Ohohoy!

I will have to reiterate my claims that change will not come soon for the Philippines despite what has happened the past few days. With the impending declaration of NoyNoy Aquino of his entry to the presidential race, I have seen in people a renewed hope that this country will change for the better. I have my doubts but we have to start somewhere. Of course it will change for the better as long as the Arroyos step down from power in 2010.

Corruption has been so deeply ingrained in the system of the country that change will take time. It will not come overnight nor will it come in this generation and probably even in the next. But I think everyone will have to agree with me that it has to come and it has to start now.

Right now the country is mired in a vicious cycle of corruption, injustice and moral degradation. What the country needs is a change of values and attitude. We cannot let the rich and powerful continue to control the system nor can we let the poor continue to make poverty an excuse. We need to teach the right values to our children and their children.

We need role models. I’m not talking about the dimwit yet arrogant noontime show host. I’m not talking about the self-centered gossip girl. And definitely, I’m not talking about the president from hell and her minions. We need someone who can be a good example of leadership (or at least not the one who initiates and directs all the dealings).

Our moral degradation is happening right now and with the president and her family spearheading it, we need to act quickly. We could at least stop it from getting far worse.  In 2010, the country votes for the next president. The country’s challenge doesn’t lie there. It lies in what happens after. She who will not be named will try to run Congress and use her vast ill-gotten wealth to change the Constitution and install herself as the Prime Minister of the Philippines. When this happens, I’m not betting my future on a convicted plunderer or a real estate magnate. I want an AQUINO on my side. I’m voting for NOYNOY…. And Kris, please shut up.

Just hours ago Liberal Party president and erstwhile expected standard bearer Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II announced that he is no longer seeking the presidency in 2010 and will instead throw his support for partymate Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III should the latter decide to run for the highest office in the land.

Rewind to a month ago.  Noynoy came out in the wee hours of the morning of August 1 regretfully announcing to the world the passing of his mother, former Philippine President and global democracy icon Corazon Aquino.  Considering Ms. Aquino’s year-long battle with colon cancer and the inevitability of it all, many had expected a usual mourning process sprinkled with tributes befitting a well-loved national leader. As everyone not hiding under a rock knows, Cory’s death did way more than sadden us.  It sparked renewed clamors for change in the country’s political landscape that, ironically, offers a dozen alternatives with not one showing genuine promise.

Cory’s funeral validated this collective feeling.  Political opportunists thus joined the cortege, knowing that the great outpouring of love lining up the streets leading to Cory’s final resting place might give them the mandate they desperately seek.  Some were more desperate than the others, choosing to go ahead of the procession to probably make their pomposity appear less obscene than if they chose to show off behind the truck carrying Cory’s remains.  Quite incidentally, Mar Roxas was among the first to arrive at the cemetery, a good three hours in advance of the cortege.  Apparently he never failed to make a grand display along the funeral route, gleefully waving at the throng as you suspect he would do if it were  the campaign period.  I will choose not to reveal who arrived after him as doing so might give her the idea that she was even worth mentioning.

As suggested in my previous article, Cory’s death also served as a springboard for the emergence of the perfect candidate in next year’s elections. Since op-ed columnists like Conrado de Quiros broached the idea, calls for Noynoy Aquino to go for all the marbles have snowballed, from signature campaigns to online petitions to the sudden turnaround of an administration mouthpiece.  Despite the show of support Noynoy remained reluctant, perhaps even more reluctant than his mother when she was asked to unite the opposition against Ferdinand Marcos 24 years ago.

Liberal Party chair emeritus and former Senate President Jovito Salonga endorsed last week a Mar-Noynoy tandem in 2010.  It was quite a disappointing suggestion from the man I once voted for president; you don’t use Cory Magic to install a vice president.  Salonga was just toeing the party line, of course, and it was just unfortunate that Noynoy shares the same political party with somebody who, so early in the game, had already spent millions in campaign ads, unabashedly telling us, “ramdam ko kayo” (”I feel you”).

Oh, so that's what he meant by "ramdam ko kayo, lalaban tayo"

It must have felt like a knockout punch when despite rigorous image building Mar still lagged behind in recent popularity surveys.  Some will say this may be the reason why he announced what he announced just hours ago. Whatever.  Mar’s supreme sacrifice removed all obstacles from Noynoy’s path as far as the Liberal Party’s selection dilemma is concerned.  Mar’s surprise move ran consistent with his slogan that, indeed, he feels his people and that he is not turning a blind eye to their preference for Noynoy. Lastly, and this may sound farfetched, Mar’s decision to give way to Noynoy put a closure to nagging questions of what-ifs between the two political clans, when once upon a time their fathers were in an eerily similar situation - the Liberal Party was in a quandary as to who between Gerry Roxas and Ninoy Aquino should be its standard bearer in the 1973 elections, the outcome of which was overtaken by events leading to martial law. If you believe in romance and destinies and intertwined relationships, rejoice: Mar Roxas has just given you something to slow-clap for.

Just hours from now it will be Noynoy’s turn to announce to the world what his future plans are.  Here’s really hoping he chooses his calling as well as he chose his parents.

Sonim Technologies just recently announced their latest product offering together with British manufacturer of all terrain vehicles Land Rover. The rugged S1 Land Rover, comes with a protective case made of Xenoy, a high tech polycarbonate material allegedly 20 times stronger than metal and offers outstanding performance in applications that are exposed to harsh conditions.

According to Land Rover, the S1 Land Rover is completely waterproof up to a certain depth, can withstand thermal shock (-20C to 60-100C), humidity and a 1.6 meter drop. Talk about durability! Most phones with a drop of 2-3 feet will leave you with a broken LCD or a new paperweight.

