Good Ideas: The Think Tank
Color me impressed. You’ve got good ideas. I’d even call some of them greatish. The next step is to collar the people who are in a position to consider these ideas and execute them (the ideas, not the people). So we’re going to organize a think tank coffee where you can pitch your ideas.
I’m thinking of having it around September 24, when this site turns three years old. To join the think tank coffee, all you have to do is post a Good Idea. Whom should we invite to hear us out? (Politicians might be admitted but they will not be allowed to speak. They have other venues, we only have this one. Who am I kidding? I’ll invite Ted and Jaime and hope they appear.) Any specific format you’d like to suggest?
Meanwhile, keep the Good Ideas coming. Think! Think!
DISCLAIMER. We do not endorse (or even agree with) every single idea posted by our readers. Our goal is to force urge people to think of something useful to the general public. You retain all rights to your original ideas.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
August 11th, 2009 at 03:26
Politics: Eliminate political parties. How? By telling all people running for office to do so as independent candidates. Set up a national campaign agency that will diligently screen a candidate’s resume and experience;once approved,the agency will “present” the candidate to the voters. It doesn’t have to cost millions of pesos–each candidate will be given a specific individual allotment for this “presentation” to the voters, by limited TV,radio and print ads that will have equal “air time” or print sizes and costs . Then they will debate on issues. (Think of it as an election buffet,with the agency as the host). On presidential inaugurations, BAN the family and kin of the pres.and vice pres. elect from the ceremony. We voted for the pres. and vice pres. only–why do we insist on having their families,their kabits and other kin on the oath taking circus? We’re not a monarchic state,the term”first family” or “presidential (sic) son” shall be erased from our national consciousness forever. These people are IRRELEVANT to the elected persons’ duties,hence they should be invisible to the limelight from the beginning up to the end of the term of the successful candidate. We have been aping the American democratic system for so long,even their lack of common sense. (Why do they bother about Michelle Obama? Is she relevant to Barack’s performance as Chief executive?) So you still want to be president? Be prepared to be ALONE in your Malacanang desk. (your family is also banned from setting foot there while you are president) Hey,you sought it,and you won. Keep your family away while you’re performing your duty to your country. And while president, your family and all your relatives to the 4th degree of consanguinity is banned from running for ANY elective position. You also can’t appoint them to any position. Good luck! Too harsh? Well we gotta start from somewhere.
GOV”T AGENCIES: Re-name PAGASA into “PWB” or Phil. Weather Bureau. On rainy days, leave the discretion of whether to allow the children to attend school or not TO THEIR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS. Rename NDCC(National Disaster Coordinating Council–what are they coordinating,the disaster or the response?) into “DRA” or Disaster Response Agency.
MMDA:change the gaddam pink infrastructure colors into a universally acceptable dark gray or navy blue.
TRANSPORT: Support moves to REVIVE the river and railway transport system in MMla. by new aircon ferry boats,trains and new infrastructure. Deploy cops with submachine guns on the roofs of these to deter and/or shoot vandals who throw human excrement. Permanently ban all smoke belching public transportation (jeepneys,buses,tricycles and fxs’) by confiscating and CRUSHING these at the expense of their operators or owners. Same shall apply to smoky private vehicles. Make DWL (driving without license)and Drunk driving a capital offense with PRISON TERM and severe penalty.
more suggestions to follow……..
August 11th, 2009 at 05:06
You should invite Presidentiables and make a mockery of what they do, as them where they’re at, and what they plan to do with this God forsaken country of ours… invite panelists that think they are all MENSA members and see how they fare if pitted against these politicians to see if they will do a better job managing this country… let them prepare short arguments on major issues like public health, taxation, government systems, current events, stuff like that… then the winner pours hot coffee on the loser afterwards…. that would be really nice to see.. oh yeah invite me too!
(^_^)kumagcowdotcom
August 11th, 2009 at 15:37
Invite mall developers like Henry Sy and ask then could they please not put up any more malls and invest in something else instead? A project that actually makes stuff instead of more places where we consume stuff? No nation has ever consumed its way into prosperity. You have to produce first.
