Tidbits of Life

Tomorrow's national elections will be a test of the Filipino collective values. A vote is always an act emanating from the voter's value system. If a person votes for change, his values recognize the ills of Filipino society and government and see the need for change to happen. If the voter values the highest bidder for his vote, his values mean nothing more than the few pesos that can extend some food into his or his family's mouth; and to hell with the rest of the Philippine community. If the Filipino sovereign prefers the ideals of intelligence and performance over honesty and clean governance, his value system decides that graft and corruption are fine so long as the people doing it may be intelligent and well-performing in what can they recognize. In the end, the fate of the Philippines rests on the value choices of the majority of its citizens, may it prove beneficial or destructive to the future of the many of them. That's democracy at work. The fate of every Fi

In a gathering of supporter groups at his Laurel House in Mandaluyong City on 7 May 2010, Nationalista Party standard-bearer Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. said: "How can there be mud on you (referring to Liberal Party presidential candidate Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III) when you do not even wade through mud."  (Maila Ager, " Villar to bow to 'Lord's will' but continues attack on rival ," Inquirer.net , 7 May 200) Precisely. We don't get dirty unless we go into a dirty situation and do dirty. But that does not mean we're not doing anything. Life has many temptations on its own; we're amidst the mud of this world, of this life. We don't have to join the criminals to make the wrong decisions, do the wrong things. If Noynoy keep himself away from wrongdoing in public service, I believe that's because he chose not to do the wrong things many do. So we have a choice--to do dirty or avoid it. We don't have to choo