The little dolphin that could

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The Wall Street Journal (which, editorially, has previously been supportive of the President) greets the President’s arrival in New York with a raspberry: see the op-ed piece, Powering Down the Philippine Economy:

Tomorrow in New York, Ms. Arroyo will woo well-heeled potential investors at a $5,000-a-table luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria, where she is expected to give an upbeat presentation on Philippine infrastructure financing and ongoing privatization efforts.

Ms. Arroyo’s boasts ring hollow, however, given her country’s inhospitable climate for foreign investment… Even worse, Ms. Arroyo and her political allies back in Manila don’t seem to care that they are sending signals that would cause any potential investor to cringe.

Take the most recent bungle: the liberalization of the notoriously inefficient Philippine energy sector. In 2001, a newly sworn-in President Arroyo signed legislation calling for at least 70% of the government-owned National Power Corporation, known as Napocor — long one of the country’s worst symbols of inefficiency and corruption — to be privatized. Even though Ms. Arroyo’s administration has dragged its feet in following through with the reforms, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 is working, albeit slowly.

Today, slightly more than 40% of Napocor is privately owned… By year’s end, the reform act’s goal of privatizing at least 70% of Napocor could be realized.

But will Manila allow that to happen? Last December, the Arroyo administration announced that it wanted to amend the reform act by Christmas, to ensure that the government would retain control of at least 50% of Napocor. Hardly for the first time, the government in Manila was reminding foreign investors that the economic goal posts could be moved in the late innings. In the House of Representatives, the antireform legislation’s chief sponsor is the chairman of the energy committee, Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, the president’s son.

When the heads of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce protested the roll-back of Napocor’s privatization in a May 27 letter to Ms. Arroyo, the president’s allies in the senate exploded in nationalistic outrage…

“My goodness, get out of this country if you can’t live with us,” Sen. Juan Ponce-Enrile told Mr. D’Aboville, who has lived in the Philippines for 31 years and is married to a Filipina. Added another presidential ally, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, “You may not continue. You do not determine what you can say or not say. I determine.”

Unembarrassed by such a display of legislative intemperance, Ms. Arroyo has brought Sen. Santiago with her to New York, where the president is lobbying the United Nations to give her a seat on the International Court of Justice. Asked by reporters right after the hearing if the senators’ June 6 bullying of the foreign businessman had been inappropriate, presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said he didn’t think so. A few days later, Ms. Arroyo — possibly having been informed that several European ambassadors were prepared to file a formal diplomatic protest — came out with a statement thanking foreign investors for being part of her country’s “success.”

Ms. Arroyo has argued that government control of power plants is a more efficient way of keeping electricity prices down than private competitors who will compete in the marketplace — surely a strange argument from a woman who has a doctorate in economics. Making matters worse, her administration is engaged in a separate but equally embarrassing power struggle for control of the board of directors of the Philippines’ largest private electricity distributor, the Manila Electric Co. The company is controlled by the powerful Lopez family, one of the Philippines’ most enduring oligarchies. In addition, the Philippine government holds a 30% stake and is represented on the board.

To be sure, there is a case that could be made that Meralco, which controls some 70% of electricity on the big island of Luzon, is a monopoly that should be subjected to the pressures of real market competition. But the political intensity of the Arroyo administration’s personal attacks on the Lopez family suggests — especially to watching foreigners — that an agenda is at work that goes beyond economics. Specifically, the fight between Ms. Arroyo’s family and the Lopez business empire seems to personify the latest example of feuding family clans that have long been a major source of the Philippines’s economic and political fragility. In the early 1960s, when Ms. Arroyo’s father, Diosdado Macapagal, was president, he also tried to wrest control of Meralco from the Lopez family.

Ms. Arroyo needs to understand that when Manila promises to open up major sectors of the economy to reforms that would foster real competition, those promises should not be broken.

Over at Inquirer Current, I pointed out the ratio of Filipino to American congressmen was 5:1. The Inquirer editorial for today points something out I’d observed in my column yesterday:

Is it wrong to criticize the President for not returning to the country immediately?

To answer the question, we must first respond to the image engineering campaign already underway that seeks to paint the President as taking the extra step, as going out of her way, to oversee recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the Philippines. Malacañang has highlighted the fact that she has been conducting videoconferences with the Cabinet and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). On June 24, the meeting was held at 3 in the morning; the following day, it was held at 1:30 a.m.

Allow us to point out the obvious, which seems to have been buried under the publicity avalanche: While it was very early in the morning here in the Philippines, it was the middle of the day in Washington, D.C. In other words, it was the Cabinet and NDCC officials who went out of their way, to meet the President’s schedule.

We have long noted the President’s extraordinary grasp of detail, and even her many political enemies acknowledge her prodigious capacity for work (in marked contrast to her predecessor), but it seems a cruel joke to force her officials to attend meetings in the wee hours, just so she can be seen to call the shots.

Her main ally in Congress, House Speaker Prospero Nograles, argues that Vice President Noli de Castro was “more than capable” to serve as “caretaker president” (gratuitously adding that this was “precisely why we have him as our vice president”). But this able-caretaker argument runs directly counter to the President’s idea of government-by-video-conference. If Vice President De Castro is in charge, why doesn’t Ms Arroyo allow him to take charge? Her intervention by “modern communication technology” undermines the vice presidency, at the exact time her allies in the administration coalition seek to build up De Castro’s reputation.

