Bare Eye

Talaga Mr. Bunye?!?

Oil price hikes beyond our control, Palace says http://www.gmanews.tv/story/66929/Oil-price-hikes-beyond-our-control-Palace-says

Malacañang admitted Friday that the government is helpless against fuel price hikes even as it urged Filipinos to count their blessings in the wake of surging oil prices in the world market.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said rising pump prices should prompt everyone to employ stronger conservation measures and convince politicians as well to stop bickering so all parties can focus on addressing the task at hand.

"The runaway price of oil is beyond the government's control. This serves as a continuing wake up call for all sectors that there are more things to attend to other than relentless politics of personal destruction," Bunye said.

Talaga Mr. Bunye?!?

This is another lie that won't fly.

In the first place, it is the Philippine government (time ni FVR) that decided to withdraw its control on oil prices by fully deregulating the oil industry.

This allowed the oil companies (Shell, Petron, Caltex, even the so-called small players we have today like Total) to jack up their prices at the whim of the so-called international market.

Government can control prices if it wants to. An example is what Venezuela (yes the Latin American country, not Valenzuela City) did. They nationalized their oil industry and kicked out the transnational oil corporations. So they get relatively stable oil prices.

Now back to this government with Gloria at the helm. If cheating, stealing and lying has gotten them the better so far, this thing about government not having a chance to stop the skyrocketting oil prices is pure bull.

There are three things this government can do to considerably address rampant oil price hikes:

1. institute price controls
2. centralize the procurement of crude and refined oil
3. re-nationalized Petron Corp.

Now I'd like to see how they can answer this. There will be proposed legislation filed by militant lawmakers next week.

Aside from the bigger issue of a better, stronger impeachment case against Gloria, some proposed laws to address the oil price hikes is something worth watching as a sidelight.

And yes Mr. Bunye, this isn't personal. This is practical.

Now try and throw another lie at me!

Anxious and nervous and hoping

Sometimes, you have to sit back and reflect.

Other times, you get nervous and feel helpless.

But most oftentimes, you can rage and find joys with people and with the thought that things can happen. And can be made to happen.

I hope that you can understand that. Somehow.

2006 Foreign Affairs budget favors select diplomats over OFWs

The MIGRANTE Sectoral Party ably criticized the proposed 2006 budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), branding it “a budget that favors select diplomats over overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in dire need of government assistance.”

For starters, the P5.25 billion pesos proposed budget for 2006 is not only very small for the DFA to exercise its functions and deliver services to OFWs. It’s appropriations are actually for the benefit of select high DFA officials in diplomatic posts abroad compared to other items in the said budget such as services for distressed OFWs.

The DFA budget is 0.49% of the total P1 trillion-plus budget being proposed by the National Government to Congress and is only number 12 among the list of priority departments of the current administration. (Then again, the Departments of Health and of Social Welfare and Development get much smaller amounts; but that is another long angst-filled story.)

The DFA cannot claim that it remains committed to protecting and upholding the rights and well-being of Filipinos overseas when the appropriations for the Assistance to Nationals Fund (P45 million) and Legal Assistance Fund (P15 million) comprise only 2.39% and 0.79% of the entire DFA budget for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE). These pale in comparison with the P611.174 million allocation for rents (32.45%). These allocations only ensure that the DFA, and the Philippine government in general, will not pursue the all-out protection and promotion of the rights, welfare and interests of Filipinos overseas.

Sections 25 and 38 of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 (Republic Act 8042), the Legal Assistance Fund must have an annual appropriation of P100 million and that “the amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be provided for in the General Appropriations Act.”

Aside from legal assistance and assistance to nationals, other sections of the said law also mandate Congress to allocate sizable budgets for the Congressional Migrant Workers Scholarship Fund and the Emergency Repatriation Fund. It is revolting to note that this administration is pursuing austerity measures at the expense of OFWs and their families while ambassadors and consuls general live the high life in posts overseas.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin revealed that at least five Filipino diplomats live in luxurious quarters during the DFA budget hearing in Congress, September 28, 2005.

