Mang Pandoy is now dead.

The foremost symbol of poverty remained a symbol of poverty to the very end. He is so poor his family cannot even have him buried.

All those unkept promises. All those short-term support. All those tokens. All for naught.

He had started poor, and he had died poor. Was it his choice — to die of tuberculosis, to have an indefinite interment?

This is how the government (and in extension, our politicians) treat our poor — as pawns in their indefinite struggle to be at the top of the heap.

How magnanimous.

Just bought a road bike last Monday. The chain unfortunately broke that same night. Anyway, that made an excuse for me to buy a genuine Shimano chain. At least I have a Shimano part lurking in my bike, right?

My route took me from my home in northern Pasig to my parents’ home in southern Pasig. The trip totaled almost 12 miles, which roughly translates to 19 kilometers.

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Seem daunting? In the past I was able to ride a mountain bike to Imus, Cavite from Mandaluyong, and back, when the coastal road was still open to all vehicles.

Road biking has been a passion of mine. Maybe it’s just my itchy feet, but nothing beats the feeling of air rushing through one’s ears as one pedals his/her way.

I also don’t want to grow old with aching joints.

Our government’s failure to integrate our unique Pinoy psyche in development programs is one reason why our country’s progress remains, as a whole, stunted. Trapped in a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society, coupled with a very pervasive system of client-patron relationships, our country will never be an industrialized country.

Just consider our society’s food security. We rely on our neighboring countries to supply us with our basic staple, rice. Consider, too, how our government treats sidewalk vendors, jeepney and bus drivers, and the lowly commuters.

I find it inhumane for a government to have its citizens walk almost a kilometer to get a bus ride along Edsa, what with all the pollution, and the weather we’re exposed to (the heat of day during summer, or the blazing rains during the monsoons).

This government must adapt its traffic management policies to the Filipino psyche, instead of the doing the other way around. For as long as I can remember, this government has relied on Western methods to educate its citizens, enforce economic policies, and plot development goals.

The only thing that remains Asiatic in our society are the political structures we derived from the archaic and clannish datu system, which exists to this day in Mindanao, and in its highly evolved form, in Congress.

This government has forgotten obviously forgotten for whom it works for.

Alisa’s on a roll!

In a span of a few weeks, she has established two new blogs for her (and for our friends) to enjoy — Thumbbook and Litrato at Iba Pa, both hosted at WordPress.com.

Do pay these blogs a click — you won’t regret it. Part of why I fell in love with Alisa in the first place was her quasi-humorous style of writing (quasi since it reads funny, but is actually serious). Gets?

I haven’t written about you for such a long time now. By now you should know why, or perhaps you have forgotten why.

I’ll reminisce, then. I remember you asking me why I haven’t written a poem for so long (except for the one I emailed to myself the other day). I simply answered you, “I have difficulty in describing indescribable happiness.”

I have difficulty describing my teary-eyed moments with you, while our laughter fills the whole house.

I have difficulty describing the kisses you plant all over my face, and how I would laugh uncontrollably whenever you plant a kiss on my nose (a ticklish part I never knew until you discovered it).

I have difficulty describing how I feel whenever you look at me, whenever you pout, whenever you gently hit my arm… let’s just say whenever I say you’re cute at what you’re doing, it’s exactly that — I find it cute whenever you look at me, whenever you pout, whenever you gently hit my arm.

And then, every now and then, after all my difficulty in describing my indescribable happiness, you ask me if I’ll ever grow tired of you.

Let’s just say I prefer to be happy eternally, even if I can’t describe it.

This inutile regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have cut off themselves from reality. They have effectively numbed themselves from the real situation happening in the kitchen, in the living rooms, in the bedrooms of all Filipinos.

And now, this regime is offering loans to poor families, the loans coming from the VAT that has been mining billions of pesos from our shallow pockets.

And even then, loans are STILL loans — they are meant to be paid, meant to be returned to the very regime that offered help.

And she even has the gall to say that these ready billions came from the well to do! Oh my, does she know that VAT covers almost everything? VAT covers a can of sardines. VAT covers a packet of instant noodles. VAT covers a small, plastic tube of cooking oil. VAT covers a teaspoon of salt. And who consumes a can of sardines, a packet of instant noodles, a small tube of cooking oil, a teaspoon of salt? The well to do? Ask any Elizalde, Ayala, Araneta, Tantoco, Prieto, or Arroyo if lately they have eaten a can of sardines.

