Senatoriable Paredes seeks total “pork abolition”, free college education

TOTAL “PORK” ABOLITION URGED BY SENATORIAL CANDIDATE PAREDES: Former Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jess Paredes will work for the total abolition of the pork barrel system (or the allocation of government funds for the use of congressmen and senators of the Philippines for various infrastructure projects) if he wins as senator in the May 2010 elections.

Instead, the funds given to lawmakers as pork barrel will be used for other more worthwhile purposes like the giving of free college education to poor students nationwide, or for the construction of more classrooms, more hospitals, or more roads, or the development of business entrepreneurship among the people, Paredes said in an interview with BATAS INTERNET TV and BATAS INTERNET RADIO (www.batasradio.com) Friday, January 22, 2010.

Paredes told me and Pastor Jojo Julian of the Church of the Living God in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, during the program “Batas Media Reports” (which goes on air Mondays to Fridays, 6:30 a.m to 8 a.m., Philippine time), that, as per his accounting, some Php380 billion is collectively given to senators and congressmen by way of pork barrel (or whatever other name it is known) within any particular six-year term of each of them.

“If this amount is used to pay off our foreign debt instead, we can wipe off the current US$1.5 trillion financial obligation we have in favour of foreign governments and entities in no time at all,” Paredes, who is a lawyer and a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (of the famous Class 1971), added.

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RP NEEDS GOD-FEARING MEN AT THE HELM OF GOV’T: When queried by Pastor Jojo Julian (who was participating in the “Batas Media Reports” interview by long distance telephone call) as to whether or not he has a platform of spirituality, Paredes responded by reciting a poem he wrote and which he is now using as some kind of a “political creed”.

The poem reads: “Our country, to be great, direly needs at the helm of government: God-fearing men, able men, men of truth, men who hate dishonest gain. Posthaste, such worthy men must be found.

“Such worthy men must be empowered with: positions of trust, positions of confidence, positions of leadership. If we, the Filipino people, so now desire; so it shall be. If we, the Filipino people, so now trust God; so it shall be done.

“God save the Philippines! Humbly yours, Atty. Jess Paredes.”

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“THE 14 MUSTS” OF A PUBLIC OFFICIAL: Paredes, who resigned his chairmanship of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFACOM) on January 31, 2007 because of differences of opinion with President Arroyo on the removal of a prisoner from a detention center ordered by the courts, also wrote a list of what a person working in government must do, or must have.

Calling it “The 14 Musts”, Paredes said a person in government: must be God-fearing, not insensitive, self-centered or devious; must espouse the Truth, not lies or propaganda; must possess INTEGRITY, not graft and corruption;

“Must work for the COMMON GOOD, not private good; must uphold public interest, not private interest, or private agenda; must render genuine public service, not personal or private, or family service business; must be a true public servant, or servant of the people, not lord, master or tyrant;

“Must be responsive, not uncaring, callous or indifferent; must be humble, not arrogant, abrasive or boastful; must be upright, not morally corrupt; must be just, not discriminatory, or biased or condescending; must be firm, not cruel, or insensitive, must be transparent, not scheming or secretive; must be strong, not abusive or dictatorial.”

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CROWNING OF JESUS WITH THORNS: The Third Sorrowful Mystery of the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians talks about the crowning of Jesus with thorns, and the account of this event is found in Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:2 of the Bible. There is no account of it in the Gospel of Luke.

According to these passages, Pilate had tried to release Jesus who, by then, was presented to Him after He was arrested, but the crowd instead asked for the release of another man, Barabbas, the convicted murderer, and insisted that Jesus be crucified.

Jesus was subsequently flogged, on orders of Pilate, and later was brought to the Praetorium in the company of many soldiers. The soldiers stripped Jesus of His clothes and put a scarlet robe on Him.

Then they twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head. Putting a staff in His hand, the soldiers then knelt in front of Him and mocked Him, saying “Hail, king of the Jews.”

After they mocked Him, they took off His robe and put on His own clothes on Him. The soldiers then led away to crucify Him, thus fulfilling His prophecies about His suffering in the hands of the Jews before His crucifixion.

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