Today, I Support Susan "Toots" Ople for Senator

Today at my tambayan I found myself in conversation with Eddie, one of the waiters there (it was a slow day for the shop). As is not unusual among people who work in the service industry, the fellow wanted a better job, preferably abroad.

Wanting to be an OFW isn't unusual for a lot of Filipinos; not until our own economy reaches the point where there is certain job security and salary scales that match the local cost of living will our people start to consider staying and using their skills locally.

The OFW life isn't easy, as any of our migrant workers will tell you; I myself had been an OFW twice in my life (and personally I'm glad they weren't long stints). Long before they get on the plane to their jobs, there are a lot of potential pitfalls; there are illegal recruiters, leeches in the POEA and the OWWA, shills in the DFA -- there is much yet to clean up here. Upon flying out to their jobs, OFWs are faced with the difficulties of a life abroad, and many still are the complaints about the lack of support by our own government with regarding to protecting our expatriate countrymen.

This is why we need someone like Toots Ople in the Senate. We need someone who has been working with OFWs, understands their needs, and has been consistent in championing their causes. We need someone like Toots in the legislature, one who will help hammer out legislation towards the upliftment of our OFWs' plight; likewise, we need someone like Toots who will help in working for the long-term goal of encouraging our people to stay and use their talents to help in our own progress. We can't export human capital forever and expect our country to grow technologically, economically, even politically.

Today, I support Susan "Toots" Ople's senatorial bid. I encourage you to do the same.

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I've only encountered Toots in person twice (I think it was just twice, I'm not that sure) and only in passing, but I have seen her work in the papers, and thus far I must say that her efforts will make her a valuable member of the Senate. I have only had short but very insightful conversations with her, and what I have learned has convinced me that we need her in the Upper House. Her work has demonstrated her competence and dedication; I have little doubt that she will do a great job in the Senate.

Her campaign website is www.ople2010.com, but of greater interest to me as someone who believes in uplifting the OFW and the Filipino is the website of the organization she has been working for, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute. In my effort to get to know her personal beliefs better, I have been visiting her blog susanople.com, and there is very little that one will find unimpressive.

Friends, her work speaks for itself. Each of us has at least one OFW in the family; each of us has at least one friend working abroad. With Toots in the Senate, I am convinced we can have a strong chance of helping our families and friends gain a better life -- and one day bring them home to a better Philippines.

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This is my first post to answer my little attempt to call for blogswarms, and it will not be the last. I will continue to write posts such as this one, and thus update my sample ballot for the 2010 automated elections below:

President
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Vice-President
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Senators
[] Susan Ople
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District Representative
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Mayor
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Vice-Mayor
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Councilors
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Party-List Organization
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I hope you start your own lists, folks. We have enough data to start making intelligent choices, and we have enough time to convince others to do the same.