Ulam ng Pinoy: Tuyo't Mantika

This is what it's like now under the GMA adminsitration. Nakakalungkot.

Isang rebelasyon ang report ng Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) na kinomisyon kamakailan ng gobyerno para saliksikin ang kalagayan ng ordinaryong Pinoy dahil lumitaw rito na kabilang sa ‘top ten ulam substitute’ ang toyo at mantika para mapagkasya ang kakarampot na pera.

Sa naturang ulat, bumaba sa 42.6% ang laang budget ng bawat pamilyang Pinoy sa kanilang pagkain dahil sa hindi mapagkasyang kita.

Nakapaloob sa ‘top ten ulam substitute’ ang toyo, kape, mantika, asin, pulang asukal, bagoong, kondensadang gatas, powdered milk, softdrinks at powdered chocolate drinks.

Ngunit ang higit umanong nakakalungkot sa resulta ng pananaliksik, ayon kay Sen. Ralph Recto ay ang katotohanang tatlo sa bawat 10 batang nasa edad isang buwan hanggang limang taon ay mababa sa dapat nilang maging timbang (underweight) at halos nakakamukha na ni Gollums (karakter sa Lord of the Rings trilogy) sa kapayatan.

Kung magpapatuloy umano ang pagpapahirap ng gobyernong Arroyo sa mamamayan, sa anyo ng mga bagong buwis, ay hindi malayong sabaw na lang ng noodles ang maging pangunahing pamatid-gutom ng mga Filipino.

New taxes not worth it

Sometimes, I feel like we poor Filipinos are here on earth just to serve GMA and provide for her, instead of the other way around.

Para tayong "life support system" ng mga Pidals, trying to keep this corrupt and sick admin alive by surrendering whatever hard-earned money we have left to higher taxes, just to help them maintain their old, wasteful and unreformed habits.

And while a few senators may have feigned outrage at the new taxes for dramatic effect, bottom line is that the admin senators and congressmen still hold the majority in the House and the Senate, and they could easily pass these new taxes by party-line vote.

And what happened to all this talk about "abolishing the pork barrel" and cutting spending? Biglang napatahimik yata ang mga politicians natin ah.

Will they get to keep their "pork barrels" after all while giving us these new burdensome taxes in return? I hope not.

All I can say about this is that if they want to raise taxes, bahala sila.

Just keep in mind that there are consequences...

It's also interesting na while the gov't rejected any new wage increases for workers, yung admin ni GMA mismo ay makakakuha naman ng "pay increase" via new taxes. Interesting.

"Gloria is the new Marcos"

This should be the theme of FPJ's new attack on GMA.

And while I think one should not interrupt one's enemy while she is slowly destroying herself, I can't see a better time for FPJ to launch his attack than NOW. Malapit na kasing i-railroad ni GMA ang bagong tax increases, and if FPJ doesn't speak out NOW, it may be too late. Opportunity lost.

And he only has to make himself heard once to make an impact (like what Al Gore is doing right now to Bush). Announce a press conference, then deliver the attack. You can only rely on surrogates like Tatad up to a point, kasi hindi sila masyadong pinapansin ng media. But with FPJ, siguradong front page news yan.

Here are my talking points for FPJ:

1) Corruption

2) Economy

3) GMA stole the election


1) Corruption

This fits nicely with the "GMA is the new Marcos" line of attack. She's the most corrupt "president" we've had since Marcos. Kaya nalulugi ang Napocor ay dahil sa corruption at pa-pogi ni GMA. Kaya nauubos ang pera ng gobierno ay dahil ginamit niya ito sa nakaraang eleksyon via the re-enacted 2003 budget. Kaya sirang-sira na ang economiya natin ay dahil sa maduduming kamay na mga Pidal. But they wouldn't have gotten away with it from the start without the help of Senate Allies like Joker Arroyo and Kiko Pangilinan and Speaker Jose De Venecia. They wouldn't have gotten away with it if the Inquirer didn't look the other way or defended the Pidals.


2) Economy

GMA never campaigned for higher taxes during the elections, because our economy was "strong" raw under her leadership, Yet now she's claiming that we need to raise more taxes. Now, why would people still trust her after she lied to the voters re the economy? Why would they want higher taxes if most of it will only go to GMA's dirty pockets and on "pork barrels"? Why would we still want to give up what's left of our hard-earned money after the way she wasted it on her re-election campaign?

Raising taxes should be the last -- NOT THE FIRST -- option. We need to cut government spending, improve revenue collections, and put those corrupt officials (including those currently occupying in Malacanang) behind bars for siphoning off billions of pesos for their own personal and political use.


3) GMA stole the elections

Another reason why she has little credibility is because of the questionable way she won the last presidential election. Kahit na magsalita siya ng magsalita, kung wala ang tiwala ng tao sa kanya, she'll accomplish little. She has an "Honesty and Credibility" deficit.


If I were FPJ, ito ang sasabihin ko:

"Gloria is the new Marcos. Remember how corrupt Marcos is? Ganyan rin si Gloria. Remember how Marcos ran the economy to the ground? GMA is doing it right now. And Remember how Marcos cheated in the 1986 Snap elections? Ganyan rin ang ginawa ni GMA sa Halalan ngayon. Remember when Marcos banned public protests and demonstrations against him? Hindi ba ganito na rin ang nakikita natin ngayon?

What we need right now is HONESTY and CREDIBILITY. We don't need people who are only good in trapo politics and enriching themselves. And we certainly don't need a fake president (who people don't trust anyways) telling us what to do.

Raising taxes should be the last -- NOT THE FIRST -- option. I will first try to improve on revenue collection and follow the estrada admin's model, which was efficient compared to what the admin is doing now. Then I will cut spending and pork barrel funds in my adminstration and in congress. Finally, I will clean house and jail all the corrupt officials and leeches in GMA's adminstration. There are no sacred cows. Pati ang mga Pidal ay matatamaan.

And I will announce a major rally to be held in Edsa this week. If you are fed up with this adminstration, join us, so we can make our voices be heard."

Huge jump in electricity rates

Back in August 2002, simple lang ang formula na ginagamit sa pag-compute ng bayad sa kuryente. This is how much we pay if we use 500KWh:

RATE: Residential
BASIC CHARGE
ENERGY (KWh) = 500 X 3.4 = 1700.00
CURRENCY ADJ. = 1700.00 X 6.11% = 103.87
PPA = 500 X 1.732 = 866.00
Power Act Redn. = 500 X -0.3 = -150.00

Total Current Amount = ENERGY + CURRENCY ADJ. + PPA + Power Act Redn.
Total Current Amount = Php 2519.87


Now fast forward to August 2004. Ganito na kamahal ang binabayaran natin for 500 KWh use of electricity:

RATE: Residential
Generation Charge = 500 X 3.3213 = 1660.65
Transmission Charge = 500 X 0.8975 = 448.75
System Loss Charge = 500 X 0.5493 = 274.65
Distribution Charge = 500 X 1.6615 = 830.75
Supply Charge = 500 X 0.5271 = 263.55
METERING CHARGE
Retail Customer Charge = 5 X 1 = 5.00
Metering System Charge = 500 X 0.2435 = 121.75
Lifeline Rate Subsidy = 500 X 0.0761 = 38.05
Interclass Subsidy = 500 X -0.713 = -356.50
**PowerAct Redn = 500 X -0.1493 = -74.65
CERA = 830.75 X 11.87% = 98.61
FRANCHISE TAX
National = 3310.61 X 2% = 66.21
Local = 3310.61 X 0.75% = 24.83
UNIVERSAL CHARGES
Missionary = 500 X 0.0373 = 18.65
Environmental Fund = 500 X 0.0025 = 1.25
=================================
TOTAL CURRENT AMOUNT = Php 3421.55

From Aug 2002 (500KWh) = 2519.87 to Aug 2004 (500KWh) = 3421.55, ang laki ng pinagbago ano?

Or a 35.7% increase from 2002. And it's going to get worse, because next month there's going to be another increase in power rates.

Why the sudden resignations of many GMA officials

From Ninez Cacho Olivarez:

Gloria's ship is sinking and her civil society allies know it, which is the very probable reason one by one, they have been abandoning her.

Former Finance chief Lito Camacho, leading Gloria's economic “dream team,” certainly saw it coming even earlier than November, which is why he quickly jumped ship. Mar Roxas was also part of that economic team and saw the opening for his exit through the senatorial elections. It is to be noted that Roxas resigned much too early and way before the polls. All the others in the team knew the big fiscal bang would be coming soon, and had expressed their desire to leave her government. But for some reason, they stayed on and are now, along with Gloria, getting it from the public.

When Gloria announced, quite prematurely, that she had asked all her officials to resign even before the canvassing started, it was mainly because there had been too many officials in her Cabinet who had expressed their wish to resign, although she and her propagandists made it appear, it was she who wanted their resignations.

But after the proclamation and her inauguration, it was evident that she had no takers from the private sector, or even from existing public officials, except of course the dregs in her government, most of whom were political payoffs.

It took Gloria an inordinately long time to announce her Cabinet change and when she finally did, on a partial basis yet, the change turned out to be no change at all, since all that occurred was a rigodon of her appointed officials. It was proof that she couldn't attract others to join her administration. This was cemented when she announced that she would be keeping her current economic team, owing to the fiscal crisis. The truth was that she just couldn't get anyone in the private sector to join her team — not even those businessmen who were rooting for her during the polls. They also knew the government was going to face a serious crisis everywhere — a crisis of leadership, of confidence, of debt, of fiscal discipline and an economic meltdown, all of which none of her allies in the business sector and in Congress, was willing to be identified with, when Gloria's ship finally sinks.

If these Gloria officials resign one by one, while giving out silly excuses like “personal reasons” for leaving her government, it is being done, one suspects, to prevent the spread of a public perception of their withdrawal of support from Gloria, as this was the very means they engaged in to create that false perception of then President Joseph Estrada losing the support of his Cabinet members. It is to be recalled that the Gloria letter to the Supreme Court for her assumption, said to have been written by Antonio Carpio, Gloria's first appointed SC justice, was based on this “withdrawal of support by civil society, the military and the Cabinet (which was a false claim, since the majority of Estrada's Cabinet were with him to the end).

If these Gloria officials were to be perceived as having resigned en masse, the collapse of Gloria would come faster.

But try as Malacañang and Gloria's propagandists might hide it, too many of her allies — whether in Congress or in the Executive department — have, in essence, already withdrawn their support from Gloria.

It is hardly the political opposition in the Senate that is criticizing her and airing warnings of her collapse. Those who do and loudly too, are her allies in the Senate.

Most amusing is Mar Roxas, who has been criticizing the economic policies of Gloria, when he was part of her economic dream team and, to put it bluntly, should share the blame and responsibility for this debt and economic crisis.

The same is happening in the House of Representatives, although some of these House allies, who have a streak of cowardice running through their veins, prefer to talk under the blanket of anonymity.

Gloria's ship is sinking, and all of them know it. Camacho got out early and even aired warnings of the impending crisis after leaving the Gloria administration, more to save his hide, even when he was definitely a major player in plunging the country into a fiscal crisis. National Treasurer Mina Figueroa can deny it all she can, but most everyone knows the reason are hardly her claimed “personal deficit.” Why wait so long before resigning if the private sector beckoned with higher pay? Why even accept the position of National Treasurer after Edeza left, if the reason was better pay?

Even Dionisio Santiago, Bureau of Corrections chief, and a Gloria loyalist, resigns and gives burnout and death threats as a reason. Burnout in a prisons job? Afraid of death threats, when his background is the military and having been chief of staff? But don't the military officers live their lives knowing that death may just be around the corner for them?

Gloria has lost control. Her ship is sinking fast and there is nothing she can do to plug the leaks while her allies start abandoning her, and this time for real, with no one pulling the strings.

Amen.

Who says working for the Government does not pay?

Read this.



And I see among the top ten highest paid official in government is Livia "Honeygirl" Singson De Leon (Jueteng Lord Chavit Singson's sister) of PCSO, who ranks #1 on the list with P9.855 million in salaries and benefits. Yan ang kabayaran ni GMA kay Chavit for helping her oust Erap Estrada.

I also see former Tongressman and now Chairman Sergio Apostol (one of Estrada's impeachment prosecutors) of PNOC on the list rin as the number one moneymaking appointee on the government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) with P9.2 million.

Coronel Thelmo Cunanan (PDI columnist and pro-GMA hack Bel Cunanan's husband) made it too. What a lucky guy!

Will GMA get rid or her own "Pork Barrel"?

We heard a lot about administration supporters asking Congress to give up it's "pork barrel." But will Mrs. Arroyo give up her own "pork barrel" as well?

Angara, Enrile and Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel said President Arroyo should give up her own pork barrel, both hidden and declared, amounting to about P5 billion.

The President's pork barrel is composed of P1 billion in Contingent Fund, P1 billion in Social Funds, P500 million in intelligence fund, P2 billion in Calamity Funds and other confidential and discretionary funds.

That's a lot for a bogus president to have.

More comments from Jon_Prez:

Wow P3 billion in "calamity and contingent funds"! Wonder where all that money goes... we haven't had much natural calamities lately (man-made ang dami...)

And finally, read this warning from one of Mrs. Jose Pidal Arroyo's staunchest ally/enabler:

...Malacañang is courting social unrest and instability by pressing for the enactment of eight tax measures that would raise P80 billion and the full increase in the PPA adjustment rates on energy that would offset the P70 billion losses because, so it argues, there is no other way to avert the fiscal crisis.

In short, the Executive would want to bamboozle the public and Congress into accepting the taxes and the energy rate increases without much argument because according to them, this is not the time to discuss the whys and wherefores, or who is to blame for the mess. Instead all hands should be on deck and everyone must pitch in. Forget the past.

That won't fly. Government cannot make the public assume the burden of the fault of others without explanation. The people are not idiots.

The Executive must come clean and pin the blame squarely on whoever is at fault, not to shield them. Short of that, neither the public nor Congress is prepared to accept tax or energy increases.

The President, up to now has not summoned Napocor to account for its mess, nor has she called to task any of her fiscal and financial managers who contributed to our deficit. As if they are blame-free for our P150 billion deficit.

The President is dreaming if she expects Congress to rally and support her tax and energy measures which would plug the P150 billion debts and losses caused by the Executive branch exclusively, after she had lambasted Congress for the P20 billion pork barrel and yet has kept her own untouched. It takes two to tango, has she forgotten? She must learn from American Presidents who wheel and deal with members of the US Congress so that measures important to the country are enacted.

There's a lot of irresponsible talk about the lack of political will on the part of Congress to enact new tax measures. That is a lot of crap. As usual, Congress is being made the whipping boy.

Review the autocratic rule of President Marcos from 1972 to 1986 and one will see that however repressive the regime was, Marcos was very careful, he deliberately skirted away from tax impositions before and even after he declared a moratorium on the payment of our foreign debt obligations. Marcos had a sense of proportion. He allowed human rights violations for so long as it affected a relatively small portion in relation to the whole population, but he tiptoed on the matter of imposing more taxes because it would be felt by the entire populace.

For starters, the President should refresh herself with the cedula tax which spawned the Philippine revolution and the Boston Tea Party which planted the seeds of American Revolution. She should stop relying on her resident Rasputin from the House of Representatives who irritatingly keeps on making economic analysis of matters already known but who is absolutely ignorant of the dynamics of governance. GMA must take note of what happened to Alexandra, the Czarina of Russia.

It's interesting that Joker and others like Ralph Recto and Frank Drilon are only now speaking out against GMA. So what made them start talking now after three and a half years of silence and looking the other way?

Philippine military asks MILF for help against Jemaah Islamiya

That's like asking a thief to guard your house against any intruders.

From the Tribune:

Incredible! We actually have a military which has to ask an Islamic separatist group that moreover has links to the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) to run after suspected terrorists, when this is the job of the military and the police.

And Gloria claims to be serious about the global war against terrorism, when she and her military have shown they have to rely on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to catch one of their own?

The JI has become a force in Mindanao, with even then Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita acknowledging that the Armed Forces have lost track of the JI recruiters and don't even know just how many JI members there are in the country.

It has been established for sometime the presence of the JI recruiters and trainors in the country.

It is logical then to conclude that, given the length of time they have been training Filipino rebels on the ways of terrorism, they have multiplied by now, with more Filipino recruits now trained into staging terrorist attacks.

Is it any wonder that the government has lost track of the JI members, when it depends on the MILF to run after those who are, in reality, part of the MILF structure?

The military brings up an accord the Philippine government forged with the MILF that this separatist group will be in charge of policing its ranks and running after the JI members.

Has the Arroyo administration then ceded Philippine territory to the MILF that it now expects this rebel group to run after the JI terrorists?

And does this mean that the Philippine government now acknowledges it cannot contain the Islamic terrorists in the country, since it looks to the MILF to do this job instead of the government?

Given the fact that there is a known, if not already confirmed connection between the JI and the MILF, why should the military expect the MILF to run after those who are in fact, working with the MILF, as these MILF members, who are being passed off by the MILF leadership as belonging to the MILF lost command?

If the MILF were truly out to weed out these JI trainees from Mindanao, the government could have done so long ago, since the JI training grounds are found in those camps controlled again today by the MILF.

This whole peacetalk thing is a big charade with the MILF, backed up by the international Islamic community which Gloria courts assiduously these days after having been dropped from the US coalition, and the charade continues.

Just what can Gloria offer the MILF, if not that which was already thumbed down by some congressional members, as Philippine territories, such as the land and the camps that had earlier been ceded to the MILF by Gloria, recognizing these as MILF-controlled territories, with the police and military forces ordered to stay away from these camps and getting the police and military to first tip off the MILF on the presence of terrorists in its camps, and hoping the MILF will run after its own and surrender these terrorists to the military and police?

Worse, Gloria, under the agreement earlier forged with the MILF, will allow this group to borrow funds from international bodies, for the group to spend on the so-called Mindanao development, which loans, no doubt, will be shouldered once again by the Philippine government — all of which conditions, incidentally, are patently unconstitutional.

So what happened to the military that was under the command of then Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Estrada, when, in 2000, without any outside help, overran the MILF camps and placed them under the Philippine government control once again?...

Since that power grab, Gloria has been putting a price on the head of these rebels, and nary a whimper was heard from civil society. There is no peace in Mindanao and the camps are back again under the control of these rebels, with the military reduced to asking the rebels to weed out the MILF-JI rebels.

Is this what the soldiers died for in 2000, while reclaiming that which belonged to the country, only to give them back to the armed MILF rebels?

Multiple Resignations Rock the Arroyo Administration

One by one, the rats are jumping off Gloria Arroyo's sinking ship.

(Isang tanong, why can't we just "throw GMA overboard" na lang. She's the main reason kung bakit palubog na ng palubog ang bansa natin eh.)

Tuesday, 09 14, 2004

President Arroyo is losing her allies in both the Executive and Legislative departments, with National Treasurer Mina Figueroa as the latest ally to leave her government as she reportedly submitted her resignation yesterday effective at month's end.

Her resignation is said to have stemmed from policy differences with the President who is grappling with the fiscal crisis plaguing her government (See Business for related story).

Earlier Finance Undersecretary Eric Recto also submitted his resignation but was said to have been prevailed upon to stay by the President. It is the second time Recto has tried to resign from his post. The first time was shortly after then Finance Chief Jose Isidro Camacho made a surprise move by announcing his resignation without giving advance notice to Mrs. Arroyo.

In Congress, at least two allies of the President announced their resignation from the administration party posts, following the congressional resignation of Zambales Rep. Antonio Diaz, who said he was quitting his membership in the House, as it is no longer an “august” body, while warning that Congress is in a state of collapse.

All three blasted away at the leadership of Speaker Jose de Venecia, with Rep. Rodolfo Albano stating he is “fed up” with De Venecia's style of leadership and will be joining the minority bloc in the House of Representatives. Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers also yesterday resigned his post as spokesman of the House, explaining that the House spokesman's position should be handled by a non-member of the House, adding being a spokesman also hampers his legislative agenda. “The spokesman's job should not be handled by a politician and I don't think I can do justice to that job.”

Barbers claimed it is difficult for him to speak for the House, particularly at this time when the issue over the “pork barrel” controversy has affected the House.

He pointed out that the existing Public Relations and Information Department of the House should be able to do the job of propping up the image of the House, but said the PRID is focused “only on the image of the Speaker.

Albano, son of former congressman and now Energy Regulatory Commission chief Rodolfo Albano, was more direct, saying he is quitting the coalition as he is dissatisfied with the leadership of De Venecia.

Last Thursday, Diaz submitted his resignation to De Venecia, saying he is not satisfied with the way De Venecia runs the House, which he said is crumbling.

UPDATE: Two more resignations!

Two more resignations in the Executive branch followed in the wake of National Treasurer Mina Figueroa's quit move as National Power Corp. (Napocor) president Rogelio Murga and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director, former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Dionisio Santiago, yesterday also signified their “irrevocable” move to resign from the Arroyo government.

More resignations are expected to follow from the Cabinet, but these officials intending to resign are said to be waiting for the “right time,” sources told the Tribune also yesterday, signaling the continuing abandonment of support for Mrs. Arroyo and her administration.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, the President's pointman in the Senate, yesterday, appealed to the media not to put a spin on the resignation of Figueroa, saying this will only cause more apprehensions over the financial condition of the country, and may scare off creditors and investors. He stressed that Figueroa had resigned due to personal reasons.

Figueroa herself reiterated before the Senate that she had resigned for personal reasons.

Applying damage control, as these resignations are seen as the start of President Arroyo's allies' withdrawal of support from her, Malacañang was quick to claim that Napocor's Murga was not resigning, but retiring, having reached the age of 70 last month.

The retirement age for career officials is 65, not 70, and Murga is an appointee, not a career official, which means he is not subject to age limitations.

Murga was reportedly prevailed upon to stay until December by the President.

It was not explained by the Palace why there had to be an announcement of Murga's “retirement” at this time, since this is to still take effect in December.

Something is cookin' inside the FPJ camp

Napadaan ako sa isang poor neighborhood kanina, and I saw something that caught my attention.

There were new FPJ stickers na nakadikit sa pader. No, not the old FPJ election stickers, but new ones with the message "Honest Government". I think the FPJ camp is making it's presence felt again and is taking a shot at the GMA admin for it's lack of honesty and corruption.

Methinks the FPJ group is up to something and we may see more of FPJ in the coming days ahead.

How about doing a 'Fahrenheit 9/11' type documentary on the Gloria admin?

I wish somebody would make a documentary on the recent May presidential election fiasco. We need to tell the world what really happened. From the time she took over the presidency in 2001 until now, puro kapalpakan at pangungurakot lang ang ginawa ng pamilyang Pidal, but the main focus of the documentary should be on how GMA and her cohorts stole the elections from opposition candidate Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ).

The facts are all there, and all you need is somebody to collect and piece them all together and make a compelling documentary. Pwede ring maging film project ito ng mga U.P. film students.

Just keep in mind that the trick here is to keep the project a secret (he he) to the general public and the administration until you are ready to show the finished product, because some of the potential sources of information may not cooperate if they know na you are doing an anti-GMA documentary.

Ricardo Manapat and the forged Bush Nat'l Guard documents

CBS and Dan Rather got punk'd for using an obviously forged National Guard document against Bush. Read this and this.

