Filipinos’ New Year optimism even reached a record high of 95 percent based on the latest survey by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS). The result is two points higher than the 93 percent who welcomed 2011 with hope. It should be noted however the the survey was done before tropical storm Sendong wrought devastation in parts of Mindanao and Visayas.

The record-high optimism however does not sit well with the ailing state of the local economy and the continued global economic slump. Serious economic challenges stare us in the face even as we look somewhere else greener. For one, the country’s growth has been on a steady slowdown since the fourth quarter of 2009. Thanks to the Aquino administration’s active tit-for-tat with the judiciary and the Arroyo camp, tell-tale signs of an economy in distress were perfectly drowned in mainstream discussions.

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During my visit in Busan, South Korea in late November, I had the chance to eat at this casual dining restaurant which is a few blocks away from our hotel in Haeundae. It was the second day of the Busan Global Civil Society Forum (BCSF), the preparatory meet of CSO representatives for the High-Level aid forum, and some civil society friends thought of eating a hearty dinner somewhere near after a tiring day. They tugged me to this restaurant, interestingly named after Mao.

Entering the cozy resto, one would notice the two Mao portraits (one was of young Mao and the other of adult Mao) adorning the walls. Other paintings depict Chinese culture (unfortunately I cannot read Chinese characters inscribed on and below the paintings).

But the catchiest display of all is the rare ten-feet long panoramic photo of Chairman Mao with dozens of Red fighters taken in 1964. As I gaze over the photo, I felt like I discovered a rare gem in the midst of metropolitan jungle. This is not the kind of material usually displayed in mall museums and art exhibits.

[Trivia: Mao did not set foot on the Korean peninsula]

Close-up: Mao (second from the left, front row) sits beside Zhou Enlai (man in black robe), China's first premiere.

Indeed it was a treat taking shots of the paintings and old photos that I forgot to pay attention to the exquisite taste of the food. In fact, I don’t have photos of the marinated pork slices and soup which we ate.

In any case, the presence of the panoramic photo in Busan still puzzles me. Could it be that the owner of the resto is a believer of the socialist cause? Or did he/she buy it somewhere? I know I should have been extra inquisitive on that night, my regrets.

***

Happy birthday Mao!

The past few days had been a rowdy ride for Philippine politics and for those who had been closely monitoring it. The tense chapter in the nation’s life unfolded without any hint. And we have the President and his cohorts to thank for bringing us into this badly scripted thriller by haphazardly pursuing a case against former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the last minute.

The turn of events was just too quick that news stories had very short shelf lives that were outlasted only by thetesticle of Arroyo’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio. The hullaballoo’s ending – Rep. Arroyo being served a warrant of arrest – was so abrupt that the move was hailed by government supporters as sign of the Aquino administration’s political will. On a closer look though, the haste was more of an act of desperation to save President Benigno Aquino III’s political capital.

What was saved by the warrant of arrest wasn’t really Topacio’s family jewels, as presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda jokingly said following the buzzer-beater performance of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court. It was the President’s balls that were saved.

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Indeed, it’s easy to tell who’s the terrorist.

***

Gaddafi’s Body On Display In Meat Store Freezer

[VIDEO]: Bloodied Gaddafi pleads for mercy

[Global Research]: NATO, Al Qaeda Militia Killed Gaddafi

Fans who watched PGT Season 3′s finale tweeted their dismay over the results, with some netizens noting how the talent show has become merely a singing contest.

Maasinhon Trio took home the Season 3, joining other singers in the roster of PGT grand winners (Season 1: Jovit Baldovino, Season 2: Marcelito Pomoy).

“	RT @jpobar: #PGTgrandfinals Majority of Filipinos are dissatisfied with the result! Kris Aquino was shocked when she opened the final result envelop.
	renrenmiave711 October 23, 2011

“	#PGT is not really about the talent but the voting power. Kaya kung wala kang pangload, hindi mananalo ang bet mo.#PGTGrandFinals
	nivlaghersheys October 23, 2011

“	HAHAHA RT @thevideokequeen: kaya di na in-announce sinong 2nd and 3rd.at may delay sa pagbigay ng envelope.in shock din yung prod staff.pak!
	HecklerForever October 23, 2011

“	When Sir FMG announced Maasinhontrio as the pgt3 champ d crowd was like”oh” even the hosts cant believe it.#Elgammapenumbra#pgtgrandfinals
	lovekimanne October 23, 2011

“	RANDOM TRIVIA: PGT1 – JOVIT – one voice PGT2 – MARCELITO – two voices PGT3 – MAASINHON TRIO – three voices #pgtgrandfinals #maasinhontrio
	mancelitaRam October 23, 2011

“	RT @neilUturn: season1 solo- jovit season2 duo – marcelito season3 trio – maasinhon trio season4 – quartet naman!! |> LITO LAPID: Fourplets
	HecklerForever October 23, 2011

“	Justin Bieber fans are furious. They’re asking who #PGTGrandFinals is & why it overtook them on Twitter’s trending topics worldwide
	HecklerForever October 23, 2011

“	mas maganda pa kumanta yung #APO dapat sinali din nila sa #PGTgrandfinals waa kwenta! bv much!
	R_Ong6 October 23, 2011

“	NATAWA ako. RT @SuperSarit: itatapat ata ng ASAP ang Maasinhon Trio sa La Diva (ng Party Pilipinas). Matinding showdown ito.
	HecklerForever October 23, 2011

“	PGT means Pilipinas Got Textvotes! #PGTgrandfinals
	val_pire_dimson October 23, 2011

“	I’m still disappointed that El Gamma Penumbra didn’t make it. Sayang, ‘di umabot kahit sa top 3. Bihira pa naman ako bumoto. #PGTgrandfinals
	mistywarrior October 23, 2011

“	Disappointed with the result of #PGTgrandfinals. WTF!
	FateTwisted October 23, 2011

“	i maybe disappointed but i’m intelligent enough to accept the result w/o blaming the the show the hosts the judges, #PGTgrandfinals
	itsmejoros October 23, 2011

“	BREAKING NEWS: Bottom 3 daw yung na-announce kanina sa PGT 3.. Mali ang nabasa ng judges.. Hahahaha #PGTgrandfinals
	crislovesangel October 23, 2011

“	Just Got Home from the Party, and I’m really disappointed with the result of the #PGTgrandfinals! I didn’t (cont) http://t.co/GwGxbHRs
	RamielManalo October 23, 2011

“	#PGTgrandfinals —Kung Twitter Trending lng ang Batayan walang Duda sana ang resulta…. ://
	Bing_4th October 23, 2011

“	Worst batch of #PGTgrandfinals
	ekanmeiduelas October 23, 2011

(Photo, which was taken by a Keppel worker, was obtained from the independent fact-finding team)

First published on Blogwatch.ph

Inside the 77-hectare Subic shipyard special economic zone (SEZ) in Zambales, impunity is the next deadliest thing to falling stern ramps and wobbly scaffoldings.

Early this month, six workers were crushed to death while seven were seriously injured as a 166.5-ton stern ramp collapsed in Singaporean-owned Keppel Subic Shipyard Inc.Based on the report of an independent fact-finding mission by the non-government organizations near the site and among victims’ families, the workers died a horrible death: arms and legs were cut off, abdomen was crushed, and faces were severely damaged. One worker even had his head severely injured, with his skull exposed. Workers interviewed during the mission said that there could be more casualties than what was officially reported.

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That’s the strange part of some fan’s reactions to the passing of the multi-billionaire. Which goes to show that this consumerist world has made people materialistic rather than materialist. The former is someone who wallows in delight of having a pricey Apple gadget. The latter looks at Apple sweatshops and workers’ suicides, fully understanding that it is not Jobs who assembled the iPad but the army of underpaid workers being forced to work until death.

Stay foolish. Stay hungry.

Read:

Apple’s Chinese workers treated ‘inhumanely, like machines’

Is Apple working workers to death?

You are NOT allowed to commit suicide: Workers in Chinese iPad factories forced to sign pledges

At the official launch of Open Government Partnership (OGP) early this week, some critical issues were not brought out in the open.

On Tuesday, President Benigno Aquino III joined 45 other world leaders in New York for the launch of OGP, touted as a multilateral initiative that supposedly aims to secure commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies.

The OGP in its declaration committed to 1) increase the availability of information about government activities 2) support civic participitation 3) increase access to new technologies for openness and accountability.

“We commit to espouse these principles in our international engagement, and work to foster a global culture of open government that empowers and delivers for citizens, and advances the ideals of open and participatory 21st century government,” the OGP said in its declaration endorsed by eight countries as of Sept. 20, 2011.

Examining the list of participants, it would become clear that the OGP event was just another proxy gathering of global elites. Government representatives joined in the event some of the largest foundations and multilateral organizations, including the World Wide Web Foundation, USAID and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The list even included a “civic hacker” from the Transparency Hackers Community.

Of course, no one from Wikileaks was invited at the OGP launch.

The Philippines, together with eight other countries, comprise the OGP steering committee which is chaired by US President Barack Obama and co-chaired by Brazil President Dilma Rousseff.

Ironically, the US government – which has been largely secretive of its Big Brother operations through its embassies in many countries as revealed by Wikileaks – is leading the initiative. And so it comes as no surprise why no one in the event dared to make any reference to Wikileaks despite much talk about transparency and information sharing. Everyone, including President Aquino, preferred to talk about Washington’s version of transparency.

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“	Noticed how leftists are so onion-skinned? Tinawag lang perjuicio ang strike, pumputok ang butchi nila! Mahilig bumanat pero mga pikon pala!
	dawende September 19, 2011

“	Whether they would admit it or not, the PISTON-led transport strike is a dud!
	dawende September 19, 2011

“	Number of people affected by strike: 16 RT @nerveending: uy, naapektuhan din ako; hirap pumasok kanina. Traffic sa Cubao.
	Abi_Valte September 19, 2011

“	Number of people who tweeted me about: 1)removing VAT on oil; 2)repealing Oil Dereg Law; 3)complaints about gov’t inaction on the strike–6
	Abi_Valte September 19, 2011

“	Please tweet @abi_valte if you think oil overpricing and non-stop oil price hikes are the greater “perwisyo” to the people.
	kilusangmayouno September 18, 2011

“	@kilusangmayouno we should ask the passengers to pass judgment on that. Please tweet @kilusangmayouno if naabala kayo ng strike.
	Abi_Valte September 18, 2011

Update: The furor over Lacierda’s tweets made it to the news:

Palace spokesperson draws flak from pinoy netizens