Thursday, June 5th, 2008

Time	Event
9:38p	Jun Lozada's Message to the Youth 31 May 2008 During the recent months that I have been in the public eye, I had the opportunity to have meaningful discussions with the Filipino youth of different socio-economic, ideological, religious and regional profiles. In all of these forums there appear to be a common thread of thoughts that cut across the youth of the land, and that is their abhorrence of the current socio-economic-political structure of the country in its different forms. From the sociological form of modern day hunter-gatherer society where the able men and women of the community have to leave their young in order to find “food” for their sustenance in their own community, sacrificing the precious years of early childhood up to the adolescent years of their children without the loving care and guidance of one or both parents. These OFWs are victims of a society where the governing class look at the exploitation of these OFWs suffering away from their families and sometimes from their evil masters, as their main source of foreign exchange to pay off their loans which feed their greedy pockets. To the economic structure of modern day feudal lords, a structure that has persisted over the long years of struggle of the common Filipino for economic equity, the struggle is simply not over land ownership but over the unequal access to capital that is most necessary in creating the much needed that propels an economy to prosperity. Look at the failed land reform program of this government, where most of the beneficiaries have sold back their land to a new landed class mainly composed of the corrupt politicians and their greedy financiers. Lastly to the dysfunctional political system that brings about a government made up of politicians that treats a public office as a business enterprise for their family and their cronies, politicians who looks at a public as a franchise held by their family, bought from the public every election time and duly certified by a COMELEC that is also paid to award the franchise. Questions I have heard Most the questions I have heard are related to how and what the youth can do to in the middle of this difficult adult reality that they will coming into very soon in their young lives. Questions such as….. Kung ayaw ba naming tanggapin ang ganitong lipunan, ang ibig sabihin ba ay dalawa lang ang aming pamimilian? Ang lumabas ng bansa o ang lumaban sa kabundukan? Na kung kami ba ay magpapasiyang manatili sa bansang ito, na dalawa rin lang ang pwede naming kahantungan? Biktima o nang bibiktima? Hope and reality People generally find hope in their reality, but our current situation is creating a very strong tension within the general society and amongst the institutions, groups, families and even individuals that makes up this society, a tension of holding on to both living in our reality and holding on to our hope. Para tayong hinihila sa magkabilang kamay yung isa nakahawak sa ating kasalukuyang pamumuhay, isang kasalukuyan na ang pagnanakaw ay isang katanggap-tanggap na Gawain ng isang taga-gobyerno, lalo na kapag ito ay ilang daang milyon o ilang pung bilyon. Isang kasalukuyan na kailangan iwan ng isa o ng parehong magulang ang kanyang mga mahal sa buhay upang sila ay mabuhay ng buo. Isang Kasalukuyan na ang interes ng taong bayan ay pinasasawalang bahala ng mga kapwa Pilipino sapagkat siya rin ay kumakayod lamang para sa kanyang sariling pangangailangan. Isang kasalukuyan ay gusto ng talikuran ng mga nakakarami. Ngunit marami pa ring ayaw bitawan ang kanilang pag-asa na may patutunguhan at may kahihinatnan ang kumilos para sa Bayan, na marami pa ring kapwa Pilipino ang may malasakit sa Bayan, marami pa rin ang gustong umasa na ang kabataan ng bayang Pilipinas ay natututo na mag tanong at mag-isip na hindi na pupwede ang ganitong lipunan, na ayaw na nilang manahin at ipamana pa sa kanilang magiging mga anak ang ganitong klaseng baluktot na sistema ng lipunan. Ito kabataang Pilipino ang tension na hinaharap ninyo ngayon, tatanggapin niyo ba ang ganitong kasalukuyan? Malulunok niyo ba ang ganitong klaseng pamumuno? Kaya ba ng konsensiya ninyo na malaon-laon kayo na rin ang ninanakawan o nangnanakaw sa Bayan? O ipaglalaban ninyo ang inyong pag-asa na may mas maayos na kinabukasan na pwede ninyong kamtin para sa inyo? Na kaya ninyong baguhin ang baluktot na sistema ng lipunang Pilipino para sa inyong mga anak? Na hindi kayo panghihinaan ng kalooban kahit kayo ay hindi pinakikinggan ng mga nakakatanda sa inyo sa edad ngunit hindi sa pagmamahal sa bayan? Pag-asa! Ito ang aking dalangin para sa inyo kabataang Pilipino, sana ay patnubayan kayo ng poong maykapal ng pananampalataya sa kanyang kabutihan, habang kayo ay humaharap sa ganitong pagsubok ng inyong katatagang loob. Dahil kung meron ma akong natutunan sa mga nakalipas na buwan, ito ay ang kaalaman na ang kabaliktaran pala ng takot ay hindi tapang kungdi ay pananampalataya. Ako man ay may takot mula noon at hanggang ngayon sa ngitngit ng mga buwaya sa gobyerno, ngunit ang aking pananamplataya lamang sa Diyos ang nagdudulot ng lakas ng loob na aking ipagpatuloy ang paninindigan para sa katotohanan na ang pamumuno mismo ng gobyernong Arroyo ang siyang nagsusulong ng pinaka-malaking pagnanakaw sa ating Bayang Pilipinas. Sulong Kabataan! Current Music: It's Alright - Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions
Comments: saluhin mo ako.
9:44p	ON GOOD GOVERNANCE IN THE ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY Makati Business Club Press Release In its ongoing campaign to replace the current management of the Manila Electric Company, the Arroyo Administration, represented by the General Manager of the Government Service Insurance System, has damaged several public institutions and sent wrong governance signals to the private sector. Since R.A. 8799 transferred all intra-corporate disputes from the Securities and Exchange Commission to the Regional Trial Courts designated as Commercial Courts, the resort to SEC intervention by the GSIS was improper. By allowing itself to be used by the GSIS to wrest management control, the SEC has contributed to the diminution of its own credibility in the eyes of the business community. The Administration has used the consumerist cause of lowering the price of electricity as the rationale for revamping Meralco’s management. Yet the responsibility for protecting consumers’ interest in this particular area lies with the Energy Regulatory Commission. By shifting that responsibility to the GSIS, the Administration has weakened the authority of the proper government institution to handle this issue. In order to bring down the cost of electricity, Congress passed R.A. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. As the law encourages the development of a more competitive environment, electricity rates should come down as and when the EPIRA comes into full effect. But because its own executives have not achieved the benchmarks set by the EPIRA, this Administration appears to have lost faith in that law and has resorted to forcing down electricity rates on its own by bludgeoning Meralco, one of the private distribution companies. It is no coincidence that Meralco’s major owners may not share the Administration’ s political views. The funds invested by the GSIS belong to its members—current and retired government employees who have dedicated their careers to public service. The GSIS has a fiduciary responsibility to act in a manner that enables the investments it enters into to grow. Yet ever since the GSIS increased its holdings in Meralco to at least 25% of the company, Meralco’s stock has fallen from P80 per share to P56 per share due to the very public denigration of Meralco’s management and its major owners by the GSIS itself! In so doing, the actuarial soundness of the government employees’ retirement fund may have been adversely affected. The Securities and Exchange Commission, the Energy Regulatory Commission, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, and the GSIS itself have all been undermined in the course of the Administration’ s professed effort to take over management control of Meralco as the ultimate solution to high power costs. Damaging public institutions in this way is plainly bad governance. It sends the signal to the private sector that this Administration is prepared to sacrifice public institutions and its own reform program for political objectives. The Makati Business Club stands firmly against the use of state power to intimidate the private sector and vigorously opposes the nationalization of the electric power industry. Reverse-privatizati on is the worst way to bring down the cost of electricity, as state-owned enterprises in this country are vulnerable to political patronage and are inefficient due to lack of competition. With few exceptions, government-owned and -controlled corporations have been a heavy burden on the resources of the state. We support the Administration’ s call on Meralco’s management for transparency, but we also call for transparency on the part of National Power Corporation. A full and sober analysis of the causes of high electricity costs is needed at this time. Let reason and good governance prevail. 5 June 2008 Copyright 2008 © Makati Business Club Current Music: Meu Mundo é Hoje - Eliete Negreiros
Comments: saluhin mo ako.

<< Previous Day

2008/06/05 [Calendar]

Next Day >>