GRP Mail - 07 Jun 2021
Dear GRP Insiders,
This week will be a pivotal week as it is the home stretch to a crucial announcement the Opposition (for now represented by self-crowned “unifying” coalition #1Sambayan) need to make on the 12th of June. They are past the point of no return and have already wasted a lot of time.
Why do I care about the failure of the Opposition? I care because a healthy democracy requires a competent Opposition. So far we see none such.
Regards,
benign0
In review and in prospect
From relative quiet the previous week, last week had seen opening salvos from various partisan quarters around bids — and feelers — for presidential candidacy. That said, much of what the Opposition could offer beyond the futile pitching of their shallow bench of largely-unwinnable players are one-dimensional nitpicking critiques of what the admin camp are doing. The critiques are all-too-predictable: their “dynasty” angle with regard to the President Rodrigo Duterte running as vice president alongside his daughter Inday Sara Duterte, and ye ol’ “never again” in light of a possible “Daughterte” tandem with Bongbong Marcos.
Still, 1Sambayan and key Opposition groups have managed to sustain what seems to be a hush over internal wranglings. An online survey dubbed “PiliPINAS2022” had recently sprung up showing Leni Robredo as the leading presidentiable as of this writing. The mobile app 1SamaAko had also been released by 1Sambayan and is intended as a means for party supporters to vote on their 2022 election slate.
One small “win” for the usual mob is news that the House of Representatives unanimously approved House Bill No. 9182 declaring August 30 “National Press Freedom Day”. Rappler “reporter” Rambo Talabong notes “This is the same House that shut down ABS-CBN, the country's biggest news network.” It is this sort of habitual barking up a tree that has no concept of a dog that keeps the Opposition distracted from the important things.
One of the few Opposition social media personalities who holds an on-point appraisal of their dim prospects for 2022 is Kat Stuart-Santiago who issues this tweet to her lot: “You don't want to believe in surveys? You want to insist that #VPLeni got this many votes in 2016 and can win 2022. Sure. But in 2016, LP had majority of the LGUs under its wing, and had the machinery of government to campaign. NONE OF THAT VP Leni has now. #Halalan2022”. Unfortunately Stuart-Santiago is a small voice in a room of people who prefer to believe their own delusions.
Last week’s blog posts
Politics
Political dynasties are not necessarily bad
June 6, 2021 by Benedict Exconde
"Before the political opposition paints a picture of the Dutertes as a bad political dynasty, they should first look into the mirror. The Cojuangco-Aquino clan, Araneta-Roxas clan, Robredos, Lagmans, etc. are all political dynasties..."
Members of @1Sambayan and the broader Opposition need to reflect on why Filipinos hate them
June 6, 2021 by benign0
"It is easy to see that the personalities they cast into their roadshow narrative makes them come across like an egg — white on the outside, yellow on the inside. Thus Filipinos will continue to see 1Sambayan for what it is: Yellowtard rebranded."
1Sambayan fails to measure up to opposition camps of previous elections
June 5, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"It’s only a week before 1Sambayan’s candidates’ coming out event on June 12. At this point, even a glimmer of hope is not on the horizon for the Opposition. Robredo should be taking the lead as titular head but she is bereft of leadership."
NOBODY wants to lead the Philippine Opposition
June 4, 2021 by benign0
"Thing is, even the lazy option to be merely reactive is not something 1Sambayan is in a position to enjoy given that it seems committed to remain tight-lipped until our so-called 'Independence Day'."
June 4, 2021 by Paul Farol
"Now, with the incipient candidacy of his daughter Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, we may yet see another historic and game changing presidential election win in 2022."
“Birthday visit” raises possible Duterte-Gibo tandem, throws Opposition into further panic
June 3, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"A tandem consisting of Inday Sara Duterte and Teodoro, if indeed in the works, would probably be saleable to the Filipinos. Gibo brings with him policy-making and legislative experience. He is also well-versed in economic issues as he has spent time on the boards of several corporations since 2010."
June 3, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"An Inday Sara Duterte – Bongbong Marcos tandem is like Joseph 'Erap' Estrada’s run in 1998. No contest. At this point, the only viable strategy for the opposition is a split in the administration power blocs."
June 3, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Ahead of 1Sambayan’s June 12 event, there is an absence of even an iota of excitement. There is nothing palpable. Not even a faint pulse can be felt among the Opposition’s ranks."
