Monday, June 7, 2010

They insult our intelligence and derail our progress

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR
by William M. Esposo
from The Philippine Star

In a more developed country, they would not even be accorded a minute of television time or six square inches of print space. But because this is a third world country which suffers from the Information and Education Gaps — they are allowed to express their ridiculous utterances on expensive television airtime and limited print space.

Foreigners who are watching Philippine developments have observed that we are a nation that’s fast running out of time. What they mean is that we seem too engrossed on petty matters instead of attending to the more serious problems of our country.

Just take a look at what some idiots — people who are unable to see the truth — proposed recently for incoming president Noynoy Aquino to do. Despite the enormous mandate Aquino got to right the wrongs of the recent past, some people have taken him to task to quit smoking. If we pander to what these people are asking Aquino to do, that would be the equivalent of Americans asking Barack Obama to quit smoking at the start of his term instead of solving the economic problems of the US.

Filipinos looked up to Aquino to restore justice, as in jailing those responsible for the Maguindanao Massacre, and some idiots would rather have him focus on ceasing to smoke cigarettes. Filipinos elected Aquino to restore decency in government and stop the climate of impunity which characterized the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) regime but the same idiots would rather have him concentrate on ceasing to smoke cigarettes. Filipinos rallied around Aquino in order to stop the plunder and corruption and some idiots would prefer that he attends first to kicking the smoking habit.

A broadcast network’s commentator made it his passion to be a severe Aquino critic during the campaign while espousing the views as well as promoting the issues of the biggest spender among the presidential candidates. He should first address the impression of many who heard and saw him on radio and television that he is a corrupt broadcast journalist rather than call to task the winning presidential candidate over an irrelevant issue.

Also insulting our intelligence are the election losers who have found it convenient to claim that they were victims of an “Electronic Garci” cheating operation. Comelec (Commission on Elections) Chairman Jose Melo was right when he asked that how come these losers are only coming out now to denounce these cheating operators. Being public officials, it was their duty to denounce anybody with a plan to cheat in the elections.

Regardless if these sore losers doubted if the cheating operation was feasible or not — it was their duty as public officials and citizens to inform the Comelec and the police that certain individuals were peddling a cheating operation. If they did not subscribe to the cheating operation, it would have been logical for them to have these persons arrested lest they operate for their rivals. The fact that they did not finger these cheaters to the proper authorities lends credence to the conclusion of some that they likely paid for these services to ensure their poll victories but were double crossed because there was really no cheating and they lost.

Many of these poll losers who are now denouncing fictitious cheaters are administration candidates and have likely suffered from their close association with GMA. This election was all about GMA and the anti-thesis of GMA. What else could these candidates who have been closely associated with GMA, the reputed kiss of death to any candidate, expect from the electorate? The big surprise would have been if they still managed to win despite their association with GMA.

We all saw how an association with GMA handicapped the presidential campaigns of Gilbert Teodoro and Manny Villar. Are we surprised that Eddie Ermita, Lito Atienza, Prospero Nograles, Robert Ace Barbers, Jocjoc Bolante, Mat and Mike Defensor, et al should suffer the same fate?

But these traditional politicians are nothing compared to “Wowowee” host Willie Revillame when it comes to insulting our intelligence. Or perhaps it is the network Revillame works for that must be made to account for insulting our intelligence.

Having been a network CEO, your Chair Wrecker was surprised when Revillame had the gall and the temerity to question the ABS-CBN coverage of the Manny Villar campaign — claiming that the network did not faithfully cover the Villar rallies. Revillame was one of the celebrity endorsers of Manny Villar.

News Head Maria Ressa would have sent letters of fire and sword for a lesser slur on the network’s coverage. She had defended the network airing of a fake psychiatric report against Noynoy Aquino but she did nothing about the Revillame slur on her department’s coverage of the Villar rallies.
Revillame challenged ABS-CBN to fire a showbiz radio commentator or he will leave the network. That fueled whispers in the network that Revillame had a “special influence” on ABS-CBN bosses Charo Santos and Gabby Lopez.

ABS-CBN news stories narrated recently how Revillame became the center of so many embarrassing past controversies like his sexist jokes, the deadly Ultra Stampede and his stupid and insensitive remarks during the Cory Aquino funeral. Still, Revillame kept his job.

Chair Wrecker email and website: macesposo@yahoo.com and www.chairwrecker.com

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