For our special presentation on our talk show “Straight from the Sky,” we bring you the Department of Social Welfare and Development, to tell us what their objectives are and what they are expected to do when we have natural disasters. This is the problem with our supposedly devolution as embodied in the Local Government Code, which unfortunately has been put on reverse by Pres. Benigno Aquino III where all national government offices have reverted to being so highly-centralized.
So in order to clear the air of misunderstanding, we have asked DSWD Assistant Regional Director Shalaine Lucero to guest on our show and tell us the role of the DSWD and the Local Government Unit in times of disasters. So watch this interesting show on SkyCable’s channel 61 at 8:00PM with replays on Wednesday and Saturday same time. We also have replays on MyTV channel 30 tonight at 9:00 and Wednesday and Friday at 7:00AM & 9:00PM.
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So many things happened during the four-day visit of Pope Francis, I really don’t know where to begin. If we go by the speech of Pres. Benigno Aquino III during the meeting with Pope Francis in Malacañang, which has gone viral in social media network, all you need to do is open your Facebook and you’ll read a barrage of nasty commentaries by netizens why PNoy could not watch his mouth in front of Pope Francis.
But then this is classic PNoy whom we’ve known for the last four years as a man who cannot hold back his tongue even just to be polite. In short, we have a President who has not mastered the art of “good manners and right conduct.” To hit clerics for their silence during the time of former Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo without naming names has thousands of netizens saying so many nasty things about Pres. PNoy. Shame on this President!
PNoy said, “In contrast to their previous silence, some members of the clergy now seem to think that the way to be true to the faith means finding something to criticize, even to the extent that one prelate admonished me to do something about my hair, as if it were a mortal sin.” Netizens declared that no one, even a President shouldn’t say this in front of the Pope. Indeed only a man who hates the Catholic Church would do such a thing!
But Pope Francis was in a fighting mood. I have no doubt that he was briefed as to what kind of person PNoy is… especially his attitude toward the Catholic Clergy. It just makes me wonder that on Jan. 19-22, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines would be holding its annual plenum. Maybe an important topic for them to take is the question “After the Pope’s visit… Quo Vadis? Or in English… where do we go from here?
This is what Pope Francis said in his speech in Malacañang. “The Bishops of the Philippines have asked that this year be set aside as the “Year of the Poor.” I hope that this prophetic summons will challenge everyone, at all levels of society, to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor, and to make concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and child in the life of the community.”
Reject all forms of corruption says Pope Francis. Let’s see. Is giving a hundred million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund a.k.a. Pork Barrel to the Senators to convict Chief Justice Renato Corona one form of corruption? You tell me! There’s an old legal dictum that goes, “Justice delayed is Justice denied.”
We can also consider lack of transparency a form of corruption. This is why the Freedom of Information Act has never been made into a law despite PNoy’s election promise during the 2010 elections. Speaking of transparency, we all know that after the PAL Airbus bearing Pope Francis left in a huff in Tacloban airport last Saturday afternoon, a Bombardier BD-700-1A11 Global 5000 skidded off the runway and lost its nose gear, which was buried deep in the mud.
That plane was carrying Sec. Pacquito “Jojo” Ochoa and Communications Sec. Sonny Coloma, Jr. So the first question is… what were they doing in Tacloban City when the Pope’s trip there was purely a church affair? Second question is… who owns that Bombardier? Are Filipino taxpayers paying for the aircraft? Let’s see if the Aquino Regime will be transparent.
During the Mass at the University of Sto. Tomas, Pope Francis told the young in the crowd, “Offer yourselves for the renewal of your society and make a better world.” He also offered a moment’s silence to Kristel Mae Padasas, the volunteer who died as huge speakers in Tacloban fell and crushed her to death. Pope Francis has the makings of another great Pope like St. Pope John Paul II. We must listen and obey him as he speaks like Jesus.