They say that nature has its own laws that no one could ever usurp though many has drastically ignored and even twisted as a fraud for so many years now.
In the last few days, we have seen very sad and depressing images and stories of victims of calamities brought by Bagyong Ondoy; and many more stories untold from those people whose lips were silenced by their untimely passing in a tragic display of nature’s fury.
The tragedy has led me to a sense of reflection and silence and listening and murmuring, and praying, with tears running on the valley of my face, with how in the world a harrowing event so unimaginable could happen right the heart of the nation.
Why did it happen? Who is to blame?
People were all wet, hungry and cold on rooftops as they saw their livelihood and family members were swept away by the deluge of raging waters and mud. Hours last and darkness fell swiftly yet many were still asking for help to be rescued, as the government was obviously seen as totally incapable, incompetent and not ready to respond to such dire situations. The private sector took the effort and immediately sounded the clarion call for unity, generosity and service; and unity, generosity, and service came…overflowing.
I beg to disagree that no one should be blamed. Pardon me but there is a need to point our fingers especially when we saw that lives were ended as fast as a snap of a finger. Forgive me but accountability and responsibility for such a big calamity that has torn down the foundations of families, homes, cities, provinces, a nation and individual dreams are needed to prevent for such a disaster from happening once again in the future.
No it is not the heavy rainfall. No it was not all because of Ondoy.
It is all because of us.
This is what we paid for the dinner at Le Cirque. This is what we as a nation paid for the corruption of government officials on so many government projects. This is what families and victims paid for the bribery right at the doors of the Malacañang Palace. This is what we paid for all the capricious spending of the government to non-sense programs that only benefited their own pockets. This is what we paid for being silent in the midst of evil, cheating and wrongdoings. This is what we paid for not having clear national policies, programs and political will against illegal logging, pollution, alternative sources of energy, reclamation of coastal areas, waste segregation, rehabilitation of rivers and estuaries, quarrying and mining, irresponsible industrialization and many more crimes against nature.
This is what we all paid for not taking care of our environment, for throwing all our garbage on wrong places for expediency, for polluting the air, rivers and soil, for not teaching our children how to be responsible stewards, for being lukewarm.
This is what I paid for not doing my best of practicing responsible stewardship; for being too lazy of thinking only of today and not of the future generations; for being laid back and not maximizing my talents and influence in order for nature to be cared for more; for not doing more, for being complacent and negligent.
This is what we all paid for:Â loss of lives, livelihood, homes and dreams and maybe a better future that we will all be held accountable by the future generations; and God forbid, curse us for stealing away from them a beautiful, peaceful and healthy world to live in.
The elements of nature, air, water, soil and all living things have their own lives; they all breathe and they all live not actually all for themselves but for all of us. And whenever we kill and destroy and disrespect nature, it has its own way of doing the accounting.
Acquiring more rubber boats, more relief goods, amphibious vehicles, having a savvy disaster coordination and disaster management programs, more budget for the upgrading of the equipment of the weather bureau and more volunteers, even if Darna and all our superheroes come to life; they will not solve the calamities to come. They will not stop nature’s natural way of doing the accounting. When lives are lost, lives will be claimed in return.
God for sure will forgive us for our irresponsibility, savagery and unmoderated greed; but nature has its own law:Â what we reap is what we sowComment:
Yes, I agree. This is what people pay for throwing their trash anywhere. I’ve seen that countless of times – people riding in their vehicles and suddenly just throwing their garbage outside their window and into the streets. Is the concept of taking care of the environment so difficult to grasp? Oh, well. What one sows, one reaps. It’s Karma, I guess. It all comes back…
• MASSACRE IN MINDANAO
Military and police forces are hot on the trail of a heavily armed group that abducted a group of 40 persons, including members of a Maguindanao political clan and journalists who accompanied them in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, Monday.
Those snatched were Genalyn Mangudadatu, wife of Buluan, Maguindanao Vice Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu, and her sisters-in-law Buluan, Maguindanao Vice Mayor Eden Mangudadatu and Farina Mangudadatu.
Also taken were lawyers Connie Brezuela and Cynthia Oquendo, both Mangudadatu’s legal counsel.
Four of the abducted journalists were identified as Manila Bulletin correspondent Bong Reblando, Bart Maravilla of Bombo Radyo, DZRH correspondent Henry Araneta, Andy Teodoro of UNTV and local tabloid reporter Joy Duhay.
Local news sources say 21 bodies have been recovered so far; however that this might be one of the worst massacres ever in Mindanao's history.
