I was watching on late-night TV the ‘debate’ between the two mayoral candidates here in Quezon City, Sonny Belmonte and Mel Mathay. Belmonte is the incumbent mayor, who was only elected last 2001. He claims that under his administration, QC was turned from being a bankrupt city to a city with a billion peso worth of surplus in revenue. Mel Mathay was a former mayor, who sat at the chief seat at city hall for nine consecutive years. Well, he didn’t deny that the city was bankrupt under his administration, but he claims that he has done a lot more others for the people.

AHAHAH! It was HILARIOUS!! Both mayoral candidates were shouting at each other in their arguments amidst the riot of a cheering their supporters were making. It was entertaining, really! Every whip by each candidate was cheered on by their own mobs, even before they finished their statements. It’s silly and annoying. Do they even think of what their candidates were saying? I don’t think so!

I was particularly annoyed with how Mel Mathay and his supporters were arguing. It was very typical of statements of support between traditional politician-provider and ignorant constituent-receiver. Ang sarap pagbabatukan! Arnel Ignacio (entertainer): Si Mel Mathay lang ang tumulong sa pagpapalibing ng mahihirap! Ara Mina (actress): Si Lolo Mel lang ang may puso para sa maralita!

In any case, former mayor Mel Mathay didn’t even answer directly the accusations by incumbent mayor Belmonte based on facts and figures.

It’s sad too. The debate itself was not a debate, it was a popularity contest with celebrities and entertainers supporting their own bets. Supporters cheered every word their candidate spoke, whatever the candidate said. It was more of, whose statement sounded better (or LOUDER), or which candidate helped them (financially) the most. It’s depressing! Such is a part of traditional politics in the Philippines. It’s a riot.

Wow. I’m back online. Our internet has been down for the past two days. It might not be much but see, I spend most of my free summer time on the internet. Take it away from me and I’ll be frustrated with boredom like hell! I’ve called internet support for almost ten times today. Almost ten times yesterday too. They said my problem was an isolated one. Yah, okay. Whatever it was, I’m back now.

I went with my mom to her physical therapy yesterday afternoon at the Heart Center. The rehabiitation center there has this track oval where all sorts of patients walk and use to… rehabilitate themselves. While my mom was doing her walk around the oval, there was this group of heart-operated patients doing some exercises in the middle of the oval. The exercise music they were using was really creepy. It sounded happy, sure. But a lot of horror movies use happy music to creep the hell out of audiences. The patients were like dancing to some computer game-like music with their limp limbs. The music even has a short part imitating the rhythm of the heart… slowly dying. Thug… thug thug… thug…thug…*silence* Creepy!! Yeah, I’m just weird I guess.

I just like how the seasonal summer fire trees add a dash of color to usually mundane greeneries. Too bad the orange color only lasts for a month or so.

Last Sunday, my mom asked me to prepare mango graham freeze again, this time with my brother. It was… okay but it wasn’t too good. There was too much cream compared to the sweetened condensed milk. But still there was too little cream to make the thing soggy enough. There was too much grahams too. As a result, it tasted like ice cream with graham crackers (and mango). Oh, and we made a mistake by letting it stay overnight in the freezer. Hurts my teeth!

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.
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I accompanied my mom to the orthopedic doctor to have her cast removed yesterday. After that, we still had to see a physical therapist at Heart Center for consultation. We waited for almost two hours before the doctor was able to entertain us. I got so bored that I resorted to playing with my mom’s crutches walking all around the 8th floor acting like my right foot was disabled. Hah. Anyway, so we did get to see the doctor at 12 noon. She said my mom had to come back after lunch for the actual physical therapy.

I begged off from accompanying my mom to the PT with a compromise. In exchange for staying home, I’d have to prepare something for her guests that night. Okay. Sure. So it was my brother who went with her that afternoon. And me, I was left at home unsure of what to do. I’m not used to this. I don’t prepare food. I eat it! Then I remembered one of the Radical Chef’s recent recipes for a graham dessert. And it just so happened that we had graham crackers, mangoes, cream and condensed milk! Wooh.

I followed instructions from the recipe (by myself) except that I did two layers. Crackers, mangoes, cream mix, crackers, mangoes, cream mix with crushed grahams. Oh, and I used two packs of all-purpose cream (instead of one), so it’d be extra creamy. Wasn’t too hard. Nothing to be proud of. I got most tired with beating the cream with the mechanical whisk.

So tonight, I begged my mom not to tell anybody I made it because I didn’t want to be talked about (since I don’t do this, I mean, prepare food? No!) or to be embarrassingly praised or something (HAHA). My mom’s guests finished my mango graham freeze before I even got to taste it myself. I wonder how it tasted. Hahah.

One week after the poll first opened, Raul Roco leads the survey with 36 votes, six votes ahead of his closest rival, incumbent Gloria Arroyo. The poll does not claim to represent the sentiment of Filipinos other than those who have access to and accesses Vicrenzo.com. I don’t even have my own demographics of the people who visit the site. It’s simply just a mock poll, (okay)?

Up until yesterday, despite all my campaign for change, incumbent Gloria Arroyo was the most preferred candidate, leading Raul Roco by as much as six votes. But yesterday and today, votes came towards Roco despite his being absent in the campaign arena. Which is good. And with so, Gloria lost her lead in my survey. Phew! Thankfully, and hopefully for long. (I felt so bad that GMA was leading my own survey). I admit, the survey-taker has his angry bias against the incumbent.

Three weeks to go! Choose change!

The reality for many Filipinos today is that only traditional political machineries can make a president. It’s a reality supported by our utter lack of participation in our own democracy. Democracy is supposed to demand participation beyond elections.

But as of now, with a national elections within weeks, we can all begin with believing that there is hope, with believing that the power of our own democracy lies in our own hands NOT in our local leaders’ ‘powers‘, not in other politicians’ money and machinery. Come to think of it, it’s silly. And if we don’t stop believing in this so-called reality, the status quo will remain status quo. We’re not looking at any changes in our sick system of ‘democratic politics’. And, that’s obviously not good at all.

It is our own cynicism that is killing the chances of the real reformists who are running in the elections now. It is this cynicism that will kill the chances of any real reformists running in the future. (Because reformists will obviously get the ire of corrupt government officials and the traditional politicians — yeah, and just see who these people are supporting right now). It is this cynicism, among others, that will kill any chances of real progress and change. The problem of the Philippines lies within the Filipino.

I wish I had your privilege right now. Please, vote for real CHANGE.