If You Say You Oppose PDAF, You Should Oppose RH Too

The Pork Barrel Scam has certainly enraged this nation and the anger will soon spill over to the streets. A few days from now simultaneous rallies will be held against the greed and corruption perpetuated by the Pork Barrel system, held fortuitously on the day called Araw ng mga Bayani. The day of heroes. On that day, we take to the streets, and protest the massive corruption happening in our country – an injustice so great that it has left the poor poorer and the rich richer.

Some were afraid that the recent habagat rains and the massive flooding might steal the thunder away from this event on the 26th. However, neither rains nor flood had that effect. On the contrary, the flooding and the destruction caused by the monsoon rains served as the perfect visual aid needed for the fence sitters still undecided whether to join the said event or not. The message was unmistakeable: had the billions Napoles and these legislators pocketed been spent on a proper flood-control system, all that rain that pelted us for the past few days wouldn’t have caused the massive flooding that we saw and experienced for ourselves. This flood and loss of property, money, and lives could have been averted; visualize these images vis a vis that lavish party of Jeane Napoles, Janet's daughter. 

Admit it: Every time you hear Katy Perry's "Firework"
you will always be reminded of this. That you wallow in poverty, they couldn't care less.

Just to be clear: I am opposing PDAF because the money that these congressmen and senators have taken from us deserve to be used for projects that will truly uplift our lives, especially the lives of the poorest of the poor. 10 billion is just too big an amount to lose. Imagine what 10 billion could have bought! According to research, here is a list of what 10 billion pesos can buy:

370 million kilos of well-milled NFA rice (P27/kilo)

55.6 million kilos of pork (P180/kilo)

185 million dozens of chicken eggs (P54/dozen)

83 million kilos of “galunggong” (P120/kilo)

823 million 155-gram cans of sardines (P12.15/can)

1.59 million 50-gram packs of instant noodles (P6.30/pack)

400 kilometers of standard two-lane roads (P25 million per km)

417 bus terminals similar to the newly built Southwest Interim Transport Terminal in Parañaque City (P24 million for the terminal)

5.6 million PhilHealth members (P1,800/year)

248 million textbooks (P40 per textbook)

8,000 classrooms in two-story buildings (P1.25 million per classroom)

13,699 classrooms in single-story buildings (P730,000 per classroom)

(sources: Philippine Daily Inquirer Archives, Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Sona Technical Report 2013)

Will 10 billion pesos make a big difference in our lives and in the lives of the poor? Yes, of course!

What if I told you that there is a law that will cost more than this 10 billion-peso scam? Yes, it is the RH law.

If you oppose PDAF on those terms above, you might as well oppose the RH law as well. Think about it.

Under the Pork Barrel Scam, 10 billion pesos were taken from us by the legislators involved. Under the RH law, 13.7 billion will be taken from us, taxpayers, whether we agree with RH or not.

We complain that the 10 billion embezzled money could have been used for other things like food, classrooms and textbooks , and roads and highways.  We complain that the money that should have been used to leap us into progress was used to make a few people filthy rich.

By the very same logic, we should also be up in arms because the RH law would be asking more from us - to the tune of 13.7 billion pesos annually. Let us make good use of that 13.7 billion to make sure that the poor have access to:

1. Clean water and clean surroundings,

2. Quality education and skills training to make them productive citizens,

3. Quality hospitals and skilled doctors, nurses and midwives so that all deaths, including maternal deaths, are lessened.

They say that RH is for the poor to have a choice – but what choice does RH offer except the choice to have or not have children? The Pro-life answer entails that we lift the poor from their poverty altogether, so that the poor, once fed, educated, and given a job, can be free to make more choices that will have profound and lasting effects in their lives. Certainly, we think that there is more to the life of the poor than just being able to choose how many children we want.

Take note that the legislators who vigorously advocated for the passage of RH also stand to receive much for giving so little to those who need most. They have foreign lobbyists that back them up – including groups that are bent on legalizing abortion in countries where abortion is still illegal. The president has already rewarded Janette Garin by way of an appointment, as DOH undersecretary.

