PNoy's SONA...

I watched this year's State of the Nation Address (SONA) and I feel a sense of pride that I voted for the guy. I admit I only did in honor of what his late parents did for the Philippines, but from what I heard, this administration is turning out better than anyone expected.

I have not paid attention to PNoy's speeches the past two years but I like what I'm seeing. I see more roads under construction in my travels around the country so going by that, this president is doing his job.

There are still a lot of challenges of course, but I think we are in a better position than we were three years ago. Now if only the DOTC would get off their butts and quickly approve vital projects like connector roads, MRT & LRT lines etc. then PNoy's legacy will be cemented (pun intended).

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The Avengers and my bestie

I finally checked out the Avengers movie. Co-workers have been talking about it for days and made me feel like I'd be missing this huge cultural event if I didn't watch. So I dragged my cousin/best friend Rose away from her gorgeous 10-week old daughter Athena to watch the movie with me.

 I know, I'm a heartless godmother for doing that, but I just missed catching up with her the past few months. We hardly saw each other since I was busy with work and traveling (Singapore, Malaysia, CamSur, Albay. Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte within a month, crazy!) and she was busy lactating. ;)

This day was just a relief for both of us, ranting and raving about our situations. Sharing her joy at being a new mom, while I shared my disgust and disappointment at someone who wouldn't pay back a loan. It's just like old times. I'm thankful for the four hours we got to share a good conversation over pizza , pasta and a good movie.

The Avengers is a very good action film, with all the explosions, special effects and hot guys we've come to expect from summer blockbusters. Oh Captain America, marry me! But my absolute favorite is Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, she totally kicked butt. It's also very funny in parts--I loved the various interactions between the superheroes--even Loki rocked it.

Now I know why it's breaking box office records in the Philippines. It currently has the record for biggest opening and is on track to be the biggest grossing movie ever in the country. It's so good, it made me forget for a bit that friend who owes me money, who's currently ignoring my calls and texts. Thanks, The Avengers and Joss Whedon for that!

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Holy Week: More Fun In The Philippines

I'm spending Holy Week in CamSur for the first time in over a decade. I don't know, but since I left home for med school, I have always found myself busy working at this time of year.

I filed for a two-week leave because my nephew's graduating and they might leave for Canada by the middle of this year so I wanted to spend this occasion with my big sister's family while they are still here. Also my cousin JR is getting married after lent and assorted relatives from Europe are coming over so I was excited to spend time with everyone.

It's really nice to see folks participating in parades and passion plays. We even drove by one on the way to my hometown this morning. There were kids dressed as Romans and there were even two carrying crosses. I guess one represented Barrabas and the other one was supposed to be Jesus.

Things like this just take me back to my childhood. This kind of parade was a big part of my lenten season memories as a kid and it's nice to experience them again after all these years.

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Goodluck, President Noynoy Aquino! (aka P-Noy)

Go P-Noy

"Today the dream starts to become reality", "There can be no reconciliation without justice", "Walang wang-wang" were just some of what I liked about newly sworn in President Noynoy Aquino's inaugural speech, but what I digged the most was when he said "Kayo ang boss ko". I don't know how he'd go about doing that, but it's nice to hear just the same.

Our country is facing daunting challenges but hearing the sincerity from our new President gave me some hope that indeed, things might be different this time. I'm not expecting too much though... I'm old enough to know that no single person can change the system completely.

I'd be quite content if P-Noy would just make decent decisions, demand the best of the people he put in positions of power, not increase our taxes and not steal.. okay na yun sa kin. Perfection may be impossible, but honest governance is certainly doable--I expect nothing less from Ninoy and Cory Aquino's son.

