Concede

A day before my flight to Tokyo, I blog about the May 10, 2010 election.

Yes, I voted first before preparing for my Tokyo trip. It was an obligation as Filipino citizen I wouldn't miss.

This election will go down in history as the FIRST automated election (and hopefully all will be automated from hereon) in the Philippines.

First, let's talk about the automated election. While there are close to 100,000 whiners on the procedure of the election, this was the way to go. If you go by statistics, the complainants on the process of this election should try to understand two things: one is that not all things are expected to go right the first time around. Second is that of the over 50Million Filipino eligible voters, this number or about 0.5% of the voting population is a tiny proportion compared to those that lauded the automation procedure.

Sure the lines were long. This was expected due to the massive turn out of voters AND the consolidation of some precincts so that it could fit the 76,000 machines. Like I said, the process was good enough, but the implementation could be better the next time around.

Enough of the whining.

If there is one thing I laud Ate Glue, it is the fact that it is during her term that automating the elections became a reality. Hats off to her and goodbye. Enough said.

The very quick results as the final endpoint and outcome of the election puts all issues to rest. In 24 hours, we had already about 80% of the returns tallied and verified. Very minimal manual counting. No more waiting for 2 weeks to 2 years for final election returns. Minimal cheating. Why, even the election lawyers seemed to have no jobs for this election.

Some observations from friends and yours truly:
1. The demise of Cory Aquino last year paved the way for a more credible election in the sense that had she not passed away, Noynoy would not have run for president. And had Noynoy not run, well, the obvious is that Erap would return as our president. Dang!!!! Crap! You can never tell how these people think and it's so Filipino. Masochism at the highest degree!!! If Erap had won, we deserve the kind of corruption and greed in government.

2. We clamor for change. With that said, we were busy campaigning for the president and the vice-president. At the senatorial level, we see the old faces (and I mean old). We should have not voted for SOME (if not MANY) of the idiots that should not deserve seats in public office. I was flabbergasted that Lito Lapid, made it to the magic 12!!! Lito Lapid!! Lord help the Filipino people. It is no wonder that the country is in such dire need of more brains. Try to make sense out of common sense? We need a few human brains in public office and not those wherein cockroaches have larger brains than our public servants!!

3. Erap is running a distant second to front runner Noynoy. And he and his camp are whining that he's being cheated in this election. You can obviously see that this guy really is clingy. Can someone please give him a movie project so he can get out of politics? Maybe ABS-CBN can make Erap replace Willie Revillame. After all, they have the same penchant for multiple women.

4. Gordon is such a sourpuss. You can tell because he's complaining as to where Noynoy got the financial support. Darn! Well, for your information, I donated a good amount to the campaign of Noynoy. Any questions Dicky? Face it. Not everyone who posted Go Gordon in Facebook was a fan. As a matter of fact, you're one sore loser. So we didn't support you, so what's the big deal? To my friends who are Gordon fanatics, tsk tsk tsk, Dicky boy is asking where IS THE MONEY? Bakit hanggang Facebook lang daw kayo? Bow!

5. FB is a powerful tool. But 80% of the Pinoys live below the poverty line. Of these, 90% have not even heard of FB. Not even ALL the 20% of those that live above the poverty line are tech-driven. About 50% are techies. Mostly the youth. Which explains why Gibo was driven by fans on Facebook. But FB or Twitter or Friendster does not translate to votes. Many of those on FB are not even of legal age to VOTE.

6. Imagine how democracy works. There are 4 Marcoses that have won seats in government in the time of Aquino. Wow!!! Talk about a comeback. Leading the pack is BongBong Marcos who has won a senatorial seat!

7. The only contest left is the vice-presidential seat. Where Mar Roxas seemed to have the cat in the bag, so to speak, at the beginning of the campaign. But the endorsement of Chiz Escudero on the Noy-Bi tandem on the last few weeks of the campaign had apparently spelled the difference. There was a sudden barrage of balimbings and like a tectonic shift in the earth, the tide suddenly changed. And in the official count, Roxas has been trailing Binay. This has been the most perplexing phenomenon. What happened?

