Just Cuevas

Government response: A case of my letter sent to my hometown Batuan in Bohol Province

The recent developments in the political scene of the Philippines made me wonder and realized how fast things can get or how the government can act fast if they really wanted to. Unlike the services we experienced since time immemorial, the government in fact has been known to be as slow as a turtle and can get out of their office faster and swifter than 4PM.

Noynoy Aquino paved a straight road (daang matuwid, his favorite) to persecute people especially those with links to ex-President Gloria Arroyo and then Arroyo herself. Not that I am against Arroyo’s persecution and prosecution, I was just amazed at how fast Noynoy waves his hands and everything followed in magic. Legalities were done in just a few hours where it used to be centuries. It’s like having a miracle, Alleluiah!

Unlike what happened to my letter to the Municipality of Batuan, my hometown in Bohol.

Exactly two (2) months ago, October 6, 2011 to be exact, I sent a letter to Mayor Francisco Pepito and the members of the Sangguniang Bayan care of Municipal Vice Mayor Antonino Jumawid who happened to be on leave at that time, asking explanation on why the Official Website of the Municipality of Batuan, Bohol plagiarized several articles posted in the said website. The website I was talking about bears the Official Seal of the Municipality of Batuan, Bohol and blatantly copied the Vision of the Municipality of Calape, Bohol and the Messsage of the Mayor of the Municipality of Mabini. To make matters worse, Hillary Clinton’s picture was in the Mayor’s Message.

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The supposed Message of Mayor Gregoria Pepito (who died long before her reelection came) which I copied from the website:

This is the official online portal of Mabini, (remember this is the official website of Batuan) the town, its government, and its people. Here you will find what promises to be Mabini's most comprehensive and authoritative one-stop informational clearinghouse on the net.

Facts and figures, news and features, details on and about Mabini in a consummately convenient compendium of instant and interactive content. Consider it your virtual guide to the municipality. Discover Mabini from its illustrious history to its unfolding story the splendor of its past, the dynamism of its present, and the promise of its future.

Learn about the Town and the gracious gifts of its geography. The municipality of Mabini and its many thriving barrios, its people, and its chosen leaders.

Experience the delightfully diverse boundless beauty and bustle that make up the colorful collage and the proud panorama that is Mabini.

Empower yourself: Make your mark and do your share in shaping the future of this, our vast and vibrant town: click on, sound off, be counted.

Finally, rich and colorful Calape (and then my town has shifted to another name) has found its home on the world wide web.

We hope you find it as much your home as it is ours: warm, well, and worth it.

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Fuming mad, I went to write the letter.

A few days later when I went home for a speaking engagement with the younger Batuanonons, Vice Mayor Jumawid approached me and talked about his development goals for our town but not even mentioning my letter. I pointed out to him about it and he told me he did not receive a copy of the said letter. (I sent him my letter a week after through his email address and got a long response after several technical glitches. I don't even believe it was an official response.)

Several of my neighbors who happened to be close to the mayor told me their own version of the things they did after receiving my official letter including the command to put the controversial website offline. I know their move was well-intentioned but still an official letter from a constituent deserved an official response from the municipal officials.  

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The supposed Vision of the Municipality of Batuan:

Experience the delightfully diverse boundless beauty and bustle that make up the colorful collage and the proud panorama that is Calape. Empower yourself: Make your mark and do your share in shaping the future of this, our vast and vibrant town: click on, sound off, be counted. Finally, rich and colorful Calape has found its home on the world wide web. We hope you find it as much your home as it is ours: warm, well, and worth it.

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Everyone told me the mayor was not even aware of the existence of that website, pity the mayor. He wanted somebody to call me but they could not find my magical business card. Magical in a sense since no one seemed to get hold my business card attached to the letter. Hence, nobody, not one, was able to contact me. Not counting that my parents and relatives are still very visible in my hometown.

For the information of my readers, I enclosed together with my two-page letter my business card and screen shots of the website I was referring to. But since my business card has some magic, nobody cared to call me up, send me text message or reply through my two (2) email addresses.

Now this is a very basic example of how SLOW government responses are. I was planning to make a follow-up letter but called it off. It would make no sense at all.

