Bayan bago sarili

Oras na. Roxas na!

* * * *
BTW, I just wanted to alert everyone on the Black Ops being perpetrated by the camp of another presidentiable vs Noynoy and Mar. They labeled a can of sardine and bottled water w/ the "Operation Tulong Bayan Aquino-Roxas" and photographed via cellphone. Then they sent the photo out via Facebook, tagging columnists and his party-mates.

Operation Tulong Bayan was a movement set up in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy to collect donations and distribute them to the typhoon victims. Let me tell you that I was part of OTB along with hundreds of young people who selflessly volunteered their time to help our kababayan in need. We know for a fact that none of us put labels on those items w/c were distributed as it was a non-political effort. Many of them will be able to testify to this fact.

(At the OTB headquarters, in Sept. 2009: unlabeled care packages ready for distribution to typhoon victims. Photos by Stella Arnaldo)

(The kids who made Operation Tulong Bayan possible. Are you seriously accusing them of politicking?)

The entire world knows which presidential candidate labeled his Ondoy donations with his name and political colors. Just because his numbers in the surveys are still behind, he is now trying to turn the tables around, by accusing front runners Noynoy and Mar of the same. W/ all the money that this presidentiable has, he should've just use it instead to print more of his posters, bec. no one will believe this lame black ops. Besides the photo is four months late, nyeh! SMB! (Style mo bulok!)

Sorry kids, it's not working for me

(Photo from the Inquirer)
The caption is as follows: MY GRANDMA, MY PRESIDENT, MY HERO Michaela Gloria, Marie Angelique and Eva Victoria (from left) mob their grandma, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, after she delivers her State of the Nation Address on Monday. It is obvious that the children of Ms Arroyo’s sons, Representatives Mikey and Dato Arroyo, idolize her, which should make up for all the “bad words” she’s been getting for her SONA. JOE ARAZAS/CONTRIBUTOR

Gamitin ba naman props pa ang mga apo? icck.

* * * *
BTW, I just sneaked a peak at a few of the presidentita's Facebook profiles put up by her office (www.op.gov.ph), and the most number of friends she could gather was 2,457 friends as of today. Even one of the many fan pages put up by her unabashed supporters such as this, only show 1,346 fans. Gee, even admin senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has more friends at 3,241. Ah yes, even the presidentita's love Sen. Mar "bad words" Roxas, has close to 5,000 friends on one profile alone.

It's sad really when you're the leader of the land and people avoid you like the plague even on Facebook. Tsk, tsk.

Random thoughts

(Fr. Ed Panlilio's photo from Pinoy SME)

THE weather has really been making me a sleepy head so apologies for not writing anything for the past days. Anyhoo, I got a chance to catch up in my reading and hey, whaddya know, Fr. Ed Panlilio is running for President of this Glorias Nation of ours in 2010! Should we say "Woo-hoo!" to that? Well, pardon my lack of enthusiasm. You can call me a little bit old school, but I just think a priest belongs in Church not in politics, and especially not in Malacañang.

Sure, Fr. Ed may be honest, kind-hearted, and sincere in his desire to serve the people, but what about his calling from Christ to be w/ the people by saying Mass, hearing their confession, and forgiving their sins? We all know there aren't a lot of men out there who want to become priests, so losing one more, especially to politics doesn't bring the rest of us any closer to God.

With all due respect to Fr. Ed, I think he should go back to minister to his flock. He should speak to them of the heavenly Father's kindness, love, and generosity. After all, the real problem is our lack of morality and sinful ways...clearly, the provenance of a priest and not a politician. There are other honest, respectable and qualified people who can lead this country back to greatness. Fr. Ed should get out of politics before it ruins him.

* * * *
(Photo of Sen. Manny Villar via the Internet.)

So ex-Senate President Manny Villar has finally come out of hiding and his opening salvo for his presidential campaign is to meet w/ bloggers who rarely write about politics. Eh? Where was Manolo Quezon, Ricky Carandang, Ellen Tordesillas, or Manuel Buencamino? Tsk, tsk. Well I suppose, takot sya sa hard questions. This is obvious in the way he has been rejecting invites to open forums w/ other presidentiables. Of course, these bloggers, no offense, wouldn't know the first thing to ask about the "double insertion" case. (But then, that is the point in keeping Villar away from the political bloggers.)

Just to summarize, Villar stands accused of pushing for gov't funding for the C-5 extension road project, two times, at P200 million each time! And his real estate companies – Adelfa Properties and Golden Haven Memorial Parks – benefited from these double insertions. If that isn't a clear case of corruption, I don't know what is.

