Showing posts with label 2016 Philippine election. Show all posts

Ang Hamunan nina Roxas at Duterte

ay Pagpapakita ng Maruming Pulitika sa Pilipinas

ni Apolinario Villalobos

Ang namumukod-tanging katangian ng pulitika sa Pilipinas ay pagiging marumi nito. Ang mga kandidato ay nagbabatuhan ng mga putik. Kaya may kasabihan sa Pilipinas na kung ayaw mong mabisto ang katauhan mo ay huwag kang pumasok sa pulitika. Ang dahilan noong-noon pa ng mga pulitiko, na “pagtulong sa kapwa” ang dahilan ng pagpasok nila sa pulitika ay pinagtatawanan na ngayon. Sinasabi pa ng iba na ang pulitika ay isa sa mga larangan kung saan ay yayaman ang isang tao – na unfair naman sa mga talagang walang intensiyong mangurakot….ng malaki. Tanggap naman ang 10% na komisyon na ang tawag noon pa man ay “for the boys”, na ayaw pa ngang tanggapin ng iba dahil nakakahiya sa sinumpaan nilang tungkulin. Ang masama lang kasi sa ibang nanalo at nakaupo na sa puwesto, hindi lang 70% ang gustong kurakutin, kundi 100% dahil ang project ay hanggang papel lang!

Hindi sana umabot sa hamunan ang dalawang kandidato sa pagka-pangulo ng bansa kung hindi sana pinakialaman ni Roxas ang nananahimik na Davao City. Alam naman niyang alagang-alaga ito ni Duterte pati na ng mga Davaweἧo, pati ng mga taong nakatira sa mga bayang nakapaligid dito. Kung papansinin, nagpakumbaba pa nga si Duterte nang punahin ang pagmumura niya at tinanggap pa ang “lecture” ng Obispo sa Davao City. Ito ay pakita lang na okey sa kanyang punahin ang mga personal niyang pagkakamali sa mata ng mga moralista, pero ang kantihin ang inaalagaan niyang katahimikan sa Davao na kung ilang taon din niyang nilinis at pinatahimik ay maituturing na “below the belt”.

Nang gantihan naman ni Duterte si Roxas tungkol sa nakakadudang pag-graduate niya sa hindi naman gaanong kilalang eskwelahan sa Amerika, pumalag din siya. Ngayon ay nagsisisi siya dahil pati ang kredibilidad niya sa larangan ng edukasyon na isa sa mga pinagmamalaki niya ay nalagay sa balag ng alanganin. Dahil sa panggagalaiti niya, marami tuloy ay nagsasabing baka nga totoong hanggang kodakan lang ang pag-graduate niya  sa Amerika.

Ang daming maaaring ipaliwanag ni Roxas sa mga tao upang magkaroon ng linaw ang mga isyu na may kinalaman din sa sinasandalan niyang presidente ng Pilipinas…bakit hindi na lang niya dito ituon ang kanyang effort sa pangangampanya? Bakit kailangang siraan pa niya si Duterte na nananahimik na nga? Mag-concentrate na lang sana siya sa “tuwid na daan” na pinangako niyang ipagpapatuloy, para marami pang mahatak kung sakali. Huwag na niyang pakialaman si Duterte na ang kapalaran ay nasa kamay ng COMELEC. Sa ginagawa niya, halatang ninenerbiyos siya dahil malakas ang hatak pareho ni Duterte at Poe. Mukhang pumalpak na naman ang campaign machinery na tumutulak kay Roxas.

Sa interbyu kay Duterte sa isang radio station sa Manila tungkol sa kanyang pagkandidato, nakiusap siya sa mga sumusuporta sa kanya na maging mahinahon at itigil na ang pagbabanta ng “rebolusyon” kung siya ay ma-disqualify. Bukambibig niya ang pagtanggap ng disqualification  kung ito ang desisyon ng COMELEC, kaya sinabi pa niya na kung maaari ay ituon din ng mga sumusuporta sa kanya ang atensiyon nila sa ibang mga kandidato, upang makapili sila ng karapat-dapat kung sakali ngang siya ay ma-disqualify. Pinapakita ni Duterte na hindi siya sakim, dahil ang gusto lamang niya ay maging realistic ang mga supporter niya batay sa mga umiiral na sitwasyon. Sa isang banda, malinaw pa rin ang pahayag niya na hindi siya umuurong sa pagtakbo bilang presidente ng Pilipinas.

Philippine Election: A Choice between the Devil

and the Deep Blue Sea

by Apolinario Villalobos

The murky Philippine politics is such that the Filipinos are always left with a choice between the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea…both bad enough, at the onset of election. The worse that can happen is inaction or abstinence on the part of the voters, which robs them, on the other hand, of their right to exercise their ultimate authority as citizens.

The eager candidates who are currently holding sensitive positions in the government who already want to earn mileage of exposure at the earliest allowable time, shamelessly use these to their advantage. The opposing parties on the other hand, move heaven and earth to demolish their reputation by bringing into light past graft cases or build new cases against them, based on allegation of cohorts. As a result, the valuable time of these officials are charged to the taxpayers while seemingly endless self-serving investigations go on, although, they reveal helpful information, at the same time.  What is glaring is that both the investigated and the investigators have shares of guilt.

