A Balancing Act.

We are definitely going through hard times. The prices of basic commodities are going up while the spending power of minimum wage earners is waning. It is but understandable for workers to ask for a wage increase when their paycheck can no longer keep up with the rising cost of living. But will a wage increase help solve the problem? Based on today’s reports, the National Wage and Productivity Commission only approved a Php22 increase to the ECOLA of minimum wage earners.

Some labor groups have been clamoring for a PHP125 across the board increase which they think is enough to ease the burden of ordinary workers. This is ideal. The question is if this is attainable. We have to remember that even employers or local companies are going through hard times. Not all of them are capable of shouldering the wage increase. We may think this is silly. But come to think of it, not all businesses are flourishing these days. The last thing that we want to do is to force these employers to close their shops thereby losing more jobs.

Some regarded the P22 ECOLA increase as an insult. I heard someone commented on TV that Filipinos are world-class workers and they deserve just and decent compensation. I totally agree. But the government cannot stop private businesses from closing shop or laying off workers.

What the government did was a balancing act. It cannot burden the employers too much to force them out of business which may result to more unemployed people. Employers, however, said that they can only give a little over P13. We all agree that people need to cope up with the rising cost of basic commodities.

What the government needs to do is to come up with more concrete programs and long-term solutions to problems plaguing the country for decades now such as poverty and unemployment. I think the government should focus its efforts on generating more jobs and providing other opportunities to people while making the country a good place for businesses to thrive. Trainings programs should be readily accessible to people who would want to improve their skills and look for more lucrative jobs.

The government can only do so much. At the end of the day, we are responsible for our lives. Our government will not feed us all. We have to work hard to attain our goals and free ourselves from poverty. There are only limited opportunities out there. Many people are jobless so you are sure that there will be other people vying for the job that you want. Stiff competition is guaranteed. What we should do is to make sure that we are equipped with the necessary training and skills that will propel us to get our ideal job.


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Another victory for Manny Pacquiao

I was expecting an explosive boxing match last Sunday when Filipino world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao went up against former world champion Sugar Shane Mosley in Las Vegas , Nevada . After all, these two are both experienced boxers and have held numerous boxing championship belts. If you were one of the many people who have watched the match, then you should know what I’m talking about. It was not as we have expected, no staggering exchange of punches, no bloody faces. Certainly, Pacquiao had better fights. On the other hand, it was an embarrassing loss for Mosley. And I personally think that he should contemplate quitting boxing.

It was a lopsided win as Pacquiao dominated every round. He tried to chase Mosley who started dodging him after the third round knockdown. Good thing I didn’t pay to watch the fight or else I would be asking for my money back.

The referee even made a bad call on the 10th round when he ruled a knockdown when Mosley attacked Pacquiao and with a push sent the Filipino boxer to the canvass.

Nonetheless, Pacquiao emerged victorious and that is all that matters. He successfully defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title with a unanimous decision. He had once again made every Filipinos proud.


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Ombudsman Quits Post

While the world is busy watching the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Philippine Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez personally submitted her resignation letter to President Benigno Aquino III Friday morning which the latter immediately accepted.

The news came less than a week before the Congress resumes sessions. Gutierrez was scheduled to face an impeachment trial before the Senate after she was impeached by the House of Representatives through an overwhelming 212-46 votes. She was accused of protecting former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her allies from prosecution.

This, I believe, is a welcome move and this could be the best move that she has ever done as an Ombudsman. It would spare the country a lot of trouble not to mention the time, money and effort wasted if the impeachment trial will push through.

With this development, the challenge is now for the president to appoint a new Ombudsman who will uphold public accountability. I do hope that the president will appoint a competent and impartial person with unquestionable integrity and credibility to the Office of the Ombudsman.


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Local Politics and Yard Signs

The month of May is indeed fast approaching. We only have two days to go and we’ll be bidding goodbye to the month of April. I was reminded of this fact when I saw posters and yard signs of candidates running for election. Local and national elections are usually held during the month of May. We just elected national leaders including the president last year so the national election will not be until 2013 when we will elect new legislators and other local leaders.

The posters and yard signs bear the names and faces of people running for president and board of directors of the Homeowners Association in our subdivision. Funny how people would spend money and go to such lengths as putting up posters and yard signs just to sit on the board of our small community. I am not even sure what they are tasked to do when elected. But you can give some of them credits for taking this election seriously. Some have even visited our house introducing themselves and giving us a rundown of what they intend to do. Not a single candidate has impressed me so far. But I still have 3 days to go to decide. I don’t know any of these people personally so I may pick the candidates who have exerted enough efforts in reaching out to us, the voters, be it in the form of house-to-house campaigning or by putting up decent posters and yard signs.

I would say that putting up yard signs and posters is an effective campaign strategy. These tools can very quickly raise name identification and recall. It also sends a strong message that the name and face printed on these signs has to be taken seriously and his campaign has viability. These campaign yard signs or even just ordinary yard signs carrying your business name and the services that you offer can now be ordered and designed online. Yard signs can be printed on corrugated plastic, posterboard or polybag materials at very affordable prices.

