Arangkada for May 8, 2007

        SUBAY, DI BIAYBIAY

 

        Kon nagtuo ang kadagkoan sa Kapitolyo sa Sugbo nga mahilom nang mga magbubuhis sa pagpaningil og matinud-anong subay sa makalilisang nga gasto sa pagtukod sa Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) human nila pabahai og mga numero sa niaging semana, nasayop sila.   Ang gipangayo sa mga Sugbuanon kuwentada, di salida.  Ilang gitinguha nga mahibaw-an giunsa paggasto ang siningtan ug hinagoan nilang buhis.   Di nga lipatlipaton sila sa mga numero nga di matino ug gukdon ug pakauwawan ang mga nagpakabana pagbarug alang sa ilang kanunay lang mataligam-an nga mga interes.

        Ang gilaoman sa Sugbuanong mga magbubuhis mao nga pakit-on sila sa mga dokumento sa pagsubasta ug pagtukod sa CICC.  Ang maong mga dokumento ray ilang masaligan nga wa mausik ang ilang buhis, ni mosimang sa burot nang daan nga panudlanan sa mga kukhan.

-o0o-

        Hangtod karon, upat na ka buwan human natukod ang CICC, ang nadawat sa mga Sugbuanon lunlon pagarpar.  Ang panghambog sa kadagkoan sa Kapitolyo nga wa silay gitagoan dakong panlingla.   Kay sukwahi sa ilang yawit, hugtanon silang nagdumili pagpakita sa mga dokumento sa CICC ngadto sa mga magbubuhis nga nagtinguha pagtan-aw ug pagsusi sa kinatibuk-ang transaksiyon.

        Gawas sa sibaw nang awhag sa mga sakop sa media, nga ila lang gibungulbungolan, dunay pormal nga awhag ang Bayan Muna alang sa kuwentada ug mga dokumento sa CICC.  Ang suwat nadawat sa buhatan sa gobernador niadtong Pebrero 27, 2007.   Ubos sa balaod, ang Kapitolyo dunay 15 ka adlaw pag-aksiyon sa awhag.  Apan kapin na sa duha ka buwan ang nilabay, way kihol ang kadagkoan sa lalawigan.

        Gani, kon tinuod nga way gitagoan ang Kapitolyo, gitahan na unta nilang mga dokumento sa CICC ngadto sa graft investigators, di na magpaabot sa subpoena duces tecum nga mahimong luwatan sa Visayas Ombudsman batok nila.

-o0o-

        Ug kon nakalimot ang kadagkoan sa lalawigan (kay napasaran sa gutom sa upat ka takna nga tigom nga ilang gipatawag sa Capitol Social Hall niadtong Huwebes) unsay mga dokumento nga angay nilang ipakita ngadto sa mga Sugbuanon, niang papeles nga gimando sa Government Procurement Act ( R.A. 9184) nga isukip sa bidding documents:

·         Approved Budget for the contract;

·         Instructions to Bidders, including criteria for eligibility, bid evaluation and post-qualification, as well as the date, time and place of the pre-bid Conference (where applicable), submission of bids and opening of bids;

·         Terms of Reference;

·         Eligibility Requirements;

·         Plans and Technical Specifications;

·         Form of Bid, Price Form, and List of Goods or Bill of Quantities;

·         Delivery Time or Completion Schedule;

·         Form and Amount of Bid Security;

·         Form and Amount of Performance Security and Warranty; ug,

·         Form of Contract, and General and special Conditions of Contract.  [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Arangkada for May 7, 2007

       PILDE UG DAOG

 

       Kon di na kaayo ko hingatawa rong mga adlawa, pasaligan tika nga di ni tungod sa mga kasong akong giatubang.  Tungod ni sa makauuwawng pagkasilhig nilang Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal ug sa defending NBA champions Miami Heat; sa pagkapukan nilang Yao Ming ug Tracy McGrady; ug sa pagkapilde ni Oscar "Golden Boy" De La Hoya sa labing uwahi niyang pagsuway pagsemento sa iyang kabilin ug pagpaburot sa iyang katigayonan.

        Naibanan hinuon og dyutay ang akong kaguol kay gilubong man sab sa Golden State Warriors silang Dirk Nowitzki ug ang Dallas Mavericks, gipalukapa na sab sa Phoenix Suns silang Kobe Bryant ug ang Los Angeles Lakers, nakalahos na sa ikaduhang hugna sa playoffs silang Jason Kidd ug ang New Jersey Nets ug kumbinsido kaayong kadaogan nilang Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista batok ni Sergio "Rocky" Medina sa Argentina ug AJ "Bazooka" Banal batok ni Juan Alberto Rosas sa Mexico.

-o0o-

        Pipila ka takna sa wa pa mokatkat sa ring silang AJ ug Boom Boom, ang duha sa labing masilakong mga bituon sa boksing sa Pilipinas, sa MGM Grand Arena sa Las Vegas, nikatap ang text messages mahitungod sa giingong pagbanhig ug pagpatay sa labing bantogang Pinoy boxer sa atong panahon, si Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao nga nisalmot og laing matang sa bugno sa iyang yutang natawhan sa Gen. Santos.  Lahi hinuon sa naandang pagpakatap lang sa iresponsableng kasayuran, ug maayo ning tilimad-on sa kahinog na sa panabot sa minilyon nga nakahimo natong texting capital sa kalibotan, kasagaran sa text nga akong nadawat nangutana unsa katinuod ang taho.

        Ang mga pangutana gipulihan sa nagbaha nga text messages sa kadaogan nilang Boom Boom ug AJ gikan sa mga nakabati sa live coverage ni Homer Sayson sa DYAB Abante Bisaya gikan sa ringside.  Ug wa nang kapahuway ang akong telepono sa mas dakong baha sa mga pangutana kinsay nidaog sa sangka nga gawas nga gianggaan nga "makapahunong sa kalibotan," gitawag sab nga "kataposang bantogang sangka" sa himatyong kalibotan sa boksing.

-o0o-

        Nisuway ko pagpangita og websites nga naghimo og live coverage sa sangka nilang Floyd "Pretty Boy" Mayweather ug De La Hoya.  Akong natultolan ang live blog sa BBC ug AOL, kansang reporters kuyog nilang Homer ug sa laing gatosan ka mga sakop sa media nga gitugotang makalingkod sa ringside.  Nagsugod ang sangka alas-11:40 sa buntag (oras sa Sugbo) samtang naghinapos nang kulba hinam ug mapangahason nga pagpanung sa Utah Jazz sa korte sa Houston Rockets.

        Gidominahan ni De La Hoya ang ikaduha, ikatulo ug ikaupat nga hugna.  Nakabawos si Mayweather sa ikaunom.  Apan natagak ang akong internet connection samtang labaw nang Jazz, 99-98, 48 segundos ang nahibilin sa duwa.  Wa gihapoy makabentaha sa buhing paghulagway ni Homer.  [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Arangkada for May 6, 2007

       MAO RA NI?

 

       Sa labing unang higayon, nakasud ko sa Cebu International Convention Center.  Salamat sa gipasiugdahan ni Mandaue City Acting Mayor Ading Seno nga pagbukas sa CICC ngadto sa Sugbuanong mga magbubuhis pagtimaan sa tinuig nga pangilin sa Dakbayan sa Mandaue.  Kabahin ko sa unang hut-ong sa mga nitubag sa pagdapit ni Seno.  Kinsa nipasabot nga pipila ray nakatunga kay tingtrabaho pa, apan nahurot nang mga tiket nga giapud-apod sa iyang buhatan alang sa adlawng Dominggo.

        Gipakita mi og audio-visual presentation nga nagpahinumdom sa kamahinungdanon ug kamakasaysayanon sa papel sa CICC sa tigom sa mga pangu sa kanasuran sa habagatan ug silangang Asya niadtong Enero.  Ug dayon gilibot na mi sa pinili nga mga lawak sa duha ka andana nga building, nga gihulagway sa Agence France Presse (AFP) nga "morang gamayng shopping mall nga way mga bintana."