Take note that there were persistent rumors that the president would withhold the PDAF of congressmen who would not vote for RH. This rumor was reinforced during the voting on the second reading of the RH bill back in December, when the president’s henchmen Edwin Lacierda, Butch Abad, and Mar Roxas went to congress apparently to remind the congressmen to tow the line, or else. The result was one of the most undemocratic passage of a bill. 

Both the PDAF and RH are living symptoms of this cancer we call corruption. They do not help the poor, nor does the ordinary Juan stand to benefit with these corrupt practices and laws. I ask that you remember that feeling you had when you had to endure hours of traffic, potholes on roads, inept administration of government officials, high prices of commodities and little to almost no wage increase, and a small, humid airport with stinking toilets. You had to endure all these things because the money that was intended for progress was either siphoned to the pockets and bank accounts of these greedy officials, or will be used to purchase condoms.

Can you live with that?  I can’t. That’s why I oppose both PDAF and RH, and will fight unceasingly until they are abolished and repealed forever. Social justice demands nothing less!

Binaha Ka Ba? Binaha rin sina Napoles...Binaha ng Pera!

Okay, dahil lahat tayo stranded sa bahay at walang makapasok dahil sa lakas ng ulan at taas ng baha, may oras ako para mag-sulat.

Kumukulo ang dugo ng mga Pilipino ngayon dahil sa 10B Pork Barrel Scam. Pinaghahanap na si Napoles ngayon ng NBI. Eh nung isang linggo lang, nagpa-interview pa siya sa Inquirer. Tapos, pinagsigawan ng mga autoridad sa buong mundo na huhulihin siya. Eh di malamang magtatago nga 'yun. Sana hindi ninyo na lang sinabi na wanted siya. Hulihin ninyo na lang. Para kayong teacher na sinabi sa klase na magbibigay daw sya ng surprise quiz bukas. Tsk.

Habang binabasa ninyo ito, malamang ay malakas pa rin ang ulan at mataas pa rin ang baha sa inyo. Sigurado ako na binaha din si Napoles, pero hindi ng tubig - kundi ng pera.

Hindi isyu dito ang pagpapayaman o pagiging mayaman. Pero yung lolokohin mo yung sistema para makapagnakaw ka sa mga kababayan mo, kasuklam-suklam 'yun. Nakatira ako malapit sa airport at nakikita ko kung paano kumapit sa sasakyan ang mga batang hamog para humingi ng limos o mang-spot ng pagkakataong makakupit o mag-nakaw sa mga pasaherong walang kamuang-muang. Akala ko wala nang kasing-sama ang ginagawa nila. Sisiw pala 'yun kung ikumkumpara natin sa mga magnanakaw sa kongreso at senado.

Hindi ko na kayang pakinggan ang kantang Firework ni Katy Perry dahil naaalala ko yung party nung anak ni Janet na si Jeane. Kung hindi ninyo pa napapanood, ito yung video.

reaction ni Batman nang mapanood yung video ng party ni Jeane Napoles

Kasuklam-suklam na kalabisan ang ipinakita sa party na ito, samantalang napakaraming naghihirap at nagugutom dito sa Pilipinas. Hindi ko lubos ma-imagine kung gaano karaming pera ang ninakaw sa atin sa pamamagitan nung Pork Barrel modus nila Janet Napoles mula noong nagsimula sila.

Sa araw-araw na tayo ay pumapasok at nagta-trabaho, napakahirap na hindi tayo maperwisyo. Lubak-lubak ang kalye na daraanan mo, at yung mga maaayos na kalye, lagi na lang binabakbak, dahilan para matrapik ka. Kung gusto mo mapabilis at iwasan ang trapik, gumising ka ng alas kwatro ng umaga, kahit na aantok-antok ka sa opisina. No choice eh. Kung gusto mo makaiwas ng trapik, mag-tren ka na lang, kaya lang siksikan naman sa MRT  at LRT dahil sa kulang ang tren. 

