I once thought that election day must be the day we decide who we we vote for. That the lines ought to be drawn by then. Seriously, it is a good plan as any, right?

I’m pretty sure some of you reading this have no idea who to vote for. You’re thinking the Aquino Camp hasn’t launched its platform. Noynoy for you is not a leader. He is too timid and “walang alam.” And the fear is, what is the guy going to do?

Then there is the rest of the circus. Villar is the haven for the tired and the cynical. Escudero has been dancing, he is or isn’t he, like a woman who can’t decide what to wear in the morning. Teodoro is weighted down by Gloria. Estrada is well, like Villar, but more ancient.

Beware we must and forget not that the question of Gloria of course, remain an open one. Will power she still have post election day?

The waters become muddy as we put our own perceptions into play. Pat Evangelista for example sees Jesus in Yellow. And yes, the law on agrarian reform allows for land to be converted to stock shares so Luicita isn’t actually violating the law, and yes, twenty years of CARP was such a success story. Not that the reds see Agrarian Reform that way, preferring the rowdy way of violence over changing the law.

@bigenya gives a good point “It is precisely our failure to learn from the past that has doomed us, mho.”

If you remember yellow, what doomed Filipinos was the idea that Cory, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo were the answer for all our prayers. That it was more about opposing power than helping it ensure it grew properly from the inside. That after EDSA people left government to be run by others. That the battle for democracy is an everyday affair that must be nurtured.

For the sake of argument let us say that indeed we’ve left with choices some say are lacking. That everyone is now called on to look at our politicians and find who gives the best plan for action. We will be making the same tried mistake of our past.

The time for examining our conscience is over.

We should take what is given. We should do what we must.

No matter how imperfect it is. It is time to choose sides.

Aquino is not Messiah. The Aquino campaign is about honesty, integrity, transparency and good governance. Join them and ensure Aquino does just that. Not just before election day. Not just guaranteeing he wins on Election Day, but more importantly be part of the team, after election day, and until his term ends. He is after all, human with all the trappings that go with it.

Though I think that Villar is the camp of the tired and the cynical, If you strongly believe in Villar’s rag to riches story, his pragmatism and his “entrepreneurship” then go and join his camp. Make sure he gets into the Palace.

Escudero subscribes to the “youth” vote. I think he is reading the tea leaves wrongly. Noynoy did the undecided route and failed in it. It doesn’t work for Escudero too. But hey, I have a friend who is for the guy. So if you believe passionately in Chiz, go join his team. Be part of his never-ending struggle! Be part of the Chiz!

@erlfornoles tweeted that this discussion reminded him of the pig and chicken opening a joint named “Ham & Eggs”. The chicken was involved but the pig was committed.

As a matter of disclosure: this pig is committed.

I urge Filipinos not stay neutral.

This is how we prevent Evil from winning. As Burke said: “The good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” So I urge you. Choose a side. Help shape that side to win in however way you can.

We can debate all day, or for a thousand years the imperfection of each of these clowns in our circus. One is bald and timid. One man is “experienced”. The other is “too young”. Another is fat. Then there is the puppet. What man is perfect?

Forgive my bias: “Honesty. Integrity. Transparency. Good Governance.”

We take what is given. We do what we must.

It is a leap of faith, I know, but you must choose a side now and don’t stop on election day. When you do decide, it is best, I think, to remember these immortal words especially post election day: “For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”

This is what we each must do for our country. Election day, after all is just the beginning of a new day. And the new day and the challenges it offers, my friends, is the battle we must win. Maybe then we can win the war against cynicism, through hope and willpower. Maybe then we bind our nation’s wounds. Tomorrow must be less about who made a mistake. Tomorrow must be about what can we do to fix it. This is what ham and eggs is all about.

Perpetually short of funds despite constitutional priorities, classroom shortage was a constant curse. Moreover, public school officials snuck-in and charged incremental fees effectively bloating the cost of education despite statutory limits.

Perhaps its most institutionally heartrending involves the perennially unsung. Simply look at the government pension fund’s largest constituency. Public school teachers are perpetually victimized – hailed as heroes but treated like shit.

When Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus took the problematic portfolio there were below-the-line initiatives he prioritized. These profoundly altered the polemic paradigm. He tapped non-traditional sources of capital, infusing strategic partnerships with the private sector where surpluses were re-channeled to a sector long anemic from neglect.