That is why I wonder how fast the people of Noynoy Aquino could do things in just a week’s time. And it was not just replying a letter.

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Section 5 of Republic Act No. 6713 otherwise known as AN ACT ESTABLISHING A CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES, TO UPHOLD THE TIME-HONORED PRINCIPLE OF PUBLIC OFFICE BEING A PUBLIC TRUST, GRANTING INCENTIVES AND REWARDS FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE, ENUMERATING PROHIBITED ACTS AND TRANSACTIONS AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES states the Duties of Public Officials and Employees. - In the performance of their duties, all public officials and employees are under obligation to:

(a) Act promptly on letters and requests. - All public officials and employees shall, within fifteen (15) working days from receipt thereof, respond to letters, telegrams or other means of communications sent by the public. The reply must contain the action taken on the request.

(d) Act immediately on the public's personal transactions. - All public officials and employees must attend to anyone who wants to avail himself of the services of their offices and must, at all times, act promptly and expeditiously.

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Update: The website was taken down a week after I sent the letter, possibly a confirmation that they received it. Its address was- www.batuanbohol.solinog.com.

The week in Philippine history was a circus

Photo courtesy of csmonitor.com

The recent weeks in the Philippine history was suddenly in commotion- all because of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA). Even Joseph Estrada's incarceration, also a former president, was overshadowed by the events of GMA's. She had it big time.

But a lawyer named Ariel Salvador Magno summarized the week in just ten points. I could not agree more.

1. Supreme Court can be ignored.
2. It’s not true that we have three co-equal branches of government. The Executive is the most powerful branch. It can do no one.
3. Congress... is Congress. Res Ipsa Loquitor (The thing speaks for itself, for us who do not know this lawyer's talk haha).
4. The Bill of Rights applies only to the good ones not the evil ones.
5. Karma is so powerful.
6. If you did not do your job, blame others, especially the Supreme Court.
7. No matter how powerful you were or still are, you will be held accountable!
8. Institutions in the Philippines... wait what institutions?
9. The end justifies the means.
10. Some are more righteous than others. We are doing the same wrong things that you did but this time it’s us who are doing them, so tama lang.

(The above ten points were quoted from Ellen Tordesillas at ellentordesillas.com.)

Noon, Ngayon (from The Professional Heckler)

Noon: Kapag nakinig ka sa homily ng obispo, naliliwanagan.

Ngayon: Kapag nakinig ka sa homily ng obispo, nagwu-walkout.

Noon: Ang mahigpit na magkatunggali: administrasyon at oposisyon.

Ngayon: Ang mahigpit na magkatunggali: Balay at Samar sa posisyon.

Noon: Kapag bagsak ang rating ng presidente, “Kagagawan ng oppositionists!”

Ngayon: Kapag bagsak ang rating ng presidente, “Kagagawan ng columnists!”

Noon: Ang ‘lovelife’ ng presidente, mababasa sa diyaryo.

Ngayon: Ang ‘lovelife’ ng presidente, mababasa sa kanyang speech.

Noynoy Aquino pole-dancing while smoking?

Drugs, death penalty and other issues

On drugs and drug mules

There are Filipinos being found guilty of drug trafficking in other countries and sentenced to death because they have been used as drug mules. Drug mules are people used to transport illegal drugs to a certain destination. Sometimes they carry drugs through ingestion (eating) them to escape detection.

It is a sad fact that these Filipinos were used as couriers by drug traffickers. It is also sad that these Filipinos wanted themselves to be used because of the amount of money they were promised when they have the goods delivered. Sadder, and a shameful act, when the Philippine government wanted these traffickers be given clemency from concerned governments.

The Noynoy administration shows its true colors- aside from being weak, they wanted illegal acts to thrive in this country. What a shame! The Philippine government could not even fast track the case of the shabu laboratory in Cebu involving Chinese nationals which they said have been raided six years ago. What happened to the case?

RH Bill and the Catholic Church

Over the weekend, the quasi-parish of Mansasa in Tagbilaran attended a "seminar" on RH Bill. Most of those who attended were already in their twilight years, to be harsh, the old folks of that barangay. And most of them went home, angry at the organizers, for asking them to attend  a seminar that did not explain what really is the RH Bill but instead talk about condoms, abortion and pre-marital sex in a crowd were even sex is no longer an issue. 

