Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Change

Change?

As of 10 pm today, May 10, 2010, the "partial, unofficial" results reported by networks show Benigno Aquino III leading the presidential race, followed by former president Joseph Estrada, once ousted for plunder, judged guilty not by the Senate tasked to look into his alleged wrong doings (e.g. coddling family and favored friends, for instance) but by a popular uprising he refers to as a revolt of the rich and the few.

For vice president, Jejomar Binay leads. Coming into power as the late Pres. Cory Aquino's appointed officer-in-charge of Makati immeditalely after EDSA, Binay had since been running the city alternately with his wife for the past 20 years.

The 12 slots for the Senate are filled by actors and politicians whose names and faces had done the rounds once before, not all of whom did anything significant and meaningful towards the upliftment of the lives of the 90 million or so Filipinos in terms of laws that firmly put in place their rights and privileges, strengthen institutions and benefit society at large.

Change, "pagbabago", is the most used, most abused word throughout the campaign season. All candidates wore a badge that screamed "pagbabago!", short of having this badge enlarged such as to make it look like a speech bubble stuck to their heads wherever they went, in case anybody missed it.

Change! they screamed. Change from our current situation, they say, of widespread poverty and corruption. How that would be, however, was lost on many of them because it did not matter how  change could be achieved. It mattered more that they said it the loudest, the most frequent, the angriest. "Change" became, to me, the promise that weighed the most, yet, little by little, transformed into the most hollow.

Change! For a Filipino public that they say has matured, grown tired of corruption. Change! For the Filipino hungry for new leadership! Change! Towards a path of a better tomorrow.

In the weeks before election day, surveys upon surveys showed that, for the Senatorial slots for instance, the popular names were constantly topping the lists; popular names of actors and scions of politicians who themselves were not [known to be] agents of change. Back then were glimmers of hope, however, albeit hidden in the pockets and linings of robes that, on the outside looked crisp and untainted but were actually reused or recycled rags sewn together haphazardly.

As election results are becoming apparent, the face of what will become the next Philippine government is slowly revealing itself as being too familiar for comfort. The surprise in all of this is not that our collective hopes for real change was to be realized promptly, with a little help from technology, but that the nightmares of the past we thought we had buried are coming together taking a life of its own.

Change? Wait, where are the agents of change? They're there, midway down in the list of candidates as voted by the "mature" Filipino voters hungry for a new leadership that will lead them to the path of a "better tomorrow". Yes, the "mature" Filipino voter slung by mud or thrown into the slime with the candidates throughout the campaign, no thanks to the power of media and its mouthpieces.

Anyway, who did they kid?

The "only" mature thing the Filipino voter did in the last 24 hours was to trust an unknown system, prepare their journey to the polls armed with a lot of patience and brave the unforgiving heat, some goons and a lot of glitches. For that, they, and all election volunteers and workers, are to be commended.


Just the second time in 4 elections since 1986
that my index finger was stained with
indelible ink. Let's see how long it will stay.
[ Notes ]
Tit for tat
I had always suspected that the "Villaroyo" propaganda came not from the LP body but from the Mar Roxas camp, specifically. Of course, this allegation cannot be proven because not one from the LP slate ever actually mouthed it in public. Instead, the propaganda emanated a lot from the programs, news shows and interviews of the media network identified with the Liberal Party (and with Mar Roxas specifically, by marriage, among other things)—ABS-CBN. So persistent was it that couldn't be missed by all the other media. It was reverse public psychology at best, considering how many of Aquino III's relatives are actually with the Arroyo government throughout the election period and how many more jumped over and into their backyard simply to hold on to power.

"Villaroyo" took its toll on the well-oiled campaign of Manny Villar so bad that when this propaganda succeeded, his survey ratings took a dive and never recovered towards election day. The "partial, unofficial" election results are showing that now.

Fate—tit, rather—does turn in strange ways that it looks like Mar Roxas didn't see tat coming his way, as he and his company forgot to occasionally lift their blinders for fear of losing their target (I suspect they even slept with these on).

Dark Horse
And so the possibility of a dark horse emerging from this elections was floated about just a few days ago. Never did I realize that it would happen so literally. I guess neither did Roxas.

