I have been called out a number of times on the way I like to make pop culture references too much. Of course, for the most part, I can’t really blame them too much because of my tendency to overdo just about everything that I do. One can almost say that I watch too many cartoons for my own good to be considered a sane and proper adult. Oh well, I really have to apologize again because that is exactly what I’m about to do in this article.
I remember watching an episode of a cartoon that I don’t exactly remember as a child. And sorry Johnny Saint, it involves merchandise-driven ursine creatures again. Anyway, in this particular episode, one of the ursine creatures, a female one and the show’s leading lady (whose name I forgot) was captured and detained by a fictional nation of pig-like creatures.
While imprisoned, the leading lady was visited by a high-ranking general of the said pig-creatures and this conversation ensued:
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Pig General: Good news ma’am, the officials have spoken and you are to be given a choice!
Leading Lady: You mean, you’re giving me the choice to go free?
Pig General: No, silly! We’re giving you the choice on how you would like to be executed! Here, you can choose between being hung, decapitated or shot in a firing squad!
This pretty much encapsulates my feelings about the up and coming 2016 presidential elections. It’s no longer so much choosing the “lesser evil”, but choosing how the Philippines will be utterly destroyed in the years to follow. What’s worse is that whatever alternatives are available are largely unknown or unrecognized by the masses. That means, due to the heavy emotionalism inherent in many Pinoy voters, even those truly worthy to be leaders of the Filipino people are ignored in favor of the candidates with the saddest story, the most catchy theme song, the most memorable slogan or a combination of all three.
So who are the leading candidates in the 2016 election and why do I see them as would-be destroyers of the country instead of its leaders?
Well, take a look…
Mar Roxas
Mar Roxas has essentially turned himself into a “clown” in the eyes of the more astute of Filipino citizens because of his antics and activities. Everything from assisting in traffic enforcement, delivering goods to the market to trying to impress schoolchildren with props, the guy has certainly done it. Unfortunately, as an actual leader with an actual plan to save the Philippines, the guy falls short of what the country needs to stay afloat in the face of all the danger that it faces.
He has no actual plan to improve the Philippines, as cited here by Benign0, no understanding of the actual treats the country faces such as the many rebel groups that continue to terrorize hapless Filipinos to foreign invaders that even now eye the Philippines maliciously and, lastly, he is more concerned about his own popularity than actually doing something substantial for the Filipino people. Indeed, when faced by the news crews of CNN and asked pointed and difficult questions, both Mar Roxas and his potential First Lady Korina Sanchez simply retorted with lines like “we have our own way of doing things” and “you foreigners don’t understand us” even though the issues at hand are fairly simple enough to understand for just about any country.
Grace Poe
“Quoth the Raven: Nevermore.”
Oops! Wrong Poe. Or is it?
Anyway, Grace Poe is the adopted daughter of Fernando Poe Jr., the late action star and presidential candidate who almost won one of the previous presidential elections. Head of the MTRCB and quite active in that line of work, she has become one of the more “promising” potential presidents of the Philippines if Pulse Asia is to be believed. As of late though, her actual citizenship has been called into question, jeopardizing her shot at becoming a legitimate presidential candidate.
Being an adopted daughter, her life is already the kind of sob story that is popularized by Philippine media and greedily lapped up by the masses. However, just like the many teleseryes shown in local TV, one has to wonder whether or not the image she projects is actually her or is just another persona to hide the corrupt trapo that she actually is.
Just like Mar Roxas above and like every other actor-turned-politician such as Bong Revilla and Lito Lapid, Grace Poe has relied primarily on popularity and personality, not platform or ideology. At the end of the day, she is just another typical politician promoting Pinoy emotionalism which has time and time again lead to bringing the country down further.
Jejomar Binay
Ah, the alleged whistle-blower. We all know that just a few days ago, Binay resigned from his position and even went on to call the Aquino Administration a failure. However, I am forced to wonder, does he even believe in the words he has said so far? Did he choose to leave behind Aquino and the power base that surrounds him because of his conscience or is it just another way for him and his family to save “face” and grant him the chance to come out as the “lesser” of the evils in the coming elections.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the same guy who lets his kids run around like they’re royalty and have every right to bully and cow the Filipino people. Remember Jun-Jun Binay and his pompous and arrogant maltreatment of a common security guard who was just doing his job? Remember Nancy Binay who is very much supportive of political dynasties, despite the fact that she has very little to prove as an actual politician and that it is essentially the succession of political dynasties that has led to the ever-worsening dysfunction inherent in the Philippine political system.
So really, what choice do we really have in the coming presidential election of 2015? Remember that these three names are the biggest names in the up and coming elections and are supported by actual media propaganda. So which is it?
Would you like to be hung by the neck until dead by Mar Roxas, decapitated by Grace Poe or shot to Death by Jejomar Binay in 2016?
I HAVE RETURNED TO LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES!
LOL. Hindi ba sino man d’yan sa tatlo pinapagpipilian ni PNoy para ikampanya? Nainip na yata si Binay o nabigo ang expectation kaya tumiwalag na. Pero anuman ang dahilan ni Binay, nasa oposisyon na siya ngayon at sana mapangatawanan niya iyon.
