GMA didn’t spend this much on two meals for her alone but she and her entourage sure did have a feast. As reported on New York Post and Washington Post, she spent close to Two Million Pesos (including generous tip). Her latest meal included steaks, lobsters and wine from Bobby Van’s Steakhouse.

I consider this BIT of news deserving of public scrutiny. The palace denies that funds were used to pay for these meals worth enough money to send thousands of children to school and says that it was Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez who decided to foot the bill.

Talking about politics in the Philippines is a big waste of time but it definitely is worth all the sarcasm and humor.

My POV is, once you become a public official, you have to accept the fact that money is everywhere. It is possible that during your first few days you  won’t have any cares about all that money coming in but after a few more weeks in the office, I doubt that will all the money lying around, you would still be contented with the minute amount of money you are being paid as a government official. After all, this job requires you to resign to the idea that you are indeed a glorified servant and the money that the government earns basically come from the people’s hard earned money.

If we equate the last part of the previous stanza, I pay taxes + Govt official uses taxes for official purposes and ETC = I pay for your services. If anyone has a simpler equation that they can suggest, please do so. But for now, let’s all stick to this which is actually very simple. Definitely not rocket science.

Going back, a feast, or two, worth Two Million Pesos for one hundred people (more or less) is equivalent to three square meals for around 8771 Filipinos on a very, very tight budget of Seventy-six Pesos a day. That could include rice and one viand per meal plus drinks if one can get it for as cheap as ten pesos. Water can be free if you know where to eat real cheap, for starters. With this said, and done, it is with remorse that I should let you all know that maybe we should up our vigilance about these issues to the maximum. It does not matter who paid for these meals. It is my understanding that if you work for the government, you only earn so much that paying for meals worth Two Million Pesos good for around a hundred people for two nights should be unheard of. Even if you are that rich upon earning the position for public office, you should at least be conscious of your actions. Most of you promise Filipinos better lives but you are the ones feeding off from the fruits of our hard work. I, in particular, work close to 22 or 23 days a month with more than the normal eight-hour shift per day just to be able to pay my taxes so that the government can use it to improve anything else that needs improvement on. It isn’t tiring if I know that I am paying for something that I can take advantage of but how would I make use of FOOD WORTH TWO MILLION PESOS when they have already been digested and God knows what comes next?

I am in such desperate loss of words that I can barely express exactly what I feel about this news that should have been on the headlines in the first place.

If there are any government officials who still care about the Filipinos and the country, please look into this matter. This is your time to shine, I suppose.

I’m not degrading myself in anyway but life had so much to offer me that I rarely beckon myself to log in and write about my thoughts and my ideas. I bounced from one niche to another looking for my haven and I lost my self and my so-called identity in the process. So, with the upheaval of my biggest and only-one fan, I am starting everything from scratch, no matter how futile it might be.

Being online almost everyday is petty crime compared to the latest buzz that came through. I have learned about Candy Pangilinan’s “Igorot Joke” on May 9th in Baguio when she went there for a mall show. Yes, the comedienne.

Tao po ako, hindi po ako Igorot.

When Martin Nievera changed the idea of singing the National Anthem, I was at my wits trying to comprehend exactly how I’m going to write my thoughts on paper. I was able to write a fraction of what I really wanted to tell Martin about his lack of respect and his overflowing self-confidence and I am still not satisfied with the blog that I’ve written about it days ago. Until today, I’m waiting for a picture of this nitwit behind bars, but I don’t think justice will be served anytime soon.

As I opened my facebook account, a friend of mine posted the details to one of the most grisly racial slurs I have ever heard in my entire life. A lot of people have had quite the reaction already and I don’t think I should be banned from joining Filipinos in their plight against ignorance.

I suppose it wasn’t in the evening news and neither was it on the headlines the following day but it still struck me. She was at SM Baguio for a mall show (I never knew people like her did mall tours), came in late, and had the guts to say that line twice. That was what was reported anyway. Whether she said it once or twice, whether it was by mistake and she did not mean what was said, I think that people like her should have apologized and that is one thing she never did. It must be because most of the people were obliging enough to laugh at her joke and laugh with her at the joke but it isn’t really funny if you think hard enough of what she must havemeant by it. Did she mean that if she’s a human being and she is not an Igorot, Igorots are not the same species as she is? No matter how twisted you get and even if you interchange the words in that particular sentence, it still comes out the same way it did when she said it. You don’t need Philosophy 101 to know exactly where she’s getting to. Like Martin Nievera, I’ve never been tickled by Candy’s antics. I mean, I just don’t like show business here in the Philippines. I never liked them and there is no way that I would ever like them in the future.

I remember reading an article about crab mentality here in the Philippines. If you take it literally and you have time to waste watching how crabs go when they’re on the fire pit (for a scrumptious lunch), you’ll see exactly what Filipinos like her are doing to their own country men. Crabs, like any other living thing, have survival instincts and exactly what happens is as gruesome as a Saw movie. One crab goes on top of the other until the one at the top most part gets out of whatever hole they have to escape from.. and usually, it’s a large pot. Once that crab gets out, it’s just out. Just like that fish with a memory that lasts only a couple of seconds, that escapee forgets the inmates he stepped on as soon as he gets a pocket of fresh air in his lungs ( if a crab has one).

