Underclass Hero - Sum 41

I, along with millions of other people around the world, joined in the jubilation at the inauguration of America's 44th President, Barack Obama. I could not contain the amazement at watching history unfold before me, as I sat wide awake watching the ceremonies at midnight here in Manila.

I am rather speechless at this historic moment, and I was tearful at the playing of the American national anthem even though I wasn't American. Simply that this is the time when we begin to see the change in the face of modern politics is already enough to amaze me that I am here to witness it on the other side of the world.

But I come back to my reality, the Filipino reality, and the horror that comes after it when old goats open their mouths.

The headline can already make my stomach hurl. I realize I should not take breakfast before reading the news.

Obama can learn from Arroyo

Let's all use this moment to say a silent prayer for our country the Philippines.

Obama can learn from Arroyo, says Palace official

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines may be just a Third World country, but US President Barack Obama could learn a lesson or two about governance from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, her top aide said Wednesday.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said while he did not want to think Filipinos were better than anybody else, especially since the political system and environment among countries are different from one another, he thinks Arroyo's assumption of the presidency ahead of Obama gave her enough experience on dealing with challenges that lay ahead.

"First of all, our President is ahead of Obama and probably, I would think that if there's anything to be learned, it should be President Obama learning from President Arroyo. And wouldn't we be proud to say that the Philippines continues to be an 'island of calm' because of the present crunches?" he said, when asked by media what lesson Arroyo could learn from Obama.

Read more here

Being first to arrive in the fray does not make one an expert about the fray. So while Arroyo was first, has she learned enough to make the Philippines a better country than it was before?

I am reminded by what my parents taught me, that while I, being the eldest, should know best as I have been around far longer than my siblings, I am not necessarily the wisest among them, as there are moments when I can learn from them as they can learn from me. It is true that they should learn from me, so I must be able to set the example.

The question begs an answer: has Arroyo been exemplary? (We just hope that this moment of silence means that we are in a prayerful, not blank, state.)

The Philippines remains not an island of calm, but an archipelago in distress. The calm in the countrysides is disrupted by battles for justice and equal rights, battles against poverty and corruption. I cannot help but think that the only calm in this country are the bodies that lie underneath the soil (but their spirits shout for justice), the victims of poverty and injustice and blatant disregard for freedom.

This presidency has not been an exemplary one. The president sits in Malacanang, the people kneel in prayer, and the government lies on just about anything, all while the world stands in to witness it.

Ermita must not have been watching Obama's inauguration address, or his hearing might not have been in check, when Obama said, "To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Corruption and deceit, two mighty words that GMA, even with all her education, still does not comprehend. The people do not need to name this very long list of corrupt practices, as it can go on from A to ZTE.

The silencing of dissent and the UN report that says how this government turns a blind eye to the killings of activists, journalists, and the people who fight for truth and freedom. It is in our hope that the silence of their mouths would not silent their truths.

Cling to power. Hello, Garci?

Sorry Na - Muntinlupa Style

Today's headlines can really kill.

Aquino says sorry to Estrada
Concedes Edsa II a mistake
By Leila Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:52:00 12/23/2008

MANILA, Philippines—It was her second mea culpa, but this time former President Corazon Aquino said it in his presence.

Ex-President Joseph Estrada said he felt vindicated.

At the star-studded launch Monday of former Speaker Jose de Venecia’s book that gave accounts of scandals that had hounded President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Aquino asked Estrada for forgiveness for joining the Edsa II uprising that ousted him.

“I am one of those who plead guilty for the 2001 (uprising). Lahat naman tayo nagkakamali. Patawarin mo na lang ako (All of us make mistakes. Forgive me),” Aquino said in her brief but well-received remarks at the Podium mall in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Read more

By saying that Edsa 2 was a mistake, the fight against corruption in this country has fallen, or thrown down the cliff of politics.

We must remember that we fought in Edsa 2 not simply to depose former President Estrada, but to make a stand that we do not condone corruption, especially when evidence already presents itself to us. We made a stand against corruption and cronyism, two ills of our country that keeps us from progress.

Edsa 2 was a fight, yes, to throw Estrada out of Malacanang, because he is not just the epitome of corruption and cronyism at that time, but because it was our way of saying no to his way of traditional politics. He was convicted out of overwhelming evidence (who can forget Clarissa Ocampo), but eventually pardoned. But his pardon does not erase the fact that he wronged the people by stealing and plundering from the people's money.

