VP Leni and VP Sara for 2028
Analysis and Opinion
By Lance Corporal X
The Meeting in Naga
Former VP Leni Robredo and current VP Duterte met in Naga a few days ago. Their meeting is a sign of mutual respect. Not desperation , not gullibility. Sonny Trillanes is wrong. He’s trying to gatekeep. He’ll not win the presidency in 2028. But there’s a good chance Senator Tulfo will. So Trillanes’ gatekeeping only serves himself and inadvertently other guys equally as hungry for power as he is. Enough is enough. Filipino males are mediocre. We need Filipina women to take their rightful place. They are meeting because they see danger ahead for 2028. VP Sara is not as popular as she started. She should’ve heeded my warnings and read my article warning of PBBM (“Sara all, how BBM will fail 2022“) . But I’m mostly in love with Inday Sara because of this incident (“Viewpoints: Inday Sarafor President” ). I don’t know why she decided to run with PBBM. But I know why she’ll run with VP Leni in 2028. They are perfect together. Like Yin and Yang. Dark and Light. The two compliment each other. And they both will transform the Philippines to a global leader.
VP Leni is Generation X
She came of age after Martial Law. VP Leni knew the heavy handedness of gov’t and the chaos that ensued after. She’s too good for the Philippines. The Philippines doesn’t deserve her. But the new generation of Filipinos do. Not Trillanes. Not Tulfo. These guys represent the old guards. The Philippines can afford to not have them around. They’re a dime a dozen. All mayabangs. VP Leni isn’t mayabang. She doesn’t talk, she just walks. One step at a time towards progress for the Philippines. When she lost, I’m sure she was sad. But she continued her works. Because that’s what VP Leni is all about. You can’t always trust the government. And you can’t always trust the people working in government. But you make do. That’s what VP Leni is about. She’s all about persevering. I’m sure that’s why VP Sara paid her a visit. How to shake off mediocrity.
VP Sara is Generation Y
She came of age after President Marcos. Inday Sara only knew a Philippines that was lost. But she can imagine its potential. But not with people like Tulfo and Trillanes. All forma forma. Trillanes like many Filipino males when there’s blood in the water will go for the jugular. Run amok. Like a horse with blinders pulling tartanilla. These guys won’t see the wider bigger picture in front of them. They are short sighted. Only instant gratification like with marshmallows. Inday Sara kinda has this quality too. This male Filipino shortsightedness. But I think this is just her Dad, which can be easily shed. VP Leni has been doing this for a long time. Guys like Trillanes gatekeep, and she just moves on. No tiny males can tell her what she can and cannot do. Gatekeeping is for lesser imaginations. VP Sara gets inundated by gatekeepers. She paid VP Leni a visit to inquire about how to deal with them.
Philippines is mostly Generation Z and A
Most who will be voting in 2028 will be the generations that came of age during the internet and the eventual spread of smart phones. They don’t know anything about Martial Law or the mismanagement that ensued afterwards. Because of BPO and OFW and social media they only know their potential and the previous generations holding them down. They are done with the patriarchy of Philippine society, which embraces Filipino male mediocrity a little too much. They know women are the only ones in the Philippines kicking ass and taking names. They look at VP Leni and they see cool headed calculating leadership. They look at VP Sara and they see a fierce Filipina that is a force of nature who just needs to be guided. Both are equally smart. Both will transform the Philippines for the better.
Elephant in the Room
You have to let go of EJKs. Understand that DU30 was given a mandate by Filipinos for some much needed bloodletting. He campaigned on it. Made promises and was widely popular because of it. Trillanese doesn’t understand this. He’ll only manage to perpetuate the Philippine tradition of jailing former presidents. Let go. Move past EJKs. VP Leni as VP Sara’s ate (or manang in Bisaya) will have a steadier hand. VP Sara because of these attacks by gatekeepers like Trillanes is encouraging her worst. If VP Leni promises to forgive DU30 and cease these ICC threats, you’ll not only put an end to this jailing former president tradition, you’ll propel better Philippine traditions moving forward. VP Sara will retain her strength, but will gain a lighter touch with VP Leni. They are perfect together.
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The Society of Honor by Joe America 
There are two school of thoughts when it comes to former Vice Presidents running for re-election. The first school maintains that it is unconstitutional for both the President and Vice President to run for re-election. The second school claims that the Constitution only forbid the President from seeking another term. The VP supposedly can run for two terms. Which one is right?
As both Sara and Leni can be considered as FVPs by 2028 election, the questions are: Who is going to run as President? Is it even legally possible for them to run in tandem? Whoever agrees to be Vice President can be sued to find out which school of thought is correct. This person may not even be able to run until the case is finalized.
That’s a good question, JP. I’m imagining who ever gets President or VP, the office of VP will be elevated because of this tandem. mutual understanding they have. i’m assuming here that they agree more than disagree. like Romeo & Juliet. I watched her press conference, focusing on the Naga meeting and her facial expressions are really weird. like hiding something really big. cuz the rest of the press conference she’s really controlled. I have the biggest crush on her so I know these stuff. but language wise i’m only getting so much, so I’m relying on English phrases (like when she says I’m single and ready to mingle, within the time stamped Bicol questions) and body language. hoping you guys can add to it. but she does explain why she’s not showing up to these hearings, picking and chosing which hearings to attend. if you guys can parse that further, i’d appreciate that.
https://x.com/LCpl_X/status/1839127813896417310
This Barry Guiterrez too is tripping me up. like he’s sticking himself in the conversation upon VP Leni’s orders. to sow confusion, but Sen. Trillanes sees thru it.
the gloria mercado that sara mentioned in youtube above has some startling revelations.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1987051/ex-deped-procuring-head-vp-gave-me-p50000-monthly
as regards sara body language, here’s what experts say about her excessive use of her lying muscles!
“The most common signal of a person who is a chronic liar (aka a person who is chronically insincere), is an overuse of their forehead muscles, specifically an upward (not downward) contraction of their forehead.11 July 2023″
kb, I dunno know about you but most Visayans I came across overused their forehead muscles upwardly in any conversation. many times to express agreement with you. maybe Joey can confirm.
Mercado said in her affidavit that the envelopes were “handed to me monthly by (former DepEd) Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda, which she says came directly from the office of Vice President Sara Duterte.” VP Sara does address this in the press conference. saying Mercado was fired, that she was a digruntled employee. so we’ll have to see what pans out. but Inday Sara describes this all as one big fishing expedition. the reference to fishing i got. but looking at the Mercado video, she does seem dirrrty. kb, like if she worked for DMV over here, she’d be the type to let in friends and family and whom ever pays, at the front of the line. thats my take of her at least. ps. is Sunshine like a real name or just a nickname. cuz I always come across these weird names and turns out its just nickname and their real name is run of the mill Spanish or English name.
ahem, alice guo and sara duterte both have overactive triangles, the triangle immediately above both eyebrows, more so when certain phrases are used by interviewers. sara’s became pronounced at a segment of the mercado interview which could mean her answers were insincere.
visayans use their eyebrows expressively, but when coupled with the triangle of deceit, that could mean they were being deceitful. so watch out, haha.
Korekt! As my Visayan friends would say, haha.
“sara’s became pronounced at a segment of the mercado interview which could mean her answers were insincere.” oh, we’re talking about two different segments, kb. I’m just more focused on the Naga meeting. and her body language slash facial expressions therein. don’t really know what to make out of Mercado case. on one hand, Inday Sara’s has proof for how Mercado was fired. whereas Mercados claims is harder to prove re envelopes. sure could be that Inday Sara is lying on Mercado but theres paper trail. so easier to verify. as to triangle of deceit, I don’t think it applies in the Naga portion cuz theres no lie. my point was just that here facial expression and body language when asked about if she wants to comment on Atty. Barry’s comments, she seemed like she was thinking of all the things she could divulged, then back tracked then eventually said I’d rather not comment until VP Leni comments, and not address Atty. Barry’s claims. in that regard , not necessarily deceit but she’s hedgeing what she can and cannot say. which tells me, the 1 hour plus meeting was bigger than what’s being portrayed here. thus Trillanes is correct. that was my point about body language/facial expression.
arent you being deceitful, you posted an old pic taken circa 2015.
if you are indeed focused on naga met, why dont you post the september 2024 naga pic?
That was the original photo from my Sara All , How BBM Will Fall article, kb. there’s no photo form Naga meeting. But I suspect these two have been close since the days when she was mayor of Davao. with the exception of Atty. Barry, VP Sara and VP Leni are very secretive about it. why that is, is what we’re tryin to figure out. hence the body language and facial recognition. my forehead muscles is upwardly contracted as I write this by the way.
Before posting photos taken a few years ago were called file photos now they are fake news that needs to be fact checked.
Values change.
In the Philippines, truth in politics is even more fluid than elsewhere, and the persecution of De Lima has shown how people can say this now and then that later, so the allegations of Mercado must be proven first.
MRP would say not too much witness accounts and affidavits, more hard evidence, please. Also, better prosecutor’s offices and fewer house hearings as show trials.
The way people are persecuted in the Philippines reminds me of how shoplifters used to be (or still are, don’t know) treated there when caught: they get stuff piled on them they never could have carried and get photographed.
A certain restraint is what distinguishes mere vindictiveness from true justice. Unfortunately, the Philippines is still where Western countries were at long ago with gleefully celebrated public punishment. Some, on the other hand, forgive way too much.
And of course, there are always alleged dark forces behind everything there. 🙄
In the press conference, I think she mentioned she has videos. but I’m not reading it in the Filipino English newspapers. but she does mention “videos” in the press conference just don’t really know the context it was said, Ireneo. so much easier if there was English transcript of the press conference. or just conduct it in English all together going forward cuz it is a pretty high position VP like President. will invite more foreign audience too.
Practically everything in the Philippines is in Taglish now.
The times when stuff was fully in (way more accented but perfect) English were when Sonny, NHerrera, and Edgar Lores were young men.
When she answered that Japanese reporter Inday Sara did it all in English. and I’m pretty sure the reporters themselves are as conversant. So when its podium time , do it in English. and out in the field or less formal then do it in Tagalog. Just think foreign audience from here on out.
Filipinos usually can answer in straight English when dealing with foreign interviewers, though Visayans will tend to do better.
Language in the Philippines is one of the fluidest matters in a fluid culture.
our 1987 constitution allows for a vice president to run for two consecutive six years terms. both sara and leni can run for vice president in 2028, if sara is not impeached by then.
Thanks, KB. I did a research and found that you are right.
1987 Phillipines Constitution
ARTICLE VII
THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Section 4. The President and the Vice-President shall be elected by direct vote of the people for a term of six years which shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date, six years thereafter. The President shall not be eligible for any re-election. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time.
No Vice-President shall serve for more than two successive terms. Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of the service for the full term for which he was elected.
Thanks, JP & kb. In that press conference, when asked more about which parties & persons she’ll be allied with going forward, Inday Sara kinda smiles and says “I’m single and ready to mingle” which I had to shake off my day dreaming and told myself she’s talking about politics, dummy. then later on at the last part of it, she was asked bout her dad and brothers running for senate. and if she’s with them. and she says of course i’m with them (i think as family she meant) but qualifies it with they didn’t ask for my help, they said they have it under control. which leads me to think, she’s not really as close to them as many believe. at least politically. so she’s definitely charting her own course here. which I hope VP Leni can help guide, JP.
she’s single and ready to mingle and her smile lacked the sincerity of a duchenne smile.
Very disappointed with your analysis and article. Both are poles apart. Many read your articlesI
There are different authors and contributors here.
Agreed, that’s why I said yin and yang, Edgardo. poles apart, exact opposited. fire and water. but if you look into the deepest part of either yin or yang, you’ll find its opposite inside.
Why disappointed? The blog is in favor of thinking about things, grinding away at conventual thinking. You can always propose what you think can be achieved, and how.
LCX
grrr!
but the reaction of one commenter of disappointment to the article and the blog as whole came to no surprise.
Your earlier article on Sara also got brickbat storm on FB.
Sonny T is running for Mayor so power hungry implications is way off base.
You did apologise to me in advance, now I can see why.
re Trillanes, I wrote this right after the Joe and Trillanes twitter exchange. I learnt about the mayor stuff later on. But on watching these interviews he did with various channels and youtubers, I definitely now think that meeting was a lot bigger than first assumed. like I wrote this as a wish almost, karl. a 2.0 of that second article i wrote about Inday Sara & VP Leni. then the more I research and especially Inday Sara s press conference. they are definitely teaming up for sure , karl. so maybe Sen. Trillanes is not being power hungry, but his pushing for Sen. Risa will be off set by this thus his reaction. so it wasn’t for him power hungry per se. but 2028 is still far. maybe VP under Risa is also what he’s wanting. i dunno.
I liked the article because it represented a shift in the corporal’s thinking IN FAVOR of Leni Robredo, and for the statement that men are mediocre and women need to be put in charge. If that isn’t provocative, I don’t know what is.
I think VP Sara is going to be impeached and that will render LCX weeping sorrowfully for his lost love.
The grrr was in partly in jest.
I was not surprised of the disappointment because I still think that many people think that all the articles here are written by Joe. The title or headline only readers.
It is provocative because I went beyond the title….just kidding
Well, not much I can do if readers don’t read. 🙂
It is good to entertain good faith debates even if the argument is provocative and outside of normal purview. Doesn’t necessarily mean one needs to agree with the contrarian view. Though in this case I agree with half of the argument — that Leni should have been/should be President 😀
Haha, yes, a very agreeable half.
“I think VP Sara is going to be impeached and that will render LCX weeping sorrowfully for his lost love.” Well if I get invited to her very first SONA, don’t cry, Joe. cuz if its a plus one, I’m bringing karl with me. as translator but also for the night life. We’ll invite Christina Frasco.
But seriously, also in same press conference she hinted at outing the mastermind in all this impeachment stuff. uses the term “handler”. so i think she’s not as toast as you all think.
Alright, karl. I shopped it around see if we can get Atty. Barry and Christian Esquerra to offer up comments on this. cross fingers.
🤣😂🤣😂🤣 +10
playing underdog, victim….LCX, thoughts please
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/09/26/2388133/i-wont-resign-duterte-defies-calls-after-skipping-budget-deliberations
While she remains focused on dealing with public scrutiny over her office’s spending and other controversies, Duterte has not crossed out the possibility of involving herself in the campaign for the 2025 polls.
“For now, I don’t have a Senate slate because as I said, I was focused on defending the OVP. But the campaign’s still a long way from now… in February,” she told reporters.
She does mention soon outing a “handler” regarding impeachment etc. , karl. and i remember she had bad blood with PBBM’s wife who herself is from a big rich family. So I’m thinking this “handler” will come from that sphere, karl. and why the visit to VP Leni is really significant. cuz they are a team now, like it or not. I’m also toying with the possibility that VP Leni is who is helping her out in rooting smoking out this handler. and the fact Sen. Trillanes is super out of the loop about this based on his statements, tells me it has to be VP Leni and VP Sara going forward now.
The bigger picture of course is China vs. USA, karl. and the only all English portion in that press conference was when a Japanese reporter asks a question about dynasties i believe and Inday Sara says her number 1 favorite country (aside from the Philippines ) is Japan. now why would she say that, and not qualify it with after China and Philippines . so theres even hints at foreign affairs in that press conference, karl. the two are crafting something , karl. to think I wrote this article mostly to appease Joe trying to get out of the dog house, and this turned out bigger than expected. lol.
ps. I’m gonna have to up my Manga and Anime game. lol.
pps. I’ve never read this book. lol.
Jeez, I misread this as “Mango and Anime game” haha. Let’s switch to duryan or langka, I much prefer those.
Me too, my allergies still acted up because tagalog of mango is mangga.
“They look at VP Sara and they see a fierce Filipina that is a force of nature who just needs to be guided” Are you for real??????
You have to know the backstory I suppose.
“Are you for real??????” Herman, watch that press conference i shared above. lots of tea leaves to read in it. she’s even feistier now than before. lots of smile with hidden meaning like poker. she even used the term LIBAK which am familiar with from Mango Ave. she addressed a staffer on the side, with a smile. regarding fierce I think she’s only just begun.
Well my take was that of a cornered predator being at their dangerous moment right before they are put out of their misery.
Yi, that’s descriptive.
Joey, I do agree with that. they fucked with the wrong Duterte is what I’m thinking. i’m not expecting any help from the 3 male Dutertes, those guys are no help now. this is 4 dimension chess now. why I think she went to VP Leni.
That’s not what I got from Sara’s recent moves (including the meeting with Leni). The next step in the analogy of a corner animal is that the animal is put down, and in Sara’s case being impeached and knocked out. See the problem is Digong had a certain charm about him. He’s actually kind of funny in a crude way where even I sort of liked him on a personal level until needing to remind myself that he doesn’t have the substance needed to be a leader of a city much less a country. Sara is far from a charming person and makes rookie mistakes due to her own ineptness. The entire family is a case study on Dunning-Kruger in plain view and should be studied by UP psychologists. The Duterte brothers are even more inept, and if this was a hundred years ago they probably would be put in an insane asylum. This is why we should not tell children they are so smart, popular and charming if it’s not true. They grow up to become monsters.
“See the problem is Digong had a certain charm about him. “ 100% agree. he made EJKs fun. which is sad, but that’s what he did. so if the ICC takes him, the ICC has to also take all the Filipinos that voted for him, that supported him and shared in all the laughter that was EJKs. that’s a whole lot of Filipinos to include dual citizens in US etc and OFWs.
“Sara is far from a charming person and makes rookie mistakes due to her own ineptness. “ This I also agree with. sadly. But this is where my first article of her comes in. its why I fell in love with her in the first place. she loves the fight. she loves being in the fight. and that’s the main take away i got from that press conference. like game on muthafakas. that’s basically what she said in that press conference. this is the Inday Sara i know.
ps. so she just needed to be cornered for her true self to come out. like the Hulk. the road to 2028 will be interesting now for sure.
I grew up in the hood. Those who are eager to fight usually get knocked out first. I’ve never thrown the first punch in a fight. I make my first and only punch count and usually drop the opponent like a sack of potatoes. Another hood rule is those who yap the most about being strong are small doggos. We usually see chihuahuas trying to attack calm big dogs then getting absolutely crushed right? haha. Those are are truly strong don’t need to constantly remind others of that, like the Dutertes often do.
“Those who are eager to fight”
She’s not the one that started it, Joey. its the Marcoses/Aranetas. she’s responding.
The vigilante killings I witnessed firsthand didn’t seem that fun to me. One of the worst traits of the DE classes is that their anger and resentment towards being badly governed is often misdirected in a misguided thirst for revenge and desire to punish someone, anyone. There can be a mob mentality of blind rage that develops almost instantly in certain situations. Have seen that many times. Re: the laughter at those murdered. The mob and onlookers who gawk and mock the fresh murder victims were usually the same D urban poor neighborhood the victim came from. The family of the murdered probably supported the drug war and voted Duterte as well, until their son was killed by mob violence. And it wasn’t abroads that voted Duterte in; abroad dual citizens are a minuscule electorate. It was DE that voted for Duterte just like they mostly voted for BBM. I would consider the majority of OFWs to be part of DE also as I observed previously.
Duterte will never be taken by the ICC. The ICC doesn’t have any police powers or armies to back its rulings. It will be the Filipino people who will hold Duterte to justice, and that time is coming soon as his allies in criminality are already falling one by one like dominos.
oh i don’t doubt it wasn’t funny, Joey. but you gotta admit during EJKs most Filipinos were laughing. thus complicit. I’m anti ICC because i’m anti colonialism. and ICC just seems anti anti- colonialism, Joey. the idea of having to bring in Europeans cuz you can’t handle shit yourself is demeaning.
I mean, I’ve seen onlookers laugh at and mock rape victims, posing for pictures with the semi-nude dead body. Laughing and mocking traffic accident victims is commonplace in provinces, then spreading pictures on Facebook.
The ICC is not colonialism. The Philippines is a signatory of the Rome Statute, in which 124 out of 185 countries at the time signed on (nearly 70% of world countries). There were 25 Western European signatories at the time, so I highly doubt the remaining 99 African, Asian, Eastern European countries signed to submit to the Whites. The Rome Statute sought to bring accountability for crimes against humanity following the Holocaust, Kurdish genocide, Bosnian War, Rwanda genocide. And actually it was Trinidad and Tobago, a majority African and Indian Caribbean nation that initiated the Rome Statute. The most recent head of the ICC is Korean, and the judges are mostly non-European, reflecting the fact that the European nations only constitute 30% of signatories. Whatever you heard about the ICC from the perspective you shared is not true.
okay, can you imagine the ICC putting a case on say Prime Minister Tony Blair for being complicit in GWOT with W. ?
The difference is Dubya and Blair did not have homicidal and genocidal intent. Knocking out the Taliban, good. Let’s not conflate crimes against humanity with the simple American idealistic stupidity for staying to try to help the Afghans and Iraqis build themselves a mini America without understanding the culture, then getting stuck for over 20 years. I find it interesting that all the countries complaining the US is a warmonger or supporter of crimes against humanity… to be warmongers and criminals against humanity themselves. This narrative is an organized propaganda campaign online to do a redirection of guilt by Russia, China, Iran.
“Let’s not conflate crimes against humanity with the simple American idealistic stupidity for staying to try to help the Afghans and Iraqis” Can’t you also say that DU30 just like the Anglosphere and Wester EU was also just being idealistic and stupid with EJKs? yet no threat of ICC for them, but ICC for non-White? non-Anglo. non-Western EU people? double standard.
This narrative is Russian, PRC, Iranian propaganda LCpl. If the “Anglo” world in fact controlled the UN and UN agencies, then I wonder why the UN often opposes the US. The ICC member states are actually 80% non-White (I calculated wrong before). The judges and investigators are split / rotated based on membership.
Not sure why you’re fixated on EJKs. That was horrible and a bad thing to happen to the Philippines. I was there off and on during the entire Duterte presidency and it wasn’t that great. It was an example of the poor killing the poor then being touted by Duterte and his allies as a win in the so-called drug war, while the POGOS and drug lords associated with communist Chinese crime syndicates ran amok Scott free. As I said, the ICC has zero police power. Duterte will be held accountable by the Filipino people themselves, and he best be careful because the very same urban poor that he stirred up will quickly turn on him to tear him to pieces. How many times has that happened in Philippines history? Quite a few times actually. In the end maybe Duterte will actually be safer if he voluntarily turns himself into the authorities and confesses to his crimes, and asks for protection.
“Not sure why you’re fixated on EJKs. That was horrible and a bad thing to happen to the Philippines.” Because that’s my last paragraph, Joey. Elephant in the Room. and the hinge in that VP Sara VP Leni alliance. one that VP Leni will have to address.
My personal feeling is that once the Duterte clan’s power finally collapses, all those in favor of EJK previously will be clamoring for the heads of all the Dutertes. If Digong was smart, he would’ve remained the King of Davao. Governor Gwen Garcia (who I detest) is smart. That’s why she has been the Queen of Cebu for decades.
she was guided by the son of god! who is now facing charges for human trafficking and fearful of being extradited to america.
The late famous American Civil Rights activist and poet Maya Angelou once remarked “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” That is, to believe someone’s actions over their words. Digong said he was going to kill people, and he allegedly did, in addition to giving carte blanche to thousands of individual “vigilantes” to settle personal feuds, many of which had nothing to do with the so-called drug war while not doing anything to to cut the flow of shabu closer to the source — the People’s Republic of China he desired an alliance with, and the numerous Chinese drug lords that had burrowed deep into Filipino society.
Of course, the Philippines being a deeply Christian nation, one should not be “put to death” for the “Sins of the Father,” as it is said in Deuteronomy 24:16 (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/24?16=#05024016). And so Sara should not be held to account for Digong’s bad deeds, rather her own good or bad deeds. However, as we see more of Sara once she graduated from the mayorship of Davao it seems her callousness, ineptitude and lawlessness transcends her own father, who had a simple charm to him that Sara did not inherit. If given more trust and power beyond the largely ceremonial roles of the vice presidency, we may yet see even more carnage and lawlessness than the last administration.
Currently Sara is in full damage control mode as she seeks to save her own skin with a threat of impeachment hanging over her head, multiple controversies, allegations of personal corruption and misuse of taxpayer funds, a queen-like disobedience of the prerogative of the People’s Congress’ demands to explain her actions. It is said Sara is Digong’s favorite child instead of her even more incompetent brothers. Sara walks with an air of a spoiled child acting out when rightfully challenged, believing that Manila and the nation, like Davao, is still her family’s personal fiefdom.
How should Sara’s visit to Leni be understood? Leni, slightly diminished as she may be from her 2022 loss still stands as the leader of a better leadership, figurative as that position may be. By my interpretation, Sara’s reach out is nothing more than someone cornered trying to seek Leni’s blessing and support for her pursuers to give up chase out of respect for Leni’s high stature in society. Or perhaps Sara paid an innocent social call on the former vice president, Madam Leni Robredo. If that is the case, let’s hope that Sara remembers that in a civilized and polite society, one should present one’s carte de visite as étiquette demands.
Shakespeare is alleged to have made many hidden references to Henry VIII in his plays, and it seems he did not like him, but it is known that he praised his daughter Queen Elizabeth. Alpha energy can go in so many ways, and the daughter was different from the father.
While LCPL_X sees Inday Sara as a potential Queen Elizabeth (though qualifies that now with her needing an Ate Leni), others see her as a potential Bloody Mary, worse than her father.
JPilipinas wondered about Trillanes’ role in all of this. Well, I see Philippine politics like a drama of Shakespeare, or a succession of Greek tragedies and comedies. Or maybe it is more like a teleserye with absolutely absurd plot twists and corny interludes in the wrong places.
LCPL_X, has Twitter already exploded since this article came out?
Joe, don’t be surprised that many Filipinos don’t read properly. In my YouTube forays, I have seen proof that many don’t even listen properly, jumping to the weirdest conclusions. I know Pinks who in 2022 thought you wrote the Sara All article.
