My presidential candidate

Posted by in 2010 Philippine Elections, Politics | 71 comments


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It is two months before May 10, 2010, the Election day. The Day we vote for a president and the rest of the national and local posts.

I made a choice.

I have chosen my presidential candidate.

I want my candidate to win.

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to openly support our presidential candidate (not here online). The past month, we began discussing our choices, analyzing and researching on the nine presidential candidates. I am blessed and privileged to have interviewed seven presidential candidates and attended three presidential forums. It has given me an opportunity to understand their platforms, the issues and over-all impression of the presidential candidates. I know their strengths and weaknesses but there can be only one President.

How did the decision process go?

1. I already knew what I wanted in a president.

2. Character, competency, coherent platforms and clear vision are the criteria that I look for in the presidential candidate.

The present times call for a tough administrator, statesman and economic leader. That was the critical factor for me.

3. I narrowed down the nine candidates to just three. My initial short list was based on my selection criteria on character, competence, coherent platform and clear vision. My short list of candidates composed of Manny Villar, Dick Gordon and Nick Perlas.

4. I decided to make my short list a bit more quantifiable by using this voting matrix.

5. I wrote about How to Select a candidate to vote for President.

The result ?

Manny Villar, Dick Gordon and Gibo Teodoro is now my refined shortlist.

6. Over many lunches and dinners, my husband and I discussed all these. Two more factors affected our choice which cannot be quantified and this is where gut feel came to play.

- The candidate’s sincerity (my perception based on interviews) to serve our country.

- The ability to communicate with the candidate in case of questions on their governance . A vigilant citizenry is crucial to monitor the powers of the presidency.

A decision is made to support our candidate because we want our candidate to win.

You ask, “So who are you supporting?”

It does not matter who my candidate is. As project editor of Blogwatch.ph, it is prudent that I keep that choice only to myself and my close friends, the people I trust. Certain quarters cannot distinguish me as a voter and me, as the editor. Blog Watch remains non-partisan.

My motives for Blog Watch have been questioned. Some people think that money is always part of the equation just because one presidential candidate has so much money to spare in his campaign. Can’t people think for once that money is not everything?

What a shame!

Is it hard to believe that my only motive is that I love my children, that I think of their future? I have a stake in their future. This is how I can be a part of my children’s future.

The process of selecting a candidate is more important and which I have shared to you.

I believe one should make a rational informed decision, not one based on emotions or bandwagon effect. Discuss them with your family, your friends and the non-internet users.

The only way we can learn more about the candidates is if we educate ourselves and others, we can do this if we help foster discussions of platforms, encourage a healthy debate of issues, raise the level of intellectual discourse and analysis.

All in the hope that we can come up with the optimum choice for our next generation of leaders.

Are you ready to make a choice and support that candidate?

Blog Watch

Visit BlogWatch.ph to read more on the presidential candidates, automated election, the party list and campaign finance.


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  • http://itakeoffthemask.com Joyce of I TAKE OFF THE MASK Blog

    In choosing a candidate:

    Sometimes, it isn’t a matter of having a checklist, as is the case in choosing whom to love. It is often a matter of conscience, and of having the wisdom to discern what is best. Wisdom not only comes from knowledge, but from God, through prayer.

    I know some may raise their eyebrows with this criteria, but then aren’t we still a Christian nation? Or do we not believe in God anymore?
    .-= Joyce of I TAKE OFF THE MASK Blog´s last blog ..Religion Versus Spirituality =-.

  • cvista

    Amen to that Joyce, we have to love and understand everybody in order to have peace with the Lord. But at this time, we cannot be at the middle, its either you go right or go left…..I cannot choose all of them, so my choice is MV..

  • rosalito j sultan

    Madam; Gibo nalang po kau, mabuti pa. please vote wisely, we need highly capable leader who does not need advisers, who can choose w/c alternative is best for a particular situation. We decisive leader, hnd yung pa iba2. OK? Basta ako Villar, bata pa kasi ako, I want to see Villar to make difference in our country.

  • Hector

    It’s time for us to choose a president from the working class.. Kailan ba natin babaliin ang tatsulok? Kung lahat ng iloklok natin ay anak o kapamilya ng mga nasa tuktok.,

  • Hector

    Bat ba hindi mapost ung mga comment ko?..

