I was just reading the latest articles on the recently concluded Anti Con-Ass rally on Inquirer.Net. According to the police, this rally had the lowest turnout, around 6,000 based on their estimates.

The organizers, on the other hand, claim that they had 13,000-15,000 warm bodies. You got to ask yourself the question: despite all the outrage this issue has generated, why only 15,000 people went to the streets?

I’m sure there are varied reasons but at the end of the day the measurement of success for events like this is the number of participants. Sadly 15,000 is not representative of the majority of the Filipino people and can easily be dismissed by the politicians pushing for Con Ass.

However, the good news is that on the Internet, we have almost double the number of the people who went to the rally sign up on the “Stop Con Ass Now” cause on Facebook. As of this writing, there are almost 28,000 sign-ups on the cause.

With that in mind, I came up with this short article explaining the strengths of Cyberactivism and why it should be taken seriously not just by the proponents, but also by politicians and organizers who want to provide a platform for the citizens to be part of a cause.

Physical Rallies can be Inconvenient
Let’s face it, life these days is hard. Missing a day of work means a salary deduction or a lost vacation/sick leave. The reality is a lot of Filipinos will not “pay” to be part of a rally by missing work. I think this was the biggest hurdle a lot of office workers had to face in Makati when they wanted to join the rally last night. This was the sentiment of several colleagues I have here in the office.

Rallies also need a convergence point. You physically have to be in one spot on a specific time to be able to make the effort count. This literally makes the rally limited since those who are outside of Manila, especially those in Visayas and Mindanao, cannot participate because they won’t buy a plane ticket and fly all the way here to protest Con Ass.

Virtual Rallies, on the other hand, are completely the opposite. All you need to have to be part of it is to have access to the Internet. The good thing these days is that there are more than 10,000+ Internet cafes spread all over the Philippines and most of them charge very reasonable and affordable rates.

There are a few cafes in Davao that charge as low as P5/hour. By going to the worldwide web, you transcend the inconveniences brought about by physical rallies. You’re still counted and your part of the movement without having to spend that much time, resources, and effort.

Physical Rallies end when they’re finished

This, I think, is the biggest weakness of physical rallies. When the crowd disperses, the event ends, especially if there were only a few or an average number of attendees. Other succeeding rallies are usually treated as separate efforts and they don’t really all add up in terms of metrics.

And that I think is one of the strongest qualities of Virtual Rallies. The moment a person joins, he’s in it for the long haul. The count is cumulative regardless of the time and space. As long as the website is up and running, people will be counted. That’s the reason why the Facebook Cause against Con Ass is already nearing 30,000 sign-ups. Imagine if we give it more time? That number will continue to grow and eventually might even end up more than 100,000.

What is more effective in pushing for a cause? An unsure attendance of 6,000-15,000 in a rally in Makati or a virtual representation of more than 100,000?

Organizers of the Anti Con Ass Campaign should really take Cyberactivism seriously. Given the right firepower, the Facebook approach might actually be more effective in the long run.

Labels: charter change, con-ass, constituent assembly, cyberactivism

I don't get it anymore. I am having a hard time figuring out the president's next move and what would be her next declarations come tomorrow and election period. Plans on running for a congressional seat arises along with more speculations of Mrs. Arroyo's plan on grasping the country's leadership seat with a title as Prime Minister. Of course that is so not good for us, regular citizens of this declining nation. But actually, reading the papers today make me rack my brain a lot more, with two sides bearing explanations on the possible outcome regarding Mrs. Arroyo's Congressional plan.

At one point, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said that continues derailing of this plan would mean abandoning the Presidency for Mrs. Arroyo. He said that if Mrs. Arroyo would file her certificate of candidacy, she would have to relinquish her hold on the presidency which means that Vice President Noli De Castro would take charge during the remaining months of GMA's original term. Enrile insisted that "Mrs. Arroyo is deemed resigned once she files her candidacy." And so this is where would come the other side of the issue. Enrile's statement contradicts COMELEC Chairman Jose Melo and Mrs. Arroyo's election lawyer Romulo Macalintal's opinion on the matter. Confident in saying there is nothing in the law which requires Mrs. Arroyo to resign if she runs for a Congressional seat, they don't think the matter is unconstitutional. Opposing these pronouncements, Enrile warns the seriousness of the matter when the president decides to file her candidacy on or before the 30th this November since prudence dictates that Mrs. Arroyo should finish her mandate until June 30 next year.

This Congressional plan of Mrs. Arroyo seems to be a foolish tactic. While others may be seeing it as one of the many diversional tactics set by Arroyo's Team averting the public's eye on the matter of Charter Change, i still think that they consider it as an option. Ojectively, it is definitely a good plan. However, considering the constitutionality of it, I guess I have to agree with Senate President Enrile's warnings on the irregularity of this. Imagine a president running for a lower position. Obviously, how do you think her opponent would fare on this? A president versus a local politician? Melo and Macalintal kept insisting that there is no direct law existing that would subject the president into an obstacle barring Mrs. Arroyo on pursuing lower electoral position(s). Well here my answer: probably that is why there are no direct law yet that would prevent a president in running for lower office since it looks foolish and stupid and no one thought that anyone would go beyond that low point! Interpreting the constitution in an intelligent way, the part which states that a president could not pursue a re-election covers this issue. While you are a president - meaning a country's top most leader, you have the immense power which could benefit you better than any candidate, whereas even a 7 year old child would call it unfair. This of course defies the democratic essence of elections.

Labels: charter change, con-ass, constituent assembly, gloria arroyo seeks congressional seat