2009

2009, probably the most loaded year that i ever witnessed. aside from my personal experience with 2009, there are also a lot of things that occurred this year in the realm of politics, entertainment, etc.

well, if i remember correctly, did this year started with the inauguration of President Barack Obama? correct me if i'm wrong, the first quarter of the year was a blur to me since i'm bombarded with thesis and thoughts of college graduation. for me, the first half of the year is such a drag, i couldn't even remember things that occurred during that period.

anyway, the second half was the opposite. in Hollywood, there's the Kanye West outburst against Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. but the news of the death of Michael Jackson was the most talked about subject especially since he still a This is It concert tour that needs to be done. his sudden death really broke hearts of a lot of fans around the world. his death came along with the death of Farrah Fawcett and was followed by the death of Patrick Swayze, John Hughes, etc. the most recent is the death of Brittany Murphy.

our country also experienced great losses when Francis Magalona, the King of Filipino Rap, died on February. i personally felt so bad when i heard the news. he's like every Filipino's idol. not only did people admire his artistry in terms of music, painting and photography, but also his extreme sense of nationalism. in my opinion, nobody can hold a candle on Francis M.'s dedication in expressing love to the Philippines and the Filipino race.

the second great loss is the death of former President Cory Aquino. it's as if the Philippines have lost its mother. her death seems to have triggered the Filipino's desire for change. with the 2010 election just around the corner, her death did have influenced the events that has to do with it. one among them is the withdrawal of Mar Roxas to run as president to give way to NoyNoy Aquino.

on the positive note, there was the Mar Roxas-Korina Sanchez wedding that everybody talked about. too bad it was affected by typhoons, Ondoy and Pepeng - it's not that the wedding got flooded and all but the couple sacrificed their supposed-to-be extravagant wedding in order to help the people who suffered from the typhoons. another wedding that everybody talked about was the Judy Ann Santos-Ryan Agoncillo wedding. for me, it is the wedding of the year. the unexpected wedding, the unique concept, it's a wedding that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

but the biggest Philippine showbiz issue is the Hayden Kho sex videos which involves Dra. Vicky Belo, Katrina Halili, and other actresses and personalities. the issue was brought to the court, the senate, and the medical board. tsk tsk tsk. but the second biggest showbiz issue was the alleged affair of Manny Pacquiao and Krista Ranillo. honestly, i really find this one stupid. hahaha. good thing Paquiao's wife, Jinky, stood her ground.

aside from the Hollywood and Philippine showbiz, i'm also concerned with the Kpop world. well, for me, the biggest news there was when DBSK's Kim Jaejoong, Kim Junsu and Park Yoochun filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment. the court was on their side as it abolished their exclusivity with the agency. right now, the case is still on-going. TVXQ is only active in Japan but the three take separate flights. moreover, it was said that, the three cannot talk with their fellow members Jung Yunho and Shim Changmin, and vice versa.

there's also Super Junior's Kangin DUI and hit and run incident. another news was 2PM's Park Jaebum's Myspace comment incident which led to his self-exile to Seattles, USA. Super Junior's Hankyung/Hangeng has also filed a lawsuit similar to that of DBSK just this month. aish. really stressful...

in just less than two hours it's bye-bye 2009, hopefully, 2010 will be a better year:)

October 31, 2009

October 31, 2009 may known to be as Halloween to most people in the world, but it is more important to the people here in the Philippines as a step to life-changing move for the country. it was the deadline for the voter's registration for the 2010 elections.

ever since the death of former President Cory Aquino, politicians have began to move their resources for next year's election. a lot has happened and President Aquino's death have changed a lot of what is to come for the Philippines next year. among those things is the decision of her one and only son Noynoy Aquino to run for presidency after Sen. Mar Roxas withdrew his candidacy for him. it was a noble move in the opinion of others but there are still some who are doubting his motives. anyhow, the two decided to run alongside each other where Roxas will be Aquino's vice president. on the brighter side of things, at least the anticipated Mar Roxas-Korina Sanchez wedding pushed through. haha.

