The administration, including a photo finish for the last slot that was dangling, announces their list. The opposition announced their slate yesterday. The lists are (in alphabetic order):
Administration:
Edgardo Angara
Joker Arroyo
Michael Defensor
Jamalul Kiram III
Vicente Magsaysay
Tessie Aquino Oreta
Carlos Jericho Petilla
Prospero Pichay
Rafael Recto, Jr.
Vicente Sotto III
Juan Miguel Zubiri
Luis Singson
Opposition:
Benigno Aquino III
Allan Peter Cayetano
Anna Dominique Coseteng
Francis Escudero
Panfilo Lacson
Loren Legarda
John Osmeña
Francis Pangilinan
Aquilino Pimentel III
Sonia Roco
Antonio Trillanes IV
Manuel Villar, Jr.
My column for today is Team Bansot (who ever though life would imitate my column?). I know one thing, ahead of the elections. I am not going to vote for a single administration candidate. I will vote a straight opposition ticket. I only have one vote, but by golly, I intend to protest with it. I consider Osmeña the worst in the opposition lineup but even he is a fragrant flower when compared to say, Singson or Magsaysay.
Running the gamut of reactions, from piccio hailing the administration, to Manila Boy itemizing the weakness of the list, to Uniffors saying it’s plain useless; kamasupra just thinks the administration went slum book crazy Daily Musings handicaps the administration and the oppposition slates.. goddesstrish notices the “other” senate slates -including singer Victor Wood. unsleepable‘s mind is pretty much made up.
Technorati Tags: philippines, politics, satire, Senate
That makes two of us, Manolo.
Make it three.
There’s no way John Osmeña is going to get my vote. Remember the Second Envelope.
That goes for Nikki Coseteng as well. Koko Pimentel believes his only advantage is his name so I’ve dropped him for being dumb. Kiko Pangilinan will win even if I dont vote for him so why vote for him. That means im going to list only nine UNO candidates. My fearless forecast therefore goes like this:
Loren Legarda
Panfilo Lacson
Manuel Villar, Jr.
Allan Peter Cayetano
Francis Escudero
Benigno Aquino III
Francis Pangilinan
Sonia Roco
Antonio Trillanes IV (not Pablo, right?)
Tito Sotto (no doubt. did u see him cry in Eat Bulaga?)
Ralph Recto (he will win, like it or not)
Joker Arroyo (he’ll make it)
Mike Defensor will hang around the 14th to 17th places. He’ll eventually hang his head in shame. Ed Angara will protest his being 13th and accuse Joker of engineering Dagdag-Bawas. (No one will believe him of course). Tessie Oreta will also protest and petition PET on grounds that Noynoy’s vote should be counted as hers. She will finish 23rd, just some notches above Victor Wood.
In the end, it will not matter. Because GMA’s Kampi-Lakas juggernaut will win the House and the Senate will be abolished.
So what’s the point of this May elections? Why not try coup instead, served ala-Thai.
isn’t Joker still better than Lacson or Trillones? I am disappointed he is with the administration but compared to Lacson….no comparison.
Just to clarify, im not going to vote for the 3 Team Bansot candidates: Sotto, Recto, Arroyo.
It’s people like Joker Arroyo that makes me want to cry and just wish for a coup instead.
Or is he the Trojan Horse there? (There’s hope maybe)
It’s too early for me to decide my final slate. But it certainly has been made tough because of the party movements that has been taking place. I’ll wait until 1 month before the elections.
tagabukid, chris, et al.:
i guess it all depends on what you consider the primary issues of the campaign. for me, they are:
1. accountability for this administration, which sets a precedent for accountability for all subsequent administrations
2. defending the role of the senate as both legislative body and a body for oversight
3. a message for the admin. to stop its constitutional amendments scheme (no amendments until legitimacy is resolved)
4. the issues are black and white, there’s no middle ground: pretending there’s a middle is to imply an endorsement of cpr, eo 464, garci, the political murders, the idea that dissent should be crushed, etc etc.
so, as churchill put it, “If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”the country could do so much better if we had a government unafraid of its people, that respected the rules, and had an ironclad mandate.
so i’d rather hold my nose and vote a complete opposition slate than be a party to opening the floodgates to a continued paralysis of our national life.
