Shrewd Empress

The recent congratulatory call of the President to Manny Pacquiao is no innocent chat. She has constantly been beseiged with attacks from the opposition and add to that the dipping favor ratings, associating herself with a champion of the Filipino people is one hell of a move. In fact, it is a calculated and measured move. Her call was seen live by all Filipinos. Her voice and the presence of the First Gentleman already associates the champion with the President.

Everyone loves a winner especially this country. Craving for nationalistic pride, the Filipino people has been looking for a leader to look up to and Manny has filled this gap. I am not saying the boxing champ is the one. No, no no, this guy is only as good as his last fight but we have seen how much the country can unite once behind a strong personality.

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Ever wondered if the First Gentleman is a liablity or an asset to the Pink Throne along Pasig River? It is in fact interesting to note that he is the first active FG, which makes it more dangerous. It is only natural for the press to question his motives for each transaction he enters into. Having unlimited access to the President definitely brings influence. "Access" as the young George Bush of America once said, is power.

Right now FG is a big liablity for the President. He is a big bull's eye target for opponents of this administration. The problem with having a male FG is the aura of power coming from Malacanang sticks with the guy. Coming from a patriarchal society, Filipinos cannot seperate the man from power. As such, FG whether Malacanang wants it or not, represents the embattled President.

However, this shouldn't be a weakness. In fact if the President only knows how to use the First Gentleman, she can turn things around. Send FG to do the social work of the President and make sure those damn cameras get tons of videos for each visit he makes. The FG too can start social causes like the forgotten Piso Para Sa Pasig program. Social causes tend to cover the hot issues threatening the government. Meanwhile the President, can focus on her work and start improving the economy of the country. This way, she gets all kudos for FG's work plus she won't get criticized for trying to be a populist President. Also, it will help if she is more subtler with her ulterior motives. She is too obvious!

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I've seen the super action-packed Underworld 2. Very nice. At first it was confusing for the story immediately continues after the first movie but after asking my sister several times, I finally got to pieace together the flow of the story line. I suggest you brush up with Underworld 1 and then proceed to watch this film.

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