The Story Behind The "Laglag Bala" Virus #PersonalStory

The Story Behind The "Laglag Bala" Virus #PersonalStory

How the government intends to eradicate the “laglag bala” extortion at the airports in the whole of the Philippines? The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) had been the focus of this issue for the past months, but recently concluded the strict implementation. It’s because of the APEC Summit Meeting or just an ordinary system at the airport? The media interview of Mar Roxas was differently received by OFWs especially the Migrante International. It prolonged the core problem into a higher note which resulted to media circus respectively.

Of course, the Pnoy Administration lashed back their stand in this case that even the Senate wanted to kick the NAIA Manager for slow action. Likewise, it revolved the “finger-pointing style” of the government to the political opposition behind this “laglag bala.”

The supposed victims of the “laglag bala” extortion scheme narrated how security officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport demanded money in exchange of dropping charges for possession of a bullet. Many airport passengers reacted to the issue which brought their actions into severe awareness. The NAIA personnel were distraught and scrambled for the next episode of their lives.

Senator Miriam Santiago proposed amendments to RA 10591 include decriminalizing possession of not more than three bullets. The law must punish those who, in the guise of upholding peace and order, abuse the law to prey on the innocent, whether these offenders are public officers or private citizens. She based her proposal on the observation that the planting scheme starts as soon as a person is identified to be a passenger whose luggage is yet to be inspected. Porters, luggage handlers and taxi drivers are believed to be involved in the scam.

The government authorities like the NBI likewise proved their worth to this case in finding the truth about this scam at NAIA. But the government actions were received lightly by some officials, knowing that it’s a black propaganda by the opposition to tarnish the image of the Aquino Administration.

In comparison to the authorities involved, they must be aware always of their system and procedures wherein, the smooth flow of operation and peaceful management are needed all the time. Their services to the people are important and dealing with bad elements must be acted upon, at once. Likewise, the strict implementation must be pursued with care and understanding, but not to dismantle the essence of public service.

When majority turned their fingers to the “laglag bala” as extortion scheme in NAIA, the government must address this issue at once, knowing that it will spread like wildfire nationwide. They must find the core element of the issue why it’s happening and pinpointing to other political individuals as the mastermind’s not good actuation but a trait to defend somebody in the eyes of many.

Mar Roxas, as the Presidential aspirant of the Aquino Administration , must take immediate action for the issue, not widening the case by talking to the media. You know media people wanted issues to talk about every minute and spread across the Philippines and the whole world.

Lastly, each government authority must be very vigilant with their sections to enable them to manage peacefully and give full service to the Filipino people.

Read More

Just How Much Will it Cost to Retire in the Philippines? #PersonalStory

Just How Much Will it Cost to Retire in the Philippines? #PersonalStory

My friend from Destination Philippines told me some interesting facts about our country which I readily closed my eyes in desperation. What? why like this, I am a Filipino! But that was a year ago when I lost my sense of humor...ha..ha..ha..and being an OFW before. Will I retire in the Philippines? Of course because this is my native land and love to retire here!

A great deal of Americans contemplate on retiring overseas for various reasons - much better climate, new adventures, or a lower price of living. The Philippines is slowly rising as a retirement nation of option because of its tropical climate, gorgeous beaches, and naturally, the low cost of living.

Arranging for a budget for retiring inside the Philippines in fact depends on you. What kind of lifestyle do you actually want?

The Philippines is produced up of much more than 7,000 islands, and also you can expect that the nation has a diverse culture and life style. Do you choose the massive city living and reside in Manila, exactly where you have immediate access to huge buying malls, nightlife, commercial establishments and offices, and heavy traffic jams? Or would you rather reside inside a quieter and mid-sized urban city like Cebu or Davao? Do you desire a more rural life style, including in Subic, Dumaguete, or Bacolod? Or would you prefer to reside in a tropical paradise like Boracay and Palawan, which has the very best beaches in the world?

Regardless with the location that you choose, living inside the Philippines will cost you about a quarter of what it would cost you for the same way of life within the U.S. or in Europe. A modest budget of $1,000 to $2,000 a month can currently go a long way. Just uncover an region that fits your budget and you can retire twice as wealthy as well as a lot happier, appreciate a warm, tropical weather all year round, possess a property helper and a driver, and live healthier with less pressure. You are able to even travel, have your individual organization, and be financially totally free.

