A collection of travel stories and food reviews, my published pieces on politics and relationships, the stories behind the stories, gossip, and hearty opinions on just about any topic. Lots of stream of consciousness musings too...
'Before the next automated election, all the loopholes in the PCOS and the automated election process should be firmly plugged by either the current provider or by another more assiduous supplier. If not, a reversion to manual elections with heightened vigilance by organizations like the PPCRV and NAMFREL would probably yield more credible and accurate results. Comelec Director Jose Tolentino is right. The problem is not automation but the people running the automation, which is to say, the same people whose perennial and persistent misconduct of manual elections prompted the conversion to automation in the first place. Guns really don’t shoot people, people shoot people. Machines don’t cheat, people do. Unfortunately, the same people are still running Comelec despite periodic changes of Commissioners over the years and the leadership of well-meaning chairmen such as the incumbent.' (Rep. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Chairman's Report on the Alleged Fraud and Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) Machine Manipulation in the May 10, 2010 Automated Elections, June 28, 2010)
IF you haven't seen it yet, here's the complete list of those who filed their certificates of candidacy for President (99), Vice President (20), and Senator (158). With only 12 seats available, methinks the senatorial posts will even be more hotly contested than the presidential post where only two or three out of the 99 are actually the most viable candidates. But there area many senatorial candidates who I must admit, have a credible track record and are serious contenders unlike the loonies populating the presidential candidates' list.
Don't be daunted by the length of the list. You must read through it. I promise a good laugh on the nicknames alone. Aside from Code Jack, there's even one presidentiable who calls himself Lady M-Ricky. Hahahahaa!
“There are four that we would like to focus on: job generation is first. This is best explained by a father that I talked with before who said, ‘Bigyan niyo kami ng trabaho at kami na ang bahala sa kalusugan [Give us jobs and we will take care of health]’; education is second which is an essential tool for job creation, to start the reform of the justice system and even to advocate concern for the environment; third is health and fourth is judicial reform,” said Aquino. (Click here for the rest.)
Liberal Party standard-bearers Senators Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III and MAR Roxas flash the Laban sign as they hold their certificates of candidacy filed before the Commisssion on Elections this morning. Aquino and Roxas pledged to continue to heed the collective thirst and hunger of people for change, and to fight the crooked and corrupt. "Sa harap po ninyong lahat, sa harap po ng sambayanang Pilipino, hinding-hindi po namin bibiguin ang tiwala na ipinagkaloob po ninyo sa amin. Sama-sama tayo, lalaban po tayo. Una kayo, bago ako. Una ang bayan, bago ang sarili," Roxas said. (Photos by Gil Nartea, courtesy of the office of Sen, MAR Roxas.)
Aquino and Roxas, together with senatorial candidates under the "People's Reform" coalition, bow their heads in a minute of silence to remember the victims of the Maguindanao massacre before filing their COCs before the Comelec. Aquino, Roxas and the LP slate condemn the murders in the strongest possible terms, and pledges to work for the redemption of democracy and lasting peace in the Philippines, especially in Mindanao. From left: Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto, Ryan Christian Recto, former Sen. Ralph Recto, Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon and former Senate President Frank Drilon; Aquino and Roxas; Manila Mayor Fred Lim; senatorial candidates Akbayan! Rep. Riza Hontiveros and Bukidnon Rep. TG Guingona; Aika Lim (daughter of senatorial candidate Brig. Gen. Danny Lim) and Pia Lacson (wife of senatorial candidate Alex Lacson).
Aquino and Roxas, together with LP senatorial candidates pledge to supporters to continue the the communal fight of all for what is right ("laban na tapat, laban ng lahat").
LIBERAL Party presidential candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino is quite a stranger to the ways of the Internet. Prior to his run for president, I don't think he even had his own web site aside from his page attached on the Senate's own web site. He has only started tweeting, and my guess is it's his new media group tweeting for him and not himself. I have yet to check which of the Noynoy Aquino/Benigno Aquino III Facebook profiles is his real one, although there is an official fan page whose membership just recently cracked the 100,000-mark.
(Sen. Aquino's official Facebook fan page, although I counted two other fan pages, plus three profiles w/c includes the one w/c lists him as a female and w/ his mother's bday.)
