The polished performance of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III before the nation’s business leaders on January 21, 2010 will make Ferdinand Marcos turn in his grave.
For many Filipinos (the businessmen, business managers and financial executives in attendance including) it could be their first time to get to know this gift from Noynoy (with his outstanding command of the essential and relevant facts and all) who theretofore has preferred “to not to seek the limelight” despite being at the core of an iconic political family all his life and a seasoned politician himself.
Yet the suave eloquence of Noynoy will remind many of the last generation or two – as well as the old fogies of the Marcosian era still living today – of his own father’s gift of gab, minus of course the trademark theatrics the martyred Ninoy was famous of. But unlike his father who was inexorably senatorial, whether performing before the august Senate of the Philippines exposing just another of Marcos’ shenanigans or defending himself before the military tribunal, Noynoy is graciously presidential even at this stage. Well, this is form.
But what’s the substance of Noynoy?
Or, as Noynoy himself puts it: What are “the advocacies that I champion, the perspective and philosophies I bring to the equation and some of my proposed solutions to give an insight into my inner persona.”
First, Noynoy confidently simplifies the nation’s problem by stating it as something that is not hard to figure out since we share the same statistics and probably the same conclusions and that “the solutions have been there all along.”
Change is therefore “extremely possible” – if only the leader we choose has the “clear political will to execute (it).”
That will to change, Noynoy contends, will be absent in a leader “whose own financial and political ethics are questionable” and who is in fact “benefiting from the status quo.” Such a leader “who has used public office for private gain, will always be the most committed enemy of change.”
In short, Noynoy argues: “To lead transformation, you cannot be part of the problem.” Neither can you be the agent of change “if you have lied, cheated, and stolen to gain power.”
The very first step to leading to national transformation is therefore the choosing of a leader who is a part of the solution.
Needless to state, the government is continually operating on deficit and without the required revenues, it is incapable to serve the basic needs of the state and its people such as proper education and other social overhead capital, e.g., for science and technology, and the economy unable to progress from its present status to a “development” state. The consequent lack of productive activity results in the inability of the economy to generate employment opportunities necessary to create a society of indigenous (instead of diasporic) middle class.
Getting down to the brass tacks, Noynoy then identifies an initial and wholly doable two-pronged approach to enhance the national budget without imposing new taxes or increasing tax rates but otherwise allowing “universal low tax rates.” One is by plugging the “revenue leaks” at the BIR and Customs and by punishing tax evaders and smugglers (Sans the kind of tough talk Obama unleashed to confront the prohibitive emoluments and bonuses given by investments banks to their executives a year after the US government had bailed out the financial system, Noynoy only politely assured his audience that “those smugglers and evaders are not faceless and unknown entities”). The other is “to encourage entrepreneurs and enterprises to invest and create jobs in any industry” and allow the market rather than the government “in spotting where the growth opportunities are.”
The nation’s businessmen, managers and financial executives are also reminded by the leading presidential aspirant that cronysism, state capture by the private sector and perverse symbiosis between the state and powerful rent-seeking economic class are anathema to progress. This is because while the practice “may work, locally, for now, it has not enabled these players to become competitive in the world market, where the rules of the game do not take special relationships into consideration.”
Noynoy makes perfectly clear that the government under his watch will not compete with business or “use its regulatory power to extort, intimidate and harass” (Take note however that he stops short of saying the government will not get involved).
Thus, for instance, in addition to his somewhat decentralized or Taiwanese approach to development, Noynoy is of the view that “our infrastructure agencies and LGUs (must) transform into cooperative ventures with the private sector by bringing forth an agreed public infrastructure program, based on a cohesive plan that optimizes the value of the entire network.” On the other hand, another of Noynoy’s approach suggests a South Korean model as he looks forward to this public-private partnership “as a means to pump-prime the economy” subject to “objective criteria for different types of projects and . . . a scorecard that will assess various projects against benchmarks transparent to the public.”
There are indeed certain policy alternatives that other governments have tried to pursue economic development such as: promotion of small and medium firms, targeting the development of a certain manufacturing industries, attraction of foreign investments or protection of certain domestic industries against imports.
But for Noynoy, one of the pragmatic priorities of his administration is to have a complete review of our agricultural programs. He believes that a lot can done for our farmers, given its present budget, if we plug the leaks and focus on the efficient use of resources; stop those resources by being eaten up in administrative costs; and instead support such efforts as “supply chain management that minimizes losses, creates jobs, consults with stakeholders, and capitalizes on our competitive advantage.”
(On a cognate note, I have advocated here in FV that a successful strategy for sustained agricultural surpluses possibly in conjunction with the development of the extractive sector could pick up a good portion of the bill for the transition to modernity. For example, foreign exchange from agricultural products and supplies would help defray the costs of imported capital goods necessary for industrialization.)
Noynoy may have been formally schooled in the market system and he dares to take a rather progressive stand on how to solve the growing number of underclass in our society because of unplanned pregnancies. However, instead of blind conformance with the conservative ideology of trickle down economy and the doctrinal teaching of his faith, Noynoy anchors his core philosophy on these fundamental humane and Christian values:
Our faith teaches us that we are our brother’s keeper. Our logic should tell us that in taking care of others, their growth equals our own.
Do you still wonder why our color is yellow?
Popularity: 7% [?]
mawalang galang, manong abe — the color is yellow only because some of the better writers in ENC nick’s stable write in yellow.
if they of their caliber wrote in orange or green, similar perceptions would apply. :)
jester, what’s ENC?
nick’s preferred title, “editor, not chief”.
“…Noynoy is graciously presidential even at this stage.”
He’s on hallowed grounds, for Pete’s sake!
If you’re not aware, Manong Abe: Noynoy, (and Cory before was MBC’s favorite), is the candidate of Makati Business Club and RP Big Business.
Let’s see how presidential he speaks before Kapisanan ng Mambubukid sa Pilipinas, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Migrante, urban poor, etc.
Phil,
I believe political parties in the Philippines are heretofore not differentiated on ideological lines. It’s then reasonable to expect MBC and RP Big Business will place their bets on the likely winner. Remember that when FPJ was ahead in the survey, even the business elites started to go out of their comfort zones to work not with a politician “thrust in the limelight” but with a complete political greenhorn who happened to be a “high school dropout.”
Of the presidentiables out there, Noynoy is probably the only one who can speak the language of the farmers. (Although Asiong Salonga may also claim that he can speak the language of Tondo slums!) Recall too that Ninoy was accused by Marcos of being in cahoot with the communist peasants.
Didn’t rifles speak when farmer peasants (communist agitators, NoyNoy said) surged the Hacienda Luisita gates? Didn’t rifles speak when farmer peasants (communist agitators, Cory said) marched across Mendiola bridge?
Or speaks to the Diliman Republic!
HMMM….I thought they chose the color yellow because the Aquino family is of Chinese descent.
My question to Noynoy is what is he going to do for the farmers of Dona Luisita who are seeking redress for what happened there? Will he give them their land which they deserve?
Abe: You’ve been consistent since the start — if your gut says NoyNoy, go for it. By all means, your vote for NoyNoy is plus-one for NoyNoy, go for it.
And in the end, NoyNoy is a flipflopper. From a pro-woman candidate with regards reproductive health, NoyNoy flipflopped when he met the opposition of two or three bishops.
he has a few quibbles with the budget appropriation, but other than that he didn’t flip-flop with RH. i should know ;-)
sparks: NoyNoy has said a lot more than just “quibbles about budget appropriation”, which is why I am convinced that NoyNoy is against the United Nations Millenium Development Goals concerning reproductive health. NoyNoy has defined what he believes to be the extent that his administration should go — it really is no more than to remind parents about the responsibilities that go with having a son or a daughter. That is practically verbatim from an interview (part 4) that cocoy had posted.
There is more than just teaching responsibilities. There is teaching of science — Pilipinas needs a Department-Social Welfare/Development and Department-Health to be teaching parents who want to space the years between children what are the options available to them. And already, many parents from classes-D and -E know of, and request government assistance with condoms and IUD’s. NoyNoy’s answer is the CBCP’s answer to these parents who want to reduce unwanted pregnancies.
NoyNoy did say he is aware of the problem of unplanned pregnancies in his speech at the Makati Business Club. Interestingly, he mentioned unplanned pregnancies side-by-side with illiteracy. What NoyNoy did NOT say is what the United Nations wants done — to combat the illiteracy about pregnancies and reproductive health that persist among the under-40-years old of Pilipinas. The United Nations wants Pilipinas to more actively teach the science of sperms-and-egg-cells in the schools. Teaching responsible parenthood ONLY TO PARENTS misses that huge number of pregnancy-capable Pinoys and Pinays who go beyond holding hands and kissing. Failing to teach sperms-and-egg-cells to students and under-35 illiterates is a failure. Failing to teach condoms and sexually transmitted disease to high school students and under-35 illiterates is a failure.
Empower women, NoyNoy will not do.
Are you telling me I do not know my own mind?
Noynoy did not flip-flop.
HE HAS BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF the REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL SINCE THE 11th CONGRESS when the first version was filed. So I think it is safe to say he isn’t against it on principle.
Please don’t perpetrate lies.
Ok?
@UPn
i’m not sure why noynoy is a flipflopper too.
the RH bill is about free choice of individuals, and govt giving them the tools to do so.
its never been about forcing people to use a particular form of family planning. or forcing them to use family planning at all.
what has changed?
Gabby: where did it come from, why did you mention “…forcing people to use a particular form of family planning. or forcing them to use family planning at all”?
[You know what, go to video-4 again and listen if NoyNoy says he supports the reproductive health bill or if he mentioned "budget considerations".] As I’ve responded to sparks, NoyNoy in video#4 defined the extent that his administration should go, and the limits he has defined??? Well, you figure it out if the words “to remind parents about the responsibilities that go with having a son or a daughter” includes the teaching of condoms and IUD’s to public high-school students and Pinoys-and-Pinays illiterates under 35 is included, or (in the words of Edcel Lagman)
@upn
it seems tho that his position is unchanged from november about this issue.
his position: 1) the main idea of the RHbill, he supports, information to give people informed choices
2) he questions certain specific provisions, such as public HS education on sex
here he is, with the SAME position way back in november:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mczdDQ-AYTs
at a rally in cebu.
parenthetically, lets compare that to Gibo’s position, featured on blogwatch…
http://www.thepoc.net/commentaries/3767-why-gibo-teodoro-changed-his-mind-on-rh-bill.html
on the bill, gibo says: “Mr. Teodoro then said that this debate is about government substituting itself as the people’s moral guardians. He said it was a mistake because family planning is a personal issue. He then recounted that the Reproductive Health bill will not pass. He reasoned, what good can the RH Bill do if we fight for something knowing the effort would simply fail?”
translation: family planning is personal. also, the bill will fail so why support it.
this is a weirder position than noynoy’s more nuanced position: “i believe govt has a role to play. BUT i have questions on specific provisions, teka muna”
gabbyD: You don’t need me for you to figure out if NoyNoy has flip-flopped. You don’t need me to figure out if NoyNoy even supports the Reproductive Health Bill.
Just think things through in detailed fashion. For example, has NoyNoy mentioned that the State should “educate public high school students and under-40 illiterates about condoms, IUD’s and the roles they can play in avoiding unplanned pregnancies”? He does say “responsibilities of parents”. Does this then include those Pinoys-and-Pinay teenagers who go beyond holding hands and kissing to experience the pleasure of sex and add to the problem of unplanned pregnancies?
But go do. Use a method that matches your way of thinking things through. You can always ask an expert you trust. If that is Abe, then ask Abe. If sparks fit the bill, then ask sparks. No, you do not ask me, you don’t even know if I graduated from high school.
Another approach is to match NoyNoy utterances to paragraphs of the Reproductive Health Bill until you are satisfied about taking a position on NoyNoy reproductive health.
@upn
you are right. i dont NEED you to understand whether he changed his position. but we are having a discussion about it. and maybe, if we are calm and rational, we can come to an accord. i think its possible because there exists tape evidence of what the guy said. in the face of such evidence, 2 reasonable people should be able to agree.
now, onto the specifics.
1) you said: “For example, has NoyNoy mentioned that the State should “educate public high school students and under-40 illiterates about condoms, IUD’s and the roles they can play in avoiding unplanned pregnancies”?”
–> i dont think he’s mentioned grade 5-ish(less than HS) education, which leads me to believe this is one of the provisions he wants to question.
his focus is parents getting getting information and RH material.
this has been his focus his november, probably before then.