Adopt-a-School programs and corporate involvement effectively increased capital bases especially helpful where the economy was running historic deficits.

From reducing teaching hours to effective levels, to creating a mechanism to address teachers’ benefits and loans, to securing substantial increases in budget allocations, Lapus’s unique programs for administrator training likewise reduced the need to augment operational revenues, instilling both efficiencies and skills for viable school management. More importantly, teacher training increased economic resiliencies, restoring a good deal of lost dignities. The result was a department that registered huge advances in student achievement tests where long-festering resource gaps in classrooms, teacher and principal items, textbooks and teacher training narrowed considerably

The unintended result was a department with the highest approval rating and ranking the least corrupt, its leadership, most valued, the highest performer, several times recognized as outstanding and popularly loved.

Unfortunately, pungent lies and brick-brats now come in a variety of sinister shapes and political permutations, un-discerning, targeting anyone for as long as they serve during Arroyo’s watch. Like clockwork at budget deliberations-time the creepy crawl from the woodwork, stirring from underneath rotted compost. The previous accusations on textbook content were timed to coincide with new textbook purchases. The so-called noodle controversy compared specially formulated and packaged food with incomparable off-the-shelf products.

Now, DepEd’s health initiatives are being targeted. Lice and heady lies share more than acoustic echoes. The onomatopoeia is more than auditory apropos. In the current citronella shampoo issue slandered against the DepEd, arraying lies against facts, we see that what non-discerning puffed-up polemic pervades promptly goes phffft.

To respond to the issues is a matter of lining up ducks. One congressman said the issue is one of process. Clawing up from beneath the briny bucket, the solon, citing “transparency and irregularity in the agency’s bidding process” declared “the price may be right but the process isn’t.”

This is especially paradoxical against a rare, significant and noteworthy World Bank commendation that DepEd’s procurement programs are recognized as “Best Practices” and are currently replicated in the region and in Europe.

He claimed in 2007, DepEd sought bidders for 150,000 sachets of shampoo for Php 900,000. In a 2008 rebid, ceteris paribus, he noted the number was reduced but peso amounts were not. Failing to analyze requisite differentials leading to the 2008 rebid, he screamed bloody murder. Never mind that the first failed when no one submitted bid proposals. And never mind that the DepEd needed to respond to cost realities and had to revise to draw in bidders.

So now it’s the process? The verifiable and COA-audited record shows that the DepEd adhered to the statutory process of R.A. 9184 and its implementing rules and regulations to the letter up to the point of complying with Bureau of Food and Drug standards.

The same critic claimed that in the rebid on August 22, 2008 “the number of citronella shampoo to be procured was changed from 500 to 75 sets still with the same allocation of 1 million pesos”.

When foraying into educational issues, is it too much to ask critics to first educate themselves? These figures are incorrect and refer to oto-opthalmoscopes for auditory and visual disability examinations and not to pediculosis-effective shampoo. There is a difference. Just as there are differences between commercially available shampoos and those specified by the DepEd.

Where’s the irregularity? Where’s the non-transparency? If there’s any, to mindlessly attack government agencies, it is an infestation of lies and not lice. Intellectual integrity is integral to righteous criticism. Some people need to wash not just their hair but the dirt inside their heads.

The price and supply of oil is hotly debated the world over. Just look at this chart which you can find from oil analyst gregor.us:

Free Market Oil has dropped by over 2 million barrels per day since December of 2003. If your professor or your local economist or perhaps national newspaper is still pounding the table that supply always makes a response to price–even in natural resources. -gregor

Just so we’re on the same page, December delivery of oil, as of this writing is at US$77.43 a barrel.

Philippine journalist Ricky Carandang wrote in his blog that Arroyo repealed the law of supply and demand and argued that:

the Arroyo regime continues to force pump prices at levels below the market price, it will eventually lead to a shortage. And that’s what we’re begining to see. Gas stations may not call it that, but they are already rationing fuel and are now threatening to stop importing altogether.

How then can one do business in the Philippines when the law says the Oil Industry is a deregulated market and government itself does another?

Oil companies are under threat to be sued under economic sabotage. If there is anyone that needs to get sued, under economic sabotage it is Gloria Arroyo and this economic self destructive policy.

