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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Idiot Candidates
By Antonio C. Abaya Written Feb. 04, 2007 For the Standard Today, February 06 issue Whoever invented that phrase � I first read it about two weeks ago on the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer - deserves to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Eminently Correct Political Incorrectness. Idiot Candidate � a candidate who aspires for an elective political office purely on the basis of his/her popularity with the squealing masa, with absolutely no experience in public service or in managing anything other than his fighting cock, if that at all, and with absolutely no idea on what he or she intends to do if and when that office is won. The most recent example of an Idiot Candidate is the boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. At first, he was going to run for vice-mayor of the City of Manila , in tandem with the dynastic son of the incumbent Lito Atienza. When, for some reason or other, that did not pan out, he said he was going to run for mayor of his hometown, General Santos City . But, oooops, he had already registered as a resident of Manila . And if he were now to change his registered residence to GenSan, he would not meet the required one-year residence in that city to be a Comelec-registered candidate for mayor of that place.. Ooooops. His own mother, who, more than anyone else, knows the limitations of her son and was adamantly against his going into politics, vowed publicly that if he were to run for any public office in GenSan, she would personally move out of Mindanao. The flap with his mother has apparently been ironed out, but it is not clear what he is going to run for in May. My unsolicited advice is: run away from here and concentrate on your boxing in Las Vegas or wherever. I suspect it his handlers, more than Pacquiao himself, who are pushing for his entry into politics. His handlers are probably salivating over the prospects of controlling key rent-seeking positions in a city administration that can make them as rich as Manny, if not more so, even if he were to lose all his succeeding matches in the boxing ring. His handlers must be counting their chicks before they are even hatched: annual mayor�s permits, quarterly business licenses, garbage collection fees, fire inspection fees, market vendor�s fees, parking fees, tow-away fees, construction fees, demolition fees. The possibilities of becoming fabulously wealthy while controlling City Hall are endless. Ask the residents of Makati City . One of Pacquiao�s major handlers was interviewed by Pia Hontiveros on ANC last month and was asked repeatedly what it was that Pacquiao, as boxing champion, could bring to a city administration. But the idiot could not give an intelligent, coherent answer, other than that Pacquiao was very popular and wanted to help the poor people, presumably by giving away cash as he has reportedly been doing. When asked, the idiot could not name one specific social or economic program that his Idiot Candidate would initiate or pursue once he was in City Hall. But why should we be surprised? In the run-up to the 2004 presidential elections, Fernando Poe Jr. or FPJ � may he rest in peace � campaigned for the presidency without ever revealing - probably because he also had no idea himself - what it was he was going to do if and when he became president�..and he almost won. FPJ studiously avoided being interviewed and asked hard questions on the issues of the day, almost certainly because he did not know what to say. No talk, no mistakes. Less talk, less mistakes. When he consented to speak before a gathering of foreign diplomats, the media was pointedly excluded. So the public never knew what his ideas were, if any, on the topics which the diplomats no doubt raised or wanted to raise: investments, official development aid, foreign debt, the Spratly Islands and China, the war in Iraq, the peace talks with the MILF and the MNLF, the Abu Sayyaf, the communist insurgency, free trade and globalization, etc. His speech was no doubt ghost-written, but what about the question-and-answer forum? Was there one at all - or did he have to rush out conveniently to �another appointment� - and how did he respond if there was one? Well, diplomats would not be diplomats if they did not know how to keep their mouths shut and shield a possible president from embarrassment Just as there are no masters where there are no slaves, so also are there no idiot candidates where there are no idiot voters. This is as good a time as any to consider how we can eliminate, or at least discourage, both from inflicting their presence in our elections. Nandy Pacheco�s Kapatiran Party would require all candidates for all offices to have college degrees, and was roundly criticized for it on the grounds that it is elitist. I would rather that all candidates for all public offices be required to pass qualifying exams, whether or not they have college degrees. We require lawyers, doctors, architects, engineers, pilots, mechanics, electricians, nurses, surgeons, accountants, bus and jeepney drivers, private motorists, priests, school teachers, academicians, chemists, pharmacists, geologists, military and naval officers, air traffic controllers, realtors, insurance agents, psychiatrists, sports referees, physical therapists, maritime officers, etc to take and pass qualifying exams before they are allowed to practice or operate.. Why can�t we do the same for those who have the temerity to want to manage our barangays, our towns and cities, our provinces and our country, or to represent us in the lower or the upper houses of Congress? The idea that public office is open and free to all who want to aspire for it � after meeting age, literacy and residence requirements � is an anachronistic concept that is no longer appropriate for the complexities of modern life. It is a dumbing down of the democratic ideal to allow stupid and ignorant people to run for public office, just because they are popular with the squealing masa. Certain skills, certain background knowledge, certain aptitudes are now or should now be demanded of all candidates, and the most democratic way to enforce that is to require all candidates to pass qualifying exams, whether or not they have college degrees. The exams can be designed by the Development Academy of the Philippines or the College of Public Administration in UP or some such institution, and should be geared to different levels of public offices: barangay or municipal level, provincial level, national level. And it should test the applicants� familiarity with and knowledge of Philippine history, political science, public administration, pertinent local codes and national laws, and � for national offices � international relations and world history. By this means can we screen out the stupid and the ignorant from our politics � no matter how popular they may be with the squealing masa - and save us from the embarrassment of having Idiot Officials in our government. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles since 2001 in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Idiot Candidates� Funny, if it were not tragic. Regards Fabio Scarpello, [email protected], Bali, Indonesia, Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Well, I do read some of your articles, but this one, IDIOT CANDIDATES, they are the candidates that this IDIOT NATION deserves to vote for. The FILIPINO voters do vote for idiots ALL THE TIME. WHO DOESN'T? That's why, they don't know what kind of candidates are running for public office! God bless you in your work. Elsa Bayani, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I agree 100% with the idea of qualifying exams. It would at least eliminate the idiot candidates, but sadly would not screen out future Marcoses nor future Macapagal-Arroyos. Glicerio Sicat, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww "there are no idiot candidates where there are no idiot voters" Alleluia! quoted from the most erudite of Filipino columnists -testimony of the most educated country in Asia- Tony Joaquin, [email protected], Daly City CA, Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Well-written !! Who will admit he or she is an Idiot Candidate? Marilu Soriano, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 MY REPLY. Precisely. The qualifying exam would determine, for all to see, who is an idiot and who is not. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony From Wikipedia-- "'Idiot' was originally used in ancient Greek city-states to refer to people who were overly concerned with their own self-interest and ignored the needs of the community. Declining to take part in public life, such as (semi-)democratic government of the polis (city state), such as the Athenian democracy, was considered dishonorable. 'Idiots' were seen as having bad judgment in public and political matters." Domingo Arong, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Does the mayoral candidacy of now senator Lito Lapid fall under the subject? A Lapid victory in Makati has the same odds as a snowball's chance in hell. His hesitancy to run for a senate seat was well-covered, preferring the comfort of a mayor's office instead. But now, the same powers that shoved Senator Lapid down our throats are at work to shove him down the throats of the Makati residents. I think this will be an exercise in expensive futility. But, maybe Garci is available to help. Jojo Vicencio, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Nice article....And you are correct in saying that the Idiot Candidate (MP) has no place in Government....Could it be because of too many hits in the head in his fights that loosened some of his screws ? Another "Idiot" is an "actor" who did not get his endorsement from the opposition and decided to switch to the administration. And the "Idiot" who has no political experience whatsoever still thinks he can win and "serve" the people? IDIOT talaga!!! It is so clear that their (idiots) intentions is definitely not to "serve the people of the Philippines " but "to serve the people that they owe so much" in getting the elective post and themselves. Can't name any politico after Magsaysay or today who can say that they have served the people. Just look at the Makati Mayor who was just a mere professor in St Scholastica College and driving a run-downed Beetle until he got into politics....and see where he is now in terms of wealth.....This is what is being said by his previous students. What with the condo units he now owns from Makati Building Developers due to Makati CT Hall policy of "No Free Unit - No Mayor's Permit". These "so-called allegations", all haka-haka in Makati , are very strong until today, but why is it not dying at this time?..... The graft charges in City Hall acquisitions..... But the Administration candidate is another "Idiot" who did nothing in the Senate and has Graft Charges when he was Governor.....(DIKES!) uppps sorry....(YIPES!) There really must be a strict law that prohibits "Idiots" from running for Government positions, or anybody who have court cases (Civil/Criminal) and still not resolved in its finality. No wonder our beautiful country is going to the dogs and is the laughing stock of the world!!!! Until such time that we as a people can get our acts together and elect "reputable, educated and respected" candidates, there is no way we can lift our very bowed heads with pride and say that we are TRULY FILIPINOS. In fairness to FPJ.....(may he rest in peace)......the majority of Filipinos know in their heart that he won the election, lest you forget the GARCI tapes....the I AM SORRY reply..... the PRO-ADMNISTRATION CONGRESSMEN killing the inquiry (GARCI / IMPEACHMENT) in a hurry..... He may not know a thing in governance but it still looks like he really won the election, because if he didn't, why so much hurry to kill the inquiries? Jose Genato, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww QUALIFYING EXAMS FOR CANDIDATES WHO WANT TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE, WILL BE ONE GIANT STEP TO PROGRESS OF PHILIPPINE DEMOCRACY AND OUR NATION, OUR LEADERS FROM THE INTELLIGENCIA WITH GOOD MORAL AND NATIONAL VALUES. ADD TO IT SAFEGUARDS OF MANDATORY IMPRISONMENT OF OFFICIALS CONVICTED OF GRAFT AND CORRUPTION- LIKE THE KOREANS DO, AND REWARD AND HONOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMING OFFICIALS LIKE A NOBEL PRIZE, TO FREE THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILIES FROM FUNDAMENTAL FINANCIAL NEEDS. AND WE WILL HAVE A PHILIPPINES THAT IS THE DREAM OF PEARL OF THE ORIENT SEAS . Rod Gabuya, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Idiot Candidates x Idiot Voters = Idiot Leaders Mr. Antonio Abaya avers (Manila Standard, February 6) that there are no idiot candidates where there are no idiot voters. Unfortunately, we have both. The product of idiots is idiot raised to the nth power. I came across in a national daily the word �idiot� when someone referred to an idiot Supreme Court presided over by an idiot Chief Justice. Because of our culture of utang na loob, only the democratic numbers of idiot voters are able to raise an idiotic leadership to the pedestal of power. That leadership and our false sense of democracy have dragged us down behind our neighbors. It is said that democratic power is not made by a few but given by the many. This is why up to now I advocate NO-EL until such time that we are able to educate our voters and reform the institution for credible election. To suspend elections is not to deprive the electorate the right of suffrage but to have time for reform in the proper exercise of the right to vote. But if we insist to have an election, then only those who pay taxes directly for the operation of government should be allowed to vote and be represented in government. Fortunato U. Abat, [email protected], Feb 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, You may have also read the phrase �Idiot Candidates� in one of the news article that I e-mailed to you (and 35 other people) on January 25th . In my usual way of reacting to a news article, I wrote my comments in the body of that particular news article and mentioned that �the Philippines is cursed with actors, comedians, and idiot politicians who do not understand the magnitude and complexities of the country�s enormous problems.� (As I stated in my article, I first saw the phrase �idiot candidate� on the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer about three weeks ago. ACA). The Philippine Constitution guarantees a citizen to run for an elective position. The law of the land, however, did not intend this to enable the incompetent, the inept and the morally unfit to use their mass popularity to access political privilege and power intended to serve the people. By some unexplainable phenomenon, many of these showbiz and sports personalities simply woke up one morning and thought to seek public office in which they are either unprepared for, morally unfit or both. When the likes of popular personalities aspire for public office, the electorate must question their capability to assume those positions. Not only is it the people�s right to question these candidates� fitness for the job, but it is the people�s responsibility to scrutinize these candidates. What has Richard Gomez done to assure us that he is qualified to author legislation? What is his educational background? Does he have the academic preparation or at the very least, some semblance of knowledge of what it means to be a legislator of the land? What previous responsibilities and positions has he held to