http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=560521&publicationSubCategoryId=63
MANILA, Philippines - Six candidates for vice president traded barbs and grilled each other during a televised debate aired last Sunday night.
Leading vice presidential candidate Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II of the Liberal Party had a face-off with Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition and the Nacionalista Party, who criticized her main rival over the expanded value added tax, Cheaper Medicine Law and land distribution.
Legarda was fierce in grilling Roxas, who implied that she was a hypocrite and a political butterfly for transferring to various parties.
The debate dubbed as “Harapan” was organized by ABS-CBN and held at the La Consolacion College in Manila. Members of the audience were each given a “truth meter” and were told to vote on whether the answer of the candidates was “believable” or “not believable.”
Roxas registered high scores on the believability of his answers while Legarda did poorly despite her attacks on the LP bet every chance she got. Roxas laughed off some of the issues raised by Legarda.
Legarda and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, the vice presidential bet of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, gave dramatic opening and closing remarks to the viewers while former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando of Bagumbayan even wore an engineer’s hat to call attention to his training and his qualifications to be vice president.
The supporters of the candidates beat drums and a brass band added a fiesta atmosphere to the debate. Aside from Roxas, Legarda, Binay, and Fernando, the participants included Jay Sonza of Kilusang Bagong Lipunan who debated with Perfecto Yasay of Bangon Pilipinas in the second round of the one-on-one debates.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD vice-presidential bet Edu Manzano and Ang Kapatiran bet Jun Chipeco did not participate.
Roxas versus Legarda
Legarda asked Roxas to explain why he voted for the expanded value added tax (EVAT) law in 2005, watered down the Cheaper Medicine Law by blocking the establishment of a drug price regulatory body and refused to distribute to farmers a 1,600-hectare land in Montalban, Rizal under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
Roxas voted for the EVAT law but he later sought its lifting on oil and oil products as well as for senior citizens.
The LP bet said Legarda had been repeating these allegations and reasoned that there was nothing wrong in imposing taxes because these would fund government services.
He added that creating another board to regulate drug prices, as suggested by Legarda, would only add to the number of regulating bodies prone to corruption.
Roxas said the President had been given the authority to cut the prices of essential medicine and that people, including Legarda herself who had been taking Lipitor for her cholesterol, were enjoying a 50 percent cut on their maintenance medicine.
He supported land reform, having voted in favor of CARP and its five-year extension last 2009. But he said the case involving the distribution of the Rizal land was pending before the Supreme Court.
In another heated exchange, Legarda also accused Roxas of shifting allegiances. She cited that Roxas was trade secretary under former President Joseph Estrada and then President Arroyo - only to support their ouster later on.
But Roxas chided Legarda, saying she was making up stories.
“Hindi ako nag-iiyak-iyakan sa Senado nung hindi natuloy yung impeachment ni Pangulong Erap (Joseph Estrada). Hindi ko pinag-resign si Erap. Maayos kaming naghiwalay ng landas. Usapang lalaki, nagkaunawaan kami (I was not the one who shed crocodile tears at the Senate when the impeachment case against President Erap did not push through. I did not ask him to resign. We parted ways amicably. It was man-to-man, we understood each other),” he said, noting that Legarda could ask Estrada about it and the former president would certainly have good words to say about him.
Roxas pointed out it was Legarda who has been jumping from one political party to another throughout her career. He also lectured Legarda that people who did not follow rules meant that they did not have “discipline.”
He added he had always run under LP and that he became an arch critic of the Arroyo government because of its wrongdoings.
Legarda again hit Roxas when answering a teacher’s question on how they planned to provide quality education. She mentioned that Roxas, when he was Senate committee on education chair, did not conduct hearings on a bill she filed to increase teachers’ wages.
A farmer also asked the candidates on how they could be assisted due to the El Niño phenomenon that affected their crops and harvests. It was only on this point that Legarda’s believability scored higher than being unbelievable.
The audience from Metro Manila and Naga in Luzon, Cebu in the Visayas, and Davao City in Mindanao were randomly picked and given 180 remote devices or the Wireless Audience Response System (WARS) to rate each candidate’s believability.
Roxas consistently garnered high votes with no less than 80 to 90 percent of an unspecified number of audience members saying they believed him when he answered particular questions.
Fifty-five percent of online users and 57 percent of text voters chose Roxas as the most believable candidate among those who joined the debate.
Binay and Fernando were tied at second place in the online poll at 14 percent each, followed by Yasay at nine percent and Legarda at five percent.
Meanwhile, Binay placed second in the text poll at 15 percent, closely followed by Fernando at 13 percent and Yasay at eight percent, while Legarda got six percent.
Fernando asked Legarda on her experience in governance or lack of it, having held no position in the executive branch.
