CATCHING THE COUNTRIES THAT CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING

If we really want to be scientific about it, the typhoon that hit us, Yolanda, started as a cyclone. According to a scientific record, a cyclone "a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth.^[1][2] This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anti-clockwise in theNorthern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. "

Now, tropical cycles start from heated up places,  "driven by significant thunderstorm activity, and are warm core.^[10] Cyclones can transition between extratropical, subtropical, and tropical phases under the right conditions."

The following  information is important:  "Waterspouts can also form ...from environments of high instability and low vertical wind shear.^[12] In the Atlantic basin, a tropical cyclone is generally referred to as a hurricane a cyclone in the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific, and a typhoon in the Northwest Pacific region."

In other words, Folks, the tropical cyclone developed into a strong typhoon due to the warm sea, as it came from the Pacific Ocean. 

Mr. Reynaldo, not his real name, a victim of typhoon Yolanda, told me that at around 5 a.m., while he was in Palo, Leyte, he and his two boys heard a whistling sound and then later, came the strong wind and rains. 

He prayed to God to spare his rented dilapidated house, even just one half of it, and for the two fruit trees in front not to fall on it as it would surely destroy everything and kill them as well. Luckily, the winds only sucked up half of the house's roof and the two trees fell against each other, sparing them of destruction. 

I am sure all of us are still wondering why that calamity happened to us. We can almost surmise that this is due to climate change. But what is climate change? This phrase is in the lips of everyone and now, let us find out what this is. 

Extreme and significant changes in what is the usual weather is what we may call climate change. Usually this has been caused by human activities that border on the use of fossil-based fuels. Whenever gas, coal or oil is burned, then carbon dioxide flies into the air. We know that we, humans and animals exhale carbon dioxide and need oxygen, we need to inhale oxygen in order to survive. Plants and trees, meanwhile reabsorb carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. However, due to cutting of trees, depletion of forests, and polluting substances that fill the air, fewer plants and trees are giving us oxygen. So much carbon dioxide remains in the air causing too much heat or what we know now as global warming. Carbon footprint is the term used for the total carbon that individuals cause. 

Today, our climate is changing very fast because of too much carbon in the air. The weather is very erratic -- sometimes it rains at unusual hours, and floods suddenly occur in the most unlikely places. 

Yet we need energy to run vehicles, to grow food, to manufacture food and other goods. Factories use fossil  fuels to run their boilers and turbines which generate electricity. Restaurants need to use gas to fire their stoves; cars use gasoline or diesel to run. But when carbon is combusted, it produces carbon dioxide. Can you imagine inhaling carbon while in MetroManila? Just look at it from the Antipolo mountains -- a large black cloud hovers over our homes. 

Here is a simple explanation how carbon dioxide cause global warming from the Lansing State Journal, August 31, 1994

How does carbon dioxide cause global warming?

---

Fossil fuels such as gasoline, methane and propane contain mostly carbon.  When these fuels are burned, they react with oxygen and produce carbon dioxide.

Because of our heavy use of fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been increasing since the industrial revolution.  The destruction of forests which use carbon dioxide also contributes to the increase in carbon dioxide.

Most of the light energy from the sun is emitted in wavelengths shorter than 4,000 nanometers (.000004 meters).  The heat energy released from the earth, however, is released in wavelengths longer than 4,000 nanometers.  Carbon dioxide doesn't absorb the energy from the sun, but it does absorb some of the heat energy released from the earth.  When a molecule of carbon dioxide absorbs heat energy, it goes into an excited unstable state.  It can become stable again by releasing the energy it absorbed.  Some of the released energy will go back to the earth and some will go out into space.

So in effect, carbon dioxide lets the light energy in, but doesn't let all of the heat energy out, similar to a greenhouse.

Currently, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing at the rate of about one part per million per year.  If this continues, some meteorologists expect that the average temperature of the earth will increase by about 2.5 degrees Celsius.  This doesn't sound like much, but it could be enough to cause glaciers to melt, which would cause coastal flooding.

But here are the more lugubrious facts:

"The People's Republic of China is the largest consumer of coal in the world. Its coal consumption in 2010 was 3.2 billion metric tonnes per annum. In 2001 the carbon emissions from coal use in China made up about 10% of the world total CO₂ emissions at the time. By 2004 this fraction rose to 14%." 

The biggest country users of coal are in Asia, reaching as much as 67% of global goal consumption, with China being responsible for 14% of it. Other countries that use coal to meet their energy needs are Japan, Taiwan and Korea. They use steam coal to generate electricity and coking coal for steel production. 

