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/