Betrayal in politics

Let’s rewind a bit and note that the law that created LBP mandated it to provide assistance to the agriculture sector.

On the other hand, my gulay, the law that created the DBP mandated it to provide assistance to the industrial sector.

Recall that the DBP used to be the Rehabilitation Financing Corp., created after the war to provide assistance for the rehabilitation of the Philippines.

With the merger, Santa Banana, what government bank will provide assistance to the industries?

With the creation of a behemoth financial institution with the merger of the LBP and DBP, I see no benefit at all for the government.

That, to me, is the strongest argument against the merger. This and aside from the fact that since both the LBP and the DBP were created by separate laws by Congress, the proposed merger simply cannot be done by an executive order.

From my point of view, this is where the danger lies, Santa Banana, on the proposed merger simply by an executive order.

I can almost predict that some legislators will oppose the merger by President Marcos Jr. merely issuing an executive order.

Diokno predicts that the merger will be finished by the end of the year. I doubt it.

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Malampaya contract extended 15 years

The extension of 15 years by President Marcos Jr. of Service Contract 38 to a new consortium replacing Shell and Caltex in the exploration of gas to power at Malampaya off Palawan is expected to guarantee energy to the Philippines, especially Luzon – a step in the right direction.

The new consortium given the 15-year extension are Ricky Razon’s Prime Energy Resources Development B.V, UC38 LLC of the Udenna Group of Dennis Uy of Davao City, and the state-run Philippine National Oil-Exploration Corp (PNOC). The Malampaya project is a deep well gas power plant providing 20 percent of Luzon’s energy needs.

Through the project, the government was able to generate P374 billion revenue, P26 billion of which was earned in 2022 alone.

Records show the past consortium of Shell, Caltex and the PNOC has been remitting 60 percent of the proceeds from petroleum operations to the government. The consortium has remitted more than US$13.14 billion to the government from October 2001 to December 2022.

My wife and I, since we are very elderly and susceptible to the COVID-19 transmission, always wear masks when out of our house, both. indoors and outdoors.

Somebody asked me if there’s a need for all these precautions, after the World Health Organization lifted its Public Health Emergency of International Concern for COVID-19.

As I have been saying all along, experts say while the WHO ended the global emergency status for COVID-19, in the Philippines the DOH should warn the public that COVID-19 is here to stay, like the flu, pneumonia, TB, cholera, dengue and other known illness.

It’s always best for the people to be cautious.

The surge and uptick of COVID-19 cases may not be alarming as in the past, but caution is needed.

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Tourism slogan

It would do well for Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco to realize that the success of any tourism plan or program does not depend entirely on slogans or high-sounding plans.

Any tourism secretary must realize that marketing is first and foremost in any tourism program, and marketing can only succeed in the ability of the tourism department to sell the country.

Marketing includes advertising the Philippines all over the world, particularly over television, like CNN.

Advertising is one, selling the country abroad is another, which requires the tourism secretary to go abroad to sell the country and this needs funding.

And that’s the reason why there must be separate funding of the tourism department just to sell the country abroad.

What I am saying is the tourism secretary must travel abroad and conduct sales blitzes. A tourism secretary must be a salesman and sell the country.

Secretary Frasco must also solicit the help of the foreign affairs department to help in advertising the tourist spots of the country , with brochures and posters to enable foreign tourists to realize where they must go when they travel abroad.

Most importantly, the DOT secretary herself must engage in missions abroad accompanied by the country’s beauty queens to advertise the Philippines as a country of beautiful women.

In other words, to attract foreign tourists, there is no substitute to “selling” the country to make foreign tourists see and experience what the Philippines is -- a country not only with unparalleled hospitality but a “beautiful country.”

THERE we go again. Trapo (traditional and transactional) politics on display.

The worst of Philippine politics. There is no policy issue being debated, no vision of society being contested. What we are seeing is a display of naked power and blatant self-interest.

