Saturday, May 8, 2010

Philippine Elections 2010, I am for G1BO.


I wouldn't normally put on a Political based post here on my gaming blog, but hell, Why Not?
Polls is just few days away, and I guess, this is my little contribution to the voting public, a call for a Wise and Principled vote.

Some would say a Vote for Gibo Teodoro is a wasted Vote, what they fail to realize is that it is any man's game. The election is not merely between Noynoy and Villar, there are other candidates as well.

Why am I for Gibo? Aside from the fact that he exemplifies what I want from a leader, he showed us that one doesn't need bickering and mudslinging just to win votes. His campaign is not based on HATE, but purely on platform and how he intends things to be done.

In summary I would vote for him because of the following reasons

He practices positive Campaigning(No Mudslinging)

He speaks of reconciliation & unity

He does not offer Utopia(No Promises of paradise & instant gratification, but realistic solutions)

He has a clear platform of Government, Region-Specific Plans & Strategies

He does not appeal to EMOTIONS just to gain votes



Something to think about: (post taken from Enushki.Tumblr.com

As NDCC Chair, everyone was furious with Gibo, whether it was his fault or not.

One thing I noticed early on about Gibo that earned my grudging respect was that he never made excuses for whatever shortcomings he had in handling Ondoy. In our country where blame is the name of the game, Gibo never lashed back at his detractors in typical defensive fashion. He didn’t make excuses. He didn’t say “Boo hoo, look at me. It’s not my fault.” He quietly did his job. On the day Ondoy struck, he rode the MRT and swam in murky flood water just to get to his office (I guess siya ang literal na nakalangoy sa dagat ng basura) - he didn’t make a big show of it. In a later interview with Al Jazeera, Gibo did not let the reporter bully or provoke him about Ondoy, answering his questions fully and emphasizing that the country’s response to the disaster met international standards - including the UN. He handled the problem admirably, quietly and with grace.

The Maguindanao Massacre in late November should have been another crushing blow to the aspirant. “What did he do to stop the Ampatuans?” many have asked. Gibo answered this in ANC’s Tapatan - as DND, the Ampatuans did not receive more than they were allowed, and Gibo rendered a proper accounting of this, but he quietly added that the DND has no control over the ‘discretionary’ issuances of guns and ammunition to CVOs directly from the Office of the President.

It must be noted that it was Gibo who was the first to act decisively and demonstrate his outrage at what happened - he caused the expulsion of the Ampatuans from the party and he personally accompanied Mangudadatu to file his certificate of candidacy, together with his friend and former party President Sarangani Gov. Migs Dominguez. Gibo has earned the respect of Muslim groups, as articulated by Amina Rasul-Bernardo (director of the Philippine Council on Islam and Democracy) herself.

These two incredibly difficult situations would have easily broken a lesser candidate - add to that the ‘kiss of death’ of the current administration.

Whether you like Gibo or not, you would admire his extraordinary humility as a government official. Extraordinary because in our culture of blame and defensiveness, Gibo exemplifies what our public servants sorely lack - someone who will take the shit and still do his job, irrespective of praise.

I have no reason to doubt Gibo’s intelligence and capacity to formulate and implement policies, and thus, I believe that while he may not have a particularly impressive legislative record out there, he has done good, solid work wherever he went.

I will say, however, that if we were to analyze Gibo’s legislative record, then it’s clear that for his term as Congressman, he focused on the improvement of his district and his province, which is more than I can say for his cousin and fellow Tarlaqueno. I can also glean from the record that as President, he will start on the fundamentals of nation-building: education, infrastructure development, health and justice.

Loved by his friends and allies, admired by his opponents

Who commands respect even from opposing camps and various personalities? Gibo. Anyone who has met him or worked with him speaks of him highly.

Jinggoy and Erap Estrada themselves told the public, if you don’t vote for Erap, vote for Gibo. Granted that it’s not exactly a shining endorsement coming from our deposed ex-President (and his son), but the fact that Estrada not only respects but admires Gibo is something.

Even Manny Villar’s wife, Rep. Cynthia Villar, sings Gibo’s praises. Outspoken PGMA critics respect and admire Gibo for his intellect, professionalism and integrity.

A Positive and Principled Campaign

One would expect that as PGMA’s anointed one (with kiss of death, too), Gibo would be spending most of his time thrashing it out with opponents who insult his intelligence and call him a puppet. Gibo, who is far more intelligent and educated than his opponents is being painted as a man without a mind of his own.

The easiest way out for him is to sever ties with PGMA - stand on the pulpit and call her names. Many people I’ve talked to have told me that his association with PGMA is the only reason they are not voting for him.

Of course, better than anyone else, Gibo would know the implications of joining the general ruckus. Being Anti-GMA would very likely win him a lot of votes whether he stays with the party or not. Being Anti-GMA would certainly save him the trouble of coming up with a platform of governance - all he has to do is to mouth anti-GMA, anti-corruption slogans and motherhood statements, and people will love him.

On the contrary, Gibo, by his own choice is forcing voters to stop and reassess the situation. Why would an otherwise good guy, the best man for the job, even, stick it out with the reviled administration? Why can’t he just do what is expected of him?

Gibo doesn’t shirk from the responsibility of being the guy who is being backed by the most unpopular President to date. He answers questions/allegations about his GMA connection without hesitation - even if people think his answers are unpopular. He avoids retaliating with mudslinging and demolition jobs even when many of these are directed at him.