Legarda said she did go out of her way to see if the bills she authored were being implemented. She also mentioned repeatedly that she helped in the release of hostages and those who were victims of natural calamities.
Roxas did not question Legarda on climate change, allowing her to talk freely about it.
Binay versus Bayani
Binay lambasted Fernando for his alleged human rights abuses while he was MMDA chairman in ordering the burning of goods seized from illegal sidewalk vendors. Fernando snapped back, saying Binay approved a Metro Manila Council resolution allowing such practice.
Fernando said Binay should not be boasting about the wealth of his city because there are still squatters in Makati.
Fernando said he and his men were even the ones cleaning up the esteros of Makati City and that flooding was still bad in the area.
Binay said Fernando was lying and that he was proud that social services were provided for free in the city and that residents were enjoying quality education and other privileges. The mayor added he had relocated many informal settlers and that most of them were in private properties.
On the other hand, Binay asked Fernando if he would support an investigation of President Arroyo on the various corruption scandals hounding her administration.
Fernando’s reply drew laughter as he said he would not influence the investigation in any way, being an engineer and not a lawyer.
Roxas II and Sonza topped the debate of certain issues.
Roxas got a rating of 91.8 percent on the issue of delivery of basic education in the remote areas, while Sonza got 81 percent; Yasay scored 69.2 percent, Legarda garnered 53.6 percent, Fernando got 38.7 percent, and Binay 47 percent.
Sonza topped the candidate’s response to the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon with a score of 91.4 percent, while Roxas got 85 percent, Yasay 79 percent, Legarda 38 percent, Fernando 55.8, and Binay 55.6.
The highlights of the debate were the intense arguments between Roxas and Legarda, and between Binay and Fernando. Meanwhile, independent presidential candidate Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal said supports the candidacy of Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Roxas because of his true desire to serve the country.
Madrigal was not able to attend the debate because of an invitation from Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ in Davao City.
“Sen. Madrigal will be there to show her full support to Sen. Mar Roxas and to keep an eye if Sen. Loren Legarda will speak the truth,” Madrigal’s camp said in a text message.
Madrigal defended Roxas for serving under the Estrada and Arroyo administration.
“Sen. Roxas is sure to be out next vice president. He has shown political maturity , statesmanship and leadership. Unlike Sen. Legarda, Sen. Roxas is motivated by a true desire to serve our country rather than sheer personal ambition,” Madrigal said. “He is not a political turncoat and has remained with the Liberal party throughout his political career.”
MANILA, Philippines - Six candidates for vice president traded barbs and grilled each other during a televised debate aired last Sunday night.
Leading vice presidential candidate Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II of the Liberal Party had a face-off with Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition and the Nacionalista Party, who criticized her main rival over the expanded value added tax, Cheaper Medicine Law and land distribution.
Legarda was fierce in grilling Roxas, who implied that she was a hypocrite and a political butterfly for transferring to various parties.
The debate dubbed as “Harapan” was organized by ABS-CBN and held at the La Consolacion College in Manila. Members of the audience were each given a “truth meter” and were told to vote on whether the answer of the candidates was “believable” or “not believable.”
Roxas registered high scores on the believability of his answers while Legarda did poorly despite her attacks on the LP bet every chance she got. Roxas laughed off some of the issues raised by Legarda.
Legarda and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, the vice presidential bet of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, gave dramatic opening and closing remarks to the viewers while former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando of Bagumbayan even wore an engineer’s hat to call attention to his training and his qualifications to be vice president.
The supporters of the candidates beat drums and a brass band added a fiesta atmosphere to the debate. Aside from Roxas, Legarda, Binay, and Fernando, the participants included Jay Sonza of Kilusang Bagong Lipunan who debated with Perfecto Yasay of Bangon Pilipinas in the second round of the one-on-one debates.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD vice-presidential bet Edu Manzano and Ang Kapatiran bet Jun Chipeco did not participate.
Roxas versus Legarda
Legarda asked Roxas to explain why he voted for the expanded value added tax (EVAT) law in 2005, watered down the Cheaper Medicine Law by blocking the establishment of a drug price regulatory body and refused to distribute to farmers a 1,600-hectare land in Montalban, Rizal under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
Roxas voted for the EVAT law but he later sought its lifting on oil and oil products as well as for senior citizens.
The LP bet said Legarda had been repeating these allegations and reasoned that there was nothing wrong in imposing taxes because these would fund government services.
He added that creating another board to regulate drug prices, as suggested by Legarda, would only add to the number of regulating bodies prone to corruption.
Roxas said the President had been given the authority to cut the prices of essential medicine and that people, including Legarda herself who had been taking Lipitor for her cholesterol, were enjoying a 50 percent cut on their maintenance medicine.
He supported land reform, having voted in favor of CARP and its five-year extension last 2009. But he said the case involving the distribution of the Rizal land was pending before the Supreme Court.