Worst, they take the landslide in Southern Leyte years ago as an example of how their God punished people because those people were living in sin by exchanging partners. Oh my.

That said, the desperate move of the Catholic church is kind of, funny.

Diplomatic booboos

Yes, it is true that Taiwan nationals are considered Chinese but they do not want to be called part of mainland China. Despite of that fact, the Philippines deported Taiwanese nationals to Beijing for the alleged swindling cases they did there without considering the very thin ties between Taiwan and China.

Now the Philippines is making desperate moves to appease Taiwan knowing Taiwan retaliated by making it hard for OFWs to go there. Maybe giving more headaches to the OFWs already working there.

Photos from allvoices.com and epbites.blogspot.com

My servant Noynoy Aquino bought a Porsche with his own money

Yes, he zealously declared almost a year ago Kayo ang amo ko (You, the Filipinos, are my boss), a metaphor that remains only in words but not in deed. And yes, he just bought a white Porsche using his own money. Duh!

I don't know if this is the type of Porsche Aquino bought lately. I have not seen one.

I swallowed hard. While the bosses remained wallowing in poverty, that is more than 12 million of us according to the National Statistical Coordination Board, the servant flaunt his toys. And I wonder how and where my servant would use it.

Here?

Blog links for more reading-
P-Noy still acting like President Cory's son
PNoy's Porsche and the "Daang Matuwid"

Riles pic from Flickr

"Pilipinas Kay Ganda"

I wish I was able to open the website being launched by our very own Department of Tourism as its re-branding of the Philippines. But it was taken down due to heavy criticisms not just from anti-Noynoy groups but also by the tourism sector itself.

Some said it was a complete disaster not just because of grammar and plagiarism but the site rhymes with a porno website with various "Filipinas" fornicating. Kay ganda! (So beautiful!) Indeed. I even heard from DOT insiders that in every activity they conduct, gyrating half-naked women would greet you at the entrance. Even the launching of Pilipinas Kay Ganda was not spared, prompting attendees to confirm that the Philippines is actually selling Filipinas on its tourism campaigns.

I've read somewhere that this was their description of Cebu (hold your breath, Pilipinas!)-

"You will also see cliffs that tower above crashing surfs, virgin forests, clear rivers, mossy jungles, and cool mountain ridges.”

This was the tallest tale ever written about Cebu. Cebuanos would be lost if they would be put on that place. Any idea what have they written about Bohol and its night life?

The Philippines is getting funnier each time.

You too can make your own logo like the one above by following this link. Don't worry, you will not spend millions of pesos nor be accused of plagiarism on this one.

And by the way, contrary to what Secretary Lim of DOT told the public that not a single centavo was spent on the scrapped re-branding activities of DOT for its tourism campaign, insiders squealed that almost 5 million pesos were already spent. Part of that expense is shown below-

Scanned DV from this site.

More readings here-

• Tourism Usec. Vicente Romano III's resignation, was it really delicadeza or iwas pusoy? 
• Tourism Congress answers President Aquino's call for bright ideas 

The blunder that is DOT: Philippines' tourism department promoting sex tourism?

Really now, this?! Netizens claim that the new tagline reminds them of beauty parlors and Ricky Reyes's beauty program. I can't help but recall Vice Ganda instead. Very ABS-CBN!

Or they really mean this?!

Amongst the many blunders committed by the administration of Benigno Aquino III, the most shameful so far, that's beside the botched Chinese hostage crisis, is the changing of the tagline of the Philippines in its tourism marketing strategies. I've read somewhere that it is part of a 100 million peso budget.

From Arroyo's Wow Philippines they changed it to Pilipinas Kay Ganda since Aquino's administration has this penchant repulsion of anything that came from Arroyo's administration. Yes, I hate Arroyo, too, but not as much as the present administration does.

If you are a netizen, I am sure you have seen or read the uproar brought about by this changing of tagline. I agree with most of the critics were saying: If we want tourists to come, why use an unknown language to entice them? We are not teaching them Tagalog. We want them to come and spend their money here. Unless if they are Koreans.

Or if we want to be patriotic, why use a tourism promotion? There are more venues for that. Is that right?

