The Quirino Grandstand hostage drama

I was supposed to write about the Quirino Grandstand hostage drama that took place last Monday. It killed 8 Hongkong nationals and the hostage taker himself. It was a sad day not only for the victims and their kin but also for each one of the us Filipinos here and abroad. It was evil and there are no words to console every one involved. “Condolence” and “Sorry” won’t bring back the lives lost. And the lives scarred by what happened.

I am just praying that the Philippine government have learned their lesson. Firstly, on the case of the hostage taker Capt. Rolando Mendoza. How come a decorated cop, said to be a really good and clean one, turned to a hostage taker? How come his extortion case wasn’t given the attention it needed and now that he’s dead it will be reviewed upon the president’s order?!? We all know good cops are so few and they are the ones neglected by our government! I hope the president will do something about this.

Secondly, on the case of our hostage negotiators. I heard from the news that one of the two who negotiated with Capt. Mendoza even trained in Australia. How come he wasn’t able to do something in those hours he was talking to the hostage taker? They were seen laughing and calm the whole time. And nothing?!? Have you, guys, seen the movie The Negotiator? Are you, guys, watching those cop series in the US like NCIS? Our negotiators should be trained regardless whether hostage taking in our country are far and few between.

Lastly, on our president. Sure, the Quirino Grandstand hostage drama was an isolated incident. But he should know what to do in situations like that. Have you heard the news that HK Chief Executive Donald Tsang was calling him up and the whole time Phil. President Noynoy Aquino couldn’t be reached? And then the flak he got regarding the videos taken wherein he was seen smiling all the time. I noticed that, too! He was even laughing while he was beside the window where the bus driver got out. Considering what happened, he should have worn a very serious facial expression. He said smiling was his way of dealing with the gloom of the situation. I don’t know, I just feel he could have been more mindful of his actions in my opinion. He could have intervened during the hostage taking, calling up Capt. Mendoza or even sending an emissary. He said in his press conference 5 hours after the hostage taking that he will have Capt. Mendoza’s case reviewed. If he could have told that to the man while the hostages were still alive, it could have made a HUGE difference! But no, he was just monitoring the situation during that time. Darn!

Everything could have been handled differently. The hostage drama could have ended without any casualty. But the policemen, the media with their incessant coverage, and the government officials who could have intervened…

ABS-CBN news programs and the torture video

I am really starting to get annoyed with ABS-CBN news programs need for sensationalism. They are going overboard on their “exclusives”! I understand that it’s their way of attracting viewers aside from providing “information”. But I do think it’s overkill most of the time!

There’s the torture video that they kept on showing again and again. Half of TV Patrol‘s newscast for the past two days was dedicated to showing the torture scene. And what is that torture scene, you might ask (esp. to those who are non-Filipinos)? It is of a man being tortured by the police. He was an alleged snatcher caught and in the process of interrogating the man, making him confess, he was stripped naked and his genitals was tied with a string and being pulled again and again by a policeman! It was allegedly done by Sr. Inspector Joselito Binayug who was already suspended pending investigation of the case. The Commission on Human Rights already stepped in and is conducting investigations of their own.

I know, I KNOW, that injustices like these need to be shown to the masses for awareness and for it to be squashed. But in my opinion, ABS-CBN should not show the clip of the torture scene again and again. There are kids watching the news with their parents! I am a grown woman and I cringed the first time I saw the video. I stopped watching after the first pull. Kids should not see that video. But TV Patrol showed the video a number of times within their news program!

I don’t know but have you noticed how ABS-CBN news programs have gone the route of tabloid journalism already? Watch even one TV Patrol ep and you will see what I’m talking about now.

And please, enough of the torture video please!

Dealing with government agencies

Government offices tend to give you a headache when you try to call them up for information. Most of the personnel are either grouchy or just plain rude! I’ve encountered my fair share in some of the popular government agencies and GOCC’s for the past couple of years and I must say that with three presidents (P-Noy being the current one), there are no changes at all!

The only government agency (a GOCC, am I right?) that has pleasant personnel and one that you can really commend is PEZA. Oliver Reyes of PEZA, if he’s still there, was one of the most pleasant and helpful personnel I’ve dealt with while I was still working for a call center company. I took care of the company’s PEZA registration and periodic PEZA reports and every question I’ve asked of the guy was answered with as much information as he could inject in our conversation. See, I really remembered the guy’s name! That’s because he’s one of the few people who works (worked?) for the government who knows how to deal properly with those seeking their assistance. I must say that even their department head and co-workers were as pleasant as him. I just remembered Oliver’s name the most because he was the one assigned with the periodic PEZA reports.

