Rice and Shifting Rage

The Philippines failed to buy 675,000 metric tons of rice - News

In panic for the loss of rice in local stalls and, consequently perhaps, her hold on the country, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the President of a rice producing country, is virtually forcing other countries to sell her rice by offering outrageous prices. Now, she placed the Philippines on the map not only as the biggest importer of rice but also as the country that raised the price of rice worldwide. Anyway, it’s not her money.

She, a PhD in economics is simply beyond comprehension. Stalls sell rice at P40/kilo or less. NFA begs to pay more than P50/kilo for imported rice. This is the equivalent of P25/kilo of palay. It is willing to buy locally palay at only P17/kilo. Rice traders pay much more. She threatens to sue rice hoarders, but didn’t file charges against bodegas where sacks of NFA rice were found illegally stored.

In her campaigns she promised more food on our tables. Now she is desperately trying to put some rice back on our tables by importing the staple commodity, instead of helping local farmers produce enough of it.

Senate Inquiry failed to connect PGMA to the CTE-NBN anomaly – Bunye.

He may be right. It may not be necessary though.

The President’s men already implicated her by sending Jun Lozada abroad to avoid a Senate inquiry, by kidnapping him allegedly for his safety, and by carrying out an intensive but bungled cover-up operations that included a gift of P50,000 from a jobless man; Executive Undersecretary Manny Gaite, by gifting a nonentity a hefty sum of P500 thousand just to lessen his discomfort in a land where most of us can visit only in our dreams; Chairman Ben Abalos, by being omnipresent in CTE affairs even at the height of the 2007 elections; and Neri, by running to the Supreme Court instead of answering simple questions.

Even PGMA incriminated herself by firing Jun Lozada for being too talkative and not pliant enough and by giving him something to chew about at CHED, presumably, so he can’t talk; by not canceling the contract immediately; and by admitting that she knew that the contract was flawed even before she signed it. This list should include the nine associate justices of the Supreme Court by… well, just by being lucky. Jun Lozada is not in the list. His feather differs.

Now that the truth is out, the question that confronts us all, the Senate and the CDCP in particular, is what now? Ok, so the CTE-NBN anomaly is just the tip of the iceberg because of the Jocjoc Bolante Fertilizer scam, the P5 billion swine scam, the NFA imported rice found in bodegas of rice traders, the South Railway project, etc. The question is still, so what? What can we do about it? What are we doing about it? Incessant bootless Gloria bashing and investigations may only shift the rage.

Pogi and Ganda Points and Federalism

Villar bats for P1-B fund to bring home OFWs in distress.

Why only now? We just hope that this is not just for 2010 pogi points. We also hope that this fund does not go in the way of the fertilizer scam.

President Arroyo earlier ordered Napocor to cut by half its charges to Meralco, apparently to pressure the latter into lowering electricity rates.

Pressure indeed! She is only buying time for herself at the people’s expense, again. What does her ally, Senator Joker Arroyo, say of this brazen attempt to gain ganda points? “This was done in 2003 and was corrected in 2005 because the public in the end had to shoulder the cost.”

This of course assumes that the Meralco will give in to the “pressure”. If it doesn’t, it would be Meralco’s gain, and our loss. Why doesn’t she directly help the poor by suspending the EVAT of small time power users?

How else does she buy time? ATM’s, Philhealth cards; pittance for the poor at Abra and P500,000 for the rich including Jun Lozada; billions in NFA subsidy for foreign farmers; and another P5 billion for the poorest of the poor, presumably, those who were hit hardest by her corruption and "economic gains".

Sen. Panfilo Lacson seeks probe into a South Korean investor’s alleged P400 million bribe.

The public cannot stand another Senate inquiry. Why embark on another inquiry when nothing came out of the much dramatized CTE-NBN investigation?

Federalism, for the Philippines…

Senator Nene Pimentel must be kidding. Yes, that’s precisely what I mean - giving birth to a goat. Here’s a quote from a former US congressman, Newt Gingrich, on why his country is in near recession, “Big bureaucracies were created at the federal, state, and local levels; and they have been decaying in efficiency and effectiveness ever since.”

He might as well be speaking of the Philippines. Look at how national and local offices and legislative bodies practically drain our coffers. And we aren’t even into federalism yet!

