IT WAS A REAL HONOR AND PRIVILEGE being on tonight's edition of ALAN PAGUIA's new television talk show on the Global News Network (Destiny Cable) because his main guest was General Francisco Gudani, the Marine General commanding the First Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Marines in Lanao province back in 2004 and one of the most credible whistleblowers from the Hello Garci Tape scandal). He is a true officer and a gentleman who has served his country with bravery and integrity fighting both terrorist insurgents and the equally terrible perpetrators of electoral fraud in the 2004 elections. People will recall that it was in the attempt to silence his testimony before the Senate National Defense investigating committees that the infamous Executive Order No. 464 Gag Order was promulgated by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Now retired, Gen. Gudani spends much of his time promoting Christian fellowship among the soldiers and officers of the Philippine Military. On the show I made the point oft-repeated on this blog that the Hello Garci wiretapping scandal is as much about electoral fraud as it is about the despicable and dishonorable practice of prostituting the Armed Forces of the Philippines to partisan political purposes. As such, the illegal Isafp wiretapping that was revealed during that scandal represents violations against National Security that seriously damages the integrity, moral standing and fighting capabilities of the Armed Forces.
ANOTHER KIDNAPPING ALREADY! Oh by the way, it looks like the Abu Sayyaf didn't get enough from the kidnapping of Ces Drilon (though they got the usual major propaganda payoff from the Philippine Daily Innuendo and Khaddafy Janjalani's ole squeeze Arlyn de la Cruz). So they just kidnapped five employees of the Basilan Electric Cooperative yesterday. One of the five hostages was released late yesterday, just like they did with Ces Drilon's Angelo Valderama (probably to deliver the ransom demand while showing off their "humanitarian" streak). But I'm afraid these poor guys could get the axe if their relatives (or Ronnie Puno and the DILG) don't come up with millions in ransom!Meanwhile the CPP NPA NDF cell and the leftist ideologues inside the biggest tabloid in the country are working overtime to complain about "US military presence" in the form of the USS Ronald Reagan, which is assisting in rescue and recovery operations at the capsized MV Princess of the Stars. In this connection, there is also the utter gracelessness of the blogger at Uniffors.
Today's Updates...
THE MYANMAR SYNDROME: Lots of the same people who marveled at the utter stupidity of the military junta in Myanmar for rejecting foreign aid after a major natural disaster are today doing a Burmese hat dance over the generous aid being offered by the United States of America in sending the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to help in the aftermath of Typhoon Frank. Men in skirts and Funny Hats and voodoo incantations are apparently preferred over helicopters and search aircraft. To hell (or heaven) with the victims and their grieving relatives. Let them have a holy biscuit and magic wine...MISPERCENTING THE DATA: GMA TV News just posted a Praise Release from the Dept. of Education (PDF) which reports increases in the National Achievement Test scores of public school students.
Some 1.64 million students from 30,396 public schools took the NAT last March.No, gentle Reader, you are not having a delusional fit of arithmetic innumeracy, because 57.90% minus 51.58% happens to be equal to 12.26% of 51.58%, and 47.67% minus 44.29% is 6.24% of 44.29%! So it's true, the PERCENT change in the percent score was 12.26% percent per percent! It's a sneaky way of turning single digit gains into A MIRAGE of double digit increases.
In the key subjects tested, students showed the biggest improvement in Science with a percentage increase of 12.26 percent, from an MPS of 51.58 percent in 2007 to 57.90 percent in 2008. It was followed by big strides in Filipino and HEKASI which posted an improvement of 10.84 percent and 10.47 percent, respectively.
Overall, the average increment in MPS in Math, Science and English among Grade 6 students was 6.24 percent, from last year's MPS of 44.29 percent to 47.67 percent this year.
There is no known name for this form of self-serving statistical fudging, where it is the percent change in the percent statistic that is percented, err, presented, so I shall invent a neologism for it: Philippinnumeracy!
16 comments:
DJ,
Congrats on the show. So it seems the "terrorist" can't get enough of this kidnapping stuff. I doubt if propaganda mileage was on their mind on Ces Drillon's case as all the talking was done by the negotiators and public officials.... It was more of a business transaction.
jaywalker,
But practically the only thing that sustains them is the ample propaganda support of the likes of PDI, who are also leading the fight to make the Philippines look as much like Myanmar as possible, with all that stuff over the generous aid being offered by the US.
I was just over at uniffors, DJB. I thought what he wrote in his column was fair. There was nothing in it about the Ronald Reagan coming over to help. It was about the Filipino trait of pakikiramay.
jego: I disagree re Uniffors.
Another country has sent technical and professional help putting its citizens at risk for underwater dives for body recovery; technical help plus equipment and personnel for search-and-rescue; helicopter support to transport supplies; others. Had the Russians done it, then you thank the Russians. Had the Chinese done it, then you thank the Chinese. When the USA does it, then you say "thank you".
