KaBlooog!

This conference could have been a great experience, except for the fact
that the event organizers (I think Sun Microsystems hired someone to
manage the event, and I don’t know who they were) really fucked up.

I
couldn’t take two days off because I had a lot work to do, so I decided
to attend the second day because the topics to be discussed seemed more
interesting (SOA, openESB, AJAX, etc). Much to my dismay, I didn’t get
any freebie (come to think of it, they’re not really free because we
paid for the event) which they gave in the first day. Not even a
friggin’ ID jacket more my namecard
I learned that they gave away bags, notebooks, pens, shirts, and God
knows what else the day before. By the time the second day was about to
start, there weren’t any item left for them to give away. They even ran
out of ID’s for crying out loud! What’s the fuckin’ deal with that?! I
paid a thousand pesos for the event and I could even get a decent ID or
namecard. And I registered in advance thinking it would save me time
during registration. No more filling out of forms or any other crap.
Apparently their online registration system was useless because I still
had to fill out a personal info sheet, and they still haven’t printed
my namecard. But what really pissed me off was that there were a lot of
participants who got more than one item. Well how about that? I felt I
wasted my hard-earned money.

At least the food was good, and the
speakers were fine. I learned a couple of new things and technologies,
although I don’t think they were worth the money I shelled out,
especially that the slides are available online for free. And there
were a lot of LB people! Kahit saan talaga hahaha!

Lesson learned (especially if this is a Sun Microsystem-sponsored event):
1.
You don’t have to register in advance for an event like that, you can
register onsite. It doesn’t make any difference (except of course if
there is an early bird discount).
2. If you can’t attend every day of the conference, make sure to attend the first day when they give away freebies/items.
3. If they’re serving foods and drinks make sure you eat as much as you can to get your money’s worth.
4.
If there aren’t much items to giveaway in the event, it probably isn’t
worth the money. Especially if the presentations/notes and/or podcasts
will be available online for free.

So in hindsight, if the event
was for free it would have been worth it, with or without the food and
freebies. But the fact that I had to pay money just to be there and
listen to people talk, and not enjoy the same perks that other
participants got was, well… fucking disappointing.

Just when I thought Filipino films can’t get any better, Jade Castro
comes along and proves me wrong with his movie Endo. It’s a story of
how a young man, Leo (Jason Abalos),  hops from one job to another;
until he meets a girl, Tanya (Ina Feleo), who shows him that a life of
stability is possible. Endo is a slang term used by contractual
workers, usually in the service business like restaurants, hotels and
factrories, to denote the last day of their contract, the "end of
contract" day. The movie is essentially a love story, minus all the
melodrama and cheesiness, but it can’t be denied that the film itself
is replete with socio-political undertones.

One thing that I
loved about this movie is its realism. No flashy effects, or wordy
dialogues; it just keeps its feet firmly placed in the ground.
Dialogues sound like everyday conversations ("ang pangit pangit ng
buhay"), even when they curse it doesn’t sound unnatural ("putangina
mo!"). Even the quirky visual feel serves its purpose; we feel like
onlookers trying to catch a glimpse of a scene in their lives. Even the
use of slangs and terms is effective ("ma’am pa-void po" — when a
customer changes his order and the cashier has already punched it in
the cash register, usually only the manager can cancel–or void, thus
the slang–the previous order) in providing the movie a realistic feel.

I
guess the fact that I was once a contractual worker (I worked in Burger
King for six months) provides me with some level of insight into the
working experience of the characters. From the printing of resumes, to
lining up during application, and eventually the customary drinking
session on a workmate’s endo. I experienced all of them, and watching
the movie’s characters gave me a sort of nostalgic feeling.

The
beauty of Endo is that it remains enjoyable without the viewer having
to be overly analytical. It does not force its message to its audience.
You don’t have to see through the myriad of allusions the movie
provides just to enjoy the movie.

(By the way before I forget, the following might be considered as spoilers, so consider yourself warned.)

Endo
is a love story, but Leo and Tanya’s story can also be viewed as a
microcosm of sort of the present Philippine society. I’m no film critic
though, and I wrote something about a movie was back in college when I
was required to do an analysis of the movie Castaway, so I can’t say I
can make a very in depth analysis of Endo.

