sawasdee

"Pa picture tayo kasama sina sam milby at anne curtis," my mom said while we were having our greasy, carbo loaded dinner at a resto in alabang town center a few days before new year.

"Mom, kung kay thaksin nga hindi ako nakipag picture-an nung nasa hongkong, kina sam milby at anne curtis pa kaya?" i answered, a bit annoyed.

now that i think of it, i should've approached him at the peninsula in hongkong and had my picture taken.

oh well, i guess i would have to go to peninsula in bangkok or at vanilla brasserie to get my photo taken with the thai billionaire businessman and owner of the manchester city.

yes folks, 17 months after being deposed in a military coup, thaksin sinawatra is back in bangkok.

kissing the thai soil.

with his family and supporters at suvarnabhumi

According to reports, Thai authorities rapidly detained the 58-year-old billionaire politician and took him to a court appearance. There he was ordered him to post $267,000 in bail pending a hearing on March 12.

Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, face corruption and conflict of interest charges in connection with her purchase of prime Bangkok real estate from a state agency in 2003, while he was prime minister. Pojaman returned to Thailand in January and was released on bail pending trial.

Would the thai court convict him? Would the newly elected PM, who is from Thaksin's party grant him pardon (like you know who)?

When asked if he would be pulling the political strings in Thailand, Mr Thaksin told the BBC that he had retired from politics.

"I think in my life I have devoted a lot to my country and I think I have done a lot politically. No more politics," he said.

Sounds like somebody back here, right?

***

Here at my backyard circus, aside from walking and stumbling and fumbling, a lot of people have been.. ummm.. praying...

what could she be praying for?

back-up divine intervention

There will be an interfaith rally at ayala tomorrow.

Erap will be at the rally.

Am i going? My answer: NO.

I've got better things to do than go to the circus.

Gaaad... I'm starting to get annoyed by all philippine politics.

Lengthier explanation on my next post.

pow-lee-teehks

forty nine years after overthrowing fulgencio batista in 1959, Fidel Castro finally turned over the control of Cuba to his brother and defense minister, Raul early this week. (feb 19 i think).

he survived several attempts of the US to get him out of power-- and thus, outlasted nine american presidents.

my friends who had seen Fidel Castro said he is a sight to behold, even at his old age.

when fidel was younger

i wouldn't mind having a dictator-- as long as he is tall and good looking. castro stands 6'3".

(our homeland dictator only measures 4'10." worse, sans the power, she can be fugly. i'll give oreo cookies to whoever could guess who she is.)

***

at the land of the free and the home of the brave, billary clinton's commanding lead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination has vaporized since the Super Tuesday contests two weeks ago, and now, not only is Obama out in front, he's also chipping away at her base.

obama rama in full throttle

***

back at the home front.

people have been walking.....

solidarity... err...

unity walk

first they called it solidarity walk. then they changed solitary to unity. porjosporsanto. (thanks to quezon.ph for the photos.)

atienza looked groovy in his pair of aviators. (he could be hiding his lack of sleep? shame? guilt? behind the tinted lenses).

and la presidente-- looked very cruela deville in her red outfit.

so while some were walking, other were stumbling. the cruela deville label is passe. according to joey salceda-- it's should be bitch.

i love all these name calling. probinsiyanong intsik, big boy, president evil and now-- luckiest bitch.

in the vernacular, i say, may sademonyo si GMA.

i just hope she runs out of luck really soon.

not going gently into the night

okay, okay. so i gobbled up my cynicism and guess where i found myself yesterday afternoon?

somewhere here:

feb 15 rally: sobra na, tama na, kumilos na!

i really didn't have any plans of going.

i mean, i stayed out really late on valentine's night (yihee!) and i got a gazillion things to do-- like check my students' papers, finish my lecture notes, come up with a critique for a project, start reading g.g. marquez's "love in a time of cholera" which i got last christmas, and perhaps, get some sleep.

but hearing adel tamano got me out of bed and into the streets.

well, there weren't too much people. most of my acquaintances from civil society organizations were there though.

jazzy and i stationed ourselves somewhere near the enterprise tower.

as i stood there listening to the speeches and the chants, i can't help but get a sense of dejavu.

anyway, it was the first time i heard the song which goes: "don't go gently into the night, rage into the dying light." chikoy pura of the jerks performed it so well, i want an Mp3 of it.

there would be more mass actions they say, till mrs. arroyo falls off her high chair in the palace.

God save this country.

rage against the (arroyo) machine

"if broken hearts were commercials, we'll all be on TV."-- one obscure comedian

it's valentine's day and i am talking of broken hearts.

when you swim with sharks everyday for a living, it can be surprising how you are still able to feel something aside from cold and numbness.

over cups of coffee and tea, some friends and i had been doing a lot of analyzing lately. making sense of the mess that has been rocking this republic. trying to convince ourselves that we made the right decision to stay in the country.

this morning, a friend texted me: "happy valentine's. are you going to the rally tomorow?"

i replied: "not going. i'm swamped. got a gazillion things to do."

friend: "be careful. you might already be on the dark side."

me: "haha. the admin is flawed, the opposition is as flawed. all sides are gray. always, there is more than meets the eye."

i wonder how many people will go tomorrow.

yes, i am upset, disgusted, angry at how things turned out in this administration.

but just like in love, after your first few failed relationships, you become cautious. you become skeptical. sometimes, a bit too cautious, you stop taking risks. at its worse, you become numb. cold. deadened.

when i look at the opposition-- which includes those we kicked out seven years ago in edsa dos, and think that these guys will be replacing the current administration-- i can't help but hold back a bit.

they look nice now as oppostion--you know, raging against the excesses of the arroyos, calling for transparency yaddi yaddi. how they will handle power is anyone's guess.

in relationships, i've been told that you would only know what a person is truly like when you get into a relationship with him/her. but other than that, it's difficult to know the real deal.

question would be: are you willing to take risk? is there still room for error?

arrgh... tacky melodrama. let's just play pictionary shall we?

some of the posters/ stickers that you'll see tomorrow

God have mercy on this country.

it never ends...

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever."
- Thomas Jefferson

i wanted to stay away from this. i wanted to just sleep it out-- in the hope of waking up to a better day.

but sleep had been elusive the past week. in the times i get to sleep, i dream of being taken by unidentified men from the airplane's tube, being escorted to an altis and driven around the south of manila without explanations, without getting any logical answers from my escorts.

each time i'm jolted out of slumber, i go through my files and review my service contracts to make sure i was never tasked to moderate greed. i wring my three braincells dry to remember details of projects that i've been involved in the past two years and pray that the projects are clean and won't merit a senate investigation.

ah, senate investigations-- pinoy style. i understand why jun lozada wanted to run as fast as his made-in-china leather shoes can carry him when he received the subpeona from the senate. (the made in china shoes is an assumption. i mean, he is chinese after all and he just flew in from hongkong.)

being caught in a mess such as the NBN deal is, i think, the worst thing that could happen to any professional who just wants to make a living using his brain. there are more chances of surviving in a nuclear cross fire between north korea and pakistan than in this.

there are so many things that i want to post here. but i'm being very cautious lately. someone powerful could be reading this and is arranging for my pick up at the tube. more importantly, i know that there is more than meets the eye in this scenario.

so let's just play pictionary shall we?

nbn-zte deal: mischief, mayhem, greed.

jun lozada in the company of nuns and la salle brothers, the closest thing to divine protection.

in the presence of his enemies. jun lozada with GMA's men

ever heard of fashion police? call them quick!

tol is back. (was he ever gone?)

remind me to never to get into donor funded government projects.

and to pack my bags soon.

of this government and other demons

my thoughts are still a tornado in my head. can't think. can't write.

malacanang and congress have turned into modern day sodom and gomorrah.

for those who do not know the Bible, let's put it this way: Philippine politics has gone really very bad. as in Britney bad.

i read the papers and chanced upon manuel quezon III's column on PDI this morning. it's not necessarily the good news that i wanted (like-- the first family being wiped out from the face of the planet)-- but a very good read nevertheless.

here's the piece:

Live from the Bastusang Pambansa
By Manuel L. Quezon III

Speaker: “We will now proceed with nominal voting. Call the roll.”

Clerk: “Aquin, Lahat.”

Aquin: “Mr. Presiding Officer Creature, may I explain my bribe?”

