9.4 million Pinoys voted for Erap?!?

Erap pa rin...

So the canvassing of votes in Congress is done and Senator Noynoy Aquino is expected to be officially proclaimed President. No surprise there, really. We've pretty much known Noynoy has it in the bag as early as 2 days after the election... the result of the Vice Presidential race between Binay and Roxas was what everyone was interested in because it was so close.

What really surprised me was how well Erap Estrada did in this election. Garnering over 9.4 million votes was nothing to sneeze at... seriously, he beat Manny Villar's vaunted billions?! He won the 1998 election with 11 million votes so it appears he didn't lose much support even after being convicted and imprisoned for plunder.

This of course befuddle many people... one of whom is my ex sis-in-law in Australia who I talked to yesterday, she wanted to know how Erap got so many votes and what the heck were those people thinking/smoking?

I share her confusion but I've talked to some of these Erap voters (the SkyCable guy who installed my Digibox before the election, the security guards in my building etc.) and they say the same thing "All politicians steal, Erap was just unlucky to get caught and anyway at least di sya nagnakaw sa gobyerno--sa jueteng lang".

I am not kidding, those were really their sentiments. It's really sad that people just readily accept the "fact" that majority of our politicians are crooks. That since almost everyone in government is out for themselves, it's okay to vote for a populist ex-president who was once imprisoned for corruption.

Their reasons for voting might be wrong-headed but we can't deny that most elected officials are corrupt little ba$t@#ds... let's hope our new President would remember his campaign promise to go after these conscienceless creeps. It could help win back our people's trust in government and hopefully, would keep them from voting for a convicted felon for president next time around.

Update: Erap is retiring from politics and showbiz.

Read more...

Post-election musings

The election is over and for the first time in our history, we pretty much knew who won the election after just one day... even with the long queues and PCOS machine snafus, I think it went better than expected. The heads of the usual suspects--aka election cheaters and loser crybabies--must be spinning.

Cheating in this automated elections proved difficult, so some politicians' lackeys resorted to desperate measures like identifying supporters of their candidates' opponents and paying them NOT to vote and using indelible ink to make sure they really can't vote... now that's creative vote buying, if pathetic.

I've always watched other countries' elections with envy--results within hours of the polls closing, losers conceding graciously--and though they were glitches, I'm gratified that we've finally (finally!) caught up with the 21st century.

Kudos to Sen. Manny Villar for quickly conceding when it had become clear that he could not overcome Sen. Noynoy Aquino's lead... same with Gibo Teodoro, Richard Gordon, Bro. Eddie Villanueva and JC de los Reyes. I think classy concession speeches should be the norm in our elections from now on. None of that "dinaya kasi ako" cr*p that every loser candidate used to whine about.

Joseph "Erap" Estrada is still not conceding though and his lawyer even threatened to file an election fraud case against Noynoy (as if Noynoy is in a position to perpetrate fraud)... get real Erap, you're trailing by 5 million with about 90% of the votes counted. Just be thankful that people still voted for you even after you've been convicted and jailed for "plunder". I bet President Macapagal-Arroyo now wishes she didn't pardon Erap the delusional. Sheesh.

Update: Madrigal, Perlas and de los Reyes whine about ‘election irregularities’. Not conceding either .

Read more...

Philippine elections...

thank God cameras are allowed

So election day is finally here. I woke up at 5 am so I could vote early... well at least that was the original plan. Problem was I didn't know how to get to my polling place at the Bel-Air basketball court. Good thing my friend Wacks, who lives nearby, took pity on me and drove me there after lunch.

voters ready to vote

It took me more than 5 hours just to register last October so not voting is out of the question, even if I line up for another 5 hours to vote, I'd do it. Disenfranchisement is not for me. My friend Yumi waited more than 2 hours to vote in her Quezon City precinct, so I was ready with bottled water, sandwiches, candies just in case.

no lines at our cluster

When I got there at 1:30 pm though, there were still a lot of people queuing up, but in clustered group no. 51 where I was listed, they were much more efficient in checking the voters' identification, fingerprinting and feeding the ballot to the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine. It just took us 5-15 minutes to do the whole thing.

great job, guys!

I was frankly shocked. Here I was, gearing up for a long wait and I was done in 15 minutes (I could have finished in 5 minutes but I just had to take pictures of the ballot, lol). Excuse me, is this the Philippines? Wow, kudos to the board of elections inspectors (BEI) of cluster 51--Supervisor Dean Co, Miss Grace, Janice and Peng--you rocked!

Bel-Air Basketball Court
Solar St. cor. Hydra St., Bel-Air Village Makati City
(take Paseo de Roxas, past Gil Puyat go straight, go inside Bel-Air Village down 2 streets and you're there)

Read more...

Hmm...who to vote for?

waited 5 hours to register... make it count! 

It's three days before the election and I still don't have a "who to vote for" list. This is the first automated elections in the Philippines so confusion is somewhat expected, but I don't want to be caught flat-footed in the voting booth so I should at least make a list.