Leo’s many
relationships (actually I think this is implied, only three are
actually mentioned) are all fleeting and devoid of any real commitment,
just like most contractual workers jobs, short and without security.
But when he finally comes across someone whom he can be with (Tanya)
and even possibly marry, he finds himself ill-equipt to handle the
responsibilities of maintaining a stable relationship. This might stem
from the fact that Leo comes from a broken family–his mother left him
and his brother with their father when they were just little boys–and
thus deprives him of experiencing basic familial love.

Like many
workers who hop from one job to another, most of them do not have the
necessary qualifications to be accepted in a stable and, some cases,
better paying jobs. Just like Leo, they find themselves confused and
unsure when faced with the possibility of such a life, they want it but
they can’t handle it. The educational institution in this country
(Leo’s home) is woefully inadequate in providing them the necessary
skills that would help them in securing a stable job. Could it be
because when our country’s "mother" left us, like when Leo’s mother ran
away with the "kristo ng sabungan," our country was left in shambles?
Just before you crucify me, hear me out. I guess it can be said that
when the United States left us after conniving with Spain–"kristo ng
sabungan," they not only brought Christianity but also cockfighting and
many other vices (an amusing allusion, I guess), we were left with
crooks who steal our hard earned money for their own pleasure (Leo’s
brother, who asks for money to enroll in school but doesn’t) and social
parasites who are still able work, but don’t (Leo’s father, although he
is also mentioned as diabetic so I’m curious as to what other possible
interpretations could be derived from that).

—
to be continued… (and edited hehehe)

I do not care whatever your cause is, but the fact is, your blatant
disregard of Republic Act 8491 betrays your own arrogance, or worse
ignorance (actually I’m not really sure what is worse). Do what you
want, wear black armbands, run naked if you will (if it is legal in
your place of course), just don’t desecrate the flag like what you are
doing, while protesting decreased internal revenue allotments.

Wala
akong pakialam kung ano ang gusto nilang palabasin dito sa Iloilo, pero
wag nilang idamay ang watawat natin. Mga mayor ng Iloilo at Passi,
magreview muna kayo ng batas, pati na rin yung mga abogado dyan sa mga
city hall nyo, baka kasi nakalimutan nyo na meron tayong Flag Code.

"D. Half-Mast

SECTION 23. The flag shall be flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning
on all the buildings and places where it is displayed, as provided for
in this Act, on the day of official announcement of the death of any of
the following officials:
a) The President or a former President, for ten (10) days;

b) The Vice-President, the Chief Justice, the President of the Senate
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, for seven (7) days;
and

c) Other persons to be determined by the Institute, for any period less than  seven (7) days.
The flag shall be flown at half-mast on all the buildings and places
where the decedent was holding office, on the day of death until the
day of interment of an incumbent member of the Supreme Court, the
Cabinet, the Senate or the House of Representatives, and such other
persons as may be determined by the Institute.

The flag when
flown at half-mast shall be first hoisted to the peak for a moment then
lowered to the half-mast position. The flag shall again be raised to
the peak before it is lowered for the day. "

There is nothing in the text that authorizes them to hoist our flag in half-mast. Furthermore:

"CHAPTER VII: PENALTIES

SECTION
48. Failure or refusal to observe the provisions of this Act; and any
violation of the corresponding rules and regulations issued by the
Office of the President, shall after proper notice and hearing, shall
be penalized by public censure which shall be published at least once
in a newspaper of general circulation.

The Department of
Education, Culture and Sports and the Commission on Higher Education,
upon the recommendation of the Institute and after proper notice and
hearing, shall cause the cancellation of the recognition or permit of
any private educational institution which fails or refuses to observe
the provisions of this Act for the second time.

…

SECTION 50. Any
person or juridical entity which violates any of the provisions of this
Act shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than Five
thousand pesos (P5,000) nor more than Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000),
or by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, or both such fine
and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court: Provided, That
for any second and additional offenses, both fine and imprisonment
shall always be imposed: Provided, further, That in case the violation
is committed by a juridical person, its President or Chief Executive
Officer thereof shall be liable."

At least the people from Davao know their law.

