I needed to find something that would bring back the honour lost and regain the ideals of public service that were so corrupted by the present administration. It did not take me that long to find and know Mar Roxas.

Despite his exclusive background as a wealthy scion of the Roxas clan, his accomplishments in the field of politics speak of inclusion through equal access to education for all Filipinos, affirmative taxation in favour of the poor and the less privileged, balanced business opportunities for Filipino entrepreneurs, and dignified work and improved working conditions for the working Filipino here and abroad.

Mar is unblemished. Mar is extremely competent. Mar leads by example. Mar listens to the people. Mar genuinely cares for the people. Mar is both the man and the hope I was looking for. The man epitomizes the ideals of public service. Mar is who I needed to believe again in what Filipinos are capable of achieving.

Through Mar Roxas, I realized that governance can be an inclusive process and should be a liberating exercise of power, responsibility, and rights. Countless times I have settled for the lesser evils in previous election times. For the first time in my life as a Filipino voter, I am voting with full confidence and pride.

Far too long we have settled for someone less qualified and less evil. Far too long we have set the bar below the barometer of competence and excellence. Well, there is no need to do personal compromises now. There is no need to sink lower and then convince ourselves that the decision we made was the best we can hope for.

Today is the time we can be both proud and hopeful. Now we can campaign and vote with inspiration instead of trepidation. The urgency of now dictates we join Mar for true reforms to come to our country.

Most will see this as a testimonial to a politician; some will interpret it as an invitation to join Mar’s campaign. A greater number of Mar supporters may even interpret this piece as duty calling to those who are obliged and ready and that I am one of those who have heeded the call with pride and utmost enthusiasm a long time ago.

May be they are right. But there is a simpler story behind this. A more selfish one I guess. I was lost and disillusioned and I found Mar Roxas who gave practical realizations to my aspirations as a Filipino citizen. More importantly, Mar and his brand of politics made me realized that we can be proud of our government and ultimately, of ourselves again.

Note: This piece was originally requested by the people running Mar’s Campaign. A version of it is posted in Mar’s FB Account. Comments are most welcome here or in Mar’s FB Account.

That is how most accounts describe the lifestyle of the Ampatuans as exemplified by their fetish for big and expansive mansions in Manila and Mindanao. And these are the elected government officials of the country’s second poorest province.

I personally passed by these mansions in my recent trips to Davao while our friend from Ateneo de Davao explained how the father and the son seem to be engaged in a contest on who could the build the bigger and more luxurious mansion in such a short span of time. Apparently, the whole of Davao City including the old rich themselves are just in awe. The city has never seen big edifices like these and thus, it has become a common practice for locals to show these to their visiting friends.

And then there is another story of the grand daughter studying at an exclusive school in Manila.

I can still vividly remember the story told by my student when I was teaching at Taft Avenue on how Ampatuan Sr’s grand daughter would often brag about her allowance of P5,000 a day. On top of this daily allowance, the student also boasts of her sky-is-the-limit access to her family’s credit cards as well as reimbursements for her projects and other school-related expense.

I was told how often this student goes to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok just to shop. Bringing with her her Filipino-Chinese boyfriend – who, I was told, could not carry all the shopping bags by himself so from time to time, she would ask some of her and his friends along. She did this at least twice a month.

Still, what is striking – or depressing – for me is at the end of the story, the student telling the story quipped: “Siguro ang saya maging kaibagan nya no?” (It would be fun to be in that student’s circle of friends). And the other students listening agreed.

And to that I remarked: I would not dream of being friends with these kinds of people. All her friends should be ashamed and embarrassed just to be associated with such a person and family.

And so, as the story of the Ampatuans is laid bare before us, we must pause and reflect on the simple truth: That we are part of the society that somehow created them. A society engrossed with material wealth and attracted to those with power and authority.

And yet, we still ask ourselves everyday: How did we end up this way?

Most people would say we should blame the Ampatuans and the Arroyos and the Marcoses. I say, yes, we can do that. Or we can also blame ourselves as part of a complicit society that allow people like them to reign and rule.

