I’ve forgotten where I read or heard those lines, most likely a movie, but it’s just one of the very real concerns people have whenever election season comes around and, now, in the Age of Information, the concern grows stronger everyday.

The Philippines is about to go back to the polls in a week’s time. The more common concerns are the absolute absence of real issues or platforms from which an intelligent choice could be made leaving people to go for personalities, and how those who have invested so much of their (or their families’) personal fortunes in the election campaign will recover all of their investments. Less common concerns question who’s money is backing a certain candidate and what the candidate will have to turn a blind eye to as a favor to his or her patrons. Recently, however, a more disturbing concern has risen with the digital age: electronic misinformation.
It’s bad enough that not everything that a candidate says is true but their supporters have also churned out lies after lies regarding their candidates and his/her opponents. Even fact-checking has become questionable. At times, the falsification has not been limited to information but have involved commercial documents. They have crossed from what is just debatable to what is clearly criminal.

The true danger from all these is that the Philippine electorate is, sadly, a guillable lot. They will rarely question what they see, hear or read. To be sure, there are those who just don’t care but the majority can be properly educated. That education can go from being critical of a candidate’s message and platform, if any, to expanding their understanding of the workings of government. One needs to understand, for example, that the government is not a one-man administration. He or she needs the cooperation of those in the other arms of government, the legislature and judiciary, in order to fulfill any or all of his or her programs. Manipulation of this educational process just makes it more difficult to have a mature electorate. All the lies and half-truths the supporters of candidates are throwing out there is just not helping. They are perpetuating the cult of a candidate that regresses the electorate, and that is just wrong.

I read an article of how one man is hired to manipulate the information in order to influence the course of an election. He is supposed to have operated in various countries and while he claims that he was not motivated by wealth, he has been paid for his work. Interestingly enough, some candidates who hired him, directly or indirectly, won, while others did not. One can then argue that despite the manipulation of the information, its influence may not be that great. However, it must be noted that this may be a fledgling business that may later see rapid growth, especially in influence and power.

Remember, advances in flight by airplane moved rapidly within a hundred years but advances in telecommunications, best exemplified by the rise of Apple’s iPhone, just took about twenty years if not shorter. Software, something that is far more fluid than hardware, could then improve beyond imagination. The dangers that come from its malicious use could just as rapidly grow with it.

Elections are too important to be left in the hands of anyone else. The electorate should take hold of it and do everything in its power to ensure that the result accurately reflects the will of the electorate, and that will has to be of their own and not the electronic suggestions of someone else entirely.

2016 is an election year for the Philippines and this early on, election jokes are on the rise. The best one yet goes something like this: “Paalala lang po na ang rally ng mga Binay ay hindi palabas ng El Gamma Penumbra” (Notice is given that the rally of the Binays is not a presentation by El Gamma Penumbra).

Seriously though, the nation is in need of a President that can sustain the gains the country has earned in the past years. I wouldn’t want to just limit the gains to the current administration because I for one believe that the foundations for the economic gains achieved by the country was laid in the past administration even if the current one is loathe to admit it. The country needs a leader that has the integrity to hold the country together whether they be Muslims, lumads, Tagalog, Visayan or whatever else we may be. It needs one who can stand up for the country first and put self-interest last. A leader the military and police would be proud to call Commander-in-Chief. One that would value social reform over and above “business as usual”. A man of courage, intelligence and, for me, great faith.

Presently on the field are two candidates: Mar Roxas and Jejomar Binay. On the wings are Grace Poe, Rodrigo Duterte and, possibly, Miriam Defensor Santiago. If this were a game show, let’s meet the contestants!

Mar Roxas. He is the choice of the current President. Formerly a legislator before joining the executive branch, he is seen to carry forward the current administration’s work for Daang Matuwid or the Staight Path. It is supposed to be a fight against graft and corruption in government. Supporters are thinking selling the idea of Daang Matuwid is enough for their candidate to win but Daang Matuwid is much harder to do than say. Take a look at the current administration’s record: they supposedly bagged a former Chief Justice and is prosecuting the former President. They’ve charged three sitting Senators and a number of Congressmen but those closest to them appear to go scot free. Somehow the message appears to be that they define what Daang Matuwid means and it definitely does not apply to them for they can do no wrong. Such selective disposition of Justice puts into question the very idea of Daang Matuwid. Worse, Mr. Roxas has shown a disturbing partiality even in the face of death and destruction. Worst of all, Mr. Roxas was himself excluded in the planning and implementation of apparently one of the most important security operations to have ever been undertaken, the Mamasapano operation where, sadly, 44 police officers of the highly trained Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police were killed. While it can be argued that its failure gives Roxas a certain degree of deniability, had it been a success, he would have been left out in the cold. If the current President himself cannot trust him, then how can we? Needless to say, Mr. Roxas has a mountain and more to climb before we can even consider him in the running as President. Is it a hopeless cause? I for one do not believe his cause to be hopeless; however, Daang Matuwid is not just something spoken of. It is something very much ingrained in the persona of the President, something which, to my mind, the current President failed to live up to. If Mr. Roxas wants to be a contender, then he must show us that he will hold no one above the law and be not just the current President’s choice, but that of the people – the common tao – as well.

