Make your voice heard

The podcasting was indeed a commendable start but if you can have a candidate f
ace off with the likes of Chiz vs Mike,(among others) I think that would spice
up everything and would even more relevant to listen to.

Or if you can just go back to previous podcasts and clip all the responses of t
he candidates right after each similar question. This, I think, could help the
podcasts listeners better know each of the candidates say on a common issue.

hi abatumutulakananaman, thanks for your comments.

we did think of holding debates but we decided to focus first on getting each c
andidate to share their stand on important issues. the candidates will debate o
n tv, but what tv can't provide the public due to the cost of air time is an ho
ur or more of each candidate saying what he or she thinks about specific issues
. that being said, we'll see if we can hold our own debates after featuring eac
h candidate.

hey, that's a really interesting idea on clipping each candidate's response to
a common question. thanks, i'll see if we can already implement it for the firs
t batch of candidates.

cheers!

I am blogging about the 2007 Philippine elections and some bloggers are leaving
questions and suggestions for some candidates. Among the comments that have ca
ught my attention are those posted in my post on the elections2007.wordpress.com/2007/02/26/platforms-of-senatorial-candidates/" rel
="nofollow">platforms of senatorial candidates. An engineer has asked the s
enatoriables' plans (if any) about the exploration of Philippine Deuterium depo
sits which purportedly will help the country's economy. Another has also given
his idea of what he intends to do if he was a senator. I hope that senatoriable
s will spend some time reading election related posts and blogs to know what pe
ople want from them.

hi rhodilee, thanks for visiting. we'll do our best to make the candidates awar
e of what the people want from them.

added your election blog to our blogroll.

cheers!

Thank you for adding ="nofollow">Philippine Elections 2007 in your blogroll. I have already incl
uded the inquirer election blog link in my site. More power!

no prob rhodilee, you're welcome.

cheers!

Hi,

I wish letter to be heard by all Filipino voters nationwide!

You may write me your comments...
Please visit my blog on the link below.

http://mrimportant.blogspot.com/

Thanks

walang mangyayari sa eleksyon sayang lang ang perang gagastusinpabayaan na lang
ang mga namumuno. bahala sila sa buhay nila

maganda siguro i discuss din isyu tungkol sa party list kasi as far iam concern
, iboykot ko partylist and the government could save as much as 1 billion a yea
r pag walang nakaupo na partrylist rep. kasi pork barrek nila 70m/year plus ann
ual budget pa nila wala din namang magandang nangyari. Iboykot and partylist.

Iboykot ang partylist. Iboykot.

watch out genuine opposition!

It was very alarming that a certain governor in mindanao said that election in
maguindanao areas is already finished 12-0 for team unity.I observed this for y
ears but yet it didnt caught the eye of any political observers.A piece of advi
se to GO candidate>Election returns in this areas are tabulated always at th
e end make an effort to talk to this governor.A piece of advise to election wat
ch dog>if there is election returns in this areas with a result of 95% again
st 10% hold it.
When i observed how election is conducted in UK,i realized how worst our electi
on process are being conducted.

just finished help choose the next batch of suckers and lickers. hope they lose
appetite before our resources run dry. when that comes, they start biting and
growling at each other. Happy Feast to the pachyderms!

It is really appalling that the first news I have heard when I woke up is that
a certain mayoralty candidate in Manila is buying votes. Maybe I am so naive to
think that vote buying won't happen in Manila.

How wrong was I!

Here in Tondo, people are given 100 pesos by the barangay coordinator of that c
andidate. After voting, they are given a sort of a receipt and the balance of 2
00 pesos.

Frankly, I would have voted for him but his actions made me rethink. In the end
, I did not vote for him for making a mockery of the election process. Maybe hi
s father would also see the folly of their action.

I hope that he doesn't win.

