Years In The Making

 .:Years In The Making:.

I haven't blogged in years. Years.

There was a time that blogging used to be a part of my identity. It was so integral to who I am, I probably wrote a lot of stupid crap over the years. No, scratch that - I know I wrote a lot of stupid crap over the years. Things that would make me cringe. Maybe even things that could get me canceled today. However which way those things may be, I can only hope that I've managed to grow enough as a person to at least be able to say that my blog only represents a part of me now. A small part, perhaps.

But what if I wanted to turn that around and let my blog at least represent something bigger than me? When was the last time I ever bothered doing that? 

I guess you might say like the Watcher suddenly interfering, something dire must be happening in the world for me to return to blogging after all this time. And while a lot of people have the luxury of pretending otherwise, this year's elections are as dire as they get.

I remember when I was in college, and I was just getting into the Ateneo Debate Society. They had a debate between Ninoy Aquino vs. Ferdinand Marcos, and lo and behold, Marcos won. You know why? Because people like me were arguing from emotion. That the atrocities of Martial Law were horrid, that these things were irrefutable, all the while not realizing that we needed to prove our point - not just assert it.

Meanwhile, the pro-Marcos side threw their "facts" unchecked - that it was a golden age. That so much got done. While all we had were a bunch of emotions. No wonder they won then.

Because see, here's the thing - all those "facts" were easily debunked if anyone cared to really investigate the truth behind those claims. Nowadays, we have tons of online resources who can confirm it. The facts don't care about our feelings, but the facts do spell out how horrible that era really was.

And really: if you think a bunch of buildings and infrastructures makes up for thousands of human rights violations, then yeah, there's a lot more to worry about than just the facts.

So yeah. This May. Whereas six years ago, I believed nobody was good enough to vote for president, this year is radically different. 

Anyone who would look at what Leni Robredo has done without the anti-LP blinders on would realize that this was someone who was going above and beyond the call of duty to render service to the Filipino people. And it didn't matter whether or not you voted for her - she just helped. It didn't matter if she lost in your province in 2016 - if you needed help, she will help.

Ignoring what she has done is a feat of mental gymnastics that I can never fathom. Because in contrast to her accomplishments which are openly available for public scrutiny, Bongbong Marcos has nothing but electoral protests to show for the last 6 years. If he truly wanted to make a difference, then where is the record of his actions? You can't go around assuming he did stuff in secret while ignoring the well-documented stuff Leni did. You're just lying to yourself at that point.

And we've heard all the arguments against the obvious guilt of the Marcos family: why aren't they in prison (Because despite having arrest warrants for people like Imelda, their allies in power refuse to enforce it)? Why don't we sue them (They've already been sued, and suing them again is literally unconstitutional)? What about the Aquino's (Who cares? Also, which Aquino is running for office again?)? And so on and so forth.

Ultimately, none of these arguments make any sense. It's all attempts to convince one's self that the Marcoses are in any way acceptable as leaders in this day and age.

I suppose that goes to show how forgiving a people we are. Imagine that: minsan na lang tayo makahuli ng magnanakaw at matay-tao convincingly, pagbibigyan pa natin makaulit? It's ridiculous. And it's disheartening to see how many people have been brainwashed through years and billions of pesos spent trying to change the narrative in an attempt to pretend that the Marcoses are in any way good for this country.

So here's where I throw the gauntlet. I believe in Leni Robredo not because she's some kind of messiah, but because she has the track record of competence and integrity that we need to start undoing the last 6 years of crassness, mediocrity, and machismo that pretty much undid all the gains our country maanged to accomplish before Duterte's term started.

I  believe in Leni Robredo because I believe she will hold those who should be held accountable for this quagmire we are now stuck in. The last thing I want is a leader who will come to power and ignore the ills of the past 6 years because it's convenient.

I believe in Leni Robredo because she unifies people of all walks of life, and inspires us to do better. Bongbong's supporters are not the enemy. If anything, they are the ones who will benefit from a Leni Robredo presidency, more than I personally will.

I believe in Leni Robredo because she recognizes that she is also accountable and thus listens to opposing views and is open to change. 

I believe in Leni Robredo because in the last 6 years, if she did something for this country, she has the receipts. I just need to take an honest look, and there it is.

Maybe you believe in Ping Lacson, or Manny Pacquiao, or Isko Moreno, or especially Ka Leody. I'd ask you to at least give Leni a fair shot as well, but more importantly, I'd simply ask you to consider whoever you like, except Bongbong Marcos. History has already established what kind of a person he is. It's not just his dad's crimes. Bongbong did not pay his taxes. Bongbong has a warrant of arrest for him in the United States. 

While it's easy to pretend that Leni Robredo is the "elite" choice, or someone only the rich people will elect, the reality is, she has always been helping the marginalized. I'm not the one who got anything from her during her tireless campaigns to help stamp out COVID at the height of the pandemic. I'm not the beneficiary. The masses are. 

Meanwhile, Bongbong is as elite as they come. He's filthy rich. He is so out of touch with the average Filipino. He has no idea how any of us live, because he lives in an ivory tower where people are at his beck and call and nobody dares contradict him over anything. That is a man who has lived with privilege all his life, and did nothing to help those less privileged than he is.

Don't believe me? Ask yourself: why does he need to ride first-class in a plane? Why does his family owe billions in taxes? Why does he not respect us enough to show up and debate people on neutral territory?

And when I say ask yourself, I mean ask yourself in all honesty: is this the kind of person you will be proud to introduce to your kids? Someone who has so many question marks and asterisks to his name that you have to always qualify every single good thing you can say about him? The red flags are there, but it's easy to give in to just thinking Noynoy and company were the reason we're in this mess today - except Noynoy's already dead, and the guy who took his place actually did worse than he did by every objective metric you can put out there.

Marcos has no concrete plans, no platform, and no solutions he could even offer to any of us. All he has are one-liners, denials, evasions, and handwaves. We deserve better than that.

So please May 9, these elections isn't a question of me, the Kakampink vs You, the BBM loyalist.

It's a question of: if you let BBM win, will all of us win? Because I can assure you: if Leni does, we all will. Because again, you, BBM supporter, are not the enemy.

But BBM and the rest of his family, who has sucked on the teat of this nation for decades and bled her dry, most certainly is.

This is not some schoolyard fight. This is the future of our entire nation. All we're asking at this point is for you to start looking at the big picture, because that middle finger you think you're throwing at us by voting for BBM? You're going to realize in the end that you fucked all of us over, not just the people you don't agree with.

But hey, if you're the kind of person who thinks the last 6 years was actually awesome and we need more of this shit, then I guess there's no reasoning with you. Some people just really want to see the world burn.

But if you actually give a damn where this country is headed, then please: vote for anyone but BBM. We deserve better than him. We all do.

Via Negativa, Or Why I'm Abstaining

.:Via Negativa, Or Why I'm Abstaining:.

I was supposed to write about something else, but on the eve of the elections, this seemed very important to talk about.

I am abstaining for president this coming elections. This was not a simple conclusion I came to. In fact, throughout the campaign period, I was trying to find a candidate who can sway me otherwise.

Unfortunately, none of them have managed to do that.

I have a Vice President (Leni Robredo), and I have two senators I will fight for (Susan Ople, TG Guingona). Anyone else, I am ambivalent about at best.

But I'm sure, given how many people have decided that they respect anyone's opinion unless it's "I abstain for president," that a lot of people are wondering how I arrived at that conclusion, and why I'm sticking by it after a couple of months that I could have changed my mind.

If we wanted to find the perfect candidate from a pool of candidates, how do we find them? Well, one can do it by looking at their merits, and then adding up the one with most merits, but that doesn't really settle the question of perfection, right? To find perfection, you had to find someone who lacked imperfection. It is the concept of via negativa: a process of elimination in order to find the best. After all, if something has an imperfection, how can it be perfect at all? Only through a process of elimination can we find what we are willing to put up with.

Obviously, we cannot expect perfection from our candidates. That is why we instead need to look at our own personal deal breakers, and see what is the worst that we can accept. From there, and only from there, can we proceed to look at the merits, if any. I recognize other people may do it backwards, but for me, I have to start with what I cannot accept, before I go with things I actually like about the candidates.

For example, I cannot accept a candidate who would cite scripture as an excuse for persecuting homosexuals, especially when they would say that they should be put to death. I do not care if they brought us international pride by winning boxing championships or if they pushed for the abolition of the pork barrel.

Not pictured: Senator material.

On the other hand, while I don't like political dynasties, I am willing to give a guy who believes they're okay a pass so long as they're Dick f'n Gordon. Officially, there's a lot more nuance to that, but you get my point.

Or his *point,* for that matter, if you know what I mean? #IpasokSiDick

And that leads us to our five presidentiables.

1. Mar Roxas

The Tito joke, personified.

I could not overlook Mar's apathy and his inability to relate to people. If a president does not know where I am coming from, how can I be sure that he will understand me when I want to be heard? The past six years has been a painful exercise of tolerating the Aquino administration in its own echo chamber where they can do no wrong. Despite the good they have done, I cannot, in good conscience, allow that to have "continuity." There is insensitivity here, and it does us no good to just call the people who feel shortchanged or are suffering as merely "haters," when we should at least listen to their plight first.

I also cannot tolerate cronyism, especially the kind that gives people like Abaya or Purisima the ability to keep carrying on as if they have done nothing wrong, or at least haven't been particularly competent at their jobs.

He's not helping, either.

2. Jejomar Binay

The only thing transparent about him is his barong.

Binay's allegations of corruption are so glaring and so difficult to ignore, and his attitude of impunity towards it is what I find unconscionable. This is a man who will ignore any criticism far worse than the Aquino administration ever did, and that is alarming. I don't think I need to explain my stand on him much, do I?

Jejomar Binay will not be beholden to you once he wins. Let's leave it at that.

Nor his kids.

3. Grace Poe

Needs more denim jackets.

There are only three oh-so-basic requirements for president: you are of age (40), you are literate, and you are a Filipino.

I don't care about Grace Poe being adopted. I care that at some point in her life, she actively renounced being Filipino. You might think this is shallow, but this is not, because how much lower can the requirements for president be, in the first place We don't ask them to have completed any form of education, we don't ask about their health and well-being, or their financial status. These three are as basic as they get, yet Grace Poe can hardly meet them, and purely in principle, could never meet them.

That she is also likely to just continue being Danding Cojuangco's puppet is something I simply cannot stand by, either.

Another theory.

4. Rody Duterte

I can almost imagine how something as innocuous as this 

photo would make diehards scream, "Bayaran! Bias ka!"

I don't care about his cussing, much less if it were directed to the Pope. I'm a bit worried, but I can even understand why he is sympathetic towards the NPA, so even that, I can sort of handwave. I do care about what he says, though, because it encourages some of his followers to demean women, gay people, and people with disabilities. I cannot just handwave that away. You can say that he has done so much in terms of laws to protect these people, but is that enough of an excuse to actively break that protection when it's him doing the talking?