Why is there no discussion at all on what programs the opposition will push? Presidential accountability is ok, and the value of the Senate as a constitutional body for oversight, etc. etc. But the Senate should be more than a check for misuse of presidential power. We should have senators talking about goals. Senator Lacson has grown on this aspect so am voting for him.
MLQ3,
I agree that the May elections should be a referendum on this rotten administration. But does that mean we should turn a blind eye to the track records of Osmeña and Coseteng? Where is the wisdom in defending the Senate if you would put people who had and will surely betray it?
I believe it’s enough that UNO wins 9. Leave the three positions to them, just make sure that Chavit, Mike Defensor and Pichay don’t get Garci’s hotline. Joker should win, he will ditch GMA once elected. Sotto and Recto will win; cant do nothing about star power. (At least, there’s the possibility that Sotto will return to the UNO fold and make peace with FPJ’s soul).
Do you honestly believe that if UNO sweeps the Senate race, GMA will just suddenly have this epiphany and abandon all plans for constitutional amendments? The Republican debacle ‘inspired’ Bush to send more troops to Iraq.
There must be a way to have a presidential snap election in place. That’s the only referendum.
The only reason why I’m voting straight UNO (while holding my breath) is because I want to strike a blow against GMA’s Evil Empire, and by doing so, hopefully, banish this scourge from our land. Then, we can again turn to the serious business of nation-building. Then, and only then, can we, as Bong Austero would say, really “move on” as one people.
I would like to see the Joker, the self-proclaimed enemy of graft and corruption, standing side by side hands held together up with Chavit Singson hahaha! What a spectacle it would be.
But that’s Joker for you. He sees the worst in the likes of Erap and Marcos but mention Jose Pidal and the defense lawyer in him is roused like a protective mother hen.
Tagabukid, you’re not voting for Osmena and Coseteng because they betrayed the Senate, but you’re voting for Joker because your betting that he will betray Gloria?
I agree with Shaman. Bong Austero’s call to move-on can only happen after we return the Presidency to the people.
cvj,
i actually wrote im going to list down 9 only. A tenth might be a sympathy vote for Joker because my instincts tell me that come impeachment time (assuming it ever gets to the senate), the patriot in him will resurface. I will have to see what crap he will spew during the campaign period, that is if he ever speaks at all; he will clam up and just win.
I will cross-out the 11-12th slots, but might change my mind and give one to Victor Wood to make sure that either Mike Defensor or Tessie Oreta finished last. (btw, Allan Peter should do something and protest that KBL guy, Jose Cayetano, as a nuisance bet).
can’t believe that Joker is really a joke. I had very high regards on him as senator, but it’s prevalent now that he’s showing his true color…pangsariling interest lang pala. Don’t understand why he play blind and align himself to bansot. Huh! My conclusion…ganyan talaga ang mga ARROYO. I planned to vote for Joker, now am turned off. I won’t vote for him!!!!!! Go, Escudero, Cayetano, Pimentel, and Trillanes. You’re the hopes of the youth and future citizens.
can’t believe that Joker is really a joke. I had very high regards on him as senator, but it’s prevalent now that he’s showing his true color…pangsariling interest lang pala. Don’t understand why he play blind and align himself to bansot. Huh! My conclusion…ganyan talaga ang mga ARROYO. I planned to vote for Joker, now am turned off. I won’t vote for him!!!!!! Go, Escudero, Cayetano, Pimentel, and Trillanes. You’re the hopes of the youth and future leaders.
MLQ3,
I love your column on “Team Bansot”. It reminds me of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”.
The real issue is Glue-ria. She and her government is just too filthy…so those who align themselves to her will have the share of her filth. Dafat solid UNO vote tayo, at huwag iboboto yang mga garapal.
for those who love mnemonics:
Miss Nancy, JFK please…
MS. NAN-C, JFK PLS.
M anny Villar
S onia Roco
N oynoy Aquino
A llan Cayetano
N ikki Coseteng
C hiz Escudero
J ohn Osmeña
F rancis Pangilinan
K oko Pimentel
P ing Lacson
L oren Legarda
S onny Trillanes
tagabukid, thanks for explaining your thought process. i respect your choice.
It’s People of the Philippines versus Gloria Arroyo’s Team Unity
To me this election is not about Gloria or Erap. This all about us, the peopel of the Phil. We been flooded with issues and have debated on them for about 3 years or even more. And now its decision time once more. First and foremost this is about our maturity as a people and our ability to choose. This is the chance for us to really declare to the whole world what we want out of your country.
If you rabidly hate Gloria, this your chance to get back at her. I believe it would be more practical for you to vote straight for UNO no matter what kind of people their candidates are.
If you are pro administration, I believe ist better for you to vote for you to vote straight TEAM UNITY no matter what kind of candidates they have in their slate.
But if you are neither of the two. you are also have a choice. You can choose from the candidates of two slate and the independen candidates. And really vote according to waht your good concience is dictating you. And the good about this is that you can just choos eto vote what really will make you satisfied and happy.
You can also do protest if you want. You donthave to protest against Gloria. You protest against the reaction of the opposition to issues that the higlighted and what they are planning to do once they got the power.
My vote is also a my very own protest action. Im voting for only 5:
1. Danton Remoto – Independent
2. Joker Arroyo – Team Unity
3. Antonio Trillanes – Uno
4. Sonia Roco – Uno
5. Jamalul Kiram – Team Unity
I woudl be very happy if these five won. But Im already happy that despite what happened in teh past years. We were able to still hold this election with our freedom of vote and our freedom of choice still intact.
I just wish that we can skip the campaigh and just cast our votes tomorrow. That way we save lives, time, money, emotions, and a lot other things.
rego, thanks for explaining your vote, of course we should all respect your reasoning. only one question: why kiram?
i think the primary issue right now is not about pro gloria or pro erap but the candidates themselves. do we abhor the turncoats? it is up to the voters to decide if
they could stomach them. we should go for the candidates
who have proven good track records, prolific makers of laws and who are patriotic. therefore to go for straight opposition or straight pro administration may not be a good option. we should remember that at this point in time
we do not have credible political parties to speak of.just how comfortable are you with your candidate is what really matters.
Definitely will vote for at least 1 from the admin and that would be Joker. Maybe I’d decide to vote more from the admin but majority will come from the opposition.
Joker is a joke! I had high respect on him but he’s showing his true color. He’s playing blind and dumb to all the issues surrounding Gloria’s leadership. What I hate is why he aligned himself to Gloria who hasn’t answered the issues yet and who has a question of illegitimacy. On Tv, Gloria said “we should look for new issues and not the old ones”. Why? Are the so-called ‘old ones’ now solved? They remain fresh issues until solved.
Never mind.
Compared to Chiz Escudero or Allan Peter Cayetano, the worst admin candidate, Chavit Singson smells like roses.
Not one UNO candidate will get my precious vote.
I will not vote on any of the candidates, because we can not vote. Imagine, they Philippine government want us to swear allegiance “again” to the Philippines when we are Natural Born Filipinos. We never renounced our citizenship and thereby never lost it, and I for one will never put up my right hand to swear to the country I never gave up like all these buggers that do not deserve my vote anyways. We can never even lose our right to vote as Canadians even when we are Naturalized. Not fair, not fair at all…
Peacer,
If those who highlighted the past issues are more responsible and more resourceful, hose issues shoudl have been closed by now. My feeling is that the oppsistion doesn’t want them close until today so they gain a lot of “pogi” points from. That is the reason why I cannot stomach to vote for Alan Peter and Chiz. SO YOUNG, YET SO TRAPO! They will be setting a bad precedent for the younger generations of politicians once elected.