What if Executive Order 839 isn’t about the price of oil or its supply?

EO 839 is a populist move. It is easy enough to see that this is done under the guise of compassion, “to protect the poor” and victims of the recent typhoons from market forces. It is a false oasis. This road leads only to greater hardship down the road. It appeals to shortsightedness and reveal greater uncertainty in the market place. In fact, EO 839 only strengthens the perception that the Philippines is unstable and that the law is bendable at any given time. If the Philippines was at all serious about solving its energy problem, then it should accelerate plans to be less oil dependent. That is what a responsible economic manager ought to be pursuing.

What if this has has little to do with the Price of Oil or about rebuilding the damage of the recent typhoons? What if this has nothing to do with improving the lives of Filipinos ravaged by typhoon and poverty? With Arroyo, by law, set to complete her term of office by June 2010, and her party’s candidate trailing surveys, is it a stretch to say that this is a scorch earth strategy to make it difficult for the next president to do anything at all?

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This post first appeared on Emerging Voices.

An off-year election often goes to the party that is not in The White House, so says the data, and so says the many major networks that covered Tuesday’s nationwide U.S. elections. Michael Bloomberg, the mega rich billionaire who financed his own campaign to the tune of $100 million barely came out alive and just beat his Republican opponent by a mere 5%. The incumbents across the board had it tough yesterday. If it weren’t for Bloomberg’s money, who knows where he would have ended up.

I just barely got off the plane, back in town, and this is the major news. The Republican party, despite its low public rating, seems to have had a great day on Tuesday. Both in Virginia and New Jersey, where President Barack Obama actively campaigned for the incumbents, both Democratic Party Governors still lost. Despite the losses, President Obama still maintains high ratings in both states, and was seen as not the main reason why voters did not vote for both Governors. Local issues played the bigger role in most cases.

I’m not sure exactly where this is all headed come 2010 in the midterm elections that should prove crucial for the direction of President Barack Obama’s agenda, and the overall makeup of Congress, but winning begets winning, and win The Republicans managed to do.

Michael Steele, the RNC Chairman has declared that it was a referendum on The Obama administration, it was a clear indication that the people are refusing a Health Care plan that they do not want, they are weary of Obama’s administration altogether. The data says otherwise, and in an off-year election, this was to be expected, but it must still be seen as a probable jumpstart to a Republican Party comeback.

Already in the midst of these losses, Harry Reid is expecting that the Health Care Bill may not be passed by the end of this year as planned by President Barack Obama. Even in that front, it seems The Republicans who have gone the way of attacks, but with little substance and without even their own proposed bill, is indeed going to be putting forward their own bill. It has not been made public as of yet, but from the drafts, it is only around 200+ pages long, as compared to the almost 2000+ pages inherent in the proposed Democratic Party’s Health Care Bill.

I’m going off track though, the most important thing to take away from this recent election is that we should never ever count any party down, especially when the economy is in such a rut. The recession may be officially over, but a jobless recovery in the eyes of Americans may as still be a recession. Without a growth in jobs, the party in power has all the disadvantages in the world.

Considering that exit polls both in Virginia and and New Jersey, the states where both Democratic and incumbent Governors lost, both showed numbers around 50-60% that President Obama did not play a factor, I have to wonder however, that it still leaves 40-50% going other routes and factoring Obama in, whether it was good or not. Substantial or not, in both races, where both governors received strong backing from President Obama, the President’s magic still had no effect. And that should be a bit worrisome for some strategists out there.

Will the machinery work for individuals other than a Barack Obama?

If The Democrats needed some good news from Tuesday’s dismal losses, it is that Sarah Palin’s ultra conservative bet for a congressional district in New York lost.  This specific race actually garnered wide national attention, because it had an internal fight between a moderate Republican and a conservative Republican. The base of The Republican party did not like the stand of Dierdre Scozzafava, the moderate Republican, on abortion and same-sex marriage. Even former presidential candidate Fred Thompson a very conservative Republican came in just to stump for Doug Hoffman, the chosen nominee for The Conservatives.

Again, even in that race, where the Republicans were split, it seemed that the focus was still on jobs and local issues.

