Rain was about to come. It poured a few minutes after these shots were taken. But it was short-lived.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Impending storm
Rain was about to come. It poured a few minutes after these shots were taken. But it was short-lived.
Sunset at Bantayan Island
I was waiting for the Manila Bay sunset type all week. It came on Friday, but I was so far out into the water that I had no time to take a shot. I settled for these shots on other days.
Back again
Came back from Kota Beach, Sta. Fe, Bantayan. Took charge of a seminar. It was work. The sun and sand were too good to pass. I had my tan (burns, actually!)
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Tiger's 2005 golf year
Here's SI's Chris Lewis in Inside Golf ... The Year In Review: The Tour season's over, so time to hand out awards. He gives Tiger Woods 6 "awards" in 20 categories.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods (tie)
There's no arguing with two majors in a single year, but in 2005 two players got it done. Annika had three more total victories (9 vs. 6), but Tiger balanced the scales by virtue of the resurgence factor, bouncing back from his worst-ever season.
MOST MEMORABLE SHOT OF THE YEAR: Surprise! Tiger's chip-in at the 16th at Augusta
My favorite thing about the videotape is how the picture shudders after the ball drops in. Folks, that camera was fixed to the ground. The usually reserved Augusta patrons went so bonkers that the earth actually moved.
HAIRDO OF THE YEAR: Tiger's Presidents Cup leopard spots
Which leads directly to another category -- Unasked Question of the Year: Tiger, if you lost that bet, who won it?
UNSHAKEN LEGACY OF THE YEAR: Tiger's 2000
Watching how hard Woods had to work to earn two majors this year made the idea of winning three virtually inconceivable -- and therefore made his 2000 season even more mind-boggling. Woods hates it when we compare him to his old self, but he shouldn't blame us -- he's a victim of the magic he made five years ago.
FREAK OCCURRENCE OF THE YEAR: Notah Begay and Tom Pernice throttle friends (and playing partners) Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh at the Funai Classic
It was like Robin beating up Batman twice in the same comic book.
TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR: The Masters
It wasn't just the pairing of the game's best player (Woods) and the only guy who rivals him in the category of Refusal to Give Up (DiMarco). It was the depths they rose from --Tiger putting off the 15th green on Thursday, and DiMarco finishing his third round on Sunday morning with a slew of bogeys. But most of all, it was the way it ended, with Tiger's tearful dedication of the victory to his ailing father. It was the most emotional we may ever see Woods, and retroactively seated the entire event in a more profound, almost mythic context.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods (tie)
There's no arguing with two majors in a single year, but in 2005 two players got it done. Annika had three more total victories (9 vs. 6), but Tiger balanced the scales by virtue of the resurgence factor, bouncing back from his worst-ever season.
MOST MEMORABLE SHOT OF THE YEAR: Surprise! Tiger's chip-in at the 16th at Augusta
My favorite thing about the videotape is how the picture shudders after the ball drops in. Folks, that camera was fixed to the ground. The usually reserved Augusta patrons went so bonkers that the earth actually moved.
HAIRDO OF THE YEAR: Tiger's Presidents Cup leopard spots
Which leads directly to another category -- Unasked Question of the Year: Tiger, if you lost that bet, who won it?
UNSHAKEN LEGACY OF THE YEAR: Tiger's 2000
Watching how hard Woods had to work to earn two majors this year made the idea of winning three virtually inconceivable -- and therefore made his 2000 season even more mind-boggling. Woods hates it when we compare him to his old self, but he shouldn't blame us -- he's a victim of the magic he made five years ago.
FREAK OCCURRENCE OF THE YEAR: Notah Begay and Tom Pernice throttle friends (and playing partners) Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh at the Funai Classic
It was like Robin beating up Batman twice in the same comic book.
TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR: The Masters
It wasn't just the pairing of the game's best player (Woods) and the only guy who rivals him in the category of Refusal to Give Up (DiMarco). It was the depths they rose from --Tiger putting off the 15th green on Thursday, and DiMarco finishing his third round on Sunday morning with a slew of bogeys. But most of all, it was the way it ended, with Tiger's tearful dedication of the victory to his ailing father. It was the most emotional we may ever see Woods, and retroactively seated the entire event in a more profound, almost mythic context.
Keeping our fingers crossed
Experts: 12% VAT to unleash bull run, P52:$1
First posted 01:21am (Mla time) Nov 10, 2005
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Inquirer News Service
First posted 01:21am (Mla time) Nov 10, 2005
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the Nov. 10, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
RAISING the value-added tax (VAT) rate from 10 percent to 12 percent by January next year will ignite a three-month rally of the peso and the stocks, according to market experts.