With Campaigns and Grey's Yoly Ong now on his side, the Senator's presence on the Net has further expanded with the airing of his 60-second video blogs (VLogs) w/c started today. In a press briefing w/c I attended this morning along w/ other select members of the media, Ong and Melissa Limcaoco, Sen. Aquino's deputy director for new media, said the purpose of these VLogs is to let the public get a taste of the issues the presidentiable is fighting for (or against). A videographer has been going around covering each campaign sortie of Sen. Aquino, capturing his speeches and his interaction w/ the public. In his first VLog, for instance, he is shown speaking w/ a retired public school teacher who complained of not being able to receive her monthly pension from the GSIS because the agency had no money.
The VLogs (dubbed "60 secs. w/ Noy") are definitely a step in the right direction for the Aquino campaign after reaping a whirlwind of criticism mainly from the intelligentsia, who detested the MTV featuring Sen. Aquino and his band of artistas. (Of course, they probably don't like Pinoy celebrities to begin with, and the empty-headedness they are thought to represent.) Lighten up people! He needs to attract the masa vote, obvious ba? Although I do agree w/ the critics that we need to see/read/hear more of Sen. Aquino and his platform of govt. instead of just seeing w/c artista endorsed him. So I suppose these VLogs will help the campaign achieve the purpose.
The VLogs are unscripted and meant to show the real Noynoy Aquino "in the raw." At the end of each day, the videographer's footages will be tightly edited and strung together to form a theme for each VLog, before being aired. (OK, so technically, the VLogs won't really be quote-unquote, raw.) The footages will be punched up w/ his official campaign jingle, Sya na Nga, w/c I must admit is a really catchy tune, I still hear it playing in my head. LSS much?
The VLogs will run daily until Nov. 27, or the day before Sen. Aquino files his official certificate of candidacy at the Comelec. Under the Omnibus Election Code, the campaign period starts on Feb. 9, 2010 for national candidates (or 90 days before May 8 elections), and March 26, 2010 for local candidates (or 45 days before May 8), so the candidates are not supposed to air any TV or radio ads about themselves from the time they file their COCs until the beginning of their respective campaign periods. It isn't clear though if this covers the new Internet platforms, after all, this medium was hardly tapped in previous elections. Like last year's U.S. presidential elections, this will be the first time in Philippine electoral history that new media will be used by the presidential candidates (via their web sites, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, cellphones, etc.). Ong says the Aquino campaign is erring on the side of caution and until further ruling by the Comelec, will cease airing the VLogs once Sen. Aquino files his COC.
(Sen. Aquino's official web site.)
Of course the inevitable question is, will campaigning through the Internet/new media make a difference for any of the candidates? By and large, Internet penetration in the Philippines is still low; accdg to Internet World Stats, it is 24 million as of the 2nd qtr of 2009, or roughly 25% of the country's estimated population of 97.98 million. About 18.2 million of Internet users are potential voters (meaning 18 y.o. and up). So while the Aquino campaign will be tapping this new media for its campaign, Ong says, it is really an experiment for them to see how much power the Internet has in moving next year's elections. And TV is still the medium w/ the largest impact w/ 90% usage for voters' info as compared to only 22% for the Internet. Ong does point out though that Sen. Loren Legarda won in the last senatorial election w/ an 18-million vote, so that just means they are hoping the Internet will boost Sen. Aquino's chances to win in 2010. (Btw, did you know that 60% of Internet users in the Phils. are in Internet cafés?)
As of press time, however, Ong has yet to answer my question if there are any plans for Sen. Aquino's team mate and VP candidate Sen. MAR Roxas to be included in the Internet campaigns. (After previewing the first three VLogs, it looks like Sen. Aquino's running mate is actually former Bukidnon Rep. Neric Acosta, and not Roxas. Acosta is just all over the place!) For casual political observers like me, Sen. Aquino seems to be conducting his own separate campaign, pretty much disengaged from what should really be a team effort. Are Sen. Aquino's handlers trying to get him elected at all cost, w/o a care who wins the VP slot? Hmmm...again,nagtatanong lang po.
(A slide from today's presentation by Campaigns and Grey. Looks like Sen. Aquino has trumped some of his rivals in terms of Internet presence/followers. What will this mean for the 2010 elections?)
(UPDATE 1:05 a.m.) Accdg. to Campaigns PR Inc. Managing Director Richard Arboleda, Sen. MAR Roxas will definitely figure in the Sen. Aquino's future VLogs. Thanks!
PLEASE go out and register. Your country needs your vote. Please don't let this opportunity to change the country's future pass without your valuable input. You have until Oct. 31, 2009 to do so.
