Category: Governance

Filipinos want a government that has an ear and a heart for them: EON survey

Published by Ellen on October 26, 2015

Pres. Aquino with LP candidates Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo being prayed over at the Tarlac First Baptist Church. (Photo by Joseph Vidal, Malacanang)

Candidates for the 2016 May elections, especially those running for president and vice-president, should read the findings of the EON’s 2015 Philippine Trust Survey which tells that Filipinos want from their leaders to listen to and feel for them.

The PTI, which EON started in 2011, is not an easy survey to do because unlike other surveys that ask who they would vote for in the next election, trust is an abstract thing. One has to give it to EON for coming up with a formula to measure the public’s insights and opinions.

In the PTI survey, respondents were asked to share their opinions on six key Philippine institutions – the Government, the Business Sector, the Media, Non-Governmental Organizations, the Church, and the Academe.

The nationwide survey interviewed 1,620 Filipinos from July to August 2015. They are referred to in the survey as “General Public.” EON said an additional 420 screened respondents were also added to come up with 600 respondents referred to in the survey as “Informed Public.”

The Informed Public respondents “are Filipinos who are at least college graduates and who access media for news at least thrice a week,” EON said.

In the survey results, the Informed Public is less approving of the institutions than the General Public.

Lina: slammed and reversed

Published by Ellen on August 25, 2015

They are well- deserved beatings that Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina is getting this week.

After being slammed by the OFW community (that means the estimated 2.3 million overseas Filipino workers plus their relatives at the average of six per OFW) for his order to impose tighter inspection of balikbayan boxes, a regional trial court Monday ordered him to stop his highly questionable act of cancelling the P650 million contract to modernize Customs operation that benefitted his company.

The day after President Aquino stopped Lina’s order for stricter control of balikbayan boxes, the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 47 released the order of Judge Paulino Gallegos for Lina also stopping his cancellation of the BOC contract with Omni Prime-Intrasoft JV.

Ombudsman calls Binay’s P200 M suit ‘a sham’

Published by Ellen on August 22, 2015

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales didn’t mince words in asking the Makati Regional Trial Court to dismiss the suit filed by Vice President Jejomar Binay against her and 12 other persons including senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“Considering that the Complaint appears to be patently bereft of the merit, the only inescapable conclusion is that plaintiff Binay’s suit is a sham,” she said.

Morales reply also dismissed Binay’s complaint as “an obvious publicity stunt calculated to harass and intimidate” her knowing that she will be the final approving authority in the event that the recommendation of the 2nd Special Panel handling the preliminary investigations is adverse to him.

Has traffic jammed Mar Roxas’ brain?

Published by Ellen on August 19, 2015

Metro Manila traffic. Thanks to Canadian Inquirer.

No wonder there was no urgency for the Aquino government to find solution to the horrendous traffic that Metro Manilans have to survive daily: they continue to think it’s an affirmation of their “good work.”

Aquino always brags that under his term, the Philippines experienced economic boom.

And proof of that economic boom, he said, is the traffic gridlock. Last year, he told the Filipino community in Spain: “When you come home and you’re caught in traffic, just remember that people are running errands, not just loitering around. That is a sign of economic growth.”

Last week, his anointed, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas echoed that line at the annual national convention of the Philippine Sugar Technologists Association Inc. (Philsutech) in Cebu.

A golden opportunity for the Supreme Court to right a wrong

Published by Ellen on April 21, 2015

The Supreme Court has been presented the golden opportunity to right a wrong that has spawned corruption and a culture of impunity by elected officials.

In the hearing of the case on the suspension by the Ombudsman of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay, Jr. before the Supreme Court, lawyers of Binay invoked the “”doctrine of condonation” also known as the “Aguinaldo doctrine” that immunizes an elected official from being removed for administrative misconduct once re-elected.

The doctrine does not apply to criminal cases.

The condonation doctrine over-stretched the proverb, “The will of the people is the will of God.”

Justice Jardeleza against condonation doctrine when he was SolGen

Published by Ellen on April 19, 2015

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. has invoked the “condonation doctrine” for the dismissal of his cases in connection with the allegedly overpriced (P2.3 billion) Makati City Hall Parking building before the Ombudsman.

The condonation doctrine has no legal bases. It is a legal principle established by the Supreme Court in the 1959 case of Pascual vs Provincial Board.

Arturo B. Pascual was elected mayor of San Jose, Nueva Ecija, in November 1951 and reelected in 1955. In October 6, 1956, the Acting Provincial Governor of that province filed with the Provincial Board three administrative charges -Maladministrative, Abuse of Authority, and Usurpation of Judicial Functions – against Pascual committed during his first term.

In dismissing the case against Pascual, Supreme Court Justice David J. Gutierrez said, “When the people have elected a man to office, it must be assumed that they did this with knowledge of his life and character, and that they disregarded or forgave his faults or misconduct, if he had been guilty of any. It is not for the court, by reason of such faults or misconduct to practically overrule the will of the people. against the said appellant.”

The condonation doctrine had been used in several Supreme Court cases including the one the public is more familiar with: Aguinaldo vs Santos.

Dinky’s family camping: Senseless and hypocritical

Published by Ellen on January 25, 2015

Back to the streets Tibigar family after six days in a Batangas resort. Photo from ABS-CBN.

President Aquino has not yet spoken on reports, confirmed by Social Services Secretary Dinky Soliman, about the government banishing 490 homeless persons to a Batangas resort during the five-day visit of Pope Francis.

But his deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said, “Wala naman hong ganoon. Parang insulto din sa bisita kapag sinabi mong ‘pag tinago niyo, hindi na niya malalaman’.Hindi naman natin din tinatago ang estado… Makikita naman ‘yan sa official statistics.”

Insulto talaga.

A journalist friend thinks it was not for Pope Francis that the government removed the destitute from Metro Manila’s streets. It was the foreign press that were coming to cover the Papal visit that they were more concerned about.

MIAA invites bid for ‘P1.2 million wristwatch’

Published by Ellen on September 4, 2014

This will either make you laugh or cry.

Last Monday over dinner, lawyer Ven Canta shared with us something that intrigued him when he visited the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System or PhilGeps website.

Goyo’s MRT Challenge

Published by Ellen on August 31, 2014

Issuing a challenge is the In thing now.

It was inspired by the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. ALS is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, an incurable degenerative disease. Conceived by two Americans afflicted with ALS, the Ice Bucket Challenge asks someone to have a photo or video of him being drenched or he can drench himself with ice water or else donate $100 dollars to an ALS organization. He will then issue a challenge to more people daring to do the same or donate.
Or they can do both. The drenching and the challenge to other people should be posted in social media.

Never mind if many of those who had themselves on video being dumped with ice water on the head just wanted the publicity and didn’t bother to know what ALS is all about. It’s for a good cause anyway.

Aquino satisfaction rating plunge: The calm before the storm

Published by Ellen on August 13, 2014

Take note that the Social Weather Stations survey showing a 16- point plunge in net satisfaction for the Aquino administration was conducted on June 27 – 30, 2014.

From 45 percent last March, satisfaction for general performance of the Aquino administration dropped to 29 percent in the June survey.

This was before the July 1 Supreme Court unanimous decision declaring the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP unconstitutional.

This was before Aquino went ballistic against the Supreme Court insisting on his own interpretation of the Constitution deliberately ignoring that under our system of government the final arbiter when it comes to legal issues is the Supreme Court.