Political Dynasties

One of the major issues that surround this year’s elections is the question of political dynasties, although the issue mainly involves three particular families: the Pimentels, the Cayetanos, and the Estrada/Ejercitos. All three families have members running for the Senate; unfortunately, there are already existing members of these families in the Senate. The three possible candidates are Coco Pimentel, the son of Senator Aquilino Pimentel, Allan Peter Cayetano, the brother of Senator Pia Cayetano, and JV Ejercito, the half-brother of Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

Already, this early into the election season, their inclusion in the opposition senatorial slate has caused ripples, the one primarily being former Senator Francisco Tatad’s long letter to the opposition (found here in full on Dean Jorge Bocobo's blog) that has since been published in major newspapers. In his letter, Tatad criticizes (lambastes?) the opposition for helping perpetuate political dynasties; it is bad enough that they exist, he opines, but for the three to occupy Senate seats while their relatives are still there leaves a bad taste in the mouth. It is for this reason that Tatad has apparently left the opposition.

To be sure, there is no law against political dynasties; former Senator Loren Legarda gives this as defense for the inclusion of Pimentel, Cayetano, and Ejercito. Furthermore, former UP Law Dean Jorge Bocobo is of the opinion that a law banning political dynasties is “fundamentally democratic.” So what makes the three’s inclusion in the opposition Senate lineup questionable?

There is no legal impediment to political dynasties; however, since a number of these dynasties have perpetuated their rule over their fiefdom through the triumvirate of guns, goons and gold, I would say that there is something morally wrong about perpetuating one’s family in power. In some cases, once dynasty members have reached their term limits, they simply prop up a willing relative to warm their seat, all the while biding their time until they could run again.

Of course, not all political dynasties are inherently bad; some probably manage to maintain their power by actually serving the people under them. But I think that these are the exception rather than the rule.

The fault lies in the voting populace’s poverty and lack of political education, since a number of voters are willing to sell their votes in order to survive, not knowing, or maybe, not caring that their political leaders are screwing them over. If the voting populace was educated about their rights and their candidates, and if they were more resistant to vote-buying, we would probably have better leaders today.

Squabbling

With all the squabbling going on in the so-called united opposition (UNO), one has to wonder what shape it’ll be by the time the elections come.

Already, major losses such as former senator Francisco Tatad, who has left the opposition on the issue of political dynasties, and Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who has resigned as president of former president Joseph Estrada’s party Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), have called into question the opposition’s ability to field a strong, cohesive lineup for the senatorial elections, much less the other positions up for grabs this coming May.

Some analysts, such as Alex Magno and Amando Doronilla, have warned the opposition of becoming too complacent, of letting the issues against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo speak for themselves. I agree with this point; if the opposition thinks that the May 2007 elections will be handed to them on a silver platter, they’ve got another think coming. Sure, the government is corrupt; that seems to be a given. But, unless the opposition can present themselves as viable alternatives, voters will not be swayed. Furthermore, voters, such as myself, are probably appalled at the infighting going on in the opposition, and will think twice about voting for whatever slate UNO is able to cobble together.

The problem of the opposition is that it's composed of parties and individuals with often conflicting ideals and goals. One problem I see with an opposition win is that the various factions will fall upon each other in the attempt to become the reigning power; I don't think power-sharing in the opposition will work for long. If, even now, the opposition is fragmenting by the minute, what more if they assume power?

It’s not like the administration is any different, though, considering there is some infighting going inside their ranks as well. This is because former senators Tito Sotto and Tessie Aquino-Oreta have joined the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), a nominal ally of the government. Fueled by speculation that Sotto and Aquino-Oreta may be included in a so-called “unity ticket,” some administration allies are crying foul, since these two were quite vocal in their calls for GMA’s resignation; some will even remember Aquino-Oreta’s victory jig during the Estrada impeachment trial. It’s still not certain, though, under whose banner Sotto and Aquino-Oreta will finally run, if at all. Still, I would agree that, unless the two actually apologize for their roles in the impeachment trial and support GMA, it would be wrong to include them in any administration ticket.

The administration might not even have to mount a strong campaign to win; it may simply let the opposition members do themselves in. This, however, as Doronilla points out, would be counterproductive to our democracy, as we need a strong opposition to serve as a check against the abuses of the government. Unfortunately, since the opposition seems to be going the way of the 2004 elections, where the late presidential candidate Fernando Poe, Jr.’s bid was derailed because of similar infighting within their ranks, it seems that there will be no check against the abuses of this government, and the present administration will be free to do as it pleases.

Fantasy Report - Keys to Success

In Yahoo! Sports' fantasy leagues, there is a piece of information titled "Keys to Success," defined on the site as, "The list of players who appear most often on the top 500 Public League teams in Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Basketball." In other words, these are the players who play a big part in a fantasy team's success.

Once more, curiosity got the better of me, and, having some free time, today being a holiday in the high school, I decided to see which of the Keys found their way to which team, and which team had the most number of Keys. In the parentheses after each team's name is its current standing, followed by the total number of Keys in that team.