If you do not agree with me maybe you should ask my former student from a college along Katipunan Avenue who is endlessly envious of her friend being romantically pursued by the grandson of Mr. Chavit Singson.

Inquirer Headlines / Regions
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20091209-241051/Ampatuan-house-in-Davao-awes-agents-in-raid

Ampatuan house in Davao awes agents in raid

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: December 09, 2009

DAVAO CITY—Two feet-thick concrete fences and 15-inch thick walls. A lot area big enough for 20 upper middle-class homes, or 100 low-cost housing units, or 200 tanks.

National Bureau of Investigation agents and reporters gawked in awe at the enormity of the Ampatuan mansion in Juna Subdivision here, one of at least 13 that the clan owns in this city.

This one is owned by Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

To describe how huge the house was, a reporter said in jest that if food was being brought to one of the rooms upstairs, it would be spoiled by the time it reached its destination.

The opulence of the 2,000-square-meter structure, still under construction, came into full view as NBI agents on Saturday continued their search for evidence linking the Ampatuan clan to the mass murder of 57 people—30 journalists included—in a Maguindanao town that was named after them simply because the clan ran the province like a small kingdom.

The search took two hours. While it didn’t yield firearms or any piece of evidence, it unveiled just how the Ampatuans had been living the lifestyle of the rich and, in the clan’s case, infamous.

An agent, seeing the house for the first time, couldn’t help but comment on how inordinately rich the Ampatuans were: “Grabeng yaman naman ng mga ito.”

Although still under construction, signs of just how grandiose the house was screamed for attention beyond its white, pale yellow and mocha paint—shiny marble floors, fences as tall as two men standing on top of each other, a dressing room that is about the size of a bachelor’s pad, 22 air-conditioning machines that have not been installed, a 20-by-30-feet swimming pool shaped like the number 8.

The main room in the house is 300 square meters, big enough to build a small house on.

The main house is surrounded by what looked like servants’ quarters but could pass for first-class two-story apartment units. At the back are nipa huts that aren’t out of the ordinary except for the air-conditioners that jut out of them.

Juna Subdivision, where lots go for P7,500 per square meter, is no stranger to displays of opulence. It is known here as an enclave of the so-called old rich of Davao. But the Ampatuan mansion stands out.

“You will be overwhelmed,” said one reporter who covered the NBI raid on the house.

The one under construction sits on lot next to an existing mansion of the Ampatuans, owned by Andal Ampatuan Sr., on Kasuy Street in Juna Subdivision. It also sits on a 2,000-square-meter lot. Another house, smaller by the standards of the Ampatuans, is across the street and serves as living quarters for bodyguards and drivers.

The clan seems to have a fetish for houses. They have another in Marfori Subdivision, also an exclusive enclave, that also sits on a 2,000-square-meter lot. Another is in Nova Tiera Village, also an exclusive enclave.

These were raided and, while members of the raiding team failed to seize any gun or piece of evidence on the mass murder, they came out of the operations awed at how one clan could amass so much wealth from so poor a province as Maguindanao. Jeffrey M. Tupas and Dennis Jay Santos, Inquirer Mindanao.

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I am breaking my two-month silence because of an extraordinary event; because an extraordinary person passed away. A person I never imagined I could learn to admire and respect despite of and in spite of her perceived frailties. And today I write not because of anger or frustration, but because of hope and inspiration.

I grew up hating Corazon Cojuangco Aquino for the simple reason that my grandfather hated her. My grandfather believed Ferdinand Marcos was the best president we ever had. He was a true Marcos loyalist.  While I know now how much influence elders in the family have on a child, I do not put the blame entirely on my grandfather for my childhood and adolescent dislike for Cory. While my grandfather was obsessively blinded by his admiration of Ferdinand Marcos, Tita Cory for her part has had not so few shortcomings and mistakes during her term as president.

As a matter of fact, the misgivings I have for Tita Cory only grew in numbers when I was studying in UP. Upon learning how she failed to seize the moment to implement a genuine agrarian reform in the country, how she bowed to the pressure of honoring instead of repudiating the corruption-laced foreign debts incurred during Marcos’ time, and how she lobbied for the ratification of the US Bases Treaty, I never entertained any idea I would someday be saddened and emotionally affected in anyway except feel a feeling of relief by her passing.