Declaration and the first 100 days
As it now looks like Aquino III will be declared winner not later than tomorrow, 11 May 2010—swift, huh?—the one thing I'd like to hear from him as he accepts victory is a declaration to relinquish the .02%-something pittance of a share (or shares) he owns in the Luisita holdings (and other such proprietary rights) for good or as long as he presides over state matters in Malacanang.

His first 100 days should start with putting together a committee to look into real land distribution to the Luisita farmers, and end it not a day longer with awarding of titles devoid of limitations or proviso as he was forced to declare during the campaign. If he can do this then all the goodwill will follow;  he'd earn the respect of everyone and a place in history his mother once had the chance but passed up. He'd then be able to commit genuine respect and homage to all the tillers of the soil whose harvest, cultivated with  their blood, sweat and tears, he and the rest of us partake of.

And so life goes on
...as if nothing happened. As if cries of corruption and incompetence in government did not cost us to nearly lose our values and self respect. As if the whole exercise of voting and choosing candidates we thought would help bring us to the next level (higher, not lower) was a grand event, a spectacle we shouldn't miss. Did the lure of novelty bring out the Filipino from unknown nooks and crevices on that very one day we hoped would be the start of a better future for all of us?

What will the next 6 years bring on? Did the 50 million Filipinos voters simply give up their future to clueless  boxers, ham actors and celebrities, to oligarchs who have lived in comfort all their lives, to warlords and gambling aficionados whose ways are by the gun, to familiar names that provided not enlightenment but temporal entertainment?

Where was genuine maturity and disdain for "the old, 'trapo' ways"? Where did the pursuit for intelligent, focused and productive discussions, statesmanship and real public service go? Were we delusional? Were we lied to? Were we asleep, mesmerized?

Only the second time
Twenty-four hours since the first automated elections and my outlook is quickly reversed. My last vote was cast in favor of Cory Aquino in the snap elections of February 1986, back there in San Juan in the same polling precinct as Marcos loyalist and OIC-replaced San Juan mayor Joseph Estrada voted, goons in tow. How proud we all were of the moment of casting, even if it meant having to listen to single digit votes for our candidate during the canvassing after polls closed.

Back then, the other half of the population would rather put a dog in place (in Malacanang) if it ever ran against Marcos. Fortunately, Doy Laurel acceded, Cory Aquino relented and the dog spared. It seemed like an easy choice. I still don't think my vote then was wasted, although there were regrets to many of her policies and decisions afterwards, not least of which were the lack of resolve and firm actions towards reconciliation, genuine concern for the working class and the masses and countless missed opportunities that would benefit the future of Filipinos.

Well, my vote yesterday was not wasted, too, and, to be clear, it was not for Noynoy Aquino out of respect for his mother whom I voted for and once believed in. Still, he soon will stand as my president just as Ramos and Estrada were and Arroyo is.

However, while May 10, 2010 for me is a step forward in terms of making processes less labor intensive, less questionable, with lesser loss of lives (hopefully) and a little bit more trust for the unknown, it was also a hundred steps back into the past. So life goes on.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Extended

At about noon today, 10 May 2010, COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez on Twitter (@jabjimenez) and on television announced that voting is extended to 7 pm from the original schedule of 7am to 6pm.

It's not too late: Alex Lacson





Bloggers document Alex Lacson for posterity, 25 Jan 2010
(krvilla.2010)
Bloggers night for Atty. Alex Lacson finally came through at his home on 25 January 2010. It was attended by around 30 people, a majority of them bloggers—some very active in political issues, some in other issues.

The first time the idea of Alex Lacson running for the senate—entering politics, if you will—was floated to me last year was by his college friend, my cousin, who asked if I remembered him and what I thought of Alex running. I said in reply:


"I cringe at the thought of pushing him too close to the fire, so to speak, as we all know what the air of politics is made of...
..."[He is] good, intelligent but too honorable, in the true sense of the word, for elective positions that bespeak too much of bowing to patronage and power and pressure..."
Since I knew Alex from college, too, I added:

"...and even then he struck me as one of the very few genuine gentlemen and upright guys in UP; candid but straightforward and very tempered..."
12 Little Things

Alex Lacson took up PoliSci in UP. He was a member of the college-based student organization, the Association of Political Science Majors (UP APSM) from where he, my cousin and a few more of their batch, including Chiz Escudero (now senator), Ingrid Gorre (lawyer, women's rights and environmental activist), Emma Sarne (NY consul), I eventually came to know.

Alex was the quiet guy among that group, yet firm and gentle in his ways. It was usual that PoliSci majors were expected to pursue law school and from that group, too, came some of the very dedicated ones including Alex. Even back in the mid-80s, the tradition of UP in making each student aware of not just campus politics but of national politics made for some very exciting and colorful campus life. Alex — with my couin and Chiz, too — were not as visible nor as vocal as what the establishment branded 'left-leaning' students were in on-campus protest activities. Even as PoliSci majors, these guys were more inclined to spend their time with books or in discussion with friends than march to wherever the path of student activism led most students.

I had not seen nor heard from and about him for years except from stories and, later, mentions about the book he later came out with called "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country" which got positive feedback in the papers.

I finally saw him again at the prodding of my cousins in the last quarter of 2009 at a Tandang Sora barangy hall. This meeting would have been more than 20 years since I last saw him.

There, speaking in front of a mixed crowd of barangay civic organization members composed mostly of women from middle and lower-middle income communities, was Alex with the microphone addressing the crowd of more than a hundred, with a few more milling about—men and teenage boys, barangay tanods and officials, cops.

We arrived halfway through the event as he was talking about what Filipinos can achieve, look up to, reach for and expect if we just opened our minds to our potentials as a people and practice basic niceties and respect for each other.

The talk was followed by a series of Q&As, with one coming from a grade-schooler who asked what advise Alex could give students so they could nurture a love for learning (or something to that effect). It ended with a book signing and some photo-op with the attendees and book buyers. Quite a queue it was.

Alex was approachable even back in UP. The men and women who lined up at the book signing in Tandang Sora were each addressed by their names by Alex and were written down on the title page of the book, each copy personally dedicated by him.

Responsible citizenship

Bloggers' Night with Alex would be a more revealing night for all of us. The attendees were a mix of generations and vocations. The event was opened with an introduction by Jay Jaboneta, one of the main organizers of the night, a volunteer for Alex and a neighbor of his in the subdivision. Jay started by relating how much of Alex was a living testament to what Alex Lacson advocates, like simple courtesies to people (e.g. the subdivision guards) and giving way to fellow drivers within their subdivision.

But it was the Alex himself who, with the same gentleness and firmness—and directness—would give himself away so tellingly.

Alex is softspoken. He moves with contained energy but with authority. He has a ready, genuine smile for everyone.

He was born and grew up in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental. He called himself a "Narra boy" along with some of his college buddies in attendance that evening: all residents of the Narra men's dorm in UP.

He is a self-made man, was a working student throughout his college life, and a scholar. He mentions without hesitation about his relatives back in Kabankalan: tricycle drivers, sari-sari store owners, ordinary folks, some of whom he helps send to school or help out in one way or other. Currently, he supports 10 more indigent scholars under of World Vision of which he is a member of the Board of Trustees.

He passed the bar and practiced for some time, then took up post-grad in the U.S. It was when he was abroad, he said, that he saw and experienced prejudice and discrimination. It was also then he saw how much potential each Filipino in the Philippines had but how little aware they were of their inherent skills and talents.

Alex may be too idealistic for comfort. Surely, nothing is wrong with being an idealist. Anyhow, idealists seem to make more effort at making things better than pessimists do.

In my view, Alex is also too real, upright and untarnished for a position in politics. Politics, for me, is a snake pit, an arena that has been been filled with filth and left in shambles by the very people who run it, and by supporters that are silent about deals that sell principles. It has been sullied by personalities who were voted into offices because of rubbed-off virtues, inherited names and mythicized persona. With Alex in politics, his straightforward manners and direct deals may well rub off on the other politicians who have all this time believed that to be valid, one has to be smart-talking, snide, attached to scandals and endorsed by celebrities.

Alex's advocacies are simple and doable.

"Condemn it."

When asked about his views on the Luisita Massacre issue during bloggers' night, Alex, a lawyer in the firm that lists the Luisita enterprises (Hacienda Luisita, Inc., Luisita Realty Corporation) among its clients, was silent for a few seconds, then slowly but firmly, clearly said "I would like them to condemn it. Let those who are guilty be charged."

It was our turn, the audience, to be speechless upon hearing this. The silence was soon followed by a spontaneous round of applause. Was his answer unexpected? Of course it was! Alex was seen on TV collecting peso coins from strangers for Noynoy Aquino's campaign after Mar Roxas' withdrawal to run for president at Club Filipino. Alex was among those who convinced Aquino to run after all.

Was Alex sincere in his answer? I believe the spontaneous applause, even coming from the gentleman from Mindanao who was relentless with his questions to Alex, left the event that evening more than just convinced.

Luisita is attached to Noynoy Aquino since declaring his candidacy and anyone closely associated with him, let alone his lawyer and friend, will surely be dodging the issue. This association notwithstanding, Alex always makes his thoughts known, thus he stands out of the crowd by himself, free of any shadows of doubt cast upon him.

When I had the chance to ask how, in the company of traditional politicians both in his own party and in the Senate (lest we forget the 12 hold-over senators from the previous election), he could make his plans and platform work without resorting to horse-trading and selling out, he replied (and I quote from memory),

"I am realistic and know that I only have 6 years to [see to it that my] plans are fulfilled. If it does not work out, them I go back [to what I had been doing]. I am not in it to [be there] forever..."
By the end of the event, the usual book signing queue took place. Even the staff and crew of the local caterer fell in line behind the bloggers and other attendees. Though no celebrity he is, they, too, I'm sure, understood his programs well, identified with his story and were moved by Alex's vision of country with a respectful, responsible, "kapwa-tao"-driven citizenry.



Alex Lacson hands over a signed copy of "12 Little Things" and a poster

to the caterer's staff who stood in line at the end of the event.
An open endorsement

It is dificult to write about a person I know without being patronizing but because I mean this post to be an open endorsement of Alex Lacson for Senator, it already is.

Here is a genuine person, humble and responsible, and one who easily makes a connection with almost anyone—effortlessly—and who makes any campaign slate relevant, including Alex's own team of Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas. Without Alex in it, without him in the 2010 elections, everybody else's campaign is simply a rehash of the politics of old: the privileged, those with a distorted sense entitlement and the moneyed.

When given the chance and you do not know Alex Lacson yet, please make time to see him. Very much of what Alex Lacson lives by is a lesson that people born into politics should learn from. [~26 January 2010]





I'm actually glad Alex Lacson is not among the candidates in the major religious groups' endorsements. Why, the self-made man that he is can stand on his own merit, sans whistle-blowing antics and shady deals. It'll be a shame to not give him the opportunity to serve. [~09 May 2010]

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Quezon City, Congressional District 2: Sample Ballot and other interesting data

Barangays (from Wikipedia)
  • Apolonio Samson (Balintawak)
  • Baesa (Charlatan)
  • Bagbag (Bagbag Novaliches)
  • Bagong Silangan
  • Balongbato (Camachile)
  • Batasan Hills
  • Capri
  • Commonwealth
  • Culiat (Muslim Village)
  • Fairview
  • Greater Lagro (Lagro)
  • Gulod (Gulod Novaliches)
  • Holy Spirit
  • Kaligayahan
  • Nagkaisang Nayon (General Luis)
  • New Era (Iglesia ni Cristo Central)
  • North Fairview
  • Novaliches Proper (Novaliches Bayan)
  • Pasong Putik (SM Fairview)
  • Pasong Tamo (Marivic Co Pilar Village)
  • Payatas
  • San Agustin (San Agustin)
  • San Bartolome (San Bartolome Novaliches)
  • Sangandaan (Project 8 / Sangandaan)
  • Sauyo
  • Santa Lucia
  • Santa Monica (Sta. Monica Novaliches)
  • Talipapa (Talipapa Novaliches)
  • Tandang Sora
  • Unang Sigaw (Balintawak)
  • *Novaliches Reservoir(Undeclared barangay) (La Mesa Watershed)
Stats (Number: 2010-60, Date Released February 18, 2010, NSO)
Interesting data:
  • The population of Quezon City is about 2.6M as of 2007
  • Quezon City has 142 barangays, the largest of which is Brgy. Commonwealth with almost 200,000 people. Graph below shows the Top Ten QC barangays, all of which fall under District 2.


  • 52.6% of Quezon City's population of voting age (18 and over) is female.
  • "Females outnumber males in all categories of marital status"
  • "More females had attained higher levels of education"
  • "54.6% with academic degrees, 54.9 with post-baccalaureate courses"


No. of Candidates for May 10, 2010 Based on the COMELEC sample ballot below.
(NOTE: Clicking on image will open up a PDF download link from my blog "ideography.wordpress.com" because I can't upload the format on Blogspot and the COMELEC website has been slow.)
  • Congressional - 11 / Mayor - Vice Mayor - /  City Council (aka Sangguniang Panlunsod) - 44





DO NOT OVERVOTE PER CATEGORY. Do NOT shade BEYOND the oval. VOTE WISELY.







Sources:
- QC map was based on the Quezon City map from wapedia.mobi
- Charts, graphs and statistics entries are from the National Statistics Office web site
- Sample ballot above and the PDF download was emailed to me courtesy of cybernotebook.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Trapo

TRAPO.


IN ILOCANO, AS IN MANY PHILIPPINE LANGUAGES, "trapo" means rag. And, like many words integrated into the myriad of Philippine languages, its origin is Spanish, meaning cloth, dust cloth, cleaning cloth, rag. In the local context,  "trapo" sometimes means a very dirty, almost useless piece of cloth not even fit for cleaning: a throw-away.

Hence, during the Marcos era, politicians subservient to the dictator and his cronies, who consented to suppression and chose to keep their mouths shut for fear of reprisal, or simply coasted along, with similar-minded politicians, to live life comfortably and without risk despite widespread repression and lack of freedom for the general public, were called "trapo" by their critics, the media and citizens who saw things and led life differently. A traditional politician, in other words. 

"Trapo" is a shorter form for the earlier name-call "tradpol" like tadpole, i.e. legless, mindless baby amphibians squiggling aimlessly in murky waters. My guess is, those who later coined the word "trapo" saw the term more appropriate for the traditional (and "traditionally corrupt") politico, and in deference to the aquatic larvae, which, in later stages of its development, are actually helpful to our survival as humans.

Trapo, the political name-call, has outlived Marcos and is very much in use today. It not only includes politicians identified with Marcos but politicians of all ages and affiliations who belong or are perceived to condone the status quo.

The trapo is not expected to have an open mind or risk their social and ideological positions. They are believed to be exclusive (as opposed to being inclusive), are neither adaptive nor progressive. They are the "same old-same old", "been there done that" bench-warming, grandstanding public servants content with the "old ways" of doing things. They are the political godfathers and patriarchs who bequeath their positions in government to their descendants or whose progeny audaciously await such inheritance.

Endorsements



In Philippine politics, endorsements by religious groups is a big thing. Ironically, it is during the thank you speeches by those endorsed that their humility, grace and reverence to faith—or to faiths other than their own—are made to shine through as if their conduct in their campaigns and their lives as public figures and that of their kin exemplary, virtuous, and sin-free.

Politicians try hard to appear coy about these endorsements. They make their brokering and other such "important" visits to group heads clandestinely, except when big, public occasions are unavoidable, in which case the visits are made to appear without concessions. Religious leaders behave in the same manner, often evading political associations until "the proper time". When a politician fails to make it to such public occasions, they send statements of regret equaling that of a private, one-on-one confession, or send alter egos to declare apologies on national television.

Sometimes, the lines are blurred between religious heads, political bankrollers/kingmakers and power brokers because those who seek endorsements of faith-based leaders make it so, despite denials of favors whispered only among them.

The flocks, and the voters, are always left out guessing which, among the gods' wishes, were fulfilled by particular candidates and come short in others. These decisions are not to be questioned, the exception coming from one  anointed candidate who presumptuously floated the idea of one group head possibly misreading a godly message and offered to try to convince the head to take a second look.

The Anointed and chosen

When the "major" religious block endorsements started coming out days apart from each other (the third group's is anticipated to come out on Sunday, 09 May), only one word to describe the chosen ones came to mind: trapo. The flocks are expected to heed. On the other hand, for better or worse, the rest of the voting population after May 10 may well end up getting the government it deserves.

Anyhow, I hope the elections will be peaceful and the candidates at peace with the process.