next was former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada's announcement that he, too, will run for president next year. there were those who were supporting but there were those who are against it. i'm one of them. why? well, constitutionally speaking, he's no longer qualified. i don't care even if he say that he didn't get to finish his term as a president and the constitution only apply for those who did finish their term. whatever. also, i believe that the Philippines needs a new leader - the Philippines today is not the same Philippines that Estrada led back in 1998, things are way different now.

when i ask myself who am i going to vote, i still don't know. i'm waiting for the final list of candidates come next year. this will be my first time to vote and i'm so thankful that i didn't get to join the Oct 31 rush, haha (i registered way earlier, hahahaha). in my opinion, this year's registration is the most significant yet. i can't wait for the elections. i believe that change is gonna come this time around...

Ondoy

September 26, 2009 is probably the worst day of September in the Philippines. a super typhoon hit Metro Manila, Rizal, and Bulacan (i don't know about other areas, but this is where the typhoon really centered its power to destruct). it's rains and floods were unexpected, it redefined the Filipino's (and perhaps also the other people in other tropical countries where there typhoons) definition of what is a "super typhoon.

from what i've heard, the cities of Pasig and Marikina, and the municipality of Cainta were the areas that were badly hit. well, come to think of it, almost 100 of the people who died in typhoon are from Cainta alone. i live in Cainta and i must say that i agree to their conclusion. the water in our subdivision reached over the average height of a person (til waist inside our house). Cainta is known to be prone to floods but Ondoy's floods were really something. back then, we don't need to take our TV, computer and stove upstairs but this time, we did. our next door neighbors even evacuated in our house due to their lack of a 2nd floor.

then the electricity went our by lunch time and we all went frantic since none of our phones were fully charged. our scheduled trip to the wet market and the grocery store was cancelled since none of us can get out of our house. thus, we don't have enough food to eat. cellphone signals weakened until none of us can send text messages or call other people. by afternoon, the rain still continue to fall, and with our current situation, all we can hope and pray was that the water won't continue to rise because we honestly don't have any idea if there are people out there who can rescue us the moment the water reach our 2nd floor. good thing, it didn't reached our 2nd floor and we're still alive and we still have most of our stuffs.

the electricity got back on Tuesday but we still don't have drinkable water. the water from the faucet is even insufficient to clean the house from flood water and mud. the grocery departments on malls were also flooded (only one manage to start operating since Monday).

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo described Ondoy as a "once-in-a-lifetime" typhoon and i was not happy about it even for just a bit. it shows that the Philippine government is not prepared to respond to such calamity to think that she said in her last SONA that our country is prepared against national disasters. but as of the moment, we are continue to appeal to private sectors, organizations, and foreign countries for donations and aids. come to think of it, it seems that TV networks, GMA7 and ABSCBN2 was able to do a lot of relief operations compared to the government itself. actors and actresses who always put image and vanity before everything else forget that they are just made for acting as actors like Richard Gutierrez, Gerald Anderson and Jericho Rosales risks their lives to help people in flooded areas, and actresses like Maxene Magalona and Iya Villania, and host Bianca Gonzalez continue to call for donations and volunteers.

i know that global warming has a lot to do with Ondoy but i also think that the government cannot be free from blames on what has happened. in an article from Time.com, Filipino analysts stated that the national and local government failed to solve the problem of drainage systems in the cities and the likes. well, i agree, because they all spend a lot of time politicalizing themselves and one another. and i hope that the candidates of the upcoming 2010 elections will begin to see the amount of things that they have to take care of before they become elected.

