Believe it or not, Philippine Political Update (PPU) is now 2 years old!  (Or should I say only 2 years old?) "Already" or "only" 2 years, they sure were eventful years.  I thought a great way to "celebrate" is to tell this site’s story by focusing on what our readers have written in the past 2 years.  Rummaging through my e-mail files, I found a mostly grateful, appreciative audience. 

Those who enter a comment in the guest book and leave an e-mail address often receive an acknowledgment from me.  Esmer found it easy to pledge loyalty: Thank you for acknowledging my interest in your site.  From now on, I will always be browsing the Philippine Political Update page.  As I said in my commentary in signing your guest book, I am very happy and proud of you for the kind of service that you are providing "sojourners" like me on the global electronic highway.  My congratulations to you.  May your tribe increase!  Take care, and God bless.  

Robert was quick to return my gratitude: Thanks to you!  I know what it takes to put a site like yours: HARD WORK!  I hope you will be blessed to continue this kind of service to our "kababayans."  It is really rare to find someone with deeper, or should we say, genuine interest in Philippines politics and public service, and contribute or do something about it!

Hard work it is, especially if readers ask me to help them with their research work.   Not that I’m complaining--I like to help and Mark was very polite and his questions were simple enough: I hate to bother you but I can't find the answer I am looking for.  I guess I still have low Internet search skills.  I heard the Philippines is having elections this year; is this true?  Are the elections presidential or local?  You can e-mail me back if you have the time.

It becomes a little more challenging with students.  Babes Aquino was a high school senior who needed help with her debate preparation on the charter-change issue: It's my first time to be with the debate team at school.  We're on the negative side ... What advantages would the charter change give anyway?  What does the pro-charter-change movement want to prove?  'Coz I don't see any reason talaga.  The only reason I heard in some debates is so that the structural reforms that the Ramos administration built can be preserved.  Eh, hindi naman namin pwedeng tirahin ng tirahin lang si Mr. Pwetsident.  Hmmm ... There goes my problem now. *sigh*  I know you can help me.  *s*   Thanks.

Just when I thought Babes was the baby among our readers, Alexandra Molinaro sent this note: Hello, I am a freshman attending Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, California.  I am taking World History, and was assigned an Asian project.  The country I was given was the Philippines.  I have to report on a topic that has happened in the past five years.  The topic I chose was how the Philippines have had an American "rub off" (excuse my choice of words).  What I am asking is if you have any information that you could send me.  I would be so very grateful to you.

"The Cleaner" sent a rather curious multi-pronged query: Who's in charge and what is being done about the infrastructure and defense of the Philippines?   Please enlighten me if you have any information.

Elaine, on the other hand, probably asked a question everyone else at the time of the May elections was wondering about: I would like to know more about the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (Erap’s phantom party)--like their objectives, platforms, the members, date begun, and any informative news about them.

Another student I was delighted to help was Cristina Limlingan:  I'm a student from Ateneo de Manila University doing a term paper on the multi-party system, and I was wondering if I could get your opinion on this topic.  Should we retain the multi-party system in the Philippines?  Why or why not?  Thank you very much for your time.  Happy holidays! Cristina (whose dad, former Civil Aeronautics Board Chairman Victor Limlingan, I met while I was working for Senator Roco) actually let me review her outline and all.  She got an A and was quite grateful for it:  when a review of my book How to Win (or Lose) in Philippine Elections came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, she mailed me an original copy of the review--beating my publisher by a couple of weeks.

If there’s any school that has fielded the most requests for information, it’s Columbia University.  Marixie Mercado was doing an article on health policy: Your Web site is a good source of information on the Philippines, and I was wondering whether you could point me to some sources for an article on Philippine health policy (focusing on malnutrition) for my Reuters Forum class? Can you direct me to either policy makers or analysts I might call or e-mail for comments on Congress's decision to cut per-child spending by about 25%?  I would really appreciate your help, and I thank you in advance for your time.

Also from Columbia, Rayner Ramirez wrote: I'm a grad student at Columbia's School of Journalism, and I'm writing an article on Erap's bid for the presidency.  I heard rumors about a "white paper" on his past, circulating in the Filipino community.   Do you happen to know about it or have a copy?  I'd appreciate it very much. Of course, Rayner got his white paper (I still wonder how it got called "white paper" when it was really a poison letter).  He also arranged a taped interview with me for his paper.

From Chay Florentino-Hofileņa: I'm auditing a new media course at Columbia University (Journalism) and wanted to do a short review of your site for the class.   I'm Filipino too.  I'd like to know where I could call you for a brief interview.  Hope you can spare some time.  Chay and I, we found out during the interview, were actually classmates at the Ateneo. She recently published a book on media corruption in the Philippines and is now the deputy editor in chief of the Manila Times.

