My President, Our President

I wish I had written this.

My president is the president of the powerless and the leaderless.

My president is the voice of those who have no voice and those who are not heard.

My president dreams of things that have never been, and fights for things that must be.

Yes, you know my president.

My president is the biggest critic of the Administration, a tough investigator in Senate inquiries, a crusader in the impeachment of those who betray the public trust. He cannot hide his contempt for abuse of power, and he has no patience for dishonesty in service.

My president is the second poorest Senator in the land. He has chosen the inconvenience of honest service over convenience of easy lobby money.

My president is not the darling of movie stars and gossip hosts. But his is the voice that the public seeks when it needs understanding on the burning issues of the day.

My president is not of the billionaires, and the landed elite. But he is the president of workers, consumers, jeepney drivers, and the riding public who are powerless to stop oil price increases, and the farmers who toil to own the land they till.

My president vows to discard pork barrel funds – one of the biggest sources of corruption in the land, and he cannot be loyal to politicians who never want this privilege to end.

My president rejects the offers of other political parties. He cannot pretend respect for those whose reputations are tainted by money stolen from public coffers, or whose incompetence has wasted the lives of many of our people .

My president ignores the call of those who say it is time to quit. For if he cannot fight for change right now, then when? And if he will not lead the way, then who will?

My president, they say, is too young to be president. But is anyone too young to fight for a better world? Is anyone too young to challenge the powers that be?

My president repudiates the politics of old – the politics of entertainment, the politics of patronage, the politics that treats public service as commerce, the politics of same-as-before, and business-as-usual.

My president stands for new politics – the politics of principles, of conscience and morality, the politics of honest and competent service, the politics for the people, and the politics of genuine change.

My president has bravely declared his independence, but he is not alone. For the Filipino People are his party, and their interests, his ideology.

My president is the president of hope, the president of change, the president of new beginnings.

My president is

Chiz Escudero: Francis Guevarra Escudero.

Now, let us unite to make him, not only my president, rather our president, the president of the Filipino People!

Bakit Si Chiz?

E-mailed to our e-groups by a contemporary from UP. The topic of discussion? The 2010 presidential elections, Noynoy's candidacy, and Chiz Escudero's resignation from the NPC.

Tungkol naman sa kay Chiz Escudero, ni kailanman ay di ako nagduda na sya ay tatakbo. At kailanman ay di ako bumoto batay lamang sa kung sino ang palagay ko na mananalo o di mananalo. Ang boto ko ay laan lamang sa taong pinaniniwalaan ko, yaong bumubuhay ng aking pag-asa sa kapwa at sa bayan. Si Chiz Escudero yun.

Noong namatay si Cory, isa ako sa nagdalamhati. Lumaki akong humanga kay Ninoy at kahit na sandamakmak ang mga kamaliang nagawa ng administrasyong Aquino, ako'y humanga sa busilak nyang kalooban. At noong umurong si Mar Roxas sa laban bilang pangulo, batid ko agad na si Noynoy ang tatakbo. Ang sabi ko sa aking sarili at sa ilan mga kaibigan: "Chiz has my vote but my heart belongs to NoyNoy." Corny mang maituturing pero yaon ang aking pinaniwalaan noon.

Noon yun. Ngayon, ang ginawa ni Chiz na pag-iwan sa NPC, ang pagtalikod sa tradisyunal na partido pulitika, ang pagtakwil sa pork barrel system at work contractualization at iba pa, ay nagdala ng bagong pagninilay-nilay sa akin. Ang kanyang katapangan na iwanan ang NPC sa harap ng napipintong pinakamalaking laban ng kanyang buhay pulitiko ay binansagan ng iba na "youthful naivete" at "political suicide." Pero ito ang pumukaw sa aking damdamin at gumising sa aking idealismo. Sinong kandidato sa pagkapangulo ang iiwan ang partido at makinarya at sumuong sa laban na kulang sa armas? Sino ang kayang gawin ito sa panahon ngayon? Sino nga ba kungdi yaong may tapang at idealismo. Sino nga ba kungdi isang Chiz Escudero.

