Bisdak Blogger

I'm a BISDAK BLOGGER!

This blogger is a proud Bisdak Blogger! A Bisdak Blogger is someone who is Bisayang Dako Blogger. I was born here in Cebu and I live here in Cebu and I can call myself as a proud Bisdak Blogger.

A blogger friend of mine, Winston Almendras (who is also a Bisdak Blogger) of the famous. BatangYagitCom is having a contest among Cebu bloggers on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and I'm in it. It's a major trend on today's bloggers especially us Bisdak Bloggers in making our post land on the first page of Google's Search Engine Results Page (SERP) using the keyword "Bisdak Blogger".

Click here for more if you want to join this Bisdak Blogger SEO contest.

If you want to know more about SEO, visit SEO Tutorial.

Saturday, January 17, 2009 | posted in , , , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

Senator Mar Roxas' "Murang Gamot" TV Ad

Senator Mar Roxas has released a new TV Ad about his authored Cheaper Medicines Law. He also urged the people to nag the government to have more Botika ng Bayan and implement the said law.

Below is the video of the TVC:



Wednesday, January 14, 2009 | posted in , , , , , | 1 comments [ More ]

Senator Roxas seeks full transparency in gov't foreign trips

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas has sought more transparency and accountability in the use of public funds for the foreign travels of government officials and employees, including those in the uniformed service.

The senator has filed Senate Bill No. 2982, or the proposed Government Employees Official Travel Accountability Act of 2009, to discourage a recurrence of the "Euro Generals Scandal", which he lamented brought international infamy to the country.
"Siguruhin nating hindi na mauulit ang kahiya-hiyang eskandalong nangyari sa Moscow. Nakita na ng buong mundo kung gaano ka-korap ang administrasyong ito kaya kailangang ayusin natin ang sistema ng paggastos ng pamahalaan, lalo na iyong ukol sa mga biyahe sa abroad ng mga opisyales at kawani ng gobyerno (Let us make sure the Moscow scandal does not happen again. The world had glimpsed how corrupt our government is. Let us correct how our leaders waste the people's money, especially for the foreign travels of officials and employees)," he said.
The Ilonggo senator was referring to the arrest of retired police comptroller Eliseo dela Paz and his wife in Russia in October last year for their non-disclosure of 105,000 Euros (P6.9 million) that they brought to Moscow when they attended an Interpol meeting.

Dela Paz, during the Senate hearings into the scandal, has claimed the money was drawn from the Philippine National Police's (PNP) confidential and intelligence funds, supposedly for the purchase of intelligence equipment.

The incident drew flak from senators, who condemned the PNP leadership's lenience in the release of its intelligence funds and raised questions on the procedure by which such funds are disbursed.
"Nakita natin sa eskandalong ito kung paanong winawaldas ng ating mga opisyales ang pera ng taumbayan. Nadiskubre natin kung paano nila ginamit ang opisyal na biyahe sa ibang bansa upang makapagnakaw sa kaban ng ating bayan (We have witnessed how government officials waste the people's money. We have discovered how they used official foreign travels as a scheme to steal from the government coffers)," the Ilonggo senator said.
In proposing SB 2982, Roxas seeks to lay down specific guidelines for the authorized foreign trips of all public officials, such as prohibiting government officials or employees from joining travels abroad one year before his/her retirement, and define the allowable travel expenses for such travels.

The bill likewise mandates the disclosure of the full amount of foreign currency brought into or out of the country in the course of the official trip.

It also calls for the submission of a completion report of the official business attended, as well as an accounting and liquidation of the funds used for the official journey.

Penalties are also proposed for the non-disclosure of the amount of foreign currency carried out and into the country and for non-compliance with the reportorial and accounting and liquidation requirements.
"Hindi pa naman huli para maayos natin ang lumalalang korapsyon sa ating gobyerno. Umpisahan natin sa pagpasa ng panukalang batas na ito. (It is not yet too late for us to address the worsening corruption in our government. Let us begin by passing this proposed bill) Public office is a public trust. Huwag sanang balewalain ng aking mga kasamang senador ang tiwalang ibinigay sa amin ng publiko (I hope my colleagues in the Senate do not disregard the trust the public has given us)," Roxas said.