Here is the catch: 

The four countries can all be found with their shores going out to the Pacific Ocean. Our country is connected to all of these countries by this ocean. And so the heating up of the Pacific ocean could be attributed to the high use of coal in these countries which then could have caused the tropical cyclone, Yolanda. 

As of 2008, China is number 1  in carbon dioxide emission. Japan is 5th, South Korea is number 8th, and Taiwan is the 20th. The United States is 2nd in the list. 

What happens to the  initiatives  to stop global warming? Are they really effective? 

Meanwhile, let us not forget:

Casualties of the typhoon Yolanda as of 22 November 2013, Ph Official Gazette:

Deceased: 4015

Injured: 18579

Missing: 1602

Folks, please help me correct if there are some facts that need correction, or are missing. Thank you. 

HUNGER AND THIRST IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM?

Knowing how to move in abnormal circumstances is the mark of a well-rounded personality, and most especially of an activist. Under the worse if not the worst circumstances as in what is happening in Tacloban, Leyte, hard hit by super typhoon Yoling, the officials of the Philippine government are being measured in terms of how and how fast they attend to the very basic needs of the victims in terms of food, shelter and safety, among other things. 

I think that bureaucratism has no place under these circumstances. Everyone has to act with speed to save lives. I heard over the radio that a girl child died because she had not eaten presumably since Friday. That means that the people have no other office nor officer to turn to at that time. Yet many millions of dollars in aid are pouring in. 

Question, how come this money has not been put to good use? Who is halting the immediate release of funds for buying food, water and transporting all basic necessities of the people?

The Visayas islands is just that -- island after island after island. We glory in their pristine sands and deep blue seas but that is all past now because we have seen the wrath and anger as the waves -- so called storm surge-- the waters rising up to 15 feet. Now that does not look enthralling anymore as a scenic come-on for tourists. 

We have not really conquered the problem of connecting these islands so that they could be navigable without much danger and easily link peoples, as well as transport goods and services. Now I am imagining an underground tunnel that would link all these islands so that even four-wheeled vehicles could cross them. Will that be possible in the future? 

The scenes on TV showing how the people cried and pitifully asked for food sent me shivers.  I think it is the height of demeaning the humanity of the people. After five days, the people are still crying for food, water and the bagging (burying) of the dead. Why so difficult to perform tasks at this time? What is hampering the movements of officials, not money, but a work ethic that is desk-bound. 

I can only offer suggestions although I have no clear basis nor actual experience of the situations the people are in:

1. Have rice centers all over the affected areas, where groups of volunteers would be cooking rice all day and all night long to feed the people;

2. Have water stations where they can drink clean water at any time. Digging wells and putting anti-bacterial tablets in them could be a corollary activity;

3. Children's concerns centers where people can bring their children. These centers should have pediatricians and ready food and milk for children to drink.

4. Distributing bags for bodies lying around could encourage people to go "Bayanihan" and lessen the pressures on the Department of Health or any other agency that is tasked to bury the dead;

5. 24-hour message center or three-numbered phones and celfones where donors could call to ask how they can send in help or donate whatever they can, goods and services; 

6. The telecoms have already set up free calling stations which is really good and as well, TV and radio stations are accepting calls from victims to inform their relatives where and how they are. 

7. Always have clear instructions when and where food will be forthcoming. I think looting and frustrations will be reduced if the people are assured that they will not go hungry for a long time and that food will be readily accessible. 

8. For those victims who choose to go somewhere else, instead of stay in the typhooned areas
times of departure of vehicles, whether airplanes or land transports, must be made available. 

9. Looting is not a pardonable act. We must conscientize the looters. 

10. All government warehouses of food, of rice must be opened and distributed without preconditions. 

11. Scientists should be tapped to give us concrete solutions -- not only to predict typhoons, not only how to act when a typhoon is coming  but to discover inventions that could deter typhoons from becoming too strong for people to handle.

I remember in 1976 when the Pantabangan dam suffered from 5-day rains and I was there as part of a seminar-workshop on how to be a social worker under the UP ISWCD auspices. The tombs slid down the dams, the houses cracked, those which were built for residents who had vacated the old Spanish era town of Pantabangan which was submerged in waters to give way to the dam. 

The Red Cross came and people crowded in droves to get their share of food and clothing. We cautioned the people to stay in their evacuation places and wait for the staff to come and give them what is due to them. So the distribution became very organized. 

