Odds and Ends 3/2/2011

Singson resigns from Congress

...He said he was quitting “not because I am succumbing to the pressure of the noisy few among my honorable colleagues; rather, my resignation is a fulfillment of my promise to my father who had all the right to make the first and loudest protest because it was his name and honor that was mercilessly dragged into the tempest of my own undoing.”

He thanked his colleagues “who kept their peace” while he was being tried in Hong Kong. He also expressed his gratitude to other people who gave him moral support.

"In like vein, I would also like to thank the noisy minority who demanded my ouster even before my plea of guilt and the final verdict. Let me thank them as the Lord Jesus preached, ‘If they throw you stones, throw them bread’,” he said.

Man, I think there will be a whole lotta bread coming, probably much more than the "noisy minority" can eat.
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House suspends RH bill sessions

MANILA, Philippines - The much-awaited plenary debates on the controversial Reproductive
Health (RH) Bill were called off yesterday after the centralized air conditioning units of the plenary hall of the House of Representatives broke down.

...Gonzales said the session was canceled upon the approval of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and also after consulting House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, the main
author of the RH bill.

Lagman, for his part, described the suspension as a “fortuitous delay” for the RH bill that is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church and pro-life groups.

Fortuitous delay? I'd call it divine intervention, hehe.
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550 Filipinos Out of Libya...

The Filipinos travelled in a convoy of 55 vans and buses headed by Secretary del Rosario towards the Tunisian border. Another set of vehicles will take them from there to Djerba, the first Tunisian city after the border.

Secretary Del Rosario and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos also visited the Philippine School in Tripoli, which has served as a relocation site for 87 Filipinos awaiting transit out of Libya.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Migrant Workers Affairs DFA-OUMWA) said that 72 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrived Sunday evening from Cairo on board Etihad Air.

Now that is what I call public service.. and LEADERSHIP. God bless you Mr. Secretary.
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Beats me

Later this year, our manufacturing plant is transferring from its current Metro Manila location to one of the PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority) locations in the South. We are building a new and larger facility at the new location.

One of the PEZA registration requirements was to get a clearance from the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) which indicates that our company had no pending labor cases. Fine. It was a reasonable requirement and I had no problem with it since I knew for a fact that we had no pending complaints against us. The only thing is, I found out we had to get three clearances: one from the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC), another one from the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), and yet another one from the Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC). All three agencies are under DOLE. Strange, we were required to get the same clearance (of no pending labor case) from three agencies under the same department. I decided to personally attend to it today since we had a tight schedule, and besides the messenger might get lost in the perplexing web of bureaucracy.

First stop was the NLRC office at Quezon City. Not much of a hassle, but I had to pay a processing fee of 515 pesos and there was an additional requirement of an affidavit attesting that our company had indeed no pending labor case. I will have to go back armed with the affidavit before the clearance gets released. It was an unusual requirement though. Why should I need to produce an affidavit to the effect, if they will verify the same from their docket of pending cases anyway?

Next stop was the DOLE building in Intramuros, which houses both the NCMB and the BWC. The NCMB was pretty much straightforward, all they required was the letter request and they would release the clearance in two days. The BWC however, required much more. I was attended to by one courteous personnel who asked me to wait awhile as he had to go to another room to attend to something. It appears that a major Jollibee delivery took place and he was charged to distribute the snacks. I waited patiently in the room which happened to have five BWC personnel at their desks. They seem to be in a relaxed mood, there was no busy atmosphere, and some chatted away. I happened to be the only outsider in the room waiting to be served, but the amazing thing is that while I cooled my heels, I appeared to be invisible to those five government workers. I swear no one as much as glanced in my direction, it's as if I did not exist at all. Thankfully, the guy reappeared in about 15 minutes. He said I should come back and give a photocopy of our company's registration under DOLE rule 1020. I have no idea what on earth that is, so that will be another adventure. Further, it beats me why three agencies, under the same department, require varying requirements for the same, same clearance stating basically the same thing.

That's Philippine bureaucracy for you.
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Don't judge my Lancer

Aquino: Don't judge my Porsche

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is proud of his new toy, but he just does not want to "flaunt" it.In an ambush interview, Aquino dismissed reports this recent purchase will affect his government’s austerity measures. Aquino bought a "third-hand" 2007 Porsche using his own money, according to Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda. He ditched his old BMW in exchange for the more attention-grabbing Porsche. He supposedly paid P4.5 million for it.