From David, a graduate student at the American University in Washington, D.C.: I have chosen to do a foreign policy analysis research paper concerning the Philippines in relation to the rest of Southeast Asia and the United States.  This is the first time I have been on this site and it looks very informative and helpful to my research.   It is also my first time studying the Philippines.  I was hoping you could return this message with any information or advice you may have about locating solid articles or information pertaining to the Philippines.  I am assuming you know a great deal about the area; I saw your e-mail address, so I figured I would go ahead and e-mail you and see if anything would happen--hopefully you will be able to reply. 

Here’s another from an East Coast school--one who knows how to massage my ego I should add: My name is Jean R. Ortega.  I am a political science student (senior year) at Jersey City State College.  I'm currently doing an independent study about the political system in the Philippines.  In particular, I will look at the current crisis and would like to address what political initiatives should be considered to build for the future and help develop a more equitable, strong, and resilient society.   During my recent visit to the Philippines, I was able to interview several politicians as well as ordinary citizens.  I was also able to research newspapers, magazines, etc.  In my search on the Internet for additional source material, I came upon a reference to your fascinating work.  How wonderful it is to find someone as learned as yourself doing such great work!  I would very much appreciate it if I can get any information from you, such as how to obtain copies of your work, cases, facts, data, etc.  If you could also provide some of your thoughts relating to my topic, I would be very grateful.  Of course, I'll be glad to reference your work in my paper including any materials that you can provide to me.  Also, if I can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to ask.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Greg Chumbley from Surveys International sent a question I didn't have the answer to: In order to conclude a research paper on "The History of Asian Political Parties," I need to know the name of the person who was the personal secretary of Ferdinand Marcos during his reign.  Is there any record in any archive that would identify such person?  From Mt. Holyoke College, April Siruno was a little more self-reliant:  I like your Web page; it is constructed well.  Your links have aided my research in one of my politics classes. Thanks! 

During the first few months, I took every opportunity to publicize the site by leaving comments (with a link to PPU) in the guest books of other sites, especially the then very popular and sometimes out-of-control Manila Bulletin Guest Book.  SnowPeas4 gave me a very good suggestion that led to our Public Forum section: I was impressed with your entry in MB's Guest Book.  Others who leave comments are also very informative and sometimes entertaining.  What is not so good is if one gets annoyed by the opinion of others.  Will you be kind enough to create a kind of newsgroup or a message board and invite these people to discuss their views freely?

Several weeks before the May 1998 elections, we also created another discussion section that got too "free" I decided to call it "The Dumpster."  At one point, a regular visitor from Manila became so obnoxious and obscene others were daring him to reveal his identity and address so they could whop his ass.  (He replied with perhaps a fake address, but I quickly deleted it just to avoid potential trouble.)   Others used the section to throw political dirt at candidates (as ridiculous as Senator Roco developing a tic because he likes to peep into the women’s bathroom in the Senate Building).  I thought it was more amusing than damaging; I let the section stay until server problems became too aggravating (it wasn't’ available half the time).

Encouragement during our first year was not lacking, especially from Filipino pioneer webmasters. Ken Ilio, the Grand Patron of Philippine Web Sites, directed significant traffic to our site when he gave it his Hall of Fame Award.  Reinhard (Only in the Philippines) was also encouraging: During one of my hunting sprees for new and interesting Filipino Web pages, I found yours and I thought I need to send this message to you to congratulate you and to show my appreciation.  I will be back frequently.  Thank you very much for your great work!

Edgar Javison prominently linked PPU on his Philippine Senate site.  He also tipped us on other links and gave us a firsthand account of his election-day experience:  Just dropping by to inform you that the COMELEC finally has a Web site ... I cast my vote at 9:48 this morning.  It was good to see that the Graciano Lopez Jaena Elementary School in La Paz was already filled with a lot of voters queuing for their turns at the poll.  What discouraged me was the sight of voters going through the list of candidates posted in the polling booth and picking their candidates right there in the polling booth!  Goes to show that people still have not made up their minds as to whom to vote for before going to the polling centers.  Anyway, the real test begins when the ballots are counted ...

Pietro Reyes (PNB New York Web Site, Pinoy Jokes, Gordon for President Movement) was generous: Just letting you know ... I simply loved the Ph.D. diploma you awarded to FVR.  It not only looks great ... more importantly, it conveys the right message.   Cheers and congratulations on a great Web site!  It certainly does a great service to the Filipino people. 