Well technically the myth of “Bloody Mary” was but a myth, institutionalized by Protestant propaganda largely in the 18th century, 200 years removed from Mary I’s reign. Mary I burned Protestants as heretics at the stake, while her sister Elizabeth I disemboweled Catholic “traitors to the Crown.” It was a brutal period. Elizabeth I could not become queen if Mary I didn’t take power for herself despite the protestations of men; Mary I paved the way for Elizabeth I much like how they rode into London side-by-side to seize power after their younger brother Edward VI died. But I digress…
But you may be on to something. Much like Tudor England was shaped by palace intrigues of opposing factions forming temporary alliances, so is Philippine politics. Or maybe Philippine politics is a knock-off version of a slightly less violent Game of Thrones, in which G.R.R. Martin was also inspired by Tudor political battles. How fitting for the Philippines, where the admiration of foreign ideas or brands, but not being able to afford the real thing, often leads to home grown knockoffs for what one aspires to have.
It seems that over time the patience and ability to read has declined. Many are used to the Google box, which only provides a high level summary often out of context. Worse are the younger generation who have no patience for reading, and seek a more “personal” information source of someone telling them on video, then trusting completely without doing research. It will only get worse: kids already treat TikTok as the new Google.
I’m past caring, Irineo. I’ve written dumb pieces and wrong pieces and brilliant pieces. And provocative pieces. If they are going to judge on one article but not visit regularly to read the brilliant ones, what does it matter?
Well, this piece is getting more comments now than some of the best stuff we have written recently.
Just goes to show how most of the Filipino public – even many of the Pinks – are.
While the powerful, as Joey and I have observed, play Game of Thrones Filipino style, the public wants excitement, and the occasional person put in a pillory that they can throw tomatoes at. Or gulaman, like in our school fairs.
When in the mood, I shall write a blind item about two famous female politicians being alleged to have a Sapphic relationship. People will come to comment in droves.
Before that, I will replace my avatar with a picture of Vice Ganda.
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/its-showtime/images/b/b7/Vice_portal.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20240521122922
This is why after over 26 years of personal experiences in the Philippines with mostly the DE class have led me to advocate for simply pursuing policy that would uplift the economic state of that class group, with or without the government. Every time I tried to explain things I was either dismissed as an elitist foreigner or that following tried and true development models was “too hard.” There’s just no way to change the Philippines without changing the mindset of DE Filipinos, no matter what well intentioned yet wishful thinking folks in BC have. Many in BC aren’t even aware of the vast majority of voters who are in DE. DE is the crucial electorate.
The ones I was referring to who are the mostly B crowd on Pink Twitter and FB, who got worked up about Trillanes recently and get worked up about whatever is flavor of the month but barely come over here to discuss anything. Except if someone like LCX provocatively challenges their view about who is the contrabida or who is the bida in the political teleserye they are watching. The C crowd probably is now divided between Bongbong and Inday Sara, don’t know.
If LCX were a Viking, he would worship Loki, the god of mischief. Going to the Oktoberfest now..
Yeah I got you. That’s why JP says it’s a bit depressing sometimes.
When B and upper C are tucked away in their apartments and new subdivision developments, it’s hard for them to see what’s going on outside, even just out their windows in the case of urban apartments. The are in their own world, already secure. To the extent that they want a better Philippines, I think it’s mostly to become like America or the West in general, yet don’t see the value of advocacy and hard work getting there. In this regard, I have always believed that class A is much more aware on the moods and base feelings of DE since for A to remain in power in a still democratic structure, they must actively find ways to sway DE voters. All the while B and most C stay passive aside from brief explosions of emotions around election time.
Twitter is the wrong place to reach out to DE. FaceBook, maybe. The easiest place to reach DE has been TikTok for the last few years.
Stay safe out there and have a Festbier for me 😀
they have ears and can hear, have eyes that can see, and many of them donate for political causes, support charities, etc. they’re just agoraphobic and keep themselves to themselves, takot sa germs, haha. seriously though, they are probly high consumers of socmed, have state of the art gizmos and gadgets that connect and give them access to anywhere, anytime. and they knew what go on around them, maybe more than anyone, they’re engaged but not physically. like they said, they’re just a text away. and they ride in cars with darkly tinted windows, medyo paranoid with their safety, but.
Haha well said KB with your Bisaya sarcasm xD
I know there are social workers in the Philippines, I’ve met more than a few. But it’s a shame that social work in the Philippines is usually about lugaw social work rather than helping the poor get better jobs or living situations. Here in the US even if someone is in the middle class generally we are aware of issues about the poor, since middle class families always need to balance their finances lest we end up in poverty again. The middle class in America is very independent and proud, while in the Philippines the middle class is just aspiring to step up into the wealthy class.
Hahaha, no, Irineo, not Vice Ganda. You can borrow Maude Garrison if you like. She’s very flexible.
Make it Jude Bacalso. lol.
“LCPL_X, has Twitter already exploded since this article came out?” It’s a dud, Ireneo. I shoulda probably worked on the title for more click bait. But the only person I really want engagement from is Barry Gutierrez. Because this guy is acting as messenger as well as the message. I can’t figure out what he’s playing at here. but looks to me like he’s running interference. cuz that point of the press conference (I’ll address kb’s facial expression and lying above) where she was asked if she wanted to comment on Barry’s analysis that VP Leni was duped, she says I’d rather comment if VP Leni comments. like addressing at the higher level than lower level, which I think makes sense in any culture. like if I was to address a kid for doing something stupid, i’d rather talk to their parents not the kid. but Barry makes that post. which is really weird. to me at least, Ireneo.
“That’s why JP says it’s a bit depressing sometimes. When B and upper C are tucked away in their apartments and new subdivision developments, it’s hard for them to see what’s going on outside,” Joey, what surprised me about what JP shared was how tiny C actually was. I always equated C with DE or maybe like there was a lower C crowd. that D actually makes up 80% was shocking. “I liked the article because it represented a shift in the corporal’s thinking IN FAVOR of Leni Robredo,” Granted I did shift regarding VP Leni, but I was never as anti-Leni as I was anti-D5 and Corina Sanchez thus Mar Roxas. my criticism re VP Leni has always been her aura public image branding. like when they tried to embrace Leni Lugaw I was telling Ireneo (who’s the biggest pro-Leni here due to Bicol), i was all like don’t embrace that, pivot to Leni Lechon start handing out lechon pieces with the rice! CDE folks don’t aspire to lugaw, they want the good stuff too. now thanks to JP i realize its just DE folks that need to be won over. I think Wil featured some ex NPA or communist guy with Corgis for pets and Corina Sanchez’s damned dogs. similarly I was like Don’t do features of dogs! cuz the implications of that is they treat their dogs better than people. so my point, is that VP Leni i’ve always been agnostic deferring to Ireneo’s readings of her. but upon writing this article, I started seeing VP Leni as the perfect yang to VP Sara’s yin. i started appreciating her weakness (to me) as strength. and that she’s still very relevant. ABC to VP Leni, CDE to VP Sara and they’ll take the Philippines by storm.
Well most of my Cebu friends are in the D class (urban poor). D class is huge by the way, just judging roughly from how small the informal settler houses usually are and the typical family size that nearly matches the E class (provincial poor). One of the reasons why E class is smaller than D class is the provincial poor are constantly migrating to urban centers hoping to find jobs.
C class are usually those who rose out of D through BPO, working for foreign companies, or making small business. Some of my Cebu friends are in solid C class now. Those families who depend on OFW income usually can’t rise up since the OFW has their daily needs and to pay rent wherever they are working. Most OFWs can only afford to send back the equivalent of a single person’s minimum wage each month and once that’s split among and entire family who doesn’t have reliable work, it’s only enough for bare survival.
There’s just no way to win Philippine national elections without finding a way to sway D class towards the candidate. I find it surprising that a foreigner like me understands this, but Filipinos living in the Philippines usually don’t. Perhaps it’s a sign of people socially and economically isolating themselves the higher the socioeconomic class is.
And no, my understanding is that most A went for BBM in the last election. The Dutertes have a hold on DE, maybe some lower C, but this hold is tenuous and can change with the wind if DE can get more benefits/promises from a different candidate. Of course the Dutertes have a powerful social media propaganda arm and fans who echo the propaganda.
“There’s just no way to win Philippine national elections without finding a way to sway D class towards the candidate. “ I’ve been watching all these videos by Heyderian and Esguerro and I get that sense too, Joey. Ireneo shared those Tulfo videos, and those are more akin to Jerry Springer or Judge Judy shows. which i guess will be entertaining for Ds.
I think Tulfo is the wrong candidate. Since I’m around Visayans a lot I was familiar with him long before he hit the national stage. I think he’s a liar and a showboater. Entertaining yes, but someone who is competent at running the nation, no.
That’s exactly what I told , Ireneo. when he first shared those videos. but that was the first I’ve ever heard of him. from Ireneo. great minds think a like , Joey. I fuckn hate Tulfo.
He’s a bit low brow, but definitely funny as an entertainer actually. I don’t think Tulfo would start mass killing people like Duterte did, but being an entertainer is not the correct credential to become a politician, especially with the prevalence of “yes men” in Filipino society as it pertains to the famous or powerful.
“I find it surprising that a foreigner like me understands this, but Filipinos living in the Philippines usually don’t”
I have given examples of how I was shocked about some behaviors of former classmates towards the lower classes when I vacationed in the Philippines.
Having been outside the old bubble of privilege had changed what I see. I also have mentioned the Father Brown story where everybody in very class-based 1950s England says nobody passed by and he concludes, “the mailman did it.”
“perhaps it’s a sign of people socially and economically isolating themselves”
I have also mentioned how even as most Filipinos lived in bahay kubos in 1910, the paths of the rich in ancestral homes and their paths still crossed more. Forbes Park was built in the late 1940s. The 1950s and 1960s middle class homes of San Juan and Quezon City were not behind walls, but now either are, or the neighborhood got worse. The likes of Fairview, middle class subdivisions, first sprung up in the 1970s and 1980s.
Your stories about how the D and E class live might be reaching me as someone whose initial elite conditioning has been much softened by being abroad long and being not as privileged – even as one lives well if one is in a richer country, and relatively safe due to working rule of law.
I wonder if they are reaching most of the Pink readership here or are somewhat alien to them. I know a Pink who watched Brillante Mendoza’s “Ma Rosa” (I find that director problematic but that’s a different story) and said “living that way, no wonder so many take drugs”. Or a lady professor colleague of my mother (who is German as already mentioned) at Ateneo who said after a trip to Mexico “there are many poor people there” and gave my mother a startled look when she answered “just like here”.
I undertook the quest to check out Filipino entertainment as a way to get a feel of what the average Filipino watches and maybe even how they feel about stuff, and also as a diversion from being frustrated with the results of the 2022 elections. Finding out that composer Nica Del Rosario who wrote Rosas for Leni (she was a hitmaker with Kilometro sung by Sarah G) had a year of depression ended by writing the hit Karera for BINI was interesting but not only that.
The personal stories of the two big PPop groups (SB19 and BINI) are of course part of their marketing in a way but they are definitely true, and they appeal to many Filipinos because they are about opportunity, the untapped energy Joe wrote about, see below. Listening to their stories and that of Gigi I listened to first made the stories you and LCPL_X have recently told more real. Reading the novel Soledad’s Sister prepared me for that too. The DRIVE of Filipino performers (PPop or not) shows what a nation real industrialization could build with the energy of opportunity. This ain’t about just music. Gago ang mga Kakampink who think I went jeje. 😀
I have observed similar behavior such as your former classmates. On one occassion, a Filipina I know who had migrated here to Los Angeles in her early 20s happened to be in the area of Cavite at the same time as me so we decided to meet up. Here in the US, she is a bit timid and quiet, even at home. So I was quite shocked when she showed her true colors as imperious with those in service jobs, to the point of verbally dressing down a saleslady for a minor mistake. I felt compelled to jump in and reassure the saleslady at that point, to which the Filipina demanded to know why I intervened. I replied that it is not right to berate others unnecessarily unless they showed extreme disrepect. The Filipina had a middle class background in the Philippines though, and migrated to the US via family sponsorship.
Of course I have also seen examples of old bahay na bato and other arquitectura mestiza style homes that have survived. From elder diaspora Filipinos (probably in their 80+ or passed by now) I had learned that bahay na bato, while being the houses of the provincial rich, were usually situated nearby bahay kubo where most Filipinos lived. Some elder diaspora folks said that it seemed that previously the wealthy, while asserting their class, seemed “kinder” towards the poor.
I haven’t regularly been around NCR as I shifted South, but I recall during Catholic aid missions I was part of early on in the Manila slums I learned that the practice of squatting grew rapidly after WWII, such as the famous Tondo that was previously unreclaimed land. IIRC, the term barong-barong for shanties didn’t even exist until that time period, as presumably previous squatters were able to gather natural materials like bamboo and palm fronds to make a bahay kubo that was not possible in an urban landscape. Both my grandfather and father who had official visits as a government official and an army officer respectively, had said the situation became much worse by the late 1960s to early 1970s. By my father’s time as a refugee in Bataan in the early 1980s, he was shocked at the extent of the slum expansion while being toured by his PA friends. One of Marcos Sr’s Martial Law decrees was criminalizing squatting, which as we know now had no effect. Marcos also tried to push internal migrants towards Mindanao during the great migration south, which I suppose is another topic we shall discuss sometime 😀
I think your openess to understanding the totality of the living situation of Filipinos despite initial elite conditioning is just a byproduct of distance — I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d be considered almost on the level of being a “foreigner” when visiting the Philippines if you offered an opinion on a Philippines-related subject. I’ve seen that immediate indignation and pushback happen more than a few times when an abroad makes a suggestion. That’s why, given my personal history of growing up in poverty, I try to approach people in the Philippines on their level. I tend to be flexible due to being able to understand poverty but also success, having personal experience in both, and the journey necessary to level up.
