I don’t get it anymore these days, the almost laughable way that our Senators, like Bong Revillas himself, can lose such focus, and meander away towards issues as if they truly were of national importance. When the national consciousness has gone towards a certain sex video, then indeed we have kicked the can of responsibility to a later date, because it has become all too easy to focus on the trivial and the unimportant, because indeed, politicians probably realize the extent of the job needed to tackle the most dire issue of poverty. And when faced with such tremendous challenges, they run away, turn to the internet, and find the gold mine that has been the Halili Kho sex scandal. What a disgrace our leaders still continue to be. I say “still” because it seems this has been the status quo for quite some time.
When a third of our people live under poverty, we would think that this would still be the key focus of our “trusted” senators.
Poverty is an all too complex problem, and it needs a proper diagnosis, one that is rooted in differential diagnosis because indeed it has too many parts that contribute to it. So many individuals claim that poverty is a simple problem, but this is indeed an oxymoronic statement, because if it were so simple, it would have been solved already. The fact, that the solution to poverty involves almost all sectors of society, every public and private sector, gives us
all a glimpse as to why our focus should never meander for even a short amount of time, towards trivial matters, even if trivial matters seem important on the surface, we must be able to discern, and decide on the important things in life.
The complexity of poverty touches on many aspects such as culture, governance, fiscal policy, as well as economic policy. It involves geography and even geopolitics. Such a great challenge deserves our undivided attention.
The End of Poverty, the book by the acclaimed economist and author Jeffrey Sachs indeed points to the need for policy makers, politicians, and leaders to realize the extent of the problem, the multi-faceted nature of poverty, and how an entire government must be engaged and have resolve for it to continually enact policies, bills, and laws that address the very nature of poverty.
And when we allow ourselves to be reactionary instead of proactive, especially when it comes to the issues that truly matter for our nation, we no doubt also contribute to the stagnation, or even decline of this end of poverty that everyone should be working towards. Because it is this end of poverty, this end of injustice, that will truly bring a brighter future to our people and for our nation.
Sex sells, but these days, if the poor is our focus, as it should be, maybe our only recourse, and our only advice is maybe they too should make their own sex videos, maybe then they can get a little indignation coming from Senator Bong Revilla himself.
Popularity: 11% [?]
The problem is that people still blame the Church for preventing a population program. Church is on other countries too doing the same thing but why are there population programs in most Catholic countries. The answer is our paranoid, prudish and hypocritical politicians.
We must be thankful we become Christians. What is inculcated into our minds since childhood must be practiced to the end. Who then be rewarded the crown of life and nobody is loser? Let them who serve the world be compromised and then lost the opportunity to live the next citizenry. Whoever the greatest is the servant. The remunerations allotted and the honorable call are just material reward to the work well done but the life dedicated is much honoring when a servant forgets himself for the people. I wish to suggest to lessen the remunerations of elected officials, the development funds must be handled by concern agency, and the filing of candidacy be determined by national election registrar assigned to qualify by drug test, assets and liabilities documents and psychological or psychiatric test. It is time to make sense in every act before it can be an omission or commission liability of a steward. Building a nation is a building of God’s Kingdom on earth. Let us show that Christians are God’s Stewards of His Kingdom.
The global economic downturn has pulled the Philippines down to its slowest growth in a decade.
The latest statistics : in the first quarter, the Philippine economy, measured in terms of its gross domestic product [GDP], posted an annual growth of 0.4 percent in real terms compared to its growth target of between 3.1 and 4.1 percent for the full year.
Population grows at 2.1% per year.
Conclusion: Pinas is getting poorer (per-capita income becomes lower) and will get even worse if the poor watching Halili-sex-video gets “motivated” to procreate at a faster rate.
————
Related topics: (1) my expectation is that condo-houses in Makati. Quezon City, Taguig (and Davao, other places) will continue to be under pressure thru mid-2010.
