Here come those surveys again. It is the general perception that such surveys are rigged in order to put the President in a bad light. Imagine coming out with a survey purportedly concluding “7 out of 10 Filipinos believe that the President is corrupt while 66 percent say Erap is not corrupt.”

This is self-serving and obviously designed to preface the hate campaign launched once again by anti-Gloria elements. The President called the promoters of such surveys as “Titans of Hate,” who condition the minds of the public to expect the worst scenario. But the President appears to be undaunted by such vile criticism and continues to post accomplishments one after the other, which sets her apart from her peers in the world political arena. As shown in the past, surveys serve those who sponsor the exercise and seek only selfish profit, not the truth.

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The call of the opposition for PGMA and Vice President Noli de Castro to resign preparatory to snap elections borders on insanity and only underlies the hallucinations of misguided elements in our society, especially at this time when the legitimacy of the election of President Arroyo is no longer under any cloud of doubt, with no less than former President Erap saying that GMA is the legitimate President of the Philippines.

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Likewise, the vice presidency of de Castro is now a settled matter since the protest of Sen. Loren Legarda has already been withdrawn. Consequently, the issue of the legitimacy of the president and the vice president has been laid to rest, shaming those who still insist on questioning what has already been acknowledged by the whole world.

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There can be no parallelism between the snap elections called by Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and that being floated today, because Marcos held on to power for 14 years by declaring martial law without the benefit of a valid election. President Arroyo was elected in 2004, and was duly proclaimed by the Comelec. This has been acknowledged by no less than the No. 1 guru of the opposition, former President Joseph Estrada, and she will serve under a fixed constitutional term up to 2010.

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President Arroyo should be allowed to complete her term until 2010 and let all those who are salivating for power wait until then. It would be comic relief to watch presidential wannabes (so called) elbow each other for the limelight, some with unsavory records, others guilty of betrayal against the state, and still others nothing but political toothpicks. We know the people would enjoy a respite from their labors.

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Today, what counts among the citizenry are rare qualities called “patriotism” and “statesmanship” if one hopes to be chosen as a leader of our people, as against the charlatans whose sole agenda is primarily on material returns alone. People want to have breathing space from politics as they are already suffocating from too much of it.

THE House of Representatives is now considering its version of the cheaper-medicines bill that aims to provide the Filipino people access to affordable medicines.

Couch commandos described last Thursday’s action as poorly conceived and desperate. Know-it-alls called it stupid. Then there were those who argued: “Ends do not justify the means.”

There was a time back in the 1980s when bond traders were “masters of the universe.”

The size and stature of the US government-bond market had exploded, along with the federal budget deficit. The Federal Reserve’s inflation-fighting resolve and monetary-targeting regime under Chairman Paul Volcker produced huge swings in interest rates. Volatility acted as a magnet, attracting traders to a market that had formerly been relegated to widows and orphans.

Omerta: Philexim under Virgilio Angelo

‘How can I soar like an eagle if I continue working with a bunch of turkeys?”

That’s a “fowl” remark you might expect from an impatient, testosterone-driven chief executive officer (CEO) who’s blowing his top over unattained corporate conquests or bottom-line goals.

It is encouraging that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is finally cross-checking its list of tax-registered businesses against the list of companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The usual knee-jerk reaction of the business community to political controversies now appears to be a thing of the past. When before expansion plans are put on hold and new businesses are deferred each time there are political uncertainties, the second half of the year showed otherwise.

Here come those surveys again. It is the general perception that such surveys are rigged in order to put the President in a bad light. Imagine coming out with a survey purportedly concluding “7 out of 10 Filipinos believe that the President is corrupt while 66 percent say Erap is not corrupt.”