8. Those that did not vote because they were on "vacation or holiday", should shut up! They have no right to complain on anything that happens after this election. You snooze, you lose. You should be ashamed at claiming rights to bantering while enjoying yourselves. Shame shame shame!!! If my 73 year old mom braved the heat, crowd, and technology glitz because of her love for country, I don't see why some people could not postpone their trips to the US of A or anywhere else just because the trip was free or the tickets were dirt cheap at the time of booking or that their kids were whining to go on vacation and the parents felt so obligated to send them to Timbuktu. If your reason for not voting is because you were having a grand time somewhere else and expect to come home and join the party, you should really have a thick face on this kind of attitude. It's the kind that puts the country 10 steps backwards on the scale of progress.

History will treat us well. In the Philippines, the outcome of political events is unpredictable as its weather forecast.

As of this blog, the only one gracious in defeat is Manny Villar, who was the first to concede to Noynoy. Can everyone please just get a grip on reality? For the sore losers, concede. This country, no matter how insane the political system is, needs to move on.

Making sense of common sense

I was watching ANC last night. They had Guido Delgado, the mastermind behind the second "psychiatric report" that allegedly confirmed that presidential candidate Noynoy Aquino sought psychological help in 1979.

I was appalled by this guy. I will not elaborate on the TV interview, but he kept on emphasizing that he was doing it because HE LOVES THIS COUNTRY! Sanamagan. Who doesn't? It's like, if we are campaigning for Noynoy, we don't love this country? This guy is really an idiot! Damn him! It's like - well if you don't vote for Villar and you vote for Noynoy and don't believe that Noynoy has a psychological history then you don't love the Philippines? I didn't see the logic there.

A couple of minutes later, Adel Tamano (whose picture is on this blog), who is running for senator under Villar's banner came on the air to belie the claims of Delgado.

First, it was not true that the NP had allowed Delgado to speak and that they were admonishing Delgado's claims and were disappointed and angry at what Delgado did.

Second, it sent a wrong message home and was destructive to the image of the Nationalista Party.

Finally, which is what caught my attention, was the statement that Atty. Tamano made - that we should rise above all this mudslinging and below the belt tactics and learn to campaign more intelligently. Based on platforms, agenda and what the person is capable of delivering. Not based on hodge-podge hearsays or character assassination or black propaganda.


In the words of Tamano - “To be very honest, I am really so tired. Pinapahirapan nila yung trabaho ko. I joined the NP I was hoping I would be talking about yung vision namin for the country. That’s what I wanted to do as spokesman pero hindi. Instead of doing that I’m on your show now defending this stupid tactic na ginawa ng isang NP supporter namin. Parang nakakahinayang eh. Nakakasama ng loob to tell you the truth.”


My goodness, now there's one guy I'm going to campaign for! For all the irony that the idiots who seem to be throwing tomatoes at the moon and stars, there's one guy who had a more intelligent perspective on what campaigning should be.

In a few days, we all troop to the polls to select the next president of the banana republic. Let's not cast our ballots based on feelings, or vested interests, or conflicts of interest, or what's in it for us, or how much promises these candidates will give. Let's base it on a rational assessment of their credentials.

This will be my last campaign pitch. Whoever you vote for, and I trust we all believe that we love this country, please make sure that you choose not for yourself. You need to give this country a chance. One final chance to show the world that we can be a cut above the rest. Can we just have a little sense for common sense or did we lose that somewhere in our campaigning for whom we want to vote for?

Remember, whoever we vote for, it will be six years. Six years of heaven, purgatory or more hell?

Bitching 101 - The statistics and politics of money

Who says you can't buy the presidency?

Like the Wowowee game show, the Pinoy is treated to two choices in the upcoming 2010 elections - Pera o Bayong? But what the hell? The Pinoy is used to Willie Revillame chanting on the crowd into a frenzy mode.

So...Game na ba kayo?

The AGB Nielsen data showed the advertisement values indicative of advertisement spending for media by the presidential candidates. These are data from November 1, 2009 to January 31, 2010. These do not include the "professional fees" paid to the endorsers and the production costs. They do not include paid game shows for endorsement.

On ad duration of presidential candidates on GMA7 and ABS-CBN2 alone, the top advertisers for this period in minutes were:
1. MANUEL VILLAR, JR (696 mins Ch2, 758.5 mins Ch7)
2. GILBERTO TEODORO, JR (293.75 mins Ch2, 257.75 mins Ch7)
3. RICHARD GORDON (248 mins Ch2, 127.5 mins Ch7)
4. BENIGNO AQUINO III (218.75 mins Ch2, 136.75 mins Ch7)

Clearly, there has been a barrage of advertisements from the Villar camp right after the declaration of candidacy from the Aquino camp. The Villar camp had noticed the sudden drop in statistics from the presidential wannabe and there was a need to hype the campaign strategy to a search and destroy mode.

