Sa pinakabagong survey ng Pulse Asia lumabas na tabla na sina Senador Manny Villar at dating Pangulong Joseph Estrada. Sa aking palagay hindi naman siguro totoong tumataas pa ang rating ng dating pangulo. Hindi naman siguro ganoon ka-bobo ang mga Pinoy para pagkatiwalaan pa si Estrada sa kabila ng nangyari sa kanyang administrasyon noon.

Sa mga nag-iisip, palagay ko bistadong bistado naman kung ano na naman ang panibagong gimik na ito.  Pero para sa mga hindi makasunod, ganito yan. Posibleng sadyang pinalalabas ng survey na ito na umaabante si Estrada para lalo pang mahikayat ang mga uto-uto nating mga kababayan na bumoto ayon sa baluktot na konseptong “lesser evil.” Napuna siguro ng mga nasa likod ng sarswelang ito na hindi pa rin tiyak ang tagumpay ni Senador Noynoy Aquino kung itatapat siya kay Senador Manny Villar kahit pa sabihing marami ang bumibili sa ideyang “lesser evil.” Ako man kung talagang si Aquino at Villar lang ang pagpipilian, si Villar na ang aking iboboto. Di hamak namang mas kakayanin siguro ni Villar na tumayo sa sarili niyang kakayahan at manindigan sa harap ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya. Duda ako kung kaya iyon ni Aquino.

Kung miyembro ako ng makinarya ni Aquino, ganito rin ang aking irerekomendang istratehiya. Imbis na si Villar, si Estrada na lang ang palalabasin kong pinaka-mahigpit na kalaban ni Aquino. Kung tutuusin nga naman kung sa ganitong tapatan mas madali sigurong ma-uuto ang mga tao na si Aquino na lang ang iboto. Sino nga ba naman ang boboto pa kay Estrada sa panahong ito kung hindi ang mga talagang kulang sa tamang pagiisip. Hindi naman siguro kulang ang pagiisip ng mas marami sa atin? Ewan ko lang baka mali rin ang tantya ko.

Pero sa totoo lang bakit nga ba tayo magpapaniwala sa mga survey na ito? Kitang kita naman na may sinusundang script ang mga ito. Mas maniniwala pa ako sa mga survey na isinagawa sa iba’t ibang paaralan kung saan ang kadalasang nanguna ay sina Senador Richard Gordon at dating Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. Bakit nga ba mas naniniwala ako sa mga naturang survey? Unang una, harapan itong ginawa at agad na nalaman ang resulta,. Malinaw na malinaw na may mga tinatawag na respondent. Sa mga isinagawa (daw) na survey ng Pulse Asia at Social Weather Station meron nga kayang respondent? Duda ako dahil sa tagal kong ito sa mundong ibabaw wala pa talaga akong nakikilalang taong na-survey ng dalawang kumpanyang ito. Kahit pa kakilala na may kakilala na may kakilalang na-survey noon o ngayon wala rin.

Kung ako sa inyo, tingnan nyo na lang ang mga survey na ito na parang libangan. Para bang yung mga paborito ninyong teleserye o yung mga noontime game show kung saan kailangan magmukha ka munang tanga bago ka ma-premyuhan. Nakakalibang naman kasi talaga di ba kung papaano nila nilalaro o binabago ang kanilang script. Kung dati Aquino vs. Villar ngayon naman Aquino vs. Estrada.

Uunahan ko na ang mga survey company na ito at baka sakaling makita nila na bistado na ang kanilang sarswela at maisip nilang tigilan na lang ang pinaggagagawa nila.

Sa aking palagay sa mga susunod nilang survey si Estrada na ang number 2 at number 3 na lang si Villar. Posible pa nga na palabasin nila na nauungusan na ng dating pangulo si Aquino. Siempre nga naman para mas maging malakas ang hatak ng ideyang “lesser evil.” Sa totoo lang hindi ako magugulat sakaling gawin nila ito lalo na’t mukhang dumarami na ang nagigising sa katotohanan na marami pang mas karapat dapat kaysa kay Aquino para sa panguluhan ng  ating bansa.

Panalangin ko huwag naman sanang mag-tanga-tangahan ang mga Pinoy.

The second one is the Noynoy supporter who, at least, tries to think things through. They support Noynoy not necessarily because it is the fashionable thing to do but because they really thought hard about it. Their only problem is they think more with their “heart” instead of their brain. Most of them also have a child-like belief in elves, dwarves and orcs.

The third one is the supporter who have been fooled into believing that a vote for any other candidate other than Noynoy is a wasted vote. Let’s call this supporter the Wasted One. This type of Noynoy supporter claims that he does not necessarily believe Noynoy is the best choice but because he has been brainwashed into thinking that a Noynoy defeat equates to a Villar victory he will just go for the Yellow One, their so-called lesser evil.

I no longer want to focus on the first two types because for all intents and purposes they are  already a lost cause. There’s no point in trying to sway them unless you believe trying to get a cult member to give up his beliefs is worth it.

I want to pay more attention to the third type, but before anything else I’d like to get one thing out of the way. I’d like to say that those who fall in this category are worse than the first two. Many of them are liars pretending to be new converts when in fact they are paid hacks long involved in the Yellow Propaganda Campaign. As for the few genuine new converts, well, the same thing but only because they have it in their heads that by rooting for Noynoy they’re being patriotic.

Voting for Noynoy as a means to prevent a Villar victory is a foolish idea based on a number of stupid assumptions — that this election is a two-way race between Noynoy and Villar and that the survey results churned out by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations can be trusted.

The third type of Noynoy supporter should be made to realize that this is not a fight between good and evil and that Noynoy is nowhere near being the “good” he and his followers make him out to be.So what if Noynoy promises he will not steal? What about the other thieves in the government? What about the opportunists-in-waiting?

Obviously, followers of the yellow plague think corruption happens only at the high levels of government. Let’s be realistic. Clean politician is still an oxymoronic concept.

The Wasted Ones should realize that they’re not doing the country any favor by supporting a candidate who has no real track record and solid plan for the country. It would be better for them to just choose among the candidates with the best qualifications. That should not be difficult at all. Just exclude the real nuisance candidates namely Joseph Estrada, Villar and of course Noynoy.

ABS-CBN’s Harapan: The Tandem Presidential Debate has been canceled. The surprising and unexpected reason: several candidates for president and vice president have either backed out or declined to participate.

This is shocking news. Who would have thought that the likes of Senators Noynoy Aquino, Manny Villar and their equally esteemed running mates would find it not worth their while to join a no holds barred debate? Well, to be fair to Villar’s running mate Senator Loren Legarda, her reluctance to participate is understandable considering the beating she got  last time.

(excerpts from a newsbreak.com.ph report)

• In a surprise result, Sen. Loren Legarda did poorly in ABS-CBN’s Harapan: The Vice-Presidential Debate, based on feedback from citizens who participated in the debate.
• Legarda failed to get 50% or more in most of feedback from the audience through the WARS.  She was asked about her experience in governance, her plans on improving the state of education, as well as on her pet themes, environment and climate change.
• Aside from doing poorly in the WARS, she also did badly in the on-line poll through abs-cbnNEWS.com chat with netizens, http://abs-cbnnews.com/harapan. The poll asked the question: Who is the most believable among the candidates in the Harapan debate?

It’s just too bad the debate scheduled for this Sunday will no longer push through. It would have given us yet another glimpse into what these people are really made of. I would have enjoyed watching Villar deflect questions about the C-5 controversy. And, of course, who would want to miss the Great Yellow Hope in action. I wonder how he would have fared against his cousin former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro or Senator Richard Gordon.

By the way Teodoro was among those who backed out. He claims he has already saturated forums and debates. Well, at least he wasn’t being a jackass about it not like Villar who gave an excuse that can only be described as pamimilosopo.

(excerpt from an abs-cbnnews.com report)

Villar and Legarda said they already committed to visit their supporters in Bicol on the same date.

Villar added they did not back out because they never confirmed their participation.

Now, to be fair , I should also identify those who were all too willing to attend the debate. In no particular order, the Walang Pakisama (sa mga naduwag) are former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Perfecto Yasay Jr., evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva, former MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando and Senator Richard Gordon.

The gall of those 4 candidates for trying to re-invent the wheel. Don’t they know most Pinoy voters respond better to song and dance routines than speeches on the economy, population growth and other serious stuff? They should ask Senator Aquino. Better yet they should get lessons from him on the finer points of campaigning without really trying. After that they could also ask him to provide tips on how to cover all the bases. 

Oh, I almost forgot. Gordon is now part of that elite group of candidates who think they’re cute. He now has a music video of his own.  Before you watch it be sure to prepare yourself to be disappointed because Gordon didn’t really sing or dance on this video.

I’m sure you were also surprised the first time you watched that. I too  never imagined Moymoy Palaboy as celebrity political endorsers. But that shouldn’t really surprise anyone anymore. Ater all we’re talking about Pinoy-style elections.

Noynoy Aquino
(Mel Tiangco) What have you accomplished?
(Malou Mangahas) What three things do you plan to accomplish?
(submitted question) If elected to the presidency would you be willing to give up your position should you be implicated in allegations of corruption?