More tellingly, her use of “modern communication technology” undermines her own case for sticking to the original schedule. If there is a pressing need for the President to actively coordinate the work of the Cabinet and the NDCC at this time of shock and grief, what is she still doing in the United States?

ph5-062608.jpgLatest figures put death toll from Typhoon ‘Frank’ at 622 with 2.4 million people displaced in 14 regions. And as if things couldn’t get worse, they did: ‘Princess’ dives, retrieval stopped due to chemical shipment. And Sulpicio’s yard yields 7,000 sacks of ‘smuggled’ sugar.

Passenger shipping industry drowns while budget airlines fly high points out, though, that if it had happened in previous years, the casualty list from the capsizing of the Princess of the Stars might have been much higher:

The ill-fated Sulpicio Line ship plying the primary Manila-Cebu route had a capacity of 1,992 passengers, excluding crew members. But when it encountered rough waters during a typhoon and capsized in June 21, it was only carrying over 700 passengers and more than a hundred crew members.

It means the massive 23,824-ton ship was going ahead with an expected business-as-usual day with just about 40 percent load.

Compare that with another ship also owned by Sulpicio Line, the M/V Dona Paz, which sank in 1987 after colliding with a small oil tanker. Its weight was just 2,215-ton, a fraction of M/V Princess of the Stars’.

M/V Dona Paz had a capacity of only 1,518 passengers, but after the tragedy it was found to be carrying more than twice what it was allowed. Investigations following its sinking showed that it was overloaded and up to 4,375 people onboard died. It has gone down in history as the worst maritime disaster during peacetime.

The M/V Dona Paz tragedy, however, occurred during the Christmas holidays, a peak season in the travel industry. M/V Princess of the Stars, on the other hand, was traveling during a traditionally low season…

…Depending on the season and timing of purchase, a round trip plane fare between Manila and Cebu could go as low as P3,000. In the past, round trip boat fares on the same route hovered between P4,000 to P8,000. But even at reduced rates of up to a little over P2,000, the small difference with the cost of flying have enticed some to convert.

The airlines could afford to offer these low fares after they adopted a sophisticated pricing strategy that guided budget carriers in allocating more discounted seats during the lean months of June to October to improve their load factor, or the measure of how full the aircraft is. Thus, even on lean months, Cebu Pacific’s load factor can go as high as 80 percent.

Flying budget airlines is not only more affordable now, it is also more convenient. A Manila-Cebu boat ride, for example, takes almost a day. A plane ride, on the other hand, takes just over an hour…

…According to the Philippine Ports Authority data, in 2005, overall recorded passengers taking sea-based transport grew by only 2.55 percent. It has been downhill since.

In 2006, total sea craft passengers dropped by 8.27 percent. That’s only 42.56 million passengers for the entire year. Data for 2007 is expected to show that passenger counts plunged deeper.

The business decisions of market leader and publicly listed Aboitiz Transport Services in 2007 provided indications on where this industry is headed. The dramatic reduction in their passenger loads cut their revenues up to 30 percent in 2007.

To adapt, they have converted several of their passenger-cargo lines, under the Superferry brand, to accommodate more cargo than passengers.

This means shipping companies such as Aboitiz Transport and Sulpicio lines have joined another competitor – the government-backed roll-on-roll-off (RORO) operations, which resulted in lower operating costs not only for cargo operators but also as another substitute for passengers who still could not afford flying.

Roro is less expensive for those involved in the cargo business because of its multi-port approach. For example, a Roro boat that leaves the Batangas port can pass by various smaller islands, such as Mindoro and a few more islands, which are not traditionally serviced by other big boats because business there used to be not as brisk as, say the likes of Cebu, Iloilo, Davao and Cagayan de Oro, where there are more commercial activities.

Roro, which was launched in 2003, has since led to changes in areas and islands that used to be left behind in terms of economic development. According to Henry Basilio, a transportation export from the University of Asia and the Pacific, cargo traffic for Roro vessels in 2003 was only at 30,000 metric tons. He said this has since increased exponentially to 240,000 metric tons recently.

And the usual gruesome panic: DOH allays fears of fish poisoning. At least here’s some slightly less depressing marine-related news: people have been entranced by the heroic but tragic story of the dolphin that tried to save a fisherman: but both died. See the reactions of Pine for Pine, and view from the sugar island.

The United States gave $100,000 and sent a carrier task force (helicopters from the USS Ronald Reagan are delivering food, water, and generators to Panay; US Navy divers have been helping with efforts at the wreck of the Princess of the Stars); the People’s Republic of China gave $100,000 also, South Korea donated $300,000.

A major fundraising effort’s begun overseas with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent appealing for $8 million for typhoon aid to the Philippines

all these things that i’ve done lists the different ways (direct deposits to bank accounts, credit card and online donations, even donations through SMS) people can make donations to the Philippine National Red Cross.

Individual bloggers have taken to propagating information for those who want to make donations for specific locations. Touched by An Angel has joined an effort to help the children of San Fernando, Sibuyan Island (see Sibuyan mayor cries: We are victims, too). Clothing, books, toys, and food gathered for the kids will be sent through the Red Cross.

Phoenix Portal recounts how a group of animators got together and helped out in relief efforts in Iloilo, with the help of SM Foundation.

Much more needs to be done.

Kalibo residents going hungry, still waiting for relief:

Because of limited supply, the prices of all commodities have gone up. A ganta (2.4 kilos) of commercial rice, which sold at P65 to P70 before the typhoon, now sells at P120 to P150. Fortunately, the National Food Authority loaned the municipal government several sacks of rice. Rebaldo said these have been distributed to the poorest residents of the different barangays. But the supply will not last very long.

