RP’s Road Accidents Up

road safety

Like any other countries coping with road safety problems, the Philippines is also beset with troubles in dealing with uncooperative and disobedient motorists. Before, only DUI, road rage and various traffic incidences were the causes of road accidents. In today’s traffic situation, road accidents rose based on the prevailing statistics released by government agency and other sectors tasked to implement and monitor road activities nationwide.

According to the report, road accidents were up 5 times because of motorists’ habit of using cellular phone while driving. Although, congress has yet to pass a law banning motorist from using the device while driving, the authorities always remind the motorists to avoid fiddling their CP while on wheel.

Hence the move of the authorities is a positive step; the purpose insufficiently fell short of minimizing road accidents. Motorists who are mobile phone addicts were unconvinced and continue to practice the habit of fiddling CP while driving resulting therefore to unnecessary road accidents that causes damage and death.

Russia, the New Land of Opportunity

The first time I heard about Russia improving its economy step-by-step was when Putin the Great took over Kremlin years ago. The judo black belt master put into good use his management skills in leading Russia to economic progress. Although it took Russia some time to put the house in order, Putin slowly but surely led his country to where it is now; an economically improved Russia.

The new Russia has emerged from the disintegration of the USSR and now attracts not only foreign investments but migrant workers from different countries including the Philippines. Many Overseas Filipino Workers are now working in Russia in various sectors of the country.

Most OFWs were deployed in Moscow and neighboring cities where economic activities are booming. Recruitment of workers continues even in the internet to show that Russia is now the new land of opportunity. In one of the sites I visited, a Russian company represented by a Filipino citizen, is enticing migrant workers from the Philippines to work in construction projects.

Seeing the opportunity knocking at the door of my adventurous persona, I unhesitatingly filled-up the online application form to wait if I could make it to Russia and see for my self if the Russia of old is trying to resurrect from the perplexity of the cold war era. Besides, I am excited to meet those blue-eyed Ivans, Igors, Sharapovas, Vladimirs, and Medvedevs in the streets of Russia.

Believe it or not, Russia has reinvented itself, economically speaking. And I am hoping that they won’t fire their AK 47s nor fly their MiGs nor fire their ICBMs or their advanced weaponry unnecessarily. Russia needs the world and vice versa. And I need employment from the Russians that was denied me in other countries merely of sheer misfortune and difficulties.

Don’t Buy Milk and Dairy Products Made in China: WHO Warns

The office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Philippines has warned the public to refrain from buying milk and dairy products imported from China. The warning was made in the aftermath of another alarming news concerning China’s manufactured food and drink products which was said to have laced with harmful chemicals that causes death.

The WHO, in an anticipation of a greater danger that lies ahead had beaten to the draw the sleeping Philippine officials in warning the public. They are concerned that the milk and dairy products imported from China were also laced with melamine, a crystal-like residue that causes damage to internal organs and death when consumed.

There are about 21 Chinese manufacturers including Sanlu accused of mixing melamine into their milk products, and all of them are big exporters. This is not the first time that China made headlines around the world. It can be recalled that China made products, if not lacking in quality; it infringed international copy right’s law and their food products were laced with deadly chemicals.

But despite of the many violations committed by China in international trade, the Made in China products still floods the world market worth billions of dollars, enriching Mao’s proud race in an unprecedented pace. Mi yo kwensi, sambo hao la. Ni men toto chien a, hao! Wo men pengyu.

Land of the Free

Saved for being a champion of freedom and democracy, the United States of America remains the land of the free. Even if Uncle Sam is getting beatings in and out of the country, the US of A is still the same in tolerating freedom with respect. Unfortunately for Uncle Sam, his subjects abuse their freedom and just rights in everything they do.

It is really hard to fathom why a great number of Americans are un-Americans. Is it because they hate their government i.e. Republicans, or simply because they are living in the land of the free protected by the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution? Unjustifiable or not, morally or not, unpatriotic or not, they do their thing in the name of freedom.

Latest of it is when NBA player Josh Howard mocked the US national anthem which was televised and seen around the world. What was his motive? Obviously, Howard wanted to project extremism in style. Justified? To un-Americans like Howard who hate America but love to abuse the freedom given to them by Uncle Sam, it’s a big YES.

