Monthly Archives: November 2015
The First (1916) and Present Philippine Senators
I came upon a graphic (actually my nephew posted it on his Facebook page) which showed the composition of the First Senate of the Philippines (1916), showing the occupations of this illustrious group of lawmakers:
Please click on graphic for a larger and clearer image.
The first senators were:
| Jose Altavas | Mario Guarina | Manuel L. Quezon |
| Hadji Butu | Pedro Guevara | Celestino Rodriguez |
| Aquilino Calvo * | Vicente Ilustre | Esteban Singson |
| Nicolas Capistrano | Leoncio Imperial | Pedro Ma. Sison |
| Jose A. Clarin | Francisco Tongio Liongson | Filemon Sotto |
2016 Philippine Presidential Scorecard
Here is my attempt to rate the top four Philippine presidential candidates in the 2016 elections. The ratings are based on facts as well as the opinion/analysis of the candidates’ background, track record, and policies/positions.
Here it is:
Please click on graphic for a larger and clearer image.
Mar Roxas comes up on top, based on the criteria above. He would be the most qualified and exhibits the best leadership qualities to lead the country in the next 6 years. Mar should be the next president of the Philippines.
Some notes on the ranking:
Planting Bullets Is Never Fun
The “laglag bala” or “tanim bala” scam (dropping bullets in luggage of unsuspecting international travelers and extorting money from these travelers) has become a global embarrassment and a huge black-eye for the Philippines.
Imagine what it has done to our image. This is a setback to tourism (count the pesos and dollars lost), further reinforces the perception of lawlessness in the country (think third world and how we’re trying to get out of that), and sends shivers up the spine of potential investors (still the “sick man” in Asia; if you can’t safely travel to the Philippines to do business, then forget it).