UP Ibalon Bicol: Sen. Francis Escudero

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GMA’s NY dinner and the discordant ritzy lifestyle of Filipinos

8/10/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

It was estimated the Philippines spent at least P8 billion in some 71 official travels President Gloria M. Arroyo made since she took office. Sen. Francis Escudero said the president went to trips local and abroad lasting for at least 130 days since 2001. Her meeting with Pres. Barack Obama last week that coincided with the death of ex-president Cory Aquino was her 16th US visit during her term.

Accusations of abuse, spending and extravagance are expected. It’s because the benefit derived from such official foreign travels cannot be accounted for with certainty. The public looks at them with suspicion and derision for they can’t see how these presidential jet-settings, numbering at least 16 in US alone, trickle down to benefit the country.

Filipinos had known how public officials and Malacanang friends scrambled to join GMA’s trips. Undoubtedly many people believed her companions were unneeded, but nonetheless became part of the entourage that combined business and pleasure. Who could forget the 56 congressmen asking to join a US delegation for an official visit but many openly wanted to watch Manny Pacquiao fight in a Las Vegas boxing match? Their shameful unprofessional behavior wasn’t far from what Imelda Marcos did during her time.

That’s why there is controversy about a supposed article regarding the July-August 2009 US visit of Arroyo by New York Post’s Richard Johnson. In the newspaper’s “Eat and Drink” section on August 7, 2009, it was written:

“The economic downturn hasn’t persuaded everyone to pinch pennies. Philippines President Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was at Le Cirque the other night with a large entourage enjoying the good life, even though the former comptroller of her country’s armed services, Carlos Garcia, was found guilty earlier this year of perjury and two of his sons were arrested in the US on bulk cash-smuggling charges. Macapagal-Arroyo ordered several bottles of very expensive wine, pushing the dinner tab up to $20,000.”

So alas! A flag to put our leaders in attention! Even foreign observers are critical of how we spend government money. This doesn’t come as a surprise for they know of our penchant to borrow cash and use them that is incongruent to our means.

It is a simple lesson in arithmetic and corruption. The world sees how some of us live beyond our capacities. Isn’t it that our spending habits aren't compatible with our salaries and the lifestyle we live? Don’t we try to hide it by acting like those with less than a dollar to spend each day? Surely, one can argue, the Philippine president on her offical functions can't be tavelling like a pauper. She must keep the standards of foreign affairs to keep Filipino pride. But how come she goes abroad too often?

Back home however, palatial houses valued in millions are owned by our influential government officials and top military men in plush villages in Manila and the provinces. In their privacies, lavish parties are thrown by the noveau riche Filipinos. They ride in big cars which are difficult to maintain if they only bank on their honest incomes. And many go for vacations to America, Europe and Caribbean tagging along their maids and children for their usual rest and recreation.

So if no single taxpayers’ money is spent in travels of government officials abroad, where do they get their funds? How did they suddenly get so rich? The discordance of lifestyle breeds suspicion---The only way to disprove doubts is to be straightforwardly honest. Why is there only denials from the government and no disclosures of spending?

Even on tight budget, New Yorkers will say (including myself) it’s an expensive place to visit. Eating out in Manhattan with a hungry entourage using our currency back home is truly costly unless we dine at Elvie's Turo-Turo in Eastside somewhere in 12th Street and First Avenue. Without public accounting, many of us are convinced somebody sheds blood money to keep the jet-setting Joneses splurging in Waldorf Astoria or Times Square. (Photo Credit: Yummyinthetummyblog) =0=

RELATED BLOGS: Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s foreign travels questioned Posted by mesiamd at 6/28/2009; Another US trip for Pres. Gloria Arroyo Posted by mesiamd at 7/29/2009; Arroyo-Obama meeting: beholding the face of "god" & the desire to have a photo-op Posted by mesiamd at 8/01/2009

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Labels: Elvie's Turo-Turo, Foreign Affairs, foreign travel, GMA, Le Cirque, life, New York, politics, Sen. Francis Escudero, Totie Mesia, travel, USA, Visit

GMA told to tell the truth in SONA

7/27/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

On the eve of Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo’s delivery of her last State of the Nation Address to the joint Congress on Monday, July 27, 2009, the Archibishop of Manila Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales advises her to tell the truth. The Catholic prelate believes that mentioning her accomplishments is as important as being straight with the mistakes and failures of the government.

In another vein, Sen. Francis Escudero challenges the president to tell the real situation of the country. The public has become leery over Arroyo’s honesty. UP teacher Randy David also predicts of the usual “boasting” of the Arroyo government in the SONA and urges citizens to assess Arroyo’s supposed economic accomplishments.

Since the start of the year, Pres. Arroyo has been dogged by poor approval ratings, the lowest among presidents for years. In spite of attempts to prop up her image, poll shows she has been suffering from lack of trust from the constituents she serves. In the final analysis, her achievements must show in progress and improvement in the lives of the Filipinos. (Photo Credit: lavegaskodak) =0=

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Labels: Archibishop Gaudencio Rosales, Gloria, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, GMA, honesty, lies, politics, Randy David, Sen. Francis Escudero, SONA, Totie Mesia, truth

Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s foreign travels questioned

6/28/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

It’s not only how frequent Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo travels abroad that legislators question---but the sheer number of companions in those costly trips. These travels are suspected to be extensions of abuse and corruption.

According to Sen. Francis (Chiz) Escudero, the president went to at least 50 trips local and abroad lasting at least 130 days since 2001. In these travels, there are few benefits that trickle down to the Filipinos except the bloated claims of furthering “business relations, foreign investments, jobs for Filipinos, enhanced tourism, greater foreign economic assistance and other unspecified benefits.”

