The other night I was watching Nuts Entertainment on GMA PinoyTV and Senator Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero was the guest in the Balakubak segment. One question was whether he’d consider running in the presidential election in 2010. As usual, Chiz gave an intelligent answer whereas he said that he’s only thirty-nine years old so he won’t comment on such, but he hinted that he would be forty by the election day. Unlike the United States which requires a 35-year-old limit, the Philippines requires that its President is at least forty. Escudero has been considered to be one of the candidates in 2010, and so thoughts amassed.
So far, the hopefuls that I’m aware of are Mar Roxas, Manny Villar, Noli De Castro, Loren Legarda, Chiz Escudero, and Bayani Fernando. To follow are my two cents:
Bayani Fernando would be insignificant in this race. Though he is famous around the National Capital Region for his MMDA, the provinces are not aware of his accomplishments. Addition to that, he has divided support within the region. I strongly believe that the progress he dreams of for the nation is purely cosmetic. I won’t be surprised if he’s in the office and make the country foolish by nominating it for the Olympics… Sorry I couldn’t resist humor.
Francis Escudero entered his first term in the executive position a year ago. Intellegent, young, ambitious and with great vision. If elected, my expectation on his policies would be too high. He’s one of the better nationalists in the country. However, I would question his experience. Are his accomplishments enough to say that he has experience in the executive level? My bet is that his greater chances is at age forty-seven. He’s one of the better politicians in the national level in the country I must say.
Loren Legarda is probably one of the most greedy politician I could think of. Should we say power monger? She failed to win as the vice president, so she’s expected to take a stab at the presidency and become the third madam president. Cory and Gloria I think are enough to screw the nation. Is that sexist to you? It’s a fact! Not only the gender that will render incapability to lead the country for Legarda, it’s also the fact that she’s a news woman. A journalist must be objective, but a journalist also knows all the tricks to hide and confide things. They can be their own PR strategist. The public could be easily blinded. She is intelligent and courageous, but those aren’t enough.
Vice President Noli De Castro could be a force to reckon with during the elections. He has a wide fanbase way back his MGB days. He’s literally done nothing (as far as I know) that can smudge his reputation, but he’s also done nothing for the country. He’s playing a neutral role now as he tries to win the public through image. I believe he will fight during the elections using righteous image and maintain his fanbase. Like I said about journalists, I hope he doesn’t rule the country.
That brings me to the two men who will probably have a showdown in 2010. Them being Ilonggos are mere coincidents. I don’t have wide knowledge of all these six politicians I’ve mentioned, my opinion is based on tidbits of knowledge about them.
Roxas is a respected Senator and is a descendant of the former President Manuel Roxas. In fact, he won more votes than the current president had, so he’s popular also. He’s rich and intelligent. He appeals to the masses and he’s media friendly. The only negative on him would probably his bachelor status. Being a family person is usually a factor in becoming the leader of a nation (it’s a big deal in the US anyway). Other than that, he may as well be the next president of the Philippines.
Roxas may have a greater chance to win the presidency, but he won’t get it so easily. Manny Villar will most likely make a stir and give Roxas a fight of his life. Villar has led the Congress and the Senate in his public service in the last decade. Though I’m not knowledgeable of him, I’ve seen him on a TV interview once. I don’t need books to tell me what this person can bring the nation. He has a clear vision of what he will give for the country, the values he set for the country to straighten. I don’t invision him to lead the country and make it prosper. I see him leading the country to a path which could eventually lead to properity. A very intelligent man who seems to have his priority set straight.
I may have misinformed you on facts, however these are thoughts without allusions. I may have just paraded my ignorance, but at least I’ve cleared my head.
September 2nd, 2008
As I was checking blogs off my blogroll, I noticed that my ads are McCain oriented. Data mining capability of Google is really amazing. I don’t have to say which party I tend to lean, yet it knows. I’m not a registered voter and I don’t think I’ll be, but I’m openly a Republican. I guess it’s in my nature to go against the grain because I live in an urban area and urbanites tend to be democrats.
Especially in this year’s election. I think that the democratic party is a joke. They should have found someone more effective because McCain is a tough contender. I think if they had Kerry run again, they may have a chance. I won’t make any prediction save one. Hollywood will vote Obama because the vocal these celebrities about supporting Obama, they think that the masses will watch their movies. If you have Pamela Anderson screaming she’s voting Obama, I think you have to think who to vote again. It may be better to vote for Perot if he runs again.
Before you comment on my opinion, it is solely mine and I did not do any research on each candidate’s platform or issues. These are solely my hunch based on the years I’ve “kind of” observe these men.
August 5th, 2008
Before leaving the house, I saw on the news that the Philippines’ Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will pilot an electronic voting process in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the coming gubernatorial (regional) election in the region. The machines are provided by Avante.
Electronic voting is still a huge issue in the United States and we debated the issue in one of my classes. A few nations have been using this technique for their elections, to some degree. The system is said to be “very” secure according to Smartmatic Sahi’s Vince Dizon because it uses an encryption similar to internet banking.
I’m pessimistic (once again) with this advancement. Firstly, ARMM is a very significant region in the current world affairs. If it was local government we’re talking about, then it would be okay, but this election affects several provinces. My pessimism lies on the technology. Any electronic device that we know of is insecure. Unless the system is using quantum encryption (which is not 100% secure anymore) then my pessimism would go away. If they are using an encryption that internet banking is using, then they are using decades old technology and have been documented to have been broken.