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President Noynoy is receiving a lot of flak for being so "insensitive" as to buy a P4.5M Porsche in the face of grinding poverty in the Philippines. It is a price you pay when you are in the spotlight -- people will be watching your every move and ascribing all sorts of motives. In Noynoy's case: his choice of residence, cars, even girlfriends, and just about anything from day one since he assumed the presidency. He should have understood that close scrutiny comes with the job. It's all part of the game. Personally, I don't care. He can buy all the fantastic cars he wants, the houses, (he can't buy girlfriends, no?) and just about anything that takes his fancy -- as long as the money comes from his own pockets. Most important, as long as he does his job as President and fulfills all his campaign promises. I will leave him alone to his private fancies.

Now I suppose the Porsche (did I spell that right?) does not blare sirens (wangwang), shame if it does. I suppose further that Noynoy will abide by the speed limits on our roads. Come to think of it, even our expressways have a maximum speed limit of 100km/hr, while the Porsche is easily capable of 300+ kph. With the perennial traffic congestion, the actual driving experience hereabouts averages at about 12 to 50kms/hr, including at the expressways. Every motorist around down to the last person can attest that the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) should be renamed as South Luzon Turtleway. I bet I could race Noynoy's Porsche with my vintage '96 Lancer on the whole stretch of SLEX and we would end up about even-steven, as long as we play it fair and square under the same road conditions. But if he's happy with his new toy, let him be.
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God's voice works wonders

Homeless man with velvety voice becomes star

CLEVELAND (AP) – From the streets to the studios.

Ted Williams, whose deep, velvety radio voice and touching story prompted an outpouring of sympathy and job offers from across the country, has become an overnight sensation.
He's America's hottest — and most improbable — star.

On Thursday, Williams, who was living in a tent near a highway in Columbus, Ohio, just days ago, was in New York for an emotional reunion with his 90-year-old mother, media appearances, and to do some commercial voiceover work. On NBC's "Today" show, he described his previous 48 hours as "outrageous."

"There's no way in the world that I could have ever imagined that I would be — I mean, just have all of this just all of a sudden come into this portion of my life," he said during a live interview in the program's studio...
Now, he's in demand.

"I don't know which one to choose, which one is the right one," he said on "Today," regarding the job prospects. But he said he was ready to handle the second chance he was being given and predicted that in five years, he'd be working as a radio program director and living in his own apartment. Williams said he found a "new sense of spirituality" in 2010 that would help him deal with whatever success comes.
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Well, I believe he found his voice back after hearing God's voice. Check him out on the second vid.

He who laughs last

Catholic Church, groups call for cuts in Dolphy’s movie

The Catholic Church and various church organizations called on the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), on Monday, to delete scenes from Dolphy's comedy flick "Fr. Jejemon" deemed as offensive and disrespectful to the Catholic faith.

One of the scenes that sent the Church and other groups fuming was a priest, portrayed by the King of Comedy, Dolphy, accidentally dropping a host to a woman's cleavage as the latter took communion during Holy Mass.

Another scene in the movie -- an entry to the 36th Metro Manila Film Festival -- that offended Catholic groups showed a host getting stuck on an old woman's false teeth while also receiving communion.

"The MTRCB should delete that portion and other elements in the film that are disrespectful to human beliefs,” said Fr. Francis Lucas, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Episcopal Commission on Mass Communications and Mass Media.

No move to pull out Dolphy comedy from film festival —MMDA chief

MTRCB lauds Dolphy outfit for voluntarily censoring ‘Father Jejemon’

MANILA, Philippinies -- The chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has lauded comedy king Dolphy’s film outfit for voluntarily excising scenes from his latest movie, "Fr. Jejemon," which had offended the Catholic Church.

MTRCB chair Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares related in a statement to the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the film’s producer RVQ Productions, Inc., “upon learning of the public’s sentiments against some scenes in the teasers, immediately exercised self-regulation and voluntarily deleted those evoking scenes.”
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It was good of Dolphy's RVQ Productions to voluntarily excise the offending scenes. Reports have it that Dolphy is unequivocally Catholic, as quoted from Zsa Zsa Padilla (Dolphy's partner and RVQ's producer) who said: “Initially, I found the scene ‘cute.’ We didn’t have any malicious intention to offend any religion, not especially Catholicism, because Dolphy is sarado Katoliko.”. It seems strange therefore that Dolphy consented to shoot those scenes in the first place, which indicates that the king of comedy is out of touch with the utmost reverence that Catholics are supposed to accord to the Holy Eucharist. I grant however, that Dolphy (as well as Zsa Zsa) "didn’t have any malicious intention to offend any religion, not especially Catholicism". I grant further that if there is anything that they are surely guilty of, it is absolute cluelessness on the exalted reverence that is due to the sacred Host, even if they do only a mock representation. Sarado Katolikos should know better.

