Confused opinion writers should stop spreading misinformation

 In a column titled Our confused and anachronistic Reds should grow up, Mr.William Esposo wrote

"Akbayan retaliated and urged the Comelec (Commission on Elections) to disqualify what they call “communist party-list groups” — obviously referring to Bayan Muna and its allied groups. Akbayan further claimed that the “communist party-list group” or Bayan Muna had diverted about P770 million in pork barrel funds to support the communist New People’s Army (NPA)."

I don't know where he got this information but this is completely wrong.  The groups that moved for the disqualification of Bayan Muna are the New Guardians for Freedom and Democracy, Inc. (NGI), PEACE Inc. and Pro Democracy Foundation of the Philippines (Pro-Dem).  AKBAYAN even released a statement denying any connection to the effort to disqualify Bayan Muna and has stated it will not petition the COMELEC to disqualify Bayan Muna because

"While we have found reason to disagree with Bayan Muna and their affiliates on a range of issues such as CARPER and human rights abuses committed by non-state actors, and despite the malicious campaign they waged against us, Akbayan has no intention of adopting the same deplorable tactics."

The news regarding the petition to disqualify Bayan Muna was published in late October,  the AKBAYAN statement denying any connection to that effort was released October 27.  Mr. Esposo's column was published November 25,  1 month after the news and clarifications were released, and he still made the error.

Mr. Esposo should double check his facts before putting them on paper.

Pangit na design ng Manila Bulletin

Nakakita ako ng isang link sa Manila Bulletin na gusto ko sana basahin, pero ng sundan ko yung link ganito yung tumambad sa akin

Yung social media links nila ay nakasapaw sa mismong istorya, pano ko babasahin yung istorya nila, at kung mag scroll down ka

sumusunod, hindi mo talaga mabasa.

Babies really do grow up fast

Keep it simple, stupid

So this morning, while booting up my pc, it told me that my password has expired and that i had to change it. Which is fine except when I tried to change it, it refused, giving me this answer:

"Configuration information could not be read from the domain controller either because the machine is unavailable, or access has been denied."

So I did what I usually do when presented with computer problems, go to google and search for answers.And there were myriad answers, mostly involving booting from a win7 cd and using the command line. I tried several of them, nothing worked and when I was almost sure that I would need to re-install windows, I read the advice that saved me

"I had the same problem and was very tense. The solution was simple: 1) Go in to the BIOS and set the date to earlier than when the problem occurred 2) The computer should boot normally 3) Adjust the password settings for the user in question 4) Reset the date in windows and reboot Worked for me. I was thankful to have found the solution"

from stevefromgi from sevenforums. Something that we used to do to thwart viruses and what not, still fools windows

Jesse Robredo

Luma ng istorya ito pero nagustuhan ko article na ito sa PDI lalo na itong quote na ito

Robredo’s frugality and simplicity could be rooted in one principle. “He would always tell me that one who is in government should safeguard the government funds as if it were his own,” Leni said.

“So, one will also try to use it wisely,” she added.

Preserving the bigotry of the Catholic Church

Anong iniisip ni P-Noy?

Gusto daw niyang hirangin si Lacson na crime czar ng Pinas. Nakalimutan na ba niya mga ginawa ni Lacson?

http://pcij.org/stories/1995/pacc.html

"Chief Supt. Panfilo Lacson, who has been convicted of human rights violations, including torture, arrests without warrants and confiscation of property. In a case filed in February 1993, Lacson and other members of Task Force Makabansa, a composite group of AFP intelligence units, were ordered to pay five victims-former detainees of the Camp Bagong Diwa Detention Center-P350, 000 each in damages."

Tapos ng may hinaharap siyang kaso, sa halip na harapin niya ito, ang ginawa niya, nagtago. siya

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/04/27/11/pnoy-never-asked-ping-where-he-hid

Meron ba namang anti-crime czar na may kasaysayan ng paglabag mismo sa batas?

dagdag-bawas

Dahil sa gulong dulot ng pagtanggi ni Koko Pimentel na makasama si Migz Zubiri sa kanilang partido, naalala ko tuloy na inakusahan din ni Nene Pimentel si JP Enrile na nandaya sa kanya nuong 1995.  Ayon dito sa istorya ng abs-cbn, ng matapos ang muling pagbilang sa Senate electoral Tribunal (SET),  bumagsak ang puesto ni Enrile mula pagiging pang labing-isa (11) ito ay naging pang labing-lima (15).  Hindi na natuloy ang protesta ni Nene Pimentel dahil sa nanalo na siya bilang Senador noong 1998.

Naalala ko tuloy kung bakit di ko binoboto si Enrile,  maliban pa sa papel niya sa pag deklara ng Martial Law,  maliban pa sa papel niya sa pagsuporta kay Honasan at indirectly sa mga coup nito,  isa si Enrile sa pinaka bihasa sa pag manipula ng sistemang politikal ng Pilipinas para sa pansarili niyang kapakanan.  Pero hangan pa rin ako sa pagpapatakbo niya ng impeachment ni Corona,  ngayon nga lang sa halip na iniisip ko na baka dahil matanda na siya ay gusto niyang magkaroon ng magandang pangalan sa kasaysayan,  baka mayroon pa siyang ibang binalak.

Pamimilosopo

Sa buhay nating mga pinoy, may mga tao tayong tinatawag na pilosopo, ito yung mga tao na magaling mag debate, na kayang-kayang magpaikot ng katwiran para ma-suportahan kung ano man ang kanyang sinusulong na posisyon.  Sa politika, isa si Amando Doronila sa mga taong ito,  magaling magsulat at magpaikot-ikot ng salita.  Pero kagaya ni dating CJ Corona na sinuportahan niya, mahuhuli rin natin si G. Doronila sa kanyang pamimilosopo mula sa kanya mismong pananalita.

Ayon sa pinakabago niyang column sa Inquirer, hindi daw puedeng maging CJ ang isang tuta ni Presidente Aquino kasi, "The public will find it hard to accept a presidential toady as the next Chief Justice."  Mahihirapan daw tanggapin ng taongbayan ang isang CJ na tuta ni Presdiente Aquino.  Pero siya, bakit niya sinuportahan ang isang CJ na tuta ni dating Presidente Arroyo?  Ano ang pagkakaiba ng isang CJ na tuta ni Aquino sa isang CJ na tuta ni Arroyo?  Bakit sinuportahan niya ang isa at hindi ang isa?

Bakit di rin niya sinabi na mas gusto ng nakararami na matanggal si Corona bilang CJ?  Bakit tama ang desisyon ng publiko na hindi tanggapin ang isang tutang CJ ni Aquino pero mali sila sa kagustuhan nilang tanggalin si Corona?

Yan ang kahinaan ng mga namimilosopo, magaling silang magsalita, pero dahil sa kagustuhan nilang manalo sa debate, lahat na lang ng katibayan maski magkalaban (contradictory) ay kanilang sinusulong.  At dito natin makikita na hindi tunay ang kanilang pagsulong sa kanilang posisyon, kunwa kunwari lang, namimilosopo lang.

Penalties

Mukhang kumbinsido ang mga Senador na may ginawang kamalian si CJ Corona sa hindi niya pag declare ng limpak limpak niyang saalapi sa kanyang SALN kasi maski si Senador Miriam parang nakikipag haggle na lang na yung parusa na ibigay sa kanya ay yung hindi pag sipa sa trabaho.  Ayon sa GMA news:

"Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, for her part, asked whether the Senate can impose a lesser penalty if ever Corona is convicted on the charges made against him.

 

She specifically cited Section 3 (7) of Article XI which says: "Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than removal from office and disqualification to hold any office under the Republic of the Philippines, but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to prosecution, trial, and punishment, according to law."

