Pedestrian Observer GB: Look who’s talking... its Mirriam Santiago (UPDATE)

Mirriam Santiago lashed out at the “ugly” senators as “unfit” to be commercial models in endorsing products in the latest bruha (witch) errrr brouhaha over the proliferation of product endorsements by politicians seen as just one of those early electioneering political gimmickry to splatter their name and faces in people’s consciousness.

Nothing surprises as anymore seeing all kinds of antics from these politicians where government funds are shamelessly used for political campaigns in a nation where patronage politics is the name of the game.

As if this is not hilarious enough Senator Panfilo Lacson appealed to corporations "crazy'' enough to get her as a product endorser so she would stop griping about her peers' media mileage. Well blow me down and slap me silly but seeing national leaders get at each other like juvenile brats only shows that indeed the Philippines has a long road ahead out of the muck they have sunk as in. To quote Mirriam Santiago at Philippine General Hospital:

Santiago said while she and some media watchers criticized "this bad example set by people who aspire to be national leaders," they continued with their premature campaigning through billboards and television commercials.

"They have rationalized it to themselves, it is a revolting phenomenon. It is loathsome to have our lawmakers be the first to violate our laws. They all know the purpose of the Election Code is to discourage early campaigning because it will favor rich candidates over the poor,'' said Santiago.

Santiago said that if wealth were the basis for winning in the elections, the public should just auction off the presidency.

Indeed she has a point but no one seems to be listening anymore because for one she never follows up on what she supposedly stood for especially when she stated awhile back that the 12 elected senators in ’07 are all criminals and will resign in protest. She is still there so this is again another frothing in the mouth rant that signifies nothing although what she brought up are valid, no one is listening. Also, if there is truth to the back door comelec operators that in itself is what we may say an auction where the highest "bidder" gets the votes through sleigh of hands of math wizards. Sad indeed and in the Philippines it appears that people especially the politicians follow the dictum of what is unethical is not necessarily illegal so on with the show. But then again this remark by Mirriam Santiago is worth repeating here:

"Gusto nilang maging commercial endorser, eh ang papangit naman nila, [They want to be commercial endorsers but they are so ugly],''

There, that said will someone please tell those senators to heed the rant errr advise of their kulig (insect) errrr colleague in the upper chamber as she is right on this one, no not the ugly part but the unethical practice of product endorsement and of course they also need to consider conflict of interest. Now I wonder what Senator Francis Escudero, who is pitching for a drug supplement and slimming salon, shrugging off Santiago's attacks meant by this one below:

Her opinion on that issue is not important to me, what is important is my wife disagrees with her

Huh? Was that about the pangit (ugly) part or the loathsome unethical part Mirriam Santiago was referring to? Anyway whatever he meant by it although it just sounded more hilarious really does not matter.

To her credit while Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago lashed out at the ugly errr product endorser senators she turned over P12 million worth of medical equipment sourced from her priority development assistance fund (PDAF) to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). PDAF is also known as pork barrel funds which she dared her fellow ugly errr senators to donate their annual PDAF to "kickback-free" projects.

These lawmakers should do something about this issue and like what Angela says that there ought to be a law on this one, its about time they get serious. If indeed the Philippine politicians are mature enough and not a bunch of juvenile brats or if they have a concept on what is ethical or not, they would have save Mirriam Santiago some grief. How about you? Do you think they should stop acting like juvenile brats and treat this like mature responsible national leaders?

(Update 6/22/08)

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare as an illegal election offense any political advertising in the form of commercial and other endorsements until the official campaign period starts in 2010. Should she not get a favorable ruling she has promised to elevate this to the Supreme court.......... let us see, at least she is doing something concrete to correct the aberration in the Philippine electoral process.