10 Reasons Why I’m Not Voting Noli de Castro for Philippine President in 2010, and Why I Think You Shouldn’t Either

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The 2010 Presidential Elections

• 2010 Presidentiables and Surveys
• Choosing the Palace Successor: Philippine Presidential Elections 2010
• What The?! Obama of the Philippines? Please.
• 10 Reasons Why I’m Not Voting Noli de Castro for Philippine President in 2010, and Why I Think You Shouldn’t Either
• Philippine Presidential Elections 2010 Amidst Economic Crisis — The Boon and the Bane
• And My Vote for Philippine President Come 2010 Goes To…
• Podcast: Whose Game Is It Anyway? (On the 2010 Elections Survey Results)
• Behind Frosted Glass: Uncovering the “Man” in Manny Villar
• Manny Villar: The Usual Villain?!
• Because Every Filipino Just Needs A Break
• Anyone But Willie Revillame, Please.
• Withdrawal of Support to “Manny Villar for President in 2010″
• Podcast: A MARvelous Day for Liberal Party: Roxas withdraws presidential bid in favor of Aquino
• Panic In Hell’s Kitchen: LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD may not be as smug as they portray re: 2010 elections
• Who Will Win in the 2010 Presidential Elections?
• Jose De Venecia III is running for senator after all
• Getting Paid for Writing Crap (and disclosing it)
• Dear SWS, re: 3rd Quarter survey results released October 14, 2009
• Just How Ready Are We For Elections Automation in 2010?
• The Problem with Noynoy
• In Response to @Cocoy re: Noynoy
• DILG Sec. Puno, are you for real?
• Dumbing our kids down, damning their future
• Dissecting Gibo Teodoro and his viability for 2010
• Gibo should bolt out too
• Arroyo is resigning from Lakas-Kampi
• It’s Gibo-Edu in 2010 for Lakas-Kampi CMD
• Going for tried, getting tired
• So is the glass half-empty? Or half-full?
• Mutations
• Gibo is on a roll. But is he getting anywhere?
• It’s Manny for Manny
• Here come the Yellow Army
• Manny Villar’s “Naging Mahirap” TVC Campaign Lyrics
• Gibo Teodoro’s “Sulong” informercial aka “Posible” lyrics
• That abstract concept called “poverty”
• Who among the presidentiables will be bad for the economy?
• Have a Little Faith

Photo by briPod >Seventeen months and counting. That's how long before the much-awaited Philippine Presidential Elections of May 2010 happens -- assuming that our dear President Gloria doesn't succeed in perpetuating herself in power beyond 2010 -- and assuming that the prayers of the faithful would be given more weight by God, instead of the prayers of her leeches, err allies. Hello, Secretary Dureza. :)

Once again, we, the Filipino voting population, highly deluded that we are in control , would attempt to change the course of history and put a "rightful" candidate in the seat of power that is Malacanang. Our "righteous" king (or queen) will then raise his (or her) magical scepter and cast a spell of hope and healing to The Sick Man of Asia and poof, we are alive and well again, raring to go on and press on towards that dream of once again being Asia's Finest... and claim our title as the Pearl of The Orient. Wishful thinking, friends. Wishful thinking.

Truth is, we are not in control. At least, not anymore. Or not yet.

Why so? Because options, choices -- the availability of viable options is what will empower us as voters. Screw the surveys. Who cares if this or that candidate is on top or at the bottom of this and that survey. Forget that. We should busy ourselves with finding a better option. Let's not content ourselves with choosing from what's immediately available to us. We've done that many times over. And look at where it got us to. Why must we swallow that bitter medicine of choosing the lesser of two or a sea of evils when we can find a painless, sweet home-made remedy?

I don't like the choices presented to me right now. And I refuse to give in to the demand of choosing from a line of people I do not want to run the country. Tell me, are you content with what's being served at our table? Don't you think it's high time we say, "That's it. Enough already. I've hard "adobo" for centuries for Pete's sake! I'm leaving this table now, go to the kitchen and prepare something I "actually like" for once!".

I feel for you. That's why I've prepared a new series in this blog that will feature each of the candidates and my thoughts about them. You don't need to agree with me of course. But it doesn't hurt to listen to what some ordinary person has to say, would it? Besides, I'm not writing to sway you into my thinking. Or to sway your vote. I'm no propagandist, that I can guarantee. Nobody pays me to write these things so you are certain that I'm not here to hypnotize you or trick your mind. I am as ordinary as the girl you sit beside with when you ride the bus or the one next to you in the grocery aisle. I have no ulterior motives other than share a piece of my mind and urge you to share yours as well. No self-aggrandizing necessary. No intense debate being solicited. Just a good 'ol discussion, that's all.

Anyway, to start off, I present you my image of VP Noli de Castro -- a presidential aspirant in 2010. I chose him first because he leads the surveys and then I'll do a run-down from that.

*Disclaimer: You want hard facts complete with evidence? You won't find it here. This is a social/political commentary blog, not a news source. What you will read here are my personal thoughts, impressions, observations, analysis, yada yada yada. Just setting your expectations. I wouldn't want to disappoint you, you know. :)

So, here it is, without further ado:

10 Reasons Why I'm Not Voting Noli De Castro for President in 2010

(And Why I Think You Shouldn't Either):

1. Noli de Castro bores me to tears.

Sure, he must be righteous and all being a product of media -- a supposedly incorruptible industry. But he doesn't have spunk. He is as bland as rice in it's highest price ever a few months ago. You buy it because you know you need it. no matter how expensive. You know it'll satiate your hunger. You know it's nutritious. But you endure its blandness. You consume it in great amounts, but you never seem to be truly satisfied with it. The reason -- it's too plain. One way or another, you will have to find something to add to it to make it more appealing, more palatable -- maybe even just a little bit of salt.. so that your succeeding consumption of it would have a different taste to it. That's Noli. He seems to be the person that's always almost there -- but never quite. Always a tad short of this and that.

2. He is an invertebrate.

I would want to mention specific instances wherein I've seen him react to issue of high significance, but got nothing more than a "safe" answer or a "pass", but my memory escapes me. Those instances when we were at the tipping point of unseating Gloria and a "moving" statement from him would have nailed it, but his remarks seemed too ambiguous for deciphering. When all we needed was a, "yes, I'm certainly up to it!" -- in the same way that PGMA has been rumored to have been sneaky during Erap's time -- Noli was blurting out either a "let's see" or "my loyalty is with the President"..or something to that effect. I mean, come to think of it, if you were in his shoes, knowing you're there -- so close to being President -- would you shy away and hide? Duty calls! This is your moment! And then you'd say coyly, "let's see"? My only consolation, when I look back at these times, is giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was acting "in good faith" or "acting within his convictions". I console myself with the thought that maybe, just maybe, that was what he believed in his heart was the right thing to do -- stick with Gloria. But even with that in consideration, I still feel that it's too safe a move. And I wonder what was holding him back. For if you think of it, that was a sure shot at Presidency -- knocking at his door. That can even give him an edge into winning the 2010 elections in the same way Gloria capitalized on her so-called "achievements" from 2000-2004 in order to convince people that she has to win "for progress to continue". Now, that's strategy 101. Noli has to learn that.

3. He stuck with Gloria.

Almost an echo of reason number 2, this is one thing he has done that I take against him. I doubt that Noli is not privy into Gloria's affairs. Given that scenario, surely he knows something about the existence of anomalies, albeit not all. So, why did he choose to stick with Gloria? Once again, he was playing it safe. Most times, it's actually good to play safe, but if you do it too often and too obvious, you lose credibility, you lose identity, you lose charisma, and you lose following.

The only difference between Erap and Gloria amidst a crisis of public trust and imminent removal from power is that Erap didn't have Noli for a VP. And of course, the military support that Gloria continues to enjoy to this day.

4. He broke his promise.

Now this one is rather personal to me. As you know, Noli heads the HLURB -- housing. Some two years ago, or so, he went to a relocation site in Cavite, gave out ceremonial and rather "symbolic" paper that gave the impression he was giving away or "awarding" lots to settlers. He made a promise that these lots are as good as "ours" -- albeit with no title yet. It will follow, he said. Two years after and counting, and there's not a land title in sight, not even one. People in the area are speculating that the land titles will be used to manipulate votes for 2010. That's not good.

I'm totally big on promises. I guess a lot of us are. And when you're a public official running for President, I will hold you bound to your promise even more than the regular guy. And when you break or forget, rest assured I will remember.

5. He's bound to be Gloria reincarnated.

This one is obvious. One only needs to look into recent events to see for themselves that this is true. Unlike Gloria, though, he probably doesn't have a good grasp on economics and economic policies. But other than that, we are bound to see leeches of Gloria to perpetuate themselves in office, while the rest are filled-in with whomever she chooses. Besides, by all indications, the Palace is geared at supporting him. So, you'd see the same faces, relative's faces, friend's faces. And also, existing policies from Gloria's administration will be continued. That should be good -- that's if the existing policies are good enough to begin with. But since he's bound to continue what was set in place before him, I see a government with little or no imagination, inventiveness or drive. I see a government running on worn-out, bald tires, stopping every other mile for a tire hole patching. Running yes -- but efficiently and within target? No.

6. His silence is deafening.

When you don't speak your mind about issues that are of national importance, that's not playing safe. That's bad politics. That's bad governance. Your people are listening. They want to know what you think. And they want to know not because they have to. They want to know because you have to -- because it is your job. Part of your job is to speak up tirelessly, to inform, to clarify and to allay fears.

7. His words are empty.

And when you do speak up, make sure it's not empty. Ensure that it sends out a clear and crisp message that's powerful enough to evoke human emotions -- the good kind, of course. You are a leader. You are meant to inspire others. Heck, I hear farmers and labor union speakers making short, powerful statements that drive their point and hit home instantly. Yes, we need a man of action, and yes, actions speak louder than words. But words alone can appeal to our heart of hearts. Talk to us in such a manner that we will actually stop and listen. Inspire us.

8. His jokes aren't funny.

Of the very few occasions that I saw or heard him throw a joke or two, I was aghast at the lack of real humor element to it. It didn't sound funny. Why am I making such a big deal out of it? Are Presidents supposed to be funny? Is that a requirement?

Not exactly. But here's the thing -- this one I know to be important. Presidents are supposed to be "real" people with "real" personalities that appeal to your heart and mind. What is a person without a personality? What is a person without his sense of humor? I know what it's not -- uninspiring and boring. And would you listen to someone who bores the hell out of you? I know I won't.

9. He doesn't have "presence".

You know those people, who, when they walk into a room, it seems to light up the entire area? Those people whose mere presence commands attention. Who excudes an equal sense of authority and grace? That's the kind of leader we need -- one we will look up to -- one whose presence keeps us on our toes and leaves us in awe while in the presence of royalty. Presidents are supposed to evoke that kind of awe in us. This is something that we haven't seen in a long time.

I remember being inches away from Gloria when she visited our company before. I was so close to her. That kind of distance would have ignited fire in me as a patriot. This is The President of the Republic of the Philippines -- inches away -- an arm's reach -- but you know what I felt? Nothing. Now, knowing myself -- that ain't good. That means something is amiss. And I'm pretty consistent. So, it shouldn't be me. :)

10. He doesn't have (tons of) money.

What's wrong with having no money? Two words -- gratitude and corruption. Never has those two words been so aptly put side by side than when we talk about it within the context of Philippine politics. Be it support from the business sector, other political parties with "spanking-good" political machinery or other wealthy relatives or friends -- we know that that money, like energy, cannot be "destroyed" -- it can only be "transformed". All those money spent on campaign leaflets and million-peso prime-time TV commercials has to be returned somehow -- in another form -- maybe. Someone has to pay for it for sure. And in the end, we, the deluded voters of this country we hold so dear in our hearts, are the ones who pay for it -- sometimes in the same form, sometimes through injustice, sometimes of an uncertain future, and sometimes -- in blood.

** Coming up, Manny Villar... stay tuned.

Suggested Further Reading:

• Not The Children
• Choosing the Palace Successor: Philippine Presidential Elections 2010
• 8 Reasons Why Political Rallies Have Become Overrated
• That abstract concept called “poverty”
• Let’s Behave, Shall We?

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