"Raising the VAT to 12 percent will solidify investors' view that this government is committed to putting its fiscal house in order and erase lingering doubts about the President's political resolve," said Jose Arnulfo "Wick" Veloso, treasurer of HSBC Philippines.
The British banking giant is the world's fifth largest in terms of assets.
"It will unleash a bull run across the board for at least three months," he said.
In the three-month burst of investor exuberance, Veloso expects the peso to hit the 52 to the dollar mark and interest rates on T-bills to go down by as much as one percentage point, or equivalent to P25 billion.
The VAT law, the centerpiece of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's economic reform program, contains a provision empowering the President to raise the tax rate to 12 percent by Jan. 1 should the VAT collections as a percentage of the previous year's gross domestic product (GDP) exceed 2.8 percent or the national government deficit as a percentage of GDP exceed 1.5 percent.
Finance Secretary Margarito Teves had said that based on current performance, it was inevitable that Ms Arroyo would increase the tax rate. The tax is aimed at reducing the government's massive budget deficit.
'Flood of funds'
At the stock market, raising the VAT to 12 percent would jack up the Phisix, the key Philippine stock market barometer, by at least 25 percent to the 2,600 level or back to the bourse's peak in 1999, according to former Philippine Stock Exchange chair Wilson Sy.
"The move will unleash a flood of funds from portfolio managers hungry for a recovery play in the region. Investors will look at the Philippines in a different light," Sy said.
Largely because of the implementation of the expanded VAT on Nov. 1, Philippine stocks are now back on portfolio managers' radar screen after six years, according to Sy.
The stock market yesterday hit its highest level in eight months because of heavy foreign buying.
The imposition of the VAT on fuel and power and the increase in corporate income tax from 32 percent to 35 percent have buoyed up Swiss banking giant UBS' outlook on the Philippines.
It projects the peso to hit 54 by the end of the year and 53 by the end of the next. It also expects interest rates on Philippine foreign debt to drop nearly 2 percentage points.
Long ride on bull's back
The market euphoria could extend beyond three months, according to Veloso.
"After three months, investors would know by then whether the 12 percent VAT has translated to higher revenue collections. If it has, then the Philippines will be up for a very, very long ride on the back of the bulls."
Veloso said the market's exuberance could peak in the first full year of implementation of the 12 percent VAT when investors would have confirmed whether the tax was indeed the panacea for the government's chronic budget deficit.
"We expect a significant change in the market outlook, an inevitable upgrade in the country's credit rating," he said.
RAISING the value-added tax (VAT) rate from 10 percent to 12 percent by January next year will ignite a three-month rally of the peso and the stocks, according to market experts.
"Raising the VAT to 12 percent will solidify investors' view that this government is committed to putting its fiscal house in order and erase lingering doubts about the President's political resolve," said Jose Arnulfo "Wick" Veloso, treasurer of HSBC Philippines.
The British banking giant is the world's fifth largest in terms of assets.
"It will unleash a bull run across the board for at least three months," he said.
In the three-month burst of investor exuberance, Veloso expects the peso to hit the 52 to the dollar mark and interest rates on T-bills to go down by as much as one percentage point, or equivalent to P25 billion.
The VAT law, the centerpiece of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's economic reform program, contains a provision empowering the President to raise the tax rate to 12 percent by Jan. 1 should the VAT collections as a percentage of the previous year's gross domestic product (GDP) exceed 2.8 percent or the national government deficit as a percentage of GDP exceed 1.5 percent.
Finance Secretary Margarito Teves had said that based on current performance, it was inevitable that Ms Arroyo would increase the tax rate. The tax is aimed at reducing the government's massive budget deficit.
'Flood of funds'
At the stock market, raising the VAT to 12 percent would jack up the Phisix, the key Philippine stock market barometer, by at least 25 percent to the 2,600 level or back to the bourse's peak in 1999, according to former Philippine Stock Exchange chair Wilson Sy.
"The move will unleash a flood of funds from portfolio managers hungry for a recovery play in the region. Investors will look at the Philippines in a different light," Sy said.
Largely because of the implementation of the expanded VAT on Nov. 1, Philippine stocks are now back on portfolio managers' radar screen after six years, according to Sy.
The stock market yesterday hit its highest level in eight months because of heavy foreign buying.
The imposition of the VAT on fuel and power and the increase in corporate income tax from 32 percent to 35 percent have buoyed up Swiss banking giant UBS' outlook on the Philippines.
It projects the peso to hit 54 by the end of the year and 53 by the end of the next. It also expects interest rates on Philippine foreign debt to drop nearly 2 percentage points.
Long ride on bull's back
The market euphoria could extend beyond three months, according to Veloso.
"After three months, investors would know by then whether the 12 percent VAT has translated to higher revenue collections. If it has, then the Philippines will be up for a very, very long ride on the back of the bulls."
