ECJ's ultimate dream

“To whom much is given, much is expected. This in effect is what business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. or “boss” to friends, had been wanting to do and give back to Tarlac, the place where the Cojuangco wealth all started. Like most people, ECJ has been through his own ups and downs in life, yet he has never forgotten that despite everything, he has been blessed especially with a good family and children of whom he is understandably proud. His decision to semi-retire from business and totally stay out of politics has given him the opportunity to go back to his roots and fulfill his desire to give back to his province – building a church, putting up livelihood programs for farmers and providing scholarships to poor but bright Tarlaqueños through the Eduardo Cojuangco Foundation (ECF).

ECF recently celebrated its 25th anniversary by launching Project Free (Flagships to Reach Educational Excellence) that will provide full masteral and doctoral scholarships plus stipend to 2,500 teachers who passed the qualifying exams. ECJ has initially allocated P42 million for the ambitious project, knowing fully well that educating teachers is the most effective way to raise the standard of education in this country. He knows from experience that having good teachers can make a lot of difference in a child’s life since it can prepare him for future challenges. According to ECJ, a solid education can only come from talented, well-trained and well-equipped teachers. His vision, he said, is a society where every child grows up able to aspire and has a ladder of opportunity that a solid education can provide regardless of background and economic class. Project FREE hopes to have a great multiplier effect with the 2,500 scholar-teachers imparting their knowledge to students who hopefully in turn will pass on the same to others.

Jurassic presidential aircraft

P-Noy flew to Vietnam on a $3-million refurbished Marcos era F28 short range jet which the Philippine Air Force bought more than 35 years ago. The aircraft was eventually used extensively by P-Noy’s mother, Mrs. Aquino. FVR contemplated on the idea of purchasing a presidential aircraft when Boeing came out with a reasonable offer for an executive jet with very convenient terms. But the idea was quickly shelved when it later became clear that he was not going to stay longer than six years as president. The Philippines may not exactly be a rich country but there are many practical people who believe that it would be wise for the chief executive of this country to have a new aircraft considering we have 7,100 islands. Besides, the Fokker F28 has already reached its shelf life and is “way past its bedtime.” The aircraft has too many safety issues plus the fact that it is expensive to maintain with limited landing and takeoff capability for short runways. It’s the classic “penny wise, pound foolish.”

Siren night

P-Noy was given the VIP treatment on his first state visit to Vietnam complete with sirens blaring instead of the “silent treatment” that he has gotten used to moving around the Philippines. Unfortunately, the use of sirens has been extensively abused in this country by every Tom, Dick and Juan. But the fact is, the use of sirens have always been part and parcel of security measures especially for heads of state. If a US President should ever come to visit the Philippines in the future, there’s no way the US Secret Service will ever allow their president to go through traffic, like what happened during the visit of George Bush to Manila in 2003 when the Americans virtually took control of the country. The security planning measures were so precise it took the American President’s convoy less than 18 minutes to travel from Malacañang to the Batasang Pambansa complete with motorcycle escorts and blaring sirens. For us ordinary mortals, it could easily take us at least two hours to get there from point to point and that’s assuming it’s on a “good day.”

Is Ronnie Concepcion running?

It’s not true that Consumer and Oil Price Watch advocate Ronnie Concepcion is running for office. A lot of people were speculating this from several text messages we received after they saw Ronnie’s latest COPW print ads complete with a new Q & A format. Actually we think Mr. Consumer Watch, Ronnie Concepcion, is leveling up to the new century by adapting a more interactive and comprehensive “Dear Ronnie” style, connecting better with his readers and the consuming public.

Spy tidbit

A group of lawyers mostly composed of UP Law alumni and from other legal institutions are planning to band together to support their beleaguered colleagues from UP who have been threatened with sanctions by the Supreme Court regarding the plagiarism issue against an associate justice. Something that could have easily been avoided has now become a very hot issue. Now it is even coming out worldwide in international publications with international legal experts weighing in on the issue.

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