In the Presence of Vultures

As the campaign season starts in the Philippines, I am reminded by a story a friend shared with me. The story of the little politician.

A very corrupt congressman died and was met by St. Peter at the gates of heaven. He was told that he can choose where he would spend his days, in heaven or hell. He was to spend one day each in both places after which he is to make his choice.

He was to spend his first in heaven. So the gates of heaven opened. As he walked, he saw groups singing and groups praying. He turned to St. Peter and asked, “Is this all there is here in heaven?” St. Peter replied, “Yes.” He immediately asked to be taken to hell so he could see what hell has to offer. So off they went to hell.

As soon as the gates opened, he was greeted by a scantily-clad girl. He was given his favorite scotch and was kissed by the girl. “This is nice”, the congressman said to himself. He was then taken to a golf course where some of departed friends were playing. He joined them and finished a round. He was taken to a restaurant with a buffet so sumptuous and filled himself to his heart’s content. They then went to a casino where gambled till late in the night. Just before calling it a night, he was brought to a brothel where he chose the ladies he’ll spend the night with.

As he went back to St. Peter the following day, he had already made up his mind. Without waiting for St. Peter to ask him where he chooses to spend his days, he quickly said, “I prefer hell than heaven.” So St. Peter sent him on his way. This time though, he was greeted by Satan. As he entered hell, he saw desolation, despair, torture and pain. His friends were submerged in pools of dung. Otheres were being whipped. Others were in other forms of torture. He turned to Satan ans asked where the the beauty and grandeur he saw the day before were? Satan mockingly answered, “Yesterday was the campaign, today you got to vote.”

Hope you enjoyed my little story.

Yesterday at about 9:00 am, marked a day that journalists the world over will never forget. An estimated 34 journalists died in the first incident of election related violence in Maguindanao in the Southern island of the Philippines. Allegedly perpetrated by the ruling clan, a convoy of journalists and family members of a rival clan were stopped on their way to file the certificate of candidacy by a force of paramilitary. They were brought to a hill and were summarily executed.

The ruling clan, the Ampatuan is closely connected to Pres. Gloria Arroyo. The Ampatuan clan was responsible for delivering votes for Arroyo in the presidential elections of 2004 and for the senatorial bets of her party in 2007. The Philippines ranks 2nd to Iraq as the most dangerous place for journalist considering the rising list of media practioners killed in the line of duty. The savagery of what happened yesterday was never seen in any part of the world.

Journalists live a life with one foot in the grave. The difference we have with Iraq is that the Philippines is not at war. The victims were not in a war zone, they were to report on a election related event. What infuriates me is how the government is addressing this. Instead of using the full force of the law, they treat the perpetrators as if they were heads of state. Law should be appleid equally regardless of political affiliation.

Clearly the journalists will once again be deprived of justice. You see, in the Philippines, journalists are considered pests as they expose the crimes of our officials. From harassment to outright assassination, every trick has been used to silence these people. I suppose these are the dangers the media has to face in a country like the Philippines. Fortunately, despite all the hazards of the trade, people still enter the field to keep us all informed.

I hope that justice will be served not only for the journalists in my country but to journalists all over the world.

The world is experiencing extremes in weather that has left devastation in its path. While developing countries try to lessen their impact on the environment, big economies do not. The recent conference on climate change did not resolve anything. We heard the usual rhetoric with no concrete commitment. China and the US isn’t doing enough and they expect the smaller economies to do all the work.

Protecting their interest is more important than humanity. They can survive the onslaught because of their huge economies. We, the smaller ones cannot. We end up borrowing from these countries to reconstruct our devastated infrastructures.

At present, the Philippines is trying its best to veer away from coal-fired electricity. We’re trying to go Green as possible with grants from the EU and loans from international sources. This has put so much burden on our economy that we just cannot cope up. It takes huge amounts to develop and tap our geothermal resources just to minimize or totally eradicate our reliance on coal.

