PamagCUSA Blog

Can we help Among Ed?

Dear Friends,

Good morning to you!

I met with Gov. Ed Panlilio of Pampanga last night in San Fernando, Pampanga to talk to him about his current situation there. He told me that his situation in Pampanga is very delicate right now for several reasons:

a.) His Provincial Board has not approved his Operational and Supplemental Budget thus, he is unable to deliver some of the basic services needed by his province such as the scholarships for indigent students. Worse, he now has to commute to go to the Provincial Capitol because he has to save the little money that he has so instead of using the official vehicles, he just commutes which makes him very vulnerable to attempts of other people against him. In fact, he has also reduced the number of his bodyguards because of the meager budget that they have.

b.) He is losing several members of his staff due to the fact that the Provincial Board led by the Vice-Governor has downgraded the salary level of most of his staff in the capitol to salary grade 1 which will only pay the person P 5,500.00 per month! Thus, many of his good staff members especially those who have families have started to encounter some financial problems thereby forced to resign to be able to look for employment that is more financially rewarding.

c.) All the mayors are currently against him and working for his recall due to the fact that he has not allowed majority of them to take part in the quarry collections of the province. In the past administration, the mayors were given by the governor their share of the quarry collections which they in turn use for their own personal interests.

Right now, Among Ed is really having a difficult time in Pampanga and he needs our help. The reason why I think we need to help him in any way we can is because, Among Ed represents not only Pampanga but more importantly the Hope that Filipinos can have an honest and ethical leader that will put the interests of the greater majority above the self-interests of a few. If we do not support a good man like Among Ed, what incentive will Good and Well-meaning people have to run for public office? We cannot allow a good man to fail because all of us just choose to do nothing while evil people try to put him down.

Here are the things that Among Ed needs:

a.) Gasoline Contributions so that he no longer needs to commute from his residence to the Provincial Capitol. This will most likely be around P 2,500.00 per week.

b.) Sponsoring of Staff members for Among Ed so he can hire good people for his government that will help him deliver better services to the people. This will be around P 10,000.00 per month per person for at least a year. We are looking at hiring around 10 people to support him.

c.) Education Scholarships for financially- disadvantaged students in Pampanga. This will be around P 10,000.00 per year. We need to raise 1,000 scholarships.

d.) Sponsor for the printing of Among Ed's accomplishments so that the people of Pampanga may know what programs and projects he has already implemented and to counter the smear campaign being done against him. We will need to look for a printing company that can sponsor this.

e.) Volunteers that can help him develop a Public Relations Campaign to highlight his achievements in office.

So far, these are the immediate needs of Among Ed. While I agree that Among Ed has his flaws as a leader and there have been comments thrown at his current Provincial Administrator, I think the whole issue here is we need to work together to promote Good Governance and Ethical Leadership in our country. Among Ed has shown all Filipinos that there is still Hope in our political arena but his enemies are continually trying their best to kill that Hope by putting him and what he represents down. I hope that in our own small way we can all chip in to help Among Ed and work together for a better country.

Sorry for taking up much of your time. If you would like to respond to this call to support Among Ed, please send me an email at harveykeh@gmail. com .

I hope you can help by forwarding this email to some of your friends and colleagues who continue to believe in Good Governance in our country.

Thank you and may you have a good day! :)

Sincerely,

Harvey S. Keh

Posted by pamagcusa at 09:33 AM | Permalink

Oil Discovered in Palawan ...So What?

With the uncertainties caused by the current financial turmoil/crisis, many Americans may not be eagerly looking forward to celebrating the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday with their respective loved ones, families and friends alike. Unlike previous family/friends’ reunions, there may be a tendency to have "pity" parties instead of the usual reminiscing/sharing of fond memories, singing, dancing, festivities and of course, the partaking of the proverbial Turkey. Of course, it is quite understandable that with the times as hard economically as it is today, there’s probably not much to thank God for. And yet the Book of I Thessalonians 5:16-18 exhorts us to…"Be joyful always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." And when the living Word of the living God says, "Give thanks in all circumstances…", it means "all" and not only in times of plenty and abundance. Although it may not make sense at all from the worldly perspective, we should and must thank God for all of these adversities, man-made or otherwise, knowing fully well that the God we serve is a faithful God who always delivers on all of His promises. After all, in Romans 8:28, God promised that, "He works all things for the good of those who love Him and for those who are called according to His good purpose." Again, when God says "all", it simply means "all".

The economic crisis evidently has affected in more profound ways than one, the Filipino people, in general, currently living in the Philippines . Having just gone back from the Philippines a few days ago, I cannot help but notice that despite the even more difficult economic situation, somehow, the admirable resiliency of the Filipino has proven its mettle anew. Perhaps, this uncanny instinct for survival by the Filipino people despite increasingly worsening conditions, has unwittingly and unfortunately, lulled many of our erstwhile leaders to a complacent/nonchalant apathy to the sheer poverty with the resultant hunger/deprivation of the basic necessities of many of our countrymen. It is somewhat paradoxical that despite being the first and only Christian country in the Far East, the Filipino people have not quite benefited from the reassuring promise of our Lord Jesus as embodied in John 10:10 which states…"The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy but the Son of Man came that you may have life and live it more abundantly." However, with the recent successful drilling of oil in the Palawan area which reserves are reportedly comparable if not much bigger than Saudi Arabia or Brunei , I am even more hopeful and confident that the Philippines and its people will indeed, someday experience an abundance, prosperity and political stability never ever seen or experienced by our people in its history. However, if and when these vast oil reserves are eventually extracted, with the present political leadership/status quo noted for its unbridled and blatant graft and corruption still in power, is there any assurance at all that it will benefit the greater number of our people and not just the private pockets of the privileged and empowered few? I dare to say that this utter lack of morally upright political leadership in the national/local levels, is what’s keeping God from blessing our people and usher the economic prosperity and abundance oil-producing countries have historically enjoyed. Indeed, what Jesus Himself said in Mark 7:6 could very well describe the spiritual state of our current political leadership…"These people pay me lip service but their hearts are far from Me." However. if you or anyone you know somehow agree that the eventual installation of morally upright political leadership holds the crucial key to our country’s economic prosperity and social/ political stability, isn’t it time you start sharing your time, talent and treasures with us and join us in Bangon! Bagong Pilipinas? After all, as written in James 4:17…"Anyone who knows what is good and does not do it, sins…Di ba?

Atty. Ramoncito Poblete Ocampo, "Bro Mon", is a lawyer in CA by profession and a Catholic/Christian preacher by vocation since 1991. He is currently the President of Bangon! Bagong Pilipinas, a US-based advocacy/movement dedicated to the moral, economic and political transformation of the Philippines . Log on globalhello.com/bbp and e-mail him at ocampolawusa@yahoo.com

Posted by pamagcusa at 09:20 AM | Permalink