Not Backing Down

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani "BF" Fernando said that he has no plans of backing down.

Despite not being chosen by Lakas-CMD as their standard bearer, Fernando said that he will run for president with or without a political party backing him up.

He said that he is “dead serious about running for the presidency. I will run even without party’s endorsement."

Not too long ago, Lakas-CMD chose Defense Sec. Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro as their standard bearer over the MMDA Chairman.

Personally, I will never vote for Fernando. If you've been reading my blog, you'd know how much I don't like the guy.

Of all the presidentiables, Fernando is probably the first one guilty of illegal campaigning. His gargantuan billboards not only spread along EDSA but throughout the metro as well. In fact, tarpaulins of his face were spread throughout the country, when his jurisdiction covers Metro Manila alone.

Even if people tell me that he was able to impose discipline in one city, that doesn't necessarily he can do the same thing across the board.

But that's just me. What do you think?

A Second Serving

..of the Erap plate is not edible - especially for the Filipino palate.

Having announced that he will really run for Presidency next year (alongside Makati mayor Jejomar Binay as VP), the online community was quick to lament on the on-going political turmoil that is Erap.

Dea Bunecamino, a friend, wrote this one:

Just because we didn’t like your successor, doesn’t mean we regret deposing you.

It's like she wrote exactly what I was thinking!

The thread that followed that post was equally interesting:

Dan Ramos

@Dea hay naku i dont know what to think of Filipinos na if they still vote for him. TANGA LANG

Thu at 8:04am · Delete

Andrea Francesca Flores Buencamino

Kaya nga. Kahit never ko gusto, yun siguro magpapapunta sakin sa ibang bansa. HAHA

Thu at 8:06am · Delete

Dan Ramos

magalit na sakin ang mga Pilipino pero grabe BOBO na lang talaga ang bumoto sa kanya.

Thu at 8:11am · Delete

I, for one, posted this on my Facebook wall:

Dan Ramos thinks that voting for ERAP is just plain idiotic and insulting to those who actually serve the country (if they still exist)

I was a highschool freshman when the 2nd People Power happened. And I am a proud member of that mass of people who ousted a thief. And yet, I'm also ashamed that the dwarf we substituted for the thief wasn't really any better, I'd actually like to believe that she's worse.

But honestly, would we want to go through the whole shenanigan again if people actually vote for the wristband donning dude??

What do you think?

Akala Mo Disente yun pala Bastos

The following is a letter to the Editor from an Inquirer reader:

Manny Villar’s latest TV commercial never fails to give me a minor shock every time I hear it due to the word “konyo.” Page 83 of my Larousse Spanish-English dictionary states that it is the vulgar word for “genital.” It can also mean “for f---’s sake” or “f---ing hell.”

No matter if the younger folk nowadays say it is derived from an accepted derogatory description of a braggy, affluent mestizo (konyo boy), I still believe the word is vulgar and quite unpleasant to the ears.

I can only imagine how the Spanish-speaking people in our midst are laughing at us Filipinos for allowing our ad board to approve this TV commercial for airing.

—ERNIE ZARATE,
erniezarate1939@yahoo.com

Zarate posed a very valid point. In our social context, the word "konyo" would refer to the lifestyle of the rich and famous. However, in its real essence, the word is nothing short of vulgar.

As Zarate pointed out, in the Spanish context, the word refers to the genitalia. And knowing our ultra-"conservative" society, someone should've brought this up as soon as the premature campaign started.

So why use such a word on a national campaign? Beats me.

But hey, if it would suit Villar to include human genitalia to his campaign, by all means.

The Delayed Announcement

Opposition senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero turned 40, nine days ago. This made him eligible to run for highest seat of power in the country. October 12, 2009, the country waited for him to finally announce his bid for presidency. No announcement happened. According to him, it would be inhumane to announce one's political plans while the whole country is still suffering and trying to recover from typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

Inqurier.net's Neal Cruz wrote on his column As I See It, Why Chiz has not yet made an announcement:

It has been nine days since Oct. 10, when Sen. Chiz Escudero turned 40 and thus eligible to be president of the Philippines.