This, however, does not say that other officials are not without sins too, just that some are more cunning and scheming than others, and this "some" includes both the current President and the First Gentleman.

The news that Aquino apologized already irked me the first time I read about it before, and I quote myself, again, in an old post:

and what irked me more than what erap said is what cory said to erap. as i recall from what i read, "edsa dos was a big mistake."

what was the mistake in removing a corrupt president from office? what was the mistake of showing outrage at the kind of blatant corruption that goes in his presidency, a conviction of plunder which he still so denies to this day? but more importantly, what is the mistake of the people expressing themselves, going out to the streets to make the administration know that they are no longer taking their crap?

Aquino said that she thought Arroyo to be a better alternative to Estrada, which was why they joined the Edsa 2 rally.

I have news for you, Madame former President: we fought not to put Arroyo in power, but to throw Erap out of Malacanang and his kind of politics. We threw out corruption in Malacanang through Edsa 2, with fervent hope at that time that things will turn out for the better. We knew not then that Arroyo would be just as bad or even worse, but what we did when we took to the streets we were not ashamed of doing, because what we stood for was not simply against the person, but against the very system that runs deep in the heart of our country's governance and politics.

Edsa 1 was fought for democracy. Edsa 2 was fought for good governance. Both virtues of the public have not yet been attained fully by our people, but it was a cry that this was what we wanted, this was what we should strive for.

And I am not sorry at all for Edsa 2, because I am not sorry that this country stood for virtues that our government certainly does not have.

Rice lauds GMA: You are US’ best friend
By Michael Lim Ubac
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:02:00 11/24/2008

LIMA, PERU (via PLDT)—“You are the US’ best friend,” US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the leaders’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) here.

Read more

Don't you just hate ass-kissers?

PGMA allied with Bush. No wonder they're both unpopular.

Everyone around the world has witnessed the historic elections in the United States that won Barack Obama the presidency by a landslide. It was not simply his story and his background and his story that made his victory remarkable, but more importantly the message that he preaches. This is a time when we Filipinos can learn from his message of hope and change, because this time more than ever do we need this hope and change.

Barack Obama hinged his message on the fundamental values of the society. What he brings us is not a change in ideology, but a look back to our basic values within the family and the community.

What is also remarkable with his message is his collectivist idea of a society. He believes that it is not just the government that must do all the work, nor is it just the people who should sacrifice blood and sweat. He believes that government must do its part in providing what the people need to those who have worked hard and earned it, and the people must not expect the government to provide each and every need of the public. We cannot have a dole-out system, but we also cannot have a corrupt government.

His message on education is simple: provide quality education by the government. But it does not stop there. He reiterates that it is not the government that turns off the television sets or puts away the video games, but the parents. It is the parents' role that their children go to school and do their homework, that they are guided everyday, where the parents can work hand-in-hand with educators in providing quality education for the children and their future.

His message on health care is simple: provide quality health care by the government. This means the government should fund health care coverage, lower taxes on medicines, research in cure, and more importantly, invest in prevention. Even then, while health care coverage is important, it us up to the families that they invest in prevention by eating right and balancing their diet. It is not the government that will stop people from smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol, or keep children from eating junk food. The government and the public can work hand-in-hand in keeping citizens healthy and in-shape.

His message on economy and taxes is simple: spread the wealth around. The government must make sure that taxes are collected justly and completely not just from the middle class and poor, but from the rich as well. Through this, the poor and middle class will be able to spend more on what they need and thus stimulating consumption in the economy. The government, too, must invest in its small and medium enterprises, where the poor and middle class are encouraged to innovate. More jobs, too, are created through SMEs, that we become not simply a country of labor export, but more importantly a country of enterprise.

His view is starkly different from the basic ideas of an individualistic society that is almost edging on the dog-eat-dog world (or in our case, crab mentality). He brings a message of unity, that society is made up of a social contract where individuals each have their own role but are willing to entrust their own liberties onto others, and together they progress as a society.

He believes that everyone must do their part so that society can progress. Post-Edsa democracy has not taken us anywhere near that progress, but it is always not too late. There is still hope for a nation, as long as we all do our part. This means not taking more than what we need and should, and giving to the best of our abilities. Karl Marx said thus, "from each according to his own ability, to each according to his own need."

