P-Noy's Rate in Democracy

QUESTION: Sir John, I am a mediaman who covers Malacanang. If ten is highest, how do you rate P-Noy in terms of his adherence to democracy? ANSWER: His administration made a STATEMENT that they have no "political" prisoner, that is good. His administration has made an ACTION to give amnesty to those who were politically persecuted during the Arroyo Strong Republic, that is better. I look forward for his administration to finally put an end to political persecution in the future by ABOLISHING the 1930 Sedition Law. For now I give him a rate of 7.

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The Philippines' sedition law was originally drafted in 1930. Former President Marcos amended it many times by executive orders. In 1987, it was restored to its original form. In the Revised Penal Code, the Sedition Law defines sedition:

Art. 139. Sedition; How committed. - The crime of sedition is committed by persons who rise publicly and tumultuously in order to attain by force, intimidation, or by other means outside of legal methods, any of the following objects:

1. To prevent the promulgation or execution of any law or the holding of any popular election;
2. To prevent the National Government, or any provincial or municipal government or any public officer thereof from freely exercising its or his functions, or prevent the execution of any administrative order;
3. To inflict any act of hate or revenge upon the person or property of any public officer or employee;
4. To commit, for any political or social end, any act of hate or revenge against private persons or any social class; and
5. To despoil, for any political or social end, any person, municipality or province, or the National Government (or the Government of the United States), of all its property or any part thereof.

"Inciting sedition" is defined as follows:

Art. 142. Inciting to sedition. - The penalty of prision correccional in its maximum period and a fine not exceeding 2,000 pesos shall be imposed upon any person who, without taking any direct part in the crime of sedition, should incite others to the accomplishment of any of the acts which constitute sedition, by means of speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems, cartoons, banners, or other representations tending to the same end, or upon any person or persons who shall utter seditious words or speeches, write, publish, or circulate scurrilous libels against the Government (of the United States or the Government of the Commonwealth) of the Philippines, or any of the duly constituted authorities thereof, or which tend to disturb or obstruct any lawful officer in executing the functions of his office, or which tend to instigate others to cabal and meet together for unlawful purposes, or which suggest or incite rebellious conspiracies or riots, or which lead or tend to stir up the people against the lawful authorities or to disturb the peace of the community, the safety and order of the Government, or who shall knowingly conceal such evil practices.

Not Solutions, but Survival Kit

Noon, sabi ko, yang ugali ng mga nag momotor sa Pilipinas, hindi yan safe. So, minomonitor ko ang mga aksidente na na pa-publish sa dyaryo. Tinigil ko na pag monitor kasi araw-araw merong patay sa motor, katulad din na araw-araw may resulta ang Jueteng. The laws in the Philippines is not the picture of what the country is, it is to totally different, it is a country of unlawful people.

The stories you see in newspapers is just a very insignificant fraction of the corruption of the entire nation. Sa ganitong degree of unlawfulness ng buong bansa, hindi na SOLUTIONS ang dapat na hanapin, dapat SURVIVAL KIT na lang. Mga palusot na dapat malaman para mag survive. Mga swabe na techniques kung papano magpadulas ng papeles.

Demon Parents Outside the House

QUESTION: Senador John, ano ang proposal mo sa mga bata na nakakagawa ng crimen? ANSWER: Ang mga bata ay parang alagang aso ang mga yan. Pag maka-kagat yan, ang taong merong custodial right sa bata ang dapat managot sa pagiging irresponsable sa pag-babantay ng kanilang alaga. Pag medyo mahirap na controlin ang bata, dapat merong mechanism na ang parent ay pwedeng pumirma ng waiver sa DSWD na ipinapasa na nya sa DSWD ang disposition ng case ng bata in the event na maka-gawa ng crimen.

[PUBLIC COMMENT] Angelito Bronia Moral: I agree ako dyan ..we must take a bold stand in RESPONSIBLE PARENT HOOD..at yung age na 15 to lowwered to 9 ay Mas maayos na maituturing..kase nag iiba ang panahon at pag unlad ng isip ng mga kabataan..kaya dapat lang na merong Batas na sasaklaw sa ganitong pangyayari..isipin mo 12 years old pinatay ng kapwa nya 12 years old pinagtulung tulungan ..at napatay ang kawawang bata..Sino dapat managot ..??

RESPONSE: Mga Gang mga yan. Merong mga matatandang member ng gang ang mga yan na nagsisilbing demon parent nila sa labas ng bahay. Yung mga gang leaders ang dapat managot. Gagawa rin ako ng batas na ipagbabawal ang pag buo ng mga informal fraternities, sororities, and organizations that involved minor children in their membership.

Rapid Evacuation Drill for OFWs

May pa Seminar pa ang OWWA bago maka alis ang mga OFW, may bayad. Isali ninyo dyan sa Seminar ang evacuation plan. Dapat din bawat consulate natin sa ibang bansa merong activity na Rapid Evacuation Drill para sa mga kababayan natin kahit once a year lang na drill. Mag laan din ng Emergency Fund palagi ang PH Govt to be always ready to execute Rapid Evacuation. I don't like it when the people panic for evacuation when the real war and catastrophic event is already imminent.

Mindanao Independence Movement

When I was a growing-up kid in Cagayan de Oro between 1980-1991, I remember there was an organization called Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM) and its leader was a certain Reuben R. Canoy. If my recollections are correct, I have heard people saying that he was a Christian and tribal leader and a native of Cagayan de Oro. As a child, I have known MIM as a non-combat advocacy ally of the MNLF. As a child, I have also overheard from ordinary talks in our neighborhood that Reuben Canoy attempted to manufacture and circulate a new monetary currency of Mindanao and the government launched a systematic message to the people saying that he is "a mental case".

Not much was written in history about the MIM. But there is a hint that MIM could possibly be the "secret" umbrella organization of all independent movements in Mindanao. Dr. Samuel Tan, said in his article titled Understanding the Mindanao Conflict, that "... in the late 1970s the Independence aspiration of Mindanao was again revived by the Mindanao Independence Movement of Datu Udtog Matalam of Pagalungan Cotabato, Reuben Canoy of Cagayan de Oro, and Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front."

I would like to pay tribute to Reuben R. Canoy, a lawyer, broadcaster, author of the book "The Counterfeit Revolution: Martial Law in the Philippines", Mayor of Cagayan de Oro from 1972-1976, Opposition Senatorial Candidate in 2001 under LDP and coalition Pwersa ng Masa (rank 27 in the outcome with 3,542,460 votes).

In honor to the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM), I will start reviving it with a logo.

Not so Comfortable with Govt Broadband Project

QUESTION: Sir John, do you support Government Broadband Project?

ANSWER: The production and distribution of broadband and internet services are better left to the private sector. The private sector was able to internetize the residentials and commercials without much ado, bundled pa ang telephone and internet sa P700 lang, and this should serve as benchmark investment cost for Government if ever it will venture in operatingits own broadband. Nevertheless, in my opinion, it is a bad idea if the Govt invests in a one shot long-term telecommunication infrastructure because technology in that particular field is fast changing. If government enters into that, dapat committed din siya sa long-term maintenance and upgrade nyan.

Ang masakit dyan sa Broadband Project ng Gobyerno, baka yung mga pinag-lumaan and surplus na telecommunication system ng ibang bansa, eh yun ang itatambak sa atin. Kung hindi kukurakutin, magagamit natin, pero hindi tatagal ng 3 years kasi magiging obsolete agad yan compared sa system na binibenta ng private sector.

President Fidel V. Ramos was the President during my entire college in the University of the Philippines and he influenced much of my intellectual formation. In terms of technology, I learned from Ramos that we must always keep up with the trends of globalization so we can compete. However, the most relevant legacies that I learned from him is the principle that government should focus on providing public goods and services, and leave all else to the private sector. Therefore, I can say that I am not so comfortable with the implementation Philippine Government Broadband Project.