Malamang ay pakulo lang ito ni Erap, pero sabi nya idedemanda daw nya ang UN, ayon sa article na ito. "Baseless" daw kasi yung sinabi ng UN na kasama sya sa 10 most corrupt sa buong mundo. Baseless?! Nananaginip ba sya nung sya’y hinahatulan? Guilty ka daw sabi ng korte ng 2 counts of plunder, at baka nakalimutan mo, naupheld na ng Supreme Court yung verdict na iyon. At kahit naacquit ka sa dalawa pang count ng plunder dahil nga kulang daw ng ebidensya, hindi na maikakaila na isa ka nang convict–actually ex-convict na, salamat sa tropa mong si Gloria. Ayos talaga.

Tayong mga Pinoy ay wala nang pag-asang tumangkad. Tanggapin na natin ito. Kaya kahit pa alam natin kung gaano kagaling si Johnny Abarrientos at Alvin Patrimonio sa basketball, 5′10 lang (yata) si "The Flying A" at 6′3" lang si "The Captain", sadyang napakaliit kung ihahambing natin sa mga player ng China. Kaya naman lagi tayong olats kapag mga international tournament na ang sinasalihan natin (maliban lang sa SEA Games,at least may pampalubag-loob pa tayo). Wag kayong magalit, mahilig ako sa basketball, at minsan ko ring pinangarap na balang araw makapaglaro sa PBA. Pero gumuho ang lahat ng aking mga pangarap ng hindi ako umabot ng 6 feet (hanggang 5′9" lang inabot ko). Ngayon palaru-laro na lang ako tuwing nagkakayayaan ng tropa, o kaya naman nagmimiron na lang paghindi makapaglaro dahil madaming mga buwaya at buwakaw sa court.

Sa tingin ko dapat na nating umpisahang maghanap ng ibang sport na kahihiligan nating mga Pinoy. Pero siguradong hindi madaling gawin yun dahil dominado ng basketball, sa pangunguna ng PBA, ang local sports scene. Dapat mag-umpisa ito sa grassroots level. Alam kong inuulit ko lang ang mga dati nang sinasabi ng ibang mga tao, pero bakit parang walang nangyayari? Ibig sabihin meron silang maling ginagawa.

Una, dapat isipin natin kung anong sport nababagay ang Pinoy. Obviously, dapat yung sport ay hindi kailangan ng tanggkad. Pasok na dito ang baseball at soccer/football. Saktong-sakto sa body type natin ang dalawang yun, hindi requirement ang height.

Pero kung tatanungin ako kung ano ang mas posibleng pumatok sa dalawang iyon, pipiliin ko ang football. Mas matipid kasing laruin, sapatos at bola pwede na. Sa baseball, kelangan mo pa ng bat, gloves, at yung baseball para makapaglaro. E hindi naman lahat kayang makabili ng equipment. so iboboto ko ang football.

Pangalawa, kung sino man ang may balak na pausuhin ang football, huwag na silang mag-umpisa sa Maynila. Masyadong saturated na ang sports scene dito. Tapos madalang lang ang mga field na pwedeng paglaruan. Dapat mag-umpisa sa mga probinsya. Ang hirap naman kasi sa mga nag-oorganize ng mga liga dito sa atin, gusto pera agad. Kaya tumaob yung MBA dati kahit maganda sana yung konsepto nila kasi sobrang laki ng pasweldo. Ayun, naubos ang pera ng mga teams at di na napaswelduhan ang mga player.

Dapat paunti-unti lang. Pwedeng sa Visayas muna o sa Mindanao habang nag-iipon ng revenues ang liga (Actually, feeling ko ang kalalabasan ng ideya ko ay hindi nalalayo sa mga professional football leagues sa Europe). Magbuild-up muna ng fanbase sa bawat area/region. Magtayo sila ng local clubs sa bawat major city or area. Give the local people something to root for, para kapag may match, say Cebu vs. Davao, siguradong may manonood. Para sa pondo ng team, pwede silang kumuha ng sponsors tapos yung mga sponsor yung nakalagay sa tshirt ng teams, pero hindi sila yung may-ari ng team, hindi kapareho ng PBA. Magfocus sila sa ticket sales. At para sa TV coverage, gamitin nila yung mga local na TV stations. Kahit hindi muna national TV. Sigurado rin namang yung local press at icocover din yung mga laro nila. At least pati yung mga dyaryo may dagdag na maisusulat.

