As the campaign season in the Philippines starts, political ads are filling the television. It becomes too irritating that even the cable networks are airing them too. Politics is a Philippine pastime and is a hot issue considering the kind of politicians we have. I suppose that our electorate is quite immature as ads do convince them despite reports of scandals and scams involving the candidates.

So I have made it my advocacy to expose the truth behind these candidates. Unless the people know the truth, the country will again suffer in the hands of politicians whose only agenda is to enrich themselves. It also bothers me that people has learned to accept the culture of corruption. My kids are still young, and I don’t want them to suffer just because the rest of the country decides to be bought.

Elections is in May, with the help of fellow idealists, we can still educate and enlighten the people. It’s about time we take politics seriously or we will never get out of the rut our country is in.

I find most political ads crappy. In fact, there are those you would easily know as frauds. Case in point, a billionaire who claims to be poor and a convict claiming innocence. What’s funny is how they are able to convince people that they’re the real deal.

The billionaire is a known land grabber while the convict was pardoned due to his age. The Philippines sure has one of the more immature electorates. Most base their votes on what they see on TV. At the end of the day, hoodlums get elected and the country suffers.

This is the reason why I’ve been trying to educate the new voters to really get to know the candidates before deciding who they’ll vote for. I’m glad that thos I’ve come across. Political ads really has a big impact. What voters should do is to read the papers, watch the news and be informed of the issues attached to these candidates.

Only in the Philippines can you see crooks get elected. I hope the next election will be based not on patronage, not on personalities and not on political ads.

As many of you know, last Monday was a dark day in the name of democracy and journalism in the Philippines. An estimated 65 persons were savagely massacred in the name of greed for power. With this incident, the International Federation of Journalists now ranks first as the most dangerous place for journalists.

Power not only corrupts, it also kills. Politics at the local level has never seen such inhumanity in the name of politics. The massacre rivals that of the atrocities of war. Maguindanao is not even a war zone and yet innocent lives were sacrificed. Journalists covering the incident have received threats as well. The ruling clan in the province closely allied with the current dispensation are being given special treatment which common criminals or suspects for that matter do not enjoy.

I’m still at a loss for words on how to express my grief, my anger and whatever emotions I could feel. Incidents like this should not be happening in the modern times we are in. I’m thankful though that the international community is closely monitoring this deplorable incident. I pray that justice will be done and that the perpetrators of this barbaric act get what is due them.

For now, all I can do is pray for those who lost their lives, pray for those they left behind, and pray that people not be terrorized into silence. The greed for power has reared its despicable head. I hope that the coming elections will bring hope and justice for my very tired and weary people.

Manny Pacquiao is one great boxer. He definitely is one of the best in this generation. But he is now saying that he would be entering politics at the loacal level. He plans to run for a congressional seat in his wife’s hometown. He tried this back in 2007 and lost.

I believe that every man has a destiny and should know who and what we are. Mere popularity does not mean that people will vote for you. One also should know what our limitations are. Manny may have good intentions but politics is a very different field. In politics, you are not accountable to only yourself but to your constituents.

I hope he rethinks this a million times over. He maybe a good boxer in the ring. The political arena involves more than just a strong punch or fast fists. It involves more than just a strong jaw but a strong heart and a clear mind.

As the run down to the elections looms near, I’m very busy with politics. I’m hoping that changes will be forthcoming with the change in leadership. Corruption had been an issue with the current dispensation for the last 5 years and even political desent has been curtailed. As new faces enter the political arena, only one stands out, the son of the late Cory Aquino.

With his integrity, his rivals have been trying to destroy his immaculate image. The mudslinging will be different and more vicious this time as Aqiono continues to increase his lead in the surveys. As all this happens, I definitely will be busier with politics. My fellow advocates and media friends have been meeting regularly to analyze the political landscape.

Aquino’s entry and with even the poorest of the poor contributing to his campaign shows that the country is throwing out traditional politics. Aquino unlike his rivals only joined the race because of the people’s clamor. His opponents are now trying to reinvent themselves just so they can keep up with Noynoy Aquino. And as all these takes place, we simply laugh on the sidelines as we dissect their crude attempt to convince the electorate that they have changed. So far, they have not succeeded and if I may say, have even turned off some of their supporter.

Philippine politics sure is very different. Personality plays a big role in determining who the people will vote for. As of the moment, the country is looking for an inspiration not a leader. I suppose the people think a reluctant candidate is more credible than those who have shown great eagerness to become president. As his rivals increase their spending, Aquino’s campaign is has become a people’s campaign with ordinary people shelling out whatever they have in the name of change. This has never happened in our history and it surely gives more hope that change is coming.

I hate ranting but this time I really should. As twin typhoons battered Luzon, it exposed the ineptitude of our government to help the people. Not only were they too slow to react, they were ill-prepared. At the end of the day, communities relied mostly on themselves and on the private organizations which stepped up to plate. Despite the billions at the presiden’t disposal, relief came from non-government organizations who seems more organized than the government.

During the height of the storm, organizations were already calling in volunteers and donations. Much to dismay of the people, the government did nothing for several hours. There were no prepared evacuation centers and no personnel to help the victims. What irked me the most is how Gloria Arroyo commended her people for a job well done. How stupid can she be? We all knew that the government simply did nothing. Hell, Gloria even sent an emissary  to Ateneo University and ask for relief goods that were being packed there by its teachers and students.

We had calamity funds to address these disasters, but it seems the government has almost used it all up. One of the reasons, Gloria has used some of it for her lavish foreign trips. At the moment, 70% of relief goods came from private donors. The rest were from foreign aid and just a small portion came from the government.

What I’m afraid now is that as more foreign cash donations come in, how it would be spent will be up to the discretion of the government. It’s possible that the government might misuse the funds again as it has in previous disasters. Oh well, I’m just ranting. No, not just ranting. I’m really pissed off.

It’s the 21st of August, Sen. Aquino’s death anniversary. It’s a holiday and there will be several programs at different locations in the metropolis. It’s going to be a “Yellow Day”. Everyone attending the celebrations are asked to wear yellow and cars will have yellow ribbons tied to their antennas. I still don’t know which programs I’ll be joining. I’m not affiliated with any particular group but have friends in some of them.

Maybe I’ll just go where my feet takes me. Perhaps I’d just stay at home and reminisce those days when we were not totally free. Maybe I’d simply blog about my thoughts and feelings on the significance of Ninoy in our daily lives. Maybe I’d have some friends come over and tell stories about our activist days.

Sadly, we’ve squandered what we gained. We’re still fighting for the freedom we Filipinos do not fully enjoy. Oh well, if we really want change, we shouldn’t let others to do the fighting for us. I hope those people swept by the Aquino fever would realized the true essence of People Power.

The New York post recently reported how Gloria Arroyo and her party spent a night of grandeur at the famous Le Cirque. They reportedly spent $20,000 for a “modest” dinner. I’m not shocked at the display of arrogance from her and her minions. I never considered her as our country’s legitimate president anyway. But of course I’m appalled because 46% of Filipinos experience hunger everyday.

I think it’s Gloria’s way of pushing the people to a state of resignation wherein we will feel helpless from her onslaught. The Le Cirque incident is the only one reported by any media outfit. She has already logged a total of 75 foreign trips. I wonder how many similar dinners have taken place? I am enraged by her display of insincerity towards the very people she is supposed to care about.

I guess after this, the Filipinos will now closely watch every centavo she spends. No wonder there is apathy in my country, the leaders themselves lack empathy and conscience. I just hope there will be an end to the culture of corruption in the Philippines. With Cory Aquino’s [assing, I hope this is the impetus that would once again awaken my people.

I wanted so much to join the rally against charter change yesterday. Sad to say, I wasn’t able to. I was downed by intestinal flu over the weekend and only felt better Tuesday night. The political situation in the Philippines is getting tense as the current administration and its allies in the lower house are trying to amend the constitution by themselves without the participation of the senate. This all came about because Gloria Arroyo, the sitting illegal president is afraid she’ll be prosecuted for her crimes if a new president is elected in 2010.

She came to power back in 2001 after their power-grab succeeded. She then cheated her way to the presidency in 2004. She’s been in power for the past eight years and so many scandals have besieged her administration. With specter of of a jail term hanging over her head as soon as she steps down, she and her allies have been trying everything to keep themselves in power.

We’ve been through several coups and People Power, and we’re now trying to save our country’s future. The indignation rally yesterday is just a start of many to come. I just hope the Filipinos around the world join us in their own little way to save our nation.