2) ” He does say “responsibilities of parents”. Does this then include those Pinoys-and-Pinay teenagers who go beyond holding hands and kissing to experience the pleasure of sex and add to the problem of unplanned pregnancies?”"
i dont know exactly. i think his position on HS educ needs to be clarified.
but this isnt FLIPFLOPPING. he is not being SPECIFIC ENOUGH. i blame the interviewers for not asking decent follow up questions, understanding that its these provisions (HS education among them), that are the KEY divisions between people opposed to, or support this particular RH bill.
Should you do further tracking down of NoyNoy’s statements about Reproductive Health, do find out where he has said that he was co-author of the bill.
This is a cut-and-paste from a September2009 blogpost by someone who recalls NoyNoy’s speech:
Senator Noynoy’s response was something along these lines: “I think it is wrong to say that I am ‘turning my back’ on the RH bill. In the first place, I am a co-author of said bill. The thing is, I understand that different sectors have their own obligations. As a senator, it is my obligation to recognize the people’s needs. The church has their own obligation of teaching the public as well. There are certain issues that only the RH bill can solve but this does not mean that I am turning my back on the church as well to fulfill this process. First of all, people have to understand what the RH bill stands for.”
http://nanaykrung.blogspot.com/2009/09/senators-noynoy-aquino-and-mar-roxas.html
Gabby: the CBCP does not want public schools to teach sexuality, sperm-cells-egg-cells. Definitely, the CBCP does not want public schools to teach about the available methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The schools can talk to high school students about responsible parenting and the costs to feed, clothe, educate a child — that, says CBCP, should be the extent.
[CBCP wants teaching of IUD's, withdrawal, NFP, sperm-cells/egg-cells to be exclusive between parents and teen-agers].
The Catholic Church position in USA, UK, Malta, Pilipinas, everywhere is that public schools should not teach teen-agers and older these teach iud’s, condoms and their utility concerning unwanted pregnancies. All coitus, according to CBCP, should allow the possibility of conception/pregnancy. To teach teen-agers and adults the means to have coitus without the possibility of pregnancy — don’t do that, the CBCP says. And definitely, the CBCP says NO TO CONDOMS, NO TO IUD’s, no to distributing/making available these devices that allow coitus with very reduced possibility of pregnancy. The EXTENT that the state should go? Teach responsible parenthood and the cost of educating feeding clothing a child; access to IUD’s, no.
Next time NoyNoy or Perlas speaks about Reproductive Health, ask if they support ACCESS. Reproductive Health Bill mentions ACCESS, the keyword is ACCESS. Ask if their policy about unplanned pregnancies includes the government making IUD’s and condoms more accessible to teen-agers and to very poor parents who do not want unplanned pregnancies.
I believe that Perlas supports government providing ACCESS to iud’s, condoms. I believe that NoyNoy who says “The EXTENT that the state should go — teach responsible parenthood and the cost of educating feeding clothing a child” does not want the government providing increased ACCESS to condoms, IUD’s to parents who do not want unplanned pregnancies.
ok lang yan
This blog community is tough. No one flip-flops, not a soul changes his or her mind (except Phil from Gordon to Gibo, and maybe JoeAm from Gibo to Gordon). Oh, yeah, Abe. From Mar to NoyNoy.
UP n, I have no quarrel with Noynoy’s stand on responsible parenthood as he explained it during the Q & A. And even if my views on this issue differ from Noynoy’s, I will still support his presidential bid because the other essentials of the total Noynoy package far outweigh that part.
I’m still for Mar and Noynoy.They are one big package for the country’s transformation.
Abe: I will be surprised if anything causes you to question your support for Mar Roxas and NoyNoy.
Gordon’s da man . . .
My rigorously analytical model scores all the dudes, and Gordon rises by virtue of virtue and achievement. Not perfect, of course. No JC in this bunch. But a solid man who would be enhanced by the authorities granted when he is president, as opposed to those whose viler (play on words) nature would be enhanced. I fear Noynoy has too many strings protruding from various appendages, and they are subject to being yanked this way and that, providing quite a twitchy presidency.
Nice post though. I enjoyed the read.
Joe
Gordon’s an underdog, Joe Am!
UP n,
So I’m supposed to go for the most popular person? That makes no sense. My wife’s vote means something if it is cast for Gordon. It is prostituted if given to some popular looker . . .
Joe
You’ve been in Pilipinas too long, JoeAm. I didn’t say it yet you thought out of my lips (keyboard) came the message “the bandwagon survey leader is NoyNoy. Join the bandwagon”.
What do you think? Are there five others who think NoyNoy is popular so NoyNoy is best?
I knew your conclusion all along Joe Am, but too late the hero.
The guy’s rating in the surveys is simply not improving. Not really ‘unacceptable’ but not connecting with the ‘utak-K’voters. Although Gordon has a K (Kate), I guess you gotta have the more popular K’s, Kris and Korina.
Not that I trust the surveys. But lemme tell you this, these so-called scientific barometers, become much too important towards the closing stretch when the leaders of the ‘command votes’ decide to cast their lot with, anoint, the survey topnotcher. These groups include the Iglesia ni Kristo, El Shaddai, some provinces, etc. More like, a chicken-or-the-egg situation, no?
Well, several Visayan governors have decided to support my alternative candidate. For the meantime, I’m scratching Flash Gordon in favor of, who else, Ironman Gibo.
I’d rather yodel rightly than yellow wrongly.
See above. I’ll stick with the principle of backing the best man. Ironman Gibo. Hah. I call him “Rubber Boat Man”.
Joe
Joe,
Good luck to you if you can persuade your wife to vote for the losing candidate, but, having a strong-willed wife is sometimes unwieldy so I will not be surprise if she would go for a winner. Good luck to you just the same.
Bert,
She is certainly strong-willed when it comes to shopping and getting me to take out the trash. She buys my logic on things like politics about 3% of the time. She’ll make up her own mind on who to vote for . . . I will merely attempt to influence . . . maybe I’ll mention a possible trip to Robinsons as I bring up the subject . . .
Joe
Joe,
“Rubber Boat Man”? haha
And you know what I’ll tell your wife if I see you two at Robinson. “Just listen to your . . .”
Joe
“. . . Gordon rises by virtue of virtue and achievement.” Virtue and achievement? Please support that.
If those “strings protruding from various appendages” are basically the values bequeathed to him by his parents, they may be enough to assuage your fear.
Abe,
Virtue and achievement. As an unfairly broad generalization, I think it is rare for Filipinos to serve others first, and themselves second. I respect Mr. Gordon’s leadership of the Red Cross, even though it has gotten him into a wringer on Mindanao. He has done progressive work in Olongapo and Subic. He is roundly respected, not linked to any scandals, forthright, and forthcoming. He wears his heart on his sleeve a little too much for me, but at least his heart is there. I have no idea where Villar’s might be.
Mr. Aquino’s strings: parents’ legacies, church, sister, funders, handlers . . . is he the leader or the follower? The architect or the subject of others’ dreams and architecture?
Joe
Joe,
Dick and I were seatmates for months while reviewing for the BAR at UP. I did find him very amiable and self-assured (perhaps for having been the youngest delegate to the con-con that drafted the Marcos constitution) but not quite intellectually engaging. Despite his “achievements,” I personally don’t think he fits the bill for a leader (I find him to be an incrementalist just like the rest of the pack) a nation in “triage situation” (to borrow Lila’s description) needs today.
On the other hand, I believe Noynoy (who has succeeded in persuading another strong leader like Mar Roxas to follow him yet believes in paying close attention to the capacities and insights of other people through leadership by following) will.
I also find your “string” analogy to be rather non sequitur or just another “unfairly broad generalization.”
abe,
I appreciate your perspectives, and I think, actually, either would be an upgrade . . .
By the way, I know what the correct answer is: “Just listen to your . . . ”
“. . . husband.”
You thought I would say “gut”?????
Joe
Still focusing on form Mr Margallo? That’s fair enough, considering we are all Pinoys here — the people who famously turned the garish colour extravaganza that is the jeepney into its national symbol of “ingenuity” while ignoring the engineering rot under its hood.
Gift of gab? That’s almost like saying bu11shi77ing is one of his most notable talents. Giving kudos to some bozo for chatting up an audience made up of people who have it in their best interests to brown-nose with the most likely next president of the land is oxymoronic at best. Despite this usual form of pompous verbosity, the only point you make is that Noynoy’s “substance” is underpinned by no more than that same old ha-ha good-vs-evil pitch — that all the rest “benefit from the status quo” (as if the Aquino’s don’t) and stole their way to power (not according to the courts of the land, though).
So what exactly do you mean by “choosing of a leader who is a part of the solution”, Mr. Margallo? Before you can answer that question, you will first have to (1) define what exactly this “solution” your manok proposes and (2) identify what its component parts are, and (3) how exactly your manok plans to take his place among said component parts. Those three points would then describe what exactly is meant by a person becoming “part of the solution”. Up to the challenge?
Apparently though, in the rest of what is no more than a pathetic paraphrase of Noynoy’s lame speech, you gloss over this whole question of being “part of the solution” by re-iterating points that, on second look, are no different from what other presidential candidates in one form or another proposed across a range of public statements made over the last several years.
So much for Noynoy’s “advocacies, philosophies, and perspectives”. That you’d latch on to ONE speech from which you make a sad attempt to squeeze substance out of describes the very pathos that characterises not only Noynoy’s campaign but also the basis of his cult following.
Benigs,
Remember that Noynoy in his first major political speech is rather telling us “the advocacies that I champion, the perspective and philosophies I bring to the equation and some of my proposed solutions to give an insight into my inner persona.”
Cocoy at this point has probably a better take on your concerns:
I also believe that the process in designing the plan is as important as the end product and consulting “people out in the people” to design policies is in itself transformative already.
Benigs, let’s suppose you are one of the presidentiables, how would your first “policy speech” look like? Up to the challenge?
buti naman lumitaw agad ang comment ni benign0
This is my other take on NoyNoy. It starts with the premise that even NoyNoy the day before Cory died (and all through the years that Cory was alive), even NoyNoy knew that he does not have the vision, leadership and managerial skills that it takes to be President of Pilipinas. He knew he is not up to snuff, and all the “powered”-people (the intelligentsia, the mayors and congressman and senators, the cabinet members, the movers-and-shakers) all the many days of the many years, the conclusion was that the responsibilities of President needed someone way better than NoyNoy.
Now read again the speeches from NoyNoy. Please someone tell me what they see.
I will give Noynoy that momentary flash of “eureka” to see the opportunity to get promoted from Senator into super-Senator. But dang…. if he was not working hard last year and the year before to show he can be promoted, why assume he will work hard this year and next year as President? It is a lack of confidence he is trying to hide with the words “… but the people are drafting me to be the next President”.
And then, so quickly NoyNoy has flipflopped. This is my other take on NoyNoy. My sentence starts with the premise that even NoyNoy the day before Cory died (and all through the years that Cory was alive), even NoyNoy knew that he does not have the vision, leadership and managerial skills that it takes to be President of Pilipinas. He knew he is not up to snuff, and all the “powered”-people (the intelligentsia, the mayors and congressman and senators, the cabinet members, the movers-and-shakers) all the many days of the many years, the conclusion was that Malacanang responsibilities needed someone way better than NoyNoy.
Now read again the speeches from NoyNoy. Please someone tell me what they see.
I will give Noynoy that momentary flash of “eureka” to see the opportunity to get promoted from Senator into super-Senator. But dang…. if he was not working hard last year and the year before to show he can be promoted, why assume he will work hard this year and next year as President? It is a lack of confidence he is trying to hide with the words “… but the people are asking me to volunteer to be the next President”.
And the reproductive health issue reveals that NoyNoy flipflops. The NoyNoy of August/Sept/October2009 pro-woman candidate with ideas on the problem of unplanned pregnancies and has been strong supporter of the Reproductive Health Bill is support of education concerning reproductive health has flipflopped when he met the opposition. I suppose, though, NoyNoy says that he will not flipflop on the “Lower taxes/no new taxes” campaign promise.
“. . . even NoyNoy knew that he does not have the vision, leadership and managerial skills that it takes to be President of Pilipinas.”
Are you UP n God?
Abe, the difference between Up n and God is that we at least know where God stands.
So, Up n: we all know who you’re against since that much you’ve made amply clear. The more pertinent and constructive question (since after all some of us r still trying to be constructive here) is: who r u FOR? At least Phil Manila has the integrity to explain his position and why he might have shifted. Reminds me of Mitt Romney who kept trashing all the other candidates rather than substantively discussing what he believed in. As we all saw, that method only took him so far.
Abe: You mean God of the Oceans? Do you mean God of the Internet? Do you mean God of paper clips? Well, know this of me, I am not God of any of those, and I think you are asking a silly question. I don’t even dare say I have Lila’s gift to know where God stands.
I notice u avoid my question altogether…
Lila: make a working assumption, don’t be afraid to be wrong. I’ll make it easier — not Perlas though I like Perlas courage re his abortion stance. Don’t be afraid to be wrong, pick Erap or Gibo or Villar or Gordon. Not Erap — convicted felons even after pardon should NOT be allowed to hold mayor- and above public office.
Don’t be afraid to make the lack of knowledge prevent you from moving forward. Make an assumption, go for it.
Up n, what makes u think I have either the time or the interest to probe what could possibly be going on in your head? This is not a literary fray; it’s a political discussion. I maintain it is disingenuous (I repeat: disingenuous) to attack the position of others without laying your own cards on the table. Not so u can then be attacked yourself but simply so that others can understand where u r coming from. U obviously have some decent ideas of your own and it would be good to see how u synthesize all the information at your behest.
Up n, what makes u think I have either the time or the interest to probe what could possibly be going on in your head? This is not a literary fray; it’s just a political discussion. I maintain it is disingenuous (I repeat: disingenuous) to attack the position of others without laying your own cards on the table. Not so u can then be attacked yourself but simply so that others can understand where u r coming from. U obviously have some decent ideas of your own and it would be good to see how u synthesize all the information at your behest.
This is my other take on NoyNoy. He had thought that he did not have the vision,leadership and managerial skills it takes to be President. The premise — NoyNoy the day before Cory died (and all through the years that Cory was alive), even NoyNoy knew that NoyNoy does not have the vision, leadership and managerial skills that it takes to be President of Pilipinas. He knew it just as all the “powered”-people (the intelligentsia, the mayors and congressman and senators, the cabinet members, the movers-and-shakers) in the years while Cory was alive held the conclusion that that the responsibilities of President needed someone way better than NoyNoy.
I will give Noynoy the flash of “eureka” to see the opportunity to get promoted from Senator into super-Senator. But NoyNoy himself says and his track-record is evidence that NoyNoy was not preparing himself and putting effort to show he can be promoted, why assume he will work hard this year and next year as President? It is a lack of confidence he is trying to hide with the words “… but the people are drafting me to be the next President”.
And then, before our eyes NoyNoy has flipflopped. The NoyNoy of August/Sept/October2009 pro-woman candidate with ideas on the problem of unplanned pregnancies, the NoyNoy who supported science education in public high schools about sperm-and-egg-cells and reproductive health, that NoyNoy has flipflopped when he met the opposition. I suppose, though, NoyNoy says that he will not flipflop on the “lower taxes/no new taxes” campaign promise.
UP n,
Exactly what I mean by appendages jerked by strings. I won’t let on exactly WHICH appendage the church has jerked to cause such a floppy result.
Joe
Again, on RH, Noynoy did not flip-flop.
sparks: you must have listened to “video #4″ in a cocoy-post, and you surely have seen/read NoyNoy speaking on repro-health. What do you believe that a President NoyNoy would do about the problem of unplanned pregnancies among teenagers?
Up n grad,
Hell, the way I see it. If a family who wants to have 10 or more children, go right ahead.
But, for a family of 4 who can graciously provide the necessary means to support its life style. That’s even more grandeur. It’s all about family planning. The way I see it, don’t blame it on “RH Bill”
We can make our decision to propagate.
Mario: The issue is not about parents who want eight, the issue is with parents with eight who had wanted only three. The issue is with a teen-age girl who gets pregnant because she does not know about the new-fangled IUD or the pill, not even about sperm-cells-and-egg-cells. Unplanned pregnancies — From boys and girls who just want to have fun and do not have the knowledge about sperm-cells-and-egg-cells. From tens of hundreds of parents do NOT want to have kids every 11 months. Many of them want what many of Pinas senators and congressmen regularly use — condoms. Many of the wives have not even heard of what GMA had used — the IUD, the pill.
Mario : go read the Reproductive Health Bill.
Up n grad,
Just breaking what you’ve said. Enlightening you, with a perspective on Pinoy[ay]-in-Pinas lives.
Mario: Your statement makes sense. Passing laws is the responsibility of congressmen and senators. The Reproductive Health Bill is not getting passed — blame the senators and congressmen. Definitely, blame GMA who despite her executive powers has not pushed for DepEd to include the science of egg-cells-sperm-cells-IUD’s/condoms in high school curricula. [Or -- you applaud if you are against the current Bill.]
Many Pinoys who want solutions to Pilipinas probme of unplanned pregnancy are at the same time against the Reproductive Health Bill. Villar — news clips have mentioned him as not supporting the current Reproductive Health Bill. Thus, it is logical when he does not vote for the bill. But a senator who says he supports the current Reproductive Health Bill but won’t vote for it, then that, to me, is double-speak. If you support the current Reproductive Health bill, then you vote for it. If you don’t vote for it because you want two or twenty paragraphs removed or re-worded — that just means you do not support the current Reproductive Health Bill.
Up n grad,
Let us not constrain ourselves in regards to RH Bill. Let our Congressmen work hard as like a legislators, to pass a Bill such as this, for our Senate to approve/pass. Otherwise, let us be concern to which of these Presidentiable Candidates to take seat at Malacañang.
Here is a another good Blogosphere site. If you want to here about Double Standard on RH Bill 5043. You can read it [HERE] if you like or have the time.
Food for Thoughts:
Who are we concern about…[...]
• Our Presidentiable Candidacy?
• The RH Bill ( who authored it, and why it did not pass in the first place)
• Can we, take part and share our knowledge, to be committed to those that are less fortunate
Joe and UP n, I’m not sure if the RH bill is about womanhood since it basically addresses the condition of the poor, poor family and poor women. I see it more as being about economics rather than individual liberty.
One of the declared principles of the proposed law confirms this: “The limited resources of the country cannot be suffered to, be spread so thinly to service a burgeoning multitude that makes the allocations grossly inadequate and effectively meaningless.”
The key therefore is still generating economic surplus that can sustain a large population.
A large population is power rather than liability if we are in fact talking about able-bodied manpower and knowledge or intellectual assets.
Manong Abe,
Please have a look Unpacking Choice and Reproductive Rights
Abe: Do read the reproductive health bill.
Abe: unplanned pregnancies, Abe, and about parents who want only three, oh why do many end up with eight?
Sparks (and UP n),
Sparks, thanks for the link to your piece. Great read! But please check too my piece here where I’ve also written that:
I also think that RH bill could have the opposite and invasive effect to the idea of being “let alone,” the (juristic?) basis of a woman’s right to her body.
That NoyNoy — He’s not The One. My gut has always told me that gut works, but many times no, so I went with my gut about thinking things through. I did.
So who would be the better manager? Not NoyNoy. Gibo, Gordon better. I will grant that NoyNoy can elicit the sympathy. He has already done so. But about leading and inspiring? Sympathy? Yes. Lead? Lead to where?
The closer to the masa? Not NoyNoy. I’d think the masa closer to Gordon than NoyNoy ‘cuz Gordon has helped more, but who knows? Now this one I am sure of. Erap! Erap closer to the masa than NoyNoy.
Better re understands parents’ issues and women issues? Not NoyNoy. Jamby would be better. NoyNoy? You’d think NoyNoy would want to share knowledge of the utility of condoms against unplanned pregnancies and STD’s with Pinoy teenagers and even 25-to-35 year old illiterates. I thought he and NoyNoyistas were proudly saying NoyNoy will stand up to CBCP on repro-health. I thought he was saying he was supporting repro health education in high schools, and now, he was misquoted daw.
The one who better understands national defense and civil service personnel issues? Not NoyNoy. Gordon, better. Gibo, better. I’ll even say Villar understands better. [But noyNoy better than Jamby. Hey, NoyNoy belongs to a gun club, doesn't he? Plus NoyNoy knows perimeter-protection Hacienda Luisita.]
The one who understands agriculture and farmers? I had hoped NoyNoy, but I admit I am confused what NoyNoy sentiments are towards farmers or about pushing for Hacienda-Luisita size farms for China interests.
Now I did think of Cory, but pakikiramay is tapos na. More front and center — flipflop NoyNoy tops the surveys. How does one beat that? Still, I will make pakikiramay an underdog who can be better president. NoyNoy the better candidate? NoyNoy He’s not The One.
This I think is for Villar:
“That will to change, Noynoy contends, will be absent in a leader whose own financial and political ethics are questionable..”
This one for Gibo and for Villar too:
That will to change, Noynoy contends, will be absent in a leader whose own financial and political ethics are questionable” and who is in fact “benefiting from the status quo.””
This for PGMA and Villar too:
“Such a leader “who has used public office for private gain, will always be the most committed enemy of change.”
This one for PGMA, and for Villar too:
“In short, Noynoy argues: “To lead transformation, you cannot be part of the problem.” Neither can you be the agent of change “if you have lied, cheated, and stolen to gain power.”
But I could be all wrong. Sorry.
With all the trappings of the power and authority of the national leadership, it is a very slippery road to tread even for the most honest and competent public servant.
When (if?) Noynoy sits in power, he should not forget his own words when the times of temptation come. Those words that he directed to the weaknesses of the present administration and to the other candidates, if he also directs it to himself, will become his own protection against his own weaknesses. (Who among us has no dark side to contend against?)
Bert:
• I like the way you’ve broken down each phrases and its analogy. To truly, optimize its context to each specific individual. Genius!
Non malignant:
• Also, of the words that has been spoken, can have a drastic repercussion. So true!
I am tired of those people selling NoyNoy Aquino. They live in the
World of their Own Delusions. Detached from RELITY.
Did Noynoy Aquino do something for the nation as a sisgnificant
change as a Senator?
During his term: the squatters are still there, subsisting around the
garbage dumps. Graft and corruption were still prevalent. The Mindanao
problem is still a serious problem. We are importing more rice and sugar. Why can his Hacienda Luisita not produce enough sugar?
To expect some remarkable changes when he is elected. Is tantamount
to being ABSURD. If not INSANE and RIDICULOUS. Wake up , people!
Mariano: a UP instructor says if NoyNoy gets elected, then GMA leaves Malacanang June 2010; a vote for NoyNoy means GMA leaves Malacanang.
But at Ellen Tordesillas site, the bloggers (I think Benign0 calls them jologs), the really rabid anti-GMA’s at Ellen Tordesillas site a few don’t like NoyNoy. They know GMA leaves Malacanang should NoyNoy be the popular choice but they don’t want NoyNoy.
I can imagine another instructor saying vote for Gordon if Gordon gets elected then GMA leaves Malacanang June 2010 so vote for Gordon.
Different folks, different strokes, haneh?
I dont vote for people, just to make Gloria Arroyo leave
Malacanang. I vote for people who can do something for me and
for my country.
It is absurd to vote for people just for the sake of
getting rid of a Pest in Malacanang.
RELITY should be REALITY.
Mariano, Mike H and others, I understand the view that Noynoy is not perfect and does not have a brilliant legislative career behind him. Nicki Perlas, Gordon and Bro Eddie r certainly very qualified in their own respective ways, but to me it’s about not wanting to split the vote to favor GMA and her people. In an ideal world, I might have preferred Nicki’s credentials, for example. But we r practically in a triage situation at this point.
Whether we admit it or not, the fact remains that Ralph Nader kept Al Gore from taking the White House and helped Bush take it all. Hillary made that clear to every Democrat during the campaign of ’08. Remember the warfare phrase “divide and conquer”? Sometimes, as with Erap vs. everyone in the contest of 2000, a candidate doen’t have to do the dividing when the opposition is already divided. So it was actually in Erap’s favor that there were all these people from the administration (JdV, Morato, de Villa, etc.) against him on the other side.
Fast forward to today’s situation. It’s not the same, for course, but the math would still produce similar results. Voting for Perlas et al, etc, would be a vote against Noynoy (whose policies may be more pro-Perlas than any of the other candidates). Why should we help the administration enemy (divided into Villar and Teodoro) by dividing our own house into Aquino-Erap-Perlas-Villanueva-Gordon? Unless we now consider all of these candidates to be our enemies? There is no reason why they can’t all work together in the next administration, the way Barack did with Hillary to his considerable advantage. At this point, it’s about voting for the lesser evil.
Of course if we vote Noynoy, we’d still have problems. We’d still be writing blogs about Noynoy’s policies regarding x, y and z. But there’s the main point, in my view: our advocacies should never be for candidates or persons anyway. Our advocacies should always remain with CAUSES, at least for those of us who r genuinely concerned about the country. Ergo, we vote for the person in the contest who is NEAREST TO the causes we are advocating.
