One of the greatest gifts maybe of democracy to citizens aside from having the right burn down effigies, throw eggplants and clash with policemen on riotous rallies is the priceless right to vote.  Suffrage alone can tell of its long reflective history for struggle for recognition.  People can and have the “power” to choose their leaders that will reflect their needs, aspirations, hope and dreams and respond to these vigorously, justly, wisely and morally.

Unfortunately, this profound right of each and every citizen to choose their leaders through the power of the ballot is a double-edged sword.  Since democracy almost always works on the premise on the voice of the majority (also the very core of the dynamics of elections) voting for public officials to steer our nation to a path of progress is always a big gamble.  Voting for public officials does not always guarantee that we have chosen the right choice, more so our perceived individual right choices will turn out to be the winners of the polls.

Like the Lady Justice with eyes covered (except our Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez who scans first with eyes wide open who are the accused) to be always impartial, the effects of choosing a bad leader is also very impersonal.  When at the end of the counting, despite of all the efforts of educated people to guide voters to choose the right candidates for public offices, and the winners turned out to be the same old traditional politicians who makes a living fattening their bellies, betting on Vegas, dining on Le Cirque and abandoning their legislative duties; everyone ends up on that same boat without any life jackets, unsteadily rocking in the middle of a very troubled ocean.  When we gamble and end up unfortunately with gamblers, womanizers, corrupt and selfish public servants so full of their capriciousness because it is what the majority says, we all suffer the consequences:  woman, man, straight, homosexuals, old, children, registered voters and those who cannot yet vote, unemployed, laborers, everyone.  We all end up at the mercy of all these people.

I am not saying that we change the system nor it will always be the case, what I am trying to say is that it is always a gamble with no exact promise of deliverance from enslavement to live a good life to our collective Promise Land.

And so, election too is not only about a democratic process protected by the constitution, but more so is a personal struggle of voters to take a “leap of faith”.  As in choosing leaders for our government, at the end of it, it is not all about platform, accomplishments, capacity to govern, political will, competence, advertisement, celebrity endorsements and all political gimmicks.  It will be all about “trust”.  Who do we “trust” most among all these aspirants who can deliver the goods for us?

“Trust” is such a crazy complicated word, more so a very crazy complicated act to give to persons who haven’t even encountered or know personally, except maybe to some “emo” teens that gets romantically entangled just through texts messages.  But the May 2010 election will not only prove that democracy still lives in the heart of this nation through our ballots but more so will test if “most of us” have already risen to a higher consciousness of active participation of our public responsibility; and if our will to take a “leap of faith” this time around will not make us see ourselves falling on dirt…once more.

Any indications that a politician can be trusted?  To whom do you give your “trust” this May 2010 elections?

Scrape TV

I must admit here, that up to now no one among the presidentiables has yet captured my heart (or more precisely my vote). I do already have though some standard or perceived qualities of a presidentiable that I am looking for, to guide me on whom to eventually vote.

So with the use Facebook (which I have been loving lately, no, not because of Farmville), I made a quick online interview of known bloggers and friends one late night.  Good thing, these people are nocturnal creatures on FB.

I thought that their views could at least give us the idea and hear some sentiments of bloggers regarding our aspiring presidential candidates more than the usual exchange of RTs on Twitter and commenting on each other’s tweets; and the upcoming national elections.

I asked them this question:  What are those qualities of a presidentiable that would make you vote for him?

Carlos Celdran carlosceldran.com

Vision, strength and independence from sycophants and sipsips.  Someone good with the military and thinks on his own.  Too many advisers scare me.  I want one man one plan but then its already obvious I’m rooting for Teodoro.

Kevin Ray Chua kevinraychua.com

I’m looking for honesty, integrity and reform-minded [presidentiable].

Tyrone Solee themillionaireacts.com

Actually, I read about a blog post before about Miriam Defensor’s credentials and I really salute her. Talagang bow ako sa kanya but sa palagay ko we need a leader who is unselfish; a true leader serves.

Tonyo Cruz tonyocruz.com

I want our country to have a great president who has a track record, a practical program and commitment to lead our people.  We have too many great problems. A good president may not be enough. We have too many great problems. A good president may not be enough. Honestly, wala pa akong mapili. Out of my choices na sina Teodoro, Estrada.

Join in the little online survey.  How about you folks, what are the qualities that you are looking for a presidential candidate that will make you write his name on your ballot come May 2010 national polls?

