Philippines National Elections

The Philippine National Elections are (finally) over. It has been an experience being here during the campaigns. The national elections included the Pres & VP, all provincial governors and vice-governors, all mayors and vice-mayors, the entire Senate and House and local government councils. There were over 16,000 open offices with over 63,000 candidates. For weeks we have had banners everywhere with trucks and loadspeakers blaring campaign slogans and jingles. This was the first automated elections in the country with a scantron-type of system. All previous elections were purely paper where you had to write out on the ballot the name of the candidate you wanted in each office.

The new president is NoyNoy Aquino. If you've ever read or heard anything about Philippine politics - NoyNoy's father was in exile in the US during the Marcos dictatorship and was assassinated as he stepped off the plane in Manila returning to challenge Marcos. Cory Aquino (his wife) took office when Marcos was exiled to Hawaii. Cory died last Aug and the son decided to run for office. He won by a landslide.

The Vice President is Binay, the mayor of Makati, one of the richest cities in the Metro Manila area. The Pres & VP are elected seperately and these two are from different parties.

This is another one of the candidates campaigning from a jeepney (kind of a whistle stop campaign...)

There were 9 candidates for Pres. They do not have primary elections, just the National elections.

World's largest Philippine flag at one of the campaign rallies.
There were many "colorful" candidates - including - a former president (Estrada) who had been charged with plunder and impeached. He was sentenced to 9 years in jail but was pardoned by the current president so he ran for office again because of a loophole in the constitution -

He looks like an old Elvis to me...

The current President - Gloria Arroyo ran for and won a seat in the House.

World light-weight boxing champion "Pac-Man" won a seat in the House also.

Imelda Marcos, 80 year old wife of Dictator Marcos and her daughter won seats in the House and her son won a Senate seat.There were banners everywhere - even though there are city ordinances against it...

Bamboo Organ

We went to a concert of the only Bamboo Organ in the world. It is in a little Catholic Parish Church in Las Pinas City in Southern Metro Manila. The organ was built by a Spanish Priest who was sent to the Philippines in the mid 1800's to build large organs for the many cathedrals. He build this organ in 1871 when he was assigned as the parish priest in Las Pinas. The organ was restored in 1972 and there is an annual Bamboo Organ Festival. The night we attended the guest organist was from the Czech Republic.

This group performed on Indonesian Bamboo Angklus before the concert. They are like a bamboo version of a handbell choir in that the various sizes are pitched. The bamboo pipes hang on a frame and are shaken to get the sound. I have uploaded a video at the bottom so you can hear the sound of the "choir". This group was from a local high school. There is a museum in the church annex that we toured before the concert. They have some of the old pipes and bellows from the restoration.

One of the old keyboards that was replaced in the restoration.

Inside the church looking up to the organ balcony.

The organ is located on the side to the back of the interior of the church.

The back of the organ showing some of the pipes.

This is a postcard I found showing a top view. The only non-bamboo pipes are the metals one you see which are the "trumpets". It takes three people to operate - one playing the keyboard and two on the sides operating the stops. It used to take more before electric bellows were added with the restoration.

One of the lovely ushers in a traditional "Spanish" costume.