  • Hector

    Aywan ko kung bakit sa elite class, gusto nila si NOYNOY.. Kahit walang nagawang batas.. Hindi makapagdecide ng walang adviser. Pinaglaban ang lupain na hindi sa kanila. Kahit makapatay pa sila.. Siguro pinipili nila ang hindi matalino para madali nilang mauto…. Kaya nga sabi ni NOYNOY sa makati business club, No new taxes.. Ebidensya ng pagkauto’uto..

  • Michael

    Hey, let’s please talk about credible candidates in this section. I’ve heard about Gordon, Gibo, Villar, Perlas, and other potentials and that’s great. But, I’m confused about one thing. Why would anybody even talk about Noynoy? It’s beyond me why people would even throw his name in here, with the exception of the post because she interviewed him. I mean, if you don’t like Villar, then talk about someone a lot more credible than Noynoy.

    To the people who say they have done extensive research on Noynoy and Villar. Yeah, Villar has many accomplishments that he has done but, there are so much…it’s impossible to know everything he has done good for the community. But, Noynoy on the other hand, you don’t have to be real extensive in your research on him….because there’s not much there. You really have to analyze his platform and character, which both are weak. He can’t look someone in the eye while talking. And he can’t give a well drawn out statement with passion in his voice. It all just sounds like he has been prepped and working off of memory, not passion. That’s probably why it’s so hard to schedule an interview with him.

  • Jess

    Vote for Villar. Gordon would have been ideal too but reality is he doesn’t have the reach – he will not win. Vote Villar and petition Gordon as Head of Villar’s board. Voting fo Gordon is risking a win for Aquino. Noynoy should not even be an option. He is running based on his name alone. No merit. The intelligent choice that would benefit the Philippines is Villar.

  • Ker

    There are only 3 logical choices to vote for the next president. they are Villar, Gibo and Gordon.

  • Ker

    exellent remark.

  • http://eryl@yahoo.com eryl

    do you know all guys that the mother of villar is not a tindera, they are engage in as a wholesaler, and you also know that sibling of villar died not because they cant afford to buy a medicine, it is because he is determine to have a leukemia and by that time there is no cure for that illness..just FYI.

  • Michael

    @ Cesar….I’m not sure if you really understand what’s going on. For example, you are for Noynoy so, I’m sure you fell for the whole Villarroyo thing. And you probably use that name for Villar somewhere on the net knowing support from the Arroyos would be like the kiss of death to his votes. But yet, one of your choices is Gibo…..openly and proud to be supported by the Arroyos. Don’t you find that a bit of a contradiction?

    Here’s a piece from Hitler of how he brainwashed a large amount of people. And I’m not comparing anyone completely to Hitler but, I am saying there are similarities of what is being used in politics to this day that was inspired by the words of Hitler. And there is a candidate and party using this tactic right down to the last sentence. Research it and you’ll find that this is credible and came straight from the book of Hitler.

    Hitler Wrote in chapter 10 of Mein Kampf: “In the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.”

    Hitler’s primary rules were:
    1. Never allow the public to cool off
    2. Never admit a fault or wrong
    3. Never concede that there may be some good in your enemy
    4. Never leave room for alternatives
    5. Never accept blame
    6. Concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong. People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat the lie frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.

  • http://aboutmyrecovery.com Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

    you know if you want to believe these half-truths, go ahead. Villar’s mother was once a tindera. Alangan naman tindera siya habang buhay. Umasenso siya.

    If you have all the intentions to read all sides, then Read this transcript from Villar
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/29223808/Manny-Villar-in-DZMM-Interview-on-His-Brothers-Death-Being-Poor-c5
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/29136919/Manny-Villar-Talks-about-his-brother-Tondo-House-and-More

  • janus

    well, i was for noynoy and my mom for manny. then i began my own research on both. that is then that i decided my presidential candidate: Manny Villar.

  • HUNGKAG

    “I decided to make my short list a bit more quantifiable by using this voting matrix.”
    Ms. Noemi,
    Following is my comment to the voting matrix you used to make your shortlist:

    KT is quite popular since the ’70s and from my experience the best and unsurpassed problem solving and decision making tools for management beginners although there are more sophisticated decision making process technique.
    However , the process is not strictly followed. Ist, the must criteria is a GO-NO GO screen and applied first to select or eliminate a choice(s). The “must”criteria is something that a particular choice has to satisfy. It is an either or criteria. Only those choices that meet the must criteria should move to the want criteria which are the desirable traits and can be ranked subjectively(better if measurable, say, no. of laws passed. In the voting matrix except for the “not tainted by corruption” all others are desirable criteria and can be ranked accordingly. Thus, these must be included in the “wants” screen. Based on Voting Matrix no candidates passed the must criteria, so either the criteria used are “too tight that no choice can be made” or too loose that everybody will pass it.

