The realm of DONA VICTORINA: October 2010

“But why can Chile do things and we can’t?
What did they do to exorcise the ghost of the dictatorship to move the country forward in a dramatic way?
What did they do to purge the legacies of corruption and cronyism?
And, again, why are we stuck in our morass and ineptitude?”

WHY?

What is it with this South American country that for a long period was just like us? It seems to be capable of doing everything. For a global audience, it recently plucked out 33 trapped miners from the deep, melding tunnel metrics and precise geology with the profoundest of human emotion. You can’t help but marvel at the miners, their will to live, and the national dedication to the cause of pulling them through –and into the warm embrace of people they love.
Contrast this with our own recent experience: the bungled rescue of tourists held by a lone, showboating madman which led to a loss of lives, the rage of other nations, a tragedy that showcased the worst in us.

After a formal report on the tragedy had been filed, we were even clueless about the protocols on who should have the report first. Pathetic country, truly.

Now this: Chile was ranked 21st in the list of clean countries, one rank higher than the US. We? Transparency International (TI), in its latest corruption perception report, ranked us 134th of the 178 countries surveyed. Meaning, only 44 countries had been rated more corrupt than us and none of the 44 countries was from the original Asean

Thank you Afghanistan, thank you Iraq, thank you Somalia. If not for you, where would we be in the ranking.

Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia were “cleaner and more transparent” than us. Don’t even ask where Singapore was. It was ranked Number 1, the cleanest of the clean.

Was it not only recently that we had Marcos and Chile had Pinochet? Was it not only recently that our mines and Chile’s mines were for the oligarchy?
Was it not only recently that our fate and Chile’s fate were shaped and decided with the help of foreign interests?

Was it not only recently that caudillos ruled both Chile and the Philippines?

What pushed Chile to the path of Southern America’s most vibrant and politically stable democracy? And the Philippines into its morass and torpor?

There are no easy answers. What we know is that at some point we were like them, countries locked up in the battle between a dictatorship and those fighting the dictatorship, with the ordinary people caught up in the middle.

The post-authoritarian life of both Chile and the Philippines had a familiar narrative. Children of the anti-authoritarian icons, of those who gave their lives in defiance of the dictatorship—Bachelet and Aquino—came to power riding on the heroic reputation of their parents.

But why can Chile do things and we cant? What did they do to exorcise the ghost of the dictatorship to move the country forward in a dramatic way?

What did they do to purge the legacies of corruption and cronyism?

And, again, why are we stuck in our morass and ineptitude?

The lone bright spot we have is a new president who has promised to govern with integrity. And who is apparently keeping that promise. There are several weak spots in the administration of President Aquino 3rd but his personal integrity keeps Filipinos from getting that all-too-familiar sinking feeling.
Even the infantile acts and amateur hours of his administration have been largely forgiven due to his unsoiled integrity.

In the tough and grueling slog to next year’s TI ranking, however, the official acts should go beyond the exercise by President Aquino of personal integrity. From 134, we should leap to a place between Malaysia and Thailand, a place somewhere in the 60s. And from there work our way into the elite list of the 50 least corrupt countries.
Question: Can we do that?

The TI statements are instructive. TI had accurately noted that the regulatory agencies of a country can make or unmake the perception of corruption.
If the regulatory agencies allow very little gaps and lapses in their systems, there would be less breathing room for corruption. This is actually a to-the-mark diagnosis of official corruption, Philippine context.

The government agencies that set—and levy—fees and charges, approve franchises and administer utilities have historically been the thriving ground of large-scale corruption. Rules and levies are used as bludgeons to favor vested interests, kill competition and promote monopolies.

This is not popular information about big-time corruption. But seemingly innocuous rulings and decisions from low-key agencies such as the National Telecommunications Commission and the Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board are often of the nature of large-scale graft.

More, even a decision that favors grease-giving companies and utilities can be couched in legalese. The regulatory agencies of government have had long, uninterrupted regimes of orgiastic corruption because the most injurious of decisions can quote some fuzzy legalese to back up those decisions.
An oversight on the work and official decisions of the regulatory agencies can counter such hocus pocus. It should be a 24/7 job because—as we all know—corruption never sleeps.

That oversight institution has to be with Congress. You may say that Congress may just use that permanent oversight committee to shake down private business—an additional layer of corruption. True. But the very public and transparent nature of oversight committee work, in which everybody would jockey for the right to ask the toughest questions, has the force to ferret out corruption from the deepest deep. BY MARLEN V. RONQUILLO

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Margarito will be Pacman’s toughest foe!

If speed is one thing going for Filipino boxing superstar Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao, strength is on the side of his opponent Antonio Margarito. Reports have it that some tough fighters who have sparred with Margarito swear that the Mexican-American can hit guys with the power of a mule—with or without loaded hand wraps.

They also have it that Pacquiao’s rival has got a great chin.

The reports remind ring fans that nobody had knocked out Margarito before Shane Mosley sent him to the canvas for the first time in his career.

Eighteen days before PacMan fights Margarito for the world super-welterweight crown in Arlington, Texas, on November 13, he remains the overwhelming favorite to emerge the winner and further etch his name in boxing history as the only man to win eight world titles in as many weight divisions.

Experts have cited the way they saw the reigning Filipino welterweight champion reduce Joshua Clottey into pulp, raining his opponent with more than 300 punches a round all throughout their 12-round duel.

In his last fight, Margarito was equally impressive, getting past Roberto Garcia in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Too bad that the clash was not covered by television, owing in part to the Mexican-American having difficulty in getting a license to fight in the United States after it was found out he loaded his gloves with plaster of Paris inserts to give additional power to his punches during his match with Mosley.

The alleged cheating stained the career of the “Tijuana Tornado” and he has since been trying to prove his accusers wrong by getting back to the mainstream of the international boxing scene.

Margarito denied having knowledge of the shameful hand wraps.

Granted that he did not know anything about the inserts, therefore making him clean, would he be capable of turning the tables on PacMan?

Well, for one thing, Margarito is taller and heftier than Pacquiao.

Still, the answer would be known only a little more than two weeks from now at the Cowboys Stadium.
Unlike the Mexican-American pretender, Pacquiao has little proving to do.

He has fought the best fighters of his era—Oscar Dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Clottey.

Critics, however, scoffed at the victory over Hatton (who supposedly was overrated) and that over Cotto (too slow for the Filipino champion).

Unlike Cotto, the Tijuana Tornado is used to being the slower guy in the ring, meaning that he is used to adjusting to faster fighters.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is not used to being hit by a big welterweight, an apparent weakness of the Filipino boxing icon that Clottey brought home when Pacquiao’s face got swollen from the very few punches that he was able to connect.

He and Margarito are fighting at 151 pounds.

Usually, a catch weight fight favors the smaller man (Pacquiao).

But since Margarito has campaigned almost exclusively as a welterweight, there would not be any advantage for either man.

It just means that the Mexican-American can come in several pounds heavier than usual.

Then there is the question of Pacquiao’s condition.

The November 13 fight would be his first fight since being elected as congressman representing his wife Jinkee’s home province of Sarangani in southern Mindanao, spending many weeks campaigning for office in May this year.

The doubting Thomases aside, Pacquiao will win, being too fast for Margarito and his speed will see him through. BY EDDIE G. ALINEA

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Pacman's unique training...

Pound-for-pound champion Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao sparred for 10 rounds to hone his speed, while Antonio Margarito’s workout is tapering down from 12 rounds to eight rounds as the protagonists put on the finishing touches to their preparations for their November 13 fight.

Both camps expressed satisfaction with the progress of their training camps during separate interviews, with less than three weeks to go to their fight for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight title.

Filipino superstar Pacquiao went three rounds each with new sparring partners, four rounds with Ray Beltran and three more rounds with David Rodela at trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood in Los Angeles.

“He is doing better,” his strength and conditioning trainer Alex Ariza said of Pacquiao’s second day of training in the United States.

Team Pacquiao old-timer Rob Peters, who also serves as PacMan’s bodyguard when the Filipino champion is in the United States, said that Pacquiao displayed flashes of his tremendous hand and foot speed against the new set of sparring partners.

Beltran and Rodela had worked in Pacquiao previous training camps, but they traded leather with the Filipino icon for the first time in his preparations for the Margarito fight.

In Oxnard, which is about 90 kilometers away, Margarito had his usual early morning run for about an hour and worked out in the gym with for two hours, according to his head trainer Robert Garcia.

“We are beginning to taper down. Yesterday Tony [Margarito’s nickname] sparred 12 rounds with four different guys,” Garcia said by phone.
“Tomorrow, Wednesday [Thursday in Manila] we’ll be doing just eight rounds, trying to perfect our game plan.”

He added that Margarito has logged about 125 rounds of sparring and is on to even exceed their target of 160 to 170 rounds.

“He will continue to spar every other day as we continue to taper down, and gradually take off that 4 or 5 extra pounds [before weigh-in]. We are right on track and Tony is really looking good,” Garcia said.

The fighters have agreed to a 150-pound catch weight for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight (154 pounds) title.
Garcia said that he expects Margarito to weigh at about 158 pounds on fight night.

He added that he thinks that physically and mentally, Margarito is at his best shape for the biggest fight of his career against the heavily favored Pacquiao.

Garcia dismissed reports suggesting that Pacquiao may be coming to the fight not completely prepared.

“Fighters and their trainers have their own way of doing things, and we don’t expect Pacquiao to come a fight this big not fully prepared,” he said. “Of course, we want Pacquiao to come at his best, so there would be no excuses when Tony beats him.”

Informed of Pacquiao’s assertion that he would attack Margarito from the opening bell, Garcia had a quick reply, “Then it’s going to be an early night [for the Filipino boxer].”

Garcia repeatedly said during previous interviews that their game plan is anchored on Margarito constantly pressuring Pacquiao in every round to negate Pacquiao’s speed and to prevent him from dictating the tempo of the fight.

Margarito observed that Pacquiao has had trouble when being attacked—and actually being hurt—by a smaller opponent like Juan Manuel Marquez.

He told Hispanic journalist Albert Alvarez during a separate interview that he wants to see Pacquiao react when he puts him under constant pressure in the ring.

“Manny is going to have a bigger, taller fighter in front of him—a fighter that throws constant punches, a fighter that does not stop putting pressure,” Margarito told Alvarez of Diamond Boxing. “We’ll find out how he handles that on fight night.” By Jun Medina, Special

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Herding Instinct exhibited on Facebook

Technology may have moved on but it seems people cannot shake off the herding instinct, a study of 50 million Facebook users has found.

The Oxford University-led research looked at the rate at which members of the networking site added software applications, known as apps, to their pages - and found social influence had a large role to play.

Analysing the anonymous data, the researchers found people display a herding instinct, making them want to use the same product as others, but only once it has reached a certain level of popularity.

Dr Felix Reed-Tsochas from Oxford University's Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, said: "Our analysis reveals a very interesting new finding. Users only appear to be influenced by the choices of other users above a certain level of popularity, and at that point, popularity drives future popularity.

"Below this threshold, the effects of social influence are imperceptible. Because popularity seems to depend mainly on the choices of others in the community, rather than intrinsic characteristics of the applications themselves, it does not appear possible to predict which applications will succeed and which will fail ahead of time."

A computer was set up to monitor Facebook automatically every hour, recording how many of the website's then 50 million users had signed up for each app.

When the research was carried out, Facebook published a list of the most popular apps on its website, and also notified people when their friends downloaded a new one.

This meant that users were open to influence not just from their local network, but from the whole community of Facebook members, the researchers found.

In the two-month study carried out in 2007, the researchers tracked 100 million installations of apps. They found that the popularity of an app soared after it reached a rate of 55 applications a day.

According to the paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, researchers are now considering if the study could have wider implications, suggesting reviews of books on online retailers' websites could affect customers' purchases.

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Philippines still "Highly Corrupt," says Global Study

The country’s ranking in global corruption improved during the past three years, but the country is still tagged as “highly corrupt” among 178 countries, according to a Transparency International (TI) survey.

In its 2010 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released on Tuesday, TI said that the Philippines was ranked 134th with a score of 2.4, better than its 139th ranking in 2009. In 2008, the country was ranked 141st with a score of 2.3.

Despite the improvement in overall ranking, the Philippines is still considered as a “highly corrupt” country in the world along with Kenya, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Republic of Congo, Uganda, Timor Leste, Lebanon, Solomon Islands, Mali, Mongolia, Niger, Libya,

Iran, Nepal, Yemen, Cambodia, Venezuela, Honduras, Syria, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Benin, Gabon, Indonesia, Kosovo, Kazakhstan and Modova, among others.

It also continued to lag behind most of its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, among them Malaysia, 56th; Thailand, 78th; Indonesia, 110th and Vietnam, 116th.

Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore tied for first place in the ranking with identical scores of 9.3.

The 2010 CPI measures the degree to which public-sector corruption is perceived to exist in 178 countries around the world. It scores countries on a scale from 10 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).

The 2010 results are drawn from 13 surveys and assessments published between January 2009 and September 2010.

This year’s index ranked 178 countries by their perceived levels of public-sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.

All sources measure the overall extent of corruption (frequency and/or size of bribes) in the public and political sectors.

The CPI helps to highlight the propensity of domestic corruption and its damaging influence. TI defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.

“These results signal that significantly greater efforts must go into strengthening governance across the globe. With the livelihoods of so many at stake, governments’ commitments to anti-corruption, transparency and accountability must speak through their actions. Good governance is an essential part of the solution to the global policy challenges governments face today,” Huguette Labelle, the chairman of Transparency International, said.

Labelle added that allowing corruption to continue is unacceptable, and that too many poor and vulnerable people continue to suffer its consequences around the world.

“We need to see more enforcement of existing rules and laws. There should be nowhere to hide for the corrupt or their money,” he said.

To fully address these challenges, TI said that governments need to integrate anti-corruption measures in all spheres, from the responses to the financial crisis and climate change to commitments by the international community to eradicate poverty.

The report said that unstable governments, often with a legacy of conflict, continue to dominate the bottom rungs of the CPI. Afghanistan and Myanmar share second to last place with a score of 1.4, with Somalia coming in last with a score of 1.1.

“The results of this year’s CPI show again that corruption is a global problem that must be addressed in global policy reforms,” Labelle said.

TI said that the 2010 CPI covers two countries fewer than last year’s edition. The slight change resulted from individual sources adjusting the range of countries they assess.

These adjustments in coverage made it possible to include Kosovo for the first time, but led to the exclusion of Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname, for which only two sources of information were available this year.

By Darwin G. Amojelar Senior Reporter

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COUP de JOLOGS

“To the typically small Filipino mind, Trillanes represents a “fight” against a person. To bigger minds, however, Trillanes and the act of rebellion he committed resulted in an undermining of an idea that is the core of our aspirations as a people — the idea that in a modern state, one composed of thinking people, there are disciplines to be taken to heart, processes to be observed, and structures to be applied.”

Reposted: Written by Benigno, GetRealPhilippines.com.

According to the empress of Jolog Central in her recent published “insight” on the cutting loose of mutineer “Senator” Antonio Trillanes and his mob, “Trillanes and company never stole a single centavo from the government”. I say perhaps. But in my book Trillanes and his band of bandits did something worse. His actions contributed to undermining the stability of the state and perception overseas of the Philippines as a viable market to invest in and do business with.

Any moron can grandstand about attracting foreign investment. Indeed, it is the job of whoever is sitting in Malacanang — whether it be the current President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, former president Gloria Arroyo, or whoever the hell else — to mouth off such platitudes.

Competing for capital (whether domestic- or foreign-originated) is an underlying principle of development economics in any country. It is a principle that is, in fact, hardly debatable.
The trouble is, principles reside below the thin layer of vacuous politics that turbulently sloshes across the surface of the national consciousness. And the reality is that the Philippines is populated largely by people whose faculties for comprehending issues rarely penetrates deeper than this thin layer of petty politics and into the underlying principles.

Ellen Tordesillas quite perfectly embodies this inability to see past politics and into simple principles. To the typically small Filipino mind, Trillanes represents a “fight” against a person. To bigger minds, however, Trillanes and the act of rebellion he committed resulted in an undermining of an idea that is the core of our aspirations as a people — the idea that in a modern state, one composed of thinking people, there are disciplines to be taken to heart, processes to be observed, and structures to be applied.

The conceptual haven of most bozos who fail to grasp such principles is the letter of the Law. And true to form, Tordesillas makes this rather hollow-headed assertion:

I [Tordesillas] ask [state prosecutor Juan Pedro] Navera: Is there anything illegal in the President’s issuance of Proclamation 50 [granting amnesty to Trillanes and his band of bandits]?

Of course there is nothing illegal about Proclamation 50. That is in fact an argument for the lawyers whose job it is to argue on the basis of the letter of the Law. As for the rest of us online pundits, I’d like to think that there is the bigger debate to be had — one that is conducted around the spirit of the Law. The Law is but a mere document composed of words formed from an alphabet of a mere 26 letters that strives to but, in practice, imperfectly captures this spirit. As such the real debate from which real insight can be taken is necessarily grounded on said spirit.

In a society infested by lawyers, it is quite amusing to behold a blogger of Tordesillas’s stature deferring to the jargon of a profession that contributed mightily to running the country aground. Indeed, there is “nothing illegal” about Noynoy’s issuing Proclamation 50, just as there was nothing legal in a bunch of “soldiers” storming the premises of a business establishment, endangering the lives of civilians using high powered weapons purchased using public funds, and breaking the chain of command of what is supposed to be the most discipline-oriented institution in any state. (http://antipinoy.com/trillanes-amnesty-perfectly-legal-but-is-it-right/)

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UP alumni launches contest for new anthem

Calling all music composers. The University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) has launched a nationwide contest for its new anthem. Interested participant

s must capture “the love for Alma Mater,” which best translates into music the existing lyrics penned by multi-awarded poet and UP professor Gemnio “Jimmy” Abad. (The 2nd edition of the UP Adidas jackets is now on sale in selected Adidas stores).

The contest is open to amateur and professional music composers of Filipino descent, including those living abroad. Entries should be original and unpublished which can be sung a capella or with musical accompaniment. The contest piece must be stamped with a Philippines address with the contestant’s complete contact information and accompanied by music or lyrics sheet and piano or guitar chords. Deadline for submission of entries is until November 30.

The winner will be announced on December 10, and will receive P30,000 in cash from UPAA and two roundtrip tickets to Boracay courtesy of SEAIR. Also set on the same day is the gala performance of the new anthem, which will be rendered by no less than the internationally acclaimed UP Singing Ambassadors at the Carillon Concert. The second performance will be at the UP Diliman Lantern Parade.

The competition is headed by Behn Cervantes, committee chairman and vice president of UPAA; Nini Jorge, former treasurer of UPAA; Ed Manguiat, founder and conductor of the UP Singing Ambassadors; Arwin Tan, professor at the UP Conservatory of Music; and Dakila Villan, former officio member of the UPAA Board.

Entries can be delivered or mailed to the UP Bahay ng Alumni, Room 211, Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City, 1101.

For inquiries, call the UPAA Secretariat at 920-6868 and 71 or 0917-8372098 and look for Dheng, Jenny or Shirley; or e-mail upalum@yahoo.com.ph .

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Well-fed male babies end up taller and have more sex partners as adults, Filipino study suggests

Males who gain weight quickly as babies continue their lives in the fast lane—growing up to have more sex partners, according to new research.

Previously researchers had known that all male newborns get a surge of adult-strength testosterone for a brief period. But the study team was curious whether nutrition has a hand in how the hormone affects a man's sexual development.

Beginning in 1983, the team examined nearly 800 Filipino men from birth to between the ages of 20 and 22.

A "remarkably consistent" result emerged: The men who were well fed—and thus gained weight faster—as infants reached puberty earlier, started having sex earlier, and had more sex partners over their lifetimes.

Men who'd grown fast as babies had an average of 3.2 sexual partners by the time of the 2005 survey, while those who'd grown slowly had an average of 1.7 sexual partners.

The faster-growing men also had more testosterone, were taller and more muscular, and had a stronger grip, among other factors.

The approximately 700 women tested in the study, who do not have an early spike in testosterone, did not show a link between fast infant growth and an earlier onset of puberty.

"Our study provides additional evidence that our fates are not hardwired at birth," said study leader Christopher Kuzawa, an anthropologist at Northwestern University in Illinois.

"We can't rule out genetic contributions, [but] I think we have good evidence that it's not simply a genetic story."

Men's Beefier Bods Come at a Cost

Evolution may favor faster maturity, because being taller and stronger offers certain reproductive advantages among men, Kuzawa said.

For instance, there is some scientific evidence that, in humans, men who are tall and strong are more attractive to women. Evolutionary biologists suspect that such traits—associated with high testosterone—may be cues that the man would produce stronger children.

But such benefits come at a cost: Maintaining a more robust body requires more calories, something that may not be a given—such as in some poverty-stricken regions of the Philippines.

That's why Kuzawa hypothesizes that the body can "sense" nutritional status early in life and adjust accordingly. When food is abundant, a male can afford to build a beefier body. But in an environment where food is scarce, it "pays to be smaller," Kuzawa said.

Kuzawa cautioned that this study is the first time a link has been found between nutrition and early puberty, which means it's too early to extend the findings to babies in other countries.

Still, the research does reinforce the notion that undernutrition can have long-lasting effects on development, Kuzawa noted.

"This should be a priority—making sure that kids are well nourished."

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Saranggani Scuba Diver attacked by Tuna

A scuba diver was accidentally pulled down around 300 feet below the sea surface by a giant tuna fish while conducting pleasure diving activity in the waters off Kiamba in Saranggani, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Monday.

Lt. Commander Armando Balilo, PCG Public Information Officer, said scuba diver Ramir Te, who was on a diving expedition, was 80 feet below the surface when he was pulled down by a giant tuna fish at the waters off Kiamba afternoon of Sunday.

The victim was immediately rescued by members of the Coast Guard Special Operations Group (CGSOG) rescue divers but due to the critical condition of Te, they sought the assistance of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) helicopter in Cagayan de Oro City to conduct a medical evacuation and brought the victim in a hyperbaric recompression chamber inside the PCG search and rescue vessel BRPSan Juan (SARV-001) which was on a deploy mission in Cebu City.

“Base sa investigation, nasagi ng malaking tuna yung portion harness rope ni Te kaya nabatak sya pababa. We sought the assistance of PAF because sila yung may pinaka malapit na chopper sa area at kailangan ipasok yung victim sa bariatic chamber dahil hinde sya nakapag recompress ng matino sa baba,” Balilo said.

PCG hyperbaric doctor Commander Eric Guieb is treating the victim inside the vessel.

By JOHN CARLO CAHINHINAN

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Fraudsters and our Media

“Notorious investment tycoon Bernie Madoff argued that regulations were so tight, it was “virtually impossible to violate rules,” getting a yellow reading on the Believability Meter... In fact, many people would believe him, especially if media headlines the hype...

Reyn Barnido caught the attention of the pig-headed “yellow journalists” of ABS-CBN even if they were warned of the deception.

The Gucci Gang was a print-media creation while a blogsite still believes that Trixie Angles is indeed an FHM model (http://barriosiete.com/yes-its-true/).

Charles Simon hit the nail when he said for the most part fraud in the end secures for its companion repentance and shame.

Fraudsters and our Media

How can you tell if the boss is telling a fib? Ask Stanford Professor David Larcker and his co-researcher, doctoral student Anastasia Zakolyukina. In Detecting Deceptive Discussions in Conference Calls, published by the California university’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance, the two scholars came up with a word list and even a computer program to detect probable lying.

With computer analysis, Lar-cker and Zakolyukina found patterns of word usage in electronic transcripts of conference calls of CEOs and their chief financial officers discussing quarterly earnings with investors, stock analysts and media. The researchers then checked which CEOs and CFOs had to revise downward their earnings reports, and discovered common turns of phrase that point to deception.

“Deceptive CEOs and CFOs use more references to general knowledge, fewer non-extreme positive emotions words, fewer references to shareholders value and value creation,” summed up the study.
Translation: the liars avoid specifics like actual financial numbers, and tend to speak in superlatives when delivering good news. References to common knowledge often come with “you know.”

Take former Lehman Brothers CFO Erin Callan. In a conference call just months before the New York investment bank collapsed in late 2008, Callan said “incredibly” eight times, “great” 14 times, and “strong” 24 times. But “challenging” came up just six times in the transcript, and “tough” only once, the study noted.

Interestingly, misleading CEOs, unlike their CFOs, do not use the word “I” a lot, preferring “we,” as if to avoid taking personal responsibility for one’s remarks. With CEOs there is also “more third person plural and impersonal pronouns [“they” and “it,” consistent with psychological and linguistic theories about liars], fewer extreme negative emotions words [contrary to theories], more extreme positive emotions words [like the Lehman lady], fewer certainty words and fewer hesitations.” CFOs, on the other hand, are less prone to extreme words, being more aware to the actual company data.

Politicians and celebrities are also often reported to take liberties with truth, so to speak. Real-scoop.com focuses on these personalities in developing its Believability Meter, which uses voice analysis of audio or video to assess if the subject is lying. Said to be used in various industries including law enforcement, Realscoop’s technology measures more than 100 vocal elements and performs over a thousand calculations. Its readings range across green, yellow and red bands marked “Believable,””Somewhat Questionable,” and “Highly Questionable.”

Applied to former US President Bill Clinton’s denial of dalliance with then-White House intern Monica Lewinksy, the meter swung to red when Clinton said in a very deliberate and firm tone, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” then turned green when he mentioned her name right after the word “woman.” The meter again gave a “highly questionable” rating with the line: “These allegations are false.”

Notorious investment tycoon Bernie Madoff, whose Ponzi scheme defrauded investors of some $50 billion, was videotaped in a 2007 roundtable discussion on the stockmarket. He argued that regulations were so tight, it was “virtually impossible to violate rules,” getting a yellow reading on the Believability Meter. Then he commented later that infractions were “relatively small, primarily because of all the regulations, and most firms try to comply with that.” That line drove the pointer to red.

A running tally on the Realscoop webpage indicates that 93.3 percent of viewers believe the Believability Meter. But the site rightly gives a caveat. After the Madoff video rating is shown, the screen runs a banner saying: “The content presented on this website is provided for entertainment and general informational purposes only, and is not to be regarded as investment advice.”

Other research on lying make use of handwriting analysis and brain activity to improve on the old polygraph detector. Gil Luria and Sara Rosenblum of Israel’s University of Haifa, asked 34 volunteers to write two accounts, one true and one false, using pressure-sensitive pens. Untrue paragraphs were written with greater pressure, longer strokes and taller letters. Another study monitored brain activity found that certain areas of the cerebral cortex were in use only when telling lies, not when telling the truth.

Most of the time, though, society and media discount a person’s statements not by any high-tech method, but by past experience, with those who had spoken untruths losing credibility. On the other hand, in the chase for news, the media may still headline the sensational remarks of a past fibber. In the Philippines, not a few sensational claims have been frontpaged or primetimed even though no bases were presented to back them up. Instead of verifying allegations, the media just gets denials from the accused.

Of course, even without high tech and journalistic rigor, there is still common sense to assess what people profess. Let’s say the chief executive of a nationwide company with interests in farming, infrastructure, hospitals and schools, issued a statement just several hours after Typhoon Juan ravaged Luzon. He said he was very satisfied with the performance of company staff safeguarding facilities. And the damage to corporate plantations did not warrant augmenting their output for company needs. Do you think he spoke based on reliable reports?

In fact, many people would believe him, especially if media headlines the hype. That’s why we have the likes of Enron and Lehman, Marcos and Madoff. And why there will be more of them. By Rick Saludo

Labels: Atty. Trixie Angeles, Barrio Siete, Edwin Jamora, Reyn Barnido, Reynaldo Barnido, Trixie Angeles 0 comments | Links to this post |

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Do we need the Freedom of Information (foi) law?

A Chinese artist (Zhou Jun), who sought to heal the wounds between two countries, got victimized with yet another scam!

Some sectors have pointed to the Presidents facebook friend, Reyn Barnido and his alleged collaborator Trixie Angeles. They purportedly belong to media clique that includes Inday Espina-Varona, Sylvia Mayuga and blogger Edwin Jamora...

Certain sectors allege that even our education Secretary knows about this hubbub as well as hundreds of thousands of missing funds allegedly siphoned by Barnido and Angeles from the HERITAGE FOUNDATION ( P 240,000.00 to be exact ) !

We have to admit this...

We are a feckless bunch.

COWARDS and LOSERS too in the face of a great and very discernible policy wrong.

What is the sense of seeking the right to fight the hidden if we can’t even confront what is transparently evil?

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Do we need the Freedom of Information (foi) law?

THE unbelievable incredulity of our passivity says No.

A Freedom of Information (foi) law serves a great purpose in a society with rudimentary discernment and vigilance. Advocates, political leaders, the media and various interest groups can obtain information from government—then do something when a set of information suggests that some things are askew. Wala sa tuwid na daan, as President Aquino 3rd had said.

Vigilance and elementary discernment from the media, the political leaders and the general public are imperative. Otherwise, an FOI law would serve no purpose other than that of a useless legal ornament.

But are we—the media, civil society, the general public and the political leaders—capable of exercising rudimentary discernment and vigilance?

We have no evidence of this. Right now, a great policy wrong, the allocation of P21 billion in cash dole-outs is being presented to us as the great solution to marginalization and poverty. Everything about it is wrong. Even the supposedly valid reasons why it should get 3.4 percent of the national budget rest on hollow grounds and bogus, untenable assumptions.

The environment is wrong. The conditions of the countries where the cash dole-outs succeeded are entirely different from ours. At its best, allocating that P21 billion for cash dole out, and making it the flawed but centerpiece strategy to meet the MDG benchmarks, is a great, great crime against the Filipino people.

Yet, it is there, an integral part of the national budget, staring us in the face and mocking us. And we? Either we can’t spot a great wrong even when it stares us in the face or we have lost our sense of right and wrong.

I think we have entirely lost our right to clamor for the immediate certification of an FOI bill and the swift congressional passage of such. Faced with a great policy crime that is written right there for all the world to see—then mustering nothing but a pipsqueak—do we truly deserve an FOI bill?

I think not. Dinky Soliman is mocking us in secret: losers, cowards, feckless, small-time whiners. The incredible incredulity of our passivity has earned Dinky that right to mock us and dismiss us as a bunch of losers. Yes, small-time whiners and losers.

She got away with what was patently wrong, bulldozing us with the silliest and shallowest of arguments.

Forget the FOI bill. If we can’t do something against a very public ordure, that would serve as a certifiable drag on the national development process for years and decades, what purpose would an FOI law serve?

We have to admit this. We are a feckless bunch. Cowards and losers too in the face of a great and very discernible policy wrong. What is the sense of seeking the right to fight the hidden if we can’t even confront what is transparently evil?

Again, why is allocating P21 billion for cash dole-outs a great policy crime?

We are Number 111, a kulelat, in the World Economic Forum on competitiveness. If this does not jolt a nation of close to 100 million people with despoiled natural resources and with no industrial and manufacturing foundation whatsoever into action, I do not know what can.

In the face of such, the right thing to do—the imperative rather—is to boost the competitiveness of our people and our institutions. The state has the mandate to invest where it is necessary and not count on the cost.

Investment on innovation, research and development, infrastructure modernization, plus the vital social overhead (education, training and retraining, health), should be the priority investment areas.

The poor that can’t be readily made part of the economic mainstream because of deeply entrenched negatives should be the beneficiaries of New Deal like, shovel-ready projects. They can be asked to clean irrigation canals, clogged esteros, and work in the road maintenance programs of the government that the DPWH undertakes via administration.

In the despoiled areas that need reforestation, the poor in the uplands can form the cadres for tree replanting work.

In the uplands, in the farms and the blighted urban slums, there is no shortage of shovel-ready projects that can be worked on by the poor.

Of course, these proven investment models are not the investment priorities of the PNoy people who see the world in dole-outs and cash transfers. The problem is they are not allocating P21 billion of their money but public money, funds that should go to R and D, innovation investments and employment of people in shovel-ready projects.

As they write their alternate governing reality with unbelievable chutzpah and arrogance, we (the media, civil society, political leaders, advocacy groups etc), allow them to trample over us: the docile, the losers and the cowards.

And we are asking for an FOI law? By: BY MARLEN V. RONQUILLO

Labels: Atty. Trixie Angeles, Barrio Siete, Edwin Jamora, Reyn Barnido, Reynaldo Barnido, scam, Trixie Angeles, Zhou Jun 4 comments | Links to this post |

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Dinky’s Dole-Outs!

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said in a facebook note that; “It is unconscionable to make drastic cuts in the budget of the University of the Philippines and other state universities and colleges, which cater to poor students, in order to support a program of dole-outs without the necessary preparation.”Former President Arroyo’s beloved, Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, is in charge of the Pantawid ng Pamilyang Pilipino Program…

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Columnist Efren Danao opines- "So the House approved on second reading the proposed P1.645-trillion budget for 2011. Does this mean the P21.2-billion budget for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, called Dinky’s dole-out by Sen. Chiz Escudero, had also been approved by the House?

Whoa, boy. Hold your horses. The fate of Dinky’s dole-out is still uncertain. The approval on second reading of the general appropriations bill (GAB) does not mean everything contained in the President’s budget has been given the green light. A bill is usually approved on second reading after the period of amendments. This is not so with the GAB. It is a standard practice in the House, as well as in the Senate, to introduce amendments AFTER second reading.

What usually happens is that after the second reading of the GAB, a select few, about five lawmakers, are authorized to make amendments to the measure. These amendments are culled from proposals handed over by lawmakers to this chosen few within a given deadline. Note that the proposed amendments are not introduced on the floor. A deadline is given to ensure that the GAB as amended is already printed when the House or the Senate resumes its session.

I agree with the rationale behind this odd practice on the GAB. If every congressman will introduce his amendment on the floor, the budget might never be approved. For certain, there will be debates on each proposed amendment. To save time, a group of budget experts among the chamber is given blanket authority to introduce amendments. There is a downside to this, however. When a controversial item crops up, like the sudden ballooning of a proposed budget, it will be very difficult to determine who introduced that amendment. Remember the controversial “double entry” on the C-5 road extension project?

Anyway, this practice enabled the House to pass the GAB before going on recess, although it had to hold session until 3 a.m. of October 16 to do so. “We lost sleep but we kept our word,” Speaker Sonny Belmonte proudly declared.

Going back to Dinky’s dole out, I agree with the concept of the CCT. After all, it worked in Brazil and other Latin American countries. The CCT program, also called “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)” seeks to provide a monthly stipend composed of P500 to mothers plus P300 per child but to a maximum of three children, provided they send or keep their children in school, that their children receive immunization and that the mothers avail of pre-natal and other health services. This said, I also agree with critics that this program as proposed for 2011 needs some make-over.

I share the doubts that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) headed by Sec. Dinky Soliman might not measure up to this gigantic task.

One of my favorite senators, Sen. Edgardo J. Angara, remarked: “The CCT program is a very good program but it runs the high risk of being implemented badly.” One of his main reasons, echoed by other critics, is the absorptive capacity of the DSWD considering that it does not have the manpower to handle P21 billion for distribution to about 2.3 million identified poor families.

This reminds me of a potential presidential candidate in 1992. Makati businessmen were prepared to give him all the funds he needed to campaign. Alas, he did not have the machinery to distribute the funds. He eventually ran for vice president under somebody with an organized party.

In that case, the person involved recognized the problem and whittled down his ambition. I hope the same case would ensue out of Dinky’s dole-out. The CCT program had a budget of only P10 billion during the Arroyo administration. Its budget will be more than doubled to P21.2 billion by taking away needed funds from other departments. If there is no sudden spike in the CCT budget, the cash-starved social programs will be enhanced.

Several government agencies are now weeping over the decrease in their proposed allocations.

Sen. Chiz Escudero notes that the budget for four specialty hospitals—the Heart Center, the Lung Center, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute and the National Children’s Medical Center, has been cut by P1 billion. The budget for 55 government hospitals all over the country has been reduced by P364 million.

The entire budget for state universities and colleges have been reduced. So is that of the National Food Authority, although I am happy to hear that the palay procurement program of NFA will no longer be abolished. Instead, it will be the rice importation and other NFA programs that will be pared down.

We will know on November 8 how the House will treat Dinky’s dole-out. I certainly hope it will be cut to manageable level, with the reduction realigned to education, agriculture and health.

Labels: Dinky Soliman, dole Out 0 comments | Links to this post |

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Margarito vs. "Mexicutioner"

Margarito’s revenge vs. “Mexicutioner”

His confidence level hitting sky high, former three-time world welterweight champion Antonio Margarito promised to avenge the losses of his fellow Mexican fighters and stop pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in their November 13 showdown in Texas.
Pacquiao has earned the unwelcome nickname of “Mexicutioner” for the way he has beaten the greatest active fighters of Mexico—Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez—en route to becoming the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound.

Speaking through his head trainer Robert Garcia, Margarito said that he will attack Pacquiao from the opening round to prevent the Filipino boxing superstar from dictating the tempo of the fight.

“I’m in great shape now and I’m ready for Pacquiao,” said Margarito, who sparred for 12 rounds for the first time with four different boxers on Monday.
He has been training at the Roberto Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard, California, where he has camped for training for more than a month now.

Margarito said that he expects to be in the best shape of his career against Pacquiao for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight title. The fight will be held at the $1.2 billion modern Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The Mexican-American earlier predicted that he will knock out Pacquiao in the late rounds. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is also predicting a knockout by the eighth round or even sooner for his prized fighter.

When asked by boxing scribe Elie Seckbach how he intends to knock Pacquiao out, Margarito said: “Anything, it could be [an] uppercut, right hand, body shots, whatever I get him with!”

Garcia, a former world super featherweight champion, said that their main objective is to “neutralize” Pacquiao’s speed by pressuring him throughout the fight.

“We know that speed is Pacquiao’s principal weapon, and we’ve got to neutralize that. How? Bully him, bully him, and keep him on the defensive throughout the fight,” Garcia said by phone from Oxnard.

Reminded that Margarito has the tendency to start slow in most of his fights, Garcia said that is one of the things they have been working on—for the 5’11” slugger to keep the pressure going early in the fight.

He added that Margarito has fought with fighters who were quicker than him, like Miguel Cotto and Paul Williams, two of the best welterweights in the world today.

“Tony [Margarito] promised me that he will be in better shape than when he fought Cotto and Williams,” Garcia said.

“And I believe him, the way he sparred 12 rounds today,” he added, unable to conceal his excitement.

Margarito was the first fighter to defeat Cotto, stopping the unbeaten Puerto Rican champion in the 11th round to snatch the World Boxing Association welter title on July 26, 2008. Pacquiao also stopped Cotto in November 14 last year to win a record seventh world title in as many weight classes.

Garcia said Margarito will spar 10 more rounds on Wednesday, eight rounds on Friday and another 12 rounds on Monday, then tapering down until fight night.

He said that Team Margarito will be in Dallas the whole week of the fight starting November 6. BY JUN MEDINA

Labels: Boxing, Manny Pacquiao, Margarito 0 comments | Links to this post |

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Trixie Angeles double-crossed Argee Guevarra

Lawyer Argee Guevarra has confided with Dona Victorina that he was "duped" by his former law-firm partner Trixie Angeles and co-hort Reyn Barnido. Their (Angles and Barnido)latest alleged victim is Chinese artist Zhou Jun. Dona Victorina has decided to take the lawyers admission with a grain of salt... After all, what else do we have to lose?