Your analysis today of âArroyo duplicating a Marcosâ by Amado Doronilla is an o
verkill to say the least. Weâre not under Martial Law and that makes us free t
o express our opinions. That in itself is a big difference. Just allow me to
share the e-mail I posted on the Black and White Movement because I will be sha
ring them time and again.
info@BlackNWhite-Movement.com
Your news ad today is unfair for it makes comparisons among Asian neighbors. Y
our comparison should be on the different Philippine regimes i.e. end of Marcos
regime, end of Aquino regime, end of Ramos regime, end of Estrada regime (defi
nitely a no-brainer). Thatâs why rallies to remove GMA from power donât prospe
r because GMA appears to be the best choice because sheâs the only one with the
economic mind. If ever FPJ won, then our country could be doomed. With his d
eath, then Noli de Castro will take over (who I think is limited to media knowl
edge). If GMA did cheat, generally people are ready to forgive for that reason
. She made unpopular decisions like the E-Vat but in the long run it would be
good for our country. Thatâs how discipline works, it would be difficult at fi
rst, but it becomes easier when you get used to it. The poor who join rallies
are generally paid, the rich do not join, so when the middle class join rallies
they usually amount to success.
Itâs good that opposing views are allowed for that can only mean press freedom.
Our country is rated the 2nd most dangerous for journalists after Iraq becaus
e of press freedom. So that ranking is another form of misperception.
Corruption would be difficult to address for now because of tradition. But at
least we have checks and balance to deal with them.
If fear grips because this administration intends to stay due to Charter Change
initiatives, then that can wait when a new administration takes over. The peo
ple in general are sick and tired of another impeachment complaint which appear
s to be the only purpose of the opposition.
Iâm making these comments independently to share my views.

i was one of the first residents (at least in our area) to cast my vote for the
senatorial and local elections today. i actually came from work (i work in a
call center) by asking permission from my boss if i can spare one hour to go ou
t and vote then come back and continue my shift (my shift ends at 3 pm), to whi
ch he graciously obliged. i believe that this exercise is the one thing we can
do to effect change in our country. i'm quite appalled by the responses of so
me of my colleagues and even neighbors when i asked them if they will vote. th
ey would either say, "my vote will mean nothing," or "it's just the same old po
liticians who will win." i mean, that's just the point why we should exercise
our civic right! if we want to effect change in our country, one vote, combine
d with others who believe that change can be done, will mean so much, and would
even overwhelm the would-be cheaters!

i'm not pro or anti-administration. i voted for the candidates from GO, TU and
independents who i believe will best serve the country. voting straight for t
he opposition, even if they say that they will start making things right, [is n
ot good as they] are only after the numbers game to start another impeachment b
id for GMA. on the other hand, voting straight for the administration would on
ly ensure totalitarian control which is not healthy for a democracy. remember,
our economy is gaining traction and the exchange rate of the peso is at its hi
ghest in years, so why stop the progress? strike a balance for those who want
to serve and those who have the capability and experience to serve.

this may all be possible, if we actually started to care about our country's fu
ture as well as ours by casting that vote. one vote may me minuscule, but comb
ine them with 45 million other registered voters who feel the same that change
is needed, then this may be the best we can show our politicians, and to the wo
rld.

Glad you have this election blogsite! I am in the US and I need this! Many many
thanks!!!

JECK,

Why not put a name to whoever that candidate is? I would like to believe the st
ory, but then again, anybody could write the same thing. No offense. We are all
the same in the fight against all these electioneering crap!

reynaelena.com

Who cleans up the mess that the campaigners leave behind after a big night of c
ampaigning? Who brings down all the posters that are atop wires? Who cleans a
ll the walls covered with paper posters?

I say, the party that has their pictures on those flyers and posters need to cl
ean up after each campaign. Why do we need to use our hard-earned taxes to pay
the city workers to clean up the mess? Isn't that littering when you just thro
w stuff on the streets?

Meralco, PLDT and other utility companies are not responsible for taking those
posters down that are hanging on almost every street in Metro Manila and I'm su
re the provinces. They are dangerous in the first place cuz most of them are bl
ocking the stoplights. It's not the responsibility of the Metro Aide people to
clean those campaign materials that are hanging.

