And for those who want to really savor the lines, here they are lovingly transcribed by yours truly.

Minamahal kong kababayan,

Tadhana ang nagbuklod sa atin dahil naghihingalo na ang ating bayan, Nais kong pumasok sa isang kasunduan sa inyo. Lalaban tayo para sa wastong edukasyon ng bawat batang Pilipino. Lalaban tayo para sa abot-kayang serbisyong pangkalusugan. Lalabanan natin ang kahirapan. Lalabanan natin ang mga kawatan. Lalabanan natin ang sino mang wawasak sa kalikasan. Lalabanan natin ang sino mang manggugulo sa ating kapayapaan at katahimikan.

Ang laban natin ay laban ng bayan.

Sa ngalan ng aking mga magulang at sa gabay ng diyos, gagawin ko ang lahat ng aking makakaya na pagsilbihan ang mahal nating Inang Bayan. Bilang tunay na sagot sa kahirapan at tunay na daan sa kaunlaran, ang inyong lingkod Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino the Third, isang mamamayang Pilipino, nangangako sa Diyos at sa Bayan — Hindi ako mag-nanakaw.

Powerful stuff, really.

I have to congratulate the planning and production team behind this ad. You’ve just proven to everyone that it is possible to create a campaign ad that does not involve any dancing or singing and makes use of no overly dramatic images depicting squalor, despair and hope. Additional points as well for not including shots of mindless people carrying torches. Special mention goes to the scriptwriter. You sure can write compelling copy. I sincerely admire you for skillfully filling up a tight running time of one-minute with very powerful words. And, of course, Senator Aquino. You deserve much praise for your unusually impressive delivery and presence here. All in all, you all did a great job and I think this ad deserves an award for brilliant simplicity.

With that said, let’s now put on our serious-voter’s hat.

I think this ad is unprecedented. Here we have a politician coming out with an unequivocal promise that he will not steal. Noynoy may not be the first to come out with such a pronouncement in a TV ad but I’m pretty certain he is the first one to say it in such a simple and direct-to-the-point manner.

Hindi ako mag-nanakaw.

Truly powerful. Unfortunately, there’s a problem and it is this.

Noynoy, Hindi Ka Nag-Iisa.

Yes, indeed, that’s the problem, dear Senator. You really are not alone in laying claim to this anti-corruption branding. The fact is all politicians claim they are against corruption. Even Jun Lozada and Jose de Venecia III. Oh, I forgot, you think you stand out in this aspect because of your Sincerity, Honesty, Integrity and Transparency. Sorry to burst your bubble but that’s all in your head.

Hindi Ka Talaga Nag-Iisa. Pramis.

Speaking of promises. The good senator made really good use of the very limited running time by mouthing off a number of promises all said within the context of that nebulous Aquino concept of Laban.

Again, with our thinking-voter’s hat still on, let’s see if there is any value here. Hmmm. Hmmm.

Sorry, there is none. Want proof? Check out this utakngtilapia.com exclusive interview.

Huh? Laban? Asan? Asan ang laban?

For the truly hopelessly yellow, the message here is that Noynoy’s Laban is clear only to himself. Or maybe not. Sure he may have a general grasp of what Filipinos need but that’s nothing if he can’t even inform us how exactly he will pursue and achieve his promises. Let’s refer back to his campaign ad script.

Lalaban tayo para sa wastong edukasyon ng bawat batang Pilipino = How exactly?

Lalaban tayo para sa abot-kayang serbisyong pangkalusugan = How exactly?

Lalabanan natin ang kahirapan = How exactly?

Lalabanan natin ang mga kawatan = How exactly?

Lalabanan natin ang sino mang wawasak sa kalikasan = How exactly?

Lalabanan natin ang sino mang manggugulo sa ating kapayapaan at katahimikan = How exactly?

So you see dear reader, not even this potentially award-winning ad can erase the sad fact that to this day Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has failed to properly communicate to us the substance of his candidacy. You’ve probably heard about his failure to attend the forum organized by the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation. I don’t know but it seems to me this is becoming a habit for Noynoy. Not good.