-o0o-

        Si Mayor Seno wa kapugong sa iyang kaugalingon sa pag-ingon nga pipila ka bahin sa CICC mas maayong tan-awon sa telebisyon kay sa linawas.  Niuyon niya ang ubang nanguyog sa guided tour nga nitawag sa akong pagtagad (ang uban mas kusog og tingog kay sa uban nga kuwang na lag diyutay nga naghagawhaw, ambot tungod tingali sa kaikog sa mahigalaon nga mga tinugyanan sa Kapitolyo nga mapailubong nigiya namo aron pagtino nga di mi mangasaag ni manud sa gitak-opang mga lawak) sa mosunod nga ilang nabantayan sa upat pa ka buwan nga building:

·         Pipila ka bahin sa bungbong sa lobby nangliki na;

·         Tumoy sa bungbong sa ikaduhang andana nahup-ak na ug gamay na lag kuwang nga matagak ang nagkawil-kawil nga tipaka;

·         Ang mouldings sa lobby nangahup-ak na;

·         Ang carpet sa plenary hall nagburutburot na;

·         Pipila ka pultahan sa mga pansayan naguba na; ug

·         Peryodista nga nakasud atol sa summit ang nitudlo namo sa dapit nga nagtulo sa pagbunok sa uwan.

-o0o-

        Apan ang labing makahuloganon nga paniid naggikan sa usa pundok sa batan-ong mga lalaki nga nituaw (pasaligan hinuon tika nga hinay gihapong ilang tingog ug wa madunggi sa mga tagduma):  "Mao ra ni?"

        Klaro kaayo nga kasagaran sa among kaubanan nagsubay sa mga balita.  Mahimo ganing nakadungog sila sa pasangil ni Crisologo Saavedra nga dul-an na sa bilyon ang tinuod nga naggasto sa CICC.  O sa pag-angkon sa Kapitolyo nga madugangan pang P581 milyones nga gasto tungod sa "reconfiguration."  Lisod tinuod nga pangitaon ang makalilisang nga gasto sa kayano sa building.

        Ang bisan unsang pagduda sa mga nanguyog sa kamakiangayon sa gasto napapas dihang ila ming gida sa luho nga pultahan nga nag-ambo sa mga barungbarong sa makaluluoy nga mga biktima sa sunog sa Guizo ug Mantuyong nga wa pang kapabarug pagbalik sa ilang mga panimay.  [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Arangkada for May 5, 2007

        CICC BUKSAN SA PUBLIKO

 

        Si Mandaue City Acting Mayor Ading Seno malipayong nipahibawo atol sa sinemanang Kapamilya Media Forum sa DYAB Abante Bisaya ug Sky Cable nga gipahigayon sa SM City Cebu Entertainment Plaza nga makaangkon na gyod og kahigayonan ang Sugbuanong mga magbubuhis pagtan-aw sa Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).   Matod ni Seno nga, pinaagi ning iyang gasa sa mga Mandauehanon nga magsaulog sa ilang tinuig nga kapiyestahan karong buwana, makaangkon na gyod og kahigayonan ang katawhan pagsusi makiangayon bang naggasto ang buhis nga ilang siningtan ug hinagoan.

        Upat ug tunga ka takna ra hinuong buksan ang CICC ngadto sa publiko, gikan sa alas-9 hangtod alas-11 sa buntag ug gikan sa alas-2 hangtod sa alas-4:30 sa hapon.  50 lang ka tawo ang pasudlon sa usa ka higayon aron kahatagan sila og guided tour.   Ug sa lakang nga makapaamgo sa iyang mga kaatbang unsa kamahinungdanon ang iyang pagka acting mayor sa Mandaue, malipayong gipahibawo ni Seno nga ang tanang gustong mosud sa CICC kinahanglang mokuha og pases gikan sa iyang buhatan.

-o0o-

        Si Acting Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, kandidato pagka mayor sa Team Honesty, kinsa naglingkod tapad ni Seno atol sa media forum, nipahibawo sa iyang plano pagtugyan sa pagduma sa CICC ngadto sa pribadong sektor aron pagtino nga di ni mausik.   Gikuwestiyon ni Cortes ang kamapuslanon sa gipatuman karon nga hinugpong nga pagduma tali sa Kapitolyo sa Sugbo ug sa Mandaue City Hall.  Apan sa samang higayon nitataw si Cortes nga angayng tinud-on pagsusi nasubay bang tanang mga lagda sa dinalidali nga pagtukod sa CICC alang sa niaging 12 ^th Asean Summit.

        Sa iyang bahin, si kanhi Mandaue City Councilor Magno Dionson, kandidato pagka mayor sa Bando Mandaue Anak Bisaya, niingon nga di maayong tilimad-on ang tigbayon sa CICC alang sa Mandaue.   Kay nahimo ning tinubdan sa di maayong mga panghitabo sa Mandaue ug sa Sugbo.  Matod niya nasuspenso si kanhi mayor Teddy Ouano tungod sa mga eskandalo sa summit ug mahimong masuspenso sab ang uban pang lokal nga mga opisyal tungod sa mga pasangil sa overpricing ug ubang mga anomaliya sa CICC.

-o0o-

        Wa katunga sa media forum si Jonkie Ouano, kandidato pagka mayor sa Power Team 4.  Maong sa makausa pa napakyas na sang among pagsuway pag-abot sa tanang kandidato sa giisip nga usa sa labing higpit nga piniliay pagka mayor sa tibuok Sugbo.

        Nakahigayon si Cortes pagpakita sa pipila ka mga biktima sa pagpanghasi ug pagpangulata nga ilang gipasangil sa mga Ouano.  Nipasangil siya nga mga sakyanan sa City Hall ug kapolisan ang gigamit sa armadong mga tawo.   Nipasalig hinuon si Seno nga nagkasabot na sila si Mandaue City Police Director Alexander Abadinas paghimo og mga lakang aron pagtino nga di hingpit nga magkadugo ang nagpadayong kampanya sa Mandaue.   [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

DYAB & ABS-CBN Cebu Anchor Leo Lastimosa

Anchoring TV Patrol Central Visayas from the New Cebu Coliseum

DYAB Cebu Bakhaw Planting In Cotcot, Liloan

DYAB Cebu Bakhaw Planting In Cotcot, Liloan

DYAB Cebu Bakhaw Planting In Cotcot, Liloan

DYAB Cebu Bakhaw Planting In Cotcot, Liloan

DYAB Cebu Bakhaw Planting In Cotcot, Liloan 

Kapamilya Bloodletting Campaign on April 22, 2006

ABS-CBN Cebu and DYAB Anchor Leo Lastimosa was one those who donated blood

ACT's Tilda Cabanero also donated blood

PNRC's Sheryl Fuentes attended to one of the blood donors

ACT's Luz Bugtai and Tilda Cabanero with other blood donors for refreshments 

Call DYAB Absolutely FREE

DYAB AM is the only radio station in the Philippines which you can call from anywhere in the world absolutely free.  Thanks to DB Edwards' VOIP technology through iNTouch, you can call us from 4 a.m. to 12 midnight (Philippine time), Mondays to Fridays.  All you need is a headset.

 

You can greet your Kapamilyas in Cebu and the Visayas and Mindanao over the AM radio station of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. in Cebu Philippines .  You can also use our Internet Phone to air public service announcements for your families and friends in the Philippines.

 

Or you can tell us situationers/updates/comments about major news events in your place of work or urgent concerns of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).  Let DYAB AM serve as your bridge to government agencies which can help you or your loved ones, like the Dept. of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Office of the President, local government units (LGUs) and private employment and placement agencies.

 

Bawat Pinoy Kapamilya.

 

Tawag Na!

Call DYAB Absolutely Free

Thanks to DB Edwards' iNTouch VOIP technology, you can now call DYAB AM from wherever in the globe by simply clicking on Leo Lastimosa's picture. You can call during Arangkada's time slot, 6-10 a.m., RP Time.

