Last Wednesday, I had the chance to meet with Yoly Ong, the President of Campaigns and Grey, one of the country’s top advertising companies. During our meeting, she showed me the latest Pulse Asia Survey which showed who were the top candidates for the 2010 Senatorial Elections and I was no longer surprised to see familiar family names dominating the survey and that most of the people who belonged to the Top 20 were either incumbents, former senators and their family members.

Although I expected this would be the case given that majority of our country still votes based on popularity, I was saddened with the thought that if we continue to elect many of these same politicians then naturally, we can expect the same kind of service that we have been getting these past 20 years.

Looking back at the past 20 years since the EDSA Revolution, millions of Filipinos continue to live with less than 100 pesos a day while many of these prominent government leaders continue to live lavish lifestyles. Yesterday, the Social Weather Station (SWS) released a survey wherein almost 25 percent of Filipinos or almost 20 million Filipinos have grown hungry these past months. Yes, I agree with the argument that not all of them are perpetuators of graft and corruption and that there are still those who continue to do a good job but I’d like to believe that it may be time for us to start looking for new faces which will bring new values, new politics and new ideas in our resolve to finally put an end to the poverty cycle in our country.

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IN last Friday’s Interfaith Prayer Rally against Charter Change held in Makati City, one of the most controversial scenes was that of Senator Mar Roxas shouting expletives to describe the kind of situation that our government has put us in. Since then, Senator Roxas has been criticized for being un-statesmanlike and for saying words that bring dishonor to his being a duly-elected Senator of our country. I do not personally know Senator Roxas nor have I worked with him in any capacity but I believe that many of the criticisms thrown at him are unnecessary and that the situation wherein he spoke should be put into perspective.

Firstly, although I do not condone Senator Roxas’ shouting of expletives, I believe that he did this to show and emphasize his growing frustration with our present administration, which never seems to run out of graft and corruption scandals, such as the Fertilizer Scam and the NBN-ZTE Deal. Being a duly-elected public official, I believe Senator Roxas’ main duty is to be able to serve as a representative of the people and thus, his actions merely echoed out the hunger for change that millions of Filipinos have right now.

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by Harvey Keh

EVERY time I ask my friends about whom they will vote for in the coming 2010 Presidential Elections, I usually receive two different answers. The first answer is, “May magaganap bang election? Mukhang ayaw talagang bumaba ni Gloria eh (Will there be elections in 2010? I don’t think the President wants to step down).”

The other answer is, “Wala pa akong mapili sa mga gustong tumakbo, kasi mukhang pare-pareho lang naman silang lahat eh (With the current crop of Presidentiables, I can’t seem to choose any one of them since all of them seem to be the same).”

It is therefore not surprising when former Bulacan Governor Josie Mendoza-Dela Cruz informed us yesterday at a forum hosted by the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung that there are still more than 40 percent of Filipinos who continue to be undecided on whom to support for the coming Presidential elections.

If the trend continues and we will have 5 or more Presidential candidates, just getting a majority of the 40 percent of these undecided voters will give a candidate a fighting chance of winning the elections. More likely these undecided 40 percent is looking for a reform and alternative candidate given that many of them feel that there is no one among the current crop of Presidentiables, which will effectively address the main social problems of the country particularly food security, housing, education and health.

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By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

WITH the 2010 elections not so far ahead, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has initiated the registration of millions of voters.

Apparently, not all Filipinos eligible to vote are familiar with the registration process. In light of this, we went to several Comelec offices in Metro Manila to find out the registration process.

Even before you get to the Comelec offices to register, you need to remember the following:

You should bring an acceptable identification card that shows name and address. It can be any of the following: postal ID, student ID, National Bureau of Investigation ID, passport, Tax Identification Numer ID, Social Security System ID, office ID, senior citizen ID.

Rosalinda Radin, Manila Unit Comelec Coordinator, stressed that as long as the ID provides the holder’s address and name, it would be accepted as proof of your identity.

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By Harvey Keh

One of the major issues that has hounded the present Arroyo administration is its lack of transparency and accountability in the way it conducts its dealings as evidenced by the numerous scandals that has been left unresolved such as the Hello Garci Scandal, the Fertilizer Scam, the corruption-laden NBN-ZTE Deal and North Rail Project and more recently, the Euro Generals Scam that has brought shame to our country in the international community.

Last week, the House of Representatives particularly the Justice Committee formally trashed the impeachment complaint lodged against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and by doing so this again dealt a big blow to the millions of Filipinos here and abroad who continue to seek truth and accountability in our government.

As many of us know, impeaching the President doesn’t necessarily mean that she is already guilty of the crimes that were being thrown at her but it simply means that there is enough basis for her to be subject to trial by the Senate.

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