We beg to differ.
These are confusing times for would-be protesters. Everyone, it seems, is in agreement over the need to scrap the pork barrel gravy train that, for many politicians, has become the whole point of vying for a seat in Congress. Trouble is there are too many “experts” on what, where, when, and how protest rallies should…
The upcoming September 11 EDSA Shrine prayer vigil against pork barrel funding seems to be getting a lot of flak for supposedly being covertly orchestrated by the Aquino Administration to serve some hidden agenda. A couple of people in various threads on Facebook are telling people not to participate in the September 11 EDSA Shrine…
Read More “The September 11 EDSA Shrine Scrap Pork Prayer Vigil” »
I have been fortunate enough to have been invited to the Rotary Club of Manila by its President Rudy Bediones at the Manila Polo Club, August 29, 2013. The Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) has a long tradition of inviting excellent speakers, many of which come from their esteemed membership. The motive for me was…
Tax evasion should not be a criminal offense anymore in the Philippines. After all, some of the country’s public servants, those who blatantly steal taxpayers’ money, do not get prosecuted or go to jail. It is even quite baffling how members of Congress made a big deal out of former Chief Justice Renato Corona’s undeclared…
There’s lot’s of argument surrounding the fate of the Priority Development Assistance or “Pork Barrel” Funds already flying about. Should legislators be allowed continued access to all those billions of pesos in taxpayers’ funds? The answer to that had already been settled under the really simple principle — that executives execute, and legislators legislate. Quite…
Read More “Taxpayers’ money will continue to be wasted even if Pork is spent honestly” »
About a week ago, I wrote a column for my regular Manila Times gig praising the efforts of a Facebook group called “Masbate Talks” for taking the ordinary social media group format a couple productive steps farther, and turning it into a model of public attentiveness and interaction with their local government that could easily…
Read More “Masbate Government Doesn’t Want You People All Up In Their Business” »
I think the pork barrel should be abolished. Some people think some people have benefited from pork barrel money and that abolishing it will be like throwing the baby out along with the bath water. Perhaps. But that is really the sort of Robin Hood mentality that has no place in a modern 21st Century…
Read More “PDAF and the jeepney: Why the pork barrel should be abolished” »
I would have to say that the outrage being shown at the persisting pork barrel anomalies – at least in social media as far as I can see – is both unprecedented, and quite frankly, a bit astonishing. There are calls to assemble at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta on August 26, 2013, to call…
Read More “Questions that must be answered before the rally to abolish pork barrel” »