Now Showing: Transformers

As I watched the movie, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen during its opening day, I could not help but to notice some catchy quotes and parallelisms in our country today.

The Fallen could be attributed to no less than Gloria Arroyo herself who is surrounded by her own Decepticons, her ever loyal members of the House of Representatives.

To the Fallen and her loyal Decepticons, may you be reminded that Leadership is not found, rather it is earned. Certainly, you have not earned our trust to lead the nation. Your suspicious actions to amend the Constitution have given us enough reason not to put our trust on you to hold the might reigns of power. This goes without mentioning your ascension to the presidency in 2001 by a conspired military coup and your 2004 “victory” which could be attributed to Mr. Garci.

Certainly, the Fallen and the Decepticons will face defeat despite their devious Con-Ass moves as the Filipino people, particularly the youth will continue to fight against their evil ways and continue believing that GMA must never be allowed to stay beyond the end of her term in 2010.

Undoubtedly, GMA and her allies have picked the wrong generation. The transformers are here.

Con-Ass Reps

Below is the list of our Con-Ass Reps.
Now we know whom to vote for in 2010 if elections will push through and the Constitution will not be changed through Con-Ass mode.

According to the blogsite Filipino Voices, the representatives who signed House Resolution 1109 are:

Bienvenido Abante, Manila; Roque Ablan Jr., Ilocos Norte; Victor Aguedo Agbayani, Pangasinan; Manuel Ayago, Kalinga; Rodolfo Albano 3rd, Isabela; Felix Alfelor Jr., Camarines Sur; Thelma Almario, Davao Oriental; Antonio Alvarez, Palawan; Genaro Rafael Alvarez Jr., Negros Occidental; Edelmiro Amante, Agusan del Norte;

Rommel Amatong, Compostela Valley; Ma. Zenaida Angping, Manila; Rodolfo Antonino, Nueva Ecija; Trinidad Apostol, Leyte; Jose Aquino, Agusan del Norte; Ma. Evita Arago, Laguna; A. Munir Arbison, Sulu; Ma. Rachel Arenas, Pangasinan; Diosdado Arroyo, Camarines Sur; Ignacio Arroyo, Negros Occidental; Juan Miguel Arroyo, Pampanga;

Amado Bagatsing, Manila; Pangalian M. Balindong, Lanao del Sur; Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Cavite; Franklin Bautista, Davao del Sur; Vicente Belmonte Jr., Lanao del Norte; Al Francis Bichara, Albay; Ferjenel Biron, Iloilo; Anna York Bondoc, Pampanga; Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David, Manila; Narciso Bravo Jr., Masbate;

Nicanor Briones, Agap party list; Eileen Ermita Buhain, Batangas; Elias Bulut Jr., Apayao; Marc Douglas Cagas 4th, Davao del Sur; Mary Mitzi Cajayon, Caloocan; Roberto Cajes, Bohol; Carmen Cari, Leyte; Fredenil Castro, Capiz; Arthur Celeste, Pangasinan; Antonio Cerilles, Zamboanga del Sur; Edgardo Chatto, Bohol;

Glenn Chong, Biliran; Solomon Chunga-Lao, Ifugao; Marina Clarete, Misamis Occidental; Eufrocino Codilla, Leyte; Mark Cojuangco, Pangasinan; Teodulo Coquilla, Eastern Samar; Vincent Crisologo, Quezon City; Junie Cue, Quirino; Antonio Cuenco, Cebu City; Samuel Dangwa, Benguet; Simeon Datumanong, Maguindanao;

Nelson Dayanghirang, Davao Oriental; Nanette Daza, Quezon City; Paul Daza, Northern Samar; Del de Guzman, Marikina; Arthur Defensor Sr., Iloilo; Matias Defensor Jr., Quezon City; Raul del Mar, Cebu City; Carlo Oliver Diasnes, Batanes; Abdullah Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte; Mauricio Domogan, Baguio; Michael John Duavit, Rizal;

Henry Dueñas Jr., Taguig; Faysah MRP Dumarpa, Lanao del Sur; Thomas Dumpit Jr., La Union; Ramon Durano IV, Cebu; Glenda Ecleo, Dinagat Islands; Yevgeny Vicente Emano, Misamis Oriental; Wilfrifo Mark Enverga, Quezon; Conrado Estrella III, Pangasinan; Robert Raymund Estrella, Abono party list;

Jeffrey Ferrer, Negros Occidental; Florencio Garay, Surigao del Sur; Albert Garcia, Bataan; Pablo John Garcia, Cebu; Pablo Garcia, Cebu; Vincent Garcia, Davao City; Janette Garin, Iloilo; Rexlon Gatchalian, Valenzuela; Angelito Gatlabayan, Antipolo; Arnulfo Go, Sultan Kudarat; Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Pampanga;

Raul Gonzales Jr., Iloilo City; Eduardo Gullas, Cebu; Magtanggol Gunigundo, Valenzuela; Dulce Ann Hofer, Zamboanga Sibugay; Nur Jaafar, Tawi-Tawi; Adam Relson Jala, Bohol; Cesar Jalosjos, Zamboanga del Nrote; Cecilia Jalosjos-Carreon, Zamboanga del Nrote; Yusop Jikiri, Sulu;

Antonio Kho, Masbate; Rosen-do Labadlabad, Zamboanga del Nrote; Jose Carlos Lacson, Negros Occidental; Antonio Lagdameo, Davao del Norte; Jeci Lapus, Tarlac; Carmelo Lazatin, Pam-panga; Reno Lim, Albay; Jaime Lopez, Manila; Eleanora Jesus Madrona, Romblon; Ma. Milagros Magsaysay, Zambales; Oscar Malapitan, Caloocan;

Manuel Mamba, Cagayan; Datu Pakung Mangudadatu, Sultan Kudarat; Alfredo Marano III, Negros Occidental; Francisco Matugas, Surigao del Norte; Mark Leandro Mendoza, Batangas; Roger Mercado, Southern Leyte; Florencio Miraflores, Aklan; Joaquin C. R. Navas, Guimaras; Reylina Nicolas, Bulacan;

Prospero Nograles, Davao City; Arrel Olaños, Davao del Nrote; Emil Ong, Northern Samar; Victor Francisco Ortega, La Union; Ernesto Pablo, APEC party list; Pedro Pancho, Bulacan; Candido Pancrudo, Bukidnon; Philip Pichay, Surigao del Sur; Bernado Piñol Jr., North Cotabato; Roberto Puno, Antipolo;

Herminia Ramiro, Misamis Occidental; Jesus Crispin Remulla, Cavite; Carmelita Reyes, Marinduque; Victoria Reyes, Batangas; Arturo Robes, San Jose del Monte; Adelina Rodriguez-Zaldarriaga, Rizal; Herminia Roman, Bataan; Guillermo Romarate Jr., Surigao del Norte; Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Leyte;

Pedro Romualdo, Camiguin; Roman Romulo, Pasig; Jose Antonio Roxas, Pasay; Benhur Salimbangon, Cebu; Andres Salvacion Jr., Leyte; Edgar San Luis, Laguna; Alvin Sandoval, Malabon-Navotas; Joseph Santiago, Catanduanes; Narciso Santiago III, ARC party list; Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, Masbate; Cecilia Seares-Luna, Abra;

Lorna Silverio, Bulacan; Eric Singson, Ilocos Sur; Ronald Singson, Ilocos Sur; Jose Solis, Sorsogon; Nerissa Corazon Soon-Ruiz, Cebu; Danilo Suarez, Quezon; Mary Ann Susano, Quezon City; Ma. Victoria Sy-Alvarado, Bulacan; Judy Syjuco, Iloilo; Emmylou Talino-Mendoza; Sharee Ann Tan, Samar;

Marcelino Teodoro, Marikina; Monica Louise Teodoro, Tarlac; Pryde Henry Teves, Negros Oriental; Neil Tupas, Iloilo; Isidro Ungab, Davao City; Edwin Uy, Isabela; Reynaldo Uy, Samar; Rolando Uy, Cagayan de Oro; Edgar Valdez, APEC party list; Rodolfo Valencia, Oriental Mindoro; Florencio Vargas, Oriental Mindoro;

Florencio Vargas, Cagayan; Luis Villafuerte, Camarines Sur; Ma. Amelita Villarosa, Occidental Mindoro; Joseph Gilbert Violago, Nueva Ecija; Jose Yap, Tarlac; Victor Yu, Zamboanga del Sur; Manuel Zamora, Compostela Valley; and Eduardo Zialcita, Parañaque.

Goodbye Gloria

Barely a year from now, Filipinos are expected to vote for the next President of the Republic of the Philippines to succeed Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo. Despite this however, efforts to amend the Consitution and possibly extend President Arroyo’s term still persist in the House of Representatives.

The Charter Change initiatives keep me wondering, will GMA really step down? Will elections be held in 2010? Will we ever bid goodbye Gloria?

With this in mind, a youth group called Movement of the Youth for Empowerment, Reform, Advocacy and Progress recently launched a website to watch over the Arroyo administration and ensure that it will step down next year. The website can be accessed at http://www.goodbyegloria.com/.

www.goodbyegloria.com is a timely effort for us members of the youth to actively take part in ensuring change and influence policy change especially on issues related to good governance and youth welfare. This will set a good example of youth involvement in making a peaceful democratic transition by ensuring that the 2010 elections will be held and the present administration will step down next year.

Let us all take part in goodbyegloria.com. Visit the website. Join its online social network in Facebook and be counted together with the growing number of supporters of the GOODBYEGLORIA cause.

Goodbye Gloria in 2010.


Related Link:

http://www.goodbyegloria.com/
https://abs-cbnnews.com/video/05/13/09/groups-launch-countdowns-end-arroyos-term
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz9LD_mGZ-8
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tribune.net.ph%2Fheadlines%2F20090512hed6.html&h=3eb1529ea3f945b3a873bf6d7a34b8ef

Media Handlers in Play

The Pacquiao-Hatton fight was indeed a big hit! The fight not only drew millions of Filipino viewers but also politicians and their media handlers.

Anticipating the high density of viewers, the delayed broadcast in local television was frequented by advertisements of various products and kinds. Though quite distracting, the practice of flooding the airwaves is understandable given the commercial orientation of the media outfits broadcasting the highly anticipated event.

More distracting and annoying however is the “infomercials” of numerous government officials and government offices and agencies in an attempt to look good and acceptable to the Filipino electorate. Some even took the opportunity to launch their respective candidacies for national office. The timing is indeed a confirmation that election is drawing near and that media handlers are now again back in business and in play.

Equally disturbing is the question of funding for these infomercials both at its initial or preparatory stage and on its airing stage. I just hope that the funds did not come again from taxpayers’ money.

Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao in his victory. Congratulations too to the media outfits and handlers who both made enormous profits in the airing and conceptualization of these advertisements. Shame on the politicians who scrambled for media mileage to promote and/or launch their candidacies at the expense of taxpayers’ money.

Baka Makalusot

Try and try until you succeed.

This seems to be the underlying motto of the allies of President Arroyo in the House of Representatives in pushing for Charter Change. After the Villafuerte resolution failed to muster the threshold number to bypass the Senate into convening Congress as a Constituent Assembly, the loyal Arroyo foot soldiers in the House of Representatives led by House Speaker Prospero Nograles filed another resolution seeking to amend the Constitution in a manner in which an ordinary law is being passed.

The Nograles resolution is but a confirmation of the Arroyo allies’ desperation to keep President Gloria Arroyo in power even beyond 2010. The charter change move appears like the desperate dance of deviants who do not know their left from their right foot the way they don’t know their Constitution and could not feel the pulse of the people.

Loyal soldiers as they are, the allies of President Arroyo are pulling all strings and inventing all schemes to justify the unjustifiable, knowing fully well that in 2010 will ring the death knell that sounds their political doom.

But as we all say, “there is no harm in trying,” maybe our supposed representatives are hopeful “baka makalusot.”

Police on the Loose

Have our policemen gone mad?

This seems to be a fitting question in the light of the police’s decision to arrest Ted Failon, his in-laws and househelps for alleged obstruction of justice brought about by the tragedy of the shooting of Mr. Failon’s wife.

The police stormed the Failon’s residence and the hospital where his wife was being treated in an attempt to arrest him and other persons related to him. While the police’s swift action to investigate the alleged shooting is commendable, the action the police has resorted to is however despicable. The arrests conducted by the police were made with blatant disregard for the rights of the victim’s families, relatives and friends.

The police chose to ignore the pleas of the lawyers of the personalities involved that their legal rights ought to be respected. Instead, the police proceeded to effect the arrests without any warrants. Worst, the police arrested the relatives of Ted Failon’s wife at a time when the family was needed most by their dying kin.

A little act of mercy and respect should have been shown by the police as a gesture to commiserate with the plight of the family. Or perhaps, the police may have thought to get even with Ted Failon for his hard hitting stance against the police, the Arroyo administration, and his possible inclusion in the opposition senatorial ticket for the 2010 elections?

Whatever may have been their motivations, I hope that our police are reminded that ours is a government of laws and not of men. Respect for the rule of law must prevail, which necessarily includes respect for the rights of the accused.

Related Link:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/feedback/04/19/09/police-loose-ted-failon-case

Katarungan at Katotohanan

Magkapatid ang katarungan at katotohan. Nakabatay ang ating pananaw sa kung ano ang makatarungan sa kung ano ang ating alam na totoo ukol sa isang sitwasyon. Sa kaso ng pamilya ni Ted Failon, ayon sa mga direktang pahayag nila sa midya, malinaw na ang isang bagay: para sa kanila, hindi na usapin ang katarungan para sa kanilang pumanaw na ina. Para sa kanila, malinaw na ang katotohanan sa sinapit ni Trina.

Ang usapin na ngayon para sa pamilya Failon ay ang katarungan para sa buong pamilya at para sa kanilang mga kasambahay bunsod ng di-makataong trato sa kanila ng mga dapat tinuturing pa naman na alagad ng batas at katarungan — ang ating mga pulis.

Kailanman, di makukuha at mapapalago ang katotohanan sa pamamahitan ng dahas at kawalan ng puso’t damdamin. Kung nais ng mga pulis na makuha ang katotohanan at katarungan mula sa sanlibo’t isang nakabinbin na mga kaso sa ating lipunan, ituwid nila ang kanilang mga sarili! Sa ginawa nilang pambabastos at pandarahas sa pamilya Failon at sa pinakita nilang kawalan ng puso sa isang pamilyang nagdadalamhati, pinalago lamang nila ang kawalan ng katarungan.

Bilang bahagi ng kabataan, nakikiisa ako sa panawagan ng anak ng pamilya Failon. Nais ko rin ng katotohanan sa usaping ito subalit hindi sa ngalan ng pagmamalabis at pandarahas. Dapat turuan ang mga pulis na ito. Ipatanggal sila sa puwesto!