I can’t believe that they’re just beginning the canvass for President!

Even in a country known for Grand Guignol, would you ever have believed that the "canvass" of votes for President and Vice President would begin just now – more than 17 days after the elections? We’ve been an independent Republic since 1946 – and they’re still haggling in Congress over the "rules".

I’m sorry, but we’re giving the term "democracy" a rather bad name. Some people, I’m sure, may even long for the bad old days of the Marcos dictatorship when everybody already knew who’d won before the first votes were cast.

As for me, my bet paid off: When friends were aghast when they learned I was leaving for Shanghai last week "in the middle of all the excitement", I told them that nothing would happen while I was away for six days. And so it was. I flew back Wednesday night – a smooth three-hour flight on PAL’s PR 337 (an economy-sized Airbus, by the way) – to discover the House of Representatives still in a furor, with the canvass suspended while Maguindanao "Opposition" Rep. Didagen Dilangalen fumed and filibustered over a nasty note passed on to him by a former Coryite in the gallery, who wrote that he should "shut up".

The note-writer turned out to be a Ms. Suzette Pido, who I recall was working in Malacañang when former President Corazon C. Aquino was in office, and, when interviewed by GMA-7 yesterday, declared herself unrepentant, asserting she voted for GMA but was not employed by GMA, etc.

She refused to apologize to Didagen-Baby, and dramatically vowed that even if she went to "prison" for what she had done, she would continue to stand by her word, etc. Gee whiz. What a country we are for over-dramatics and huffing and puffing, and this, of course, includes, in spades, Dilangalen who had roared that the note had been an "insult" to Congress and had demanded that Pido be declared "in contempt", etc. None of these outbursts, alas, are going to bring us closer to officially discovering who was elected President of our land, or Veep.

Didagen didn’t shut up, and Pido isn’t in any danger of going to prison, or whatever. So why all the useless fuss, fury, and fulminating? Let’s get on with the show.

* * *

At the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) breakfast forum yesterday, both Speaker Joe de Venecia and Senate President Franklin Drilon came to explain to the MOPC members, assorted diplomats present, and print, radio and television journalists, what was going on – or not going on. Philippine National Police Director General Hermogenes "Jun" Ebdane appeared at the forum, too, in the Ristorante La Dolce Fontana in Greenhills.

Our democracy may be in a mess, but I must remark that in very few countries, including democratic ones, can you "invite" leaders of government of such high levels, at short notice, to appear in public to explain their actions and discuss public issues on an informal "breakfast forum" basis.

The forum, conducted by MOPC President Tony Lopez, was both lively and informative. And after the MOPC affair, De Venecia, Drilon, and General Ebdane were collared by the television reporters and cameras for more detailed interviews. This is truly an open society, which may sometimes add to the confusion – but is, in truth, our saving grace.

Our panel was joined midway through the discussion by Chairman Jose Concepcion Jr. of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL). Joecon pronounced the elections relatively "honest", but admitted NAMFREL owing to difficulties, including illegible COC copies, had counted only 66.26 percent of the precincts, or 20,839,340 voters, but hoped to have 74.5 percent recorded within a few days.

In any event, Concepcion believes that in general we had "clean" elections. What is noticeable, though, is that La Gloria is not leading by a very big margin – which makes it vital that the Congressional canvass to proceed without delay so the final result can be known. I’ve no idea why the Koalisyon ng Pagkakaisang Filipino (KNP) and its Opposition allies seem to want to halt or slow down the proceedings. What are they waiting for? Time for somebody to mobilize or organize a "revolution"?

As it is, nothing seems to be in the offing, although the usual Cassandras are calling it "the lull before the storm". For the moment, it appears to be the lull before the snoring – but I’m ready to be proven wrong.

Has GMA already "won"? You judge for yourselves.

For his part, the PNP Chief, General Ebdane, although he doesn’t express it publicly, seems less worried about trouble emanating from FPJ or Erap supporters, than from one of the aspirants for his post, PNP General Edgardo Batalla "Egay" Aglipay whose choo-choo seems to be gathering steam. Egay – who hails from Cagayan, and is a PMA ’72 – is reputed to be a tough "action man", who distinguished himself when he ran the police forces in the NCR (National Capital Region). Jun Ebdane’s aides, however, claim that Egay has been "intriguing" to get Ebdane "retired" in June so that he (Aglipay) can replace him. This doesn’t seem to be Egay’s style, but, Sus, neither is this the time for such intramurals.

For instance, there is the continuing threat from the New People’s Army rebels and other Communist destabilizing efforts. Aside from its ideological bent and undisguised intent to provoke disgruntled Opposition supporters into mass actions and violent protests, the NPA made hay during the just concluded polls. It extorted no less than P9.2 million (those figures came from hot sources, so don’t ask me to itemize) by charging "permit-to-campaign" fees, and formed alliances with many candidates.

The NPA further campaigned vigorously for six Party-List groups. You’ll find a growing number of leftwing radicals and camouflaged Communists joining the House of Representatives via the Party-List back door.

Ebdane reported at the forum that 39 candidates (out of the 52,000 who contended for various seats) were killed during the campaign. The death toll was 221 – and it’s still growing. This has been a violent election.

* * *

When you fly out from Shanghai’s Pudong Airport, formally opened on October 1, 1999, you realize by how many light-years that metropolis has left dusty, pollution-ridden Metro Manila behind. Pudong airport, geared to handle 20 million passengers a year, is somewhat inconveniently located, being 30 kilometers away from the city. However, a sleek six-lane expressway speeds you from airport to town, and back, in less than 45 minutes. The old Hong Qiao airport, utilized by domestic flights, is only 18 kilometers from The Bund, so is 25 minutes away from your hotel.

Pudong airport, on the other hand, is super-spectacular, somewhat like Singapore’s Changi Airport, although less luxurious in its duty-free areas. Its tarmac and runaways are wide and major airlines – including Singapore Airlines – maintain huge hangars on the premises. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), with our single runway, looks like some provincial airport in comparison, particularly with our fly-specked terminals. In truth, you could put five Terminal 3 buildings into the Pudong airport terminal complex.

What’s this about NAIA-3 which sits mothballed at our airport not being taken over by our government? Guess it will be given to "favored" friends – perhaps even the original tricksters.

As for Pudong Airport, we found the Chinese both casual and courteous in their airport security checks. Nobody had to take off belts, shoes or jackets. Commuters even had walked through the x-ray frames, their cellphones in hand, conducting phone calls even while going through the checks! The Chinese don’t appear to be scared of terrorists – indeed, possibly the terrorists are scared of them.

* * *

Don’t think, though, that all is "boom" in the magnificent Shanghai of today. This vibrant metropolis of 16 million (eight million of them in the city proper) may pulse with energy, light, and chutzpah, but there’s a downside, too, to all that frenetic activity.

There was a timely article in yesterday’s Asian Wall Street Journal that took the words right out of my mouth, so I’ll let Paul French, director of the Shanghai-based intelligence firm, Access Asia, tell it instead.

French’s piece was headlined, Welcome to Bubble Town.

He warns that, although foreign investors flooded into Shanghai in the past few years, they may begin streaming out again. This is because "the costs of setting up a business in Shanghai are rising faster than in other cities. Average labor costs in Shanghai rose by 15 percent last year due to increases in welfare payments, healthcare subsidies and housing subsidies."

Almost every sector is beset by price competition and overcrowding. In sum, too many rushed in, over-invested, and didn’t see their dreams come true. For instance, there were almost no "convenience stores" (like the 7/11 variety) five years ago. Now, I found out, there are more than 2,600. Many are called C-Shops, and carry the familiar white and green stripes.

"If and when the property bubble bursts," sez French, "price and living costs will rise and unemployment will continue to grow – a record 234,000 people are currently seeking work in Shanghai, up 7.8 percent from 2003 to 23.8 percent over 2002. The banks may then find that people start handing the house keys back, leaving them with a whole new swathe of bad debt."

Sanamagan. What will happen to all those fantastic high-rise apartments, and futuristic blocks of skyscrapers in Pudong, and the mushrooming high-rises in West Shanghai? I like Shanghai – and hope the bubble, however fragile, doesn’t burst. It’s exciting to see such a Babylon rise on the Huangpo, ablaze with glamorous lights. Sad to say, however, an energy crisis is also brewing.

"When looking at the bright lights and apparent dynamism of Shanghai," that Killjoy, Mr. French concludes, "it is worth remembering Ernest Hemingway: ‘Never confuse motion with action’."

But Hemingway, for all his adventurous and picaresque lifestyle, proved to be the ultimate pessimist. Remember, he finally put a shotgun into his mouth – and pulled the trigger. I can’t believe Shanghai is fated to do the same thing.

What I’d say is that I fervently wish that Manila had Shanghai’s "troubles". We don’t have a boom. We don’t even have a bubble. All we see here is froth – as from a bubble bath.