And now you will hear the familiar tune of poor children singing the Villar national anthem (and I will not be surprised that it can change the more patriotic songs in the near future) where the first line of the song "Nakatulog ka na ba sa dagat na basura..." (Have you ever slept in a sea of garbage...) seems to be a populist hit among the Pinoys.

No need to plaster the pains of poverty IN YOUR FACE. Being poor is not an excuse for being stupid and lazy.

But hey, that's the way the political game plan is set. Flood the airwaves till they make the people zombies and puke and sleep and dream singing the to the tune of the campaign song! Hell hath no greater fury! If you can hypnotize the people into voting for you, darn, go ahead and hypnotize them!!!

The Villar and Teodoro camps have spent formidable expenses even during the pre-campaign period.

On total advertisement cost for the same duration, the top spenders include the following with the corresponding expenses (non inclusive of professional fees, production costs, and other non specified costs related to media campaign [under-the-table grease expense, endorsement fees, freebies...etc]):

1. MANNY VILLAR P1,024,176,253 [73,319,407(radio) , 0 (print), 950,856,846 (TV)]
2. GIBO TEODORO 407,364,839 [37,276,793 (radio), 1,319,122 (print), 368,768,924 (TV)]
3. NOYNOY AQUINO 268,802,493 [14,220,000 (radio), 440,667(print) , 254,141,826 (TV)]
4. DICK GORDON 244,639,361 [5,964,732 (radio), 0 (print), 238,674,629 (TV)]

It is estimated that since the data presented are all BEFORE the allowed campaign period, and that there is now a limit to the amount of air time in media among these presidentiables, the total cost of advertising alone would balloon to probably P10B (and this is an underestimate). Remember, the TV advertisement values were actually reduced by 50% to arrive at the indicative real advertisement cost. I also deleted my nuisance candidates - ERAP, Brother Eddie, Jamby and the other inconsequential two whose names I cannot even recall.

All these statistics and data show that this is going to be the most expensive election campaign in the history of Philippine elections.

And the gloves are off.

This has become a no-holds barred contest, where everyone who has a stake at the presidential crown is putting in the Money (no pun intended for Manny). At the rate that Manny V seems to be spending surreptitiously and extravagantly, even the air waves is becoming too deafening to hear the pathetic crowd chant the mantra for the song without the actual meaning.

The last radio ad of Manny V includes resurrecting his dead brother into his campaign. This time he is his own endorser. In the 15 second melee he gives a new meaning to word poor. He has used his dead brother (God rest his soul, he must be writhing in his grave though), by emphasizing in his radio ad the query on "have you been so poor that you had a relative die because you had no money to buy medicines? I have. My brother died.." blah blah blah...and then he cuts to the chase that he was once poor (oh so who hasn't? ) and promises to deliver us from poverty...PRAMIS HA?!?!?

My take on the latter is that while I admire the promise, I doubt that he is the messenger sent to deliver the Pinoy from poverty.

The Pinoys are cursed with poverty. Not only do both Pinoy and Poverty begin with the letter P, they are somehow attached to the way of the life among our government officials. Every Philippine president, since time immemorial has never alleviated the Philippines and the Pinoys from poverty.

It's the graft and corruption, the moral standards, the kind of governance, and the payback that mattered most...and will matter most in the end. It's arithmetic stupid! If you can't read between the lines, at least you can see the numbers. But the Pinoy has always been the poorest when it comes to math and numbers. (The Pinoys cannot pride themselves with being good at numbers. Even the ones that won the math contests abroad were Chinoys. Their names all ended with Tan, Lim, Go, Co, Chua, Choi, Eng, Lee...walang de la Cruz, Ampatuan, Arroyo, Mangundadatu, Villar, Aquino, Teodoro, Prieto, Locsin, Binay, Estrada, Madrigal, Ejercito, Revilla sa listahan!!)

Every election is the same. Every promise is renewed just like the proverbial vows we have each Lenten season, or each New Year resolution, or marriage encounters...