Kidding is Giving Birth to a Goat

Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. doubts cheap medicines bill will work.

After years of working on it? At least he knows what we knew all along. The country is ruled by oligarchs. And by multinationals as well!

Villar said announcing possible changes in the Cabinet might alarm those in positions at present and start working better.

Start working better for whom?

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap earlier revealed that the government is mulling a cut in rice subsidies amid concerns of the country's fiscal position.

From near zero to nil! NFA has bankrupted the government subsidizing foreign farmers.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the first priority of Mrs. Arroyo is to put food on the table for Filipinos, particularly the poor.

The durable Bunye (He survived the Hello Garci fiasco, didn’t he?) is right, for once. After seven years in the Presidency, it would be an accomplishment enough if Mrs. Arroyo could put back some food on our tables. Incidentally, her campaign promise was more food on our tables.

Federalism, for the Philippines…

Senator Nene Pimentel must be kidding. Yes, that’s precisely what I mean - giving birth to a goat. Here’s a quote from a former US congressman, Newt Gingrich, on why his country is in near recession, “Big bureaucracies were created at the federal, state, and local levels; and they have been decaying in efficiency and effectiveness ever since.”

He might as well be speaking of the Philippines. Look at how much we spend on national and local legislative bodies. It could be intolerable within a year or two of federalism.

2002 SONA. PGMA Said So.... Part 2

“Before I became president, we had the second most expensive power rates in asia. Now we have gone down to number 6. This is the first fruit of a comprehensive ten-point plan we have put in place to reduce power costs.”

She said so 6 years ago.

“You have seen political will in the harsh interpretation of command responsibility with regard to illegal gambling. That draconian application was a dress rehearsal for enforcing command responsibility in the even more difficult challenges of kidnapping, drug-dealing, and smuggling.”

“At dahil ako ay naluklok sa pagkapangulo dala ng malawakang galit sa anomaliya, alam kong kailangan wakasan ang katiwalian. Naniniwala rin ako na pinahihina ng katiwalian ang daloy ng puhunan sa ating bansa.”

She said so 6 years ago.

"My working agenda for the coming year will focus on creating and improving job opportunities. Citizens with rewarding jobs paying decent wages constitute not just a stone in the edifice but the very foundation of a strong republic.

The basic macro signs indicate that things are under control. Inflation is at a low, driven down by stable food prices and now by declining power costs.“

She said so 6 years ago.

“Nang ako ay naging pangulo, ang presyo ng galunggong ay otsenta pesos ang kilo. Noong isang linggo , nakabili ako sa palengke ng sesenta pesos lamang. Ang presyo rin ng bigas na binibili ng mahihirap ay nananatiling p16 ang kilo sa palengke, at p14 sa mga rolling store , gaya pa rin nang isang taon.”

She said so 6 years ago.

“This year, what used to be camp abubakar became an authentic community of new hopes and dreams, where our flag flies and our soldiers protect those who have returned to their homes.

Beyond the symbolic significance of these accomplishments, we have brought back inter-faith solidarity, energized by the invaluable initiative of speaker jose de venecia, and sealed peace agreements with the moro islamic liberation front.”

She said so 6 years ago.

“Target natin: ibaba sa kalahati ang presyo ng gamot na madalas bilhin ng mahihirap. Nakamit natin: mahahanap ang mababang presyong gamot sa mga parmasya ng 80 hospital ng pamahalaan at sa mga outlet ng unilab. But sad to say, except for Unilab, the wider distribution network of commercial drugstores-under pressure from the multinational drug companies-will not sell our cheaper medicines. We are studying punitive measures to correct this unfair, unjust, and heartless situation.”

She said so 6 years ago.

Target natin: dalawampung bilyong piso para sa modernisasyon ng agrikultura. Nakamit natin: dalawampu't apat na bilyon.

She said so 6 years ago.

"Meanwhile, one shocking corporate scandal after another severely eroded public faith in the most promising system for conducting economic activity-the free market."

"Two essential features mark out a strong republic. The first is independence from class and sectoral interests so that it stands for the interests of the people rather than of a powerful minority. The second is the capacity, represented through strong institutions and a strong bureaucracy, to execute good policy and deliver essential services -the things that only governments can do."