Not sure if someone inclined to Pink would modify their thinking on this, as they insist the nation must modify its thinking as a whole. To me Pinks are good intentioned but a bit insulated since their lives are mostly already secure. Younger Pinks, yes some are from lower classes but they cannot yet vote. The Pink movement reminds me of the current state of progressive movements in the US and the West in general — a lot of marching, protesting, rallies, energy expended, but in the end not enough of them made the effort to go out to vote. Blows my mind, since all those other activities took a lot more planning and effort. See, it’s like this… DE are reliable voters since their lives depend on that little extra help from vote bribes, a sack of goods, and knowing that being on the partylist as a reliable voter means the local party bossing will send benefits their way even if it’s scraps. Most Pinks are in BC, already largely secure, and while they clamor loudly for change due to being plugged into international viewpoints online, the truth is that their lives probably won’t change much no matter what party holds power.
Crazy that Joe wrote that article near the end of Aquino’s term. It’s been nearly 10 years. From my viewpoint, after Aquino stepped down, progress basially stopped, and even went backwards due to the pandemic mismanagement. The Philippines had no Biden whose superhuman efforts has propeled the US to the global forefront of economic recovery. Full industrialization and strong US/German style unions are a must. But sometimes I feel quite discouraged to be honest. The more things change in the Philippines, the more things feel the same. Almost SSDD. Those in power seem to prefer to keep things the same. The economic heavyweights prefer an import-based economy since being a merchant (even a national level merchant worth billions) is easier as the middleman needs not to produce or create. The government prefers a revenue regime based on tariffs, remittances, and consumption taxes since that’s easier than undertaking foreign-domestic partnerships to industrialize/modernize. Government officials prefer status quo as they can skim a little bit off the top at each level from national down to LGU, until what’s left for the people is like the chicken head that is passed around as pulutan during inuman. There’s nothing left of the helmet to suck on in the end.
You and I probably will need to fight over who is more kilig for Gigi though, haha 🤔
I did just find out that the girl you shared as look alike to your girl from Dumaguete, Joey, is actually the owner of the many short time motels I went to. small world. the girl that got me in the dog house (this time) is indirectly the reason I got in the dog house a long time ago. well not her but her parents but she’s owner now.
The Adarna family is famous in Cebu for their motel/hotel chain. They cater to tourists and locals with disposable income to travel. When you visited those motels, you may have misunderstood the cheaper price (compared to US and wherever else you were previously stationed) to be a short time rate. Probably unlikely that the Adarnas would engage in the industry you mentioned since that would wreck their public image.
come to think of it, you maybe right. but it was the girls that suggested and told the taxi drivers where to go.
Yes, because the Adarna establishments were known for being affordable for local travelers, clean, and safe.
okay, i had to google map it,Joey . but this is definitely one of the places i went to. that just looks shady as fuck, man. I think they know, Joey. but i dunno. unless theres other queenslands and its trademark infringement. are u saying this cuz you know them or are you just assuming they’re like god fearing or something. but i gotta stop now. cannot comment any further. dog house. but please answer.
Don’t know why that seems shady. I’ve stayed in worse motels here in America when I was younger haha. I mean, Radisson Blu is 5-star, waterfront, definitely luxury accommodation, yet certain customers were still patronizing the Blu. How can an owner or hotel manager stop which customers patronize the establishment? They’re paying customers for the accommodation.
Its designed for anonymity, Joey. not talking about aesthetics here.
Another way of thinking about it is “less flash, less cash.” Motels are usually anonymous and boring looking right?
(Joe & karl, let me pull on this string farther, since this difference in perspective may be instructive here. please don’t delete.)
Joey, see that entrance right there. taxis pull up , usually an attendant walks up to you. and you pick a room. there are rooms with garages, i guess if you had a personal car you park in there. there are also rooms w/out garages, so you pay the attendant and you go inside to your assigned room. the term short time is definitely used. after that, they call a taxi for you and pick you up. or we’ve walked out and gone to a local eatery afterwards too depending on location. But the main difference is theres no lobby, Joey. no places where you meet other guests. everything is designed for anonymity. and that’s how you tell its not a regular hotel like with regular people. most rooms will also have lots of mirrors. some with bathtubs that usually don’t work, etc. etc. I’m google mapping their hotels, and it seems like they also have regular hotels. so i think they actually have a pool of hotels designed for sexual escapades, Joey.
Well I won’t kink shame others if they enjoy waking up to seeing their own face in the mirrored ceiling.
What I do recall is that Ellen Adarna decided to take her own path into show biz, and isn’t active in the hospitality business since the early 2010s I believe.
LOL. mirrors weird me out in general, Joey. so that was kinda an issue. for me.
Let’s hope for the sake of the clients, the mirrors are the ones that make small objects appear bigger than they really are, haha!
two things concerned me, Joey. that my girl was actually a white lady and that i’d see her true form in the mirror; and surveillance one way mirror stuff. i’m one of those that said bloody mary bloody mary… and actually saw something when i was a kid. thus the trauma.
Too bad we didn’t know each other when we were younger. I’d take you “ghost hunting” and you might pass out. You might not last a single night out in the bukid where there’s no lights and weird noises at night 🤣
Fuck that, Joey. I am not gonna be dinner for some mananagal etc.
Haha. Next time you see a mananagal or aswang, just tell it sternly that you will bbq and eat it. Guarantee you’ll never be bothered by ghosts and spirits again. It’s almost Halloween next month. You will definitely soil your pants if I tell you real life ghost stories from my experiences in the bukid across Southeast Asia 😂
how ’bout shapeshifters, Joey?
I would have you know LCpl that when I’m in the Philippines, the smell of my sinugba distinctly wafts across Bankal. There were times when I was younger that we’d take the grill and make a pop up sinugbahan right there at the street. I’ll grill anything. And if the shapeshifter wants to take a chance, whether it’s an aswang, bagat, amalanhig, or mandurugo I’ll chop them up then season the meat with a bit of toyo, patis, sugar, sibuyas, ahos, chili, ngohiong powder, then a squeeze of calamansi to make it complete before tossing everything on top of bright red uling na kahoy. There’s no spirit or monster that’s gonna mess with me man haha.
It just occurred to me that VP Leni might have been most successful in Bikol and Iloilo because the old balance between rich and poor from the bahay na bato era, dating back to older patterns even before colonial times, still is somewhat intact in those regions. The Philippines of urban slums and uprooted settlers in places like Mindanao is a different beast, one that the Dutertes know better. Even now suburban Calabarzon is most certainly different from the still very traditional Batangas and Laguna of the 1980s or mostly gas lamp Batangas of the 1960s.
I kinda get why some Filipinos don’t like it when we think we get what the country needs as they themselves might be super confused at what it has become, and are clueless what it needs. In an ideal Philippines, they would manage to find common ground to deal with a Philippines that seems to be undergoing similar phenomena like England did during early industrialization, but without much industry – the erosion of old rural culture that led to early Romanticism, big R – but as we know Filipinos suck at communicating with even very similar “tribes”, I mean groups.
You might be on to something Irineo. Just now I’m thinking about the rich/poor divide in places like Negros and Leyte, where the municipality’s rich live right there near the poor. Farmland is also quite close, such as the root crop farms outside of Ormoc, Leyte, fruit tree orchards outside of Maasin, Leyte. Once I met a gorgeous Waray girl who was the local beauty in a municipality nearby Tacloban. Due to my reticence to chase, a local dandy ended up courting and marrying her. The rich boy’s parents owned some farmland nearby Tacloban, in Santa Fe. If I recall, the dandy’s parents’ house was a “balay nga bato” but quite worn down by the elements; some of the poor locals’ homes looked better even though made of lighter materials.
One of the biggest impediments to moving forward in the Philippines is the penchant to reach for magical thinking. We can see it in all areas of life. Candidates making outlandish magic bullet promises, “trained” medical doctors prescribing vitamins as if magic pills, people buying PCSO tickets praying to win rather than saving the money and investing a little. Then in the aftermath of collective national bad decision making, people move on. Just like after Yolanda when I was working nearby in Japan and joined some humanitarian efforts, I talked to a farm caretaker in Ormoc with 8-ish children while he and his older sons were picking up debris to build a barong-barong, and he said: “Thank God, God blessed us with a new roof.” That roof probably belonged to a neighbor before being blown away. When I joined humanitarian efforts after Odette, I heard the same thing from someone else in a completely different city.
Both the government officials and the people who vote them in deserve blame, but the voters to a lesser extent since DE class isn’t equipped education-wise to make informed decisions. Imagine what can be done if everyone had a bit more humility and accepted foreign help to rebuild and improve, like Germany, Japan and South Korea did. Actually the Philippines got help too though many forgot; it was squandered in the subsequent decades. Even now with the PRC incursions closer and closer to Palawan, I’m practically about to throw my hands up and scream that the only short-term solution is to ask for assistance from the US and allies then build up the native forces later. Well, now UAE and Saudi are talking about making huge investments in high-tech manufacturing since oil reserves are running out. We all know the natives in those countries don’t like to work due to the government-welfare regime, so I guess there will be plenty of OFW jobs yet to come. Sometimes people, and the nations they make up, insist on taking the broken path and learning the hard way.
I don’t think Leni was duped. Leni is just being Leni. Here in the States we would probably describe Leni as “Midwest Nice,” always trying to get along with everyone. That’s a good trait in itself. I think Leni is a lot more practical than most give her credit for. That doesn’t mean she’s making an alliance with Sara though. I see the meeting as more of a gesture of courtesy.
“I think Leni is a lot more practical than most give her credit for.” Sen. Trillanes gives her a lot of credit. “politically astute” was what he said.
I didn’t mean Leni being practical as in making an alliance with Sara. That was just Leni being nice. Well we shall see in the coming months.
I get what you’re saying, Joey. I’m saying Sen. Trillanes thinks this, which I agree with. the etymology for nice is ignorant. nescire. So she was not just being nice, she’s being “politically astute” and i’m saying (me) because she’s reading tea leaves and seeing another Marcos take over. and Sen. Trillanes is playing as their patsy. which is the irony here. cuz he just sees red when it comes to Dutertes. why VP Leni is siding with VP Sara.
Nice doesn’t need to mean ignorant. The common understanding is that nice means “decent.” I still don’t know what Trillanes’ angle is here, but he’s a political survivor, so he’s going to do what’s best for him politically. I just don’t see any seeds of a Leni / Sara alliance here.
“I just don’t see any seeds of a Leni / Sara alliance here.” But why though? aside from she’ s Pink and she’s Green. in the realm of probability where would you place this alliance?
I don’t see any serious probability. He’ll probably froze over by the time it happens. Leni is a builder, the Dutertes are destroyers, with Sara being worse than her father. The nation needs builders, not destroyers. If the nation can’t elect a builder, then between keeping the status quo or a destroyer, I’ll pick status quo.
Your forgone conclusion that a Leni-Sara alliance is in offing if not already in the bag does not compute to a lot of people. I think this is the reason why your article is rubbing them the wrong way.
I am of the opinion that there is zero possibility that the FVP could be talked into such an alliance. Leni does not need anybody to win as a Naga mayor as she commands respect in the area. She was born and raised in Naga, Camarines Sur by a well respected family. Leni is and was not chopped liver either. She had an extensive and impressive resume before her congressional and VP wins. She does not need to rely on her husband’s reputation as a stellar public servant (though it shows that she picked a winner/keeper and their union produced three amazing daughters) because she has an equally awe-inspiring familial, academic and professional backgrounds. She is anti-dynasty (co-authored the 2015 Anti-Dynasty Bill). She admitted that part of her decision to run for presidency is to prevent another Marcos from winning. The Dutertes, including Sara (called her FAKE VP and criticized her extensively) put her through nightmarish scenarios during her VP stint.
I’d say we’re in a wait and see position here. Nothing is cast in stone until the deed is done. If FVP Leni ally with Sara’s party in 2025 or run with her for national office in 2028, I am ready to eat crow.
This is my feeling on the meeting too — Leni, whose base is stable if a bit passive has no downsides to meeting Sara out of courtesy and Leni’s personal decency, while Sara whose base is starting to collapse is in damage control mode, trying to reach out to Leni.
The question that really should be posed is: Supposedly Sara has many allies in the pro-DU30 faction, so besides a few 2nd/3rd tier national characters coming out in support, where’s her “strong” support that she needs to feel desperate enough to run to Leni?
Even online commentary among those on socmed who previously voiced support for Sara due to her being Digong’s successor is muted. I even saw quite a few “pro-DU30” making shimenet jokes and spreading the meme, even though they know the meme is anti-Sara. Friends and friends of friends who were hardcore DU30 during the previous administration are starting to ask me “what do you think about Sara?” That would’ve been inconceivable to me even just earlier this year.
These are poor Bisaya across the Visayas and Mindanao who like the idea of Visayan ascendancy. Gahum as Irineo had noted is an important concept for Visayans. A common remark and soft-hearted joke I’ve heard before is “Sara should have been a boy.” Sara doesn’t have the traditional feminine qualities in a gender context that are respected either, and now she has lost the masculine qualities she previously exerted. Many poor Visayan friends were also temporarily excited for Digong to secede Mindanao (and the Visayas) from the Philippines, but after that episode failed to gain support from LGU heads, they also lost a lot of respect for the Duterte clan. This isn’t to say they have abandoned the Duterte clan entirely, but the Dutertes’ power have significantly diminished.
