CHANTERELLES OF MARY


	CHANTERELLES OF MARY - BLOGSPOT

President Gloria Arroyo during her State of the Nation Address
July 27, 2009.

Thank you, Speaker Nograles, Senate President Enrile, Senators, Representatives, Vice President de Castro, President Ramos, Chief Justice Puno, Ambassadors, friends.

The past twelve months have been a year for the history books. Financial meltdown in the West spread throughout the world.

Tens of millions lost their jobs; billions across the globe have been hurt—the poor always harder than the rich. No one was spared..

It has affected us already. But the story of the Philippines in 2008 is that the country weathered a succession of global crises in fuel, in food, then in finance and finally the economy in a global recession, never losing focus and with economic fundamentals intact.

A few days ago, Moody’s has just announced the upgrade of our credit rating, citing the resilience of our economy. The state of our nation is a strong economy. Good news for our people, bad news for our critics.

I did not become President to be popular. To work, to lead, to protect and preserve our country, our people, that is why I became President. When my father left the Presidency, we were second to Japan. I want our Republic to be ready for the first world in 20 years.

Towards that vision, we made key reforms. Our economic plan centers on putting people first. Higit sa lahat ang layunin ng ating mga patakaran ay tulungan ang masipag na karaniwang Pilipino. New tax revenues were put in place to help pay for better healthcare, more roads, a strong education system. Housing policies were designed to lift up our poorest citizens so they can live and raise a family with dignity. Ang ating mga puhunan sa agrikultura ay naglalayong kilalanin ang ating mga magsasaka bilang backbone ng ating bansa, at bigyan sila ng mga modernong kagamitan to feed our nation and feed their own family..

Had we listened to the critics of those policies, had we not braced ourselves for the crisis that came, had we taken the easy road much preferred by politicians eyeing elections, this country would be flat on its back. It would take twice the effort just to get it back again on its feet—to where we are now because we took the responsibility and paid the political price of doing the right thing. For standing with me and doing the right thing, thank you, Congress.

The strong, bitter and unpopular revenue measures of the past few years have spared our country the worst of the global financial shocks. They gave us the resources to stimulate the economy. Nabigyan nila ang pinakamalaking pagtaas ng IRA ng mga LGU na P40 billion itong taon, imparting strength throughout the country and at every level of government.

Compared to the past, we have built more and better infrastructure, including those started by others but left unfinished. The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is a prime example of building better roads. It creates wealth as the flagship of the Subic-Clark corridor.

We have built airports of international standard, upgraded domestic airports, built seaports and the RORO system. I ask Congress for a Philippine Transport Security Authority Law..

Some say that after this SONA, it will be all politics. Sorry, but there’s more work..

Sa telecommunications naman, inatasan ko ang Telecommunications Commission na kumilos na tungkol sa mga sumbong na dropped calls at mga nawawalang load sa cellphone. We need to amend the Commonwealth-era Public Service Law. And we need to do it now..

Kung noong nakaraan, lumakas ang electronics, today we are creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth. Electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy. But BPO remains resilient. With earnings of $6 billion and employment of 600,000, the BPO phenomenon speaks eloquently of our competitiveness and productivity. Let us have a Department of ICT..

In the last four years tourism almost doubled. It is now a $5 billion industry.

Our reforms gave us the resources to protect our people, our financial system and our economy from the worst of shocks that the best in the west failed to anticipate..

They gave us the resources to do reforms para palawakin ang suportang panlipunan and enhance spending power. For helping me raise salaries through joint resolution, thank you Congress.

Cash handouts give the most immediate relief and produce the widest stimulating effect. Nakikinabang ang 700,000 na pinakamahihirap na pamilya sa programang Pantawid Pamilya.

Our preference is to invest in projects with the same stimulus effects but also with long-term contributions to national progress..

Sa pagpapamahagi ng milyun-milyong ektaryang lupa, 700,000 na katutubo at mahigit isang milyong benepisyaryo ng CARP ay taas-noong may-ari na ng sariling lupa. Hinihiling ko sa Kongreso na ipasa agad ang pagpapalawig ng CARP, at dapat ma-condone ang P42 billion na land reform liabilities dahil 18% lamang ang nabayaran mula 1972. Napapanahon dahil it will unfreeze the rural property market. Ang mahal kong ama ang nag-emancipate ng mga magsasaka. Ii-mancipate naman natin ngayon ang titulo..

Nakinabang ang pitong milyong entrepreneurs sa P165 billion na microfinance. Nakinabang ang 1,000 sa economic resiliency plan. Kasama natin ngayon ang isa sa kanila, si Gigi Gabiola. Dating household service worker sa Dubai, ngayon siya ay nagtatrabaho sa DOLE. Good luck, Gigi.

Nakinabang ang isang milyong pamilya sa programang pabahay at palupa, mula sa PAG-IBIG, NHA, community mortgage program, certificates of lot awards, at saka yung inyong Loan Condonation and Restructuring Act..

Our average inflation is the lowest since 1966. Last June, it dropped to 1.5%. Paano nakamit ito? Proper policies lowered interest rates, which lowered costs to business and consumers.

