The Amazing Kap, Bong!
When this image-shattering bombshell with legislators as the culprit relative to the P10B pork barrel scam was top story, cum expose in print and broadcast channels, I did not entertain an iota of doubt that the scam is true. This reaction is based on what is known to everyone that the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel of old has been an illegitimate source of wealth of majority (if not all) of our lawmakers, both in the Upper and Lower Houses!!
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Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile and Jose Jinggoy Estrada face a plunder complaints over the scam before the Ombudsman, together with 34 others to include Janet Lim-Napoles, a businesswoman believed to be the P10B racket manipulator who provided kickbacks to these legislators – to as much as 50% from the PDAF fund released to what has been found out as non-existent NGOs of Napoles.
Then privilege speeches!
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Are we impressed or are our people convinced? Based on my queries from independent observers what I got was a big flat NO! Rightly so!
Why are the privilege speeches of Jinggoy, son of an ousted President and Amazing Kap Bong not convincing?
Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada used almost an hour of his privilege speech but said almost nothing to defend his case except that of sharing his frustration why they were the only ones singled out (3 of them), because others did it? My interpretation: Right from the horses’ mouth so to speak, Jinggoy, strengthened people’s belief that indeed the scams like these is a way of life among them.
Then the Amazing Kap, also a Senator Bong, like Jinggoy Estrada, just categorically said he has not been involved in the scam claiming that his signatures were faked. But how could he now deny written documents about this scam, as revealed by Ben Hur Luy, his signatures were “all his” and the COA OFFICIAL FINDINGS.
Let’s face it that the “downloading” of funds from lawmakers pork starts with the Senator or representative “writing a letter- request addressed to either the Senate President or House Speaker on how the lawmakers PDAF were to be implemented; and how much will be allocated. All signed by them.
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The actor Bong wrote and executed a script by appearing before the Senate hearing with a toy truck loaded with stocks of clean coupon bond paper. What was his purpose? Nothing but a showbiz strategy and Bong forgets that such act can only be done in a make- believe movie script, his domain. In fact those loaded in the toy truck where not scrutinized.
A toy truck is a young boy’s plaything a revelation of the boyish Bong persona and Legislators are adults, there’s no place for boys in the august halls of the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines.
UN refugee agency highlights shelter needs of typhoon victims
TACLOBAN CITY – With the “latest wave” of heavy downpour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) stressed the need to find long-term solutions for families displaced by supertyphoon Yolanda.
During a briefing held January 25, Joel Andersson, UNCHR’s head of Yolanda operations in Tacloban said that many families are still in evacuation centers and some are still taking shelter in tents waiting to be moved to temporary and permanent shelters.
“Agaton, a typhoon recently hit the country tested again the resilience of Filipinos still recovering from the devastation brought on by typhoon Yolanda in November. While the commitment of the Philippine government to help rebuild the lives of affected population is truly remarkable and should not be underestimated, we are reminded the need to do more for finding durable solutions,” Andersson said.
The UNHCR made the statement after receiving reports that more than a thousand persons in Guiuan, Eastern Samar had to be evacuated from tents and bunkhouses to public buildings and schools last week the low pressure area and storm dumped rains.
“The incessant rains flooded emergency shelters and strong winds that toppled tents are a clear reminded that these shelters are not equipped for long term residency and are unable to sustain heavy weather over a period of time,” he added.
“The Philippines government and the survivors should be assisted in the provision of safe and permanent shelters for people affected by this series of natural disasters.”
Citing government reports, the UNCHR said that Yolanda’s fierce winds and storm surges had totally destroyed 550,928 homes, displacing 4.1 million people along its path.
As of this week, more than 440,000 families have received emergency shelter materials such as family tents and plastic sheets. Also provided were solar lanterns, blankets, jerry cans, and kitchen sets distributed to typhoon-stricken villages in Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, Iloilo and northern Cebu.
The UN official noted that people are still dependent on humanitarian support, particularly to rebuild their homes. About 14 million survivors, to include 4.1 million persons were displaced on Yolanda’s aftermath, according to UN.
By: SARWELL Q. MENIANO
2 drugs suspect nabbed in buy-bust operations
CAMP KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte– At least two persons suspected to be involved in illegal drugs trade were arrested by the police in separate sting operations across the region January 27.
Acting regional director Police Chief Supt. Henry Losañes informed that the intensified campaign against illegal drugs is in response to the present emphasis and demanding issues of drug law enforcement wherein drug pushers have become so aggressive in plying their trade.
“The campaign against the proliferation of illegal drugs will always remain as one of our primary concerns,” the police regional chief said.
Losañes noted that while Eastern Visayas continues to be free from big-time drug syndicates, his office will nevertheless initiate an all-out campaign against street pushers and peddlers.
In Maasin City, one Eric Salar alias Eric White, 36, was nabbed by joint operatives from the PRO8 Regional Intelligence Division (RID) and Southern Leyte Police Provincial Office (SLPPO) in a buy bust operation 3:30 p.m. on Jan.27 in Barangay Tagnipa.
Confiscated from Salar were four small plastic sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” with an estimated market value of P2,000 and cash amounting to P1,021 believed to be proceeds from his illegal activity.
Meantime, the implementation of search warrant in Brgy. PI Garcia in Naval town in Biliran province resulted in the arrest of 49-year old drug suspect Lito Aquino.
Acting on the strength of search warrant issued by Executive Judge Eprehem of the Regional Trial Court branch 18 in Hilongos, Leyte, a police team led by Police Chief Insp. Wilfredo Amordo raided the house of Aquino that also resulted in the seizure of six sachets of suspected “shabu”, P4,000 cash and several paraphernalia that includes digital weighing scales and lighters.
