My women's tennis album 29 - March 2010

Why not Gibo?

While many concede that Gibo is the most intelligent among the presidential candidates, many are also quick to add that Marcos was also a very intelligent man. Marcos made intelligence a bad characteristic. But what really turns off many voters against Gibo is everyone's perception that should he win he will only protect Gloria's Interests Before Others.

His comment on criticisms against Mikey Arroyo's nomination as representative of a party-list group of security guards does not help erase the public perception one bit. He said "Is it legal or not? It's legal. Wala tayong magagawa (We can't do anything about it)."

Gloria and party has always bastardized and flouted institutions. They did it in the impeachment process, in the Chief Justice selection. Now they are doing it in the party-list elections.

So why not Gibo? Do we want six more years of Gloria?

My women's tennis album 28 - Alize Cornet

French lolita Alize Cornet is a 20 year old tennis pro from Nice. She reached no. 11 last year. Currently she is ranked no. 80 but to me she is definitely a top 10 in the beauty department.

Is the PBA for Noynoy?

Basketball and politics are two of the Filipino's favorite pasttimes. It is no surprise that the two often mix. Like some movie stars who used their fame as springboards into politics in the twilight of their careers, there are basketball stars who turn politicos after retiring from play.

There is now even a party-list group called PBA. I just don't know what marginalized sector of society they represent. Danding Cojuangco himself, who controls at least three teams in the PBA, ran for the presidency in 1998.

Today Purefoods and other players campaign for Noynoy. They are led by James Yap, who is the husband of Kris, who is sister of candidate Noynoy.

The import-laden conference started last night. But Purefoods won't be playing until maybe April 4. By then many teams have had played three games each. Is it because of some quirk in scheduling? Or is it to give Purefoods players time to recuperate after a tiring and injury-filled championship run? Or is it to give the players a chance to barnstorm the country in campaign sorties? While Danding is so far plays coy on who he is supporting, the PBA or the San Miguel league, seems to be supporting Noynoy.

The legions of fans are not complaining. Many are for Noynoy too.

White hair chronicles XXIII

Today is the 3rd death anniversary of my father. He would have just turned 71 if he were still alive. When he was my age today he already had two grandchildren. In contrast, my eldest is just turned 13 last year. My father dyed his hair regularly, I do not. An elementary school classmate of my father thought I was his brother. He was profusely apologetic when I told him I am a son not a brother. It's ok with me though. I just don't know if he thought I was the elder brother.

At SM grocery stores, they have a special lane for senior citizens (60 years old and above). SM personnel routinely tell me I can use that lane. I amuses me because it's still more than a decade away before I can use that lane. What amuses me more is they offer me a seat while waiting for my groceries to be checked out. It will worry me if they start to offer me a wheelchair.

Indeed I seem to excel in looking old. Maybe it's not just the hair. Maybe that's why pickpockets think they can easily pick things off my bag. Which they did successfully the other day when they took off with my cellphone, leaving my earphone literally hanging. On Monday, I want to look and walk the way I did last Thursday so they can pick my bag's pocket again. In the spirit of Jose Rizal's throwing of his remaining slipper when he lost one in the water, I'll let them take the phone charger and extra battery and earphone. I'll have no use for them now.

I recall that my father, being a lawyer, used to have connections with the police. I remember that he can ask his connections' connections to recover items snatched or taken through stick ups. Those were the times when a Seiko 5 was really a Seiko 5 and not just some cool knock off. I wonder if such connections still exist and whether people still want to go through the trouble of recovering stolen items. After all, replacing lost items seem to be the easier route than asking the police who'll just mulct you twice over. But I want my SIM back. It has been my number for the past 8 or 9 years. Maybe I would want to ask my father to assist me in recovering my phone and maybe sneak in a punch or two on the perpetrator. Never mind my brittle fists.

Pickpocket victim 3x over

A funny thing happened on my way to the office today. I lost my cellphone and ID/access cards to pickpockets. I took the usual MRT ride to Recto and crossed Recto to board a jeepney to the office. This is the most efficient way. Kid Charlemagne (Steely Dan) was playing on my cellphone. During Larry Calrton's riff, the music suddenly stopped. Instinctively I grabbed the phone to check if the earphone got unplugged, only to find out that my bag's zipper was open and the phone gone.

