Arangkada for August 25, 2005

 

             ILAD ANG KONSEHO?

 

Ang Syudad sa Lapulapu nihunong pagpamalit og mga kemikal ug fogging machines bato sa dengue unom ka tuig nang nilabay. Ang Lapulapu City Health Department nitingob sa ilang atensiyon sa pagpanglimpiyo sa mga lugar nga tagoanan ug itloganan sa mga lamok. Gihimo ni nila sa tibuok tuig, sa way pagpaabot sa mga buwan nga tinguwan kanus-a mosulbong pag-ayo ang mga kaso sa dengue.

Ang resulta? Ang pagsaka sa mga kaso sa dengue sa Lapulapu maoy usa sa labing mubo sa tibuok Sugbo ug sa rehiyon kon itandi sa niaging tuig. Ug way bisan usang namatay. Lahi sa Syudad sa Sugbo. Human nigasto og minilyon ka pesos sa pagpangompra og daghang kemikal ug mist spray machines, dul-an na sa 800 ang na-ospital ug 21 nay patay tungod sa dengue.

-o0o-

Aron pagmatuod nga wa sila magpabaya sa pagtugot sa pagpangompra sa kemikal, giwara-wara ni Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama, ang presiding officer sa Cebu City Council, ang report sa Committee on Parks and Playground, Wildlife, Ecology and Environmental Management nga nisuporta sa transaksiyon. Ang report maoy gibasehan sa mga konsehal pag-aprobar sa resolusyon ni Konsehal Christopher Alix nga nigahin og P1.5 milyones para sa kemikal atol sa ilang sesyon niadtong Pebrero 23 ning tuiga.

Ang gitun-an sa komitiba nga gipangulohan ni Konsehal Nestor Archival mao ang Aqua-Resigen chemical, nga ilang gihulagway nga dunay lima ka hazardous ingredients ug busa kinahanglang tarungon pagamit aron di makahilo sa mga tinubdan sa tubig ug makadaot sa kalikopan ug panglawas sa mga molupyo. Aqua-Resigen sab ang giaprobahan sa mga konsehal nga paliton.

-o0o-

Unsa man karoy buhaton nilang Rama ug sa mga konsehal nga inay Aqua-Resigen, ang mas makahilom man hinuon nga lambdacyhalothrin maoy gikompra? Kinsa may nagbuot nga di tahuron ang purchase request ug ang resolusyon sa City Council para sa aqua-resigen?

Nganong wa man sultihi ni Alix ang iyang kaubanan nga mas makahilo nga kemikal ang komprahunon? Hadlok ba siyang isalikway sa komitiba ni Archival ang transaksiyon? Nganong gitugotan man sa Bids and Awards Committee kining klarong palusot?

-o0o-

Atol sa ilang sesyon gahapon, ang mga konsehal nagkauyon sa pag-awhag sa Visayas Ombudsman pag-imbestigar sa mga pagduda sa kahiwian sa pagpangompra sa kemikal. Mas mapuslanon ning maong lakang kay sa ilang paghudlat nga ikiha kog libelo tungod sa akong pagtawag sa ilang atensiyon nga posibleng nalutsan silag anomalusong transaksiyon.

Mas maayo sang di silay mangunay pag-imbestigar sa kaso aron nga makalingkawas sa bisan unsang pagduda sa maniobra tungod sa ilang kasuod sa usag-usa. Labaw sa tanan, hinaot nga naleksiyon nang mga konsehal nga ilang katungdanan ang pagkutikuti sa tanang transaksiyon, bahala nag gipasiugdahan sa ilang mga kauban sa kaon ug inom kada human sa sesyon. [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Death of a Soldier

There's The Rub : The last word

Conrado de Quiros dequiros@info.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

IT'S enough to make me believe my friend Pancho Lara's theory about why people who cannot abide President Gloria Macapagla-Arroyo are dying, the latest of whom is Capt. Rene Jarque: "Yamot na 'yan" ["That's from vexation."]. I can believe it. Truly, TV should issue a warning on news programs, the way the health department issues a warning on cigarette packs, that watching Ms Arroyo can be hazardous to health. She is a vexation to the spirit.

The last time somebody I knew and liked died, who was Raul Roco, I revised my original question about why God made it a point to remove from us only our artists and keep for us only our politicians. That was in reference to the fact that our artists were dying like flies, notably in 2002 and 2004 (I counted around a dozen in the first and around 10 in the second), while our politicians continued to live also like flies. But after Roco died, I had to ask why God made it a point to remove from us only our decent politicians and keep for us our rotten ones.

With Rene Jarque dying on the heels of Roco, I have to revise my question again. Why does God make it a point to remove from us our good politicians and good soldiers and keep for us only our rotten politicians and equally rotten generals?

Outside of the military, not too many people knew Rene Jarque. The one most Filipinos know is his father, Gen. Raymundo Jarque, who shocked Fidel Ramos' government in October 1995 by joining the New People's Army after being the head of the Negros Island Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The elder Jarque despaired of reforms ever happening in the AFP and indeed in government itself -- Ramos had much to do with the corruption in both, something that isn't cured, or forgotten, by Charter change -- he took to the hills and sought his solution there. Alas, he didn't find it there either. He came back to the fold of the law a few years later, but never went back to the fold of lawlessness in the AFP.

The son lived up to the measure of the father. Rene never got past captain for reasons that had nothing to do with lack of ability or integrity. Quite the opposite: He never got past captain because he possessed both in great quantities. He it was who raised the loudest voice to condemn the humongous corruption in the AFP. For which he was excoriated and reviled by his colleagues, though it is hard to use that word to describe them since they were never at par with him. Rene resigned from the military in 1998, a polite way of saying he was forced out of it by ostracism. They had to get him out; his very existence arraigned theirs. His honesty reflected on their venality, his scruples reflected on their unscrupulousness, his willingness to go it alone reflected on their ungodly camaraderie.

No one has changed the face of the military for me personally, one that always took on the aspect of grinning torturer and wreaker of mayhem, more than Rene. He was a good writer, apart from being a good soldier, and used his pen as much as his sword to fight the worst enemy the military ever had, which was itself. But what struck me most was his infinite humility. You could not find anyone, military or civilian, who spoke his truth more gently. He was never righteous, he was just right. You know people speak the truth when they are humble: Truth cannot inhabit a prideful body, or be spewed by a boastful mouth. Rene was a quiet man, which is why his truth now rings more loudly than the pealing of the bells.

My heart goes out to him, I feel a strong kinship with him. I do know a thing or two about what it means to be maligned and kept in the fringes of things for telling your truth. I felt that way when I got deluged by angry letters for expressing a view contrary to George W. Bush's shortly after 9/11, and for expressing a view contrary to Ms Arroyo's for close to four years. I have been since vindicated in both cases. I am certain that Rene will, too, in the cause he has suffered much for. One is tempted to rue that he won't be around to see it. But then, who knows? If you're Christian, you have the certainty of knowing he will be there to reap the accolades. If you're just a plain human being, you have the consolation of knowing his family will.

I didn't know Rene had been forced into exile in Jakarta by financial need. I hadn't seen him for a while. I do know, or suspect, that the greatest pain inflicted on him was not the impoverishment being driven out of the institution he loved caused him, it was the very fact of having to leave the institution he loved. Rene loved the profession, he loved being a soldier. He professed as much every opportunity he got. He was a soldier, he never stopped being a soldier. So at least in the finest tradition of being one, the one that, as he himself put it, had to do with "duty, honor, country." He became the finest example of what a soldier is, or can be, by showing he had become the exception rather than the rule in today's AFP. To the end of his days, he remained duty-bound, honorable and patriotic.

Rene died last Friday at 40. But he lived longer and more fully than most others twice his age. He will be remembered fondly long after his superiors -- in name, not in spirit; they will never be his betters -- will have been forgotten, or reviled. I will not express the hope that the hypocritical crooks from the military and the civilian government who attend his wake get to be hit by lightning where they stand, or sit, lest his wake be attended only by his family and close friends. I will only recall some words he wrote to fellow West Pointers last year to remind them of what they lost, and what they can regain if they would only exert themselves to become a little more like him: a soldier.

Arangkada for August 24, 2005

 

            ADIK SA KEMIKAL

 

Ang sobrang pagsalig sa mga kemikal maoy usa sa gibasol nga mga hinungdan nga nakapahimo sa dengue nga kalibotanong hulga ug labing importanteng sakit gikan sa lamok nga nakatakod sa mga tawo sa Pilipinas ug Southeast Asia. Ang Center of Disease Control ( www.cdc.gov) sa Estados Unidos nitaho nga sa niaging 20 ka tuig, ang mga gobyerno sa biktimang mga nasud nagsalig sa ultra-low-volume insecticide space sprays batok sa lamok, nga di epektibo batok sa dengue.

