Feeding the Summer Mind, Part One

Once more, another summer has come to a close, and the school year is upon us yet again. Like last year, I’m posting a list of what I’ve read and watched, and where I wound up eating whether with the family, or on my own, over the long summer break. With each entry is a short commentary, which will hopefully be helpful should you decide to pick up the book, watch the DVD, or visit the restaurant. Note: Apparently, just the books so far is going to make a long post, so I'll be breaking this up into two or three parts.

1. Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Expedition, The Eternity Code, The Opal Deception, The Lost Colony, The Time Paradox) – Eoin Colfer

I’d gotten the first five books of Colfer’s answer to Harry Potter last year, and, although I’d read the first two books, I didn’t get around to reading the rest of the series over the summer; in addition, I picked up the sixth book this month. Artemis Fowl is a criminal genius, and at the start of the series, he is only twelve. With his father gone missing in the Arctic, and his mother in a state of delirium over his loss, Artemis is driven to desperate measures to replenish his family fortune. And what better way than to capture a fairy and force it to give up its gold? However, the fairies that populate Artemis Fowl’s world are a very different story from the flighty pixies and sprites scattered in our stories. Fowl, to his delight and dismay, discovers how dangerous the fairy world can be.

It’s obvious that the Artemis Fowl stories are geared for a younger (10-12 years) audience, as the language is fairly straightforward. Still, it is an interesting series, as Fowl and his fairy adversaries are forced by circumstances to join forces again and again, and, as they do, a mutual respect grows between them.

2. The Dresden Files (Storm Front, Summer Knight, Small Favor) – Jim Butcher

When I got Fool Moon, my first book about magician Harry Dresden, I wasn’t particularly impressed by the story, which revolved around a modern day magician living in Chicago, offering his services for a fee. Still, since one of my friends had the complete collection, I thought I’d borrow his books to get a better feel of the series.

It was after Summer Knight that I was finally hooked to the series. Author Jim Butcher slowly guided us into a world so much like our own, but so very different. Dresden’s world is of two parts, the real and the supernatural, and populated by characters who are very compelling. Told through the point of view of Harry Dresden, the series reads like a hard-boiled detective novel with a good dash of magic thrown in for good effect.

3. Shadow of Doubt – Marites Vitug

This book has generated a lot of controversy, as Vitug takes a no-holds-barred look at the Supreme Court. It was controversial enough that National Book Store, the country’s biggest bookstore chain, has refused to stock it; I had to get my copy from Fully Booked.

The content of the book itself is shocking to say the least, as Vitug attempts to strip the Court of its veil of secrecy and expose its inner workings. In doing so, she also exposes the many and varied sins of the various Justices of the Court; in particular, she appears to have trained her guns on Justices Presbitero Velasco, Jr., Renato Corona, and Chief Justice Reynato Puno, as a good amount of the book is devoted to these three.

However, she appears to be all praises for Justice Antonio Carpio; in fact, nowhere in her book does she deliver any dirt on Carpio.

In sum, Shadow of Doubt reads like one of those tell-all unauthorized biographies wherein the author appears to have some ulterior motive behind the surface reason of giving the “juicy” details about her subject.

4. The Lovely Bones –Alice Sebold

One of my friends used this in a book sharing with the faculty a few years ago, and it’s only now that I got to finally finish it.

The Lovely Bones is told from the point of view of a murdered girl, as she observes the members of her family, her friends and her murderer, from her slice of heaven, as they go through their lives after her disappearance.

Aside from being a unique perspective, the author manages to capture the grief and the emotions that Susie’s family goes through as they try to make sense of their tragedy. It’s also realistic as it shows the imperfections of the various family members; while it doesn’t go to the extreme and display a negative ending, it also doesn’t have a fairy tale ending where everyone lives happily ever after.

5 Good Omens – Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett

This is a reread, and it’s always entertaining, as both Gaiman and Prachett wrote this as a lark. As Gaiman observed in an interview, it’s unlikely that we’ll see them collaborate on another work without a ream of legal work to wade through before they can start anything.

Good Omens is their telling of a possible apocalypse, and how it was averted. I’d rather not say anything much about it, and prefer that you read it for yourself.

