Eraptions

It is again time for Eraptions, now that Erap has declared his intention to run again for the presidency.
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Erap to Cardinal:  Hanggang ngayon galit pa ang simbahan sa akin.  This is unfair.
Cardinal:  Why did you say that?
Erap:  Mayroong Sabado de GLORIA, Sagrado de CORAZON, at Domingo de RAMOS.  Bakit ako wala??? Eh, I was also a President!
Cardinal (after a careful thought):  OK, from now on, yours is ASS Wednesday!
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Erap dreamed that he died and went to heaven. St. Peter gave him Ai-ai delas Alas as partner, saying, 'Kung mabait ka sana , mas maganda ang partner mo.'

Erap saw Chavit with Gretchen Barretto and said, 'Bakit si Chavit, mas madaming kasalanan, si Gretchen ang partner?'

St. Peter: Hijo, parusa yan kay Gretchen.
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Why did Erap shoot his wife when he bought a house?
Because the contract reads: 'Execute all 3 copies together with your wife...'

Cory's death further isolates GMA

When I woke up last Saturday, I was expecting the GMA-friendly press to harp on the meeting between GMA and Obama. The TV news last Friday night was already half-agog with the success of the meeting. It is no secret that GMA was angling for a meeting for the longest time.

To many's sad surprise what instead greeted us was the news of Cory's death. She had a tough battle with cancer and we knew she'll be gone soon, but the news still jolted the Filipinos. The beloved former president, the symbol of democracy, the brave widow of a martyred hero, is gone. And with that whatever trumpeting of the GMA-Obama meeting was trumped. Even in death Cory spoiled GMA's glory.

In no time at all, the networks pulled all the plugs and flooded us with profuse praise for the former president. It was people-power relived even for a short while. We are again united. But as if to validate Imelda's rehabilitation two decades hence their ignonimous exit, little mention was made about the former first lady and her excesses. The Inquirer's report on her 80th birthday last July seemed like a report from a martial law controlled paper. Yes, today even Imelda enjoys better press than Gloria.

In an interview at her mother's wake, Kris Aquino thanked the Marcoses for their prayers for Cory. Later she also thanked Erap. But she expressed hurt feelings about the present administration's withdrawal of the security detail for her mother. She also effectively refused the offer of a state funeral. Cory's family is not even  keen on seeing GMA at their mother’s wake or funeral. Meanwhile, a coup plotter during Cory's presidency salutes (click here video) the dead president. Col. Ariel Querubin said "It is no secret that I was one of those who led the coup against her administration in 1989 and I am glad that 20 years then, the wounds brought about by that exercise have begun to heal. At this time of national grief, and in her honor, I give my former Commander-in-Chief my snappy salute. Farewell, Mrs. President."

Healing the wounds of EDSA is one of GMA's priorities. That may be happening but no thanks to this administration. GMA's increasing isolation hastens the healing process. And as soon as she is gone, the nation will again become as one.

Lies + verbal jabs + fashion statements + patutsadas = Twitter top trend

As expected, many find the SONA as a pack of lies. The Philippine twitter scene was abuzz. Jim Paredes was impressed but wondered what country GMA was describing. I pity her ghost writers now. She must miss the previous ones who managed to give her speeches some tone of credibility. Or it must be simply that her credibility has gone down south so much that anything she says sounds like lies.

I will let the experts dissect and analyze the details. I found the fashion statements and the patutsadas more interesting. The first photo (from the GMANews) shows Rep. Liza Maza in a white katsa (flour sack) gown. The gown is hand-painted with a golden image of GMA, who is shown weaving an embroidery of the constitution (Con-Ass), while the people below her are strangled by its thread.

The second photo (also from the GMANews) shows Rep. Riza Hontiveros celebrating GMA's last SONA in a white pearl-scale gown embellished it with a red floral accent and a yellow ribbon for Cory.

But the real eye catcher is Sen. Loren Legarda's gown. That ensemble made Sen. Miriam Santiago look like her alalay.

Based on what I heard at the SONA, I think Sen. Manny Villar may yet end up as the administration candidate. Understandably, GMA will not hit his partymates at the SONA. But she swung at her opponents. So in her potshot at Erap, who still dreams of returning to Malacanan, - "Those who live in glass houses should cast no stones. Those who should be in jail should not threaten it, especially if they have been there." - touche. She was just being her taray self.

Even her party mate, former president Fidel Ramos, received a joust. She said "the noisiest critics of constitutional reform tirelessly and shamelessly attempted Cha-cha when they thought they could take advantage of a shift in the form of government. Now that they feel they cannot benefit from it, they oppose it." It can be remembered that Ramos attempted charter change during his term.

She had some advice to presidentiables - "To those who want to be President, this advice: If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Just do it. Don't say bad words in public." It is an obvious dig at Sen. Mar Roxas who once cursed publicly in disgust. And where does Mar Roxas post his reply? In Twitter, where else - "Gloria, I have to say bad words in public because of bad deeds done in secret."

So why do I think Villar may yet be GMA's candidate? Despite his lead in the surveys (he was ahead of Erap and Mar), he was spared from the patutsadas as if he were a partymate.

GMA has to go now

GMA has to go now before the people drives her out of office. Filipinos are very patient. We put up with Marcos for a long time. During martial law, many rallies and protests called for FM's ouster. But even with Ninoy's murder, it still took quite a while before protests reached a critical mass. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back was election related. We remember Enrile admitting that he was ordered to produce votes in his province. We remember the walk-out of data-entry volunteers. Filipinos can bear with lots of government abuses, but not electoral fraud because we believe that election is the only way we can remove an unpopular leader.

The Filipinos patience was once again evident with the way we put up with Erap. The news of his drinking binges, lavish lifestyle and extramarital activities were not enough to anger most of the people. But with the jueteng controversy, the people believed it's his time to go. Maybe we didn't like the idea that the small change (a small fortune to most bettors) we bet being skimmed off. 'Munting pangarap na nga, kinukupitan pa'.

But what could have been GMA thinking? She has committed the two crimes that caused FM's and Erap's downfalls. Electoral fraud and jueteng. That shows how bad a leader she is, and how greedy she is. It won't be long before we, the people show her what we do with such leaders.