THE MELANCHOLY OF JUAN DE LA CRUZ

mouth to hand existence has always been the day to day scenario, never was there an instance when ordinary folks could enjoy the lavishness of life or the joys of pure relaxation offered by the gift of night. always and since time in memorial, majority of the marginalized Filipino neither have the luxury of time to veer away from their pitiful lot to enjoy the ordinary harvest of their labor, the happiness of companionship and the euphoria an upbeat society rather experiences of rigor or hardship has permeated the cycle of his existence. one cannot overlook the misery swamped over an environment filled with despondency and, yes, spite.

such is the existence of Juan de la Cruz, a man endowed will illusory birthrights, devastated and innocent of the malice from whom he considers his master. such is his condition that there is no reason to defy nor question the authority replete within the man he renders obeisance. such loyalty, such ignorance. not a day passes by where he does not offer sweat and tears to the soils of the earth. the winds are the witness of his struggle and strife, the rain soothes the heat of his body, his labor does not cease all day all night. all for one thing, survival, subsistence.

now comes the master, a glutton in his own right. his mansion of gold reflects the light of the sun. he enjoys the grandeur of popularity. he sleeps under the comforts that is rivaled only by those of royalty. his treasures colossal, golds, silver, name it and he's got it. he is safeguarded by a platoon of armed henchmen ready to smash at the behest of the master. unswerving loyalty, indeed but not to the master, but to the gold.

this story alludes to something common to a society, need i tell you the decadence and inequality of our country? i will leave you hanging here, it is up to you how you end the story. frankly, mine would have had the status quo retained, posturing a dim view of the future.

SICK OF PSEUDO-INFO ADS

i don't know what the heck is going on inside the playful and adventurous minds of the 2010 hopefuls but, for crying out loud, should they not spare viewers with their colossal and egotistic personal aggrandizement? i know, i know. the advent of corporate media gave these "statesmen-who-think-only-of-the-welfare-of-the-people" the perfect avenue to further their celebrity. virtual unknown are slowly surfacing just by playing a 30-50 second TV ad. need i list them down who they are?

my biggest qualm is not because of the motive (of course, everyone knows what these ads are for, only a 3 years old kid would not have an inkling) but of the means. the subtle injection of political message which doesn't take a genius to decipher is so utterly shameful. well, i concede that this is a very good strategy to get yourself familiar to the public outside the official campaign period without violating any election law (as far as i am concerned). but instead of devising ways to popularize oneself, why not use the obvious creativity and innovativeness to create palatable platforms and programs, surely if they could circumvent the electoral practice of the traditional past, platform-making is just a walk in the park. wouldn't you agree?

EUPHEMISM FOR THE HEROES

this is probably the first and the last time that i will have a say on this particular issue. it doesn't really bother me to criticize much about this stuff, but i have to address this to elucidate the truth behind the common truth. for a pessimist and a misanthrope like me, it is but normal that i have to scrutinize and browbeat every presented idea until the ultimate truth is squeezed out. for that matter, i couldn't help but wonder why our overseas Filipino workers (ofw) have been branded as the new generation heroes. have you ever asked yourself why too?

the truth is, it is the best euphemistic way to label them for all their contributions to this country. although far from the family, they unwillingly have to work outside Philippines to seek greener pasture, the grass is definitely greener at the other side of the fence. necessity ordered them to sacrifice for their family. and what other way to honor them than to label them as our new heroes, the heroes of the modern age. ironically, it is our ofw that has sustained our economy. remittances reached humongous proportions, about 14 billion, almost half of our national budget. aren't we just being grateful for it?

pessimist as i am, i'd like to think this as a way of egging ofws to work further abroad. the government have been encouraging them to continue their "spirit of nationalism by working outside the nation". government needs someone to mask their economic failure by banking on the ofws. the mere blooming of workers abroad is a mere manifestation that the economy in this country is not going anywhere. it attests to the downtrodden condition the philippines faces, majority of the people live below the poverty line and hope seems to have vanished. and so they have to leave the misery behind.

CLINTON ON CHINA

i also couldn't believe it when clinton stated that human rights issues will not affect US and China relations. sacrificing common humanity for economic expediency seems like a wrong way to go. this is a case where realists would exclaim "see? i told you..US will only act out of national interest...the hell with humanitarian issues, if they have no stakes in it, then they have no business in it".

to ignore the issues of humanitarian abuses ensured clinton's bad reputation among human rights activists. humanitarian cried foul to such narrow minded and self-interested outlook on international relations. what the secretary of state should have done was to assure China that US will continue to be its ally and an economic partner but at the same time gave China a stern warning that if they ever choose to jump over the fence towards humanitarian abuse, then US will do everything in its power to deter it. this seems to be a fair warning bereft of arrogance and condescension.

i still think that henry kissinger is the best secretary of state in the history of america. clinton should take a page from kissinger's book. kissinger strikes a balance between coercion and consensus, employing the former only during desperate times. if things could be remedied using soft diplomacy, why not? but if worse comes to worst, kissinger was not afraid to jolt down the other party from negotiations with an implied threat that seem to say " you will regret this". this has worked well for the former secretary of state and clinton should emulate this.

i do not disagree on clinton's new approach to diplomacy, soft power. however, she must be cautious on not being too soft as other state might misinterpret this as a sign of weakness. clinton should be given credit in capitalizing her celebrity status all around the world to garner a favoral opinion on US. the past 8 years have left american reputation scarred and tarnished. it is up to clinton and obama to heal america. the human rights gaffe was not a good supplement.

THE IMAGE MAKERS

when media covered the 2008 US presidential elections, it was as clear as daylight that some of the major media establishments favor certain candidates. by giving them extra media mileage, the candidate is assured of voter familiarity. of course, one cannot deny the republican's firm hold on fox news that has been carrying the GOP banner in tv media. in the philippines only two major media conglomerates have persistently dominated the media industry, namely abs-cbn and gma. the two competing networks have been going at it for a while now, taking the competition on a whole different level to the enjoyment of viewers.

these two media giants have competed over exclusive coverages in news and events. with the upcoming elections in 2010, media sensationalism is going to be an issue. overexaggerating political stories to feed the enthusiasm of the people for is downright unethical. scandals and hot issues are primed to be the agenda rather thatn quality and truthful coverage. i hope that the two networks would veer away from this sickening sensationalism that gives the viewers a false perspectives on issues.

2010 is coming up. media should be more mature and vigilant in covering the political climate of our country, for it is them that we rely to give us honest stories about what is happening all around the country.

UNIPOLAR WORLD: THE CHALLENGE OF THE CENTURY

With the ascension of American power consequently after the grueling cold war, the world have experienced a phenomenon that most people would dub as Pax Americana, or the American Peace. With the crushing political defeat of U.S.S.R led by Gorbachev’s reformist policies, the U.S.S.R would never again rise to superpower status it once wielded approximately 20 years ago. But the implications of American domination are subject to much debate in the academic world. The “evil empire” that Reagan once accused the Soviets of is now long gone and America is left to itself as the lone nuclear superpower remaining, giving it implied authority over international affairs. Washington has been riding on its status enjoying much latitude in their foreign policies. Foreign policies were discretionary without much regard for other states. Oftentimes, America has exhibited its flamboyant arrogance by ignoring several treaties and international agreements when it does not suit its interest. More often than not, they adopt a unilateralist approach to assuage their goals in foreign policies. The Iraqi war spurred much debate about the legitimacy and justification of American advances towards Iraq. This lopsided battle sparked various protests and indignation worldwide. The United Nations expressed their disapproval over the war but American resolve remained intact ignoring resentment from the rest of the world and continued to march through Baghdad with a full arsenal of weapons and tanks.

The Bush Doctrine or the “pre-emptive strike” seems to be the justification of the Americans to attack Iraq. This principle stems from the logic to attack first before being attacked. The alleged WMD that Iraq was purported to have possessed were one of the main if not the sole reason for American aggression. Clearly and subsequently, after the war subdued no WMD were found. The Americans have committed grave intelligence error and this gaffe caused the Bush administration the seats in Congress coupled by the increasing Bush unpopularity. With the miscalculation America committed nobody seem strong enough to stand up to them to enforce sanctions, not even U.N had the guts to do that. France have been critical but its opposition is only limited to that. Clearly, nobody is standing in the way of U.S dominance. With the prevalence of this daunting colossal economic crisis, America faces a challenge like never before. The crisis has taken a toll on American soil and conditions have worsened since last year. Wall Street is crumbling down and jobs unemployment rate is skyrocketing. This abstract foe is putting the Americans down on their knees.

It is interesting how America will respond to such dilemma. Although the crisis has affected the entire world, American leadership is expected as has always been the case. The new administration has taken measure to remedy the ailing economy. Internationally, Americans have not yet reached out to the other states seriously. All America has been doing is immersing itself in petty conflicts in Washington arguing whose proposal is better. It is obvious that even in itself; America is divided on how to address the problem. This is bad news for the rest of us. With no clear direction headed, and with the increasing dependence on American leadership, the fate of the world rests on the hands of a country divided by politics and ideological differences that have persisted over the years.

CAN IT BE DONE? YES, THEY CAN....

I couldn't believe it when I heard that the stimulus bill the Dems are cooking is about 1100 page long. It only took congress a few days to at least read such bulky bill and they were ready to vote on it? How many did you think totally read the bill in toto? Are members of Congress masters of the art of speed-reading? One has to wonder with the hasty approval of the bill without prior review.

Well, I am one with the rest of the world that an immediate solution should be presented to address the crisis and it has to be quick and swift. I didn't realize that it was that quick. There might be a downside to this. A bill not properly reviewed and debated might present some loopholes later on. The last thing that we need are gaffes and blunders from the incompetence of legislators to actually study a bill.

I understand the urgency of the situation, so does everybody else too. We are in the middle of an economic mess we wish we hadn't been into. However, the realities of life does not permit us to be fatalistic. Solutions and ideas must be concretized to combat this terrible crisis. But a hastily passed bill that is integral to economic recovery might not probably be the best solution.

THE REPUBLICAN

I’ve always been an astute observer of American politics. The election of Obama gave the Democratic Party enormous power to wield. The dominance of the donkey over the elephant even at the Congressional elections is disturbing to the GOP and delighting to the Dems. As clear as daylight, GOP has failed to muster support sufficient to seize the oval office and the Capitol Hill. Surely, the Dems are jubilating over their latest triumph.

Surely, there is a crack in the republican leadership somewhere. With the defeat of McCain, the big daunting question for the GOP is who will lead them? McCain cannot take the helm anymore as his gruesome presidential campaign has taken a toll, disabling him to steer the wheels for the GOP at Capitol. His presence is mere symbolic already. Palin is not the best option for now. She has antagonized the media and came out severely wounded by political controversies surrounding her character. Seriously, her image is put in bad light by the American public. Their defeat is a clear indication that the public is gruntingly dissatisfied by the last 8 years of the Bush administration. The Obama campaign has brilliantly devised a strategy that linked the Bush administration and its corresponding failed policies to the platform presented by the RNC. The public’s outrage of the previous administration was made clear on Nov. 4.

For the GOP, there is no time for crying over split milk. Finding a shaft of light in a room of darkness is imperative for the Republicans. There is no room for more critical errors and internal division. This is the perfect opportunity for the GOP to show what they are made of. With the absence of a tangible leader, the time is ripe for new leaders to rise from the backdrop. Gone are the days of the Bush-Rove leadership. Fresh GOP must come out from the shadows and mount to the challenge. This might be a dark age for the GOP but in every situation, window of opportunities open up.

The clever way for the GOP to do is be critical of the Obama administration, somewhere along the way, Obama is bound to make some screw ups and the GOP must be quick to respond. With the daunting economic crisis we are in, the American public does not deserve too many blunders. The recent gaffe over the cabinet pick has shown that the president is not infallible. This lapse in judgment might prove a boon for the Republicans. GOP does not have to be an obstructionist, blocking every bill that comes their way, nut it is integral for GOP to display party discipline amongst them. Eric Cantor did an excellent job by managing his own ranks. Although, the bill, which was fiercely opposed by the GOP, passed, the zero vote coming from the party was a brawny clear message to White House that the Republican Party is still alive and kicking. Even in Senate, GOP is giving the Dems a hard time passing the stimulus bill. Although few in numbers, they have shown signs that all is not over.

There is a need for the GOP to unite indeed. I wouldn’t want American politics dominated by one party. We want the America that safeguards democracy by allowing avenues for political debates. With the Republicans around, the follies of the Dems are kept in check, with the Dems around;,the follies of the Republicans are kept in check. In a democracy there should be no monopoly of ideas. That is why GOP must not shy away from its duty and must reorganize to give the administration a quality debate in politics.

2010: A BLEAK PROSPECT

There can be no doubt in everyone’s minds that the Presidential election is just around the corner. With about a year to go before the anticipated moment, hyped up expectations have arisen and pundits have commented that the election is like no other. With no heavy favorite to win, both the administration and the opposition have been trying to earn the favorable disposition of the people through ‘infomercials’. Such infomercials have flooded the airwaves like crazy.

The urgency of the aspiring candidates to gain an early advantage is clearly apparent not just by appearing on national television but by also being visible on the street posters posing as the beacon of hope for the country and that they seemingly portray an infallible image of good governance and reform. Clearly, the candidates are very much aware of the significance of media as a political channel, in which it can convey the image they want instilled unto the citizens. They have to make the media friendly to them. The internet, the print and TV media are all integral aspects that a candidate should study. Antagonizing the media is synonymous to political suicide. All candidates are aware of this and their political resources are spent to finance just that. The mindset that “they must have an edge” is making our political aspirants competitive.

In my mind,I hope that the electoral battle, the lifeblood of democracy will not just be a contest of media exposure and ear catching one-liners but one that involves a tackling of pressing issues that addresses the immediate needs and concern of the citizenry. I hope there are more substantial debates as to how to lead the country out of this shambles rather than mindless political bickering that seeks to address no problem and satisfy the political ego of politicians.

Majority has remained skeptic yet few have optimistic hopes that the upcoming election will have a positive change in our country. With the current political landscape and the socio-economic status quo, the transformations we need has a bleak prospect