Purpose of Budget Hearing

When the OVP  spent 125 million of confidential funds in 11 days last year ... it left a bitter taste in the mouths of some congressmen. 

So when the budget hearing was done for the office budget prospect in the year 2025 ... the Appropriation committee made sure to proceed to investigate the continuing saga of where the confidential funds went in 2023. The review of last year's fiasco was made to ensure "na ang pera mg taong bayan" will not go into the wrong hands.

Why the budget hearing in the first place?

A budget hearing is a guide that keeps the government on the path to reaching its financial goals. Budgeting controls their finances, shows when they need to adjust their spending, and helps them decide where their money goes instead of wondering where it all went.

Governments use public budgeting to allocate and manage financial resources to achieve their social and economic objectives. 

Budget hearings allow the government to communicate in person their current financial status and year-end projections. This is also the opportunity to discuss any issues or concerns that impact the budget. 

Having known that ... now we know the budget hearing is a must.

So what's this we see on YouTube where Congress was turned into some sort of a kangaroo court. It was supposed to be a battle of wit and wisdom ... on who's who among the Congress elite intelligent group and who's who in the finance hierarchy.. but what we saw was the proceedings fizzled out and diminished into a battle of nerves. And temper.

It becomes a pulpit and a podium for bullying ... it was a show on who pushes around ... who intimidates who ... who puts pressure on ... and who twists who's arms.

The show was a recipe for sore eyes - where the honorable congressmen and the vice president turned into a pack of infantiles and juveniles.

VP Sara Duterte tindi ng arrive sa House budget hearing

Bench Ortiz Is First Runner Up

Congratulations to Bench Ortiz of the Philippines for bagging First Runner Up in Mr. Gay World 2024. The rest of the winners are:

Paul Carruthers - Great Britain - Mr. Gay World 2024

Bench Ortiz - Philippines - First-Runner Up

Poosit Changkawaneh - Thailand - Second-Runner Up

Karabo Morake - Germany - Third Runner-Up

Damian Kutryb - Poland - Fourth Runner-Up

Idiom Of The Day

Let's start using idioms or idiomatic expressions when we write. When idioms are used, it add color and texture to language by creating images that convey meanings beyond those of the individual words that make them up. An idiom can be very colorful and make a 'picture' in our minds. It also shows the writer's familiarity with English. When you want to make your writing sound more conversational, including idioms can give your writing a more relaxed tone.

Idioms allow us to say a lot with few words. Idioms amplify your messages in a way that draws your readers in and helps awaken their senses. It adds dynamism and character to otherwise stale writing. They make your writing less monotonous and your readers will think that you are smart and knowledgeable. All the while ... you only clothe your writing with elaborate idioms to create an impact... saying too much with less. 

To perfect your English, you really need to become confident in using idioms and knowing the difference between breaking a leg and pulling someone's leg. So the idiom of the day is:

IDIOM: Crocodile tears

MEANING: They are tears shed ... that are phony... or fake ... somebody is expressing sorrow for others that are insincere. It is a show of sorrow ... too bad it was done in pretense.

Their tears of sadness are not genuine.

ORIGIN: Crocodile tears may have originated from an ancient belief that crocodiles weep after killing their victims. It was in the mid-16th century: and there was a belief that crocodiles wept while devouring or luring their prey.

Folklore has it that crocs cry to entice their targets or to express remorse for their violent actions.

USING IT IN A SENTENCE: He was crying crocodile tears when his father died ... the person he wanted to destroy.

Crocodile Tears Meaning - English Idiom Videos

Idioms In Tagalog

 One of my friends asked:  "Are there idiom equivalents also  in the Tagalog language?" Of course, there are.  Katulad ng idioms sa English, ginagamit ito para tumingkad ang paglalarawan ng mga bagaybagay at para mapaigting  at matalinhaga ang takbo ng usapin o pagsusulat.

And just like in English ... ang kahulugan ng mga "sawikain or idioms" ay magkaiba sa literal meaning ng mga salita. Sa madaling salita ang mga sawikain don't mean exactly what the individual words in it say. Tandaan natin ... ang figurative meaning ng mga sawikain ... is different from its literal meaning.

If somebody tells you maganda ang hinaharap mo ... huwag kang praning  'te.  Kung inisip mo na ika'y binabastos ... maghunos dili ka dahil kung binatokan mo yan ikaw rin ang mapahiya kapag nahimasmasan ka na at naintiendihan mo na ang ibig niyang sabigin.

It doesn't mean na malaki ang dyoga mo. Far from it especially kung flat-chested ka naman. Masyadong balat- sibuyas ka lang ... and your making mountains out of molehill. Obviously hindi pa malawak ang vocabulary mo ... maybe ngayon mo lang narinig ang mga idioms. 

If you know what he said baka matuwa ka pa sa kanya at mabigyan mo pa ng libreng kiss.

Maganda ang hinaharap means "You have a bright future ahead of you." Kapatid kasi yan ni Madam Auring at nakikita niya sa kanyang bolang kristal na may magandang buhay na naghihintay sa iyo.

Kung ikaw naman ay lalaki huwag kang malisyoso. Hindi yong bukol mo ang tinutukoy niya lalo kung patpatin ka lang. Wag maging assuming.

Kaya mga ate at kuya ... chill lang kayo. Huwag kayong mang-umbag ... dahil bad yon. Baka yong magandang hinaharap na sinasabi niya ay biglang mag-left turn ... at sa kalaboso ang baksak ninyo. Kayo rin.

FB Critics ... Too Unforgiving

The fact that Emilio Daez is 1 Million richer was not enough to contain some FB commenters that "Rainbow Rumble" was living proof that we have an educational crisis right now.

When Host Luis Manzano asked the group : "Ano ang palayaw ng bayaning si Jose Rizal?"

Emilio answered Miong and Grae answered Joe Joe. Both of them were just guessing and I know they were joking and were half-hearted when they gave their answers. But that doesn't mean that their selective memory loss is tantamount to a pressing educational crisis.

I studied the life of Rizal when we were in first-year college ... I remembered it was Pepe but my brain was almost bleeding ... or was it hemorrhaging before I recall it.

What happens now if I ask "Why is Pluto not considered a planet?" That doesn't mean that your inability to answer the question ... means there is an existing educational vacuum in science that needs Dep Ed to overhaul and reexamine its present academic structure.

In fairness to Emilio and Grae they may not have answered that no-sweat question ... think about it ... they have responded to harder questions in the same game show that you didn't know ... including their harsh critics who exaggeratedly concluded an urgent educational cataclysm needing emergency government intervention.

What was astonishing ... was when Luis asked the audience ... they readily answered Pepe (overly genius bunch huh) making the contestant look stupid.

I was flabbergasted to see that 100% of the studio audience knew Rizal by heart ... as they unabashedly chorused Pepe in unison ... and I found it unbelievable seeing the camera pan on their faces smiling as if saying: "Ako hindi man ako artista pero alam ko ang sagot.".

Emilio may have won 1 million pesos ... but the embarrassment he and Grae experienced from the show was not worth it. They were poked fun at... and the host even dropped to the floor laughing and said "Who is the author of El Filibusterismo ... Miong Miong. Sino ang author ng Noli Me Tangeri - Joe Joe) And everyone has a good laugh.

I know Luis means well, and he did not intend to ridicule anybody. He was doing it to go with the jolly Bardagulan ng show. And maybe the ratings.

Emilio was a good sport though being put in that position ... but Grae was serious maybe questioning himself "Nag-guest ba kami dito sa show para hiyain?"