Like a train wreck in slow motion, it finally happened: the entire Makati City government has fallen, a regime change on a scale not seen since the aftermath of the 1986 Edsa Revolution, when local officials were dismissed wholesale. There was certainly plenty of time to prepare the public for what was going to happen. The timing is perfect, beating the prohibition on suspensions that takes effect 90 days before the start of the campaign period (in January). Philippine Commentary says this is all a Ronnie Puno power play.
In other political news, Atienza’s rump was spanked by the Comelec. But the Comelec needs a spanking, too, for terming the Atienza rump assembly a “romp assembly” in its official order. In any case, Atienza’s set back is temporary, because surely he can manage to win a proper election within the party. For those friendly to the party (like myself) one can only hope the President won’t continue to divide the party and that there won’t be a walkout.
But Atienza may have a short-lived victory even if he corrals support within the LP. After all, in the Only in the Philippines department: there’s news it’s not Imeldific, it’s Borgy running for Mayor of Manila. With this utterly charming line from Borgy’s mother, Rep. Imee Marcos:
“With Borgy, it’s like having Imelda Marcos run as mayor of Manila,” the lawmaker said.
The former first lady will, according to her daughter, serve as her grandson’s campaign manager instead. More interesting is that the move of the Marcoses cements their alliance with the Macapagals. It serves as a foil to Senator Panfilo Lacson, who would’ve been one of the strongest contenders for the post. Having cleared Makati City, the administration must prevent an opposition win in Manila at all costs. Oh -and caffeine sparks is not amused by the news.
Meanwhile, government proudly marches forward to instill faith in itself with the people: Palace nixes CBCP on Comelec revamp and Palace: There’s money for more pork -the budget secretary maintains its pure coincidence social services as well as the pork barrel’s been increased ahead of a plebiscite and election year. And just to play safe, the Daily Tribune reports the squeeze is being put on fertilizer scam witnesses and information tightly-managed:
Both Malacañang and former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante, reportedly one of the the presidential couple’s bagman, appear to be in desperate straits, as President Arroyo’s emissaries have been hunting down the Senate witnesses who testified on the P3-billion fertilizer funds scam and are allegedly bribing them to recant their testimonies, while Bolante’s American lawyers have written to Sen. Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., asking him to testify before the immigration court hearing scheduled on Nov. 7.
At the same time, a Filipino diplomat told the Tribune that all Philippine Embassy and consulate reports on Bolante are handed directly to President Arroyo, without passing through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
In other news:
Nurses remain in limbo. Palace not out of the woods yet.
There is a devastating and alarming article in Newsbreak today, which explains how government’s fudging unemployment numbers, and how underemployment is on the rise:
After all, a total of 988,383 Filipinos left for work abroad last year compared to the 700,000 addition to the domestic work force, according to government data.
…”While the Philippine government claims that the fight against unemployment is a top priority, its actions do not seem to support this alleged concern,” write economists Jesus Felipe and Leonardo Lanzona Jr. in a chapter on the Philippines for a new ADB publication, Labor Markets in Asia: Issues and Perspectives.
They add: “So far, the policy of ‘high employment’ seems to remain toothless and is only secondary and complementary to the two core policies of price stability and fiscal discipline.”
…According to the latest labor force survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO), the number of employed people in the year to July 2006 rose by 735,000, or only half the government’s target of 1.5 million new jobs a year between 2004 and 2010.
By changing how joblessness is defined, the government now claims that the unemployment rate is only at 8 percent, instead of 10.9 percent under the old definition. But even statistical revision cannot hide the fact that job creation is falling awfully short of targets and expectations set by the government itself.
Worse, the underemployment rate, or the proportion of working people who are looking for additional work, rose to 23.5 percent, the highest in 18 years or since 1988, when the economy was just beginning to recover from debt crisis and recession of the early 1980s.
This is worrisome to labor economists who believe poverty is more strongly associated with underemployment than with absolute joblessness itself.
About 30 percent of Filipinos are considered poor according to locally defined benchmarks, though the number rises to 44 percent if the World Bank’s universal standard of US$2-a-day income is used.
,,,Agriculture accounted for almost half of jobs created in the last two years while retailing contributed a fourth. “Most of these are part-time, low paying jobs,” he says.