“I think this is the reason why your article is rubbing them the wrong way.” Agreed. the 3 articles about Inday Sara i wrote is all that. but this one in particular about the Naga meeting. is i really think coming to fruition, JP. from my week’s research into this.
“Leni does not need anybody to win as a Naga mayor as she commands respect in the area. “ JP, would you atleast agree that she might aspire to higher office, VP (again) or P– depending on their arrangement preferred? I actually think, VP Sara would bow to her taking the P, whilst she does VP again. but with a more powerful VP office.
FVP might still harbor the ambition for a national position but I doubt that she will do it in alliance with Sara.
Interesting article about Sara’s genealogy below. Did you know that her maternal great grandfather was a German-American from Peoria, Illinois? He was also a Lutheran and not a Jew.
https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/opinion/2023/06/28/2277097/vp-sara-and-myth-jewish-ancestor
JP, i’m so lost, whose DNA was tested? This reminds me of Elizabeth Warren’s claims that she’s Native American. this is very interesting, JP. first i’ve read of it. thanks!
Families often have oral stories passed down through generations that may or may not be true. Family oral histories are harmless, akin to family legends. For example, many Filipinos believe themselves to have “Spanish blood,” but this is absolutely not true for the vast majority of the population. Only the populations adjacent to Spanish forts usually had any meaningful percentage of Spanish blood. For example those descended from Spanish colonial period Zamboangueños/Chavacanos, Caviteños, Cotabateños, Castellanos Abakay de Davao, Ternateños, Ermiteños. All locations of major forts outside of Manila.
Interesting.
But Judaism seems so specific though and judging from holy week there. Jews aren’t really too popular . so the extent to which a family would claim Judaism is significant. I’m thinking more along the lines of Jews as genes vs. Jews as religion (eg. for example Ivanka Trump would not have Jewish blood, yet she’s Jewish). So there is probably Jewish connection. that article though is a mess. so journalistic integrity should’ve been more investigative, instead of concluding its a lie first. but i’m no journalist.
The American-German Zimmermans’ in the US are Lutherans. The Zimmermans in the village in Germany where the American Zimmermans came from are predominantly Catholics. The Filipino Zimmermans are likely Catholics too. You’re easily confused, LCPLX.
Where did that Judaism origin story come from then? out of thin air? it seems like its an Elizabeth Warren type story. but the added layer is that Judaism is not genetic only its a religion meaning people can leave it or join it or rejoin after leaving, etc.
Every article I read about this subject seem to point to Rodrigo Duterte as the reference point.
https://www.iccp.ph/president-rodrigo-dutertes-public-apology-jewish-community/
JP, here’s roddy duterte with the rabbis in the philippines. I’m just glad the rabbis did not fist pump.
and I cannot believe the rabbis here did look up the name of sara’s grandfather on the list of jewish refugees that arrived in philippines during world war two. the jews are usually meticulous record keepers.
“Of course, DNA testing in the Zimmermans has further disproven the Jewish claim. Their ancestral breakdown clearly do not show any Jewish heritage since a German-Jewish grandfather (as claimed) would have shown up as 25% Ashkenazi Jew.”
Since the author of the article is a Filipino and the bold and italicized part above mentioned a grandfather (Elizabeth’s (Sara’s mother) grandfather, George John Zimmerman is the subject of interest) I will hazard a guess that Elizabeth and/or her sibling(s) provided the DNA sample. (According to another article, Elizabeth lived with her brother in Metro Manila during the annulment of her marriage in 1998).
I see. So Elizabeth Zimmerman herself knows either theres no DNA or that Jewishness espoused by the family has been like what Joey said. Thus DU30 and Inday Sara are lying. thus politicizing said fake story for foreign affairs brownie points. If I was a reporter though and got actual DNA evidence from said principal, I would’ve asked why or how that Judaism connection came about, was it just by word of mouth (ala Joey) or did they actually like practice the sabbath and other Jewish traditions. passed down. its kinda weird to get the results of DNA samples then not get the oral history. like dude you were already there, you couldn’t ask those questions. which is the most important aspect. but you get how its suspicious right? just bad journalism and story telling.
Being a journalist in PH is one of the most dangerous profession. You know this. Are you trying to up your comments number by being an agent provocateur?
LCX is a master of verbal or written prestidigitation, sleight of words, pulling theories out of thin air then supporting them with facts that have no bearing at all on the truth of the matter. I’m in awe of his defense, actually, slipperier than a greased penguin in the Pasig River. It’s the stuff Republicans thrive on these days, and we must learn to live with it. Our era, as LCX points out in his recommended movie, was one of morals and values that mean nothing in the present era of words as power, not truth. It’s good to have him on our side, or good to have that illusion anyway.
Agent provocateur has a much nicer ring than Chief Troll, and so I henceforth recast his designation as “LCX, AP”. It should, in respect of the mysterious methods of an AP, not to be known by anyone but us, and can stand like those academic or medical doctor initials, conveying the stature of his achievements. Thus, he is no longer Chief Troll of TSOH. He is LCX, AP. 🙂
Hah, or more thoroughly speaking, LCX, PhG, AP.
LOL. i like PhG. like I told , karl, below I’ll take any promotion I can get, Joe. thanks! as well as AP:
In “provocateur,” a word borrowed directly from French, one sees the English verb “provoke.” Both “provoke” and “provocateur” derive from Latin provocare, meaning “to call forth.”
provocateur (n.)
“undercover agent who commits damning or illegal acts in the name of a group, or who encourages group members to commit them so as to damage its reputation or draw down punishment from authorities,” 1915 (Emma Goldman), shortened form of agent provocateur “person hired to make trouble” (1845), from French provocateur, from Latin provocator “challenger,” from provocare “to call out”.
late 14c., provoken, in medicine, “to induce” (sleep, vomiting, etc.), “to stimulate” (appetite), from Old French provoker, provochier (12c., Modern French provoquer) and directly from Latin provocare “call forth, challenge,” from pro “forth” (from PIE root (1) “forward”) + vocare“to call,” which is related to vox (genitive vocis) “voice” (from PIE root “to speak”).
as nickname, can I be called INDUCER OF VOMITS?
“Being a journalist in PH is one of the most dangerous profession.” JP, I’m just laying out some quality control here. like you I am as interested in this story. but you have to admit the article you shared is either a cut and paste or from the first version of ChatGPT. the blog I shared has more info, yet that too fails. the point is where did the myth originate, if from Elizabeth Zimmerman, then thats forgivable. if from DU30 making shit up then this should be front page. as to kb’s why Jews and Israelis don’t make a fuss over this, its because it works for them. so you can’t rely on Jews when it comes to propaganda that works for them. so maybe journalism is so dangerous in the Philippines is because there are so many bad journalists there. who cannot even put simple 1 and 1 together to make 2. who ever wrote that article shot be shot, JP. figuratively of course.
Well given Digong’s penchant for making stuff up and showboating, and seeing his children inherited that trait as well… what can we conclude? It seems a case of Digong wanting to associate himself with the trope of Jewish masterminds (which is actually a Medieval European anti-Semitic trope used to *persecute* Jews). Jews and Israelis don’t make a fuss over this because 1.) not all Jews are Israelis 2.) it might come at a shock to the Philippines but during Digong’s tenure the entire world mocked Digong and the Philippines. The quicker the Philippines throws this nasty family in the basura, the better for the country.
The VP cannot become “more powerful” unless the President voluntarily delegates Presidential power to the VP. This is an open-and-shut matter as prescribed by the 1987 Constitution. In fact the VP has no power at all aside from ceremonial roles, which led to the OVP being mocked as a “spare tire” in Philippine politics (older Filipinos can attest to this). These are the only duties of the VP:
1.) Assume the Presidency in the event the OP becomes vacant
2.) Ability to bypass Congressional confirmation for a Cabinet level office if appointed to such role by the President
3.) Eligibility to serve as an executive committee member on the National Security Council at the discretion of the President
As we can see here, all the power of the Executive Branch is vested by the Constitution in the hands of the Executive (the President), not the VP. Any power a VP has is derived from the power of the Executive, and thus *always* is an inferior power. If a VP somehow unilaterally appropriates more power to himself/herself, that would be considered unconstitutional and potentially treasonous.
sorry, let me clarify. more powerful than her current VP run, Joey, not more powerful than VP Leni if she is P. VP Sara as P Leni’s VP would be more powerful compared to her status now. is what i meant. but this is an arrangement they’ll have to work out. I do prefer P goes to VP Leni due to age, VP Sara can afford to wait, and some more wisdom for her won’t hurt.
I’m not a Philippine constitutional lawyer, but to my understanding if the 1987 Constitution and the US Constitution the various Philippine constitutions were based on, that would still not be possible. A VP can gain all the popular support they can get yet still have no more legal power than afforded under the Constitution. It’s only the legal power that matters in the end.
But yes, Sara can seek to gain a bit more wisdom. There’s plenty of room in that big noggin of hers for more wisdom to be pumped in as the meter currently reads “empty” 😂 people with too much hubris usually can’t be humble enough to learn though. What she’s doing right now is more like a base animal instinct for survival since she foolishly aimed for the king (BBM) and missed, then BBM withdrew his public support.
“What she’s doing right now is more like a base animal instinct for survival since she foolishly aimed for the king (BBM) and missed, then BBM withdrew his public support.” This is an interesting point now. who drew first blood. cuz i’ve seen all her videos during the campaign and first few months. and Inday Sara expressed deference to PBBM extraordinarily. then something happened i think with the Aranetas side, PBBM’s in laws then it started going sour. So i’m reading it as just her clearing the field, which we are still in the middle of, once this process is finished we’ll see the field clearer and I think this article will be relevant then.
I don’t think the Dutertes were ever capable of deference after being used to treated like royalty in Davao for a half century plus 😅😅😅 There’s no field to clear. At the height of the hullabaloo earlier this year, with all the bold talk about secession, the response was crickets in the Cebu rally where the Dutertes expected blind obedience. Cebu is the Visayan cultural capital. Where Cebu blows, the Visayans go. The Dutertes started to backtrack and act contrite after that. I might consider BBM not all that bright, but if there’s one thing he seems to have is his mother’s calculating vindictiveness; it’s just not as apparent since he’s quieter than Imelda.
I heard that Inday Sara and BBM actually met back in the 90s or 00s. not too sure the context, but there s a connection thats based on utang loob or something of those two. prior to all the politics and that s probably what prompted her to say yes to the tandem. then Aranetas sabotaged.
We may never know what went on behind the scenes, as until someone does a tell all everything we hear is just hearsay. But what I do know is Sara has been voluntarily shooting herself in the foot for well over a year now. Her father and brothers aren’t really helping much either.
http://www.filipinogenealogy.com/2023/06/vp-sara-has-no-jewish-bloodline.html
okay, JP. here’s a better article. so basically the grandfather is a G.I. baby. American knocked up Filipina then left. so theres no connection whatsoever. meaning it wouldnt be found even in oral history. So 100% it was all made up that Zimmerman was Jewish. unless Lola Cristeta said yup he was definitely Jewish we use to do the dirty like in Yentl. but that’s kinda far fetched now.
ps. thanks , JP, for bringing this up. cuz I had a theory that Inday Sara was Jewish thus might be something of a genius because of it. especially Ashkanazis. actually only Ashkanazis its their trait. now i can rule that out. I’m sure Joey’s celebrating.
Zimbar/Zimmer is cognate with the English word “timber.” “Mann” means man or workman. Put together it means “a man who works with wood” aka carpenter. Germanic people originally didn’t have surnames, so people were originally referred to by their name, then a patronymic, job title or place name of where they were from. For example, Max the fisherman would be Max der Fischermann, Max Fischermann, or simply Max Fischer. The Jewish diaspora were originally not allowed to work in dignified jobs, so they worked as laborers, hence why there are many Ashkenazi Jews with the surnames like Zimmerman. But it doesn’t mean all Zimmermans are Jews. Maybe Irineo can expound on this. My explanation comes from my recollection of the torture my high school English teacher put me through with learning rudimentary Saxon/Old English/Middle English/Modern English.
And I am not one to gloat, hehe.
.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmermann
can simply be someone with a carpenter ancestor, though the variant
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmerman_(surname)
is indeed often associated with Ashkenazi Jews (I didn’t know that until now)
though maybe it could just sometimes be a misspelling of a surname by Ellis Island clerks.
I’m thinking my family name should be something on the order of whatever German is for “The Maker of Shoes for the King who Fell into the Mississippi River and Drowned”. My great great grandfather was originally from near Hanover, a shoemaker who transported himself and his family to St Louis before that inadvertent dip in the flooding river. Fortunately his eldest son made excellent decisions that cascaded through the generations into my presence here in the Philippines.
That surname would be Schumacher then, which apparently originated in Bavaria which was known in old times as a bustling market town with many guilds.
“Our era, as LCX points out in his recommended movie, was one of morals and values that mean nothing in the present era of words as power, not truth.” Read the book, Joe. I just saw the movie. wanna read the book now. its opposite of that actually, that it s always been this, Joe, vanity and the wind. from Ecclesiastes. “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a striving after the wind and a feeding on wind.”
“do you see me”, “that depends , can you see me?”, “you didn’t see me”, these concepts in the movie of seeing and not seeing is very prominent too. i wonder if its as prominent in the book. so is 50/50, like chance as illusion or power. really deep stuff.
“Monuments of unageing intellect”. “Monuments of its own magnificence”. LOL. origin of the title, Joe. also fitting here.
That’s a terrific poem.
Sara is a hardcore liar and corrupt as her father. Her refusal to take an oath and snub the hearing on her confi funds disallowance by COA are conduct uncalled for for a government official; a vice president. She has nothing to hide if nothing is irregular in her OVP budget expenses as she claimed. Trillanes is correct. Tulfo is a Duterte copycat, addicted to grandstanding; who loves shortcuts over due process.
Abe Tejada
I agree totally on the VP. Quite horrid behavior. Thanks for the insights on Tulfo. I don’t know him that well and will now observe him more closely.
“She has nothing to hide if nothing is irregular in her OVP budget expenses as she claimed. “ In that press conference, Abe. she says she’s going along with the audit process just not playing along with the kangaroo court process. which kinda makes sense. kangaroo court was mine.
I believe something similar happened to VP Leni when DU30 peeps tried to crucify her over budget.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/1fnhljk/us_and_ph_ovps_budget_contrast
Big Difference is FVP Leni has a very measly budget and VP Sara has a very humongous budget. LCX since you are very much into memes, check out the link.
oh shit, you’re right , karl. that’s a huge difference. but who approved it for 2023? or was this their agreement with PBBM, and now that the relationship is done thus now lowering of OVP budget?
cuz as comparison heres PBBM’s
if this is gonna be PBBM vs. VP Leni VP Sara those two budgets are light years apart. there’ll be no winning that fight.
There are two ways confidential funds can by allocated to OVP. The main way is through Congressional allocation for specific purposes. The second way is for OP to redesignate other Congressional allocations towards OVP confidential funds. Presidential reallocation is on more shaky ground and depends on the premise that the Executive has the closest knowledge on national security matters. However, Congress has the ultimate regulatory power over the usage of any tax monies as the Legislative branch. Congress exerts its regulatory prerogative through Congressional hearings, which by law all called upon witnesses must show up and submit to questioning. Likewise OP has supremacy over OVP as the VP is subordinate to the President. This is how Leni’s OVP budget was reduced unilaterally by Duterte (who also had a Congress stacked with his allies to rubber stamp his decrees).
You are saying PBBM’s budget but that is the admin’s budget, the national budget.
Yes, that’s what I meant to say. I was hungry and grilling carne asada while writing it hehe. All government officials, elected or appointed need to remember that their budget is in fact the national budget entrusted to their care. It is not their personal piggy bank.
That was for the Colonel, Joey.
Why did you promote him? 😮
Joe once called him Col but not in a good way. Anyways he wan an x Lance Corporal he did not disclose what rank he reached…
I’ll take a promotion. lol.
“You are saying PBBM’s budget but that is the admin’s budget, the national budget.” I’ll probably not earn that promotion after all, karl. because I have zero background on budgets. so what you said doesn’t even register to me. i don’t get it. isn’t PBBM’s budget the same as his admin’s budget? Now i appreciate Joey’s break down of it above. and am interpreting confidential funds here as discretionary funds (like that English dept of Pomona College story i shared awhile back). but relevant to PBBM vs. VP Sara (and VP Leni), my question still stands actually two questions, is that difference in VP Leni’s budget and VP Sara’s budget due to PBBM, and follow up, once that relationship was over said budget goes away with it? i get that P and VP there are contentious not necessarily on the same team, so am assuming because they were in fact the same team in the beginning, that thats the reason why VP Sara has that budget. which now they are cutting. cuz it seems you guys are pointing to said budget difference as evidence of corruption.
ps. So its just evidence of said PBBM and VP Sara rift. nothing more.
This is my question, karl.
Interesting development. BBM bared his Senate slate for 2025 through a party called Alyansa 2025 (Why does that alliance name have the familiar ring of Trump’s and the GOP’s Project 2025?). The motley crew is composed of members from Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), and Nacionalista Party (NP).
“Marcos yesterday unveiled the coalition’s ticket for the Senate composed of Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, Makati Mayor Abigail Binay, Sen. Pia Cayetano, former senator Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Lito Lapid, Sen. Imee Marcos, former senator Manny Pacquiao, Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., former Senate president Vicente Sotto, Sen. Francis Tolentino, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar.”
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/09/27/2388238/marcos-bares-alyansa-2025-senatorial-slate
The article is well rounded and includes the opinion of the Leftists opposition members about the personalities fielded for the alliance. It also delves into Sara’s future plans of throwing her hat (her own slate ) in the 2025 election.
For the Left, Makabayan already have a complete Senate slate, Akbayan have Chel Diokno, Liberal Party (LP) has Kiko Pangilinan and Katipunan ng Nagkaisang Pilipino (KNP) has Bam Aquino so far. Anybody I missed? Could one of the opposition group court Angel Locsin to run? Where are the 1Sambayan people?
“Earlier, she announced that her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte and her two brothers Sebastian and Paolo were eyeing Senate seats. The Duterte patriarch, however, denied this.
Asked what her father and brothers were up to, the Vice President said she heard from people close to them that “they are ready to run, but I’m not sure if they’re all running together.”
She said HNP has not discussed yet possible alliances with any groups or received requests for endorsement.” This was at the tail end of that press conference. I didn’t quite know what to make of it. cuz she did mention her dad and brothers, but I think when asked about her own crop of candidates that she meant aside from them, or not including them. why i’ve interpreted it as her going on her own. charting her own course. they maybe allies as family but seems to me she’s crafting her own people in preparation for 2028. but yeah, she did mention that its still February. and the phrase in English “There’s no talking to PRD” was said a couple times.
If proven true, what a shame.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/09/25/2387926/ex-deped-official-claims-vp-sara-gave-out-p50000-cash-envelopes
I am not taking this article about Sara sitting down so I am standing everytime I read and comment.
karl, on Mercado I tend to believe Inday Sara. Mercado does seem shady to me. As to standing up, that’s fine too , karl. Cuz when Inday Sara invites me to her first SONA, I’m inviting you as my plus one and I’ll introduce you to her and you’ll fall in love too as I have.
Its been a week now since VP Sara visited VP Leni in Naga. Only Atty. Barry has spoken about it. Sen. Trillanes (and Senators Risa & DeLima) commented on it, with Trillanes hinting at the above possibility– that it wasn’t just some random social call. After watching all these youtube videos and reading articles, I’m now convinced that the blue corner is exactly that. Blue also for pro-USA stance. They are gunning for those 3 jokers there. Red for pro-China stance. White is for the Philippines. Both VP Sara and VP Leni in the bigger picture I think will be less inclined to be Blue or Red, but more towards White. non aligned. they’ll focus on Philippines. Its Trillanes ‘ nightmare because he’ll not be able to fry DU30, but it’s my dream because VP Sara VP Leni will finally focus on the Philippines. This is the team up. What the Philippines needs. (I should’ve been a graphic designer… )
I’m thinking VP Sara will move more towards VP Leni, and their whole platform will move more towards Blue, basically where PBBM is now but with more White as priority. the Philippines.
Trillanes already suggested what you draw as a blue alliance back in June:
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/06/29/2366394/de-lima-risa-reject-unity-ticket-marcos-camp
(I was wondering why none of the Pink silent readership brought that up when Joe wrote about Trillanes’ candidacy for Mayor of Kalokohan, I mean Kalookan, they must be giving this blog the silent treatment for “unholy” ideas)
Oh, thanks. Ireneo. that makes a lot of sense now. I was just thinking about impeachment. and these hearings. like implied, but I guess it is implicit after all. making VP Leni’s moves more clear to me.
implicit = explicit.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/RSumqcyDPhHgWeGn/
LP is small but intact, though, with Kiko running for Senator, De Lima running for Congress and Leni running for Mayor of Naga next year. What that means for 2028 is totally open. Might Trillanes have revealed HIS cards too fast?
Risa and D5 will have to side with VP Sara and VP Leni, karl. go for White.
ooops, sorry , Ireneo. I must’ve been thinking of karl at VP Sara’s first SONA. where were to attend.
I am not crossing my fingers.
No, it’s more the work of time. The olds have given up. The youngs don’t read. So we don’t get the readership we used to. I think most of my Twitter following has me on mute. I only have to offend them once.
Joe, you ever seen No Country for Old Men ?
No. And I don’t watch movies anymore so you’ll have to tell me about it.
Sparksnotes: “No Country for Old Men pits an “old man” who values justice, morality, and lawfulness against a world in which younger men act according to their own codes. “
Movie adaptation :
Right. That’s the rub.
I just literally posted this a second ago, Joe. most of the time i’ll be lucky if i get like 10 impressions (or whatever they call it), but you write words thats popular now and it blows up. so I think its all about keywords. and what’s hot at the moment, like whats people searching.
I just checked again, now there are 2 replies that I can’t see. its a weird algorithm.
Then it tapers off after an hour or two.
LCpl this info is mostly not correct 😅 Lebanon had a decades stable governing coalition that respected all major Lebanese 3 ethno-religious groups equally, until Arafat’s PLO tried to stage a coup to take over Lebanon. The question should really be: “why are no Arab countries taking in Palestinians?” That’s because the Palestinians tried to do coups on all their host countries, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait and were expelled from almost all.
Most Syrian refugees in Lebanon hate Assad. They’re refugees due to fleeing Assad.
Hezbollah is a Shia militia that’s an informal arm of the IRGC. Shia’s are a minority in Lebanon but Hezbollah has a lot of weapons supplied by Iran, Russia so not much the Lebanese government can do about it in the south where Hezbollah is strong. Hezbollah is allied with Assad because Iran told them to.
“Axis of Resistance” also known as the terrorists, are Iranian proxies with strong military supplies backing from Russia, China. Shia or Sunni don’t matter to the Iranians because in the end the Axis is used as Iranian pawns.
“Lebanon had a decades stable governing coalition that respected all major Lebanese 3 ethno-religious groups equally“ Those two words are probably open to interpretation, Joey. always been a balancing act even before the PLO. that last word is the whole point of it all.
Equal and balanced implies stable hehe
“Most Syrian refugees in Lebanon hate Assad. They’re refugees due to fleeing Assad.” Agreed. Assad’s the one that sent them packing after all. But it was Hillary that pushed the the Assad regime into chaos. Assad could’ve kept things in order. EJKs and stuff. no refugees. But Hillary finger fuckd with Syria (after Egypt & Libya). now refugees. Syrian refugees should be hating Hillary.
As the #1 former Hillary hater when I was in the conservative bubble, come on man haha. Hillary was SecState at the time, how would she have unilateral power to do anything. The Syrian people rose up themselves against the Assad dictatorship… have quite a few friends in the ME who partook in the Arab Spring, of which the Syrian Revolution and Syrian Civil War are part of. Actually, the Syrians who had suffered under the father Hafiz al-Assad had been hopeful that Bashar al-Assad would bring progress and initially supported him since they thought since he’s a MD and Western educated, he would be more open minded and less harsh. When Bashar al-Assad became even more harsh than his father, that’s when the Syrians rebelled.
The Syrian opposition nearly won as well, and Hillary’s part in this whole thing is that she had pushed Obama to send defensive weapons and SOCOM support to the rebels, but Obama did not even after his “red line” was crossed when Bashar al-Assad dropped chemical weapon barrel bombs on civilian towns. Syrian refugees generally hate al-Assad, Russia, Iran, China, not the US and definitely not Hillary after word came out she had pushed for stronger support of the rebels. Same rough situation in Libya and Egypt as well.
Let’s stick with primary sources (from the people there) and specialist independent journalists for things like this. If you would like a list of some let me know. Sometimes your positions are really confusing since I consider you really smart, but your core truth is peppered with both far right and left wing conspiracy theories that have their origins in currently active Russian disinformation campaigns, and I don’t think you’re aware of this as you consume information. Since the disinformation is muddying the core truths that you share (and I appreciate), it makes your positions often seem confusing.
Well described. I mostly sit myself aside when he is off on one of his “beliefs as facts” escapades. Life’s too short to jump down every rabbit hole on the prairie. Some have badgers or wolverines in them.
Love the guy, but I could feel myself starting to reach for the BP meds as can be seen by the worsening sentence structure haha.
“Hezbollah is allied with Assad because Iran told them to.” Joey, Shi’a clerics that eventually got Shiism started in Iran came from Lebanon and Syria, they were Zoroastrians or some shit before. so this whole alliance is older than Assad and present day Iran.
No LCpl, this is incorrect. Shia Islam started with the first major schism of Islam after Mohammad died. Beyond slightly different religious interpretations of Islam, Shia consider the caliph to be a temporal elected leader, while Sunni consider the caliph to be a divinely appointed hereditary leader in Mohammad’s line of descendants. It is more correct to say that the first country to make Shia Islam the state religion was in the area of what’s now Iran, but the Iranian ancestors had converted to Shia due to Arab Shia missionaries. The Arab part of the Arabian Peninsula is mostly Sunni.
