Archive
#1MonthSalaryBonus for all government agency personnel who served in Pope Francis visit
we are all impressed and we do appreciate the dedication and job well done of all military, police, emergency, MMDA, barangay and other government agency personnel who were on duty and gallantly served during the Pope Francis Philippine visit.
we are all proud and thankful for their successful and excellent service.
we are petitioning the government to give each one of them at least a 1 month salary bonus in appreciation and recognition of a job well done.
if you agree with this and you want to give recognition to those who worked hard to protect, keep him safe and make sure everything goes well with Pope Francis and his visit to the country, retweet these:
*picture sourced from FB
how great are the PHL government agency personnel, preparation and execution and the pinoys who went to the Luneta park event of Pope Francis? 6 tp 7 million people attended the event and ZERO incident!
the Pope Francis Philippine visit – the speeches, the selfie and the 12yr old girl who made us cry
12 yr old Glyzelle asks Pope Francis: “Bakit po pumapayag ang Diyos na may ganitong nangyayari?”
full texts of speeches of President Aquino and Pope Francis at Malacanang
the 1st selfie taken with Pope Francis during the Philippine visit
read here : https://wawam.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/the-1st-selfie-taken-with-pope-francis-during-the-philippine-visit/
philippine supreme court issues TRO on cyber crime law
ateneo president fr villarin ignores bishop, upholds independent thinking and appreciates ateneo professors efforts on rh bill
in the long held tradition of the ateneo, fr. villarin, ateneo president not only upholds independent thinking but more importantly appreciates the 192 professors who have released a statement of their support on the rh bill. the latter to me was unexpected.
some weeks ago, the ateneo professors released a statement where 160 of them stated their support for the rh bill, calling for congress to pass the bill. that caught the attention of the rh bill advocates and was one of the most talked about among groups involved on the bill.
then just a few days ago, the same group of ateneo professors released another statement saying an additional 33 professors signed on to their statement of support for the rh bill.
that once again caught the attention of opposing forces on the rh bill debate and this time included traditional media. it helped that that was the time that president aquino included the rh bill on his SONA and it was causing excitement in congress. the renewed interest and strong publicity of the statement of the ateneo professors supporting the rh bill also caught the attention of the CBCP and a permanent member of it.
CBCP member bishop medroso has said the ateneo professors who aired their support for the rh bill should be investigated to see if they should be fired for teaching the rh bill at the ateneo. the CBCP opposes the rh bill.
bishop medroso says the ateneo being a catholic school should toe the line of the CBCP on the rh bill. according to him by implication, ateneo can lose its recognition as a catholic school and the professors their jobs if they teach their students their support to the rh bill in the classrooms.
as a reaction to the growing and very loud voices on the ateneo professors’ statements, this letter was released by fr. villarin. it was released very quickly, just one day after the threat of the bishop was written up in the press.
the letter states that it recognizes the individual stand of the professors in their support of the rh bill and accepts that there are divergent views on the rh bill and the ateneo professors position is one of them.
the most important part is that he does not sanction the ateneo professors for their stand supporting the rh bill which is contrary to the school’s stand and the CBCP. the CBCP bishop was in less than subtle terms wanted the sanction.
read here:
bishop wants pro rh bill Ateneo professors fired – hahahaha – http://wp.me/pnw03-1DB
fr. villarin even goes on to give the ateneo professors encouragement, saying they should “continue in their discernment of the common good“, appreciating the intent the professors stated in their position paper which was to help the poor, saying “I appreciate their social compassion and intellectual efforts“.
we thought that the last part on the “intellectual efforts” was not just a recognition of the high quality work and thinking the professors put into their statement but also a subtle allusion to the quality, or lack of it, of the discourse from anti rh bill proponents.
Church Of The Gesu At The Ateneo De Manila University
it is very clear that in this letter, fr. villarin:
- ignores, rebukes and delivers a slap in the face of the CBCP and the bishop who was calling for the ateneo professors to be fired from their teaching jobs at the ateneo
- key here is fr. villarin has stated no sanctions of any sort or censure on the ateneo professors. this is the exact opposite of what the cbcp and the bishop wanted
- he sees the action of the ateneo professors in a very different light from what the bishop was trying to say
- the ateneo agrees to disagree with the ateneo professors as fr. villarin states that the ateneo as a catholic school opposes the passage of the rh bill
- respects the opposing view of the ateneo professors and allows them to pursue their views as the professors see fit
- states that the school has been teaching in the classrooms the anti rh bill position of the school and the CBCP. this is important as this establishes the CBCP may not sanction ateneo as it is in fact teaching its position.
- that sets up the point that the statement released by the professors are indeed just their individual and personal view on the rh bill and thus cannot be sanctioned by the school or the CBCP. fr. villarin has drawn a differentiation between what the professors teach in the classroom and what they say as individuals. the latter goes to freedom of expression and academic freedom.
- although obviously unstated, we think fr. villarin is pro rh bill. he just could not say it being the president of the catholic school ateneo. not saying comes within the territory of his job as president of the catholic school he heads.
- rather than calling for the non passage of the rh bill, fr. villarin is calling for amendments to the bill.
- he also probably thinks the rh bill will be passed, saying that the community should work for making sure no coercion is done in its implementation allowing for people to exercise free will to decide to avail or not avail any of the components of the rh bill.
- the letter shows a very keen appreciation of the pro-poor and pro-people stance of the ateneo professors in their support of the rh bill. we think it is obvious from here that fr. villarin together with the ateneo professors believe and practice in being “man for others”
- upholds the ateneo tradition of encouraging, in fact teaching informed independent thinking, inclusive of whether it agrees or disagrees with its own position. this is a tradition in the school. if the students are taught this, why shouldn’t it allow the professors to exercise the same?
- we think this one of the strongest statements in that letter : “Nevertheless, Catholic tradition has always taught that reason and faith are not enemies but allies in the service of God’s truth.” reason here refers to the position paper released by the ateneo professors while faith refers to the position of the CBCP, the bishop and the university. he is saying here that they really should not clash or one cancel the other, and that in fact both can be combined to reach the “service of God’s truth”. he is saying both are right and not one is wrong over the other.
- in saying both are right and not one is wrong over the other has the effect of siding with the ateneo professors. the previous and original statement released by the ateneo professors had this as the topic : “catholics in conscience can support the rh bill”. (click here: Catholics Can Support The RH Bill In Good Conscience – Ateneo Professors’ Position Paper RH Bill 5043)
clearly, fr. villarin is a man of high intellect with a genuine gift for communicating and words. it is also obvious he has a full understanding of his role, the ateneo professors and the school and its dynamics and core values. he has done his job well as president of the ateneo.
this is a proud day for ateneo and ateneans.
Memo to the University Community from the President
date posted: 2012-08-21 12:30:09
20 August 2012
Memo to: The University Community
Subject: HB 4244
Together with our leaders in the Catholic Church, the Ateneo de Manila University does not support the passage of House Bill 4244 (The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill). As many of these leaders have pointed out, the present form of the proposed bill contains
provisions that could be construed to threaten constitutional rights as well as to weaken commonly shared human and spiritual values.
Now that the period for amendments is about to begin, I enjoin all in the Ateneo community to continue in-depth study of the present bill, and to support amendments to remove provisions that could be ambiguous or inimical from a legal, moral or religious perspective.
In connection with this, I call attention to the 192 members of our faculty who have grappled with the underlying issues in the context of Catholic social teaching, and who have spoken in their own voice in support of the bill. Though the University must differ from their position for the reasons stated above, I appreciate their social compassion and intellectual efforts, and urge them to continue in their discernment of the common good. As there is a spectrum of views on this ethical and public policy issue, I ask all those who are engaged in the Christian formation of our students to ensure that the Catholic position on this matter continues to be taught in our classes, as we have always done.
Should the bill with whatever amendments be passed, we should neither hesitate to bring to the judiciary whatever legal questions we may have nor cease to be vigilant in ensuring that no coercion takes place in implementation.
If there is no easy answer to the concerns that the proposed bill raises or no facile unanimity among divergent views, this only proves the complexity, depth, and sensitivity of these concerns. Nevertheless, Catholic tradition has always taught that reason and faith are not enemies but allies in the service of God’s truth. From this tradition, we can draw strength and compassion in our often tortuous journey as persons in community toward the greater glory of God and the service of God’s people.
Jose Ramon T Villarin SJ
President
source: http://www.admu.edu.ph/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=29&aid=11138
short list for chief justice of the supreme court released – 8 candidates
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- teresita de castro
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- ronaldo zamora
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- roberto abad
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- maria lourdes sereno
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- francis jardeleza
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- cesar villanueva
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- arturo brion
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- antonio carpio
De Lima out; 8 names in CJ shortlist
By Ira Pedrasa, ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 08/13/2012 1:03 PM | Updated as of 08/13/2012 1:45 PMMANILA, Philippines (UPDATE 2) – The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has chosen eight names for its shortlist of nominees for the position of Chief Justice.
The 8 are incumbent Supreme Court justices Antonio Carpio, Roberto Abad, Arturo Brion, Teresita Leonardo De Castro and Maria Lourdes Sereno; Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, Ateneo Law School Dean Cesar Villanueva and Rep. Ronaldo Zamora.
