Kris’ Brain Activity

Here in Manila, we have Japanese Discount Stores in the malls. I think there’s this one place where everything in it is P88.

Well, I went to Singapore recently and they, too, have their share of Japanese Discount Stores. This one in Vivo City Mall in Harbour Front, called Daiso, was a huge one. Everything inside it was sold at S$2.00 (or around P60).

There were a lot of weird, wacky and Japanese-zy products. Here are just some.

This one is an umbrella holder for the bicycle. Just in case it rains, you can just reach near the bike’s handlebar and get your umbrella ready to protect you from getting wet. An alternative use would be when your jousting with a pedicab driver. This can be your Joust Stick holder.

This next one is a decorative product. If you want to beautify your kitchen sink, why not purchase this product. It’ll turn any faucet into a tulip. Such a beautiful addition to your home.  Satisfaction guaranteed.

Item Number 3 is a necklace with a reflector.  In case you are walking along the highway late an night and there are no lamp posts nearby, this nifty little product will save you from being hit by a truck since its large reflector will warn sleepy drivers of your presence.

The next item if for the Mister.  Tired of getting wet when the Mrs. tells you to wash the dishes?  Well this waterproof arm cover will solve all your problems!  Just insert in both arms as illustrated and you will have hassle free washing all the time!

And in case the Mrs. wants to wash the dishes herself, here is the ‘patterned’ arm cover.  The same product, with the woman’s touch.

And the top S$2 Product I discovered at the Daiso Japanese Discount Store is… a 2-set Portable Ashtray.  Be a responsible citizen by keeping the city clean with this portable ashtray.  Why throw your cigarette’s ash on the sidewalk when you can dispose of them in this sleek looking portable ashtray.

sigh.  You got to hand it to the Japanese, they think of everything.

Right now, students from the universities are organizing this A.S.A.R. Campaign. It stands for Advocacy for Sustained Accountability and Reforms. In a nutshell, its calling on the president and her cabinet to come clean and take a leave of absence or resign. This is of course a result of the revelation of Joey De Venecia regarding the NBN-ZTE deal, supported by personal accounts of whistleblower Jun Lozada.

They’re all calling for GMA to step down.

You know, I’m beginning to like President Arroyo less and less because of all these exposes, but I don’t think anyone’s resigning anytime soon.

I don’t think President Arroyo feels the same way Erap felt 8 years ago, when he was removed by Edsa II.

May kulang pa eh.

The campaign lacks ‘oomph.’

Perhaps its because, for me, no matter how big the irregularity is (to the tune of $130 Million), the deal did not push through.

It was scrapped just in time last year.

So there was no real exchange of money. In other words, hindi naman nawala yung $130 Million ng bayan.

And because of that, I believe hindi makaka-follow through etong renewed campaign to unseat Gloria.

Imagine if nagkaroon nga ng bayaran, at tsaka inexpose nila Joey at Jun. $130 Million in the pockets of Abalos, Neri, the First Gentleman, so on, so forth. Then the people will be outraged. Then the people will come out of their houses and sing in unison, “Patalsikin si Gloria! Gloria resign!” And I’m pretty sure, tanggal kaagad si GMA.

Pero gaya ng nasulat ko earlier, hindi natuloy yung kontrata. So President Arroyo can look the camera straight in the eye and say, “lets get back to work,” without beating an eyelash.

But this is just my take on the situation. I’ve been wrong several times. And as they say, anything can happen.

Good luck to my friends in the ASAR Campaign!

Inspired by the Morgan Freeman - Jack Nicholson movie.

1. I think is a staple in all bucket lists, Sky Dive.
2. Play in Wheel of Fortune
3. Compete in 1 vs 100
4. Play Game Ka Na Ba?
5. Play Kakasa ka ba sa Grade V?
6. Act in a movie one more time
7. Ride a Hot Air Balloon
8. Play in a Marching Band
9. Appear before the Supreme Court
10. Write a book
11. Visit Eastern Europe (Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic) with Ria
12. Go to Palawan
13. See Mount Mayon
14. Ride a Kayak in Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake
15. Visit Batanes
16. Meet and get an autograph of Bianca Gonzalez and Christine Gambito
17. Participate in the Amazing Race with Ria as my teammate
18. Ride a submarine
19. Bring my son to a Major League Baseball game
20. Interview my daughter’s suitors
21. Have a picture taken at the Taj Majal
22. Visit the Pyramids in Egypt
23. Assist the doctor in the delivery of my 1st baby
24. Save a life
25. Study abroad

To be continued…

So, what’s in your bucket list?

What’s up with titles? I came across this waiting shed in Manila and I noticed the signage. It said it was the beautification project of “Hon. Cong. Atty.” so and so. Natulala lang talaga ako. Di talaga pinalampasan ng congressperson na ‘to yung ‘titles’ niya eh. Di na na-satisfy sa “Cong.” o “Hon.” Kelangan kumpleto. “Hon.” na, “Cong.” na rin, “Atty.” pa!

If I remember right, the 1987 Philippine Constitution said that this country is a democratic and republican state. Sovereignty resides in the people (not in a person or a royal family).

Everyone was supposed to be equal, so much so that Sec. 31, Art. VI states that “No law granting a title of royalty or nobility shall be enacted.”

Well, as you can all see, it appears people don’t need laws to be bestowed with a title.

One just bestows it upon himself.

And people wonder why this country’s in a mess.

Everyone wants to be king.

Although Mr. Jun Lozada presented no documentary or object evidence to prove his claims, his story is believable.  Probably because he had more to lose than gain.  He actually admitted to Senator Defensor-Santiago that he was into shady deals when he was President of the Philippine Forest Corporation.  So dun palang, dedo na siya.  Pwede siyang kasuhan ng graft ng Ombudsman.

Mr. Lozada implicated former COMELEC Chairman Ben Abalos in the ZTE-NBN Scandal.  Allegedly, the latter was asking for a kickback worth $130 Million.  Thats US Dollars, man!  Thats 5 Billion Pesos!  Abalos has, ofcourse, denied such allegation.  Fine. Presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

Lozada said that the original deal was $262 Million, but then Abalos asked for more daw.  So, umabot ng $329 Million na.  And from BOT Scheme, naging Government to Government Loan.

DOTC Secretary Mendoza belittled all of Lozada’s claims.  He said the BOT Scheme was limited to 30% coverage.  He also said, with the G-to-G scheme, we will be able to pay the loan in 4 years time.  Secretary further defended the $329 Million price tag as he said this was nationwide.  He was really assertive that the $329 Million deal was regular.

$329 Million, sir, for broadband internet?  Thats just way too much for ICT, sir!  way too much.

13.5 Billion Pesos po yun, Mr. Secretary.  In no way can you say that its a good deal.  No friggin’ way.

13.5 Billion Pesos for internet.  No way.

But at the end of the day, si Lozada rin ang kawawa.  The ZTE-NBN deal had already been cancelled by the President, so wala na.  And all this yakkety-yak in the Senate will just go to waste.

Story of our lives.

I watched this movie expecting to be inspired to return to litigation. Instead I felt worse as it depicted, albeit in a larger scale, my situation when I was practicing corporate law in Makati two years ago. Michael Clayton, played by George Clooney, was a lawyer of a big firm. He wasn’t in litigation. Records showed that he was practicing Wills & Trusts. In truth, he was a ‘fixer.’ He referred to himself as a ‘janitor.’ Lawyers who clean up the mess, who fix things that were broken, outside of court, ofcourse. He came in AFTER sh#t hit the fan.

I wasn’t a fixer per se, because what I did was do errands to avoid, at all costs, the sh#t from hitting the fan. Nevertheless, the work was the same. Knowing the right people, using your connections, making a few calls, magpa-cute kung minsan, mag-barter, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

So I actually got depressed watching this movie. Especially the part when Clayton ’sold out’ on his colleague, Arthur (played by Tom Wilkinson), by keeping quiet in exchange for $80,000 he needed to pay back a loan shark. Mas hindi ako na-inspire to go back to law practice. The wheeling and the dealing… it eats you up.

Later on, the movie shows that fixers and janitors don’t live a charmed life, because more often than not, as a consequence of their actions they step on other people’s toes. Clayton was a subject of an assassination plot.

