Angels in America

It's already 3.16am and I've just finished watching Angels in America.

In this connection, and just a short note, I'd like to thank Tony Kushner for the wonderful play.

Thanks too, to HBO for coming up with the movie on DVD!

Thanks also to the stars, and the rest of the cast and crew, and to Mike Nichols.

Tourism and Monopoly

On Tuesday, the Probe Team aired stories about tourism packages of different Asian nations and raised the problem of tourism in the Philippines.

The show presented what Singapore, Malaysia, Sabah, among others in Asia, offered to attract visitors and how these countries benefited from tourism.

The question now is, can the Philippines benefit also from tourism? And if so, how do we?

This is a long shot question, but why not? Tourism is an industry that earns millions, if not billions, and it could help this country recover from many of its problems.

However, so many things need to be addressed. We need education, discipline, and the desire to succeed. And by saying “we,” I do not mean “us,” the people. That includes the government, the very people who should be serving us.

Come to think of it, (and I know some of you would raise your eyebrows again) but we need a government who has the desire to actually help us.

Most of us have been to school. But what have learned? If we have learned anything, why not apply what we have learned. But one only needs to open his eyes and we see office people, and in their office uniforms, throwing candy wrappers away like the whole street is their own private trash can.

We see policemen allowing their neighbors to kill dogs so they could be eaten (and I thought it is now illegal for dogs to be made as pulutan).

We see government owned vehicles crossing red lines as if the world is going to end tomorrow, lawmakers’ cars sounding off that noisy sirens as if those who are inside are the most important people on earth who needs to be taken from Paris to Davao in two minutes flat, and licensed drivers crossing pedestrian lanes as if they don’t exist.

When these three, education, discipline, and desire, are addressed then I believe, we won’t have too much of a problem to attract visitors from around the world, and most important of all, attract our own countrymen to visit the next tourist destination at the next town.

But then perhaps, in spite of good education from well known universities and colleges in the country, not too many could survive the game of Monopoly from a first time AI buyer of the said game. And I'm talking about education, discipline, and desire.

Unnecessary Protest

Each time that there is an oil price increase, the Filipino people are the ones who get affected the most and belts need to be tightened a little more.

Jeepney drivers get angry. And most likely than not, they blame the government for allowing the oil firms to increase the prices of oil.

The April 18, 2004, jeepney strike in the Philippines was understandable. It is always the case that once oil prices increase, the prices of basic commodities increase, too.

However, I will always oppose any form of protest once the leftists start to join any protest. These people have nothing to do other than fuel the anger of the people instead of finding a solution to the problem. Puro sila angal. Wala namang ginagawa. (They are all complains. They don’t offer any solution.)

If I am not mistaken, once there was the Oil Price Stabilization Fund or OPSF. Oil prices then were a little higher so the government could save for an oil price buffer. These protesters demanded that the OPSF be scrapped. Now, they are demanding that the oil price deregulation law be scrapped. Don’t they have anything better to do?

Surely, asking the government to stop any oil price increase is like asking for the sun not to set. The oil prices at the world market are increasing. Then, there is the devaluation of the peso against the US dollar. What do these protesters expect? Street protests and jeepney strikes always eventually hurt businesses. Who businessman in his right mind would want to invest in the Philippines, then, if this is a usual occurrence? And then the next thing they would protest about would be the failure of the government to create jobs. This is a vicious circle. You always could expect the leftists to protest and blame someone else for the problems of this country. However, they fail to realize that they are the once who add insult to an already injured economy.

In the end, the whole protest was unnecessary. The drivers lost a day’s wage. Businesses lost a day’s work. The common office worker lost a day’s leave if he was forced to stay at home. The children lost one day of learning in school.

The protest was understandable but unnecessary.

And by the way, do these leftists ever work? I seem to find them in almost every street protest. If so, how do they earn what they eat? How do they support their families? Where do they get the money they spend everyday?

IPU delegate in knife attack

The Philippine Star reports that the secretary-general of Belgium's parliament, Georges Brion, was injured and robbed in a knife attack on Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual Inter-Parliamentary Union in the Philippines. (Read the story »)

Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco, head of a task force securing the event, believes that this is only an isolated incident.

Further, Manila police chief Avelino Razon says that Mr Brion should have told security where he was going. Razon further questions Mr Brion's reason that he was going to church.

The point is, whether Mr Brion was going to church or anywhere else, it is the PNP's responsibility to maintain peace and order. Does Mr Razon realize that it is their job to maintain peace and order? If he does, why did this "isolated case" happen? If not, why is Mr Razon still with the PNP?

Maybe this is another case of when-the-cat-is-away-the-rats-will-play syndrome within the PNP. But I don't wonder anyway. Mr Razon's statement as regards this case simply justifies my need and want to leave this country and live in a safe place where police officers are respectful of the hands that feed them.

The lights or the cops?

The Inter-Parliamentary Union has started Monday but ever since Sunday, cops have been around the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex for the re-routing of traffic flow as well as making sure of the delegates' safety.

Since my office is within the CCP Complex, I need to cross Roxas Boulevard in order to travel from my house going to work and vice versa. Crossing Roxas Boulevard has never been difficult except when the traffic lights at the intersection of Roxas Boulevard and Vito Cruz are not functioning properly.

I was expecting the same ease when crossing Roxas Boulevard until the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Philippine National Police took over the streets in order to direct the traffic flow.

You see, they all have forgotten that there are still pedestrians who need to cross the streets. They seemed to be so concerned too much with the dignitaries that they don't even bother to let the pedestrians cross the streets first before letting the flow of the traffic to continue (even as against what the traffic lights would indicate). What I mean is, if the MMDA and the PNP opt to use their officers to direct the traffic, then they should turn off the traffic lights and save some electricity; and if they would rather use the traffic lights, then make these officers respect the lights at the very least.

It is good that the delegates of the IPU be given high regard as they represent the leadership of other nations. However, it is not acceptable that the regard given them compromises the safety of any human being.

The MMDA and PNP should know this. But then again, I never expected them to know anything either. They wouldn't be doing what they are doing if they were intelligent anyway.

Airport Utility Worker returns money

I once more take my hats off to these guys. They are those whom we need to be in the government!

According to news reports, Nita Ramos found a jewelry box with about PhP200 thousand worth of jewelry inside the lady's washroom at the Manila Domestic Airport terminal.

Without hesitation, Ms Ramos returned the jewelry box with all of its contents to the airport management with the hope that it will be returned to its rightful owner.

In another note, Romeo Pelaez, a utility from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport found and returned a wallet with three million Yen in it to the owner.

New Site

After a few hours of thought, here I am.

My original site now includes this blog. If you have been to my original site, you may have found out that I do comment on everything and anything. However, comments were not available then.

But, this is Blogger and comments are welcome.

Thanks for dropping by!