In the light of the profound implications of that simple statement, I must assume that the masses in Tondo (and the other “D” and “E” income class communities as well) who chose the elitista Noynoy Aquino over the masa Manny Villar for their president knew what they were doing and calculated that it was in their best interests to do so. I can, of course, speculate on the logic of their voting decision, but I cannot — not being able to claim that I know what “living in Tondo” really means — reasonably dispute it.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that a predominantly patronage-based political system caused the masses to vote for whomever their patrons designated, but this seems a bit too simplistic an explanation these days. Undoubtedly, that may still be true in certain parts of the country — the more backward, more isolated parts — but it is far more likely that voters today choose their candidates based on a more complex blend of the economic inducements offered by political factotums of the elite class and the pervasive influences of an ubiquitous mass media and unlimited SMS texting.

What is intriguing about the masa vote in this presidential election is that the masses opted overwhelmingly for a member of the burgis elite when a member of their own class was a potentially winning alternative. If we can set aside petty economic inducements (assuming that those offered by both sides were effectively a wash), this essentially implies that the masses believe that their interests will be better promoted by someone who knows absolutely nothing about “living in Tondo” rather than by someone who was born there and who successfully worked his way out of the squalor. That choice is particularly significant considering that the problems of poverty and the vast divide between rich and poor in this country must obviously be the first concerns of the disadvantaged masses.

Admittedly, it is bewildering to me that the masses are apparently convinced that the economic inequality issue will be actually addressed by a landholding hacendero whose every previous public action has been faithful to and consistent with his class origins. It is hard to understand that those for whom true economic reform must be their most fervent hope would pin such hopes on a figure who not only is a member of the “establishment” but also clearly defends it on such crucial issues as land reform.

In trying to understand that intriguing choice, I speculated last week that the Filipino public remains attached to a (common) human tendency to attribute extraordinary virtues to a celebrity or famous person, even in the face of available evidence to the contrary. Calling this tendency the “aesthetic of the famous,” I branded it as responsible for “irrational” choices.

Moving beyond that, however, it was obvious to observers how prominent members of the establishment banded together to prevent a masa interloper from possibly crashing the elite circles of power to threaten their choke hold on government. Much as it will be denied, they and their well-paid factotums clearly pulled out all the stops and entered into all sorts of alliances to ensure the success of that effort.

One such alliance allowed former president Joseph Estrada — notwithstanding a criminal conviction for plunder, a constitutional ban on running for re-election, and a signed commitment that he could not run again for public office — to remain in the presidential derby and thereby split the masa vote. Amazingly, even members of the so-called educated class never thought to question why President Arroyo never even bothered to invoke Mr. Estrada’s acceptance of a will-not-run-again condition of his presidential pardon and an Arroyo-controlled Supreme Court would go along with something that clearly benefited Mr. Aquino. Another such alliance brought in a huge part of the funds used by Mr. Aquino in the second half of his then well-funded campaign.

Those campaign alliances and those being entered into now with various members of the Senate and the House are clear indicators — to those not wearing blinders — that societal reform will not be forthcoming in this country. The establishment — the status quo — has won. It will, sad to say, be just business as usual.

Going back to the masa vote, one has to concede that Mr. Aquino’s communications group was better organized and far more effective at selling its image of Mr. Aquino as a saint who would banish corruption in a stroke than was Mr. Villar’s group at selling its image of Mr. Villar as a capable manager whose considerable achievements indicated that he could actually solve a long-standing poverty problem. In its “negative” campaign, it must also be conceded that Mr. Aquino’s group succeeded spectacularly at spinning facts and thus painting their opponent as “evil” and themselves as “good” in a “good versus evil” drama. On the other hand, it was patently obvious that Mr. Villar’s group lacked the ability to effectively communicate the message that Mr. Aquino was incompetent, incapable, and unfit for the position of president.

Of course, one cannot avoid mentioning the communications advantage Mr. Aquino enjoyed because the biggest mass media outfits in the country — principally the ABS-CBN group and the Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star — wielded an obvious editorial bias in favor of Mr. Aquino. Undoubtedly, this bias did in fact spell a telling difference in molding the public’s perceptions of the candidates.
Set up to view Mr. Aquino as the champion of good against the forces of evil, the masses must now hold Mr. Aquino to the standard he and his elite drum-beaters have themselves set. In that light, the masses will have to judge him not only for his self-proclaimed “virtue” but also for his ability to perform miracles. Even granting (but not conceding) he is without sin, can he indeed turn water into wine or multiply five loaves and two fishes into food for the multitudes? If he cannot, how (I wonder) will the disappointed masa react?

Strategic Perspective — by René B. Azurin

Mga kababayan,

Nagpasya na ang mamamayang Pilipino. Malinaw na sa kabila ng ating pagpupunyagi, hindi tayo nabiyayaan ng tagumpay sa halalan noong Lunes.

Humaharap ako sa inyo ngayon upang tanggapin ang pasyang ito. Upang igalang ang boses ng sambayanang Pilipino.

I congratulate Sen. Noynoy Aquino on his victory. The challenges he and our country faces are enormous and we should all work together.

