Tag: butch abad

#SONA2015: What to expect from #PNoy’s last and least State of the Nation Address

July 27, 2015 benign0 9 Comments

According to Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma in a response to the Inquirer, the last State of the Nation Address (SONA) to be delivered by President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III to joint sessions of Congress is a “story of governance”. On an 11-th hour “platform” consisting of promises revolving mainly around “anti-corruption”, “inclusive” development,…

Crime, Government, Politics

Millions of pesos stolen in pork scam; now billions could be stolen under the BBL

May 13, 2015May 15, 2023 Ilda 28 Comments

The recently published report from the Commission on Audit (COA) has confirmed what some of us have suspected all along: the current Philippine government’s policy to uplift the status of the poor could be a scam for government officials to pocket public funds. The report is also a good case against the proposed Bangsamoro Basic…

Crime, Development, Government, Politics, The South

Did Butch Abad just out an Aquino SC justice for perjury?

November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 BenK 8 Comments

In the aftermath of the announcement of the unexpectedly disappointing third-quarter GDP figures earlier this week, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad offered a rather strange explanation for part of it, the 2.9 percent retraction of government spending during the quarter: “…the decrease was largely caused by the low utilization of notice of cash allotments (NCAs)…

Crime, Economy, Politics

Will mutineer-turned-‘senator’ Antonio Trillanes IV make a good Philippine president?

November 26, 2014 benign0 20 Comments

The vacuousness of Philippine politics is on a roll, delivering yet another no-surprise revelation: mutineer-turned-‘senator’ Antonio Trillanes IV may be inching his way towards a presidential candidacy for the 2016 elections. His statements on the matter are obviously just feelers at this point. He reportedly stated in Tagalog a few days back that he is…

Crime, Government, Politics

Why are platforms, vision statements, and strategies still MISSING from the Philippine ‘debate’?

November 21, 2014 benign0 27 Comments

So, yet again, we approach another seminal presidential election and there is much bubbling and foaming on the surface of the political scene. While the attention of the public has been focused on the turbulent surface of Philippine politics, few have appreciated the underlying reason behind that turbulence. For like the way rough rapids only…

Crime, Culture, Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society

President BS Aquino will not succeed unless he listens to his critics

November 6, 2014 Ilda 14 Comments

Philippine President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino is fed up with complaints about his administration. As far as he is concerned his critics can all go to hell because in his mind, he is doing an excellent job and no one can tell him otherwise. He will not accept any criticism even from his own allies….

Government, Politics

Question to activists: After resorting to violence against Sec Butch Abad, what next?

September 28, 2014 benign0 22 Comments

I can understand the rage felt by those UP students who mobbed Department of Budget Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio ‘Butch’ Abad in mid-September. The behaviour of these activists represent an explosion of pent-up anger over what many believe to be an astounding case of wholesale national thievery that will likely go unpunished. Abad is widely-regarded…

Civics, Crime, Government, Politics, Society

Noynoy Aquino’s arrogance is forcing Filipinos to take matters into their own hands

September 19, 2014September 19, 2014 Ilda 25 Comments

The mobbing of Budget Secretary Butch Abad by angry students from the University of the Philippines (UP) is a sign that the system in the Philippines has broken down. The fact that a large group of Filipinos did not hesitate to verbally abuse a public official and were even prepared to physically assault him shows…

Crime, Education, Government, Politics, Society