World Bank Blacklist Issue: A Matter of Credibility

The hottest news today is the World Bank’s (WB) controversial blacklist of public works contractors. According to a World Bank report, the companies allegedly conspired to rig the bidding of public works projects. Portions of the congressional inquiry into the matter were shown on television and it seems that the entire crowd of congressmen, government officials and blacklisted contractors were all out to draw blood from the agency that is lending a lot of much needed money for infrastructure improvements in the Philippines. One congressman even remarked that the WB is even muddying the good name of the DPWH. To quote, he said; ”Dinudungisan ang Public Works (DPWH)!!!!!”—Que Horror!

Is the DPWH’s image clean?

If I remember it correctly, the DPWH inever fails to be tagged as one of the most corrupt government agency in the country!

How can the congressmen even express disbelief?

Today, the news reported that the congressional hearings ended with the chairman already announcing that there is no truth to the alleged World Bank allegation.

Here is what I have to say about this matter. Among the three parties involved in this fiasco (WB, contractors and congress), the WB has the most credibility. For a long time, we (yes, me included) have been calling the WB names but at the end of the day, it cannot be denied that WB money resulted to a lot of badly needed roads and other facilities that the government would have been unable to provide.

And looking at this issue, I see no reason why the WB would want to blacklist the contractors, other than concern that big portions of the monies allotted for public works are being stolen. In the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), I once read a report about two provinces that were able to build so many kilometers of roads at a cost that was much cheaper/ kilometer than the DWPH’s average construction cost. To think that those provincial governments had very little of the equipments used by big construction companies and mainly relied on manual labor, the disparity in cost was unbelievable.

I therefore find the lower house’s quick acquittal of the contractors very alarming. It is devoid of sensitivity of the real issue and even mocking of the WB’s long experience in handling public works projects. Compared to these congressmen (some of which are former contractors) and DPWH officials, the WB have seen corruption of public works projects in various forms in different countries that whatever was done here, they have seen it in other countries, again and again.

We have a saying, “Papunta ka pa lang, pabalik na ko”. I believe that the WB has seen it all, long before.

He's in the Senate Again Today.

While doing my stuff in the latest of our two home ellipticals, I remembered that Joc joc was detained in the US for a long time. He tried to fight his deportation through his hotshot lawyers and was successful for at least a couple of years. At the end of it all, he was brought back to the Philippines and is busy attending senate hearings. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope that the senate hearings, which is frankly redundant to the court hearings, should there be a criminal case filed, end the soonest.

The Week's Issue

The long term of office (10 years) of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has left a lot of people fearing that the courts are becoming her rubber stamps. By the end of her term on 2010, her administration would have filled so many benches in the lower courts and an overwhelming majority of the justices in the Supreme Court. In fairness, the Supreme Court of the Philippines has made plenty of rulings against her government.

Still, the opposition cannot help but feel uneasy, especially that she is being heavily suspected of planning to extend her term through the courts or acts of congress.

Joc Joc's Wish

Joc Joc Bolante’s weight loss has nothing to do with the popular Lipovox. Of course, he most probably wished that it was. The embattled former undersecretary of agriculture has been besieged by allegations of redirecting farmer’s fertilizer subsidies to government campaign funds during the last presidential elections. The once heavy set businessman has visibly lost a lot of weight undoubtedly due to stress. His hair has also become very gray and the once confident demeanor that people used to associate him to has now radically changed.

If he has really wronged the people, he should suffer some more. But if not, he should be released ASAP. Whatever the verdict on this case will be, let's hope that it comes fast. Everybody's guaranteed the right to a speedy trial.

STUPID TEACHERS

It is so amazing how teachers from supposedly elite schools can be sooo stupid. If I am a parent, I would have several times gone to school and called a lot of them stupid and ignorant, right in their faces.

These stupid ones give assignments, that are due for submission the following day, that are so out of this world.

1. They would ask 6 ~ 7 kids to bring to class, the following day, things are not easily available. Imagine the panic of parents that are due to come home late that day. How can they procure those things that easily?
2. They would give assignments that no ordinary kid can actually accomplish. Who will do the assignments then? -- The parents, of course!!!
3. etc, etc..
   

What kind of values are these teachers teaching then?

Well, let me start by cramming, and having other people do their tasks. All the rest follows.

Stupid teachers, no doubt.

PHOTOGRAPHER PERVERT!

Even in the malls, we are not safe. Read this

As a young man, I, several times, got verbally harassed in hair saloons.

Those fags thought that since I was young, they can rain me with their talk of fagotry, sexual innuendos, tease and direct sexual solicitation.

If only they knew that my dad was a professor who taught young officers who are now generals.

Had they known that I was hanging around with people known to associate with known subversives.

Had they known that I myself can slash their throats and feel no remorse. They would have thought otherwise.

Sexual predators come in different forms.

Males looking for females. males looking for girls, males looking young boys and vice versa.

I remember reading a tabloid story about the assasination of a gay talent manager who picked poor attractive women and made lots of money by developing them into porn stars and adult entertainers. I felt no pity when I saw the photo of his lifeless body after being gunned down.

Joma Sison calls these people-- Lumpen! <-- Society's trash.

Susmaryosep

Received so many solicitation letters starting last November.

That's separate from the village security guards who gave us envelopes (the main gate + the ones guarding our street). I have no problem with the guards, janitors and garbage collectors asking for some Christmas presents. After all, they are lowly paid and hardworking people that are serving the community, more than what they are being paid for.

But yesterday (January 2), I was surprised to receive an empty envelope from the motorcycle man that brings our SMART telecoms bills. Early today, the motorcycle man is back shouting at the top of his lungs, "Tao po!!!" I thought it was a delivery or something. It turned out that he was back to collect his Christmas gift. I told my maid to tell him that I am still asleep. I am in a bad mood and I didn't want to deal with these empty envelopes, not now.

I was also told that the Globe Telecoms messenger also gave us an empty envelope last week.

Can you believe that?

Se Spari, Niente Sesso!

Happy New Year Everyone!

The past couple of days once again made all of us witnesses one of this poor country's excesses!

The poor burned and exploded their food allowances through disgusting combinations of gunpowder, fertilizer (yes, the farm supplement) and carabao manure (i'm not kidding). While the rich flaunted their extravagance by exploding more and commanding their househelps to be in the line of fire by setting up and igniting the deadly fuses.

These exploding devices, which also causes deadly bacterial infections to firecracker victims (remember the carabao dung?), come in various shapes and sizes and referred to as 5 stars, triangullo, diablo, whistle bomb, sinturon ni hudas, etc..

Here's a tip to the wives. In order to stop your men from wasting their hard earned money, threaten them with no sex if they will burn firecrackers. -- Se Spari, Niente Sesso!