The Big Day for Juan dela Cruz is only less than a week away, six days to be exact. By now, we voters should be drafting our list. Think carefully about whom you are going to vote for. The future of our nation depends on those precious ballots.

We are quite aware of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates since they are only a handful and they are popular. But because of their number and less machinery (in comparison to the presidentiables and VP wannabes), we do not know much of senatorial candidates. Good thing: We have many options. Bad thing: It presents a challenge. Along with the wide selection comes a responsibility to choose only the best. We need to be aware of all the candidates and get to know who they really are and what they plan to do once elected.

To help you guys, here is a list of the senatoriables running in the 2004 elections. Go pick your dozen. Like choosing only the biggest and most beautiful roses to put in a vase, choose only the most capable and most honest public servants.

Note: The senatoriables are presented by party and in alphabetical order. The comments are my personal knowledge and opinion. Find out more about the candidates yourself. Also, I am not campaigning for any of them. Vote who you want to vote for. The purpose of this list is to serve as a guide.

ADMINISTRATION: K4 LAKAS-CMD

* Barbers, Robert What I associate with Barbers is his stint as DILG secretary. He cleaned local government a bit with his disciplinarian attitude. He has worked in the police so he has a good record in combating drugs and crime. He is an incumbent senator.

* Biazon, Rodolfo Also running for re-election is Biazon. He is officially under the Liberal Party after he broke away from the opposition. He now runs with K4 although he insists that he is an independent candidate. He is an expert in legislation having passed many beneficial bills in the Upper Chamber.

* Cayetano, Pia Juliana Pia is the daughter of the late Rene Companero Cayetano. Pia is a lawyer, an environmentalist, a cyclist, a feminist, and a mother. If credentials are what we are talking about, Pia is definitely qualified. She is also my kababayan. The Cayetanos run Tagig and Pateros. The only thing I do not like about Pia is her campaign strategy. I am not comfortable with her using her father so much in the campaign. She needs to do it because of the name recall but it does not sit well in the stomach. She even uses the alias Companera.

* Defensor-Santiago, Miriam In her own words, she is the fighter in the senate. Miriam is very very smart, graduated with an almost perfect QPI at UP Diliman. She has passed a lot of bills. She has been honored by a lot of institutions, even internationally. She has her own Miriam Peoples Reform Party. She is the favorite senator of journalists because she dishes out quotable quotes. An open-secret, she won the 1994 elections but did not have enough machinery to run after Ramos. Think of what it would have been like!

She is really one hell of a senator. Only, she is crazy. Just listen to her trademark Miriam laugh! And she still ran even after promising not to on the grave of her son. She once even said she would jump off an airplane and afterwards said, I lie with that laugh of hers. Miriam is a looney but a very competent looney. Voting for her would be a good idea if only to raise the level of intelligence in the discussions at the senate and make government life more interesting.

* Gordon, Richard Two words: Wow Dick! He is the man who turned Subic from a military base to an economic hub.

* Hussin, Parouk Doc Hussin is a doctor from Mindanao who promises to cure the nation of its illnesses. Hmmm… Sounds good. You have to give the guy some credit. He came from an ordinary family but became successful. He served as the good doctor of Sulu. With all that violence there, I am sure he had seen his share. Maybe that is where his prescription for peace and justice comes from.

* Jaworski, Robert Incumbent senator, PBA god. He won very easily with his popularity as the well-loved coach and former star player of Barangay Ginebra. The question is, does Jawo still have the magic? His silence in the senate especially during the impeachment trial may have changed the way the public sees him.

* Lapid, Manuel Former governor so he at least has some experience. However, not to forget, there were many allegations of corruption against him. His mansion and many properties were once questioned in an ABS-CBN news program special. Action star in politics, topping the surveys. Enough said.

* Mercado, Orlando Orly was a former senator and former Defense secretary. He works really hard. One of the few na todo kayod in the Philippine government.

* Osmena, John Osmena is an old name in Philippine politics. Their clan has held power since it was Sergio Osmena up there. John Osmena is an incumbent senator who brags about how he was the one who made cellular phone technology available in the Philippines through R.A. 7962. He presents himself as telecommunications god. However, he fails to mention other bills he pushed for like R.A. 7925 which prolonged the monopoly of PLDT. There would have been more efficient telephone services in the first place if not for that. Aside from that, his sexuality has been put in question not just once. But hey, man, woman, gay, lesbian, whatever can run!

* Revilla, Ramon Jr. Should we really idolize Kap, the MTRCB Chair? Again, action star in politics, topping the surveys. Enough said.

* Roxas, Manuel II Mr. Palengke. Roxas is a good name. His work at the Department of Trade and Industry is admirable. He is clean. He is smart. If ever he wins, which looks probable since he is number 1 at surveys, he will infuse clean new blood in senate. He is a perfect senatorial candidate, if only he and Korina would stop publicizing their romance. There might be a genuine relationship there but showing the public signs and promoting each other only not to confirm nor deny. They keep the public guessing and it smells of bad fish.

OPPOSITION: KOALISYON NG NAGKAKAISANG PILIPINO (KNP)

* Anson-Roa, Maria Elisa Boots is respected in the field of television and the performance arts. I would prefer for her to stay there. However, I am also thinking that it is good to put non-politicians in senate. They haven't been corruption brought-up.

* Dilangalen, Didagen Digs is a senatorial candidate from Mindanao. I do not know much about him because he is not as popular as the others.

* Enrile, Juan Ponce JPE, as I have said before, the lolo of RP politics. Many claim he is the best president we never had. I have to agree, he was a great man especially during the peak of his political career. Only, he did many wrong things too so I am not really sure what to think about him. Admittedly, he is a good legislator. But I have to say he is trapo - traditional politician personified. Just the same, including him on your list would not hurt since he really is an expert. And I like his campaign strategy and commercials. If for anything, Problema mo, Sagot ko is catchy and his ads have good production value.

* Escudero, Salvador III Sonny Escudero stands for land - agrarian reform. He is a man of the farmers and of economists.

* Estrada, Jinggoy Whether Jinggoy will win or not will tell us if Erap still has his masa charisma because Jinggoy is pretty much like miniature Erap. What do you guys think of his ad with that father-son passing on the power scene? Kinda creepy, huh?

* Herrera, Ernesto Boy Herrera was a former senator. Has experience but he is not very clean. I do not want to expound.

* Lim, Alfredo Mayor Fred Lim, the Dirty Harry of Manila! Finally, he gets some sense and he guns for a seat at the upper house instead of the presidency. I really think he should not have run for president in the last elections. I do not doubt his abilities one bit but it really was too early. But now seems to be a perfectly good time to be senator.

I applaud his public management strategy. I admire his discipline. I respect him because of his integrity. I only wish he was not so overly passionate at times, letting him emotions get the bestof him. Although I hate that demeaning Nakatikim ka na ba ng kinse anos? campaign too, what he did with that billboard was kinda uncivilized, not the behavior of a respectable man. Despite that, Alfredo Lim is a good man.

* Maceda, Ernesto Manong Maceda, a former senator claiming to be our eyes in the senate as he is Mr. Expose. Like the claims of Osmena, the claims of Maceda are true. He did expose many misdoings in government. But it was also a half-truth. He did put the PEA-Amari deal, what he calls the grandmother of all scams, out in the open in 1995. However, some years after, he kept quiet about it apparently for an amount that should have been the subject of an expose. Still, he is admirable because he was able to package himself well and not seem like trapo.

* Madrigal, Jamby Jamby a.k.a. Juday. I wonder if her supporters like her as Jamby or because she bears some resemblance to the Drama Princess? No matter how hard she denies it, she got Juday to endorse her because of the resemblance. What a move for someone who is supposedly kontra pulitika!

On the other hand, Jamby really worked with a lot of charitable foundations and social service institutions. Plus, she is really really rich so she probably would not need, even feel any compulsion, to steal from the public coffers. She is also a non-politician.

* Pimentel, Aquilino Jr. Nene Pimentel is a man of principle. He is an incumbent senator. He is a real ama ng bayan. He passed many bills but if only for the Local Government Code, he should be built a statue. It did after all significantly affect the way our government is run. And his performance at the impeachment trial deserves a standing ovation.

* Rasul, Amina A feisty intelligent woman from Mindanao. I caught an interview of her in ANC and she is brilliant. My dad has worked with her before. He tells me she is really intelligent but corrupt. Her mom was better.

* Tatad, Francisco Kit Tatad is from Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. He was a former senator. I do not have anything positive to say at all about him so I would rather not say anything.

OPPOSITION: LABAN NG DEMOKRATIKONG PILIPINO (LDP)

* Padilla, Carlos Carlos Padilla is the lone candidate running in the LDP Aquino Wing alongside Panfilo Lacson. That says a lot. For a time, he was even a common candidate of Ping and FPJ. He is a fiscalizer, which is probably the only reason GMA did not include him in her K4 ticket. We need fiscalizers. Carlos Padilla would do well in the senate if given a chance.

AKSYON DEMOKRATIKO: ALYANSA NG PAG-ASA

* Chavez, Francisco Ibrado I do not know much about him except that he was an ex-boyfriend of Alice Dixon, the pretty actress. He used to be a solicitor-general.

* Coo, Olivia Sports goddess! Bong Coo made the Philippines proud when she showed the world that Pinays can play bowling. Between her and Bong Revilla in this entire I am Bong fiasco, I think I believe her. She has integrity. She has the good nature of an athlete.

* Gatmaitan, Nicanor Jr. Gat, the blind lawyer! He sends documents to the court written in Braille. Quite impressive! He did not let his handicap affect him. He strived hard and pursued his education and eventually a career despite not being able to see. I heard too that he got his degree from the States but I still have to verify that.

* Joson, Eduardo Nonato He was with the National Food Authority and he made some good deals for rice.

* Mauricio, Melanio Jr. Batas Mauricio had a law program in GMA 7 before but I can not recall the title right now.

* Sonza, Jose Jay is the other half of Partners Mel and Jay. He has been a TV personality for years and he is doing a good job at it. I am just not sure how he would do as a senator.

* Yasay, Perfecto Jr. Yasay was the former Securities and Exhange Commissions head. He had quite a controversy there and he was booted out of office.

PARTIDO ISANG BANSA ISANG DIWA

This is the party of disqualified presidential aspirant Eddie Gil. I am surprised he got many senatoriables to agree to run with him. However, in the last days of his campaign, only two senator candidates were left running with him. The others quit his party and/or quit the race altogether. I do not know who among them still pursues the battle. I do not think there is any left. Just the same, here are their names. It is only fair to include them since they are officially registered with COMELEC.

* Aparri, Ismael I do not know him.

* Belmonte, Eloida I do not know her.

* Decampong, Pendatun I do not know him.

* Del Mundo, Gerardo I do not know him.

* Estuita, Arturo I do not know him.

* Fajardo, El Cid I do not know him.

* Ilarde, Edgar According to a magazine I have read, he was a former senator but his name or his face does not ring a bell. Only a few weeks into the campaign when he saw how Eddie Gil conducted himself, he immediately broke away from the party and declared himself independent.

* Montano, Ramon I do not know him.

* Pagunuran, Iderlina I do not know her.

* Pilapil, Pilar She is the only one I know from this roster. She is an actress who plays kontrabida roles. I don't know of any qualifications that she might possess, not even popularity.

* Usop, Matuan I do not know him.

INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES

* Almirante, Alvin I do not know him.

* Alvarez, Heherson Sonny Alvarez was a former senator, quite dirty.

* Lozano, Oliver I do not know him.

* Nueva, Norma I do not know her.

Note: The list of official candidates is from www.comelec.gov.ph.