Patricio Mangubat votes for Noynoy Aquino for President

Three of the country's biggest political parties are closing their campaigns tonight--the Lakas-KAMPI, Nacionalista and Liberal party. However, individual campaigns will just end by midnight of Saturday.

Now, let me tell you my choices for President and Vice President.

For president, I will be voting for Liberal Party Standard bearer Noynoy Aquino. I am now endorsing him for 5 simple reasons:

1. Noynoy Aquino is humble, has strong political will and has the correct vision for the country.

2. Noynoy Aquino has the strong moral fortitude needed by the country especially in these times of immorality and corruption.

3. Noynoy Aquino will definitely fight graft and corruption.

4. Noynoy Aquino is the leading contender for the post. To avoid the prospect of electing a minority president, it is for the best interests of the country to elect Noynoy Aquino as majority president.

5. Noynoy Aquino listens and is quick to his feet especially in decisions that needs his immediate attention.

And I proclaim today that Noynoy Aquino will become the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines. I am extremely confident Noynoy Aquino is our new president. When I saw him up close and personal a few days ago, he now has the "halo" that I saw in former presidents Cory, Fidel, and Estrada.

For Vice President I will be voting for Liberal Party vice presidential bet Mar Roxas for five (5) simple reasons:

1. Mar Roxas does not have graft cases filed against him--unlike one of his rivals who has numerous graft cases against him.

2. Mar Roxas is honest and tapat, unlike one of his rivals who admitted infidelity in his past.

3. Mar Roxas has a very strong political will, rooted firmly on his ideological beliefs, unlike one of his rivals who is just posturing.

4. Mar Roxas has experience in managing executive departments.

5. Mar Roxas is the leading contender in the surveys and we need a majority vice president.

Black propaganda heaped upon him will surely fail---and the Binay minions will be frustrated come May 10, 2010 elections.

Let us all pray, regardless of our religious beliefs for Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas. Failure of this elections is directed at stealing the thunder so to speak from an Aquino-Roxas victory.

FOR SENATOR:

1. LACSON, ALEX (23)
2. DE VENECIA, JOEY (12)
3. OPLE, SUSAN (38)
4. LIM, DANNY
5. QUERUBIN, ARIEL
6. MITRA, RAMON
7. ACOSTA, NEREUS (1)
8. BAUTISTA, MARTIN
9. GUINGONA, TEOFISTO
10. HONTIVEROS, RISA
11. MASA, LIZA
12. OCAMPO, SATUR

IN CASE YOU DON'T APPROVE OF SOME OF THEM (BUT DON'T DELIST LACSON, OPLE, LIM, QUERUBIN, DE VENECIA AND MITRA), CONSIDER:

1. MARCOS, BONGBONG
2. LAO, YASMIN
3. BIAZON, RUFFY

Countdown to May 10 2010 Elections

Top 12 Best Philippine Senatorial Bets

Wala ka ba pang senatoriable? Well let me share with you ONE CODE:


LOVE MO BA MAHLIGU AQU , which means:

• Lacson, Alex
• Ople, Susan
• de VEnecia, Joey
• Mitra, Mon-Mon or pwede ding Marcos, Bongbong
• Ocampo, Satur
• Biazon, Ruffy
• Acosta, Nereus
• Masa, Lisa
• Hontiveros, Riza
• Lim, Danny
• Guingona, Teofisto III
• Ariel Querubin

For my favorite senatoriables, here's a pinaghirapan kong video. Enjoy and spread it around.

Why Newbies are still behind the trapos in Senatorial rankings

Why is it that despite the popular perception that people are desirous to elect new faces in Philippine politics, no political neophyte has ever landed in the Magic 12 of both SWS and Pulse Asia surveys?


Nine re-electionists dominate the surveys, with familiar household names the likes of Estrada, Revilla, Ponce-Enrile, Defensor-Santiago and Cayetano all battling for the top senatorial posts. This seems to be a reflection of the opposite perception that the masses are favoring new faces in the Senate. It’s either these surveys show a contrari perception or they really show voters' true preferences.


In the top twelve posts in the SWS and Pulse Asia surveys, I saw only one name emerge, actually a new face--that of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Bongbong was once defeated when he ran and lost in the 1995 senatorial race. His comeback now is stronger than before not just because he is a Marcos, but due to his sterling record as a Governor of Ilocos Norte.

Bongbong is hovering between the eighth and ninth places, which, if you ask analysts, are one of the safest places any senatorial aspirant would wish for. There is, however, a caveat---Ralph Recto was similarly placed in the same spot only to be dislodged in the actual voting. Recto was in the eighth or ninth spot when suddenly he got "displaced." Bongbong is still not a shoo-in as far as politics is concerned. Politics here shifts and changes like the desert sands. You're on top last month only to find yourself at near death in the next.


Election campaigns really depend on three factors, namely: higher visibility than your opponents' through your campaign machinery, higher trust and voter conversion through your wide and expansive sectoral organization and vote-guarding through your legal team. Without one of these pillars, you are sure to lose the game. Recto and Atty. Coco Pimentel knew that too late. Same goes to Richard Gomez and Cesar Montano who are both popular but lost in the senatorial race.


Gomez and Montano have a very high visibility or awareness, but lack the proper machinery to actually push people to vote for them. They also hired weak legal counsels as their election lawyers.


Recto had high visibility and awareness, of course owing to association with his popular wife, Vilma Santos but lost the elections because he lost a stable grassroots organization and was weak in guarding his votes from dag-dag bawas operators.


Senator Richard Gordon's senatorial campaign way back 2004 was a classic example of how an election is to be won. Gordon had capitalized on his record (SBMA administrator and Olongapo Mayor), and got very high awareness and approval ratings. Gordon, however, did not stop there. He developed a very big grassroots organization composed of various sectoral groups. A close confidante of Gordon told me that this network is composed of more than 30,000 individuals, scattered in different parts of the archipelago. That organization became the cornerstone of the campaign, as these individuals went around their communities, and drummed up popular support for Gordon. With an army of para-legals and the backing of his Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity brothers, Gordon had legal support.


From a ranking of 24th or 27th, Gordon surged ahead of the game, eventually landing in the winning circle at the time of canvassing.


The Gordon formula was adopted by Senator Antonio Trillianes IV when he ran for the senatorial elections. Trillianes IV had a very high awareness rating because of Oakwood. He then developed the Magdalo which recruited thousands of people, mostly also belonging to the Guardians Brotherhood which was then a solid and stable grassroots fraternal organization.


Trillianes IV was fortunate because he had impeccable timing. He studied the political landscape and correctly concluded that the times were ripe for a virtual political neophyte. What others fail to see is the formula which Trillianes used to win the senatorial race--he had a high awareness ratings, took care of an expansive organization and safeguarded his votes though an army of para-legals and sympathetic election lawyers.


Study the contrasts--Trillianes used up a fraction of what Prospero Pichay spent, yet Pichay lost and he won. Both had a high 90 plus awareness rating, but Pichay's trust and preference ratings were incredibly low. Meaning, it does not necessarily follow that if you're popular, people will vote for you. People might know you, but have a very negative perception of you. In this case, Trillianes had both high awareness and high conversion rates simply because people trust him more than Pichay.


The Trillianes case must be studied from the vantage point of timing.


Now, going back, why is there no political neophyte that stands to replicate the Trillianes formula? Simple. These political newbies are suffering because of what happened to Trillianes.


Reports showing Trillianes having the highest expenses in travel, and not reporting at the Senate is being perceived by the people as a waste of vote for newbies. The people felt that they fought for Trillianes only to be disappointed in the end. The people who elected him expected something radically different, only to find him squander the mandate given to him.

This apprehension has affected the chances of newbies, particularly the likes of Joey de Venecia III, Sonia Roco, Alex Lacson, Danilo Lim and Col. Ariel Querubin. There is a popular perception right now that it is meaningless, even useless to elect neophytes since, like Trillianes, they will just squander their mandates. This explains why Lim and Querubin’s ratings are hovering between 18 to 25th places. Critical that we examine the March SWS survey ratings since by this time, sectoral support has kicked in for both Lim and Querubin.


Likewise, these newbies have no established brand names to speak of. Alex Lacson has his, backing on the equity of his relative, Senator Ping Lacson. Ping Lacson affects Atty. Alex Lacson’s chances based on what is happening to him. Lacson’s chances vacillate between positive and negative. What is very good at this point is the fact that Alex Lacson maintained his high conversion rate despite negative stories about Ping Lacson. This means that Alex Lacson, as a candidate, stands a better chance of winning compared with other established and more popular names for the Senate.


Roco’s case is similar with that of Lacson’s. The likes of Lim and Querubin, however, remain problematic since both share the same constituency and both will eventually clash come election time.


De Venecia III is probably the neophyte with the greater chance of clinching a Senate seat. His chances, however, fell and were shattered when Gina de Venecia publicly announced that the De Venecias have already repaired their ties with the Arroyos. People everywhere perceived this as a betrayal of trust. The public pronouncement stuck in the public consciousness and that’s why his preference ratings have plateau-ed. Analysts say it will continue on the downward trend probably due to a lack of sectoral support. Sectoral groups are supposed to elucidate and protect Joey de Venecia from negative perception but since he lacks ground support, and only rely on the PMP-UNO PDP-Laban machinery, the lingering negative perception will surely stick and affect his chances. 

Joey de Venecia III and his Fight

Joey de Venecia III is one of 50 or so people aspiring for a Senate post. And for Filipinos voting as absentee voters starting April 10, Joey de Venecia III comes to mind as the main whistleblower in the anomalous ZTE-NBN scandal.

A few people think that Joey de Venecia III does not deserve a senate seat because he belonged to a traditional political family. Most though laud and admire him for what he did--he rose up to put a stop to anomalies in government transactions. Had he not come out from his comfort zone, we would not have known these illicit deals.

Joey de Venecia III will be judged in history as the man who rose up and stood for what is Right, Just and Honest.

If he wins this May 10, 2010 elections, Joey de Venecia III will be the first citizen to ever be elected straight to the Senate. And it looks like he will hack it.

Surveys show Joey de Venecia III landing in the Magic 12 of preferred senatoriables. And asking the masses of the people also gives us a more than bigger chance of him successfully winning in this elections.

The question that everybody is asking is this---will he continue the fight for honest and good governance in the halls of the Senate?

Be forewarned---THERE ARE STILL GOOD MEN HERE

Wilfredo "Boy" Mayor, former whistleblower, was laid to rest yesterday. There was no fanfare, no one shouted praises to the man who exposed the links of the presidential family to jueteng. There were no politicos, no one came to tell the world how brave the man was when he went to the Senate and told what he knew about the First Gentleman and Mikey Arroyo's monthly take in the illegal numbers game. And there was no government official who came and gave wreaths to his relatives nor assurance that justice will be served to their kin, a victim of an assassin's bullet.

Mayor was no Chavit, who once whistleblew the illicit activities of a former head of state and lived to see his downfall. He was no Rose bud who exposed how the men of a former head of the National Police killed druglords and sold seized shabu, and now lived like a celebrity.

Had the public rose in uproar over Mayor's explosive expose, he would have been declared a national hero. Mayor would have enjoyed a comfortable and peaceful life, knowing that he did something good and patriotic.

Had the patriotic elements of this country united behind him and rose against the immorality and criminality of this administration, that man from Albay would have been given a perpetual hero's welcome. Medals, trophies and citations would have filled his house.

Yesterday, no medals were given, no trophies adorn his simple house nor citations filled his grave. Just simple and almost deafening silence, and a few streaks, almost a wail from those whom Mayor left behind.

The man whom many called "tigas" was laid to rest, a victim of injustice in a cruel and immoral society. Had the people of his town rallied behind him, Mayor would probably still be living. But no. In this society, those who trust and believe that dictum "The Truth shall set one free", would have to bite the bullet, one day, literally from those pained by the revelations.