May ask what are teh issue that Joker palyed so dumbed during his 6 years in the congress? becuase find him the most effective and most objective fiscalizer of the Gloria administration together with Jun Magsaysay and Teddy boy Locsin. Walang pamana yung mga nsa oppsiston line up ngayon.
Manolo,
Why Kiram? I always wanted a muslim representative in the senate. That vote shoudl have been for Adel tamano but he choose not to run so I give it to Kiram.
tagabukid laments : “So what’s the point of this May elections? Why not try coup instead”
…
http://www.dictionary.com defines coup d’etat:
(1) a sudden and decisive action in politics, esp. one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force.
(2) The sudden overthrow of a government by a usually small group of persons in or previously in positions of authority.
are you all serious? look at both those lists and tell me if you’ll vote the next president from among those names…
with all the hoopla in senate races, you’d expect them to perform better…do we even need a senate when they won’t legislate? seriously…
Rego,
I know ur an avid supporter of Glueria and her minions. But I (and many many others) cannot stomach Chavit Singson and Mike Defensor in her slate. Do you remember when Mike said, “It’s the president’s voice but it’s not her talking” hahahaha (I’m not easily tickled but that statement tickled me). And Glueria hasn’t cleared herself yet. There are just too many issues that she has to answer. Unless she addresses those questions, her slate won’t make it. The survey speaks itself! Chiz and Alan Peter just truly represent the sentiments of the youth today. They simply voice out their concerns. And they deserve my (and many people’s)votes!
P.S:
Am wondering why Glueria are not fielding her die-hard supporters like JDV, Villafuerte, Lagman, Nograles, etc. to her senate slate. Sikat naman mga pangalan nila…
PS again:
Forgot to address rego’s Q:
****
May ask what are teh issue that Joker palyed so dumbed during his 6 years in the congress?
****
Answer: He fought against CPR, etc. (that’s y he earned my respect for that) but couldn’t understand y he aligned with Glueria). Also, why it took him and Recto too long to decide? The other day, Recto talked about joining a more oiled machinery (syempre Malacanang can make promises for that)…. so alam na natin ko sinu-sino dyan ang sarili lang ang iniisip. Kulang sa Paninindigan.
I can never understand people who ask senatorial candidates what programs they will push. Look, guys, we are electing lawmakers, not presidents. If a senatorial candidate promises you that if elected, or reelected, he will make sure that the economy will grow and the benefits will trickle down to the poorest of the poor, that jobs will be available to all who are willing to work, etc., he is lying.
It is the job of the Executive Branch to set the national agenda and create the supporting programs. The work of the Legislative Branch is to pass the laws necessary to implement those programs and to exercise oversight functions over the Executive Branch. The most that we can demand of the legislators is to extend legislative support to government programs that are clearly for the benefit of the people and to check Executive wrongdoings.
At this point in our national history, the overriding need is to oust the cheating, lying, stealing, murderous, illegitimate, truth-phobic GMA regime through constitutional means. That’s why we need to elect legislators to the Senate and the House who will do the job.
For the February 1986 elections, there was only one item on the agenda: Oust Marcos! For the May 2007 elections, there is only one item on the agenda: Oust Gloria!
Once the task is done, we can then talk again about programs.
So, Allen Dolina, what programs should the senatorial candidates push for the May 2007 elections? Only one: Oust Gloria!
Writing in your blog has ceased to interest me but
your nasty, insolent opus “team bansot” in your unfortunate excuse for a column is a vile attempt at humour that is not a bit funny. What’s the matter, you ran out of epithets to cut the President of the Philippines down to your level of mediocrity?
Since you have demeaned your own column by indulging in personal ridicule (thought you were above that), let me offer you a dose of your own medicine. Your making fun of the President’s acccent and diction only serves to make one take a second look at you and your boring and dismal tv show, “the explainer”. Your marbles-in-the mouth manner of speech is not the greatest and your wooden, dummy-like appearance reminds one of the old comic stip character “Kenkoy”. Worst, your “history” readings appear to be a bit slanted to fit an agenda or partisan ideology, rather than a faithful presentation of pure facts.