My family's never been interested in politics, but come election time, my late grandpa Itay had always encouraged family members to vote for any national candidate from the Bicol region... hoping that if they win, our province would reap the benefits. So if any Bicolanos are on the ballot and they are not crooks, expect me and my family to vote for them... it's tradition.

I haven't voted since I was a teenager, having moved to the big city for school... I just didn't know any local candidates and I didn't think my vote would matter anyway. It took me more than a decade to wise up and register to vote again so here I am, strangely excited to exercise my right to vote and still no list, grrrr!

So let's do this:

President: Benigno "Noynoy" S. Aquino III - He promises not to increase taxes, wants to fight corruption and this is kinda a vote for his parents too... I hope he's worthy of the name he carries (super fingers crossed).

Vice-President:  Bayani Fernando Mar Roxas - I promised years ago to vote for Bayani Fernando if he ever ran for President for unsnarling traffic at EDSA (heavy traffic drove me nuts when I was a student) but Mar Roxas is a good guy and Binay is catching up in the latest surveys so...

Senate:
1. Sonia Roco - educator, civic leader and Bicolana, enough said.
2. Ruffy Biazon - accomplished legislator... I just like the guy

There, who else? Hontiveros? Cayetano?  I don't even know who to vote for at the local Makati elections... Erwin Genuino maybe? He's cute and a Facebook friend, but that's just silly... dang, this is hard.

I don't know anything about these people. I have to read their platforms etc. and I need to call my Mama to ask about other non-crook Bicolanos running, she knows for sure. :)

Read more...

Manny Villar's C5 vs. Noynoy Aquino's SCTEX

compare and contrast

The election is just a month away and predictably, accusations and counter-accusations from various politicians running against each other are flying right and left. Philippine politics is crazy and gets even more so come election time, I mean they are even taunting each other to get psychological tests now (maybe to prove who's crazier?)

Politics here is not for the faint of heart. So what's happening now as the election approaches is just the usual. Anyway, my FB friend Caloy shared this video of Winnie Monsod's analysis of Manny Villar's C5 road extension project and Noynoy Aquino's SCTEX.  Watch this and decide for yourself.

Read more...

Manny Villar's stalking me!

see, he's stalking me... on YM...

I know I'm being a tad dramatic but I feel like Manny Villar is stalking me these days... his campaign ads are just everywhere, there's just no getting away from his orangey mug, it seems. When I open Yahoo! messenger, Facebook and even when I'm just reading my friends' blogs he's inevitably there. I don't begrudge Manny Villar's financial success (he worked hard for it) that makes it possible for him to have a campaign war chest in the billions (he's spent P543-M on ads so far), but this is getting ridiculous.

Facebook...

Villar's campaign spending looks like it's working for him--recent polls attest to this. I have anecdotal evidence too... when we visited a tribal settlement in Bicol, kids are singing the campaign jingle from his TV ad and several tribe members we talked to there would vote for Villar because "si Villar ang tunay na mahirap" directly quoting from it. The song might be cheesy but it's undeniably catchy, even my nephew and nieces love it.

on my friends' blogs?!!!

I don't watch much TV, so I have largely avoided the brunt of this campaign season's ad blitz from politicians running for something or other, but I log onto the internet everyday and I tell you Manny Villar's ads are creeping me out. I like the guy, but I couldn't help but think that if he's spending this much money to get elected president--if he wins, wouldn't he try to recoup his "investment" from us? He's a businessman after all...

Update: Villar's ads exceed combined airtime of 5 rivals .

Based on published rate cards, Villar’s ads cost a total of P1.2 billion in 3 months. It’s almost equal to the combined spending of P1.3 billion by 5 other leading presidential candidates. 

Read more...

Noynoy Aquino and Shalani Soledad

goodluck!

I found this article about how Noynoy Aquino met his girlfriend Shalani Soledad.

SENATOR Noynoy Aquino was dining with friends in Alfredo’s Steak House on Morato when the topic of his “type” of woman came up. The bachelor legislator, who turns 50 this year, was at a loss for words but as his eyes wandered around the restaurant, he spotted a woman a few tables away. Straightaway, he told his friends: “See her? That’s my type of woman.”

A few minutes later, the senator stepped out for a smoke (a bad habit he should quit soonest) and was greeted by the woman he had spotted and her group. Told that they were councilors from Valenzuela, Bulacan, Noynoy warmed up to them, not least because, as he laughingly reasons, “I was then chair of the Senate committee on local government.” Of course, he managed to get the woman’s name and they exchanged numbers. And while strengthening relations with local governments, he and Shalani Soledad soon became a couple.

...So what attracted him to Lani, as she is called by friends and family? “The minute we started talking, there were no communication barriers,” he shared. “We clicked instantly, and I found that I could talk with her about almost anything.”

Awww... I hope Noynoy has finally found "the One". At almost 50, I bet his judgment has gotten pretty good. Choosing the right person to marry is one of the most important decisions one could make. I don't think it's a knock on his character that he's taking his sweet time. I believe he could be a good President while single. So it's not good to pressure him to get married if that's not what he wants.

Shalani Soledad seems to be a fine woman... pretty, unassuming, well-spoken and she is not running around boasting about her connections, either. I might be a little biased though because 'Lani' is a proud Bicolana and a councilor in the 2nd district of Valenzuela City (where I went to school). It would be nice to have a First Lady like her, but she must be ready for the pressures that comes with all that too.

Update: new Inquirer feature "NOYNOY-SHALANI A love story people are talking about".

Update 2.0: The Aquino women (Ballsy, Pinky & Viel) on Shalani: 

 ALL three have only good words for Shalani Soledad, the city councilor who is Noynoy’s main squeeze. Though none of them have been on the stump with her, they are aware of Shalani’s own campaign sorties, and Ballsy says she’s heard so many stories about Shalani’s capabilities as a campaigner.“Being a local government official, she would know the challenges and demands that a politician faces,” Ballsy says with approval.

Asked if Shalani is their “favorite” among Noynoy’s girlfriends, all three roll their eyes and Ballsy, sighing, says: “We’ve had so many favorites among them through the years. We don’t want to hope again. We leave it all up to Noy.”

Update 3.0: from Philstar: Shalani Soledad: Simple and sincere 
Update 4.0: from Manila Bulletin: She’s that girl 



Update 5.0: Shalani will have to wait to be First Lady... getting married is not a priority for Noynoy post-election.



Update 6.0: Kris interviews Shalani on The Buzz.







Update 7.0: @ Noynoy's proclamation


Update 8.0: Breaking up? Confirmed. President Noynoy is now dating his stylist, Liz Uy. Well that's life, goodluck to them both.

Read more...

Bad news for Manny Villar

a Filipino success story

This is disappointing news... of all the Presidential candidates, Senator Manny Villar has the best backstory... born into a poor family in Tondo, Manila--he sold shrimp and fish in his youth so he could support his education. With determination and grit he was able to build one of the largest real-estate companies in the Philippines. He is completely self-made and is now according to Forbes Asia magazine the 9th richest Filipino with an estimated net worth of $530 million. It's very hard to root against a guy like that.

The Senate investigation on the C5 road extension controversy has been going on for months. Villar is being accused of having used his influence so the road would run through his properties... his corporations allegedly received road right-of-way payments. As a keen observer of the goings-on in Philippine politics... I would not even pretend that this is not politically motivated, of course it is. This is the Philippines--everything is politics here.

Whatever happens with this investigation...I hope the Senators would be fair to Manny Villar and quit their grandstanding. I might not be voting for the man (succumbed to the "Cory Magic", wink!) but I have profound respect for what he has achieved by his hard work and daring.

Update: LP points to Iloilo land case as ‘pattern’ of Villar’s wealth. Hmmm...
Update: Villar pressure on PSE to okay stock offering bared 
              Villar concedes to Noynoy 

Enlightening Winnie Monsod video about the C5 road extension project controversy: 

 

Read more...

Edu Manzano for Vice President. Blech.

Here we go again, actor and game show host Edu Manzano has thrown his hat into the ring and is now running for vice president of the Philippines. Will Filipinos ever get over our penchant for voting for whoever is famous? I mean these actors, TV hosts, celebrities must think being on the screen is a good enough reason to run for any high office. After all, we had a former President ( who was impeached, jailed for plunder, pardoned and inexplicably now running again for president), several senators, governors, mayors plucked from their ranks. But seriously? It gets tiring after a while.

I'm sure Edu Manzano has good personal qualities, but being vice mayor of Makati City, chairman of the Optical Media Board chasing after cd and dvd pirates on side streets, and actor/TV host are not enough qualification to be as they say a 'heartbeat away' from the presidency. This reeks of blind ambition no matter the protestations to the contrary. I guess some would say I'm being too hard on him considering our current vice president was himself a TV newscaster but isn't that the point? Enough already.

Read more...

Why, oh why do we do this to ourselves?

I don't know what's gotten into me. I waited until the end of the registration period to haul my butt to get registered to vote. Predictably, fellow Pinoys also showed up in full force. It took me 5 hours lining up at the hot, dark corridors of the COMELEC office on the 2nd floor of the Makati Central Fire Station. Hungry, thirsty, stinky... I mentally kicked myself so many times I swear I have marks from it.


Doing stuff at the last minute is part of our culture. It's sad but we have come to expect that. Even if we know it would be much easier for everyone involved to have this done months ago still we insist on showing up just so.


One blessing we have though is no matter how long the line is or how packed the place is... We still keep our sense of humor. It's like a boisterous family reunion, with people posing for pictures. Sharing a common bond brought about by waiting hours upon hours. It would have taken just minutes if we only managed our schedules better but hey it's very Pinoy. For better or worse.

Read more...