Government is more crucial than banking. If the system in banking catches an anomaly, they can always revert the numbers. In the government, you can’t ask the people to vote again. Election is not stateful, while banking is stateful. There’s a reset in banking, but none in election.
Do I need to mention the possible hackers? I think I’ll leave that to your imagination.
July 21st, 2008
Another finalist who did not deserve to be booted out of the contest is a goner. Mae Flores who is one of the better contestant did not receive enough text votes. I’m not going to complain…I just needed to give Mae a special mention.
June 29th, 2008
I couldn’t deliver a promise to myself that I would write each day of the weekdays. I was too busy at work that I lost so many blogging hours. I am writing this entry aboard a Continental Airline flight. So what thoughts have accumulated this past week?
Firstly, my attempt to move my router failed. I’ll figure it out when I return.
The first Gala Night of Pinoy Idol was held this weekend and I was fortunate to watch the performances. The show has put a limit on the number of text votes per SIM; the maximum is 200 text votes per SIM. My guess was correct because I guessed an average of 100 per SIM.
Eat Bulaga’s first E-Banda Eskuwelahan came into existence this weekend also. Out of four bands, I enjoyed two. It was a good contest.
At work, I ordered tons of computers. I realized that I’m too slow setting them up. When I say setup, it means uninstalling pre-installed software and installing my own software. One PC per hour is quite slow. Alongside that, I was also multi-tasking — programming and other operational work. Joking around has to be there also to take away all the pressure.
June 22nd, 2008
I was watching the Mind Of Mencia season 3 last night and in one of the episodes he mentioned about how hard it is for the white people to say what they want. It’s true. Caucasians doesn’t really have the freedom of speech that they should be having. They can’t say certain words because it would be discriminating to the minorities. On the other hand, minorities can say such words in addition to the words that insults or discriminates white people.
In one episode, he also pointed out why America is not ready for a female president yet. I have pointed out many times even before Hillary Clinton ran for senate (it was and still is obvious she’s using New York to eventually ran for president…it’s just many New Yorkers are clueless and naïve) that women will not vote for a female presidential candidate and that’s enough reason why a female president won’t be elected. The reason being that women don’t have faith in their own kind. Women are not confident enough to carry such a burden of “manning” the world’s superpower.
This would be a perfect chance for me to criticize Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, but my thoughts does not deserve such a person. It would be a waste.
# Change of topic begins here
I spent half an hour this morning trying to fix my DVR. The technical support for Directv concluded by sending me another unit. It’s a replacement for my old R15 because it had hard drive problem and this one isn’t properly recognized. I can watch shows and record, but the Directv portal does not recognize it as a DVR and I can’t watch other channels (error 721) like the YES Network. The channel works for other receivers so it’s not a package problem.
# Change of topic ends here
Ayoko nang sumimangot
Ayoko nang magalit
Ayoko nang mamroblema
Ayoko nang mag-isip
June 11th, 2008
A pure democratic state is defined to be a state of the people, for the people, and by the people. Obviously, this form of government is inexistent therefore I’m not talking government politics in this entry. I’m speaking of Pinoy Idol (Philippines’ installation of “… Idol” reality show). This kind of contest shouldn’t be allowed in a country where text messaging is a way of life, not a necessity. “… Idol” is a singing contest where the winner is decided by the masses. I am not saying that voting in an installation like the American Idol has a 1-1 vote/person ratio, but the sampling is closer to the actual number. In the Philippines, one out of five texter could (a hypothesis) vote at least 100 times for his contestant and that clearly manipulates the curve which then yields a non-democratic politics. What’s worst is that (again I’m hypothesizing) the multi-voting texter does not know about the talent. However, that doesn’t matter because as far as the show is concerned, they are just counting the number of text votes.
Why am I getting so hyped up about this? I have been hyped up about this, but I’m only writing about this now. Last night, the viewers eliminated deserving candidates and kept mediocre talents. The judges even agreed with my thoughts. I know that one of them will eventually win, but if the deserving candidates are not permitted to compete (because they were kicked out) then what’s the using of discovering new talents. The viewers who care about a talent are left frustrated because the majority of viewers who don’t know what a talent is voted out the talented ones. Eventually, the show will have talents that aren’t up to par. The show must start rigging the votes. It’s nothing new in the Philippines anyway.
I’m done criticizing the system, now it’s time to criticize some contestants…
Sue Ellen - you’re a trying hard fashionista. If it doesn’t suit you however trendy the dress is, don’t wear it. I’m begging you in the name of all Ilonggos.
JJ - You should have been sacked this week, but I guess you’re too pretty for that.
Jeni - Excellent performance this week, but I’m worried you’re only restricted to a genre. If ever you’re voted out, make a jazz album and make sure to write your original music.
Ram - You have to be original, but keep rocking! I hope you win the shit.
Topher - Nice voice, but work on the image.
Warren - Be original; love the voice.
Obviously, I don’t pay attention to the girls. I want the contestants to ROCK and the boys are the only ones capable of doing that in the current season. I can’t sing, but I yap a lot, don’t I? Get used to it!
June 9th, 2008