Ngayon ay kinukwestyon ko na kung bakit animnapung porsyento ng Pinoy ay para kay Noynoy. Sadyang sadlak lang ba ang Pinoy sa kahirapan at kawalan ng pag-asa na kahit wala silang alam sa pagkatao ni Noynoy ay sapat na para iboto syang presidente dahil lamang mga bayani at hinahangaan ang kanyang mga magulang? Ano nga ba ang alam natin kay Noynoy? Na anak sya ni Ninoy at Cory at kapatid sya ni Kris at bayaw ni James Yap? Na dati nyang kasintahan si Korina Sanchez-Roxas at Bernadette Sembrano? Na dati syang kongresista at ngayon ay senador? Ano pa nga ba? Na si Kris at hindi si Noynoy ang "female Ninoy" o "Cory's favorite child"?

Maaring tama ang idolo kong si Conrado de Quiros na hindi magnanakaw si Noynoy dahil di nya yuyurakan ang pangalang iniwan ng kanyang mga magulang. Maaring tama rin si De Quiros na di gahaman sa kapangyarihan si Noynoy dahil sya diumano ay "reluctant candidate." Maari. Pero sa ganang akin, ang katapatan at pagkamatuwid ay hindi lang sa dugong Aquino nananalaytay. Sa katunayan, wala noon sa kanyang kapatid na si Kris. At kung ako ang papipiliin sa isang pulitikong binasbasan ng tadhana at isang gagawa ng sariling nyang kapalaran, ay doon na ako sa huli. Tulad nga ng itinuran ni Robin Williams sa pelikulang "Dead Poets Society" na "carpe diem", pabor ako dun sa matapang at buo ang loob na iguhit ang sariling nyang kapalaran.

Minsan ay matatawa ka sa Pinoy. Pagkaharap nya ay trapo, maghahanap sya ng may idealismo. Ngayong andyan at sumisigaw ng idealismo si Chiz Escudero, pinagdududahan syang kulang lang daw sa pondo. Tulad ng sabi ko sa aking mga kaibigan ng araw na iniwan ni Chiz ang NPC: "ang mensahe ni Chiz ay yaon mismong sinabi nya; you dont have to read between the lines."

Binabatikos rin si Chiz dahil kung ayaw raw nyang ma-impluwensyahan ng partido ay bakit ngayon lang daw nya ginawa ang pagtalikod sa NPC gayong higit isang dekada na syang miyembro nito. Bakit, kung tama at para sa tama ang gagawin mo, kailangan pa ba nating tanungin kung bakit ngayon lang? Di ba ang mahalaga ay nagawa ang tama at may tapang na gawin ito sa harap ng pagbatikos? Mabuti nga at ginawa di ba? Di ba't mas dapat na batikusin ang mga kandidatong walang tapang at idealismo na gawin ang ginawa ni Chiz Escudero?

Sa mga kadahilanang aking nabanggit, kay Chiz Escudero po ang boto at puso ko.

August 21

It is said that heroism is serving others, even at the cost of one’s life.

Safely beyond the reach of a government that had unjustly prosecuted and jailed him, opposition leader Ninoy Aquino could have lived out the rest of his life in comfort with his beloved wife, President Cory, and his five children in the United States. Instead, Ninoy chose to return to the country of his birth––despite repeated warnings that he would forfeit his life if he did, and that his death would be in vain.

Rather than listen to the cynical and the disillusioned, he chose to believe in the Filipino people. Rather than turn his back on his country and its people, Ninoy chose to embrace his fate. At the cost of his life, Ninoy showed a whole country how to act in the face of oppression, how to stand up to injustice, and how to respond to the cries of a people yearning for change.

Ninoy’s faith in us was ultimately rewarded three years after his death by People Power––a bloodless revolution led by his widow. But beyond serving as the inspiration for the restoration of our democracy, Ninoy’s sacrifice imparts a valuable and lasting lesson: that the course of our country’s history can be changed by the choices one makes––by choosing hope over despair, action over indifference, and duty above self.

Today the face of oppression has changed, injustice is prevalent, and our people again cry for change. Faced with these challenges, let us all derive inspiration from the life and death of Ninoy and choose to act and fight for ourselves and our people.

Tuloy ang pakikibaka.

Pinoy Movies

Dahil sa Agosto natin ipinagdidiriwang ang Linggo ng Wika, naisip ko na marapat at dapat i-promote ang mag sineng Pinoy na napanood at na-enjoy.

1. Magnifico

Nakakaiyak. Sobra.

2. May Minamahal

Isa sa mga "langit ka at lupa lang ako" na kwentong pag-ibig. Si Aiko, maliban sa cute, marunong umarte.

3. Kung Ako Na Lang Sana

Ang matalik na kaibigan, pwede bang maging kasintahan? Isinasagot nina Shawie at Aga dito.

4. Pusong Mamon

Laugh trip. Matagal ko nang crush itong si Lorna Tolentino. Dito, di lang sya maganda––sya'y nakakatawa.

5. Tanging Yaman

Si Johnny Delgado... panalo! Kung lumaki ka sa Going Bananas, di mo maisip na mahusay umarte itong si Manong Johnny, pero dito, isa sya sa mga umaagaw eksena.

6. Dekada '70

Magandang libro, magandang sine.

7. Bagong Buwan

Kung wala kang alam sa problema sa Muslim Mindanao, panoorin mo 'to.

8. Kristina Moran... Babaeng Palaban

Isa sa pinakanakakatawang sine––sa wikang Ingles o Pilipino––na napanood ko. Si Rosanna Roces, di lang sexy––siya'y magaling magpatawa.

9. Crying Ladies

Patunay na di mo kailangan ng special effects para gumawa ng matinong palabas.

10. Imelda

Mahusay na dokyu. Dapat panoorin ng mga Pinoy na di pa pinanganak nung Martial Law.

The Million-Peso Dinner

From Manuel L. Quezon III's Twitter feed, a rundown of the officials who may have been with GMA during the dinner at Le Cirque in New York:

1. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita
2. House Speaker Prospero Nograles
3. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
4. Sec. Heherson Alvarez
5. DFA Sec. Alberto Romulo
6. DA Sec. Arthur Yap
7. DND Sec. Gilberto Teodoro
8. Sec. Cerge Remonde
9. Bayani & Marides Fernando
10. Bataan Gov. Tet Garcia
11. Danao City Mayor Nitoy Durano
12. Jacqueline Lingad Ricci (FILUSA)
13. Sen. Lito Lapid
14. Reps Rodante Marcoleta
15. Rep. Daryl Grace Abayon
16. Rep. Catalina Leonen Pizarro
17. Rep. Godofredo & Remedios Arquiza

The Manila Bulletin Sends A Subtle Message

Whoever wrote the caption must be thinking what millions of other Filipinos are thinking.

What Not To Wear In The Presence Of A Priest

Today, a priest came over to bless our office. I couldn't have chosen a worse shirt to wear.

Image from here.

2009 SONA: SANA Totoo (Full Version) • Sen. Chiz Escudero

The 2009 SONA-SANA video seeks to provide a candid evaluation of the Arroyo presidency, which has, for the past eight SONAs, failed to provide an accurate assessment of the state of our nation.

In the video, which will be made available to the public via the internet, opposition Sen. Francis Joseph "Chiz" G. Escudero reports on how the president has failed to meet the very standards she set when she took over the presidency in 2001. And how––despite holding her position for over eight years––the country continues to suffer, particularly in the areas of education, job generation, food security, and good governance.

Aside from giving a somber account of the state of the nation, Sen. Escudero also points out what should have been done to address the country's myriad problems, and looks forward as he presents alternatives so that the questionable policies of the present administration can be rectified.

Photos CAN Lie... Ha Ha Ha Ha

In the spirit of fair play, here is a vid that gives some context to that now-famous photo of President Obama admiring some Brazilian girl's tush.

I don't know what's funnier; the photo or the fact that a media outlet went out of its way to exonerate Barack. Ha ha ha ha.

No wonder the Republicans say that the mainstream media in the US is so pro-Obama.

Then again, can you blame them? :)

Only Human

Even the Most Powerful Man in the World has his weaknesses.

"Do you have a stretcher in size XXXL?"

An article in the New York Times reports that in response to the growing number of obese people in the US, emergency response teams are now stocking up on equipment to help them address emergencies involving the obese.

Last fall, the department bought three gurneys that can hold patients weighing up to 600 pounds, about twice the holding capacity of a regular stretcher.

“We had to do something,” Acting Chief Tim McGinley said. “It was one of those things where we would try to use the equipment we had and were afraid that you were going to end up hurting somebody, the patients themselves or the staff.”

The "upgrade" doesn't come cheap.

A bariatric ambulance that can transport patients weighing up to 1,000 pounds costs $110,000 to build, compared with $70,000 for a standard ambulance, said Doug Moore, a spokesman for American Medical Response, which operates 4,200 ambulances nationwide.

A bariatric cot costs around $4,000, four times the price of a regular cot.

I think it's time people think twice about eating fast food.

"You are a once-in-a-lifetime leader."

From the International Herald Tribune:

Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, backed Barack Obama for president Friday, moved to deliver his much-coveted endorsement by the senator's speech about race.

The New Mexico governor joined Obama at a spirited rally Friday and said the Illinois senator demonstrated his leadership abilities this week with his speech on race. "You are a once-in-a-lifetime leader," the governor said from the stage. "Above all, you will be a president who brings this nation together."

As Richardson said later in his endorsement speech, "si si pwede." Will the Democrats make history and get a man of color into the White House?

Yes, they can.

Stranger Than Fiction

Fucking brilliant.

Lolo Jun

My Lolo Jun (my paternal grandmother's brother) was––literally and figuratively––a towering figure. Six feet tall and with the bearing befit of a military man, he was an imposing figure in our family.

I do not remember my first memories of him, but what I do remember is that those of my generation were, for the most part, terrified of him when we were kids. He was, in our eyes, an intimidating presence. He was bigger than everyone else––including my father, who was almost as tall but was slimmer––and had a voice with a deep, low timbre that, to my young ears, boomed whenever he spoke. When he entered the room, the tendency was for me to gravitate towards the area farthest from him, as I was averse to carrying on a conversation with someone who, with a word, could reduce me to a whispering, unintelligible mess.

In those days, the quickest way to make every minor in our family behave during family gatherings was to threaten to report said acts of misbehavior to our Lolo, who could stop us (and most adults, I surmise) with a menacing glare. Thus were usually uncontrollable miscreants suddenly transformed into God's little adorable angels.

The passing of the years, however, somehow reduced the nervousness I (and those my age) felt in his presence. Despite his fearsome reputation, I never felt anything but hospitality at his family's home, at which I was a regular overnight visitor. Yes, the voice was still there, but it wasn't used to intimidate. Instead, it was used to invite me to eat the food on his table, to sleep in one of the beds under his roof, and (when I had reached Drinking Age) to grab a beer (or, to be more accurate, many beers) from his icebox.

It was around his icebox that we, the beer-guzzling members of the family, would be the recipients of profanity-laced words of wisdom on topics that ranged from the state of basketball in this country (terrible) to national politics (likewise). His arguments were impassioned, unambiguous, and always punctuated by (depending on his mood) a loud or disdainful "putang ina!" (The expression "a sailor's mouth" couldn't have been more appropriate for him; he was, after all, a captain in the Philippine Navy, and he swore all the time.)

In later years, he would become the de facto patriarch of the De Ocampo clan. His wife––our always very gracious Lola Aila––and he would invite our rather large and extended family to his home in Pasig on Christmas Day, and everyone would go home heavier. The adults from the delicious feast and the seemingly unlimited supply of beer; the children from their loot, either in the form of gifts or ampao in their requisite red envelopes.

It was also during this time that, because of my father's passing in 2003, that I would begin to regard Lolo Jun with a tinge of melancholy. Of my many male relatives, no one reminded me more of my dad than he. They were, as I said, almost the same height, and were pretty much the archetypes of the macho Bicolano Alpha Male: tough, foul-mouthed characters who could drink copious amounts of alcohol without feeling its effects. (It would be unfair, though, to compare my father to Lolo Jun in this regard, as the latter––without a doubt––could drink more than the former.) They were also both fiercely loyal La Sallites, and were always the first to needle the (rare) Ateneans in the family, or criticize the current Green Archers basketball team if they failed to win the UAAP championship. A part of me wished Lolo Jun were immortal, for to see him was to see how my father would have looked and sounded had he lived beyond fifty.