As I remember Tita Cory now however, I keep in mind not her shortcomings as president but her contributions to the nation. I recall her kindness, sincerity, and humility not her frailty, elite upbringing, and so-called political miscues and naivete.  Indeed, if I am to speak about Cory Aquino now, I am gonna talk about her steadfast commitment to root out corruption, her unyielding tenacity to keep the integrity of the Philippine constitution, and her undaunted courage to bring back freedom and democracy to our country.

They say when a person dies, people instantly tend to look back at that person’s life in a more judicious manner.  Thus, the tendency to revere more the dead than the living. This may hold true for Corazon Cojuango Aquino.

However, I am glad I never waited for her death for me to learn how truly magnificent and magnanimous a person she was. Truly, we lost a gem of national treasure with her passing.

From the way I see it, GMA and her cohorts in Congress are not only trying their luck. Neither they are testing the relatively calm political waters. With their latest political stunt, they are insulting our political and intellectual sensibility. Do we not feel insulted? Ashmed of our continued inaction? Or of our inability to get angry?

What is keeping us from hurling stones (and other things that can injure, maim, or kill) at these congressmen and women who voted for House Bill 1109?

Call it a hit list or a shit list. Either way, it is a fitting description on the type of people that are in list. People that are, because of the kind of politics they play, should be dead in our eyes or ought to be “stoned” with all kinds of dungs and droppings we can muster for the kind of stench that they represent is of the lowest order…shame on them for “raping the constitution” and bastardizing democracy. Shame on us if we do not do something about this and about the list.

*Many thanks to Antonio Luna M. Ocampo and Marlowe Camello for providing us with the list

