I was bored and ‘inspired’ at the same time to make a sort-of campaign poster graphic of Sen. Raul Roco this morning. (Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s army seems to be the most visible campaign in the internet these days. But he’s a good choice for president, anyway). If you want a bigger graphic, I also made one here. It’s the same image as the one at the top-right part of the main webpage.

Even if Roco does withdraw because of poor health, you can never expect me to endorse the present leader of traditional politics in the Philippines. My support will always go towards the candidates who pursue radical change in the Philippines. And the only candidate left after Roco, is Bro. Eddie Villanueva (not immediately relative to our family).

Sometimes, when I think of it, it’s silly that I’m putting my time in social awareness and things like these when I don’t really need to at this age, as much as most of my peers don’t.

I can’t vote yet, as much as I want to. And I’m not allowed to go out and campaign physically. This is all I can do. Promote, endorse and campaign for change in my blog. I don’t expect people to listen, my chosen candidate might now win, traditional politics might prevail come May 10, but at least I was heard.

Here are just some opinions that kind of ‘inspired’ me today.

His critics in media, and they were many, drilled his banners with bullet holes. They never gave Raul Roco his due. When they should have flung plaudits and praises because he was the best qualified, they flogged the man with snide – flimsy if not phoney – accusations.

…

The truth about Roco never sold in media.

The media just loved to shaft him. And for no other reason, I suppose, than sheer sadistic pleasure. A misbehaving Roco attracted bigger audiences, more readers. It was a bato bato sa langit syndrome that had Roco often for a target.

…

There he goes, this political patrician. For now, Raul Roco may be the last of his kind. Lowered and bullet-ridden as his banners may be, I shall not forget his parting words when we last met: “We may be down now. But one day, Teddy, the Philippines will rise again. And we shall all be proud that we are Filipinos.”

[Teodoro C. Benigno, The Philippine Star, April 16, 2004]

Just as the other campaign groups will likely be wishing that all this is over - with less than 20 agonizing days left - Roco’s leave of absence may yet provide his camp the much-needed recharge that would invigorate the remaining days of his campaign to complete fruition. Spain’s El Cid, dead and mounted on his steed, became the rallying point that won the crucial battle against invading Moors. Roco, unlike El Cid, is very much alive and fighting.

Recharged morale has been proved to reverse losing trends. History may yet repeat itself. It certainly is not over. Far from it.

[William M. Esposo, Inq7.net, April 19, 2004]

I would rather choose a sick man who is very likely to make the country healthy than a healthy woman or man who is likely to make, or has already made, the country sick. I would choose Raul Roco even if he had only six more years to live over GMA even if she has forever to live. I would see the first as a blessing and the second as a curse. I would see the first as a promise and the second as a threat. I would rather choose someone who has turned the education department from one of the sickest offices in this country into its healthiest-by the World Bank’s reckoning-rather than someone who has turned this country from one of the sickest countries in Southeast Asia into its sickest, by any standard. I would rather choose someone who will weigh the costs of war even while wracked with pain than someone who will embrace war willy-nilly while seized only with ambition.

[Conrado de Quiros, Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 19, 2004]

This entry was posted on Monday, April 19th, 2004 at 12:49 pm and is filed under Social Babble . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.