Before anyone could take their rifle out of their display cabinets to get ready for war, the US has already apologized for what they claim as an “honest mistake.” ;p

For those who think this amount is too low for all the work demands and responsibilities of the chief executive of the land, know that his immediate predecessor President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo received P57,750/month.

This salary increase is brought about by Executive Order No. 900, signed by Arroyo just days before her term ended, which implements an increase in the basic pay in all government salary grades. The President’s salary is equivalent to Salary Grade 33 (SG 33), the salary grade for the highest position in the Philippine government.

One cannot help but wonder then why a lot of people vie for top government positions when the salaries are mere fractions of the pay top executives in private companies receive while the responsibilities and pressures are more than sky-high. To genuinely help the people? Nah, that sounds like a broken campaign record.

We come together tonight as we approach a hallmark of democracy for our great nation – the smooth transition of power to a new leader.

We have just come through a historic election. It was open and it was modern.

As a result, we were able to declare winners in hours and days rather than weeks and months. The face of politics in our nation has changed forever.

Tonight, I once again congratulate president-elect Aquino and vice president-elect Binay.

Nine years ago, I came to the presidency at a time of great turmoil in our nation. I accepted the challenge of the office when it was thrust upon me.

At that time, our country was reeling from political intrigue and a distressed economy.

We set to work to reform our economy and invest in our people. Along the way, we had to make unpopular choices such as raising taxes but we did so against the odds for a very simple reason: we had to have new money for more and better healthcare, education, and job creation.

We needed new and better roads, bridges, ports and a technology backbone to attract new businesses and investors to create new jobs.

Through hard work, determination and a clear plan of action, we helped achieve many of these objectives.

As a result, we have had 37 quarters of uninterrupted economic growth even against the headwinds of a major global recession.

Look around you in our cities as you drive by the office towers that have changed the skyline.

Look around you in our provinces as you drive along the roads, bridges and Ro-Ro ports where we have made massive investments.

This is the face of change.

Eighty-five percent of our people now have access to Philhealth insurance, over a hundred thousand classrooms have been built and nine-million jobs have been created.

We developed the call-center industry almost from scratch. Today there are 500,000 call-center and BPO jobs when only 5,000 existed when I took office.

Yet, these accomplishments are merely part of the continuum of history.

The gains I made were built on the efforts of previous leaders. Each successive government must build on the successes and progress of the previous one.

Advance the programs that work and leave behind those that don’t.

I feel confident that we are leaving this nation much stronger than I came to office but I leave that for history to judge.

Tonight, I call on everyone to unite behind our new leaders. I am optimistic and I am hopeful about our future yet until every Filipino child is born to a family free of poverty, we cannot rest.

We must always set our sights on the future and keep an eye on improving our economy, investing in people and building bridges, not just bridges of iron and steel but bridges between people, generations and governments.

The bridges we must build to the future rest on the hard work, grace and compassion of our people.

The people of our nation are our greatest asset.

You are the backbone that drives our nation forward everyday.

From the fisherman to the farmer, to the taxi driver and the teacher, we are a nation of industrious, hardworking people.

I thank each and everyone for your contribution to help the Philippines achieve our potential.

This time next week I will be moving into new phase of life leading a quieter public role.

We’re all on a journey together. As our nation moves forward let us all join hands in unity and walk confidently towards a better tomorrow.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for giving me the honor and privilege of serving you.

Malaking karangalan ang makapag-lingkod sa sambayanan bilang Pangulo.

Sa inyong lahat na napag-silbihan ko sa mahirap ngunit makasaysayang landas, maraming maraming salamat.

What I have been generally interested about as the results of the 2010 elections are being rolled out is the fact that Joseph “Erap” Estrada is actually doing well for an ex-President who was accused of corruption, impeached, found guilty of plunder, sentenced to reclusion perpetua and detained for more than 6 years before being granted executive clemency in 2007.

Has the Filipino people forgotten and forgiven, or could it be that the people who rallied for his ouster back in 2001 was just a minority?