Imagine:

“In September 2004, the President turned a state visit to China into a family vacation with members of her family joining the delegation. The entourage also included 41 complementary staff from the Presidential Security Group and the Office of the Press Secretary as well as crews of state-owned broadcast stations, he said.

In December 2007, a contingent of close to 200 people that included more than 30 lawmakers joined President Arroyo in her trip to France, Spain and the United Kingdom.

In her latest overseas trip, the senator observed that Mrs. Arroyo is practically circumnavigating the world in just eight days in her latest overseas trip.
“President Arroyo’s on-going Manila-Tokyo-Los Angeles-Cartagena-Recife-Rio-Dubai-Hong Kong-Manila voyage is practically a circumnavigation of the globe. And she will be doing all of these in just eight days, Escudero said. ” Daily Tribune (O6/25/09, Rosales, A. M.)

Filipinos are known to pride themselves of their stints abroad---especially if they are paid for by taxpayer’s money and for reasons that are flimsy. Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo is no exception. She tags along friends and relatives no different than the ways of Imelda Marcos.

Many are wondering what hidden reasons the president of the Philippines has for leaving the country so often. It’s just right to investigate so the Filipinos will know.

Arroyo brings along many companions very characteristic of a politician who uses money of the government. She easily decides to make side-trips jacking up expenses that can better pay for budgets in underfunded public schools, hospitals, penitentiary, and orphanages back home.

For all the justifications the Arroyo administration gives, the stark reality is the government hardly can afford the waste and thus must cut down on these questionable trips. (Photo Credit: OustGloria) =0=

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Labels: Accountability, budget, Corruption, Corruption in Government, Escudero, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Sen. Francis Escudero, Totie Mesia, travel, traveler

Emerging candidates for the 2010 presidential election

6/02/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

A year before the Philippine presidential election on May 2010, the Pulse Asia survey declared that the top contenders to replace Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo with almost equal nationwide public appeal are: vice president Noli de Castro (18 %,) Sen. Francis Chiz Escudero (17%) and former pres. Erap Estrada (14%). All three possible candidates haven’t officially expressed their plan to run.

Sen. Manuel Villar, Jr. and Sen. Manuel Roxas II, two hopefuls who have declared their intention to join the presidential race got 14% and 13% respectively.

“One of the administration’s probable standard bearer, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, got a measly one percent rating in the same survey. Sen. Richard Gordon obtained the same 1 percent score. All others, namely chief Justice Reynato Puno, Bro. Eddie Villanueva, Bayani Fernando, Bro, Mike Velarde and Pampanga priest-governor “Among” Ed” Panlilio all scored with less than 1 percent.“----Daily Tribune (06/02/09)

For many Filipinos, what they seek is a president who can tackle the pernicious problem of corruption and the many challenges that go with widespread poverty. More challenging economic problems await the next president like the lack of employment, healthcare, pollution, sluggish tax collection, population explosion, and deteriorating standards of education among others.

With shaky political platforms to stand, warring parties form, merge, and dissolve at the whim of influential personalities not so much because they have something good to offer to the people, but more to strategize on winning (or rigging) the election. Groups like the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) notes how the country lags behind because of weak leadership compared to its neighbors. (Photo Credit: Storm Crypt) =0=

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Labels: election, Erap, Jr. Survey, Noli de Castro, Philippine President, politics, Sen. Francis Escudero, Sen. Manuel Roxas, Sen. Manuel Villar, Totie Mesia

Sen. Francis Escudero says the Arroyo government must face joblessness squarely

5/14/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

In what Sen. Francis Escudero thinks as a defensive stance of the government, officials of the Arroyo administration wants to have their own survey, casting doubts on what the Social Weather Stations (SWS) data says about joblessness. A few days ago, the SWS disclosed that 34.2% or 14 million adult Filipinos are jobless. This huge number of idle people account for about 15% of the total population.

It’s truly alarming to know that one third of Filipino adults is jobless. But as Escudero said the Arroyo government must face the problem honestly “instead of using as an excuse the semantics of the definition of unemployment" as reported by the SWS.

Unemployment, by any other name, is still joblessness, and it speaks loudly of the failure of government to put up adequate policies to address to the problem. The reality is that there is widespread and increasing unemployment," ---Malaya (05/13/09, Naval, G; Benga, R)

Labor Sec. Marianito Roque is mulling on another survey---- the Labor Force Survey (LFS) by the National Statstics Office (NSO) hoping that the joblessness rate will come out lower than the SWS report. But in practrical terms, there is little to gain from thinking that unemployment must be lower than what the SWS data show. What is important is government's response to the problem that the entire nation already knows.

The belief that widespread adult joblessness must be demonstrated by huge numbers of idle people in the street is probably erroneous. Perhaps, the better indicator is the number of emaciated children-beggars who ran around while their jobless parents stay at home. (Photo Credit: Edgar J. Ediza) =0=

RELATED BLOG: "14 million Filipino adults are jobless, but the Arroyo administration thinks it’s just a “perception”" Posted by mesiamd at 5/12/2009

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Labels: Department of Labor, joblessness, Sen. Francis Escudero, Social Weather Stations (SWS), SWS, Totie Mesia, unemployment

UP Ibalon Bicol

GMA’s NY dinner and the discordant ritzy lifestyle of Filipinos

GMA told to tell the truth in SONA

Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s foreign travels questioned

Emerging candidates for the 2010 presidential election

Sen. Francis Escudero says the Arroyo government must face joblessness squarely

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