(2) The country can definitely use the stimulus of 2010-elections “free-money” vote-buying.
why the hell do we have to procreate if we can allow women have abortion.
we’re like bacterias consuming this planet, we shouldn’t be worried about a blood from a womb being flushed out. they are too smart to lead a country but not smart enough to make an apparatus/meds helping the women have a safe abortion without any form of guilt and humiliation.
we must enjoy watching PORN and give ourselves pleasures.
body-pleasure not procreation bitches!
we should just ignore the scandal altogether. let’s not blog about it. let’s not blog about how we hate that it is taking over the national consciousness. is it not ironic that as we express our disgust online over the general public’s preoccupation with the scandal we are also contributing to the noise around it.
let’s just ignore it and not say a word about it. it would also be good if we not even use the names of all the personalities involved as keywoards, tags, title words etc.
BrianB, when has the church called for birthing restraint? They follow, not lead.
Joe
BrianB…
The people aren’t the problem. The influence of the church and its involvement in politics are the factors why our country can’t make laws for population programs.
Our politicians needs popularity. Let’s face it. However, I think they shouldn’t be dependent on the stand of the church. The state,represented by our politician, should be amoral, especially in these times when the economy is in trouble.
Haha!
uhum, so why have we passed a death penalty bill? Popularity? When the majority approve of a population bill?
The conyos need sex videos too. What do you think of this class? That they are pure and holy?
Who else could have driven dvd prices of this trashy video through the roof?
You are a conyo, aren’t you?
By virtue of a public school but elitist education! Yes! :-)
The whole Senate circus is an aweful waste of taxpayer’s money. Will anyone refresh our memory just how much a day in the Senate cost? A week? A month?
Nick timely reminds us to stick to the knitting. Indeed, the issue of poverty is far more important to confront than such an exercise in futility as attempting to legislate against sex, sex videos, voyeurism and all.
Truly, there is need to form a consortium in a way that we will confront poverty from a multi-displinary approach. We need economists, social philosophers, theologians, statisticians, ethicists, environmentalists, technologists to discuss on the topic. But, can we, form a pool of experts given the intellectual tradition that dominates this site?
Let it be a cognitive map – discussion should be fruitful.
Primer:
Rather than reinvent the wheel – am inclined to build on the work and body of knowledge that has already been ongoing while PI-based pundits where gorging in an orgy of triviality. And who upon missing the boat, wants a remedial class :D
Ang lagay eh, other countries are already in execution, PInas is still stuck in balitaktakan… talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk all talk :lol:
no laughing matter though Bong, and yes, this is a good start, a great deal of orgs have already laid the foundation for this.. I’m glad you also mention MDG.. it’s important that our readers thoroughly understand that the world has already set benchmarks in the fight against poverty..
Nick:
I agree it is no laughing matter.
But I don’t wanna be a sourpuss either.
I choose to laugh, have fun, take time to smell the flowers, and get to the destination unruffled and on time.
I think MDG poses a very exciting challenge – we can be THE first generation to end poverty – but we gotta work for it – http://www.endpoverty2015.org/
as one pundit said: we have been fighting poverty since time immemorial, and poverty always win.
that’s because folks have been doing the the same age-old things – and expect different results
Remember the forwarded emails – MASARAP ANG MAGING SENADOR.
AT MASARAP RIN MAGING PRESIDENTE :D
If I were a leader to this poor country, I need the experts gather them and every field must have its own group to research the productivity using the natural resources in maximizing production to compete in international trade. Each country has a unique contribution to each other to balance the world trade. It should not only a whole world demanded fuel from desert lands are best supplier. The supply has its duration that should be replaced before it is fully consumed.
Well, somebody voted those bozos into office…
Guess what: Thinking is hard work. So it’s no surprise that people would rather focus on things that do not require it.
If you were a politician, why focus on the things that truly matter (but do not capture the imagination of vacuous minds) when simply getting some face time in some half-arsed “congressional inquiry” delivers more value to your political agenda?
It’s simple, really™ — though not for the small-minded.
I don’t know about you guys, but if these sex videos are being distributed on the sidewalks and online, the probability that they can get into the hands of young kids is there. Information technology is a great tool for kids looking for information online for school purposes. Imagine if those rubbish would freely appear while your minor kids are surfing for information.
Or get this cue from the congressional inquiry which claimed that these sex videos are being used to “blackmail” the girls for money by a syndicate.
There should be stiffer laws to address pornography and voyeurism.