Look, I don't doubt that Villar worked hard when he was younger – having come from the lower rungs of society, and through ahem, sipag at tiyaga, became successful as a businessman. But let's call a spade a spade. Of course, marrying into the very wealthy Aguilar family of Las Piñas didn't hurt his chances to become an accomplished entrepreneur either.

Btw, preaching the gospel of entrepreneurship in a country where there is so much red tape in registering one's company, too many bribes to pay to get a business license, as well as corrupt BIR personnel who pocket the taxes these entrepreneurs pay, is just way too simplistic. It doesn't address the reality out there. First step in entrepreneurship is to have capital. And who has that except the folks who already have the money? You think anyone can walk into a bank and borrow funds to put up a business?

Anyhoo, going back to that double-insertion case pending in the Senate (and soon at the Ombusdman), that issue stands to be the largest obstacle in Villar's campaign, I think. He has yet to give credible answers about it. He wants to avoid the issue but really, he has no way but face up to it soon. Oh and btw, this isn't the first time Villar has been accused of corrupt practices and enriching himself. Just ask his newly-minted counsel for da defense Joker Arroyo.

* * * *
So why hasn't the presidentita approved the list of 22 medicines w/ recommended maximum retail prices. It's simple. She doesn't want to give Sen. MAR Roxas II an upper hand in his presidential campaign. She would rather withhold these vital medicines from our fellow kababayan, many of whom live in extreme poverty and illness, than give Roxas something to crow about in his campaign.

But see, no matter how she tries to play this, everyone knows that Roxas was the principal author of the Cheaper Medicines Act. And not signing that EO to put a cap on those vital drugs to treat the most common illnesses suffered by Filipinos, just continues to make her as the contravida in this issue. In the meantime, she keeps our kababayan sick while she'll be out gallivanting in DC, meeting w/ President Obama (finally pinansin sya! and yes, you and I are paying for that trip). So what else is new?

Here's the list of the 22 drugs in the MRP EO:

MRP

Pi !

NO, I'm not talking of that expletive famously uttered by Sen. MAR Roxas in a rally, but Philippine islands, the newest line from the Cebu-based Islands Souvenirs of the ever-busy Jay Aldeguer. Colonial Americanos called the Philippines "P.I." during their time and some of Pinoys abroad strangely still call the Philippines the same. I always try to disabuse them from using the term because of course, its current connotation is completely different.

(Guess what I got in the mail today!)

(Suspense muna...)
Anyhoo, I guess Jay thought it okay to bring the term back in fashion and since they are using a lowercase "i", it won't be mistaken for anything but "Philippine islands." But then, it could also mean the mathematical constant 3.1416. Hmmm...must ask Jay about this.

(Drum roll pls!)
I got one of the Pi shirts in the mail today, and although it's late for Independence Day, I love it! (Thanks Jay!) The shirt is uniquely Pinoy as most of Islands Souvenirs' products are. In his letter Jay says:"The slogan of our new line is 'Wear Your Pride,' where we aim to inspire the love of country in all Filipinos especially the youth of today."

Just brilliant and truly reflective of Jay's love of country! The Pi line is available in all Islands Souvenirs outlets nationwide. And to all those who've been bugging me about how they can order Islands Souvenirs shirts online, Jay says he will have a transaction site up and running very soon. So, abangan.

(Tadaah! Cute noh? I think I'll wear this to the next anti-Con-Ass rally.)

It must be love, Sabel

Sure, I admit that I was among those who were cynical about their relationship in the beginning. Those of us in the sidelines watching his career in government and were aware of the chismis surrounding Roxas’s and Sanchez’s respective love lives before they encountered each other, didn’t give the coupling a high batting average, so to speak. (Click Something Like Life for the rest.)

(Sen. Mar Roxas serenades fiancée Korina Sanchez with the song “Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal” in a traditional Filipino pamanhikan to the Sanchez family in Merville, Parañaque, with entertainers Tado, lef, and Jason Gainza. Roxas formally asked for permission from the Sanchez family to marry Korina on June 14, 2009. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SEN. MAR ROXAS’S OFFICE)

(That's certainly not the Cha-Cha!)
(Sanchez with friends: former beauty queen Dang Cecilio and ABS-CBN head of special projects, Chit Guerrero)
(The couple's respective families pose for a souvenir shot. From left, seated, Roxas' aunts Stella Marquez-Araneta and Baby Araneta Fores, mom Judy Araneta Roxas, aunt Ruby Roxas, Sanchez' aunt Leticia Baluyut, and civic leader, possible ninang Rosa Rosal; Standing, from left: Roxas' uncle Vicente Roxas, Sen. Roxas, Sanchez, Roxas' uncle Jorge Araneta, and Sanchez' uncle Eduardo Baluyut.)