Government spends US$75,000 (P4.125 million) a month, or US$870,000 (P49.5 million) a year, for the rent of seven favored diplomats. This is revolting as these rates are downright exorbitant. If austerity is pursued, it is high government officials who should make sacrifices instead of us OFWs. Congress has to review and realign allocations to make the 2006 DFA budget more attuned to the needs of OFWs.

The following diplomats are enjoying the high life in their posts abroad with the corresponding MONTHLY rental rates paid for by the government:

Consul General Cecile Rebong, New York - US$10,000 (P550,000)
Ambassador Philippe Lhuillier, Italy - US$10,000 (P550,000) to US$12,000 (P660,000)
Consul General Marciano Paynor Jr., Los Angeles - US$10,500 (P577,500)
Consul General Minerva Jean Falcon, Berlin - US$11,000 (P605,000)
Consul General Hector Villaroel, Paris - US$11,000 (P605,000)
Consul General Victor Garcia, Vienna - US$10,000 (P550,000)
Consul General Aladin Villacorte, Seoul - US$10,000 (P550,000)

Here is one more thing: Consul General to Hong Kong Corazon Belmonte-Jover was allowed to use HK$1.5 million (P10.5 million) to renovate HER OWN residence in Hong Kong. She now faces a criminal case in Hong Kong courts.

This just shows that the DFA budget for 2006 is definitely pro-diplomat and anti-OFW based on the allocations in the said budget.

The sad part of this all is that the Philippine government will pursue the export of labor to continue financing the high lives of these diplomats.

Typical double- but no! Triple-whammy to OFWs and the people. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. #

Singapore-OFW deja vu!

Eto na naman sa Pilipinas at Singapore

Will Overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Guen Garlejo Aguilar go the horrible way Flor Contemplacion went, thanks to both the Singapore and Philippine governments?

Aguilar is the sole suspect in the body parts murder of fellow Pinoy Jane Parangan La Puebla in Singapore.

Migrante has said that Aguilar must be given due process under internationally-accepted standards on the rights of the accused. The Singapore government cannot just declare that Aguilar ‘faces a mandatory penalty of death by hanging if found guilty of murdering Jane Parangan La Puebla' when no investigations have been completed and no fair public trials are conducted,”
Migrante listed down what Aguilar is entitled to:
1. The right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a fair public trial.
2. The right to counsel. In a criminal case, the accused has a right to a competent lawyer.
3. The accused have the right to confer with their attorney before a police interrogation, during the trial and at any other critical stage in the proceedings against them, such as a preliminary hearing, lineup or appeal.
3. The right against self-incrimination. The burden of proof in a criminal case is on the prosecution. The accused do not have to supply the police or prosecution with any evidence that could be used against them. This right against self-incrimination protects the defendant from being forced to reveal incriminating facts. This deters the use of torture or other means to coerce confessions from the accused.
4. The right to a speedy and public trial, with an impartial jury or judge, in the area where the crime was committed. At the same time, the accused must have enough time to prepare her defence.
5. The right to present a defence. This includes the ability to present facts and evidence, to cross examine prosecution witnesses during the trial and to compel the attendance of witnesses to testify for the defence. It also includes the ability to have independent expert witnesses.
6. The right to an appeal if the procedural rights and due process of the accused were not respected.

But with the 1995 Flor Contemplacion case as benchmark and the archaic Singapore justice system, Aguilar needs all the help she can get.  Aguilar, a mother of two, was remanded in the city-state’s central police lockup for a week WITHOUT ACCESS to counsel, so that ‘the prosecution could carry out further investigations.’ This has the makings of an injustice to Aguilar and to other distressed OFWs. The Philippine government must also prepare the best legal defense to ensure that Aguilar will not be hanged.

Singapore is one of the few countries that retain the death penalty. It has also refused to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. 