Image from Marikenya

Campaigns to have another shot at government posts are heating up…and getting more creative, sometimes to the extent of becoming so tasteless and stupid.

See that ticket from a bus line flying on the roads of Cavite to Manila with Biazon for 2010! I don’t exactly know if this current Senator Biazon or his son Rep. Biazon being campaigned on this ticket. (kindly click the ticket photo to see the enlarged version with Biazon 2010 written on it)

Worse is this said to be pantyliner reported on TV Patrol from its Boto Mo Ipatrol Mo segment, bearing a face of mana named Soy Oruga Mercado who is most probably going to run for a public office. I don’t exactly know too if this is a pantyliner (the TV anchor said its a pantyliner for Christ’s sake!) or a wet wipes, could also be sandwich too (LOL) but it will be unfortunate for the place it is intended to land on with a shameless politician sponsoring its sanitation.

See?  Wahahaha!  I don’t know if I want to freak out, cut off my head or just simply relish the moment having a good dose of laughter.

Let us not be surprised then if we will also soon receive underwear and toilet paper with politicians’ faces begging us to vote for them come May 2010 polls.  That is what we get when politicians do not have billions for massive TV ads, pantyliners and bus tickets with their faces.  LOL

Hey guys, any thoughts about these very creative election campaigns?  Any more creative ways you can suggest for our politicians to do their campaigning maybe aside from pantyliners with their faces on it (LOL!)?

Write your comments please…each commenter will receive these election freebies from Mr. Biazon and Mr. Mercado, LOL!

Images from Boto Mo, Ipatrol Mo

A few days away unplugged from the rest of the online world is already a long blogging vacation for me, highlighted by a long weekend giving me more time than usual to procrastinate and end up becoming a lazy dog on the couch feeding on MSG-coated chips and lots of sugary carbonated drinks enough to burn a hole on my stomach.

Bloated and dizzy, I was still connected with all the news that has been happening around the town for the past days courtesy of man’s greatest invention:  the television.

Here are some of my observations:

• Erap Estrada is fuming at rival presidentiable Manny Villar.  No it is not because Villar proposed another extension of the famed C-5 road right at the heart of Erap’s San Juan home or on his mistresses’ mansions.  He is crying out that Villar is a political copycat; copied his political strategies like launching a presidential bid at the heart of Tondo.  What the action star is most pissed off though is Villar’s copying of his campaign color of “orange.”  Manny Villar has so far not yet given his statement on the copyright issue but Erap is hell bent on bringing the fight to the Supreme Court of Color Wheel.

• Action stars, bold stars, basketball players, TV hosts, broadcast journalists, actors and actress are back on the campaign spotlight to take a shot (for others, once again.  Again?!) at different government positions on May 2010. Everyone is set to having more than enough seasonal rations of entertainment and funfare during campaign trails of these politicians:  dancing, singing, poetry reading, dribbling and shooting skills, autograph signing and I don’t know if there will be some semi-nude pole dancing too, but who knows; desperate measures are needed by desperate candidates.

• Political groups are obviously courting Efren Penaflorida, that simpleton who won this year’s CNN Hero of the Year Award.  Any presidentiable who can convince Efren to raise his hand will somewhat rise up like Moses carrying with him the revered stone tablets.  But I trust Efren will not shame himself and all his long years of silent efforts for the youth by meddling into the dirty world of politics.  And his work and educational ministry?  A strong affirmation of the failure of the government to provide its youth of their right to “quality” education for instead giving students overpriced noodles, overpriced and erroneous textbooks and overcrowded classrooms.  While GMA promised to donate more “karitons” to support the work of Efren.  More “karitons” than improving the system and quality of education.  Don’t get astounded when you will see thousands of “karitons” soon grabbing lanes in EDSA.

• Andal Ampatuan, primary suspect of the Maquindanao massacre is afraid of sleeping inside his quarter said the NBI spokesman.  Afraid of what?  Well, the spokesman shared that their visitor is afraid of ghosts.  Have I heard that right?  A man who engineered the killing of 57 people is afraid of ghosts?!  Or those ghosts that he is afraid of are the very same ghosts of the innocent people he brutally murdered on broad daylight? Ampatuan’s lawyer however is quick to belie those statements saying that his client is a very brave man who fears nothing except the dreaded roaches; and if only his client has his AK 47 on his hand, he could have sent to hell all those roaches and had a good night sleep on his new-found home.

• Sec. Cerge Remonde went up confidently to the protesters on Mendiola waving his hand on stage saying he is contestant #13 and was vying at all cost for the special award, Mr. Friendship.  He spoke up a few words on stage while his audience readily covered themselves with umbrellas from the spewing of human volcanic residue from Mt. Vesuvius. But the protesters were easily reminded by their anger on the Maguindanao massacre and the government’s obvious protection of its allies that they went berserk; showing that they were not at all so friendly to the palace emissary and threw at him stuffs easily available at the venue:   ostrich eggs, moth balls, Marikina shoes, overpriced lamp posts, exotic animals, rotten underwear, fertilizer from Joc-Joc Bolante, mouthwash and canned sardines.  Trying to show he deserves the award, he went away still all smiles and waving his hand affectionately, after which he dialed his mobile phone and called the Davao Death Squad.

• GMA’s running for congress is being hit by so many sectors as a full proof manifestation of how she is so drunk and addicted with power; aside from sex maybe.  Her executive secretary bared the real score of it all:  Charter Change.  The sound of cha-cha is now once again humming up in the air, and up this early, her allies are already scouting for the best dance instructors in town (with the StreetBoyz, Maneuvers, Mel Feliciano and G-Force saying that they are already fully-booked by the legislators who want to learn the steps perfectly)  to train them on strutting their fat lazy asses on the dance floor of Congress.

If not for that rare God-given talent of being so lazy over the weekend and gluing myself up to the television, until I am already feeling a tingling sensation like an alarm clock ringing inside my skull and my very own television begging me to stop the grave molestation, I would have not observed these important news and events and got back on my senses.

But I guess writing this post about my observations with MSG scattering all over the uneasy letters and numbers on my computer keyboard gives me my total redemption from living a life of a 21^st century sloth.

How about you guys, any particular news or events all through out the week that has caught your attention?

Image from Team Grizzly

image from farm1 @ flickr

Don’t worry, my title post is actually right. “Don’t vote on 2010…”, but if i may continue, all those f**king congressmen who railroaded the amendment of the constitution by filing a bill to convene a constitutional assembly without recognizing the Senate as a separate voting entity, while everyone was still fixed on their computers watching Katrina and Hayden’s sex scandals.

Now I am angry!

So guys, while others would be rallying tomorrow converging at Makati City to protest in one loud voice the blatant act of our congressmen of not recognizing the voice of those people, maybe let us all also do our part too… I personally make an appeal to all friends and strangers.

Mark the faces of all the traitors and come 2010, never ever put these con-ass holes on your list of officials to be voted for the next couple of years. Now, this no more a civic duty of putting away friends from getting addicted to making sex scandals as I appealed to all of you on my list of influential bloggers, but this is one divine duty that would make its mark today and on many generations to come.

Here is the list of all the Judases on the congress who voted for the convening of the constituent assembly while we were all asleep. Memorize their faces, and maybe, one of them is your beloved congressman.

For sure, some of them will jump off ship in the coming days because of the strong clamor of the public of throwing all these weeds to the burning pit of hell. But guys, let me also remind you…when they jump off ship and become somewhat like an angel; withdrawing their names and sponsorship of the Con-Ass bill, appearing on interviews crusading against the same bill that has fattened their pocket; and becoming maybe an opposition or a silent dissedent; let me remind you: DON’T TRUST THEM! They are still wolves under their as white as snow sheep skin. If they had betrayed us once (impeachment complaints against GMA, where they received bribes from the palace on paper bags) and twice (by passing the bill calling for the Con-Ass while we were all busy watching the sex scandal), they can betray us many more times in our lifetime. Let us all kick their hairy ass come May 2010!

Remember: DON’T VOTE FOR THEM, come May 2010 elections. Tell all your family members, relatives, friends. Let us make them see you the real boss is!

An Appeal to Everyone, No To Con-Ass! Silence No More!

On to you now guys. So on the list of the congressmen who voted for the Con-Ass just by the mere shouting of Aye and Nay, is your own included on the list? What is your take on the issue of the lower congress passing a bill calling for a Constituent Assembly not recognizing the Senate as a separate chamber? What are we to do to all these congressmen, would you still vote for them come May 2010 elections? Be heard!

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