Dojoboys (1st, 8) – Andris Biedrins, Mike Miller, Marcus Camby, Emeka Okafor, Michael Redd, Rasheed Wallace, Steve Nash, Danny Granger

Skylark Express (4th, 5) – Kevin Martin, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Matt Barnes, Luke Walton

Boston Coltics (13th, 5) – Leandro Barbosa, Alonzo Mourning, Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng

The Green Monster (14th, 4) – Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups, Josh Howard, Elton Brand

Burnik’s kuyukots (3rd, 4) – Dikembe Mutombo, Amare Stoudamire, Tayshaun Prince, Andrew Bynum

Rolando’s Magic (5th, 3) – Samuel Dalembert, Rashard Lewis, Pau Gasol

Zyxwv (7th, 3) – David Lee, Earl Boykins, Mark Blount

Asianbites (2nd, 3) – Al Jefferson, Caron Butler, Raja Bell

Blues Angles (9th, 3) – Manu Ginobili, Chris Wilcox, Josh Childress

Linus12 (6th, 3) – Mehmet Okur, Ray Allen, Andrei Kirilenko

Team Magis (8th, 3) – Shane Battier, Kevin Garnett, Carlos Boozer

Team JT (11th, 3) – Andre Miller, Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams

Blue Jersey pWets (10th, 2) – Jason Kidd, Andre Iguodala

Ratboo Warriors (12th, 1) – Dirk Nowitski

Well, I can understand the Dojoboys' fortunes at this point, with two-thirds of the team belonging to the Keys list. It also explains how the Skylark Express has managed to barge into the playoff picture, with five Keys contributing to its cause. But the Keys don't explain why the Coltics, who have five Keys, are languishing near the bottom of the league; neither does it explain the fortunes of The Green Monster, with four Keys.

It's clear that other factors are involved, as well as the fact that a lot of good players are not on the Keys list; in fact, among the top 25 players, Gilbert Arenas (kuyukots), LeBron James (Magic), Vince Carter (asianbites), Baron Davis (pWets), Ray Allen (linus 12), and Jermaine O'Neal (Coltics) are not on the list. This is because these players weren't drafted by the top 500 public teams, and, thus, are excluded from the list.

Another factor could be mismanagement of the lineup. Sometimes, an owner simply forgets to tune his lineup for a particular date, and thus, misses out on key performances by some of his players. I'm pretty certain the Dojoboys benefitted from that about three times this season.

Finally, it could be attributed to just plain pure bad luck: a key player gets injured (and there's been a lot of that lately), or suspended (Garnett and Ricky Davis, for example), or simply has a bad game (When I was playing the kuyukots, Arenas, who's been a decent shooter, went 1-12, which meant bad news to the kuyukots).

In the next installment of the fantasy report, I'll try to look at some of the strategies that have been attempted by our group this NBA season.

Playoff picture (as of this writing): The Dojoboys continue to enjoy a comfortable lead going into the last eight weeks of the season. The asianbites are currently holding onto second place, but could switch with the current third placer, the kuyukots, as the kuyukots are currently winning their matchup. Skylark Express, if they can manage to hold on against zyxwv, will hold on to the fourth slot. The Magic, despite a possible loss to the pWets, will probably hold on to the fifth slot, a half game ahead of Team Magis, which is currently leading The Green Monster.

All in all, though, it's still too early to tell which teams will wind up in the playoffs, except maybe the Dojoboys; anything can still happen, considering the standings are bunched up, particularly between the fourth to twelfth spots. It'll take some crafty steering by the owners to get their teams to the playoffs.

Fantasy Report

I was looking at our stats in our faculty fantasy basketball league, and I wondered that, instead of head-to-head, what if we had agreed to a Rotisserie format? For those unfamiliar with the fantasy format, Rotisserie involves ranking the total stats of each team, and assigning points to each rank. The scores of all the stats are added up, and the total number of points will be your ranking, unlike head-to-head, where the stats only matter on a weekly basis.

Running the numbers through Excel, I came up with what might have been our current Rotisserie standing:

Team Rotisserie points Current Rank

1. Dojoboys 92 1st
2. Skylark Express 87.5 9th
3. asianbites 76 2nd
4. Team Magis 74.5 3rd
5. burnik's kuyukots 70 5th
6. Blues Angles 69.5 4th
7. Team JT 69 12th
8. Ratboo Warriors 68.5 11th
9. Rolando's Magic 65 7th
10. Blue Jersey Pwets 60 8th
11. zyxwv 58 6th
12. Boston Coltics 55 13th
13. linus12 50 10th
14. The Green Monster 50 14th

As the chart shows, the main beneficiary would have been the Skylark Express, which would vault from 9th to 2nd place, and the team that would lose the most would have been zyxwv, which would plummet to 11th. Strangely though, the first place and the last place teams didn't change.

Of course, this doesn't take into consideration the fact that, in Rotisserie leagues, there is a maximum limit to games played per position, and this table doesn't take that factor into account. Still, it would be interesting if we had decided to do Rotisserie instead of head-to-head. Of course, in a Rotisserie league, teams that fall behind do have a difficult time getting out of their predicament, so the head-to-head is more favorable for personal leagues, because that means that everybody has a chance of rising up in the standings.

Suspensions and Dismissals

I really have to stop being amazed at the mental gymnastics of politicians.

I was watching “PrimeNews” on ANC last night, and one of the stories that was run was about the suspensions and dismissals of various local officials, and about how these officials were in the process of, or had already secured temporary restraining orders (TROs).

My interest was piqued by the case of Batangas Governor Armand Sanchez, who was suspended for graft and corruption, specifically being charged with awarding a computerization contract to a company that was allegedly being run by his niece. Gov. Sanchez has since filed for, and secured a TRO to maintain the status quo. However, it was not the corruption case that was the story last night, but rather the way Vice-Governor Ricky Recto, who filed the corruption case against Sanchez, interpreted the TRO.

Recto, a brother of Senator Ralph Recto, claimed that the maintenance of status quo, as stated in the TRO filed by Sanchez, meant that, since he had already taken his oath as acting governor, he remains as acting governor. However, I talked with a lawyer friend, and it was his point of view that the status quo meant the prevailing circumstances when Sanchez filed the request for a TRO. Since Sanchez was getting it to stop his being suspended, the TRO maintains his being governor. Therefore, Recto’s oath taking, and assumption of office, has no legal effect.

I had the opportunity to listen to Recto on ANC a few days ago, and he was saying then that, to halt the suspension, all Sanchez had to do was secure a TRO, which Sanchez has. But now, it’s apparent that Recto has designs of his own on the governorship, as his interpretation of the TRO clearly shows. I found him arrogant when he was asked about his differences with Gov. Sanchez, and he replied, “Well, he’s corrupt, and I’m not.”

I do not know the details of the corruption case against Sanchez; it may be that he is truly guilty of the charges. But, be that as it may, he deserves the benefit of due process, and, since he has complied by getting the TRO, Recto, I think, should acquiesce to the authority of the court, and step down as governor. If he doesn’t, it will be clear that he did not file the corruption case against Sanchez out of a clear desire to right a wrong, but out of a clear desire to gain power.

* * *

For the past few days, we have been treated to sight of policemen in military garb, and brandishing military weaponry, storming the provincial capitol of Iloilo, in an attempt to dislodge suspended governor, Neil Tupas, Sr. We were treated to the sight of clearly unarmed civilians, being manhandled and poked about with M16s. If it weren’t for the fact that Gov. Tupas managed to secure a TRO, the incident could have become bloody.

The gall of government officials, notably Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno, and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales, to calmly state that the police did nothing wrong, leaves a sour taste in the mouth. So, it’s all right for the police to act like Gestapo agents and bully civilians?

The blanket excuse was that Puno had received reports of possible armed groups in the capitol. So far, no news story has reported any arrests of armed individuals during the siege; all we have are images of unarmed civilians being bullied by military-looking policemen, images that hearken back to the time of Martial Law.

Once more, I have no details regarding the corruption case filed against Gov. Tupas, but what is disturbing is the heavy-handed manner by which our government has been moving in the suspension and dismissal cases. It almost seems as if there is blatant contempt of due process.

It is the timing of these suspensions and dismissals that is questionable, considering that a number of these were served two days before the election period began. Also, a number of the suspensions and dismissals were served on a Friday, giving the suspended and dismissed officials no way to remedy the situation; they would have to wait until after the weekend in order to act.

It appears as if there is a concerted effort to dispose of any opposition to administration candidates in this coming May elections. While a number of administration officials were among those suspended or dismissed, it may be that these erstwhile allies were planning to defect to the opposition, hence, the suspensions and dismissals to prevent that.

However, all the government has done in these cases is to provide the opposition with more ammunition to use this coming May. If GMA is not careful, she could be looking at a full-scale debacle in May, if her henchmen continue moving about in their heavyhandedness.

Talks and Crashes

For some reason, Blogger bogs down on my parents' connection, making it difficult to post anything. For the record, I'd been waiting for almost thirty minutes for this dialogue box to appear, and no assurance that I'll be able to post this entry. Still, being a bit bullheaded, I press on.

Today was rather busy, as it started out with a talk at the Grade School. Along with a fourth year student, I was tasked to give a 15-minute orientation speech about what to expect from the High School. I think I did pretty well, considering that: one, I had just come in to work, due to heavy traffic along Katipunan Ave., when I was paged to go to the Grade School, and two, since I was in a car accident the day before (more on that later), I'd forgotten that I was to give the talk in the first place. Still, I think it wasn't noticeable; it's no different from the opening talk I tend to give to freshmen at the start of the school year.

As soon as I got back from the Grade School, I had to rush, as my class had already started. After my class, I had a parent-teacher conference during recess, which ate a little bit into my next class. It was only after my third period I was able to catch my breath enough to prepare for my last class of the day, and then, afterwards, attend a year-level meeting.

Hectic day, but I did get quite a bit of work done, and no harm, no foul.

