Thursday, May 26, 2005

Labor Unites

A press release I got today from the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) read:

With the specter of a rock-bottom crises for the working class amidst the railroading of the expanded Value-Added Tax and its anticipated impact on real wages, militant labor groups have crossed ideological and organizational lines to unite in struggling for a legislated Php125 wage hike.

The leaderships and affiliates of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) met this morning under the auspices of a forum of the Congressional Committee on Labor and Employment and pledged unity, cooperation and coordination in advancing their common struggle for the much-needed wage increase.

This is a first for the two biggest labor alliances in the country, who've never worked together becasue of idealogical differences. That they were able to set these aside to achieve a common goal should give GMA pause. It's unprecedented, and indicative of how far organized labor is willing to go to get what it wants. They could call for a welga ng bayan (people's strike), and it could very well be a real welga ng bayan-- one that will actually be felt by the country, and not be ignored.

Mayor Lito Atienza : "My wife was a demon!"

(The following is a news article based on a feature entitled "In Manila, Pills and Condoms Go Underground" by Jaileen F. Jimeno of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. No serious newspaper will publish it. But the facts are all true. If it sounds idiotic, it's because it is.)

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza recently revealed that his wife became the devil incarnate after taking birth control pills without his knowledge after the birth of their fifth child.

Though Mayor Atienza refused to reveal details of his spouse's demonic behavior, the mayor confirmed that birth control pills were behind his loving wife's transformation.

Atienza says his wife "took the pill without my knowledge and I tell you, she became a devil, a demon."

Mrs. Atienza could not be reached for comment.

To ensure fellow ManileƱos do not share his fate, Mayor Atienza has prohibited hospitals and barangay heath centers funded by Manila City Hall from distributing contraceptives like condoms and birth control pills to residents of Manila.

The mayor-- who is also Chairman of Pro-Life Philippines-- issued Executive Order 003 on February 29, 2000, which upholds natural family planning methods and discourages "the use of artificial methods of contraception like condoms, pills, intrauterine devices, surgical sterilization and others."

In line with this, Atienza has ordered hospitals funded by the City of Manila to deny requests for sterilization procedures like tubal ligations and vasectomies. This is consistent with his "the more, the merrier" population policy anchored on his thesis that a population boom will lead to prosperity.

(Read the full report of the PCIJ here.)

Monday, May 23, 2005

Obi-Wan Kenobi

After watching Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, I now have a new-found respect for Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi Master played by Ewan McGregor (in the prequels) and Alec Guinness (in the original Star Wars series).

I used to think Obi-Wan Kenobi was a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none sort of Jedi Master. I thought he wasn't as talented as Yoda with regards to handling the Force, not as good with a light saber as Mace Windu, and not even close to his padawan, Anakin Skywalker, as a pilot. This, plus the fact that he couldn't control Anakin-- or prevent him from turning to the Dark Side-- were major points against Kenobi.

I changed my mind, however, when I reviewed the villains Obi-Wan cut down in the course of the Star Wars series. In Episode I, he cut down Darth Maul. In Episode III, he beat General Grievous and Anakin Skywalker-- two supposedly formidable opponents. Keep in mind that by beating Darth Maul he defeated someone who had just killed an experienced, full-fledged Jedi Knight (Qui-Gon Jinn). And to think that, at that time, Kenobi was only a padawan, or apprentice. Grievous, on the other hand, was personally responsible for the deaths of numerous Jedi, and, in The Clone Wars Animated Series, showed he was capable of taking on a team of Jedi and coming out on top. But the clincher for me was how Kenobi beat Anakin Skywalker-- the Chosen One. True, Anakin's hubris got the better of him, but you have to give props to Obi-Wan for holding his own until Skywalker made that fatal move that cost him his legs.

Last point. When you think about it, Kenobi never really "lost" a battle. Against Darth Vader in Episode IV, he appeared to have been cut down in their duel, but-- as revealed in later episodes-- he merely became "one with the Force."

Forget the Skywalker hype-- Obi-Wan is the real deal.

Friday, May 20, 2005

The Scarlet Letter

I have been asked to wear red to the office for the next few days. The request is not based on my skin's compatibility with that particular color-- it (my skin) is not. It is also not being made because someone in the office is celebrating his or her birthday next week-- no one is.