The JBC also decided not to include Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in the shortlist of nominees for chief justice.
Speaking to reporters, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. said the JBC did not vote on his proposal to suspend or amend the JBC rule to disqualify candidates facing administrative cases including disbarment.
“Wala nang voting. We did not suspend the rule. We tried to decide by consensus but we did not get it so na-disqualify si Secretary de Lima,” he said.
De Lima, rumored to be President Aquino’s top pick for the CJ post, was disqualified due to pending disbarment cases before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. The IBP earlier refused de Lima’s petition to junk the disbarment cases.
Last Friday, JBC members failed to reach a consensus on the suspension or amendment of its disqualification rule.
Since the time of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. has been proposing for an amendment to the rule that disqualifies candidates to any judicial post and posts in the Office of the Ombudsman with pending criminal and/or regular administrative cases.
This rule is part of the Rules of the Judicial and Bar Council promulgated in October 2000.
Jardeleza reconsidered
Carpio led the shortlist with 7 votes. Abad, Brion, Jardeleza, Sereno, Zamora got six votes each. De Castro and Villanueva, on the other hand, got five votes each.
Jardeleza was earlier disqualified because of a pending disbarment case.
In an ambush interview, Tupas said Jardeleza was reconsidered because there was no prima facie evidence against him.
A source said SEC Chairperson Teresita Herbosa was also reconsidered, but failed to get into the shortlist.
The decision of the Supreme Court last week, automatically dismissing Carpio’s disbarment case, was used in the reconsideration of Jardeleza and Herbosa’s case.
Meanwhile, Tupas said his proposed amendment did not get support from the other members. He said, however, that this will be taken up at the proper time in the future.
He said the shortlist should be transmitted to Malacanang this afternoon.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/08/13/12/de-lima-out-cj-shortlist-source
160 Ateneo De Manila University Professors declare support for the RH Bill
HUMAN RIGHTS, STATE OBLIGATIONS, AND THE RH BILL
Declaration of Support for House Bill 4244
(The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill)
by individual faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University
We, the undersigned individual faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University, declare our strong support for House Bill 4244, the consolidated Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill (or RH Bill). We are heartened by the 
recent move of the House of Representatives to terminate the protracted debates and interpellations on this bill which has languished in Congress since 1999.
We urge our legislators to act swiftly and judiciously on the proposed amendments to the bill, and thereafter vote for its passage. We issue this call in our individual capacities as educators, researchers, medical doctors, lawyers, and citizens, and in no way speak for our University, the Society of Jesus, or the rest of our colleagues.
As members of the academe who value academic freedom and responsibility, we wish to put knowledge at the service of national development goals that promote the wellbeing of the majority of our people. In so doing, we seek to ground our claims on the current scientific consensus and empirical evidence, including the lived experience of the poor and marginalized.
We recognize that others who do the same may arrive at a position contrary to ours; however, we view the ability to hold and express divergent opinions on an issue as a sign of a vibrant academic community. Having read and studied HB 4244 (the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill) as well as the proposed amendments by the bill’s authors, we conclude that it is rights-based; supportive of State obligations to protect and promote health under the Philippine Constitution and international covenants and conventions; and in accordance with what Filipinos want, the vast majority of whom consistently say in surveys that they support the RH Bill.
Most important, the RH Bill is an equity measure that aims to reduce differential access to reproductive health and family planning services and information. It is the poor—and in particular poor women and their children—who stand to benefit the most from the passage of this bill. And should not the poor be the focal concern of any social institution, be it religion, education, or the government? State obligations, RH rights We commend President Benigno S. Aquino III for remaining steadfast to his campaign promise of “recognizing the advancement and protection of public health, which includes responsible parenthood, as key measures of good governance” (item 4 in his Social Contract with the Filipino People).
Despite intense pressure from Catholic bishops and other groups who vigorously oppose the RH Bill and are campaigning for its defeat in Congress, President Aquino in 2011 endorsed the Responsible Parenthood Bill (popularly known as the Reproductive Health Bill) as among his administration’s priority measures, and reiterated the need for responsible parenthood in his State of the Nation Address last July 23, 2012.
We are likewise heartened that members of his Cabinet stand solidly behind the President in supporting the RH Bill. These include the 20 agencies under the Human Development and Poverty Reduction (HDPR) Cabinet Cluster such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Health, the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the National Economic and Development Authority, the National Anti-Poverty Commission, and the Philippine Commission on Women, among others. After a decade of neglect of state support for family planning services (except for natural family planning [NFP]) under the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which adopted an NFP-only policy, President Aquino’s endorsement of a comprehensive framework for reproductive health initiatives is not only welcome but also long overdue.