As in most places, the greatest expense that you will have in the Philippines is housing, and it depends upon which location and kind of dwelling you choose to reside. You'll be able to opt for a townhouse, high rise condominium, studio apartment, or a detached home. In case you decide on to reside in Manila, anticipate to pay much more. Though there's an excellent range of housing charges within the city, in general it ranges from $500 to $1500 per month. It charges somewhat much more than $1500 in case you decide on to live in upscale regions for example Makati or Ortigas location.

Should you chose to reside in cities positioned in provinces like Cebu City in the Visayas or Davao City in Mindanao, housing would price from $300 to $900 a month. Within the more rural cities like Tacloban, Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro, or Butuan, you would pay around $200 to $700.
For the utility along with other household expenditures like electrical energy, telephone, world wide web, cable Tv, medical and dental costs, groceries, dining out and entertainment, and other miscellaneous expenditures are quite significantly the same in all of the places inside the Philippines. Public transportation and taxis are readily offered and affordable, and there exists really no have to acquire your individual vehicle. But should you opt to have your own vehicle and driver, it would cost you about $60 to $100 a month for fuel, repairs, and the driver.

The most effective point about retiring in the Philippines [http://www.destination-philippines.com/] is the fact that it is possible to adjust your life style to your pension or price range. A good deal of happy expat retirees in the country are living on an earnings of $800 to $1,000 per month. Due to the low cost of living, some chose to open their own business and are living opulent lives on a $2,000 to $2,500 revenue range.

In case you are planning to retire in the Philippines [http://www.destination-philippines.com/], set your price range according to the way of life that you simply want also as your daily requires, and do your individual investigation to prepare you inside the huge move which you are about to generate.

Read More

SONA 2015: Positive Outlook Versus Failures #PersonalStory

Photo Credit: palafoxassociates



SONA 2015: Positive Outlook Versus Failures #PersonalStory

The Aquino Administration and the President himself have done so much for the greater good of our country. The entire Filipinos have trusted them that they can rebuild the ailing sectors of our society. It’s really the ways in which these leaders contributed their knowledge and skills to put forward the Philippines for the past years of their governance.

After the last SONA 2015 of President Benigno Aquino III , as what it’s expected by majority; political analysts, ordinary citizens, oppositions and even some important people gave their share of the President’s SONA. The negative and positive aspects of the Aquino Administration were started to evolve from different places nationwide and globally. Nevertheless, the SONA 2015 got positive response for majority of Filipinos.

SONA 2015 highlighted the achievements of the government in transportation and communications, tax/revenue, labor and wages, international relations, education, budget and finance, peace, social welfare, justice, disaster preparedness, national security, economy, infrastructure, governance and reform. But, some Filipinos fall short of the main subject to tackle during the event. Understandable as it was for them to comprehend the SONA because of their personal interest politically.

The greatest failure (my own opinion) of the Pnoy Administration was the MRT3 train system wherein, the Department of Transportation and Commission (DOTC) Secretary Jun Abaya cannot fathom the solutions for metro rail for a long time. His immediately actions were needed because of the services the people wanted. President Aquino really opened-up some anomaly of the past administration that even this MRT3 was a special mention; the failed bidding, maintenance breakdown, extreme riders, traffic and other facets that needs the government to settle it down.

Photo Credit: kiestu2

This coming September, as DOTC Secretary had promised, more trains will be delivered and development of other facilities for the MRT3 stations.

The SONA 2015 gave the President a chance to shout-out that he’d done to increase the yearly revenues of our economy for the past years. Infrastructure development was being taken simultaneously nationwide and solutions for maintaining in the future.

More than anybody else, the President moved his aspirations in the future of our country. He showed the statistics of the Philippine economy from his administration up to the next 30 years. The numbers were great if all of the Filipinos must continue the “Daang Matuwid” through their lives.

He also stressed to all Filipinos that the next President must continue his works and gain some insights on how to be developed by his advocacy for improvement.

The final solutions for all the problems encountered by the Aquino Administration were attacked by his political opponents at all costs. Different ways were carried-out to look the image of the President as negative in the eyes of all Filipinos.

Luckily, he mentioned and thanked the administration’s leaders and also his personal workers. Lots of them got the accolade they deserved for a long time. Besides the disappointment of some political groups, the President had done his share for the greater good. But some political leaders were not satisfied for the SONA 2015 because they said, it lacks the essence of positive and negative sides of his governance.

Read More

Analyzing Pnoy Administration and Oplan Exodus #PersonalStory

We, as Filipino people, find ways to find the truth even though how hard to comprehend to be fair to all concerned. It’s in our characters that what’s best for the majority, best for the country. But then, even though how we value our customs and traditions, still, the change will takes place without knowing about it.

Salute to the few good men who turned out to be independent-minded and who finally told the objective facts behind the January 25 Mamasapano tragedy. We refer, of course, to the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Board of Inquiry (BOI) who’ve done our nation great service by faithfully doing their assigned task of fact-finding and establishing the truth on the incident.

In choosing to uphold the truth, they risked their individual careers and chances for promotion. It is because they could not turn their back on the people, who are fed up with Pnoy’s repeated lies and arrogance in denying his culpability.

The BOI affirmed that Noynoy violated the principle of the chain of command by delegating a highly-sensitive mission—Oplan Exodus—to a suspended police official, his buddy Alan Purisima.

The BOI report resulted with much apprehension to some politically-motivated Filipinos. The hidden feelings to pinned-down the President evolved simultaneously and trust diminished sporadically. Likewise, the Senate hearing draft report was out unexpectedly due to feed the curiosity of the people. The information from the different sources was expectedly fed for them daily by the media, but still the drama went on and the people like it that way.

Remember, that we can think other subject matter to put forward our own ways of living and not incorporating our dreams to this Mamasapano incident. The fact-finding had done their jobs for us and in return thank them for it. But life must go on for us, not for them. We could experience the rough roads for sure, but we can instil trust to our leaders in performing their governance jobs.

Unfortunately for Pnoy, he was bound to screw up and fail because of the Oplan Exodus that eradicated Marwan that gave havocs to our society. But some Filipinos did not realize that, that dragging his administration to self-destruction was their ultimate desire and which had began with the uncovering of the hideous Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

It’s also a fact that the President wanted corruption in the government to diminish totally. The political opposition and other businessmen will not give way for his honest governance. They wanted the old-fashioned way wherein, money and power at their hands.

With this Mamasapano incident . Pnoy had shown his weaknesses and strengths. The world was watching for his ability to face these maladies of the Philippine government. He tackled much for the development and corruption but didn’t have the power to accept his mistakes.

We need leader like him or dislike him because of Oplan Exodus? As for me, all the Presidents that I used to know while I was growing up experienced the same fate as his right now. So, whoever elected President in the future will experience the same way and that’s the true character of being a Filipino.

Read More

Government Relief And Rehab Program According to My OFW Friend #PersonalStory

Last November 8, 2014, my OFW friend came over in my place just to tell me about the killer typhoon Yolanda that damaged the Visayas region especially Tacloban. His personal version why it happened and the way the government treated such emergency situation.

He told me that the Pinoy Administration was not ready to act in case huge national disaster befalls our country. And, they need advance planning for every facet of government administration. His sentiments are well received by my own views about this subject matter.

Truly, Pinoy Administration has planned for rebuilding Tacloban and other places, but it takes them a long time to implement. At present, Yolanda survivors are clamoring the ways our government treated them. It’s their lives that has been damaged; their livelihood that has been ravaged and they need support from the government to start all over again.

After a year of relief and rehabilitation by the government, still, majority of the victims are not fully revive by such program. The rate of their action programs are very slow compare to the things that the victims needed. The slow-paced rehabilitation for them tends to give negative result on the government side. Even though how the Pinoy Administration tried to pacify the situation, political elements are bringing more chaos and demonstrations.

This coming January 2015, the Pope from Vatican City is scheduled to visit Tacloban and the government’s trying other places to finish like the airport, roads and other infrastructure. The local officials of Tacloban are not in full cooperation with the present administration that made this place as media arena and a time for the government to hasten the job in Tacloban for Pope’s visit. Besides for finishing the roads, it must be repaired completely.

