Thursday, December 16, 2010
Weird Al Yankovic- I Can't Watch This
Do We Have The Right To Question The Supreme Court ?
Friday, December 10, 2010
Aspirational TV: A Commentary By Charlie Brooker
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Philippine Football Team : Making Filipinos Shift Into Soccer
Monday, November 15, 2010
Pacquiao Wins. SO WHAT ?
Monday, November 8, 2010
Pinoy Radio Is Changing
Friday, October 29, 2010
Mai Mislang's Insenstive Tweet: Proof of Filipino's Misguided Pride And Arrogance
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Need For Speed Goes Online Gaming.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Fluxus All Stars Vs. Pomplamoose: Who's Gonna BEAT IT ?
Our Pluralistic Society Makes Our War against Jueteng Even More Difficult
It’s been a long time and we are still losing the battle against jueteng. The past administrations tried all of its efforts to stop jueteng, but unfortunately they failed because some government official, past and present, are benefiting from it. Which makes me wonder: Why is it that we lose on this war? Which makes this battle even more difficult and complicated to stop?
The reason, I guess, is that our view with gambling in general is very pluralistic. For example, jueteng is illegal while Small Town Lottery (STL, which is similar to jueteng) is legal. By that, we are difficult to differentiate between what legal and illegal because they are both the same. Let’s say video karera, saklaan, and other forms of street gambling are illegal while casinos, lotto, bingo, horse race betting, and cockfighting are legal. See, there is no distinction of what is wrong and what is right. You make law that will make an illegal legal, or even use the profits from gambling to help assist government projects. That’s very pluralistic. And sad to say, we are living in a pluralistic society, as my former teacher in values education told us.
There’s a clear Biblical message in I Timothy 6:10 that says:
For the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Why there is gambling? It’s because people love money these days. Even worse, people love money when money is earned without effort and no hard work. Because of this people who are addict to gambling wandered from God and being subjected to different kinds of grievances like loss of job, loss of love ones, broken relationships, and emotional disturbances.
Yet our, human government, apart from God, set exceptions to make gambling good by making it as a fund generator for their government projects, instead of running over tax evaders and smugglers. If that was so, why are still in our bleak situation. And it’s to funny to realize that while the gambler helps the government in their social programs for the poor, his own family is being forgotten.
There are also rumors that some government official wants to legalize jueteng. This kind of suggestion could make things worse. They are raising the white flag if they continue to insist on it. If they watch Face To Face on TV5, we could see families and friendships being broken by gambling. Would that bother them to think for a minute?
So at the end of this commentary, I would say that if we want to abolish jueteng, we need to change our pluralistic thinking on gambling. If we don’t change our pluralistic stance, then all of its efforts to fight jueteng will be useless.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
In Response
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Kamot-Ulo Hanggang Mapanot.
Dahil sa madugong hostage crisis na kumitil sa siyam na turistang galing ng Hong Kong, malaking kuwestiyon sa administrasyong Aquino ang kakayahang hawakan ang mga kritikal na situwasyon kagaya ng hostage taking. Tuloy ay naungkat ang mga isyu kagaya ng kawalan ng kakayahan ng kasalukuyang pangulo na siyang isyu pa bago pa man siya maupo sa puwesto.
Tila baga nagkakatotoo na ang pangamba ng ilan na di rin magtatagal at mawawalan na ng amoy at lasa ang bagong adminstrasyon dahil sa kawalan ng kakayahan at mababaw na pamantayan sa pagpili ng mga uupo sa kanyang gabinete.
Kung maaalala ninyo, sa kanyang plataporma noong eleksyon, sinabi ni P-Noy na ang integridad, kakayahan, at performance ang siyang magiging batayan ng kanyang adminstrasyon sa pagpili sa mga taong bubuo sa kanyang gabinete. Ngunit dito sa platapormang ito ay tila bagsak na si P-Noy sapagkat ang mga bumubuo sa kanyang gabinete ay mga kaibigan, kaklase, mga dating nagsilbi sa kanyang ina na nauna pa sa kanya, at ang mga tumulong sa kanyang kampanya noong halalan. Ang kanyang basehan ng pag-pili ay base sa “utang na loob” at “katapatan sa partido”. Isang paulit-ulit na problema sa pulitika.
Sumisingaw rin ang di umano’y agawan sa mga cabinet position ng dalawang paksyon sa administrasyon, ang “Balay” na binubuo ng mga taong sumuporta sa tambalang Noy-Mar noong 2010 elections at ng “Samar” na kinabibilangan nga tumaguyod sa tambalang Noy-Bi.
Nakakalungkot isipin na paulit-ulit na lamang ang pangyayari. Nagpalit nga tayo ng adminstrasyon pero ang mga pumalit ay mas pulpol pa sa dating administrasyon.
Maaring magalit na sa akin ang mga bumoto kay P-Noy ngunit isa lang ang masasabi ko. Matagal na tayong binalaan noon pang halalan ukol sa kawalan ng kakayahan ni P-Noy ngunit hindi tayo nakinig at sa halip ay pumili tayo dahil sa sikat siya at anak siya ni ganito’t ganyan. Ngayong nangyari na ang trahedya dalawang linggo na ang nakalipas, anong mukha pa ang ihaharap ng mga bumoto, sumuporta, at nag-tiwala kay P-Noy? Buti na lang at hindi ko siya binoto. Kundi isa na ako sa mga nag-kamot ng ulo hanggang sa mapanot.
Hanggang kalian tayo matututo sa ating mga pinagdaanan? Ilang trahedya pa ba ang kailangan bago tayo mamulat at matauhan?