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.

ABS-CBN’s newest reality tv program Pinoy Dream Academy has one of its scholars a lovely lass from Pangasinan:  IYA.

She is a daughter of a municipal councilor in the province and is an SK chairpeson in their town.

Pangasinenses, let’s support our pambato in the Pinoy Dream Academy!

Log in your supporting words here.  Click the comment button, now!

The Love Spell weekly run of ABS-CBN channel 2 is doing great in the ratings.  Thanks to the attractive pair of Kim and Gerald, the two most popular teens from the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition fame.

Theirs may not be a perfect match (not yet) but they seem to get along well together in their current TV starrer.  Given more time and exposure, they will be the next love team to watch.

Kim has all the materials for stardom but they’re still hibernating.  Gerald has the making of a matinee idol but he still has more to do to make the promise of his potentials.

If their Love Spell teledrama is to be used as a gauged, it is a good start for the two to make their presence felt in the showbiz world.

Another potential reality TV hit is the Pinoy Dream Academy of ABS-CBN.  One of the requirements to be eligible in the Academy is fluency in basic Filipino language.

I don’t know exactly what is meant by basic Filipino language.  If it means being able to say Salamat po or Mabuhay! then that’s really basic.  But it is, of course, a requirement for communications purposes. 

From what I understand, the Filipino language requirement asks the participants to be at least able to understand Filipino and can speak Filipino in an understandable way. 

I’m just curious, however, if that requirement disallows participants to use other languages like English. 

Any comments?

Days are numbered for the six remaining housemates in the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition before the big 4 are finally announced.  Who are your bets for the Big 4?  Here are mine.

1. Kim.  She’s been doing it to the pleasure of most fans and with her attractive chinese looks and not-so-offensive personality, she is in my number 1 list.
2. Clare.  This young lady is a sort of wildcard for the big 4.  She is not that as pretty as Kim or Jam but she has that X factor that makes her blend into the numerous situations especially those that tested the jelling tendencies of the housemates.
3. Jam (if she’s going to stay till the end).  Of all the housemates, she’s the most controversial.  Her being a teenage mother already sets her apart from the pack.  It normally is a taboo to be a teenage mom but that fact works wonders for her in her bid to be a teenage sensation.  News about her being a bar girl and about a naked picture in the FHM magazine only added to the controversial nature she already has.  But she’s handling things quite well, so far.
4. Mikee.  Between the two remaining lads, he is the more popular one although lately, Gerald is gaining some ground against him with Kim.  Mikee’s identification with Kim more than his being an Atenista is largely the biggest factor that will write his name in the Big Four list.

What about Brenda and Gerald?  Brenda is an addition and I don’t think she should be qualified for the Big Four.  Gerald, on the other hand, has the looks but he lacks the connections.  If he makes some exciting late moves, he might make it.  I would have him replace Jam in my list of bets if Jam’s request for voluntary exit is granted.

Keep on voting. . . and log your comments.

It’s not really surprising to know that Gerald also has some secret longings for the Chinese Cutie Kim in the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition.

Are we going to see a close battle of two guys for one girl in the downstretch of the famous reality TV program for teens?

What if we ask Kim herself of her preference between Mikee and Gerald?

Two things are here about one tenant in the Pinoy Big Brother house:  Jam the teenage mom.

First, she has aired her intention to exit voluntarily from the show.  This is after she learned of the successful operation done on her Baby Miggy.  After the good news was broken to her, she said that her purpose in joining the PBB Teen Edition is over.  Having fulfilled her purpose, Jam went into a personal reflection about her role as a mother and as a celebrity now in the world of showbusiness.

Her decision to freely exit is an indication of the kind of character this young mother has.  Young as she is, she already is mature as far as priorities are concerned.  What is most important to her right now is the welfare of her child and she’s willing to sacrifice the limelight of popularity and even the pull of money for the sake of her beloved “angel Miggy.”

The typical teenage mama would not readily go for a similar decision especially she who is too immature to have gone to the difficult scenario of child-bearing and child-rearing.  But not Jamilla.  She typifies a very unique Filipina in the world of motherhood in spite of her age.

It’s going to be sad to see her go away if Big Brother consents to her request to leave and her fans will surely miss her.  But the same fans can understand and they hope to see more of Jam in the future.

The second thing, however, is a bit minus to Jam.  This happened when Kim said in the confession room that she was hurt by Jam’s remark on the eviction night that saw Matt and Olyn leave the house.  Jam questioned why Kim seemed to be unaffected by the departure of the two and that she didn’t shed even a teardrop for all the good and bad times they had shared together with Olyn and Matt.

Kim explained that she is a person who looks at tears as sign of weakness and that she never want people to see her cry.  She wears a strong countenance and she has developed that aura of a tearless lass.  She said that what people saw on the eviction night is the real Kim.  “Ganun talaga ako. . . hindi ako iyakin,” she quipped.  She implores that although she didn’t cry, that didn’t mean she didn’t care.

Well, let’s see what will transpire in the next days.  Will Kim ever say to Jam that she was hurt?  Will Jam be ready to ask for forgiveness if she learns about the effect of her remark to Kim?

What do you think:  Should Kim tell Jam about this?

My three early bets were Matt, Mikki and Jam.  First to go was Mikki and lately, it’s Matt’s turn to be evicted.  Matt joined Olyn in last Saturday’s eviction, something that was not surprising considering the naughtiness of the two.  Mikee’s survival in the nomination can be largely attributed to his identification with the pretty and popular chinese cutie, Kim.

But one of my bets, Mommy Jam, is still in and though she said that her purpose in joining the PBB Teen Edition is over (her angel Miggy has recently undergone a successful surgical intervention from volunteer doctors of St. Luke’s Hospital), she still has the chance to make it to the big four, that is, if she decides to stay.

She also has secured a huge fan base in spite of an intriguing revelation that she was bar girl (Talks have it that, she didn’t really work in a bar.  The chika is just alleged to be an invention of the PBB organizers to make her story sell).  There’s also a rumor circulating around claiming that she posed completely naked in the FHM magazine.  Whatever truth there is into these allegations, one thing is sure:  Mommy Jam is already a celebrity.

If she decides to stay until the conclusion of the popular edition of PBB, she will surely have a tough time especially with the pretty chinese lass, Kim.  But who knows, there just might be something to pull Jam off to complete stardom.  She has the looks, character and situation to make it to the big four.

Say something, guys, click the comment button now.

There seems to be no stopping Kimberly Sue Chiu, the Chinese Cutie from Cebu in the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition.  Aside from her attractive and, of course, cute face, this  teenie has some promise as far as talent is concerned.  She claims to be multi-talented; she says she can dance, sing, act and play the guitar.

In terms of her singing talent, there’s this nice little video from Yunie.  Kim showcased her singing ability in the confession room of Big Brother.  There’s also her musical antics in another occasion.
Kim has the looks and talent, and she seems to be coping well with the standards for the Big Winner.  If she hangs on there, she could well be in the Big Four teeners.

She was not in my early bets who are Jamilla, Mikki and Matt.  Now that Mikki’s out, I put Kim in her stead in my updated top bets.  To complete my big four, I place my last bet on Mikee who is so far living up to expectations as far as his being Atenista is concerned.  Also, his close attachment to Cute Kim is generally welcome to fans so that’s another plus for Mikee.

Days are getting fewer and the tasks ahead will put more tension among the tenants so keep channeled to PBB Teen Edition.

Up to this point, the issue of showing the movie version of the controversial The Da Vinci Code novel of Dan Brown is still a hot topic among Filipino leaders.  Everyone itches to say something to make the showing of the movie such a very big deal.  No less than Malacañang’s Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has given his bias against the movie.

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