Every election, every politician will promise heaven, purgatory and hell to it's people. Even if Gibo has to choose between his mother-in-law or La Gloria, even if Dolphy will have to resurrect from his sick bed to endorse Manny V, even if Brother Eddie and his flock will have to swear by the bible that there will be change and that change is coming and with his staff and rod he will part Manila Bay...they are all the same...

It is election fever.

It is a time for repentance and sacrifice and crucifixion.

It is a time when money flows so freely and abundantly.

It is a time when the statistics show that with so much cash being spent on this election, you know how much and how long the Pinoys will still have to suffer when the winning candidate redeems his expenditures after being elected into office.

I am willing to make a bet that unless these advertisements stop brainwashing the Pinoys into electing the one with the most money to give, we will end up with a the first president who has bought himself his way to the palace.

PRAMIS!!!

Note: Some data were obtained from www.pcij.org

Pramis, Peksman, Hope to die

My apologies to my foreign readers who do not speak Filipino or Tagalog or Taglish (our local version of Tagalog and English). I am blogging this in the local language, hopefully, to get the message across, and praying that it get circulated on a national scale. If you have Filipino friends, you may want them to translate it for you.

Mga kababayan, tatagalugin ko ito (este, may Taglish din ang ibang kataga). Sa mga hindi marunong magtagalog (sabi ni Fortun hindi daw nakakintindi ng tagalog ang mga Ampatuan), paumanhin po. Itong huling blog na ito sa huling araw ng Enero ng taong ito ang araw na ilalahad ko kung sino ang aking iboboto sa darating na halalan.

Alam ko na walang pakialam yung iba diyan kung sino man ang magiging manok ko sa darating na halalan. Eh wala din naman akong pakialam kung sino ang inyong iboto.

Sa dinami dami ng mga "jingle" ngayon at mga pulitikong nagsipagsulputan bigla sa Facebook, hindi naging madali ang aking pagpili kung sino sa mga tatakbo ang aking ini-endorso sa darating na halalan. Halos dalawang buwan ko din itong inisip...at pakiwari ko, panahon na, para mangampanya na din ako.

Malapit na ang eleksyon. Batuhan na ng tae ang iba't ibang kampo na tumatakbo bilang pangulo ng kaawa awa nating Pinas.

Kung ang pagbabasehan natin kung mas matalino na ang botanteng Pinoy ngayon ayon sa mga nakikitang mga "advertisement" sa media (TV at radyo) - ang sagot diyan ay HINDI!

Nakakapanindig balahibo ang ibang mga "advertisement" at "jingle" at "theme songs" o "background music" (at may kasama pang Silent Night) ng iba!

Susmaryosep! Bakit ba pinaglalandakan ng iba diyan na galing sila sa mahirap? May mahirap daw at may tunay na mahirap (sabi ni Dolphy, meron daw...kaya siguro yung iba pekeng mahirap?!?!?). Magbobote, laking Tondo, nagtutulak ng kariton, nagbibigay ng libreng tulong (kasama na ang ataol), gamot, pabahay, "Medical Missions" (parang dumami ang doctor na libre ang singil pagdating ng eleksyon na kasama sa hakot ng pulitiko), tulong sa mga OFW, tumutulong sa mga nasalanta ng pagputok ng bulkan...pasiklaban, payabangan na ng mga nagawa. Pati yang mga gusgusing yagit, sinama na din sa pagkanta ng isang sugo na aahon sa bansang ito sa kahirapan.

Kakaibang hayop talaga magisip ng gimik na papatok ang mga political advisers ng mga ito. Pangmasa ang dating. Ginawang eng-eng ang mga Pinoy! Pakanta kanta, pasayaw sayaw. Ika nga ng isang commercial - basta happy tayo! Sanamagan na halalan ito!

Wala naman akong away sa mga ito. Oks na oks naman sa akin na mangarap tayo ng mas mabuting buhay para sa sarili at para sa ating pamilya. Sipag at tiyaga and tunay na solusyon diyan. Paminsan minsan, may kikislap na bituin (o kulog at kidlat), at tatama ka sa Lotto!!! Yan ang jackpot! Yan ang tinamaan ng suwerte talaga!!