Dahil sa ating mga reporma, nakaya nating ibenta ang bigas NFA sa P18.25 per kilo kahit tumaas ang presyo sa labas mula P17.50 hanggang P30 dahil sa kakulangan ng supply sa mundo. Habang, sa unang pagkakataon, naitaas ang pamimili ng palay sa mga magsasaka, P17 mula sa P11.

Dahil sa ating mga reporma, nakaya nating mamuhunan sa pagkain—anticipating an unexpected global food crisis. Nakagawa tayo ng libu-libong kilometro ng farm-to-market roads at kasama ng pribadong sector, natubigan ang dalawang milyong ektarya. Mga Badjao gaya ni Tarnati Dannawi ay tinuruan ng modernong mariculture. Umabot na sa P180,000 ang kinita niya mula noong nakaraang taon. Congratulations, Tarnati. We will help more fisherfolk shift to fish farming with a budget of P1 billion.

Dahi dumarami na naman daw ang pamilyang nagugutom, mamumuhunan tayo ng bago sa Hunger Mitgation program na nakitang mabisa. Tulungan nito ako dito Kongreso.

Mula noong 2001, Nanawagan tayo ng mas murang gamot. Nagbebenta na tayo ng mga gamot na kalahating presyo sa libu-libong Botika ng Bayan at Botika ng Barangay sa maraming dako ng bansa. Our efforts prodded the pharmaceutical companies to come up with low-cost generics and brands like RiteMed. I supported the tough version of the House of the Cheaper Medicine Law. I supported it over the weak version of my critics. The result: the drug companies volunteered to bring down drug prices, slashing by half the prices of 16 drugs. Thank you, Congressman Cua, Alvarez, Biron and Locsin..

Pursuant to law, I am placing other drugs under a maximum retail price. To those who want to be President, this advice: If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Just do it. Don't say bad words in public.

Sa health insurance, sakop na ang 86% ng ating populasyon.

Sa Rent Control Law ng 2005 hanggang 2008, hanggang sampung porsyento lang maaaring itaas taon-taon ang upa. Iyong kakapirma nating batas naglagay ng isang taong moratorium, tapos pitong porsyento lang ang maaaring itaas. Salamat, Kongreso..

Noong isang taon, nabiyayaan ng tig-P500 ang mahigit pitong milyong tahanan bilang Katas ng Pantawid Koryente para sa mga small electricity users..
Iyong power rates, ang EPIRA natin ang pangmatagalang sagot. EPIRA dismantled monopoly. But minana natin iyong power purchase agreements under preceding administrations, so hindi pa natin makuha iyong buong intended effect. Pero happy na rin tayo, dahil isang taon na lamang iyan. The next generation will benefit from low prices from our EPIRA. Thank you.

Samantala, umabot na sa halos lahat ng barangay ang elektrisidad. We increased indigenous energy from 48% to 58%. Nakatipid tayo sa dollars tapos malaki pa ang na-reduce pa iyong oil consumption. The huge reduction in fossil fuel is the biggest proof of energy independence and environmental responsibility. Further reduction will come with the implementation of the Renewable Energy Act.and the Biofuels Act..again, thank you.

The next generation will also benefit from our lower public debt to GDP ratio. It declined from 78% in 2000 to 55% in 2008. We cut in half the debt of government corporations from 15% to 7. Likewise foreign debt from 73% to 32%. Kung meron man tayong malaking kaaway na tinalo, walang iba kundi ang utang, iyong foreign debt. Past administrations conjured the demon of foreign debt. We exorcised it..

The market grows economies. A free market, not a free-for-all.

To that end, we improved our banking system to complement its inherent conservatism. The Bangko Sentral has been prudent. Thank you, Governor Tetangco, for being so effective. The BSP will be even more effective if Congress will amend its Charter..

We worked on the Special Purpose Vehicle Act, reducing non-performing loans from 18% to 4% and improving loan-deposit ratios..

Our new Securitization Law did not encourage the recklessness that brought down giant banks and insurance companies elsewhere and laid their economies to waste. In fact, it monitors and regulates the new-fangled financial schemes. Thank you, Congress..

We will work to increase tax effort through improved collections and new sin taxes to further our capacity to reduce poverty and pursue growth. Revenue enhancement must come from the Department of Finance plugging leaks and catching tax and customs cheats. I call on tax-paying citizens and tax-paying businesses: help the BIR and Customs spot those cheats…

Taxes should come from alcohol and tobacco and not from books. Tax hazards to lungs and livers, do not tax minds. Ang kita mula sa buwis sa alak at sigarilyo ay dapat pumunta sa kalusugan at edukasyon. Sa kalusugan, pondohan ang Philhealth premiums ng pinakamahihirap. Ponhodhan ang mas maraming classroom at computers...

Pardon my partiality for the teaching profession. I was a teacher..

Kaya namuhunan tayo ng malaki sa edukasyon at skills training..

Ang magandang edukasyon ay susi sa mas mabuting buhay, the great equalizer that allows every young Filipino a chance to realize their dreams.

Nagtayo tayo ng 95,000 na silid-aralan, nagdagdag ng 60,000 na guro, naglaan ng P1.5 billion para sa teacher training, especially for 100,000 English teachers. Isa sa pinakamahirap na Millennium Development Goals ay iyong Edukasyon para sa Lahat pagdating ng 2015, na nangunguhulugang lahat ng nasa edad ay nasa grade school. Halos walang bansang nakakatupad nito. Ngunit nagsisikap tayo. Binaba natin ang gastos ng pagpasok. Nagtayo tayo ng mga eskwela sa higit isang libong barangay na dati walang eskwelahan, upang makatipid ng gastos ng pasahe ang mga bata. Tinanggal natin ang miscellaneous fees para sa primary school.

