Dora my niece is very irritable since this morning, I really don’t know , in as much as I try to understand what she’s trying to communicate, sorry for me I can not just get it. She is two years old by the way. So in the middle of her incessant cries, we chanced upon manny villar’s 2010 presidential commercial.  Dora stopped crying, started to watch the commercial, smiles as if she understood what the infomercial is trying to convey.  Must be the kids singing that  captured her attention, added to that is the melody. After the informercial, she wanted more and more , thank god for youtube! It saved my nanny day with my niece. Whoever is behind the commercial, Hey you got my niece’s attention! if only she could vote lol! okay, okay, Im having the lss syndrome right now because of the long youtube replay. .. si villar and tunay na mahirap, si villar and tunay na may malasakit! Gee trust me! Im on my verge of memorizing the lyrics!

My niece dora

Here’s the manny villar informercial that catched my niece’s attention:

Now that the 2010 elections are just around the corner, surveys are coming out of the woodwork–fast and furious. Aside from the professional survey outfits that have gained national credibility in previous elections, some others are trying to get into the big league or have come across as fly-by-night outfits.

Take for example the race for presidency. The Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia came out with their latest results. The SWS survey covered the period from November 4-8, 2009 while Pulse Asia covered December 8-10, 2009.

The results are basically identical to each other and to the ones in October and September, 2009. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III continues to maintain his estimated 45-47% share of the votes compared to Manuel “Manny” Villar’s 21-23% share. This is basically a 2-1 advantage.

This is bad news for the Villar camp and other presidential candidates. August 5 is already four months ago by last December 8. For Noynoy  to maintain his survey standing this long proves that he has a solid political base to stand on and that the Cory factor is not the only one that propelled him to the forefront.

Villar and Joseph “Erap” Estrada benefited from the withdrawal of  “Chiz” Escudero from the presidential race. Noynoy and Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro were less benefited.

Erap got 19% of the Pulse Asia survey and had the most gains, coming from an 11% standing in October. It is evident that Manny Villar would have to get this Erap vote to even reach a position to seriously challenge Noynoy’s standing. Failure to do so will prove fatal to his bid. The same can be said for Erap’s own bid.

If the trends persist to the end of January 2010, the whole opposition to Noynoy will have to pool resources behind a single candidate to seriously challenge him.

Or, adopt desperate measures, perhaps, to stop a juggernaut?

It is a done deal. Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza are running under the Nacionalista Party banner as senatorial candidates.  So, it seems that the representatives of the Maoist left are accepting the fact that they would be in the same list as Bongbong Marcos. It must have taken all  kinds of ideological gymnastics  to pull off  this kind of thing.

Why are they doing it? Well, in short, they want to  become senators. Running as independents would not get them enough votes to become senators. Besides, I think they will be able to get campaign money with the alliance with NP. They will just have to swallow some of their principles by running together with Bongbong Marcos.

They would have wanted to run under the LP with Noynoy and Mar Roxas. But the problem was that the LP did not want them. So, it had to be the NP. Because outside the LP and NP, the choices would have been either Lakas-Kampi of GMA or Erap’s PMP. And these choices would have been even worse for them.

It is a case of the “politics is addition” principle.  Villar calculates that the voters for Marcos, and that of Makabayan, don’t have to vote for each other, but that they may vote Villar for president. And that means that Villar has something to gain from having both in his ticket.

All this is fine, except that Ocampo and Maza are supposedly representing the revolutionary left. What happens to the revolution then? I think this is simply a case of sealing the fact that Makabayan (and Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakpawis) have long ceased to be revolutionary. That they are in fact, propping up the very system that they supposedly want to overthrow. That they not only benefit from the status quo, but actively support it.

For the CPP bosses that decided on this matter, watch out: when Ocampo and Maza become senators, they may be too powerful, and too much part of the status quo to go against it. Their election as senators may signal their leaving the “centralism” of the party line.

Philippine left backs Villar, Legarda

by Carmela Fonbuena, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 12/14/2009 1:52 PM

MANILA, Philippines – After months of courtship, presidential candidate Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP) succeeded in getting the support of the leftist group Makabayan. Senatorial aspirants Bayan Muna Satur Ocampo and Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza on Monday officially joined the NP senatorial ticket as “guest candidates.” Ocampo and Maza bring with them the support of the eight party-list groups under Makabayan–Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis, Kabataan, Katribu, Migrante, Courage, and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers. “Matagal pinag-usapan ang pagsasamang ito. Di naging madali sa magkabilang panig dahil alam kong ito ay kauna-unahang pagkakataon. Nagsimula sa maraming pagkakaiba, sa pagwawakas konti lang pala pagkakaiba,” Villar said at a press conference in Quezon City. “I am extremely happy with this partnership,” he added. It is the first time that the leftist alliance is officially supporting presidential and vice-presidential candidates. “Ganun kalaki ang pagtingin namin sa mga kandidatong ito,” said Ocampo’s colleague in Bayan Muna, Rep. Teodoro Casiño. Backs NP platform “Amin pong kinausap lahat ng seryosong deklaradong kandidato ng oposisyon…. Sinuri namin ang kanilang plataporma. Ang lupon ng NP ang pinakaangkop na plataporma na dapat madala [sa Malacañang],” said Ocampo. Ocampo called the partnership a “mutual adoption” of platforms: Makabayan adopts the NP’s platform while the NP adopts Makabayan’s platform. Villar said the NP’s platform is similar to Makabayan’s core beliefs–”pagmamahal sa bayan, pagmamahal sa mahirap, at pagmamahal sa kalikasan.” However, Ocampo said they are only supporting Villar and Legarda. Whether or not they will support the other senatorial candidates of the NP will have to be further discussed, added Ocampo. No to Bongbong The son and namesake of martial law President Ferdinand Marcos is still on the NP senatorial slate as guest candidate. Maza admitted that Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.’s positions on human rights abuses during his father’s administration and on the Marcos ill-gotten wealth cases make it difficult for them to support him. “Maganda kung makuha ni Bongbong ang pagkakaton na ma-settle ito. It’s a good opportunity to heal that past,” said Maza. Last week, the NP cut its ties with the Marcos party, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (New Society Party). It is believed to be a concession to Makabayan, which did not want to be allied with the former dictator’s party. In a paper distributed during the press conference, Villar said “justice and indemnification will be provided to the victims of human rights abuses under the martial law regime as well as under succeeding governments.” Should Villar win, these will have to be prioritized under his administration, Ocampo said. Legarda also vowed to push for reforms in the agricultural sector, a major advocacy of the leftist groups. — (by Carmela Fonbuena, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbre Tags: manny villar, villar, senator villar, carmela fonbuena, presidential 2010, legarda

To date, Gibo Teodoro’s primary Facebook profile is nearing the 13,000 fan mark. There are several other pages, profiles, and groups with a lower number, but slowly and steadily gaining ground as well.

The Official Page had around half of the current number of supporters weeks ago. In fact, the so-called low ratings in SWS and Pulse Asia surveys plus the low turnover in his Official Facebook Page is something the “competition” is always laughing out loud about. Just see the widely-circulating image below:

But that was then. We are talking about now and, more importantly, the future.

Imagine what would happen if we just let others realize as well why Gibo is the logical choice. Why Gibo is the right choice. Why Gibo is the responsible choice. Time is of the essence. Fortunately, we’re on the right track.

Keep on fighting!

Official Facebook Page of Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III
Official Facebook Page of Manny Villar
Official Facebook Page of Gilbert ‘Gibo’ Teodoro, Jr.

I watched ANC’s presidential forum yesterday or two days ago whichever fits the time zone you’re at. It was quite disappointing really. Of course, we thank the media for hosting such an event. Forums and debates help political awareness and do strengthen our democracy. However, I do find even our forums and debates as immature (for lack of better word) as our democracy. It’s definitely hard to compare our debates with the US since they have a party system, but then again we can model ours the same way as they do it when choosing party standard bearers wherein there are around eight candidates as well. I digress. What I’m trying to point out though is that the level of discussion present during the forum was very shallow. They were all as some candidates admitted motherhood statements and some weren’t because the candidates intended them to be as such but because some questions simply weren’t good.

I write this post based all on what I remember to make this more of what stood out the most in that debate. Hopefully that would be enough to give you an idea of how it transpired. After all, only those that stand out really matter when it comes to public opinion. Before I go to the candidates themselves I’d like to delve on the questions and the setup of the whole thing. There were a few good questions, no scratch that I can’t really think of any stand out good question. They were all typical obvious questions which were enough to give us an idea of the candidates, but there were also questions that, for me, were simply not at par with such a serious talk. The question I felt was wasted the most was the one about lying. It went something like: “Was there an instance you ever lied or cheated?” I don’t know why anyone would ask a political candidate this because we all know none of them would admit to lying or cheating even if they did. If there’s one thing this question can do is give them a leeway to come up with a small talk about white lies which Senator Noynoy cleverly did. More so, when the candidates were given the opportunities to rebut and reply, the question was simply undebatable. They should have picked a topic that is very controversial but also very important, something like Charter Change or RH bill. Instead they talk about the first three steps to solve the Ampatuan Massacre. (I find it interesting how this massacre has been recognized as such, making it a very loaded and biased term against the Ampatuans. Not that I am defending them or anything.) There really are no pro and con sides to such a topic. Add to this the fact that this set up and change of dynamics was far too complicated for our  ex-president Estrada who seemed very lost when he used his rebuttal time for his main “argument”. I also felt that it would have been better had they screened the questions of the audiences before they got to ask their questions just to make sure they made sense. I would like to believe those weren’t screened in advance because if they were, then ANC has problems determining sensible questions and that scares me.

On to the presidential candidates. Most disappointing was the absence of Villar who had very important business to attend to. I wonder how important is important that it makes you cancel out on a debate for the presidency of the Philippines. Many critics have accused him of intentionally ditching such events to keep him away from the public’s critical view. They say less talk less mistakes. And so far his critics seem to be right. Villar has indeed been awfully quiet except when he’s too busy bashing the other candidates via his “smart” and sneaky blind item punches. The other 7 candidates on the other hand namely: Teodoro, Aquino, Estrada, Delos Reyes, Villanueva, Gordon and Perlas (if i’m not mistaken, he’s literally an unknown to me.) The ones who stood out for me were Teodoro and Erap, for very different reasons. Allow me to go through each candidate my thoughts on them and my judgement of their performances.

Perlas:

I have no idea who he is, what he’s done. All I know is that he studied in Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro City. That’s all I know. Never really heard of him prior to last night and quite frankly his performance proved why. He seems to be very lost with all the issues and he’s not as eloquent as the other candidates. He’s simply not charismatic. More than that however is that his ideas simply don’t make sense. I could barely understand what he was trying to say most of the time. He might as well have joined Senator Villar with his “business”.

JC Delos Reyes:

Again one of the not so well-known ones on the stage. But at least I’ve heard of him before and I was very well aware he was Ang Kapatiran’s candidate. What struck me most listening to him talk was how awkward he was on stage. He’s a bit too young and definitely not too experienced. We want change, but I think we want a capable man to do it. Simplicity just doesn’t do the trick. He seems to be an honorable man and has his heart in the right place but I don’t think he’s ready yet. When asked what he’ll do the first 100 days in office, he answers he’ll seclude himself from the public and reflect on how to solve the problems of our country. One does not run for public office, more so the office of President, and not know how to deal with the problems of the country. It’s simply unheard of and his reply just proved how unequipped he is. Also, I couldn’t help but notice all he kept on saying was morals, values, moral revolution and all the synonyms and euphemisms. My main issue with JC and his party, aside from their lack of experience is their lack of policies. They scream moral revolution but they don’t have strong policies to back them up. So maybe, 6 years from now JC and his party will be ready.

Bro. Ed Villanueva:

He was definitely more charismatic than the previous two. He has his own talk show after all. Again, he was one who did more preaching than forwarding solutions. What I mean by this is that he too was too busy rambling about moral change and all of that. His answer to the first 100 days question was something like unite all political parties and make the very first united party, among other very ideal, very impossible dreams. The reason there has never been a united party is that it’s simply impossible to do in a democracy. More so, a single party is very dangerous and would cancel out our democratic ways. I might have misinterpreted or forgotten his exact words but that’s what I remember. And that’s all I really remember from him.

Sen. Gordon:

While listening to him and reading the comments on the online forum it seemed like he was saying one thing and the people understanding it as another. To me, he did okay. In fact, I think he did quite well however when reading the online comments it seemed like a lot of people were offended by his tone and demeanor. Some were saying he was degrading the Filipino people or talking small of his constituents. It didn’t really come across that way to me, he seemed quite knowledgeable and experienced but I guess there really is this weird vibe going with Sen. Gordon. He seems to be quite polarizing. He had good answers to the questions, quite detailed. He enjoyed bragging about Subic. That’s for sure. And he talked about his failing marks when he was in secondary school, and how that inspired him to be a leader. Talk about non sequiturs.

