Sunday, November 15, 2009

Pagasa budget slash unconscionable, insensitive

PAGASA BUDGET SLASH UNCONSIONABLE, INSENSITIVE: Slashing the 2010 budget of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to a level which is even lower than its budget in 2009 is to me unconscionable and totally insensitive.

Unconscionable, because a lower budget would certainly give rise to a greater decapitation of the weather bureau which, as it is now, is already incapacitated in doing more effective forecasting to warn our people about impending tragedies coming from storms and other weather disturbances.

Insensitive, because we all know that storms and other natural calamities in our country are not just becoming more frequent, but, more importantly, even more devastating as recent events have shown us, so there is a need to really provide more, not less, funding to the sole government agency that can help us mitigate deaths and damage to property every time a typhoon comes.

I wonder why this budget-slashing is being done against PAGASA? Would we want to make our people more prone to sufferings and losses arising from natural calamities and catastrophes? Why?

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“2012”, THE MOVIE, CONFIRMS THERE IS AN END OF THE WORLD: There are talks that the movie “2012”, a highly entertaining tale of how the world will end on December 12, 2012 courtesy of director Roland Emmerich, is actually un-Christian, because it allegedly contravenes the basic Christian doctrine that no one knows exactly when the end of this planet will come.

In a way, these talks are correct, because the Bible is repeatedly saying that only God the Father knows the day when the world will end. Not even Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior, and the angels in heaven, know the appointed date.

But, with due respect, these kinds of talk are missing the point of the movie, which is that, there is going to be an end to this world, whether we like it or not.

Yes, the world will end, and whether or not it will happen on December 12, 2012, or in the manner that Emmerich described in his movie (which has, by now, become a blockbuster), the end will certainly come.

That should be a sobering truth for all of us, because, if everything in this world will pass away one day and nothing is going to be left of the world as we know it, should we not prepare for this event and assure ourselves that we are in the good graces of The One who created the heavens and the earth?

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CAN EDU HELP LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD? Can Edu Manzano add spice to the efforts of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD to continue having Malacanang and the presidency in its grip even after May 2010?

Many are saying that Manzano’s having been drafted to become the running mate of Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard bearer Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. is already an abused tactic and has already backfired before, because many movie personalities nevertheless lost in their political forays despite their popularity.

But, if you ask me, there is always an inherent advantage in having a popular movie star as a candidate. First, there is no longer any difficulty in name recall and public awareness.

Second, there is a built-in wide-spread acceptance of the movie star which, with just a little more push from the party machinery, could translate into votes not only for him but for the other candidates from his group.

Third, movie stars, especially those who have already made good in their careers, can be considered as achievers in their own right, having succeeded in their chosen field of endeavor, and could therefore be expected to become good public officials.

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PRAYER IS THE ANSWER TO EVERY PROBLEM IN LIFE: A poem I found posted on a table inside a courtroom in Manila sometime in 1983, when I first became a lawyer attending my first-ever court hearing, confirms the power of prayer, thus:

“Prayer is the answer to every problem in life. It puts us in tune with Divine Wisdom, which knows how to adjust everything perfectly. So often, we do not pray in certain situations because from our standpoint, the outlook is hopeless. BUT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.

“Nothing is so entangled it cannot be remedied. No human relationship is too strained to bring about reconciliation and understanding. No habit so deep-rooted that it cannot be overcome. No one is so weak that he cannot be strong. No one is so ill that he cannot be healed. No mind is so dull that it cannot be made brilliant.

“Whatever we need if trust God, He will supply it. If anything is causing worry and anxiety, let us stop rehearsing the difficulty and TRUST God for love, healing and power.”

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