Kanina, pinasok ng baha ang bahay ninyo dahil hindi maayos ang drainage system ng lugar ninyo. Kasama ng maruming tubig ay basura at yung jebs ng kapitbahay ninyo. Nabasa at nasira marami sa gamit at kasangkapan mo. Bibili ka na naman ng bago, as if aabot ang pera mo sa susunod na sweldo. Sa kakahanap mo ng bagong gamit, nagutom ka, nag-jolibee ka. Isang kakapiranggot na kuyukot ang binigay sa iyo, halos trenta pesos, may VAT kasi. Kakain ka na lang ginag*go ka pa rin ng gobyerno. 

Sa kagustuhan mong maka-angat sa buhay, ginusto mo na mag-negosyo, pero parang halos walang kita, dahil sa taas ng buwis, lalo na kung taga Quezon City ka. 

At dahil sa kahirapan, at kawalan ng oportunidad dito, mapipilitan kang mag-OFW at iwanan ang pamilya mo. Sa mga huling sandali mo dito sa bansa natin, mamemerwisyo ka pa rin, dahil hindi gumagana yung aircon ng airport at mabaho at marumi yung CR. 

Lahat ng 'yan, isama pa ninyo 'yung pagkalam ng tiyan ng mga mahihirap, at yung mga walang matulugan ngayong gabi sa lansangan dahil kahit saan baha, iyan ang resulta ng pagnanakaw ng pera ng taumbayan. 

Maaatim ba ninyo na hanggang anak ng mga anak natin ay ganito pa 'rin ang kalakaran nila? Ako hindi. 

Kaya sa August 26, sasali ako sa malawakang pagkilos laban sa Pork Barrel. Hindi ko matitiis na 'yung mga maliliit na tao tulad ng mga mahihirap, 'yung mga walang boses at mga walang kalaban-laban ay panghabambuhay na nanakawan ng mga corrupt at dorobo. Sana sumama ka 'rin, at isama mo mga kaibigan mo, kapamilya mo, at mga kaopisina mo. Para ito sa kinabukasan ng bayan. Kita-kits sa Luneta!

PS:

Tutal abot hanggang langit ang panggagalaiti natin sa Pork Barrel, sana naman ay maging susi itong isyu na ito para magbago na rin tayo. Hindi naman ang pork barrel talaga ang ugat, kundi ang corruption. Sa ating maliit na paraan, tigilan na natin lahat ng katiwalian at corruption. Huwag nang mag-bigay ng lagay kay cheif. Huwag nang bigyan ng envelop si engineer o si mayor o si kapitana. Kung lahat gagawin ang dapat gawin nang hindi humihingi o umaasa sa lagay o pampadulas, at lahat tayo tapat sa ating tungkulin, uunlad tayo. Mas marami ang mag-iinvest sa atin at mas malakas ang pasok ng pera, at yung pera na 'yun makakarating ng buo sa mga nararapat tumanggap. Sana ay sa atin na rin magsimula ang pagbabago. 

Shameless

 It is said that the typical Filipino has a good sense of right and wrong; what he does not have is a sense of shame.

This Pork Barrel issue, although one of the biggest scams that have come to surface the past few years, is but one of many instances when Filipino politicians shamelessly use government funds for projects that are self-serving. No wonder so many people run for public office. Many of them know that there is much to earn by being a politician and it seems that everyone wants a piece of the pie, and those living in poverty are left with nothing.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle called out the politicians engaging in such a shameless scam to try to visit the informal settlers and those living in the streets that they may know how people can be affected by their greed.

“Who will not be shocked with these reports and with the magnitude of money involved? ... It’s like your heart is broken into pieces. Can one really do this to one’s neighbor? Can one really stomach causing this kind of damage on the country?” he said.

Tagle said those accused should get a feel of how the poor live so that they would know how to spend the PDAF properly.

