MANGONDATO CUT MARCOS JR. DOWN TO SIZE VIRTUALLY IN DEBATE

 

“I did say that 80% of success is showing up.” Woody Allen

Through the eyes of the Filipino people, particularly the voters, presidential candidate Faisal Mangondato cut Marcos Jr. down to size virtually in the Comelec’s first presidential debate. Setting the two of them side by side, Mangondato won the “war of words” without firing a shot – simply because Marcos Jr. failed in showing up in the debate as represented disquietingly by an empty podium on the stage.

“Who the hell is candidate Faisal Mangondato?” Marcos Jr.’s operatives asked.

A businessman from Lanao del Sur under the political party called Katipunan ng Kamalayang Kayumanggi, Mangondato will push for federalism if he wins, urging legislators to donate a month’s salary to the poor, including the construction of solar-powered panels for homes of poor families, and giving them livestock to tend. More than once during the debate, he used the phrase “Mga Kababayan Ko” which reminded me of Francis Magalona’s oldie but goldie song lyrics: “Mga kababayan ko, dapat lang malaman nyo, bilib ako sa kulay ko, ako ay Pilipino.”

Weighed against each other, Mangondato (lumped by Marcos Jr.’s operatives with other candidates as clowns, megalomaniacs, insane, crackpots, and cuckoos) diminished virtually Marcos Jr. who, by not showing up, has devalued himself, typical of the following losers:

Loser 1. One who failed to show up on a “blind date.” Arranged for by a mutual acquaintance (Comelec), both participants -- the candidates on one side, the voters on the other side -- would meet virtually (the questions embody the voters’ minds) for the first time. What do you think of a man who failed to show up on a blind date? My FB friend Lan commented, “Talo na default pa.”

Loser 2. One who failed to show up in a school examination. What do you think of someone who failed to show up for a final exam? I asked my college student who replied, “Unprepared.”

Loser 3. One who failed to show up for a job interview. What do I think of a job applicant who failed to show up for a job interview? As a former corporate guy, I thought he was “uninterested.”

Simple but sincere as he was during the debate, Mangondato came out on top over Marcos Jr. because by showing up during the debate, just like the rest of the candidates standing with him on the stage, he has demonstrated the following qualities of a leader that any presidential candidate must possess:

A.  He values listening.

“O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek…To be understood as to understand.” (The Prayer of Saint Francis)

The fifth habit in the Seven Basic Habits of the Highly Effective People authored by Dr. Stephen R. Covey: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. It is not: “You open up your mind for me.” It is: “I’ll open up my mind for you.” It is not: “Did you get me?” It is: “Did I get you?” It is not: “Here’s what I’m trying to say to you.” It is: “Here’s what you’re trying to say to me.” When a leader seeks to understand, he empathizes – putting himself in voters’ shoes.

Dr. M. Scott Peck said, “True listening is love in action.” Mangondato showed up and listened well to the questions from the voters’ minds -- because he cared for them. Listening well is hard work which may take an extra step or walk an extra mile. Marcos Jr. didn’t show up and was unable to listen. He was unable to listen because he didn’t care. He didn’t care -- because he’s lazy – if it’s hard work.

B. He personifies courage

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” (Brene Brown, author, and researcher)

“Kaya po mga kababayan ko, ang aming i-ooffer sa mga Pilipino ay lisanin na itong sistemang bulok na nagkakaroon ng sakit maski sino umupo sa upuan ng pagkapangulo sa ating bansa kaya pa sa Sistema nabago ay may bagong pag-asa ang samabayanang Pilipino” (Mangondato)

(We offer you to leave the old system which brought difficulties to us. No matter who is seated as president, we need a new system to bring new hope to all Filipinos.)

Slowly and calmly answering the questions on the stage just like talking over the dinner table, Mangondato projected courage that had emanated from his vision which in fulfilling such vision, it radiated his contagious passion. Not only is he the only one energized by the passion of his vision, others (imagine a viewer blessed materially but has done nothing for the country) who watched Mangondato that night could have fired his imagination of doing something good for his poor countrymen.

C. He epitomizes a democratic ideal

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.” (Nelson Mandela)

The global political shifts, particularly in the US, have unveiled democracy in crisis mode. “[M]any institutions are dysfunctional and getting worse,” The New Yorker reported. “[P]olitics have become alarmingly acrimonious...” It cast a long shadow over our nation’s political landscape so gravely that watching on TV Mangondato -- a relatively unknown presidential aspirant from a relatively obscure locality of Cawayan, Marantao – projected a refreshing scene for it has borne witness to a glimpse of a promising future of a democratic ideal for our country -- like equal opportunities for everybody.

