Biyernes, Disyembre 7, 2012

Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4: Analysis

BANE FOR PACMAN: In the illustration above Marquez (black trunk) waits for the right jab of Manny before he (Marquez) lunches his counter left punch  (or a rattling combination of right and left punches) before he turned clockwise to frustrate Manny to hit him with his lethal left straight punch.

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA 

 I told Philippine GMA-7 TV before the quadrilogy of Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao that Marquez got the numbers of Pacquiao. Every time Manny lunches his right jabs, he unleashes his (Marquez) power right cross, left uppercut and right cross to the face of Manny while he runs clockwise. As a consequence, Manny could not hit him with his big left straight because the Mexican, like the Coyote in Lonney Tunes, has been running beyond his range. This phenomenon has been almost the same strategy Marquez has done from his three controversial outings with the Filipino congressman. Marquez has been waiting for Manny to unleash a punch where, just like a boomerang, he immediately counter it with a 1-2 combination or even a 1-2-3 flurry. In their trilogy however, Marquez innovated by hitting Manny first with his right or left. But it was his strategy to goad Manny to hit him where he could counter-punch Pacquaio with his trademarked combination. Manny in their rubber match shilly-shally every time he punches Marquez. He could afford only a right and left combination and withdraw to avoid the rattling counter punches of the Mexican. As a result that trilogy was a bore among ordinary fight fans that used to see the explosiveness of Manny when he fought Eric Morales, Oscar dela Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito who stood in front of him and did not abscond like Marquez every time he wants to exchange blows.
 *** 
The camp of Manny assured the fans that the fight on Sunday (Saturday in the U.S) would be exciting because Manny would summon his fearsome power punches by pressing the fight to Marquez. But how could Manny brings the fight with Marquez when he got tag by the counter punches of the Mexican every time he hit Marquez? They said he would slip by docking the counter punches of Juan while he delivers his bombs to the latter. Incase this would be their fight plan, they could borrow how Floyd Mayweather Jr. penetrated the ring of fire from Marquez. In that bout Floyd bobbled, weaved, covered his face with his gloves, or jumped in and out from the counter punches of the Mexican. Since I was writing this article a day before the fight, let's cross our finger if Manny could weather the counter punches of Marquez who would expectedly increase the volume of his power punches to grab the victory in this fourth fight. 
(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)

