ey, my turn!

Wow, lawyer nako!

2011-04-06T10:59:00.000+08:00

It's still unbelievable. Is it really true?

Since the announcement was made on March 17 by the Supreme Court, my phone hasn't stopped ringing and my mails and Facebook account have been flooded by congratulatory messages and shout outs. It must be true!... oh God, it must be true.

Thank you Jesus!

Walang Utang na Loob

2010-05-11T15:56:00.002+08:00

I feel bad for Mar Roxas. The guy gave up his dream to be President and stepped aside for Noynoy. But what does he get for it? A double-cross so vicious and wicked that, if it were a crime, Noynoy would be liable for murder qualified by treachery.

How stupid can you be, Noy? Why did you allow the camp of Chiz Escudero to play a role -- any role -- in your team when you knew Chiz will never campaign for, much less endorse, Mar? You knew the two are potential rivals in 2016 and therefore Chiz was expected to endorse anybody but Mar. As it turned out, Chiz picked Binay, who is now leading Mar in the Vice-presidential race.

Really stupid! Talagang bobo! And if this is an indication of what's inside the kokote of Noynoy, which I now suspect is very little, we're in for 6 years of trouble. Abnoy talaga! And it hurts because I was counting on Mar to help an Aquino Government steer this country to prosperity.

I know we have to stop the culture of paying debts of gratitude, but this is an exception. There is no sleazy quid pro quo or anything like that here. Noynoy was only required to repay Mar with loyalty, a debt of gratitude that Mar deserved considering that aside from the fact he gave way to Noynoy, Mar's other reason for stepping aside was his noble attempt to unite the opposition.

How could Noynoy honestly say sorry to Mar now for allowing Chiz to sabotage the Noy-Mar tandem? He knew or should have known that Chiz would be laying the groundwork for his 2016 bid as early as now. Or was he just so stupid to recognize this? Abnoy talaga! This is the most wicked sabotage I have ever seen and a portent of things to come.

I can only imagine what Mar must be feeling right now. He must be very hurt as we, his supporters, all are. Mar has proven himself and if we're to examine the issues that have been raised against him during his entire public life, we could hardly hear, not even murmurs, of corruption. But ask Makati residents about Binay and the smell is as foul as the Inayawan landfill back here in Cebu. To me, when all you could throw at Mar is the fact that he's rich, it truly shows what we have lost today.

There's only one thing I can say to you Mr. President, wala kan'g utang na loob!

Vote wisely, use the "7-3-1-1 formula" for the Senate race

2010-03-27T00:45:00.002+08:00

Earlier, I mentioned that I have a "7-3-1-1 formula" for the Senate race. These numbers represent "7" new faces that I'd like to elect to the Senate; "3" incumbent public officials, or former politicians who did good while in power or their family members; "1" leftist, and "1" military officer who had previously tried to overthrow the government.

The reason for the 7 fresh faces is obvious. We need new voices in the Senate, individuals with fresh ideas and who would not succumb to quid pro quo arrangements because they have little or no previous political debts to pay. If we elect 7 neophyte senators now and another 7 of their type in three years, then we will have a new Senate majority by 2013 who can trump traditional politicians in any debate or vote. Right now, my list include the following names:

1. Dr. Martin Bautista -- A balikbayan doctor ala Dr. Juan Flavier. To know more about him, click here and here.

2. Atty. Alex Lacson -- A humble lawyer who authored "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country". Know the man by reading his speeches and what others are saying about him at this site.

3. Atty. Adrian Sison -- A lawyer known for making big corporations accountable. He once sued PLDT for attempting to convert its phonelines into a metered service. Because of this, he and a former officemate, Manny Amador (who deserves to be in the Senate, too; but sadly is not running) are now persona non grata at the PLDT Tower in Makati.

4. Yasmin Lao -- A Muslim and a women's equal rights advocate. Get to know her more here and here.

5. Atty. Zosimo Paredes -- I've met this guy and from my impression, he's very humble for a PMAyer just like Atty. Alex Lacson. He will be hard to dictate upon in the Senate. Truly, an officer and a gentleman.

6. Manuel Valdehuesa, Jr. -- A former UN executive, author, and educator. You can read his bio here.

7. Alexander Tinsay -- a broadcast journalist, scholar, church minister and 700 Club host. You can read more about him here and here.

As for the 3 slots I'm allocating to former politicians, incumbents, or their family members, the following I think need to be rewarded:

1. Sonia Roco -- Her husband's track record speaks for itself.

2. Ralph Recto -- For having the balls to pass the unpopular E-VAT, which is the reason why we are not affected by the global recession.

3. Capt. Ramon Mitra -- For the work of his dad to restore democracy in the Philippines in 1986.

Now, you might ask, "Why elect a rebel and a communist to the Senate?" The answer is simple: I want the leftists and the military rebels to see that there's an alternative to their armed struggle, that they can participate in governance, and that in a democracy you cannot impose your ideology on others. You have to work within the system. You can shout 'til you're hoarse, but at the end of the day, you have to abide by the majority will. I want the following to get this chance:

1. Satur Ocampo or Liza Maza

2. Gen. Danilo Lim or Col. Ariel Querubin

That's it. I hope you follow the same formula and vote for these candidates. A lot is at stake in this election. If we fail to choose the right leaders, this country will be a lot worse by 2016.

Farewell to a Legend

2010-01-06T23:57:00.002+08:00

You'd know a legend when his reputation precedes him hours or even days before his arrival. Once in grade school at Capitol, we were told he was coming. We shuddered at just the thought of him being there.

He inspired fear not because he was fearsome, but because he represented discipline, perfection, an unmatched yardstick for what is best and right. Even patches had to be stitched the right way. Woe to those who sport long hairs during formation because he'd cut their locks to the point their next hairstyle would be worst than a "bagol". Maayo pa'g magpa-upaw nalang.

When he's around, you have to stand erect. You had to or else. And this is true from the squad members to the officers, especially the "staff members". When he picks you to be one of his top brass after a grueling COQC, you're honored, the toast in the campus; but it comes with great responsibility. You have to be just like him -- smart, snappy, unmoving, erect. Hell, you can't even go to the comfort room to relieve yourself. You pee where you stand! I'm not kidding. This actually happened.

But outside of Pathfinder, he's a gentle guy who gives a hearty laugh when he hears a good one. A mentor, a great teacher, according to Joyce, but for me he's a legend. A standard you can approach, but never match. A larger-than-life figure who deserves the reputation he's earned.

I am absolutely certain he's had a lifetime impact on everyone who'd passed through him, even those for a fleeting moment. And that is why I believe he's not really "dead" because he lives in each of us.

So long, Sir! 'Til we meet again!

We are lawyers... NOT!

2009-09-19T09:09:00.004+08:00

If mistakes are truly the best teachers, then we are learning a lot in our Practice Court class. However we put it - rookie missteps, case of jitters, oversight - mistakes they are still and quite a few of them made me cringe.

Take for instance what happened during the cross-examination by the defense counsel only a couple of weeks ago. The prosecution objected to the questions on the ground that they were "leading". That to me takes the cake and it is representative of the many mistakes we are witnessing as this course progresses. Evidently, we are not yet lawyers, but it's good for our sake and our future clients that we are not. Hopefully, when we get our license, we won't commit the same faux pas.

With respect to the civil case, initially I felt it was a big letdown because I had imagined a compelling storyline with twists, intrigues and suspense like a well-written legal thriller. But, alas, the mock trial turned into an ordinary "he said, she said" affair that had an anti-climactic ending. On second thought, however, it's just as well for in the real world legal issues are rarely the page-turners they are made out to be in works of fiction. More often than not, cases drag on not because the legal question involved is complicated, rather because parties refuse a simple ending like accepting a settlement.

Which brings me to another sober reality: There's a world of difference between analyzing a question in an exam and making quick decisions in the courtroom. At least in the former, you can afford to take your time somewhat to chew on a question and frame your answer. In the latter, you need to be always alert and ready to spring up to object and pounce on an opening. This may strike some as a moot point, but to me it is a reminder that in actual practice the pace is faster, the stakes are real and the cost of sloppiness could mean the difference between freedom and the electric chair.

This is the closest to the real thing and it helps that the trials are being conducted in a real courtroom. If there ever was a time in all my years in law school that I felt almost like a lawyer, it was at 10:30 every Saturday morning during the past 3 months. Putting to actual use Rules of Court that until recently we can only read in textbooks beats any high you get for scoring big in Remedial Law.

Sure there are many slip-ups and I made a few of them during my stint as defense attorney. But there's a reason why this course is called Practice Court and it can be summed up by the following question:

"Is it not the whole point of this exercise?"

Leading your honor!

This comes as a surprise

2008-12-20T00:56:00.002+08:00

While reading Inquirer.net tonight, I saw this screaming headline: 7 in 10 Filipinos won't give up on RP.

How about that? This contradicts completely what I think is the popular belief: That many Filipinos would jump at the chance to migrate. I mean, why do you think many are back in school to take up nursing or caregiving? Just the other night, one of my boardmates who took the nursing board last month told me there were 80,000 of them!

According to this Pulse Asia survey, 54% of Filipinos are actually staying put. Of the 1,200 respondents, only 20% said they would do so when asked what they will do if it were possible to migrate to another country. I don't know about you, but to me this is absolutely surprising to say the least.