“These are all on loan. We don’t have money in the municipal government,” Rebaldo said.

The flashflood also killed most of the livestock of the town. “In one barangay, 200 cows drowned,” the mayor said. Many pigs, chicken and carabaos also died during the typhoon, he said. Water reached a low of 8 feet to a high of 12 feet in the entire town. The waters are gone now but mud is up to one foot high. Kalibo is the catch basin of Aklan. (Aklan means river in English.)

The individual stories are what matter, now, and here they are: Ella’s Virtual Nook has photos of the damage done to New Washington, Aklan, including the wrecking of the blogger’s own home.

In Romblon, JPMonje.net gives a thorough account:

Typhoon Frank’s gusty winds and heavy rains where experienced in Tablas island in Romblon Saturday morning. I thought the storm lashed out through the night until I found out that it hasn’t passed by the island yet. The electricity in our shop in Odiongan, Romblon suffered low voltage problems which started last Friday night. It was difficult to acquire some updates in the Internet about Frank’s projected route since power outage is intermittent. Add to that the mobile carrier signal there drops out every time. In a nearby store, I bought some eggs for our breakfast. Mrs. Norie who man the store informed me that there had been a sea mishap happened near Sibuyan Island. Later that morning, I recieved conflicting reports that all the passengers aboard the ship died. Some said there were a handful of survivors. A tidal wave was reported also in Alcantara, Romblon which I assumed it was a storm surge that hit the area.

My companion and I decided we should close the shop for that day. Since the typhoon signal in Romblon had been raised from 2 to 3, it is better that we call it a day-off to us and for our two secretaries. Since it was pouring that time, we decided to bathe ourselves in the rain and traverse the road leading to the famous “Baywalk” in barangay Tabing-Dagat. I managed to fight the freezing temperatures while gusty winds and rain hit me. It took us 15 minutes to reach the area. Upon seeing the area, debris were scattered everywhere. Stalls and cottages were destroyed and big brown waves came rushing into the shore. This could take days to clean up when the storm’s gone. The government spent more than a million pesos to rehabilitate the baywalk area. Good thing the new light posts like that in the Roxas Boulevard in Manila survived the vicous winds. We roamed the area and went back to the shop 30 minutes later.

Around noon, the power went back and I tuned in to the radio for news about the vessel tragedy. It was confirmed, the vessel “Princess of the Stars” of Sulpicio Lines capsized near Sibuyan Island. I was a horrific tragedy and I felt bad learning that there are few passengers survived. Sibuyan Island’s surrounding waters had been always rough even without a storm based from my experiences travelling there before. With that in mind, I could not imagine how big the waves were at that time of the storm. It was unbelievable that the largest ship in the Philippines could capsize like that.

The storm arrived in Romblon around 5:30 pm and brought strong winds and pouring rain that night. I took my digital camera and recorded a video of the storm inside the shop before dark. I hope I could upload it and post it in my blog. The next morning, only a handful of GI sheets, uprooted trees and trash clutter the streets.

In Roxas City, news reaching chemical rhapsody isn’t good,

Right now, my mother has to travel to Roxas City in search of a photo processing shop so she could have the pictures developed, as well as coordinate with DepEd Capiz. She’s been working closely with concerned agencies and they’re putting together a situational report for an upcoming meeting with the President.

My in-laws, however, said the electricity in Roxas City is still too feeble and could only power lights — not enough output yet to power an establishment. I hope the more-established shops there have their own generators. Otherwise my mother would have to go for Iloilo.

…as confirmed by Bloggy Blog: A College Student in Capiz:

Some parts of roxas city, capiz have no power supply because of the damaged hits by typhoon frank last saturday. According to Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council(PDCC) in the Province of Capiz, the number of Barangay affected by the typhoon frank are 47 brgy in roxas city, 5 were died, 5 were also injured, and 6 persons are still missing. Not only roxas city was affected in this typhoon frank but the other places also in western visayas were affected.

In Iloilo, Barangay OFW reprints an email from a nun, Sister Fidelisa Portillo, who recounts the situation at Aklan and then,

But as far as storms go, this is nothing. The wind was not that strong. Iloilo has experienced typhoons far, far worse than this. Which is why it was an utter shock for me when I turned on the radio at 1 pm nga grabe na gali ang situation in the city and Pavia. By 3-4 pm, a lot of calls were coming in asking to be rescued. We were caught flat-footed and we were really not prepared for this. It was each to his own.

Even the radio reporters felt bad. There really was no way to get to those who needed to be rescued. Just listening made you also feel bad. Each town knew they’re on their own. Roads were under water, bridges had collapsed. The city was able to borrow 10 jet skis, some rubber boats and two pump boats. 7 pm pa lang, naguba na ang pump boats.

The family of Mayor Treñas was rescued out of their house at past 10:30 pm. Big boys are not supposed to cry, but several mayors were crying, their voices breaking! Out of helplessness at the overwhelming cries for help nga wala man sila mahimo.

Vivian called the Disaster Coordinating Center to help her sister in Alta Tierra but she was told that there’s nothing more they can do at the moment.

The sugar central in San Enrique had 10 feet high of water, tunaw ang sugar. The NFA warehouse, flooded ang sacks of rice nga bag-o lang na deliver. For the first time ever, would you believe, the road from SM City up to the Marina had waist-high water? A lot of people, among them, one of George’s med reps spent the night at SM City. It became an evacuation site of sorts sang mga surrounding baranggays.