“Mahalaga po ang isang debate para malaman ng ating mga kababayan ano ba talaga ang kailangan sa sitwasyon sa ating bansa. Ano ba ang dinadala ng mga kandidato na kailangan masaliksik nang mabuti ng ating mga kababayan dahil po pag nagkamali po tayo ng pagsulat, anim na taon po natin dadalhin sa ating bayan,” Mangondato said.

(A debate is important for people to understand what the national situation requires. And what do candidates bring with them, which the people need to examine closely because if we err in writing down our choices, the nation will bear that burden for six years.)

           In contrast, Marcos Jr., after showing himself to be unworthy, unprepared, and uninterested, his operatives are now eating their hearts out over another chance for their big shot -- a different kind of blind date, a different kind of final exam, a different kind of job interview.

In the real world, after screwing up one’s opportunity, the standard response: No Way.

SOMEONE IS IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE

 

Marcos Jr.’s election campaign toolbox is jammed full: Lies, Money, and Surveys.

A. LIES

Based on data of Tsek.ph (a fact-checking collaboration of 34 academe, media, and civil society partners) covered since the filing of the candidacy up to mid-February, the election disinformation has targeted mainly VP Leni receiving negative messaging while Marcos Jr. earning positive branding.

“Robredo’s quotes have been mangled, twisted, [or] fabricated to make her look like she is spouting nonsense. She has been called, rather harshly, Madumb. Lutang, tanga, utal-utal.” (Yvonne Chua, journalism professor, and Tsek.ph’s project leader)

The distribution of disinformation appears to be coordinated which jibed with the Digital Public Pulse study on “networked political manipulation” carried out by highly influential yet dubious social media accounts. Right on such an issue, Twitter suspended more than 300 accounts from the supporter base of Marcos Jr. for violating the company’s platform manipulation and spam policy.

One eye-catching example of lies is posting the fake photo of a mammoth crowd of a Honda Biker’s Day in Pangandaran, Indonesia taken more than 3 years ago instead of the drone photo of the actual crowd of the UniTeam rally held in General Trias, Cavite. Not only was it wrong, one commenter wondered: if Marcos Jr. is the survey’s frontrunner, why is its camp doing such unashamed deception? Self-deception, anyone?

B. MONEY

Whistleblower Brittany Kaiser of now-defunct Cambridge Analytica exposed:

“When I joined Cambridge Analytica in 2014 we had already worked in the Philippines. There was a national campaign where my former company had gone in and undertaken national research to figure out what was the type of persona that would resonate best with voters…

“We had a request straight from Bongbong Marcos to do a family rebranding. This was brought in through internal staff at Cambridge Analytica and was debated. Some people didn’t want to touch it and there were others like our CEO Alexander Nix that saw it as a MASSIVE FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY (underscoring mine) and asked us to write the proposal anyway. So, as you call it: historical revisionism.”

The Marcos ill-gotten wealth, even only a small chunk of that sum, could command a monstrous election war chest for Marcos Jr.’s campaign. One saying goes that when money sings, even the angels stop to listen.

But someone with lots of money in his election war chest could be in for a surprise.

Across the country, stories of the bungling of the money’s drawing power in the election campaign at the local level abound. One local candidate was running and getting an earful of sycophantic feedback from his minions about his fake lead in the survey. Pressed with the need to pour in more money to make a sure clean sweep in the race, the candidate bled himself financially dry by borrowing lots of money from his friends and the banks. He lost the election while his minions were rolling in his money with new motorcycles, home appliances, and brand new personal gadgets.

One provincial-level candidate entrusted loads of money to a local leader for his election campaign groundworks. The candidate lost his race so he called in on his leader to find out why. The leader and his family were nowhere to be found.

In each election cycle, one may wonder why some local candidates always run but always lose. Absurd? Not so fast. A sought-after asset one candidate has – like a venerable family name – could be so appealing that money would pour in from national- level candidates to tap his support – real or imagined -- at the local level. The way election campaign is being conducted in our country today, he could lay hands on tons of money during the for-the-fund-of-it election. Isn’t Isko’s P50m excess campaign contribution he has kept personally to himself a cut from this same cloth, though, like a polished fabric, his selfish ritzy act only looks smooth and subtle?