6. The Edge Chronicles (Beyond the Deepwoods, Stormchaser, Midnight Over Sanctaphrax) – Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

Another reread, The Edge Chronicles is the fanciful creation of writer Paul Stewart and artist Chris Riddell. The Edge is a world unlike any other fantasy world, full of danger and strange creatures. It’s as if Stewart and Riddell were compelled to create something so far away from the traditional notions of fantasy, and, in doing so, created something so interestingly weird.

The trilogy I read is part of a nine-book compilation, wherein each trilogy focuses around a central character who has a role to play in the next trilogy. The trilogy revolves around Twig, an apparent orphan adopted by tradition and routine-bound Woodtrolls, who live their lives always following their well-worn paths. When Twig decides to search for his true parents, it is when his adventures begin.

Snail's Pace

The snail’s pace at which Congress is moving to canvass the presidential and vice-presidential votes is an insult to the millions of Filipinos who endured long lines to exercise their right to choose their next leaders.

As seen on TV, Congress is going to resort to pen and paper tabulation, a process made outdated by the automated tabulation provided by Smartmatic and the Commission on Elections (Comelec). While the voting process was speedy with the use of the PCOS machines, our politicians will resort to the same process which took ages before a winner could be proclaimed, and opened itself to manipulation or cheating.

At the same time, the canvass is subject to politicians’ grandstanding, as they quibble over minute details in their canvassing rules, and continue to spout their conspiracy theories of electoral fraud, further delaying what is already a grindingly slow count. Perhaps we were spoiled by the speed by which the results were displayed on the Internet, particularly GMA7’s election site that we’re expecting too much from our Neanderthal Congress.

It should be noted that the current leaders of both houses of Congress may have vested interests in slowing down the count. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who was reelected in the May 2010 elections, is a member of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), the political vehicle of former President and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada, who is second in the unofficial presidential results. House Speaker Prospero Nograles, who lost in the Davao City mayoral race, is an ally of the Arroyo administration, whose candidate Gilbert Teodoro is fourth in the unofficial results. These two have shown that they could be petty regarding their political rivals. Is it possible that they can slow down the process in order to create enough doubt about the elections in people’s minds?

As I have noted before, it is after the elections that we should be the most vigilant; however, I originally intended that to mean that we should fully participate in the democratic process and not leave everything up to our leaders. I see now that, even before the next set of leaders take their rightful places in office, we should remain vigilant over the vote-counting as well, and make sure that our current set of political leaders does their job properly and quickly.

Electoral Fraud?

The past week has seen a slew of individuals who have come out to claim that they were cheated of victory in the 2010 elections. The one common thread between them appears to be the fact that all their claims are based on stories or individuals whose authenticity is suspect.

It all started with “Robin”, who, because of the mask he wore, was renamed “Koala Boy”. Robin claimed that there was a huge operation designed to commit fraud in the recently concluded elections. While a number of politicians and opinion columnists attempted to place a veneer of credibility on Robin’s stories, it became clear that Robin was merely peddling hearsay theories without the benefit of any evidence. Up to now, a week after Robin’s expose, he has yet to unmask himself or present any evidence to back up his claims.

Then, during the investigation of Koala Boy’s allegations, a number of losing candidates came out to testify that they were approached by political operators who claimed that they could deliver victory to these candidates for a fee of P50 million. The problem with these testimonies was that the operators approached these candidates, notably Surigao del Sur Governor Robert Ace Barbers and Quezon City 3rd district representative Matias Defensor, back in November. Shouldn’t these government officials have alerted the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), or the police, considering they were faced with individuals who were conspiring to commit criminal acts? And, since they didn’t report it, aren’t these candidates guilty of allowing criminals to go free?

Yet another case arose when losing Quezon City mayoralty candidate Annie Susano claimed that she had in her possession a number of CF cards that were allegedly altered to transmit fraudulent electoral results. However, Susano’s own computer expert was unable to demonstrate how the alteration occurred, although he was able to demonstrate that he could open the logs of the cards. This ability was belittled by Smartmatic officials who said that the logs could be opened, but the cards themselves, if altered, would not work if inserted in the PCOS machines.

So far, none of these cases have presented any concrete evidence to prove that fraud was committed in the May 2010 elections; instead, all that has reached the news reports has been insinuation and hearsay. That has not stopped politicians and writers from using these cases as if they were solid truth, and using them to undermine the credibility of the elections.

That there were problems in the elections there can be no doubt; it is clear that we have a long way to go in order to clean up the electoral process. However, these problems were more with the adjustment to automation, which I hope that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be able to solve in time for the 2013 elections, and not with the actual automation process itself. So far, no one has been able to prove conclusively that the machines or the cards used in the elections were actually tampered with. Until I see that someone comes up with concrete evidence to prove electoral fraud, I will hold to the belief that the May 2010 elections, while frustratingly inefficient, were generally clean in the process of automation.

Starting a New Blog: Spam Ville

Thanks to my dashboard, I've noted that I'm slowly closing in on a thousand posts. I'm rather proud of that fact; granted, if I had followed my blog's own title, I'd have probably reached that prestigious number three years earlier. Still, a thousand posts is nothing to sneeze at.

The main focus of this blog, if any, is basically socio-politics and pop culture, although the earlier posts display my immaturity as a blogger, basically adding posts from any which way. Now, however, I've become more discerning about what I post on the blog, trying to make sure that my thoughts are clearly enunciated in each post.

As I slowly (but surely) make my way to post 1000, I'm taking a quick break from my regular writing to plug Spam Ville, a new blog I've created. It's a homage to all of the interesting bulk e-mail that I've received over the years. I'll try to post something on a more regular basis than this blog, probably on a three-posts-a-week cycle.

I hope readers will enjoy waxing nostalgic over some of the interesting things people have sent each other over the years, especially during that time when people would forward just about anything. Of course, nowadays, many of us have become more selective about sending stuff, given the frenetic pace of life in the age of the Internet. Still, once in a while, a nugget of wisdom, an interesting list, or a great joke will find its way onto email lists, and we can't help but send it through. Spam Ville will be (I hope) a repository of such email posts, so sit back and enjoy.

Post-Election: Binay's Arrogance

It took a while, but some of the losing candidates in last week's elections, claiming massive cheating and electoral fraud as the reasons for their losing in the elections, have taken the traditional route for electoral losers, and have protested the results,

I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude towards these protests, since I'm not sure what evidence will be produced to support their protests. For my part, though, from the reports I'd gotten over the news and, well, Facebook status updates, while many complained about the interminably long process for this year's elections, the first to have an automated tally of the votes, the elections seemed to be generally clean.

What I am rather disturbed about is the strong showing of vice-presidential candidate and former Makati mayor Jejomar Binay and his insistence that he has already won the elections. He, or his supporters, in fact, came out with a full-page ad in the newspapers showing a map of the Philippines and Binay and Roxas' supposed share of the provinces won. Of course, the map showed majority of the provinces going to Binay.

However, I wouldn't count my chickens before they're hatched. As of the last update of the election watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), around 10% of the votes remain to be added to the tally. There still remains a slight chance that Roxas may still clinch the win, and Binay's pronouncements that he can only lose through electoral fraud are both arrogant and premature. The Congressional canvass, which is the official count, hasn't even started yet, and with the margin between Roxas and Binay so small at the moment, it's too early to claim victory.

Binay's win is obviously a victory of the Erap masa forces, which were completely taken in by Binay's unrealistic promises of applying what he has supposedly accomplished in Makati City to the rest of the Philippines. Of course, the people who voted for Binay are either unaware or unbelieving about the man's corruption. Talking to at least three unrelated Makati City residents was an eye-opener, for while Binay has started programs that provide "free" benefits to his constituents, he has also siphoned off enough money to probably fund his campaign, as well as pay for the black propaganda tactics he employed in the last week of the campaign, showing ads that supposedly linked Roxas to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, as well as portray the value-added tax (VAT) as evil (something I'll touch on in a future post). The tactics paid off, and now Binay is poised to be the number two man in our government.

