ROLLY G. REYESNews: Parojinogs to sue CIDG. John Lennon sings “I get high when I see you go by.My oh My”- It’s only drug and that is all...* * *Kim Kardashian will do well in an IT business. She can merge the front end and the back end extremely well.* * *I think this song by MC Hammer will be a good theme to warn drug users, “U Can’t Touch This”.* * *A “boodle fight” in the context of Filipino culture, is the military practice of eating a meal. It’s picking up food with your bare hands and eating like there’s no tomorrow. I hope this is not what it looks like to legislators during budget deliberations in both chambers.* * *It is best to say this in Filipino:”Bakit walang kinatatakutan ang mga hari ng bawal na gamot? Daan-daang milyon ang pinaguusapan dito ARAW-ARAW. Ang biglang pagkawala ng salapi at poder ay hindi katanggap-tanggap sa kanila kahit SINUMAN ang magbawal. Sa kanilang paningin, opisyales, pulisya, batikang abogado, hukom at korte, BIR, BOC, mga armas, mga testigo at private army ay kaya nilang bilhin. Pribadong jet, yate, maraming mansion dito at sa ibang bansa, alahas, interes sa negosyo ay kayang kayang abutin sa isang kisap-mata. Lahat ng panig ng mundo KASAMA NA ANG MAUUNLAD NA BANSA ay may ganitong problema. Ang pagkasilaw sa salapi at sa lahat ng mabibili nito ay talagang kanilang ipaglalaban. Ang takot sa Diyos at konsyensya sa lipunan ay matagal nang nawala sa kanilang isipan. Ang droga lamang ang mahalaga at wala nang iba. Kung totoong milyon ang apektado ng ganitong krimen at maaring dumami pa sa kinabukasan, saan tayo kakampi? Sa KARAPATAN NILA o sa KARAPATAN NATIN?* * *“Your honor, I am a soldier, I do not treat this position as a job, it is a mission. And a soldier does not quit from his mission, but a soldier can be fired. So, let the President fire me,”Faeldon said he would not quit unless the President tells him to. Why dowe always hear these lines whenever a high government official gets mired in a scandal or anomaly?* * *This suicide bomber attack inside a mosque in Afghanistan is certainly a deplorable anti-Muslim act. Fifty lives lost and counting. And they think they will have an “instant passport to heaven.” Their GPS must have been hacked to point upside down.* * *I just remember this classic statement from Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard:“This is our country, our land, and our lifestyle, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our Christian beliefs, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, ‘the right to leave’.‘If you aren’t happy here then leave. We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here. So, accept the country that accepted you.”- This is the strength we need from world leaders today.* * *Musings on translations:Just want to translate “rule of thumb” into Tagalog. This is the best that I can think of: “patakaran ng hinlalaki.” Another is “nagpapalaking salamin” meaning “magnifying glass.”* * *The Japanese government has extended humanitarian grant aid amounting to $2 million, roughly P100 million, to support relief operations of the Duterte administration for those affected by the Marawi crisis in Mindanao through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).So far, China and Japan walk the talk, the US talk the walk and sadly, the EU talk the talk.* * *Sometime ago, I talked to Rep. Karlo Nograles, the chair of the House appropriations committee. It was a casual chat that briefly focused on politics and their legislative agenda for this year. I touched on the annual submission of budget usually done in the last quarter. And this is what I got from him:“Instead of real change, I think meaningful change is better. I believe in giving back to the people the power of the purse. We are just performing a legislative mandate here but it should be the taxpayers who should decide where and how their money will be spent.“It should not stop at stringent procedures and project identification alone. There should be a subsequent and well-aligned monitoring system to allow early correction of lapses. The old practice of ‘scratching my back while I scratch yours’ should be eliminated. Multiplicity or duplicity of budget allocations scattered in different agencies going to just one recipient should be a main concern for all of us.“Budget should go to those who need it most. It is never fair to have equal allocation to everyone. Rich provinces or cities and towns have more than enough to sustain their growth while the poorest deserves more attention. This is the only way growth can be inclusive.“Budget should never be a political leverage to get votes. It’s their money and this money should be given back without pre-conditions.”Sizing him up, I thought it’s time to have a younger Congress with his caliber. I think there is still hope for the future.* * *“There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” -- Indira GandhiGood work, good deeds and good faith to all.
