What’s happening to our kids?

NENENG TINOTOO SA BAHAY-BAHAYAN

Scary. Heck I even remember a kid somewhere in Visayas who almost killed a baby with a bolo. Heaven save our kids.

If I were a senator, I would file the Anti-Political Narcissism Bill. Basically, this bill, if enacted into law, will ban the display and posting of incumbent government official’s (whether elected or appointed) face and/or name in government offices, on the streets, practically everywhere, even if the funds used for these are personal.

You know, even if you look OK (or even cute for that matter), I don’t care about your narcissistic tendencies. If you love yourself so much, use the toilet. The people have elected you to work for them, not for them to look at your billboards, not for them to read your name at billboards announcing that their taxes are working (yeah, that’s true, the taxes were used to have your face/name on billboards).

If you deal with government offices (whether local or national), you cannot fail to notice those grinning pictures. Government offices tend to look like museums – or worse – mausoleums (if you have seen a Chinese mausoleum, you’d get what I mean). What the hell are those for? Are we to venerate them? Maybe I should always bring candles, flowers, and incense sticks when I drop by government offices.

If this bill is passed, imagine the amounts of money saved from these unnecessary expenses. And we do not have to view their faces and/or read their names again. We will be saved from visual pollution. But that’s just me.

Caveat: the politicians might argue that this bill will violate their freedom of expression.

Anyway, I live in Caloocan, and I used to live in Manila. The incumbent mayors of both cities are guilty of visual pollution.

I’ve been rethinking my suggestion of a Third Flank after re-reading Patricia Evangelista’s Sunday column. It is the time for Senate slates to be drafted and announced (January 15 is the magic date), and some people are already speculating, as was last November, about possible candidates for senator. John Marzan is already in 2nd draft of his list of candidates to vote for.

But what resonates more to me is Evangelista’s comments. Putting the elitist tone aside, she have made valid points about Guingona, Legarda, and Joker Arroyo (Evangelista still thinks EDSA 2 is right) being in the United Opposition (UNO), throwing principle aside. She even blasted the idea of Richard Gomez (and Edu Manzano) running as senator. I believe her thinking represents the thoughts of the majority of the undecided.

The problem with her idea is that it places the likes of Guingona and Legarda in a political limbo. Taking “principles” into consideration, the two cannot join either slate. What would the two do, aside from running as independents?

Her thoughts, however, fall in line with what I think will be the administration’s selling point regarding its Senate slate – 2007 is a proxy war between Estrada and Arroyo; that the opposition is still more of the same; and when push comes to shove, it is better to side with the lesser evil.

While both slates not yet final, it is futile to speculate about the chances of winning. Yet the spectre of the “more-of-the-same” thinking, for me, will work for the administration’s benefit. Hence the idea of a Third Flank. But the main disadvantage of a Third Flank is that it will cut into the votes of both sides, and might lead into any side not gaining majority. But the beauty of this is that the Third Flank will deny the admin candidates who, in principle are against Arroyo and had opposed Estrada, might join the admin slate out of principle.

The key here, as other pundits have already said, is the swing vote. All parties will appeal to this group. And the Third Flank is well positioned to capture this group (although of course it will not be enough). The Third Flank must clearly be different from the two, yet may share similarities with the two, as what should really happen in three-party systems.

Here’s the ideal situation. Pack the admin slate with known admin allies; it cannot afford to draft a candidate whose loyalty is suspect. It has already been badly burned by its 2004 slate. Pack the UNO slate with known Estrada allies. Out of principle, the names of Legarda, Guingona, Pangilinan, Villar, and Arroyo should be stricken off the UNO list. Either they join the admin slate, or go Third Flank. This will satisfy Evangelista’s criteria.

To sum up: Evangelista believes that the admin slate is pure-breed Arroyo loyalists; UNO is unmistakably an Estrada proxy; and guys like Guingona joining UNO insults the intelligence of the middle class. The end is more-of-the-same. Give her a slate that is based on principles, and she might vote for it.

(This is still inconclusive; will update as soon as the two slates are announced.)

Profile: The Anti-Political Dynasty Bill
* House Bills 3335 (filed 11/23/2004) and 4407 (filed 6/2/2005) consolidated into HB 5925 Committee Report issued 11/9/2006 for approval
* Senate Bill 1904 (filed 2/3/2005) done on 1st reading and referred to Committee on CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS, REVISION OF CODES AND LAWS

This is one bill that should have been legislated since Cory Aquino’s term, but remains to be enacted to this day. The reason for such a delay is simple: who would want to do that?

Currently, the House versions have been consolidated (HB 5925) and is now through from committee deliberations. An online copy is not available, but the Bayan Muna version (HB 3335) is available here. The Senate version, as filed by Miriam Santiago, is available in PDF format here.

Meanwhile, here is a funny quote:

On the other hand, Rep. Defensor stated that the main idea of HB 4407 is “to bar relatives from holding positions where power is concentrated in an individual but not from positions where decision-making is made through deliberations and consensus.”

Meaning, congressmen and senators are exempted.

Salient provisions common in HB 5925 and SB 1904:

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms:
xxx
2. Political Dynasty Relationship – Exists when a person who is the spouse of an incumbent elective official or a relative within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity of an incumbent elective official holds or runs for an elective office simultaneously with the incumbent elective official within the same city and/or province or occupies the same office immediately after the term of office of the incumbent elective official.

A political dynasty shall also be deemed to exist where two (2) or more persons who are spouses or are related within the second civil of consanguinity or affinity run simultaneously for elective public office within the same city and/or province, even if neither is so related to an incumbent elective official.
xxx
4. Second Civil Degree of Consanguinity or Affinity – Shall include the relatives of a person who may be the latter’s brother or sister, direct ascendant or direct descendant, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half blood, including their spouses.
xxx
SECTION 5. Persons Covered; Prohibited Candidates. – No spouse, or person related within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half blood, to an incumbent elective official seeking re-election shall be allowed to hold or run for any elective office in the same province in the same election.

In case the constituency of the incumbent elective official is national in character, the above relatives shall be disqualified from running only within the same province where the former is a registered voter.

In case where none of the candidates is related to an incumbent elective official within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, but are related to one another within the said prohibited degree, they, including their spouses, shall be disqualified from holding or running for any local elective office within the same province in the same election.

In all cases, no person within the prohibited civil degree of relationship to the incumbent shall immediately succeed to the position of the latter: Provided however, that this Section shall not apply to Punong Barangays or members of the Sangguniang Barangay.

Comments:

Up to second degree only? Why not include cousins, nephews, nieces, grandchildren? Heck, why not include godchildren?

And also, I have problems with the local scope of these bills. It should be updated. A president with a son as senator and another as congressman and a nephew as mayor is a political dynasty but not covered as defined by these bills. Case in point: Gloria Arroyo, with a son and a brother-in-law as congressmen, and another son being rumored to be interested as a congressman. Lito Lapid, with a son as a governor. Loi Estrada, with a son as a senator.

I also believe that this bill should include appointive offices. Patronage has to end, too, and it should start with the family. Case in point: Lito Atienza, with a son as head of a city office.

Passing this bill will change the political landscape that we have right now. The battle by relative-as-proxy will be replaced by battle of chosen proxy (or war horse, if you want).

It’s the New Year, and Xpress remains the same.

TINODAS SA PLA-PLA

How about another one?

Sinaksak na, binaril pa

Happy new year!

The Christian world is about to commemorate the birth of the King of Justice. And, as you ponder on the occassion, please also ask yourself:

1. Whatever happened to the Daily Tribune case? This case is buried deep by the high-profile cases that the Supreme Court has resolved. I believe this case actually has the biggest impact on our daily lives. Never has the Bill of Rights been trampled upon with impunity.

To remind you what happened on that issue: during the height of the so-called State of Emergency (which turned out to be overblown paranoia), the Philippine National Police had forcibly entered the editorial offices of the newspaper and took several things, without search warrants. The police even posted a policeman outside the office.

John Marzan is the unofficial chronicler; here are his post on this topic:

* PNP takes over the Daily Tribune
* Daily Tribune offices Raided

2. Is Raul Gonzalez really the Secretary of Justice?
3. And of course, 2004.

BATA, TODAS SA CAROLING

Tsk tsk.

I forgot to post yesterday’s headline, so here it is:

PAMANGKIN NI BUNYE, NIYARI

What will be next? Too bad, I’ll miss Xpress. Wait till January 2, 2007.

Disappointing headline:

Megamall brownout

NB: I was at Megamall last Thursday (12/14). Building B is the affected portion. Bad for business. Henry Sy should refund tenants.

Short and sweet (ugh):

Na-Ativan, natatluhan

Now that the Chacha Choochoo Train is derailed for a long while, despite the push for a poisoned Concon, the Arroyo administration will have to draw another plan to save its skin and prevent a bitter, complete defeat in the elections next year.

The goals for the administration are as follows:

• Prevent an opposition sweep of the Senate. To meet this objective, the administration-led Chacha (PI, Con-Ass) called for a unicameral legislature, eliminating a nationally-elected chamber. Now that the train is derailed, it is imperative that the Senate will not go opposition.
  Hence you can hear ULAP threatening to conduct another PI. And this time they might succeed.
• Prevent allies in House from defeat. Losing the numbers at the Lower House means the third time’s the charm – impeachment will finally reach the Senate.
• Demolish the Church’s (all religions) newfound credibility. Remember that during the last attempt to impeach Arroyo, the CBCP was not a factor in the issue (despite the election of Archbishop Angel Lagdameo as president), which played to Arroyo’s favor. Remember those envelopes given to bishops?
  The biggest problem is the INC. It seems to be a formidable machine; it is rumored that what finally derailed the Chacha Choochoo train was the veto of INC. Arroyo must neutralize this threat; it still supports her, but for how long?
• Make the people forget about this debacle by projecting – pass the buck to those who advocate Concon as means of Chacha. This is the easiest to achieve, and it is actually – slowly – beginning to work.
  De Venecia tried to turn the tables by issuing an ultimatum to the Senate – call a Concon and forget Con-Ass. It backfired. The ultimatum was withdrawn.
  De Venecia and Bunye called on the Church to call off their rally, since Con-Ass is dead. The two were rebuffed.
  But the tendency of the people to forget so easily plays to the administration’s advantage. It just has to make sure that whatever shenanigans it will do, it will not be exposed to the public.
• Maintain the status quo in the Comelec.

If the opposition flounders again, if the current momentum brought about by the ill-fated Con-Ass ebbs immediately, the administration will remain safe until 2010. Even beyond, if it wants.

The military is a non-factor; take note that Arroyo remains the SecDef. The police is a loyal lapdog. The Church, while showing signs of resurrected respectability, is tarnished, derided, sneered at. The civil society is disdained together with the Leftists/progressives; the middle class can’t forget that they’d been had by the two groups. The mass remains an untapped resource, meandering, rudderless.

The middle class remains in denial, in apathy; unwilling to admit that it had a huge part in the mess we are in now, it is willing to maintain the status quo.

So with no institution, no leader credible enough to challenge it, and as long as it plays its cards right, the Arroyo administration is safe. For now.

—

For me, the middle class is typified by a sneering, leering individual whose mind is already closed to the reality that:

* People believe in faith; and
* Organized religion is not bad per se.

He believes that:

* The mass is ignorant, easily led and fooled by people of the cloth;
* Prayer rallies are more about the money than anything else;
* Those who rants are the minority since he/she does not share their views;
* Those who oppose the status quo are threats to his/her welfare; and
* People are not trustworthy, that they only push for their own self-interest, so he/she doesn’t care.

Cynicism is tiring; I see it more as an ego-boosting mechanism. Or a defense mechanism, if you like (it is not, actually).