"You are my only son. You carry my name and the name of my father. I have no material wealth to leave you; I never had time to make money while I was in the hire of our people. For this I am very sorry. ... The only valuable asset I can bequeath to you now is the name you carry. I have tried my best during my years of public service to keep that name untarnished and respected, unmarked by sorry compromises for expediency. I now pass it on to you, as good, I pray, as when my father, your grandfather, passed it on to me. ...The only advice I can give you: Live with honor and follow your conscience. There is no greater nation on earth than our Motherland. No greater people than our own. Serve them with all your heart, with all your might and with all your strength. Son, the ball is now in your hands." ~ lifted from Ninoy's letter to Noynoy (written in prison c. 1973).

Here are videos of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III's inauguration speech (via PnoyWatcher of YouTube):

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Should Binay have a place in Noynoy Aquino's cabinet?

yellow worked for him...

It's good that Vice President-elect Jejomar Binay has quit insisting on having the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) post for himself, as if he has a natural right to it. I don't even think he should have a place in the Aquino cabinet at all.

Prof. Winnie Monsod is right, there's just too many graft cases filed against Binay to inspire confidence in him. I hope President Noynoy would not appoint people in his administration who are tainted by corruption.

I respect the fact that Binay had been a loyal ally to the late President Cory Aquino, but his family's uninterrupted 24-year rule in Makati City makes me really uncomfortable. Just imagine, he's been in power here since I was in grade school! I wish him luck in his VP gig and all but I just don't trust the man.

Update: Binay changes mind, declines cabinet post. 

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Noynoy Aquino is President, now what?

goodluck, Noynoy!

Noynoy Aquino is officially our President-Elect. I voted for him and I'm gratified he won. Many people scoffed at his perceived lack of accomplishments as a legislator because he didn't have laws galore he sponsored or named after himself but thankfully, voters cared more that he's untainted by corruption. I know the next 6 years will be full of challenges, but I believe he's up to the job.

I think we have enough laws already, if the  government only have the intestinal fortitude to implement the laws passed by Congress, our country will be a much better place. What we need is a leader with integrity who'd make sure to put the right people in place to help him get things done.

I was watching the news last night and there was this guy hoping that Noynoy would put food on his family's table, sent his kids to school etc. I mean, seriously? I hope this guy is in the minority... at least someone should set him straight and tell him that it is his  responsibility to make sure his family has enough to eat. It is not the President's job or anyone else's. Whatever happened to taking responsibility? Sheesh.

I've never believed politicians' outlandish campaign promises because I believe more in the capacity of the individual to make decisions for their betterment. Government has its place in our lives but it shouldn't be too intrusive--burying us in red tape, too much taxes and unnecessary regulations.

What President Noynoy owes us is transparent and accountable government, one that is on our side... he'll face enough problems caused by his predecessor's profligacy without us expecting the moon and the stars. I wish him the best and I hope for our nation's sake, he succeeds.

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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.

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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 .

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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)

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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. :)

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Noynoy Aquino on Time Magazine cover

his time?

 Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III graces the cover of the April 25 issue of Time Magazine. I read through the accompanying article “The Next Aquino: Can Noynoy save the Philippines?” and did a double take when I read this quote from Newsbreak magazine editor Marites Vitug:

"Our trust in politics has been so eroded that people just want a new leader who will do the very basic — who will not be corrupt, who will be good,"

That is exactly  how I feel. I'm not looking for a "savior" in this election only someone who will lead this country with honesty and sincerity. I'm not expecting that all our problems will go away by electing a new President--I just want someone who will not steal from our coffers, who will put the people first.

I believe a leader does not need highfalutin degrees to be effective, he just got to have common sense and integrity. The greatest problem we have in this country is government corruption, so we need to elect leaders who will not compromise their honor... that may be a tall order but I'm optimistic there are still people like that running for office this election.

Update: Landslide victory.

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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.