Another thing that could pose discomfort for faithful Catholics is the plot of the film, and what messages they impart. Being a comedy, would it mock priests and Catholicism in its attempt to be funny? Here is a short synopsis from the entertainment section of the Inquirer:

‘Father Jejemon’

In this comedy flick, Dolphy plays Fr. Jeremiah Jerome Montes, or Father Jejemon. He endears himself to the people of the fictitious town Parmbil because of his modern and offbeat ways. He plays rock music and organizes talent competitions. He even calls the members of his parish’s all-women group as the Lady Nga-Ngas, inspired by the pop singer Lady Gaga. Things take an interesting turn when the priest gets accused of child molestation. Dolphy, whose movie is up against other surefire block-busters in this festival, said he is not after topping the box-office. “Gusto ko lang masayahan ang manonood,” he declared.

It has been classified as General Patronage, and kids would get to watch it with their families. I am not about to judge the overall film at this premature point, although I would say it would be a disaster if those two offensive scenes (and perhaps more like it) are not deleted. This could be Dolphy's last film, and it is pitiful if his entire film legacy gets tainted by this grossly insensitive scenes. Even though it is meant as a comedy film, it is certain to impart values among its gullible audience, sarado Katoliko or otherwise. I sure hope there are authentic values to be learned from the film, even though Dolphy's main aim to to make people laugh. Nothing wrong with that, and I hope he succeeds. He is truly funny and a living legend in Philippine cinema. "Gusto ko lang masayahan ang manonood", he says. I hope the One watching from above appreciates this funny movie, or else the one down below will be the one laughing out loud - and that would be very, very bad for Dolphy. I wonder who laughs last. Dolphy's time is running short and when the time comes for this sarado Katoliko, baka sarado pinto.
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Update: Dolphy asks for forgiveness

Odds and Ends 12/2/10

Holyfield to fight Denmark's Nielsen in March

COPENHAGEN (AP) — Former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield has been lined up to fight Denmark's Brian Nielsen in Denmark on March 5, promoters said Wednesday.
The bout will feature fighters with a combined age of 93 — Holyfield is 48, Nielsen 45.

The winner of the bout will get to challenge former heavyweight champ Smokin Joe Frazier, now 64 years old.
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CBCP exec questions results of survey on RH bill

...“Our impression is that they are trying to influence the legislators. They have to discuss the merits of bill and not the number [of its supporters],” Fr Melvin Castro said.

They are trying to influence the legislators, though perhaps only the unthinking or conscienceless ones. But how many legislators can be influenced by surveys rather than sound reasoning? Need a survey.
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P-Noy risks impeachment if RH bill is enacted into law

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino could expose himself to a torrent of impeachment complaints if he enacts into law pending Reproductive Health (RH) bills in the House of Representatives without removing provisions that promote abortions, a lawmaker warned today.

Bacolod City Rep. Anthony Golez aired the warning at the resumption of the hearings on the controversial RH Bill in the House committee on population and family relations that stalled on the issue of agreeing on when life begins.

“Before we can even decide at all (on whether to pass or not the RH Bill), we have to decide whether or not this state, as enshrined in the Constitution, would protect the life of mother and unborn from moment of fertilization or conception? I think Mr. Chair, we should discuss that first,” Golez, a medical doctor, said.

Good point, as the President has sworn to uphold the Constitution. Legislators likewise. The RH proponents must first answer the question squarely: Does the bill unequivocally protect the unborn (as the Constitution asserts) from the moment of conception? Yes or No? Why is the pro-RH crowd fidgety with answering this question first?

Odds and Ends 11/19/10

Lawmakers defend Noy's 'lightweight' Cabinet appointees

MANILA, Philippines - Administration lawmakers rushed yesterday to the defense of President Aquino’s “lightweight” Cabinet officials, whose confirmation in the Commission on Appointments (CA) remains uncertain. The House members were reacting to threats from Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, a member of the CA, to “massacre” at least six Cabinet officials of the Aquino administration for their supposed arrogance and incompetence. She had called the unnamed officials “smug, self-satisfied, non-elected appointees” and “lightweights.” The President dismissed Santiago’s threat, saying “she’s entitled to her own opinion.”