Speaking of FVR’s graduation diploma, Delor Lauchang was impressed but couldn’t help but express his cynicism about Pinoy politicians: Maganda ang dating.  Tama ang puna na ipinararating mo sa madlang people.  Ang mahirap gawin ay paano imumulat ang kaisipan ng mga nanunungkulan sa kasalukuyan na kasamang nagmartsa ni Ninoy--mukhang nag-Cha-Cha na rin sila.  Hanggang dito na lamang ba ang buhay Pinoy?  Noong dati ay hindi ako naniniwala sa bali-balita na mas-masahol pa ang mga dating nagmartsa, pero sa ngayon mukhang totoo.  Ano ba ang puna ng kapatid na Joker, mukhang tahimik.   How about ang kapatid na Guingona?  Mukhang kasapakat pa.  Kung natatandaan pa nila ng panahon ng rehimeng Marcos magkakasama kami sa entablado at pare-parehong nakulong.  Paano na ang madlang people kung pati sila ay nagbubulag-bulagan; marami pa sa Pilipinas ang may kakayahang mamulitika, gaya ng isinisigaw nila 20 years ago.

If Philippine political cyber-activism started somewhere, it was in our Speak Out section, a "cyber-cracy wall" where we not only publicized an issue: we acted.   At the time, the very acrimonious public debate on the charter-change (cha-cha) issue (term extension for political incumbents) drew some harsh opposition among the Filipino online community.  Rene and Jenn called it a "devilish move" and called for its "burial":  Ilibing and cha-cha!    Webmaster Gary Mariano (Balitang Kababayan) was more circumspect: Election muna ... sounds like the decent thing to do.  Some like I. O. Gillego got a little too harsh and personal: This despot and idiot inhabiting the halls of Malacaņang ought to be thrown out, if not shot.

We captured people’s anger by asking those with Internet access to send e-mail messages to our site.  For maximum impact, we sent the angry e-mails in batches to Malacaņang, unequivocally denouncing the "mangling of the Constitution."   It will be totally presumptuous for us to claim credit for FVR’s decision to put an end to cha-cha (hundreds of thousands took the streets of Manila to denounce the initiative and show widespread opposition), but it was totally satisfying to learn that he, a computer-savvy and wired president, relented to public pressure a few days later.

Of course, political liberals were pleased with our anti-cha-cha efforts.  Senator Roco, for example, was grateful like we did him a favor: Thank you for supporting the fight against charter changes. Keep the flame of freedom alive! Philippine-based organizations formed to oppose charter change sent notes, including one from Nathaniel B. Gumangan of the Cagayan Coalition Contra Cha-Cha: Pre--Kaming mga taga-Cagayan Valley ay tutol sa cha-cha ... Ako bilang isang mamayan na nagbabayad ng buwis ay may karapatang ipahiwatig at ilabas ang nasa loob: cha-cha OUT!!!

Administration apologists, on the other hand, were furious about our paeklat.   Gemsky, the editor of a brazenly pro-administration paper got riled up by the personal attacks to his President Ramos (his paper often referred to FVR as the "Beloved President Ramos"--reminding me of repulsive media sycophants during the Marcos regime).  He replied in kind: Dear cyber-guys--I don't know where you are coming from!  You may be in the country or out of the country.  The point is you got your opinion and you have your own study of history.  While we agree on some points, we may disagree on many issues.  My only advice is let’s not be so personal on the issue to the extent that you thought it allows you to call people names, most especially the President of the Republic of the Philippines.  If you are in the U.S. of A. as permanent residents, you are no longer Pilipinos, therefore you have renounced your being one.  Kaya wala na kayong pakialam dito. Akala lang ninyo kami ay tanga.  Pero kayo ang mas kasi iniwan ninyo kami sa aming pakikibaka upang maging maunlad ang Pilipinas.  Ngayong umuunlad na nais namang ninyong sirain.   Sino ba ang may hawak sa inyo?  Padre, maging malaya naman kayo sa inyong pag-iisip na ang tanging layunin at adhikain ay ang kapakanang Pilipino at hindi ang kaisipang banyaga na kung saan kayo ngayon ay naroon.  Iniwan na ninyo kami dito sa Pilipinas, kaya tama na ... ang mga paeklat ninyo.  If hell comes loose in the Philippines, it is our responsibility.  Anyway, you won't be here if worse comes to worst in our country.  You will stay where you are to enjoy what the colonialist son-of-a-bitch is offering you.  Thanks for leaving us.

I copy-pasted Gemsky’s e-mail in the Manila Bulletin Guest Book, where I knew reactions from the Filipino overseas community would be quick and unpleasant.   SnowPeas4 reassured me with a personal note: The wisdom of that letter sent to you is very poor.  It reflects the personality of the sender.  We should go on with our protest against the amendment of the Constitution.

I also sent Gemsky a curt reply: Next time you argue for the exclusion of overseas Filipinos from any discussion about the Philippines, will you please do a little research on how much of the national income comes from remittances of Filipino workers abroad? Perhaps realizing that he was not helping his president, Gemsky came back a little more conciliatory, even apologetic: I am not talking about Pinoy overseas workers.   Ang ibig kong sabihin ay iyong mga Pinoy na nag-immigrate na sa ibang bansa at nag-renounce na ng kanilang Filipino citizenship.  Iyong mga ganoon ang ibig kong sabihin.  Pasensiya ka na kung hindi tayo nagkaunawaan.