Lawmen also confiscated one Colt caliber .45 and one Luger 9mm pistols and several rounds of ammunitions during the search.
The suspects were brought to police stations for further investigation while recovered illegal items were brought to the Regional Crime Laboratory Office for examination.
“We will make it sure that they will be spending the rest of their lives in jail,” Losañes said adding that drug charges were already filed against the arrested suspects.
By: PINSP ROMUEL NACAR, PIO PRO8
Almost 3 months after Yolanda People still longs for normalcy
TACLOBAN CITY- After almost three months since Yolanda struck this city, its residents are still grappling its aftermath.
In Anibong district, one of the hardest-hit areas of the city, while several of its residents have chose to repair their houses, they are still apprehensive as to where they would be relocated by the city government.
Marvin Tabatana, 33, on his own built a new house located at the back of their previous house that was damaged by Yolanda.
Instead of getting somebody to build a new house, he decided to stop driving a motorcab- for- hire(MCH),his main source of income, to personally build his house hoping that in a month’s time, it will be finished. He has spent about P20,000 for the construction of the new house.
The money that he used for the construction of their house was from the P15,000 they received from the Tzu Chi Foundation, a Buddhist foundation that is based in Taiwan.
He and his wife also earned an additional income from the cash-for-work scheme initiated by the same foundation wherein they were paid P500 each for 15 days of work.
Despite the 40-meter no-build zone policy, Tabatana chose to build the house within the same area as he claimed that the city government has yet to inform them where they would be relocated.
Dionicia Yu, 54, also of the same area, also expressed her apprehension as to what kind of life they would have once they leave the village they considered as their home for 33 years.
She, however, said that her family would abide the government’s no build zone once it would be strictly enforced.
In San Jose, another hard-hit area, Marilyn Ocena 42, said that though they were among the thousands of residents of Tacloban who left the city during the first weeks after the storm on November 8, they chose to return to their old home located at the Fisherman’s Village together with their seven children.
The family now lives in a tent after their house was totally destroyed by Yolanda.
In Costa Brava, also in San Jose, Richard Padilla, 34,together with his wife and three children, expressed hope that he would be given help considering that he lost his car which he used for his rent-a-car business.
Now, his family together with other survivors depends on the rations being given to them by the government. Just like other those who lost their houses, the family now lives in a tent.
By: LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA
Year of the Laity
OUR beloved bishops have declared 2014 as the Year of the Laity. I suppose it is part of the 9-year preparation, a novena of sorts, for the celebration of the fifth centennial of the Christianization of our country in 2021. Remember that Magellan discovered our country and introduced Christianity on March 16, 1521, as that naughty Yoyoy Villame ditty had immortalized.
In their pastoral letter of exhortation, they appeal to the laity to be more aware of their duty and responsibility in the Church and in our country. The bishops wish that the laity to be consistent to their faith, translating it from belief to action, from something personal to something social and collective, especially in the area of politics.
Let’s hope and pray that this initiative acquires more meat and structure, gains foothold and traction, and runs far and wide. It should not just be a good idea, a beautiful letter. It has to be a living reality, widely and immediately felt, and concretely acted out.
Many things need to be done, many concepts to be clarified, programs to be acted on, and goals to be pursued. Even the very concept of laity is not clear to many people, including those who consider themselves very Catholic. So, imagine what idea they have about the responsibilities attached to their status.
While every believer who is baptized is called a faithful in the Church and therefore enjoys a basic equality with everyone else in terms of dignity and responsibility in the Church, there is also a functional diversity that distinguishes them into clergy on the hand, and laity on the other, with the consecrated religious men and women comprising as a third division.
There should be no question about who is higher or lower in the Church. The hierarchical structure of the Church is not meant to elicit that attitude but rather to put in place and to keep the vitality of the Church as animated by the Holy Spirit himself.
Everyone has to be aware that, whether cleric or lay, he is part of an organic body that has dimensions both visible and invisible, material and spiritual, human and divine. He has to realize that the Church is also in his own hands. He has to learn to work in tandem with others.
All faithful are conformed to Christ in baptism. Those ordained to the priesthood are conformed to Christ in a more specific way, that is, to Christ as head of the Church.
Yes, they enjoy a certain authority over others, but that authority is precisely meant to serve the others. They preach, administer the sacraments, etc. Their power should not be understood as a claim of entitlement. On the contrary, priests should feel like rags for the lay faithful to step on softly on their earthly pilgrimage.
But the laity has a great responsibility too in the Church, and especially in the world, since they have to bring Christ, his spirit, his teaching into the world, transforming it to make it more human, more Christian, more in accord with the will and plan of God for it.
Thus, they should never feel like secondary citizens in the Church. They have to stop acting like little, uneducated kids, or mere amateurs. They have to earnestly aim to be mature Christians, aware and alert to do their duties. This truth has to be pounded on their heads more often, because they tend to get contented with an idea of maturity that is simply temporal.
Their faith has to be a matter of conviction, guiding them in their thoughts, words and actuations, whether in private or in public, and in every level and aspect of life. To achieve this, they have to learn to pray, to spend time conversing with God, to study thoroughly the doctrine of our faith, develop the virtues, avail of the sacraments, etc.
They have to burn with desire for holiness and with apostolic zeal, such that wherever they are, they would always be aware and feel urged to be holy and to be apostolically concerned with everyone else.
Let’s hope that we can make use and activate all structures and mechanisms to enable the laity actualize their potentials. We have to start with the individual, then the families, schools, parishes, offices, etc.
It’s good to note that there are now many groups with different charisms that are working to make everyone an authentic Christian. Let’s hope that little by little, we can see a transformation, a new spring in the world of politics, entertainment, business, etc.