Lesser Evil Vs. Status Quo

During Cory Aquino’s 5th death anniversary Kris Aquino said, “I can tell Noy now that the great majority of people still believe in him; they know what a good job he is doing. But the problem is that his supporters and believers choose to remain silent about their observation.” Kris said this after P’Noy’s 5th SONA address which, some of P’Noy’s foes and allies hailed it as the best SONA he ever delivered.

Soon after, a clarion call, “One more term for P’Noy” (OMTFP) proliferates on Facebook. No clear indication that the netizen’s “OMTFP” is the result of Kris prodding for the silent majority to speak up, although her speech could have made a traction. The netizen drawn in on this trending topic because as of this time they have not seen who among from the potential presidential wannabes have the apparent qualities of P’Noy’s good governance that steered the nation to what it is now in the last four years of his dispensation.

During the presidential campaign of the 2010, people thought it would be a tossed up between the then Sen. Manny Villar and the former President Joseph Estrada. The two were strong and popular then. But the two had political baggage the electorates would resort to choosing for the lesser evil – the typical traditional scenario voters are confronted with. Manny Villar was embroiled with C-5 Extension Controversy, while Erap Estrada was convicted of plunder. Entered P’Noy. Here was a guy with tepid performance during his stint as a Congressman and a Senator, but came from a good stock as his parents were both heroes. Adhering to a call beckoned during his mother’s death, it presented an opportune time for him to join in the presidential race. He sparked the people’s dream. The political dynamics changed. P’Noy won the presidential race by a landslide.

P’Noy may have been a low key and a lackadaisical performer as a Congressman and Senator, although he could have been busy observing and studying activities of lives under the shady nook, or skeletons hiding in the crevices, or the inner workings of the different government functionaries to equip and harness his political acumen at a favored time. He could have been preparing himself just in case destiny intervened, he was preparing to take the Filipinos to whom his father said, is “worth dying for” to an improved status and station.

Right off the bat, during P’Noy’s inaugural address he mapped out his plans where he wanted to steer the nation. He exposed the evils of the “wang-wang” mentality, a euphemism for the government’s uncaring attitude of the past dispensations, and introduced mechanism to erase that notion. He exalted the populace as his bosses and emphasizing he was subservient to their wishes. He led by example threading the “Matuwid na Daan,” the straight path. He introduced the principle of good governance that would result good economics.

During his 5th SONA address, P’Noy differentiated the scenarios from the point of his assumption to office to what stage now the country stands.

And now, who’s the potential front-runner who wanted to take the helm of the nation after P’Noy’s term. Mr. Jejomar Binay, the Vice President? The Epal Poster Boy? The fiefdom builder who wanted to extend his Makati Kingdom throughout the Philippines Archipelago? He has a daughter who uses her PDAF for “bulate” culture in Makati…? A wife who was charge of graft and corruption at the Sandigan Bayan…? A son tagged by the social media as power abuser and now being charged of plunder for the parkade building…? The Vice president himself guilty as well of moral turpitude? The Binay clan, according to Ramon Tulfo, the columnist, are filthy rich.

On his 5th SONA, P’Noy qualified one who should be his successor. He said, his successor should be without a shred of doubt must continue the transformation he laid out threading the “Matuwid na Daan.” With heavy laden political baggage Jejomar Binay’s have, how in the world could he satisfy the criteria laid out by P’Noy.

So insecure of his surveys, Binay “epalized,” posturized scenarios, throwing trial balloons to analyze further his odds.

Now, can anyone blamed the social media then in launching the “OMTFP” only to propagate a choice between the lesser evil and the status quo?

The Ebb and Flow of Writer’s Block

Writer’s block they say is when the writer watch the white screen and wish the words would just crawl in without typing.

For me, often times, my writer’s block is caused by two factors: 1) Lots of topics crowded in my mind and with so many choices I don’t know which one to write about. 2) I have this “Proscrastinities” disease, putting off for tomorrow writing projects that require research, which in the end would tempt to laziness.

A blogger who is not being punished missing a deadline is susceptible to writer’s block. Being unaccountable to no one, the determination to write is diminished. Get paralyzed once and this writer’s block hounds, one for days or weeks. And for one to get motivated and determined again, events must slide in to provoke one’s passion, spirit, and emotion. Just then the writer’s block leaves, and one gets excited, reinvigorated and get in the groove again.

The ebb and flow characteristic of the writer’s block for me is influenced by events that often times touch my sensitivity as a blogger. As I am so attune to political events, I have in me that push button reaction that prodded me right away to mentally compose commentaries. When P’Noy for example, said in his fifth SONA address the phrase, “We have grown used to being greeted by negative commentaries for breakfast, personal attacks for lunch, insults for dinner, and intrigue for a midnight snack” somehow, I empathized with P’Noy’s laments. In my mind, I identified who are those “nega” brigade commentators from the different broadsheet papers. Francisco Tatad and Jojo Robles of the Manila Standard, Rigoberto Tiglao and Yen Makabenta of the Manila Times, Amado Doronilla of Daily Inquirer, Ninez Cacho Olivarez of the Daily Tribune, Benjamin Diokno of the Business World. These columnists seem to me are like horses with blinders who’s eyes focus only on the negative path.

Then, there are these bunches of traditional bashers of Malacanang Occupiers, the militant and the party list groups. Whenever I see the Bayan Secretary General, Renato Reyes on TV spouting off personal attacks on rallies, and burning effigies, and the media, as if not knowing people have already a big distaste for him, yet always give him an airtime for his opposing views, I fume to the tilt. Why can’t the media look for someone else who has different opposing opinions? Why settle for this guy, the litany of which remains the same through the years, and on this militant group, whose ultimate objective is to destroy the government?

Moreover, on Facebook, paid troll mercenaries litter the social media network with insults and intrigues against P’Noy. No Malacanang Occupiers escape from public criticisms. That’s natural. For the likes of Ferdinand Marcos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who had monstrous records of corruption, criticisms were justified. But for P’Noy who the people knew as sincere, not corrupt and a game-changer on governing the country, unjustified “nega” commentaries, attacks, insults and intrigues, are uncalled for.

Not only political events triggered me to be consumed of the ebb and flow of writer’s block, but also those I snatch from reading and social observation. It all parked and packed in my brain. I hated it when immobilized by the surge of writer’s block. However, I am inspired when it ebb and recedes.