Ang mga nagsasabi lang naman na boring ang football ay yung mga hindi pa nakakalaro nito. Palibhasa mababa ang scoring akala nila walang aksyon sa laro. Idagdag mo pa na parating natatambakan ang national team nating kahit sa SEA games lang–meron yata akong napanood, 10-0 talo tayo– e sino nga naman ba ang magkakainteres na manood nito kung ang nakasanayan mong panoorin ay basketball?

Nung nasa probinsya ako (sa Northern Samar), magkapantay lang halos ang kasikatan ng football. Dati regular din ang liga duon, at palagay ko hanggang ngayon ganun pa rin. E pano na lang kung magkaroon ng Samar vs. Ilocos na match? Waray vs. Ilocano. O kaya Cebu/Davao vs. Laguna? Bisaya vs. Tagalog. Kung maayos lang ang marketing at affordable ang tickets, sa tingin ko hindi magdadalawang isip na manood ang mga tao ng laro. At kapag nahilig na ang mga tao sa panonood, sigurado yan na gugustuhin na nilang maglaro din, kahit katuwaan lang. At kapag marami na ang naglalaro at nahihilig dito, magkakaroon na rin ng interes ang mga tao na manood ng high quality na laro, gaya ng FIFA World Cup. At syempre gugustuhin na rin nila, lalo na yung mga bata, na gayahin yung mga player na makikita nila.

Mangyari kaya? Sa tingin ko pwede, kung gugustuhin. Ika nga, pag gusto maraming paraan, pag ayaw maraming dahilan.

Gone are the days when most PBA players’ monikers like Alvin ‘The Captain’ Patrimonio or ‘El Presidente’ Ramon Fernandez or Samboy ‘The Skywalker’ Lim sounded cool. Blame the present crop of PBA broadcaster wannabes’ creativity, or lack thereof. Here are some that I’ve heard so far. I’ll update the list when I get the chance to catch a game on TV.

1. Olsen "Ra-Ra" Racela - joke ba to?
2. "Wild wild Wes" Wesley Gonzales - eto pa isa. ewan ko na lang.
3. Danny "The Dynamite" Seigle - this one actually I thought was ok considering his scoring
4. Enrico "The Raging Bull" Villanueva - dati ito nung nasa Red Bull pa sya, pano ngayon nasa Magnolia na sya? The Raging Magnolia?
5. "Marvelous" Marvin Cruz
6. "Amazing" Arwind Santos
7. Asi "The Rock" Taulava - I think they tried to name him "The Volcano" (Tau-LAVA, gats?) but this one stuck. Originality? Zero points
8. Ali "The Man Mountain" Peek - 6′4" lang sya, pero siguro yung nagbansag nito ngayon lang nakakita ng ganun katangkad na tao
9. "The Hawk" Bong Hawkins - galata lang talon nito ni Hawkins pero da hawk pa rin. Magaling magaling
10. John "The Arsenal" Arigo - eto ang arsenal na walang bala
11. Jeffrey "The Jet" Cariaso
12. KG "The da Vinci of Dunk" Canaleta - eto ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit nawawalan ako ng gana manood pag si Mico Halili ang commentator
13.a. Kelly "The Human Highlight Film" Williams - magagalit ba si Dominique "The Human Highlight Reel" Wilkins pag nalaman nya to?
13.b "Machine Gun" Kelly Williams - narealize nila siguro kung gano kabulok yung una nilang naisip
14. Benjie "The Tower of Power" Paras - classic to, wala rin tayong magagawa sobrang tangkad na ng 6′4" nung araw
15. Wynne "The Snatcher" Arboleda
16. Freddie "The Scavenger" Abuda
17. "The Flash" Lordy Tugade - "Flash E-Lordy" –> Flash Elorde… gets?
18. Mike "The Cool Cat" Cortez
19. Jimmy "Mighty Mouse" Alapag
20. "Mr. Pure Energy" Gary David - Gary D. –> Gary V. … hindi ko pa nakitang sumayaw si David
21. Willie "Thriller" Miller - rhyme naman eh
22. James "Boy Thunder" Yap - parang member ng gang
23. Paul "Boy Kidlat/Lightning" Artadi - ditto
24. "Big Mama" Billy Mamaril - mama as in mamang pulis
25. Johnny "Flying A" Abbarientos - pano si Samboy Lim, Flying L?
26. "Major Pain" Erik Menk - di ko alam kung san galing to..
27. Mark "The Spark" Caguioa
28. Rommel "The General" Adducul
29. "The Golden Boy" Noy Castillo - at least nung college pa sya nabansagan nito
30. Cyrus "Skyrus" Baguio - talagang wala na kayong maisip noh?
31. Junthy "The Assassin" Valenzuela
32. Marlou "The Skyscraper" Aquino
33. Dennis "The Menace" Espino - wala bang rhyme na iba ang Dennis or Espino
34. Mac "Captain Hook" Cardona

