vonjobi: wow, congratulations! kelan ang trip? i hope i'll be around when you come. had a good time with diosa last...
Keith Bacongco: Knowing Nograles and his Big Boss...garapalan na lang talaga.
Vinia Datinguinoo Mukherjee: Congratulations, PCIJ! Mabuhay kayo!
Lead Philippines: But without credible mass media there, what is left to protect the people..?
vonjobi: it's juned sOniDo.

Latest Message 5 months ago

hopeless_race : Lets not just focus sa mga malversation of funds, sa mga overpricing..ating pagtuunan ng atensyon ang diskarte ng mga politiko na umuutang ng bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno."Small time" ang ibang pamamaraan ng pangungurakot kumpara sa pag-utang sa gobyerno ng bilyon na tunay ngang masasabing "pinaka big-time" at wala pang sabit.
hopeless_race : Mukhang tikom ang bibig ng lahat pagdating sa diskarte ng mga politiko sa pagutang ng mga bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno na tinatakbuhan. Itong pamamaraan na ito ang tunay na kumakain ng malaking porsyento ng ating national budget batay na din sa sinasabi ng world bank.
hopeless_race : Pakisilip naman po ang mga utang ni Villar sa BSP, ang mga utang nila RAMON JACINTO, RONNIE ZAMORA, JOE DE VENECIA at madami pang ibang mga pulitiko. Iilan lamang yan sa mga nababanggit sa balita na may mga malalaking utang sa gobyerno.
hopeless_race : Nagmimistulang "small time" lamang ang malversation of funds kumpara sa laki ng kinakamal ng mga umuutang sa gobyerno. At ito ay malinaw na natatakbuhan dahil hindi nga naman pwede makulong ang may-ari ng kumpanya sa pagkaka-utang lamang. Tunay na mga tuso at magagaling sa batas itong mga politiko natin. Masasabi ko na malamang lahat ng mga politiko ganito ang diskarte...wala pang kulong.
hopeless_race : PCIJ pkitingnan naman po ang mga gaya ni Villar na my malaking utang sa Gobyerno pero tinatakbuhan. Magtatayo ng kumpanya at uutang ng bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno ng walang balak bayaran. Tunay ngang walang nakukulong sa utang...ito ang prinsipyo ginagamit ng mga politiko ntin kaya nakakapagtaka kung san napupunta ang daang bilyong pera ng gobyerno.
hopeless_race : Sana itreat naman po ng media ang hacienda luisita at mendiola massacre na parang MAGUINADANAO MASSACRE. Ipublicized ang mga katotohanan at ipakita sa tao ang karumaldumal na pinaggagawa sa mga farmers dun. Untouchable po ba sila cory at danding at hindi magawang batikusin ng media about these two massacres?
hopeless_race : Kapag napaguusapan ang mendiola at hacienda luisita massacre ay parang walang nangyari at parang hindi big deal. Anu po ba ang pinagkaiba ng dalawang nabanggit na massacre sa maguindanao massacre?
hopeless_race : Its sad that we pinoys are blind to the fact of what had happened in mendiola and hacienda luisita. Ang tanong..bakit ang media ay hindi manlang matackle ang ganitong usapin? Takot ba sila kay cory at danding?
hopeless_race : Wilkins" brand, for P1.4 billion.-1999 Sugarland Multi-Food Corp. for P2.9 billion 2001- Purefoods Corp P7 billion P60 billion Coca-Cola ... See More 2002- Cosmos Bottling Corp. from RFM Corp. for P14.1 billion October 2008- GSIS' shares in Meralco worth PHP30 Billion. December 2008- country's biggest oil refiner, Petron Corporation. international company shopping spree: Australian boutique brewer J. Boag and Son for A$96 million in 2000. $97 million for Thai Amarit Brewery Ltd $35.5 mi
hopeless_race : Gud am..glad to be back.
jr_lad : rip mr. alecks pabico. you'll be greatly missed!
sevens21 : Dati input mo lng name at SSS ID makukuha mo agad STATIC INFO...
sevens21 : tawag ka sa HOTLINE nila walang ANSWER grrr we need pa namn ng static info SSS Gising!!!
sevens21 : Gawa naman po kayo ng article about SSS. Pangit ng site nila dali ma blocked ng account
guest_899 : we must check the background of each potential candidates to avoid having another big mistake like GMA
guest_899 : congratulations to PCIJ, more power and God Bless !
jazzymuver : how did Arroyo swallow that kind of things!! how come that she just spend the money our countrymen for her own sake!!
guest_3664 : i would be glad if u can include the investigation of the manner public officials announce infra projects as per COA regulation. It is frustrating to see their faces on the tarpaulin instead of the prescribed information like name of project, date of implementation,amount of contract, source/s of fund, among other things. This is very rampant here in Marikina. Thanks and more power on your noble endeavors. We need people like you to have make our country great again.
jhanz_08 : im making research on R.A 9136...with rgards to the privatization of NPC..could someone out there can let me understand more bout this matter?why was monopoly dismantled?email me..jhanycem@yahoo.com...thanks much
erika marie : P.S.:) my paper is due next week and i do hope someone could provide me these reports coming from reliable resources thank you ulit.
erika marie : P.S.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study regarding political killings in the philippines. could someone out there please send me human rights reports under Aquino and Ramos administration. you could send it at my email: erikamariet@yahoo.com your response would surely be very much appreciated. thank you everyone. god bless.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study for my paper regarding political killings in the philippines. i noted that there are no human rights reports during the Aquino and Ramos administration. could someone out there please send me reports regarding these matter? i do hope these reports came from reliable resources you could send it in my email; erikamariet@yahoo.comyour response would surely be appreciated. thanks everyone. god bless.
jayson bourne : gusto ko po maging member ng PCIJ, panu po ba? may application po ba? sana mapadalhan nyo ako ng info sa email ko... www.jboxpenshoppe@yahoo.com
jayson bourne : cory is OK, but kris & Noynoy sensationalize masyado...
guest_9891 : LABAN pa rin!
meow : boycotts worked during marcos years. how about doing it now against the businesses of the con-ass congressmen?
meow : aside from 168, what other establishments can we boycott that belong to the arroyos and their cronies?
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7th SONA: Arroyo shows off her ’strength’