[pictures from Yahoo! News]

Kpop in Philippines

the very first time that the Korean Wave set foot here in the Philippines is when GMA7 aired "Bright Girl" starring Jang Nara in their afternoon slot. this was followed by "Endless Love: Autumn Tale" starring Song Seunghun and Song Hyegyo in their primetime. in my opinion, GMA7 have mastered the "art" of picking Korean dramas because most of the Korean dramas they have shown have become a phenomenal hit here in the Philippines. after "Endless Love: Autumn Tale", some of GMA7's unforgettable Korean dramas are "Endless Love: Winter Sonata", "Full House", "Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jangeum)", "Kim Samsoon", "Jumong", and "Coffee Prince". but ABSCBN2 has also their own hits like "Lovers in Paris" and "Princess Hours" (sorry, i don't think i can consider "Boys Over Flowers" as a huge hit here in the Philippines).

as for Kpop songs, the first Kpop songs that were played here is Unee's "Answer the Phone" and Kiss' "Because I'm a Girl". that coincides with Sandara Park's rise to fame in the Philippine showbiz industry. if i remember it right, the next song that was aired was a song by Lee Jaejin - he even went here and performed with Sandara at ASAP Fanatic. then Roxanne Barcelo, i think, sang the first to songs in Filipino as her debut singles back then.

i don't bother myself up about the dramas, in fact i always wait what Korean dramas GMA7 will air next. in that way, i won't have to spend my time reading subtitles. however, as for Kpop songs, it's a different matter. truth be told, i'm against the releasing of Kpop songs here in the Philippines (especially those from the artists that i like...well, even those who i don't like) and i know that i'm not the only one who feels this way.

just this year, i was surprised that the song "Nobody" by Wonder Girls began playing in various radio stations and it was being sang by different actors, actresses and singers every week in variety shows. the first time i saw that is when Moymoy Palaboy and some others performed it in an opening number in SOP. it was fun then, why? because it was Moymoy Palaboy - the duo that are well-known of their funny lipsyncing of various songs in Youtube. but when the It Girls performed it in ASAP the following week, i start to realize there is something not right. then i finally hear it on various radio stations everywhere i go - while i walk in the streets, the malls, while i'm riding a tricycle, jeepney, taxi or an FX. i even hear three versions - the original, the English and the slow one.

i start to imagine what's going on with my friend who is a die-hard Wonder Girls fan. she told people before that she don't want them to get famous here in the Philippines. i understand what she feels (i'm sorry but i don't want TVXQ songs to start playing in radio stations and music channels, and i totally don't want local celebrities performing their songs). then i start to hear 2NE1, well, i already expected it since Sandara Park's part of the said group. i know that MYX (a part of ABSCBN) would really do everything to get a hand on 2NE1's MVs and songs. so, as for the 2NE1's case, i would let it pass since it is definitely inevitable that they won't get a hype here in the Philippines.

then Super Junior songs began to play in radio stations and music channels (even the Cebu inmates made a dance number of the group's "Sorry Sorry"!). i'm not a Super Junior fan so feeling their presence here is a horror for me. then i was told yesterday that Big Bang's songs are making their presence on the local airwaves felt but i haven't confirmed this yet (i've been avoiding listening to the local FM radio nowadays - i only listen to stations that are for the high class people, i'm not discriminating but there are radio stations that are only meant to play Western songs and OPM bands!).

the feeling of not wanting them here in the Philippines grew. when i was asked why, i don't know what to answer. i just can't say "i just don't like it" because that will appear that i - and other people who have known the Kpop industry way before their songs arrived here - am just selfish that i just want to keep them to myself (but there is also a great feeling when you're the only one or some few others who knew about it). but after analyzing the reception of the Kpop songs by the Filipinos by mere observation, i finally realize why there are people like me who don't want Kpop songs to be played here despite being a huge fan of it.

while it is true that if these Kpop songs are played locally, it can be easily accessible to all of us that are Kpop addict. after all, they're the songs that we listen in the Internet, the MVs that we watch in Youtube, and the artists we search over Wikipedia. but the way we treat Kpop is not the same compared to most of the Filipinos.