Veloso said the market's exuberance could peak in the first full year of implementation of the 12 percent VAT when investors would have confirmed whether the tax was indeed the panacea for the government's chronic budget deficit.
"We expect a significant change in the market outlook, an inevitable upgrade in the country's credit rating," he said.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Singapore
I'll be in Singapore for two weeks beginning tomorrow. Let's see if I can spend time to do some blog while there. Training/workshop. Killer schedule
Updates
It's been a long time. Been busy with trips and other stuff that made blogging very difficult.
So what's up?
The Rossoneri: 6th (quotient) in Serie A (1-1); 3-1 win over Fenerbahce in their Champions League group stage opening game. They have new shirt designs this season.
Tiger is still number 1. That's for sure.
Masha lost to KimC at the semis of the US Open, who eventually won her first grand slam event against Mary Pierce. Davenport is still number 1, I think.
The US got back the Solheim.
PGMA sneeked past her impeachment complaint (158-51).
So what's up?
The Rossoneri: 6th (quotient) in Serie A (1-1); 3-1 win over Fenerbahce in their Champions League group stage opening game. They have new shirt designs this season.
Tiger is still number 1. That's for sure.
Masha lost to KimC at the semis of the US Open, who eventually won her first grand slam event against Mary Pierce. Davenport is still number 1, I think.
The US got back the Solheim.
PGMA sneeked past her impeachment complaint (158-51).
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
THAT SOMETHING EXTRA
from acmilan.com
THAT SOMETHING EXTRA
THAT SOMETHING EXTRA
8/23/2005 9:12:00 AM
Everyone involved with the Rossoneri will remember the letter received from UEFA after the Champions League final. It thanked Milan for the part they played in the competition and in a way was an acknowledgment of a moral victory on that cruel night in the Ataturk against Liverpool where from neutral eyes both sides deserved merit for the quality of play. Milan have been awarded in type in the 21 nominations for the UEFA Champions League Awards 2004-05, with three defenders, two midfielders and an attacker which works out at least 30 per cent of the shortlist. Naturally, there is Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko, the former the star of the first half in Istanbul, the later having what looked like a good goal disallowed in the second. Significantly, two great veterans of the game, Paolo Maldini and Cafu are amongst the candidates as is Alessandro Nesta in defence. Then there is Andrea Pirlo in midfield and of course, Nelson Dida, who made a major impression throughout the competition, vying for the goalkeeper position. Each one of Milan’s candidates at the Montecarlo gala event will be looking ahead to the 2005-06 Champions League season and will be giving it their all to reach Paris and lay Istanbul to rest.UEFA CLUB FOOTBALL AWARDS
8/23/2005 9:06:00 AM
MONTECARLO - Here are shortlists of the nominations:
GOALKEEPERS: Buffon (Juventus), Cech (Chelsea), Dudek (Liverpool).
DEFENDERS: Cafu, Nesta and Maldini (Milan), Carragher and Hyppia (Liverpool), Terry (Chelsea).
MIDFIELDERS: Ballack (Bayern), Gerrard (Liverpool), Kakà and Pirlo (Milan), Juninho (Lione), Lampard (Chelsea), Van Bommel (Psv).
STRIKERS: Adriano (Inter), Eto’o and Ronaldinho (Barcellona), Park (Psv), Shevchenko (Milan).
GOALKEEPERS: Buffon (Juventus), Cech (Chelsea), Dudek (Liverpool).
DEFENDERS: Cafu, Nesta and Maldini (Milan), Carragher and Hyppia (Liverpool), Terry (Chelsea).
MIDFIELDERS: Ballack (Bayern), Gerrard (Liverpool), Kakà and Pirlo (Milan), Juninho (Lione), Lampard (Chelsea), Van Bommel (Psv).
STRIKERS: Adriano (Inter), Eto’o and Ronaldinho (Barcellona), Park (Psv), Shevchenko (Milan).
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
What Madonna and I have in common
... a broken collarbone
from CNN
from CNN
NEW YORK (AP) -- Madonna's 47th birthday celebration was marred when she suffered several broken bones in a horse riding accident at her country home outside London, her publicist told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The superstar was hospitalized with three cracked ribs, a broken collarbone and a broken hand, according to Liz Rosenberg, her spokeswoman based in New York.
The accident occurred Tuesday at Ashcombe house, her estate outside of London.
Madonna and an assistant were riding horses, when Madonna, on a new horse she wasn't accustomed to riding, took a tumble. Her children, Rocco and Lourdes, were at the home but were not with their mother at the time, Rosenberg said.
"The whole family was out in the country, celebrating her birthday," Rosenberg said.
Her husband, director Guy Ritchie, took Madonna to an undisclosed hospital, where she was treated. Rosenberg said the entertainer was expected to be released later in the evening.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
ACM beats Juventus
from acmilan.com
MILAN DOWN JUVENTUS
MILAN DOWN JUVENTUS
8/14/2005 10:56:00 PM
Milan came from a goal down to lift the 15th edition of the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy at the San Siro on Sunday evening, thanks to second-half goals from Kaka and Serginho. Juventus took the lead on 20 minutes when Patrick Vieira latched on to a through-ball before lifting his shot over the advancing Dida. Milan came back into the game and Kaka went close on two occasions. However, the Rossoneri took control after the break and the equaliser was finely executed as Clarence Seedorf slipped the ball wide on the right for Andriy Shevchenko who checked back before rolling a pass to Kaka who finished precisely with a low first-time shot. Rui Costa was then only denied a spectacular goal by the inside of the post as the Portuguese playmaker received a chipped pass from Andrea Pirlo and fired a thunderous shot off the woodwork. And it was Rui Costa who set up the Rossoneri winner, with a diagonal ball over the top of the defence for Serginho to run on to and the Brazilian finished with a crisp left-footed shot into the corner of the net to round off a convincing performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Monday, August 15, 2005
First woman hired as White House head chef
CNN reports that the White House has a new head chef . . .
... Cristeta Comerford -- the first woman to take the top spot in the executive kitchen.
... Cristeta Comerford -- the first woman to take the top spot in the executive kitchen.
Comerford has been an assistant chef at the White House for 10 years, working under former executive chef Walter Scheib III, who resigned in February.
Mrs. Bush has been trying out applicants for the job in recent months, asking them to prepare test meals at special functions and private meals at the residence.
Comerford developed the menu for last month's honorary dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The 134 dinner guests dined on chilled asparagus soup and lemon creme; pan-roasted halibut, ginger-carrot butter, basmati rice with pistachio nuts and currants and herbed summer vegetables; and salad of Bibb lettuces and citrus vinaigrette.
"I am delighted that Cris Comerford has accepted the position of White House Executive Chef," Mrs. Bush said in a statement. "Her passion for cooking can be tasted in every bite of her delicious creations."
A naturalized U.S. citizen from the Phillipines, Comerford has a bachelor's degree in Food Technology from the University of the Philippines. She has worked at Le Ciel in Vienna, Austria and at restaurants in two Washington hotels -- the Westin and the ANA.
CNN misspelled Philippines!
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Cool Lizard
Liz was cooling off. Stayed on for about an hour as my family was in a get-together (CdO).
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Adidas buys Reebok
Adidas is set to buy Reebok. The two companies will retain their brands however. Your original Reeboks will not be collector's items yet.
Here's from SI.com . . .
Adidas to buy Reebok in deal worth $3.8 billion
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- By combining Adidas' popularity in Europe among soccer and athletics fans with Reebok's appeal to U.S. fans of basketball and football, the architects of the $3.8 billion sportswear and athletic gear deal hope to create a more muscular rival to world leader Nike.
Adidas-Salomon AG said Wednesday it has agreed to buy Reebok International Ltd. for $59 a share that combines two major brands with links to both athletics and lifestyle. That was a healthy 34 percent premium over Reebok's closing price Tuesday.
...
Here's from SI.com . . .
Adidas to buy Reebok in deal worth $3.8 billion
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- By combining Adidas' popularity in Europe among soccer and athletics fans with Reebok's appeal to U.S. fans of basketball and football, the architects of the $3.8 billion sportswear and athletic gear deal hope to create a more muscular rival to world leader Nike.
Adidas-Salomon AG said Wednesday it has agreed to buy Reebok International Ltd. for $59 a share that combines two major brands with links to both athletics and lifestyle. That was a healthy 34 percent premium over Reebok's closing price Tuesday.
...
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
More than 50% say PGMA is acceptable
PULSE ASIA NATIONWIDE SURVEY
Nearly 1 in 2 say Arroyo 'unacceptable' person to lead RP
26% say De Castro 'best person to lead' RP
By Joel Francis Guinto
INQ7.net
NEARLY one in two Filipinos (47 percent) consider Arroyo as being an "unacceptable" person to lead the country now while one in three believe her resignation and impeachment to pave the way for snap elections is the "best" way out of the political crisis, according to an independent survey released Thursday.
While only 17 percent of the 1,200 respondents nationwide favor the constitutional succession of Vice President Noli de Castro once Arroyo resigns or is impeached, 26 percent believe the ex-television broadcaster is the "best person to lead the country now," Pulse Asia Inc. said in its Ulat ng Bayan (Report of the Nation) survey conducted from July 2 to 14.
The study covered the period after Arroyo apologized for improperly calling up an elections officer during the canvass and after influential personalities and groups joined calls for her resignation. It had a margin of error of +/-3 percent at a confidence level of 95 percent.
It was done before Arroyo's State of the Nation Address, where she made a big push for a shift to a federal-parliamentary form of government.
When asked what the "most beneficial or constructive political scenario" is, the top response was Arroyo's resignation or impeachment and the holding of snap elections (34 percent), followed by Arroyo's resignation and impeachment and De Castro's succession to her post (17 percent), Arroyo's finishing her term until 2010 (16 percent), Arroyo's resignation and the establishment of a junta (15 percent), Arroyo's serving as a transition leader who will oversee charter change (10 percent), and Arroyo's removal from office through whatever means, constitutional or extra-constitutional (7 percent).
When asked what is the "most inimical or destructive political scenario" is, the leading answer was Arroyo's finishing her term until 2010 (22 percent), followed by a military takeover (19 percent), foreign government intervention (17 percent), snap elections (16 percent), the military installing a group of politicians into power after a coup (14 percent), and De Castro's succession to the presidency (11 percent).
Placing second to De Castro in the list for "best person to lead the country now" is Senator Panfilo Lacson (21 percent), followed by former president Joseph Estrada (11 percent), the late Fernando Poe Jr.'s widow, Susan Roces (10 percent), Arroyo (7 percent), Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. (4 percent), former president Fidel Ramos (3 percent), evangelist Brother Eddie Villanueva (2 percent), Senator Rodolfo Biazon (2 percent) and former defense secretary Fortunato Abat (0.03 percent).
In second position in the list of "persons not acceptable to lead the country" following Arroyo is Villanueva (28 percent), Ramos (25 percent), Abat (21 percent), Roces (20 percent), Estrada (20 percent), Lacson (20 percent), Davide (18 percent), Biazon (12 percent), and De Castro (12 percent).
When asked who is the "best person" to lead the country, the respondents were allowed one response. On the question of "unacceptable" persons to lead the country, the respondents were allowed three answers.
If only the first of the three answers to the "unacceptable" leader question were ranked, Abat will top the list with 21 percent, followed by Arroyo (14 percent), Estrada (12 percent), Davide (12 percent), De Castro (9 percent), Biazon (8 percent), Lacson (8 percent), Villanueva (3 percent), Roces (3 percent), and Ramos (3 percent).
Nearly 1 in 2 say Arroyo 'unacceptable' person to lead RP
26% say De Castro 'best person to lead' RP
By Joel Francis Guinto
INQ7.net
NEARLY one in two Filipinos (47 percent) consider Arroyo as being an "unacceptable" person to lead the country now while one in three believe her resignation and impeachment to pave the way for snap elections is the "best" way out of the political crisis, according to an independent survey released Thursday.
While only 17 percent of the 1,200 respondents nationwide favor the constitutional succession of Vice President Noli de Castro once Arroyo resigns or is impeached, 26 percent believe the ex-television broadcaster is the "best person to lead the country now," Pulse Asia Inc. said in its Ulat ng Bayan (Report of the Nation) survey conducted from July 2 to 14.
The study covered the period after Arroyo apologized for improperly calling up an elections officer during the canvass and after influential personalities and groups joined calls for her resignation. It had a margin of error of +/-3 percent at a confidence level of 95 percent.
It was done before Arroyo's State of the Nation Address, where she made a big push for a shift to a federal-parliamentary form of government.
When asked what the "most beneficial or constructive political scenario" is, the top response was Arroyo's resignation or impeachment and the holding of snap elections (34 percent), followed by Arroyo's resignation and impeachment and De Castro's succession to her post (17 percent), Arroyo's finishing her term until 2010 (16 percent), Arroyo's resignation and the establishment of a junta (15 percent), Arroyo's serving as a transition leader who will oversee charter change (10 percent), and Arroyo's removal from office through whatever means, constitutional or extra-constitutional (7 percent).
When asked what is the "most inimical or destructive political scenario" is, the leading answer was Arroyo's finishing her term until 2010 (22 percent), followed by a military takeover (19 percent), foreign government intervention (17 percent), snap elections (16 percent), the military installing a group of politicians into power after a coup (14 percent), and De Castro's succession to the presidency (11 percent).
Placing second to De Castro in the list for "best person to lead the country now" is Senator Panfilo Lacson (21 percent), followed by former president Joseph Estrada (11 percent), the late Fernando Poe Jr.'s widow, Susan Roces (10 percent), Arroyo (7 percent), Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. (4 percent), former president Fidel Ramos (3 percent), evangelist Brother Eddie Villanueva (2 percent), Senator Rodolfo Biazon (2 percent) and former defense secretary Fortunato Abat (0.03 percent).