SM opened their food court area and the canopy and stairs to accommodate people. And they had to close the malls yesterday and today. School will resume on Wednesday. Now, there’s cleaning up. Nagakaubos pala diri. The mud can’t be rid of by just hosing it down. Sobra 1 foot ang thickness sang mud.

Worse, some areas will take 4 to 5 days for power to be back. Ang area Jaro up wala pa water coz the water pipes from Maasin are broken. Wala ni rich or poor subong sa areas affected. All of them are buried in muck.

By way of village idiot savant, the testimony and pictures of Bored Blather: mud, mud, everywhere.

And Bits and Pieces of Roxie provides snippets from typhoon-related stories:

*Gigi and her daughter were trying to save their television, when they saw a snake slither through the water. Plok! Down goes the tv under water, and up they run to the second level of their house.

*Nora spent three days on top their roof. She lived near Jaro CPU area. Saw her yesterday, puffy eyed and dead tired. She was able to save three backpacks of belongings and the rest were stuffed in two plastic bags.

From someone, Nostalgia, on an unidentified island:

Typhoon “Frank” hits our island at around 3 p.m., at first it was just signal number 1, but eventually turned into number 3.Apprehensions flood my mind as the storm brought down heavy downpours and very strong winds. We were covering the windows with heavy blankets just to fend off splashes of water and laid out on the floor rags and old clothes to absorb the rainwater that has finally seeped in.At around 7 p.m. the wind grew stronger and trashings and poundings grew louder and louder. Our house being the tallest in the neighborhood almost had all the beatings of the storm. It lasted until the wee hours of the morning, the longest that I’ve witnessed so far. By the morning, the intensity of the damage spread before our eyes. Whew!

And from a foreign tourist, in Adventures in Asia 2008, tracing their journey from Camiguin to Manila to Taiwan:

The night before we were due to leave for the mainland all the ferries had been cancelled and the part of the beach that wasn’t already under water was constantly beaten by frothing waves. Amazingly, the wind had eased by morning and we felt lucky that we wouldn’t be missing any of our upcoming flights. At the airport, on our way from Cagayan to Manila, I made the mistake of thinking that we had a good chance of experiencing our first on-time departure with Cebu Pacific Air. 7 hours later, freezing from the powerful A/C and braindead from watching the same five horrible commercials on loop in the departure hall (literally a big room with nothing but chairs and said crappy TV) the loudspeaker announced that all passengers should go through security and get ready to board. As if we hadn’t already been ready and waiting for half the day!

The Manila that we landed in was completely different from the sunny place we had left about a month earlier. Palmtrees looked like they would snap in half from the gale force winds and it was difficult to find shelter from the downpour. During the cab ride to our hostel we were in the midst of scenes I’ve only seen on the news before – people wading in knee-deep water surrounded by cars that should have been rowed rather than driven down the street. The disappointment of our flight to Taiwan having been moved forward by a day so as to avoid Frank, who was supposed to have been wreaking havoc in Taipei around the time we were due to land, was tempered by our discovery of Manila’s shopping malls. We were luckier than many people in that the main damage caused by Frank was to our bank accounts!

And it’s inevitable paranormal concerns have been raised, see sweet n sour and the more elaborate theory of Ang Umalohokan on “The Romblon Triangle”:

A lot of folklore surrounds the story behind the Romblon Triangle, from mermaids to cursed seas. Even galleon crews plying the Sibuyan Sea as they follow the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade route are enchanted by the waters of the area. Everytime a galleon enters the waters, special prayers and offerings are performed to appease the spirits haunting the area.

But one well-known legend behind the countless of maritime disasters in Romblon was the legend of a certain Lolo Amang. Lolo Amang is said to be the Flying Dutchman of Romblon, a local version of the famous Cape of Good Hope ghost ship. Lolo Amang is said to frequent the waters of the province aboard a huge golden boat at night. His boat is so beautiful and shiny that seafarers can see it even a mile away. Once lured by the light of his golden boat, eyewitness claim to see a huge party aboard the ship with fair-skinned women, music and food. One eyewitness of the M/V Don Juan tragedy reported seeing Lolo Amang’s ship before it collided with M/V Tacloban. The captain tried to avoid the ghost ship but ended up colliding with the ill-fated cargo vessel.

Lolo Amang is so well known in Romblon that some of his believers even collected taxes from unsuspecting residents. My great-grandfather who was the police chief of Banton Island in Romblon reportedly investigated this scheme and found out that some albularios or quack doctors are taking advantage of the Lolo Amang myth. When interviewed, these herbalists claim that Lolo Amang resides in a secret lair in a certain Barangay Cayatong in Looc or Ferrol town in Tablas Island. Up to this day, such place in Tablas is still shrouded in mystery, with reports of mysterious ships being sighted and late night parties in the middle of coconut groves were heard of.

In the end, there is not concrete evidence to prove the Lolo Amang myth. It could’ve been invited by the crews of the sunken vessels themselves to escape liabilities. It could also be a deliberate hoax to instill panic and fear among the islanders of the archipelago. It is only a matter of circumstances that made the waters of Romblon famous in the history of maritime disasters.

We keep hearing that the sinking of the Dona Paz was the “worst peacetime maritime disaster in history.” So what was the worst wartime maritime disaster? The sinking of the “Strength Through Joy” ocean liner Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945.

Also, here’s another thing to worry about: RP faces corn shortage: Official blames high prices of fertilizers for crisis.