Realization dawned on me - nadukutan ako. I checked what else is missing. My ID and office access cards are gone too. Na naman.

So my dear friends, if you get a text message from me starting 7:00am Thursday March 18, 2010 Manila time, please beware. I tell you it's not from me.

More twenty years ago, my pocket was picked while in a jeepney also along Tayuman. I found out when I was about to get off the jeep. I blurted "yung wallet ko?". Two passengers suddenly alighted and I noticed my wallet on the space where they were seated. I took my wallet and checked. The money's gone but I lost track of where the two went. Then around three years ago, in Mabini, also in a jeepney, I was again a victim. And again today.

The phone contained contact nos., pictures of my family, to-do list, saved passwords to email accounts and social networking sites. Now I have to find an Internet cafe to change passwords since my office blocks access to social networking sites. Whew!

My new criteria for choosing the next president 2

I blogged last year about my new criteria for choosing a president. I wanted a childless president because the past 5 presidents had kids who had more guts than talent for showbiz. I thought Mar fits that criteria perfectly until someone commented that Mar has a son too. Mar confirmed this later.

Then came Noynoy. He fits the bill perfectly. He has links to showbiz, yes, with sister Kris and past girlfriends like Barbara Milano. But he is childless as of now.

And now people may have more compelling reason for voting Noynoy. Kris Aquino, his self-absorbed sister, has promised to migrate when she becomes a liability to Noynoy. She declared on TV in the aftermath of the Ruffa walkout: "On a last note, I promised Noy that if he does WIN, and I'm a cause of distress for him & his presidency, I'll gladly take my 2 boys to live anywhere there is TFC [The Filipino Channel] so that I can continue to work but w/ our overseas Filipino brothers & sisters. "

She made a tearful and difficult to watch (and distressing to Noynoy's candidacy) appearance last Sunday. It was so bad that the newscast that followed immediately afterward was a very welcome relief.

So there you have it. If you can't take this act anymore and if you want her to fulfill this promise, you know who to vote.

That funny Pacquiao punch, the singers that made us stand, and the singing that let us down

Here's the double punch that Pacquiao learned from FPJ and Lito Lapid. Also here's the version of the national anthem that made us stand erect in full attention. The flag certainly was not in half mast. And we also have Arnel Pineda singing the Philippine national anthem wrongly.

Pacquiao - Clottey The Un-Event

The Pacquiao-Clottey fight was dubbed 'The Event' but it was uneventful. The only highlight of the bout was the illegal pompyang punch thrown by the frustrated pound-for-pound king in the fourth round. He must have seen a lot of FPJ and Lito Lapid movies in his youth.

The cinema where I watched was packed full. When I bought my ticket about 3 weeks ago, there was just a handful of seats taken. Unlike the previous Pacquiao fights in the same mall where they had three cinemas for the fight, this time they used just one. But in in the fight venue at Arlington, Texas, they sold out all tickets, and more.

And unlike the previous fights staged in Las Vegas, there were few Hollywood celebrities present. Though they showed a lot of presumably Texas sports celebrities who are obscure to Pinoy fans.

The highlights were not from the fight. The Texas Cowboy cheerleaders really look good. They evoke memories of the Debbie Does Dallas movie and its copycats/sequels of my youth. Their rendition of the US national anthem is surprisingly simple but good. Their skimpy outfit and singing of the anthem should make Americans stand erect.

Which cannot be said of Arnel Pineda's version of the Lupang Hinirang. After the controversy about Martin Nievera in the Pacquiao-Hatton fight, the non-controversial version of La Diva, and the general perception that Kyla's version (in Pacquiao-Barrera 2) is the best, I thought Arnel will follow tradition. After all, he said so himself. But it seems the tradition now is to not follow tradition. So after following the standard arrangement in the first few verses of the anthem, Arnel Pineda decided to show the world the a la Steve Perry version. For that expect him to get the flak in the coming days.

The candidates - up close and personal

The Philippine Star conducted one-on-one interviews with the presidential candidates. Sara Soliven de Guzman was able to observe their mannerisms, body language, eye movements and their general behavior whenever crucial, controversial, irritating, or easy questions were asked.