August 11th, 2009 at 16:36
I propose that we set a portion of the money we’re spending on the “war on drugs” for the development of a vaccine against shabu, or meth. I’m not saying that we start from scratch (because I think doing our own research would be very prohibitive), but am thinking of contributing to ongoing research efforts (not unlike contributing to international peacekeeping missions). US researchers have lately achieved a breakthrough in developing a cocaine vaccine, understandably so because cocaine is abused more in those parts. I believe they’re also trying to develop a meth vaccine, and considering the extent of our meth problem here it could be worth our money to help pay for the search for a cure. Indeed, meth is one of the most widely abused illicit drugs in the world right now and a coordinated international effort to find a cure would not only relieve an untold amount of human suffering, but could also deal a death blow to narco-politics.
Let me also take this opportunity to bemoan our low level of scientific literacy. We take pride in our high literacy rate, but it stops at that — basic literacy that’s just enough to get us hired by rich Arab and Chinese employers, or even call centers.
Well, we only have ourselves to blame. Our economists have long preached about hitching our economic engine to our “comparative advantage”: a cheap, English-speaking labor pool. We took their advice, and now we’re wondering why we increasingly loathe ourselves for occupying the lower rungs in the global totem pole.
There’s nothing wrong with making our economy responsive to the demands of the global market. What’s wrong is the myopic surrender to market forces, a complete lack of foresight that does not go beyond the next election or the next remittance paycheck.
We are already several years into the 21st century and these are indeed exciting times for science. Biotechnology, nanotechnology, human genomics, brain mapping, artificial intelligence are just a few fields that are witnessing an explosion in knowledge. If we’re doing a significant amount of research in any field at all, I’m not aware of it (and maybe the mass media share some of the blame for not being science friendly).
Take biotechnology, for example. If you’re looking for comparative advantage, here it is. Philippine biodiversity is one of the richest on the planet. This rich biodiversity is a vast warehouse of genes, enzymes and other naturally ocurring chemicals that can be the starting point of a thriving biotech industry. And yet it seems what we’re doing is follow the same, exact (lack of) strategy that has led to the OFW phenomenon. Last time I heard, developers are trying to make a quick buck by converting a part of Palawan, the last frontier, into the next Boracay.
August 11th, 2009 at 16:56
1) Let’s put all our efforts in securing food and energy independence
for our people.
2) Put most of our infrastructure spending on harnessing geothermal,
wind, solar and hydro power. We have plenty of them.
3) To achieve item no. 2, we must strengthen science and technology
within our educational system by breeding a generation of world-class
Pinoy scientists and engineers.
4) Convert denuded mountains into rice terraces.
5) Require all places of work to have shower rooms and locker rooms to
encourage more people to bike rather than ride to work.
6) In tandem with item no. 5 is to have carless days and to provide
bicycle loans to those who can’t afford to buy a bicycle.
7) Dams. Let’s build lots of dams. Freshwater, not oil, will become the most
precious commodity in the future. Let’s make the most of our typhoons.
Let’s turn our country into the Saudi Arabia of freshwater.
8) Let’s find a way to turn Metro Manila’s mountains of garbage into a
power source and use all that power to charge electric jeepneys that will
then replace all diesel-engine jeepneys and buses plying the metro.
9) Instead of building condominiums left and right, let’s begin in earnest
skyfarming–turning skyscrapers into farms to protect our people from the
coming oil and food price shock once the global economic recession
is over.
10) Devote the biggest chunk of our defense budget into building a strong
navy geared at protecting our territorial waters from foreign fishing
fleets that continue to steal food from our own backyard.
August 11th, 2009 at 17:53
You should invite all the presidentiables, so that they can get ideas as to what issues their constituents will actually want to be addressed. Also, make them to Sanduguan with the oath that they will do the agreed ideas if ever they win.
