“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”

Let the official count begin

            It is probably time for the Comelec Chairman to resign if not the whole institution of the COMELEC to fold tent or close shop – given the events before, during, and after the elections of

May 14, 2007

.  It does not have to await the report of the 25-member International Observers Mission to be made public which would presumably outline how the avowed honest, orderly, peaceful, elections have actually failed. 

            If COMELEC folds tent, two supposed-to-be reputable polling circuits may follow suit especially so that their survey results before election day may – to some extent – been found of setting the trend.  Not unlikely, the names of candidates in their top 12 charts may have been voted in by those who believe in the accuracy of poll surveys.  Likewise, it is not unlikely that these polling circuits may have raked a lot of profits from its paying patrons who contributed money to commission the surveys.

            Ironically, both

SWS

and Pulse Asia failed to capture the real ranking order as well as the names of those in the real winning circle of 12 senators by way of partial and unofficial results from various organizations like AMA,

STI

, or  NAMFREL.  Either that

SWS

or Pulse Asia has “undemocratized” its results or “democratize” them – as best as possible within some concessional limits.  What struck any statistician or historian is their obvious failure to capture

Antonio

Trillanes

and where he should have been ranked in the given scheme and scene.  With that alone, there is sufficient reason to believe, both survey results of

SWS

and Pulse Asia were bogus.  I hate to think that they could be the kind of “push-polling circuits” in a virtual tug-of-war for supremacy. 

            Further, for either

SWS

or Pulse Asia to have ranked

Ralph

Recto

in the 7^th place in the senatorial preferences – is grossly misleading.  At ground level, it is not so.  Again, placing

Vicente

Sotto

III

in the 13^th place and Aquilino Pimentel in the 14 – are in both cases, statistically incongruous.  Both

SWS

and Pulse Asia in so far as their published ranking orders of senatorial preferences are concerned could be said to have really went off the mark.  The parameters they used, the methods they used, the assumptions they used – may indicate ‘real systems breakdown’ altogether. 

            We have been invaded with a lot of pre-election surveys from polling circuits, early election results from various quick-counts organizations (AMA,

STI

, Namfrel) – only to be given conflicting facts and figures.  And when it is time for COMELEC to do the real canvassing, what assurances, if any, could we have that all derogatory observations will not be lumped into the realm of “noted”  or placed in the back burner?

What is quite therapeutic here is that at least, there are early indications that the 12-0 hype for Team Unity was a mere farce, a hoax, and a grand bluff.  Truth is, those who know their political calculus can say that it will actually be a 12-0 win in favor of the real opposition wing.  In this elections, even at the local level itself which Team Unity has earlier claimed to dominate, the opposition candidates are winning.  If there ought to be a number loser in this

May 17, 2007

, it is no less than PGMA.  The spectre of an opposition-dominated Senate, an opposition-dominated House of Representatives as well as those in the LGUs will not usher well for PGMA’s remaining term. 

If Nene Pimentel will mouth his earlier prediction now, it would be more closely a believable forecast, even imminent.  So, could it be that “GMA’s days are numbered” – true or not?  It should be configured whether the emerging bunch of political dynasty practitioners would be a class of anti-GMA politicians or a class of pro-GMA politicians.  Let the official count begin!

Who are your senatoriables and why?

            All roads lead to the voting booth – come May 14.  Day 1 would either usher us all to – heaven or hell.  Should things be more of the same, it is almost sure we made the wrong choices of the leaders who will rule, govern, and lead this nation to the path of development.  Thus, the task at hand, is for us to make the wise move – elect only those whom we think we need in this country – regardless of any particular political orientation.  Let the forces of evil clash with the forces of the good – but let them clash. 

Opinion-wise, my choice of senators – but in no particular order – are

Loren

Legarda

,

Ping

Lacson

,

Alan

Cayetano

,

Antonio

Trillanes

, Edgardo Angara,

John

Osmena

, and Joker Arroyo.  Who says we need to fill all of twelve slots when doing so would put the rotten apples in the same basket?  I am under no compulsion to do so since it is not going to be a vote wasted.  Rather, by not voting more than whom we think are needed is judgment call. 

Loren

has always made sense on issues asked to discuss about not to say, she has mass appeal across all social classes. 

Ping

has long metamorphosed into a 21^st century intellectual and in all his exposes, nothing beats his evidence and analysis. 

Alan

is for kids – a role model – what every parent could have wanted his son to be.  Trillanes, where it indicates to me, seems willing to go on a head-on collision with the powers-that-be and it bears watching. 

Angara

, owner of that diary that gave Erap away, would still be a needed ‘intellectual infrastructure’ in the Senate. 

John

, despite perceived as a homosexual, has proven himself to be the spokesperson of the more-balanced worldview.  Joker, despite his twilight years, still flicker with hope as well as despair depending on how he would embrace social issues of larger consequence but in general, can still think within threshold levels.  Joker Arroyo knew a lot of things but he never seems to push issues to their final fruition – extreme pressure maybe, political concessions, whatever – a sad fact of our national IQ.

I even thought the Kapatiran Party that endorsed

Martin

Bautista

, Attorneys Adrian Sison and

Zosimo

Jesus

Paredes

for the Senate could have made a difference.  I just failed to see what they claimed as “the teachings of God into the center of politics”.  Philippine politics, as we know it – past, present, future – is beyond cleansing.  Their principles and platforms were all built, framed, conceptualized from a work in pure abstraction. I have difficulty saying Aleluiah to that kind of crop.  How can it be allowed for Kapatiran to have launched a fund-raising campaign by appealing for financial (not even moral) contribution from Filipinos abroad and call the process – the “cost of change”?  That really strikes me like a boxer’s punch.

Martin of Kapatiran is pro-US, the anti-thesis of Pichay who claims, at least, to be pro-Pinoy.  Sison is just a stone thrown in the political waters but creates only a tiny ripple in our public consciousness.  Paredes, that long-haired-for-what military man cum lawyer is a GMA appointee and therefore not a new political player.  I just cannot find the intellectual moorings where I could tie my political choices for any of these aspirants from Kapatiran.  The party is bogus – a mere well-packaged product in a consumerist market.

For the party-list, I can only vote for Buhay Party List and there are enough reasons that make it a good party-list to choose.  Its historical role and political relevance cannot be underestimated.  In particular,

Rep.

Rene

M.

Velarde

of Buhay Party-List can be the mouthpiece or icon in terms of “conscience in Congress”.  It is my party-list as I see it from the ground – an

El Shaddai

adherent.

The Party’s central ethico-social moorings of being - pro-life, pro-productivity, and pro-good governance - from a human life perspective may very well be said as the champion of all causes. 

Its political paradigm takes on a holistic view of human life starting with its assertion that "human embryo is one of us" (Fr. Fausto Gomez).  Specifically, Buhay’s "from womb to tomb" worldview puts the human being at the forefront of its legislative agenda as well as its constituency work. 

Even at the thick of the campaign, Buhay has already conceptualized what its fortcoming legislative agenda would be in the 14th Congress.  It will be long to discuss it here so let it be saved for another time.

Suffice to say, we find no reason not to vote for Buhay Party List since its role, its advocacy, and its reach - is humankind.  You are one of Buhay.  You are one among us.

Please support Buhay by just reaching out for your family, friends, and neighbors.  It is that easy.  And soon that little dot in the polling circuits’ radar screens will take the shape of guess what?

"Where the feet go, the heart follows".  Perhaps, we can give the campaign the extra mile.  For instance, my family and I, realize how exciting it is to do postering, streamering, asking people not to forget Buhay except giving them anything but steakers, streamers, posters, calendars, flyers, and the like.

Political ads, anyone?

A whole lot of political ads invaded the viewing screen – without let up.  TV audiences, in particular, may already suffer from overdose of such stuff – tales, lies, half-truths, promises.  Air time via radio stations or print space in newspapers are designed to overcrowd – as the tri-media environment rakes a lot of money from willing patrons – especially the senatorial wannabes.

The pol ads share one thing in common.  Senatorial aspirants are being endorsed by showbiz celebrities or well-known political icons.  Polling circuits are quick to provide the lanes for those aspirants who want to breach the speed limit, matter-of-factly.  However, as survey results are made public, they only tend to set the trend and it is difficult to lower suspicion that these polling circuits may already be involved in a sort of ‘political game fixing’.  After all, courts tend to place premium in results of surveys to strengthen their legal position in a post-election imbroglio.

Now let us take a mere cursory look.  Cory endorses son Noynoy; Nene endorses son Koko; Erap endorses John O, Lim, Villar; Noli endorses Kiko, Recto;   Miriam Defensor endorses Mike Defensor; Chavit by Manny Pacquiao.  Funny but true, Sonio Roco has to ‘resurrect’ Raul Roco to endorse her.  Celebrity-wise, Kiko is endorsed invariably by Sharon Cuneta, Susan Roces, or Ryan Agoncillo; Recto by Vilma Santos or Noli de Castro, Angara by Sarah Geronimo; Chiz by Susan Roces; and so on.

            In short, when a mother or a father endorses a son; a sister a brother; a former president any given number of names – then, this only shows that, by and large, we are ‘political-dynasty-friendly’ than the vicious practice we ought to avoid.

            And if we examine the thought-contents from the texts or messages in their pol ads, senatorial aspirants have explored even the un-ponderables.  Thus, Pichay likens himself to a vegetable in his punch – “itanim sa senado”.  Joker likens himself to an animal – a dragon with his punch – “pag bad ka, lagot ka, pero kung good ka, okay ka”.  Still others want themselves to be called “tol”, “migs” (as though short or contraction for the word amigo) or “guy” (in the sense of Magsaysay is my guy). 

            Pulled from the same thread, some have the same call as espoused in these words – “maniwala ka”, “pangako yan”, “bibigyan boses ko ito sa senado”, “pangarap mo pangarap ko”, or “ituloy ang laban”.  These candidates speak as though they were not given a chance to achieve their dreams in their prior years in government – as congressmen or senators – like Coseteng, Villar, Loren and the rest of old political bigwigs. 

            Good thing, CBCP is nowhere seen nor heard of.  It chose to resign itself to oblivion even while El Shaddai took to a more historic role followed by Jesus is Lord Movement.  Iglesia ni Cristo also chose to stand in mute silence.  With few more days before election day, the Filipino voters are not about ready to make the right choices as more tales, lies, half-truths, promises are being floated around sufficient to mislead, mis-educate, and misguide.  In such a situation, the religious sector enjoys that level of moral ascendancy to endorse the senatorial candidates provided there is a generally-accepted set of criteria.