i have become a fan of Kpop since 2003 (that was months before "Meteor Garden" was aired in ABSCBN2). how? when i first watched "New Nonstop 3" in ArirangTV. where's the music there? well, i got addicted to the show the first time i saw it that i forgot to switch channels when it was over. it was followed by "Pops in Seoul" then i saw an MV by this beautiful guy with an amazing voice - "Confessions" by Kangta. since then, i went to the ArirangTV website to see the schedules of "Pops in Seoul" and music variety shows namely "Showking M" and "Music Tank". i also searched more about Kangta, that's when i learned about H.O.T, S.E.S and Shinhwa. and by searching the profiles of the "New Nonstop 3" cast, i learned that DANA is a solo artist and Lee Jin is part of Fin.K.L.

Kpop has something different compared to our own OPM and the Western music (even though it is patterned on Western music). i learned how the artists auditioned and trained. i learned the role of the talent agencies like the so-called Kpop's "Holy Trinity" formed by SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment (because of this, i start to pity DSP Entertainment since back in the 1990s, they were the one who's up against SM). i learned that Kpop is a VERY serious industry in South Korea. through the variety shows, i learned about Baby V.O.X, Jewelry, BoA, NRG, Fly to the Sky, etc. the Internet also introduced me to disbanded groups like Click-B and Seckskies. before i know it, i seem to know everything about the basics of the Kpop industry. also, i learned about the Korean Wave.

then in my last two years of my college, when i made a thesis about Korean dramas, i learned how the Korean Wave came to be. i learned that the Korean entertainment industry is not always the way it used to be. i learned that it was only in 1990s when their entertainment industry began to revolutionalize. since that was the case, there's no doubt that the Kpop industry is the fastest growing and the most innovative music industry there is. foreign artists seldomly get the number one spot in South Korea because they have tight competitions against the local artists. they use the Kpop industry and the whole of their entertainment industry to protect their local culture.

however, when Kpop songs are being played here in the Philippines, it is not treated with the same respect as it is in South Korea. Kpop songs are treated the way like Filipinos treat the songs "Asereje", "Macarena", etc. and the OPM novelty songs by Sexbomb Girls. in Filipino slang, Kpop songs becomes "jologs" and low class. fans like me here in the Philippines are against this way of treatment. but we can't do anything about it, it's just that the Filipinos does not understand what Kpop is all about - the way the talent agencies spend tons of money to train their artists in singing, dancing, modeling and other languages like Japanese, Chinese and English; to produce songs that can go against Western songs; and to make videos with the newest technology possible (c'mon, compare OPM MVs with Kpop MVs, tsk). it irritates fans like me everytime the radio DJs and music channel VJs talk about these Kpop songs as if they know everything about it but in truth is that they do not.

"Nobody" is not just a "dance craze" that swept all over South Korea. i may be exagerating but after a decade it can be regarded as one of the Kpop classics along with H.O.T's "Candy" and S.E.S' "I'm Your Girl". take Sandara Park as an example, her songs here in the Philippines are novelty songs - "In or Out", "Walang Sabit" and "Ang Ganda Ko" - songs that are forgetable as time passes and songs that are laughed at (but it's just that novelty songs are the big thing back those years), but when she returned to Korea, she have a number one REAL pop songs - "Fire" and "I Don't Care" - with 2NE1 and just recently, she released a solo "Kiss" that is a technopop dance tune. but what can i do? the Filipino definition of classic songs are those jukebox songs that were in rage during the 1970s and, unfortunately, they are still being done today in the form of modern ballads (so thank goodness there is Eraserheads, Francis Magalona and Gary Valenciano).

comparing OPM to Kpop, it is obvious that the OPM industry is totally backward compared to Kpop's modern appeal. the only thing that OPM can brag to Kpop is that we have awesome rock and alternative bands like Eraserheads, Rivermaya, Parokya ni Edgar and Kamikazee (unfortunately, they have their own Gary V. and Francis M.). maybe the only downside of Kpop is that the artists are not good English speakers like the Filipinos but slowly but surely, the Koreans are going there. when i watched Jessica Soho's report on Kpop a month ago, a local music producer is against the way Filipinos embrace the Kpop songs. why? because, according to him, we have our own music which is the OPM. unfortunately, it seems that he doesn't seem to notice that our OPM industry does not have pop boybands and girl bands that are good-looking, amazing singers and awesome dancers. maybe if Gary V. decided to produce a boyband back then, things would've been different.