* * *

Yesterday, I had a holiday, thanks to the National College Assessment Exam (NCAE), so I went to fetch my daughter Gabby from school. On our way back, I decided to enter through the Tandang Sora gate of our subdivision. As I was turning right, a McDonald's delivery motorcycle, apparently trying to overtake on the right side, slammed into the right side of my car, throwing the driver off.

What I didn't like, and I think my dad and the police officer who took our statements agreed, that the driver, who injured his hand and knee in the process, was making it seem that I swerved into him without warning. However, what he failed to realize was that one doesn't try to overtake on the right side. Given the damage to the car (the right side mirror was totalled, and the right front door and fender were dented in and scratched), he was going at a pretty fast speed when he crashed into us.

This incident simply illustrates the penchant for motorcycle drivers to ignore the traffic rules; I've lost count of drivers without helmets, and the tendency to simply cut across traffic as if it wasn't there. The bad thing is that when they figure in an accident, they get the worst of it, gaining sympathy, considering that it was their idiocy that got them into the mess in the first place.

The whole afternoon was spent treating his wounds, filling out the necessary forms at the police station, and bringing the driver and his sister home (good thing that they lived pretty near our place). To think that if I had work yesterday, this probably wouldn't have happened.

Switching Back

I really did try to like Heart 103.5, but I’m going to have to agree with my friend Lori; the new format sucks big time. I guess the station is still going through birth pains, being new, but it’s not the same. Sure, there seem to be some interesting formats, but the music isn’t really my type. While it was on Heart 103.5 that I first heard Lionel Richie’s new song, “I Call It Love,” the DJs are well on their way to making sure that I won’t want to hear it after a few days, since the DJs are going the way of other stations, playing the same song ad nauseam. The nice thing about K-Lite was that it had a more diverse mix of music, and the DJs were conscious of not overplaying a song. Now, I seem to hear the same songs over and over.

After much debate, I’ve decided to move on from Heart 103.5, and shifted my car radio to 96.3 W-Rock, which was the station I listened to before I shifted to K-Lite. But, with K-Lite permanently off the air, and Heart not really coming up to par, at least W-Rock hasn’t done anything to its format; it’s still the reassuring mix of mellow 80s and 90s music, and light rock that I enjoy. Of course, some of the rock music I enjoyed on K-Lite I won't be able to hear on W-Rock, but at least, for the most part, the station plays music I can drive to.

If I have one complaint, it’s that, during the weekends, the station has this long segment of two DJs discussing problems with romance, which tends to get tedious after a while. Still, it’s loads better than Heart 103.5.

Fiesta!

The election season begins today, as the period for filing certificates of candidacy for the Senatorial slots has begun; filing for other positions begins March 29, I think.

This morning, I caught a commercial featuring Sharon Cuneta, and her husband Senator (running for reelection) Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, and I thought, "Oh, no! It really is the campaign period again." Why else would Pangilinan shill whatever it was his wife was plugging?

With the number of celebrities wanting to throw their hats into the political ring, we'll be treated once more to a fiesta, carnival-type atmosphere, where the politicians will come out in force and sing and dance to the voters' delight. My only wish is that they had a solid program of what they're going to do once they're in office.

I wonder what the senatorial line-up of the administration is going to be like. It seems that a good number of the big names have opted not to run, and stay at their current administrative positions. The biggest name to crop up is Presidential Chief of Staff Mike Defensor, but, if the voting public were wise, this is one candidate they should avoid.

On the opposition end, it looks like they won't have problems filling up the twelve slots; there are more than enough fresh bodies to go around. What will be problematic is if the opposition goes into this electoral battle with only the battle cry of "Oust GMA" as their platform. While this will attract a number of people who are not happy with the present administration, the lack of a clear platform, along with the fact that the opposition is made up of differing ideological factions, will ultimately doom them.

As a voter, this leaves me with a dilemma: will I vote for administration candidates, knowing that they'll only serve to keep a corrupt government in power, or will I vote for opposition candidates, knowing that they'll only wind up tearing down the present government without anything to show for it? I guess I'll just try to keep informed about the various candidates as best as I can as this election season goes forward.

Freaky

Whoa.

I've just located my house and my parents' house on Google Earth. Freaky. It's pretty much like "Enemy of the State" made real. The image is fairly clear, considering the landmarks are fairly delineated; the basilica of the Iglesia ni Cristo stands out like a bright star on the map, and the Chapel of Our Lady of Remedies is clearly seen, as well.

I'm not sure if I'm at all comfortable about being easily located; at the same time, it's a pretty cool device to have, for a virtual tour of the world, for example.

Comeback Hit - I Call It Love

Call me a soppy old thing, but Lionel Richie's new song, "I Call It Love," is a wonderful single as a comeback song, considering it's been a while since Richie came up with a new album. It has a catchy rhythm, and I can't seem to get it out of my head, but, in a good way, not in a "Macarena" or "Ketchup Song" way.

What steams me is the format of the song lyrics as they're posted on various lyrics sites. I mean, don't these people even try to get the grammar right? Ah well.