Ang konsuylo mao nga di monopoliya sa mga konsehal sa Syudad sa Sugbo ang sayop nga pagtoo nga ang pagwaldas og minilyon ka pesos para sa kemikal ug mga makina maoy tubag sa pagkatap sa dengue. Ang nakapait mao nga bisan dugay na silang gitambagan di lang sa CDC kon dili hasta sa Department of Health ug bisan sa Cebu City Health Department nga di kemikal kon di pagpanlimpiyo maoy labing epektibong panagang batok sa dengue, nagpaugat lang gihapong mga konsehal sa pagpagompra sa way kapuslanang mga kemikal ug mga makina.

-o0o-

Bisan ang World Health Organization (www.who.int), nga niila sa panginahanglan pagamit sa tukmang insecticides sa mga pinuy-anan sa mga lamok nga nagda og dengue, nipasidaan nga ang ka-epektibo ini di kasaligan kay sayon ra para sa dagkong lamok ang paglupad ngadto sa laing lugar, pagpaak sa dugang mga biktima ug pagpalapad pa sa problema sa dengue, gawas nga dako ang gasto ug hasol kaayo.

Matod sa WHO ang pagbomba sa mga kemikal angayng ubanan sa makanunayong pagpaniid namatay bang mga lamok aron pagseguro nga tukma ang matang sa kemikal nga gigamit. Sa kaso sa Syudad sa Sugbo, imposible na ning matuman. Kay inay anam-anamon aron kapanid-an unsa ka-epektibo, morang gikilatan nga nangompra ang lokal nga mga opisyal og 500 ka litro sa MaxiFog (lambdacyhalothryn ang generic name), ang ikaduhang labing makahilong kemikal nga wa pa sukad masukad masuwayi pagamit sa kampanya batok sa dengue dinhi sa ato.

-o0o-

Laing nakit-an sa CDC nga buslot sa kampanya batok sa dengue mao ang paghagsa sa public health infrastracture. Matod sa CDC, ug kon may nahibilin pa silang uwaw angayng manlipaghong ini ang mga sakop sa Cebu City Council, kanunay lang gidangpan ang "crisis mentality" nga nihatag og importansiya sa pagpatuman sa emergency control methods pagtubag sa mga epidemiya, inay pagpalambo sa mga programa pagpugong sa pagkatap sa makamatay nga sakit.

Kining maong taktika naka-inutil sa pagkontrolar sa dengue kay, segun sa CDC, huyang ang surveillance sa nagkalainlaing kanasuran (apil na sa US) nga nagsalig lang sa mga taho sa mga doktor nga wa maghunahuna sa dengue sa paghiling sa ilang mga pasyente. Tungod ini, kasagaran daghan unang mangamatay ug ma-ospital sa di pa mabantayan ang epidemiya. [30]

Inquirer Editorial

Editorial : Reconciliation

RECONCILIATION is the word of the month for the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The President wants to be reconciled with former President Joseph Estrada, supposedly in the interest of national unity. But what kind of reconciliation is it going to be? Going by media accounts, it appears it's going to be anything but a principled one.

Estrada wants to be released from detention as a condition for reconciliation. But legal luminaries, led by Sen. Joker Arroyo, have said that that is not possible unless the law is first amended. Estrada is facing a charge of plunder, which, being a capital offense, is not bailable. If Estrada is to be released on recognizance, the law on plunder has to be amended first to reduce the penalty.

But why amend the law for the benefit of just one man? What makes Estrada's case so unique, so extraordinary that he should deserve such an unprecedented treatment?

Senator Arroyo also said that Estrada cannot be pardoned unless he is first convicted by the courts. That rules out both release on recognizance and pardon at this point.

If Estrada were to be released on recognizance, it would mean the President's interference in the decisions of the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court that is trying the case against her predecessor. That would violate the constitutional principle of separation of powers.

That President Arroyo wants to be reconciled with Estrada is understandable. At this crucial point in her public life, she needs as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible. She needs to "neutralize" the former president who, at the El Shaddai Catholic charismatic group's rally only last Saturday night, showed that he still weaves that old magic and charisma that can mesmerize the masses. A still influential Estrada can indeed be a potent enemy who, even from his detention resthouse in Tanay town, near Manila, can mobilize tens of thousands in the event that the debate over impeachment spills out into the streets.

We are for reconciliation and we are for national unity, especially at this time when the economy is in danger of going over the brink. But it must be a principled reconciliation, one that will not require the amendment of laws or a violation of the constitutional principle of separation of powers and the intervention of one department of government in another.

It appears that the President is ready and willing to do anything, even violate the Constitution and the laws, just to get into the good graces of Estrada. Ever since she replaced Estrada as his constitutional successor in 2001, she has been accommodating almost all of his requests. First he was transferred from a detention cell in the Camp Crame police general headquarters to a suite at the Veterans Memorial Hospital. Later, he was moved to a detention house in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. He was transferred to Camp Capinpin in Tanay. Then, he was allowed to transfer to his resthouse, also in Tanay.

Estrada has been allowed to leave his detention house on various occasions, such as the birthday of his mother and more recently, the rally of El Shaddai. He was allowed to go to Hong Kong to undergo a knee operation. While in Hong Kong, he stayed at a luxurious apartment, had gourmet dinners and lived it up. He has not been treated as a detainee facing the capital crime of plunder. Others of less prominence and lower station than him are being treated worse. So what can he complain of?

Two former South Korean presidents -- Roh Tae-woo and Chun Doo-hwan -- were treated like ordinary prisoners when they were detained on graft and corruption charges. They wore the usual prison garb and stayed in an ordinary prison together with the other prisoners. They were not given extraordinary treatment. Here, Estrada is being given special treatment and he still complains about his situation.

Let Estrada continue to suffer detention while the plunder case against him is being tried. If he believes he is not guilty and wants to be released soon, he and his lawyers should do everything to speed up the hearing of the case. Right now, they are doing everything, resorting to every technicality in the law books, to delay a possible guilty verdict.

If the former president is not guilty, the court will rule so and release him immediately. If he is guilty, the court will also rule so and order the imposition of the appropriate penalty on him. Reconciliation talks between him and the Arroyo administration can in the meantime continue, but they should discuss a principled reconciliation, not one that would involve the violation of the Constitution and the laws, and the principles of justice.

Arangkada for August 23, 2005

 

              ILIS SA KEMIKAL

 

Nag-anam kahanap ang transaksiyon sa pagpamalit sa Syudad sa Sugbo og kemikal para sa dengue. Ang Environmental, Commercial and Industrial Division sa Cebu City Health Department niingon nga igo ra silang nirekomendar nga dugangan ang hapit na mahurot nga pondo sa kemikal. Si City Health Officer Fe Cabugao nakalimot na kanus-a siya nakapirma sa purchase request, unsay kemikal ug pilay ilang gipangayo.

Ang labawng kahibulongan: Ang kemikal nga gipangayo sa City Health lahi sa kemikal nga gipalit sa syudad. Aqua resigen chemical ang nalista sa purchase request ni Cabugao pero lambdacyhalothrin ang gipalit sa syudad para nila. Samtang managsama ang duha ka kemikal nga di epektibo sa lamok, ang ikaduha mas peligrong makahilo sa mga molupyo og hangtod 10 ka higayon kay sa unang kemikal.

-o0o-

Kinsa man ang nagtugot sa kausaban? Nganong wa man tahura ang kagustohan sa City Health nga sila man untay aktuwal nga mogamit sa kemikal, kana kon moinsistir gyod ang mga doktor nga under-the-bunal sa mga politiko pagamit ini bisan napamatud-an nang di epektibo batok sa dengue ug makadaot pa gyod sa kalikopan?

Managlahi ang katin-awan nga among nakuha:

• Si Cabugao niingon nga gipahibawo siya sa Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) nga nahurot nang suplay sa aqua resigen. (Dako ning bakak, among nahibaw-an nga abunda pang suplay sa kemikal sa Sugbo ug sa bisan asang bahin sa nasud); pero
• Ang pipila ka sakop sa BAC niingon nga managsama rang duha ka kemikal, ang lambdacyhalothrin mao lay generic name sa aqua resigen. (Laing dakong bakak, "permethrin" ang generic name sa aqua resigen.)

-o0o-

Si Dr. Renette Christine Ligaray, ang pangu sa environmental division, nga mao untay naa sa posisyon pag-ila sa dakong kalainan sa kemikal nga ilang gipangayo ug sa kemikal nga aktuwal nga gipalit, wa kakita og panginahanglan sa pagsusi.

Dihang gipahibawo sa DYAB Abante Bisaya nga ang lambdacyhalothrin mas peligro para sa mga molupyo kay nagamit og krudo kon itandi sa premethrin nga nagamit og tubig, igo lang mi niyang gitubag nga ang toxicity sa mga kemikal nakuha lang pinaagi sa eksperimento sa mga ilaga.

Unsay pagtoo ni Ligaray sa mga Sugbuanon: Way kalainan sa mga ilaga nga eksperimentohanan?