Actually, I would tend to agree with Senator Santiago's position to remove the 'lightweights' in President Aquino’s appointed Cabinet officials, PROVIDED we also remove the 'super-lightweights' in the Senate and Lower House.
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Joker renews call on Holy See to correct number of Pinoy cardinals

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Joker Arroyo reiterated yesterday his call on Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to reply to the Senate’s call to increase the number of Filipino cardinals in the country.

In a privilege speech last Wednesday, Arroyo expressed the need for the Senate to reiterate anew its “sense” before Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic hierarchy over the “grossly disproportionate” number of Filipino cardinals to the huge Catholic population of the Philippines. Arroyo noted that the Senate adopted a resolution on the matter on Nov. 7, 2007 but the Senate has not gotten any response from the Holy See until now.

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE !!! SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE !!! SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE !!! SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE !!!

Aahhh. That feels so gooood to turn the tables around, once in a while. I guess the Holy See should respond by issuing a doctrinal note that demands that the Philippine legislative chambers get populated by authentic, practising Catholics, not of the cafeteria kind. After all, the Philippines is the second country in the world with the biggest number of Catholics but is ironically lacking in PRACTISING Catholic Senators and Congressmen.
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'Phl could get poorer due to ballooning population'

MANILA, Philippines - A US-based population and health expert yesterday warned that the Philippines could be as impoverished as Somalia because of its ballooning population. Dr. Malcolm Potts, professor at the Bixby Center for Population, Health and Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley, said the growing population is the most important issue in the country.

He said the Philippines’ population could hit 160 million in the next 40 years if the government would not implement an effective reproductive health policy. “Unless a reproductive health bill goes through, unless you are able to offer the poorest economic quintile living on P5 a day the choices that they deserve, then people will be poorer, you will be importing food, you will (be) more like Somalia than like Thailand,” Potts said in a forum organized by the Asia Society Philippine Foundation, Inc...

Ho-hum...ad nauseam, ad nauseam...

Now repeat after me:

PNoy: Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.
Pro RH-Bill: Kung walang mahirap, walang mahirap!
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Odds and Ends 11/17/10

Sen. Santiago ‘threatens’ ex-Aquino girlfriend with firecracker

MANILA, Philippines – If Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago had her way, she would throw a firecracker at the former girlfriend of President Benigno Aquino III so that she would become more “animated.”

“I like her as a personality but she's so demure,” Santiago said of Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad.

“Sometimes, I kid my husband, I should go to the studio and throw a firecracker at her so that she will be a little more animated but I like her,” said Santiago who, to the surprise of Senate reporters, gave her opinion about the local official who broke up recently with the President...

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has a point. I have watched brief glimpses of the variety show "Willing Willie" where Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad co-hosted. She indeed appeared demure, reserved, and so "mahinhin" which is quite unusual for a host of a prime-time variety entertainment show. I guess Willie Revillame provides a balanced counterpoint as the main host. I also think that a "demure" is a somewhat relative term, compared to lets say..Senator Santiago. If a dose of firecrackers can indeed make Councilor Shalani much more animated, I guess Senator Santiago has been through a lot of rocket fire bombardment.
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Santiago vows to ‘massacre’ Aquino’s ‘lightweight’ Cabinet execs

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago vowed Wednesday to “massacre” at least half a dozen “very lightweight” and “smug, self-satisfied, non-elected appointees” in President Benigno Aquino III’s Cabinet..

"Yung mga [Those] smug, self-satisfied, non-elected appointees. This is a very light weight Cabinet. Boy, they are so light-weight, they are liable to float off on their own delusions of grandeur. Akala nila kung sino sila [Who do they think they are]. Dumaan muna sa halalan [They should go through elections] because the power of government is exercised by the people, by the electorate, in an election”..

Santiago said Section 20 could be invoked if an appointee has low intelligence quotient as this would be a crime against Philippine government and society.

“Mga low IQ lang sila tapos ang tatapang nila [They have low IQ and yet they’re so arrogant],” she further said...

See?
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Plebiscite last resort for RH bill

MANILA, Philippines - A co-author of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill yesterday said Congress could resort to a plebiscite if it fails to pass the measure that is strongly contested by the Catholic Church.