Manny Pacquiao’s possible next move following PDP-Laban brouhaha
June 2, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Pangilinan is supposedly considering either Manila Mayor Isko Moreno or Senator Grace Poe for President or both to run as a tandem. A disgruntled Manny Pacquiao would be a welcome addition to their fold."
35 years of democracy has not freed Filipinos from entrenched oligarchic feudal rule
June 1, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The Opposition is not independent enough to stand up for the people even if they are taking monies from their patrons. The South China Sea dispute has laid bare the behind-the-scenes happenings for the public to see."
Digitization of Ph’s nightmarish bureaucracy should be made a major election issue
June 1, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The President himself has expressed frustration at his inability to reform the bureaucracy. Corruption continues because of the archaic system that is in place. Even the Mayors at the LGU level have done nothing concrete..."
Warning: Manny Pacquiao COULD beat Inday Sara Duterte in 2022!
June 1, 2021 by benign0
"The potential Pacquiao pitch can be summarised thus: Filipinos need to get back to basics: God, country, and family. Pacquiao’s personal brand is unsullied across all three. He is one of the few (if not the only) true Filipino conservative(s)..."
Manny Pacquiao PDP-Laban coup sets him up for failure
June 1, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The question now is what does Pac-Man do after this episode? The Opposition has moist eyes on him. Pacquiao can easily win re-election to the Senate. The best move for him is to lay up and play safe."
May 31, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Insults and vilification do nothing for their cause. It actually turns off voters. They should be less elitist also. They claim to be part of the majority but have a natural disdain for the masa whom they refer to as bobotantes."
Two dying ideologies in tandem: Yellowtardism and communism DOOM the Philippine Opposition
May 31, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The 2019 midterm election saw the Reds coalesce with the Yellows again with disastrous results. Their prospects are again dim for 2022 as both the Yellows and the Reds have shallow leadership benches."
Media
Isko Moreno runs out of English in interview with Karen Davila on ANC
June 5, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Why does she force the issue by continuing to conduct the interview in English? Because it’s on ANC? On the other hand, Isko falls into the same trap. He forces himself to respond in English."
May 31, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Sadly even the better educated on paper are also lackluster. Just look at Drilon and De Lima. The Vice-President takes the cake. She doesn’t articulate like a lawyer. You can’t make much out of her statements because they’re basically word salads in a mix of English and Pilipino."
Technology
June 6, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"We are on track to produce dumb graduates at the rate DepEd is going. Moving forward, the department needs a Secretary who is more attuned to the needs of both students and faculty members. The lower PISA ranking of the Philippines is proof of this."
China makes inroads into breaking Apple-Google mobile OS duopoly
June 5, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"5G-enabled devices made their debut with a price tag of roughly P35,000. Today you can buy a 5G-enabled device for a little under P10,000."
Business
No small deal: The contribution of POGOs to the Philippine economy
June 6, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The Chinese are every patriotic. Every fixture, office equipment, security systems and whatever else needed were all imported from China. The foodstuff sold in their grocery including fruits, are also from China."
Hyper-politicised energy sector dooms Filipinos to chronic energy shortage
June 4, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"One way of raising funds for the construction of nuclear plants is to demand climate reparations from rich countries whose carbon footprints are larger than ours. The country has been battered by one supertyphoon after another."
Doubtfully Legal Takeover of Dampa sa Greenhills
May 31, 2021 by Paul Farol
"Doc Marichi and I didn’t have a chance to talk lengthily about how she felt when Dampa was barricaded without a court order. But I could see she was emotionally distressed just as I imagine she would be if her home had been invaded."
Lifestyle and wellbeing
Despite optimism Philippine vax targets not likely achieved until 2024
June 5, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Even by any measure of imagination, it will not happen that 70 million Filipinos will be vaccinated by the end of 2021."
Important dates
12 Jun 2021 - Opposition coalition 1Sambayan announces 2022 election candidates
30 Aug 2021 - National Press Freedom Day
Notebook
In Bloomberg report, Manny Pacquiao PDP-Laban coup seen to be potential cause for vote split in Philippines’ south and could provide opening for Opposition candidate presidential bid in 2022.
Bitcoin mining increasingly under global scrutiny from regulators and law enforcement agencies owing to insatiable demand for cheap energy to power mining operations. Demand for computers also putting pressure on supply of computer chips in some cases resulting in delays in new product releases for some companies.