Government bares plans on how to lower power rates

But does not encourage users to lower carbon footprint other than switching light bulbs to more energy efficient ones. Hmm why is that?

The list mostly dealt with current problems such as operating expenses of energy distributors and the rate that these companies buy electricity from the power producers. Not to mention they are also subsidizing homeowners that consume less than a certain amount.

Why not educate to reduce electricity consumption? Daylight savings time?

Some of the steps initiated by the government are needed. But for how long will it last?

These are more realistic the long term solution than subsidizing consumers. Educate on how to save. Not give hand outs. That wouldn’t teach anyone on how to save.

So? It’s probably the bus driver’s fault anyway

Bus driver in EDSA road rage shooting dies

It happens. It happens not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. The courts have convicted two to life imprisonment for road rage. What made those cases really sad was that they were the ones who were committing the traffic offense and not the victim. But what about in this case?

If you’ve read any of my previous posts in this blog is that I have no love for public transportation in the Philippines, most especially buses and jeeps. Their blatant disrespect for other drivers, lanes, and total lack of road courtesy is what makes driving in Manila a real pain. You can ask any private vehicle driver in Manila that public vehicles are a menace on the streets. It’s actually great when they go on strike. The roads are clear of these irresponsible drivers.

Of course this entire case could be something else other than road rage. But the fact remains, if the traffic cops will not apprehend and discipline drivers on the streets. People will take the law in their own hands. This would not happen if the traffic cops or whoever should be issuing tickets and revoking drivers licenses actually did their job.

At this rate gas will be P60 before the end of the month

As predicted, the price of unleaded gasoline is now P55.07 a liter. In US terms that would be $4.81 a gallon. That’s the cheapest gas around. Premium unleaded will set you back $4.85/ gallon.

This is getting crazy. I’ve been fortunate enough that my car isn’t that addicted to gas as those big SUVs. Diesel is cheaper in Manila but there are also calls from the oil companies to increase it by P11.00. That would put it closer to the unleaded price.

We must reduce our dependence on oil. We’re fortunate enough that we don’t we very cold winters. But we don’t have an efficient mass transportation or open highways. Traffic is the number one cause of gas guzzling as it increases the consumption of gas as you get from point A to B. Mass transportation will reduce this by reducing the number of vehicles on the street.

Let’s face it, there are too many jeeps and buses that clog major highways thus reducing the speed of other motorists. Driving slow doesn’t make you save gas. It’s driving consistently that saves gas. I can get 30km/ liter on my car even at 80kph.

Yes if efficient mass transportation is done, all of these “progressive” groups will complain about the lack of jobs for those jeepney drivers and bus drivers. Well that’s supposed to happen.

The current transportation system is seriously flawed. There are no bus schedules, no clear transportation routes, no map that we can even give a tourist for him to get from Manila to Makati. Bus stops are there but buses stop at all the stops and then some. It’s just a mess. It’s a clear sign of the third worldness of the Philippines. Inefficiency.

Perhaps that’s why we feel the pain of high gas prices.

I think the cost is a lot more

Manila Bay’s pollution bill: P4 billion

This reminds of me of the Simpsons Movie where Springfield was isolated from the rest of the world because they became the most polluted city in the world by dumping raw sewage in the lake. Sound familiar? Except Manila hasn’t been encased in a glass dome…yet.

I remember my father saying that the Pasig River was blue when he was a child growing up in Manila. Unfortunately for many generations since, it’s either brown or black. A friend didn’t even count it as water. And 60% of it contributes to the pollution in Manila Bay.

We may have a picture perfect sunset, but the water isn’t so.

It is not only the lack of political will but also the lack of public support. With communities of shanty towns that live near the waterways and coastline, with no proper sewage treatment what can we expect? It’s already bad enough that there isn’t a proper waste management system in the country, I don’t think that there is even a water treatment facility in the city.

Sigh, the government is pointing fingers on who should clean it up. Everyone should clean it stupid. Every city that the water ways pass through. Every government agency should chip in.

Wouldn’t we want a clean city? I think we could if we all tried. Even at home, practice proper waste management and recycling. Ensure that garbage is disposed of properly. Don’t just throw it out on the street. Reduce your carbon footprint by using less plastic and reusable containers. It all begins with ourselves and a little help.

How much will the gas rise this weekend?

If the past three weeks are any indication, I think we can expect prices at the pump to go up at midnight. Gas companies seem to want to jack prices up 2 pesos this Saturday. I think I’m going for gas tonight.

Psst…wanna buy smuggled vegetables?

P30M worth of smuggled onions, ginger seized

30 containers filled of onions and two more with ginger was intercepted at the Manila International Container Port. The shipment came from India, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Well, we need rice not onions. Sheesh even smuggling can’t even get it right. Maybe that’s why this shipment was caught. But seriously, how can you expect to offload that much onions here? Maybe if it were rice, then it would be possible. But a garnish?

Officials should check each and every container to make sure that there aren’t any contrabands inside, like a sports car or something. But then again, I don’t think you can wash off the stink of an onion smelling sports car. Even worse it could be decaying. Ewwww.

Why don’t these students put themselves in their teacher’s shoes

UP students stage ‘cultural protest’

So the cost of college goes up, big deal. Or should I say, deal with it. These “progressive” groups protesting in the University of the Philippines is not something new or should I say old news. There’s a protest every week and it’s so old. These students should place themselves in the shoes of their professors who are trying to make a living teaching.

It saddens me that a full tenured professor of the university is paid barely above minimum wage here in the Philippines. They are bound by the salary cap for government officials since UP is a state university. But with the UP Charter, this will finally free the university from the salary cap and finally get paid on what they deserve.

These students who complain about high tuition fees, then go elsewhere. If the student qualifies, UP has a system which classifies the student based on the income of his/her family and could end up paying very little compared to those who do not qualify. It practically gives the student a scholarship even if they don’t have one.

Based on tuition fees of private universities and colleges, UP is far cheaper. Who said education was cheap? These “activists” also protest the “commercialization” of the university. Then give ideas on how the university can still provide quality education if the government won’t give them more money and they can’t raise tuition fees. I’m listening.

Scrap lab fees? How can they expect to enter the workforce without the skills earned in college? If there are no lab fees well then the student would have to pay for everything they use in the lab. The digital scale, the chemicals, the instruments and anything that is consumable. The fees are still there to pay, they’ll just have to pay it at a later time and probably much higher.

So, go to class, study, graduate, get a job and learn about reality.

Can you tell the difference?

In the land of fakes how can you tell it’s real?

With only a few days away until classes begin in the Philippines, it’s interesting that there are even bootlegged school supplies. School supplies!

Even pirates wont even spare the greatest Philippine novel ever written.

One is fake and the other is the authorized print of the Department of Education.
The sad thing about it, as far as I know the book is in the public domain. So why is there a need to “pirate” it.
Well the original is in Spanish so I believe the Filipino translations are held by copyright. But in this day and age, the fake costs P150.00 and the real one costs P300.00. The price alone could make a parent think twice about which book to buy their kid for school.

More pictures of the fake and real. Comment on which one you think is fake or real. I’ll post the answer after school starts.

Book 1

Book 2

Which one is fake and which one is real? You decide.

Now that is freaky insane

‘Mad man’ takes child for a frog, pulls out her eye

An obviously mentally ill man mistook a three year old girl for a frog and pulled her eye out.

I feel sorry for both of them. Sorry for the girl that she didn’t know what was going on. And the lack of facilities in this country to keep people like him the proper care that he needs. And also to keep the rest of the community safe from people like him.

Sigh. Just sad.

What a way for nuns to talk

Nuns urge JDV: Shed light on Arroyo-ZTE meet

First of all nuns shouldn’t be involving themselves in politics. It’s a bad habit. Though it it written in the constitution of the separation of church and state, unfortunately is not practiced in the Philippines.

Not to mention that anything that JDV (that’s Jose de Venecia, former Speaker of the House and father to Joey de Venecia who was the whistle blower on the entire broadband deal) is already tainted. Why should we believe in anything that he says is for the good of the country.

After his privilege speech in congress where he was sour graping over the president. Who honestly believes in anything that any elected official says anyway?! He went preaching about bringing a change in governance and politics. He was speaker of the house for practically 12 years! Why didn’t he do anything then?

Why would the nuns be taking sides in the first place? Because they believe that JDV and Jun Lozada are morally right than the ones they accuse? Who are they to judge the moral character of people? Are they God? They should be trying to reconcile this country not split it apart by taking sides.

Why don’t they question the fact that Joey de Venecia, son of the speaker of the house, was able to place a bid for a multi-million dollar government contract? Why was a non-government family member of a high ranking official of congress even included in the bidding.

Why is there such public apathy to all of this? Is it because the ones pointing the finger are not as clean as the one they are pointing to?

Is it just about money? It’s the taxpayers money. Money that gets deducted from our pay checks even before we get it. Little does the public realize that there’s a lot more at stake other than money and power. I’ll discuss it in another blog post.