offer us some way of measuring his capability and competence to be a senator? Don�t you think these candidates should publish their resumes for the public to read? After all, they want the people to vote for them. Similar issues confront Manny Pacquiao. Other than showing himself to be master of the ring, does Manny Pacquiao have any idea about running a big and economically vibrant city like General Santos? Does he even have any idea about city council legislation and public administration? These are complex tasks that a crisp right cross or sneaky left hook won�t accomplish. Maybe he should consider running as a barangay tanod first. What about their moral qualifications? It was only a few months ago when we read that Pacquiao was faced with legal issues for signing two conflicting contracts with top international boxing promoters. We are not surprised that he blamed his lawyer for that (Pacquiao probably did not comprehend the contracts he signed in the first place). But what if a similar situation arises when he is General Santos mayor? Can he go on blaming fall guys for what would constitute wanton disregard of basic fairness and obligations in contract transactions? Can he even ask or raise the right questions when making informed decisions for the city? I have no quarrel that Richard Gomez and Manny Pacquiao have good intentions, but they can do the public the greater good if they campaigned for more suitable and competent contenders who could be honest and capable public servants of the nation. And so, Tony, the Philippines is a cursed country. It is cursed because voters keep electing popular showbiz and sports personalities who don�t possess the moral fitness, educational background, and depth of experience for the office they are seeking -- the core competencies desired of an effective, visionary leader. Having these showbiz characters elected shows how desperate the Philippines have become in the political arena. And what have been the results? Just think for a moment and ask what momentous legislation have Titto Sotto, Lito Lapid, Bong Revilla, and Jinggoy Estrada and his father, Erap, initiated and contributed since they became senators? Since the entry of comedians and actors into the august halls of the Senate, that legislative chamber has been turned into soap opera, with senators being known for three major things: (1) privileged speeches, (2) expos�s, and (3) hostile Senate inquiries that do not aid in legislation. Let�s not forget that showbiz personalities can be just as deceiving, self-serving, corrupt as the trapos. Oh yes! We must not forget what kind of a president Joseph Estrada really was. For six years, FVR worked so hard to build the foundations enabling a modest economic recovery, only to be undone by Estrada. And let�s not forget, the people even caught Estrada dipping his fingers into the jueteng kitty. When will the Filipino voter ever learn? Misael �Sonny� Balayan, [email protected], Hawaii, Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Just this morning Korina and Ted were talking about just that and in fact interviewed Lito Lapid about his plan to run for Mayor in Makati . The concept itself is mind-blowing if only because LOCAL government officials are called so precisely because they assume a knowledge of the LOCAL context in which governance will occur. Aside from the fact that he isn�t a local, Makati , being a critical business district, has certain needs and requirements that are so clearly a billion years away from Lito Lapids precious Pampangga. It must be pure ignorance that drives him to imagine that he can run this city. To heap stupidity upon stupidity ( and stupid is as stupid says) Lito Lapid brings to his imagined credit, that as a local government official in Pampangga ni minsan hindi raw sya nakialam sa mga negosyante! Doesn�t that take the cake? He claims he is qualified to run the country�s business district because he never got involved with business in his own small town. AMAZING! Truly ignorance is bliss or at the very least a powerful hallucinogen that allows people to walk through life delusional. Binay. Lapid. Binay.Lapid.Binay. Lapid. God help us all. I need another drink. Make it a double hemlock. Jaime Garchitorena, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww If Manny Pacquaio pushes thru in the world of politics, then that is the beginning of his downfall as well as his career. He should think and evaluate carefully that may be he is just being used by other opportunist politicians (like Lito Atienza) for their political gimmicks and ambitions. Besides Manny has full and excessive wealth that can be used for a political campaign.. Puede ba naman na hindi siya magbigay ng malaking pera to share for their campaign, he should think and look at the lesson of Fernando Poe Jr. and Dindo Fernando that cost them their lives after loosing in their political ambitions. The late mayors of Makati and Muntinlupa, Nemesio Yabut and Menong Argana respectively, after the downfall of Marcos, it cost their lives too, because they knew that their political careers were over. Tony Dalagan, [email protected], Fairfax , Virginia , Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya: How are you? I want to thank you for continuing to send me your articles. I have learned so much from your articles. I personally like the issue on hydrogen. How I truly wish that Filipinos learn to vote the right candidate for the local positions. Kung baga sa Tagalog po ay "madala na po." Again, thank you and God bless. Ivy Almirol, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Actually your column should have been titled "The Idiot Nation". O ur people are tired of electing lawyers and accountants. Lawyer-types like Ed Angara screwed them up by shortchanging Fernando Poe Jr., the president they elected, by failing to protect his votes ...and accountant-types like Mar Roxas who framed up a pre-need company so that his patrons can take over. And then there is the proverbial fake president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has turned out to be a fake economist too by saying her administration created more than a million jobs by sending them abroad last year. That was right after she grabbed the credit of prepping up our GDP that is only afloat because millions of OFWs send money home. OK, ask the DAP and UP to craft those qualifications, and you will end up with Gloria, Kit Tatad and you, as the candidate-types. She wins by cheating, no one wants Kit and then, with all due respect, you may be popular but not winnable. But powers you all have, she from money politics, Tatad from his full page ads and you from your pulpit . (I am not a candidate for any office. ACA) The point you are missing here is that our people do not anymore know whom to turn to among your types. The people too are tired of the Ramos and Perez-types. They start well, then they learn to hide wealth, and finally they collaborate with powers so they can keep their shady deals secret. Tell me, Tony, what happened to Eddie that you helped create and Nani whom we all had high hopes for? What happened to public office is public trust? (You don�t know what you�re talking about. In the 1992 presidential elections, I supported the Mad Woman, not Steady Eddie. You have obviously mistaken me for the other Tony Abaya, the husband of Annabelle who was the spokeswoman of FVR. And I never had any high hopes for any Nani, whoever he or she may be. ACA) The betrayal of the people seems to be the only agenda of the "qualified" elite. So they look for champions among them. They turn to Pacquiao because he is a winner. (What happens when he starts losing? ACA) Every time he takes a punch, his viewers feel the ouch and when he wins they celebrate with him. This is why he is being pressured by the hoi polloi around him to run. Sure, take it on his handlers, but maybe, the idiot Pacquiao you characterized sincerely feels he can make a difference. (So did and does Gloria, and so do a thousand other politicians. I have never heard or read of any politician who felt he or she could not �make any difference.