Having Binay at the number two spot is a dangerous proposition, as it would give him a platform to go for the top spot in 2016. Also, assuming that president-apparent Noynoy Aquino gives Binay any cabinet portfolio, it is likely that Binay will continue his corrupt practices, although, being on a wider stage, it is also likely that his corruption will finally catch up with him. Karma's a bitch.

Appointing the Chief Justice: Endgame

With an Aquino presidency imminent, it appears that outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has no intention of a peaceful transition of power, as her spokesperson announced that she was appointing Associate Justice Renato Corona as the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, almost a week before the current Chief Justice Reynato Puno retires on May 17, 2010.

The timing itself is an insult to both Justice Puno and President-to-be Aquino. Traditionally, and note that this was the reason given by Palace officials, the appointment is made either on the day or the day after the Chief Justice retires. The announcement of Justice Corona’s appointment was made a week before Chief Justice Puno’s retirement. This act all but declares Justice Puno as a lame duck.

It is also an insult to President-to-be Aquino because it appears that the announcement was made the day after the elections, possibly to blunt whatever victory Aquino achieved. Even though the Arroyo-appointed Supreme Court Justices ruled that President Arroyo has the power to appoint the Chief Justice despite a constitutional ban against appointments, a good number of people continue to disagree with that decision, since it employed a very narrow interpretation of the Constitution, and thus, opened itself to much criticism.

Even Justice Bersamin’s cutting remark in the final decision, castigating those who criticized the court and denying any presidential influence in making the decision, is an empty remark, for it is clear that, like the Marcos Court during the martial law years, what exists in the Supreme Court is an Arroyo Court, with an Arroyo-sympathetic and appointed Chief Justice.

There is no doubt that Justice Corona will probably accept the appointment; he is, after all, loyal to Arroyo, and, secondly, he has the convenience of a controversial Supreme Court ruling that allows President Arroyo to appoint him. Even so, his appointment will mark one of the darkest days of an institution which was supposed to uphold the law, not reinterpret it for the sake of its patron.

Armed with the Arroyo Court decision, President Arroyo has now made it clear that she will not observe the slightest bit of delicadeza, and will instead exercise her abuse of power to the fullest before she finally steps down on June 30, 2010. By then, one can only wonder what the state of the nation will be when she steps down.

Post-Election Musings: The Local Scene

Skimming through the local results on the GMA 7 news site, there are a number of electoral races that merit attention.

Two of the up and coming reformists, Isabela Governor Grace Padaca and Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio have lost their respective reelection bids. Padaca lost a very close fight to a member of the Dy clan, having been apparently abandoned by her erstwhile allies, the Albanos. Panlilio, on the other hand, suffered a double ignominy, being ousted from his position by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) a few days before the election, and being beaten soundly by his rival Lilian Pineda, the wife of suspected gambling lord Bong Pineda.

Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao finally won a seat in Congress, handily beating his rival Chiongbian by a wide margin in the province of Sarangani. How this victory will affect his upcoming fight with Floyd Mayweather is anyone’s guess. For now, though, Pacquiao is now Congressman Pacquiao, and, once more, he’s on top of the world.

This election had a number of political dynasties winning big, especially the purveyors of martial law, the Marcoses. The dictator’s son Bongbong is now a senator, his sister Imee is governor of Ilocos Norte, and their mother Imelda is now Congresswoman once more. The wins show the strength of the so-called Solid North, and the fact that Filipinos have extremely short historical memories. I wonder if the cases against the Marcos family will still be pursued. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The Binays also were big winners in last Monday’s elections, with patriarch Jejomar apparently winning in the vice-presidential race, his son and namesake taking over from him as Makati City mayor, and his daughter winning re-election as congresswoman. This is a family that needs watching, given the father’s suspected corruption.

Of course, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo won handily in her district’s congressional race, making her a force to reckon with in the next Congress.

What makes me happy is that a number of Arroyo allies have been dislodged or have lost in their bids to find work in the post- Arroyo era. Both Defensors, father Mat and son Mike lost in their respective bids to be congressman (3^rd district, Quezon City) and mayor (Quezon City). Former executive secretary Eduardo Ermita lost in the Batangas congressional races. House Speaker Prospero Nograles lost in his bid to become Davao City mayor, and former Injustice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Sr., lost in the race to become Iloilo City mayor. Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it?