Dr. Abay's Letter

High Ground : A Filipino Tragedy: Lament of a Balikbayan

William Esposo wmesposo@hotmail.com
INQ7.net

MANY times, it pays to look at the view from the outside in order to have a better appreciation of how things really are inside. It is often good to see ourselves from the eyes and perspective of someone who has the advantage of more detachment and distance from our problems. One of the major reasons why we Filipinos were left behind by our ASEAN neighbors is because we were too focused on our political intramurals that we lost sight of the great opportunities that abound outside our national boundaries.

With his permission, I am reproducing an emailed letter that was sent by Eustaquio "Boy" Abay II, MD, MS, who is a member of our Ateneo de Manila University Alumni egroup. Being someone who has seen the country during better times, Boy's perspectives allow us to take a fresh look at ourselves as a people and as a nation.

(Dr. Boy Abay's letter)

I have just come back from a visit to the Philippines. I landed in Manila, stayed a while in Sampaloc, flew to Bacolod, took a ferry to Iloilo, then back to Bacolod for 4 days. I went back to Manila, went straight to Cavite for a couple of days then returned to Manila for 2 more days, before returning to the US.

I went home to attend my high school reunion in Bacolod. About two-thirds of my classmates could not afford to pay for the nominal registration fees, much less contribute to the alma mater's many needed projects. Many opted to just stay away.

One of the evenings was dedicated to a family get-together that included close family members and friends. It is sad to note that much of the conversations dealt with how tight money was, how was one to connect with this or that persona in position so that they might get some project approved and somehow share in the booty.

Yes, the graft and corruption, the kurakot system, has gone beyond the government agencies. It has permeated into the private sector; in fact it is ingrained in the Filipino way of life. Even more sad to think that children grow up to see this as the way of life.

In Bacolod, as it was in Iloilo, driving was as much a nightmare as driving in Manila. The road rule was: Ako muna. Bahala ka na sa buhay mo (Me first. Fend for yourself)! In fact that was the rule of life in the entire country.

I met with old and new friends from Ateneo on an evening at Mezze, Greenbelt II, in Makati. That was refreshing.

I was in the company of Ateneans; many of course are exceptions to the rule. Jun Alvendia brought me to a beautiful facility that housed "chosen children", with Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy and other handicaps, from a few months to 18 years of age. I was awed by their discipline and courtesy, towards me and to each other. More so, if one realizes these are children mostly 6 to 12 years of age and are mentally/physically handicapped.

I visited a Gawad Kalinga village in Murcia, a municipality in Negros Occidental, about 30 miles northeast of Bacolod. I had the opportunity to visit with some of the GK village residents, some CFC volunteers, and the town mayor.

In transit to the airport, I asked the taxi driver, a clean cut, neatly dressed gentleman in his late 50's, "Ano po ang palagay mo sa nangyayari sa Pilipinas? (What do you think of what's happening in the Philippines?)" He replied: "Kung hindi mapa-alis si GMA sa paraan ng impeachment, assassination na lang. (If Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will not be ousted by impeachment, then only assassination will do it.)", and he was dead serious.

I had dreamt of perhaps starting a graduate school of medicine in the Philippines, maybe a world-class medical care and medical training center. But unless the economic situation and the fundamental moral fiber of the Filipino improve, anything we undertake is futile and empty.

I boarded PAL flight 102 to LA on September 8. As soon as I settled in my seat aboard the Boeing 747, I wept.

Where is the Filipino's love of country? (End of the Letter)

To let you know where he is coming from, allow me to give you a brief background on Dr. Boy Abay. Dr. Abay attained his medical degree at the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Santo Tomas. He went to the US for further studies and completed residency in neurosurgery at the famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota with a Master of Science degree in Neurosurgery from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Abay then founded and headed the Abay Neuroscience Center as its president. The Center's exemplary pool of six neurosurgeons gave it the recognition as the largest private neurosurgical group in Kansas. He also founded the Kansas Spine Hospital – a 40-bed hospital equipped with state of the art, fully computerized and digital equipment and facilities – and is its current CEO. Try searching Google for the Abay Neuroscience Center and the Kansas Spine Hospital and you will be impressed by what this fellow-Filipino has accomplished. Dr. Abay is another living proof that we are a great nation that is badly led.

There is no doubt about Dr. Boy Abay's capability to realize his vision of spearheading the establishment of a graduate school for medicine as well as a world-class medical care and medical training center in the Philippines. But having had a first-hand glimpse of evidences that reveal our pathetic culture of corruption and decadence, I can understand why Dr. Abay has decided to backtrack.

Like a world-class doctor, Boy Abay realizes that there can be no relief for the Filipino unless the most serious ailment of Philippine society is first addressed – the corruption that has already permeated the private sector and is now ingrained in the Filipino way of life, as he himself put it. Noble as his plan was to establish the medical facility that he hoped would address one of the biggest problems of Filipinos today – he knew that it would be no better than a pain killer which cannot cure the real problem of our society, the cancer of corruption and moral decadence.

Our situation cries for heroes. The rot has gotten to such an extent that no less than a heroic effort will deliver us from the hell where Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her ilk brought us. But, alas, the problem has mutated to such a degree – like a computer virus that neutralizes an anti-virus program – that even heroism is now prevented. One wonders where all our heroes and would-be heroes have all gone even as the virus of a Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration is proving to be more widespread and debilitating.

It must be extremely frustrating and devastating for someone as accomplished and so obviously nationalistic as Dr. Boy Abay to find himself in a situation where all he can do is ask: "Where is the Filipino's love of country?" Why don't the leaders who brought us into this abyss ask themselves this question? Why don't the entrenched elite who have lived off the blood and sweat of exploited Filipino labor for too long ask themselves this question?

Why don't the Filipino bishops of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) ask themselves this question? Love of country – more so if over 40 million Filipinos count among what Jesus Christ referred to as the 'least of our brethren' – is among the highest expression of love of God. Yet the CBCP continues to shirk from its duty to inspire Filipinos to actively fight the evil in our society and lead the struggle to ensure that truth prevails.

Why don't we ask it ourselves? It will take nothing less than our collective heroism to reverse our miserable situation. It is our country. It is the future of our children that is on the line. If we will not take the initiative to secure it, who will?

We, not Dr. Abay, should be the ones weeping.

You may email William M. Esposo at: w_esposo@yahoo.com

SSS Notice

Medical check-up to be done by SSS doctors

Inquirer News Service

THIS is in reference to the letter OF Maximino Balabbo complaining about the purported SSS policy that requires pensioners to undergo medical checkup. (Inquirer, 9/01/05)

The letter asked who would shoulder the expenses for this annual medical checkup. Under the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners (Acop) program, the medical checkup will be administered by a doctor of the Social Security System (SSS). Pensioners will not spend anything on this.

The Acop program, which was started early last year, is part of the reforms intended to ensure that pensioners get the right benefits; it is also meant to enable SSS to recover the money erroneously sent to those who have died, remarried or recovered from their disabilities.

If a pensioner is unable to go to an SSS branch for checkup, he or she can request for a home visit by an SSS representative. A pensioner can also communicate with the SSS by responding to its letters, or by sending a certification that he or she is alive and eligible to receive pension. The certification may be issued by a regular SSS employee who has been working with the SSS for at least five years, or by a teller in the bank where he or she has an account, or even by the postman or barangay chair.

We wish to point out that SSS employees do not receive dividends from the fund as Balabbo alleged.

JOEL P. PALACIOS, assistant vice president, Media Affairs Department, Social Security System, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

When Will We Learn?

At Large : An endless debate

Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service

THIRTY-THREE years after the declaration of martial law and 19 years after its final vestiges -- namely the Marcoses, their cronies and the whole criminal gang -- were supposed to have been swept away by history, we look around us and discover that not only are the Marcoses still very much around, but that we're still debating the same issues.

