Mr. Nhazrudin “Rudy” N.D. Dianalan and the OFW's

Personally, I have no objection with Mr. Nhazrudin Dianalan's bid for a senatorial seat. I also have no objection on how his modus operandi be launched for a nationwide or wordwide campaign either by the internet or through other media available. It is his constitutional right to run for any elective position suffice he met all the qualifications and none of any of the disqualifications enumerated in the Philippine Constitution. It is his personal decesion and nobody has the right neither to question nor to empede his ambition. But what I am going to laydown are just my comments to some of his statements as per the news: "OFW asks Comelec to reconsider his Senate bid" posted in the Philippine Daily Inquirer dated 04 January 2010.

In the news, Dianalan said "Kasapi represents the major regional groups in the Philippines: the Ilonggos, the Cebuanos, the Boholanos, the Ilocanos, the Bicolanos, the Warays, the Capampangans, the Maranaos, the Maguindanaos, the Tausugs, the Tagalogs, the Cordillera tribesmen. All these members and the OFWs in Saudi Arabia has pledged to contribute a minimum of one dollar each for (his) campaign."

He further added: “While most of (the 5,000 Kasapi) members cannot vote (as) their places of work did not offer an opportunity for them to register as absentee voters…they have instructed their respective dependents to deliver the message of Dianalan as the only candidate representing the voice of overseas workers."

In my more than a year of stay in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an OFW, I never heard of the "Kasapi" or any "Filipino organization" in this foreign land that is working or looking after the welfare of the Filipinos here. On this part, perhaps I am just a less-informed individual. Most Filipinos I came to know never heard nor mentioned about this "Kasapi" or the like, and there are more than the 5,000 figures mentioned by Mr. Dianalan who are not members of the "Kasapi" and therefore there is no truth, and I refute, that "all OFW's in Saudi Arabia have pledged to contribute (for his campaign)". This, I believe, is just an additional statement to add weight to his motion to Comelec but there is no truth on it.

I also do not agree that Mr. Dianalan is the only candidate who can represents the voice of OFW's. He has no monopoly to do so.

If this "Kasapi" is true to its very purpose, can (they) please state their accomplishments since its founding date which already benefited the OFW's? And how about this "little" amount they can/will collect from the OFW's which is already a sure count of chicks from the eggs? There is no assurance that these will be accounted and spent for its very purpose. Imagine a P45 million collections without transparency? This is already something I am doubtful of its fate.

I just hope and pray that nothing personal will gain from it, if not for the common good.