The main takeaway from the whole bunch of races that took place on Tuesday, is that at the end of the day, contentment breeds support, and discontentment breeds the straying away of voters. In this case, as many politicians have come to realize the hard way, it’s the economy stupid. All things being equal, the economy is the most tangible thing that connects with voters, money in the bank, job security, the list goes on and on. In the hierarchy of recent political needs, economy seems to be king. Democrats should be worried if come 2010, the economy still has not picked up. It could be 1994 all over again, and The Republicans may take The House once more.

Pundits said Francis “Chiz” Escudero committed political suicide when he bolted from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC). He may have done that, but I doubt that was what he had in mind.

The NPC had very little to do with his popularity. In fact, it was dragging him down. That’s why many wondered why he did not leave the party sooner.

One of his former party mates explained why he left.

“There may be a simple reason there. He has no funds. The party only committed to bankroll only a fraction of his campaign.”

But Escudero forcefully denied that money had anything to do with his resignation.

“It’s not true. I’m denying it vehemently, that money was an issue, was the reason…. My resignation was a matter of principles and conviction.”

Indeed, money may not be the decisive factor in this election. Escudero believes that, in this election, a candidate who runs on new politics can rely on a huge volunteer base to make up for whatever he lacks in terms of money and party machinery.

He is betting he does not have to spend billions to advertise he is “poor in spirit,” that he does not have to dole out goodies to entice people to show up for his rallies because the voters of 2010 are looking for real change—not for loose change falling out of the pockets of crooks. Chiz is right. Now all he has to do is convince voters he is Noynoy Aquino.

And so Escudero refashioned himself as the people’s candidate, the one whose political party is the Filipino people.

“First, whoever plans to run for president should not belong to any political party. The only party he should belong to is the Philippines and his party mates the Filipino people.”

Escudero is selling a bill of goods. Party-less democracy is an oxymoron. Without political parties, individuals have no vehicle to “collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests.” A personality cult is what you will get when you do away with partisan politics. If that’s what Escudero wants, then he should change his name to Kim and move to North Korea.

Who would be a good running mate for Escudero?

Ping Lacson? But does Ping enjoy constant lecturing?

Loren Legarda? But Escudero is only 40. Loren does not partner with politicians in that age demographic.

Dick Gordon? But if Escudero will have nothing to do with a Manny, why would he partner with a Dick?

At any rate, a running mate is the least of Escudero’s worries. Right now he has to think his way through a dilemma.

If he runs and loses, he may not get a second chance. On the other hand, if he plays it safe, tells himself now is not the time to risk it all, he will disappoint his devoted followers. He will be judged as calculating instead of idealistic, and everything he has said and done to date will be attributed to his overweening ambition.

But Escudero does not have to feel too bad. He can always take refuge in the words of Bob Harris.

Yesterday, I found out about this call on facebook from Brian Ong, Fritz Tentativa and Benjamin Espina: Manolo Quezon for Senator.

Who is Manolo Quezon? Manuel Quezon III is the Explainer. He is that pundit on cable television, the op-ed writer, a Mac user, and more importantly he has geek cred enough to blog the Long View and be read. If you’re into the whole bloodline business, yes, he is descended from that President Manuel Quezon from the Commonwealth.

At the height of Ondoy, Quezon spearheaded and helped coordinate things both online and offline. He did not need to be a public official. He did not take credit for it. He led.

Manolo Quezon himself doesn’t like to run for public office. Who would want to, when politics is a dirty business? And yet here we are. Our country has corruption in every strata of society. Quezon understands this just as he understands the importance of defeating the Great Book Blockade.

Yes, it is a risk that drafting Manolo Quezon for Senator is a disservice to him, the person. That by doing so, we risk sending him to face the horde of the dark side. Quezon may be unwilling to do this, for obvious reasons and for many reasons, to face this battle, on his own, resources and inclination notwithstanding.

There are five million people from the Philippines on Facebook. Espina, Ong and Tentativa are asking for a million to join. Just maybe, if that number is reached can help sway Manolo Quezon to throw his hat in the ring.

The daunting challenges of tomorrow is great. Manolo Quezon, I believe, more than the likes of Lapid, Jamby and Jingoy, understands what this country needs and has the ability to help make it possible. In 1770, Burke wrote in Thoughts on the Cause of Present Discontents, “So when bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”

The good must associate. We need good men in the Senate. I urge you to join the group to draft Manolo Quezon for Senator, and ask others to do so as well.

