South China/West Philippine Sea

[Bugatti Veyron]

Really? What makes you think that Standard and Poor's is unreliable?

 

Am wondering how Standard and Poor's rated Fannie May, Freddie Mac, etc. before the sh^t hit the fan......

[Bugatti Veyron]

No wonder, the ability to demand and collect TAXES from citizens is the main factor before we got the ratings upgrade. But let us look at real issue which is the way government is spending tax money and using the extra credit that would accumulate debt for each and every Filipino.

That's what's sickening. The aggressiveness with which the BIR is now collecting taxes from its citizens is unprecedented and yet I don't see any substantial benefits accruing to Filipino citizens. The only ones who seem to be benefitting are those damned politicians.

[Bugatti Veyron]

Apparently, the Malaysian police has declared victory so don't delude yourself into thinking that this may last generations.

 

So what exactly is the power play of Malaysia that is, to use your own words, more violent than the Marcos years?

 

 

It was an invasion which was not authorized by the President of the Republic of the Philippines. Why would Aquino defend rogue Filipino militants who invaded an ASEAN ally's territory?

Malacanang pleaded with the Sultanate to return to the Philippines and offered to bring up the issue with the United Nations through diplomatic means. The Sultanate and its followers refused Malacanang's offer and chose to defend their stand through force.

 

That said, the Sultanate must now accept responsibility for whatever happens next. When they refused to accept the offer of Malacanang, they essentially decided to go it alone.

[Bugatti Veyron]

It is not the concern of the credit raters like Standard and Poor's how the RP government spends its money. Standard & Poor's rates the Philippines according to its default probability.

 

True. Credit raters like Standard and Poors, Moodys, etc. rate sovereigns as well as individual companies according to the probabilitiy of default. What hit05 was saying about how the government spends taxpayers' money had nothing to do with how or why the Philippines got a rating upgrade. His statement was simply trying to highlight how we, as taxpayers, are getting a raw deal from this government. And it's true. The government is so inefficient, wasteful and outright corrupt. The way it wastes money on projects such as those bridges in Leyte that lead to nowhere. That was featured on ABS-CBN news a few months back. The way Enrile showers cash on his loyal supporters in the senate while withholding the same to those whom he does not like. Who knows how much of our hard earned taxes are being used to fund useless projects (where corrupt DPWH officials, local governement officials, etc. get a certain percentage from the project.) How much of our hard earned taxes are being used to fund the political campaigns of certain government officials? It's so sickening.

Edited March 5, 2013 by Bugatti Veyron

[sonnyt111]

Am wondering how Standard and Poor's rated Fannie May, Freddie Mac, etc. before the sh^t hit the fan......

Yeah and what about Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch (which would have gone under had it not merged with/purchased by Bank of America). How were these companies rated by Standard and Poors and the other rating agencies just before these companies filed for Chapter 11?

[dungeonbaby]

off-topic naman kayo e. contrabida ka talaga nick.

 

[maxiev]

off-topic naman kayo e. contrabida ka talaga nick.

 

Yeah we're supposed to be discussing issues relating to the South China/West Philippine Sea Topic. Napupunta na ang usapan sa mga credit ratings.

[maxiev]

so Malaysia is now bombing Sabah. it'll be interesting to see the US weigh in on this, because technically (on paper) Sabah belongs to the Philippines, and the US is required to defend us.

 

if Malaysia says Sabah is theirs because they've had it for 25 years, and the world agrees with this, can other parts of the world now belong to the people who occupy it...such as...islands in the Spratlys?

Well one thing is sure. This issue will get more attention from the United Nations. Hopefully, this age-long issue will be resolved once and for all. This has always been a thorn in relations between the Philippines and Malaysia.

[Dodgy Fellow]

So while all this time we've been discussing how China will screw over the Philippines, it's another Pinoy who gets the country in a shooting snafu with another country.

 

Effing A!

[Dodgy Fellow]

Are you saying that China has a permanent spot in the UN Security Council because it has had nuclear weapons for a long time?

 

Yes. The UN Security Council is a 15-member group. 10 of those seats rotate among the different UN members.

 

The other 5 belong to countries which have nukes: the USA, Britain, France, China and Russia.

 

India and Pakistan have been lobbying to get permanent member status on the Security Council. Nothing happening on that so far, which is stupid, since the current permanent members got their spots because of their nuclear weapons.

[Dodgy Fellow]

I stand corrected.

 

But, those five countries also have nuclear weapons. It's probably not a coincidence.

Edited March 5, 2013 by Dodgy Fellow

[hit05]

Apparently, Blah blah blah.

 

 

Aquino ignored the claim of Sultan of Sulu when he initiated the peace initiative in Mindanao sponsored and witnessed by high officials of both Malaysia and Britain. Never in the history of this Republic have we been closest to the British than under Noynoy. If there is anyone to be blamed for this conflict which originated from the wish of the Sultanate to open discussions of their claim because they had been completely IGNORED, then it is this administration.

[Dodgy Fellow]

If having nuclear weapons is your basis for permanent membership in the UN Security Council, you might as well include North Korea, India, Israel and Pakistan as permanent members of the UN Security Council.

 

I did say "I stand corrected." If you are not satisfied with that response, then that's something you have to get over with

[tk421]

I think the permanent Security Council seats were awarded to the winners of the second World War. That's why you don't see Germany there...

[maxiev]

I agree. Too bad the Senate voted against the staying of the US bases. I wouldn't mind seeing a super carrier docked in Subic and guarding our shores or F-22 Raptors in Clark.

Bro, the way it was explained to me, if the Americans really wanted to stay, I don't think the Senate vote would have made any difference. They would have stayed. The Americans left Subic and Clark because of the havoc caused by Mt. Pinatubo.

 

I agree having super carriers docked at Subic and US jets patrolling Philippine skies would have made a great deterrent to Chinese aggression in the Spratleys. But that's all water under the bridge now.