Watched the rerun of Harapan: the Vice Presidential Debate at Ten’s house with her brother and Moe.
Loren Legarda’s nose flared a lot every time she took the stand. It reminded me of an angry bull about to charge… Or a not so famous dictum in Hiligaynon that goes: “Kung wala ka gabutig ngaa gahongak ilong mo?” Haha! It’s what grown ups tease children with when they’re at the age of inventing stories. Just an irony: She says she stands for women empowerment. But she also endorses laundry detergent. Meaning, girls, maglalaba pa rin tayo.
Mar Roxas says he’s Ilonggo. He speaks Ilonggo, but he’s Capizeno. Some of us would like to hear him say that more often. Even if we’re a small voting population, we all know where Judy Roxas Lives. A lot of us could remember Dinggoy Roxas. I could name a bunch of Gerry Roxas Foundation Scholars. So say it, Mar. Say you’re a Capizeno. You cannot be our champion if you don’t acknowledge us as your own. You probably walked butt naked in Baybay as a little boy just like the rest of us. Is that really so bad?
Jay Sonza was a delightful surprise. I didn’t even know he was running for vice president. 
Binay with his Makati pride and Bayani with his yellow construction helmet were the entertaining pair. You guys could measure up to each other eternally but it would be like keeping up with the Joneses. You should remember that Marikina and Makati are just two cities in the 1,107 islands of our archipelago.
Perfecto Yasay was cute. He was like a saint. He had a very kind smile and a very gentle voice. Every time he answered questions, I wanted to say “Amen, Father” like I was talking to Fr. Francis on an SE weekend.
I was hoping to see Edu Manzano take a stand in the debate. But I suppose, a film and TV actor might find it a challenge to stand against lawyers and journalists in a battle of wit and political issues… So what is he doing running for vice president?
I’m allergic to politics. I hate the fact that I get victims of stabbing and mauling and shooting incidents at my ER because of an argument about who’s the better presidentiable or which congressman is the lesser evil. I hate families being torn apart because of wars among political clans. I hate being bribed. I like the feel of my own hard earned salary. But sometimes, I don’t know if the things I feel when I come face to face with an old man about to suffer a heart attack from a blood pressure of 200 systolic because of a heated political argument are worth the cash I receive on payday. Catapres and Metoprolol can only do so much. They can lower blood pressures, but they can’t dampen tensions between opinions as hard as brick walls and coconut shells for heads that are much much harder. You would think they live on an unwritten rule of : “Better lose a limb than lose a vote.”
I know, it’s sad.
But the thing is, when election time is near, you cannot deny it. You can feel the country come to life. You can take a 12-hour RoRo trip from Capiz to Manila and strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and I’d bet my life he’d have an opinion to voice. You can pick a child at random on his way home from school and I bet you he can sing a couple verses of “Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura…” It’s like a every opinion is a heartbeat…
Lubdub. Lubdub.
Our nation.
It’s alive.
We just have to make each heartbeat worth it…
March 23, 2010
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