Hindi na kailangan ang uniporme sa mga estudyante sa public schools.

We assist financially half of all students in private high schools..

We have provided 600,000 college and post-graduate scholarships. One of them Mylene Amerol-Macumbal, finished Accounting at MSU-IIT, went to law school, and placed second in the last bar exams--the first Muslim woman bar topnotcher. Congratulations.

In technical education and skills training, we have invested three times that of three previous administrations combined. Narito si Jennifer Silbor, isa sa sampung milyong trainee. Natuto siya ng medical transcription. Now, as an independent contractor and lecturer for transcriptions in Davao, kumikita siya ng P18,000 bawat buwan. Good job.

The Presidential Task Force on Education headed by Jesuit educator Father Bienvenido Nebres has come out with the Main Education Highway towards a Knowledge-Based Economy. It envisions seamless education from basic to vocational school or college..

It seeks to mainstream early childhood development in basic education. Our children are our most cherished possession. In their early years we must make sure they get a healthy start in life. They must receive the right food for a healthy body, the right education for a bright and inquiring mind—and the equal opportunity for a meaningful job..

For college admission, the Task Force recommends mandatory Scholastic Aptitude Tests. It also recommends that private higher education institutions and state universities and colleges should be harmonized. It also recommends that CHED will oversee of local universities and colleges. For professions seeking international recognition—engineering, architecture, accountancy, pharmacy and physical therapy—it recommends radical reform: 10 years of basic education, two years of pre-university, three years of university.

Our educational system should make the Filipino fit not just for whatever jobs happen to be on offer today, but also for whatever economic challenge life will throw in their way..

Sa hirap at ginhawa, ang ating overseas Filipinos ay pinapatatag ang ating bansa. Iyong padala nilang $16 billion noong isang taon ay record. Itong taon, mas mataas pa..

I know that this is not a sacrifice joyfully borne. This is work where it can be found—in faraway places, among strangers with different cultures. It is lonely work, it is very hard work..

Kaya nagsisikap tayong lumikha ng mga trabahong maganda ang bayad dito sa atin so that overseas work will just be a career choice, not the only option for a hardworking Filipino in search of a better life.

Meanwhile, we should make their sacrifices worthwhile. Dapat gumawa tayo ng mga mas malakas na paraan upang proteksyonan at palawak ang halaga ng kanilang pinagsikapang sweldo. That means stronger consumer protection for OFWs investing in property and products back home. Para sa kanila, pinapakilos natin ang Investors Protection Task Force.

Hindi ako nag-aatubiling bisitahin ang ating taong bayan at ang kanilang mga hosts sa buong mundo – mula Hapon.hanggang Brazil, mula Europa at Middle East hanggang sa American Midwest, nakikinig sa kanilang mga problema at pangangailangan, inaalam kung paano matulungan sila n gating pamahalaan—-by working out better policies on migrant labor, or by saving lives and restoring liberty.

Pagpunta ko sa Saudi, pinatawad ni Haring Abdullah ang pitong daang OFW na nasa preso. Pinuno nila ang isang buong eroplano at umuwi kasama ko.

Mula sa ating State Visit to Spain, it has become our biggest European donor. At si Haring Juan Carlos ay nakikipag-usap sa ibang mga bansa para sa ating mga namomoblemang OFW. Ganoon di si Sheikh Khalifa, ang Prime Minister ng Bahrain.

Pagpunta ko sa Kuwait, Emir al-Sabah commuted death sentences.

We thank all the world leaders who have shown compassion to our OFWs, Maraming salamat po.

Our vigorous international engagement has helped bring in foreign investment. Net foreign direct investments multiplied 15 times during our administration.

Our vigorous international engagement has helped bring in foreign investment. Net foreign direct investments multiplied 15 times during our administration. Kasama ng ating mga OFWs, they more than doubled our foreign exchange reserves. Pinalakas ang ating piso at naiwasan ang lubhang pagtaas ng presyo. They upgraded our credit because while the reserves of our peers shrunk our reserves grew by $3 billion.

Our international engagement has also corrected historical injustice. The day we visited Washington, Senator Daniel Inouye successfully sponsored benefits for our veterans as part of America’s fiscal stimulus package.

I have accepted the invitation of President Obama to be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet him at the White House, this week.

That he sought us the Philippines testifies to our strong and deep ties.

High on our agenda will be peace and security issues. Terrorism: how to meet it, how to end it, how to address its roots in injustice and prejudice—and most and always how to protect lives.

We will also discuss nuclear non-proliferation. The Philippines will chair the review of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation Treaty in New York in May 2010. The success of the talks will be a major diplomatic achievement for us.

There is a range of other issues we will discuss, including the global challenge of climate change, especially the threat to countries with long coastlines. And there is the global recession, its worse impact on poor people, and the options that can spare them from the worst.