Now, Candy Pangilinan may be a public figure and that usually is a good thing. Fame and fortune co-exist in a realm only people with retarded imaginations have. The problem is, being in show business must have given her brains enough rooms for cobwebs to forget who the Igorots are. She must have been thinking that once she got famous, she has transformed into a higher form of species. Well, let me laugh out loud.

No human being is a level higher than another. We all have the same reason for living, and usually it’s to grow old and die alone; the same ways of living, which is breathing in and out; and, we almost look the same, with the exception of race and I did not mean that one race is better than the other. I don’t know what bitter pill Candy swallowed on that day but I hope she gets exactly what she’s asking for.

There is no such thing as respect in this country. Either we don’t know what self-respect is, to begin with, or we just don’t care about how we look like to civilized people.

One is mail order brides who seem to have tainted the views of foreigners on Filipino women being some form of practical and two-way whores. Next comes the way Filipinos act when they get their asses in “greener pastures”. I’m Fil-Am whatever bullshit.. now their loud and proud about being Filipino and coming from the pearl pf the orient. Nationalism is a big fashion statement in this country you know.

We also lack finishing.. and I mean etiquette. If you watch Filipinos getting on and off trains or buses or in and out any other public transportation.. damn you need to get yourself insured man. Even those in professional wear pull and push and grapple their way through like a horde of aggressive bulls. I was kinda surprised at how Filipinos act differently when in public and when in the company of someone who’s not from here. I think someone would put up a finishing school here and start with the basics like not spitting in public or picking your nose, or eating with your knee up/ foot up on the chair.

I would like to list down the things Filipinos have to change about themselves to get a better grip of the country’s future, which, at this time, looks bleak and totally hopeless. One is we never fall in line even if it’s obvious that we should.. it’s not rocket science nimrod!

I went to the bank the other day and there was a long line and I had to pay a credit card bill. People, never ever say that Filipino men are the gentlest creatures on earth. There were 80 people ahead of me and there were 32 seats at the waiting area. Around 18 seats were occupied by able-bodied men and the rest sat the women, children and the senior citizens. I just wanna laugh every time men say they’re stronger than women physically and emotionally. You bragging retards. Go back into your mothers’ vajajays and learn something better than orgasmic pleasures. I know that many would react but the only ones who were able to stand up to give their seats to women and to the elderly are men or boys in uniform. Both for school and for public office. That’s maybe a percent of the entire male population. The rest are oblivious or trying to be. Mahina ata ang tuhod natin pre.

That’s just one of the “things” we have to improve on. I know that ya’ll have more things to say so I’m giving you the rest of my page for your ten cents worth of bashing.

I’ve never been a fan of Martin Nievera. And for what he has done, I never will be. I can trash talk him for all I care but I will try to be civil and this is my fifteen minutes of fame.

I saw Martin Nievera’s rendition of our National Anthem yesterday and I thought that there was something amiss. I’ve seen almost all of Pacquiao’s fights and I have been dismayed with the last three singers invited to sing Lupang Hinirang. I’ve been a member of both the church choir and school glee club and I know that a historical piece such as the anthem should be  sung the way it was written.

Today on the local news, Martin was reprimanded for giving a very unique rendition of our national anthem which seemed to have offended the National Historical Institute. He was asked to at least apologize for playing around with the anthem lest he would rather pay a fine or get locked down for breaking the law. I was appalled at Martin’s arrogance when he said in a recorded message that he is never going to apologize. He even said that there is no reason for him to apologize since he never asked to sing the anthem, rather, it was Manny himself who asked him to do so. I was pissed off by his oblivion that as a professional singer, he should have known better.

You were asked to sing the song, I supposed it meant that you were supposed to just SING it and NOT GIVE YOUR VERSION of the way it was supposed to be done. Don’t assume that since Manny was the one who asked you to sing it, you had the ultimate right to change it with whatever style you wanna sing it in. No, it was not R&B (as you said) but it was not the National Anthem either. Michael Buffer should have said it as “Let’s listen to Martin Nievera’s rendition of The National Anthem of the Philippines”. And please stop acting like you did Manny a favor of singing the anthem at his fight with Hatton. He did you a favor by asking you to sing the National anthem in front of millions of people all around the world. You’re not a God, not even a demi God. You can’t just walk around with a piece of history in your hand and tell yourself, “It doesn’t sound like me. I’m Martin Nievera. This song has got to sound like all my other remakes and ballads.” We could have done better with Lea Salonga. Not only do your jaws lock when you sing and when you talk in English (like Mandy Moore, you look constipated every time you open your mouth), your brains seem to be working less and less these days.