Posted by: Isa Lorenzo | July 23, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Filed under: Governance, In the News, Podcasts

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo apparently draws much of her strength from her much-vaunted infrastructure projects, to which she devoted most of this year’s state of the nation address (SONA).

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo delivers her 7th SONA. [photo by Jaileen Jimeno]

“We have been investing hundreds of billions in human and physical infrastructure,” the President said, adding that investments focused on three key areas:

investments in physical, intellectual, legal and security infrastructure to increase business confidence. Imprastraktura para sa negosyo at trabaho. Isang milyong trabaho taon-taon (Infrastructure for businesses and jobs. One million jobs generated every year).

investments in a stronger and wider social safety net — murang gamot, abot-kayang pabahay, eskwelang primera klase, mga gurong mas magaling at mas malaki ang kita, mga librong de-kalidad, more scholarships for gifted students, and language instruction to maintain our lead in English proficiency. Dunong at kalusugan ang susi sa kasaganaan (Learning and health are the keys to prosperity).

investments in bringing peace to Mindanao; in crushing terrorism wherever it threatens regardless of ideology; and in putting a stop to human rights abuses whatever the excuse.

Listen to Part 1 of the President’s SONA or read the text.
Length: 00:38:50
File size: 35.4 MB
Language: English and Filipino

Listen to Part 2 of the President’s SONA.
Length: 00:18:03
File size: 16.4 MB
Language: English and Filipino

“Imprastraktura ang haliging nagtitindig hindi lamang ng kapayapaan kundi ng ating buong makabagong ekonomiya: mga kalsada, tulay, paliparan, public parks and power plants (Infrastructure is the pillar that supports not only peace, but our whole new economy: roads, bridges, airports),” the President said.

She was quick to add that the so-called super regions she unveiled in her last year’s SONA was not a gimmick, but rather a blueprint for building a future.

A long list of infrastructure projects from Mindanao to Metro Manila followed, interspersed with acknowledgments to yet another long list of politicians, companies and foreign donors — as if to remind them that the system of patronage is built around the Office of the President.

Many say that the President has a long way to go before realizing her dream of turning a weak economy into a strong republic. During the last six years, the economy has not performed well enough to make a difference in the lives of most Filipinos, especially the poor, according to former budget secretary and University of the Philippines (UP) economics professor Benjamin Diokno.

Former President Fidel Ramos, meanwhile, said during an interview with ANC’s Korina Sanchez that much time had been lost due to the fragmented leadership for the past seven years.

Ramos said that the President’s SONA was “ok lang, but not enough.” Indeed, many found the President’s guarantees, which included more infrastructure projects, P150 billion to improve education, and appeals to Congress to pass legislation protecting witnesses to extrajudicial killings and cheaper medicines, lacking.

The President said that her SONA was just a sampler of the P1.7-trillion Medium Term Public Investment Program.

Still, Representative Marcelino Teodoro of the newly created first district of Marikina and a member of Arroyo’s own party, the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), said that the President should have focused on a blueprint to provide the delivery of needs, instead of mere guarantees.

While Arrroyo adopted some of the recommendations of the Supreme-Court initiated summit on extra-judicial killings, Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo said that she took no executive initiative such as expressly ordering state forces to stop extrajudicial killings.

With only three years remaining in office, the President may be reflecting on what kind of legacy she will leave behind, saying, “It is my ardent wish that most of the vision I have outlined will be fully achieved when I step down…All that will remain for my successor is to gather the harvest. He or she will have an easier time of it than I did.”

Although she did not say that she would step down in 2010, she reiterated that she stood in the way of no one’s ambition.

Her speech however, ended with a warning, and a sentence that elicited the most applause during a SONA that lasted for almost an hour.

“But make no mistake. I will not stand idly when anyone gets in the way of the national interest and tries to block the national vision. From where I sit, I can tell you, a President is always as strong as she wants to be.”

Tough words from one whose authority to govern remains saddled by widespread cynicism and distrust owing to unresolved allegations that she stole the vote in 2004.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 23rd, 2007 and is filed under Governance, In the News, Podcasts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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[...] Pinoy Ambisyoso gives capsule reviews of some reactions; the PCIJ Blog runs through other reactions, from all sides of the political fence (former president Ramos was, apparently, a bit cranky) but perhaps the most concise description comes from baratillo@cubao, who calls it the “Eat My Shorts Speech,” and who provides his own condensed version of the address. [...]