Satur Sulit
if democracy is
government by the people
and anarchy is
the absence of government
then a people
unwilling to be governed
when time to select
must in conscience elect
an outlaw to office
to preserve its interests
in the spirit of democracy
hmm. just heard from my kapitbahay whose son has a friend working sa national mental hospital that indeed the property was for sale but not any longer because nabenta na daw, gayon din daw ang post office, at least that’s the buzz sa mental.
kung totoo ito, then maaaring totoo na ibinebenta rin, at baka nabenta na rin, ang muntinglupa penitentiary, ang welfareville, at ang home for the aged.
kung totoo, paano na ang mga bilibid at mga juvenile delinquent? paano na ang mga hibang at ang matatanda na alaga ng gobyerno? nadagdagan pa ang relocation problems natin? ano ba yan.
of course the government is sort of denying it. confirming it?
Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo explained the administration has been implementing the privatization program of the government.
Fajardo made the explanation in reaction to the statements of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. that the administration is engaging in a “midnight sale” of government assets.
Pimentel said the rush in the sale of government assets is designed more to fatten the pockets of corrupt officials in the remaining months of President Arroyo’s term of office.
… “Privatization has long been a program of our administration and I think if there are allegations such as the one that Senator Pimentel has been saying, I think if they can be proven, charges can be filed against the government officials, who may be tagged by evidence,” Fajardo said.
ah, privatization. pagkakakitaan ang mga lupain. well, sana ang ibinebenta lang ay yung excess land na hindi ginagamit. at sana ipaalam naman sa taong-bayan kung bakit kailangan nang ibenta ngayon. at kung sino-sino ba yang mga namimili ng pagkalaki-laking mga lupain na yan. kung pilipino o banyaga. at para saan. o para kanino.
there must be another way of handling the comelec registration process. alam naman natin na may last-minute mentality ang pinoy. comelec should have expected, and prepared for, the swarm instead of saying, kayo kasi… lalo na’t merong concessions made to the rich and famous, like satellite ek-eks in kris aquino‘s case, and good old palakasan as in manuel buencamino‘s. these, while masses of ordinary pinoys without connections had to line up for hours to register, if they were able to at all. paano ka naman matutuwa sa ganyang palakad.
***
i can’t believe people are raving about the noynoy video hindi ka nag-iisa. what’s so powerful about that torch-lit parade led by noynoy that went nowhere. i’m like, they love this? c’mon people, taas-taasan naman ang standards natin. we already know na hindi siya nag-iisa. tell us something new, let’s hear him talking platform. hindi porke anak siya nina Ninoy at Cory ay okay na, siguradong he won’t lie, cheat, or steal. that’s just too low a bar for a presidential candidate. i need to hear how he’s going to address the problems of poverty, land reform, environment, education, foreign debt, chacha, atbp. i will not take him, or anyone, on sheer faith. i leave that to the pink sisters.
***
ayon kay senador nene pimentel tuloy tuloy ang pag-benta ng gma administration ng government assets, tipong ‘midnight sale,’ mostly to raise money pampuno sa napakalaking budget ng 2009 or puwede ring pangkampanya sa 2010. whatever, hindi lang pala ang food terminal inc. sa taguig at ang government shares in san miguel corp. at pnoc energy exploration corp. ang ibinebenta. pati pala the sprawling properties ng national center for mental health at ng welfareville sa mandaluyong, gayon din ng national penitentiary sa muntinlupa city at ng home for the aged sa quezon city, “in complete disregard of their importance in providing vital social government services.” ano ba yan. ubos ubos biyaya. and then what. pag naubos, nakatunganga. there must be a smarter way of handling our resources. let’s demand that presidentiables be honest, yes, but also creative and wise.
nagulat ako kay chiz. nagulat ako nang sabihin niyang he’s out of the nationalist people’s coalition, that is, out of the shadow of party bosses playing traditional politics. napa-wow ako sa kanyang declaration of independence, at sa wari ko ba, as i watched him declare himself a free man, free to serve the filipino people as they deserve and not as a political party dictates, i swear his aura changed, gumaan at umangat, at nagkaroon ng ibang kislap ang kanyang mga mata, no kidding! it must be, like, you know, liberating?
before this, since ondoy, i’ve been saying to anyone who asked kung kanino ba ako na i will campaign and vote for the candidate who will promise to clean up not just the government but also the environment, and one who has the character and the personality to impose and implement a zero waste policy nationwide, which would mean radical changes all around that should shake up the system. to my disappointment, i’ve heard nothing like this from manny, gibo, noynoy, erap, or chiz. BUT to the credit of chiz, he was is the only presidentiable who has concrete proposals re the relocation and rehabilitation of flood victims to alleviate suffering. This one in particular was an unexpected surprise:
Sen. Francis Escudero asked landlords to help in rehabilitation efforts by donating land to be developed into relocation sites.
“If they have a hundred hectares, perhaps it will not be too much to ask for them to donate 10 hectares,” he added.
i wondered of course what danding would have had to say to that. it might even explain the rumored limited funding by npc. but whatever triggered offchiz’s decision to bolt the party, it doesn’t matter as much as the fact that he bolted.
While Escudero’s resignation surprised many, a lawmaker from the militant Bayan Muna party-list group welcomed the move.
It is “a major political development in the presidential race. His move to bolt the NPC is a welcome move that should develop his capacity to take on many people’s issues in performing his duties to the people,” Rep. Satur Ocampo said.
Ocampo dared other aspirants to also take the stand of Escudero.
Rep. Mong Palatino of Kabataan party-list group said that the senator’s move could usher in “platform-based politics” in the 2010 polls.
this is even bigger and braver than mar roxas sliding down to vp. suddenly noynoy isn’t such a sure thing. audacious chiz is looking smelling talking good. the game continues to change. noynoy has some catching up to do.