What is happening in Tacloban right now is showing that governance is on a "ouido" basis. The officials are stepping too slowly to address the needs of the people. We need fast-thinking and creative-minded officials who should be able to think beyond the box. 

To experience hunger and thirst in this new millenium is a great aberration in running any country.

COMELEC AND NON-PDAF THINKING OFFICIALS REVISED

Billions of stolen people's money start not in Congress nor in the Senate but in the barangay -- those who elect the corrupt officials who would later on steal through their Priority Development Assistance Funds or PDAF. The barangay voters are the ones who choose who should sit in Congress and the Senate. So if we should want to clean up our politics so that we would be electing honest officials, then we must start to look intently on how the barangay politics is manipulated and driven to come up with officials who would be future king and queen makers in Congress, the Senate and Malacanang.

 Having been in close contact with the elections in our barangay, I have reflected on many things which show that politics here is not really taken seriously by the people, not even by most of the voters. "Barangay lang yan," they say. But the barangay is the microcosm of the larger political situation in our country. It is the training ground for those who aspire to be in Malacanang -- who will need to be sensitive and nurturing of the needs and welfare of the people. Ergo, let us look at elections as the most significant time for us to choose leaders who will SPEND THE PEOPLE'S MONEY AND USE GOVERNMENT RESOURCES later on.

At the barangay level, elections are held to choose the barangay captain and the kagawad -- the latter being future heads of committees that will take care of peace and order, livelihood, culture, environment, health and sanitation, among others. If the barangay captain is running for a 2nd or third term, all the government resources are open for disposal and the staff under him/her would not want to disobey orders not to do so for fear of losing their jobs. Hence all challengers of the incumbents are working on an uneven playing field, because the Commission on Elections hardly has the time nor the resources to look at every violation being committed during elections in 42,027 barangays all over the country. Thus, preventing the use of government resources for personal interests of the incumbents is hardly tackled at all.

 What are the issues that need to be addressed by the COMELEC then?

1. Candidates who break election rules should be penalized heavily, not just reprimanded. They are actually guilty of distorting democratic processes and providing erroneous role models to the youth who would later on want to be get involved politically. Also their act/s violate everyone's right to free, orderly, honest, peaceful, and credible elections which is mentioned in our Constitution, Article IX-C. Acting contrary to this provision is a form of Constitutional sabotage.

 2. Election registrars who turn a blind eye to violations should be transferred to a lower position immediately to show that the COMELEC means business;

3. The COMELEC should provide an allotment of P100,000 per barangay for the duration of the campaign period to finance the allowances for those who will watch over the violations of rules and regulations regarding campaigning. Time and again, barangay elections appear like an entertainment program being promoted at every street with tarpaulins, posters tacked here and there. There seems to be no serious effort nor attention to stop these violations when the proper thing to do is just place them at the designated poster area.

 4. The allotment should also be used to reward citizens who report such violators/violations in order to encourage them to be vigilant. Later on, we could expect them to do these things voluntarily without reward, and the candidates to be more wary about committing violations.

5. The total allotment is only P4,202,700,000, an amount that is minuscule if we could insure electing honest officials who will perform without pocketing a single centavo and thus save the coffers for meaningful programs and projects.

 6. The COMELEC should not allow candidates who have no platform to run. How could any candidate run without knowing what he or she will do later on once elected? The people should be allowed to choose intelligently from candidates who would explain and tell them that their involvement in the barangay would benefit them. If the candidate has no program of action, then the people will not be able to pin him or her down on anything because they had merely voted them into office without requirements. So then, that would be the start of corruption. Why, even the deaf and blind candidates would be able to tell through sign language (deaf) or voice (blind) what they could do for the people.

7. The COMELEC must provide security to all candidates. There are many hecklers in the barangay especially those who are linked to the present administration. The candidates should be protected and respected at all stages of their campaigning as all citizens should be. Being candidate should be a respectable state.

8. There should be a limit to the number of political paraphernalia -- posters and tarpaulins. To insure that all candidates adhere to the limitations, the COMELEC should choose three printers who would report honestly on how many they had produced. Then the watchers should count how many of these were put up in the barangay and if the number conforms to that ordered by COMELEC. Should there be violations, then these should be reported and candidates' paraphernalia shall be removed at their expense and penalties against such actions provided as well.

SOCIETAL CHANGES especially those that will strengthen our democratic processes, thus insuring that everyone has equal opportunities to serve in the government will take time but now is the best time in preparation for 2016. The presidential elections then should be a model for all election periods that will forever be remembered. While well-meaning people are still in COMELEC we must insure that they perform their role well and that they bring about changes that should redound to a creating a vigilant citizenry that will elect honest and not-PDAF thinking officials.

SERYOSONG USAPAN REVISED

Habang hindi natin pinagtutuunan ng pansin ang barangay elections, asahan natin na marami pang mga anak at apo ng mga PDAF corrupt officials ang darating sa ating buhay. Sila'y magiging mas masigasig sa pagtatrabaho sapagka't alam nilang maiksi lamang ang buhay ng kanilang gawain. Kung kaya't sa higit na madaling panahon, kailangang matapos ang "trabaho" nila at makaeskapo sila sa mapanuring mga mata ng ating mga kababayan.

Alaam ba ng ating mga kababayan kung an-ano ang dapat nilang asahan mula sa barangay?

Una. Kailangang may mataimtim na programang kultural sa bawa't barangay, hindi lamang basketbol, o parada ng mga kostyum ng mga makikilahok. Kailangang ang buong sistema ng sining -- painting, audio-visual, theatre arts, dance, music, sculpture -- ay dapat na maipadama sa bawa't residente ng barangay. Dapat maglaan ng P5 libo kada isang residente na may kakayahang gumawa ng makasining na gawain sa isang taon ang barangay upang sa ganoon, walang naiiwanan, at lahat ay mahahasa sa paggawa ng mga makasining na produkto.

Pangalawa, ang mga problema sa kapaligiran (environment) ay dapat na problemahin ng mga opisyales, araw-araw, hindi lamang kung may darating na taga DILG o City Hall upang magbigay ng mga pananalita. Kailangang araw-araw, sinisipat ang bawa't kalye, mga bakanteng lote, kung may mga hindi marunong mag zero-waste management. Kailangang ipagbawal ang mga proyekto tulad ng piggery sa mga mataong lugar. Ang alam ko pamprobinsiya lamang ito, hindi pang syudad. Pero sa subdivision namin, meron; ewan kung bakit napayagan. Madaling magbulag-bulagan talaga kung malakas (sa pera o impluwensiya) ang may proyektong ito.

Pangatlo, ang baha ay dapat pagtuunan ng bawa't mamamayan. Ang mga taga DPWH na nagtatrabaho sa mga creeks o estero ay kinakailangang taningan ng oras ng mga taga barangay kung gaano na kalaki o karami ang nagawa nila. Sa tulay sa E.Rodriguez, malapit sa Araneta Avenue, mahigit isang taon na ang trabaho noong mga platform floats pero wala pa rin akong nakikitang progreso. Umulan lang sandali noong isang buwan sa amin, bumaha na. Baha ng baha kada may ulan. Paano na kung magtuluy-tuloy ang ulan ng tatlong araw? Ondoy na naman? Siyanga pala bakit ganun. Marurunong namang ang mga civil engineers natin. Matataas ang napag-aralan nila sa UP, sa Mapua, at sa iba pang eskuwelahan. Pero itong baha talangang hirap yata silang ayusin.

Si Robert Marin, isang engineer, na kasama sa Coffee Clutch na nagmi-meeting sa ilalim ng pamamahala ni Ike Seneres tuwing Biyernes, sa Corinthian, ay nagpanukala na kailangang laliman ang Manila Bay. Kasi tuwing high tide, bumabaha ang Maynila. Samakatuwid, mas mababa ang Maynila kaysa sa Manila Bay. Kung kaya't kapag dumami ang ulan sa Kamaynilaan, bababa sa Manila Bay ang tubig at hindi na magtitigil sa mga kalye natin. May nakikinig ba sa mga opisyales natin sa panukala na ito? Wala. Mas abala sila sa pagdedepensa ng DAP.

Pang-apat, Kung may mga taga MMDA o DPWH na nagtatrabaho sa paligid, dapat ipag-alam nila sa mga residenteng malapit doon na hindi sila basta-basta magbubutas ng kalye. O kaya ay mag-iingay hanggang hatinggabi para lamang matapos ang trabaho nila (at the expense of our health.)

Panlima, kailangang ang mga pusisyon sa barangay ay ibukas sa mga residente. Bakit ganun, may mga pusisyon na hawak ng ilang tao na kung titingnan mo ay parang nangangapa pa sa kanilang gawain sa opisina. Parang noon lamang nila nahawakan ang mga gamit. Nanghiram ako ng computer dahil susulat ako ng complaint ko laban sa isang tao na ayaw magbayad ng utang. Ayaw ipahiran. O sige kako, pakiprint na lang mula sa USB ang aking sulat. Hindi pa rin puwede.