He had promised to officially announce his presidential candidacy on that day, but the day came and went and no announcement. The date for the formal announcement has been postponed to Oct. 12, they said. That day came and still no announcement. The new rumor is that he would do it on Monday.

Why the delay when his rivals are already all over the place campaigning although that is still prohibited at this time by election laws? Has he changed his mind? Was he dismayed by the drop in his ratings in the latest survey when he had been leading in most of the earlier surveys? Has he not yet reached an agreement with Sen. Loren Legarda? Did the latest propaganda ploy of the Lakas-Kampi party with the governors wanting to pirate Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition as the running mate of its Gibo Teodoro have its desired effect on Chiz? Is he now wavering? You can read more here.

What is your take? :)

The Tycoon's Nephews

...won't be getting any support from their uncle.

San Miguel Corp tycoon Danding Cojuangco announced that he will only be supporting the presidential candidate that would be coming from the National People's Coalition (NPC) and no one else.

Two of his nephews are running under different political parties - Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro (under Lakas-NPC) and Sen. Noynoy Aquino (under the Liberal Party (LP))

Here is the complete story from Carla Gomez of Inquirer.net in an article entitled Cojuangco to support NPC candidate, not nephews:

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—Tycoon Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco will not be supporting any of his two nephews eyeing the presidency in 2010 but will instead back the standard-bearer of the party he founded, the Nationalist People's Coalition.

Cojuangco said even if his nephews—Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, standard-bearer of the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats, and Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, the Liberal Party's presidential candidate— are running for president, as founder of the NPC, he will support his party.

Cojuangco told reporters here Saturday he no longer involved himself in the selection process at NPC but he believed the party was going to field a presidential candidate in May next year.

"The NPC has not put up anybody yet; we will wait. I suppose they will. I am no longer active, it's the younger ones that are deciding for the party," Cojuangco said.

"The NPC is going to field a candidate I think. I think after these calamities they will decide," he added.

He said the last he heard was that the party had left it to Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda to decide who between them should run for president under the NPC.

Asked if he would be in a dilemma if the NPC fielded a candidate while his two nephews ran under different parties, Cojuangco replied, "No. Why should it be a dilemma for me? I'm the founder of the party. I think I have to support my own party that I founded; I think it is but normal."

"Yung isang nephew ko hindi naman namin pinaalis, kami ang iniwan. Eh, ang ibig sabihin wala kaming kwenta sa kanya. Simple lang di ba? (One of my nephews left even if we did not ask him to leave. It only means that we are of no consequence to him.) So why should that be a bother to me?" said Cojuanco, referring to Teodoro, who left the NPC to pursue his candidacy under the administration party.

"The other nephew belongs to another party; I wish him luck," he said, referring to Aquino.

Asked if he and Aquino have talked, Cojuangco said he has not talked to any politician except to members of the NPC.

Aquino said during a visit to Bacolod on Thursday that while he has not had a chance to talk to his uncle, there had been "a few back-door talks" going on between his uncle and some of his backers.

"But at the end of the day I think we have to talk to each other. But I haven't had the opportunity to do so," Aquino said.

Asked if he would ask his uncle for support, Aquino said, "He's my uncle. I would not presume to tell an elder what to do."

Teodoro, on the other hand, said during a visit to Negros Occidental on September 23 that he has neither spoken to his uncle for sometime nor did he know of any discussions of an NPC merger with the administration party.

Asked if he would personally initiate the talks, Teodoro said "I represent the party, I don't represent myself."

Asked if there were reconciliation efforts on a personal level with his uncle amid rumors of a rift, Teodoro said, "There's nothing to reconcile because there's nothing wrong on a personal level."

But he did say he did not expect his uncle's blessings since he belonged to another party.

Danding Cojuangco, while refusing to discuss his personal relationship with Teodoro, is however reportedly backing his brother, Henry, to run against the reelection bid of Teodoro's wife, Representative Monica Louise Prieto-Teodoro, in the first congressional district of Tarlac.

Teodoro has himself said that his wife would still be running for Congress next year, "unless there's some major change" that would stop her from doing so.