-o0o-

Gihangop nakong saad ni Cebu City Councilor Edgardo Labella pag-imbestigar ning kuwestiyonableng mga aspeto sa pagpalit sa kemikal. Lahi sa iyang kaubanang konsehal, nga nipalabi sa kahiktin sa ilang panghunahuna inay sa pagsusi sa transaksiyon, andam si Labella nga mosusi nalutsan ba sila ug duna bay nakakuwarta.

Hinaot nga di siya kutob ra sa sulti. Ug hinaot nga, lahi sa iyang kaubanan, di pa andam si Labella nga mopalabi sa ilang kasuod ug motabon sa ilang binuang bahala nag mapilde ang interes sa mga Sugbuanon. [30]

De Quiros' Column

There's The Rub : Seasons

Conrado de Quiros dequiros@info.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

SOMEONE told me, some time ago, he was fed up with politics he had stopped minding it. He was not without a sense of outrage over what was happening to the country but he was filled as well with a sense of helplessness and resignation. Media, he said, weren't making things better. They were feeding on political scandal the way sharks fed on blood, churning out blithe observations rather than studious scrutiny. Such was his dismay, or disgust, he ignored the news altogether, preferring to read or watch other things on TV.

I am not completely unsympathetic to him. I do feel that way too, now and then, being assailed by politics, being drowned by news about politics, being up to my neck with the antics of politicians, particularly one Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA), one Fidel V. Ramos (FVR), one Jose de Venecia (JDV), and one horde of monkeys masquerading as congressmen. One imagines that the air, the literal one and the one occupied by TV and radio, would be cleaner without the noises they emit. Silence is preferable to gibberish.

I find the need to look for a breather too, and I greatly mind it when I am listening to live music while drinking my favorite poison, and someone forces his way to my table and insists on talking about politics. Being polite, I do not tell him to bugger off. I do not want to risk an attack of gout just to listen to him. I prefer sweet music and even sweeter musicians. But I make my inattentiveness patently known. Unfortunately, the more ferocious political animals have no instincts to detect this, but that is another story.

I am not completely unsympathetic to my friend's plight, but neither am I completely sympathetic to him. I've heard his sentiments expressed by others, some of them proclaiming with much disdain their utter distaste for politics. "I know nothing about politics," some even say with pride. Never have I seen ignorance admitted with such haughtiness. What can I say? That's the kind of indifference that allows tyranny to thrive. That's the kind of tiredness that allows GMA to prosper.

Who wants to have to talk or stalk politics if they can help it? Who wants to listen to the wailing of the hyenas on TV when they can watch Solar Sports instead? Who wants to get into arguments with people like Ronaldo Puno and Raul Gonzalez (who should be thankful they have not been hit by thunderbolts for mouthing the words "law" and "morality") when they can have more pleasant conversations with friends, real or imagined, and lovers, legitimate or illegitimate? Indeed, who wants to suffer the inconvenience, or even danger, of having to brave the heat and smell of sweaty bodies to protest the usurpation of Malacañang by an illegitimate President when they can have the luxury or bliss of an air-conditioned room, drowning themselves in the heat and smell of a sweaty body while surrendering to the usurpations of love?

No one wants to if she or he can help it. But that is exactly the problem: Neither you nor I can help it.

I can't help it, first off, because I am a parent. I can't help it because as a parent I am compelled by a force more powerful than the Constitution, which is the power of instinct, the instinct even of animals to protect their young, to give my kids a better world, or one at least that will not prey upon them. I do not want them to go through the same ordeal my generation did just to be able to free this country from a yoke.

I still remember what my mother used to tell me each time I told her not to worry when I went away with toothbrush, an extra T-shirt and books in hand and did not come home for a day or so. This was shortly before martial law, when I would spend the night in clandestine places. Of course, she had to worry, she said, she was a parent. Wait till I became a parent, she said.

In my case, it was a little easier because my father was already dead. He died way back when I was in second year high school, and I was helping put bread on our table by writing for a national magazine in my last year in college. I could always excuse my disappearances as running after a story. My friends had to sneak out and have violent confrontations with their fathers afterward. Some were told to exile themselves permanently, which, of course, was never meant; some were even reported by the parents to the authorities, like drug addicts to be "rehabbed."

My mother's words ring in my ears today like an LSS, or last song syndrome. If you're a parent, you would know what it means for your 16-year-old to not be home at 10 p.m. on a weekday in these perilous times. One is tempted to say that at least today the kids have cell phones. But if you're a parent, you would also know that, for a reason that is not always explainable by alien abduction, your kid's cell phone always seems to develop low batt at those ungodly hours, which makes him incommunicado. Looking back, I wonder how our parents managed to cope with that scale of worry at the time. I know I'll probably get a heart attack if I had to worry every time about my kid inhabiting a place that could be raided anytime.

I was an activist then, but I seriously doubt that many activists then would want their kids now to face the same dangers they did. Particularly those who went underground or to the hills, and more particularly those who were caught and tortured, or who saw friend and kin in the morgue or in the battlefield with half their faces blown off. You fight in your time to earn a measure of peace for the next generation. I fight even at this time to earn a measure of peace for my kids.

We do not stop the tyranny now and our kids will have to do it for us. I do not stop this monstrosity now and my kids will have to do it for me.

Inquirer Editorial

Editorial : Gamblers

TWO weeks into the hearings of the House committee on justice, the country has gotten enough of a preview into the thinking of both sides to inspire unease. However much both sides insist that there are serious matters of law and procedure to consider, it seems impossible to escape the conclusion that both sides are gambling with the good of the nation.

It all began with Oliver Lozano and his complaint, which, as he himself points out, was backed both by an administration congressman (Alagad Rep. Rodante Marcoleta) and one from the opposition (Iloilo Rep. Rolex Suplico). At the time Lozano filed his complaint, it was criticized as either motivated by publicity-hungry opportunism or an administration-sponsored attempt to forestall a serious impeachment effort. To this day, Lozano denies this, but also to this day, the bone of contention in the House is what to do with Lozano's complaint and the various efforts to supplement it.

Last Wednesday, after the ugly shouting matches in the same committee the day before, the issue was finally joined. The administration insists that the question of at least three complaints (the idea that the complaints really number 10 seems to have been dropped) having been filed, while the Constitution only permits one, must be resolved before the committee goes on to determine whether the complaint is sufficient in both form and substance. The opposition, of course, disagrees and wants the first and third complaints treated as one, with the second thrown out. The majority congressmen came close to simply railroading the issue: they wanted to resume their meeting after a brief break to permit the House as a whole to begin and then suspend its session, but the minority objected. What followed was a decision to resume the committee meeting on Tuesday, or almost a week later. So much for focusing on their work.

However, if the political considerations involved are examined, the decision makes some sense. Administration representatives have said time and again that it is in the interest of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to fast-track the process. The opposition, on the other hand, claims a speedy process harms their chances of coming up with the magic figure of 79 signatures. But then other representatives say to prolong the process is to increase the chances that the administration can influence congressmen to withdraw support from impeachment.

So which is it? We can't help recalling what one congressman said before the impeachment hearings began. The congressman said his colleagues wanted to fully "ventilate" their views, suggesting that the House was jealous of media attention and airtime being hogged by the Senate. Tacticians on both sides of the political fence have observed that dragging the process out serves the interests of both sides. It gives administration allies time to consolidate their ranks and even raid the ranks of the opposition. For the opposition, delaying the process is an opportunity to achieve maximum pre-trial publicity, while (as some cynics put it) saving money by avoiding being held hostage by the last four or five necessary signatories who might demand a high price.

There is a larger question here, of course, and it is whether either side is truly interested in sending the impeachment complaint to the Senate for trial. The President's initial confidence ("impeach me") has been replaced by a stubborn insistence on exploring every single legal and procedural issue open to her supporters to obstruct and delay the process. This approach has been matched by the opposition's zeal in milking the hearings for as much publicity it can get rather than arguing substantive law.

Both sides are gambling big-time. One side is gambling on the public's incapacity to sustain interest for long, while the other is gambling on the possibility that it would be able to whip up public outrage. Dragging the process out thus serves the interests of both camps, however those interests are defined.

It may be unfair to characterize the House majority as more interested in appearing to support impeachment while actually laying down the basis for dismissing it, just as it might be wrong to think the opposition lacks confidence that it can pursue its case successfully. But it is fair to suggest that the interests of both sides seem to run counter to what the broader public wants. While the House seems to be ambivalent on the issue, the public clearly wants a Senate trial.

Arangkada for August 22, 2005

 

                 LISO ANG UTOK?

 

         Unsa man intawoy nasud sa ulo ni Cebu City Health Officer Fe Cabugao?   Nganong iya mang gibasura ang dugay na kaayong baruganan sa iyang upisina batok sa pagamit og mga kemikal batok sa dengue?  Duna ba siyay nadiskubrehan nga magic chemical nga nakapaliso sa iyang utok?   O naliso lang gyod ang iyang utok?