Sen. Noynoy Aquino:

He was strong with his message of change. He was answering the questions and he cleverly talked about white lies when asked if he had ever lied before. I am still not convinced he’s as enthusiastic as the other candidates are, nor am I convinced he’s as ready as some of them may be. When asked about political dynasties he was very smart to try not to answer it directly and try to smudge the definition. He was talking about differentiating appointed officials and those that are voted on by the people saying that the people should have the chance to choose. However this misses the point that dynasties have a very big advantage when it comes to such, especially if they control the region (say the Ampatuans). They don’t need to appoint people, they can clearly win elections. Some may argue they cheated, some might say they simply have the advantage, nonetheless, it’s hard to argue there is no unfair advantage. But of course we’d expect Sen. Aquino to talk light on the subject, he comes from one such family. He has a lot of relatives serving in public office as we speak. And that’s not really change I want to believe in.

Ex-President Estrada

Of all the candidates out there he was the one I always looked forward to hearing. Erap was very much lost with some of the mechanics, it seemed like he wasn’t able to understand what rebut meant. I have to admit, he truly is charismatic. He’s also very witty and he can come up with very good answers (especially if he’s answering questions he can’t understand.) When asked about what vice he can’t live without he couldn’t comprehend the question. It had to be asked twice or thrice then translated to Filipino before he could answer. And his answer was that his vice is helping the Filipino masses. Asked if there were any more, he simply replied. No, that’s all. He also argued that he was the most experienced among all those present, and in his defense it does appear to be true. Having been part of the legislative and even being Vice President and President for 2.5 years as he states. He was definitely one of those who truly stood out, not only because of the funny moments caused by his confusion but also because he was very charismatic. And quite good on stage, he was an actor after all.

Gibo Teodoro

Lastly, Sec. Teodoro was for me the most knowledgeable and most prepared of them all. He had good detailed solutions, solid policies on most questions especially with his first 100 days and his solution to the Ampatuan massacre. I found it disappointing though how he contracted himself with the government’s role in population control and how he seemed to try not to answer the question. In his defense, most of the replies given to that question were non-answers. He was also very smart with his answer on his loyalties to PGMA and his integrity. He, after all, is the only one with that baggage and I believe he handled it well. He has the most policies out of all of the candidates (at least based on their answers last night.) And he was just as charismatic as Erap and Gordon less the humor and the derogatory nature of speaking.

Overall, if you’d ask me who I’d vote for based solely on that debate I’d go with Teodoro. The biases are clear with my summaries, but the biases were only results of the forum. Of course I will admit I had previous biases for and against certain candidates but they could’ve redeemed themselves which Erap definitely did. I was neither for nor against Reyes and Villanueva but after last night I think it’s safe to say I’m not voting for either of them. However, I don’t want to write that on stone yet because the race is still wide open. It has only begun and we can only hope for more venues for them to discuss and talk about their policies. Hopefully next time we’ll have more candidates, with Sen. Madrigal invited. And maybe, Sen. Villar will grace us with his presence.

PROGRAMA GUZTIA YOUTUBEN

So whose got the best?

• Noynoy
• Gibo
• Bayani
• Villar

I like Noynoy’s web design and avatars, but what I like best is Gibo’s My Views page. Ofcourse Villar’s site is the most funded.. he even have a game!.. I really don’t like BF’s color scheme but its quite informative…

Why I will not vote for Noynoy Aquino?

It is not because he is from Liberal Party. (for the record I voted for Jovy Salonga when he run for president under the Liberal party, even if I am certain that he will not win, because I think he is the most qualified candidate then); 

It is not because he represents the perpetuation of political dynasty, that even the less qualified runs because they have the political capital and the name recall to capitalize on, (because I also voted for Tanada );

It is not because he is the epitome of traditional politics, even when they are mouthing change, for the real alternative politics is offered not by the dominant party, (but by the likes of Nicanor Perlas or Ang Kapatiran)

It is not because I abhore those people that surrounds him like Abad and Drilon who have their share of power with past and present administrations but have done so little to improve the lives of their people (even in Batanes or Iloilo, puro lang tikal waay man nahimo), because I still hope with the likes of Acosta.

It is not because he is the personification of another elite proclaiming to continue the fight for the poor, because Noynoy is a full blown elite, blue and blue; because I think Mar Roxas even if he is as elite as Noynoy, still evokes positive vibes.

My reasons are not so complicated. I think Noynoy will not stand a chance against manipulators that surrounds him. His honesty will be no match to the flatterers and whisperers, whose only interest are to collar big contracts from the government.

His utterances  with regards to the structure and system of government, is not even motherhood statements eloquently articulated. I believe that base on the personality that advices him, the Philippines will have the same banana if ever by mistake he becomes the next president of this belleguered country.

My reasons are simple. I do not want another Cory in the making. I do not want a repeat of the Josip Istrada mestik.

One of my reasons; I want a candidate that would offer a new chance base on a fresh ideas, not base on criticism about the failure of other people. Every administration have been  pictured as the evil and criticism is no longer contributing a bit to national progress.

I am looking for real leaders and good managers.  And Noynoy don’t exhibit the leadership traits that I am looking for, and he have nothing to show of with regards to management skills.

My reasons are simple. There are two other candidates who have the better qualification in Teodoro and Villar, then why should I settle for the less qualified candidate?

Rakel me envía algo que faltaba en su entrega anterior: fotos de la Villa. Las cuelgo junto a otra de una casa preciosa en Ortiguera en la que una abnegada voluntaria (¿quién será?) abraza la columna como para evitar su derrumbe… Esta casa, que yo no conocía tampoco, me ha gustado mucho. Da un poquillo de miedo, lo que me pone. Está claro que tengo que preparar una nueva excursión por allí y llevarme de guía a una experta como Rakel, a la que, como siempre, agradezco mucho sus regalos.

-gibo

-noynoy

-villar

( Silip Sa Kaliwa)

” napaangat ako sa aking upuan ng mabasa ko sa isang “blog” yung latag na tanong ni Tonyo Cruz, isang blogista- Honest question: What if Satur Ocampo runs for president…”

Gusto ko lamang magpatiuna na wala po akong kinaaniban na pampulitikang organisasyon, mapa-kaliwa, kanan o diretso. Hindi rin po ako tagahanga ni Rep. Satur Ocampo, wala din po akong intesyon na makagulo sa kanyang kandidatura. Kaya baka yung iba eh mag- reak, yung titulo po eh patanong – Satur Ocampo Para Presidente?

