Duterte-Tugade's NCR Cable Cars: Will they work?

In an interview with Karen Davila on ANC’s Headstart, incoming DOTC chief Art Tugade said he’s in talks with a cable car manufacturer about the possibility of installing cable cars to ease Manila Traffic. Tugade said he wants to mimic Bolivia’s approach, but on a more massive scale.

[FEATURED IMAGE: Bolivia's Mi Teleférico]

Tugade said, “Yung cable cars pinag-aaralan definitely... Ito ho, hinihiram ko 'yung Bolivia experience kung saan mayroong mga cable car… Uumpishan mo muna 'yan sa area ng Pasig, then EDSA, ito 'yung mga gondola na may 35-passenger capacity.” [GMA].

(We will definitely study the potential of cable cars, similar to Bolivia’s. We plan to launch 35-seater gondolas initially in Pasig, then EDSA.)

ThinkingPinoy should not be in Malacañang

I woke up from general anesthesia at 4:00 PM of 09 May 2016. At last, my trusty surgeon finally excised a severe perineal infection that’s been bugging me for weeks. I should have undergone surgery weeks earlier but I chose to postpone it because I had something more important to do.

Idealistic? Hardworking? Patriotic? Malacañang needs you!

If you’ve been following the ThinkingPinoy Facebook Page for quite some time, you might have noticed that I am keen to work for the incoming Duterte administration. After several weeks’s worth of noting, I have finally managed to get an appointment with people from a key presidential communications group (CG).

What’s in it for you?

The PH Telco Cartel: Telstra’s story from conception to miscarriage [1/2]

In San Miguel, Globe, Smart & the 700 MHz Band for Dummies [Pt. 1 of 2], ThinkingPinoy explained what the 700 Megahertz (700 MHz) band is. Now that we got that out of the way, it’s time to talk about the story of the 700 MHz spectrum in relation to mobile internet and the Philippine Telecom industry at large.

This post serves as the second part of that article. However, instead of using the title “San Miguel, Globe, Smart & the 700 MHz Band for Dummies [Pt. 2 of 2], I decided to use the title above as it provides is better describes this post’s content.

Warning: This will be the longest article that I, ThinkingPinoy, has ever written, so I would like to apologize in advance if reading this will take a lot of time. I felt that it’s high time for the public to have a deeper working understanding of how messed up the PH telco industry is, so that each of us can provide more meaningful contributions to the PH Telco debate.

Let’s go.

The PH Telco Cartel: Telstra’s story from conception to miscarriage [2/2]

The dagger to heart – the final straw – was finally planted when Globe and Smart, through the NTC, urged the newly-formed Philippine Competition Commission [PCC] to probe SMC’s control over the 700 MHz spectrum, citing this practice as “anti-competitive” [MS].

(This article is the continuation of The PH Telco Cartel: Telstra’s story from conception to miscarriage [1/2])

In response, PCC founding chairman Arsenio Balisacan said one of the sectors the PCC would focus on is the telecommunications industry, which includes a study of the 700 MHz issue and how San Miguel was able to obtain and maintain control of the scarce frequency in spite of calls for a public bidding [MS].

The PCC derives its mandate from Philippine Competition Act, penned by Senator Bam Aquino and signed on 21 July 2015 by his uncle, President Noynoy Aquino [RA 10667].

Now let’s ask the question, why?

San Miguel, Globe, Smart & the 700 Mhz Band for Dummies [Pt. 1 of 2]

SMC sold the 700 Mhz band to Globe and Smart... so what's in it for you?

San Miguel Corporation has finally let go of its prized 700 Mhz band by selling it to the telco duopoly of Smart Communications and Globe Telecom. Press releases say it's good for the public, but that is just the partial truth. The tech talk is  a bit difficult to grasp, so ThinkingPinoy is here to the rescue!

Duterte, Cayetano, Pimentel: Inside Info on the Senate Presidency (Part 2 of 2)

In Duterte, Cayetano, Pimentel: Inside Info on the Senate Presidency (Part 1 of 2), ThinkingPinoy explained that over the past month, President-elect Duterte has masterfully consolidated and tested the limits of his political power, with Senate as the only thing standing in his way.

The key to the Senate is in the Senate Presidency, currently contested by Senator and PDP-Laban President Koko Pimentel; and Senator and Duterte running mate Alan Peter Cayetano. Now, it’s time to continue where we left off.

Duterte, Cayetano, Pimentel: Inside Info on the Senate Presidency (Part 1 of 2)

Politics is a battle of competing interests and not a struggle between good and evil. Thus, it is incumbent upon the electorate to choose a leader whose interest and advocacies best align with theirs. The sooner we learn, recognize and accept this truth, the better for us. ThinkingPinoy has become well aware of this fact, that’s why he’s been attempting to educate his readers about the ins and outs of today’s “Political Game of Thrones”.

Leni’s Possible Defense: Strike down SOCE laws

Yesterday, ThinkingPinoy explained how the Liberal Party’s (LP) non-filing of the its Statement of Campaign Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) will result in the disqualification of all winning LP-nominated candidates starting from Vice-president Leni Robredo down to municipal or city councilors [TP: No VP Leni].

In reply, Robredo insisted that Comelec Rules allow LP to file its SOCE until June 30th. However, TP showed that Robredo was in fact referring 2014 Comelec Resolution 9873 that has already been repealed by 2015 Comelec Resolution 9991, essentially implying that Robredo’s June 30 claim has no legal basis [TP: Obsolete Law].

Attorney Maria Leonor Robredo’s poorly constructed "June 30 deadline" legal argument will not hold water in the court of law. However, she may still have other ways to get out of this LP-initiated legal mess. And that’s what we will be talking about.

June 30 SOCE Extension? Leni Robredo used obsolete rule

Vice-president-elect Leni Robredo says deadline is 30 June 2016 but TP discovers she cited an obsolete Comelec Resolution.

No LP SOCE equals No VP Leni, No LP Senators: Election Lawyer

Mar Roxas and the Liberal Party failed to submit their Statements of Campaign Contributions and Expenditures (SOCEs) on time. An election lawyer says this will cause a political crisis of epic proportions.

Impunity of Liberal Party Mining Crony to end soon?

Will a Liberal Party illegal miner crony become one of the first casualties of Duterte's crusade against corruption?

Banned? Mr. Lingao, let’s learn from Carlos Celdran

The official Facebook page of the Juan Nationalist was taken down by Facebook after it was mob-reported. The deluge of reports came after EJAP released a statement criticizing Duterte’s declarations against media and journalist killings. The account was restored only after contacting a Facebook executive [Star].

A similar case happened to the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP). Meanwhile, One of TV5 journalist’s Ed Lingao’s Anti-Marcos posts also got taken down – twice. At the second instance, the system also prevented Lingao from posting for a cruel 24-hour period [Star].

All the incidents involving these posts and accounts can be summed up into one sentence:

Incendiary content triggered a large number of Facebook user reports that, in turn, triggered an automatic ban.

I, ThinkingPinoy, am a journalist, and my primary enabler is the constitutional right to free speech. That is why I empathize with Lingao, EJAP, Juan Nationalist, and every journalist whose freedom to speak online has been impaired.

The operative word, however, is empathize.

#JustForFun: ABS-CBN, "Tatlong Bibe" is from the UK

I stumbled upon Bambit Gaerlan’s Tagalog Facebook post that reads:

Sa nagbabagang balita! Saksakan!

Saksakan ng tanga ang mga nilalang na ito:

1. Ang BPI branch na nadenggoy ng nagpanggap na Peter Tiu Lavina sa halagang 700K, nagrelease ng pera bago nag verify sa kampo ni PRRD
2. Ang mga may ari ng isang kotse kung saan sila nag iwan ng bag na may lamang 40K na cash at tuloy nanakawan ni Spider Kid.
3. Ang "expert" na nagsabing Pinoy daw ang nursery rhyme/song na Tatlong Bibe kagaya ng Bahay Kubo.

P*t*ng*n*

Alright, the first two items are obvious incidents of sheer idiocy. The third, on the other hand, piqued my interest. Why? Because my Facebook friends are going gaga over “Tatlong Bibe (Three Ducklings)”, and I never really cared about it until my wall got inundated with homemade “Tatlong Bibe” dance videos.

Ok, this issue has nothing to do with Philippine Politics, but please indulge me because nangangati ang utak ko.  

Pagbigyan niyo ako, trip lang.

#KungAkoSiRody: The Big Issue of Big Media’s Big Ego

I am the 71-year-old Rodrigo Duterte and by the end of the month, I shall be the 16th president of this republic. Yes, I am a rude person and yes, it has been that way since I was born. Yes, I like banter and yes, that’s something that Davao media men are already very familiar with.

Yes, I might have offended Mariz Umali when I catcalled her but no, my actions were without any sexual innuendo. Yes, women have the right to complain about the incident but no, I will not apologize because I have the right to be stubborn. All my 16 million voters have always been aware of my foul mouth yet they still voted for me. Now, ask yourself why, then ask yourself what you should do because of that.

Yes, you have the right to write about my bad manners as much as you want to but no, I am not obliged to spend an hour each day of of whatever little time I have left in this world just to quench your thirst for tabloid content. If your dislike for my demeanor is more important than your duty as a journalist to inform the people of the next president’s plan for this country, then boycott my nightly press conferences.

(In the #KungAkoSiRody article series, ThinkingPinoy attempts to “play the political Game of Thrones” by pretending to be President Rodrigo Duterte.)