NOYNOYING

A few days before the nationwide protest against Oil Price Hike, the police threatened protesters to arrest plankers during the March 15 protests. Of course the police’s statement is just plain stupid because there is no law against planking (although QC Rep. Winnie Castelo filed an Anti-Planking Bill last year) so there’s no legal basis for the threatened arrest.

Because planking is so last year, there was a buzz in social media networks from youth groups about a new form of protest called “noynoying”. They defined “noynoying” as the act of doing nothing even if you are supposed to be doing something. “Noynoying” came from the root word Noynoy, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s (PNoy) nickname. “Noynoying” represents the administration’s inaction to pressing issues like oil price hike, budget cuts on social services and demolition of urban poor communities.

“Noynoying” was first introduced by youth groups yesterday at the protest in front of the National Housing Authority (NHA) before the start of the transport caravan.

Photo by Ciriaco Santiago III

Meanwhile, at the Palace press conference on the same day, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda just shrugged of “noynoying” and said that it won’t have any effect on the public. But on the same day they released PNoy’s photo while working in his office.

Photo from the Official Gazette

But while everybody was sleeping, #noynoying was top 9 in the Philippines trends in Twitter. No effect, eh?

So youth group Anakbayan released a guide on “How to do the NOYNOYING”.

So come on and shoot that #noynoying pose and post it in the internet to get our message across that we don’t want a #noynoying government. We need our government to immediately act on important peoples’ issues.

But please, no #noynoying all day.

Noynoy’s Inaugural Speech—what do you think?

Here’s the full text of Noynoy’s inaugural speech earlier (June 30, 2010) which inquirer.net posted. For now, read it for yourself so you can judge for yourself if Noynoy can really instill the change everyone is hoping. Feel free to comment about his speech.

 

Photo from philstar.com

 

His Excellency Jose Ramos Horta, Former President Fidel V. Ramos, Former President Joseph Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and members of the Senate, House Speaker Prospero Nograles and members of the House, justices of the Supreme Court, members of the foreign delegations,Your Excellencies of the diplomatic corps, fellow colleagues in government, aking mga kababayan.

Ang pagtayo ko dito ngayon ay patunay na kayo ang aking tunay na lakas. Hindi ko inakala na darating tayo sa puntong ito, na ako’y manunumpa sa harap ninyo bilang inyong Pangulo. Hindi ko pinangarap maging tagapagtaguyod ng pag-asa at tagapagmana ng mga suliranin ng ating bayan.

Ang layunin ko sa buhay ay simple lang: maging tapat sa aking mga magulang at sa bayan bilang isang marangal na anak, mabait na kuya, at mabuting mamamayan.

Nilabanan ng aking ama ang diktaturya at ibinuwis niya ang kanyang buhay para tubusin ang ating demokrasya. Inalay ng aking ina ang kanyang buhay upang pangalagaan ang demokrasyang ito. Ilalaan ko ang aking buhay para siguraduhin na ang ating demokrasya ay kapaki-pakinabang sa bawat isa. Namuhunan na kami ng dugo at handang gawin itong muli kung kinakailangan.

I prefer calling him ABNoy

A few days from now, President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will be sworn into office as the 15th President of the Philippines. A lot considers his win as a landslide victory for leading almost 6 million votes ahead of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada. Many are satisfied with the results for the 2010 automated polls because it coincides with the surveys before election. Not to mention the many irregularities and system glitches of the poll system before, during and after the election day.

From the start I expressed my dislike for Noynoy’s presidency, although I wasn’t able to blog about it, mainly because he’s a nobody except that he’s the only son of ‘democracy icons’ Ninoy and Cory Aquino. Not only that he’s the most delinquent legislator who’s part of the Silent Committee, he presented a very unclear platform during the campaign period, only dragging along his parents’ popular names.

In his 12 years stint as a legislator and with not one law was passed that was authored by him, it’s crystal clear that he will not be able to deliver the ‘change’ that everybody is hoping.

Mayor Alfred Romualdez buwaon?

After more than a year since  Mayor Alfred Romualdez responded to the People’s Agenda that was presented to him which was put into writing, signed and notarized before Tacloban became a Highly Urbanized City, a clear and sincere implementation of his signed promise was not seen.

Mayor's greedy smile. Matuod ka pa ba?

Less than a month before the elections

Twenty seven days before the elections. We have less than a month remaining to campaign for Kabataan Partylist, Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza.

