If the results of the senatorial race in the May 14, 2007 elections are any indication, the typical Filipino voter is sending President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo a message of warning which will likely read: “Better be careful, Madam President, I have men to watch your every move.”

The imminent entry of eight opposition senators will create a not-so-friendly atmosphere between Malacañang and the House of Senate. In fact we should expect a senate that will be more of an investigative body than a lawmaking body especially with the entry of two young but vocal politicos, Senators Francis Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano.

Also, if things will go their way, Senators Gringo Honasan and Antonio Trillanes will add military color to the fighting desire of the new senate. Senator Honasan will probably draw courage from the his latest debacle with the administration and, may be, he is silently celebrating the victory of Trillanes who is rumored to be his disciple at the Magdalo group.

Even the independent Senator-elect Francisco Pangilinan, though very level-headed and cool, has what it takes to be a staunch critic of the President.

Returning senator Loren Legarda has a score to settle with Vice President Noli De Castro, a very cooperative political player for President GMA.

Senator Panfilo Lacson has always been consistent in his position as a critic of the administration although he has mellowed a bit. But with the arrival of Gringo, Trillanes and company, we expect Senator Ping to be in the fighting mood, next level.

First timer Senator Noynoy Aquino is expected to play a role similar to his father’s and he will probably not betray his mother.

Coco Pimentel will have a family affair with his father Nene Pimentel and this affair they will share with fellow opposition senator Alan Peter Cayetano who will join his sister Pia Cayetano.

The two administration candidates who made it to the Magic 12, Senators Ed Angara and Joker Arroyo may not be that friendly to GMA. No one is forgetting the fact that, Angara was with the opposition a long time until only the election period came. He actually shares only a few agreements with the President.

Senator Joker Arroyo is a watchdog of the administration. Although he is in their team, he is there to pounce on their misdeeds. He can easily join the opposition if he wants to.

Where will the close allies of GMA go? Migz Zubiri, Mike Defensor and Prospero Pichay will most likely get cabinet positions so that they can defend the president from inside the Palace.

If there’s one thing that puts a smile on GMA’s face vis-a-vis the election results, it is the victory of House Speaker Joe de Venecia who played an instrumental role in the losing cause of the impeachment against GMA. Escudero and Cayetano may have gained a plus in winning senate seats but the victory of JDV in the Lower House will neutralize Chiz’s and Peter’s triumphs.

Related to the voting IQ of the current Filipino electorate is the loss of two of the biggest names in show business today, Richard Gomez and Cesar Montano. The Pinoy voter of today has learned his lessons in electing personalities only on the basis of popularity, at least in the arena of national positions. Vilma Santos won the governorship of Batangas because of her good track record as mayor of Lipa City and may be because of the voters’ discontent of Governor Sanchez.

The Pinoy voter, in short, has become a little more intelligent now.

At this moment, the poll in PACLAND concerning Manny Pacquiao’s decision to enter politics reveals a 91.5% voting for NO to Pacquiao’s political ambition.

Many quarters have also aired their disfavor over PACMAN’s political desire, but as far as I’m concerned, we should give Manny Pacquiao a chance. Read my thoughts.

First, it’s such an unfair prejudgment to claim that there’s nothing or little that he can do in the political world. People should not measure a person’s capability or incapability by what he does not have because there are many variables to success. It has been proved time and again that the intangibles, variables that are not obvious and hard to measure, are the ones that spell out the difference between success and failure even in the world of politics. Pacquiao may not have an impressive educational background but he certainly has the brain that I think is more than ready to be educated. Now, compare his brain with that of “educated” ones which, more often than not, is not only hard to teach but is unwilling to learn.

Second, Manny has proved something in the world of boxing. Let’s admit it, there are boxers out there who hold respectable reputations as persons. Marco Antonio Barrera has been reported to have a law degree but Pacquiao is way above him in the sweet science despite his lack of even a high school diploma. Boxing is not just about guts and brawn but also of wit, and when it comes to wit, Manny has lots of it. He wouldn’t be named the Fighter of the Year for nothing. Now, if he is able to hurdle the challenges of boxing, what prohibits him from doing the same in politics?

Third, at this point in time, Manny has not much to prepare for as a fighter. In fact, there’s nothing left for him to prove in the world of boxing and he wants to try his mettle in the rough and tough world of talkers and kibitzers. He has beaten the best pound-for-pound boxers and has carved out his own niche in top level boxing. Though he does not have a legit belt at the moment, that lack is not so significant if you look at his exploits and winnings. If at all, it is other boxers who should be coming after him because he defines boxing greatness. To beat him is to be great, but of course, to beat him must come with a price. If the price is not right, he has the right to refuse the challenge. Greatness, after all, is not cheap. Now, he is actually trying to become great in the world of politics. He knows the price of his challenge and he is willing to pay. Why should anyone stop him?

