A lot of things are bothering me about this May elections.

The general consensus is that the cheating for this coming elections will be minimal. Yet, there are several facts that trouble me. One, the Comelec had ordered extra 1 million ballots printed. Second, the Comelec has purged the voters list; around a million names were removed. So what’s the use of the extra ballots?

Third, the administration is not bothered by the strong showing of the opposition in the senatorial race. Heck, it was even nonchalant when reacting to surveys. However, when a survey result showing that the voters will vote opposition in the local polls was released, the administration almost went ballistic.

Fourth, the administration hacks keep on harping about machinery delivering Team Unity to victory; one drunk hack even predicted a 12-0 sweep by the administration, survey results to the contrary notwithstanding. What machinery they are talking about? Is the Maguindanao governor’s enticement part of that machinery?

Fifth, the Comelec refuses to disclose the nominees of the party lists participating in this year’s elections. The Comelec did so in 2001 and in 2004, why can’t they do that this year? Is it because of the accusations that some party list groups are just administration fronts?

Taking all of these into consideration, and the fact that the people is now aware of the cheating mechanisms available, the question now is this: will there be cheating? And if yes, in what form?

I think it will help if we know what is the goal of the administration for this year’s elections. It is actually very simple, and very obvious. It has been their goal since 2004 – the survival of Gloria Arroyo’s hold in the Fortress by the Pasig.

So the goal this year is to prevent the opposition from gaining enough seats in the House of Representatives. The goal is to make another impeachment impossible.

Knowing the goal, we can now answer some questions. Will there be cheating this year? Probably. In what form? In a way that is localized in nature.

Let me explain. It seems that the administration has already conceded the senatorial race; all those things that administration hacks were saying are all bravado. Cheating on this level will be too obvious. (It is still possible, in order to insert a candidate or two, but that’s the most they can do.)

The administration has placed its bets on the local races. There are races where administration candidates are running unopposed, so scratch those. What to watch out for are the races that are perceived to be close or where the opposition is strong.

If there will be cheating, it will in the local polls. This is where the administration cannot afford to lose.

Words have multiple meanings, and the intended meaning is gleaned from its context – the way the word is used in a statement. Thus, when you string words with others, your meaning, your intent, your thought, may change depending on the context.

This is important when analyzing arguments and statements, most specially statements with multiple clauses. Multiple clauses are tricky, and here is where most arguments and debates begin. For you might mean one thing on the first clause, but may change because of context of the second clause.

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This idea has been in my mind since last night, as I leave the University Hotel, right after iBlog. I guess this qualify for the Artist’s way, right, Mr. Vader?

I am supposed to post about the party list system, but got sidelined by the enormity of the task. I wish to explain the system, how it works, and what groups are qualified. With the arbitrariness of the Comelec in accrediting party list organizations (dropping Ang Ladlad, and not Alliance Transport Sector and 1-United Transport Koalisyon and Kapatiran ng mga Na Kulong na Walang Sala), an easy-to-understand explanation is needed to show why Benjamin Abalos is appointed as chair of Comelec (this news is just a piece of the pie).

Anyway, read the text of Republic Act 7941 (the Party List Law) and a Comelec primer on the party list system.

While I do not have a list of senatorial candidates to vote (yet), I have already chosen CIBAC as my party list vote. My apologies to you and you and you for not selecting Kabataan for the party list. Let me explain why.

My aunt is a Born Again, and she does missionary work for her church. One morning at the breakfast table, she asked me to vote for Alagad in the party list elections. I asked her why, and she said the party is helpful (nakakatulong was the word that she used). Knowing that this party had given us Rodante Marcoleta (who is in my Wall of Shame) and his hairdo, I politely said no.

Now, here is why I am voting for Cibac. One, it has been consistent on its stand regarding accountability of government officials. Second, it is pro-impeachment. And third, the primary voters of this party list are Born Again Christians. If my aunt is any indication, the Born Again vote is now divided, and the support for Cibac will be eroded.

Cibac deserves to retain its seat in the House of Representatives, and it deserves to gain two more. That is why I am voting for Cibac. I will not try to convince you to vote for Cibac. Just go to their Web site, read, and see if it deserves your own vote.

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Join the discussion on GO vs. TU Web site smackdown! Go here and leave your ratings and comments. Go tell others.

Monday being a holiday, I was able to see another episode of Forum 2007. The topic was about Mindanao, and the candidates featured were Aquilino Pimentel III, Adrian Sison, and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Mindanao is a complicated topic, and someone not from Mindanao cannot comment on the topic with confidence. Pimentel and Zubiri are both from Mindanao, and thus their confidence showed. Sison was very confident also, though I’m not sure if he’s from Mindanao.

My impression on Zubiri is that he is a politician at heart. His answers (like the other two) were motherhood statements coupled with references to his accomplishments in his congressional district. He mouthed the roads and other infrastructure that his pork barrel has funded (implying that people of Bukidnon should be thankful); he even had a so-called score card, a folder containing pictures of infra projects in Bukidnon. This is what a true-blue politician will do.

Pimentel’s and Zubiri’s proposed solutions to the Mindanao problem do not differ that much; Sison emphasized on education, which to me is rather short-sighted, as if education alone will solve the problems in Mindanao. However, Zubiri’s a bit incoherent on his proposals, to the point that I myself can’t remember anything specific except for infrastructure and the like.

Sadly, he had not shared to the viewers and panelists his specific legislative agenda for Mindanao. And that’s where the problem is.

He is running for senator, which is a legislative position. His proposed solutions are all under the purview of the executive, thus I am scratching my head in asking, “Why should I vote for this guy, when he has not presented his legislative agenda for Mindanao?”

And, by the way, was he not part of the fools at the House of Representatives that wanted to abolish the Senate? And now he is running for a seat at the chamber that he wanted abolished? This is what we call an about face, a classic in the politician’s playbook. Why should I vote for him?

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SIDE NOTES:

Pimentel said it best: “The problem in Mindanao is not just a problem of Mindanaoaons, it is the problem of all Filipinos.”

Amina Rasul’s questions were very leading. She had stated her questions in such a way that she would get the answers that she wanted. Unfortunately, two of the candidates answered that diverged from her questions. Guess who they were?

When asked about the Anti Terror Law, Pimentel had said that it is unconstitutional. He suggested that ARMM create a Commission on Human Rights wqith prosecutorial powers. Why the national CHR does not have this power is a question with no answers.

Today we commemorate the valor of the Filipino soldiers in fighting the Japanese during World War II.

This date is actually the date when Bataan fell to the Japanese, and majority of the American and Filipino soldiers were forced to do the so called Death March.

This day we should remember the sacrifices that our war veterans did to liberate the country.

May the government get its act together to take the plight of our war veterans and retired soldiers seriously.

May the US government see the light and justly compensate the efforts given by Filipino war veterans.

May the Filipino people realize that there are aspirations greater than getting rich or living the life that they wanted.

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My paternal grandfather was a war veteran, but he was not able to set foot on the US. He died when I was still young, so I never got to ask him war stories. His brother fared better; he now lives in the Bay Area of California, and drops by the Philippines from time to time. The last time I saw him was when my paternal grandmother (his sister-in-law) died. Never got to ask him war stories then. Hopefully it is not too late.

Do you know someone who is a war veteran? Do you have war stories to share? Post them in the comments or post about it.