The Men In Green

 

 

"The Man In Yellow" and "The Man In Blue"

He’s called, “The Fiscalizer”. A man born to a wealthy family. A man whose parents are considered as icons of democracy. Oh, not to mention, he has a bullet on his body. He is Presidential Candidate Benigno Aquino III or better know as “Noynoy.” The only son of the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino.

Carrying his name is not a joke. He has to live up with the expectations of the people, as well as the expectations of his family. Running in his veins are blood of public service. His political career started when he ran for Congressional seat in 1998. He served the 2nd District of Tarlac until 2007. He also became Deputy House Speaker of Luzon in 2004, but left the post when he joined the Liberal Party’s call for President Arroyo’s resignation. In May 2007, he ran for higher office and won. He got the sixth place among the senators who won the race.

As reports said, he has no plans of running for the forthcoming elections not until his mother’s passing took place. A lot of people, supporters, urged him to run for higher office because of the belief that as the son of a man and a woman who fought for this country’s democracy during the Marco’s regime, he might be the change that this country is opting for.

Know more about this man and his vision for the Philippine nation by visiting the website below:

Noynoy Aquino

*****

The “Mr. Palengke” tag has been stuck in my head. So whenever I hear his name, it’s really the one that comes to mind first. If my recollection is right, he was tagged as Mr. Palengke because he served as the Secretary of  the Department of Trade and Industry. But before his seat as DTI Secretary in 2000, he became part of the House of Representatives in 1993, wherein he became the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.. He served the people of the 1st District of Capiz.

His public service continued when he sough for higher office in 2004. Mar Roxas garnered a 20 million votes, which made him grab a title holding “the largest ever obtained votes by a candidate in any Philippine election.” It was during that election year as well that the “padyak” concept was popularized. That owed him from being “Mr. Palengke” to “Mr. Padyak”

True to his being a public servant, Mar was able to have had a lot of accomplishments, which include being “one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who is expected to shape the future,” as named by World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He as well was just recently awarded as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Fellow by the Singapore Government.

Get to know him more and his list of accomplishments through visiting the website below:

Mar Roxas - Country Above Self  

"The Pride of Olongapo" and "The Man Behind Pink and Blue"

  

“While he was the author of the success that is the Subic Bay Freeport, a twist of events took him away, but in time brought him towards a call to serve more people, this time as Secretary of Tourism. He knew that tourism was the country’s ticket to development – the fastest way to progress. Through his “Wow Philippines” campaign, the country became well-known abroad, and tourists started coming. Despite the challenges of the times, with the removal from office of the sitting president, the SARS outbreak, the Oakwood mutiny, the Dos Palmas kidnapping, and numerous bombings, not to mention the global terrorism problem, Secretary Gordon kept tourism afloat. In doing so, he lived up to his mantra – “tourism means jobs; where tourism advances, poverty retreats.”

To have further idea about Presidential Candidate Richard Gordon, visit the sites below:

Senate of the Philippines (14th Congress) - Senator Richard Gordon

Team Gordon 2010

*****

Everyday I travel the roads of EDSA. Everyday I encounter the pink fences that surrounds it. I also pass by blue overpasses, which actually led me to asking, “Why of all colors in the world, why use pink and blue?” As I traverse the long Epifanio de los Santos Avenue everyday - I guess everyone would agree - whenever I see these pink and blue stuff along the road, there could only be one man that could be associated to these, that is non other than Vice Presidentiable Bayani Fernando.

Before becoming the Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or MMDA, Fernando served as a three-termed City Mayor of Marikina. It was during his term that the city was tagged as the “best-managed cities and a paradigm of responsive and effective governance.” As proof to that, the City of Marikina earned 55 citations and distinctions during his reign.

To know more about Vice Presidential Candidate Bayani Fernando, visit his official website:

Team Bayani

Watch Out: Pres. and VP Candidates

In lieu to the forthcoming election, I would like to spend a lot of space in this blog to evaluate our dear candidates most specifically, our candidates for Presidency and Vice Presidency since they are the ones to lead the nation after their election.

I believe as citizens of this country, we all should take time to assess each one of them so we’d be able to come up with the right if not perfect decision come May 2010.

With that, let me share to you first the official (serious) Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates for May 2010.

(Note: I excluded the nuissance candidates or those who are to be declared as one. According to reports, there are about  a hundred presidential aspiriants and about thirty vice presidential aspirants who filed their COCs for the May 2010 Election.)

