by JP LOPEZ (Malaya)
http://www.malaya.com.ph/03102010/news5.htmlDAVAO CITY – THE two leading contenders for the presidency based on surveys snubbed a presidential forum sponsored by Kingdom of Jesus Christ headed by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
Quiboloy scoffed at Liberal Party presidential bet Benigno Aquino III for reneging on his commitment to attend the forum.
Quiboloy said he was disappointed since it was Aquino who chose the date for the forum.
Quiboloy said the forum was originally scheduled on Feb. 11 but because Aquino was not available at that time, he said he asked Aquino to choose the date.
In his e-mail to Quiboloy, Aquino said doctors advised him to prevent any travel by any craft for at least two days because he was suffering from barosinusitis.
"As previously arranged, I already marked and prioritized this event in my schedule and I’m eagerly looking forward to meeting you personally," Aquino in the letter read by Quiboloy before the start of the forum.
"However much as I’d like to participate in the said forum, I deeply regret to inform you that I have been advised by my physicians to provisionally defer any flights due to barosinusitis. My doctors have advised me to provisionally avoid any travel by aircraft for at least two consecutive days because any atmospheric or barometric pressure will only aggravate my present condition," Aquino further said.
Barosinusitis or baratrauma of the paranasal sinusitis, as defined by a medical dictionary, "is a risk factor for anyone exposed to ambient pressure changes."
But Quiboloy appeared dissatisfied with Aquino’s explanation.
"Commitment is your word of honor," Quiboloy said, "When you fail to fulfill your commitment, you have no word and you have no honor," Quiboloy told the crowd.
Earlier in the day, Nacionalista party presidential bet Manny Villar held a press briefing at the nearby Orange Grove hotel.
Villar stayed at the hotel during the duration of the forum. He left the hotel at around 5 p.m., hotel guards said.
Quiboloy said Villar’s chief of staff had told him that the senator would arrive but the show ended without him.
"It’s unfair to them (those who appeared), it’s unfair to us and it’s unfair to the Filipino people," Quiboloy, who boasted of the six million membership of the Kingdom, said.
The forum called Sukatan 2010 was held at the Cathedral of the Central Headquarters of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name, in Buhangin, Davao city.
Those who showed up were former President Joseph Estrada, Gilbert Teodoro, Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal, Richard Gordon, Nicanor Perlas, and Bro. Eddie Villanueva.
Ang Kapatiran presidential bet JC delos Reyes was seen at the Davao airport but did not appear in the forum.
The forum was attended by civil society groups, members of the academe, students, lawyers, business sector, supporters of the candidates and followers of Quiboloy.
The forum, hosted by President Arroyo’s election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, discussed the candidate’s platform, Mindanao problem, graft and corruption, energy crisis, pork barrel, among others.
Save for Teodoro, the candidates took swipes at Arroyo for her failure to solve the Mindanao peace and order problem.
Madrigal said the Mindanao peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been mismanaged by the Arroyo administration.
She said the President has poured in so much resources in the region to militarize the area.
But Teodoro said that to solve the problem, there must be a deterrent to armed violence in the south, referring to pouring in more military troops.
"Nobody can impose any paradigm of peace in Mindanao except the Mindanaoans themselves, who have to live with each other, who have to stay here, who have the largest stake on the island. The national government should support whatever peace initiatives the people of Mindanao themselves come up with and guarantee an atmosphere of peace," he said.
Gordon said the peace process in Mindanao has failed because of the Arroyo government’s "lack of consultation" with the stakeholders.
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