Richard James Mendoza
08/19/2010
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the H1N1 virus is no longer a threat. It was never a large threat in the first place.. Reports indicate that the ones who advised the WHO to declare the H1N1 as a pandemic had connections with large pharmaceutical companies known collectively as "Big Pharma". Thus, it can be seen as a case of profiteering for Big Pharma that made the drugs. It is sad to see that many countries bought into the scare, the Philippines included, and as a result, we basically spent for contaminated junk that had no real use.
Speaking of vaccines, it was found last year that a girl from England died from the vaccine and consequently, the vaccination then was suspended. If we are to look at statistics, ordinary flu is more deadly than "swine flu", mostly affecting the young and the elderly. They projected about 100,000+ deaths but it came nowhere close to that. I guess my friend was right when he thought of H1N1 as "Buy one, take one": We bought into the scare and we took the drugs.
Now, it seems that another "superbug" has arisen, with cases being reported in India. Let us monitor the situation but at the same time be vigilant regarding the plans of Big Pharma trying to sell their wares to support the depopulation agenda of the global elite.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Skewed 'political capital' idea
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
08/16/2010
""But I would rather be right than popular," said the president," according to a 2007 BBC News report. Earlier in 2004, the San Francisco Gate had this other presidential quote: “I earned capital in this campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it.” The first is from Gloria Arroyo justifying her new revenue measures in her State of the Nation Address while the latter is from George “Dubya” Bush pushing the Iraq War.
Last week, the newspaper mouthpiece of the Yellows had “Aquino ready to sacrifice political capital” as its headline on the tollways value-added tax (VAT) wherein it quoted PeNoy’s spokesman saying, “…we’d rather be unpopular because in the long term we know that the value-added tax will be used for the social service we have promised.”
Well, son-of-a-gun. They sought popular support to the hilt during the campaign; but now, after taking power, they sneer at it!
Without a doubt, the “political capital” being bandied about by PeNoy and his sycophants is nothing but a whip to coerce people into accepting new taxes — taxes that he promised would never happen if they gave him their votes. And as most didn’t believe this promise, more than half of Filipino voters didn’t vote for him. Still, the SWS and Pulse Asia whipped up the incredible surveys claiming that PeNoy suddenly got an 88 percent trust rating after his inauguration, which led PeNoy’s people and some other less astute quarters to assume as “political capital.”
Even if that illusion did actually translate to genuine political capital, then it already disappeared as quickly as PeNoy went back on his word of “no new taxes.” This is in keeping with the nose-dive of the once “most popular” Barack Obama’s political capital when Americans discovered that his promised “change” was a sham.
Political capital for any leader is the sum total of the mandate and public esteem he gets from the nation. In the first place, PeNoy was never a “majority president,” the reason his supporters went on to manufacture this “political capital” through their controlled media’s blitzes and popularity surveys before and after the polls. Strangely, many in the opposition, even among the Left, were led to believe such propaganda, which is why, at best there, there’s some modicum of virtual political capital achieved.
The Wikipedia discussion on “political capital” says, “Political capital must be spent to be useful… In addition, it can be wasted, typically by failed attempts to promote unpopular policies that are not central to a politician’s agenda.” Indeed, PeNoy is trying to use his virtual political capital, but for whose benefit? Obviously, not the people’s.
We know that since at least 70 percent of all VAT is prioritized to pay the national debt, it’s obvious that the first beneficiaries of this VAT on toll ways are the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the finance mafia. Although hidden from the political scene, these groups and institutions are very much present in the system as they are the ones that call the shots.
An example of this power is the appointment of the new Supreme Court associate justice whom PeNoy says he doesn’t know personally (of course, since someone else made the decision). Maria Lourdes Aranal-Sereno is from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), a known bastion of Big Business. The Inquirer billed Sereno’s appointment as the “Triumph of intellect over shabby politics.” For sure, since public interests and assets will be threatened by Sereno’s legal opinions, notwithstanding Miriam Santiago’s praises which are laughable, it will be more like the “triumph of vested interests.”