This is hardly surprising considering that the economy itself is expanding at a pace below the 7-to-8 percent annual growth rate assumed in the medium-term plan.
After hitting a 15-year high of 6.1 percent in 2004, gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate fell to 5 percent in 2005 as Arroyo faced her worst political crisis over allegations of poll cheating and corruption. The ADB expects it to recover slightly to 5.4 percent this year and 5.3 percent next year but these are still far below the medium term targets.
Worse, investments, which are necessary to create new jobs and hasten economic growth, fell by 4.3 percent in 2005 and 3.8 percent in the first half of 2006. In contrast, the medium-term plan assumed that the investment rate, or the proportion of investments to GDP, would go up from 20 to 28 percent.
In the punditocracy, Gary Younge thinks there is a rising tide of discontent against the Republican party, and that the Democrats will reap electoral benefits -but are pursuing victory in the wrong manner:
“This is without question the worst political situation for the GOP since the Watergate disaster in 1974,” wrote the veteran analyst Charles Cook in his political report on Friday. “I think a 30-seat gain today for Democrats is more likely to occur than a 15-seat gain, the minimum that would tip the majority. The chances of that number going higher are also strong, unless something occurs that fundamentally changes the dynamic of this election. This is what Republican strategists’ nightmares look like.”
A recent Pew research survey revealed 51 percent of voters plan to back Democrats against 38 percent for the Republicans. Moreover, Democrats are more pumped up. Currently 59 percent of Democratic voters say they have given a lot of thought to this election, 51 percent are more enthusiastic about voting than usual, and 71 percent say they are angry. Republicans are far more distracted and less keen. The trouble is the things the Democrats are angriest and more enthusiastic about are, for the most part, not the things their party is talking about. The Foley episode is having about as much impact on voting intentions as the Lewinsky affair did on Clinton’s approval ratings - none. The Pew poll was being conducted as the Foley story broke. Interviews before and after he resigned gave almost identical results.
China Daily lays out a defense of Chinese socialism with capitalist characteristics; the New Straits Times says Malaysian government efforts to penalize their version of Taglish are futile; and the Korea Herald on South Korea’s dilemmas vis-a-vis its northern neighbor.
The blogosphere has Bryanton Post on the mass arrests ordered versus Malaya staff and writers -at the behest of the president’s husband. A Nagueño in the Blogosphere asks something Mamutong will be interested in: would Federalism help the electric industry?
ComelecAKO says Gus Lagman and Christian Monsod suffer from a conflict of interest in opposing the poll automation picked by the Comelec.
Under The Talisay Tree wonders why he’s making do with PLDT’s DSL. I’m a Baby! muses on the psychopaths we all know. Askalfreak doesn’t know if newspapers will disappear but thinks -and is glad- books will be around for some time to come.
ExpectoRants laments the return of the mullet. Amen.
Technorati Tags: CBCP, constitution, federalism, journalism, media, philippines, politics
Why is everyone not shocked and surpised in the feudal set-up the country is in where the members of the “Lucky Sperm Club” rule.
Pardon me, MLQ3. Borgy as a foil for Lacson? You expect Borgy to be a match for Lacson and you expect Manilenos to fall for this?
If anything, Borgy running would help Lacson by taking votes away from GMA’s candidate.
Borgy: 23 years old. A partime actor/model. Likes to hunt for bargains in Divisoria. Finished advertising and PR in City College. Probably not ivy league caliber, but good looking daw.
No experience in public office. No experience in life. Could possibly be a virgin still.
Can he win? Probably. How? M O N E Y!
jeg, it’s not how i think the manilenos would vote, it’s how the palace might be doing its political math.
the palace can’t run lito atienza if there’s a local election under current rules next year. if it rams through cha-cha then no problem: lito is extended in office and the palace is happy (and atienza too).
but just in case -and it always has a plan b, c, d, and e- it has to prevent an opposition win in manila at all costs. who are its candidates? the atienza camp doesn’t really have anyone. who might do well? panfilo lacson.
how do you stop lacson if you don’t have anyone strong? give the impression you have someone strong, and hope that in a multi-candidate race, presuming lacson can’t unite other opposition mayoralty candidates, you can prevent a lacson win in one of a couple of ways:
1. have your candidate win
2. throw the election to a less threatening oppositionist, by using your candidate to take votes away from lacson (whether in reality or not).
so i think that’s the palace’s political calculation in this case.
pumayag ba talaga si borgy dito?
btw, i believe na tatakbo si ali atienza sa manila mayor’s race. nakikita ko na ang mga billboards with him and pop and the ali atienza t-shirts.
dapat si kim raw ang tatakbo, pero mas gusto niya ang mundo ng showbiz at tv.
“Why is everyone not shocked and surpised in the feudal set-up the country is in where the members of the “Lucky Sperm Club†rule.”
Narrow-minded selfishness and exclusivity has produced the mediocrity we take for granted in our society. It all starts with those who would supposedly know better. The lack of hybrid vigor is evident.
don’t forget Fred Lim, manuel.
lacson and lim are the strongest candidates for the manila mayoralty race. ali atienza is third (a dark horse) because he has pops and the manila mayor’s office and funds/resources on his side.
If the Court of Appeals upholds the suspension of Binay then that means that a de facto national government under a de facto chief executive has all but assumed total control of the Philippine State pending the result of the PI and the Con Ass.
That means the checks and limitations of a de facto national government put into office by a questionable majority no longer exists.
Do you think the SC realizes that they are the last limit on total institutionalized dictatorship by a questionable leadership?
If they fail the state then its all over.
Why is it so goddamed hard for people to see what is going on. Not many who particpate in this blog probably have much experience in dealing with the government.(all branches)
I can honestly tell all that you can buy anyone generally even the SC.
We have generally speaking a transactional government. From the traffic aide up to the Office of the President. From the Barangay Councils to the Senate. From the Barangay Mediation Councils to the Supreme Court. Generally corrupt being the rule rather than the exception.
The country is facing a long protracted tortured journey. It is ironic that those forced to leave to survive are keeping the country’s head above water.
I pray hard that those judicial institutions that are weak and frail hold fast against this mad torrent and tidal wave of greed and power hungry individuals.
We have to shout out loud our support.
hvrds, Well I guess the Supreme Court wasn’t bribed on this one. 15 to zip against Sabio, Abcede, et al. I think the Tide may just have turned on the matter of Congress’ power of inquiry, EO 464, executive privilege and all that stuff left hanging in Senate Vs. Ermita. But I think they’ll be talking about Sabio vs. Gordon long into the night tonight at the Palace.
Congrets to Dick Gordon and the Senate. Now crank out them SUBPOENAE AD TESTIFICANDUM you guyz!
on borgy’s mayoral candidacy:
they are just floating the idea to see some reactions. gma would not trust a marcos.
romp assembly. haha. horrendous that the COMELEC didn’t catch that. But, i think the problem goes deeper than mere failure of proofreading. You see, the term “romp assembly” was first used by Frank Drilon in his complaint filed before the COMELEC. The people who drafted the decision apparently doesn’t know the expression and so took Drilon’s spelling for granted. And that’s the real tragedy: that THEY DIDN’T KNOW; and because they didn’t know the expression, they didn’t correct it.
symptomatic, I think, of the poor grasp of the language possesed even by lawyers.
realist thinks borgy could be a virgin still? hahaha. not much of a realist after all.
Mr. Quezon,
We just want to thank you again for agreeing to be a speaker at the upcoming Inkblots 2006. You are scheduled for the column writing seminar tomorrow. The venue is the Beato Angelico Building . It will start at 1:30 pm and it ends at 4:00 pm.
In case you are bringing a vehicle please advise us of your plate number so that we can inform the security personnel at the entrance because there are parts of UST that cannot be entered by vehicles without UST stickers.
Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me at 09064974838.
Thank you
-Celina
Thanks for the explanation Postigo, I was wondering what that was all about. But I agree with Neric Acosta: what right does Comelec have to tell an independent political party if, when, where and how to conduct its elections. The issue brought before them, as I recall, was to decide who the Party’s legal representatives are insofar as Comelec is concerned. But micromanaging the Party’s affairs sounds like another grave abuse of discretion amounting to a lack or excess of jurisdiction. And a way to snatch victory from the rump of defeat for the expelled members.
The Fall of Makati
The world’s eyes are on the people of Makati. What stuff are they made of?
GMA is prepared for the worst scenarios — worst for the people, that is.