In 2008 up to the first quarter of 2009 we stood among only a few economies in Asia-Pacific that did not shrink. Compare this in 2001, when some of my current critics were driven out by people power, Asia was then surging but our country was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Since then, our economy has posted uninterrupted growth for 33 quarters; more than doubled its size from $76 billion to $186 billion. The average GDP growth from 2001 to the first quarter of 2009 is the highest in 43 years.

Bumaba ang bilang ng nagsasabing mahihirap sila, mula 59% sa 47%. Kahit na lumaki ang ating populasyon, nabawasan ng dalawang milyon ang bilang ng mahihirap. GNP per capita rose from a Third World $967 to $2,051. Lumikha tayo ng walong milyong trabaho, an average of a million per year, much, much more than at any other time.

In sum:

1. We have a strong economy in a strong fiscal position to withstand political shocks.
2. We built new modern infrastructure and completed unfinished ones.
3. The economy is more fair to the poor than ever before.
4. We are building a sound base for the next generation.
5. International authorities have taken notice that we are safer from environmental degradation and man-made disasters.

As a country in the path of typhoons and in the Pacific Rim of Fire, we must be as prepared as the latest technology permits to anticipate natural calamities when that is possible; to extend immediate and effective relief when it is not….The mapping of flood- and landslide-prone areas is almost complete. Early warning, forecasting and monitoring systems have been improved, with weather tracking facilities in Subic, Tagaytay, Mactan, Mindanao, Pampanga.

We have worked on flood control infrastructure like those for Pinatubo, Agno, Laoag, and Abucay, which will pump the run off waters from Quezon City and Tondo flooding Sampaloc. This will help relieve hundreds of hectares in this old city of its age-old woe.

Patuloy naman iyong sa Camanava, dagdag sa Pinatubo, Iloilo, Pasig-Marikina, Bicol River Basin, at mga river basin ng Mindanao.

The victims of typhoon Frank in Panay should receive their long-overdue assistance package. I ask Congress to pass the SNITS Law.

Namana natin ang pinakamatagal ng rebelyon ng Komunista sa buong mundo.

Si Leah de la Cruz isa sa labindalawang libong rebel returnee. Sixteen pa lang siya nang sumali sa NPA. Naging kasapi sa regional White Area Committee, napromote sa Leyte Party Committee Secretary. Nahuli noong 2006. She is now involved in an LGU-supported handicraft livelihood training of former rebels. We love you, Leah!

There is now a good prospect for peace talks both with both the Communist Party of the Philippines and the MILF, with whom we are now on ceasefire.

We inherited an age-old conflict in Mindanao, exacerbated by a politically popular but near-sighted policy of massive retaliation. This only provoked the other side to continue the war.

In these two internal conflicts, ang tanong ay hindi, “Sino ang mananalo?” kundi, bakit ba kailangang mag-away ang kapwa Pilipino tungkol sa mga isyu na alam ng dalawang panig over issues na malulutas naman sa paraang demokratiko.

There is nothing more that I would wish for than peace in Mindanao. It will be a blessing for all its people, Muslim, Christian and lumads. It will show other religiously divided communities that there can be common ground on which to live together in peace, harmony and cooperation that respects each other’s religious beliefs.

At sa lahat ng dako ng bansa, kailangan nating protektahan an gating mamamayan kontra sa krimen -- in their homes, in their neighborhoods, in their communities. How shall crime be fought? Through the five pillars of justice. We call on Congress to fund more policemen on the streets.

Real government is about looking beyond the vested to the national interest, setting up the necessary conditions to enable the next, more enabled and more empowered generation to achieve a country as prosperous, a people as content, as ours deserve to be.

The noisiest critics of constitutional reform tirelessly and shamelessly attempted Cha-Cha when they thought they could take advantage of a shift in the form of government. Now that they feel they cannot benefit from it, they oppose it.

As the process of fundamental political reform begins, let us address the highest exercise of democracy.voting!

In 2001, I said we would finance fully automated elections. We got it, thanks to Congress.

At the end of this speech I shall step down from this stage, but not from the Presidency. My term does not end until next year. Until then, I will fight for the ordinary Filipino. The nation comes first. There is much to do as head of state—to the very last day.

A year is a long time. Patuloy ang pamumuhunan sa tinatawag na three E’s ng ekonomiya, environment at edukasyon. There are many perils that we must still guard against.

A man-made calamity is already upon us, global in scale. As I said earlier, so far we have been spared its worst effects but we cannot be complacent. We only know that we have generated more resources on which to draw, and thereby created options we could take. Thank God we did not let our critics stop us.

As the campaign unfolds and the candidates take to the airwaves, I ask them to talk more about how they will build up the nation rather than tear down their opponents. Our candidates must understand the complexities of our government and what it takes to move the country forward. Give the electorate real choices and not just sweet talk.

Meanwhile, I will keep a steady hand on the tiller, keeping the ship of state away from the shallows some prefer, and steering it straight on the course I set in 2001.

Ang ating taong bayan ay masipag at maka-Diyos. These qualities are epitomized in someone like Manny Pacquiao.Manny trained tirelessly, by the book, with iron discipline, with the certain knowledge that he had to fight himself, his weaknesses first, before he could beat his opponent. That was the way to clinch his victories and his ultimate title: ang pinakadakilang boksingero sa kasaysayan.Mabuhay ka, Manny!

However much a President wishes it, a national problem cannot be knocked out with a single punch. A president must work with the problem as much as against it, and turn it into a solution if I can.

