2 Weeks Into Philippine Elections

There are exactly 11 working days before Elections. News have been spreading around. Manny Villar, the candidate of my choice, has been scrutinized due to the many technicalities of his achievements and public service. Noy Noy Aquino, because he has not done anything TANGIBLE and CONCRETE in behalf of the Filipino people, has been the target of many jokes and suspicious news. The facts still remain though: Villar is the more obvious competent leader and President. His ACTIONS and TRACK RECORD prove that he has the HEART FOR THE PEOPLE. Those who have directly benefited from the laws, scholarships, and environmental efforts of MBV are testament that the man has SKILLS to materialize what first begun as good intentions. Noy Noy on the other hand still owes the Filipino people some answers: (1) Tomcat's Open Letter to Manila Standard and now (2) Noy Noy's missing driver who was allegedly about to spill some bad beans about the Presidential Hopeful. In the next few days, iskongberde will be posting snippets from an article that rationally explains why NO ONE SHOULD VOTE for Noy Noy. Check these out:

-Start-

1st reason why Noynoy is clueless: he thinks that if there is no corruption there will be no poverty.
Reality check:
Corruption certainly contributes to poverty, but corruption is everywhere, even in the greatest democracy and the richest country in the world, the USA. President Obama has surrounded himself with many senior appointees who have been proven to be tax evaders. Large US MNCs give out bribes as a regular way of doing business. Corruption is a way of life in the USA, but it is a very rich nation. While reducing corruption certainly is important, economic progress comes when those at the helm of government know what they are doing and have political will, like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore.
Noynoy has no experience and will be quickly overwhelmed by the complexity of governance.


2nd reason why Noynoy is clueless: he thinks that since he is not corrupt, then there will be no corruption.
Reality check:
Corruption is unfortunately deeply ingrained in the Philippine political system. That is not to say that we should not do something about it. But it is to recognize that it is not only the President but those around him/her who matter. Cory was quite saintly, but Kamaganak Inc. rampaged through her Presidency. Frank Drilon, the President of the Liberal Party, is himself known as corrupt.
Noynoy has no governance experience, whether in business or politics, and those close to him can easily run circles around him.

-End-

What do you think? I believe these first of 12 reasons already says it all. 

The Fate Of Our Nation Lies In Our Hands

The following is an article from The Manila Standard.
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideOpinion.htm?f=2010/april/16/jojorobles.isx&d=2010/april/16

Before you read, a reminder: the fate of our nation lies in OUR hands. Let us vote wisely.

Tomcat’ recalls Noynoy

Readers of this column know that I rarely surrender my space to others in the form of extensive passages quoted verbatim. But today I willingly cede my allotted quota of words, editing only for style considerations, to someone who calls himself “Tomcat,” who recently wrote the following open letter (via Facebook) to leading presidential candidate Noynoy Aquino:

Dear Noynoy:
We were classmates at the Ateneo and I have no doubt that you would remember me even if we were not close. Hint: I was one of those who ribbed you about the low grade that Father Kreutz gave you in math because you could never seem to get your fractions right. Remember going ballistic over that ribbing? [Reverend Wiliam “Bill” Kreutz, SJ, is a long-time Ateneo teacher from New York who founded the Jesuit Volunteers of the Philippines—JR. All subsequent bracketed phrases are mine.]
Anyway, reading the psychological report that was posted on the Internet a few days ago certainly made me remember you. I heard you say on the news that the report was fake but you did admit that there were some things in it that were true. “Part truths” I think were your exact words. It fascinated me enough to want to read the report carefully to check out which were those things that were true.
Obvious things first, those facts that any of our classmates can confirm if asked. One of these is, as the report says, you have a labile disorder. This is whole truth. Even Father Gorospe would be distracted by your drooling during our oral exams. [The late Reverend Vitaliano Gorospe, SJ, was connected for a long time with the Ateneo Theology Department.] Father Ferriols, who made a point of showing he didn’t like you, would make side comments about it that led your classmates to give you the nickname “Cooper,” a reference to Cupertino school where we would teach Catechism to retarded children. I, however, never called you Cooper. [Reverend Roque Ferriols, SJ, taught Filipino Philosophy at Ateneo.]
The report says that you have a “major depressive disorder.” Well, I honestly don’t know if that is true. What I do know is that in school you were very temperamental and had sudden mood swings. Isang minuto, nakikikain ka kay Brudda Francis, maya’t maya nagagalit ka na. Many of our classmates can attest to witnessing scenes like this.
The report said that you used to go with your mom to see Dr. Manuel Escudero. That is a whole truth. I remember seeing you at Tito Maning’s high-rise apartment on Roxas Boulevard when we were still kids. Tito Maning was a consultant with the WHO here in Manila but he was also a psychiatrist who treated only the high society people in Manila. Even Imelda Marcos was his patient. Unfortunately, so was my mom who suffered from insecurities due to my dad’s numerous infidelities.
Tito Maning’s wife, Tita Jo, was a very good artist who had a couple of exhibits of her work before they left Manila for good a few years after martial law was declared. They lived in Topeka, Kansas. After they left, I kept a correspondence for a while with their very cute daughter Nina who I am sure you remember. I had such a crush on her. Maybe you did too. She used to talk to us “little folk” in the sala of their apartment while the “big folk” would lock themselves in the room and discuss “big folk” matters. She wanted to go to ballet school or some dance school which she did, I think, and I eventually lost track of her.
About your smoking marijuana, I also can’t say if that is wholly true. What I do know is that you would try to tag along with a group of students that would hang out with Ma’am Gloria Arroyo. [Yes, President Arroyo herself.] Mga students niya sa Economics. She was always surrounded by bright and handsome students kaya hindi ka pinapansin. Pati si Ma’am Placer, she never gave you the time of day kasi people said you were “medyo weird” and your grades were mababa per her standards.
Pero, you still tried to hang out with those guys. Trying hard to belong ba. I know those guys would drink na kasama pa si Miss Rosales na pag lasing na, kumakanta ng Spanish songs in Spanish. They would drink dozens of bottles of beer at Shakey’s Katipunan because Mrs. Ramos (our Spanish teacher in case you don’t remember) owned the restaurant. This group was also known to also smoke joints in the college auditorium, up in the closed space where the spotlights were. So, if you were hanging out with them then, you were probably also smoking marijuana too.
The report said you had a flight attendant girlfriend. This is another whole truth. I will not mention her name here to protect her but she was a PAL stewardess. I found out about this because I was on a flight with Father Samson [probably Ateneo de Davao president Reverend Antonio S. Samson] once and she was the one who seated us. When she found out we were from Ateneo, she introduced herself and said she was the girl friend of an Atenean and mentioned your name. Father Samson then asked jokingly if you were a good boyfriend to her. She shrugged and said you were “okay” but she was bothered because you were “too conservative.” You didn’t even like to kiss her daw because you were saving her for the wedding night. And you insisted that she dress very conservatively. Jealous boyfriend ka daw. No wonder that relationship ended. Maybe that’s why you got so depressed over it.
About the report. I know that [Ateneo-based Jesuit psychologist Reverend] Tito Caluag is one of your best friends. His group of “friends” are some of the richest and most influential people in the country today. I know that you used to frequently visit his home. He hosts get-togethers where things that are too esoteric for me are the subjects of discussion. At one time, this group of yours even discussed the ousting of [Ateneo president] Father [Bienvenido] Nebres because Tito Caluag had his own ideas on how Ateneo should be run. Maybe your closeness to him is why he was the one you went to when you were depressed and why he was the one who handled your case and signed your psychological report. To keep things quiet.
But I confess I actually don’t know. I do know that Tito Caluag was at one time your sister Kris’ father confessor. He may not be a very trustworthy father confessor, though, because many have heard him say aloud that “walang ginawa si Kris Aquino dito sa Ateneo kundi habulin si Alvin Patrimonio at mag-emote sa quadrangle”.
Anyway, yun muna. Good luck on your presidential run. If you become president of the Philippines, that would be really something, huh? From “Cooper” to “Mr. President” when brighter and more scheming Ateneans like Mar Roxas and Dick Gordon have not been able to make it is an achievement that Ripley should feature.
Your old friend,
Tomcat

The Sanity of Noy Noy is the Filipinos' Business

The 2 major candidates who are neck-to-neck in winning the Philippine Presidency are: Noy Noy Aquino and Manny Villar. The Aquino camp has resorted to black propaganda in the hopes of demolishing number one contender, Manny Villar. The latter has successfully and courageously answered, point by point, each bullet thrown by the yellow camp. Now the country is faced with another issue. This time it concerns not Manny Villar, but Noy Noy Aquino.  

Please read the following chronology of events.
(1) An e-mail was sent to a prominent blogger. The title of the e-mail had the following tone: CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ON Benigno Aquino III.
(2) Blogger clicks e-mail.
(3) Blogger discovers that attached to the e-mail is a document from Ateneo de Manila University.

(4) The document is an extensive description of the psychiatric, mental, and emotional health of Benigno Aquino III.
(5) Blogger posts the document online.
(6) After 4 days, ABS-CBN broadcasts the said document.
(7) Father Carmello Caluwag denies that it is his signature that is affixed in the document. He strongly states that his signature found in the document is forged and/or copy-pasted.
(8) Father Carmello Caluwag does not deny the contents of the document.
(9) ABS-CBN vehemently reports that the document came from the NP camp.
(10) NP camp denies the claim but challenges Aquino, and the rest of the Presidentiables, to take a psychiatric exam.
(11) Aquino laughs and says, "we will not ride the NP script."
(12) Journalists publish different opinions to the story, with Ninez Cacho-Olivarez of The Daily Tribune (April 12) saying,

This being the case, for Noynoy and his LP to merely call the bogus psychological report black propaganda will hardly get the people to buy that, especially as he refuses to take up the challenge of undergoing a psychiatric test.

After all, as the argument goes, if he is psychologically fit and has no mental or emotional disorder, it should follow that he wouldn’t be afraid to take that test.

Like it or not, the mental health of a candidate for the presidency is a valid issue.

My View

I have admitted to myself that Philippine politics is dirty. Sadly, I am not alive when situations have already changed in my country. Having said that, to critique this political ball game I am situated in, I believe it is only fair to Noy Noy's running-mates, and to the Filipino people, that he take the psychiatric exam asked of him. Just as he questioned the integrity of Villar's campaign  (ang pagiging mahirap ni Manny Villar at ang totoong dahilan sa pagkamatay ni Danny Villar), it is now his responsibility to justify himself with respect to the issue of his mental health.

I am reminded of a statement made by Frank Drillon in one of the Liberal P'arty's Press Conferences. He said, "[when handling documents] the CONTENT is of prime importance; NOT the source. Put in mind that the contents of the alleged document have not been denied in its entirety. The contents have only been CATEGORICALLY DENIED. Meaning, there is truth within the document that is visible and tangible as the false. What scares me is, which part? 

On Noy Noy's Psychiatric Condition

Is Noy Noy physically and mentally fit to run the country?

 

The following are excerpts from the supposed Document from Ateneo:

History of Present Illness: The patient is a 36-year old single male with a history of profuse salivation and labile moods since his childhood. He was observed to be sleeping excessively, disoriented and confusing family and household member’s name. When interviewed at the time of psychiatric assessment, the patient said he had difficulty in speech, poor concentration, impaired thinking and melancholia brought about by the stresses of his work and the break-up with his flight attendant girlfriend. He also claimed he felt clumsy and uncoordinated. He also describes what appeared to be a deep sense of foreboding and feeling that the “world was coming to an end.”

Current Symptoms:

1. Psychomotor retardation
2. Slowed gait and activity
3. Lack of initiative
4. Melancholia
5. Fatigue
6. Lack of self-confidence
7. Lack of sexual interest

Substance Abuse History:

Smoker Yes, up to two (2) packs a day

Drugs Yes, teen-age experimentation with Marijuana and various pills

ETOH Yes, solitary drinker

MMSE 

The Psychologist conducting the interviews noticed that the patient would occasionally walk slowly and aimlessly around the room when being interviewed. He appeared inattentive, vague, non-spontaneous and detached in interactions, but passively followed simple commands. He appeared disoriented. There was some difficulty in communicating due to his deep depression and melancholia. On mental state examination, he was a lanky man of medium height who was mildly psychomotor retarded with a latency of verbal replies, and a slowness of movement. He was preoccupied with his inner thoughts, brooded and felt melancholy. He appeared quite elevated and irritable when he spoke of the loss he was feeling when he recounted his relationship with his girlfriend. He expressed a poorly-formed grandiose delusion that the world was ending and described feelings of foreboding but no disturbance in any other sensory modality. The patient was oriented in person and place, with only very mild impairment of time. Attention and concentration deficits were evident, though much in the slightest and confirmed on formal testing that he had minor difficulty in counting down by seven from 100 and could not readily spell some words backwards. Registration and short term memory were intact on testing but he was often distracted and distant. There was evidence of dysphagia, mild difficulty with three-step commands, concretism and trial-constructional dyspraxia (he could not copy complex diagrams). No confabulation or remote memory deficits were identified. His Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score totaled 28/30. No cognitive impairments. He denied being in need of medical assistance and explained his presence in the school as being due to his sister’s concerns, but did not appear suspicious of possible motives or irritated by his presence in the department. He denied that he had any cognitive deficits. He said he required medication and dietary modification, but did not accept medication offered in fact requiring detailed explanation on why the medication had to be taken. 

   

In as much as the patient exhibits the following symptoms (1) Depressed mood (i.e. feeling sad and empty) most of the day for 10 days, (2) Markedly diminished interest on pleasure in almost all activities (including lack of sexual interest) most of the day for 10 days, (3) A noticeable fluctuation of appetite most of the day for 10 days, (4) Psychomotor agitation or retardation (i.e. increased restlessness) most of the day for 10 days, (5) A diminished ability to concentrate ordering on indecisiveness most of the day for 10 days, (6) Insomia nearly everyday, (7) Fatigue nearly everyday , And (8) a feeling of foreboding everyday. He is diagnosed as suffering from Major Depressive Disorder.  

My View

Is the news bogus? Or a truth that the yellow camp is strongly protecting? What interests me though is how the news and other bloggers have included in their statements that the document has only been "categorically denied." Which part, then, is false? But most importantly, which part is true?

Stay tuned.