The request is being made in line with a campaign to protest one of Chief Justice Davide's latest Memorandum Orders-- Memorandum Order No. 20-2005, AMENDING THE NATURE OF THE APPOINTMENT TO THE PLANTILLA POSITIONS IN THE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT OFFICE (PMO) FROM COTERMINUS TO PERMANENT OR AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 71-2001.

Some background. The Program Management Office (PMO) is the office responsible for overseeing the projects of the Supreme Court under the Action Program for Judicial Reform, or APJR. The APJR is the Court's modernization program, which the Chief launched shortly after he began his term. Projects under the APJR include the Court's Electronic Library, Court Administration Management Information System, and the Justice on Wheels mobile court. The PMO's job is to source funds for these projects, and oversee them from conceptualization to implementation.

The status of the appointments of PMO personnel were-- per the Administrative Order that created them (AO No. 71-2001)-- originally coterminus with the Chief, meaning they would have had to go upon the Chief's retirement in December. Memorandum Order 20-2005 changes that. Under the order, the positions in the PMO are now permanent, regular positions.

This hasn't sat well with some people. A few days after the memo came out, a white paper was circulated among the different offices of the SC. It criticizes the Chief's order to make the PMO's plantilla permanent, and calls on Court employees to wear red as sign of protest.

I won't, for a number of reasons.

First, as I said, red doesn't suit me.

Second, I don't have red clothes.

Third, I just don't believe in supporting causes being espoused by nameless, faceless people.

(I won't even go through the points made by the white paper, which really don't tackle the main issue, which is whether the PMO should be made a permanent office. There are a lot of side issues raised, but they distract from the main issue, and don't do much in strengthening their case.)

I've always subscribed to the belief that the courage to speak one's convictions must be accompanied by the courage to stand by them. There are a lot of accusations made in the white paper, but the anonymity of the accuser(s) coupled with the paper's less-than sound arguments have made it impossible to determine the motivation and logic behind this so-called protest. For all I know, the paper could have been written by someone with an axe to grind with the PMO, or the Chief. Heck, the way the white paper was written, it probably was.

The Memo-- and the office it benefits-- should be judged on its own merits, not by the personalities involved. Any commentary on the Chief's Memo and the issues it raised should spark intelligent debate, not fuel petty jealousies.

Till somebody has the guts to claim responsibility for the white paper, and can make a logical case against the permanent existence of the PMO, I'm sticking to what I usually wear.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Dead-weights

In an ideal world, everyone would get what they deserved.

To be more specific, in an ideal workplace, only the truly deserving would enjoy advancement, the hardworking would be given additional pay for the extra hours spent slaving away at work, and only the competent would enjoy job security.

Conversely, the undeserving would not get promoted, the lazy unable to produce any output would be subject to pay cuts, and the incompetent would be fired.

Unfortunately, for those of us who work in government, the opposite is more often than not the way things are.

We wonder why this country isn't going anywhere? Look at Congress, MalacaƱang, and yes, even the Judiciary. The ranks of government service are filled with lazy, incompetent (not to mention, corrupt) idiots who couldn't write a memo if their lives depended on it.

Of course, not all government employees are a waste of taxpayers' money. There are those in the Supreme Court who've worked here since graduating from law school, and have shunned higher-paying jobs in the private sector to serve the public. They put in long hours and work their butts off for measly salaries and poor benefits.

But for every dedicated public servant are dozens of NPAs (Non-Performing Assets)-- individuals who collect their pay every month even though all they do is stare at their monitor pretending to be working.

It's bad enough that these dead-weights in the Philippine bureaucracy do nothing but contribute to our ever-expanding fiscal deficit. Worse, some of them-- by virtue of their ability to kiss-ass and act busy-- even get promoted! Others, simply by holding on to their jobs, get raises through "stepping," a process by which one's salary is upgraded after a number of years, regardless of one's salary grade. (Under this system, it's possible for a lazy secretary who's worked in Congress for a loooong time to bring home more than a newly-appointed congressional chief-of-staff.)