The legacy of Ferdinand Marcos is once more under scrutiny, what with the revived issue of his possible burial in Libingan ng mga Bayani [Heroes' Cemetery]. As a "war hero" and guerrilla leader, say his friends and family, Marcos deserves to be interred in the heroes' burial grounds. This, even if historians and critics say he faked his wartime record on which his medals were based, and may even have in fact collaborated with the Japanese. As a former president, add his boosters, he more than deserves a place alongside former presidents, dead soldiers and even national artists. But, counters the other camp, the human rights abuses and wholesale plunder that he presided over and even masterminded cancel out whatever honors the country owes him.

As authorities drew up plans for the celebration of the Centennial of Philippine independence in 1998, observers were astounded when it turned out that historians were still divided between the "Magdalo" and "Magdiwang" factions of the Katipunan, still preoccupied with assigning "blame" for the ultimate failure of the Revolution on Andres Bonifacio or Emilio Aguinaldo. I won't be surprised (if I live that long) if by the time 2072 rolls around, the country will still be debating the merits of martial law, if Marcos did right by suspending civil rights and most legal protections on the excuse of turning back a Communist insurgency and creating a "New Society."

* * *

THAT strikes us -- the generation that lived through martial law -- as funny and even absurd. Our memories, fading as they are, remain sharp about how we felt on the day martial law was announced, the pervasive fear and apprehension that swept through campuses and streets, and the terror spawned by arbitrary arrests and summary executions.

To us, any recollection of martial law is as sharp as a black-and-white photo, the good and the bad outlined with clarity and precision. No wonder we are puzzled and not a little dismayed when later generations, including that of our children, seem to have dimmer and softer recollections, the acuteness blunted by time and second- and even third-hand sourcing.

Unfortunately, it is their generation, the generation of Filipinos who have only vague recollections of those years, who will be making the ultimate decisions regarding the Marcoses and the consequences of the martial law years. This is because our generation, whose legacy it was to fulfill the mandate of the Edsa People Power uprising, took our sweet time resolving the many cases against the Marcoses and the cronies, from stolen wealth to human rights violations, contract murders to wholesale theft of public funds, and even the tacky renovations made on Malacañang.

The Marcos family and the cronies know only too well that time is on their side. The longer they delay resolution of the many lawsuits they face, the better their chances of walking away with the loot and -- it galls me to say this -- even the honor.

* * *

THAT'S why it's important to keep reminding the nation about what martial law was really about and what life was like for Filipinos in that time of absolute power and absolute corruption.

I remember an article on Imee Marcos entitled, "Imee's Endless Apology." And indeed, it does seem as if, no matter what she does, the Ilocos congresswoman could not do enough to let us forget her family history. But it's an endless apology only because she, her siblings and especially her mother, have so far refused to say "sorry" for those events of 33 years ago. They have not only refused to apologize, they have also so far failed to make amends, restitution or accept their proper punishment.

If Imee is tired of being held to account for the "sins" of her parents, then this generation of Filipinos is even wearier of having to keep stoking the bitterness and bile, because coming to a premature peace entails forgetting and forgiving, meaningless without proper penance on the Marcoses' part.

Which brings me to those who say it's time we achieved "closure" on the entire martial law episode. By "closure" they seem to mean capitulation, as if an honorable burial, the settling of stolen wealth lawsuits, the abandonment of human rights victims, would wipe our memories clean.

* * *

AND this is why we cannot now look upon the current scandal in our political life and say the nation's welfare depends on "moving on," cutting our losses and reasoning that there are many shades to truth and it is not important to know who really won in the last elections.

That's what decades of shading the truth about martial law has done to us: blurring the ethical distinctions that make it possible to tell right from wrong, truth from falsehood, honor from high crimes. If we now say that despite the surfacing of evidence of cheating in the polls, it is more important that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remain as our president for the sake of national stability, then we might as well say that all the lives destroyed by the Marcoses were worth it because Imelda built the Cultural Center, the Heart Center and other examples of her "edifice complex." We might as well bury with full honors the Marcos remains, and hand back Imelda's purloined jewelry.

We are still sifting the issues bequeathed to us by martial law. And we are doomed to an endless revisiting of those issues unless we learn the right lessons -- including truth-finding and truth-telling -- and teach them well to our children.

Glo's Lies

Kris-Crossing Mindanao : Lies and consequences

Noralyn Mustafa
Inquirer News Service

OF the three main charges that sum up the impeachment complaint against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo-lying, cheating and stealing-lying is the easiest to prove. All that we need to do is gather all the video clips and published newspaper articles where Ms Arroyo said or promised one thing but subsequently did the opposite, to our collective dismay.

But, of course, if we take a closer look, lying, cheating and stealing are really almost one and the same.

The oft-recalled and oft-quoted "first lie" was made in 2002, on the death anniversary of our national hero Jose Rizal that year, when she solemnly announced, with a sense of sacrifice and heroism, that she would not run in the 2004 elections because she realized she was dividing the country.

What followed is a history of habitual lying, resulting in the most sordid situation we have ever suffered.

And if like Susan Roces said in her famous "You stole the presidency not once, but twice" speech, stealing is the sibling of lying, then cheating must be its first cousin.

Almost forgotten though was the accompanying promise made on the same occasion: "Instead, as my legacy, I will see to it that we will have the cleanest, most honest and orderly elections." (On hindsight, this was also the most relevant vow.)

But, of course, she started campaigning the very next day and began putting in place anything and everything to ensure the most fraudulent, the most ruthless, the most dishonest and the dirtiest election in memory.

With a distinct taste for the ghoulish, she set in motion this operation to win at all costs. Then national archives department chief Ricardo Manapat used his office and public records under his care to manufacture fraudulent documents for the purpose of dragging from the grave the skeleton of Fernando Poe Sr.; and expose the much-idolized movie star as a bigamist, and his son, Ronnie, who had yet to announce his candidacy, as an illegitimate child and a non-Filipino.

(It is also difficult to forget other images of her fascination with the dead, like her viewing the corpses of slain kidnap-gang leaders, and gleefully announcing that Capt. Panfilo Villaruel had been "neutralized" even as his family was wondering in anguish how to gather the pieces of half of his head that Ms Arroyo's military operatives had blown off. And of course, at the very moment thousands were grieving at the funeral of Fernando Poe Jr., she would triumphantly declare-before the altar at the Palace chapel-that she, after all, won the presidential elections.)

And now she is presiding over the death of a nation.

It is a dying nation where lies are taken as truth for the simple reason that they issue from the head of state; and the truth is murdered by a convoluted interpretation of the very laws that were made to protect it.

It is a dying nation where the governed are alienated from the government which has, almost completely, lost their trust.

It is a dying nation where the people look at policies and programs of government as plots to deceive and delude them, and public officials exist for the sole purpose of making the people's lives more miserable.

And it is a dying nation where the majority of the people don't believe that the head of state has their mandate and is, therefore, a mere impostor squatting on the seat of power.

But worst of all, it is a dead nation that is thwarted at every turn in its every effort to exercise its right to know the truth.

Many people did not want to impeach Ms Arroyo because they believed that only legitimate presidents should face impeachment; and, in any case, an impeachment proceeding would only be an exercise in futility. They have been proven right.

For the same reason, others also objected to the calls for her resignation.

That is why some of the most credible and respected members of society appealed instead to Ms Arroyo's sense of decency, patriotism and honor-even to her sense of shame-and asked her to simply step down. There was nothing to appeal to.

Is Ms Arroyo guilty of lying, cheating and stealing?

From the moment Malacañang manufactured the "genuine" CD of the President's alleged conversation with "Gary" (which to this day no one else has a copy of), in a ridiculous attempt to prove that the Garci-Gloria tapes were fake, through the acts of her functionaries and allies, only the deaf, the blind, the retarded and-yes, the dead-would not see the truth shining through all the duplicity.

It is crucial that our faith in government must be restored. It is very important to our image and prestige in the world community that we have a President who has a clear mandate and is the legitimate representative of our country.

We need to believe again. This is a matter of life and death.

We need to believe, for example, that when the military announces it is on high alert and thousands of policemen are deployed all over the place, it is not for the purpose of suppressing dissent and oppressing and terrorizing unarmed citizens. What if they are really meant to protect us?