In a consultative meeting Thursday on the commercialization of organic and microbial fertilizers, Dennis Araullo, the head of GMA (Ginintuang Masaganang Ani) Corn Program, said the high prices of inorganic fertilizers are forcing many farmers not to plant corn, or cut their planting of the crop by half. Corn in the Philippines is largely grown for animal feeds.

If the national production of corn does not meet the 7.9-million metric ton target for this year, the country may have to import the grain. This option poses problems, since corn is in short supply worldwide because it is a major biofuel crop…

…The Department of Agriculture has declared a no-corn importation policy for this year, even if about 120,000 metric tons of corn were imported in 2008.

Araullo said a corn shortage will badly hit the domestic livestock and poultry industry, possibly forcing the closure of many firms in that industry.

If that is not enough, people who eat white corn in place of rice will also be affected, and might switch back to eating rice. Based on estimates of local food experts, up to 15 million Filipinos are eating white corn instead of white rice.

Filed away for future reference department: Beyond brain drain: Human capital increasingly votes with its feet in The Economist. Link to Tourism stakeholders: No other way but to train people to replace those who go abroad and New hires in Metro Manila firms replaced those workers who exited from The Business Mirror.

Headaches for America’s allies: In South Korea, US Compromise on Beef Fails to Dent Korean Protest; in India, Nuclear Heat in India. In Japan, note Sino-Japanese oil exploration deal in Breathing Room for Japan’s Fukuda.

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Manuel L. Quezon III.

247 thoughts on “The little dolphin that could

  1. My God, unless my parents are lying to me and not a single appliance daw was damaged or we are the luckiest family in Iloilo. Haven’t heard from friends, though, and their phones are either busy or out of coverage.

  2. Whoa!

    The President was demolished thoroughly by the TWSJ on PANHANDLING for foreign investment and its notoriety for BROKEN PROMISES.

    “Ms. Arroyo’s boasts ring hollow, however, given her country’s inhospitable climate for foreign investment.”

    “Even worse, Ms. Arroyo and her political allies back in Manila don’t seem to care that they are sending signals that would cause any potential investor to cringe.”

    “In 2001, a newly sworn-in President Arroyo signed legislation calling for at least 70% of the government-owned Napocor to be privatized. Then December 2007 the Arroyo administration announced that the government would retain control of at least 50% of Napocor.”

    “When the heads of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce protested the roll-back of Napocor’s privatization in a May 27 letter to Ms. Arroyo, the president’s allies in the senate exploded in nationalistic outrage.”

    “”My goodness, get out of this country if you can’t live with us,” Sen. Juan Ponce-Enrile told Mr. D’Aboville, head of JFCC”.

  3. Eto pa sabi ng TWSJ, ang kapal-kapal daw ng mukha ni President Arroyo.

    “Added another presidential ally, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, “You may not continue. You do not determine what you can say or not say. I determine.”” -on bullying the head of JFCC.

    “Unembarrassed by such a display of legislative intemperance, Ms. Arroyo has brought Sen. Santiago with her to New York, where the president is lobbying the United Nations to give her a seat on the International Court of Justice.”

  4. This is a perfect illustration of PANHANDLING of two-faced President HA HA Arroyo – boasting for growth, luring investors and killing the investment.

    Another perfect illustration of PANHANDLING is the other two-faced Senator Santiago who berated earlier the head of foreign investor, and tag along the two-faced President for the seat on UN International Court of Justice.

  5. MLQ3 on, “it’s interesting how the president’s admirers are bothered by her pictures.”

    I am not her admirer but I cringed.

  6. This is result of panhandling policy of the President Arroyo versus Vietnam.

    1. Philippines attracted $2.5 billion in direct foreign investment compared to Vietnam’s $15 billon in 2007.

    2. Philippines attracted 2 million tourists compared to Vietnam’s 5 million tourists in 2007.

    3. The country has been importing rice from Vietnam. In newly signed MOA, Philippines will import 1.5 million metric tons of rice from Vietnam annually.

    The irony is that the panhandling president has doctorate in economics. Tragic failure.

    Sabi ni Mikel, “Malas ang Pilipinas”.

  7. The article about a reduced death count because of only a 40% load factor for MV Princess Stars is a minor testimonial to the benefit of competition.

  8. to d0d0ng: The Filipino public is not exactly recognized to be a stickler for protocol and decorum, or for being rah-rah backers of foreign publications that complain about the behavior of Filipino senators. Of course, I can be mistaken, but me thinks that the display of insolence by Senators Enrile and Miriam Santiago would have been applauded by nationalist Filipinos as Filipinos just putting these foreigners in their place.

    Some things did change after Y-2K.

  9. rodolfo biazon is doing a myanmar. wants to reject uss ronald reagan’s help in the romblon search and rescue operations because it has nuclear weapons. talk about grandstanding of the worst kind (even his own son disputes him).

  10. to ColdKing… that’s one way to go….

    But didn’t you consider the possibility 😛 of him/husband shooting her in a fit of rage because he/husband thought she/wife was cheating on him because men are falling over themselves completely overwhelmed and turned-on/ mesmerized / energized (with no need for viagra) by her stunning sexy luscious beauty 😛 of under 45-years-old looks?!!!!

    Just think about it!!! The passion of the embrace and whatever follows. I wonder if he gives her , the President of the Republic, an extra few minutes, or does he take her with her bullet-proof vest on????? Does he salute first????? 😆

  11. if sen. miriam defensor is elected, u.n.’s gain is our senate’s loss and, therefore, our nation’s. i can count on one third of my fingers the sprinkling of senators who know parliamentary procedures and legislative work, and miriam is definitely one of them. btw, the silence in this blog over the court’s rejection of trillianes’ petition (to be allowed to act as senator while in jail) is deafening.

  12. Are you being sarcastic, but knowing you, you must be serious. ( sighs ). U.N.s gain?! Whoever gains someone as corrupt, crazy, and controversial as Miriam surely loses BIG-TIME. They lose , and we lose, because it will shame our whole nation before the entire world that someone like that could come from our country. And blame MLQ if he does not cover Trillanes petition , we only respond to topic which he posts.

  13. UP n Student on, “the display of insolence by Senators Enrile and Miriam Santiago would have been applauded by nationalist Filipinos as Filipinos just putting these foreigners in their place.”

    Dishonesty is a big issue. Nationalist Filipinos can sincerely express their sentiments. It is the panhandling of the President luring foreign investors and killing the investment that is tragic in business language.

  14. Senator Santiago is overrated by Filipinos because of her fiery attitude. That was an asset when she was the former judge and the unquestionable queen of her own court.

    Today, she is considered a loose cannon with her big mouth:
    1. Following her presidential defeat by Fidel Ramos.
    2. Berated the justices following rejection by the judicial board to the Supreme Court.
    3. Broke diplomatic protocol and accused the Chinese as inventing corruption.
    4. Berated, “I determine what you can and cannot say”, the head of foreign investor representing US, Europe, Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

    Her blunder is well known internationally and UN member nations are unlikely to endorse an arrogant and temperamental woman with failed ambitions waiting to explode. She sign off her death warrant.

    Diagnosed with anorexia and losing weight, her physical condition limited her work in the Senate. In short, her carreer is over.

  15. Much of what passes for “Philippine nationalism” nowadays really is Myanmarism, which is a hypocritical rejection even of what is good for the people motivated entirely by insurgent ideologies dressed up in the False Memory carefully dressed up by certain historians as anti-imperialist history. In that sense there is little difference between GMA and JPE and Joma and Nur Misuari. All represent our failed or wanna-be ruling elites. Indeed much of the so-called progressive Mass Media, in so far as they line up behind one or more of these failed and failing entities, are themselves ludicrously bound up in the Myanmar Syndrome, except they are far more adept than the military junta there at self-explication and aggrandizement.

    If the truth about these Right-to-Left geniuses is to be discerned, I would say that JPE had his French d’Aboville while PDI has the USS Ronald Reagan as emblems of their membership in the Burmese Club, both putting words in various mouths to hide their authorship of an essential idiocy.

  16. Bencard,
    you are a lawyer ;can you give me a legal opinion if the constitution should be bypassed in times of emergency.

    If you ask me an ordinary citizen, I would say;thank god they came to help,but I am asking you as a lawyer.

    Article 2:
    Declaration of Principles and State Policies

    SEC. 8.
    The Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues a policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory.

    I know this maybe an inanity, thank god they were at hong kong doing R and R and some aid stuff.

    http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=37950

    Ronald Reagan CSG Arrives in Hong Kong
    Story Number: NNS080619-09
    Release Date: 6/19/2008 3:39:00 PM

    http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=37985

    Carrier Strike Group 7 Departs Hong Kong After Port Visit
    Story Number: NNS080623-10
    Release Date: 6/23/2008 1:53:00 PM

    but if it is the persian gulf or in the sates,would they have come?

    now on a son disagreeing with the father,since my father advices biazon even as I type this, I have said my opinion even if it wont change anything.

    but who will defend the constitution?Should we just let it pass because of extra ordinary situations? better be damned if defending the constitution is the question.

    they are at sulu sea, the last time I checked,it is still RP territory.Should we go chacha for nuclear powered vessels to go here with out criticism?
    I guess not,there will always the the nuclear freezone guys and green peace to contend with.

  17. For Bencard again,

    Now on trilanes,even if I have mentioned my dad has close ties with him, I have my own opinion. a non lawyer’s opinion.

    the only chance for him to legislate is he gets pardoned by the next admin,but to be pardioned he has to be convicted first.

  18. DJB,
    you may also want to give an opinion on my queries to Bencard on the nuclear vessels at philippine territory.

    no holds barred, I want your opinion ,if you may?.

  19. to KG: On Nuclear…. Pinas Constitution “nuclear” clause is about nuclear weapons, not nuclear-powered vessels.

    (1) Presence of USS Reagan on Philippine territory is against Constitution “nuclear clause” if there are nuclear warheads on the carrier.

    (2) USS Reagan, in all likelihood, has no nuclear warheads on board.

    (2-a) Supporting evidence : that USS Reagan has been welcomed on Japanese territory.
    (2-b) USS nuclear warheads are inside US territory or on nuclear submarines.

  20. KG, Di ba sabi ni Madame Arroyo walang Dala na Nuclear Weapons ang President Ronald Reagan Battle Group? Of course alam natin nanaginip naman itong si Presidente sa manga sinasabi Nya, pero MARAMI naman naniwala na ni Jittison nang Battle Group yong manga Nuclear Weapons nila bagong mag set sails sa bayan natin.

    Sana ma-ari ideclare nang Presidente State of Calamity, at puede masuspend yon Section 8 nang constitution duration nang “aid” nang battle group. “no longer as needed” for the purpose…

  21. kg, some constitutional scholars might disagree, but i think a declaration of principle and policy in the constitution is not a MANDATE to act one way or another. rather, it is directory and contemplates normal circumstances and conditions. note: the declaration is qualified by the phrase, “consistent with national interest”. i believe, the presence of uss reagan (or any nuclear-armed vessel) for humanitarian purposes and in response to a request for help, is not unconstitutional as biazon suggests.

    about trillianes, either he is acquitted or, as you correctly stated, be convicted and pardoned (to have a chance to act as senator).

  22. addendum: there will also probably be 2 or 3 B1 and/or B52-bombers in flight at any time armed with nuclear warheads so US never gets caught flatfooted by a sneak attack.

  23. To mikel,

    seems your “malas ” quote will soon become fashionable.

    Malas ba dahil di matanggal si GMA or malas dahil andyan si GMA?

    Whatever, thanks for stirring our minds. Although I still could not see the real intention when you made that quote. Either you want to taunt GMA foes, state a fact, or defend GMA. Anyway, Thanks.

  24. To mikel,

    seems your “malas ” quote will soon become fashionable.

    Malas ba dahil di matanggal si GMA or malas dahil andyan si GMA?

    Whatever, thanks for stirring our minds. Although I still could not see the real intention when you made that quote. Either you want to taunt GMA foes, state a fact, or defend GMA. Anyway, Thanks.

  25. “so US never gets caught flatfooted by a sneak attack.”

    Sneak attack ala Pearl Harbor? This is 2008 not 1941.
    Modern technology, especially those concerning on defense, precluded that kind of “sneak attcak.”

    I agree, though, that there will also probably be 2 or 3 B1 and/or B52-bombers in flight at any time armed with nuclear warheads.

  26. UPN S,

    To me when it is called strike group,they might say don’t have nuclear warheads but,who knows? 80 aircrafts with not even one nuke?

    Palagay ko even if Japan has gone over the hiroshima nagasaki stigma.

    reason is; They had the worst nuclear power plant accident in recent history.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashiwazaki-Kariwa_Nuclear_Power_Plant

    The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant (柏崎刈羽原子力発電所, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa genshiryoku-hatsudensho?, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP) is a large, modern (housing the world’s first ABWR) nuclear power plant on a 4.2 square kilometer site including land in the towns of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa in the Niigata Prefecture, Japan on the coast of the Sea of Japan, from where it gets cooling water. The plant is owned and operated by The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

    It is the largest nuclear generating station in the world by net electrical power rating, and has also been hit by the strongest earthquake to ever occur at a nuclear plant, the July 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake. As of June 2008, the entire plant is still shut down for extensive inspections following the earthquake. A group of concerned scientists and engineers has called for the closure of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant.[1]

    Thanks UPN and Mang Kiko!

  27. “President Arroyo has restricted the USS Ronald Reagan, sent to the country to help in rescue operations for victims of typhoon “Frank,” from actually entering Philippine territorial waters amid warnings that warships in the carrier battle group might be carrying nuclear weapons.” – Philstar

    Could have been a good opportunity for Uncle Sam to display its naval prowess and impress upon our Chinese neighbors who is true master of the Pacific, and of the Philippines? (Remember, it was Ambassador Kristine Kenney who first raised howl about the aborted NBN/ZTE deal.)

    I had the chance to see one of these aircraft carriers. It was magnificent.

  28. TheColdKing Says:

    June 28th, 2008 at 3:07 am
    I hope GMA and FG get AIDS and die.

    *********************

    I’ve been mulling how to get DENGUE-infected mosquitos to Malacanan !

  29. A known woman-supporter was overheard talking on her mobile phone in a Makati parlour (speaking on her cell phone): “Umiwi ka na. Masama na ang press release ninyo dito..and dating, wala kayong pakialam sa hirap dala ng bagyo.”

    The person, a beautician, who overheard this, was narrating this to me. Because she could not hear what the other person on the other line was saying, the woman goes on to say: “..ano nanaman yan? Wag ka na sumali sa mga behind the scenes diyan, mapahamak ka pa sa 2010. Come home as fast as you can. I’ll make the arrangements para you’ll get passed the press in the airport”.

    When the story was told to me, I wondered what Gloria, FG & their lapdogs are all up to. Could there be another deal in the making similar to ZTE that’s why they can’t seem to make it home ASAP?

  30. President Arroyo has restricted the USS Ronald Reagan, sent to the country to help in rescue operations for victims of typhoon “Frank,” from actually entering Philippine territorial waters amid warnings that warships in the carrier battle group might be carrying nuclear weapons.” – Philstar

    lokohin nya leleng nya

    sulu sea is between palawan and panay

    kung si bush nag advise na international waters yun ,magsama sila

  31. Wawa naman si GMA for being snubbed by Barack Obama despite her buzzing around…how apt that Miriam Defensor is with her as both of them became just “anonymous insects”.

    Incidentally, write to the UN now and CC your embassy to express how it would be unfair/unjust for the world for Miriam to be an International Court Judge. (Unless you are fond of comedy, then Miriam is a good choice)

    Just in case you are lazy to find the address, itich
    International Court of Justice
    Peace Palace
    Carnegieplein 2
    2517 KJ The Hague
    The Netherlands

    tingnan nga natin kung gaano lampas ng comments box ng blog and advocacy ng mga netizens…

  32. @ KG

    From website of USS Ronald Reagan:

    “The ships on station in the Sulu Sea include the Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76); embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14; the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62); and three ships of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7; the guided-missile destroyers USS Howard (DDG 83) and USS Gridley (DDG 101) and the guided-missile frigate USS Thach (FFG 43).

