Why Manny Villar is in a class of his own

Spotted on Facebook today was this photo (the original photo poster was Tina Bustamante Tubongbanua) of a truck with an enormous banner on its side advertising presidential aspirant Manny Villar‘s smiling mug. The truck was en route to some relief operations.

Add this to the photos that have been spotted of Villar campaign slogans plastered on typhoon relief meals, bottled water, and even instant noodles, and you have another twist on the old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” In this case, Villar has a penchant for making typhoonade.

Joker’s Wild: Joker Arroyo on Facebook?

I just stumbled on Senator Joker Arroyo’a Facebook profile today. The guy is 81, so the inevitable question is, does he update his Facebook info all by himself? More likely, this is the handiwork of some “hip” staffer on his payroll who’s trying to hitch a ride on the social media bandwagon. Well let’s see if this post makes it’s way to Joker.

Based on his profile, here is what the man is into:

Activities: Legislation, Fiscalizing (sounds like fun!)

Interests: Fishing, tennis, camping, swimming. other outdoors activities, writing

Favorite Music: Classical jazz (not sure what this means, unless he means dixieland)

Favorite TV Shows: CNN. LAW AND ORDER.HBO.DISCOVERY CHANNEL.WEST WING

Favorite Movies: The untouchables, The green mile, Catch me if you can, Enemy of the State, The God father series, The Good fellahs, Independence day, Munich, Apocalypto.Blood diamond.Band of brothers.The Alchemist.The 39 steps, Icon, Eye of the needle, Enigma, Charlotte Gray.Behind enemy lines. (Plenty of blood and guts here!)

Favorite Books: Judge in the Senate, Be smarter than everyone else, Ask not, Open your mind and explore reality and beyond, The clock that talks and what it tells, Become a dissident, Forty years as a legislator, The unseen hand, The lawyer Legislator, Electing justice, Greatest speeches of President JFK, Guns, germs and steel, Beacon of freedom of expression, 31 Days, Legislators and Politicians, Experiencing politics, The education of a Senator, As they see it, Citizens as legislators, Republic on trial, Legislators, Leaders and Lawmaking, Shooting star, Keeping the people’s Liberties, Issue politics in congress, Ideology and congress, Lawyers, Legislators and Theorists, It pays to know your legislators, How would legislators do it? The broken branch, Deadlock or Decision, Presidential courage, Churchill, From suffrage to the Senate, Art of war, The house and the senate explained, When Presidents lie, State of denial, Collapse, 48 laws of power, Craft of intelligence, The Untouchables, King of the senate, The dysfunctional congress, Do legislators vote their constituents wallet?, The boobs in the house are men, Spectator in hell, Fools die, Inside the wire.The client, The summon, The sovereign individual, When news lies, The power of persuasion, The secret man, No holds barred, Dirty dealing, The politics of fear, Power in contemporary politics, Never to be lied again, Influence, The black swan, The 33 strategies of war

Favorite Quotations: “We must remember the past and Libel the present”.

Incidentally he’s not the only “Joker Arroyo” on Facebook. There’s another Joker Arroyo, also from the Philippines, from the class of Yale 2010. One would think that one Joker in the family is enough! And there’s also a (most likely unrelated) Joker Arroyo who hails from Providence, Rhode Island.

Possible 2010 Presidential candidate Mar Roxas is also on Facebook. Although in his case, I don’t know if he updates his profile on own, or if some alalay of Korina Sanchez does it for him.