heads&tales Archives E | April 2008 - June 2008

Too much, too late

Lawyer: P900M from gov't hog program went to '04 kitty – GMA News

Ah sooo! Is that why there’s an abundance of swine in the present Congress?

*    *    *

Teodoro vows impartial probe
on P1.2-B chopper deal – Philippine Star

That becomes a broken vow if one of the guilty parties happens to be a predecessor of the DND sec.

*    *    *

Blood pressure drugs can prevent
heart attack, stroke in elderly – Philippine Star

A recent study shows that medications for hypertension can minimize hardening of the arteries. But guys like me who have been taking such drugs have experienced a prevalent side effect: Less hardening of something else.

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Rice farmers to get P5B subsidy – Philippine Daily Inquirer

Possibly too much and definitely too late. A serious rice crisis is already upon us . . . and that round figure of P5B doesn’t look like it’s based on a coherent action plan.

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Sumilao farmers ink deal with SMFI – Philippine Star

A fait accompli. It would have been outrageously bad PR had San Miguel decided otherwise.

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Lawmakers want bishop sanctioned – Philippine Star

It’s alarming to see that there are actually nitwits in Congress who haven’t heard of ‘separation of Church and State’.

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Hundreds of Filipinos protest as
GMA arrives in Hong Kong – Philippine Star

The Palace can’t blame Jun Lozada. That ‘destabilizer’ hasn’t been to HK lately.

*    *    *

3 on shortlist as possible Razon successor – Philippine Star

NCR chief Geary Barias, who’s only a two-star general, is not among the 3 but don’t be surprised if he jumps over their heads and succeeds Razon . . . if GMA and the FG sees him as the most ‘reliable’.

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Supreme Court voids Marcos
order on fertilizer levy – BusinessWorld

That not too speedy decision should be great news to Joc-Joc Bolante.

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No takers for Comelec lawyer’s post – Manila Standard Today

Abolish the post, I’d say. The Comelec has never been famous for upholding the law anyway.

*    *    *

‘Hanging judge’ heads graft court – Manila Standard Today

Of course, certain high officials who ought to be hanged are expecting ‘utang na loob’ to prevail when their times come.

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Gloria rejects cut in tariff on rice – Malaya

Which keeps the government’s monopoly on rice imports . . . and keeps the kickbacks coming.

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Women dominate 2007 Bar exams – Philippine Star

I don’t know about you, guys, but I’ve long suspected that they’re the smarter gender.

Friday, April 11, 2008

‘Dual citizenship’

Pregnant Oregon man is half-Filipino – ABS-CBN News

I bet the preggie is half-Filipina, too.

* * *

Whistle-blower, solon say secrecy
law doesn’t apply on swine scam – Daily Tribune

Prof. Roque and Sen. Chiz are right. And an old swine at the Palace that’s masquerading as a lawyer should come up with a less stupid opinion to cover up this new stink.

* * *

Trade barriers scored anew by US - BusinessWorld

One major ‘barrier’ is rampant corruption at the Bureau of Customs but the US report stopped short of revealing an open secret that an outsider that’s calling the shots is a big guy whose temporary address is down by a riverside.

* * *

Erap may run in 2010 to unite opposition – Daily Tribune

Erap should stop running his mouth and allow a new generation of opposition leaders to pick who among them would be the strongest presidential contender by the end of 2009.

* * *

2 junior officers get life over
2003 mutiny – Philippine Daily Inquirer

Both officers can expect to get a life after generally expected pardons for them are announced.

* * *

Escudero: Swine loan scammers
cannot hide behind bank secrecy law – Malaya

Wait ‘til Sen. Chiz unmasks those that are trying to save their hides . . . possibly including the relatives of a top Palace bureaucrat.

* * *

Sandigan summons Romulo to testify
on Lucio Tan wealth case – Manila Bulletin

Tan has been winning one big case after another lately. He must be delighted that, for him, this is a very ‘affordable’ administration.

* * *

Import restrictions on rice, corn lifted – Manila Standard Today

Private traders can now start negotiating ‘tong-pats’ with you-know-who . . . if they had not done so prior to this Palace decision.

* * *

Anxiety rises over rice supplies – Manila Standard Today

If only the recently-conceived plans to boost rice production had been implemented early in this administration, there would have been little or no anxiety over how much of this commodity is still available to buy by the Philippines . . . that has become the world’s biggest rice importer.

* * *

Ex-AFP comptroller Garcia cleared
of another perjury case – Philippine Star

What’s clear by now to crooks at all levels is that they can get away with anything for as long as the ‘profit sharing’ takes care of people ‘upstairs’

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Scripting the SC

Miriam loses balance, hits head on the floor – Malaya

Except for a ‘minor contusion’, there appears to be no additional damage to Miriam’s head.

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Gloria to personally lead
crackdown vs ‘bandits’ – GMA News

Sorry but Gloria was referring to rice hoarders . . . not to members of her immediate and official families.