Good manners dictates that you say thank you.
Uniffors has acted like a buffoon.
"There is no known name for this form of self-serving statistical fudging, where it is the percent change in the percent statistic that is percented, err, presented, so I shall invent a neologism for it: Philippinnumeracy!"
Hate to break it to you DJB, but such a thing does exist, by name...in the democrat controlled US congress, it's called 'baseline budgeting'. What that means, in financial terms, is that a decrease in the RATE of budget increases for pork-barrel social spending programs represents a 'decrease' in the budget...i.e., instead of wasteful pork-barrel project increasing in this years budget by 7 percent, it was, instead, increased by only 6 percent, which represents a 1% decrease, thus the budget for said program was cut!?!
Hi bren. I had to go back to uniffors again to see if there was something I missed, but the column in question doesnt even address the fact that the Yanks are sending help. It was all about Gloria's crassness. There is nothing in the article, one way or another, that says whether or not uniffors is thankful or disdainful of the help. Who knows? Maybe he is indeed grateful, I dont know. In any case, the article DJB linked to does not address the Ronald Reagan coming over to help.
Perhaps it's the rather irreverent cartoon about the PUSA's joke that got DJB upset? (Yes even the not-Bush-friendly LA Times reported that it was a joke, and not another demonstration of Dubya's dimness, as Huffington post portrays it.)
Dubya is fair game for jokes, DJB. IMO, you went overboard with your defense of Dubya when you questioned MB about what he has done for this country in that particular blog post. Wait for MB's stand on the Ronald Reagan coming over.
(A university really ought to set up a debate between you two. Theyll sell a lot of tickets. By the way, does anybody know if universities actually do this? They should. MLQ3 could moderate.)
"We still look at them as a loose organization with some splinter groups, in fact, some of them may be conducting their own operations, and now, has degenerated into a money-making group devoid of any ideology or cause," AFP choef Yano said.
So are we dealing with criminals or terrorists?
Thanks Jego for clearing things up. Nagcilim kasi paningin ni DJB nung ginamit ko yun bush quote sa cartoon.
I was reminding Gloria about an admirable Filipino trait: pakikiramay. It is a vital part of the bayanihan spirit
Actually what the US did is pakikiramay. After all, they didn't need to send aid since Gloria was hands on and had everything under control anyway.
Ang saya dito! I guess this is the reason why i really like Dean's blog. He has this uncanny way of eliciting the best and worst of us. I dont always agree with Dean, but i admire his intellectual courage to tell the world what he thinks about anything.
Re Gloria: its a damn if you do and damn if you dont for her. if she shows up there with tears in her eyes, people would always say its nothing but photo op. it would actually be better for her to just mobilize the agencies to do what needs to be done.
Dave,
Think of a nation as a family. When a tragedy occurs, you want the father and the mother are expected to stay with their family.
I got your point MB and I believe in the pakikiramay thing.
But consider this: A nation is not even a family. And if it is, you probably wont accept that GMA and Mike A is your mom and dad. lol!
dave,
A nation should be a family.
But you're right. If those Bonnie and Clyde were my parents, I would put myself up for adoption! lol!
MB: I like the Bonnie and Clyde thing. lol!
But honestly, if we want this country to progress, we should not run this country like a family. it's "familism" that creates nepotism, that prevents the rise of strong institutions, and the rule of law.
we care for our families, but we probably dont like the idea of our wakes, our days and nights of mourning, being tarnished by politicians coming over with a whole brigade of media to have their photo ops.
but really, i respect your views and its a matter of opinion.
Folks,
What exactly is the difference between Myanmar and the Philippines with respect to foreign aid? Not much that I can see. It is radical international politics that informs those who are suddenly nuclear weapons Constitutionalists. They are like Mike Dukakis --able to ignore human tragedy and the simple generosity of a perhaps overly generous other because of their intellectual ideology.
I think President Bush was sincerely commiserating with Filipinos. So what does he get from PDI+Unifors?
Pakikiramay you say? it's Bush teaching us a virtue we seem to have forgotten. It's not just buffoonishness, but a graceless, indecent buffoonishness that reveals a warped sense of values. People who hate Gloria and hate America's President are willing to make Filipinos suffer behind their shield of false pride and patriotism that is really a form of self-loathing that only a failed ruling class evinces. They secretly wish the Philippines were as strong and progressive as America but won't blame our own foolishness for the failure.
America is their indispensable grievance and excuse for our own failures. It is mirthless, humorless and essentially cruel and inhuman.
Dave,
I too hate nepotism. I was talking about the good aspects of "familism". So we can go completely modern without letting go of those values and traditions that keep us together as one family.
mb: in that case, we dont have a quarrel. thanks for clarifying.
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