In times like these we need to be together and unite against the difficulties and challenges. Our government is marred with scams and scandals amounting to billions of pesos; Barack Obama's message is a reminder to our public officials to use only their power for the good of the many and not in their own selfish agendas. His message is a reminder to the general public that we also must do our part, give what we can, and not selfishly keep to our own and distrust everyone around us.

Obama's victory in the US presidential elections reminds us that there is still hope for change, we only have to be ready, take on our roles, give what we can, and unite as a nation

From Inquirer.net:

RP 5th in world hunger survey

First posted 04:47:26 (Mla time) November 05, 2008
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines ranks No. 5 in the world when it comes to citizens who have had “little or no food at all” in the past year, a global survey on hunger said.

Gallup International asked over 58,000 people from 55 countries this question: “Have there been times in the last 12 months when you and/or your family have not had enough to eat?”

Gallup, a Zurich-based international group, conducted the interviews between June and September for its World Food Survey.

Four in 10 Filipinos or 40 percent said they “often or sometimes” lacked food in the past year, according to Gallup International-Voice of the People 2008.

continue reading

It struck me that in a country where three of our richest businessmen (need I mention? Tan, Ayala, and Sy) make it to the the Forbes list of richest dollar-billionaires in the world, 2 out of 5 Filipinos are hungry. The graph of social and economic hierarchy in our country is one with the top getting higher and higher and the bottom wider and wider.

This is why the PNP euro-carrying police case and the Bolante fertilizer scam irks the hell out of us ordinary citizens. Programs that should help drive the poor out of poverty are being milked by crooks, and short-term solutions will only get us through till the next elections, if the politicians are lucky enough that we don't find any corruption in it.

Just think: the 728-million-peso fertilizer scam would already feed 9.71 million Filipinos for a day, if we give them a 25-peso meal three times a day. According to August 2007 figures, there are 11.6 million Filipinos in Metro Manila. With that amount, you can feed 84% of Metro Manila's population, which is roughly the current poverty level (pegged at 80 percent).

This only factors in the fertilizer scam. The NBN-ZTE scandal is another matter to be discussed (in which case, what had happened to the star witness Lozada?). And this is not only issues within one administration. Every year we get something explosive for corruption in every administration. Need I mention former president Estrada's Boracay mansion?

In a larger perspective, these scandals undermine the Filipinos' rights to live comfortably in their own country. Nay, they seek survival not comfort. One can just imagine how miserable it is to be a Filipino, but yet we still strive from day to day, with hope for a better life and a better future. Many parents believe that if they can't have a better life, at least their children will. We need to provide them with opportunities that come with hope, that doors and windows are open for the millions of Filipinos.

We need a revolutionary change, a structural change, in our society. We need a change in ideology, and end the elite political government that will eventually starve the people to death unless we do something about it.

It is with hope that we do our part in nation-building. The first step is to demolish the old constructs and create a strong foundation for our country to build on.

I was ecstatic at the thought: President Barack Obama.

From my excitement people would think I had voted too, but I'm not American.

I am glad with the idea that with the election of Obama, America has come to its senses. As what the president-elect said in his acceptance speech, this is the dawn of new American leadership.

It's cool to be American again, and in our eyes as foreigners we see that the essence of being American is restored as well as its good relations with other contries. Everyone I know is happy with the results of the election. We followed the news faithfully, and felt anticipation at the announcing of his win. We had goosebumps upon watching his speech.

And my faith in democracy and America is restored.

I still hope that one day we may have the kind of leader who will step up just like Obama. I know he's not messianic, and no leader will be able to cure the ills of the Filipino society. But we need a leader who says no to traditional politics here. We need a leader who will listen to the people and provide the basic needs of citizens. We need a leader who will uphold our rights, but still have the initiative to ask of us our responsibilities. We need a leader who will look forward to the future, not downward to his pockets. We need a leader who will unite the nation.

Obama's election shone a beacon of hope for us, that even here in a poverty-stricken Philippines, we might be able to find someone who's story is just like any other ordinary Filipino citizen, but with enough leadership to take us to a new era in Philippine history.

This moved me to tears.




Everywhere there is hope. It begins with one vote and one voice.

