Stand paper on the Priority Development Assistance fund Essay Example for Free

Stand paper on the Priority Development Assistance fund Essay The Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF also known as â€Å"Pork barrel† is a discretionary fund allocated for the purpose of providing projects which will promote the development of the different districts of the country. It is released through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the congress which will serve as the National Budget of the Government. The amount allocated for PDAF in the fiscal year 2013 totaled for 24.7 billion pesos with each member of the House of Representatives receiving 70 million pesos and members of the Senate with 200 million each. This fund traces its roots from the Countrywide Development Fund of the Administration of Pres. Corazon Aquino. During the Ramos Administration, it is said that the funds were used by the President to sustain his control in the congress. The result of this was the growing criticisms against the release of such funds. When President Joseph Estrada stepped-up as the president, he promised the abolishment of this funds. To show their sincerity, the congress abolished the CDF but was virtually revived with the name of Priority Development Assistance Fund.1 This year, the public was outraged by the discovery of the 10 Billion Pork Barrel scam which was allegedly done through the initiative of Mrs. Janet Lim-Napoles. This crime exposed by Benhur Luy was described by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago as the â€Å"Crime of the Millennium†. B. Stand: As an advocate of progress, I am not in favor for the abolition of PDAF or Pork barrel. Considering its legality, the existence of this fund is undisputable because the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land, already ruled in favor for the existence of this fund. That was held in the Case of LAMP vs. DBM, and following the principle of Stare Decisis, we should follow the decision of the court which already adjudged the matter at hand. Furthermore, many citizens, especially the indigent and the people from poor provinces and municipalities are benefiting from such fund. Moreover, the abolishment of this fund would disintegrate the projects needed by the people. C. Recommendation: In line with the Status Quo and the arguments I stated in my stand, I am recommending for the Non-abolishment of this funds. Furthermore, Guidelines for such funds are already provided in the constitution2 and the Department of Budget and Management3. Moreover, strict implementation of such guidelines is needed to guarantee the safeguard of this fund from corruption.

the wasteland Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout his presentation of London and its citizens, Eliot creates a tremendous and oppressive sense of inertia and stagnation. He evokes brilliantly both the literal wasteland which World War One left and also the profound spiritual dissatisfaction which many at that time felt, as well as the need for a rebirth or resurrection. The first words of this section; ‘Unreal City’ convey perfectly the sense of awe and even dread with which Eliot views London life. There is something incredibly intense and surreal about this opening, which leads fittingly on to images of hell, war and dissatisfaction. It is clear that Eliot thought much of life was going nowhere, with people, like water, moving but never reaching a true destination or conclusion: ‘A crowd flowed over London Bridge’ and he links this image in a dream-like way to Dante’s reaction to the dead in limbo: ‘So many, It had not thought death had undone so many’ That the people Eliot is describing are actually not dead, makes this all the more haunting, as though London life is actually a living death. In fact, because Dante was talking of those who even in life had never really experienced anything, Eliot also conveys a chilling sense of dissatisfaction and isolation, with no-one ever really connecting to those around them: ’Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled, And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.’ Into this bleak vision of loneliness, the brief excitement of recognising a face in the crowd ‘There I ...