The tollways VAT is obviously not going to benefit the millions of Filipinos who depend on these arteries of travel to and from work, home, business, farm, rest and recreation, and countless other activities. Allocating a bit more to toll fees wouldn’t be much of a problem if the people’s incomes were improving. But with static, if not decreasing, incomes, allocating more for this means taking away a bigger chunk from people’s daily needs.
PeNoy doesn’t know this because he doesn’t have a family to care for, as one of my radio listeners, 17-year-old scholar Angeline, says. Moreover, PeNoy’s staff, Ochoa and company, are known to be high-flying lawyers cum political aides of such alleged public fund profligates as Sonny Belmonte, that they wouldn’t even know the meaning of having to budget one’s monthly income.
The Supreme Court came to PeNoy’s rescue by issuing a TRO on the tollways VAT; but the stupidity of PeNoy’s Malacañang still knows no bounds. Lacierda came out to own up to the pressure, this even after World Bank Revenue girl Kim Henares had already denied PeNoy’s involvement in the issue.
There is no doubt that the brawl over the tollways VAT has already expended much of the virtual political capital of PeNoy. Just listening to the morning radio shows reveals at least a 90 percent rage against PeNoy’s insistence on this new tax (on an existing tax). Now, even the Yellows I talk to fear that PeNoy will be lost in six months’ time.
Maybe PeNoy can crawl back to public acceptance by using this “political capital” to say “No” to the oligarchs, the IMF-WB, the US Embassy, and once and for all say “Yes” to the demands of the people for lower power and water rates, lower toll fees and a better life!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; watch Politics (and Economics) Today, Tuesday, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m. on Destiny Cable Channel 21; visit our new blog, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com)
Herman Tiu Laurel
08/16/2010
""But I would rather be right than popular," said the president," according to a 2007 BBC News report. Earlier in 2004, the San Francisco Gate had this other presidential quote: “I earned capital in this campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it.” The first is from Gloria Arroyo justifying her new revenue measures in her State of the Nation Address while the latter is from George “Dubya” Bush pushing the Iraq War.
Last week, the newspaper mouthpiece of the Yellows had “Aquino ready to sacrifice political capital” as its headline on the tollways value-added tax (VAT) wherein it quoted PeNoy’s spokesman saying, “…we’d rather be unpopular because in the long term we know that the value-added tax will be used for the social service we have promised.”
Well, son-of-a-gun. They sought popular support to the hilt during the campaign; but now, after taking power, they sneer at it!
Without a doubt, the “political capital” being bandied about by PeNoy and his sycophants is nothing but a whip to coerce people into accepting new taxes — taxes that he promised would never happen if they gave him their votes. And as most didn’t believe this promise, more than half of Filipino voters didn’t vote for him. Still, the SWS and Pulse Asia whipped up the incredible surveys claiming that PeNoy suddenly got an 88 percent trust rating after his inauguration, which led PeNoy’s people and some other less astute quarters to assume as “political capital.”
Even if that illusion did actually translate to genuine political capital, then it already disappeared as quickly as PeNoy went back on his word of “no new taxes.” This is in keeping with the nose-dive of the once “most popular” Barack Obama’s political capital when Americans discovered that his promised “change” was a sham.
Political capital for any leader is the sum total of the mandate and public esteem he gets from the nation. In the first place, PeNoy was never a “majority president,” the reason his supporters went on to manufacture this “political capital” through their controlled media’s blitzes and popularity surveys before and after the polls. Strangely, many in the opposition, even among the Left, were led to believe such propaganda, which is why, at best there, there’s some modicum of virtual political capital achieved.
The Wikipedia discussion on “political capital” says, “Political capital must be spent to be useful… In addition, it can be wasted, typically by failed attempts to promote unpopular policies that are not central to a politician’s agenda.” Indeed, PeNoy is trying to use his virtual political capital, but for whose benefit? Obviously, not the people’s.
We know that since at least 70 percent of all VAT is prioritized to pay the national debt, it’s obvious that the first beneficiaries of this VAT on toll ways are the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the finance mafia. Although hidden from the political scene, these groups and institutions are very much present in the system as they are the ones that call the shots.
