CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER QUICKIE ARGUMENT

In Randy David's Inquirer column today, he says of the conditional cash transfer program:

It can be a first step towards re-inserting them [the poor] into the productive circuits of a volatile economy, but it cannot be the solution to poverty. Neither does it constitute a meaningful redistribution of wealth.

CONFIDENCE, THE BRINGER OF PROSPERITY a.k.a. The not-that-great debate begins

God knows how I hate criticizing specific people or their articles. God also knows I wouldn’t have the gall to do so were it not for the distance cyberspace provides. And God knows I feel way over my head when criticizing such accomplished individuals as Cielito Habito or Winnie Monsod, on a subject I know next to nothing about: economics, which happens to be their lifelong vocation.

Yet for the sake of consistency, I shall make an effort to address the points made in Habito’s latest article, ‘Securing our economic future.’ I agree with every single word he says in it, but I do have some reservations which I shall now expound.

SUGGESTED LITO LAPID LEGISLATION

Poor Lito Lapid. He is damned if he doesn’t participate in the Senate, and damned if he does file bills that contain his characteristic ‘flair’. To give this guy a hand, I am lobbying the following bills for him to endorse.

‘ODD-EVEN’ SCHEME WON’T EVEN REDUCE VEHICLES

In a show of political will on the part of mayors, the MMDA, and other related groups, the ‘odd-even’ traffic scheme has been deferred... but not totally ruled out. As if the present ‘number coding’ scheme, wherein license plates ending with certain numbers are banned two at a time each weekday, weren’t bad enough, the government (the word ‘government’ said with utmost distaste)

FLICKING CIELITO HABITO'S 'AQUINOMICS' IN THE EAR (or, the PUTANGINA test)

I was hesitant to write the following article yesterday, considering I was already tackling a prominent Filipino economist, Winnie Monsod. Today, I figured what the heck. It is now Cielito Habito’s turn to be scrutinized.

His column yesterday dealt with a ‘PITIK’ test that gauges a country’s economic situation.

RECONCILIATION OR PARTY POLITICS?

This may be the most blatantly partisan move of Kris Aquino's Lone Brother Overlord (KALBO) yet.

But it's all in the family. His mom, our Tita Cory, apologized to the president she rallied against back in 2001, as though Gloria Arroyo's follies made Erap Estrada's follies okay.

MARENG WINNIE, THE INSPIRING NATIONALIST

Back in the early 2000s, I remember catching ‘Debate’ every now and then, and appreciating the way the show was run. Winnie Monsod’s feisty and humorous personality is great for TV. Alas, what makes for entertaining TV, or popular Youtube videos for that matter, does not necessarily make for good economics.

PORK BY ANY OTHER NAME

I don’t know what the big deal is with the supposed additional ‘pork’ being allotted to congressional district representatives. I mean, do we really have to consider how, no matter if it is claimed that there is “no congressional intervention” with the P50 million per district supposedly allotted for road projects, that such items are being passed in the national budget, which is a legislative process and thus constitutes “congressional intervention”? Do we have to be so technical about such matters? Do we have to be so critical, when there are more important things in the news today?

CBCP'S 'CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE' IS THE FRYING PAN

Maybe I'm just stupid - and I haven't discounted that possibility - but the Inquirer's headline story today, wherein the CBCP considers civil disobedience as a means of defying legislative efforts to institute a national contraceptive plan, left me with more questions as to what these people consider a just battle against government action.

But first, I find it amusing that the Inquirer made a remarkable effort in the article to contextualize the comments of CBCP secretary general Juanito Figura. Nothing like a bad spin to make one conscientious the next time around.

FUCK 'REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH'

After several months in hiding, the Reproductive Health bill and the matter of contraception in general are back in the headlines. So we wake up this morning to find out that, oh no, my hero Noynoy! Noynoy! Noynoy! (NNN) is being threatened with excommunication by Catholic bishops! God forbid his soul be placed in jeopardy!