Indeed, it is the obligation of the State, as primary duty-bearer, to provide information on and access to the full array of medically safe, effective, and legal family planning services in order to enable women, men, and couples—especially among the poor—to plan the number and spacing of their children. Government budgetary support for modern family planning methods (which include NFP and “artificial” contraception) is neither unconstitutional nor a breach in good governance (a form of “corruption,” according to some bishops).
In the same way that the State is obligated to provide free basic education in public schools for the poor, so should it make information and services on family planning and reproductive health available to those who cannot afford these services.
“aquino : nothing is impossible” – PDI’s report on SONA 2012
we think PDI’s article on aquino’s 2012 SONA is an excellent report on it.
Aquino: Nothing is impossible
SONA is President’s narration of changes
By Christine O. Avendaño, Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily InquirerThe Philippines has achieved change, and the Filipinos themselves have made it happen.
President Benigno Aquino faced a joint session of Congress Monday to deliver his third State of the Nation Address (Sona). He did not claim credit for the improvements in national life in the past year. All credit he gave to the Filipinos. He thanked them for the achievements.
He said that in the 25 months that he has been President, he learned that “nothing is impossible because if the Filipino people see that they are the only Bosses of their government, they will carry, they will guide you, they themselves will lead you to meaningful change.”
“Nothing is impossible to a united nation,” Mr. Aquino said. “It was change we dreamed
of, and change we achieved.”
Toward the end of his one-hour-and-a-half-long speech, he said: “Isn’t it a great time to be Filipino?”
And the benefits of change, he said, are now par for the course: Roads are straight and level, and properly paved; relief goods are ready even before a storm arrives, rescue services are always on standby, and people are no longer left to fend for themselves; sirens only blare from police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks—not from the vehicles of government officials.
“Reforms were established as we cut wasteful spending, held offenders accountable for their actions, and showed the world that the Philippines is now open for business under new management,” the President said.
He reported eight credit rating upgrades, 44 stock market record highs, and a first-quarter 2012 gross domestic product growth rate of 6.4 percent, “much higher than projected, the highest growth in the Southeast Asian region, and second only to China in the whole of Asia.”
On his social, health, education, employment and infrastructure programs, Mr. Aquino reported achievements and announced progress on plans:
• The conditional cash transfer program for the poorest poor has been extended to 3.1 million households as of February from 760,357 when he took office in June 2010.
For next year, the program will cover 3.8 million households, five times bigger than the program he inherited from the Arroyo administration.
Under the program, the beneficiaries get P1,400 a month on the condition that pregnant women get regular prenatal checkups, mothers bring their children to clinics for immunization and parents keep their children
TO MY BOSSES: “This is not my SONA. This is the SONA of the Filipino nation. You are the wellspring of change. It’s possible. It is a great time to be Filipino.”
in school.
According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the President said, 1,672,977 mothers are now getting regular checkups; 1,672, 814 children have been vaccinated against diarrhea, polio, measles and other diseases; and 4.57 million children no longer miss classes because of poverty.
• Eighty-five percent of all Filipinos have been enrolled in PhilHealth, compared to 62 percent in 2010. This means 23.31 percent more Filipinos have gained access to health insurance in the past two years.
Better news: 5.2 million poorest households will benefit from PhilHealth programs, including treatment for such diseases as breast cancer, prostate cancer and acute leukemia.
“The process,” Mr. Aquino said, “is this: Go to any government hospital, show your PhilHealth card, get treatment, and you will go home without shelling out a single centavo.”
• By year-end, the government will have built the 66,800 classrooms needed to solve the classroom shortage in public schools, acquired the 2,573,212 chairs needed to solve the furniture shortage, and done away with the 61.7-million-book shortage to achieve the 1:1 textbook-to-student ratio.
“We are ending the backlogs in the education sector, but the potential for shortages remains as our student population continues to increase,” Mr. Aquino said. Then he suggested a solution: “Perhaps the responsible parenthood bill can help address this.”
That drew the loudest of the 100 bursts of applause that interrupted Mr. Aquino’s speech.
• A proposed 43.61-percent increase in the budget of state universities and colleges next year.
• A steady decline in the unemployment rate from 8 percent in 2010 to 7.2 percent in 2011 to 6.9 percent this year.
• The completion by 2016 of airports in Panglao, Bohol; Daraga, Albay; Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental; and the upgrading of the international airports in Mactan, Cebu; Tacloban, Leyte; and Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
• Full repair of the flaws of Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport before the next Sona in July next year.
