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Monday, April 27, 2009

UNDERSTANDING RIZAL'S WORKS

Using Shakespeare's lines to learn Rizal's NOLI and FILI

Jose Sison Luzadas

“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts….”

The lines are from Shakespeare’s As you Like It”. If you are familiar with Dr. Rizal’s characters in the NOLI and FILI, there is no doubt, that man who in his time plays many parts, must be Crisostomo Ibarra in NOLI who disguised himself sporting the name in the FILI as Simoun!


Rizal introduced Crisostomo Ibarra at the beginning of the NOLI as a promising young man who after seven years abroad returned to the Philippines and was preoccupied with his plans to educate the native Filipinos so that someday they will be at par with the Spanish peninsulares by building schools and learn how to read, understand with critical analysis and to engage in trade and agriculture. Father Damaso thwarted all his plans. In the end Ibarra failed to avenge his father's death and even lost Maria Clara to the nunnery!


He disappeared like the sunset of San Diego and nowhere to find him after the long chase in the lake where Elias, the mysterious native and protector succumbed to bullet wounds inflicted by the pursuing civil guards in the long chase along the Pasig River. The drama of the vanishing Ibarra finally made his comeback appearance in the FILI as Simoun with disguises like his accent, moustache and dark glasses.


Completely a different man, he was so obsessed to avenge the wrongs inflicted to his family and personal experience in a scheme of vendetta feeding his countrymen hatred and encouraging the rulers to commit more crimes against the people until it was ripe to start a native uprising to topple the government. However, his plan betrayed him turning him a failed revolutionario. Rizal assigned Father Florentino, a native priest to rationalize a bungled revolution.


As if delivering an extreme unction that priest normally provides to a man on his last breath of life, Father Florentino did his job with more emphasized of the outside forces than the divine intervention why Simoun’s planned revolution failed.


He lectured to a wounded and dying Rebel that his revolution is doomed to fail because the people are not ready and because they are not ready they don’t deserve. If the people are not ready then…………


“What good is independence if the SLAVES of today are the TYRANTS of tomorrow?” Back to the basics. Educate the MASSES.


Send comments to Jose Sison Luzadas: luzadas@bellsought.net


Sunday, April 26, 2009

KATATAWANAN

Dear Daughter Dearest,

Medyo mabagal akong magsulat ngayon dahil alam ko na mabagal kang magbasa. Dito na kami sa probinsya para tirahan ang bagong bili na bahay pero hindi ko maibibigay sa iyo ang address dahil dinala ng dating nakatira ang number para daw hindi na sila magpapalit ng address.

Maganda ang lugar na ito at malayo sa Manila. Dalawang beses lang umulan sa linggong ito, tatlong araw noong una at apat na araw naman nung pangalawa. Nakakainis lang ang mga paninda dito katulad ng nabili kong shampoo dahil ayaw bumula. Nakasulat kasi sa labas ay FOR DRY HAIR kaya hindi ko binabasa ang buhok ko pag ginagamit ko. Mamaya ay ibabalik ko sa tindahan at magrereklamo ako.

Noong isang araw naman ay hindi ako makapasok sa bahay dahil ayaw bumukas ang padlock. Nakasulat kasi ay YALE, aba eh namalat na ako sa kakasigaw ayhindi pa din bumubukas.

Mayroon nga pala akong nabili dito na magandang jacket at tiyak na magugustuhan mo. Ipinadala ko na sa iyo sa DHL, medyo mahal daw dahil mabigat ang mga butones kaya ang ginawa ko ay tinanggal ko na lang ang mga butones at inilagay ko sa mga bulsa. Ikabit mo na lang pagdating diyan.

Nagpadala na din ako ng tseke para sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo, hindi ko na pinirmahan dahil gusto kong maging anonymous donor.

Ang kapatid mo nga palang si Jude ay may trabaho na dito, mayroon siyang 500 na tao na under sa kanya. Nag-gugupit siya ngayon ng damo sa Memorial Park, okey naman ang kita, above minimum ang sahod. Wala na akong masyadong balita. Sumulat ka na lang ng madalas.

Nagmamahal for life,
Mommy Dearest
P.S. Maglalagay sana ako ng pera kaya lang ay naisara ko na ang envelope.


Dear Mommy Dearest,

Utang na loob naman Inay, bakit naman wala pa ring kupas ang inyong katangahan? Kaya naman dalawang beses na inaatake sa puso si Itay dahil sa konsumisyon sa inyo eh. Tulad ng tinitigan nyo ng isang oras yung karton ng orange juice dahil nakasulat dun "concentrate", o nung sinabi nyo na puno na yung sinehan dahil nakasulat sa may pintuan "pull". Dyosko, mabuti na lang at ang kagandahan ko lang ang namana ko sa inyo.

Para sa iyo, Mommy Dearest (at kailan pa nga pala kayo nagpalit ng pangalan from "Inay" to "Mommy Dearest"?):
M.A.N.I.L.A. - May All Nights Inspire Love Always.
Nagmamahal forever,
Manay Letty

Dear Manay Letty,
Mayroon akong dalawang katanungan na kung inyong masasagot ay makatutulong sa nakararami, at sa katunayan ay maaari pang makapagdulot ng world peace.
Una: Ang kikiam ba ay kiki sa umaga? At pangalawa: Ang uod ba pag namatay ay inuuod din? I thanks for you!
Thin Girl

Dear Thin Girl,
Bago ko sagutin ang iyong mga tanong, gusto ko munang i-address ang ating Dear Readers, especially ang mga hindi taga-Pilipinas na hindi bihasa sa "textese" rhymes with "ch! inese"), ang unique language ng mga pinoys na ginagamit sa texting: usually ginagamit ang "am" or "pm" instead na "morning" o "evening" para mas maiksi i-type, for example: "gud am HoneyBunny!" o "gud pm my sweet LecheFlan Cupcake!". Kaya ang question ng ating mahaderang letter-writer ay kung: "kiki" + "am" "kiki sa umaga"?
Actually hindi din ako sure sa sagot kaya tinanong ko ang isa kong kaibigan na lalaki. Ang sabi niya ay "yes" daw ang sagot dahil pareho lang naman daw ang lasa nun.
Ang reaction naman ng inyong asumptionistang lola (meaning ako, gaga!):
"YUCK! YUCKADIRI! YUCKADIRI TO DEATH!"
Para naman sa 2nd question mo, Thin Girl: malalaman lang natin ang sagot dyan pag pumanaw ka na, dahil sigurado akong mukha ka namang uod. By the way, alam mo bang magiging bastos ang pangalan mo kapag si German Moreno ang nag-pronounce dahil "tingle" ang lalabas? Wala lang, FYI lang...

O sya, heto ang iyong food for thought:
C.A.N.A.D.A. - Cute And Naughty Action Develops Attraction.
Nagmamahal forever,
Manay Letty

Itong susunod na liham ay hindi talaga para sa "Dear Manay Letty" kundi para talaga ito sa aking friend at sa friend nating lahat dito sa Tristan Cafe, si Tristan. Totoo itong letter na 'to, believe it or else! .

Uulitin ko, ACTUAL LETTER ITO PARA KAY TRISTAN. Naaliw ako ng husto dito kaya ako, ang inyong ever-beautiful Dear Manay Letty, ang sasagot...

Hi Tristan. Good and you make another new website that is cooler and neater. But my only criticism to your website is that, it has a lot of grammar error that has need to be correct. Tristan, this is a website and not just mail or something that here you can use fragment sentences or something like that. Since this is a Website, you must be careful to your words, your verbs, your sentence structure because their are thousands of People or so are visiting this Filipino website. At isa pa, kung ang mga grammar mo dito sa website mo ay hindi pa rin magbabago, what would i highly recommend to you is that you better remove this website here because ang kalalabasan tuloy niyan ay magiging kahiyahiya lang ang mga pilipino.