It’s going to be interesting to see how the next congress will be shaped, as representatives will be jockeying for choice positions, as well as switching parties in order to be with the dominant party. The Speaker race will be something to watch as the likely contenders will be the LP’s Sonny Belmonte (4^th, Quezon City) and Arroyo (2^nd, Pampanga). How that will turn out will depend on how the other representative read the political winds.

As they say in TV, “abangan ang susunod na kabanata.”

Post-Election Musings

With the elections over, we the Fiiipino people wait with bated breath for the results. However, unlike previous elections wherein we had to wait for weeks before we found out who the next set of political leaders would be, thanks to the automated count provided by Smartmatic-TIM, we get the results within a day of the elections.

While it’s true that there were a number of glitches that occurred due to the lack of foresight in organizing crowd control, resulting in interminably long lines, as well as the failure of a number of the PCOS machines, these can be chalked up to what the Philippine Star termed as “birth pains”. This was the first time that an automated election would be implemented, and, as with all first-time implementations, there are bound to be glitches that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) did not foresee. However, assuming that Comelec officials do an evaluation of the whole automated process, it’s likely that things will be better in the next elections.

As for the results, it’s a clear win for Liberal Party (LP) candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino, who will become our 15^th president, garnering a total of about 12 million votes, with closest rival Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) bet Joseph Estrada trailing by around 4 million votes. Already, the other presidential candidates, led by Nacionalista Party (NP) bet Sen. Manny Villar, have thrown in the towel and conceded Aquino’s victory. This in itself is already a direct result of the automated count, as candidates in previous elections would always claim that they were cheated. This time, due to the speed by which the results were transmitted, coupled with the generally peaceful conduct of the elections, it’s very difficult to claim cheating.

The Senate results are no surprise, as re-electionists and former Senators make up the bulk of the winning 12. The two newcomers are scions of political families; Bongbong Marcos and Teofisto Guingona III follow in the footsteps of their fathers. In the Senate, name recall and popularity appear to be the name of the game, which is why the top vote getters are Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada.

The big surprise is the vice-presidential race, where Estrada’s running mate Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay is holding a slim but consistent lead over LP vice-presidential bet Sen. Mar Roxas. Binay surged in the surveys in the last few days of the campaign, fueled in part by an endorsement from Sen. Chiz Escudero, a possible contender for 2016, as well as a series of populism-pandering ads suggesting that Roxas is a close ally of the President as well as one who supports the value-added tax (VAT), which is both populist and misleading. Despite this, people may have fallen for the ads, which contributed to Roxas’ fall.

Add that to the fact that Filipinos seem to find voting a straight ticket an anathema, as no two candidates from the same party have both won since 1992; Ramos (Lakas)/Estrada (NPC) won in 1992, Estrada (PMP)/Arroyo (Lakas) won in 1998, and Arroyo (Lakas)/ de Castro (Ind.) won in 2004. It might be that Filipinos don’t like the idea of one party having too much power, which probably sealed Roxas’ fate.

In the local elections, the speed is even faster, with winner being proclaimed yesterday, a day after the elections. In fact, the GMA 7 news site for the elections gives us the results all the way to the councilor level. I’ll tackle some of the more interesting situations in the next post.

With the elections over and the winners simply waiting to be proclaimed, the real work for both the candidates and the populace begins. The candidates must now lay the groundwork for the plans they have for our country, and be ready to hit the ground running, since our country faces a host of problems that need immediate attention. As for the populace, it’s not enough that we vote our leaders into office and then get back to the humdrum of our everyday lives. We must make our voice heard, so that our leaders will get feedback on their efforts, and also receive criticisms when warranted. We are a democracy, and we have to remember that it is the people who hold the power, not our leaders.

Election 2010: My Election Experience

The 2010 Philippine elections will most likely be remembered mostly for the interminably long lines, and the scorching hot weather (at least in most of the Philippines). Millions of voters trekked to their polling precincts to exercise their right to vote for our national and local leaders.

In my case, parents, siblings and I voted in Barangay New Era, the bastion of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a sect known for its voting as a bloc. We decided to go at what we thought was a fairly early time, at 7:30 a.m. (polls would begin at 7 a.m.), only to find out that New Era Elementary School, where our precinct was, was already crawling with people.

Due to the limited number of PCOS machines, 5-7 precincts were clustered into unwieldy groups of 1000 voters. After some searching, we managed to find the new location of our clustered precinct. Upon arrival, we were given a slip of paper with our original precinct number written on it, and then asked to locate our number on the voter’s list, after which we would be given a priority number which would determine our place in the queue.

We drew numbers 182-186. At 7:45 a.m., they were up to number 50. It was going to be a long wait.

Fortunately for my parents, being senior citizens, they were given priority and were allowed to vote much earlier than I or my siblings. At around 8:30 a.m., my parents were done, and went home ahead of us.

A little after that, there was a bit of commotion, as a cameraman made his way into the voting room. Apparently the titular head of the INC, Eduardo Manalo, was coming up to vote. Of course, he was allowed to vote ahead of us regular people; what else is he in power for? However, it did take a while before he managed to enter the voting room and get out again, as his faithful followers were eager to meet and greet their spiritual leader.

My siblings and I were finally called around 10 a.m., only to have the damned machine shut itself down just as we got to the doorway of the voting room. It was fortunate that it was only temporary, and, after about 15 minutes, it began to work again, and we made our way into the voting room.

The voting itself was pretty simple: all we had to do was to shade the ovals corresponding to our candidates. Since we had done our homework and made our decisions regarding the candidates the day before (I was pretty much done choosing in the middle of last week.), we pretty much breezed through the whole process except for my sister, who had the misfortune of having someone ahead of her get his ballot rejected three times, which delayed things.

Still, it took us 3 hours to get everything done; in the past, with the old precincts, it took us only 30-40 minutes for the whole lining up and voting. Scanning the Facebook updates, three hours looks to be the norm; some even took four to five hours.

In other places, the process wasn’t as straightforward. In Barangay Holy Spirit, according to my wife, there were no priority numbers, and it was basically whoever could get in line first. My wife was lucky as they gave women priority, and she was able to finish about 30 minutes before I did in New Era.

It looks like the automation of the elections still has a number of quirks that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) needs to work out. Around 329 PCOS machines have failed, and it’s likely that that number will still increase, although with 76,000 precincts nationwide, 329 is still a relatively small number.

It’s amazing that there appears to have been no coordinated effort on how to manage the crowds. I can only wonder at how many schools adopted a priority number system, and at the sparse number of people needed to marshal and organize the lines. Seeing how hot the weather has been, it appears that no one thought of setting up first aid areas in order to deal with heat stroke and other temperature-related illnesses.

Still, it’s a small price to pay, if, and this is a big “if”, the automation allows us to get the election results in a few days, instead of the traditional 2-3 weeks. So, even though Election Day is winding down (sort of), we must continue to keep our eyes and ears open to the news, and guard our right to choose our leaders.

Election 2010: At Campaign's End

Tonight the campaign period ends, with various parties holding their traditional miting de avance, or final rally. After tonight, no longer will our eyes and ears be assaulted by the ads aired ad nauseam. No longer will we have to listen to the candidates’ endless (and often empty) promises to uplift the lives of millions of Filipinos living in poverty. Now, the campaign is over, and we have to begin sifting through the dross in order to select our leaders for the next three to six years, so that come Monday, Election Day, we will be able to exercise our fundamental right to vote for those we believe should lead the country.

However, there is still much to be done. While the campaign will soon be over, this weekend will probably see the implementation of candidates’ secret plans to hijack the elections through the traditional 3Gs of Philippine elections – guns, goons and gold. Those with the so-called command votes will be exhorting their followers to vote as a bloc, for future concessions promised by the candidates. In far-flung areas, the private armies of the politicians are spreading out to sow fear either to force voters to vote their leader’s way, or to discourage voters from voting. All the while, candidates continue to shower voters with money, in order to buy their votes.

It is important for us to guard the vote, to ensure that the people’s rights are not trampled on, and to remain vigilant against the depredations of unscrupulous individuals who seek to subvert the people’s will.

Then, of course, there is the matter of the manner by which the votes will be counted.
While it was hoped that, by automating the election count, some of the more negative aspects of the elections could be weeded out, this is not something we can expect. Already, a number of the memory cards of the PCOS machines have failed, prompting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and its automation partner Smartmatic-TIM to recall all 76,000 cards in order for them to be reconfigured. As of today, the cards’ reconfiguration is just being completed, and apparently the re-testing will take until Sunday, the day before the elections. Whether they will now work is anybody’s guess.

Still, there are those of us who remain hopeful that the elections will go on without a hitch, and, if the count is correct, we will know who our next leaders will be a few days after the elections, as compared to the interminable weeks of previous elections.

After the elections, we have to realize that our task will not end; in fact, it will just be beginning. The leaders we have elected into office are not genies who grant three wishes nor are they supermen (or women) who will manage to solve the country’s problems in a single bound. We have to realize, as a democracy, we should help carry the load and guide (or guard) or leaders to make the right decisions for the betterment of our country. If we don’t, then we will only have ourselves to blame.

Election 2010: Something Fishy

With only five days to go before the elections, public confidence in the first automated elections in the country appears to be lacking due to the systematic failure of various Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, not only in Metro Manila, but in other parts of the country. In some cases, the votes weren’t properly tallied, or worse, no results were tallied at all. Still, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and its automation partner Smartmatic remain confident that the elections will go off without a hitch, and have turned down requests that a full manual parallel count be conducted, saying that this would defeat the purpose of having automated elections.

I disagree. With all of the problems besetting the Comelec regarding its preparations for the first automated elections, it’s important that a parallel audit be conducted to verify the automated results. Given that this is the first time the Philippines will be attempting a fully automated style of elections, it’s important that a double-check be conducted. This is based on prior experience with the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; since the public trust in the Arroyo administration is low, it would benefit it to allow some form of oversight on the automated elections. Otherwise, the results could be in question.

Adding to this mix is the seeming undue haste with which Palace officials want the President to replace the sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It appears that the President wants to name a replacement to Chief Justice Reynato Puno as soon as she receives the shortlist of candidates from the Judiciary and Bar Council (JBC), which, according to the JBC, will be sometime today. The official reason emanating from Palace officials is the supposed importance of having a sitting Chief Justice before the elections.

This is a grave insult to Chief Justice Puno, who is set to retire a week after the elections. It is tantamount to pushing him unceremoniously out of the way before he should actually step down. This, of course, is the result of the nine Justices’ decision to allow the President to replace the Chief Justice despite the existence of a ban on Presidential appointments. It appears that the President, flush with hubris over that strange Supreme Court decision, now believes she can act however she pleases regarding the Chief Justice appointment.

However, the Supreme Court, through its spokesperson Atty. Midas Marquez, has stressed that since there is no vacancy yet, there can be no premature appointment to the Chief Justice position. Hopefully, the SC can stand pat on that decision, although, given the public perception that it is essentially an Arroyo court, one can only guess how resolute the SC will be on this issue.

Both the failure of the Smartmatic counting machines and the undue haste in wanting to appoint the next Chief Justice warn us that something fishy is being cooked up by the President and her minions. Neither of her perceived candidates, Lakas-KAMPI-CMD bet Gilbert Teodoro nor Nacionalista Party Sen. Manny Villar, appear to be able to wrest the survey lead from frontrunner Liberal Party Sen. Noynoy Aquino. Faced with the prospect of being hauled before the court like her predecessor, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) presidential candidate and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada, it looks like the President is pulling all the stops to hatch some nefarious plan in order to throw a monkey wrench into the election works.

The recent events warn us, the voting public, to remain ever vigilant in order to ensure that our votes are counted, and our right to suffrage is not usurped by a President whose rapacious nature has managed to overshadow previous corrupt leaders.

UPDATE: It looks like the plan to appoint a Chief Justice before the current one retires was simply a trial balloon. Since the public outcry was apparently loud enough, Palace officials have backpedaled and conceded that the President can only appoint the next Chief Justice once Chief Justice Puno retires on May 17, 2010.

If the President had any delicadeza at all, she should leave the appointment to the next President, but we all know how much delicadeza means to her (zero).