    In reply to a blogger, the blog author says that she uses KT only as an exercise. I concede that but she has to use KT correctly for her to at least approximate the best choice and not misled herself and others.

    Now my take.

    The only must criteria is “not tainted by corruption” because this is an either or choice. A candidate is either corrupt or not and there is no in between. This is not a want or desirable criteria that can be ranked. If we apply this to the voting matrix only 4 candidates passed, jcdelosreyes, aquino, villanueva and perlas and must be moved to the want screen. Villar, teodoro and gordon fals this test and must be eliminated as a candidate

  • janus

    maghirap na po ang nagmamalinis kuno at kesyo walang bahid, kaipokritohan yan…. Villar for president!

  • Michael

    @Hungkag Do they serve halo-halo in the fantasy world you live in? Anyway, please come up with better explanations than that because those are horrible excuses to vote for Noynoy. Vote for the one that is the least corrupt. Can you tell me examples of how you think Manny Villar is corrupt? And then after you tell me, can you also show me some official documents proving your statements? If you can’t do that, please stop spreading unproved comments in here.

  • lyn ruth

    There is no such note in Sen. Villar’s Facebook page. This was the note that came with this link: Some quarters would try to make us forget about all the good qualities of Manny Villar. Yet of all the candidates, only Villar has a full record of accomplishments and good deeds to society.

    And this: “Yes, Manny Villar is in my shortlist”

    And this too: “Manny Villar says that his opponents
    are stepping up their black propaganda campaign against him as the
    elections draw nearer, and he expects the attacks to turn more vicious.
    He responds to these attacks in akalamo.com”

    Maybe you’re the one who is presumptuous.

  • http://aboutmyrecovery.com Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

    AkalaMo is the tab beside Wall>Info>Photos

    Who is presumptuous? You? who makes judgement based on biased media reports. think about it.

  • Michael

    You’re an idiot if you take what you hear on the news and from the opposition as if it were a proven truth. To say Gibo, Gordon, and Villar failed due to corruption….without hearsay, where did you get this solid information? I know many allegations against Villar but, that’s all black propaganda and most have been proven wrong already. And besides being aligned with GMA, what shows Gibo being corrupt? And besides Gordon being strict, what facts show him to be corrupt?

    Aquino passing a test of not being tainted by corruption. And how do you come up with that conclusion? I don’t want to follow hearsay and believe it’s true but, Aquino isn’t without controversy. And it’s highly possible that he falls into the conflict of interest category. His family, which I found out in the Philippines are close even if they are distant. The Cajuangco’s and Aquino’s are both united through marriage and have decedents which includes (and here’s his full name to prove my point) Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III. They have a majority stake in Hacienda Luisita. Now, when the farmers were promise to get the land by Cory, it never happened…..they were just tricked into signing some paper they didn’t understand but, promised they’d get the land. So, when the massacre happened on November 16, 2004 killing twelve farmers and two children and injuring hundreds of others, who would do something like that? And why would Noynoy not sympathize for the dead and injured farmers without making excuses of how and why it happened? To me, I think Noynoy is one of the worst kinds of politician. And the only reason why I take him seriously is because he has many blind supporters, like yourself that are voting for somebody that has nothing to offer. Nothing to offer but, a always promised end of corruption platform. And let’s be honest, do you really want Noynoy to be the face of the Philippines……how embarrassing.

  • abe

    isipin natin ito, we are more than 90 million+ filipinos and yet sila-sila lang ang magpapalitan sa pwesto, kaya tayo di umaasenso, pinababayaan natin ang iilang pamilya utu-utuin tayo. sana iba naman para maiba naman ang takbo ng ating kalagayan, ung tunay na may malasakit sa atin lalong-lalo na sa mga mahihirap, hindi ung mga iletista na palaging pinoproteksyunan ang kanilang mga sariling interes sukdulang magkamatayan.

  • anabelle
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