In the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda

 By: dodong.

The vulnerable provinces of typhoon will have to build better evacuation centers, much safer and sturdier and farther from the coastal areas where storm surges would not be able to reach them. Land use plans as basis for urban built-up development should be reconfigured to factor in storm surges, flash flooding and lost ecological balances that already imperil the inhabitants. Our local government units should now reconsidered their present building codes and ensure that new infrastructure strictly adhere to building codes and zonal regulations. No more substandard stuff, generally the result of rigged contracts and kickbacks. A dense population crammed into a poorly-planned habitat near the seashore or usually in the shoreline of every coastal towns and light materials used in shanties are immensely complicating the task of the government in ensuring safety of its people in the event of another super typhoon.  All devastated places in the recent calamity should undergo reconstruction sooner, the practice must be changed and this should no longer be on the paradigm of purely economic and social gain that saw the haphazard building of infrastructure and facilities from the latest ruins but with a long term plan defense and projection that can withstand the future strong earthquake and typhoon.

While the arrival of Yolanda was anticipated its overwhelming dimensions were not and it may yet go down in history as the most powerful storm to make landfall ever recorded. Typhoons Yolanda, Sendong, Pablo are one type of calamity and its unprecedented devastation of lives and properties introduced the country to a new global reality where environmental issues can no longer be ignored. The problem of climate change that affect our lives due to the modifications of weather should be addressed seriously, not that blithely and only those projects being glossed over by government and business firms in the rush where they can provide public platforms for profit-hungry politicians and their cohort individual enterprises, but rather will set a plan for a proactive solutions to counter these apocalyptic catastrophes visiting our country and imperatively it should now occupy prime place in development policy making. 

I hope that the government and majority of us will now learn and move on to the next step of mindset for the sake of the victims and our country to be security conscious. Disaster preparedness planning literature emphasizes that the effectiveness of a disaster plan can be tested only through actual disasters and that is why disaster preparedness plan should always be evaluated, revised and updated after every disaster. As shown by the preventive and preparation measures also suggested by other well-meaning individual and from other sectors of our society, I push the above ideas. Will the government and the people do it right this time and start a proactive preventive solutions rather than reactive? God bless us all.

A comment for a change of the Speech of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III

By: dodong
November 4, 2013


Defend the indefensible:

People were expecting to hear from PNoy speech explaining on how he will heed the clamor of his Boss, the people, to abolish the much abhorred pork barrel by dividing or subdividing his trillion lump sum executive budget or President Discretionary Funds into a line items in the next year's 2014 General Appropriation Act (GAA). Instead he gave much justifications and seems so certain of its constitutionality to continue using the Disbursement Acceleration Program despite it's now under the SC jurisdiction determining its legality.The DAP issue is "under judicial consideration", it means that a particular case or matter is under trial or being considered by a judge or court, so the parties involved must shun discussing the merits of the case in public lest you'll violate the "sub judice" rule, this is what I understand, he is the president of the Philippines, he has great influence. His public stance on the DAP’s legality and his TV speeches intended to campaign to turn the tide of public opinion in his favor, as well as his continuing use of the pork barrel while cases are pending in SC on the legality of these practices, as I understood somehow constitute undue interference in the judicial function. It was a repeat of this style before that he's openly campaigned in his alleged sponsored impeachment in congress, dots now have been connected and the line formed pointing to his unseen hands filled with fatten pork that influenced the legislators-judges to oust CJ Corona. Being the head of the Executive branch of the government, his actions are clearly in contravention of the principle of separation of powers.

In spite that nobody has accused him of being a thief, he chose that topic to defend and to declare he is no thief and called the people to rally behind him. PNoy’s style of leadership is using his popularity and resorting to popularity surveys to find out whether or not his actions are correct or legal. He seems to be giving the impression that the truth can be determined by the assessment of the greater majority of the people; that as long as he is popular, he is right. 

The issue here is whether or not the people should see the light that the public coffer is protected and the fund should be wisely spent for the general welfare of the people.What the boss want is for you to put the money into a good use and abolish the pork barrel. It's clear and simple, you missed the point Mr. President. 

