Video Cameras Catches Police Action - Be It Good Or Bad

Let's face it - video cameras are out there. In the United States patrol car dash cams have caught officers doing something bad to a civilian.

In Chicago, these cameras showed police officer James Mandarino hitting motorist Ronald Bell 15 times with his baton after a traffic stop last month. According to the State Attorney handling the case, the video showed the victim was not even a threat to the officer.

In another case a couple of years ago, security cameras caught Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate beating the crap out of bartender Karolina Obrycka. He was found guilty and the video helped in doing that.

And of course who can forget the Rodney King police beating video?

Yes the video is indeed a powerful tool and it has caught many "bad" apples doing things they should not do.

That being said, it has also caught a lot of "good" people, especially law enforcement officers doing part of their job but because the video only shows a small piece of it, what is shown get's misconstrued what actually happened, disregarding the totality of the event.

Of course one needs to get all the facts first and the video is just one of many. Unfortunately it is the one that affects emotions the most, complete depiction of actual events or not.

I wonder if we have the same set-up here for our police vehicles?

We should have the same kind of setup in our police officer's vehicles and in our police officer's precints if we don't. Why should our law eforcement not be held accountable if it's possible.

If we don't have it why not? Is it because our police officers are afraid that they may be caught doing "awkward" things that they rather would not want the public to know.

I would not be surprised if they would use that for a reason.

And if there are dash cams installed why isn't the public and the media allowed to see it? Especially when shoot-outs occur?

I for one would like to see it happen so that we can really figure out what happened during those so called "encounters" where all the suspects wind up riddled with over 100 bullets - including innocent bystanders.

It would be great if we can do that . . .

Election Failure Looms And It Won't Be A Surprise

The specter of election failure is back again. Earlier rumors came out of Malacañang about the possible scenario of failed elections.

Despite assurance from the Arroyo side that they were not pushing for such a scenario it seems, now more than ever, that a high possibility exists that it can happen.

Pacific Strategies and Assessments, an Asia-focused business risk consultancy group that does investigations for a number of multi-national companies as well as governments has come out with a warning of the possibility of failed election in the country, especially with the first time use of an automated system.

Malacañang has tried to play down the suspicions but the fact that Arroyo has had a history of saying one thing and doing another goes against her. That she is power hungry no one has a doubt. That she wants to remain in power despite what she says no one doubts as well.

And the potential of a failed election is one way for her to get her wish.

Of course the Comelec has vehemently denied that failed elections will happen because they say the automated system is fool-proof.

But the failure of some machines to function properly in Hong Kong casts some doubts about that contention.

These machines are all new and have not been tested in the field. Amid the heat, the humidity, the fluctuating electricity, the black outs, the inept personnel, and the ignorant public I ask - will things be alright?

I have my doubts and I would sincerely like to be proven wrong. We couldn't make anything work before, what makes us think we can do it now when there is technology involved.

And the fact that the Comelec is very very adamant that nothing wrong will happen makes me fear that something will happen.

Commission spokesman James Jimenez said Thursday that "total failure of elections is inconceivable."

Stranger things have happened Mr. Jimenez. This is the Philippines we're talking about.

Stranger things will happen.

Near Empty Government Coffers? You Mean Empty Government Coffers Right?!

I read in the Inquirer today an article that said the next president, who ever it may be, will inherit a government with near empty coffers.

I read it, I pondered about it, then I laughed.

Why did I laugh?

Because the article is wrong. It's not just near empty . . . it's just plain empty . . . period.

Let's face it . . . the Philippine government is broke. Money that was earmarked for development went to something else . . . and that something else definitely was not development.

Oh wait I take it back . . . it was for development but not necessarily for the country.

The emergency fund that was suppose to be for . . . erm . . . emergencies . . . was used as part of a travel fund.

$20,000 for dinner in New York was what I heard. First it was the President . . . later it was just a congressman which made matter's worst because you have to wonder just how much that congressman stole to afford to pay for a $20,000 dinner when more than 2/3 (I'm guessing) of the country can't even put a complete meal on the table.

You wonder why the country has no money? That's why.

And that's not all.

Money that could have been used to raise the standards in education instead used to develop road overpasses that no one uses and fly-overs which is useless because it increases traffic, not alleviate it.

But mostly it's because of CORRUPTION. I won't be surprised if CORRUPTION eats up 50% of the money that is suppose to be used for out country. And the number above I am just guessing.

“The next president will inherit a system that is nearing fiscal collapse,” so says economist Benjamin Diokno.

Yes nearing fiscal collapse indeed. Hmmmmmm . . . aren't we there yet?

Taxes have been put out there to help the government get some revenue. Get ready for higher income tax and value added tax as well - and you think they are high now.

And because we are out of money how can much needed developmental projects be done - more power generation and better distribution network as well as transportation networks, irrigation and water supply development, and food security.

We have to eat you know.

So what should the next president do? I suggest he shoot himself rather than tackle a hopeless system that was perpetuated by the prior regime - but that's just me.

The only way would be to have more accountability and less corruption.

But then perhaps that's spitting against the wind.

What's So Wrong With Sex Education?