- Richard Gordon and Bayani Fernando (Bagumbayan-Volunteers for a New Philippines (VNP))

- Benigno Aquino III and Mar Roxas (Liberal Party)

- Gilbert Teodoro and Edu Manzano (Lakas-Kampi-CMD)

- Manuel Villar and Loren Legarda (Nacionalista Party)

- Joseph Estrada and Jejomar Binay (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino)

- Eddie Villanueva and Perfecto Yasay (Bangon Pilipinas Movement)

- Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal (Presidency-Independent)

- Nicanor Perlas (Presidency-Independent)

- John Carlos  De los Reyes and Dominador Chipeco Jr. (Ang Kapatiran Party)

In the coming days, I will take time to research on these people’s achievements, as well as their qualifications for the position they are running for. Like what I have said earlier, I believe it is important for us to know their capabilities so we’d have the best option.

I hope through this simple gesture that I’ll make, I will be able to help our nation select the best leader we could have especially during these times when our country is facing a lot of crisis.

God Bless US.

The Heat Is On: Maguindanao Massacre

Di pa man pormal na nagsisimula ang halalan, heto’t nagimbal na tayo ng
isang di matatawaran at kahindik-hindik na gawain ng ilan sa ating mga
kababayan. I personally condemn the people who did the now called,
Maguindanao Massacre. Nakakalungkot isipin na habang mula weekend hanggang
kahapon ay nagdidiwang ang bansa sa pagkapanalo ng ating kababayan na si
Efren Peñaflorida as CNN’s Hero of the Year, biglang may susulpot na
ganitong balita na sadyang nakapanlulumo nga naman talaga.

I am deeply saddened because of the lives that were taken unjustly. Mas
lalong nakakalungkot dahil pati ang mediamen na wala namang ginagawang
masama at ginagampanan lamang ang kanilang tungkulin sa sambayanan ay nasali
sa isang karumaldumal na pamamaslang na sinasabing dulot ng matagal nang
iringan ng dalawang pamilya.

I wonder why and how these people could take their actions. Pano kaya nila
naaatim na matulog ng mahimbing (kung nakakatulog man sila) o nagagawang
mabuhay sa pang-araw-araw habang ang mga puso nila ay puno ng galit at poot
laban sa isa’t isa? I even wonder how could they take these lives just so
they could proclaim that they’re powerful over the other?

I heard in the news this morning na there were around a hundred people who
did the killing. Wow. Don’t they have mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers,
and kids of their own? Haven’t they thought of themselves being on the shoes
of those people they killed (especially those who have nothing to do with
them at all)? Nakakalungkot talaga po, hindi ba?

I have always dreamed of becoming part of the media industry someday, but
how will I continue that dream when I can hear cases such as this? I
sympathize with the family of Mangudadatu and the families of their civilian
supporters who got killed, but I sympathize more with the families of those
people who were just doing their jobs and have nothing to do with this long
overdue family feud.

To the people behind this massacre, I honestly do not know what to say. All
I have are questions. Why did you do that? Why such merciless act? Bakit po
kailangan pang kumitil ng buhay? Bakit po you had to even rape the wife of
the vice mayor and kill her after? Ano po ba ang inyong mapapatunayan sa
paggawa ng mga ito? Hanggang kailan po ba ito?

Originally, the group was reported to be composed of forty persons. As of
this post, twenty-two dead persons were identified. All of them were
brutally killed. Some were even beheaded. Oh my goodness. And you think this
will stop? I don’t think so. I bet, mag-uubusan ang dalawang angkan hanggang
sa kahuli-hulihang tao na nabibilang sa kanila. I wish this won’t happen.
But with what happened, I just couldn’t help but doubt.

I do not know the history of this case, nor of these families. All I know
is, lahat po tayo Pilipino. Bakit kailangan pang magpatayan tayo? Kesehodang
may iringan ang mga pamilya nyo, kailangan po ba talagang may dahas?

As I end this post, allow me to say that as an ordinary citizen of this
country, I am praying that this kind of act ends. I am praying that harm
would be taken away, as well as personal intentions, which primarily is the
reason why some senseless acts such as this happens. I pray that as much as
we could, sana ito na po ang huling mababalitang patayan ng dahil lang sa di
pagkakaunawaan, at dahil lang sa pag-atim ng pwesto sa gobyerno o kahit ano
pang rason. I pray that one day, we’ll wake up na wala nang poot at galit sa
mga puso natin, at tanging kapayapaan at pagmamahal na lamang sa bawat isa.

NOTE: According to reports the families of Mangudadatu’s and Ampatuan’s in
Maguindanao have a long running feud.