President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has announced her candidacy for a congressional seat in the 2nd District of Pampanga, to no one’s great surprise. She needs to stay in power by some machination if she is to withstand the legal and political challenges she will face as soon as she steps down from the presidency in May. It’s a matter of survival and one can readily understand her motives if not her morals. It’s unprecedented to slide down from the highest elective post in the land to a be a congressperson but it’s the only constitutionally-open door to her at this point. Such a move is entirely consistent with her character of shameless audacity. Read the rest of this entry »

As of now.

Ask yourself, how well do you know him ? His advocacies ? What issues are he passionate about ? Like me, I suspect that most people would draw a blank when asked about Noynoy Aquino, apart from the fact that he is the only son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino.

Noynoy himself, and his handlers, have not been shy about playing the Ninoy-Cory card. Says Liberal Party 2010 campaign manager Florencio “Butch” Abad: “Senator Aquino will not turn his back on the legacy of his parents”. In a press conference prior to his going on a weekend retreat do seek divine guidance for his political plans, Noynoy said “yes” when asked if he would carry on the fight started by his parents. What this “fight” is all about in concrete terms, he does not say although he can be rather smug about his legacy. Says he: “We enjoy popular support all these years because we reflect the interest of freedom-loving Filipinos.”

But if his main selling point is his parentage, wouldn’t we be better off with Kris Aquino, who is undoubtedly more popular and has lived a more drama-filled life than her bland and balding brother ? It would certainly make for a more interesting campaign, at the very least. Read the rest of this entry »

Eased out as headline news in most parts of the world, including the Philippines, by the death of Michael Jackson is the battle with colon cancer of former president Cory Aquino. Good thing too. She confounded most participants of the aborted deathwatch by getting well, at least for now. The media had to content itself with covering the many “get-well Tita Cory” activities in the wake of her reported death. Which was of course greatly exaggerated.

Who doesn’t want to wish her well and a speedy recovery ? Everyone it seems wants her to get back on her feet, the icon of feisty political courage, except Cory herself. She just wants to die, and join Ninoy in the Great Rally in the sky. After having given so much of herself to God, country and the cause of democracy, why not give her this one last wish and let her die with dignity and grace ? Instead, there’s a media circus outside the Makati Med and environs, where she was expected to breath her last. Read the rest of this entry »

Chances are the last song you would have heard as you read this and which is still going around in your head is “Thriller”. There’s no escaping Michael Jackson’s music everywhere you went this past week, even in elevators and Starbucks.

Tuesday , July 7, will be Michael Jackson’s memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and more than 1.6 million fans worldwide registered for tickets to the event over the two-day registration period that ended yesterday, not a few from the country. Random names from the registrants will be drawn electronically and the lucky few will know by Sunday evening (Monday morning in Manila). Only 11,000 tickets will be given out for the Tuesday service while another 6,500 tickets will be given away for the Nokia Theater overflow section next door. Anyone from the Philippines lucky enough to be picked will have to fly off to L.A. within a few hours of being informed to make it to Tuesday’s affair. One will have to head for the venue immediately after landing at LAX. My bags are packed and ready. Read the rest of this entry »

People are saying about the sad and sudden passing of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, the same thing they said about Elvis: good career move. It’s a bit uncharitable but not entirely inaccurate. He was (and is, in death) a global star but his career had been on a downward spiral for years. Now he’s back on top of the charts.

And given the cult-like veneration given him by some, expect “Michael sightings” to happen a lot in the coming years. He didn’t really die, he was abducted by aliens. Read the rest of this entry »