This is a waaaay belated post that shouldve come out last month. Was just too lazy to actually publish it here but for all its worth, here are some random thoughts I put down when I was watching the Senate hearings of mid to late September. Enjoy.
I loved the Senate hearings. You don’t need to use words like ‘true to life’ when describing it, because it’s real live drama and comedy right there and then. Finally a way to figure out these people via realtime impression! Anyway, I thought I’d list down some impressions before I forget them, considering we may or may not be seeing any more of these for a while depending on further events.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano – As head of the panel on the NBN deal, I thought he was fairly up to task inasmuch as most of the Senators were eager to line up to ask their questions. Truth is, I was never really impressed at the guy. He’d occasionally make some slam bang accusation against the administration, guaranteeing an audience when he makes some speech or presentation, only to result in pffft, nothing. It has a lot to do with his lack of speaking (and maybe even writing) ability, in particular, focusing on what he’s trying to say. This is a basic, I think, most politicians need to master – which after developing that, a sense of drama would then be next. I have heard and watched a lot of his speeches and so called ‘exposes’, all of which leave me aching to tweak his speech. I’d understand what he’s trying to say, and imagine how best he should say it, but instead he says something that’s completely off-base, misses the point entirely, or most of the time forks onto another topic or topics. It’s a pain to hear him talk. Sometimes I think he just has too many things he wants to say at the same time.
Sen. Mar Roxas – I was actually planning to mention Mr. Palengke later on, but I’m adding him directly under Alan Cayetano to serve as a contrast to Cayetano’s inability to express himself. If A. Cayetano cannot bring two different thoughts on a single paragraph together, Roxas on the other hand is the master of it. When he started on CHED (formerly NEDA) chair Neri, Roxas knew exactly what he was doing, with one question leading to another and to another and onto, finally, his point. It’s obvious he thought it out as if knowing what the answers would be before he asks them, leading me to wonder if he was a lawyer (I couldn’t find out if he is on his website). He displayed the thought organization needed to make a point via direct questions, and then brought on the drama big and powerful as he reached the end. Unfortunately he starts screaming when he gets near his point, but I could see it as a headline maker anyway. And even then it was ok, because sure enough he finally got the clear reply – the two or three clear statement from Neri that made you second guess his sincerity – and you feel like applauding. Sure enough, Roxas gets the headline the next day. When the papers need an image or the TV needs a two second headline video, it’s Mar Roxas we’ll see, pounding (and screaming) away as he makes his point. As such there’s no question we’re going to see more of this guy in this country’s future. He obviously knows how to work a performance and I’m glad, in this case at least, he was on the side of the truth.
Continue reading Thoughts on the Senate Hearings
If there’s any type of movie I’d say that best reflects my idea of Hollywood, it’s the big grand musical. Now I’m fairly aware that saying that sounds very gay, which I’m sure makes my homophobic girlfriend cringe. But hey, I’m not gonna lie. Big grand musicals are the epitome, to me, of what a ‘spectacular performance’ is. There’s great music, terrific melodies, and basically actors interpreting what they feel through feats of song and dance. Any story of great romance, deep despair, hate, fear, or anything for that matter, is made more meaningful and dramatic via moving performances filled with music and dancing.