There isn’t a day I do not work at my job or a waking moment when I do not think through a work-related problem. Even my critics cannot begrudge the long hours I put in. Our people deserve-a-government that works just as hard as they do.

A President must be on the job 24/7, ready for any contingency, any crisis, anywhere, anytime.

Everything right can be undone by even a single wrong. Every step forward must be taken in the teeth of political pressures and economic constraints that could push you two steps back-if-you flinch and falter. I have not flinched, I have not faltered. Hindi ako umaatras sa hamon.

And I have never done any of the things that have scared my worst critics so much. They are frightened by their own shadows.

In the face of attempted coups, I issued emergency proclamations just in case. But I was able to resolve these military crises with the ordinary powers of my office. My critics call it dictatorship. I call it determination. We know it as strong government.

But I never declared martial law, though they are running scared as if I did. In truth, what they are really afraid of is their weakness in the face of this self-imagined threat.

I say to them: do not tell us what we all know, that democracy can be threatened. Tell us what you will do when it is attacked.

I know what to do.

I know what to do, as I have shown, I will defend democracy with arms when it is threatened by violence; with firmness when it is weakened by division; with law and order where it is subverted by anarchy; and always, I will try to sustain it by wise policies of economic progress, so that a democracy means not just an empty liberty but a full life for all.

I never expressed the desire to extend myself beyond my term. Many of those who accuse me of it tried to cling like nails to their posts.

I am accused of misgovernance. Many of those who accuse me of it left me the problem of their misgovernance to solve. And we did it.

I am falsely accused, without proof, of using my office for personal profit. Many of those who accuse me of it have lifestyles and spending habits that make them walking proofs of that crime.

We can read their frustrations. They had the chance to serve this good country and they blew it by serving themselves.

Those who live in glass houses should cast no stones. Those who should be in jail should not threaten it, especially if they have been there.

Our administration, with the highest average rate of growth, recording multiple increases in investments, with the largest job creation in history, and which gets a credit upgrade at the height of a world recession, must be doing something right, even if some of those cocooned in corporate privilege refuse to recognize it.

Governance, however, is not about looking back and getting even. It is about looking forward and giving more—to the people who gave us the greatest, hardest gift of all: the care of a country.

From Bonifacio at Balintawak to Cory Aquino at EDSA and up to today, we have struggled to bring power to the people, and this country to the eminence it deserves.

Today the Philippines is weathering well the storm that is raging around the world. It is growing stronger with the challenge. When the weather clears, as it will, there is no telling how much farther forward it can go. Believe in it. I believe.

We can and we must-march-forward-with-hope, optimism and determination.

We must come together, work together and walk together toward the future.

Bagamat malaking hamon ang nasa ating harapan, nasa kamay natin ang malaking kakayahan. Halina’t pagtulungan nating tiyakin ang karapat-dapat na kinabukasan ng ating Inang Bayan.

And to the people of our good country, for allowing me to serve as your President, maraming salamat.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.__________________________________________________

Chants,

You have no right to complain if you are not doing your SHARE. You DESERVE this kind of government because you let it happen. Now, if you want CHANGE, reading this article is the first step to that DREAM. Reading, copying and pasting this article to your sites may seem too little but it's the first step towards that CHANGE and counts as your SHARE!!!

Kuya Tanny

On Fri, 6/5/09, Nicanor Perlas <nperlas@info. com.ph> wrote:

From: Nicanor Perlas <nperlas@info. com.ph>
Subject: [friends_of_ pagasa] PERSONAL DECISION ON 2010
To: friends_of_pagasa@ yahoogroups. com
Cc: "Nicanor Perlas" <nperlas@info. com.ph>, "Nicanor Perlas Perlas" <npperlas@gmail. com>
Date: Friday, June 5, 2009, 10:24 PM

Dear Friends,

I am writing you all today because I want to share with you a personal decision. I have decided to respond to a call. It is a call that has followed me now for some time. It is a call that I know we all share, but which we may all respond to in the different ways that are unique to each one of us. This decision to respond to a call is connected with the present condition of this country and its future possibilities.

This call for me has become urgent especially in the midst of the current attempt by the current administration and its vassals in the House of Representatives to illegally change the Constitution and usher a permanent state of totalitarian control of the Philippines under the guise of democracy. (See the two recent articles that I just wrote on this development in www.nicanorperlas. com and www.truthforce. info.) This brazen and treacherous act show us all, whether or not it will succeed, what we are dealing with politically. Embedded in the center of our public institutions are unaccountable elite powers who have no conscience and moral restraints and who want to continue, at the expense of the vast majority of Filipinos, their abusive and destructive reign come hell or high water.

CONTEXT OF PERSONAL DECISION

If we truly listen to our inner voice, we all feel a deep inner pain, a pain not connected with anything personal in our lives. Rather, we all feel deeply wounded because our beloved country, Filipinas, is dying from a mortal wound. We look with care and compassion at the condition of Inang Bayan, Mother Philippines. And we feel something turning in our guts. We realize that Her mortal wound is not only Hers but ours as well. Her corruption is our corruption. Her pain is our pain. Her poverty is our poverty. Her wars are our wars. Her darkness is also our darkness.