The boss already identified the pigs in congress. If you walk like a pig, and whine like a pig, then you must be a pig. We will get rid of you.

Wheels Rollin!

by: dodong

Oct. 30, 2013

This blog is in support of the idea posted by Marc Arthur Caberte in Facebook about the beautiful spot he found out suited for downhill skateboarding located at Sto. Rosario, Bacuag, Surigao del Norte. A 4.5 kms. newly rehabilitated downhill farm to market road, which according to him the road is capable of hosting a National Competition.

Well, this is a good plan to augur other income generating activity. Surely the influx of competitors as well as some tourist will definitely improve the town’s economy in line of helping and boosting the tourism related endeavors. This aspect seems to compensate where the place is lacking economically or its source of revenue. Industrially our place is very much lagging behind with her neighboring towns but timely we can augment by tapping unique and possible environmentally captivating scenes such as this downhill for skateboarding lovers who don’t mind popping hard but find pleasure and love to do stunt-like undertakings that shoot up their adrenalins to buoyed energy and speed up their heart beat. What is important is you are happy with what you are doing.

So there are things that the local government will prepare. First make the road competition worthy. Second conduct education and awareness for the said game. Third start organizing the skateboarding enthusiasts. I am looking this wonderful dream will materialize sooner the better. Good luck!

What to do with the Pork Barrel Scammers? How to preclude the recurrence of scam........!

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

 

First and foremost we need this Freedom of Information (FOI) law. Come hell or high water this bill must be approved by the Aquino administration. This law is the people’s best weapon to check abuses by the Officials who are entrusted to manage big funds of our government.

In the recent budget preparation intended for the year 2014, part of the Pork barrel of the President’s P1+trillion allocation is Special Purpose Fund (SPF). For purposes of budgeting lawmakers must assign items in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2014 where funds will be appropriated so that Congress can now have a check and balances function. A transparent disbursement of this big fund must be imperatively made.

We can't just let the President exercise its full discretion on what to do and how to spend, and empower him to realign, disapprove or withhold huge amounts and practically entrust him to decide where all the money would go. This exercise is vested in congress and any disbursement is unconstitutional if it is without legislative appropriation. Hence this calls for the abolition of the pork barrel of the President.

Like the creation of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), ex Sen. Arroyo described the DAP as “criminal, illegal and unconstitutional,” The DAP is worse than the PDAF, at least the PDAF is authorized by Congress but the DAP was created only by the DBM Secretary Florencio Abad and approved by President BS Aquino sans the authority of Congress. The Budget Department has no business issuing funds from the DAP because it cannot do so without a supporting law. “DAP involves money so to disburse that, they must have the authority. Nowhere in any of our laws or the GAA would it appear that DAP was created at all with the sanction and support of Congress,” He added that even the senators who appropriate the money didn’t know about it, until last week from Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s revelation that each senator who voted to convict Corona received P50 million in extra funding purportedly from the DAP.

So let’s educate ourselves and awaken those who are in deep slumber that the solutions to this festering problem of corruptions committed by no less than our leaders in the government must only be solved and stopped by a force of a united citizens acting to protect the interest of the masses, the "Boss" of the servants who are public Officials. That's where the people's real power comes in. These scams must be treated by us as the awakening point to spawn motive of actions, the dawn of the real change of the entire nation's attitude is not far fetched to make the whole citizenry politically matured. Every one's desire to have a functional government becomes a rallying point, a catalyst for the genuine change to attain a better government.

We have to learn from yesterday, live actively for today and hope for a better tomorrow. Make our wish which will be translated to work and get it done. Have the courage to accept a tough challenge ahead of us, sometimes we encounter failures in the battle but keep the fight, we will not be able to solve our country's problems at once but by showing our WILL to do and we can do it for a change with great courage. Remember courage is contagious. Stand firm with the goal of achieving a God-based governance enough not to go backward and be cautious not to go forward fast to attain short cut but gradual effort and to have a persistent endeavor for the better, ruled by love of country and man then you can witness what seems failures may turn out to be a glorious success. "As long as we have passion in our hearts and fire in our bellies nothing is ever impossible," Rita Linda V. Jimeno said.