John Carlos “JC” de los Reyes
(Mel Tiangco) A candidate runs because he knows he has a chance of winning. Do you think you have the resources to win?
(student representative) You are against the Reproductive Health Bill because you say it tramples on the rights of women. How will you balance protecting women’s rights and addressing the country’s population problem?
(submitted question) How will you prove to the nation that you’re running for the good of the country and not for your own interest?

Joseph Estrada
(Jessica Soho) Why are you running? For public service or for vengeance?
(student representative) What mistakes did you commit during your previous term that you will no longer commit should you be elected again?
(submitted question) Can you rid the government of corruption?

Bayani Fernando
(Jessica Soho) We’ve been through a dictatorship. Why should you be elected considering that you’ve been characterized as a dictator and executioner?
(Atty. Victor Lazatin) You’re not ranking well in the surveys despite the fact that you’ve already gone around the country. You’ve also lost support from Lakas. Will you still push through with your presidential bid.
(submitted question) Do you have any other motive for running?

Nicanor Perlas
(Arnold Clavio) You are in favor of divorce. How do you expect to get the support of Catholic voters?
(John Nery) How do you differentiate yourself from Senator Loren Legarda who is also a high profile green (environment advocate) candidate?
(submitted question) What is your platform with regard to national security, corruption education and the millenium development goals?

Gilbert Teodoro
(Arnold Clavio) You’re not ranking well in the surveys. Would you admit that President Arroyo is like heavy baggage?
(Mon Casiple) What is your final solution to insurgency?
(submitted question) Would you be amenable to having your assets frozen while you’re in office?

Bro. Eddie Villanueva
(Vicky Morales) You didn’t fare well in the 2004 presiential elections. What will you change in your present strategy to do better this time around?
(Howie Severino) Can you promise you won’t use the bible as basis for your policies and decisions in case you get elected?
(submitted question) What will you do to help the middle class?

Manny Villar
(Vicky Morales) You are rumored to be PGMA’s secret candidate because you’re the least hostile. What is your stand on “Hello Garci” and the other issues involving the First Family?
(Winnie Monsod) You were part of the impeachment of Former President Estrada as Speaker of the House. Now, you’re being accused of using your office to enrich yourself. What makes your case different from that of Estrada?
(submitted question) what steps will you take to destroy the network or machinery of discrimination against workers?

While not a complete waste of time, the program did very little to provide the public with a clearer picture of what the candidates have to offer. It really didn’t help that none of the questions delved into the “How” as in “How do you plan to rid the government of corruption?” or “How will you improve the economy?”

The word “platform” was also mentioned a couple of times but no additional detail was provided. I expected GMA7′s award winning line-up of broadcast journalists to dig deeper but apparently the forum rules limited them to asking just one question. I guess they had to stay true to the program’s title ‘Isang Tanong’ or ‘One Question.’

The final round of questioning was supposedly a main highlight of the program. None other than  CNN Hero of the Year awardee Efren Peñaflorida was tapped to ask the question. I have nothing but respect for Peñaflorida. What he has done to help poor children in Cavite get their basic education is truly commendable. However, I just can’t understand why, of all the possible questions, he had to ask this one: How can one be a hero?

All in all, I would say that the forum could have been done better. For one, I think the economist Winnie Monsod should have been designated as the lone interviewer. The question she asked of Senator Manny Villar was the only one that had a bit of a bite. As a viewer I would love to see Monsod taking the lead in future programs of this type.

Now, about the candidates. In general, none of them impressed me. Definitely not Bayani Fernando who was applauded by the students among the audience  for his reply to Peñaflorida’s “hero” question. To me, the fact that they applauded him for his inane response is truly troubling.

You can watch the forum through this link.

I will try to write more about this later.

Nananawagan ako sa iyo na huwag ka na sanang tumakbo para sa pagkapangulo. Nakikiusap ako na kung maaari lang sana ay isipin mo ang mas nakakabuti para sa sambayanang Pilipino. Kung maaari ay mas isipin mo na lang kapakanan ng mga kababayan mo kaysa ang pansariling interes.

Wala namang duda na kahit papaano ay malakas pa rin ang hatak mo sa mga tao. Wala ring duda na marami pa rin ang nahuhulog sa iyong diskarte. Malinaw na malinaw rin na alam mo rin ito. Sa katunayan naisip mo pa ngang gawin sa masang masang lugar tulad ng Tondo ang iyong pagdedeklara ng kandidatura. Kitang kita rin sa mga binitawan mong salita ang mala-showbiz mong atake para makuha ang simpatiya ng mga taong dati mo nang pinangakuang iaangat mula sa kahirapan.