What is it about sex education that makes it so damn controversial whether it be in the United States or here in the Philippines?

The planned inclusion of sex education in the basic curriculum in our schools has come under fire (again) this time from "Ang Kapatiran Party-List candidate Jo Aurea Imbong.

Imbong is a lawyer and professor and former head of the legal department of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Aha! No wonder the challenge.

Admittedly the challenge is on constitutional grounds citing Section 12, Article II of the Charter, which states that "the natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the government."

According to Imbong this means that sex education classes are unconstitutional.

The thing is it doesn't really ban sex education from the purview of the schools.
The way the above section can be read is, yes, it is the duty of parents to teach about life which includes sex education but doesn't it also say there "shall receive the support of the government."

The way I read it sex education is one way for the government to support the parents in their quest in rearing the youths in "civic efficiency and the development of moral character ."

And I agree with DepEd spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya when he said that as the child's second home the schools also has the same responsibility as parents - to teach youths about sex and reproductive health, again in support of what parent's are teaching.

And another thing, I doubt parents are teaching their children about sex. How could they when most of them did not have the same teachings when they were children.

Also, how do we know if what the parents are teaching their children are correct? Are we so sure the what should be taught to children about sex are taught to them?

I'm not, and I don't think anyone should either.

To my mind if someone had taught children in an open and frank discussion things about sex and the pros and cons about it we may not have problems with teenage pregnancies and unwanted child births.

Maybe...

But then isn't maybe better than nothing at all. Unless that's what the detractors want - more kids for our ill-equipped country to NOT feed and clothe.

Political Musical Chairs Of The Different Parties

Ok who's really leaving and who's really staying. In the recent days rumors have been abound of members defecting from one party to another.

There has also been rumors of this and this politicians who used to support one presidential candidate now supporting another.

What gives?

Rather, wow it's not that surprising. After all we do have a history of being change coats - what we call "balimbing."

So we go for who's the winner of the moment. Funny thing is we don't really see a problem with that.

And that's the biggest problem there is.

Dam No Water Equals No Power Equals No Harvest - I Don't See An Upside, Do You?

Call it a warning sign. Well actually it's one of many warning signs that has been constantly ignored.

Earlier the company running Magat Dam in the boundary of Ifugao and Isabela provinces announced that it will shut down operations due to lack of water.

The water level is below the dam's critical level thus the 360-megawatt dam can't generate power nor irrigate the farmlands.

This means that not only will there be less power, resulting in more brownouts, but with no irrigation the farmlands will suffer, further devastating the already precarious existence of farmers.

This will, of course, result in higher electricity prices and agricultural produce prices.

We are quick to blame El Nino for what has happened but why are we not blaming ourselves - and especially the government officials who did not foresee such a thing happening nor did anything to curb the illegal logging that has devastated millions of hectares of watershed areas.

If the watershed areas have been protected this would not have happened. But no, since the politicians and bureaucrats are all money hungry, they allowed themselves to get rich through the illegal logging while at the same time turning a blind eye to the effects it has wrought upon nature.

Sure they say that they are replacing the trees with new seedlings but the thing is those trees that they cut down took decades to mature and to replace it with saplings won't do squat to out current situation.

By the time those trees mature we may already be dead from the drought. But do our government officials listen - heavens no, of course not. If they did it would be a miracle.

Oh wait they do listen - but that's about all they do. Basically, it's in one ear and out the other.

What would it take for our people to wake up from our stupid ways.

Maybe, just maybe it would need the destruction of Metropolitan Manila from flood, blackouts, and drought before we act.

But then again those officials would just fly to the US and escape so even then I doubt if they would care.

Bah!

Politics More Important Than Children's Day In The Sun

Children don't really have time to be the center of attention and many don't really like to be the center of attention unlike adults and this was proven recently.

In the midst of a kindergarten graduation at a public gymnasium in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, administration standard bearer Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and his popular TV star running mate Edu Manzano crashed the ceremony.

I am not really a fan of these graduation ceremonies for kindergarten and grade 6 because I firmly believe that the 2 biggest academic milestones any person should remember is surviving . . .ahem I mean finishing high school and getting your undergraduate degree.

That being said, I don't like it when adults take over a special day supposedly for the children and let politics take over.

Yes the program took longer than expected and yes it wasn't supposed to be in that venue but come on.

Heat being a factor it had to be moved unless you want collapsing children in your hands (and parents I suppose) and the only reason these things take so long is because too many adults just don't know when to shut their mouths. Is it really necessary to have that many people say speeches to these events?

But back to my point it was not a reason to disrupt the event and have a political rally in the middle of it. If Gibo and Edu were civil about it they should have just told their staff to let the ceremony finish before they took over.

There are times when politics should give way to common decency. This was one of them. But then again I doubt if Mayor Menchit Bascon thought about it.

As for the parents shame on you for allowing this to happen without protest. This was your child's moment in the limelight and you all blew it. Shame on you.

But it's not surprising. After all in this country logic and decency gets thrown out the window when politics and kissing-ass take over.

And that's what the "responsible" adults in this graduation ceremony did.

Shame on you all.