Something is fishy with how PNP Director General Jesus Versoza explained the 105,000 euros (6.9 million in pesos) "cash advance" held by Retired Comptroller Eliseo de la Paz.

He said, "The funds are intended for possible purchase of intelligence equipment and similar products."

Oh, now, isn't this an illegal way of procuring government intelligence equipment?

What is fishy with this set up is that the money is in liquidated cash. Not simply in pesos, but in Euros. Why bring money in large amounts of cash, if it is to be used for the procurement of intelligence equipment? Procurement of such equipment isn't like shopping in a mall where you bring cash and look around stores. Spy gear boutiques? I think not, especially for the national fucking police.

Cash is virtually untraceable when brought out into the market, when it exchanges hands it cannot be found that easily. So it brings us to question why the PNP has to liquidate such amount. What is the purpose of cashing 105,000 euros?

What I think is supposed to be the plan here is to liquidate the money, also from a fishy source, and use or distribute such amount in cash as it will be rendered untraceable. To deposit that amount, the money will leave a paper trail, and the PNP or the sources of the funds don't want that.

I'd like to know where this money came from, and why that money is in Moscow and St. Petersburg, of all places. The PNP is doing business abroad, and with whom?

Earlier it was reported by Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno that it was to be used as a "contingency fund," but why a contingency fund thrice larger than the budget itself? In my own experience, contingency funds are usually simply half the budget. If this is the case anyway, I thought our government is trying to be frugal and penny-pinching funds?

It's even fishier that de la Paz skipped the Senate hearings into the case even with the subpoena. People who don't have anything to hide don't have to hide.

With the current Senate hearings, I'd like to know: why is de la Paz holding such an amount, why is that amount in cash, what intelligence equipment and where are they planning to buy such, why the money is in the hands of a retired police comptroller, why a contingency fund larger than the budget itself, among others. Each day that this issue is unraveling tells us how dirty this administration is.

When has it ever been that a different religious affiliation be a reason for hate?

I cannot believe how much hate people have for Muslims. I've met people who are Muslims, and while I cannot generalize all, they are not as bad as people would think they are. They live lives just like I do. They have families and businesses, and they have as much right to live in this world like we all do.

I couldn't believe the hate that comes from people I know, Christians even, when the word of God has been a message of hope. When has Jesus Christ turned down a Gentile from wanting to see him? We are not Christ to keep away from people who are different from us; he has shown us that we must always "love thy neighbor", even if this means embracing all differences of all races and religions. He has crossed the bounds when he dined with sinners, Gentiles, and tax collectors. Who are we when we are Christians but do not follow Christ's example?

Which is why I couldn't believe an email I received condemning Barack Obama for having Muslim roots. He was raised a Christian, but even then, even if he did have a Muslim for a father, does it lessen his worth as a person and as a leader?

We measure a man by his ideals and his hope of wanting to give a better life to all. Yardsticks are supposed to be yardsticks, and a yard is never shorter than another if it is of a different color or of a different texture.

I stand by the belief that some Christians are just as evil as some Muslims. It is not our job to color crimes through religion, but crimes ought to be persecuted for what these crimes are. Murder is murder, terror is terror, no matter what religion one comes from.

We sow messages of hate when we differentiate a man for his religious belief. We should educate the people from both sides of the fence to embrace diversity and to respect one another.

It is said that one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. We should always realize that when we look from the other side of the fence, the world seems to be completely different but still the same.

Overheard:

Accusing a Democrat of wanting to practice "socialism" is a bit strong for a Republican presidential or vice presidential candidate. The base would love to hear it -- it's one of their favorite words to describe Obama -- but no Republican campaign operative would want their candidate to go there.

But McCain operatives may have found a way to get that loaded phrase out there without actually having either McCain and Palin be responsible for making the accusation.

Naturally, Joe the Plumber has come to the rescue again.

Said Palin today at a rally in Ohio: "Joe suggested that sounded a little bit like socialism. Whatever you call it, I call it bad medicine for an ailing economy."

-Jonathan Martin @ Politico.com

When Obama, during the last presidential debate, was talking about "spread the wealth," he wasn't talking about talking away money from the middle class and giving it to the poor. He was talking about raising taxes of the largest businesses and corporations and the richest Americans, but all the while keeping 95 percent of Americans' taxes the same. When he said to "spread the wealth," he would do it by taking money from those who have accumulated it most during the eight years of Bush administration and decades of deregulation and redistributing that wealth around to the middle class.

