About Cebu

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Cebu bus transit project phase I budget pegged at $185 Million | Sun.Star

Cebu Bust Rapid Transit (Cebu BRT) system is now cooking. It is anticipated to improve the transportation system in Cebu while providing employment opportunities for the people.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a public transport system that uses buses in order to provide a faster and more efficient service than that of the ordinary bus line or other mode of transportation. This is done through improving the vehicles, existing infrastructure and the scheduling of trips and stops.

The goal of the Bus Rapid Transit system or BRT is to have the quality of a rail transportation system, but with the savings and flexibility of a bus transit system retained.

(Source: Wikipedia)

The Cebu BRT system promises to decongest traffic in the Metro and will hopefully bring other benefits. The other benefits of the Bus Rapid Transit System in Cebu will be found in this article on the Inquirer:

Cebu City BRT system to open 1,500 new jobs

Another article on SunStar Daily describes the cost and the other details of the Bus Rapid System in Metro Cebu, Philppines:

Cebu bus transit project phase I budget pegged at $185 Million | Sun.Star


An artist's impression of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit system.		Photo credits: Wikipedia

The potential network of the proposed Bus Rapid Transit system in Cebu:


Bus Rapid Transit system in Cebu (Cebu BRT) Potential Network.	Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Monday, November 21, 2011

AC Rooms in Cebu Gov't Offices Are Strictly For Authorized Personnel Only: Why Filipinos Feel Robbed By Taxes

I read a news article on the local paper today, and a big chain of store was to be shut down by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) apparently due to unsettled tax obligations, but was aborted.

Question: Why is our country’s BIR so obsessed about running after “tax evaders” and “compelling” them to pay taxes? Yes, it is a provision by the Philippine Constitution, that every citizen of the land is obliged to pay taxes. On the other hand, taxes are supposed to be spent for the “welfare” of the people.

Question: If the taxes are supposed to be for the people’s welfare, then is it not logical that people should not run away from paying their obligations for their own welfare? Logically, yes, people should voluntarily pay taxes to enjoy “welfare” from it. Contextually, in the Philippines, people run away from it, due to the fact that the Filipinos feel like they are not enjoying the benefits of taxation. Filipinos feel robbed by taxes.

Question: Shouldn’t the BIR prioritize their agenda in looking after where the taxes are spent, instead of running after tax evaders? This way, taxpayers can rest assured that their taxes are well spent. Every Filipino would want to make sure that each Peso paid to the government as taxes will definitely come back to the Filipinos in the form of welfare.

The 7 Wonders of The Philippines:
1. Only 5% of the total population in the Philippines control its economy.
2. Government Officials are served by the people.
3. Consequently, people in the Government Service feel like they should be served by the people too.
4. Transacting with government offices need to be a struggle of classes.
5. The government will make it inconvenient for you to get anything done so you can find ways of making it easy...all possible through money.
6. Getting a job alone is difficult. When you get a job, completing documents from government agencies is 100 times more difficult.
7. Each year, at least 1 Million Filipinos leave the country for better opportunities abroad.
Photo credits:
PHiLiPPiNES: Home of World-Class Festivals

In a recent visit to some of our “respectable” government institutions, I was appalled at how the government staff treated the people transacting with them, who are the taxpayers.

I have to be blunt this time, and it was PRC and NBI that I needed to visit just recently.

Fact: Despite computerization, people still queue forever at NBI-Cebu. Getting your NBI Clearance is like a mission trip to the moon. If you are unlucky to be in a hurry, you have to find an alternative and get your NBI clearance in Tuburan, Cebu. That's additional Ph280 roundtrip fare on top of the Ph115 clearance fee, and another 6 hours travel forth and back.

Transacting in NBI-Cebu and PRC-Cebu made me feel that I am of inconvenience to the staff who were working in these offices. Both places were uncomfortable agencies to transact in, as we were in tremendously long queues without the benefit of comfort from air conditioning, as the most comfortable and air-conditioned spaces were “STRICTLY FOR AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY”.

In addition, aren’t the government personnel of our country trained how to be courteous and people-oriented at least? As taxpayers, Filipinos deserve decent and comfortable government offices with friendly and people-oriented staff who really know and understand that the Filipinos are the ones paying their monthly salaries and their benefits.

Being in the government service, by definition, essentially means any government staff is supposed to serve the Filipino people and not act as if the people, who in essence are paying their salaries through taxes, should kneel down to deserve quality service.

We do not need too many staff in the government who only add burden to the monthly payroll and sit idly the whole day pretending to be too busy to really do their job right. Filipinos deserve to have people in the government service who are smart and with service-oriented attitude. We deserve quality over quantity.

QUESTION: When will the BIR stop its business in running after tax evaders in the Philippines?

ANSWER: Only when the Philippine Government really gives back these taxes for the welfare of the Filipinos who deserve only the best from their hard-earned money.

P.S.
The next time you queue in any government office, bring the ff:

a callused heart, to get ready for insults from any of the government staff;
a bottle of water, as you will definitely get thirsty with a long queue;
a fan and sheets of tissue, as you will expect to stay in non-AC areas for long as you wait in queue;
LOADS of PATIENCE, as you will hear a lot of grumbling around from people like you who will hate the Philippines more by all the inconvenience going on.

P.S.2

Transact with the Philippines government offices every work day of your life, and you will finally realize that you are wasting your life and taxes in the Philippines.
FACT: While Koreans are flocking this country in huge waves, the Filipinos are planning their immediate flight out the Philippines every year:

STATISTICS From POEA
Year 2008: 1,236,013 Filipinos left for employment abroad
Year 2009: 1,422,586 Filipinos left for employment abroad
Year 2010: 1,470,826 Filipinos left for employment abroad

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The True Relationship Among Cebu Flyovers, Congressmen, and Karma

Prior to the P'Noy Administration, the burden of contractors was like this:

1) Congressman/Mayor has a budget for a project

2) Congressman/Mayor talks to contractor about the possible awarding of contract, then contractor agrees that a portion of the contract amount goes to the Congressman/Mayor. This amount is called S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure). This means the profit will be lesser but this guarantees awarding of the contract to the contractor. Thus, bidding is non-existent. It does occur, but the essence of the bidding is not there.

3) If the contractor is unlucky, Congressman/Mayor asks for the S.O.P. in advance. Therefore, contractors are left to shell out money (a minimum of 20% of the total contract amount) to keep the favor of the Congressman/Mayor.

For example, if the project amount is 600 Million, at least 20% of such goes to the Congressman/Mayor (thus, 120 Million). If unlucky, the contractor could have shelled out a huge sum before the actual bidding period, a minimum of 1.2 Million (1% of 20%), to get the contract award.

Thus, what happens?

- Contractor is burdened to pay money while the contract is still on "verbal negotiations". Consequently, contractor makes a way to still earn profit or have the risk of losing more, thus quality of work is sacrificed.

- Since Congressman/Mayor already got the money in advance, it is adamant to get the project done. Otherwise, the S.O.P will have to be reimbursed. So by virtue of the power of the Congressman/Mayor, project should be awarded to contractor.

Achieving Sustainable Development takes into consideration the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the future generation. There should be a balance in addressing the interests and stakes for People, Planet and Profit. Photo Credits: www.dreamstime.com

I hope that this is no longer the case these days, as P'Noy is now the President of the Philippines.

If such is still the current practice, then something is really wrong with the system.

I just hope that this is not the reason why there is persistence in building flyovers in Cebu despite the obvious reasons to stop it.

The most tangible rationale to build an infrastructure as expensive as a Ph600 Million Flyover are not signatures of the people who are supporting the project. There are people who are against the flyovers, not just those who own the properties along the site where these shall be built, and these people understand what matters most.

Cebu needs a Master Plan.
We can enumerate all the problems faced by Cebu, and the other highly urbanized cities of Metro Cebu these days (like Mandaue City, Lapulapu City, to name a few), and the lack of a working Master Plan is one of the root causes.

A Master Plan will tell how resources are to be used, how land will be developed, how road networks will maximize the use of the zoned areas, and how people will live in a City that Works. All these will help ensure that we are taking care of Cebu and its territories to make sure that the future generation will have something to use for their needs too.

Pity on us if all our representatives in the government will only care about S.O.P.

They can do every legality needed to justify the building of these flyovers, and if such infrastructures will rise in the ugliest way, then so be it.

But it is my moral obligation to tell everyone, that if we do not care about how to manage Cebu by having a vision of what we want it to become in about 5-10 years from now, expect to live in a City that's thirsty, dirty, and congested.

Planning Metro Cebu needs to be a consolidation of solutions that work, coming from multi-sectors. Planning this City is beyond talks over how to earn money fast by building projects that are not thought out well. Decisions in managing Cebu need to be based on having sustainable environment that will work for the health and safety of the people.

On the issue of whether or not a Flyover should be built before a Master Plan is rolled out: I rest my case. Any elected official should be intelligent enough to understand the message right away.

Unless of course, he or she is otherwise.

To end this, I can only state more facts.

Cebu is a highly clannish society.
About only 5% of the total population of the Philippines control its economy.
The fall of the greatest empires of mankind's history are mostly attributed to leaders who somehow forgot their responsibilities to the people. Either the people pushed forward to retrieve the power they entrusted upon those leaders, or these leaders got cooked in their own grease. (I think one of the most corrupt presidents/officials of this country might be in this plight already).

We all co-exist and we share just one world, and whatever bad things you do will come back to you. Definitely, "Chickens come home to roost".

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About the Author:
I am a proud Generation X. If most of my generation have lost hope and decided it's stupid to stay in the Philippines in their lifetime, then I must be stupid. But what makes me different from the rest of the Generation X, Y, and Millenium Generation who have left Inang Bayan is my one great love for the Philippines to keep on hoping day by day that it will change for the best. This is my contribution to my Motherland.

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