Ito po ay aking opinyon at walang intensyon na manira o pulaan ang mga nasa kaliwa. Sabi nga po eh walang sinuman ang may monopolyo sa blogospero para magpahayag ng saloobin at opinyon. Huwag din pong magtaas ng kilay at sabihin na di lapat sa lupa at suntok sa buwan ang mga pinagsasabi, nag-aastang “political
analyst” na pudpod. Padampot- dampot ng pagtingin, sa katunayan ay di na alam
ang pampulitikang sitwasyon pati na ang mga “political spectrum” ng bansa. Uulitin ko, isa lamang po itong opinyon ng isang pinoy na lumalangoy sa daigdig ng sapot.

Nabuo ang imahinasyon na ito, nung pang nakaraan taon, isang kumpare ko ang dumalaw at mag-umpugan ng ilang boteng beer, di na ko nakatiis na ilatag na
may ideya ko na ba’t hindi lumaban si Ka Satur para presidente, gusto ko iyon i-post sa aking blog. Positibo naman yung sagot niya, gawin mo pare, pero di sa punto na kinukwestyon mo sila.

I-float ko ito tru text sa ilan kaibigan para ma-validate yun iniisip ko. Nag-reply
naman sila, i- save ko, chek ko sa celfon yung saktong araw- Agosto 30, 2009,

” Suntok sa pluto, kaka. Masang pinoy ay bumuboto hindi sa husay, integridad o adyenda. Maski senador mahihirapan si Ka Satur. Maski wagas ang puso niya sa bayan, di yun ang usapin, makinarya.”- Ompong

“Kasi alam naman nila wala silang kakayanang magpanalo lalo sa kalagayan nila. All their efforts will go to waste if ever…”- Al

“Di pa nila kaya tol, senador ang alam kong balak nila, mukhang didikit sila kay Mar…”- Joey

” Bakit hindi pre? Matapos maihayag ang mga nagnanais na tumakbo bilang pres. at vice-pres. Higit na may kakayanan si Satur. Kaya lang yung winnability. Magagamit lang siyang propaganda.”- Al

“Masusubo lang sila. Marami silang lulunukin na mahirap lunukin. Marami silang lalabagin sa prinsipyo ng kilusan. Mas magulo etc.” – Joey

I-save ko lang mga ito at dumaan pa ang mga araw naging abala sa mga iba pang bagay, bagyong Ondoy, pagsulat ng mga tula.

Napilitan ko nga lang gawin ito kahit na may dapat akong sulatin ngayong gabi (Nov.21,2009) napaangat ako sa aking upuan ng mabasa ko sa isang “blog” yung latag na tanong ni Tonyo Cruz, isang blogista- ” Honest question:What if Satur Ocampo runs for president on a concrete platform of reforms–jobs and justice, food and freedom?”

Teka, teka mukhang umaayun ito sa matagal ng umuukilkil sa utak ko. Sa loob- loob ko me kasamahan o kaperahas din pala kong mag- isip na suntok sa buwan.

ANG AKING DISKURSO

1. Para sa akin, ang eleksyon 2010 ay isang hamon sa mga kaliwa (anumang spectrum ito) na mag-alok ng isang alternatibong kandidato sa antas ng pangulo.
Sasabihin ng iba, di pa hinog. Habang ang burgesya ay nag-aalok ng alternatibo, lumilitaw na ang mga nasa kaliwa ay walang maialok na kandidato.

2. Masisi ba nila ang mamamayan kung isumbat sa kanila na nililito ninyo kami, para din kayong trapo na palundag- lundag sa ibang partido. Kahit na nga sabihing alyansa lang ito. Pwede bang idahilan din sa kanila na kung si Mao eh nakipag-alyansa sa mga Kuomintang, sabi nga eh sanay din makipag-sayaw sa mga dimonyo. Baka suma-tutal ay sabihin ng mamamayang pinoy na para na rin kayong trapo.

3. Sagot ng iba, ang eleksyon ay masalimuot na usapin, isa na rito ang makinarya. Eh kung ibalik ng masa yung argumento na “nasaan ang sinasabi ninyong malawak ninyong kasapian mula kanayunan hanggang kalunsuran, mga masang organisado,
mataas na kamalayan at di kayang bilin ang boto, handang gumampan para sa ikapagtatagumpay ng simulain. Nasaan ang inyong eksperto sa mga paglulunsad ng boykoteo sa mga pamantasan at welga sa pabrika na pinangungunahan lang ng ilan sulong na aktibista?

4. Sabihin ng iba, mas hahanga ako sa mga kaliwa kung matalo o manalo pinanindigan nila ang kanilang political party. Mayroon silang iniaalok na kandidato sa mas mataas na antas ng kandidatura. Parang mga political party sa ibang bansa, kahit maliit lang sila, lumalaban.

5. May mga pahayag sila nung di pa lumilinaw ang re-allignment na balak nilang kausapin si Noynoy (sa mga dyaryo at balita). What if, (alam naman natin na di sila pa- popormahin ng mga SD) what if nga lang, kung pumayag sila Noynoy na maging guest candidate sila Ka Satur, paano ang maging handling nila sa isyu sa Hacienda Luisita? Paano naman kaya sasagutin ang isyu kay Villar na isa siya sa lumalabag sa isyu ng land conversion, na isa ito sa ipinaglalaban ng mga militanteng samahan.

6. Si Satur Ocampo lang ang masasabing senior at may kwalipikasyon para ipanlaban
sa mas mataas na antas ng kandidatura. Bibilang pa ng ilan panahon o taon kung sakali mang mag-desisyon ang kilusang kaliwa na sumabak sa panibagong laban.

7. Ang paglaban ni Perlas ay isang senyales ng panibagong yugto ng eleksyon, ibig kong sabihin lumilitaw na hindi siya nuisance candidate, hindi ko rin sinasabi na mananalo siya, sa akin lang naman ay huwag na nating hintayin na sabihing, mabuti pa siya at may inialok na alternatibo, labas sa kasalukuyang labanan ng mga trapo.

Sa huli, may komentong susulpot na di naman eka kami nangangarap sa sinasabi o inilalako mong diskurso. Hihintayin pa ba nating makarinig na “wala din pala kayong pinagkaiba sa mga trapo!”

(C) 2009 Kwentulang Marino/ Ed Nelson R. Labao
_________________________________________
imahe mula sa arkibongbayan.org

The news was a bit of a surprise. After shopping for a senatorial slot in LP, NP, and PMP, Ferdinand “Bongbong”Marcos, Jr. finally found a nesting place in presidential candidate’s Manny Villar’s Nacionalista Party. With this move, the Marcos family will again try–for the umpteenth time–to go back to national politics. On his side, Mr. Villar will try to help breach the historical barrier against the Marcos dictatorship that EDSA I and the antidictatorship movement erected.

The move to bring Bongbong into its fold deliberately sets the NP on a course to capture the pro-dictatorship political base of the Marcoses. This base is, of course, unreachable from the LP side, particularly because of Noynoy Aquino’s own political base that is rooted in the EDSA I and anti-dictatorship struggle. It’s maybe good trapo politics but the consequences will be far-reaching.

Villar gambles that the bitter memories of the dark days of the Marcos dictatorship will have been forgotten or attenuated to the point of a non-factor in the 2010 elections. He, I think, pragmatically saw the advantages of a major slice of the Ilocano vote, access to the huge Marcos ill-gotten wealth, and the projection of a “unifying leader” in the electoral contest. An interesting part of his calculation must be that the loss of possible votes from the Left or from the middle class will not be enough to offset these advantages.

What Villar actually will achieve with this move is the stirring up of a hornet’s nest. The Left, particularly the Makabayan group that he earlier wooed to his side, has no choice but to distance and direct its campaign against his candidacy. To do otherwise will be a political suicide that will reverberate to the heart of the underground movement.

The people power that manifested itself in the August events surrounding Cory Aquino’s death will make the connection between Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Marcoses. That connection has been provided by the Villar and NP campaign. Thus, the translation from an anti-GMA sentiment to an anti-Villar movement is a strong possibility.

It may be a great tactical move as seen from from Villar’s strategists to focus the 2010 presidential elections to a fight between Manny Villar and  Noynoy Aquino. However, it brings more complications to an already complicated political contest. It also widened the options and opened new possibilities for the LP’s and Noynoy’s own campaign.

In the end, this NP move may prove to be self-defeating.

Rakel me envía algunas fotos de otras casas de indianos. Aunque este blog este dedicado a Villa Excélsior, siempre he animado a que el que quiera colgar aquí lo que sea relacionado con este tema lo hiciese, solo tiene que decírmelo.
Así que ella, que es una fanática de las casas de indianos y sabe mucho más que yo al respecto, me regala estas fotos de 4 de ellas, dos ya perdidas para la causa (La Barrera y Villa Teresa, vecinas de Villa Excélsior), otra en un estado parecido al de VE (La Concepción, en Llanes) y, finalmente, una resplandeciente, Villa Rosita (en Otur). Aviso que esta última está a la venta, creemos que por unos 200 milloncejos de nada (pesetas, que para estas cosas siempre es mejor hablar de pelas). Así que animo a todo aquel al que la crisis no afecte a echarle un vistacito. A mí me gusta mucho más La Concepción, pero no sé si está en venta; además, a mí la crisis sí que me afecta. Y mucho.
A Rakel le he pedido que me escribiese algo para acompañar sus fotos, pero ha declinado la invitación. Y yo hoy estoy un poco espeso, lo siento. Espero que la próxima me hagas una redacción resplandeciente. Beso.

La Barrera

Villa Teresa (“La quemada”)

Villa Rosita

Villa La Concepción

Senate Resolution No. 1472. 12 scoundrel senators betrayed the citizens of this republic by affixing their signatures to this toilet paper of a document. Nene Pimpmentel, Senate Pro Tempore pweh! Jose “onggoy” Estrada, Alan Peter “Jerk wadd” Cayetano, Pia Cayatanyo, Manuel “clueless” Lapid, Joker “The joker” Arroyo, Miriam “Brenda” Defensor Santiago, Ramon “Bong tae” Revilla Jr., Francis “Schmuck” Pangilinan, “crook” villar and “toxic” Legarda. Legarda of course, how convenient for her to suddenly throw away duty to country for her own political agenda. This crime seeks to dismiss the ethics complaint filed against what they call “their colleague” with the usual excuse used by crooks to slip away. The crook villar refuses to face his accusers in the proper forum (ironically before his colleagues in the senate) and he must be guilty hiding out by trolling the halls of that building like a duck in panic excreting. Mga kabababayan, sila ang kalaban. Salot sila ng lipunan. At ang inyong buwis ang nagsusustento ng kanilang magarbong pamumuhay at pag alaga ng sarili nilang anit. Malamig ang aircon sa senado, malambot ang mga upuan. Mga patabain at pabigat lamang sila na wala namang silbi sa taong bayan.

The senate must be cleansed first before it can point an accusing finger at anybody. This is just the first step, and already the 12 SOB’s are stopping the other half of senators from doing their duty to the citizens of this republic who rightfully deserves better than these “business as usual” punks in that institution. The hag Loren, a turn coat toxic fashionista is villars veep for 2010, opportunista talaga. “Onggoy”  Estrada is a guest senatorial candidate of the NP, villars party, and he goes ape at Sen. Lacson who threw him a banana, Alan Peter “jerk wadd” cayatanyo is villar’s lawyer in the ethics complaint, Pia Cayatanyo is the sister of that jerk wadd alan peterputngna, then there is that certifiable fiesty lady senator who also signed it, no need to understand that baliw kasi yun ang senadora. Kikko… is a “schmuck” thats why. And Bong tae (amoy tae nga naman) is a pos. The air head Leon Guerrero, oblivious all the time, probably signed it without knowing what it was, and of course…the crook villar, how stupid can he get? By signing it he cleared himself. Sa sariling wika..ang salarin ang siya ring isa sa labing dalawang ungas na nagpa walang sala sa sarili niya. 

When Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile called it “out of order” a debate ensued, and the proponents of the toilet paper were exposed simply as juvenile punks. They rellied on their witnesses but failed to account for the documentary evidences. They thought they have the wits to run down an old veteran like Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile. According to SJPE witnesses lie, but documents do not. That “made” the punks. That is not all..even those among the 12 that did not attend the hearings signed SRN 1472. Mga gago at kalahati sila.

Listen to this….

Pro citizenry salvo against the scoundrels (this ones on our side folks mga kumampi ng taong bayan):

Enrile reiterated that the resolution would in effect discharge the committee of the whole, which had been “laboring for several months” without the presence or assistance of the minority bloc” “As chair of the committee, I should have been accorded some degree of respect before you filed this resolution. Did I fail you in any way?” “Witnesses lie, but not documentary evidence,” -Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile

“What was wrong here is that even the respondent cleared himself,” – Sen. Panfilo Lacson

 Lacson and Enrile are not buddies (SJPE is with Erap) but Honasan is Enrile’s “bitch”, look what this mutt did..the mutinous poltroon former Army “kernel” signed the damn thing. Bad dawg ka gringo! Kinakagat mo kamay na nag alaga sa iyo.