• Completion by 2015 of the extension of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 to Cavite, which would ease traffic in Las Piñas, Parañaque and Cavite, and the addition of two elevated expressways that will connect the North Luzon and South Luzon expressways, and reduce travel time between Clark in Pampanga and Calamba in Laguna to 1 hour and 40 minutes.
• Drawing 2.1 million tourists in the past two years, compared to 1.3 million during the nine years of the Arroyo administration. The goal for this year: 4.6 million tourists.
• Reduction of rice imports from 1.3 million metric tons in 2010 to 500,000 metric tons this year. Weather permitting, the Philippines may start exporting rice next year.
Military modernization
Turning to national defense, the President said the government allocated P28 billion for the modernization of the military. “This will soon match the P33 billion set aside for the program in the past 15 years,” Mr. Aquino said.
January 17, 2012 – The 2010 Presidentiables Blog reaches 1,000,000 hits
first post in this blog was in november 22, 2008. after 3 years and 3 months, 772 posts and 10,007 comments posted, the blog has reached 1 Million hits. that to us is a lot of zeroes and we are above ourselves that we got this far.
the blog had modest beginnings – just another blog talking about the upcoming presidential elections in 2010. the blog quickly got hits which we credit to the fact that this is one of the first blogs to use the term “presidentiables” as a blog name. it was a marketing decision. we thought getting a recognizable name and being first at it was going to be critical in getting readership. we thought it was natural for netizens to search for the word “presidentiables” to get information or news on the upcoming presidential elections.
the strategy worked.
1 Million hits was reached sometime in the evening of January 17, 2012
after the 2010 elections, we thought of closing down the blog. but then there were requests to continue it and thus we transformed the blog to talk about topics other than the election that was already concluded but also national issues in politics or governance. and those that concern the people.
we like to thank those who contributed to the 1 Million hits.
first post was in November, 2008
The 2010 Presidentiables Blog soon to reach 1 Million hits
it is just a few thousands more and this blog will reach an amazing 1 Million hits. it’s hard to imagine the number, how it looks or feels that netizens took to their computer to click to this log 1 million times. thank you to all the readers who made this possible.
“It’s More Fun In The Philippines” – new tourism slogan. pinoys will make the difference
the DOT, secretary mon jimenez in particular is explaining the new slogan for philippine tourism as you read this. live tweets from reporters in the venue have said this is the new international line : “It’s More Fun In The Philippines”.
we like the line. the power of the line rests on the key insight that tourists really want to have fun. it is the first and last goal of every tourist. filipinos too are fun to be with. we in fact can find humor in almost everything.
another core insight is what sec jimenez said – “It is the Filipino that completes the Philippine experience”. that could very well be the secret weapon of this new tourism campaign. the philippines do not have a monopoly of mountains, beaches and other tourists sites, every other country has one. but it is only in the philippines where filipinos are everywhere. it will be the filipinos themselves who will make a difference for tourists to enjoy themselves during their vacation.
a country can have the best beaches in the world, but a rude and an unpleasant encounter with the people will delete all that joy.
however, we have not seen the execution of the filipinos as key to the campaign in the ads so far. they are still about tourist spots. jimenez in his speech this morning and in other times have been talking about the importance of the contribution of pinoys to the success of the tourism campaign. we will need to see how this is executed in future ads.
the line is also a competitive line. it does not just say what the philippines is all about, it says the philippines is better than other countries in giving them what they want which is fun. in advertising terms, that is a powerful slant.
images from here : http://www.rappler.com/business/725-new-tourism-campaign-out-philippines-is-fun?utm_source=RapTwitter&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=SMTrack
but then again “#1forFUN” is included in the local line. this is not an original as it is in the amazon.com website.
first, we are unable to appreciate the need for a local line. this line, though simple is also in english. in twitter, singer and songwriter jim paredes of the APO said the tagalog translation of the international line also works very well – “Mas Masaya Sa Pinas” we agree with paredes. we think that is a great line for pinoys in the country.
we do not see any value in having two lines for the same thing. besides the line “#1forFUN” is not an original. we do not think it has any place in the slogan we want to use for the ocuntry.
so far pinoys seem to take to the line looking at the number of tweets it was able to get from everyone so much so that it was trending worldwide. practically all the tweets were positive with almost all giving their own example of why it is more fun in the philippines.
this is a far cry from the precious DOT chief who had to junk the line they developed where people were vjust divided plus the fact that there logo design was just too close to the the Poland tourism logo.
we will see how the ad agency will take this further if this line has legs.
the DOT also has a new website – http://www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/
~~a mindscape landmark~~
here now
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