Jejomar Binay. Former mayor of Makati, the principal business and commercial center of the Philippines. Some would say a republic unto itself. He takes credit for making Makati what it is today but there are those who would argue that without the Ayalas, Makati wouldn’t be much especially with malls, cafes and other entertainment centers sprouting everywhere now in the Metro. Makati is Makati because business enterprises have been there and feel the need to continue to be there over the years. Worse, Binay the elder is under investigation for graft and corrupt practices during his time as mayor of Makati, together with his children, the current mayor of Makati and a sitting Senator, and the rest of his family. Worst, he is the current Vice President of  the Philippines and after five (5) years in office, taking a position against the current administration is a monster task because whether he likes it or not, he is in fact part of that administration. If he suddenly decries its illegal and corrupt ways, then why did he remain quiet for so long? Binay, a lawyer, should have known better but, no, he waited up to the time that he was certain that he wasn’t going to get the current President’s endorsement before he made his move to distance himself from the current administration. One thing he really has going for him though is his experience as an executive. Years as mayor and Vice President has given him the exposure and the street wisdom in dealing with a hundred and one situations well before breakfast. Based on what I have heard of the man, he is someone when asked to participate in a meeting, will do so well prepared. He may also be short of friends that matter politically and that may mean he may not get the pull these friends can provide him in the upcoming elections and spell disaster. So, like Mr. Roxas, he has an image problem and one that cannot be fixed just by saying he is different or experienced. Still, he is second in the polls, which brings us to…

Grace Poe. The dark horse. Assuming that she can qualify, what with her citizenship and residency in question, it appears that she is the one who can beat Mr. Binay. She is also perceived to be the one who is actually most likely to pull off Daang Matuwid. As a sitting senator, she has indicted the current President for his participation in the failed Mamasapano operation, and Mr. Binay for his alleged corrupt practices. At the very least, she does not appear to be beholden to anyone. Not yet anyway. The adopted daughter of the late King of Philippine Action Movies and presidential aspirant who lost to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Fernando Poe Jr., she appears to have the backing of the elder Poe’s friend, former President and current mayor of Manila Joseph Estrada. That’s nothing to scoff at because Estrada, commonly referred to as Erap, despite a criminal conviction, almost won the Presidency for a second time losing only to the current President whose saving grace then was that, one, he is the only son of the late Benigno Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino; and, two, former President Aquino just died and people were sympathetic to him and no longer bothered with his actual qualifications even as a former legislator. If Erap points to Grace Poe, then all those people who supported him before will flock to and vote for her. This much can be said, she, at least, does not have an image problem. If she gets Erap’s support, then I think people will vote for her not just because Erap said so but because she appears genuine and a non-traditional politician unlike Messrs. Roxas and Binay. Critics say she is short on experience and that may well be true but that is the least of her problems considering that she has first to convince everyone that she is qualified on the score of her citizenship and the residency requirement established by the Constitution. Many a people do not think this is worth debating about because she happens to be the best and brightest chance to beat Binay but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these issues should be resolved because the Constitution itself demands it, and it will not do to commit a wrong in the hopes of doing a right.

Rodrigo Duterte. The current mayor of Davao in Mindanao and what may be the equivalent of Donald Trump in the Philippines at least in the way he just scandalizes people with his ideas and yet consistently surge in popularity. Without a doubt a key factor in the maintenance of the peace and order in Davao, he is nevertheless accused of setting death squads loose in Davao. True or not, the crime rate in that city is considerably less than in any other large progressive city in the Philippines. I have made a lot of observations about him elsewhere and suffice it to say that I fear what he would do to the country if given the Presidency. His tactics may work in a fixed area like Davao, but an entire nation would be different. What works for Davao may not necessarily work for the Philippines. People are desperate, however, and while aware of the fact that his tactics may be subject to abuse, people are willing to throw their lot with him since no one else have managed to make a real difference for the country. To his credit, however, Mr. Duterte has said that he does not want to be President and I hope and pray that he stays true to his word. The thing about him you see, is that his ideas are no different from those of a dictator and having survived one dictator before, I have no stomach to see another in the seat of  the Presidency benevolent or not.