We need to believe that when National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales tells us that elements of the Jemaah Islamiyah have entered the country and that we are under serious terrorist threat, it is not a ploy to divert our attention from the present political crisis. What if he is telling the truth?

We, the governed, cannot possibly trust any institution or any official under the administration of a lying President.

The impeachment of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is our last constitutional resort to right what we believe is wrong.

Ms Arroyo's allies in Congress must realize that the stake at hand goes beyond her mere political survival. Or theirs, for that matter.

Will JDV Let Us Down, Again?

The Long View : The Speaker's position

Manuel L. Quezon III
Inquirer News Service

ON NOV. 10, 2003, Speaker Jose de Venecia rose and delivered a remarkable speech. His apparently extemporaneous remarks were made in response to a parliamentary inquiry made in order to resolve a political crisis. The political crisis was caused by the desire of the House minority to impeach the Chief Justice. Those against the impeachment argued that the constitutional ban on more than one impeachment attempt a year had been violated. The challenge was elevated to the Supreme Court, which upheld the position of the objectors. The House minority insisted that the impeachment should proceed. The nation became alarmed at the prospect of an insistent House transmitting articles of impeachment to the Senate, which might result in the executive department having to use its police power to enforce the Supreme Court ruling.

I believe that De Venecia never received enough credit for the manner in which he resolved that potential constitutional crisis, and the eloquence of his remarks on that November day. He demonstrated genuine leadership, a genuine gift for positively responding to public opinion, and proved his ability to arrive at, and defend, a democratic consensus. The man, both as Jose de Venecia and as Speaker of the House, is yet again reaching-if he hasn't already reached-a defining moment in his political career.

In recent days, the Speaker, observers claim, has been showing signs of great stress and distress. The normally placid, often bubbly Speaker (who can claim the unusual distinction of being the one man in Philippine politics all the professional politicians seem to like; and really, I have yet to encounter a person who has met the Speaker personally, and has gone away not liking the man) has of late been said to be curt, even angry. His public pronouncements, in the words of a colleague, have become increasingly "shrill." It must certainly be unpleasant for a man who has built a career on achieving compromise and consensus to see the country, and his House, so divided.

In the great division among our people that took place in recent months, it was the Speaker who provided the "foot soldiers," so to speak, at the command of former President Ramos when the latter decided to support the President. In truth, what Ramos possessed at the time was an impeccable sense of timing, and a residual prestige. It would depend, however, on the Speaker to hold the line and man the trenches with loyal troops and efficient lieutenants in what has become a political battle of attrition.

The Speaker has, so far, done exactly that, a remarkable feat considering how unpopular the President has always been with his Lakas party. The Lakas members in the House, supported in turn by the Lakas network in local governments, backed the President to achieve parliamentary rule for the House and federalism for the provinces. For a time, it seemed the President would be held hostage by Lakas, supporting parliamentary government and federalism.

In recent weeks, though, the President has increasingly displayed signs of independence, which included dropping hints-such as her statement to Korina Sanchez during an interview-that she has never publicly advocated a unicameral legislature. She has ordered the creation of a Constitutional Consultative Commission to act as a counterweight to the desires and constitutional enthusiasm of the House. In other words, she has turned the situation around to her advantage, and regained what presidents traditionally enjoy over the House: leverage.

In fighting for her political life, the President nailed not hers, but Ramos' and De Venecia's colors to the mast, and proceeded to continue sailing the ship in the direction of enemy fire. Furthermore, she has tied both Ramos and the Speaker to the mast, which means it is they who are getting shot at, while the President continues to command the show from the comfort of her cabin. While Ramos has already done all he could-you can only throw your support behind someone once-the Speaker is still being called upon to marshal the troops in the House, and for what? Whatever their view about the President, the majority of the people want the impeachment process to continue. The Speaker might have been able to justify fighting "creeping impeachment" by "stealthily railroading" the throwing out of the impeachment, but his unpopularity and that of his parliamentary cause would only be worth it if the President did her part by gambling big on achieving constitutional change. She has done the opposite: she has gambled small, and it may be that her real bet is on herself.

This leaves the Speaker without a parliament and without popularity, and heading a party whose grip on the President is beginning to relax (not least because of the President's tacticians, as the recent gambit of her personal, pet party Kampi, and the road user's tax demonstrated). The President has not helped deliver what the Speaker needs: a national consensus on Charter change. Perhaps, the Speaker needs to find other allies; neither he nor his party will necessarily go down with the President if her ship sinks; but they may emerge too shattered and discredited to obtain what they want all along: a parliamentary future for themselves.

In the second week of September, Congress goes on recess for a month. Both the minority and majority need to resolve the question of impeachment before then. Should the Speaker deliver by throwing out impeachment by then? He will reap a whirlwind someone else sowed; and worse, he will never ever be prime minister. At least not until 2010. His best chance to be prime minister is to let the process proceed. That will gain him good will, and the claim to statesmanship.

Knee-Jerk

As I See It : Reduce 'colorum' buses in Metro, save gas

Neal Cruz opinion@inquirer.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

CHARACTERISTIC of the lack of imagination and ideas of this administration is its knee-jerk decision to conserve oil. "Let's use bikes and walk more," said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and immediately the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the mayors met to set up bike lanes all over the metropolis at a cost of P682 million.

We are going backward as a nation. A more primitive China, where bicycles used to be a primary means of transportation, has now phased them out. But we are now going into bikes. In the same way that we are going into land reform at a time when its originators, and from whom we copied the concept -- the two Chinas -- are phasing it out. Next time, we may have rickshaws pulled by humans instead of motor-driven, and therefore gas-guzzling, tricycles.

What is very obvious to the people the Departments of Energy and Transportation cannot see. And that is, that the oversupply of buses in Metro Manila, especially on the Edsa highway, is a principal cause of fuel wastage. Every day, these buses, all of them half-empty, burn thousands of gallons of fuel as they creep slowly in the metropolis because of heavy traffic caused by them in the first place. All the other vehicles that have to creep along in the heavy traffic as a result burn millions of gallons more. Worse, all these vehicles pollute the air we breathe with the toxic gases they emit. Isn't it elementary that just by reducing the number of buses (and jeepneys), we would be saving millions of gallons of fuel and improve the quality of our air?

All these extra buses are neither needed nor authorized. Half of them would be enough to take commuters to their destinations. By the government's own estimate, at least 300 buses operating in Metro Manila are "colorum" [illegal]. These buses have franchises to operate in the provinces, but their operators prefer to operate illegally in Metro Manila. Why? Obviously because they earn more in the city. They have much fewer passengers and fewer trips in the city because of the traffic, and use up more fuel in the stop-and-go traffic, yet they prefer to operate here rather than in their provinces where they are sorely needed by the people. Yet they earn more in the city despite the dearth of passengers and trips. How? They overcharge their passengers.

So what are the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board doing?

* * *

The President wants the people to walk more. Fine. But she should try it first. She would find out that it is very difficult to walk in Metro Manila because there are no sidewalks to walk on in the first place. Oh yes, there are sidewalks, but they are occupied by parked vehicles and sidewalk vendors. Some business establishments even rope off the sidewalks to reserve them for their customers. These sidewalks belong to the public, not to the stores. And they are for the use of pedestrians; they are not parking places for vehicles and vendors. As a result, pedestrians to whom the sidewalks belong have to walk on the street where they risk being sideswiped by speeding vehicles.

Before we can entice the people to walk more, we should first make the sidewalks pleasant to walk on.

* * *

On Aug. 30, the 155th birth anniversary of Marcelo H. del Pilar, Plaridel's Corner will be inaugurated at 10 a.m. on Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila. Here, anybody can speak out his or her mind freely at any hour of day or night, speak out against the government and its officials, without fear of being stopped or arrested. It is patterned after the Speaker's Corner in London's Hyde Park, or those in Singapore and Australia.