The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs has not categorically stated that it is out to ensure that Aguilar will not die at the gallows in Singapore.

BY the way, Aguilar is from Barangay (village) Baracbac,Tagudin, Ilocos Sur and La Puebla is from Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya both in the Northen Luzon region of the Philippines.

S.R. Nathan, Singapore Head of State, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong  and fake Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo do not want another Flor Contemplacion fiasco. If that happens, both the Singapore and Philippine governments will be accountable. #

Statement of BARE EYE on the President

Statement of BARE EYE on the President

On her engineered-dismissal of the impeachment complaint

The Filipino people are actually saddened and enraged by this sad day in history, when the nincompoop Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allies in Congress chose to keep a fake President in power by interpreting and twisting the technicalities in the Philippine Constitution to her advantage.

This is the grand display of political malfeasance that seals Gloria's fate and the further instability and of the nation that will not get out of this current rut and will never take off.

Yes, Gloria has to thank her allies in the administration for their so-called faith (hindi faith, pagsipsip para mas marami ang mabulsa) in her leadership and in the "good future of our country." I discern "good future" as the furtherance of graft, corruption, worsening poverty and increased export of labor.

Yes, the opposition put up a good fight but Gloria employed the tyranny of numbers and legal assholisms from her allies like Datumanong, Villafuerte and Lagman to scuttle all efforts to impeach her. Reconciliation for the national interest? She is a two-faced liar, cheat and ~%^$#+!

Sorry Gloria, your family who you say quietly stood by your side has sleepless nights of fear and guilt. The Filipino people cannot sleep well either in your assertion of a "responsible democracy."

Responsible democracy my foot.  Responsible democracy my ass (that is cleaner than the fake prexy).

Also, do not lie to us some more on the "brighter tomorrow with the grace of God" and that you are "ever grateful for His guidance and His blessings."

Dinamay mo pa ang Diyos. I know that God does not give Guidance or blessings for anyone to cheat, lie, steal and inveigle people.

When Gloria said "Mabuhay ang Pilipinas," she meant mabuhay ang mga alyado ko sa Kongreso (mga hayup! kumita kayo sa panunuhol ko so that you would not endorse the impeachment complaint) at sa iba pang mga tao ko sa burukrasya.

She may call all the gods and goddesses of all deities to help her. But Gloria cannot and will not be able to finish her term.

She cannot stop the forces now working in unity to oust her from office.

I bet this damn blog on it.

Delayed post

Statement of the President: On dismissal of impeachment complaint

The Filipino people mark a glorious day in history, when instead of forcing a President out of office through people power, they chose to keep a President through voting in the halls of Constitutional Democracy.

This is a grand display of political maturity that seals our stability and resilience as a nation battling the vagaries of a challenging age, and poised for takeoff. I thank my allies in the administration for their faith in my leadership and in the good future of our country.

The opposition put up a good fight and I now offer my hand in reconciliation for the national interest. I am grateful to my family who quietly stood by my side, and most of all to the Filipino people, here and in four corners of this earth, who have stayed the course of responsible democracy.

Let us move on to a brighter tomorrow with the grace of God, ever grateful for His guidance and His blessings.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.

Fever pitch

I hate this. I got a lingering fever. I seem to have a rash. My joints have some tingling pains.

I do not like this at all. This might be a deja vu with dengue hemorrhagic fever.

I cannot get sick. I am as yet too young to die and I dread the check-up tomorrow.

What ever happens, I just think that a person named Gloria (hi fake prexy!), and the present social dispensation, are to be blamed.

Wish I could wrap the faker with bull sheet.

Police 'stupidity' and 2 big pains in the ass for Sept 8, '05

Police 'stupidity' and 2 big pains in the ass for Sept 8, '05

A 'stupid' police unit and two other things in the news really upset me (and millions more, i think) today.