Ano ibig sabihin nito? Sa halip na propesyonalismo ang mamayani, ang tingin ng mga local government officials ay private property nila ang mga equipment. Magkakavirus ba kung mageencode ako ng sulat ko? Siyanga pala, nangyari din ito sa ilang opisina sa City Hall noong nagpunta ako roon. Sa isang departamento, sabi ko, puwede ho ba akong maki-fax, kahit na magbayad ako ng sampung piso. Wala raw silang fax machine. Nagpunta ako sa bandang loob ng opisina at may nakita akong fax machine. at nakapag-fax ako ng libre sa kabutihang loob ng isang empleyadong lalaki. Alam nyo kung sino ang nagsabing wala raw silang machine? Isang empleyada sa Administrative Division. Calling, calling head of DPOS.

Pang-anim, kailangang buwan-buwan may asemblea ang barangay, kung saan magre-report ang mga opisyales kung anu-ano ang kanilang nagawa para sa kabutihan ng mga mamamayan. Kailangang ireport din kung magkano, saan napunta ang budget. At kailangang may hard copies ang mga reports. In black and white, nakasulat ang financial report. Dapat ding makita natin kung sinu-sino ang mga performing kagawad hindi lamang ang kapitan o kapitana. Ilang beses silang nagre-report sa opisina sa loob ng isang buwan? Karapatan nating malamang ang mga bagay na yan.

Pampito, ang barangay ay may budget para sa mga seminars at workshops. Kailangang ianunsyo ng maaga para lahat ay malaman ito at makapag-aplay. Minsan nakakita ako ng candle-making workshop nakapaskel sa tarpaulin doon sa sentrong kalye ng aming barangay. Tapos na. Nanghinayang ako dahil gustung-gusto ko ng mga handicraft seminars, lalo na ng mga gumagawa ng mga bagay na yun tulad ng kandila - puwedeng lagyan ng pabango, puwedeng magiba-ibang hugis, etc.

Hindi maganda na namimili ng mga dadalo sa seminars at workshops na ganyan. May isang workshop din tungkol sa environment. Ang pinadalo ay kagawad. Nagpadala ba ng mga mamamayan? Nag-echo ba ng seminar na yun? Wala akong nalaman o narinig man lamang.

Pangwalo, naglakad ako sa San Juan City, sa may Jose Abad Santos, at kauulan lamang. Ang bango ng paligid, amoy ng pinutol na damo. Sana ganyan din ang bango ng barangay, hindi yung amoy imburnal sa bawat kanto. Yung isang kanto sa aming barangay sa tabi ng templo, parating binabaha tuwing umuulan. Paulit-ulit ang problema. At kapag daraan ka, makikita mong bukas pa yung imburnal. Bakit ganun? Paulit-ulit ang mga problema?

Pangsiyam, may 70 milyon budget ang barangay. Magkano ang napupunta para sa pagkakaroon ng livelihood projects? May anunsyo ba tungkol sa mga ito? Anu-anong pautang ang binibigay ng barangay? May isang residente, mahirap, nagtatanong kung puwede siyang makautang ng limang libo para magsimula ng paggawa ng suman na may latik, recipe na galing pa sa Samar. Pero wala raw ganun. Bakit? Walang sagot.

Pangsampu, may feedback mechanism ba sa barangay? May regular na panahon ba na 
nakikinig ang mga opisyales sa mga hinaing at suhestyon ng mga mamamayan? Dito sa karatig na barangay namin, ang kapitan daw dito ay marami nang four-story na gusali. Saan nya kinukuha ang pera para magpatayo ng mga ito? Magandang tanong na hindi natin alam kung sasagutin; puwera na lang kung ang DILG at ang COA ay maglalabas ng audit ng mga barangay. At kung may ilalabas, kailang ilalabas?

Marami pang dapat kalkalin sa barangay. Kailangang simulan na.

But an anemic Comelec that selects the problems to look ito will always rear PDAF thinking officials. A Comelec registrar spoke at a covenant for peace meeting of all candidates and she said: "Kung may reklamo ka, at ang gagawin mo ay maghahain ka nito sa tanggapan namin, mauubos ang oras mo. Mabuti pa mangampanya ka na lamang." Is that the proper attitude of a Comelec registrar, one who will discourage people from doing what is righteous and just?

The COMELEC is full of loopholes in its actions. Since the 70's my friend in Cebut had told me that the COMELEC is corrupt; they do not move without money. When someone wants to run as congress representative or senator, or any other high position in government, they have to pay. I know that too. Someone told me I had to pay when I applied to be a senatorial candidate. When I told him I did not have a single centavo to pay, he later said :there is no way that you would be a candidate." How did he know? Later on, a former senatorial candidate in the last elections told me, "He is an operator for Comelec."

The COMELEC is Constitutionally created but its people are appointed by the person in Malacanang. So to whom are the commissioners beholdened? To the person in Malacanang. It is a vicious circle. We do not have a professional government service. Somewhere always there is a kink that makes government service a disservice to the people. 

We should make COMELEC accountable for the corrupt officials that have been elected. In fact, I would go to this extent, a body should be created to check on the morals of those running for office -- are they prone to materialistic urges? Are they prone to influence-peddling? This could be a psychological or attitudinal test that would reveal how that individual/s would react in future situations that would call for their moral perspectives to surface.

Or maybe, the COMELEC should publish the background of every person running for office down to the barangay level. Unfortunately, during the last barangay elections,
so many people ran all over MetroManila but all I saw were merely photos and names and some included positions. That was all. One or two published missions, programs and projects they would do.

Thus, our elections become mere popularity contests.

Then the COMELEC allows motorcades, but not in major roads and streets during elections. How much gasoline does one vehicle need to cover a barangay? How much gasoline do 20 vehicles need in order to honk their way through every street in the barangay? Or how many people dressed up in similar attire, containing the picture of the candidate should be allowed to roam the streets of the barangay, coupled with a Ati-atihan banda? How much would that cost?

Does the COMELEC compute the costs that candidates spend for those things? No. There are a lot of things that the COMELEC glosses over. Is it a case of being under-budgeted? I don't think so. It is a case of WILL. If there's a will, there's a way.

Let us see if there would be truthful accounting of the expenses of each candidate by November 27th, the last day for submitting the Statement of Expenses incurred during the last elections. Let us see what for that report should be. Will the COMELEC investigate which are the truthful accountings? Will they check on the veracity of the submissions? And should they find discrepancies, will they do something about it?

Now is the time for everyone to shine and be a hero or a heroine.

Folks, is high time that we professionalize the COMELEC, insure that more righteous officials are there to conduct fair, just and equal elections. Also, every month, we must have a checklist of what it is doing in preparation for clean elections come 2016.

SERYOSONG USAPAN TUNGKOL SA ELEKSYON

Habang hindi natin pinagtutuunan ng pansin ang barangay elections, asahan natin na marami pang mga anak at apo ng mga PDAF corrupt officials ang darating sa ating buhay. Sila'y magiging mas masigasig sa pagtatrabaho sapagka't alam nilang maiksi lamang ang buhay ng kanilang gawain. Kung kaya't sa higit na madaling panahon, kailangang matapos ang "trabaho" nila at makaeskapo sila sa mapanuring mga mata ng ating mga kababayan. Alaam ba ng ating mga kababayan kung an-ano ang dapat nilang asahan mula sa barangay? Una. Kailangang may mataimtim na programang kultural sa bawa't barangay, hindi lamang basketbol, o parada ng mga kostyum ng mga makikilahok. Kailangang ang buong sistema ng sining -- painting, audio-visual, theatre arts, dance, music, sculpture -- ay dapat na maipadama sa bawa't residente ng barangay. Dapat maglaan ng P5 libo kada isang residente na may kakayahang gumawa ng makasining na gawain sa isang taon ang barangay upang sa ganoon, walang naiiwanan, at lahat ay mahahasa sa paggawa ng mga makasining na produkto. Pangalawa, ang mga problema sa kapaligiran (environment) ay dapat na problemahin ng mga opisyales, araw-araw, hindi lamang kung may darating na taga DILG o City Hall upang magbigay ng mga pananalita. Kailangang araw-araw, sinisipat ang bawa't kalye, mga bakanteng lote, kung may mga hindi marunong mag zero-waste management. Kailangang ipagbawal ang mga proyekto tulad ng piggery sa mga mataong lugar. Ang alam ko pamprobinsiya lamang ito, hindi pang syudad. Pero sa subdivision namin, meron; ewan kung bakit napayagan. Madaling magbulag-bulagan talaga kung malakas (sa pera o impluwensiya) ang may proyektong ito. Pangatlo, ang baha ay dapat pagtuunan ng bawa't mamamayan. Ang mga taga DPWH na nagtatrabaho sa mga creeks o estero ay kinakailangang taningan ng oras ng mga taga barangay kung gaano na kalaki o karami ang nagawa nila. Sa tulay sa E.Rodriguez, malapit sa Araneta Avenue, mahigit isang taon na ang trabaho noong mga platform floats pero wala pa rin akong nakikitang progreso. Umulan lang sandali noong isang buwan sa amin, bumaha na. Baha ng baha kada may ulan. Paano na kung magtuluy-tuloy ang ulan ng tatlong araw? Ondoy na naman? Siyanga pala bakit ganun. Marurunong namang ang mga civil engineers natin. Matataas ang napag-aralan nila sa UP, sa Mapua, at sa iba pang eskuwelahan. Pero itong baha talangang hirap yata silang ayusin. Si Robert Marin, isang engineer, na kasama sa Coffee Clutch na nagmi-meeting sa ilalim ng pamamahala ni Ike Seneres tuwing Biyernes, sa Corinthian, ay nagpanukala na kailangang laliman ang Manila Bay. Kasi tuwing high tide, bumabaha ang Maynila. Samakatuwid, mas mababa ang Maynila kaysa sa Manila Bay. Kung kaya't kapag dumami ang ulan sa Kamaynilaan, bababa sa Manila Bay ang tubig at hindi na magtitigil sa mga kalye natin. May nakikinig ba sa mga opisyales natin sa panukala na ito? Wala. Mas abala sila sa pagdedepensa ng DAP. Pang-apat, Kung may mga taga MMDA o DPWH na nagtatrabaho sa paligid, dapat ipag-alam nila sa mga residenteng malapit doon na hindi sila basta-basta magbubutas ng kalye. O kaya ay mag-iingay hanggang hatinggabi para lamang matapos ang trabaho nila (at the expense of our health.) Panlima, kailangang ang mga pusisyon sa barangay ay ibukas sa mga residente. Bakit ganun, may mga pusisyon na hawak ng ilang tao na kung titingnan mo ay parang nangangapa pa sa kanilang gawain sa opisina. Parang noon lamang nila nahawakan ang mga gamit. Nanghiram ako ng computer dahil susulat ako ng complaint ko laban sa isang tao na ayaw magbayad ng utang. Ayaw ipahiran. O sige kako, pakiprint na lang mula sa USB ang aking sulat. Hindi pa rin puwede. Ano ibig sabihin nito? Sa halip na propesyonalismo ang mamayani, ang tingin ng mga local government officials ay private property nila ang mga equipment. Magkakavirus ba kung mageencode ako ng sulat ko? Siyanga pala, nangyari din ito sa ilang opisina sa City Hall noong nagpunta ako roon. Sa isang departamento, sabi ko, puwede ho ba akong maki-fax, kahit na magbayad ako ng sampung piso. Wala raw silang fax machine. Nagpunta ako sa bandang loob ng opisina at may nakita akong fax machine. at nakapag-fax ako ng libre sa kabutihang loob ng isang empleyadong lalaki. Alam nyo kung sino ang nagsabing wala raw silang machine? Isang empleyada sa Administrative Division. Calling, calling head of DPOS. Pang-anim, kailangang buwan-buwan may asemblea ang barangay, kung saan magre-report ang mga opisyales kung anu-ano ang kanilang nagawa para sa kabutihan ng mga mamamayan. Kailangang ireport din kung magkano, saan napunta ang budget. At kailangang may hard copies ang mga reports. In black and white, nakasulat ang financial report. Dapat ding makita natin kung sinu-sino ang mga performing kagawad hindi lamang ang kapitan o kapitana. Ilang beses silang nagre-report sa opisina sa loob ng isang buwan? Karapatan nating malamang ang mga bagay na yan. Pampito, ang barangay ay may budget para sa mga seminars at workshops. Kailangang ianunsyo ng maaga para lahat ay malaman ito at makapag-aplay. Minsan nakakita ako ng candle-making workshop nakapaskel sa tarpaulin doon sa sentrong kalye ng aming barangay. Tapos na. Nanghinayang ako dahil gustung-gusto ko ng mga handicraft seminars, lalo na ng mga gumagawa ng mga bagay na yun tulad ng kandila - puwedeng lagyan ng pabango, puwedeng magiba-ibang hugis, etc. Hindi maganda na namimili ng mga dadalo sa seminars at workshops na ganyan. May isang workshop din tungkol sa environment. Ang pinadalo ay kagawad. Nagpadala ba ng mga mamamayan? Nag-echo ba ng seminar na yun? Wala akong nalaman o narinig man lamang. Pangwalo, naglakad ako sa San Juan City, sa may Jose Abad Santos, at kauulan lamang. Ang bango ng paligid, amoy ng pinutol na damo. Sana ganyan din ang bango ng barangay, hindi yung amoy imburnal sa bawat kanto. Yung isang kanto sa aming barangay sa tabi ng templo, parating binabaha tuwing umuulan. Paulit-ulit ang problema. At kapag daraan ka, makikita mong bukas pa yung imburnal. Bakit ganun? Paulit-ulit ang mga problema? Pangsiyam, may 70 milyon budget ang barangay. Magkano ang napupunta para sa pagkakaroon ng livelihood projects? May anunsyo ba tungkol sa mga ito? Anu-anong pautang ang binibigay ng barangay? May isang residente, mahirap, nagtatanong kung puwede siyang makautang ng limang libo para magsimula ng paggawa ng suman na may latik, recipe na galing pa sa Samar. Pero wala raw ganun. Bakit? Walang sagot. Pangsampu, may feedback mechanism ba sa barangay? May regular na panahon ba na nakikinig ang mga opisyales sa mga hinaing at suhestyon ng mga mamamayan? Dito sa karatig na barangay namin, ang kapitan daw dito ay marami nang four-story na gusali. Saan nya kinukuha ang pera para magpatayo ng mga ito? Magandang tanong na hindi natin alam kung sasagutin; puwera na lang kung ang DILG at ang COA ay maglalabas ng audit ng mga barangay. At kung may ilalabas, kailang ilalabas? Marami pang dapat kalkalin sa barangay. Kailangang simulan na. But an anemic Comelec that selects the problems to look ito will always rear PDAF thinking officials. A Comelec registrar spoke at a covenant for peace meeting of all candidates and she said: "Kung may reklamo ka, at ang gagawin mo ay maghahain ka nito sa tanggapan namin, mauubos ang oras mo. Mabuti pa mangampanya ka na lamang." Is that the proper attitude of a Comelec registrar, one who will discourage people from doing what is righteous and just? The COMELEC is full of loopholes in its actions. Since the 70's my friend in Cebut had told me that the COMELEC is corrupt; they do not move without money. When someone wants to run as congress representative or senator, or any other high position in government, they have to pay. I know that too. Someone told me I had to pay when I applied to be a senatorial candidate. When I told him I did not have a single centavo to pay, he later said :there is no way that you would be a candidate." How did he know? Later on, a former senatorial candidate in the last elections told me, "He is an operator for Comelec." The COMELEC is Constitutionally created but its people are appointed by the person in Malacanang. So to whom are the commissioners beholdened? To the person in Malacanang. It is a vicious circle. We do not have a professional government service. Somewhere always there is a kink that makes government service a disservice to the people. We should make COMELEC accountable for the corrupt officials that have been elected. In fact, I would go to this extent, a body should be created to check on the morals of those running for office -- are they prone to materialistic urges? Are they prone to influence-peddling? This could be a psychological or attitudinal test that would reveal how that individual/s would react in future situations that would call for their moral perspectives to surface. Or maybe, the COMELEC should publish the background of every person running for office down to the barangay level. Unfortunately, during the last barangay elections, so many people ran all over MetroManila but all I saw were merely photos and names and some included positions. That was all. One or two published missions, programs and projects they would do. Thus, our elections become mere popularity contests. Then the COMELEC allows motorcades, but not in major roads and streets during elections. How much gasoline does one vehicle need to cover a barangay? How much gasoline do 20 vehicles need in order to honk their way through every street in the barangay? Or how many people dressed up in similar attire, containing the picture of the candidate should be allowed to roam the streets of the barangay, coupled with a Ati-atihan banda? How much would that cost? Does the COMELEC compute the costs that candidates spend for those things? No. There are a lot of things that the COMELEC glosses over. Is it a case of being under-budgeted? I don't think so. It is a case of WILL. If there's a will, there's a way. Let us see if there would be truthful accounting of the expenses of each candidate by November 27th, the last day for submitting the Statement of Expenses incurred during the last elections. Let us see what for that report should be. Will the COMELEC investigate which are the truthful accountings? Will they check on the veracity of the submissions? And should they find discrepancies, will they do something about it? Now is the time for everyone to shine and be a hero or a heroine. Folks, is high time that we professionalize the COMELEC, insure that more righteous officials are there to conduct fair, just and equal elections. Also, every month, we must have a checklist of what it is doing in preparation for clean elections come 2016.