Thoughts on Pork Barrel

Gone are the days where NGOs used to get funding from the private sector. In the 1990s we used to get funding from USAID, PDAP (Fil-Canadian) , AusAID etc. in 2000s this practice seemed to have been refined to suit the needs of politicians. Ban the so-called NGOs from getting government funding , that term is a misnomer as  it goes against the idea of being non-government in the first place. #suntoksabuwan 

Philippine Pork Barrel Scam

Tony La Viña's thoughts on PDAF as culled from Rappler. One particular paragraph is worthy of note which i quote: "Indeed, it is relevant to ask the question: If we were to abolish the PDAF, where will all that money go? Can we trust Manila-based bureaucrats to decide what projects to develop and implement everywhere in the Philippines? Will that not make matters even less transparent and more corruption prone?" 

http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/37082-prosecute-abolish-transform

Same old, same old

Five years being an OFW, it has been 5 years since i left the Philippines, did anything change?  Are we, as a nation, a little richer? A little wiser? If judging by the news reports, blogs, facebook posts, we are still a little poorer, oblivious to the gifts of democracy and always forgeting that we can do so much. 

Reading posts about the pork barrel scam, triggered a sense of anger, of hopelessness, a sense of knowing we are doomed to becoming the basketcase of Asia for the rest of our lives. I pity the children and our children's children. 

Our politicians are lacking patriotism. No love of country. Hellbent on enriching themselves and their dynasties. While we, the general populace, what we have to show for? Withholding taxes, VAT, myriad of taxes are imposed on us, yet, when we go to the Government Agencies we are treated as pieces of garbage by the so-called Civil Servants. Our politicians are treated as rockstars, most of the time seen as infallible. 

I can still remember years ago, when we went to one of the upland barangays of Cagayan de Oro and met with the villagers, what struck me was, all of them owned a piece of land. Yet, food was scarce. We had to bring our own food for the duration of our stay there. When the farmers were asked, all of them pointed out the fact that, no government support was given. They didn't have tools, tractors to till, no irrigation system. Accessiblity was another matter, the jeepney plying the route traveled only twice a day. What little produce they had, had to wait for the following day to brought to the market for selling. 

The sad stories seem endless, and there's no sign of them ebbing anytime soon. 

No wonder we're wallowing in poverty still.

Worth the read. http://dulzspeaks.blogspot.fr/2013/08/anonymous-speaks-pork-barrel-scam.html?m=1.