For the 2010 Philippine Elections

Two months from now, we'll be choosing a new set of government officials, from the President, to the Vice - President, the Senators, the Congressmen, mayors down to the city councilors. I tell you it's no easy feat to choose the right candidate. Here are just some of the statistics - 9 presidential candidates, 7 vice presidential candidates, more than 60 candidates for senators. And those are just in the national level, what more in the local levels?

In recognition of these all - important elections, I have written two hubs to introduce and provide some information about the presidential and vice - presidential candidates. My hub on Meet the Philippines 2010 Presidential Candidates lists the nine presidential candidates. Nearly all of the candidates have political background. One is a son of a former president, another one is actually a former president (!), four are incumbent senators, one is a former cabinet secretary, one is a councilor (the youngest at the age of 40) while another one is from the private sector. Two of these candidates are running as independents and have no vice - presidential or senatorial candidates. Only one among these nine candidates is female.

My second hub on Meet the Philippines 2010 Vice - Presidential Candidates lists seven candidates, only one of whom is female. One is a current mayor of the business district of the country, two are senators, two served as heads of several government agencies, one is from the private sector and one comes from the entertainment industry.

This is a crucial time for our country as a lot of people are hankering for real changes that can make an impact in our lives. Choosing the right candidate will go a long way towards ensuring these real changes. So vote wisely and may the best candidate wins!

Various Traditions in the Philippines

Other than its beautiful islands and friendly people, my country (the Philippines) also has a rich tradition. Some (if not most) of these traditions stem from our more than 300 years of Spanish rule. Others we obtained from our predominantly Catholic traditions. Still others came from our adoption of Western cultures, that we, of course, customized to fit our local culture.

To start with, we have our Halloween traditions. These traditions are based on our Catholic / Christian beliefs. It is during the Halloween (Nov. 1 and 2 actually) where we get to visit our dead loved ones in the cemetery, meet with our living relatives and friends and generally, have a great time remembering and reminiscing those times when our loved ones were still alive. Candles, flowers, food, drinks, shelters - all these are just some of the staples found during this time.

Then we have our Christmas celebrations. We, Filipinos, are said to have one of the longest Christmas celebrations in the world. I mean, as early as September, we are already hearing Christmas songs on TV and radio programs. By October, the Christmas decors are already up (yes, even before the Halloween). During this time, Filipinos are already starting to buy Christmas gifts in anticipation of the rising prices of these gifts. By November, almost everything is in full swing. When it comes to Christmas traditions, there's no beating our 9-day dawn mass (called Simbang Gabi) and our Christmas foods. The Christmas atmosphere is so festive that a lot of our countrymen who are working in other countries make it a point to go home during Christmas, braving the airport crowd and the traffic in our metropolis.

Lastly, let's not forget our New Year traditions. On the heels of our Christmas celebrations, our New Year is characterized by noise-making (through fireworks and firecrackers), lots of food (including our tradition of having 12 round fruits for good luck) and New Year beliefs (i.e., polka-dot dress, money in the pockets / wallets, open doors, windows and lights). This is truly a most exciting time for us and something that we really look forward to during the year.

My Political Hubs

Another reason why I like Hubpages is the fact that I can write about what I feel and what I think without fear of getting edited or sniped. One of the things I write are related to the politics here in my country. There's this hub that I wrote as a tribute to the first ever lady president of my country, Ms. Cory Aquino, who died in August 2009. She was mourned by hundreds of thousands of Filipinos as we all remembered her contribution to the restoration of democracy in our country.

Then there's the hub on the effects of the financial recession in the Philippines. The effects may not be as bad as those in the U. S. and in the other countries, but we also felt (and are still feeling) its negative effects. As of the time of the writing of this blog, little by little we are seeing some improvements in terms of the slow increase in the stock market, the appreciation of our peso versus the dollar and the continuous generation of new jobs within the country.

Or how about the upcoming Philippine elections, which will happen on May 10, 2010. This is a very hot topic right now with various politicians declaring their intent to run for various positions in the government. The most interesting thing is that we're seeing a presidential candidate who is the son of our former lady president and who's vice-presidential candidate is a grandson of another former president of the country. I sincerely hope that next year's election will be peaceful and whoever will win really deserve to win.

My Travel Hubs

One of the things I'm really interested in is traveling, to other places both here and abroad. I would love to travel to other cities here in the Philippines such as Zamboanga, Davao, Tagaytay, Baguio, etc. In fact, I wrote about the my top 10 preferred cities in the Philippines.

Of course, if I hub about other cities in my country, I also hub about my own city, Butuan. This is definitely home for me.

And let's not forget my favorite resort in my country. Personally, I don't think any other resort in the whole world will be able to compare with it. I'm talking about Amanpulo. I consider myself lucky because I was able to go to this island resort not once, not twice, but three times! And all for free (uhm, not because I'm rich but because they used to be my client). Every time I go there, I have to catch my breath because of the sheer beauty of this island. For me, nothing really beats this paradise on earth.

But my most favorite city of them all - Davao City! A very progressive city with lots to offer in terms of sights, sounds and people. It is a fast rising city here in my country. I love this city so much that I often visit it. In fact, the second hub I wrote about this city is all about my latest visit to Davao City. In fact, the picture on this blog was taken during our visit in the Philippine Eagle Park found in this city.

So those are my hubs about my country. What about other countries? Well, I wrote just one hub but I included my top ten cities that I want to visit before I die.  Located in various countries in the world, these are the cities that I dream of visiting someday (if I ever get enough money, that is). I don't know if this is a dream that I will not be able to achieve, but at least, researching and writing this hub made me see beautiful sights here on the Internet.

Well those are my travel hubs. Hope you click on these links to view these hubs and leave me a comment. Bye.