Remember Robert Hanssen and other US secret agents who turned their back against the US? They are members of un-Americans lost in the extremist world cajoled by the element of unpatriotic mindset and social, economic and political dissent.

So, expect the worse when Obama-Biden tandem wins the White House. Extremists and terrorists will have their day rejoicing to high heaven. Plotting mayhem and bloodbath would be their main course of action because the un-Americans will give them sanctuary inside Uncle Sam’s home turf and elsewhere in the world.

Freedom ironically would become a tool for extremists and terrorists to propagate dissident advocacy and mass murder inside the US mainland and around the world. Because Obama and Biden are both against the war on terror and respect the human rights of terror groups, they will just be allowed to roam free.

And to put a finishing touch on it, Michael Moore could direct a film picturing the heroic deeds of terrorists and social extremists starring Sean Penn, George Clooney and other un-American Hollywood stars. Who would be the villains? It could be the honest, proud and patriotic Americans holding the star and stripes flag of the land of the free.

Grin and Bear It II

The social degeneration continuously changing the moral standard of the human race and it is terribly unthinkable. What if sensible people can not endure it? Maybe they could just stay in the sideline and grin and bear it in digress. But what if a certain government and its rank and file employees are considered lavishly corrupt, dishonest, greedy and inept and having defective moral stature?

Similarly, sensible people have no choice but to endure the everlasting wickedness of their government and its workforce doing misery to them and to their country at large. That picture of a country destroyed in the past and continuously suffers under new crop of leaders from the executive, legislative and judiciary is the same rundown picture of a country trying to rise exhaustingly from political, economic and social turmoil.

Sadly, wickedness rules where scams and anomalies are the daily functions in the executive department. Pork barrel funds, lobby funds, fat commissions, shady deals are what makes the legislative body happy. Equally, the judiciary has their share of the loot.

One prominent lawyer in a TV interview had said that the judiciary is 90% corrupt. In fact they are the notorious hoodlums in robe that bang the gavel in pricey court decisions. Talk about justice? Forget it. Justice favors only those who wield power, money and connections.

The wickedness is extensive. It affects the entire bureaucracy where the culture of corruption is normally an inherent practice. The upper and lower sections of bureaucracy complement each other. They misrepresent their offices and positions to the detriment of the ordinary people and the entire nation.

And it is very sad to note that all of these things are happening in the Philippines in a continuing trend. The past and present leaders have the same motivations in running the country: to enrich and to get dirty rich. Their aim is not really in the service of the Filipino nation but for the control of their vested interests and the continuity of servitude.

They love to run the country because it is their bread and butter for their families. Being in government or in elective position is a career that makes them wealthy. They choose not to lift the nation to progress because they don’t want to share luxury and comfort with the poor majority. In the end, the majority suffers with no obvious end in sight. Grin and bear it? Aye!

Grin and Bear It

“If you can not beat em join em,” thus is what the saying goes with alacrity even though it sounds like guile to the ears. And because freedom and democracy is what the people of today’s world is shouting about, they assert it with eagerness and in most cases using it irresponsibly.

Take for example the social illness that continues to bring damage to the community of people. The social illness that we know is huge and varies in degrees. And no one could put an end to it. Not even goodness could stop the persisting social illness in our surroundings. The cycle goes on and on as long as the human beings exist in this planet earth.

That is why the people in the know, particularly the authorities in association with the so-called social activists cum extremists were in connivance with each other in drafting new techniques in dealing with social illness. And take note, the highlight of this undertaking is all about unconventional social action. And they insisted the positive side of it.

The negative side of it is not an issue. All that it takes is the social acceptance on how to face the social illness by initiating the “if you can not beat em join em” kind of attitude. In which case, others could just grin and bear it so as to accept it as part of a new social order.

To illustrate an example of this new order is when the authorities shamelessly kowtow to the bad guys like gangs and fraternities (which is part of the social illness) doing malicious things in the community. When such an idea was initiated, it seemed like the authorities lost in their moral and legal battle to confront the recalcitrant organized bad eggs in the society.

Doing this kind of approach towards organized groups in a society where the people have had enough of gangs and fraternities loitering around like hyenas are senseless and impractical. Seeing the authorities and gangs and fraternities gathers in a venue assuring the other party of their existence in the community with a good pat on the back is absolutely illogical and immoral.