One critic who actually seemed to care was Carling:  I got a real kick out of scanning your Web site, but please, if you want have an objective one, how about a less provocative comments page!  It seems to me you're suffering from the same problems as our traditional media, as in you haven't read the facts and are just tailoring your story to suit your opinion.  OK lang if you're in a bar but pare you have to realize people will read this and take it as gospel truth. One example is your Speak Out section ... Remember: has he (FVR) ever said he wanted to stay on?  I don't think so.  Sure he said he thinks the Constitution should be amended, but as far as term limits are concerned, wala na!  Why not print the other side of the argument too? Then let your readers decide, not you!  Take PIRMA for example: no mention of extension with those guys but you've ignored them totally.  What about their 6 million signatures?   OK, 600,000 in a rally is a lot; I was there but I feel bad for anyone who signed.   Don't they deserve some kind of access to leaders too?  None of the presidentiables at Luneta has given any thought to those who signed the PIRMA petition and 6 million is a sizable number.  What kind of leaders are these?  Will they only govern those who support them and ignore the rest of us?  Remember it's government by the people, for the people, of the people and that's all 70 million--not just the attentive and sometimes noisy public.  OK, you might not think those 6 million are genuine, but it's innocent till proven guilty.  The onus is on the gov't to find out ... but nothing so far.  I'd love to know.  But talagang lakas ng intrigas sa Pilipinas, di ba? Thanks for listening ... hope you take some of this into account.   More power to you! I think I posted this comment in the Guest Book section where Balut, another regular reader, took on Carling on the issue of free speech and engaged him in a rather "animated" exchange.

Speaking of critics, Darwin Mariano from the UP College of Law was just being sarcastic: I think you're being grossly unfair to all the world's frogs, snakes, and crocodiles by comparing them with the trapos.  These animals don't even do anything wrong.  You might want to call your awards by some other name.  An Erap Award for Incompetence or Stupidity sounds good to me.

As the May 1998 elections approached, we were perceived as favoring certain candidates. Victor Magno may have thought I was personally in his camp: Sir Marvin, huwag silang masyadong magmalinis.  Mas pa ang baho nila kay ERAP.  Kaya, Sir Marvin, huwag sana silang mandadaya sa susunod na eleksiyon.  Tanggapin nila ang katotohanan na ERAP is the man--the next president to succeed Fidel V. Ramos.  Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the Republic of the Philippines, his excellency, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA.  Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!  Mabuhay ang masang Pilipino!  Mabuhay kayo Sir Marvin!  Eraply yours ... While this "Sir Marvin" thing effectively appealed to my secret illusions of nobility (I can’t positively rule out blood ties to Datu Puti, you know) and while I knew Erap was going to win, I don’t recall using the site to campaign in favor of Erap. 

Others just wanted make a pitch for their candidates as Benny Sta. Romana did: For whatever constructive purpose my comment will serve, I'd like to say that what the RP needs is a moral and spiritual revolution.  This and all other things considered, the person for the job would have to be Dick Gordon.  Thanks for providing this channel for comment and may you continue to have success in your endeavors. 

Our second serious attempt at cyber-activism involved the Philippine veterans issue.   As soon as we made known that we’re creating a page for the purpose of disseminating information about the issue, A. Rezqueen was quick to respond: What kind of help do you need for the Filipino veterans' Web page?  If I can help, I will. Through PPU, we encouraged people to e-mail the White House and their representatives to pressure Congress to pass a law that would give Filipino veterans, who served under the U.S. flag and were promised full benefits, similar benefits given to regular American veterans.  The 1998 bill did not make it, but a new bill is being pushed this year. The Philippine veterans lobby in Washington now has a Web site so I delinked our own veterans’ page, but we still make sure we cover the issue.  (The problem is that there are two contending Filipino groups behind the scenes: one pushing for a lump sum benefit and the other group aiming for a regular pension.  The disunity certainly weakens any political influence the Filipino-American lobby may have.)

After two years of scouring the Net for useful sites related to Pinoy politics, we know our list of links has become pretty comprehensive.  M. Sanchez was delighted when he stumbled into our little corner: This is a great resource page.  I tried all the newspapers and it's wonderful to get all the latest news. (I actually still feel the same, especially when I watch the evening news through SNN’s live-stream broadcast.)   Hugovang7 also appreciated our efforts to bring the latest news: We are enjoying reading your updated news reports. Rodel shared the same sentiment: Hoping to continue doing the best possible latest and up-to-date news way back home.   Keep up the good work and wish you all the best.  EM complained about our comprehensiveness in a nice sort of way:  Real nice page!  So much to explore in your page that it always costs me excess in Internet time.  More power! 