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Abu Sayyaf strikes again

poor Basilan

It makes me sick to my stomach that I have to share my country with these murderous Abu Sayyaf bastards. Bombing churches, schools and other public places for their stupid ideology (a separate Islamic province, really?). These thugs are pure evil. I'm normally not a bloodthirsty person but I'm glad one of the bombs exploded prematurely taking out 3 terrorists bombers--a perfect example of being hoisted on your own petard.

from the Inquirer:

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Abu Sayyaf bandits took their campaign of terror to the heart of Basilan on Tuesday, setting off bombs at a Roman Catholic cathedral, school grandstand and three other places, and clashing with government forces in Isabela City.

At least 15 people, including the brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Purudji Indama, were killed in the attacks staged by armed men wearing police and military uniforms, reports said Monday night. “This is definitely the handiwork of terrorists out to sow fear among the people of the province,” Senior Supt. Antonio Mendoza, Basilan police chief, told reporters in Manila.

More here.

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A 15% E-VAT is crazy

pay 3% more?

Finance Secretary Margarito Teves is proposing to increase to 15% the 12% expanded value added tax (E-VAT) we currently have today. It's absolutely maddening that bureaucrats like Teves, don't seem to care that a 12% consumption tax is enough of a burden on consumers already.

The government has been spending (and stealing) our money like drunken sailors without a thought to our budget deficit and now that it's in a "fragile fiscal position" it wants us to bail it out again through this confiscatory tax increase on everything we buy (like that chocolate sundae I've been enjoying in this heat).

Sen. Noynoy Aquino opposes this plan and instead wants to improve revenue collection. I may just have found the reason to vote for him this May election, somehow voting for him because of his parents' heroics is kind of lame to me. Now I could say I like his stand on taxes and Manny Villar honestly is sounding more and more desperate these days which is a big turn-off for me.

Update:  from WSJ - Europe's VAT Lessons: Rates start low and increase, while income tax rates stay high.

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Good Friday Crucifixions etc.

so messed up

I think this yearly whippings and crucifixions in Pampanga is totally pointless. Salvation is free. Jesus died once for all. The bible says that you only have to ask for forgiveness of your sins and believe the truth of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection and you're saved. It's that simple. You don't have to nail yourself to a cross or flog yourself until you bleed to be forgiven.

I guess it's natural for people to make things complicated, so some do these reenactments to assuage their guilt over things they did in the past or to provide "protection" for their families against evil or even ill health. People who do this have to know that Jesus already died for our sins and conquered death. We've been made worthy through his blood shed on the cross... making this sort of "penance" completely unnecessary.

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ~ 1John 1:9 (NIV)

***(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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Emilia Boncodin: 1954-2010

...well done good and faithful servant...Matthew 25

Emilia Boncodin the former Budget Secretary, died earlier this week due to complications of kidney disease. One of a rare breed of public servants who served her country honorably--who did not enrich herself (e.g. steal) while in public office--which is very rare in this country indeed.

I knew she was from Iriga City, the same city where I was born... so every time she was on TV while she was still in office, I could not help but feel proud (I'm kinda tribal like that). When she resigned amidst the "Hello Garci" scandal that embroiled President Macapagal-Arroyo, my admiration for her grew even more.

It's really sad to lose a principled public servant, even sadder to know that if she had lived to see Noynoy Aquino win the presidency, she would have been brought back in to do what she did best. But alas, such is life. I'm pleasantly surprised and glad at the media coverage of Emilia Boncodin's death. I guess honest, scandal-free public servants like her are so hard to come by these days, people can't help but take notice.

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About condoms and bishops...

"Condom debate brought to bishops’ doorstep", this headline from the Inquirer cracked me up for some reason. I don't understand why the Catholic Church and its bishops are so dead set on denying people access to condoms. Don't get me wrong, I'm strongly pro-life, but I believe couples should have a choice on what contraceptions to use. It's better to use something than to have children you can't feed or worse, have an abortion.

I don't want anyone to compromise their faith, but we have to consider what's been happening in this country for years. When I was at med school--though abortion was not legal here (it still isn't)), I saw lots of patients who had induced abortions for very selfish reasons (too young, too drunk, too busy, too many kids already etc.). For me, these women could have avoided killing their unborn children if only they cared enough to use protection or exercised some self-control.

