presidentiables and politics

the battle among presidential candidates are getting hotter as the campaign period draws near. i expect more mud-slinging and negative campaigning in the coming days.

we have been subjected to elections of voting for the lesser evil. yet i am thinking about what kind of lesser evil do i allow?

today the news revealed that manny villar is fast catching up with noynoy aquino. this can probably be attributed to the amount of 'airtime' villar is getting with the C-5 scandal. as conrado de quiros mentioned in his column, his publicity is giving villar an advantage because noynoy is getting less coverage (though arguably, the SCTEX issue cropped up in relation to the C-5 issue).

but then i think that is too presumptuous. we have to remember as well, that noynoy has not given people a solid reason why he should be elected president other than the fact that he will not be corrupt (but is not SCTEX a form of corruption as well?). i honestly do not find this a sufficient reason to give my vote to him. i adore his parents but my vote is too precious to be left to sentimentality.

i find it disturbing that it took villar a long time to face the senate and say his piece about the situation. when he finally did, he walked out immediately leaving questions unanswered. maari ngang lutong macao pero napapapaisip ako kung bakit ayaw niyang sumagot. if he is really for the people then it is not really the senate that he owes an explanation to but the people. and it is not enough for me to be directed to the website (though i should start studying their profiles soon) for that question to be answered. things are easy to hide in writing. facing a crowd full of questions takes guts. and i want my leader to have guts and to be honest. i have a feeling that villar has not yet shown this.

on the other hand, i am also disturbed by the fact that noynoy has not given a satisfactory answer regarding hacienda luisita. when i listen to him answer questions in debates, he is always vague and unclear. i find this as dangerous as not answering questions. more so because people loyal to him can interpret it the way to his advantage. or even those he is loyal to. after these past few months, i am still unclear what he stands for. moral ascendancy is too precious a term to just be given away like that. this is something that is shown or practiced and not claimed.

one question i have regarding this senate inquiry on villar though is, why just villar? have we not heard news of bayani fernando's construction company doing the overpasses and fly overs and urinals all over the metro? why has this not been raised in the senate? did i miss this one? because i hope not. i dislike the guy because he has turned metro manila into one giant ugly playground. i could not take it seriously with the blue and pink (in the shade of the blue and pink in an 8-color crayola box). makati has similar structures but it looks serious and clean. i digress. anyway... why have i not heard of this? if you have, please point me to the right direction so i can read about it.

and why has the senate not exerted the same amount of time and effort with the arroyo scandals? why do they let it die down? yet this issue with villar drags on and on.

right now, neither one is on top of my list. unless i get the last minute idea that i should just vote for a candidate who is more likely to win rather than one i truly believe in. i have not done that ever yet. i voted for roco twice despite knowing how little chance he had because he was who i believed in.

i hardly have the same certainty for any candidate as much as i did for roco. though i am strongly considering nick (perlas) and dick (gordon).

i don't care if gordon is using his red cross experience because it could not be any worse than asking me if i have swam in a sea of garbage or being told of his heritage over and over. i thoroughly enjoyed gordon's time sa DOT secretary. all those WOW activities generated a lot of local tourism. though after being informed that he feels kindle is the answer to education woes lost a few points for me. but i don't think that will fly anyway. but he seems to be able to get things done. and we need things done in this country. we are too stuck in words and debate. :(

nick perlas, on the other hand, swept me off my feet when he said he would push for first language medium of instruction. i think he was the most clear with what he wanted to happen in terms of education. he gives well thought out answers and seemed intelligent enough. he just is not popular enough, unfortunately. if he chose to run for senate, he would definitely be one of my top votes. but who knows... i never really factored in winnability when it comes to casting my vote.

as for the rest...

erap. he should not even be a candidate. stupid comelec knows that by putting him in the roster is inviting a constitutional crisis. he looks like he still has his dose of booze and women. no no no. i do not want a president who slurs.

gibo. well.... he is quite a looker. and it's nice to listen to him talk. he won pogi points for me when he answered that he should abstain himself from GMA issues because they are of the same party. it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. so i credit him for honesty. and honesty in this game is a breath of fresh air. nonetheless, it is clear that he does not run the party, that he is a puppet by the very fact that he allowed edu manzano to be his running mate. at the same time, masyado syang magaling magpalusot sa mga GMA questions. he answers the questions, but the things he does not say sound scary to me. can still be considered but more likely a no vote.

jamby. number one nuisance candidate. i can't believe they disqualified ladlad and not this woman. NO NO NO NO!

jc delos reyes. no sex education? are you kidding me?! and i also want a president who can speak with confidence. maybe he should run for mayor first. no.

anyone i missed out?

if you have any dirt on gordon or perlas, i welcome it. and if you have arguments for villar and noynoy, i welcome it as well. i have not done much research on the candidates yet. my thoughts are mainly formed from what i see on tv and read on the newspaper and my own gut feel.

if you are a follower of any of the candidates, i welcome a sales pitch. i want to know why you are voting for your candidate. if you want to argue, do so, but do not take it personally against me. i am not out to be vile against your candidate (unless she is jamby or BF) rather it is just what i see.

i am very confused. :(

crushed. literally.