Interesting reads

SPENT most of the day reading and picked up some entertaining bits. Enjoy!

On CNN something nice about the Philippines for once:

"Taxis are the best way to negotiate the city, and they're cheap and plentiful, but it's worth jumping into the back of a crazily colorful jeepney at least once, just for the experience." (Click here for the rest.)

Only an iReport but at least as Pangs says, CNN pa din. And I'm glad it mentions Apartment 1B, one my fave restos in the Salcedo Village area, and the Saturday Salcedo Market. Too bad no mention of sungit Lola who makes the best kuhol sa gata there! Haha.

To those who said it wouldn't happen, eto na!

"The 52-year-old senator, dressed in a striped light-blue, buttoned-down shirt over black trousers, sang an old Tagalog love song to Korina. Comedians Tado and Jason Gainza accompanied Mar on the guitar.

"The 44-year-old Korina, in a light-bronze sleeveless dress, joined in the singing. ‘To keep Mar on-key,' explained a family friend who attended. Epy repeatedly reminded the audience, ‘He’s a senator [not a singer].’ " (Click here. Photo from Mar and Korina's blog.)

And guess who this cutie is?


He already has the confidence of a star even at 12 y.o. Click here to find out.

Images from the Makati rally

I attended the rally versus HR 1109/Con-Ass and Charter Change (Cha-Cha) yesterday, in Makati City. Here are some images from the protest action. Anyone who says the rally didn't gather enough participants should get some spectacles.

Merry Christmas people!

WELL, it is the first of June and almost half of the year is over. You betcha Christmas will sneak up on us faster than you can sing 'Grandmagotrunoverbyareindeer!'

More importantly though, it's amazing that most of us are still on our feet. We still have our jobs, the love of family and friends, have a roof over our heads and can still eat three basic meals a day. Many of us are still relatively healthy, dear readers. Forget all the petty annoyances and insignificant idiots who sometimes make life hell for us. Let's just be grateful for being able to wake up each morning and getting up on our feet. And getting on w/ our lives. Woo-hoo!

(Another reason to rejoice: It's the first day of the new schoolyear so the kids in the village are outta here! Yay! It's so quiet I could cry, haha!)

* * * *
Just read this on the news: The runup to the presidential elections in 2010 sure looks tight if you read the latest survey of Pulse Asia.

Just look at this table of survey results:

(Screenshot of Pulse Asia survey results from ABS-CBN News)

Most remarkable of all is MAR Roxas, formerly a kulelat, is now among the top 5 candidates, after gaining 5 points since the Feb. 2009 survey. Would it be the Korina factor you think? Ooh, if this keeps up, I see a wedding by December. Joke!

Seriously, I think I'll take Korina over Nikki Teodoro anytime. The Defense Secretary, btw, is hardly rating. Then again, it's less than 11 months to presidential elections. Anything can still happen between now and May 11, 2008.

To be frank though, even if Gilbert Teodoro does do an FVR (i.e. form his own party, as his wife has threatened, ugh) if PaLaKa, the administration party, doesn't nominate him as its presidential standard bearer, I think he lacks the political savvy, charm, and connections of the old man. You may recall that FVR had been around the political universe even during Marcos' time w/c allowed him to tap those old powerful networks when he ran in 1992.

Teodoro has hardly the financial muscle and TV face time like his 2010 rivals, who've been hogging the headlines and airtime far longer than him. If only he can get his Tito Danding to drop Chiz Escudero, who really is much too young (not to mention, overmemorized) to be leading this country, then Teodoro has a larger chance to make the rest of the country know him a bit better.

(FVR and GMA Photo from Supreme Master Ching.)

Other than that, I wish the opposition can just get their act together and agree on one common candidate. It's the only way to defeat the PaLaKa/administration candidate, whoever it may be. It's time these guys think about the country for once, instead of furthering their own petty interests. Yun na!

* * * *
AY, hindi pa pala. How true is that FVR and the presidentita already kissed and made up? And over glasses of cognac? Click here. Well, should we have expected something more respectable from our 'elder statesman'? Ugh.

Is MAR Roxas turning green?

WELL, not quite. I can assure all the Ateneans out there that the good senator remains a blue blood despite wading into a sea of La Sallians two weeks ago. (The rest at Something Like Life.)