Retrogressing Education

Consider this pronouncement from Chiz Whiz:

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, we should and we propose that the curriculum be restudied. Mr. Speaker, I know that this will generate a lot of debate but I hope that our colleagues will listen for awhile. Sa ngayon, umaabot sa nine to eleven ang subjects ng ating mga estudyante sa elementary at high school. Nakukuba na ang ating mga estudyante sa kakabitbit ng napakaraming libro. Subalit ang tanong ko ho: Ito ba ay angkop pa rin sa pangangailangan ng ating bansa sa ngayon? Ang kanila po bang pinag-aralan ay nagagamit nila sa kanilang buhay sa labas ng paaralan at magagamit kapagka sila ay naghanap ng trabaho?

I can only cite myself as an example, Mr. Speaker, but mula po nung natapos ako nung high school hindi ko pa nagamit ang Calculus, hindi ko pa ho nagamit and Trigonometry, hindi ko pa ho nagamit and Algebra, IYUNG GEOMETRY, SA BILYAR KO LANG NAGAMIT. At iyong mga ibang itinuturo ay marapat sigurong ituro sa kolehiyo kung nais maging inhinyero ng isang bata. Iyong mga ibang itinuturo, marapat sigurong ibigay na lamang nating sa kanila sa kolehiyo o bilang elective pagdating ng high school.

He couldn’t grasp the necessity of mathematics, therefore he’d rather keep math out of the elementary and high school curriculum, during a time when the rest of the world is upgrading its mathematics curriculum. For example, this is what the Londonderry School District of New Hampshire has to say on the importance of math in the curriculum

The Importance of Mathematics

At all levels grades preK-12, the Londonderry School District has placed mathematics as a top priority along with reading. Why mathematics? Mathematics is the foundation for success in a variety of content areas during a child’s educational experience. According to a U.S. Department of Education’s Mathematics Equals Opportunity White Paper – October 1997, the authors concluded the following:

• Students who take a rigorous K-12 mathematics sequence are more likely to go to college than those who do not.

• Students of all income levels who take rigorous math courses in high school are more likely to go to college.

• In the job market, students who have strong mathematics backgrounds are more likely to be employed and earn 38% more per hour than those with insufficient skills in algebra, geometry, measurement, and probability.

Mathematics is crucial not only for success in school, but in being an informed citizen, being productive in one’s chosen career, and in personal fulfillment. In today’s technology driven society, greater demands have been placed on individuals to interpret and use mathematics to make sense of information and complex situations. As a result, the Londonderry School District places the understanding, application of numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis, problem-solving, and reasoning skills as a top priority.

During the students’ primary years, our focus is on learning number and operations, basic measurement, and basic understanding of data. As students move into the intermediate and middle school years, a greater emphasis is placed on the practice and reinforcement of basic math facts and operations while at the same time increasing the depth of understanding of skills in algebra and geometry.

At the high school level, while our focus remains on fundamental mathematical concepts and skills to prepare all students to be productive members of society, students encounter new perspectives in algebra and geometry as well as new ways of analyzing data within formal mathematics courses and other high school courses in science, social studies, business, and other electives.

Our high school academic expectations are clear:

• Students will be able to formulate, critically analyze, and solve a variety of problems.

• Students will be able to use various forms of communication to accurately receive, process, and deliver information.

Through their experiences at Londonderry High School, students are expected to have a strong understanding of mathematical computation, concepts and processes, problem-solving, reasoning and analysis while using mathematics to make sense of, and to solve complex problems in a variety of applications.

Here’s Chiz asking us to allow the retrogression of our youth – to lessen their ability to “formulate, critically analyze, and solve a variety of problems”. Seriously, do you really want this? Do you really want more dumb Filipinos? Then by all means, vote for Chiz Escudero.

An Indictment of  Party Politics or Putting the Cart Before the Horse?

As generally defined,

A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. Parties often espouse an expressed ideology or vision bolstered by a written platform with specific goals, forming a coalition among disparate interests.