"For the most part fraud in the end secures for its companions repentance and shame." -Charles Simmons

Trixie Angeles double-crossed Argee Guevarra

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If you’re one of the many people who have been the subject of a con, then this Victorina experience may be of interest to you... Lawyer Argee Guevarra has confided with Dona Victorina that he was "duped" by his former law-firm partner Trixie Angeles and co-hort Reyn Barnido. Dona Victorina has decided to take the lawyers admission with a grain of salt. After all, what else do we have to lose?

The hunt for a new breed of charlatans is becoming more intriguing… They even fooled the President of the Philippines.

Gerard Sparrow narrated that “the swindler is not, as a rule, a thug. He will not blackmail. He will not murder. Your daughter is reasonably safe with him. He never carries a gun, only some misleading visiting cards, some forged letters and perhaps an extra passport or two.” From schemes to helping a co-workers sick father, faking a billboard application and conniving with a lawyer to swindle a dermatologic clinic, Dona Victorina’s experience with one of cyberspace finest fraudster, Reyn @ Rain @ Reyanldo Barnido was indeed horrific.

The person, formerly known as Rain Barnido, has a rationalization for almost any query you may have about him… He does not have any identification and money because he got robbed in Pagudpud. He does not know his birth date because Igorot’s have a different calendar. He cannot get his birth certificate and papers because they live in the precipitous region of Ifugao. He has no character references because he became a vagabond. And he studied in Ateneo but doesn’t seem to have any classmate to back his claims…

Barnido has no valid identification yet people still believe him!

Barnido was so good at what he was doing, that he could do a con right in front of your face without you noticing it. He partnered with an equally cunning lawyer, Trixie Angeles. The dynamic-duo was able to finagle their way a liposuction from the YSA Clinic for Trixie. Up until now, they have evaded payment. Just last week, we hear that the two allegedly bamboozled their own partner Argee Guevarra and a Chinese artist Zhou Jun.

They have even duped our 3rd world media into believing in their schemes.

Even credulous netizens believe in the falsehoods of the lawyer, Trixie Angeles- such as her claims that she was in fact a former FHM model - http://barriosiete.com/yes-its-true/. These fabrications maybe acceptable to ABS-CBN’s Gigi Grande, but not to the more judicious “journalists”… This brings us to a story of Count Victor Lustig’s most outrageous scam that took place in Paris in 1925.

Victor Lustig took bids for the sale of the Eiffel Tower as scrap! Posing as the deputy general of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs, he sold it for an estimated $50,000 to an Andre Poisson who thought the deal would establish him on the big time. Lustig went off to Vienna but they found out that Poisson had not been to the police and sold the Tower a second time for $75,000.

Given the opportunity, conmen will do their schemes again and again.

Dona Victorina offers tips to beat the conman:

1. Don’t rush things. Speed and secrecy are the tools of the conman.

2. Ask yourself ‘why me’? Why should I be so lucky to be receiving 25% when building societies are only offering 5%?

3. If you are offered anything which seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Remember that over 1 billion pounds is lost to scams in the UK.

4. Conmen always use religion and/or politics to ruse a mark (potential victim).

Labels: Atty. Trixie Angeles, Barrio Siete, Edwin Jamora, Gen.Danny Lim, Maj. Jason Aquino, Outshout Communications, Reyn Barnido 7 comments | Links to this post |

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Charice and Ne-Yo duet gets Standing Ovation

Filipino international singer Charice performed for the first time with R&B hitmaker Ne-Yo at the “One and Only Hit-Man David Foster and Friends" show in Las Vegas last Oct. 15.

Paying tribute to King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Charice and guest performer Ne-Yo sang “Earth Song” before the crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Charice tweeted the chart-topping singer-songwriter on Oct. 17, thanking him for the experience.

“@NeYoCompound and thank you bro for everything. I'm really happy that I finally shared the stage with you. See you!”

Apart from “Earth Song,” Charice also sang two of David Foster’s compositions—which were originally interpreted by Canadian superstar and her idol Celine Dion—“To Love You More” and “All By Myself,” the latter earning the pint-sized power belter a standing ovation.

“That was really amazing Vegas :) Now.. Flying to Japan to start the Asian Tour baby! Arigato!!!” posted Charice on her Twitter page.

What seemed to make Charice’s performance of “All By Myself” all the more notable was her sustained high note at the end of the song.

It may not have been too obvious, but David, Charice's producer and mentor, did not play the final four bars, which serves as the climactic end for “All By Myself.” After hitting the high notes, Charice was seen looking at David, who then signaled her to hit the last high note. The 18-year old pop princess belted a sustained high F, David then following with the final note on the piano. The crowd stood and roared in cheers.

One of her fans, who seemed to have noticed the change in the song, asked the “Glee” star over Twitter what really happened.

“DavidF didn't tell me that he removed 4 bars at the last part of the song. I understand. He's a pretty busy Hitman! :)” Charice answered.

Other artists who performed at the concert include Donna Summer, Seal, Natalie Cole, Ruben Studdard, Michael Bolton and Lara Fabian.

David and Charice, together with a few other artists, are set to perform for their Manila fans on Oct. 23.

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Pentagon to accept gay recruits after Court Ruling

The US military said it is accepting openly gay recruits for the first time in the country's history, after a judge upheld an order ending a controversial ban on homosexual troops.

But the Pentagon warned that the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule could be reinstated, depending on the outcome of pending court decisions.

"Recruiters have been given guidance, and they will process applications for applicants who admit they are openly gay or lesbian," spokeswoman Cynthia Smith told AFP, adding that recruiters have been instructed to remind applicants that the court's decision could be reversed.

Gay rights groups gave a cautious welcome to the military's move and the judge's decision.

"During this interim period of uncertainty, service members must not come out and recruits should use caution if choosing to sign up," said Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis, a US Army veteran.

He too warned however that a higher court could overturn the judge's ruling.

"The bottom line: if you come out now, it can be used against you in the future by the Pentagon," Sarvis added in a statement.

Among the first to enlist was former Army Lieutenant Dan Choi, an Iraq war veteran who came out on cable television program in March 2009.

The 29-year old graduate of the prestigious West Point military academy, who was discharged earlier this year for being gay, made a public event of his re-enlistment.

First, Choi tried to enlist at a US Marines recruiting station in midtown Manhattan, but after being told he was too old, filled out papers to re-enlist in the army.

"We're still in a war, and soldiers are needed," Choi said.

"I have a newfound faith in our government that at least one branch is on the side of the Constitution, is on the side of the people," he said.

Last week, US District Judge Virginia Phillips of California ordered the government to immediately suspend the rule, which requires gay troops to keep quiet about their sexuality or face expulsion.

Late Tuesday, she denied the Justice Department's request for a stay to suspend the legal order until an expected appeal can be heard.

"Judge Phillips is right to stand with servicemembers by rejecting President (Barack) Obama's request to continue this discriminatory policy," said R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, which filed the lawsuit at the heart of the case.

"With recruiters accepting gay and lesbian applicants and a week having passed without incident, it is clear that our military is well-equipped to adapt to open service."

In a six-page decision, Phillips rejected the Obama administration's argument that suspending the ban could harm military readiness.

"The evidence they belatedly present now does not meet their burden to obtain a stay," Phillips said.

Gay rights groups urged Washington not to further appeal the ruling.

Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese called the rule, a 1993 compromise aimed at resolving a long-thorny issue, "an unconscionable law that forces brave lesbian and gay Americans to serve in silence."

It was unfair and "detrimental" to national security, Solmonese added.

Although Obama has called for the ban to be scrapped and urged Congress to end it, the court order has put his administration in a bind as it carries out a year-long assessment of the issue due on December 1.

In a memo sent out last week to secretaries of the US Army, Navy and Air Force, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Clifford Stanley said the Defense Department "will abide by the terms of the injunction" from the federal judge.

He ordered the military's department secretaries to "ensure immediate compliance" with his memo.

"It remains the policy of the Department of Defense not to ask service members or applicants about their sexual orientation, to treat all members with dignity and respect, and to ensure maintenance of good order and discipline," he added.

Opponents of the ban argue it violates the rights of gay service members and has harmed national security by forcing out some 14,000 qualified troops.

Advocates of the rule, including the outgoing head of the US Marine Corps, say it ensures "unit cohesion," and that changing the law during wartime could prove disruptive.

If the ban is lifted for good, the American military would be following the example of other US allies, including Britain and Israel, which have reported no serious problems since allowing gays to serve openly in uniform.

Polls have shown a majority of Americans support ending the ban, but Republican lawmakers, including former presidential candidate John McCain, opposed the most recent attempt to change the rule.

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All about Proclamation 50...

What they taught the rebel soldiers in the Philippine Military Academy was “not to CHEAT, LIE or STEAL nor TOLERATE those who do... So one wonders why these rebel soldiers tolerate the likes of Argee Guevarra, Trixie Angeles and Reyn Barnido among their ranks. The Manila Times made an interesting editorial piece on the said proclamation...

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The raging debate over whether the President has the right to grant amnesty is not quite on the mark. Instead, Proclamation 50 granting amnesty to soldiers involved in three failed coups against the past administration should be discussed with consideration of the long-term interests of our institutions.

In other words, the question is not whether the President could, but rather whether he should. We believe that President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd should not have granted amnesty to the 300 or so soldiers—including Antonio Trillanes 4th, now a senator—because it undermines the rule of law. We side with the argument that the President should have waited until October 28—just over two weeks from the issuance of his amnesty—when the Makati Regional Trial Court rules on the so-called Oakwood mutiny that happened in July 2003.

If the court rules against the mutineers, the President can still intervene by issuing a pardon. But the trial ruling is now moot, despite the court’s bravado that it will issue a judgment as scheduled.

Granted, a pardon in that case would not have absolved the mutineers. Two other rebellion cases are pending, including the incident in November 2007 when Senator Trillanes bolted a Makati courtroom and marched to the five-star Manila Peninsula hotel as he called on others to join his call to withdraw support from the unpopular President Gloria Arroyo.

Palace legal experts could have suggested alternatives that would have met President Aquino’s objective without exceeding the bounds of the judicial process. How about, for instance, asking the court to hasten the trials by unburdening the judges of other cases?

As it is, the debate has veered off to whether the President has the constitutional right to grant amnesty to ordinary criminals. It’s not hard to imagine them thinking that it would have been easier to gain freedom if they had taken up arms against the government instead of committing petty crimes.

Olive branch or political maneuvering

President Aquino defended Proclamation 50, saying it was for national reconciliation. His spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, said in a statement that the
“President felt the need to extend his hand of reconciliation in much the same way as the pursuit of peace with the New People’s Army and the Moro National Liberation Front.”

The President, however, has been criticized for not according the same privileges to the so-called Morong 43, the group of village health workers suspected of being members of the communist military wing. Already, Leftist political groups are calling for equal treatment to the alleged communist soldiers. It remains unclear whether the case of the “Morong 43” will be another excuse for the Left to stall peace talks.

What is also unclear is the President’s real motives, his public statements notwithstanding. Is it simply the result of bad legal advice? Or does Proclamation 50 play into the hands of the President’s allies who are jockeying for power in the Senate? When Mr. Aquino assumed office, his party mates also gained control of the House of Representatives. But the Liberal Party failed to win the Senate presidency after falling short of the 13 votes needed. The Liberals argued then that with the House and Senate under their control, it would be easier to carry out President Aquino’s legislative agenda. But without a clear majority in the Senate, a coalition of senators backed Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, who belongs to the party of former President Joseph Estrada.

Rule of law or force of arms

Senate President Enrile, of course, figures in one of two successful coups in the Philippines—the bloodless people power in 1986 that ousted his former boss, then-President Ferdinand Marcos. But the military has been unable to repeat history, not even during the time of President Aquino’s mother, who faced down seven coup attempts that also reversed the gains of the first EDSA revolution.

To many, EDSA meant that the people’s welfare was paramount over that of one man, his family and cronies, and the military that kept him in power.

EDSA was supposed to have marked the return of the rule of law, supplanting the system of political patronage that had earlier prevailed.

The mutineers accorded amnesty justify their actions by citing grievances and by questioning the legitimacy of then-President Arroyo. That begs the question, can rebellion be justified? It’s difficult to imagine a legitimate justification under today’s system of government—no matter how unpopular it may be, especially when people can continue criticizing public officials. Certainly, we don’t believe that mutiny was justified in the incidents covered by President Aquino’s amnesty.

Before the democratic restoration following the 1986 EDSA people power revolt, government institutions were virtually nonexistent or severely infirm. A person aggrieved by the powers that be was either resigned to do nothing or driven to fight government in the hills or on the streets. Today, as it was in the previous nine years, the three branches of government are operating, although, admittedly, they are a work in progress. But generally speaking, legal mechanisms are in place to protect peoples’ rights. They are better preserved under a system that adheres to the rule of law, rather than under one that bypasses the courts and necessitates the force of arms.

Labels: Argee Guevarra, Atty. Trixie Angeles, Proclamation 50, Reyn Barnido, Reynaldo Barnido 0 comments | Links to this post |

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P-Noy gives away cash!

President Aquino is giving away oodles of money. For the poor. He doesn’t call it dole-out. He calls it conditional cash transfer (CCT). The scheme was started by President Arroyo. She also called it CCT. Some one million families were enrolled.

PNoy will more than double the beneficiary families—to 2.3 million, half of about 4.6 million families identified as very poor. The Philippines has some 17 million families. So 4.6 million is about 27 percent, which is also the poverty incidence ratio.

PNoy is courting the poor. By giving them monthly cash, an average of P1,400 per month per family. According to the World Bank, the best way to help the poor is by giving them cash. PNoy thinks that, rather than have the money stolen by bureaucrats, it is better to distribute it to the poor.

Previously, PNoy had courted the military and the national police. He gave amnesty to more than 300 officers and soldiers involved in three major coup attempts against, President Arroyo who had sent a number of those plotters to jail with rebellion charges. They included former navy lieutenant junior grade Antonio Trillanes who happily was elected senator in 2007 despite being in jail.

PNoy also exempted from criminal charges police officials who were responsible for the fiasco of August 23, the hostage incident that resulted in the killing of nine people, including the lone hostage-taker. During that ten-hour crisis, the then PNP chief went on an out-of-town trip. The other officials refused to obey the President’s order to deploy the better-equipped and better-trained SAF team to neutralize the hostage taker. Instead, Manila police deployed its local SWAT, and you know what happened.

Meanwhile, Trillanes, as senator, went on to collect his pork barrel and his office budget despite being in jail. He managed to author two bills, which later became law. Aquino, despite nine years in Congress and almost three years in the Senate, doesn’t have a single law in his name. He claims he was always scrutinizing the annual budgets of Arroyo, anyway. That was as good as passing a law to his credit.

PNoy has instructed Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad to look for the money. Abad found it. He reduced the budget of nearly all government offices, including those of the judiciary. Explains Abad:

“Our CCT program is timely, because it seeks to enable the Philippines to comply with its Millennium Development Goal commitments in 2015, where it is now lagging behind in two of eight indicators. It is responsive, because it targets directly the poor households and addresses severe reversals in key social indicators such as universal elementary education and maternal healthcare.”

“It is an improvement because it is more comprehensive: beyond CCT, the program comes with substantial investments in basic education, child immunization, and maternal health and public health services.”

Abad points out the Aquino government did not only expand the CCT program—to P21 billion in 2011 from P10 billion in 2010—but also ensured a “complete and comprehensive package” to make it effective in liberating indigent households from poverty.

The 2011 Reform Budget provides funding to significantly address resource gaps in basic education, and to provide maternal healthcare facilities and immunization services, especially in the countryside, Abad explains, sounding technocratic.

Abad says 11 pregnant women die every day because they could not get proper medical care while giving birth. That’s 4,000 women dying unnecessarily. One of those could be elected a termagant senator or an assertive president someday.

Also, the dropout rate in school is very high. Of some 100 pupils who start in Grade 1, barely 13 manage to go to college. The result is a miseducated citizenry.

A miseducated citizenry keeps voting for the wrong president or the same 100 families who control the country’s politics and the economy. If the people are properly educated, they will be awaken one day and then overthrow those 100 families who have ruled this country for the last 100 years.

Anyway, P20 billion a year is small change compared to the 40 percent of the budget (P660 billion over P1.65 billion) stolen by bureaucrats and members of those families. By: Tony Lopez

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Cabinet men are not qualified!

“So, he was UP graduate? I never heard of him. All UP honor graduates know each other, and I don’t know him. I never heard of him and yet, he was given the power to reverse the Secretary of Justice... The President wants only those whom he trust to be around him. This is not a sign of a good leader..”

Cabinet men are not qualified!

President Benigno Aquino 3rd is suffering from a “siege mentality” that caused him to surround himself with trusted men despite their lack of qualifications, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said Sunday. “This is a very dangerous state of mind at the start of an administration. This might become viral,” she said in an interview at the public affairs program Balitang Todo-Todo aired over radio station dzBB.

Santiago charged that most of the members of the Aquino Cabinet have not distinguished themselves in school or in their chosen field but got appointed because of their closeness to the President.“The President wants only those whom he trust to be around him. This is not a sign of a good leader,” she added.

Santiago contended that a good leader must be so sure of himself that he is most willing to take even those who are better than him. She cited the case of former President Ferdinand Marcos who assembled a Cabinet made up of outstanding and competent officials.

“A good leader should be strong enough to get people better than himself to gravitate around him,” she said.Santiago also belittled the scholastic achievements of most of the members of the Aquino Cabinet.“Who among them graduated with honors from the University of the Philippines [UP], Ateneo [de Manila] or La Salle?” she asked.

She expressed wonder why lawyer Paquito Ochoa Jr. was named executive secretary when he never held any executive post. Ochoa was administration of Quezon City under then Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. before his appointment as executive secretary. Belmonte is now the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Santiago also saw nothing outstanding about Chief Presidential Legal Council Ed de Mesa.“So, he was UP graduate? I never heard of him. All UP honor graduates know each other, and I don’t know him. I never heard of him and yet, he was given the power to reverse the Secretary of Justice!” she said.

De Mesa, along with Ochoa, reviewed the report of the Incident Investigation Report Committee (IIRC) headed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, on the August 23 hostage-taking tragedy.“A Justice secretary is an alter ego of the President. When she [de Lima] conducted the investigation, it was as if the President himself conducted the investigation. And yet, he ordered a review of the IIRC report,” she said.

She also noted that Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno was an agriculture graduate at UP Los Baños.“So, why was he not appointed to the Department of Agriculture? Instead, he was appointed to the local government in charge of the police,” Santiago added. BY EFREN L. DANAO

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Filipino-Chinese community cry for the Philippine Marines...

"We call for the deployment of Philippine Marines, I hope President Benigno Aquino, 3rd would listen to our request"

The Filipino-Chinese community here on Saturday has demanded the deployment of Philippine Marines around this city and suburbs to avoid another kidnapping of any member of their community, eight days after the release of Filipino-Chinese trader Conchita Tan from captivity by her kidnappers.

Tan was freed by her kidnappers and reunited with her family Thursday night, according to Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. of Cotabato City. Guiani said he was informed Friday morning by Lucio Tan (not the Filipino-Chinese taipan) that his wife was already home and was taking the much needed rest.

Also, Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema also said that Tan told him to extend the family’s deep gratitude to all those who facilitated the safe release of his wife who is now reunited with them.

However, Sema said although the victim is already safe, police and military authorities should not stop from pursuing her kidnappers.

“The suspects should not go away with the crime unpunished,” Sema emphasized.Meanwhile, Army 603rd Brigade Commander Col. Ernesto Aradanas, chief of Task Force Conchita, said Tan, wife of former Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Lucio Tan, confirmed that the kidnap victim is now reunited with him and other members of her family.“Madam Conchita is now safe with her family,” Aradanas said.

But then as of this writing, no further details were available as to the location where Tan was released and whether the family paid ransom or not for her freedom from captivity.

In the same manner, Guiani, Sema and Aradanas could not give any confirmation if any amount of money was given by the family to the kidnappers as ransom money in securing her safe release.

But, unconfirmed information that circulated in the city that Tan’s kidnappers had demanded a P50-million ransom for her release, but neither the authorities nor the family would validate the information.Yu Beng Chua, incumbent president of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he was happy to receive with the news that Tan has been freed.

While the release was good news, a lot of things have to be done to prevent another kidnapping and stop the cycle of kidnap for ransom activities, Chua said.“The Tan kidnapping has a chilling effect to us traders,” said a hardware store owner in the city who asked not to be identified.

“We call for the deployment of Philippine Marines, I hope President Benigno Aquino, 3rd would listen to our request,” another Filipino-Chinese trader said. JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

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Who reads the newspapers?

Bautista pointed out that the broadsheets are competing for the attention of a very small segment—the upper middle class, which comprises 10 percent of the population...

There’s a challenge in the Philippines because we are an audiovisual market and our lifestyle is changing,” Bautista said...

In addition, Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks, according to Bautista, have great potential to reach audiences.

Who reads the newspapers?

____________________

Filipinos, particularly the younger ones, have stopped the habit of reading newspapers because of changing lifestyle and other platforms. Jay Bautista, the executive director of Nielsen Media, said that newspaper reading in the Philippines, as well as in Taiwan, is generally on a downtrend.

In the 1990s, Bautista added, newspaper reading in the Philippines was 50 percent, but over the last two to three years it went down to 20 percent.“We’re seeing a declining trend [in the Philippines, as well as Indonesia and Thailand] in terms of reading newspapers,” he said, adding that some of the readers try other media that are easily accessible and free.

Bautista said that one reason for not reading broadsheets in the past 12 months was availability of other media, such as television, radio and Internet. Price of a broadsheet was also an issue among the respondents. Other respondents said that reading newspapers was not their priority.

“There’s a challenge in the Philippines because we are an audiovisual market and our lifestyle is changing,” Bautista said.

He added that Filipinos below 20 have stopped the habit of reading newspapers.Nielsen said that newspaper readership was higher in Cebu with 36 percent, followed by Metro Manila, Mega Manila (Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Central Luzon) and Davao.

Sixty percent of the male respondents were reading broadsheets compared to 40 percent of the female ones. Nielsen, however, noted that Filipinos still turn to newspapers for the latest headlines and news updates.

To attract more readers, Bautista said that a newspaper company should get to know their audience better. He also noted that online readership is on the rise and the print media should address that climb by being more creative to attract more readers.“

The advantage of online publications is that they are not consigned to the demographic limits of the country unlike the hard copy,” Bautista said.

He said that other print media outfit are partnering with TV and radio stations to expand their reach, while others are experimenting in 3D.

In addition, Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks, according to Bautista, have great potential to reach audiences. He recommended partnering with mobile-phone providers to develop applications that will bring news closer to the people.

Bautista pointed out that the broadsheets are competing for the attention of a very small segment—the upper middle class, which comprises 10 percent to 15 percent of the population. He said that the remaining 85 percent or the lower class of the population, which prefers tabloids, could also be tapped.

To attract those in this class, Bautista added, the print media should be more relevant to them. He said that television is still “king” despite the growth of new media.

Nielsen said that TV ownership was up 4 percent to 94 percent in 2009 compared to 2008.In Metro Manila, the number of hours in a day spent on watching TV is 8 hours, followed by 7 hours and 36 minutes in Mega Manila.

Filipinos spent about 11 hours listening to FM stations and 9 hours to AM stations.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

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