NEWS
TRENDS
Aid
and subsidies, Arroyo’s answer to economic crisis
Instead
of concrete solutions to the economic woes that the Filipino people
are facing, President Gloria M. Arroyo finds aid and subsidies
a quick-fix solution for the people’s predicament. Amid
the unprecedented inflation, fuel and food price increases, the
president early this month said her government will offer subsidies
to selected poor families.
The
various subsidies include: a P500 voucher / credit for “lifeline
power users”; P2-worth oil subsidies for the transport sector;
P1500 fertilizer subsidies for farmers as part of the P12.5B funds
for LGUs;.P1-billion fund for student loans that will benefit
close to 70,000 college students.
Philippines
failed to curb corruption - World Bank Study
Once
again, the Philippines’ reputation in curbing corruption
has been tainted by the latest study conducted by the World Bank
rating Philippine corruption as worst in East Asia. World Bank’s
2008 Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) showed the country
is now at the bottom of the list of East Asia’s countries
in terms of control of corruption, lower than last year’s
worst rated country Indonesia.
Measured
in terms of perceived corruption incidence, the Philippines’
percentile rank for corruption, one of the six key governance
indicators used in the study, fell to 22 percent lower than the
23 percent ranking last year. Indonesia, meanwhile, pulled it
self from the world’s bottom 25%. Aside from control of
corruption, the five other governance indicators used in the study
were: voice and accountability; political stability and absence
of violence / terrorism; government effectiveness; regulatory
quality; and rule of law. Among these six governance indicators
the Philippines score lowest – below 25 percentile rank
– in “control of corruption” and “political
stability”.
Dan Vizmanos, first rebel soldier
passes away
Long before Sen. Antonio Trillanes, there was Navy Capt. Dan Vismanos,
considered the first rebel soldier and probably the first in the
history of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to defect to the
militant mass movement. Vizmanos fought against martial law and
the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, and continued to support
the struggle of the Filipino people until his last breathe. He
passed away last June 24, 2008 due to a lingering illness. He
was 79.
Upon the declaration of martial law in 1972, Ka Dan – as
people called him - retired from the service, citing “incompatibility
with an armed forces that was converted into a huge private army
and oppressive instrument of the Marcos dictatorship.” After
torture and detention in Marcos prisons, Vizmanos assumed leadership
positions in such organizations as Bayan, Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee
Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya, Ibon Foundation, and
Philippine-Cuba Friendship Association.