Click Comelec to find out the procedures and download the forms you need to fill up if you're not yet a registered voter, if you want to transfer to another precint, or reactivate your registration.
(Update 10/14/09: You may register with Comelec even on Sundays. Read it here.)
THE next time a foreigner asks me what life is like in the Philippines, I will say it’s all about lines. And not just one line, it’s two, three, four lines, in succession and people not being sure about being in the right queue. And don’t forget the windows, too! So many windows to go to, without proper signs to guide the people if they’re lining up at the correct window.
Yes, folks, this piece may not be about relationships, but it is “something about life” in the Philippines, where our day isn’t complete unless we’re standing and queuing for something.
If I sound a tad bitchier than usual, it’s because this morning I decided to do my patriotic duty and went to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to register as a voter. I wasn’t able to vote in the last two elections because of work and so my name has been purged from the voters’ list. That’s what the Comelec staff told me, anyway. Of course, one of my friends later informed me her brother had been dead for years and yet his name still keeps popping up on the voters’ list in their barangay. (Click Something Like Life for the rest.)
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Madali lang magpa-rehistro, says Comelec commissioner Sarmiento in his PSA. As these photos will prove, it isn't so. A friend of mine who recently registered in the very same district said his ordeal took five hours.
(The first queue to the Comelec window where you have to submit your photocopied IDs. Another line to left is where they release the voter's registration form. There's another queue to the window in an adjacent building, offering photocopying services at P4 for double-sided paper. Buti pa yung sa photocopying, there's a clear sign what service is offered there. At the Comelec local office, you basically just have to ask the other people in the line what they're lining up for so you'll know if you're in the correct queue.)
(People filling up their registration forms, in triplicate pls.)
(Another queue before entering our Comelec District office.)
(The crowd inside the Comelec office itself where an applicant's biometrics are taken.)
(You put your right hand in, you put right hand out...Mama's fingerprints are digitally captured, after which, her photo was taken. The last step is affixing one's thumbprints on the paper registration form.)
To be fair, there are some areas in Metro Manila where the registration is fast. I suppose it depends on the management of Comelec supervisors of their respective districts. My niece who is a new voter, for instance, took only 30 minutes to register. The Comelec district office in their city set up a satellite office in her subdivision's clubhouse and brought w/ them four computers to take the registrants' biometrics. I don't know how large her municipality is, but I would assume Quezon City, which has a denser population among the cities of Metro Manila, deserve more computers to aid in the registration of its voters right? Needless to say, those computers better be working. Erg.
1. DA who is this senatoriable who eagerly accepted P2 million just to switch parties? Oh, that, plus all expenses to be paid by his new presidentiable bet said to be teeming w/ cash, courtesy of his ah, relative. Detractors of the senatoriable of course chide him for being "cheap" for accepting the P2M check, which is seen as a rather minimal amount. E kung kelangan ng tao noh?!
2. Da word is this sleepy vice presidentiable is now eagerly negotiating with the dark horse presidentiable bec. the former's backer in his party has now supposedly chosen to support a relative in the presidential race. Earlier the backer was said to be against his relative bec. of the rather offensive behavior of the relative's spouse. Well, blood is thicker than water, ika nga.
3. The real story behind the reported pullout by T.I.M. from its consortium w/ Smartmatic, the shady company awarded the contract to automate the 2010 polls, is that despite Smartmatic's 40-percent stake in the project, its executives wanted total control of management and the finances, including the signing of checks. Of course, considering that the background of Smartmatic isn't really credible, T.I.M. officials thought they could be liable for any issues and problems that arise from the project, especially if the gang from Barbados just disappears.
Of course, my own conspiracy theory is that this is all is in an elaborate setup to allow Smartmatic to implement its project in joint venture with the Comelec. There's a lot of moolah to be had in that project and someone is going to get mightily rich from allowing it to continue under that kind of partnership agreement. And no, I'm not talking about the gentleman from Malacañang. The person who will benefit from the Comelec-Smartmatic partnership has had questionable and profitable dealings in the past as well. Da who? Guess mo.
4. More on the poll automation project: one of the bidders disqualified from the bidding by Comelec, was said to have not complied w/ the terms of reference of the bid. But da word is, the company took a look at the list of equipment the Comelec wanted and ticked off a few off the list the company felt was not needed in the first place. Entonces, the company was going to save Comelec/we taxpayers a lot more money if the poll body just entertained the company's bid.
