Ducky Paredes

Malaya (12.22.06)

“Can we imagine Filipinos like our kababayan renting houses from German, Japanese, American, British, Swedish landlords?”

Letters For and Against

by Ducky Paredes

We have letters on Charter Change: “It is not the system that has the problem but the very people to whom our country were entrusted to be governed in the most dignified manner. I suppose that however much changes you put into place for the betterment of our standard of living, if the same lawmakers that raped the Philippine Constitution shall run the new system, you will never be able to give us a guarantee of a new breathe of life.
“Sir, I will always agree with your point of view, if you can assure me that by shifting from Presidential system, it can diminish the traffic in the whole of Metro Manila, eliminate the illegal sidewalk vendors, and stop corruption from Malacanang up to the Lower and Upper Houses!
“Can you see, Sir, that we have enough laws inked in our Constitution to eradicate these contagious and eyesore activities in our beloved country? And our Presidential system is not the problem but the people who lead us!
“A former Philippine President in one of his most quotable quotes said: ‘I would prefer to see a government run like hell by the Filipinos, rather that a government run like heaven by the Americans!’ In the past few weeks, it was profoundly visible in the Lower House of the Philippine Congress until heaven intervened!
“I hope that you shall comprehend one frightening intention of putting into law the liberty for foreigners to own land in the Philippines! Can we imagine seeing eligible non-Filipino citizens to own much of the lands in the Philippines?
“Can we imagine Filipinos like our kababayan renting houses from German, Japanese, American, British, Swedish landlords?
“But, can you realize Sir that this is not the answer to the development of investments in the Philippines? The integrity of the people who run our government is the constant barrier to move forward, and the strategy in which they put its course. Instead of serving the our country and its people, they put their interests first and foremost before anything else.” — Dennis San Juan
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The way I look at it, if Quezon cared more about the welfare of his people than he cared for power for himself and his fellow-elitists, he would not have said what he did. The lust for power of the elite is the only thing that would allow that quotation to make any sense!
As for the things that you want to eliminate in Metro Manila, just give Bayani Fernando a free hand and all of those things will go away. Of course, you will, instead, have a surfeit of things pink – from road signs to fences to open-air toilettes.
And, as to foreigners as landlords? So many Pinoys take better care of their rented residences when they are abroad than they do with their rented houses in their own country.
The main reason for advocating a system other than presidential is that we have a presidency with too much power and it is hell to try to impeach a President. Why did our constitution create a rock that is too big for us to budge?
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“I strongly support that the system of our government must be changed. So many people from group C & D are being used by those folks connected to Reds and some “Nagmamagaling” Groups in the streets are shouting for US not to interfere in our government but look, they are still in favor of keeping this Senate Chamber which was patterned to US. Like what you have said, our senate are just repeating what the Lower Chamber has done and “para di masabing nanggagaya lang ng panukalang batas,” they make their own version. The result is that few laws will be passed within a year! These Senators are just wasting the money of the Filipino taxpayers and all of us here in abroad — the OFW!
“I believe we can not just keep ourselves from US and their products because minds of most of the Filipinos are already molded that if you are wearing or using US-made products you would be “Sikat di ba, Tol?” Kaya ba pati ang nasa Senado ay ibig laging sikat sa walang kabagay-bagay na issues?
“Instead of helping our government to speed-up our economic recovery, they are the causes of slowing the coming of investors.
“By now, maybe the bigger percentage of Filipinos are against the reform of our Constitution but I believe they were brainwashed/used by those Politicians who wants to win in the coming election. — Engr. Ronaldo B. Robles, Saudi Arabia
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Sadly, most of our politicians (I am tempted to say “all”) are interested only in attaining and keeping power for themselves. Note that the opposition has no alternative program to offer. In fact, there is really no entity that one can call “the opposition.” What we have is a lot of elitists who are outside the kulambo who want to get inside. When they do, they act exactly as those whom they kicked out of the kulambo who are now the outsiders.
Taken all together, those outside are “opposition” – kapag nabigyan ng position, o-opo na rin!
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Oops! I got it wrong. On the billions that the Pasig RTC wants to take from the GSIS’ members’ funds to be given to private respondents that I wrote about for the January 19 (Tuesday) column, the 78 lots in question were not as I wrote:
“What are at stake are 78 pricey lots in Forbes Park and Ayala Alabang, home of the most expensive real estate in the country.”
What makes this scam worse is that the lots in question are not in these plush subdivisions but are ordinary nondescript lots in Quezon City. I wrongly assumed that, being so pricey, the real estate was in some truly exclusive location.
I must be imbibing on a little too much Christmas cheer these days. How could I get so careless? To my readers, sorry po!
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Readers who missed a column can access www.duckyparedes.com,/blogs. This is updated daily. Your reactions are welcome at duckyparedes@yahoo.com
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hvp (12.21.06)

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