You know it when people like your site if you sense a hint of panic when they can’t find you, as in the case of Joey de Gracia: By accident I lost your very interesting site. Can you send the Net address of your Philippine Political Update page? Thank you so much and God bless you! Others probably just find the site and the Web in general novel.  R. Rubio wrote: Mabuhay! Maganda ang homepage mo! :)   Magaganda ang insights, links, "tradpol," etc. From Jun Sarmiento: Thanks for a nice looking and informative site.

Ricky, an overseas Filipino worker based in Jeddah who visited the Philippines, wanted us to forward him our "wacky news" via e-mail as he didn’t have Internet access in the Middle East: Thanks for making my day.  I was browsing the Net early this morning and stumbled upon this page.  Great way to start the day.  More power to you guys.

Bet Marcelo was profuse: It was an experience going through PPU.  Ang galing mo!!!  I hope I could put together a package like this, too.  Just by going through PPU, I am able to reconstruct my bookmark.  SALUDO TALAGA AKO!!! In another letter, Bet could easily be our favorite fan:  BILIB AKO ... you spiced up an otherwise dull day.  So comprehensive and yet exciting ... How are you able to do this? And I like those rhetorical questions.  From Malou: I went to your site again. Wow!  How long did it take you to finish the site?

Our attempt to provide or make available as much election-related information greatly helped P. Noel’s group in the Philippines: Thanks for the Web site; we really enjoyed it and, at the same time, made use of it as our database for information before and after the elections.  Regards from all of us here in 'Pinas!   Combining information and entertainment was a good recipe; Susan had a favorite: I had fun with your Virtual Karaoke: My Way with a Twist page. It made me laugh ... as I was singing the tune. In fact, I printed it out and told my husband that Filipinos, inspite of the hard life, can still laugh ... Keep up the good work!

A lot of our more regular readers come from the media: I like your Web site.   I just wanted to introduce myself:  Shalla de Guzman, a feature writer for LA Free Press, a Filipino newspaper in Los Angeles.  I'm interviewing Filipino politicians here in the U.S.  If you have any great story ideas, do tell.   And it’s not just the print media; from Manila, I got this e-mail from TV producer Anna: Hello. I am a producer for The Probe Team, the most awarded investigative news program in the Philippines.  I am currently doing a story on Speaker De Venecia's track record, concentrating on allegations of corruption and his trapo image.  You seem to know quite a lot about the political scene.  Can you suggest some people I could interview for this story? ABS-CBN’s Anna Pedrosa also sent us a note: Just wanted to say I enjoyed browsing through your site ... Thanks for the fun.  

With the political ad ban and politicians discovering the power of the Internet, political handlers or partisans paid attention to how we covered or not covered their candidates.  Renato Maceda was relieved to finally see a link to presidential candidate Renato de Villa's Web site after attempts to submit the correct URL address: Thank you for providing the link to Renato de Villa's homepage. From Canada, De Villa’s supporters sounded more thrilled: Thank you very much for accommodating our request, and we will be looking forward to your Web site for the best and latest updates regarding the elections back home. Again, maraming salamat and, hopefully, we will see a clean and honest election. More power and mabuhay to Philippine Political Update!

Hearty Marie Rizarri shared webmaster Edgar Javison’s concern: Hi! I'm just surfing the Net and was wondering why Emilio "Lito" Osmeņa is not included in your presidential makeover? Can you include him? In another letter, Hearty Marie was a little more anxious: Hello, Mr. Bionat! Kumusta?  Have you heard about the news ... that thing about the COMELEC?  They only picked five presidentiables to run, excluding Lito Osmeņa.  They said that Lito is not considered a "serious candidate."  Most Cebuanos are really mad about it.  Is there a legal basis for this?  Don’t you think it’s an injustice?  Can I ask your opinion about this?  He is defending his candidacy today before the COMELEC.  I’m really concerned about it.  Please write soon.  More Power!    Osmeņa was eventually included in the official list, and I helped Hearty Marie--for her sake--edit Osmeņa’s Web site.

Gil Ramos, who ran for the Senate was a regular visitor and actively posted commentaries in the Guest Book and Public Forum sections.  Hotrod7897, who obviously favored JDV, was quick to condemn what he thought was a malicious disinformation campaign: I was surprised to find on your page the disinformation about Speaker JDV quitting the presidential race for 1998.  THIS IS NOT TRUE!!  In fact, the Manila Times stated on January 2, 1998 that Speaker JDV and Arroyo are teaming up for the next 6 years as president and vice-president.  What you are writing is false and misleading to the knowledgeable citizens of the Philippines residing in the U.S.A.  I place my bet that this team will become the next leaders of the Philippines.  De Villa and Gordon won't even put up a close fight.  Please fix your Web page. Told that the article was merely an Innocents' Day joke, I think Hotrod7897 (I can’t find his or her reply) said something like: Oops!