S: “The undistinguished gentleman has three congressional minutes.”

A: “Mr. Speaker, I come here with a heavy heart but a heavier wallet, and for that reason, much as it pains me, in the name of my district, may I manifest my gratitude to the President for this opportunity to prove my loyalty. I vote yes, for change! Not loose change, Mr. Speaker, but the kind of change that stood us in good stead, when we were last in Macao at government expense. Truly, it is a privilege to serve the President’s sons, who are, after all, people, too, and so by serving them, we all serve… the people. I vote YES.”

C: “Garapal, Medio.”

Garapal: “Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Presiding Officer Creature.”

S: “What is the parliamentary inquiry by the undistinguished gentleman?”

G: “May I know if our proceedings are being monitored by Madam?”

S: “The Majority Floor Leader Creature will answer.”

MFL: “Yes, well, ah, the independence of this noble chamber is unquestionable, but yes, I understand that we are being monitored on TV, radio, and of course you, uh, all know the Baranggay Bansot Legislative Liaison Office… they are there, behind the uh, peephole…”

G: “In that case, may I explain my bribe?”

S: “The undistinguished gentleman has three congressional minutes.”

G: “Thank you, Madam, for these thy blessings, which we are about to receive, through Your Excellency’s husband, Our Lord, and the Department of Budget and Management, Amen.”

C: “Rucut, Mando.”

Rucut: “Mr. Presiding Officer Creature, may I explain my bribe?”

S: “Yes. Go ahead.”

R: “My name is Congressman Mando Rucut. R-U-C-U-T. Got it? That is my name, and here is my vote. I vote YES. Let me repeat: YES. YES, YES, YES. That’s me, Mando Rucut. R-U-C-U-T, who voted YES. Thank you. Do I get more since I voted five times?”

S: “Unfortunately, this is the House, not the Comelec, you only get one vote here.”

C: “Saamin, Siempre.”

Saamin: “Point of information, Mr. Speaker, before I explain my bribe.”

S: “What is the point of information?”

Sa: “I would like to know, on behalf of the ten thousand patriotic, able-bodied, spiritually-advanced members of my district, where our uh, err, shall we say, development assistance…”

S: “The undistinguished gentleman is directed to the South Lounge to collect his Success Fee.”

Sa: “Thank you. Without further ado, I vote YES! This country needs change! Lots of it! And now, Mr. Speaker, I must excuse myself to answer a call of nature.”

S: “The undistinguished gentleman need not enlighten the House on the state of his bladder-”

Sa: “Objection, Mr. Speaker! Not that kind of a call of nature!”

S: “In which case you are not required to manifest your intention to go to the South Lounge.”

C: “Son, Second.”

S2: “Hey, you. I will now explain-explain, ha? I expect as much time as I want. Because I like. Mmmkay?”

S: “The distinguished, charming, handsome gentleman from the district in which he was not born, but who has, by the Grace of God, come down from the clouds to demean himself by serving the people, has, of course, unlimited time, in consideration of his esteemed blood ties to our glorious-”

S2: “Shaddap. All of you. I’m not here, ha, as her son but I’m here, ha, as well… I’m here. Got it? So, let me say… WE WIN! THEY LOSE! WE ALWAYS WIN! HAHA! I vote Yes. Because.”

MFL: “Mr. Speaker, may I make a motion to have the immoral, I mean, immortal, words we just heard, framed and distributed to every barangay in this country?”

S: “Any objections? Does anybody dare? Hearing none, so ordered.”

C: “Mesa, Onder D.”

Mesa: “Mr. Speaker, in voting Yes, let me explain my bribe by saying, the only thing permanent in this world is change. We change underwear. We change clothes. We change in appearance. We are always changing, because change is good, the more we change, the better we become, because, in truth, and I say this in all sincerity, with utter conviction, the only time we do not change is when we die. And, Mr. Speaker, to quote the great President Marcos, I do not intend to die!”

S: “The motion is carried. Yoda is deposed. The new speaker, Jar-Jar Binks, will now give his inaugural address.”

Speaker Jar-Jar: “Monsters out there, leaking in here. Weesa all sinking and no power. Whena yousa thinking we are in trouble? Better dead here than deader in the Core. Ye gods, whatta meesa sayin’? Gungans no giben up witout a fight. Wesa warriors! Wesa got a gwand army. Dats why yousa no liken us, I tink.”

(Applause. Meanwhile, Yoda tells the media, “Around the survivors, a perimeter create.”)

eyeluvit!

and here's a blog post from Butch Dalisay that made me laugh some more:

F&J69: Restoring the Damage
Flotsam & Jetsam

I’M NO great fan of Joe de Venecia, but I could feel for him as I watched the live telecast of the vote to oust him from the Speakership, on the floor of the very same Congress he had ruled for longer than any of his predecessors. “Et tu, Brute?” must have gone through his mind dozens of times as one former ally after another took the mike to cast a vote against him. Earlier, he gave an impassioned one-hour speech denouncing corruption in government and calling himself a “sinner”—but a few years too late.

Not only JDV took a beating tonight. So did the English language, which these congressmen seem so hell-bent on improving (or is that uncharacteristic self-awareness?).

Herewith some choice gems of oratory, verbatim, from their “humble representations.” Check the transcript—you’ll find them there:

“We should vote to restore the damage which has been badly tarnished as far as the image of this house is concerned.”

“The fruits of our sacrifice is bearing fruit.”

“We will bring you back the ongoings at the House of Representatives.” (from a TV commentator)

“This will result to a tectonic eruption!”

“Longetivity in power is no reason to stay in power.”

“It is eminent that he will not be speaker in a few hour.”

“Event has its own time, and time has its own events.”

“I cannot afford to punish a statesman, a political leader this country ever had.”

"As the Speaker so eloquently put it in his frivolous, er, privilege speech..."

And just to remind us that there are worse things than bad grammar, give a listen to:

“Congressman Nograles is my cousin, but the Speaker is the father-in-law of my brother... so I abstain.”

“I must rise to defend my cabalen—the President!”

mischief, mayhem... quakes and coup...

25 days to go before christmas and i am cramming like i would only live till the end of the year.

the price i have to pay for playing the role of a world class procrastinator so well. i should get a freaking award.

neeho, at least i'm done with the preparations for the UN conference on climate change in bali.

***

wow, what a week this last seven days of november is turning out to be. it has been raining non-stop and manila is becoming like seattle. only, we've had an earthquake two days ago and now, a stand off in makati.

rebel soldiers taking over manila penn

ATE GLUE: water proof, coup proof, impeachment proof

COOL. Minutes after being informed of the standoff in Makati, Pres Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo plays it cool at the Colonel Lauro Dizon Memorial High School in San Pablo City, where she graced a local peace summit, as she waits for her helicopter ride to Malacañang minutes after being informed of te Trillanes march., President Arroyo plays it cool as she waits for her chopper ride to Malacañang. INQUIRER.NET/LIRA FERNANDEZ

***

after all the brain activity that i had this week, i'm not sure if i can come up with something intelligent to say about this stand off.

i still don't like GMA but i don't think i'm going to makati after work because it's raining and traffic to makati after office is just intolerable. besides, i still don't have enough money to do my christmas shopping. but god jnows i really, reeeeeaaaaaaallllllllllly want to go shopping.

i hope everything in greenbelt goes on sale after this standoff.

kawawa naman my city, battered na battered-- first, the glorietta explosion, and now, this.

i wonder how trading and the peso will do on monday.

i have a question: why does senator trillanes love taking over posh hotels?

if i were to launch a muntiny, i'd stage it in greenbelt.

why you ask? wala lang, it's my playground eh. at least i'll be in my comfort zone.

***

allright, so i was downloading the photo of greenbelt when i saw this:

i hope the stand off ends tonight so i can go shopping tomorrow.

someone bring back the sanity

at nine last night, as i was going out of waltermart along pasong tamo, (incurable mall rat i really am), my phone beeped. and beeped. and beeped.

i didn't get to read the messages right away. i was a bit paranoid of displaying my phone inside the jeepney-- i mean hello, people are hungry in this side of the planet and my candy pink-colored motorola, when resold can afford to feed a family of five for three days.

i thought, my new home is only a few blocks away anyway, so the messages can wait. and had it really been an emergency, people would've called. we spent two minutes, fifty seconds waiting for the green light in the intersection of south super highway and arnaiz avenue and a good 10 seconds to make sure that the coast is clear-- meaning-- there are no speeding dump trucks that would crash into us and kill us instantly.

by the time i got home and checked my phone, five messages from family and friends were waiting. all the texts pretty much said: BATASAN was bombed. congressmen and staff were hurt. where are you?

gmanews.tv

the south wing takes a big bang

gmanews.tv

one minute you're alive and breathing, next minute,

you're inside a body bag, dead.

i had to sit down.

i don't want to be morbid and all but really, it's as if death is coming closer by the day. barely a month after glorietta was bombed--err-- okay not bombed, after the particles of gases in the basement of g2 went amuck, here's another big bang.

(by the way, i wonder why the authorities is taking gazillion years to determine the cause of the glorietta explosion? )

my playgrounds are being annihilated.

they bombed a government agency this time. who knows when and where the next bomb will detonate?

i've run out of theories and possible solutions.

right now, i am just scared.

pinoy big briber

i'm trying to outgrow 3rd world politics. believe me.

i'm trying to become a full blooded technocrat. no more politics. technocracy is the way for me. technocracy. technocrazy. whatevs.

will probably come up with an entirely diferrent kind of blog next year. shameless plug, i know.

neehoo, the tempest-- which is the drama of the wicked and wonderful world of brown monkey politics is still raging. as ever.

someone is due for eviction from malacanang.

tomorrow, November 9, 2007 is International Day of Protest Kontra sa Panggagago.

In some major cities around the world, Filipino communities will wear black and organize protest actions on this day to declare with a strong voice: “Tama na! Sobra na! Ginagago na ang mamamayang Pilipino!”

In Metro Manila, we will wear black and assemble at the Ninoy Aquino Statue along Ayala Ave. and Paseo de Roxas at 11:30 am. We will then march towards the Makati Post Office, buy stamps and each one of us will mail a Pinoy Big Briber postcard with a personalized message to GMA.




for downloads, visit www.pinoybigbriber.com.

God save this country.

i. don't. want. to. blog. about. this.

The wild fire at Schwarzenegger's domain left at least three people -- and possibly as many as seven -- dead, and razed about 1,700 homes. Estimated total damage is pegged at a staggering 1 billion uncle sam dollars.

***

here at my wicked third world republic, sparks have been ignited, which i hope will burn down malacanang and its occupants.

i promised i will stick to being a full blooded technocrat. i promised NOT to talk about philippine politics ever again. at least not in this blog.

but this one is a little bit too much...

i stayed away from the computer the past three days to keep me from writing about this. but the proverbial fire in the belly that my journ professors back in college talked about must have been blazing inside of me.

and so i break my promise and rant.

gloria macapagal arroyo granted executive clemency to erap estrada who was convicted of plunder by the sandiganbayan, about six weeks ago.

erap signing his freedom papers at tanay

malacanang spin doctors insist that there is nothing wrong in granting executive clemency to erap.

to begin with, GMA being president has the power to do so.

that erap being 70 plus should be granted pardon.

that with donya mary's condition it is but human to allow the convicted former president to be by his dying mom's bedside.

that pardoning erap would heal the wounds of division, inflicted by dirty politics in society.

so noble right?

however, looking behind enemy lines, this is what i see:

GMA granted erap executive clemency because she knows that anytime soon, the minority block together with JDV's loyalists will finally have the numbers to have her impeached. she knows that if the articles of impeachment go beyond the fences of batasan, she better start packing and sending her CV to prospective employers, because given the executive's relationship with the senate, she is likely to bid malacanang adieu.

gaad... her administration is in deep shit. scandal, after scandal, after scandal. and just when you thought you've seen the worst scandal, comes another one.

palace strategists must be thinking that by granting executive clemency to the titular head of the opposition, allies of the deposed president will be pacified and will think twice about supporting the impeachment project.

both GMA and erap camps deny there's any concession. (yawn.)

if i were JDV, i'd be scared. but it's just the speakership he'll lose anyway, it's not as if they'll kick him out of batasan.

(can JDV do a manny villar in nov2000 and send the impeachment articles to senate in one breath? i'm not sure.)

on healing the wounds of division, may i just drill this into your small heads: the resentment that the masses feel towards this government is not mainly rooted on seeing their icon treated like a criminal (albeit, a very special and powerful one). the resentment stems from the people's despair--they are hungry, they are unhealthy, they can't go to school. they don't feel the gains trumpeted by the government. they don't see hope.

the division is caused by people's resentment towards this government, that continues to trample on their rights as humans, that perverts the justice system to serve its interests and that disregards the rules to save its skin.

(i just wish they all burn in hell.)

unfair

monday.

it's 8:28 in the morning and i am not in my office.

i won't be in the office indefinitely because i volunteered my hidden expertise as forensic psychiatrist in the investigation of the explosion at glorietta last friday.

explosion yes, we call it explosion for now. whether there actually was a bomb is not conclusive.

by the way, it's forensic psychiatrist, not scientist. that's different. forensic psychiatrist is edward norton in red dragon. forensic scientists are the guys at CSI.

i will be at the palace in a while and start working. as forensic psych, my job is to study a suspect's profile. what could she have been thinking, intentions blah blah.

oh, did i say palace? did i use the pronoun she? erase, erase.

better yet, disregard the preceding paragraphs as they are fiction. (red dragon is a tom harris fiction. LOL!)

anyway, i called in sick today because of stomach spasms since last night. remember, i've been checking and grading my students' exams and terms papers the past two days. lovely.

while checking, and reading, and grading, i stumbled on this photo on BB's website.





it's the november 2007 issue of vogue paris.

and it has a tranny named andre on the cover, together with carolyn murphy.

no make that, AND IT HAS A TRANNY NAMED ANDRE ON THE COVER!!!!!!!!!!

darn. it's bad enough that his legs are 100x more gorgeous than mine-- but for him to even be on the cover of vogue????!!!! that's just too much.

UNFAAAAAIIIIIIIRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

aaargh! stomach spasms.

still on glorietta

they've found another lifeless body at glorietta today, bringing the death toll to 10.

damage was estimated at 100M juan dela cruz pesos, and govt is offering three freaking million pesos to whoever can give infos, clues on whoever did this halloween-esque act.

so far, no group has come forward to take responsibility.

tsk, tsk, tsk....

more theories are coming out:

1. that the bombing was a strategy of the arroyo govt to divert public attention from the scandals rocking her regime. (shocks. how desperate. oh, i'm not referring to the people who came up with this theory-- but to malacanang if such accusation is indeed true. shame on you. )

2. that the public should actually watch out for more bombings since this is the season for local terrorist groups to show off to obtain recognition and funding from the al-Qaeda. err-- scary. really scary.

3. then there's the c4 RDX, was it a bomb or not mystery. if it wasn't a filthy bomb, what could it be? an invisible king kong must be lurking in the basement of the ayala mall. and he farted.

some people are already slugging it out in the media. ("no we didn't do it," " yes you did it," " you don't have proof," blah blah. oh the wicked and wonderful world of philippine politics.)

****
good thing, we have HEROES:

i'd like to give an applause and salute the regular people who rose to the challenge in the aftermath of the bombing. really-- it's the ordinary men and women on the street who always end up saving the day.








***

i didn't go to the mall today--err yesterday. not that i'm scared of bombs-- ummm...well actually, i got a bit paranoid after reading the travel advisory issued by the australian government to its citizens.

and i REALLY needed to stay home and finish checking my students' exam and papers, unless i want my head to be served on a silver platter to my bosses at the university.

shocks, i have 14 more papers to read. (yey! i love my job. err-- part time job.)

darn. i am super hungry.

will someone send me krispy kreme doughnuts? promise i won't count calories.

anuva?

so you still hate teri hatcher?

here's something to distract you from the signature gathering and all the belly aching about the desperate housewives.

next to cindy, teri looked desperate

****

barely two weeks after ABC issued an apology to the flips who went up in arms against that remark on philippine medical schools, some flips are at it again-- this time against the Show with John Stewart.

the show apparently labeled cory aquino a slut.

talk about some people having so much spare time to wage war against overseas networks-- or anyone with acerbic wit.

we're so quick to draw blood when a dictionary defines pinay as domestic helpers, or when a food company in spain calls its biscuits filipinos.

we love to sweat the small stuff.

back here, there are things worse than racial slur and yet, we don't seem to mind as much.

when our fellow pinoys cheat in the elections, we merely sigh.

when our taxes which should primarily finance basic social services such as education, housing and health--find their way to the pockets of our public officials, we just grin and bear it.

when journalists and other government dissenters disappear or are killed in broad daylight, we only shrug and thank whoever that we are not them.

when our kababayans demand kickbacks in exchange for project contracts which we have to pay, we back off.

***

i'm starting to wonder if we pinoys have the slightest clue of what pinoy dignity is all about.

please, don't even say it's manny pacquiao-- because if that's what pinoy pride and dignity is all about, then perhaps we have to watch out for more slurs.

pwede ba?

following the conviction of former president estrada, i'm surprised that there wasn't that much hoopla. the pre-promulgation surveys were probably right. filipinos don't care so much whether erap gets convicted or not. they just want to go on with their lives.

i admire the humility of government prosecutor dennis villaignacio and his team. after they won at the sandiganbayan, they only spoke when necessary and didn't go around gloating.

unlike this creature:




i mean, he was on every channel the past few days and he annoys the hell out of me.

he goes around gloating as if erap got convicted solely because of his testimony.

please lang.

i have yet to go through the entire decision as i have more boring things to do, but i bet the justices didn't put much weight on sabit's--este chavit's testimony because 1) he is a shady character as the accused and 2) his reasons for blowing the proverbial whistle was that he got bitter that the bingo two balls franchise was being given to atong ang.

in the words of the sandigan justices:

Singson testimony farfetched

In this Court’s view, certain details of Gov. Singson’s testimony on this point are rather incredible and far-fetched.

so pwede ba chavit? shut up.

seriously

grabe, it has been seven years pala since the jueteng gate scandal erupted.

the verdict on erap's plunder trial will be out in a few hours.

hmmm....

okay, let me get off the fence and write more on this.

i admit, i was among the many who took to the streets for edsa dos in 2001.



the tragedy now is that, i consider it as among the few things that i truly regret.

mrs. arroyo disappointed/ frustrated a lot of us. big time.




this is not to say that erap should've been allowed to stay in malacanang.

instead, GMA should've done better.

source: GMA 7

***

i say, if the sandiganbayan finds him guilty, then convict him.

however, the quest for justice for the filipino people--who have long been deprived of good governance--should not just end with the conviction of erap.

the people should also clamor for the prosecution of other erring/ corrupt officials and the justice system should go after them.

if erap is found to not be guilty, then by all means, give him an acquittal.

no more concessions, no more crap.

the filipinos deserve the truth.

the filipinos deserve better.

***

to ease the tension, isang joke muna:

apolitical

a lot have been wondering why i haven't been yakking about third world politics lately.

there have been so many things going on. the contested human security act. extra judicial killings that leave a chilling effect among journalists and administration dissenters. on Juan dela Cruz paying more taxes now but getting less of the basic services due him. the 6.7% GDP growth rate that does not even slightly impact poverty. the rising misery index (yes, there is such a thing in economics).

oh. the. mess.

when i started this blog, i wanted it to be a pulpit on which i can speak about politics and governance. but there have been a lot of things that happened in the recent past that left me confused and doubting.

i don't want to think about it. and i will not talk about it. unless, i want to go thru the next level of hell when i face the commission on appointments for my confirmation as undersecretary. or until my advertisers notify me that a 3rd world political blog is finally in vogue. or until becks sends me an email to say that he misses my political commentaries.

GGTM

anyway, does anyone know of a university or institute in the US that would take in interns to observe the 2008 elections? because right now i am very interested in Uncles Sam's presidential polls. you know, how the two party system work, what happens in primaries, how the parties raise funds, how to manage campaign in 50? 51? states-- the works. and yeah, i want to bring home some gossip on what washington's plans are with regards to this far flung archipelago.

okay, okay, aside from all those shallow reasons, the reason i want to get a US visa is: i want to meet wannabe democrat presidentiable john edwards in person.

Josmio! Ang gwapo!

***

all right, let me talk a little about the wicked and wonderful world of my homeland's politics.

at the opening of the 14th congress yesterday: the ___________ ( i don't have a term for it) within the opposition resulted to my former boss getting elected as senate president.

mr. palengke--este--mr. sipag at tiyaga
as Senate President once more

at the lower house, after all the screaming and the drama, the gentleman from i don't know which district of Pangasinan prevailed as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

House Speaker JDV
(err no.. this is yoda, something must be wrong with blogger)

there you go-- Jose de Venecia
(who do you like better? JDV or Yoda?)

of course, the opening of Congress will not be complete without the president's State of the Nation Address.

i don't know what caption to put under the photo. i mean, i didn't watch the SONA. but it doesn't mean i don't know what she talked about.

that was her 7th-- take note--7th SONA.

oh well... i'm shutting up...

rep rap

A day following the May 14 election this joke was passed around thru SMS:

"Pag nag number one si Chiz, maloloka si Loren. Pag nag number three si Ping, maloloko si Villar. Pag nanalo si Alan Peter, maloloko si FG. Pag nanalo si Trillanes, maloloka si GMA. Pag nanalo si Pichay, maloloka ang buong bayan."

(Umm... yeah, that to me is a joke.)

After a month and a day, and a two hour delay caused by the earlier refusal of the military to let him leave detention, despite permission from the Makati regional trial court where he is being tried on coup d’etat charges, the candidate who garnered 11,138,067 votes and eventually won the 11th seat in the senate was finally proclaimed this morning.

(Aw gad. Andaming naloka.)

I took this photo during the Senate Inquiry on the Oakwood Mutiny. From left: Milo Maestrecampo, Gerardo Gambala, then Navy LtSg.--now Honorable Senator Antonio Trillanes and Angie Reyes.

Given his case and the military rules that are applied in trying his case, I wonder if he will be allowed to attend sessions, committee and bicameral conference meetings.

But in case the military court does not allow him to discharge his functions as senator of the Republic of the Philippines, Honorable Senator Sir, may I be allowed to proxy for you? We both got our MPA at the same time and like you, I have this disgusto for GMA.

And yes, Sir, I also promise that I will pour in blood and sweat to advocate good governance, to push for the implementation of reforms in the military and in the country's procurement system.

And...umm...and... and I won't insist on being referred to as "his honorable proxy."


Her royal higness will do.

will the young lady from pampanga and makati quit smiling?

i died. and died. and died again.

while mortals like me have to smile to look good in pictures (thank God for orthodontists), some people would just stare at the camera and still look fab in their mug shots.

unbelievable.

http://www.bryanboy.com/
err... that's my current fascination, bryanboy doing a Paris mugshot.

here is the real thing.

i actually have four entries stored somewhere on my draftboard, waiting to be posted. but being the comsummate wannabe in the wonderful and wicked world of philippine politics, i thought of just doing a pictionary of sorts.

so last night, while i was raving at my newly purchased pair of naturalizer pumps which i got at 50% off, the COMELEC proclaimed the 10 winning candidates in the May Senatorial race.

Of the seven senators that i voted for, five were proclaimed.

chiz escudero at number two is one of them

(but he was only number four on my list, following ping lacson)

joker arroyo, my favorite senator is number nine.

(but he was number one on my list, followed by ed angara)

then of course, there's my former boss, manny villar, who came at number four.

err... i have a confession.

on election day, he was nowhere on my list.

(yeah yeah, that makes me an ingrate bi-atch. )

******

on the local front, the binays won by a freaking landslide.

jun-jun is number one councilor.

while jojo binay, my super idol, is once again, mayor of my city.

marides fernando, was also re-elected as mayor of marikina.

****

This is my all time favorite election 2007 photo:

i would love to be in darlene's shoes.

*****

parting shot:

i don't have a picture with anyone from malacanang.

but i think this photo will do.

footnotes:

ARTICLE III
BILL OF RIGHTS

Section 2. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for any purpose shall be inviolable, and no search warrant or warrant of arrest shall issue except upon probable cause to be determined personally by the judge after examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses he may produce, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

Section 4. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

Section 18. (1) No person shall be detained solely by reason of his political beliefs and aspirations.