According to this article on www.Inquirer.net, a group of pastors and a Manila congressman sued for supposed pornographic content seven local magazines and tabloids (FHM, Maxim, Playboy Philippines, Playhouse, and tabloids Sagad, Hataw and Baliktaran Toro).

The congressman’s name? Bienvenido Abante.

You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

According to this article, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim will not lift a finger to help his 44-year-old son Manuel, who was busted last Friday for trying to sell shabu to an undercover agent.

He refused to answer questions about the arrest, but when asked if he had called his father, he said: “No, I did not bother. I knew he himself would arrest and charge me.”

I am encouraged by Mayor Lim’s sticking to his “The law applies to all, or not at all” credo. His son commits a crime, is caught, and will be held accountable for that crime. No padrino or nepotism system, no one exempt from the law if one tries to make our society worse off.

If only that law and steadfast adherence to one’s values were applicable to all public servants. *sigh*

Former Philippine president Fidel Ramos said, in a speech delivered at an activity organized by the office of and attended by current Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, that greed, apathy, and corruption are once again making themselves felt, and constituted problems that the nation needs to address.

“Around the world,” said he, “there are new tyrannies in the form of self-serving leaders, immoderately greedy autocrats and cliques of corrupt officials that we must still confront.”

Ganns to self: Must refrain from pot-calling-kettle-black cheap shot. Oops.

Cathy and I were discussing this yesterday morning - you know you’re not even remotely close to young anymore when your conversations focus more on politics and the economy than the latest songs on the radio - when she joked, if we remove the corrupt from public service, there will be no one left. I myself kidded that this would raise unemployment to dangerous levels.Snide comments aside, I think the single greatest problem facing the Philippines today is not poverty. It’s not even corruption. The single greatest problem facing the Philippines today is that we don’t care for each other as a people.

The greatest problem facing us today is we don’t love our country. Period.

If public servants loved the country, they wouldn’t even have to think twice about adding on a little extra to their projects just for money in their pockets; they simply wouldn’t. If our leaders loved the country, they would not build an economic plan on sending their countrymen to work abroad, thereby making our own economy dangerously reliant on the economies of other nations, and tearing families apart because father and mother are not working together to raise the next generation.

If we loved our country, we would not run red lights. We would not try to use our connections just because we do not want to stand in line. We would not try to bribe our way out of dilemmas we got ourselves into because we did not do the right thing in the first place. We would not try to replace our leaders just because.

The system is not the problem. We are the problem. Our own qualities as a people - the ningas cogon, the padrino system, the bahala na attitude, the pwede na iyan mentality - doom us to failure. Each and every time.

Before we can change the government, we need to look at ourselves in a spiritual mirror and ask ourselves the more important question: how can I be part of the solution?

More on that in my next blog post, because I need to formulate my thoughts. What I definitely want to underline is that these blog entries are not unrealistic mumblings of a Filipino pollyanna. I don’t offer a solution, but I want to underscore that we as a people, if we are genuinely concerned about the future of our nation, need to be in a certain mindset when we undertake the process of change and rehabilitation.

Ramos says “history might yet call us to come together again–to offer our lives and fortunes on the altar of our civic ideals.” I hope he’s willing to put his money where his mouth is, because my next post intends to start with him.

I recently joined Team RP, a college students and young professionals-led initiative that advocates truth, accountability, and reform in Philippine government. (What a surprise that I received an invite, given that I am neither a college student nor a young professional. Ah, the joys of not looking, sounding, or acting one’s age.)

Team RP is one of the many groups seeking truth, accountability and reform in government. I’m not exactly sure what other groups propose to do, but I imagine much of their rah-rah-rah’s revolve around kicking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo out of office.

I wish she weren’t our president. I do not believe she won the elections, and I do not believe she has never stolen a centavo from public coffers, as much as Luli would like to have us believe. I do not believe she has this nation’s best interests at heart. I did not believe her when she said she would not run again, and I will not believe any future announcements on her future political plans. I do not believe the economy improved the way it did based solely on her efforts. As far as I am concerned, the President’s integrity is slightly higher than that of the fleas on my dog.

