WE need broadband in the Philippines. Cyber-Ed is simply abstract for a country who can’t even fulfill its constitutional duty to educate all citizens.
But my question is? Why pay a hefty fee to the Chinese when our own engineers and scientists can solve the problem of connectivity. All they need is a budget. Why spend billions for the Chinese when a hundred million would suffice? A billion spent on research and development within the Philippines itself will give us a return several thousand times that.
Even if the research fails in the end we could always get something out of it, precious knowledge that we will never get by outsourcing projects. In short, I don’t trust politicians and high-powered wheelers and dealers. In my opinion, they make a potentially strong country weak and a potentially rich country poor.
But I trust our engineers and scientists. This is where I want my taxes to go, to Filipino researchers and innovators, not to cheating politicians and rich boys with comb overs. This is my money, our money, not their money.
– Brian Brotarlo, Iloilo City, Philippines (via e-mail)
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September 29th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
ricky,
Marami pa ring tinatago sa usapin nina Neri at Gloria, kaya nga nagtago uli sa cover-up Executive order E.O. 464. May kailangan ba si Gloria at si Neri itago tungkol sa pag-apruba ng NBN deal?
September 29th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Funny how so many people here want a local business (Philippine-based/owned) to do the job or some sort of group of engineers… yeah tell me where is this Filipino owned company that can carry a project this massive? Names please….
Also to the one who stated to let a Philippine government agency try to handle a job this massive… well I will say a name so evil that you would rethink that….
Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways! GASP! Most corrupt agency in The Philippines!
NBN Deal is a pipe dream! You actually think this is for the kids? Give me a break! The free market will have to upgrade sooner or later and telcoms will foot the bill. This is basically upgrading the broadband network so that PLDT and the other telcoms don’t need to upgrade with their own money. Taxpayers will be paying , while telcom companies will reap the rewards!
You don’t see the US Government making plans for a National Broadband Network do you? Because all the big telcom companies foot the bill! Why is the Philippine government paying for something PLDT, Digitel, Globe, etc. should be paying?
If you actually think this deal is to help kids, give me a break. Over half the country’s kids cannot afford a computer, majority of schools do not have computers nor have the structure and money to wire them for broadband.
September 29th, 2007 at 3:29 am
Finally!!! nagbunga din ang pamumulitika or political grandstanding of the opposition and everyone of them wants to take the credit.Sen. Pimentel had his guns blazing againts Abalos including some cheap shots(about a certain mistress)ITS NOT ABOUT THE TRUTH,ITS ABOUT VENGENCE,POLITICS AND HATRED ON GMA.Let the suprime court decide the legality of the ZTE contract.Thats the problem of having too many presidentiables in the senate,everybody wants to look good in public.The Senate has become a Kangaroo Court/NBI and a Circus rather than a legislative instituition.
September 29th, 2007 at 12:30 am
To Kabayan
Brainpower is the matter. Why the administration is now spending billions so easy? Not only because of the millions coming back to greedy pockets. It’s also because the senseless and unfounded blow-up of the Peso since it’s 55 rate cuts the value of aout 10 billion Dollar remittances by about 20 percent. And these cheap Dollars are then used for pre-payment of foreign loans to give the impression to lenders that RP is such a very good repayer that they easy will give more credits. Which then are used by the Aroyo administration but have to be repaid by future administrations that have nothing out of these loans, except the duty to pay for.
OFW families suffer the low value of remittances and the still rising Peso price of goods that are imported with now cheap Dollars. Compared to the time of the 54 rate and theprice increase since then in Pesos,remittances have lost already one third of purchase power.
Where is there the brainpower of OFW’s to stop this robbing by not remitting Dollars anymore, but Pesos or other currencies? If the Central Bank has to buyDollars, the rate will soon go up to a more realistic level. How about the numerous QFW’s that started to build houses for the family and the family has to reduce their budget for food, school, health etc., for to continue constructions at the extreme increased prices. Modern heroes? For the administration rather modern milking cows….
September 28th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
I think denying people the right to information - by way of National Broadband and Cyber-ed would be like denying them the basic services. We are not living in the stone age, we are now in the “information age”.
It is just like saying “oh you people out there in the boondocs/islands/provinces doesn’t need this technology”. I wonder how the lgu executives will respond.
And by the way, yes i would like my taxes to be spent to these kind of projects. Of course we can come up with completing projects like these - without anomalies - which in turn can create more educated, skillful and productive citizens.