We must learn from Greece and stop relying on the government to save us

July 13, 2015

by Ilda

A friend of mine who just came back from a three-week holiday in Greece confirmed what we have been reading in the news about how a lot of the banks in the country have closed and there was a long queue for people who wanted to get cash from the few automated teller machines that remained open. So when I read the news that “61 per cent of Greeks had rejected a deal from its creditors that would have imposed more austerity measures on the country’s economy”, I got a bit confused.

The country is running out of cash but the Greeks do not want to accept conditions by the European Central Bank (ECB) before they give Greece more bail out funds? One just has to ask: where is the Greek government going to get money to keep its people alive and keep the country running? The way Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was campaigning against the conditions set out by the creditors, one would think that he actually had a Plan B after he wins the referendum against the creditors. But it seems Tsipras’s plan was simply to show a defiant stance in the hope that the creditors would see it his way and give Greece the loan anyway.

I find their arrogance a turn-off. The Greeks, headed by Tsipras, come across like they have a strong sense of entitlement. They seem to be relying on the notion that members of the European Union are scared of the consequences of a Greek exit from the euro (Grexit) and are confident that the European Union will not allow it because it could mean pulling the rest of the members of the EU and bringing the value of the euro down. The Greeks are probably hoping that scenario of human catastrophe would guilt their creditors into giving them more money.

I can understand the creditors’ position. I mean, why should you give more loans to someone who didn’t pay you the last time you gave him €330 billion loan, doesn’t have the ability to pay you back, and is also acting as if it is your obligation to give him money? It’s enough to tell him to “scram and go get your act together!” I personally do not like people with a strong sense of entitlement.

Greece has been in dire straits for the last five years. In fact, a lot of people saw this coming when they hosted the 2004 Olympics. They were in no financial position to spend that much money for little return. One pundit referred to the event as a multi-billion-vanity indulgence. Now the people are paying the price.

Greece is what happens when the people rely on the government too much. Decades of government mismanagement have led the people to vote a left-leaning Prime Minister into power. Who knows? Tsipras could be hoping for an economic collapse just to implement communist policies with the help of his friends in the Kremlin. The Parthenon might have Russian owners soon.

When I think about the Greeks and their money woes, I can’t help but appreciate, just a little bit, the Philippine economic policy of sending Filipinos abroad to work on jobs they can’t find in their own country. While the policy has its share of shortcomings particularly in the areas of family dynamics, the money the overseas Filipino workers send back home helps keep the country’s economy afloat. This policy has been around since the 1970s during the Marcos years. Succeeding administrators relied on the OFWs to mask the absence of sustained economic development, political instability, a growing population and high unemployment levels.

The Greek tragedy unfolding has made me realize how, to our own detriment, societies have all come to rely too much on corporations to survive. We do not have any idea anymore how to feed ourselves when the shelves in the local grocery store go empty. I certainly do not want to end up like that Greek pensioner who couldn’t do anything but cry helplessly when he could not withdraw his pension after lining up for hours. We must all learn from Greece and do something to keep our self-sufficiency and independence. Learning how to hunt for food in the wild just like in the olden days is a good start.

Life lessons Andrea Brillantes could learn from fellow actress Maria Ozawa

July 13, 2015

by benign0

There is much irony surrounding the whole circus over the “indecent” video, allegedly of Filipino teen star Andrea Brillantes, that went “viral” last week. On one hand are the justice crusaders calling people to respect the privacy of Brillantes (who, as of this writing remains tight-lipped).

Echoing the sentiment of civil society, veteran journalist Elizabeth Angsioco wrote in her Manila Standard Today column…

…what people do in the privacy of their homes is none of other people’s business for as long as what they do is not a crime. So, instead of maligning and questioning the girl, people should go after the person/s who took the videos and/or uploaded the same on the worldwide web.

Indeed, and this is the way mature adults ought to be regarding the whole brouhaha — in a more circumspect manner applying a bit more empathy in considering the predicament Brillantes finds herself in (whether the video is that of her or not).

The trouble is, this is not how reality works — certainly not the reality of the 21st Century where powerful consumer computing products connected 24/7 to a vast global public network are within easy reach of even the poorest most ill-educated people. In real life, what ought to be is often not consistent what with what is to be. My colleague Paul Farol in a five-minute rant offers the real deal that “victims” like Brillantes need to face in today’s world order.