Confident with its durability, the S1 Land Rover was tested to its limit by having it run over by a Land Rover, roasted in an oven, soaked in beer, submerged in mud then have an elephant stand on the phone.

Launched last July 2009, it hasn’t reached our shores yet, but it will have a price tag of approximately P26,000 to P30,000 once its locally available.

Dubbed as the world’s strongest or toughest phone, it sports of the usual features such as Bluetooth, a 2MP Camera with flash, torch light, a built-in GPS, WAP browser and an FM Radio (might not be handy if you’re in Mt. Everest). It’s also equipped with an “extra loud ringtone” in case you need to find your phone under an elephant.

The Marcoses did not only steal from the Philippine treasury, violate human rights and put their friends and relatives in positions of authority. They did something far worse. The Marcoses taught everyone how to do it.

Our country is experiencing right now a culture of corruption that seems to be more widespread than the Marcos years. Graft and corruption seem to be present in every contract starting from the barangays up to Malacañang. It is so rampant that commissions, bribes, patong, lagay, suhol, grease money and other terms have been replaced with the operative name – SOP or Standard Operating Procedure. Just ask any government contractor and he will definitely know what SOP means. What’s even worse is how corruption has already seeped into private organizations. It is not unusual to encounter purchasing managers asking for commissions from contracts from their suppliers.

I honestly don’t believe that electing a new president alone will change the destiny of the country, although this is a good first step considering the current president’s (lack of) moral leadership.

Just looking at the possible replacements makes me shudder. There’s the convicted plunderer, the self serving senator, the media hugging bachelor, the crony’s son who was taught to talk like a politician from birth, the voice over announcer turned anchorman turned second highest official of the land and his anchorwoman rival/peer, the devil’s minister, the politicizing priest who can’t get any support, and the lesbian nuisance candidate. There’s also the apprehensive heroes’ son who will probably get my vote (even if it means that I will be supporting the annoying gossip girl). Not one of them will change the country.

I admire Mr. B’s optimism but sorry to all the hopefuls out there - change is not coming.

To be continued…

(After much prodding and due to tempting offers that border on kinky , Ohohoy! will be publishing reviews of the latest gadgets and gizmos being spurned out by today’s technology, courtesy of Mr. O.  The article that follows makes for an intriguing first salvo and runs smack into Mr. B’s year-old mindset that life revolves around the iPhone and the iPhone only.)

I just got hold of a new mobile phone unit from a new player in the local market – Torque. It’s a local brand and most of their phones are sourced from China. The model that I have is the DTV 100, it’s a dual sim (standby only) with a built-in TV and FM radio.

Before we go into the details of the unit, let me give you a brief on dual sim phones for those who are new to this. There are 2 types of dual sim, the dual active and dual standby. Most of the dual sim phone models that were released in the market a few years back are mostly dual standby, which means that while you are using one line, you cannot receive any calls or sms messages on the other line. For the dual active, both sims are working at the same time. You can receive another call on the line (just like call waiting) and receive it at the same time (just like conference call, though some models only work if it’s within the same network). This holds true also with your text messages.

Now going back to the DTV 100, the packaging is quite attractive if you’ll compare it to the other brands in the market, you can’t help but notice that the box is somewhat similar to the iPhone.

The DTV 100 unit is quite sleek with its black thin casing, I just got disoriented with its keyboard layout. Half of the keyboard is for the menu and function keys and the other half is the numeric keys. The keys are small enough not to accidentally press the other keys but if you have large fingers, this is not the phone for you. It might take you some time to get used to this kind of keyboard layout especially if you’re used to doing other things at the same time while using your phone.

The interface takes time getting used to especially if you’re setting up the phone for the first time. Though it has several user profile settings which you can program based on your type of mood for the day. The response time of its function keys is quite fast compared to the other brands but going through the several features of the phone is quite bothersome since you have to go through to a lot of commands just to confirm a function. Take for example send an sms, it will take you an average of 8 presses just to send a message. It’s sms inbox has a separate folder so you have to go through a few folders just to check on your inbox items.

The TV function is basic but very useful especially when you need to check on your latest local shows. Watched the funeral procession of Pres. Cory Aquino from LSGH to the Manila Cathedral last week on the phone the whole time. It’s a good thing had the phone fully charged that morning. The TV mode uses a lot of power from the battery. Be sure to have the charger always on hand. It has a dedicated TV key on the keyboard so going to the TV function is just one press away. The signal depends on your location, but I noticed that it’s easy to get a good reception from QTV and Net 25 anywhere I go. It also has a landscape view where you can watch on the whole 2.4” screen of the phone. The antenna is a bit tad, using the old style retractable stainless type that you see in old transistor types of radio in the past. The DTV 100 is also equipped with a micro SD expandable memory where you can store and watch your videos through your supplied earphones. But if you are into high fidelity sounds, replacing the stock earphones may not be that easy since the DTV 100 uses only a mini-usb type of jack for everything aside from the earphones, this goes the same for charging and file transfer (aside from Bluetooth). The radio function also has a dedicated key on the unique keyboard layout.

Transferring your contacts from your old phone may be a bit problematic. You can only transfer your address book via your sim card and Bluetooth (one at a time!). But according to the manufacturer, they are already developing a third party application where you can extract your address book either from outlook (for pocket pcs) and other formats from your Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. This will be available thru download from their site at torque-online.com in the coming months.

The built-in 1.3 MP camera is very basic. Actually most phones right now have either at least 5 MP in their arsenal, so don’t expect anything with this camera.

Overall, the DTV 100 is a nice weekend phone where you can store your entire address book (1000 phonebook entries) from your 2 lines and just bring one phone anywhere. Features are basic with the extra TV feature (not HD though) but it keeps you entertained. And for the price of the DTV 100, P 5,499.00, very reasonable compared to the other branded phones with the same features.