Philippine National Artist Nomination
This month, GMA exercised her “president’s prerogative” to nominate Cecile Guidote-Alvarez as national artist. Alvarez may have several contributions in advancing arts in the Philippines including the founding of the Philippine Educational Theatre Association (PETA) in 1967. Alvarez, however, is the executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the council that screens nominees to become Philippine national artists. Why be a judge and a contestant in the  same contest at the same time? For delicadeza’s sake, Alvarez should not accept the national artist award.

The $20,000 Dinner

How would you expect poverty stricken Filipinos to react when they learn that their President spent 20,000 dollars for a dinner in one of the top restaurants in America? The New York Post reported that the President and her entourage had a 20,000 dollar dinner in an upscale French restaurant in New York where wines can be as expensive as 12,000 dollars per bottle. Congressman Martin Romualdez (yes, another public official) reportedly foot the bill but the issue here is not just who paid for the dinner. What these people elected-officials have done is just a plain act of insensitivity to millions of Filipinos who can hardly afford to eat decent meals three times a day. Think of what 960,000 pesos could have contributed to the lives of the Filipinos.

Update August 11: Malacañang claims that the dinner was a simple one. I would like to give them the benefit of doubt especially since the New York Post is gaining a reputation of sensationalizing news but again, there are other restaurants that the group could have dined in while in New York.  It is just plain ironic that the President and other high ranking government officials will be dining in a very posh restaurant in New York while most filipinos live in poverty.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08072009/gossip/pagesix/eat_and_drink_183333.htm

With utmost care. Military guard carefully moves the coffin of President Arroyo out of the Manila cathedral.

This is not the only time that the Philippine media have accidentally “killed” GMA this week.  See this other screenshot from ABS CBN below:

Military honors para kay Ginang Arroyo, Inihahanda na

I find these bloopers amusing not because writers and editors of Manila Bulletin and ABS CBN are as human as I am. I am amused because these honest mistakes must have given Mrs. Arroyo an idea of how people are annoyed by her intentional mistakes.

This is the best time to tie a yellow ribbon: for the late President Cory Aquino who died on August 1; for a truly democratic Philippine government; and for the Arroyo administration to be reminded that Filipinos are willing to lay their lives to fight off corruption and injustice.

The high cost of medicines in the Philippines (up to 45 times more expensive than those sold in other countries) is a big contributing factor why a number of Filipinos become helpless in overcoming illnesses as they are deprived of taking the essential dosage of medicines recommended to them by doctors. It is no longer a surprise to hear stories of families sinking in debt in order to provide for the medicine of a sick family member and for pinoys who earn less than what they need to support their families, skipping on costly medicines to cure or alleviate an illness becomes a popular option.

The President can do something to ease the difficulties of her sick people as can  provide the struggling Filipinos access to better health by signing the executive order that will set the maximum price of 22 essential drugs sold in the country— medicines that may help save lives or alleviate the pain suffered by many of our countrymen.

It is a shame that the palace seemed to be more preoccupied on losing foreign investors as a possible consequence of setting a maximum retail price in essential drugs than being concerned on Filipinos who need but cannot afford the high cost of many medicines sold in the country.

Madam President, please choose the sick Filipinos over foreign investors, please sign the EO that will implement a maximum retail price for essential drugs sold in the Philippines ASAP.

Sick Pinoys need a President who care more about them than foreign investors