Conjuangco was at a United Negros Alliance meeting here Saturday where the candidacies of Sagay Mayor Alfredo Marañon for governor and Representative Genaro Alvarez for vice governor of Negros Occidental in 2010 were announced.

Former governor Daniel Lacson Jr., who is not a member of UNA and is campaigning for the Aquino-Mar Roxas tandem in Negros, said he was supporting Marañon's gubernatorial bid as a close friend of the mayor.

I think that it's only wise for Cojuangco to support the representative of the political party that he was the founder of.

And I don't think the two boys care anyway.

4 vs 100

Four Presidential aspirants faced 100 local government officials to answer various issues involving local government units (LGUs).

The forum dubbed as "Face to Face: 100 Local Government Champions versus Four Presidential Contenders" was attended by Senators Manny Villar, Noynoy Aquino and Chiz Escudero and Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro.

The sharing scheme of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) between the national govt and LGUs, pork barrel system and the Mindanao peace process were some of the issues that the presidentiables had to address individually as they were given an hour each to meet with the local officials.

One of the most applauded statements was that of Escudero when he said that he is “in favor of abolishing the pork barrel system,” he said.

According to Escudero, he has not been receiving his pork barrel allocation since 2005 when he led the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He defines pork barrel as “lump sum allocation sa budget kung saan di na natin alam kung san pupunta o pumupunta, lumalabas na lang at nakikita na lang bigla, minsan hindi pa.”

He proposed institutionalizing line-itemizing of government projects that would state how much money is needed, what it is for and the proposed timeline of the project. Escudero said that this would solve two problems regarding the pork barrel system – corruption and the “absence or lack of focus when it comes to the utilization of government funds."

However, results of an informal survey done among the local officials after the forum showed that they chose Teodoro as their top choice (although some criticized him for being endorsed by the infamous President), then Aquino and Escudero, while putting Villar as their last choice.

Everybody's a Hero?

When Tumblr user and freelance graphic designer markgosintian posted the text graphic below, it spread online like wildfire.

Everyone seemed to agree with the statement. Indeed, amidst the calamity, the world saw how the Filipinos united as a people to rebuild a nation ruined by mud and debris. (But do we include those who capitalized on calamity to campaign for themselves through food in styro and relief goods claim stubs?)

And if Ondoy proved one thing, that is despite the ruins and above the flood, the Filipino spirit, especially our sense of bayanihan is one tough trait to break. Here are other graphic art interpretations of other people regarding the Filipino spirit.

But there is a loophole. This is a repost of Stefan Suarez's blog:

So we fed a few people. Now what?

It’s Day 6 and Facebook, Twitter, TV, the papers- everything’s still Flooded with news about the Flood (though a little less than before). I even have some friends getting angry when their other friends post “useless” stuff- you know- the kind of stuff we’d normally post if there wasn’t an emergency or disaster. But here’s reality… a few days or weeks from now, things will not-so-slowly start to look normal again. At least for us. Facebook will have less stuff about emergency relief, and more of those quizzes, and games, and scores, and invitations to gigs and parties and whatnot. In a few days, Ondoy will no longer be “the news”. When Ondoy gets old, it will be forgotten. It will be just another problem that we’ve learned to live with. The truth of the matter is this- 95% of the people whom we are helping now- they needed our help BEFORE the typhoon. They were hit hardest because they’re the ones who live in shanties, they’re the ones without medical access, they’re the ones with no jobs and no money, and a lot of them didn’t have water even before the flood. Heck a lot of them needed food before Ondoy. And they existed, while we existed, side by side. We never bothered to help them. And when Ondoy gets old- when it moves from “front and center” to the sidelines of our attention and life goes back to “normal”, these people will still need our help.

They needed our attention BEFORE the typhoon. They will need our attention AFTER the typhoon.