Also invite experts on the various fields of social intercourse, viz Economy, Medicine, Education, Environment and Physics (for energy matters). with their presence, the ideas wouldn’t go out of this world and would remain as effective as they are novel.
By the way, how can I participate if I’m all the way here in Mindanao?
(Don’t forget to upload a podcast file for the event!)
August 11th, 2009 at 22:20
I totally forgot to include this in my first list– BIRTH CONTROL!!
Sex education classes should be mandatory for all high school levels, and access to birth control should be the right of every female 16 and over. This would, and I’m willing to bet on this, immediately (and of course I use the word with the gestation period in mind) minimize unwanted pregnancies, abortion, abandoned children, abandoned women, abused children, abused women.
August 11th, 2009 at 23:09
Vices: To discourage smoking,declare as illegal the Pinoy practice of selling and buying cigarettes by the stick. For those really intent on smoking their lungs out,they will be required to carry with them a “smoking license” (renewable every year)and a re-breathing device so their smoke will not be inhaled by other persons;All cigarettes will be subject to 100% ad valorem or sin tax (or whatever you call it),meaning a pack of “that cowboy” smoke will now cost 150 pesos. This will immediately discourage even the most addicted smoker. ALL liquors will be subject to the same taxes. A bottle of that Pinoy beer will cost 100 pesos,including all taxes. Haven’t you noticed that we have become a nation of drunkards and smokers because THESE SIN PRODUCTS ARE SO EASILY AVAILABLE and they are so cheap anywhere? Hell,even the unemployed young “tambays” and neighborhood crooks can afford to get drunk everyday by “patak-patak” system. Losers! When they are so drunk they go and stab or shoot each other or innocent passersby.
BAN all Karaoke singing in all residential areas and congested neighborhoods; first time violators shall be forced to swallow the incriminating evidence (ie,the mic);repeat offenders will be made to eat the entire karaoke machine in the presence of the police and complainants;
LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION like they do in Denmark. Give the sex workers license, health certificate,regular check up,condoms,etc. Who are we fooling,as long as humans are on earth there will be demand for sex because it is a biological need. No need to argue about that.
PROHIBIT unemployed people and those who earn less than 5 thousand pesos a month from marrying and or having more than 2 children. Couples intending to marry or live together will be screened by a gov’t agency on their jobs,earnings,backgrounds and other valuable assets;should they fail to meet these criteria they will not be allowed to marry. Remember,when the hunger pangs set in, the love dies quickly.
more next time…….
August 11th, 2009 at 23:49
Binibining Jessica, maari po ba kaming mga walang naiambag na Good Idea na dumalaw o makiusyuso man lang sa Think Tank coffee na iyong binabalak? Ano po ba ang iyong tinatatag, isang 21st century 4-H’s Club? O KM without the Chairman?
August 12th, 2009 at 01:15
CONSTRUCT NEW POWER GENERATION PLANTS OR GRIDS and repair or rehabilitate the existing ones;promote solar energy and provide for a way to mass market the technology to every household to augment the usage of electricity. On Christmas seasons, reduce by 50 % the decoration lights on all government offices and buildings to avoid unnecessary power consumption. If possible,make do with Pinoy invented non-electrical decorations to make a statement to the public. Economy shall come first before beauty.
FIND MEANS TO PRODUCE 100% FILIPINO-MADE CARS. In the 1970’s there was the “Sakbayan”, arguably the first Filipino made car with a VW Beetle engine. It was crude,it was slow but it got our folks to where they need to be. Why can’t we even dream of setting up our own automotive industry? There are many great designers here who are not given opportunity because we have no car industry of our own. For the record, Ferrari started out as hand made cars in the back yard of its founder,much like our neighborhood “di-pukpok” talyers. And let’s find a replacement for the darn jeepneys. I have made several drawings of future jeepneys,buses,SUVs,military vehicles, cars,tricycles, etc. Personally I think the airconditioned jeepneys plying Makati-Manila look dumb so I drew my own version. It will run on LPG-Ni-Cad battery back up. It kinda looks like a yacht. And I envision the well-groomed driver will be wearing a dapper barong and slack outfit,with black leathers.