� ACA) So where do we turn for a messiah now? (So, tell me, where? ACA) When you said Fernando Poe "almost" won, I suspect in your heart you already accepted Gloria as your president. (One week before the May 10 elections, GMA led FPJ by a slim margin in both the SWS and Pulse Asia surveys. On May 10 itself, GMA maintained her slim lead in the exit poll of SWS, which is run by a first cousin of FPJ. My column of May 13 was titled �GMA by a Hair.� She won by about 200,000 to 300,000 votes. The cheating was in enlarging that slim lead to 1.2 million votes, with the help of Garci. ACA) Well, go to hell with her. (Well, YOU go to hell with her. Obviously you have not read any of my dozens of columns in the past five years critiquing her economic and social policies, her preposterous boasts that she will make the Philippines a First World country by 2020, and her evident ambitions to remain in power beyond 2010 as prime minister. ACA) She says a lot things, where is she right now? Where is she taking us? Can we bet our last peso on what she promises? She told us there will be food on every table, but last year, for the first time in my lifetime, economists were already talking beyond poverty levels and already onto the hunger index. She asked Melo to investigate but when recently Melo pointed his fingers at Palparan, she will now ask the Europeans to further investigate. Fernando Poe had a platform - he said he will restore trust and confidence in our government. (That was not a platform. That was a motherhood statement. Can�t you tell the difference? ACA) Why you failed to pick that up is sheer incompetence on your part as a journalist. and why that did not fly in the media is a shame to your profession. (Why you accepted that at face value, without any elaboration from him on how he was going to do it, can only be ascribed to sheer naivete on your part. ACA) He also won the elections but lost the count - have you also condoned that? or as the lawyer-types would say - dismissed that altogether because when he died, everything should have become moot and academic? You chose your types, Tony, and you chose Gloria since you identified with her "qualifications". Because of that you failed to consider that the only qualifications Fernando Poe was bringing to the number one position in the land - that which is the very thing lacking in our present leaders and what your so-called idiots out there are looking for - were integrity and a sincere desire to serve the people.(In 2004, the candidate who had the �integrity and a sincere desire to serve the people� � and had the brains as well to translate those motherhood sentiments into reality, was Raul Roco, but through no fault of mine, he fell by the wayside. ACA) That is what a lot more out there identifies with that makes them winnable.(?) You are forgetting that what we have is a representative-type of government. O ur elitist leaders of the past have made most of our countrymen idiots. So why look for those lofty ideals in our candidates? Among idiots, I will stake my chips in one winnable idiot who sincerely wants to change our country for the better. But I will not choose among your types because as history has proven with the republic they idiotized, they are a downer and they make us all losers. (Truly an Idiot Nation. You yourself suggested that phrase above. ACA) Next time, Tony, inhale and spare the idiots. Adolfo Paglinawan, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I wholeheartedly agree that there must be qualifying exams for anyone to be a candidate for public office. We must devise ways to get the best and the brightest of the citizenry to be the ones to run the country, as is the case in Singapore . Alas, but since we are the "chosen people"--chosen to be idiots and poor in perpetuity, then this will never happen... Jose Luis Yulo, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww My congratulations and praises for you. Keep on HITTING THEM, THESE IDIOTS. Probably they keep on running because of the popularity and the grease they can make once in office. Surprisingly the Intelligentsia who howl to the high heavens on any issue that bothers them has been very quiet on the issue of unqualified candidates. This silence has encouraged these idiots to trivialize our public offices. Please keep on shaming them to discourage these idiots from playing with our public offices. Competency in our public office is now a matter of NATIONAL SURVIVAL. Please keep on HITTING these idiots. Thank you for your initiative. Apolonio Anato, [email protected], Singapore, Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Antonio, What a good idea! Exams for candidates, Should have been imposed on George Dubya Bush! Regards, Doug Adam, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Ditto, Mr Abaya, for everything you said. Idiotic as they are, they have no shame to advertise how idiotic they are and that they are so obviously being used. Even the poorest who have little education are honest enough that this Pacquiao should stick to his boxing gloves. What will he bring?. His is just a typical "I-want-to-help-the-poor" cliche. One doesn�t need to advertise himself to help, if it is all in the heart. One doesn't even need to show their face if they have all the passion and bravado to do something that will alleviate the depressing matters that seem to have no end. It makes me sick to see him wagging bills like a typical cheap politician. As for the others, I rest my case. They are all coming from the same mold with molds and algae wrapping up their brains Regards, SS, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww They will get what they vote for, or the value of the votes they sell so easily. It's a development issue. Jose Caedo, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Your article is worthy to be printed on the headline of the newspaper :Manila Standard Today. Why? Simply because if all Filipinos would read it with open mind and with real love for our country, then, we would be able to choose officials who are worthy to lead us. And the exams, yes, your excellent suggestion for would-be candidates to take qualifying exams, in my opinion, should be pondered upon by the COMELEC. Your column in the Manla Standard Today is one of the few columns which I love reading . Thank you for the valuable ideas I garnered by reading your articles. So far your IDIOT CANDIDATES is the most serious article I have ever read so far. Vinover Villafrancia, [email protected], Feb. 06 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This is an excellent article. So what else is new? Most of the movie stars who have been elected do not have any political experience at all. I feel that the only people to blame are the masa who elected them because of popularity, instead of qualification and experience, or maybe they got paid to vote for them. How about the people in jail who have cases pending in court, like Honasan. Why are they allowed to run for any political position at all? Only in the Philippines do these things happen. Thank You, Mario Samoy, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, your article gave me a good laugh. For the wrong reason. Because you think that this idiot candidate thing is something new. As far as many Filipinos are concerned, this idiot candidate sickness has plagued the Philippines all these years, and that is the reason that we are in a mess. (I did not say it was something new. It is just becoming an epidemic. ACA) Every candidate for mayor, governor, congressman, or senator runs, not on the basis of a program of government, or