bury me in this dress

Vote for candidate who puts the welfare of the Filipinos before his own self interests.

Vote for someone who really listens to people from all walks of life, not just impoverished. The impoverished make up a big percentage of the Philippine population but the middle class and the upper class have something to say too and can be mobilized.

Vote for someone who is able to make cohesive goals out of disparate opinions.

Vote for the candidate who is strongly against corruption and has never been tainted with real scandals.

Vote for someone who is moral yet will risk popularity to make a stand against big organizations because his priority is the common man.

Vote for someone who takes pride in his works but is humble at the same time.

Vote for someone willing to face his accusers and but knows when to admit defeat.

Vote for someone who apologizes when he has done wrong and is sincere about it.

Vote for someone who doesn’t stoop down to insults, name-calling and black propaganda. Not because he thinks doing those is lowly but because he is busy trying to get to know the people and helping whenever he could.

Vote for someone who has positive visions for us, who sees a better future for the nation and will bring us there.

Vote for someone learned, who can face world leaders not to earn “pogi points” but because he wants to discuss relevant issues.

Finally, vote for a candidate who can ignite people to come out of their stupor.

Does your candidate have all these qualifications? Mine does.

People who don’t believe that climate change is real should talk to someone living in the Philippines. We were just devastated by Typhoons Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma). Ondoy brought Metro Manila the heaviest rainfall in four decades and Pepeng claimed more than 300 lives when it made 3 landfalls in Northern Luzon. The Philippines may be in the typhoon belt but the severity of the damages the two typhoons brought is unusual and the the garbage situation, mining, and illegal logging compounded the effect. Contrary to what Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said, that the Philippines is not a culprit to climate change, I believe that we are all contributors to it and we can still do something to lessen the impact, if not reverse it. So what can we do as individuals? We can start by doing simple things like throwing garbage in proper places, making sure the drainage in front of our house isn’t clogged, and maintaining our vehicles so they are in top condition and doesn’t smoke belch. After that we can progress to bigger actions which involve the community like group tree planting, lobbying for laws to protect our biodiversity, campaigning for green architecture, etc. There is so much we can do and it’s not too late yet. Climate change is real and it’s happening now. Let’s do something while we can.

Besides the fact that I will become his First Lady, I do have valid reasons why I believe Noynoy Aquino will make a good President of the Philippines.

Reason no. 1

He has rekindled hope for most of us Filipinos. Many have given up and have started to believe that the current state of politics in the Philippines is our fate and that somehow we deserve it. That traditional politicians and deceitful leaders will always have the last laugh. Cory Aquino’s death reignited the spark of hope in the hearts of so many Filipinos. Through lineage, Noynoy is the living symbol of that hope as well as dreams for a brighter future for the country. This hope should not be belittled because it has the potential to become a very powerful force.

Reason no. 2

Sincere or not, he is bringing out the best in other Presidentiables. Mar Roxas arguably became a statesman when he stepped down to let Noynoy become the standard bearer of the Liberal Party. Gov. Ed Panlilio, Grace Padaca, and Francis Pangilinan have stepped down as well to give Noynoy more leverage. There are already talks that former President Joseph Estrada might withdraw as well. These are sacrifices made for the good of the country, far from selfish acts done by the past and current administrations.

Reason no. 3

If survey results confirm that majority of the Filipinos will vote for him, the Spirit of EDSA which is very much alive in all of us will revolt if he gets cheated in the elections. We will just not allow this to happen.

Reason no. 4

His character. Noynoy is a family man. He is humble, fair, with no reported taint of corruption at all. He is protective, low-key, spartan, and courageous. Some would argue about dynasty but it was the people who urged him to run for President so this shouldn’t apply to him. He was a reluctant leader but his upbringing wouldn’t allow him to just ignore the people’s voice. I could add more to his list of positive traits but that might be overkill.

Reason no. 5

His candidacy is rattling the administration even though they keep on denying it. In fact, cracks have appeared in Lakas-Kampi and I wouldn’t be surprised if those who broke away from the partylist express their support for Noynoy in the coming days.