*    *     *

Atienza insists constructions 
in Boracay should stop – Manila Times

This would affect the ‘furnitures’ industry.

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Tobacco farmers offer to plant palay – Philippine Star

Yes, it’s always better to plant something that keeps people alive as apposed to something that kills . . . slowly.

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Ermita called a liar over rights report to UN – Malaya

Ermita’s UN audience might have thought he’s a comedian . . . because he was applauded when he said, “The Arroyo government is a ‘human rights defender’".

*    *    *

High Court fails to rule on
Senate motion on Neri case – Manila Times

High Court might be waiting for the next Palace-written ‘script’.

*    *    *

Teodoro: Advising Trillanes not my business – Malaya

Defense sec Teodoro is right. He’s doing very well in the business of being a rubber stamp for Gen. Esperon and GMA.

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No more P18.25 rice in Metro markets – Malaya

Agri sec Yap says cheap NFA rice will be pulled out of public markets “in two or three weeks” . . . which should give everybody enough time for panic buying.

*    *    *

MWSS exec who discovered
anomalies finally leaves post – GMA News

The Palace solution: Fire the MWSS boss so the underlings and their outside handlers can go ahead with the anomalous deals that the boss uncovered.

*    *    *

Cabinet revamp: Esperon to
DND, Teodoro to DOJ? – Philippine Star

But will Sec. Gonzales retire anytime soon? Voluntarily?

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Senators abroad; political
turbulence settles down – Manila Standard Today

Too bad we can’t keep some of them from coming back.

*    *    *

GMA pushes deal with Japan – Manila Standard Today

After pushing deals with China, GMA probably wants to show that she’s an equal opportunity ‘dealmaker’ even though the JPEPA pact is potentially disadvantageous to the Philippines . . . to include being the dumping site of Japanese toxic industrial waste.

*     *    *

Manila eyes more rice imports,
Indonesia curbs exports – ABS-CBN News

With most rice producing countries curtailing exports, the Philippines would have to practically offer blank checks to buy anything at any price.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Rear view recorded

DOH identifies ‘YouTube’ docs – Philippine Star

The stink started when someone uploaded a video . . . taken without the patient’s knowledge . . . of rectal surgery to remove a canister of perfume.

*    *    *

PCA plans to increase exports of
coco-sugar taken from ‘tuba’ – Manila Bulletin

Good idea but they’re courting trouble if we have a tuba shortage and a rice shortage at the same time.

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BIR fails to meet Q1 goal in
netting P166.6 billion – BusinessWorld

Possibly because personal ‘goals’ of BIR people were met first . . . as usual.

*    *    *

Esperon has DND portfolio in the bag? – Malaya

Not according to some Palace officials . . . so that means Sec. Gonzales won’t be left holding the bag if Sec. Teodoro is shunted to DOJ.

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Soldiers, policemen assured of P18 rice – Malaya

That’s to assure the Palace that cops and soldiers won’t have funny ideas about ‘withdrawal of support’ if their families go hungry.

*    *    *

Corruption, not population,
blamed for poverty – Malaya

Correction, please, Archbishop Oscar Cruz. Make that overpopulation and corruption . . . in that order . . . as the prime causes of poverty.

*    *    *

Army recommends charges
versus corrupt official – BusinessWorld

Maj. Gen. Jose Barbieto should be charged with stupid conduct unbecoming of an officer who’s by no means a gentleman . . . for thinking that he could get away with wholesale extortion by requiring an ‘entrance’ fee of all recruits.

*    *    *

Binay: Erap is ‘last option’
of opposition in 2010 – Malaya

Unfortunately, Erap himself . . . by his body language and busy schedule of public appearances in the past several weeks . . . seems to believe that he’s the opposition’s one and only option.

*    *    *

9 DPWH execs sacked over
Asean lampposts – Philippine Star

Fortunately for the erring DPWH officials, they will only be dismissed from public service . . . not hanged from the lampposts that were allegedly overpriced by almost 1000%

*    *    *

Perez to Sandiganbayan:
Suspend graft proceedings – Malaya

Good idea . . . if Nani Perez is charged with plunder instead.

*    *     *

Marijuana loses ground
to silkworms in Cordillera – Malaya

P2,000 per kilogram of raw silk may not be much compared to what some of the locals can get for a kilo of ‘weed’ but a mulberry tree farmer should be able to sleep better at night.

*    *    *

Gutierrez ready to face impeach
moves in Congress – Philippine Star

But do we really want to watch another ‘moro-moro’ with a predictable ending?

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Jamby: This is a hatchet job
by my relatives – Manila Standard Today

The senadora says she’s contesting the supposed will of her recently-departed billionaire aunt on a matter of ‘principle’ . . . which can be worth hundreds of millions more than what she allegedly got in advance inheritance to fund her election campaign.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Abalos’ alleged raison d'ętre

GMA: Cabinet revamp set in May – Philippine Star

Those with skeletons in their closets should not be in the Cabinet.