Whatever it was, one thing is clear now — Erap still has a strong following. It may not be as strong as it was in 1998 when he first ran for President and won by a landslide victory, but it is strong enough to beat out early frontrunner Manny Villar and administration candidate Gibo Teodoro, among others.

Although Richard claims he spends more time in Leyte than in Manila since 2007, many expected his disqualification, as it would be nearly impossible for Richard to convince COMELEC that his primary residence is Leyte when we used to see him on TV everyday for his game show and teleseryes. Also, his profession, his business and most family members and friends are in Manila.

Richard’s lawyers said they no longer plan on appealing the decision of the COMELEC, although they do not agree with it. They are instead positioning Richard’s wife, Lucy Torres-Gomez, as his replacement. This development was based on the Comelec Rule of Substitution for a dead or disqualified candidate.

The substitute candidate should carry the same last name and belong to the same political party as the dead or disqualified candidate. Thus, Lucy, bearing the family name of his husband and after taking an oath to become a member of the Liberal Party, seems to be their best bet.

Lucy has taken over in the campaigns, telling her fellow Ormocanons to “vote 1, take 2″ as Richard will serve as her Chief of Staff if she wins. She is facing Eufrocino Codilla Jr., whose family has run the district for several years now, for the Congress seat.

We just hope that Richard is targeting a seat in Congress — and now fielding his wife in the Congressional race — for service and not for power. This is his 3rd attempt in politics, in 2001 as Representative of the party-list Mamamayan Ayaw sa Droga (disqualified) and in 2007 for Senate (lost).

The ad involved 100 sailors and reportedly cost the government $53,000 of taxpayer’s money, and $42,000 of which went to advertising photographer Andreas Smetana.

Just a reminder to everyone who reads this post — this is about the candidates’ political materials and not about the candidates. So, here it goes.

Best Political Music Video
Tunay na Mahirap — for Manny Villar

You may not be for Manny Villar, but you have to give it to the team who makes his campaign materials. Among the presidentiables, his videos have the strongest recall; you can hear a 3-year-old child sing the Manny Villar songs in correct tune!

Runners-up for Best Political Music Video
Hindi Bawal Mangarap ang Mahirap — for Manny Villar
Hindi Ka Nag-Iisa — for Noynoy Aquino
Eddie Ako — for Eddie Villanueva
Pinoy Noynoy — for Noynoy Aquino

Cheesiest Political Music Video
Lingkod Loren — for Loren Legarda

Loren certainly went way too cheesy with this video. Her smile looks “fixed” on her face and the use of the song ‘Pilipinas Kong Mahal’ on the background made it appear that she was trying too hard. It just didn’t look natural.

Worst Political Slogan
Pag May Erap, May Ginhawa — for Erap Estrada

Did Erap’s campaign managers just make “Erap” synonymous to “hirap”? Yikes! Not a good play with words, really.

Do you have your own “best” and “worst” you would like to share? Just drop a comment.

I have not yet made a final decision regarding the May 2010 elections, so this post is in no way promoting or discrediting any candidate. It’s just too funny not to share!

I have to admit that although I was a bit impressed with how he (or sister Kris) has gathered famous personalities in his video “Hindi Ka Nag-iisa”, I still thought it was a bit mushy.

His new video “Pinoy Noynoy” is a bit different. It’s youthful and catchy — and yes, Noynoy actually gave a beat!

Again, as I have mentioned in a previous post — I am not endorsing any candidate. I just want to share what I get here and there that I find “worthy of attention” (see my blog’s description).

Let me be clear — I am not endorsing any candidate. I just want to share what I get here and there that I find “worthy of attention” (see my blog’s description). I must say that I find this video interesting and very catchy. I really am tired of the melodramatic videos that plague my TV screen! Please, there are enough telenovelas already.

Hmm.. That gave me an idea. I’ll probably share some of the cheesiest political television campaigns next time too. As for now, though, I’d like to share this youth-targeted political campaign “Eddie Ako”.