She is calling to us for help. She wants us to stop Her bleeding, from the wounds of poverty, corruption, injustice, violence, drugs, joblessness, mis-education, and all the dozens of plagues now battering the country. She is calling us to heal Her, to restore Her former beauty, warmth, joy, love, creativity, excellence, heroism and promise. And in the process of healing, we will also be restoring our sense of honor, dignity, freedom, justice, solidarity, and our deep sense of the sacred, deep values we have held for hundreds of years.

Her call to all of us is to take action and prevent Her demise and our demise in the 2010 elections. Dear friends, we need to understand that this coming election is not going to be an ordinary election. The Arroyo government is worst than the Marcos government. Marcos controlled and damaged the institutions of society. Arroyo, in addition to institutional control and erosion, is damaging and increasingly taking control of our morals and our spirit. We are facing not just any election. In 2010, we will decide whether or not we will lose of soul and drown our spirit under the rampage of the forces of traditional politicians that right now are aligning and preparing for the final assault. As we speak, the administration is already pouring billions of pesos worth of public funds to secure their control in 2010, public funds that they disguise as social services of all kinds.

She is warning us: If we do not do anything, our country will surely plunge into violent chaos because the tyrannical reign of this present administration will continue beyond 2010. She is warning us that the fate of the country would be no better if another wave of self-centered power-hungry and wealth-salivating traditional politicians from the opposition captured political power in 2010. For their corruption, lust for power, and greed for money would be just as compulsive and insatiable as Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her allies. She is challenging us all to step forward to create a new societal force that would redeem this country, not only politically, but also culturally, economically, ecologically, and, most important of all, individually and spiritually.

Dear Friends. We have survived the reign of Spain, the US, and Japan. But we are still under the yoke of a power which is more difficult to overcome because this is a power that now comes from deep within and among us. it is an oppressive power that is springing from our darkness within and our weaknesses as a people. We are now under the imperial rule of traditional politicians who offer us really nothing inspiring but instead ram down through our throats increasingly more decadent versions of the same old injustices and moral decadence that have been ruling and torturing us all for too long.

PERSONAL DECISION: 2010 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

It is with this deep concern that traditional politicians will permanently obtain control of our future that I am stepping forward to announce my bid for the Office of the President in 2010. It is my humble opinion that someone with my qualifications and track record can inspire this nation to dream again of real profound aspirations: of true honor, dignity, honest achievement, and visionary creativity. Only when we can dream as profoundly as we want to, can we overcome the forces of darkness arrayed within and against us and deserve the future that awaits boldness, courage and initiative.

I am not comfortable speaking about my achievements and awards. You can check out the details of my qualifications at my official website, www.nicanorperlas. com.

But this present occasion does not allow me to remain totally silent regarding my qualifications. People who do not know me will understandably ask: Who are you? Why do you even think you are qualified to run for the highest office in the land?

Given these questions, I will therefore, of necessity, have to give you a brief overview of how my life has prepared me for the task of unifying the nation and enabling it to become a visionary country. I also hope that my sharing of important biographical facts, would allow you to get a gut feel of the dramatic possibilities and the real choice that my candidacy provides for the country in the presidential elections in 2010.

COMPETENCE, LEADERSHIP, INTEGRITY AND ACHIEVEMENTS

I have been very active in civil society for over 40 years as a leader of several national civil society networks and meta-networks (coalitions of national civil society networks). Since I was 17 years old, I have contributed my share to make this country a better and more dignified place to live. Areas where I have contributed include (but are not limited to):

- anti-corruption and good governance; assisted the Philippine government, under the Presidency of Corazon Aquino, in filing two legal cases (one in the US and one in Europe) against Westinghouse Corporation for bribing Ferdinand Marcos $40 million to approve the defect ridden Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in favor of Westinghouse; helped to stop the corruption within the Department of Agriculture (DA) where pesticide companies bribed DA officials to approve and promote pesticides hazardous to the health and safety of farmers and consumers; and was a member of the Steering Committee of KOMPIL II, the broad civil society movement that spearheaded the ouster of a corrupt President, Joseph Estrada; and co-founder and spokesperson of Pagasa 1.0 which staged the longest running daily protest against the corruption of the Arroyo administration;

- poverty reduction/eradicati on and job creation in over 230,000 micro-finance partners throughout the country as a former Chairman of a bank and a trustee of the bank's foundation; also provided technical assistance to thousands of economically poor farmers in over 23 provinces save thousands of pesos by shifting away from chemcal-intensive farming to sustainable agriculture; consulted with donor agencies on how to improve their national programs for empowering tens of thousands of mothers and children especially in combatting malnutrition; sustainable agriculture and agrarian reform; first to demonstrate large scale commercial organic/bio- dynamic vegetable and rice production involving and benefitting thousands of farmers (including those in agrarian reform communities) and consumers;

- renewable energy and environment: helped to mothball the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, preventing this project from potentially harming the lives of tens of millions of Filipinos and potentially polluting 1/3 of the Philippines with harmful radioactive materials; restricting and banning the use of 32 hazardous pesticide formulations that were harming the lives of millions of rice, vegetables, and other farmers and enabling the government to launch a P750 million national program on more ecological approaches to pest management in agriculture which directly benefitted over 100,000 farmers and indirectly and positively affected the practices of several hundreds of thousands more; biotechnology regulation, pioneering in civil society's involvement in regulating the potential hazards of genetic engineering in food production and consumption, a struggle that continues until today and which can potentially affect the health of millions of consumers and the welfare of thousands of farmers;