INTERCONNECT BUSES PLYING TAFT-EDSA-MONUMENTO,as an alternative to the overcrowded MRT and LRT. Unlike the overhead rails,these European-inspired connected buses will enable passengers to get on and off at several designated bus stops.
DEPLOY ADDITIONAL MRT and LRT TRAINS during the critical volume hours. It’s ironic that it is during the early morning and early evening hours when there seem to be less trains coming,causing jampack and long wait for the next train;do away with the “reserved trains” for disabled,elderly,women and children–it is undemocratic and provokes curses among the general public. It also shows social inequity. For a 65-year old woman to be comfortable,is it fair to cram an equivalent of as much as 30 younger people in the rear-most trains? Imagine:first three trains,comfortably loaded ;the next trains,impossibly crowded. It is so unjust. Haven’t the MRT management thought of this? Of course,all these wouldn’t have happened if we have paid attention to our…..
RAPID POPULATION INFLUX AND GROWTH IN MMLA. AND ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.Ahh,the issue the Catholic hierarchy will kill for just to oppose–the population control. There is no murder if there was no conception in the first place. There is no crime against God or man if you prevent irresponsible people from impregnating or getting pregnant through clinical or artificial means where the “natural” method has failed time and again. No,the condom is not evil,for I haven’t seen a demon wearing one in my frequent trips to hell;one of them however appears to be holding a crooked cardinal’s staff,but never mind…..
more next………..
August 12th, 2009 at 01:41
Personally, Id like to see less of the “If I ruled the world” type of ideas because, well, we dont rule the world. Not this one. And I’d like to see ideas that dont involve government since they have a proven track record of screwing even the best ideas up.
August 12th, 2009 at 16:02
1. Ask the mayayaman to finance research on saving the environment.
2. Free internet for all!
3. Raise public teachers’ salaries so that they don’t have to sell ice candy and tocino during class.
Mag-iisip muna ako. Ang hirap!
August 13th, 2009 at 00:07
Find ways to modify the Educational Curriculum,by putting more emphasis on Science,Math,Research,Engineering,Information tech, Communications,Medical Courses and Industrial Research. Let’s have less of Liberal Arts and Humanities courses because it hasn’t helped our educated work force in the improvement of this nation or their own lives. We need to look at Japan for their effective education-employment-technology combination.
GO GREEN,plant fast growing varieties of trees in all possible areas-parks,avenues,open spaces,mall parking lots, school campuses,hospitals. For heaven’s sake,stop all logging activities permanently! Too many green things will never cause any problem any where and they keep the air cool and filtered. There are some trees that grow rapidly in ten years. Botanists must work extra hard to research on these.
BIKING,WALKING AND JOGGING SHALL BE ENCOURAGED,but we must first clean the air. Aside from more trees, purchase one of those man-made pollution sucking devices that they use in Mexico City– Kudos to SM Grocery in Megamall for their brown-grocery bag policy. The paper bags however appear too fragile and they don’t have handles. But it’s a start.
ENTERTAINMENT/MEDIA-Let’s have less of those fantasy telenovelas–how many versions and incarnations of Darna,Mari-mar or Rosalinda do they think the gullible public need to watch? And a Pinoy Zorro?!Also,let’s not make the Filipinos appear as though they are always out begging for doleouts and cash prizes from noon time game shows. It may be entertaining for their hosts but it displays a very mendicant culture of our countrymen. Why not produce more intelligent shows that focus on science,nature,technology,and Pinoy breakthroughs? Think National Geographic/Discovery Channel formats. Quiz shows will also help. Also,refrain from shouting at the tv audience when you deliver your news or spiels. (To a popular news anchor:Ever consider a nose job?You sure could use it.) We are Pinoys,not deaf.
more next time………
August 13th, 2009 at 10:34
Better get someone who can take the suggestions/criticism in stride, and also has at least some semblance of capability to execute them. Your mentor, sounds good.
