Money and corruption are ruining the land, crooked politicians betray the working man, pocketing the profits and treating us like sheep, and we're tired of hearing promises that we know they'll never keep.
— English musician Ray Davies

MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — It's clear: emergency meetings aren't a valid reason for officials—except the President, the Vice President, the Senate President, the House Speaker and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who are all given the privilege and not an exemption—to use the EDSA Busway, according to Malacañan.
It strongly added that "if you have an emergency meeting, better leave early."
So what's with these police officials saying they used the exclusive busway because they were on a rush to attend an 'emergency' meeting with Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Juanito Victor 'Jonvic' Remulla Jr.?
Ano, mga TANGA ba ang mga ito?
Dinepensa pa naman sila ni Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lieutenant General Rommel Francisco Marbil!
Bakit, ganun rin ba itong PNP Chief natin na katulad din ng kanyang mga opisyal?
Obviously, palusot lang ang kanilang dahilan dahil kung tutuusin, dapat alam nila ang pinatutungkulang EMERGENCY upang payagang dumaan sa EDSA busway.
Baka naman may 'call of nature' sila?
Hahaha . . .

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STEEL is a commonly used material in construction because of its many benefits. That is why many construction projects involve the use of steel.
But like any other building material, it must undergo strict tests to determine its quality. High-quality building materials mean that your construction will be successful and long-lasting. It will withstand the test of time and protect the people and objects inside the structure.
But what happens when you only use substandard materials?
Just recently, the newly retrofitted Cabagan-Santa Maria bridge in Isabela, built at a cost of a whopping ₱1.225 billion and which opened only last February (the current year), collapsed on Thursday night, February 27, leaving six people injured and one missing.
According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office II, a dump truck carrying boulders with an estimated gross vehicle weight of 102 tons was passing over the bridge at the time when the third span of the structure, measuring 60 meters, gave way.
The bridge, which spans 990 meters and consists of 12 arch bridge spans and nine spans of pre-stressed concrete girders, was constructed by R.D. Interior Jr. Construction Company. Construction of the bridge commenced in November 2014 and was initially slated to be finished by 2019, but it underwent retrofitting and was officially completed on February 1.
DPWH officials disclosed that a deep analysis is being conducted to determine the cause of the collapse, with experts from the Bureau of Design (BoD) and the Bureau of Construction (BuCon) assisting in the assessment.
Isabela governor Rodolfo Albano becalmed speculations that the project was rigged with corruption and asked for a probe that will prove what really caused the bridge’s collapse.
DPWH Cagayan Valley officer-in-charge Mathias Malenab said the bridge was designed to have a capacity of 45 tons per vehicle, in compliance with existing policies, but he added that the heavy truck’s passage resulted in a “concentrated load” that could have led to the collapse of a section of the bridge.
Irregardless of whether there was corruption in the construction of the Isabela bridge or it was merely fate that took a hand it it's collapse, Presidential Decree 1759 and Republic Act 6957 are laws that address substandard construction in government projects. Both laws mandate compliance with minimum safety and construction standards.
Thus, accordingly, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) office in Isabela City will be looking into possible corruption linked to the collapse of the section of the newly completed bridge.
No less than former PNP chief and returning senatorial candidate Panfilo 'Ping' Lacson noted that the bridge was constructed for almost a decade and the government spent more than one billion pesos for it, and so, if it is proven that it was built using substandard materials in violation of the law, those responsible for this incident should be held accountable.
Lacson added that "there is a special place in jail for those behind the substandard construction of the Cabagan-Santa Maria bridge."
Actually, this is not the first time and certainly won’t be the last we will hear of substandard construction in national and local government infrastructure projects. Unless those responsible for these irregularities get caught and convicted and spend the rest of their lives in jail, there will be no stopping this pestilence that plague our country.
And yet we now realize that it is not only in construction as well as in consumer item that include food and clothing that we see substandard products. Haven't we witnessed enough substandard service and substandard people in the private and public sectors and at this time, candidates as well in the upcoming midterm elections on May 12.
So, what to do . . .?

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