ABANTE, BIENVENIDO M. “BENNY” 6TH District Pandacan

ABLAN, ROQUE R. JR, Ilocos Norte, 1st District

AGBAYANI, VICTOR AGUEDO E. Pangasinan, 2nd District

AGYAO, MANUEL, S Kalinga Province

ALBANO (III), RODOLFO T. Isabela, 1st District

ALFELOR, FELIX R. JR. 4th District, Camarines Sur

ALMARIO, THELMA Z. Davao Oriental, 2nd District

ALVAREZ, ANTONIO C. Palawan 1st District

ALVAREZ, GENARO RAFAEL M. JR. Negros Occidental, 6th District

AMANTE, EDELMIRO A. Agusan Del Norte, 2nd District

AMATONG, ROMMEL C. Compostela Valley, 2nd District

ANGPING, MARIA ZENAIDA B. Manila, 3rd District

ANTONINO, RODOLFO W. Nueva Ecija, 4th District

APOSTOL, TRINIDAD G. Leyte, 2nd District

AQUINO, JOSE S. (II) 1st District Agusan del Norte

ARAGO, MARIA EVITA R. 3rd district, Laguna

ARBISON, A MUNIR M. Sulu 2nd District

ARENAS, MA. RACHEL J. Pangasinan, 3rd District

ARROYO, DIOSDADO M. Camarines Sur, 1st District

ARROYO, IGNACIO T. 5th district Negros Occidental

ARROYO, JUAN MIGUEL M. 2nd District of Pampanga

BAGATSING, AMADO S. Manila 5th district

BALINDONG, PANGALIAN M. Lanao del Sur, 2nd District

BARZAGA, ELPIDIO F. JR. Cavite, 2nd District

BAUTISTA, FRANKLIN P. Davao Del Sur, 2nd District

BELMONTE, VICENTE F. JR. Lanao del Norte, 1st District

BICHARA, AL FRANCIS C. Albay, 2nd District

BIRON, FERJENEL G. Iloilo, 4th District

BONDOC, ANNA YORK P. Pampanga 4th District

BONOAN-DAVID, MA. THERESA B. Manila, 4th District

BRAVO, NARCISO R. JR. Masbate, 1st District

BRIONES, NICANOR M. AGAP Party list

BUHAIN, EILEEN ERMITA Batangas, 1st District

BULUT, ELIAS C. JR. Apayao Lone District

CAGAS (IV), MARC DOUGLAS C. Davao Del Sur, 1st District

CAJAYON, MARY MITZI L. Caloocan, 2nd District

CAJES, ROBERTO C. Bohol, 2nd District

CARI, CARMEN L. Leyte, 5th District

CASTRO, FREDENIL H. Capiz, 2nd District

CELESTE, ARTHUR F. Pangasinan, 1st District

CERILLES, ANTONIO H. Zamboanga Del Sur, 2nd District

CHATTO, EDGARDO M. Bohol, 1st District

CHONG, GLENN A. Biliran, Lone District

CHUNG-LAO, SOLOMON R. Ifugao, Lone District

CLARETE, MARINA C. Misamis Occidental, 1st District

CODILLA, EUFROCINO M. SR. Leyte, 4th District

COJUANCO, MARK O. Pangasinan, 5th District

COQUILA, TEODULO M. Eastern Samar, Lone District

CRISOLOGO, VINCENT P. Quezon City, 1st District

CUA, JUNIE E. Quirino, Lone District

CUENCO, ANTONIO V. Cebu City, 2nd District

DANGWA, SAMUEL M. Benguet, Lone District

DATUMANONG, SIMEON A. Maguindanao, Lone District

Dayanghirang, Nelson L. Davao Oriental, 1st District

DAZA, NANETTE C. Quezon City, 4th District

DAZA, PAUL R. Northern Samar, 1st District

DE GUZMAN, DEL R. Marikina City, 2nd District

DEFENSOR, ARTHUR D. SR. Iloilo, 3rd District

DEFENSOR, MATIAS V. JR. Quezon City, 3rd District

DEL MAR, RAUL V. Cebu City, 1st District

DIASNES, CARLO OLIVER D. (MD) Batanes, Lone District

DIMAPORO, ABDULLAH D. Lanao Del Norte, 2nd District

DOMOGAN, MAURICIO G. Baguio, Lone District

DUAVIT, MICHAEL JOHN R. Rizal, 1st District

DUENAS, HENRY M. JR. Taguig, 2nd District (2nd Councilor District)

DUMARPA, FAYSAH MRP. Lanao del Sur, 1st District

DUMPIT, THOMAS L. JR. La Union, 2nd District

DURANO (IV), RAMON H. 5th District, Cebu

ECLEO, GLENDA B. Dinagat Islands, Lone District

EMANO, YEVGENY VICENTE B. Misamis Oriental, 2nd District

ENVERGA, WILFRIDO MARK M. Quezon, 1st District

ESTRELLA, CONRADO M. (III) Pangasinan, 6th District

ESTRELLA, ROBERT RAYMUND M. ABONO Party List

FERRER, JEFFREY P. Negros Occidental, 4th District

GARAY, FLORENCIO C. Surigao Del Sur, 2nd District

GARCIA, ALBERT S. Bataan, 2nd District.