Social media is abuzz with the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte from her political party Lakas-CMD, after an uproarious day at the House of Representatives involving its top party leaders, Speaker Martin Romualdez and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

After former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo was ousted as senior deputy speaker at the House of Representatives, Duterte resigned, although she did not give a specific reason for her resignation. But she cited “political toxicity.” species and over-fishing are round the lake, hurting its economic importance to the country.

I will not be surprised if she will let go or be asked to let go of her position as Secretary of Education. She is not qualified for that position and has not been doing well, alienating many sectors.

It is best if she maximizes the Vice-Presidency so that further harm to our educational system is prevented.

While Duterte made the dramatic move to enable her to “meaningfully serve” fellow Filipinos and the Philippines – with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leading the way, political analysts see thru the real reason behind such a move.

Opposition leader and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said the removal of former president and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from her senior deputy speaker role and Vice President Sara Duterte’s resignation from Lakas-CMD are linked. He further said, and I agree, the recent events involving the administration’s allies also show the positioning for the 2028 presidential polls has started already. Believe me when a politician employs doublespeak or makes promises such as “public welfare, common good,” or “meaningful service” that one cannot accept it lock, stock, and barrel.

In fact, the default must be to take a politician’s statements with a grain of salt. We have enough experience with political reality to see thru the real intent behind it. Today, political dynasties and celebrities dominate our politics.

There is the absence also of genuine opposition.

The dominance of the ruling party limits the opportunities for opposition parties to gain traction and influence.

The concentration of power can lead to limited checks and balances, which is essential for a healthy democracy.

Moreover, strong executive powers can limit the effectiveness of the opposition, as the ruling party often controls key government institutions and resources.

As population expands in the Bay, it’s expected to rely more heavily on the lake for freshwater supply, thus water quality directly affects human populations.

The latest algal bloom suggests authorities should rethink development plans to protect water quality and fish stocks for Metro Manila’s 16 million people.

It also supports agriculture, industry and hydro-power generation, and is a welcome getaway for rest and recreation for many Filipinos.

Time was when the lake’s importance was placed in peril from problems, including pollution from untreated sewage and industrial waste, over-fishing and the sedimentation and illegal reclamation eroding its capacity.

In recent years the Laguna Lake Development Authority gave the lake an overall ranking of “C-” for water quality and “F” for fisheries (on a scale of A-F, with F being the worst). Environmental threats have also sparked repeated attempts to clean up the lake and ease the pressure on its overstretched ecosystem so it continues to deliver its benefits to a growing human population.

And now the algal bloom.

This erosion weakens the democratic fabric, making it easier for those in power to act with impunity.

Ultimately, one should not rely on a solitary group or political party to rescue the state of Philippine politics.

True transformation must originate from the Filipino individuals residing within the Philippines themselves. Recognizing that politics involves a clash of diverse interests, it is crucial for the Filipino people to assert their own stake, as governments exist fundamentally to serve their citizens.

The confluence of these factors results in more or less predictable outcomes in the elections, whether in the national or local political arena.

This is why we now see the dominant political personalities and dynasties jockeying as early as now to gain the best vantage point for the 2028 presidential contest.

What is happening to the country is a consequence of our transactional politics. Unfortunately, we see this type of politics permeating all throughout our system. To some extent, as Machiavelli and even Marx have written, this is the nature of politics since you have to build coalitions.

When political power becomes highly concentrated, it often leads to impunity, creating a range of negative consequences such as a lack of checks and balances, and suppression of dissent and opposition. Impunity thrives in an environment where institutions are weak or compromised because weakened institutions are less likely to investigate and prosecute abuses of power, allowing those responsible to act with impunity.

Corruption and nepotism thrive in this environment, and the proliferation of human rights abuses.

As a whole, the concentration of power erodes democratic principles and values. In a healthy democracy, power is dispersed, and there are mechanisms in place to ensure accountability and prevent abuses. However, when power becomes concentrated, democratic norms and processes can be undermined.

Re-enacting Queen Helena’s search for the Cross

crucified on, and brought the Cross back to Rome. There are three virtues associated with Queen Helena and Santacruzan: hope, charity, and faith.

IT’S the month of May, with Santacruzan— loosely translated as Festival of the Holy Cross— clear on the country’s festival screens, described by some as a sort of religio-historical beauty pageant. It is held in many Christian communities, from Batanes down to the Christian areas of Mindanao, to celebrate the discovery of the Holy Cross which, as believed, was made by Helena and her son Constantine who became the first Christian Roman Emperor.

What sometimes confuses many is there is also the Flores de Mayo, which means “Flowers of May” and highlights a procession honoring Virgin Mary.

In many communities, this Flores de Mayo coincides with the Santacruzan, re-enacting the search by Elena – Flavia Julia Helena Augusta, also known as Saint Helena and Helena of Constantinople who was born in the lower classes – for the Holy Cross upon which Jesus Christ was believed crucified – with the town or city’s loveliest ladies gracing the occasion.

Introduced by the Spaniards in the Philippines since the 19th century, Santacruzan has become a popular Filipino Catholic tradition that originated as a way to commemorate and re-tell the story of how Queen Helena, or “Reina Elena,” mother of Constantine the Great, uncovered the Holy Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.

Religion says Helena led a back-breaking pilgrimage to find the Cross that Jesus was

Among characters in Santacruzan are Reina Banderada (Queen with a banner), a young lady dressed in a long red gown carrying a yellow triangular flag who represents the arrival of Christianity.

Other characters: Reina Abogada, wearing a graduation gown; Reina Sentenciada, symbolizing innocent convicts; Reina Justicia, symbol for justice; Reina Judith carrying the severed head of a man.

Others are Reina Sheba, Reina Esther, and Reina Veronica, the sweet one who wiped the face of Jesus.

Often, the Santacruzan is interchanged with Flores de Mayo. But in reality, they are different.

Flores de Mayo refers to the month-long festival; Santacruzan, religious and traditional, is the procession of “Queens” signifying Saint Helena’s legendary journey towards finding Jesus Christ’s Cross.

In the procession in the different communities on the last day of the month, Reina Elena (Queen Helena) used to be always the last member of the procession, representing Helena herself, whose Invention of the True Cross is symbolized by a cross or crucifix she carries in her arms.

This considerably prestigious role is usually awarded to the most beautiful girl or important matron in the pageant. In some communities, the identity of the woman playing Reina Elena is a closely-guarded secret until the Santacruzan itself. Other places are more accommodating, allowing three Las Reinas Elenas in their processions.

At the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in the first class town of Cainta, Rizal, the Santacruzan, organized by a committee headed by overall coordinator Milagros Bas-Espinas, is also commemorated: with one Reina Elena, Joy Cruz of the parish’s Mother Butler Guild who will be carrying a crucifix, escorted by her son Jad Michael, representing Emperor Constantine. Reina Emperatriz, signifying her role as an Empress or Queen Mother, is Maria Rosa Cabie of the Legion of Mary, Handmaids of the Lord, and the Elderly Ministry, who will be escorted by her three grandsons: Mikhail Bernard VIII, Mirko Sean Alexander, and Milek Andrey. The Reina Emperatriz will carry the globus cruciger, known as “the orb and cross”—an orb surmounted by a cross, a Christian symbol of authority since the Middle Ages.

The globus cruciger was used by powerful rulers and celestial beings alike; it adorned portrayals of both emperors and kings, as well as archangels and represents the sovereign’s power.

It symbolizes the Christian world with its cross mounted on a globe, and the bands of jewels dividing it up into three sections represent the three continents known in medieval times.

Some historians have raised the theory that somewhere down the festival road, the traditions of Flores de Mayo and the Santacruzan were fused into what we know and celebrate today: the Sagalahan or Sagala.

As the years rolled on, behind Saint Helena in the procession now is is the Reyna Emperatriz or Queen Empress – another representation of Saint Helena, alluding to the imperial Roman title of Agusta (Empress or Queen Mother) which her son Constantine bestowed upon her.

In the truest essence of this religious representation, the Reyna Emperatriz and Reyna Helena are but one and the same.

Some historians suggest that due perhaps to the voluminous turn out of potential role players and the many beauties available, early Santacruzan organizers deemed it proper to have a dual exposure of the main queen to accommodate every one.

Some say:

“Over the years and due to the love of the Filipinos for innovation and their penchant for creativity, the current adaptation of this religious practice has considered a recently

I have seen this in 45 years of engagement in Philippine politics.

Even the best and the brightest, even those in progressive and yes revolutionary movements, practice transactional politics, and as I have myself experienced strong bond of friendships are disregarded aside in favor of political gains that are ephemeral.

Betrayal is not a unique to traditional politics; even the best and the brightest and the most committed to the masses and the people do it for political exigencies. Recently, I experienced this myself and was hurt deeply by it.

But I learned lessons from my sad experience.

The challenge to both traditional and progressive political groups is to return to an ethics-based politics, what I have described to my students in the Ateneo School of Government as always doing the right thing the right way to achieve the right outcome.

Website: tonylavina.com. Facebook: tonylavs Twitter: tonylavs crowned beauty queen titlist or a popular actress or celebrity as Reyna Helena and an equally known male model or actor for her escort.

“The unrestrained display of these biblical characters and symbolic figures participating in the procession made the significant attributes to the Blessed Virgin even more.”

The outgoing parish priest of Cainta’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 60-year-old Rev. Fr. Jaime Padilla, told Grinding Grains in an interview:

“The significance of the Santacruzan lies in its deep immersion to Catholic religious culture and serves as a visual representation of the Biblical story and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He added: “We can derive messages from the Santacruzan like devotion to Mary which reminds the faithful of Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus and her intercessory power.

“Faithfulness and obedience, since the Santacruzan portrays Biblical characters who exemplify faithfulness and obedience to God. “Importance of humility. Mary, in particular, is often depicted as the humble handmaid of the Lord, serving as a model for the faithful to cultivate humility in their own lives.

“Beauty and goodness. Since the Santacruzan showcases elegance, beauty and grace through floral decorations and religious symbols, and encourages the faithful to appreciate and express their faith in a way that reflects the beauty and goodness of God.”

The procession is normally accompanied by the steady beat of a local brass band, playing and singing the Dios Te Salve (Hail Mary). Devotees hold lighted candles and sing the prayer as they walk.

It was customary for males and females and even the children to wear their Sunday’s best dresses which were more often white.

Papua New Guinea, US ink security pact with eye on China movements

PORT MORESBY—Papua New Guinea signed a defense pact with the United States on Monday, giving US forces access to its airfields and ports as Washington vies with China’s expanding footprint in the Pacific region.

Washington has growing concerns about China’s rise in the Pacific, where it is trying to woo nations with an array of diplomatic and financial incentives in return for strategic support.

Defence Minister Win Bakri Daki inked the deal with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken before the start of a US meeting with the leaders of 14 South Pacific island states in the capital Port Moresby.

“A defense cooperation agreement is done,” Prime Minister James Marape said at the signing ceremony, adding that the

Pacific island was “elevating” its relationship with the United States. Blinken said each of the two nations would be able to board the other’s vessels, share technical expertise and “better patrol” the seas together.

“We are working together to shape the future. We are very much looking forward to taking our partnership to the next level,” he said. In a sign of the intensifying rivalry over the South Pacific, Blinken was not alone in representing major powers aiming to counter Beijing’s growing economic, political and military presence.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew into town just hours before him on the eve of his own summit, asserting his nation’s role as a regional power in the face of China’s rise. AFP

GUTTED. This undated handout aerial footage released on May 21 by the press service of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows an apartment block on fire in the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP