Villar and Ople Team-up with ASHA for "Skills-Up" program

Occupation... Employment... Livelihood... It seems that these synonymous terms always avoid the people who need it the most. These days, it is not enough that one parent provides for the family, both parents need to earn, at times with multiple jobs, to simply get through these hard times. Employers nowadays look for people who they can hire who possesses excellent work skills and ethic that translates to quality.

That being said, it was pleasant and exciting to be able to witness the launch of a vocational skills scholarship program spearheaded by Sen. Manny Villar and the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, in cooperation with the Asian School of Hospitality Arts (ASHA), a TESDA accredited learning institution. It was held at The Coffee Beanery in West Avenue, Quezon City and apparently The Coffee Beanery is affiliated with ASHA. It was evident that ASHA students helped out in the event, and there was even a demonstration by a barista master that has won three barista competitions. The school's president and CEO, Badjie Guerrero-Trinidad was present, welcomed the first batch of scholars of the program, and even gave them a tour of the facilities. Those included among the scholars are victims of human trafficking from Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, as well as farmers from Nueva Ecija who were illegally recruited to work in Cyprus.

Their advocacy is for helping victims of human trafficking and illegal OFW recruitment. Sen. Villar, Susan 'Toots' Ople (Head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute) and ASHA understands the plight of these victims, hence they launched "Skills-Up" program. The program is all about assisting and teaching these victims with skills that would enable them to find, qualify, and land a job either locally or overseas.

A glimpse of what the scholars would go through in ASHA:

- For the initial phase, scholars will be enrolled as students in a three-month course on

hotel housekeeping and baristas at the ASHA, a sister company of the Center for Culinary

Arts and The Coffee Beanery, as well as the Cravings Group of Restaurants.

- The final one and a half months of training would be paid apprenticeships at selected

restaurants and coffee shops ran by the same company.

Also in attendance were ASHA's Angie Blanco, Ricky Rivera and Veronica Navarro. Susan 'Toots' Ople of the Blas F. Ople Center was present, and was one of the event's guests speakers. Daughter of Sen. Manny Villar, Camille, was also a guest speaker and delivered an inspiring message to the scholars.

SCAM SPAM

I have received this text message today and I cannot get over it. Usually scam texts that i get are from banks or ludicrous unknown companies that declare me as a winner or some imaginary prize.

Today however, it says that I have won Php 950,000, oddly enough from the Villar Foundation.

Is the Senator really giving away money???

I doubt ANY senator is.

I was dumb enough to try calling the contact number but was greeted by a person who did NOT sound at all like a lawyer (the text indicates that a certain Atty. Fajardo was to be contacted) and obviously a scam artist.

So again, I am a victim of this useless scam spam and I am embarrassed by this. I do not understand why people create such nonsense, I mean, do they really get to profit from fooling people? Shame on them for even using a respected politician's name for their scam texts.

Then again, it MIGHT just also be a scheme to ruin Villar's name for reasons I cannot think of.

Lolo, please sit down and shut up

I came across this article by Lisandro Claudio that sheds a more truthful light to recent happenings, good read.

JPE again?

Filipinos forgive easily. It’s a cliché because it’s true. Do you remember Ferdinand Marcos’s star lawyer who became his Minister of Defense on account of a scheming ruthlessness that mirrored that of his master’s? Yup, that one: the master political operator who faked his own assassination in 1972 to create a pretext for implementing the most draconian executive order in Philippine history. You remember that order right? Proclamation 1081? You know, the declaration of martial law. It was only the declaration that allowed for assassinations, disappearances, tortures, and the politicization of our once relatively professional military.

Oh you remember! Yah, Juan Ponce Enrile: the trapo who dyes his hair more than Manny Villar, who sports shades that make him look like a Filipinized Mafioso. Well, you know what? He’s now a senator for the nth time and Senate President to boot. How? Because he’s switched sides more times than Mike Arroyo has had heart attacks.