After Hotrod7897, the only other pro-JDV mail we got was from Joem C., who seemed oblivious of our patently anti-trapo slant:  First and foremost, I would like to commend you for an enlightening site with regard to the 98 Philippine elections.   Anyway, for the greater benefit of those interested, Speaker De Venecia's official Web site for this coming elections is at www.joedv.org.   Your link is only to his homepage at the House of Representatives.  It would be very much appreciated if you could update your link.  Once again, keep up the good work and thank you. 

There were also attempts by PR practitioners to be friendly with us, perhaps just to make sure that we and our new, exciting medium don’t get in the way of their agenda.   This one’s from Ronald Gonzales: Marvin, it seems that you are in the political business.  I'm a PR practitioner and have handled members of both Houses of Congress over the past years.  How about you? What's your cup of tea?  You have a Harvard e-mail address; graduate studies?  I haven't gotten hold of your book yet, but I'm sure it's already available.  Things are keeping me from visiting the bookstore (ah, if only we have a real Barnes & Noble here), but I'll get around to it.   I'm really interested in what it is you do and how and why this book came about.   Many thanks.

With Erap leading the pre-election polls by a mile, I was convinced that the only way alternative candidates could have a fighting chance was to join forces.  Many were kind of hoping for common sense to prevail as election day approached, with three or four candidates throwing support behind a common candidate. We strongly asserted the logic of joining forces and even helped float a few names of people who could serve as effective facilitators.  We were in touch with Brother Dizon’s group (L.O.R.D. Initiative) through George Aguilar: Greetings from Bacolod! Sorry I had to use your Guest Book for guerilla campaigning ... Gee nice Web site, and thank you for your kind response.

As election day got closer, George wrote: Thanks Marvin for your notes on Erap.   Please watch out for the big PACT FORCE meeting on Wednesday, 12 noon, at De La Salle University, where a final attempt to choose a common candidate will be made.   If all goes well, Cory Aquino, Cardinal Sin, Mike Velarde of El Shaddai, Sony De Los Reyes of the Catholic Laity of the Philippines (confirmed), Ting Paterno, Jaime Zobel, and Dick Romulo of the business sector, Bert Gonzalez and Fr. Archie Intengan of PDSP, Lourdes Quisumbing (confirmed), Paul Dominguez, Chito Ayala, and Governor Mahid Motila of Lanao del Sur will attend this meeting to choose the common 3rd force candidate.  By the way, I sounded off your suggestion to include Santiago and others to join the merger talks but too many people were against their involvement.  Will keep in touch.

While the De La Salle initiative went on, Ateneo-based Bong Eliab of Chapelnet had some depressing news: Marvin, Thanks for your concern.  There was an initiative last Friday night to forge a "merger" between Lim and De Villa at Loyola School of Theology (where Chapelnet's office is located).  We set up the venue, with the help of the Jesuits.  Both cancelled the meeting at the last minute.

The Dizon group was a more determined bunch: Marvin--We have not given up!   It's only the media that takes the pain to make it look like we've given up.   Those writers like Amando Doronila and Olivares-Cunanan are paid to protect the interests of JDV, and so they keep distorting our press releases.  Consider the following: Fr. Archie Intengan, provincial of the Jesuits of the Philippines, is joining us.  How's that for a Jesuit connection?  Intengan is joining Jose Cuisia and some other leaders in an important meeting in Bacolod on Sunday to discuss the common candidate for the 3rd force.  Cory Aquino and Senator Romulo are constantly in touch.   We planned to invite Father Bernas and Senator Jovito Salonga, whom I voted for in 1992, but I don't really know if they have responded.  Are we still trying to achieve a merger between the LORD candidates?  Yes and No!  We have changed tactics: instead of leaving things to the candidates, we've decided to force the issue by strengthening our network.  We now have secretariats in Luzon, the Visayas (USLS), and in Mindanao, and we're choosing the common candidate on our own.  We believe that if we get the support from the people, then voters will go for the common candidate, even at the last two minutes--just as the votes went to Ramos in 1992 because people were afraid of Cojuangco then.  Please help us to get the right message across to the people.

Francis Landiza (who created a pro-Roco site), captured the sense of desperation at that juncture: Pray for the Philippines!  Even with the Dizon group deciding on one candidate (Osmeņa), none of the other contenders gave in, so everyone but Erap lost.

PPU never really had news scoops, although the controversial "white paper" was attributed to us by a couple of Manila columnists.  Tino Cacanindin tipped us on this one: Kudos! Your site is great. A columnist for the Manila Standard pointed to you as the source of the item on presidentiables' bedroom exploits.  I've roamed your site's pages in vain.  If you had the item once in your site and had it removed, could you please put it back?  Thanks. The white paper got posted in the Public Forum section and I believe the Guest Book, but it circulated much more extensively via e-mail.  After all the sex scandals, I got this matter-of-fact request from Zaldy: How about nude pictures of Miriam, Gloria Arroyo, and other artista? Thanks!

We do receive news tips, but they’re not that hot--mostly fantastic theories (the Cebu plane crash in 1997 as a case of aborted hijacking, for example) and silly warnings (World War III alert).  Some of the news releases are interesting, especially those that require providing a voice to some aggrieved party.  Bruce has a weakness for the underdog, sending us e-mails with titles like An Ordinary Citizen’s Cry for Justice.  Charlie Curilan forwards e-mail that newspapers probably would hesitate to print since they involve allegations of abuse by people in power, such as about Makati Vice Mayor Edu Manzano going berserk after having been slighted by a visiting American (Manzano allegedly forced the terrified American to get down on his knees and demanded a plea for forgiveness).  Joe Torres of the Philippine Alliance for Human Rights regularly sends us press statements on hot issues, including urgent appeals/messages (for example, about the sudden disappearances of Filipino human rights workers in India).

Post-election e-mails were predictably questions about results.  Paul Masaoay asked: Do you have any up-to-date information concerning the elections in the Abra province.  In particular, any information regarding Father Balweg, Nestor V. Masaoay, and the LAMMP party?  If you do, let me know.  My father is Nestor Masaoay, and I'm looking for any current information about how he is doing in the election.

Don Icenogle had an easier question: Could you please tell me if Dr. Jovito O. Claudio won re-election? Llen Oyco, on the other hand, wanted to know all: In connection with my research on Philippine politics, I'd like to know the updates of all the winning candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, mayors nationwide, and councilors per district.  

As soon as it became clear that Erap was the new president, Ave had to reach him: What is Estrada’s e-mail address? For his collection of political speeches, Robert Tagorda asked: Do you know where I can find the transcript of Erap's inaugural address?

Many of our readers are actually Americans or non-Filipinos who have some form of connection with the Philippines.  Bob Stultz wrote:  I lived in the Philippines for about ten years and the politics still are much the same; have been wanting to go back and see if I can find friends I have lost touch with since the Mt. Pinatubo disaster.  They worked with the Red Cross.  Do you know of any way to contact the RP Red Cross via the Internet?  Thanks for your time, and I really enjoyed your site.  KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

Beth Healy was not exactly clear about her anguish, but apparently she at one time heard about the NPAs: Nice Web site.  What is the name of the Marxist guerilla organization that used to (and perhaps still does) operate in the Philippines?  I've been trying to think of it and find it all day.  It's driving me crazy. Majed (probably a foreign student) had time to kill on Thanksgiving Day: Dear Bionat--I know that you are busy during Thanksgiving so forgive me for bothering you, but I am interested in political developments in your country from 1990 to 1998. What in your opinion is the future of your country? I don’t really have a life myself (being "a bewildered immigrant in a perpetual state of culture shock" according to a Jessica Hagedorn character), so Majed got my reply pretty quickly. 

Milton Adamson didn’t really give a clear hint about his background--probably a busy executive looking for a politically stable country to invest in: You have a very nice site.  I would like to know if you have a monthly newsletter detailing a short/brief summary of Philippine politics?  If so, could I be put on the mailing list or possibly could you include one section in your Web site?  Cathy, who didn’t know Marcos’s first name, must be non-Filipino: Do you know anyone who would be interested in a Marcos presidential campaign poster when Cory Aquino ran against Fernando Marcos?

Using a Harvard e-mail address (it’s a service available to Harvard alumni) might have made some readers think I could pull strings.  RSM sent this request: Your e-mail address indicates that you are from Harvard.  I am planning to take my MBA at Harvard soonest.  I am a 42-year-old Filipino.  I am a CPA and was connected with multinational companies in the Philippines in the past as a top finance guy (VP-Finance, controller, treasurer, etc.).  Can you help me?

Controversial topics also compel people to write.  We received numerous letters during the height of the Claire Danes/Joan Rivers brouhaha.  From Selwyn: Okay, here we go again.  Just what are we Filipinos trying to pull?  Don't we have better things to do than worry about a fading old TV person's comment about us?   Filipinos eat dogs, as Chinese eat turtles, as Australians eat snakes, as French eat snails.  Why are we so freaking sensitive?  We know this.  We can't hide this from the world.  Are we trying to hide something we are ashamed of?   You guys are going to hate me for this, but sorry, there is a whole world out there full of challenges greater than Mr. Nalagan's allegation.  Let it go ... let's get on with our lives.

From MACQP15: While I vehemently deplore Ms. River's inappropriate (not this term again) comment, joke, or swipe at our race, let's put this matter to rest.  She just cannot hold an audience like Billy Crystal does, so she attempts to deliver punch lines she thinks are funny to her.

Loreto Axalan was less forgiving: Rivers and Danes ay mga anak ng puta!

