Korean crisis: Tough balancing acts.

So, both Washington and Seoul are convinced that based on overwhelming evidence a North Korean torpedo is responsible for the sinking of South Korean ship Cheonan. This has to be the toughest challenge yet to maintaining the pale imitation of stability in Northeast Asia.

The sinking of the said ship, which killed fourty-six South Korean sailors, was a serious act of agression that violated not just the Armistice but the United Nations Charter as well. Indeed, it should have been taken by South Korea as an act of war that required full military retaliation. The painful reality for Seoul, however, is that military option is a luxury it can ill afford. President Lee Myung-bak knows this, which is why his response to the crisis was very prudent: He did not immediately put the blame on the North but instead called for a level-headed investigation of the sinking, and when the investigation conclusively pointed to the North as the culprit, he ruled out military option and called for a cautious response.

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When all else fail…

Yes, that’s what Filipinos do when ballot machines malfunction during presidential elections. Amen.

Why not Gibo Teodoro?

 Among all the other candidates for president, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has no equal in eloquence and in his grasps of issues. His campaign was very sober and constructive, a welcome deviation from the mudslinging that Filipinos have been accustomed to. In answering important questions he gives detailed answers instead of generalizations and motherhood statements.

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Erap again?

  In 1948, the Chicago Tribune was so sure that Republican Thomas Dewey would win the elections that it printed the now-infamous headline Dewey Defeats Truman on its front page. All the survey then pointed to an imminent Dewey victory the way SWS and Pulse Asia is pointing to an imminent Noynoy Aquino landslide today. But Truman aggressively embarked on a ground campaign that cris-crossed the United States. In the end, Truman defeated Dewey.

Today, supporters of second placer Joseph Estrada are pointing to this Truman upset in claiming that an Estrada win is still possible. They point out that like Truman, Estrada has mastered the “ground war” of the campaign, barnstorming the Philippines and inviting non-hakot crowds. There is, however, one important difference the pro-Erap crowd misses. In 1948, the pollsters did not bother to continue conducting surveys weeks before the actual voting day because they assumed the opinion of the voters would not change. In contrast, SWS and Pulse Asia have conducted surveys up to the last leg of the campaign.

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Righting one very serious wrong.

 UPDATED May 12, 2010

 The response to my last blog entry narrating the harrowing experience of my mother in the hands of abusive and extortionist police officers “Allan” and “Mario Palic” was overwhelming. Within twenty-four hours after I first published the said entry, around 2,000 people have read the article. Several people have blogged, tweeted and Facebooked our story while two mainstream media columnists, Rey Arcilla and Ellen Tordesillas of Malaya, ran it in their columns. We are really very thankful.

Based on the comments I’ve got, my mother’s case is not an isolated one. Hulidap– or arresting to extort– is indeed a common modus operandi of many police officers. Apparently, Police Station 3 in Barangay Talipapa, Novaliches, Quezon City in particular, has a notorious hulidap record.

I e-mailed the Philippine National Police and the National Police Commission, asking them to advise us on the steps we should take against these abusive officers. Neither agencies were helpful. PNP only referred us to their on-line telephone directory, perhaps forgetting that we are not in Manila and it is difficult for us to make calls. Napolcom, on the other hand, only asked why my mom did not file complaints earlier. Here is their reply to my e-mail:

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Arbitrary detention and extortion of my mom by officers of Police Station Number 3 in Barangay Talipapa, Novaliches, Quezon City

UPDATED, Wednesday April 28, 2010

When my mother went to the Philippines to attend the graduation ceremony of my sister and to seek the opinion of Filipino doctors on her mild cancer two weeks ago, she had no idea she was in for the shock of her life.

Last April 14, my mother went to visit a friend named Janet who lives in a slum area in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. That friend owes my mother some thousands, which my mother decided to collect because she needs money for her medication. My mother was accompanied by an old friend, Maximo Gabriel.

At around twelve noon, just when my mother and Gabriel were about to leave Janet’s place, two plain-clothed policemen- one called Allan and another named Mar Palic- approached them, accusing them of drug possession. My mother and her friends aghastly denied this, and before the two cops could search them they showed their bags to the police officers and emptied their pockets to show that there was nothing incriminating inside. Still, the cops “invited” them for questioning. 

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Stand Up Japan?

Here are the leaders of one of two newest political parties in Tokyo:

And yes my dear, they call their party Stand Up Japan.

LOL, as the netizens say.

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Got the pic from this blog. 

Obama snub.

Perhaps the oddest thing that happened in the Nuclear Security Summit is President Barack Obama’s snub of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s request for a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines. This snub became glaring when Obama sent to meet Hatoyama not Vice President Biden, not Secretary Clinton nor Secretary Gates but the Secretary of Freaking Energy– third to the last in the US Order of Precedence!

The acting president of Nigeria and the foreign minister of Egypt made it to the President’s appointments schedule, but not the Prime Minister of Japan? Makes you wonder if you heard it right when the Obama administration said just months ago that the US-Japan alliance is the most important alliance of the world, bar none. Has the annoyance of Obama over Hatoyama’s stubborn insistence on re-negotiating the transfer of Futenma Air Base really reached this point already?

Some Canadians talk about Imelda Marcos.

She’s nuts alright, but you have to admit that Imelda Marcos is among the biggest things that came out of the Philippine islands. Here’s a classic video of a Canadian comedian talking about his encounter with the Madame.

And why the fuck would the world endorse Noynoy Aquino?

As a student of politics, I’m aware that the battle for public perception is vital in gaining and maintaining power. This is especially true in the Philippines, where politics is personality- instead of issue-driven. That’s why people like Bubby Dacer and Reli German are indispensable to politicians especially during elections; these spin doctors are tasked with conceptualizing and presenting the best possible packaging of their candidate, as well as capitalizing on every development that could be spun to further enhance the said packaging. And this is exactly what I believe Noynoy Aquino’s handlers are doing on his being featured on the cover of the Asian edition of Time magazine.

First an obviously pro-Aquino newspaper carries the Time feature on its front page. Then the candidate himself reveals that some officials from the European Union, China and, most especially, the United States have been “exchanging notes” with him. While nobody from the Noynoy camp claims that their candidate is being endorsed by the international community (of course they wouldn’t, lest diplomats from EU, the US and China and the editors of Time come up with a denial), it appears to me that Noynoy being the preferred choice of the international community and, most especially, the US is the subtle message Noynoy’s handlers are trying to send.

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