Binay was elected, no doubt about it. GMA was not elected. Contestable, that is. But GMA’s violations of the constitution proves her illegitimacy, each time.
What kind of government is in RP? A criminal syndicate is running the country. The Triad — GMA, FVR, JdV — is in full control.
8 Billion reasons why the Triad wants to control the nice piece of real estate — that’s Makati’s income in a year. Cash.
Ermita is scary. He signed Binay’s death sentence, political execution, that is. Ermita’s eyes, look, scares the shit out of Mike Defensor. Riminds me of the ‘Count’ — Year-round Halloween in the Palace.
FVR dominates the Triad. FVR boys are in control. Tactical alliance with GMA kids is still ‘thumbs up’ so far, but ready for a ‘thumbs down’ scenario — when GMA kids are eventually neutralized.
FG is nervous, a hitman might get through, who’s gonna take care of widower Mike A.?
Atoy, a sari-sari store owner, was outraged,”Let’s go to Makati, now, i’ll close shop, this is too much!”.
Liberal Party Chairman Emeritus Jovito Salonga had tried to mediate, asked Lito Atienza not to be too much of a trapo kissing the a*s of GMA, sort of.
Congrats to LA — Lito Atienza, President of LP — Lickin’ ass Party, Lito’s Party.
Better yet, LAP, Lickin’ Ass Party! LA! LA! LA!
Can we still automate the 2007 Elections?
Sen Dick Gordon definitely thinks so, but he didn’t like Comelec Chairman Ben Abalos’ defeatist attitude towards the challenge of doing six provinces during next year’s elections, giving him a dose of that old Subic can-do sizboombah attitude. Dick was right to castigate Comelec too I think for not attending the Senate hearings on the bill so they could make their inputs, he says because they didn’t believe the Senate would actually pass the bill.
I agree with Dick. Even if Comelec claims it cannot do even the six provinces, he asks philosophically, okay, how many do you want to try and do? One barrio?
Seriously, even if they answer one barrio, we should take them up on it. Because I think a properly done pilot test on even a single voting precinct can serve to establish the system design, accuracy rating, transmission security and canvassing reliability features that we need.
Dick emphasized on the show that the leitmotif of his bill is the transmission subsystem. I think he really does understand an important principle we’ve been discussing at ComelecAko and Philippine Commentary, the principle of public verifiability of precinct level results, even before canvassing is complete.
I think that demonstrating an election where the results are known within minutes of poll closing is a key step forward and something along these lines can be accomplished for next year, without an expensive new infrastructure ala MPC.
Cellphones and Internet!
A single bullet through Arroyo’s head will end all this madness. I wouldn’t mind if that bullet also hit De Venecia, Ermita and Mike along the way just like the bullet that killed JFK. No one will do it of course. Killing a president is still not par for the course in the Philippines. Maybe a congressman like Mikey will do.
We Filipinos don”t have the “balls” to kill a president or a senator, no matter how detestable. If we do, we would have done away with the Dictator Marcos a long time ago when he was still around. Somehow, the guts and derring-do of Lapulapu and the Katipuneros have not been passed down to today’s filipinos.
antonio, lola’s and mama’s boys don’t get to do much till their 25. What more with that Marcos seed. Lola won’t let that spread around just like that. 😉
personal opinion on fvr as head of the evil trio:
a consequence of having a small middle class and weak cultural anchor is the absence of a balancing force to counter the organized armed element when it decides to prostitute itself. in our setup, that is the mighty afp.
i agree that fvr is on the apex of dante’s triangle as he has the greatest influence over the afp. this resulted in the widely held belief that he has the deepest connections in washington being a west point graduate, bases retention campaigner and carlysle group regional director among others. and the afp, from its planning resources, logistics and man power development, will not survive without american graces.
the top brass would always choose to ride the fvr wagon rather than be left with measely u.s. aid lest they will be rendered prone to subversives, terrorists and the other phantoms which they themselves created.
of course there are selfish motives such as military contract paybacks, post-retirement appointments, rsbs loot and the like, goodies that are already within the control of the sitting president to spread out. fvr, however, if the status quo is preserved, can offer access to all these, escape routes from corruption charges and people’s ire plus the promise that the frat will not go back to its pre-martial law days of being far below Congress and the courts. now that is why this remnant of the proxy war era is the boss.
perhaps the better thing to do is to reduce reliance on the u.s. for the afp’s operational capability. it might even do them well if their current tactics will be infused with s.a.s. and mossad techniques, using weapons that are as exotic. purchases and training exchanges with other countries actually, have already taken place but there remains a single major artery supplying most of the nourishment, hence the valve keeper is the boss. what if he is in the habit of entering into anomalous contracts? what associations will he then maintain just to save his hide? just what is happening now?
additionally, if the national policy shifts towards this direction, the u.s. might offer the afp something substantially better than busted up hueys and vietnam vintage m-16s.
DJB, I agree. COMELEC shouldn’t have done called for the elections. Tuason had a good point. The LP consti says that the officers hold-over until new ones are elected. That means that they holdover indefinitely until elections are held. So COMELEC had no business putting an end to Drilon et al’s term and calling for elections. I don’t buy that lame excuse about protecting the orderliness of elections either. If the LP can’t get its act together – and thereby screw up its participation in future polls – that’s its problem. And we shouold tell them so when they come to us in the future, in tatters asking for recognition for this wing or that.
On automation, be fair DJB. It wasn’t just Abalos saying we shouldn’t automate. Bing said it too (I’m sure you’ve met her), and so did that CICT guy. Bing, by the way, was one of the resource persons tapped by Gordon’s TWG. She might have even been a member. And as for the CICT guy – that was probably the first time Abalos saw him. I know him from congressional TWG hearings, tho. The ones Dondi Mapa used to attend before he bacmae part of Gordon’s TWG.
And yeah. Electronic transmission rocks. And I agree with Bing that even if don’t automate counting and canvassing, we should definitely go with transmission. In fact, there are some guys here at the COMELEC who – before this bill came out – have been working on an overlay to the election that allows for electronic transmission using SMS.
Theyve been very careful, tho, because they don’t want a repeat of the Namfrel experience.
Tuason had a good point. The LP consti says that the officers hold-over until new ones are elected. That means that they holdover indefinitely until elections are held. sorry. BRAWNER said this. Tuason sorta did too, but didn’t emphasize it as much.
elinca… you say “we filipinos…” and “… the guts and derring-do of Lapulapu and the Katipuneros have not been passed down to today’s filipinos”.
You’re in Michigan, yes?
You don’t carry a Philippine passport… You’re not Filipino, no?
Madness. Madness. Desperation leading to utter madness. Brazen idiotic blunders that seem to have no bounds. The DILG under Puno and the Comelec under Abalos. Only the latest in the long list of mad desperate scrambles to dessimate any and all opposition against this stark raving resident of the Pasig.
This is what democracy is all about, now it is up to the voters to decide who is righteous in running the Philippine Capital, im not questioning Borgy, but it seems someone is hiding in the shadows of Borgy in order to have a seat in the Capital, but, what can i say, im not a registered voter in Manila, i hope those people out there would choose the right one…
Being one of the citizens of Makati, i really am alarmed with how the political situation are we having right now. Much more wiht the coming elections. Mayor Binay knew that all these are coming, im sure that all of us here in Makati knew the real story on why all these are happening. My family and i are behind the Mayor….
Filipinos still have the balls to kill but they kill the wrong people.
elinca,
If you say you’re Filipino then you are a Filipino. Don’t let other people say otherwise.
UP stude, Amadeo, Yes I’m in Michigan, and am a U.S. Citizen. However, I still consider myself Filipino and thinking of applying for a dual citizenship… but waiting until the Philippines get a more believable administration. Am I wrong in doing so?
yeah, passport, residence does not matter. I am a Filipino no matter what everyone says. i even consider myself more filipino than those corrupt and useless filipinos who are there in rp.
mlq3,
Re: ““With Borgy, it’s like having Imelda Marcos run as mayor of Manila,—
Heh! So, grandchildren in politics are in. In a few years, you’ll have Gloria’s granddaughter running not only for mayor of Manila but for president of the republic too.
Catch phrase: “With Gloria grandchild (what’s er name?), it’s like Gloria running (again) for president too!”
Duh!
Philippine chopsuey politics at it’s best!
given a choice between lacson, Borgy and Atienza. I definitely choose Borgy…..
Rego, nagulat ako sa sinabi mo, si Borgy? Granted, Lacson and Atienza have many problems, But Borgy? the grandson of the most notorious couple in the history of the Philippines? to think that he is supposed to run sa utos ni Madam!
Maybe you have excellent reasons. Most your posts are very credible .
what is the difference between makati’s hiring of ghost employees and the government’s fudging of employment record?
answer: makati’s ghosts earn income; while government’s income are ghostly figures.
Passport, residence, citizenship does not matter alright, as long as you have not renounced your being Pilipino, but there is no such thing as being more or less a Pilipino, A Pilipino is a Pilipino, bad or good, corrupt or saint, patriot or traitor, we are what we are.
that’s your opinion, vic. i have mine.
elinca, A number of countries — US-of-A, England, I believe Nigeria, too — consider that their natural-born citizens always remain citizens even if they become a naturalized-citizen of another country. A natural-born American who takes on a Canadian-citizenship always has the right to vote against (or for) Hillary in the next presidential elections.
The Philippines does not follow this rule. You don’t have to renounce “it” — the Philippine citizenship — for you to lose it. A Filipino citizen who takes on a Canadian-, Australian-, Brit- or any other citizenship is automatically “disowned” by the mother country. MOREOVER, this is the way that many Filipinos want it to be. Case in point — Conrado de Quiros has been most belligerent against this “dual citizenship” that just passed. Another footnote — (to my knowledge) A Canadian- or US-A citizen is required to go through a swearing-in ceremony at a Phil-consulate before that person become an official Filipino-citizen again.
That’s just the way it is.
[Last footnote to naturalized-US-citizens who want to re-claim their Philippine citizenship. A mis-step may result in you losing your US citizenship. Legal advice (from a real lawyer, not your blog-friend) is highly recommended.]
I’m a registered Manila voter and if it comes down to a fight between Lacson and Borgy, i agree with Rego – i’ll choose Borgy. If i vote for Lacson, i might as well be voting for Palparan.
if i were a manila voter, i’d make a call drafting alternative candidates. voting for borgy is a statement of toleration that all is well with the sins of the marcoses. and then it’s all rehash of all other political dynasties from thereon.
iniduro, Borgy was not around when Marcos committed his sins. Anyway, if someone better comes up, i’ll reconsider.
Atienza vs Borgy is somehow similar to GMA vs FPJ …
Sometimes we should GET RID of TRAPOS, sometimes we
PRE-JUDGE people, but the HEART of FPJ is BETTER than the
DIRTY MIND of GMA !!!
What is EDUCATION if USED for the WRONG REASON ….
I voted for FPJ simply bcoz I believe GMA will CHEAT and can
NEVER be TRUSTED …
From the China article that MLQ3 referred to above:
The reforms of the late 1970s have generated a tremendous amount of money for China that could be used to help and care for low-income groups and building a harmonious society.
Instead, China social progress still has a long way to go because this tremendous amount of money is being wasted by corrupt officials at quite an alarming rate.
(Source: China Daily)
CORRUPT OFFICIALS ARE LEECHES THAT SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF THE COUNTRY AND ITS CITIZENRY.
bogchimash,
“the organized armed element when it decides to prostitute itself. in our setup, that is the mighty afp.”
Chief of Staff Esperon and PNP Chief Calderon are Gloria loyalists. DND Sec Cruz was with FG.
GMA’s appointments secure the central control of the AFP. FVR’s aging generals are counting days to retirement, his leverage comes from overseas.
Cha-cha was ransom given by GMA for FVR’s rescue in July 8, 2005. Cha-cha has been the Triad’s central agenda since then. Objective: Escape accountability and secure control of gov’t.
The soldiers are restive for two reasons: economic and corruption. Politics is hopeless. Ideals are irrelevant. A mercenary mind-set has developed. Coup or loyalty for money or atleast in kind, like housing.
Tha AFP is an armed organization. Citizens pay for its arms , food, shelter, training and other expenses. Politicians use the AFP to subdue and oppress the citizens.
When will the AFP wake up? When is the time for good men to rise up?
thank you for the passion sir jimmy. mabuhay ka. much thanks to mlq3 too for allowing us to freely exchange thoughts here.
God, is there no alternative to Lacson and Borgy? It’s a choice between a Butcher and the Grandson of a Butcher. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Manila if one of them were elected as Mayor.
Grande sito!!