Category Archives: Politics

ANDERSON COOPER APPOINTED U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE PHILIPPINES

November 17, 2013 Pol Pinoy 1,006 Comments

Washington, D.C. – President Barack Obama has nominated CNN’s Anderson Cooper to be the next U.S. ambassador to the Philippines. The White House announcement on the nomination came on the heels of Cooper’s live reporting on the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan which has devastated many cities and towns in Central Philippines. He is the host of the popular CNN news program, AC 360. His reports from Tacloban, the worst-hit among the cities in the province of Leyte, gained both praise and criticism.

Many Filipinos, including expatriates from all over the world, have praised Cooper’s early coverage of the devastation in Tacloban and the Philippine government’s rescue and relief efforts which he described as lacking in coordination and clear strategy. On the other hand, Cooper earned the ire of Philippine President Noynoy Aquino who asked for “greater accuracy” in reporting on his government’s relief efforts and to focus on the strong spirit of the Filipino people in facing this calamity. Cooper responded on his news program that accuracy has been his hallmark as a journalist and that his reporting had always pointed to the enormous strength and fighting spirit of the Filipino people.

A Filipino news anchor, Korina Sanchez, speaking from her air-conditioned broadcast studio in Manila, also criticized Cooper for his reporting on the government’s less than stellar response to the needs of Haiyan survivors. Sanchez said Cooper did not know what he was talking about. Cooper then challenged Sanchez to do her own reporting at “ground zero” in Tacloban. Sanchez is the wife of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas who is supposed to lead government relief and rescue operations.

In nominating Cooper, Obama said that the CNN journalist is fully qualified for the job and brings with him extensive knowledge and experience with political, social and other issues plaguing foreign governments, including the Philippines. Obama said that Cooper has also proven himself to be fearless, independent, and sensitive to the interest and needs of both the U.S. and its long-time ally the Philippines.

There seems to be bipartisan support in the Senate for Cooper’s nomination. That in itself is a rarity in America.

International, Politics

FILIPINOS ISSUE ONE LAST APPEAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

November 16, 2013 Pol Pinoy 13 Comments

A man paints a message on a baskeball court that reads 'Help SOS We Need Food' at Anibong in Tacloban Photograph: NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images — A man paints a message on a basketball court that reads ‘Help SOS We Need Food’ at Anibong in Tacloban Photograph: NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Image

Tacloban, Philippines – The Filipino people are united in praising and thanking foreign governments and the international community for the overwhelming financial and in-kind support their country received, and continues to receive, in the aftermath of the most powerful typhoon of record that killed thousands, flattened homes and infrastructure, and turned once vibrant communities into ghost towns. In many instances, foreign rescue and relief personnel were first to arrive at the scenes of devastation, way ahead of teams dispatched by Manila’s government. In the first moments of the disaster, President Noynoy Aquino repeatedly criticized local governments for being unprepared for the super typhoon and for being unable to immediately respond to its deadly effects, especially in the hard-hit areas of Central Philippines.

Surviving individuals and families went without food, shelter and medical aid for days. Anger and frustration were evident among Filipinos trying to fend for themselves and struggling to flee their neighborhoods in search of relief, comfort and dignity. Cadavers remained uncollected, largely contributing to the unbearable stench of the national government’s relief and rescue operations. Meanwhile, Secretary of the Interior and Local Governments Mar Roxas kept repeating during media interviews that “everything was under control.” What little relief packages that were being distributed had stickers of the Office of Vice President Jejomar Binay plastered over them – a clever prelude to his expected campaign for the 2016 presidential elections.

The calamity hit the country at a time when massive dissatisfaction with the central government was rising at fever pitch, brought about by the pork barrel scandal that saw billions of taxpayer money going into the pockets of top politicians and their citizen cronies. Many calamity victims were quick to point out that the impact of the powerful typhoon could have been minimized had the pork barrel funds been spent as intended — to build public infrastructure and services that would have possibly put rescue and relief operations in times like these into place.

While the Filipino people continued to express their deep gratitude to the international aid they have received so far, they were one in making a last appeal which they described as their greatest, ultimate need. Today, in a unified message to the United Nations and through international media, the Filipinos appealed for a donation of a functioning government to replace the one that’s currently in place. “It would be the greatest gift of all, one that would put an end to decades of government corruption as well as suffering by the Filipino people,” they said.

Politics

IN PHILIPPINE CITY, EVEN THE DEAD MUST PAY RENT OR FACE EVICTION FROM THEIR GRAVES

November 5, 2013 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Baguio City, Philippines – Established in the 1900’s, Baguio City in Northern Philippines was developed by Americans primarily as a health resort where the American soldiers and civilian employees could find respite from the sweltering lowland heat. Designed by American architect Daniel Burnham, Baguio City was envisioned to have a resident population of no more than 30,000. Today, this summer resort is home to 300,000 people.

Baguio’s overpopulation has caught up with its dead. The Baguio City cemetery has reached more than its capacity, and the city government has a bright idea to make room for the dead and dying. According to a new city policy, graves of Americans and city residents may lose their place in the cemetery if no one visits them in five years.

Victor Padua, public services assistant of the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO), said his office was asking families to execute an agreement that stipulates that their dead are no more than tenants with rights to stay in the cemetery for five years, renewable only when they pay the five-year tenancy fee of One Hundred Pesos. The agreement is also a waiver that grants the city government the authority to remove their dead. It stipulates that the city cemetery managers “can transfer and/or rebury/re-inter the remains at other locations after the tenancy period if the relative fails to pay the corresponding fees for extension.”

Long-time residents of Baguio, many of whom have an average of 5 or 6 relatives buried in the cemetery, are gathering signatures for a petition to be presented to city hall. The petition demands that the Baguio City Hall be converted into a mausoleum as a way to solve the cemetery’s problem of overcrowding. “In this modern age where almost all city business can be transacted online, city officials and employees don’t need offices to do their job,” the petition says. It is estimated that the conversion will make available anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 additional graves and vaults for cremated remains.

Mansion House, Presidential Summer Palace Photo Credit: boyetstour.blogspot.com — Mansion House, Presidential Summer Palace
Photo Credit: boyetstour.blogspot.com

The Adobo Chronicles also learned that residents are organizing a special “neighborhood watch” to be stationed at the cemetery to guard the tombs 24 hours a day in order to deter city officials from excavating graves and evicting the dead.

Petition leaders have reached out to President NoyNoy Aquino to intervene in this controversy. They threatened that if Aquino ignores their plea, they will come up with a second petition demanding that the Mansion House, the sprawling official summer residence of the Philippine president in Baguio City, be converted as well into a mausoleum and burial ground.