And the alliances in the current global conflict is a recent alliance in the last decades, not an ancient one going back hundreds of years. Easiest way to explain this? During the Cold War, both post-shah Iran and the Arab world aligned with the Soviet Union. The current alliances in the Middle East were drawn after the first Iraq-Iran war. All the Arab countries, excluding Lebanon which is controlled by Hezbollah gangster leadership, and half of Yemen which is controlled by Houthi gangster leadership want to ally with Israel, and together fight Iran. Look no further than the missile bombardment of Israel earlier this year… yeah on the news it said the US, British and French took out most of the missiles, but in fact a large portion of the Iranian missiles were taken out before even reaching Israeli borders with the assistance of the Arabs, including using their own fighter jets and anti-missile systems. The Arabs just didn’t talk about it openly since their governments had brainwashed their populations to hate Jews for decades.
“Shia or Sunni don’t matter to the Iranians because in the end the Axis is used as Iranian pawns.” Hamas is Sunni, so sure. But Hizbullah slaughtered a lot of Sunnis in Syria so all that’s gonna come home to roost soon. Good luck telling them, its not about Shia vs. Sunni, Joey.
I have actually spoken to people there directly. Have friends there. The family doctor I go to is a Syrian whose family was slaughtered first by Hafiz al-Assad and then Bashar al-Assad. One would think people with personal experiences would know first hand… What they see and say in their daily lives is the complete opposite of this. This view is the result of a very effective propaganda campaign online by Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, etc. ISIS and Al Qaeda also had very effective campaigns before also.
“That’s because the Palestinians tried to do coups on all their host countries, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait and were expelled from almost all.” This I agree. but the US via W. insisted on elections which Hamas won when Israelis and PLO leadership told W. no cuz Hamas will win. And W. still pushed for elections. so this whole Gaza stuff is kinda still our fault though. but I’d be damn if we take in Palestinians refugees, same with Haiti. I blame W. and Hillary. and Israel for not doing better. Hizbullah and Hamas are just reacting. Assad too. there was a window when the son was really open to US influence, but USA said nope we need enemies still. to keep this whole shit going. so we’re the biggest terrorist, Joey. hands down. Assad was kowtowing to us.
The situation in Gaza is the fault of 1.) The Arab countries that decided to invade in 1948,1956, 1967, 1973. 2.) The “Palestinians” who decided to join with the Arab countries to slaughter Israelis in those invasions 3.) The USSR and Eastern Bloc which actively supported the Arabs 4.) Palestinian leadership that refused all peace talks, even when both Bill Clinton and Dubya were super close to achieving a two-state solution 4.) Both Fatah and Hamas were founded on pan-Arabism ideology of Muslim Brotherhood and are the only two surviving groups that carry that ideology. Even Saudi has thrown it away. Pan-Arabism is a Islamic neo-fascist movement that seeks to create a world wide caliphate… sounds familiar right? Because both al Qaeda and ISIS are pan-Arabic movements also.
I don’t understand why it is the job of the US to intervene or be blamed for everything in the world. Why not hold the people involved responsible for their own actions? The US being blamed for everything is an old Soviet propaganda tactic that the Russians and Chinese still use today. I take issue with calling the US a terrorist, since while our country has been misguided in our idealism to “help” other sometimes as the recent conclusion of the GWOT has shown, the US is overall good. Because if the US was bad, then me and you as American citizens should be blamed as well, no?
“I don’t understand why it is the job of the US to intervene or be blamed for everything in the world.” Yet W. intervened and Hillary intervened, Joey. I agree with your 1 to 4 of Arab-Israeli history, just saying W. and Hillary are culpable. but they’re not the only ones. just that current events can be traced to them. though all that history counts too.
“When Bashar al-Assad became even more harsh than his father, that’s when the Syrians rebelled.” Hillary sided with anti-Bashar crowd, as she did in anti Mubarak and anti- Qaddafi crowds. Obama let Hillary have int’l affairs cuz she was running in 2016 remember. it was all her and her girls rice and powers. Had Hillary not fomented anything in Syria there would not have been a rebellion and the son would not have had to be harsh. Hillary tipped the scales, Joey. she played a big role in Syrian collapse.
during GWOT prior to Arab Spring the son was more than helpful to the USA. and Hillary squander all this over night. at least W. just pushed for elections, Hillary set a whole country crumbling.
“Shia Islam the state religion was in the area of what’s now Iran, but the Iranian ancestors had converted to Shia due to Arab Shia missionaries. “ Agreed. as theres Arabs in modern Iran. But when the non-Muslim Persians wanted to wholesale convert to Shiism most of their clerics came from the Lebanon-Syrian area. hence the connection.
“And the alliances in the current global conflict is a recent alliance in the last decades, not an ancient one going back hundreds of years.” So the Persian Shi’as who’ve been pilgrimaging to Syria don’t count? i’m with you on modern day state alliances, Joey, I’m just saying Persian and Arab Shi’as have been comingling in Syria for a long time.
Ooooops, my bad Joey I thought Persians were converting from Zoroastrianism or some shit to Shia, but it was actually more Sunni to Shia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safavid_conversion_of_Iran_to_Shia_Islam#Fate_of_Sunni_and_Shia_scholars but my point still stands that the Shi’a clerics were from Lebanon-Syria region hence the connection.
“Because if the US was bad, then me and you as American citizens should be blamed as well, no?” Well that’s why I’m vocal about W. and Hillary’s hand in all this, so I off set their badness, Joey. my personal opinion is that the Arab Spring should’ve been just ignored by the US, knowing full well what happens when you finger fuck Muslim countries (Iraq and Afghanistan and in Gaza as well) things tend to get worst not better. during the neocons it was democracy is the solution mantra. complete crap. then Arab Spring, and Hillary’s mantra was we side with the protestors. that was wrong. but especially wrong in Syria because unlike Egypt and Libya, Syria was actually thriving as minority ruled. sure they had some issues, mostly cuz of Iraq refugees also drought, but Bashar Al-Assad should’ve been left alone to rule and keep Syria together, same with Qudaffi and Mubarak too, good thing the Egyptian military got things reset. Libya’s still a toss up right now. things seem to be quieting in Syria but not no more after recent developments. But it all started with Hillary’s stance in the Arab Spring, Joey. she screwed up.
I have an article tomorrow that touches briefly on America’s deep state, or its foreign power policy consistency through every administration the last century plus. It produces the meddling that you see with Hillary. You are personalizing it to her without consideration that she was the tail of the dog, not the dog itself. As an aside, if you join the discussion tomorrow, kindly clean up your act and don’t try to dominate the arguments. I consider it a very important article for the mission I’m working on. You are moderator here for your writing, so can make of it what you will. As I will make of mine what I must. Thanks.
I would add that coming from a place of intense hatred of Hillary (thanks Gingrich and Buchanan), Hillary ended up being right about almost everything. She was pilloried by Republicans since before I was born, going back to the 1970s. In the 1990s, many of us believed she was the uppity, unladylike, true evil genius behind an apparently very dumb Bill Clinton. Both smears of which understate how smart both Bill and Hillary are. The side that attacked Hillary for years ended up trying to seize power through force in the failed coup attempt, so things are very clear here who is right and who is wrong.
Those who rose up in the Arab spring were not simply “protestors.” They were Arabs who were sick and tired of decades of crap leadership by dictators and wanted to have a well governed country. The fact that some of the predecessors of the current dictators aligned with the NATO-bloc or the Warsaw-bloc during the Cold War was irrelevant to the “protestors.” If you regularly interact with those who were actually affected, you’ll find that their opinion and lived experience is a complete 180 of what you believe it to be. Perhaps we should address Russia, Iran, and China’s role which was a much worse negative effect. I’ll again say that most of the information you are sharing about this topic and the US’s role in it are conspiracies that originate with the Kremlin; disinformation of which permeates like a web across social media and is easy to spot if you know how. Those fascistic neo-imperialist powers don’t need people of the free world to believe in every lie they throw out there. Their goal is to seed self-doubt. While we are on this topic, I will put it bluntly that at least those Arabs who rose up en masse to try to bring about a democratic Arab society had more courage than most in the country we are advocating for now do.
Got it, Joe. I’ll zip it for the rest of the weekend. as for Hillary I think she wanted to make a name for herself foreign policy wise in preparation for 2016. but screwed it up. what irks me is her , and Rice and Powers , are still on talk circuits like they didn’t fuck anything up. just irks, me, Joe. but I’ll be done, unless Joey wants to raise other points. i’m pretty much done on this. sorry for the tangent, I was just point ing out Twitters algorithm. I am pro Kurdistan though.
“They were Arabs who were sick and tired of decades of crap leadership by dictators and wanted to have a well governed country. “ Similar things happened during the first Gulf War , Joey. we talked Kurds in northern Iraq to rise up as well as Shia in the south. then turned our back on ’em. They got slaughtered. But what you’re saying is naive, in the context of Gaza (Fatah and Israel told W. Hamas is gonna win) and in Egypt it was the Muslim Brothers who won. its great that Arabs want to be governed well. but when Syria was nearing collapse (before Russia stepped ) worst elements were about to take over, atleast Hamas or Muslim Brothers didn’t go back to the 7th century like literally. sure things can be better , Joey, but let them work it thru because when we tip the scales towards our ideals without factoring worst case scenarios we’ll end up making more of a mess. and that’s the lesson in GWOT both under W. and Hillary, Joey. and we need to learn that, and not blame China or Russia or Iran’s propagandas. we are doing this. not them. Sure your friends can say they hate Assad, but i bet ya 3 times that are saying thank God Assad held on to power. cuz they’d rather live under tyranny than be dead. for many this is the only calculus. its a balancing act, Joey, one W. and Hillary were not successful at.
Sonny wanted to comment but hesitates. I told him TSH could be therapeutic….or stressful depending on how you manage it.
I did want to ask him what does the original image of Our Lady of Penafrancia look like, the one in Spain. cuz I’ve been Googling the Naga stuff, but turns out the original image is in Spain but everytime I Google that its all just Naga stuff. but there’s an original image, like Virgin Guadalupe, karl.
I will copy paste
Karl, the best person to ask for now is the tsoh man from Bicol (my dementia is acting up again). His name escapes but he has written more than a few feature articles here at tsoh. Wil Villanueva ring a bell?
I will continue researching
Welcome back, sonny.
You need more time here Unc to exercise your brain and mind. Yeah Wil Villanueva is from Cam Sur IIRC.
Will is in fact from Naga. The Holy City.
BTW it could be the Peňafrancia devotion in Bikol has pre-Christian roots. In Joroan, Tiwi, Albay, they also carry the Nuestra Señora de Salvacion on a boat, but open water. It wouldn’t be the first time an older ritual becomes part of Catholic observance.
“to exercise your brain and mind.” 100% agree, karl. but also just being outside and communing with God off line is also good. as much as I miss sonny. I’d rather he spend quality time, off line. check in once in a while. I miss NH too. sonny and NH especially cuz I know they’re oldies but goodies, but even i7sharp too, i get curious what he’s doing. cuz he was on a roll, then just stopped quite abruptly. on Twitter theres this philosopher professor at some St. Louis college, Helen, I’m always hounding her for questions about death cuz she’s got some cancer thats stage 4, and there are days she shares ruminations of death, but catches herself and starts talking about fighting to live cuz she’s in her 40s and i guess not ready to go yet. but her philosopher training gives her this really refreshing commentary on dying and living. I’m just some rando on Twitter but she does entertain some of my stupid questions on dying and death. so maybe ruminations on death is also good exercise. I’ll shut up now, just thought about and started thinking more about exercise your brain and mind, karl.
I just did not like imagining out stressing out the Cancer patient the way uiu stress us off LCX. Her being on X did not gave you the license to hound her with Death questions LCX brand. There is such a thing as purposive communication and just spontaneous. You, I don’t know if you were born makulit. No one is proud to be a troll than you. You give new meaning to the circus and pro wrestling parlance of kayfabe.
karl, I think Helen doesn’t generally mind and if my questions do get offensive or just gets her down, she just ignores ’em. but she’s awared I’m just some Twitter rando who puts philosophers on pedestals. and she entertains and answers my questions from this perspective. cuz in the end philosophy is about that, whether to commit suicide or just wait for nature to take you, to include other humans. but I have witnessed friends and family succumb to cancer partly due to the treatment eg. radiation chemo etc. and seeing them see cure as an all or nothing arrangement with sunk cost fallacy information assymetry thrown in. wherein imho they could’ve lived either longer or better quality of life (focusing on loved ones or self) had they known when to pull the cord on treatment and just start living and preparing for death. those questions she entertains, karl. so i don’t think she’s offended. i guess she could easily put me on mute. or block.
Generally I wish you Moderate and temper your stone cold stuff Thanks for your time to reply
LC, if I were to go to Salamanca in Spain I will most likely find that the Penafrancia, Naga statue will be a replica close to that of Our Lady of Penafrancia, Salamanca. Devotional statues of the Blessed Virgin in the Philippines have no miracles vetted like those vetted by the Vatican, e.g. Guadalupe, Fatima, Lepanto. Just my opinion.
Thanks, sonny! we’ve all missed you here. will look into this further.
Sonny, good to see you here. A tip o’ the mango juice glass to ye!
Likewise, dear friend Joe. Totally missed that smooth moderating style you are. Glad to see everyone, old & new.
Karl, Irineo & LC, special thanks for the warm welcome.