Right now all I can do is shake my head in disbelief. Heal the wounds
of EDSA? If Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita was referring to this
country’s wounds brought about by corruption and bad governance I would
have agreed. According to this article
Ermita said that ""One of the legacy agenda of the President is healing
the wounds of Edsa and we thought that maybe by not celebrating it will
be one of the steps toward healing any hard feelings brought about by
Edsa Dos." In other words, let’s forget that something happened in
January 20, 2001. Let’s forget that we were able to oust a very
corrupt, and to say the least, a bad president. Really, all Ermita
wants to say is that, bati na kami [yung mga barkada ni Ermita sa gobyerno] nila Erap, kalimutan nyo na yung atraso nya sa inyo. "Healing the wounds of Edsa." Who are you kidding? Lokohin mong nenang mong panot.
They keep talking about national reconciliation.  There can never be
reconciliation without admission of guilt by those charged (that would
be you, Erap) and restitution.

Nevermind that a lot of pundits
point out that it would not have been possible had the military backed
it up. The fact is history was made that day. And to forget that would
be throwing away all the lessons that we learned (or should have
learned). Randy David talks about the lessons of Edsa 2 in his article.

Cong. Roilo Golez calls Edsa 2 irrelevant.
I beg to differ. Edsa 1 and 2 represent our quest for a good
government, one that is transparent and would uphold the interest of
the nation. The result wasn’t at all what we expected, but as David put
it, "The memory of our struggle against the former [Erap] sustains our
struggle against the latter [Gloria]."

Alam ko matalino at creative ang mga Pinoy, pero ano ba naman yang GMA, panay basura halos lahat ang ipinapalabas sa primetime TV (di lang masagap ng TV namin kaya di ko maokray sa ngayon ang ABS-CBN, sa susunod na lang hehe ;-P)? Okey yung mga documentaries at mga current event-themed na shows ng GMA, pero pano nila maijujustify ang Darna, Lupin, Captain Barbell, Asian Treasures, Super Twins, Mari Mar, Zaido, at kung anu-ano pang mga pinoproduce nila sa TV? Wala na ba tayong mga artista na marunong umarte at ang mga tulad nina Angel Locsin, Richard Gutierrez, Rhian Ramos, Katrina Halili, ang ipinipilit nilang ipalabas sa TV. I’m not a professional critic, but I do know (along with millions of Filipinos) good acting when I see one.

    Utang na loob sa mga TV producers, sana itigil nyo na yang pagbili ng foreign franchises. Balita ko nga, binili na daw ng GMA ang rights para sa Mexican telenovela ‘Rosalinda’ na pinagbidahan noon ni Thalia. Woe is Philippine television. Puro na lang rip-off ang napapanood natin. Buti kung okey yung istorya at acting, e bulok na bulok! Take the case of Captain Barbell, kitang-kita mula sa trailer na rip-off lang ng Smallville yung ginawa nila. Palagay ko nga roon, masyado silang nag-abala sa special effects at costumes na nakalimutan nilang kailangan pala ng MAAYOS NA KWENTO ng isang TV show. Kung wala silang mabayad para sa matinong story, e di lahat ng shows gawin na lang na laglagan-style ala Lagot Ka Isusumbong Kita.

   Yung Darna, okey sana yung konsepto na iserialize yung gawa ni Mars Ravelo. Pero sana naman (para na akong sirang plaka) maghanap sila ng artista na marunong umarte, pati na rin writer na makakagawa ng matinong script. Hindi lang basta yung bida nakatwo-piece, okey na. Para naman they can do justice sa mga nilikha ni Ravelo. Kahit kulang-kulang sa special effects, mapapalampas pa naman ito dahil alam nating huling-huli ang Pilipinas sa aspetong ito. Pero at least nakikita nating nag-iimprove kahit papaano.

