Would you pay $50 to watch Miriam in Luneta if PPC wins 13-0? - A VOICE FROM AMERICA by Ernie D. Delfin

A little election humor. Filipinos abroad, although they cannot vote, are extremely excited and anxious about the elections. Who will be elected senators? Will it be 13-0, 11-2 or 8-5 in favor of or against the administration? Many are hoping that it will be 13-0 so we can witness Miriam Santiago shoot herself in Rizal Park!

In the unlikely event that this happens, I have a business proposition: Have the event televised via closed circuit TV like a heavyweight boxing championship where viewers pay top dollar in order to raise money for the government. I know a hundred people willing to pay $50 each to watch Madam Santiago shoot herself in Rizal Park! She will be an instant "hero" like Rizal.

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Despite several missteps in the early months of the Arroyo administration, there are also signs that portend to a return of morality and accountability of public officials. The world has witnessed the arrest of former President Estrada. And although the wheels of justice move very slowly, the fair dispensation of justice is imperative if we are to progress as a nation.

If people witness that no less than a former president is charged and convicted (or acquitted) in a fair trial, they will start trusting their government and believing that it really is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Indeed, if Estrada’s billions cannot even buy his freedom, then it will be a lasting warning to all citizens that no one is above the law. I hope and pray that we will be strong until the last corrupt official is removed and made to pay for his or her crime.

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I deeply empathize with the family of the late Bubby Dacer and his driver. I had the opportunity to get to know Dacer, "the man in white," in the mid 1980s in Los Angeles.

The thing that bothered me about the alleged confession of the suspects was that they believed what they were doing was "legal" and "proper." In a democratic system, even convicts or prisoners are punished in a prescribed manner, and not just through plain strangulation and burning – barbaric acts reminiscent of the burning of Nero!

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Recent news stories that I feel are inappropriate were some presidential acts that made our President look less honorable such as her meeting and shaking the hand of convicted priest murderer Manero. That front-page picture on the Internet was seen by millions of people, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. I could just imagine what non-Filipinos who saw and read that caption think of our President and our values system as a nation!

Another is the forthcoming conference between the NPA and the Arroyo government to be hosted by another country in Europe. Aside from the fact that our government will be spending precious dollars in sending the government delegates to Europe, meeting these old-fashioned communists in their own turf diminishes the prestige of our newly installed government.

Then there is fugitive Mark Jimenez now running for Congress presumably with the objective that once he is elected he will be immune from prosecution. If that were the case, multi-millionaires or billionaires can just "buy" a seat in Congress. I find that preposterous and highly immoral.

There are other Filipinos in the US who should be extradited like the scam artists who fled back to the Philippines. In Southern California, we’ve had the fake green card scam, social security racket, personal injury scam and Medi-Cal scam.

One of these colorful personalities who has vanished from California was a popular businessman in the automobile industry who allegedly brought millions of dollars when he left for the Philippines in the mid-1980s by resorting to selling unregistered securities and creating some variation of the Ponzi scheme by issuing unsecured promissory notes and paying old investors with new money from newer investors or creditors. Rumors abound that because of millions of dollars that he was able to siphon to the Philippines, he acquired "official" protection that has prevented his extradition.

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A website worth checking out is http://www.ebantay.com, whose main objective is to provide information about candidates, their backgrounds, their platforms and their accomplishments.

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Lastly, a timely food for thought for our Philippine electorate: The seven sins in the world according to Mahatma Ghandi:

Wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, and politics without principles.