2022 Presidential Elections

[Tha_Mann]

Kaya there's no point na patagalin pa ni Leni announcement niya. Ganun din black propaganda ginagawa na sa kanya.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

saka matagal na din naman sya sinisiraan, wala naman mababago kung i-delay pa nya pag announce nya.

[shadow]

saka matagal na din naman sya sinisiraan, wala naman mababago kung i-delay pa nya pag announce nya.

Yes, that's my point. Natatakot sila na baka siraan eh ganun na din naman ginagawa.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[glenn_duke]

Yes, that's my point. Natatakot sila na baka siraan eh ganun na din naman ginagawa.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hindi sila takot siraan, takot silang walang mag pondo.

[Yatta]

[baludoy]

Hindi sila takot siraan, takot silang walang mag pondo.

Buti pa iyong mga bets ng china, paniguradong may pondo na ngayon pa lang.

do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do

[Flipo]

Choosing a president | Philstar.com

Choosing a president
THE CORNER ORACLE - Andrew J. Masigan (The Philippine Star) - June 16, 2021 - 12:00am

An American FBI operative once told me: “The Philippines never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Although these words piqued my patriotic sensibilities, upon reflection, it is the truth.

From the time we became a self governing republic in 1946 up to the late 1960’s, the Philippines had all the ingredients to become an economic and geopolitical superpower. We had the most advanced financial and banking system in Asia, a democratic framework of government, a market driven economy, advance learning institutions with educational standards that were the highest in the Pacific rim, a burgeoning manufacturing sector and relatively advanced infrastructure. We also had the strongest armed forces and one of the best military schools in Asia. The future could not have been brighter for the republic.

Fast forward to 2021 and we have plummeted to become one of the least competitive economies in ASEAN (6th out of 10). We were recently overtaken by Vietnam in per capita income such that today, Filipinos are only wealthier than the Cambodians, Laotians and Burmese. Our educational standards are dead last among 79 countries ranked by the United Nations. No surprise, our human development index is also in the lower rung among market-driven economies. Our democratic institutions have eroded and so has the rule of law. Once a burgeoning manufacturing economy, the Philippines today is dependent on imports for practically all its needs, including rice.

The uncomfortable truth is that the Philippines has been a perennial underachiever. Sure, there have been occasional bright spots, but there is no denying that we lag behind in the region’s development race. Statistics show that we peaked in most development indices in 2017, but it has been downhill since then. The recent mismanagement of the pandemic only put us further behind.

The Philippines’ story is a mild tragedy. The worst part of it is that it was self-inflicted by the very leaders we elected.

History has taught us that fates of nations are dependent on their leaders. Good leaders govern with the view of achieving sustainable growth, inclusive wealth generation, food self sufficiency, technology advancement and good financial stewardship. They empower their citizens with quality education, health care and social services. They work to strengthen governmental institutions. They lead their nations to be responsible members of the international community, but never fail in building credible military defense capabilities.

Corrupt, self-serving and/or ill-equipped leaders do the opposite, the result of which are underachieving or failed states. While our neighbors were blessed with competent, forward looking leaders like Lee Kwan Yew, Truòng Chinh and Mahathir Mohammed, fate dealt us a bad card in Marcos. The despot plundered the country for two decades, inculcated a culture of corruption and killed our once formidable industrial sector. It has been a struggle to get our political and economic house in order ever since. The presidents who followed Marcos achieved varying degrees of success but no one has really succeeded in breaking the vicious cycle of boom and bust.

At the heart of the problem is our flawed system for vetting a president. Unlike other democracies whose presidential candidates are selected through a series of caucuses and primary elections within political parties, presidential candidates in the Philippines are selected by the party seniors based on their winnability. Little regard is given to their capability or platform. Exacerbating matters is that the leaders who influence our votes – our senators, congressmen and local government officials – support candidates not based on qualifications but based on who best serves their political interest. We end up with presidents who are the best in political horseplay, but not necessarily the best as leaders.

Until we enact electoral reforms, our leaders will always be products of political jockeying – and the country’s development will always be compromised by it. But this does not mean that Filipino voters are helpless. We can counter this flawed system by voting intelligently.

Miriam Defensor Santiago was right when she said that there are three fundamental requirements to be president. They are: academic excellence, professional excellence and moral excellence.