   Kung magririp-off na lang sila ng mga istorya para sa drama, bakit kaya hindi yung mga critically-acclaimed na mga istorya. Sigurado akong hindi sila kukulangin dito. Basta matino lang ang script at utang na loob wag naman super-melodramatic at sana yung marurunong umarte na artista, sigurado akong bebenta pa rin ito. At least quality di ba? At malay natin pwede pa itong iexport ala Jumong at Jewel in the Palace.

   Halimbawa, yung Noli Me Tangere ni Jose Rizal, bakit hindi nila gawan ng TV series ito? Gastusan nila ng husto. Mga marurunong umarte lang ang kunin nila. Kung masyadong mahal ang talent fees, e di magpaaudition at gawing nationwide ang scope. At pwede bang huwag gawing StarStruck yung audition na yan. Siguro naman alam na natin sa ngayon ang mga kalidad ng mga nananalo dito. O kaya kumuha sila sa mga theater artists, or better yet yung audition nila parang pangtheater o yung judges nila e mga involved sa theater. Bitin kasi kung gawing pelikula yung Noli at El Filibusterismo kaya mas mainam na TV series na lang. O kaya movie series parang Band of Brothers ang dating.

   Yung mga novels ni F. Sionil Jose napakaganda ring iadapt yun. Yung Rosales saga (yung Po-on pa lang yung nababasa ko, but I loved it, and I promised myself to read the rest of the series once I’m done with my current reading list) ang ganda nun. From Spanish to Marcos era ang span nun, depende na sa kanila kung paano ang diskarte nila doon.

   Kung gagawa sila nito, sana gawin nilang export quality. Kahit sa Southeast  Asia muna, tapos East Asia. Para naman makaganti tayo sa Korea, Japan at Taiwan. Tapos pagnakapasok na tayo sa market nila, saka natin sila tambakan ng mga palabas nila Mark Herras, Rainier Castillo, Katrina Halili, Angel Locsin et al (catch my drift? hehe). Saka na sa Mexico kasi iginanti na naman tayo ni Manny Pacquiao kaya makakapaghintay pa yun.

   Seriously though, I think GMA should think about making quality shows. Sana wag puro ratings ang tingnan nila. Kasi naman kahit ano ipalabas nila siguradong mataas na ratings ang magrereflect kasi sila lang naman ng ABS-CBN talaga ang magkaribal. Anong channel pa ba ang tatapat sa kanila? ABC? PBA lang ang pambato nun e. RPN? Buhay pa pala yung channel na yun. Sana naman, please lang, utang na loob, pakiusap lang, sana matitinong  palabas naman ang gawin nyo.

   Yung ABS-CBN next time na lang pag may bago na kong TV

Attack of the Romulan (liveblogging the Senate hearing)

I really don’t know what to make of our senators here. I guess I found them most of them irritatingly funny… which is really no fun at all.

I decided to put my blogging in hiatus but today’s events made it hard to resist not writing anything down.

Just a while ago I heard someone on tv say something like "ang verdict na ito ay makakapekto sa taong bayan," or something to that effect (I can’t remember his exact words). I beg to disagree. Call me cynical or pessimistic or apathetic, but tomorrow, when all have been said and done about the trial, the poor will still be poor, the hungry will still be hungry, and (hopefully) we will still go back to work. Short of some freak miracle, I don’t expect our rollercoaster economy to change for the better anytime soon. So for those rooting for a guilty verdict, don’t expect something radically good to happen from an economic standpoint.

While some people say that a guilty verdict will give Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo some solid ground with regards to the legitimacy of her office, I do not think that is the case. Proving Estrada’s guilt will give justification to the Filipino people’s desire to remove a President who is not only corrupt, but is also ineffective in the performance of his mandate. Arroyo’s ascension to the presidency in 2001 was just a result of the Filipino people’s decision to assert that will, an action which was subsequently affirmed by the Supreme Court.

In effect, the Arroyo administration’s legitimacy issues will linger on until each and every one of the controversies it is facing is addressed, especially the cheating in the last 2004 elections. This victory is not of Arroyo, this is a victory for the Filipino people. So for political pundits painting this as a battle between Arroyo and Estrada, that is not true. This is the battle of the people against corruption and bad governance. And it is a battle that is yet to be won.