AFP will battle illegal loggers

The president will order the AFP to protect our natural forests from illegal loggers and their government coddlers and become the new heroes of our banana republic. We may not have enough forest rangers to patrol our forests but we do have 250,000 members of our armed forces who can perform this job effectively.

Clash of virtues will hamper K-12

The K+12 education experiment will be hampered by the lack of trained teachers, computers, reference books and our tri-lingual system of education and our graduates will continue to lag behind their ASEAN neighbors. The time tested values of honesty, punctuality, self reliance, initiative and love of country that students are taught in school are not what they see in the actions of their mentors, parents and leaders.

Illegal chainsaws will be confiscated

The local PNP will confiscate non authorized chainsaws in Southern Leyte. This action which complies with President Aquino’s Executive Order number 23 (circa 2011) prohibits the cutting of trees in residual or natural forests in the country. The campaign will net hundreds of chainsaws which have been used by loggers here for decades. The practice will be replicated in other provinces of the country and push Southern Leyte to the forefront of the administration anti-illegal logging campaign.

Will Zoo Become White Elephant?

We’ve received an anonymous email questioning of a full blown Zoo at the Danao Forest Park in Maasin City. He says he respects the people behind the project and that’s why he is offering his comments on what he believes will turn out to be a White Elephant.

The only animal Zoo in Metro Manila is the Manila Zoo and its being heavily subsidized by the City Government. The reason for this is that maintaining one is very expensive. Not only because animals eat a lot but because they get sick and need expensive medical treatment. Operating a Zoo also requires specialized manpower to keep it clean and safe. The Salt Water Crocodiles I read about in SLT’s website which are notorious man eaters start off as eggs, which could easily be pilfered by a Zoo keeper and brought home, or sold to exotic animal collectors. If (and God forbid this happens) several young crocs end up at the Canturing River, or the city’s mangrove forests they could terrorize the city coastal residents immensely.”

Fearless Forecast 2013

Although there are rumors that former Governor Rosette Lerias and her daughter Dundeet will again campaign for City Mayor and Provincial Governor few believe they pose a serious threat to the incumbents because they lack the logistics to win.
Mayor Rico Rentuza, on the other hand, who is being encouraged to run for congressman against Damian Mercado, will instead opt for a third term as mayor of Saint Bernard.

He may be the highest elected Liberal Party member here, but he knows President Aquino (who can’t run for re-election in 2016) won’t fund the local campaigns of its members.

However if he decides to run against Governor Roger Mercado for congress in 2016 he could be challenged by his party mate Robert Castañares who may have the financial war chest by then to give Oging (who would then be running for his old congressional seat) a good fight. The best year for opposition candidates to challenge the Mercado’s would be 2016, when Vice President Jejomar Binay or Mar Roxas, will be the LP presidential standard bearer and would need their political support to win. Yet who can guarantee that the Mercado brothers won’t be members of the ruling LP party by then?

And oh yes, Mayor Maloney Samaco will be running for reelection in 2013.

Chaos at San Francisco Airport

Last Tuesday while my wife and I were trying to check-in on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Chicago we witnessed a scene of utter chaos and confusion. There were hundreds of passengers trying vainly to solve the automated check-in machines and there were only a few airline personnel to explain to them how the system worked. Fortunately there was a Filipina UA employee who helped us out and we barely caught our flight to Chicago.

After checking in we had to go through the humiliating security search by dubious- looking Homeland Security personnel who treated everyone as though they were terrorists. After their body search most passengers felt like they had been mugged by New York hoodlums in Central Park. It was a far cry from the orderly and professional security checks at the NAIA 2 International Airport where passengers were treated like human beings.

Is K+12 the Solution?

Academes who believe that adding two more years to our public education system will make us more competitive haven’t read US President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech where he said that these were dangerous times for the American people. But that he was confident they would regain there former status as the number one world economic power if they could relearn the time tested values of hard work, humility, initiative, honesty, self reliance and love of country.

If we do not embed these values into our people’s psychic we could add ten more years to our public education and we would still be the Sick Man of Asia.