The chink in Aquino’s armor; Amal mom’s interview with ex-President GMA

It might have been a slip of the tongue if he were delivering his speech extemporaneously. But since he was reading from a draft, it means that he or his speechwriter had time to think about what he says.

 The chink in the armor is not so much about his alleged disdain for entertainers who would use their popularity to get into politics.  Given the high office he has acquired without the necessary credentials, the finger would have been pointed at him. So why should he say it? Because it sounds nice, because it is reformist and would appeal to all those who have decided that he is a reformist and incorruptible.

The chink I am talking about is his sincerity when he makes speeches. He seems to be rote-reading them (of course, with the help of the teleprompter) that it makes one wonder whether he means what it says. There has been more than one occasion when his spokespersons have had to “correct” what he said. So he comes out as insincere at best or a liar at worst.

The offending part of the speech on Independence Day in Naga was against entertainers. “We do not need those whose words are merely dictated by scripts, nor do we need talented dancers or fantastic singers. Instead, it is our duty to create a Philippines more just and prosperous than that which we have come to know,” Aquino said. OMG. What a faux pas, coming from him whose sister is the prime example of entertainment popularity that helped him become president or the borrowed  popularity from his parents. Did he have anything to show for his years as a congressman and as a senator that should have qualified him for the post he holds?

He was, of course not talking about his election but the election of a president in 2016. Among names being tossed around as the Liberal Party candidate I don’t see any that would meet his qualification of a candidate “who could fight for the welfare of every citizen in the face of any kind of adversity.”

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For the moment, plans for the wedding of Amal Alammudin and George Clooney are still unknown although movie magazines and bloggers are in a frenzy guessing where it will be held. One suggestion was the Highclerc Castle of Downton Abbey fame because Clooney loved the TV series; another is his fabulous house in Lake Como in Italy, or a quiet chapel in Montreal, Canada to ward off papparazis. There was even a suggestion that it will be held in Lebanon but this was pure hogwash from a blogger wanting to inject politics so it was quickly turned down.

The case for the human right violation in the incarceration of former President without conviction is now in the hands of Amal’s law firm, the redoubtable Doughty Street Chambers which has become known for taking up the most difficult and controversial cases.

It is Amal’s mom, my beautiful friend Baria who was a frequent visitor to Manila and has interviewed every Philippine President (except the present one) since the Edsa Revolution. She interviewed former President GMA as well.

In this interview the former president focused on her valedictory as president of the Philippines for nine years. Western and local media portray her as the most unpopular president of the Philippines but this is not the whole picture. She may be unpopular but as she has said she did not become President to be popular. She pushed many unpopular measures to put the country in the right direction.

“The job is unfinished but in our presidential system the centerpiece of democracy are elections no matter how counter productive. It forecloses on stability and continuity that would have been possible if we had a parliamentary system.

She ends her administration with a high note of 7.3% GDP in first quarter of the year, one of the highest in decades when she bows out. That is the benchmark that the incoming administration will have to match.”

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MISCELLANY: Do we have another Paulino Alcántara, the Filipino who became a legend in football history, in the making? I saw the post among football fans in FB about Alexander de Guzman who is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Swansea City. He is said to be on loan from Villarreal CF, as an attacking midfielder.

According to Wikipedia “De Guzmán is Canadian born, but made himself available for the Netherlands after he gained Dutch citizenship in 2008. He was capped four times for the Netherlands U21, scoring three goals and was active on the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. De Guzmán progressed through the Feyenoord Academy, making his first team debut in 2005 and has played over 100 matches for the club from Rotterdam. In the summer of 2010 de Guzmán signed a three-year contract with RCD Mallorca following a free transfer. The following summer he was purchased by Villarreal.

De Guzmán is also known for being a free-kick specialist.

And of importance is the entry that says De Guzmán was born in Scarborough, Ontario and is of Jamaican and Filipino descent. His father, Bobby, is from the Philippines, and his mother Pauline, from Jamaica. The  De Guzman family came to Canada when their children were very young. He has other siblings in football, Guzmán’s older brother, Julian de Guzmán, is also a professional football player, who currently plays for Skoda Xanthi F.C.

It makes one wonder why with Filipinos making world records in football that not enough effort in making it the national sport instead of basketball.

“His father first wanted his sons to play basketball, but due to the brothers’ short height, they started to focus on other sports. Once they started playing football, the brothers fell in love with the sport completely: “After school, all we did was playing football. That was pretty unusual in Canada, because almost nobody of our age did it. Canada is not a football country, we were exceptions.” This should be a boost to Correct Movement’s Shift in Sports, Shift in Politics. Look into it in www.bayanko.org.ph

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We received an invitation to a press conference to announce the winners of the 2014 Search for the The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) of the Metrobank Foundation. The foundation is working together with the Rotary Club of Makati for the awards.

For the past 15 years, MBFI, in partnership with RCMM, annually holds the Search for TOPS “to honor the gallant men and women of the Armed Forces who go beyond expectations, and to highlight their achievements and efforts toward nation building and development.”