  

What is even more ludicrous is how they drummed up so much enmity against the former Chief Justice and against former president GMA, but nobody wants to investigate this Pork Barrel scam and seek the truth. Not congress, not the senate. The president himself is trying to ignore the issue. And for good reason – they all dipped their hands at the coffers of our nation through the PDAF which is often a discretionary fund for imaginary projects where politicians and middle men like Janet Napoles make a killing.

Look how shameless our politicians have become. The numbers speak for themselves:

stats courtesy of Rigoberto Tiglao

Under this present administration, the budget for pork has tripled, but the gap between the rich and the poor have remained wide. The poor are still poor, the hungry are still hungry. This is Daang Matuwid at its worst. Janet Napoles may be at the center of this issue but around her are greedy politicians who have amassed so much wealth. If there is anything we have learned from this Pork Barrel fiasco, it’s that we have now identified how thieves in the government steal from the poor. We have long known that politicians steal from us; now that this scam has surfaced, we have a working idea of how they do it.

In the middle of it all: Janet Napoles

We have to fight injustice where we see it; the RH law, for example, gives contraceptives to the poor in the name of women’s rights to Reproductive Health. What many don’t realize is that these contraceptives could have been used to fund education, job creation, and skills training, all of which can directly help the poor – and half of the poor are women, lest they forget! Meanwhile, those who pushed for RH stand to gain so much from their masters, AKA foreign lobbyists while the poor remain poor! Oh, the utter shamelessness of these people!

As pro-lifers, these are issues that we cannot ever disregard. As Christians we have the mandate to fight for social justice and for the rights of the poor, the weak, the oppressed, and those who are too weak to fight for themselves. The Lord himself demands not only prayers for our suffering brethren but action on our part to make sure that we ease their suffering. We must continue beating the drum until this whole issue is investigated, and that the investigation be led by people whose integrity cannot be bought.

Today, ironically, we celebrate the memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish priest who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War 2 out of selfless love. After the outbreak of World War II, which started with the invasion of his nation by Nazi Germany, Kolbe provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland, including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from Nazi persecution in his friary in Niepokalanów. On 17 February 1941, he was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned in the Pawiak prison. On 28 May, he was transferred to Auschwitz as prisoner #16670.

At the end of July 1941, three prisoners disappeared from the camp, prompting SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Fritzsch, the deputy camp commander, to pick 10 men to be starved to death in an underground bunker in order to deter further escape attempts. When one of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, "My wife! My children!", Kolbe volunteered to take his place.

In his prison cell, he led the other condemned men in song and prayer and encouraged them by telling them they would soon be with Mary in Heaven. Each time the guards checked on him, he was standing or kneeling in the middle of the cell and looking calmly at those who entered. After two weeks of dehydration and starvation, only Kolbe remained alive. The guards wanted the bunker emptied and they gave Kolbe a lethal injection of carbolic acid.

Today, his martyrdom shines even as the darkness of our greed and selfishness have seemingly enveloped our land. St. Maximilian Kolbe is the patron saint of the Pro-Life movement.  Pope John Paul II declared him "The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century.” Today we ask for his intercession, that we may live not with selfishness, but with charity that seeks to save lives, and not to undermine those who cannot fight for their rights.

Fantasy Match-up: Gilas 2.0 vs Northern Consolidated Cement

Let me take this time off from writing the usual Catholic commentary and join the Gilas bandwagon. After all, I am a basketball fan myself.

My apologies too, to my younger readers and those who are not familiar with the Northern Consolidated Cement team. If you haven't consulted Google by now, the NCC team is considered to be the last great basketball team of the Philippines. Mentored by the legendary Ron Jacobs and backed up by millionaire Danding Cojuangco, the NCC team, comprised of naturalized players like Dennis Still, Jeff Moore, and Chip Engelland, lorded it over the Asian basketball scene. Here's a list of the championships they won: 

William Jones Cup, 1981, 

Southeast Asian Games Gold Medal, 1981

ABC Juniors Championship, 1982

William Jones Cup, 1985

PBA Reinforced Conference,, 1985

Southeast Asian Games Gold Medal, 1985

ABC Championship, 1985

This was the team that saw the likes of Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, Ricardo Brown, and Jong Uichico, now house-hold names of the PBA, and Uichico being a multi-titled coach currently serving Gilas 2.0 as an assistant coach. 