The reality is, you can’t stop people from talking about something once something is made public — really, it’s like stuffing worms back in a can once it has been opened. You can try and there are ways to do this effectively, if you have enough money and can mobilize a lot of people — law enforcers, techies, and publicists.

Of course, knowing this reality does not offer relief from the on-going personal trauma Brillantes and other “viral video” victims might be going through today. Add to that the simple fact that there is little hope that the perpetrators of the astoundingly callous act of uploading this video onto the Internet will ever be brought to justice — not in a country where crime is by all intents and purposes an entire way of life.

It is easy to descend into despair under the weight of immense personal setbacks such as these. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. The thing with the human condition is that what really matters in life is what you do going forward rather than what happened to you in the past. Events disappear from existence when these have passed. But the future is yet to be.

So here’s what’s on the other hand. Observe the recent rise to local mainstream fame of former Japanese adult video star Maria Ozawa who, this weekend, was a featured guest at FHM Philippines’ 100 Sexiest victory party. Ozawa, who recently is making waves in Philippine showbiz after “retiring” from the adult showbiz industry, is proof that Filipinos can see past a seedy past.

Does this mean that Brillantes should consider a career in the adult entertainment industry? Of course not. There are two points we are trying to make here:

(1) Brillantes backdropped by the rising fortunes of Ozawa in Philippine showbiz highlights the fact that Filipinos don’t really know what they are talking about when they pompously wax “morality” in their quaint public rhetoric.

(2) In the very technology that supposedly “destroyed” Brillantes lies her salvation.

Actress Maria Ozawa at the FHM Philippines 100 Sexiest bash.
(Courtesy PhilStar)

On the latter point, this is what Farol essentially says in his rant, that “if you have enough money and can mobilize a lot of people — law enforcers, techies, and publicists”, anything is possible. And this is specially true today in a world where ordinary citizens can fight Big Media’s flamethrowers with their own grassroots fire.

You just need to be smart enough to overcome your historical baggage — vilified parents, unwise words said in anger, or even viral videos, as the case may be — and draw inspiration from people who had succesfully done just that: succeed after being told they are not entitled to a shot at success. Ask Senator Bongbong Marcos, Christopher Lao, and, yes, Maria Ozawa. They may not be the sorts of role models a primitively-judgemental society like that of the Philippines’ may put up for its youth to look up to, but they certainly offer a more real way forward than the imaginary paths paved by our society’s self-anointed do-gooders.

Andrea Brillantes: Latest victim of social media’s dark underbelly

July 10, 2015

by benign0

The Net is on fire in the Philippines over the “viral” spread of a personal video allegedly of Filipino showbiz celebrity Andrea Brillantes. Brillantes, star of the hit TV drama series Annaliza, is only 12 years old. But this fact does not seem to stop online perverts from downloading and sharing the video.

As of this writing, no one has authoritatively determined whether the video is really one of Brillantes. But regardless of whether it is her or not, the sexually-explicit nature of its content and the purportedly minor age of its subject makes anyone who views it, is in possession of it, or distributes it potentially criminally-liable. Philippine law with regard to the distribution of offensive content involving minors is clear. Republic Act No. 7610 which provides special protection to children against exploitation among other things includes the hosting or exhibiting of “obscene publications and indecent shows” among acts against the wellbeing of minors that is punishable.

However, Philippine society has a spotty record of remaining consistent to the spirit of its laws, even that of laws relevant to the wellbeing of children. Philippine media itself reflects this astounding reality. Get Real Post author ChinoF wrote of this back in 2011 in his article Does Filipino Society treat Children Poorly?…

Media however remains one of the most influential factors in treatment of children. And media has often been disrespectful to children, no matter how positively they tried to portray such on TV.

One children’s advocate before, I believe it was Ms. Feny Angeles Bautista, said that media representation of children was always unkind. Children have always been seen as abused, as “slaves of the adults” or as a source of laughter. Filipino media likes to poke fun at kids, and barely treat them with any sort of equality. She said this in 1997 or 1998. It seems very true today.

This is the irony of Filipino society — at once both a noisy “democracy” and a timid, passive-aggressive culture. This mashup of opposing character flaws manifests its resultant psychosis in the infamous Pinoy viral video circuses that made personal hells for Christopher Lao, Robert Carabuena and, Paula Jamie Salvosa. When a people are told they live in a “democracy” in theory then find that in practice they, in reality, actually lack an effective voice then they switch to the more efficient alternative — technology.

So no amount of signing up to pledges will stop the so-called “cyber-bullying” of Pinoy viral video subjects unless the underlying issues that characterise the underbelly of the Filipino psyche are addressed.

The reality of 21st Century living is that the technology to exercise “freedoms” that bypass traditional communication lines to authority figures, institutions, and public servants is now readily available and ubiquitous. This has always been touted by “social media practitioners” as the single greatest thing about the whole shebang of personal mobile devices, the Net, social networking platforms, and the apps that connect us to these.

Andrea Brillantes may be the latest victim of our slowness to grasp just how much power to do both harm and good powerful and readily-accessible information technology has afforded us.

Drug Cartels Love Prohibition

Posted by BongV on Jun 14, 2015

I recently read a trapo stating that drug cartels are out to derail the candidacy of another trapo.

This is an ingenious piece of disinformation as far as am concerned.

Drug cartels benefit from prohibition not legalization.

It’s plain economics.

Artificial scarcity increases prices and generates profits.

Legalization increases supply and reduces profit.

So.. if there is someone who is arguing so hard for prohibition.

Maybe you should consider the possibility that that’s the cartel talking

Think about this – when you expand your mind, you get to see the bullshit.
It makes you less susceptible to government BS – and worse you mock the BS.
That’s why they want to keep it illegal, it makes you think!!!!

***

Matud sa anti drugs ..
Ug malegal daw ang drugs. Daghan daw maadik.
Ako mangutana sa kada usa ninyo..
Ug legal na ang drugs.. mugamit ba ka?
Ang mugamitay.. legal or illegal man.. mugamit gyud. . Pulis pa ang palitan. O ang tulak nga pulis ang nagpalikod.. usahay dili lang pulis ang gapalikod.. hasta mayor!

***
Ang mga nagpalikod sa droga..Dili gusto nga malegalize ni Kay ngano?

Sa puntong organized crime:
* munaog ang presyo.. kay mas daghan ang supply.. gamay na lang ang profit margin

Sa puntong gobyerno:
* wala nay makawat nga kwarta gikan sa anti drugs budget (coa exempt peace and order fund… hasta panty sa kabir.. i charge didto)
* mawad-an ug trabaho ang mga anti drugs task force

Busa ang solusyon sa drugs.. wala sa pagpatay.. naa sa legalization.

Basic economics.
Inig naog sa presyo. Ambak ang syndikato. Undang ang protection racket sa gobyerno.

Angay nga makatuon ta sa nahitabo sa Colorado, Seattle, Anchorage, Mexico – ninaog ang krimen after legalization.

Dili nato mapanaog ang krimen sa paghimo ug usa pa ka krimen.

Panghigmata na tawon mo.!

The Aquinos helped create the Binay dynasty

July 9, 2015

by Ilda

A lot of Filipinos do not like the Binay family. Some people see the Binays as a force to reckon with. Some hate them so much they see the Binays as monsters. There are also some groups devoted to stopping their rise to become the most powerful family in the Philippines.

The Binays do not even need introduction because most Filipinos know who the Binays are. They are one of the most powerful political dynasties in the country. In fact, writing about the Binays kind of makes one a bit queasy because the adults in the Binay family occupy powerful positions in government and it’s perplexing when one starts to wonder how they all got voted into office to begin with.

The Binay clan: how did they become one of the Philippines’ most powerful dynasties?

It is actually quite annoying when one has to write some information about all of them in order to show the conflicts of interest. It makes one crazy thinking about how the children — Nancy, Abigail and Jun-Jun, a Senator, Congresswoman and Makati City Mayor respectively — all come to the aid of their father to defend him against his political enemies and critics while the father comes to the aid of his children to do the same.

I guess the only way to understand the complexity involving the Binays is to accept that they treat their hold over a portfolio of government posts as a family business. In a family business, it is natural for the owners to help each other out. The problem is, the Binays shouldn’t be treating their government posts as a family business because they are not dealing with their own money. It’s only in the Philippines that dysfunctional behavior exhibited by the Binays has gone unnoticed until recently.

One has to wonder how the Binays managed to hold on to the mayoralty position in the country’s premiere financial district for decades without anyone complaining until now. Surely, their cohorts in the alleged crimes and the people who kept voting for the Binays despite their excesses should be blamed as well for the sorry situation the country is in with the political family.

The popularity and notoriety of the Binays is partly due to the incessant negative publicity they have been getting from the media from months. One member of the media who has been conducting a trial by media is Solita Collas-Monsod. She seems to have taken on the role of unofficial attack dog for the Liberal Party.

In a recent article on her Inquirer column, Monsod tried to refute the claim made by the Binay family that the Aquino administration is persecuting them. To counter that claim, Monsod reveals that President Benigno Simeon (BS) Aquino gave his Vice President Jejomar Binay a lot of privileges since Day One.

Monsod enumerated some of the “requests” the Aquino administration granted VP Binay starting with giving him the Coconut Palace as the VP’s official residence. In addition, BS Aquino also gave Binay Cabinet roles as Presidential adviser for OFW affairs and as Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council chairman, which, according to Monsod, gave Binay a lot of opportunity to grandstand. Monsod also goes on to mention how Binay was receiving “P200-million-a-year share of the pork barrel—until that was removed”.

President BS Aquino: not in his usual undiplomatic demeanor when it comes to Binay.

If we are to believe Monsod, those things should be enough proof that the Aquino administration has been more than generous to the Binays. Yes, one would have to agree that the Aquino administration has been generous to the VP and it has benefited his family. In fact, in enumerating all the privileges that Binay has been enjoying until the VP’s resignation from his cabinet posts, Monsod inadvertently proved that BS Aquino is partly to blame for creating a “monster”.

Why did BS Aquino agree to give VP Binay the Coconut Palace and even had the place refurbished to the VP’s specifications? According to Monsod, it cost the public more than 50 million pesos to refurbish it. Furthermore, why did BS Aquino give Binay 200 million pesos worth of pork barrel funds? Now, why did BS Aquino approve that? What the heck was he thinking? I thought BS Aquino was against the excesses that happened in previous governments. It turns out he has his share of excessive spending of public funds. Why did he feel the need to spoil his VP with that budget?

The thing that we can take from Monsod’s article is that, BS Aquino himself may not be directly involved in the orchestrated attacks against the Binays headed by a few senators who appear to have a grudge against Binay. If you compare how relentless he was in attacking his political enemies in the past like former President Gloria Arroyo and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, it is interesting to note how BS Aquino is very restrained when it comes to VP Binay and his children.

After VP Binay criticized the Aquino administration – calling it incompetent, uncaring and blundering – BS Aquino’s response could be interpreted as puzzled yet accommodating. He even said “thank you” to Binay. That is very different indeed to how he treats his “real” enemies. What could be holding BS Aquino back from retaliating in return? It’s not like him to be diplomatic. Could it be that Binay could help him escape prosecution once he is president?

It has been said before that the Binays are actually allied with the Aquinos. Binay has been vocal about crediting the late Cory Aquino for giving him the opportunity to enter politics. Some people even claim that the President’s sisters prefer to endorse Binay as the next President and not the Liberal Party’s bet Mar Roxas. At some point, celebrity sister Kris Aquino was even consoling Junjun Binay after his wife passed away. She may have been to his main office in Makati City, which, according to Monsod, is “huge—larger than a two-bedroom condo in Makati”. We didn’t hear Kris complain about the size of Junjun’s room.

The Aquino sisters have long been close to the Binay family – the most hated family in the Philippines.

It is quite laughable to think that BS Aquino’s most rabid supporters are busy campaigning against Binay while the Aquinos themselves could be secretly supporting a Binay Presidency.

The bottom-line is, those who hate the Binays so much should look deeper and see who put him and his family in power in the first place. First it was the Aquinos who put the senior Binay in-charge of Makati City and then the voters who got addicted to the Binay dole outs helped build the Binay dynasty.