If it's illegal to post campaign materials on any public or government area, it
's also illegal to hang them on electric wires or phone wires.

Closed Streets for Campaigns!!!!

Why are major streets closed for a day or so just so the wannabe candidates can
have a campaign show?

On several occassions, streets in makati have been closed just so they can have
stages built on major streets. I understand if they do it on smaller streets
or maybe on weekends, but on a rush hour on a friday and on a major street is i
believe a way too much. And not to mention the effects of the businesses affe
cted because of these closures. Shouldn't the candidates at least help out the
businesses that are affected because of their "show"? I know a lot of these l
ittle shops were affected because I have spoken to most of the owners and they
were all unaware and not prepared for these disturbances as they call it.

Is there some kind of law or standards that they should at least be following?
I mean, campaign shows that lasts past 1 am and then end it with fireworks is
just way too much. Surrounding areas should be notified if such things are goi
ng to happen. Those musical vehicles going around playing the theme songs of t
hese wannabe's are just way too much. They wake you up in the morning and they
don't stop until late at night.

Dear Chairman Abalos, Please be informed that Joselito Cayetano is not known to
most Pangasinenses, and the rest of the provinces. I, for one, do not know any
thing about him, nor ever heard him or seen him on TV. Not a bit. How could you
not count âCayetanoâ valid for Allan Peter since he is known to about 99% of t
he Pangasinenses? Please make common sense work especially at this time, your h
onor!

Dear COMELEC,

I do hope that after this election, you will continue to do your duties, not on
ly DURING ELECTION TIME. In other words, PLEASE CLEAN UP LIST OF REGISTERED VOT
ERS... DEAD PEOPLE are still in the list.. I believe with today's technology, w
e can go for COMPUTERIZED ELECTION SYSTEM, or even VOTING TRU SMS (txting)... w
e have VOTERS ID, remeber!? and that's unique for each registered voters. this
is helpful especially this coming presidential election... ONCE AGAIN.. I'M APP
EALING... PLS CLEANUP THE LIST. God bless! : )

I saw on TV what Mayor Binay did to one of the watchers of Kampi. Very ungentl
eman act, women should be treated with respect and not with an arrogant act. S
ame thing they did during their campaign against the late Toro Yabut. Three su
pporters of Bong Daza were killed its fortunate that at this present incident t
here were a lot of cameras and people who saw this incident. If not, we don't
know what could have happened with this woman.

Election results wll be officially posted after a week or two. After this, its
payback time, a lot of elected officials once sworn in, will swear they will
find all the ways to recover all their expenses with corresponding income.

Salute to my fellow Filipinos! I'm so thankful to God (I've been praying for th
e Philippines... that's all we can do when the government is dominated by many
crooks (pro or anti andministration). Natututo na talaga ang mga voters! I saw
the "unofficial" result and I'm very happy. I don't care if the winners are GO
or TU. But of course, I'm not happy that Legarda and Lacson are on top, because
of their moral background (based on what I've been reading in the newspapers f
or years). Legarda has accomplished a lot, but she married a rich, old man (Lev
iste) who was still married at that time. They got away by marrying through Mus
lim marriage (where is the morality here? this was published in the news). But
still, I'd rather see these two candidates win over Montano and Gomez (these g
uys are overly ambitious for their own good! Balik muna kayo sa school!). Yeah,
I hope Ralph Recto won't win! My parents are from Batangas and although I was
born in the States, I grew up in Manila... that's why my heart still belongs to
the Philippines! You'll see naman sa lifestyle nitong mga politicians kung cor
rupt sila o hindi! Among the gubernatorial candidates in Batangas, I'll settle
for Vilma, although many Batanguenos think that Vilma is a puppet of and "contr
olled" by the husband Recto. But look at Gov. Sanchez naman, sobrang laki ng ti
yan at mukhang goon! And he's driving a hummer pa ha! By these, you can tell th
e lifestyle these people are leading. If I'm there, I won't vote for any politi
cian who has a big stomach and who has a very lavish, maluho lifestyle! As for
Christopher de Leon, sayang ka, Christopher.... huwag mong dungisan ang mabango
mong pangalan sa showbiz. Please, showbiz ka na lang. What a waste Christopher
.... you don't need politics. And to Aga Muhlach, I salute you for not allowing
yourself to be used by some politicians. And to Escudero, I saw him in "Isang
Tanong" and other programs, and he was impressive. I don't care which political
party he belongs to. I'm sure he's aware that he's on top because of his quali
fications, not just because of those powerful people who supported him (look, G
omez was supported by the same group although he ran independently, but did he
win? NO! Because Pinoys know he is not qualified. To Gomez, know that "pure int
ention" doesn't make a senator!). Hurray! I love the Filipinos!

election today may not be rampant in its cheating but the mere fact that names
of some active voters are not on the list and the name of dead people are still
on the list,is not that a clear manifestation of cheating? a silent one maybe
but still that is CHEATING the people.....let us pray that a "MIRACLE" will no
t happen to change the results when it reached the COMELEC.

I was very disappointed with the way Winnie Monsod anchored GMA's election cove
rage. With the Network's stand on being impartial and commitment on delivering
the facts as opposed to trending to serve its own purposes, Winnie Monsod was
reeking of support for the administration candidates. She was way out of line
for castigating the "kapatiran" candidates for being last because of not spendi
ng on political adverstisements, obviously trying to defend senetoriable "Picha
y" who is by the way, "Natanim sa Kangkungan". I just hope that GMA would cons
ider removing her from its coverage because the respect and dignity that the st
ation holds might be tarnished by people with the likes of her. More power to
the media people who are doing they're best for the most possible "fair" electi
ons we could just dream of...

"COMELEC says polls peaceful
The Commission on Elections said Monday that based on initial reports from the
field, the conduct of the 2007 mid-term elections was relatively orderly and pe
aceful, except for some areas in Mindanao and a Southern Tagalog province where
the casting of ballots was suspended."

I guess the no. of dead people is nothing for the COMELEC to declare that we ha
d a peaceful election.Are they waiting for 500 plus mortality? Is this the new
definition of PEACEFUL ELECTION?
I hope I will still be here when an election happens with no bad news of killin
gs....etc...on t.v and in papers.

Congratulation to us fellow Pinoys!!!!we are learning and hope the time will co
me when an elected official will think twice
before he allows himself to be drown in power and money....well,just a wishful
thinking lang naman...

TO PIAN:
Try to put yourself in the place of those rallying against the ARROYO admin
and maybe a day of hunger will make you uderstand why.The rich and the middle c
lass will not really join since they are comfortable with their life if not hop
eless and tired with the many changes of presidents yet with no real change in
the goverment....if you can wait for that change in the Arroyo administration t
hen a hungry stomach cannot. If your president is really an economist then ther
e should be no reports, real one, of hunger...you should check the DSWD records
and the streets once in a while.

Chiz Escudero.... the new face of the opposition?????? i dont think so.

Chiz Escudero.... the new face of the filipino youth. Ang bagong pag-asa ng Kab
ataang Pilipino.

With Ciz leading the poll, it is a clear manifestation that our youth still be
lieve in people with dignity and capacity to lead.

note: im not a fan of Chiz, but i believe that he can make a difference. Huwag
lang sana siyang magbago o maging dahong saging. Naniniwala akong maibabalik n
iya ang paninindigan, moral at dignidad ng ating mga kabataan upang ipaglaban a
ng ating karapatan at kalayaan.

Results of Cavite Mayors, congressman and Governor election

To Heavenly,

Chiz is really something, when he grates and slice, it tastes good for us who r
ely on his voice.

Keep it up Chiz.

From a fellow labuyong Bikolano and my family!!!!!!!

TO KAICEE
We do have rampant hunger and poverty but you cannot eradicate them overnight t
hatâs for sure. I believe they were worsened during the Marcos regime. Though
bit by bit weâre getting there. I just hope for unity in our population for d
isunity hampers this progress we all want.
The middle class participated in the EDSA II rally.
The Comelec said RELATIVELY peaceful, as compared to past elections.