I just wish those whose economies do the most damage do their part. If you’re rich, don’t flaunt it. Be responsible and put your money where your mouth is. If the smaller economies go down, you won’t have a place to dump your products on. At the end of the day, you’ll be killing your economies as well.

In a country where poverty and hunger is prevalent, the president and her party was seen on two different occasions exhibiting how callous they can be. While the world’s most power nation’s president is seen munching on hotdogs and burgers, the Philippine president wined and dined with the finest foods and wines money can buy. As her spokespersons try to justify such insulting events, one wonders how many times during her more than 70 trips abroad has these things happened.

Our government auditors have reported that Gloria Arroyo had in fact overspent. In her eight agonizing (for the Filipinos) years as our sitting president, she had actually not delivered anything for the people. After every trip she made, she would report the investments are coming and yet multi-national companies have in fact been leaving the country. She’s supposed to step down in 2010 so it seems that she’s treating herself and her allies to wonderful trips abroad at the expense of the taxpayers money.

Never have I seen such extravagance since the time of Imelda Marcos. From the way Arroyo spends, looks like she is bent on draining the country’s coffersThe outrage is spreading and Filipino workers abroad are now reporting how lavish a lifestyle our jet-setting president has during her foreign trips. In country where more than 40 percent go hungry everyday, these news is a slap on our faces.

Her predecessors took only a handful of delegates during their foreign trips, but with Arroyo, it’s a horde. And that includes spouses and even children of her most rabid allies. Wel at least more and more cynics and skeptics are now more aware of how evil this administration is. I hope that the US and the rest of the world will be prudent in giving aid and support to the Philippines while Arroyo is in power. A bigger portionof these end up in the pockets of this gang of thieves.

I can’t help but wonder how the greatest nation in the world can have health care problems. Health care issues have been plaguing my third world country as well. We do have public health care here in the Philippines even though it is lacking. The problem with our country is corruption. But I think we have gained a small victory when the “Cheaper Medicines Bill” was finally passed. But in the US, it seems that greed and lobbyists are winning the war on health care.  In the Philippines, it’s a crime to reject a patiemt without insurance.

The problem lies in the greed that pervades in the magical free market system which the US is sticking to. The lack of control and oversight has made being sick a crime. Health care should not be about business. It’s an advocacy and a moral and social concern. The Republicans are up in arms about raising taxes on the rich and affluent. In my country, we are overtaxed as well but we try through different means to help those who cannot afford the cost of treatment.

aside from the income tax we pay which is the same percentage the rich pay, we also have the value added tax is is applied to all products and services.. I suppose those who oppose the idea of public health care refuses to see the bigger picture. A heallthy populace leads to a more progressive country. I don’t quite understand what is so wrong about social services. I guess they do not understand what progress is all about. They would rather stick to tradition, the tradition of a divided society. A society where there has to be rich and poor.

The economic crisis the US is in now has decimated the middle class. The social gap has widened. And the health care issue will now surely divide the people. But I guess those who oppose it couldn’t care less as long as they and their families have insurance. If they are afraid of being taxed, all consumers pay indirect taxes, that includes those without health care.

At the end of the day, instead of giving billions in aid to other countries, the US should help their countrymen who really need help. Don’t you think so?

The Philippines is now being sold piece by piece to Communist China by our very own government. The weird thing is that we’ve had a communist insurgency for several decades. Our “little” president had been playing both sides. On one hand is the USA and the China on the other. How is our country being sold? Majority of incoming investment especially in the mining sector is being cornered by the Chinese. There is a resolution in our congress to allow 100 percent of land ownership to foreign entities. Up for grabs are fertile lands, lands that are being tilled by poor peasants but owned by cronies and the oligarchs.

The Chinese mining companies have eased out our small-scale miners, the locals. They are forced to compete for what little is left of the mines. Their children are forced to stop schooling to help their families out to make ends meet. China is losing its farms to the crawling desert. Thier industrialization have encroached on their agriculture. They have less land to plant on to feed their growing population. The answer is to acquire land from other countries. Knowing how greedy the current regime is, they’ve dangled billions to entice our leaders to sell our people out.