Which begs the question: who will win in a match between an NCC team in their prime and Gilas 2.0? 

Many would say outright that Gilas would not only win, but will massacre NCC. I also happen to know that many of those who say this have not seen the NCC play at all. 

First things first. There were several NCC teams, although the core remained the same. In our match-up, we will pick the 1985 NCC team that beat the USA for the William Jones Cup title in '85 and wowed the Europeans in the World Club Basketball Championship in Girona, Spain.

Here is my take on the fantasy game between the two stellar RP teams. 

Big Men:

Gilas 2.0 - Marcus Douthit, Marc Pingris, Ranidel de Ocampo, Japeth Aguilar, Jun Mar Fajardo

NCC - Dennis Still, Jeff Moore, Yves Dignadice, Tonichi Yturri

Advantage: Big advantage for Gilas 

Although Dennis Still was almost as tall as Marcus Douthit, and Jeff Moore once grabbed 30 rebounds during a PBA game, given today's modern strength and conditioning methods, Gilas' big men will dominate the NCC bigs. 

X- Factor: Marcus Douthit. 

He is a steady player who is never rattled, has a decent medium range shot, an excellent rebounder and shot blocker, and shoots the ball well from the line. 

Swingmen: 

Gilas 2.0 - Gabe Norwood, Larry Fonacier, Jeff Chan

NCC - Chip Engelland, Allan Caidic, Alfie Almario

Advantage: Slight advantage to NCC

I would have to give it to the NCC here. Chip and Allan will shoot the lights out of Gilas, in my opinion. Chip is now the shooting coach of the San Antonio Spurs, and Allan, well, let us have his achievements speak for him. As good as Larry and Jeff are as our 3 point specialists, they just don't have the elan of an Allan Caidic yet. After all, Caidic boasts of an impressive PBA career, not to mention the greatest individual performance in PBA history (Tivoli vs Ginebra San Miguel, where he set the PBA all-time records of the most points in a single game by a Filipino (79 points), the most points in a single half (53 points), the most points in a single quarter (37 points), the most three-point field goals made and attempts in a game (17/27 triples), the most three-point field goals made in a quarter (8 triples) and the most consecutive three-point field goals made in a single game (8 triples). 

From Wiki: What makes his performance (during the Tivoli Vs Ginebra game) more remarkable is that while he was playing in the court, his wife Millote was giving birth to their first daughter. He came off the bench late in the first quarter and left the game in the middle of the fourth, in a game where he could have possibly scored 100 points or more.

X-factor: Gabe Norwood

Gabe is an excellent perimeter defender, and is tall and long enough to either block or intimidate shots. He also has a good sense of timing his blocks attempts, as I have yet to see him bite a fake from the best shooters of  the current FIBA tournament. I could see him guarding either Chip or Allan, and if Gabe can prevent these men from hitting their 3s early on, he will make things difficult for the NCC. 

Guards:

Gilas 2.0 - Gary David, Jayson Castro William, Jimmy Alapag, LA Tenorio

NCC - Samboy Lim, Hector Calma, Elmer Reyes, Ricardo Brown

Advantage: Slight advantage for NCC

I would have to give the advantage to the NCC guards. Given that Gary David can explode anytime, the Mighty Mouse can carry his team on his shoulders, and Jayson "the blur" Castro can leave opponents biting the dust, there is just too much drive and finesse in the NCC bunch, especially their guards. Hector "the director" Calma outclasses the Gilas point guards easily with his basketball IQ and athleticism; The Gilas guards will have no answer for Ricardo Brown, touted as the "quick brown fox" and Samboy "the skywalker" Lim. One might say that the presence of the big men of Gilas like Douthit can alter their shots, but Samboy has been known to be very creative with his shots. He once scored 37 points against Banco di Roma of Italy in the 1985 FIBA World Club Championships in Girona, Spain.