In another heated exchange, Legarda also accused Roxas of shifting allegiances. She cited that Roxas was trade secretary under former President Joseph Estrada and then President Arroyo - only to support their ouster later on.
But Roxas chided Legarda, saying she was making up stories.
“Hindi ako nag-iiyak-iyakan sa Senado nung hindi natuloy yung impeachment ni Pangulong Erap (Joseph Estrada). Hindi ko pinag-resign si Erap. Maayos kaming naghiwalay ng landas. Usapang lalaki, nagkaunawaan kami (I was not the one who shed crocodile tears at the Senate when the impeachment case against President Erap did not push through. I did not ask him to resign. We parted ways amicably. It was man-to-man, we understood each other),” he said, noting that Legarda could ask Estrada about it and the former president would certainly have good words to say about him.
Roxas pointed out it was Legarda who has been jumping from one political party to another throughout her career. He also lectured Legarda that people who did not follow rules meant that they did not have “discipline.”
He added he had always run under LP and that he became an arch critic of the Arroyo government because of its wrongdoings.
Legarda again hit Roxas when answering a teacher’s question on how they planned to provide quality education. She mentioned that Roxas, when he was Senate committee on education chair, did not conduct hearings on a bill she filed to increase teachers’ wages.
A farmer also asked the candidates on how they could be assisted due to the El Niño phenomenon that affected their crops and harvests. It was only on this point that Legarda’s believability scored higher than being unbelievable.
The audience from Metro Manila and Naga in Luzon, Cebu in the Visayas, and Davao City in Mindanao were randomly picked and given 180 remote devices or the Wireless Audience Response System (WARS) to rate each candidate’s believability.
Roxas consistently garnered high votes with no less than 80 to 90 percent of an unspecified number of audience members saying they believed him when he answered particular questions.
Fifty-five percent of online users and 57 percent of text voters chose Roxas as the most believable candidate among those who joined the debate.
Binay and Fernando were tied at second place in the online poll at 14 percent each, followed by Yasay at nine percent and Legarda at five percent.
Meanwhile, Binay placed second in the text poll at 15 percent, closely followed by Fernando at 13 percent and Yasay at eight percent, while Legarda got six percent.
Fernando asked Legarda on her experience in governance or lack of it, having held no position in the executive branch.
Legarda said she did go out of her way to see if the bills she authored were being implemented. She also mentioned repeatedly that she helped in the release of hostages and those who were victims of natural calamities.
Roxas did not question Legarda on climate change, allowing her to talk freely about it.
Binay versus Bayani
Binay lambasted Fernando for his alleged human rights abuses while he was MMDA chairman in ordering the burning of goods seized from illegal sidewalk vendors. Fernando snapped back, saying Binay approved a Metro Manila Council resolution allowing such practice.
Fernando said Binay should not be boasting about the wealth of his city because there are still squatters in Makati.
Fernando said he and his men were even the ones cleaning up the esteros of Makati City and that flooding was still bad in the area.
Binay said Fernando was lying and that he was proud that social services were provided for free in the city and that residents were enjoying quality education and other privileges. The mayor added he had relocated many informal settlers and that most of them were in private properties.
On the other hand, Binay asked Fernando if he would support an investigation of President Arroyo on the various corruption scandals hounding her administration.
Fernando’s reply drew laughter as he said he would not influence the investigation in any way, being an engineer and not a lawyer.
Roxas II and Sonza topped the debate of certain issues.
Roxas got a rating of 91.8 percent on the issue of delivery of basic education in the remote areas, while Sonza got 81 percent; Yasay scored 69.2 percent, Legarda garnered 53.6 percent, Fernando got 38.7 percent, and Binay 47 percent.
Sonza topped the candidate’s response to the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon with a score of 91.4 percent, while Roxas got 85 percent, Yasay 79 percent, Legarda 38 percent, Fernando 55.8, and Binay 55.6.
The highlights of the debate were the intense arguments between Roxas and Legarda, and between Binay and Fernando. Meanwhile, independent presidential candidate Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal said supports the candidacy of Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Roxas because of his true desire to serve the country.
Madrigal was not able to attend the debate because of an invitation from Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ in Davao City.
“Sen. Madrigal will be there to show her full support to Sen. Mar Roxas and to keep an eye if Sen. Loren Legarda will speak the truth,” Madrigal’s camp said in a text message.
Madrigal defended Roxas for serving under the Estrada and Arroyo administration.
“Sen. Roxas is sure to be out next vice president. He has shown political maturity , statesmanship and leadership. Unlike Sen. Legarda, Sen. Roxas is motivated by a true desire to serve our country rather than sheer personal ambition,” Madrigal said. “He is not a political turncoat and has remained with the Liberal party throughout his political career.”
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