If anything the typhoon opened our eyes to the REAL situation our countrymen were in. This post is just my way of asking everybody to be around for them PERMANENTLY. The great thing about Ondoy is that with everybody helping, we have some sort of momentum going. And when we move from Red Alert to whatever color normal living is, we can still keep that momentum going and never stop helping, and sharing, and giving. What does it take for these people to live better? When the flood goes down, many will need homes again. Then they’ll need jobs. Then they’ll need infrastructure built in their towns. Reliable water supply. Transportation. Schools should be rebuilt. Education should be made accessible. Crime should be controlled. Guys these are OLD problems. We can’t just be heroes when it comes to NEW problems. All old problems were once new, and they stayed there because somewhere along the way, we forgot how to follow through. I remember watching a movie called “Charlie Wilson’s War” which was all about the time when the US helped Afghanistan defend itself against Russia back in the day. The movie ended with a strong quote:

“These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world… and then we f——d up the endgame.”

Guys, let’s not screw up the end game. If we’re here to help, let’s make sure we follow through. This is where I shut up and let you guys do the talking. Use the comment box below to share your ideas and thoughts on the matter. Before I do shut up let me leave you with one last thought- I truly believe that we have everything it takes to make all the changes we say we want in this country. There’s no resource, talent, skill, or connection that is unavailable to us. The question is this - will we make it available to them?

----

So yeah, would we all still be heroes after all the relief goods are packed and delivered? or do we instantly go back to our daily lives once the flood subsides?

The Online Helper

The Ondoy Chapter is far from over. A lot of things are yet to be done. And online, the campaign to raise awareness about what happened and to rally the Filipino youth was overwhelming. Platforms such as Tumlbr, Twitter and Facebook proved to be such powerful tools in mobilizing the Filipino people to help out and volunteer.

Here are some tools used during the campaign that circulated all over Tumblr and Facebook:

A poster urging people to donate goods at the Ateneo campus for their relief operations.

A poster asking people to help out and volunteer since celebrities from other countries are doing so. Why not us, Filipinos too?

A poster of the UP Sagip Isko relief ops campaign. Go Isko!

A poster encouraging Filipinos to help out in restoring, rebuilding and recreating the country.

A poster asking people to help and volunteer for those who are in evacuation centers.

A poster of the Raise the Roof benefit concert for Ondoy victims held at the Megatent along Meralco Ave.

On Twitter, a lot of Filipino personalities, politicians and celebrities utilized its powers by coordinating and updating volunteers through its micro-blogging capability. Spot.ph's article on the 10 Virtual Volunteers: helping out in the time of tweeting gave a list of ten people who were of great help while using Twitter. And I do have to give credit to Gilbert Teodoro for keeping the people updated with current situations all over the metro regarding NDCC matters and answering people's queries. (He directly replied to my Tweet regarding the supposed loose crocs scare in Pasig and Cainta).

The internet isn't just for porn as Avenue Q would argue. And during the past week, it has proved that it is such a powerful to rouse a nation's consciousness for their fellow countrymen. At least we know that majority of the country are out to help out, and not to buy liquor or give out food with their name branded on it.

Helpful SHAMEFUL

We all witnessed the spirit of the Filipino people as we helped each other rebuild lives destroyed by the recent typhoon.

But some people are just plain SHAMEFUL.

At least three photos of such shameful acts circulated online referring to three particular politicians and their supposed disgusting deeds.

Photo #1

A photo of a man buying liquor at Rustan's Supermarket along Katipunan Ave. during the storm. People claim that this was Pampanga Rep. and Presidential son Mikey Arroyo.

Naturally, the online community was angered by the photo. As this would implicate that while the whole metro was suffering, here is the presidential son being too busy shopping for liquor.

In an e-mail response published online by news agencies and bloggers, Arroyo said that “My picture was posted on Facebook with a caption saying I was shopping for wine at the height of [Storm] ‘Ondoy.’ [This] is another malicious attack on my person. It is so depressing.” With his statement, he really didn't deny that it was him on the photo. What does that say? Hmmm. Watchathink?

He then proposed that Facebook content be regulated. Is he for real??? Wouldn't that be censorship? Brainless. Just brainless.

Photo #2

Food in labeled styro being distributed to Ondoy victims. Disgusting electioneering. The name written on the sticker still hasn't released any comment regarding this photo.

Photo #3

Is somehow of the same nature as Photo #2. Residents of San Mateo, Rizal are seen holding this piece of paper in order for them to receive their relief goods.

Both Photos 2 and 3 make us question if the concerned parties are actually authentic with their desire to help their countrymen. Or is this just another opportunity to campaign for themselves?