*    *    *

Annabelle Rama advises son Richard Gutierrez
to always practice safe sex – GMA News

However, when you try to stop Annabelle from saying something controversial, what is the procedure called?

Oral contra-inception.

*    *    *

Camote rice, anyone? – Malaya

“Yes, we have no bananas today”?

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JDV pushes federalism – Philippine Star

Of course. It’s JDV’s only doable option to become head of state.

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Warrant vs Nani served today – Malaya

Since none of the charges are non-bailable, Nani and his wife Rosario promptly posted cash bail bonds before Batangas Judge Ruben A. Galvez . . . and the telenovela continues.

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Pimentel confident of smooth passage of federalism bill – Malaya

Wanted: 350 congressmen and 72 senators.

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Gloria seeks to end NFA rice imports – Malaya

Before the end happens, Sec. Yap wants to import more rice without public bidding.

*    *    *

16 senators OK Constituent Assembly – Manila Bulletin

The new Con-Ass backers are Sens. Zubiri, Lapid, Legarda, and Aquino . . . in addition to Sens. Pimentel, Villar, Pangilinan, Angara, Biazon, Pia Cayetano, Enrile, Escudero, Estrada, Honasan, Lacson, and Revilla . . . who can now look forward to saving hundreds of millions since they would only have to fund local statewide campaigns afterwards.

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Palace: Lozada is waning – Manila Bulletin

Actually, Lozada is still winning . . . because a recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey said three out of five Filipinos believe his testimony on the ZTE-NBN issue.

*    *    *

Landbank to fund 100,000 has.
Jatropha plantation in Quezon – Manila Bulletin

Landbank will grant interest-free loans to small farmers that will not utilize any rice lands simply because Jatropha Curcas thrives on any type of soil . . . unlike rice.

*    *    *

Another arrest warrant
issued against Nani – Malaya

Not to worry . . . Nani should still have enough loose change for another substantial cash bail bond.

*    *    *

Migrante: Consul in Jeddah
culpable for OFW's death – Malaya

Migrante charges that Consul General Ezzedin Tago cannot hide behind a 'silly' reason for his incapability to protect the rights of OFWs in his area of responsibility.

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No direct NBN link to the President,
says Cayetano – Manila Bulletin

And that’s supposedly the raison d'ętre of Benjamin Abalos, Sr.

By L. ‘ManongNoy’ Seņeres    Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Tower of babble

Study: Baby birds babble like humans
before singing – Philippine Daily Inquirer

Some humans babble even as adults . . . and quite a few are in Congress.

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Rosales says women, not gays, should
be in Santacruzan rites – Manila Bulletin

Let me give it to the cardinal straight: Your Eminence seems to ignore the reality that gays . . . including countless priests and nuns . . . are also God’s creations!

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Buckle down to work,
Nograles tells Mikey – Daily Tribune

That’s after the presidential son returned from the USA where he went for the Holy Week break of Congress . . . but Mikey’s took almost two months.

*    *    *

Sandigan justices let out
loophole for Perez et. al. – Daily Tribune

One associate justice . . . who is not likely to win any awards for subtlety in playing the role of a Palace lapdog . . . asked the prosecutors if they have “evidence that accused Perez was armed with a firearm, in the presence of his wife Rosario, and asked for $2 million.” .

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Meralco’s profit grows by
double-digits in first quarter – The Manila Times

Notwithstanding that laudable performance, it’s unclear why the government wants to take over the Philippines’ largest electricity distributor . . . other than to cow the Lopezes and their vast media properties.

*    *    *

Esperon sees no more
destabilization threats vs GMA – Philippine Star

That’s myopic simply because Esperon clearly refers to the final week-long time frame before his term as AFP chief ends next week.

*    *    *

Mikey joins fray, sets probe for
top-level Meralco revamp – Daily Tribune

Those of us who were wondering why Mikey practically twisted a few arms to grab the chairmanship of the Energy Committee . . . despite his inexperience and lack of seniority . . . can now put two and two together and finally figure out his personal agenda.

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Pimentel: Failed bid for imported rice a ruse – Daily Tribune

How right Pimentel is. Now the ultra-greedy crooks can demand bigger kickbacks in the negotiated sale that’s now legally justified by a failed bidding.

*    *    *

Miriam backs state control of Meralco – Manila Times

Miriam invariably backs whatever the Palace wants . . . although the chances of unseating the current board of Meralco this year are remote . . , if we would rather take the word of others that are not in the political prostitution business.

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GMA vows to lower cost of energy – Manila Bulletin

In the face of the rising price of crude oil that could top $200 per barrel in the foreseeable future, that’s as good a promise as keeping the price of NFA rice at the present level until the next main harvest season.

*    *    *

Customs misses target anew in April – Philippine Star

Here’s the problem: Those Customs bosses are taking orders from more than one big boss at the Palace. Actually, make that one Small Boss and one Big Boss.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008