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| Go, Comelec, Go By Antonio C. Abaya February 11, 2004 At least the Comelec � embarrassed by the Supreme Court decision effectively shutting down the automated counting machines that were going to be used in the May 10 elections, and uncomfortable at having to make a decision on the citizenship of FPJ � is off to a roaring start in its apparently serious intent to remove illegal-sized and illegally affixed posters, billboards and streamers of all candidates, including President Arroyo. On the first day of the official presidential campaign period, Comelec teams � one led by Comelec Chair Ben Abalos himself � struck at dawn and arrested more than 200 persons affixing campaign billboards and posters on Metro Manila urban spaces that are specifically verboten to them. Instead of filing vandalism charges against them in court, Abalos will require them to do community service, such as removing the illegal-sized and illegally affixed propaganda material that they themselves and others like them have posted. The punishment fits the crime. Bravo, Abalos. For his part, MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando � who wisely pulled out of the vice-presidential race when not enough voters saluted his flag - has publicly urged voters not to vote for candidates who let their campaign workers put posters in prohibited areas. Very good idea. I am taking up BF on this and am announcing here that I will not even consider voting for Dick Gordon and Ernie Maceda unless and until their campaign workers remove their illegally affixed posters outside my immediate neighborhood in Paranaque City. If other voters were to make similar announcements in letters to editors and in text messages to TV and radio talk shows, we may build up a critical mass strong enough to be heard and heeded by all candidates for all offices, not just in this but in future elections as well. Credit must also be given to Comelec chief legal Ferdinand Rafanan whose stern and unforgiving visage has emphasized his unequivocal warning on many TV programs, that the Comelec intends to enforce the law against illegal-sized and illegally affixed campaign material, even on the administration�s own candidates. Go, Comelec, Go. But can Comelec maintain the momentum until May 10, and can Comelec�s campaign reach every barangay in the country? Or will this campaign fizzle out after the first few days, like the proverbial ningas kogon that seems to be forever lodged unconsciously in the Filipino psyche? We shall see. In the meantime, to help maintain this pressure on all candidates all to the way to E-Day, without straining its own financial and manpower resources, the Comelec should study the proposal in my article �Provisional Government� (Jan. 28) that it should deputize the candidates themselves and their staffs to remove the illegal-size and illegally affixed campaign material of their rivals. Use the enlightened self-interest of everyone to cancel out each other�s violations, at no expense to the Comelec in money and manpower. Of course, as I warned, at the start there would be fistfights, knife-fights and gunfights at places where campaign material are being removed. But this can be minimized if PNP personnel, who are Comelec deputies in every election, were present during all removal operations. And MMDA�s BF is right: it is time-consuming to scrape a poster off a wall or fence. So why scrape it off right away? Why not use garden sprayers instead (which cost about P400 each) to block out the offending politician�s face and name with blasts of black dye, and scrape off the blocked-out posters later, after the elections, when everyone has more time in his hands? Scraping off one poster can take ten minutes or more. Blocking it off with black dye would take only 15 seconds or less. How about it, Comelec? My other proposal in �Provisional Government� addressed the need to level the playing field in radio and TV exposure for all candidates. This would decrease the cost of running for office (and thus the need to recoup those expenses through corruption), and at the same time give deserving but under-funded candidates an equal chance with their better-known and better-funded rivals, to state their case before their publics. It would also give voters a chance to compare rival candidates in real time on TV and radio � everyday, if they so wished - a chance which they would not have by just attending occasional rallies, which are often nothing but meaningless showbiz extravaganzas masquerading as political education. My proposal would give the Comelec control of the three government-owned networks (Ch 4, Ch 9 and Ch 13 and their regional TV and radio satellites) during the three-month campaign period, for the FREE and exclusive use by the competing candidates and parties to espouse their programs, under a formal structure and schedule that is fair to all participants. Apparently in response to this proposal, President Arroyo issued an invitation to opposition and administration candidates two days ago to use the government�s media apparatus, presumably for free, to state their cases before the electorate. But without a formal turnover of the facilities to the Comelec, without a specific Comelec unit to manage and oversee these facilities for three months, without a structure to maximize coverage, and without an explicit and equitable scheduling to accommodate all participants, this idea is not going to work, and the President�s invitation would be a hollow one. ***** The bulk of this article appears in the February 21, 2004 issue of the Philippines Free Press magazine. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Go, Comelec, Go� Bravo to Miss Cathy Ledesma on the Clean Walls, Clean Polls advocacy! Although we have yet to wait what measures are being done for the "clean polls" part....... Well at least, its a start, at last someone's listening. And when Mr. Antonio c. Abaya writes about it, you can be sure of the added impact! I hope more columnists will write vigilantly about the clean walls, clean polls advocacy. In civilizeddeveloped countries politicians can not just post their faces anywhere and everywhere because there are alloted places for such election posters which are taken out immediately after the election. Politicians should stop polluting the environment with their posters during election time, spending taxpayer's money to advertise their virtues, kuno! Filipinos are already tired looking at their faces. And while we are at it .. for every project being done in their tenures, politicians should not even put their names on such projects because it is taxpayer's money they are spending. Instead the poster's should read..."this is made possible because you have paid your taxes" or something like that and never with their names plastered all over the project site in big billboards. Please also write about this Mr. Abaya. And still while we are at it, those disgusting billboards and posters of those immoral actresses along the EDSA Highway had better be taken out too. They are the worse pollutants on the human mind. Accidents often happen along that stretch because of those smiling immoral faces of such actresses. Furthermore, our country is just about the dirtiest most polluted city in the whole of Asia now. What is a real shame is that with all the cleaning, greening and garbage management efforts of Narda Camacho, piles and piles of garbage continue to mount that whole environment. Stiil further, those politicians / government officials who ply that route along Sta. Mesa everyday to go to their comfortable offices in Malacanang and City Hall had also do something about those people under that bridge who survive on smelling that rugby stuff. It's about time something is done about those drug addicts there who also pollute that Sta. Mesa stretch. What are those city mayors and council leaders doing about those rugby smelling people under that bridge? Gising mga kababayan! It is time to clean up! Offie Mananquil Bakker, [email protected] Singapore February 20, 2004 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww To: [email protected] (copy furnished) Hi Everybody, Regarding Filipinos in the Philippines, I would highly recommend logging into "www.tapatt.org and click on Tony Abaya's column. All his writings were archived chronologically and also indexed alphabetically. My favorite was his commentary on "Filipinos as Superbeings" published on November 19, 2002. All other articles are excellent pieces of commentaries. I must say that Tony Abaya is one of the greatest if not the greatest and the most honest Filipino writer today. I assure you you'll love and enjoy him. Frank Jimenez, [email protected] February 19, 2004 MY REPLY. Thank you for the plug, Frankie. Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Revolution(?)in the Philippines Dear Tony Abaya, As a 37-year resident and citizen of the U.S., I have trouble following the intellectual debates in the old R.P. And so, though I am very impressed by your knowledge and passion and robust style, I fail to understand the meaning of a "social and cultural revolution" in the Philippines. Is this short-hand for making the Catholic Church less obtrusive in the conduct of the Filipinos' daily lives, that is, should there be a wholesale encouragement of family-planning and acceptance of divorce to free the women who are enslaved by their husbands in their own homes? Is this a call for the elimination of the lagay-system and all the ills that confront an aspiring small businessman? For the benefit of your readers in the U.S. and other countries, please spell out your concept of social and cultural revolution in the Philippines. Perhaps you will devote a future column to this one subject? And please explain how the President of the Philippines, GMA, can lead a revolution while still President. Isn't a revolutionary President an oxymoron? Cesar Lumba, [email protected] February19, 2004 Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Would you be interested and open to linking with another website? < http://www.iskandalo.com>? The website (owner)/administrator is a personal associate and kindred spirit. I invite you to visit this website and consider linking <tapatt.org> with it. I have recently collaborated the inclusion of "selected" Op-Eds/Columns by Juan L. Mercado and Jose "Boy" Montelibano. We encourage journalists with "clean platforms" to hook up and link up with <http://www.iskandalo.com >, as < iskandalo.com> adopts an "open (posting) forum policy" that gives equal opportunity and equal space to multi-sectoral viewpoints. I have personally been particularly impressed with the fact that your political viewpoints have been straightforward, simple, succinct and consistent...and although, I do not necessarily agree on all issues with you, I must categorically stipulate, your writings contain consistently all the basic and necessary (as indispensable) ingredients of a truly informative opinion column. Therefore, I would like to invite you to visit this website and consider linking Tapatt.org with iskandalo.com. Diana Josephine Limjuco and her cyberspace work has won many awards and enjoys a minimum of some one million (1M) hits annually. . In addition, let me invite you to visit also Dee's TV brain child in Northern California - now a real on-going affair <A HREF="http://www.mctv15.org/ >http://www.mctv15.org/</A> " This is a GROUND UP, heads up, brain thrust by Dee....concept, funding, turnkey, operations, the whole nine yards....the whole project was conceived, planned, funded and executed by Dee. Long before she told me that her goal in life is to "give back something to humanity", she had been doing that here in the USA, and very successfully...yet very quietly....It's about time we know, we have a Pilipina we can all be proud of .... Pepeton P.S. Should you agree to have <iskandalo.com> post your articles, it would serve mutual interests best if you allow a direct link up with your <tapatt.org> . Pepeton J�anton, [email protected] February 19, 2004 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) Dear Lou, As I have suggested to Chay, try to log in to "www.tapatt.org and click in to: Tony Abaya's Column. There you will find the best commentaries on contemporary Philippine politics, economy and society. Writers like Tony Abaya do not emerge very often in our kind of society. For a delicious sampler, try reading the column entitled "Filipinos as Superbeings." (November 19, 2002) Frank Jimenez, [email protected] February 19, 2004 MY REPLY. Thank you, Frankie, for your second endorsement in 24 hours. Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) To: [email protected] Hi Guys, I'm not sure if my memo reached everybody but in it I recommended members to log in to www.tapatt.org and click in to Tony Abaya's columns with commentaries on contemporary Philippine politics, economics and society. He is a very gifted writer and a very keen observer of what's really going on in the Philippines.As a sampler, start reading Tony's commentary entitled "Filipinos as Superbeings" dated November 19,2002. Besides his excellent articles, make sure you scroll down to the Reactions and Replies Section which by itself is a very interesting and exciting sideshow. There you will find especially entertaining, reactions from the intellectually and grammatically-challenged clowns. I enjoy them tremendously more than I enjoy Whoopi Goldberg's repartees on George Bush. Happy surfing. Frank Jimenez, [email protected] February 19, 2004 MY REPLY. Thank you, Frankie, for your third endorsement in 24 hours. My many detractors will no doubt think I am making all this up, but thanks, just the same. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I had the pleasure of reading your thoughts on the need for our country to be saved. I can sense a lot of determination and very happy to know that. Your website was suggested by my schoolmates from La Salle. I am a 1971 graduate from De La Salle College. I live and work in New Jersey since 1980. I composed an open letter to our kababayan which I say with confidence comes from the very bottom of my heart. It comes in three parts. Please read Part 1, I hope and pray we achieve our common objective. Part 2 and Part 3 are coming soon. Ado Poblete, [email protected] February 19, 2004 MY REPLY. Your �open letter to our kababayan� is too long and in the wrong language. The preferred language of communication of the Philippine middle class, including those who access this website, is English. Those who read and write only in Pilipino do not view this website and most probably do not own any computers at all. So a long dissertation in Pilipino in this website would go unread. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The problem with election laws in particular and of many, many laws governing society is that they are unenforceable, questionable and puerile. 1. The provision for campaign period is IDIOTIC. Let them campaign for as long as they wish till their money runs out and people's interest in them wane. 2.Size of streamers, billboards etc. Ditto. 3.Election expenses. It is idiotic in so far as there is no effective monitor. Let me just say that all these laws are inspired by a sacristanic culture whereby when a priest mumbles them they become truths. There is also the asinine belief that these laws equalize the position of the poor and the rich. the contrary is the truth and would have been seen as such when the idiotic proponent made it. There are also other idiotic laws like criminalizing marijuana. PRAY what is the difference between cigarette sale and marijuana. The former is BIR RACKET WHILE THE LATTER IS A POLICE RACKET. Our society, instead of being enlightened by human knowledge has retrogressed from mediocrity to imbecility. Ross Tipon, [email protected] February 19, 2004 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Through the pilipinasforum egroup) Credit must be given where it is due, and this article from Herr Abaya sings a more positive note about the upcoming elections. I like the very encouraging tone towards the MMDA chair and the Comelec. I think also that the "leveling of the playing field" by allowing both admin and opposition candidates have free use of government-owned media resoruces for purposes of letting the people know more about the agenda and platforms of each side is an idea par excellence. This will trluy allow the less-endowed but good candidates more "airtime" than they can honestly afford. Bravo, Sir. And thank you for giving this democratic exercise a positive tone, for a change. en hoc signo, vinces! Rodolfo Azanza, [email protected] February 19, 2004 MY REPLY. You mean, In hoc signo, vincis. Thank you for the acknowledgement. But my proposal for leveling the playing field in radio and TV exposure was first contained in the article �Provisional Government�, taking up about 20% of the space therein, but was ignored by you and the other Immortals. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Tony! Thank you for your very insightful and valuable articles. I continue to admire greatly the wisdom of your suggestions. I hope they are implemented. Incidentally, I resigned from government a year ago. I am now doing full time work for small farmers and fisher folk. Best regards, and I hope you keep up your crusade. Our nation needs that. Ernie Ordonez, [email protected] Former Usec, Dept. of Trade and Industry February 22, 2004 MY REPLY. Mabuhay ka, Ernie, for your work with the fisher folk. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya: I follow your columns. I am with you 98% of the time which is more than fair. One thing that I wish you would push through: a live TV one-on-one debate, un-scripted, (not in a collective format of a free for all panel of presidential contenders) and without the usual coterie of so-called advisers kibitzing behind the candidates. Nag, nag, nag on this, Mr. Abaya. You have the clout. Regards, Jane-Welba Gutierrez, [email protected] 846 Balayong St., Bgy. Pahinga 1, Candelaria 4323, Quezon. February 22, 2004 MY REPLY. Candidate Raul Roco has been pushing for such a debate on live TV, and there does not seem to be any problem with most of the other candidates: President Arroyo, Panfilo Lacson, and Brother Eddie. The problem is with FPJ. He just does not want to debate on anything, probably because he does not feel confident that he can match wits with the others. How to force him into a debate from which he cannot possibly back out without losing face (and masa votes) should be one of the defining moments of this campaign. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr Abaya, Thank you for sharing with me those earth shaking scenarios that would crumble the immovable object. It would be an understatement to say that those scenarios are not unlikely. In fact I would bet on it. Our culture deserves.it. Somehow, sometime in the history of a nation those earth shaking scenario must happen in order to restructure society. All nations we now look up to had it in their history. So be it. Whoever wins the forthcoming election will have it coming one way or another. Josefina Matanguihan, [email protected] February 22, 2004 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |