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The
country faces stormy weather, says the state weather
forecaster Pagasa, as it warned the public of coming
tornadoes and hailstorms and heavy thunderstorms in May
due to the warm weather. Hail consists of ice particles
that can be dangerous. Tornadoes and thunderstorms are
always dangerous and the public is warned to take
precautionary measures. Fix those roofs and stock up on
basic necessities, just in case.
****
Good
news! Spanish diplomats announced recently that some 20
Spanish companies are coming to the
Philippines
to look for suitable areas of investments. They are
particularly keen on energy, biofuels, infrastructure,
tourism, environment and engineering. This will create
jobs that can multiply as the areas of cooperation also
increase. The Spaniards said their priority is the
Philippines
to compensate for their lack of presence in the area. It
appears that the Spaniards have gone full circle. After
colonizing the country for more than three centuries and
later selling it to the
United States,
they are making a comeback to re-ignite long-forgotten
links that enriched our history. This time, we will be
dealing on a level playing ground.
****
Experts,
including officials of the Asian Development Bank,
confirmed our long-held view that food prices are apt to
rise boosted by various global pressure points,
including the rapid rise in population, the shrinking
acreage for food production, the soaring oil costs,
protectionism in the face of unrestricted trade and a
host of other factors. As one headline puts it, the days
of cheap food are over. The present price crisis not
only in rice and other food items is already an
anticipated phenomenon which has repeatedly warned
consumers with sporadic price adjustments. Prices tend
to go up, not down, and downward adjustments are mostly
merely a fraction of the increase which, in itself,
signifies more adjustments. Can the income of local
workers compensate for the increases? This has never
happened and I doubt anything like this will happen.
What the government is doing is to look at the root
causes of price increases and try to put in corrective
measures to slow down the inevitable.
****
It is
welcome news that the PNP is cleansing itself of erring
cops and putting them on disciplinary status. It will be
a long way to the day when the public’s trust in
policemen will be regained, considering the many recent
exposés on television regarding the police’s forceful
handling of arrest and interrogation of suspects.
Policemen are at the frontline in our war against crime,
and unless their methods are refined, the justice system
will always be viewed as repressive rather than
corrective. Let us support this drive.
On the
other hand, police officials plan to dialogue with media
in attempt to implement plans to improve its image. The
PNP will ask media to refrain from depicting cops as
inefficient or comic, bumbling their job and always
arriving too late to be heroes. PNP chief Avelino Razon
Jr. is implementing measures to spruce up the image of
the policeman through smart uniforms and a spanky
appearance. At least it is a start.
****
They
call it one of the more successful Ledac meetings, with
opposition senators and House members making an
appearance in full force. As a result, the council has
agreed to work on more than a dozen priority bills, many
of which will help people cope with the food crisis. It
is a sign of good things to come when both
administration and opposition legislators agree to work
with the President to address the woes of the public
straining under the burden of high prices. This, too, is
an excellent start.
****
Will it
be Hillary or Barack? Whatever the outcome, this will
reverberate around the world and affect the
socioeconomic and political climate of the future. It
appears that they have already counted out McCain, but
watch out, the Vietnam vet is slowly edging upward, and
who knows what tricks he has up his sleeve when the real
campaign starts. |
