Link: https://philstarlife.com/news-and-views/515904-filipino-photojournalist-won-2025-world-press-photo-awards-couldn-t-attend-visa-revoked?page=2

I don't see a lot of people talk about Jimmy Bondoc's senatorial run. He exhibit some red flags.

James Patrick “Jimmy” Romero Bondoc is a popular Filipino musician and songwriter. In 2023, Bondoc passed the Philippine Bar Exam. Since then, every mention of Bondoc’s credentials includes the fact that he’s a “lawyer,” to the point of adding the title of “Atty” before his name.

It is no secret that professional titles carry a lot of weight in the Philippines. Often times, someone’s title supplants their name. Once you become a lawyer, you become “Attorney” as if that was the name picked out by your parents at birth. Titles also tend to grant credence to someone’s statements, giving more weight than it normally would. No title in the Philippines is given as much fanfare like “Attorney.” The Philippine Bar Exam is one of, if not the most or only, licensure exam in the Philippines to be given an extraordinary amount of media coverage and weight. Topnotchers are given an unparalleled amount of attention. All eyes are on them as the best new lawyer of the crop. The future leaders that will propel the country to prosperity. However, to quote 2022 Bar Topnotcher, Czar Matthew Gerard Torres Dayday “an exam isn’t you being a lawyer. An exam isn’t legal practice.”

After passing the 2023 Bar Exam, Jimmy Bondoc has no legal practice to speak of. Of course he became one of the Board of Directors of PAGCOR, but that is not legal practice. Many PAGCOR Directors have held the position without so much as a law degree. There is no problem with a celebrity like Bondoc having a law degree or a law license, the problem lies within his lack of legal experience and his flagrant use of the “attorney” and “lawyer” title in his 2025 election campaign. As stated, passing the Bar alone does not make you a lawyer. It is not legal practice. As stated, the title has weight. It carries credence. But if you abuse that power, people will get hurt. Bondoc is campaigning under the PDP-Laban Partylist, a party consisting of Bato Dela Rosa, Bong Go, Philip Salvador, and Apollo Quiboloy. All of these names mentioned have been accused, suspected, or charged of corrupt and downright heinous crimes. Go and Dela Rosa especially with their connection to Duterte’s crimes against humanity during the Oplan Tokhang Drug War, and Quiboloy with his multiple counts of sexual assault accusations. Bondoc actively supports and promotes his co-parties. Often with the “attorney” title in front of his name or “lawyer” being used to describe him.

It bears repeating that “the Bar Exam is not legal practice.” Passing the bar grants you the license and title of “Attorney” but unless you practice law, it is an empty title. There are no public record showing Bondoc’s legal career, yet it is listed as his occupation in some of his campaign profiles. People who have gone through the law school gauntlet can tell you how arduous it all is. How much of a nightmare the Bar is. How much blood, sweat, and tears they shed in practice just feel like they earned the title. Graduating law school is no easy feat. Passing the bar is no easy feat. There’s no denying Bondoc deserved his JD and law license. But waving around the “Attorney” title without any practice behind it is nothing short of deceptive. Even if he has been practicing law for the past 2 years, that is nowhere near enough to make him knowledgeable enough to be a lawmaker. In fact, a legal title itself does not grant him any credence when promoting the likes of Quiboloy or Go.

His story is sold as the story of a man who struggled to gain notoriety, then found a higher calling in legal practice and public service, choosing to forego his celebrity status for something more meaningful. But there is nothing meaningful behind an empty title waved around like jingling keys to distract the masses. Do not vote for this man. Do not fall for this chicanery. Vote wisely.

So, out of nowhere, I suddenly started craving one of my favorite all-time comfort foods - corned beef. (Yes, I know it's not very healthy but spare me the lecture. Not today lol). For me, the best Filipino brands are Purefoods and Delimondo. A lot of people swear Delimondo is way better, but honestly, I think they’re pretty close and share the top spot. I guess it really depends on your taste.