Plaridel's Corner is a project of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, Samahang Plaridel, the journalists' association, and Kapihan sa Manila forum which was born 20 years ago for the sole purpose of promoting freedom of speech and of the press. Isn't it fitting that the first Plaridel's Corner is situated at Plaza Miranda, the place public officials used to refer to when they asked their associates: "Can we defend this (contract, policy, or decision) at Plaza Miranda?"

In the morning, at 9:30 a.m., there will be a wreath-laying at the Plaridel monument in Malate, Manila. In the evening, there will be a musical variety show, "Harana kay Plaridel," at the Front Page piano bar.

Three evenings earlier, on Aug. 27, there will be another musical show, "Plaridel's Night," at the Front Page. At 1:30 p.m., still Aug. 27, there will be a lecture on "The Revolution of the Intellectuals" by Adrian Cristobal at the Plaridel Clubhouse.

And on Aug. 29, at 11:30 p.m., an exhibition of cartoons by the Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas will be opened.

* * *

KAPIHAN NOTES: There will be two sets of panelists at next Monday's Kapihan sa Manila (Hotel) forum. The first are the four young pro-administration congressmen who last signed the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo: Gilbert Remulla, Robert Ace Barbers, Edmund Reyes and Dodot Jaworski. Would that other administration lawmakers also be stricken by their consciences and follow them.

The second batch is the officers of the feuding basketball associations. The Philippine Olympic Committee has ousted the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) and replaced it with the Philippine Basketball Federation (PBF), but the Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIDE) still recognizes BAP and not PBF. All this is happening just when we are hosting the Southeast Asian Games where we have always dominated the basketball games.

Beyond Impeachment

At Large : Where do we go after impeachment?

Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service

FRIENDS connected with the Black & White Movement wish to correct reports that there were only about 100 participants at the recent founding assembly last Sunday. Organizers say that by their own count, there were more than 550 people who took part in the whole-day activity, representing more than 75 groups "with about as many different views" on what to do regarding the "Gloriagate" crisis and scenarios for the future.

Leah Navarro, who was part of the organizing committee, writes friends that a remarkable thing about the gathering was "there were no histrionics, and the key word of the day was 'listen.'"

In a report, Luz Rimban of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism wrote that "black and white is the new yellow," at least for the segment of the middle class, the erstwhile "Edsa forces," who gathered on the La Salle Greenhills campus near the Edsa highway. While impeachment seems to be the preferred option of many, said Rimban, leaders were worried that the impeachment case against the President seemed to be headed for an early demise.

"Saan tayo pupunta pagkatapos pag wala na yung impeachment complaint? [Where do we go if the impeachment complaint is voted down?]," Rimban quotes former Education Secretary and Liberal Party leader Florencio "Butch" Abad. "What path do people take once the impeachment option is slammed shut in their faces?"

Where to now, indeed?

* * *

THE HUBBY and I, with our friend Ric Ramos and his daughter Bea, were in Mindoro Island over the weekend, to take a look at the accomplishments of the Calapan Waterworks Corp.

We had originally planned the trip for the other weekend, but a typhoon was passing through Northern Luzon and my husband thought it might be too dangerous to make the crossing from Batangas province. It turns out that he thought the crossing would still be made via those old wooden batels, which he took when he was a child, on the way to his father's ranch in Abra de Ilog. But our decision to postpone the trip was fortuitous, as the Coast Guard had indeed deemed sea travel too dangerous for passenger craft.

Last Saturday dawned clear as we drove from our Antipolo home to Ric's place in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. After breakfast prepared by Ric's wife EJ, we proceeded to Batangas City, making it in just over an hour. We raced on foot from the parking lot at the pier because Ric wanted to catch the 8 a.m. trip. Entering the terminal, we were assaulted by shouts from the folks at the counter, competing for passengers not just for Calapan City but also for Puerto Galera town. Why is it that we need to turn every public facility into a "palengke" [public market]?

* * *

STILL, despite the aggravation, it was interesting watching the comings and goings of passengers and cargo. Ric says "ro-ro" (roll-on, roll-off) vessels make the crossing to and from Calapan every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day.

On the highway from the Calapan pier is a billboard pointing the way, on one side, to the city center, the provincial capitol and other local attractions. On the other side of the billboard, an arrow points to "Roxas, Boracay, Kalibo, Iloilo," a sign that the much-vaunted "Strong Republic Nautical Highway" is very much a reality.

If one wanted to, we were told, one could indeed drive all the way from Luzon to Mindanao, defying our archipelagic limitations. After the Roro docks in Calapan, one can drive southwards to Roxas town, catching another ro-ro ferry that will bring one to either Kalibo or Caticlan, the jump-off point for the vacationer's paradise of Boracay. If one wishes to follow the "nautical highway" to Mindanao, one can drive from Kalibo to Iloilo, board the Roro to Bacolod, motor on to San Carlos City and make the crossing to Cebu and thence board another ro-ro vessel to either Cagayan de Oro or Surigao.

Fascinated by tales of the "nautical highway," the hubby and I resolved to save up enough money to make the trip from Luzon to Mindanao -- in the not-too-distant future, we hope.

* * *

FROM CALAPAN we made the rough and tumble drive through a road that was paved in parts, and dusty and pockmarked in others, to Puerto Galera.

We stayed overnight at a relatively new resort called Puerto Nirvana, near the town proper, which started out as a vacation home of owner Romy Roxas, until he decided to expand the facilities to include a hotel building and dormitory-type accommodations. We called it a night fairly early, after straightening out the kinks in our muscles from the long drive with a massage.

Puerto Galera may have lost much of its cachet among the leisure set, but it remains an attractive destination. Sea-going vessels, from small speedboats to breathtaking yachts, can still be found docked at the Puerto Galera Yacht Club. Resorts and dive centers -- from fairly high-end facilities to smaller places built helter-skelter to the very edge of the beach line -- were still doing brisk business even during this "low" season.

But I also think Puerto Galera has much to thank the family of the late National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin, who was one of the first to discover the wonders of the place. Wishing to preserve the natural beauty and environment of Puerto Galera, the Locsins bought islands with some of the best beachfronts, if only to protect them from the sort of over-development that has blighted other islands. The public is still free to use the beaches on these private islands, and indeed there were many tourists going snorkeling off the Locsin-owned White Beach, where some of the best coral formations are found.

Indeed, where political will is too weak to fend off careless developers, the private sector will have to step in. Would that other similarly beautiful but endangered environments in our country had guardians like the Locsins!

Water Tax

As I See It : Solon wants to tax drinking water

Neal H. Cruz
Inquirer News Service

PEOPLE are talking about "The Great Raid" and "The Great Escape." Not the new movie with Cesar Montano in its cast or the old one starring Steve McQueen. They are talking about the raid conducted by police and military intelligence agents on a house in San Mateo, Rizal, where they seized important evidence on cheating in the last elections; and the escape of former Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano who is said to have been caught in the "Hello Garci" tapes as one of the prominent personalities involved in a plot to cheat in the elections.

The speculation is that both capers-the raid and the escape-could not have been successfully accomplished without the knowledge, approval and help of Malacañang. The squatter there, after all, would be the one to benefit from the seizure of evidence on poll cheating and from the escape of Garci.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the police (CIDG) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) would not have conducted the illegal raid if it had not been ordered by somebody very high up in the government. There was no search warrant, no complaint against the caretaker of the poll evidence. Until now, the CIDG and Isafp cannot explain the basis for the raid and for the seizure of the election returns. The ERs legally belong to the opposition party which, under the law, is entitled to one of the seven copies of every ER. The police should return them immediately. Their caretaker, Segundo Tabayoyong, an expert on questioned documents, has not committed any crime.

The excuse given by the CIDG and Isafp for the raid was that the owner of the house asked for their help. If that was the only reason, wouldn't the local police have been enough? Why was the CIDG involved? And the Isafp, too? Really, only somebody very powerful could have ordered the raid.

Similarly, Garcillano could not have escaped without the help, financial and otherwise, of Malacañang. He could not have afforded the fee for the charter of the Learjet to Singapore. And he could not have gotten through immigration without the help of somebody very influential who must have opened the right doors for him and greased the right hands.