An informal setting would be good, with the ideas being thrown in and discussed as necessary. Encourage the participants to be free to call bs when an idea really sounds bs. Have every idea be defensible from different positions. Like the “food and energy independence” idea, how is it going to be executed? The proponents would provide execution overviews, the guest, give any possible hurdles to the execution. At the very least it’s going to encourage critical thinking about the practicality of the ideas, and not just pie in the sky wishes.
August 13th, 2009 at 23:55
We badly need intellectual resources. We have a lot of intelligent people, they CAN be our intellectual resource, but most of them practice abroad and become some other country’s intellectual resource.
My idea is this: We should teach most of the subjects in the local language or dialect. English as a medium of instruction is just something we’re so used to, and so any forces that push for changing it seems unacceptable. My particular concern is math and science — I think, in my humble opinion as a high school science teacher who graduated from an applied science course, that we can produce more people with better understanding of math and science if we teach it in their natural language. Removing the excess strain of translating from the medium of instruction to the vernacular would make science, but more importantly (the much hated) math more likable.
August 13th, 2009 at 23:59
I forgot to mention this other idea that I think everyone should just start doing: STOP LITTERING.
I can’t stand it when people throw stuff on the streets as they walk, even tiny pieces of paper or candy wrapper, and think that they are not contributing to pollution in general. The fact that you, as an individual, cannot show basic discipline means that we are far, soooo far away from any glimmer of hope for a brighter future.
That includes you, person throwing stuff out the car window.
August 14th, 2009 at 01:54
Make public transportation REALLY public. I find it irritating when taxis, buses and jeepneys stop in the middle of the road to pick or drop off passengers, or when they spend an hour waiting for more people to get in. I believe that these things might get eliminated if public transportation is centralized. Also, we could establish fixed times for buses and jeepneys to arrive in specific stops (making commuting generally more efficient), instead of waiting forever to have them fill up all seats before they leave. And give the passengers the right to smack the drivers in the head if they’re being rude (I know that most taxi drivers are, or maybe I’m just way too unlucky).
Oh and maybe implement garbage segregation full force as well.
August 14th, 2009 at 09:00
Okay, I’m a little late on the game but I decided to speak out on areas that I kinda know about.
1) Realign and organize all the charitable foundations, people’s organizations and NGOs in the country, big or small. I think it’s high time that charitable foundations to reach out and help each other, at least to make similar causes stronger and to have a more united front. It also happens that NGOs and POs have similar causes in the same places but they hardly, if ever, interact with each other. It ends up with overlaps, too much focus on one area and too little on other areas. For example, NGO 1 and PO1 both respond to a disaster area in a major city, but they both neglect smaller barangays because there really isn’t anyone who is coordinating with them.
I realize that making NGOs, foundations and POs may end up with a lot of elbowing each other on who gets a final say, but if they focus on the issues instead of themselves, then I think a compromise can be found.
2) Implement laws. Isn’t it a common mantra in this country that we have good laws, we just don’t implement them? There should be a bigger reward to implementing laws over the rewards of ignoring them.
3) Listen to what NEDA actually has to say. I hope NEDA becomes a relevant agency again. They have really good people and technical staff working there, and I think their inter-agency committees are good too…they have good ideas to various project proposals, but they all get shifted to one side. The result? Duplicated projects and useless programs. If the President stresses that “all projects/programs will not be approved without the seal of approval from NEDA boards” then we’ll all have more effective projects and programs, hopefully.
4) Stop the Catholic Church from meddling into Reproductive Health bills. Seriously, what happened to the separation of Church from State? It’s not like they will take care of ALL the unwanted children. :/
5) Improve the school experience for children by AT LEAST providing enough seats, school supplies and decent books for their learning.
