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28
Oct
Joey III warns of failure of elections
The abrupt cancellation of the Smartmatic-Aboitiz contract for the latter to deliver the voting machines for next year’s elections is cause for concern, IT businessman Joey de Venecia said yesterday.
“While the Aboitiz company 2Go is one of the biggest delivery companies in the country, it only covers about 80 percent of the Philippines ,” de Venecia noted.
To assign the task to smaller companies is a very risky undertaking, he said.
“A distribution glitch at this late stage does not bode well for the May 2010 elections,” according to the ZTE-national broadband network whistleblower.
De Venecia had earlier warned that the Commission on Elections would not be able to handle the full automation of the May 2010 polls. He has been pushing for full automation only in the National Capital Region.
“Obviously, there is already a problem in guaranteeing that all precincts nationwide will be getting the voting machines on time. The cancellation of the Smartmatic-Aboitiz contract tells us that something has been amiss from the beginning,” Joey de Venecia III said.
Under a worst-case scenario, he said the failure to deliver machines in all the precincts could result in a failure of elections.
Smartmatic’s announcement that the manufacture of the voting machines from Taiwan to China – ostensibly due to “weather concerns” – is another cause for concern. The non-delivery of the machines is not impossible, he said. Partial delivery will not be good enough.
“I hate to say I told you so, but the Comelec is clearly not fully prepared for such a huge undertaking as full automation,” he said.
Joey de Venecia III said that a decision could still be made now to defer the nationwide computerization.
“We cannot afford to use the May 2010 presidential elections as a test case. Instead, we should just computerize the elections in Metro Manila, and if all goes well, fully automate the barangay elections later next year.”
A businessman specializing in IT for more than two decades, de Venecia said his own experience tells him that the Comelec may not be up to the task.
“I am not belittling the Comelec’s capacity, but since this is the first time that the Philippine polls will be automated, there are too many problems that can arise. The Comelec should consider every possible roadblock, every possible problem, before insisting that nothing can go wrong. My experience tells me if something can go wrong, it will,” he said.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, Joey de Venecia III concluded.
11
Oct
Don’t forget Pepeng’s victim – Joey III
Continue to help Ondoy’s victims, but don’t forget those affected by Pepeng, businessman Joey de Venecia III said yesterday.
“Because Metro Manila has not yet recovered from the effects of Ondoy, it is easy to forget that typhoon Pepeng caused equally devastating damage to Northern Luzon,” de Venecia said in his blog. “My home province of Pangasinan was among the hardest hit, with nearby Dagupan also almost totally crippled by Pepeng.”
Besides the loss of crops property estimated in the billions of pesos, more than a hundred lives were lost due to Pepeng. Combined with Ondoy of the previous week, the total number of fatalities has exceeded 400, with an unknown number still unaccounted for.
Unlike Ondoy which came and went in a matter of hours, Pepeng lingered in the north for several days. During all that time, the rains fell nonstop.
De Venecia called for more volunteers to assist the victims of the two deadly storms.
“I know that both the government and the private sector’s capacity to rehabilitate the flood victims in the National Capital Region have been stretched to the limit, yet we cannot ignore our brothers and sisters in northern Luzon whose homes have been damaged,” the son and namesake of former Speaker Joe de Venecia said.
“They, too, need relief in the form of food, clothes and emergency shelter.”
De Venecia initiated a clean-up campaign immediately after Ondoy. More recently, he has been concentrating on the areas in Central and Northern Luzon which saw floodwaters rise beyond 20 feet.
“In behalf of my provincemates in Pangasinan, as well as the rest of the provinces in the north who were affected, I appeal for further help,” de Venecia said.
He described the site of thousands of people rendered hungry and homeless as “truly heartbreaking.”
The ZTE-national broadband network whistleblower has been calling on youth groups to organize themselves to clean up communities. He suggested that the groups “adopt” badly hit communities or barangays to again make them habitable.
De Venecia’s call for volunteerism have resulted in youth groups, even barkadas, eschewing “gimmicks” and good times in favor of joining relief work organized by big organizations and NGOs.
“Sometime last week, I aired an appeal for greater volunteerism on the part of those who have the time to spare. The kids have delivered bigtime,” he said.
De Venecia said he will be spending the next few days in his home province and surrounding areas.
He has been doing the rounds of his businessmen-friends to keep donating “until it hurts.”
3
Oct
Preparing for Pepeng
We have not yet fully recovered from tropical depression Ondoy and we now have to brace for the coming of typhoon Pepeng.
By all accounts, it will be as deadly as Hurricane Katrina was to the state of Louisiana and its main city of New Orleans not too long ago. Pepeng will be deadlier than typhoon Milenyo of a few years ago which hit Metro Manila hard.
In other words, Pepeng will be deadly. The only good thing is that our shared experience with Ondoy has made all of us better prepared.
I’ve taken the usual precautions at the place I now call home. There is enough supply of food and water in the kitchen for the next few days. I expect electricity to be cut off, which means I also have some candles and flashlights.
A portable, battery-powered radio is ready. To avoid getting terminally bored, I also have a portable DVD player with its battery fully charged. Ditto with my cell phones and laptop.
I did not buy a lot of meat because an extended brownout will only cause them to spoil. What I do have is a sufficient supply of canned goods plus crackers and biscuits.
When the storm hits, I will not let any member of my household go out for any reason whatsoever. I only hope that it passes quickly.
Pepeng has been referred to as a super typhoon, which means the effects can be devastating. It may not hit the National Capital Region directly, but the expected rains can be expected to bring back floods to areas which haven’t been fully rehabilitated from last Saturday’s floods.
The parts of Luzon that will be hit by Pepeng will be in serious trouble if the local government units are not prepared. I only hope that they are.
They may not get immediate assistance from the national government which is now hard-pressed to help all the victims of Ondoy in Metro Manila.
I expect internet connection to be lost for a while today and tomorrow, so before signing off let me just tell everyone out there – please, take care. Take all possible precautions and pray.
1
Oct
Joey, Army work together to assist victims
While assisting the victims of tropical depression Ondoy in Marikina the other day, businessman Joey de Venecia III had a brief moment of tension when a Philippine Army (PA) contingent arrived at the scene.
That tension quickly turned to relief, then joy, when it turned out that the soldiers had been sent by the PA’s General Headquarters to also provide assistance.
“I had no idea that they were sent to the same place I had gone to purely by chance,” de Venecia said yesterday.
Led by Col. Aurelio Badajos, the PA’s 240-man Task Force Echo crew turned to de Venecia to help prioritize the work that needed to be done.
De Venecia was at Barangay Sto Nino at the Riverside section of Marikina City just after daybreak. Col. Badajos and his contingent arrived just before noon. By then, de Venecia and his own clean up “army” had been loading mountains of trash to dump trucks, both manually and with the use of payloaders.
De Venecia initiated a campaign to help clean up the homes of victims the other day by providing 10 large payloaders, 20 dump trucks, 10 generator sets, 10 water tanks, and 100 pressure washers. He also gave away 100 shovels, 100 rakes and 200 brooms (walis tingting) to Marikina residents, who were among the worst hit by Ondoy.
After receiving a cry of help from a friend who lives in the area, De Venecia visited Barangay Sto Nino and helped collect the garbage and waste that threatened to cause the spread of disease. He also gave away 2,500 food and bottled water packs to the residents.
“I must salute Col. Badajos and his men for their discipline and hard work, and most especially their willingness to cooperate,” de Venecia said, “We were able to achieve so much more because of their terrific attitude.”
The son and namesake of former Speaker Joe de Venecia Jr. said he had been wary of men in uniform because of past experience. He has accused the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Phils. of tapping his phones and spying on him.
“I do know that the overwhelming majority of our officers and men and women of the AFP are true professionals who are committed to serve the people,” de Venecia said. This belief was reinforced last Tuesday when the PA contingent even sought instructions from de Venecia on how to distribute the workload.
“I would work with these guys anytime,” a tired and muddied de Venecia told mediamen at the site. His work started early morning and ended late afternoon.
About the only damper to the cooperation between the Army men and de Venecia’s group was when Col. Badajos was slightly injured during the operations. The officer cut his head when he bumped into a broken glass window. De Venecia quickly came to the aid of the colonel.
The Makati-based businessman has prioritized cleaning up operations as his contribution to the national effort to address the problems caused by Ondoy, particularly in Metro Manila.
He raised fears that epidemics could erupt all over the teeming metropolis of some 14 million people if massive cleaning and clearing operations are not done immediately. He called on all residents who were not affected by Ondoy to volunteer and clear their communities of accumulated trash.