Everybody was looking for Garci. There was an alert for him. There had been talk for quite some time that he would escape to another country. Yet, he was still able to escape. He could not have done that, not unless some government officials were incompetent or were part of a conspiracy.

The consensus is that Malacañang is getting so desperate as to resort to illegal acts to cover its tracks. For the web of accumulating circumstantial evidence and testimony from witnesses is tightening the noose around the neck of its illegal occupant.

The tampered election returns, although meant only as evidence in the election protest of former Sen. Loren Legarda against Vice President Noli de Castro, would also show that the votes for the presidential candidates were altered or manufactured to make GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) win. And Garcillano, if found and forced to tell the truth, could mean the end of the GMA regime. No wonder, GMA's minions are risking criminal prosecution to cover Malacañang's tracks. In fact, Garci risks being murdered because of what he knows. He knows too much. But dead men tell no tales.

The lesson here once more is that "the truth will always out." "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you can't fool all of the people all the time." The more you lie and commit illegal acts to cover your tracks, the more you are caught in the web of your lies. Lies are like a trap. The more you try to wiggle out of them by lying some more, the more the noose tightens. Even experienced and habitual liars are caught. GMA is no exception. The most powerful man in the world, President Richard Nixon, trying to cover up the Watergate burglary, was finally caught in the web of his lies that were exposed in the secret tapes of his conversations in the White House. GMA was caught by secret tapes of her phone conversations with Garci. Nixon resigned the presidency rather than face an impeachment trial. Would that GMA be as statesmanlike as Nixon and do the same thing-resign.

* * *

As if the expanded value-added tax is not enough to squeeze the life out of the people, a congressman has filed a bill to tax-would you believe-drinking water. Yes, House Bill 2899 of Samar Rep. Catalino Figueroa (Lakas-NP) proposes to impose a 10-percent excise tax on bottled water. The excise tax would be in addition to the EVAT. And the House ways and means committee, instead of throwing the stupid bill into the waste basket, has actually started hearings on it last Aug. 16.

Drinking water is a basic necessity. Nobody can continue to live without safe drinking water. In a country where more than one-third of the population has no access to safe drinking water, it is criminal to tax it. Entire communities have fallen ill from drinking contaminated tap water. By his own admission, Figueroa said that bottled water has become a necessity, that it is essential to life. Yet, he wants to put it beyond the reach of the people by imposing an additional tax on it. All for what? So the government will have more money that government officials can steal and use to bribe witnesses and legislators. Perhaps, Figueroa was thinking of the pork barrel of congressmen when he filed the bill.

An excise tax is imposed to curb the consumption of products harmful to health, such as alcohol and tobacco. By slapping such tax on drinking water, is Figueroa saying that people should be taxed for wanting to survive? A tax on drinking water, bottled or not, is a tax on a person's right to life.

Flavier's View

Pinoy Kasi : Guilt and guile

Michael Tan opinion@inquirer.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

I COULD tell where the lecture was when I got to the University of the Philippines' College of Medicine last Friday by the way laughter thundered through the building. Which is unusual for the college. Most of the time the classrooms are noisy, but it's because students are discussing, often with long solemn faces, their textbooks and lecture notes.

To celebrate the college's centennial, a series of lectures had been organized, and last Friday, the guest speaker was Dr. Juan Flavier, one of their most famous (or notorious, depending on your point of view) alumni. Speak he did, regaling his audiences with one joke after another, recounting his student days and terror teachers ("We had a test where we were asked to name all the amino acids ... in the order of their discovery."), his short (pun intended) but very fruitful stint as health secretary ("When asked how many people work at the department, I answer, 'Half of them.'") and, for the last few years, serving as senator.

'SSS'

I had first been approached a month or so ago to be one of the reactors at the talk, and I had asked myself, "How do you react to a talk by Dr. Flavier?"

How indeed. The jokes were non-stop, with no sacred cows. There were, to be sure, the usual crop of condom jokes, of vulcanizable condoms for Ilocanos and luminous ones for aging clergy. But that has always been his point: People can't relate to doctors and to the Department of Health (DOH) because health matters are made too serious. Well, they should be, but if you want people to be healthy, you have to make health fun.

I'm going to apologize here as I drop the "Doctor" and "Senator" references (the Inquirer's style is not to attach titles to surnames except with the first citation). So, here goes:

Flavier admits that as health secretary he was merely continuing programs set up by his predecessors but he did add spice to the programs, captured by a catchy "Let's DOH it!" package of slogans and acronyms.

It was during Flavier's term that we were introduced to Yosi Kadiri, a cartoon character epitomizing the repugnance of smoking. We heard, too, the calls to women to conduct "SSS," the Tagalog acronym for breast self-examination.

Language of health

Flavier talked about how we need to tap popular culture, including our love of rhyming words and phrases. I couldn't agree more, and in my reaction, I noted how health educators needed to look at languages other than Tagalog for innovative ideas. Then, too, there's the wealth of folklore, of folk tales and proverbs and riddles. A sample I shared, referring to a very common public health problem: "Paa niya nasa ulo [On the head are its feet]." The audience was perplexed but I finally heard someone give the right answer: "kuto" [lice].

Imagine the difference starting a community lecture by going, "Today we are going to discuss lice," compared with a, "Let's play a game... Guess what..." And for a prize, you would give out one of those special fine-toothed combs.

Words are powerful, which means we have to be careful as well in our choices. I've written about the disaster that came with "Ligtas Buntis," the health department's campaign for safe pregnancy. But in Flavier's time, there had been a "Ligtas Tigdas" program, calling on parents to get their children vaccinated against measles. Ligtas Buntis was interpreted by conservative Catholics as an attempt to pathologize pregnancy, to make it sound like measles and other diseases.

Community health

Jokes and slogans have their place, certainly, in public health, but I do worry at times about the message being overwhelmed by the medium. In some way, Flavier may be a victim of his own success: whenever he lectures, we end up being so entertained that we forget that his main achievement was promoting community health.

Flavier's very ability to make health understandable to the public comes out of his own experience as a rural doctor. In international public health circles, he is remembered for one of his early books where he used agricultural metaphors to explain family planning.

Fortunately, during the talk at the University of the Philippines, the other two discussants were doctors who came out of community practice: Penny Damogo, who was for many years the municipal health officer of Bontoc town and is now one of the provincial health officers for Mountain Province; and Florence Tienzo, who worked for many years with community-based health programs. Both talked about how Flavier had influenced them. Florence, in fact, had a running battle with her parents about her wanting to go to community medicine. Fortunately, Flavier was their commencement speaker and his speech convinced Florence's parents that community medicine wasn't such a crazy option after all.

Guiltless resignation

After Flavier's talk, I told the organizers we need more of these events, not just to "entertain" students and faculty but also to remind them that medical practice includes many options.

Just the day before Flavier's talk, Dr. Olive Caoili of the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, asked me if I'd read an article in the British journal, The Lancet, about brain drain among Filipino doctors.

I looked up the essay, written by Victor Alvarez of the Makati Medical Center and published in the June 21 to July 1, 2005 issue of the journal. It's interesting how the article is making its rounds now through e-mail, reaching non-physicians and provoking discussions, including "What else do doctors at the Makati Medical Center need to keep them from leaving?"

Alvarez's essay clearly shows it isn't just economics that drives away our doctors. The article starts by describing how one of Alvarez's friends, a surgeon, went into nursing school with the hope of eventually leaving the country. The article is scathing as it runs through the problems of health care in the Philippines, a long list of frustrations about everything-from the maddening traffic to poverty and government neglect.

Alvarez's essay is entitled "Guiltless resignation." We joke all the time about how Catholics are so saddled by guilt, so the title says a lot about where our doctors are these days. But I can understand how guilt and remorse are bound to disappear when we face so much guile, so much deception on the part of our leaders.

Which takes me back to Flavier. We need to hear him more often talking about what it means to be a doctor, especially in these trying times. He did talk about brain drain during the open forum, the only time that morning where his voice was tinged with sadness. Who would have thought indeed that the profession would need so much soul-searching, grappling both with guile and guilt?