Yesterday, I left the Ateneo Professional Schools Congress with a bit of hope and a bit of dream. Mostly I was pondering what was my place in the world when it came to playing my part in nation-building. Lately, it has been mattering to me more and more. I have to do something. What it was, I was uncertain.

I continued pondering as I walked to the Guadalupe MRT Station. When I got there, I was aghast by the number of people. It has been quite a while since I set foot there though there was a time that was my stop. It was re-awakening of MRT rush hour.

With exasperation and surrender, I positioned myself in the throng of people that stood by each door. How I wished there was a line but that seemed logistically impossible given a people that lacked discipline. Myself included.

At first, I was in the general section instead of the ladies' (scoff) section. After two cars, I noticed that the cars for women had more space so I decided to move to that part. It was a mistake to have done so. I should have stayed with the men than be in a stampede of women desperate to go home. Though that was the least bad thing about the situation.

After a couple of cars, another came with a couple of cars which had relatively more space to accommodate people. I was to find out why. The women in the car refused to go in the center section! Despite the sardine situation by the doors, none of the bitches would budge to make way for more people to be able to ride. I was absolutely infuriated. Such inconsideration!!! Out flew the window my thoughts of a better Philippines. Sheesh.

A couple more cars came until I was pushed by a wall of people inside the train. I didn't need to move my legs at all. I just allowed myself to be pushed. And there I was on the train. I tried to make it to the other door because I was just a couple of stops so I can get out easily without having to worry about getting left behind. But no, none of the women refused to move to the center. And I bet more than half of those are getting down Ortigas or Cubao.

I had to be impolite and brutal myself. I had to push in between people, which I was sure would push others as well, to get to the other side.

When my stop came, getting out was as disastrous as getting in. People were trying to get in, people was trying to get out with me. Someone was shouting, "may bata, may bata" which hardly mattered even if it were women in there. After what seemed like eternity, I made it out.

So much for hope and trust and dreams.

It was a rude awakening. Not all people are as giving as they should be. I was angry. Pissed. Irritated. But that doesn't mean I want to give up. It didn't make my resolve better. I was just myself in the unforgiving real world. Where little things can get in the way the greater scheme of things. Little things that eat away at your resolve.

But this is the world. It has ceased to be flowers and butterflies since the bronze age and currency. But this is the world. People are stubborn. I will just have to make that constant choice to be stubborn in a good way.

In response to 'Ganito Tayo Noon, Ganito Tayo Ngayon' centerfold in the Inquirer

In the centerfold of the Inquirer is a huge table of data comparing our present data compared to past presidents. It is undeniable that this is another attempt by the government to laud the 'achievements' of the nine-year GMA regime.

First response to that is that the UN itself is saying the Philippines is performing poorly in the Education For All program (EFA), trailing only after Tanzania and Zambia. Here's the link:http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100120-248349/UN-RP-trails-Tanzania-Zambia-in-education

Data given:
Teachers' salaries from P9,939 in 2000 to P14,198 in 2009. Excuse me but given the inflation, their value is probably just about the same.

Textbook to student ratio: 1:1 for English and Sibika in Elementary, 1:1 for English, Math and Science for High School. Sounds good. But what about the other subjects? And do you honestly think these books translate to better understanding on the kids part? AND are they allowed to bring this books home in the first place? I've visited rural public schools before and the kids ARE NOT allowed to bring them home because they will get old fast and may not be able to be used the next year.

Classroom to Students ratio: 1:39 Elementary and 1:55 HS. This ratio is not exactly something to feel good about. A conducive learning environment for children and a manageable classroom level for teachers would be a ratio of 1:20--25. 30 at most. And excuse me, but you have failed to note that A GOOD NUMBER OF SCHOOLS HAVE THREE SHIFTS OF FOUR HOURS just so there would be less students in class. So you think students can learn seven subjects in four hours?!! Tell me.