SHAMEFUL.

Pause

Sorry for the lack of updates. Been very busy lately due to Typhoon Ondoy. But I do hope to post something soon. :)

The Padyak is Back!

A feisty Mar Roxas announced his vice-presidential bid as Noynoy Aquino's running mate under the Liberal Party (LP) for next year's May 2010 National Elections.

This early in the game, Roxas dissed Defense secretary and administration/Lakas-NUCD candidate Gilbert Teodoro saying that Aquino is much better than Teodoro.

When Aquino announced his bid to become the country's next president, he said that he's offering the VP position to Roxas. It should be noted that Roxas too aspired to become president, but a former president's death and the rise to political fame of that president's son prompted Roxas to withdraw his bid and settle for the passenger seat.

The pair said that they are partners in the "fight for genuine change." Looks like we have a slogan that we'll hear quite frequently the next few months.

I pity Roxas and his padyak dreams for the nation. He aimed so high only to find out that he's only suited for the next best thing.

And the same question still lingers in my mind: Would the political move wedding between Roxas and Korina Sanchez still happen?

Hmmmmm.

Pink is Out!

You and I both know how I really, really, REALLY DO NOT LIKE Bayani Fernando. I hate his tarps, his pink fences, his urinals, his ugly footbridges, his sucky online game, his freakin' political will. And as much as I don't like Mar Roxas as well, I'd easily choose him over Fernando if the universe conspires that I choose only from the two.

Imagine my joy when I learned that after much deliberation, Lakas-CMD chose Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro to become it's standard bearer in next year's elections over the Pink Dude.

In a closed door meeting of the political party, only 5 of 47 members voted for Fernando. While the rest voted for Teodoro.

Lakas-CMD conducted the meeting after Vice-President Noli de Castro categorically announced that he will not run for the administration.

---

I was able to interview Teodoro back in 2007 while I was still a student and he was still a congressman. I was writing our Congress beat paper for our news writing subject and he was one of the authors of the bill that I was writing about. I did not set-up an appointment with him. But he was gracious enough to accommodate my friends and I in his office even if we 'ambushed' him. He answered my questions candidly and he clearly knew what he was talking about. I didn't think then that the man that I interviewed would later on become a Presidentiable three years after - proof that our political landscape changes by the second.

So long Pink Dude!

Linked

Senatorial privilege speeches are becoming more and more interesting these days. First, there was the useless and overly dramatic speech of Bong Revilla regarding the scandalous videos of the infamous doctor and the starlet. And then there was Sen. Miriam Santiago's speech on the political ads of politicians and government bodies.

And today's speech by Sen. Panfilo Lacson joins that list of memorable speeches. Here is Inquirer.net's story entitled Lacson links Estrada to illegal gambling written by Christine O. Avendaño:

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Senator Panfilo Lacson has linked former president Joseph Estrada to “jueteng” and smuggling.

Lacson, whom Estrada appointed Philippine National Police chief, made the disclosure Monday in a privilege speech at the Senate.

Lacson said that he parried efforts by the camp of Estrada to persuade him to postpone his privilege speech about the darker side of the former leader as a government official.

A few minutes before he delivered his speech, Lacson told reporters that the Estrada camp was trying to work on him up until Sunday night.

Lacson said that since last week three men, all common friends of his and Estrada, had approached him on his privilege speech.

The last person who approached him last Sunday night asked him to postpone the speech on Monday so that Lacson and Estrada could meet and talk.

Lacson made it clear he did not know whether Estrada was aware of this overture of their common friend.

Lacson said he could no longer postpone his plan to deliver the speech because everything was all set in the Senate.

The Senate session hall was packed with people, including whistleblowers Sandra Cam, Vidal Doble, and Boy Barredo.

Cam was the one who blew the whistle on jueteng (a numbers game) against the family members of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Doble, the 2005 Hello Garci scandal; and Barredo, the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

Former Pres. Joseph Estrada's son Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was quick to defend his father. Inquirer's Michael Lim Ubac wrote about the Senator's reaction in "'Lies, vilification,' says Sen. Estrada":

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Following the privilege speech of Senator Panfilo Lacson illustrating former president Joseph Estrada’s corrupt acts in office, Estrada’s son, Senate President pro-tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, took the floor to denounce what he said was “a clear vilification drive against my father.”