Sex videos have been sold in the Philippines for quite some time now. Starting from the videotape rental tores that sell the tapes “under the table”. And more recently, pirated DVDs from Hong Kong, wholesale distribution by chinoys, retail distribution by resellers.
Kho-Halili is just another addition to the genre. The complications being that, while it was consensual sex:
1. the video was taken without consent of Halili
2. the privacy of both Kho and Halili was violated
I don’t have any information if both #1 and #2 have associated penalties under the law.
From what I have seen, the US approach to pornography has been one of regulation instead of outright ban on sale primarily due to the First Amendment (freedom of expression).
On the matter of online porn, there are ways to restrict access – and parents need to be directly involved – check out the Family Online Safety Institute web sute
The IQ Mutawwa is on at it again. Regulation and outright ban is on the same side of the coin. Pornography is banned in the U.S. because it is not a protected free speech embraced in the First Amendment. Proliferation of pornography in the U.S. is a question of laxity in the prosecution, and not due to first amendment concerns.
From – http://www.answers.com/topic/unprotected-speech
Unprotected speech. Wonderful. This is a great layman’s summary of a complex legal issue. Subtitle it “The Litigation of a Freedom” as the nits to pick get smaller and more obtuse . . . the word “arcane” comes to mind . . . where’s my dictionary, the hard copy one that has not been in the hands of some “away with words” Scientologist . . .
Joe
There’s an article about unprotected speech and pornography on http://www.answers.com/topic/unprotected-speech.
Excerpts:
Benign0′s comment above may have a simple explanation.
The simple explanation — all of the choices (for congressman, senator, Malacanang) are bozos.
And the explanation for THAT… that Pinoys tolerate low-level corruption so much these small-minded corrupts elevate their performance before the willing Pinoy eyes.
RESULT: ——- the choices for congress, senate, Malacanang have been formed and shaped (and encouraged???) to do higher-performance corruption. All the choices are bozos because Pinoys are kunsintidor and accomplices to moderated greed.
To DingG and other Pinoy parents… what are you teaching your kids?
Revilla tries to become a Hero out of the Sex Scandal. The Guy was
a Movie Star. He tries again to play a “bida”. Poverty cannot be
solve by these Present kinds of Leader & Politicians . Most of these People are Opportunists. Some are Family Dynasty Politicians. Some are notorious Political turncoats. They turn their loyalties
to anyone who is in Power. When they are Elected. It is always Filipino Politics as usual. The “in” versus the “out”.
They dont care about the Filipino people. They care about themselves.
They pretend to care during the Election. So, we find ourselves
Electing “Movie Stars”, who can act and pretend. Besides, they are
good looking, also.
Our country needs good Leaders. With True Leadership qualities. We
can only find them by what they can offer to us of detailed Plans
and Solutions to these problems.
WE, who are Posting at FV Blog Website are giving good informations
to our fellow Filipinos. Some of us manage good business. Some large,
some small here in the U.S. and abroad. We are educated, experienced,
and tested in finding good people for our businesses. We give our
expertises FREE. As a way of giving back to our fellow Filipinos.
We hope, this will work.
Hear. hear.
Tasio,
All that stuff could be contracted into just a single word.
Bong,
Where did you hide the blueprint? What you just copy-pasted reads too abstract.
Nevertheless, you mentioned an interesting point – senator’s salary and subsidy.
Perhaps, you can do the math. How much can a P205 million a year government appropriation can build in terms of, say:
1. all-weather roads
2. schools
3. bridges
4. day care centers
5. technology farms
6. et cetera
But then again, the government would rather buy noodles, medicines, health insurance cards and insert ‘financial assistance’ to LGU, foundations, and conduit organizations – precisely to somehow siphon off.
Even the World Bank alone as it is with other foreign organizations already saw how the whole ‘cartelization’ works. Thus, how can we make senators to account for the expenditure of P205 million, bong?
Perhaps, get one presidentiable and show how an ordinary year looks like?
Primer:
If the government increased revenue collection efficiency and cracked down on collusion/corrupt practices you will have more than P205 million a year. Based on emprical estimates that 30% of the appropriation is misappropriated – around P70 million of that P205M will normally go to “S.O.P.”. That leaves you with an actual pot of P130 million. As it stands, your P205 million does not stand a chance.
