Election season

It's election season now. It started yesterday, exactly five months before the actual voting on May 14.

Candidates will be known soon. The filing of the certificates of candidacy will come later.

But even this early we can already hear the political noise. And the decibel will go up as soon as the election nears.

We plan to host in the name of the Council of Past Presidents of the Negros Press Club over television a program that will present opposing candidates. It must be both or all sides.

Media is in an election fever too. The Negros Press Club will hold its election this Saturday. NPC was founded in 1936 and it is 71 years old now.

***

Last Saturday the Council of Past Presidents also met. After the term of the late Alberto Balcells as president of NPC he organized the past presidents into a Council of Elders. This was in the early 80s.

They elected me president and kept on reelecting me that later on it hibernated. Last Saturday, they elected me again because I footed the bill for the lunch just like the way I did before.

I said, this group will meet every month. And they told me to host every meeting. It's okay. Bing Trecho offered to host the March gathering in his farm and beach resort in Sipalay.

We have agreed our group will not be concerned with other matters except to enjoy life. Problems in media, we leave that to NPC.

***

This group is now called Council of Past Presidents or CPP and to be added Negros Press Associates or NPA.

This name came up because when it was called the Council of Elders many objected. Twinkling was very vehement in her objection. "That is only for old people. I don't fit in there."

No one dared argue with the younger sister of the Bacolod Mayor.

And it's good. Past president Elsie Jolingan and Dolly Yasa now also feel at home. Nobody believes he or she is old.

But our group has no ideology except to enjoy life.

***

But what will be interesting is this Saturday's election of the Negros Press Club.

There are so far two declared candidates. Incumbent Vice-President Jun Julita and challenger Tootsie Jimenez. Jun has long been with NPC and has served in different capacities, twice as vice-president.

Jimenez is a newcomer to the Club and went straight to aim for the presidency. Julita did not have a, single poster or billboard despite his handling of all the activities of the Club because Amado entrusted to him the projects of the Club. Jimenez, on the other hand, has posters and a billboard for his program.

Tootsie is a public relations man and an advertising man that he has beautiful posters.

***

I talked to Tootsie a few nights ago and told him of the danger of so many promises. Imagine every month he has big projects, even including January 2007. I cannot do even half of what he promised. But, I believe in Tootsie's optimism. But being a PR man, his clients may not entertain other media people any more because there's Tootsie to take care of them. Tootsie will find difficulty pleasing media people.

I pointed out that the late Mike Asignacion, a PR man and Laarni Aguilar and Eli Tajanlangit, including Marlyn Sanogal, they never thought of aiming for the presidency because of the problems they will encounter.

But Tootsie told me he can do it. I told him to work hard because Jun Julita is very close to the members. In last year's election, even in the opposition, he won and, I think, he has never lost in the NPC election.

May the best man win.

***

I'd like to acknowledge and thank Ding Gutierrez, now 80, a famous name in radio (ABS-CBN) years ago who came home. He went to NPC and brought me books which he always did every time he came. I still have to read them.

They are "Government Racket" by Martin L. Gross, a narration of how government racket is done in Washington in all public offices.

Also "Bias" by Bernard Goldberg," a CBS insider exposing how the media distorts the news; the Associated Press Libel Manual; and "Khrushcev Remembers" by Edward Crankshaw.

***

I like Rey Siason, running for board member in the Third District. He is fighting to the end.*

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