Scared of repercussions from its Jewish lobbyists, the US cannot bring itself to condemn the barbarism displayed by Israel. Israel’s demeanor runs against the advocacy of the United Nations. I tend to now agree with some that the UN is biased. Only the strong countries have a say in the UN. I guess calls for the UN’s abrogation is valid.

After leveling Gaza to the ground, Israel once again showed the world that they can do what they please. After all the US will not lift a finger against them. So where will this latest crime against humanity lead to? My guess is nowhere. As long as the greatest power in the world allows this culture of impunity to rule in that part of the world, extremism will flourish, peace will be unattainable and the Palestinians will be extinguished from the face of the earth.

History always repeats itself. The Jews are doing what the Nazis did, extermination of a race. I wonder how much time the world has before total war erupts in the Middle East. I just hope that Israel doesn’t pull us down with her.

His campaign ads tried to solicit sympathy, but after his claims were debunked, surveys show that he continues to lose support. Some quarters have even asked for truth in advertising. He has no one to blame but himself. He was the one who fed the information to his advertising team. All his critics had to do was to research the truth. I’m glad that the Filipino voters are now more discerning. Campaign promises and catchy advertisements do not easily convince them.

Gone were the days when people rely heavily on what the candidates claim in their ads. People now try to find out for themselves the truth behind these claims. Villar’s team still do not realize that peddling lies will do them no good. Simply harping on poverty and corruption does not make a candidate win. Regardless of what stories Villar try to tell, credibility and integrity is what the voters look for. Villar has spent billions to make him look good. But the truth has many ways to expose itself. Too bad for Mr. Villar, what the electorate is looking for is truth in advertising. That is one thing that he failed to see. The Filipino is not as dumb as he thinks they are.

I guess that’s what happens when one thinks that money can buy everything. Sad to say for him, that is not the case when a people wants change.

Several of those who have lost their farmlands to Villar’s real estate companies have come out to seek justice. Villar is alleged to have bribed local politicians and regional officers of the Dept. of Agrarian Reform to convert prime agricultural lands to subdivisions. He is also accused of using his position for road projects that increased the value of his properties. In fact, an ethics case filed against him by a colleague remains unresolved, blocked by his allies in the senate.

With his enormous campaign kitty, he continues to flood all forms of media with his political ads. Certain reports say that he is Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s presidential bet and not Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, Arroyo’s political party’s anointed one. There are talks circulating that if Villar should win, he will not go after Arroyo who is accused of graft and corruption.

With the elections drawing near, Villar is going for the jugular. He has enlisted celebrities to endorse him. He has exploited children and women to campaign for him. He has even bought some members of the media to do the demolition job for him. He still trails Sen. Benigno Aquino, III, son of the late Pres. Corazon Aquino in the surveys.

This is the first campaign I’ve witnessed where money is not a concern. Villar who entered politics in 1998 with a few million in his pocket is now several billions richer. His net worth then was P75 million, now it’s a colossal P43 billion. This makes me wonder how in such a short span of time, he was able to amass such great wealth? Philippine law dictates that a speaker or senate president should divest himself. Apparently, he has not. And this could be another case that could be brought against him.

So far, he is the only individual who is in the list of the top 20 advertisers on TV. Mind you, included in the list are some of the biggest companies in the Philippines. All his ads are political ads. That’s how massive his spending is. I’ve studied his career at great detail and has even published his shenanigans. Knowing how shrewd Villar is, I am sure that he will try to recoup his spendings should he become president.

I’m not so sure about campaigns in other countries, but in the Philippines, seldom do you see a candidate whose goal is to serve the people. So far, the late Pres. Aquino is the only one who really cared for the Filipinos. The rest have scandals attached to them. I just hope that the people will not be swayed by slogans, jingles and motherhood rhetoric.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.