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Second Plunder Case Filed Against GMA

While the Department of Justice is still reviewing a plunder complaint filed against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for her alleged failure to remit about 72 million pesos in capital gains tax after the sale of a prime government property to a private developer, another complaint was filed last Tuesday that the former president diverted about 550 million pesos from the overseas workers’ fund to pay health cards with her image on them to boost her 2004 election campaign.

The complaint, which was filed by former Solicitor General Frank Chavez, alleges that the money which was intended to fund repatriation, medical care and other needs of overseas workers was misused when it was allegedly diverted to pay for health cards available to all Filipinos.

Chavez also claimed that Arroyo diverted 21.5 million pesos to pay for diplomatic vehicles in the Middle East in support of the US-led war in Iraq and humanitarian assistance to Filipinos in Iraq in 2003. He disclosed that three government officials conspired with Arroyo to divert the money.

It is expected that the former president who now sits in the House of Representatives or her camp will come up with a statement denying any irregularity.

It is now up to the Department of Justice to determine if there is sufficient evidence for an indictment. We can only hope for a swift and impartial process.

Some observers can only question the timing. There have been insinuations that this is the government’s ploy to divert people’s attention amidst the rising cost of basic commodities and its inability to provide concrete solutions to alleviate poverty. This, I think is very unlikely. This news is sure to steal the headlines and a good respite from the string of bad news that has invaded newspaper in the last couple of days. Frank Chavez is a known Arroyo critic but I doubt that he is being used by this administration.

Personally, personalities are immaterial. It shouldn’t matter who filed the complaint and who is the respondent. As citizens, we all have the responsibility to report any wrongdoing or abuse especially if it was committed by a person holding a government office. Government officials should be accountable to the people.

If the government wants to send a crystal clear message that it is hell-bent on fighting corruption and prosecuting corrupt officials, it should start by going after “big fishes.” It is not enough to file charges; we hope to see these unscrupulous government officials behind bars.


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RH Bill

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. Even ordinary citizens have their own stand on issues plaguing the country. There’s nothing unusual about this. After all, we are living in a democratic country. We have the freedom to express our opinions.

The controversial Reproductive Health Bill that is currently pending in Congress is just one of the issues that have divided the nation. Even religious groups and denominations have expressed their support and disgust about this bill which seeks to provide artificial methods of family planning among others. The opposition of the Catholic Church is understandable and expected as they believe that the Church has a moral obligation to protect the family against this bill. The Church is only in favor of natural family planning methods and it has managed to persuade previous legislators not to pass bills such as this.

As a Catholic, I don’t see anything wrong with this even if there’s a so-called separation of Church and State. Everybody has the right to speak on the matter. We are all stakeholders in this issue, after all. However, launching personal attacks to people who are publicly supporting the bill is overkill and totally uncalled for. Calling the president an anti-Christian and attacking the person of other advocates will not help enlighten people on the merits of their opposition. I was dumbfounded when I saw a news report on TV about a Catholic priest’s tirade about the RH bill with invectives thrown at a popular RH advocate. For some, these are seemingly desperate acts.

These anti-RH bill efforts have become counterproductive. I personally believe that the passage of this bill is imminent.

The Church should focus more on strengthening the Filipino family’s moral fiber and guide the people to choose what their conscience dictates.



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MYX Daily Top 10 - Featuring "Tambay" by Sponge Cola (Video and Lyrics)

I can no longer recall the last time I posted a music video or anything about music on this blog. When I checked my archives, it was almost 6 months ago when I posted the last MYX Top 10 posts. Can you imagine that? Well, I’ve been away too long, that’s all. But since this blog remains to be on the Entertainment and Music category, and I want to keep it that way, I will be posting something about Music from time to time. So let’s get it started.

Here are the hottest music videos in the Philippines and our featured video is from an OPM band called Sponge Cola which is currently dominating the countdown.

Sponge Cola was the first Pinoy band to release its album in the music player form. All songs, including those in their past albums were included in the music players which came in both MP3 and MP4 format. They launched the said music players in January 4, 2009 at the ABS-CBN variety show "ASAP".

MYX Daily Top 10 – April 1, 2011
10. Jessie J f/ B.o.B - Price Tag
09. Jennifer Lopez f/ Pitbull - On The Floor
08. Justin Bieber f/ Rascal Flatts - That Should Be Me
07. Avril Lavigne - What The Hell
06. Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
05. Sarah Geronimo - Fallin'
04. Big Bang - Tonight
03. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
02. Kyla - Don't Tie Me Down
01. Sponge Cola – Tambay





Makikisilong lang,
Magpapalipas ng ulan,
Kwentuhan lang ang katapat,
Pero mas masaya kung ilabas ang gitara.

Refrain:
Bigyan ng ingay itong gabi,
Walang tahimik na sandali,
Tara na......
Umawit kasabay ng kanta.

Chorus:
Tuma-tambay at nagkakatitigan.
Alam naman nila kahit na di mag aminan.
Tuma-tambay at nagkaka-igihan.
Ito ang aking kwento.
Ituloy mo lang ang kwento at tayo'y gagawa ng kanta.

Tayo'y; umawit pa,
Hanggang malimot ang ulan.
Damdamin ko'y ilalahad.
Sa bawat himig ang buhay lagyan natin ng kulay.

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