GARCIA, PABLO JOHN F. Cebu, 3rd District

GARCIA, PABLO P. Cebu, 2nd District

GARCIA, VINCENT J. Davao City, 2nd District

GARIN, JANETTE L. Iloilo, 1st District

GATCHALIAN, REXLON T. Valenzuela City, 1st District

GATLABAYAN, ANGELITO C. Antipolo City, 2nd District

GO, ARNULFO F. Sultan Kudarat, 2nd District

GONZALES, AURELIO D. JR. Pampanga 3rd District

GONZALES, RAUL T. JR. Ilo ilo City

GULLAS, EDUARDO R. Cebu, 1st District

GUNIGUNDO, MAGTANGGOL T. Valenzuela City 2nd District

HOFER, DULCE ANN K. Zamboanga Sibugay, 2nd District

JAAFAR, NUR G. Tawi-Tawi, Lone District

JALA, ADAM RELSON L. Bohol, 3rd District

JALOSJOS, CESAR G. Zamboanga del Norte, 3rd District

JALOSJOS-CARREON, CECILIA G. Zamboanga del Norte, 1st District

JIKIRI, YUSOP H. Sulu, 1st District

KHO, ANTONIO T. Masbate, 2nd District

LABADLABAD, ROSENDO S. Zamboanga del Norte, 2nd District

LACSON, JOSE CARLOS V. Negros Occidental, 3rd District

LAGDAMEO, ANTONIO F. JR. Davao del Norte, 2nd District

LAPUS, JECI A. Tarlac, 3rd District

LAZATIN, CARMELO F. Pampanga, 1st District

LIM, RENO G. Albay, 3rd District

LOPEZ, JAIME C. Manila, 2nd District

MADRONA, ELEANORA JESUS F. Romblon, Lone District

MAGSAYSAY, MARIA MILAGROS H. Zambales, 1st District

MALAPITAN, OSCAR G. Caloocan, 1st District

MAMBA, MANUEL N. Cagayan, 3rd District

MANGUDADATU, DATU PAKUNG S. Sultan Kudarat,

MARANON, ALFREDO D. III Negros Occidental, 2nd District

MATUGAS, FRANCISCO T. Surigao del Norte, 1st District

MENDOZA, MARK LEANDRO L. Batangas, 4th District

MERCADO, ROGER G. Southern Leyte, Lone District

MIRAFLORES, FLORENCIO T. Aklan, Lone District

NAVA, JOAQUIN CARLOS RAHMAN A. (MD) Guimaras, Lone District

NICOLAS, REYLINA G. Bulacan, 4th District

NOGRALES, PROSPERO C. Davao City, 1st District

OLAñO, ARREL R. Davao Del Norte, 1st District

ONG, EMIL L. Northern Samar, 2nd District

ORTEGA, VICTOR FRANCISCO C. La Union, 1st District

PABLO, ERNESTO C. APEC Party List

PANCHO, PEDRO M. Bulacan, 2nd District

PANCRUDO, CANDIDO P. JR. Bukidnon, 1st District

PICHAY, PHILIP A. Surigao Del Sur, 1st District

PIñOL, BERNARDO F. JR. North Cotabato, 2nd District

PUNO, ROBERTO V. Antipolo City, 1st District

RAMIRO, HERMINIA M. Misamis Occidental, 2nd District

REMULLA, JESUS CRISPIN C. Cavite, 3rd District

REYES, CARMELITA O. Marinduque, Lone District

REYES, VICTORIA H. Batangas, 3rd District

ROBES, ARTURO G. San Jose Del Monte City, Lone District

Rodriguez-Zaldarriaga, Adelina Rizal, 2nd District

ROMAN, HERMINIA B. Bataan, 1st District

ROMARATE, GUILLERMO A. JR. Surigao del Norte, 2nd District

ROMUALDEZ, FERDINAND MARTIN G. Leyte, 1st District

ROMUALDO, PEDRO Camiguin, Lone District

ROMULO, ROMAN T. Pasig City, Lone District

ROXAS, JOSE ANTONIO F. Pasay City

SALIMBANGON, BENHUR L. Cebu, 4th District

SALVACION JR., ANDRES D. Leyte, 3rd District

SAN LUIS, EDGAR S. Laguna, 4th District

SANDOVAL, ALVIN S. Malabon-Navotas, Lone District

SANTIAGO, JOSEPH A. Catanduanes, Lone District

SANTIAGO, NARCISO D. (III) ARC Party List

SEACHON-LANETE, RIZALINA L. 3rd district of Masbate

SEARES-LUNA, CECILIA M. Abra, Lone District

SILVERIO, LORNA C. Bulacan, 3rd District

SINGSON, ERIC D. Ilocos Sur, 2nd District

SINGSON, RONALD V. Ilocos Sur, 1st District

SOLIS, JOSE G. Sorsogon, 2nd District

SOON-RUIZ, NERISSA CORAZON Cebu, 6th District

SUAREZ, DANILO E. Quezon, 3rd District

SUSANO, MARY ANN L. Quezon City, 2nd District

SY-ALVARADO, MA. VICTORIA R. Bulacan, 1st District

SYJUCO, JUDY J. 2nd Dsitrict, Iloilo

TALINO-MENDOZA, EMMYLOU J. North Cotabato, 1st District

TAN, SHAREE ANN T. Samar, 2nd District

TEODORO, MARCELINO R. Marikina City, 1st District

TEODORO, MONICA LOUISSE PRIETO Tarlac, 1st District

TEVES, PRYDE HENRY A. Negros Oriental, 3rd District

TUPAS, NEIL C. JR. Iloilo, 5th District

UNGAB, ISIDRO T. Davao City, 3rd District

UY, EDWIN C. Isabela, 2nd District

UY, REYNALDO S. Samar, 1st District

UY, ROLANDO A. Cagayan De Oro City, Lone District

VALDEZ, EDGAR L. APEC Party List

VALENCIA, RODOLFO G. Oriental Mindoro, 1st District

VARGAS, FLORENCIO L. Cagayan, 2nd District