Tunay na pangarap at hindi yun nangangarap na gising. Hindi panaginip na magiging isang bangungot sa mamamayan. Sawa na tayo diyan. Bawat pulitiko eh pulos pangako naman na iaahon tayo sa hirap. Asan na tayo ngayon? Andito pa din. Kaya dumami ang OFW natin sa mga huling taon (at yang ang bida ni Ate Glu) ay dahil di na nila maatim ang paghihirap at di pagtupad sa mga napakong pangarap ng mga pulitiko sa Pinas. Sa ibang bansa nangangarap ang ating mga kababayan. Kaawa awa talaga ang Pinoy.

Kaya nga bentang benta ang "concept" ng mga mahihirap na may isang sugo na aahon sa atin sa kahirapan. Diyan ako nasuka. Sayang. Magaling pa naman yung ibang kandidato. Walang masama mangarap at magbigay ng pagasa, pero tama din naman si Gibo, na hindi lamang "jingle" ang dadala sa isang bansa para maging mas maunlad at matatag. At kaya natin lumipad patungo sa ating mga pangarap kung magaling ang piloto natin.

Kung ang pagpapatayo ng bahay at paaralan, pagbigay ng tulong sa mga OFW o sa mga mahihirap, o pagpapaunlad ng sariling pamunuan ang magiging basehan natin sa pagpili ng pangulo, "I am sorry to say", hindi yan ang dapat maging basehan. Ang mga pinaglalandakan ninyong mga nagawa o "achievements" na yan ay isang DAPAT LAMANG na ginagawa ninyo. Walang dapat itanaw na utang na loob ang mamamayan sa inyo po! Dapat lamang gawin ninyo ito. Susmaryosep. Aba, lumalabas pa na dahil ginawa ninyo ito eh karapat dapat lang kayong maging pangulo?!?!?! Sanamagan. Eh pawis at dugo namin na binabayad sa mga patong patong na buwis ng lecheng pamahalaan na ito ang pinanggagalingan ng inyong "pork barrel" funds! Pawis at dugo ng buwis sa mga nagtratrabaho, na kinakaltas ninyo buwan buwan. Yang mga patay gutom at istambay at iskwater at mga Juan Tamad ang nakikinabang. Kung ako ang masusunod, eh ang mga nagbabayad ng buwis lamang ang may karapatan bumoto! Saling pusa lang kayo.

Ito lang ang masasabi ko, wala kayong karapatan angkinin na may nagawa kayo sa pera ng taong bayan, dahil ang sagot diyan ay DAPAT LANG!

Ang daming tatakbong sugo ngayong halalan. May sugo ang Diyos daw. Noong nakaraang halalan, nakalimutan ng Diyos yung sugo niya. Kung tunay na sugo siya, dapat parang isang propeta sa bibliya sana siyang pumupunta sa Malacanang at itaas ang kanyang batuta at sabihin na may mga sumpa na darating sa palasyo ng duwende kung hindi nito pakakawalan ang mga Pinoy sa kahirapan. Yung huling sumpa eh kukunin ang panganay niyang anak na congressman din. May nangyari bang ganito? Walang himala...kahit na ang simbahan eh tiklop. Nung namatay nga ang palaban na si Cardinal Sin, ang ibang mga kaparian natin eh parang maamong tupa. Utos siguro ng Roma na huwag makialam.

Para sa akin, huwag ng mag asam na maging pangulo ang sugo ng Diyos. Walang himala! Napanood na kaya nito ang pelikula ni Ate Guy? Sayang ang pera na nauubos sa pangangampanya para sa isang himala. Maraming nagugutom. Maraming puedeng pagbigyan nito. Hindi niyo ba napapansin ang simbahan kung makahingi ng abuloy linggo linggo eh may pangalawang koleksyon pa?!?!?! Ang pangalawa ay abuloy kung saang saang proyekto - sa Haiti, sa mga kaparian, sa nasunugan, sa nasalanta ng bagyo...kulang na lang sa pagkain ng mga malnourished tulad ni Kim Chiu. Kahit di Katoliko si Eddie V, kung talagang may malasakit siya sa mga Pinoy, eh tutulong siya, kahit na anong relihyon ka!

