Arnel Pineda sang the way international Pinoys do

I don’t really see the point being made by the National Historical Institute (NHI). As a historiographer myself, I think it is stupid for the NHI to monitor every single artist or citizen out there while they’re singing the National anthem.

Instead of correcting the errors in history books and probably engaging people in more relevant pursuits, like reminding them of the important events in our history, people over there at NHI are acting like voice coaches or music teachers.

Why file a case against Arnel Pineda or Martin Nievera just because they sang the national anthem in a higher pitch or tune than the others. Are we really fooling ourselves? Who, really knows how to sing Felipe’s masterpiece? Who, except the composer and the lyricists who are both dead, know the exact tune or pitch or cadence of our national song.

One’s love for the country is not to be measured by the pitch or the tune that one gives out whenever he sings the anthem. We live in a democracy and we can sing it in whatever manner we want for as long as we don’t change the lyrics.

Net–its not the tune stupid. It’s the lyrics that matter.

I will be the first one to militate against those who will change the lyrics of our national anthem. That is a totally different matter altogether. The NHI is acting like Hitler’s SS when, again, they want Pinoy international artist Arnel Pineda charged for singing the national anthem higher in pitch and tune than what the composer intended.

Lest the NHI forget–we are in a democracy and something as trivial as a higher tune is excusable. It would disparage the memory of our heroes and patriots if the NHI continues to behave like old hags with a stick in hand, ready to strike someone’s butt for singing in tune, but in a higher pitch. This is not the way to educate the people about our heritage and history.

Fact is–this is the most insolent and the most stupid way to illuminate us of the finer points of our history. And Arnel Pineda should not apologize. Fact is, Pineda should even give the NHI a piece of his creative mind.

NP-NPC-LDP vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda stressed this point in her speech before the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), scientists, urban planners, members of the diplomatic corps, LGUs, and SUCs at the conference entitled “Engineering Resilience: Beyond Climate Change Adaptation” on Monday at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel.

“Today I am taking a break from the political campaign, in order to campaign on an urgent, critical issue — dealing with the effects of climate change and addressing our vulnerabilities. The time of climate change cynics is over. We have no time for apathy and inaction. Climate change is real issue, felt by the poorest of our people,” she said.  

She cited the plight of farmers against El Nino, hunger, poverty, and the spread of and disease as “daily consequences of climate change”.

Public officials have been taking steps to put in place policies to fight climate change, such as the Climate Change Act, of which Legarda was the principal author and which was signed by the President in October 2009.

“But legislation can only go so far,” Legarda said. “It is by harnessing the efforts of collaboration, and effecting change with a strong foundation built on our own experiences and that of other nations, and backed by scientific data that we can we can make our country better prepared to face the worst natural disasters and minimize damage and the loss of life.”

Legarda set down three goals government-private sector collaboration must aim for the fight against climate change.

First, building codes and zoning policies should be strictly enforced. This calls for stamping out corruption that gets around these rules. “This means not placing people, homes, and industries in high risk areas,” Legarda said.

Second, the country’s ecosystems, 60 percent of which is declining, must be protected. Both the government and the private sector must be aware of “trade-offs” in exploiting natural resources.

As examples, she cited mangrove plantations that when turned into shrimp ponds increases the risk of storm surge and cleaning forests for agriculture that increases the risk of landslides and flooding.

“Development should reduce rather than produce risks to our society and our economy. Development should promote resilient investments,” Legarda said.

Third, agricultural productivity must be improved because 75 percent of the poor depend on it. This calls for removing barriers such as inequitable land distributing, lack of access to seed and irrigation technology, and lack of economic diversification.

Improving the livelihood of farmers, she pointed out, would allow them to recover more quickly from disaster losses.

Legarda based her points on the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, which found that the problems caused by natural disasters stem from “poor urban governance, vulnerable rural livelihoods, and ecosystems decline.”

As proof the effectiveness of the collaboration between the government and the private sector she cited the conference itself, where she was speaking.

The conference is a partnership of the Congressional Commission on Science Technology and Engineering working hand in hand with the Manila Observatory.

“This sort of collaboration breaks down old barriers and forges new paths that will benefit the Philippines and, hopefully, the entire world,” she said.

Joey de Venecia III cautions the people on the security of PCOS machines

Senatorial candidate Joey De Venecia today sought the “full revelation of arrangements to transport the precinct-dedicated automated vote count machines for the May 10 elections to ease public concerns over their safe and secure handling.”

“While the more than 80,000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines are now safely under guard, these will be under threat from contamination once their distribution commences.” The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino senatorial stalwart warned.

“There are very real dangers that the PCOS machines can be waylaid and tampered with by individuals possessing the technical knowhow to insert malicious software intended to alter the results as ballots are inserted into them on election day.”

De Venecia said that “while the mainstream news media has ignored it, there have been on-line reports about a study by the Center for Information Technology Policy of Princeton University three years ago on the most widely used automated voting machine in the United States that showed the machine to be vulnerable to malicious software.”

The opposition senatorial bet said that “while the machine tested by Princeton University researchers was a direct recording (touch screen voting) machine (the Diebold AccuVote), its internal architecture is basically similar to the PCOS machines leased by COMELEC from Smartmatic.”

Quoting the results of the Princeton University study, De Venecia pointed out that malware introduced into the voting machine “can modify all of the records, audit logs, and counters kept by the voting machine, so that even careful forensic examination of these records will find nothing amiss and anyone who has physical access to a voting machine, or to a memory card that will later be inserted into a machine, can install said malicious software using a simple method that takes as little as one minute.”

The opposition senatorial aspirant said such vulnerability point to the clear and present danger of precinct level Digital Dagdag Bawas the likes of which will totally compromise the integrity of the elections.”

De Venecia said he was “among those whose earnest efforts at pushing for anti-corruption reforms and promoting information technology to bring in investments and create jobs whose winning bids for the Senate can easily be knocked out by automated election fraud.”

De Venecia has seen his popularity among voters steadily increasing with the latest senatorial survey by the independent polling firm StartPoll showing him solidly occupying the 9^th place in the Senate race despite having virtually no TV ads.

 “We urge the COMELEC to revisit the safeguards for both the technical integrity of the PCOS machines alongside the critical need of transporting these to all precincts securely and on time.”

General Delfin Bangit is a threat to democracy, some say

Coffee shop huddles are often conspiratorial in tone. Let me share with you some of the things being talked about in these huddles.

First, the alleged plan by the administration to rig the coming elections, not for Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, the administration bet, but, surprise–for Manny Villar. Wagging tongues say Manny Villar is really the administration’s real bet and that Mrs. Arroyo wants him to win. Malicious tongues say Puno has already given himself to the service of Villar, as evidence by the sheer number of Lakas members now with the Nacionalista Party bet. Unknown to all, majority of Lakas members, especially the original Lakas magistrates are now supporting Villar. And it is not just Lakas, but some Kampi members have already went over the fence. Hence, the ambition of Teodoro to become “No. 1″ soon is actually a distinct dream. There is no more “vaulted” Lakas machinery, only a ghost with tattered clothes.

Which, to my mind, is logical since no one will believe a Teodoro win. How will a 5 percentage point man win against a 36% or even a 29% of a Villar? It would be highly logical for this administration to support a more winnable candidate such as Villar instead of a very weak one. And how will this administration do it?

They’ll mobilize the still intact Hello Garci team to ensure that Villar wins instead of Noynoy. And since this team is involved in this plan to rig the elections, Mindanao is one important region to contend with. And we are seeing the “culmination” of their plan which is create an artificial power shortage to justify two things: emergency procurement or lease of power generators and possible outtages in the May elections. These things are worrisome for businessmen based in the region. Yet, these are being done for the sake not of the peoples of Mindanao, but for that resident in Malacanang.

General Delfin Bangit is New AFP

Senator Richard Gordon says that the power crisis in Mindanao and in other parts of the country is “artificial”. Gordon checked and found that the water level in the dams in Lanao are normal and even government installed a new power plant in Cebu. What, asks Gordon, is causing these talk of power interruptions. He sees something sinister in all of these. That’s why Gordon wants government to explain before the people why it wants to exercise emergency powers.

The palace already said that Mrs. Arroyo does not want to call for a special session and will try to address the power crisis within constitutional parameters. Seemed that legal counsels of the president are in unison that the provisions of the EPIRA are enough for Mrs. Arroyo to manage the crisis.

And really, Mrs. Arroyo was right when she says that she does not need Congress to address this “power crisis”. The law has enough provisions for such an emergency.

What is really suspicious is the “forced emergency situation” being fostered in Mindanao. What is the end goal?

Mindanao is one hotbed of an area mainly because all insurgent groups operate there with utmost impunity compared in other areas and that the region has traditionally been the area where when an outbreak of violence affects the very center of power. Being in the international spotlight for years, Mindanao is one area where anything untoward happens for a reason other than insurgency.

Mindanao is the actual battlefield between the ruling and the counter-elite. Whenever there is a power struggle between the ruling and counter-elite, it has been customary to use Mindanao as a deflection of public attention. While the public’s attention is focused on Mindanao, elites and counter-elites fight silently for dominance of the State.

This is happening as we speak. The ruling elite has scored a major one with the appointment of Lieutenant General Delfin Bangit as General Victor Ibrado’s replacement. Pending implementation is the plan to replace Reynato Puno with former Arroyo Chief of Staff, Justice Renato Corona.

Bangit was one of the generals who orchestrated the Hello Garci scandal while Corona was Arroyo’s closest adviser in political affairs prior to EDSA dos. Both have shown extreme loyalty to Mrs. Arroyo since both owe the president their careers.

Mrs. Arroyo also appointed DOTC secretary Leandro Mendoza as her Executive secretary, another doubtful appointment since Mendoza was once involved in the ZTE-NBN scandal. Unknown to most, Mendoza is Mrs. Arroyo’s hatchetman, more sinister and more dangerous than Bayani Fernando. Aside from being very close to the First Gentleman, Mendoza is also Mrs. Arroyo’s closest police adviser.

With her very close advisers at her side in this very critical juncture of her political career, it goes to show that Mrs. Arroyo is still not prepared for a transition.

Joey de Venecia III continues to be in the Magic 12

Don’t know yet? Filipinos living abroad should know this. Starting April 10, Filipinos working and living abroad have to troop to our embassies and consulates abroad to vote for their preferences.

One needs to mark the names of his presidential, vice-presidential, senatorial and local candidate preferences.

Remember not to mark those in the senatorial column more than twelve names since this will INVALIDATE the entire ballot.

Let me suggest some names to consider in this year’s elections.

1. Joey de Venecia III–entrepreneur, and ardent nationalist. He exposed the ZTE-NBN deal and continues to fight for the rights of every Filipino. He deserves a seat in the Senate. His number is 12. Don’t forget to mark that circle beside his surname DE VENECIA.

2. Susan “Toots” Ople—Ople is a real article here, someone who fights for the rights of OFWs and local workers. Remember to vote PeOPLE.

3. Alex Lacson–He’s not a familiar face but that’s his advantage. Like Joey de Venecia III, he is our New Face in Philippine politics and we need people like him in government. If you see LACSON (in number 23), mark that spot automatically.

4. Bongbong Marcos–He did a great job modernizing Ilocos Norte and he deserves a second look. Mark Marcos down please. We need new blood at the Senate.

5. Teofisto Guingona III—TG, as his friends call him, is an expert in budget management. He deserves a chance in the Senate.

6. Serge Osmena—Serge is a true-blue nationalist and deserves our support.

7. Ruffy Biazon–Biazon is easy to remember. Just look down after Acosta.

8. Satur Ocampo—We need someone who will guard the interests of the Filipino masses against depredatory acts of foreign capitalists.

9. Liza Masa—she has struggled and fought hard for women’s rights for decades now. Time to further improve the lot of Filipino women.

10. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel—She’s the anti-thesis of Pia Cayetano, but without the trapo attached to her.

11. Atty. JV Bautista–Like Lacson, he’s not that popular but boy, he’s really someone who we need to pursue the People’s Agenda in the Senate.

12. Yasmin Lao–Another newbie but who needs old politicos in the Senate? She’s well-known in the Bangsamoro civil society as a fighter of women’s rights.

A drop in Noynoy's numbers, Gibo's gain

A six percent drop in the surveys with just a few more weeks before the May 10, 2010 elections mean disaster for a candidate. And the Nacionalista party knows this. Manny Villar’s chances for the presidency has been terribly hurt by graft charges stemming from the C-5 road scam and the invigorated campaign machinery of former president Joseph Estrada.

Villar lost a big chunk of the ABC and D classes. More than 40% went to Noynoy Aquino and only a handful remained with Villar. One evidence that Estrada is re-claiming old territories is the diminution of Villar’s D-E base, which is not surprising since it is expected that Estrada’s campaign surge will definitely eat up Villar’s.

This 29% preference rating will still drop since indications from the ground suggest that Estrada’s campaign machinery is on the roll after both the Supreme Court and the Comelec affirmed his candidacy. Estrada’s base is actually within the 23% to 32% and it will not be impossible if in the final stretch, we see a Noynoy Aquino versus Joseph Estrada battle.

It is also notable that Gilbert Teodoro gained two percentage points, an indication that Gibo shares the same constituency as that of Aquino. If Teodoro eats up the ABC constituency of Aquino, he may yet gain more trust points but this will not be enough to defeat a Noynoy surge.

It appears then that both share constituencies yet, Noynoy’s base is more definitive than Gibo. Gibo gains from Noynoy in trickles while a transition of preference from Villar to Estrada means a considerable drop for Villar. This only means that Villar does not have a natural constituency and that those which he presently has belong to Erap’s.

With the elections a few weeks to go, Villar’s numbers will definitely go down as Erap re-energizes his campaign machinery. Erap is slowly reclaiming his old bailiwicks and this is bad news for Villar. Villar expected these mass bases to transfer after he got Loren Legarda, but Legarda’s dismal numbers, which are slowly disintegrating and decreasing shows that those whom Legarda got from the Opposition are also abandoning her and Villar.

The message is very clear—don’t count Erap out. It may yet be a Noynoy-Erap toss up after the smoke has cleared.

Ang Ladlad attacks are political, never moral

A few days ago, ZTE-NBN whistleblower Joey de Venecia III spoke before a huge throng of gays and lesbians. Based on what my friend told me, Joey spoke of the attempts by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to discredit or disallow Ang Ladlad, a partylist organization espousing the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) members. A renewed attempt is underway, purposedly to strike out the name from the list of accredited partylist organizations. And this, says Joey, is nothing more than a direct affront to Philippine democracy.

In his speech which was sent to me by email, Joey said that it is the height of irony that we call our society “democratic” when government discriminates against members of the LGBT. Since when, asks Joey de Venecia III, did sexual orientation become a “precondition” for citizenship? Let me quote one part of his press statement

How could we, in conscience, celebrate our democracy (and we did that just the other day) and yet attempt to deny LGBT Filipinos their right to meaningfully engage the political process? Are they any less Filipino?

What Joey is saying is that the poll body wants Ang Ladlad out mainly on the point of morality instead of law. Numerous decisions penned by the Comelec point to this reason alone. The poll body is not questioning the “sectoral” nature of Ang Ladlad–it is questioning its conduct, which, again quoting from some decisions, “offends religious sensitivities”.

The issue therefore, is not about Ang Ladlad as a sectoral organization–the issue is its principles, which, as what Joey de Venecia III correctly pointed out, is a realm not within the ambit of the poll body. Regardless of belief, the Commission on Elections’ task is simply determine the suitability of the applicant organization based on legal grounds, such as the determination of its “sectoral-ness” and the validity of its assertions as reflected on the face of its petition.

The Commission on Elections found nothing false in Ang Ladlad’s petition. It has been in existence, enjoys widespread mass base support and has the capability to engage in a national campaign, elements which determine the suitability of a sectoral applicant. If the poll body thinks that the LGBT community is a legit sector, then, why question its conduct? Joey de Venecia III is right when he says that the Comelec showed its gender and pseudo-religious bias when it tries to strike Ang Ladlad out of the game.

What Joey de Venecia III forgot was, maybe, the real reason why the Comelec wants Ang Ladlad out was more of a political instead of a legal or moral reason. Since Comelec is an Arroyo administration stooge, the main task is to discredit legitimate sectoral organizations. That morality issue is being made as a subterfuge to hide the real reason which is political. We all know that Ang Ladlad is anti-GMA, and therefore, subject to Nazi-like persecution. And Ang Ladlad is not the only one being persecuted here.

Migrante, for one, is a national OFW group but was not accredited. Same goes to Samahang Magdalo which, for all intents and purposes, is a national civilian organization. The name of the game is simply which among these applicants are ready to lick the asses of the Powers-That-Be.

If the Comelec can stomach a Mikey Arroyo or an Angelo Reyes as sectoral nominees, it cannot, by political reasons, accept a Danton Remoto. The poll body simply wants those close to “Madame” to win elections instead of those who will bite her hand when she becomes Speaker of the House.

Devastation in the earth

Alerts have been raised, even here in the Philippines. The quake is expected to hit the Hawaiian islands twelve hours after the quake incident. Seismologists say tsunami as high as six feet are expected to hit coastal islands and is sure to raise oceanic levels to historic highs.

This earthquake is far bigger in scale and in impact that what hit Haiti a few weeks ago, but, authorities say, the quake’s effects in terms of human casualties and structural damages seemed lesser than what happened in the Caribbean island. Haiti suffered massive structural damages and left thousands dead. So far, Chile has reported 122 killed, but authorities expect the death toll to rise.

Observe that all of these big quakes are happening two years before what many believe is the end of civilization–the Mayan prediction of December 21, 2012, which, some say, is as accurate as any other oracle.

Observe too that scientists are not telling us the whole story–that why these natural disasters are happening in successive fashion this year and not last year and why all of these are curiously connected with solar activities. Scientists have already said that solar activities will greatly intensify beginning this year up to 2012.

What is certain is this–we live in a very unstable planet, a place always under constant change. If all other civilizations before us had died, surely ours will die too. It is a matter of just when, not how or why. It is a law of nature that everything is destroyed before its eventual improvement. Weak or weaker civilizations will surely be killed by the weight of improved civilizations and this is, something which we cannot prevent.

Alex Lacson--a vote for him, a vote for a New Philippines

I say a resounding YES. I say Alex Lacson will win this year’s Senatorial elections.

It takes great courage and fortitude of spirit to be able to do the impossible and if God wills it, nothing is far from one’s reach.

Alex Lacson is running only with the strength of his convictions, only with a handful of enthusiastic supporters but for me, this is enough to prove to one and all that only with the will to help Filipinos, that is enough to propel someone from relative obscurity to national greatness.

Alex Lacson is running because he believes in the inherent goodness of Filipinos. Alex Lacson is a prime example of someone who has sacrificed himself and his family for the sake of his fellow men. What if he gets tired, what if he does not sleep enough, and what if he stakes the tuition money of his kids, the point is simply this—he wants to prove that every Filipino still loves his country.

For every vote that he gets, that’s an affirmation that the Spirit of a New Philippines resides in each and every one of us.

For every single peso of support Alex Lacson gets, that’s a sign that hope and change can still be achieved.

The campaign of Alex Lacson is something very historic in the sense that this runs in what I described as a “shared responsibility” platform—a pure form of voluntarism that is a direct denunciation of what we hate—traditional politics.

Trapoism depends on money. Trapo-ism insults the intelligence of the masses with its reliance on fancy infomercials and glossy electoral tacticals that cost millions of pesos. These tactics, relied for decades, are actually hit-and-miss activities. Politics is not an exact science. Even if you have a large grassroots organization, conversion of votes is still not a certainty.

Let us be one with him in creating History. Let us be one with him in writing a New page of our country’s story.

Prove to the world that we can elect a Nationalist in the Senate without spending so much money.

Prove to the world that we can vote for someone, a neophyte in politics, without him spending millions.

Let us disabuse the minds of the people and rally behind Alex Lacson. And let our voice truly speak.