AKO AY GANAP NA NANANALIG SA MGA BATAS NG ATING BANSA.

ANG ATING MGA BATAS AY SOLUSYON SA LAHAT NG MGA PROBLEMA NG MGA MAMAMAYAN.

ANG MGA BATAS SA BANSA AY HUSTO; MAY MGA BATAS NA SA HALOS LAHAT NG ATING MGA PANGANGAILANGAN AT PROBLEMA.

ANG MGA BATAS NATIN AY ANGKOP AT EPEKTIBO; ITO ANG PINAGSAMA-SAMANG KAISIPAN NG BAYAN NA ATIN PANG MINANA SA ATING MGA NINUNO AT NGAYO’Y GINAGAMIT PARA SA ATING KAPAKANAN.

KAILANGAN NG MGA PINUNO NG POLITICAL WILL PARA MAPATUPAD ANG MGA MAHUHUSAY NA BATAS NG BANSA.

MAHIRAP MAN AT HINDI POPULAR, MARAPAT LAMANG NA IPATUPAD NG MGA PINUNO NG PAMAHALAAN ANG MGA BATAS; KASALANAN ANG HINDI MAGPATUPAD NITO.

MARAPAT LAMANG NA MASUSING GAMPANAN NG MGA MAY KATUNGKULAN ANG PAGPAPATUPAD NG MGA BATAS NG WALANG TAKOT, KAHIT PA MAN MANGAHULUGAN ITO NG PAGKAWALA NG MGA BOTO.

MAGING SA MGA PANDAIGDIGANG KALAKALAN AT IBA PANG MGA USAPIN, ANG MGA BATAS ANG NAG-UUGNAY SA BAWAT ISA SA ATIN AT SA BUONG MUNDO. 

ANG HINDI NATIN PAGSUNOD NGAYON AT MAGING SA MGA NAKARAANG MGA PANAHON ANG SANHI NG ATING ‘DI PAGSULONG.

ANG ‘DI NATIN PAGSUNOD SA MGA BATAS AY ANG SIYANG KADAHILANAN KUNG BAKIT TAYO AY NAPAG-IWANAN NA NG MGA IBANG BANSA.

KAILANGAN NG MGA PINUNO NG POLITICAL WILL PARA MAPATUPAD ANG MGA BATAS NA MAG-AANGAT NG ATING ANTAS SA BUONG MUNDO.

DAHIL LAHAT TAYO AY MANGGAGAWA AT UMAASA SA GAWA NG ISA’T ISA, NARARAPAT LAMANG NA ANG MGA BATAS LALONG LALO NA IYONG MGA UKOL SA PAGGAWA AY IPATUPAD.

NARARAPAT NA IPATUPAD ANG MGA BATAS SA PAGGAWA PARA TAYO AY UMUNLAD; ITO ANG SUSI SA PAG-ASENSO NG  KABUHAYAN NG BAWAT PILIPINO.

ANG PAGSUNOD SA MGA BATAS SA PAGGAWA AY NAGLALAYONG ANG LAHAT AY MAGTRABAHO NG MAGALING – SAPAT AT TAPAT, NG SA GAYO’Y MAGING KATULONG TAYO NG ISANG PRODUKTIBONG LIPUNAN.

KAILANGAN NG MGA PINUNO NG POLITICAL WILL PARA MAPATUPAD ANG MGA BATAS SA PAGGAWA.

SA PAMAMAGITAN NG MGA BATAS SA PAGGAWA, GAGANA ANG MGA INSTITUSYON NG GOBYERNO AT PRIBADONG SEKTOR; LAHAT AY MAG KAKATULONG-TULONG.

KUNG MAGKAGAYO’Y TITINO AT YAYAMAN TAYO.

ANG MGA BATAS AY SOLUSYON.
SUNDIN AT IPATUPAD.
POLITICAL WILL ANG KAILANGAN.
TITINO AT YAYAMAN TAYO.

I HAVE ABSOLUTE FAITH IN THE LAWS OF OUR COUNTRY.