 

"Thus the Senate can impose a lesser penalty like censure, reprimand, fine, suspension form office or the like. In case of conviction how should the penalty be determined?" she said during the trial."

Impeaching Justices

Maliban kay CJ Corona, may impeachment complaint kay Justice Mariano del Castillo. Inakusahan siya ng plagiarism, kinopya niya sa ibang tao ang mga sinusulat niya sa kanyang mga desisyon.  Kung hindi ma-impeach si CJ Corona sa pag sisinungaling sa kanyang SALN, pano pa ma impeach si Justice del Castillo sa plagiarism?

Ibigay sa Ombudsman

Bakit di na lang ibigay sa Ombudsman yung waiver ni Corona para mas mapadali yung pag dismiss ng kaso.  Kung mali naman pala yung sinasabi ng Ombudsman, mas madali nila itong maitatama kung may waiver sila galing sa kanya.

What was Corona thinking?

May clue sa columnn ni Amando Doronila ngayon.

If Corona had reached his car a minute earlier at the Senate parking lot, the trial would have met the same ignominious fate of then President Joseph Estrada’s own impeachment trial, which triggered the second People Power coup in this country in the first month of the 21st century. This fiasco was not lost in the memory of Enrile, and must have influenced him in determining that he would not allow this event to happen again during his watch as presiding officer of the second impeachment trial in Philippine history.

That failed impeachment trial was sparked by the 11-10 vote of the senator-judges to suppress a second envelope thought to contain evidence of Estrada’s bank transactions. Enrile, then a senator-judge, voted to suppress. The vote provoked the prosecutors led by then Rep. Joker Arroyo to walk out, effectively killing the trial because it could no longer continue without the presence of the prosecutors.

Sa tingin yata ni Corona, sa pag walk-out niya, mapaparalisa ang Senado, hindi matutuloy yung impeachment at hindi makapag render ng desisyon.  Mananatili pa rin siyang Chief Justice.

Gago talaga.

Waiting for Miriam

I am waiting for Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago's outburst against the Chief Justice assailing him for his disrespect of the Senate.  She is eerily silent.

Why Corona should be impeached

From Dean Tony La Viña of the Ateneo School of Government article in Rappler

...because he made the assumption that he did not need to declare his dollar assets in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) due to bank confidentiality laws. Those laws have a purpose but they were not intended to shield wrongdoing or be an excuse for not doing one’s positive duty as a public official.

Even considering his assertion that he didn’t have the 82 accounts alleged in Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales’ testimony, his 4 accounts should still have been fully disclosed. This admission, in turn, he made worse by making his waiver conditional, thus making it appear like he were trying to deflect attention from himself.

No public official, especially in high office, can make that assumption which Corona claimed. To accept his argument is to negate our laws on the accountability of public officials. For me, the mere failure of the Chief Justice to disclose any of his assets in his SALNs is sufficient grounds for conviction under Article II of the impeachment complaint – not just because it violates the Constitution, but also because his high position demands equally high responsibility.

The Constitution’s intentions were to require public officials to be transparent and accountable by example, not merely on demand or by convenience. It is not about whether a public official’s wealth was ill-gotten or not; it’s not about the presumption of innocence; it is about setting a good example and demonstrating good faith to the Filipino people.

Chief Justice Corona’s assumption that foreign currency accounts should not be disclosed sets a bad example and precedent to all other public officials. His excuse defeats the purpose of the SALN, if some assets can remain undisclosed in the name of privacy. This assumption, this attitude, is arrogant and condescending, at the very least. It also sets one’s self above the law, and demeans the Constitution’s intentions for accountability.

We cannot afford such assumptions and such attitudes – and the men who carry them – in high office. As fellow lawyer Joan de Venecia posted on Facebook: “CJ says he didn't declare his dollars in his SALN because they are, by law, absolutely confidential. I’m sorry, but this is, in my opinion, a disingenuous misreading of the law. That kind of interpretation subverts the very essence of the sacrosanct Constitutional principle that a public office is a public trust.” For this interpretation to come from the Chief Justice of the Philippines is simply unacceptable.

Justice for Corona

May Chief Justice Corona get the justice he deserve.

Takot

Natatakot ang mga senador na puedeng gamitin ng ombudsman ang kanyang kapangyarihan na imbestigahan ang mga opisyal ng pamahalaan para gipitin ang mga kalabang politiko ng presidente.  Ang sagot nila dito ay limitahan ang kapangyarihan ng ombudman, hindi nila naisip na mas maganda kung gamitin nila ang kanilang kapangyarihan para ma-tiyak na ang mga magiging ombudsman ay matinong tao na may integridad at katwiran na hindi magpapagamit sa kung sino mang presidente ang mag appoint sa kanya.

On Gay Equality

I like this quote from Ed Brayton

"As Greg Laden has pointed out, the one thing you can guarantee about every advance in civil rights is that it will not have happened soon enough. We didn't end slavery soon enough; we didn't give women the right to vote soon enough; we didn't end segregation or pass the Civil Rights Act soon enough. It's never soon enough. But in the end, justice and equality always do seem to win. We're gonna win this one too. And regardless of whether it's based on principle or political calculation, Obama's announcement will be seen as a watershed moment a decade from now, just as LBJ's support of the Civil Rights Act was 50 years ago. "

Good Manners and Right Conduct

consistent with his support of censorship of Mideo Cruz's exhibit, Conrado de Quiros now supports the MTRCBs censorship of the Tulfo brothers.  Not because they did anything illegal, but because they did not conduct themselves like good boys:

...the transgression is grave. It has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with ethics. It has nothing to do with opinion, it has to do with decorum. It has nothing to do with partisanship, it has to do with good manners and right conduct. Llamanzares herself says "T3" has been the subject of several complaints in the past. She has asked to meet with the show's producers and hosts, but despite their repeated promises to appear, they have not done so. And now this.

The Tulfo brothers' excuse is that they got carried away in the heat of emotion. After all, it was another brother of theirs who had been at the receiving end of a beating, and they were feeling raw. That is no excuse at all. They had no business being there to comment on it to begin with. They should have taken a temporary leave of absence before they went on a temporary leave of their senses. They knew they had a deeply personal stake in it, they knew they could not possibly be objective about it. That is not a recipe for public service, that is a recipe for public disservice. Since it was unlikely they would have volunteered to inhibit themselves, Channel 5 should have asked them to do so.

I read the transcripts of the brothers' ululations, one challenging Santiago to a fistfight, another warning the couple they had better not meet at the airport or mall or any public place, still another advising the couple to just stay at home and stay healthy. That's not public service, that's private malice. That's not just emotional excess, that is journalistic thuggery. That's not even toughness, that's just weakness. Everyone always finds the witty line after the argument; everyone always finds the balls after the fray.

How was that display of bad manners and wrong conduct any different from what happened to their brother, a group ganging up on him and beating him black and blue? Well, at least the Santiagos merely conscripted their friends to go along with them, or indeed they didn't have to conscript them at all, they volunteered freely and spontaneously. The Tulfos conscripted media to gang up on the couple, or used them to inflict that scale of mayhem. Oh, yes, mayhem. Words, particularly when amplified a million times by the power of TV, break bones as much as sticks and stones.

The point of public service programs is to curb abuse, not heap it. The point of public service programs is to put fear in the hearts of the abusive, not to put fear in the heart of the public. No, the MTRCB's 20-day preventive suspension of "T3" does not threaten freedom of the press, it secures it. I feel more threatened by journalists, broadcast or print, who try to use TV, radio, or newspaper to carry out naked vendetta than a government agency trying to remind them of what their profession calls for. Radio and TV are particularly powerful because of their reach and immediacy. With much power comes much responsibility.

What the the Tulfo brothers said may be as crass as he describes, but that should not merit government censorship,  It's ok for Mr. De Quiros that the Tulfos be censored because he agrees with the MTRCB, unfortunately, that will not always be the case.  And when the MTRCB censors speech that he likes, what will he do?  He already conceded that they have the power to censor those they do not agree with.

That is why we must always defend free speech, because one day, it may be our speech that is silenced.

Kawawang Isko

Sumali si Isko Moreno sa partido ni Erap sa pag-aakala na siya ang susuportahan ni Erap sa pagka Mayor ng Manila tapos biglang tatakbo pala si Erap bilang Mayor.  Bagay, baka mas mabuti naman ito para sa kanya, mag Herbert Bautista siya, hintayin niyang mag 3 terms si Lim saka siya tumakbong Mayor, mas malaki chance niya na manalo.

Perro malaking sugal para kay Erap ang pagtakbong Mayor ng Maynila,  kung hindi siya mananalo, mawawala ang aura niya na paborito ng masa.  Natapos ang electoral career ni Ernesto Maceda ng talunin siya ni Lim sa pagka Mayor ng Maynila,  pagkatapos non, wala ng gusto kumuha sa kanya bilang kandidato.

Baka mas makakabuti pa kung takutin lang ni Erap si Lim na tatakbo siya pero sa huli si Isko na lang din ang suportahan niya.

Indulgencia

Kagaya nong panahon ni Rizal, puede na naman makarating sa langit ang mga mayayaman ng hindi dumadaan sa purgatoryo.

“Why are we bringing it back?” asked Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, who has embraced the move. “Because there is sin in the world.”

According to church teaching, even after sinners are absolved in the confessional and say their Our Fathers or Hail Marys as penance, they still face punishment after death, in Purgatory, before they can enter heaven. In exchange for certain prayers, devotions or pilgrimages in special years, a Catholic can receive an indulgence, which reduces or erases that punishment instantly, with no formal ceremony or sacrament.

There are partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it, until another sin is committed. You can get one for yourself, or for someone who is dead. You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 — but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day.

Yayaman na naman ang simbahan.

Magic Johnson & Larry Bird

Talkies

Nung bata ako, tokis ang tawag sa tunog ng TV.  Hindi ko na siya ginagamit ngayon dahil parang wala naman gumagamit ng term na ito.  Ngayon ko lang na realize na baka hiram na salita siya galing sa talkies, yung mga pelikula na may tunog kumpara sa mga silent film.

May gumagamit pa kaya ng termino na ito?

Karl Roy

Di na kilala ng mga bata dito sa amin si Karl Roy. Isa sa mga cultural icons nugn kapanahunan ko. 

Protesta

Parang kasama sa protesta yung nasakyan ko na jeep,  pag nasa abangan ng tao parang ayaw na bumiyahe.

Discworld Quote

"Just because someone's a member of an ethnic minority doesn't mean they're not a nasty small-minded little jerk ..."

-Feet of Clay

Discworld Reading Guide

Reading Guide | Discworld Fanatics

Toughest Place to be a Bus Driver

Quote of the day

I've been reading Barbara Ehrenreich's book, Bait and Switch and came upon this quote.

"...from the point of view of the economic "winners" - those who occupy powerful and high-paying jobs -  the view that one's fate depends entirely on oneself must be remarkably convenient.  It explains the winners' success in the most flattering terms while invalidating the complaints of the losers."

Hindi ko lang maintindihan yung mga Pilipino na nakatira sa Pilipinas, nakikita nila yung kahirapan ng kanilang kapwa, pero ganito pa rin ang pag-iisip.

Pangit ng Globe DSL

Putang -ina, every 5 minutes bigla na lang kaming na disconnect sa Globe.  Business line pa man din ang binabayaran namin.  Putang-ama nila.

6 months

Atheist convention in the Philippines