Oh, Tristan i do not know how could i help you to correct your grammar but what can i suggest for you is to read a grammar books - just like constructing sentences book.
Gemini

Dear Gemini,
My gas! Did you sure? What does your proof? You're cannot be seriousness! I'm really embarassment at that criticize, so these is my comments at you: P.A.S.I.G! - Please Always Say I'm Gorgeous!
Nagmamahal forever,
Manay Letty

Dear Manay Letty,
Letty, anak, ikaw ba yan? Dalaga ka na pala. Natatandan mo ba ako? Si yaya Mitring mo 'to... natatandaan mo nung bata ka pa, hinuhugasan ko ba ang singit mo? Miss na miss na kita. Sana dumalaw ka naman dito sa Basilan para sa fiesta. Sige iha, wag ka sana magbago ha, sana ikaw pa din ang mahal kong Lettygirl.
Yaya Mitring

Dear Yaya Mitring,
Kamusta ka na? Natatandaan talaga kita, ikaw yung nagnakaw sa amin bago ka umalis, impakta ka. Kamusta na pala si Loring, yung anak mo na kalaro ko noong araw? Napatawad niya na ba ako sa paghulog ko sa kanya sa bangin noong mga dalagita pa kami, at nung itinulak ko siya sa ilog na may mga buwaya? Wala naman akong masamang hangarin sa kanya noon, hindi ko naman siya sinisisi sa pag-akit niya sa aking kasintahan ng mga panahong yun.

At pakisabi sa panganay nyong si Tonton, ang aking pers lab: salamat sa mga matamis na alaala. Sana naman ay tuli na siya ngayon.

Para sa iyo, Yaya Mitring:
K.E.N.Y.A. - Keep Everything Nice Yet Arousing.

Para kay Loring, na nawa ay nakakalakad na ulit:
F.R.A.N.C.E. - Friendships Remain And Never Can End.

At kay Tonton, who still brings a twinkle to my eyes:
C.H.I.N.A. - Come Here...I Need Affection.

P.S. Taga South of France ako noh! Anong Basilan ang sinasabi mo dyan... sa ganda at sosyal! kong 'to...

Nagmamahal forever,
Manay Letty

Dear Manay Letty,
Ako po ay 19 years old na pero hindi ko pa rin po alam kung totoo ba yung sinasabi nilang pag malaki ung paa nung lalaki malaki rin daw yung kwan nya. Ang size ng paa ko sa U.K. eh 9 1/2.
Jack Stevens

Dear Jack Stevens,
Hindi ko din alam kung totoo nga ang kasabihang iyan, pero ikinagagalak kong sabihin sa iyo na may isang paraan para natin matiyak ang kasagutan sa iyong tanong. Kailangan mong magpunta sa akin para masukat ko mismo ang iyong, uhm... pagkalalaki. Don't worry, I'll be gentle. Tsaka it's for the sake of art and the sake of science, malaki ang maitutulong ng ating gagawing, uhm... experiment sa ikauunlad ng Pilipinas. Maghubo para sa bayan! !
O diba ang ganda ng battlecry mo? 9 1/2 kamo ang size ng paa mo? Ngayon pa lang ay ipinagdarasal ko na na sana'y totoo nga ang kasabihan.

Para sa iyo, Jack Stevens, dahil 19 years old ka lang, virgin at spring chicken (pero not for long), dalawa ang para sa iyo:

T.O.N.D.O. - Tonight's Our Night, Dearest One. At kapag kasinglaki nga ng iyong paa ang iyong, hm... uhm... o sya sige na nga ang iyong talong, schlong, longanisa, whatever, ito ang aking masasabi:

I.N.D.I.A! - I Nearly Died In Adoration!

Nagmamahal forever,
Manay Letty

Ito po ang inyong Manay Letty na nagpapaalam at nagsasabing...Remember, there's a Manay Letty inside every one of us!


Saturday, April 25, 2009

GOV. GRACE PADACA'S SPEECH - EXCERPT

LET ME JUST SHARE WITH YOU ONE VERY SPECIAL MOMENT IN MY LIFE AS GOVERNOR. THIS IS ABOUT AN NPA COMMANDER AND A BRIGADE COMMANDER WHO I ALWAYS INTERVIEWED WHEN I WAS STILL A BROADCASTER. WALA PANG CELLPHONES NOON, MAYROON LANG MGA TWO WAY RADIO OR SINGLE SIDE BANDS WHATEVER, I DO NOT KNOW. BUT I WENT THROUGH GREAT PAINS JUST TO BE ABLE TO BRING THE TWO MEN TO DIALOUGE IN MY RADIO PROGRAMS BEFORE. SABAY SILANG NARIRINIG. THAT WAS +9MADE POSSIBLE BECAUSE ID LIKE TO THINK THEY HAD SOME KIND OF A MUTUAL RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER. PERHAPS IN THE WAY THEY CONDUCTED THEMSELVES IN BATTLE OR MAYBE EVEN IN THE FACT THAT THEY WERE WILLING TO TALK TO EACH OTHER. IN 1992 THE NPA COMMANDER SURRENDERED TO THEN GOVERNOR BENJAMIN DY AND WHO TOOK HIM IN AND IS NOW A CAPITOL EMPLOYEE. HIS NAME IS ROLANDO LEE OR KA ILYAN. THE BRIGADE COMMANDER WAS GENERAL HOMER CAPULONG. COLONEL PA LANG SIYA NOON. HANGGANG NGAYON TEXT MATES PA RIN KAMI. LAST YEAR, HE CAME TO ISABELA TO INVITE ME AS GRADUATION SPEAKER IN THE WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA ECIJA WHERE HE IS ONE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. I ASKED HIM, GENERAL, GUSTO MONG MAKITA NANG PERSONAL SI KA ILYAN? SO HERE THEY ARE. ONE OF THE NICEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE AS A BROADCASTER AND GOVERNOR.

ANOTHER STEP THAT I INITIATED IS TO MEET WITH THE POOR MEN’S LAWYERS, THE PAO’S (PUBLIC ATTORNEYS OFFICE)—TO LEARN FROM THEM THEIR PREDICAMENTS AND THOSE OF THEIR INDIGENT CLIENTS. EVEN BEFORE THE ENACTMENT OF RA 9406 LAST MARCH 2007 WHICH AUTHORIZES LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS TO GIVE FINANCIAL AND OTHER SUPPORT TO OUR PAO’S, I ALREADY WORKED FOR THE INCLUSION OF ALLOWANCES FOR THE PUBLIC ATTORNEYS IN ISABELA’S 2006 ANNUAL BUGET AND FROM THEN ON THEY HAVE BEEN RECEIVING REGULAR ALLOWANCES AND ASSISTANCE FROM THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT. WITH REGARD TO JUDGES, PROSECUTORS AND CLERKS OF COURT, I HAVE EMPHASIZED THAT I HAVE AGREED TO CONTINUE WHAT THE PREVIOUS LEADERS OF ISABELA WERE GIVING THEM FOR THEIR ALLOWANCES BUT ONLY AS AN AUGMENTATION TO THE INSUFFICIENT AMOUNT THAT THEY ARE RECEIVING FROM THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, NOT TO SOLICIT ASSURANCE THAT THEY WILL SPARE MY PEOPLE IF THEY EVER GET INTO TROUBLE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, AS IN THE CASE OF PDEA’S MAJOR MARCELINO, I HAVE SOME ISSUES TOO WITH PROSECUTORS IN ISABELA WHO LET PEOPLE GO SCOT FREE EVEN IF THEY ARE ALREADY CAUGHT RED HANDED.

FOREST PROTECTION

RIGHT NOW, IN ISABELA, I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY DIFFICULT MISSION THAT I DECIDED TO TAKE HEAD ON – THE FIGHT AGAINST THE BIG SYNDICATES IN ISABELA WHO HAVE BEEN RAMPANTLY DESTROYING THE SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAINS WHICH IS LOCATED IN 9 OF OUR 36 MUNICIPALITIES . IT IS IN ISABELA WHERE 30% TO 40% OF THE COUNTRY’S LAST REMAINING FOREST COVER REMAINS.