Even the new website they have created [www.beautifulpilipinas.com] to prove how ganda is the Pilipinas was taken down as of this writing for "editing." Remember the recall of Aquino's first presidential order? I can see they always abused the words "not yet final" and "still a work in progress" to justify their errors.

What makes this website interesting is that a mere misspelling of Pilipinas to Filipinas would bring you to a porno site full of women in various forms of fornication. Yes. Well, since time immemorial, prostitution is known to earn money. Might this be the hidden agenda after all? The Catholic Church has yet to react on this as I am also sure they have already seen the porno site.

What did the tourism industry players do on this matter? I am not sure if they are excited about this since I haven't heard anything from them except from Noynoy's appointed DOT secretary Alberto Lim who assured that "the brand ... extols the innermost beauty not just of our destinations but also of our people and everything else that we do.”  That, including buying our women.

James Cordova, from Asian Correspondent wrote: How many more faux pas would these amateurs commit before the president realizes how dumb the idea was to appoint people to key government positions just because they joined in the campaign against Arroyo? There’s Ricky Carandang and Edwin Lacierda. Then there’s Mai Mislang. Now this.


Read more here:

• Sun or sex: Philippines botched tourism campaign
• Pure imagination
• From 'Wow' to 'Pilipinas Kay Ganda'
• Bothered and bewildered: Sex tourism in the Philippines?
• PH yanks much-maligned new tourism campaign off net
• No 'wow' factor in tourism's new slogan 

After several searches, here is the Pilipinas Kay Ganda logo and some:

Enrico Puno is still standing

“I think that I shall never see
A friend lucky as this Tree.
A Tree who’s twice put to the test
Yet boss won’t let him go and rest.
Blogs are made by fools like me,
But only Noy can save a Tree.”

Enrico Puno (tree in Tagalog, hence, the poem inspired from Joyce Kilmer's above) is Philippines' Interior undersecretary of the Department of Interior and Local Governments who is accused by Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz as a recipient of jueteng (illegal numbers game) payola amounting to eight million (8M) pesos a month. He was supposed to be the overseer of the police during the botched hostage crisis that killed 8 Chinese nationals but was never charged of negligence. He is also the shooting buddy of the president of the Philippines.

More reading: 
Inquirer: I'll not be destroyed by P-Noy critics - DILG usec 

Inquirer: Aquino defends decision to clear Puno in hostage fiasco
The Professional Heckler: 100 

Poem and picture source: The Professional Heckler

Inexperiene as an excuse

Everyone, including Hongkongers and the rest of the world, has shared their sentiments on the tragedy that killed eight tourists coming in the Philippines for a holiday. Noynoy Aquino, at the height of his inefficiency, censored his Facebook account because he could no longer take the insults to his "hiding" during the hostage drama.

But still whether he likes it or not, he is responsible and should apologize not just to China but to the Filipino people as well. 

The Editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer aptly describes what was Noynoy's fault. The Presidency is not for pogi points only. It needs serious work.

Well- you voted for him.

That Malacañang’s response cannot but be deemed wanting is regretful. Incredibly, it seems to have escaped the Palace that the hostage crisis had become a political incident and was no longer a police matter, and therefore required the proper employment of symbols. So that Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who has supervision over the police but displayed nothing of the sort where and when it mattered, is now on the carpet. And President Aquino’s invisibility during the critical hours—when a brief message to his expectant public explaining the steps being taken could have shown that he was at the very least aware of what was going on—is perplexing, and only shows how badly served he is by his advisers.

This much is clear, even to the halfway attentive observer: The President’s “inner life” (again as Zizek terms it)—his easy-going, laid-back nature, his aversion to the limelight—has no place in the realm he dramatically conquered by a landslide. The people look to him as their leader, and a hands-on approach is imperative to constantly assure them that their choice at the polls was not a mistake.

His statement to reporters, made in a press conference at the end of the long tortuous day, that one could not “micromanage” everything with regard to the hostage crisis indicates a failure to appreciate the role he is called upon to play in this theater of governance. It disappoints because it appears to shirk responsibility. It displays—dare we say it?—a dangerous naiveté.

And we share that national stupidity that is Noynoy.