If a private corporation requires only the most academically qualified and experientially prepared to be its CEO, what more a nation of 110 million people.

The candidate we support must be adept in economics, diplomacy & foreign policy, geopolitics and social development because these are the issues he/she will face on a daily basis.

Those without academic credentials will argue that academic excellence is unnecessary so long as one is surrounded by the best and brightest. This is only partially true. The reality is – everything starts and ends with the president. He/she must be the architect and the driver of their own reform agenda and must be able to discern between good and bad advice. Without academic competence, one can easily be manipulated and be inclined to make the wrong decisions.

On professional excellence, the candidate must have a track record of remarkable accomplishments or an extraordinary achievement to lay claim to. Being an heir is not an achievement.

On moral excellence, the candidate must have a record bereft of corruption, entitlement, nepotism or abuse of power. More importantly, he/she must not be compliant to people who commit these moral affronts. Being an abettor of crime is just as bad as being the committer of crime.

And if I may add to the sagely advice of senator Santiago, the candidate we select must also be of good physical and mental health; respects the rights of women, nature and culture; have a progressive vision for the country and working plan to achieve it; realize the need to shift from a consumer and spend-driven economy to one that is production-led; realize the importance of soft power and country branding; one who is a defender of democracy and whose sense of patriotism is unquestionable.

Over the last six years, government has led us towards an attitude of indecency, misogyny, a disregard for human rights, a disregard for due process and the basic tenets of democracy. We need to get centered again. Not to do so could cause our institutions (and society) to swing to the extreme where non-democratic principles, corruption and incivility become the new norm. Let’s not forget, when certain traits become a part of culture, it is extremely difficult to reverse. Take the culture of corruption instilled by Marcos.

May we not miss the opportunity to elect a good president in 2022.

[Devastator]

Choosing a president | Philstar.com

Choosing a president
THE CORNER ORACLE - Andrew J. Masigan (The Philippine Star) - June 16, 2021 - 12:00am

An American FBI operative once told me: “The Philippines never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Although these words piqued my patriotic sensibilities, upon reflection, it is the truth.

From the time we became a self governing republic in 1946 up to the late 1960’s, the Philippines had all the ingredients to become an economic and geopolitical superpower. We had the most advanced financial and banking system in Asia, a democratic framework of government, a market driven economy, advance learning institutions with educational standards that were the highest in the Pacific rim, a burgeoning manufacturing sector and relatively advanced infrastructure. We also had the strongest armed forces and one of the best military schools in Asia. The future could not have been brighter for the republic.

Fast forward to 2021 and we have plummeted to become one of the least competitive economies in ASEAN (6th out of 10). We were recently overtaken by Vietnam in per capita income such that today, Filipinos are only wealthier than the Cambodians, Laotians and Burmese. Our educational standards are dead last among 79 countries ranked by the United Nations. No surprise, our human development index is also in the lower rung among market-driven economies. Our democratic institutions have eroded and so has the rule of law. Once a burgeoning manufacturing economy, the Philippines today is dependent on imports for practically all its needs, including rice.

The uncomfortable truth is that the Philippines has been a perennial underachiever. Sure, there have been occasional bright spots, but there is no denying that we lag behind in the region’s development race. Statistics show that we peaked in most development indices in 2017, but it has been downhill since then. The recent mismanagement of the pandemic only put us further behind.

The Philippines’ story is a mild tragedy. The worst part of it is that it was self-inflicted by the very leaders we elected.

History has taught us that fates of nations are dependent on their leaders. Good leaders govern with the view of achieving sustainable growth, inclusive wealth generation, food self sufficiency, technology advancement and good financial stewardship. They empower their citizens with quality education, health care and social services. They work to strengthen governmental institutions. They lead their nations to be responsible members of the international community, but never fail in building credible military defense capabilities.

Corrupt, self-serving and/or ill-equipped leaders do the opposite, the result of which are underachieving or failed states. While our neighbors were blessed with competent, forward looking leaders like Lee Kwan Yew, Truòng Chinh and Mahathir Mohammed, fate dealt us a bad card in Marcos. The despot plundered the country for two decades, inculcated a culture of corruption and killed our once formidable industrial sector. It has been a struggle to get our political and economic house in order ever since. The presidents who followed Marcos achieved varying degrees of success but no one has really succeeded in breaking the vicious cycle of boom and bust.

At the heart of the problem is our flawed system for vetting a president. Unlike other democracies whose presidential candidates are selected through a series of caucuses and primary elections within political parties, presidential candidates in the Philippines are selected by the party seniors based on their winnability. Little regard is given to their capability or platform. Exacerbating matters is that the leaders who influence our votes – our senators, congressmen and local government officials – support candidates not based on qualifications but based on who best serves their political interest. We end up with presidents who are the best in political horseplay, but not necessarily the best as leaders.

Until we enact electoral reforms, our leaders will always be products of political jockeying – and the country’s development will always be compromised by it. But this does not mean that Filipino voters are helpless. We can counter this flawed system by voting intelligently.

Miriam Defensor Santiago was right when she said that there are three fundamental requirements to be president. They are: academic excellence, professional excellence and moral excellence.

If a private corporation requires only the most academically qualified and experientially prepared to be its CEO, what more a nation of 110 million people.

The candidate we support must be adept in economics, diplomacy & foreign policy, geopolitics and social development because these are the issues he/she will face on a daily basis.

Those without academic credentials will argue that academic excellence is unnecessary so long as one is surrounded by the best and brightest. This is only partially true. The reality is – everything starts and ends with the president. He/she must be the architect and the driver of their own reform agenda and must be able to discern between good and bad advice. Without academic competence, one can easily be manipulated and be inclined to make the wrong decisions.

On professional excellence, the candidate must have a track record of remarkable accomplishments or an extraordinary achievement to lay claim to. Being an heir is not an achievement.

On moral excellence, the candidate must have a record bereft of corruption, entitlement, nepotism or abuse of power. More importantly, he/she must not be compliant to people who commit these moral affronts. Being an abettor of crime is just as bad as being the committer of crime.

And if I may add to the sagely advice of senator Santiago, the candidate we select must also be of good physical and mental health; respects the rights of women, nature and culture; have a progressive vision for the country and working plan to achieve it; realize the need to shift from a consumer and spend-driven economy to one that is production-led; realize the importance of soft power and country branding; one who is a defender of democracy and whose sense of patriotism is unquestionable.

Over the last six years, government has led us towards an attitude of indecency, misogyny, a disregard for human rights, a disregard for due process and the basic tenets of democracy. We need to get centered again. Not to do so could cause our institutions (and society) to swing to the extreme where non-democratic principles, corruption and incivility become the new norm. Let’s not forget, when certain traits become a part of culture, it is extremely difficult to reverse. Take the culture of corruption instilled by Marcos.

May we not miss the opportunity to elect a good president in 2022.

Masyado pa rin kasing personality based ang pulitika dito. It's a friggin' popularity contest.

[dr. d]

Masyado pa rin kasing personality based ang pulitika dito. It's a friggin' popularity contest.

and that is why artistas get elected into office.
and as "name recall" is the name of the game..., there's no such thing as bad advertising.

[Devastator]

Bawal ang may sariling prinsipyo at pag-iisip sa gobyernong ito.

Tugade says decision to run in Eleksyon 222 will rely on Duterte

[Flipo]

Bawal ang may sariling prinsipyo at pag-iisip sa gobyernong ito.

Tugade says decision to run in Eleksyon 2?22 will rely on Duterte

Independence Day | Philstar.com

Independence Day
DEMAND AND SUPPLY - Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star) - June 16, 2021 - 12:00am

Why did Independence Day become a “wala lang” holiday?

Fred Mison, a West Pointer, former immigration commissioner and former executive of Philippine Airlines posted this on Facebook last weekend:

“Sometimes I wonder why Independence Day in this country is not given that much significance, unlike in other countries. Some people I know even take freedom for granted, sadly.”

Someone commented on Fred’s post: “You know I had the same thoughts. In Singapore it’s the biggest event of the year, with fireworks, a parade of its artillery, and song and dance. Wasn’t it like that when we were kids? So, I decided to hang my dad’s flag in my office today.”

Fred wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Katrina Stuart Santiago, a writer, posted on Facebook:

“Probably the darkest Independence Day I’ve experienced in my life. And I’m the one who’s all about flags and protests and events, but today I have settled for simply getting out of bed, getting some coffee…”

I have long wondered too. When I was growing up, Independence Day, whether it was July 4th or June 12th, was a big thing. It wasn’t just another day to skip work or school.

I remember Independence Day meant a military/civic parade at Luneta. The PAF Blue Diamonds would fly by the grandstand, do some spectacular aerobatics to the awe and wonder of a big crowd of people waving small Philippine flags.

The highlight is the President’s Independence Day speech. Those speeches encourage love of country and a feeling of pride in being Filipino. That’s important to get us to think as Filipinos rather than as regional tribes.

People end the day enjoying Rizal Park and the Manila Bay sunset feeling great about being Filipino and about this country. Then the fireworks climax a great day…

I don’t know when we started to lose the feeling. I also don’t know why that happened. Many other countries older than ours continue to celebrate their Freedom Day.

For example, July 4th in the United States is something to look forward to. I have experienced two July 4ths in Washington DC where my sister lives. Watching the fireworks shooting behind the Washington monument is memorable.

Maybe we lost interest in celebrating Independence Day because we lost faith in our country and its future. We no longer have the Blue Diamonds. We allowed their jets to become too old to do those proud maneuvers in the sky.

As for the civilian part of the parade, the parade of movie stars during the Manila Film Festival is probably more interesting.

But as I look back, the Independence Day of old performs an important role in our national life. It made us focus on our heroes and what they have sacrificed so our generation of Filipinos can live in freedom.

Unfortunately, we have become jaded as a people. We have lost much of our national pride. Many of our young people can’t wait to be old enough to leave the country and seek their future abroad… get a better passport. I remember seeing a survey that said just that.

Or maybe, we have lost faith in our ability to govern ourselves. Quezon’s government run like hell by Filipinos happened. From having an economy second only to Japan, we are now last among the original ASEAN members and even overtaken by Vietnam.

We can’t blame the democratic system for our failure. Marcos could have ruled like Lee Kuan Yew in the 14 years under martial law. The Marcos dictatorship only made the country poorer, and at one point in 1983, bankrupt.

We overthrew Marcos, but the 30 years after EDSA didn’t bring the progress we thought would follow. The ruling elite and the kleptocracy that flourished through the years just got stronger and stronger. Political dynasties corrupted our political system.

No wonder we lost the desire to celebrate Independence Day. Even Duterte had better things to do than lead Independence Day rites.

Duterte attended only his second Independence Day rites last Saturday in Malolos. The first time was in Kawit, Cavite in 2018. He has never raised the flag at the Luneta, a traditional role for the President. Vice President Leni Robredo did that in 2019.

Our general lack of interest in celebrating Independence Day shows a waning pride in our country and in being Filipino. That’s unfortunate.

There is nothing inherently wrong with being Filipino. Many Filipinos have done well all over the world.

We produced Jose Rizal, Antonio and Juan Luna, Marcelo del Pilar and others internationally known for their genius and patriotism. Carlos Romulo helped lead the United Nations at its inception.

We produced a Dado Banatao who made significant contributions to the IT revolution in its early days. Filipino doctors, nurses, engineers, managers, bankers are respected all over the world. Outside of the country, we do well.

More recently, a Filipina data management engineer was part of the NASA Perseverance rover team that successfully landed on Mars in search of signs of ancient microbial life.

A Filipino student graduated with a perfect grade point average (GPA) of 5.0 from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US. He earned double degrees: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics, with a minor in Economics.

A Filipina-Japanese won the US LPGA championship, and another Filipina with her Russian partner won the junior women’s doubles championship at the French Open.

Genevie Yang, the NASA engineer said the story “is about hope and how we can put our differences aside and no matter what your background is... together we can just accomplish anything,” she told ANC.

But we just keep electing the wrong politicians who ravage the country of its wealth and kill its ambitions.

Veteran journalist Belinda Olivares Cunanan summed up our thoughts on Independence Day:

“For a people obviously gifted by the Creator with intelligence, ability and resilience, this is frightfully sorrowful. We deserve a better destiny, but destiny has to be worked for – not dropped like manna from Heaven. Independence Day could be a good beginning