SAME-SEX marriage? Recognition that everyone has his or her own right to be happy? Well, the time predicted by sages a long time ago that mankind will become lovers of themselves has finally arrived. Congratulations to those who made this possible, because you have just proven the accuracy of those predictions! Now, the prediction of all predictions is made more certain by all of what is happening now! Think, and prepare now, while there is still time! For those who are interested how this prediction is worded, here it is: “in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good,  treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God.” •• I am now printing the final portions of the complaint for plunder and graft that was filed with the Ombudsman by Reynaldo Joson, the former head of the Hygiene and Sanitary Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), against top officials and ambassadors of the agency in connection with his charge that they have been misusing the P5 billion annual fund of the DFA for repair and maintenance. This final portion contains the names of the DFA officials who were sued by Joson. Read on: “U/Sec. Frank Ebdalin – He was (formerly) Undersecretary for Administration, DFA, who approves all contracts and bids. The JD Legaspi Construction problems/anomalies were all reported to him, both verbal and written but were not given any action. “Amb. Mary Jo B. Aragon-now the Senior Special Assistant to the Office of the Undersecretary for Administration, to whom I submitted my verbal and written memos addressed to U/Sec Ebdalin. She was very much aware of the Department’s problems and corruption. “A/Sec. Wilfredo Santos-head of Consular Office who accused me of unauthorized approval of passport applications, processing of applicants who do not qualify on the courtesy lane, and falsification of public documents. “Amb. Jaime Victor Ledda-special assistant to the Office of the Administration. He was aware of the problems of the on-going projects, who received and read my memos addressed to U/Sec. Frank Ebdalin, but never took action regarding the projects undertaken by JD Legaspi. “Consul Enrico Fos-special assistant to the Office of the Administration. He was also aware of the problems of the on-going projects. He received and have read my memos address to U/Sec. Frank Ebdalin, but never took any action regarding the problems of the on-going projects undertaken by JD Legaspi Construction Corporation…” •• The much trumpeted economic prosperity under the Aquino presidency is a mere fantasy and a deceptive figment of imagination, because many Filipinos remain poor and destitute during the five years that President Aquino is in power, Vice President Jejomar Binay told Rotarians on Satuday. Stepping up his attacks against the government which he served as housing czar and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) during the Induction and Handover Ceremonies for District 3810 of Rotary International where he was the guest of honor and speaker, Binay said poor Filipinos are not really included in the economic prosperity that Aquino had been trumpeting about. In a speech delivered largely in English but mixed with Filipino, Binay told the Rotarians who had just installed former Bulacan governor and Cabinet secretary Roberto “Obet” Pagdanganan as their district governor for 2015-2016 at the PICC that only a privileged few are enjoying the fruits of the economic boom achieved by the Aquino government. Binay’s Rotary speech came at the heels of another speech he gave during a press conference he called at his office at the Coconut Palace, two days after he submitted his one-sentence irrevocable resignation from the Cabinet. It also served as Binay’s rejoinder to Aquino’s statements which raised issues of Binay’s supposed ingratitude. “Under this government, there is no assurance that workers will keep their jobs after five months,” Binay charged, obviously deriding the inability of President Aquino to stop the pervasive practice among big companies where employees are contracted to work for only five months at any given time, to prevent their becoming regular employees with security of tenure and standardized wages. “This is not a mere fantasy. It cannot be denied that prosperity is a mere figment of the imagination of this government, because it is not experienced by our countrymen,” Binay said. “Hope is very elusive for our people,” Binay added. He also pointed out that the cost of electricity in the country remains one of the highest in the whole of Southeast Asia, thereby preventing the influx of foreign investors who are wary of the high cost of power here. What is more problematic, Binay said, is the undeniable truth that the people cannot expect any solution from the government, reiterating that Aquino and his officials are “thick-skinned” and are now symbols of failure of governance. He said this is unforgivable since there is a huge amount of money in the hands of the government which it refuses to use for people-oriented projects. “How can all of these lead, therefore, to a decent future for all?” Binay asked. He then urged Rotarians, led by newly-installed District 3810 Gov. Pagdanganan, “to be courageous enough to change things.” Binay said he is counting on Rotarians to effect this change, noting that he himself is a Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Makati City. E-mail: batasmauricio@yahoo.com