Beef for brains?

The ongoing arguments over sin taxes and the evils of cigarettes have taken a dive as far as intelligence is concerned. From what I’ve gathered, one foreign representative of a cigarette company reportedly suggests that if people are concerned about health and the effects of cigarettes, then we should also include the ill effects of beef on people’s health. Picking up from there, a local executive supportive of the cigarette lobbyists also suggested that we place “lechon” or “litson” on the list of things dangerous to people’s health.

I don’t know if it’s a matter of desperation, disrespect or simply the ill effects of exposure to cigarette fumes that has greatly affected the morals and intellect of certain tobacco executives. But it is clear that they won’t stop at anything to push and protect their interests, even if it requires them to be “pilosopo,” or philosophically rude.

Nonetheless, lets humor these well-paid expats and local lobbyists and allow them to pursue that line. If the cigarette lobbyists really want to drag beef and lechon into the argument, then they should put their money where their mouths are, and publish full-page ads on what they believe are the evils of eating beef and lechon. I really want to see how long they can stay outdoors or stay in the Philippines once the high priests of Wagyu and Cebu lechon issue a “Fatwa” or a holy war against these sacrilegious fumigators.

Imagine putting a high tax on roast beef or Cebu Lechon out of spite or just to spread misery! My entire extended family would most certainly round up these heathens and rack them over a bed of burning coals.

Perhaps we should not over react. Before we declare a holy war on tobacco lobbyists wanting to tax beef and lechon, let us first consider their line of thinking. Because “we” claim that cigarettes are bad for health, they claim that beef and lechon are also bad for our health and should therefore also be taxed. Granting their logic and view is “correct,” then let us use the same logic, philosophy or pilosopo view and consider that tobacco has nicotine, nicotine is addictive and since addictive substances and products fall under narcotics or dangerous drugs, then we should classify cigarettes as “dangerous drugs” and include them to the list of illegal substances. To go further, any person engaged in the production, distribution, trade or sale of such products, are therefore considered as drug dealers or drug pushers.

They may say that this is a farfetched idea, but then isn’t a higher tax on beef and lechon equally far fetched as far as common sense and logic is concerned? There’s the saying “what goes around comes around.”

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Despite the fact that traffic in Metro Manila has become progressively worse due to the lack of cooperation and coordination of local governments with the MMDA, no one seems to be doing anything about the problem. For the most part all we get from the people involved are press releases, radio guestings and a lot more talk than results.

Last month, I wrote about how the competing inter-connector projects of Manny Pangilinan and Ramon Ang which would provide a 12 lane link between the NLEX and SLEX could greatly relieve vehicle volume and traffic in Metro Manila. That project is suppose to be a done deal in terms of acceptability to the Philippine government, but for unknown reasons, Malacanang and the TRB or Toll Regulatory Board of the DOTC have not managed to give the “Notice to Proceed” to Metro Pacific Group and the Citra-San Miguel Corporation group.

Instead of a Notice to Proceed, what I learned is that DPWH Secretary Babes Singson has once again served “Notice To Impede” by filing an appeal to the Office of the President to give him authority over the two projects that are by law under the TRB and the DOTC. At the rate the P-Noy administration is moving, very little will get done if they can’t even give the Notice to Proceed on a project that P-Noy himself launched to the public. Is this government beginning to become well known for “communication” but lousy at implementation?

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I’ve received a number of inquiries when the Star Tollway management intends to open the “Balete” entrance and exits which has long been finished but remain closed and non-accessible to patrons of the Star tollway.

The last time this sort of public clamor happened was when the Toll Regulatory Board dragged its feet to give the go signal to open and operate the Interconnection between the SLEX and the Star Tollway. After months of patiently waiting, commuters based in Batangas, Laguna and Quezon province eventually began venting their irritation until local politicians and the media joined in. In the case of the Balete exit, many motorists are understandably annoyed at the delay because the new exit will give them an alternative route that bypasses the town of Malvar where so many factories and commuters have created traffic jams.

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Heads up for President Noynoy, last week I found myself in a queue entering Fort Bonifacio from the Villamor Air base. Out of nowhere a motorcycle cop came in waving vehicles aside, flashing his blinkers AND…using his wang-wang. Behind him was an Asian made SUV and an AUV full of crew-cut bodyguards. I took down their plate numbers and tailed them from a distance until they entered the gate to the Marines Parade ground. The next day I called my contact at the LTO to dig deep on the plate numbers. His SMS: “Sorry sir, it’s not in the system.”

Mr. President, there has been a growing number of complaints about how government officials and politicians are running around your anti-wang-wang policy. Please don’t let an accomplishment get trashed.