Lastly, Manny Pacquiao’s life already is no secret. We have seen his humble beginnings in his life dramas. We saw how he was able to rise from the cauldrons of poverty and we also witnessed his rise to the pedestal of popularity. We have seen his battles not just inside the ring but even in the courts and in his family. We are not ignorant of the kind of humanity that he has and it is something not difficult to admire. His humanity is, in fact, one that’s inspiring and healthily infectious. Doesn’t this personality deserve even a small space in the world of politics? Are we not tired of the pathetic and lousy personalities that have been exerting malevolent domination in almost all corners of government halls, offices and salas?

There is little left to know about Manny Pacquiao, and it is that which he is capable of doing in the political ring. Let’s give him that chance.

We have not just a nation of intellectuals but also a nation of “non-tellectuals” to coin a new word.   For all of our claim to be the first democracy in Asia, ours is a democracy on the verge of pity.  The nation is not without the best of minds and yet we don’t have the best of life.  Could this be the result of too much know-how in the governance or because we simply don’t think that deeply about what could happen every time we do something?  Is the Philippines a nation of the poor because the non-tellectuals have made it so?  Or because of a plain system error, that is, we have the right food in the wrong plate?

The system I’m referring to is the presidential form of government which has been here since democracy dawned on us.  And since then, it seems like progress and prosperity have stopped only at dawn.  In the pre-Marcos era, the system was presidential and it looked like the nation was on the right track.  Then came the proposal to embrace the parliamentary form of government during Marcos’ term.  It was introduced with the aim of fast tracking economic growth and renovating the political landscape of the country for the sake of progress.  It was like a new dress for the nation to look better and more beautiful.  Everything was ready and everybody was eager to see what could transpire with the new dress that we were about to wear.

But surprise!  Marcos suddenly proclaimed Martial Law and put to nullity all that was dreamed to be a bright future of the nation with the parliamentary dress.  Marcos did not remove the dress but redesigned it according to his plan, not the plan of the framers of the change.  That was how parliamentary form of government developed a negative picture in the mind of the ordinary Filipino.

When Cory Aquino replaced Marcos, she could not erase the black stigma of the Marcosian parliament and she completely shoved it away in favor of the previously tested presidential system.

What I have in mind to share is that parliamentary form of government in its true essence is democracy in itself yet how easily people see it to be anti-democracy.  People see it as a breeder of dictators and a violator of the basic human political rights of the people.  But that is not what the parliamentarian government really is.  It has its merits to offer to any nation that embraces it and also its weaknesses for that same nation to suffer.

Two decades after Marcos was toppled, our nation is still a crawling nation.  It should be walking or running like all other nations run by intellectuals but it seems like the communism of China has much more ease to offer than the popular democracy of the Philippines. 

What if we try the parliamentary form of government?  Will there be better days?  Shall we see more sunshine than rain?  Could the stumbling blocks on our nation’s path be put to the sideways and would we see the Filipino walking or running instead of crawling?

I’m sounding off already my bias for the parliamentary form of government but I’m also aware of the fact that people runnning a system also count in the success or failure of the system.   I don’t know if at this time, we are being governed by intellectuals or non-tellectuals.  Even if we change our dress there may still be not much change if we keep the non-tellectuals among our leaders.

Efforts to contain the oil spill in Guimaras Island are so concentrated that there seems to be nothing being done with what could be a bigger oil spill problem.

While it is true that the Guimaras oil spill is of such a big magnitude and that moves to control the effect of the spilled oil must be drastic and effective, we have to contend with another fact that oil is not only spilled by marine accidents involving oil tankers.

There is what we call the chronic oil spill problem. Not many of us know that oil is spilled along highways and other thoroughfares. Road oil spill comes out of leakages from engines and this spillage go all the way to the sea.

When rain pours, the oil on the road is washed away to the sewerage system which find their connections to inland waterways which in turn bring the oil to the sea.

Factories that use engines have to change their used oil and we just wonder how they go about the used oil disposal. Our simple logic tells us that many of these establishments dispose of their used oil through public sewers which, again, bring the contaminated waters to the sea.

We also wonder how our car care centers dispose used oil from the vehicles of their clients. If they just pour in the oil into the same public sewers, then they also contribute to the chronic oil spill problem.

The case is just as easily exhibited by the pathetic state of the Pasig River and other affected rivers in the country. The Manila Bay also shows its own share of the problem.

