OFFBEAT MAIL

It is sad to learn that the Philippines has to improve its economic growth by 14 percent before it can succeed in stopping the exodus of professionals and skilled workers abroad. BNP Paribas chief economist Dr. Andrew Freris made this comment after he was invited by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, adding that the current economic growth is not enough to curtail the impacts of brain-drain in the country. At present, more and more Filipinos are eager to get out of the country as manifested by the long queues at the various manpower placement agencies and the U.S. Embassy in Manila. As early as 5 a.m., applicants for visas are already forming a long line outside the embassy premises, despite the high fees charged for each visa application. In fact, a large number of Filipinos are already pissed off at the way the government is running its affairs, not to mention the alleged involvement of some government officials in graft and corruption, which all the more hurt the c...

After his ouster from the House Speakership, former Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia is expected to divulge more corruption in government, a normal reaction from anybody who has kept mum on sensitive issues that he felt could hurt the Arroyo Administration. Not anymore. After a long silence, he is prepared this time to unleash all these illegal transactions in government, especially those that involved the First Couple. De Venecia's determination to expose anomalous transactions in government was sparked by the coming into light of Rodolfo Lozada, president of Philippine Forest Corporation and technical consultant on the NBN-ZTE broadband project, allegations that former Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos, along with the First Gentleman, had masterminded the overpricing of the ZTE broadband deal. One of the bombshells that exploded during a privilege speech was the rigging of election results in 2004, which he said took place inside the Batasang Pambansa compound in Quezo...

In an interview for employment, an interviewee has been made aware that to say something bad against his former employers is discouraged because it is bad reflection against the interviewee's character and personality. The same line of thinking is being practiced in almost all line departments of government headed by cabinet members, whose allegiance to the appointing authorities is beyond question. Such that whenever a cabinet member is called to testify during public hearings in Congress, the concerned cabinet members are almost mum on issues that they think would harm the credibility of the administration. Just recently, the present administration has issued an executive order that barred cabinet members from appearing or testifying in any public hearing called by Congress, unless there's a clearance from the appointing powers. However, there's a new development Monday, after some police heads and cabinet members implicated in the alleged kidnapping of Mr. Rodolfo "...