Will Makati elect the same family to office?

"Binay’s son to run for Makati mayor"

My head turned in disbelief after reading this in the online newspaper. If you're from Makati, you probably welcome this but for others this is bad news. How would you react if you see this headline and know that the Binay family have been ruling the city for twenty years now? The family has put up the patriarch, Jejomar (a known Cory supporter), his wife, and now his son. 


Makati residents are probably enjoying the perks of being part of one of the most modern cities in Metro Manila but to actually make the top position as a family affair and knowing no one could dare challenge this is somehow very concerning. "Ganito kami sa Makati," (This is how we are in Makati) goes the city's slogan. But you can't help the feeling that something is not right especially when you hear news about the family using every opportunity to create business for themselves and taking advantage of the position to gain wealth.


In situations like this, I wonder who is the problem - the politician who keeps feeding people with perks to assure them of election victory or the people who keep politicians like this in office.

The elections, President Arroyo and Jesus

The priest who celebrated the Mass likened Ms Arroyo’s candidacy to the action of Jesus Christ, whom he said “went down to serve.”

I wonder what the clergy was thinking by comparing Mrs. Arroyo to Jesus. In what context? The Roman Catholic Church should review statements like this and should reprimand the priest who uttered these words. The pope never likened himself to Jesus so why would a priest say such a claim? Do we think that our hope is really pinned on a person than on God? Are we running out of real hope that the president is presented as the savior the Kapampangans are looking for?

You can read the related article here.

Senator To Run For President with A Left-Wing Party?

Sounds like a tabloid post? You may have read that the good senator plans to run as an independent in the upcoming 2010 Presidential Elections. Perhaps but analyze with me for a moment.

Sen. Escudero's sudden departure with the second largest party left a lot of voters wondering what he is up to. He made remarks that frowned a lot of members of the Nationalist Peoples Coalition when he said that anyone who wants to become president would not be able to perform his job if his hands and feet are tied and his eyes are blindfolded, "At lalong hindi dapat magdesisyon base sa dinidikta ng interes ng iisang grupo, partido o tao lamang (And he cannot decide based on the interest of only one group or party or person)."

I liked that remark because it's new and radical. It mirrors Sen. Obama's remarks that became his political platform when he ran for president last year. And speaking of radical, militants applaud Sen. Chiz's move - something you don't expect them to say this early on. Lastly, the biggest hint I got was when I read this Philippine Daily Inquirer article, "Escudero's Radical Positions Caused Split With NPC."

Sen. Escudero is young, idealistic, radical, courageous, and perhaps the most progressive politician we've seen in decades. However, we don't know if his political aspirations and moves will bear fruit. I'm not privy to any dealings he has with any of the militant political parties but if you were to analyze his moves and his stand on social issues, you might be inclined to say that he may indeed run for one of the militant party groups we have in the country.

His progressive stand cannot match any of the big political parties we have in the country.

The question is, will he coalesce with these party groups when in fact businesses and special interest sectors frown at these left-wing mainstays? You can be sure he will not have the support of the business sectors if he becomes a member of any of these groups. If this happens, the biggest support he may have will come from the provinces, the young voters, the marginalized sectors, and the disillusioned groups of our society. That may account for a lot of votes.

So whatever his decision is, I'm sure it will not be presidential campaign as usual for those who will run for the highest office in the land. As for him, he needs to overcome other opposition groups who may take more votes from him. Is Erap blocking his way? That remains to be seen. It also leaves me wondering what he plans to do to get campaign funds when in fact - the businesses - have the money to mobilize campaigns in this country. This will even be a bigger problem if he runs as an independent. Also, the militant party-list groups already have a network of members to speak of. This is something he can tap. However, do people from the provinces trust him? That also remains to be see. Interesting isn't it??

But then again, this is just my view.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to John Ryan Recabar for Sen. Chiz image

Bravo Sen. Villar but...

Have you seen Sen. Villar's public service ads on television? I've seen about three already for the past six to nine months. The main theme is the rescue of abused Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). And the rescuer is no other than the good senator. Admirable.

