Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Bishop urges Aquino: Look beyond friends in strengthening Cabinet

Happy New Year 2011!!!

As I start writing again in this blog, I can't help it but blame nyself for not posting important issues affecting our country since President Nonoy Aquino took over the helms of the government last year. I repeatedly tell my colleagues and friends here in Hong Kong and in the Philippines that not much will happen or change in the country even if Mr. Aquino will sit as our new leader since he himself is a product of the old padrino politics, meaning he himself benefited from the old systems since he was a member of congress and a senator. He cannot abolish pork barrel since he himself has benefited from this annual "doleout" and knows the power it can give to an individual. He cannot abolish it since many of his colleagues in the government know how to corrupt it and hide the corruption from the taxpayers. The hostage embarrassment is another proof that he cannot, as leader, imprison government officials who were once allies to her dad and mom who were responsible for shaming the country all over the world. Much to my dismay (since I am based in Hong Kong and felt the embarrassment myself with our innocent kababayans here), President Aquino did nothing much to appease the hate and anger of Hong Kongers, while 120,000 of our working and resident kababayans are not given importance and left hanging by his government on any backlash which until now is still being felt by our communtiy --- the recent being the Hong Kong government's alleged sudden change in strategy from banning maniland Chinese domestic helpers to now " opening its doors" to Mandarin-speaking domestic helpers -- endangering the hanap-buhay of the hundred thousand Filipinos here. Truly, my predictions of President Aquino's government one by one, are beginning to come. I mentioned this in this blog even before the election. More will be happening this year as I mentioned last year. Cheers to everyone this 2011!
Watch and read more in this blog and you be the judge.


By Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—A Catholic bishop has called on President Aquino to replace the officials in his Cabinet with “very capable people” in order to effect real reforms in the country.

Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos said on Monday Mr. Aquino’s plans for the country remained unclear because of the existing patronage system in the government.
“I am actually hoping and praying that he will actually exercise his presidency because right now it’s unclear where we are going,” said Pueblos over Church-run Radyo Veritas.
The prelate proposed that Mr. Aquino reshuffle his Cabinet and appoint members because of their skills, not because “they are his barkada (buddies) or they were loyal to his mother or father.”

The President is the son of the martyred opposition leader Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and the late icon of democracy and former President Corazon C. Aquino.
“I think everybody would like to support him because there is such an aspect for change… but he should let the government be run by very capable people,” said Pueblos.
Other Church officials previously aired the same sentiments after MalacaƱang suffered setbacks with several executive orders it had issued, including one that created a truth commission to investigate anomalies in the administration of former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz pointed out that all the mistakes and glitches in the new administration were the fault of the “very incompetent” advisers in his Cabinet.
“He better reshuffle his Cabinet and get able ones,” Cruz had said.

But Pueblos said the creation of a truth commission would only be a waste of time and public funds as the job of investigating the corruption cases in the Arroyo administration could be conducted by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.

“There are a lot of other problems that the President must attend to, particularly the flooding that some parts of the country, including Mindanao, is experiencing,” he said.

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