Of Chastity Belts and Resurrected Franchises

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Masseuses told to padlock pants

JAKARTA - A bid by a local government in Indonesia's East Java province to curb prostitution by asking masseuses to wear a padlock on their pants was an insult, a newspaper quoted the minister for women's empowerment as saying.

The recently implemented policy in the tourist area of Batu was misguided, State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meuthia Hatta told the Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"It is not the right way to prevent promiscuity. It insults women as if they are the ones in the wrong," Hatta said…
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I THOUGHT chastity belts went out with the middle ages, and why pick on the women? How about the men who patronize these “massage” parlors? I’d say padlock the pants of the men instead, that would prevent the promiscuity just as well. And handcuff them too for good measure.
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Like Lazarus, dead franchises being resurrected at LTFRB

MANILA - …Transport industry sources and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) insiders said the proliferation of illegal buses and jeepneys plying not only Edsa in Metro Manila, but even provincial routes, is the result of a highly lucrative scheme at the LTFRB involving agency insiders, lawyers and fixers.

The scheme involves the revival of long “dead” or expired franchises without registered units, which the original grantees have abandoned and not operated.

These franchises are expired certificates of public convenience, which are being peddled at P100,000 per unit to those who want to have their own franchises without having to go through the legal process of proving their qualifications…
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AS FAR as Lazarus was concerned, he had been dead only 4 days, but these resurrected franchises were already long “dead”, that’s why it stinks. The resurrected franchises are sold at P100,000 each, and I guess the LTFRB agency insiders, lawyers and fixers will be willing to resurrect anything for that amount. As it seemed like a regular illicit practice with too many people involved, the miracle is why this is getting investigated only now.