I have this theory. This regime, elected out of sheer dishonesty, will cling to power just as they did in “endearing” themselves to the military.

Almost all Cabinet members are former members of either the armed forces or of the national police. Our true, bemedalled military officers are languishing in jails, imprisoned for speaking their minds out.

This regime has also “endeared” themselves to local chieftains, err, local government officials by doling out millions of pesos in paper bags and IRA funds.

And now, this regime is taking the opportunity, taking this very golden opportunity, of “endearing” themselves to the “poorest of the poor” by doling out cash, doling out loans, doling out gifts in the midst of a world financial crisis.

Who stands to lose if we were to scrap the VAT on oil and basic goods?

Who else?

Are we really too tired to wage a revolution against these nincompoops calling themselves “our” leaders?

Have we succumbed to apathy, to turn a blind eye to this scandal-wracked government?

Questions and more questions. It is up to us as a nation to answer these questions.

This e-mail came in forwarded through my inbox. This should circulate not only among email addresses, but among Web addresses. The scandal over Juday’s endorsement of the ludicrous Meralco bill is just the tip of the iceberg. I didn’t trace from whom this email came from, but the reasons it gave convinced me to make this a blog entry.

—————————-

Pakibasa po ng malaman nyo gaano ka-corrupt ang govt. natin sa electric bill natin!

Bilib ako sa commercial ni Juday, biro mo naipaliwanag niya in 30. sec ang masalimuot na system loss na yan..:)

Tama si Juday sa kanyang paliwanag ng system loss, pero kung tayo ang bibili ng yelo at ayaw talaga nating mabawasan ang yelong binili, siempre magdadala tayo ng styrofoam ice box o Coleman..

Ang tawag diyan ay increase the efficiency. Kung baga sa mga distribution utilities ayusin nila nang husto ang electrical network, pati na ang mga substation and step-down transformers para nagooperate sila sa maximum efficiencies. Kung lumang-luma na, palitan o di kaya imaintenance. Tapos, ireduce, at kung maaari ay alisin, ang mga administrative inefficiencies, tulad ng wrong meter readings, pilferage ! at kung ano ano pa…

At alam ba ninyo na hindi lang meralco ang nagpapasa ng system loss? Pati ang TRANSCO na government owned at siyang nag me maintain ng power grid. Balak ipasa or naipasa na ng TRANSCO ang 2.98% ng system loss nya sa meralco.. at shempre kanino pa ba naman iyan sisingilin ng meralco..

Ngayon alam na natin kung bakit natunaw ang yelong binili ni Juday… pero part pa lamang yan ng equation kung bakit mataas ang singil ng ating koryente, kunin ang electric bill.. at heto ang component ng ating electric bill…

Generation charge
Tax on Generation charge
Transmission charge
Tax on Transmission charge
System loss
Tax on System Loss
Distribution, Metering and Supply charges
Lifeline rate subsidies
Tax on distribution, metering and supply charges and lifeline rate subsidies
Local franchise tax
Universal charges

I-add mo lahat yan at yan ang total electric bill mo… pero napansin nyo ba sa isang electric bill 5 tax ang babayaran natin?

Para lalo nating mapansin, ganito ang flow ng kuryente bago dumating sa bahay naten… Ang napocor or IPP ang mag po produce ng koryente…bago pa makaalis ng planta ang koryente, magabayad na tayo ng tax na 51 cents /kwh.

Ang koryenteng iyan ay padadaanin ngayon sa TRANSCO, papunta sa distribution utility natin gaya ng meralco.. Muli tayong bubuwisan ng gobyerno, this time 11 cents/kwh

Pag nakarating sa meralco ang kuryente, muli sisingilin tayo ng buwis ng gobyerno, ng distribution tax at franchise tax…

At dahil magbabayad tayo ng system loss muli na naman tayong bubuwisan ng gobyerno… ng system loss tax..