In second position in the list of "persons not acceptable to lead the country" following Arroyo is Villanueva (28 percent), Ramos (25 percent), Abat (21 percent), Roces (20 percent), Estrada (20 percent), Lacson (20 percent), Davide (18 percent), Biazon (12 percent), and De Castro (12 percent).
When asked who is the "best person" to lead the country, the respondents were allowed one response. On the question of "unacceptable" persons to lead the country, the respondents were allowed three answers.
If only the first of the three answers to the "unacceptable" leader question were ranked, Abat will top the list with 21 percent, followed by Arroyo (14 percent), Estrada (12 percent), Davide (12 percent), De Castro (9 percent), Biazon (8 percent), Lacson (8 percent), Villanueva (3 percent), Roces (3 percent), and Ramos (3 percent).
Additional buzzwords some here in RP like to use ... very often
"moral ascendancy" and "credible leadership"
Estrada asks court to grant him bail
Estrada asks court to grant him bail. My, my, what will it be next time?
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Pres. GMA State of the Nation Address
Every year, we meet on this day in this great hall to celebrate democracy and take stock of the nation: the country and its condition; the government and its performance; the people and their well-being.
Ours is a country divided; the story of our nation is a tale of two Philippines; almost, as it were, two countries under the same name.
One is the Philippines whose economy, after long years of cumulative national endeavor, is now poised for take off. The other is the Philippines whose political system, after equally long years of degeneration, has become a hindrance to progress.
As a country on the verge of take-off, our storyline would surprise many at home and abroad. The story includes an economy that grew more than 6 percent last year and that has continued to work in the teeth of the biggest oil price hikes in history, while generating four million jobs in the last four years.
The story includes marked improvements in tax collections, infrastructure housing construction, shelter, security for the urban poor and indigenous peoples, and rice productivity.
The story includes 69 million beneficiaries of health care insurance, including 30 million indigents, whose re-enrollment started early this year and is still ongoing.
That same story, over four years, saw the drug menace cut in half, the rash of kidnappings become a thing of the past, and insurgency in the South abated.
This story should work itself out as one about an economy as resilient and full of potential as its people are patient and hardworking, guided by a government--with the executive and the legislative hand-in-hand--that is able to pass a no-nonsense budget and make the tough decisions to put our fiscal house in order.
I specially refer to our recent titanic struggle to enact the three laws that comprised the biggest fiscal package in our history, the biggest revenue increase in a generation that will break the vicious cycle of financing development by borrowing and having to borrow again just to service those loans. This is the one reform that will snap the chain that has bound our future to a profligate past and the debt-burdened present. The Filipino's strong sense of family has given Congress a stronger resolve not to pass on today's debt, and bankrupt our children and grandchildren tomorrow. That struggle has done the House and the Senate great honor. Congratulations.
Abroad, the story continues. We’ve worked long and hard to restore our country to the prominent place it once held as co-founder of the United Nations and the Free World's first line of defense in the East. We won a seat in the UN Security Council, where we presided over the landmark resolution calling for democracy in Iraq. The Philippines chaired the historic conference on interfaith cooperation for peace at the UN, the fruit of a bold and creative initiative by your Speaker of the House.
We head the APEC anti-terrorism task force. Our victories in the war on terror have been acknowledged by no less than president Bush before the US National Defense University. The Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf can only pick up the pieces of its broken backbone in Mindanao.
We’ve worked with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to forge peace with our Muslim brothers. Eighty percent of our peace talks with them have been completed. Permanent peace in Mindanao is within reach.
Indeed, our story as a country on the verge of take off is real. Analysts need only to look at our stock market, and even the peso-dollar exchange rate, to sense the strong anticipation of significant improvements, if only we would overcome the tendency to be our own worst enemy.
Thus, with investors both here and abroad in mind, I invite you all to join me in sending them a strong message from this great hall: We will not waver in our commitment to economic reform and fiscal discipline, whatever the political cost.
The other message to send is that we will address the burden that the other Philippine story imposes on our anticipated take-off. I refer to the story of how our political system has now become a hindrance to our national progress.
Over the years, our political system has degenerated to the extent that it is difficult for anyone to make any headway yet keep his hands clean. To be sure, the system is still capable of achieving great reforms. But, by and large, our political system has betrayed its promise to each new generation of Filipinos, not a few of whom are voting with their feet, going abroad and leaving that system behind.
Perhaps we politicians have done our best; But maybe our best is not enough, given the present system. Perhaps we have strained the present political system to its final limit.
It is time to turn to the people, bring them into government -- and change the way that government is done.
The people want government that works for them at every level. They want good government that begins at their doorstep in the barangay [village-ed], and does not end before the closed door of a bureaucrat in Metro Manila.
The system clearly needs fundamental change, and the sooner the better. It's time to start the great debate on charter change.
We must address such questions as how much more government is needed for the greater safety and economic security of our people, and how much less government is more conducive to free enterprise and economic progress.
The mode of Charter change is the exclusive prerogative of Congress. But a constituent assembly may well give our people the quickest reforms.
I shall work with Congress, civil society groups and local government executives who are convinced that Charter changes are needed to enable the country to surmount the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the local government executives who have brought about an LGU power revolution through transformative leadership.
The economic progress and social stability of the provinces, along with the increasing self-reliance and efficiency of political developments and public services there, make a compelling case for federalism.
Perhaps it's time to take the power from the center to the countryside that feeds it.
I recognize that our form of government will be the decision of the body constituted to undertake Charter change. But we should consider that legislation could be quickened and laws made more responsive to the people under a parliamentary system, similar to that of our progressive neighbors in the region.
But even as we make a serious start in Charter change, I hope we can still work together on other initiatives to the lasting benefit of our people.
In the area of education, we've spent our increased resources on better trained teachers in more classrooms, teaching students in more effective ways. We’ve laid a strong foundation by building almost 30,000 classrooms in the past four years, providing computer access to more than 3,000 high schools, and beginning a "healthy start" breakfast program for our young school children.
I ask Congress to pass the Pre-Need Code to rehabilitate, reform and regulate the pre-need educational programs that worked so well in the past as a major vehicle for youth education entitlement.
College education is the great Filipino dream. But in a world of rapid technological change, getting a job or keeping it depends as much on how well one reasons as how well one uses his hands. I have issued E.O. 358 so that hours spent in vocational training can be credited towards a college degree. That will combine job readiness with the dream of a college education while increasing the competitiveness of our nation.
But our competitiveness is greatly endangered today by the global oil crisis. I call on Congress to pass legislation encouraging renewable and indigenous energy.
In the area of national security, I urge the swift passage of an anti-terrorism law that will protect rather than subvert, enhance rather than weaken, the rights and liberties that terrorism precisely threatens with extinction.
These examples serve to highlight that there is much work to be done.
Now is not the time for divisiveness, and while there's no avoiding partisan politics, there can be a determined effort by all sides to limit the collateral damage on a country poised for take-off.
Let’s call on the Lord. Let us ask Him for the grace to make us worthy of His healing our land.
Alam kong tayong lahat ay naghahangad ng isang makabuluhang pagbabago para sa ating bayan. Tayong lahat ay nagsisikap para matamo ang kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Kung kaya't ako'y nakikiusap na tulungan ninyo ako, para sa kapakanan ng taong bayan.
We may disagree among ourselves but let us never lose sight of that greater battle for one people, one country, one Philippines.
Not the country of this or that president but the Philippines of our shared and passionate affections.
Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.
Ours is a country divided; the story of our nation is a tale of two Philippines; almost, as it were, two countries under the same name.
One is the Philippines whose economy, after long years of cumulative national endeavor, is now poised for take off. The other is the Philippines whose political system, after equally long years of degeneration, has become a hindrance to progress.
As a country on the verge of take-off, our storyline would surprise many at home and abroad. The story includes an economy that grew more than 6 percent last year and that has continued to work in the teeth of the biggest oil price hikes in history, while generating four million jobs in the last four years.
The story includes marked improvements in tax collections, infrastructure housing construction, shelter, security for the urban poor and indigenous peoples, and rice productivity.
The story includes 69 million beneficiaries of health care insurance, including 30 million indigents, whose re-enrollment started early this year and is still ongoing.
That same story, over four years, saw the drug menace cut in half, the rash of kidnappings become a thing of the past, and insurgency in the South abated.
This story should work itself out as one about an economy as resilient and full of potential as its people are patient and hardworking, guided by a government--with the executive and the legislative hand-in-hand--that is able to pass a no-nonsense budget and make the tough decisions to put our fiscal house in order.
I specially refer to our recent titanic struggle to enact the three laws that comprised the biggest fiscal package in our history, the biggest revenue increase in a generation that will break the vicious cycle of financing development by borrowing and having to borrow again just to service those loans. This is the one reform that will snap the chain that has bound our future to a profligate past and the debt-burdened present. The Filipino's strong sense of family has given Congress a stronger resolve not to pass on today's debt, and bankrupt our children and grandchildren tomorrow. That struggle has done the House and the Senate great honor. Congratulations.
Abroad, the story continues. We’ve worked long and hard to restore our country to the prominent place it once held as co-founder of the United Nations and the Free World's first line of defense in the East. We won a seat in the UN Security Council, where we presided over the landmark resolution calling for democracy in Iraq. The Philippines chaired the historic conference on interfaith cooperation for peace at the UN, the fruit of a bold and creative initiative by your Speaker of the House.
We head the APEC anti-terrorism task force. Our victories in the war on terror have been acknowledged by no less than president Bush before the US National Defense University. The Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf can only pick up the pieces of its broken backbone in Mindanao.
We’ve worked with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to forge peace with our Muslim brothers. Eighty percent of our peace talks with them have been completed. Permanent peace in Mindanao is within reach.
Indeed, our story as a country on the verge of take off is real. Analysts need only to look at our stock market, and even the peso-dollar exchange rate, to sense the strong anticipation of significant improvements, if only we would overcome the tendency to be our own worst enemy.
Thus, with investors both here and abroad in mind, I invite you all to join me in sending them a strong message from this great hall: We will not waver in our commitment to economic reform and fiscal discipline, whatever the political cost.
The other message to send is that we will address the burden that the other Philippine story imposes on our anticipated take-off. I refer to the story of how our political system has now become a hindrance to our national progress.
Over the years, our political system has degenerated to the extent that it is difficult for anyone to make any headway yet keep his hands clean. To be sure, the system is still capable of achieving great reforms. But, by and large, our political system has betrayed its promise to each new generation of Filipinos, not a few of whom are voting with their feet, going abroad and leaving that system behind.
Perhaps we politicians have done our best; But maybe our best is not enough, given the present system. Perhaps we have strained the present political system to its final limit.
It is time to turn to the people, bring them into government -- and change the way that government is done.
The people want government that works for them at every level. They want good government that begins at their doorstep in the barangay [village-ed], and does not end before the closed door of a bureaucrat in Metro Manila.
The system clearly needs fundamental change, and the sooner the better. It's time to start the great debate on charter change.
We must address such questions as how much more government is needed for the greater safety and economic security of our people, and how much less government is more conducive to free enterprise and economic progress.
The mode of Charter change is the exclusive prerogative of Congress. But a constituent assembly may well give our people the quickest reforms.
I shall work with Congress, civil society groups and local government executives who are convinced that Charter changes are needed to enable the country to surmount the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the local government executives who have brought about an LGU power revolution through transformative leadership.
The economic progress and social stability of the provinces, along with the increasing self-reliance and efficiency of political developments and public services there, make a compelling case for federalism.
Perhaps it's time to take the power from the center to the countryside that feeds it.
I recognize that our form of government will be the decision of the body constituted to undertake Charter change. But we should consider that legislation could be quickened and laws made more responsive to the people under a parliamentary system, similar to that of our progressive neighbors in the region.
But even as we make a serious start in Charter change, I hope we can still work together on other initiatives to the lasting benefit of our people.
In the area of education, we've spent our increased resources on better trained teachers in more classrooms, teaching students in more effective ways. We’ve laid a strong foundation by building almost 30,000 classrooms in the past four years, providing computer access to more than 3,000 high schools, and beginning a "healthy start" breakfast program for our young school children.
I ask Congress to pass the Pre-Need Code to rehabilitate, reform and regulate the pre-need educational programs that worked so well in the past as a major vehicle for youth education entitlement.
College education is the great Filipino dream. But in a world of rapid technological change, getting a job or keeping it depends as much on how well one reasons as how well one uses his hands. I have issued E.O. 358 so that hours spent in vocational training can be credited towards a college degree. That will combine job readiness with the dream of a college education while increasing the competitiveness of our nation.
But our competitiveness is greatly endangered today by the global oil crisis. I call on Congress to pass legislation encouraging renewable and indigenous energy.
In the area of national security, I urge the swift passage of an anti-terrorism law that will protect rather than subvert, enhance rather than weaken, the rights and liberties that terrorism precisely threatens with extinction.
These examples serve to highlight that there is much work to be done.
Now is not the time for divisiveness, and while there's no avoiding partisan politics, there can be a determined effort by all sides to limit the collateral damage on a country poised for take-off.
Let’s call on the Lord. Let us ask Him for the grace to make us worthy of His healing our land.
Alam kong tayong lahat ay naghahangad ng isang makabuluhang pagbabago para sa ating bayan. Tayong lahat ay nagsisikap para matamo ang kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Kung kaya't ako'y nakikiusap na tulungan ninyo ako, para sa kapakanan ng taong bayan.
We may disagree among ourselves but let us never lose sight of that greater battle for one people, one country, one Philippines.
Not the country of this or that president but the Philippines of our shared and passionate affections.
Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.
Forza!
THE POWER OF THREE Four-star attack
Andriy Shevchenko, Pippo Inzaghi, Christian Vieri, Alberto Gilardino. This is the sweet reality of the Milan attack, the dream come true. The Golden Ball winner, the 252-goalscorer chasing Alfredo di Stefano's record in Europe, the left-footed striker so-much missed after Mark Hateley, the promising young talent. This is the new Milan attack: complete and totally prestigious. Even Carlo Ancelotti admitted: 'Yes, on paper it is stronger than last season.'
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