GRUMPY POLITICS SPAWN’S HATRED AND MISTRUST IN PUBLIC OFFICES

 

Political maturity is far more grumpy when politicians are stimulating hatred and mistrust against each other if only to swing votes on their respective sides. The camps of regionalistic or even tribal views are airing black clouds of doubt and the climate of indifference and comparability is what makes the political scene a very crooked and rough road to public office.

We can observe the diffraction of good politics when we try to define the wave of the political climate as it assiduously penetrate the minds of the voting public. The mudslings, now supported with iron trough filled with worms of rhetorics and uncalmly personal graft weaved by long painful desire to win a public office, wholly made up the whole process of the political campaign becoming a stage of theatrical blames while the public issues are being careened out of protraction causing the climate of hatred and mistrust among many. And this kind of politics is very contagious and unrelenting because it blindfolds the dangerous road to nothing.

The black props creatively drawn over night tables and caffeinated sticky hops can obviously undermine good political intents; even neophyte politicians are being attracted to it.

So, what’s the difference?

We can see both the professionals, or let’s say, the traditional politicians and the neophyte politicians, grappling against each other, pushing one to end, stimulating their own political groups to a point of contention, while secret combinations are being cooked up in a darkened room of bad inventions and creative theatrics to make their respective bandwagons loaded up with ammunition boxes to carry on the battle for public office. And this is a very expensive kind of politics because the irresponsible or even legitimate media itself can become an artillery of cannons, howitzers, missile launchers, and mortars of black propaganda purposely to pulverize political opponents.

So, we can see the pictures of politicians likely standing as war generals, carrying out a political battle, drawing every sphere of tactical and political offensives, against their opponents. Every group is a threat or a friend; every voter is a participant or a victim; every public office is a symbolic goal of success or a place of hatred and mistrust. The choice depends upon how politicians have drawn out their own face value in the eyes of mistrusted public, and vice versa.
The unlimited opportunity is great and the political field is still hungered with rarity and new creative inventions, bad or good, to win a public office; and media, legitimate or not, can offer a better perspective to win or lose. It also depends how big is your purse!

Meantime, we can feel the essence of political dilapidation and curtain raising ceremonies as it-pays-off activities for politicians. Campaign managers are busy scheduling appointments and media exposure engagements, pushing every button to stimulate a winning momentum for their candidates; wise decision-making is a place of refuge when it results good graphical image for their candidates in the sight of the voting public, as well as a place of frustration when it flops; but actually either place offers no comfort, only subjection.

On the moneyed perspective, we can observe how they desire a change in the stream of politics. They seemed participative in a way of unlikely vote decisions. Surveys are conducted to ascertain their voters’ behavior, but is not enough to guarantee a win-win situation on the part of the candidates when the particulars of the survey is intended to make-up favored candidates.

I believe surveys are conducted because survey companies are earning big profits on sponsorships. The behind-the-scene multi-national companies are the ones stimulating these surveys because they are aware that right candidates to support can catapult profitability on their sides. They sponsor surveys because they want to make sure that their political contributions will pay up a greater fractional value in terms of their usual business with government. No matter what will happen to elections, they have to offer a realistic business plan for the new government reign-holder.

As we can see now, the presidency itself is a great value for business. This is the most probable aim of every presidentiable. The opportunity to earn money is immeasurable in the back sides and slim side of the coin. Every single blank wall of a president or a vice president will be written with money signs right after their terms. Thus, graft and corruption is already a malignant tumor or a brain cancer; and the incruciating pain is incomparable than the cause of typhoon Ondoy or the El Niño phenomena; while its mucuous secretion when blown is very much sticky and contagious.

On the voters perspective, their feel of belongingness and acceptability is earned when politicians are reaching their homes and shaking hands with them. How joyful it really is! They just saw them in TV or heard their voices over radio, and now they are in front of them smiling, hugging, shaking, giving, and promising heavens out of their poverty; sharing the same hope and aspirations, as these politicians are trying to win their hearts and minds. The voters are truly happy with it and are even willing to share the same vision.

Finally, I should say this time that the political stream of Philippine politics is now journeying a very traumatic surgical operation from the sick bed of long-ago rhetorics and dyed promises of political traditions. It seems that even the new seeds of political hope is now turning into the arrays of false vision of patriotism, and sickened nationalism, as these political neophytes are competing the age-old political extremities that traditions can offer anew.