As the film progressed, I felt from bad to worse, as Clayton tried to shake down the legal counsel of U/North, Karen (played by Tilda Swinton), to keep quiet. He was blackmailing the client.

The film showed the bad, but very common, side of lawyering.

It’s actually an eye-opener… especially to those who are thinking of becoming a lawyer. It’s not all fun and games, y’know. We lawyers call it the noble profession, not because it is, but because it lets us sleep at night.

And that’s why I give this film two thumbs up, for showing the other side of lawyering.

No, that’s not my vital statistics (And even if, that would make me a size DDD).

Its what it came down to late last night, as the House of Representatives voted to declare the speakership open.

174 said yes, including LAKAS stalwarts.

35 said no.

16 abstained.

In the end, Jose De Venecia lost his seat as Speaker of the House. He was replaced by Davao City Congressman Prospero Nograles.

It was ironic, of all the people to vote no, speaker de venecia got support from the opposition. The people he went against in the past, stood up for him last night to maintain the status quo. Digs Dilangalen, Teddy Casino, Liza Maza and Satur Ocampo.

Perhaps not too ironic, because they knew exactly what was going on. This was a sham proceeding, orchestrated by the Arroyo sons.

Congressman Zamora said, ‘Ginagago ba natin ang mga sarili natin.’ He said this in the context of a lot of members saying they want ‘change and reform.’ Zamora said the vote is not about change, rather, it was about malacanang.

Furthermore, Zamora said he found no reason why they would declare the speakership vacant. What did JDV do recently to merit such unseating? There was no reason.

Congressman Escudero even warned if they were really sure about what they were doing. Baka mamaya daw, after 3 months, magpapalit nanaman ng speaker. He told the incoming speaker to get a transcript of the proceedings so that he could read the sentiments of the neophyte congressmen.

Congressman Ledesma said he didn’t get it. If we’re for change, then we should declare all seats vacant. How can you say there will be change if the only one you’ll replace is the head? He didn’t get the logic and thats why he voted no.

I am a member of Lakas, and I was saddened that my partymates abandoned their leader at a time he needed them the most.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not for blind loyalty. If a party stand is really against your beliefs, by all means, dissent. But that’s exactly it, there should be something worth dissenting. Last night was not that something.

I really found no valid reason to unseat the speaker last night. Take away the ZTE-Arroyo scandal, the guy didn’t do anything.

At the end of the day, after listening to all the congresspersons arguments, it wasn’t about change or reform. It was about GMA OR JDV.

My dad summed it up. He said he was torn between lovers, ‘coz both were his friends and boss.

He abstained.

During a public hearing this morning, I found out that some people are taking advantage of an old provincial government imposition to the detriment of the capitol.

The rent at the Ilocano Heroes Hall.

This is a government building owned and operated by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte. It is a 4 storey structure housing offices of government agencies, cooperatives and other businesses. DOT, COMELEC, Bureau of Treasury, INEC, DILG, NCIP are a few of the government offices leasing office space there.

The rent is low. In the 1st floor, rent is at PhP100/sq.m. In the 2nd floor, it is at Php75/sq.m. Maliit lang. Pero okay lang to. This is not the controversy.

In the middle, there is an auditorium. Imagine the Atrium building in Makati. Those corp lawyers based in Makati would know this since andun yung BIR. Anyway, parang ganun yung design sa building namin dito sa Laoag.

Now we rent out that space. For concerts, graduations and other programs. We charge them mga PhP1,500/day. Mura to considering its around 800 sq.m.

In the old revenue code, we allow its use for commercial purposes. and we charge just PhP3,000/day. That’s PhP3.75/sq.m.

You know how people take advantage?

They rent it out at 3,000. Then they organize a tiangge wherein they could fit around 100 concessionaires. And they charge them PhP500/day.

PhP500 x 100 = PhP50,000!

They make a 47,000 profit per day!

And they rent out the auditorium for one month. So they earn a gross of 1.5 Million.

The province gets a measly 90,000.

yung 3,000/day na yun, kasama na yung electricity at paggamit nila ng restrooms ha.

SOBRANG LUGI ng Capitol.

HINDI NA TO PWEDE. Not on my watch.

I proposed to change the rate. instead of flat out 3,000/day for the whole 800 sq. m., I am suggesting we impose a rental of 100/sq.m. So, a 2×2 stall would pay 400 a day to the capitol.