“Let the people decide. Let us give the decision to the people if they really want or not the RH Bill or not,” Bukidnon Rep. Jose Ma. Zubiri said in a news forum in Quezon City...

Did I read you right, Senator Zubiri? "...Congress could resort to a plebiscite if it fails to pass the measure that is strongly contested by the Catholic Church." What the ..? Now why on earth would Congress deliberate on the bill, reject it in due process, and then move for a plebiscite on a bill which it rejects in the first place? Pray tell us the rationale behind your thinking, Senator. Otherwise, you might be "massacred" by Senator Santiago. Methinks your honor suffered a rather strong firecracker blast.
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Offending religious feelings: Not?

Offending religious feelings: Not?

Tourist guide Celdran pleads not guilty to ‘offending religious feelings’

MANILA, Philippines -- Tourist guide Carlo Celdran donned his Jose Rizal suit anew for his arraignment on Thursday at the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) where he pleaded not guilty to the charge of offending religious feelings.

Amazing. Caught with his hands in the cookie jar: No, I didn't intend to filch cookies!

He said that he wore his Jose Rizal duds so the public would not forget his message on the necessity of the passage of the reproductive health bill.
“I also wore my Jose Rizal costume because it is Halloween,” he laughingly pointed out.

Haha. But wait...since when has Rizal been a Halloween character?

Asked if he would consider any offer of dropping the charge against him under any condition, he said that he has already apologized for disrupting the ecumenical service but pointed out, “I will not apologize for my message. In my pleading not guilty, it means I am standing by the fact that I did not say anything offensive.”

Carlos: The message is tolerable, but the action you did to spout the message is not. Gets?

Lawyer Marlon Manuel said that his client would be open to a settlement if the Church officials would not insist that Celdran admit to offending religious feelings.

Atty Manuel: Who on earth is bargaining for a settlement? You and your client should realize that you are in no position to bargain for anything.
On the other hand, Celdran is in a perfect position for remorse and repentance.
Otherwise, you should advise your client to look forward to six months of guiding tours around the prison grounds carrying a placard which says "Ako si Sisa".
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Odds and Ends 10/19/2010

DepEd suspends classes in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Education suspended classes in the elementary and high school levels in both public and private schools in Metro Manila starting at noon Tuesday in light of continuing inclement weather following the passage of super-typhoon “Juan” (international codename: Megi).

Here we go again, suspending classes starting at noon. All the while we had the impression that the typhoon was going to hit hard much earlier, and this supension happens just at the time when the typhoon is weakening AND the students are already in class. With the numerous typhoons hitting our country over and over again since time immemorial, one thinks that we should have mastered the art of suspending classes by now.
Oh well, some things never change.
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Malaysian king's palace to cost $258 million

KUALA LUMPUR – A massive new palace being built for Malaysia's king is expected to be completed next June, at a total cost of $258 million, parliament has been told.

The "Istana Negara," or national palace, is taking shape on a hilltop in a Kuala Lumpur suburb and is an enormous complex of dome-topped buildings linked to the city's highways with special access roads.

Just another one of those reasons that says that the world has more than enough resources to support all of its inhabitants.
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Octuplet mom's doctor faces license revocation hearing

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A California fertility doctor implanted a dozen embryos in Nadya Suleman, resulting in "an unsafe octuplet delivery" last year, a lawyer for the state's medical board said Monday.

Dr. Michael Kamrava, the fertility doctor who treated Suleman beginning in 1997, appeared before an administrative law judge Monday for a hearing that could lead to the loss of his medical license.

Kamrava "will say she demanded all 12 embryos and, because it was the weekend, he did not know what to do," said California Deputy Attorney General Judith Alvarado. "But he knew it was unsafe."

Suleman -- known in the media as "Octomom" -- was 33 years old when she gave birth to eight babies in January 2009. She was a single woman who already had six young children conceived through in-vitro fertilization administered by Kamrava..

..for a hearing that could lead to the loss of his medical license...

Crazy. A doctor who intentionally and willfully subjects his patients to an unnecessary, grave physical danger not only deserves loss of his medical license. He deserves penalty for a criminal act as well. According to the report, Suleman already has 8 children -- six boys and two girls born nine weeks premature. That should be enough reason to question the psychological state of the mother who it appears, is in no financial condition to support even her current children.
They are already all under welfare. What was this fertility doctor thinking when he implanted a dozen embryos into a financially distraught woman, who already has eight children she cannot support, who is not even married, and who will be placed in grave physical danger? I wonder if this doctor has the good sense to plead insanity.