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. “ 1 Timothy 6:10

C. SURVEY

The survey results that have propagandized Marcos Jr.’s lead by Pulse Asia are dubious. Al Vitangcol 3^rd of The Manila Times has rightly shown that such survey is unscientific based on the explanation of no less than the Pulse Asia president himself, Ronald Holmes.

Pulse Asia’s sample size of 2,400 in its surveys is unreliable. Vitangcol, in one of his columns, calculated that for a base voting population of say, 50 million with a confidence level of 99% and a margin of error of 1%, the required sample size is at least 16,572.

Holmes justified: “If you go and try to check whether you have a particular illness and you get a blood test, you do not take all the blood away out of your body. You take only a sampling of the blood. It’s the same probability design that is used in surveys.” Wrong analogy. Blood is homogeneous – you take a small sample anywhere in the body and it represents the whole blood. The voting population is heterogeneous – a small sample from one area does not represent the whole population.

Holmes explained: “We do not necessarily identify or stratify our respondents. We randomly select areas where we will get respondents. We did not get any respondents from Class A, B.” Flawed and slanted. Instead of stratified sampling, Pulse Asia uses simple random that results in surveys that lack accuracy and integrity.

Marcos Jr.’s operatives, citing the Pulse Asia research director’s explanation for his staggering lead in the dubious pre-election survey rating, have zeroed in on his name -- Marcos -- as a “highly popular brand” and his “association with his father” Marcos Sr. as the twin reasons for such staggering lead.

Place that explanation side by side with this unvarnished truth. According to the German anti-corruption NGO Transparency International, Marcos Sr. is the No. 2 most corrupt self-enriching leader in the world with a stolen amount of $5 billion - $10 billion next to Former Indonesian President Suharto. PH has recovered P174 billion from the Marcos loot and is still running after at least P125 billion owing to Marcos’ kleptocracy that brought about a gargantuan P203 billion estate tax debt which the civil society is now urging the BIR in filing a criminal case against Marcos Jr.

What will the whole world think of the Philippines after reading the press releases about Marcos Jr., the son of the dictator and plunderer, Marcos Sr., who now “has captured the imagination of the [40 million Filipino] voters” [60% of the voting population] and could become their next president?

The dubious survey is doing a great disservice to the Filipino people. The deduced implication is disparaging -- not only does it insults our intelligence, but it also projects a demeaning image on the Filipino character.

“One of the major dilemmas we face both as individuals and as a society is simplistic thinking – or the failure to think at all,” asserted Dr. M. Scott Peck in his book The Road Less Traveled And Beyond. ”It isn’t just a problem; it is the problem.”

We can think because we have a relatively big brain compared with other creatures. As thinkers, Filipinos are not that simplistic as the dubious survey results imply. This coming election, someone is in for a big surprise.

THE PINK AWAKENING

 

“Ganito pong enerhiya ang muli nating binubuhay ngayon. Ganitong lakas ang muli ninyong ginigising. At sa pagwagi natin sa Mayo, bibitbitin natin ang mga aral ng nakaraang 36 na taon: Na pinakamatibay ang pagkakaisa kung nakatuntong ito sa katotohanan at hustisya. Na hindi lang kulay o apelyido ang dapat palitan.” (VP Leni Robredo)

(This is the energy that we are rekindling today. This is the strength that you have awakened. And in our victory in May, we are going to bring with us the lessons of the past 36 years: That the strongest unity rests on truth and justice; that it isn’t just colors or names that we have to change.)

Awakening, in Christendom, is a large-scale and widespread revival that generates an intense hunger for God. Is our country now being sparked off to recharge the Filipino people from a state of spiritual slumber by VP Leni’s presidency? We can get an eyeful of signs of the coming revival.

1. Passion for purity, clear conscience, and righteousness

            This compelling FB post by Kikay Booba caught my eye which I excerpted below:

“Ang bait ng mga tao, tunay na pagkakaisa. Five times ko na witness na during the whole program may tatlo na cellphones, isang wallet, isang shades, may IPhone 13 pa na bukal na isinoli sa event team para dalhin sa lost and found so that they can announce kung sinong owners. Sa dinamidami ng tao sa rally sa Pasig, walang nagnakaw ng mga yon at maayos pang naibalik sa owners. Amazing!”

(People are kind, real unity. Five times I witnessed during the program: 3 cellphones (1 iPhone 13), a wallet, a sunglasses, were honestly turned over to event team’s lost and found so they could be announced. Amid the Pasig rally mammoth crowd, no one stole them and were properly returned to their rightful owners. Amazing!)

