Stop Kahirapan--the right way

Sadly, Philippine elections is highlighted (or marred) by fraud, violence, and well, popularity. There is no need to dwell in fraud and violence for as of now with about four months to go 'til the May2010 elections, these two things are sprawled all over the news. So I'll dwell on the last one, having seen one of its effect/example the latest.

Tropa ni Manny

While on a bus on my home to Laguna, I saw this segment, some sort of game show, on Eat Bulaga! that looks and smells (figuratively, of course) fishy. The segment, hosted by Michael V. (*hint hint*), Ruby Rodriquez and other orange-clad (*hint hint*) hosts of the show, started with Michael V. rapping and singing (and everyone else doing this supposed-to-spread dance move) to song entitled, I suppose, Stop My Hirap. The mechanics of the "game" was this: before the start of the show, the live audience of Eat Bulaga! were asked to complete the phrase: "Nais ko..." on an orange (*hint again*) paper and put into some transparent container, from where Michael V. would get one, thus, proclaiming "the winner." This winner is then given the chance to spin a color-coded roleta--no names, different hues of the color orange, and the familiar "check" sign at the top of the roleta. The Grand Prize was P25,000 + groceries. After spinning twice (because the first one resulted to the "check" pointing to the line between two pizza-shaped portions of the roleta), "the winner" still didn't land on the coveted orange spot, but Michael V. decided to just give away the Grand Prize (*HINT HINT*). What the--

I admit, when the talk of the May2010 elections came up in 2009, I said I would vote for Villar (I guess by now, we all got the hint that that portion was his pakana). But seeing how he tries (vainly, painstakingly, and expensively at that) to out-popularize Noynoy, Gibo, Erap and other presidentiables, I suddenly abhor him. He shows the makings (or even the result?) of a Traditional Politician. Trapo, ika nga.

A friend once said to me, "Nakakatakot kaya siya (Villar) kasi andami niyang ads." The reality, implications and gravity of this statement didn't come to me until I saw that lousy, cheap-shot Eat Bulaga! segment and Villar parading himself in pristine white in Wowowee on the same day at that! I was forced to look into the future, a la Nostradamus and the Mayan calendar makers, where he is the President, and I came back with a question, "Pa'no niya kaya babawiin lahat ng ginastos niya sa kampanya kapag naging presidente siya?" (How will he regain the costs incurred by the campaign when he becomes President?) The answer was simply, "Alam na."

Giving out money easily, in game shows or wherever, just goes to show what kind of President he will be, at least from my point of view. He is and will be promoting the (bad) practice of dole-outs, just like Wowowee and Willie Revillame (I weep for the deterioration of Eat Bulaga!). Having seen that anyone could have such amount of money in almost less than twenty minutes, Filipinos would now envision themselves being "uprooted" from poverty by such quick, un-merited and value-less ways. They would rather waste their time lining up for such contest opportunities, or worse wait for these opportunities to knock on their doors (literally) than work and strive hard--which, I believe, is the true Filipino way.