He loves playing both sides of the fence, and he’s been doing it since the 60s. Did you know, for instance, that he was the Cojuangco family lawyer who inserted anti-agrarian reform loopholes in the government agreement that allowed Jose Cojuangco (PNoy’s grandfather) to purchase Hacienda Luisita? When his patron Marcos ordered the distribution of the land in the late 60s, Cory’s Kuya Pedro used Enrile legalese to hang on to the property.

Some people might be forgiving of Juan Ponce Enrile because of his role in the People Power revolution or, most likely, political convenience. PNoy, for one, is too preoccupied with former illegal president Arroyo to bother exhuming the skeletons hidden in the closet of men who threatened the unstable democracy that his mother heroically defended. If only Noy had his mother’s vitriol for the chief patron of Gringo and RAM when they launched those coups against a democratically elected government…

In case our president has forgotten, he should feel the shrapnel still lodged in his neck. If he’s comfortable with it, maybe he can show the scar to allies who abandoned Kiko Pangilinan for the trapo for all seasons.

I, for one, think that nobody should forgive Johnny Enrile. Even in the one moment in 1986 when he seemed to side with the people, his motives were ultimately self-serving. Enrile did not bolt the Marcos government to support Cory Aquino. He launched an abortive coup because it was increasingly clear that Marcos would not choose him as his successor. He only sided with Cory because he had no choice; the people who flocked to protect him in Crame were chanting Cory’s name, wearing yellow, and making Laban signs. Enrile was relieved that the people saved his life, but frustrated that he, the dictator in waiting, would have to cede power to an elected democrat. In his frustration, he would back the efforts of his former aide-de-camp and torturer sycophant Gringo Honasan to overthrow the Aquino regime (allow me to once again cite Alfred McCoy’s stellar book Closer than Brothers as a good reference for people curious about this history).

The fact that Johnny Enrile remains in power after all these years is a symbol of the continuity of patronage politics, turncoatism, impunity, and elite democracy in the Philippines. Reinstalling him as the third highest official in the country is an insult to millions of Filipinos clamoring for change.

Grace Period doesn't mean Screw-up Period... or does it?

A little over three weeks has already past and STILL, the new government, the P-Noy administration (sounds a little conceited doesn't it?) has been committing blunders left and right.

It started out with the focus on minor problems (wang-wang), to the fine-tune-needing Memorandum Circular #1, to the Corona snub, the to the Media seminars, RH Bill, Taxations, being late to appointments , the Cabinet members chosen, etc.

Whoa, come to think of it, minor problems tend to build up to HUGE problems.

Given, P-Noy has done several moves already, although these moves are merely on Congress level, I think P-Noy hasn't (or will he ever) grasped the FACT that he is the President of the entire Philippines. What of the great and upheaving promises that he has given the whole nation once he is seated in Malacanang? (or should I say Times Street?) Has he forgotten all his speeches and commercials?

From what I see, things are not going too well for the Filipinos let alone the country. It seems like P-Noy is making decisions that either benefit himself and his political party, Or making decisions that would let his supporters say, 'at least may ginagawa.'

People, we cannot have this kind of mentality towards the highest, most revered occupation in any country. We must have some objectivity in viewing out government, regardless of their celebrtity-like status, they ARE NOT CELEBRITIES. How can you celebrate a person who uses YOUR tax money for their monthly trips abroad, or their lavish mansions, or their children who would never have to work in their lives (and even become protected little crooks and addicts), or simply who lie directly to your face just so they can maintain their seats in government? HOW??

Anyway, back to the topic...

P-Noy called the DoJ to review the case of detained Senator Trillanes which is a big mistake especially because of timing and purpose. This is because the new Congress will open in a few weeks, the Senate Presidency is up for grabs and reports say that the LP bet in the race, Senator Kiko Pangilinan is trying to get as much votes as he can.

Sen. Pangilinan claimed that he has 10 sure votes already from his colleagues and Trillanes' vote would be a big contribution. Rumors are former Senate President Manny Villar is the man to beat for the Senate Presidency as he has been courting senators for votes since he conceded from the Presidential elections, way ahead of Pangilinan. Aside from this, Villar has solid allies in the Senate, namely from his own bloc and at least half of Ed Angara's bloc.