I've tried to clean up the lyrics as best as I can, and my effort is posted below. I didn't try to fix the punctuation too much, though; it was just too much of a hassle. Anyway, enjoy.

I Call It Love
Lionel Richie

I look at you , you look at me
(You can't tell me you ain't feeling butterflies)
Its obvious, there's some chemistry
(I think I know it 'cause it feels so right)
Girl, I wanted so long to know
Now you're telling me you gotta let it go
(Don't tell me I have to start all over again)
I never thought that this day would come
(This is something that i wanted in my life)
I realize that you're the one
(and you're telling me it's time to say goodbye)
what's inside of my heart, it ain't gonna change
So it shouldn't be so easy to walk away
(You feel it, I feel it, let's not pretend)

(Chorus)
Baby, I don't know what love is , maybe I'm a fool.
I just know what I'm feeling, and it's all because of you.
Don't tell me, I don't know, I want the truth.
'Cause they call it, we call it, you call it,
I call it love.

It's so clear for you to see
(Don't let anybody tell you what to do)
Why they can't they just let us be happy?
(I don't want to find somebody new)
If you know what's really in your heart,
Then don't let them tear us apart.
('Cause you feel it, I feel it, don't say we're through)

(Chorus)
Baby, I don't know what love is , maybe I'm a fool
I just know what I'm feeling, and it's all because of you
Don't tell me, I don't know, I want the truth.
'Cause they call it, we call it, you call it,
I call it love .

We have a bond that's unbreakable ,
And it's not time to let it go .
(We're in love)
And now that we know it's real
We are going to let it show
To the whole world
That I'm yours forever
and you're my girl ...
You're my everything...
I don't know...

(Chorus)
Baby, I don't know what love is , maybe I'm a fool
I just know what I'm feeling, and it's all because of you
Don't tell me, I don't know, I want the truth.
'Cause they call it, we call it, you call it,
I call it love .
(Repeat 2)

Love
They call it love
I call it
Love.

NBA Injury Report

And the injuries in the NBA just keep on coming.

• Boston guard Tony Allen will be out for the rest of season, after tearing two ligaments in his knee.
• Milwaukee guard Michael Redd will miss 4-6 weeks, due to a strained tendon in his left knee. (This is painful for me personally, because he's on my team, and a major factor in my wins.)
• New Orleans/Oklahoma guard Bobby Jackson has cracked ribs, five, in fact, and is listed as day-to-day.
• Charlotte forward Gerald Wallace has a separated shoulder and will miss 7-10 days.
• Golden State guard Jason Richardson broke a bone in his right hand, and will miss two months. (more playing time for Monta Ellis!)
• Milwaukee forward Charlie Villanueva has tendinitis in his right shoulder, and will miss up to another week. I tried to hold on to Charlie V as long as I could, but it doesn't seem that he'll be coming back soon, so I used my waiver pick, and replaced him with Danny Granger.
• Milwaukee guard Mo Williams will miss two to three weeks after spraining his left shoulder. It was probably due to this injury that Milwaukee decided to trade for some help, and got guard Earl Boykins from Denver in exchange for backup guard Steve Blake; the Bucks will also get guard/forward Julius Hodge.
  

What an injury-riddled season it's been, what with players going down like dominoes. For some, like Houston, the loss isn't that bad; in the Rockets' case, Dikembe Mutumbo and Juwan Howard have stepped up their level of play, which makes up for the loss of Yao Ming. For others, like Milwaukee, it could mean the end of any chance of making the playoffs this season.

The Iron Man and the Batting Champ

I was pleasantly surprised to open the Yahoo! Baseball page, and I learned that my all-time favorite player, Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr., was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with 8-time batting champ San Diego right fielder Tony Gwynn.

Ripken was one of the reasons why I got hooked into baseball in the first place. First of all, he played for only one team, which happened to be my birthplace city team, the Baltimore Orioles. Second, he was an all-around nice guy who was a role model for positive values, particularly that of hard work, as evidenced by his 2,632 consecutive games played streak, a major league record.
It's only fitting that Tony Gwynn should join him, since Gwynn also only played for just one team, the San Diego Padres. Like Ripken, Gwynn was also an epitome of how hard work will pay off, as evidenced by his eight batting titles, and his .338 career batting average.

On the minus side, I saw that Mark McGwire, the first player to hit 70 home runs in a season, wasn't elected, and only got 23.5% of the vote, but that was mainly due to his connection with steroid use, and his failure to provide clear testimony about the issue during a Congressional hearing. Will he get in? Only time will tell.

Also excluded from enshrinement were favorites of mine like relief pitcher Goose Gossage, and left fielder Jim Rice. At least they still have a chance to be elected, unlike pitcher Orel Hershiser, who will be removed from the ballot after only garnering 4.4% of the vote; a minimum of 5% is needed to stay on the next year's ballot.

Voting Dilemma

One of the signs of an effective political campaign is if the party involved is able to present a viable platform of ideas to the voting public. It shows that the party is clear about its goals and has a sincere desire to serve the public.

Unfortunately, the united opposition, with their battlecry of "anti-GMA" and "anti-administration", fails to accomplish this. By focusing all their efforts on being anti-GMA, the opposition appears to be working under the assumption that they can come up with a platform of what they plan to do if they win in the May 2007 polls, but after they get rid of GMA. This is a very single- and small-minded goal. The ultimate goal of the opposition is to figure out how to help their countrymen, not to be bent on taking revenge. That singlemindedness could prove to be their undoing.

My other problem with the opposition is that it's still composed of the same groups that comprised the failed Estrada government, which was both inept and corrupt. Continuing to align themselves with that administration is not a plus sign for intelligent voters. By considering such has-beens as Tito Sotto, John Osmena, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, and Gringo Honasan, or demagogues like JV Ejercito, the opposition does not do itself any favors.

The opposition has a golden opportunity to gain victory in the May 2007 polls, mainly due to the growing collective dissatisfaction with the administration, and due to the probability that the administration will have difficulties forming a complete and viable lineup. I'm just not sure if I want to be a party to that win. It's not that I'm for the administration; I am most solidly not. But neither am I for the political failures and incompetents that the opposition is trying to foist on us.

Week 11 Preview

Just seeing how well I can do an overview of our fantasy league. Skip this if you're not a member of the league, or if you're not a basketball fan. I'll resume regular posting tomorrow.

Entering the midpoint of the season, teams in the faculty league are playing tough basketball. Leading the way are the Dojoboys with a 55-24-2 record, a blistering .691 clip. The rest of the league is more even, with only 9 wins separating the second place Rolando’s Magic and Team Magis (both sporting a 42-38-1 record) and the last place Ratboo Warriors (33-47-1). Aside from the Dojoboys, the rest of the league has not managed to put together any sort of consistent winning streak; most of the matches have been 5-4 affairs.

With Week 10 wrapping up, the Dojoboys look to hold on to the top spot, even if they lose to the Ratboo Warriors. A team on the rise, the Blue Jersey Pwets look to continue their 4-week winning streak with a victory over Team Magis; not bad for a team that started out the season with a five-week losing streak. Another team on a slow rise is linus12, which can win its third straight week by holding on to beat Blues Angles.

Looking ahead to Week 11:

Dojoboys (55-24-2, 1st) vs Team JT (38-41-2, 10th)

The ‘boys will seek to continue their success as they test their mettle against dangerous Team JT. Led by stalwarts Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard and Antawn Jamison, and ably backed up by Andre Miller, Joe Johnson and Mo Williams, Team JT looks to be the team to put an end to the Dojoboys’ dominance of the league (unless the Warriors manage to do it today.)

The Dojoboys will have to lean hard on Steve Nash, Mike Miller, Rasheed Wallace and Michael Redd to be able to eke out a victory.

Wild Cards: Joe Johnson’s game has been slipping as of late, and must step up to contribute. The Dojoboys will have to hope that their injured players Charlie Villanueva (shoulder), Marcus Camby (finger), and Monta Ellis (shoulder) are all healthy, and able to contribute.

asianbites (41-40, 7th) vs Rolando’s Magic (42-38-1, 2nd)

Only one and a half games separate these two teams, and a win by asianbites here could spell its entry into the magic six. Caron Butler, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Drew Gooden have helped the ‘bites to rise to seventh place; perhaps a little more effort, and they could rise higher.

However, the Magic will not be pushovers, what with the return of Pau Gasol from a broken foot, and Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Samuel Dalembert, Tony Parker, and Kyle Korver all performing admirably. It’ll take some luck for the ‘bites to use the Magic as their stepping stone to the playoffs.

Wild Cards: Rafer Alston and Vince Carter have not played well the past week, and are the subject of trade talks. However, they’ll continue to contribute to the ‘bites cause, for now. Raja Bell must be more consistent, in order to ensure a ‘bites victory.

The Magic are still without Lamar Odom, still out with a knee injury, and Darko Mlicic hasn’t played up to his potential. Still, with the other Magic players playing well, they might not need them.

Team Magis (42-38-1, 2nd) vs burnik’s kuyukots (39-42, 9th)

When the Dojoboys faced the kuyukots, it won partly because key player Gilbert Arenas had an off game, and Amare Stoudamire was still shaking off rust from his knee injury. Now, both players are at the top of their game, which spells trouble for Team Magis. The additions of centers Andrew Bynum and Dikembe Mutombo, both filling in for injured players (Kwame Brown and Yao Ming, respectively), have strengthened this team immensely.

Team Magis will have to rely on Kevin Garnett, Carlos Boozer, Jamal Crawford, Shane Battier and Luke Ridnour in order to keep the kuyukots at bay.

Wild Cards: kuyukot stalwarts, Tayshawn Prince, Zach Randolph, and Mikael Pietrus have not been playing up to par lately, and could spell the difference between a win or a loss. Team Magis is without guard Paul Pierce, and will have to hope that Speedy Claxton and Boris Diaw remain hot. Jorge Garbajosa, who missed two games due to a strained right calf, must contribute.

Zyxwv (42-39, 4th) vs Blues Angles (42-39, 4th)

Unless they manage a split record down the middle, this matchup will help clarify the playoff order. It’ll be a battle of depleted lineups, though, with zyxwv missing the services of Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, still under suspension due to the brawl with the Knicks, although Smith’s suspension is due to be lifted sooner. The Angles has an entire ward full of injured players, with David West, Chris Paul and Yao Ming all out for the week; the Blues even had Rashard Lewis, but since he’s not due back for a long time, he’s been released. It seems that this matchup will depend on whose lineup will be less injured for the week.

Zyxwv will have to lean hard on Allen Iverson and Earl Boykins, as well as David Lee and Mike Bibby, in order to get the win, while the Angles will have to hope that Manu Ginobili, Luther Head, Tyson Chandler, and Josh Childress are up to the task of steering the Angles to a win, and perhaps, a better playoff position.

Wild Cards: Ime Udoka and Nazr Mohammed must step up to help the Angles, and Adam Morrison, Sean May, and Charlie Bell must play well for zyxwv.

Boston Coltics (36-44-1, 11th) vs Blue Jersey Pwets (41-39-1, 6th)

Can the Pwets remain hot? That’s the key question in this matchup. After dropping their first five matchups, the Pwets have steadily risen up the ranks, and now hold on to one of the six coveted playoff spots. This is mainly due to the stellar play of guards Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury, and Baron Davis, and the reemergence of Chris Kaman, who had a slow start to the season. With centers Andrew Bogut and Ben Wallace, the Pwets look to dominate the boards and block their way to victory.

But the Coltics won’t go quietly. They’re led by the best player in the game, Kobe Bryant, who is ably supported by Luol Deng, Leandro Barbosa, Nick Collison and Jermaine O’Neal. With some luck, the Coltics might manage to pull off an upset.

Wild Cards: The Pwets are without Chris Webber and Gerald Wallace, and this might be a big factor on defense. However, the Coltics are similarly crippled with the loss of dead-shooter Peja Stojakovic, and must hope that Stromile Swift, Kurt Hinrich and Alonzo Mourning are able to step up their game in order to win.

Skylark Express (40-40-1, 8th) vs linus12 (35-44-2, 12th)

The Express and linus12 are both coming off victories, and it will be interesting to see which will give. On paper, linus12 has the weaker lineup, although Matt Harpring and Cuttino Mobley have been cut loose; in their place, Matt Carroll and Brian Skinner will try to take up the slack. It will be the team’s guards (Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, and Anthony Parker) though, who will do most of the work.

The Express will be banking on red-hot Matt Barnes and Shawn Marion, ably supported by Jason Terry and Andres Nocioni to lead the way to victory.

Wild Cards: linus12 will hope that guard T.J. Ford, who has missed two games with a sprained right ankle, remains healthy, and Utah stalwarts Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur have slowed down a bit. The Express are without guard Josh Smith, and Chris Bosh and Dorell Wright must step up if the Express are to win.

The Green Monster (34-45-2, 13th) vs Ratboo Warriors (33-47-1, 14th)

It’s a battle to stay out of the cellar for these two teams. Despite the fact that the Warriors can boast of having Dirk Nowitski and Ron Artest, it has been hobbled by the loss of guard Sam Cassell to foot problems and the slow return of center Brad Miller. The Warriors have to hope that Brad Miller comes around, and fast, and that their Indiana players, Danny Granger and Jamaal Tinsley, break a week long slump, in order to get out of the cellar.

The Green Monster, on the other hand, is led by the stellar play of Josh Howard, and Elton Brand, with Deron Williams, Larry Hughes, and Wally Szcerbiak providing ample support. But it is hamstrung by the fact that the earliest center Shaquille O’Neal will be coming back will be next week, and will be a non-factor against the Warriors. Guard Chauncey Billups is also injured, which will force the Monster to dig deep down and hope that its remaining players have the wherewithal to eke out a victory.

Wild Cards: Guard Damon Stoudamire has been hot as of late, and, if he remains so, will be a big plus for the Monster. Center Troy Murphy has been slumping as of late; a breakout could be imminent, although the presence of Andris Biedrins makes that unlikely. As mentioned earlier, Miller, Granger, and Tinsley must step up to help the Warriors in their quest to get out of the cellar.

Selfish Basketball

It looks like the international basketball community is going to have to do without the Philippines for a while longer.

A few days before Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) President Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and PLDT chief Manny Pangilinan were to announce the formation of a new basketball organization, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), which would put to an end the bickering between various factions, the BAP Executive Board announced that Sen. Estrada entered into the agreement with Pangilinan without consulting them. As a result, the BAP Executive Board declared the position of president vacant, effectively removing Estrada as head of the BAP.

Once more, the BAP has demonstrated its vast selfishness, putting itself before national interests. BAP spokesman Fritz Gascon summed it up, stating that the BAP will not participate in any unification, unless the name of the BAP is retained. In other words, no BAP, no international basketball. In effect, the BAP is holding the entire country’s basketball program hostage, preventing any national team from competing in the international arena.

In its press statement, the BAP said, “The BAP, as an institution in local sports, has the right to protect itself from outside forces with vested interests and who are only out to destroy it.” I echo Philippine Basketball League president Chino Trinidad’s retort of, “What outside forces?” The BAP itself has a vested interest: its own survival. However, if memory serves right, the BAP has failed to come up with a viable plan in order to raise Philippine basketball to competitive international level. If this is the case, why keep it at all?

Apparently, former BAP head and two-time Fiba (the international basketball body) president Lito Puyat, who has been the subject of many a Joaquin Henson column due to his stranglehold on Philippine basketball, once again has his fingerprints all over the mess. According to the news report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he has asked the Philippine Olympic Committee, which previously expelled the BAP from the national roster of accredited sports organizations, to reinstate the BAP, parroting the BAP’s official drivel about individuals with vested interests out to destroy the BAP.

It’s a ridiculous, selfish situation, and we Filipinos are the main victims of it. We are denied the joy of seeing our athletes compete in the international level, and all because of a few selfish individuals with vested interests: the BAP Executive Board and Puyat.

I’m not sure what needs to be done about the whole situation. Perhaps the Fiba must step in and sort out the entire mess, in order for Philippine basketball to be placed back on the world sports map. Then again, it’s possible that the reason for the situation is that Puyat, being a former Fiba head, might have called in some favors in order to maintain the Fiba’s recognition of BAP. If this is the case, it might be a long wait for Philippine basketball to return to normalcy.

This just in: in the Philippine Star, the sportswriters' association ran an editorial condemning the BAP's actions, slamming the BAP for its "incompetence and wickedness." The editorial also called on the Fiba to step in and call for the formation of a new national basketball organizing body, and lift the suspension on Philippine basketball. I'll probably keep an eye on this, and comment as the story develops.

103.5's New Format

With the advent of the new year, radio station 103.5 unveiled its new format, "Heart - Easy Listening," with the tag line "The way it should be." It's also introduced some of its new program titles, such as "Leisure Lounge," and "The Pit Stop."

One thing I've noticed is that most of the DJs are women, which is a change from KLite, which had mostly men. In addition, the KLite website no longer exists, which erases from history everything about KLite. I wish the management could've kept it going, but I realize that the new format may suffer from comparison to KLite if that were the case. Still, it's a lot of history gone down the drain.

The music of 103.5 Heart is more mellow than KLite's, although the songs being played aren't the usual standard stuff played on other mellow radio stations. There's even a Saturday show in the morning which seems to be geared towards soundtracks from various children's movies; that may be interesting enough for me to tune in.

I'm withholding judgment on the new format for now. Who knows? Maybe it'll grow on me, the same way KLite did.

Year Starter

With the December 26 Taiwan earthquake, communication systems have been so disrupted that it’s been impossible to log on to Blogger. Still, I wish each and all a belated merry Christmas and, for some, a belated happy new year (for those in the U.S., in particular, this greeting will probably be more or less on time for you folks.).

So many events have come up since my last post, so I’ll try to make sense of everything that’s happened since then.

With the transfer of Lance Corporal Daniel Smith from a Makati jail to the U.S. Embassy, the anti-U.S. crowd has whipped themselves up into a feeding frenzy, decrying the act as a violation of our sovereignty, and as a show of subservience to the U.S. On the other hand, the government is saying that, according to the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Smith must remain under U.S. custody until the conviction becomes final.

I wish I knew more about the VFA to be able to comment more on the matter, but, having concentrated more on the issue of charter change, I can only say that, from a public viewpoint, it does look as if our government has called the credibility of our courts into question, by bypassing all legal routes in order to facilitate Smith’s transfer. It does seem that, despite the government’s statements to the contrary, we have allowed the U.S. to violate the justice system, and let a convicted criminal, a rapist, go practically scot free, as it doesn’t seem likely that Smith will be returned into Philippine custody even if his conviction becomes final.

In the international circle, Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, was executed by hanging December 30, 2006, which brings to a close a sordid chapter in that country’s history. However, his death will not do anything to assuage the violent situation in that country; in fact, it might even aggravate it, considering that his supporters have vowed to take revenge for what they probably deem as his murder.

As usual, the din last Sunday night was deafening, as the approach to the end of the year drew near. In our subdivision, it was a wonder my baby daughter slept through most of the bangs that blasted near our house. Surprisingly, though, there was a huge drop-off in the noise fifteen minutes after the New Year came in, possibly due to people having their media noche, or midnight meal to usher in 2007. It's still a little strange, because normally, the orchestra of explosions would continue well past midnight. Is it because people spent less on fireworks this year due to the economic uncertainties, or are people just more responsible about using fireworks? You tell me.

According to a recent survey, many Filipinos are hopeful for this coming year. Why not? The peso is on the rise, and the economy looks to be booming in 2007. Elections are coming in May, and that's always fiesta time, for good and bad, here in the Philippines. With the coming year, I'm hoping and praying that things will be looking up, after such a tumultuous 2006.