VILLAFUERTE, LUIS R. Camarines Sur, 2nd District

VILLAROSA, MA. AMELITA C. Occidental Mindoro, Lone District

VIOLAGO, JOSEPH GILBERT F. Nueva Ecija, 2nd District

YAP, JOSE V. Tarlac, 2nd District

YU, VICTOR J. Zamboanga Del Sur, 1st District

ZAMORA, MANUEL E. 1st District, Compostela Valley

ZIALCITA, EDUARDO C. Parañaque, 1st District

In the midst of this school year’s opening, what has pre-occupied the many revolves on the issue on whether the government and other stakeholders in the education sector have laid down proper procedures for dealing with the possibility of a swine flu virus outbreak in our schools like what just happened in Japan and Mexico. While questions about this are valid and important, I believe things are being handled quite successfully by the Department of Health and the Department of Education.

Having said this, parents, teachers, students, and other Filipinos who all have a stake in how the young are educated should focus their energy on other pressing issues affecting our schools and our youngs. And what are these issues?

Books and cigarettes.

These are the two particular issues of great importance to all of us that if not discussed seriously and acted upon with haste, would gravely affect the future of our country. These two issues, while distinct from one another are tied to one common denominator: that of question of access.

The first issue concerns the imposition of import levies on imported books not of educational material by the Bureau of Customs. While many of us in the academic community have struggled to make our students read more, it seems our officials at the Bureau of Customs just gave our students a perfect reason not to read: by making books more expensive.

I know for a fact that there are quality books out there and there are those which, oh well, not worthy of our time to read. But the decision whether to read or not a published material should not be decided by the government by virtue of their power to tax. For all intents and purposes, books should not be judged by their cover (i.e. of teaching and non-teaching material) and should by default, be always considered as educational materials.

The second issue that needs our attention is the growing number of Filipino youths under the age of 18 who are smokers. A law was passed a few years back banning the sale of cigarettes to minor but apparently, it is not working. Why? Because the prices of cigarettes in the country remain very very low. What makes this possible is the government’s inability to tax these “sin” products.

Many sectors at national and international levels have called the attention of the Philippine government on this issue. From the Department of Health issuing a health bulletin on the rising deaths, injuries, and illnesses arising from tobacco use to the Department of Finance urging Congress to pass the bill increasing the excise tax imposed on sin products to generate more income for the government for social purposes.

Despite the pleas and the calls for action, nothing so far has convinced the present administration in Malacanang to certify such a measure as urgent. Not even the study conducted and published by the World Health Organization has moved the government to action. Its utterly frustrating but only a government with retarded priorities would put books over cigarettes, knowledge over certainty of illnesses and early and agonizing death.

It is about time we do something for our students this June. Protect them from the preying marketing strategies of the tobacco companies and give them the ultimate gift of a lifetime: access to books, access to knowledge, and access to healthier lifestyles.

Our message cannot be simpler and clearer: No to taxes on books and yes to increased taxes on tobacco and other sin products!

Time and again, our government has proven that they keep a handful of retarded people in their ranks. For what can be more retarded than a government refusing to raise taxes on sinful products like tobacco and alcohol but arbitrarily increasing the taxes and levies imposed on books?

Last time I checked, books are good for all people of all ages, gender, and social class. Indeed, books are the complete remedy to ignorance, apathy, and all sorts of other problems one encounters throughout a lifetime. There only downside? They are pretty expensive.

Tobacco? It kills. That is certain. Alcohol? Makes you dizzy and vomit at best. May induce you to kill or maim someone at worst. And depending what type you take, alcohol can either get you into thinking you were raped or you were having a consensual sex too. Their only upside? They come cheap in this country.

In the Philippines, you find milk and other food staples more expensive than alcohol and tobacco products. In the Philippines, books are already over priced that most people resort to buying DVDs for entertainment, recreational, and even educational purposes. No wonder the country’s libraries seem to run out of good books while booze and cigarettes come in handy as these can be bought anywhere and practically at anytime.

What kind of government would, as a matter of state policy, allow a crate of beer, a box of rhum, whiskey, or gin, and most importantly, a box of cigarette more accessible to the young than a copy of a good book?

Worse, what kind of people would allow such a government to pursue and implement such a policy?

From a retarded government comes retarded citizens who would rather drink and smoke their way out of personal and national problems rather than read, learn, and raise questions. What a pity.

The urgency of increasing the excise tax on tobacco and alcohol has been certified urgent by the Department of Finance since the collection resulting from the proposed changes would yield at least 20 Billion, which will be used to cover a ballooning budget deficit. Revenue from tobacco and alcohol products has been steadily eroded by inflation because they are currently taxed on the basis of volume rather than value. For example, many of Lucio Tan’s cigarette brands are still being taxed at their 1996 selling price when in fact these are now being sold more than twice their 1996 value.

The Department of Health has also called for the approval of the bill since increased in taxes on sinful products would help improve the health of the Filipinos. Year in and year out, public service-minded congressmen like Rep. Danilo Suarez of Quezon have been proposing to correct this pricing imbalance but to no avail. The lure of lobby money from tobacco and liquor companies always seem to hold sway in congress.

Misplaced priorities,  misaligned allocations, and malignant virtues of greed would again deny Filipino people of the needed money to build more hospitals and schools while protecting the health of the millions of Filipinos victimized by cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. Moreover, streamlining taxes imposed on sin products would also help improve our tax collection ratio and if we do this, we can even use the fresh infusion of money to achieve the MDG Goal 1 of eliminating extreme poverty in the Philippines. That is at least 2 million Filipinos out of extreme poverty (living on less than 1 USD a day) by 2015!

But alas, this is not the goal in mind by many of our congressmen. They would rather not take anything from Lucio Tan, considered to be one of the wealthiest Filipinos by the way, and give it back to those in need. What is even more disappointing is the manner good bills are being disposed of in the House of Representatives. They are not even being debated as these proposed bill never reach plenary discussion.

Since GMA assumed office, the House of Representatives has found a knack in getting rid at the committee level urgent measures and proposals wanted by the public to be passed or at least judiciously debated.  First to suffer this fate are the impeachment complaints against GMA for the past four years. Second are the proposals to increase the sin taxes for the past half a decade. And third to suffer this fate, and this is my fearless forecast, would be the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Guitierrez.

It seems the good days for sinful people inside and outside congress are here to stay. For how long? That is the question we have to ask ourselves.

The latest political advertisement by Mar Roxas is a failure for many reasons. First, the script is plainly nonsensical, the message fails to connect, and the image it wishes to convey is nothing but short of being superficial. Second, it is not yet time to do political campaigning. And the Mr. Padyak commercial is clearly a political advertisement for the 2010 elections.

While a rival to the presidency has been spending millions everyday since last year for these advertisements, Mar Roxas need not imitate the strategy of this traditional and corrupt politician from Las Pinas. Known for his statesmanship rather than political showmanship, Mar Roxas should be delivering political messages and not political advertisements. The former puts premium on issues, substance, and advocacy while the latter prefers to waste time on political tidbits and image-creation.

The core strengths of Mar Roxas as a candidate for the presidency, the very reasons why many people are supporting him lies not in his image or surname but the kind of politics he represents. We do not support him because he is soon to be married to a television personality. Rather, a number of his supporters have expressed reservations on his marital plans. We support him because of his accomplishment and track record as a public servant, his unblemished political integrity, and his intelligence and acknowledged capacity to be president. These are the things that should be emphasized in doing a political message by and for Mar Roxas. Image should come after, not before these core values.

And why change or alter an image that has already worked wonders for Mr. Palengke on the first place?Why stick to the politics of image when for all intents and purposes, Mar Roxas can win the politics of action and compassion hands down?

Let the wedding and showbiz interviews do the image work. This early part of the 2010 game, political advertisements need to be political – meaning with substance and advocacy. Hence, why not emphasize the recent laws he has authored that helped millions of Filipinos save their hard earned money through the Minimum Wage Income Tax Exemption Law and the Cheaper Medicines Act? By doing so, one combines both the image and advocacy of a compassionate and effective leader in one coherent message.

Instead of saying vaguely “lalaban tayo,” without really emphasizing how and pinpointing who or what the enemies are, why not declare lalaban tayo sa kahirapan, korapsyon, at mahal na gamot. These can then be followed by his achievements as congressman, as DTI Secretary (when he refused to use his position to grant Araneta Center a special economic and investment zone status) and senator?

I once read a Mar Roxas speech during his visit at Lyceum of the Philippines University in 2007. It was the height of the self-aggrandizement by Mrs. Arroyo for having achieved the highest GDP growth in 20 years for the Philippines (see my related post about this topic).

Mar Roxas retorted, something like: Ang sukatan ng kaunlaran ay di nakikita sa pagtaas or pagbaba ng ekonomiya base sa mga kumplikadong sistemang panukat ng GNP, GDP, or ng Philippine Stock Exchange. Ang tunay na sukatan ng kaunlaran ay ramdam natin sa mga talipapa at mga palengke. Ang mga lugar na ito, na nagpapakita kung gaano kadami or kaunti ang nabibili ng Piso mo para sa iiuwing pagkain, gamot at pang-baon sa eskwela ang dapat pinagtutuunan ng pansin ng pamahalaan at di ang mga numero lamang na walang kahulugan sa buhay ng mga Pilipino. Sapagkat sa talipapa at sa mga palengke lamang natin makikita ang tunay na pamumuhay ng mga Pilipino.

I wonder where the Mar Roxas who said these words and the people who helped him craft this message have gone. I want the genuine Mr. Palengke and not the bogus Mr. Padyak.

Would the real Mar Roxas please stand up.

And yes, they are going to do it. They are getting married this year.

Mar Roxas is scheduled to make an official announcement of the wedding this coming Monday, April 20, 2009. A pamamanhikan is already in the offing with Korina’s two siblings (I think Korina’s parents have both passed away.)

And so the predictions hold true.

This marks the start of the long march for Mar and Korina – not the march along the wedding aisle but the march towards the presidency in 2010.

Two particular items that made an impact on me are EFA (Education for All) and ESD (Education for Sustainable Development). But more than the content, the greatest learning I had from my participation in the two events in Bonn is about protocol and how, in many ways and for many reasons, the UN ways of doing things actually maintains, legitimize, and reinforces the many forms of exclusion from their events.

Coming from an NGO perspective, I felt somewhat an outsider in the UNESCO event which was supposed to promote the values and ideals of inclusion, transparency, and participation through EFA and ESD. I must admit that I feel more at home with people from the NGO community than with the UNESCO event populated and dominated (yes, dominated both in numbers, presence, and influence) of people representing the various government and UN structures around the world. Perhaps the most important reflection I realized in these past few days is this: we do not need to go far as to cite the shortcomings of the UN or the Security Council on hard issues of security, climate change, education, and development to realize how bad things are at the UN.

I have experienced first hand the reason why the UN system of doing things must be reformed. This gathering UN agencies and their partners in governments and civil society can and should be the barometer on how the UN system, in structure, form, and process should change.  In promoting ESD and EFA, the UN itself must ensure that all their conferences are participatory, inclusive, and enabling. By many measures, the organizers in Germany of the UNESCO World Conference failed to live up to these ideals.