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Senator Mar Roxas' statement on the death of Doña Mary Ejercito

"I offer my condolences to former President Joseph Estrada and his family on the death of his mother, Doña Mary Ejercito, this afternoon at the age of 103 at the San Juan Medical Center.

"Let us pray for the eternal repose of Doña Mary and hope for peace and strength of heart for her family as they grieve over the loss of their beloved matriarch."

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Your Idea

I'm counting on your ideas. I need your help to get involved in this campaign. Share your experiences and your ideas -- tell me what you'd like Mar Roxas to do and what are the pressing issues that he should address.

This is our moment. Help give Mar Roxas an idea on what should he do to make our country better off than the past 8 years under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. After all, this campaign is about YOU.

We all envision to bring back the old glory that our country was before by bring positive lasting change. In order to do that, I want to hear from you.

Share to us your idea and the issues that matter most to you and I'll present it to Mar Roxas so that he can be able to bring about policies you want to see carried out if ever he becomes President in 2010.
Oras na!

The victory that we seek is the victory of the Filipino people. Their fight is our fight. We believe that the people are the masters of government and not that the government is the master of the people.

It's time for change, a time for renewal.

MAR ROXAS
SHARE YOUR IDEA NOW

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 | posted in , , | 3 comments [ More ]

An inspiring video on Senator Mar Roxas' (in)famous speech

While the buzz on Senator Mar Roxas' (in)famous speech during the anti-Charter Change rally has past, here's an inspiring video which I found in Youtube.

When you watch the video, you feel the pain that our country is undergoing under the failed policies and judgements of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Can we afford for more if ever she wants to perpetuate her term?


Sunday, January 11, 2009 | posted in , , , , , | 2 comments [ More ]

Senator Roxas breaks his silence in his vote on Enrile and CARP

Much has been said about Senator Mar Roxas' vote to oust then Senate President Manny Villar and replace him with Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.

Many people, including me, were disappointed with Senator Roxas' abstention to the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension Bill (CARP) despite its swift passage in the Senate.

But now, Senator Roxas has broken his silence on the issue.

In his Facebook account, he shared his notes on why he voted to oust then Senate President Villar and abstained in the CARP Extension bill.

After reading it, I got his point on CARP. The extension was just a short-term solution. It was like extending a toothless law. He advocates for a real land reform.

Below is the transcript about his explanation on the two issues:
Hi all. I've been reading and replying to private messages during the Christmas break and I thought I'd share some of them with everyone.

Here's one regarding Senate President Enrile: Nagtatanong po kayo kung bakit ko binoto si Senator Enrile para maging SP (You were asking why I voted for Senator Enrile to be the Senate President). This isn't the most pressing issue now, but in the spirit of transparency, I'd like to tell you why I voted for him. Back then it had come down to a choice between the then-SP or anyone else. We could have let the days dragged on with a leader we couldn't trust anymore... but the Senate simply can't function in that manner. Sen. Enrile was the only one who we could agree on enough to muster the necessary votes to replace the then-SP.

---

Here's another one regarding my take on the CARP Extension: Lets be honest here: This so-called extension bill does not work. It does not extend the program. It merely extends funding for land acquired before the program expired. There will be no new acquisition and distribution of land with this bill. And even when land is distributed, our farmers still don't have adequate tools and know-how to make use of it. The land merely becomes idle or is sold back to the original landowner.

So, for me, voting yes to this bill would have meant betraying the very spirit of land reform. You may ask, then, why didn't I just say no in the first place?

Because a no symbolizes that I am against land reform per se. Or it might be interpreted as that by some sectors or entities. I didn't want that message to come across.

I do favor the implementation of CARP, but we don't need another version of an incomprehensive agrarian reform program. What we need are reforms that carry weight, not extensions of toothless laws. The CARP should be a genuine vehicle for social justice and economic development.

We still have time to craft a land reform law that could only be implemented by the next administration, which would be more dependable than this Arroyo regime. The new law must include services like low-interest and long-term credit facilities; seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation; and adequate drying and milling capabilities.

Neither a yes or a no would have worked in this particular case. I abstained because I stand for real land reform. And I'm hoping we could work together to achieve that. Thanks though for being genuinely interested in the plight of our farmers.

Friday, January 9, 2009 | posted in , , , , , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

Senator Mar Roxas will be in "News on Q"

This info is just in. Watch Senator Mar Roxas tonight at 9:30 PM (Philippine Standard Time) in QTV's "News On Q". On that taped interview, he was asked about the upcoming Presidential elections and his plans for 2010.

If you are abroad, please do check out the GMA Pinoy TV Program Guide to know what time will the interview be aired in your area.

Please do share with me your thoughts about the interview after it is aired.

Thanks!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 | posted in , , , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

Senator Roxas pushes for tax rebates for workers

With the outlook for the economic crisis remaining dim, Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today pushed for tax rebates as a stimulus package to help workers cope with the global financial meltdown's effect on the local economy.
"Masama po ang ekonomiya. Ang aking forecast, ngayon talaga mararamdaman yung epekto sa ibang bansa. Hindi natin made-deny na yung ekonomiya natin at maraming trabaho ay konektado sa pangyayari sa ibang bansa. At kung sadsad sila, aba'y apektado tayo. (The economy is in bad shape. My forecast is that other countries will continue to be affected by the global financial crisis this year. We cannot deny that the local economy and many of our job opportunities are linked to what's happening in the world. And if they are in a slump, then we would be, too)," he said.
Roxas, chairman of the Senate trade and commerce committee, said there were several ways the government can implement a rebate, such as reducing the value-added tax (VAT) from the present 12% to 10%, for the next two years. Another way, which Roxas has proposed in Senate Bill No. 2689, would provide a one-time P5,000 tax rebate for the country's 2 million fixed-income earners.
"Para sa akin, magandang stimulus package ay tax rebate. Ibig sabihin, ang buwis, ibabalik sa tao, at tayo na mismo ang gagastos ng ating pera. Imbes na gobyerno ang gagastos, na alam natin ay may napakaraming leakage. (For me, tax rebates is a good stimulus package. We will give back to the people what they paid to the government and they would decide how to spend their money. This, instead of letting the government spend the money, which we all know is prone to much leakage)," he also said.

"Mas mabuti na ibalik ang pera sa taumbayan (It's better to give back to the people their hard-earned money at this time of hardship)," he said.
He said savings from the VAT discount and the P5,000 refund would augment workers' incomes, which they themselves will use for their own priorities, such as paying tuition fees for their children, housing loan payments, medicines and other healthcare purchases, among others.
"Iikot ito sa ating ekonomiya kasi gagamitin ito sa pinaka-basic na bilihin. Hindi ito gagamitin sa iba pang mga bagay na hindi naman nila priority. (This will go back to the local economy because the money will be used for basic needs. It will not be used for non-essential things)," he added.
Roxas explained that the proposed tax rebates would have little impact on government's fiscal deficit. Furthermore, he said that the government has not seriously shown it is a worthy custodian of the people's money, having been involved in numerous cases of corruption and misuse of funds.
"Para sa akin, mas mabuti na imbes na mapupunta ito sa pangungurakot - nakita na natin sa pagbibiyahe ng mga heneral, sa pagbili nitong overpriced at maling fertilizer - mas mabuti na ang nagbabayad ng buwis ay mabigyan ng relief o tulong sa pamamagitan ng pagbalik ng kanilang buwis. (Instead of government spending the money for the foreign travel of generals or the acquisition of overpriced and low-quality fertilizers, the money will be better spent if it is given back to the people)," he stressed.
He urged the government anew to focus on addressing the financial tsunami that is threatening to hit the country.
"Kalimutan na muna itong mga Cha-Cha, kalimutan na muna itong mga pampulitika, pampahaba ng termino, dahilan sa, yung trabaho ay hindi makapag-antay. Nawawalan ng trabaho ang ating mga kababayan, at iyan ang dahilan kung bakit dapat mag-focus tayo sa ekonomiya at hindi sa pulitika. (Forget about Cha-Cha, forget about lifting term limits. People need jobs now. We need to focus on the economy, not politics)," he said.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 | posted in , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

It was that year - The Mar Roxas for President in 2010 Blog Yearend Special

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Thursday, January 1, 2009 | posted in , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

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