Sure, Noynoy could end up disappointing us with lame policies on, say, the environment. But that’s only if we expect him to be a Perlas when we vote for him. We should be aware that, when we vote for Noynoy, it’s because we know he is more in proximity to the advocacies of Perlas than, say, Villar. After that, then we go back to being Noynoy critics. Paul Krugman, for instance, subtly campaigned for Obama not because he expected Obama to do everything that he wished for future US economic policy, but because he knew that Obama would grasp some of it. He knew voting for McCain would get him none.
So let’s not let our longing for the perfect makes us an enemy of the good. There’s just too much at stake right now, not least of which is the fact that GMA could very well still be our next prime minister.
Thanks for this provocative post, Abe.
I actually can’t find a better way to reply to Mike H and Mariano. Thanks for your help Lila.
“Paul Krugman, for instance, subtly campaigned for Obama not because he expected Obama to do everything that he wished for future US economic policy, but because he knew that Obama would grasp some of it. He knew voting for McCain would get him none.”
I do not know if the intent of the above statements is to equate the proposed and recommended choice of NoyNoy with that of Obama in the last US elections, given the collective disappointments that the above-mentioned Krugman has been having with the choice he made.
Here is a sample:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/01/barack_obama_has_almost_lost_p.html
Manong Abe,
Also, as Bert would imply with the verdict…!
Hardly, Amadeo. I would expect nothing less than a critical stance from an academic like Krugman. Notice the sentence before the Krugman reference was: “After that, then we go back to being Noynoy critics.” My point had to do with being practical about winning an election against GMA’s people.
@Lila
My sort of naive mentality has been damaged by your suggestions that politics is ugly, especially Philippine politics. It sounds to me like our system is trapping us into a compromising situation. Please allow me to be the child in the Emperor’s new clothes:
There are questions begging to be asked, How can you possible compromise when you know there is someone better? Why not just try your best to campaign for Nicki or Gordon then? Why did Noynoy supporters have to beg Noynoy to run when there were other candidates who were more competent and more qualified? It just sounds to me like the Liberal party is behind all this.
Since we already know that Noynoy will disappoint us, why then do you work so hard to campaign for him?
Why are these people ( Villar and Gibo) guilty already of committing evil acts only by mere association? That’s the problem with our society. We are quick to hurl accusations without having the courage to file charges or bringing them to court and seek justice. If people think that Gloria is so evil, what is stopping the congress in filing charges against her? What makes us so sure that this kind of impunity will not prevail when Noynoy is the president?
Ilda, I applaud your idealism (I was like u once myself) but maintain that we have to be realistic. The fact is that Nicki doesn’t stand a chance. In the end, it’s the general populace that decides on who they favor, not the small minority that we represent here. It also has a lot to do with the parties themselves: if the LP doesn’t have a considerable machinery to begin with (compared to, say, Lakas), Nicki’s party has even less. In an archipelago like ours, these things matter, sorry. Why did Mangudadatu not leave Lakas and join the LP after what the Ampatuans did to his family? Because the reality is that the LP machinery is pretty weak in Mindanao.
Still, Noynoy has the strongest chance among the opposition, and I know for a fact (my Mom was in the Senate too) that he didn’t take any kickbacks when he was in the Senate. That to me speaks volumes about his character.
As for Gibo and Villar, there is ample evidence of this. Please see Ding’s piece on Gibo and Lito Banayo’s piece on Villar as a start.
i’m with ilda. i’m incredibly confused by this logic.
if you support noynoy, despite there being someone else u prefer, and campaign for him, your argument is:
“Voting for Perlas et al, etc, would be a vote against Noynoy (whose policies may be more pro-Perlas than any of the other candidates). Why should we help the administration enemy (divided into Villar and Teodoro) by dividing our own house ”
this means that, by campaigning for the imperfect opposition candidate, you influence likelihood of an opposition victory, despite the odds against the opposition winning.
correct? you believe you can help influence an election.
but, for some reason, you can influence an election, BUT NOT by enough to campaign for the candidate YOU REALLY want (say perlas).
Why did u come to this conclusion?
if you can convince people to vote for noynoy because he’s opposition and has some good ideas, WHY cant you convince people to vote for your preferred candidate AND is opposition as well?
the only reason i can think of is your banking on voters to vote based on survey popularity — i.e. policies dont matter to their choices.
is this true? is this your position?
@Lila
Thank you for your response but it was not satisfactory.
Sorry, but the only reason Perlas or Gordon doesn’t stand a chance is because avid Cory Aquino supporters have been campaigning for Noynoy since Cory’s death, playing on people’s emotions. Remove Noynoy from the picture and you have Perlas and Gordon, the candidates that you really prefer. Noynoy was not in the picture before Cory’s death; the Liberal party just saw the opportunity and seized it. It didn’t matter to them if he’s not that competent as long as he’s winnable because of his name. If voters see people with outstanding education like yourself rooting for Noynoy, then they will think they are doing the right thing not knowing that you are just compromising.
Why vote for a reluctant candidate knowing that he will eventually disappoint you? Why compromise when you can vote for the real McCoy? Would you choose a husband who is lackluster in romance or someone who is bold and passionate? It’s not too late to campaign for whoever you want, there is still 104 days left to go before the election. I personally wouldn’t vote for someone as a compromise. I don’t like to regret anything.
Again, why not file charges instead of hurling accusations? I don’t think someone’s blog like Ding’s will even stand a chance in court.
Okay, so I like Gordon. Do I vote for Gordon and split the vote, causing Villar to win, or vote for Aquino, who I find to be really wimpy, to trump Villar, the evil manipulator?
In the end, I have to go with the principle that I will vote for Gordon, as it represents a personal commitment to put in office the person who is best for the Philippines. If Gordon himself withdraws because he wants to throw his weight to Aquino, then we have a different scenario. But I will vote for the person I think is best.
If Villar becomes president, that is because ethics violations as serious as those of the C-5 project are acceptable to Filipinos. They aren’t acceptable to me. So don’t accuse me of being a culprit if a thief becomes president. Look inward and ask how it is that Villar has not been drummed out of the picture, and why “wrong” is so easy to accept hereabouts.
Joe
@Benigno, I’m flattered by the plug. :D But I’m no pundit, u know: just a blogger like everyone else. As for “real, world-class, and ground-breaking thinking,” I gather you consider yourself to be a fine example? ;-) I’d be most interested to hear who u respect (Satur, Liza, Joma — unless they’re coopted too?) in the Philippine fray. Unless you’re just heckling for the sake of it (deconstruction is pretty easy, surely) and don’t intend to contribute anything constructive?
Happily I have no intention of getting personal about your own background (the way u did with me) since that happens to be neither here nor there… At any rate, I look forward to seeing some evidence of your ground-breaking ideas, altho I can’t say I’m holding my breath… ;-)
@Benigno, interesting that all the anti-pinoy posts r about Noynoy — u guys must be pretty threatened! Nothing to say about Gibo or Erap or anyone else? Really…? Hardly my idea of balanced writing with integrity. Insiders have confirmed that u aren’t for Perlas at all but for Villar, just as I had suspected… Well, I guess you’re just following instructions (your Aussie address notwithstanding), so I can understand… But why r u so afraid to let people openly comment on get real? Why should we have to register — r u screening your readers?
If u were a slightly more careful reader, u might have noted that I said that I was ultimately unimpressed by Gordon (inside info from the FVR years) and felt that Perlas was not ready. So I AM voting for who I think is best. R u? Or have u just been paid to come to these conclusions?
I have a great deal of sympathy and respect for where many Leftists r coming from. I continue to maintain very strong friendships with people who were and r in the movement — I wouldn’t be surprised if I had as many, if not more, than u. But most of them r discursive, analytical and quite scholarly in their ability to listen to other opinions, unlike u…
But while I appreciate the emphasis on income distribution in much Marxist, neo-Marxist and post-Marxist thinking (unwise to underestimate how much I’ve read), I have still concluded that the Left does not understand macroeconomic growth, sorry. And my persuasions don’t have to do with the Washington Consensus and the Chicago School at all: if anything, I prefer thinkers like Amartya Sen and Paul Krugman. U cannot discount the importance of economic growth, even as u attempt to structurally address the issue of distribution.
Having lived in Romania, Hungary and the former East Germany, I have also concluded that it is all too easy for totalitarianism to develop in such states. So I no longer think it’s a viable option (although I once did).
U may think I’m elitist but in my view you’re deluded. Particularly since insiders have heard that Satur and Liza joined Villar for a fee. And students at Oxford r quite familiar with Joma’s partying. The official story is that Noynoy rejected them but why then did they not go for Bro Eddie? A friend who is high up in Bro Eddie’s group tells me that Bro Eddie apparently didn’t have enough money to appease them. Is that how your world turns? Why make an alliance with big money himself? Sorry, but I have too many good friends in the movement who were outraged by that dubious alliance. What exactly does a party with Villar, Loren, Satur, Liza, and Bongbong stand for? What exactly is their platform?
Get real.
GabbyD,
I’m not sure I understand where your assumptions r coming from. The fact is that I do not necessarily believe that I can influence anyone except for a handful of people (my students and those closest to me). If it were up to the educated minority, our politicians would be a hell of a lot more qualified and we wouldn’t be in the unenviable position of having people like movie actors as our political leaders. But, to a great extent, that’s how it is right now, so there r definitely people who were extremely popular with the general populace that I just don’t think have the proper qualifications, for example. But perhaps u overestimate my power to influence people. That I write down my own thoughts and how I came to my own conclusions (which is after all my prerogative) doesn’t necessarily mean that I think others will listen (no matter what I say, Ilda won’t like Noynoy, as u can see). I’m not writing propaganda anyway — just my personal thoughts. If u notice, my last impunity blog doesn’t even mention Noynoy even once.
In very mature democracies (like the Scandinavian countries; countries like Austria, say), popularity is not an important criterion for political success. Citizens often choose technocrats or bureaucrats who r hold party positions they agree with. Charm and charisma r less critical. Not so in less mature countries like the US or the Philippines, where the “dating” of the candidate is all important, so u do need to recognize that.
Again, as I said, I choose Noynoy because he is the candidate who stands a chance (in my view) who is closest to the CAUSES that matter to me. This may have a lot to do with the fact that I’ve already seen a much more fleshed-out version of the policy platform than what was shared with the general public, and happen to like it.
oh sorry, you know what, upon reflection, you are correct, my confusion is now cleared up.
what u wrote makes TOTAL sense:”Voting for Perlas et al, etc, would be a vote against Noynoy. Why should we help the administration enemy (divided into Villar and Teodoro) by dividing our own house into Aquino-Erap-Perlas-Villanueva-Gordon?”
why? in an election with more than 2 candidates, our reasons for voting for a candidate can be complex. even if we are considering ONLY issues, theres alot of cross-issue trade-offs to consider, and its not easy. having said that, if there are more than 2, we can easily divide the field into admin and opposition, based on broad differences (say in philosophy of governance).
given that you (in fact “we”, generally) dont have any wide influence makes your statement true. if i vote for the least popular of the opposition, that would just make it unlikely (very small) that ANY of the opposition can win. its simple logic.
now, if we can easily influence others, the previous logic collapses. it would be easy to say “look! candidate #8 has qualities A, B, C. obviously we should all vote for him”, and everyone would understand, and vote for #8.
But the fact is NO ONE has such influence. moreover, as i said, the reasons we vote are complex and intertwined, even if we consider only ISSUES. qualties A, B, C may be good, but what if we like D,E,F more?!
hence, your statement is absolutely correct. thanks, i figured it out!
@Ilda,
Apparently u haven’t seen some of my posts in other FV threads, which is why u appear to have a few misconceptions about where I’m coming from. Allow me to clarify:
1.) It is not Noynoy’s “winnable name” that has made him my choice. While I admire and respect Ninoy and Cory (although of course they did have their faults), that is all non-sequitur when it comes to the candidacy of Noynoy. That people have mythologized Cory doesn’t mean that I do; it also doesn’t mean that I buy into the notion that coming from a “good family” imbues u with the kind of background u need for public office. Not at all, so perhaps u shouldn’t make those assumptions. Kids of such parents, as I have seen, can either be brilliant, moronic or merely mediocre, to name just three of many possible options. So Noynoy’s lineage is no guarantee of anything.
2.) Again, as I’ve said above, I like Noynoy because I know he didn’t take any kickbacks in the Senate (and I know on good authority that Villar did). I happen to believe my sources. As far as Gibo is concerned, far too much happened on his watch (private armies, illegal arms caches, etc) and far too little in terms of substantive achievements (apart for that highly vaunted Harvard degree); moreover, he has never once questioned GMA on anything. Erap I feel is much too corrupt. So, as far as moral fiber is concerned, those three just don’t cut it, at least for me. U, of course, r free to vote for them as u see fit.
I am simply speaking for myself.