Here comes Chiz again,

Una, sino man po ang nagpapaplanong tumakbo bilang pangulo, dapat wala pong partidong kinabibilangan –NPC, LP , NP, Lakas o ano pa man. Ang dapat na partidong kinabibilangan ng sino mang nagpaplanong tumakbo, dapat po Pilipinas. At lahat ng mga kapartido niya, dapat lahat din ng Pilipino.

The statement shows Chiz’ grasp party politics, it shows that:

• Chiz concept of a political party is limited to his experience with parties such as LP, NP, NPC, Lakas-Kampi – trad-pol parties. These are trapo parties, of course there will be horsetrading, what do you expect? He misses the fact that there are other political parties which have ideologically motivated members – for instance, Kapatiran, Bayan Muna, and Akbayan.

• Whoever runs for the presidency is a citizen of the Philippines – in a manner of speaking, the candidate is already a member of the party called Philippines – and his party mates are all the Philippine citizens. Chiz sure knows how to pander to a vacuous crowd!

• However, lets consider the proposition of the Philippines as THE Party, and citizens as Party members – sounds like a one party state like China, Vietnam, Cuba, and North Korea. Are the people cheering Chiz ready for a one party state? Remember, even one party states have factions within the party, which if there were no prohibitions against political parties other than the state party, these factions will evolve into political parties.

Nonpartisan politics would be fine with a highly educated, relatively affluent responsible voters who are not beholden to patrons, who will take the time to discern and vet candidates. It might seems that Chiz was innovative when he floated the idea of nonpartisan elections. If he had done his homework, he would have found that unless there are legal prohibitions against political parties, factions within nonpartisan systems often evolve into political parties.

Dumb and Dumber?

Chiz indictment of party politics because it does not serve him is consistent with his thinking process when he indicted of Calculus, Algebra, and Geometry because he wasn’t able to use it in his profession as a lawyer.

Though Chiz recent policy recommendations provide a glimpse:

• Provide passing grades to the students who weren’t able to come to class due to Ondoy. We know how the teachers reacted to this prescription – the teachers gave Chiz an F.

• Remove math from the elementary and high school curriculum and make it an elective. We also know how the teachers reacted to this prescription – the teachers gave Chiz another F.

The question then is what are these reforms Chiz wants to accomplish?

He needs to organize his thoughts and articulate his policy goals and prescriptions into a platform.

In doing so, Chiz rises above the demagoguery – or proves beyond reasonable doubt, that he is one helluva demagogue.

There were not enough forms and not enough biometrics machines. So ayun nagsisigawan na ang mga taong nakapila mula umaga pa.

Magulo ang queuing. Kasi walang “take a number”.

The long wait would have been a little more bearable kung may numbers. That would have given everyone an indication of how long they would have to wait. Those with very high numbers could go have a snack or maybe even see a movie muna. But making life easy is not what bureaucracies are all about.

Buti na lang may kakilala ako sa loob.

If you were in my place what would you do?

First, he needs to assess the cause of these defections, both organizationally and financially. Admit it—his ratings went down when Senator Noynoy Aquino entered the political fray. His ratings actually plateued and began to nose-dive when Noynoy’s name was included in those whom people chose as Gloria’s successor.

Why the sudden decrease in ratings? Two things which hurt Escudero: rumours of a merger of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the administration and Escudero’s association with Marcos crony, Danding Cojuangco. Signs of a merger began to percolate as early as August, after government asked the Supreme Court to convert coco levy shares at SMC from ordinary to preferred shares. With the prospects of a merger, that, surely will completely turn off progressive groups supportive of Chiz Escudero’s. Defections began to hurt Escudero’s camp, particularly that of the Osmenas who transferred to Noynoy’s camp. Osmena reportedly transferred after getting signs that Danding was half-supportive of Escudero’s bid. Osmena also took the cue from Lucio Tan about Escudero being “young” and ” still unprepared for the presidency.” That intensified defections, especially of financiers from the Filipino-Chinese community.

With his organization hemorrhaging from a series of defections, what was left with Chiz was minority political power brokers. He completely lost his mass base support. With the loss of mass base support, that made an impact below ground, reflecting in the surveys. With ratings showing signs of plateau-ing and even nose-diving, that sent a very bad signal for financiers. Problems began to take a very serious turn when financiers withdrew.