"The results of these two features-good policies and empowered institutions-is faster economic development and social reform. A strong republic takes care of the people and takes care of their future. Thus, a strong republic is the bedrock of the victory we seek over poverty within the decade."

She said so 6 years ago.

2002 SONA. PGMA Said So.... Part 1

“the results of the review of the contracts of independent power producers are in. We have three months to carry out the concrete courses of action stemming from this review that will further ease the burden on our people.

"Soon we shall have the first-ever wholesale electricity spot market in Asia, without the pitfalls of California. In due time, we will give electric consumers the power to choose their electricity suppliers.. We are giving you the power of choice.

The power of choice will lead to lower prices and better service. With cheaper power will come a more competitive economy, and more investors."

She said so 6 years ago.

“Legions of ordinary Filipinos, many of them students, came, stood, and clamored at EDSA, for a better government. It is to them i look for validation.

I know that it is to me that those many Filipinos are looking for the vindication of their decision to go to EDSA. I shall not disappoint them.

It is for them that i am working hard on that stone that will fit just above my father’s, adding security to social justice, and prosperity to the promise of social equality in which he believed so much.

Ang malakas na republika ay para sa mahihina, para sa mahihirap, para sa walang trabaho, para sa nagugutom, para sa nanganganib ; para sa agrabyado, para sa mga api!”

She said so 6 years ago.

“I led our soldiers in defeating the Abu Sayyaf.”

She said so 6 years ago.

“Everywhere I go, I ask people about their electric bill. This is not just a pet concern for the moment. I think about it all the time.

You have seen your recent electric bills. You know they have gone down. Because I brought down the PPA.”

She said so 6 years ago.

Francisco Balagtas' Relevance

West Point classmate on Lim: He’s no rebel, just an idealist

Sa loob at labas ng bayan kong sawi

Kaliluha’y siyang nangyayaring hari

Kagalinga’t bait kimi’t nalulugmi

Ininis sa hukay ng dusa’t pighati.

McCain calls Obama insensitive to poor people

Not PGMA. They keep multiplying under her.

A Manila Times Editorial asks: WHAT if instead of lining up for rice and pushing against the crowd for one’s rations a person boycotts the grain? Or if a consumers group decides to call for a boycott? Or everybody?

Why not? Farmers would likely support the move, by not planting rice! Planting rice is never fun anyway. It is a losing enterprise. The more he plants, the more he gets into indebtedness. Try planting with capital borrowed from usurers. Try planting on land you do not own. Try selling to NFA that would rather buy from foreign sources.

Subsidies intended for farmers go to corrupt officials. Ask Jocjoc Bolante. Ask Quedancor. Rather than buy from local farmers, NFA would rather import rice and sell it to favored traders who make a killing by selling it as commercial rice. For years this has been the practice. Only the rice crisis exposed this anomaly.

Planting is an act of patriotism or plain stupidity. It raises the GNP, but not the farmers’ income. Let PGMA import rice at twice the cost it is willing to pay local farmers. Let’s plant and eat camote.

Lining Up for Noodles?

US ready to export rice to the Philippines. – Ambassador Kristie Kenney.

Hurry, please. We can’t rely on our neglected rice farmers.

GMA to Senate: Filipinos need food, not politics.

Well said, Ma’am. We need food, not your kind of politics.

RP vows action on political killings

Ma’am, no more please. We’ve had enough.

Many unconvinced by RP human rights report, says delegate

A diplomat’s talking! Victims would use stronger language.

Government warned against increasing NFA rice price

Warning's good! We have to eat, don't we?

DND, AFP recommend executive clemency for 9 Magdalo officers

Why not? A promise’s a promise. Keep it, for once.

GMA to endorse ratification of UN convention vs torture

No to torture. How about killings?

The country has enough rice this year to meet demands.

Yes, there's enough rice, but not on our plates. We can only afford so much.

GMA is thinking of withdrawing NFA rice from the public markets and instead have it distributed directly to the poor.

Those who line up for hours at the public markets for two or three kilos of NFA rice are poor enough. The poorer ones don’t fall in line. They try to get by with noodles.

Squash-cassava-flour mix for our bread.

Why not? Desperate situation calls for desperate measures.