Reason no. 6

His receding hairline is a good indicator of his virility. So ok, reason no. 6 isn’t valid but everyone keeps on complaining about his baldness.

I’m just a citizen with a renewed hope for the country’s future. I know that if Noynoy becomes President, it wouldn’t be a perfect presidency. He will face numerous trials, hopefully not insurmountable. I just believe that we need a good motivator and a person who can make us trust the government again. In the end, it will be the people who will bring the necessary changes and not the President.

P.S.

I am so tempted to post “our photo” but I fear the public outrage. lol

The first time I heard about Cory Aquino, I was only 6 years old. It was during the time of People Power and I was already aware that something big is happening. Mom told me that the People Power is good. People are making a stand against the bad man, Ferdinand Marcos. Mom and her officemates planned to join the People Power and I told her that I wanted to go too. She wouldn’t let me, saying that it might be dangerous. She she went off with her mates and I learned that there were children with them. I felt cheated. I know it’s selfish of me but I was only 6 years old.

I guess I can say I grew up during Cory Aquino’s Presidency. I heard many complaints about how she was handling the country. I may have echoed the populace’s complaints once of twice but I was too absorbed with my growing pains. It was during Fidel Ramos’s term that I reflected that Mrs. Aquino had a very difficult job during her time as President. She had to restore democracy, had to still deal with the Marcoses and his supporters, had to deal with military unrest, had to learn protocols and everything that comes with being a President. She was a housewife and she was yanked to take care of us. Despite of the hardships, she was able to bridge the Philippines to other countries. Reagan was cordial because the Marcoses are his friends but Aquino was able to charm the other US politicians. She captured the heart of other world leaders.

(more…)

My thoughts are with you. Free Iran!

Last night, I was following the “progress” of House Resolution 1109 in the Congress. I was glued to twitter, plurk, and ANC up to the time the H.R. was passed. Feelings of disgust, alarm, outrage, and helplessness consumed me the entire time but I also felt sadness. Sadness because the rest of my family didn’t seem to care. Same goes for most of my contacts in Facebook who just kept on answering quizzes and playing online games just like any other day. Were they aware of what was happening? Hardly anybody paid attention to my status updates about the H.R. Didn’t they know that their future is at stake? I wanted to shake all of them but who am I to do that? After all, I was just like them earlier. I ignored the warning signs in GMA’s regime. I do not have the right to preach because I’m just as guilty as them. I just hope that they wake up before everything is too late.

In case anybody wants to know what the passing of House Resolution 1109 entails, it means that the Congress may now propose amendments or revisions to the Constitution with just 3/4 votes of all its Members. Amendments to the constitution is fine but now is not the right time. And definitely the way the House of Representatives railroaded the passage, blatantly disrespecting the outcries of the opposition and ignoring the opinion of the populace, is deplorable. This shouldn’t happen in a democracy. Furthermore, what happened is illegal. It disregarded the Senate and the passage was done in haste. Too hasty in fact which makes it even more suspicious. Just look at these proposed Charter Amendments:

Matrix House Proposed Charter Amendments

The changes (deletion of Congress and Senate, Parliamentary system, etc) if approved will affect the lives of ALL Filipinos. It will give politicians who want to hold on to power more time to do so. Politicians who betray us citizens over and over again. So let me express my indignation.

I say no to apathy!
NO TO CON-ASS!

Other blog protestors:
Stop Gloria Forever Moves! Kick ConAss!
Please Let Me Vote on 2010
I, Filipino Citizen
The Assembly’s Statement on the Plenary Debates on Charter Change
Dear Congressman Nograles
Oppose Constituent Assembly
In the Grip of Electoralism
Lighting the Beacons for a Phoney War?
There’s A Reason We Call It CON-ASS
House Resolution 1109 and the People
Have You No Shame?
The Pronoun ITS in Con-Ass Rez

If you have a blog post against Con-Ass and want to be added to the list here, just let me know.

I wrote this rant last May 19, 2009 in WriteBite.

I am a Filipina living in the Philippines. I didn’t find Baldwin’s joke insulting at all. Mail-Order-Brides are a dime a dozen here so it’s not like what Baldwin said is all made up. Besides, he meant it as a joke! Jesus Christ, there are so many overly sensitive Filipinos and there are already calls to boycott “30 Rock”. They’re the ones who are giving the Philippines a bad name, not Baldwin! Are the Russians protesting his remark? Hell no! They have a better sense of humor than us. I suspect Revilla has plans to run this coming election (2010). He’s making a lot of noise and that’s what they are…NOISE!

I’m taking my cue from Jayvee’s post, I want to express my indignation at what Espela Sales’ “palusot” regarding the taxation on the importation of books.

The treaty has provided for duty-free importation of books to guarantee the free flow of “educational, scientific, and cultural materials” between countries and declared that imported books should be duty-free.

But Sales reportedly brushed off this argument, saying novels and reading books are “not educational.”

The imposition of duties on foreign books has caused book importers to reconsider future importations due to higher importation costs for the books.

Filipino is my mother tongue. That’s the language we use in the household. Growing up, I was a lazy student who didn’t pay attention to grammar lessons. I was anti-social too and discovered the magical world of books. It was a form of escape for me and I devoted hours reading my Archie comics and young adult books instead of reading my school books. But you know what? My grammar improved immensely because of those “non-educational” books. You will just have to believe me when I say that my English was atrocious before I started reading.My view of the world broadened because of those books as well. I became familiar with the Western world, a knowledge essential to the hundreds of Filipinos working as call center agents. That knowledge is not the same as when watching foreign shows on TV.

I suspect Sales is not an avid reader. Otherwise, she wouldn’t say such things. Reading stimulates the mind. Neurons are fired up whether a person is reading a trashy romance novel, a comic book, or a 700-page dissertation on the evolution of man. Other countries are encouraging their citizens to read more instead of watching television. By imposing taxes on certain types of literate, Sales is discouraging literacy. Books are already expensive and adding more taxes will them even more unaffordable. Actually, I believe that the government should subsidize a small percent of book costs but that’s too big a dream.

Sales should put a stop to her bullshit unless she wants the Filipinos to end up using text speak as the national language. If the taxation pushes through, she deserves a place in Friendster hell.

PS

I guess I have a lot more reading to do since it’s book blockade, not book blockage *facepalms*

Nice, isn’t it? It’s only a facade because their membership policy stinks.

My aunt bought shares of Tagaytay Highlands when it was very new. This was around 1995 if I remember correctly and there was only the Golf Clubhouse standing. Auntie urged my mother to buy a share from her, saying it’s a good investment and development will be fast. Mom bought a share at cost and the value did go up for awhile but we ended up with a loss after it was found out that former President Joseph Estrada owns a huge estate there (alleged Midnight Cabinet member Jaime Dichavez, a former director of Belle Corporation which owns Highlands). 

When I was 21, I was told that I don’t count as a dependent anymore. I could only use the facilities when accompanied by a member. I could avail of their Junior Membership if I really wanted full access but even that membership has a cut-off age. Last year, management extended the dependent cut-off to the age of 30. Unfortunately for me, I was already 30. So that’s 9 years of being treated as a guest. I called Belle Corporation to request them to extend the age limit but I was given the Junior Membership sales talk. I’m sorry, Belle Corp. but I don’t have P150,000 and even if I did, I wouldn’t spend it on a membership which I will hardly use. Another option is to have the membership of my mother transferred to me but that will mean that my sister wouldn’t be able to use the facilities. I am not that selfish. I just want to be able to take my friends there occasionally but I can’t do that. Oh yeah, I can but I have to bring my mother along. In disgust, I told the Belle Corp lady that their policy is very disappointing. If I have a wad of cash, I would have slapped her face with it.

I wonder if other clubs place an age limit to dependents. I know Fontana Leisure Park doesn’t because my family has a share there. I actually like Fontana more because I can play house there. It will be nicer to take my friends this summer to Highlands so we can take a break from the heat but since I don’t have that option I’ll just have to take them to Fontana. At least there, I can be a hundred years old and still be a dependent.