But in the midst of good images, question this: Did those rescued got their plane tickets paid for by Sen. Villar as the ad claims? Did he really pay for them? I need proof. Why? Because of earmarks or popularly known as pork barrel. What is pork barrel? Pork Barrels are alotted tax money that legislators (like Sen. Villar, Lacson, Madrigal, Arroyo, etc...all of them) can freely spend without being asked for accountability or so I understand. If that is pork barrel money then technically it's my money, your money, the taxpayer's money and not the senator's. However, who can prove it? So can the senator just make those claims? Can we ask him to clarify it? Why don't we ask? Or we can let our votes do the talking.
Interestingly, a May 6, 2009 story (Senate press release) about a Saudi-based OFW came home with plane tickets paid-for by donations. Another story from the senator's website didn't report any payment by Sen. Villar to pay the plane tickets of those abused OFWs in Poland. I guess the camp of Sen. Villar is slowly erasing that "generous senator" image.

Not so fast.

In this age where character is a question among politicians, I need to question that. People need to question that.

Announcement blew Administration's cover

The recent pronouncements of businessman and political analyst Tony Gatmaitan is making Malacañang uneasy and it's seriously checking it's so-called "coaltion ship" to see if it has holes, leaks, or damages before it sets sail for the biggest test in its political life.

Gabriel Claudio, presidential political adviser, said that there is no truth to the news that Mr. Gatmaitan announced recently that revealed some of the Vice President's plans. The deal is done with Mr. de Castro according to Mr. Claudio and even revealed that no less than Pres. Arroyo will preside in a merger conference between the ruling Lakas party and the Kampi (Partner of the Free People) later this month. This will eventually pave the way in announcing who the Administration's standard bearer is for the 2010 General Elections.

It's funny to see how the government reacted with the announcement and belie Mr. Gatmaitan's claim, "Kuwentong Barbero," the political adviser said. However, I see it differently. Here are some points I saw after reading the article:

1. Malacañang virtually dropped Sec. Teodoro, Sec. Fernando, and Sec. Puno for the contention and installed Mr. de Castro as the palace's top bet.

2. That Mr. de Castro would rather run under the Administration ticket than with another political party. Says who? Who is more of an asset? Mr. de Castro right?

3. That Mr. de Castro's clean public image and 'masa' appeal will help the government make the elecotrate forget about the corruption charges leveled against them by different public and private sectors. That idea is fiction.

What does this all mean? Mr. Claudio basically blew the administration's cover and now the plans are made known to the opposition and even Mr. de Castro himself. It showed Mr. de Castro's true worth in the eyes of the present administration. He can now use this to his benefit. Now, the tables are turned and Mr. de Castro has the aces he needs to be the standard bearer of the administration's party, his party, or even make his political party as the third force in making sure he gets to call the shots too.

Whoever hatched this plan is a genius and Malacañang fell for the trap.


Thank you footnotes:
Photo by: PIA

Noli de Castro to form new political party?

In the field of presidential candidates for the 2010 General Elections, I almost forgot Vice President Noli de Castro until I saw the PDInquirer news today. It says that he will be soon forming his own political party.

I think this is going to be very interesting since the ruling Lakas-Kampi parties are banking on him, Defense Sec. Teodoro, MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, and Interior and Local Government Sec. Puno to be the administration's standard bearer. What will happen to the ruling Lakas-Kampi coalition? It is said that some members of the party are contemplating in joining the vice president's party. Why? I think the're seeing cracks within that coaltion party and they're looking for their political survival. If that happens then we'll see the biggest political machinery in the last decade crumble and perhaps disappear.

Analyzing the birth of this newest political party brings me back to the time when Marcos and his political party KBL (Kilusang Bagong Lipunan). This party got replaced by the following other parties: Cory Aquino's Laban (1986-1992), Fidel Ramos' Lakas-CMD (1992-1998), Joseph Estrada's PMP (1998-2001), and President Gloria Arroyo's Kampi-Lakas (2001-current).

The entry of the newest political party will perhaps change the political landscape. Here's my fearless forecast, with the current 'shape' the ruling Lakas-Kampi coalition is in, I think a lot of the neophyte politicians are re-considering their options and are planning to jump ship. The popularity of President Arroyo is in the lowest point right now and it never recovered even though her programs are working for the people. Allegations of corruption (either directly or indirectly linking her), her snobby-looking photos, her 'Cruela Deville-esque' leadership style that most people spite, and others are not boding well for her and her political party's image. I think the senatorial election of 2007 is already an indication that she will not succeed this time around.

Old Daddies of Politics
So what about the old dogs of politics like the Nacionalista Party (NP) and the Liberal Party (LP)? These parties can still be relied upon. The two parties were the ruling parties of Marcos and Ninoy Aquino's time. However they have not weilded enough convincing power for people to vote them on. So they're now relying on pre-campaign gimmicks like Sen. Mar Roxas' (LP) wedding announcement to TV giant ABS-CBN's senior newscaster, Korina Sanchez and Sen. Manuel Villar's (NP) ads that show him consistently helping the Overseas Contract Workers (OFWs). None of this is causing enough dent to the minds of those thinking about who should lead the country.

Vice President Noli de Castro's announcement of a new political party is dousing any fire from rumors that the ruling coalition has one of the aces to win the elections and keep on ruling the country. With this announcement, expect more people looking into the programs of the Vice President who have made a lot of gains by cleaning up the PAG-IBIG Housing Loans Agency and making it work for the people - especially the growing middle class.

The field of candidates just got more interesting for the May 2010 elections.

Thank you Footnotes:
Photo by http://cache.daylife.com/; http://philbrgysocietyinnigeria.wordpress.com/

Why Bayani Fernando don't deserve to be president

One of Manila Bulletin staffers wrote about the disgusting "Likuan U" sign along EDSA-Ayala, which I also recently discovered came out to be a veiled campaign by one of the politicians who planned to run for president this coming 2010 presidential elections. I just abhor and cringe upon learning that this was intentionally made by the office of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to promote their "great leader", Bayani Fernando(x).

According to the article, Mr. Fernando likens himself to the great Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew for his political will. Now, what I do not like about this is that:

1) The sign is a danger - It is not official, it's not helpful, it doesn't add any value to the motorist, and it can potentially cause harm because you add more things for the driver to read that makes no sense.

2) It's your tax money - So many people can use the money for food, shelter, and even improve infrastructure. This signboard says, "selfish, self-serving, and insulting."

3) It's cheating - A lot of politicians are doing veiled campaigning now by using business contacts to produce billboards for them and pose as "models" for their products or services. This one is no exception. Subliminaly, Mr. Fernando is making us look at these signboards and promote his campaign.

LTO calls it sick humor. Me? I call it greed.

I called the office of the MMDA today at around 11 am to know what they're doing about this. A certain Rey Lunas (Planning) and Ly (Operations) answered my querries to explain this signboard. Mr. Lunas said that their department is not in charge of this and that the operations are the ones who I should bring this matter up with. Operations, on the other hand, does not know a thing about it. She asked my name and said they'll just bring it up to her boss. I said, you better do something about this because we're gonna look stupid.

Boy, was I wrong.

Now, do we really want these people in office? These types of actions are red flags already and we should think twice before voting for these individuals. If they can blatantly use our money for this kind of purpose then what more should they do once they're in office?

You may say I'm over-reacting but am I really? I'm exercising discretion and so far people like this don't deserve my vote. Character is chief before I will consider electing somebody. At this point, he lost his integrity. Will I vote for Bayani Fernando now that he has shown this kind of character? I don't think so.

Footnote:
(x) - Manila Bulletin article about this "Likuan U" signboard

Obama's do shows signs of stress?

The strain of work is taking its toll in the most obvious place for the most powerful president in the world - his hair.

You can see the stark difference in the quality of President Obama's do. And he is no exception. I noticed this change from President Clinton's hair, President George W. Bush's hair. It's not the age because they only stayed in office for no more than eight years. The most obvious reason is stress. Mr. Obama, to date, is only sixty-five days into office and the strain of the economy is taking its toll on his look.

The images you see below is his photo taken during his first presidential press conference while the photo above is taken long before his presidential campaign (courtesy of evilbeetgossip.com). Both are photos not altered to change shades of colors.