Sayang din naman ang ibang kandidato natin na may kakayahan. Madaming nagawa sa kanilang sariling pamunuan. Maunlad na maunlad na ang kanilang pamunuan, pero ang tanong, paano nila nagawa ito? Hindi sa sipag at tiyaga mga 'tol! Ang tawag dito - nepotism! Syete mga 'tol. Isipin ninyo na hindi sila nagkakalayo sa mga Ampatuan. Sa totoo lang, karamihan sa mga pulitiko ay hindi malayo sa mga Ampatuan. Ilan ang kilala ninyong Mayor at Congressman sa lokal ninyong pamunuan mula ng matalsik sa puwesto si Marcos? Sa Makati lang, eh pulos Binay ang pangalan. Paslit pa ang anak ni Binay nung naging mayor si Jojo. Pumalit sa kanya nung matapos siya maging mayor ng ilang termino ay ang misis niyang doktora. Tapos bumalik siya sa puwesto. Habang lumalaki si JunJun. Ngayon tapos na sa pag aaral at may mga anak na din si JunJun, eh panahon na bumaba ang ama. Kaya si JunJun na ang tatakbong mayor ng Makati. Parang walang katapusan ang DYNASTY nila duon. At parang ang tanga tanga ng mga tao sa Makati. Iisa lamang ang kanilang kilalang pinuno? Ano siya, Hari? Eh di dapat mayor ang tawag duon kundi Datu o Hari! Huwag ng mag eleksyon pa sa Makati o sa Marikina o sa Olongapo o saan man sa Pilipinas.

Tama nga si Ate Glu. Dapat palitan ang ating Konstitusyon. Hindi karapat dapat ang klaseng pamahalaan natin ngayon. Pero mali din siya at si Tabako king (Former President Fidel VR) na dapat parliamentary ang pamahalaan natin. Maniwala kayo't hindi, mas papatok ang monarchial government sa atin. Lahat gusto maging hari at reyna. Walang gustong bumaba sa puwesto. Gusto ng lahat maging sugo --- FOR LIFE!!!!

Kung si Ate Glu ang ating pagbabasehan, ay talagang hindi mananalo si Gibo. Sa mga fanatikong mga taga La Salle lamang siya patok na patok. Sa totoo lang, magaling magsalita si Gibo. Napapahanga ang mga kabataan sa mga katagang nilalabas niya sa bibig niya tuwing sumasagot siya sa mga napupukol na mahihirap na tanong. Tulad ng kanyang amo ngayon, matalino din si Gibo. Pero hanggang duon lang. Maabilidad. Magaling magsalita. Ano ang pinamalas ni Gibo at puede natin siyang maging pangulo kundi sa likas ng galing sa pananalita? Habang buhay siyang magkakaroon ng utang na loob sa isang taong naging ganid at sinungaling. Habang buhay niyang papasanin ang pagtatakip sa mga kasalanan nito. Kung makukumbinsi niya na hindi tumakbo si Ate Glu bilang congresista sa Pampanga sa darating na halalan, may pagasa pa siyang manalo. Mapapaloob ang mamamayan na mawawala na ang duwende sa pulitika. At kahit na magkaroon ng pagpapalit ng ating konstitusyon, di na maaring bumalik pa sa pulitika ang duwende! Kahit na sa puwesto bilang baranggay tanod! Kung magawa ito ni Gibo ngayon, maaraing manalo siya sa darating na eleksyon.

Ang ibang tumatakbo ay isang masaming panaginip lamang. Inutil naman ang ating Comelec. Basta gustong tumakbo, hala sige, takbo! Alam naman natin na isang malaking kabaliwan ang ibang kandidato. Umaasa pa sila. Pero sa totoo lang, may following ang mga yan. Ang tawag sa followers nila, fanatiko! Parang si Jason Ivler. May following sa Facebook. Kahit na mali, ay tama para sa kanila. Yang mga fanatikong yan ay mga walang pangarap sa buhay. Baliktarin mo man ang mundo, para sa kanila, mamamatay at papatay sila para sa idol nila! Puede dito mag-recruit ang Al Queda. Mga fanatiko ito. Sabi nga sa ingles, "no reason, no rhyme"! Sanamagan talaga. Dapat patok na patok ang specialidad ng Psychiatry sa Pinas sa dami ng may kulang na turnilyo sa tuktok. Isama mo na ang dakilang sugo ng mga yan. Ang tawag sa sugo nila, ilusyonado. Pero bebenta yan. Alam mo naman ang Pinoy, showbiz na showbiz ang dating. Tamang tama ang huling kataga ng kanta ng pambansang awit natin - ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo!