         Si Dr. Cabugao nagpabiling tak-om atubangan sa sibaw nga kontrobersiya sa pagpangompra sa Syudad sa Sugbo og kemikal bisan sa tambag sa iyang upisina ug sa Department of Health nga di ni epektibo batok sa dengue.   Pero sa pakisusi ni Ramil Ayuman sa TV Patrol Central Visayas sa Bids and Awards Committee, nabisto nga si Cabugao diay ang nipirma sa purchase request (PR) niadtong Abril 11, 2005 para sa 500 litros nga kemikal nga balor og P1.2 milyones.

-o0o-

         Gipakauwawan ni Cabugao di lang ang iyang buhatan kon dili hasta nang iyang propesyon.   Maayo kaayo siyang niyangu-yango nilang DOH 7 Director Susana Madarieta ug ubang eksperto sa ilang pagkuwestiyon sa padayong pagamit sa fogging machines ug mga kemikal.  Pero sa tago nagpanilap diay siyang nipirma sa PR.

         Naglaom ko nga nauwaw si Cabugao sa iyang gihimo.  Kay dungan sa iyang pagkuwestiyon sa pagdeklarar og state of calamity sa Cebu City Council, duha ka buwan human niya pirmahi ang PR, iya man sang gisaway ang pagpamalit sa lokal nga mga opisyal labi na sa mga barangay kapitan sa mga kemikal ug fogging machines.

         Mas dako hinuon ang akong pagduda nga si Cabugao morang lusay.   Way klaro.  Nagpaanod lang bisan asa ihapak sa mga bawod.

-o0o-

         Kay pila ka adlaw human nisupak sa deklarasyon sa state of calamity, ambot gikunsaran bag di ingon nato o tinuod nga gikasab-an siyag konsehal, gisuportahan na sab niyang ahat nga deklarasyon.   Way kaikog ni Dr. Eric Tayag, pangu sa National Epidemiology Center, kinsa nangisog pag-nawong sa mga konsehal atol sa special session sa niaging semana nga dakong sayop ang ilang gihimo.

         Mosimpatiya ko ni Cabugao kon nahadlok lang siya sa mga politiko nga nanghilabot sa iyang trabaho aron pagduso sa personal nilang mga interes, sama sa pagpangomisyon sa minilyon ka pesos nga balor sa kemikal.   Pero kon tugotan na lang sang mabuong ang iyang kadungganan pinaagi sa way kinutobang nukus-nukos ug atras-abante, mahukasan na sa iyang kaligdong pagpabilin sa puwesto.

-o0o-

         Kasaligan nakong tinubdan nagbutyag nga si Cabugao di na bag-o sa politika.   Natudlo siya sa puwesto kay lider sa BO-PK sa Barangay Tinago.  Nidagan siya pagka barangay kapitan pero gilampornas ni Kapitan Joel Garganera.

         Mao diayng wa managana pagpagamit sa iyang upisina sa mga politiko.   Angay hinuong tubagon ang mas seryusong pasangil:  Tinuod bang gipangilisan ang sinaligang mga opisyal sa City Health maong nagkayamukat ron ang kampanya sa dengue?   [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Arangkada for August 21, 2005

 

                 BILIB NI RAMA

 

         Bisan di hingpit nga makapanghunaw sa mga bulilyaso sa mga sakop sa iyang giduma nga Cebu City Council, si Bise Mayor Michael Rama angayng pahalipayan sa iyang pagpangunay pagsusi sa mga pasangil nga gigamit ang konseho sa pagpalusot sa kuwestiyonableng mga transaksiyon sa pagpamalit og mga kemikal ug mga makina batok sa dengue bisan kon dugay na silang gitambagan nga di ni epektibo pagpatay sa mga lamok.

         Si Rama makahimo unta pag-isnab sa mga sakop sa media nga nikuwestiyon sa kaligdong sa pipila nila ka mga lakang.   Duna siyay igong gahom paglisudlisod ni bisan kinsang peryodista nga mangahas pagsusi sa mga dokumento sa konseho.  Ang iyang kahinog sa politika nakahimo niyang takos pakig-away sa media ug paghulga sa mga sabaan nga namasangil og mga anomaliya pero way napresentar nga mga ebidensiya.

-o0o-

         Pero gipili ni Rama ang pag-atubang sa mga pasangil.  Human sa pasiunang pagdupa sa mga konsehal, iyang gipa-utingkay ang mga dokumento sa nangagi nilang mga sesyon nga nituki sa gikuwestiyon nga mga transaksiyon.  Gustong pamatud-an ni Rama nga kon duna may mga konsehal nga nanguwarta sa ilang mga puwesto, wa nila magamit ang City Council.   Nga ang pangurakot nahimo samtang nagtuman sila sa executive functions nga gisangon ni Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena, sama sa pagpangabogar og kadudahang mga transaksiyon bugti sa suburno o pahalipay sa makapabor nga mga negosyante.

         Pero niangkon nang daan si Rama nga way garantiya nga napugngan nila ang tanang mga palusot nga mahimong gipasukip sa labing inosenteng mga resolusyon nga wa nila matarung sa pagtuki.   Maong dalayegon ang iyang pagpangita inay paguba sa mga ebidensiya sa posibleng mga anomaliya sa iyang tugkaran.

-o0o-

         Ang pasiunang nadiskubrehan ni Rama, samtang wa kamatuod sa mga pagduda sa panguwarta, makapanlipaghong sa kauwaw sa iyang kaubanan.   Pananglitan nabuko ang pangangkon ni Konsehal Jack Jakosalem nga ang mist spray machines gikan sa Germany para sa agrikultura kay segun sa minutes sa konseho niangkon man siya dihang gipangutana ni kanhi konsehal Carmen Piramide kapin na sa usa ka tuig ang nilabay nga para sila sa dengue.

         Nahibaw-an sang Rama nga ang mga konsehal nga nanghunaw ron sa kuwestiyonableng mga transaksiyon wa mokuwestiyon nilang Christopher Alix, Gerardo Carillo ug Jakosalem.   Matod ni Rama kon nagtuman pa lang untang tanan sa ilang trabaho di unta moulbo ang kontrobersiya.

-o0o-

         Nagpasalamat ko nga bisan sa pila ka tuig na nilang panag-uban, kay mangaon ug mag-inom man kada human sa sesyon, ug bisan wa masagoli og oposisyon, wa pa sila magkasabot pagtinabonay sa ilang mga baho.

         Kontrabida na si Rama sa iyang kaubanang lain og sabaw.  Pero madawat niyang pagdayeg sa kinabag-an sa mga konsehal nga nagbinut-an ug sa mga Sugbuanon nga nipahimutang nila sa katungdanan.  [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Arangkada for August 20, 2005

 

PABORITO NI ALIX

 

         Si Cebu City Councilor Christopher Alix, tsirman sa Committee on Health sa Cebu City Council, inay mauwaw sa pagkabisto sa iyang pagwaldas sa kuwarta sa Sugbuanong mga magbubuhis sa kampanya batok sa dengue, padayong nagpaugat.   Niinsistir siyang epektibo ang iyang paboritong mga mga kemikal ug nga wa mausik ang kuwarta nga gigasto sa taphaw niyang panagang sa dengue:

• Ang kemikal tinuod gyod nga makapatay sa mga lamok; ug
• Ang fogging ug mist spray machines wa mausik kay gigamit gikan sa buntag hangtod sa hapon gikan sa Lunes hangtod sa Sabado.

-o0o-

         Si Alix usa ka dentista, dili eksperto sa tropical infectious diseases.  Samtang makapangangkon nga siyay labing suhito sa bag-ang, di siya makalalis sa tinuod nga mga doktor nga nagtuon sa dengue, kinsa niingon nga ang kemikal pikatan lang sa mga lamok nga sayon rang makabalhin sa laing lugar ug, kon matsambahan mang dagkong lamok, magpabiling buhi ang mga itlog.

         Ug bisan pa kon 24 oras kada adlaw ug pito ka adlaw kada semana pa nga gigamit ang mga makina nga gitubilan sa iyang paboritong kemikal, kay mahadlok mang mga kawani sa Cebu City Health Department nga binabuyon niya og kasaba kon mosukwahi sa iyang kamahigugmaon sa mga kemikal, mas epektibo gihapon, gawas nga way minilyon ka pesos nga mausik, ang pagyabo sa nagpondong tubig ug pagpangitag lutsanan sa nabara nga mga kanal.

-o0o-

         Kon may delicadeza si Konsehal Alix, nganong gitugotan man ang Colonie Enterprises, iyang paboritong supplier sa iyang paboritong kemikal, ang MaxiFog, nga maoy nibangka sa makabusdik nga paniudto sa tanang health inspectors nga gitapok sa Cebu City Health building niadtong Biyernes?