Linggo, Nobyembre 4, 2012

Lessons Filipinos could learn from the US election

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

 Even the U.S and the Philippines are representative democracy where the voters directly elect their president, the US differs from the Philippines in the mode of electing its highest leader. Filipinos elect directly their president and their vice president, the Americans only elect directly their president and whoever wins the presidency he gets his chosen vice president. If Democrats’ Barrack Obama wins in November 6,2012, he gets Vice President Joe Biden. If Republican or GOP’s Mitt Romney’s wins he gets Congressman Paul Ryan. If President Noynoy Aquino got 500 thousand votes in Pangasinan and 250 thousand votes in South Cotabato all of them including the votes he got in other local government units (towns, cities, provinces) in the country would be tallied and if he got the highest votes say 15,208,678 from the more than 50 million registered voters he wins the election.
 If Barrack Obama got 50.1% votes versus Romney’s 49.9 votes in the State of California and 55 % versus Romney’s 45% in the State of New York, the Office of the Federal Register at the National Archives and Records Administration, US version’s of our Commission on Election, do not add all the votes the way the Comelec has done to Presidential candidate Aquino.
 California is represented by 55 electors or Electoral College votes while New York is represented by 29 electors that would go all to Obama in a winner-takes-all rule (55 plus 29 equals 84). In the U.S ,a presidential candidate needs to win 270 electors in all 48 States and the District of Columbia to become a president.
 The States of Nebraska and Main however do not practice this winner-take-all as they have another formula in computing who wins in their States.
The distribution of electors, by the way, is based on the number of congressmen and senators in a state. Members of the Electoral College are chosen by the state.
There are five presidential candidates running for the highest office in the US now. Obama, Romney, and third parties candidates (although they are spent force), Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and Birthday Party (Is he an independent?) Richard Duncan.
Moreover, Electoral College does not mean that the winner got most of the popular votes (A hypothetical 51 million votes versus 50 million voter for his rival). When George Bush, Jr. defeated Al Gore for the presidency in 2000, the latter got most of the popular votes but lost in the Electoral College against Bush, Jr.
 *** 
As of press time (Sunday, November 4 Philippine's timeline) and two days to go before the U.S presidential election Democrats presidential candidate Barrack Obama is tied by 49 percent each with Republican presidential bet Mitt Romney according to the Rasmussen Poll.
 Before Super Storm Sandy crashed on the East Coast, Romney has a two-point lead against the incumbent president.
How did the Democrats change the face of the race that once favored Romney to become the next elected president after the November 2012 election? According to Republican poll strategist (political operators in the Philippines listen!) Dick Morris who heads, together with Mike Reagan, the son of former president Ronald Reagan), the GOP’ soliciting body Super PAC, Obama Team outspent the Romney’s team in funding negative TV ads against the latter by millions of dollars on swing States like Ohio and Wisconsin. According to Morris: “Pennsylvania, Romney led on Wednesday night by two points but in Thursday night’s polling, he was tied.” We have also seen slippage for Romney in Michigan. More troubling, Rasmussen shows a two-point gain for Obama in job approval, rising from 48% to 50% in the current poll. All of these changes are, no doubt, related to Hurricane Sandy.
** *
The lessons we Filipinos could learn on this TV ad thing (either be it in the gubernatorial poll or senatorial poll in the May 2013 election) is it is a major factor in winning the election. TV (like ABS-CBN, GMA-7, and TV-5) penetrates all sectors of the society from the cross stitching grandma to the basketball buff grandson who is already eligible to vote.
The only problem in the Philippine is most of our politicians don’t exploit the defects of their opponents on their paid ads on TV (or count here too the AM and FM bands on radio, and the cheaper “White Paper” circulated by politicians in exposing the weaknesses of their opponent).
Despite being embodied in Section 79 of the Omnibus Election Code that says"election campaign" or "partisan political activity" refers to an act designed to promote the election or defeat of a particular candidate or candidates to a public office which shall include: 4) Publishing or distributing campaign literature or materials designed to support or oppose the election of any candidate. Filipino politicians satisfy themselves by paying the service of somebody to make a brownie points ads only for themselves like “Nasubukan mo na bang lumangoy sa basura?” or “Mr X the Action Man!”.
**** 
In case Obama makes it on Tuesday (Wednesday in the Philippines) on the present neck and neck derby, he should be thankful too to the timing of killer Hurricane Sandy where his mettle through his immediate and effective assistance to the states gnawed by Super Storm Sandy was tested (Republicans however dispute this because of the long queue and the gas and power shortages that infuriated people on those affected areas) . As a result nominal Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York and dyed-in-the wool GOP Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey “kissed” him and paid him obeisance just like what Amerigo Bonasera to Don Vito Corleone in the God Father.
 *** 
Gezz, the stout Governor Christie, who spitted fire at Obama before, could be likened to Filipino politicians who piggy-back at a snap of a finger at the popularity of Obama’s feat in the Sandy’s debacle. Everybody knows he was doing this for his re-election bid? Morris, Romney, hard line GOPs just cry your heart’s out on this circus in New York and New Jersey! This Murphy’s Law on the part of Romney (imagine a storm crashed a week before the election that favors the enemy?) was no different to a toss-up contest in towns, cities, and provinces in the Philippines after the command votes of the Iglesia ni Cristo (a religious sect) entered the scene in favor of a certain candidate.
(You can read my columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com).