August 14th, 2009 at 13:39
Dapat baguhin ang “criteria of judging” sa mga presidentiables. May ipropropose sana ako. Yung mga requirements sa pagpili ng CEO ng isang company dapat ganun din sa presidentiables. Yung mga requirements tulad ng “Strategic Financial Planning”, “Team Leadership”, “Excellent in Spoken and Written Filipino and English,” at kung anu ano pang requirements na makikita lamang sa mga resume ng isang wannabe CEO. Pwede na rin yung “With Pleasing Personality”, “Exhudes Obvious Charisma”, “Loathes Divisive Politics” at “genuine concern to the people.” Dapat yung mga presidentiables gagawa ng CV, ipapasa sa COMELEC at iinterviewihin sila ng isang panel composed of the different sectors of our society. Iprepresent nila ang mga mission and vision nila, comprehensive development plan at yung classic na tinatanong ng recruiter, “How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution our company?”. Shempre papalitan ng magtatanong yung “company ng “country”. No need for sappy ads, dancing onstage and throwing of cliches. Isang mahigpit na proseso dapat ang pagdaanan ng isang public official, lalo na ang isang presidente
August 14th, 2009 at 22:35
I got these ideas from listening to a RockEd discussion and a John Silva museum tour, and from reading Jezebel.com:
1. Find a way to get Wowowee off the air and revamp the old noon time show format into something less demeaning of women and the poor. These shows serve as sources of some very effed up values for both adults and kids.
2. Inject art appreciation classes/courses in elementary education, especially in public schools. Maybe this could lessen the polarization between “high” art and “low” art, and in turn the elitista vs. masa thinking. It could also encourage critical thinking among kids.
3. Integrate feminist studies in secondary education, so not only would more girls grow up enlightened about their rights as females, but also more boys would grow up with adequate respect for women.
August 15th, 2009 at 05:26
I dont know how this could be done without causing trouble,but could we please get the squatters out of MMla? All efforts to bring progress,enlightenment and order here will be useless if you have urban squatters right in the middle of MMla. (MRT northbound between Quezon Ave and Trinoma mall stations–fantastic view of urban squatters!)How about it,Mayor Belmonte? What shall we do about it?
URBANITY. Declare as CRIMINAL the uncouth Pinoy habit of SPITTING or URINATING anywhere. First offense:fine of 500 pesos.Succeeding offenses:fine of 1000 pesos and cleaning your own spit and urine or community service or imprisonment of not less than 5 days plus seminar on WHY CIVILIZED SOCIETIES DO NOT SPIT or URINATE IN PUBLIC.
PROVIDE DISTANCE line markers for all ATM facilities to ensure privacy and security of ATM users. The distance line marker will provide at least ten feet distance between the ATM user and the person next in line. See,some Pinoys have no concept of personal space,specially in lining up for anything or in riding public transport-they literally like to “breathe down one’s neck”. Should the ATM user feel that the person next in line is getting too close,he/she has the right to notify the guard. Said guard will be armed with taser or stun gun;option to use it on offenders is his prerogative.
CRIMINALIZE THE ACT OF GRAFFITTI WRITING/VANDALISM ON ALL PRIVATE AND PUBLIC WALLS AND STRUCTURES AND OVER TRAFFIC SIGNAGES BY SQUATTER YOUTH GANGS. Prison term is in order,penalty shall be severe,regardless of age. Execute offenders if possible.
ROUND UP ALL SQUATTER YOUTH GANGS AND OTHER SIMILAR LAWLESS ASSOCIATIONS THEN SEND THEM TO BASILAN OR SULU WHERE THEY WILL BE FORCED TO HUNT DOWN THEIR OWN KIND,THE ABU SAYYAF. IF THEY REFUSE MAYBE THE MILITARY CAN DO THE HONORS OF ELIMINATING THEM? SEE, THESE ARE THE FUTURE CRIMINALS OF THIS NATION. CAN’T MOVE AHEAD IF YOU’VE GOT MANY OF THEM RUNNING AROUND,CAUSING DISTURBANCE IN THE CITIES.