3.) Bro Eddie: well, I happen to firmly believe in the separation of Church and State (and secularism in political practice), and would be uncomfortable with hegemonizing one form of Christianity in a country where there r also other Christian forms, Muslims and animists. As far as Gordon is concerned, I am not entirely convinced of both his moral fiber and his professional achievements (there were a few mishaps along the way that I happen to know about). So kindly disabuse yourself of the notion that he might be a strong contender for me, because he’s not.
4.) So who is left? Nicki P and Noynoy. As a UN consultant, I’m impressed with Nicki’s credentials, his vision and his honesty. But he also has no experience in political life, and it is even far less than Noynoy’s, who is already routinely castigated for being inexperienced as it is. As someone who is surrounded by academics and UN professionals all the time, I will say firmly that most of them (including me) wouldn’t be very successful politicians. Many intellectuals r too discursive and slow when it comes to decision-making, and many r idealistic to the point of being downright unrealistic. On the other hand, if he were to serve as a senator now and run in 2016, I might very well vote for him then, depending on who else is running at the time. So I am not convinced that he is the real McCoy now either. For one thing, his communication skills aren’t that strong, which is why he doesn’t have a very strong following. And I say that as someone who knows him personally (he’s a family friend) and who holds him in a lot of esteem.
5.) Again, Noynoy is the most honest of the lot who have any chances at all, and that is very important to me. He has chances because the LP at least has a relatively decent machinery, and that happens to make a difference in politics, whether u like it or not. It is naive to think of the elections only in terms of candidates without looking at the parties they represent and hail from.
6.) U misunderstand: I am not saying that I will be disappointed by Noynoy; I am saying that people will be if they r not realistic now about their expectations. Here in the US, people expected Obama to single-handedly fix the US economy and body politic in just one year. They somehow expected the legacy of Bush policies to be magically erased overnight. It wasn’t realistic. Even tho I campaigned for him, I was careful to say that the problems with Wall St, the banks, the health care system, foreign policy, etc, would take a long time to address. In the Philippines, people have already romanticized Cory and Ninoy, and they r getting ready to do the same thing to Noynoy now. I don’t agree with that; I think we need to be realistic about what can be achieved in one administration, and by even the most experienced among the set of honest candidates.
I hope u will read these ideas and think about them before rejecting them simply because I happen to prefer Noynoy, and u don’t. There is no reason why we can’t have a substantive discussion where we r both actively listening and not remaining closed-minded about the other’s position. Kindly base your reaction on the substance of what I’ve said and not on your own personal bias. Because that would be particularly unsatisfactory, don’t u think?
P.S. I’m surprised at your hostility — everyone is free to think what they like, u know. I am only that way with people who have been rude in the past (see above), which can certainly not be said of the posting I left Abe, to which u reacted so vehemently. We can all agree to differ in a civil manner, surely.
Isn’t the above nothing more than a really long way of saying only two things:
(1) “you have your opinion and I have mine” (which is moot and academic as far as blogging is concerned); and,
(2) “I’m voting for Noynoy because he’s got honesty written all over him” (which, again, is open for debate — which is exactly what is going on here in this corner of the Web).
The real question (having dispensed with the above two which covers 95% of the above comment) is: Where’s the part with regard to how he plans to govern?
Benigno, please note that my 6 points were specifically addressed to the some of the issues that Ilda had raised above. I did not go into his platform because I had already said that he espouses causes that happen to be important to me, so it was fairly self-explanatory. As I’ve said, I expect we’ll hear a more comprehensive version of the platform once the campaign ban has lifted.
I too support the NoyNoy-Mar tandem but for a rather unconventional reason. A trusted friend (and former colleague in teaching} is seeking the mayoralty position in the old hometown here in Northern Mindanao and he has aligned himself with the Liberal Party. He is up against two entrenched politicians with deep personal pockets and both currently holding elective city government positions giving them access to government largesse and greater public exposure. Since my friend has no personal financial fortune, one of the few things going for him is his clinging to the coattails of a winning combination. You see we here believe “all politics is local”.
Here in the US, people expected Obama to single-handedly fix the US economy and body politic in just one year. They somehow expected the legacy of Bush policies to be magically erased overnight. It wasn’t realistic. Even tho I campaigned for him, I was careful to say that the problems with Wall St, the banks, the health care system, foreign policy, etc, would take a long time to address.
Miss Lila, are you the multi-domiciled Ellie Light? (HiHiHi)
P.S. I say enough with the colossal egos that characterize Philippine politics and let’s try to unite the opposition so we can beat GMA. Everyone doesn’t have to be a star right now anyway. People like Chiz r not finished at all and have bright futures ahead of them, as do many of these guys in the opposition. So, Mariano, I would say it’s high time the opposition became a little more realistic here, and actually started thinking about the bigger picture.
Election 2010 is not just about “beating” GMA. Its about choosing someone who is CAPABLE of LEADING our country for the next 6 years. Six years is a long time for a bad president and too short for a good one. So lets make a GOOD choice. Not a choice that’s “pwede na yan”.
As Voltaire had stated: “I disagree with what you say. But, I will
defend to death, your RIGHT TO SAY IT.”
These are what I gather from your posts:
[1] It appears that if people were to rally behind an Elmo string puppet, as long as that puppet is “winnable” and as long as it brings us farther away as possible from any semblance to Gloria, then you would vote for that puppet.
[2] It doesn’t seem to matter then whether there exists a candidate whom you honestly think merits your sacred vote, because the objective is to ensure GMA’s defeat.
As for me, if I want honesty to reign in this country, I would rather practice it myself by casting my sacred vote for the candidate I believe is most qualified and deserving of the position–one who most closely reflects my honest personal preference–in fact, regardless of who may win at the end. I believe that because it was honesty in gov’t my intended end, the means through which I pursue it should in principle equal such end, as the end does not justify the means.
“Winnability” should not even be a criteria, but I guess, that’s just me.
Interesting challenge you make here, Mr Margallo:
That’s easy.
My first “policy speech” will be a reflection but a mere subset — and an instance for communication purporses — of a comprehensive and clearly-articulated framework of plans and visions to guide my term.
Your putting the cart before the horse here by latching on to a speech and turning it into the platform which should have been there as the initial basis for this and any other representation Noynoy (and for that matter any candidate) makes to the public.
You probably don’t get it, but the fact that you and other Noynoy trumpetters latch on to this speech shows that this, for the first time, is something that sheds light into what is in Noynoy’s dim mind. It explains why you guys are so quick to slap the label “platform” into what is nothing more than a badly-written speech.
Keep on trying though. You still have more than three months to go to engineer a more convincing semblance of substance in your manok. Of course failure to do so will not likely change the outcome of this election. But then that’s Da Pinoy Electorate for you.
ugh, how is :
“My first “policy speech” will be a reflection but a mere subset — and an instance for communication purporses — of a comprehensive and clearly-articulated framework of plans and visions to guide my term.”
different from abe’s:
“Remember that Noynoy in his first major political speech is rather telling us “the advocacies that I champion, the perspective and philosophies I bring to the equation and some of my proposed solutions to give an insight into my inner persona.””
you two are saying the SAME things using DIFFERENT WORDS. you guys are talking past each other.
sigh.
“My first ‘policy speech’ will be a reflection but a mere subset — and an instance for communication purposes — of a comprehensive and clearly-articulated framework of plans and visions to guide my term.” – benignO
Too scrappy to be meaty yet too gabby (pun intended) to be pithy.
Like “a tale told by an _________, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
This is a very astute observation as usual Mr America. It’s almost like Noynoy simply stepped onto a moving bus and went along for the ride.
That probably explains why Noynoy cowers from the light of free enquiry — because the minute he steps outside of that proverbial bus the smallness of the stature of his intellect and statesmanship becomes so readily apparent.
Noynoy simply goes with wherever the circumstances that surround him take him.
If that is what Pinoys consider to be a “leader” then it’s small wonder why not one good one seems to ever emerge even from what seems to be a big pool of more than 90 million souls. It is the reason why many of the really good ones or ones that show the slightest hint of potential leave for greener pasteurs. It is because Da Pinas is a society that does not reward true vision, true substance, and true leadership and instead coddles the shallow, the superficial, and the feeble-minded of the lot.
Indeed, this is a society that has doomed itself to selecting among lesser evils rather than from the best of breed.
Maybe to you. But that is just your own view. :-)
It is ironic that the left in this country fail to inform the country that Marx himself was enamored by capitalism and saw the need to take power away from the capitalist and place it in the hands of the majority led by the true proletariat. Hid ideas forced states to intervene and take the commanding heights.
He was prognosticating about the structural flaw that was the curse of the capitalist system. That structural flaw led to imperialism and the rise of the religion of monism. Today the dominance of financial capitalism has ravaged the notion of the need for nation states. Yet the more advanced states are moving back to build “walls” around their national economies. What of the states that do not have the resources to build “walls.” Take a good look at Haiti and look at the future most of the Philippines.
The United States itself went through a period where a sense of “classlessness” existed when the top income tax bracket was 90% and speculative finance was placed in a strait jacket. When taxes were reduced drastically and regulation junked the world went through numerous successive financial blowups.
All across the world fiscal deficits and sovereign debts are the next place where crisis will emerge. It is not if but when the event will bring us to another world financial crisis. The next ground zero for this to happen may be the European Community and the Eurozone.
Now our favorite practicing economist calls for the markets to be dominant in a country that can barely regulate traffic.
The man Aquino obviously is an ignoramus and incompetent for the job. He is preaching against history that has already proved him incompetent.
It takes an effective state to promote healthy broad based economic growth leading to societal development.
Abe as the de facto spokesperson of the Ninoy attempt at getting elected could you explain your man’s stand on the following issues?
The Optimum currency theory that we follow religiously, together with the structural adjustment programs and the now fully discredited Washington Consensus. His polished piece before the idiots at the MBC hew closely to the neo-liberal line.
Optimum currency area (OCA) theory
A currency area is a geographical region with a single currency. Optimum currency area theory proposes that a small open economy has the most to gain from joining a larger currency area in order to reduce transactions costs. However, it may also be most vulnerable to external shocks and therefore have the most to lose from giving up the exchange rate as an instrument of economic policy.
Richard Pomfret | Professor of Economics, University of Adelaide
Structural adjustment
Since the 1980’s, structural adjustment has denoted programs of policy reform in developing countries undertaken with financial support from the World Bank. Structural adjustment policies can include fiscal reform, privatization of government-owned enterprises, and reorganization of the financial sector. These measures are intended to replace government allocation of resources with market allocation. Through liberalization, deregulation, and privatization, structural adjustment aims to minimize state intervention in the economy and liberalize prices so that they can reach equilibrium levels.
Alberto Paloni | Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, and Director, Center for Development Studies, Glasgow University
Washington Consensus
The Washington Consensus refers to the main policies promoted by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the United States Treasury. It emphasizes macroeconomic stability through sound fiscal and monetary policies, together with measures – especially privatization, trade and capital-account liberalization, and domestic market deregulation – aimed at expanding the role of markets relative to governments in the allocation of resources
Eduardo Lora | Principal Advisor, Research Department, Inter-American Development
J_AG, we’ve talked about this before.
For anyone to conclude that the Noynoy/Mar tandem is about the pursuit of a fundamentalist market ideology is to misread certain antithetical tendencies surfacing from either Noynoy or Mar. For example, I’ve made reference to Noynoy’s legislative tinkering with “industrial democracy” and to Mar’s defiance of WTO. I have also alluded to the mention in the LP platform of “social market economy.”
But think about it, the Noynoy/Mar’s campaign is smartly treading a better path than that the Obama campaign has taken (Obama had campaigned to the Left and, at least during the first year of his administration, governed from the Center and the result has been the disillusionment of his progressive constituency.)
My hunch is that Big Uncle has not made his pick as yet and it would be reckless for the campaign rhetoric of Noynoy and Mar to sound like Walden Bello’s dissertation at this juncture.
What policy framework did these two frauds from the entitlement class come up with.
The PRC has come up and sdaid categorically that they will not allow full convertibility of their currency.
How can you talk abut industrial democracy when even you do not know what this entails much less what it means?
When a state gives up monetary sovereignty you have no room for national policies directed for domestic development.
You give up the power to issue credit without permission from foreign masters. The Philippines haa given up a strategic political tool for national devlopment.
Where dids you learn your political economy? Boy Abnunda and Kris?
It is strange that what the U.S. is proposing for their own country (New Industrial Policy) is anathema for a country with a primitive state of production and wealth generation.
Is Robert Reich a socialist like Walden Bello?
Boh Noynoy and Mar are frauds.
I do agree with you Abe. As a matter of fact, Noynoy is pragmatic in his approach towards unbridled trade liberalization of GMA (which the latter pushed for even to the detriment of local manufacturers and workers – certainly, with hidden agenda i.e. profiting from the importation or trading and in foreign investments particularly in mining and exploitation of our remaining natural resources). The Senate records on the deliberations and hearings of several trade agreements attest to the fact that the tandem opposes agreements unfavorable to our country.
to Dondon: Just remember that “unfavorable to Cojuangos, Madrigals, Ayalas, Gokongweis” can be favorable for creating pinoy-jobs-in-Pinas. “Unfavorable to Pinas bank stockholders” can be favorable to Pinas small- or medium-sized loan-seekers.
Congrats Mr. Margallo for this well-written article. You have such an admirable qualification but wonder if it did occur to you that Noynoy’s piece before the MBC was not actually his but was spoonfeed to him by his handlers? He is not identified strongly in many of those issues he mouthed before the seemingly gullible MBC while sitting as a lawmaker. Will you please enlighten me on this comment?
Ram, if you click on my name (in the byline of the main entry or maybe here) you will find a series of blogs I’ve written about Noynoy for FV. Please read the articles if you have the time and pay closer attention to what’s written especially about how a couple of them if merged together would come too close to the speech of Noynoy. Yet, I am not whatsoever involved in the Noynoy’s campaign. I’ve simply followed where to me Noynoy’s heart is set on.
One speech tells you one man’s perspective and philosophies? If I were running for office, I sure will tell you what you want to hear to make you vote for me! Ladies blessed with many suitors look for hints elsewhere. Like, are his fingernails clean, for example.
ricelander,
I disagree. I agree with Ilda, here’s what she said, straight from the ‘horse mouth’:
“…lackluster in romance or someone who is bold and passionate?”
I should know, as my friend Joe had said I’m sort of an artist. I’m a guitarist, and I love singing lovesongs, and ‘strumming my guitar’ :D.
Hahaha, so how did Ilda get her hint?
Btw, is that her on her avatar?
ricelander,
No need to wait for hint, take Abe’s advice: ‘If your gut tells you it’s going to be exciting, go for it!’
Me, I like Machavelli.
Suppose there are two groups A and B on opposite ends about, say, college education is a right Pilipinas government has to provide
to all citizens who are high-school graduates. One says “free public education ends at high school”; the other says “government has to provide free college education”.Macvhaveli is the candidate who goes to both groups and say “I support your position. Vote for me.” The next president will be the Machavelli who gets both groups to clap clap clap and say “He is our man. He is the right man”
I will vote for my Carabao. My Carabao will never ateal. He is self
sustaining. Grasses are plentiful. He does not lie. He needs not
promise me anything. No promises to break. I know he is Dumb, by
human standards. I dont expect anything from him.
We hear positions from campaign strategist types,but try using the voter’s hat or shoe or what ever accessory. .
Aside from winnability,and this presidential campaign being a good vs evil or a batlle of the lesser evils, what else?
For me the winnability card has been a mistake I have done and still regretting.
I voted for a candidate in 98 who lost, so I did not vote at all in 2004 because I felt he will just lose anyways.
For those who hate people talking about their offline life,this comment is not for you.
I was satisfied of the winner because I thought she was still the next best thing after Roco,notwithsatnding the flip flop whether to run or not to run.Things have changed, I saw my dad being busy with the garci tape senate investigations and what I learned or confirmed made me regret the move of not voting for the best president we never had.
being indirectly involved with the liberal party having worked for biazon and having to be involved in a campaign of two congressional candidates in Cavite also with the liberal party,Noynoy is supposed to be my man.
But I have to honestly say that the arguments of benign0,Ilda,BongV have merit.
Something to make us pause and think,but at the end of the day which is still 103 days (I will check antipinoy site, they have a countdown indicator,there)there is still time to come up with a better platforrm,further articulate vision and translate them into action.
At the end of the day lahat naman tayo magpapakatotoo(get real) at gagawin natin kung anong gusto natin.
The bottom line is this anti-pinoy group does not like Sen. Noy and will always find something negative to say about whatever the good senator does. There is no point arguing with them. Let’s all get real here.
In the same way, most Noynoy cultists will always find something “positive” in their manok even if said positive thing has nothing to do with his ability to govern.
Indeed, let us get real here.
I even went through each of the six of points raised by Ms Shahani to rationalise why she will vote for Noynoy — none of them have anything to do with his ability to govern nor how he plans to govern.
Take note: six points and none of them address what it is that REALLY MATTER when it comes to how a candidate will PERFORM once he plants his yellow arse on that coveted seat by the river.
@Lila
You are 100% correct. However, I had a read again of my previous comments and I don’t really think I was hostile. You’re probably not used to someone disagreeing with you here at FV that’s all. Besides, my comments were based on your original comments and I was just trying to analyze them point by point. That’s why I was careful in quoting you lest I get accused of taking you out of context.
Your recent reply said:
Unfortunately, people do expect miracles to happen once Noynoy is elected. I know of some voters who think that everything will be ok once Noynoy is elected. I can also tell you why. It’s because this is what his handlers are trying to project. The fact that avid Aquino supporters begged someone like Noynoy to run even though he wasn’t planning to and he is not ready yet (I based this on the fact that he doesn’t have a real platform and he avoids attending public debates and forums) says a lot about the mentality of the people supporting him. Of course people are free to vote anyone they choose but what irks non-Noynoy supporters the most is the fact that if Cory didn’t pass away, he wouldn’t even be running. As I said in my own blog:
Everyone is of the opinion that they are right; myself included. However, history will ultimately be the judge of who is right and who is wrong. The problem with Noynoy supporters is that they don’t seem to have learned from history one bit. We already had an Aquino as a president in the past. We already had an Aquino who was deemed as “mabait” (good). We already had an Aquino who did not have the right qualification to lead a nation. We already had an Aquino who was supposedly anti-corruption. We already had an Aquino who was reluctant to run for the presidency and who only ran because a political party with an agenda convinced her to run. Why then do we need to do this all over again? The answer it seems is quite simple: so the same party can win the election again. Noynoy’s party wants us to believe that winning the election has nothing to do with using a name that sticks in the minds of the majority intellectually-catatonic population. They keep pretending that he is ready to lead because he is not ambitious. Put yourself in the shoes of Noynoy’s handlers for a minute and it will start to make sense — they want someone who is not ambitious because it will most likely not be Noynoy who will lead the nation. It will be the people behind him and around him that will.
You also said:
It seems to me that it is so hard for Filipinos to find a really honest politician that is why we are latching on to someone who we know doesn’t take kickbacks. It is kind of pitiable the way we latch on to someone with a tinge of honesty. I have spoken about the problem with our society in my other blog:
The real problem started when the Marcos collaborators were not even put on trial. Just look around the Philippine political setting right now. You will still see the likes of Juan Ponce Enrile who was a one-time Marcos collaborator. He is head of the Senate. By defecting to the opposition in 1986, he had secured immunity from being taken to account for his former master’s atrocities. Imelda Marcos herself is still received warmly at various elite social functions. There exist in our society a lack of moral judgement and moral commitment. Since we fail to condemn those who do our society wrong, we jump into bed with the demons of impunity, corruption, and lack of accountability. If the most heinous crimes go unpunished what is there to arrest the equally-widespread incompetence that characterises our public officials’ tenures? If the Aquino camp were so sure that former president Marcos and his allies were responsible for Ninoy Aquino’s death, how come none of them were ever put on trial? Even the former president and one time criminal Joseph “Erap” Estrada is now free to run again as a presidential candidate. He is even getting a marginal lead in the polls. Where is the justice there?
Again, if there is evidence that Villar and Gibo have done anomalies, why are they still in office and why are they qualified to run for the presidency? What makes people so sure that this kind of impunity will not exist under Noynoy’s watch? You see, I don’t really reject your ideas at all. In fact, I give them due consideration. I just don’t think that I have received a satisfying answer to my questions.
I don’t doubt for a minute that Noynoy will win. That’s where the problem lies though. His handlers already know this that’s why they are just sitting on their laurels. All I’m saying is, even if people are already decided that they will vote for Noynoy, they should at least ask Noynoy and the rest of his party to lift their game. Noynoy might or might not be a good president once elected. Noynoy’s handlers just need to try harder in convincing people like me who have doubts if the situation will be the former. But who am I anyway when he already commands enough winnable numbers?
Hi, Ilda,
You hostile paid hack you. ahahahahaha Lovely day here on Biliran. I tried to drive around the island a couple of weeks ago. Yi, no one said the concrete didn’t go all the way around. My honda became jeep of the day . . . much to the amusement of the locals, who find motorbikes deal with the rocks and ruts a lot better than four wheels, and white dudes gripping the wheel in panic mode are good for chuckles.
Gordon for president.
Joe
Hi joe
Serves you right. Next time bring us with you on your road trip.
Good luck to you with Gordon.
JoeAm,
It has to be an American like you to be convinced here on Filipino Voices on Richard Gordon, himself of American family background.
Coincidence or the unipolar thinking of the Western mind.
Preciousss!
Not at all, Ilda. I’ve had several civil disagreements on FV already and only observed one person who was rude not just to me but to others. U weren’t rude, but were definitely frustrated (?), altho I don’t take it personally as I can see that u r quite irked by the Noynoy supporters in general. If I were in Manila, I might be annoyed at all the campaign jingoism (on all sides) too, but then I’ve never had much taste for that sort of thing anyway.
A few things:
1.) The reasons I support Noynoy r different from those of other people. As I explained, I don’t place much stock on the notion of lineage. So it’s not a good idea to conflate all of Noynoy’s supporters in one basket. I really can’t be responsible for all his handlers (!). All I can do is convey my criticisms in a constructive way and send them along, which I do.
2.) It should be remembered that it was Mar Roxas who was gunning for the presidency, and Hyatt 10 who supported him. Noynoy was not in the picture at all. It was Mar and his people who had a machinery, not Noynoy. U r absolutely right that it was Cory’s death that catalyzed his candidacy, which is why I had some reservations in the beginning. A mother’s death is not a basis for supporting someone. On the other hand, the WILL OF THE PEOPLE is. It was the PEOPLE (and most certainly not the party, which definitely had other plans!) that insisted that Noynoy run. And if u respect the demos, and u firmly believe in democracy itself, then u also have to HEED the will of the people. What people want and what I want r not always the same thing, but I am bound to bow to the majority. Such is the nature of the historical moment, at least in my view.
3.) “If voters see people with outstanding education like yourself rooting for Noynoy, then they will think they are doing the right thing not knowing that you are just compromising.” I’m not compromising, Ilda — it’s a pretty unimpressive bunch all round, u will agree! If I happen to think that Nicki P is great but not yet experienced enough, then who else is there? I don’t think Gordon is a heavy weight either. But they r definitely qualified people who r certainly young enough to show their mettle and run the next time around.
4.) Again, Noynoy is not Cory, he’s Noynoy. I’ve already noted that u tend to conflate people from the same family as if they were one and the same: they’re not. Noy has more experience than Cory did when she started. I also think it will be easier for us to judge once the campaign ban has lifted in mid-Feb and we can actually listen to their positions. What u saw was a bare bones platform but I know some people have worked (and continue to work) on a far more detailed and comprehensive version, so perhaps u should withhold your judgment for now. I would like to think that Noy has learned from some of his mother’s mistakes and won’t repeat them. But I do agree that some of the people around him aren’t perfect, although I would add that those from the other parties r even worse, at least in some cases.
5.) U r absolutely right when u say that it’s sad that we cling to the few honest politicians in our country because they happen to be so few and far between. What can I say? Yeah, it’s sad. But I’m definitely less dazzled by academic credentials and professional success than I am with evidence of moral fiber — hence my choice.
6.) I cannot guarantee that there will be no impunity under Noynoy’s watch. Could u please just read my last blog on impunity (“Lernaean Hydra”) — my thoughts on this systemic problem r laid out there. But I can guarantee that it will be much worse under those who r already flouting the law even now. U have to have lived under a rock all this time if you’re not aware of the various and sundry impeachment efforts against GMA and the current C5 censure in the Senate of Manny Villar. And, following the notion of command responsibility, Gibo is responsible for the burgeoning of private armies and illegal arms caches under his watch at the DND. Will they be prosecuted? As I note in the blog, we have a regrettable tendency to let the most guilty ones (Marcos, Danding) go scott-free. I’m afraid I don’t have the time to go into more right now but there is ample info in the papers on these guys anyway and the impunity issue is far more complex than I can get into here.
7.) I’m not as convinced as u r that Noy will win: it’s going to be a difficult fight. He simply doesn’t have the kind of money that Villar (roughly $1000/day on ads, I’m told, which surely couldn’t have come from his Senate salary) or Gibo do, and it is highly likely that there will be cheating involved given the new balloting process.
@Lila
Thanks again for your response. You are the only pro-Noynoy supporter who is honest with your reasons.
I don’t want this to go on any longer than necessary because you will vote for Noynoy regardless. However, I failed to mention the reason why Noynoy is not so impressive to me. Even if the people insisted on him running, he failed to acknowledge himself that he is not ready or qualified to run. In short, just like his mother, he wasn’t honest with his own capabilities. He also failed to give his mate, Mar who he knew has been preparing for the presidency for the longest time, the chance to fulfil his dreams. Noynoy could have just ran as Mar’s VP. That would have been more acceptable to me. That would have proven that he is a humble man and is not affected by all the adulation going his way.
If he was truly a man of modesty, he should have seen how unfair it would look when he’s just running and also popular on surveys based on his lineage. If I put myself in the shoes of the other candidates who don’t have a popular family name, I would say it is really unjust that he’s leading because of this. It is not really a good way to prove to the rest of the members of Philippine society and the world that you can make it in the Philippines based on your merits or hard work, isn’t it?
A friend of ours made a very accurate assessment and said that the people are voting against somebody instead of for somebody. That’s sad.
This happens because our society lacks conviction and don’t follow through on anything. We just like to put everything out there in the grapevine or the rumor mill. Instead of scrutinizing the candidates before we vote for them, we get star struck and get carried away by advertising, good looks and most especially by their family name. People voted for them, people get what they deserve.
Lastly:
I also wrote about this before in my other blog. Unfortunately, since Noynoy is popular at the moment, if he happens to lose the election though, people will assume that the winner cheated. And if the winner is already branded as a cheater from the very beginning of his term, there is already an air of distrust and there will be low morale in the whole of society in general. It’s a lose, lose situation I’m afraid.
Thanks.
There are occasions when the will of the people is mob action instigated by conspirators — Barabbas, they cried.
To participate against your conscience is to be weak-willed; to participate when it is against your conscience is to participate against your conscience.
Hi Ilda,
Thanks for your response. No, I’m not voting for Noynoy regardless. There is still a little time and I may change my mind if new information or new configurations come up. But, yes, for now that’s where I stand.
Are u going for Perlas or Gordon? Just curious.
As for Noy not stepping down in favor of Mar, it was the FUNDERS who apparently weren’t going to fund Mar if he continued with his plan to run for the presidency. I gather they were basing it on his poor showing in the surveys since Mar isn’t all that popular in general. So I guess they were told it’s either Noynoy or bust — hence the collective shift. Which is why it wasn’t really about Mar being all that magnanimous and giving the seat to Noy anyway. Apparently both of them had no choice since they needed the funding in general. Sadly, u can’t win (or even campaign) without funding. I wish things were different, but they’re not.
Hi Lila
It’s good to know your options are still open.
Because I don’t want to be called a paid hack anymore, I will admit that I’m leaning towards Gordon. Everybody knows he did a good job with Subic and the only thing people have against him is that he is known for being emotional. In this country, who isn’t emotional anyway?
I still think that Noynoy could have just ran as VP instead. It would have worked out fine for everyone. I doubt if the funders will back out anyway knowing Noynoy would still be in the team. I’m sure it was just a bluff.
BTW, I’m not really a paid hack. JoeAm was just kidding. Sadly, Noynoy supporters quickly dismiss people like me as such because they see us questioning Noynoy’s credibility. Since they refuse to give a rebuttal, there is no way to disprove our stand and so we continue to write about Noynoy in the hope that they will have a dialogue with us. Noynoy’s lack of a good platform and his absence in public debates doesn’t help their cause, unfortunately. Besides, I find it really incredible their claim that every blogger or journalist who speaks against Noynoy is being paid by Villar. Gees, the guy doesn’t own the Central Bank and some bloggers live overseas. I’m sure they’ll say Villar can easily use Paypal. Sigh.
Cheers
Thanks, Ilda. I know you’re not a hack. U may have been grumpy but I was just pointing it out — I wasn’t upset by it. U r clearly sincere and r someone who is just trying to understand things, which is fine. If you’re critical of Noynoy, that’s fair enough. Unfortunately, I know too much about Gordon from the FVR years, but of course you’re free to vote for whomever u see fit. I’ll discuss my views of Gordon when we have a Gordon blog since this one is getting pretty unwieldy na.
I know you’re not a hack because you’re not bastos and u don’t get personal. U just express your frustrations with a situation, which is your prerogative anyway. Very different from someone like BenignO who writes about me in his blog, calls me “moronic” (among other things) and refers to my Mom’s success as a politician (which he apparently thinks is a crime, which is tragic for him). Or Up n, who surprised me with his unnecessary rudeness in my impunity blog.
U can vote for whoever u want and so can I; happily, u and I don’t resort to insulting each other. Not every pro-Gordon person is an asshole, and not every pro-Noynoy one is either. But it would be nice to meet some pro-Villar and pro-Erap folks who don’t have to insult and attack other people just to get their points across.
Be well,
L
The anti-pinoy will vote Perlas. Let them! Perlas is a good man and clean. As GMA was good and clean before sitting on the throne in the Palace. Hayaan nating pulutin sila sa kangkungan.
In the same manner, let those who want to vote for Noynoy vote Noynoy, or Gibo, or Gordon, or de los Santos, or Villanueva, or Jamby. They’re also good and clean. But not Villar, or Erap.
Hey bert,
you goin’ with Erap?
Joe
Heck, no, Joe. I will go with the least evil, heheh. What gave you that idea? Didn’t I say Villar and Erap not clean?
I’d go for Erap over Villar,
for he has a reputation to restore,
and therefore has certain motivations others do not.
I list candidates for this ranking and that,
and somehow Teodoro keeps slipping from my mind; why is that?
He has nothing to attach his name to, other than being Ms. Arroyo’s teddy bear and losing rubber boats.
Mr. Aquino is the showboat candidate, an accidental happening, the puppet of ever puppet-master who sees opportunity in yellos.
Perlas or Gordon, Perlas or Gordon.
Gordon.
Joe
A vote for Erap definitely is a vote against GMA who conspired, plotted and executed a coup against a legally-elected president.
A vote for Erap is a vote against all elitista.
A vote for Erap is a vote for more morons in the Presidency.
Yuk!!!
Aha! Si Erap pala ang type mo, Up n. No need to comment…
A vote for Erap is a vote for drinking buddies weather-weather lang opportunists to return to Malacanang. That is what history says.
Now watch the class-D/E sectors come May2010. 40% or higher of class-D/E votes going to Erap also may mean these sectors showing lingering distrust of elitistas.
Bert, I’ve just gone through the sites of anti-pinoy, get real and utak tilapia. Fascinating how their main topic is Noynoy, and NO OTHER politician, get real in particular. The persuasion is decidedly Leftist and naturally they r as threatened with a Noynoy presidency as they were with a Cory one, during which time many defected away from the movement. Therefore I conclude that most (not Ilda, who may very well go for Perlas or Gordon) are Villar hacks.
As for those voting for Erap, well, u’d have to be a hack, right?
Good to know. Not expending energy anymore. :-)
Damn right. I’m referring to the blogosphere and the so-called pundits.
(one more time)
Lila,
I’ve known the anti-pinoy far longer than you do. They’re just a bunch of bright smart-alecky dudes, mostly spoiled brats, masochistics and grouchy and yes you’re right grumpy too except for Ilda who has shown inner beauty and benignO who at times is truly a likable fellow for his excellent sense of humor and nothing else, their left or right political inclinations just for show, neither here or there but hecklers like me, stuck with their name the anti-pinoy, living up to it by disparaging their own country and their own people including themselves and their families living in the homeland, ahaaay, nahihilo na naman yata ako, hehehehe.
Lila and Bert,
The political inclination of Benigs and the Anti-Pinoy is by far neither Left nor Right. The appearance is just that- inclined (meaning “oblique”) although they want to be seen as crusading change agents. Maybe, they are even unaware of it but nothing that they espouse is meaningfully “liberatory” as such a term is understood in progressivism.
For instance, my piece above is also about underscoring the fact that the belief system in the role of the state in the process of wealth creation for the Philippines is key to the transformation process itself. It is the same provocation I have intended in Debating what to debate. My point is that that belief system or ideological commitment not the rhetoric and sound bytes during the campaingn will matter most in the way a politician will in fact govern. But Benigs and gang simply don’t get it. They’d rather wallow in discourse about “form” (e.g. Platform, plez matrix). Sad.
Thanks, Bert and Abe. You’re right, Bert, you’ve known them longer and mukha ngang walang platform or position: heckling lang. Sayang naman because they’re definitely not stupid. We could have had a productive discussion on our different views.
Abe, absolutely right about wealth creation and commitment…
If I may quote my very wise kuya, who read Benig’s blog, where there’s a reference to me:
“It would be kind of nice if the author would identify himself or herself. I also notice that the author does not propose any alternatives and in fact the only candidates that matter, as far as this election goes, are the ones authorized by the COMELEC to run. In 2010, the Left is in danger again of becoming irrelevant to this democratic debate between a slew of admittedly medicore candidates. The last time the Left boycotted the elections (1986), they got shunted out of power. I fail to see why the burden of coming out with a more imaginative solution should be passed by the author onto other people who have already made their choices with a certain amount of thoughtfulness. The ultimate losers mentality actually belong to those who choose not to organize and participate at all and then complain about being marginalized later on. If this anonymous author can’t even identify himself or herself openly — let alone his or her position — then how can we even begin to seriously examine a so far unproposed solution that should be thrown into the marketplace of ideas together with all of our supposedly ‘evil’ alternatives?”
At kung hindi Left, di ano nga? Sad that we don’t even know, and we’ve been debating with them for some time now. Lay your cards on the table, I say. My kuya is so right.
Thanks again.
sorry, newbie here. just wondering about the comparison between perlas and GMA. was this a serious comment or just a joke intended for the anti-pinoy bloggers? if it was a serious comment, kindly explain.
thanks.
Seriously now. The reality on the ground should tell us that it’s not wise to vote for Perlas, or de los Santos, or Gordon, or Jamby, else we’ll just be like commenter mariano voting for his carabao…a vote casts into the wind, a precious entitlement bestowed upon us good citizens of our beloved country the Philippines wasted.
We are all idealists here, or we think we are. But sometimes our minds soar up there at the clouds, like benignO dreaming of Rolls-Royces and Mercedes Benz when all that we can afford is a jeepney, as if living within our means is an abominable thing to do, and could not even wait until we ourselves have the means and werewithal and the ferocity to become a poliician to be able to afford ourselves the luxuries we want. I wonder what benignO, with all his brilliance, is driving himself there in Australia. But I digress.
We should be practical even if we are idealistics. Ones angel might be another’s devil, Noynoy, Villar or Erap,or Gibo, but there is no other choice for us but to choose the least evil without having to waste our votes on some of mariano’s carabaos. Let’s do it. If you are not sure of your manoks, choose the least evil, there is no other way of doing it outside of an idealistic dream. And please, let’s give that some one, that sanamagan-least-evil-of-a-candidate the widest margin we could give, that those who would want to cheat us of our popular choice will not succeed.
Tsk tsk, Bert. The above comment of your encapsulates the fundamental character of Da Pinoy that makes world-class prosperity hopelessly beyond their reach — because we choose aspire small and set a low bar for ourselves. A testament to our renowned Heritage of Smallness (google that phrase, plez).
We are stuck with choosing from among lesser evils because we fail to expect anything more from those who lay out options for us. Thus the tragedy that is the Philippine “nation”. :-D
Pinoys-in-Pinas, it is GMA, isn’t it? The first Maginot-line against GMA is 2nd-district-Pampanga. Surely the people of 2nd-district-Pampanga are not idiots, are they, so if the will of the people is willed by the heavens, no worries — GMA is stopped. Quick! Who is running against against GMA-for-Congress?
The second Maginot-line against GMA is not the presidency, the president can not stop a respected congressman from being elected by peers to be house speaker. The second Maginot-line is the more immediate and practical — your very own congressman — the very same congressman who you should ask help from about dilapidated school buildings or roads, the same congressman to complain to if a BIG-agent is shaking you down. And if you say “but the congressman is in cahoots with the BIR-agent”, then again you should get the other congress-candidate into office, right?
Now this one. If, after the people speaks and they elect not only GMA into office but congressmen who elect GMA into House Speakership, wouldn’t that be listening to the will of the people?
Of course, there are other Pinoys in Pinas — Mariano is one — Mariano did say :
Different folks, different strokes.
Now, UP n, that is what I will call ‘hoping for the best’, which I think is the worst. Still, if that happen again, Heavens forbid, then the people, as always, will know what to do. Either the people “surge-the-gates”, or the people “move on”, or the people “wait-for-2016″, whatever. The people always knows what to do. We should never stop trying ’til “Eureka”.
Eye-opening, isn’t it, how important the voters’ votes are.
Democracy is heavy-duty action-movie — ninety-two Makati votes “a vote for Noy is a vote against GMA” being eroded by fifteen votes GMA-for-Congress 2nd-district Pampanga. Binay pushing into Congress an anti-GMA congressman getting matched by the election of a congressman in Albay in the battle for who becomes House Speaker. Democracy — an action-movie.
Pinas needs jobs-jobs-jobs for Pinoys in Pinas.
Show me ONE decent idea you’ve mentioned, Bengin0, here or anywhere else. Why not engage with the substance of the issue (growth/distribution) yourself? Perhaps u lack the equipment?
Oh, I’m not “afraid” to register in your little blog (but it’s intellectually lightweight, from what I can see, so I doubt that i would have any reason to ever go back, so there wouldn’t be any point in registering for the long-term). But most bloggers I know let people comment openly so they don’t have to screen them.
I’m not wasting my valuable time pondering what could possibly be going on in your pseudo-intellectual head (a Commie after 1989?). If u can’t name your candidate, you’re disingenuous in my book, and have no business critiquing anyone else. As far as I’m concerned, you’re for Villar (or Erap). U and your barkada.
So u R paid. Well, that’s the lowest point to be in, in my book. I work for a living too but not to defend my political beliefs. For u to attack me for not voting who I believe in is a JOKE since u: a.) r reluctant to name who u believe in; and b.) u just admitted that you’re being paid to write your thoughts down. So your ideas/words/thoughts can be bought and sold. In my case, I can change my mind any time because I have none of those strings. I don’t want anything from the LP either since Im perfectly comfortable where I am.
As a matter of fact, I was careful NOT to name my friends in the movement. That’s precisely because I want to protect them. As for the places I’ve lived, I only said that because (unlike many who romanticize the Left), I’ve seen what their ideas can lead to in practice. Have u?
As for your “brilliant” ideas (I doubt if u would pass freshman year in any university I’ve attended, judging by the quality of your writing alone), why not ANSWER MY QUESTIONS (er, the ideas, remember?) about: a.) growth/distribution; b.) Manny V’s platform (or the platform of whomever u call “boss”)?
Don’t flatter yourself. As far as I’m concerned, being a hack is the lowest of the low, so don’t be surprised if I don’t waste my time any more. And the point it: simply because someone has a different candidate than u shouldn’t make them your immediate enemy. I’m for Obama but have many friends who didn’t vote for him; so what? Does that make every human being who is for Noynoy an enemy? How sad for u.
U began this. Instead of engaging in a respectful manner like most people here (Karl and I don’t agree but that’s no problem), u attack the person (not the idea at all) in a different site that they can’t openly access. My idea of cowardice.
So: what is your constructive plan for helping the Philippines (besides the intellectual dither that passes for “heckling”) and how will you or your candidate achieve that? If you’re just gonna get personal again, don’t be surprised if I don’t waste my time. There r far more decent minds to focus on here.
I-kumusta mo ako sa mga amo mo, ha? Good luck! :D
Benigno,
You people would make terrible sales agents. How do you expect to win people over with your insults and hostility? Instead of insults, you should try to woo others with your arguments’ merits. Do you ever see door-to-door Bible missionaries insulting others just because of their differing beliefs? How do you expect others to respect you if you don’t respect them?
One more thing, I find your personal attacks on Lila Shahani very cowardly and childish. Argue intelligently. Focus on the arguments, not on the person. Talk to sales people, you might learn a thing or two.
Norman, you don’t know benigz. He’s here in FV, or anywhere else, not to win people over, or be humble. His mission in life is to offend people, especially FV people. As to childishness, I agree :-D.
Point 4. If u weren’t being paid, u wouldn’t have framed the point that way.
Remember: focus on THE IDEAS. Let’s hear a platform and a position here.
Nyt!
Abe,
Thanks for stirring up this great discussion. Your willingness to stick around and comment on the comments, rather than tossing out a hit and run blog, makes the posting much more dynamic.
I also hope Lila becomes a regular contributor at FV. She types fast, among other attributes residing mainly between the ears.
Joe
Thanks, Joe — much appreciated, especially from u. I’ve been enjoying your insights for some time now. And fair enough about Gordon. If he wins fair and square, more power to him. And of course u should do whatever u like in terms of voting. My views about splitting the vote only apply to my own choices.
There’s little substance in Noynoy’s speech. He just says, “there’s a problem, we need a solution.” No specifics on the solution.
Manong Abe,
Definitely reading a lot of excellent rebuttal here. Whether it be “Anti Pinoy” or a “Constructive” piece. What we as FV commentators need to employ, is a good sound off to other communities, and to reach others, that do not have access to all blogs site, such as FV.
To establish a system, so that we can inform and educate, those that are less fortunate, about who and what Politics is all about. We understand, we are not educators, but to share and give the means to our society to be well aware as to who, their casting their votes for.
And let me be clear: the notion that every Noynoy supporter assumes that everyone who isn’t one happens to be a hack is patently absurd. There r those here who r for Perlas and Gordon (Ilda, Joe, Karl, Phil) whose tone and views I find to be in no way objectionable. As I have said, they r all free to think as they see fit. Under no circumstances would it even OCCUR to me to think of them as hacks. On the contrary: I very much respect and appreciate their views.
But alarm bells start ringing when contributors to this site go out of their way to be unnecessarily rude to those with differing views, and when they start becoming personal (why write about my Mom at all?; why not just focus on… ME?). Where is the need for this when we’re just discussing our own respective views? Simply because someone is voting for Gibo or Villar (or voted for George W Bush back in the day) doesn’t necessarily mean that they automatically become objectionable human beings. There’s no reason why we can’t agree to differ in a civil manner, after all. Nor is there any reason why we need to agree on anything at all, for that matter, even as we keep our long-term relationships cordial. And someone supporting a different candidate may still have a lot to contribute with respect to specific issues, so I would suggest that we in this site don’t now throw out the baby with the bathwater altogether.
On the antipinoy site, Chino suggests that those who support Noynoy r hate-mongerers who r guilty of slander. But if u read how I have been described as moronic, etc, u will agree that, if anything, they could pretty easily be accused of the same thing. More importantly, the only person I accused of being a hack was BenignO (aka, The Real Deal, the self-same person who authors these various sites). I came to that conclusion not because of his ideas but because of his TONE, which a number of people in this thread and elsewhere have found to be objectionable anyway. It just sounded like the type of harangue one hears from Villar supporters, that’s all.
And the whole point of having a non-partisan, multi-sectoral site like this one is so that we can all air our views. So: if Nicki Perlas is in fact your candidate, then say so, and say why — so the rest of us can learn. As I’ve already said, I am still open to having my opinion changed. I think Nicki (who is a kind, gentle and thoughtful soul, and one who happens to be quite inclusive) would be shocked and offended by the style in which u purport to defend his views. As a matter of fact, I am fairly certain that he wouldn’t welcome BenignO’s attacks of everyone who happens to be for Noynoy here, and he has since been apprised of this unfortunate fact. Because, in fact, Chino, it is BenignO who was hate-mongering in the first place. In an argument, when u dissect someone’s views, u explain your terms and defend your position; u don’t slither off to your little hole and write a blog about their family background, if u see what I mean. Nietzsche would have called this “ressentiment” (the rancor and malice of one who feels disempowered). But no one was stopping him from defending Nicki or Villar or anyone else, see? I was just exasperated because I wanted to understand what alternatives he had to propose.
The main reason I felt he was for Villar was because it’s a rudeness I’ve seen among other Villar supporters before, that’s all. I could very well have been wrong about that initial assessment. But the point is that u do Nicki a DISSERVICE if u think u r winning anyone over to his side this way. And if, as Bert and Abe suggest, u r not necessarily for anyone at all, really, and just enjoy being objectionable, then I would suggest that that is the saddest possibility of all. Because if it’s just anarchy you’re peddling here, then it might be a good idea if u were to ply your dubious trade elsewhere.
Again, people should not be demonized for having different views. If your thesis is that Noynoy is no answer for the country, why not propose your alternative (Perlas, Villar) IN THIS SELF-SAME FRAY? Why go into your personal site (which appears to be incestuous more than anything else, since I see no one with dissenting views among your readers, so I gather u discourage this) and then expound on who u think has a vision? That anti-thesis would have been more than welcome here and might have even led to the type of educational synthesis Mario refers to above. So, by all means: let’s dialogue. But let’s be educated about our capacity to listen to dissenting views. It’s the primary Socratic moment, after all.
The latest from our buddy Benigs (aka Filo, who writes to himself at UFW, anti-pinoy and get real):
http://unmoderatedfilipinovoices.com/2010/01/tontowism-101-case-study-001-lila-shahani/
Kindly take note of the heavy misquote from Up n grad as well.
As pathos descends into bathos, more words of wisdom from our illustrious colleagues.
Well put!
“On the antipinoy site, Chino suggests that those who support Noynoy r hate-mongerers who r guilty of slander.” I believe I said, those who accuse the Get Realists of being paid hacks would be slanderers? I mean, where’s the proof that we’re paid hacks?
I’ll take up your invitation. I disagree mainly with your point that “we should unite the opposition and kick out Gloria.” Anti-Glorianism is a mind-numbing religion based on mere hatred against the figurehead. But I see the problem as a whole range of politicians working together on their schemes – and the people willingly voting them in. Gloria is set up by them as the punching bag. Booting her out won’t solve the problem. Why not boot them all out? Like, abolish the Senate? Or, I say, change the election system and government to electorate or parliamentary, it creates a system that reduces election cheating and non-performance a great deal. But also needed is to help change the culture and thinking of people.
“Why should we help the administration enemy (divided into Villar and Teodoro) by dividing our own house into Aquino-Erap-Perlas-Villanueva-Gordon?” Are you sure this helps the administration enemy? Is the administration *always* the enemy? What’s wrong with going for one’s preferred candidate no matter the “enemy”? A vote is a statement for what one believes in. I believe voting for an opponent just to get the incumbent out is a shallow and pointless reason. As many say, you get Gloria out, who’s gonna sit in? Don’t be too sure the replacement is who you want. I know your goal is to get people to unite for Noynoy for a strong number to keep Villar, Gibo and Erap out of office… but my choice is mine. Yours is yours. I also want people reading this comment thread to be aware of anti-Glorianism and that they’d better think twice, thrice or more before getting into it. It’s a politics of hatred.
Well, there’s my opinions, that’s that. Thank you.
natatalo ang naka-yellow now…
sa australian open.
alas..because of woman..we are divided..
Just wanted to share a reflection I’ve been going through some time now about “wasted votes”. Is there really such a thing?
Which vote is a wasted vote? The one used to give the best candidate a fighting chance, or the one used to let a supposed front-runner’s backers control the outcome with unscientific surveys? Having generated the largest business portfolio for my previous company using market research, it really bothers me that the methodologies behind the various election surveys seem so loose that the results are practically useless except for whatever agendas those who paid for the surveys may have.
For example, if Noynoy A is really the front-runner, how come most people I speak with are supporting Gordon?
Obviously since I’m not a Villar-ionaire I can’t do a proper survey myself at this point, but it’s very worrying – look at the financial crisis caused by believing too much in credit ratings paid for by the companies being rated themselves – how much misery has been caused by this ill-placed compianza? Should we peg our faith in getting the leaders we deserve on unscientific surveys, or should we peg our faith on finding the best fit candidate for our country’s needs?
What would you like our country to have achieved 6 years from now? How do we measure the achievements we would like our people to have accomplished in 6 years, 12 years, 24 years, and what kind of proven accomplishments let us know which candidates are the best choice?
I am sure different voters will have different criteria, and different results, but I hope you’d help spread the word to let the best candidate win, and not necessarily the ones pre-selected by paid-for survey companies. Personally, I’m impressed with this platform and the values, qualifications and experience behind it http://bit.ly/cABGn9
Just to share, where I’m from, I can go jogging at night, there’s a functioning public library, LTO transactions take 15 minutes, public school students have international-standard classrooms, and it doesn’t even need to collect the same taxes as Makati. Do we want to just survive in our country, or really live?
I believe our people will make the right choice if we just remind ourselves to stay focused on what this election is about – our future, our dreams, and our loved ones.
May the best candidate win.
What do you think? Please spread the word to everyone you care about also
Cheers :)
People supporting Noynoy will never stop saying good things about Noynoy but mind you… none of the good things they say would say anything about his ability to govern our country well. Everything is about his family, his parents, his credibility, his integrity, etc. I am not satisfied… I want a president who really can handle all the responsibilities well.