When it comes to interaction with non-state entities, the money used by government is actually sourced from O.D.A. funds. the government is just a conduit for purposes of protocol. however, there has been a shift by funding agencies to deal directly with non-state agencies due to a perception that government is not up to the task.
Second, those same infrastructure challenges were faced elsewhere, and the answer was to float bonds.
To make the senators/elected public officials accountable, a law can be passed requiring that all disbursements made by elected public officials be published on the web and be available for scrutiny to the public.
After all, that’s not the officials’ money – that’s TAXPAYER’S MONEY.
To make that happen, people need to actively lobby and encourage a wider number of the public to join the discussion and press for its approval. Or as an alternative – a Freedom of Information Act.
If people don’t work for it – lobby for it, generate awareness about it, press for its approval – then nothing will happen.
Politicians who will jump on the bandwagon can score cookie points.
So the villar issue would be a blessing in disguise then.
It made the clamor of making the bicam for the finalization of the budget be made public.
That would be a good start,the bi-cam is usually a closed door affair.
Or as an alternative – a Freedom of Information Act.
The thing pending in congress has something to do with state secrets.
http://newsbreak.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5294&Itemid=88889051
Monday, 01 September 2008
Digg!
The passage of the freedom of information act, which can force government agencies to disclose state “secrets,” has hit a snag in the Senate.
The Senate Committee on Public Information, chaired by Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla, has yet to conduct a hearing on House Bill 3732 or the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) after the House of Representatives approved the bill last May.
Rep. Lorenzo ‘Erin’ Tañada III, lead author of HB 3732, said in a public forum on the FOI held Friday at the Ateneo de Manila University that the access to information bill is in danger of being derailed in favor of “priority” bills such as the one on whistleblowers’ protection.
According to a source who requested anonymity, the Senate Committee on Public Information has cancelled three hearings on the FOI. These hearings were cancelled a day before or on the day of the hearing itself. The reason: the committee has not done any research on the bill.
After 20 years
HB 3732 is considered a watershed piece of legislation since there is yet no enabling law for citizens’ rights on access to information 20 years after the 1987 Constitution was enacted, Tañada said.
“In the decision on Chavez vs. NHA, the Supreme Court wrote that it is unfortunate that after almost 20 years after the 1897 Constitution was made, there is no enabling law that provides mechanism for the compulsory disclosure of information,” he explained.
tinamaan ng ningas-cogon. :lol:
and a seeming inability tp hold legislators accountable to come up with the legislation – meanwhile, business as usual, “in aid of legislation” without any legislation forthcoming.
Even in the link I posted below about about the number of bills filed by senators as compared to what they spent, puro mga recycled bills din ang karamihan if you bother to look at least a few of the bills.
By the looks of it, the next senate would continue the trend of padamihan ng mga bill na recycled at co sponsored.
Since di umandar sa senate, the house needs to recycle it as well.
And I don’t think it is a matter of who we choose, no matter who is in congress or senate,the practice will continue. So many bills so little time9because so much time watsed.
I suggest more session days in a week, less absenteeism.And of course most of your(bongvs suggestions about participation of the citzenry)
This is a true story, I saw a senator who entered a different room dahil palaging wala(naligaw), me senator top notcher sa number of bills nung tina tackle ang 5 bills nya, wala naman sya e di wala din.
I passed by the discussions but I need to say something. Our taxpayers must be honored. If I were contributor of bulky taxes in this country, I would demand that this amount must be accounted to my priority to budget for the welfare of street children and educate the indigents to raise agricultural products. Our educational institutions must limit their graduates to meet the demand of skilled workers but should be competitive to jobs abroad.
allow me to repost here an article written by the cat:
http://filipinovoices.com/bills-filed-bills-paid-by-the-senators-of-the-14th-congress
Since we are talking about the poor,let’s zoom in one of the bills filed more than a decade ago which will not just affect the poor but the entire nation.But awa ng…. wala pa ding nagyayari
Malaya (01/07/99)
==============================================
“What Senator Honasan wants to do is to put some order in our lives through
the passage of a law that would regulate land-use.”
==============================================
Greg’s Dream
by Ducky Paredes
One Senator, just one, has an idea that is worth pursuing. It is not a
grand idea, nothing breath-taking, scandalous or attention-getting to it.
Thus, although the idea is one that is absolutely necessary to our
country’s continued survival, no one else in the Senate pays the senator or
his pet bill any attention.
The Senator is Gregorio Honasan. The implementation of Gringo’s idea would
bring order to what is now chaos. It is a revolutionary one and would
change the way that we, Pinoys, live our lives.
Greg tried to push it in the last session, during the Ramos years. He got
no attention from that administration or from his fellow-senators. Senator
Honasan’s grand idea is simply the passage of a law that would regulate
land-use.
While land-use legislation would not attract the attention of the bishops,
activists, the left or other noisy sectors of society, in reality, this is
legislation that would serve the country as a whole. It is something that
we need absolutely. Without it, in ten years, our cities will no longer be
habitable nor will our farmlands and our forests be productive. Without it,
there would be no country to speak of. Our wayward development would, by
then, have choked all our cities to a standstill.
What is the difference between the cities we admire in other parts of our
globe and our cities in the Philippines? Theirs — be they Singapore, Kuala
Lumpur, Paris, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Washington, Beijing, Moscow, Mexico or
others — are orderly. On the other hand, our cities — be they Manila,
Quezon City, Davao, Cebu, Iloilo, Baguio or others — are chaotic.
Why is this? Where is the difference? They have a clear idea of land-use,
we don’t. They write up and follow regulations regarding zoning, we don’t.
They have regulations regarding signage, sewers, sidewalks, parking,
building codes and so on, Our cities have none of these. Or, at least, none
that are meticulously enforced.
Oh, sure. Councilors in every city will remind us that they do have zoning
regulations. They have indicated certain portions of their areas as for
intended industrial use or for commercial or residential.
So, one might ask them, why does Mr. Chua have a factory emitting toxic
fumes in the middle of a residential neighborhood? Why does a residential
neighborhood rise up in areas that are designated as commercial or even
industrial?
Land-use legislation will not solve all the problems of our cities but it
would establish processes and pinpoint the authority to set up rules and
regulations that are our only hope to solve the blight of our cities.
Pinoys, of course, are chronic regulation-breakers. If there is a way to go
around the law or a loophole, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Pinoy
will find and use it!
This is why, in all of our cities, we have commercial establishments in
areas that are designated as residential. In fact, the way that some of our
town and city councilors is wrong. They see residential areas as being
upgraded when they become industrial or commercial areas.
Thus, to many city halls all over the country, having commercial
establishments in residential subdivisions is the way to progress since
this is a way of upgrading these areas in terms of higher land values. This
is wrong thinking.
What this sort of thinking has spawned is what we see on a daily basis:
unspeakable traffic jams. One will notice that even small towns all over
the country have these traffic jams. What this means is that there is no
planning in these towns and whatever zoning there is has been totally
ignored.
Why is this? The orderly city would have natural divisions between
Residential Zones where people live and sleep and Commercial Zones where
they shop and work. Then, there would also be (in a well-ordered city), a
separate industrial area where factories which supply the commercial areas
operate.
There would be Mixed-Use Zones where there would be a natural commingling
of these areas. Open Space Zones would also be designated, where no
buildings are permitted and could be farmlands, golf courses or public
parks, beaches or rivers. And then, there are the Public Zones, such as the
piers, the City Hall, the public market, schools, hospitals, churches and
other government offices.
Thus, an administrator of such a metropolis would direct heavy trucks to
the industrial area and give them access through special highways that are
seldom used by the rest of the population.
The highways that would serve the residential areas would have public
transport and even mass transit and a lot of room for private vehicles that
would take them to the commercial areas.
So, what happens if all of these are all mixed up? What happens is what we
have right now in any place in the Philippines. This is why, no matter
where the Pinoy goes, he is mired in traffic — all the time!
When we last talked to Gringo, he was still Gung Ho about his bill. That
was sometime ago. We kept hoping that we would read about some positive
development regarding his land-use legislation. We have heard nothing at
all.
Call it ningas cogon, but if it is not considered urgent, walang mangyayari dito.
Meron pala pupunta ito sa recycle bin.
I remember numerous blogs about the carp and a discussion about lina law a few weeks back, maybe a land use law can help. I don’t know,we all have our own definition of urgent and priority.
I think that Senator Bong Revilla should not be faulted for having come to the defense of victim Katrina Halili. He is, after all, first and foremost a movie actor. I also share the view that the issue is not any less important than other matters of national significance. The fact that the sex scandal is the most talked about topic in any gathering is proof of the relative importance people have placed on the issue. The senator’s checkered past should also be irrelevant in the discussion.
yeah, he needs an issue, he has been heading the committee of silence for so long :lol: lol: lol:
I love Bong Revilla.
F*ck it if your skin crawls at that. Hahaha.
The guy is for the people and not for the people’s money.
Have we ever heard him as a part of the kurakot gang bangers of senators?
by eklavumerINALMAHAN ni Senador Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. ang pahayag ni Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. na siya ang dapat sisihin sa patuloy na pagkalat ng cybersex videos sa bansa.
Ayon kay Sen. Revilla, dapat munang nag-research nang mabuti si Abante bago magbitiw ng mga maling pahayag laban sa kanya.
Kaugnay nito, itinanggi ng senador na inuupuan lamang niya ang House approved Bill 3305 na naglalayong magpataw ng parusa sa Cyber Pornography, noong siya pa ang chairman ng ng Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media.
Aniya, dapat maging responsable ang kongresista sa kanyang mga pahayag upang hindi magmukhang ignorante sa publiko.
Ipinaliwanag pa ni Revilla, totoong na-transmit sa Senado ang HB 3305 at sumailalim sa first reading noong Pebrero 12, 2008, ngunit taliwas sa sinasabi ni Abante, ito’y na-irefer sa Committee on Justice and Human Rights at hindi sa kanyang komite.
Sa kabila nito, nauunawaan ni Revilla si Abante sa pagnanais ng kongresistang maipasa ang panukala ngunit nararapat naman aniyang inalam muna niya nang mabuti ang kanyang sasabihin bago ito ipahayag sa publiko.
jojo sicat/cynthia martin/hataw online
Press Release
June 1, 2009
REVILLA SLAMS ABANTE OVER MISLEADING FACTS ON PORN BILL
“Research before you besmirch. You’re barking on the wrong tree. You should fire your staff for putting you in an embarrassing situation.”
This was the advice of Senator Bong Revilla to Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. over the latter’s accusation that he should be blamed for the proliferation of cybersex videos. Revilla vehemently denied Abante’s allegation that he sat on the House-approved Bill 3305, which seeks to slap penalties on cyber pornography, when he was chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media.
“I urge the good congressman to get his facts straight before making unfounded assertions and accusations such as this. He should be responsible so that he does not make himself appear ignorant in front of the public,” Revilla said.
The senator explained that HB 3305 was indeed transmitted to the Senate and read on first reading on February 12, 2008. However, contrary to Abante’s claim, the measure was primarily referred to the Committee on Justice and Human Rights and not to his committee. “As a legislator, he should at least know which committee his measure was referred to and that the duty of scheduling his House Bill for hearing does not fall under the responsibility of my previous committee,” he pointed out.
Revilla however clarified that he does share Abante’s zeal and interest in passing quality legislation aimed at curtailing the proliferation of pornography. “As a fellow lawmaker, I empathize with him on the frustration he must be feeling that his measure has yet to become law,” the senator said.
“In fact, as early as July 2007, I have filed the Anti- Pornography Bill which covers the tri-media as well as cyberspace. A committee report has already been filed last November 14, 2008, having been signed by the committee members. Unfortunately, the filing was refused by the Committee on Rules because technicalities arose regarding the bill’s primary referral,” he stressed.
According to former Committee on Public Information Secretary Norberto Villanueva, the Rules Committee said the referral should have been to the Justice and Human Rights Committee and not to the Public Information and Mass Media Committee, resulting to the refusal and delay.
Before the technicalities were pointed out however, Revilla successfully conducted Public Hearings and Technical Working Groups on the consolidated measure of 11 bills filed by him and Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Loren Legarda, Manuel Villar, and Mirian Defensor-Santiago.
ANO HA