BUSINESS leader Levy P. Laus does not only turn a year older today but definitely a wiser and richer man.
His wisdom springs from his good business sense and judgment. His achievements in many fields- including corporate social responsibility- are well known.
Recently the Carworld, his flagship enterprise observed its 37th year of dominant car dealership in the countryside. His success and rewards are consequential to a good marriage. He is blessed with a wife who shares his vision and understands his temperament.
He is a born leader, confirmed his classmates of 1967 at the old Don Bosco Academy. Although he has a vigorous, outgoing and winning personality, LPL is not cut for politics. Happy birthday, LPL, may you have more dealership outlets to come!
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The Land Transportation Office is in disgrace for its inability to provide car plates to registered vehicles; the Bureau of Customs for unabated smuggling; the Department of Labor for the continuing illegal recruitment, the DECS for bad textbooks, the DOH for failing to supervise and sanction hospitals who violate medical standards and the Dept. of Foreign Affairs for its passport problem. Will Mar Roxas continue this lamentable trend in Matuwid na Daan 2?
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Add the Department of Finance to the list of government bodies that contribute to the "palpak and manhid" practices in the administration. An irate city mayor Ed Pamintuan blasted the DoF for its continued failure to correct and update Angeles City's status of income and expenditures.
With its gross laziness and negligence, the DoF included the city among the list of LGUs who are non-compliant to updated reporting requirement on its electronic fiscal statement.
Families of food poisoning at a mall eatery are grateful to Mayor EdPam for taking up their plight with Yakimix. The owners will pay damages and compensate the victims of their hospital expenses. Mrs. Miniang Pamintuan visited the sufferers in various hospitals assuring them of official support.
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One evil in government is the lack of priority by our leaders.
Cases of food poisoning are glossed over by health authorities, so are the hundreds of sea disaster victims who perished due to shipowners' criminal negligence. Whatever happened to scores of high profile smugglers of vehicles, rice, sugar? We seldom read of court convictions of notorious illegal drug manufacturers, mostly Chinese; of Taiwanese cyber crime syndicates and illegal recruiters.
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The government purchased expensive second hand fighter jets instead of gunboats to patrol Philippine waters and protect our fishermen from intruder's harassment.
Our national pride has been battered by our inability to safeguard and maintain our territorial integrity against China's intrusion and its occupation of our reefs and shoals. Our historic battle cry of "ang mamatay ng dahil sa 'yo" has yet to be proven, even only in token fight against the intruders.
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As with our pitiful helplessness against Chinese incursion to our waters, we are in a stalemate with Canada who stubbornly refused to take back its exported garbage. Given the chance, former CDC chief Rufo Colayco who heads the Capas landfill firm, will gladly accommodate the remaining trash for a fee, no questions asked.
The convenient solution to this impasse is to ship the container vans and donate them to the Chinese reclamation projects in the Philippine West Sea. The builders in what they claimed as Chinese territory will welcome the material which they can easily use as filling material in their reclamation work.
In case the intruders reject the trash, the government can just dump the vans in the disputed area. "Bahala na. Tapat ko linis ko!"
If the administration is not "manhid at palpak" to use alias Mr. Nognog's description, it should apprehend the importers of the Canada garbage, implead and make them answerable to treasonous acts.
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Former Candaba mayor Jerry Pelayo was prominent in TV footage last week while receiving and escorting political leaders to the Macapagal wake at the Heritage Park.
In apparent circumvention of the Sandiganbayan's tacit and implied prohibition of any act of politicking through use of the media, the outspoken and resourceful Pelayo pulled a fast one on the judicial body.
Jerry saw to it that Congresswoman Gloria Arroyo would meet with presidential candidate and VP Binay when she stepped down her vehicle after arriving at the memorial park where her late brother lied in state.
It was a brief but meaningful occasion for Binay who is known as actively seeking CGMA's support and those of her allies in Kampi-CMD.
Pelayo, who is running to get back the mayoralty, sent message to Mayor Rene Maglanque, a Roxas man, that Rene's days at the town hall are numbered.
Binay among big time political leaders was able to talk with GMA in the vigil. He owes it big to his friend Mang Jerry who choreographed the "accidental rendezvous" of party bigwigs and CGMA.
Pelayo, to prick President Noy's conscience, urged him to visit the detainee for humanitarian reasons. It was like asking the dictator Marcos to pay Ninoy Aquino a courtesy call in his Laur jail.
As antidote to the expected candidacy of Pelayo for mayor, Maglanque has caused the creation of a Candaba hymn.
The lyrics attempt to inspire the residents to a better future under his leadership. The patriotic song celebrates the town's principal products like watermelon, tilapia, and duck industries.
Nothing of the old "ibon-ebun" stuff that made the town a tourist destination. Susmariosep! Mayor Rene seems to hate birds- Pelayo's bird that is.