the reason why Filipinos listen to Kpop is that Kpop has something that OPM cannot offer. i don want Kpop artists to gain international recognition the way they are recognized in Japan, China, and the rest of Southeast Asia. but, as of now, in my opinion, Kpop should just remain off-limits here in the Philippines not until people here can understand or at least realize that Kpop is not some cheap novelty songs.

Rep. Mikey Arroyo on GMA7's Unang Balita

i know this is not a laughing matter but seeing him trying hard to maintain his composure was really amusing. it's as if he doesn't know how to explain himself all throughout the interview. personally, he should've thought twice before agreeing to do this.



For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

as usual...the Arroyo family has been constantly bombarded with various controversies. just after former Pres. Aquino's funeral, the news about the expensive dinner that PGMA had with her entourage during her trip in the US is the talk - not just by the country - but by the whole world (oh yes, to think that the news was published by The New York Times). since then, the Arroyo's riches were being questioned - it was said that ever since she become the president, their family riches grew for more that 100%.

the Filipinos are no longer buying their explanations and with her son's - sorry for the word - clumsy interview, acquiring the Filipinos understanding will be much harder and may be impossible. the people who are siding with her are not helping her at all, one instance: this is from Bianca Gonzalez's Twitter dated August 10, 2009:

i can't believe the spokesperson of malacanan said "alangan naman sa hotdog stand pakainin ang presidente!" WHAT!??! that's your statement?!

talking about stupidity! goodness!

rush hour traffic

here in the Philippines, traffic jam is no longer a valid excuse for tardiness. traffic jam is already accepted by everyone as something that can never go away in this country. to avoid it, it's either you wake way early or you look for a place near your work or school.

despite that, i can't still help but rant about it especially if it mess up my daily plans and routines.

maybe because i can perfectly see what causes the daily traffic jam in our area and i feel frustrated that no one in the government is doing about it. i know no one should forever rely on the people in the office but what if they are the only one's who have the power and the authority to do anything about it? of course, you'll expect that they should get into action.

ugh.

issues after the burial of Pres. Aquino

that photo was published in Manila Bulletin after the day of President Cory Aquino's burial. it was an honest mistake and, fortunately, people from Malacanang see it as that. but with a lot of issues being thrown against President Gloria Arroyo, people that are anti-PGMA are so loving it. but it is not only Manila Bulletin that committed the same mistake, writers in philstar.com and abscbnnews.com and news anchors from TV and radio are also guilty of the same error.

anyway, the biggest issue that is causing a buzz right now after the burial of Pres. Aquino is whether or not her youngest daughter Kris Aquino will run for office or whether or not her only son Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, Jr. will run for the higher office for the 2010 elections.

"Kagaya po nang pangakong iniwan ng Dad at Mom sa ating bayan, Noy, ikaw at ako ang nasa posisyon para ipagpatuloy ang lahat ng kanilang nasimulan."

[read the whole speech @ PEP.ph]

Kris Aquino said this before in front of all the people in the Manila Cathedral and in national TV before towards the end of the Requim Mass for her mother. with the 2010 elections just less than a year away, people are speculating whether the two Aquino children will run for the said elections.

critics have said that if Kris Aquino and Noynoy Aquino will run for in 2010, they have a huge chance of winning. with all the people who showed up in Pres. Aquino's cortege, it is obvious that the siblings have the whole nation behind them. besides, Kris Aquino have a very strong charisma that can drew a lot of attention towards her. whether people like it or not, whenever Kris Aquino has something to say, it always seems that the whole world listens to her. and i bet the number of people listened to her when she was interviewed last Sunday in The Buzz was larger than the people who listened to Pres. Arroyo during her last SONA.

[picture from a friend]

the final farewell to President Cory Aquino

yesterday was a very emotional day to the Philippines, it was a day when finally, former President Aquino was brought to her final resting place. hundred thousands of people went out on the streets to see the cortege despite the strong winds and rains. i may not be one of those people but i did my own sacrifices too - our village was already flooded but we didn't dare to turn the TV off despite the threat of the water getting inside our house. we were all glued to the TV from morning til evening and when Pres. Aquino's coffin was already sealed inside her tomb, i went up to the my room and fell asleep, feeling tired as if i was on the streets following her cortege.

the whole event was overwhelming - starting from the requiem mass to the almost-8-hour long procession from Manila Cathedral to Manila Memorial Park to the burial of Pres. Aquino. the whole event makes each and every Filipino proud that they had her as their president...proud that they are Filipino.

the homily delivered by Fr. Arevallo highlighted the love that Pres. Aquino had for the Philippines and for the Filipinos and it also emphasized the sacrifices she have given for this love. clearly, she have gone through too much as Fr. Arevallo stated that she have died a long time ago from the moment her husband was assassinated and that she have been repeatedly dying since then (when she was asked to run for the presidency, when she led the EDSA People Power in 1986, etc.). in truth, she could've just chosen a quiet live with her children after her husband's death but she stayed and fought for what her husbands has been fighting for - FREEDOM!

and for simply choosing to stay with the Filipinos, we thank her for that...for not abandoning us, for taking care of us...

the speech given by her youngest daughter, Kris Aquino-Yap, was another heartfelt and tearjerking event. despite all the entertainment controversies and scandals she involved herself into, she is still one of the people here in the Philippines that the people will listen to. she mentioned that her family don't know how to thank all the people who have went to her mother's funeral and to the people who have waited in the streets last Monday despite the rain and the hot rays of the sun...one of the people interviewed yesterday said that that is all they could do for the former president, according to her, the sacrifice that they have to do will only have to last for a day, it is nothing compared to the sacrifice that Pres. Aquino have done. i agree, nothing an ordinary Filipino could do that would be able to repay what has Pres. Aquino have given to everyone - she lost her husband because of the Filipinos and yet she stayed and fought for the Filipinos, it was just so overwhelming that the couple really proved to the Filipinos and to the world that the Filipinos are indeed worth dying for.

i'm sure that the Filipinos are also very grateful for the five children of Pres. Aquino. they were robbed off the time that they should have spent with their parents and yet, even after their father died, they continued to share their parents to the Filipinos. Kris Aquino may have said that they are clueless on how they can thank each and every Filipinos for the love they have shown for their parents but in reality it us, the Filipinos, who don't know how to thank their family.

again, Pres. Aquino made each of us proud to be a Filipino. when Lea Salonga was singing "Bayan Ko" as the Pres. Aquino's coffin is being taken out of the Manila Cathedral, i can't help but feel the love that the former president have showered to everyone of us. then when it was the APO Hiking Society along with all the guest singers singing "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo", i can't help but feel proud that Pres. Aquino became one of our presidents. though she may done much for the government, it was understandable, the Philippines was poor and is starting from scratch during 1986...all she could do is put the country back to the pedestal and she exactly did that. i'm proud to say that it was her who gave the Philippines a new life, a new hope, a new freedom...also, she put the Philippines under the international spotlight, she made other countries look up to us...

i may not have been born during the assassination of Sen. Ninoy Aquino in 1983 or during the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution but i don't need to live during those times to see for myself what an amazing woman she was. in fact, i wouldn't want to live during those times. it may be amazing to witness the People Power but i'm already contented with the period i'm living in...this is the period that she have fought hard for, the period she wanted for the future generations to live in, the period where freedom and democracy is running the country. though there are those politicians who are taking advantage of this democracy, she has always been there to defend the people from them...and now that she's gone, it's up to the Filipinos to fight for themselves.

Pres. Aquino is a woman of purity...she never wanted power, in fact, during her term, she couldn't wait for it to end...her life may seem amusing because whatever happened to her during her lifetime is something that she never imagined to happened but, nonetheless, we thank her for letting God's will take over her...isn't it ironic? the person who was able to epitomize what a president should really be is a person who never dreamed of being a president in the very beginning?

i'm a youth who didn't witness all of the dark events that transpired in my own country but is thankful for Pres. Cory for not letting me and my fellow youths to witness them...the freedom that we are experiencing, we owe it all to her...

once again...

thank you, former President Cory Aquino...

our president,

our mother,

our hero....

[picture from Yahoo! News]

the Cory Magic

students may have been continuing to go to school and people who have work continues to go to their offices but the feeling of sadness is definitely in the midst.

the Filipinos have lost a very important person in their lives...
the Filipinos have lost their mother...

the Philippines continues and will continue to mourn for the death of former President Cory Aquino.

yesterday, when her funeral was moved from La Salle-Greenhills to Manila Cathedral, thousands of people went to the streets and waited for her casket to pass. i was able to witness the prosession - i was at work, at the 42nd floor of our building and i saw the preparation that the City of Makati have undergone for her (traffic enforcers are dressed in yellow, yellow ribbons and cloths hang on the building, etc.). i saw how people began to fill the long street of Ayala Avenue and how they waited despite the unbearable heat of the sun in high noon.

the truck carrying the casket of President Aquino stopped in front of her husband's, former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, monument in Makati. i saw how emotional was that event when i got home and see it on TV. but even though i was not down on the streets, despite the height and the glass window, i, along with my officemates, could hear the people praying, singing and chanting "Cory" with the "Laban" sign up in the air while yellow confettis pour from buildings.

i was honored to be there. i may not have gone down to the streets but seeing the whole thing happened while i was at a high place is enough for me - if i was not there, i would never see how people began to fill the streets, etc.

President Aquino may not have been groomed to lead a country but despite that, she was obviously the most loved president of the Filipinos. freedom and democracy are among her legacies and no other presidents - be it those who have already replaced her and those who will replace the current one - will be able to surpass her gift to the Filipinos and to the Philippines.

for the modern era, she have sacrificed so much for the Philippines and that sacrifice can never be surpassed by anyone - perhaps, in the next century or so but not anytime soon.

she is a president, a mother and a heroine to all the Filipinos...

the Philippines may be mourning right now but i, personally, can feel something else aside from the sadness and loneliness that is wrapping the hearts of the Filipinos. just like a child who have lost his or her mother, the Philippines will have to learn to stand on its own - the Filipinos must learn to stand on its own, it is already the time for the ordinary Filipinos to fight for the freedom and democracy that President Aquino have strived for the people. it's definitely clear that the Filipinos would not let that sacrifice go to waste...

unity is perhaps crawling back to the Filipino people, change is perhaps walking back to the Philippines' door...this is perhaps what the people is talking about after seeing the thousands of people who went out on the streets yesterday to give their respect, love and final goodbye to the Mother of Philippine Democracy - the undying "Cory Magic"...

[picture from Yahoo! News]

RIP Former President Cory Aquino

i slept at my friend's house and i woke up at 9am...my friend is already awake and she was watching TV with her mom and the reporter from the TV was talking about the details about Cory Aquino's wake.

"Patay na si Cory?" i asked, surprised while i followed my friend to the dining area.