more next……
August 15th, 2009 at 14:51
linisin natin ang manila bay. at irelocate ang mga squatters living in the vicinity. kahit tayo pwede nating umpisahan. magandang tignan ang manila bay natin pero mabaho naman. Useless
August 15th, 2009 at 23:08
1. In addition to what MiMaldita has already said about Traffic Management, it is possible to do this by letting one company – appointed by the Government – (like we do with the MRT/ LRT system) take over the public transportation system. All the buses/ jeepneys will be managed by this company. There will be service agreements for example, there has to be enough number of PUVs plying a certain route at certain hours to effectively get thru the rush hour. Of course, this will hurt the private operators, but then it takes a person about an hour to travel from one place to another when it should only really take 10 minutes but takes this much time because the driver doesn’t seem to think that he is eating away all your time, waiting for more passengers at public stops. It will do away with private operators but then it will still generate jobs. Also, private operators can have an option to lease their vehicles to the said company. In turn, this will declog our streets and then will lessen the traffic considerably and our drivers will be better behaved plus the PUVs will be in better shape.
Singapore has done this very well. Their government turned the management of public transportation over to one or two private entities. The companies then studied the number of PUVs needed for certain routes at certain times, so that they are able to use them effectively and they just ply their routes to keep up with their service level agreements instead of daily earnings so that when you say it takes 15 minutes to get from this place to this place it really just takes 15 minutes. You notice there is really no traffic in Singapore. It is an entire country the size of Metro Manila.
2. Put up a toll fee for using very busy streets at certain times of the day. this would urge a lot of people to take alternate routes instead. And then we all do not have to spend so much time on the road.
3. The government should require all schools to have a financial management subject in school. Kahit isang taon lamang sa high school. Dapat po itinuturo sa paaralan kung paano mag impok, mag budget at magpalago ng personal finances. Malaking tulong ito at para hindi patuloy na nasasadlak si Juan Dela Cruz sa kahirapan.
August 16th, 2009 at 20:20
Public libraries throughout the country! My sister Kim and I are bibliophiles. We buy our books and I even steal some from unfortunate small libraries( I work onboard a cruiseline and we have minute collection of books) or from some acquaintances and friends. IM not saying this crass behavior should stop because I do enjoy it. BWAHAHA! but Im very disappointed and furious that we do not have accessible and nice public libraries in the Visayas MIndanao area. We have one public library in Cebu City which some politicians are planning to turn it into a museum. How crazy is that!?!!! Every city that Ive been to in NOrth And South America, in Australia, in New Zealand and in Europe has at least one public library. WHY? because public libraries are an essential part in the cultural and intellectual development of a society
August 17th, 2009 at 22:41
ABOLISH THE PHILIPPINE PESO AND CHANGE IT INTO THE “NEW PHILIPPINE DOLLAR”. I’m no banker nor economist, this suggestion may sound absurd and treasonous,but it just may solve our perpetual problem of a steadily weakening currency. I think it has been done in the past by a Latin American country who also used to trade in peso, and it has completely reversed their sluggish economy. In Asia, Hong Kong, Australia,and Singapore all use dollar for their national currency. Though their value is not as strong as the US greenback, these currencies are respected and competetive. The procedure could be quite complicated but not altogether impossible. The BSP’s Monetary Board (MB) will consult Congress to pass this measure into law. Or maybe hold a plebiscite for this. The MB will also peg the value of the new Phil.dollar into a specific point value that will make it competetive for trade. Think about it. How can we possibly compete with other world currencies in a globalized economy if our peso is so weak? It’s like competing in Formula 1 race with an owner type jeep. No use being sentimental if we want to be competetive globally.