- national planning and implementation for integral sustainable development, as civil society co-chair of the Philippine Council of Sustainable Development (PCSD), Office of the President, during the administration of Fidel Ramos; and technical writer of Philippine Agenda 21 (PA21), which remains today the blueprint for sustainable development of the country, although basically ignored by the Arroyo administration; and national facilitator for and technical writer of SIAD Guidebook: A Framework for the Localization of Philippine Agenda 21, which today is still being used by local government units serious in pursuing sustainable development; PA21 was the product of more than 25 regional and national consultations involving thousands (before and after becoming the official development framework of the country) and was characterized by one Philippine president as the most consultative document in the policy history;

- shaping globalization; introducing a third framework which embeds trade liberalization in Asia and the Pacific under the higher context of integral sustainable development; as lead negotiator of 5000 civil society organizations in Asia and the Pacific, convinced then President Fidel Ramos, and through him, the Heads of State (Presidents and Prime Ministers) of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) to include strong sustainable development language in the Statement of Leaders, Ministers, and Senior Officials of APEC, which in the mid 1990s constituted 52% of the world economy including the United States of America, China, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Philippines, etc.); as one concrete result, 3 million rice farmers were spared from early and radical liberalization under APEC; wrote a book on this experience called, Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power, and Threefolding, translated in 9 languages, and a modest international best-seller.

- human development especially of the youth, education and leadership; conducted and facilitated dozens of courses, workshops, and seminars on many topics including the global workshops on hope that are changing the lives of many people; trained teachers to set up new schools embodying more advanced and holistic concepts of education; mobilizin g national and global excellence of Filipinos towards the creation of a visionary Philippines as lead convener and co-founder and co-spokesperson of the Karangalan National Conferences on Filipino excellence to showcase the reality of another more dignified, incorruptible Philippines; thousands have attended the Karangalan conferences and tens of thousands have been made aware of the reality of another, much better Philippines through mainstream tri-media.

Aside from concrete achievements in these areas, I have also written 500 articles and other papers as well as given over 200 plenary talks globally and nationally in these subject areas as well as many other fields. (Again, kindly see www.nicanorperlas. com for more details.)

In addition, to these initiatives and writings, I am not a stranger to the apparatus of government and governance, even at the highest levels. I have counseled several presidents as part of my leadership in a number of presidential bodies. Because of the visibility of my achievements, I was offered to be Cabinet Secretary for Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), a position that I did not accept because I did not believe in the integrity of the Arroyo administration. I have advised official Philippine delegations to the United Nations and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. I have provided consultancy services to many government departments as well as to some congressional bodies.

In these capacities, I am familiar with how government operates and have started initiatives that have resulted in the transformation of national policies and programs. I have also been part of large anti-corruption initiatives that have resulted in major benefits to Philippine society as briefly noted above.

That these achievements have had some objective value can be seen from the prestigious national and global awards that have been given to me. These include the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, the Global 500 Roll of Honor, also known as the Champions of the Earth Award, and The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award. These awards have been given, among others, to Presidents and Prime Ministers, giving credence to my bid for the highest office of this land.

In short, I have been inaugurating significant national policies influencing the lives of millions without being an elected official. I have achieved significant results and impacts despite the more difficult path of having to convince those who held political power to take up one’s advocacies and despite threats to my life. I will be able to do significantly more for this country if I get elected to the Office of the President. I will then be able to directly mobilize the resources of government to advance integral sustainable development towards a visionary Philippines, including the eradication of corruption, the reduction of poverty including creation of jobs and more strategic use of social services, pursuit of true justice, peace and order, quality education, the restoration of our dignity and moral fortitude, ecological sustainability, among others.

I will work very hard to win as candidate for the Office of the President of the Philippines. That is part of my nature and who I am, that I work with total dedication and devotion to any cause that I freely commit myself to. But I must honestly tell you that I am not attached to this position. If somebody more qualified steps forward as a candidate for this Office, then, I will happily let go of my candidacy and support a more qualified person. So far, from my perspective, no one has appeared who can truly lead this country into a new and better future.

That person must be able to provide the depth of understanding, the breadth of knowledge, and the track record of a leader that can inspire us all towards realizing a visionary Philippines. We live in a complex age riddled with complex problems. We cannot afford to have leaders who are good with single issues but do not have the knowledge nor the track record to handle the diverse range of burning issues facing the Filipino nation. Equally as important, that person must have the moral depth and integrity to heal the broken institutions and people of the land.

The exciting thing is that we do not have to build it from scratch. Millions are longing for a different country. Thousands have launched innovative projects to put their longing into practice. We can make this happen in our lifetime, if we only have the conviction and will to do so. Forget the excuse for mediocrity that often whispers in our ears: we cannot achieve something this grand in our lifetime. For this will only prevent the real future that awaits us. We truly deserve something much better and we can do it.

We seem to be facing an impossible task. The odds seem to be stacked against us. But that is always how it seems to be. Because the new future can never be a mere repetition of the past which is our normal mode of day-to-day reckoning. Thus our past-directed consciousness can never fully appreciate that new that is emerging right at our very midsts. Impossibility is just a temporary condition awaiting creative transformation. In the impossible is the real that is wanting to happen.