To government personnel: There is nothing wrong with being pleasant, especially to those who approached you with courtesy and respect. I understand that persons working for the government are overworked and underpaid. But why stay if you are unhappy with your work? And since you are unhappy, you are annoyed at people seeking your assistance? There are even some of you who are downright rude!

Of course, let me say that there are a couple of government people I’ve dealt with who were very accommodating. Anyway…

If these two old women I’m dealing with in a government agency will continue to sit on my grandma’s death benefits, I will really write their names here, their commanding officer’s name, and their whole department in the Air Force! I will detail here how rude they are to me and how lazy they are!

I kept wondering what happens to those people dealing with this kind of government personnel who are timid. I guess it takes them months and months to get a benefit that should be processed in a day or two.

Minors in conflict with the law

According to the news, more and more minors are getting involved in crimes. The Alabang Boys, Jason Ivler, Ivan Padilla and his gang, Snake gang and so many others. Most of the kids involved in high profile crimes are even kids from rich families.

An expert was interviewed about it and she said that this is caused by many factors foremost of which is seeing these things from the elders around them. My take on this is… media and the lack of proper guidance by an authoritative figure in these kids’ lives. Add to it poverty and peer pressure.

It is actually very alarming considering these kids should have been the blessed ones, the ones who wouldn’t even think of committing crimes just for easy money. But they are and the gravity and frequency of these crimes are increasing.

I think parents, guardians, elders in the family and school authorities should double their efforts in monitoring kids. They now start young. And we can prevent this from happening if we are only open and more aware of what our kids are getting themselves into.

No classes in Metro Manila!

There will be no classes in pre-school, elementary and high school in Metro Manila tomorrow, July 14, 2010 due to tropical storm Basyang. Signal No. 2 has been hoisted over Metro Manila.

Follow ABS-CBN Breaking News (@ABSCBNBreaking) on Twitter more updates on Basyang.

Kamag-anak Inc.

Comedienne Mae Paner a.k.a. Juana Change and the spokesperson of the new administration are having a tiff right now. And all because the former publicly noted the participation of the Abads in the Aquino administration. I am talking about Butch Abad his daughter. Because Juana Change posted it in her Facebook account, Atty. Edwin Lacierda fired back that she was just envious of the Abads.

I would like to say that I’ve been noticing how Lacierda is always frowning when being shown on tv. He is the president’s spokesperson. Shouldn’t he be projecting a good image because he represents the president? Another thing, I believe Juana Change has a point. Why the Abads in different government posts? Isn’t Butch Abad enough and he still need to put each and every one he owes gratitude to including Abad’s daughter?

If Noynoy wants a good and controversy-free 6-year term, he should get rid of people who will give him a bad image. Stop the Kamag-anak Inc. Stop putting friends in government posts and instead put competent people who will do good in office. Stop putting people he owes something to. Abad, Mar Roxas, and other persons prominent during his campaign.

Proclamation of President Noynoy Aquino

I watched the proclamation of the 15th President of the Philippines, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. It gave me goose bumps! Especially when people started chanting “Noynoy” when he entered the hall and when he was asked to go up the rostrum. It was history unveiling before my very eyes.

Admittedly, I didn’t vote for Noynoy. I voted for Gibo Teodoro. I voted for Jojo Binay for vice president and I am glad he won (and was proclaimed alongside Noynoy today). But as I have said to everyone who would listen to me during the canvassing of votes, now that Noynoy has won, it is time for us to set aside our differences and rally behind the man. I wish the losing politicians will put a stop to their cheating allegations and just help the new president and vice president with the job of cleaning all the mess left behind by GMA.

I really wish the new President-elect Noynoy Aquino the best in his 6-year term. I wish he won’t pull a GMA on us. I pray that his presidency will bring about the change Filipinos around the world need.

My suggestion: please do something about the sad state of the country’s education. Poverty will be minimized if the citizens of the country are given the right education they need.

Proclamation of Pres and Vice Pres of the Philippines Live!

Proclamation of the new President (Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III) and Vice President (Jejomar “Jojo” Binay) of the Philippines is ongoing. Tune in to ABS-CBN or ANC for the live coverage. Or follow ANCAlerts on Twitter for the blow by blow account of what’s happening at the Batasang Pambansa.