The National Anthem was made for the proclamation of our independence from Spain. Not only does it have historical value, it is the source of pride and justice for our ancestors. It is the music that marked our freedom. Don’t act like you know better than the NHI. Isn’t it obvious that the reason why they were established is to preserve Filipino History? I suppose they are more of an expert about everything about The Philippines that you obviously do not know.

Here is a link that could give us better understanding of what I am talking about:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupang_Hinirang

“Article XVI, Section 2 of the present Philippine Constitution specifies that “The Congress may, by law, adopt a new name for the country, a national anthem, or a national seal, which shall be truly reflective and symbolic of the ideals, history, and traditions of the people. Such law shall take effect only upon its ratification by the people in a national referendum.”^[9] At present, the 1998 Republic Act (R.A.) 8491.^[6] (the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines) regulates the usage of the Philippine national anthem. It also contains the complete lyrics of Lupang Hinirang.^[6]

R.A. 8491 specifies that Lupang Hinirang “shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe.” However, when literally followed, this means that the national anthem should only be performed by a pianist or by a brass band, as these were the only versions that were produced by Julian Felipe. Moreover, because the original version was composed in duple time (i.e. in a time signature of 2/4) as compared to the present quadruple time (4/4), it is uncertain if this will either slow down or even double the music’s speed, making it difficult for singers to keep up with the music.^[2] Regardless of this, the national anthem is still sung with the lyrics. R.A. 8491 also states that Lupang Hinirang “shall always be sung in the national language” regardless if performed inside or outside the Philippines, and specifies that the singing must be done with fervor.

The National Anthem is usually played during public gatherings in the Philippines or in foreign countries where the Filipino audience is sizable. R.A. 8491 also provides that it be played at other occasions as may be allowed by the National Historical Institute. R.A. 8491 prohibits its playing or singing for mere recreation, amusement, or entertainment except during the following occasions:

1. International competitions where the Philippines is the host or has a representative;
2. Local competitions;
3. During the “signing off” and “signing on” of radio broadcasting and television stations; and
4. Before the initial and last screening of films and before the opening of theater performances.

R.A. 8491 specifies fine or imprisonment penalties for any person or juridical entity which violates its provisions. Public or government official or employee who fail to observe the regulations of R.A. 8491 may face administrative sanctions, besides the penalties imposed by the same law. This warning also applies to persons connected with government-held corporations, public schools, and state colleges and universities.”

and i’m very choosy so i can’t be a beggar. there are certain types of people i have recently learned to avoid, if not completely obliterate from my social circle. the term social circle itself is something i can never define with any adjective i can lodge in my brain. i just have the idea that i shouldn’t be moving beneath the standards i have complied to all my life. i learned to gossip for the benefit of my friends who gossip but i never indulge in sharing someone else’s well-kept secrets, especially if i were to consider that we were good acquaintances, if not friends. trusting a person out of your league, and i mean you’re heaven and that person is the abyss beyond the depths of hell, is the same as throwing yourself in front of an approaching train. i realized that my words get twisted and they never really care about asking if it’s okay that they broadcast the recent happenings in your life, no matter how gravely it has affected your outlook in life. they pry open the pandora’s box and they find mysteries that they don’t actually solve, rather, they say that they have found the solution and go on with the rest of their lives thinking they have outwitted the rest of the world. i am completely dumbfounded by their audacity to smile at me and comfort me when i know exactly the venom that they have. people like them usually have insecurities that they try so hard to hide from the rest of the world but you can smell the skunk as they walk by. i will now leave beggars to be with other beggars. i can never acquiesce to a big pretender because i am not one. it is bad that i learned my lesson just now but life is all about mistakes.

if you would like to know exactly if i am pertaining to you, you can ask me and i will tell you with a straight face that yes, i am writing about you. but if you wish to stay the snake that you have always been, then life would be much easier for you. too bad you can’t see that i’m not the only one who knows.

we should have started with the “earth hour” years ago when the earth was a better place to live in. last night, i was overwhelmed when i saw the darker streets of ortigas and the candlelit affair at metrowalk.

i have a pin because it costs three hundred and fifty pesos cheaper than the shirt but i hope that we not only get to experience this event once a year. it’s not about switching our lights off for one hour, it’s about saving the only place we can have for the rest of our lives. i hear some people say that it’s futile to take such a stand but i beg to disagree. one hour is all it takes to bring life back to mother earth. i’ve been reading about climate change, global warming, the ice age.. and it’s clearer now that the sooner we realize that we are losing our future, the better our understanding will be of what we can do to at least minimize the effects that we are actually undergoing at this very moment.

it’s not only reducing our plastic waste, or using other means to produce electricity (solar, hydro, etc); it’s also by our awareness that the earth will benefit from us. we have had millions of years of life given by mother earth, now it’s time to give her back all that we have taken from her. it’s the smallest things that will achieve the best possible solutions.

by the way, i noticed that the government has not done as much as it could to promote the earth hour. do they think they are immune from global warming?