BY JESS DUREZA
QUICKSAND SITUATION
I don’t want to be in the shoes of President Benigno Aquino III these days. He is beleaguered in almost all fronts and from the looks of it, he is ill-prepared to deal with them. He appears to be in a mythical quicksand predicament. Any move he makes will worsen his situation. He has to adroitly handle things from here on, otherwise he will self-destruct.
BANGSAMORO
The latest I heard earlier this week was that no Bangsamoro draft law will be submitted to Congress soon because constitutional issues have not been resolved.
This simply tells us that despite the earlier protestations and claims of Malacañang to the contrary, there are indeed constitutional infirmities bedeviling the peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
If this serious breakdown is not resolved, expect more conflicts and violent incidents in some parts of Mindanao. Mark my words.
CUT & PASTE
There must be something gravely wrong with how the peace negotiation was done. If the peace agreement (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro or CAB) was signed with no less than the whole world applauding and the MILF now publicly admitting that the draft law was crafted on a “cut and paste” manner to hew closely to the CAB, then why are there serious constitutional issues now?
I thought they learned from past mistakes. It’s either due to unpardonable naiveté or unmitigated hubris.
WORLD IN TURMOIL
World media never had it so good. Consider these:
- an MH17 plane with 298 people on board killed in Ukraine
- fighting in Iraq with Christians who refused to convert to Islam being threatened and leaving in exodus
- Hamas and the Israelis at war in Gaza
- Libya fighting rages.
More trouble elsewhere in the globe. Do you all want a quiet, stress-less day? Don’t read the newspapers and don’t listen to TV and the radio.
Guaranteed peace of mind!
BIG FUEL INCREASE
In the coming months, due to the on-going war and evacuation of oil fields in Iraq and the conflicts in the Middle East, it is predicted that the price of crude oil will increase by about $35 per barrel (compared to the usual fluctuation of from 35 cents to $1.) That translates to an increase of about P4 per liter or more. Wow!
On the long term, a shift to natural gas (ethanol or methane) for our vehicles is the only hope for the future.
THANKS TO TYPHOONS
Although China is saying that it has moved its oil rigs and naval vessels from the disputed areas with Vietnam due to the completion of exploration work, I think it is more because of the onset of the typhoon season.
Remember how the Vietnamese attacked Chinese nationals and destroyed Chinese properties due to the dispute? Hopefully, the typhoon winds can blow cold the simmer and lower the temperature./PN