Despite all this, I believe President Gloria Arroyo should finish her term.

Not necessarily because of the economy, which could have improved significantly more had our public servants not been so… um… greedy. Not necessarily because of the relative lack of someone viable to replace her. Certainly not necessarily because of our long history of using unconstitutional means to deal with our dissatisfaction with our presidents.

I think GMA needs to finish her term because it allows us, the hopeful idealists in the private sector, many in the middle class, to prepare for 2010. If we want truth and accountability in government, we’re not going to get it overnight. We’re not going to get it by forcing our president out.

The lack of integrity in people runs deeper than the head of state. It’s become part of our psyche as a people. It happens when drivers run red lights, and when said drivers try to bribe traffic cops when caught. (I regret having wished the fleas of a thousand camels occupy the ear lobes of drivers behind me honking their horns because I refuse to run a red light.) It happens when people try to use their connections to get a better seat, a better job, entrance into a better school. It happens all the time. At some point, we are all guilty, but God is a God of second, third, 152nd chances, and I think we owe it to ourselves and the future generations to forgive ourselves and start fresh.

If I’m not mistaken, this is what Team RP is aiming for. Reform has to start somewhere. I think if we want truth, accountability, and reform, we need to set the gold standard by living lives that emulate those values. If we want a government that is respected by the people, we the people need to respect the government and work with it towards that reform.

The pollyanna Pinoy in me believes truth and accountability in government - the ideals sought by groups like Team RP - is possible. The hopeful Filipino in me believes there are still good government officials, and not everyone is out there looking for a slice of the pie. Yes, the system is corrupt, and people can cheat their way to victory in elections, and ‘clean’ people can become sullied in government, but the optimistic Philippine citizen in me says we need to give it a shot. I’ll be darned if Nathan and Nicki grow up in a society where greed is moderated instead of eradicated and corruption is tolerated instead of punished.

Allow me to steal a line from US Senator Barack Obama, who has struck a chord with many Americans on the basis of his ‘politics of change.’ Obama has built his campaign on the ‘audacity of hope.’ His is “a politics of common sense, of common purpose, of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.”

If we cannot trust our politicians to put the nation first, to share in our sacrifice, and to use common sense in their day-to-day business (i.e. not rob us blind) so we can all share in the resulting prosperity, then we ourselves would do well to ensure we the people do not put these so-called public servants in power. A public servant whose heart is in the right place will not tolerate corruption. Period.

We cannot afford to be apathetic. We are going to have to work hard to make inroads, to become part of the system so we can change the system. We’re going to have to create a network of people who will stand by during elections to prevent fraud and ensure the crooks no longer stay in office. We are going to have to be positive influences on people in government, and renew in them the fire that may have gone out, thanks to the suffocating nature of government business. We are going to have to educate the masses on the implications of the padrino system, the vote-buying system, and how government can empower them to live more affluent lives.

Assuming the Constitution is respected between today and the elections in 2010, we have two years. Two years to influence people in government. Two years to reach out to the masses and educate them on the issues. Two years to prepare for public service qualified persons currently in the private sector. Such are the options available to us in our current democracy.

For as long, however, as the Constitution remains in place, we must at least respect that cornerstone, that Bible of our democracy. If we stumble into the pitfall of kicking out a president unconstitutionally, I truly fear for the survival of our democracy as we know it, and more importantly, the integrity and respect for truth, accountability, justice, and equality for which it stands.

This is the story thus far of the ZTE - National Broadband Network (NBN) scandal that has rocked the Philippines so far. It’s based on the timeline published in the Philippine Star. It’s told in rhyme! It’s a ZTE poem! Tap your desk for rhythm as you read along.

THE ZTE STORY SO FAR (In Rhyme!)

