NO CIGAR AGAIN, KALBO

This is kind of part two of my previous entry on our beloved president's recently concluded visit to the US.

Aside from the great news of the Philippine government receiving $434 million for 'anti-corruption' activities, we are told by the administration that a whopping $2.4 billion from various US firms will be invested in the country.

Does my earlier criticism of the $434-M Millennium Challenge Corp. aid, which is more a government-to-government dealing, hold for what seems to be purely private enterprise, involving familiar products like Coke and Hewlett Packard printers?

KALBO’S US VISIT

Galing talaga ni Kris Aquino’s Lone Brother Overlord (KALBO). He got to talk to his counterpart messiah from the US, Barack Obama, for SEVEN WHOLE MINUTES! Wow! Most people couldn’t pee for that long! And Obama is such a symbol of great governance; look at how he has been

A QUESTION OF FAIRNESS

I really wasn't going to bother with the whole jueteng scandal that's in the front pages nowadays. But the issue persists, and more stupid things are said about it, that I might as well give my token remarks.

Once again, my source of inspiration is a simple-minded editorial by the Inquirer

INCOMPETENCE =/= LIABILITY

Even without the naming of names, it is quite safe to say that the Justice department's report on the August 23 hostage-taking incident is another manifestation of the administration's bloated sense of importance and righteousness. A way to show that all the media coverage of the hearings the past weeks was not in vain. But this is all unproductive scapegoating. And unless an accomplice could be found, the only person who is liable in this case is the former cop (and formerly alive human being) Rolando Mendoza. Sad but true, given that the cops and media messed the thing up so bad, it may have been better if they were outright accomplices.

MEANINGLESS

Ever since the State of the Nation Address (SONA), much has been made of the 'fat' bonuses availed by officials and employees of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs). It is taken for granted that such bonuses and paychecks are outrageous, and that these officials are acting in conflict with some 'public interest.'

When we hear a certain number followed by several zeroes, or hear how many months' worth of salaries is being paid to these officials, it simply strikes us as 'too much.' However, if we consider the matter further, we will find that we have no basis but an arbitrary one on which we could judge such bonuses as being 'too much.'