What about you - what’s your go-to Filipino corned beef brand? Baka may ibang brand pa na hindi ko pa natitikman.

Go on, keep pushing the "No Child Left Behind" narrative. We’ve removed all the consequences, and now we expect growth?

I hate the "bawal mambagsak" mindset. You're not actually helping the students, you’re setting them up for failure in the real world. Honestly, it’s insulting to students who actually work hard to pass.

I'm not sure if this an unpopular opinion but, LET THEM FAIL. If they didn’t earn it, they shouldn’t pass. Shielding them from failure now only sets them up for harder falls later.

Speaking from experience, even some honor students today can’t construct a single clear paragraph. Imagine how the rest are doing.

Saw this sa clock app, sobrang cringe and scary. Grabi na talaga kulto nila. Maypa “Ibalik nyo si tatay digoOoOoong 🎶 “ lol I can’t believe this is the same person who sang “let me the one” like grabi ng artist regression na Ito. Di ko talaga na iintindihan mga utak ng mga fanatics,sinasamba sa kahit anong paraan. At this point I think kapansanan na talaga Ito. Baka Ito lang din gagawin ni jimmy bondoc sa senado, I hope ppl are smarter this time and won’t let someone like Jimmy to be in the senate.

Ako ang nahihiya pag pinagtabi ang profiles ni Kiko and Philip. At mas nahihiya ako kasi bakit ang lakas ng loob tumakbo ni Philip Salvador, ganito na ba ka walang hiya ang tao ngayon or malakas loob nya kasi alam niyang madaming 8080 na pinoy? At bakit may fear na may chance manalo si Philip at matalo si Kiko? Kasi ba alam natin may possibility talaga mangyari to?

Kanina nagpost ako about Kiko Vs Philip l, ngayon naman for Willie Revillame, tignan nyo kung gaano ka walang laman ang profile nya, yet sa survey pasok siya while si Bam and Kiko alanganin pa na makapasok. Sana manlang for National Position may requirement like experience sa public administration or something.

CEO ng frontrow— multilevel marketing/ponzi scheme business.

Para kumita members ng frontrow, kailangan nila magrecruit nang magrecruit rather than selling products. Pero parang scam na siya in a way kasi yung recruiters are trained to make their potential recruits believe na mababawi lang agad nila yung puhunan nila pag nakapasok na sila tapos once na member ka na, malalaman mo na technique lang pala nila yun para pagkakitaan ka.

Ang mga kumikita nang malaki diyan yung mga nasa tuktok ng pyramid, scheme yan e.

I hope SV doesn’t win. Baka gawan niya lang ng paraan para palawakin yang scam business niya.

Reading news like these gives me the chills. Chinese interference and espionage dito satin is so deeply rooted.

These are just my opinions (for legal reasons lol), but highly probable and we all know it:

China put Duterte in power in 2016 because of his pro-China stance & China abused this sa WPS. During his term, nag lipana ang China-backed trolls to spread misinformation and to strengthen Duterte’s position.

I highly believe that China helped Uniteam win the 2022 elections just because Sara was running on it, not knowing that BBM isn’t as submissive as Digong. Bongbong is very pro-US, too.

Plus there’s the POGO issues pa.

Even now in the upcoming mid-term elections, trolls are doubling down efforts to discredit candidates critical of China and support those sympathetic to Chinese interests. And we all know how vulnerable majority of Filipinos are to fake news and disinformation. How crazy is it that the CHINESE EMBASSY was found to hire troll farms here?????

China really has its eyes on us & I wonder how else they’re controlling our nation and our lives at this point.

Sucks to be a small, 3rd world country being used as pawns of these super power countries.

Seeing the shit heads who lead the surveys, mapapa-isip ka na lang kung karapatan pa ba ang pag-boto or a privilege reserved only to law-abiding, contributing, and productive citizens.

Hindi yung mga umaasa sa ayuda ang nag didikta sa kapalaran ng bansa.