In history’s all-star corruption race, who was worse?
Pulse Asia has an answer; or, rather, the survey firm has plumbed public opinion, and located the public’s answer. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the “most corrupt president in history,” statistically edging out the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.
Here are three Tables of survey findings (the survey was taken in October 2007), summarizing the current state of public opinion. (Note, in particular, the second Table.) Please click on the thumbnail images to enlarge them.
An initial, cautionary reading can be found in Newsstand.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Hi Abbygail,
What to suggest to Sec. Teves? Hmm, should I respond?…
I used to contribute constructive suggestions to government, however later it gets lost in the translation because they use my ideas (which I do not mind just as long as it helps my countrymen) but when they get the budget, the projects either do not appear or get watered down so much as it ceases to be effective.
To reiterate one of my suggestions and encapsulate it in brief:
One of the problems we have is this, in cities the prices of food products is too high for consumers while in the provinces it is being bought from farmers at a very low price.
The reason? Poor storage and refrigeration facilities, and too many middlemen on the side of the farmer while too few direct outlets and refrigeration storage facilities in the cities.
The difference was so high before that for example the purchase price of watermelon’s years ago was at P 3.00/ kilo while in the cities it was sold at P 40/ kilo at retail. There were also instances that there is a glut in products like squash for example and they rotted in the farms while in the cities it was sold at the regular retail price with no change.
What then is the result, due to failed crops some farms went bankrupt and the farmer goes to the towns and cities to get the odd job, and further increasing the already horrendous population of city centers.
So what is the problem? The lack of efficient system of transport, storage, refrigeration, preservation, processing and direct distribution for food items. The inefficiency is so high that there are times that vegetables and other harvested food products lie wasted rotting in the fields while the poor and destitute in cities lay in their rotting clothes begging for money.
It is the inefficient use of money and lack of priority to the things that matter which is the main reason why there is a great discrepancy between rich and poor.
Those who benefit from the economy do so because of their education and skills and what they buy are items which are totally unrelated to what our citizens produce. Farmers produce food, while the new rich purchase new cellphone and buy concert tickets of foreign singers.
The money then does not go to those who need them. They go to items which the new rich purchase. Items that are imported rather than locally produced.
This is the sad reason why the supposed economic growth are not felt by the majority of the people, the rest have little or no participation in the economic growth system at its CURRENT FORM.
This is just an eye opener Abbygail, if I continue it will already be a dissertation. But to cut it short, the most vital thing needed to have a better percentage of people benefiting from a supposed growing economy is that economy must be designed to SERVE the people. The system must be designed so that the great majority of the Filipino can interact to produce and serve in the economy.
Another thing, corrupt practices must cease since this is a cancer which prevents efficient governance and the right people in position. We do not need a** kissers and toadies in government, we need bright moral public servants who love the people more, not their personal self interest.
Finally, and a more practical tip. They must promote the ease of access of E-commerce and E-bay banking transactions with little or no interference from government. If we want to sell our products abroad, it should be between the Filipino producer directly transacting with a foreign buyer; no one else. The Filipino can then earn from abroad while selling the produce which he made from his very own hands.
Government should not tax the Filipino E-trader for this, since the money earned by the E-trader would go back and circulate in the Philippines anyway! (When I say E-trader this means those who sell odd and ends items fabricated and sold to E-bay or other similar auction sites)
It is time to make the regular Filipino people rich; NOT make the government, their administrators and the influential big business rich.
There are more Abbygail, but that would be all for now.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Clipmaster,
heheh ginawa ko ang kasabihang yon at baka makonsiyensiya ang mga kurakot, “irony” ika nga.
Pero sino ba ang pwede kong makumbinsi? Sa tingin ko di na sila nakikinig sa kanilang mga kunsiyensiya, sabagay naaawa lang ako dati sa kanila at baka abutan sila ng masamang karma o “gaba” kung hindi sila magbago.
Naubos na rin pasensya ko, hayaan ko na lang sila na abutan sila ng nararapat para sa kanila.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Kabayan
Kasabihan nga eh … Walang naghihirap na kurakot kung masipag mangurakot.
*******************************
baka dumami ang lahing kurakot niyan…….
doon na lang tayo sa lumang kasabihan na……..
walang masipag ang naghihirap………
December 18th, 2007 at 8:39 am
mindanaoan
if there is solid evidence against her she will be kicked out, that’s for sure.’Filipino people is not blind not to see exactly whats going on’. most are simply unconvinced. and the more you rail and rant against her without that solid evidence, the lamer the position, the more ‘poor loser’ it will look
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anong solid evidence ba hinahanap mo eh namumodmod nga ng pera sa malacanang. nakita mo ba yun binigay sa pari yun isang mala-brick na pera na yun? eh kng isampal ko kaya sa pagmumukha mo yun ng matauhan ka ha!
December 18th, 2007 at 12:04 am
To: abbygail,
Hi, Miss, Merry Christmas! I regret to say that flattery will get you nowhere, either with me, with Kabayan, or with padang. Right, guys? Right. Far from being analytical, I’m sorry to dissapoint you but I’m no such thing, rather I’m a complete idiot, as Engkanto readily agreed. Sorry to dissapoint you a second time, but, if offered, I can assure you I will not serve under a morally bankrupt administration. It’s always nice to have a clean feeling, you know. Or, do you? That’s how idiot I am. Before I forget, you’ve been miles and miles blogging in various fora including this one, bashing the heads of people condemning wrongdoings in this administration, exhorting them to reveal the secrets of doing good for the sake of our beloved country. You’ve been very consistent with that exhortation, as if it is the duty of bloggers to teach the president of a country how to run the government, and, as if you know those secrets yourself. Well, perhaps you know, but so far, with all those threads you’ve been dishing out, you have not reveal anything yet, instead want to hear it from a simple blogger like me? Still, knowing you meant no harm, I will oblige you with a simple answer to your question, as simple as could an idiot be capable of. If I am Teves I will do exactly what he is doing: sell dollars to make the peso seems strong so simple-minded people will believe that the economy would look strong, even if, in reality, the people today could hardly afford the sky-rocketing prices of prime commodities. This will not get us out of the rut (if Teves and Ate Glo have not gotten us out of the rut, how could I?) but will deceive some simple-minded people to think that the president has been doing good, but not the majority, as evidenced by the Pulse Asia Survey.