Drama Essay: A Review of “Spring Awakening” Essay

I will be reviewing the play titled, â€Å"Spring Awakening† by Fred Wedekind. This play was produced by The Department of Performing Arts and Humanities of the School of Liberal Arts at and directed by Robert W. Oppel. I saw the play on March 20th Q Building Theatre. The play was excellent and exceeded all expectations due to the professional way the story was presented. â€Å"Spring Awakening† is a musical concerning teenagers who explore their individual sexuality while living in an oppressive culture. The setting takes place in a religious, rural town in Germany during the late 19th century. It contains issues of sexuality, religion, and education, but also exposes the barriers between adults and children. Parents are supposedly religious; however, they mistreat their children. In addition, they make puberty more confusing by forbidding their children to ask questions about their sexuality or discuss sex in general. Other topics included shame, gender, and authorities. The play also shows the consequences for rebelling against what society considers moral and acceptable. There are three main actors playing principle roles. Sinead Fahey, a newcomer to the Theatre at CCBC, played the part of Wendla. Her overall performance was terrific. She sang beautifully, moved gracefully, and gave a strong performance throughout the play. Sinead was well cast and believable in her role. James Baxter, who played the part of Melchior, is a returning performer at CCBC. James played his part well, but seemed slightly reserved in his character. It appeared he was not quite as passionate as he could have been. However, he moved and sang well and still delivered a solid performance. James was fairly well cast and somewhat believable in his role. The character Moritz was played by Christopher H. Zargarbashi. He graduated from Towson University with a degree in acting. Christopher’s performance was excellent and thoroughly entertaining to watch. Christopher was accurate in the way he conveyed Moritz’s intense and nervous personality. He was well cast and extre mely believable while playing his part. The play contains an edgy, noteworthy innovation. Mixing the late 19th century era with modern day features appears fresh and original. For instance, when the performers speak in the play, they are in character during the late 19th century, yet become modern day singers during the musical numbers. Additionally, all the characters in the play dress in the appropriate 19th century attire, whereas the ensemble dresses in modern day clothing. Furthermore, the proper diction is a contrast to the music which exhibits profanity and modern day themes. It is a unique and creative way to express the story. Robert W. Oppel, did an adequate job of directing the play. This is evident in the way that the performers methodically, yet naturally move. For example, when the characters touch or interact physically, it is not done in an awkward style, but gradual and relaxed. Even when they remove their microphones from their clothing, it is executed in a natural manner. There are many times when the characters remain perfectly still and do not move at all during a scene. It was an amazing and genuine display of talent. Certainly, the theme of â€Å"Spring Awakening† could be relevant to anyone. Oppression and topics such as child abuse, rape, suicide, abortion, and homo-sexuality will always exist. Hence, the play evokes the audience’s empathy by depicting these personal struggles among the youth living in the 19th century. In essence, I definitely enjoyed the play and was thrilled with the overall experience of live theater. I was skeptical at first about whether I would like the story, but was pleasantly surprised and blown away by what I saw. I would highly recommend this play to others, especially young adults and adults who are looking for a mature storyline. I would most certainly say I gained a respect for live theater. I give credit to everyone involved, especially the actors and actresses. They have only one chance to get it right and hold the courage to perform in front of a live audience.