But even that is debatable. We all have some nasty opinions that we might shake off when the going gets tough, but the fact remains that he has actively promised a lot of killing in the effort of cleaning up this country. I am not a criminal. I am not a pusher. But in Duterte's promised land, nothing prevents a cop to one day think I looked at them wrong and insist I am a criminal or a pusher, giving him more than enough reason shoot me dead on the spot.

Or were we all going to magically assume that there are no crooked cops in this country at all?

The fact is, I value our civil liberties and our rights too much to want to give them up on the altar of peace and order.

The altar of Mystica, on the other hand...

5. Miriam Santiago

Was she in the same library as Binay was?

Oh, what could have been! I didn't care about the cancer. And then she backed Bongbong Marcos. That, my friends, was a betrayal of principle that I couldn't stand. Oh, sure, she backed Erap. And then Gloria. But the Marcoses? I can't even.

If the word "sayang" ever made its way to the dictionary, this picture would accompany it.

.:And So, We Come Down To This...:.

And with all that in mind, none of the candidates could ever hope to convince me to vote for them, because they hit dealbreakers I wasn't willing to compromise. I am but one vote, but on May 16, that #abstain (technically, a #Seneres2016 vote) will be heard because if I want change, it starts by not lowering my standards. Because ultimately, change comes from within, and all our leaders can do is to facilitate that change.

To everyone else who feels compelled to abstain, I remind you that there is no shame in doing so. Some people might say that we are abstaining because we do not have any principles to stand upon. I am saying right now that the opposite is true: I  am abstaining precisely because the principles I stand upon are more important to me than a single candidate.

There is nothing wrong with you having different principles from me. I fully accept that to some, Duterte's willingness to "do what is necessary" is a good thing, and not a bad thing. Or that Mar's being out of touch cannot overshadow the great stuff he has done. Or that Poe's citizenship is a non-issue compared to what she brings to the table. Or Miriam's intellect and need for funds for a national campaign outweighs her unholy alliance with BBM. Or that everyone is corrupt anyways, but Binay showed he can do well, thanks to (wait for it...) Makati.

Unfortunately, there would be all sorts of things wrong if I am willing to give up my principles just so I have something to shade this Monday. I refuse to, and that is my right. Abstaining is a choice, and it is not the same as not having voted at all.The sooner people can respect that, the sooner we could stop thinking that every person who is abstaining is simply undecided. You are wrong. I am decidedly not undecided. In fact, I am very sure that we, the Filipino people, deserved better. And just because we aren't getting that this 2016 doesn't mean I will cede my right to say so just so I can vote for a sub-par candidate in my mind and heart.

If one is unwilling to settle just to find their one true love, why would we settle just to find the next person to lead this country for the coming six years? I believe we deserved better, and I make no pretenses that such a position is loftier or more enlightened than anyone who has decided we have a worthy candidate among the five. It is simply one that I have arrived at after lengthy, careful consideration, as most of you reading this right now surely have with your own positions.

We have been thrust by the people running for power into a climate of fear: fear of continuing the ills that this government has demonstrated in the past six years. Fears of the change to come that it might undo the democracy we have fought so hard to win back in 1986. Fears of a seemingly ever-rising crime rate that belies real numbers and magnifies only the worst among us. Fears of an economy crashing down with the prospect of uncertain territories with a president the international community is derisive of. Fears of cheating. Of thievery. Of lies. Of death.

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself." - Marvel Comics

Nation, the real enemy has always been fear. Because in giving in to the fears manufactured by the political machinery, we have ended up fearing our neighbors, thinking them to be monsters or morons. They are not. They are our countrymen. And our countrymen should never have been our enemy in the first place.

Tomorrow, vote as your mind, heart, and conscience tells you. Not the surveys. Not the pressure. And by Great Caesar's Ghost, not the fear. Fear is the enemy. Not ourselves.

And that is why, in the face of all manner of opposition, I choose to abstain from voting for a president in 2016. Because I have more faith in the Filipino people than I do in these five individuals.

I am most certain that my faith was not misplaced.

"Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, 'no, you move.'"

- Sharon Carter, Civil War (2016)

Because I Refuse To Be The Goggles

.:Because They Do Nothing:.

Don't be the goggles.

I recently started hosting a television show, and surprisingly, I didn't really spend any time on the blog promoting it. Now, maybe it's because I've been remiss on blogging lately, and it seemed like going on social media and promoting it there in 140 characters or less was far easier than devoting an entire blog entry to it, but this also explains why I wanted to take the time to choose my words carefully before talking about the show.

And that's because I don't actually want to talk about the show. At least, not directly.

You see, when I auditioned for "Bara-Bara," I came into it with a lot of optimism and hope that we could finally have our very own response to "The Daily Show" or "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." There's a lot of growing pains within the show at the moment, but I still see that happening in time.

On top of that, I'm even working on a "Colbert Report" kind of webshow this weekend in Burger Company, where I finally get to run with an over-the-top caricature for once, instead of the more serious non-character I am on "Bara-Bara." The show is going to be called "Better Late Than Never." It's gonna be a lot of fun.

Anyways, let's talk about what I really wanted to talk about. I think a visual aid is very necessary at this point.

Hello there, Elizabeth Bathory (or not)!

