Isang Simpleng Mensahe Lamang

Hello. It's been a long time since I've posted my last entry here.
I have been occupied with many things and to the worst part, my laptop needs to be reformatted.

Meanwhile, I would like to ask you to watch Maala-ala Mo Kaya tomorrow (Saturday) at 9 o'clock in the evening. The featured story is that of Mrs. Rosa Gagnao of Tupi, South Cotabato.

She lived a life of hardship yet managed to let all of her children finish their education. And after finishing his obligation towards her family, she continued and persevered to finish her secondary education at Tupi National High School at the age of 54. Helen Gamboa would play as Mrs. Gagnao.

Education is very important and it does not choose any age.
Happy viewing and thank you for following and reading my entries.

I promise to get back to blogging after getting some important things done.
God bless us all!

On the Marcos and Erap Issue: Are We Dumb or Just Forgiving?

A Critique on the Philippine Educational System

It's enrolment time once again. Gastos na naman.

Many say that education is one’s wealth that cannot be stolen by anybody. I agree that education is the primary opportunity for upward social and economic mobility. In our present society, you cannot get a decent job without having, to the least, a bachelor’s degree.

This thought is also parallel with the human capital theory that “the economic development of a nation is a function of the quality of its education”. This means that the more and better educated the people, the greater the chances of economic development.

I am an educator, I teach history and politics here in Iligan City for more than a year now. Don’t get me wrong if I tell you that I see our educational system a bit far-off from our Asian neighbors. I just believe that pointing out these defects will help us realize more about ourselves and hopefully would provide solutions to our leaders. A senior Department of Education official agree to this as he described the quality of Philippine school education as “failing to teach the competence the average citizen needs to become responsible, productive and self-fulfilling. “We are graduating people who are learning less and less", he said.

Have you met a person not able to read and write? I did. We fondly call him Binig. He is a Tiruray, a lumad from the mountains of Maguindanao Province. My father hired him to work for us in our little fruit farm. He stayed at our house and with this; I grabbed the chance of teaching him his ABCs. I tried to explain to him the advantages of literacy and the joys of being able to read. For a week, I taught him (and the pronunciations) of the letters in the alphabet but after a few days, he gave up. He said he doesn’t want to learn anymore. As he said this, I was able to see truth in his eyes. He was ashamed of himself being taught by someone younger than him. He was 27, I was 19.

People like Binig are not so rare in the Philippines. According to the report of the National Statistics Office, two out of ten Filipinos are not functionally literate. The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, (where Binig is from), has the lowest rate with 4 out of 10 not able to read and write. This would give you an idea that we are not that literate after all.

The main reason why we have a poor education system is the very low budget allocation. Our education expenditure is only 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (2005). Did you know our appropriation’s rank compared to other countries in the world? 158th. And oh, in case you’d want to ask, we’re 12th – in world population.

To give you an idea how small this appropriation is, let’s take the report of Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP) President, Dr. Epitacio Palispis: In 2005, the Philippines spent only about $138 (Php 6,900) per pupil. Compare this to $852 (Php 42,600) in Thailand, $1,582 (79,100 PhP) in Singapore, and $3,728 (Php 186,400) in Japan.

The very low budget results to the underpayment of teachers. (I bet my professors in MSU-IIT, as well as teachers in high school would agree to this). In Singapore, they pay their teachers about Php122,000. Here in the Philippines, the basic salary is Php12,026 (excluding mandatory deductions like GSIS, Pag-ibig, PhilHealth, and witholding tax). That's the reason why we definitely have no summa cum laudes teaching in public schools. There should be a fair compensation that would give way for the competent ones to teach. Good thing many of us teachers still see teaching as a vocation and not a mere profession.

Another problem that arises from our measly budget is the lack of proper facilities in our schools. I believe this to be true for I was educated in public schools. I remember in our high school biology class, a bunch of us would take turns peering what's on the glass slides because of the very few microscopes available. Much of the things instructed were left for us to “imagine” as we can’t learn and experience those first hand. (That's the one and only time I've touched a microscope).

In our high school, I was fortunate to be in the “higher section” as we tend to receive “special treatment and better instruction” from teachers. What I worry is for those belonging to “lower majority sections”. Fifty to sixty students clump to poorly-ventilated rooms there. This sight is not exclusive to our school in South Cotabato. This holds true to the other 14 million youths studying in public schools all over the country.

Schools in the Philippines are also “commercialized”. More and more parents are made to believe that getting their kids in a privately owned school increases the chance of their children to become of top-notch caliber. Enrolling in private schools are very expensive but we can’t blame these parents. Most private schools tend to have superb facilities and comfortable rooms. Especially in the primary and secondary schools, the private school is a better choice for well-off parents not amenable with the 150 to 1 toilet-student ratio in the public schools. Most of the time, a conducive environment offered by private schools, ushers the better learning.

Because of this scenario, our educational system created a “social divide”. Rich people go to private schools while poor people have no choice. As one Filipino columnist wrote “Education has become part of the institutional mechanism that divides the poor and the rich.”

This very social cleavage gave way to a “knowledge gap”. I remember replying to a forum about the elections: “While many of us here on the internet exchange burning ideas about our aspired leaders, we forget the fact that the non-calculating masses still dictate the elections”. Most people in the grassroots fight for Erap, Villar and Aquino where it should have been a fight between Gordon and Gibo. The recent elections should have been a battle of leadership, intent, and platform; but the results have proven that stellar popularity is the masses' determining factor (thirty percent of a hundred actors who run for office won).

With lack of management competencies and systemic corruption, it’s no question why we have a lot of incompetent graduates yearly. While that is already saddening, add the “human capital flight” where our good technically skilled people have gone outside the country for greener pastures. And what is left is a big gap between the rich and the poor. The learned and the dumb.

Our government should focus on education. It is the key for progress. Our educational institutions should be backed up by opportunities to prevent this brain drain as it’s the only way to bridge the large economic gap. Ito ang kailangan natin nang hindi naman mahiya ang mga estudyanteng nagtapos sa Mababang Paaralan sa Mataas na Bukid. ####


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Being A Good Filipino Citizen: 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country

Election time’s over.
Enough of the mudslinging.
Enough of the reverberating news about the elections.
Enough of the Yellow Submarine.

While it a good thing that we had participated in the 2010 Elections, our share does not end in shading the ovals in the ballot. We, as what I’ve said in one of my entries, need to work together for the common good which is the uplifting of each and everyone’s state.

There’s this book I encourage everyone should read (many of you might have actually read it). This book is a best-seller on its first release about five years ago. I deem it necessary for the book's main points to be disseminated as a post-election eye-opener. I see this book’s points fitting to what I would like to share on this blog. Whoever you are, wherever you are, these are the simple things we need to do for our country.

Long before running for the Senate, Attorney Alex Lacson was able to publish a book entitled, “12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country” in 2005. The book became a bestseller largely due to Max Soliven’s column entitled, “A Filipino of Faith” in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The book tells us that it’s not about the people placed on the pedestal. It is us, the Filipino people who holds the country’s fate.

I’ve already made reference on how defective our society is on my previous entries. We need to act now and change our olden and rotten ways. The nice thing about the book is that it opens new insights and remedies on how to make Philippines a better place to live. The book proves the power of little good things that incrementally would help restore our country.





















Below are the 12 commandments (with my annotations).


To help our country, every Filipino should:

1) Follow traffic rules. Traffic rules are the most basic of our country’s laws. Following them meant we are also following our nation’s laws. Following traffic rules is the lowest form of national discipline we can develop as a people. A culture of discipline is crucial to our destiny as a nation, I deeply believe that this is important in a country of trisikad, tricycles, and jeepneys.

2) Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt. Asking for ORs leads to higher tax collections, which means more resources for our government. This could strengthen our economy and (hopefully), lead us to progress.

3) Don’t buy smuggled goods. Buy local. Buy Filipino. In a society where a lot of smuggled Chinese products enter our shores, our money should support our own economy. Bayo, Penshoppe, Bench and more are Filipino-made. Buying Filipino means supporting the Filipino. Or, if you read the book, the suggestion there is: 50-50 (that is, if you really have a hard time looking for a quality Pinoy product).

4) When you talk to others, especially foreigners speak positively about us and our country. Many of us fail to do this. Although we may speak of the true problems of our country to other people, letting foreigners have a positive view on the Philippines could surely make a difference. “Every Filipino is an ambassador of our country”, Lacson reasons. Wherever we maybe, we are salesmen of our country.

5) Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier. Respect honors and dignifies a man. The Bible, in Romans 13:1-2 says, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities...”. It compels him to do his job right.

6) Do not litter. I’ve spoken of Singapore as one of the best model for us to emanate. Let us dispose our garbage properly. We need to segregate, recycle, and conserve. As one of my profs in MSU-IIT said, “The debt of a country’s poverty can be seen on their sanitation”. We should make Philippines a beautiful country. (The Municipality of Linamon, Lanao del Norte’s Model on Solid Waste Management is a good example to all local government units).

7) Support your church. When we help our church, we help The Almighty in His works on earth.

8) During elections, vote. Last May 10, we witnessed the historic poll automations in the Philippines. By doing our solemn duty, we fight for our right to make our own destiny both as a people, and as a nation.

9) Pay your employees well. While it is true that a business’ main purpose of existence is for profit, a company must bring prosperity not only to its owners but also to its employees. Paying them well helps their families, too.

10) Pay your taxes. Tax is the bread and butter of the government. It is what builds our public schools, hospitals and roads. It is what pays our teachers, soldiers and other public servants.

11) Adopt a scholar or a poor child. Once in one of my Comparative Politics class, an American teaching at MSU-IIT gave a talk about his hometown in Eastern Europe. After the pep talk, personal questions were asked. He was asked if how many children he has. All chuckled with his answer that he’s got SIX children. But all of us were enlightened with his answer why he had a lot of kids. He explained that after his second child, he has intentionally undergone a vasectomy. He then adopted four different orphans of different racial backgrounds to be his legitimated children.
His story deeply left a mark in my heart. There are many rich people in this country, wouldn't it be nice if they would use their resources to help poor but deserving students? Investing on our youth is investing on our country’s future.

12) Be a good parent. I remember the passage in the bible that says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 King James Version). We should teach our children to follow the law and love our country. If we start planting seeds of patriotism in the hearts and minds of our youth today, they would become patriots of our country in the future. Families are the core, the basic unit of the society, we need to make the foundation strong.

If we try to compare, the peoples of the most developed countries of the world, most if not all of them, are good citizens. They are good citizens because they know how to follow their laws and they know their duties to their governments. They know their responsibilities to their fellowmen. If we aim to be like Singapore, Korea, or Japan, we need to be good citizens. We can by doing simple things.

The thing that would compliment to a successful government is the people. We may do more than 12 little things for our country, Lacson's pamplet is a nice way of letting us realize that we can change our country. As Lacson put it in his book: “The answer is in us as a people; that hope is in us as a people.” It is a must. It is a need. ###



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A Rare Moment in Philippine Elections History: Men Accepting Defeat

The people has spoken. By that, I meant the non-calculating masses have spoken.

Noynoy Aquino got the highest votes for the presidential seat. Despite the complaints currently filed by former President Estrada, it is apparent that Noynoy’s got the sure win with 13 million votes in the lead compared to Estrada’s 8 million-plus votes.

Noynoy Aquino will be our 15th president. That is pretty obvious at this point in time.

After the automated elections, we have just witnessed one rare moment in Philippine election history. Not Noynoy’s installment, but because of the four people showing the exemplary attitude of being able to accept defeat honorably.

What these people have gone through was never easy. Manny Villar, Sen. Richard Gordon, Councilor JC delos Reyes, and Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. braved the months of hard-fought campaign, few hours of sleep, and showing up to different fora and debates in the different islands of the country. Kapoy pud na oi.

But I salute these people. They have showed us that there is nobility in defeat after all. They have left a positive mark for the nation’s present and next generations. Defeat is not easy to accept, but they did it valiantly and they have fought a good fight.

These citizens deserve our adulation for they have even invited the whole nation to unite and work with peace and harmony rather than "the usual" protest and rally. May this be the start of our candidates being statesmen enough to accept the electorate’s will in all succeeding elections.

Let us remember that the May 10 election was the first-time we had the polls automated. Despite the long lines and breaking down of PCOS machines, the results from the Automated Elections came out fast and become more credible. I believe this prodded the candidates to concede early on and not throw claims of cheating. Senator Dick Gordon, if you happen to stumble in this blog, I tell you this: You are also a winner. The automation elections was part of your legacy. ###

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To my fellow Filipinos:

It has been a few days after the elections.
Our responsibility does not end today. Even if the majority have elected Noynoy as our president, it is still us, the Filipino people who must make the difference for our country.

This is definitely not just about putting an individual on the pedestal and wait for him to change our poor status quo, Each one of us should do what we ought to do. All hands should be lifting the country up.

Let us pray for our country. Let us pray for our leaders. And let us pray for each other.
May God bless our beloved country.

May 2010 Election Day

So far, so good.
I am watching GMA 7's coverage on the elections.

In general, the PCOS were able to do well. But some were defective.
7.8% of the polls nationwide were able to start after 9:30 a.m.
It is also noted that due to the clustering of the precincts, the problem of the voters is on the long queu to vote (some became tired of waiting and just went home).
Because of the delay, the Commission on Elections extended one hour to 6:00 p.m.
This means the polls will close at 7:00 p.m.

Let us join the country in prayer for safe and successful elections.
Both in the national and local positions, we pray that we will be able to choose the right people for the job.

Automated Elections: Tips on How to Vote

I was able to compile some information about the automated elections.

Here are some tips on how to vote for tomorrow’s election.

Feel free to share this to others.

PCOS stand for Precinct Count Optical Scan. It’s a machine that could help us count the votes faster and get the results in 48 hours (2 days). Blackouts? No worries. PCOS have internal batteries that can last 16 hours (the voting lasts 10 hours) in case of power outages.

1. You may find out beforehand (through your barangay), your Voter’s ID number, precinct number, and your sequence number (which is beside your name in the voter’s list).

2. Bring a valid ID. Voter's ID is best. Driver's license, passport, or any ID with your address and preferably a photo is all right). Present this to the Board of Elections Inspector (BEI).

3. The polls open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

4. You will get ONE CHANCE to have your ballot changed if you don't like it. That's when they first hand it to you. The key is inspection. Inspect the ballot right away for scratches, folds, etc. Additional tip: There will be a barcode going around the ballot. If this is marked, even scratched, in any way, the ballot will be spoiled. That is why, if anyone else handles the ballot, watch them well incase they would intentionally scratch the barcode with their fingernails to prevent your ballot from being counted.

5. Keep your hands very clean before voting. The ballot is very sensitive to marks, ink, water, stains, scratches, folds, or even sweat.

6. You are given 5 to 10 minutes to vote. To save time, you can bring a codigo (list of your chosen candidates on a piece of paper).

7. Don’t make mistakes.

8. Vote only the exact number you should vote for: 1 president, 1 vice president, 12 senators, 1 party list, 1 mayor, 1 vice mayor, 1 member of the House of Representatives, etc. The limit will be there on your ballot as a “Vote for not more than ____”). You can vote LESS than what is asked, just don’t OVERVOTE.

9. The ballot you are given will only be readable by one specific PCOS Unit because it's pre-registered there. Don't line up at the wrong machine or your ballot won't be read and it may spoil your vote.

10. Shade the egg-shaped hole beside your chosen candidate FULLY.

11. You will only have FOUR TRIES to put your ballot through the PCOS Unit.

12. The PCOS machine will print out the vote count in what looks like a long cash register receipt. This will be put into a sealed box that will be sent to the Comelec for proper counting. The PCOS Unit will count the number of voters who are voting based on the ballots inserted into it. Watch the screen on the machine to make sure of voter count, as well as other important messages.

13. Watch the readout on the PCOS Unit when you insert your ballot into it. If you done it right, it will show: “Congratulations! Your ballot has been scanned.” If not, it will indicate why (e.g. improper shading).

14. There will be a usual dropping of indelible ink in your right index finger. There are also the usual signing of forms and marking of thumbprints.

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Poll Results:

Question: Do you think the May 10 Elections will be a success?

Yes it will be - 11 votes (78%)

I don't know - 2 votes (14%)

No. There will surely be a failure of elections - 0 votes (0%)

I am not going to vote - 1 votes (7%)

Let us vote wisely. I pray that the elections will be a success.

Special thanks to Princess Mae Chua, a senior Political Science student at MSU-IIT, who is currently undertaking her thesis on voters’ attitude before and after the Automated Elections.

Why I Find Gibo Green: JRGon's View on Gibo

I’ve found out that many of my friends and colleagues shortlist their top presidentiables into two. If you happen to view poll results in the net, the "thinking" youth and electorate vote for Gordon and Gibo. If you happen to watch presidential debates and fora, you will come up with the conclusion that both these two are articulate, and gives best answers to difficult questions. Both are witty and brilliant.

Gibo has charisma, he's a ‘Mr. Nice Guy”. He is the only one who never slung mud at his opponents. He uses his platform as his campaigning tool, which is great. But his plans for me looks succulent on the outside, but is sure is untested on the inside. With LAKAS KAMPI-CMD on his side, I believe it is not impossible to make attractive platforms anyway.

His slogan is “Galing at Talino” which implies that he’s the only one with “skill and intelligence” among other candidates. I concur with “talino”. A bar top-notcher,  got a master’s degree in Harvard Law School, it proves he is knowledgeable in fields that no ordinary politician will delve into. That’s exactly the reason that made me want to support him at first. Talino, check. Pero ang “galing” ng isang lider, kailangan pang patunayan ‘yan.

I’ve already posted why I chose Dick Gordon (Click here).This entry aims to examine the records and achievements of Gibo Teodoro and hopefully would make you think twice if he deserves your vote.

Let’s look into his achievements for us to assess if he really was a good leader. For three terms, he served in the Congress from 1998 to 2007. I tried to look for his legislations, this is what I found: Granting Provincial Airways Corp. a Franchise Act, Granting Radio Maria Foundation a Franchise Act, Various road conversion laws. As Congressman, he led the move to impeach then Chief Justice Davide which almost led to a constitutional crisis. It is also believed that he was acting in support of his uncle, Danding Cojuangco, who had pending cases with the Supreme Court.

For three-terms what has he accomplished as a congressman of Tarlac province? If the Cojuangcos (yes, I’ve included here my “ever-favorite to diss” Noynoy) actually improved the lives of the people in Tarlac or the Philippines as a whole we would have seen tangible results. But as of right now, I don’t see any improvements. He failed to clean his own backyard. Generations of Cojuangcos have lead the Philippines in one capacity or another, yet nothing has changed in this country. I don’t see pedigree changing the statusquo.

From 2007 to 2009, Gibo was the youngest person to be the Secretary of National Defense.  As the Secretary of the DND, he had direct supervision over the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Under this, he also headed the National Disaster Coordinating Council, the lead agency when it comes to disaster management and relief.

Who would forget the gruesome Maguindanao Massacre last year? A massacre done by people who could have been disarmed by the security forces who was then headed by someone named Gibo Teodoro. Yes, you may say that the Mindanao situation is complicated enough that it cannot be sorted with simple black and white policies but he could have ordered the AFP to dismantle all private armies. Gibo did not.

Typhoon Ondoy and others had caught NDCC unprepared, and the general evaluation was that the NDCC just did not know what to do. In fact, the NDCC had abdicated from its role and instead contented itself spewing statistics. The NDCC, with him on the helm, under could have prepared for disasters by investing in necessary rescue assets. Good thing Senator Gordon, and the Red Cross was there to help people in need.

Even if Gibo says that he’s not the one that should be blamed (yes, some are fortuitous events) but given the following duties, he is accountable for negligence of the said duty to protect people’s lives by taking preemptive measure that would prevent massacres and disasters from happening.

Lastly, his statement that he would NOT actively push for the prosecution of his patron, Gloria Arroyo, is in itself a reason why I am not voting for him. Gibo said in HARAPAN: 2010 that he won’t turn his back on GMA but he won’t let her dictate or affect his decision (kuno). Arroyo should be prosecuted for all the crimes that she committed in all those years she spent as president. And for the dismaying part, Gibo has already exonerated her. With Gibo not going after GMA anomalies, we should expect GMA to still be at Gibo’s shadow. I’ve honestly learned a lot from Gibo, I learned na dapat hindi mapasama sa “masamang barkada” (katulad ng LAKAS KAMPI CMD).

Record-wise, Gibo is no match to Senator Dick Gordon. His very sister-in-law would vote not even vote for him. He has to go out from the shadows of Lakas and has to do a lot to prove that he deserves the presidency. He has a lot of potential, he is still young, and he is still “green”. ###

ABS-CBN: Aquino Broadcasted Superbly (with the) Channel Belonging (to) Noynoy

ABS-CBN was never fair in treating the presidential candidates on their reports. I am not saying this because the one that I’m campaigning for (which is Senator Richard Gordon), was not given special treatment by the network. I write this article to point out how ABS-CBN was apparently biased on its reports.

Only here in the Philippines do we have a TV network both influential and political at the same time. Loren Legarda, Teddy Locsin, Noli de Castro to name a few, were former journalists-turned-politicians of what network? Dos. They may or may not be good in their own right but what is sure is, the network gave them exposure that they needed in running for a national position. (I intentionally excluded artists from the list).

It’s a no-brainer to determine who ABS-CBN is supporting for the presidency. It’s not Perlas. Definitley not Gordon. Not Villar. Not Madrigal. Not Villanueva. Not Delos Reyes. Not Estrada. Nor Gibo. This made me believe that ABS-CBN really means Aquino Broadcasted Superbly, (with the) Channel Belonging (to) Noynoy.

I remember one time listening to their news feature on a certain Presidential Forum. Isn’t it true that all candidates should have been mentioned and like how the forum went, etc.? I was shocked to see that they only mentioned THREE out of the NINE presidential candidates! They just mentioned Erap, Villar, and their favorite, Noynoy. How biased could that be?

On another instance, I was watching interviews of the presidentiables in YouTube.

You can see Dick Gordon interviewed by Anthony Taberna on Umagang Kay Ganda’s morning segment “Punto-por-Punto” by clicking here.

Well, one can observe that, the questions are discouragingly impertinent. It was a mere 7 minute-plus interview. (Good thing Gordon answers well).

Compare it to the interview of Aquino on the same show. Click here and here.

You will discover that it is a TWO-part interview. Talking about exposure and more air time (10+10= 20 minutes-plus of air time!). You call that fair? True service to the Filipinos, as part of the media, is being non-partisan, being impartial. Aquino Broadcasted Superbly, (with the) Channel Belonging (to) Noynoy is not.

In another note, did you know that the former President Cory publicly apologized to Pres. Erap Estrada on her role in ousting him? If you did not know that, probably you were watching TV Patrol World that time because they did not cover it. For Erap not to gain sympathy and pogi points to the masses. Luckily, it was shown on GMA 7.

It should be noted that during the Holy Week, no one is allowed to do infomercials or campaigning. But what was that three-hour movie shown on ABS-CBN and Studio 23? A Dangerous Life. The story of EDSA People Power which reminds us of whom? Pres. Cory Aquino, the mother of the ABS-CBN’s hero, Noynoy. What was featured in Maala-ala Mo Kaya? Still the Aquinos.

Another proof of the network's partiality? Look at this news piece by ABS-CN News.Com: Click here.

The title of the article is "Villar cuts Noynoy's lead to 11%" but the subtitle, directly below it is: "LP says Aquino's base is solid". More than half of the article talks on the defensive reaction of Noynoy's party (like they’re still going to air infomercials). And oh, would it be nice if there will be comments at all from any of Villar's spokespersons despite the fact that the biggest news about this new survey is “Villar cutting Noynoy's lead”? ABS-CBN is patheticly biased and they are good at it.

Aside from having an overacting younger sister in Channel 2, we should not forget that it was Pres. Cory Aquino who was able to bring the network back on air after being closed down by the dictator Pres. Marcos. That explains why ABS-CBN is obviously tilted to support Aquino’s candidacy.

It is just sad to note that the largest TV Network is so biased in a time where people deserve right information. Mainly the reason Filipinos are drawn to Noynoy is because he is the candidate whose current situation fits perfectly as a protagonist in a tasteless telenovela. His father was helplessly assassinated; his mom who continued “The Fight” recently died and then he got “discernment” from “Bro” to become the savior - thanks to ABS-CBN.

Banking on people’s emotions, good publicity, and biased reporting, I am not surprised that many eyes were blinded by A-Bias-CBN. Mga kababayan, niloloko tayo ng TV oh.

A Word of Thanks

I wanna thank you all for reading my blogs and I hope you find it sensible.
Yesterday, the rank of this very blog you’re reading is 104 in the Political Blogs Category of Philippine Top Blogs.

But obviously, as you can see below, it skyrocketed to rank 61, just after one day. This is due to the multitude of people who viewed and read my articles, most especially the article, “The Best Man for the Job: JRGon’s President is…”.














Thank you so much for your time. I would not want to promise anything but I just want to say that I appreciate your effort in reading, commenting whether here or in Facebook, or even voting for my polls. (Comments in Facebook keep on coming, thanks!)

I am not a paid hack, I don’t earn anything from this blog. Thank you for making me want to blog more and share insightful ideas with you. God bless the Philippines. There is still hope. Kayo ang aking lakas. (Oops, that was Noynoy’s line. Hahaha.)

The Best Man for the Job: JRGon's President is...

I am a small voice but allow me to be heard. I’m imploring you to read the following in the hope that you’ll understand why I think there is a need choose the right president this coming elections. I hope that you will judge on the merits of this article.

We Filipinos, as a nation, lack direction and foresight. We are lost. We, as a people, do not have a clear goal of what to be as a nation in the coming years. Our “bahala na” attitude is a clear manifestation of our carefree predisposition as a people. It is not even surprising that Time Magazine calls us the Asia’s Laggard. Why? Back in the 1960’s we are Asia’s economic giant only shy to Japan. We were the country with the highest literacy rate. Koreans and other neighboring Asian countries are envious of our success. Fifty years after, look at what kind of country we are now. With trillions of dollars as debt to the World Bank, 11% of the population looking for greener pastures abroad, more than half of the 94 million below poverty line, we are clearly lagging behind our Asian counterparts. We once dreamt of becoming a newly-industrialized country by the Year 2000, but up to now, we are still dreaming.

Our government has become a kakistocracy - a government run by the least qualified or most unprincipled. A government ran by the worst of its citizens. Many of us fail to elect the right leaders for the job.

We need strong leaders in order to restore our country. It is not enough to say for a leader that he or she is “for the poor”, what is important is he or she knows what to do to uplift every individual. Like a coach to his players, we need a leader that teaches and corrects us to help us win and succeed. A coach’s words may be harsh, but that is what real love is. That is what real concern and love for country is all about.

Our Asian counterparts have already done it on their own turfs. The late Park Chung Hee has done it in South Korea. Torn after the Korean War, Park has led the country to the industrialized status by 1988. Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore led the island nation to economic prosperity in a span of 29 years from 1959 to 1980. Japan on the other hand, was able to rise up and even hosted the 1964 Olympics (19 years after losing in the World War II).

We have few examples of strong leader ship here in the Philippines worthy to be followed. Despite being labeled as “The Punisher” by Time Magazine, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s iron hand in Davao made it, “The most peaceful city in Asia”. (You have to come to Davao to see for yourself because I did). Let us also not forget Mayor Alfredo Lim’s performance in Manila. It is apparent: discipline and political will is not a bad thing – it is timely and critically needed.

My president has a strong leadership. He enforces strong action, because for him it is the real essence of leadership, not a mere title.

My president studied History and Government in College.

My president did great results in an executive office. No other candidates did.

My president was visited by Margaret Thatcher, Dr. Mahatir Mohammad, and U.S. President Bill Clinton came to see the miracle of Subic’s great transformation from a sin city to a model city.

My president generated 200,000 jobs and was able to gather 8,000 volunteers to help rebuild the city after the Americans have left the bases.

My president is not a corrupt leader. His detractors filed 38 cases but all were dismissed; those cases did not even reach the Sandiganbayan.

My president, when he was still the Mayor of Olongapo, never failed to abandon his constituents during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo despite the quake happening every two minutes. He saved 9,000 Aetas and forced them to evacuate the volcano’s perimeter. My President reminds me of New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was there to help after the September 11 bombing.

My president has been a volunteer of the Red Cross for more than 40 years. He was there to help during the Guzman Tech Tragedy in Quiapo (1995), Pagoda Tragedy in Bulacan (1993), Mayon eruption (2009), Cabanatuan City Quake (1990), Typhoon Frank in Iloilo (2008), Release of Abu Sayyaf hostages in March 2000, Glorietta Blast, Typhoon Ondoy, and many more.

My president was able to bring in 6 million tourists to the Philippines despite the Bali bombing, and SARS outbreak. He made us say Wow! Philippines.

My president authored the Tourism Act of 2008, Veterans Equity Bill, and co-authored many more. He was the Chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee challenging the infamous ZTE-NBN Deal of the government as well as the Fertilizer Scam.

My president, when he was still a mayor, said on March 1980: “What we need is not just a change of men but a change IN men”.

My president is, like other candidates, a sweet-talker. But has ALREADY delivered what he said. He has already cleaned his own backyard in Olongapo before vying for the Senate, and now, the presidency.

I am campaigning for Senator Richard J. Gordon. I trust him my vote for I believe he can take us where we want to be. We need the one “who can get things done” and has achievements to back up the claims of his capability.

Let us leave the surveys behind, they do nothing but give us preconceived notions of who to vote. Sink or swim, my vote belongs to him for he deserves it. And by the way, did I fail to mention that Dick Gordon is the author of the Automated Elections Law? ###


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Finally, I was able to finish this article. Let us vote wisely and may God bless the Philippines! Feel free to comment on this article. Feel free to share this article to others.

We have a new survey, please vote now.

Elections: 7 Days to Go

7 days to go before the Elections and what’s the latest buzz?

A few minutes ago, after watching 24 Oras, COMELEC people gave a warning on how people are gonna ruin the elections. The average voting time for this year’s elections would take 5 minutes with the maximum time of 7-8 minutes. Beyond that, say, 10-15 minutes, the voter can be arrested with the instructions coming from the Board of Election Inspector.

According to Jimenez, it will be a strategy of the badpeople to disrupt the elections. They will intentionally cause the delay by staying overtime while voting therefore boring the heck out of everyone on the queue for their turn to vote.

Speaking on the possibility of the election failure, Noynoy said that he will call for a "People Power". Bishop Gaudencio Rosales says that Noynoy's statement is so irresponsible. I definitely agree. (Kahilas lang pud niya oi! Wala pa gani!)

In the other news, Gibo Teodoro was endorsed by Apollo Quiboloy saying that Gibo was chosen by the “Father”. Seeing the spectacle on TV, Gibo was obviously emotional and teary-eyed which led then to JRGon’s speculations. What is on Gibo's mind?















a. "Leading pa rin si Noynoy at nauungusan na ako ng iba. May silbi pa ba itong endorsement na ito? Huhuhu."

b. "Pagod na ako, tapos 9% pa rin sa surveys. Huhuhu."

c. "Bakit si Quiboloy lang ang nag-endorse? Huhuhu."

d. "Totoo ba talagang 6 million ang ka-relihiyon ni Quiboloy? 'Di naman yata kapani-paniwala eh! Huhuhu."

Poll Results

Who would you vote for this coming May 11 Elections?

1. Dick Gordon 41%
2. Gibo Teodoro 25%
3. Manny Villar 16%
4. Nick Perlas and Noynoy Aquino 8%
5. JC Delos Reyes, Erap Estrada, Jamby Madrigal, and Eddie Villanueva 0%


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"Hindi lahat ng dilaw ay bayani. Let us vote wisely!"