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Hillary Clinton wins “Pandesal Survey” of 77-year-old Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines

Pandesal sandwich survey results: Hillary Clinton 37%, Pan de Nada for “None of the above” 36% and Donald Trump 26%

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks to supporters at organizing event at a private residence, Saturday, July 4, 2015, in Glen, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks to supporters at organizing event at a private residence, Saturday, July 4, 2015, in Glen, N.H., USA (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Pandesal Survey on USA presidential election by Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City, the Philippines from August to November 2016 — Unique & fun “Pandesal Survey” on USA presidential election by Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City, the Philippines from August to November 2016

Former New York senator and former U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has already won on November 7, 2016 as the first woman president in USA history with 37.138% or 475 votes out of the total 1,279 votes cast in the unique “Pandesal Survey” of the 77-year-old, artisanal, pugon-style Kamuning Bakery Cafe of Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines.

This Pandesal Survey of the popular old bakery cafe’s customers offered different pandesal sandwiches to represent each of the U.S. presidential candidates from August to November 7, 2016.

Coming in second in the Pandesal Survey was “Pan de Nada” or none of the above at 36.4347% or 466 votes, while coming in No. 3 was real estate tycoon & reality TV star Donald Trump at 26.426% or 338 votes.

Donald Trump the real estate tycoon and reality TV star hopes to revive the past glory and global competitiveness of the U.S, economy. — Donald Trump the real estate tycoon and reality TV star hopes to revive the past glory and global competitiveness of the U.S. economy.

Kamuning Bakery Cafe owner, writer, economics and geopolitics analyst, educator and real estate entrepreneur Wilson Lee Flores actually admires Donald Trump as a realty businessman who might be able to revive the global competitiveness of the U.S. economy, also admiring Hillary Clinton as a smart lawyer and legislator who can champion social development of the U.S.

The “pandesal” is the versatile and popular national bread of the Philippines, and Kamuning Bakery Cafe celebrates “World Pandesal Day” every October 16—also globally marked as “World Bread Day”—since 2015. The Philippines is America’s only former colony in Asia and has copied much of its presidential system of elections since the 1930s Commonwealth election won by President Manuel L. Quezon while still under U.S. colonial rule.

From August 2016 up to November 7, 2016 to measure the popularity of the 2 USA presidential candidates and to encourage discussions of USA politics, the unique “Presidential Pandesal Survey” was conducted by Quezon City’s pioneer artisanal Kamuning Bakery Cafe which is also venue of the newsmakers’ “Pandesal Forum” with media and intellectuals.

Included in its all-day breakfast menu, customers can vote for their favorite USA presidentiable by buying the pugon-baked pandesal sandwich and drink assigned to each bet at No. 43 Judge Jimenez St. corner K-1st Street, Kamuning, Quezon City. The first edition of Kamuning Bakery Cafe’s Presidential “Pandesal Survey” was held from late 2015 to May 2016, which was won by former Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte.

The following Pandesal sandwiches were offered in the latest “Pandesal Survey” and won by Hillary Clinton:

***“Pan de Clinton”— Pugon-baked corned beef Pandesal sandwich served with FREE Kape Americano for Hillary Clinton, although Kamuning Bakery Cafe owner Wilson Lee Flores researched that Hillary likes salami sandwiches.

***“Pan de Trump”—Pugon-baked meat loaf Pandesal sandwich, served with FREE Hot Choco for Donald Trump, because KBC owner Wilson Lee Flores researched that Donald Trump likes meat loaf sandwiches.

*** “Pan de Nada”—Pugon-baked ham & egg pandesal with Brewed Coffee (using the cartoon of Mickey Mouse as image) for those who prefer “none of the above”. This third choice was added by Kamuning Bakery Cafe owner and writer Wilson Lee Flores, because he believes “voters in elections should be given the right to reject all candidates offered by major political parties, if they are not morally and intellectually qualified to be leaders”.

According to Kamuning Bakery Cafe, vote buying is not only allowed but encouraged here in its Pandesal Survey!!! Below are the caricatures used in Kamuning Bakery Cafe’s US Presidential “Pandesal Survey” won by Hillary Clinton.

History of the Philippines’ Kamuning Bakery Cafe with intellectuals, artists & reform stalwarts: Kamuning Bakery was founded in 1939 as Quezon City’s first bakery upon the invitation of pre-war newspaper tycoon Don Alejandro Roces who arranged for sale of government land at 15 centavos per square meter to founders Atty. Leticia “Letty” Bonifacio Javier and her husband Lt. Marcelo Javier (he died fighting the Japanese invaders of World War II in the Battle of Manila). It was acquired and revived in December 2013 by writer, history buff, foodie and realty entrepreneur Wilson Lee Flores. He restored the old cafe on March 20, 2015. KBC today continues its artisanal and “pugon” or wood-fired brick oven baking.

Among its many colorful clients include Don Alejandro Roces, his son the newspaper publisher & activist Joaquin “Chino” Roces, press freedom stalwart U.P. Dean Armando Malay, the late President Cory C. Aquino, national artists like Nick Joaquin and Levi Celerio, many showbiz celebrities, to a public school student who used to walk here to buy pugon-baked breads and is now the first female Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Information on KBC’s “Pandesal Forum”: The non-partisan, liberal, pro-people and informal Pandesal Forum of Kamuning Bakery Cafe was started on September 15, 2015 by writer Wilson Lee Flores as convenor and moderator. It welcomes all speakers, not just limited to political leaders. It is inspired by the centuries-old tradition of the “tertulia”—the informal and learned salon discussions of the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America; it is also inspired by ancient China’s “li lun” or intellectual discourses. Apart from 80 candidates for the 2016 Philippine national elections as well as historic visits by both the U.S. and China ambassadors, other guests at Kamuning Bakery Cafe’s Pandesal Forum included political and showbiz celebrities, business leaders, writers, intellectuals, activists, artists, musicians, athletes, etc.

The “Pandesal Forum” hopes to help elevate the quality of public discourse in the Philippines on current affairs, politics and other topics, also focusing on economic, gut or “pandesal” issues.

KBC’s Pandesal Forum also advocates genuine reforms and new ideas, not just our present obsession with personalities. For inquiries, Kamuning Bakery Cafe Telephone numbers: (632) 4161637, 9292216, 4126628; Office Telephone numbers: (632) 4126685, 4112311, 4151692, 3326066.

Wilson Lee Flores can be contacted for any questions or comments on the U.S. elections, politics or this Pandesal Survey at mobile phones 09178481818, 09188077777, 09228321888 or email addresses willsoonflourish@gmail.com or kamuningbakerycafe@gmail.com

Don’t criticize what you don’t understand, son. You never walked in that man’s shoes. —Elvis Presley

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots. —Frank A. Clark

I believe one important lesson we can all learn from the recent imbroglio between Philippine President Rody R. Duterte and U.S. President Barack Obama at the recent Asean Summit in Laos is this rule I had heard before and which I think Obama or his spokespersons had obviously breached: “Praise in public, criticize in private”.

White House and State Department officials had already spoken in public before the mass media that President Obama would question (or even lecture?) President Duterte about human rights in his on-going war against illegal drugs in the Philippines, during a scheduled bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 2016 Asean summit in Laos. President Duterte reacted angrily on this topic when asked by media, then the bilateral meeting didn’t push through. These series of unnecessary events could have been avoided if there were no public criticisms before the first ever bilateral meeting between these two leaders of traditional ally countries.

President Rody R. Duterte, independent-minded leader of the Philippines

Second lesson lesson to be learned is we shouldn’t be quick in making judgement of others, without first talking to them, asking the full details and circumstances of their struggles or situation.

Does Obama or his officials understand the gravity and scale of the illegal drugs crisis of the Philippines which past leaders had failed to address, which has caused a horrific breakdown in peace and order nationwide affecting the human rights and safety of many tens of millions, spreading corruption in politics and the criminal justice system?

Has the U.S. officials verified facts about the deaths of illegal drugs suspects during police operations which are different from other unexplained killings, which they and others had lumped together as “extra judicial killings”?

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington January 12, 2016. REUTERS/Evan Vucci/Pool - TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX2252I — U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016, photo source is REUTERS/Evan Vucci

Criticizing in private shows respect for others, fosters win-win scenario

Upholding this rule “Praise in public, criticize in private” shows respect for others and can foster a win-win situation for any business, organization and even for other relationships. It doesn’t matter if the relationship is between sovereign equals or between a boss and his or her subordinate, this rule generally applies to achieve harmony and success.

Let me cite an American example, to illustrate why Obama or his subalterns were wrong in the way they had expressed opinions via press statements or media interviews criticizing President Duterte’s difficult, draconian yet necessary war on the illegal drugs pandemic which has plagued Philippine society for years already.

The late American football coach Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers in 1960 once stopped a practice and shouted curses while lecturing his young quarterback named Bart Starr for making a poor pass which led to an interception during that practice. Starr later went to the office of the coach, didn’t deny his poor pass, but he said: “You expect me to be the leader of this team. I want to be the best leader I can be, but I can’t do that if you’re chewing me out in front of the team I am supposed to lead. … Now, I can take any chewing out you want to deliver, but all I ask is that you do it in the privacy of your office … I will be an even better leader for you if you do that.” The coach Lombardi never again publicly criticized Starr.

Successful sports leader, American football coach Vince Lombardi (illustration by Roberto Parada)

What was the result of this “Praise in public, criticize in private” policy? Their team went on to win five National Football League (NFL) titles in eight seasons and was honored with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The now 82-year-old Bart Starr is the only quarterback in NFL history to lead a team to five league championships (1961–62, 1965–67), as well as Super Bowls I and II. Starr also has the highest playoff passer rating (104.8) of any quarterback in NFL history and a playoff record of 9–1. His career completion percentage of 57.4 was an NFL best when he retired in 1972.

Promotional shot of American football athlete Bart Starr throwing a football taken in 1968.

I believe it doesn’t matter whether we’re in geopolitics, politics, diplomacy, business, organizations, sports or even personal relations, we as human beings should try to respect each other by upholding the principle of “Praise in public, criticize in private” to lesson misunderstandings, rancor, hostility and other negative consequences.

Hillary Clinton wins USA presidential “Pandesal Survey” with 37%!

Obama’s mistake with Duterte: He failed to “Praise in public, criticize in private”