After Kabataan’s regional convention in Eastern Visayas, a full systems go should be (strictly) implemented for a more intensive campaign [never mind the really non-functional forces]. Despite some glitches during the convention due to lack of preparation, I commend Kabataan Partylist Eastern Visayas for the successful activity and showing that “tayo nga ang inaasahan ng bayan.” Among the most commendable delegates were the members from Eastern Samar who was able deliver a truck-load of delegates despite the 4-5 hours travel from the said province.

Kabataan Partylist members from Eastern Samar

After several years of silence of the legal democratic movement in the province after Gen. Jovito Palparan’s bloody stint in the region, they have come forward again to shout to the world that the struggle for genuine change will not be totally silenced by the government’s fascism.

I admire their enthusiasm even thought they’re still recovering from a hard blow, they’re determined to let our candidates win. Everybody should adopt their enthusiasm and initiative.

After the activity, the next thing to do is campaign (more) for Kabataan Partylist, our Senatorial candidates Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza. House to house campaign is still the most effective way to gather as much votes as possible given the remaining days to campaign. Having the chance to explain the accomplishments and platforms of our candidates, there will be a sure conversion of votes.

Of course its online campaign for me since I have other responsibilities which doesn’t include going with the postering and house to house campaign.

Winning this election is quite difficult, but given the right motivation of the people campaigning here and more volunteers coming out, we can definitely gather much more votes compared to the 2007 elections.

So for everybody, if we want to win, there’s no room for sentiments from this day until the proclamation (if the election will be successful). Kaya galaw galaw na!

Promote KABATAAN Partylist (#152) among your friends. Use this as YOUR profile pic. Want to contribute more? Go to http://kabataanpartylist.com/support/152-for-152/ for the #1 task any KABATAAN Partylist member can contribute to our cause.

Election fever, my realizations…for now

A few weeks after Rep. Satur Ocampo’s sortie (actually it was the Nacionalista Party’s sortie) here in Eastern Visayas last March 12-13, 2010, I realized and learned a lot of things:

1. Politics is really rotten in the Philippines. It has been instilled in some people’s minds that politicians can buy anything, otherwise why would you run especially for senator if you don’t have the money? Some people wouldn’t believe you that you are volunteering for a national candidate. When you say volunteer, no salary, no wage, no allowance.

While I was giving out leaflets and taking pictures at the same time during Ka Satur’s sorties…

Me: Vote for Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza for senator!

Man: Miss, how much do you receive from your candidate?

Me: (smiled, dimples out) Manong, I’m just a volunteer.

Man: Ows? I don’t believe you. You take a lot of effort and tire yourself without pay?

Me: (smiled sweetly again) Really manong, we’re just volunteers. Our candidates are poor. We need change. Vote for them. (Then ran where Ka Satur was shaking hands with vendors)

**Of course there wasn’t enough time to explain, the man was on a jeepney and I was almost running handing out leaflets and capturing good shots of Ka Satur…

2.  In Catbalogan City, Leyte (the town not the province) and Naval where we have practically no machinery, just a few contacts, not enough funds for mobility and other needs, a team (hindi naman ganun karami, isang tao ba yun o dalawa?) was deployed there a few days before the sortie’s arrival to do everything: from postering, look for volunteers, prepare the salubong, mobilize, etc, etc. The results was so good aakalain mong matagal nang nakaugat dun yung mga nagparticipate. No one is a better tactician during campaign sorties than from the progressive bloc themselves. Although we’re not used to the mainstream election campaign, aba’y kampanyang masa pa rin naman but with more creativity, style and gimmick. But of course you need a lot of tibay at lakas ng loob, especially kapal ng mukha at ka-epalan. Thanks a lot to the Kabataan Partylist people for bringing in more forces.

3. If you don’t talk and discuss the nitty-gritty details of an activity, you’ll go berserk during the actual activity when you see that there’s something wrong and nobody’s doing anything about it.

4. In mainstream politics, if you’re not epal, you’ll get stepped on by other politician’s supporters and leaders. Insist, insist, insist, epal, epal, epal is the key.

5. Even if Villar, Legarda and even our candidates Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza win, the Philippine’s rotten system won’t take a 360° revolution that will change the system. We will gain a lot whether they win or not. The point is, change is beyond elections.

So will I continue to campaign for Kabataan Partylist, Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza? Oo naman! Mas kailangan pa nga natin silang ipanalo para maitulak ang mas marami pang repormang kinakailangan natin. Habang tayo sa labas? Tuloy ang laban!