While the timing of the cases against the Binays is quite suspect (why bring up the cases now when these should have been filed before 2010?), it is still welcome. If it will help expose the Binays and, as a consequence, the Aquinos for who they are, that’s all well and good. But judging by the way the majority of voters have acted in the past – this exercise of campaigning against the Binays will yield results that will simply fly over their heads.

What REALLY happened to that Mitsubishi Strada pickup hanging off the Skyway rails

July 9, 2015

by benign0

It’s going viral and people have been re-posting and re-sharing it. But what’s not being included in the information accompanying these posts is some much-needed insight or analysis on how a Mitsubishi Strada pickup truck ended up precariously hanging off the rails of the Skyway, an elevated highway south of Manila’s central business district yesterday.

Online motor enthusiast magazine Top Gear Philippines posted the most recent (as of this writing) story about it accompanied by more pictures sent in by witness Francis Aguado who only had this to say…

“It was the bloody railing’s fault,” Aguado offered. “There is a curb that throws your wheels up, and you’re left with a 2ft edge and fake railings! The railing is really an issue. I’ve brought this up before. And they issued a statement claiming the railing was sufficient. But it’s not. It’s just an interlinked joint unlike the old railing we grew up seeing driving up to Tagaytay. Also, the curb is too high. Tires intentionally will try to roll up anything. And that leaves only 2ft or less and then the faulty railing.”

Sure. But this latest mishap follows a more deadly one that happened under similar circumstances. Back in December 2013 a public bus full of passengers also jumped the Skyway rails and fell on the road below killing 20 people. Two of those killed were in a vehicle that happened to be on the road right underneath the falling bus and were crushed to death. The incident was blamed on the sort of usual reckless driving past the speed limit public bus drivers in the Philippines are world-renowned for.

Though not explicitly reported in media outlets that covered this recent incident involving the Mitsubishi Strada pickup, there are a few telltale signs that could be noted. Firstly, the pickup truck is fitted with low-profile tires, which gives us some idea of the sort of character driving it. Second, a vehicle able to jump to a height that almost cleared the Skwyay rails, will have been travelling at a similar speed as that ill-fated public bus in the 2013 accident described earlier. Indeed, in that bus incident, a witness had reported that the bus was travelling way past the Skyway speed limit swerving in and out of traffic lanes. Third, it was reportedly raining at the time the accident happened. Do smart drivers drive a high-centre-of-gravity vehicle fast on a wet road?

Go figure.

[Photo originally exhibited on Top Gear Philippines.]

THE OBAMA WELFARE PLAN

A little something to raise your blood pressure!

There are probably some inaccuracies here and it surely is dependent of where the residence is.  But in years past I’ve rented houses to these people and I can attest that they know how to play the system very well.  And, to be fair, it existed long before Obama came along.  My experience is just in my town. I can’t imagine the scale of this mess we’re funding in the big cities.

More food for thought ! THE OBAMA WELFARE PLAN: For a guy and his girlfriend with two kids. Follow these proven steps !!! 1. Don't get married to her. 2. Always have your mail sent to your mom's address. 3. The guy buys a house. 4. Guy rents house to his girlfriend who has 2 of his kids. 5. Section 8 will pay $900 a month for a 3 bedroom home. 6. Girlfriend signs up for Obamacare so guy doesn't have to pay for family health insurance. 7. Girlfriend gets to go to college for free being a single mother. 8. Girlfriend gets $600 a month for food stamps. 9. Girlfriend gets free cell phone. 10. Girlfriend gets free utilities. 11. Guy moves into home but continues to have his mail sent to his moms house. 12. Girlfriend claims one kid and guy claims one kid on taxes. Now both the guy and the girl friend file separately and get to claim head of household for a $1800 tax credit each. 13. Girlfriend gets disability for being "crazy" or having a "bad back" or something for a 1800/mo government subsidy and never has to work again. This plan is perfectly legal and is being executed now by millions of people.  A married couple with a stay at home mom yields $0 dollars in government benefits. But an unmarried couple as described above, with stay at home mom nets;  $21600 disability + $10800 free housing + $ 6000 free Obamacare + $ 6000 free food + $ 4800 free utilities + $ 6000 Pell Grant money to spend + $12000 a year in college tuition free from Pell Grant + $ 8800 tax benefit for being a single mother = --------- $76,000 a year in benefits Any idea why the country is $18 + trillion in debt.