5. Da who is this well-known PR guy who has been hired by the embattled Doktora to handle the crisis PR needs of her erstwhile boytoy, who last we heard, now wants to study to be a lawyer? Truly love knows no bounds for the Doktora considering that the PR guy, famous for publishing a book on his former client, has an acceptance fee of not less than P1 million. Acceptance fee palang yan ha?
With the tri-media effort the PR guy is implementing to help portray Doktora's boytoy as a poor confused fella who was abused as a child, the tag price for the campaign has been estimated at no less than P5 million by other PR men in the industry. Ang saya naman!
THE Presidentita oversimplifies it...that too much politics led to the deaths of the child Mariannet Amper and Comelec official Alioden Dalaig. Actually it's too much of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is what probably did them in.
While I don't want to impinge on the grief of Dalaig family, has anyone bothered to find out just what business did the Comelec official have in playing at the Casino Filipino in Hyatt Hotel? Last I heard, government officials were prohibited from gambling in government-owned casinos. Remember how much gulo there was over photos taken of then Vice President presidential candidate Sherap Estrada playing at one Pagcor casino, which were then released to the media? Tsk, tsk, tsk. I wonder whatever happened to that case...casino employee Edgardo Bentain mysteriously disappeared (and is presumed dead) because of that controversy.
Moral of the story: something tragic always happens when government officials gamble in Pagcor casinos.
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Btw, don't you think it strange that with questions still lingering over the exact cause of the blast at the Glorietta mall, here now comes another explosion at the House of Representatives in Batasan Hills? At a similar time when more issues against GMA's credibility are heating up. And of course, the same smarty pants "initial assessments" from the same cast of amateurs. Pasok Geary Barias!
And you might not believe in feng shui, but if I remember correctly, at the beginning of the Year of the Pig, geomancers such as Merlina Merton did predict that fiery elements would still be present this year in the form of bombs and explosions.
“…the elements of the Pig year are Fire over Water. Fire and water clash so the indications are another year of fighting and fiery events such as wildfire, bombs, explosions and political strife. But since this year the fire element is yin, which is not as strong as last year’s yang fire, the people and the forests will suffer less…” (Jazspitz.blogspot.com citing Phil. Star, Jan. 25, 2007)
Gasp! those wildfires in California!
Merton also predicts that the Presidentita will likely stay on until 2010. Shudder! Will Merton prove to be correct or be another Joseph Chau? (Funny that during the Chinese New Year feng shui writeups earlier this year,Chau evaded questions regarding GMA's term, still probably smarting from the ridicule he received from his incorrect prediction that Sherap would remain in office. I remember Chau's prediction very well...we published in on the front page of the old Manila Standard. Ach!)
Hilario Davide (Photo from Permanent Mission of RP to the UN)
MANILA, Philippines — Newly appointed election commissioner Moslemen Macarambon is not among those recommended by former chief justice Hilario Davide for the post, according to a report from the government watchdog Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN).
TAN executive director Vince Lazatin said the information was relayed to him by former Commission on Elections chairman Christian Monsod, who is in New York now and has spoken to Davide, now Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
“I just talked to Ambassador to the UN and former CJ Hilario Davide Jr. here in New York and he said that he never recommended Judge Moslemen Macarambon to the Comelec,” was Monsod's text message to Lazatin, which was forwarded to INQUIRER.net.
Malacañang had said that Macarambon was appointed to the Comelec on the recommendation of Davide, who was a presidential consultant on electoral reforms before he was posted to the UN.
"Trans-Asia, through its legal officer, apologized for the inconvenience and informed respondents that if the offered accommodation would not be acceptable to them, petitioner would be willing to refund the ticket. Despite the offer, Judge Moslemen Macarambon became furious and expressed his intention to bring the matter to court. Brandishing his calling card to petitioner’s employee, respondent judge said: “You know I am a judge. You should have accommodated me first."3 Rollo, p. 6. Respondents immediately disembarked from the vessel."
Senior Comelec officials told Newsbreak that Abalos’s resignation was long overdue. “We’ve been waiting (for his resignation) for the longest time. The Comelec suffered in credibility because of him,” said one poll official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of antagonizing Abalos. “He is leaving no legacy. Instead, he took everything away: integrity, honesty, transparency, good governance,” said another.
I think the Presidentita should take this opportunity to regain her lost credibility and for once appoint someone honest and respectable to head the Commission on Elections. Anyway, she can no longer run for President so she doesn't need anyone to fix the votes in her favor. Ay, but then she has that loser son pala, who couldn't make it in showbiz so now he's into politics also. Oh well...