Police Stupidity

First, the 'stupid' elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP -- also pulpol na pulis) blocked government employees under the aegis of COURAGE (that's Confederation for the Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees) at the Welcome rotunda that marks the boundary of Quezon City and Manila.

The folks of COURAGE were protesting planned lay-offs that would hit at least a third of the 1.53 million state employees and happily were also calling for the resignation or ouster of the freakin' liar in Malacanang.

But according to the PNP, some one 'accidentally' bumped a tear gas canister that promptly went off. So the rallyists -- and the PNP dispersal unit -- got dispersed by a big dose of tear gas. Even some media workers got a real bad experience, the first time tear gas ever being used in an anti-Gloria demonstration.

And the PNP one-liner? "Okay lang at kaming lahat naman (rallyists and police) ang nasaktan. Talagang pulpol. Bopol. Always bringing trobol ang PNP.

Pain in the ass 1

Now the evening news for Sept 8 in the Philippines also had two irritating things.

First up is Imee Marcos.

The Ilocos Norte Congresswoman arrived from Singapore on Thursday night.

Marcos, however, exited the airport via a ramp near the tube and hid behind NAIA Assistant General Manager Octavio Lina while walking. She refused to talk to media.

And heck the nation knows why! She was so vocal against Gloria and even signed the amended impeachment complaint. But when voting time came for the controversial Justice Committee report, she was absent. Yun pala, nag-fly siya to Singapore!

Her action reveals that her family might have been given the green light by Gloria to keep on hoping that Imee's fascist dictator father can be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The last time I checked, the Libingan is for the country's heroes and not for dictators and plunderers.

All Imee did was smile at the cameras. Punyeta talaga.

Pain in the ass 2

How can you fathom this?  Gloria has the nerve to extend her hand for reconciliation! Malacanang asserts that 'under the Constitution' she shall finish her term.

Now I understand what she meant with the Truth Commission speak. Gloria's allies in Congress suppressed the truth to get a handsome commission via projects and moolah!

Now she asks for unity. Now she 'thanks' Congress. Now she says we should get back to work. Now she wants to go to the United Nations with the assurance that the Philippines is united.

Heh! You will be bringing more shame to the nation when you go to the US to address the UN. How can an illegitimate president represent a country of 86 million?

Good luck. Next time I write about Gloria in this blog, in this internet cafe and in this angst-filled times, I'd like to have the theme 'good riddance.'

I really hate this government because I love my country.

No Comment

No Comment

Because this is also a blog for angsts (ANGAS), well here is one more angst:

No comments yet. Maybe no one ever reads this blog. Oh well.

How does Gloria want this crisis to end?

How in the world does the Gloria freak in Malacanang want to end this crisis?

First, she flatly rejected demands that she resign over accusations of massive election fraud and squandering government funds and even OFW trust funds. In commonspeak --> ang kapal talaga ng apog ng lolang ito. Bwiset.

She was always harping on giving her due process. Impeachment instead of resignation.

Impeachment instead of People Power (that she calls mob rule). Hello! Don't you remember that People Power put you in office?

An impeachment trial instead of trial by publicity. Heh! Who spends a lot for payola to media and goes hell out of her way to pull strings (pull ears of Congress top honcho) to withhold/release SAROs (Special Allotment Release Order)?

Gloria wants to survive, no matter what or how. She wants to cling on to power. Her allies in the Congress say that the law must be followed.  They are content to arm-twist and use every technicality to protect the fake president.

AS IF THEY HAVE TO ACCOUNT TO GLORIA! THEY SHOULD ACCOUNT TO THE PEOPLE!

The President harped on and then promised the proper forum to face the charges. She has only succeeded in ordering her allies to murder the impeachment and conceal the evidence and the truth.

Gloria need not worry though. She won't last her term. That is certain.

The only thing unclear for now is how she will be ousted.

Good luck to Gloria. Your demise is just lurking around. Your ouster will end the crisis. As such, it will prepare us to face more complex crises in the future. :)