Her general observations on Villar, Erap and Gibo fit in the general expectations or their known reputations. It is her observations of Noynoy which are more revealing, as they do not generally conform to the 'rumors'.

According to her, Manny Villar brings in an “entrepreneurial spirit” in the presidential race. He was frank, earnest, tactless. He had wit, intelligence and fiery drive. He surely will never run away from this fight!

Joseph “Erap” had a congenial presence. He is a seasoned, charming, candid, friendly politician. Erap is the “most charming” presidential candidate. He’s got the will to survive (in this race)!

Gilbert Teodoro had no “airs” whatsoever. He was very modest, friendly, and docile. He had a very pleasing personality, very respectful, quite spirited, serious and intelligent. He is the “politician” in the purest form of the word amongst the presidential candidates. He thinks fast, quite cunning and calculating, very sharp and clever. He is very convincing and irresistible.

Noynoy Aquino was generally kind, courteous, soft-spoken and tranquil. He exuded confidence especially when it came to affairs of the state. He is not naïve. He is the “pure statesman” in this presidential race. He is like a walking encyclopedia. Amongst all the candidates, he knows that a revolutionary change is just what the world and the people need. His vision has clearly put him way ahead of the rest.

I think I know who Ms. Soliven is voting for. I think we should go for him too.

Villar's net worth rises faster than GNP

A presidential campaign costs hundreds of millions if not billions. Manny Villar reportedly spent over half a billion in ads alone in October-December last year. Yet if he wins, he stands to earn just 60k pesos a month, which is in a 6-year term a little over 3million after taxes. Villar's spending is way over the top but the other candidates are also spending a small fortune.

Using available data from the Internet, below is a table of the candidates net worth over the years and the Philippines GNP. The data comes from a PCIJ article on the candidates rise in wealth despite poll expenses. The Philippine GNP data is from the IMF's World Economic Outlook. I used the previous available data to fill up the years with no available data. Then I prepared a simple line graph to see the relative rise in the figures.

As was observed by the PCIJ, the candidates’ rise in net worth typically came after an election year - while they were supposedly serving in office, while they should not have benefited from business from which they should have divested their interests. PCIJ also observed that the spike in their net worth even defied the slump in both local and global economy because of the financial crisis in 1997 and 2008.

The graph clearly show that Villar's (and to some extentGibo's ) rise in net worth is higher than the rise in GNP. The red line shows the Philippines GNP in current prices, the orange line is Villar's net worth, the green is Gibo's, Erap's is the dark orange, Dick's is the pink one, Noynoy's is the pitiful yellow languishing at the bottom. Erap's net worth rose sharply after getting elected in 1998. Gibo's net worth rose because of some lucky inheritance.  What is Villar's excuse?

	Noynoy	Erap	Gordon	Gibo	Villar	Phil., GNP (US$)
1992		3.41	8.3		75.43	52.982
1993		3.41	8.3		75.43	54.368
1994		3.41	8.3		75.43	64.084
1995		3.41	11.87		75.43	75.525
1996		3.41	11.87		319.92	84.371
1997		3.41	11.87		319.92	83.736
1998	8.7	3.41	11.87	80.17	319.92	66.596
1999	8.7	35.86	11.87	80.17	319.92	76.157
2000	8.7	35.86	11.87	80.17	319.92	75.912
2001	8.7	35.86	11.87	74.54	319.92	71.216
2002	11.98	35.86	24.92	74.54	481.5	76.814
2003	11.98	35.86	24.92	74.54	481.5	79.634
2004	11.98	35.86	24.92	74.54	481.5	86.930
2005	13.46	35.86	24.92	232.43	759.82	98.829
2006	13.46	35.86	24.92	232.43	759.82	117.534
2007	13.94	35.86	26.52	232.43	759.82	144.043
2008	13.94	35.86	26.52	232.43	1050.00	166.909

Manny Pacquiao on the Jimmy Kimmel Show 2

Manny Pacquiao again appeared in the Jimmy Kimmel show, this time to promote his fight against Joshua Clottey. The first time he appeared on the show he was rumored to bring along Krista Ranillo. He sang "Sometimes When We Touch" in that show. This time to make amends to his wife, he reportedly brought along Jinkee. And to top it all, he sang a reaffirming "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You".

