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While many people would not even bat an eyelash in naming Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the worst president the Philippines have ever had; it would be a bit myopic to suggest that her term didn’t usher in developments that helped the country greatly.

Now that I think about it, most people really appreciate the Marcos Era for the amount of infrastructure that were erected during his tenure – the reclamation of huge swathes of Manila Bay, the Folk Arts Theater, the Cultural Center of The Philippines and the Light Rail Transit system. Many would remember Ferdinand Marcos as a scheming power-hungry dictator who crushed enemies mercilessly; but most would generally concede that the did some things right. Most would go as far as saying that his first term as President was a fairly admirable effort.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will not get the same merciful treatment. Continue Reading »

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Despite  the lion’s share that Roman Catholicism has in the population of the country, I would still like to think that there are lot of people who see the value of having a secular government and society wherein policies and laws are debated and passed based on their merits rather than the blessing of some overbearing institution. I have a lot of friends who are men and women of faith but still find the arrogant and often brash posturing of church leaders in issues like reproductive health and education to be deplorable and downright tasteless.

Religion is an important thing to a lot of people and as long as the practice of such is done to nobody’s detriment, then individuals should learn to respect individual differences and live with the consequences of being a part of a highly diversified world. Unfortunately, like in any other scenario wherein one group holds a seemingly overwhelming virtual majority, that group can be quite deliberate in exercising their right to influence how things are run. It is one thing to lobby for what your religion supposedly holds as its basic tenets but going to the extreme end of blackmailing those who support something that goes against the teachings of one’s church just sets us back into a time when the merits of the case were a mere background to the personalities, prevailing dogma and ruling hegemony of that time. Continue Reading »

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My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. Continue Reading »

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Since I’m feeling extra generous these past few days, I decided to throw in something really special on the table. I’m giving away Wolfgang’s latest studio release Villains.  This is the band’s first album since the 2001′s Black Mantra so it’s a project that everybody anticipated. Since Wolfgang is now producing music through their own label Semenelin Music, their albums aren’t likely to end up in the shelves of established record stores. This means that getting this album can be considerably difficult so you better grab this chance! To sweeten the pot, I’ll throw in a limited edition Wolfgang sticker!

How to join:

1. Leave your First Name, valid email address and/or blog/website in the comments section. I will be contacting winners via e-mail so please give me one that works.

2. In the comment box, simply list your favorite Wolfgang song and explain why. ADDENDUM: If you’ve already answered the question, simply write something about Wolfgang (the music, the guys, the concert/gig experience how they’ve touched your life by fixing your marriage) in 40 words or more.

3. Hit Post! That’s how easy it is. One comment will be equivalent to one raffle entry. The winner will be drawn randomly. You are only allowed to make one comment per day.  Example: If you leave 4 comments for the entire contest period, you will have FOUR entries in the raffle.

4. Deadline for entries will be final second of 2008 (Atheista time). The winner will be drawn by a soon-to-be-determined person other than myself on the first day of the New Year.

I won’t be able to mail the album so you have to get it from me IF you win. I live in city of Manila.

GOOD LUCK.

****If nobody joins… well, that’s just sad. haha****

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Pulse Asia just released the results of their polls from February 21 to March 8 and after days of number crunching, we are now ready to meet and greet the presumptive front runner for the 2010 Presidential Elections. Continue Reading »

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This is in response to Janette Toral‘s tag.

It’s quite noble to analyze the dynamics of an upcoming election despite already knowing how elections are usually played out in this country. It’s no big secret that those who decide the election are the misinformed masses who wouldn’t really care about issues. We would be lucky if these people would even give a token glance on issues before making up their minds on who to vote for. Politics is a simple game of persuasion wherein a box of liquor (during a supposed alcohol ban) and a few hundred pesos per voter could change the fates of candidates.

Cynicism has its place in elections because society has not properly empowered the voters. To a certain extent, society doesn’t exactly promote healthy debates and arguments to occur due to the Filipino concept of pakikisama (compromising to get along) and conformity. Aside from the Charter Change issue, is there any other big concept out there that is contentious and worth debating about? None! Because ALMOST all Filipino politicians are centrists. The only people who stick out are those who are rabidly leaning towards to the left like the party-list representatives from the Communist Party of the Philippines and the few bold and brave men like Ping Lacson and Bayani Fernando who choose to go against the grain and push for controversial bills regarding population control and sex education.

Everybody else stays in the middle. They simply try to weather the social judgments to hopefully gain the endorsements from various pulpits. The least offensive candidate always wins. For a people who loves to whine about the lack of change and how the status quo is wanting, Filipinos almost always go for least disagreeable candidate instead of going for the candidate with the strongest ideas to address certain issues. You can’t blame them though. There are no debates – there are no contentious points to launch substantial arguments from. Due to this void, the electorate has no choice but to simply go with something more accessible – the personality, affiliation and background of the candidates.

Deviance – whether ideological or otherwise — has no place in the political arena. Pre-election, opinions that would go against the prevailing intentions of the local parish would easily make a candidate unelectable. Post-election, this would lead to the alienation of that elected official. This aversion to deviance is of course a result of the influence of the various institutions that have stood in our country for so long.

In 2010, no candidate will say that he isn’t for the environment. No one will dare claim that education is unimportant and doesn’t warrant funding. No one will debate and I bet a shiny five peso coin that no one will say anything remotely substantial. It will be all glamor, glitz and sashaying all over again.

There are only three relevant issues that will decide the outcome of the 2010 polls:

1. Fooling the masses

Elections are won and lost on the basis of sincerity regarding poverty alleviation. All candidates woo the poor and try to win their hearts and minds (term used loosely). If you can prove that you were cousins with a laundry woman, your stock rises dramatically. Consider yourself elected!

2. Face Time!

Advertising is expensive so unless you’re willing to hemorrhage three hundred thousand pesos for a 30 second ad placement, you better be crafty and creative. Why not schedule your child’s baptismal or heck, your own wedding on the days leading to the election! Our classy journalistic sector will lap this up in no time and chalk it up as human interest. Anyone else betting on a Korina Sanchez – Mar Roxas nuptials on 2009?

3. MONEY!

Unless you’re a throwback to the hacienda era, you will need to raise oodles of money to get elected. How do you do this? Simple, just link up with any drug ring or gambling syndicate and you’ll get the funds that you need. It’s a perfect match. The syndicates get protection while you get non-taxable, untraceable campaign contributions. It’s definitely a win-win!

And you, fellow Filipinos, will love them to bits.

• Questions for possible 2010 candidates
• Eleksyon sa 2010: Mga mahalagang isyu, 3
• Awit na Nananawagan (In Response to Janette Toral’s Call for a Blog Brainstorm about 2010 Elections)
• The 2010 Elections…. eto na naman tayo!
• 2010 is Coming
• Issues for 2010
• 2010 Philippine Elections: Important Issues, 2
• Program of Government for 2010: A Laundry List
• Important Issues for the 2010 Philippine Elections
• Two Top Tens
• 2010 Philippine Elections: Important Issues, 1
• Issues come 2010
• Philippines 2010 Elections

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