Teaching about faith and morality starts at home. I'm sure most of us have been warned about sex and its rewards/risks... but people are people. I've seen women who have been raised in the church--from good families, pick  men who were just total losers. None of them ever had abortions, but the consequences from their decisions to have unprotected sex with jerks are still with them. I heard someone say that "there's no condom for heartbreak", and it's so true. The Catholic Church and others should not be derided for holding on to their faith, but I think seeking to ban condom advertisements is not the way to go. We have to be realistic and practical and let people decide.

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The Morong 43 and the military

not NPA, eh? 

The military recently arrested 43 health workers suspected to be members and supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA)--the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines--at a resthouse  in Morong, Rizal. They were detained on suspicion that they were conducting bomb-making activities... explosives and firearms were also found during the raid. The detainees deny the allegations and swore they are just health workers attending a health seminar.

The military declares that their intelligence gathering is top-notch this time. If that's the case then this could have been a huge tactical victory against these Maoist rebels for the military, except that they took it upon themselves to overstep their authority in this situation. Keeping the detainees from contacting their families and lawyers for days, even refusing at first to present them to the courts and the media. These actions are just outrageous and frankly stupid.

One of my nephews is in the army and he'd been ambushed several times by these terrorist rebels. I have no sympathy for the NPA and whatever the heck they are fighting for (communism, really?) is nonsensical to me. But even if the so-called Morong 43 are in fact members of the NPA, they still have rights under our constitution and the military should respect those rights.

Update: 5 of the 43 have admitted they are members of the NPA:

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"My Way" killings go global

And now, the end is near,
and so I face the final curtain...

The international media have finally caught up with this very Filipino phenomenon that has been around for as long as I can remember.

from The New York Times:

The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.”

The killings have produced urban legends about the song and left Filipinos groping for answers. Are the killings the natural byproduct of the country’s culture of violence, drinking and machismo? Or is there something inherently sinister in the song?

Whatever the reason, many karaoke bars have removed the song from their playbooks. And the country’s many Sinatra lovers, like Mr. Gregorio here in this city in the southernmost Philippines, are practicing self-censorship out of perceived self-preservation.

I could attest to the veracity of this story--I remember my college friend Carlo nearly got into fisticuffs with some guy badly singing "My Way" over and over and over (he pronounced it "My Weeeee" too, LOL). Luckily, cooler heads prevailed and violence was averted but this song is just too hot to handle for some people here.

Its especially annoying when I could hardly find a family gathering without groups of tipsy older relatives shrieking it, one after the other. So it's a good thing that karaoke bars are effectively banning the song... but I think my relatives would still sing it at our parties anyway, so no luck for me.

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Ping Lacson's in a pickle

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson was recently implicated by state witness Cezar Mancao II in the November 2000 abduction and murder of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito... the judge handling the case issued an arrest warrant for Lacson only to find he has flown the coop to parts unknown. He insists he is innocent and felt persecuted by the Department of Justice and Malacañang and therefore would not get a fair trial.

I understand Sen. Lacson's skepticism about our justice system under this administration but you know what, he is a senator... he has way more connections than the average Juan de la Cruz. Is this going to be the MO of politicos who get in trouble with the law? Flight is an indication of guilt, right?

What rankles me the most about this case is--if one of us normal Pinoys ever get in trouble like this--we would not have a choice but to suck it up and face the music. Ping Lacson should surrender voluntarily and submit himself to our legal processes just like the rest of us. He could certainly afford to hire a lawyer.

Surely special arrangements could be made for him. He was the former police chief so he would not be too popular if he's thrown in jail together with common criminals. This debacle reflects very poorly on the Senate and the PNP--I hope the good senator would come to his senses before Interpol gets its hands on him.

***photo courtesy of Ping Lacson's official website

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