“Ilang beses ko iniwan ang backpack ko sa semento sa gitna ng crowd, hindi nawawala , hindi ninanakaw. Kung saan mo iniwan don mo madadatnan at nung nagstart na ang event suot ko sya sa likod at lahat ng phone ko at wallet nandon pa din hanggang makauwi ako. Walang nawawala nadagdagan  pa ng laman dahil sa mga freebies. Nakakakilabot!”

(Many times I left my backpack on the concreted ground amid the crowd, neither lost nor stolen. Wherever you left it, you would find it there. From the start of the event, I had my backpack on with my phone and wallet, until I got home, nothing lost, loaded more freebies. Goosebumps!)

2. Yearning for restoration of something lost or stolen & recompense for injury or loss

Held high in the thick of the Pasig rally pink multitude, a striking placard made of brown cardboard could have caught one's sight with the following crudely hand-scribbled emotional message of a father to his child:

Anak, paglaki mo mababasa mo to.

March 20, 2022 resibo ko:

o   Pinaglalaban ko future mo.

o   Lumalaban ako para sa bayan.

o   Naninindigan kay LENI.

o   Pumapanig sa tama.

o   Pinapanaig ang katotohanan.

Tatay Emil to.

(My child, when you grow up, you’ll read this. March 20, 2022, my receipt. I am fighting for your future. I am fighting for our country. I am standing up for LENI. I am on the side of what is right. I am sticking up for truth. Your Father Emil.)

3. Overflowing godly joy: desire to be entertained and feel good.

            The following headlines speak volumes:

“Celebrities, artists, volunteers come together in support for Leni Robredo”

“Ariane Grande tells Leni-Kiko supporters: ‘I love you more than words’”

“Cher on Leni Robredo: ‘Let women do it’”

Edwin Lacierda, the former presidential spokesman, mused, “Have you ever heard of a political jingle becoming the No.1 song in the country? Well, Kay Leni Tayo just did that!”

Leni Robredo, hindi ka bigo

May tapang may puso para sa Pilipino

Kay Leni Robredo, hindi ka bigo

May tapang, may puso para sa Pilipino

 (Taken from the lyrics of the song by Jeli Mateo, Justine Pena, and Nica del Rosario)

Ogie Alcasid composed an inspired song Handa Ka Na Ba Kay Leni I excerpted below:

Nalalapit na ang kanyang pagbabalik

Lahat ng pasakit ay kusang mawawaglit

Kidlat at kulog ay bababang mula sa langit

Kasama ang mga anghel na nagsisi-awit

4. Manifestation of God’s presence

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Bishop Virgilio David cited the endorsement of religious groups that endorsed VP Leni and Kiko: Couples for Christ International council, Ligaya ng Panginoon, De La Salle Brothers of the Taft Community, and more than 100 Jesuit priests.

Other religious groups that endorsed Leni: Lipa Archdiocesan Council of the Laity, Council of the Laity of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro, Council of the Laity of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay, Pari Madre Misyonero Para Kay Leni, Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, Missionary Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica’s Priory, Tahanan ng Panginoon community.

5. Growing interest in prayer.

Surely, it could have inspired anyone in getting a load of Noel Cabangon singing his worship song “Huwag Kang Mangamba” for the invocation of VP Leni Pasig rally I excerpted from its lyrics below:

Huwag kang mangamba di ka nag-iisa

Sasamahan kita saan man magpunta

Ika’y mahalaga sa ‘king mga mata

Minamahal kita minamahal kita

Tinawag kita sa ‘yong pangalan

Ikaw ay Akin magpakailanman

Ako ang Panginoon mo at Diyos

Tagapagligtas mo at Tagatubos

Awakening implies our country has been in a state of spiritual slumber and needed to be awakened. Seven months ago, I wrote my 4^th article “What Do I See” in my newborn ATABAY blog and I excerpted below:

The Future

Question: Why did God give PH, the “Light of Asia” (Pope John Paul II prayer) a ruler who insulted Pope Francis and called God stupid?

Answer: “[God] PUNISHED [His people] by delivering them to their attackers…” (2 Kings 17:20, emphasis mine); “When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.” (John Calvin). Cardinal Sin affirmed Calvin’s assertion with Marcos and his Martial Law as Exhibit A. Thus, to punish, God has given PH such a kind of ruler today.

