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?

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.

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.