BAGUIO STOCK FARM TELLS A STORY

A sleeping vast tract of land comes to life as Baguio livestock farmers join hands with the department of agriculture and the National Dairy Authority to establish a privately managed livestock venture by farmers from the surrounding locality. So from a rusting Baguio Dairy farm comes a bustling productive land as government through the enterprising spirit of a few government employees who still retained their idealism to be of service to the people, one of them is a woman veterinarian who was the organizer of the cooperative, she encouraged private livestock raisers and investors within Baguio and Benguet to form an organization purposely to raise animal live stocks and produce dairy products too. During my recent visit to the site I was greatly amazed at the transformation of the stock farm, from an almost abandoned and ill maintained grassland is now a clean and wholesome place to visit. Cows and horses can be seen grazing on the mountain slopes, tall grasses are trimmed and used as fodder. People are seen lining up to buy fresh milk every morning but the demand for fresh milk is more than what the milking cows can supply. This kind of lively hood is what the Philippines need to prosper as an agricultural country. Senator Ramón B Magsaysay gave a support fund from his priority development fund of one million pesos to purchase pregnant island born dairy animals and initial operating expense of the project that has an initial proposed budget of three million six hundred seven thousand and seven hundred fifty pesos for the initial phase. With this kind of venture where private and government sector work together as in this instant case where management is purely in the hands of private managers while the technical aspect and other facilities available is from the government, represented by the National Dairy Authority and the Department of Agriculture, there is a balancing factor to curb the excesses of those who are in government, who do not have real interest in its progress because they are only interested in their salary and sidelines.

The Insured and the Uninsured in the Philippines

Ms. Lorrie Rumbaugh, a balikbayan, an owner of a Fortuner with plate number zem 604 bought from Toyota Quezon avenue, Inc., figured in a traffic accident last September 19 2006 at Dapitan St.cor.KanlaonSt. Quezon City. The car was insured to MAPFRE, The insurance agent of Toyota Company, located at Acacia avenue Madrigal Business Park Ayala Alabang, Muntinglupa city was supposed to pay the cost of repair. So Ms. Rumbaugh had her damaged car estimated by the same car company in the amount of 21,480.00 pesos and promised to make the necessary repair on the damaged car, but it was never fulfilled as of to date. They told her so many alibis; for not doing their obligation. It is better if I should have not reported to this company that I figured in a car mishap and saved lots of money and precious time rather than believing their well planned lies that made me visit their Toyota office so many times, I lost tract of the exact number of days that was wasted going in and out of their office, now I learned a lesson that there is no difference between the insured and uninsured for I didn’t benefit from either, she said.

An Igorot Discourse

It is now election period in the Philippines to fill up local positions and twelve senatorial slates, the polls will be on may 2007.Most of the poor electorates are eagerly looking forward to receive instant cash for selling their votes. It is the busiest time for vote selling and vote buying.This is the best opportunity to get back the taxes undelivered to them in the form of basic services that were long overdue. The winnable candidates are the rich whose family is in the political business for generations while the poor principled ones will never make it.Huge amount of wealth were accumulated by these politicians from graft and corruptions while they were in office, the purpose is continuity of power through vote buying. In mountain province, Philippines ninety eight percent of the inhabitants are Igorots whose lively hood is agriculture. The province is categorized as fourth class, one of the poorest local unit in the Philippines. This miserable condition is not due to lack of funds from the national government but due to the priorities of development were on non essential infrastructures and almost nothing in agriculture. Actually these government projects are implemented to justify the liquidation of huge expenditures because the rest,the amount of about fifty percent of an implemented project went into the pockets of these politicians. To continue their power they see to it that the people will remain poor and make it appear that these politicians are the only source of hope and money.They do this by keeping them hostage through poverty. when election time comes the voters will demand money and the politicians will readily give them. Anyway they will surely recover the amount when they assume office. This is the reason nobody complains, its because they are also a part of the corruption process by being bribed.
The Igorots including me will bear with this kind of system until we are no longer dependent from these corrupt leaders for food,hospitalization, clothings and shelter. The unmonitored campaign expenses of the politicians will show how powerless the commission on election on the fraud being committed. The expenditures too will tell the extent of graft and corruption that will take place after the election is over. Our laws made by these leaders are complex and vague with so many loopholes so that they will have a way to recover their huge expenses.
In the past a family composed of five voters can get a sum of money in the amount of eight to ten thousand pesos plus two sacks of rice from one candidate or an average of five hundred pesos per voter so that in mountain province there are one hundred thirty five thousand voters, multiply that with the money given to each voter plus the food expenses and other expenditures incurred.It will be a huge sum of money to recover. The only way to do that is to meddle with government transactions and create changes,justifications,re-alignments of government funds and projects and profit from it. I call these the mafia in the provincial government of mountain province.
The politicians know that a hungry population won't care for good platforms or good characters,the goodness of a man is measured on how much money he can give. There are only few voters who believe otherwise and there are always the losers.

DEAF COMPUTERS

Friday, February 2, 2007

DEAF COMPUTERS

Living in a society where different government agencies were created to help its citizens in their plight against cruelties and injustices is the best expectation that an ordinary person can receive from his government. To test the claims of many agencies whether local or national,look up at their email addresses and find out that most of these email posts won't answer back when sent mails. Two days ago I sent a letter of inquiry to the office of the ombudsman, www.ombudsman.gov.ph and www.doj.gov.ph to inquire about a complaint of graft and corruption we filed eight months ago against some personnels of the DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES and a BARANGAY CAPTAIN OF MALIGCONG BONTOC MOUNTAIN PROVINCE. I kept on opening my emails for a response but I received none at all. I mentioned only two agencies in this article and its up to the reader to find the others at www.THE AGENCY.gov.ph. Broad bands nowadays are common and are found even at the most remote barrios. This computers are vital links to the central government and will help the citizens from expensive travels, red tapes and other inconveniences. To follow up documents to the central offices is a financial horror specially the residents of far flung localities, that is the reason why the poor complainants never get the appropriate services. But why do we have deaf computers in government offices?...