Self-rated poverty drops, just an illusion.

SWS: Self-rated poverty drops to 47%.

This news came out yesterday, saying that our self-poverty rates have been declining over the years, and has been the lowest now in Arroyo's administration since the time of Marcos.

And yes, we can just see now how Malacanang would react to this news, as they did so to past surveys like this one. They are going to say, that is the result of Gloria Arroyo's programs to provide assistance to the poor. They would be quick to claim credit to such decline, and say that despite the financial global crisis, our government has found a way to alleviate poverty.

They wouldn't even acknowledge the fact that SWS noted that such result was due to belt-tightening of the Filipino families. This means that we didn't really get any richer, most of us might have even gotten poorer. This just means that self-rated poverty dropped because families have lowered their living standards. We have been reducing our expenditures to cope up with recent times. If it was because of our frugality that we feel less poor, then the government doesn't have anything to brag about right? (Except maybe telling us to save, but then again things are easier said than done. Again, practice what you preach people.)

Kawawa naman ang mga Pinoy, ang baba na ng standards.

On suspecting Ted

I now officially hate the police.

This was the status of my friend in Facebook after the police arrested Ted Failon's house helpers, driver, brother-in-law and sisters-in-law. And I have to say I so agree.

First of all, I do not think that there was any foul play at all. Because simply if I were to kill my spouse, I would not have gone to work then come back home to shoot him. I would have just shot him before I went to work. Saves time. Also, if I had to talk on the radio all morning, I could not possibly have the time to think about murder because I am so damn busy.

But okay, irregardless of what my opinion is on whether it was or was not suicide, I still feel a great amount of repulsion towards the police and the government. They say ignorantia legis nemenem excusat. And that is correct, ignorance of the law excuses no one. Dura lex sed lex, the law may be harsh but it is the law. I agree that the house helpers and the drivers could not simply say that they did not know that they weren't supposed to clean up the crime scene. But it scares me more to think, what if it is the police that is not aware of the law? Don't they know that they should not be just dragging around people so they can take them into custody? Do they even know what obstruction of justice is? How can one obstruct or prevent someone to report a crime when there isn't even a crime proven yet?

It was like watching a morbid scene in a telenovela as the police took the maids and the driver while completely not paying attention to their lady lawyer. And again as they picked up Ted's sisters-in-law and brother in law outside the intensive care unit of the hospital despite the fact that these people are grieving and desperate to be with their loved one during her last minutes on earth. Only this was real life. Moments later she died, and the police could never bring those moments back.

Indeed, what the police had done to Ted Failon was a shameless act of revenge because he is a known critic of Gloria and her administration. Specifically of the Quezon City police who he criticized over the killings of suspected robbers last February. This is a lesson to all our media people. Anyone could be next. Something tragic may happen in one's life, such as what happened to Ted, and the police may just see it as an opportunity to get even and turn the whole thing into a circus, under the pretense of serving justice.

The Ultimate Pretense

Dacer-Corbito

Con-assed Arroyo boys

One thing is for sure with the issue of charter change. It is to prolong the term of the current president and monopolize political power. The Lower House of our congress, composed of mostly GMA allies, has been creating strategies and has already been persistent to push through with charter change by means of a constitutional assembly. Evidently, PGMA’s son Rep. Mikey Arroyo spearheads this. Our senators, mostly oppositions, has been the constantly presenting such a move from the House of Representatives. Desperation is now the last option for administration representatives since obviously they couldn’t achieve their goal of having a con-ass to amend the constitution.

Thus, the last option for Rep. Mikey Arroyo is the aid of the Supreme Court. Together with his allies in the Lower House, he seems to formulate a plan in which the Senate is tempted to go to the Supreme Court and bring the issue for clarity and final judgement. The constant pushing for a Con-Ass by the Lower House will either be ended or be allowed. It all depends on the SC.

Can Erap run again as President?

We’ve been hearing a lot about presidentiables for the 2010 elections in the news lately. Just recently a Pulse Asia Survey showed was released and revealed the topnotchers as de Castro 19%, Senator Francis Escudero 17%, former President Joseph Estrada 16%, and Senator Manuel Villar Jr. 15%. Wait. Former President Estrada? Can he really run again?
The pertinent provision of the Constitution says: “The President shall not be eligible for any reelection. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time.”
Now, is the ban absolute? I have read materials regarding the issue and found that if we are to look at the meaning of reelection, then we may find otherwise. Neal Cruz of The Philippine Daily Inquirer says that some believe that “Reelection refers to an official running for the same position during his incumbency.” So since former President Estrada is not our incumbent president, the ban does not apply.
The Supreme Court has not decided on the issue whether former presidents in general may run again for presidency so if Estrada decides to run again there is no legal impediment against it. The argument on the definition of reelection strongly supports the claim that it is constitutional.
As for the executive clemency granted by Gloria Macpagal Arroyo to Estrada after his conviction for plunder by the Sandiganbayan that says in its preamble that he is no longer to seek any elective position or office, Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, in a Jan. 19, 1999 decision held that the preamble or the whereas clauses of a law or any presidential issuance such as Arroyo’s executive clemency is “really not an integral part of a law … and cannot be the origin of rights and obligations … and can neither expand nor restrict the operation, much less prevail over its text”. Clearly, even this does not and cannot bar Estrada for running for any office, including the presidency for that matter.
So, can Estrada run again for President? Yes, absolutely.