At dito magtatapos ang aking dalawang buwang pag-iisip kung sino ang aking pipiliin maging pangulo. Pagkatapos sumakit ang ulo sa pakikinig sa GMA, ABS-CBN, ANC, sa mga debate sa paaralan, sa mga internet websites, sa SWS at Pulse Asia ay lalo akong nalito sa mga pasiklablan nila. Eto tayo sa huling punto ng aking pagpili ng susunod na pangulo ng bansang ito.

Tama ang mga batikos kay Noynoy. Wala nga siyang masyadong kakayahan.

Kakayahan lamang ba ang magiging basehan natin sa pagpili ng pangulo? Pustahan tayo na mahigit 75% ay nag-eendorso ng manok nila, hindi dahil sa kakayahan, kundi dahil sa isang tanog - WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME? Sampalin ninyo sarili ninyo pag nagsinungaling kayo sa sagot na ito! Pustahan tayo na marami sa atin eh may pangarap maging sikat! Sikat sa pulitika. May kilala sa pamahalaan. May kilala na senador, kongresista, mayor, baranggay kaptain, tanod at sino man pipitsugin na kinaugalian natin i-name drop!

Sabi ng iba, galing si Noy sa pamilya na sikat kaya nadadala lang siya ng agos ng eleksyon. Hindi nga siya si Ninoy at hindi din siya si Cory. Sa dugo lang niya at ng pamilya niya lumalatay ang isang tunay na dahilan kung bakit dapat tayo mamili ng tama sa darating na halalan - ang pagmamahal sa ating lupang hinirang!

Ang mga magulang lang ni Noy ang nagpakita ng tunay na pagmamahal sa ating bayan. Isang bayan na kahit na wala ng pag-asa ay binalikan ni Ninoy para mapakita sa isang dikdatura na walang takot siyang mamamatay para sa demokrasya. Isang bayan na kahit na walang patutunguhan ay itinaya ni Cory ang kanyang mga huling sandali sa pagdarasal at paglalaban sa tama.

Isang bansa, na sa darating na halalan ay mabibigyan ng isang pagasa uli bumangon at ipakita sa mata ng mundo at mata ng lipunan na may pinagyayabangan tayo bilang isang lahi! Tayo'y Pinoy! Sa salita, sa diwa at higit sa lahat, sa puso! Kung mahal natin ang ating bansa, ito na ang huling El Bimbo natin. Ito na ang pagkakataon na maiahon natin ang ating bansa sa tunay na kahirapan. At taas noo natin masasabi sa buong mundo na AKO AY PILIPINO!

Ang simula ay dapat galing sa puso natin. Hindi sa kung ano ang makukuha natin sa mga pangako ng tumatakbo bilang pangulo. Hindi pangako ang kelangan natin kundi isang pinuno na may integridad.

Bayaan na ninyo yung katagang - may takot sa Diyos. Nabenta na yang katagang yan at walang nagsabi ng totoo. Kung makakasagot lang ang Diyos, eh sasabihin niya na natatakot siya sa mga Pinoy sa dami ng sumumpa at gumamit sa pangalan niya para lamang maging kampon ni Satanas.

Simulan na ang laban.

Sino man ang manalo sa darating na halalan, kung ano man ang inyong naging Pramis at nag Cross your heart and Peksman pa kayo...kung hindi ninyo matupad itong mga pangako na ito pagkatapos ng inyong pamunuan, eh sana matupad ang huli...hope you die!

Bitching 101 - Between Pessimism and Sarcasm

Bitch of the Week: Bishops air concern over poll automation (Headline of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jan 25, 2010)

CBCP President, Bishop Nereo Odchimar issued a pastoral statement saying that "many serious questions about the reliability and integrity of the equipment and the personnel involved have not been satisfactorily answered." He suggested that the Comelec come up with fallback positions and scenarios. Dang these church people. Why are they so pessimistic? I cannot understand why they cannot be proactive! Instead of conjuring "apocalyptic predictions", can they not have a more positive outlook by joining in an information campaign effort for the upcoming automated polls? The problem with preaching from the pulpit is that you simply play mouthpiece without coming up with solutions to issues. For example, each parish church that has an LCD (of course they have laptops), should be able to come up with a prepared 5 minute video presentation to guide the people on how to vote during the upcoming computerized election. For those parishes that do not have, the sermons can be cut short (after all, you gotta agree with me that some of the sermons are actually nonsensical and out of the gospel reading). The priest can ask the lector to just read to the church goers the mechanics of how to fill out the ballot form using the automated method. It's a matter of being proactive. There is nothing worst than priests who condemn and cast the first stone.