Miriam Defensor Santiago. The wild card. A sitting senator and former presidential aspirant losing to Fidel Ramos in the 90s. A lawyer and formerly a judge, she was also chosen to be a Justice in the International Court of Justice. She has her issues. Bombastic, irreverent and unapologetic, she is a wealth of quotable quotes from insults to jokes. She is also one who appears capable of understanding the issues and act accordingly. People have questioned her sanity and she has health issues although she says she has beaten it, and through it all she has shown an understanding one would wish all sitting politicians, whether in the executive or legislative departments, had. The problem with her I think is that she gets off track easily, which one doesn’t want in a President. Her mind appears to race so fast that she needs to let it all out in a quick gush. Unfortunately, sometimes, her ideas get jumbled and a good point is lost in all the thunder and fury. Nevertheless, as a legislator, she appears to have done quite well including the impeachment case of former Chief Justice Corona. If she can keep her temper in check, then she may yet prove to be an effective President. The problem, however, is how much time has she to show the people that she can. People are amused by her. How can she translate that amusement to votes enough to propel her to the Presidency?

Five to choose from but all I have written is nothing more than an image of each of them. We have yet to hear their respective positions on a host of weighty issues facing the Philippines: climate change, peace and order, the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, traffic, food sufficiency, economic development and a host of others. It is not enough to say that one is against graft and corruption. Heck, we expect everyone to say that (I mean, what idiot would actually say he will support graft and corruption) but the real issue is what will he or she do to stop it. We have to go beyond personalities and look at their programs of government. Enough with broad statements. Just give us a litany of specifics. These we need to hear if we are to mature as an electorate and, more importantly, as a nation.we cannot choose any one of them over the others just because of who he or she is. We have to know their respective stand on those issues and how they intend to address them. Will they bother to humor us with such programs?

We are still searching…

As expected, the latest outing of the Avengers has made millions for its makers. Reviews, however, have been mixed. Frankly, I don’t know why some critics are so hard on the director, Joss Whedon, when I think he remained focused throughout the movie.

Yes, there was violence galore but what was more important for him was the question of the monsters in us and how we deal with them. Of course, the most obvious one is Banner’s Hulk. It is easy enough to call him a monster for obvious reasons but not all monsters are that obvious. How could one ever think of Natasha Romanov (a.k.a. Black Widow) as a monster? Yet, she sees herself as one. No, not because she’s a trained assassin who’s probably killed dozens but something much deeper.

And what of Ultron himself? You know what they say about the road to Hell, the result of the inspired work of Stark and Banner is, well, monstrous. Created to protect humans, his mind takes a darker path that they are best protected by annihilating the current crop. That’s us by the way.

Even the troika of the Soldier, the Knight and the God (Captain America, Iron Man and Thor, respectively) have their darker sides. In the end, the one Avenger that was least monstrous was the one that turned out to have a wife and kids. If he was monstrous, then it was only because it was his job, and it was something that he longed to leave…eventually.

And there I think Joss wanted us to focus. The world is a mess. It’s scary and the universe holds even scarier stuff we know nothing of. But, hey, if we have those we love with us, the world is less scarier…and we? We realize we are not the monsters we thought.

It is easy enough to mistake the Avengers as gods but they are not. Seeing them do what they do, they can just as equally scare us. Gods and monsters. They are one and the same. it is the challenge of being an Avenger to be one and not the other, and even if we don’t have their powers and abilities, we too share the same struggle. We can just as easily be monstrous but if we are anchored on our humanity, we can avoid it altogether. I thought Joss successfully showed that on screen.

The struggle is best seen in Ultron and Vision. Same creators, different outcomes largely through the intervention of something outside, one of the Infinity Stones. Vision is also partly made by Ultron himself in a search for the perfect body, to evolve into something else. Leave the monster as it was. Vision, when awakened, thinks for himself. He is, he says, neither good nor evil. He is for life and, as it turns out, well capable of swinging Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer that no mere mortal can wield. Only the most worthy as even Captain America couldn’t. Vision is the ultimate form. One might say a god as against Ultron, the devil.