The worst part of this whole scenario is that they seldom employ the locals which has led to massive poverty. What a way to legalize an annexation of another country. But the next national elections is next year. The administrationis doing all it can to derail this because they know that the people and the opposition will surely go after their necks. The Chinese invasion has begun. Almost all products being sold comes from China. There’s also an influx of mainland Chinese, not as investors but as competitors to our small businesses.

China’s expasion is not limited to Asia. They’ve expanded to Africa as well. They target the developing countries with very corruptible leaders. So if you think that the world safe from the Communist , better check again. A new way of expansion is on the way.

The turmoil engulfing the tiny country of Honduras is all about personal gains. Personalities are battling for control and influence in this poor country. It is not so much as to addressing social problems but about influence and power. Because Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is through his country’s oil is trying to expand his influence, many Latin American leaders have fallen prey to his antics. Honduras is now in the frontline of the battle.

Ousted president Zelaya, emboldened by Chavez’s gains and perhaps expecting doleouts from him, tried to subvert Honduras’s constitution to stay in power. It is not about the dismantling of oligarchies but about extending his term for personal gain. What behooves me is how the international community took Zelaya hook, line and sinker. Even the EU is clueless of the real events taking place in Honduras. Relying mainly on Zelaya’s claims bolstered by Chavez’s rhetoric, they concluded that what happened in Honduras was a military coup and not an adherence to the processes of law.

A country’s sovereignty is dictated by its constitution. Rather than seeing the crisis as an internal one, they relied solely on Zelaya’s story. What the OAS should have done is to study the Honduran constitution first and then dissect the events. What is happening now is that Zelaya and Chavez are using this to get support from the international community. Of course Zelaya would try to make it appear that he is a hero to the people and a victim of injustice. Are the members of the OAS this stupid? Have they no wisdom?

I raise these questions as the Philippines have gone through several coups and power grabs. But unlike the Honduran congress and its supreme court, ours are weak. I applaud the Honduran courts, congress and its military for being strong enough to pursue due process instead of giving in to pressures both from within and abroad. Zelaya I think forced the issue and disregarded the laws of the land. In the Philippines however, our congress is in the pocket of the president and follows her every whim.

If the crisis in the Honduras continues to be meddled in by both the OAS and the UN, it will never be resolved. Let Honduras handle its political crisis. They have no business sticking their noses in a country’s constitutional problem. Chavez and Zelaya are stoking the fires of unrest in Honduras. And Chavez because through the use of Venezuelan oil is whipping Latin America to toe their line.

As for the rest of the world, be discerning, be vigilant and don’t be fools. Don’t believe everything you hear especially from men who only want power. Mediation and meddling are two different things.

So the dingbats of the Republican party are at it again. I’m glad that John McCain did not win or America will surely lose its remaining credibility in the international community. So what if Pres. Obama refrains from using tough talk to comment on what’s happening in Iran. The problem with the Republicans is that they are so used to “gunboat” diplomacy”. Perhaps the Likes of McCain should look back into history and what caused the ouster of the Shah of Iran.

The Republicans are implying that Obama is too passive and would prefer to see how things play out in Iran before making a move. The US in the past had the habit of cuddling dictators that led to oppression and repression. The Philippines is no exception. The US propped up the Marcos dictatorship and only pulled out its support when they saw that Marcos is about to get kicked out. For years, the Filipinos suffered under a dictator supported by the US. It is in fact the same now. We are under a corrupt dictator who uses the military as her own private army. Never mind the hundreds of political killings, the repression and suppression of my peoples voice. Despite being a former colony of Uncle Sam, the US never bothered to “liberate” us. Perhaps because we have no oil that the US badly needs.