The victims were on their way to Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, to file the certificate of candidacy of Ismael Mangudadatu for Maguindanao governor when snatched.
Although feelings between the two clans run high, it was presumed that the inclusion of media and that as many of the party were female, this candidacy filing would pass without incident.
The Army’s 6th ID has earlier closed the Cotabato-Maguindanao highway due to a firefight following the abduction between state forces and the armed group.
The Mangudadatus in Maguindanao are relatives of Sultan Kudarat, Governor Suharto Mangudadatu, and his father, Sultan Kudarat Congressman Pax Mangudadatu, a former member of the government peace panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Mangudadatu, in an interview over Catholic-ran DXND in Kidapawan City, said his last contact with his wife was around 9:30 a.m. Genalyn and her convoy left Buluan town an hour earlier.
Around 11:30 a.m. Mangudadatu received disturbing reports that six of those abducted were beheaded by the armed men.
“I don’t know if my wife, Jijie, (Genalyn) was one of those beheaded. The beheading was confirmed by our people in the area,” he said during the interview.
Authorities have yet to confirm the report. Mangudadatu has called on authorities to exert all efforts for the safe and immediate retrieval of his wife and companions soon. (PNA)
it is truly a shame that journalists, and all the other innocent people there, were murdered so viciously. from what i understand, there are only more journalist deaths in Iraq, making the Philippines second in the world for this. this was the most journalists to have been attacked and died in some time. i believe it was more than 30 of them in this massacre alone. what a shame.
political powers will always use violence and fear to control the people. the problem is that the people allow it to work. rather than fight back and win easily (the vast majority, while not agreeing with these tactics, always choose to not get involved...usually for their families' sake; though it can be argued with ease that ridding the country of this problem can only help their families in the long run and that sacrifices must always be made for anything worth fighting for).
i would say more about the subject, but i haven't been letting myself stay on top of world events, because it is so depressing, and very angering to me. i get way too worked up about things like this, and really i have no choice or influence on the matter, whatsoever. in fact, i don't even know anyone who cares a little. they are more worried about their own minuscule problems, such as gas prices, the stain on their new shirt, their goddamn haircuts!
• Cruz: Jueteng Flourishing under PNoy
MANILA, Philippines - One would think that with the campaign slogan of bringing the country into the "daang matuwid," President Benigno Aquino's administration would be the last to be associated with the "flourishing" and "resurgence" of jueteng in the Philippines.
Apparently, no one was more shocked than the people asking and answering questions on Monday in the House games and amusements committee hearing themselves.
San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito, son of the former Philippine president who was ousted on jueteng protection allegations, was himself shocked when he asked retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz if jueteng got worse under the administration of his father's successor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Arroyo's son Mikey and brother-in-law Ignacio were once accused of being on the take from jueteng. Arroyo's bosom body, Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda, is married to suspected jueteng lord Bong Pineda.
Cruz knew, however, that he was going to deliver a shocker at the Games and Amusements commitee hearing at the House of Representatives.
He prefaced his reply by saying, "I'm sorry to say, but jueteng flourished under the present administration."
"Jueteng flourished during the present administration, yes. Sorry to say....We're at a loss with this, but that's what we get from the ground. That’s the basis of the report of Senator [Miriam Defensor] Santiago. I'm having my doubts about [Aquino's] 'daang matuwid.' [righteous path]. I entertain hope that some way somehow, somebody, somewhere will find daanang matuwid. And yet, I'm not that hopeful."
Ejercito, shocked, along with other congressmen-colleagues who were probably expecting the former Lingayen archbishop to blame the Arroyo administration, repeated the question to be sure: "But the the present administration has only been there a few months?"
Cruz again said that jueteng enjoyed a resurgence under the present administration.
'No one jueteng godfather'
While Cruz cleared the President of any wrongdoing, and that there is no one godfather for the illegal numbers game now, Cruz blames the jueteng resurgence to the increase of jueteng lords and operators.
Cruz said, while jueteng used to be operated by select parties nationwide before, now, local executives have become jueteng operators and jueteng lords themselves in their own jurisdictions.
Comment:
According to the account given in the Gospel of Jueteng, “Judas of Cruz” carried the disciples' money bag[8] and betrayed the “Jueteng Lords” for a bribe of "thirty pieces of silver"[9] by identifying them with a kiss—"the kiss of Cruz"—to arresting soldiers of the High Senate, who then turned the “Jueteng Lords” over to the PNP.
• January-June 2010 Dengue Cases up to 40%
Manila — Dengue cases went up by 40 per cent during the period of January to June 26 this year compared to the same period last year, according to the Department of Health.