Glo A Fraud

Kris-Crossing Mindanao : Interview with a phantom

Noralyn Mustafa
Inquirer News Service

IT was one of those times that brought on again that kind of feeling where you often caught yourself wondering whether this was real or unreal, or whether this was simply because your world as you knew it had been turned upside down by forces beyond your control.

I was still grappling to come to terms with the State of the Nation Address Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo delivered last month (which turned out to be the most vulgar display of political obscenity I have ever seen in my lifetime), when she giggled on television that she was the one cheated in the last elections and then blamed us for creating a rotten system that made her a "victim."

Change the system, change the structure, she said, echoing, four decades late, the early batches of military officers and an elite selection of bureaucrats who invented the term "technocrat," and whom Marcos sent to the Asian Institute of Management and the Development Academy of the Philippines to be transformed into messiahs of the gospel of "management of change"—the messiahs who would kill the "old society" and resurrect it into the "new."

(Those whose ideas about changing the world differed from those of Marcos' were killed, but they were never resurrected.)

This she told a group of infants who, she said, would be fed and nurtured to ensure that their generation would be brighter than hers; so they could create a political system that would not be as rotten as hers; assuming, of course, that they would have enough to eat to survive that long.

Even then, those babies were still lucky because they and their unsuspecting mothers got to have precious photographs to show generations of relatives, neighbors and friends of that incredible day they were actually allowed inside the Palace; even as others, some years older than the babies, were dying a slow death breaking their backs carrying sacks of rice in the port of Cebu, cutting sugarcane in Negros, and burning themselves dry under the sun in a quarry in Romblon.

But I guess what really triggered the topic of this piece was seeing the members of the foreign press, some of them friends of mine, being sent out of the room where Ms Arroyo would face the media in a press conference, emceed by Ignacio Bunye, wearing as usual, the excruciatingly inscrutable face of one who must have been an android in his immediate past life.

It was that time again when, in desperation, I had to seek refuge in my most inexpensive coping mechanism: sleep, perchance to dream "dreams no mortal dared to dream before," and maybe, if only in my dreams, "with Fate conspire to change this sorry scheme of things entire."

And so in deep sleep I dreamt I was "Madam President" being interviewed by a lone interviewer who looked like Korina Sanchez but who introduced herself to me as "Your Worst Media Nightmare." But the worst part of it was, I could not answer any of her questions because my tongue was paralyzed with fear at the sight of a horrible phantom looming behind Korina. The phantom kept changing its face in rapid succession—from that of Bunye to Rigoberto Tiglao, to Eduardo Ermita, to Gabriel Claudio, to Ricardo Saludo, to Angelo Reyes, to Raul Gonzalez, to Fidel Ramos, to Jose de Venecia, then back to Bunye to start another cycle of those faces and another and another—all of which scowled at me, I noted, with eyebrows that turned into half-moons. I couldn't quite comprehend why, each time Korina asked a question, this phantom, whatever face he was wearing at a particular moment, would make, with his hands, one of two signs: zipping his mouth or cutting his throat.

I woke up in cold sweat.

As I sat in the living room, slipping into a catatonic state "while I pondered weak and weary," trying to fathom the significance of my nightmare, Mike the Defender came on the television screen before me, giving the greatest performance of his life, trying to convince the media that "it is the voice of the President (on the Garci tapes) but it is not the President talking."

It was, I swear, delivered with the same level of irony achieved by Marlon Brando as Mark Anthony in his oration, telling the Roman masa about the treachery of the members of the senate, yet asserting at the end of every bitter disclosure, "and they are all honorable men."

I am at a loss for words. Due to a limited vocabulary, I cannot seem to describe, even in my silent but very weary mind, my reaction to this, except to recognize what appears to be some kind of irrelevance rising from the depths of my murky thoughts: Defensor has just been removed from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to head an agency especially created for him, the Department for the Defense (of Ms Arroyo), resulting in a bureaucratic crisis because there is nobody who can replace Mike on the expressway, where he chases, before cameras, trucks of illegal logs.

And then it happened.

It was a moment as magical as can be possible in these times. Philippine media have been vindicated, the humiliation of Focap has been assuaged. I have never been prouder to be part of this noblest of professions.

It was one shining moment in Philippine journalism that will inspire us all in our constant struggle in treading the difficult path between the truth and the greatest hoax that has been played on the Filipino people.

No, this country, this nation will not perish, not even under the most relentless assault of lies and deception the phantom can conceive.

The biggest nail on the coffin of this fraudulent administration was driven right after the day the casket containing the body of the President I voted for was embraced by the earth that had sustained him in life. And he was an honorable man.

Dagdag Boses Theory Refuted

Posted by Alecks Pabico 
PCIJ

AT DENR Secretary Michael Defensor's press conference yesterday, I brought up the issue of the tapes that Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye presented to the Malacañang press corps last June 6 because these — both the allegedly "original/unaltered" and "spliced" versions — also contain the "yung dagdag" portion, which Defensor alleges to have been inserted in the Paguia tape. Except for the deleted utterance of the word "Namfrel" in the supposedly "unaltered" version, this portion was found to be free from splicing by an independent sound expert who shared with us his analysis of the Bunye tapes.

Since there is reason to believe that all the versions that have come out have the three-hour recordings as source, I asked how come the findings of Jonathan Tiongco, Defensor's so-called expert, say otherwise. Could it be that the track he asked to be analyzed had been tampered with?

If the examination made by the same independent sound expert who analyzed Bunye's tapes (and the "Chavit X-tapes") is to be considered, there is reason to doubt Tiongco's findings. Based on the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) Spectrograph analysis he has done on the Paguia tapes, our source has found no discrepancy or discontinuity in the " yung dagdag" conversation.

An FFT Spectrograph analysis was used to show any discontinuity or splicing done on the audio clips. The FFT Spectrograph shows the frequency-time domain of the audio being analyzed where the intensity of the red pixels on the graph shows changes in the volume of a particular frequency in the audio clip. Time is represented by the x-axis, the frequency by the y-axis with the lowest frequency found at the bottom of the graph. Splicing will be very much apparent if there are breaks in the red graph color distribution across the x-axis.

Below are his findings (click on the links to download larger images of the corresponding plates):

Plate 1 shows the FFT Spectrograph analysis of Paguia's version of the entire "yung dagdag " conversation. On this graph alone, you will not find any discrepancy/break or discontinuity in the conversation.

Plate 2 shows the FFT Spectrograph analysis of Paguia's version of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's portion where she mentioned " yung dagdag, yung dagdag." In this analysis, one will never find any break or splicing in the clip. The conversation is very much "continuous" and there is no abrupt change on the background frequencies.

Plate 3 shows the FFT Spectrograph analysis of the three-hour tapes particularly on the part where Arroyo mentioned " yung dagdag, yung dagdag." Analysis shows that the clip is pretty much unaltered. Not a single "break" or discontinuity is found here.

Tiongco's findings also mentioned that the "yung dagdag" portion was altered by means of varying the speed of the playback. But our source says that if that was the case, the background should also change in "pitch." The following plate images illustrate his point:

Plate 4 shows the actual waveform presentation of the "yung dagdag" portion in the three-hour tape. Notice that the background including the GSM radio buzz is consistent all throughout the recording. If there were changes in the speed or pitch in the clip, there should also be a corresponding change in the background. But in this case, the background is very much consistent on both Garcillano's and Arroyo's parts.

Plate 5 shows a zoomed version of the Garcillano part's background. This is actually the GSM radio noise heard on a typical cell-phone conversation.

Plate 6 shows a zoomed version of Arroyo's " yung dagdag" background. This also shows the same noise found on Garcillano's part and the pitch has never changed. It thus disproves allegations that the speed of the conversation was altered. A simple test of just listening to the background will show that the background noise frequency/pitch is pretty much consistent. So if there had been speed alterations, the background should have been affected and will in fact show as frequency variations in any FFT analysis.