It was fitting, I suppose, that my final moments with him would be spent during the holidays, in what would be our last Christmas with him. It was a familiar scene; De Ocampos seated around a table with bottles of beer and pulutan; a very loud and lively Lolo Jun deploring the deteriorating morals of college basketball; a healthy dose of swearing coming from the oldest drinker in the table.

There were, however, subtle hints that time (and, as I learned later on, sickness) had caught up with Lolo Jun. He didn't drink more than anyone in the table. While still the tallest amongst us, he was no longer the mountain of a man I had known in my youth. He was––as I caught him observing us with the wistful eyes of a man who had seen everything––much like the oldest lion in a pride, lying in the savanna with the proud scars of a hunter that had earned the privilege of old age by fighting off the ravages of time by sheer stubbornness and force of will.

To his last days, my uncle told me, he would remain the hardy bugger we had known all our lives, steadfastly refusing to give the gods of pain the satisfaction of knowing that he had felt their icy touch.

I was not surprised.

In a world with few real warriors, my Lolo Jun was the Real Deal, a man who could talk the talk, and walk the walk. A man who valued and honored family and friendships. And rightfully so, friends and family would honor him in return.

----------------------------------------

Capt. Vicente Y. De Ocampo, Jr. passed away on February 12, 2008. But he lives on in the hearts of his family.

Why Obama Wins

Women go gaga over Obama. Somehow, I can't imagine Hillary having the same effect on men.

End of story.

Photo by Ozier Muhammad of the New York Times.

Life Imitates Art?

The victories of presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee in the US' Iowa caucus––both considered dark horses to win their respective parties' nominations––look eerily familiar.

In the sixth and seventh seasons of the popular US TV series The West Wing, the battle for the White House was fought between two fictional characters that bear a resemblance to the Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

In The West Wing, Matt Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) is a young, idealistic congressman from Texas who is considered a long shot to win the Democratic nomination for president when he enters the race. The fact that he belongs to a minority––Santos is Hispanic––is just one of the many factors that works against him. He overcomes this seemingly insurmountable challenge by campaigning on a platform of change, which he's able to back up with word and deed. Santos is a tall, charismatic public speaker who does the impossible; he beats candidates considered sure winners by winning over voters with his apparent sincerity, intelligence, and gravitas.

If this sounds familiar, it is. Democrat Barack Obama has done the same thing. He's defied pundits by beating the supposedly unbeatable Hillary Clinton in Iowa, and should he do so again in New Hampshire, the US may well have its first African-American president.

There are also similarities between The West Wing's Republican nominee, Arnold Vinick (played by Alan Alda) and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Both are straight-talking, smart candidates who charm voters with their wit and charm. Both are great interviewees, project well on TV, and come across as no-nonsense, pragmatic candidates who know what they're talking about.

(The similarities end there. Vinick wins his nomination easily. Huckabee, while no longer considered a long shot, still has a ways to go. The latter considers himself a "Christian Leader" who appeals to Christian Evangelicals; the former, while being interviewed, admits to not going to Church, and has beliefs that make him unattractive to the Christian Right.)

Oscar Wilde once said "life imitates art far more than art imitates life." Looks like he got it right.

Not All Quitters Are Losers

Sometimes A Cel Phone Camera Is Handy...

...especially when you don't have a camera with you when you see images worth preserving, like the one above.

Photo taken with my Sony Ericsson K610i at the Manila Yacht Club.

Still So Much To See...

My Lakbayan grade is B-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Searching for Solutions

The Surpreme Court, upon the prompting of Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, will be organizing a National Consultative Summit on Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances in response to the spate of extrajudicial killings that seem to have taken a permanent place on the front pages of our national dailies.

More on that later. For now, here's the logo (designed by yours truly) for the event.