OFFBEAT MAIL

Poor return on investments. That is, perhaps, the primary reason why the national government is reluctant to develop mass housing projects for the lowly soldiers. Worse is that some of the military generals may have been influenced by big developers not to push through with these projects considering the high costs involved in developing the area and constructing the housing units. What the Retirement Service and Benefits System (RSBS) did was to finance the construction of a cluster of condominium projects along C-5 Road in Taguig City, just a stone's throw away from the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio. But when the project was completed, ordinary soldiers could not move in despite the invitation to occupy the units because their basic salaries are barely enough to pay for the monthly installments, which are payable in 25-30 years. The catch was that the condo units are not really meant or designed for the pockets of the ordinary soldiers but for military officials from t...

Are oil companies in cahoots with the Philippines' energy department? It is hard to imagine that the pump prices of gasoline and other by-products have sky-rocketed to new heights, with nothing much left for ordinary consumers and motorists to fill their vehicle tanks, without any complaints. Just look at how much is ordinary worker gets on a daily basis, and you will be awed by the difference it makes on people's lives. And gasoline prices have chilling effects on the ordinary citizens comprising of the impoverished, the jobless and the underemployed, who subsist on whatever they can earn to make an honest living? How much more is left if that ordinary worker uses a car to go to work? And those who can't afford are left with no choice but to save extra money by sacrificing themselves to take a daily commute from home to work. On the way to work, the ordinary worker is not free from other troubles: air pollution and traffic congestion--two main problems that hound the healt...

The popularity of the emirate of Dubai in the international scene is immense. But there is another fast-growing city in the United Arab Emirates that cannot simply be ignored. It is no less than the emirate of Abu Dhabi--the UAE bustling capital and permanent residence of the country's ruling family of the al Nahyans. Currently, UAE's president is His Highness Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, one of the sons of the former President His Highness Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. Sheik Khalifa used to be the crown prince of Abu Dhabi until he was succeeded by H.H. Sheik Mohammed, a younger brother. The royal family lives in big palaces and posh villas that are comparable to five-star hotels around the world. And they are maintained by a polyglot of workers, mostly coming from all over the world. For example, in the sprawling Al Butin Palace where chandeliers glitter in gold, which is the crown prince's permanent residence, maintenance workers are grouped into the administra...