Planning, coordination among government agencies and local officials, proper inventory and distribution of relief goods are crucial in ensuring that aid reaches the intended beneficiaries immediately. Audit of typhoon Yolanda relief operations released last September, the Commission on Audit (COA) noted that more than a month after Yolanda pummeled the Visayas, P736.3 million out of the P740.2 million in cash donations for Yolanda survivors remained unused and deposited in the bank account of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Most of COA’s adverse findings had to do with poor inventory, storage and transport of relief goods, which in some instances, resulted in relief goods getting wasted and much-needed help getting delayed.

To make sure that funds are immediately used to assist survivors of calamities, COA said that implementing agencies must come up with a program of work for the efficient use of disaster funds.

“When activities among concerned agencies are well coordinated and strategies in project implementation are improved, disaster funds will immediately cater to the purpose for which they are intended.”

It is a must to all government official leaders to plan ahead of time, search for solutions to all facets of the government management system. Therefore, Filipino leaders are the prime mover of every natural disaster that may occur within the framework of their responsibilities.

Read More

Pnoy Administration: In The Eyes Of My Canadian Friend #PersonalStory

The other day, my friend coming from Canada called me up to have a bonding time for the two of us. We're doing this for a decade now, when both of us, are actually at the Philippine soil. Before, when I was working in Dubai City, I called him up regularly to extend some news that he passionately love, Philippine Politics.

I went to pizza restaurant and waited for him for two hours, that I nearly went home waiting for him. But, when I saw him, my anger was washed away by tsunami and bear-hugged him saying, “I miss you friend.”

He looked at me squarely without saying a word. We seated facing each other and he started to eat. I picked a slice of pizza and ate it too. No words coming from both of us. After finishing the two 12-inch pizza, I observed him totally. He wryly smiled at me and said, “How are you my friend?”

I said, “I’m okay and you?”

My question triggered his emotion to tell me his observation about the Philippines.

“Friend, I thought our country’s well and productive as of this moment, because of the present Administration. But I was wrong.” He continued his sorrowful storytelling while I listened to him.

The first subject matter he discussed about was the traffic congestion along EDSA that he encountered while coming from his resident in Quezon City. “Of course I know how much money is lost due to non-productivity from traffic. Now adding to that, the misery of inflation due to the MRT3 breakdowns was not even benefiting the economy coz it went to the drain perfectly. And after all this, we still have horrendous traffic affecting every sector of Metro Manila. I mean, the medicine that was supposedly to cure the disease just accelerated the progression of the illness.

The Pnoy Administration’s not at all concerned with what was happening with MRT3 train system and the riding public. He assigned Joseph Emilio Abaya as DOTC Secretary but nothing’s changed from the onset of his management. The maintenance people cannot give proper solutions to the breakdowns every now and then. So, what they’re doing was wasting their time and energy when dealing with this kind of problems.

I admit Mayor Joseph Estrada broke the status quo and after this truck ban thing, hopefully something good will come out of this crisis. But why are people complaining? It’s not because they are resistant to change, it’s because the truck ban was not well thought of. There simply was no alternative ports; Subic and Batangas ports just don’t have the capacity (combined capacity is only 1/4 that of Manila ports). The national government should construct a big port that can take up at least 50% of the load of the Manila Ports to make it profitable and economical for all stakeholders and this just might ease up traffic a bit.

The truck ban caused traffic jams from different areas in Manila alone. The businesses were getting thinner every day for their revenues.

Mayor Erap should have consulted the MMDA and the Mayors of neighboring cities before implementing this truck ban because, at present, all neighboring cities in Metro Manila were suffering for his mistakes. Not only that, the truck ban affects the entire nation as far as trade movement is concerned.

The Pnoy administration’s apologizing to the public about the MRT3 mismanagement of its operations and the traffic congestion brought by this truck banning.

The government must instantly and immediately apply their total concentrations and actions when dealing with these problems. It must have a plan beforehand to combat these kinds of crisis when worst comes to worst.

I asked him, “How do you know these…all that’s happening in the Philippines?”

“Well, my friend, remember, my father is a news anchor in Canada?” He stopped for a moment looking at me bewildered and said, "Didn't I tell this?"

Read More