In late October of Oh-Six, some genius hatched a scheme.
Connect the nation - through the Web – was then the lifelong dream.
And never mind that barangays in Davao and Samar
haven’t had kuryente since Aquino was in power.

One month later, we have NEDA and CICT
endorsing NBN to Gloria, who wants BOT.
A lot of acronyms - we know! – can show simplicity.
(We’ll find out later how these foster much duplicity.)

Romy Neri led the NEDA in November then.
CICT’s Ramon Sales championed NBN.
In December, Amsterdam Holdings Incorporated
Bid for NBN but then they ended up frustrated.

You see, sometime in February, oh so very late,
Zhong Xing Telecoms had bid to build then operate.
Three hundred million dollars was ZTE’s highest bid.
On March 18, the AHI complained this was sordid.

Four days before, Arescom proposes some hardware for
The NBN for One Thirty-Five Million dollars more.
By the 26th of March, Neri shows some concern.
But three days later, NBN’s approved – he’s overturned.

Just one day later, Jarius Bondoc of Philippine Star
Writes about the slowly escalating broadband war.
Neri gets a letter – soon to be the first of many –
Expressing worry, this one from Ambassador K. Kenney.

The deal is signed in April – 21 to be precise –
Between us and the Chinese group, for sums that seem quite nice.
Three thirty million dollars sends some eyebrows through the air.
And Sales quits on June 5 as the CICT Chair.

In June 2007, Bondoc has another scoop,
and this one’s from a woman who is buried in the loop.
Vida Bocar, working for the anti-graft commission,
is fired for seeking info on the ZTE transition.

And that same month, the contract between ZTE and us
Vanished from the DOTC’s archives without fuss.
One month later, Neri is demoted to be head
Of the Commission on Higher Education – more known to us as CHED.

Well, that same month, the DOJ says ZTE is fine.
It’s “legal” and it’s “valid,” and there’s no more need to whine.
By end of month, a suit is filed by Iloilo’s best:
Vice-Governor R. Suplico won’t give ZTE a rest.

By August 25, our contract for the surety
Of equipment for the NBN is signed with ZTE.
In a column two days later, Jarius says the reps had made
A lot more than some signatures: there were hotel sexcapades!

On August 29, a bombshell in the Lower House!
Nueva Vizcaya Rep Carlos Padilla has a mouse -
A bubwit – who unleashes some amazing news and more.
Comelec chairman Abalos is involved in this furor!

Abalos admits that he’s met up with ZTE
But only for some golf in China, nothing more, says he.
GMA tells Cabinet to shush by September 3.
And four days later, we have impact from III JDV.

Joey de Venecia says Ben Abalos had tried
To buy his silence with a large ten million-dollar bribe.
By the 11th of September, the SC then steps in
And files a restraining order against project NBN.

Then one week later, JDV III says he had teed off
With FG Mike Arroyo, who then told him to “back off.”
FG says, I did no such thing!, first gentleman is he.
But four days later, GMA suspends the ZTE.

When the Senate heard the case on September 26,
Neri said a bribe had happened, there were really tricks.
He said Ben Abalos had tried to bribe him to endorse,
And he told GMA, who still approved this dying horse.

On October first, Ben Abalos resigns from Comelec.
Two days later, GMA says ZTE’s a wreck.
Blue Ribbon chair Cayetano schedules hearing by month’s end.
The NEDA chair won’t give them documents on NBN.

On 10 October, Neri says the documents are free.
They’re public, and should be available for all to see.
The Senate drags on hearings for the next two months or so,
until we meet a fellow who is deeply in the know.

Jun Lozada is a man who knows of ZTE.
He’s a government consultant in the fast realm of IT.
Two hours before Senate starts, he flies off to Hong Kong,
Despite the knowledge what he did was obviously quite wrong.

Orders for his fast arrest – and Neri’s, too – are made.
Neri avoids all the cops; J-Lo flies home when swayed.
He disappears, and for some hours, seems to all quite lost.
His whereabouts unknown, people start to count the cost.

The Palace says they had nothing to do with J-Lo’s mark.
PNP Chief Razon says that he’s kept in the dark.
J-Lo’s wife Violeta files a writ with the SC.
His brother Arthur does the same to underline their plea.

Soon after, Razon takes the stage and with his “police charm,”
Informs the world that J-Lo’s safe and he has not been harmed.
“The man’s in police custody,” the PNP chief says.
“OMG,” the nation gasps in shock, “He’s good as dead.”

It turns out J-Lo isn’t dead; he’s hiding from the mob.
Some theorize that his demise was foiled, a bungled job.
The media covers all the stops; results are not dismal.
Instead of becoming a Dacer, he ends up in La Salle.

Protected by the men in white, Lozada tells us all
The deal with ZTE was anything but really small.
He links Arroyo – FG, man! – and Chairman Abalos
To ZTE and NBN, at great personal cost.

He says the former Comelec Chairperson wants him dead,
Revealing a huge kickback for him and the nation’s head.
From Two-Six-Two Mil, NBN had grown to Three-Thirty.
130 Mil for Abalos; Arroyo Seventy.

During investigation, we can see the lines are drawn.
One by one, the senators are by Lozada, won.
In search for justice, they’re convinced his testimony’s neat.
(Never mind the puddle of tears pooling at his feet.)

In later testimonies, the corruption web has spread.
J-Lo implicates most every businessman and head.
(One of the more shocking revelations of the lad?
He claims to have met up with Mrs. ‘Lagot ka if you’re bad.’)

Right now, we’re waiting for a testimony with much bated breath.
Assuming J-Lo is protected from uncertain death,
There is much to see and hear, and things get rather scary,
When he says “GMA is evil,” according to Sec Neri.

With Jamby and Ping Lacson finding patriotic cash,
And government sending the Ombudsman in a frantic dash,
With churches gathering their flocks for a different people power,
And loyalties to GMA now growing rather sour,
With media and bloggers frothing at the mouth for more,
With Team RP now forming to revitalize the core,
With us, the middle class, just working to keep us afloat,
With many Filipinos hoping now to rock the boat,
With demon partnership now part of evil’s definition
The time may be upon us for a government transition.
A shifting in the paradigm may be a welcome treat.
God save us from a lady who stands just below five feet.

Gossip columnist Lolis Solis is in over her head, and she deserves to be punished!

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Solis says there was ‘no malice’ when she wrote about actors Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby in her Take It, Take It column for Pilipino Star Ngayon. Pascual and Milby filed a PHP12M libel lawsuit last year against the gossip columnist for the title of the column, which read “Piolo at Sam, huling huling naglalampungan” (’Piolo and Sam, caught romancing each other” according to the PDI translation), as well as the content of the column, which detailed Solis’ alleged spotting of the two acting “sweet” at the Sofitel Hotel poolside around 4 p.m. of Oct. 12.

She claims her column was neither libelous nor malicious, and says Pascual and Milby are “hypersensitive.” Her lawyer, Margarita Briones Lasam, claims Solis “was just describing what she saw. She says her column wasn’t defamatory, and she never referred to the singers as “gay or homosexuals.”

In their lawsuit, Pascual and Milby claim the five elements of libel - it was defamatory, made publicly, malicious, directed at a natural or juridicial person, and tends to cause dishonor, discredit or contempt of the person/s defamed - were present in the column. They call it an outright lie, because they claim they were not at the Sofitel Hotel on the date and time Solis claimed they were.

Solis is grasping at straws. The very nature of the column is malicious in nature. Because she knows the public is interested in Pascual and Milby relationship stories, she wrote a column with clear intent to fuel the fire. Her choice of words - naglalampungan, a very strong Filipino word to describe displays of lusty affection that border on ‘torrid’ - were clearly intended to tell the reader that Pascual and Milby were doing more than just hanging out at poolside. There are many other Filipino words one can use to describe friends together - tambay being the most obvious - but the choice of naglalampungan, over even naglalambingan, a much milder term, clearly shows Solis had malicious intent.

Further content in the column were clearly intended to portray Milby and Pascual’s relationship as something more than platonic. Though she did not directly call them gay, she used words like “kakaiba (different),” “sweet,” and “halos magkadikit na nga ang mga pisngi (their cheeks were almost touching).” If Milby and Pascual were not at the Sofitel on the date and time she claims they were, then she is caught in an obvious lie. If they were, she is still guilty of exaggerating the facts and, in fact, making a case for libel by her choice of words.

Lolit Solis is getting what she deserves for clearly going against the will of God. Note what the Bible says about what she does for a living:

Leviticus 19:16 – “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.” (NIV)

Proverbs 11:13 – “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” (NIV)

Romans 1:29 – “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips.” (NIV)

1 Timothy 5:13 – “Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.” (NIV)

Gossip columnists make a living off inventing and exaggerating information for a bloodthirsty public. The gossip industry is a multi-million dollar industry, and what do we have to show for it? Nervous breakdowns and countless lawsuits for invasion of privacy and libel. From Britney to Paris, Lindsay to Cory Aquino (remember the ‘hide under the bed’ fiasco with Louie Beltran, people in the private eye are suffering.

Celebrities may lose a certain amount of privacy by virtue of their being celebrities, but they should be entitled to a certain amount of privacy. Their being celebrities does not not entitle gossip columnists (and paparazzi) to invade their lives and exaggerate/lie just to sell magazines and newspapers.

I believe Lolit Solis had every intention to slander Piolo and Sam. That she won’t retract her column is not necessarily proof of truth; it is proof of an unrepentant liar who is unwilling to admit that she is willing to make information up just to cause controversy and slander two respected entertainers. She must pay the full price of her folly.

The American presidential election race of 2008 is shaping up to be the most exciting one in recent memory. The AP bills “Super Tuesday” a political day like no other, and it truly is: record numbers of Republican and Democrat voters - with a stunning number, as well, of independents - are turning out to choose the presidential candidates who will duke it out in November 2008.

I’ve followed the US elections since 1988, when Michael Dukakis lost to George Bush the Elder. I was eleven, and that year, I decided I was Democrat, and supported - at least in my mind, since I am not American - Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry. This year particularly excites me because of the history that stands to be made by a Democrat candidate, and regardless of who is chosen - Senator Hillary Clinton or Senator Barack Obama - I stand to be a happy little camper.

What makes this race even more interesting is that the likely Republican candidate - Senator John McCain - is strongly supported by independents, and his focus on national security and economic growth will probably make his working with Democrats a little easier. I’ve never been happier for the possibility of a Republican win.

So what does this bode for the USA in light of the impending economic recession? Regardless of what happens come the end of 2008, America will have a president who will do her/his darndest to bring Republicans and Democrats together to forge an alliance of hope. President Barack Obama, President Hillary Rodham Clinton, or President John McCain will usher in an era of change and hope, undoing most of the damage wrought by the years of sheer lunacy under the leadership of George Bush the Younger.

(Personally, it’s important to me that a candidate shares my values, especially on the environment and abortion. Both Clinton and Obama have seesawed on those issues, as have McCain and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. In this sense, it makes me kinda wish Republican Mike Huckabee had a ghost of a chance; at least he’s consistent in how his values affect his decisions.)

I actually think Barack Obama did the United States a favor by running for president. Regardless of whether or not he wins, he - and Hillary - have galvanized the United States primaries, sending waves through America that this is going to be a whole new ball game, a brand new road, something historic is in the making here. Obama’s agenda of hope, his meteoric rise to the top of American politics, and his feel-good rhetoric may not be the most practical in the world, but it speaks to America. He’s made Hillary work doubly hard for her victories; he’s challenged Washington’s stuffy closed-door image; he’s a breath of fresh air. I don’t doubt his sincerity for making America a better place; I wish I could say the same for Filipino politicians.

I wish I could paint a rosier picture for Philippine politics. After former House Speaker Jose de Venecia’s unusual display of remorse repentance emotion two days ago, the Jester-in-Exile paints a doomsday picture of how Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may be working behind the scenes to effect Charter Change by 2010. After JDV was unceremoniously ejected (my QC representative voted ‘Yes,’ my Paranaque representative abstained. Hay!), he thinks that Senator Manny Villar is next on the chopping board.

(While I’m no fan of the Constitution in its current state, I do respect where he’s coming from. I think, however, if done properly - and who, pray tell, is going to oversee it if not the current people in power, so useless din! - a shift to the parliamentary system can be very good for the Philippines.)

I have had it up to here with local politicians. Where are the statesmen? Where are the leaders who can actually inspire me to go out and vote? Where is the agenda of hope and renewal? In a country that prides itself with being the only democratic Christian country in Asia, where are the representatives who actually care about representing the people, who think about them in their decision-making processes, and place the Filipino first?

Paula Cole once sang, Where have all the cowboys gone? Me, I sing, Where has our Obama gone?

Last night, Cathy told me three contestants on the American game show Jeopardy could not identify the president of the Republic of the Philippines. (The person in power, by the way, is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but whether she is the rightful president is another story.) When three intelligent Americans have no idea who we are, despite our significant presence in the US, well, we should take a step back and reconsider America’s relationship with us.

We’ve considered ourselves one of the United States’ strongest allies, with a history of walking hand-in-hand with Uncle Sam towards an uncertain future, but where exactly lies the Philippines in America’s long-term plans is anybody’s guess. Can we say the Philippines has much to benefit from its virtually unrequited love affair with the Stars and Stripes?

The recent Iowa caucuses - a glorified survey, really - come as a pleasant surprise, one I welcome, actually, because it shows America seems to be thinking twice about keeping Dubya and everything he stands for in the driver’s seat for much longer.

1. America seems to want change, which is good because that’s what Filipinos want, too. This election can be a crucial one in America’s history for the candidate choices it affords voters. The Iowan Democrats propelled Barack Obama to an early and substantial lead, sending erstwhile Democrat frontrunner Hilary Rodham Clinton into a spiral for third, a few points behind John Edwards. The most likely cause? Clinton’s campaign for experience seems to have backfired on her, with more Democrat voters intent on ‘change’ vs. ‘experience.’

This desire for change seems to be so great that independents are flocking to Obama’s camp (a magnetism that Republican John McCain held in 2004 but may find difficult to recapture four years later) on his platform of hope and new politics. Rubbing salt into the former American first lady’s wounds? Obama soundly beat her in crucial young voters’ and women’s votes.

Here in the Philippines, where democracy is, quite frankly, the longest-running joke ever foisted on an Asian country, old politics continues to hold sway. The same family dynasties are running politics and the economy, the same social ills plague us as in years gone by, and, most frustrating of all, the new politics that America seems to be ready to finally embrace, cannot prosper simply because we’re too concerned about putting food on the table.

The economy is so bad and the situation so dire that people will sell their conscience, their ethics, and their votes for a few dollars. Who looms in the not-so-distant horizon to lift us up out of this quagmire? We don’t have an Obama.

2. America wants to vote for the candidate who says what s/he believes. Clinton is in extreme danger if only for this crucial point. Over on the Republican side, Mike Huckabee edged erstwhile frontrunner Mitt Romney because voters felt the latter didn’t say what he believes (this, despite Ann Coulter’s fiery tirade on Huckabee’s inconsistencies).

George W. Bush is the perfect example of someone who does not say what he believes, or practices what he preaches. When Gloria Arroyo pulled out Filipino troops from Iraq to save one of our citizens who was taken hostage by Iraqi militants, Bush glowered at us like we were crazy. (Credit, however, to current American Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney, who is doing a spectacular job of healing Filipino-American relations.)

How in eight years did this Christian president manage to turn America’s image from relatively respected international superpower to massive bully and self-proclaimed guardian of the international peace? It still boggles this Filipino blogger’s mind that a Christian would call for an invasive attack on another country in the guise of international peace. I thought international peacekeeping was the United Nations’ job. *wink wink*

Of course, who am I to speak? Our current president is the only president in our history to have virtually admitted cheating in the general elections and yet finish her term.

3. America needs a polarizing president. This election brings to the table something no previous election has ever done: bring up two viable presidential candidates with shockingly high polarizing value: Hilary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. One bidding to become the first American female president; the other, the first Afro-American president. Boy, America sure takes its ‘change’ agenda seriously, eh?

I had a talk a few months back with an astute American colleague, who opined that Clinton was the only Democrat candidate who stood a chance of winning the general election. However, he said, Clinton is so polarizing - either you love her, or you hate her - that if more people could be swayed to hate her, well, then, there’s the election for you.

Obama can be just as polarizing, and not half as threatening, although good luck winning the ‘white states,’ Senator. It appears that most people take him to task for his color and relative inexperience (What, and former American President Ronald Reagan was senator for decades?). While I don’t think America will ever truly be able to transcend its bias for race and social status (just like the Philippines), I think we need to take ‘inexperience’ with a grain of salt, because America seems to be tiring of old politics - the kind, unfortunately, that Clinton is forever tied to, thanks to the connection between her and husband Bill - and is seeking a fresh new perspective.

This perspective, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on one’s political camp, is represented solely by Barack Obama. America is hurting from their unnecessary ownership of the Iraq rehabilitation (which is costing them billions of dollars) and their own falling economy. Who is talking about uniting the nation, about healing? Who can represent change? Not Edwards (forever tied to the 2004 loss with Kerry), McCain (another also-ran), Huckabee (flipflopper like Kerry, eerily evangelical like Bush, and is it me or does he look eerily like Kevin Spacey?), Romney (as flavorful as paper), Guiliani (I like him, though), or Thompson (who?). The white female and the black man. The polarizers. And it will be the polarizers who will get apathetic America out of their seats to vote.

In the Philippines, who are the polarizers? Who in government service inspires the average Juan dela Cruz to get up and motivate him to do something - anything - to improve his country? At this point, there is no one. This explains why politicians need to hire movie stars, dancers, and whatever gimmickry they can wrangle up to drag people to their rallies. And a good reason why so many celebrities and entertainers in this country actually get elected; sila lang ang kilala, e (they’re the only ones the voters know).

Ah, America. Even with this race, you’re still light years better off than we are. I wonder where - if ever! - our new politics will come from.

Did you know Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim demolished the Baywalk? I didn’t. I’m online virtually half the day, and I had not heard anything about Lim’s latest rumpus through former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza’s beautification legacies. So when Cathy told me this morning that all that remained of the famed Baywalk along Manila Bay were the ridiculously expensive street lamps and several ubiquitous stone benches, I was stunned beyond words. It’s economic and cultural homicide!

Mayor Lim’s press release to media was that the demolishing of the bars and businesses along the Baywalk was because these establishments did not have business permits; a secondary reason was the alleged proliferation of sex workers plying the trade and establishments sponsoring lewd shows. Color me skeptical, but neither of these two reasons holds much water.

It is illogical to chalk up the destruction of a solid, proven, viable tourist infrastructure, to something as trivial as a business permit; how many businesses are given second, third, umpteenth chances to secure the permit before the law moves in, after all? The Baywalk has become one of Manila’s most high-traffic tourist spots; it has almost single-handedly revived the sagging fortunes of the Malate area. Thanks in large part to the Baywalk, visiting and local revelers spill over into many of the other nightspots in Malate. Is Lim upset that city coffers haven’t gotten their fair dues? Then collect! Issue the business permits, then collect late taxes. How will destroying the Baywalk help Manila recover its lost tax revenue? Plus, it’s highly suspect. Note how there is virtually no restaurant left on Baywalk proper. Does Mayor Lim honestly expect us to believe that every single establishment on the Baywalk did not have a business permit? Please.

Reason #2 - sex trade and immorality abounding at the Baywalk - does not hold water either. With the kicking out of the restaurants - and the nightly music that has gone on to become the Baywalk’s trademark - this tourist spot has lost a significant, if not main, attraction. This brilliant piece by Pedro Dumancas, aptly titled The Baywalk Massacre, notes how an overwhelming majority of Baywalk musicians are not the gyrating hoes that Lim portrays them to be. Dumancas asks - and rightly so - why Lim would focus his ire on the Baywalk instead of the filth showing on local lunchtime television shows.

Sex workers are peddling their trade on the Baywalk. Really? The Baywalk has become one of Manila’s most popular family spots, for goodness’ sake. With those dinosaur models on the sidewalk, the traditional Filipino music, and the Children’s Library a few hundred meters down from Baywalk proper, the Baywalk has established itself as a safe venue for families and tourists. If there are hoes on the street, you deploy policemen to arrest the hoes, you don’t demolish the street.

In my opinion, Dumancas hits the nail on the head with his fearless statement: Lim may well be “a mayor whose real motivation could actually be to erase anything associated with his predecessor.” If I were to compare Manila tourist attractions to an NBA basketball game, the Baywalk would be the Dallas Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki, the most valuable player on the team. What kind of coach benches the MVP?

Whatever Lim’s motives may be, I hope that he has something planned for the prime real estate that the Baywalk was. If not, well, I hope the low crime rates and no-nonsense decisions promised by Manila’s mayor will somehow suffice for the inevitable impact on the damage wrought on Manila’s economy and culture by the near-demolishing of the Baywalk.

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If you have not decided yet on a party list for the upcoming Philippine elections, please allow me to humbly recommend two party lists that, in my humble opinion, deserve your vote: CIBAC and Abakada Guro.

The first party list I recommend - the one I’m actually voting for - is Citizens Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC). CIBAC is a multi-sectoral organization whose legislative agenda revolves around fighting graft, corruption and government cronyism. It won two seats at the last election, and Representatives Kim Bernardo-Lokin and Joel Villanueva, son of former Philippine presidential candidate and solid Christian Eddie Villanueva, have passed priority measures benefiting us via its anti-corruption agenda.

Among them: the Freedom to Access to Information Bill, the Access to Frontline Services Information Bill, the Anti-Red Tape Bill. the Anti-Marital Infidelity Bill, and the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) Bill.

There are benefits of voting for a party list with a track record, and CIBAC has that track record.

The second party list I urge you to consider is Abakada Guro. This party list envisions itself as party list representative of teachers, school workers, and the education sector. As you know, there is a palpable decrease in the quality of Philippine education, and legislative efforts must be concerted and driven to ensure the competitiveness of our schools vis-a-vis the global community. Abakada Guro’s website details its battle plan - specifically to use legislation to protect, assist, and empower school teachers all over the country.

Remember: once your kids are of school age, your school’s teachers actually spend more time with them five days a week. I believe qualified, satisfied, well-educated and well-trained teachers translate into improved student performance, and I believe Abakada Guro has what it takes to help make it happen.

(A note to Abakada Guro, if ever you find yourselves here: fix up your website. The typographical errors are numerous and embarrassing. Hello, “Memebers”? Take your online presence seriously, Sirs; for many Filipinos, this is the only way we’ll ever get to know about you. Others may not be so forgiving, expecting topnotch content from a website defending educators.)

If you’re not particularly enthused about voting for Abakada Guro but would like to support a party-list representing the education sector, two others are running: AVE, or the Alliance of Volunteer Educators, and A TEACHER, or Action for Teacher Empowerment through Action Cooperation and Harmony Towards Educational Reforms. While I don’t have information on either party list thanks to a lack of information online, I’m sure their intentions are pure and their platform is solid.

If you haven’t decided on a party list just yet, please visit the websites of these two party lists to learn more about them and why I humbly think they deserve your vote. Thank you.