A Pledge. By PNoys.

(Please Pass/Share Now)

I am PNOy.

I did not steal a single peso to enrich myself as your President. Hindi po ako nag-nakaw kahit piso mula sa kaban ng bayan.

I am PNoy. I took the dangerous political risks to take initiatives to seriously curb severe corruption in the country.

My beloved countrymen, let me be damned due to DAP. Alam po natin ang kalakaran ng pulitika sa ating bansa. Indeed, I am partly taking the cudgel for my hardworking team.

Pero DAPat no matter what hindi maantala at lalong hindi matigil ang mga programang kinakailangang patuloy na umusad sa kapakinabangan ng milyon-milyong mahihirap nating mga kababayan at sa ika-uunlad ng ating mga pamayanan at bansa.

I promised you that you will be my bosses. I remain single to this day. But ever since I became an elected official, I consider myself a family man. When my father’s life was cut short, I became the only man in the family. When you elected me your President, you have become my family.

In the name of my late father and mother, I will never ever steal a single peso to enrich myself. And in the name of family, I will never do anything that should harm and deprive any one of them.

I am PNoy. During my administration, my team helped steered and managed an economy that expanded by more than 1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion pesos) since 2010, and added more than 100,000,000,000 (100 billion plus) to government programs and projects that directly benefit millions of the poorest families out of the hundreds of billions of additional funds in our national budget (with the biggest percentage for basic social services and direct anti-poverty measures in our nation’s history.)

More than 3 million more poor families will get cash support from the national government, the kind of families that banks will never even consider for a 1,000-peso cash-capital loan. A million more poor Filipinos benefited from the kind of money (billions of pesos) that in a single transaction enriched a few individuals in some past administrations. I did not steal a million pesos.

If you think I have stolen a single peso to enrich myself, if any one of you can reasonably prove it and if you do think you have a better choice, then, let me be impeached that you be governed by someone you think you can trust more. I don’t have money to buy and bribe my detractors, and to silence those who are intent on discrediting me and my administration no matter what.

I re-iterate my pledge: I will not steal a single peso to enrich myself.

Ernest Barraquias Jr.

Rian Igos

We are Pnoys.

(This is for editing)

Shoot to kill? 

The Playing Children?

Are village watchmen, or any one, free to shoot children being suspected of committing a crime? DepEd action and relevant set of guidelines or even new policy essential to prevent another tragedy

Of course there’s no such policy or ordinance anywhere, even in strife-torn Somalia, so-called failed state for so many years. But what about preventive policies or regulations within the schools or the Department of Education. We posted this in our FB accounts too.

I’m writing about this to press the DepEd officials to craft or enforce policies (if there’s any in existence) to prevent any more loss of lives of so young and innocent children like Carlo Torales and Sandro Gonzales. Mistaken for thieves, the two were shot dead by an overzealous village watchman invited by a school to guard its facilities in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.

And before it’s all forgotten, I wish to say it’s 2 lives lost too many – due to a preventable tragedy. They weren’t committing theft or burglary, and not stealing billions of development funds.

Working guidelines, practical measures even new policies if necessary should be enforced by the DepEd to prevent another similar tragedy - bound to happen again otherwise. 

Unlike students of La Salle, who have the finest golf courses and sports facilities in the country for their privileged use, not a few of the millions of poor children - especially those in slum areas in cities and poor communities across the nation – sometimes find it irresistible to enjoy the grounds and accessible public facilities as playgrounds and even as parks to idly spend time with friends or playmates after school hours and during non-school days. A stark contrast a rare effective leader and executive that the DepEd Secretary Bro Armin Luistro is certainly very much aware of.

The nation can’t get over with the death of a La Salle student who helplessly died in a hazing rite not so recently – rightly so and for good reasons. But excuse me – the preventable dangers to the lives of poor and innocent children are as worth our attention as other pressing issues hogging the headlines recently.