Had Mayor been a son of a Speaker, he would have been still roaming around town, with police escorts and a throng of sympathizers. As Fate would have it, Mayor only has his balls for a bullet vest.

Such is the fate of those who thinks that Truth is still a valuable commodity in this society.

Truth is nothing valuable here, no one gives a shit what is happening in this country, no one cares whether the presidential son gets millions from vices or does anyone care if drug money is used for someone's campaign or if illicit money line the pockets of high officials.

No one cares if a police official gets a Pajero for being a provincial director or that the very head of the State gets a monthly billion peso for not rocking the boat.

No one cares if a reputed jueteng lord becomes deputy intelligence adviser of a president nor former police officials with blood in their hands become Executive secretaries.

No one cares if millions drop dead due to shabu or ecstasy use nor futures betted for that Small Town Lottery.

No one cares if the Philippines serves as the top supplier of marijuana or the favorite transshipment point of shabu or cocaine.

No one.

Those who care live dangerous lives, always looking behind their backs and just, trying to survive with support from nuns, priests and their relatives.

Think of Jun Lozada. Think of Joey de Venecia III. Think of Sandra Cam. Think of a few who dared. They all live deplorable lives, their reward for telling the truth. Truth rewards the brave, yeah, with bullets, if you live in this country.

This society has become one big syndicate, with a mafia heading a government that is no government of no real substance. What's the policy? You are either in or out. If you're out, silence be your prayer bead. If you can't keep your mouth shut, and the truth burst within you, go buy a weapon and a bullet vest. Be ready to die for what you believe in. Otherwise, go to a cave and shout.

Such is the life of a whistleblower.

One of the many things people ask of me why I support Joey de Venecia III, I simply say one thing and one fact alone---we need some one like him to always remind us that there is still hope out there for those who dared and for those who want the Truth exposed.

When I vowed never to leave his side until victory is achieved, I meant it, like what I did for Rosebud.

Joey de Venecia III represents for me something good, a name that tried to stand up against the Powers-that-be. Never mind if people say the reason why he exposed it was that he lost. Never mind if people say that he was once part of the system.

The good thing was, Joey de Venecia III and all the rest of the whistleblowers of our time, they had their epiphanies and took a brave stance.

Never mind that government did not give Joey de Venecia III or Jun Lozada medals for bravery nor trophies for telling the truth.

Whenever I go to urban communities, the praises of people about what he did brings joy to my heart. That there are a lot of people out there who believe in Joey's cause. 

Whenever I see the sparkle of people's eyes when I give them Joey's flyers or when they ask me if Joey is a genuine article, and I say that he is, they smile.

Those smiles melt every stress, every tired bone or muscle of my body. Those pat on the back, those admiring looks from the poor masses give me the energy to pursue the Cause of Joey de Venecia III.

Whenever groups go to me and ask me if Joey de Venecia III represents the People's Cause, and I tell them what he is fighting for, and I tell them that Joey de Venecia III represents Hope. That we must allow him to win this elections because that will give a very strong statement to those who worship the Mammon instead of Truth.

BE FOREWARNED, THERE ARE STILL GOOD MEN HERE.

30 Hackers enough to rig the May 10, 2010 elections

How many hackers do you need to rig the May 10, 2010 elections?

According to Joey de Venecia III, the pioneer in the Information Technology sector here in the Philippines, it only takes thirty (30) hackers to effectively rig the May 10, 2010 elections. That's why, Joey says, twenty percent (20%) of precincts around the country are vulnerable to network or red hat attacks.

Twenty percent (20%) of 400,000 clustered precincts are enough to sow chaos and violence in the forthcoming polls.

With an expected neck-to-neck fight among candidates, not just those running in the presidential polls, but also in the senatorial, the future of the first automated elections here is bleak or even very, very threatened.

De Venecia said cheating could be done through a remote terminal created and specifications specific to make it appear that it is a PCOS terminal. Likewise, extra space in the memory card of PCOS terminals could also be used to accommodate additional votes for specific candidates.

Joey de Venecia III is not overly optimistic on the success of the automated elections since it appears that the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is not entirely prepared for an untoward situation.

Noynoy Aquino and Joey de Venecia III supporters being harassed in Mandaluyong

The Commission on Elections should clarify and make certain common poster areas in cities, especially in Mandaluyong. And Comelec officials should ensure the safety of political opponents of the Abalos' and Gonzales' families. I personally witnessed how the dominant political hegemon in Mandaluyong is denying their political opponents, both national and local, access to these common poster areas.

Last night, while doing my midnight rounds in urban poor communities, I and my group of grassroots organizers were harassed by member of the barangays and the Mayors Action Center (MAC) of Mandaluyong mayor Benhur Abalos. When I was still a journalist, Benhur was a good friend. I even supped dinner with him, when he was still being groomed by his father as a successor to him. Now, I myself, fell victim to the rapaciousness and the almost dictatorial-like behavior of his men.

Unfortunate since I know Benhur to be a good man. And he, definitely, will not tolerate these kinds of behavior.

It seemed though that politics have indeed changed the man.

I learned from barangay officials in Mandaluyong that the Abaloses' gave explicit instructions to deny postering of known political enemies of the family in the city. The COMELEC designated common poster areas in all other cities. I observed, however, that in Mandaluyong, there were no designated common poster areas. If there were, then, these are BANNED from being used by political opponents of the two dominant political clans in the city---the Abaloses and the Gonzaleses.

Fact is, the long stretch of Martinez avenue is banned from Noynoy Aquino and JDV3 posters. JDV3 Movement supporters were warned not to place JDV3 posters in these areas, even in public markets and residences because Joey de Venecia III, according to some barangay officials, is a known political enemy of former mayor Benjamin Abalos sr.

When a Noynoy supporter reportedly posted a tarp of the Liberal party bet infront of his house, which happened to be along Martinez avenue, people wearing vests and with firearms reportedly cased the house and took some photos. After a few days, the house was ordered torn down for allegedly being an "obstruction."

Urban poor residences along the avenue are being constantly warned of dire consequences should they disobey the wishes of the Abaloses. Fact is, suspicions arose that the fire which ate up most of Welfareville was a "warning" to those who were planning to oppose the Ampatuan-like political clans in Mandaluyong. Previous to the big fire, peoples of Welfareville were planning to oppose the Abaloses and were, in fact, supportive of the Domingos who are traditional political opponents of the Abaloses.

Similar instances were also noted when some residents of Parola installed tarps of Noynoy Aquino and plastic posters of Joey de Venecia III. These posters were placed in areas legally allowed by the Comelec. However, some barangay officials reportedly visited these residents and asked them to tore down these posters otherwise " there'll be consequences."

Urban poor supporters of Noynoy Aquino and Joey de Venecia III were reportedly being harassed constantly by barangay officials in Mandaluyong. Supporters of the Domingos and the De Guzmans who are planning to contest the mayoral posts being held by Benhur Abalos are also being asked not to take part in the polls for pain of "harassment or death."

The Comelec and the military should put Mandaluyong in their hotspot list. My colleagues in the Media and civil society should not look far--here in the heart of Metro Manila lives a very dangerous political clan out to terrorize and deprive the people their voices and subvert their wills.

They have been doing this for the past twenty years and the peoples of Mandaluyong are sick and tired of them. Civil society should struggle against this political clan and people must militate against the Abaloses.

What is most comforting is this---one of the Noynoy and JDV3 supporter told me that no amount of coercive or terroristic tactics will ever deny them their right and their will to vote for New Politics in their city.

Joey de Venecia III represents New Politics, as well as Noynoy. The People's will will be followed. And Justice will reign in Mandaluyong if the people unite and civil society help them.

Let the New Patriots of the New Generation train their guns, err, sight on the Abaloses.

Ominous signs of automated failure of the elections?

Archbishop emeritus Oscar Cruz expressed alarm over signs that point to a failure of the poll automation project of the Commission on Elections. In an interview yesterday, Cruz says these signs point to a possible failure of the forthcoming May 10,2010 elections:

1. Failure of the optimal counting machines to actually count and render as input properly shaded readable election papers feeded into the Taiwan-made machines.

2. The apparent failure of the information campaign by the Comelec. Until now, teachers are clueless on the technical and non-technical aspects of the poll automation project.

3. Absence of 50,000 IT technicians which the Smartmatic consortium and even the Comelec said would be hired for the elections.

4. Hacking of government sites.

The former head of the diocese of Lingayen Pangasinan says these signs point to a possible failure of the project and asked the Comelec to rectify its actions immediately.

I remember my good friend Joey de Venecia III, the pioneer in advanced telecommunications and IT here in the Philippines, as having warned us of the possible automated failure of the elections.

Joey de Venecia III in previous statements, already gave his prognosis on the project. He favors selective application of the automation since he already foresaw the logistical and technical problems or improbabilities that this project would entail.

For the sake of the country, Comelec should immediately assess its capabilities and rectify if possible since the elections are just a few months away.

Good elites, bad elites

Is elitism really a scourge in this country? Not quite, says Joey de Venecia III. There are families which have carved dynasties that benefitted the people. Example would be the Binays of Makati City, the Osmenas, and other familiar names in Philippine politics.

What is contemptible, says Joey in his latest press statement, is when families such as the Arroyos dominate the political scene with impunity. Hence, says Joey, all opposition parties should repulse another attempt by the Arroyos to perpetuate themselves in power.

Okey, so what I gathered so far is, there are elites who are essentially good because they serve the people well, and there are those whose passion and desires are simply for self-aggrandizement. Accepted.

Now, I ask myself---what was the cause why families such as the Arroyos can actually perpetuate themselves in power without even, nay, feeling nauseous for doing so? Simple question nets a very simple answer--because existing laws allow them to. For those who study politics, politics is not an ethical nor a moral game. It is a game played by those whose desire is simply get and maintain themselves in power. Period. If the rules of the land say that you can actually field your wife, your brother, your sister, your mother, your father and your in-laws while you youself hold an elective post, you can do so because of the absence of an enabling law against political dynasties.

To change all of these, we must address the root cause of such---either enact an enabling law against political dynasty OR simply build transformative and responsible politics. The former is doable; the latter, we have a long way to go.

But of course, it is easy to say this, given that we are just saying what is possible or doable and what are not doables.

The next question that we need to answer is this---are our elites desire to simply do what is right? Probably, no. As I said, politics is not and will never be ethical simply because the way to power is not a moral struggle.

If the elites don't desire to correct the wrongs wrought by their inability to create or craft an enabling law, then, the only way to do this is eradicate the very system they use to perpetuate themselves in power. This is doable but possible, no. For the very levers of the system prevent outsiders from actually causing a breakdown of the system.

One example would be the process of elections. Elections is designed as the democratic means towards equalizing the political spectrum. How can elections be used as an effective deterrent against political dynasties when it is not as credible as we hope it is?

There are, however, models that counter this, one of which is what happened in Isabela, where Grace Padaca defeated the Dys. Or that of Pampanga when a priest, Ed Panlilio, gave the Lapids and the jueteng lords some beating. These models are, of course, local, not national. Will there be a time when nationally accepted political dynastic families crumble against weaker opponents? Possibly not doable under a self-perpetuating system of political patronage.

Of Pseudo-Nationalists and Senator Dick Gordon: Prelude to an EXPOSE against Gordon

Senator Dick Gordon is in a quandary. He wants to pander to his political benefactors namely the First Gentleman and Mrs. Arroyo but he does not want to sacrifice his political ambitions. He already made a successful campaign to erase the graft-ridden Joc-Joc Bolante case out of the public's mind, and he has one more case to go---the ZTE-NBN deal. This is a stinking deal which goes, way, way up there, in the stratosphere that is Malacanang.

Former Senate blue ribbon committee chair Alan Peter Cayetano already said before that this deal reaches up to Malacanang. Dick does not agree. For a man who benefitted largely from public trust (I will have a very explosive expose in the next few days about Honorable Senator Richard "Dick" Gordon. Abangan!), the least that Gordon has to do is render fairness.

If you watched the last senate hearing, Gordon was not fair. Yes, before I laud Gordon for his deft handling of the blue ribbon committee hearings but the last hearing, well, it left a very bad taste in the mouth. Gordon showed how he takes his job very seriously to satisfy his friends over at Malacanang.

What is the reason for Gordon's behavior? I will explain that in my next entries.

And to mask his moves, Gordon fooled the people, especially his friends, to think that he's running for president so that people will think that the main reason why Gordon is attacking the political enemies of his friends over at the Pasig is political. Ladies and gentleman, Gordon is not doing that for politics. What are his motivations? I will expose that in my later entries here. And this expose will surely rock Mr. Gordon. Abangan!

I am saddened by the favorable entries written by a blogger about Gordon. That entry was a very discomforting and definitely partial take on the ZTE-NBN deal. The blogger wanted to reinforce into the public mind that those whistleblowers are the ones guilty, NOT, the First Gentleman nor his wife, Gloria Arroyo and her devil gang, the officials of DOTC and others.

And to think that I was the one who endorsed that site to my friends online, thinking that he will only write nationalist entries. I am mistaken. I will correct my mistake in the next few days by presenting here an EXPLOSIVE EXPOSE against the "idol" of this writer.

The blog community is full of pseudo-nationalists, pro-Arroyo and pro-graft and corruption writers who masquerade as for the people, when they are for the perpetuation of the traditional elite mindsets.

Imagine, Gordon wants to file a case against the whistleblowers, namely, Mr. Joey de Venecia III and Jun Lozada, when they were the ones who opened up this case and sacrifice their lives to show the public that this deal will definitely affect them.

Today marks the second year that Joey de Venecia and Jun Lozada went out of the woodwork to expose this stinking deal which Gordon wants to deodorize. They will not succeed. For, we the people, are not fools.

For us not to forget this, I took the liberty of downloading here the famous ZTE Alphabet. Filipinos around the world, don't forget this.

Automated failure? ---Joey de Venecia III

Is the automation plan designed to fail? It seems like it, says IT businessman Joey de Venecia III. For Joey, who exposed the rotten ZTE-NBN deal, the Commission on Elections must resolve some "very serious issues" before proceeding with full automation for the May 2010 polls.

Joey pointed some very serious issues relating to full automation, one of which is the time it takes a voter to cast his ballot. If we automate fully, that would take a great amount of time (8 minutes per voter) than we normally do in previous elections.

Joey de Venecia III says COMELEC must conduct a time and motion study.

“The Comelec should conduct a time and motion study first before taking such a gung ho attitude to automation,” he said. “I’ve conducted informal studies on this matter alone and they indicate that it may take up to ten times longer for every voter to complete the voting process.”

Since the number of voting precincts will be reduced, there will be more voters massing in them next year, he said.From more than 200,000 voting precincts in the past – usually the nation’s public schools – the number will be reduced to 80,000. This means that the number per precinct will increase threefold.

Then there is the new ballot. De Venecia said that the Comelec’s newly-designed ballot is double sided and will have some 300 names of candidates to choose from unlike in the past wherein the voter only had to fill in the names of his choice of president, vice president and 12 senators.“The time it will take to fill in the ballot will likewise increase substantially,” according to de Venecia.“If it took a minute to complete one’s ballot before, it will now take three or even four minutes, given the new form that the electorate is not used to.”

Under an informal time and motion study conducted by de Venecia, the typical voter will have to look for his new precinct, join a much longer queue, then fill in a type of ballot that he has never seen before.“Everything points to a chaotic May 2010 election,” said the son and namesake of former Speaker Jose de Venecia.

“I don’t want to seem like some kind of prophet of doom, but the chaotic voting day scenario could lead to a failure of elections. What this can lead to is anybody’s guess.”

De Venecia is pushing for full automation to be applied only in the National Capital Region. He said if voting goes smoothly enough in Metro Manila, then full nationwide automation can be applied in the barangay elections in the latter part of 2010.

“There are so many things that can go wrong, not just the extra long hours it will take for every voter to finally cast his ballot,” said de Venecia.The voting machines need to be manned by 47,000 trained technicians, he said.

Smartmatic, the foreign company which won the bid to automate the elections, “is an IT firm and not a recruitment agency,” he said. “Where will they find 47,000 qualified technicians?”De Venecia also said he was concerned that the results would be forwarded to the Comelec headquarters in Manila electronically, meaning through Smart, Globe and possibly Sun, the country’s three major telcos.

In far-flung areas, or in areas where the three companies have insufficient signals, the results would have to be forwarded through satellite bounce. Systems loss could alter the results of the presidential elections in a tight race.

The same would be true for the senators fighting it out for the ninth to 12th slots.“A two percent systems loss for the country’s 40 million voters translates to 800,000 votes not being properly counted,” said de Venecia.At worst, chaos on election day could be used as an excuse by the Arroyo administration to declare emergency rule, even martial law, warned de Venecia.

Meanwhile, a failure of elections in May 2010 would result to a power vacuum, says Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile in the regular Kapihan sa Manila hotel yesterday. I was there when Enrile said that a possible failure declaration could result from a faulty automation plan.

Big Telco Lobby fund behind Tax on Text Bill?

A source in the House of Representatives, who asked that her identity be strictly be confidential, says that days before the House Committee approved the much ballyhooed House Bill 6625 which imposes a 5 centavo excise tax on every text, video and audio clips sent via mobile phones, five Congressmen reportedly met with legal representatives of the following telcos, namely: Smart, Globe and Sun, to remove the "no pass on" provision of the bill. The meeting was held in a hotel in Quezon City.

Yesterday, big telcos such as Smart and Globe decried the bill, saying that the measure is the "worst anti-consumer" bill ever made while Smart worries about the impact this bill will have on its poor customers.

The bill, originally authored by Ilocos sur rep. Eric Singson, proposes to tax telcos 5 centavos per text. Singson said this will generate close to 20 billion pesos for the government, to be used in its anti-poverty programs. In a spectacular turnaround, the House committee chaired by no less than Quezon rep. Danilo Suarez omitted the " no pass on" provision of the tax measure which would make texting services one of the most expensive in the region.

The Philippines has about 70 million mobile phone subscribers, of which more than 80% are pre-paid subscribers. The bill, says Cong. Omeng Plaza, will greatly impact this segment of the subscriber population. More than 2 billion texts are sent daily, making the country the biggest text country.

Yesterday, OFW crusader Susan Toots Ople denounced the tax measure as an unnecessary burden especially to OFWs who use text messaging in communicating with their loved ones. With about 10 million OFWs, Ople said this will create an unnecessary burden for the families of OFWs since this will make texting expensive.

Nang Bumaliktad ang mundo

Kagabi, kausap ko si Carlos Martel. Pilit niyang pinatataas ang pag-asa ko. Kahapon, sa unang araw ng Septiembre, nagkatotoo agad ang isinulat ko---na magsisimula sa pagluha ang Sambayanang Pilipino pagdating ng Septembre. (September Mourn).

Nasimulan ang araw ko sa pagdalo sa ZTE-NBN hearing ng kaibigan kong si Joey de Venecia III. Sa kabila ng pag-urong ng karamihan sa kanyang mga taga-suporta at kaibigan, nananatili akong kaibigan niya. Hindi ko siya iiwanan. Hindi ako tulad ng iba na parang pulubing naka-umang ang kamay dahil siya'y isang De Venecia.

Kaibigan ko si Joey dahil nasasa panig siya ng katotohanan. Naniniwala ako sa kanya, dahil sa isang panahon, naranasan ko ang naranasan niya na maakusahan ng isang bagay na hindi ko ginawa.

Sa unang pagkakataon, nakita ko ang isang kaibigang nabaliktad ang mundo. Imbes na purihin dahil sa kanyang expose, si Joey pa at si Jun ngayon ang gigisahin ng pamahalaan. Kung sino pa ang naglantad ng katotohanan, sila pa ngayon ang inakusahan.

Ito talagang si Senator Richard Gordon, nagpapagamit kay Mike Arroyo. Magkano kaya ang magiging kapalit ng pagtataksil na ito ni Gordon? Kitang kita ko ang mukha ni Gordon matapos ang hearing. Halatang pilit niyang ginagawan ng rason kung bakit kailangang sampahan ng kaso sina Joey.

Pagkatapos ng hearing, agad naman akong nagpunta sa Club Filipino. Alas-kuwatro pa lang, alam na ng ilan kung ano ang idedeklara ni Mar. Pero, half-believing pa ako.

Pero, nang ideklara na ni Mar ang kanyang pagsuporta kay Noynoy, naawa ako sa kanya. Hindi ko maintindihan bakit naman ke aga-aga niyang bumigay samantalang hindi pa naman talaga siguradong may puwersa o lakas nga si Noynoy para bakahin ang mga higanteng sina Erap at Villar.

Ramdam ko ang sakripisyo ni Mar at tiyak kong nabaliktad din ang kanyang mundo. Naalala ko, naroroon pa ako sa kanyang piging sa Balai noong isang taon at lahat ay suportado ang kanyang kandidatura. Naroroon pa nga si Noynoy. Naka ututang dila ko pa siya habang nagyoyosi ako. Hindi ko akalaing siya pala ang papalit kay Mar bilang standard bearer ng partido.

Sana hindi pa muna bumigay si Mar....Sana naghintay pa siya ng kaunting panahon.

Wala na rin si Ka Erdy Manalo, siyang ilaw at tagapagtaguyod ng nasimulan ng kanyang ama dito sa Pilipinas. Masaya ako at kasama na niya ang AMA, inaalagaan siya at tiyak ko sa araw ng paghuhukom, makakamtan niya ang korona ng tagumpay. Na sa kabila ng kanyang pagpapagal bilang tagapagpalaganap ng tunay na aral mula sa Dios AMA, mayroong ligayang naghihintay sa kanya.

Paalam ka Erdy. At naniniwala akong malapit na nga ang paghuhukom, nasasa trankahan na ng ating mga pintuan. Sabi nga ng mga Aztecs, sasapit ang huling araw sa sandaling bumaliktad na ang mundo.

Kahapon, nagsimula na yun.

Why Filipinos hate being called heroes

Ask any Pinoy kid about what the term "hero" means, and he says that heroes are those with superhuman powers. Heroes are supermen, batmen and invisible men, they'll probably say. Diego, the popular cartoon loved by babies (like mine), is not a hero. He's cartoon.

So, what's a hero?

For Filipinos, heroes are those who went out of their comfort zones to fight for the rights of others. Andres Bonifacio was a hero. Instead of continuing his job as a clerk, he went out and organized the Katipunan and went on to lead the only revolution in our history. Aguinaldo was a hero. He was part of the privileged class but when he saw how the Kastilas tortured and killed his fellow Cavitenos, he got his horse and rode towards the revolutionary morning. Rizal was a hero. Instead of having the finest life as a mestizo, he went out and wrote those damning books that caused him his life.

IN our generation, is there really a dearth of heroes?

I think one of the things why Filipinos hate to be called heroes--heroes always die in the end, at least the true ones. Those who just poised as a hero die of old age, while those who genuinely love the country, die at a very young age. As Filipinos say, " ang bayani, atapang a tao, a patay na pagsapit ng beinte singko."

And we all remember what Mariah Carey sang in the 1980's, " and then the hero comes along, with the strength to carry on..." That's another trait why Pinoys hate being called heroes---you need to wait for sometime before you finally become one. Look at Jose Maria Sison. He's been waiting for 40 years already. Or, look at Antonio Trillianes. He's been languishing in his cell since 2004, not wanting to at least plan his escape. He's just there, waiting, waiting for what?

You'll remember how adherents of "I AM NINOY" movement are saying---that everyone has a hero trait in each of us. But, how can that be, when nobody's protesting against widespread injustice and graft. No one is even loudly protesting the wanton disregard for the general welfare of this administration or the callousness exhibited by private companies particularly in gas and food prices.

Heroes, they say, are acts done by ordinary citizens. That taxi driver or maid who reported lost items are heroes. That security guard who died while protecting that bank from robbers, was a hero. That OFW who served as maid for a sick foreigner is a hero, at least when she sends her salary over here, anyway.

How can we even think of being heroes, when we all consciously live in a consciously corrupt and dirty society? How can we be heroes when all of us violate traffic rules or has the urge to urinate or spit whenever we like it? Or, how can we be heroes when we pay our way to the top or grease the palms of passport officials just to get that passport a day early?

While those who stood up for the truth, are now being portrayed as villains. Like this ZTE-NBN deal--the one who refused a bribe has now been charged with graft. And probably, the one who blew the whistle stands to suffer the ignominy of incarceration.

In our age, heroes are jailed, humiliated and cursed. They are a vanishing breed. So, who wants to be called a hero?

ZTE-NBN deal and the Art of the WhiteWash

Tuesday will go down in history as the greatest monumental square-off between former family friends, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and ZTE-NBN whistleblower Joey de Venecia III. And should this square-off happens, there's only one conclusion---the possible incarceration of the whistleblower instead of the master bender.

Senator Richard Gordon has sent word that he invited the First gentleman and the DOTC officials led by Secretary Leandro Mendoza to attend this Tuesday's Senate Blue ribbon committee hearing. Gordon believes that before he even releases his findings, there should be another hearing to "clear some cobwebs" so to speak, about the real story behind the "greatest graft scandal" ever to hit this country in so many years.For me, the square off is clearly not necessary for one obvious reason---there are hours and hours worth of testimonies in past ZTE-NBN hearings and those are more than enough to fill a 100 page report. But, no. Senator Gordon wants to hammer out the message of the Office of the Ombusman--that the First Family is not involved in this anomalous deal.

And with a favorable ally sitting as chair of the Blue Ribbon, the First Gentleman does not need to find succor at St. Luke's. No. He'll probably brave it out. But, will he be able to gaze at Joey de Venecia's direction without even flinching his eyes?

Joey welcomes the chance to face the First Gentleman, confident that he committed no crime. In a statement, Joey said that Gordon committed a grave infraction when he inadvertently announced his initial opinion, saying that the Ombusman should have included the De Venecias in the charge sheet. If Gordon thinks that the De Venecias are guilty, then, why another hearing? Is'nt strange that the Senate blue ribbon needs another day to what? To hammer out a favorable public impression and clean the tarnished name of his amigo, the First Gentleman and his amiga, Gloria Arroyo?

Obviously, Gordon wants to do a Pontius Pilate before he runs for re-election because he knows that his handling of this case would haunt him during election time. He already whitewashed the Joc-Joc Bolante case and because of proper PR handling, there was no public outrage that came out shortly when he released the recommendations. That Joc-Joc Bolante case was a "test case" so to speak, and provided pro-administration senators like Gordon a template to manage sensitive issues like this ZTE-NBN deal.

And that is a problem for whistleblowers Joey de Venecia and Jun Lozada---this administration has now perfected the art of the whitewash. If they mishandle the public relations aspect of this case, they're in for a shock of their lives because they'll be pictured as villains and false heroes instead of Patriots. Gordon and the rest of the First Gentleman's team are exploiting the lingering thought in the public sphere that this deal is about "onsehan" and these whistleblowers were motivated not by love of country but by the very thought of losing a great deal of money.

This thought has permeated even in the inner circles of power and those dinky coffee shops in hotels and places in the Metropolis. A year has passed and the public is now ready to accept new facts about this case. If Joey de Venecia and Jun Lozada mishandle this, they'll surely come out of this as pseudo-patriots and liars. And the public hates liars.

Joey is confident that he did nothing wrong and the public believes him. There are more than enough evidence to pin the First Family in this ZTE-NBN deal, more than, say the circumstantial evidence that the Office of the Ombusman has against Benjamin Abalos and Romulo Neri. The fact that photos caught the First Couple playing golf and eating oysters with ZTE officials and those text messages Gloria sent to Neri, ordering him to just accept the money and approve the deal are more than enough to include them in the graft charge sheet.

Yet, Gordon hopes that if he plays his cards right, he'll be able to convince the public that these pieces of evidence amount to nothing, show nothing and mean nothing. Of course, Gordon embarked on a charm offensive with his tearful outbursts in those kidnapping episodes and those guestings as presidentiable. Yet, behind those charming charades lie a dastardly plan to hide his role as the palace's self-appointed Mr. Clean. Beneath those cheesy smiles and pink-colored cheeks hides an insidious mind ready to follow the wishes and caprices of his principals.
And for what? To get that anointment from Mrs. Arroyo and be part of that 10 billion election campaign kitty? To snatch that nomination from Vice President Noli de Castro or at the least, that vice presidential post from Ronnie Puno?

Or maybe, just maybe, add some more funds for a re-election bid? Or, again chair the revival of Subic as a US military facility?

Whatever it is, expect History to again be on the side of the devil enfant. :-)

Neri should come out of her shell (or what Danton says, Lumadlad ka na!)

Romulo Neri is in a quandary and he (or she?) needs to act fast. Of course, we all know that Malacanang's plan to suspend him is just part of public relations to ease or manage public outrage against the non-inclusion of the First couple in the charge sheet at the Office of the Ombusman for graft.

Yet, for Neri, that is a humiliation indeed. Imagine, your entire career is now damaged. Neri is an academic, and one damned good idealist and to be charged with graft is, for me, simply, unacceptable. Of course, Neri has been serving like Gloria's dog since the start and he's probably not an idealist anymore but a pragmatist (at best).

Anyway, if I were Neri, I'll not keep quiet about it and go out of my shell and expose what I know about the deal. I'll not go quietly in the night for this.

To hell if Malacanang threatens to expose what they know about your private life. Damn if they expose in public that you're gay. So what Mr. Neri? We, the public don't care. The point is, even if they do it, you'll have the entire nation protecting you, right? We're more powerful than your amiga, Mr. Neri.

Gender preferences has nothing to do with what you are. It's better to come out right now and expose what you know instead of waiting for that time when forces of Good already overtook these events and jail you for your crimes against the nation.

Think, Neri, Think. And do it fast before it's tooooo late. The Patriotic Forces are poised to take over the nation sooner than you think.

ZTE-NBN deal--not a mom and pop ops, says Gordon

So based on the observations of Senator Richard Gordon, the ZTE-NBN deal is not a mom and pop operation. It's a father and son caper. That's how Gordon sees it.

Gordon sees nothing wrong with the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo with his wife, Mrs. Gloria Macapagal strolling down the fairways of Shenzhen golf and country club as "nothing wrong". Gordon sees nothing wrong with the First Gentleman threatening Joey de Venecia III with the now infamous words, " back-off!" as a sign that he's interested with the deal. And obviously, Gordon sees nothing wrong with Mrs. Arroyo's meeting with former NEDA chief Romulo Neri and telling him to "just accept the money and approve the deal."

I'm beginning to think that the reason why Gordon wants to be chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee is he wants to ingratiate himself with the First Family. Is he serving as the First Couple's hatchet man or he's just being himself?

I remember a few years ago when the Americans were still running Clark and Subic. When cases of abuses were filed against American servicemen, Gordon saw nothing wrong with the accused safely inside the bases facility and waited for days before the cases were dismissed. Gordon saw nothing wrong with protecting the Americans rather than those comfort girls in those Zambales honky tonks. And of course, Gordon found nothing wrong weeply unabashedly in public while his fellow Americans left our shores.

Gordon also saw nothing wrong with Americans spraying dirty water to Gordon's fellow Filipinos protesting in Subic. Gordon even saw those protestors as "monkeys", just like what those WASPs think of us.

So, I'm not really surprised that Gordon wants to crucify the whistleblowers than the masterminds.

Or Gordon is doing it because Joey de Venecia stands to get his seat in the senatorial elections? Or, probably, that was the concession Gordon got because America and his friends, Mrs. Arroyo already agreed to revive the Clark and Subic bases and Gordon wants nothing sort of getting his old post back?

Or, Gordon really saw nothing wrong with his logic.

Jinggoy tops senatorial bets

In the latest Pulse Asia survey, Senator Jinggoy Estrada got 50.2 placing him first preference of the people followed by Liberal Party president Mar Roxas. Pia Cayetano placed third while Senator Bong Revilla Jr. is fourth and Senator Franklin Drilon in fifth place with 48.3%.

If you look at the PulseAsia survey, you'll find very familiar names in the top 12 slots: Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (2-6), Sen. Jamby Madrigal (7-11), Sen. Ralph Recto (7-11), Sen. Jojo Binay (7-11), and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel's son, Koko (7-13) and Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile (10-14). The only "new" name there is Sen. Edu Manzano (7-14).

BY the way, Edu is not a neophyte in the political world having served as Makati Vice Mayor for one term. He lost when he ran in the mayoral post, the exclusive turf of the Binays (of course).

One surprising name, Atty. Alex Lacson, figured prominently in the list, placing between 19 to 24 places, even better than veteran politicos Ruffy Biazon (19-24), Robert Ace Barbers (25-29), Mike Defensor and even Jun Lozada.

Who's Alex Lacson? Well, he's a nice guy who happened to be my room mate for many years at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He's a practising lawyer and never hold a government office. He's a principled guy and I would love to see him at the Senate soon.

Danny Lim is at the 30th to 44th place, a tad higher than Roilo Golez (31-49). But of course, these would change as the polls near.

Interestingly, however, these names are either scions of political dynasties or those occupying former sensitive posts in the government, who, one way or another, was involved in serious allegations of graft and corruption.

Joey de Venecia and Arroyo Attack Dogs

Joey de Venecia III, the ZTE investor who cried " corruption" against certain government officials is reportedly being prevented from doing business in the Philippines.

In a talk some weeks ago, De Venecia III said that he can't open a regular bank account. No bank wants to talk with him. Why, I asked him. " Even I can't seem to figure it out.", says the name sake of former Speaker of the House Jose de Venecia II.

No one in the Philippine business community wants to transact business or even touch Joey. Why? Is there no one left in the Philippines that wants clean governance?

Why is government punishing those who want a clean government? Is it because they just told the truth and they want change to really happen in this country?

Are businessmen fearful of the wrath of the First Couple? Or they're part of the problem and they're also in the corruption game that they just can't stray away from?

Some companies are doing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaigns, palliatives to many, but, why is there no effort at all to launch something that would re-structure the entire system?

JLO, another ZTE whistleblower, is now languishing in jail for some perjury charge heaped against him by Arroyo confidente Mike Defensor. After just one year, attack dogs of this administration have been unleashed to punish those who nearly toppled this regime.

This is what I'm saying all along---you can't do something half-baked. I mean, if you launch a revolt, you must do everything that is necessary to succeed. For if you fail, expect the full force of government to pounce on you and do counter-measures against you.

As one Batangueno General whom I met a couple of days ago, " patay kung patay!"

It's like those exorcism rituals some Catholic priests do for those with demons in their bodies. Those rituals even include some physical acts to excise the bad spirit from the body.

Joey and those who want change to really happen, must come together again and map out plans to really see that the New Morning, which everyone aspires for, really happens in our lifetime.