Why? 1 in 4 Pinoys is still below the poverty line. PH, for being the “Light of Asia,” has angered God as He was with Sodom that “DID NOT HELP THE POOR.” (Ezekiel 16:49, emphasis mine)

What will happen in the next election? If God is still angry, He will give us another Punisher. Time Magazine’s cover of our ruler’s image labeled as “The Punisher” has captured the whole essence of this insight.

Covid-19 as Catalyst

Covid-19 pandemic has been purifying Pinoys as God’s people. If God’s anger turns into mercy, on the day of the election, with Pinoys blaming our ruler for their pandemic suffering, PH will have a new ruler, not another punisher, but a restorer.

Today, I do see VP Leni as our restorer.

WHY IS MARCOS JR. SCARED OF COMELEC DEBATE?

 

“The debate shall be organized in the spirit of civility and dialogue for the continuing education of the electorate. The debate shall be the venue where the presidential candidates can reach out to as many citizens at the same time and share the same forum to explain what they stand for and why they deserve to be elected president for the next six years.” (Excerpted from COMELEC Resolution No. 6661)

Six jumpstarting questions will get each presidential candidate worked up: three from the Debate Moderator (DM) and three from the Opposing Candidate (OC).

If I were one of the presidential candidates, how would I prepare for the debate? As a chess player, I would prepare for the debate like I would prepare for a national chess championship: to study, if not master, all the opening moves in chess books. A tall order. In the debate, I will study, if not master, the three aspects of the Philippine society: Economic, Political, and Social. A tall order, indeed.

GOOD LUCK

A long time ago, a friendly chess tournament was held between chess enthusiasts of National Steel Corporation (NSC) and National Power Corporation (NPC) in our city. A few days before the tournament, our NSC team captain Caloy told me to play white on the top board facing the best player of the other team. Uneasy, I asked Caloy (who played lots of games with the chess players in the city) about my opponent’s favorite opening with black pieces. He said: Alekhine defense. With too short a time to prepare for the tournament, I decided in taking a risk: I focused solely on Alekhine and brushed aside the rest of the countless opening moves my opponent might likely use. With a stack of chess books, I studied Alekhine intently. On the day of the tournament, when our top board game started, my opponent touched his black knight for his first move. Like a shot, it gave me a thrill. Caloy was right – my opponent played Alekhine. To cut this story short, I won. Here’s the amazing chaser: my opponent confided later to Caloy that his opponent (me) could read his mind during our match.

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” (Seneca, Roman philosopher)

DEBATE PREPARATION

Just like my playing chess, it would be back-breaking to study the totality of Economic, Political, and Social aspects of the Philippine society so I could answer any question thrown at me during the debate. Instead, I would take a risk. My Debate Prep Team (DPT), would diligently generate the following sets of likely questions:

Round 1 – Economic

a) List of 5 likely questions. We would hope one of our likely questions would be related to, if not the same with, the DM banner question for the Economic round

b) List of 5 likely questions. We would hope one of our likely questions would be related to, if not the same with, the OC question raised in the interpellation.

For Round 2 – Political and Round 3 – Social, the same process of generating questions we would do for each round.

All in all, my DPT would generate a total of 30 likely questions from various sources: news and opinions from mainstream and social media, books, interviews, and press releases, especially by the OC for our counter-punching answers, among others.

It is worthy to note my options.  The more questions we would generate, say, even doubling to 10 likely questions for each round, the higher the probability of hitting the bull’s eye (DM or OC’s question) -- at a great price – my task would be harder. The fewer questions we would generate, say 1 likely question for each round, the lower the probability of hitting the bull’s eye -- at a small price -- my task would be easier.

At this stage of our preparation, my DPT and I would draw up the following COMELEC requirements:

Opening Statements (2 mins)

Round 1 – Economic

a) 5 sets of Constructive Speech for 5 likely DM’s banner questions (3 mins each)

b) 5 sets of Responses for 5 likely OC’s questions in interpellation (2 mins each)

For Round 2 – Political and Round 3 – Social, the same process of drawing up of Constructive Speech and Response we would do for each round.

Summation Statement (1 minute)

DEBATE PRACTICE. RULE OF THUMB. CAVEAT

For my debate preparation proper, my DPT would set up “mock debates” where we would devote considerable time in practice to polish up the delivery of each of my 15 sets of Constructive Speech and 15 sets of Responses with a worthy stand-in opponent in the COMELEC-prescribed format.

As a presidential candidate, I should know other vital ingredients that could make or break the debate. While I could lose a debate anytime, I should know this rule of thumb: I could only win it in the first 30 minutes. As one saying goes: “First impression is the last impression." I should know that I would be on the stage to debate my opponents, not the moderators nor the rules. I should know the four worst words to start an answer to a question: “Before I answer that…” I should know this caveat: “If in doubt, don’t open your mouth.”

We could make sense now of how grueling it would be to earnestly prepare for and skillfully engage in the actual COMELEC debate. Until the debate kicks off, no presidential candidate could ever contemplate the possibility of either he or she would be coming off with flying colors or falling flat on his or her face at the end of the debate.

At this point, we may already have figured out that the COMELEC debate is not for the lazy, the incompetent, and the coward. If you find the whole process of debate preparation above as mind-boggling and back-breaking, it is because the COMELEC debate is mind-boggling and backbreaking. It ought to be that way – like a refiner’s fire – heating the metal to a molten state, then skimming off the dross, and ultimately purifying the metal like gold. Let’s not forget: we would be electing the leader of our nation of more than 100 million Filipinos.

Back to the banner question: Why is Marcos Jr. scared of the COMELEC debate? The answer is a no-brainer lodged in the question itself: Marcos Jr. is scared. Period.

(A handful of nuts and bolts of debate embedded in this article was adapted from “Debate Prep Memo” by Ron Klain who worked as Director of Debate Preparation for Kerry-Edwards Campaign in the 2004 US election.)

RED HERRING: HERE WE GO AGAIN

 

“A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question.” (Oxford English Dictionary)

While not a few have looked red to the red-tagging eyes now instead of yellow then, Marcos Jr. operatives are throwing everything to VP Leni, including the kitchen sink at mga bangkay for Leni – and the Communists too – as their last resort. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Today, everyone seems to be for VP Leni. That’s not-so-good news for Marcos Jr.’s camp. Out of desperation, Marcos Jr. operatives could not even grasp their contradictions that I wrote in my previous article “Marcos Jr. Operatives Have Scrambled To Cover Up His Interview ‘Cowardice’ Fallout” as excerpted below:

“Marcos Jr.’s operatives are unwittingly contradicting themselves. They have been saying that VP Leni is a US-backed candidate and, in the next breath, calling her a laughingstock too.  Interestingly, Marcos Sr. was a friendly ally and guarantor of US interests for eighteen years. Yet, I have still to read an article about Marcos Sr. as a laughingstock.

“The US is just like a business organization, on a smaller scale, that undertakes ‘due diligence’ before ‘investing’ in an ‘asset.’ ‘Due diligence’ is an investigation, audit, or review performed to confirm facts or details. All US allies like, Marcos Sr. and VP Leni, were subjected to such ‘due diligence.’ With its global dominance, the US will not back up a leader of any country that is a laughingstock. The US backing up of VP Leni as its worthy ally in the Indo-Pacific volatile region demolishes Marcos Jr.’s operatives’ ‘laughing stock’ smear.”

Here’s another Marcos Jr. operatives’ propaganda: Communists for Leni. Simple logic will demolish it by another contradiction. Let’s take as an illustration this typical news headline in the past: “Philippines Police Van Rams Protesters outside US Embassy in Manila” (The Guardian). According to the report, the protesters were activists that have organized regular anti-US protests in front of the US embassy for decades, made up of students, workers, and tribespeople, demanding an end to the US troops’ presence in the country. Let’s analyze.

Given Facts:

1. The activists vs. U.S. troops’ presence in PH

2. VP Leni is a U.S. ally

Question:

Why will the anti-US activists (coalition of students, workers, and tribespeople) support in the May election VP Leni, a U.S. ally?

Answers:

1. The activists are not Communists.

2. VP Leni as the next President embodies the real essence of UNITY. Even if a handful of those activists, for the sake of argument, maybe were Communists, they have envisioned in the person of VP Leni today, like what the masses of Filipinos at various levels of our society have conjured up the same image of her -- a unifier – who possesses authentic leadership committed to transcending human differences to promote her all-inclusive program “Angat Buhay Lahat.”

By throwing everything to VP Leni, including the kitchen sink, his operatives have left almost nothing to Marcos Jr. – Catholic Church, atheists, Communists, US, business sector, Rappler, Vera Files, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility – add to that the long tally of massive endorsements of VP Leni Robredo ranging from 180,000-member Alliance of Concerned Teachers to Vendors for Leni that represent the broad actual demographic coverage of the Philippine society beyond the bounds of what a survey could project.

By throwing everything to VP Leni, and leaving almost nothing to Marcos Jr., his operatives have failed to see this unfolding notion: Marcos Jr. appears to have a problem in dealing with everyone. Such a notion reminds me of John C. Maxwell’s The Bob Principle: When Bob has a problem with everyone, Bob is usually the problem.

In like manner, when Marcos Jr. has a problem with everyone (including the Comelec), Marcos Jr. is usually the problem. One striking example: Marcos Jr. will not attend the Comelec-sanctioned presidential debates – the benchmark of a healthy democracy. One good thing about presidential debates: Declaring one’s policy positions during the debate that will become part of the public record, the winning presidential candidate can be held accountable by citing the debate transcripts. This will be another story.

MARCOS SR.’S RED HERRING: PRETEXT TO MARTIAL LAW

(Excerpted from the book “Impossible Dream: The Marcoses, The Aquinos, And The Unfinished Revolution” by Sandra Burton)

“When the campaign resumed, Marcos [Sr.] continued to hammer away at the unsubstantiated Communist threat. But his line that a vote for the Liberal party was a vote for the Maoists fizzled, as voters watched the injured opposition candidates earnestly addressing rallies from their wheelchairs.

“On September 20 [1972], [Ninoy] Aquino made another privilege speech in which he puzzled aloud over Marcos [Sr.’s] motivation in accusing him of confiding information about the Communists to the Marcos regime. His conclusion served as an eerie preview of the circumstances surrounding his death in 1983.

“Marcos [Sr.], he deduced, had, godfather style, planted two fatal kisses on him by portraying him, not simply as an enemy of the state, but also as a man who had betrayed his Communists allies to the regime. ‘Should I be assassinated,’ he said, “Mr. Marcos and the defense establishment would have a ready alibi: The NPAs killed Aquino because he betrayed them.’ Playing to the galleries, Ninoy uttered the last prophetic line of his Senate career. ‘I would now like to enter these words into our records: Should I be assassinated, my blood would be on the hands of those who set me up for the kill.’”

PUTIN’S RED HERRING: PRETEXT TO UKRAINE INVASION

(Excerpted from NBC News)

“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday peddled accusations of Nazi elements within Ukraine to justify the attack on his western neighbor, a move that experts slammed as slanderous and false.

“Putin has long sought to falsely paint Ukraine as a Nazi hotbed which is a particularly jarring accusation given that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish and lost three family members in the Holocaust.”

FROM YELLOW TO RED

“All seems infected that the infected spy, as all looks yellow to the jaundiced eyes.” (Alexander Pope)

Now that “resentment” – a totalitarian single source of recruitment and unification -- being a spent tool (“kumita na”) that targeted Dilawans (if used again will backfire: the resentful will unite and turn instead to Pharmally & Malampaya shenanigans and the Marcoses’ plunder), hence, this time Marcos Jr.’s operatives have resorted to the “red herring”: Communists.

Be not afraid.

“There are more things… likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” (Seneca)

I would like to conclude this article with “brave” words of FREEDOM and a “fighting” stance of TRUTH.

“Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you’ll live, at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our FREEDOM!” (William Wallace)

“The TRUTH is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself.” (St. Augustine)

VP LENI'S MASSIVE ENDORSEMENTS BURY MARCOS JR. DUBIOUS SURVEY RATING

 

Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom. There lived a wizard in a chateau meeting with his minions on the pressing need to elect a new leader.

Wizard (W): I need answers to five questions. First, is the candidate prepared to handle the requirements of the job?

Minion (M) 1: His father, who plundered the kingdom, said he’s lazy.

W: Second, does the candidate want the job?

M 2: His wife said he’s unsure about the job, but changed his mind after watching a mystery play about a former convicted thief who could shrink into a tiny insect.

W: Third, will the candidate fit into the kingdom’s culture?

M 3: He lied about his education, missed paying his taxes, never apologized for his father’s ill-gotten wealth, though he has enjoyed them, and is scared of the art of disputations.

W: Fourth, will the candidate move the kingdom forward?

M 4: His father moved the kingdom backward.

W: Finally, who is his reference?

WOULD YOU SAY “YES”?

The day before the meeting of the wizard and his minions, the candidate had dropped by your place and asked you to be his reference. As a reference to the candidate, you would reassure the wizard that he would be making the right decision for the kingdom in electing the candidate as the new leader. You would be standing up for the candidate’s public service experience, educational records, and character. To be the candidate’s reference, would you say “Yes”?

In today’s political context, the synonymous term for “reference” serving the same purpose is called “endorsement.” When a group or an organization endorses a candidate, say, VP Leni, for PH presidency, they put the name of their group on their published announcement and lend its name and reputation as VP Leni’s advocate for her presidential run. Some groups have even affixed the signatures over the names of their high officials to attest to the veracity of their endorsements.

ENDORSEMENTS THRASH SURVEY RESULTS

Endorsements nip survey results in the bud. At its best, a survey is a mere snapshot of a small number (due to costly ground operation) of voters’ perception at a given time; at its worst, “it is a junk science… often statistical methods are misused while providing an air of scientific legitimacy.” ("Surveys and Dirty Little Secret”)

If you’re into selling newspapers and magazines, endorsements are like subscriptions: your actual sales equals your stock for the period – that maximizes your profit due to sold-out copies. On the other hand, surveys are like newspaper and magazine stores that merely rely on projected sales from walk-in customers. In like manner, if you’re in a sari-sari store business, endorsements are like your “suki.” It makes the great difference between certainty and wish for customers at any day. VP Leni has a lot of “suki.”

TALLY OF VP LENI’S ENDORSEMENTS TO DATE AND COUNTING

160 Economists plus 5 former NEDA chiefs & former CB deputy governor

150+ Law deans and professors nationwide

180,000-member Alliance of Concerned Teachers

1,000+ Educators of the La Salle schools in the country

400 Educators of the University of Santo Tomas

300 Faculty Members  and Staff of the San Beda University

250 Alumni of Asian Institute of Management

2,000+ Scholars, Alumni & Faculty of Philippine Science High School

150+ Human Rights Lawyers (FLAG, SALIGAN, ALG, UPL)

130 Former Officials & Staff of Philippines Commission on Women (PCW)

700+ Doctors, Nurses & Frontliners of Cavite

23 Former President Fidel V. Ramos government officials

47 Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government officials

95 Former President Benigno Aquino Jr. administration government officials

16 Former Presidents of the Philippine Bar Association

Current & Former Heads/Presidents of Schools, Colleges, and Universities

Individual Faculty Members & Staff of Ateneo Professional Schools

PHILRECA Party List (represents 121 electric cooperatives, 23 FVR officials)

Pamalakaya (Fishermen’s group)

Makabayan

Pinunong Pinay Power

Kilusang Mayo Uno

The Alliance of Labor Leaders for Leni (All4Leni)

            Federation of Free Workers

            Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, Kapatiran

            National Union of Bank Employees

National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry

4 Women Leaders of Indigenous Tribes from Mindanao

Panayanon and Panay Bukidnon IPs and Indigenous Cultural Community

Leni Urban Poor (15-organization coalition)

Alyansa Agricultura

Bangsamoro Supports Leni for Justice and Peace

Human Rights Vote 2022 (coalition of HRDs, activists and human rights groups)

Five National Artists of the Philippines

The LGBTQ+ community

First Ko Si Leni coalition

Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino

Seniors for Leni

Students for Leni (student councils nationwide)

1Sambayan

Lipa Archdiocesan Council of the Laity

Council of the Laity of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro

Council of the Laity of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay

100+ members of religious order Society of Jesus

Pari Madre Misyonero Para Kay Leni (Religious men and women in Philippines)

Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas

Missionary Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica’s Priory

Couples For Christ International Council

Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon community

Tahanan ng Panginoon community

VP LENI’S QUALITY OF WORK & EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS

“I believe earning endorsement comes down to two essential elements: the quality of your work and the emotional connections you create.” (Kevin Paul Scott, “The Power of Endorsement”)

For VP Leni’s quality of work, the following awards speak volumes.

The Civil Service Commission Award: Prime-HRM Level II Accreditation for Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management

The Development Academy of the Philippines Award for Government Best Practices for Covid-19 Response: Community Learning Hubs and Free Shuttle and Ferry Services for front-liners

People of the Year 2021 Special Award for Public Service for her OVP anti-poverty program Angat Buhay

ISO 9001: 2015 Recertification award after a successful audit by TOV Rheinland of OVP quality management system.

Commission on Audit (COA) gave OVP the highest audit rating for three consecutive fiscal years 2018, 2019, and 2020.

For VP Leni’s emotional connections, the ever-spreading “pink explosion” rallies that have been blushing the face of the political landscape across the country have said it all.

Wizard: Are you candidate Leni’s reference?

Would you say “Yes”?