JDV on disputes between China and neighbors

Former Speaker de Venecia in a Q & A 
Former five - time Speaker Jose de Venecia discusses the growing belligerence of Mainland China in the South and East China Seas vis-a-vis the South East Asian nations and Japan. Northern Watch's columnist Mortz Ortigoza interviewed the former speaker., Excerpts:
 Northern Watch (NW): Former President Fidel V. Ramos said in recent interview that Mainland China cannot be an aggressor forever because the Association of South East Asian Nations that includes the Philippines has 600 million people which are economically rising to challenge the Sinos in trade dominance someday. Can China afford to lose these countries as trade partners because of its incessant incursions on the disputed isles in the South China Sea?
 JOSE DE VENECIA JR (JDV): Our formula, our strategic joint exploration solves the problem. The problem between (Mainland) China and the Philippines has the same solution as the problem between China and Japan. It can solve the problem with Japan and (South) Korea and their disputed water. (The formula) is a China- sea- wide solution between the Philippines and Malaysia because we have conflict there. It is also the same solutions to the Philippines and Vietnam. It is not only for the Philippines but for the problem of Japan.
NW: Why do these countries don’t adopt your formula?
 JDV: Because nakalagay lang sa conscience natin (what was in our conscience) China is a multi-sided multiple conflicts and a complex issues. My proposal for the joint exploration (on the disputed water and isles) is profit sharing, reasonable profit sharing. At the same time the real solutions of this problem are reconciliation and development. That is the solution!
 NW: Do you think war is inevitable between Japan and China as the former is determined not to give an inch of the Senkaku Islands or Diaoyu Islands for the Sinos ?
 JDV: That will be forestalled again by our joint formula may 50-50 sila (they can divide 50-50) from the resources, the gas, 50-50. It is the same 50-50 formula to solve the water dispute between Japan and Korea. I just came from East Timor Sea where the (gas) resources between Australia –East Timor in North Darwin have shared for joint exploration. The same profit sharing in the Caspian Sea among Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan.
NW: What’s your take on Edward Luttwak’s, a senior associate for the Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, USA, and consultant to the Pentagon, thesis on his provocative book “The Rise of China vs. the Logic of Strategy” that the Chinese have been imbecilic enough to re-launch territorial quarrels with Japan, Vietnam and India more or less on the same day, when those three countries have more people, more money and more technology than China. Would severing of ties economically with these countries possible as based on the thesis?
 JDV : All of these are possible, that’s why our formula will forestall it. It’s all about the political crisis there, the economic wars will that will follow with this conflict.
NW: Is the growing bellicosity of China in the South China Sea and in the disputed waters in Senkaku Islands is because of the forthcoming election of the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party this November? That party leaders want to portray their patriotism to ingratiate with the party members?
 JDV: They have already decided who will be the president and vice president. They have already decided who will be the prime minister there is no need for that bellicosity.
NW: Press reports said the hard-line stance of the Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan to nationalized Senkaku against Chinese’s incursions there was because of his forthcoming re-election in Japan?
JDV: In this case that must be necessary because he is for re-election. He is to ensure the victory of his party which is the Democratic Party of Japan - the ruling party which is now facing difficulty. That's why he has taken a high profile stance on the isles.

Sabado, Setyembre 15, 2012

China Cannot be an Aggressor Forever - FVR

 Mortz C. Ortigoza (Left) interviews former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos


Northern Watch's political columnist Mortz C . Ortigoza sat again recently with former President Fidel V. Ramos, a West Pointer, in Dagupan City to discuss the growing belligerence of Mainland China in the West Philippines Sea and the state of the Philippine’s armed forces vis-à-vis the incessant Chinese's intrusions in the territorial waters of the Philippines, Excerpts:


' MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA (MCO): Mr. President, some quarters said armed conflict between the United States and Mainland China is inevitable. But the U.S has $1.164 trillion of debt with China, notwithstanding the latter as the U.S’s biggest trade partner. Do you think war is indeed inevitable?
FIDEL V. RAMOS (FVR): You know I hope you read my Sunday columns in the Bulletin. I’ve been writing about , No. 1: “Who is Scared of Scarborough? Or Panatag Shoal which is 124 miles only from Masinloc, Zambales, 550 Miles away from Hainan, Islands – the southernmost place of China, thereby we have some advantage already. No. 2: If we sacrifice our trade using the 200 miles EEZ or Exclusive Economic Zone provided for long by the UN (United Nations) Convention of the Laws of the Sea, UNCLOS tagilid diyan si China (that will be China’s dilemma).
MCO: But China was nonchalant on this EEZ thing. She keeps violating our territorial water?
FVR: In my view she cannot be an aggressor forever because there are also other nations like ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) which has 600 million people. Kasama ang Philippines diyan (the Philippines is included there). They are also rising like China and democratic and observe and respect the right convention and covenant especially the rule of human rights and equal opportunity. Meaning (they) keep the sea lanes of peaceful commerce, aviation and people’s interaction open and hindered by decrees. This is how the 21st Century and no country, and no people within the country can just dictate like that because the people everywhere will not allow it. Look at what is happening in the Middle East and in North Africa.
MCO: Are you in favor the Philippines buttresses her armed forces like buying T-50 Golden Eagle and F-16 Falcon supersonic multi-role jets from Korea Aerospace Industries and U.S based Lockheed Company ?
FVR: You know the best way of acquiring modern equipment was what we did back in the 1990s with Cory (President Aquino) up to 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994 during my time. It was not outright purchased; it was co-production and counter trade. This was how we bought jets, trainer planes from Alenia Aermacchihe S-211, one squadron 24 of them But one half of them were paid in hard cash. The other half were completed by bartering by ordering shoes, woven fashion wear, leather goods, and lingerie fashion materials made in the Philippines but Italy wants to brand them with their (products).
MCO: How about Co-Production?
FVR: Plus co-production. If we talked about co-production it does not have to do with flying the planes and jets. The non-avionic parts or the parts that do not do have to do with flying the plane, firing the guns, providing the radar like the seats, the canopy, the upholstery, the glass. It must be made in the Philippines. And yes we have so many retired air force people, and aviation personnel who can do all of these dirty works. We did that in 1991-92-93.
MCO: During your time Mr. President, were planes’ crashes common that snapped out the lives of our air force pilots?
FVR: Saka noong panahon namin maniwala ka, the quality of the (planes) of the air force then was very high (Believe you me, during my time the quality of the planes of the air force planes were very high). Walang namamatay na cabinet members kahit na sumakay sila sa Philippine Air force Force. Pati ang presidente hindi nag-a-arkila ng private planes bukod sa foreign trips by using Philippine Airlines. Iyong Philippine Air force gamit namin sa local sorties (No cabinet members were reported dead who rode in an air force plane in my time. Even the president of the land did not lease private planes except when he went abroad by availing Philippine Airlines. The air force planes were used in local sorties only).
ZJ Rosario Ortigoza, Roberto J. Alba Jr. and 86 others
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Sabado, Hulyo 14, 2012

CORRUPTION 101: Devil's Guide to Struggling Philippines' Politicians

BY MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

 Mayor pockets up to 30% loans from bank

 My politician friend told me that a corrupt mayor can get 20 percent to 30 percent of the loan his town or city obtained from government- run Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines. “If he wants the money immediately, he can get P20 million or 20% of the P100 million loans in advance from the (private) contractor,” he whispered to me not to divulge his name but to expose this perennial anomaly in public. But if the mayor wants a 30% or P30 million from the loan, then he should be the one to own the construction firm (of course though a dummy) if he wants the bigger chunks of the anomaly alias S.O.P (Standard Operation Procedure) after the project (construction of either the municipal hall, public market, or other public building) is completed and approved by the concerned government agencies.

Angry Vice Mayor felt cheated in division of Loot 

A vice mayor in a town in Pangasinan yaps and bellyaches about the “anomalous’’ transactions of the mayor he is going to challenge in next year’s mayoralty poll. “Why it is that checks that run to millions of pesos were released without their corresponding vouchers?” he told me. When I met the mayor I asked him why the vice mayor continued to assail the X million pesos loan his town contracted with the Land Bank of the Philippines. “Sa ibang bayan mayor tahimik lang ang vice mayor dahil may share siya na P1 million sa loan (In other town mayor, the vice mayor there just keeps mum after he was given his P1 million share from the loan),” I continued.

Sabado, Hunyo 16, 2012

Pacquiao’s loss blames on Malunggay (Moringa Oleifera)


 “Miracle tree” malunggay has been promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the past 20 years as a low-cost health enhancer in poor countries around the globe

Huwebes, Hunyo 7, 2012

HOW TO ROB PUBLIC FUNDS IN THE PHILIPPINES


By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

A top government official told me how an assessor of a town or city fleece a taxpayer (seller or buyer of a real property) who asked for the certification of a real property’s classification.
The classifications are residential, agricultural, and commercial.