PhP400 x 100 locators = PhP40,000 TO THE CAPITOL!

The Tiangge organizer can still make a profit. sa 500 na fee niya, minus 400 that goes to us, may 100 pa siya.

PhP100 x 100 locators = PhP10,000 to the organizer per day. Okay na yun, no!

Anyhoo, the important thing is that the Capitol earns income. This way we can provide better services to the general public.

That’s why yung mga assets namin, dapat kumita. hindi malugi.

Yesterday, a joint committee meeting, composed of Ways & Means, Appropriations and Laws, discussed the Hospital Fees under the proposed Revenue Code. We conducted a public hearing at the Provincial Hospital. My goal, as Ways & Means Chair, was to increase the hospital’s charges so that we could have more income, so that we could provide better services to the public.

Imagine my shock to find out na kaya pala ang pangit ng service sa hospital eh luging-lugi kami sa mga charges.

Take the Laboratory Test on Alanine Aminotransferase for example.
Our Current Price: P120.00
Actual Cost: P553.04

WTF?!

That’s P433 na lugi ah!

I know we’re operating a public hospital and we’re supposed to subsidize for something but P433 is 3x what we’re charging. 300% lugi! Too much naman yun.

Another Board Member asked how much the private hospitals were charging for the same exam.

You know how much? P220!

How could that be?!

It cost us in government P553 for this test, and yet, outside they can do it at P220? Where do they buy their reagents?

That’s when I said, being the naive lawyer that I am, that that’s the reason we have the NEW Government Procurement Act, to get the best product at the lowest possible price.

Obviously, that P553 reagent is not the lowest price! kasi nga private hospitals charge P220 for it, and we know private hospitals don’t subsidize their services.

So something was definitely wrong with the friggin’ bidding procedures.

Haynakoh talaga!

Then I continued by saying that if it costs us P553 (but only charge P120), and outside it’s only P220, as a manager of a business, I would just scrap this test. Let the outsiders deal with it.

But the hospital administrators said the hospital needs to provide this service. Kelangan daw within the hospital.

Ok, whatever.

But I said, we definitely can’t stick to the measly P120 charge. So, we raised it to P200. Lugi pa rin by P350, pero atleast cushioned na yung subsidy.

P200 kasi di naman pwede more that P220.

Anyhoo, I told the Laws Chair to launch an investigation on the bidding process sa hospital kasi nga overpriced mga pinagbibili nila.

P553 and charging only P120, are you kidding me?!

Let me get my facts straight:

ABS comes out with fantastic ads declaring them No. 1 according to AC Nielsen (NIELSEN). This goes on for several years.

Meanwhile, as early as 2002, GMA filed a case against ABS for manipulating the survey results by influencing the respondents (visiting their homes, etc.)

2002, mind you.

Then came 2007, and this case went public. How it became public, I’m not sure. The only I remember is that ABS starts coming out with announcements (on TV) lambasting GMA. This time, ABS is the one accusing GMA of tampering with the NIELSEN survey.

Now instead of settling this quietly, or at least in court, these two media giants go after each other on the air wave like there’s no tomorrow.

ABS comes out with station announcements. So does GMA.

ABS reports it on its evening news. GMA will do the same.

ABS fires back on radio. Dido GMA.

ABS prints its clarification on the major dailies. GMA defends itself also in print.

This is getting silly, guys. It’s embarassing. Really.

Whatever happened to Journalism Etiquette. Are ethics in media dead?

I mean, if you have something against another journalist take it up to court. Or go for arbitration or mediation or something.

Don’t abuse the privilege given to you and attack your adversary on tv and radio. Its ungentlemanly behavior.

Now, the latest thing I heard was Kapuso would like to deal with this matter in court (like I said, a case was filed as early as 2002) and would like to avoid trading barbs on air. The only thing is, they will continue to defend via tv and radio as long as Kapamilya attacks them via tv and radio.

So, I guess the ball’s in Kapamilya’s court.

Please, guys, stop what you’re doing. yes, you may be media giants, but that doesn’t give you license to use media to exploit an issue.

Settle this in Court. Just outside our view.

‘coz frankly, we’re not interested