This is social diplomacy gone wrong. Tolerance to troublemakers is nuts. Helpless? Just grin and bear it. Baguio City is now leaning towards social activism laden with extremism.

The Politicos’ Den

The well fed and pampered pack of politicos kept in the “Politicos’ Den” by the Philippine government will be released two years from now. The pack which is similar to the wolves in sheep’s clothing had gone through intense mind conditioning and physical training to defend the throne of power against the surging oppositions in 2010 general elections.

The “Politicos’ Den” which is defended by loyal supporters and leaders, got to enlist the services and membership of a towering figure in Manny Pacquiao. Hoping to give them popular advantage, the black knights of “Politicos’ Den” convinced the flamboyant boxer to join them in their crusade to crush the messianic white knights of the opposition.

The ever loyal black knights knows that their queen and their ‘Politicos’ Den” are not popular to the peasants, the ordinary people, the urban poor and the progressive groups. And so they think that Pacquiao will give them a boost and use him to fool the Filipino nation to join them in their lost cause in 2010. Pacquiao will run as congressman.

The black knights and Pacquiao will be using coats of arms which symbolize incompetence, abuse, corrupt, greed and evil. If the election comes clean, that would be the sign of defeat for Pacquiao et al. But everybody knows that the queen, the black knights and the loyal followers are dirty fighters.

They are without fear as the logo emblazoned on Pacquiao’s short to warn his opponent when he is in the ring. If this would be the case in 2010 election and Pacquiao and the pack of politicos trained in ‘Politicos’ Den’ wins, well, May God Bless the Philippines. The country is no longer worth living for. If only I have the money, I will migrate to Canada or North America or Australia. But poor me, there’s nowhere to go but stay at home andI’ll just satisfy myself to express my frustration, exasperation and anger by writing blogs.

Portrait of Poverty Fades Away

Sixteen years after the “portrait of poverty” was made popular by former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos to the Filipino nation, the portrait is now ready to be buried and be gone forever. The portrait that the former President literally saw from a colony of squatters in the infamous Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City actually was a poor and uneducated family man of eight.

The man called Mang Pandoy by name became popular when he was used by the former president for political propaganda in 1992. Mang Pandoy was portrayed as a symbol of poverty by the then Ramos administration. The former president promised that he would do everything to improve Mang Pandoy’s lot in particular and the nation’s poverty in general.

Decade and a half later, the 73 year old Mang Pandoy met his creator. He died of tuberculosis last Sunday October 31, 2008. His death bring back the issue of “portrait of poverty” immortalized by Mang Pandoy as placed on him by Ramos. The attention given to Mang Pandoy was then expected to change the poverty incidence in the country.

But it was WRONG. Mr. Ramos himself deliberately abandoned his promises and pledges to Mang Pandoy and the nation. Mang Pandoy brought with him the ‘portrait of poverty” to his grave. He was born poor and died poor. He symbolized poverty until his death which he literally fought to the last breath but suffered defeat.

That defeat is the same thing happening to the million of poor Filipinos struggling to get out of poverty. While in stark contrast, politicians like Ramos and the present Philippine leaders are winning in their fight in enriching and amassing wealth by hook or by crook.

Stone Breakers Builds Riprap at the Foot of Dumping Area

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Baguio City – A group of stocky highlanders known for their stone breaking ability are working at the city’s dumpsite where they are constructing a high wall of riprap of stone cut in different sizes which intended to prevent overflowing garbage from affecting residents living near at the foot of the hill.

The project, if finished, is expected to add beauty to the area. But only a small portion will benefit from the said project. The dumpsite has a wide area that necessitates encompassing retaining wall that would protect not only the residents but the underground water shade located downhill.

Although the ongoing project is good as it may seem, the stone breakers are chiseling piece-by-piece, chunks-by-chunks a very huge rock serving as a barrier or wall at the side of the dumping area. The destroyed rock materials are the one being used in the riprap wall project.

This is bad because the rock formation compliments with nature and deflect the ugly site of garbage piling high up the mountain. Whoever has ordered to destroy the rock perfectly placed on the hillside could only be describe as insensitive to nature. It is sad that the project seek to protect one but destroy the other.