And before we even think of the magnitude of the Guimaras oil spill, let us not forget that this chronic oil spill happens everyday, in every urbanized and developing community across the nation.

I don’t know but if there is an honest to goodness research to be done about the chronic oil spill problem of the nation, I am positive that it will dwarf what we see to be a gigantic Guimaras oil spill problem.

If the Clean Air Act is any indication, then it is about time that the true state of our national waters should be studied and effective oil spill control measures should be implemented before we end up praying to God for a completely new environment.

The following is a sample speech for a debate on the issue of 2-year compulsory nursing service for Filipino nurses.

ARE THERE NO BENEFITS WHEN YOU SERVE YOUR COUNTRYMEN? IS IT WITHOUT VALUE WHEN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOLUTION OF A BIG PROBLEM? IS PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE USELESS IN THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF A PROFESSIONAL?

MY COMRADE ON THE NECESSITY ISSUE CEMENTED OUR CLAIM THAT THERE IS A NEED TO REQUIRE FILIPINO NURSES TO RENDER AT LEAST 2 YEARS OF NURSING SERVICE BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE COUNTRY. IN HIS ARGUMENTATION, HE MADE MENTION OF OUR PROPOSAL AS A WIN-WIN SOLUTION TO THE HEALTH CARE PROBLEMS OF OUR NATION. ALLOW ME, DEAR AUDIENCE, TO USE THAT AS MY SPRINGBOARD IN SHOWING TO YOU THE BENEFITS OF OUR PROPOSAL.

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The Jologs program of the GMA 7 has the making of a potential hit.  It delves into the day-to-day hassles that most of us go into as we walk through the rigors of life.  But instead of adding insult to injury, Jologs actually shows the enlightened and lighter side of life’s commonplace requisites.

But the main attraction of the program is the meaning of Jologs.  Who is a Jologs?  Well, if my opinion is not different from that of a real Jologs, I must say that he or she is one who has some sort of intelligent insanity or an ignorant intelligence.  Get what I mean?

Oh, it takes an Ethel Booba to understand me and if you’re not Jologs, how can you ever understand?  By the way, do you remember when Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said that she won’t run in the 2004 presidential elections and yet she actually ran?  Also, did you get what she really meant when she said “I am sorry” on national television only to say that she is really elected by the people?  Is our President some kind of a Jologs?  JUst a question.

For the information of many, the minimum qualification to teach in the tertiary level is a master’s degree.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has to contend with the fact that many teachers in colleges and universities do not have master’s degrees and to solve the problem, the Commission has come up with a program to help concerned teachers.

The program called CHED HEDP Faculty Development Program extends financial assistance to deserving applicants. Among other things, the assistance covers full tuition fee assistance, transportation costs, book allowance and even a monthly stipend.

Click here to see details.

If you’re planning a tour which not only gives you the photo excitement, video ecstasy, challenging encounters but palatable munches, buzzing beaches and hassle free travelling as well, then you should not miss Dagupan City, producer of the world’s tastiest milkfish (bangus).

Dagupan City resurrected from the rubbles of the July 16, 1990 earthquake in an incredible manner. Many thought that it would take at least five years for Dagupan to recover but in a matter of two years, Dagupan City was bustling again. With renewed vigor, the place has even developed into a premiere tourist destination when its efforts to stamp its class on the world map came via its local pride–the Bonuan bangus, said to be the largest and tastiest milkfish in the world. It also registered its name in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest grill.

Inihaw na Bangus, Relyenong Bangus, Bangus Lumpia, the world famous Boneless Bangus, Kilaweng Bangus, aside from the normal Sinigang na Bangus with Shrimp, Inselar ya Bangus ed Malunggay Leaves. These are just some of the delectable menus for the pride of Dagupan City.

Come here because we have prepared not just the bangus for you, but many other things as well.

Click here for the official website.

It is called the deathless death penalty issue.  Well, it should be deathless as long as people get educated more and more about it.  Here are some arguments for those who think death penalty is well and good as a measure of justice.

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   The argument that murderers are the least likely of all criminals to repeat their crimes is not only irrelevant, but also increasingly false.  Six percent of young adults paroled in 1978 after having been convicted of murder were arrested for murder again within 6 years of release. (”Recidivism of Young Parolees,” 4, 1987, BJS). Murderers have so violated the human rights of their victims and of society that it should be a moral imperative that they never again have that opportunity. Read more

          Value Added Tax (VAT) is a tax measure designed to address the Philippines’ fiscal deficit.  At first, it was levied upon a select number of goods and services, then its coverage was expanded to include more goods and services (Expanded VAT) until it became the Reformed VAT which increased the percentage of tax from 10% to 12%.

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