personal qualifications, but because he wants to be somebody with power. And since getting to be someone powerful involves the expense of large sums of money, only those with money usually run, and Pacquiao has now the money, so he gets the idea. The ideal image of the Filipino is to be someone with power over others. A peacock with powers. Brain not necessary. When the Americans replaced the Spaniards as colonizers, the social structure then revolved around a small landed aristocracy with the great impoverished masses living in subsistence agriculture as tenants. In this landlord tenant relationship, the landlord had all the powers, and the tenant depended on him for his livelihood. So every tenant envied, and dreamed to be a landlord. The introduction of American democracy was supposed to make things more equal, but it did not happen. The "illustrados" co-opted the new democratic framework, and brought along their landlord attitudes when they became the new elected leaders of the Philippines . And the masses transferred their views as well: Government officials needed to be supplicated, or begged (or bribed) for favors to obtain services that public servants were duty bound to do. With such idiots in government, we find ourselves in a mess. We are only kept afloat by the remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers. What an irony, Tony. Filipino Overseas Workers left the Philippines in search of jobs to support their families, because the idiot government officials could not provide jobs for them in the Philippines . Now the same idiot government officials are mandating how these remittances are to be spent. (Some of these remittances were not accounted for when the Lebanon repatriation program was launched a few months ago, right?) And on top of it all, we have a President who seems to have cheated her way into office. Well, she seems to be educationally qualified. Hmm... Fred Montenegro, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I came across your recent article on Idiot Candidates as I was browsing the internet. I just wanted to say "touche!" I couldn't agree with you more. I hope you continue harping on this matter in as many for a as you can and I shall try to do myself and urge others similarly. May we have your permission to use your material? Best regards. Jimmy A. Cura, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww That suggestion for candidates to pass a qualifying exams is very noteworthy and should be a must in our political environment. But I am afraid it will never pass in Congress or in the Senate because those in the two chambers are afraid that if this is made into law, almost all of them will be disqualified to run for office. Di ba totoo yan! Carlos de Leon, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 MY REPLY. That is why we should be open to the possibility of a revolutionary government. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww gd am po. may magagawa po ba ang civil service sa mga aspiring candidates for any positions in the government to evaluate them, because. kami po mga ordinary gov't. employee pagkumuha kami ng professional civil service examinations eh napakahirap ang mga ibinibigay nilang exams at passing pa eh 80%, kami po graduate na kami ng 4 year course at gusto namin magtrabaho sa government hirap na hirap dahil kailangan pa namin maipasa ang civil service namin samantala sila pera ang gingamit nila para lang manalo sila. thank you po sana maliwanagan po. Orlando Davalos, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 SAGOT KO: Tama po kayo. Bakit ang mga government employees pareho ninyo, maski na nakatapos ng 4-year college course, kailangang pa rin kumuha at pumasa ng civil service exam, samantalang ang mga bobong idiot candidates na walang ka-muang-muang sa mga bagay ng gobyerno ay pinapayagang mag kandidato na hindi dumadaan ng qualifying exam???? wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Idiot/genius, with or without experience, anak ng masa or richy rich since birth....lahat sila magnanakaw, lahat sila ganid sa power, iisa ng hangarin magpayaman at dun sa mayaman na lalo pang magpayaman. Well syempre nung bagito with a tiny good intention pa, pero dahil sa kalarakaran, in months time, he's one of them na.. Ttsk..tsk..kung matino kang tao, hindi mo kakayanin ang politics..hindi mo masisikmura ang mundong gagalawan mo.Sa madaling sabi, kahit tanga alam ang tama at mali , kunsensya ang magsasabi sayo. Kaya ang kagalang galang na tao wala sa politika. You cannot choose a wise man over an idiot man to run the government, hindi yun ang sukatan kundi ang kalooban ng isang tao, at yun lang piliin mong makihalubilo sa mga taong pulitiko, more or less alam mo ng kung anong klase kang tao. Have a good day, po. Bong Repayo, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded) My comment on the last paragraph: embarrassment of having Idiot Officials in our government is one thing. Continuing degradation of the quality of life of the Filipinos as a result of corrupt and inept public officials is another. Keep on sending this literature from Antonio Abaya, brod Pepot. Arnold Labares, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You just hit the nail with a sledge hammer. I wish that you would furnish all our newspapers with copies of your article. Edmund Ledesma, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. A. Abaya: About your article Idiot Candidates, I found your comments and suggestions very pertinent and timely but which government agency should implement the selection process to qualify an aspiring public servant (supposedly) before he/she can file an application for the position he/she is aspiring for? Surely, those who will not be allowed because they presumably failed to hurdle the screening test would do everything to prove that the system is flawed because it is discriminatory. I am sure that they will even go to court to secure a temporary restraining order (TRO) just to prove that they have a right to run for an office because the process is prohibitive and is not democratic. And as sure as the sun rises in the morning they will get one because there so many ambulance chaser lawyers who will agree to represent them even if they know that their client is a certified idiot and judges abound who are gullible enough to grant the request. We are experiencing what we are going through with our political system primarily because our qualified voters are more profound idiots than the candidates. What we should do is to screen the electors so as not to allow everyone who reaches the age of 18 years to exercise their suffrage privilege if they can not read and write properly. Even now I am just wondering how the majority of voters can handle a computerized counting of votes when most could not fill up the ballots correctly. Many ballots would be rendered invalid because filling up the ballots is quite different from the usual writing of the preferred candidates name in blank spaces. I suggest that you also write an article about Idiot Voters. Thank you. Respectfully, Jose V. Gonzales, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww What about the movie stars? Would you like to write about them, too. I think Sen. Ponce Enrile has already said something unfavorable about them. Ad majorem dei gloriam. Roger Pena, [email protected], Montebello, California, Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: My sense is that the Philippines does not have a monopoly on idiot candidates. They must be all over our planet--everywhere and anywhere. They are here in the U.S. , where supposedly the literacy rate is relative high, where the middle classes comprise a significant proportion of the country's 300-million population, and which boasts of a Jeffersonian democracy long touted as a model for all mankind. It is very likely, however, that the Philippines can claim, rightfully, that it has now more of these idiot candidates in proportion to its close-to-90-million population than the U.S. of A. That is quite a distinction, I should say. There should be a Guinness Book world record for this category--and it is possible, nay probable, that the Philippines will win, hands down! Judging by how Filipino voters exercise their democratic right to vote, I am sure there will be more of these idiot candidates who will succeed in flaunting their ignorance, their idiocy, their stupidity, and their unadulterated gall in the now-unaugust halls of the Senate, the House of Representatives, as well as the so-called "deliberative" bodies of provincial, city and municipal governments. I will not say that the country "has gone to the dogs"--to use a trite cliche. I will only say that it has gone to the idiots. Mariano Patalinjug, [email protected], Yonkers , NY , Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Well said!! Bravo!! The best line is about "idiot voters" -- that is the telling knock-out combination that Pacqiao�s handlers are counting on!!!!! Alexander Po, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you so much for your article re Idiot Candidates.. People here in Calgary , Alberta specifically laugh at us because our Filipino Citizens are also Idiot Citizens (or morons) electing Idiot Candidates. Way to go , Tony, keep up the good work. Best regards, Agustin Bacalso, [email protected], Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww PLEASE WRITE MORE ON IDIOT VOTERS....THANKS. Gabby Ballawing, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww That is a novel idea that could be very effective, but you forgot about the last nursing examinations. You forgot about leakage. Victorts, [email protected], Feb 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, you hit it right. Not only Pacquio. Richard Gomez, too. (No name given) [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww What a splendid idea. Keep pushing for this. Wish you well, Rev. Bert Dellosa, [email protected], Australia , Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded) Did I miss the name of ERAP in Abaya's article? Guia Albelda, [email protected], Feb. 06, 2007 I noticed that too! No ERAP mentioned in the article. That�s surprising! Genny Ferrer, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Greetings! That was well said, and very aptly so. I'd say this was well done. Thank you for the insight/s. BTW, May I ask your permission to post the article in our Alburanon Community in the Web at www.alburbohol.net? Thank you very much. Vera Gesite, [email protected], Feb. 08, 2007 Owner, Moderator, Systems Quality Specialist www.alburbohol.net wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hey, idol Tony! You're the man! Nobel Prize it is! Ha!ha!ha!ha!ha! I LOVE THIS ARTICLE!!! Ha!ha!ha!ha!ha! I will say it again "I LOVE THIS ARTICLE!!!". This is one the best articles from a knowledgeable and concerned columnist of the Philippines . Keep firing the real issues so the idiot population can learn before election time. Idiot voters create havoc and they destroy the Philippines . It's time to change and elect the best and the brightest applicants!!! Philippines is in a survival mode so newsmen, newspapers, columnists, reporters, religious groups and intellectuals should do something!!! This "Popular-No brains Applicants" trend must end!!! Filipinos always criticize the government but they were/are the moronic voters to put "Chiwawa brains" at public offices. What do Filipinos expect, improve our standard of living just because they voted or will vote for superman, kapten Barbel or bida sa pelikula? Just because Manny Pacquiao is a Champ, doesn't mean he can run a local government. Idol Manny, stay in the ring and be happy of what you're very capable of. Hindi uubra ang mga kamao sa mga problema ng bayan. Sorry, idol Manny. Brains needed kase eh; not physical strength. Centuries ago people were ruled by the sword, spear, bow and arrow, leaders and kings must have physical strength to have the votes. but we don't have a time machine to shoot Manny back to that era. RE: �But why should we be surprised? In the run-up to the 2004 presidential elections, Fernando Poe Jr. or FPJ-may he rest in peace-campaigned for the presidency without ever revealing- probably because he also had no idea himself-what it was he was going to do if and when he became president. And he almost won.� {Can you imagine Philippines and its economy under the late FPJ as president? If he's alive and be our president, he and Bush will probably click because they have no idea what to do and rely heavily on advisers. and will talk about weed, booze, women, guns and jokes most of the time during state visits (joke only)}. Re: �So the public never knew what his ideas were, if any, on the topics which the diplomats no doubt raised or wanted to raise: investments, official development aid, foreign debt, the Spratly Islands and China, the war in Iraq, the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front, the Abu Sayyaf, the communist insurgency, free trade and globalization, etc.�. (Can't wait to hear what they will say during intellectual "question and answer" ambush interviews. Ha!ha!ha! Right now, they're probably memorizing their answers already. Hope intelligent reporters will give tricky questions based on their answers. Let's see if they can answer deeper questions. We need thinkers and problem-solvers; not popular, handsome and beautiful morons). Qualified exam is a great idea and must be implemented ASAP. We don't want our dying local and national societies be raped and ruled by popular morons. In this survival and trying times in the Philippines , Filipinos should and must choose leaders wisely or else Philippines (especially the poor sectors) will sink and be anchored forever in a deep sh*t!!!! Just like Sen. Mirriam Defensor-Santiago said "actors and actresses should go back to school, study laws and learn how to make them." Our political trend is very alarming. How can Philippines improve if we don't choose the right and smart leaders? Pork barrel is really enticing, yah know. Sad to say, people will accept money for a vote. Poor people and families are in the survival mode, so they swallow their pride just to eat food. I witnessed them first hand especially in the village/remote areas. In the cities, probably there's no "house to house" bribery but in the remote areas, they definitely exist. P70 to P2,000 per person. Can you imagine if you have 5 children who can vote, so P490 to P14,000 is a lot of money. "Mouths to feed" and hunger dominate honor, pride and shame. Also, people are scared due to the armed bodyguards of the politicians. Poor people become hostage to the monetary power and guns of politicians. This trend must be stopped. Time to change!!! The only way to stop this is to automate election process because it's quicker and cleaner. Media will play a great role on this sick and sorry trend!!! Media people and religious groups, if you love Philippines , expose this sick trend and recommend "qualifying exams" and "automate election process". It's time to change and move forward!!! Dying Philippines can't afford more failures!!! Thanks, idol! LF, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Can not agree with you more! May the exams also include Critical Questions to be answered in essay form as well - this portion can be rendered in Tagalog, or any dialect the potential candidate is most comfortable with. The intention is to be able to pick their minds on what concretely their plans are should they win the elections. Also, it is also recommended that the results of these exams be made publicly available after. Once everyone is aware of this, some candidates will probably think twice before filing for candidacy. Gracielu Koe, [email protected], Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, In the Philippines, name recognition gets a candidate in the ballot box and in the winning column in every election.. People in the entertainment business benefit much from this phenomenon. In Philippine politics, the brain is not relevant but the name is. These candidates do not bring fresh ideas nor do they promote efficiency in government. They have huge ambition but with very little vision. ERAP made it as President, Noli De Castro made it as Vice- President, Lito Lapid made it to the senate, Tito Sotto made it as senator, Vilma Santos made it as mayor, Ramon Revilla made it both in the bedroom and in senate floor; many more less eminent made it in many more ways that serve the people. Where else could this happen? Only in Pinas! Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, [email protected], New York City, Feb. 07, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I THINK, SIR, IT WILL TAKE DIVINE INTERVENTION TO PREVENT THE LIKES OF PACQUIAO FROM JOINING POLITICS...................THEY ARE WINNABLES, BUT, AS YOU PUT IT, IDIOTS! WHY CAN'T THEY DO A DOLPHY WHO IS HUMBLE ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT HIS LIMITATIONS ARE. IF PACQUIAO WINS IN GENSAN, AND I THINK HE MIGHT, THIS COUNTRY WILL REALLY NEED TO RETHINK ITS POSITION RE POPULAR SUFFRAGE, IF ONLY TO PREVENT THE LIKES OF PACQUIAO FROM WINNING AND BEING ELECTED. Ed Valenciano, [email protected], Feb. 08, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I agree 100% on your summation of what we should do to gain what they said public service. I would even serve without pay in our barangay that run for Congress with the knowledge that I am only good because I am a champion. Pacquiao may be a boxing champion but does that make him a champion of the people. Remember, he is getting paid to entertain. If ever he wanted to do the public a service, he should start by offering to pay the customs duties and tax on his Mercedes. Did he honestly pay? I got lost. How about his Porsche (Did I get the correct spelling?)? Were taxes paid on both? I heard he took the high school equivalency test. No worry, he will pass this as he has the blessing. He should take the test in front of the people and be graded right there and then for transparency. Once he takes the test and the graders checks his test somewhere else, then, doubts will linger. Is he ready to do that? He should since he is boxing in public. He should be intelligent enough to know that he got his riches from the people. Do you know that Datu Puti does not live up to its expectation? Dahil siguro sa ibinayad nila kay Pacquiao! Tumabang ang suka! Ha..ha. Tila nga dahil nagpaksiw ako na noong una 1/4 lang gamit ko, ngayon 1 bote na for the same quantity of fish (ayungin). He even intends on running for Congressman! Oh! Quo vadis Pinoy nga! Thanks. Now I can stop thinking about politics for a second. Renato F. Santos, [email protected], Feb. 08, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Your article was spot-on. Hope we have more people like you that are not scared to say what they think is good for everybody. Although I am now an immigrant, I still want the country where I came from to prosper. Keep up the good work and God Bless You!!!! Regards, Job Lucero, [email protected], Western Australia , Feb. 08, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Public office is a public trust. Some nincompoops aspire for elective positions because they perceive such as a prestigious title and/or a good source of income (graft and corruption). Some people do aspire for public office with good intent, but without background and qualification. However, most of our voters are even more insane, thinking that election is just a popularity contest. That shows how immature our people are for such democratic exercise. (But I am against parliamentary system.) What the Comelec should do is properly screen any aspiring candidate and have the media not name anyone who files his/her candidacy until such time that Comelec deems him/her fit for such position. If Comelec can declare some unknown characters who file their candidacy as nuisance, just because he/she does not have the political machinery, then they should do the same to persons who have no capacity for the office, even with a political party supporting his/her running. Felipe Rommel Martinez, [email protected], Feb. 08, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Very ideal and too good to be true. But who�ll pass the exam requirement? I�m sure it will never make it to Congress. My own opinion, I�ll file it my wishful thinking cap. Maria P. Almeda, [email protected], Feb. 08, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Touche! Allen Reyes, [email protected], Feb. 09, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You are requiring college graduate. Well who is at Malacanang now, a master of economics who can lie and cheat and disregard the rule of law and throw away the constitution. D. Silverio, [email protected], Feb. 09, 2007 MY REPLY. Please re-read my article: �I would rather that all candidates for public offices be required to pass qualifying exams, whether or not they have college degrees.� wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I respectfully commend you and fully support the views expressed in your article and it is this kind of articles that we should have more of. The problem of the Philippines has its roots in the manner our elected officials are put in place. Basically, we have an electorate that is largely uneducated and, therefore, are motivated by its instant but temporary economic relief in exchange for its votes. This basic truth translates into "idiot candidates" who have the popularity and money to deliver. The chain reaction is obvious and this includes corruption of our government officials and their appointees, the wholesale deterioration of morals in the government that in turn corrode the morals of the nation. I would appreciate it very much if you can also write about the "education" of our electorate. My own idea to help strengthen our electorate is the immediate initiation of on-site seminars conducted by either the Commission on Elections or whichever government agency can and should handle it, in the barrios and other remotest places of the Philippines to teach every voting Filipino on their responsibilities as a voting citizen and the impact of their wrong choice of candidates on their own lives and the nation as a whole. If this education effort succeeds it will eliminate gradually, if not immediately, the proliferation of these "idiot candidates". Yours respectfully, Teodorico S. Bontia, Jr., [email protected], Bergenfield, NJ, Feb 09, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Mr. Abaya, Well written! We, the measly people are like the pyramids of Egypt ... "upside down,".... the "base is up there with the point down here supporting the measly voters".... What a life here! No wonder many of us are moving out to look for that "greener pastures abroad", to say...When will this end? Sad to say some of us cannot avoid doing so for the sake of our children�s future in other countries. Here, it would be so bleak and void for them to find a better life. This kind of life here has to be modified from the top, not from the bottom. Leaders now both in government and the private sector must move and take action to correct that sickening malady of our way of life. Sadly again, almost all elective officials are just bent on clinging to their elective offices forever. Can we imagine, this is probably the only country where many family members are all in elective offices! Fathers, mothers, sons and daughters are senators, congressmen, governors, mayors...name it we got it! Political dynasty! Just because their late husbands were candidates or elective officials, now the wives are gearing to be in elective offices too, as if they are as good as their husbands, they too can go for it with flying colors! This is really stupidity in ourselves. Sad to say again what can we do if our measly " massa " are ignorant in making the correct choices, specially at election times. Popularity contests is the name of the game in our election periods. What a lowly people we are! Where is the loyalty to country that should begin in each of us? We are always cheating ourselves of the opportunities at hand. Crazy short-cut remedies to content one's self for a short period of time is preferred rather than to make a deep study of the solutions to our "troubling waters" at hand. We really need good candidates now for elective and appointive offices. Not later or never. We have defective human traits in ourselves; this is probably why we are always " a sick country" compared to others. Too much "pakikisama barkada" spoils the "whole barkada." When the constitution is touched anew for study and revision or changes in the near future, we have to act "in there, in that sacred document" to make the necessary changes. As you have proposed....Qualify all candidates before allowing them to run, from the highest offices to the lowest. Disqualify any other members in the same immediate family from running to any elective or appointive offices in the government for certain period or term. You are right. Each candidate must undergo a "qualifying exam" for basic subjects as you mentioned. Known womanizers, known drunkards, known gamblers, or any other with "known vices" must not be allowed to be candidates. Elitist? Right on! Rather than stupidities! Our present laws or rules are not anymore right. They are obsolete rules. We have persistently abused them for personal reasons and self interests rather than for the greater good of the greater majority of our people. It is never late to take good actions on this matter as long as we are all still around being a part of the whole. No one is an island but each is part of the whole. Each has a responsibility and duty to each other. Let us hope then. Move the boulders. Keep rolling the rock over to make an opening. Write and tell our present leaders about our good intentions. In America , the people write their leaders, email them, call them. Do we do that here? I guess not. We are not yet so sophisticated to do these things. Maybe we can ask our leaders to have "email addresses" so we can contact them and tell them if they are not doing good or well, for us to warn them, "Come next election, you are OUT! My friend, please keep on writing here in this "space in space" to make known to our good friends what to do, not just to know what we have to say. A 'movement' can be started to improve peacefully our lives in this god-forsaken country of ours. God bless you then always, Len Pasion, [email protected], Feb. 09, 07 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Kudos for this article. Will current congress pass a law that each candidate for public office take a test on Public Administration? This test should cover the Constitution, Philippine and World History, International Relations, Current Economic Policies, Proficiency in Filipino and English languages, etc. In this way, we eliminate the bozos. Unfortunately, our Congress have bozos who can't distinguish left from right. They devote more time to changing names of streeets, in-fighting for power, doling out political patronage and enriching themselves in office while entrenching themselves and their relatives. Hope Loi or Jinggoy Estrada can sponsor such a bill. Probably, COMELEC can unilaterally require that all candidates running for public office pass this Public Administration Test. We require plumbers to pass a test, what more for people who will run our country. This is our only hope for the country to elect intelligent and honest politicians? Ernie Aragon, [email protected], Feb. 10, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww No HOPE for the coming elections. Reasons why the coming May elections will be HOPEless: 1.) No political party, organization can match the enormous resources of the administration to buy off the voters. 2 Propensity of individual voters, businesses, and other organized groups to sell their votes for their particular interests. 3) The bias of the Abalos Comelec will remain with the Administration despite recent agreements for HOPE. 4) The military�s non-involvement other than to vote has been made flexible by the new defense/military leadership whose alleged fraudulent links to the past election remain uncleared. 5) GMA�s greatest advantage aside from enormous resources is that the opposition is not united structurally, resource-wise and agenda-wise. 6) Pre-election rallies, demonstrations will continue to be threatened and intimidated by 1017 and CPR. The May elections, if held, will just insure the survival of the present administration and perpetuate the traditionally decrepit, graft-ridden and corrupt political system we have been under the past years. What do we do? 1) Mabini: In order to build the proper edifice of our social regeneration, it is imperative that we should change boldly not only our institutions but also our manner of behaving and thinking. 2) Lincoln , affirming the right of Texans to self-determination, pointed to the sacred right of oppressed people to rise up and shake off the existing government and form a new one that suits them better. 3) According to findings by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, 50 out of 67 transitions from authoritarianism (read: dictatorship) in the past 35 years, it was not violent rebellion but non-violent civic resistance that was the pivotal power. Examples other than Edsa 1 and 2: Orange Revolution in Ukraine where hundreds of thousands of demonstrators remained a non-violent and peaceful force and not provocative of the soldiers in front of them; Georgia where Kmara university student group joined a disciplined nationwide reform movement with some external help won the national elections; Solidarity of Walesa in Poland despite the existing martial regime at that time. 4) Strategy for non-violent action: a. Unite. All forces opposing the administration should form a movement that is united in thought, in words, in deed. There must be a consensus in goals and methods. Without unity, we cannot claim to represent the aspirations of 85% of the people who want GMA out. b. Plan well. The vulnerabilities of GMA�s administration are well known. We must have capable people to probe and outpace the decision-making resiliency of the government. Raise funds and take hold and maintain communication facilities. Mobilization needs resources in funds and communication to instigate civil disobedience, strikes, boycotts, mass protests to discredit GMA�s legitimacy, weaken support for her, and interrupt her capacity to monopolize information and control events. c. Maintain non-violent discipline. It helps in co-opting those in the administration through defections from the military, police and the officialdom. We cannot win our cause unless we refrain from violent and provocative acts and acts that interfere in the rights of passage of people. The option for non-violent action is an irresistible alternative to violent struggle. It is no less glorious or revolutionary for the people to be the means of their own emancipation than it is for the armed forces to be that instrument. The right to rise up can change history, but blood is no longer the price. Reference: The Right to Rise Up: People Power and the Virtues of Civic Disruption by Peter Ackerman and Jack DuVall of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, Washington D.C. , USA . Fortunato U. Abat, Feb. 08, 2007 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |