PAULA MAKES A POINT...

Let's start with 'WHAT IS A VOTE?'

A vote is a decision. It is first and foremost a privilege to exercise one's right to choose. And let it be said that since a democratic election is won by capturing the majority number of votes, it is, in essence, a RATIONAL DECISION.

We can vote for many different things. Yes or no. This party or that party. This person or that person. Voting is supposed to be all about rationality.

In this case, we are voting for a PERSON. We are voting for a PERSON who is POTENTIALLY PRESIDENTIAL.

When voting for a presidential person you are voting for the POTENTIAL of that person to lead an entire country. We don't know yet if that person will be the greatest president ever or the worst, or if he/she will be a mediocre one. So a vote in a way is a gamble. You're placing your bet on somebody.

Presidential candidates are job applicants. They are vying for the highest, most powerful and also the most complicated job in the land. As presidentiables present themselves, they are opening themselves up to our judgment, our instincts, and our REASON. They are asking us, "Who do you think is potentially the most presidential among us?"

That is the essence of a presidential election. NOT who is the most popular, who is the most powerful, but who is the most presidential. It is a matter of fulfilling human potential.

To be presidential is to have the inherent, innate talents and capabilities to preside over governing 90 million people. To be presidential is to have statesmanship, courage, vision, and a deep, unerring sense of justice. To be presidential is possess leadership qualities that not just your countrymen, but people from all over the world, can look up to.

According to our constitution nearly anybody can be a PRESIDENTIABLE. But not everybody is truly PRESIDENTIAL.

And it GOES BOTH WAYS. If you look for certain qualities in a president, then YOU, as a voter, must have the QUALITIES OF A GOOD VOTER. You vote using your mind, your heart, and your love for your country. You vote upholding the sacred principles of democracy. You vote with reason and with passion. You vote because you want to take things to the next level, as every change of government should. And a good voter is one who CAN RECOGNIZE TRUE POTENTIAL IN OTHERS BECAUSE HE HAS SEEN THE TRUE POTENTIAL IN HIMSELF.

As a citizen of a democratic country YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO FULFILL YOUR HIGHEST POTENTIAL, just as you have the privilege of helping others fulfill THEIR HIGHEST POTENTIAL. And yes, that includes the President. We are all in this together!

Take a step back and immerse yourself in the essence of a democracy and the sanctity of the vote. Quiet the noise and wipe away the mudslinging that mar most political campaigns. Think. Reflect. Ponder. Research. Ask questions. And hold in your mind the highest vision you can possibly have for your country, your president, and yourself.

And then... choose wisely.

- Paula Nocon

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE...

I had a really great Friday night last week. Aside from Donna Miranda performing "Of Course Not, this is a Bathtub" at my Malate art space, The Living Room, I also got to hang out and have drinks with current residents Megan Wilson, Eliza Barrios, and Eliza's cousin/aunt, Anne (above) who was in Manila visiting her.

Loved her. Anne is a funny, articulate jeans clad twenty something year old who texts on her phone a lot. She loved Malate. She totally got into the contemporary dance/video piece, and had great chats with quite a few of the strange but interesting men and women who made it down to my neighborhood to watch Donna. She got along famously with Bogart of course, (above) and was thrilled to be having beers and act all "Bohemian" so to speak.

But what really made the night absolutely meaningful to me, Eliza, and Anne was that this was her last night in the Philippines. She was in transit on her way to Saudi Arabia where she works as a dental assistant. Apparently, for the next year, she will not be allowed to have any beer whatsoever, hang out or talk to any men at all, and wear a veil/abaya everytime she goes out to into a public place. Apparently, her passport is also confiscated, she is locked into her room every night for her own "safety", and allowed to only have half a day off at most per week to buy groceries. She is also sometimes "requested" to give massages to some of the Saudi folk she knows (because that's what Filipinos are supposed to do). And all this just to earn Php20,000.00 a month.

And yet, Anne manages to do all this all while keeping her great smile and wits about her. And believe it or not, she is actually grateful for the opportunities life has given. It's truly amazing how strong we Filipinos can be and what we will put up with.

But stories like Anne's only makes my blood boil. Why can't our politicians get their f*cking act together enough to provide jobs and fix our economy so that folks like Anne don't have to be separated from their children to work abroad as our new "heroes". People like Anne can greatly contribute to our society and should not be putting up with such degradation. Meeting and hanging out with people like Anne only makes me seethe when I think about the next elections.

So guys, for the next election, vote wisely. Make sure that we vote for someone who can bring Anne and all like her back home. Don't vote for some selfish power hungry freak who can't see the bigger picture, OK?

Check if you are registered to vote for the 2010 elections here:

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

As my friend over at Lookingforjuan says, "Finally! The Chance to vote for someone that matters!" Log on now to CNN and check out Efren Penaflorida and his organization, "Dynamic Teen" as one of CNN's Ten Heroes. His efforts to decrease gang membership through education has been noticed by international media and now it's our turn to give him some mind. So learn more about his advocacy and get involved.  And if you log on here, you can also nominate another Filipino for next year's Ten Heroes. Judging by the way we cleaned up through internet voting in Miss Universe, Rock Star INXS, and Best Asian Movie In History, it is sure to be a breeze. Thanks Looking For Juan for the link.