Before his song number, Manny took a dig against Mayweather for the Fraud Gayweather's insistence for a blood test close to the fight. Manny said the boxers' job is to fight and not to make the rules. He repeated his willingness to fight anybody.

Sweet sweep for Purefoods

Congratulations to the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs for sweeping the Alaska Aces 4-0 in winning the All-Filipino Cup 2010. Their 10 point margin in the last game is the biggest win in the series. The 2nd and 3rd games were just 1 point wins and both came from questionable calls or non-calls in the end game. But this last win is also the sweetest because they won it in a clear and uncontroversial fashion. They deserve this title.

Alaska came out flat in the series, unable to match the energy of the supposedly tired Hotdogs. Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska?

It looks like my son 7-yr old Popoy will also be an avid sports fan. He roots for Purefoods. He took an interest in the game because of the fine semifinal series against SMB. To keep his interest I told him I'm for Alaska. Now he has bragging rights till the next championships.

PLAK! Hindi lahat pera ang katapat

Manny Villar thinks that everyone has a price. Unfortunately, Enrile, Erap and now Gordon, prove that this is not true. The way rumors circulate that he is GMA's hidden candidate make many believe it is not a rumor anymore because everyone's saying it. Villar sorely needs the services of someone like GMA's Defensor.

Gordon says he is fed up with Villar camp's propensity to use his money to get what he wants, including the presidency. "You can buy some of the people some of the time, but you can't buy all the people all of the time." The expected reaction from Villar is the usual hollow blanket denial. Enrile and Erap might have some credibility problems but somehow people believe them when they said Villar tried to buy them off. Now that Gordon is saying the same,  more people will be inclined to believe it.

It's Gordon's integrity against Villar's integrity. Let's see how Villar buys out the story.

PBA is still a San Miguel league

San Miguel Beer and Ginebra San Miguel may be out of the finals but there is still a San Miguel company competing for the crown. Purefoods is enjoying a 3-0 lead over Alaska in a best of seven affair. It could have been 2-1 in favor of Alaska if not for questionable coaching and inconsistent officiating. Tim Cone himself admitted bad coaching did them in. But he was being modest in taking command responsibility. He was not to blame. Blame falls squarely on the assistant coaches' failure to plot defensive and offensive plays down the stretch. Joel Banal, Dickie Bachman and Trillo do not match the scouting and planning skills of their Purefoods counterparts.

Then there is the sh*tty officiating. In game 2, there was no foul at all no matter what angle you look at the final play. Yet one was called and Kerby made the decisive free throw. The correct call in that dying situation is a no call. Purefoods benefited in that miscall.

In Alaska's final offensive thrust in game 3 there was a clear foul made on Miller and calling one would be justifiable. A no call is OK if we go by the reasoning why there should be no foul in game 2's last play. But this time Purefoods, once again, benefited from the no-call.

Coincidence? Or not.

Pacquiao vs Clottey ticket sales slow

Two weeks before the event, tickets for Pacquiao vs Clottey fight move slower than the previous Pac bestsellers. At SM malls they offer a complimentary cinema pass when you buy a Pac-Clottey ticket. I counted the number of tickets sold thus far at an SM cinema as indicated by the blocked markings on the seat plan. I counted less than fifty.

Maybe because many feel Pacman will win handily. Odd at Las Vegas stand at 5-1. Arum had to come out and say Clottey can upset Manny, just to generate some interest. At a boxing forum, nobody wants a sig bet against Pacman unlike his fights before when many are willing to risk two months of annoyance in posting up Pac sigs. At Club Filipino, I heard tickets cost less than 500 pesos including buffet breakfast and sales are still slow.

Maybe fans will just watch the the numerous free showings that will be sponsored by candidates. This is election season after all. I should have thought of that when I bought tickets yesterday.

Who do we trust?

A survey says Villar is the most trusted presidential bet. We have to take into account that the (Villar commissioned?) survey was held just before the C5 controversy boiled over. I'm sure his trust ranking plummeted after that cowardly denial of his wrongdoing. I'm curious how his trust rating stands now after Winnie Monsod exposed his culpability in clear and simple terms.