I hope their yielding to it is just fine, so that they can offer a new political stream that can bring out the best in Filipino votes. I just hope that the tadpole will not turn out a frog!

Pacman’s enduring legacy: a moment of peace to all the world

 

Manny Pacquiao game charisma attracted the whole world for a moment of peace in their lifetime as they witness the Filipino slugger went off a blow-by-blow struggle against a worthy opponent, Joshua Clottey. The historic effort that was witnessed by the whole world will always be a moment of truth that would endure as a legacy; that one moment in time, there stood a man, who overcome his own weaknesses to pursue a worth-dying feat and momentarily achieved the most precious time that legendary politicians failed to offer---a time of peace in the whole world.

Pacman is now a legendary icon in boxing history, many believe, surpassing records of known boxing icons like Rocky Marciano, Flash Elorde, Michael Tyson, and Muhammad Ali, to name a few; but, his lifetime history is rare among them---winning world championship titles in seven boxing divisions. And it all started in a dream and tight self-discipline.

In the Philippines, Pacman has become a “National Icon of Peace” as many ordinary people noted. When news spread like best-selling hotcakes or pizzas, expect that people will surely take a hold of it no matter what. They are all excited to witness the extraordinary fight that the “Pambansang Kamao” has to achieve in his lifetime. Some boxing professionals and fans all alike have envied his achievement but they know that it his time to achieve such highest peak of boxing profession.

During the fight, I can feel the whole nation holds its breath like death. When they see Pacman being hit by his opponent no one ever wanted to go to the restroom, take a drink, or eat the burger long held, and instead cheered though they are inside the theater or inside a neighbor’s house, they just wont care about it. Eyes were all focused on the screen. Even inside the threaters, people is clasped with both joy and fear; every breath has never taken a halt.

The twelve-round fight against Clottey was full of excitement. When Pacman executed a double-punch on Clottey, everyone were all shouting “One more! One more!” then laughed. But when they saw that the referee gave Pacman a warning, they suddenly realized that the punch was not allowed. They were saddened a moment and went on looking at the TV screen. At the end of the fight, I hear a few grand oldies saying “Pacquiao wins! We are very sure that Pacquiao wins!”. Indeed it was! Pacman won by a unanimous decision. Some said, it was, because Clottey just refused to punch and preferred defending his own face.

As people went off the TV or theater, you can see their satisfied eyes. The hero, they said, is really great. They even acted the double-punch of Pacquiao when someone asked about it while walking or having sharing spree with some friends. And it turned the whole crowd laughing. And they shared all together that happy moments till the next day and on.

On the other hand, there was no great lull in business activity during the fight. Restaurants, fastfoods, carenderia and kitchenettes, and even sari-sari stores with TV screens are filled with boxing fans while the busy streets or main thoroughfares of highly urbanized cities and municipalities are orphaned with vehicles. You can see lines of parked vehicles all around.

Meanwhile, I heard that there was an internal holdover order from some AFP big bosses to belay military operations against rebels to give soldiers more time witnessing the Pacquiao fight. I believe the same was also observed among rebel camps. Thus, an undeclared truce was felt last May 14, 2010, the day Pacquiao’s fists ruled out chaos and fighting, and peace reign the world over.

Of course, I can imagine international boxing bettors and moneyed politicians went to Dallas, Texas a week before the scheduled fight, purposely to arrange “business as usual”. The bets were all in million dollars. International banks were all busy receiving cash deposits or money transfers. Security encrypted laptop computers in an aluminum-plated case were all issued by these international banks to facilitate easy transfer of cash. Each bettor has to deposit the amount of his bet in a bank, consequently, the bank will facilitate encryption of the financial data onto the bank computers reflecting special dollar deposit tagged with “betting purpose only”, and both bettors were to enter a password onto the laptop. At the end of the fight, the bank facilitator will bring in to both bettors the laptop to re-enter the password and just a few seconds, the payment is completed. Easy money transfer is now at the tip of the fingers; ingenuity of modern-day technology.

Now, we can see Pacman has generated a lot of business. And this business will go on and on until he retires from boxing. Pacman is the only boxer in the Philippines who is wise and prudent. Many of our first well-known boxers like Rolando Navarette, Luisito Espinosa, and many others achieved great boxing feats but in the end left empty-handied. And I believe that Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will be the only boxer in the Philippines who’s build his own house out of a rag-tag dream. Indeed, he is the man!

Finally, I should like to say that we can build our own house too out of our rag-tag dream. And it shall come true when we look at Pacman even in a moment of peace.

