EDSA I AND NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY

On February 24, 2006 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PGMA) declared a "National State of Emergency". Up to this time, people from all sectors of society are still trying to figure out what this means.

Certainly, this does not mean "Martial Law". However, forces under the ultimate command of PGMA has acted already as if it is "Martial Law" - warrantless arrests, violent dispersion of peaceful demonstrations, warrantless raid of a privately owned newspaper publication, etc.

February 24, 2006 is the culmination of a week-long celebration of the 20th anniversary celebration of EDSA I, the popular revolution that toppled the dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. While the Filipino masa was contently enjoying its daily dose of Pinoy Big Brother, game shows and Korean and Mexican soap operas dubbed in Tagalog, the intellectual sector followed a week-long series of programs on the news channels, reminiscing the phenomenon that was EDSA I.

Ex-President Fidel Ramos got it right. He mentioned in one of the news programs dealing with the current declaration of national emergency that the 5 defining points in Philippine history are:

1. The KKK uprising of Bonifacio
2. The Jose Rizal martyrdom
3. The declaration of Independence by Aguinaldo
4. The Bataan Death March
5. EDSA I

The common theme - The Filipino's cry against oppression.

FVR laments the fact that February 24th's declaration of "National State of Emergency" happened on the 20th anniversary day of EDSA I, marring its very spirit. How ironic - we lost some semblance of democracy on the day we were to celebrate gaining democracy.

Violent dispersion of demonstrators - February 24, 2006

SHABU SUPERMARKET

The biggest shabu (methamphetamine) supermarket was busted by government agents 2 days ago. Apparently, this is a place where people freely come and go and get their drugs on retail or wholesale. More than 150 were arrested (may of them minors caught as vendors or customers), many more escaped.

Blame is flying all over. There is an ongoing skirmish between Mayor Vicente Eusebio and Congressman Dudut Jaworski (of the Pasig District). Here's the latest, Jaworski is alleging that Eusebio destroyed critical evidence by quickly demolishing today the more than 50 house/stations involved in the trade. More and more, he is asking for Eusebio's resignation.

Jaworski is laying the blame squarely on Eusebio's feet, pointing out over and over again that the mega drug den is 200 meters from Pasig City Hall.

Distance is relative. Whereas the shabu supermarket is 200 meters from Pasig City Hall, it is 9000 meters from Malacanang, and about the same distance from Congress.

A COMMENT FROM A NORWEGIAN REGARDING "WTO AND THE MILITANTS" POSTED 12/14/2005

Am I #@*! (expletive) on my leg here if I also claim that subsidies IS corruption?I don't directly disagree with you Doc, but "paying somebody off" to produceor do what the Government wants sounds definitely like corruption for me, sosaying that subsidies is NOT corruption also provokes me quite a lot. Wehave a LOT of that in Norway, - and the farmers always take the bribe cozthey can't afford to say no.

I can give you some few examples from Norway: Agriculture is subsidized.Why? It's certainly not because the Government pity's the population thatwould have to pay so high prices for the food, and it's certainly also notbecause the Government pities the farmers. The farmers has to be subsidized (read bribed) because nobody wants to be a farmer anymore. It's subsidies for milk, butter, cheese, flour, potatoes, meat, - you name it. If the croprots while it's stored the farmers don't even need to have insurance, cozthey get paid back from the Government. If the weather is bad and apercentage of the harvest they also get a refund. The farmers feed the animals 2 times a day in Norway, and the "working season" is 4 to 5 months.The rest of the time they basically can lie on their back watching TV. I know, - I have an uncle and a cousin that are farmers. They always complain, but they have to. If not the money stops coming. It's a part ofthe game.

Officially this is subsidizing. EU has a huge problem with the Norwegian subsidies, and that and the oil is the two major reasons that we are not amember of EU. Unofficially this is of course bribing..

Subsidies are almost always some form of bribing. You pay somebody off inorder to get them to do what you want, and if you find out that they actually have gotten too much in payoffs you just tax them to death after.

Don't you see any similarities here Doc?

-kjell-

HOLIDAY SEASON 2005

Lapu-Lapu Times wishes you
Happy Holidays!

WTO AND THE MILITANTS

As far as I can remember, WTO (World Trade Organization) meetings have always been hounded by radical demonstrators wherever in the world – Seattle, WA (USA), Montreal (Canada), Peru, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), etc.

And now, Hong Kong, where it is having its meeting from the 13th to the 18th of this month. As shown on TV, the streets of Hong Kong are getting ugly from the angry demonstrators from many different nationalities.

The main beef has always been…subsidy. Subsidy is killing the poorer countries’ farmers. A brief description of the problem: The affluent countries give subsidy to its farmer, so therefore the farmers can produce more (a whole lot more) for less cost (a whole lot less), then flood their cheaply priced product into the global market, and kill the poorer non-subsidized farmers.

Some of the loudest voices in Hong Kong are the “poor” Filipinos.

Hello! That’s what the fertilizer fund was. More than 2 billion pesos disbursed by the Department of Budget and Management, but alas, never reached the farmers.

DR. AMORES IN SUNSTAR.CEBU

Last Monday, November 28, Dr. Amores was featured as the headline in the Life Style Section of SunStar.Cebu. He talked mainly on the broad topic of Cosmetic Surgery in Cebu.

WISE AND WISER - BRIDGE TRAFFIC REVERTS TO OLD ONE

Whew! I am glad that one is over.

Here is a humble suggestion to the Bridge Management Board: Post people for say a week on both ends of the two bridges, and have them count at specific times of the day the number of PUJ's, the number of cargo trucks, and the number of private vehicles using the two bridges.

Only after then should you be talking about:

• building a tunnel between Mactan and Cebu
• building a third bridge, or
• setting up a ferry system

What you need could simply be a new ramp going to the new bridge for say, PUJ's only.