All this time, I have held the belief that many Filipinos have lost hope in this country and that, if they could, would leave in a heart beat. I for one considered this option two or three years ago when I almost gave up on my dream to finish law school.

But I don't blame those who are leaving and I've got the highest respect for our OFWs. The truth is, we will be relatively fine while the rest of the world reels from the current economic crunch. We have $30 billion in foreign reserves, virtually all of it from remittances.

Still, for this country to truly reform and begin the slow march to recovery, we need our middle class, the same professionals who are now leaving in alarming number. They constitute our educated, hard-working social segment, who are numerous enough to influence the direction this country should be heading.

This survey is a good start. Accordingly, 72% of our ABC classes (no less) do not agree that the country is hopeless. And that's the best news I have heard in a long time. As they say, hope springs eternal.

Modern Science Disproving Darwin?

2008-12-01T12:46:00.004+08:00

For 150 years, we've been taught that life as we know it today is a series of gradual evolutions, that men started out as apes, that a singular cell or something more basic sparked it all. In the last century, logic and the scientific method have set out to prove this, succeeding in many instances to cast doubt on the Biblical claim that God created life and the universe.

But what they have done, it must be emphasized, is simply raise doubt. Like defense lawyers in a criminal prosecution, all that they have accomplished is plant in the minds of the jury the seeds of doubt -- that their client might be innocent. Ironically, modern scientific advances in the past decades are proving to be enemies rather than allies of Darwinian scientists.

In this article at Y-Origins.com, there appears to be a trend towards admitting intelligent design by and, of all people, atheists, agnostics, and even hard-core Darwin acolytes. Almost all branches of fundamental science -- astronomy, molecular biology and paleontology -- as this article would show points to evidences that life, humans, and the universe are not products of happenstance.

Scientists from all over, who set out to prove Darwin, have yet to find the so-called "transitional fossils" to prove his theory that life is the result of gradual evolution. The truth is, no such missing link will ever be found. In fact, Darwin himself, unable to reconcile his Evolution Theory and how eyes have developed, admitted to a friend later in life, "to this day the eye causes me a cold shudder."

As chilling as that shudder he felt, emerging facts uncovered so far by scientific studies are cold repudiations of his suppositions. Before long, more and more will be quoted as the following scientists have:

"There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all. It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature's numbers to make the Universe. The impression of design is overwhelming." -- Paul Davies (British astrophysicist)

"I find it quite improbable that such order came out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle. God to me is a mystery but is the explanation for the miracle of existence, why there is something instead of nothing." -- Alan Sandage (winner of the Crawford prize in astronomy)

"The exquisite order displayed by our scientific understanding of the physical world calls for the divine." -- Vera Kistiakowsky (MIT physicist)

Today, many in the scientific community have adopted this motto: "Following the evidence, wherever it leads." Finally, science is facing up to the reality of God. It's a victory for those who have always believed there is room for God in all scientific discoveries and in the end science will only serve to validate His existence.

Dr. Robert Jastrow, a NASA scientist who set up the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, couldn't have said it better:

"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

Quoting a Learned Filipino Jurist

2008-11-28T09:49:00.003+08:00

As I have previously claimed that "we have some of the best laws in the world and even better writers in our halls of justice... comparable to some of the learned jurists in the world," allow me to share this quote from the dissenting opinion of then Associate Justice Reynato Puno in Tolentino vs. COMELEC.

"Rule by the ignorant majority is a sham democracy - a mobocracy - for in the words of Jefferson, a nation cannot be both free and ignorant. If there is anything that democracy cannot survive, it is the virus of ignorance.

"Free elections does not only mean that the voter is not physically restrained from going to the polling booth, but also that the voter is unrestrained by the bondage of ignorance.

"We should be resolute in affirming the right of the electorate to proper information. The Court should not forfeit its role as gatekeeper of our democratic government run by an informed majority. Let us not open the door to ignorance."

I came across this stirring dissent while studying for my Election Law class tonight. This dissenting opinion is not even the best work of Chief Justice Puno, but it showcases his scholarship and breadth of wisdom.

I'm back!

2008-11-21T23:50:00.005+08:00

I realize I have been neglecting my blog for sometime now. I've been very busy this past few months or since going back to law school. Yep, if you didn't know, I'm a student of law, although that doesn't make me worth more than the next Joe.

Boy, it sure is a long time since I wrote something here and I am not sure either why I'm writing this when I'm in the middle of studying for three classes tomorrow. My Saturdays start with Negotiable Instruments from 9am to 12 noon, followed by Civil Procedure for four hours in the afternoon and then after that Credit Transactions for another 3 grueling hours.

It's hard joggling work and law school, but believe it or not I enjoy studying. I enjoy the challenge, the mental demands to wade through seemingly contradicting provisions of the law, which only add to their beauty and majesty when some of the best jurists reconcile their apparent conflict. Not many know this but we have some of the best laws in the world and even better writers in our halls of justice. To mention only a few, the writings of retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban and the current chief are comparable to some of the learned jurists in the world.

I'm not an exceptional student, but I enjoy learning and I'm happiest when I'm in school. That's why I have been in my best element since going back after 4 years of being out of it. In law school, you don't only learn the law, its nuances or the art of obfuscation as most people commonly think. Law school doesn't teach you how to lie or be ambiguous in your arguments to give yourself wiggle room. On the contrary, law school teaches you to cite legal basis to support arguments, to speak with clarity and, in defending your cause, to always act with justice, honesty and fairness. That's not bad, is it?

In my next post I should probably cite instances where the majesty of the law, its beauty or even practical application could be fully appreciated. That's a tall order, but a good motivation to keep this blog going. In the meantime, it's probably best for my own sake that I get back to my readings. I still have an appointment with Mr. Justice Florenz Regalado, or to be exact, his Remedial Law Compendium.

Check back soon for updates. ;)

Editing my Editor (spelled t-o-r-m-e-n-t-o-r)

2008-04-10T20:06:00.009+08:00

Every once in a while, fate turns the table on you. Well, to be exact, on my mom this time.

Growing up and especially during my tenure as school paper editor, I had to submit all my papers not to my teachers first, but to my UST-trained, journalism grad mother who seems to get a kick out of changing almost 90% of my work. Well, that's how I viewed it at the time. Little did I know, years later I would get the chance for revenge.

Early this morning, I got an SOS. My mom has just finished an article that she had been asked to submit to the school paper. Both my parents are in China right now to teach English, the only Filipinos in the faculty. Fearing that her article might be cannibalized by her Western colleagues, she finally turned to the person she can trust. Ahem... ME!

Finally, the moment I have been waiting for. Haha... After all these years, my mom, my tormentor for several years, is asking me to edit her work. That's a first!

As I was driving to my office, memories of my experiences with her came rushing back. I remembered the editorial I once wrote. A beautiful piece, I thought, before handing it to her for review. When it came back, it didn't sound the same -- nay, it wasn't even mine! It was my mom speaking, not the editor-in-chief handpicked by my favorite English teacher.

It was probably because of her exacting standards that I grew up a little insecure or make that conscious of how I compose my sentences and use words. Many times I would ask myself if the piece I had just written met the standards of my mom.

And so today, I had all intentions of wrecking havoc -- just for fun, to return the favor. But when I saw her article, I just couldn't do it. My mom still got it. She has not missed a beat and, although some lines needed tightening, one thing was certain -- she could still tell a good story.

True, my mom forced (NOT got me) into writing, but what I haven't realized until today is, I wouldn't be half this decent a writer if it weren't for her. I still would love to change 90% of her work one day, but I wouldn't do it for fun. I would only do it if her piece requires it -- which I don't see ever happening.

Without further ado, here's her article:

Pond of Memories

I may have walked a hundred miles between my flat and the teaching building over the past 20 months. By my rough estimate sans a pedometer, it probably takes more than a thousand steps to walk that stretch for 10 minutes. For some reason, I make it a point to leave the flat about 15 minutes before the bell rings.

The pond I walk by five days a week, morning and afternoon, has witnessed a lot. To my amazement, I realize just now, if the pond could only talk, she probably would recount a thousand beautiful memories in this part of the campus to last a lifetime. Yes, she is my silent listener to prayers often heard and answered; her serene beauty refreshing my tired body after a day’s work.

Countless times, greetings are exchanged; pure smiles and rings of laughter are heard at the pond. Hi, Teacher Faith! Long time, no see… Have you eaten your dinner yet? Where are you going? Do you still remember me? Are you going home for the holidays? Where’s Nilo?”

Sometimes, I get a surprise hug from friends who missed us during winter or summer break. Some days, one or two would open their grocery bags for a dip into a packet of peanuts or share an apple or two. Many times, the pond hears me and Nilo sing “Ni wun wo ai ni you dou shen…” If she could just exclaim, may be she would wish to hear another Chinese song from our lips. Some boys just love it when they hear the guitar. Could it be the pond loves the humming of strings, too?

One day in autumn of 2006, the school bus driver, who had been fishing all day, got me a present -- two pieces of freshly caught fish. As I was coming home after my morning classes, I went down the steps to ask if I could buy some. He gave me two for free. The only thing I could pay him was a mispronounced “Xie Xie”, to which he replied, “Pu Yao”, a term I didn’t understand then.

I almost ran home to fry the fish. I’ve been craving for it for days. Still alive and jumping off the kitchen floor, Nilo couldn’t bring himself to thump the head of the wriggling creatures and, instead, waited until they died a few hours later. Poor me, I had to wait until the next meal for my fried fish!

