I can almost swear "someone" is cursing the upcoming presidential elections in May 2010. It's as if "someone" is killing all chances of emergent hope -- "someone" is out to sabotage this one shot we have at clean, honest elections.
Although the existence of that "someone" is hard to prove and coming up with strong evidence is hardly possible at the moment, what seems to be 'a clear and present danger' is the unabated doubt creating an atmosphere of general distrust.
There is widespread doubt in the effectivity of the system. Doubt in the reliability of technology. Doubt in the trustworthiness of the candidates. Doubt in the 'maturity' of the electorate. Doubt in everything elections-related. Essentially, doubt in the possibility of Philippine political redemption.
It is so easy to spread doubt and plant fear in the hearts and minds of our fellowmen. I can't think of anything easier to do in a time like this. When faced with the task of choosing what to promote, the average salesman would always opt for those that are easy to sell.
Which idea is easier to sell: That fully-automated elections would be 100% successful or that it would fail?
You get the point.
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Have a little faith
I am a proponent of vigilance and a promoter of justified and regulated doubt. But in no way will I consent to being a conduit of fear-mongering. I have better things to do with my time (and I have a lot of time, mind you).
My dear friends, casual and accidental readers, one and all, I urge you to have a little faith in this much-awaited political exercise. Let not the sensationalized news and overblown negative write-ups deter you from participating in this democratic process that is part and parcel of who we are and who we intend to be.
Of course there will be glitches, there are flaws, there are questions that need to be answered -- but all will be resolved in due time. That is what these tests are for -- to see what works and what doesn't -- to separate the reliable from the not.
Trust the system -- a good measure if not entirely. Trust that technology can and will work. But most of all, trust yourself. Trust that YOU dictate your vote. Trust that it is you who will dictate your destiny and consequently, this country's. Trust that unless we take a chance, there is no way of ever finding out what will and will not work for us.
Think about it. If we can't trust ourselves? Who else will?
Besides, if all else fails, there's always manual elections. So douse that fear. Besides, I'm sure you have better things to do than worry, so get over it.
"Who among the presidentiables will be bad for the economy?"
This is an interesting query I got through a random "googler" today.
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Now, I don't know if it's some random thought or an actual question posed by God knows who but it sounds interesting enough that I wanted to write about it.
Unfortunately, this "googler" wasn't clear about this question. What does he/she mean by "bad"? And is she referring to pre-elections or post-elections economy? If he/she is referring to pre-elections economic effect, technically, whoever spends more would be good for the economy because it would generate jobs and faster movement of resources through rapid and frantic "purchases" of products and services.
Alternatively, if the "googler" meant "bad" for the economy post-elections, then I would assume he/she would be referring to a sitting/winning president because losing presidentiables can only make so insignificant a dent in the economy (if ever).
As much as I wanted to discuss this further, I realized that considering I'm not an expert on economics and "market forces", I ultimately decided to turn this into a poll instead.
So, go ahead. Vote! :) And yes, for the purpose of this poll, let us stick to a post-elections scenario. Theoretically, we are looking for that president-to-be who will likely make "unsound" economic decisions and send us back to the Stone Age.
Could be your local parish priest. Could be some random citizen. Could be anyone, I suppose.
But one thing I'm sure of, it's not the mother of the prime suspect -- who allegedly took the vibrant life of a young man.
If it is crime most foul to take another person's life, how then do you describe such insensitive statements from the most awkward of sources?
Maybe some friends can say that to the grieving family, maybe even the members of the family themselves can say that -- if only to comfort each other in shocking grief.
But from the "alleged" offender's mother? Not quite right.
It is human to share in the grief of even a stranger's loss in the same way it is human to go overboard in protecting one's child. It is human to feel sympathy at the misfortune of others as it is human to blame the offended for the offender's fate.
But never ever will it be human to say that a son's death is God's will when one's son might have taken it.
If Marlene Aguilar-Pollard is sure as hell that her son is innocent of the crime accused of him, without a witness to that incident but God -- then is Jason Aguilar Ivler guilty as charged or wrongfully accused? Who's to say?
If we think it human to give her and her son the benefit of the doubt, would it be too much to give Renato Ebarle Jr.'s family the right to grieve the way they see fit?
Is it God's will that Ebarle Jr. die that fateful day in the exact way he did through the barrel of some psychologically-disturbed guy's gun?
Who's to say? Could be anyone, I suppose. But certainly not Marlene.
Marlene dismisses all assumptions that she is mentally disturbed and showcases us books she's written to attest to her brilliance. Well, I say: Who's to say? That's irrelevant now to what's apparent to us. While she may not be accused of mental deprivation, she might just lack a "sense of morals". But why should you believe me? Who's to say, right?
There are things in this life bigger than all of us-- bigger than our daily personal struggles, bigger than our economic woes and even bigger than the upcoming 2010 presidential elections. My friends, it is the universal desire for the well-being and safety of our brothers and sisters around the world. Yes, that much-ridiculed and overly-used, Ms. Universe-like wish of "world peace". Along with that is our ardent prayer that people be safe from harm.