Zubiri echoed Lacson’s comments, saying that some majority senators who had signed the resolution did so on the understanding that it would not be released earlier than the report of the committee of the whole. “It looks like they were duped. That is a sign of bad faith,” -Sen. Miguel Zubiri.

The excuse that “they signed on the understanding” has many conotations for me i.e., a price tag figure, a form of bullshit artistry, gibberish, double talk, pang gagago ng publiko. Gringo opened his mouth spoke inanimately a lot but said nothing, virtues of a true blue politician, tama nga si tabako ng tinwag siyang ganyan. With an armored face, he said he is not inclined to withraw his signature. Bakit greg..takot ka mag refund?  Mas matapang pa si Zubiri kung ganon, tila lumalabot sa sarap ng senado ang alagang tuta ni SP. Pati si gringo ginagaya ang idol niya, meron na rin siyang alaga sa senado..yun nga lang iniwan sa haula si Triller buti na lang hindi rin siya pumirma. Kapag pumirma si Trillanes ay wala rin namang gagawin ang kuyakoy niya para mailabas siya sa kanyang piitan. Napatunayan na yan sa mga kaganapan.

 ———versus———-

Ito na man ang mga basura na galing sa mga ungas. Trash from their side (these are from the enemies of the people):

Atty. Alan Peter Cayatanyo A.K.A. Jerk wadd: The resolution was drawn up because it was “important for the people to know this” before the Dec. 1 deadline of the filing of candidacies, and so that “everyone’s on equal footing”.

Christmas bonus ba habol mo attorney? Yun cliente mo iho, mag file siya sa comelec ng CoC niya, wala namang kinalaman ang senate committee as a whole dyan. Guilty kasi cliente mo punyeto… puro kayo palusot sa walang hiyaan na paraan. Hoy bata! Senado yan hidi yan mababang uri ng kapulungan, kung na mimiss mo ang baboyan mo eh di bumalik ka doon sa baboyan na pinanggalingan mo, magaling ka sa baboyan, wag kang mag kalat sa senado. Kapal nyong magkapatid, ang sangsang ng amoy nyo..amoy political dynasty!

Atty. Kikko Pangilinan A.K.A. Schmuck: just being consistent because the minority to which he belongs has always viewed the Senate investigation of Villar as politically motivated.

Hindi ka ba binibigyan ng allowance ng gurang na pangit mong asawa at kailangan mo pang dumugas sa criminal mong kasama sa senado? Ha Kikko? Bilang isang abogago, mahinag klase ka. And one more thing…nakaksuka kayong magasawa pwede ba magpatiwakal na kayo bago mag pasko, bilang regalo nyo sa sambayanan. Puro pa cute lang eh ang papangit naman.

“It’s just that 12 senators have decided to express a view on the matter” – Atty. Nene Pimentel

Mag hila na lang si attorney pimp ng karwahe..at wag siyang tumae kung saan saan kahit ugali nya yun.

Just look at these “criminal” lawyers…..shameless! Mga walang hiya! Bumili kamo sila ng hiya pa minsan minsan ..sa dami ng nadugas nila sa cliente nila. Christmas bonus ba habol? At kung hindi makuha tulad na lang sa na buking na paraan nila (SRN 1472)..patatagalin ang ethics case lalo para dumugo pang lalo ang pitaka ng cliente ganun ba? Nagpapakita lamang na ang sinisilbihan nang mga pating na ito dyan sa senado ay ang sarili nila at hindi ang interest ng mamamayan.

Sa mga bomoto sa isang dosenang mabahong bulok na itlog sa senado..mga putang ina kayo, nadamay ang taong bayan sa mga salot ng lipunan na nilukluk ninyo isang hakbang na lang sa pinakamataas na pwesto ng pamahalaan.

Tenim un personatge, Déu del futbol com a jugador, impresentable com a persona i dolent en la seva d’entrenador. Aquest entrenador es cabreja amb el s mitjans de comunicació del seu país i els hi dedicada una sèrie de frases que no repetiré. La FIFA fen ús de la seva autoritat i el seu comitè disciplinari decideix sancionar-lo des d’ahir a dos mesos sense intervenir en cap activitat relacionada amb el futbol. Fins aquí sembla tot correcte però analitzant la notícia i llegint altres antecedents em sorgeixen varis dubtes i perquè no dir-ho varies sospites.

A Maradona li ha caigut una sanció de dos mesos, una sanció bastant inferior als 4 partits que li van caure en el seu dia a Hristo Stoichkov per declaracions difamatòries. No serà que Blatter no s’atreveix amb l’argentí ? Pot ser és això. Però i si el què busca Blatter és realment matar dos ocells d’un tir? M’explico i deixeu-me ser mal pensat. El cap de setmana passat va tenir lloc a Madrid el sopar de celebració del ‘centenario’ de la Federació Espanyola de Futbol amb Villar (el del villarato) com amfitrió  i com a convidats tots els dos magnats del futbol mundial Platini i el mateix Blatter. M’imagino el diàleg a la taula:

-   Blatter: Hòstia haig de sancionar a Maradona i com ho faig sense que sigui un escàndol i no afecti al Mundial perquè sinó me la tornarà a liar.
-    Villar: Doncs no el sancionis, fes una sanció testimonial.
-    Blatter: És veritat, no el sancionaré amb partits, ho faré per mesos i ara mateix així no afecta a ningú.
-    Villar: Tens raó dos mesos i no afecta ningú perquè ja em diràs Argentina només juga contra Catalunya un amistós on la foto de les banquetes es veurà a nivell mundial amb Cruyff a un costat i Maradona a l’altre…això això dos mesos…a més ja m’ha anat bé que m’endarrerissis la sanció de Maradona fins que jugués contra Espanya.
-    Platini (pensant a la seva bola): I jo com puc criticar més els fitxatges de Florentino, els puc sancionar?

En fi, ja ho veieu Maradona amb sancions ridícules, Cruyff sense rival a la banqueta i Villar més content que un gínjol.

PD: Parlant de sancions, els titulars sobre el no tancament del Camp Nou el dia del ‘cap de porc’ encara duren a molts diaris de la capital cada vegada que poden, però veig que l’impacte d’un objecte a la cara de Pellegrini durant el derbi s’ha oblidat ràpidament.

best friends forever

“Nakakalungkot yung nabasa ko sa dyaryo noong Martes.  Sabi ni Sen. Manny Villar na kung wala ka raw P1 billion, huwag mo ng ituloy ang balak mo bilang pangulo . . . Pera-pera na lang ba ang eleksyon? . . . Basta may pera pwera na ba ang lahat?”  These were some of the words of Senator Loren Legarda’s in a press release dated March 4, 2009 issued in response to Senator Manny Villar’s assertion that you need at least P1 billion to run a credible presidential campaign.

“Kapag ganito ang sistema wala na tayong pinagkaiba sa isang gang.  Kung sino ang may pera, siya ang magdidikta ng lahat . . . ito ay insulto sa taong bayan na pera lang daw ang katapat ng desisyon ng bawat Pilipino, ng kanilang karapatang pumili ng kanilang pinuno”, the press statement concluded.

It seems that money and the dictates of the one who wields it prevailed in the decision of Senator Legarda to accept the offer of Senator Villar for her to run as his running mate.  It is a coup for Villar as at least three men went after Legarda’s “yes” to join them in their ticket.  The vaunted machinery and “galing at talino” of the administration parties were not good enough for Legarda while her erstwhile partner Chiz Escudero high-tailed it and resigned from NPC.  Like in a courtship with many suitors, Legarda had to choose between the intelligent one, the glib and witty, and the “akala mo konyo” noveau-rich – the lady decided on wealth.

We cannot put all the blame on her.  She actually ran out of choices and thus had to compromise the values she publicly espouses.  Like a spinster she had to make the choice.  Albeit, it will be frightening to see what kind of compromises she will eventually make if and when she actually wins as Villar’s vice president and they begin to govern.

The team up is a de-facto merger of NP and NPC.  The width and breadth of this “merger” rival that of the Lakas-CMD-Kampi.  It is not clear if the arrangement will trickle down to the local level, although it is believed that it will cause more trouble for the two parties if it does as more candidates will jockey for limited positions.

It is conspicuous that they are making the announcement on the anniversary of Villar’s ouster in a place named after the Laurels, the family of Doy, Cory’s vice president.

In my previous entries, I documented some of what I believe were improper capitalizations of acronyms. Today, I spot another one. The last name of Senator Loren Legarda was written in lower case: legarda. See the following screenshot of the Michael Lim Ubac article: Villar takes potshots at Aquino, cooes to legarda

Legarda v. legarda capitalization issue part 5

I am sure this is just a typo.

Imagen obtenida de Marca

Estamos a jueves y creo que va siendo hora de levantar la voz ante lo que nos espera el fin de semana. La Real Federación Española de Fúbol cumple 96 años, y un cumpleaños siempre es motivo de alegría. El problema viene cuando nos la quieren clavar a todos y montan el 100 aniversario cuatro años antes de que corresponda. No acierto a comprender la razón, más allá de que Villar puede que no esté en el mando para entonces.

Me imagino al PP celebrando con antelación su aniversario. La prensa del país se levantaría en armas contra Mariano Rajoy, y se abriría una crisis de Estado. El PSOE, con esa portavoz que cada vez que habla parece que va a matar a alguien, saldría a regocijarse de la tremenda cagada. Incluso desde el propio partido, Aguirre saltaría para chupar la sangre a Mariano. Los afiliados al partido se manifestarían y harían pagar el error. Rodarían cabezas.

Pero como el fútbol es así, y dentro del fútbol vale todo, estamos todos calladitos esperando que llegue el España-Argentina, conmemorativo de tan prestigioso aniversario. Resulta que Villar eligió a Don Ramón Calderón, famoso por su gestión al cargo del Real Madrid, y le ofreció ser el encargado de los actos del aniversario. No sé de qué nos extrañamos, pero el caso es que los resultados saltan a la vista. El (no) centenario va a celebrarse cuando se cumplen 96 años de historia de la RFEF. Me pregunto si el Rey no podría quitarle eso de Real a la Federación más chapucera de nuestro deporte.

El caso es que en 1909 sí se creo una Federación (RFE), pero ésta, como informa el Diario Marca (demostrando que cuando quiere puede hacer cosas buenas), quedó disuelta en el mismo momento que se creó su sucesora, la RFEF. La RFEF nace como consecuencia de la fusión de la RFE y la Unión Española de Clubs de Foot-ball, necesaria para ingresar en la FIFA. Ambas habían pedido su ingreso en el organismo internacional, pero éste resolvió que ninguna de ellas podía formar parte al no representar a todo el fútbol español. Así pues, se fusionaron, dando lugar a la RFEF.

Este nuevo organismo, la RFEF, nació en los primeros días de septiembre de 1913. En cuanto estuvo constituida, bajo la presidencia honorífica del propio Alfonso XIII, ya no tenía sentido seguir manteniendo ‘con vida’ las Federaciones anteriores. Así, el 18 de octubre de ese mismo año se apuntó en el registro la disolución, justo cuatro años después de que se hubiera inscrito. La RFEF tenía en ese momento sólo un mes de existencia, pero nació tan robusta que ha llegado sin problemas a los 96 años.

Os dejo unos enlaces para los que os interese el tema. Todos son de Marca y son bastante buenos. El primero deja claro que se trata de una Federación totalmente distinta,el segundo ahonda en ello mostrando incluso una foto de la disolución, y el tercero habla de que el Rey felicitó a la Federación hace 21 años, cuando se cumplían 75. A mí me parece un escándalo vamos.

Yo no pienso celebrar el centenario. Me niego a reírle las gracias a la gentuza que manda, y espero que cuando se cumplan 100 años sea posible celebrar el (si) centenario de la RFEF. De hecho, me estoy pensando seriamente si ver el partido.

To Loren. Once again you prove yourself to be a whore.

What’s this I hear that you were demanding 500 MILLION PESOS, plus your choice of FOUR cabinet members from officials of the Party for you to agree to become Chiz Escudero’s Veep in 2010?

Come on Loren, are you serious? 500 MILLION PESOS? That’s a lot of glutathione for your ageing face!

Your Partymates were so disgusted at your demands, even Chiz Escudero supposedly balked at your offer!

But your partymates, reasonable as they are, decided to negotiate with you, lowering it down to 300 MILLION. Danding asked that you talk, but you evaded, citing you had appointments you cannot miss.

I also heard that in one club meeting after the Ondoy tragedy, the source said you came in late, and you first excused yourself to talk privatley with NPC Chair Jun Dy.

After the talk, Jun Dy reportedly told Escudero your new demand: that you agree  to be Escudero’s VP but will immediately withdraw if the payment has not been made by January.

This disgusted Escudero even more. And contrary to reasons cirulating the news, this was one of the primary reasons why Chiz bolted NPC. That the NPC was coddling Loren too much. But being the gentleman that he is, he refused todisclose this publicly.

The origin, supposed to be a three term congressman, also believed Escudero had what it takes to beat Noynoy if only he had the backing of the NPC. He added that, ““If I were in his shoes, I would have done  the same thing.  Chiz has been with us since he became congressman, while Loren is a political prostitute and  only joined us in 2007 when she ran for senator again,”

Tell me Loren. You balked at 300 million. How Much did Manny Villar offer you then? You talk like everyone is fighting over you, but in reality, everyone thinks youre crazy.

You’re nothing but a whore now; a political prostitute as the source said.

P.S.: to Manny Villar, good luck handling Loren

The Palace spin masters are on overdrive, above the almost daily Pampanga sorties, they have to weave the discordant statements of 1) GMA running for congress, 2) GMA for VP, and, almost at the same instance, 3) GMA handing the Lakas-Kampi leadership to their anointed standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro.

The usual cheer leaders hailed GMA for her benevolence and statesmanship. Other observers believe that this is her “George W. Bush” to Teodoro’s “McCain campaign”. Those who believe though that Arroyo will not do anything that will not benefit herself above others see this as the unravelling of GMA’s true intentions — that to keep herself in power.

In an attempt to conceal the slip, Presidential political adviser Gabby Claudio was quick to clarify that GMA is not leaving the party and will be in full support of Teodoro’s candidacy. What they cannot hide is the fact that all these are deliberate and designed to bring their principal back to power. Teodoro’s numbers are not improving and Arroyo cannot rely on anybody but herself to ensure that she will still be on the helm come 2010. She unburdened herself of the chairmanship of her party to enjoy the liberty to support and forge alliances with Lakas-Kampi local candidates and candidates of other parties in forming her virtual coalition. This coalition is not for her vice presidential bid but rather for the more strategic and powerful speakership. With six months left of her mis-governance, Arroyo has a strong enough whip to mobilize what is left of her regime’s machinery, stronger even than what an outsider like Teodoro can muster even if he sits as party chairman.

Disappointed with the failures of her Speakers of the House, De Venecia and Nograles, to deliver the Cha-cha train during her reign, GMA will take it upon herself, as chief legislator, to railroad the revisions on the Charter. She will sit in the legislature to provide leadership and quality over the Arroyo numbers in Congress. Arroyo can still become prime minister, but it needs her brand of Arroyo — not Mikey, Dato, Iggy or the balut vendor’s hero Marilou — to make this happen.

Teodoro does not complete the equation and Ebdane will remain insignificant. Noynoy will never be in speaking terms with her and Chiz will keep on speaking just with himself. This leaves Manny Villar as the logical accomplice. With Villar at risk of placing second, he’ll need a formidable partner in crime to salvage the returns of his heavy spending. Notice that in spite of having the most talkative young boys (Remulla, Cayetano, and Tamano) in his camp, you hardly hear a comment from the Villar camp on the behaviour of Arroyo. It is plausible that even at the risk of becoming a ceremonial president mid-way through his term, Villar will bite and forge (must have already forged) an alliance with GMA’s “coalition”. He currently holds the second best hand and like in a game of poker he may turn out as the biggest loser if he does not play this correctly. This deal with the queen is the trump card he needs. GMA and NPC will deliver Loren Legarda in an arranged marriage to Villar. GMA shall be their bet for the speakership. The judiciary is an Arroyo appointee. And the military, well, they will still have the Emperor. This thus becomes the biggest defection in Philippine political history.

I haven’t read in detail the political and administrative platforms of these presidentiables yet (esp. since some have NONE to offer at of this time except their intention to run…hay…). 
But based on an observation of their past and present actions and decisions, here’s my initial, biased (and therefore shouldn’t be taken, as of this moment, as an exhaustive academic examination of the guys on the list), and subject-to-revision take on the matter.

1. Noynoy (the guy seems to lack the political acumen and quick wit of his father, the genuine sincerity of his mother, the gift of tongue of his father and sister, Kris, the supposed administrative capacity of his other sister, Balsy…he lacks a clear agenda and program of action…he has been used to being a lieutenant, not a general, for most of his adult life…in Luisita, he was asst manager, not manager…in the House, while Chiz was Minority Leader, he was, if I remember correctly, Deputy Minority Leader…in the Senate, i actually don’t know if he chairs a committee…nor if he has sponsored and passed a law of national significance…nor if he figured in important bill deliberations…i’m wondering how he’ll lead us…he really needs to double-time with regards to the concerns regarding his platform, vision, leadership, and his administrative, communication, and political skills…if he can’t do it in time, he really needs Mar on his side…it will be very problematic though if he will at all times rely on others for tough decisions…consultations are ok…but in the end, he and he alone can decide as the buck ends at the President’s hands…if ever he will be the one)
2. Gibo (first heard of him in 2007 when I joined NDCP, parttime…don’t know the guy well…but questions his readiness to take on crisis situation…Ondoy and Pepeng caught not just the NCR and Northern Luzon LGU’s flatfooted…it also revealed, i think, the capacity, or lack of it, of the NDCC under Gibo as SND to respond swiftly and effectively…it also showed Gloria’s leadership and administrative incompetence) 
3. Manny (sipag at tyaga…para kanino? Pakitingin nga ang record nya…kelan xa tlga yumaman…b4 maging congressman o during?…no question sa galing nyang mag-acquire ng money…pero may doubts aq sa intentions nya…i know i’m not the best guy to judge his, or anyone’s character, pero basta i just feel uncomfortable with him based on his past actions and decisions as a congressman, as a speaker, and as a senator…my CFNR students were telling me before in UPLB how, in their attempts to study the effectiveness of CARP and CARL, they saw the need for a land use act…which according to them—I must confess I haven’t looked into this—has been blocked always from being realized by the guy from Las Pinas…the land use act should tell us how a particular land should be used and how it can be transformed into another type of land…say from agricultural to residential…) 
4. Chiz (tutuloy ba o hindi? Overflowing ang paghahangad…2007 p lng…don’t know much about his platform except those he uttered (which are populist motherhood statements) when he resigned from NPC
5. Erap (naku po! Maawa naman tayo sa sarili natin…na naman!?! Change topic!)
6. BF (tsk tsk tsk! I used to have high hopes for the guy…esp., when he was first appointed MMDA chair…i thought this is a guy with political will…but then i became appalled at his tactics…his means of getting things done…scary…) 
7. Ebdane (duh! What can he do or offer?)
8. Bro. Eddie (totoo ba ito? Again?! Please lang…change topic!)

For now, i suspend my judgement…i suspend my vote until i see more clearly the things i need to see…