Nakikiusap ako sa iyo Erap. Huwag ka nang tumakbo. Higit sa lahat nakikiusap ako na huwag mo namang tratuhing tanga ang mga hindi tanga at lalong huwag mo namang pagsamantalahan ang mga tatanga tanga. Huwag ka nang tumakbo Erap. Kung totoong gusto mo talagang tumulong sa mahihirap magagawa mo naman ito bilang isang pribadong mamamayan. Sa dami ng iyong pera marami kang pwedeng gawin. Bigyan kita ng ilang suhestiyon:

• magpatayo ka ng mga paaralang magbibigay ng libreng edukasyon sa mahihirap
• magsimula ka ng sarili mong programa para turuan ang mga mahihirap na tumayo sa sarili nilang mga paa; maaari mong ituro sa kanila kung paano magpayaman (pwede ring iba na lang ang magturo)
• mamahagi ka ng pondong pang-puhunan para sa mga mahihirap; gayahin mo ang Grameen Bank (napakagandang programa nun)
• magtayo ka ng negosyong makapagbibigay ng trabaho sa napakaraming tao; gayahin mo si Cecilio Kwok Pedro, ang may-ari ng Hapee Toothpaste
• magtayo ka ng mga komunidad para sa mga mahihirap tulad ng Gawad Kalinga
• magpatayo ka ng mga hospital na magbibigay ng libreng serbisyo sa mga mahihirap

Kita mo naman. Marami rami na rin ang mga suhestiyong naibigay ko. Sigurado ako kaya mo ring makaisip ng iba pang proyekto na pwede mong gawin para makatulong kahit pa hindi ka presidente ng Pilipinas.

Seryosong panawagan ito Erap. Kung totoong mahal mo ang mga mahihirap, igagalang mo sila at hindi mo sasamantalahin ang kanilang kakulangan sa edukasyon. Hindi mo ipiprisinta ang sarili mo sa kanila bilang kandidato kahit pa alam mo namang mahihirapan kang tumanggi sa mga mala-lintang personalidad na nasa paligid mo (ganyan naman talaga ang barkadahan di ba?) sakaling manalo ka. Hindi mo rin sila paaasahin sa wala.

Tama na sana ang nakapaglingkod ka bilang mayor,  senador at pangulo noon kahit pa hindi mo nga natapos ang iyong termino sa Malacanang. OK na iyun.  Kung ako sa iyo tutulong na lang talaga ako bilang pribadong mamamayan. Mas masarap iyon at hindi ka pa masyadong mabuburyong dahil walang babatikos sa iyo. Tinitiyak ko rin sa iyo na sa ganitong paraan mas higit mong maibabalik ang bango ng pangalang Estrada.

Ano? Pwede mo bang mapagbigyan ang aking pakiusap? Umaasa ako na kahit papaano ay pagiisipan mo ang mga suhestiyon ko. Gusto ko lang naman sana kasi na makita ko na talagang mahal mo ang Pilipinas at gagawin mo ang tunay na makakabuti para dito.

Salamat.

As can be expected, Senator Jinggoy Estrada wasted no time and immediately took to the floor to defend his father. He even threatened to expose what he knows about Lacson.

There is really something wrong with this picture. What we have here are two senators withholding information with serious implications. Lacson didn’t expressly say it but he was obviously accusing the older Estrada of involvement in criminal activities. Now I’m wondering, shouldn’t he have made this expose years ago? Same thing for the younger Estrada. Shouldn’t he have spilled the beans long before? And, why even bother making threats?  As far as I’m concerned, public servants shouldn’t be keeping information from the public especially if it has some bearing on governance.

This is the problem with politicians. They speak of justice — swift justice even — but here they are withholding incriminating information about their colleagues. I’m not a lawyer but I think a law is being violated here. If there’s none then someone ought to formulate one that directly penalizes the practice. Without such a law, cover-ups and collusion will remain part and parcel of governance in this country.

1. government subsidy for election campaigns (Fernando)

2. empowering local government units with increased budgets (Binay)

3. eliminating the “pwede na yan” (that will do) mentality (Legarda)

I am in favor of Fernando’s idea of passing the burden of financing election campaigns to the government. One obvious benefit is that it would level the playing field and give virtual unknowns equal opportunity to make themselves known to the electorate. Voters would then have more choices other than the usual faces.

I’m just not sure if having this set-up could really help put a stop to corruption as some people including Fernando believe. Maybe it could if elected officials only steal to pay back their election sponsors or to recoup their own expenses. Unfortunately, that is not the only reason why graft and corruption occurs. If it were then let’s not allow our politicians to spend another centavo from their own pockets.

Related to this, I think it’s about time  media entities especially the big TV and radio networks consider providing real public service by offering free airtime to all candidates. Anyone care to be the first? Kapuso? Kapamilya? As an incentive, I promise to be a loyal viewer of whoever will be the first to heed this call. Religious stations don’t count.

Moving on…

Binay’s idea of empowering local government units or LGUs by increasing their budgets also caught my attention even though it is nothing new. It’s an idea that has been floated around by other politicians in the past.

In an ideal world, giving local government units bigger budgets and free hand to manage it should be enough to ensure the delivery of better government services. The only problem is — our world is far from ideal. Binay himself has said during the ANC Forum that favoritism still comes into play in the granting of budgets. He noted that if the LGU official is not in the good graces of the powers that be he or she would have a hard time securing the funds he needs to effectively govern his area of jurisdiction.

There is one other issue that should be identified with regards to the disbursement of budgets. It’s about checks and balances. This is an issue that needs addressing even under the present set-up. Without proper accounting and auditing the risk of misappropriation becomes greater. Someone should closely monitor the use of any and all government funds. In fact, those doing the monitoring should be monitored as well. And, if we really want to look at it in the extreme, the monitors of the monitors should also be monitored. It’s that or we come up with a measure that would force corrupt officials to control their thievery.

Finally, let’s look at Senator Legarda’s idea that we do away with the “pwede na yan” (that will do) mentality. If I didn’t have anything to add to the idea I would have simply brushed it aside as just another motherhood statement.

In any case, Legarda correctly identified this albeit indirectly as a flaw in the Filipino character. Many, if not all of us, have been guilty of having such a mentality. It’s sad. As a nation, we should once and for all rid ourselves of this kind of mentality if not we condemn ourselves to an eternity of mediocrity. Unfortunately, purging ourselves of this mindset is  easier said than done especially where older generations are concerned. It is the younger generations who still have a chance of not developing such a mindset. That is, if we, the older generations, will try to create for them an environment that punishes mediocrity and rewards excellence. We should have done this yesterday.

Come May 2010, this “pwede na” mentality will again rear its ugly head. Many of us will vote for panderers, liars, thieves, and their ilk. Some will do so because they  don’t know any better. Others because they genuinely believe their choice. Sadly, most will do so because they are convinced the lesser evil is “pwede na.”

The second forum was a marked improvement over the first one. Much to my relief, no one asked the participants about the book they last read or the movie they last saw. The producers and hosts did us a big favor by doing away with those nonsensical, pa-cute questions.

I was especially pleased Ms. Che-Che Lazaro asked the guests about their assets. For me, this is the kind of question we should all be asking our candidates if we want to be able to gauge their honesty and commitment to good governance. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the guests’ micro-expressions and body language as they tried to be as vague as possible with their answers to Ms. Lazaro’s query about their wealth. I’m sure many people noticed how the voice of one of the guests quivered and the facial muscles of another became a bit tense while trying to answer the question. It was beautiful TV in a twisted kind of way.

We should all do as Ms. Lazaro did. We should ask our candidates really tough questions even if we already know they will just beat around the bush and ultimately give us answers not even remotely in tune with the question.

How much are you worth? How did you get to be so wealthy? Have you ever stolen public money? Three simple yet powerful questions that can uncover a politician’s real intentions for seeking public office.

I’ll be looking forward to hearing these three questions asked in the succeeding episodes. And, if I may suggest, the forum hosts should also consider asking this question: Would you push for a law that would have the spouse, partner or closest relative of a government official facing charges of graft and corruption treated as an accomplice and charged equally?

Let’s see how they’ll answer that.

This is not about Mr. Estrada’s carabao English and his failure to communicate effectively in that language (MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando also failed in that regard). This is about basic comprehension, which is important whether one is involved in menial work or is running a country.

I suppose we can all agree that all politicians have the habit of avoiding questions that can potentially put them on the spot. All the other forum participants — Senator Loren Legarda, MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay — displayed this ability on several instances during the forum. But, unlike Estrada, these three participants were clearly deliberate about it. Estrada was not. To me, he appeared like he just didn’t understand some of the questions posed to him.

It’s either that or Mr. Estrada’s mind was simply too busy wandering off to some happy place. He was quite happy, wasn’t he? Perhaps, he was even too happy for his own good. Did Mr. Estrada even realize that the audience was not laughing with him but at him?

I hope the Opposition would be kind enough not to put Estrada through the rigors of another presidential campaign. Estrada deserves to enjoy his twilight years in peace. The opposition should consider this for Estrada’s sake if not the country’s.