A eto pa ang kwela sa lahat, after i total ang iyong electric charges.. papatawan kang muli ng tax.. t! his time yung 12% e-vat. Imagine 5 Tax na binayaran mo, yung tax na yun eh bubuwisan pang muli ng isa pang tax…

Ang alam ko po sa batas bawal ang double taxation… pero sa ginagawang ito ng gobyerno.. cguro naaayon na sa batas kase lampas na sa double eh (sarcastic lang po).

At upang madagdagan pa ang sama ng loob nating mga filipino… Ang napocor, ayon sa batas ay kinakailangan mag imbak ng supply ng coal na tatagal ng 5 taon.. pero ano ginagawa ng napocor… sasairin nila yung supply nila ng coal upang tumagal lamang ng isang taon, at dahil paubos na, mapipilitan silang mag conduct ng emergency purchase na di na dadaan sa bidding.. or kung dumaan man, dahil sa ikli ng time table, walang makakapag bid.

SO si napocor bibili ng coal, hindi sa lowest bidder, kundi sa kanilang preferred suplier.. ang masaya pa neto, anlaki na ng patong… higit pa sa doble ng actual price ng coal sa market… idagdag pa jan ang arkila ng mga barko na gagamitin sa pag ta-transport ng coal… na shempre muling pagkakakitaan ng mga napocor executives…

Sobra na nga pinapataw na tax sa atin ninanakawan pa tayo ng gobyerno natin..:( ansaya ng buhay sa pilipinas no?

Kaya bago natin husgahan si Juday, sa kanyang paliwanag ng system loss, at bago natin awayin ang meralco sa taas ng singil ng kuryente.. tignan muna natin ang pinag uugatan ng mahal na singil… si meralco lamang ba ang salarin? or ginagamit rin lang sila ng corrupt na gobyerno para lalo tayong pahirapan?

Kabayan, please dont keep this message!

Pakipasa sa iba…

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Oh, this is indeed a rant against the magazine’s cover. Not only against Joey Mead’s beauty itself (and I find her rather fugly, given her insane past), but also for the magazine’s defense of what they find creative.

Lemme give you an idea where I come from. I now find myself working for a company that outsources graphic design services to overseas clients. Every day, every night, we’re called upon to be creative. Immersed in such an environment, I am confident about what creative means.

I digress. Let us go back to what I’m trying to point out.

Rogue Magazine‘s cover featuring an old naked model with the Philippine tricolor painted on her is simply fugly. I find their Cherie Gil cover better, placing the audience in the shoes of the soon-to-be-wet Sharon Cuneta.

The cover is not creative. It is not creative at all. Pandering, that’s what it is. They just sought to pander to the erotic interest of the male audience. Honestly, when I found their latest issue on the magazine racks at MegaMall, I was surprised to find Joey Mead still at it. Or maybe the editors had “something” to do with ancient Ms. Mead.

And according to the TV news report (so forgive me for basing my logic on the faulty boob tube), the pictorial was part of Lawyer Argee Guevara’s take on the mire our society is finding itself boiling in.

Whatever political point the article was trying to say, it had drowned in the depiction of a naked ancient model with the Philippine flag painted on her. How tasteless.

The last thing on anyone’s mind who is interested enough to find this society educated and enlightened is the image of a naked woman, the painting only serving as a loophole to label it creative. Oh, let me clarify that last statement: they wanted it labeled “creative.” It ain’t creative.

At least with the reaction they’re getting about their latest cover, they got to live up to their magazine title. Maybe even a boost to their circulation.

Good thing I have junk mail controls set up in my Thunderbird email client. Just today, I checked out the three (3) mails in my Junk folder. I was curious enough to check the email with the subject “PayPal Email ID PP565.” I was thinking, is there something wrong with my PayPal account (besides from the zero balance I have)?

The email was a scam, all right. It was trying to lead me to a website, where I think it will harvest my username and password and other pertinent information. Whether the scammers were just “fishing” or if they really knew I had a PayPal account, I will not know.

Here’s the complete email text:

Subject: PayPal Email ID PP565
From: Security Center
Date: 4/29/2008 7:39 AM

PayPal Email ID PP565

NOTE: A search with Google reveals that the Financial Services Authority is indeed a regulatory body IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.