(from left: Ronnie Concepcion, head of the Consumer and Oil Price Watch, and Jorge Araneta, president of The Araneta Group.)

(Peter Coyiuto, president/CEO of First Life; Ria Roxas-Ojeda; Cecile Cacho; and Dr. Elton See Tan, chairman emeritus, American California Bank)


(MAR in an Archers' cap w/ Cesar de Larrazabal, Bunjie Uichico, Sunny Velasco, and Jayjay Malixi)

(MAR w/ La Salle Greenhills HS Class of 1969)

(Banker/businessman Eric Filamor and former Tourism secretary Tony Gonzalez.)

(Ex-Finance chief Cesar Purisima with Knowledge Channel Foundation president Rina Lopez-Bautista, and lawyer Manolo Roxas.)

Chiz plays coy

I hate to be so crabby on a Monday, but Chiz Escudero's drama managed to irritate me this morning.

"Given the lack of age requirement, I cannot categorically state that I am running. There is a proper time for such declaration. While others may have openly declared their intention to run, I respect their right to do so and wish them the best," he said.
"So when am I declaring? You can ask me again after my birthday on October 10, 2009," Escudero added. (Read the rest here.)

But two days ago, he said this:

"I am running because we need a leader that can provide solutions to the unemployment problem, the clamor of teachers for higher salaries and [I am] a man that could address the issue on hunger and poverty," he told reporters here. (Read the rest here.)

Hah! I knew there was something not right about Chiz. This kid is just all talk. Glib, glib, glib.

Btw, why does every Tom, Dick, and Harry for President thinks he's the next Barack Obama? First, Jojo Binay, now Chiz Escudero? Who next? Loren Legarda, too? Gads.

Enough! MAR Roxas 2010 pa rin!

LP Senatorial bets in 2010

According to Liberal Party stalwart, and former senator Frank Drilon, these are the people being eyed for the party's senatorial lineup in the 2010 elections:

Isabela Governor Grace Padaca, Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, former education secretary and Batanes Rep. Florencio “Butch” Abad Jr., Muntinlupa Rep. Rufino Biazon, Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tanada III, former congressman Nereus Acosta, beauty and fitness expert Cory Quirino, and Drilon.

To this, my friends raised on a steady diet of Sesame Street would sing: "One of these things is not like the other, which one is different, do you know?"

2009 na, pero JuicekoLord pa rin!

All I want for Christmas...

Something Like Life
BusinessMirror
Dec. 19, 2008

ONCE a year, I usually try to get other people to do my job by asking them to contribute their thoughts for my Christmas column...hahaha. This time I’ve asked a number of friends here and abroad to tell me what they wish for this holiday season. Not that I’m in any position to grant any of them.

A few of them are new friends and familiar names you read in our “very interesting, award-winning paper” almost every day. Others, meanwhile, are friends from way back whom I’ve been able to reconnect with via Facebook. (Okay, here I go again, but as Pangs would say, “If you’re not on Facebook, you don’t exist!” And no, Connie, I am not spending too much time on it that you should look for a boyfriend for me. Then again, sige, look for a boyfriend for me, or at least a part-time lover, preferably 30 years young and below, nyahaha!)

So I asked if they had any wish, and barring any thought to the cost of the gift, what would they want to receive this Christmas? I told my friends it didn’t matter if it was something as simple as the new Apple iPhone 3G or as fantastic as a ride on the space shuttle, or perhaps an audience with the Pope or the Dalai Lama and, while we’re at it, how about a house in Alaska so you can see Russia from your backyard?! The thing was to just take the question and give me answers off the top of their heads.

I also strictly instructed them that they not give me any “let there be peace on Earth” answers, or any response that would be worthy of a contestant in the Miss Universe pageant (or worse, the Bb. Pilipinas...oops!). Of course, there are still those who persisted in gunning for the Miss Congeniality award, but most let it rip and thought out of the box.

(Chef Sau del Rosario)

So Merry Christmas everybody! Read on and find out what’s on everyone else’s wish list this Yuletide season.

• Sen. MAR Roxas II, Liberal Party presidential candidate for the 2010 elections

A few days rest in Baguio, a good book, a fireplace to read by and Korina beside me.

• Chef Sau del Rosario, culinary consultant and owner, Kingdom, a Thai restaurant in Angeles, Pampanga

Can I ask for a driver as a Christmas wish? Okay, somebody give me an iPhone since I cannot afford it anymore after paying all my staff and chefs their 13th-month pay and bonuses. I still own this old Sony Ericsson P910i which I lost in Cebu and was returned to me—maybe because it is too old to keep. Hahaha. Seriously, can I get a driver, Santa?

• Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service, media darling

Get a job abroad with a good retirement plan; get off the fast track in my public career; my only grandkid will be driven by less demons than I have; my second grandkid coming next year will not suffer hang-ups over me; and that I shall die ahead of everybody else I love.

• Rowena “Weng” Orejana, ex-reporter of ABS-CBN News and recently landed migrant in Auckland, New Zealand, with husband Gene Orejana and their four children.

I wish for a job this Christmas. Hahaha. But seriously, I need one so I can get my permanent residency here. It would give us the stability we need.

• Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr., head of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

My Christmas wish is to be able to wake up and watch the sunrise with my wife, Elma, on Christmas Island in Kiribati, the first inhabited island where the rays of a new year strike, because I would always want to begin the day with her.


(Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. and wife Elma)
• Neric Acosta, former congressman of the First District of Bukidnon, now professor at the Asian Institute of Management and environment advocate

I’d wish for WATER, WATER, WATER...fresh, clean, gurgling, abundant, life-giving water...so concretely, I’d ask for a thousand indigenous tree seedlings for every village to plant in a watershed area. I saw this flourishing in the Greenbelt Movement of Kenya when I visited with Prof. Wagari Maathai in 2005, the year she won the Nobel Peace Prize. If each village planted hundreds of trees every Christmas, we’d be healing a battered Earth and reaping the bounties of a greener, cleaner country for years to come. Oh, and one more Christmas gift: a ticket to witness the Obama presidential inauguration.


More star-studded Christmas wish-lists next week...

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. Photos, except for Chef Sau's, are courtesy of the profiled interviewees.)

Ebola in your pork

OKAY, I'm really swearing off pork now. Sure, I've said it before, and have fallen off the wagon since Christmas last year (ang sarap kasi ng jamon!), but this time I truly, sincerely mean it.

So the Dept. of Agriculture is saying that the ebola reston virus is only specific to hogs. It won't transfer to humans and infect us like the ebola virus which makes people literally bleed through every orifice in their head (nose, mouth, eyes). But the ebola virus that broke out in the African continent, if you recall, was transmitted via animals (birds, reptiles, amphibians) as well. One gets infected if he is exposed to contaminated blood of these animals.

What is troubling is that the ebola reston virus, is actually airborne. So potentially, it could be more fatal. Btw, didn't they say that the mad cow disease was specific to cows also? And yet so many people died from mad cow disease after eating tainted beef.

So uh-uh, I'm not taking any chances. I'm quitting pork.

* * * *
SO why are some people raising a fuss about MAR Roxas cussing in public? and against the Cha-cha? E nainis sya talaga, so WTF?! I know some people in Malacañang who use cuss words worse than your P*****I**, and in Spanish at that!

Tigilan mo na' yang drama mo, Jess Dureza. You're just trying to divert attention from the real issue, w/c is the evil, diabolical, and sinister Cha-Cha move of your amo the presidentita and her minions. Talk about "stooping so low"...I think engaging in corrupt activities like this government has, and the presidentita trying to extend her term beyond Constitutional limits are even lower and more foul than MAR using crude language.

P*****I** talaga!

The fuss over the euro generals and Joc-Joc's arrival

SO there's gonna be a Senate hearing today on this "euro generals" case. Asa pa kayo something will come out of it. This thing is gonna drag on as usual, and straight into next week, just as fertilizer scammer Joc-joc Bolante comes home from the U.S., after being deported by the U.S. immigration authorities. (Btw, props to Sen. MAR Roxas for persuading the U.S. gov't to deport Joc-joc to the Philippines and not to Hong Kong w/c was the latter's port of origin as he fled the country before the Senate's investigation on his scamming began.)

(Police Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, 3rd from lef, presents an award to outgoing Regional Director PCSupt Eliseo dela Paz during the turnover of Police Regional Office 8 at Camp Kangleon, Palo, Leyte, May 21, 2008. Photo from PIA. Tsk, tsk, sinayang ang pagka-award winning.)

Not to belittle naman this euro generals case, but I think a Senate investigation is uncalled for. Eliseo dela Paz, former financial comptroller of the Phil. National Police has admitted his mistake. He apologized for it. And he is supposed to return the funds. Is there a deeper reason why he did what he did? Maybe. But as far as I'm concerned, tapos na ang issue and all media has to do now is follow up on the liquidation of the funds used for this trip. Media has to make sure the Commission on Audit reviews the uses of these funds. If these were cash advances indeed from the PNP coffers, then they should be covered by the appropriate paperwork.