You can also watch it online through ANC’s web site.

Noynoy: Out to please

President-apparent Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III is obviously out to please those people who campaigned for him. As my sister puts it, it’s “payback” time!

Reports have been surfacing that he’s offering government positions to Boy Abunda, Lily Monteverde (Mother Lily to the local entertainment world), Mary Grace Poe (daughter of late Fernando Poe, Jr.), Dingdong Dantes, and Ogie Alcasid.

I know most people would say there is nothing wrong with Noynoy offering the aforementioned people government posts. But when you step back and really think about it, you begin to question the qualifications of these individuals. Are they really qualified for the job or are they just being given a job to please them/to say thanks for the help? Is Boy Abunda qualified to become the Secretary of Tourism? He is a talent manager and a showbiz talk show host. He is also well-known for being Kris Aquino-Yap‘s (Noynoy’s youngest sister) best friend. Wouldn’t he be more qualified for a PR job rather than the Tourism post? Mother Lily Monteverde is a movie producer. She is supposedly being offered to chair the Optical Media Board (OMB) whose function is to stop piracy in the country. If a place needs to be raided, can she tag along with the OMB team? We’ve seen violent raids done in the past. Is she really the one for the post? Or is someone tougher and well-versed with piracy more suited for the position? The same question comes to mind with Mary Grace Poe, Dingdong Dantes and Ogie Alcasid.

There is nothing wrong with Noynoy surrounding himself with those he deems trustworthy and loyal to him. I can understand as much. But to offer government posts to those people with whom he has an “utang na loob” is another matter. We might be seeing government people who are unfit for the job but since they are loyal to the newly elected president, they are given important posts. Do we really need another 6 years of this?

We all want change. That’s what we’ve been asking for. But if the President-apparent Noynoy Aquino will start handing out government seats to friends and those with whom he is indebted to (for campaigning him), I don’t think change will happen anytime soon.

Actors/Actresses in politics

I can’t understand why these actors and actresses would join politics without any knowledge of what to do and then would promise to study/enroll in a crash course in Public Administration when they get elected. They are so confident to run for a government position without any knowledge of what they are about to do because they know they can hire someone to act on their behalf. They will just be puppets of those who urged them to run in the first place.

I would like to think that these people are making fun of us whom they will serve. How can they even serve us when they know nothing about what to do? Popularity and appeal are just what they have. What happens when they start their term?

Lani Mercado, Lucy Torres-Gomez, Manny Pacquiao, Angelica Jones… these are just some of the names I read who are going to “study” now that they got elected. Lany, Lucy and Manny are said to be attending the National School of Public Administration and Governance in University of the Philippines (UP). The last one I just heard in the news.

In my opinion, people who are seeking a seat in the government should at least have a working knowledge of the system. It doesn’t matter that much if he/she is running for a barangay position. But these are national positions. If someone who has no knowledge of the government system really wants to serve his/her countrymen, I say start from the bottom. Seek a local position first. Learn the ropes. Study Public Administration and Governance BEFORE seeking a national position. Be fair to the people you plan to serve!

Who did you vote for?

Did you vote for Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Jejomar “Jojo” Binay (NoyBi)? Or did you go for the Aquino and Manuel “Mar” Roxas II tandem (NoyMar)?

One thing is for sure, Noynoy has won the battle for the presidency. I keep telling my friends that Noynoy might not be their bet but now that he’s the incoming president of the country, let us support him in any way we can to really bring about the much needed change in the country. We need it.

Vote wisely!

The much-anticipated 2010 Philippine National Elections will be held on Monday, May 10, 2010. Filipinos, are you ready to vote?

Who are you voting for? People of the Philippines, you still have today and tomorrow to think about who you want to lead this nation. Do you want another Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sitting in the highest seat of the country? Or like me you want some change? Think about it. Make a wise decision on May 10. Make sure you are voting for the person whom you think will lead us Filipinos to a brighter future.

We’ve had enough of GMA’s regime. Let us usher in a new era of Philippine government. One that is clean and corruption-free if possible. Remember people that it’s all in our hands now. We are voting for the next president of the country who will lead us for 6 years.

Please, please vote wisely, Filipinos all over the world. We need change! Go out and vote on May 10!

Photo credit: mjgallego.wordpress.com