(Note: for the Catholic position against IVF, read Donum Vitae and Dignitas Personae)
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Que horror

Luistro tries Chavacano, calls students ‘servants'

Ordering the students to return to their classes after the brief program, Luistro said: “Maga muchachos y muchachas, entra ya ustedes na clase.”

His words came as a shocker to the more than 600-strong crowd, including teachers, principals, supervisors and students.

Abelardo Brutas Jr., principal of Lubigan National High School and secretary-general of the Teachers Organization of the Philippines Public Sector (TOPPS), said he was shocked to hear the secretary calling the students servants. “I am from Luzon and muchacho or muchacha means househelper, katulong, alipin,” Brutas said.

...Claretian Missionary Father Angel Calvo said Luistro might have thought that Chavacano is Spanish and had them mixed up.
Calvo, himself a Spaniard, said that in Spanish, “muchacho” and “muchacha” mean “adolescent boy and girl, [respectively].” But in Chavacano, they mean servant.

Still, Calvo said Luistro should have said in pure Spanish: “Muchachos y muchachas, vuelvan a vuestras clases.”

In an interview, Luistro apologized for the mistake. “Sorry, I forgot my Spanish. It was an innocent mistake,” he said...
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I took up Spanish subjects in elementary as well as 12 units in college. In elementary, we used to pray the rosary in Spanish. Although I cannot carry a decent conversation in that language, I understand well enough (having grown up in Manila) that "muchacha" stands for a helper/servant in a deprecatory sort of way. Probably had something to do with the culture wrought by the domineering Spaniards at the time. If Sec Luistro were quite older, he would have understood. The word is almost never used now, to my knowledge. In most households the helper is called 'katulong' (helper) or 'kasambahay' (kasama sa bahay). In our own household, our children fondly call our female helpers "ate", a term commonly used for older female siblings.

To put it simply, Sec Luistro was lost in translation. One has to be very careful with this kind of thing. For example, there are many bible translations that do not convey the actual sense of the original Hebrew or Greek texts. In like manner, there are even occurrences of official Vatican translations of the original encyclicals that contain faulty English translations. When one becomes confused, it is best to study the entire context, or seek the original texts and attempt an exegesis if one is so qualified. In this case, I understand Sec Luistro's context. I suppose his next message to the students should be: "When you are unsure of something, study it more deeply. Do not assume a false sense of confidence. Yet as you make mistakes, like what I embarrassingly did, apologize readily, stand corrected, and learn from the experience. The latter is the true mark of an educated person.".

I feel so sorry for Education Secretary Luistro's blooper. It was an innocent mistake alright.

Que lastima.
or should I say: Que horror.

Odds and Ends 10/11/20

DSWD services strained by 'overpopulation' -Soliman

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - If there is one government agency that is feeling the impact of overpopulation, it is the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman made the statement even as she expressed full support for the reproductive health bill in Congress...

I feel so sorry for the word 'overpopulation' being blamed over and over again. The most popular and convenient scapegoat of all times: balagoong at lagi na lang taya. Of course Soliman's statement should have been "If there is one government agency that is feeling the impact of poverty and/or overcrowding in urban centers, it is the Department of Social Welfare and Development". At any rate she should not be surprised at all that her agency would have its hands full, considering more than 30% of Filipino's live below the poverty line - what can she expect. As if her agency is the only one hard-pressed. Certainly, there are many public service agencies that have tough jobs alleviating poverty, and there are public service agencies (and officials) and economic policies that aggravate this poverty. It never ceases to amaze me that even intelligent (?) and well-meaning people get mesmerized by the overpopulation myth.
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Woman is ordained as Catholic priest in Canada

MONTREAL, Canada—Despite a Vatican ban and threats to excommunicate her, a sixth Canadian woman was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest Saturday, an official with a group supporting women in the priesthood said.

The group Roman Catholic Womenpriests ordained Linda Spear, a retired teacher from Quebec, in an Anglican church in Sutton, Quebec, eastern Canada...

Another misnomer. At least the reporter in the previous item had the good sense to put 'overpopulation' in quotes, so 'ordained' should have been place in quotes likewise here. The correct title would be "Woman thought she was 'ordained' as Catholic priest in Canada". This report is wrong on so many levels that one does not even know where to start. For starters, how can the Vatican possibly excommunicate a person who has already separated herself from the Catholic Church. And there is no such thing as Womenpriests, much less Roman Catholic Womenpriests.
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The Church in the public sphere
By Randy David
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10/10/2010

...It is difficult to argue against the Church’s assertion of its public role. We may disagree with its pronouncements on today’s burning issues and problems, but public discourse is not served by excluding its voice. It has as much right as any public institution to be heard on any issue it considers important. At the same time, the Church must respect the autonomy and independence of the political system, and the Pope himself has said so many times...

At last a non-partisan, non-religious columnist who knows what he's saying. All of you who holler "Separation of church and state!" and "Church meddling!", repeat after me:

We may disagree with its [the Church's] pronouncements on today’s burning issues and problems, but public discourse is not served by excluding its voice. It has as much right as any public institution to be heard on any issue it considers important.
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Flag-raising: FAIL

RP flag blooper in New York not intentional—US embassy

Aquino: Inverted RP flag an honest mistake

‘Critics have nothing better to do’ — Aquino

SAN FRANCISCO, California — President Aquino dismissed the protests over the wrong way the Philippine flag was displayed during the 2nd Asean-US Summit at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

“Some people just don’t have anything to do,” Aquino said in a not-so-subtle swipe at those who criticized the inverted Philippine flag during the summit.
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Aha. Napikon. The US embassy already came up with the statement that the upside-down flag was an “honest mistake”. I think it was a funny one too, although I suppose there were a lot of red faces on the US Embassy side. It appears the flag has no fine print on top which says: this side up.

I guess the whole incident just deserved an honest to goodness laugh. Imagine, all the while that Obama and Aquino were having a dialogue, the Philippine flag was set upside down. Was it supposed to be a combative dialogue? Surely, I don't see the error as disrespect, just a silly albeit honest mistake. “A person is not perfect. Sooner or later, he would make a mistake,” Aquino said in defense. So, it seems he already apologized in behalf of the guilty who has not yet been identified. Pero, kailangan pa rin imbestigahan ito! We should not take this sitting down! The culprits must be found! Ibitin ng patiwarik ang may kasalanan! Nyahaha.

Odds and Ends 9/14/10

Media people can also be held accountable for bungled hostage rescue

Media admit lapses in Manila hostage coverage (breaking news)

MANILA, Philippines. After four hours of hearing, executives of media organizations finally admitted committing "major, major" lapses in their coverage of the August 23 hostage-taking that left eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker, a dismissed police officer, dead.
... In the end, Soho and Ressa insisted on self-regulation instead of a law that would regulate the media.

Just as I thought (as did most people).

The tough question to answer is -- how long does one realize and admit what was right and what was wrong? 22 days? More likely 22 days and 4 hours of congressional hearing. At least the media committed to self-regulation. Just imagine if self-regulation was the norm in this world. We would then have minimal need for police regulation and it would be a harmonious, peaceful world. On the other hand, imagine taking away self-regulation, and combine it with police that does not regulate for whatever reason. Uhm...no need to imagine.
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Arroyo bill seeks to get tough on drunk driving

MANILA, Philippines. Former president Gloria Macagapagal-Arroyo now wants her successor to get tough at drunk drivers.

Arroyo, representative of the second district of Pampanga, has refiled a bill early seeking stricter penalties on DUI and/or DWI offenders, which stand for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving while intoxicated, respectively.

Another instance in a country where the common phrase "mahigpit na ipinapagbabawal" so sticks out as an ironic oddity. I am certainly strongly against DUI/DWI, but isn't drunken driving already covered by existing laws? Just how would the police catch these drunken drivers? By observing motorist behavior on the road and accosting those who appear to drive like drunks?. If that is the case, then I think the majority of the jeepney, taxi drivers (and those arrogant SUV and BUS drivers) I meet on the road are dizzy-drunk. Those guys routinely drive like lunatics and cause severe accidents, even without a drop of alcohol in their bloodstream. A 2008 DOH report mentioned road accidents as the fourth leading cause of death in the Philippines, but attributed those to many factors while DUI/DWI was never even mentioned even as a minor causal. I have no issue with the noble intention of Congresswoman Arroyo, but there is also the additional issue of the authorities having enough breathalyzers (and common sense) to reasonably implement this or any type of proactive road safety program. For one thing, we need to buy enough breathalyzers if we are really serious about this. Hmm, I hope some people are not bound to make a killing.
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