Ricardo Brown, the Quick Brown Fox

X-factor - Jayson Castro Williams 

I highly doubt anyone from the NCC team can match his speed. If he can score a few lay ups or force turnovers, NCC will be having a long night trying to catch up with him. 

Coaches: 

Gilas 2.0 - Chot Reyes

NCC - Ron Jacobs

Advantage - Slight advantage for Ron Jacobs

Jacobs led the NCC team to many championships, including
a win over the US team in the 1985 Jones Cup

Chot Reyes may have the advantage of knowing the international game more because of his vast experience with national teams, but Ron Jacobs was just a wily opponent who got into the opposing coaches' heads and studied the opposing team and the rule book of the PBA so much in order to look for the slightest advantage his team could get. I remember fondly the time he coached a rag-tag San Miguel Beer team back in the 90s led by only one scorer, Nelson Asaytono. The play was predictable: give the ball to Nelson. But that scrappy team had so much heart that they were often in the finals or battling for 3rd place at least - a stunning achievement, considering that the rest of the team were comprised of role players such as Freddie Abuda, Mike Mustre, Art dela Cruz, Siot Tanquincen, an old Allan Caidic, and a young Olsen Racela. 

It was also funny how he took advantage of the loopholes of the PBA rules back then, particularly the injury timeout. From what I understand, under those rules, each team was afforded one injury time out each half. Incidentally, one of his players would feign pain or injury in order for Jacobs to use that timeout, usually during the last few seconds of the half, to map out a final play before half time and regain momentum, without having to use his official time outs. I might be wrong, but on account of this the PBA soon adopted the 20-second timeout rule of the NBA

Some might raise a howl because I said that Ron Jacobs is only slightly better than Chot. This is more of a testament to how much Chot has learned through the years as a PBA coach and the coach of the national teams past and present, and not to put Jacobs in a bad light. 

Intangibles

Heart, hustle, financial support, fan support, basketball IQ. Both teams show these intangibles. Both teams were supported by a rich guy - Danding Cojuangco for NCC, Manny Pangilinan for Gilas. Both teams have the heart, both teams have shown hustle. They are tied in this aspect. 

The verdict: 

On offense, Gilas moves the ball around, trying to look for the open shooter. If that doesn't work, they penetrate either to try to score a lay up or drop pass to an open Douthit or Aguilar. The Gilas offense is simple but effective, and I think Coach Chot keeps it that way, instead of employing intricate offensive patterns that can confuse his players. This present Gilas team knows how to read opponents' defenses and exploits the weak spots. Chot Reyes doesn't seem to mind his shooters from shooting 3s, even coming from transition. 

I have not seen the NCC play too much, but I remember how the San Miguel Beer team of the 80s played, and that team absorbed most of the NCC players like Samboy, Hector, Elmer Reyes, Yturri, and Dignadice. Calma and Lim would later agree to a salary cut in order to accommodate Allan Caidic from Presto. That team was good - good enough to win the Grand Slam in 1989. Not too bad. 

So, what is the verdict? It's tough to call.

If they only played one single game, then expect NCC to give Gilas a tough time, and I will not be surprised if they win over Gilas. 

However...

If they both played in a conference in the PBA, and they meet in a best of seven finals, I would give the series to Gilas, definitely. This is a thinking Gilas team that knows how to adjust. The NCC might be able to pull off a victory or two, but I would give the series to Gilas. 

Also, if NCC wins, I would predict the margin of the scores would probably be less than 7 points. If Gilas wins, the margin of the scores is likely to be more than 7 points.

I know you basketball fanatics and purists have your own 2 cents about who will win this fantasy match-up. The comments section is waiting for you.