At least 190 persons died from the mosquito-borne disease out of the 25,283 dengue cases treated in hospitals during the period, the DOH said.
Some 172 barangays were also found to have a clustering of dengue cases. The regions with the most number of cases included Central Luzon, South Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-General Santos (Socsksargen), Southern Tagalog, National Capital Region, Central Visayas and Davao.
A total of 18,055 dengue cases were reported last year in the period January to June 26.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona asked the media on Monday to remind the public to take precautions against the dengue-carrying mosquitoes which bite during the daytime and thrive in clean, stagnant water.
He said dengue had become fairly common not only during the rainy season but year round.
He was surprised that none of the reporters who interviewed him have had dengue since he himself had contracted the potential killer disease three years ago.
"Na—dengue na ako (I've had dengue). The public should be wary of stagnant water," Ona warned.
"It occurs all throughout the year except during one month at the start of the rainy season," he said.
Ona downplayed reports that six elementary students in Candon City in Ilocos Sur had tested positive for the Influenza A(H1N1) virus last week, insisting that the cases were "just like ordinary flu."
"We want to assure the public that the DOH is on top of things. The A(H1N1) virus is already in the Philippines but it appears not much different from ordinary flu," he said.
The discovery of a new influenza strain triggered a global alarm last year after the World Health Organization nearly declared an A(H1N1) pandemic.
But health officials later downplayed the effects of the A(H1N1) flu strain due to the relatively low mortality rate.
According to news reports, the six students-three boys and three girls-manifested typical symptoms of the A(H1N1) virus such as high fever, sore throat and diarrhea. But five have already recovered while one still has a cough.
Ona said the new cases appeared to have been caused by the same A(H1N1) strain that entered the country last year. "It may or may not have spread but we are continuously monitoring it," he said. /INQUIRER
Comment:
We should clean our surrounding so that the mosquitos cant never bite us anymore....
• Aquino: 43,650 new jobs from U.S investment
"It's good to be home. In the last week, during our visit to the US, we were able to send our message across: the Philippines is open for business," Aquino said after his flight arrived at around 3:45 a.m. from California at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.
Among the business firms that have committed to make new investments are: Coca-Cola, Pfizer, AES Corp., Hewlett-Packard, J.P. Morgan Chase, Global Services Inc., Century Properties, and General Electric.
Aquino said these investments are in power generation, consumer products, business and knowledge process outsourcing, health care, garments, and leather goods.
"We were able to secure a commitment of at least 43,650 new jobs in the next 3 years, including some 4,500 in construction-related jobs. And because of the multiplier effect, we estimate 200,000 more jobs to benefit our countrymen," he said.
Winning bidder AES Corp. will be expanding the capacity of the Masinloc Power Plant 2 by up to 660 megawatts with a project cost of $1 billion.
"This will lead to 1,500 jobs during the 3- to 4-year construction period," Aquino said.
Coca-Cola will invest $1 billion in upgrading and replacement of equipment and creation of new products and processes, he said.
"In short, our visit to the US enabled us to generate $2.4 billion in new investments," Aquino said.
"Furthermore, we received an additional $434 million in the form of a grant from the Millennium Challenge Corp. to expand the coverage of existing social programs that have been performing outstandingly," Aquino said.
He said foreign investors feel the new confidence that has arisen from the new political and economic environment.
He also urged his critics to support the drive for progress.
"Hinihikayat ko ang ating mga kapwa Pilipino na panay pa rin batikos, makiisa sana kayo sa ating pagsisikap," he said. "Kararating lang po namin at medyo pagod, pero talaga naman bale wala po yon kung maganda naman ang dalang balita."
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa said the Palace legal team has finished its review of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) and is ready to present its recommendations to the President.
He declined to reveal details since he has not taken up the matter with the president. "I'm not sure if we can discuss it today," he said. -- with a report from Ruby Tayag, dzMM
Comment:
Although, if I may add in suggestion. Despite of, money is not the answer to every problem that we have, but it will help us for sure in addressing some of our major problem. People need to be aware of these so their expectation are not in the realm of the magic world. Vision requires hard work to materialized, it's going to be a long road before we can see the end result.
Most Americans tax payers are against this aid, meanly due to the current economic woes in the home front. Pero a promise is a promise and it's an issue of trust which speak volume to the current caretaker. Also, there are a high volume of Fil-Am family in the US who are a working class and we are a tax payer as well in most part.......So please help Pnoy take care of the CHICKEN...this is our money too!
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