Senator Estrada refused to interpellate Lacson.

“I don’t wish to dignify his privilege speech through interpellation. A far as I am concerned, they are all lies. And I will deliver a privilege speech tomorrow [Tuesday],”said Estrada, adding:

“And if this gentleman does not stop spreading lies about my father, I will tell that truth about the person of Senator Lacson.”

It is interesting how are political landscape is so volatile that it changes by the second. Not so long ago, Sen. Lacson was one of Pres. Estrada's strongest allies. But now we see this former ally divulging all the dirt that he can against the former President.

But seriously, you and I both know that we need not hear Lacson's privilege speech to know that Erap was a huge factor in the jueteng formula. We've established that years ago.

And Lacson did not stop there, he also "revealed" that it was the former President who was behind the kidnap-murder of PR man Bobby Dacer.

GMA7news tweeted this awhile ago: Lacson: Erap was behind "Oplan Delta" the alleged plan to kill publicist Bubby Dacer.

Sen. Estrada is scheduled to give his own privilege speech tomorrow. And so the war is on. I wonder who will win. But I vote for neither.

The Illegal Ombudsman

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is under much criticism having released a memo imposing more rules before the Statement of Assets. Liabilities and Networth (SALN) of public officials are released.

According to Sen. Francis Escudero, what Gutierrez did was illegal. In his statement, Escudero said that "it's illegal as it hinders or hampers free flow and access to information on matters of public concern. Confidentiality is the anti-thesis of 'public document.' Besides the Ombudsman is not vanguard but the keeper of the SALN so that the public can have better access to it."

June 16, 2009, Gutierrez issued Memorandum Circular No.1 that would require people who would want access to SALNs to provide a statement why they are doing so, two government-issued IDs and be sworn in before a prosecutor of the supposed anti-graft institution. Furthermore, as if to add insult to the injury, the public and media can be immediately denied access to SALNs if their reason is deemed "contrary to morals or public policy, or is commercial in nature other than by news and communication media for dissemination to the general public."

Blogger Carlo Ople posed this question: Instead of defending the Filipino people, the office of the Ombudsman would rather shield corrupt officials from getting exposed?

We all know how Rep. Mikey's corruption was exposed through his SALN during Philippine TV's shining moment that is the grilling of Arroyo by Prof. Winnie Monsod. We need more of these. More corrupt government officials getting exposed. And if they can't be transparent through their SALNs clearly they are hiding something. So why Ms. Ombudsman are you protecting them by imposing more rules?

We need transparency and accountability from our public officials, and if they are incapable of being so, they have no business in serving Filipinos.

The Replacement

In 1983, Sen. Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in what is now the airport named after him. Much grief was felt by the country who lost a person who could have delivered them from the hands of the dictator that is Marcos.

The clamor for change was resounding all over the country. And Filipinos saw that in the form of a widow named Cory Aquino. The death of Ninoy changed the political landscape of the country permanently. People realized their potential to create change in society - People Power 1 of 1986 was instrumental in bringing democracy back the Filipinos. Cory was then dubbed as the Mother of Democracy of the country since.

On August 1, 2009, Pres. Cory Aquino died. Many mourned the passing of Mother of Philippine Democracy. Amidst all the sadness was a man named Noynoy. The Ninoy and Cory's only son. People acknowledged that with the death of Pres. Aquino, Noynoy and Kris were given much political influence. They're children of Ninoy and Cory after all. Then speculations started.

And like the unfolding of classic Filipino drama with all its surprises, twists and turns - Mar Roxas backs off the presidential race in support of Noynoy's bid. This morning, as of this writing, Noynoy announced his intent to run for President for the May 2010 Presidential Elections. And suddenly a lot of Filipinos declare support for the senator.

We replaced Ninoy with Cory, and now are we trying to replace Cory with Noynoy?

But the real question is this: If Noynoy declared his intent to run for President prior to the death of his mother (and I mean no disrespect) would you have voted for him?