Last night I was in the gallery of the Plenary hall of the House of Representatives to watch the season ending of the soap opera, “The House that JDV Built” (billed in Pilipino as, “Bakit ngayon ka lang”) and the premiere showing of the new season series of “How to win a House and Lot”, locally billed as “Tumakbo kang Hubad sa Mundong Ibabaw.” The plenary hall’s gallery was jampacked by a crowd of people of various persuasions and interests; the media, political pressure groups, business contractors, business contractors and business contractors. All eagerly waiting for an outcome that will lead for the betterment or end of their respective agenda in the House.
I just went there to see for myself how a House supposedly composed of men and women having the title of Honorable affixed to their names, divide their own house along the lines of, well what else but their own selfish interests. Once again, the event last night in Congress affirmed the old adage, that in Politics there are no permanent friends or enemies only permanent interests. Amidst all the rethorics of change, reform, what have you, one can simplify what every Congressman/woman was saying…“goodbye joe, dito muna ako sa bagong majority para steady maligaya funds ko from the palace”…“dapat iretain si joe, paano na lang ang Chairmanship ko sa Committees.” You see, when one votes Yes for the ouster of JDV and that vote won (which it did), one automatically becomes a member of the Majority…and the perks for being with the Majority are aplenty.
The blue spots on the Philippine map shows the places that I’ve been to, been once or more, just passed by, etc… My Grade on being “Latagaw” (wanderer) is C+, a dismal performance for someone claiming to be Samuel Bilibit…hehehe… Try it and smile, seeing how alien you are to your own country.
Found this lakbayan map on Bambit. Thanks Darling.
On my first months working in the House of Representatives, I noticed that most Congressmen carry with them a MacBook. Of course they can afford to buy one or even a dozen of MacBooks, but for them perhaps it wouldn’t make any difference if they pick the apple or some other brand. They really wouldn’t bother, they just buy it like the stuff they love to buy during elections.
I just hope that they get the chance to watching this new MacBook Air commercial with the song, New Soul by French-Israeli singer and songwriter, Yael Naim. The commercial and its song gave me a feeling like I’m being transported into a world where there are no politicians…hehehe
Wish I could have one of that Macbook Air someday. Oh and, just on the side, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple is a brother Freemason from Charity Lodge No. 362, Campbell, California.
Here’s that Apple’s Macbook Air “New Soul” Commercial, relax and enjoy, its a good Apple for the soul:
There’s this fuss about the seemingly inevitable change in the House leadership. JDV’s position as Speaker of the House is now being challenged by no less than his allies in the house under the pro-administration rainbow alliance dominated by the LAKAS-NUCD-CMD and the KAMPI.
In the frontline to oust JDV are the two Presidential sons, Honorables Mikey and Dato, acting like Mafia bambinos out to settle a score for a family’s trampled honor. It can be remembered that just recently JDV’s son, Joey, opened a can of worms that exposed once again how rotten the first family is, especially its patre de famiglia.
Thats how politics work in the Philippines. Everybody knows that it has become one big family business. Today’s Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Editorial, aptly describes the present brouhaha:
“To be sure, politics, like any occupation, will result in bruised egos and grudges. This shouldn’t prevent the public, though, from recognizing that at the heart of the ongoing quarrel over the leadership of the House is a mafia mentality that seems to have possessed the First Family and the inability of a Speaker—who is more willing to sacrifice his son for personal political gain—to match rhetoric with action.”
Even if Congressmen change the Speaker of the House as fast as they change their loyalties, cars or bimbos, whats in it for the people, would it effect change in their lives? Like our Presidents, a new Speaker of the House will only be as good as the last one - or worst.
Today is my Father’s Birthday. Dad would have been 84 today. He passed away last April 17, 2007… “prepared to welcome death not as a grim tyrant but as a kind messenger, sent to translate us from this imperfect to that all perfect, glorious and Celestial Lodge where the Supreme Grand Master of the Universe forever presides”.
On this day I’d like to recollect Dad as I had known him.
My Dad is a Gentleman of the Old School, a strict disciplinarian, a man of few words, prim and proper and a bit uptight. He makes it a point that we respect his authority as Master of the House by observing the House Rules he laid down for us. We grew up with these rules and there was never a time when anyone of us questioned it or challenged his authority.
The only occasion where we can have a lengthy conversation with our Dad were during dinner. And at the dinner table my Dad was always the first to open a topic for conversation. We the siblings can buzz with each other on the side but we don’t start a focused conversation on the table unless Dad started it. We can find time to talk with him man to man only if he’s not busy, and more often than not he was always, busy. His last years gave us the only oppurtunity to have long chats with him, and I enjoyed every moment of it.
There’s this fuss about the seemingly inevitable change in the House leadership. JDV’s position as Speaker of the House is now being challenged by no less than his allies in the house under the pro-administration rainbow alliance dominated by the LAKAS-NUCD-CMD and the KAMPI. 
My Dad is a Gentleman of the Old School, a strict disciplinarian, a man of few words, prim and proper and a bit uptight. He makes it a point that we respect his authority as Master of the House by observing the House Rules he laid down for us. We grew up with these rules and there was never a time when anyone of us questioned it or challenged his authority. 
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