The role of the people in combating corruption and ensure public officials do their duties and responsibilities as public servants is important. We should be the vanguards in the fight by making the political leaders and officials accountable of their actions, decisions and use of public funds. We should not be contented to be mere bystander citizens because what the nation would become out of their doings affect everyone of us, but this surely be attainable if we don't remain passive, indifferent and unpatriotic negligent. Let’s assure ourselves that all these scams should not have happened had we been vigilant and firmed in getting rid of the bad politicians masquerading to be angels in white linens who are good in rhetoric but nothing in deed. This total mess of corruption and pork barrel scam can be averted by the people's actions and possibly will not make our country sick again. Prosecute and jail the corrupt Officials and pork barrel manipulators. They are traitors. They don't deserve our trust. Apply the full force of the law.....And beware of a man who is a self-proclaim righteous person.

Synopsis: Code of Ethics For Government Officials and Employees

Declaration of Policies.

 
It is the policy of the State to promote a high standard of ethics in public service. Public officials and employees shall at all times be accountable to the people and shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity, competence, and loyalty, act with patriotism and justice, lead modest lives, and uphold public interest over personal interest.

 

 I deem it necessary to quote the declaration of policies above to remind or reiterate the norms for the public officials, and as a guide for all of us. Find hereunder the specific Principles adopted in Great Britain but likewise relevant and applicable for all Filipinos who hold office in the government.

The Seven Principles of Public Life:

1. Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other benefits for themselves, their family or their friends.

2. Holders of Public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organizations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties.

3. In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards, and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.

4. Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the  public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

5. Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.

6. Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

7. Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

PORK BARREL

by: dodong

 Graft and Corruption

The Pork Barrel system in the Philippine government which breeds the latest scam has reached its highest peak.  The high level of graft and corruption is endemic in our country where our public leaders have practiced these traditional politics or patronage politics where the systems in the distribution of jobs and services, favors are done on a political basis, as preferences given to those who have supported one's party or political campaign. These are ways of running the government based on affiliations, especially closed ties with blood relations instead of true God-based governance for all anchored in honesty and integrity serving the interest of the people.

There are times that we are confronted with a situation where there seems to be no more solutions possible of the problems at hand. As our easy way to escape this feeling of hopelessness we felt for our people, we tend to assign the fate for “karma” to take over and lift all to God for disposition. And we forget that we all have “freewill” given to us by God in order for us to do independently choose either good or bad, right or wrong and take responsibility and accountability for whatever consequences used to have on our choices and decisions.

 In the recent Government Officials scandals involving their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), it is not time to be desperate but instead to be more resolute in every move and think this positively for a moment of great hope. God surely allowed the people who are greatly aware and highly politicized to change the leaders. As it happened before without much bloodshed in rooting out them during EDSA I and II  (President Ferdinand Marcos was toppled down and President Joseph Ejercito Estrada was forced to resign respectively), it was said that a providential events took place to weed out corrupt Public Officials through mass actions. It's the truth that set the Filipinos free from the undesirables.

It’s therefore proven that if people are aware of the situation and will supplement their awareness with actions the fruit of their labor can be tasted and is not in vain. Their words through their complaints were matched and ripen by their actions even just to start admittedly with little effort but it went to a monster-gathering with a purpose to denounce the crooked, corrupt and evil leaders. The birth of EDSA mobilization, the unprecedented people power is an acknowledgment of true citizen empowerment where the real power exercised by the sovereign people can decide, rule according to their voices as “Vox populi vox Dei” to mean, as "voice of the people is the voice of God." Eventually the people had their new set of leaders for their new government.

Confronted by the same problem, the people now realized that they could not condone their wrong doings lest the coming generation blame them for intolerable silence, they could not just fold their arms in desperate and just indulge themselves in frivolity and pretense while the corrupt officials continue to commit these crimes with impunity. The truth is many people have already expressed their disgust, in fact the expose’ of this Pork Barrel scandals went viral in the social media, but few people matched their words with actions. Past Edsa “people powers” are touted only to represent a mere fraction of 2% of the population. So the people should now show to the world that they meant it where their words go, their actions will follow with sacrifices and bravery. It’s about time to show solidarity for the Filipino people to fight justice. For the silent majority, you could no longer stay isolated for the rest of your life away while the few people who are active fight for the many. Every Filipino must take responsibility towards others thus your involvement is imperative. The unscrupulous Officials upgraded their aggressive and complacent nature of greed for power and money, must also be matched by your resolved ways to criticize, finger-point them of their office-related inanities, condemn them, and bashing them in any form of expose’ in the media with mass action mobilizations without let up to pressure them and also those who are tasked to investigate and prosecute the culprits like the Office of the Judiciary, Justice department, Ombudsman, Commission On Audit and Sandiganbayan to ensure that justice is served and virus of corruption is killed.

SINKHOLES......

Why there are Sinkholes?

See a video below is the link, copy & paste in the URL.
http://msnvideo.msn.com/?videoid=96771e79-d3be-47f1-a1e4-8c6adff24320&src=v5


It’s a natural cavity, or a sunken space, as a hole worn by water. Sinkhole, also known as a swallow-hole, swallet or doline, is a natural depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer (wikipedia). Sinkholes may capture surface drainage from running or standing water, but may also form in high and dry places in certain locations.

The formation of sinkholes involves natural processes of erosion or gradual removal of slightly soluble bedrock (such as limestone) by percolating water, the collapse of a cave roof, or a lowering of the water table. Sinkholes often form through the process of suffusion. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. These sinkholes can be dramatic, because the surface land usually stays intact until there is not enough support. Then, a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur.

Occasionally a sinkhole may exhibit a visible opening into a cave below or a cavern disturbs or hit by mining drilling. In the case of exceptionally large sinkholes, an underground stream or river may be visible across its bottom flowing from one side to the other.But what causes that void? It’s both natural and man-made triggers. It is often a man-made structure that causes the change in groundwater flow and leads to a collapse. It is also formed as a result of the collapse of old mine workings close to the surface, a man-made hole. So that in other instances due to obsolescence of old mining materials used in the chambers and roof support of the shafts, the above surface of the earth will cave in. Such as the case of the rare but still occasional collapse of abandoned mines and salt cavern storage in salt domes in places like Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Sinkhole is formed by rainwater leaking through pavement and carrying soil into a ruptured sewer pipe or it is formed by moving water, from above eroding the substrata and causing collapse of the top soil. They can also occur from the over pumping and extraction of groundwater and subsurface fluids.

Cebu, Philippines

Sinkholes can also form when natural water-drainage patterns are changed and new water-diversion systems are developed. Some sinkholes form when the land surface is changed, such as when industrial and runoff-storage ponds are created; the substantial weight of the new material can trigger an underground collapse of supporting material, thus causing a sinkhole. Let us view some of the sinkholes:

*****

Latest information made by Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in the Philippines in the aftermath of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol, Cebu and other provinces in Central Visayas, Philippines on October 15, 2013 was their discovery of the "ruptured sinkhole" in Lapu-Lapu City and was looking into reports of six others in Calape town, and a "concealed sinkholes" are reported to exist in Bohol and Cebu. Bohol is 80 percent limestone, while 50 percent of Cebu is limestone, and that sinkholes usually occurred in limestone. They give priority to locate these "concealed sinkholes" as they pose a greater hazard with the continuing aftershocks jolting the Central Visayas. A classification made by MGB: Ruptured Sinkhole is apparent and seen as a hole in the ground caused by the collapse of the top soil. A Concealed Sinkhole has the top soil intact but is hollow underneath.

As we recall the 7.2 magnitude quake that struck Bohol and Cebu Provinces that killed at least 190 people and destroyed thousands of homes and a dozen or more centuries-old churches considered already a "heritage property" in the Philippines.