Youth2010 forum!

DLSU students are no strangers to long lines: adjustment, basketball tickets, and the occasional large event. None of these queues though ever measured up to the sheer length and breadth of the line to get into the Youth2010 Presidential forum. Considering the touted apathy of the youth today, it was almost surreal to see a whole line of students stretching all the way from the elevators in Yuchengco building....to around the Velasco Building. (Note that it's about a hundred meters or so from point a to point b).

People were camping out as early as before 8am just to get into the Yuchengco auditorium. For those who couldn't get in, they had the option of watching the event broadcast in the classrooms in the SJ building. Watching at home was also an option, since ABS-CBN televised the event. A good number of my friends (including my sister) resorted to this, completing their forum experience with loads of snacks. As for me, I did end up sitting right on the steps of the 8th floor balcony. It wasn't the most comfortable place to be, but at least the view was great.

So here's the rundown on the major players in today's auditorium:

The panelists (students from DLSU-Manila, other DLSU campuses, Benilde, UA&P, and St. Scholastica) : Kudos to the students for coming up with good questions for the forum. It was great to hear queries that were not run-of-the-mill or generic, but rather specific for each candidate's known platform and campaign situation.

The audience: Quite responsive, and varied too---in contrast to what I remember of most presidential forums. Though of course sometimes there were lapses in decorum. I also love how eager some people were to rush up to Gibo and Noynoy after the forum. Mga Lasalyano talaga!

Ted Failon: Maybe he's not everyone's first choice for a host in a political forum, but at least he did his job. And tried to keep a straight face throughout most of it. It was good that he was able to remind some of the candidates to answer the questions properly, or to clarify their points. Kudos to him for trying to extend the students' attention span as well.

Now for the Presidentiables (in order of seating arrangement!)

Noynoy Aquino: For a man who has a fair chance at being the hero of the hour, he was considerably less than stellar today, especially when compared to other candidates. All of a sudden his position on the RH bill somehow changed (consider this in the light of his defending it on more than one occasion in 2009). He was considerably defensive with regard to questions regarding his accomplishments, such as in the arena of fighting graft and corruption. Although he is clear on his position about holding the current administration accountable for his deeds, he still shows a clear lack of a concrete platform as well as the "ground" knowledge to properly explain his stand.

JC De los Reyes: A considerably pro-life, pro-Catholic, moral stance, actually. At least he had enough evidence to explain his views regarding population and more. As a slightly conservative writer, I agree with some of his views. What I don't agree with is his stance about sex education---I do not think that "sapat na ang natural na kaalaman". Now the truth is that a lot of Filipino parents are not comfortable with their kids discussing questions about sex. I believe that schools have a very important role in sex education, particularly in the scenario when one or both parents is unwilling or worse, unavailable about the topic. The objection though to the modules about sex ed is well-founded however: too much emphasis on acts regarding sex, and not enough character formation or teaching about maturity with regard to this intimate topic.

Dick Gordon: Ever the crowd-pleaser, apparently. Maybe it's because of his confidence: "They are ready for Dick Gordon". Or maybe it's his very expressive way of talking. His "manner" (as we used to say in debate parlance) is great. I am not so sure about the "matter" or content aspect. Although his suggestion of raising teachers' salaries to 40,000 was much applauded, his idea of giving the Kindle e-book device to schools may not be so feasible. It's much too expensive to procure, much more maintain in our public school system.

Jamby Madrigal: If there was someone who knew how to ride on the emotions of the crowd, it was her. Unfortunately a lot of her speeches became tirades against big institutions like multinationals, and worse yet, slightly pointed attacks against her opponents. So much for "konting personalan" She did mention a point about bringing resources straight to those who need it, like farmers and small and medium industries. She didn't say how she'd do it though.

Joseph Estrada (who should have taken center seat): Story has it he was filming his infomercial today, so he deigned not to show up for the forum. Now while this saved him from the potential risk of becoming today's comic relief (admittedly a number of LaSallians turned up in hopes of watching him struggle through the forum), this might have serious adverse ratings on his campaign. Especially as he was pointed out to be the only candidate not to make an appearance.

Nick Perlas: Unfortunately this man suffers from a case of obscurity in the eyes of many young voters. Still he did raise a few points such as the need to conduct language education for children in an age-dependent manner (first the vernacular, then Filipino, then English). He ended up beating around the bush though with the question about call centers, preferring to expound on his knowledge of the agricultural sector before bringing it in a roundabout connection to the call center industry issue. Not a good move.

Gibo Teodoro: Clearly he was quite confident in this forum (and not just because it was on home turf). Although he did rankle a good many students with his safe answer about President Arroyo's accountability post-election, he did have a point in saying that he would be unable to answer the question fairly at this time. Even if Jamby Madrigal and the others ganged up on him (which was not fair). Despite this, he demonstrated a thorough knowledge of legislation, government procedures and other aspects of leadership. And he had the support of all of his fans (who nearly whisked away my camera in their enthusiasm). If he continues to display a growing backbone and make the right steps, he might stand a chance of winning the votes of even the non-university crowds.

Eddie Villanueva: Word for the day in his vocabulary: moral bankruptcy. While of course many Filipinos do appreciate and share his stance regarding credible leadership, the same may not always be said for his penchant for quoting from the Bible. He also quite failed to address the more practical points of governance (or maybe because no one asked him much about these things) And by the way, he ought to check some of his quotes. Quezon said, "My loyalty to my party ends where my DUTY to my country begins." And it's LaSallians, not LaSallites.

Manny Villar: First time he showed up in a forum. And maybe if today's experience was unnerving enough, it might be a cause for him to reconsider any further appearances. If ever, he did receive quite a number of catcalls from the crowd. He also unfortunately acquitted himself quite poorly in some of the questions, particularly the one about his platform for the rich and middle-class voters. "High tide...low tide?" What did have to do with anything? Clearly he underestimated the DLSU audience.

Analysis

Of course it is easy for the candidates to come up with answers for fora. Usually the questions are easily anticipated (unless one is caught off-guard the way that Villar was). The best way that one can use political fora as a means for gauging candidates is to check for matter and consistency. Do candidates actually expound on their points or resort to motherhood statements? Do they insult or degrade their opponents instead of pitching themselves well? Do they have a consistent stance on issues? Is their platform feasible?

Gordon definitely wins in terms of charm and appeal to the crowd. In terms of matter though, I'd have to go with Gibo. Admittedly he argues his points concisely, without resorting to technical terms or defensive measures. In terms of "below the belt factor", referring to meanness on stage, Jamby gets my vote. She spent a lot more time putting down institutions or individuals as opposed to making a case for her presidency. Noynoy lost a good bit of shine today--more than I've ever seen compared to the other fora I've followed. How far can Cory magic get him?

This forum is all well and good for LaSallians, but I do wonder how (or even if) it can impact the majority of the electorate. Sure, Gibo is the choice of a good many of my schoolmates. But outside campus, a different story holds. Green sure isn't the color of the electorate...it could be yellow, or both shades of orange.

Still, if there had been a polling machine in DLSU today, it would have been a hard race between Gibo, Gordon, and Noynoy. And if a backhoe and several tons of refuse were allowed on campus, some open space might have been dug up for some candidates to contemplate, or stay in till the storm passed.

Back in time for the action

Seems like it's a good time to get commenting again.

I know I'm supposed to be finishing up work, but this business of refurbishing the blog couldn't really wait. After all, I don't know if I'll have time to tweak layouts after tomorrow.

What's tomorrow? Presidentiables forum at De La Salle University. Like a good many people, I'm planning to turn up early on campus just to score a good seat in the event. Actually I don't care if I end up sitting on the floor of the balcony, for as long as I get to hear what's going on and just what the candidates have to say (or what they don't have to say) for themselves

Rumor has it that at least 4 of the notable candidates confirmed their attendance tomorrow. Somehow I wonder whether about one or two of them are being prudent in deciding to come to De La Salle University. It will take serious restraint on the part of some of the students attending the forum to keep their reactions in check. At least my friends and I were just joking about borrowing a certain infamous backhoe to dig a hole in the middle of the football field to fill up with all the trash from the landfills in order to show a certain point to a particular candidate.

This slightly sordid joke though is just a symptom of one thing that some of the candidates (especially the presidentiables) should take into account: there are just some people who aren't amused, much less persuaded by cheap gimmicks and catch jingles anymore. Has the young electorate begun to be more critical and discerning with regard to their choices?