OFFER AMNESTY TO THE ABU SAYYAF BANDITS. Float a 200 million peso reward (of fake money) if they will just stop their kidnaping and terroristic activity. GIVE THEM TIME. Try to appear sincere,declare a truce. It is preferable that President Arroyo, Mike Arroyo and their two sons come to Basilan and talk to them. No PSG,no bodyguards. Filipinos would love that,harhar. Then when they come to claim the money,CAPTURE AND EXECUTE THEM ALL BY BEHEADING. Deception for deception,brutality for brutality,blood for blood. That’s the way to deal with these monsters. Diplomacy has failed time and again. Violence is not ideal,but at least their victims have a chance to GET EVEN.
August 20th, 2009 at 11:16
So I haven’t driven along EDSA for quite some time now, and this morning (past rush hour time) traffic was still heavy especially infront of Megamall. It turns out, it’s because of all these buses trying to squeeze their way in the “ibabaw” lane, blocking the lanes for those going the “ilalim” route. The buses however, were mostly empty, some had no passengers in them. The MRT on the other hand, was packed.
So do the bus operators still earn money, what with the high cost of gasoline and the seeming lack of passengers? How about we ease the traffic especially along EDSA by lessening the number of buses on the road? Maybe the bus drivers can be given jobs with the MRT/LRT. Or the TESDA could give them free skills training. Line up the skills they will be trained for for those that seem to be most in-demand in the labor market.
August 20th, 2009 at 14:46
Also, there’s this bill pending in Congress the “Helmet Act of 2007”. I propose that aside from requiring all drivers and back riders of motorcycles to wear helmets, the bill, or there should also be a bill limiting the number of riders in a motorcylce to two. And add an age limit as well to maybe 16 before one can ride a motorcycle even if just as passenger. Seeing those families of four and with babies in tow are just too scary.
August 26th, 2009 at 14:55
The SEC’s I-View should be free. Currently, company reports can be viewed online if you pay a certain amount using a pre-paid load bought from SEC. Since these reports are public documents, access should be free and easy. This way, we can scrutinize company financials and corporate governance practices. We can also demand better disclosure. In our current free-market system, information is vital. Corporate information will no longer be guarded. Who knows, a new data industry might spur from the availability of such information. Prevent the Legacy debacle from happening as well.
August 26th, 2009 at 16:44
Have some sort of licensure or ethics exam for politicians running for office. Even something as simple as “Is $20k appropriate for one dinner? A. Yes B. No C. I don’t care.” Professionals need to pass a board exam to practice (heck, even interior designers need to pass a board!), but politicians barely have any standards in order to serve in public office– and these are thousands, if not millions, of lives in their hands! I’m willing to bet that half of the politicians in office have never even read the Constitution!
August 27th, 2009 at 10:59
1. Make the non-establishment, non-implementation, non-maintenance, non-upgrading or whatever the case maybe of RA 7743 a disqualification for re-election. (RA 7743: an act providing for the establishment of congressional, city and municipal libraries and barangay reading centers throughout the Philippines, appropriating the necessary funds therefore and for other purposes.)
2. Give tax collectors and everyone who collects funds for the government a higher salary than other government workers so they would not be tempted to accept bribes. If GSIS who only collects funds for their members can give very big salary to their employees why not the government whose programs is entirely dependent on the efficiency of its tax collecting people.
3. Make all professional employees of the education sector, whether private or public, read at least one literature book a month. This way at least instructors are not “only just one step” ahead of their students. Make a law or something, if you teach the subject you must own a book on the subject.
4. Eliminate rice cartels. This is a very big problem in Mindanao or my part of Mindanao. Make the people of NFA work as they should instead of tolerating or even conniving with these cartels.
September 8th, 2009 at 17:25
1. Lets call every freedom-loving filipinos to minimize our very big government and its gargantuan spending by restraining its power to print money out of nothing.
2. Fix the constitution. End the money monopoly of the government and the central bank.
3. Abolish the income tax and government ponzi schemes like SSS, Medicare, etc.
Eliminate government intervention in all productive and economic activities.
4. High taxes on vices. Very low taxes on all industries, products and services.
I believe that the only purpose of the existence of government is to protect civil liberties, enforce contracts and to protect us from foreign and domestic invaders.