"Oo," she answered, "kaninang 3:18am..."

the event didn't come as surprising (well, i was surprised because i didn't expect to happen now, but maybe i will never expect it to happen anytime) since she's been battling against Colon Cancer ever since last year (there are already several personalities here in the Philippines that had died because of Cancer and the most recent that i could remember are Rudy Fernandez and Francis Magalona). despite having progress and was able to be released from the hospital, she was once again brought back in and was said to be confined for an undefinite time, so i know that it will come soon (add to that is Kris Aquino's - her daughter who is a talkshow host/actress - absence from all of her shows).

obviously, the Philippines is mourning today and will be mourning tomorrow or so. i mean, people all over the country have been organizing various prayer mass for Cory Aquino's speedy recovery ever since she was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. besides, Cory Aquino is a very important person in our society. even though she's no longer the president of the country (ever since 1992), every word she says still weighs tremendous amount of importance and her opinions are always asked during the height of various political issues.

she was an awesome woman. i may not be born during the time when she led EDSA People Power back in 1986 to witness how she ousted the dictator rule of former President Ferdinand Marcos, but her every appearance in the media being interviewed because of various political controversies is enough to make me learn that she is a well respected woman in our country. and i bet, Cory Aquino is the only woman or president that the Filipinos respected this much.

she restored democracy to the Philippines - something that the present and future youths will forever be thankful of. i mean, children born after the reign of Marcos never had a chance to experience his dictatorship and his Martial Law. but of course, each and every Filipino is thankful for that democracy.

she became an inspiration and model not only to the Philippines but also to the whole world. the 1986 EDSA People Power became an instrument to other countries to sought freedom and democracy from the authoritarian, dictorship and communism rule they are under. leaders all over the world were also inspired by her and they highly respect her. women all over the world especially to countries where women are treated with not-so-much importance compared to men admired her strength especially when Cory Aquino's husband, Ninoy Aquino, was assassinated in 1983. when she became the Philippines' first female president, women from other countries also began to sought for the highest political position there is in their country, already believing that they can also lead their own country.

isn't awesome? that as a quiet housewife, she was able to create such a huge impact all over the world?

her death will be in the hearts of the Filipinos and her advocacy for freedom and democracy will be carried on - especially at this time when in just less that a year, the Philippines will again held their election in 2010. the Philippines is once again crying out for democracy, feeling that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have robbed that off from everyone. maybe not all Filipinos look at Cory Aquino this highly (her regime was the period when various coup attempts occured and there are those who are against her because of her land reform law that she passed but is still not executed) but i'm sure that many of us, she is the Mother of the Philippine Democracy and now that she's dead, a lot of Filipinos would not allow anyone - even their current president who is also a woman - to deny them the democracy that Cory Aquino have strived for in order to give it to them...

thank you so much, former President Cory Aquino.

thank you for the sacrifices you have given our country...

thank you for the sacrifices you have given for us, Filipinos...

thank you for the freedom and the democracy...

thank you for everything...

may you rest in peace...

[picture from Time.com]

automated elections might not be possible

i was sitting inside the FX when i heard the news from the radio. i don't really understand what happened but i'm hoping that the COMELEC and all the officials that are involved for the 2010 Elections can do something about it. i believe that Philippines serves like a laughing stock of the world every time the country held its election. why? most of the country around the world are using computers for their election - even countries that are poorer than the Philippines use computers during their elections.

i really can't help but think how stupid are the officials are that are working for this election and that ranges from the people in the COMELEC up to the Judiciary. before, COMELEC have already petitioned for an automated election, it was denied by the Judiacial branch because it only as 99% accuracy. WTH! 99%! nothing's perfect, duh!

i won't be surprised if the people will think that this is another of our beloved president's "pakulo" in order to get her term extended. i mean that's the talk of the country (aside from the Hayden Kho video scandal)! that's what the people thinks when the ConAss was assembled. and i really can't blame them. i really don't get it why those people in the high authority can't see how tired the Filipinos already are. they want something new and they want change. enough is already enough. the Palace also seems to treat the Filipino youth as human beings who doesn't have anything in their brain. they usually say that they (we) don't understand what we're protesting, etc. i pity them because they all seem so outdated - they don't understance and they couldn't accept the fact that the youth of today is the smartest people in the country right now. tsk tsk tsk.