President Aquino’s 2nd SONA, July 25, 2011 – view video here

 

read the transcript of president noynoy aquino’s 2011 SONA speech here, original pilipino and the english translation:  http://bit.ly/qhL2Fm. also rate the SONA in that link.

history is made : Philippine Azkals turn into a scoring machine in win over Sri-Lanka

it was just a few months ago when the country knew almost nothing about this group called Philippines Azkals. when the country woke up to the power of the Azkals, it did not look back and stayed awake since then and its fans growing in number by the multitudes. 

that continued on yesterday when the Azkals beat Sri-Lanka in a most convincing and impressive fashion at 4-0. we almost fell asleep, worried even,  last week when they could only muster a 1-1 tie in Sri-Lanka.  yesterday’s game showed us a different team when the Azkals showed class, fineness and the tenacity of mad dogs going after it’s prey almost at the start of the bell.

the Azkals were relentless in their offense from the very start of the game. i would say the ball was on the half of the pitch on the Sri-Lankan side for a good 85% of the time. and during those moments the ball was on their opponent’s half, the Azkals attempted to kick a score almost every time they were there.

the Azkals that played yesterday looked like they were a completely different team from the one that played in Sri-Lanka last week.

• the offense  the Azkals executed last week was nowhere to be found. it just didn’t work.
• yesterday at the Rizal, the Azkals were nothing but an offensive team
• they passed the ball very well; they created openings for others; they communicated with each other very well and they had set patterns to execute that almost always worked flawlessly
• they also showed a lot of confidence in the plays. it did not look like this was a team who has not played together a lot. this time around, they seemed to know what the other was going to do and made opportunities for scoring and attack
• the defense was also excellent with the ball going to the Azkals side not as often and offensive dangers occurring even fewer times
• etheridge, the goal keeper worked less this time, showing just how great the defense was
• but of those times etheridge worked, he performed his job flawlessly as always. etheridge we think is clearly a great asset to the team
• the fact that those who scored yesterday are the same people who used to score before tells you the offensive machine is working very well and the team’s scorers are gaining much confidence on their skills and trust on their teammates

everything about the Azkals just worked perfectly. they did look like a team who has been playing together for many years. aside from the players, credit goes to the coach and his staff. they have obviously done their job in getting the team together. the couch’s effort and skill cannot be ignored. this coach knows his job and he planned this game brilliantly.

 the other equally important ingredient in yesterday’s win goes to the fans, the pinoys who were at the stands going crazy cheering the azkals on. a punishing rain poured on Rizal but the fans stayed on and did not let up in their cheers.  we only watched the game on TV but there was no moment during the game that we did not hear the fans cheering  the Azkals on. they reacted to every moment where we could have scored, made a mistake or did something right. eveything was noticed, even the smallest things.

we think the fans at Rizal made one hell of a difference in the way the Azkals played. football in the country was no linger a sport for the few meztizos and the rich. this was now a game every filipino enjoyed lustily for, for the players who practiced almost 24/7 hearing the fans go crazy in the stands translates into energy and determination among the players.

the azkals not only made its thousands of fans and pinoys happy in yesterday’s win, the team also made history for philippine football as for the first time the country has reached this stage in the qualifying games for the world cup. on that alone, the Azkals has achieved glory and they are already champions! for the pinoys.

Mayor Duterte The Barbarian needs to be removed from office, disbarred and jailed

it is very clear in this video, Mayor Sara Duterte of Davao strides into the area, calls for the sheriff to approach her then without warning holds him by the collar of his shirt with her left hand, then hits the man in his face with her right fist repeatedly.  the man retreats, men restrain the mayor but she pursues him, still flailing with her fist on the target.

the mayor went to the area as the sheriff with the police was in the process of demolishing the homes of squatters. the sheriff was executing the decision of a lower court. scuffles, stone throwing by the squatters and the police had ensued and the tension with the police was going into a boil.

some points:

• there is no acceptable reason for the mayor’s action. she clearly attacked the sheriff without any provocation with intent to harm
• the sheriff is an officer of the court who was doing his job, acting on a court order
• if the mayor wanted to delay the demolition of the homes, the way to do this is to get a court order, not to beat up the sheriff. the mayor is a lawyer, she ought to know that that is the process that needs to be followed
• as an elected government official, it is the duty of the mayor to uphold the law and in fact follow court orders, not disobey them and commit a crime herself
• we think the mayor should be punished according to law
• being a mayor and under the DILG, we think she should be removed from office for this show of disrespect of the court and for assaulting the sheriff
• being a lawyer and supposedly knowing procedures and the law, she needs to be disbarred from law practice for wantonly harming an officer of the court. this is definitely an action unbecoming of a member of the law profession.
• for assaulting the sheriff, she needs to spend time in jail as prescribed by the law

this should not  be allowed to pass unnoticed by the national government, the DILG and the judiciary. mayors or any other government official need to understand that they cannot take the law in their own hands, that they are in fact not above the law and that they themselves should obey the law no matter how they feel about it and even if it goes against their own beliefs.

the mayor, coming from one of the most powerful political clans in davao need to be taught the lesson that she cannot act with impunity, behaving as if davao is her personal fiefdom and the absolute ruler of the city. allowing this to pass will embolden not only duterte herself but all other mayors in thinking they can do whatever they please in their towns even if it is illegal.

davao is a city known for its political killings and summary executions, this not only reinforces that image, it confirms it. if the leaders of davao behave with such impunity, it is no wonder criminals just go around the city killing whoever they please.