SO MANY TIMES A DAY, FOR TOO LONG NOW, TRUCKS FULL OF ILLEGALLY CUT LOGS PASS THROUGH OUR HIGHWAYS UNDETERRED BY THE DENR, WHILE WE LOSE BILLIONS OF PESOS IN CROP AND INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGES WHEN TYPHOONS AND FLOODS HIT US DUE TO DENUDED FORESTS.

NATURAL DISASTERS HIT US SO MANY TIMES A YEAR.IF ITS NOT THE WATERS, IT IS LACK OF THEM THAT CAUSE UNTOLD SUFFERING TO OUR FARMERS AND POOR FAMILIES, LIKE WHEN THE DROUGHT IN 2007 DAMAGED THE EQUIVALENT OF OUR WHOLE PROVINCIAL BUDGET FOR THE YEAR.

I WORKED WITH OUR SANGGUNIANG PANLALAWIGAN AND THEY APPROVED MY REQUEST OF APPROPRIATING P8M OF OUR OWN MONEY IN ORDER TO HELP PUT A STOP TO THE UNABATED CUTTING OF TREES IN OUR PART OF THE SIERRA MADRES. OF THE ONE MILLION BOARD FEET WAITING TO BROUGHT DOWN FROM THE SIERRA MADRES WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN CUT BY PEOPLE CALLED BOGADORS, WE HAVE CONFISCATED ABOUT 60% OR 600,000 BOARD FEET. WE ARE SET TO AUCTION THIS OFF AND DENR SEC LITO ATIENZA AGREED TO OUR REQUEST THAT WE WILL USE THE PROCEEDS TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING THE ISABELA FOREST PROTECTION TASK FORCE. IT’S NO JOKE PROVIDING FOR THE MEALS OF OUR TASK FORCE MEMBERS MORNING NOON AND NIGHT AS WELL AS THOSE OF PLATOONS OF SOLDIERS, WHO ARE HELPING US A LOT IN THIS ANTI-ILLEGAL LOGGING FIGHT.

THIS REMINDS ME OF THE TIME OF RETIRED GENERAL ORLANDO SORIANO AS COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE 5THID WHEN HIS TASK FORCE LUNTIAN AND THE DENR’S OPLAN JERICHO CONFISCATED TRUCKS UPON TRUCKS OF ILLEGALLY CUT LOGS IN ISABELA. I REMEMBER NA GALIT NA GALIT SA KANIYA NOON ANG DY-NASTY..

LAST SEPTEMBER, IN COOPERATION WITH THE 45TH IB AND THE CASF ASSIGNED IN ISABELA, WE FLEW OVER THE SIERRA MADRES AND PROVED MY WORST FEARS, THE ONE MILLION BOARD FEET OF ILLEGALY CUT LOGS THAT WE HAVE BLOCKED IN THE TOWN OF ILAGAN IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE ESTIMATED TEN MILLION BOARD FEET THAT WE SAW IN THE TOWN OF SAN MARIANO, STILL A PART OF THE SIERRA MADRE NATURAL PARK.

TEN MILLION BOARD FEET … ONLY FOR THIS YEAR 2008?

HOW ABOUT ALL THESE PAST YEARS? HOW CAN I NOT TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THIS FIGHT TO PROTECT OUR FORESTS?

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS IN PHILIPPINE SOCIETY THAT WE HAVE TO FIGHT … CORRUPTION, , POLITICS OF PATRONAGE, JUETENG, ILLEGAL LOGGING.

MANY TIMES I HAVE TALKED WITH MAYORS IN ISABELA ABOUT THIS ISSUES AND THEY’D ALWAYS TELL ME, GOVERNOR, WE HAVE NO CHOICE, BECAUSE SO MANY POOR PEOPLE COME TO US FOR THEIR URGENT NEEDS. THEY USE PEOPLE’S POVERTY AS A CONVENIENT EXCUSE TO RECEIVE BRIBE OR PROTECTION MONEY. MANY OFTEN REFUSE TO DO THE COURAGEOUS THING BECAUSE ARE AFRAID THEY WILL LOSE THEIR SOURCES OF FUNDS AND THE VOTES FOR THE NEXT ELECTIONS .

I HAVE SEEN MANY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS STOP SHORT AT DOING THE RIGHT THING. THEY JUST LOOK THE OTHER WAY, NO MATTER HOW STRONG THEIR FEELINGS ARE TOO ABOUT WHAT SHOULD BE.. THEY DO NOT ACT. THEY ARE IMMOBILIZED BY THEIR FEAR OF LOSING VOTES. SABI KO TULOY SUCH OBSESSION WITH RE-ELECTION IS EVEN MORE PARALYZING THAN POLIO.

SABI KO SA KANILA, KAYO NAMAN PALA ANG PILAY EH. HINDI AKO. DAHIL GANITO LANG AKO, KUMIKILOS AKO LABAN SA ILLEGAL LOGGING, SA JUETENG, SA MGA GUMAGAWA NG HINDI TAMA.

I REFUSE TO WASTE THE POWER THAT MY POSITION GIVES ME NOT TO DO WHAT ONLY GOVERNORS OR GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVES LIKE ME HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OR THE POWER TO DO..

LET ME TELL PLEASE TELL YOU ONE OF MY BIGGEST REALIZATIONS AS GOVERNOR.

AFTER HAVING BEEN IN THIS POSITION FOR 4 YEARS, I HAVE CONFIRMED FOR MYSELF THAT TRULY, PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT POSITIONS HAVE ENOURMOUS POWERS. ONE SIGNATURE OF MINE CAN CAUSE THE RELEASE OF MILLIONS OF PESOS. ONE YES OR NO THAT I SAY AFFECTS THE LIVE OF SO MANY PEOPLE. IF USED WELL, POWER CAN BE A GOOD THING. IT CAN MAKE YOU DO SO MANY THINGS TO UPLIFT THE CONDITIONS OF MANY POOR PEOPLE. IT CAN MAKE YOU GIVE STRENGTH TO THE WEAK. IT CAN MAKE YOU EMPOWER THE COMMON MAN.

BUT IF YOU ARE NOT GROUNDED, IF YOU HAVE NOT THE RIGHT VALUES, YOU CAN GET EASILY GET TEMPTED. LALONG NAGING MALINAW SA AKIN NA NAKAKATAKOT MAPUNTA ANG KAPANGYARIHA NG PAMAHALAAN SA KAMAY NG MGA HINDI KARAPAT-DAPAT.

I AM WELL AWARE OF DISAPPOINTMENTS AMONG MANY PMAERS WHO VERY WELL KNOW WHAT SHOULD BE BUT DO NOT SEE IT IN SOCIETY, MORE SO IN GOVERNMENT.

MUKHANG PAGOD NA RIN ANG MGA TAO SA PEOPLE POWER AS WE KNOW IT AND OF COURSE COUP D’ETAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO MANY.

BUT WE SHOULD NOT STOP FEELING DISGUSTED WITH WHATS HAPPENING. WE SHOULD UNITE AND DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH OUR ANGER, WITH OUR FRUSTRATION. AS I HAVE SAID, WE WILL NOT HAVE PEACE OF MIND IF WE JUST ALLOW WRONG TO PREVAIL IN OUR DEAR COUNTRY WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER TO HELP CHANGE THINGS.

FOR ONE, LET US NOT PUT ALL OUR HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS ON ONE PERSON ALONE. OUR COUNTRY’S ISSUES CANNOT BE SOLVED BY ASKING JUST ONE PERSON TO RESIGN OR REFORM. WE WILL ONLY BE FRUSTRATED. LET US INSTEAD WORK FOR THE ELECTION INTO OFFICE OF GOOD GOVERNORS, GOOD MAYORS AND EVEN GOOD BARANGAY CAPTAINS AND KAGAWADS SO THAT IF WE ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP, THERE ARE STILL THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO RELY ON.