I don’t want either of all, of them. If there is no way…we have to make a way…
These three candidates are all product of a dysfuntional political system. It is a system, like a broken car. We allowed ourselves, to use it; inspite of being broken.
We have to repair the dysfunctional political system. It is the “lesser evil”…it takes hard work; but it is not impossible…
Less a car and more a virus-infested computer.
@Thaddeus:
Okay run the Anti Virus/Anti Malware Software…or change the Hard Drive…or upgrade the Operating System. Do what works…
“If there is a will…there is a way”…they usually say…
I’d rather reformat the whole thing or buy a new computer, if you ask me…
You will never get a functional political system, as long as the society is also dysfunctional.
Therefore, its much easier to convert/transform the society first.
But I know people dont want to change and thus the political system wont change.
Its all very primitive.
I agree. Even if a member of a family from political dynasty were to run, or airhead politician were to join election, if the voters are intelligent and mature enough to choose the rights candidates, these people won’t be in position in the first place.
hey grim, i think you’ll like this article. it demonstrates how flawed our election process is http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4281
Not to mention another interested candidate (or method of execution) – Erap, who the last time I heard was 4th in the survey.
No known achievement when he was still a senator, head of the PAOCTF (an anti-crime task force I heard was formed by then Pres. Ramos so that then VP Erap can have a place in the cabinet instead of having him oversee the DFA) with a few crimes solved only to find out that a few of his men are involved in some crimes; no remarkable achievement during his 2 years as president; ousted as president; charged with plunder and found guilty but got pardoned.
Surprisingly won as mayor despite all of the above and is now eyeing a bigger political comeback. And a considerable number of Filipinos are seemed welcoming his return.
There you go – a sample of what is in the mind of most Filipinos.
Much like the title. I really don’t have a choice. They not really qualified candidates in the bunch anymore.
I mean my papa told me that before the multiparty system – the Liberals and Nationalists would go out, speak a platform or ideas and that’s how it goes.
This upcoming election is like Russian roulette with all slots are full. Most of us would not even win. And by the end of this election this country,whoever will lead us may never ever rise from being the sick and deluded country.
the silence of the lambs becomes the weapon of mass destruction for the yellow regime.
Grace Poe, the mother of the lambs, the motherland.
should pnoy gamble to anoint Grace Poe to the presidency?
The current situation is so bad that any change in the current crop of scumbags running the country has got to be an improvement.
SO, HWO DOES THAT HAPPEN, well I’ve seen it outlined pretty recently here in this comment section….and until 1 half of one percent of the entire population, 500,000 mad-as-hell Filipino’s (preferrably 18 to 60 years old) decide that they want the scumbags that run the country to leave the country, NOW !!!! and these scumbags are never allowed to return (there families are free to go with them, but if they do ? They may NEVER return too…NEVER !). Now this would be part 1 of the plan to rescue the ‘Republica De Pilipinas’ from the clutches of evil that have enveloped and raped and pillaged every drop of wealth the country has had to offer for the last 65-70 years
(roughly one human life-time ). What to do after the departure of afore mentioned scumbags,eh? Well, Nationalizing the wealth of the countries various industries and funneling the money into infrastructure projects that would put Filipino’s to work, much like todays GOCC’s but with no corruption. The minimum wage would be increased gradually so a Filipino worker would make as much money as there 1st world counter part doing the same job, at the same skill level, after a period of say 5-7 years so as not to shock the economy and shut it down, but enough to stimulate demand for products imported into the country and that the outrageous import tarrifs would be cut in half and reduced to 10% by the same time frame as the minimum wage would rise so as to make up for the shortfall in the countries coffers, this would be offset by sales tax on purchases made be a newly wealthy ‘middle-class’ of sorts.
OH IT COULD BE DONE, QUITE EASILY, IN FACT. But Mrs.Aquino, who thought Filipino’s were cowards at heart or lacking any BALLS to act courageously when faced with the situation of do or die, was right. NO BALLS syndrome (NO GUTS = NO GLORY) will rule out any and all prospects of a better life for the people of the country. But think about it, what have Filipino’s got to lose? I mean really ‘mein-frere’?
Tis a win-win for the people: to truly carry the Filippines into the future! Yep, Yep, Yepper !!!!
SO, ‘HERE WE GO’, I mean, ‘not again’…FUCKIN EH?
In the end that was the choice you made, and it doesn’t matter how hard it was to make it. It matters that you did.
But until a person can say deeply and honestly, “I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday,” that person cannot say, “I choose otherwise.”
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.
Isa lang masasabi ko ditto! Duterte for President in 2016!
If he decides to run! Hehehe …
to me it is just pointless. It’s the same for me whether I vote or don’t so why vote at all? Whatever the result maybe I’m just gonna have to adapt to it.
It’s a matter of machinery and media exposure. Unfortunately, it seems like money will talk again in 2016 elections. We do not have better choice so let’s just vote the lesser evil.