private” yet the diplomat urged leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, blamed for many violent incidents in the south, to resume peace talks with the Manila government.

Her visit proves that it is safe to travel to even the most “feared areas” in the Moro heartland.

I say those officials at the US State Department issuing travel advisories should go back to their drawing boards. Their envoy here is one of the frequent travelers to Mindanao.

Incidentally, this Indonesian consul feels safer in Davao and Mindanao than in Jakarta, Los Angeles or New York.

Leadership change

The City Council will elect its new leaders today after the sudden resignation Wednesday night of my partner Boni Militar as Floor Leader.

In a caucus yesterday, we decided to replace him with Assistant Floor Leader Danny Dayanghirang of the Second District.

The Floor Leader sets the council agenda and steers the debates on the floor.

Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, No. 1 Councilor in the Third District, will assume as the new Assistant Floor Leader.

(3:46 a.m.)

Vice Mayor Sara Duterte will be attending to an important function this morning and Speaekr Protempore Councilor Mabel Sunga Acosta is on her way to Manila. So, I was asked to temporarily preside this morning’s session.

(8:50 a.m.)

Kosovo

Kosovo will become the newest country today when it declares its independence. The US and a number of EU countries are expected to immediately recognize the new nation in cold-war era Yugoslavia.

It has been under UN supervision since the genocidal attempts by Serbians to cleanse it out of ethnic Albanians.

My friend, Davaoena newshen Ayan Mellejor is at the thick of this historic moment in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital. She is working there for the past 3 years serving initially as Information Officer, and now as Administrative Officer of the UN contingent.

$8,000 bond suspended

Here’s good news to Engr. Caloy Carreon, OFW in Singapore, who expressed his concern to me via an SMS over the new POEA requirement for foreign companies to post $8,000 bonds for direct hiring of Pinoy workers.

The new policy was suspended yesterday pending its review.

Already suffering from a strong Peso, Carreon and many OFWs fear that the cost of the bonds would eventually be slapped on them.

I suggest POEA altogether scrap this policy which was widely opposed by OFWs, recruiters and foreign employers.

(4:58 a.m.)

Hurts the pocket

My wife Evelyn and or four children are in my heart today, Valentine’s Day. They are my Kapuso and Kapamilya.

Yet in the case of the heated TV ratings war between the two giant networks, ABS-CBN (Kapamilya) and GMA (Kapuso) my heart bleeds.

I have plenty of friends on both networks, and my wife even provides plant decors to the two studios.

I am saddened that in their recent ratings rivalry both are hurting on their pockets. Due Diligencer reports that from Jan 2, 2008 highs of P34.50 and P7.80, ABS stocks has plunged to P25; GMA went skidding to P5.90, respectively. Both suffering more than 24 percent down. This means that my friends on both side who owns stocks lost quite a sum of money.

This clearly shows that the market reacted negatively on the noise of their ratings war.

(6:35 a.m.)

Lucio Tan at Clark

A wise move indeed.

Macroasia, an aviation industry service firm owned by Lucio Tan and therefore a sister-company of PAL, is investing $100 million at Clark.

Clark is where the country first experimented the “open skies” regime to lure more foreign air carriers to the country. The policy is being opposed by PAL and its backers in the Save our Skies coalition. SOS raises the bogey that the entry of more foreign airlines would kill local air carriers.

Unfortunately for SOS, since the open skies was adopted in Clark, local air carriers such as PAL and Cebu Pacific are posting record passengers and profits. PAL for instance reported another record of 5 percent growth last month compared to last year in spite of the recent airport downgrade by the US Federal Aviation Authority. Local airlines continue to prosper instead of folding up as feared by SOS.

This shows clearly that the “open skies” perked up travel rather than kill the local airline companies.

Now, no less than Lucio Tan’s Macroasia is cashing in on the brisk aviation business at Clark to provide such services as aircraft maintenance, catering, ground handling, cargo, etc. to PAL and other carriers.

That is the way to go in this era of a liberalized air industry. Local companies must diversify and be creative instead of relying on government protection.

(6:55 a.m.)

It’s moving

The reconstruction of Bakerohan Bridge is finally moving. And the DPWH has vowed that the work would be “fast.”

One immediately notices billboards on both sides of its approach that “your taxes is moving.”

At the foot of the bridge, there is a giant billboard with the picture of the President proclaiming that it is here where “your taxes is going.”

Ho hum.

(10:12 a.m.)

Robinsons

Robinsons is finally entering the Davao market. The building of its mall here was announced by Frederick Go, president of Robinsons Land Corp.

Long rumored after its landbanking in Davao, the Gokongwei group will be the third major mall developer to venture here after Henry Sy set up SM City Davao almost a decade ago. Ayala Land earlier entered into partnership with the Floriendo’s for the development of the latter’s 10 has. property infront of Redemptorist Church.

The R Mall would be located also at Bajada near the Water District. JP Laurel would thus become truly the mall street of the city with Gaisano Mall, Victoria Plaza, Ayala, Robinsons and Gateway dotting the stretch from the Chinese School to Lanang.

NCCC Mall has a monopoly on the other side of the city’s MacArthur Highway.

The mall project is preceded by three major Robinsons housing projects here. The first at Diversion Road Buhangin, the second infront of Lanang Golf & Country Club, and the third, recently approved by the City Council, is also along the Buhangin Diversion Road.

Property development remains as the top investment priority area in the city under the Investment Incentive Code. Its of no wonder, however, because property projects really make a killing.

Incidentally, the Gokongweis have good local partners in Davao in the Ed Bangayan group who are its Cebu Pacific General Agent and also part owners of Victoria Plaza and SM Davao Department Store.

(7:25 a.m.)

Truth

I have not posted regularly because there had been an absence of, if not a very weak, internet signal in my house lately. I am pissed off with this damn bad PLDT DSL service.

My brief comments on the Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada testimony in the Senate on the scandalous national broadband network (NBN) deal are in the news today. I noticed however that the print version is more complete. The online version had two glaring differences. I said “People are fed up with the infighting of the elite.” The online version mentioned “fighting of the elite.”

I also premised my conclusion that Lozada “was part of the scam” when he was willing to reduce the overprice at the level “hindi bubukol.” This was totally omitted in the online version.

There is a TV report that the Catholic bishops are calling for a crusade for “truth” in the light of this latest witness account on the NBN deal. I hope they are not selective because in the case of the massive cheating in the 2004 elections, the CBCP prefers to shut its mouth, and thereby help hide the “truth.”

(10:50 a.m.)