THAT IS WHAT OUR GROUP “KAYA NATIN” IS ADVOCATING. KAMI PO NINA AMONG GOV EDDIE PANLILIO OF PAMPANGA, MAYOR JESSE ROBREDO OF NAGA CITY, GOVERNOR TEDDY BAGUILAT OF IFUGAO, MAYOR SONIA LORENZO OF SAN ISIDRO, NUEVA ECIJA AND HARVEY KEH OF THE ATENEO SCHOOL OF GOVERNMET . KAYA NATIN IS A MOVEMENT FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE AND ETHICAL LEADERSHIP.

WE HAVE BEEN GOING AROUND, SPECIALLY IN SCHOOLS TRYING TO ENGAGE THE YOUNG AND EXPLAINING TO THEM THE NEED OF REGISTERING TO VOTE, BEING WELL-INFORMED OF ISSUES, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, MAKING THEMSELVES AVAILABLE AND READY WHEN VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO ENSURE BETTER ELECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY.

I AM QUITE OBSESSIVE ON THE MATTER OF ELECTORAL REFORMS

BECAUSE EVER SINCE MY RE-ELECTION AS GOVERNOR LAST YEAR AND SEEING ONCE AGAIN HOW THE ELECTORAL PROCESS HAS GOTTEN EVEN DIRTIER, HOW VOTE BUYING HAS BECOME EVEN WORSE, I WOULD TELL ANYONE WHO’D CARE TO LISTEN THAT WE SHOULD NOT WAIT UNTIL JUST THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS TO CRAM AND DO OUR VOTER’S EDUCATION, TO ENCOURAGE VOLUNTEERS AND NOT JUST LEAVE THE POLLWATCHING TO A HANDFUL OF SACRIFICING CWL OR LEGION OF MARY MEMBERS OR MOTHER BUTLERS AND LET ELECTIONS BE DOMINATED BY THE WELL PAID MACHINERY OF TRADITIONAL POLITICIANS.

SADLY, SOMETIMES, IT IS ALSO DURING ELECTION SEASONS WHEN POLICE AND MILITARY OFFICIALS ARE RELIEVED AND REASSIGNED IN A WAY THAT GOVERNMENT NEOPHYTES LIKE US CAN ONLY LOOK IN HOPELESSNESS AND SHOCK.

FORTUNATELY, THERE ARE NOW GROUPS LIKE THE MGG OR THE MOVEMENT FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT COMPOSED OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS WHICH AS EARLY AS NOW ARE WORKING FOR BETTER ELECTIONS IN 2010. IT IS GOOD THAT THEY ARE NON-PARTISAN, THAT THEY ARE INVOLVING THEMSELVES NOT FOR THE BENEFIT OF ANY CANDIDATE BUT THE OVER-ALL ORDERLY AND CREDIBLE CONDUCT OF THE COMING ELECTIONS.

YESTERDAY, CITO BELTRAN WROTE ABOUT A PMA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CHAPTER IN MALACANANG, SAYING THAT THE PALACE HAS BEEN OVERRUN BY RETIRED MILITARY AND POLICE OFFICIALS WHO ARE ALL GRADUATES OF THE PMA. I DO NOT KNOW THE REASONS OF THE PRESIDENT FOR MAKING THIS SO BUT PERSONALLY, I DO NOT MIND GRADUATES FROM THE PMA JOINING THE GOVERNMENT, PERHAPS NOT BY SHEER APPOINTMENT BUT VICTORY THROUGH ELECTIONS. SAYANG NAMAN PO ANG GALING NIYO, AT ANG BABATA NIYO PA NAMAN KUNG NAGRE-RETIRE. MAS MAY “K” NAMAN KAYO SA IBA. NATURUAN NAMAN KAYO TODO-TODO SA ACADEMY TUNGKOL SA COURAGE, INTEGRITY, LOYALTY, NOT TO MENTION EXCELLENCE IN THE THINGS THAT YOU DO. I TAKE EXCEPTION THOUGH ON THOSE WHO, DESPITE BEING PMAERS, DID NOT OR ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING TO FIGHT JUETENG. SOMETIMES, THE MORE JUNIOR OFFICERS SERIOUSLY WANT TO ACT BUT THOSE IN THE HIGHER POSITIONS ARE THE ONES THWARTING THEIR EFFORTS. I HOPE ITS NOT TRUE WHAT I HEAR ABOUT THE “WAIT TILL YOU BECOME” SYNDROME. IF NOT JUETENG, IT IS TAKING PROTECTION MONEY FROM ILLEGAL LOGGERS OR DRUG LORDS. WHAT A WASTE OF THE GREAT POWER OF OUR DEAR SOLDIERS AND POLICEMEN IF THESE ARE USED TO PERPETUATE RATHER THAN STOP THE EVILS OF SOCIETY. THE DIRTY MONEY FROM JUETENG, DRUGS AND ILLEGAL LOGGING , ALL THESE YEARS, HAVE BEEN PUTTING SO MANY OF THE WRONG AND UNWORTHY PEOPLE IN WHAT I CONSIDER AS SACRED POSITIONS IN GOVERNMENT.

LET US PLEASE CHANGE THE SITUATION. I KNOW THAT YOU FROM THE PMA CAN DO SO MUCH TOWARDS THIS END. WHENEVER I TALK TO OUR PEOPLE ABOUT POLITICAL DYNASTIES, I TELL THEM HINDI LANG NAMAN DITO SA ISABELA MAYROONG DYNASTY. MARAMI DIN NAMAN SA IBANG LALAWIGAN. PERO AT LEAST, SA IBA, PINAG-AARAL MUNA NILA MGA ANAK, PINAGDADALUBHASA, PINAPAARAL NG ABOGASYA O PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION KASI ALAM NILANG SILA ANG PAPALIT. DITO KASI SA ISABELA, SABI KO, YUNG MGA MYEMBRO NG PAMILYA HINDI NA NAG-AARAL KASI MANANALO LANG DIN SILA. MAGPAPAKASAWA MUNANG MAGING BUM, PAG AYAW NA MAKAISIP MAGING MAYOR, CONGRESSMAN AT NANALO. AT LEAST MAN LANG SANA, PAGHANDAAN DIN NAMAN NILA ANG MAGLINGKOD SA TAO AT SA BANSA.

WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS THAT PMAERS HAVE BEEN TAUGHT SO MUCH ABOUT LOVE OF COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE AND MANY OF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED RELATING WITH THE POOREST OF OUR POOR IN OUR REMOTEST BARANGAYS. THAT CAN BE PUT TO GOOD USE, WELL, IF NOT IN DIRECT MEANS AS THRU ELECTIVE POSITIONS IN GOVERNMENT THEN IN MANY OTHER AREAS WHERE YOU CAN CONTINUE USING THE KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM AND EXPERIENCES THAT YOU AS PMAERS HAVE BEEN UNIQUELY PROVIDED.

IF SOMEBODY SO DISADVANTAGED LIKE ME CAN MAKE IT DESPITE THE FACT THAT I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY, POLITICAL MACHINERY AND SOPHISTICATION WITH ELECTORAL CHEATING THAT TRADITIONAL CANDIDATES HAVE, IT MEANS THAT THERE IS STILL HOPE IN THE PHILIPPINES , THAT FILIPINOS CAN LOOK BEYOND WHAT IS WRONG AND USUAL, AS LONG AS WE GUIDE THEM, EDUCATE THEM, MAKE THEM SEE THE DIFFERENCE. WE HAVE TO BUILD ON THIS HOPE AND NOT LET IT SLIP FROM OUR HANDS.

IF I HAVE TO SAY SO MYSELF PLEASE LOOK AT ME, THIS HANDICAPPED PERSON WHO IS NOW THE GOVERNOR OF MY PEOPLE. LOOK AT ME AS THE EMBODIMENT OF THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE THROUGH THE BALLOT. WHAT ELSE CAN EXPLAIN MY BEING GOVERNOR THAN THE DECISION OF THE ISABELINOS TO USE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE DIFFERENTLY. MINE WAS ONLY ONE VOTE. WHAT MADE ME WIN WAS THE VOTE OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSAND OF OTHERS. THEY WHO MADE THE CHOICE AND BECAUSE OF THIS, THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT ISABELA NOW. LET US THEN WORK FOR THE WISE USE OF THE PEOPLE TO VOTE AND PROTECT AND RESPECT THEIR CHOICES..