Meanwhile, Noynoy is among the most trusted Filipino in an independent survey by the Reader's Digest. He was bested only by non-politicians Rosa Rosal, Lea Salonga, Jessica Soho and Tony Meloto. Noynoy is the top politician in the survey done late last year. Villar is in 60th place in the list of 80 influential Filipino personalities ranked based upon the public’s perceived trustworthiness. Rounding out the bottom are GMA, Erap, and Hayden Kho.

Many different survey results are being flaunted by the different camps. Who among the survey firms do we trust? One statistic I trust is that 83% of all statistics is made up, including this one.

But who among the candidates do we trust, really? I don't trust the unnaturally-jet-black hair and the botox-filled face of the one with C5 at taga.

White hair chronicles XXII - I remember people power 1

Tempus fugit! It's now more than a generation since the EDSA people power revolt but I still remember vividly those heady days.

In '85, Marcos was still so well entrenched despite the swelling sentiment against his regime that he confidently called a snap election when pressured by his American masters. I personally thought there was no way Cory could win, even without Marcos cheating. The people were still deathly afraid of him. In my office then, a government corporation, the staff was even scared to talk about the signature campaign for Cory to run. Young and fearless, I did what to my office mates was unthinkable. I signed the petition. The signature campaign caught momentum and since then I knew Marcos' end was near.

I became part of my office's hakot brigade in the Batasan canvassing. The session hall was divided between the pros and antis. The government hakots composed the pros. The antis sounded to have more fun compared to the nervous air in the pros side. They  boisterously cheered each time Bono Adaza noticed small defects on a canvass. They booed when the chairman just said 'asteriks'. I cheered and booed with them even if I was on the pros side. I wandered around the corridors to find a way to get to the antis. When I got to the other side, I proudly waved at my office mates. Their shock and disbelief is still etched on my mind.

On the second day of the EDSA uprising, I asked them who's coming with me to EDSA. Although still very wary, many dared and went with me. The atmosphere was still tense, anything could still happen. But I believed it was just a matter of days before Marcos goes. They couldn't kill us all, I told my friends. By the fourth day, I was at home when it was announced that Marcos had fled. I went outside and shouted at the top of my voice "wala na si Macoy, lumayas na!".  Ah, those were the days.

Pacquiao sings

Manny Pacquiao's attempts at singing. This video is at Yahoo Sports.


This is a link to a video at TMZ.com of the PacMan singing La Bamba.

This is from Jimmy Kimmel Live.

For bad leaders people power is always a threat

“The Philippines has come a long way since 1986. We regained our freedom, our national pride and our will to get the country growing. Somewhere along the way, we became complacent. People power gained a partisan meaning which started to divide the nation once again,” this believe it or not, are the words of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as read by her stooge during the 24th EDSA anniversary yesterday.

“We have to be jolted into mass action once again to realize that sustaining our growth and freedoms meant constant vigilance not only to defend our human rights but also to protect our right to good governance...a dysfunctional government resulted in insufficient investments in healthcare, in education, even in the basic amenities such as clean water and electricity to remote barangays.” She was referring to Erap's aborted presidency and in effect justifying her ascension to power.

After her 10 years in office we remain off track in meeting our Millennium Development Goals (MDG) despite government-controlled statistics. Complacency crept in because her transactional politics weakened institutions meant for check and balance.

People power gained a partisan meaning that divides the nation again, GMA says. A beneficiary of people power herself, she does not get what it's all about. If the leaders forget why people ousts regimes and start to do as the ousted did, people power always threatens to divide a nation again.

Sinful and shameless

At yesterday's mass, the homily touched on confession as a powerful sacrament. The priest said fewer Filipinos are going to confession. True. Filipinos seem to never ever make mistakes. Filipinos almost never admit anything, even when caught red-handed. We don't have politicians like Clinton, Sanford, or Spitzer, and sports stars like Kobe or Tiger who come out in the media confessing their sins. We don't have the Japanese politicians who commit seppuku in shame. Instead, Filipino sports stars defiantly plead for their privacy while politicians who amassed wealth though their public office try to perpetuate themselves in power.