If you ever wanted living proof of how evil can triumph when good people do nothing, look no further than this. It's the equivalent of a German publication coming out with the headline "Hitler did nothing wrong," if you ask me. Or do you think I'm merely exaggerating?

When we were talking about Martial Law during the taping for Bara-Bara's first episode, I had to keep a lid on all my opinions about people who were glorifying Martial Law, because I didn't want to dominate the conversation. It was sobering, really: true, none of the cast were political analysts, but that's exactly why it becomes very unconvincing to any neo-loyalist that Martial Law was really that bad, if we didn't put a concerted effort towards correcting those notions.

When we removed the Marcoses from power in EDSA, we said "never again." We said "not on our watch."

And then we stopped watching.

This week, Bongbong Marcos files his candidacy to become a vice-president. The sins of the father should not by default pass unto his son, but not when it's pretty much an inheritance of millions, maybe billions - of our money, ill-gotten under the cloak and dagger of the Marcos regime.

Really? We didn't see this coming?

The sins of the father should not by default pass unto his son, unless the son willfully denies what his father has done, and chillingly promises to uphold his dad's legacy in the same breath.

The Marcoses are erudite, educated, eloquent, and most certainly empowered. How could they not, when they took all our money to make themselves all of these things? Our money. Taken along with thousands upon thousands of lives, as a matter of historical fact.

Nation,we forfeited the right to attack anyone who thinks the Marcoses aren't so bad the minute we let them creep back in to the point where another dictator himself, the late Lee Kwan Yew, could only shake his head in disbelief. According to him:

"The difference lies in the culture of the Filipino people. It is a soft, forgiving culture. Only in the Philippines could a leader like Ferdinand Marcos, who pillaged his country for over twenty years, still be considered for a national burial. Insignificant amounts of the loot have been recovered, yet his wife and children were allowed to return and engage in politics."

It is with that fact that we know: we have failed this nation.

When a certain article calls us "uneducated," he doesn't do it merely to posit a false dichotomy (which he's still totally doing, by the way) and paint us as emotional people who have a knee-jerk reaction to anything Marcos. He is calling us out for sleeping on the job. In all the hype of #NeverAgain, we still managed to look the other way for the Marcos cronies, much in the same way Voldemort's Dark Eaters slowly made their way back into the wizard community, all hiding under the guise of being under the control of the Imperius curse.

No shit, Sherlock.

Yes, nation: we have become every bit as complacent as Cornelius Fudge. We stood by and did nothing when Enrile and Ramos made their way back to power, because, hey, they helped us out when we needed them right? We stood by and did nothing when the Marcos family slowly revised the story and made it seem that the ends of the Marcos regime justified the means, and nobody actually paid attention to what the ends were.

We are every bit as competent as a school that specifically had a House whose member's defining characteristic is that they are 99% evil.

We have failed this country, and now, we are slowly but surely paying the price, as if we aren't already are. We took it too easy. We treated them with kid gloves. We thought they were harmless, but all they really needed was the Dark Mark to send them sprawling back into action, and all we could do is look on and wonder what we did wrong.

That's exactly the problem. For most of us, we did nothing. We were complacent in thinking that it would be impossible for anyone to ignore what the horrors of Martial Law truly were. We were self-assured that time wouldn't erase the wrongs done to us as a nation by the Marcoses as a family. We were wrong.

We were mistaken to think that the golden standard were our supposed liberators, the Aquino's, when they were little more than a transition that we should have built ourselves up from. They were the baseline, not the exemplar: yet we confused the former with the latter, and here we are now, disappointed with that realization.

It shouldn't have taken us as long as it has to realize: this was never Marcos vs. Aquino. Anyone who thinks these are the only valid choices to be had in this discussion is living in a very sad world.

In the meantime, we now have a man who insists we shouldn't condemn us for having his father's name, while also demanding we recognize him for the achievements of his own father. He wants to have it both ways, and we're pretty much letting him have it both ways. He wants us to forget the atrocities of martial law, but he wants us to remember the so-called glory years of his father's administration. He wants us to give him a chance to be his own man, yet he quickly proclaims that his dad's era was the kind of golden age he wants to bring back.

And now, his very own running mate, a woman who worked so hard to make us believe she was for justice and against corruption, decided to absolve him of his family's crimes, saying they don't owe us an apology for martial law, while crucifying her political rival over the very same topic. Slytherin, indeed. They slithered back in. After Martial Law. After Jose Velarde. After countless other breaches of trust. We are truly a forgiving people. And a forgetful one, at that.

This is why I refuse to be the goggles. I refuse to do nothing. I refuse to stand idly by and let him go there unchallenged, assuming what he likely believes to be his birthright. I am not Harry Potter, nor Neville Longbottom. Heck, I'd be lucky to even be Argus Filch. But what I will not be is quiet. For when the Death Eaters march in once again, I will at least get to scream out "Expelliarmus" once, before someone inevitably Avada Kedavra's me. I may have taken this analogy a little too far.

I agree with Miriam on one thing: indeed, the Marcoses don't owe us an apology. What they owe us is justice. Justice long overdue. Justice that still cries out to this very day. Justice they have tried to deny of countless victims for so long, knowing full well that the Marcos era was and has always been a family affair. Anyone who wants to pretend it wasn't need only take a look at the facts.

Would you ever elect Draco Malfoy as the Minister of Magic, if you were a wizard? How about Deputy Minister? How you answer to this seemingly whimsical question could very well explain how you feel about the Marcoses, in the end.

"Microscopic"

.:Microscopic:.

Insert penis joke here.

It's easy to rage and to hate the president not for what he has done, but for what he has not done. To say that the legacy of President Noynoy Aquino is one of omission would be a massive understatement.

For the longest time, I have been nothing but even-handed with how I would critique the president's performance. He was handed a huge responsibility, practically on a lark, after his mother died. Mistakes will be made. This is natural and par for the course.

What I never expected, though, was his apparent inability to correct these mistakes. And his uncanny talent of repeating them throughout his term. And true, nobody will probably ever accuse him of the same kind of horrors Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was routinely battered with, but his obstinacy and refusal to do even the most common-sensical of things in the face of crisis speaks volumes about his woeful lack of leadership qualities.

There is an upwelling of outrage against PNoy lately: one that simply cannot be handwaved any longer. It is an upwelling of people who felt betrayed after they were told that they were the boss. It is an upwelling of people who believed with all their heart that the son of Ninoy Aquino and Cory Aquino could not possibly be so backwards that he would practically disgrace the not-even-blameless names of his own parents – despite the fact that Kris Aquino is already running around as a realization of this possibility.

And in the infinite wisdom of the palace, they decided to dismiss this upwelling as “microscopic.”

Microscopic.

Tiny.

Insignificant.

Which leads me to ask... what the hell are you smoking?!? Let's assume for a minute that this anger fomenting over the president's sins of omission truly were microscopic. Does this in any way invalidate that anger? Does saying only “a few” people were peeved at what PNoy did or did not do mean that these few are absolutely wrong? Do we not protect the majority and the minority alike? Or do we only give a damn what most people are saying?

It didn't matter at all if only one person felt put off by what PNoy did, if that one person had a valid point. Especially not if that person were one of the men who almost did not live to tell the tale of what happened to the #Fallen44. Or if that one person were a family member who did not choose to wait for the president anymore. Or if that one person was someone who was supposedly the “boss” of this president, as his own words indicated.

To this very moment, there is this sense of impunity and even smugness emanating from the Aquino camp that you can't help but notice. After all, even at his worst approval ratings, he is still leaps and bounds better off in public perception than Gloria ever was, once she assumed the presidency. But therein lies the rub: setting Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as your bar is so ridiculously and insultingly low to the Filipino people.

We expected better than that. Much, much better. And let's not mince words here: we were promised that by the president himself. “Daang Matuwid” was supposed to be a battlecry to right the wrongs and to change the system from within, but it became clear early on that this attempt at righting the wrongs affected only those on the wrong side of the party line. If somehow, you were on the president's good side, you can be every bit as terrible as you want, but a slap on the wrist for you is already pushing it.

So when the Palace says that this anger is “microscopic,” it doesn't change the fact that this anger is valid. Neither does this change the fact that the anger is not microscopic, by any means. When my 8List alone gets 200,000 views and an unprecedented number of outraged comments whether or not they understand the real intent of the list, then you can't just ignore numbers like those. And that's just me. Imagine how much more mileage other more established writers had as they eviscerated the president for a job not done.

To put this in perspective, only about 5 of the 400 or so 8Lists currently published on the site have ever broken the 100,000 barrier. When something hits that number on the site, you just know it hit a nerve somehow, for whatever reason. When 200,000 people direct their outrage towards one venue, nobody would ever call that microscopic.

What is microscopic, though? Is it the viewpoint of the Palace? Is it their “mercy and compassion,” which only highlights how utterly meaningless the Pope's visit was to them, no matter what they ay or do? Is it Mar Roxas's chances of winning in 2016? Or is it PNoy's odds of finding a date this February 14?

I don't give a damn. Because all I know is that this anger and this outrage is not microscopic and to dismiss our grievances so cavalierly is a slap in the face of the people our president claims to be his “boss.” And I will keep on harping on that point until I turn blue because he said those things himself, and no matter how much he can try to handwave that statement as merely a figure of speech, he can never undo going back on his word as unequivocally as he has when the Palace decided that there is no need to care what a “microscopic” number of people feel – not because their points have no merit, but only because they aren't “significant” enough.

This is something you would never say to your boss, no matter how small the power she holds over you may be.

And ultimately, when you say that hundreds of thousands of people being angry is merely “microscopic” in scale, do you not subsequently imply that the deaths of a “mere” 44 policemen is even more “microscopic?” Do these lives somehow not count?

If so, then there is no discussion left to be had: this is not the mentality of a statesman. This is simply the kind of thinking of someone who has successfully fallen for his own hype.

Project 52 2014 (25/52): King Of Anything

.:Project 52 2014 (25/52): King Of Anything:.

Keep drinkin' coffee...

Why is it that when these blowhard politicians get all caught up in their web of lies, suddenly they're the "victims?" And yet life goes on for them, even while incarcerated. Look at Bong Revilla, telling everyone how ready he is to go to jail, yet immediately petitioning for request of detention center after his bid for house arrest didn't quite pan out? How about Senator Enrile, who is asking for bail or something just because he's 90 years old? These people don't know how to handle the consequences of what they've done. At all.

And who pays for this folly? We, the people, do. When they bring a camera crew to cover their every move and hopefully reuse the footage when they run for president in 2016, we have this sinking feeling that the money to pay for all that bullsh!t came from us.

Stare me down across the table while I look outside...

Yet somehow, when we, the common people, speak out against these travesties, somehow, we are "oppressing" them. How the Hades do you expect to "oppress" people worth 169 million pesos, pray tell? It's ridiculous, and the way they drag God into everything they talk about has become so tiresome. That sh!t never made Mayor Sanchez any less a murderer and rapist, did it? So quit playing that card because even Satan himself knew how to quote himself some scripture.

So I just glare. And roll my eyes. But if I rolled my eyes any harder, I might end up looking at the back of my skull.

Or become the Undertaker.

So many things I'd say if  only I were able but I just keep quiet...

And you think I'm already being vocal as it stands? Well, you'd be surprised, because there is so much more that remains unsaid when it comes to these fatcat politicians who think they're all that. One can't help but be appalled at the sheer nerve they have, doing what they do, but then, does it really surprise anyone anymonre?

And count the cars that pass by...

That's all I could do, really, because it boggles my mind how the good Senators have managed to make this issue about them, instead of the f#$%ng 10 Billion Pesos that have been stolen from this nation's coffers. You know why you're being arrested, right? If you really cared about this country, that's what you should be railing against, not the fact that you don't have air conditioning in your goddamned jail cell, which you totally shouldn't have, by the way.

I realize SJW's use "check your privilege" all the time when it comes to racial, gender, or sexual issues, but when it comes to economic issues, these well-to-do senators really have to check their privilege, because a combined income of almost 400 Million Pesos between Senators Revilla and Estrada alone should seriously qualify as being "privileged."

You've got opinions, man, we're all entitled to 'em, but I never asked...

And so these so-called leaders feel oppressed and maltreated because they get singled out for doing something countless other politicians no doubt are doing, too. Here's a secret: saying other people are doing it too doesn't make you innocent of the act. It just meant you weren't alone. Nobody's saying you were alone, and only your political enemies want it that way. But we, the people? We want every single one of you to pay through the nose for taking our money and turning it into your own personal bank account.

So feel free to think you're being oppressed, but we don't care. Because we couldn't oppress you even if we tried.

Here. Play the world's smallest violin yourself. I don't have the energy.

So let me thank you for your time, and try to not waste any more of mine...

Not just time, but money, too. Stop wasting our money with your stupid press conferences, your press coverages, your trumped up entourage, all paid for on our dime, just because you think you're above the common folk.

I can bet you that if I ever go to jail, guilty or innocent, I won't be getting that kind of media coverage, I wouldn't have supporters fighting tooth and nail to keep me out of jail, nor would I even have the temerity much less the opportunity to ask for air conditioning in my jail cell.

Get out of here fast...

And don't come back. But leave your money at the door, because that's our money right there.

I hate to break it to you, babe, but I'm not drowning. There's no one here to save...

The Filipino people doesn't need saving from the likes of you. We could have had savings, in fact, if you didn't take them from us and spent them on yourself, you dolts. We're fine counting on ourselves, because it didn't take too long for us to realize that we couldn't count on you for anything at all.

So stop invoking God as if He gave you the right to be a self-appointed martyr. The only altar you're sacrificing yourself at is your own.

Every single time you use His name in vain, He facepalms.

Who cares if you disagree? You are not me. Who made you king of anything?

You may have been elected by the people, but that doesn't put you above the people. Not in the least. For you to live in that kind of opulence while your constituents are starving to death, wondering where their next meal is going to come from is a shame that is telling. Because that money came from your constituents. You took it from them in the implicit promise that they will see the fruits of that money returned unto them, yet here we all are, putting up with monster traffic jams, a continuous problem with peace and order, and no clear solution in sight.

So don't tell us about how it's the implementing body's fault that you gave your pork barrel money to a bogus NGO. At best, you are idiots who should never have been trusted with our money in the first place. Why are you even still in power, then?

So you dare tell me who to be, who died and made you king of anything?

If anyone should die to make you king of anything, it should be you. Angelo Reyes got it right. You can do it!

Project 52 2014 (24/52): Salamat, Kaibigan

.:Project 52 2014 (24/52): Salamat, Kaibigan:.

Salamat sa inyong pagmamahal…

Who doesn’t love Bong Revilla? Who doesn’t love how much effort he clearly puts into helping run this country while still juggling a movie career. With nearly 20 million people who have voted him into power, it’s very clear that there’s a lot of love to go around for Bong Revilla. Just ask Rufa Mae Qu… I mean, Lani Mercado.

Bong Revilla is love, ladies and gentlemen. Don’t get any of that twisted.

Pictured: Love.

Sa tiwala, pananalig, at dasal…

Millions of people believe in Bong Revilla. They trust him with their life. They pray for him to make it through this latest challenge facing him. And we certainly have to hope nothing but the best for him, right? That’s why he needs our prayers now, more than ever. Surely, God will listen to the supplications of a man who is truly beleaguered and at the lowest of the low, who just happens to have a net worth of 169 million Pesos.

Yes, please pray for this man. Pray for him because he is clearly in need of so much help and pity.

Ang pagsubok sa ‘ting buhay ay hindi magtatagal…

Of course not. Trials never last. If you’re a person born to a debilitating genetic disease with no cure for it, that trial certainly won’t last, right? Such brilliance! Such perspective! Only from the lofty heights of being privileged does someone get to say that tough times never last, so it’s good to know exactly where our beloved Senator Revilla is coming from.

You too, can get past this. All you need to do is... BONG-LIEVE!

Katotohanan lilitaw, sa gabay ng Maykapal…

Has anyone actually bothered asking God if he likes having his named dragged into these speeches? He has never responded and they just assume He’s totally cool with it? Okay. Carry on, then, Senator Revilla!

Kailanman ay ‘di nang-iiwan.

He has certainly never left anyone behind. After all, he’s still with his wife after all those affairs years, right? Truly, Senator Revilla is a paragon of all that is good and righteous, as he suffers through tempest after tempest of accusations. After all, it makes all the sense in the world that he earned all his money through hard work and dedication! It’s not like every single whistleblower is insisting that he had a hand in stealing 10 Billion of our money, right? So no, just like a piece of crap you keep flushing but keeps coming back, he’s not leaving us anytime soon.

Sumama, nanalig sa anumang laban…

Yes, let’s keep praying for Bong Revilla, everyone! Because the more we pray, the less we could do other things with our time, like actually put him and his kind on trial. So just keep on praying, keep on praying, and keep on praying, lest you actually try to get some sh!t done instead, which would really not help Bong Revilla get away with anything.

Pictured: Senator Bong Revilla, fighting. For us.

Ngayon ang buhay ko ay pilit dinudungisan…

It’s all mudslinging, ladies and gentlemen. When a country like ours continues being ridiculously poor while people like Janet Napoles and Pogi, Tanda, and Sexy keep getting richer and richer, any suspicious glances cast their way is merely mudslinging. And leave us not forget those other people who are in league with them who just don’t happen to be their political allies, too. Sullying their name? Just more mudslinging and destabilization, so let’s all just keep praying and doing exactly jacksh!t about it, because that’s for the best, right?

Let’s not let them smear the names of these good men, any longer. Let’s just… well, pray some more.

Ngunit ‘di ako papayag, hantungan may’ kamatayan…

It’s amazing how Senator Revilla’s privilege speech really encompassed the man’s bravery. He faced everything coming his way, and freaking held onto power. Resignation? Pah! That’s beneath a man of Senator Revilla’s stature. He will hold onto that power because by jove, he’s a Revilla, and much in the same way it takes Gutz to be a Gutierrez, it takes Evil to be a Revilla. Does that make much sense? No, no it doesn’t, but is it that much worse than the entirety of the privilege speech. Just pity the man! Can’t you not feel sympathy for what he goes through, and the dignity by which he conducts himself in the face of all that?

Pictured: Dignity.

Salamat, mga kaibigan…

No. Thank you, dear Senator. Thank you for taking on the cares and woes of this country and becoming a martyr for the truth to come out. Thank you for helping us by proposing the laws like… err… ummm… for praying for us! Yeah, that works. Thanks for praying for us, dear Senator! I’m sure prayers in the Senate were totally more powerful than prayers made in your movie sets. Or something.

Kailanman ay ‘di malilimutan…

We’ll never forget you either, o great, noble leader. Truly, you have been an outstanding inspiration to all of us, and you will always be an indelible part of our history. The history of this nation’s ridiculous compulsion to put any showbiz personality into power just because they know your name and nothing more.

Kung ito man ang kapalaran, nananalig pa rin sa katotohanan…

You really can’t get enough of praying, can’t you? That’s why we love you, dear Senator. It’s beautiful how you would take the time out to even go to the Holy Land itself to pray for guidance. We wish we had that kind of money, you know. To go to the Holy Land, too. But we kinda have bills to pay and mouths to feed, but it’s okay! We’re sure not a single cent you spent on that trip was illicitly taken from the taxes we pay regularly.

Salamat, mga kaibigan, kayo ang aking tanging sandigan…

Huh? I thought you said God was your foundation? Several times in several speeches, even! Suddenly, it’s us! Such magnanimity! To elevate us to the level of God, it’s just, it’s just… mind-blowing!

Pagmamahal niyo ang nagbibigay kalakasan…

If our love strengthens you, then you truly are unbeatable. Nothing, not even the facts, can get in the way!

Habang kayo ay nariyan, lagi lamang tatandaan…

Wait for it, wait for it…

Ikaw ako, ako ikaw, magkaibigan…

Drop the mic, Bong. Drop the mic.

2 Hot 4 8List: 8 Alternate Interpetations For The "Binay Stopped At Restricted Area" Picture

.:2 Hot 4 8List: 8 Alternate Interpretations For The "Binay Stopped At Restricted Area" Picture:.

(2Hot 4 8List are lists that for various, often obvious reasons, need to be published on a personal capacity, rather than as something that de facto represents the website I love to write for. I hope you enjoy it, because whether or not they ended up on the site, I still worked pretty hard on them, minus the epic graphic design you've come to know and love from the 8List.)

Recently, a new picture came out featuring our Vice President, Jejomar Binay, allegedly being stopped by US Soldiers from entering the restricted area for UN Humanitarian Relief. The Vice President, who was campaigning for 2016 spearheading relief efforts by putting his name on all the relief goods, was trying to get in.

Five different numbers texted me this picture, praising our Vice President in the process.

Of course, a conflicting report indicates that this photo was actually that of a handshake between the Vice President and one of the US military overseeing relief efforts, so there’s that, too.

Taking one more look at the photo, you can’t help but think that it might be open to a myriad interpretations, though. Since I am an impulsive creature made of pure, weapons-grade Id, that’s exactly what I did…

8.

Because to white people, they all look alike.

7.

He's wearing a black shirt, genius.

6.

Someone needed to take over after Willie Revillame retired from TV...

5.

Family reunions really bring tears to our eyes.

4.

Worst. Wrestlemania. Ever.

3.

No wonder that bootlegged DVD of "Rocky IV" was so cheap!

2.

No wonder that bootlegged DVD of "A Few Good Men" was so cheap!

1.

Do not. F*ck. With. Binay.

Project 52 (51/52): On The Filipino Political Mind (And Why I Insist It's Maturing.)

.:Project 52 (51/52): On The Filipino Political Mind (And Why I Insist It's Maturing.):.

So mature, you guys!

This is quite a momentous time to be a Filipino, and I don't mean it because of Nonito Donaire or Jessica Sanchez or Janine Tugonon. They're cool, and I'm pretty happy for them, but I'm much happier about this country when it comes to something that involves more of us than individual talents.

When I was younger, I saw things in black and white in politics. It was so easy to pick a side and ride it out 'til the end. Cory was the hero. Marcos was the villain. Erap was the villain. Gloria was the heroine. 

Then Gloria became the villain. And FPJ became the villain, too. It started becoming much clearer to me that things aren't really as set in stone as we insist they should be, and more glaringly, it became more obvious to me that the church I followed and agreed with time and time again politically were actually turning a blind eye towards Gloria's mistakes.

It was then that I realized that the narrative being spun is binary in nature so that it can easily capture the imaginations of people, at the risk of polarization. In politics, that seems to be a necessity, since you don't really have an option to half-vote for someone. You either vote for them or you don't. And for the longest time, we've learned to side with one politician and ride them out all the way no matter what.

But then, just this year alone, it seems that the narrative has shifted to shades of gray.

Not that many, though.

Just for example would be the whole Chief Justice Corona brouhaha. Yes, people either believed he was innocent or guilty. But both sides weren't spared from criticism, even by their allies. The overall bungling of the case from both prosecution and defense truly resulted in some memorable tidbits, as Miriam ended up really reading the riot act to both camps, making it clear that she was not particularly on anyone's side, regardless of how her vote turned out.

The discussions were nuanced. Sure, we had your typical sob stories and attempts at family reunions to elicit some drama, but in the end, when CJ Corona was impeached and removed from power, the reasoning was clear, and avoided the heavy-handed "Us vs. Them" spin despite multiple attempts to have it become so.

And then the RH Bill passed, and the Sin Tax Bill passed, too. So did another law about unenforced disappearances, and the FOI Act is also on the verge of passing, while the Cybercrime Law is not only on TRO, but is being counterproposed with another law meant to be more protective of netizens than punitive.

It's a good time, and a lot of it is brought about by genuine dialogue going on between people. When even the poorest of the poor and the lower ends of the middle class can actually have a genuine say and understand an issue and make up their minds, when people can think to side one way while fully cognizant of the imperfections of the side they chose, we slowly mature as a people when we learn to think less and less about absolutes.

Because only the Sith deal in absolutes, but believing that means you just did, too. Ergo...

As we grow and mature politically, we learn to make wiser choices in who we put into power, and we learn to question everything the government tells us while also not ignoring the times they do right by us. Today, I can safely say that President Aquino is on a roll. Maybe he's really lazy, but he's not too lazy to pick up his pen and sign these important bills into law. The preparedness for Pablo was there, albeit the weather simply had no plans of cooperating with all the precautions taken. Despite that, everyone came together to help, not out of some blind sense of patriotism, but simply because they know it's the right thing to do.

Maybe I'm looking at the current political scene with a lot more optimism than I should. True. Despite that, I can't help but think we're getting better, even if it isn't perfect. The trick to recognizing and appreciating this is that we should then stay vigilant to keep this positive change going for our own sake. We, the Filipino people, stand to benefit the most by staying vigilant, which is also why despite my misgivings with the anti-Epal movement, I'm much happier to see it in existence than not.

Surely, I'm not alone in feeling very optimistic about our political future, not because my immediate surroundings reflect this positivity, but simply because these changes for the positive are actually happening, and we are all in a position to actually do something about it.

And unlike how it was when we were kids, or even college students, where our very own teachers in school told us our secondary stereotype is how apathetic we were? This time, we are doing something about it. We totally are.

I put a lot of stock in the hope that this simply means that the generation after mine will be doing even more that way, because we are now having a genuine revolution of the mind.

Project 52 (45/52): On The US Elections (And Why I Don't Care As Much As I Thought I Would)

.:Project 52 (45/52): On The US Elections (And Why I Don't Care As Much As I Thought I Would):.

Obama self. Don't wanna live. Obama self. Anymore...

I still feel mildly annoyed that I am disenfranchised yet again, and this time, I feel like I don't have any excuses this time.

That being said, it's why I really didn't care too much about the US Elections, even turning down an invite by the US Embassy to the election party, although let's be honest: I was kinda expecting Obama to win a second term, really.

Whoever is president of America invariably affects the Philippines one way or another, but I think I'd be pretty glib if I thought that the POTUS would affect the Philippines nearly as much as the next bunch of senators we are going to put in power next year. And all I could do at this point is make a push in the right direction, and I can't help but think about that a lot more than Obama or Romney at the moment.

So pardon me. This is a really short essay week, but I think it's pretty easy to see why: I really can't be bothered about this whole thing too much. I figure there were about a few moment where I wondered if Romney would actually pull the upset, but overall, I didn't really fret, nor would my opinion have really mattered, anyways, since I realize how marginal it all will be to me, and how the more I see the Philippine conservative society backlash violently against progressives, the more it shows how irrelevant what America is up to on that point, and that's really where my interest lies, anyways.

Maybe next week, I'd give more f***s about the topic, but sorry, this one? I'm not too concerned.