LASTLY, PLEASE REALIZE THAT THE VERY FEW AMONG US WHO ARE SAID TO GIVE OUR PEOPLE HOPE, ALSO NEED TO BE ENCOURAGED, ALSO NEED TO BE UPLIFTED.

WE CANNOT FAIL. PLEASE HELP US NOT FAIL. WHEN I DELIVERED MY RESPONSE DURING THE RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARDS PRESENTATION CEREMONIES, I MENTIONED ABOUT BARACK OBAMA TALKING ABOUT THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, BUT MANY OF US, ASIANS, WHO HAVE SUFFERED SO MUCH MORE// AND HAVE ALREADY SUCCEEDED IN RISING ABOVE OUR MANY CHALLENGES, NEED NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE BURDEN OF THE BRAVE - THE NEED TO CONTINUE SUCCEEDING AFTER RAISING THE HOPES OF OUR PEOPLE. BECAUSE IF WE OURSELVES FALL SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS, THE LOWER STILL THAT WE HAVE SANKED THE FAITH OF OUR PEOPLE.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS I KNOW WELL ENOUGH THAT SO MANY OF OUR FELLOW FILIPINOS SUPPORT THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT.

I KNOW IT FROM ALL THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND CHEERS THAT I GET WHEN I MEET ORDINARY FILIPINOS - SALESLADIES IN DEPARTMENT STORES, SECURITY GUARDS, WAITERS AND WAITRESSES, AS WELL AS PROFESSIONALS, BUSINESS EXECUTIVES AND EVEN AMONG OUR SOLDIERS AND POLICEMEN. AS LONG AS OUR KABABAYANS STILL FEEL OFFENDED AND DISGUSTED WITH THE WRONG THINGS HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY AND AT THE SAME TIME CLAMOR FOR CHANGE WE WILL HAVE A BETTER PHILIPPINES .

LET ME END MY SHARING WITH YOU TODAY BY RELATING TO YOU ONE INCIDENT IN THE YEAR 2001, WHEN I FIRST DARED RUN AGAINST THE POWERS-THAT- DY IN ISABELA.

THERE WAS A CANDIDATES FORUM CALLED BY THE COMELEC AND THE PPCRV NAMFREL WHERE WE CANDIDATES WERE ASKED TO PRESENT OUR PLATFORMS OF GOVERNMENT. WE WERE GIVEN ONLY 5 MINUTES EACH .

SABI KO SA SARILI KO, NAKU, PAANO YAN, SA BAGAL KONG MAGLAKAD, BAKA UBOS NA IYONG FIVE MINUTES KO PAGDATING KO SA PODIUM.

WHEN I SHARED THIS STORY TO ONE OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE CANDIDATES FORUM, HE SAID, YOU DID NOT EVEN HAVE TO TALK, GRACE. YOU YOURSELF WERE THE MESSAGE.

THAT HERE IS SOMEONE WHO PEOPLE PERCEIVE AS SOMEONE WEAK, SOMEONE HELPLESS, BUT STILL CARES ENOUGH FOR HER COUNTRY TO HELP MAKE IT CHANGE.

THAT IS STILL MY MESSAGE. I HAVE BEEN GIVEN SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS ABOUT NATIONBUILDING. AND MY MESSAGE CONTINUES TO BE …. NO ONE IS EXEMPTED FROM THE DUTY OF DOING OUR SHARE SO THAT WE FILIPINOS CAN START TAKING CONTROL OF OUR OWN FUTURE AND WORKING TOGETHER FOR THAT GENUINE AND LASTING CHANGE THAT WE ALL WANT TO SEE IN OUR COUNTRY. HOW MUCH MORE IF YOU ARE A PMAER? I KNOW// YOU KNOW THAT. I KNOW TOO// THAT MANY OF YOU// WANT TO DO THAT. BUT BY THIS TIME, WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT WORKS// AND WHAT DOES NOT. WHAT WILL LAST // AND WHAT WILL NOT.

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE WITH YOU MY HUMBLE EXPERIENCE. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IF LITTLE ME CAN DO SOMETHING, OUR BIG PMAERS YOU CAN DO A LOT MORE FOR OUR COUNTRY - BUT ONLY IN THE RIGHT WAY // AND FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.

MARAMING SALAMAT PO.

WORLD BANK REPORTS

Very costly doing business in RP - World Bank
By Des Ferriols
Philippine Star
Updated April 24, 2009
12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Despite efforts to simplify business processes in the country, the cost of doing business in the Philippines is one of the highest in Southeast Asia and very little protection is given to investors.

A report by the World Bank (WB) showed that compared to its closest competitors in the region, doing business in the Philippines needs more reforms if the country wants to compete for foreign investments.

The WB said in its 2009 World Development Indicators that the health of a country was measured not only in macroeconomic terms but also by other factors that shape daily economic activity such as laws, regulations, and institutional arrangements.

"The Doing Business indicators measure business regulation, gauge regulatory outcomes, and measure the extent of legal protection of property, the flexibility of employment regulation, and the tax burden on businesses," the WB said.

The WB surveyed businesses to set indicators in starting a business, registering property, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, enforcing contracts, protecting investors, and closing a business.

"The fundamental premise of the Doing Business project is that economic activity requires good rules and regulations that are efficient, accessible to all who need to use them, and simple to implement," the WB said.

Thus some Doing Business indicators give a higher score for more regulation, such as stricter disclosure requirements in related-party transactions, and others give a higher score for simplified regulations such as a one-stop shop for completing business startup formalities.

In the survey, the Philippines scored roughly in the middle of the Southeast Asian pack that included Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

In the Philippines, the WB survey showed that there were 15 different procedures for starting a business that would take an average of 52 days to complete, with costs equivalent to 29.8 percent of the per capita national gross income.

On the other hand, there were 24 different procedures for dealing with construction permits that take over 200 days to complete and about 37 different procedures to enforce a contract that take a whopping 842 days to implement.

Worst of all, the country scored two on the one to 10 scale that assessed the degree of regulatory protection given to investors in terms of full disclosure and the like.

For comparison, countries like Malaysia have fewer procedures that take significantly shorter to complete and cost significantly less when starting businesses.

Malaysia also scored 10 in investor protection, at par with most developed countries that have advanced and strict disclosure requirements intended to protect stockholders and investors of listed and unlisted companies.

Vietnam, which used to trail the Philippines in terms of foreign direct investments, has made significant headway in improving its business environment with better and cheaper processing time for start-ups and a higher investor protection score of six.

Vietnam has also significantly improved its legal system such that it only took 34 procedures and 295 days to enforce a contract.

Even Indonesia where starting a business was more expensive and took longer, it still took significantly less time to enforce contracts and that country also scored high (9 index points against the maximum of 10) in the investor protection index.


Thursday, April 23, 2009

I'M STILL WAITING...


 

DONORS: NO RESULTS, NO MORE AID

By Pia Lee-Brago
Updated April 22, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - With a number of foreign-funded projects tainted by corruption, donor countries are preparing a more "businesslike" and "result-oriented" approach to dealing with developing countries, which may involve depriving these nations of future aid if they fail to show results.

This was disclosed yesterday by Koos Richelle, European Commission Director General of the EuropeAid Cooperation Office, at the closing of the two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Development Conference at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Makati City.

"We are not here to pinpoint defects of anyone. We are now in the process of restructuring our aid in the direction that we have this result-oriented approach with our partner country in order to ensure that two years from now you can show results everywhere, not only to our taxpayers and our partners but also here in the country, and it is more transparent," Richelle said at a press conference.

He stressed the importance of development cooperation not as a "post-colonial hang-up or charity" but more as a business contract.

"Because if you do not deliver like in a normal contract we are not supposed to pay you. That is a more businesslike approach to development cooperation," he said.

At the opening of the conference on Monday, Richelle said more donors are asking for tangible results.

"We should forget all these images that we are Santa Claus and suddenly change into a snowman or something like that because we do not like what is happening," he said.

He said sustainable development would result from quality leadership and governance in recipient countries, noting that donors must respect each country's own policies and cooperate with the policy makers to maximize the impact of developmental assistance.

"In this way, donorland avoids becoming Disneyland," Richelle said.

He said donors have become more willing to put more money on the table provided results are guaranteed. National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Deputy Director Rolando Tungpalan, for his part, said many developing countries have demonstrated very sound judgment in advising donors which projects could yield results.

"Results must likewise be geared in the context of mutual accountability. It is no longer the donors saying if you do not achieve this we will move out. I just feel the relationship has deepened and matured," Tungpalan said.

The "ASEM Development Conference-Towards Sustainable Development" brought together high-level officials and experts for discussions on three major themes of the Beijing Declaration - the Millennium Development Goals, climate change, and social cohesion.

STRESS MANAGEMENT MAKE IT EASY



Just in case you are having a rough day, here is a stress management technique recommended in all the latest Psychological journals.

The funny thing is that it really does work and will make you smile....

1. Picture yourself lying on your belly on a warm rock that hangs out over a crystal clear stream.

2. Picture yourself with both your hands dangling in the cool-running water.

3. Birds are sweetly singing in the cool mountain air.

4. No one knows your secret place.

5. You are in total seclusion from that hectic place called the world.

6. The soothing sound of a gentle water fall fills the air with a cascade of serenity.

7. The water is so crystal clear that you can easily make out the face of the person you are holding underwater.

There!! See? It really does work.

You're smiling already.

Feel free to forward this if you know others who might benefit from this technique.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

CORRUPTION IN THE MILITARY


Garcia Conviction Didn't Erase Military Corruption

GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc Updated April 20, 2009 12:00 AM


Brutality and insensitivity marred the police probe of Ted Failon's wife's suicide. They barged like thugs into the hospital Thursday night and forcibly tried to paraffin-test Trina, who was then fighting for her life. Failing that, they collared and handcuffed her brother, for helping doctors stop the goony lawmen from crowding into the ICU. They then arrested a sister for obstructing justice because a housemaid - not her - had cleaned up the bloodied bathroom. They acted under a Marcos despotic decree that requires no warrant to pick up somebody for that offense; nobody arrested the Cabinet men who had muddled the ZTE scam inquiry. Ted's household was grieving, and the cops could have just filed a case with the fiscal, who would then let a few decent days pass to let the family answer. But no, they were desperate to show they were treating the Failon case like any other, and so over-eagerly insisted on a night inquest. In the process they violated the sister's civil rights: they did not read her the Miranda Rights, and even pushed aside a lawyer who had wanted to escort her.

The midnight before, cops picked up Ted at the house and made him undergo nearly eight hours of interrogation at headquarters. When finally allowed by the investigation chief to go, the deputy and the case officer cried to the press that Ted had escaped. It turned out that daughter Kaye, who accompanied Ted, had pleaded with the chief to let them visit her dying mom at the hospital. There was no time for them to waste. At one point, the case officer had made them wait three hours just for one sleeping superior's signature. The cops were having fun in the midst of the family's distress, taking snickering photos of themselves while questioning Ted.

Not to be outdone, Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez ordered the issuance of a hold-departure on Ted, as if an escaped felon. The oaf claimed that an in-law of Ted had requested it. Given his vindictiveness and flip-flops on big cases, people cannot take Gonzalez's word for it. He was just harassing Ted, likely on the say-so of a PR adviser who had been fired from ABS-CBN for loutish behavior.

* * *

You'd think that after lawmen went hammer and tongs at a thieving military comptroller in 2004, generals would dither to steal from the coffers. Think again. Records piling up with the Deputy Ombudsman for Military show some officers to be as brazen as Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia in stealing. Clearly there's been a glitch somewhere, between the plugging of bidding loopholesthat Garcia had exploited and the ascendancy of new officers. A succession of scams has hit the headlines, including recruitment bribery by Army auxiliaries and overpricing of Air Force helicopters. One rocking the Navy appears to beat them all.

A supplier of cannon ammo swears that the bids committee set him up to be disqualified from a P65-million purchase last January. The modus was simple. The bids secretary told the supplier he didn't need to submit one original and seven copies of technical-financial papers, but only the usual 1-plus-4. Informed twice that it was the vice chairman's wish, he complied. On biddingday, however, the chairman declared him non-compliant with the new 1-plus-7 rule and thus debarred. Only one other bidder was left, who turned in an offer P15 million higher than the framed supplier. The vice chair shamefacedly admitted to having instructed the secretary to tell the supplier to dispense with the 1-plus-7 requisite. This info emboldened the latter to plead for reconsideration. But during the ensuing hearing, the bids lawyer coached the secretary to lie under oath. It was then that the vice chair whispered to the supplier that the members had been bought P1 million each to rig the bidding.

What's it to us? Well, our soldiers could have used that P15-million bribe, if saved, for extra Navy shells to cover their assaults on terrorist or separatist lairs. Corruption can be deadly.

* * *

While citizens reel from the global financial crisis, officials are raking it big. Senators still have their P200-million pork per year, congressmen P70 million. Most ask for 20-25 percent cut to grant contracts. One senator is so greedy, however, that he demands 55 percent - 50 for him and 5 for his chief of staff. Now what kind of road can a contractor build, or medicine to sell, with "tong-pats" as big as that?

Local officials are into it too. In a town in Iloilo the mayor purchased two second-hand reconditioned dump trucks for P2.1 million each. His supplier, a close friend, had bought the units for only P200,000 apiece. The return on investment was "piso mo tama ng barko". Thus encouraged, the mayor then ordered more second-hand items: steamrollers, backhoes, graders, luxury sedans, SUVs, and irrigation pumps.

At the public works office in faraway Cordilleras, officials are playing with P3.4 billion for the President's "flagship projects." About P700 million already has been stolen in overpriced and non-existent purchases.

Why are they so brazen? Because they know that investigators, prosecutors and judges can be bribed to clear them.

* * *


E-mail: jariusbondoc@workmail.com

LETTER FROM THE CLARIZ LADIES


Dear Sirs and Ladies,


Que barbaridad -- they are barbarians in their ways....

The unfortunate will happen in Europe, will continue to destroy the European brotherhood when Paras takes over, just like what happened in Canada, now Ka Miling is back we heard but what can he do. After creating a strong group, he himself destroyed it because of his nephew Collantes (just like Paras) and the rest of his group today are just like IHQ, grabbing power from one another.... Good we no longer work with them. We are working on better projects going forward with CLARIZ and IFKOR.

Sir Boy Gempesaw - is so disappointed with IHQ, because it is still in the power of Quiambao.... so why waste his time??? He is working with his brothers in the Rotary club, who reach out to the needy... and we are working on a partnership to bring WHEELCHAIRS to the PI.... a worthy cause.....

Let us build IFKOR and make a difference in the RIZALIAN world today and in the years to come.....

IHQ,,, Europe.... Canada... they are all CORRUPT, birds of the same feather flock together after Quiambao.... plucked all their feathers and bind it in one CORRUPT group.

We are happy in CLARIZ as we support IFKOR... we can make a difference in the RIZALIAN world across the globe...


Lady Baby Pulumbarit
and CLARIZ Ladies

Monday, April 20, 2009

ADOLF HITLER - RIZAL'S SON!


Is it true that the Filipino doctor Dr Jose P Rizal was the biological father of Adulf Hitler?

[Edit]

The claim that Adolf Hitler was Rizal's progeny must be based on the following facts:

* Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 (that means he could have been conceived sometime in August, 1888) , in the little village of Braunau, near the German-Austrian border.
* He was born an Austrian and remained one until the 1930's.
* The name of Hitler's mother was Klara Polzl.
* At one time she was a maid, in Vienna.
* Hitler always considered the town of Linz, in Austria, as his hometown (in his Political Testament he referred to "my home-town of Linz on the Danube.").
* Hitler's oldest brother, Gustav, born on May 17, 1885, and his sister Ida, born in 1886, both died before he was born.
* Bavaria was considered the "cradle" of Nazism.
* The Nazis made Japan one of the Axis powers. At one point they were trying to prove that the Japanese were Aryans to make them members of the "master race."

Now combine the above information with the following culled from the life of Rizal:

* On February 1, 1886, he left Paris for Germany. He went to Heidelberg, Wilhlmsfeld, Munich (in Bavaria), all somewhat near the German-Austrian border; on August 9, 1886 he left for Leipzig ("visiting various German cities along the way," one book says), arriving there on August 14. In October he went to Dresden and then to Berlin.
* In Berlin he finished Noli Me Tangere. One of the book's characters is named Maria Clara.
* On May 11, 1887, Rizal began his Grand Tour of Europe. He went to Dresden, Teschen (now Decin in the former Czechoslovakia), Prague, and then Brunn (where he lost a diamond stickpin), and Vienna (where he got back his stickpin, which was found by a maid in the hotel he stayed in in Brunn) in Austria .
* On May 24, 1887, he left Vienna by riverboat to see sights on the Danube River (on the boat he saw paper napkins for the first time). His voyage ended at Linz.
* From Linz he went to Munich (where Hitler attempted a putsch in 1923) and Nuremberg (site of the Nazi Party rallies and the War Crimes trials), and other German cities.
* Rizal was in the German Empire, sometimes past the German-Austrian border, from February 1886 until he went to Switzerland in early June, 1887.
* Rizal was again in Europe from May 24, 1888, until October 18, 1891. He was in London, Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Biarritz, Ghent. He was in Europe during the time Hitler was conceived and when he was born.
* Rizal in 1888 had an affair with a Japanese woman, Seiko Usui, when he visited Japan. She had an only daughter, Yuriko, by a foreign husband some years after her encounter with Rizal. Yuriko later married the son of a Japanese politician.

Put all this information together and you may be able to conclude the following: Hitler was conceived either in 1887 when Rizal passed through Linz or other towns (such as Brunn - how do you think he lost the diamond stickpin? And who was the "maid" who found it later and gave it to Blumentritt who forwarded it to Vienna?) near the Austrian border: in which case Hitler's older siblings were fictitious, to cover up his mother's being pregnant with him. In other words Hitler was actually born before 1889.

Or he was conceived in August, 1888, when Rizal was supposedly in London. Or perhaps in September, 1888, when Rizal went to Paris for a week (to have a rendezvous with Klara?). Maybe when to Paris in 1889 it was so he could communicate more easily with the now-expecting Klara? Klara Polzl's affair with Rizal may have centered around Linz, which is why the Hitler family moved there later (so Mama Hitler could live where she had An Affair To Remember), which would explain Hitler's fondness for the town.

Finally, Seiko Usui's only daughter was not really fathered by her husband, Alfred Charlton. He was simply a front. Yuriko, you see, was Rizal's daughter! And Hitler knew she was his half-sister. She used her influence on her brother Adolf to convince him to enter into an alliance with Japan (making it one of the Axis powers): which is why Japan invaded the Philippines! Yuriko made it clear to Hirohito that Hitler would appreciate it if his ally were to take over his father's homeland. And of course the reason why Hitler wanted to become dictator of Germany was because his natural father had spent some of the most interesting years of his life there!

That is the rationale behind such a fantastic claim based on information that can be gathered from any High School textbook on Rizal and any good biography of Adolf Hitler. Naturally, this can only be done through selective use of the evidence, but it does make for an amusing piece of historical fiction.

Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_it_true_that_the_Filipino_doctor_Dr_Jose_P_Rizal_was_the_biological_father_of_Adulf_Hitler

Saturday, April 18, 2009

TO SIGH...

to sigh - verb, transitive
1. To express with or as if with an audible exhalation.

2. Archaic. To lament. [1]



How many times have I, since I resigned from the KOR, sighed at the downhill developments in that organization, especially in the European and Canadian regions?



By the way, let every reader note that I quoted the word SIGH. I did not claim nor implied that I defined it in my own words. Let no one accuse me of plagiarism. My dear friend, Christoph warned me enough that plagiarism is not lightly taken in this “neck of the woods” – in Europe.



Also, I will not claim that I wrote a book titled, “Born to be a Hero,” nor strut around and state that I translated the “Mi Ultimo Adios” of Dr. Jose Rizal from Spanish to English. Boy! I don’t have that temerity and audacity at all to claim having written these wondrous pieces of literature.



I happen to have a copy of the documents submitted by former knight of Rizal, Klaus Hartung, as requested by the then Supreme Commander, Sir H. Davide. The documents contain damning evidence that could bring down Mr. Paras – former undeserving Regional Commander of the KOR in Europe. I SIGH, wringing my hands, in frustration that such condemning documentation has not been acted upon. Worse, Manila even claimed that the papers were missing. Mr. Hartung, SIGHing, no doubt – sent another set. The reader’s guess as to what happened to the second set of documents is as good as mine.



I SIGH, “With an audible exhalation,” indeed. How can the majority of the members of such an organization allow this and other corrupt practices to run wild with impunity? My readers know exactly what I mean. Undeserving promotions, racism, padrino system, Filipino-muna, double standards in passing judgements, empty words in speeches and pronouncements, among other things have been the main menu in emails going around among and between knights and others, the past three years. Regular meetings become a farce, too. Traditions and protocol do not count. Agenda are tailored to fit certain interests – only! One can imagine the frustration of an attendee who must have travelled far, only to realize the meeting has already been “cooked.”



Except for a number of brave, upright and no-nonsense persons who have expressed their displeasure at the decisions of the KOR in Manila, most have opted to sink their heads in the sand. One wonders if the latter ever even SIGH.



Dennis Barcelona, Resigned KR

Former Deputy Commander

Hamburg Chapter KOR



[1]Excerpted from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V., further reproduction and distribution restricted in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY

Isn't Quiambao responsible for all Esguerra's mistakes? And Esguerra responsible for all of Alcoba's? Based on the principle of Command Responsibility?


Command Responsibility and Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines
A Philnews.com Editorial


It seems ironic that the principle of command responsibility is sometimes referred to as the Yamashita Standard. General Tomoyuki Yamashita, commander of the 14th Area Army of Japan was tried and and executed in Los Baños, Laguna in 1946 for the atrocities committed by his soldiers while in the Philippines. And yet command responsibility seems almost unheard-of in the country today.

The idea that a leader or commander bears responsibility for the unlawful conduct of subordinates however, dates all the way back to the sixth century BC as noted by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. Over the years, command responsibility has expanded to also include civilian heads of state and high-ranking public officials.

So the question arises as to why no one is being held accountable for the judicial killings in the Philippines? In the case of the Davao City deaths, there are eyewitnesses who say members of the police brazenly commit the murders even in broad daylight. And the mayor, Rodrigo Duterte regularly went on radio to broadcast stern warnings to specific individuals who later just happened to turn up dead.

No less than New York-based Human Rights Watch stated that "The words and actions of long-time Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte... indicate his support for the targeted killing of criminal suspects." Mayor Duterte, until last month, exercised operational control of Davao's police force and was himself a ranking member of the country's National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM). Close to nine hundred vigilante-style killings have occurred in Davao since 1998. If it is determined that the city's law enforcement officials were involved, could Mayor Duterte be held accountable under the doctrine of command responsibility?

In other—and as yet unresolved—murders, that of Salvador 'Bubby' Dacer and his chauffer Emanuel Corbito, the Philippine Justice Dept. says it has the sworn affidavit of Caesar Mancao, a onetime trusted lieutenant of Panfilo Lacson when he (Lacson) headed the Philippine National Police (PNP), that would indicate that Lacson in some way had a hand in the killings. Mancao is currently in the United States awaiting extradition back to the Philippines. As with Duterte, if Mancao's affidavit is accurate, could now-Sen. Panfilo Lacson and possibly even former President Joseph Estrada be found liable under command responsibility?

While we're at it, we might as well go back even further to the murder that toppled a dictator over two decades ago—the assassination of Sen. Benigno Aquino. While some might argue that President Marcos did not or could not have ordered Sen. Aquino killed, shouldn't he be held ultimately responsible for it? US President Barrack Obama recently showed the American people—and the rest of the world—how a leader with integrity acts when he willing took responsibility for the 'AIG bonus' fiasco even though those bonuses were negotiated before he came into office. It would be refreshing to see that same kind of attitude amongst Filipino leaders.


OBAMA'S FIRST 100 DAYS

PerryScope

By Perry Diaz

When President Barack Obama was sworn into office, he didn't waste any time. He immediately set into motion a lot of the things that he promised the American people during the presidential elections. That's no small feat for a junior senator who daringly plunged into the turbulent sea of economic chaos -- likened to an incoming 100-foot tsunami traveling at 100 miles an hour that was wreaking havoc on the economy. It was a "sink or swim" situation for Obama. But after 80 days of fighting the odds against him, he is still standing -- and firmly in charge -- amidst the devastated economic landscape, unscathed from the incessant shark attacks of the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Michael Steele.

Fresh from his successful eight-day European trip, capped by the G-20 conference, Obama is poised to take the offensive at home to rein in the "monster" that has emerged in the aftermath of the financial meltdown during the waning days of the Bush presidency. That "monster" has taken a life of its own and is gnawing at everything in its way.

A poll taken by New York Times/CBS news barely 11 weeks into Obama's presidency seems encouraging. On January 15, 2009, a few days prior to his occupancy of the White House, 15% said that they thought that the "country was headed in the right direction." In April, barely three months later, that number almost tripled to 39%.

Today, his approval rating among Democrats is a stunning 97% while 67% of independents rate him favorably, and 31% among Republicans gave him the thumbs up.

And when it comes to "trust," voters -- by more than three to one -- said that they trusted Obama more than they trusted the congressional Republicans when it's about making the right decisions for the economy. The American people approved Obama's handling of the economy (56%), foreign policy (59%), and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (59%). All in all, two-thirds overwhelmingly gave Obama high marks on his job performance.

The poll also showed that the public did not blame Obama for the economic crisis while 33% blamed former president George Bush, 21% blamed the financial institutions, and 11% blamed Congress.

With barely three weeks left in his first 100 days in office, Obama is working hard to get as much done to jumpstart economy. According to PolitiFact, an organization that monitors Obama's performance on its "Obameter," Obama made approximately 500 promises during the campaign. It tracks his promises as follows: Promises kept, Compromise, Promise broken, Stalled, In the works, and No action. To date, "Obameter" shows 23 promises kept and 62 in the works. The 23 kept promises are:

1. Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners.

2 . Expand loan programs for small businesses.

3. Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch.

4. Expand eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP).

5. Expand funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners.

6. Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq.

7. Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan.

8. Give a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration.

9. Restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program.

10. Release presidential records.

11. Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.

12. Remove more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires.

13. Create a White House Office on Urban Policy.

14. Support increased funding for the NEA.

15. Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear.

16. Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees.

17. Weatherize 1 million homes per year.

18. Invest in all types of alternative energy.

19. Enact tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars.

20. Support high-speed rail.

21. Appoint at least one Republican to the cabinet.

22. Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits.

23. Reverse restrictions on stem cell research.

With 85 promises kept and in the works, Obama has achieved almost 20% of his campaign promises. At the rate he is producing, he should be able to accomplish pretty much all of his promises by the end of his first term.

Recently, Wells Fargo Bank reported profits for the first time since it received TARP bailout funds -- an indication that the bank has started lending again. Home buyers are coming out of "hibernation." The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales had increased in February, reversing losses in January.

While Obama seems to have a steady grasp on the economy, the majority of Americans believe that the recession would last for another year or even more. Indeed, they have come to terms that recovery would be a slow and tedious process. After all, it took years of runaway deregulation and boo-boo economic policies that crippled the economy.

Obama told the American people to act responsibly. and they did. They have taken steps to soften the impact of the recession on their lives. The poll shows that 40% had cut spending on luxuries, 10% had cut back on necessities, and 31% had cut back on both. Notwithstanding the grim forecast of a turtle-pace recovery, the American people's confidence on Obama continues to increase -- a testament to his leadership and adeptness in handling the myriad problems confronting his fledgling administration.

Sad to say, the Republicans have chosen to shut their eyes to all the positive things that Obama has been doing. One might even say that the Republicans have induced themselves into deep stupor. It is no wonder that they're not seen anymore as belonging to the "Grand Old Party" of Abraham Lincoln. Today, their once great party has morphed into the "Republican't Party of No" -- a label created by political consultant J.M. Bell -- for saying "NO" to everything that Obama had proposed to do.

As someone once said, "There are three kinds of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who didn't know what the hell happened." Clearly, Obama belongs to the first kind. When the Republicans wake up in a few years and look around to see what Obama had achieved, they'd probably exclaim, "What the hell happened?" and then go back to sleep.

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com
)
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THE WAY WE WERE AND THE WAY WE ARE TODAY


A Latin expression from the FILI is about Filipinos today


THE WAY WE WERE AND THE WAY WE ARE TODAY

To understand the kind of people we are today, let us open the past through the pages of the FILI novel to read a Latin expression that Rizal borrowed from an ancient Roman poet.


Dead for almost two centuries ago, Dr Rizal like a good father still casts his long shadow to describe the people he cared who were victims of Spanish and American colonialism culminating into damaged culture. Colonization like imperialism in reality is short of subjugation of people including their displacement and death


Ironical and strange Rizal was not even called the “father of his country” yet he has both the veneration and adoration of the people, and through his writings we remember and often borrow quotations from him, although not all quotations are originally his.

Horace, the ancient Roman poet whom the Order of the Knights of Rizal borrowed the Latin phrase, “non omnis moriar” has bequeathed another Latin expression that Dr. Rizal borrowed and used to show his universality of ideas and at the same time revealing his keen interest and understanding of the Roman classics.


Here is a quote you can find in “El Filibusterisimo”, AETAS PARENTUM PEJOR AVIS TULIT NOS NEQUIORESwhich translated to English means, ”The Age of our fathers, worse than that of their fathers, has bred us even worse than them”.


Take a look at our people today on what writer F. Sionil Jose says is suffering from moral malaise. Take a look at what Mrs. Pura Santillan-Castrence, prolific writer and critic of our social values said in her beautifully crafted words regarding “religious Sunday Filipinos” ,“as those who take confession and communion on Sunday but the rest of the week are devoted to either receiving bribes or bribing government officials or engaged in corrupt practices.”


Still another observer pointed out, “those families who amassed wealth during Marcos regime continue to keep amassing wealth under the different presidents succeeding him. What an intriguing observations for the present generation of Filipinos to confront!


Its not surprising to see once in a while to hear “howlings” in the streets of Manila and suburban towns “Revolution!” Spirit of EDSA, “IBAGSAK ANG GOBIERNO” “DAYA! MAGNANAKAW!” reminding President Gloria Arroyo the lessons of the past. Was this not what Marcos read too but refused to believe the “writings in the wall” in the years before 1986?


Are we still looking for EDSA type of “palace revolution? What good is the “revolution” if it only brings false hope to the excited masa expecting a ” real” revolution of higher expectation? Take note that the price of galunggong kept on increasing before and after the fall of Marcos and that of Estrada!


How true is Latin dictum depends on how you look at the way public servants behave in the conduct of their office? It also depend how the people prostituted themselves dancing with the wolves in the government or with the politicians for few pesos dole come election time. This is a bad legacy to the coming generation but as the saying goes, “The buck stops here!”


Jose Sison Luzadas

Delray Beach, FL