Another underlying notion of this petition for review of Trillanes' case is P-Noy's desire to 'have the Senate be in parallel to his platforms and advocacies' OR to simply say, P-Noy's desire to completely disregard the checks and balance of the branches of government and have evertyhing in his favor. How can one not see that once Kiko Pangilinan gets a hold of that Senate President seat, anything and everything P-Noy wants, he will get since Pangilinan ran under the Liberal Party, is close to P-Noy, and was even his campaign manager during his useless Congress/Senate days.

Talk about ignorance of law... tssss

Rumors: Miriam says Villar sure to be SP?

I have been hearing news that Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has been giving hints that the up-for-grabs Senate President seat is already in the bag for former presidential aspirant Manny Villar.

She said that Villar started talking to fellow Senators as soon as he conceded in the presidential race due to falling only third in the vote-count, behind former President Erap Estrada and now President Benigno Aquino.

The two other Senators who are trying to claim that coveted Senate Presidency are Sen. Kiko Pangilinan and Sen. Frank Drilon, who both won their re-elective posts during the election period.

Drilon however, is backing away from the picture since he has a tarnished reputation of being a former Arroyo supporter, with evidence that he even 'declared his love and loyalty' to then-president-now-Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during her term.



It is notable that both Drilon and Pangilinan run under President Aquino's Liberal Party during the campaign period. Sen. Pangilinan is now said to be courting his fellow senators to give him their pledges that they will choose him as the next Senate President, and I am certain he is using his ties with P. Aquino as leverage for persuasion.

Sen. Santiago said that Pangilinan is wasting his time because Villar has already secured at least 12, 13 if including Villar, votes which would comprise of the majority of the Senate, and is enough to propell him to the Senate Presidency.


Come to think of it, Villar is a good choice for the Senate President seat not only because he is the most qualified (he is the only presidential-aspirant that is running for the post), and also because he is the least evil among the three (to put traditional Filipino thinking into place). And since Executive, Legislative and Judiciary responsibilities are supposed to be independent of each other, and doesn't favor each other, it is actually essential that a non-Aquino ally be the head of the Legislative department of government.



Could you imagine if Drilon or Pangilinan won? Everything that President Aquino wants, he will get. It is a unfair advantage that would simply demoralize the essence of democracy and the check-and-balance of government officials.

Having Villar as the Senate President would allow this so-called new government of the Philippines to have some balance between the avid, die-hard, blind faith-ed Yellow supporters and the rest of the Filipinos.

I'm Baaaaaack

Hello Everyone, after all that election fever, I have finally recuperated.
Now I am back to what I love doing the most, which is keeping a close eye on our beloved government's significant proceedings (or lack thereof) and activities (or lack thereof).

This may be the first and last time I shall be doing this, so hear me out, CONGRATULATIONS to the new president Noynoy Aquino for winning the presidential race, as well as all the other victors. I truly hope they will do wonders for the country.

BUT as news have reported, the first week of the new Aquino administration has been in disarray, especially with regards to the Cabinet appointees and media-matters. Hopefully, these issues will be resolved as soon as possible because really, much larger and significant issues and problems are yet to be touched upon by the new government.

GOD, Help us all.

He Snooze, We LOSE

I would like to take this opportunity to say Congratulations to all winners.

But i JUST CANNOT HELP but connect the dots...

I have no PROOF of cheating and i am relying on mere human speculation.. but the major winners: Aquino, BINAY, Drilon, Enrile, RECTO, SOTTO, Osmena, Guingona, BISTEK, JunJun BINAY, Fred Lim. Is it not obvious that these are mostly people connected with the OLD Aquino administration...

Did these people not prove that they have been either corrupt or screwed in the brain about ruling the country? I don't know... really.

I WILL ADVICE EVERYONE TO BE POLITICALLY INVOLVED FOR THE NEXT SIX YEARS AND KEEP A KEEN EYE ON THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. Thank you