To arrest the further slide down, the NPC opened itself up to more serious negotiations with the administration party. The NPC began dictating terms with the Escudero camp. Faced with defections and lack of finances, Escudero opened itself up to the Panfilo Ping Lacson group. When NPC learned about this, the party further upped the ante, publicly announcing a Chiz Escudero-Loren Legarda teamup. NPC did that as deference to Escudero not to lose face. Yet, behind the scenes, NPC was actually maneuvering to isolate and delimit Escudero because with him still in the picture, the possible merger between the party and Lakas-KAMPI will not succeed.

Escudero took the cue from Loren Legarda’s refusal to name her presidential bet as a sign that the NPC and the administration continues to talk about a coalition. Likewise, Danding Cojuangco’s last minute refusal to attend the big rally at the UP to announce his presidential bid, was more than enough signals already that the former Marcos crony was un-impressed with him, especially now that his ratings went further south. A source say that Escudero actually called Danding to bid farewell and tell him that he was resigning as NPC member.

Not to be outmaneuvered, Chiz has no choice but to resign from the party and declare himself a “free agent.” By doing so, Chiz hopes to re-consolidate his mass base support by positioning himself as a non-traditional politician, someone not beholden to any political party nor any big political financier.

His resignation can be interpreted as a tactical retreat, a pause so to speak, to arrest further hemorrhaging both in the organizational as well as the financial levels. Now positioned as a non-trapo presidential bet, Chiz hopes to marshall all progressive groups behind his candidacy, make a movement out of it and get a ratings boost. He needs a shot in the arm, so to speak.

A ratings boost will give his candidacy a fresh start. It will also attract progressives once more, present to them a possibility of forming a third force that would neutralize an Estrada restoration or a Manny Villar win and steal the rug beneath Noynoy’s feet. The resignation hopes to encourage groups supportive of Noynoy to abandon the Liberals and shift their support to Chiz Escudero. Doing so would give Chiz a fresh army of volunteers and potential financiers who does not totally support Noynoy’s bid, disdain Erap’s and fear Villar’s camp.

Now, it remains to be seen if this tactical move will benefit Chiz Escudero. His resignation is a veritable clarion call for all progresives to support him. With the prospects still not entirely clear, that is the real reason why Chiz refuses to declare his bid. That signals to everybody that Escudero’s organization is really hurting.

In the next few days, we will see if Escudero’s resignation would even amount to anything. What if Escudero fails to urge groups to gravitate behind him? He will probably proceed just to spite, weaken and split Estrada’s constituency (that’s the reason why Lacson’s camp aligned itself with the Escudero camp).

Possible scenarios/results of Escudero’s resignation: 1. NPC and admin party will now have full rein for a merger. The possibility of Teodoro-Legarda tandem is now in the works. 2. The Liberal Party will move to convince Chiz to either endorse Noynoy’s bid or ask him to join the process of selecting the true People’s choice of a non-trapo candidate. 3. Should Chiz proceed as an independent candidate, he will damage Estrada’s bid, weaken Noynoy’s mass base and eventually allow Manny Villar’s victory in the 2010 polls.

I challenge these oil players, namely, Caltex, Petron and Shell, as well as minor players: Total, SeaOil and others—PLEASE MAKE GOOD YOUR THREAT AND SHUT YOUR OPERATIONS DOWN.

The same goes to the LPG dealers who continually sabotage and terrorize us with their threats of an LPG shortage—DO WHAT YOU WANT.

I am solidly behind President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo efforts to finally, finally make these oil players respect us, especially our laws and our People. I take my hat off to Mrs. Arroyo who ordered the Justice secretary Agnes Devenadera to take the lead in this one and file criminal cases against these oil players.

Arroyo has the power to executive such an order since the State of National calamity has not been lifted. If Mrs. Arroyo makes good her threat of completely taking over the operations of these oil firms, that is constitutional. And the People will not oppose her. In fact, the Filipino People will even salute her and admire her for showing political grit amidst tremendous lobbying efforts by these oil giants.

I ask and urge government to take over these oil firms if they refuse to abide by the E.O. and jail these erring economic saboteurs masquerading as oil executives. If they ration oil, government has the right to seize these companies, file economic saboteur charges against them, jail their executives and take over operations. That would be the day.

Mrs. Arroyo has the full support of the people. Time for government to show its muscle against abusive and unscrupulous private entreprises.