The Dizzying Philippine Politics

Our country gets exciting and dizzying day by day as politicians prepare for the big date -- the filing of candidacies. Meanwhile, we love looking from the stands and kibitzing about -- Grace Poe's real intentions, VP Binay's sudden turn-around; Sen. Trillanes' constant pressures on UNA and VP Binay, and many, many more.

Folks, I listen to DZXL radio every morning and find the tandem of Rogie and Lourdes very engaging. They have a down-to-earth style of commenting, analyzing the issues of the day. But I miss their No Direction Band music. Though sometimes their voices lack the proper pitch, still the music gives us the light feeling over the heavy issues that are daily discusses in print media, radio and TV. I think that they shoult restore the music -- it's the language of the soul. Besides, it is very natural to be off-key, as singing in that program is not a professional task at all.

So, if you want to sharpen your analyses, do listen to them. I think they are online also. Their number 8822374.

So what if VP Binay has resigned from the PNoy cabinet? He is still the VP that the people had voted. So he still has tasks to do for us, not just to pick on PNoy but to keep the people's hearts and mind burning for democracy. He was part of the People Power Movement and its defense against the Guardians under Enrile and Honasan who sought to dislodge Cory from power in 1989. And so his historical role cannot be ignored. He could recover from the suits he is facing now by truly mounting huge programs that will help alleviate the people's poverty.

Meanwhile, as to who I will be rooting for as President, that will depend on who will run by October this year. I do hope that we could have a make-over image of women who capture the highest or higher positions of the land and show them at their best with the people as the center of their efforts and attention, and not just as props for photo-ops.

Have lovely evening!

TO BE PRO-MASA

Politics is in the lips of almost every broadcaster nowadays. This early, the printed pages, radio and TV stations are full of news, rumors, gossips, opinions about this and that potential candidate for the highest or lower positions of the land. 

What does that say of our country? I think that it just shows that the people are very leader-oriented. We rely too much on what the next leader will promise or will bring us but does not say how we ourselves will act, say and move to better the lives of our countryfolks (including ourselves of course). 

So what does that show of our education as a people? Haven't we learned anything from the people power movement of 1986 and subsequent events imitating it? 

The purpose of people powering is to empower the people, to make them strong enough to trash an official if he or she commits an error in judgment or function. I think that in a way, we have achieved that. But who are left there standing, so to speak, that have not been dented at all despite their questionable backgrounds and inclusion in the PDAF (priority development assistance funds) scandals? It seems that our sense of justice is quite skewed to present officials who are close to the powers that be. 

So has there been any change since 1986. 

Worse yet, some candidates being touted as potential leaders have a scorched background of having gangster-like tactics in dealing with crimes, and one even escaped from the arms of the law and resurfaced scotfree of being judged at all. 

Thoroughness is what seems to be lacking in our pursuit of our realizing our principles in practice. We tease, we prick here and there but there is not follow-through. To do so is to be branded "makulit," or "sirang plaka," yet the issue is never closed at all. 

Maybe there is something in the way media directs itself. Perhaps we should have a weekly tickler in one column, detailing the different issues that have been discussed the past week and then our giving a status report. Monthly, we could also have a recap of the issues and find out which ones have been resolved or continue to irritate us. Yearly, we could then say if we have spent the 365 days as the best of our lives in changing our society to be humane, democratic and truly maka-MASA. 

WHEN RADIO ADS BECOME IRRITATING

THIS IS A WARNING TO RADIO LISTENERS:

1. Be more alert in listening to news that is interspersed with advertisements every two minutes. The announcer talks as if the ad he is reading is news. That is a ploy to make you buy the product, which is not really that special. 

2. Report to the authorities ads that downgrade women. Saridon, a pill, is advertised this way: "my isang lalaki na nagreklamo dahil sa kanyang madaldal na katabing babae: you are the palakol to my ulo..." That is just one among so many horrible adjectives and negative nouns he had used to describe the woman. This was aired several times over a radio station with a woman announcer whose first name is Nympha known for her political reporting. You see, even if she eats political news everyday, she is weak to reject ads that degrade women simply because the real boss behind the microphone is that guy who orders the technicians to air that ad. 

3. Campaign against ads that belittle indigenous products like lagundi and tawas. Lagundi was downgraded by no less than a giant in the comedy scene, claiming that a "padahon-dahon" na paggagamot will not do you good but  Solmux would. Eventually that ad was removed, or changed after a time. I talked to an alternative medicine doctor but he is too shy to campaign against it, having been a government official before in the health department. 

4. Campaign against the most recent -- Rexona ad that claims tawas is not effective. Actually, while taking the tricycle, a driver really smelled awful, the air wafting to me as he drove on. I told him to use tawas, which is only P5 per sachet and mix it with water. Now, no tricycle driver in our subdivision smells like a macho pig anymore. Rexona has become colonial in its advertising. You see how can the product compete when it costs P8, whereas tawas only costs P5? You expect the tricycle driver to go wild driving so he could add another  P3? No way, Mr. Unilever. You have stayed so long in the country, you should learn to respect our natural products and allow us to do away which your artificially and chemically made harmful products.
Actually, you could develop allergies using those strong medical products because of the chemicals used in their manufacture, whereas tawas is just so purely natural. 

Rexona even chides the train passengers to use it because the vehicle is too crowded with people. Well, if one is using the train everyday, then should he/she buy rexona every so often? A sachet of tawas mixed with water and alcohol will last for a month.  

It is so sad that I heard this ad after I had been listening to the tandem of Rogie and Lourdes, two of the hardest-hitting radio commentators today. There seems to be a latent message there -- for us to turn to another station as the advertisers had made an ad that would make us connote their opinions with "kili2 power".  By the way, the first ad of Rexona mentions that Tagalog word. 

So help us campaign against Rexona. 

Folks, the advertising world lures many honest people and especially those with integrity to use their talents and genius to pervert the people's values. Let us conscientize them to be humane and to use their God-given talents and skills for the betterment of this world. Let us also pray that they be brave enough to say no to make them pursue their art by negating all the Christian and humanitarian values that this planet needs.