This reminds me of another stunt pulled by the GMA adminstration surrogates to disqualify Poe using forged documents made by the national archives director Ricardo Manapat.



Here's Dean Jorge Bocobo's analysis and debunking of the Manapat documents. (here, here, here) Read it all.

A crime had been committed, surely by Ricardo Manapat, and possibly Victorino Fornier.

In the Bush national guard forgeries, hindi nila alam kung sino yung forgerer, kaya dapat imbestigahan ito. If they knew who forged those documents, the perpetrators could face jail time.

In FPJ's case naman, alam na natin kung sino yung forgerer (despite protestations from Manapat Cheerleaders like Rina Jimenez David), so why is Ricardo Manapat still a free man?

But more importantly, who ordered Manapat to forge the birth certificate of FPJ's dad and his parents' marriage certificate?

More signs of bad news

Not good at all.

Bangko nagsara

Sa gitna ng dinaranas na krisis sa pananalapi ng bansa, isang bangko ang iniulat na nagsara ng operasyon kahapon at pinangangambahang isang masamang senyal ito sa banking business at sa pangkalahatang economic impact sa bansa.

Simula kahapon ng umaga ay isinara sa publiko ang operasyon ng First Savings Bank branch sa Recto Ave. sa Divisoria at hinihinalang kalugihan ang ugat nito.

Nang hingan ng kumpirmasyon ang Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), nabatid na nagpupulong pa ang pamunuan ng First Savings Bank sa kanilang head office sa E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Quezon City at hinihintay pa ang opisyal na report ng bangko.

Tulad ng karaniwang eksena sa mga nakaraang pagsasara ng bangko o bank run, dinumog ng libu-libong depositors ang First Savings Bank dala ang kanilang mga libreta-de-bangko. Nabatid na wala umanong abiso man lang o pahiwatig ang bangko ukol sa kinakaharap nitong problemang pinansyal. Nagulat na lamang umano ang lahat nang hindi ito magbukas sa dalawang magkasunod na araw (simula Lunes).

Ang pangunahing pangamba ngayon ng galit na mga depositors ay kung paano nila makukuha nang buo ang kanilang inipong pera. Ilan sa mga ito ang nagsimulang magpakita ng karahasan kaya’t nilatagan ng mga kagawad ng Western Police District (WPD) para protektahan ang bisinidad mula sa kaguluhang maaaring sumiklab.

What a laugh

Our favorite Arroyo brother, now Rep. Iggy Arroyo, is back in the news again:

WE can't help but admire the chutzpah of Rep. Ignacio Arroyo.

A consolidated bill providing for a tax amnesty requires all individuals with a net worth of P100,000 to file a statement of assets and liabilities. The statement is meant to serve as a baseline for revenuers, a census as it were, of taxpayers. Any growth in net worth can be presumed to be funded by income flow. It is simply a matter then of checking whether tax has been paid on the income.

There are legitimate reasons for opposing the provision. It would be an administrative nightmare. A net worth of P100,000 is nothing nowadays, so the people who would be affected would run into millions. It would be an effective way of flushing out untaxed wealth. But it has still to be shown that determining the value of net worth is administratively easier than directly tracing undeclared or under-declared income.

But Arroyo leading the opposition to the proposed submission of the statement of assets and liabilities? And on the ground of invasion of the privacy of the taxpayer? What a laugh.

This Arroyo is the same guy who stepped forward in last year's Senate investigation into the alleged hidden bank deposits of his brother, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, to claim he was "Jose Pidal," the name under which hundreds of millions were allegedly deposited.

Asked how he was able to accumulate the money, Rep. Arroyo took refuge in his right to privacy. Sen. Joker Arroyo (no relation), chairman of the blue ribbon committee, upheld Rep. Arroyo stand.

So until now, nobody has any idea how Rep. Arroyo, with a declared income of P10,000 a month, could have maintained the "Jose Pidal" accounts.

And isn't there a conflict-of- interest situation here? Had the provision passed, Rep. Arroyo would be forced to list down his "Jose Pidal" deposits. More, isn't he among the potential beneficiaries of the proposed tax amnesty if he had not paid tax on his income as "Jose Pidal?"

Rep. Arroyo should have kept his trap shut. He lacks the moral authority to talk about privacy and taxes.

Damn Right!

All in all, a huge P4 (per kwh) increase in electricity rates

From Abante:

3 pang power rate hikes
(Boyet Jadulco)

May tatlo pang nakabinbing dagdag singil sa kuryente ang nakatakdang aprubahan ng Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) hanggang sa susunod na taon.

Ito ang ibinunyag kahapon ni Sen. Sergio Osmeña III sa pagsasabing ang 97¢ kada kilowatt hour (kwh) na dagdag singil ng National Power Corporation (Napocor) na inaprubahan kamakailan ay una lamang sa serye ng mga power rate hikes.

Sa Disyembre ay posible umanong isa pang 97¢ ang payagang maipatong sa singil ng Napocor at panibagong P2/kwh na hahatiin sa dalawang ‘basbas’ sa susunod na taon.

“All in all P4 (per kwh) ‘yan to be able to pay back their loans. Kung P3 lang, they can pay the interest but not the principal,” ani Osmeña.

GMA's borrowing binge blamed for RP fiscal crisis

Why the out-of-control borrowing from her admin, you ask? Because she needed the money to fund her "re-election" campaign in 2004.

So she borrowed, and borrowed, and borrowed...

Gloria debts P1.2T; Erap, P765B; Ramos, P446B
Joker: 'Now she wants us to undo mess?'

By JOAN DAIRO
The total debt incurred by the Arroyo administration in the past three years matched that of the Ramos and Estrada administrations combined, according to information culled yesterday by the Senate ways and means committee chaired by Sen. Ralph Recto.

Records showed that from January 2001 to February 2004, there was a P1.2 trillion increase in national government debt - P738.8 billion in domestic borrowings and P514.6 billion in foreign borrowings.

The increase during the three years of President Joseph Estrada was P765 billion. During the six years of President Fidel Ramos, it was P446 billion.

Data submitted by the Department of Finance showed that when Gloria Arroyo assumed the presidency in January 2001, government debt was P2.186 trillion. By February 2004, it had reached P3.407 trillion or an increase of P1.2 trillion.

Even former allies who embraced, protected and even abetted Mrs. Pidal's family just six months ago (like Joker Arroyo and Ralph Recto) are now distancing themselves from the Arroyo administration. It's every man for himself na raw, at ayaw nilang madamay sa kapalpakan ni Ate Glo.

"Figures given by the DOF confirm the proposition that President Arroyo during the period of three years actually borrowed more than the combined borrowings of President Ramos and Estrada for a period of eight years. That's the picture," Sen. Joker Arroyo noted after yesterday's committee hearing.

Sen. Arroyo blamed former Finance Secretary Isidro Camacho for the borrowing binge of the Arroyo administration. "She did not have a good secretary of finance. The tendency was to borrow for every shortfall that they had in revenue," he said. Camacho resigned shortly before the campaign period for the 2004 election.

Sen. Arroyo chided government for now asking Congress to solve the fiscal crisis. "Don't ask us Congress to undo what you have done."

"This administration's penchant to borrow money is bothersome. What this tells us is that this administration has been ... I don't even know how to use the word," he also said.

He said that because Congress has no control over borrowings, "the executive has borrowed money when it wanted, as long as there were lenders to borrow from. And then they ask us to bail them out for something that they created more than any of the other administrations have created."

The Rats are jumping off the sinking ship.

The rising cost of electricity

From Herman Tiu Laurel:

Glenn Westerman of the Mactan Export Processing Zone Exporters and Manufacturers Chamber of Commerce provides a quotation sent to us by radio broadcaster Popo Villanueva, “US power rates average $0.04 per kilowatt hour, while in the Philippines we are paying $0.10 per kilowatt hour.” Therefore, according to Westerman, Philippine power cost at an average of P5.60/kwh is 150 percent higher than the US at P2.24/kwh. With this kind of power cost here how can we expect to be competitive in any product? These margins are attracting all the energy pirates to us.

This is not good. And here's more bad news.

The Energy Regulatory Commission yesterday approved a 40 percent increase in the charges of debt-ridden National Power Corp. starting the end of September.

The increase is P1.2318 per kilowatt-hour in Luzon, 22.02 centavos in the Visayas and 26.65 in Mindanao, for an average of 97.98 centavos.

The increase, effective Sept. 26, raises the average charge to P3.442 centavos from P2.44. Napocor had been seeking an average increase of P1.87.

No relief talaga for the hardworking middle class consumers. But that's not all.

Sen. Serge Osmena warned us to expect 2 more additional power rate hikes next year:

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III yesterday warned power rates would go even higher by
year's end when the Energy Regulatory Commission is expected to grant the
National Power Corp. (Napocor) an additional 98 centavos per kilowatt hour in
generation charges.

He added that's not all.

"There would be more increases next year, siguro mga dalawa pa, for a total of an estimated P4 per kilowatt hour additional rate cost. Chop-chop lang ang pagbigay ng increase para hindi masyadong mabigat."

He said even with the two additional increases, Napocor would still not be able to recover its projected net loss of P106 billion.

And the hits keep piling on to the poor Filipino consumers...

Nice gesture, but already too late

Pansin ba nyo na medyo maingay at "critical" na ngayon sila Joker Arroyo at Ralph Recto sa Arroyo adminstration on a range of issues, from taxes to the scheduled rate increases by NAPOCOR?

They want us to believe na "independent-minded senators" na sila and they will speak out ("pa-critical" schtick) if they see anything wrong being done by GMA and her cohorts.

It's just too bad na they didn't this earlier during GMA's disastrous first three years in office, when their criticisms against Arroyo could have made a difference with the voters. They should have spoken out earlier, dahil alam naman nila na talagang inuubos at dina-divert ni GMA ang pera ng bayan para sa 2004 campaign.

It's too bad na ngayon lang nagsasalita si Joker re Ate Glo's out-of-control borrowings (she borrowed more money in three years than the combined debts of former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada in eight years), when matagal na itong nire-report ng Daily Tribune at Malaya.

GMA is corrupt, we know that. Joker could have done more when he saw the kalokohan being done by pro-GMA stooges Drilon and JDV's re-enactment of the 2003 budget (follow the link para maintindihan), which diverted P100 Billion from the national budget to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's election campaign.

But instead, Blue Ribbon Chairman Joker Arroyo spent most of his time before the elections defending and abetting the corrupt GMA and the Pidal family by blocking or obstructing any investigations against the Arroyo and Pidal scams. Kaya puro coverups at whitewash na lang ang nakita natin kay "Mr. Ubusin-ang-mga-Corrupt".

And why should people trust GMA with their taxpayer money? Aside from the fear na baka mapunta lang ang pera ng bayan sa bulsa ng mga kurakot, many believe that she is raising our taxes para maypabad siya sa Charter Change na gaganapin next year.

Talk about fucked up priorities by this bogus adminstration. Matakaw talaga sila sa kapangyarihan.

It's not over till it's over

Yes, yes, Time and Newsweek both have polls showing Bush with a double-digit lead, and the Kerry Camp seems to be getting desperate, but this is no time to get cocky.

Two months is an eternity in a presidential campaign, and who knows how the US voters will react if Al Queda launches a major strike in Afghanistan or Iran (mimicking the Tet offensive) or attacks the U.S. on or before Election day?

To Arroyo and his incompetent "economic dream team"

DON'T BE ECONOMIC GIRLY MEN!!!

Ang Pagbabalik ni FPJ?

From Rudy Romero's column:

The word from Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) circle is that 2004 presidential standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. is coming out of his sulk and is ready to be more actively involved in the activities of the opposition, of which he is the titular leader.

This information could not be more felicitous and the timing of FPJ's decision to return to political activity could not be better.

Barely two months after her so-called inauguration, the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo — not just the public finances — is commencing a meltdown process. Perhaps, the most telling indication of this is the fact that La Presidenta — as one leading publisher insists on calling her — says one thing, one day and her economic team-members, in what increasingly seems like a rearguard action, contradict her the following day. It is not a pretty spectacle.

The Gloria Labandera/Ate Glow show is manifesting all the signs of starting to fall apart.

A couple of points:

1) Maybe FPJ was slightly intimidated with all this talk of deficits, fiscal crisis and the economy, that's why it's taking him a long time to come out of his shell. (hehe...)

Or maybe he just doesn't want to be a distraction, especially when everybody is focused on his opponent, who is doing a good job of self-immolating without his help.

2) I believe he should come out and attack GMA, but must leave most of the heavy duty work to his surrogates (Angara, Maceda, Legarda, Tatad).

3) FPJ should attack GMA first and foremost on the corruption issue. Mas credible kasi si FPJ when he talks about corruption (he's untainted) instead of the Economy (GMA's turf). It was GMA's massive misuse of gov't funds for her election campaign (via the re-enacted 2003 budget) and other Jose Pidal scams that led us to this economic crisis. She wants to win so badly that she doesn't care if she sinks the economy with inflation or destroys our democracy by cheating.

It will be very easy for FPJ to tie this current crisis to GMA's diversion of gov't funds to her own personal and political gains.

4) And if he's going to attack GMA on the economy, speak in a manner that ordinary people can understand like "tumatataas na ang presyo ng bilihin, nawawalan na ng trabaho ang karamihan sa mga kababayan natin. tumataas na ang singil sa tubig at kuryente...". Use personal stories to make his point like: "Somebody I know just recently lost his job..." or "My neighbor was thinking the other day of just packing up and leaving because nawawalan na raw siya ng pag-asa dito sa Pinas...".

I like this late part too:

With Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on the defensive — maybe even on the ropes — this is the time for FPJ to go on the offensive. Da King should go on a national tour.

There would be two reasons for the tour.

The first, and most obvious, reason would be for FPJ to thank his supporters — especially those, in places like Cebu, whose votes were not counted for him — for having shown their faith and confidence in him on May 10. The second, and the more timely, reason is for FPJ to be able to tell the voters who cast their ballots for the little lady from Lubao-Cebu-Iligan-Binalonan, “You voted for GMA, and look what you got.”

Word on both points Rudy. Word.

Signs of more trouble

From the Daily Tribune:

Tension flares as MILF rebs mass up in Sultan Kudarat

By Mario J. Mallar and Michaela P. del Callar
Wednesday, 09 01, 2004

Tension build up in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao yesterday after a large group of Moslem secessionist guerrillas gathered near a military detachment in Sultan Kudarat province ahead of the proposed peace talks.

About 200 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels moved into the village of Camanga near the town of Isulan last Monday, Brig. Gen. Alexander Yano, chairman of the Government Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) monitoring with its MILF counterpart the 13-month-old ceasefire between the two sides.

Accusing the Moslem separatist group of violating the ceasefire, the military declined to say what had triggered the sudden rebel movement, but it followed an armed clash last week near the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao province.

The monitoring teams are meeting to try to defuse the situation ahead of planned peace talks in Malaysia, Yano told reporters.

Talks are ongoing “to avert any further hostilities because we also have troops deployed very near the area,” the military official said.

“It's too close for comfort. There could be a shootout.”

The military has asked the rebels to leave and also pledged to pull back its own forces, Yano said, adding the rebels appeared willing to move as early as Tuesday.

According to him, most of the rebels came from Mamasapano, the scene of the most recent clash between the MILF and government forces last week.

In the same week, a second clash occurred near the town of Ampatuan, leaving one soldier and two MILF rebels dead.

According to Yano, local residents reported the massing up of some 200 armed men belonging to the MILF's 109th guerilla base command which started last Monday.

He immediately contacted his MILF-CCCH counterpart, Benjie Midtimbang, who proceeded to the area along with a government representative to ask the rebels to voluntary withdraw from the area.

“We still don't know the reason (of massing up in the area) but they are willing to vacate the area, relocate and go back to their respective residence,” Yano, in a chance interview in Camp Aguinaldo, said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero said the rebels, headed by a certain commander, Zainudin Sindatok, also known as Commander Haon, were able to complete their pullout around 3:30 p.m.

The MILF fighters headed toward the towns of Datu Saudea Ampatuan, Mamasapano, Maganoy, and Datu Unsay Ampatuan in the province of Maguindanao.

Yano said they will formally file charges before the joint CCCH in order to avoid in the future a similar massing up of the rebels in the area.

“We will tell them (MILF CCCH) formally so that this will not happen again.”

Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman, branded as “exaggerated” the action to be taken by the military, saying the rebels' presence in the area wasnot meant to wage war with the military.

Kabalu said an MILF commander residing in the village had conflict with some civilians and the purpose of deploying MILF members in the area was to pacify the situation.

“Our intention (of deploying MILF) there is to pacify the conflict, impose law and order and security in the area.”

“The military was quite alarmist because it deployed also soldiers to the area which could have really worsened the situation if not for the CCCH,” he added.

According to diplomatic sources, the peace process between the government and MILF is likely to face another setback as guidelines for the deployment of a monitoring team has not been finalized.

The sources said the rebel group has yet to submit its comments on the terms of reference (ToR) reportedly drafted by Malaysia.

Peace talks will not resume unless an international monitoring team is deployed.

The Philippine government has already submitted its comment on Malaysia's ToR.

It has also complied with the preconditions set by the MILF for the resumption of the talks such as the withdrawal of criminal charges filed against MILF leaders for the Davao City bombings and the withdrawal of government troops from the former MILF stronghold, Buliok Complex.

Mahinder Singh, Malaysian Embassy's charge d'affaires, said there is no schedule yet for the deployment of the Malaysia-led monitoring teams since the ToR has yet to be finalized.

Singh declined to answer queries on the peace process, saying questions on that matter should be directed to the Philippine government.

“We are only the facilitator. You should ask the Philippine government,” Singh, in a chance interview at Malaysia's celebration of its 47th national day at Makati Shangri-La Hotel, said.

Reports said Malaysia is set to deploy a 60-man monitoring team in September to observe the ceasefire agreement between the government and the MILF.

Reports quoting Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Malaysian observers will be engaged in a “peacekeeping” mission in Mindanao.

“This team is our contribution to the peace process in the southern Philippines,” Najib, also Malaysia's Defense minister, said

The team would comprise officials from the military, police and foreign ministry.

“Both parties, namely the Philippines Government and the MILF, have agreed in principle (to the deployment of the team),” Najib said, adding it is already making final preparations for its deployment to the Philippines.

Such a deployment is part of the agreement forged between the Philippine government and the MILF during the preliminary talks in Kuala Lumpur last April.

Aside from Malaysia, both panels have agreed to include Libya, Bahrain, Brunei and Bangladesh in the international monitoring team.

I Smell Impeachment...

In Ellen Tordesillas' latest column, she wrote:

 

Pimentel said: "The President has lost the moral ascendancy to assert that power after squandering billions of pesos of taxpayers' money on her election campaign which has almost rendered the national treasury empty."

To make sure that the public does not forget it, Pimentel once again talks about funds diverted to free health insurance, emergency employment for road repairmen and sweepers, student loan program and Patubig sa Barangay, "all intended to promote Arroyo's candidacy" and for which she is now facing a string of plunder charges before the Office of the Ombudsman.

We should add the P728 million agriculture funds that bought votes instead of fertilizers and the road users tax that were used to produce Arroyo's roadside campaign materials.

 

Pimentel also questioned how Arroyo uses and is using her P500 million intelligence funds, P500 million in social funds from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, not to mention billions of pesos in discretionary and contingent fund.

 

Well, isn't the diversion of government funds to her own political campaign illegal? Isn't this criminal misuse of our hardearned tax money for personal use an impeachable offense? Isn't this corrupt practice by Mrs. Arroyo one of the main reasons why we are currently in a financial crisis?

 

Why aren't more people asking how we got into this mess? Why aren't more people looking into this and holding Mrs. Arroyo accountable for it? Why do we have to accept everything she says as gospel truth without question?

 

Why aren't more people questioning the questionable way our 2004 budget was passed by Malacanang stooges Joe De Venecia and Franklin Drilon? This is how former PDI columnist Dean Jorge Bocobo explained it back in Feb. 5, 2004:

 

Sen. Edgardo Angara warned today that the GMA administration would end up controlling the entire 2004 national budget as a giant Pork Barrel fund for the coming elections, if House Speaker Jose de Venecia has his way and merely re-enacts the 2003 budget. How does that happen. Well, if you think about it, the 2003 budget contains a large number of funded projects that have already been completed, right? What happens to the funds in that 2003 budget that find their way into the 2004 budget by the magic means of re-enactment. Well, they certainly shouldn't be spent on those projects again -- but then the President will have the right to "re-align" such funds. Get it? That's what Angara means by a giant pork barrel for the elections. Sen. Serge Osmena told media he estimated a total of some P100 billion that would thus become available to GMA's probably losing bid for a full six year term.

What no one said is the thought that immediately struck me. In losing, GMA will blow that whole wad and sink the economy with inflation, just as Marcos did in 1969, when he similarly spent a huge fortune to cheat and win the elections. GMa -- the economist -- could start a conflagration of devastating INFLATION with election spending.

 

Mr. Bocobo got it right. It's too bad that we chose to ignore his warnings back then, because we Filipinos are going to pay the price for GMA's corrupt and incompetent ways in the near future.

 

Ellen Tordesillas responds

After reading her previous article, na ni-link ko dito, I wrote her an email to comment.

And here's Ellen's response. I especiallly liked the last paragraph of her article on this topic. Toot-toot my own horn. Heh heh...

And read this too from Ducky Paredes on why it would be insane to trust GMA on spending our taxpayer money wisely.

Similarities between Arroyo and Kerry

I see many similarities between GMA and John Kerry on the flip-flopping issue. And Arroyo and Kerry (along with Zapatero and Chirac) are more politically alike than Bush.

Arroyo pretended to be strong against terrorism to get US and the Filipino people's support, but showed her true colors after the 2004 election.

After getting the proclamation from congress, nag-iba na ang foreign policy niya... in the sense na it's more like zapatero's (troop withdrawal and appeasement) and chirac's (french oil interests with dictators and rouge countries must be protected).

Kerry is also pretending to be hawkish and strong on defense (but continues to give evasive and conflicting statements) because he knows his previous liberal pacifist stance will not get him elected in November.

Iran buys Arroyo support

So what does the the new friendlier relations between RP and Iran means?

Well, the Philippines is one of the newest members of the UN Security Council, right?

We also know that Iran recently broke it's commitment to france, germany and britain and has already re-started it’s nuclear program. There's increasing pressure from the US to refer Iran's violations to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

After GMA got a generous oil deal from Iran, guess which side the Philippines wlll be supporting in the UNSC from now on?

Goodbye Mindanao

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Ellen Tordesillas nails it

Key point from her must read article:

DURING the election campaign, just more than three months ago, President Arroyo was boasting about the great things that she has done during her three years of an unelected presidency.

Now, after getting a six-year term albeit under questionable circumstances, she says that the country is in "the midst of a fiscal crisis" and she is calling on the people to sacrifice. It's adding insult to injury.

She has a lot to do with the fiscal crisis that we are in with her mismanagement of the economy during her first three years in Malacañang by not practicing austerity because she was thinking of 2004.

Why did her administration go on a borrowing spree knowing fully well that it would compound our debt burden? We know, of course, that it was all to keep the illusion that everything was fine with her in Malacañang which was their campaign line.

Malacañang flooded the country with money with all the propaganda materials for Arroyo's election. We all know how the road users tax and the agricultural fund were diverted to her campaign. We all saw how money from Pagcor and the PCSO were used to finance Arroyo's continued stay in Malacañang.

Now, she is asking the people to sacrifice.

She should direct the call to herself, to her officials, and to her friends. Not to the public, especially the masses, who have long been sacrificing.

Read the whole article.

Iran congratulates Philippines after troop pullout, will forge stronger ties with Arroyo gov't

Ewan ko ba... dapat ba tayong matuwa dito o hindi?

Iran said RP did the right thing daw for recalling troop contingent.

Islamic Iran, RP forge stronger ties after pullout
By Michaela P. del Callar and Sherwin C. Olaes
Friday, 08 27, 2004

Iran, the Islamic state branded by US President George W. Bush as a member of the "axis of evil," along with Iraq and North Korea, for allegedly developing weapons of mass destruction, yesterday rallied behind the Arroyo administration's decision on the untimely withdrawal of its small contingent from Iraq in exchange for the freedom of a Filipino hostage.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said the "Philippine government did the right thing."

After falling from the graces of the United States, President Arroyo has been moving to strengthen the country's bilateral ties with the Islamic international community.

Only last month, Mrs. Arroyo, in delivering her major foreign policy speech during the 106th anniversary rites of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), reiterated the importance of Philippine relations with the Islamic countries.

"The international Islamic community would become more and more important to the Philippines. We saw that in this last crisis," the President had said, referring to the 17-day hostage situation involving Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz, who was released by his Iraqi captors after a reported ransom payoff of $6 million and a capitulation of the Arroyo government by beating a hasty retreat of the Philippine troops in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

The government's decision, which had angered Washington and its major foreign allies in the war against terrorism, was "correct, courageous and timely," Kharrazi told reporters after a meeting with his Filipino counterpart, Alberto Romulo. "It was the right decision in the interest of the nation."

Iran is a key source of oil for the Philippines and serves as a trans-shipment hub to Central Asia.

In Malacanang, Kharrazi, who paid a courtesy call to Mrs. Arroyo, has conveyed Tehran's invitation to her for a state visit on Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's request.

During a one-on-one meeting, the President and Kharazzi explored several areas of bilateral cooperation, notably in oil supply, exploration and development of natural gas and construction of new power plants.

"This is very promising. Our countries could be complementary," she said.

Iran supplies 60,000 to 70,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the Philippines, representing about 25 percent of the country's fuel requirements. It is considered the world's second largest producer of oil and natural gas.

(Check this out too, from Malaya, for additional news on same subject matter)

Contrast that to the threatening tone of Iran towards Australia just two weeks ago (from Junkyardblog):

Hm. An interesting side battle may be brewing in the war:

Australia is a bigger terrorist target and its reputation in the Middle East has been harmed by its participation in the invasion of Iraq, according to Iran's top security official.

After talks with Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, Hassan Rowhani suggested Australia's standing could be improved by following Spain in withdrawing from Iraq. The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the occupation of Iraq was provoking terrorism and the United States should withdraw.

This looks like a very thinly veiled threat to me. If it is, Iran is unmasking itself as being exactly what the US has long accused it of being, which is the world's leading terror sponsor. Australia's next election will probably be in October. It looks like Iran could be making ready for a Madrid-style election eve party.

I guess, in the end, Arroyo is doing the right thing, huh? At least, hindi na tayo magiging "terrorist target" at mas lalong hindi na tayo magiging "buffer" ng Australia (according to Joker Arroyo).

Here's one of the reasons why we are in dire financial straits

Here's Dean Bocobo warning the public back in Feb 5, 2004 about GMA and Drilon and JDV's plan to turn the 2004 budget into a giant pork barrel for GMA's re-election campaign and waste tons of our taxpayer money:

Sen. Edgardo Angara warned today that the GMA administration would end up controlling the entire 2004 national budget as a giant Pork Barrel fund for the coming elections, if House Speaker Jose de Venecia has his way and merely re-enacts the 2003 budget. How does that happen. Well, if you think about it, the 2003 budget contains a large number of funded projects that have already been completed, right? What happens to the funds in that 2003 budget that find their way into the 2004 budget by the magic means of re-enactment. Well, they certainly shouldn't be spent on those projects again -- but then the President will have the right to "re-align" such funds. Get it? That's what Angara means by a giant pork barrel for the elections. Sen. Serge Osmena told media he estimated a total of some P100 billion that would thus become available to GMA's probably losing bid for a full six year term.

What no one said is the thought that immediately struck me. In losing, GMA will blow that whole wad and sink the economy with inflation, just as Marcos did in 1969, when he similarly spent a huge fortune to cheat and win the elections. GMa -- the economist -- could start a conflagration of devastating INFLATION with election spending.

Prescient, no?

Things are looking grim on RP's economy; Power crisis looming

Hmmm... during the 2004 election campaign, GMA and her surrogates claimed na the voters should elect her because she was doing a good job in improving the economy -- even though we were worse off under GMA than we were 3.5 years ago, during Erap's time.

She lied of course, but she wouldn't have gotten away with it without the help of the Mainstream Media like the Inquirer-GMA7 combo and ABS-CBN (VP Noli's station). These media giants aka "gatekeepers of information" help foist the canard that we are on the right track and that the economy is doing very well with "millions of jobs created" (and not explaining that most of it is from the agricultural sector, meaning inflated ang numbers ng jobs created) during GMA's 3 year term.

So now GMA has admitted that our financial situation is in a much more critical condition than previously claimed by her and the admin's media surrogates.

GMA's brilliant solution of course is to raise more taxes.

Uh-huh. Sorry you never mentioned anything about raising our taxes sa campaign pledges mo. Bakit ngayon mo lang sinasabi sa amin yan?

And why would most people support this new tax measures when we saw how this corrupt GMA admin wasted and misused our taxpayer money (via the 2003 re-enacted budget, giving her P100 Billion for discretionary spending) on her presidential candidacy?

Napunta ito sa mga "walking ads", TV ads, bribe money para sa mga pro-GMA local officials at mga talent fees ng mga bayaran na artista.

And what happened to the Philhealth cards na pinapamigay mo sa mga campaign sorties mo? Hindi ko na nakikita ang mga Philhealth commercials na yan. Are the health insurance cards still valid? O ginamit mo lang yan para lokohin ang mga masa voters?

But if they are still valid, then saan natin kukunin ang pambayad para diyan? OH YES, I REMEMBER, TATAASAN PALA NI GMA ANG BUWIS NATIN.

After CODENGO, Telecoms scam, PIATCO, PCSO scam, Jose Pidal, and the recent elections, bakit pa matutuwa ang mga tao sa balitang tax increase kung mapupunta lang ito sa mga kurakot sa Malacanang?

And with a power crisis looming, it's possible na babalik na naman ang 6-12 hour brownouts:

The days of gas rationing, power outages, abbreviated work hours may be making their return soon.

This was hinted at by Energy Secretary Vincent Perez, who was quoted yesterday by the Asian Wall Street Journal (AWSJ) as saying the Philippines may limit the use of private vehicles in a package this week of energy-conservation measures.

Perez, however, refused to comment on these measures, or on his quote in the AWSJ, saying he does not want to preempt President Arroyo, who he said is scheduled to unveil the energy conservation measures.

Siguro gustong lampasan ni GMA si Cory for being the most incompetent Malacanang occupant ever.

FPJ should form his own Shadow Government.

Just in case something happens to GMA, o bigla na lang siyang natanggal sa pwesto.

Read the Rudy Romero's article for more details.

UPDATE: Sorry, the link doesn't work anymore, so here's the article in full.

FPJ should form shadow Cabinet

Monday, 08 23, 2004

The feature of the parliamentary form of government that its partisans find most attractive is the possibility it offers for removing a substandard government before the end of its term. The prospect of being stuck with a bad government for four or five or six years is a source of dread and doubt for those who otherwise prefer the presidential form of government.

The key to the flexibility of the parliamentary system of government is the procedure known as the no-confidence motion. When the opposition in the legislature is able to muster enough votes to carry such motion, the government falls and, if the ruling party cannot put together a new coalition, new elections are scheduled. The passage of the motion does away with the need to suffer a bumbling or corrupt government for many years.

The concomitant of the parliamentary system's ability to bring down an administration at any time during its term is the opposition's need to be ready at all times to take over the reins of government. The opposition must have in place a set of people who will be ready to assume, on short notice, the portfolios that make up the Executive branch of the government.

The leader of the opposition must have in place what is known as a shadow Cabinet.

For every number of a regular Cabinet there is a counterpart in the shadow Cabinet. Thus, there is a shadow secretary (or minister) of Foreign Affairs, a shadow secretary of National Defense, a shadow secretary of Finance, and so forth. A shadow Cabinet must be complete.

The function of a member of a shadow Cabinet is to monitor and critique the performance - the acts and the utterances - of his counterpart in the Cabinet of the day. Thus, the shadow secretary of Justice will monitor the sayings and doings of the regular secretary of Justice and he is expected to speak for the opposition in all matters relating to the government department to which he is assigned. If a tax matter came before the legislature, the shadow secretary of Finance would be expected to speak for the opposition and if a defense issue were to be raised there, the shadow secretary of National Defense would be the person to carry the ball for the opposition.

It is a great system. In fact, the shadow Cabinet concept is one of the most attractive features of the parliamentary system of government.

Although this country's system of government is the presidential type, the idea of a shadow Cabinet can be borrowed and employed to great advantage. Since Cabinets are formed by the leader of the opposition - the Prime Minister or, in the French or Egyptian model, the President - a shadow Cabinet in this country should be formed by the titular head of the opposition. That is Fernando Poe Jr., who led the opposition to victory (denied him by Congress and the Commission on Elections) in the last May 10, 2004 polls.

It is difficult to say when the Presidential Electoral Tribunal will issue its decision declaring FPJ as the winner of the last May elections. It could well take a long time. But the opposition needs to be ready to take over the administration of the nation when that day comes. The way to bring that about is the formation by FPJ of a shadow Cabinet. In the absence of a parliament-type governmental structure, the shadow Cabinet will work in close coordination with Sen. Edgardo Angara, Rep. Francis Escudero and the rest of the opposition leadership in Congress.

With a shadow Cabinet in place, there will be structure and order in the activities of the opposition. FPJ will be kept informed at all times of developments in Finance, National Defense, Foreign Affairs and the other areas of governmental operations. In monitoring the actions and statements of the members of the government of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the opposition will convey to the Filipino people an image of ability and preparedness to perform the key functions of government it will provide the Filipino people with a good picture of the kind of national administration they can expect when the day of FPJ's assumption of office comes.

Who should FPJ appoint to his shadow Cabinet? That's a matter for consultations with both the congressional and non-congressional elements of the opposition. The accent should be on quality and individual worth.

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It's http://johnmarzan.blogspot.com

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Pakistani intelligence official and the NYT who outed Khan

It was a pakistani intelligence official and the NYT who outed Khan.

Here's an email I sent to Juan Cole today.

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First you have to understand that the NYT was the first newspaper to break the news about Khan's arrest. Every other newspaper picked up on what the NYT story.

Here's google news on Noor Khan on August 1 (Philippine time):

you may have to adjust the setting to August 2 in the US.

Here is the original New York Times article:

"The unannounced capture of a figure from Al Qaeda in Pakistan several weeks ago led the Central Intelligence Agency to the rich lode of information that prompted the terror alert on Sunday, according to senior American officials.

The figure, Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, was described by a Pakistani intelligence official as a 25-year-old computer engineer, arrested July 13, who had used and helped to operate a secret Qaeda communications system where information was transferred via coded messages.

A senior United States official would not confirm or deny that Mr. Khan had been the Qaeda figure whose capture led to the information."

There you have it professor, the original leaker outing Khan was a Pakistani Intelligence officer, not Tom Ridge or DHS. The U.S. official wouldn't even confirm the existence of Noor Khan until after his name was published on the effing NYT.

More:

A senior United States official would not confirm or deny that Mr. Khan had been the Qaeda figure whose capture led to the information. But the official said "documentary evidence" found after the capture had demonstrated in extraordinary detail that Qaeda members had for years conducted sophisticated and extensive reconnaissance of the financial institutions cited in the warnings on Sunday.

One senior American intelligence official said the information was more detailed and precise than any he had seen during his 24-year career in intelligence work. A second senior American official said it had provided a new window into the methods, content and distribution of Qaeda communications.

"This, for us, is a potential treasure trove," said a third senior American official, an intelligence expert, at a briefing for reporters on Sunday afternoon.

Notice anything? These US officials only wanted to talk about intelligence information... probably because of pressure from the media to justify raising the terror alert to orange based on "outdated" (4 years old) info by releasing new details and to counter the charges that they were playing politics with the terror warnings. As far as I can see, NONE of them gave any names before the first NYT article on Khan came out.

And this Reuters article backs up that claim:

The New York Times obtained Khan's name independently, and U.S. officials confirmed it when it appeared in the paper the next morning.

Once that name is out in the public and in drudge's website, the damage has been done and whether US officials should have confirmed the name or not, most of the blame should go to the NYT (and the unnamed Pakistani official) for setting us back on the WOT.

Yes, Rice did admit that they confirmed the name on background, but that was after the Khan's name was already released publicly.

Horse. Barn. Door.

Here's more from the original NYT article:

The American officials would say only that the Qaeda figure whose capture had led to the discovery of the documentary evidence had been captured with the help of the C.I.A. Though Pakistan announced the arrest last week of a Qaeda member, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian wanted in connection with the bombings of American embassies in East Africa in 1998, the American officials suggested that he had not been the source of the new threat information.

An account provided by a Pakistani intelligence official made clear that the crucial capture in recent weeks had been that of Mr. Khan, who is also known as Abu Talha. The intelligence official provided information describing Mr. Khan as having assisted in evaluating potential American and Western targets for terrorist attacks, and as being representative of a "new Al Qaeda."

The Pakistani official described Mr. Khan as a fluent English speaker who had told investigators that he had visited the United States, Britain, Germany and other countries. Mr. Khan was one of thousands of Pakistani militants who trained in Afghanistan under the Taliban in the 1990's, the Pakistani official said.

If indeed Mr. Khan was the man whose arrest led the C.I.A. to new evidence, his role as a kind of clearinghouse of Qaeda communications, as described by the Pakistani intelligence official, could have made him a vital source of information. Since his arrest, Mr. Khan has described an elaborate communications system that involves the use of high and low technology, the Pakistani official said.

2 points:

1) Notice that the American official would only describe the man as an "Al Queda figure", but the NYT describes Pakistani officials naming and describing Khan in detail.

2) The NYT is not even sure if Khan's arrest is what led the US to new evidence because the American officials did not name Khan at that time.

As for this news:

The Pakistani officials said that after Khan's arrest, other al-Qaida suspects abruptly changed their hide-outs and moved to unknown places.

The first official described the publication of the news of Khan's arrest as "very disturbing."

"We have checked. No Pakistani official made this intelligence leak," he said.

I think this is just CYA for the Pakistani government.

Again, I would like the NYT to explain themselves on this in the editorial. We've heard the US admin side through Condi Rice, now the NYT will have to come clean on this.

I hope they do it soon because it is unfair for the Bush admin to take all the false blame for outing Khan. Their editors should clearly state the facts and not using "Clintonian" words to confuse readers.

BTW, I have set google news up for you so you can monitor the NYT if and when they come out with an editorial on the noor khan issue.

So far, they have not weighed in on this and their silence is DEAFENING.