His overall conduct of the campaign is a good indication of his moral bearings.

Gibo’s positive campaign draws on the force of the formidable party machinery but the truly amazing phenomenon people should be aware of is the massive and organized youth-led national volunteer movement that tirelessly campaigns for him.

Whether or not it was a sound idea, politically, for Gibo to resign as party chairman, his move certainly purged the party of opportunists and trapos (Chavit, Salceda, among others) who will stab him in the back anyway.

Palabra de honor (word of honor) and delicadeza are shockingly new words in our political vocabulary but Gibo and the public are holding fellow politicians accountable for their actions. Instead of saying - “It’s acceptable, it’s politics,” people have begun to question the motives behind defections, the principles (or lack thereof) of politicians seeking an easy and convenient win by jumping on the bandwagon.

Gibo is walking the talk, and at least he can proceed with the campaign without looking over his shoulder, waiting for the next betrayal. Meanwhile, these defectors have been welcomed with open arms by the other parties desperate for votes but political defection is not what it used to be - now you have to answer to the people.

More importantly, while media outfits trumpeted the collapse of the Lakas-Kampi merger, it was the overwhelming show of support of Green Team movements scattered all over the country that countered these highly sensationalized defections.These volunteers rallied behind Gibo and in a superior show of strength, demonstrated that Gibo is truly the people’s candidate.

Gibo leads by example; his volunteers are constrained to follow and resist mudslinging just to get ahead. In the Gibo Facebook fan pages, you will find volunteers gently reminding fellow volunteers not to wage word wars or say derogatory things about other candidates. Try to visit other fan pages/blogs/sites of other candidates and you will see the difference.

Gibo has never resorted to gimmickry to draw attention to himself. No celebrities, no patronizing ads or slogans to pander to the masses. He assumes that every Filipino is an intelligent voter who will vote according to reason, platforms and not propaganda. On his part, he is certainly doing his best to engage on issues, platforms and advocacies.Likewise, he does not complain if media reports are biased against him, if there are biased moderators in debates, if he is only given a short period of time to talk about his views and stance on issues. He doesn’t pretend, mince words or conceal his feelings about the likes of Nograles, and you can’t accuse him of being ‘plastic’ about it.

For volunteers, that means engaging other detractors/undecided voters/hardcore supporters from other camps in principled debate. Green Team volunteers can’t just come up to someone and say, “Vote for Gibo - basta, hindi siya magnanakaw.” No, volunteers have to be knowledgeable about our candidate - his platforms, agenda and positions on various issues. We have to follow his example and not resort to fighting, name calling or cheap, bandwagon methods just to get people to vote for our candidate.

It’s so easy to engage in negative campaigning, to dish out creative insults and to point fingers, say mean things to other supporters. What about your self-respect and how can you admire or believe in your candidate who does it himself?

A Presidential candidate who not only tolerates mudslinging but practices it is not worthy of respect. How will he even lead the country?

A candidate who respects himself also earns the respect and pride of his supporters. A candidate who keeps the campaign clean and principled is admired by allies and opponents alike. We Gibo supporters and believers wear that distinction like a medal, because no one else can claim that - and believe me, it’s harder to actually practice integrity than just talk about it.

Above all, we volunteers are spending out of our own pockets, contributing to the campaign creatively on a budget (wallpapers, stickers, etc.) - whether it’s transportation fare to regularly visit the Gibo HQ or a small-scale production of materials to distribute. Some use internet bandwith to constantly post about Gibo news and updates, others have devoted their blogs on cyberspace for Gibo. These are things being done by other supporters as well, but you will have to admire the sheer determination, the good vibe and the unity behind the Green Team movements.

Gibo’s supporters and volunteers are striving to make up for what dubious party loyalties cannot do for him. Of course, party machinery is important, but what truly moves the people is the outpouring of support and sacrifice, of volunteers mobilizing all over the country - winning over voters with their sheer earnestness and belief in Gibo and what he can bring to the country. All this is done by volunteers without asking for or receiving anything in return. Whether it’s the media or pollsters talking, greenies are recognized as an important factor in Gibo’s campaign. Greenies are walking credible advertisements for Gibo, more important and influential on people than the ads you see on TV.

He is firm on his commitment to a clean campaign, and he is even more firm about his commitment to forging national unity. I believe him.


I Think Therefore I Am For Gibo

Gibo never asks people to vote for him just because he says so. As I earlier stated, he doesn’t rely on other influential people (celebrities, actors, whoever) to sing his praises and use their clout and appeal for regular folks to vote for him.

He encourages every voter to be critical and informed about their candidates and should they find him the best one for the job, then he welcomes the support. Gibo’s ads have been branded as abstract and elitist (especially the sulong commercial) simply because there are no celebrities, no perpetually exploited images of poverty and despair or anti-corruption slogans (so popular in our jaded political landscape) and no unrealistic promises. Gibo is likewise out in the cold because he doesn’t want to the join the Star Wars like battle of good versus evil that simplistically defines the 2010 elections. Pragmatic voters who are polarized into batting for Noynoy and Villar only are weighing their options based on winnability.

Yet support grows for Gibo with each passing day. Don’t be fooled by the surveys. Don’t vote based on popularity alone, or misguided illusions. Ask why the media is intensely focused on reporting on black propaganda instead of educating and informing the public about issues the future President should be prepared to handle. Look for other sources of information and opinion - a little research goes a long way.