One afternoon in December last year, I saw John’s wife, Da Qing, and her friends wading through the mud and picking snails. They dared me and I soon joined them. By golly! When I went down, the mud almost swallowed up all my limbs. I may have picked a hundred snails that day and got a liter as my share. Curious stares we got and a few photos taken. Such a relief from a mud spa! The problem is, the next day I had to visit the school clinic to clean a tiny mud prick on my right middle finger, which was turning red, inflamed with infection.

In February this year, we came back after a month of warm holiday from my tropical country, the Philippines. It torn my heart seeing trees turning bald and grey, battered for a month by a snowstorm said to be the worst in the last 50 years. The pond, only half-filled with water, seemed lonely. Perhaps under the blue-green water, just a small colony of tiny fishes survived the onslaught of freezing weather.

Several days later, cleaning ladies swept frequently heaps of falling leaves along the pond. One afternoon, one of them in blue uniform and wearing a wide straw hat poised her trash cart nearby and went about her sweeping. So intent on her job, she didn’t notice the sudden rush of breeze that brought down more yellow leaves. I was mesmerized by the sight and wished I had my camera with me. She looked up, scratched her head, and opened her mouth to say something. In her peripheral vision, she saw me wide-eyed, too. We just laughed out loud in our own thoughts.

Two weeks ago, the buds came out. Once again, rich, glorious green foliage crowned the trees. One mid-morning two young women stopped and curiously looked up the trees and said a word in Chinese. “Yes,” I said, joining them, “It’s a bird’s nest.” A mother bird was hatching eggs; so still, one could barely notice her there. The nest is hidden and just a few have seen it. I’m glad to be one of them. I’ll keep an eye on it because I know one of those birds would feed in my veranda soon.

The pond has witnessed it all. She sees what I love in this school – scenes, work and people.

Teacher Faith

Stem Cells, Life, and U.S. Politics

2008-01-18T22:18:00.000+08:00

First came the breakthrough of possibly sourcing stem cells from our very own skin and then this one -- decellularisation -- a promising procedure to revive failing organs.

In this article by Agence France-Presse (AFP) and published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Jan. 13, it appears there is now an alternative to organ transplant. A team of U.S. scientists have reportedly succeeded in making a dead rat's heart "beat" again, opening the possibility of recycling organs that are failing either due to old age or congenital defects.

The process involves dissolving the organ into a "bleached-white scaffolding" using powerful detergents and then injecting it with fresh stem cells that will begin the regeneration process. In their experiment, detailed in the British journal Nature Medicine, scientists were able to jump-start a dead heart after about four days.

"It opens a door to this notion that you can make any organ: kidney, liver, lung, pancreas -- you name it and we hope we can make it," AFP quotes Doris Taylor, lead researcher and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota.

Very promising, indeed.

I have long been interested in the "stem cell research" debate raging for years now. To me, it is as important a topic as climate change and population control, which I will take up in future posts.

In the U.S., Republicans and Democrats are equally split on the issue of stem cell research and the division is as partisan as abortion. You see, every Republican president has refused federal funding on these studies that earlier had only one source of stem cells -- human embryos. Conservative as they are and pro-life as it were, Republicans believe putting federal money on experiments that reduce human embryos into lab culture objects is revolting. And I agree with them. Let the private sector put up the money to develop clones for purposes of mining human organs, but don't use taxes paid by people split over the issue.

And then a few months ago American and Japanese scientists found a way to extract stem cells from skin, a radical breakthrough that voids the need for embryos. Like everyone else on the pro-life side, it made me wonder if public money should now fund promising cures for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc. using stem cells.

As a born-again Christian, I am staunchly pro-life but not necessarily against science and medical advances. For me, they are not mutually exclusive. Science, in fact, validates that there is a God and human advancements only bolster the existence of a higher being. To be sure evolution could be one of the reasons we have become highly functional beings than apes, but that doesn't mean there is no room for God in that process.

But that's not the point of this post. I wonder how the debate will evolve now that there are alternative ways to clone or revive human organs using stem cells. On a broader scale, how will these advancements impact ordinary individuals and third-world countries that cannot afford to waste money on expensive research such as as these?

The U.S. will surely capitalize on this breakthrough as it greatly impacts its ambition to remain the world's superpower. Imagine being able to keep your people alive? Today, the goal is simply to revive a failing organ. Tomorrow, it just might be to keep your population young, strong and healthy to continue the hegemony.

Al Gore, the best president the U.S. never had, has predicted climate change to usher the next great conflict. He can add two more to the list -- stem cell research and decellularisation.

Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

Saya(ng)

2008-01-15T21:21:00.000+08:00

I came across this speech by Sen. Mar Roxas delivered at the 11th FOCAP Conference on Prospects for the Philippines at the Mandarin Hotel in Makati on Jan. 15, 2008.

It's unfortunate that only those possessing higher education can understand his piece while ordinary Filipinos whom he is fighting for don't even have a clue what he is saying. Sayang talaga.

We missed the boat a long time ago. We missed it when we put a high-school dropout in Malacanan and reversed the rapid gains made by the Ramos administration. If my memory serves me right, Mar was among four or five New York investment bankers recruited by Ramos or inspired by his vision of a Philippines becoming Asia's next Tiger economy by 2000. Of these bright boys, he's the only one still dreaming of a better Philippines; the others have all returned to the corporate world. Here's hoping this guy makes it to the top in 2010.

I'm among millions of Filipinos now contemplating leaving our country to work elsewhere. Since graduating from U.P. in 1999, I've turned down several opportunities to work abroad, thinking I owe it to the farmers, vendors and those ordinary Filipinos who subsidized my tuition to work here and contribute to the development of our country. But nearly 10 years since and several elections in between, I'm beginning to lose hope -- hope that the government will inspire trust from the common tao, hope that the uneducated masses will learn to elect public officials not on the basis of popularity but on merits and impeccable experience.

I have volunteered in building communities, teaching out-of-school youths, in causes that empower the poor, but I feel my efforts are in vain. Every gain we make is easily eroded by scandals after scandals that are becoming the legacy of the present administration. Because of this, I feel Erap or his annointee will again become the popular choice in 2010.

Sayang na sayang nga.

(re)writing

2007-12-12T18:02:00.000+08:00

December 11, 11:30pm

Just how hard is it to start writing again? I asked this a few minutes ago while in the shower, which by the way I took after forcing myself to wake up from a brief nap. You see, for the past few weeks, I haven't had more than five hours of sleep max, sometimes even on weekends. I've been forcing myself to look busy while actually getting things done to avoid going out and risk bumping into two people I wouldn't want to be around for fear I might snap. That's as far I would go on that subject for now.

Now back to writing. I write for a living kuno, but I'm not a born writer nor do I wish to have a career as one. I am what you call an accidental writer -- a technical writer at the moment, an editor in my previous life, and before that a reporter for a local newspaper. All of them I got into accidentally.

I don't usually write down my thoughts and I have not religiously maintained a journal, although like most people I know, have started many at several points in the past. Thus, the question I asked at the beginning of this piece. How hard is it to write?

A few months ago, I was asked by my officemates to conduct a writing workshop, believing I am the best person to teach them the art. I know my grammar, sure, and on every stop in my young professional life, many would come to ask me the correct usage of certain words, phrases, etc. But God knows I am not the best writer out there. Even I struggle to fill pages from time to time.

In my opinion, there's no right way to write. You can never say one is bad writing, the other not. Have you ever seen the work of ee cummings? His poems contain some of the most absurd construction of the English language, which really makes his work hard to decipher, but he is known as one of the best poets in recent memory.

Writing then is any attempt to put words on paper. Some do a good job at it, while others suck. The trick is getting the attention of the reader and holding it for as long as you can. Which brings me to this little piece: Did I succeed in getting you this far? If you’re reading this now, then I know I have.

Gotcha!

A Tale of Two Expatriates

2007-05-19T13:23:00.000+08:00

The following are two stories of Filipinos who had been living the good life in the U.S. until one day they realized their chase for the "American Dream" is pointless.

I am posting their tales because, while they have different motivations for coming back, they share a common denominator: They came back while everybody is leaving.

In my mind, this has always been an anomaly of sort. Filipinos abroad seem to love their country more than most of us back here. These videos drive home this point.

Dr. Bautista said it right. All of us -- Americans, Europeans, Filipinos -- we are born to only one country. If we don't love ours, who will?

Enjoy!

Finding Home: Dr. Martin Bautista

The Coconuter David Poarch at Nagmamahal, Kapamilya [1/2]

The Coconuter David Poarch at Nagmamahal, Kapamilya [2/2]

For more on Dr. Bautista and David, visit their blogs:
On My Way Home
Adventures of the Coconuter

A Message of Hope from Dr. Martin Bautista

2007-05-19T01:13:00.002+08:00

Reprinting Doc Martin's post on his blog. He was Numero Uno on my ballot last Monday. What a guy!

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"The election is over. It is time to examine, and to both skeptics and sympathizers alike, explain my participation in it.

"I gave up a flourishing medical practice in America, joined Kapatiran and ran for the Senate because I wanted not merely to prove a point, but to live by it.

"And the point is this: we can change our country, help our people, not by talking or theorizing but by actually doing something about it. One cannot simply make a statement. He must apply it in his life, by example, by involvement, by action. Our political campaign was such a statement.

"Did we succeed? We did not get enough votes for a seat in the senate. But we did get the attention of the electorate and, more importantly, we made people aware of alternative solutions, better political options.

"We demonstrated that it is possible to conduct an open, honest, vigorous campaign on programs, not personalities.

"We showed that there is no need for false promises, political gimmickry, immoderate spending; but that there is a need for continuing communication, defending and justifying our positions and priorities.

"Our fundamental premise is this: Politics is not a means of livelihood. It is not an economic investment that will pay off in future material gain. Politics is a way of giving, of sharing, of helping. It is not soliciting support but providing it. It is not about rendering service in the senate when elected, but rendering service now, in the present, in this time and place, in one's capacity as a candidate, a citizen, a Filipino of compassion.

"If we have, even in a small, tentative way, we have redefined politics in the Philippines, then we have been fully recompensed for our efforts. The accomplishments of our greatest heroes cannot be judged in the simplistic terms of triumph or defeat. Like Burgos, Gomez and Zamora, the Kapatiran candidates won no instant victory. But they achieved a beginning, advanced the cause for reform, and awakened a hope that such reform is possible.

"A personal note of accountability. We received donations from many sectors of society. Added to our own private contribution to the campaign, the total amount exceeded our modest campaign expenses. The balance we shall turn over to Gawad Kalinga in accordance with our conviction that politics is not an enterprise for profit.

"Finally I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to all the men and women of goodwill who stand with us in the common belief in a Filipino future.

"Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat."

-- Martin D. Bautista, MD

Gwapo + Suave = Principle. How's that again?

2007-05-18T23:18:00.000+08:00

It is now clear that Chiz Escudero is on his way to the Senate. I never said he will not win; I only said he was not getting my vote.

Sure enough, he wowed his way to the upper chamber and it helped that he had the looks of Bamboo and the gift of gab to boot. While surfing the blogosphere this past few days, the three most popular reasons given by those who voted for him are the following:

(1) He talks well;

(2) He looks good on TV;

(3) He is principled.

The guy came at the right time and capitalized on it. I don't blame him. It was not a long time ago that Senator Pimentel, the father, had said he will let his bar-topnotcher son go into show business first before running for the Senate. The wily politician, who exposed and popularized the term "dagdag-bawas" when he did not benefit from it three elections ago, knew the importance of popularity in making it to any elective post in this country.

And sure enough, Koko, who is about to join his father in the Senate, married a starlet, whose name I cannot recall. Here's a guy who topped the bar in 1990 but could not define "political dynasty" when asked by Korina on ANC. But that's another story.

Now back to Chiz. If the answers of most netizens is any gauge, we have indeed mature -- at least, in choosing good-looking politicians!

Today, talking well + appearing good on TV = PRINCIPLE. Listen (err read) what belle_anne, a Candy Magazine reader, had to say:

"Ang galing niya sobrang magsalita."

Or this Atenean after voting for Chiz:

"He LOOKS promising (or did you mean good-looking?). He has a good track record, and he's a man of principle."

I respect their opinion, but allow me to give mine. When a guy indulges in expensive hobbies while his home province remains one of the poorest in the country, I cannot conclude he's got good, if at all, a track record.

When a guy chases a corrupt President out of Malacanang but reconciles with the latter so he could win a Senate seat, I cannot accept he's got principles.

When a guy subserves himself and becomes a mere barker for an actor who wanted to be President without the qualification for such office, I cannot accept he is intelligent.

When there's such a guy, I can only make one conclusion: HE IS AN OPPORTUNIST!

Chiz is on his way to the Senate and there's no stopping him. Let's see what he can do there. Six years should be enough to bear out what I have been saying here all along.

Why I'm not voting for Chiz on May 14

2007-05-11T23:57:00.001+08:00

I've got nothing against the guy. He's smart, witty, and talks darn good but, perhaps, that is the problem. He is all talk and no substance.

Chiz has been in Congress for 9 years, but has nothing substantial to show for it. The glib talker that he is has a ready excuse for this. He says PGMA's allies in Congress make it hard to pass laws sponsored by opposition lawmakers. I don't believe that crap.

If Joe de V. can build consensus across party lines and shepherd bills of national importance, why can't you, Chiz? Because you're busy throwing mud at PGMA and not doing the job your constituents elected you for -- to write laws NOT appear in talk shows to impress the public of your gift of gab.

There are many laws awaiting amendments and even repeal. The Revised Penal Code for one could use another revision from a bright lawyer like Chiz, who has a Master of Laws from Georgetown University. Believe it or not this law, "revised" in the 1930s yet, only provides "a penalty not exceeding 1,000 pesos" (yes only P1,000 folks!) upon any public officer or employee who procures a search warrant without just cause.

A story is told that Chiz, during his time at U.P. Diliman, never won a debate against Mike Defensor. I don't know if this is true, but I'm not surprise if it is. That's because Chiz is all glib; his ideas never measure up to the quotable sound bites he dishes out.

Mike, for all his faults and his inauspicious association with an administration hounded by scandals lately, has shown results at every post he has held. And he is consistent. He and Chiz were among the young Turks in Congress who chased Erap out of Malacanang. But look where the two are right now.

Chiz has reconciled with Erap as has Manny Villar, who was instrumental for sending the impeachment complaint straight to the Senate. And Mike? He is running for the Senate precisely because it's the only way he can check a President fast-becoming her predecessor. I will not be surprised if Mike impeaches PGMA if it comes to that!

On Monday, I will vote for young politicians and neophytes like Dr. Martin Bautista of Ang Kapatiran, but not for Chiz. He epitomizes a young politician who's beginning to act and sound like a trapo -- if not one already. His political benefactors are the Eraps and the Dandings of this country.

This election is about me, my generation and our chance to shape the political landscape and rid it with trapos. Chiz will win a Senate seat, that's for sure, as will the Sottos and the Villars, but not with my vote.
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Quick Facts

* Chiz represents Sorsogon, one of the 44 poorest provinces in the Philippines.

* His hobby is restoring classic and vintage cars, a very expensive pastime. Here's a quote from his very own website:

"Outside the halls of Congress, he does have a life. His main hobby is restoring classic or vintage cars, and he can be seen around driving his favorite 20-year-old Range Rover."

And this guy promises to lead us out of the rut? What does he know about abject poverty when he can afford to "drive" around Manila in his vintage Range Rover? Heck, if he can't even take Sorsogon out of the list of the poorest provinces, how much more the rest of the country?

Gosh, I can't believe many are easily fooled!

Solons Gang up on Chiz for Disrespect of Charter

2005-07-12T15:53:00.000+08:00

Manila Standard Today, July 12, 2005

Proadministration lawmakers yesterday censured Minority Leader Francis Escudero of Sorsogon for alleged disrespect to the House of Representatives and the Constitution for claiming that the impeachment process against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was nothing but a trap to reel in the opposition.

“His (Escudero’s) statement is disrespectful of the very institution which he belongs and to the Constitution that he has sworn to uphold,” Majority Leader Prospero Nograles of Davao City said.

Antique Rep. Exequiel Javier said Escudero could be playing his role as leader of the opposition in the House but he could have done it tactfully.

“The oppositionists are obviously frustrated with the failure of their oust-GMA move but they should not be manifesting this frustration by assailing our democratic institutions and the rule of law,” Javier said.

Nograles advised Escudero not to allow his emotions to overpower his responsibility as a member of Congress and should conduct himself in a responsible manner.

Meantime, Reps. Abraham Mitra of Palawan and Benasing Macarambon of Lanao del Sur said the political opposition is choosing to ignore the Church position to push for unlawful ouster of Ms. Arroyo.

“The opposition’s insistence to turn away from the Church’s suggested course of action was a virtual rejection of divine guidance as embodied in the position of the two largest groups of Christian leaders,” the two administration lawmakers said.

For his part, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said last Friday’s events which saw the resignation of eight Cabinet men and two bureau directors was engineered by anti-GMA groups to sway the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines into joining the call for her resignation.

“Fortunately, the bishops were not influenced by the withdrawal of support by former President Cory Aquino, Senate President Franklin and a faction of Liberal Party and by the 10 adventurist Cabinet men,” Salceda said. “I believe the bishops were turned off by an overly ambitious, gravely fragmented and equally tainted opposition.”

But Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos said the swelling dissent and the polarization of forces within the government and the business sector only showed how weak President Arroyo’s leadership has become in finding ways to deal with the crisis gripping her administration.

“It is clear Ms. Arroyo no longer has moral ascendancy to govern. The ugly bickering within her Cabinet has brought instability to the government and the polarization of forces will definitely led to her downfall.”

Rep. Liza Maza of the party list Gabriela said President Arroyo must not gloat over the CBCP’s statement by thinking that the whole Catholic kingdom has suspended calls for her resignation.

“Let her fall into complacency as she thinks the good bishops will shield her from being ousted eventually. This will make her fall harder from grace. This is pitiable,” she said.

Walang Kwenta ang Pilipinas

2005-07-06T14:34:00.000+08:00

[This is a piece written by an ordinary office worker who goes by the moniker, Jawbreaker. Thanks to my friend, Sparks, for sharing this.]

Hindi ko na mapigilan ang sarili ko. Sukang-suka na ko sa mga nangyayari sa bansang 'to!

Walang katapusang corruption, walang kamatayang pangbabatikos, pagbabatuhan ng tae at pagpapataasan ng ihi ng mga pulitiko sa bawat isa, walang tigil na imbestigasyon ng kung ano-anong isyu pero wala namang matinong resolusyon, walang puknat na pag-aagawan ngkapangyarihan sa pagitan ng mga partido, patuloy na pagdami ng tamad at tangang Pilipino, patuloy na pakikipaglaban ng ideolohiyang wala namang silbi.

Ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas, talo pa ang septic tank na hinihigop ng Malabanan -- saksakan ng dumi at napakabaho. Kaya hindi nakakapagtaka na ang Pilipinas ang isa sa pinakamahirap at corrupt na bansa sa mundo.Kasi lahat sila bulok, lahat sila walang kwenta, lahat sila sugapa sa kapangyarihan at sa pera. Anak ng teteng! !$#%Q!&!* @!!!!!

Kahit Kristiyano ako, hindi ko mapigilang magmura at hilingin sa diyos (minsan nga pati sa demonyo) na mamatay na silang lahat at i-BBQ sila ng habang-buhay sa impierno. Sinong "sila"? Eh di mga corrupt na government officials and workers, mga tambay na Pilipino na ang lalaki ng katawan pero hindi naman nagtratrabaho at hindi nagbabayad ng tax, mga mayayaman at artistang tax evaders, pati mga aktibista, NPA at iba pang ideological groups na hindi nagbabayad ng tax pero pang-gulo!!! Mamatay na kayo!!!

Lagi na lang sinasabi ng mga pulitiko: Ipaglaban ang masa! Tulungan ang masa! Mahalin ang masa! Punyeta! Masa lang ba ang tao sa Pilipinas? Sino ba talaga ang bumubuhay sa punyetang bansang 'to? Saan ba galing ang pangpagawa ng mga tulay at kalye? Saan ba galing ang pork barrel? Saan ba galing ang perang kinukurakot nyo? Kami na mga manggagawa at middle class na bago pa makuha ang sweldo bawas na -- kami ang bumubuhay sa walang kwentang bansa na 'to!!!

Bakit yang bang mga masang yan na lagi na lang sentro ng plataporma ng mga pulitiko eh nagbabayad ba ng tax?! F**k you! Kahit isa sa mga nag-ra-rallyng mga squatter na yan, kahit singko hindi nag-re-remit yan sa BIR! Pero pinapakinggan ba kami ng gobyerno?

Lagi na lang opinyon ng masa ang iniintindi ng gobyerno. Kung sino ang nag-ra-rally, sa Edsa, sila ang nasusunod. Kung sino ang masmalakas sumigaw pero wala namang economic contribution, sila lagi ang focus pag may problema. Sila lagi ang bida. Kaming mga ordinaryong office workers, OFWs, laborers at iba pang nag-tra-trabaho at nagbabayad ng tax -- kami ang nagpapakahirap para buhayin ang Pilipinas. Kami ang mga tunay na bayani ng bansa!!!

Tuwing nakikita ko ang payslip ko, nag-iinit ang ulo ko at gusto kong maiyak sa inis. Napakalaki ng tax na binabawas sa akin pero ginagamit lang sa walang kwentang bagay ang perang pinaghirapan ko. Lahat ng pagtitipid ginagawa ko para suportahan ang sarili ko, pamilya ko at ang punyetang bansang to. Ni hindi ako makabili ng chicken and spaghetti meal sa Jollibee kahit gutom na gutom na ko. Nag-tya-tyaga ako sa waffle na tig-P10, o kaya pag may konting pera, junior bola-bola siopao sa Mini-Stop sa halangang P20. Eh kung yung pera ko na pinapangbabayad sa tax sa kin na lang napunta, eh di sana nakakapanood pa ko ng sine at least dalawang beses sa isang buwan. Nakabili na sana ako ng bagong rubber shoes. Nakapagpagawa na sana ako ng sarili kong bahay.

Yung tax na binabayad ko, karamihan nun derecho sa bulsa ng mga corrupt na mga government officials at workers. Habang hirap na hirap akong i-budget ang pera ko, sila naman nagpapakasarap sa mga mansyon. SUV's at luxury cars pa ang dina-drive nila, samantalang ako sa pedicab lang sumasakay! P*ny*t*! Pera ko yang pinapagpapasasaan nyo!!!

Yung tax na binabayad ko, pinapangsuporta sa mga mahihirap. Saan ba galing ang pera pangpagawa ng housing at pagtulong sa mga mahihirap, di ba sa mga manggagawa na nagbabayad ng buwis? Pero karamihan ngmahihirap, kung umasta akala mo inaapi sila ng sobra.
Sa totoo lang no, kaya ang mga mahihirap lalong naghihirap kasi mga tamad! Ang daming mga tambay sa kalye na walang trabaho pero ang laki ng katawan. Eh kung sila ba nagkargador sa pier eh di sana may pera sila. Tapos wala na ngang pera, anak pa ng anak! P*ny*t*! Lalo nyo lang pinapadami ang tamad at tanga sa mundo!!!

Naaawa ako sa mga batang pakalat-kalat sa kalye at namamalimos. Imbes na nag-aaral, dumadagdag lang sila sa bilang ng mga future criminals sa 'Pinas. Hindi ako magtataka na yung batang nakita kong namamalimos saCubao, pagkatapos ng ilang taon cellphone snatcher na.

Yung mga magulang naman dyan, common sense lang! Hirap na hirap na nga kayo sa buhay, mangdadamay pa kayo ng iba?! Paparamihan nyo pa lahi nyo! Palibhasa walang mga trabaho at walang pinagkaka-abalahan, kaya nagkakalabitan at nagsusundutan na lang maghapon, magdamag. Sa totoolang, nakakabilib. Kasi kahit sa ilalim ng tulay o sa kariton lang, nakakabuo pa rin ng bata! Ibig sabihin, maabilidad ang mga Pinoy. Kung gugustuhin, gagawan ng paraan. Kahit sa makipot, mabaho at maduming lugar. SOLVE!

Isa pang mga grupo ng tao na nakakainis, yung mga aktibista, NPA at kung ano-ano pang ideological political groups. Sabi nila, mahal na mahal nila ang Pilipinas kaya pinaglalaban nila ang kanilang mgaadhikain.

P*ny*t*! Eh hindi rin kayo nagbabayad ng tax! Ang kakapal rin ng mga mukha nyo! Mga ipokrito! Mahal daw ang Pilipinas ayaw naman magbayad ng buwis! Bakit may BIR collector ba sa gitna ng mendiola at Edsa?! May tax collection ba sa bundok?! Wala din naman kayong mga trabaho! Kung may trabaho talaga kayo, hindi kayo mag-ra-rally dahil sayang ang sweldo nyo pag absent kayo! Paano nyo maipapakita ang pagmamahal nyo sa Pilipinas kung wala na kayong gawang matino kundi mag-rally at mamundok?!

Isa pa yang mga mayayaman at mga artista na nangdadaya at hindi nagbabayad ng buwis. Ang kakapal ng mukha nyo! Ang dami nyo na ngang pera nangdadaya pa kayo sa tax!!! Hindi nyo naman madadala sa impyerno yang mga kayaman nyo. Masusunog lang dun yan. Kaya lalong bumabagsak ang negosyo dito sa pilipinas, kasi mga negosyante mandaraya. Pati showbiz industry, bagsak na din. Karma ang tawag dyan. Mga balasubas kasi.

Sana magkaron ng political and national cleansing. Alisin (masmaganda kung patayin na lang) ang lahat ng pulitiko at political families sa puwesto. Tibagin ang lahat ng mapanirang organizations at grupo. Itapon sa malayong isla o kaya i-pwersa ng hard labor ang mga sobrang tamad na mga Pilipino. Ihiwalay ang mga bata sa kanilang mga tamad at tangang magulang upang makapag-aral sila at maturuan na maging mabuting tao at mamamayan.

Hangga't hindi nagkakaron ng radical change, patuloy na walang kwenta ang Pilipinas at patuloy na magiging tanga ang majority ng mga Pilipino. Sa dami ng nag-mi-migrate na Pilipino sa ibang bansa, darating ang panahon na minority na lang ng population sa Pilipinas ang may utak. Yung mga magagaling na Pilipino, malamang maubos na. Sobra na kasi silang na-fru-frustrate at na-de-depress sa mga nakikitanila.

Ilang taon pa at aalis na rin ako sa Pilipinas. Wala kong balak na magkaron ng pamilya sa isang bansa na hindi pinapahalagahan ang kontribusyon ng mga taong tunay na bumubuhay dito. Kawawa naman ang magiging anak ko kung dito sya mabubuhay.

Sa totoo lang, broken hearted ako. Minahal ko din ang bansang ito. Pilit kong pinagtatanggol kahit bulok. Nakarating na ako ng ibang bansa, pero pinili kong bumalik. Pero ngayon, ayoko na. Suko na ko. Sayang lang ako sa bansang to. Simple lang naman ang hiling ko. Gusto ko lang mabuhay ng tahimik at maayos. Gusto ko na kahit paano eh maipagmalaki ang Pilipinas. Pero wala eh. Doomed to be jologs ang bansang to.

Alam ko marami pa ang umaasa at naniniwala sa pagbabago. Good luck and God bless! Sana tama kayo at mali ako.

The Effects of a Devalued Peso

2005-07-02T13:12:00.000+08:00

[This is my reply to the message posted by Ogie Reyes on the Cebu Politics Yahoogroup. He is the moderator of the group and his reply to my article, "What truth?", was:

To immediately put your fears to rest, Larri, you are not going to lose your job on account of Mon's anti-GMA stance; neither will your American employer close shop and leave RP. For the past three EDSAs and several attempted coups, Cebu has always been far from the "maddening" crowd and practically free of destruction. If your company is an export company it will enjoy the new low peso-dollar rate. Timex Phils, where my brod-in-law was once its president, would celebrate each time the peso went down.]

Pardon me for saying this, but this is a narrow, if not crude way, of analyzing the effects of a devalued peso.

Allow me first to discuss three major disadvantages that far outweigh the benefits you just cited, before I prove that your theory that a fluctuating peso will spawn foreign investments is, at best, fallacious.

FIRST: A fluctuating peso encourages speculation on the dollar, which forces the Central Bank to compensate by (1) buying more dollars off the market to keep it stable, or (2) raising interest rates to make it more expensive for speculators to borrow money to fund their speculation.

Option 1 cannot be sustained for a long period because it increases the money supply; and, if you're an economist, you should know this will cause the inflation rate to shoot up.

Option 2 is bad for local business, as this makes it expensive to borrow money to fund operations. Now, you wonder why Alan Greenspan is such a powerful figure in the world today. He controls the interest rate of the U.S., the world's largest economy. If interest rates remain high, "local factories" -- as opposed to those at MEPZ -- will close one by one.

SECOND: A devalued peso makes our foreign debt expensive to service and it consequently erodes the value of our foreign reserves. As of March, our foreign reserve stood at about US$17 billion. A peso or two drop in the forex will translate to a staggering erosion of this reserve.

As our debt become more expensive to service, we move closer to a default. The alarm sounded by the so-called U.P. 11 about a looming Argentina-like financial crisis is even more true today than last year. Allow the peso to breach the US$60 level and this country will disintegrate faster than you can say "yehey!"

Please think of this, sir, before you and your brod-in-law celebrate the next drop of the peso.

Meanwhile, continued uncertainty will trigger a downgrade in our credit rating. Each downgrade translates to PHP20 billion in additional interest payments for us. Just last month, Ecuador and Bolivia suffered a downgrade due to the growing political uncertainty in both countries. Let me direct you to this newsletter for your further enlightenment: http://bankrupt.com/periodicals/sdr.html

THIRD: A devalued peso makes imported inputs of production expensive. One such input is oil. As you know, sir, we source our oil abroad and we pay in dollars, not peso. Higher oil prices mean higher production cost that manufacturers pass on to consumers in the form of price increases. Sooner or later, drivers will demand a fare hike that, if unheeded, will result to transport strikes.

A persistent increase in the level of consumer prices is called inflation. And any economist will tell you inflation is a bad thing. It not only erodes the purchasing power of ordinary workingmen like me, it triggers an increase in interest rates.

Now, this is where I disprove your fallacious theory. You claim that a devalued peso attracts foreign investors because local labor becomes cheap. Theoretically true, but in reality FALSE.

Two reasons:

(1) As the inflation rate rises -- or as transport fares and consumer prices go up -- ordinary workingmen like me will demand a wage hike. Don't be naive, sir, the PHP200 daily wage will not stay that way for long. Workers will demand higher wages the moment prices of basic commodities become too expensive.

Now, you tell me how our labor force will still remain cheap!

(2) Investors don't look at the price of a country's labor force alone. Obviously, you are not a foreign investor and "based on my reading" you are neither a businessman. Because if you are, you have a questionable business acumen.

Foreign investors, especially those looking to relocate manufacturing operations abroad, also look at political stability. Why? Putting up a car-making facility, for instance, requires millions of dollars in capital investments. Businessmen need to be assured that tomorrow or a week from now no coup d'etat will lead to the closure of airports/piers that will delay the delivery of their goods to customers abroad. Foreign investors would rather set up shop in Vietnam where the labor force is not only cheap, the socio-political climate is stable.

Now you wonder why only call centers are sprouting in the Philippines and not manufacturing operations. The answer is simple: putting up a call center is not capital-intensive. You only need computers and Internet/phone connections to be in business.

But call centers only employ a small portion of our labor force -- only those who can speak English fluently. This country needs investment in manufacturing industries to solve its chronically high unemployment rate. We need factories for car-assembly, for instance, to (1) encourage transfer of technology, (2) employ a greater portion of our labor force and (3) fuel the rise of related and downstream industries.

I hope this clears up your head.

What truth?

2005-06-30T17:17:00.000+08:00

Here we go again. The dumb politicians are once more holding the whole nation hostage. In the past several days, the likes of Sen. Nene Pimentel, Congressmen Francis Escudero and Jacinto Paras, whose ability to speak his mind fluently in English is, by the way, no better than a third-grader, are again posturing at the expense of the Filipino people. This time their alibi is the truth.

Exactly what truth are you trying to find out, sir? Eh, umamin na nga ang Presidente! Ano pa ba ang gusto nyo? If you think the President has committed a crime or an impeachable offense, then please file the appropriate actions and shut up! Stop holding press conferences or appearing on television to air your grievances because the media is not the proper forum for it. As members of the law-making body, you're supposed to know that. You're supposed to use the legal framework that Congress itself has created. You should be the first to follow the law.

The trouble with these politicians and those calling for a leadership change is that they don't know their action is bleeding the country dry. Mga bobo kasi. They're not only insensitive, they are ignorant of the sufferings of ordinary men like me.

I bet my last pair of socks that you, Congressman Escudero, don't even know the simplest needs of the common tao. Or that you and your fellow useless politicians are so stupid to know that your calls for GMA's resignation is, in fact, the reason why the stock market is down and the exchange rate up. Heck, I seriously doubt you can stipulate the effects of a fluctuating peso, let alone know what a Moody's "downgrade" is. Mga bobo kasi.

I challenge you Congressman Escudero to take a one-year leave of absence from Congress to take a job in the private sector and live off the salary of a daily-wage earner. Isama mo pa si Susan Roces at saka si Bro. Eddie Villanueva. I can guarantee all of you: you will not last 30 days before calling it quits!

Now, if you're not willing to come out of your comfort zone, then I challenge you to a debate -- to prove to our countrymen that you're all stupid. Don't be intimidated: I am just an ordinary workingman and not connected to any group that can tutor me about policy issues.

It's so easy for you to hostage the economy because you know your congressman's salary is assured for the next three years. I challenge you to stop living off the taxes of the Filipino people or the tithes and offerings of your members!

The other night Susan Roces' apo declared to the media that what his lola is doing will benefit the Filipino people. Are you nuts? What do you know about our plight here in the Philippines? What do you know about the effects your lola's speech will have on the economy? You're living in the U.S. for Pete's sake! Before you open your mouth, try living here first and enroll at a public school with insufficient number of books!

It's so unfair that a few dumb politicians and reckless individuals have the power to bring down the whole country. Doubly unfair that Cebuanos like me suffer for the stupid decisions made by the horde of uneducated people in Manila.

I studied hard, even worked my butt off to pay for my last year in college, to be where I am now. I pity the employees of foreign-owned companies like me, who are now in danger of losing their jobs because of the uncertainty now besetting the nation.

The Filipino people deserve better. Kung hindi pa nyo nalalaman, tapos na po ang election. It's time to move on. Congress has better things to do than to meddle in governance. Congress and the Arroyo administration must work together to cut the deficit now, keep the exchange rate stable and the inflation rate in check.

Simple lang ang hangad ng bawat Pilipino -- ang mabuhay ng maayos. I do not aspire to run for Congress or lead a congregation and live off their contributions. I just want to lead a decent, if not comfortable, life.

Truth has no profound meaning to me if I lose my job and sleep with an empty stomach.

Cebu City's increasing criminality: A choice of solution - Due Process (The Old status quo) or Vigilantism (New Adventure)

2005-01-13T08:48:00.000+08:00

[Cebu City today is again at a crossroad. The present mayor, a person I used to admire for his no-nonsense approach to governance, has set off a very divisive issue. He wants to create a "Hunter Team" to hunt down criminals and bring down the incidence of crime in Cebu. While at it, a vigilante group has surfaced and already it has claimed 14 snatchers/robbers. Is this approach appropriate?

What follows is a string of e-mail messages written by acquaintances and some of my officemates who reflect the varied sentiments of Cebuanos regarding this issue. Some of the messages are mine. You may add yours by pressing the "comment" link below.

Please scroll down to the bottom to find the first thread so you won't get lost. Cheers!]

This is the latest thread. This is my reply to Alvin's message.

Fact:

(1) The first known law codes appeared in the ancient Middle Eastern land of Babylonia. A Babylonian king named Ur-Nammu assembled the earliest known code about 2100 B.C.

(2) A king named Hammurabi drew up the most complete and best known of these codes during the 1700's B.C.

(3) A politician named Draco drew up Athens's first law code in 621 B.C.

(4) The first known Roman law code, called the Laws of the Twelve Tables, was written about 450 B.C.

(5) The idea of "due process of law" dates from England's Magna Carta of 1215.

Source: David M. O'Brien, Ph.D., Professor of Government, University of Virginia, World Book Encyclopedia 2004 (Deluxe)
---------

Two days ago I said, the history of the civilized world -- a span of 2,000 years -- is against Alvin and those who share his views. Apparently, I'm wrong on one minor detail: the period should be 4,000 years.

At its core, I think this debate is about one issue: Is the "rule of law" still relevant? Is it enough to combat the rising criminality?

My answer is a resounding yes! Consider this, we would not be here if our forefathers remained savage, barbaric people. We wouldn't be here if the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, even the Spaniards (those bastards!) did not establish laws to protect and guarantee our well-being. The "rule of law" has stood the test of time -- 4,000 years is an awful long time. It's been proven to be effective and, yes, still very relevant.

What we have in the Philippines is a "minor glitch" in the continuing experiment to perfect the "rule of law". I will concede this much: our criminal statutes are inadequate. But inadequate is not synonymous to irrelevant. Allow me to cite one legal doctrine that I think is the primary reason why many of you have lost faith in the "rule of law" -- the right to bail.

In the Philippines, the "right to bail" is a constitutional right. Under our legal system, all criminal offenses, save for capital offenses -- that is, punishable by death or life imprisonment -- are bailable. Petty crimes like snatching or robbery (that does not result in death) are not capital offenses; thus offenders can (and, yes, the courts are obligated to grant) bail. Mao ni, Vin, ang reason nganong kanang mga *n*t*y dinha makagawas gihapon bisan kapila na makiha sa husgado!

Pero, simple ra kaayo ang solution, Vin. The defect is not in the system -- it's in the law. We only need to amend our existing laws; raise the penalty for even the pettiest of crimes, if you want; make it difficult for repeat offenders to post bail. Make criminals really pay.

One other solution that I think is just as effective and practicable is the creation of an atmosphere that discourages, if not prevent, criminals from striking hapless civilians. Increase police visibility, for instance. Three or four years ago, the city bought 16 new SUVs for our city councilors at PHP600,000 apiece. If the city can spend this much, then it probably can buy Toyota sedans -- not just multicabs -- for use by policemen to patrol every block in the city.

If I were Tommy, I will also set aside PHP1 million as prize for anybody who can develop an integrated emergency system similar to 911 in the U.S. I know naa nay 117 karon, but it's not effective. We have a glut of engineers, computer programmers who are really talented, but currently idle. It's not true we lack policemen who can respond to emergencies. Just inquire sa U.V., U.C., or USJ-R. Every year the number of criminology graduates are in the hundreds -- enough to fill every corner with an armed cop.

We can also modernize our crime laboratory, send our lab technicians and SOCO (Scene of the Crime) operatives to train with professional CSIs abroad to guarantee evidence collected by investigators will result in conviction.

In short, there are options within the bounds of law that we can take. We don't have to burn down the house to kill the termites, Vin!

What Tommy is promoting with his Hunter Team is lawlessness. Yes, it's swift justice and, as more and more "known" snatchers and robbers fall, a lot of you -- and I sometimes -- think it's just right. But it's not right. What is illegal is illegal. What is wrong is wrong. Period.

We support lawlessness for even one second and we hasten our descent to anarchy. You think the object of the Hunter Team will just allow themselves to be shot at? No, sir! By now, some, if not all of them, have already purchased their own guns, grenades and whatnot. Can you imagine kung manabla sad ni sila? Can you stomach innocent kids strewn about; some dead, some desperately gasping for survival, because one crazy cornered maniac decided to blow himself up in a crowd? Come on. Are we really prepared to deal with the consequences of Tom's adventure?!?

Now, let me rebut one-by-one Alvin's points:

(1) "kung there were like 1 snatcher for every 4 people in cebu, 1 out of 10 na lang run. so statistically, mas safe ka."

Are we really safe? No, we're not. An uneducated, unemployed and hungry robber will strike even if naay police or vigilante group. And if our economy fails to improve, there will be plenty of them. The Hunter Team will not lessen their number. The Hunter Team will just be a minor inconvenience. Pretty soon, they'll figure it out -- the best way to handle the team is to arm themselves. Fight to the death if cornered. Panabla, sa bisaya pa.

(2) "Killing an innocent would be the farthest thing from anyone's mind, especially a politico who would have to suffer through the backlash of public opinion, and would need public approval to advance his career."

The problem ani nga argument is that it is one-sided. You see, dili ra ang Hunter Team ang capable nga mopatay or makapatay og inocente. In reality, the innocent nga pwede mamatay are not just those wrongfully identified by the Hunter team. They can include innocent people caught in the crossfire.

Kung ang Hunter Team masayop og patay og usa or duha ka alleged snatcher, mas kuyaw kung ang usa ka criminal ma-corner unya mo-decide nga mang-angin og daghan.

(3) "Tomas has been very clear about it. He wants the Hunter Team, he organized the hunter team, and he's going to do nothing to stop the hunter team... asa ang leeway or avenue for blackmail? It's like blackmailing a known prostitute by saying she's no longer a virgin."

Wa ko kasabot ani nga argument. May be because lahi ta og perspective. Mas ma-blackmail hinuon si Tomas kay siya karon dili mo-angkon nga siya ang utok sa mga vigilante. A few days ago, siya mismo ni-ingon nga wa siya'y gi-form nga vigilante group. The killings were done by those whom he merely inspired. It makes sense nga dili siya moangkon kay pwede siya makiha. In fact, si Duterte wala gyud na siya mo-admit sa iya participation anang Davao Death Squad. Because, as a former city prosecutor, he knows nga pwede siya ma-priso. So, pwede kaayo nga mo-demand ang vigilante group kay mayor og bisan unsang butang kay kabalo sila nga it will be politically disastrous nga ibisto nila si Tomas nga mao ilang utok.

Mao ni ang nakaparat -- walay accountability. The bullets used by these vigilante groups have no return address. Wala ta'y kapaninglan. Sugot mo ana?

(4) "We've been through the old and tested ways, we've lived by the law. It FAILED. Now it's time to look for other avenues na makasolve sa atong problem."

This is simply not true. Read your history books, Vin. There's virtually no country or government right now nga walay balaod. Siguro, imperfect, pero effective. And the best thing is, what they are doing is fair, legal, and acceptable. We just need to strengthen ours!

Before I go, allow me to leave you another fact:

"No society could exist if all people did just as they pleased... Civilized societies are so complex that they could not exist without a well-developed system of law." -- David M. O'Brien*, Ph.D., Professor of Government, University of Virginia.

*Books by David M. O'Brien:

(1) Government by the People, National Version, 20th Edition

(2) Constitutional Law and Politics, Volume 1: Struggles for Power and Governmental Accountability, Fifth Edition

(3) Storm Center, Sixth Edition

(4) The Lanahan Readings in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

(5) Supreme Court Watch 2004: Highlights of the 2001-2003 Terms, Preview of the 2004 Term (Supreme Court Watch)

(6) Judges on Judging: Views from the Bench (Chatham House Studies in Political Thinking)

(7) Animal Sacrifice and Religious Freedom: Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah

(8) Judicial Roulette: Report of the Twentieth Century Fund Task Force on Judicial Selection

(9) Constitutional Law and Politics: Struggles for Power and Governmental Accountability

Cebu City's increasing criminality: A choice of solution - Due Process (The Old status quo) or Vigilantism (New Adventure)

2005-01-13T08:42:00.000+08:00

Cebu City's increasing criminality: A choice of solution - Due Process (The Old status quo) or Vigilantism (New Adventure)

2005-01-13T08:35:00.000+08:00

Cebu City's increasing criminality: A choice of solution - Due Process (The Old status quo) or Vigilantism (New Adventure)

2005-01-13T08:06:00.000+08:00

[Cebu City today is again at a crossroad. The present mayor, a person I used to admire for his no-nonsense approach to governance, has set off a very divisive issue. He wants to create a "Hunter Team" to hunt down criminals and bring down the incidence of crime in Cebu. While at it, a vigilante group has surfaced and already it has claimed 14 snatchers/robbers. Is this approach appropriate?

What follows is a string of e-mail messages written by acquaintances and some of my officemates who reflect the varied sentiments of Cebuanos regarding this issue. Some of the messages are mine. You may add yours by pressing the "comment" link below.

Please scroll down to the bottom to find the first thread so you won't get lost. Cheers!]

My friend, Emi, forwarded this e-mail written by a certain "Ogie." This is the first thread.

Cebu City's increasing criminality: A choice of solution - Due Process (The Old status quo) or Vigilantism (New Adventure)

The subject title has Cebu City as the venue of increasing criminality. NOT the province, NOT the whole Philippines, and certainly NOT the world. The venue is Cebu City, and Cebu City is unlike any other city in the province, in the Philippines and in the world. Thus, being unlike any other whatever resolutions we need to do to any of its needs MUST be specific, tailor-designed for Cebu City and not another city in Cebu province, in RP and in the world.

I have to emphasize this as the conflicting opinions on the issue seem to forget that we are only concerned with Cebu City and no other. They all tend to impress/impose the idea that what WORKED with other cities WILL WORK in Cebu City; AND that what the alleged Tom's Vigilantes are doing is harmful for us Cebu City dwellers, to the rest of the country and to the whole world.

Penal laws work on a general basis and it is made to be. Their application depends on the peculiar circumstances of the crime, and strictly speaking no two crimes are the same; for that matter no two criminals are the same. In the process of applying the law, more often than not it is in the determination of the varied circumstances of the crime that makes our justice system slow, sometimes impossible to apply and render justice in time.

In Cebu City, our justice system, no matter whose political wills are behind it, is slow in dispensing the vaunted, democratic and constitutional "due process." To the overwhelming majority, this slowness is no longer conducive to "due process." Overdue "due process" is never the means of/toward an effective justice system.