PAG-IBIG calamity loans for Ondoy and Pepeng victims: None for 2000. P12B for 2009. ALANGAN!!! Walang Ondoy at Pepeng nuon. Please say NOT APPLICABLE.

Farm to Market roads: 1998-2000 = 3,044 kms. GMA term = 17,517. Woman, you had nine years to accomplish that. Your average is just about the same.

OFW Deployment: 841,628 OFWs in 2000. 1.28M Jan-Nov 2009. You are proud of sending people abroad to work to keep this country afloat? Many are leaving this country, finding work abroad because they are desperate to survive. Nothing to be proud about.

Land distribution through agrarian reform: 523,000 hectares 1998-2000. 1.8M from 2001 to Sept 2009. That's just an average of 200,000 hectares per year for you. 260,000 hectares for Erap.

Buying rice for palay: P8.50 per kilo in 2000. P17 per kilo in 2009. Excuse me, magkano bigas nuon? I think it was around P18. Magkano ngayon? P30-40. Hello.

Cellphone subscribers: 6.4 M in 2000. 75M in 2009
Internet usage: 1.98% 2000/24.5% in 2009
1) It was just starting then. What do you expect?
2) I think Globe, Smart and Sun are the ones we should thank for this. Not you.
3) And oh... do you remember the time when text messaging was free? We pay P1 per text now. Whee. Hah.
4) Wala pang FB at kasisimula pa lang ng Friendster. Wala pang halaga ang internet nuon. (hehe! joke lang to)

There are so much more data in the newspaper. I can't seem to find it online yet. But those stuff up there are the only ones I have an answer to. The economy part... malamang it's true. I know crap about econ.

I mean I understand the needing to justify what you have done for your work. I used to that for my work too. But the thing that pisses me off is that those data pretends that everything is fine and dandy in this country because she took over. Pshaw. No, it's not.

on being told to be pregnant...

a couple of years back, i wrote an entry about the many questions women are asked in their lifetime. as i re-read it again, there are some things i may take back. like men not suffering the same questions as women do. i have come to understand that the issues they face are different from ours, so i really can not say that one or the other has a harder time.

i still stand by my belief though, that women, especially here in the philippines are subject to expectations at certain ages in their life. this is called life course theory in sociology. it is actually an interesting study especially in a society like the philippines which seem to have a set idea what people should achieve at a certain age. for the individual and/or those surrounding him/her, there is the tendency to be alarmed if they have not achieved the indicators of the life course.

what do i mean by this?

here at home, there is the tendency that there are just two options in life when one becomes an adult -- either one gets married or one enters the religious life. the idea of remaining single is alien to many people. to many, it does not seem possible for individuals not to want to get married. there is concern when people hit their 30's and are still single, especially for women. (these concerns have yet to cover those who are gay, single parents or common unions... for me that would be a separate discourse i dare not get into)

"settling" is the expected life course for adults. it seems that society dictates that the point of getting an education, getting a job is to prepare for family life. and many choose that path. but society has to realize that things have changed so much in just a few decades. technology and globalization has given people more options with their lives. getting married or having children is not the sole purpose of living. while sushmita sen may have said that the essence of being a woman is motherhood, women of today have now more options open to them. it is not always the most obvious choice anymore.

why this particular rant today?

i just somewhat received a lecture from a stranger (a person i encountered twice and hardly even talked to) that i should be pregnant already because i'm already 31.

since i returned home, jan and i have been asked when we plan to have a baby. but these are friends and relatives so i don't mind. it is an expected question though not necessarily a welcome one. i choose not to take offense and rather choose to be amused... it is a valid question just one we do not have an answer to.

but when a complete stranger tells you that... it is intrusive. does she even know me for her to even merit the license to be a commentator of my life? nee. i wanted to throw so many retorts at her. 'and this is important for you to know because?' or 'if i give birth, would you spend for all my child's needs since you seem so excited about it?' instead i just smiled and let her keep talking.

and in my head, i was doing a discourse analysis of the exchange. might as well put what i learned to good use and practice my already rusty brain than waste a good day on people that don't matter.

I condemn the Ampatuan massacre

yesterday, 21 people were killed in Maguindanao. people were on their way to the COMELEC office to file a certificate of candidacy. they never made it. along the way, 40 were taken hostage and 21 of them found dead. the massacre is being blamed on Gov. Ampatuan, a new Maguidanao dynasty, but one not afraid to abuse its power.

I condemn these killings. I condemn any abuse of political power. I condemn the culture of impunity in the Philippines. I do not know what my condemning it can do. But I want my government to know about it. I want my people to know about it.