ADDENDUM for the July 1-15 issue . . . where I said there is no Philippines Day.
I am wrong. I apologize. THERE IS A PHILIPPINES DAY in Ontario, as I have perused several free Fil-Canadian newspapers report on Independence Day, I saw admirable celebration of pride and oneness of a race my own, splashed in color and in black and white photos of elegantly attired leaders, professionals, double jobbers, plain OFWs, of homemakers in ternos and sayas, dusky and tisay beauties and young kids and old Pinoys SMILING like no other race because they are in a place where hard and honest toil obliterate clannish, tribal and moralistic, discrete and open squabbles. You see in their faces and smiles signs of the times and space which do not need Obama’s audacity of hope because they are A-okay.
Then as I watched live on TV Canada Day celebrated in the country’s Ottawa Capital, this is what the old dog saw: I learned how in the future we might be celebrating Philippines Day. Matured symbolism of pride and love of country shall definitely be palpable, blatant in the lack of shame to give way to the youth, Rizal’s adamant Hope of the Motherland. No pabonggahan of the elite and mayabang mighty. Canada before had Terry Fox, now Clare Hughes and Eugenie Bouchard. but we have young ones este once Manny Pacquiao and Nora Aunor eh?. What we want is just a Day giving way to young achievers of skills and talent, a demonstration that established health care and facilities for sick batang Pinoys had given fruits to youth achievement in nation building. By then we will see the presence of cared for veterans and retirees and seniors who may have contributed little to our progress but have not plundered our country’s wealth. We will by then listened to men of integrity at the podium, not to pompously dressed charlatans, thieves of our wealth declared still innocent by crooked law. By then there will be no more prayers, no clamor for hope for change, because we have already, unknowingly had changed. Our permanent secret army of paid protesters and demonstrators will be no more because they have jobs and need NOT sell for their next meal their souls to enslaving charlatans. We will need foreign workers for menial jobs, not foreign scavengers that supply the blood of our own smugglers, crooked businessmen, cuddling politicians and law enforcers. That will be Philippines Day not so different to Canada Day as celebrated today.
I was thirteen when I saw the beginning and for four years from grades six to high school graduation followed the progress of what I am blabbering about Canada Day; My heart was fat and thick with joy when classmates and I go to Luneta, jockey for a place near the rickety grandstand to watch in awe marching soldiers, walking waving Katipuneros, smiling bemedaled WWII veterans, marching honest government employees, floats with beauties and hunks of commerce and industry and the collegialas and public school girls were there too for gawking. But the guardians changed the day signaling the start of culture decay; to pave the way in a short time to wish HOPE and for more prayers for change. It is world class shame just to raise the big flag and listened to a speech of rubbish.
Because, for the government and almost everybody, Philippines Day is spending freely hard earned money for the country’s patrimony, not for personal show off and ostentation.
Let’s lower the readers’ BP somewhat for my piece in this issue.
ALBATROSS WHATEVERS is “samot-samot or maski ano” in Tagalog; an apt description of about anything under the sun, a freedom I like to claim to be able at the moment to write on . . like when a mind runs free, weighted down only by one’s self pride and prejudice; buoyed up by intellect, smashed down by biases of ignorance.
The Government Budget as Gordian Knot
The Philippine government annual budget is a whatever. A balanced budget belongs to honest and noble history; a bloated budget is both current and futuristic speculation that seeks social change and progress but which needs an Alexander’s sword to cut and untangle the budget knot. A national budget’s leakage to corruption could go as high as 40%, and can go higher. An entire “pork barrel” portion can just be a steal, faster than fast bucks like the plunder done for more than 10 years to PDAF. A repeat national budget is downright dishonest.
Done before, Here’s why.
Every centavo from all taxes paid and collected must be spent in accordance with law passed by Congress. A budget law passed to finance massive infrastructure projects Must not be the same law adopted (or carried over) during an election year to finance massive election campaigns and for candidates winning or losing to pocket the savings.
A budget law (annual general appropriations Act) must spell out expenses that is illegal, irregular, excessive and extra-vagant. A gray area between black and white is the hiding place of scoundrels.
Budgeting is not a profession unlike the Accounting and Auditing Professions; Accountants and Auditors can prospectively make and retrospectively unmake budgets. Said another way: accounting checks budgeting while auditing checks accounting. Budget men remains wishful, for a profession of their own.
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To Impeach and Put in Jail President Noynoy for Culpable Violation of a Constitutional Provision which is non-existent or dubiously Unconstitutional is mental blindness . . . . . which should make the suffering public cry out: It’s the Constitution that’s Unconstitutional, Stupid. Incredulous, the experts among the elite will ask: How is that idiocy Again?
Words, este gossip start to spread around “ that the Supreme Court is about to declare the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional?” It is a done deal, este already declared unconstitutional, DAP’s kin or buddy—the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) euphemistically, the youngest mother of modern Philippine legislative corruption.
DAP (not the Development Academy of the Philippines) is the justification for calling P Noy the “King of Pork, ” the reason too for a student disrespecting by abusive language his country’s President and his audience while delivering a speech on Independence day. Is it an insidious pay back too from those whose easy lives and fast bucks rackets gone kaput because of P Noy’s “tuwid na daan?”
President Noynoy’s stimulus-response could be his inkling on the pet dogs and mother pigs metaphor. Those who live by politics must have pet dogs (never pigs) as friends, allies and protectors. Dog most pet lovers know must not be disturbed when feeding. Dogs can bite and can become ferocious if and when you take away their food. Pigs, especially boars and sows can not be much worse if their food is taken away, or like the bitch with puppies or the sow with litter can attack if their youngs are threatened. President’s Noynoy’s critics and detractors should understand when he behaves slow with prudence with dogs. But he should send the voracious pigs pronto to the slaughter house and do the same for his chosen dogs when they turned out to be pigs.
But that’s a digression and not to the point. So here’s a 1987 constitutional provision that looks suspiciously unconstitutional if not lacking in integrity: Article VI, Section 25 provides:
5. No law shall be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations; however, the President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the heads of Constitutional Commissions may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the general appropriations law for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations.
Look, better read again: “No law shall be passed . . .” is the foetus of wisdom. “However, the President . . . may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the general appropriations law for their respective offices . . .” is the abortifacient that kills it.
Is this analogy faulty?: NO SMOKING POT HERE, however, the President or the Senate President, Blah, blah if they grow their own weed in their backyards MAY ROLL AND LIT THEIR OWN JOINT.
Another one: NO THIEVERY, NO ADULTERY. However if the Sacred Cows are unhappy, such may be allowed if done quietly and without protests from the carabaos of the society.
Saan isasalig ang batas, kung ang Saligang Batas ay HINDI TINITGNAN KUNG meron butas? The World Cup (watch the games and cogitate) question remains: Is an authoritative act UNCONSTITUTIONAL if it is not found or is not prohibited by the constitution?
Still and may be forever the Ten Commandments shall remain the best human constitution. No Ifs, NO BUTs, NO HOWEVERs. No Mental dishonesty notwithstanding thousands of laws everywhere are enacted to uphold it as a permanent legal paradigm..
HOWEVER, (oops that word again) the best recourse is to let the expert lawyers earn their luxuries, este their livelihood by untwisting the twisting provisions of the constitution.