Candidates’ Fever People’s Headache kicks off

One of the most remarkable event of time has come to the folds of the people today, February 9, 2009 as candidates’ fever and headaches kicks off for a 90-day presidential journey. I can mention the political parties that I believed all locked and loaded as the major key players of the contest: The Nacionalista Party of Senator Manny Villar, Liberal Party of Noynoy Aquino, Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino of Erap Estrada, Lakas-Kampi-CMD of Gibo Teodoro, Bangon Pilipinas Party of Eddie Villanueva, the Transformers of Richard Gordon, and Ang Kapatiran of John Carlos delos Reyes.

All systems go as these parties fired off in the air with their might and in every swing war-words are hitting every inch the armor of the NP beats while the latter is kept mummed within bounds of their own determination to rally the support of the people. Recent surveys only resulted to an intense mudslinging and political black propaganda by presidential beats who seemed to vitiate the full-fuel tank entourage of Senator Villar. We also observe that LP is resorting to black propaganda moves to win back lost territories from NP which is believed to be gliding high amidst critical issues on graft and corruption charges. I can only say indeed that it would seem to appear that the Senate Hearings on unethical charges on Senator Villar were really intended to discredit him and was resorted to pump down support comes campaign days.

On the other hand, the LP is hell-bent to quash off the raging popularity of NP. And by this show of force, it just turned back the pages of history when both parties, LP and NP, were the major parties contending against each other to win the political reins of government. Earlier before the campaign period, several political killings ensued unexpectedly, as COMELEC on its own political will, was busy trying to put into order the automation process of counting votes. In fact, I felt the heavy burdens of the COMELEC in this first-time ever event of their office. But the challenges are within the realm of their own powers to pursue it more instinctively unfazed of several conjectures and speculative views from every quarters of the major political parties. Kudos to the COMELEC!

Meanwhile, local party leaders are streaming within provided resources trying to employ or engaged in attention-getting activities such as film showing, relief goods distribution, medical and dental civic actions, group training and workshops, community organizing groups for livelihood and other employment opportunities, as well as well-funded Church-based volunteerism networks all in array of the major political bandwagons. We can observed that people who claimed to be independent or apolitical are now taking sides. They seemed to get tired of being a RORO individual in this swinging tide of election euphoria.

The media in the meantime are all in business. Political ads is one great business for one season and it costs millions of profits and high-gear media ratings. Election is the time for media bangers to let go both their previous and recent researches that would, sadly true, entangles the smooth bit-frozen air of the political climate. These political bangers allowed themselves to be paid and used by their political benefactors to glide against the tide of fair media spurts and instead try to discredit or even dishonor certain political opponents to the hilt! This is my bad impression to certain political bangers, they seemed to forget responsible media honor---that of presenting both sides of the coin and away with bad words that disheartened the feelings of many people. This is a disastrous actuation that embed enmity within the political air that scourges us. I hope they realize it.

It’s election festivities at last!, said one of the by-standers who were huddling each other in a waiting shed in our place. And everybody cheers to it! They talked about Villar, Noynoy, Gordon, Madrigal, Erap and other local political figures as they enjoyed sharing bunch of ideas about the outcome of the automated elections. These local peoples are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the COMELEC’s trying-hard efforts to make the election results fair and within a framework of a constitutional mandate. Though these people are speculatively cynical about the outcome of automated results, but most of them believed that it would be a new beginning for a clean and honest elections. They understood that it’s hard for first timers in casting votes, but they believe people can be used to it. The thought of easy voting comes first in their way of conversations or discussions. They felt excited over it but some of course have some fears which they can overcome.

Moreover, election day is war day, and the beat of its onrushing avalanche among communities of people is no longer a surprising epic. If you try to get the real feelings of the people, you could hardly determine their own self-intent plan about whom to vote. Again, a few of the political people is now geared towards buying votes or resort to political intimidations just as long as they get the vote they all wanted to garner around for their chosen beats and we can expect no less than this. Past favors are now being collectively evaluated and exhorted as it is one of the great factors that would greatly contribute to the winning edge of their favored candidates. The list is too long!

Finally, Let us just cross our fingers, or say, kneel down and pray, that this election will ultimately solve the ever grotesque art of political exercises that made this country both as a laughingstock or as a model of people power in all of the world. And I believe we can make our country a better place to live when we would contribute one bit of love to every million of dismay and disagreement. After all, we are the beneficiaries of our own good decisions.