Why were the wives included in this trip? If they paid for the trip from their own pockets, wala tayong pakialam. Obvious bang they wanted to do some sightseeing? and shopping? But if they used government funds, and it's easy to check that by looking into the records of the travel agency which arranged the trip or the PNP records mismo, then a case can be filed against the PNP for misappropriation of funds. Or just have these wives fork over the cash covering their trip arrangements. To punish their Takosa (takot sa asawa) husbands naman, the PNP or the DILG leadership should withhold a portion of Dela Paz's pension benefits (e kasi stupid sha, nagpahuli e!), and suspend the other officials who brought their wives on that trip.

With Senadora Tililing at the forefront of this investigation, I suspect the administration is using this as a smokescreen so the public won't notice Joc-joc's arrival next week. Is this Senate investigation the "pressing matter" that Sen. Edgardo Angara has been referring to as his reason not to pursue the Joc-Joc Bolante case? (Palibhasa sipsip ka ke GMA.) Why is it only Sen. MAR Roxas the one concerned with this case? Why isn't the Senate pressing the arrest of Joc-Joc? Are you telling us that when the scammer arrives next week, he will just casually waltz into town like nothing happened? Avavava gardner!

MAR goes after Joc-joc's loot

SENATOR ROXAS URGES
‘Probe Bolante’s US bank accounts’

INQUIRER.net 10/04/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II on Saturday said he sought the assistance of various United States government agencies in recovering the P728-million fertilizer fund or parts of it believed to have been deposited in bank accounts and assets of former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante in the US.

In separate letters to three US agencies involved in finding illicit funds, the Liberal Party president asked “for an exhaustive and comprehensive financial investigation” on Bolante’s bank accounts and assets in the US in line with the principles of truth and accountability in public offices.

He addressed this appeal for assistance to, among others, Stuart Levey, Undersecretary, Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Department of Treasury; Mark Sullivan, Director, Financial Crimes Division, Secret Service; and Matthew Friedrich, Acting Assistant Attorney-General, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, Criminal Division, Department of Justice. (Click MAR sics Joc-joc)

IT'S about time someone stood up and went after all the money that Joc-Joc Bolante stole from us taxpayers. And I'm glad it's Sen. MAR Roxas who's doing it. Even though Bolante is his kasinmanwa (both of them are from Capiz), Sen. MAR shows that he means business when it comes to battling corruption.

I think that makes him a good candidate for President in 2010, dontcha think? I don't think this is just for show. Why would he waste his breath writing all those U.S. federal agencies if he were not serious in this mission? He already made an appeal even to US Ambassador to Manila Kirstie Kenney. I hope the feds respond promptly to this request considering they have already denied asylum to Bolante. They know the guy is guilty and hiding all his money in the States. I mean how can this guy afford to buy a house in the States, in Australia and another house in Ayala, Alabang (aside from the first one he earlier acquired while in the private sector) on a salary of a mere undersecretary?

I'm surprised the Anti-Money Laundering Council, which is attached to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (central bank) didn't take the initiative in trying to track down Bolante's loot. After all, the Senate already proclaimed him the architect of the fertilizer fund scam in 2006. Imagine the AMLC took two years before it froze Bolante's bank accounts, which, as everyone has probably guessed, all empty.

Sige, sic 'em MAR! Bring that kawatan back to Manila and prosecute his pants off!

(MAR photo from the Senator's web site.)

Yay for Obama! MAR and CHIZ in 2010

WHEW! It took the Democratic Party a long time to decide this, but you must admire the political process in the U.S., despite the lengthy number of caucauses, the process left very little room to doubt who was the best person for the position as presidential candidate of the party. (Compare that to here in the Philippines where anyone who wants to run for President, can run despite the lack of the right credentials, education, even intelligence. Basta marunong sumayaw, kumanta, at mag-joke, uubra na. Hay!

* * *
Anyhoo, I like Barack Obama. I think he is a refreshing change (that word again) from the string of presidential hopefuls who've arisen in the last few decades in the U.S. He has both street cred and Beltway cred. He represents everything that is possible in the U.S., that anyone can make it, no matter what race you belong to, as long as one works hard and gives it his/her best.

Sure Hillary Clinton is an accomplished woman too, but it was pretty obvious that she would do anything to get herself elected...even wish Obama dead. (Remember the faux pas on the RFK comparison?) She reminded me so much of the presidentita...so determined to become president just because.

W/c is what eventually turned off a lot of the superdelegates in the Democratic Party...they saw Hillary was willing to sacrifice party unity for the sake of herself. And now, she wants to be VP to Obama. Ang kapal talaga grabeh! It was her own ego that ruined it for her. Lolah, if it ain't your time, don't force the issue. Go back to the Senate where you belong!

While Obama isn't exactly the most perfect candidate ever, it is pretty obvious that he has the heart. He has the sincerity. He wants to run for President because he really thinks he can make a difference. Can Hillary say the same for herself?

* * *
The November presidential elections in the U.S. is only five months away, and already signs are pointing to a stronger dollar. Even local economists are saying that if Democrats win, there is a chance that the U.S. economy will make a turnaround, and this can only impact on the sputtering world economy. Even here in the Philippines, we will see the effects of a Democrat win, in terms of more exports, and a depreciated peso which will help the families of OFWs.

But more than the economy, I think the U.S. elections will be another vote on the Iraq War. Americans want to get out of it. And they will trust someone who voted against going to war in the first place. So I predict an overwhelming Obama win agains GOP candidate Sen. John McCain. The U.S. needs to get its self-respect back.

The November elections will be the most widely anticipated new event of the year. And I'm keeping my eyes glued to CNN.

* * *
(MAR and CHIZ, the team to beat in 2010)

Back in our neck of the woods, my favorite manghuhula is saying that so far, no one can hold up a candle to MAR Roxas in 2010. While he is a tough sell because of his de buena familia roots w/c the masa will have a difficult time to relate to, he will still win the presidency against say, Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, even Ping Lacson.

And while there are many people already jockeying for the position as MAR's VP – two of them being former Senator Joey Lina and also Sen. Loren Legarda –Aling Chona says the best VP for MAR is Chiz Escudero. According to her, Chiz will be able to make MAR accessible to the masses, because of his friendly personality, his fluency in Filipino, and his intelligence which does not turn off people, like some intellectuals do (including MAR).

Although it seems this team-up is an impossibility (MAR is from the Liberal Party, while Chiz is from the Nationalista Party/UNO), I trust the political old hands in both parties will see the wisdom in joining forces. It is time for the youth to take over the reins of political power in this country and show the disenfranchised among the voters that there is hope after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and traditional politics.

To Joey Lina, Aling Chona says, matulog ka nalang. To Loren, stay in the Senate. Ping, while he would make a good VP to MAR as well, will not want to consider this lower position at all...sayang!

As for the question on whether MAR and his ghelfren will get married...secret! I won't tell.

Btw, Aling Chona advises MAR to smile more often. It will make you look more friendly. Masyado kang serious noh? C'mon MAR show off those pearly whites!

* * *
Oh yeah, there is going to be a 2010 election, according to Aling Chona. That's the good news. The bad news is...the presidentita will stay in power 'til then. (Do I hear booing amongst you?)

It is just the presidentita's fate. She was meant to be the Chief Executive of this great land of ours (it doesn't matter whether she did it legitimately or not), and has the steely determination to remain in power. But she is tired as well. So the likelihood of the presidentita doing a Marcos or changing the Constitution to keep her in power after 2010, is dim. Pagod na ang lolah nyo, people.

Ang masasabi ko lang...AMEN!

(To the politicos who want to know their fate in 2010, Aling Chona is available for readings at Palmistry, 2nd Floor of the V-Mall (formerly Virra Mall), Greenhills Shopping Center.)

Pathetic

THAT'S how most people felt about the serial coup plotters' caper yesterday. Parang, ano na naman ba yan?! I don't really understand why Trillanes and company actually thought people were going to join them in their idiotic cause when they weren't successful the first time around. Remember 2003 boys? Then they said they were ready to die for their cause and all that crap, but what happened? they surrendered. Then Trillanes had to cry to his mommy to get him out of his predicament. The poor woman had to go Malacanang and beg the Presidentita not to harm him!

This time around, Trillanes and his group said they decided to give up because they didn't want the media covering them to be hurt. Lemme tell you guys a thing or two about journalists who were covering yesterday's stunt. I know most of them, have covered the field with them...they are all battle-hardy journalists who have been to war-torn areas in the country. They have risked life and limb in the name of covering a good story.

Yesterday was no different. They chose to cover the coup-lang sa pansin rebels, because it was their job. If anything had happened to them in the event that government troops had attacked Trillanes and company, no one would have blamed the government. They put their lives on the line in the name of a scoop, an enterprising story, and public service. The media's presence just provided a convenient excuse for Trillanes' group to stop their foolishness. I'm not surprised many of the Magdalo soldiers, those who stand co-accused with Trillanes for the 2003 coup attempt, didn't join him this time around. Once burned, twice shy.

We are all aware of the Presidentita's illegitimacy, her and her husband's corrupt bent, so too her henchmen, but a coup would not solve these problems. C'mon, didn't you think things would change when Marcos and Estrada were booted out of power? Corruption got worse. For a young democracy such as ours (compared to 'older' countries like the U.S., for example), the path towards real honest and competent governance is often, and will continue to be bumpy. We just have to keep trying. Perhaps things may change a bit with someone like MAR Roxas as President in 2010.

Anyway, let's hope this weekend turns out to be more quiet and peaceful.

MAR ROXAS in 2010 (with updates)

SO there, I'm supporting MAR Roxas for President of this crazy republic of ours in 2010. There isn't any other intelligent choice is there? (Sure there's also Manny Villar but he's still playing coy about his presidential ambitions. Don't be fooled, we hear his biography is currently in the works, despite his pronouncements that he isn't thinking of 2010 yet.) Besides my family, and the clan we belong to, have been Liberal Party supporters for the longest time.

(My mom and dad, for instance, were very active in the campaigns of MAR's father, the late Gerry Roxas, back in the day. Gerry Roxas was senator from 1963 until Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972, always a topnotcher in the elections. In 1965, Roxas ran as Vice President to Diosdado Macapagal's Presidential bid, and lost by less than 30,000 (!) votes to Fernando Lopez, the slimmest margin in Philippine electoral history. Btw, I had the privilege of interviewing former VP Lopez at the old Benpres building in Pasig sometime in 1989, when I was just starting my career as a journalist. )

To be fair, MAR may have not been in fighting form much during his helm as Trade and Industry Secretary (and sometimes he has selective memory about the people he meets), but I've seen him change and become more outspoken and palaban in his positions and statements, now that he is Senator. He performed extremely well during the ZTE-NBN deal hearings, asking very insightful questions. Also, perhaps with his background as an investment banker, MAR can place his bets on better economic policies and investment schemes for the Philippines. From the Sick Man of Asia, the Philippines has no way to go but up right? And yet under the Presidentita we've seen the country sinking further, and no amount of GDP figures can change that fact. That 7% GDP hasn't been translated to more jobs and higher wages for us has it?

With his family's decent background, I have no doubt that corruption will not taint MAR's tenure. I'm sure he's still earning lots from financial investments he's made before he became a politician that he doesn't have to go into el cheapo corrupt activities like you-know-who, just to sustain the lifestyle he's long been accustomed to. He's a smart chap, let's hope he picks only honest, competent, intelligent technocrats to be part of his Cabinet. (Neric Acosta for DENR Secretary for example.) There are a lot of qualified people out there just waiting for the right person to head this country before agreeing to serve the public.

Only thing that I (and many of MAR's supporters) are having a problem with is his, ehem, love life. Not the nicest girl in the world, and definitely very ambisyosa. Hon, those pearl earrings are just way too large!

But then MAR really doesn't have to get married does he? Maybe we should have a bachelor heading up the country for once so he can focus more on the job of governing the country instead of keeping his family and relatives happy. Besides, all marital alliances are for the purpose of perpetuating one's genes into the next generation, and MAR already has got that job done. A First Lady can just be an annoying distraction. Look what happened to Marcos. Besides, it's not like MAR is creating a precedent. Tita Cory was "single", a widow, when she assumed power in Malacañang.

Anyway, here's a clip from GMA News TV re: MAR's election as president of the Liberal Party, following in the footsteps of his late father, and grandfather, Manuel A. Roxas, president of the Republic, and founder of the LP in 1945.



Btw, I think it would be infinitely simpler and less chaotic if the country returns to the two-party system, much like U.S. Let's just have the LP and the Nacionalista Party field candidates to narrow down the choices for our kababayan, and weed out the incompetents and the plain greedy ambitious types.

After all the Presidentita and her husband's spine-chilling antics, it's time all politicos put the needs of the Philippines first, before their own interests. So Loren, please run for VP nalang?

UPDATE: Btw, I think Ping Lacson would make a good VP to MAR. Natakot ba kayo bigla? I'm serious. First of all it would be foolish for Lacson to throw his hat in the presidential elections considering that he (and you too Loren) doesn't have that much funds compared to MAR and Manny Villar. And having more than two presidential candidates would just split the votes and the country might just end up having another minority president like FVR was. But just imagine, MAR will take care of the economy and Lacson will handle the security issues. Whip those corrupt cops in line and rid our country of terrorists! If only Lacson can tame his ambitions for the country's good. O di ba Dream Team?

Let the games begin!