Sometimes, in the rush and chaos of everyday existence and occupations, we forget that whatever differences, goals and priorities we have, there is one thing common to all of us -- a shared appreciation to the one thread woven in all of humankind -- that kind of strength to which any other strength -- be it economic or military pales in comparison -- it is the fortitude of the human heart -- the enduring resilience of the human spirit.
The world, as I write this watch in shock at what now appears to be a patch of hell on earth as Haiti grieves for their dead -- with the death toll feared to go as high as 500,000. Millions of people are needing help, most of the survivors decided to live on the streets for fear of aftershocks. What happened to Haiti last Tuesday, January 12, 2010 must shake us up out of complacency. If it can happen to them, it can happen to us.
There are two (2) things we share with Haiti -- poverty and corruption. These two always go together -- one resulting to the other, in an endless cycle of misery.
Haiti was unprepared for that 7.0 magnitude earthquake that is to come for a whole lot of reasons similar to us -- corruption which resulted to structurally-flawed and unsafe buildings, poor delivery of basic services, poor disaster-preparedness and more.
We, like Haitians, are no strangers to disasters -- political, economic and natural. And given our similarities with their current state, we can all but cower in fear and pray earnestly that we do not suffer the same fate as theirs. most specially because compared to Haiti whose last experience with an earthquake was 200 years ago, the Philippines' most devastating earthquake experience is still fresh in our minds some 20 years ago in 1990. We were unprepared then and I sure as hell can bet that two decades after, we remain unprepared.
My heart goes out to the people of Haiti who lost what little they have. To bear witness to such a tragedy, to be able to walk among the dead seem like a curse far worse than subsistence. While it can't be argued that this 7.0 magnitude earthquake is a natural calamity, the number of casualties may have been limited if not totally avoided had there been early warning of an impending disaster which should have facilitated swift and orderly security of the residents. But then, maybe there's no stopping nature. There is a reason for everything.
Whatever it is, only God knows.
If you have money to spare, please donate. No amount is so small to not make a difference, and no amount is too big for our Haitian brothers and sisters.
On Pat Robertson's Haiti "pact with the devil" blunder
For the record, I would like to express disappointment over what longtime TV evangelist Pat Robertson of the 700 Club said on air claiming that the Haitians made a "pact with the devil" hundreds of years ago, hence the curse and the earthquake. He further claims that Haitians did this to gain their freedom from the French. I think such a statement is not characteristic of an evangelist. This statement spits at the honor of Haitians who hold the distinction as the only country in the Western Hemisphere to undergo a successful slave revolution. If there was such a "pact", who can attest to its authenticity? Who can judge? Such a statement only adds insult to injury. It is clearly judgmental and uncalled for.
You might actually think that the world has changed. But no, it hasn't.
You might think that Philippine politics has changed. But no, it hasn't.
On the contrary, it hasn't changed nary a bit.
It's always been like this during election period. Jingles. Slogans. The works.
The "vote-for-me-because-im-your-savior" sort of campaign posters haven't changed in many, many years. And each time election nears, it only reminds us how bad our politicians fared before -- how bad all of us somehow fared too.
Someone once said, we get what what we deserve -- that we get what we give. If that is true, I wonder what sort of abominable creatures we have become to deserve such incompetent and devilish leaders. I wonder what kind of miser we have become to get these parasites cum predators. I cringe at that thought.
And so every time a squeaky clean, well-bred, royal "gened" politician hugs and carries a poor child -- specially the "really" poor ones, I wonder what goes on in that politician's mind.
I wonder.
There are those too smart to assert that one need not be "poor" or "have been poor" to know poverty. Wise guy, read this: You are so wrong. Continue reading →
Surprised that since its Youtube upload yesterday, January 7, 2010, this "Sulong" infomercial/commercial/TVC/campaign ad barely had 500 views. Pretty much shows how "unpopular" he is compared to cousin Noynoy Aquino.
Looks like the coming election is becoming more and more a "battle of the bands" than a "battle of brands". Don't be surprised. The electorate is mainly "young" with over 70% of voters aged below 39. This my friend, is how you connect to the young and hip crowd.
This one's from Rico Blanco's "Posible" song and apparently, Gibo failed to ask permission from Blanco that this original composition of his will be used for Gibo's infomercial. While Gibo's camp insists that there was no violation of intellectual property rights the issue just refuses to die.
As another public service of this blog, I'm publishing the words (narration/lyrics) here and of course, the video.
"Sulong"
Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro's latest infomercial
Gibo:
"Mura at masaganang pagkain para tuluyang mapawi ang gutom..
College graduate sa bawat pamilya...
Libreng gamot para sa mahihirap...
Sulong Gibo Wag uurong
Pakinggan sa yong puso
Ang sigaw na dati'y bulong...
Narrator: Ang mabilis na pag-ahon, posible lang kay Gilbert Teodoro
This site is offsetting all electricity use with wind-generated Renewable Energy Certificates which prevent the release of 2,660 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.That’s equivalent to planting nearly 2,390 acres of trees, or removing 510 cars from the road. Reinforcing my commitment to combating climate change.
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