Subali’t gusto ko lang sabihin na lubos akong nalulungkot sa mga kasinungalingan at paninira sa aking pagkatao sa kampanyang ito. Ako ay naniniwala na sa darating na mga araw ako ay mabibigyan ng pagkakataon na linisin ang aking pangalan upang maliwanagan ang ating mga kababayan. Yan ay mahalaga sa akin higit sa anupamang bagay.

Hinding hindi ko makakalimutan ang kampanyang ito at ang pagkakataong makadaupang palad at makasama ang milyon-milyon nating kababayan na katulad ko ay nanggaling sa hirap at nangarap ng mas magandang buhay. For the rest of my life, I will remain their champion. Bagama’t ako ay hindi pinalad, ang aking pangarap na tapusin ang kahirapan ay hindi pa nagwawakas. Ito ay aking ipagpapatuloy bagama’t sa ibang paraan.

To all my fellow Nacionalista candidates whose fights have not yet concluded, rest assured that I and the Nacionalista Party will be behind you until your last vote is counted.

Nais kong pasalamatan unang una ang Panginoon sa patnubay na ibinigay niya sa atin upang maging ligtas ang ating pangangampanya nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan.

Salamat sa aking pamilya. Gusto sana nila sumama ngayon pero sabi ko ay huwag na dahil masyado na silang nasaktan nitong mga nakakaraang mga linggo sa kanilang napapanood sa telebisyon. Kaya sabi ko, ako na lamang ang pupunta ngayon.

Salamat din sa mga mahal ko sa buhay, sa aking mga kapatid na malaki rin ang naging sakripisyo, at sa lahat pa na mga mahal ko sa buhay na tumulong.

Higit sa lahat, ang aking buong pusong pasasalamat sa mga volunteers at supporters na nagsipag at nagbigay ng hindi matatawarang tulong. Maraming maraming salamat sa inyo.

Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.

Syempre sa ating mga kasamahan sa media, maraming salamat din sa inyo. Medyo matagal ang kampanya pero hindi ko rin makalilimutan ang pinagsamahan natin. Ito’y isang bagay na matatandaan ko habang ako ay nabubuhay.

Sa aking mga kababayan, maraming salamat po.

Once again, congratulations to Noynoy. #

The PASG said Saturday that their teams spent 14 hours along the western coast of Southern Luzon Thursday to trace the nautical route of misdeclared import shipments in violation of the Tariff Code.

PASG Director for Region 13 Philip A. Placer said his agents followed a suspicious shipment that ended in a safehouse in Sitio Sabang, Barangay Judith in Burdeos on Icolong Island and immediately conducted a raid.

Placer said the raid of the Akira Sakurai & Hiro Taniguchi, Howa Inc. Pearl Farm uncovered chemicals that are used in the manufacture of metamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu,” giving physical credence to a US intelligence report of narco-politics shaping up in the country.

PASG operatives confiscated highly-regulated chemicals such as potassium nitrate, disodium nitrogen phosphate, sodium orthosilicate N-hydrate powder, and sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate.

Placer said Judge Cesar A. Mangrobang of the Cavite Regional Trial Court Branch 22, issued the warrants to search the premises based on reliable information received by the PASG in a case against the pearl farm.

The operation comes amid the leaking out of a US Drug Enforcement Agency (USDEA) report three weeks ago that US$8.4 billion (P384 billion) worth of dangerous drugs were “either being generated, passes through or is used by drug syndicates in the Philippines,” he said.

The same report allegedly underscored an alleged link between the thriving drug trafficking business and local politics as the money generated from the internationally-outlawed trade is suspected of fueling campaigns and a massive attempt to cheat the scheduled elections on May 10.

The revelation by US authorities over the palpable impact of “narcopolitics’ in the elections underscore this reality, alongside the discovery of chemicals in making shabu, said Placer.

He said the leadership of Quezon Governor Rafael Nantes must be placed under scrutiny after the discovery of drug transshipments and manufacturing base on the island of Icolong.

“This is an international (drug operations) and it’s happening here in Burdeos. That should raise alarm on the governor here (Nantes), “In fact, there is suspicion on the local government of letting this happen,” said Placer.

The discovery of transshipments in the island stares the nation in the face and the country will become a center for trans-shipment point for high-value drugs, a global supplier and consumer of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).

It raises questions linked to the USDEA report which, essentially, warned of drug money making its way to unscrupulous politicians and making the hotly-contested presidential election susceptible to influence by this massive illegal operations inimical to national security.

Placer as well as well-placed sources from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said there has been no representation from the Quezon provincial capitol to address the drug threat in the province.

Incidentally, Nantes, a former congressman and who is frequently seen in Metro Manila, is the national treasurer of the Liberal Party whose standard-bearer Senator Benigno Simeon Aquino III happens to be the frontrunner in presidential surveys.

By FERDINAND CASTRO
May 8, 2010, 6:53pm

Halos tatlong buwan na ang nakakaraan, dito rin sa Tondo, sinimulan natin ang ating himagsikan laban sa kahirapan.

Sa loob ng tatlong buwan, naikot ko halos ang buong bansa, nakakwentuhan ko ang ating mga kababayan na patuloy nagsusumikap upang mabigyan ng disenteng buhay ang kanilang mga pamilya, nakasalamuha ko ang ating mga kababayan na patuloy pa ring umaasa na uunlad ang ating bansa.