I agree with Obama. Its the US interest that he should prioritize on. Let the Iranian people decide their fate. What is wrong is to meddle in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. If the Iranians has had enough of their present regime, it’s up to them to what action they should take. We Filipinos decided we’ve had enough so we revolted and kicked Marcos out. If the US wants to regain some of its glory, they should allow other countries to decide for themselves.

The Republicans should rethink their policies. Talking through the barrel of a gun leads to more “hate” for the innocent people of the US. I suppose they couldn’t care less, it’s the average Joe that’s in harms way and not these Capitol Hill bozos who sit in their secured offices. If McCain and his Republican friends wants action, I suggest they form themselves into a “liberation force” and free the Iranian people from the shackles of their abuse government. I’d like to see these Rambos go into Iran and liberate its people. Words don’t make men, Wisdom do.

Two decades have passed since the people of China tried to challenge the patience of their Communist leaders. To this day, the number of those murdered is yet to be known. Perhaps fearing that the people could once again rise up to try and democratize China, they have since instituted some changes. But still, power is in the hands of a few. Communist oligarchy is alive and well. These so-called reforms legalized the wealth of its leaders.

For the first time in dcades, the Chinese felt empowered. The politburo was on the defensive and those in the countryside were coming to Beijing to join the protesters. The simple clamor for better conditions of the students were about to reach revolution status. To save fave, the embattled leadership declared martial law. The army swept any opposition aside and the massacre that followed is testimony to the ruthlessness of the government.

Huge companies are owned by officials while the people are now allowed a taste of good life. A very good way to appease the people and to douse the simmering cauldron of change. Yet most of China remains unchanged. Life is harsh in the rest of the country. Only those who live in the major cities have an easier life. While progress is rapid, vital services are worse and the heavy hand of the party hangs over the entire country.

Twenty years have passed and still figures of casualties remain unknown. China is now a legitimate super power. Will freedom for the people ever come? I doubt it. As long as the politburo paints a picture of good life, no one will ever think of freedom. Unless its leaders would allow their people to decide for themselves, democracy would remain an elusive dream. The vultures of the party will continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the people.

At the end of the day, what happened in Tiananmen in 1989will soon be forgotten, erased by the government who rules with an iron hand. The people would remain silent and simply accept the fact that their only option for now is subservience.

As I scanned the channels this morning, I chanced upo Bill O’Reilly  debating about the morality and immorality of torture and collateral damage. He seems to have been cornered by his adversary that he turned to absurdity in defending his views. What a pinhead this O’Reilly is! You don’t torture to extract information regardless of how guilty or innocent a prisoner is. This kind of mentaluty is what alienates the US from the rest of the world. You cannot condemn other countries of injustice and human rights violations when your own country does it as a matter of policy.

The issue stemmed from Pres. Obama’s directive to ban torture on prisoners of war(?). He went on to point out that bombing villages in Pakistan is immoral. War is hell and collateral damage is expected. I don’t remember him fuming over Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza? The bigotry in his demeanor speaks volumes of how convoluted this bozo’s mind is. Moral or not, Obama is the CiC of the US armed forces. He will decide on how best to annihilate Al Quaeda. History will judge him for his actions and I am sure Obama knows this.

The problem with people like O’Reilly is that they are never satisfied. They are the termites of society. Nothing is good in their eyes except those that would improve their ratings. These are the kinds of media practitioners that talk with their asses. They are on the way out and the only way for them to survive is to drum up the base and appear moral in their fans’ view. They speak of ethics when they themselves are unethical. They badger their guests to make it appear that they have the moral high ground.

If there is such a thing as a media dinosaur, Bill and his kind are it. So who is the pinhead this time, no it’s not Paris Hilton but a guy named Bill O’Reilly. A pinhead to me is someone who contradicts himself and blurts out inconsistent absurdities. Oh Mr. O’Reilly, your Dad helped save the world in World War II, do you mean he’s immoral because of the huge collateral damage the war caused? What a way to insult the heroes who defended the free world. War is impersonal Bill, torture is.