    “Also providing assistance to the AFP in their efforts are the maritime prepositioning ship USNS Gunnery Sgt. Frank Stockham (T-AK 3017) and the rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50), which have been assisting in the recovery operations of the sunken ferry Princess of the Stars.”

  33. It was ok for me na tumulong ang US, pero ang lokohin tayo at gawin tayong tanga ng presidente natin, di ko na alam kung anong pang masasabi ko don.

  34. “When the story was told to me, I wondered what Gloria, FG & their lapdogs are all up to. Could there be another deal in the making similar to ZTE that’s why they can’t seem to make it home ASAP?”-Chabeli

    They are still enjoying the Paquiao fight, is all.

  35. Why is GMA so persistent in meeting with Obama?
    Could it be that Obama has a very very strong change of getting the US presidency?
    So she wanted very much, at this very early tiome, to develop some sort of friendship.
    But she is supposed to end her term in 2010, more than a year after the election of new ( Obama) US president. There is really no pressing need to develop relationship between and outgoing and incoming president of the two countries.

    Ahem. UNLESS, OF COURSE, SHE IS THINKING OF BEYOND 2010.

    Wanna bet?

  36. Incidentally, write to the UN now and CC your embassy to express how it would be unfair/unjust for the world for Miriam to be an International Court Judge. (Unless you are fond of comedy, then Miriam is a good choice)

    Just in case you are lazy to find the address, itich
    International Court of Justice
    Peace Palace
    Carnegieplein 2
    2517 KJ The Hague
    The Netherlands
    ================================================

    oh wow hanep naman talaga sa pagka utak talangka!!! reminds me of the campaign against Cory for Nobel prize before.

    Bakit dahil ba hindi sumasama si Miriam sa opposisiyon? Kalokohan!

  37. KG (at 4:07 pm), i may be wrong but i think the United States has not yet ratified the UN Law of the Sea which supports the archipelagic interpretation which is why the Americans don’t consider the present location as part of Philippine waters. If that’s the case, it’s disingeneous for GMA, who represents the interest of the Philippines which has been one of the strong supporters of said Law of the Sea, to agree with the American interpretation.

  38. KG,
    Bencard’s explanation is spot on: “consistent with the national interest” is the key qualifier to our policy of “freedom from nuclear weapons” in its territory.

    This means we cannot interpret this phrase strictly to mean that nuclear weapons cannot be present in the country under any circumstance, as the Constitution wisely leaves open the possibility that some other greater national interest would prevail, as in this case the availability of a helping hand. It is ludicrous that the CPP NPA and the Left, who seem to be such sticklers for the Constitution and apply Constitutional principles to this issue and the related issue of military personnel from our Allies, are themselves entirely dedicated to the destruction of that Constitution.

    You can see their hypocritical use of our democratic freedoms for the destruction of that democracy and those freedoms ever more clearly in contemplating this malevolent hypocrisy. Look who is being made to suffer on the altar of their ideology and politics — the innocent victims and their families. Just like in Myanmar!

  39. djb, dunno why you have such a bee in your bonnet. the president’s great defender chit pedrosa in her column today, says myanmar’s a good example. the president herself accepted the ronnie reagan but told it to keep out of our territorial waters. uncle sam never confirms or denies nukes so, you do have a problem, same way uncle sam got mad at new zealand for insisting on something similar re: us carriers.

    but this is all academic because i’d think you know that only the lunatic fringe objects to american help at a time like this.

  40. Come home as fast as you can. I’ll make the arrangements para you’ll get passed the press in the airport”.

    As if the VIPs are like ordinary mortals who use the regular exits where they can be harassed by the paparazzo.

    Even in SF, the lowly senators from the Philippines insist to use the VIP exit.
    Ask one lady senator who went ballistic because she was not accorded such VIP treatment.

  41. MLQ3,
    I know that the vast majority of Filipinos adopt the common sense position I advocate. But the Senate, the President, the Left and so called progressive mass media, do not, all for their own reasons. The bee in my bonnet is the knowledge that if we do not push the view of the Silent Majority, we will lose billions in foreign direct investment in the energy and technology sectors, lose the confidence of our allies, earn the continuing wonderment of the world at our attitudes and suffer the wages of a self-destructive “nationalism”. Look at what unites both the administration and the opposition to escape the people’s complete rejection and disdain: that indispensable grievance that others, mainly foreigners, are to blame for our plight. It’s the false pride of failed elites. The Filipino people deserve better.

  42. MLQ3,
    this goes deeper than just foreign aid for disasters. it is the same anti-imperialist history, the same blaming of a long-vanished colonialism that allows many to justify or tolerate the insurgencies, as if they had a right to break the law now and seek to destroy the democratic system because we were wronged by the colonial powers. It is that ideological root which feeds the present Myanmarism, which mental illness apparently infects both the Left and the Right!

  43. and if you know anything about the nobel prize nominations, nominees are kept secret. cory being ‘nominated’ is haka-haka.

    my opposition to miriam being an international court judge is based on her inconsistent performance in parliament. naalala mo ba nung nagwala siya dahil sa ‘masamang tingin’ from the audience? or sa kanyang mga bare faced lies “hindi na ulit ako tatakbo”, “tatalon ako sa eroplano”…ayan ba ang gusto mong maging Pinoy international judge? dios mio.

    STANDARDS, standards.

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