Erap can't run for president again

There's a signature campaign going on. They've gathered 80,000 signatures so far. They plan to collect a total of six million in the coming months. All to convince former President Joseph Estrada to run for president in 2010.

What a monumental waste of time.

Let's brush aside, for the moment, the fact that Estrada was convicted of plunder, and the fact that under the terms of his pardon he agreed not to run for public office. There's a much bigger reason that he cannot run for president in 2010.

Article VII, Section 4

The President and the Vice-President shall be elected by direct vote of the people for a term of six years which shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date, six years thereafter. The President shall not be eligible for any re-election.

Not be eligible for any re-election.

Any re-election.

Any.

There was a similar signature campaign around 1997 or so, which supposedly gathered four million signatures aimed at getting then President Fidel Ramos to run for re-election. And this confused me at the time because I understood, even as a 12 year old, that the rule of law is bigger than any signature campaign.

I'm quite sure the Supreme Court understands that as well, even if Estrada and his supporters do not.

Cebu International Convention Center

The Cebu International Convention Center is a beautiful structure developed and managed by Mandaue City and the Province of Cebu. It's located at the reclamation area in Mandaue City, built specifically for the 12th ASEAN Summit held in January 2007. Construction on the building was blazingly fast, beginning in April 2006 and finishing in December that year.

Around the time of the ASEAN summit the pundits and spin masters were trying to make a controversy out of things, as they always do, gleefully predicting that it couldn't be done. Saying either that the structure was overpriced, or poorly constructed, or wouldn't be finished on time. But don't you listen to them-- no evidence has turned up of kickbacks or overpricing of any kind, the building was completed on time, the ASEAN summit was a success, and the convention center has been put to good use ever since. In fact, considering all the government projects that actually are poorly conceived and executed, the CICC should stand as a hallmark of a job well done. Unfortunately "Cynics proven dead wrong" doesn't make a very attractive headline.

Some were even saying the convention center is too nice to be located in Cebu. Hmmph. People outside Manila deserve nice things too!

I finally got to check out the CICC for myself lately, going there early in the morning to take pictures and soak in the atmosphere. Luckily, I discovered that there was a high school graduation ceremony scheduled to be held there that very morning, which provided me the opportunity to blend in with the crowd and walk inside as if I belonged there. Haha... I can be such a creepy guy...

All the while I kept thinking that it would have been better to take photos in the afternoon, when the sun was shining on the building's facade. But the early morning provides some cool shots too.

The arch that goes over the building is supposed to symbolize something, I cannot remember what. With the prongs at the end it reminds me of a woman giving birth.

Here's a view of the convention center from the a cool monolith-like monument at the eastern end.

This is the lobby. The ground floor has the summit hall and lots of individual meeting rooms, and the second floor has the plenary hall and exhibition hall.

Valencia, Negros Oriental - Public Plaza

My home town of Valencia in Negros Oriental is about 8 kilometers inland from Dumaguete City. With its higher elevation at the base of a mountain there's a noticeable drop in temperature.

The town has a nice public plaza for a small town. A really nice public plaza. The people living around here don't appreciate it as much as they should. It has a healthy balance of open space and developed areas, the landscaping is simple and nicely done without going overboard, everything is clean and well-maintained and green.

Here's a couple of pictures I took recently.

That's a statue of Jose Rizal on a tall pedestal, among landscaped walkways leading from the playground to the open field. Tennis courts are in the background.

This fountain dates back to Spanish times. Back then it was a primary source of water for the people, with water channeled from mountain springs. Now it's just for decoration.

The plaza makes use of the town's inclined terrain with this amphitheater. A stage is set up in the grass whenever the place is used for concerts or political rallies.

The south side of the plaza is reserved for open grassy space, against a backdrop of giant acacia trees.

The town church, built in 1961, is no architectural marvel, but looks quite majestic sitting at the top of this grand wide staircase.