Then there are those who, despite being obviously incompetent, get promoted after earning the title of "attorney." Their output (zero) may not change, their attitude (impolite, bastos, uncouth) may be the same, and their hours (in at 8:00, out by 4:30) remain unchanged, but lo and behold, they're suddenly considered for promotion?

Bloody hell.

Nothing like a cold dose of reality to kill whatever's left of one's idealism.

Slap on the Wrists?

(1) One year in prison with hard labor.

(2) A three-rank demotion.

(3) Forfeiture of two-thirds' salary.

These were meted out by a military tribunal to the 184 enlisted personnel involved in the Oakwood mutiny in July, 2003. The 184 pleaded guilty to Articles of War 63 (disrespect to the President) and 64 (disrespect to the AFP Chief of Staff and other military officials)-- but not Articles of War 67 (mutiny or sedition)-- as part of their plea bargain.

(Because the 184 had already been detained for over a year, they will no longer need to serve the prison term.)

Despite their owning up to what they did, I really think these guys are getting off lightly for their actions.

There's no doubt that the soldiers involved had legitimate grievances. I also don't question the courage of their convictions. I admire them for having the balls to do something they believed in, even if it was against the law. I may not agree with them, but I respect them.

Still, there are other issues involved here. Should a soldier who has broken his oath to follow his/her Commander-in-Chief (the President) and respect cilivan authority over the military be allowed back into the service? Shouldn't the punishment meted by the military tribunal be such that it will discourage further attempts at military adventurism?

These are the real issues involved here, not the legitimacy of their grievances. They think their pay is inadequate? Heck, all government employees (the honest ones, at least) suffer the same fate. They say they have to go into battle with insufficient gear? Public school teachers have to deal with that sad fact (e.g., the shortage of textbooks) every time they enter a classroom.

In short, all of us have problems with how things are run in this country. But there there are means by which you can get your message across without taking a hotel and its guests hostage, and, in effect, hurting our (already fragile) economy.

I know these men have risked their lives for our country. Which is why I wouldn't want them kicked out of the service for what they did. But, come on. Forfeiture of their salary for three months is not enough payment for their crimes.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

While Riding a Cab One Day

Cab drivers, I've discovered, are a hidden human resource we have yet to tap. Behind every wheel is a philosopher, economist, political scientist, and sociologist waiting to be discovered.

Here are snippets of their wisdom:

  • "Dapat ibaba ang presyo ng gasolina. Pag umakyat 'yan, tumataas din ang presyo ng mga bilihin, at naghihirap ang mga tao." (The prices of gasoline should be lowered. When these increase, so do the prices of basic goods, and the people suffer.)
  • "Ang problema sa gobyerno, puro sila dada. Wala naman silang ginagawa. Puro pulitika." (The problem with government is they're all talk. But they're not doing anything. It's all politics.)
  • "Alam mo, dapat mag-invest ang gobyerno sa edukasyon. Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan, pero hindi nila ginagastusan." (You know, government should invest in education. The youth is the hope of our nation, but they're not investing in them.)

And my favorite:

  • "Ang mga pulitikong yan, puro mga kurakot ang mga putang inang 'yan! Kaya 'di tayo umaasenso!! Sa pitaka ng pulitiko napupunta ang pera natin!!!" (Those politicians, they're all corrupt, those sons of whores! That's why there's no progress!! Our money is going into the wallets of these politicians!!!)
Sometimes I think our country would be better off if it were run by these people.

Or not.

Kidding aside, I think anyone with half a brain knows what's basically wrong with the Philippines. I also believe that anyone who's had a decent education can come up with solutions to these problems.

Unfortunately, the reality is this: a large gulf divides great ideas and their implementation. A smart person can think of ways to combat, say, tax evasion. But it takes more than intelligence to do that. It takes courage, political will, resourcefulness, good PR, an understanding of how government works, etc. To go after tax evaders, one has to be able to manage the bureaucracy necessary to catch, convict, and punish these people. Obviously, bright ideas aren't enough.






Monday, May 09, 2005

Crash and Burn

Yesterday, I sat on my living room couch eagerly expecting a no-holds barred, battle to the death between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets. After six games, it all came down to one last game. Here, the NBA’s slogan for the playoffs—win or go home—would literally apply. I was expecting amazing performances. I was expecting a game that would go down the wire. In short, I expected a classic.