By the way, I realize that Noynoy may actually be telling us the truth when he said, “Hindi ako mag-nanakaw.” Who knows maybe he does have the will to actually keep himself clean while in office. The question is what about the people around him? Does he have the ability or guts to stand up to sycophants, influence peddlers and their mothers?

We’ll look into that later. In the meantime, here’s something for those who need to rid themselves of the hypnotic effect of Noynoy’s latest campaign ad.

(note: Writing about the (mis)adventures of Noynoy is getting tiresome. Unfortunately, someone has to do it since Noynoy’s handlers and supporters are not inclined to push their idol to do better.)

I like watching debates between Presidential candidates more than reading their campaign propaganda or write ups about their latest activities in newspapers which actually be crafted by public relations professionals and advertising gurus in cooperation with members of the “friendly” press.

You get to see how well the candidates themselves answer questions in real time.  You don’t see them through the wall of hype created by their political ads.

Anyway, let me just re-post in full the announcement for the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development debate organized in cooperation with ANC and the Asian Institute of Management.

Presidential Policy Debate Kicks Off

Thursday, January 14 at AIM

The Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development is pleased to announce that the first comprehensive debate on domestic and foreign policy among presidential candidates in the May elections will take place on Thursday, January 14 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).

Sen. Richard Gordon, Sen. Manuel Villar and former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro will participate in the two-hour forum. Two other candidates – former President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Benigno Aquino III – were invited to join the discussion as early as October last year, but they declined.

Organized by the Romulo Foundation in cooperation with ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) and AIM, the forum will focus on the broad theme of “Philippine Credibility and Competitiveness in the World”, and seek policy responses from the candidates on five main issues:

1.The Maguindanao massacre and the wider challenge of peace in the Philippine South – If elected President, what policies and programs will the candidate pursue to stop the problem of private armies, resolve the conflict in Mindanao and Sulu, and bring stability and development to the region?

2. Philippine foreign relations and international security – What significance does the candidate attach to Philippine relations with the world, what countries and regions are the most important, and should the nation be involved or not in the international struggle against terrorism?

3. Philippine economy and international economic relations – What policies will the candidate adopt to strengthen and grow the national economy, expand foreign trade and investments, and what importance does he attach to key economic organizations such as WTO, IMF, WB and APEC?

4. Migrant workers – What policies will the candidate adopt with respect to Filipino labor migration, the welfare of OFWs, Philippine relations with labor-receiving countries, and international conventions for the protection and rights of migrant workers?

5. Philippine competitiveness in the world – What specific policies and programs will the candidate adopt to reverse the erosion of Philippine international competitiveness in the world and address the problem of corruption?

“The primary purpose of the forum is to elicit from each candidate his specific policy ideas and solutions to major problems and challenges of national life today,” says Ambassador Roberto R. Romulo, Chairman of the CPR Foundation. “In this way, the forum will assist voters in reaching a decision on who to vote for.”

The forum will be moderated by Ricky Carandang of ANC. A question panel composed of Ambassador Rodolfo Severino, head of ASEAN Studies Center, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Philippine Star Editor/Columnist Amy Pamintuan, and CNN correspondent Jaime Floro Cruz will take turns in directing questions to the candidates.

Under the rules approved by the representatives of the candidates and the sponsoring organizations, the panel will question the candidates on the five main issues during the first hour of the forum. Each candidate will be given two minutes to state his position on each issue.

In the second segment, there will be an open forum participated in by both the question panel and the audience. Questions will be directed by them to the candidates individually.

In the final segment, the three candidates will each deliver a three-minute closing statement to sum up their policy positions and make their appeal to Filipino voters.

Organizers of the forum said the event will be attended by the business and diplomatic communities, the media and the general public. At least 20 ambassadors are expected to attend. Because of limited seats, interested parties are enjoined to reserve their seats early. Registration can be made via email: reyes@pfgc.ph or telephone 885-0921

The forum will be broadcast live by ANC on cable TV and ABS Studio 23 on terrestrial TV. “This will enable the Filipino citizenry all over the country to watch the event,” says Ambassador Romulo.