Maraming datos na ang inilabas upang isalarawan ang kahirapan ng buhay sa ating bansa.

Ayon sa isang pag-aaral, 24% ng mga pamilyang Pilipino (katumbas ng 4.4 milyon na kabahayan) ang nakaranas ng gutom sa nakaraang 3 buwan.

Sa ulat naman ng National Statistical and Coordination Board (NSCB) noong 2006 mahigit sa 29 million Filipinos na ang naghihirap.

TAPUSIN ANG KAHIRAPAN

Subalit ang kahirapan ay hindi nasusukat lamang sa mga numero. Sa aking pagiikot nakita ko ng harap-harapan ang talamak na kahirapan sa ating bansa. Nakita ko ang mga mukha ng kahirapan.

Nakausap ko ang isang nanay na isinasakripisyo ang lahat para lamang mapakain ang kanyang mga anak.

Nakinig ako sa hinaing ng isang ama ng tahanan na kahit anong tindi ng kayod ay hirap pa ding maipasok sa eskwela ang kanyang anak.

Naramdaman ko ang dalumhati ng isang pamilya na nabaon sa utang upang maipagamot lamang ang kanilang bunso na maysakit.

Narinig ko ang hirap at lungkot na dinadanas ng mga anak na ang mga magulang ay lumayo sa pamilya upang makapagtrabaho lamang sa ibang bansa.

Hindi ito tama! Hindi ito katanggap-tanggap! Hindi natin maaring pabayaang magpatuloy ang paghihirap ng ating mga kababayan!

SIPAG, TATAG AT TIYAGA NG PILIPINO

Subalit sa akin pagiikot, nakita ko din kung gaano katatag ang ating mga kababayan, sa gitna ng kahirapan. Nagsilbing inspirasyon para sa akin ang sipag, tiyaga, at tatag ng mga Pilipino upang maiahon ang kanilang mga pamilya mula sa kahirapan tungo sa maayos na kinabukasan.

Kahit gaano kahirap ang kanilang buhay, hindi matatawaran nino man ang pagsasakripisyo ng ating mga kababayan upang labanan ang kahirapan.

Alam naman ninyong lahat, na noong hindi matibag ng aking mga katunggali ang aking track record, karanasan sa serbisyo publiko at kakayanan sa pamumuno, sinimulan nilang sirain ang aking pagkatao. Isa sa mga pinakamasakit na ibinato nila laban sa akin ay ang pagkwestiyon sa kahirapan na aking dinaanan sa buhay.

Masakit ito hindi lamang para sa aking sarili kundi sa aking mga magulang na nagsakripisyo upang mabigyan kaming magkakapatid ng mabuting kinabukasan.

Hindi lamang ito pang-aalipusta laban sa akin, ito ay pang-iinsulto sa lahat ng mga Pilipino na nagawang mabigyan ang kanilang pamilya ng magandang buhay.

Bakit? Bawal bang mangarap ang mahirap? Sila lang ba ang may karapatan sa marangyang buhay?

Anong klaseng pulitiko ang mamaliitin ang hirap na dinadanas ng ating mga kababayan at ang kanilang sakripisyo sa buhay upang siraan lamang ang kanyang katunggali?

Subalit hindi mahirap ipaliwanag kung bakit hindi nila maintindihan ang pinagdaanan kong hirap. Dahil mahirap maunawaan ng isang herederong haciendero ang paghihikahos ng mga mahihirap.

At kung hindi niya naranasan ang maghirap; kung hindi niya naiintindihan ang problema ng kahirapan? Ano ang kakayanan niya na tapusin ang kahirapan ng ating mga kababayan.

Ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit sinasabi nila na hindi daw kayang tapusin ang kahirapan. Hindi sila makapaniwala na kaya natin, sama-sama, na magtagumpay sa ating himagsikan laban sa kahirapan.

Ang tanong ko: kung hindi ka pala naniniwala na maaring solusyunan ang pinakamabigat na suliranin ng bansa, bakit ka tumakbo sa pagka-pangulo? Anong uring pagbabago ang iyong isinusulong kung hindi mo kayang baguhin ang mahirap na buhay ng marami sa ating mga kababayan?

PANINIRA VS. PLATAPORMA; KATAMARAN VS. SIPAG AT TIYAGA

At ito sa tingin ko ang pinakamahahalagang isyu sa halalang ito. Sa pagkadami-dami ng mga putik na ibinabato nila sa akin, may isang bagay na hindi nila kinukwestiyon sa akin–ang aking kakayahan at track record.

At kung papansinin ninyo, hindi din nila tinatanong iyan sa kandidato nila. Alam niyo kung bakit? Dahil wala silang maisasagot.

Kung ikaw ay naghahangad na maging pangulo ng mahigit sa 90 milyong Pilipino, hindi ba dapat may track record ka sa paglutas sa mga suliranin ng bayan? Kung ang isang ordinaryong mamamayan nga na nag-a-apply ng trabaho ay hinihingan ng bio data para makita ang karanasan sa pagtatrabaho, presidente pa kaya?

Subalit bakit ayaw nilang pagusapan ang track record? Dahil ba walang track record?

Bakit hindi natin pagusapan ang kakayanang mamuno? Imbes na puro pangako, imbes na sumandal sa pamana ng ibang tao, hindi ba dapat na ang pangulo ng ating bansa ay mayroon mismong karanasan at nagawa para makatulong sa ibang tao?

Kung papansinin ninyo, mga kaibigan, ang aking kampanya ay nakatutok sa mga mahahalagang usaping ito. Imbes na sayangin ang inyong oras sa walang katuturang siraan, ang iniaalay ko sa ating bayan ay ang aking kakayanan na hinubog ng aking karanasang labanan ang hirap at magtagumpay sa buhay.

Iniaalay ko ang mahigit dalawpung taon kong karanasan bilang lingkod bayan, kung saan, sa tulong ninyong lahat, ako ay naging Speaker ng House of Representatives at Senate President, at kung saan ako ay nakapagpasa ng mga batas na tumutugon sa suliranin ng bansa.

Kahit sa aking pribadong kapasidad nakapagbigay ako ng trabaho sa ating mga kababayan, nagkapagpa-aral ako ng mga maralitang kabataan, at nakatulong ako sa libu-libo nating mga OFWs.

Ito ang pagusapan natin! Handa ka bang maging Pangulo? May kakayahan ka bang tapusin ang kahirapan ng mga Pilipino?

TUNGO SA KATUPARAN NG MGA PANGARAP

NG SAMBAYANANG PILIPINO

Sa tatlong buwan ng aking pangangampanya, inilahad ko sa ating mga kababayan aking pangarap para sa ating bayan—masarap na pagkain sa hapag-kainan ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino, trabaho at kabuhayan para sa lahat at edukasyon para sa mabuting kinabukasan ng ating mga anak!

Ang katuparan ng ating mga pangarap ay dapat masimulan sa pamamagitan ng maayos pamamalakad ng ating pamahalaan.

Kailangan nating masiguro na may transparency at accountability sa lahat ng transaksyon ng pamahalaan. Kayong lahat ay may karapatan na malaman kung saan ginagastos ng gobyerno ang perang inyong pinaghirapan!

Mahalaga ding ayusin ang ating ekonomiya upang mabigyan ng trabaho ang ating mga kababayan. Trabahong magbibigay sa inyo ng pagkakataong mapabuti ang buhay ng inyong pamilya.

Subali’t higit sa pagbibigay ng trabaho, kailangan din nating palakasin ang entrepreneurial spirit sa ating bansa.

Ang isang uri ng pagbabago na mahalagang maisulong natin ang pagbabago ng kaisipan. Tinuturuan tayo na ang dapat nating abutin ay magkaroon ng trabaho sa isang opisina subalit higit na mahalaga na maituro sa atin ay kung paano tayo makapagtayo ng sarili nating negosyo. Ang entrepreneurship ay magbubunga ng mataas na antas ng kalakalan, magdadagdag ng trabaho at magpapabuti sa buhay ng bawat Pilipino.

Kailangan nating siguruhin na lahat ng Pilipino ay magkakaroon ng libre at mataas na kalidad ng edukasyon. Ito ang aral ng buhay ni Jose Rizal at ng iba pang magigiting na Pilipino: ang isang mabuting edukasyon ay susi sa ating paglaya hindi lamang mula sa kamangmangan kundi sa kahirapan ng buhay.

Ito ang mga kailangang tugunan ng iboboto ninyong pangulo. Kaya buo ang aking paniniwala na napakahalaga ng usapin ng kakayahan at karanasang mamuno sa ating pamahalaan.

Dahil sa patong-patong at kabit-kabit nating suliranin, kailangan natin ng isang pangulo na may kakayanang simulang solusyunan ang mga problemang ito simula pa lamang sa unang araw ng kanyang pagkapangulo. Wala na tayong oras para magsanay o magpraktis pa ang isang pangulo.

PANGWAKAS

Sa tatlong buwan ng aking pangangampanya, natutuwa ako dahil nakadaupang palad ko kayo.

Kahit nakakapagod ang aking mga paglalakbay, nagagalak ako na nakasama ko kayo.

Kahit na masakit ang mga kasinungalingang ibinabato sa akin, tiwala ako sa talino ng mga Pilipino na makita ang katotohanan.

Tiwala ako na sa halalan sa lunes, mananaig ang kagustuhan ng sambayanan para sa isang lider na may track record at kakayanang solusyunan ang problema ng bayan at hindi yung puro ingay lamang ang kayang gawin.

Sa halalan sa lunes:

Hindi paninira kundi plataporma!

Hindi minanang yaman kundi yaman sa karanasang hinubog ng sipag at tiyaga!

Yan ang iniaalay ni Manny Villar sa sambayanang Pilipino.

SAMA-SAMA TAYO SA ATING TAGUMPAY!

SAMA-SAMA NATING TALUNIN ANG KAHIRAPAN!

MABUHAY KAYONG LAHAT!

MABUHAY ANG MGA PILIPINO!

MABUHAY ANG BAYANG PILIPINAS!

It is not as if it is being said for the first time. I repeat what others have said that failure of election will not come from the PCOS but from two other machines – FV (Filipino voter) and FC (Filipino candidates).

The machines are so out of date, they cannot function properly for the selection of leaders for our country. The FV is out of sync and performs as if it has nothing to do with why he is voting a particular FC. The FC operates within this flaw and produces results with nothing to do with FV.

That in brief is the problem we face when the results are known after May 10. When disaster strikes and the country malfunctions (with candidates declaring beforehand that they will not accept defeat) let us put the blame on those who refused to accept that the machines are not and cannot work unless these are fixed.

* * *

Among those I turned to in my quest for information that would help voters choose a qualified candidate to be our president is another family friend of both the Aquinos and the Agulars. They formed a tightly knit Filipino community in Boston. Let us just call him Jim because, he, too like so many others who have something to say about Noynoy as unfit to be president of the Philippines does not want to expose himself.

* * *

Dear Ms. Pedrosa

Just when I think of giving up on RP…because it doesn’t want to be helped…I meet someone of your high stature—who is into saving RP (from dud leaders?). I am naturally encouraged again. To go into your inquiry, I am sorry to tell you that I do not have any medical information about Noynoy.

Seriously, I don’t hope to go into that route. I have always relied on my own personal observation and inference in evaluating a person, and that is how I form my idea of someone who should not even think of being president.

I’m sorry to sound preachy, but I think it is time for us Filipinos to discern that way about candidates who simply “like” public positions, but which are out of their aptitude.

The Agulars and I stayed together everyday of my trip there leading to the Upsilon reunion at the Manila Polo Club. Steve and I belong to that Batch. And to his widow and son’s family, it was a sentimental reunion with “Steve’s brods.”

To this day, we are each other’s extended families, as when we both lived in Massachusetts.

Personally, I think the Agulars, (especially the late Dr. S. Agular), are apolitical. But they are very loyal to family friends. The Aquinos are one.

In politics, I am more loyal to RP ( the Republic of the Philippines. That’s why Gordon is my candidate. I wish to read more of your regular columns. I think we have many sensible things in common about what is good for RP.

This letter was followed by another.

Thank you for this attention…tho’ undeserved… but I would rather not be another ‘witness to corroborate’ the imperfections of Noynoy. I believe we have enough evidence in the open to convince a nation that Noynoy should best be left to himself…not running for president…and certainly not be used—not by his sisters, not by his relatives, and not fussed about by the media.

Unfortunately, the RP media abetted this yet another political aberration. It’s our culture and our habit to promote the bizarre and the incompetent, e.g. Erap, Lapid, Revilla, etc.

We prefer to be entertained, it seems that way. And this might sell newspapers, but it carries no responsibility.

I could not believe, for instance, the headlines that came out from both The Philippine Inquirer and the Philippine Star newspapers. They actually hailed the dramatic internal struggle of Noynoy to make a decision for the ‘big plum.’ Is there a movie about this heir cashing in on a huge political inheritance?

That’s right…the media played a big part in making a Noynoy attractive to the millions of impressionable voters. Of course, it’s not lost in me that we (you & I?) might be that child yelling to the crowd that the king is shriveled in the head, and has no clothes.

But we have to look back some 30 years ago. How much can we rely on Pinoy “kantiyaw” humor…things said in anecdotal bantering of a small party of friends?

In MA then, I remember asking why…”itong anak ni Ninoy ang layo kung sumagot.” (not in the presence of Ninoy, of course.)

And the answer I got was: …”kasi may kulang.” …which was consistent with what I thought was a missing bolt in his head. (never occurred to me that he would run for president, let alone his mother, Cory!…years after. Cory, I think, was a disaster for RP.)

Thirty years since…I repeated the incident, and the answer I got was: “ikaw naman…! ‘di naman gano’n ang ibig sabihin ng “kulang”.

And what did it mean? The explanation was that…he was “kulang sa pansin ng tatay”….because all the attention was given to the (spoiled) youngest, Kris. And this, supposedly, had a big impact on the “kid.”

I see…but not quite. I may get into EXPLANATIONS, but still this is not the DISCUSSION I want to get into with my friends. So I left this matter to rest. Besides, it is a 30 year-old personal observation of a “kid”. Times have changed. I’m often chided. Even some people are able to get out of cancer, so I’m reminded.

Today, I am further reassured, “Have you heard Noynoy speak lately? He KNOWS how to speak in public now.”

And is this why ‘that kid’ is urged to run for president?!?

* * *

These letters reinforce the opinion that the validity of a psychiatric report on a person’s ability to lead does not rest on whether the report was signed. Indeed the report can be true even without a signature.

What is necessary is that what it reports can be verified through other means. It is not the signature that makes the report. Experts arrive at their conclusions by observation, asking questions and then evaluating their observations through the prism of knowledge through textbooks and experience. Ordinary people can do the same without having formal expertise.

Reports do not become bogus for a lack of signature. The details of the report have been reported widely and interpreted by its readers according to what they hear, what they see, and make their own profile of the person concerned.

May 8, 2010 (Saturday) Carmen N. Pedrosa

Estrada said Aquino’s statement, made in a press conference Wednesday, made it appear he would be overdependent on his vice president in running the affairs of government, which was not a sign of good leadership.

“As President, you alone exercise the powers of the executive, although you can delegate your functions to your Cabinet members. You have to take responsibility for all your decisions, major or minor.

You cannot blame your vice president or any underling if something goes wrong,” he told the Manila Standard.

Estrada again also criticized Aquino for acting as if he were already the winner of the presidential election. “Please do not be so presumptuous as to claim victory in the upcoming elections,” he said, addressing Aquino.

PMP senatorial bet J.V. Bautista said that while the vice president was traditionally given a Cabinet portfolio, there was strictly no power-sharing.

“The Office of the President is one whole and its integrity cannot be distributed at any point because the President is the Chief Executive. Noynoy does not know the nature of that office. Most likely, he did not pay enough attention to the workings of the presidency during the time that his mother [the late President Corazon Aquino] was the chief executive,” he said.

Bautista said Aquino’s statement implied that he “does not intend to be a full-time, 100 percent President.”

“He does not have sufficient experience to handle the job. He is conceding a greater portion of the job of the President to the vice president,” he said.

Another senatorial aspirant, Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, said Aquino’s statement could be intended to appease his running mate Manuel Roxas II after some of his allies openly campaigned for former Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay as vice president.

Plaza said his understanding was that the Liberal Party tandem had a pre-election agreement that Roxas would have the prerogative to put his people in 60 percent of Cabinet positions.

“They are quarreling over that. Even now, Noynoy [Aquino] is facing a lot of problems because there are many power blocs in his camp. One bloc would try to overpower the other blocs and that is giving him problems,” Plaza said.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada said Aquino was paying a debt of gratitude to Roxas, who gave up his own presidential ambition to make way for him.

Former senator Francisco Tatad added: “The President sits on top of everyone. His powers are not to be shared with anyone. If he takes a leave, there is an acting president and that is the vice president.”

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/may/7/news1.isx&d=2010/may/7

By the way, Hacienda Luisita’s 6,443 hectares is worth potentially, P190 billion—P3,000 per square meter multiplied by 64.43 million square meters. The P3,000 per sqm is usually the price of an idle farm land in provinces immediately north and south of Manila, once a highway or a major development is injected into it.

I drove through Hacienda Luisita yesterday morning entering the Luisita gate of the SCTEX and I saw on both sides of the first-class expressway miles and miles of green fertile land. Noynoy and his sisters own 16.6 percent of the hacienda. Multiply 16.6 percent by P190 billion and you get P31.5 billion.

Noynoy has had a good education. The Jesuits take care of their alumni well. Look at what they did to Manny Pangilinan. MVP was easily let off the hook after plagiarizing his commencement day speech, which was also an acceptance speech for his Ateneo honorary doctorate degree.

Noynoy has had a good barkada. Ateneo has probably the best old-boy network a student can cultivate from his alma mater.

Noynoy has had plenty of girl friends. A girl was killed with him in the middle of a coup during his mother’s presidency.

He has had plenty of gadgets and toys. Guns (at least nine licensed with his name). Noynoy has not had a stable job, except for brief stints as a sales manager for Nike shoes, shorts and shirts, a manager of the family-owned Hacienda Luisita, and the co-owner of a security agency that got sweetheart contracts from the government.

Noynoy has never run a household because he has none. He is single. There are 16 million households in the Philippines.

Noynoy has been member of the Philippine Congress—9 years as congressman and 3 years as senator. During those 12 years, he didn’t produce a single law that carries his name. Senator Lito Lapid, who is supposedly stupid and cannot manage a good English sentence, produced a law. Senator Antonio Trillanes, who is in jail and cannot attend Senate sessions, produced two laws that carry his name.

On May 10, if you believe surveys, Noynoy will be elected president of the Philippines, running away with 38 percent of the vote with at least 15 million votes—six million more votes than either Joseph Estrada or Manny Villar could garner.

Noynoy will be CEO of this country of 95 million people, CEO of the government, and CEO of 16 million households. Now, that’s luck.

In a way, the Cojuangco and Aquino families are one of the luckiest political families on earth. In 1983, Ninoy Aquino died, by assassination. In 1985, widow Cory Aquino, a plain housewife, ran for president.

Doy Laurel had to give up his presidential ambitions and downgraded himself to vice president. She promised to make Doy prime minister. Cory won. She swore in Doy as prime minister at 9 in the morning of February 25, 1986. By noon, Doy lost his job as pm. The government was changed from parliamentary to presidential.

In August 2009, Cory Aquino died, of cancer. Noynoy Aquino decided to run for president. Mar Roxas had to give up his presidential ambitions and downgraded himself to vice president. If Noynoy wins, I hope he gives Mar some useful, meaningful job, in addition to being a spare tire.

How come, when somebody dies in the Cojuangco-Aquino family, someone must ran for president, someone must downgrade to vice president, and an Aquino must win the presidency?

Isn’t one presidency enough? Look at what happened with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo—the second Macapagal president. The first and second Macapagal presidents were elected 42 years apart.

Isn’t the fact that we must again elect, after nearly a quarter century, another Aquino for president proof that the first Aquino presidency was a failure?

Does the nation really owe the family that much? How come Filipinos have so much faith in the Aquinos? Isn’t Hacienda Luisita enough reward for their years in politics?

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/16624-does-the-nation-owe-the-aquinos

On her provocative talk show on DZRH radio yesterday, host Dr. Cora Claudio posed the question of how voters should make their choices as to whom to vote for. My answer was that choices should be made on the basis of two factors: i) a candidate’s public record of achievement, and ii) the sources of funding being used by a candidate in his campaign. For me, those are the more solid bases we voters have for discerning what candidates would do and achieve once elected. Campaign rhetoric is worthless for this purpose.

As perennial victims of empty political promises, we should all be acutely aware of how politicians will say anything while running for office and how they will then develop Alzheimer’s about what they promised once voted into office. I said on Dr. Claudio’s program therefore that we should ignore what candidates say during the campaign and, instead, look at what they have actually done or achieved in their lives prior to that period. A particular record of accomplishment is a far better indicator of a candidate’s performance in office than anything he actually says while campaigning for votes. It is a reasonable basis for us voters to judge if he will do what he says he will do. More importantly, it is a reasonable basis for us voters to judge if the candidate can do what he says he will do. “Can” addresses capability; “will” speaks only of intention.

In addressing capability, a candidate’s sources of campaign funding indicate, at the minimum, his constraints and, at the maximum, his agenda. Major funders of political campaigns are not known to be altruistic individuals who will part with sizable portions of their fortunes simply to satisfy an unrelated third party’s political ambitions or to achieve a public good. These funding sources naturally expect private gain from their financial contributions and invariably demand that their financed candidate either protect their economic fiefdoms from competition or use government power to bestow on them lucrative rackets. “Rackets” do not mean just jueteng, drugs, and smuggling, although operators of such rackets are now the biggest contributors to political campaigns. Rackets also include the corralling by favored cronies of overpriced importations of coal, rice, and other major commodities, the massively padded construction of selected public infrastructure, and assorted “sweetheart” government deals.

Being a teacher of management and a former practicing manager (although, admittedly, not a very good one), I am more aware than most of how effective or ineffective management spells the difference between what is achieved and what is not achieved by an organization. I am also more aware than most that management skills are acquired skills (not inherited ones) and require management experience to actually develop.

This is why — for me — presidential candidate Aquino is not a “reasoned” choice but a “wishful thinking” choice. In the private sector, selling Nike shoes or handling security at his family’s hacienda or lending his name to a security agency set up to obtain government service contracts does not constitute management experience of any consequence. In Mr. Aquino’s 12 years in Congress, filing a tiny handful of bills and not being able to get any of them passed indicates laziness, ineffectiveness, disinterest, or all of the above. It is pure wishful thinking — of the sort indulged in by schoolgirls who imagine that a “Prince” on a white steed is not in fact a self-absorbed and vacuous pomposity — to even consider that such an underachieving individual is going to be the “savior” who can rescue this country from bad governance and raise all of us peasants up out of our economic sinkholes.

In contrast, presidential candidate Manny Villar has exhibited undeniable achievement in both business and politics. In business, he has built a property empire starting from two used gravel-and-sand trucks. That shows industry, determination, perseverance, and management expertise. The scale of his achievement is not readily appreciated by those who do not understand what it means when global investors actually gobble up shares in a Philippine company in a public stock offering done in New York. In his stint in Congress, Mr. Villar has filed well over 700 bills and has gotten 54 of them passed, including such significant ones as the “Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act,” the “Overseas Absentee Voting Act,” the “Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act,” “An Act Granting Additional Benefits and Privileges to Senior Citizens,” and the “Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act.”

My bias is for demonstrated achievement because intentions (no matter how noble) are — until they are realized — merely scratches on paper or noises in the wind. To achieve a group objective — and governance is a group activity — requires the ability to manage. Given multiple objectives and the variety of competing interests, the task of managing government is particularly difficult. Translating good intentions into concrete achievements is not something reasonably to be expected from someone inexperienced, lazy, uninterested, or weak.

In this light, Mr. Aquino’s campaign slogan of “Kung walang korap, walang mahirap” is — without commenting on the logic of the slogan itself — essentially meaningless if one is not convinced that Mr. Aquino has the abilities to achieve either the elimination of corruption or the elimination of poverty. It’s a squeak in the wind.

The government of former President Cory Aquino, Mr. Aquino’s mother, offers the perfect illustration of what I mean. Lacking management expertise, Mrs. Aquino’s (presumed) good intentions never had a chance of being realized. In fact, her government was certifiably a mess because she simply did not have the skills to control what was called Kamag-Anak Inc. and the other competing interests in her own coalition. She was also incapable of installing a management system that would enable her to determine that her programs (assuming she had them) were being implemented and that her subordinate managers were progressing toward congruent goals.

I don’t bother to respond to hate mail from rabid Aquino supporters because I find it useless to engage in a discussion with individuals whose holier-than-thou attitudes only manifest closed minds. But to those who appear to be open to reason even as they might question my preference for presidential candidate Manny Villar, I say basically that our respective decisions proceed from different sets of assumptions (as well as different information sets).

We all make basic assumptions when we cast our vote. Those for Mr. Aquino assume that he will — despite his glaring lack of achievement and a public record distinguished only by his congressional defense of the Hacienda Luisita massacre and his vote (supporting Gloria Arroyo) against the playing of the “Hello Garci” tapes — be a good leader. Those for Mr. Villar, like me, assume that — having already raised some P23 billion from the sale of his company’s stock in New York — Mr. Villar is after a psychic return and not a monetary return on the maybe P2 billion he is spending on this campaign and that he will, if he wins, apply his demonstrated managerial abilities and first-hand understanding of the problems of the poor to reform this country and actually lift it out of the economic cellar.
Most voters, I am certain, want their vote to lead to a better future for this country. As best they can, these voters should apply reason to the making of their choice. To vote on the basis of wishful thinking would be irresponsible.

- Rene Azurin
Business World

These are the conclusions from his opinion:

1. The Ateneo could engage in mental reservation, without telling a lie, which would tend to discuss the validity of the Noynoy medicacl report.

2. Based on moral theology, given the position he is running for, Noynoy is obliged to disclose the state of his health so that voters have a basis for voting. That is the practice in America.

From: xxxxxxxxxx
To: “Reburiano, Fr. Mark”
Cc: xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, April 27, 2010 5:49:20 PM
Subject: URGENT: YOUR OPINION PLEASE FATHER MARK

Hi, Fr. Mark.

I pray that everything is fine with you.

Philippine elections are around the corner.

Father, I have a question that relates to Moral Theology.

There is a national issue on the health of a leading Presidential candidate. There have been written reports on his mental health but the institution for which the indicated authors of the alleged reports has denied the veracity of the reports. These are psychological reports which involve highly confidential matters, which are not normally revealed without the consent of the client involved.

The question is:

1. Is there an established principle in Moral Theology that says that people who have been entrusted with professional secrets or other secrets may convey a falsehood (not technically a lie) or at least a broad mental reservation when queried by a party who may not be entitled to that information?

2. If the information relates to the mental health of a Presidential candidate, is not the entire country entitled to that information?”

Since these questions are of national importance, may we have your permission, Fr. Mark, to disclose your opinion to other people?

Thank you very much.

God bless.

xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx
From: Mark Reburiano
Date: Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 3:47 AM
Subject: Re: URGENT: YOUR OPINION PLEASE FATHER MARK
To: xxxxxxxxxx
Cc: xxxxxxxxxx

dear tito xxxxxxx,

thanks for your messge. all is well here at st. gregory’s. i can’t believe i have been here almost a year already. time flies.

it’s good to know that there are people like you who work hard for the best interest of our country. please keep up the good work. the good lord is with you and may the holy spirit empower you always.

regarding your question, there is a moral principle that persons who are involved in internal forum (like counsellors, therapists, spiritual directors) may not disclose any information to others in so far as the information is/are obtained from an internal forum. by internal forum, we mean counselling sessions, spiritual direction session (and for priests, in confession which is absolutely confidential). there is confidentiality that is to be respected in these sessions for the good of the person who is asking for help from counsellors/therapists. counsellors are asked not to comment in any way as not to give a hint to the public or for giving others an occasion for a guessing game. however, if the psychological testing is a requirement (let’s say for example in job application, school entrance process, etc), the counsellor can say to the concerned persons like employer, school administrators) that the directee is seeing him/her. but the counsellor has the right to mentally reserve an information (which is not a lie) obtained in the pschological tesing even if it’s a requirement. yes, this moral principle is called mental reservation. the counsellor though should be careful not to tell a falsehood or a comment that would be suggestive .

moral theology uses the word “may” because it’s up also to the directee or the person seeking for counselling if he or she wants to disclose an information; or he/she might ask or give permission to the director/counsellor to disclose an information. but note that it should be with the consent of the directee or the person seeking for counselling. the counsellor can only suggest without obligating the directee to disclose if the counsellor judges that the directee should disclose something.

however, given the nature of the post/responsibility of the person (the directee) involved if he/she is elected (in this case as the head of state), he/she is morally obliged by virtue of conscience, responsibility and prudence to let the public know his/her medical (which includes psychological as pschology is a branch of medicine) health status so that the public knows before deciding to vote. but, it’s also up to the candidate’s conscience whether he/she wants to disclose it or not. by right conscience, he/she should let the public know and give the public the benefit of the information before they vote. for the counsellors/therapists/spiritual directors, they can’t be obliged under any circumstance to tell the public, and they cannot tell the public unless the candidate tells them to do so (with his/her consent). but again, if it is in the sacrament of reconciliation, the priest can’t disclose anything. during the confession though, the priest can advice the candidate to disclose his/her psychological ability/information/record to the public. but the priest can only advice and cannot force the candidate to do so. it’s still up to the conscience of the candidate.

my hopeful take on this is that the candidate will be enlightened by his/her conscience and realize that the public should know about his/her medical status. we do that here in the US where our presidential candidates disclose their medical record so that the public will know if the candidates are fit to serve. it will be selfish for the candidates not to let the public know. after all they are “public property” once they apply for public office, and so the public should know. after all it’s for the good of the public and not for the good of the individual candidate.

you can disclose my opinion (which is based on moral theology) to others. i hope this can help you.

god bless you and your family. keep the faith. take care always.

frmark