Posts Tagged ‘erap estrada’
Manny Villar is Misleading the Poor
The electoral battle is indeed heating up just like the soaring temperatures El Nino brings as hot, loaded and barbed words are traded back and forth among candidates, especially in the tough competition of the Presidential race. And Senator Richard Gordon took off the gloves and comes out swinging for the fences as he singled out Senator Manny Villar and attacked his arguably best medium of exposure: political ads through the broadcast media and superstars of the local showbiz industry.
Senator Gordon stressed that indeed Villar climbed from rags to riches through hard work and perseverance and he is a good example for the masses with the message that anyone can reach the top with enough drive, dedication and resiliency. But Gordon said that Villar is apparently fooling the poor with his anti-poverty stance and popular ads hitting the airwaves now because in his long career as a politician, he never passed laws that really address the more important and pressing concerns of the masses like massive unemployment, widespread illiteracy as well as inadequate health care and homes.
Manny Villar has a long track record of almost 18 years in politics, serving three terms in the lower house from 1992 to 2001 and was the Speaker of the House from 1998 to 2000. From 2001 up to know, he served as a senator and he was the Senate President from 2006-2008. Despite this seemingly impressive run as a legislator, majority of the bills he passed where regarding housing reforms and laws, a venture that inadvertently advantageous for him because of his elite subdivisions and executive villages but inconsequential to the plight of the disadvantaged. Although they are nevertheless good laws and bills, they did not really alleviate concerns of the poor and Dick Gordon is pointing this as a fraudulent attempt to fool the masses that Villar will indeed end their poverty with his entourage of superstars and hit campaign songs.
Noynoy Aquino: Noynoy Says No More
In the political arena of backstabbers and conniving liars, alliances are formed and broken regularly as the wind of power shifts from side to side in a maelstrom of uncertainty and deceit. Rivals turn to allies and vice versa and no one is safe from the fickle nature of human beings. One day you’re enjoying your seemingly impregnable perch at the top and the next day, political lapdogs are biting at you from all directions hungry for blood. Political agendas, no matter how good and promising it looks on paper as whitewashed and edited by the media, still has the taint of deception and selfish gains as proven over and over again by our history of political corruption.
But there’s nothing vague about the political stance concerning the incumbent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Benigno Aquino III or more popularly known as Noynoy. As the primary candidate and standard bearer of the opposition, he publicly expressed his disdain of the current administration and his disapproval of President Arroyo’s pursuit of a congressional seat. He firmly believes that the country has had enough of rampant and shameless corruption at the hands of this master deceiver.
But if they are both legally elected by the power of democracy and the constitution, he vowed that he will treat her in the same way that he would treat his closest political allies.
He would still endow her pork barrel because denying her so would incapacitate her constituents and would be detrimental for the people of Pampanga. But he also vowed that if he is elected in the highest power of the land, Gloria Arroyo will never be the Speaker of the House even if she has the support of most house representatives. And with such strong and clear statements like that, he is bound to get as much rivals as well as supporters that will be crucial especially in this stage of campaigning.
Manny Villar: The Battle of Entourages
The whole environment and interface of the Philippine elections is entirely different from other democratic countries. With our politicians proving that they are a breed apart from the world of governance with their underhanded tactics, two-faced masks and the ability to entertain better than to lead the people of this country. Votes are no longer decided by revolutionary platforms, comprehensive and profound debates as well as intellectual discussions and public forums. The battles are now decided onstage with the most popular of singers and catchy political jingles and multi-media advertisements. And whoever has the most “stars” in their constellation-like entourage will most likely enjoy the votes of devout fans and mindless followers.
And with Noynoy Aquino’s great clout in show business second only to the hype developed by the (in)famous Joseph “Erap” Estrada due to the former’s family name and sister who is pretty much one of the top dogs of the entertainment industry. And so Manny Villar also stepped up his own game of political advertising through celebrities and popular stars. With Dolphy and Willie Revillame under his belt and publicly declaring their support for him, he appears to be growing strong among the working class.
And with his very catchy political jingle popular among kids, he seems to be getting the nod of young children as well. Now, he aims for the teenage youth by getting Sarah Geronimo in his camp as the ambassador for “Katropa”, a youth organization headed by his daughter that helps in his political campaign. It seems that he got all the bases covered with his roaring machinery running strong and firing on all cylinders. Now we just have to wait and see what happens when all the hype and publicity dies down and gives way to the time when all votes are in.
Dick Gordon:Fighting for our Unsung Heroes
Everyday, our overseas Filipino workers brave uncharted territories away from their families in order for the possibility of a better life and a brighter future. They are the new, unsung heroes of our generation and they certainly uplift our gradually ailing economy because of their dollar remittance when they send allowances to their families. They are indeed helping our country surivive the worsening economic recession while supporting their families but their future is bleak because of lack of assurance and savings for the harsh times when they are too old to work.
Senator Dick Gordon is proposing for the perfect solution to help this modern day heroes and secure their own and as well as their families’ future after braving challenges in foreign lands. He suggested the creation of the Philippines’ own provident fund for OFWs, patterned after the Central Provident Fund (CPF) of Singapore because only a few of these workers are under the Social Security System and they have no benefits from their employers in foreign companies. The common formula here is to work, save and invest in the said fund so that the hard-earned money they worked so hard for will not grow stagnant and have the potential to snowball into something big with sound investments.
He reiterated that establishing this unprecedented program would broaden the opportunities available for OFWs, opportunities that are bleak if the government doesn’t act now and act fast. Likewise, this would give them a sense of security and confidence and will give them peace of mind especially in times when they are apart from their families. But Gordon still believes that the best thing to do for our people is to provide opportunities here for our workers so that they will not have to build their future in foreign shores. And one way to do that is to revitalize our system of education, another advocacy that he is valiantly fighting for.