Absolutism and Peter the Great - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1014 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/09/25 Category Advertising Essay Type Narrative essay Tags: Civilization Essay Did you like this example? Absolutism and Peter the Great Many monarchs, particularly those of European descent, employed the flourishing absolutist philosophy during their reign in the seventeenth century. Defined as the absolute or unlimited rule usually by one man, absolutism is virtually equivalent to the philosophy of despotism. A ruler incorporating the absolutist philosophy has complete control of his subjects and the highest authority with which to govern. With origins dating back to the Ancient Greeks, absolutism found root in some of Aristotles theories: Aristotle despotic government (nearly convertible with tyrannical) is that of a single ruler that rules, not for the public good but for his own. And from Roman political theory regarding the power of the monarch, there had survived, particularly, a legacy of ideas associated with the position and prestige of a ruler which greatly strengthened the power of a dynasty. Based on this Greek foundation in Aristotelian thought and Roman politic al theory, absolutism rose in other schools of philosophy as it gained prominence in the political world. Combining natural-law doctrines with the theory of royal absolutism, fourteenth century philosopher Bartolus of Sassoferrato believed that the ruler should not be bound to the laws of the government, but still should obey them whenever possible. In agreement with Bartolus, another fourteenth century philosopher, Lucas de Penna advocated that the ruler is only accountable to divine authority, being responsible to God alone, not the people. Further de Penna believed that law is the articulation of the ethical virtue of justice and reason is the foundation for that law. Thereby debasing the importance of the kings obedience to established law. As civilization began to organize in city-states to individual countries to entire dynasties or empires, all needing some form of government, the people organized hierarchically. Establishing order under one appointed leader helped advance that civilization; those advances, however, quickly leveled out into a plateau of stagnation under the political unit of feudalism. During the seventeenth century, the various peoples of Western Europe enjoyed the many benefits of a relatively advanced civilization in many respects but were, with few exceptions, incapable of self-government The result was that governmental authority was held by a number of rulers who assumed unto themselves all the responsibilities of political leadership. † Lord Acton, a famous historian, while not advocating its use, believed that absolutism was highly necessary for the survival and actual allowance for European growth through her monarchs. Three characteristics that specifically mark a seventeenth century absolute monarch are charisma, active advocating of the Divine Right of kings, and innovativeness. Known as the period of transformation, the reign of Peter the Great in Russia was one of great change and revolutionary movements toward s modernity. As the Tsar Reformer, Peter embraced his monarchy with zeal and absoluteness. He took an underdeveloped, primitive Russia and forcibly pushed her to the road of progress, secularism, modernity, and eventual rebirth. It was only through acknowledgment and utilization of his strengths and talents that provided Peter with the insight to accomplish such a feat. On September 22, 1689, Peter took control of the Russian throne under the guidance of his mother. Before taking position on the throne, Peter entered manhood through the vast amount of experiences he encountered at a very young age. He lived through three coups detat, constant threats of violence against his family, seven years of semi-exile, his first military campaigns, an unprecedented journey to western Europe and a major revolt against his rule. From these bitter personal experiences, these painful political struggles, and these tentative approaches to war and government, Peter slowly learned the strengths and weaknesses of his heritage. As stated by V. O. Kliuchevsky, Peters contradiction in work, his errors, his hesitations, his obstinacy, his lack of judgment in civil affairs, his uncontrollable cruelty, and, on the other hand his wholehearted love of his country, his stubborn devotion to his work, the broad, enlightened outlook he brought to bear on it, his daring plans conceived with creative genius and concluded with incomparable energy, and finally the uccess he achieved by the incredible sacrifices of his people and himself, all these different characteristics make it difficult to paint one painting of the Tsarist Reformer. A multi-faceted man, Peter knew what it would take to deliver his people from the chaotic disorder of the past into a more peaceful progressive future. Boundless energy and an endless drive, Peter truly embodied the absolute stamina of a superhero. Employing the doctrine of the Divine Right of kings, Peter had no problem acting as the supreme authority wi th which he governed. In addition, he readily accepted any role permitted to him through this doctrine. In fact, in response to his responsibility as tsar, Peter became a soldier-king, a European diplomat, and a social reformer to name a few. Also known for his reforms, Peter transformed Russia politically, economically, and somewhat socially. Financially, Peter reopened trade for the Russians, creating a huge influx in their economy and bringing prosperity back into the system. His expansionist mindset allowed for the most startling development in trade to even occur. Thus, the emergence of Baltic trade. While Peter looked globally for ways to extend the Russian borders, he also concentrated on internal reform as well, such as internal transportation focused on the rivers of Russia. Overall, Peters commercial reforms were a huge success. Peter also geared his transforming abilities to that of the Russian Church. He chose not to focus on Church doctrine, but rather the people who use this doctrine. He wanted the people to be subject to his decree, not the mandate of the Church. Peter was suspicious of the Churchs political motivations and aspirations and chose not to trust in the papal leadership. He believed that the Russian Patriarch was trying to become a second sovereign possessing power equal to or above that of the autocrat, thus challenging his belief in the Divine Right of kings. While Peter did not have any major accomplishments to speak of during his reign, he paved the way for the future leaders of Russia to push to the forefront of politics, trade, and economics. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Absolutism and Peter the Great" essay for you Create order