Our heroes did it at the turn of the 20th century. We did it in People Power 1 during the latter part of the 20th century. We challenged a dictator against all odds, against all possibilities. And we triumphed and helped other similar movements around the world triumph. At the beginning of the 21st century, in People Power II, we ousted a corrupt President, again under conditions which seemed impossible. All logic then pointed to a civil war. But then the impossible happened and we rid ourselves of a national pain and embarrassment.

Now we want to create a very different kind of people power, one that is more conscious and visionary and one that is not merely against something but for something. Truly nothing is impossible especially if we embed our efforts within the context of the Divine Power that created the universe, all life, all consciousness, all humans. We will ultimately triumph especially if we put our will, conviction, resources, and time to it knowing fully well that the Universe itself has been imbued with meaning and dignity, a direction we are aiding with our decision to heal our land and restore it human and natural goodness.

Dear Friends, today, let us throw away the chains that have imprisoned us for so long. Let us work hard, to the very end, so we can claim, with Rizal and other heroes that, in 2010, there will be no tyrants because there will be no slaves. For by then we will have awakened, cast off our chains of fear and apathy which have enslaved us for so long, inaugurate a new era of promise, usher in the new Philippines, and change our destiny forever.

WHAT YOU CAN ALL DO.

No one, no matter how qualified, can change this country all by himself or herself. Nor should that be our goal. For this is a task that we must all be engaged in. For this is what true democracy means. All citizens are active and involved in the pursuit of a better future. Equally as important, the guns, goons, gold, machinery, and networks of traditional politicians can only be countered effectively by a committed movement of inspired and enthusiastic volunteers.

If you truly believe we can all make a difference collectively in 2010 and wish to join in my campaign, kindly get in touch with me directly thru my personal email address: npperlas@gmail. com. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS EGROUP TO RESPOND TO ME. Kindly contact me directly.

We need volunteers who can:

- do research;

- create a data base;

- do leg work;

- create policy papers;

- design and develop a campaign website;

- craft YouTube and other virals;

- organize events;

- help with political strategy;

- help with press relations;

- engage in social networking personally and in the web;

- help facilitate and organize the work of volunteers;

- raise funds;

- provide office space in Metro Manila and other parts of the country;

- work as poll watchers and canvassers;

- do other tasks essential to winning a campaign, and

- other tasks that will emerge from time to time.

I will make a formal public announcement in the late morning of June 17, 2009. The venue will be announced soon. It would be great if you not only attend the event but also help out to prepare the event as a volunteer. We will schedule a meeting of all volunteers soon. We will keep all volunteers posted on developments.

If you need more time to reflect, kindly read the last few essays that I have written on the Science of the Impossible (3 parts) and Winnability (2 parts). You can access both these articles in the home page of www.nicanorperlas. com. They counter prevailing beliefs and mindsets that prevent us from reaching our higher potentials as individuals and as a people, especially in connection with 2010.

Please note. I am requesting your individual involvement, not PAGASA as a whole. PAGASA, by its very nature, is a spiritual-cultural movement, not a political movement. But as individuals, you can all choose freely whether to support a particular candidate or not.

One final request. During the PAGASA workshops, we did networking exercises. You may recall that you have all identified close to 5000 other friends of yours who have values and aspirations similar to PAGASA's. If you believe in the possibility of my candidacy, kindly forward a copy of this email to your friends whom you think will be interested in my candidacy. This possibility may just be the initiative that they may be wanting to support.

It has been a long message. Thanks for your time.

Yours for a better Philippines,

Nicanor Perlas

Additional Pages:
Please view the following:
1. Attendance: Sub-page of Members
2. Sunday Readings

SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS:

Hi!
During the Music Ministry Officers Meeting held last
Jan. 4, 2008, we agreed to integrate sports in our activities with the following objectives:
a) to help maintain physically and mentally healthy,
b) to deepen the camaraderie among its members.
Though not compulsary, we encourage each member to participate. The said activity is scheduled every Saturday; 8:00 to 11:00 AM @ MIP grounds.
If you wish to join, please be at the shed at exactly 7:30 A.M.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations, AI-AI and NIKO for a wonderful performance. Continue serving the Lord through the gift He has given you!

anthony's wedding

Dec. 24, 2008; 10am
@
Sto Nino Parish
Molino 3, Bacoor, Cavite

Congratulations & Best Wishes!!!

Please visit my Website:

http://www.freewebs.com/tanigee

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BINYAGAN NA NAMAN

We are all invited @ Eielle's baptism (Grace Ledesma's 2nd baby) on Dec. 14, 2008, in Cainta. Sad to say, our Mass Sked is 6pm and we have a practice with the groom at 2pm... so, I suggest that the Twins or Bonita be the ones to attend.

EIELLE, WELCOME TO THE CHRISTIAN WORLD!!!

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RECRUITMENT:

We are pleased to inform you that Chanterelles of Mary is open for recruitment of new members. Applicants must:

    1. be single and at least 14 years old or above
    2. have parents' consent if below 18 years old
    3. be musically inclined
    4. be a catholic
    5. be willing to participate in all its activities.

Interested individuals may approach our Parish Office or any of our members before or after the mass. Or, you may call or text 0922-8820789.

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