The city of Calapan is plastered with the initials RGV – public works, vehicles, buildings. The letters are shaped a certain way, a distinctive font. These three letters are inescapable, they assault you everywhere. Rodolfo G. Valencia has been campaigning for a long time. He owns many businesses in Oriental Mindoro’s capital. It is his right of course to put his initials on any object purchased with his money.
In Manila, faces of politicians of every stripe and hue are also plastered on every available surface. Visibly photoshopped, the aspiring barangay captain, councilor, senator and president is strategically placed on moving buses or inert buildings and light posts. On television, there are thirty-second audiovisual presentations with catchy blurbs made palatable by poppish music.
In four months citizens will troop to polling precincts to choose their leaders from the barangay to the national level. Four short months. I have been waiting for real substantive messages from any one of these politicians. I have been waiting to be engaged in a debate on problems and possible solutions. And there are problems aplenty. All there seem to be are problems. As one who has closely followed the American elections last year, I have been thoroughly disappointed by the Philippine ‘pre-campaign’ period so far. Will there be a debate on healthcare? Economic reform? Public debt? Human rights? Agricultural policies? Environmental protection? I may yet expire from holding my breath.
Next month will mark the beginning of the official marketing and mud-slinging. In four short months our aspiring leaders will make promises, all sorts. For once I would like to hear outlined HOW they will deliver on these promises. EXACTLY. I am sick and tired of the meaningless posturing.
I have nothing but contempt for those who engage in politics for politics’ sake. Because then the road to the presidency, the seat in congress, the barangay captaincy becomes nothing more than a calculated pursuit of power. Power – the ability to coerce others to do what one wants – no more no less. Politics then degenerates into a mad scramble for scraps. Picture them rabid mongrels, hackles raised, ready to bite, claw and jockey for position for the tenderest of morsels.
I sometimes wonder whether any of these politicos even bother to think of what is at stake, lost as they are in this game of one-upmanship.
Would-be Mr. President, do pray tell, WHAT IS AT STAKE?
Popularity: 2% [?]
Philippine politics is different because Pinoy electorates is different. Example FV Pinoy bloggers and commenters. They’re the cream of the crop(eherm), highly intelligent (more eherm), nationalistic and very patriotic, and smart. They’re expert on things what are good for the country. They, being bright guys, know exactly which presidential candidate can be the right president who will do what are best for the common good of the people and the nation. And yet, look! Everybody has different choices of manoks for president. As if intelligent people has different interpretations of goodness:).
Smart? Maybe the ‘masa’ are smarter.
Bert: You made a correct sentence — intelligent people have different interpretations of goodness.
The reason for this concept called “The Greater Good” is that there is no truth to the rumor of a single good. Heck, there is not even a single shortcut!
The issues I mentioned, healthcare, economic reform, public debt, human rights, agricultural policies and environmental protection are all issues that concern everyone – especially the poor.
These are public issues and cut across regions, classes, gender and religions.
The poor and uneducated may articulate them differently (i.e. minus the technicalities and appropriate political/expert jargon), but these people share the concerns of the FV readers.
Watch for the next round. Political madness and insanity will start.
If politicians will throw mud at each other. The TRUE ISSUES and
PROBLEMS of our country will be overlooked and will be set aside.
We will go another round in the circle. Not going further or advancing from where we are. As we did in the previous years. LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!
“… contempt for those who engage in politics for politics’ sake…”
Yes, indeed. It’s really amazing how, in so short a time, Pinoy society has turned democracy into the Avatar of mis-governance.
RP’s political and economic elite, as well as leaders of religion, media, education, and others run this country like…well, you know the rest of the quote.
Welcome back, Sparks!
Thanks :-)
Here is an issue that I suspect people will deny, it is
an issue of lower concern than Parliament-for-Pinas,
reproductive health/condoms or rice self sufficiency.
The next president may not really be interested
in getting civil society and atheists to work on
this issue — that Filipinos are law-breakers.
I do not only mean NPA’s, BIR/post-office clerks,bank robbers
or the kidnappers — I mean overseas Filipino workers. OFW’s
are lawbreakers and over 3% of them are in jail.
UP n…
” overseas Filipino workers. OFW’s
are lawbreakers and over 3% of them are in jail.”
You know how much is 3 percent of 10 million OFWs? Please count.
That is 300,000 OFWs, right?
Pls check you facts first. It is in the field of presenting factual news that bloggers are way behind the mainstream media. If you submit those figures to an editor of mainstream paper, I am sure they will not go through for publication unless checked and double-checked. 300,000 OFWs? If that is true, that could merit an article in TIME magazine.
Blogging is losing credibility, really. Sa tsismis, pwede.
Most of the Bloggers are honest people. They give good
and factual informations. It does not mean that; if one Blogger
give you wrong information. All Bloggers are doing the same. Politicians give you mostly wrong informations most of the time. However, you still vote for them.
My fault. I thought I saw see both statistics —-3,000 in jail and 3-something percent, but don’t matter. Mistake is mine.
Footnote : USA general population 1% are in jail.
Pinoy OFW’s — less than 0.05% are in jail.
And Pinoy OFW’s whether they are teaching english to Thais
or driving trucks in Saudi Arabia — carry their own weight.
I particularly like Noel “Onie” Bayona’s tarpaulin along EDSA close to the motels and pokpok bars.
It shows him in leading a ‘protest’/anti-demolition rally, the urban poor behind him, with water cannons firing at him.
The photo is brilliant because it’s as if the foreground was cleared just so he is framed dramatically.
There must be ART awards of some sort for these shorts of political ads. They are hilarious.
PS. Onie also has a free haircut program with the catchy “Gupit Pogi-Gupit Onie” slogan. Fricking brilliant.
You are so darn [...] right! With all the hoopla, these trapos has not yet, even touch base of insanity. Of course with the same token, blogosphere alike, will raise frenzy ruckus. Let us be more specific on the debate.
These, are what they need to concentrate on. There are considerable amount of question(s) being ask, by the blogosphere media, and not focusing on the welfare of the debate. “I do have an issue in regards to the Environmental Protection, that would raise an eyebrow, but that’s my prerogative to contemplate with.”
It is easy enough to choose from the comparatively ‘meaningless’ pack of presidentiables down to the senatoriables – if and only when – voters just want to go easy with their right to delegate their sovereign will to their chosen candidates.
Voters are like the pecking pigeons in the cage. Whether or not there are feeds placed on the tray, they will peck. THEY WILL PECK.
So what our politicians do is FEED the pecking pigeons.
And they feed them only every election time. Thereafter, no one knows who is really fed.
Are we the pecking pigeons in the context of Skinner?
You tell me.
Caff,
Your closing captures it : “I sometimes wonder whether any of these politicos even bother to think of what is at stake, lost as they are in this game of one-upmanship.”
By shocving their muga at us and arrogating publicly-funded projects as their ‘you-owe-me’ largesse… utang na loob natin sa kanila kuno.
Your outrage is shared my millions.
Tapos these execs even pocket ‘SOPs’ – the kickbacks that now comprise n0t 10 but up to 20-25 percent of project cost!!!
As you know from following American politics, the distortions of truth are on the rise there, as partisan mudslinging takes to place of honest debate. It is one of the drawbacks of television and other sound bite media, including the internet . . . especially the internet, where a U tube posting or outrageous blog can command attention.
It is better to prep yourself for living in a world of everylasting distortion than to get apoplexy wishing for reason and truth and honor. Those are diminishing facets of our society.
Joe
Aha, Cynical Joe, welcome to the real world. Wall Street bankers are getting the flak for their fat bonuses and Tim Geithner is under the scopes of both libbies and wackos. Whatever happened to the culture of TRUST, Joe?
Tranquil,
It went to hell when reality shows came aboard pretending that weepy insanity or fake bravado is what life is really about . . .
Dick Cheney didn’t help much either . . . or Bill Clinton, defining the meaning of “is” . . .
Joe
Will the U.S. really lose its grip as the mighty?
Will it become a banana republic?
Will there be a Russification of America?
Will there be an Independent Republic of Texas?
It’s still January, maybe you can share us some personal predictions on your mother country Joe.
Paul Krugman says there will be a second wave of recession by the middle of this year as the bailout money runs out.
Can the world afford a failing United States?
Or is America too big to fail?
What’s going on?
Tranquil,
Will the U.S. really lose its grip as the mighty? No, but China will rise, for China has vast untapped markets, whereas the US is about tapped out. Still, the US will remain a global powerhouse as its large corporations prowl the planet.
Will it become a banana republic? No, a superficial republic retreating into right wing obtusity, as the liberals don’t know how to deal with deceit on such a venomous national scale.
Will there be a Russification of America? No. After Obama, it will swing right then swing left, the democratic two-step. No problem, it circles around middle ground, which is strong, intelligent and well-principled.
Will there be an Independent Republic of Texas? Nope, nor will Mexico be conquered.
It’s still January, maybe you can share us some personal predictions on your mother country Joe. Happy to. No lack of lip here . . .
Paul Krugman says there will be a second wave of recession by the middle of this year as the bailout money runs out. I doubt it. Big companies are making good money because they have canned a lot of helpers, and consumers are starting to edge back. There might be a flat-line, but not a recession. Those are the predictions of a bank marketing man . . . who knows more than Mr. Krugman, evidently . . .
Can the world afford a failing United States? No, and it does not have to worry.
Or is America too big to fail? Too determined to succeed, to fail . . . and responsive to change . . .
What’s going on? Nothing to weep over, contrary to what is going on in a certain group of islands in Asia.
Joe
@caffeine_sparks, I share your sentiments. I wrote about how with the impending elections and campaigning period, it’s as though the circus has come to town. See http://oysteronahalfshell.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/send-in-the-clowns/
Too much theatrics. And as you said, a mad dash for the scraps falling off the table.
That is why Erap Estrada, Jinggoy Estrada, and the rest of actors
are in office. We live in a World of Celluloid delusion. These
actors/ show biz personalities are mostly boneheads. They are good
in acting. But, no good in leading and solving the problems of our country. Some are even barely educated.
Jimmy Breslin’s quote. with a slight modification on the time-frame, is quite an apt description for our own political season.
“I start with a sigh, for we are at the opening of what surely will be the longest political campaign in the history of the whole world. We have almost a year and a half more of speeches and slander, of lies and libel, of life without a conscience.” – Jimmy Breslin