         Kon may uwaw si Alix, nganong wa man siyay kukaikog nga niawhag sa health inspectors pagpaspas og gamit sa mga kemikal?   Gikuwangan ba lang sa manok ug pansit nga gisukad sa supplier?  O naghigwaos na sab sa iyang paboritong bisyo, ang pagpangompra sa iyang paboritong kemikal?

-o0o-

         Di na maihap ang mga bulilyaso ni Alix sa iyang pagduma sa Committee on Health.   Giprotestahan siya niadto sa mga doktor sa Cebu City Medical Center tungod sa kaguliyang nga niulbo sa iyang pagpanghilabot pagduma sa ospital.   Si Alix man gani ang gitumbok nga usa sa hinungdan sa masuk-anong hulga ni Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena pagsera sa CCMC.

         Diriyot sab siya ikasumbagay sa dakong opisyal sa City Health niadto nga nisalikway sa iyang pagsuway pagdiktar unsay mga programa nga ilusad ug, nakatag-an mo, unsay mga sangkap nga komprahon.

         Nganong padayon mang gisaligan si Alix pagpangu sa Committee on Health?   Hinaot nga tungod lang kay way laing doktor sa konseho.  Ug dili tungod kay maayo siyang namahin sa mga premyo sa iyang paboritong mga "bulilyaso."   [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

August 19, 2005

 

           ILAD SA KEMIKAL

 

Karon nahibawo na ko nganong managsama ang katin-awan sa mga konsehal sa Syudad sa Sugbo nga agresibong niduso sa pagpamalit sa mahalon nga mga kemikal ug mga makina batok sa dengue sa pagpanalipod sa kuwestiyonable nilang transaksiyon. Pulos diay sila nakabasa, ug posibleng pulos nakasag-u, sa leaflets nga giapod-apod sa supplier sa paborito nilang kemikal.

Ang Colonie Enterprises nga nagbase sa Tipolo, Mandaue City maoy bugtong niapil sa subasta pag-suplay og 500 litros sa "agua resigen" chemical nga gipangayo sa Cebu City Health department. Bisan wa silay karibal, wa mokumpiyansa ang Colonie. Gipabahaan nilang mga opisyal sa syudad sa leaflets nga nihulagway sa ilang kemikal nga MaxiFog nga "fogging concentrate for the control of dengue-carrying mosquitoes."

-o0o-

Ang linya sa leaflet nga nakapa-ilad sa mga konsehal, samang Jack Jakosalem, ug maoy ilang gikopya pagpasabot sa publiko sa ilang bulilyaso mao ni: "MaxiFog 2.5 EC functions through contact and acts quickly on the insects' nervous system, causing paralysis and eventual death within minutes. It kills mosquitoes instead of repelling them."

Sa yanong pagkasulti, mo-epekto lang ang MaxiFog kon maigo ang lamok. Ang problema mao nga bisan gamiton pang mist spray machines gikan sa Germany, nga nakompra sab tungod sa paningkamot ni Jakosalem, di madutlan sa MaxiFog ang mga itlog. Gawas nga pikatan lang sa dagkong lamok, kay wa pa may makinang na-imbento nga makapatugpa sa makamatay nga mga lamok gikan sa paglupad paingon sa laing lugar, pagtakod sa bag-ong mga biktima ug pagpalapad pa sa problema.

-o0o-

Pero ang Colonie wa motoo sa ilang propaganda. Kay sa ilang gilista nga mga paagi pagbadlong sa dengue, nakalimtan pag-apil ang panginahanglan pagbomba sa MaxiFog:

• Remove water from plant plates;
• Change water in flower vases every seven days;
• Overturn pails and watering cans and store them in a sheltered place;
• If going for a holiday, cover toilet bowls and drains;
• Check your roof gutters for blockages regularly; and
• Dispose of unwanted containers into a refuse bin lined with plastic bag; Fill up tree holes and ground depressions with sand or cement.

Mao ra. Sa ato pa, ang Colonie mismo kumbinsido nga igo

nang panagang sa dengue ang pagpanlimpiyo sa palibot. Sila na lang gyod diay si Christopher Alix, Gerardo Carillo ug Jakosalem ang nagpabilin sa langob sa ka-ignorante.

-o0o-

Kahibudngan nang daan nganong giisnab ang subasta sa ubang suppliers sama sa 4A Agro Enterprises, mahimo bang tubagon sang Cabugao ang mosunod nga mga pangutana:

• Kinsa may nagtudlo niya sa kemikal nga gamiton?
• Kinsa may nagdiktar niyang 500 litros ang pangayuon?
• Kinsa may nisugo niya pagtakda sa presyong P3,000 kada litro?
• Makapasalig ba siyang wa gitino ang kemikal aron Colonie ray mosubasta? [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Arangkada for August 18, 2005

 

           HADLOK SA HUSAY

 

Human lumsi ang katawhang Pilipinhon sa propaganda sa administrasyon ni Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo nga huyang, minao-mao ug di kapamatud-an ang tanang testigo ug mga ebidensiya sa oposisyon batok sa presidente, gipalihok sa Malakanyang ang langit ug yuta aron nga di mahusay ang impeachment complaint batok ni Presidente Arroyo.

Human nipasalig nga andam si Presidente Arroyo nga manalipod sa iyang kaugalingon, kay ang iyang kaligdong ug katakos maoy makapa-absuwelto niya sa seryusong mga pasangil nga iyang gigamit ang payola sa jueteng pagtikas sa niaging eleksiyon, ang administrasyon nidangop sa tanang hugaw ug bastos nga mga maniobra aron nga mabasura ang kaso sa di pa kasugdan paghusay.

-o0o-

Dako ning tamparos sa mga grupo nga kusganong nisupak sa sibaw nga mga awhag para sa resignasyon ni Presidente Arroyo. Para nila pagpanglaktod ug di makiangayon para sa presidente nga mokanaog sa puwesto bisan wa pa kapamatud-i ang mga pasangil batok niya ug sa iyang pamilya. Niawhag sila nga hatagan ang presidente og higayon pagpanubag sa mga pasangil batok niya pinaagi sa impeachment process.

Unsa man karoy gibati ning mga grupoha sa makauuwaw nga salidang gipakita sa mga kongresistang sakop sa House Justice Committee, nga maoy gitugyanan paghimo sa pasiunang imbestigasyon sa impeachment complaint? Ang siniyagitay ba sa mga kongresista ug ang ilang pagsalida atubangan sa mga kamera ug mga mikropono ang ilang gipaabot sa solemneng proseso paghusay sa kaso batok sa presidente?

-o0o-

Ang mga torotot sa administrasyon niingon nga di ta angayng ma-eskandalo. Kay ang impeachment usa ka politikanhong proseso. Bisan sa tanan nilang pakauwaw, giawhag ta sa Palasyo nga padayong mosalig sa Kongreso nga makatuman sa ilang trabaho.

Kabahin ba sa proseso ang kinamangay sa mga kongresista, pagtanyag nilag kuwarta ug mga proyekto, pagtudlo sa ilang mga paryente sa dagkong puwesto sa gobyerno, paghudlat nga ibisto ang mga may gitagoang mga eskandalo, aron lang pagseguro nga di kaabot og 79 ang mopirma sa impeachment complaint nga maoy makapasutoy ini ngadto sa Senado?

-o0o-

Ako pabiling nisalig sa kaligdong sa kinabag-an sa katawhan. Naniid sila sa mga panghitabo uban ang dakong tinguha pagsusi unsa kalig-on ang mga testigo ug mga ebidensiya batok sa presidente. Kon maklaro nga di makiangayong luokon sa administrasyon ang oposisyon, ang katawhan di moduko pag-absuwelto sa presidente.

Usa sa mga timailhan asa kapusta ang katawhan: Si Kongresista Francis Escudero, ang House Minority Floor Leader, kansang pamilya itoy ni Erap ug ni Marcos, gihulagway na nga ligdong ug takos nga mahimong senador o bisan gani presidente. Samtang si DENR Secretary Mike Defensor, human sa labing dakong salida sa iyang kinabuhi sa iyang pagkuwestiyon sa kaligdong sa Garci tapes sa niaging semana, gihulagway nga umaabot nga announcer sa circus. [30]  leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Mike & Chiz

Lucid Interval : Spliced for life

Rowena Guanzon rguanzon@inquirer.com.ph
INQ7.net

THERE is a saying that "whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad with power." In the case of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's loyal henchmen, that should be shortened by omitting the last two words. Maybe the megalomania toxins in Malacañang can really addle the brain. Add to that all the narcissism particles in the air that one can inhale or take in by osmosis even while doing the most mundane thing as trying to look intelligent, and you have Cabinet members who are no match for Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man."

After Secretary Mike Defensor's presentation of his revelations of the spliced tape, Malacañang is now in extreme danger of really being called a nuthouse, and his boss as a woman who is now "spliced for life." This administration is going down in history not only as the most despised, but also as the most laughed at. It should not insult further the intelligence of the people who can see through their shenanigans. Its attempts to win back the public's attention are hilarious, but this latest act of Defensor is murderous. It is the blade that strikes the deathblow to the administration's heart. After this, Mike Defensor will never be the same again.

Defensor said that the American audio expert paid by him said that the tape was spliced. In the Inquirer yesterday, this expert said he said no such thing. To top it all, Defensor's favorite audio expert, Jonathan Tiongco, is someone not even Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes and the National Bureau of Investigation, loyal supporters of Gloria Arroyo, will touch with a 10-foot pole. After this, all other attempts of Gloria Arroyo's men (thank goodness the women are staying out of it) will be ridiculed no end. The advice that comes to my mind is what our law professor used to say when students cannot answer during recitation -- "go home and plant camote."

Gloria Arroyo will not resign despite her negative ratings in the polls and said she welcomes an impeachment. She chooses to govern a people who do not want her, and knowing her politics only too well, submits instead to the will of their representatives. The people, the church and civil society are supposed to be pacified with the impeachment as the final battleground, yet Gloria's boys are throwing every monkey wrench they can get hold of to kill the impeachment before it can begin.

Anticipating the impeachment, Defensor would not have made his latest attempt without Gloria Arroyo's knowledge, approval or acquiescence. The motive is of course suspect. They tried, but failed, to create a doubt in the people's minds if it was indeed Gloria Arroyo in a taped conversation with then-election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, who up to now cannot be found. As we lawyers and our courts would say, flight is a sign of guilt.

Why else would Defensor do this so late in the day? It is because they think they are one step ahead of the impeachment. They also want to influence the thinking of the undecided or independent minded members of the House of Representatives. In other words, by propaganda, they are trying to influence the jury. They know (if they know not, why, they are suffering from delusion) that even before the impeachment could start, Gloria Arroyo has lost the people's trust. The impeachment is a test if our democratic institutions work. It is the area where both Gloria Arroyo and the people agree the issue should be settled.

Unfortunately, the representatives of the people in the House of Representatives are still searching their conscience, if they have any. While they are searching their conscience, the price of fuel and electricity has gone up, and very soon, the prices of basic commodities. The political tolerance of the poor will be further tested, even when many of them think that politics in this country is the game of the rich and the corrupt and whoever sits in Malacañang will cheat and steal anyway.

Defensor's latest caper is viewed with both ridicule and contempt because everyone knows he is totally loyal to Gloria Arroyo and they will do anything to stay in power. Instead of running the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, he has demoted himself to the unglamorous position of Gloria's propagandist. What aggravates his problem is that this is not the first time that Gloria Arroyo's loyal henchmen have tried to fool the people. The first attempt was Chavit Singson's display of technological ignorance, and now, Defensor's display of unabashed arrogance. Gloria Arroyo has admitted that she called up a Commission on Elections official and apologized for it, hoping that by doing so, the problem would go away.

While his boss used admission to pacify her critics, Defensor is attempting to create another defense, and that is, that Gloria Arroyo did not say the damaging words, especially the "yung dagdag, yung dagdag" ["the padding, the padding"]. Before he makes more blunders, Defensor should instead concentrate on saving our last remaining forests and hunt down all the illegal loggers.

These recent events show that moving heaven and earth to stay in power can cause dyslexia, and for some cabinet members, it is probably dementia. Gloria Arroyo's loyal henchmen are incapable of reading the people's mind. If they want to read some, they can go to the blog of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, where I found this blogger who compares Defensor with House Minority Floor Leader Francis Escudero:

"Si Mike Defensor ay tulad ng isang mababaw na ilog, masyadong maingay, pero si Chiz ay isang matining na ilog, malalim at tahimik. Si Chiz ay simbolo ng kabataang may integridad at prinsipyo. Si Mike D ay simbolo ng batang TRAPO na maagang na corrupt ng kanyang amo, si Chiz ay magiging senador at posibleng maging Presidente. Si Mike D ay…. ewan ko kung saan pa ito pupulutin, siguro maging DJ na lang ito sa karera ng kabayo."

[Mike Defensor is like a shallow river, too noisy, but Chiz [Escudero] is a serene river, deep and silent. Chiz is a symbol of youth with integrity and principle. Mike is a symbol of the young traditional politician who has been corrupted early by his boss. Chiz will become a senator and possibly become president. Mike is … I don't know where he will end up, maybe he will become a horserace announcer.]

That hurts.

Inquirer Editorial

Editorial : Twin poisons

AROUND this time last year, 11 economics professors from the University of the Philippines prodded the government to adopt far-reaching fiscal reforms to narrow down the budget deficit and reduce its debts. Unless the needed reforms were taken, the group warned, the economy could collapse within two years, bringing chaos and violence such as those experienced by Argentina.

Picking up the warning, the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo quickly put together an economic reform package that focused on raising new taxes and improving tax collection efficiency. The centerpiece of the program was the expansion of the value-added tax (VAT) to increase the rate to 12 percent from 10 percent and to lift the exemption given to some strategic sectors and products, like petroleum and electricity.

After several months of heated debates and administration arm-twisting, the measure was finally passed in May. The point man for the administration's economic reform package was the chair of the House committee on economic affairs, Rep. Joey Salceda of Albay province.

Now Salceda is again in the news, arguing not for collection of expanded VAT but deferment of its implementation. Collection of the tax has been put on hold temporarily by the Supreme Court, following a petition by the opposition questioning the constitutionality of some of its provisions. But Salceda says that even if the Court finds the law constitutional, the government should not collect E-VAT on oil products and power in the meantime, because to do so could trigger an economic meltdown.

Oil price increases in the first half of the year, Salceda pointed out, have pushed inflation to 8.4 percent, raised manufacturing costs and slowed down economic growth. With crude prices rising to $67 per barrel, imposing VAT and allowing the oil companies to recover the added cost would send gasoline prices above P40 a liter, he said. The higher cost of oil as well as electricity is "likely to stoke a second run of inflation and kill whatever growth impetus we have." Thus, he proposed that the government suspend the collection of the VAT on oil products and electricity until the international price of crude settles at $50 per barrel. "It would be fiscal folly, nay suicidal, to insist on its implementation at this point, even if there were no political crisis," he said.

That was not, of course, how the administration and Salceda sold the expanded VAT to his legislative colleagues and to the public. During the debates on the bill, what the administration deemed suicidal was the failure to pass the measure, since it would put in serious doubt the government's ability to pay its debts. Without the expanded VAT, it was then said, the country risked a credit rating downgrade, raising interest rates and limiting its ability to borrow from international financial institutions.

Little has changed since the time when the bill was being debated in Congress. The country's debts have not diminished. The budget deficit, which once seemed likely to narrow, is widening again, as both the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue failed to achieve their collection targets in July. And while crude prices have recently registered record highs, their upward trajectory was there for everyone to see. Sen. Joker Arroyo has said the possibility that crude would soar to $70 per barrel was already "factored" into the debates on the expanded VAT.

The more significant change apparently is not to be found in the economic field but in the political arena, where the President now finds herself fighting for survival amid accusations that she stole the election. Senate President Franklin Drilon said the Salceda proposal was a "trial balloon" to determine if the administration could get away with the non-implementation of a law that could be politically disastrous for the President. Senator Arroyo said the administration was engaging in "doublespeak" so that the President could "survive the political crisis," a view shared by some opposition senators.

Once again politics seems to be muddling an issue that should be weighed very carefully, given the serious implications of acting either way. But this is the sad reality President Arroyo has to face, now that she is being threatened with impeachment: that her every move will be suspected of being driven by the need to ensure her political survival. With suspicion polluting the air, it is difficult to see how the country can deal effectively with economic problems that demand the Filipinos' full attention and cooperation to overcome, like soaring crude prices and a crushing debt burden.

Arangkada for August 17, 2005

 

              TONG SA KEMIKAL?

 

Wa magkuwang ang mga doktor sa Cebu City Health Department pag-edukar sa mga politiko sa labing epektibong mga paagi sa pagbadlong sa dengue sa kabaranggayan. Napamatud-an kini sa suwat ni kanhi City Health Officer Felicitas L. Manaloto ngadto ni Mayor Tomas R. Osmena nga pinetsahan og Aogost 9, 2001.

Upat ka tuig nang nilabay, gitambagan nang Manaloto si Osmena ug ubang opisyal sa syudad nga gastuso ug di epektibo ang pagamit sa fogging machines ug mga kemikal sa pagpatay sa mga lamok nga nagda sa dengue. Maong dakong kahibulongan nganong hangtod karon duna pay mga opisyal sa syudad nga mangugat sa pagpamalit og mga kemikal batok sa dengue.

-o0o-

Ang suwat ni Manaloto ngadtong Osmena niadtong 2001 nipasabot nga ang taphaw ug temporaryong benepisyo sa kinaraang paagi pakigkombate sa dengue di maka-ambas sa higanteng gasto:

• Gawas nga mahal ang fogging machines, dako sang gasto sa maintenance sa mga makina;
• Ang operasyon nagkinahanglan og krudo ug gasolina nga nagpadayon pagsaka ang presyo; ug
• Ang mga kemikal oro sang mahalon.

Di lang ang wa kinahanglana ug way kapuslanang gasto ang

gitumbok ni Manaloto pagsalikway sa kemikal ug fogging machines:

• Ang pagamit sa kemikal di makaayo sa environment tungod sa aso ug hinungaw di lang gikan sa kemikal, kon dili gikan sab sa krudo ug gasolina; ug
• Ang hinungaw sa kemikal gawas nga pikatan lang sa lamok makadaot sa panglawas sa mga molupyo.

-o0o-

Bisan niadtong 2001, nitambag nang daan si Manaloto nga ang labing epektibong panagang sa dengue mao ang pagyabo sa nagpondong tubig nga maoy mga pinuy-anan ug itloganan sa mga lamok. Inay mogasto og minilyon ka pesos sa kemikal, niawhag si Manaloto nga palambuon ang pagpakabana sa publiko pinaagi sa pagsangyaw sa kasayuran sa kabaranggayan.

Gawas ni Manaloto, nipirma sa suwat si Health Committee Chairman Christopher Alix. Gawas ni Osmena, gihatagan og kopya sa suwat silang Bise Mayor Michael Rama, tanang konsehal ug tanang barangay kapitan. Gawas sa kahakog sa komisyon, unsa may laing katin-awan sa padayong pagpamalit og kemikal ug fogging machines sa mga politiko?

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Mahimo bang ipasabot ni Alix nganong bisan sa iyang pagpirma sa suwat ni Manaloto niadtong 2001 nangugat man gihapon pagpangompra og mga kemikal ug mist spray machines? Nganong bisan sa iyang pagkabasa sa suwat ni Manaloto, namakak man si Konsehal Gerardo Carillo pagpasangil ni Manaloto nga maoy nagpirma sa purchase request sa kemikal?

Ug mahimo bang prangkahan ta nilang Rama ug ubang konsehal nganong bisan sa lehitimong tambag ni Manaloto upat ka tuig nang nilabay nagpiyong mang gidasonan silang Alix ug Carillo pagwaldas sa kuwarta sa mga Sugbuanon para sa ilang kinaham nga mga kemikal? [30]   leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Shades of Gray

Posted by Luz Rimban 
PCIJ

AUGUST 21 is fast approaching and civil society is again trying to rekindle the spirit and significance of that day in Philippine history.

That day, of course, is the day former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated on the tarmac of the then Manila International Airport upon his arrival from a three-year exile in the United States. On Sunday, the 22nd year of the Aquino assassination, civil society groups are launching what they will be calling a "Black and White" movement.

Why "Black and White?" Because, according to the email being circulated by the likes of Bill Luz of the Makati Business Club, "cheating is a moral issue where there are no gray areas. There's only black and white."

The movement will be launched this Sunday, with organizers hoping to recall the main sentiment of those days 22 years ago when Filipinos cried, "Hindi ka nag-iisa (You're not alone)."

"Today, our nation once again cries out for unity. We have become, not just a nation divided, but a people fragmented. We believe GMA cheated and we demand her RESIGNATION, IMPEACHMENT or OUSTER," says the Black and White movement.

A full day of activities and speeches is being planned for the affair which is to be held at De La Salle Greenhills. Speakers include former NEDA Director General Cielito Habito, Akbayan Party List Rep. Risa Hontiveros, NGO leader Gerry Bulatao, De la Salle president Bro. Armin Luistro, and former social welfare secretary Dinky Soliman.

The Black and White Assembly is convened by The Moral Majority, Bangon Pilipinas, Manindigan! C4T - Citizens for Truth and Resignation, Impeachment or Ouster, CODE-NGO, National Peace Conference, LGCNet, Institute of Popular Democracy, AWARE, PhilDHRRA, Pagbabago@Pilipinas, C4CC - Citizens for Con Con, Phil CO Society, PASCRES, GZO Peace Institute.

Arangkada for August 16, 2005

 

              MAWANI SA SALIDA

 

Salamat ni DENR Secretary Mike Defensor, napahinumdoman ang kinabag-an sa katawhan, dihang nag-ungaw na sila nga malumos sa higante ug way kinutobang kampanya sa lipatlipat nga gilusad sa Malakanyang, nga di angayng kalimtan ang Garci tapes. Nga ang tinuod nga isyu sa krisis nga nihamok sa nasud karon mao ang kuwestiyonableng mandato nga gihuptan ni Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Ug nga kinahanglan unang husayon kining batakang pagduda sa ka-lehitimo sa nasudnong liderato sa di pa maka-irog ang uban pang mga hilisgutanan. Pipila nila lehitimo, sama sa nag-ung-ong nga krisis sa lana ug padayong pagtibugsok sa ekonomiya. Pero kasagaran nila panglawgaw, sama sa charter change ug truth commission.

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Klarong dunay bendisyon sa Malakanyang ang makauuwaw nga salida ni Defensor sa niaging semana, sama sa pagwarawara ni Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye sa iyang kataw-anan ug dinalidaling bersiyon sa Garci tapes. Labing dakong ebidensiya nga gitugotan ni Presidente Arroyo ang iyang salida mao ang pagpabilin ni Defensor sa puwesto, sama sa pagpilit ni Bunye sa katungdanan, bisan pa kon managsama nilang nawad-an og ulo.

Samtang wa barawa si Defensor, di tang kapaabot nga suportahan siya sa Palasyo. Igo nang gisalikway si Defensor nga morang way kapuslanang nuog sa mga kongresistang sipsip sa administrasyon. Kay gi-reserba pa si Defensor sa umaabot nga duwa. Samang Bunye, padayon siyang gamiton sa kampanya sa kalibog, sama sa pagpanghagit og pustaanay sa oposisyon pagsumiter og dugang kopya sa Garci tapes ngadto sa US ug ubang kanasuran para sa authentication.

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Maong kon dunay igong kabuot ang politikanhong oposisyon, nga sa gusto natog sa dili mao ray bugtong paglaom nga makairog ang impeachment process batok ni Presidente Arroyo, kinahanglang magsugod na sila sa paghimo sa tinuod nga trabaho—ang pagpalig-on sa articles of impeachment pinaagi sa pag-ila sa tanang mga politiko ug opisyal sa gobyerno, pagtultol sa tanang mga lugar ug pagsubay sa tanang mga maniobra pagtikas sa niaging eleksiyon nga nahisgutan sa, may lain pa ba, Garci tapes nga kaniadto rang nanguhit nila.

Pero kon ang mga lider sa oposisyon padayong mag-ilog pag-atubang kamera sa ilang way kinutoban nga press conferences sa labing luhong mga hotel sa Metro Manila, segurong masud sila sa laang sa kampanya sa administrasyon sa pagpamakak ug pagbuak-buak.

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Kon mahitabo, wa ni magpasabot nga magpabilin si Presidente Arroyo sa puwesto ug makatiwas sa iyang termino hangtod sa 2010. Mapalagpot gihapon siya sa Malakanyang. Kay ang katarung modaog man gyod batok sa kadaotan.

Pero mausab nang liderato sa pakigbisog. Inay maghangad sa mga politiko sa oposisyon nga otro sang nangalisbo, ang katawhan maoy mangunay pagpasiugda og kausaban nga, hinaot pa unta, di na lang kutob sa mga dagway kon dili apil na sa sistema para sa mas makiangayong ugma. [30]   leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

Inquirer Editorial

Editorial : Moving forward

THE "BLUEPRINT for a Viable Philippines" is not a perfect document; it certainly wasn't intended to be. What it is is a work in progress: "It merely puts forward in broad strokes the basis of what the proponents perceive to be the primary steps that can be taken for the country to survive, to enable the citizenry to pull themselves out of the deep rut they are now in."

As we can see, even its language can be out-of-breath at times. But, at least, it is a positive contribution to the on-again, off-again public dialogue on reforming the system. The product of many roundtable discussions, the Blueprint was written by several eminent members of the University of the Philippines community.

It prescribes strong medicine; that is one of its strengths. For instance, it calls the policy of allotting "a growing portion" of the budget to pay for principal and interest of the country's debt stock "slow suicide" and "immoral." It recommends a "comprehensive debt audit" to uncover the "hidden history of our indebtedness" and a renegotiation of our official debt, "with the end in view of securing a minimum 5-year relief from interest payments."

But the Blueprint also and essentially prescribes the same kind of medicine for the country's many problems: that is one of its weaknesses. Many of its recommendations assume or call outright for active government intervention. Symptomatic of this weakness is its placebo of a recommendation for what it says is ailing Philippine mass media: It calls for a Board of Governors for Media "that will function as media's own watchdog and regulatory body."

Surely, the solution to some of our problems does not involve a strong (or in the Blueprint's Nietzschean language, "willful") state; sometimes, we need less government, not more. (That, in fact, may be the only way for other parts of the private sector to grow in maturity.)

But taken altogether, the Blueprint allows us to look beyond the sordid scandals that consume us, to an alternative future bright with the promise of possibilities.

That is a quality lacking in the Ramos-De Venecia proposals for Charter change. Not because the ideas themselves have no merit, but because the ideas have come to be identified with the men behind them. And because the ideas have been sold as a "graceful exit" for the President. That is a pity. We believe, for instance, that the opportunities a parliamentary system provides for a non-disruptive change of government, through say a vote of no confidence, deserve a more thorough discussion.

Another way for the country to move forward is through the (admittedly) increasingly more unpopular idea of a Truth Commission. If there is anything that Environment Secretary Michael Defensor, a close Arroyo ally, has proven, with his hiring of an American forensic expert and the ensuing controversy that surrounded his presentation on Friday, it is the need for a neutral analysis of the Hello Garci tapes.

We think it strange that an opposition that is willing to accept new witnesses who have surfaced after it filed its amended impeachment complaint is now saying that it is too late for Defensor to offer an analysis of the tapes. If anything, pro-impeachment politicians should thank Defensor, for putting the spotlight back on the tapes. As we've said before: It's the tapes, stupid. Whatever its limitations, however, Defensor's expert analysis cannot be taken at face value.

But a Truth Commission can conduct an investigation that all parties can accept. It need not be an expensive superfluity; we believe that even a short-term Commission with, say, Christian Monsod, Haydee Yorac and Harriet Demetriou as members, can be credible, competent—and decisive. We believe—because we must—in the power of good men and women to rise above even the most unpromising circumstances.

Not least, the participation of more political movements, like Kapatiran, in the public discourse can also help provide a way forward. Veteran political operators may look askance at such groups, which place ethical considerations ahead of practical concerns. Such groups certainly look like apolitical fish out of very political water. But that may be the point. We need more Filipinos who, if they had to choose, would choose faithfulness to their principles over unprincipled success.

Dickey Gypped?

 Posted by Alecks Pabico 
PCIJ

FROM the looks of it, the two tracks that environment secretary Michael Defensor submitted to American audio forensic expert Barry Dickey for analysis may not have come from the Paguia tape as he claims.

This was the conclusion of our source, an independent audio expert, after reading Dickey's expert report on the said tracks.

Dickey's preliminary findings have pointed to certain "anomalies," in particular the absence of start and stop signatures.

Explains our source, "Mr. Dickey was expecting that the recording was done on a standard recording device. That's why he was looking for 'start'/'stop' clicks or signatures on both tracks. Obviously the tracks submitted were already edited and 'pre-selected' for analysis."

Since Jonathan Tiongco, Defensor's local audio expert, did not submit the entire recording but only two tracks, including the one with the "yung dagdag" portion, Dickey concluded a lack of consistency with original recordings.

From Dickey's point of view, that is an act of "splicing," our source says.

In the first track, Dickey also pointed to a sudden change in male voice/verbal pattern, referring to "participants in a manner that suggest knowledge of the recordings." Could the male voice at the front of the recordings that Dickey found strange either be lawyer Alan Paguia's (who inserted his own introduction) or the ISAFP agent's (who made the annotations before each conversation)?

But since Defensor is claiming that the tracks came from the Paguia tape, it couldn't have been the ISAFP agent since they were deleted by Paguia in his tape version, claims our informant.

Using Dickey's wave image on Track 1 as reference, our source is however clueless as to where this track was taken as he found no resemblance to any of the portions in either the Paguia tape or the three-hour recording.

However, doing a wave comparison of Dickey's Track 2, particularly in the first part, and the ISAFP agent's annotation of the conversation with the " yung dagdag" portion in the three-hour recording, our source found 100-percent identical wave characteristics in both.

"This has led me to conclude that Track 2 is not a Paguia tape track but a 'Tiongco-spliced' clip of 'yung dagdag' that included the ISAFP annotation," he says, indicating that Tiongco may have "pre-selected" in "cut-and-paste" fashion a portion of this track from the three-hour recording and created Track 2, which is an act of splicing.

The best part of Dickey's report, adds our source, is that there was no mention of any verbal or pitch anomaly on Track 2 — the "yung dagdag" track. "Simply because Dickey's pitch/discontinuity analysis on this track found none, except for the absence of "start" and "stop" signatures."

Randy David's Column

Public Lives : Clean hands

Randy David randolf@pacific.net.ph
Inquirer News Service

THE "GREAT DEBATE" on Charter change has hardly begun, yet the country is riveted once again on the sordid affair of the "Hello Garci Tapes." For two weeks following Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's State of the Nation Address, the media stopped talking about the Garcillano conversations. Public discourse shifted to the parliamentary and federal forms of government and their relative merits. The embattled Arroyo government got the breathing space it needed to review its situation and to map out a plan to re-take the political initiative.

Ms Arroyo went on a media offensive, projecting the new confidence she drew from the orchestrated applause of her supporters at her last Sona. But the questions she was asked in her TV appearances could not be regulated. She found herself parrying persistent questions about the wiretapped conversations. Though she kept her composure and even managed to project cheerfulness, her answers were evasive. She refused to talk about her alleged conversations with Garcillano, invoking her "rights as an accused." Yet, in the same interviews, she was quick to deny meeting with election officials at her private residence in La Vista, Quezon City before the 2004 presidential election.

Having previously apologized on public television for a "lapse in judgment" when she called an election official during the canvassing period, Ms Arroyo was asked by GMA-7 anchor Mike Enriquez to confirm if the election official she did not name was Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. She declined to answer. On another occasion, ANC anchor Korina Sanchez asked her pointblank why she felt the need to publicly apologize for a mere lapse in judgment. Her reply was as intriguing: "I should have been better."

That response is a take-off from the same theme she has spoken about on many occasions, namely, that our political system has so degenerated that it is extremely difficult to come out of it with clean hands. It shows a beleaguered politician wanting to regain some moral ground while refusing to render a clear account of her actions out of fear of the legal consequences.

In the impeachment court where the political opposition wants to take her, Ms Arroyo only needs a fraction of the votes she wields to kill the case against her. In the more unwieldy court of public opinion, however, where trust matters most, she needs to demonstrate the quality of moral fitness expected of the highest leader of a nation. This is especially so because of the extraordinary circumstances of her succession to the presidency in 2001. She took over from a morally discredited president who was taken out by the direct action of citizens acting on their own moral instincts.

If Ms Arroyo's political allies think they can go through the procedures of the impeachment process while blocking the admission of the Garci tapes as evidence, then their memories are short. They have forgotten how the fatal vote on the second envelope in the Estrada trial spontaneously brought the people out into the streets. That envelope was supposed to contain details of the hidden bank account of Estrada. Today, the public demands to know the truth about the Garcillano conversations. Are these conversations real? If they are, what conclusions can the public reasonably draw about Ms Arroyo's behavior in the 2004 elections? And what do these tell us about her fitness to lead the nation in these crucial times?

We may not agree with Mike Defensor's unusual methods, but his political instincts are at least correct. His desperate attempt to impugn the authenticity of the tapes is far more useful to his boss than the smug strategy of blocking the complaint at every point of the impeachment process. The real tribunal is the public one. Before the court of public opinion, there is no way of avoiding the Garcillano tapes. Ms Arroyo's allies can use their numbers to terminate the impeachment, but where will that leave her? She may retain the allegiance of legislators using the same decadent tricks that she laments in the present political system; but if she completely loses the trust of a nation that had looked to her as the last hope of moral renewal in government, how could she govern?

In the final analysis, Ms Arroyo has no choice but to tell a plausible story of her calls to Commissioner Garcillano. In her public apology to the Filipino nation, she had said she owed it to the people to set the record straight. Beyond insisting that she did not cheat in the last election, she has done nothing to dispel the suspicions that have hounded her presidency. She sidesteps the questions, even as she allows her operatives to obfuscate the issues. Mike Defensor's latest maneuver is continuous with Chavit Singson's "X-tapes"—the main goal is to plant enough seeds of doubt in the public mind about "spliced" recordings so as to diminish the probative value of the Garci tapes.

Ms Arroyo may be a little stronger today than she was a month ago. But whatever gain she has made has been at the expense of the moral community of which she is a part. In his little book, "Being Good," Simon Blackburn writes: "A different example of a bid to escape the stringency of behaving well is the excuse of 'dirty hands'." There is something not quite right about this, he says. "We have some sense that we should keep our own hands clean, however much others will then dirty theirs. The excuse is not open to a person of strict honor or integrity, however convenient it may be in practice. In many areas, it is not over and above the call of duty to keep our own hands clean." Will the nation survive this crisis with clean hands?