That also means redefining other programs, not just economic, but also health and education as well. Because in this kind of system, whatever taxes taken from the large businesses and corporations will be spread around through better education and health coverage, which also means for the middle class less money to pay for them.

With a health coverage that will be shouldered mostly by the government, the middle class would be able to use their income on other things besides health insurance (and with an economy that is based on middle class spending, isn't this a good thing?)

This also goes for energy, where Obama is pushing for research and development of alternative energy that will lessen America's need for foreign oil, and which means for the middle class less to pay for energy consumption. Since a large part of oil is being imported, it would be better for the economy to have alternative energy that is inhoused in America (and better for the environment too). It's a basic tenet that instead of making other countries richer by importing their resources, it would be best to make your own (Wasn't it Marx who said that, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you miss a good business opportunity. America, other countries will miss a good business opportunity with you.)

On a sidetrack, with the policies Obama has on education, more Americans will be able to finish college (his policy is more like a study-now-pay-later basis, and community work is also a form of payment of college education). Instead of paying for college in the amount it is now, he provides for spending for education (also from the taxes collected from large businesses) and people can work for it through military service, peace corps, or community service. I haven't heard McCain's policies (if there are) on early childhood education, where the basics are formed and is crucial in building a good education in the future. Obama provides for that, plus teacher incentives too. (A candidate with a reform of the educational system is always a winner to me.)

To "spread the wealth" is just a matter of moving around the government's priorities of spending and budgeting, because if you spend on the middle class, they will be more able to purchase and consume other things, which is essentially the base of a capitalist society.

I've been watching the US elections and it's stupid that Palin doesn't understand this kind of "socialist" thinking. She's a nutcase. How is it ever bad for an ailing economy to spread the wealth from those who have accumulated it unfairly to the middle class who have worked for it so much?

Wake up America. A true leader is in your midst.

The nerve of Sarah Palin to accuse Barack Obama of being anti-American, racist, and a terrorist.

This side of the campaign has been telling people that they are who they are with. Obama has been known to be neighbors with Bill Ayers, domestic terrorist, and it has been said that Obama's political career was launched in Ayers' living room. There's also Obama's pastor Jeremy Wright who has launched a racist attack quite a while back. By association, she implies that Obama is also racist and a terrorist. Plus that he is anti-American, which is unfounded.

Accusations of which Sarah Palin wishes to open to America. Oh, okay, let us use that case: you are who you associate sleep with.

Let us now then question the person closest to the lipstick-wearing pitbull herself, Todd Palin, her husband.

Todd Palin is a member for seven years of the Alaskan Independence Party which, at first establishment, sought the secession of the state of Alaska from America. Some members are currently disputing whether to join Canada, or to become part of a Western Canadian State. Isn't Canada a different country from America? Joe Vogler, founder of the party, has been quoted many times as saying, "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

Who is anti-America now?

I support Barack Obama. Hell with Americans who don't see that he's the smarter one over McCain.

I've been following the US elections since late last year, and I can't contain the excitement (and frustration) it has brought since I've been going over it. The political arena is still as it is; I could only drool at how people talk about issues and stuff. Here it's a popularity contest. The best way for us to select a president in 2010? Put them all in Big Brother's house and the Big Winner gets to be Prez. At least we can watch them when we know our trapos to be sneaky.

I can't understand the racial discrimination that Obama has been getting. It's just too unreal that people are blinded by race when clearly he is the more eloquent, more charismatic, and has the better policies on economics, education, and health. Plus foreign policies where McCain is no doubt well-versed in.

Obama has clear-cut policies on education, even starting from early childhood. His health coverage is much better than McCain. You can't go forever on into the Reaganist doctrine of deregulate, deregulate, deregulate; look at the Philippine example, for one thing. Large corporations will eventually eat up the small ones in this kind of example.

I agree that McCain is out of touch. The Palin pick is one such example. I can't even start to identify each and every point of argument. One thing, he doesn't understand the middle and working class. Two, he just only realized (just the past week, goddamn) that the US economy isn't going well. Plus why'd you want a president who's a liar? We've had enough of that here, look at us at least, and see for yourself.

I'd like to pound in more keys to tell why I love Obama, but that would be for another time. Consider this my introductory write-up. Haha.