OUR LAWS ARE THE SOLUTION TO ALL THE PROBLEMS OF THE PEOPLE.

THE LAWS OF THE LAND ARE ADEQUATE; THERE IS A LAW FOR ALL OUR NEEDS AND PROBLEMS.

LEADERS WITH POLITICAL WILL ARE WHAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS TO IMPLEMENT THESE LAWS OF THE COUNTRY.

ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE HARD TO DO AND UNPOPULAR, IT IS JUST RIGHT THAT THOSE WITH POSITION IN GOVERNMENT SHOULD IMPLEMENT THE LAWS; IT IS A TRANSGRESSION NOT TO IMPLEMENT THESE LAWS.

THOSE IN POWER SHOULD DUTIFULLY IMPLEMENT THE LAWS WITHOUT FEAR, EVEN IF THIS WOULD MEAN THE LOSS OF VOTES.

EVEN IN GLOBAL TRADE AND OTHER MATTERS, LAWS CONNECT US TO THE WORLD.

OUR DISOBEDIENCE TO THE LAWS TODAY AND IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN THE REASON WHY WE HAVE NOT PROGRESSED.

NOT FOLLOWING THE LAWS ARE WHAT MADE US LAG BEHIND OTHER COUNTRIES.

WE NEED LEADERS WITH POLITICAL WILL TO IMPLEMENT THE LAWS THAT WOULD ELEVATE OUR COMPETITIVENESS GLOBALLY.

SINCE WE ARE ALL WORKERS DEPENDING ON EACH OTHER, IT IS BUT RIGHT THAT THE LAWS – ESPECIALLY LABOR LAWS – SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED.

WE SHOULD IMPLEMENT THE LAWS SO THAT WE COULD BE PROGRESSIVE; THIS IS THE KEY TO THE ECONOMIC UPLIFTMENT OF EVERY FILIPINO.

LABOR LAWS INTEND TO MAKE EVERYONE WORK WELL – SUFFICIENTLY AND HONESTLY, SO THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO A PRODUCTIVE SOCIETY.

OUR LEADERS NEED POLITICAL WILL TO IMPLEMENT LABOR LAWS.

THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LABOR LAWS, GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS  AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR COULD BE EFFECTIVE; EVERYONE WILL BE WORKING TOWARDS A COMMON GOAL.

SHOULD THAT HAPPEN, WE’LL HAVE ORDER AND WE WILL BE PROGRESSIVE.

LAWS ARE SOLUTIONS.
FOLLOW AND IMPLEMENT.
WITH POLITICAL WILL.
WE WILL HAVE ORDER AND PROGRESS.

Good governance according to the ‘Lee Kuan Yew’ of the Philippines

Mr. Political Will

By Perry Gil S. Mallari
 
 

Anybody who has met Bayani Fernando up close and personal would not fail to notice his no-nonsense aura. He wants the job done. When he has a program to do, you can bet your life and limb that he would implement it to the minutest detail. Fernando first hugged the spotlight in 1992 as the reformist mayor of Marikina and as the uncompromising chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in 2002. First, he reformed a town, and then he brought order to the streets of grand Manila. Now, in the biggest battle of his life, Fernando aims to test his formula for good governance in a larger arena – by becoming the president of the Philippines.

A latent streak

A politician’s streak was latent in Fernando long before he became mayor of Marikina and chairman of the MMDA. Born on July 25, 1946, he is the fourth child and only son of Gil and Remedios Fernando. His father was a three-time mayor of Marikina elected 1947, 1948 and 1951. Fernando’s siblings are Patria, Ligaya, Dalisay and Mayumi.

Even at the tender age of 10, Fernando was already displaying a proclivity toward numbers and mechanical things. He excelled in arithmetic in school and at home constantly tinkered with his bicycle. Fernando’s mother predicted that her son would one day become an engineer.

One childhood experience even seemed to foretell his future as a government official. With his penchant for constructing things, he with a friend made a boat one day to navigate the length of the Marikina River. Rowing the boat downstream, Fernando remembered feeling sad upon seeing the squalor on the body of water. He made a promise then that he would one day clean it up. His friend jokingly asked if he intended to become a garbage collector. Fernando, replying with sublime certainty said, “I don’t know how but I will make this river beautiful again some day.” Today, anyone who would stand on the banks of the Marikina River would realize that Fernando has kept his promise.

The education of an engineer

Fernando eventually took up mechanical engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology then located in Santa Cruz, Manila. While excelling in his studies, he also exhibited strong humanitarian virtues during this time. Fernando refused to join an outing in Baguio one semester break so that his school organization could finish collecting old clothes to be donated to typhoon victims. He recalled bringing the donation to the office of the old Manila Times (which conducted the fund raising drive) at Florentino Torres Street in Santa Cruz, Manila.

The Fernando couple, seeing the driving ambition of their only son, advised him not to take courting girls too seriously while he was still in college because it could get in the way of his career dreams. Fernando heeded the advice and after five years of grueling study finally earned his mechanical engineering degree.

The love of his life

Fernando was a 33-year old successful mechanical engineer when he met the 25-year old consultant Maria Lourdes Carlos who would later become her wife. Her beauty captivated him while she was attracted by his maturity. After dating for 10-months, the two decided to get married. The couple has a daughter, Tala.

Fernando reached greater heights of success after marrying Lourdes. The two started a firm, in construction, steel manufacturing and real estate. It would be later be renowned for building malls, and residential subdivisions as well as erecting some of the tallest buildings in the country. The company, which started small, housing its first office inside the Fernandos’ residence, grew into the BF Group of Companies, a business conglomerate with a workforce of 25,000 employees.

A public servant and politician

Following the footsteps of his father, Fernando entered politics in 1992 when he ran and became mayor of Marikina. He was elected to the position twice. It was in Marikina that Fernando first caught the attention of the Filipinos as a leader who can deliver. Under his leadership, Marikina rose from being a 4th class municipality to being a model Philippine city. By good example and unbending political will, Fernando managed to convince his constituents to rally behind the reforms he was pushing, “When I started as mayor of Marikina in 1992, we had 30,000 squatter families living along the river, the creeks and in public spaces. We were able to stop the proliferation of squatters in Marikina and we were able to provide better living conditions for those 30,000 families—Marikina is almost squatter-free now. And another thing, not a single house is standing on water. We did all these without relocating our squatters to any other communities. We accommodated them inside Marikina,” he said, narrating how he solved Marikina’s squatter problem. “I never gave a single house to anyone. I did not bother building a house for them. I just gave them land, which they had to pay for 25 years at 296 pesos per month. But they built their own homes. And this turned out to be so viable because these houses now are even better than what we could have given them in those days,” Fernando attests.

Soon enough, investments came pouring in and the city’s annual revenue collection climbed from a measly P77 million to a hefty P1 billion.

Fernando had to relinquish the leadership of Marikina to his wife Maria Lourdes in 2002 after he accepted the appointment of President Gloria Arroyo as chairman of the MMDA. He also held the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretaryship concurrently with his position as MMDA chairman.

Pedestrians and motorists either love or hate Fernando for his traffic management schemes, sidewalks streamlining and urban beautification projects. Footbridges were built, sidewalks cleared of vendors, squatters relocated, traffic rerouted and street signs painted pink. On his preference for the color pink, he explains, “Pink signifies the goodness of well-being as when the Americans say, “You are in the pink of health. They say that pink is the color of a healthy flesh.”

Fernando lets his credentials speak to answer his critics. “Running the MMDA is a technical job and not a political job,” he stresses. On the design and construction of pink fences all over the city Fernando says, “I designed these fences myself. Forty years ago making fences was my work. And I built the biggest fences in this country. I fenced the Central Bank in Manila as well as the printing plant and gold refinery of the Philippines in Quezon City in front of the Heart Center. I made them all so I know how to design fences. Some people who think they knew better don’t realize I’ve been in it for forty years.” He continues, “Through the years I’ve learned that flexible fences are harder to climb than solid fences hence these are the types I used for the middle islands in our roads to prevent jaywalking. These fences will collapse if somebody attempts to climb them.”

As mayor of Marikina to chairman of the MMDA, Fernando’s leadership has always been anchored on one formula—political will.

Mr. Political Will

On January 4 last year, Fernando announced his intention to run for the presidency in the 2010 elections. He brushed aside the idea of running for vice president first because he thinks he is already too old. “I believe this is my last battle,” he said.

“Without political will these problems of our country will persist and stay with us forever,” he told The Times.

As president, he would follow his instinct and talent to build as an engineer. “When we build a bridge in a community, the bridge itself is secondary. What is important to me is after building that bridge, half of the children in that community would dream of becoming an engineer,” Fernando states. It is imperative for him to keep the people in awe of the hard work and precision of the engineers for them to trust the government.

Fernando believes technology is one instrument to accomplish the task. On the problem in Mindanao, for instance, he says, “So if you want to win Mindanao, the first thing to harness is technology. You have to bring in technology. Right now, the best technology in the place is the technology of guns. The kids fancy the gun so much. They ask for it everyday, even when inside school, because it’s the best technology in the place today.”

Fernando reveals his grand plans of constructing new school buildings in Mindanao, “The government is shelling out money to build schools in Mindanao for so many years now but not too many schools have been built,” he laments, “So if you’re going to give them a school in a remote area, make sure it’s already built. A helicopter should deliver the schoolbuilding there complete with the chalk. If you sent it piece by piece, something is bound to get broken, lost or stolen along the way. The conventional thing doesn’t seem to work anymore. We have to keep them in awe and I think technology is the answer.”

For Fernando, discipline and the rule of law are paramount for the survival of the nation. He would make Filipinos see the laws of the land as solutions to problems and not as enemies of their freedom. “ That’s because we don’t have the rule of the law. We have to reverse that. Like Americans, we should learn to say ‘There ought to be a law’ whenever they see something wrong. But this change in attitude will only come when our citizens see that the laws are being applied justly and effectively.”

Fernando believes, that every act of a public servant must have a life-changing impact, “Whenever I build a road, there has to be a message. Your act has to convey something to the people but most of all it should help improve their character. That’s what I did to Marikina long ago. If I’m building a straight road, it has to be straight. If a house is protruding on its way I will have it demolished. I would not send the wrong signal that some people are exempted from the law.”

Known as “Mr. Political Will,” Fernando offers a persuasive reply to the most common criticism leveled against him and that is his tendency to use an “iron hand.” “In all my years in office, I have never sent a person to jail or ordered somebody to be killed, ” like many other politicians.

Some of Bayani Fernando’s projects and programs:

l “Barangay Talyer” Program in Metro Manila
l Travel speed improvement in C-5
l MMDA hiring of 600
new workers
l C-5 U-Turn Slots
l Flood Control Management
l Resettlement Bill
l Gwapotel

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

Presently the agency in operation is governed by the Metro Manila Council, which is the policy-making body composed of Mayors of all the cities and municipalities in Metro Manila, the President of the Metro Manila Vice Mayors League and the President of the Metro Manila Councilors League (voting members).

A Chairman with a cabinet rank, who is appointed by the President, heads the Council. He is assisted by a Deputy Chairman, General Manager and Assistant General Manager for Planning, Operations and Finance and Administration, all appointed by the President.

The services under the jurisdiction of MMDA are those services which have metro-wide impact and transcend legal political boundaries or entail huge expenditures such that it would not be viable for said services to be provided by the individual LGUs comprising Metropolitan Manila.

These services include: (1) Development planning: (2) Transportation and traffic management: (3) Solid waste disposal and management: (4) Flood control and sewerage management: (5) Urban renewal, zoning, land use planning and shelter services; and (6) Health sanitation, urban protection and pollution control and public safety.

For the initial operation of the MMDA an appropriation of P1 Billion was authorized under R.A. 7924. Other sources of revenue include the share in the Internal Revenue Allotment (like a province), national subsidy, 5 percent contribution of LGUs and fines, fees and charges.

In the implementation and delivery of basic metro-wide services in Metropolitan Manila, the MMDA is mandated by R.A 7924 to maintain linkages with the LGUs, national agencies performing functions at the local level, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), People’s Organizations (POs) and the private sector.

The MMDA Today

For the past years, the institutional weakening of the Metro Manila Authority has become evident while in transition to MMDA because of its interim posturing. The dearth of professional staff has become inevitable in the organization due to the implementation of the government program on personnel attrition.

Confronted with lingering problems, the present dispensation has resolved to move ahead and face the challenges with vigor, thus the continuing realignment of its existing personnel to conform with its new mandate so as not to impede the delivery of basic services to the public.

With the approval of the new organization and staffing pattern of MMDA by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), it is expected that its institutional capacity shall be strengthened by judicious selection and recruitment of a good sized professional staff and funded adequately to support its activities. To ensure the survival and growth of MMDA, it is therefore, imperative that it be provided with a framework that would rationalize the objectives, functions and services delivered and transform it into an efficient, effective and responsive metropolitan body.

Manila Times  - http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/aug/30/yehey/weekend/20090830week1.html

By JACKY LYNNE A. OIGA
August 8, 2009

What they had was the classic blind date success story. She was a young and lovely consultant while he was a dashing mechanical engineer. Their “fixer” (a common friend who fixed their date) was skeptical but hopeful. Little did she know that the blind date would lead to marriage and recognition of Marikina’s most renowned political couple.

Unlike other guys that she had met, Marikina Mayor Ma. Lourdes Fernando found MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando to be very mature, sincere and wise beyond his years.

“I was 25 years old and he was 33 but even at that age I was struck by Bayani’s noticeable maturity. He was nothing like the other guys I was meeting at that time, he already had a straight outlook in life,” shared Mayor Fernando.

On the other hand, Chairman Bayani Fernando was easily smitten by Mayor Marides’ (as Marikeños fondly call her) charm and beauty. After their introductory date, he immediately asked her, if he could see her again.

“After we first met, I invited her out several times. I often took her to the theater and we would sometimes drive to Infanta, Quezon for a picnic,” Chairman Fernando mused.

But what actually sealed the fate of the couple was Chairman Fernando’s incessant phone calls and frequent visits to Mayor Fernando’s home.

“Noong nililigawan pa niya ko, lagi siyang tumatawag sa bahay. He would also visit me at home, tapos everyday niya akong hinahatid-sundo, So I said yes to him na,” said Mayor Fernando.

They dated for more than 10 months and then, much to Mayor Fernando’s surprise, Chairman Fernando asked her to marry him.

“I was surprised, really. I felt that I still had a lot to know about him and he didn’t know me that well either. So I didn’t say yes at that  very moment. I thought about it muna. I told him we should get to know each other better first,” Mayor Fernando explained.

“Well, I was dead sure I wanted to marry her and I was actually ready to settle down at that time. So I asked her to… or did you ask me? Chairman Fernando laughingly said.

Although Chairman Fernando playfully avers that it was really his wife who proposed; he quickly made up for it by saying that his fondest memory of their marriage was that of their wedding day as he stood in front of the altar waiting and there she was, his bride, so beautiful, walking down the aisle towards him.

Shortly after their marriage, the couple went on to put up a construction empire that has built the county’s tallest buildings, malls, and residential subdivisions. It goes without saying that even before their consequent terms as mayor of Marikina, Chairman and Mayor Fernando were already working hard to establish a prolific life with each other and for their only daughter Tala.

“If there’s one strength that me and Bayani proudly share, it’s definitely our passion – the passion to work, to get things done and the vision of a better life for our family and for others. It drives us to work harder,” explained Mayor Fernando.

As for Chairman Fernando, in order to get things done, they face each day with determination and dedication.

“You just have to keep on going. Sometimes, we don’t even ask ourselves if we’re happy or not and I think that could be the secret to happiness. Just do it. No questions asked,” Chairman Fernando firmly said.

“We encourage each other by supporting our individual programs. Whatever he wants to do, I support it or I do some of the work for him and he does the same for me,” Mayor Fernando said.

They have been happily married for 27 years and according to them, the secret to their strong and lasting relationship is that they defy all the rules of marriage.

“Bayani and I don’t follow any rules. That is something he established early on in our marriage. There will be no “should” in our marriage, walang “I should do this” or “you should do that. We discuss every decision. If he wants to do something, he does it. If he doesn’t want to do it, or I don’t want him to do it, I will tell it to him. Same is true with me,” Mayor Fernando enlightened.

When asked what’s the best thing about each other,  the couple only has this to say:

“Every morning I always ask her, ‘okay ba ko?’ Because I have to be reassured that I look okay and I did okay with my job. That’s the one thing you can always expect your wife to do for you, to be honest, to tell you exactly what she sees,” Chairman Fernando said with a smile.

“What I love about Bayani is that he allows me to do my own thing, to shine in my own right. He lets me do what I want to do and backs me up for it,” Mayor Fernando quips.

On having a happy and stable marriage

He said: Wag kayong pumayag na maging burden kayo for each other. When you’re too caring you become a burden, especially when you expect something in return. Eh di wala na kayong ginawa kundi caring for each other, without any need for most of it.

She said: Talk to each other. If you have a something to say, talk. It is important to communicate. If you have a problem, say it, don’t expect him to just feel it.

On being a good parent

He said: For me a good parent is someone who exercises political will. If you know it will not be good for her, you say no. We don’t spoil our child. We tell her straight if it’s right or wrong.

She said: Well, you need to be there for your child all the time. Dapat alam niya na priority mo siya and even if you’re busy, any time she needs you, you’ll be there. And make sure that the values you instilled in your child are intact so she will turn out to be a good person.

On finding time to travel together

He said: Simple lang kami when we travel. We just walk around, observe what common folks do. To me it’s an opportunity to know different people and culture and most of all spend time with my family while doing it. That’s actually the best.

She said: We used to take annual vacations when we weren’t so busy. We try to make it different every year, like sometimes it’s in America, sometimes in Asia. Sometimes we travel with Tala, sometimes it’s just us.

On dining

He said: She does the cooking. I love her sinigang.

She said: I love to cook, but lately I don’t have the time. Sinigang is not really my specialty, paborito lang talaga ni Bayani 'yun.

On staying hale and hearty

He said: I make it a point to stationary jog everyday.

She said: I don’t have a diet. I eat anything. But I play badminton to burn the calories.

On what makes a house a real home

He said: It has to be spacious. It has to be functional and practical.

She said: Mine’s more simple. It just has to be clean.

On shopping for clothes

He said: I rarely shop for ready-to-wear clothes, my wife usually asks our tailor to make the clothes for me.

She said: I love buying classic outfits, something that I can wear for a long time without being outdated.

Manila Bulletin

Two words are synonymous with Corazon C. Aquino: democracy and prayer. She assumed power almost reluctantly because she never sought it. But when events pushed her to stage-center, she became the incandescent symbol of freedom and democracy.

At a time when her country needed her most, she became the catalyst for change against a well-entrenched dictatorship. She provided the centripetal force that brought us closer together, and inspired every man, woman and child to defy the bayonet in the name of freedom and national concord.

In power, she did all she could to give Filipinos a second vital act in their lives—the attainment of justice, peace and prosperity after the tribulations of martial law. She strove to fulfill the dreams of her husband—Sen. Benigno Aquino—who died for the Filipino in pursuit of liberty. Cory and Ninoy: what started as a love story in Tarlac and Manila became a struggle for the masa on the national stage.

A series of rightist attempts to seize power troubled her government. Her administration limped under the inherited mistakes of the previous regime. She rallied the people once more, using political will and prayer. Her faith was always strong: there is a higher God Who will guide a leader and Who will listen to a people in their hour of need. Prayers sustained Cory all her life. And Filipinos prayed with her.

In our hour of grief, we pray for President Aquino and her family. We pray for the nation. May the youth be forever inspired by her life—born to privilege but devoted to the people; educated in private schools but exulted in public life. She was more than a political force; she was a moral force. And by living a life of simplicity and uprightness, she became a Teacher in Chief, showing us that every person could make a difference with personal courage, conviction and character.

Our family grieves with her loved ones and the nation.

Panayam kay BF

Tinig ng mga Bayani: Mr. Chairman, madalas madinig ng mga taga-Metro Manila mula sa inyo ang salitang “urbanidad.” Ano po ang ibig sabihin ng katagang ito?

BF: Ang urbanidad ay ang tamang pag-uugali, ang tamang asal sa lipunan, lalo na sa mataong lugar.

TNB: Halimbawa po?

BF: Halimbawa ay ang pagsunod sa batas. Ang pagsunod sa kautusan ng komunidad. Ang pagbibigay ng konsiderasyon sa kapwa.

TNB: Bakit mo mahalaga ang urbanidad?

BF: Kung wala nito, hindi tayo handang manirahan sa siyudad, kung saan masalimuot ang pamumuhay, kung saan natitipon ang maraming uri ng tao, Pilipino at dayuhan.

TNB: Ano po ang hinihingi ng urbanidad?

BF: Ito ay paalala na kailangan ng ibayong pag-iingat para hindi tayo makasama o makapinsala kaninuman anuman ang ating gawin. Ang hinihingi ng urbanidad ay paggalang sa damdamin at karapatan ng ibang tao.

TNB: Ano po ang resulta kung wala o kulang ang urbanidad?

BF: Kung walang urbanidad, magulo ang bayan. Walang disiplina. Marami ang aksidente. Magkakasakitan ang mga tao. Madalas ang away. Kung may patayan, sa kulungan ang bagsak.

TNB: Ano po, Mr. Chairman, ang iba pang example ng kakulangan sa urbanidad?

BF: Madalas nating makita ang pagtatapon ng basura sa bangketa at lansangan. Ang mga tsuper hindi nagbibigayan. Unahan at tulakan sa abangan ng mga sasakyan. Maski saan tumatawid ang mga tao.

TNB: Bakit po tayo kulang sa urbanidad?

BF: Nakalimot na sa turo ng mga guro at magulang. Maraming walang pakialam sa kapwa. Ayaw sumunod sa mga kautusan. Nilulusutan ang batas. Sariling kabutihan lang ang inaatupag. Kulang din kung minsan ng mga walang kortesiya at respeto sa mga estranghero.

TNB:  Ano po ang epekto ng kawalan ng urbanidad sa isang tao?

BF: Nawawala ang hiya sa sasabihin ng kapwa sa maling gawa. Nawawala din ang respeto sa sarili. Lumalala ang kanyang pagkatao hanggang gumawa siya ng masmalaking kamalian, kasama ang paglabag sa batas at pagkakasangkot sa krimen.

TNB: At sa lipunan?

BF: Anarchy and chaos. Breakdown ng overall discipline. Paghahari ng kamalian. Masamang ehemplo sa kabataan. Negative image sa Pilipinas sa mata ng mga dayuhan.

 For inquiries please call Ms. Deanna Racquel De Jesus at 430-9747. 

Laws are solutions.

Our laws are the collective wisdom of the Filipinos and the mandate of every working man for a productive nation.

There are laws for almost all our needs and problems that if enforced and followed will lead to peace and prosperity.

This is POLITICAL WILL.

If elected President, I will reform our electoral system.

Philippine politics has historically been based on personalities. Celebrity, name-recall and wealth—not issues—have dictated the outcomes of political contests.

This has got to stop. We have to reform our politics, do away with personality politics that only serves the interests of the rich and the powerful.

One way is to reform campaign spending. The government should bear the costs of the campaign of the two presidential candidates of the two major political parties.

I want to see a return to the two-party system from the current coalition-building “anarchy” that encourages any number of disparate political blocs to compete in national polls and politician, to fly like butterflies from one bloc to the other.

Public financing of the two major presidential candidates will strengthen the two-party system and compel the parties to campaign on issues through distinct political platforms.

These reforms will encourage smaller parties to coalesce with the major political organizations. For the first time in years, Filipinos could have a majority president.

Candidate Fidel V. Ramos won the presidency with just 25 percent of the popular vote in 1992. Candidates Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo were the plurality presidents in the 1998 and 2004 elections.

A two-party system whose campaigns are funded by public money will moderate poll spending and minimize vote buying and other forms of electoral fraud.

A campaign based on issues and on distinct political and economic philosophies will offer voters a genuine choice on election day.

A responsible campaign financing law will penalize and prohibit unconscionable campaign contributions and influence buying by big political patrons. This practice corrupts the electoral process by making politicians beholden to vested interests.

Furthermore, no reform is complete if we allow politicians to make a mockery of the electoral system. Election protests pending before the Electoral Tribunals sleep the sleep of the dead. Cases are decided years after the elections are over. The wheels of justice grind exceedingly slow. The will of the people is frustrated. If blessed in 2010, I will look into how we can abbreviate the electoral protests so that the will of the people can prevail. Only then can we serve justice and observe the true meaning of democracy.

On a personal note. Yesterday, Mr. Zubiri came out guns blazing and called me a “dictator and a traitor.”

I have an advice for him. I suggest he attends to his personal problems. He is the subject of a protest pending before the Senate Electoral Tribunal. Maybe he should make sure he wins it. Before then, he should shut up. “Wala siyang “K.”

On his threat he will campaign against me, I am relieved. I need not ask him not to campaign for me. I’ll seek the presidency on a moral high ground. His presence in my campaign might pollute and infect the morality of my campaign. To Mr. Zubiri, thanks but no thanks.

Sinusog ni Chairman Bayani Fernando ang pagpapalakas ng basic education upang lalong maging epektibo ang educational system ng bansa at maging makahulugan ang pagaaral ng kabataan.

“Ang basic education ang weakest link sa ating educational system,” pahayad ni Fernando. “Dapat natin repormahin ito.”

Sakop ng basic education ang elementary education mula Grade 1 hanggang Grade 6 at secondary education from first year to fourth years sa public school. Kung mahina ang basic education ay marupok din ang pagaaral ng kabataan, sabi ng MMDA chairman.

Hiningi ni Bayani na una ay baguhin ang curriculum upang lumakas ang kaalaman ng mga estudyante sa English, science at mathematics. Sa maraming pananaliksik, mahuhuli sa Asia at sa munda ang mga batang Pilipino sa mga nasabing subject.

Kasabay nito ay sinusog ni Fernando ang training at upgrading ng mga guro na nagtuturo ng mga nasabing subject.  Dapat ding paramihin ng Department of Education ang dami ng mga teacher na ang major ay English, science and math, dagdag ni BF.

Mahalaga din na sapat ang aklat at teaching materials para sa tatlong subject. Bukod sa computer ay dapat may science laboratory ang mga eskuwela, ayon sa dating three-term mayor ng Marikina.

Sangayon sa isang recent study ng National Statistical Coordination Board, kaunti ang fourth year student at sixth grader na may 75 percent “mastery benchmark” sa English, Filipino, math at schience.

Ang NCSB study ay katulad daw sa resulta ng 2003 Trends in International Math and Science Study which showed that Filipino fourth-graders ranked third in English and last in science and math among 26 countries surveyed, while second-year Filipino high schools students ranked 41^st in math and 42^nd in science among 45 countries tested.