A Slap on the ZTE Victims

I hate to say this, but yes, a student from Cebu finally told ZTE top victim Ike Lozada that the joke was on him (aired at 24 Oras, GMA news). The student asked Lozada why does he allow himself to be used by the senate gag show when everything they (the ZTE victims) were fighting for are non-legal issues useless at all courts... except the basketball court where you could pass a bouncing ball for a shot... and actually score... for a rahrahrah.

The one who is actually gaining here is the old, the old, and the old honorable Joe de Venecia, as if he or his children losing bidders were such an underdog in a world of looters. The real issue here is that let the leader of the gang lead!

Start acting as professional members of the gang and stop sulking, you bidders! Bidding is the biggest joke in Philippine governance and it will remain so until looters still occupy up to 99 percent of the agency.

The 7m Santo Tomas Bridge

I didn't take a photo. My blood evaporated. I've written about the Santo Tomas bridge before... being it costing about 3 million pesos (or some US$73,000). I went home recently at the wake of my uncle Ago (Santiago Palpallatoc), husband of Auntie Lita (my dad's eldest sister).

On the way home, we passed by the bridge, my first. We were on my brod Clau's bike, at about midnight, with Ivong (yes, on the above photo) sandwiched between us. "So, this is your 3m bridge?" I asked...

"7m," he corrected. "And it is a provincial bridge."

Barely a few months old, and already useless. OK, sorry. Bikes could pass through. Apparently, the rip-rapping beneath it gave way to river waters during the rainy season. So, there goes the $171,000 bridge of Santo Tomas. Being it rendered semi-useful, the barangay folks had to relocate another road, along the Barcena area (well, although one of my close relatives refused and actually protested to have me --- and maybe the others --- use clannish terms when referring to people in our barangay, it cannot be avoided. I am clannish!). At around 9 am that day, I saw a 6-wheel truckload of construction workers/laborers passing by.

"What's that?" I asked Tess, and yes, she's a Barcena, being married to one.

"The bridge workers," she replied.

If I have had resources, I could have checked on the contractor of the bridge. I might also have checked on who's project was it under, probably, under the RA 7171 (part of Erap's demise, and the milking goat of the looters of Chavit Republic) ...

So, now, I'd rather post some other infrastructure (above) which shows the solar drier, the 2-storey building of the Day Care classroom and barangay council office. At least, the project amount won't make your blood boil. BTW, in the Philippines, most projetcs take the form of infrastructure. According to one of my favorite columnists, it is where funds easily get waylaid. It seems nobody questions the amount of infra projects, as long as you're on the loot gang official list, er, on top of the situation.

But that is not the case now. Look at our honorables (lol!) former speaker Jose de Venecia, or even former police chief Panfilo Lacson raising hell on the ZTE. It ain't scam any more than they are still members of the gang. Some people just can't bear and grin it, as if.

sabotage

Despite all the hype about the loot gangs' activities in government agencies up high, we Pinoys simply keep on with our daily lives, like what the Champion (detergent bar) girl in the advertisement disclosed: apparently after washing her clothes, she'd use the soap once again to wash dishes. Then, Susan Roces reinforces the detergent bar's practical relevance. Practical? The copy-writer should have considered re-use of the soap for washing kitchen sink, toilet or bathroom, but dishes? Ugh!

Then, over at Eat Bulaga, one of the Itaktak questions was about Banana 1 & Banana 2. Another blooper. B1 & B2 are ABS-CBN mascots. I was wondering if they fired the writer. Tsk tsk. Then, if you've seen the YouTube video upload on Jenina San Miguel, you don't pity the girl. Is 17 allowed in the pageant? You pity the judges who have chosen her despite the irrelevance of her answer to the question. Take a closer look:
Q: What is the role of your family to your participation in the pageant?
A: They are important to me (after yards and yards of preliminary other bloopers. Feel niya talaga e).

With their wisdom and insight, the pageant judges have the potential... to join the gangs up there. Heaven have mercy... on us.