Part of the dirty tactic during election that has become a traditional practice is vote buying which made running for any position very expensive as those interested need to have millions to spare during the campaign period. Those lucky enough to get favorable results in this venture, try hard to recover whatever they have spent and even more. This gave rise to the popular adage that the easiest way to get rich is for one to enter politics. This could be true because those who joined the race and got blessed with overwhelming votes become rich even after just a couple of years in their position.

My statements may be general, although I know that there are still some in the political arena, very few who try hard to maintain a clean image. These are those who do not survive the rigorous occupation eventually, hence, bow out after just one term…I have talked to them.

Tulad ng Inaasahan

Sinisiraan na ng Kampo ni Binay si Grace Poe

ni Apolinario Villalobos

Sa ganito kaaga, napapaghalata na ang pagka-trapo ni VP Binay. Dahil sa pagkadismaya sa pagpirma ni Grace Poe sa rekomendasyon upang imbestigahan na siya korte pati ang kanyang junior na anak, lalo na dahil sa ugung-ugong na tatakbo pa ito sa pagka-presidente, mga personal na bagay na kinakalkal ng kampo niya.

Ang mali ng kampo ni Binay, ginamit pa ang isyu sa pagiging adopted ni Grace, dual citizenship, at kawalan ng residency, kaya hindi daw ito kwalipikadong tumakbo sa pagka-presidente. Puro palpak ang mga isyu laban kay Grace. Noon pa mang estudyante si Grace, alam na nitong ampon lang siya at ikinuwento pa nga niya kung paano nangyari ito. Ang dual citizenship ay matagal na ring nasagot ni Grace na nawalan ng bisa ang kanyang American citizenship. Ang sa residency issue naman, history na rin ito dahil matagal na ring nasagot.

Kaya kinakasuhan ang mga Binay sa mga ginawang pagnanakaw ay puro mali ang mga stretehiya ng kampo niya. Nagmumukha tuloy silang timawang nakatalungko sa kangkungan.

Mabuti naman at sumagot si Grace na nagsabing okey lang ang mga binabato sa kanya, kaysa naman sa kasong plunder – pagnanakaw.

Sa isyu ng pagtakbo sa presidency, si Grace ay ang tinatawag na “underdog” o inaapi, pero sabi ng marami, si Binay naman ay “dog” daw. Mahal ng mga Pilipino ang mga inaapi dahil sa pagkagusto ng mga Pilipino sa mga ma-dramang kwento.

As Expected, the Binay Camp

has Started its Smear Campaign Against Grace Poe

ni Apolinario Villalobos

This early, the color of VP Binay as a “trapo” (traditional politician) can be clearly discerned. He is gravely disappointed due to the signing of Grace Poe in the recommendation, that plunder be filed against him and his son, Junjun, the current mayor of Makati City. His feelings are aggravated by Poe’s plan to run for president.

The camp of the Binays erred in using against Grace, the issues on her being an adopted, dual citizenship, and lack of residency. All the accusations are practically ineffectual. Ever since she was a student, Grace already that knew that she is not a biological daughter of Susan Roces and Fernando Poe, Jr. She is even sharing with much pleasure, the story on how she was adopted. The issue on her dual citizenship has long been resolved, as her American citizenship has already been revoked. And her lack of residency has, likewise, been answered.

The camp of Binay has been committing blunders in its strategies, the reason why it failed in its effort to cover up the piling of cases resulting to the plunder case filed against him and his son, Junjun.

Good thing that Grace boldly issued a statement that she does not mind the accusations against her, unlike the plunder case being filed against “somebody”. Many are saying that in the issue of presidency, Grace is an “underdog”, unlike the other party who is definitely a “dog”. The penchant of the Filipinos for melodrama made them love underdogs.

Will the Filipinos be driven by Despair and Vote for Grace Poe

as President of the Philippines?

By Apolinario Villalobos

For the coming 2016 election, will Grace Poe serve as a floating log, a savior, for the desperate Filipinos who are perpetually left with no choice every time such political process is held, but just left to choose between the devil and deep blue sea?

When she ran for senator, she got an overwhelming number of votes, much more than what Noynoy Aquino who was vying for the presidency got. She had inadequate machinery, being a neophyte in the field, yet she was able to earn the confidence of the voting populace. The election returns that propelled Poe to Senate showed that, somehow, she had an awesome following that used its wise judgment.

The craftiness in Pnoy Aquino saw the glitter of opportunity in the person of Poe and tried his best to establish a connection by offering an option via his Liberal Party. This early, the poor senator could be confused considering that she also vowed during her senatorial campaign not to run for a higher position, plus her own admission of financial inadequacy and freshness in the field of politics. If Poe bites the bait being dangled by Aquino, however, she will be indebted to him and the Liberal Party, endangering the plan of the opposition to file charges against him (Aquino) and other Liberal Party members for committed grafts.

The situation before was much different from today, because before, even Pnoy was presumed to become a reliable president, that is why the Filipinos voted for him, but of late, he proved to be just the opposite. The coming presidential race presents a wary picture because Jejomar Binay the most interested party, has standing lawsuits for graft and corruption, and the rest of the interested ones are either viewed as having limp personality or soiled with dishonesty, too.

Perhaps, this early, what Poe can do first is decide to run as an independent candidate so that the voters will be guided accordingly as regards the support that she would need. As she presents an image that exudes with neutrality, she could seek the help of sitting lawmakers later on for support, especially, if during the campaign days, she will bring out her real agenda which will surely suit everyone. She should make use of her “clean image” advantage to the fullest, if only for the memory of her father whom she adored very much, in case she decides finally to run for president.