As an example to the public, watch the video by the Sex Bomb Dancers created by GMA TV where a positive contribution can actually help educate (even the most uneducable, believe me this will catch on, especially the jologs):


Ompong, Willie and Villar. The King of Comedy (well once upon a time), has a 1 minute video commercial endorsing the candidacy of Manny Villar that's been airing on prime time television. Personalities and big names have been taking the plunge at the various candidates running for president in the upcoming 2010 elections. This is not unusual. In the US, Oprah Winfrey made the sales pitch for Barack Obama, which pushed the latter into the White House office a few months later. But the endorsers must be credible. Dolphy for all he is worth has been one of the prime movers of Philippine cinema. But alas, his family does not seem to fit the bill. Many of his kids and his grandchildren have been in various melee with the law - from murder raps to drug busts. While his personal life is no business of ours, one who carries that extra baggage in his back is unbelievable. Which goes to the point of Wowowee King Willie Revillame. The guy is an absolute jerk. But he seems to be able to charm the Pinoy crowd. Bastusan na kung bastusan sa show niya at parang manyak pag sumasayaw ang mga dancers niya, pero swak na swak ang dating kay lola na walang ginawa kundi umindak ng umindak parang naka droga! (Being lascivious on his show and acting like a maniac when the lady dancers are gyrating, even the grandmothers seem to enjoy and gyrate like drug addicts on his show). But Villar may just make it with this kind of company he runs around with. The Pinoys can actually relate to them.

BAKIT? And on the entertainment page, the upcoming movie of Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu is entitled "Paano na Kaya". I am not endorsing this movie. I am posting the pop quiz - how many Pinoy movies can you name that's actually a question? There's: "Dapat ka bang Mahalin?" (Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion, "Paano Kita Iibigin?" (Regine Velasquez and Piolo Pascual), "Nasaan ng Kailangan Kita?" (Snooky Serna, Susan Roces, Janice de Belen), "Saan Nagtatago and Pag-ibig?" (Vilma Santos), "Bakit may Kahapon Pa?" (Nora Aunor) just to name a few. And then starting this afternoon is GMA's telenovela "Ina, Kasusuklaman ba kita?"

Speaking of Kim Chiu, this girl is as thin as a reed. I normally don't watch noon time shows, but at ASAP yesterday, it was the first time I saw this scrawny looking girl, as this as a reed, as narrow as a scarecrow. If she got hit by a car (and I'm talking about a Cherry QQ), she'd be dead on impact with all those bones scattered 100 meters away. They should bring her to a doctor for a check up. Her "thinness" (if there is even such a word) is not a good role model for the Pinoys (unless we happen to be advertising malnutrition as our next slogan, she is picture perfect as poster girl for the malnourished people).

Medical Societies and Sponsors: It's that time of year when you see medical societies and medical organizations holding annual conventions left and right. I have no qualms on sponsorships. Naturally, the medical societies will ask (if not beg) for sponsorship. That means, moolah out of the pharmaceutical industry. Which means that they have to pass it on to consumers (read: drug price increase). But the government doesn't want the price increase (why not? Politics of course. The election is just around the corner. You cannot give away Philhealth benefits only. You gotta give away the Botika!!!). There's a 2 page advertisement on PDI today for the Foundation for Lay Education on Heart Diseases, Inc. There are ads by C-Lium Fibre, Memo Plus and Cor-30 (Aspirin). Not including the side bars involving Therapharma (a division of Unilab) for registration to the convention; Pfizer, Pascual and Therapharma (again) for Publicity; Therapharma (again and again) for Audiovisuals; Folares (for the convention kits); Boehringer Ingelheim for Signage (darn, even this is at the expense of the drug company). This does not include the food that they partake and the luncheon symposia and other miscellaneous events. I am just using them as an example because they are the first in a multitude of organizing societies that will hold scientific sessions left and right this year. Nothing against scientific events to upgrade the brain capacity of the doctors. Can societies not function without having to ask for sponsorships from pharmaceutical companies so that they are not beholden to benefactors?