TO RHODILEE
I did read about the Deluterium deposit in the same website and has caught my i
nterest as well. I hope it will catch the interest of Inquirer and its readers
.

I think the initial results of the May 2007 elections manifest many things that
should signal the present administration to correct/address its significant we
aknesses and wrong-doings. First, the trend of results clearly shows the lack
of credibility of the present leadership re: 2004 cheating; second, people are
fed up with corruption and blatant usurpation of power; and third, clamor for n
ew, young and upright leadership. The Kapatiran trio's entry, strong votes for
Capt. Trillanes as well as that for Fr. Panlilio simply express the need for m
oral leadership NOW! We are fed up with the "trapos" in power, the rampant vio
lation of human rights and disregard of people's clamor for clean administratio
n and genuine service. Total overhaul must happen NOW in government and in eve
ry Filipino.

Just sending my thanks for Inquirer for my postings on my blogs about May elect
ion.
Indeed, internet is one of the best
democratic instruments we have despite
selfish intentions of many users...including
mine of course,

More Power!

Pinay von Alemanya

Mukhang nagulat ang malacanang sa rating ni Capt Trillanes sa election results.
takot? Ang lumalabas na magandang rating ni Capt. Trillanes ay simbolo ng damd
amin at kaisipan ng mga pinoy tungkol sa kasalukuyan na liderato (?). Kelangan
mabantayan ang mga boto ng GO lalo na kay Capt. Trillanes. Siguradong gagawa a
ng 'presidente' at kanyang galamay ng mga paraan para di makapasok si Capt. Tri
llanes sa senado.

I am not well-versed in the Philippine Constitution - my question is:
Is it in the constitution to allow even those in jail to run for any public off
ice?

Those of us in Metro Manila who voted for the opposition shouldn't look down on
our fellow Filipinos in the provinces as cheaters just because they are from t
his or that province. Let's all have faith in our people, accept the verdict an
d voice of our countrymen expressed through the ballot. We need not always rais
e a howl when things aren't going our way. Else, there'll be no more civility,
Gloria in, Gloria out. Would we want to revolt everytime we don't like the face
of anyone occupying Malacanang? Gloria will have her time. She'll not be presi
dent forever. Who would want to be thrown mud till kingdom come? You may call h
er bogus, fake, incompetent, it's your opinion. You may shout it out loud till
your voice croak and crack, just don't disturb your friendly neighborhood. In t
he meantime, let's help build our nation. As we will have new, young senators,
we expect them to arise from partisan politics and help ensure the executive br
anch doesn't go beyond its mandate and abuse its power. And also work with it i
f it needs be, like the statesmen that they want to be viewed as. We are on the
same boat together. If the nation goes down, so shall we.

The turtle will surely get the gold medal when there will be a race between the
turtle and the release of 2007 election results. The COMELEC should now start
planning for an automated system for the next election so that there will be no
more excuse of "hindi makahabol sa date".
The very slow manual process of election here in our country gives chances of c
heating,harassment,anxiety to the candidates, and a lot of trouble to the teach
ers.
People are now basically oriented with computers so the introduction of automat
ed election system will not be a surprise and will be easily understood by many
.

Hey,thanks for posting my blogs...

We have a system of goverment which is not stable...a lot of trimmings,a bit of
changes with the icings,a little bit of remodelling and etc...it will not be a
n easy process and a one-man job...if we could help and join hands,it will be d
one in due time...ONE VOICE AND ONE GOAL,SAMA-SAMA,MAGTATAGUMPAY...
so let us join hands together and speak one language so that our message will c
learly heard...iisang kanta,mas madaling maintindihan dahil same lyrics and sam
e notes....not on the side,not against,not pro...JUST ONE VOICE AND ONE GOAL...
..

IISANG TUGTOG,MADALING SABAYAN AT MADALING MAINTINDIHAN...JUST THE BASICS...SO
THAT EVERYBODY WILL UNDERSTAND....if you are singing the same song but differen
t pronounciation,aba'y taga ibang planeta ka na! wake up,you are just dreaming.
..LUTO NA ANG KANIN,UNTIL WHEN WILL YOU WAIT FOR THE VIAND?HIHINTAYIN MO BA HAN
GGANG MAPANIS ANG KANIN? If the job could be done now,then what is the purpose
of waiting?

mEJO paltos lang minsan itong site na ito.. 5 comments ko and di naipublish. an
d hirap pa namang i-recall yong mga gustong sabihin sana pati na yung pag-kolek
uli ng emosyon..

sana may column din sa newspaper kung saan maipublish ito para masulyapan lang
kahit konti nung mga pinariringgan at kinukomentahan..para MAKONSENSIYA kahit s
aglit o konti man lang SILA..yun e kung meron pa silang konsensiya..

TO KAYCEE
I agree with most of what you said but as they say, patience is a virtue especi
ally when youâre faced with the gargantuan task of rebuilding the economy which
drowned under the 20-year Marcos regime. So we do need to be united for disun
ity (where the opposition seems to oppose for the sake of opposing) scares away
potential investors. We canât deny the economy is improving, (the numbers sho
uld speak for themselves) and the peso reached the P46 benchmark.

with the elections over and counting on the run i just hope our newly elected p
oliticians will be God-fearing, sincere, respectful and friendly to his constit
uents.
for the legislators with their mighty power to make laws, may you repel anti-la
bor laws which make the workforce casual, contractuals, contractors, temporary
workers/employees (without the benefits of a regular employee) for life and can
be laid off at anytime.
labor must be addressed to, thus we must give our workers/employees security of
tenure by making them permanent or regular workers with benefits due to them.
for the governors and mayors down the line, may you address the real need of yo
ur constituents with utmost integrity and honesty in the performance of your du
ties as public servants.
may all of you be not drunk of power that graft and corruption shall grip your
soul forever.
God bless you all!

jurassic age - election results. another complain but if we do not air the obv
ious , then all the more we will just stay how we are now. we are not lacking
in exposure to what other countries have in terms of automated election nor lac
king in 'intelligent' people in the government who have the means to push for a
n improvement in the election process. we could even tap foreign talent if nec
essary to help. can an improvement be implemented for the next election? why
do we have to wait for weeks to have the final election results.

TO TING
Unfortunately, those in prison are merely suspects until they are CONVICTED wit
h finality. So I suspect those in 13th and 14th slot will work for the final c
onviction of the 2 suspects. I guess you know the suspects Iâm referring to.

TO XXXXXXXX
Great idea! For I think the senatoriables donât take the time to read our post
s, especially on this website which keeps changing because of the various posts
. But I donât think it will be possible to publish all posts because of the vo
lume. But maybe the Inquirer can select some. Although sorry to say the Inqui
rer is not our newspaper, so I rely purely on their website.

Atty.Adel Tamayo has a point in saying that our Muslim Brothers in Maguindanao
are treated as "gago" everytime there is an election.Most of the time,votes fro
m the area became "DELIBLE" if not "NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON'T" and most of
the time, "miracles" usually happened there. I hope our Muslim Brothers will fi
ght for their dignity. Don't let dirty politicians make a fool of us now.

You cannot help but be cynical when it comes to politics...experiencewise.
What happened now to Trillanes? hope his name won't become "delible" ...whew!t
ime is so slow...the turtle even took a rest 5 times now and yet still on the l
ead...
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.....1,000,000....still not finished? another week?ok.let m
e take a nap first and dream of a PEACEFUL ELECTION and wish my great grandchil
dren will someday witness a clean and quick election with "honest -to -goodness
" candidates....zzzzzzzz....

hmmm...dark days of marcos regime should have served it purpose..that is to mak
e people realize what should not happen again...well,people in camouflage unifo
rms should stay only in their barracks..their job is to protect people,not to c
ampaign for someone who is in power while on-duty.Traces of marcos regime can b
e glimpsed from time to time.

A leader who is dedicated to his mission is judged fairly if the works are trul
y and honestly accomplished according to the mandated and moral laws of a natio
n. Pinoys are smart,you cannot fool them with small talks and peso/dollar signs
.Well,life is hard nowadays so they may receive the money but of course,it's no
t a guarantee for an additonal vote unless accompanied by "tutok ng baril". I
ronically,campaign period is the time
of "payback" for the people and after election,"the winner takes it all".

to pinoy I:
you forgot PINOYS are smart...we don't even have to import techno people to u
pdate the automated election system here...all we lack is the initiative and th
e guts to go for an automated election..../guts for the candidates of course...
no chance of cheating for them...of "hocus-pocus" incidents....
and of course budget for the quality machine...sana huwag ipitin ang budget sa
susunod kung sakali man...wish ko lang.

I am not well-versed about economic issues but based on my observations,dollar
exchange rate went down to P46 something for every dollar during the campaign p
eriod...in my oipnion,I credit this economic sign of progress to the release of
funds from the moneyed people...a lot of gifts left and right unexpectedly fro
m CANDIDATES who surprisely know you by name...a lot of posters...a lot of temp
orary employees to distribute posters, drivers,free foods in the HQ and other s
mall jobs...these things temporarily helped the people financially ...and gave
a boost to peso worth against dollar...hopefully,the exchange rate will still i
mprove after the final results of 2007 election is released(hopefully by june).

TO KAICEE
Iâm not an economist too but the reason why I support GMA is because Iâve exper
ienced different regimes starting from Marcos. I donât think youâre aware of t
he extent of the damage the Marcos regime inflicted on our country. Itâs eithe
r you werenât born yet or too young to understand. So allow me to explain that
will hopefully enlighten you and other readers as well. During the Marcos era
our country was at some point placed under Martial Law. So that all who oppos
e him turned out to be heroes, injured (like Jovito Salonga), exiled or killed.
So the environment then was gripped with fear. Although Martial Law was even
tually lifted, Marcos remained in power so fear was still there. I remember th
e time when we had to watch the Aquino assassination on tape and in secret beca
use of fear. The middle class (where I belong) participated in Edsa I. With h
is ouster, the media and congress became free to oppose the government. Too fr
ee in fact, that Senators/Congressmen seem to oppose for the sake of opposing.
We became so divisive that would scare potential investors away. The constituti
on was then amended to avoid a repeat of the Marcos regime so that qualificatio
ns to run for public office were lowered that even a high school graduate can r
un. But this has been exploited by some who, knowing their popularity with the
masses as actors/actresses, ran for public office even if they have little or
no background at all on public service. Because most of our people are poor, t
hen all forms of enticements catering to the masses were employed, like endorse
ments by famous celebrities and rampant vote-buying.
Our nation is respected now because we have a capable president. It is not eno
ugh to say you have a heart for the poor, for it takes more than heart to run a
country.
I agree with you when you endorsed a change in the system because the current s
ystem does not address our needs anymore, in fact it hampers further growth in
our economy. Our democracy is unlike other countries because it constitutes mo
stly poor people.
I am wary of the young new breed of oppositionists who are deemed to make it th
e senate like Chiz Escudero and Alan Cayetano. I think their only agenda is im
peachment and nothing else. What disturbed me is why they chose to run under t
he GO banner which is obviously headed by the Estrada clan with no less than th
e former President advocating on national television a fight against corruption
he himself is facing, and its former campaign manager JV Ejercito, instead of
running as Independents as what Francis Pangilinan did. That in itself should
make you think twice about their real intents. Iâve also read that Chiz Escude
ro CO-AUTHORED only about 2 bills I think while Alan Peter Cayetano had none wh
ile they were in Congress. I have a feeling that young as they are, theyâre al
ready skilled at manipulating the voters for their selfish ends. Hope Iâm prov
en wrong.