Parenthetically, people differ in their interpretation of this development. Some see man’s struggle to better himself. Others, the shirking of God and the supremacy of man. That’s philosophy, and that too is an interesting theme to ponder on.

The Avengers was never meant to be an Oscar runner. Just enjoy it for what it is: a moving graphic novel. One question though: did anyone see Julie Delpy in the movie? She was supposed to be a Madam B but, for the life of me, I can’t recall seeing her or her character in the movie…

It seems man has been obsessed with one thing more than most: to be more than man. Even in the old legends, there were tales of men but those who were special were always more than men. They were either sons of gods or angels. These days we have new candidates: mutants (or meta humans, depending if you’re a Marvel or DC fan) and aliens. Our movies, books and other works are all filled with their stories. If someone accomplished an incredible feat, according to the History series “Ancient Aliens”, it was because these people were part alien.

To an extent, our search to surpass our selves has brought us to such a ridiculous conclusion. Nothing that men has ever achieved was made by men. They were only possible because aliens gave us the technology to accomplish them. I say it is ridiculous because it belittles human achievement as little more than a sideshow for aliens and other fantastic beings. Incredibly, men, some with letters after their names, could not accept that men would understand the workings of the earth, the movements of the stars and the ebb and flow of life by the simplest of means: living.

And there’s the other extreme where man’s quest has brought him to new heights in terms of medicine and technology that one would fear that he was making himself God. He has learned the secrets of life, the blueprint of humans, among others, and the power to destroy all life. While man’s achievements in this sphere are helpful to his fellow man, it’s uses are not always benign. Some have ventured into this realm for profit or, worse, power, and somehow, instead of celebrating such achievements, we fear it.

What we need is balance like much of life itself. We cannot fall into one extreme or the other. We have to acknowledge our achievements but those achievements must help men. Even as we improve ourselves individually through education and physical fitness, we should also improve as a specie.

Personally, I believe that to be the supermen we always wanted to be, we should work on being men. It is the one reality that most people lose sight of. Our greatest power is in our humanity. For that, you need only be your self. Supermen do not master the universe. They master themselves. When we have learned that, and helped each other learn that, then we truly become a race of supermen.

Today’s Gospel is one of those things that makes you wonder if something got missed when it was translated to English. It starts with a group of Greeks wanting to see Jesus and ends with Jesus not exactly saying whether or not they can. We don’t even know why they wanted to see Jesus. We only know that they came up for the feast and approached the apostle Philip with their request. Perhaps they’ve heard of the miracles Jesus performed or how He preached. Like so many of us when the Pope came to visit, the Greeks, like us, wanted to see the man.

We may have to wait until next week to find out if they ever did get to meet Jesus but, this week, we are only left with Jesus’ words about His coming passion and death. One might even think Jesus was talking more to Himself rather than answering Philip and Andrew. He speaks of the need to die, debating whether or not He should ask God to save Him, then, finally, of glorifying the Father; and the Father acknowledges Him. Perhaps that is why some thought it was just thunder because it seemed as if He was just talking to Himself. Nobody really expected an answer.

Once you’ve gone over the initial shock though of having to say “wait; what?”, you get to reflect on what Jesus said and then one realizes He was answering Philip and Andrew: if the Greeks wanted to see Jesus, they only have to go where He was when He is sacrificed for their sake: “and when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” The challenge, however, is when you see Him raised from the earth, crucified for all to see, what are you going to do? Jesus is troubled, and with good reason. First, He knows He’s going to die a horrible death. That can’t be easy. Even if it’s still a week or two away, knowing that it will come to pass would be very hard to accept.

Second, once it is done, will it be worth it? Will anyone, free as they are to choose for themselves where to go or what to do, continue to follow Him? Can we?

Most of us where born Catholics, go to mass and generally observe Catholic practices regardless of whether or not it has meaning for us. Jesus is asking us to follow Him to the cross and beyond. Will we?

We are those Greeks seeking Jesus. Jesus’ challenge is true today as it was all those years ago. Many walked away from Jesus when they saw Him crucified. We Catholics must stand firm even if doing so goes against logic or practicality. We cannot cherry pick. If you want to see Jesus, then you have to see Him for all He is and be all that He is. If this is another “wait, what” moment for you, then you better think fast. If you are Catholic, then you have to stand fast. We have to go where He is.