It’s also a great service to us to be informed of dead links as Ruel Inocentes did: I just want to inform you that the URL of DZMM Live and SNN Live at ABS-CBN has been changed. 

One of the original reasons why I decided to put together a Web site was to promote my book on Philippine elections.  Inquiries poured in even before the book became available.  Online publications such as Filipinas Magazine, The Philippine Reporter, The Philippine Chronicle, Web Philippines, and even Indonesia’s Kompas newspaper (which has a daily hard-copy circulation of 600,000) provided coverage.  In the Philippines, the book was reviewed by national papers including the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Manila Bulletin. Isyu’s Joe Torres also informed me that it got some radio coverage: First of all, I would like to thank you for your book, which Anvil gave us to review.  The book was of much help especially as background material both for my stories in Isyu and for our Isyu radio program over Radio Mindanao Network's DZXL station here in Manila. (I later wrote a regular column for the up-and-coming Isyu paper, until the Philippine National Police bankrupted the paper by continuously confiscating newsstand copies.)

Toward the end of May, I got a note from Sharlene that made me a little giddy: I saw your book at the National Bookstore.  You probably know already that it’s in the top ten. Congrats! This whole book promotion thing forced me to create a section with my resume, because credibility--practical and/or academic background--is crucial to selling nonfiction.  My concern about people taking it as an act of self-indulgent, shameless self-promotion was reinforced when in a published interview, the Web Philippines editor called PPU a smorgasbord of news, opinions, spoofs, and self-promotion. I got rid of that resume page and will not put it back online--unless I have to promote another nonfiction book.  Despite (or because of) the book's success in the Philippines, I don’t think we really met the demand here in the U.S.  Anvil Publishing ran out of copies before we could start worrying about the U.S. market.

Through PPU, we get to hook up with people in the middle of the political maelstrom.   Father Jun Mercado started our correspondence with this note: Read your home page regarding "Philippine Politics: The Boston Connection."  It is well done ... I agree with your comment that the Boston Globe does not cover (seldom) the Philippines.  Well, given your number and strength in the Boston area, you CAN change that bias ... I'm a regular visitor of the East Coast, Boston particularly ... and I definitely agree with you regarding the Boston Globe! Good work Marvin and God bless ... Based in Mindanao (as Notre Dame University president and as head of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development), Father Jun has become our de facto "correspondent" in Southern Philippines: Howdy Marvin! The news regarding hunger/famine in Mindanao is a bit exaggerated!  There is the reported food crisis in Central Mindanao affecting about five (5) provinces.  Farmers of Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, Saranggani, Maguindanao, and North Cotabato are asking for government assistance in the form of cereal loans for the next four months ... The El Niņo phenomenon has wrought havoc to farmers, particularly to the highlanders.   There is hunger ... no doubt about it.  But the spread of such hunger/famine in not that extensive.  The Philippine government has the capacity to respond to crisis.  There are enough rice in government and private warehouses.  The calamity fund is barely touched.  In short, people do not understand why there are people who die of hunger ... amid expensive electoral campaigns and expensive centennial celebration!  To date, there is a report regarding nearly fifty (50) who have died, mainly because they ate wild yam that was not properly processed. 

When the war in Mindanao erupted, Father Jun sent us this note: Howdy Marvin!   There is a war going on right now between the AFP and the MILF.  The AFP began a major offensive against two major MILF camps beginning 1-25-99.  These camps are Camp Omar and Camp Abubakar.  Thousands of families have evacuated and are still evacuating as fighting intensifies.  There are two raging battles as I write this note.  The situation is becoming INSANE.  Hopefully some sanity will prevail ... and people will come back to the negotiating table. In the face of Erap’s "bakbakan na kung bakbakan" policy, Father Jun was frantically faxing appeals to the Senate for clear-headedness. 

The renewed fighting in Mindanao generated some reader interest.  Here’s one from Louie Rose: I ran across your site in my search for information on the Philippines.  Thank you for putting together such a great "hub" for such information.  In my research, I need particular information about the southern Philippines:  Mindanao, Palawan, etc.  Could you direct me to the most dependable sources of information on those areas?--particularly the history and current status of their politics, governance, and volatility.  Thanks for whatever help you can offer. Louie was impressed with my quick reply: Can't tell you what an encouragement your response is.  So prompt and so full of great information!  I really do thank you.  If there's anything I can do for you here in Texas or New Mexico, you've got my e-mail!

Sometimes it's not necessary to be directly complimented.  I found this header flattering enough:   "Social Weather Station" databank@sws.org.ph,  "Senator Raul Roco" senator@raulroco.com,   "Senator Miriam Santiago"  miriam@philonline.com.ph, "Mayor Fred Lim" edray@ix.netcom.com, "Speaker Joe De Venecia" hormedia@webquest.com, "President Erap Estrada" erap@erap.com, "Philippine Political Update" mbionat@post.harvard.edu.