Newsmaker: Philippine Land Reform Extension

The extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program will soon be discussed and debated on the floor of the Philippine Congress. This was guaranteed to the Filipino people on Thursday when the House Committee on Agrarian Reform (chaired by Rep Elias Bulut Jr) approved the bill proposing a 5-year extension and allocating a budget of P100B.

Since the beginning of the Philippine nationhood in the early 1900s, the government has been unsuccessful in its attempts to implement genuine agrarian reform. Social analysts have been quick to blame the lawmaking body for this failure -  It’s common knowledge that our Congress is made up of legislators who have direct ties with the landowning families of the country. Another reason why land reform has been weak is because the media is focused on news and affairs that happen in the capital of Metro Manila. I wish they would have a 5-10 minute segment in the nightly news that would focus on news in the agricultural regions of the country.

This is only the beginning of a long process. A process that could include amendments that could either be pro-farmer or pro-landowner. I hope that pro-poor congressmen and NGOs will continue to push for more progressive proposals such as those written in Rep Crispin Beltran’s House Bill 3059.  I call on all Filipinos to do their share in giving a voice to the millions of poor Filipino farmers who have suffered long enough in the hands of wealthy hacienderos. 

Quote of the Day: Spanish Poet Vicente Aleixandre

Our quote today comes from Spanish poet Vicente Aleixandre. He was born on April 26, 1898 in Sevilla and died on Dec. 14, 1984 in Madrid. In 1935 he won the National Prize for Literature for his book La destrucción o el amor  ( Destruction or Love). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1977.

“Hours of solitude, hours of creation, hours of meditation. Solitude and meditation gave me an awareness, a perspective which I have never lost: that of solidarity with the rest of mankind. Since that time I have always proclaimed that poetry is communication, in the exact sense of that word.” — Vicente Alexaindre

Life is Fun: The Congress - Joke  

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert.

Congress said,”Someone may steal from it at night.” So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.

Then Congress said,”How does the watchman do his job without instruction?” So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.

Then Congress said,”How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?” So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.

Then Congress said,”How are these people going to get paid?” So they created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, then hired two people.

Then Congress said,”Who will be accountable for all of these people?” So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said,”We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost.” So they laid off the night watchman.

The Power of the Word

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. - Psalm 100

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About this post:

This is the daily post of Lester Galvez Cavestany entitled Perlas. The information here is presented to you in bite-sized servings so that it’s quick and fun to read. It has four parts:  1) Quote of the Day contains history, quotes and biography tidbits; 2) Life is Fun aims to give you a healthy dose of medicinal laughter; 3) Newsmaker is the author’s take on news and views that matter to you; 4) And lucky last, we have The Power of the Word which can serve as your daily spiritual bread.  

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References:

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