Long delays are equated to non-delivery, a failure in the justice system; it prevents "due process" from fruiting true justice.
Overdue "due process' is justice denied and so our Cebu City "due process" remains unappreciated by its people, opening minds towards other means of getting justice - extrajudicial, such as vigilantism.

Since the killings began, the noticeable silence (deafening?) of the people towards the Hunter Team's (HT) intent - to eliminate criminals without due process - seemed to be Tom's vindication or his inspiration to continue the work of the HT. There too, is the crime stats that show reduction. There also are several opinion makers supporting vigilantism.

Although it appears that the CC Council, Cardinal Vidal and some members of the democratic press are opposed to the idea, their opposition appears to be centered on what is generally good for the larger many. At any rate, we cannot discount the slow response of the CC Council as not appearing to be "initially agreeing" and upon the passage of time, with the council members perhaps noting that the crime rate had dropped, under a "NEW CIRCUMSTANCE," it called for a stop.

How sincere is the Cardinal in his desire to put a stop to this type of meting justice? Granting that Cebu and Davao have similar circumstances, did we ever hear the good Cardinal campaign openly, continuously, in Davao City, where it is estimated that at the height of its Death Squad rampage, it was dispensing with an average of 15 criminals a month?

You know at one time, some six years ago, the Cardinal was so mad, so frustrated, so confused about an indirect criticism - an insinuation that he was a drug user (for his illness) hurled at him by activist Edward Ligas. It got him so sick to stay in bed and out of the media's probing eyes for a good two weeks and it got him to accuse Ligas of an irresponsible act even while he was still sick and weak. The good Cardinal actually criticized Ligas. It was only later that he relented his immediate "vindictive" (as I took it) response. Well, that was just for a minor offense. What of the several instances in the past that the Church supports killing of competing faith believers? What of Rome's support of Hitler and his wasteful act against the Jews? How would the good Cardinal react if he was made the object of their criticisms? Anyway, would his voice be heard? Hay, out of context man tingali ni?

Media, as Tom said, can hype one nuts and often leaves one guessing where it really stands on sensitive issues. We know pretty well of its propensity towards bias - to its owners and advertisers. For pure public interests? We all know the answer to that very well.

One criticism I have when these people advances their position, they make the people think that they have the people's say and the monopoly on the say-so. They make society think that they can make judgments for them. Can they? Really? They don't even consult.

Unlike me, I have my taxi drivers and co-jeepney passengers to poll. He-he. But really, have they done any consultations with the people?
They don't want to, because they know that they will be rebuked.

I heard from practically all that I talked to, from their very mouths (not one priest though), that the HT is a blessing and a necessity today here in Cebu City. You may not have noticed it but the grounds were tested two weeks (14 days and 14 criminals dead) prior to the HT's official creation. This means, the public's pulse was first determined. Because the measured pulse was found agreeable, then the HT had to be made official, as it is now. You may think I am only guessing, but I give you that privilege to indulge in what you believe.

Mine may be a guess, anyway, here is another one (I am on a guessing roll): With the HT, Tom O wants not only these (petty) criminals that have been harassing his general public's comfort to understand that they can't forever play their crime games in his city without getting paid back in kind (hit) by his followers or by him, but also wants Ecleo and similar crazed persons like him never to attempt to do him in because he can strike back and even be (offensively) pre-emptive with devastating effect. I have a sneaky suspicion that one of Tom's motivations (if not primary) for his HT is to send this particular message to Ecleo, for the reason that his HT idea came after the arrest of Ecleo's alleged Hit Team in Lapulapu city, a day before he was scheduled for a CPRA awarding ceremony in that city. Ecleo's Hit Team (EHT) is only about 10. Tom's Hunter Team (THT) is 25. Tom knows the power of numbers, eh? Say, isn't it uncanny how Tom's "H" in THT turned out to be "Hunter" instead of "Hit." Don't they actually stand for the same thing? Hmm."H" to hunt criminals and assassins, eh?

THT. hmm, Tom's official personal protection, no? AND WHY NOT? About time, eh? What with the criminality this high up above one's head (pero dugay na noon ni, unya ang threat ni Ecleo bag-o pa gyud sa???? Por eso???) and Ecleo's fan-atics roaming freely around Cebu City? I say, "Go ahead, Tom! Go to it! Protect yourself and you protect us, too!" I say, anytime, this is not a bad deal. Tom is the best mayor we ever had. I should do all my best to protect him. By doing so, I, one of his constituents, am also buying myself protection.

Anyway, back to my circumstance justification thesis. The only justification that can be used for the continued existence of the THT or effectively used against it is the data that is still forthcoming from its actual work. In the absence of this data we cannot be certain neither can we be sure that the THT will not work.

What we have NOW are speculations ONLY, no hard evidence, as to its effectiveness or factual performance. Guessing in this particular endeavor will not work for us. What we need to do, is what Tom is doing - we need to wade in and get wet.

As I said our circumstance is peculiar, and so we cannot make any trending or parallel from similar places like Davao and Digos. We need to have our own factual data. Only then may we (likely) be certain. For now, I say, let the HT function as envisioned by Tom, mindful of the cautions thrown in by the alleged "moral thinkers-makers" of Cebu, our country and the world, even if these moral thinkers-makers are only alleged; in fact they are not the DOERS, they are not our EXECUTIVES (not even the members of the CC Council that we elected as legislators).

Of the collateral damage? Hey, again, let the facts that will surface in due time, on the whole, validate or invalidate the HT. Besides, who can be very careful? Not even the superpower USA and its super-sophistry in arms, equipment, etc. (take Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, Irag, its police, SWAT, FBI, CIA.)..Besides, too, you know very well the collateral damage of our tried and usual "due process." BTW, have we thought of counting the collateral damage in its wake? If we did, there will be an opportunity to make comparisons as the HT progresses in its task. When finally we are able to make a comparison, I will venture to guess, that the real collateral HT damage, with all factors considered, is very much less, or even negligible.

I have said a mouthful already, but allow me a few last words to the hunted: "Pack up and Do (or Change) your THING elsewhere!"

2005-01-06T16:02:00.000+08:00

Sunrise in Bantayan. Nice, noh? Honey took this picture on our last day on the island.

2005-01-06T09:27:00.000+08:00

Isn't she cute? She just turned six on November 24.

2005-01-06T09:25:00.000+08:00

This is Skye my cute little girl. She's becoming more and more like me each day. She's the best daughter in the world! No doubt about that.

2005-01-06T09:24:00.000+08:00

Nice flower, noh? I took this picture very early in the morning while Honey, Skye and I were on vacation in Bantayan last October.

New City Ordinance Banning Kids under 8 from Riding Motorcycles Absurd, Misplaced

2004-12-15T13:21:00.000+08:00

An Open Letter to the Cebu City Council

To the councilors of Cebu City, what are you thinking? Don't you guys have anything else to do in that chamber? Don't you have any other things in mind than inconvenience people?

With all due respect, this new ordinance is misdirected, unreasonable and simply absurd. According to Sun.Star's Rene Martel, Councilor Eugenio Faelnar cooked up this ordinance because of his great concern for children riding habal-habal in the city's mountain barangays.

I fully appreciate your concern, sir, but your ordinance illogically equates riding a motorcycle with one's parents and riding a habal-habal, which may be driven by an unlicensed, under-aged or, worse, inebriated driver. There's a world of difference between the two!

It's highly unusual that a parent would put his own children in harm's way by riding his motorcycle the way habal-habal drivers do. And no foolish parent would sit as many children in his motorcycle like a habal-habal driver would.

So, this begs the question: Why prohibit owners of motorcycles from riding bikes with their children when what you’re actually trying to accomplish is prohibit children from riding habal-habal? Why not just prohibit this dangerous transport service altogether? It's illegal to sit more than two adults on a motorcycle, anyway!

I bought my motorcycle a year ago for three reasons: (1) a motorcycle is seldom stuck in traffic, (2) it's economical (I spend only P60 a week for gas), and (3) it's the only motor vehicle I can afford. I have a six-year-old daughter who goes to school at CIC; and because I can't afford a yaya, I take her to school myself.

Councilor Faelnar, are you now telling me that I squeeze my meager salary and hire a yaya or, worse, buy a car? Is the city willing to pay the salary of this yaya or buy this car for me and subsidize its gasoline consumption? I'm pretty certain it isn't! So, why the heck are you implementing this ordinance? You're so unreasonable!

Finally, this ordinance is absurd. Consider this for a moment: Because of this ordinance, a parent, whose pre-school daughter (obviously under 7 years old) goes to CIC, will now have to stop at the boundary of Mandaue and Cebu City, disembark and tell his kid, "langga, paglakaw nalang padulong CIC kay di nata pwede mag-motor diha sa Cebu City."

Can you imagine the hassle and, yes, the danger if this were to happen? Or, probably, Councilor Faelnar wants me to leave my motorcycle for thieves or vandals to feast on while my daughter and I commute to CIC? What about our fare, Mr. Faelnar? Are you willing to subsidize it?

It is pretty clear this new ordinance is misdirected, unreasonable and absurd. If it's safety that you're after, then ban habal-habal! Or simply require that only one child can ride a motorcycle and he/she must sit in between the driver and the other passenger.

In these times of crisis, we need government to lighten our burden, not add to it. I earnestly call on the city council to recall this measure or the mayor to veto it.