The Kurds (Yellow) have been getting uppity since Bashar stepped in, with Saddam gone, they got powered up. IMHO there should be Kurdistan, take it from northern Iraq and probably half of that current yellow now in Syria. for sure Turkey’s not gonna budge. but those guys deserve their own state. only fair. “The Syrian people rose up themselves against the Assad dictatorship…” this is your lynchpin sentence here on Syria, Joey. and sure the Kurds always had a say, but “The Syrian people” is actually more like “some Syrian people” hence the seed of Hillary’s mistake, in assuming that all these protests represented the many. when for the many all they actually wanted to do was enjoy some peace and quiet which Syria provided more or less. its like Hunger Games of course with districts farther out not afforded the same services but say la vee. sure you complain under your breath knowing it could be worst. Arab Spring like the BLM movement like Jan 6. was more about social media and getting people to show up and protest than anything. and sure Arab regimes crowd control police state tactics tend to go over board, but in the end Arab Spring was just a bump on the road. all countries involved coulda squashed it if not for Hillary, Joey. sure that means status quo, but we’re seeing the opposite of what coulda been status quo and its a lot worst. with more people dead than originally intended when all this began, when Hillary was just supporting protests, Joey. then of course the whole arming the rebels. Syrian opposition is better off surrendering now ngl. give Kurds their Kurdistan. but back to how it was ala Egypt.
Kurdistan and Syria will have to figure out that area though. but theres room for deals.
Last time I checked, the majority of a people constitutes the will of the nation. And Assad’s support is very small. He was going to lose until Russia stepped in and bombed the Syrian cities back to the stone age. Syrians are ultra supportive of Ukrainians and vice versa, because they both know what it feels like to suffer under Russian terrorism.
“the majority of a people constitutes the will of the nation.” Not necessarily, Joey, that’s what happened in Egypt. and they turned that around quick. and all the Coptics were like thank God! same thing in Gaza with Hamas. Minority rule under Assad expanded progress to the many. This is mostly due to regress of Sunnis. but that’s another topic all together.
“He was going to lose until Russia stepped in and bombed the Syrian cities back to the stone age.” Youre not factoring in that if Assad lost and the rebels won, Joey. ISIL would’ve gobbled up the rebels. this isn’t Star Wars. remember all parties involved had to regroup and all fought ISIL together at one point. so its good that Assad won, no thanks to us, but thanks to the Russians. but it should’ve been thanks to us. without Hillary’s bumbling , Assad would’ve kept being pro USA and ISIL would never had developed to be that big.
I’m sorry brother, but each statement here is the opposite of what actually happened according to MSM, independent journalists unaffiliated with any MSM, and also what I was told in first hand accounts by personal friends I met during my travels in the region.
You don’t think the Coptics were happy Egyptian military stepped in and got rid of Muslim Brotherhood?
i’ll give you the last word on this, cuz i gotta go, Joey. and i already promised Joe radio silence so won’t be back til monday so hopefully sonny can come back, lol. either way good talk, Joey. appreciate you.
Haha I’m not trying to win here brother. Just trying to give you clean information 😅
I guess thats my personal issue, Joey. I always see these as contests. but again its just my process. I do enjoy it so. and I do appreciate your input here. so thanks either way (I had to pop in to comment, cuz sonny’s here, will resume radio silence for Joe now)
The Copts were relieved since the Muslim Brotherhood is part of the Pan-Arabist fascist movement during the Cold War, and persecuted the Copts. Morsi’s election was won by a bare majority (51%), and there were allegations of Russian interference in favor of Morsi. The military under Sisi stepped since because the Egyptians resumed the pro-democracy protests immediately after Morsi “won.” Not the biggest fan of Sisi but he did what needed to be done. Almost all the Islamic terrorist organizations originated from Muslim Brotherhood, including the Sunni organizations supported by Iran.
I do think VP Sara can neuter these three effectively and cleanly. not thru ICC or criminal court, but simply sucking political oxygen from them, and VP Sara can do this. no more red, eg. bloodletting and China. just focus on White. and she’s gonna do it for VP Leni, but more importantly for herself. upon winning. as P or VP again, i dunno. but that will be the important quid pro quo if they’re to team up. and those three will bow down to VP Sara and acquiesce. an offer then can’t refuse. they’ll bend the knee.
A provocative article deserves a provocative response.
“Their (Sara & Leni) meeting is a sign of mutual respect. Not desperation, not gullibility. Sonny Trillanes is wrong. – Lance Corporal X
To the contrary, I think Trillanes makes sense. He and Leni Robredo are both members of the opposition who ran against BBM & Sara. Who in his right mind will not caution a friend whom he see might be put in trouble? If Trillanes is voicing opposition to the meeting of the two it’s because he knows the Dutertes. He’s just expressing and showing his concern to a friend and, in a way, tapping Leni on the shoulder saying ‘be very careful’.
Not all random meetings between two people who are not close can be called a ‘sign of mutual respect’. Since they are not close, one can, in fact, freely assume that one party is desperate to have a meeting with the other party for reasons advantageous or favorable to the party seeking a meeting. It might be for sympathy or for meeting of the minds on something. Whatever it is, the meeting did not just happened at random. It is a well-planned attempt on something that has to do with what Sara is in right now.
We all know that vice president Sara Duterte has been having problems with Congress on the issue of budget on both the Dept. of Education, which she’s the secretary, and the office of the vice president. She’s having trouble not because the legislators are giving it to her but because she’s showing them that she cannot be touched by any anybody or by any office. It’s her way or the highway. Nice.
And then there’s the seeming drifting relationship she’s having with Pres. BBM caused by a lot of things concerning her involvement on different issues (i.e. corruption, EJK, Quiboloy, to name a few).
So, to say the Sara-Leni meeting is bereft of desperation is highly misleading. Actually, Leni doesn’t need a meeting with anybody outside of the opposition. What for? The opposition is not problem-free for Leni to have time to entertain the problems of the administration.
And Leni has not been known to approach personalities and parties that are identified with the other side. I don’t see any reason why Leni will meet with Sara. Sara is a Duterte and we all know what happened to Leni Robredo when she was the vice president of Sara’s father.
Cunning is the word. Sara’s world is getting smaller everyday and she cannot afford her world to shrink to the point that her ambition in 2028 is put in peril. So what to do?
Meet with someone who has the necessary numbers that can help you plod your way to the presidency. Use somebody that can help you with your ambition regardless if whether that somebody is detested by your family. Neat.
Trillanes is right in calling out the meeting but I hope he’s wrong to imply that Leni can easily be manipulated and duped by a friendly gesture coming from an unfriendly and desperate entity.
“He’s just expressing and showing his concern to a friend and, in a way, tapping Leni on the shoulder saying ‘be very careful’.” Juan, I dunno if you’ve been listening to Sen. Trillanes’ side but he’s accusing VP Leni of teaming up with VP Sara.
“Whatever it is, the meeting did not just happened at random. It is a well-planned attempt on something that has to do with what Sara is in right now.” Exactly, this is Sen. Trillanes point as well, Juan, that VP Leni knows better and that she’s a willing participant. That’s why he said if you’re going to forget about DU30 to go against Marcos, then that’s war for me. to quote him “guerra yan”.
“Trillanes is right in calling out the meeting but I hope he’s wrong to imply that Leni can easily be manipulated and duped by a friendly gesture coming from an unfriendly and desperate entity. “He’s not accusing VP Leni of that, Juan, he’s accusing her of teaming up with VP Sara. willingly.
I do agree with Sen. Trillanes’ take in all this, he says he has reliable sources and I believe him. But I think he’s also being the Marcos/Aranetas useful idiot here (along with everyone). blinded by his hate for DU30. he’s not seeing that chart I just made above, complete with White, Blue and Red colors, as well as Yellow for effect. sure they drew first blood, but they’ve just awaken the Kraken, Juan. VP Sara. and why Filipinos will come to her support again. and with VP Leni, the sky’s the limit.
I’m too lazy to rewatch it, but that’s where he qualifies his stance hinting at VP Leni teaming up with VP Sara that if she ‘s willing to forget about DU30 , “guerra yan”. you can check if my interpretation is correct, cuz like I said i’m not native speaker. but “guerra yan” is clear to me. cuz that’s Spanish. thats war, Juan. for Trillanes. he is very critical over this meeting, whilst everyone else is just saying VP Leni is just being VP Leni. this is in fact a big deal.
Professional vis-a-vis unprofessional.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1987334/vp-dutertes-absence-at-budget-talks-draws-robredo-comparison-from-solon
sara would have to be professional now, her budget has been slashed to the same level as leni’, e. i, 733million. after paying homage to the lady of penyafrancia, sara has been served lugaw;, the lady of penyafrancia’s miracle is far reaching.
okay. let’s try Heyderian again. I forgot to mention Blue = USA.
On Trillanes calling out the meeting between Sara and Leni:
“He’s not accusing VP Leni of that, Juan, he’s accusing her of teaming up with VP Sara. willingly.” – LCPL_X
I don’t know if that is even possible. Would it be Sara-Leni or Leni-Sara?
Definitely, Leni would never allow to be a second fiddle to a Duterte again. If she does that, something mental is wrong with her. On her part, Sara will not allow herself to be the spare tire again, worse, to somebody who her father tried to treat like a doormat.
So, what’s the meeting all about? It’s all about Sara doing the dance to convince Leni to side with her in her pursuit of her ambition in 2028. She’s not going to team up with Leni because she knows the latter will not agree to it. She just wants Leni to be in her corner for the numbers in exchange for a possible position in the Sara presidency.
On Leni’s part, the drubbing she got from BBM made her take a forced hibernation. One that practically erase her from the political map. She needs to energize her status in whatever office she decides to run for and Sara, who also got the numbers, may help her go back in activity.
In my opinion, I’m with Trillanes: Leni should not have allowed the meeting to happen just because Sara wants to do it. She should have postponed it or gave a reason not to do it at the time.
“I don’t know if that is even possible. Would it be Sara-Leni or Leni-Sara?” Juan, I’m actually open to both of those combinations. but I trust the two enough to know what will be best. And I guess that what the biggest revelation for me in writing this article. that both Leni-Sara and Sara-Leni would be equally fine with me. and I gotta feeling they’d both feel the same way. But that’s just my feeling.
I now see JL’s take that it was a win-win PR situation for both as likely.
And that is probably all it will be, no further steps but yes let us see.
“I guess that *is what the biggest revelation for me in writing this article. that both Leni-Sara and Sara-Leni would be equally fine with me.” Oh my god, that’s the worst typo. I meant equally fine with it. it. not *me. Just got back on Joe’s good graces too. I agree 100% actually, Ireneo. there’s a big chance its a big nothing. the 3 articles on Inday Sara are inherently reaches long reaches into hunches. Joe’s convinced its nothing. But I am partly convinced in Inday Sara’s goodness. that’s the connecting thread of all the 3 articles. We’ll see if theres a 4th.
It was actually fine. Not a typo, eg. it’s fine with me, I’m fine with it. either way Leni-Sara or Sara-Leni. sorry, hadn’t had coffee yet. now I have. lol. shoula had wrote it like this:
“that both Leni-Sara and Sara-Leni combinations would be equally fine with me.”
“I now see JL’s take that it was a win-win PR situation for both as likely.” – Ireneo B. B. Salazar
If I’m on the side of either or both camps, I’d say it’s a win-win thing. But since I’m not, I actually see it as an act of desperation on Sara’s part.
She needs something not only positive but positive with numbers that would help her consolidate and strengthen her position going to 2028. And Leni got that positivity and numbers.
The voters are grouped according to threes. The Marcos (loyalists), the Dutertes and the Pinks (formerly yellow or a combination of it).
Right now, BBM and Sara are not seeing eye to eye. If we based our observation on Sara’s attitude the past weeks or so, they are not in good terms. The people they command are enormous, enough to win an election, if combined.
Sara knows that Leni can never be a partner to BBM but she can, and she will. Thus, that meeting with Leni is a signal to the president that he and his cohorts are in trouble if Sara gets her way with Leni.
“…that both Leni-Sara and Sara-Leni would be equally fine with me. and I gotta feeling they’d both feel the same way. But that’s just my feeling.” – LCPL_X
The Leni-Sara and Sara-Leni format are not ‘equally fine’ for both women. Actually, both combinations are all wrong for the right reasons. Like I said, a Sara-Leni, if she agrees to it, will indicate that Leni is just another trapo worthy of a doormat. I highly doubt she would bite that bait.
The Leni-Sara team is also a no go. Why? Could you imagine how Digong will feel about her daughter being twice a spare tire on both persons that he hates to the bone? But that’s ignoring Sara, who is as ruthless and as ambitious as her father is. She’s not looking at Leni as her equal. She’s a useful idiot to her.
Haven’t you noticed Sara not having a political friend that has a positive image publicly? Leni would be the first one, if ever.
The trap is, she wants Leni to know that she’s not like her father. Unlike him, she embraces her, she connects with her. In other words, she wants Leni to think that she’s a ‘friend’ (to be eaten later). Joke.
I don’t know about Leni, all I know is people around her are wary of this Sara’s friendly gestures and they’re not comfortable with it.
Juan, there’s also this new development over the weekend.
“all I know is people around her are wary of this Sara’s friendly gestures and they’re not comfortable with it. “ so this is the only true opposition I see, Juan. maybe uncomfortable but it does kinda make sense vis a vis Marcos-Aranetas.
let me add this new graph here before I lose it: