Jan
29
2008
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Written by Amron Rashed P. R.S. Alim
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Tuesday, 29 January 2008 |
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My Fellow Readers,
When I was small, the Philippine peso was P2 to the $dollar . The president was Diosdado Macapagal . Life was simple. Life was easy. My father was a farmer. My mother kept a small sari-sari store where our neighbors bought sang-perang asin, sang-perang
bagoong, sang-perang suka, sang-perang toyo at pahinging isang butil na bawang. Our backyard had kamatis, kalabasa, talong, ampalaya, upo, batao, and okra. Our silong had chicken. We had a pig, dog & cat. And of course, we lived on the farm. During rainy season, my father caught frogs at night which my mother made into batute (stuffed frog), or just plain fried. During the day, he caught hito and dalag from his
rice paddies, which he would usually inihaw. During dry season, we relied on the chickens, vegetables, bangus, tuyo, and tinapa. Every now and then, there was pork and beef from the town market. Life was so peaceful , so quiet, no electricity, no TV. Just the radio for Tia Dely, Roman Rapido, Tawag ng Tanghalan and Tang-tarang- tang. And who can forget Leila Benitez on Darigold Jamboree? On weekends, I played with my neighbours (who were all my cousins). Tumbang-preso, taguan, piko, luksong lubid, patintero, at iba pa. I don't know about you, but I miss those days.
These days, we face the TV, Internet, e-mail, newspaper, magazine,grocery catalog, or drive around. The peso is a staggering and incredible P44 to the $dollar. Most people can't have fun anymore. Life has become a battle. We live to work. Work to live. Life is not easy. I was in Saudi Arabia in 1983. It was lonely, difficult, & scary . It didn't matter if you were a man or a woman. You were a target for rape. The salary was cheap & the vacation far between. If the boss didn't want you to go on holiday, you didn't. They
had your passport. Oh, and the agency charged you almost 4months of your salary (which, if you had to borrow on a "20% per month arrangement" meant your first year's
pay was all gone before you even earned it). The Philippines used to be one of the most important countries in Asia . Before & during my college days, many students from neighboring Asian countries like Malaysia , Indonesia , Japan and China went to the Philippines to get their diplomas. Like Thailand , they went to study agricultures in UP Los Banos and earned their bachelors in the Phils and now we imports rice from them. It s opposite now. Philippines used to be the exporter of any agriculture products but now its different. We imports because not much land (farms) they can cultivate due to private sectors who focused on developing houses, buildings, supermarkets, mall and others. What happened now? Whats the government doing? Checking their own pocket, their own personal interest and pork barrels. Wow!
Until 1972,like President Macapagal, President Marcos was one of the most admired presidents of the world. The Peso had kept its value of P7 to the $dollar until I finished college . Today, the Philippines is famous as the "housemaid" capital of the world. It ranks very high as the "cheapest labor" capital of
the world, too. We have maids in Hong Kong , laborers in Saudi Arabia , dancers in Japan ,migrants and TNTs in Australia and the US , and all sorts of other "tricky" jobs in other parts of the globe. Quo Vadis, Pinoy? Is that a wonder or a worry? Are you proud to be a Filipino, or does it even matter anymore? When you see the Filipino flag
and hear the Pambansang Awit, do you feel a sense of pride or a sense of
defeat & uncertainty? If only things could change for the better...... . Hang on for this is a job for Superman. Or whom do you call? Ghostbusters. Joke. Right?
This is one of our problems.
We say "I love the Philippines .. I am proud to be a Filipino."
When I send you a joke, you send it to everyone in your address book even if it kills the Internet. But when I send you a note on how to save our country & ask you to forward it, what do you do?
You chuck it in the bin.
I want to help the maids in Hong Kong .. I want to help the laborers in Saudi Arabia .. I want to help the dancers in Japan .. I want to help the TNTs in America and Australia .
I want to save the people of the Philippines .. But I cannot do it alone. I need your help and everyone else's.
So please let your friends knows. If you say you love the Philippines , prove it. And if you don't agree with me, say something anyway. Indifference is a crime on its own . Comments (31) | Views: 1151 | Print | E-mail
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Dec
26
2007
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Written by Amron Rashed P. R.S. Alim
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Wednesday, 26 December 2007 |
WHY THE CHURCH PICKED DECEMBER-25 FORJESUS' BIRTHDAY The actual birthday of Jesus was forgotten by the early Christian movement. In those days, various groups celebrated his birth on JAN-6, APR-21 and MAY-1. By the 4th century, the church selected the approximate time of the winter solstice as the date to recognize Jesus' birth. They picked up this date from Pagan sources. As luck would have it, the autumn equinox might have been a more accurate choice.The winter solstice occurs about DEC-21 each year. It is the day of the year when the night is longest and the daytime shortest. Using the crude instruments available, ancient astronomers were able to detect by DEC-25 of each year that the daytime had become noticeably longer. This date was chosen, and remains, the traditional date for followers of many different Pagan religions to celebrate the rebirth of the sun. Following the solstice, each succeeding day has slightly more sunlight than the previous day. It was seen as a promise that warmth would return once more to the earth. Numerous pre-Christian Pagan religions honored their gods' birth or rebirth on or about that day. Their deities were typically called: Son of Man, Light of the World, Sun of Righteousness, Bridegroom, and Savior. Some examples are: | Roman Pagan Religion: Attis was a son of the virgin Nana. His birth was celebrated on DEC-25. He was sacrificed as an adult in order to bring salvation to mankind. He died about MAR-25, after being crucified on a tree, and descended for three days into the underworld. On Sunday, he arose, as the solar deity for the new season. His followers tied an image of Attis to a tree on "Black Friday," and carried him in a procession to the temple. His body was symbolically eaten by his followers in the form of bread. Worship of Attis began in Rome circa 200 BCE. | | Greek Pagan Religion: Dionysus is another savior-god whose birth was observed on DEC-25. He was worshipped throughout much of the Middle East as well. He had a center of worship in Jerusalem in the 1st century BCE. Some ancient coins have been found in Gaza with Dionysus on one side and JHWH (Jehovah) on the other. In later years, his flesh and blood were symbolically eaten in the form of bread and wine. He was viewed as the son of Zeus, the Father God. | | Egyptian Pagan Religion: Osiris is a savior-god who had been worshipped as far back as Neolithic times. "He was called Lord of Lords, King of Kings, God of Gods...the Resurrection and the Life, the Good shepherd...the god who 'made men and women be born again'" 5 Three wise men announced his birth. His followers ate cakes of wheat which symbolized his body. Many sayings associated with Osiris were taken over into the Bible. This included: | 23rd Psalm: an appeal to Osiris as the good Shepherd to lead believers through the valley of the shadow of death and to green pastures and still waters | | Lord's Prayer: "O amen, who art in heaven..." | | Many parables attributed to Jesus. |
Worship of Osiris, and celebration of his DEC-25 birth, was established throughout the Roman Empire by the end of the 1st century BCE. |
| Persian Pagan Religion: Mithra was a Persian savior. Worship of Mithra became common throughout the Roman Empire, particularly among the Roman civil service and military. Mithraism was a competitor of Christianity until the 4th century. Their god was believed to have been born on DEC-25, circa 500 BCE. His birth was witnessed by shepherds and by gift-carrying Magi. This was celebrated as the "Dies Natalis Solic Invite," The "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun." Some followers believed that he was born of a virgin. During his life, he performed many miracles, cured many illnesses, and cast out devils. He celebrated a Last Supper with his 12 disciples. He ascended to heaven at the time of the spring equinox, about March 21. |
The Babylonians celebrated their "Victory of the Sun-God" Festival on DEC-25. Saturnalia (the Festival of Saturn) was celebrated from DEC-17 to 23 in the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Aurelian blended Saturnalia with a number of birth celebrations of savior Gods from other religions, into a single holy day: DEC-25. After much argument, the developing Christian church adopted this date as the birthday of their savior, Jesus. The people of the Roman Empire were accustomed to celebrating the birth of a God on that day. So, it was easy for the church to divert people's attention to Jesus Birth' Comments (21) | Views: 1212 | Print | E-mail |
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Dec
23
2007
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Written by Amron Rashed P. R.S. Alim
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Sunday, 23 December 2007 |
The perks of being a congressman
DAYS before the 14th Congress opened, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. had humored the neophyte members of the House of Representatives about the enviable perks enjoyed by lawmakers. The former representative of Camarines Sur who once chaired the powerful House appropriations committee was invited to orient the first-term legislators on the budgeting process. During his talk, he remarked how wonderful it is to be a congressman: 'You have flexible time. Pwede kang pumasok, pwedeng hindi (You may or may not go to work) yet still get your salary.'
Then, he warned them not to make the mistake of paying for meals and drinks at the Batasan Pambansa's South Lounge as it is their privilege to be served free food.
Andaya may have meant everything as a joke, only that speaking of the privileges that legislators enjoy in such manner was hardly amusing, especially given a quorum-challenged legislature that has been passing fewer and fewer laws each year despite the ever increasing budgetary allocation to lawmaking. When the 13th Congress formally closed last June 30, it managed to pass only 148 laws , setting a new record-low in the history of the Philippine legislature. That is no laughing matter.
Yet apparently, the mention of perks was the very cue Jose de Venecia Jr. had also waited for. When came his turn to give the freshman legislators a briefing, the just elected House Speaker announced even more entitlements for members of the Lower House, in particular, an annual P1-million foreign travel allotment, and allocations for additional staff and maintenance of their respective district offices. There's even a new building in the works to house new offices for the congressmen.
What the public commonly knows is that his or her district representative gets a monthly salary of P35,000, plus, of course, yearly pork-barrel allocations amounting to P70 million -- P20 million in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and P50 million as congressional allocation for public works projects.
What is seldom known are the amounts corresponding to their other entitlements, apart from salary and pork barrel. As gleaned from the Commission on Audit's annual published itemized lists, these include expenses for district staff allocation, contractual consultants, research, consultative local travel, communication, and supplies. There are also allocations for a public affairs fund, central office staff, equipment/furniture and fixtures, and other maintenance and operating expenses (MOE).
COSTLY CONGRESSMEN
What the Public Spent for the Upkeep of Each Member
of the House of Representatives for the year, 2005 | | EXPENSE ITEMS* | AMOUNT | | | | Basic Salary | 420,000.00 | | | | Foreign Travel | 220,867.70 | | | | District Staff Allocation | 650,000.04 | | | | Contractual Consultants | 120,000.00 | | | | Research | 396,000.00 | | | | Consultative Local Travel | 788,763.71 | | | | Communication | 129,600.00 | | | | Supplies | 120,000.00 | | | | Public Affairs Fund | 308,400.00 | | | | Central Office Staff | 1,982,033.58 | | | | Equipment/Furniture and Fixtures | 21,537.84 | | | | Other MOE | 600,000.00 | | |
Source: Commission on Audit
*Figures for Foreign Travel, Consultative Local Travel, Central Office Staff and Equipment/Furniture and Fixtures are average amounts. The rest are uniform for all congressmen.
The COA lists are not at all comprehensive and do not even include expenses of legislators as committee members and officers which, in 2005, amounted to over P92 million. In 2004, the House spent about P77 million on these expenses.
Data from the PCIJ book, The Rulemakers, show that the annual upkeep of each congressman had almost doubled from P2.83 million in 1994 to P5.16 million in 2002. Latest data culled from the published expenses of the 13th House point to a continuing trend, with the annual upkeep pegged at P5.7 million each congressman in 2005, or P480, 880.36 a month -- the highest to date.
COSTLY CONGRESSMEN - 2
Annual and Monthly Upkeep of Each Member of the House of Representatives | | YEAR | ANNUAL UPKEEP | MONTHLY UPKEEP | | | 1994 | 2,830,608.48 | 235,884.04 | | | 1995 | 2,588,929.44 | 215,744.12 | | | 1996 | 3,235,886.71 | 269,657.23 | | | 1997 | 3,496,225.83 | 291,352.15 | | | 1998 | 2,827,975.56 | 235,664.63 | | | 1999 | 4,537,482.57 | 378,123.55 | | | 2000 | 4,562,446.31 | 380,203.86 | | | 2001 | 3,917,321.63 | 326,443.47 | | | 2002 | 5,155,221.54 | 429,601.79 | | | 2004 | 4,112,520.42 | 342,710.04 | | | 2005 | 5,770,564.32 | 480,880.36 | |
Source: Commission on Audit
While there has not been any increase in their basic salary since 1999, and most of the other entitlements have remained at their 2001 levels, each House member's district staff allocation has been increased to P650,000 annually. MOE also ballooned to P600,000 in 2005 from the previous year's P411,000. Meanwhile, expenses on consultative local travel and central office staff were at their highest in the same year at over P788,000 and close to P2 million, respectively, per congressman.
Foreign travel expenses in 2005 also was double the 2004 amount at an average of P221,000 each House member. The total bill paid for by the government for the overseas trips of 170 congressmen was P59,413,412. 82.
COSTLY CONGRESSMEN - 3
Annual Average Amounts Paid to Foreign Travel of Members
of the House of Representatives | | YEAR | AMOUNT | | | | 1994 | 98,444.80 | | | | 1995 | 89,948.98 | | | | 1996 | 187,176.33 | | | | 1997 | 184,458.69 | | | | 1998 | 156,475.83 | | | | 1999 | 372,988.06 | | | | 2000 | 432,950.16 | | | | 2001 | 254,395.86 | | | | 2002 | 316,201.67 | | | | 2004 | 110,129.44 | | | | 2005 | 220,867.70 | | |
Source: Commission on Audit
THE HOUSE JETSET*
Top 10 Spenders on Foreign Travel Among Members
of the House of Representatives in 2005 | | CONGRESSMAN | EXPENSES | | | | Antonio Cuenco | 1,294,058.05 | | | | Roque Ablan Jr. | 1,014,006.90 | | | | Monico Puentevella | 960,789.66 | | | | Emilio Espinosa Jr. | 806,904.43 | | | | Ernesto Nieva | 795,350.89 | | | | Juan Miguel Zubiri | 787,582.99 | | | | Abdullah Dimaporo | 777,886.88 | | | | Hermilando Mandanas | 741,172.72 | | | | Arnulfo Fuentebella | 733,777.65 | | | | Reylina Nicolas | 731,196.5 | | |
Source: Commission on Audit
* List does not declare the foreign travel expenses of House Speaker Jose de Venecia.
Because maintenance, operating, and other expenses of House members are consolidated with their basic salary in the payroll and classified as 'outright expenses,' these are no longer subject to liquidation, which means that congressmen do not have to account for these funds.
What's more, as reported in The Rulemakers:
They are not expected to submit a payroll of their district staff or report their function, salaries and withholding taxes. No one starts asking if they do not produce a report on the research their offices should supposedly undertake. There is no demand for them to produce the list of consultants they have hired, as well as the contracts they draw up for those whose services they need. As fas as the current (lack of) rules go, how the legislators spend their public affairs fund is their business and business alone.
The generous perks do not end there. The House Speaker is himself a source of funds with a vast discretionary largesse at his disposal. From this are mostly drawn the representatives' monthly allowances (which can range from P50,000 to P100,000), Christmas bonuses (P100,000 to 200,000), as well as the 'payoffs' for votes during speakership contests and 'appearance fees' (P50,000 as minimum) for attending plenary sessions to vote on crucial national bills.
Under de Venecia, who has won an unprecedented fifth term as Speaker, the 14th House is not likely to veer away from the usual practice. Isn't it high time that the public demanded greater financial accountability from their representatives?
Posted by Alecks P. Pabico in Governance Comments (16) | Views: 1074 | Print | E-mail |
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