Instead, Houston lost by forty points, the biggest margin of victory EVER for a seventh game. Losing, by itself, wouldn’t have been so bad. What made my stomach turn (and the stomachs of Houston fans as well) was how the Rockets lost. They were outplayed, outhustled, and outcoached. Despite being the team with more veterans, the Rockets lost their composure. It wasn’t enough that they played poorly. Compounding matters was their inability to remain focused in the wake of questionable calls during the game.

In the end, the Rockets were pathetic. By the fourth quarter, Van Gundy threw in the towel, opting to keep Tracy McGrady on the bench instead of making one last push. This prompted former Chicago Bulls coach and TV analyst Doug Collins to draw comparisons between T-Mac and Michael Jordan, who, Collins pointed out, would’ve stayed in the game and done everything in his power to come back and win. For him (Jordan), Collins commented, no lead was insurmountable.

Maybe that’s something McGrady can ponder on while he watches the rest of the playoffs from his home.

Shattered Glass

When you can sit through and stay awake through a "talkies" movie after having lunch, the movie must be good.

"Shattered Glass" is no exception.

There are no explosions, no gratuitous sex scenes, no cuddly moments-- just a darn good yarn made even more interesting by the fact that it actually happened.

Revenge of the Sith's Hayden Christensen doesn't have a lightsaber in this movie, but more than makes up with it with something REAL-- good acting. Here Christensen plays Stephen Glass, an up-and-coming (read:hotshot) writer for The New Republic (TNR), dubbed "the in-flight magazine of Airforce One." The magazine doesn't have the circulation or name recall of TIME or NEWSWEEK; heck, it doesn't even have pictures. But what it lacks in popularity it makes up for it by being Washington D.C.'s most credible newsmagazine, THE publication Washington policymakers and insiders read.

So you can just imagine what happens when that credibility is attacked when one of Glass' entertaining pieces (this one on the hackers) is questioned by an online magazine. Turns out Glass, one of TNR's more charismactic storytellers, is just that-- a storyteller. As his editor (Chuck Lane, played by Kinsey's Peter Sarsgaard) digs deeper into Glass' questionable reporting, he discovers that Glass' has a talent greater than finding great stories: it's making stories up.

By itself, that doesn't sound like compelling drama, which is where the interplay between the cast (which also includes Godzilla's Hank Azaria) comes in. The acting is superb. Christensen, in particular, deserves praise for playing Glass, the likable, talented, pathological liar who spins his way into the hearts and minds of everyone in TNR.

Christensen, like the movie, is surprisingly engaging. Kudos to Ayala Cinemas, the only chain of cinemas showing the movie here.

Friday, May 06, 2005

Bar-ring the Undeserving

A little over 31% of those who took the Bar Exams in September 2004 passed-- quite a high percentage compared to previous exams.

That is not to take away from those who passed the exam-- I'm sure many of those who hurdled the tests deserve to be lawyers. Still, the results can be mystifying. On one hand you have obviously intelligent, studious law graduates (those who went to UP Law and studied well for the Bar come to mind) failing to make the grade; on the other, you have people who can't write a single coherent paragraph-- or worse, can't remember the definition of something as basic as police power-- going to the PICC to take their oaths as lawyers.

I don't doubt the integrity of the exams or those who administered them. As I discussed in a previous blog (see Sidebar), the Bar is pretty much cheat-proof.

Still, there are tons of suggestions on how to make the Bar a better gauge by which to admit people into the law profession. They range from the ludicrous (Sen. Miriam Santiago has suggested that the Bar Exams be abolished) to the logical (more multiple-choice objective questions). The SC has already adopted a lot of the reforms suggested by a committee formed sometime back. In Bar Matter No. 1161 Re: Proposed Reforms in the Bar Examinations, the SC adopted reforms such as the appointment of a tenured Board of Examiners with an SC Justice as Chairperson (as opposed to naming a new batch of examiners every year), "the formulation of essay test questions and 'model answers' as part of the calibration of test papers", and (as mentioned earlier) the addition of multiple-choice objective questions.

These reforms should be implemented within the next five years. I only hope that these manage to ferret out those unfit to practice law, so we can be spared from the undeserving idiots who insist we address them as "attorney."