My new criteria for choosing the next president

Why is it that all Philippine presidents, from Marcos to GMA, have children that cheapen themselves by joining showbiz?

In my youth, we had Imee Marcos. She was a TV and movie executive. She also tried theater acting. She was quite good, according to the controlled media. Was she really any good? If it's any indication, it must be pointed out that she's not making a living from showbiz.

Cory deposed Marcos, and in the process tossed Kris Aquino to the limelight. Kris is the quintessential trying hard showbiz wannabe. She threw away all class to appear with Rene Requiestas in Pido Dida movies where the characters are based on the comics Fido Dido. The cartoon character was created to make other people feel comfortable, but we never felt comfortable with Kris' acting. Thankfully she seemed to have found her niche as a gameshow host. But she's still all over the airwaves via CDs of her music, her showbiz talkshow, and commercials. Now she's making her son, less than 2 years old(?), the youngest Filipino with a music album.

Fidel Ramos. At first I thought Imee and Kris could learn some finesse from Ramos' daughters until Jo Ramos followed her predecessors and insinuated herself on showbiz by embarking on a singing career. He also married actor Lloyd Samartino. In the middle of her father's term, and we are again reminded of Michael Jackson's death, Jo Ramos lobbied to be the front act of Michael's 1996 concert here.

Then Joseph Estrada was swept into the presidency. We all know that the pudgy Jinggoy is not actor material but they were still able to cast him in lead roles. He won an acting award recently, but he's getting better press with his performance at the Senate.

Then Gloria Arroyo took over Erap, and to prove that the presidency emboldens one's kids to enter showbiz, Mikey Arroyo inflicted himself upon us. He appeared in such forgettable comedies that make watching paint dry less boring.

Now that elections are just around the corner, we may have another presidential offspring that will invade showbiz. If we want a stop to that, given the collective lack of talent of the previous ones, we should elect a childless candidate. Who might that be? A possibility would be Fr. Emong Panlilio. He's a priest. He should not have any children. Another possibility would be Mar Roxas. He's still single. Even if he ties the knot this year, I doubt if he will have a child anytime soon.

So if you're having a hard time taking your pick among the many presidentiables, you may want to consider the aforementioned criteria. That might just save our country.

White Hair Chronicles IV

I feel my white hairs reflect my age much more when icons from my youth are completely unknown to some who are just 10-15 years younger than me. This is especially true for people whose popularity did not transcend decades. Michael Jackson, for example, is still quite known to the 30s set, but few remember Farrah. And it is with celebrities like Farrah that the make the younger set they are that far detached from my generation.

My 12-year old son, Vito, knows Michael Jackson. He's never heard of Farrah. When told that Charlie's Angels is just a remake, he chuckled 'tanda mo na talaga Itay!'. But even people already in their 30s think my generation is way ahead in years. They do not know the Nicaraguan boxer Alexis Arguello, another icon, who died the other day. He was at his peak in the late 70's to early 80's. I remember him wanting to wage battle against the movement that toppled Somoza, their version of Marcos. Yesterday another icon passed away. Susan Fernandez Magno was a leading protest singer against the Marcos regime. Most younger people are clueless on who she was.

We have a curious situation in the country today. Activism is stronger in the 40+ age group than in the younger set. Those who were in EDSA in '86 are still the ones who will troop there when called. The 20s and the 30somethings are numbed to indifference and too distracted to carry the torch. It is today's children, Vito's generation, who will keep it burning. It is our task to stoke the flame alive.

What's good to note is that the kids are up to the challenge. Thanks to retro fashion, they are more open to things from the past. And maybe the values and ideals we cling on to. Vito likes the Led Zep. A daughter of a former classmate wrote him a sweet letter on father's day. We have taught our kids well. Tunay nga, ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.

Happy Birthday Nanay Eliz

Today is the 69th birthday of my Nanay.

I googled July 2 birthdays and their horoscopes. It is interesting to note that the supposed characteristics of Cancer people are actually exhibited by Nanay. Consider this:

"Although July 2 natives are not likely to have a large circle of friends, those who are close to them are of paramount importance. In romance, they are never happy being involved in superficial relationships. They must be assured of a commitment, or they can never give their whole heart." - Nanay has always been a loving wife to my father, no matter what.

"July 2 individuals have strong ties to their families and may even count family members among their closest friends. They make good, but anxious, parents. They are never quite confident of their own abilities as parents and may often err on the side of caution." - Nanay is the best mother to our brood of 9.

"Because July 2 individuals tend to have a good sense of humor, they are unlikely to manifest the same problems with weight and diet that other Cancer natives may have. If they have a sedentary job, these individuals may need to get involved in a serious exercise program." - Right on again.

Other July 2 celebrants are Michelle Branch, Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Tisdale, Imelda Marcos. I bet they are or will be good mothers and they have great mothers, too, like the sources of the quotes below, but I am sure my siblings and I have the best.

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.  But a mother's love endures through all.  ~Washington Irving

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done.  ~Author Unknown

God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.  ~Jewish Proverb

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.  ~Irish Proverb

Happy birthday, Nanay! We love you.

Exactly a year before our glory

By this time exactly a year from now, by the grace of God and the will of the Filipino people, we will no longer have Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as president. Mark the date, June 30, 2010, for it is her last day in office, and hopefully further machinations to perpetuate herself in power will not succeed.

If we let someone the exact opposite of her name, someone so unworthy of her name and surname, stay beyond June 30, 2010, that will be very hard to explain to our children and grandchildren. Let us prove to them, like Rizal, that not everyone was asleep during the time of their forefathers.

It's the final countdown...

Transformers 2 - More than a peso per minute waste of time

Paying PhP161 to watch the 2.5 hrs. long Transformers 2 means you only waste your money at the rate of PhP1.073 per minute. Imagine if the movie was just 90 minutes long, then you would have wasted PhP1.78 per minute. So, despite the all-out assault on your eyes and ears, the movie still gives better bang for the back as you waste your money slower. What other film can give you that?

They made the film PG-13 so parents will have to accompany their pre-teen children to watch it. So the wife and I watched the film too, together with Popoy, 6, and Vito, 12.  There are clearly scenes not for kids, even if they watch together with their parents. There are pumping scenes by dogs. There is another scene with a small robot humping Megan Fox's leg. There is a seduction scene with a scantily clad woman astride Shia LaBeouf with the shot showing her panties. Then there is the scene where Shia's mom got stoned from some weed spiked food and said she would do anything to get an A.

There is a lot of sexual innuendos in the way Mega and Shia were about to conduct their video chat. The scene of John Turturro in thongs is grossly disturbing. But I have no complaints with Megan's other scenes;  she in hotpants on top of a motorcycle, and in a tank top running away from bombs.

Of course there is a lot of violence even if most of it is inflicted by robots on robots. The punching, kicking, stabbing actions will be imitated by kids. The movie bored me, but the head splitting sound effects on a full surround theater prevented me from dozing off. Moreover, I couldn't follow the story, but my boys did. The parents needed guidance on that aspect.