Who cares about your one vote. I’m sure the “Unity Ticket” and its supporters will not miss it. No one is surprised by your announcement either! Please don’t give too much importance to yourself.
Joker, Sotto et al: Self interest first before god and country. That is easy enough to understand.
I doubt if anyone running thinks his\her selfish interest second to anything.
I just thought that MLQ3 should have not resorted to his labelling since I hate to see that he would be called by some names too.
As they have said, sarcasm is the refuge of losers and much as I want to respect some people’s thoughts about voting straight as a sign of protest, I am in the opinion that it does not reflect well for intellectual people who use reasons instead of emotions.
“rego, I know ur an avid supporter of Glueria and her minions….” peacer on February 12th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
>>>>>>>>How do you know, peacer?
“He fought against CPR, etc. (that’s y he earned my respect for that) but couldn’t understand y he aligned with Glueria). Also, why it took him and Recto too long to decide? The other day, Recto talked about joining a more oiled machinery (syempre Malacanang can make promises for that)…. so alam na natin ko sinu-sino dyan ang sarili lang ang iniisip. Kulang sa Paninindigan” peacer on February 12th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
>>>>>Definitely you are the one who is dumb not the other way around!
rego,
Well, well, well…let’s see if ur senate slate will make it, basta walang dayaan na mangyayari. Team Glueria kahit lagyan ng pabango is still mabansot.
Idem here cvj and MLQ3! Straight opposition even if I greatly dilike two or three of them.
Mine is a protest vote against the moral bansot (or bansot with no morals) of all time – all the way through.
isa lang masasabi ko for gma and her loyalists: the “truth” hurts. Kaya when gma was interviewed by media the other day, she stopped further questions by saying: “I don’t want to talk frustrations; I want to talk about blessings.” Why, coz the truth hurts!! Lumalaki na eyebags niya, mukhang sleep deprived palagi.
Tagabukid,
“So what’s the point of this May elections? Why not try coup instead, served ala-Thai. ”
With Esperon and his other hooligan colleagues? No, thanks.
Team unity??! Ughhh.
Pabango daw diyan sina Sotto, Oreta, Angara, Recto and Joker from the opposition. I’m inclined to agree, yeah. Because Arroyo finds it hard to sell diehard supporters like JDV, Villafuerte, Nograles, etc.
Congratulations, Manolo!
That was a great piece “Team Bansot” – you captured the essence of evil dwarfism in Bansot.
Her pygmy stature is reflected in everything she does.
Her complex probably stems from her idiopathic short stature that’s affected her brain and her actions.
Poor, miserable bansot.
Peacer,
Then why do you have to resort to name calling if you are really confident that your slate will win. Look at yourselves, you look so insecure and so paranoid about Gloria.
OK, Ill take your chalenge lets see. Pero pag natalo kayo pwede ba tanggapin nyo na natalo kayo wag ng mag alibi pa na nadaya.!
Truth hurts,
If that is the case then why are the opposition the ones who seems so bitter about everything. Is it becaus they are the ones that were badly hurt by the truth?
Shaman… you really should ask the candidate-lawmakers for their ideas on how to move the economy forward as lawmakers do affect the direction of the country and the economy. Several of the Opposition candidates are against enactment of the P125-increase in minimum wage. And I think at least 4 of the senatorial candidates are in favor of again raising taxes on text-messages and the airport-departure-tax as well as the per-passenger-fee for intracoastal/ferry passengers.
People thinking of boycotting the midterm elections may want to read Mong Palatino’s thoughts as written in his blogsite.
Rego,
It’s not only the opposition….it’s people vs Glue-ria. People are just simply asking for transparency and accountability. Where’s transparency? What’s the content of that Melo report? Why they can’t simply release the content to inform the people and to seriously punish those involved. My 2nd degree cousin (a victim) who’s now with the good lord, isn’t happy about the concealment. Where’s justice??