An example of this power is the appointment of the new Supreme Court associate justice whom PeNoy says he doesn’t know personally (of course, since someone else made the decision). Maria Lourdes Aranal-Sereno is from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), a known bastion of Big Business. The Inquirer billed Sereno’s appointment as the “Triumph of intellect over shabby politics.” For sure, since public interests and assets will be threatened by Sereno’s legal opinions, notwithstanding Miriam Santiago’s praises which are laughable, it will be more like the “triumph of vested interests.”
The tollways VAT is obviously not going to benefit the millions of Filipinos who depend on these arteries of travel to and from work, home, business, farm, rest and recreation, and countless other activities. Allocating a bit more to toll fees wouldn’t be much of a problem if the people’s incomes were improving. But with static, if not decreasing, incomes, allocating more for this means taking away a bigger chunk from people’s daily needs.
PeNoy doesn’t know this because he doesn’t have a family to care for, as one of my radio listeners, 17-year-old scholar Angeline, says. Moreover, PeNoy’s staff, Ochoa and company, are known to be high-flying lawyers cum political aides of such alleged public fund profligates as Sonny Belmonte, that they wouldn’t even know the meaning of having to budget one’s monthly income.
The Supreme Court came to PeNoy’s rescue by issuing a TRO on the tollways VAT; but the stupidity of PeNoy’s Malacañang still knows no bounds. Lacierda came out to own up to the pressure, this even after World Bank Revenue girl Kim Henares had already denied PeNoy’s involvement in the issue.
There is no doubt that the brawl over the tollways VAT has already expended much of the virtual political capital of PeNoy. Just listening to the morning radio shows reveals at least a 90 percent rage against PeNoy’s insistence on this new tax (on an existing tax). Now, even the Yellows I talk to fear that PeNoy will be lost in six months’ time.
Maybe PeNoy can crawl back to public acceptance by using this “political capital” to say “No” to the oligarchs, the IMF-WB, the US Embassy, and once and for all say “Yes” to the demands of the people for lower power and water rates, lower toll fees and a better life!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; watch Politics (and Economics) Today, Tuesday, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m. on Destiny Cable Channel 21; visit our new blog, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com)
Friday, August 13, 2010
PeNoy, Gloria, et al. — all one family
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
08/13/2010
At the gathering for Sen. Sonny Trillanes’ birthday at Camp Crame last Aug. 7, I predicted the “rehabilitation” of Gloria Arroyo within a year or two. I was with Dodong and Princess Nemenzo, NGO leader Manjette, lawyer Argee Guevarra, Oliver Felix (of our guerilla radio Sulo group), and Linggoy Alcuaz at that time. The Nemenzos found this both funny and appalling, as they laughed, doubted and lamented at the same time. Someone interjected: “Sa bagay, the Marcoses are rehabilitated.” To which I hurriedly added that “at least Marcos had the right nation-building program,” unlike Arroyo’s which people believe was pure kleptocracy.
The truth of my prediction is already being seen on radio and in Congress today, as Teddy Boy Locsin glorifies Gloria’s non-imposition of the Value added tax (VAT) on toll ways while the likes of Rep. Neptali Gonzales Jr. shield her from Rep. Walden Bello’s righteous condemnation.
Gloria Arroyo will be “rehabilitated” under the present system because the system itself is corruption incarnate, in which Arroyo is just one of its children. The other children of the corrupt system will naturally come to her rescue, as sure as Speaker Sonny Belmonte will always be by Gloria’s side to escort the one who has been tagged by many youth activists as “President Evil.” But really, she can only be as evil as the system is.
Belmonte, meanwhile, is said to personify the institutionalization of corruption in Quezon City, the alleged basis of which is that he raised the corruption incarnate “pork barrel” and other fund prerogatives of the Office of the Mayor and all councilors to unprecedented amounts (P2 billion for the mayor, P42 million each for councilors). On the other hand, Lakas to Liberal Party turncoat Neptali Gonzales Jr. has been the alternating partner of Mayor BenHur Abalos in the exploitation of Mandaluyong, the latter being the heir apparent to Ben Abalos’ NBN-ZTE “borger” fortune.
Gonzales invokes “parliamentary courtesy” to shield Arroyo. Coming from a most vulgar Congress, it is truly laughable. They are all claimed to be part of the alleged corrupt family of political degenerates running the country. Walden Belo’s party-list group Akbayan may not be much different, maybe just a bit more ethical by some degree. His party-list matriarch Etta Rosales isn’t exactly a paragon of any virtue, having been a chief lackey of Gloria Arroyo during the 2004 illegal proclamation of the “Hello Garci” president. Rosales will be rewarded by the new Gloria Arroyo, i.e. Noynoy “PeNoy” Aquino, with an appointment to the Commission on Human Rights — to carry on the charade of human rights in an essentially plutocratic, oppressive and exploitative corporatocracy.
Already, PeNoy has proposed to raise the “pork” of senators and congressmen for 2011, from P6.9 billion this year to P22.3 billion next (a whopping 223.18 percent or P15 billion increase). This seems incredible since PeNoy campaigned on the promise of “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,” but PeNoy’s Budget Secretary Butch Abad was quoted on it. In fact, one report stated, “Even as the PDAF allocation was increased, the government proposed a reduction of subsidy programs… amid the state’s cash flow problems.”
Those subsidies include those earmarked for the National Food Authority rice purchase. So are they saying that there will be no subsidy for farmers but increased “pork” subsidy for politicians? Everyone knows just how “pork” is the mother of all corrupt funds that politicians dip into, so why is PeNoy increasing this? Perhaps if we put this in context with a new development, a clearer picture on how invisible forces behind PeNoy are reinforcing the edifice of corruption will come about.
This new development is the proposed postponement of the barangay election slated for October on due to alleged financial constraints, together with the simultaneous proposal that it be synchronized with the 2013 national elections.
There are several deleterious effects of these two initiatives: (1) abusive and corrupt barangay officials will not be called into account as a democratic system requires; (2) it will strengthen the indebtedness of the present barangay officials to the present PeNoy regime; (3) these barangay officials will then be used by the current regime to consolidate tyrannical powers in 2013 toward the continuation of the corporatist dictatorship consolidated under Gloria Arroyo; and (4) it will make the “fully synchronized” 2013 elections even more massively chaotic than the already messy elections of 2010.
If the present system is corruption incarnate, then a super-synchronized election aimed at securing it is none other than a perpetuation of this systemic corruption, the evil results of which those jaundiced by the Yellow fever can’t seem to see as continuously ravaging the nation.
For those who still do not know, here’s a sampling of these evils — July 2010 item: Power rates to rise again in August (due to Wesm power horse trading); Aug. 8: Manila Water net income up 34 percent (while people suffer heavier costs); Aug. 9: Robredo wants strengthened Small Town Lottery (cover for jueteng); Aug. 10: AFP suppresses Adm. Feliciano Angue exposé on 2010 elections; Aug. 11: $10-billion offer for Pagcor.
As long as the corrupt system goes on and on — exploiting, inveigling and plundering — PeNoy only continues the legacy of Cory, FVR and Gloria.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; watch Politics (and Economics) Today, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m.; visit our new blog, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com)
Herman Tiu Laurel
08/13/2010
At the gathering for Sen. Sonny Trillanes’ birthday at Camp Crame last Aug. 7, I predicted the “rehabilitation” of Gloria Arroyo within a year or two. I was with Dodong and Princess Nemenzo, NGO leader Manjette, lawyer Argee Guevarra, Oliver Felix (of our guerilla radio Sulo group), and Linggoy Alcuaz at that time. The Nemenzos found this both funny and appalling, as they laughed, doubted and lamented at the same time. Someone interjected: “Sa bagay, the Marcoses are rehabilitated.” To which I hurriedly added that “at least Marcos had the right nation-building program,” unlike Arroyo’s which people believe was pure kleptocracy.
The truth of my prediction is already being seen on radio and in Congress today, as Teddy Boy Locsin glorifies Gloria’s non-imposition of the Value added tax (VAT) on toll ways while the likes of Rep. Neptali Gonzales Jr. shield her from Rep. Walden Bello’s righteous condemnation.
Gloria Arroyo will be “rehabilitated” under the present system because the system itself is corruption incarnate, in which Arroyo is just one of its children. The other children of the corrupt system will naturally come to her rescue, as sure as Speaker Sonny Belmonte will always be by Gloria’s side to escort the one who has been tagged by many youth activists as “President Evil.” But really, she can only be as evil as the system is.
Belmonte, meanwhile, is said to personify the institutionalization of corruption in Quezon City, the alleged basis of which is that he raised the corruption incarnate “pork barrel” and other fund prerogatives of the Office of the Mayor and all councilors to unprecedented amounts (P2 billion for the mayor, P42 million each for councilors). On the other hand, Lakas to Liberal Party turncoat Neptali Gonzales Jr. has been the alternating partner of Mayor BenHur Abalos in the exploitation of Mandaluyong, the latter being the heir apparent to Ben Abalos’ NBN-ZTE “borger” fortune.
Gonzales invokes “parliamentary courtesy” to shield Arroyo. Coming from a most vulgar Congress, it is truly laughable. They are all claimed to be part of the alleged corrupt family of political degenerates running the country. Walden Belo’s party-list group Akbayan may not be much different, maybe just a bit more ethical by some degree. His party-list matriarch Etta Rosales isn’t exactly a paragon of any virtue, having been a chief lackey of Gloria Arroyo during the 2004 illegal proclamation of the “Hello Garci” president. Rosales will be rewarded by the new Gloria Arroyo, i.e. Noynoy “PeNoy” Aquino, with an appointment to the Commission on Human Rights — to carry on the charade of human rights in an essentially plutocratic, oppressive and exploitative corporatocracy.
Already, PeNoy has proposed to raise the “pork” of senators and congressmen for 2011, from P6.9 billion this year to P22.3 billion next (a whopping 223.18 percent or P15 billion increase). This seems incredible since PeNoy campaigned on the promise of “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,” but PeNoy’s Budget Secretary Butch Abad was quoted on it. In fact, one report stated, “Even as the PDAF allocation was increased, the government proposed a reduction of subsidy programs… amid the state’s cash flow problems.”
Those subsidies include those earmarked for the National Food Authority rice purchase. So are they saying that there will be no subsidy for farmers but increased “pork” subsidy for politicians? Everyone knows just how “pork” is the mother of all corrupt funds that politicians dip into, so why is PeNoy increasing this? Perhaps if we put this in context with a new development, a clearer picture on how invisible forces behind PeNoy are reinforcing the edifice of corruption will come about.
This new development is the proposed postponement of the barangay election slated for October on due to alleged financial constraints, together with the simultaneous proposal that it be synchronized with the 2013 national elections.
There are several deleterious effects of these two initiatives: (1) abusive and corrupt barangay officials will not be called into account as a democratic system requires; (2) it will strengthen the indebtedness of the present barangay officials to the present PeNoy regime; (3) these barangay officials will then be used by the current regime to consolidate tyrannical powers in 2013 toward the continuation of the corporatist dictatorship consolidated under Gloria Arroyo; and (4) it will make the “fully synchronized” 2013 elections even more massively chaotic than the already messy elections of 2010.
If the present system is corruption incarnate, then a super-synchronized election aimed at securing it is none other than a perpetuation of this systemic corruption, the evil results of which those jaundiced by the Yellow fever can’t seem to see as continuously ravaging the nation.
For those who still do not know, here’s a sampling of these evils — July 2010 item: Power rates to rise again in August (due to Wesm power horse trading); Aug. 8: Manila Water net income up 34 percent (while people suffer heavier costs); Aug. 9: Robredo wants strengthened Small Town Lottery (cover for jueteng); Aug. 10: AFP suppresses Adm. Feliciano Angue exposé on 2010 elections; Aug. 11: $10-billion offer for Pagcor.
As long as the corrupt system goes on and on — exploiting, inveigling and plundering — PeNoy only continues the legacy of Cory, FVR and Gloria.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; watch Politics (and Economics) Today, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m.; visit our new blog, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
