Will the President achieve his goals by 2016?

Nine pro-administration candidates have just been elected to the Senate. This gives the President a chance to achieve his goals for reforms particularly in the passage of pending legislations. Having majority control of the upper chamber of Congress means a lot. And if P-Noy works hard and means business, I’m pretty sure he can leave a legacy of good governance to the Filipinos by the time he leaves office in 2016.

Becoming the President for the first time is no joke. But after three years in office, not to mention the many brouhahas and inconsistencies, P-Noy should by now know how to lead this country with dignity and honor. So do you think he will succeed with Daang Matuwid?

Poverty is still a big problem. Even as our economy seems to be picking up, the growth has not been translated as a relief to those living below the poverty line. We still see beggars, homeless and informal settlers all over the metropolis. When will our government have a decent program for housing and livelihood?

The crime rate is still high with victims rendered helpless and feeling even more scared for their lives as they watch their attackers being set free. We abhor human rights violations and yet the law seems to be too lenient when it comes to making convictions of hardcore criminals. We do not feel safe anymore even in the confines of our homes.

There have been several exposes of shady dealings in government but they seem to have died a natural death or covered under the wraps. No one even talks about them anymore? What happened to the ZTE-deal? What about that fertilizer scam? The tables have been turned. The ‘joc’ is now on us and not on Joc-Joc Bolante! Sanamagan!

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Local businessmen are having difficulty setting up or even sustaining their companies due to government ‘red tape’, unnecessary permits and charges. How much more with foreign investors? As they say, ours is not an investor-friendly government and country. This is why foreign investors cannot take our country seriously.

Potential investors will have to reckon with corrupt officials in government agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry and the Bureau of Customs. They will have to bribe officials of towns and cities where their companies will be set up. In the barangay level, bribery is also the name of the game for a business permit to be released.

A story involving the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and Kinetics BTL Global, a foreign company highlights the incompetence and indifference of an ossified bureaucracy deeply mired in greed and tenure.

This Taiwanese businessman has been in the Philippines for 15 years but did not succeed in marketing his product no matter how excellent it was because he did not have influential backers and the money to level up his promotional gadgets. Still, his increasing interest in Philippine agriculture led him to develop more products. After some serendipitous coincidences involving PCA officials, his product was finally scheduled for testing. The poor guy worked with the PCA technical team, spent his own resources and even mobilized several private contacts so as not to unduly burden PCA. Unfortunately, the tests conducted on his products were allegedly sabotaged by PCA’s own technical men. So what else is new?

I hope that PCA and Agriculture Secretary Alcala can get to the bottom of this issue to help this ‘poor’ investor. Let’s hope the case doesn’t end up whitewashed by the insidious power of corrupt bureaucrats.

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The truth really hurts and ‘burns’. Dan Brown’s controversial novel, Inferno just made a hit. Of course we love our country and want to protect it like a precious pearl but reality bites and now, we have been exposed by Dan Brown!

I suggest we enjoy the book over a cup of coffee under this summer heat. Even more better read it while enjoying a fresh drink of buko juice as gentle waves lap into the shores of our pristine beaches.

When Brown called Manila the “gates of hell” in his latest book, Inferno – there was definitely some truth to it. But knowing that this book is fiction, it should not “get your goat’! Many of our government officials were quite annoyed by it. This reaction proves the success of the book. We just gave Dan Brown free publicity and a boost. I’m sure he is very happy, amused and thankful to the Filipino people for all the clamor and attention. Susmariosep!

I suggest for beginners our officials better read our National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose’s books (like Rosales Saga, Sin, Ermita, Viajero, Juan Bacnag, etc.) first which depict a lot of ills in our society.

Literature is an art. This written work is fiction and the author is very good in touching our senses and imagination. He actually did in his best-selling book, Da Vinci Code. So, go figure! Or better yet, tell your objections to the marines!

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino’s letter to Dan Brown is a confirmation of what kind of government officials we have. I’m quite surprise that being the head of the Metro Manila Film Festival, he couldn’t figure out fiction from non-fiction! He just reacted right away without thinking, or maybe he was instructed by someone up there to do it. Susmariosep! Now he is getting the brunt.

We all know for a fact that Manila, the capital city of the Philippines is a city where extreme wealth and poverty often rub shoulders as they say. Roughly 43% of its 13 million inhabitants live in shanties. There is sex-trade happening everywhere, child-labor going on, illegal gambling, illegal trade and a home to smokey-mountain. Clearly, it is an interesting subject for anyone to write about.

If this is how our government officials react to such then they better wear permanent binoculars and open their eyes wider. They don’t seem to see what we see. The filth, the dirt, the destitution and the ills in this society – God please save us from the fires of hell!

Well, I hope the new Manila mayor Joseph Estrada reads this novel so that he can have a bird’s eye view on how Manila is now seen by the world. He can start working on the improvement of Manila and prove to everyone that he is indeed the ‘chosen one’ who will bring back the magnificence of Manila with all its pomp and glamor. Abangan!