( Business Mirror)
Link: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24572:why-was-noynoy-vs-playing-of-hello-garci-tapenp&catid=26:nation&Itemid=63
THE Nacionalista Party (NP) said Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and campaign officials of the LP played a key role in helping President Arroyo remain in power by voting against the playing of the “Hello, Garci” tape during the congressional investigation of alleged fraud in the 2004 elections.
NP spokesman and senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla said voters should be reminded that Aquino, who promises new leadership that will be free of corruption, did not vote for the playing of the “Hello, Garci” tape, which was the key to enlighten the public in determining if Mrs. Arroyo cheated during the 2004 elections.
“It is highly suspicious why Sen. Noynoy Aquino did not vote to listen to the ‘Hello, Garci’ tape when he was House Deputy Speaker for Luzon,” said Remulla in a press briefing on Monday.
Remulla, who is running for senator under NP, said Aquino’s “No” vote in listening to the “Hello, Garci,” tape only “confirmed the lingering allegations that the Aquino-Cojuangco clan made a deal with President Arroyo on the ‘Hello, Garci’ scandal in exchange for help to whitewash the Hacienda Luisita massacre.”
Remulla also said Aquino voted “No” because he was pushing for the multibillion-peso project on the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway project that involved part of the Hacienda Luisita.
Remulla also said key LP campaign officials and senatorial bets also helped Mrs. Arroyo in the 2004 elections.
He said LP campaign manager Florencio “Butch” Abad, LP campaign manager for senatorial candidates Sen. Francisco Pangilinan and LP senatorial bet Franklin Drilon were key players in the proclamation of Mrs. Arroyo as winner in the 2004 elections.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD remnants dig in
DAVAO CITY—Digging in as members of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD by staying away from the defections of some of their national leaders, at least 13 incumbent local officials in South Cotabato and Sarangani have vowed to stay behind the coalition’s presidential candidate, Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, and work for his victory.
Lakas-Kampi CMD Rep. Arthur Pingoy Jr. of South Cotabato said they are extensively working for Teodoro’s victory in the province, which has long been considered as an opposition territory.
“Out of the seven incumbent mayors in my district, six are doing their best efforts to ensure that Gibo will be victorious in their municipalities,” said Pingoy, a three-term congressman who is now running for governor.
He identified the incumbent mayors as Antonio Damandaman of Santo Niño, Isidro Janita of Banga, Romeo Januto of Norala, Salvador Lagos of Tantangan, Basilio Salif of Lake Sebu, and Romulo Solivio of Surallah.
Pingoy, Lakas-Kampi-CMD provincial chairman, noted that Teodoro has superior qualities among the candidates running for the country’s top post.
“Gibo possesses the credibility, capability and theº political will that our country needs to further move ahead,” Pingoy said.
In Sarangani, Gov. Miguel Dominguez said five of the seven mayors in the province are campaigning for Teodoro.
The local chief executives are from the towns of Malapatan, Glan, Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum.
Dominguez, former president of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, said the former defense chief’s concrete program in a post-Arroyo presidency and his support to Mindanao during the conflicts and calamities have endeared him to Mindanaoans.
Legarda a victim of LP senatorial bet?
THE Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) accused a senatorial candidate of using Nacionalista Party (NP) vice-presidential candidate Sen. Loren Legarda to gain media mileage because of her poor showing in the senatorial race.
“It’s obvious that Hontiveros is getting desperate because she knows that her numbers are not getting anywhere with just a few more weeks left before the elections, so she decided to jump on the issue and use the popularity of Senator Legarda to call the attention to herself,” said NPC Rep. Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela, referring to Party-list Rep. Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel.
Gatchalian was reacting to the allegations made by Baraquel, one of the senatorial candidates of LP, that the recent endorsement made by Andal Ampatuan Jr. of LP standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III and the other chosen bets was the handiwork of lawyers identified with Legarda.
Gatchalian said there is a strong possibility that Baraquel is getting delusional because of what was happening to her candidacy which made her imagine things and events, and then make them appear as real “just to call the attention of the media.”
He reiterated that the party or any of its members has nothing to do with the controversial press conference held by Andal Ampatuan Jr., the principal suspect in the Ampatuan Massacre, inside a jail facility recently.
Gatchalian, instead, raised the possibility that the incident could indeed be the handiwork of some people from the LP.
“Did it not occur to the minds of the LP people that it was during the time after the 1986 People Power Revolution that the Ampatuans, especially Andal Sr., got their first big break in politics when he was appointed as mayor of Maganoy town [now Shariff Aguak] in Maguindanao?” Gatchalian asked.
The then newly installed administration of the late President Corazon Aquino replaced then-mayor Pinagayaw Ampatuan, who was supposedly inclined to resign anyway owing to old age.
“From that point on, there was no turning back for Ampatuan Sr., who went on to become the governor and the acknowledged patriarch of the Ampatuan clan which along the way has also produced mayors, vice mayors and other officials, making him the most powerful man in the province of Maguindanao,” he said.
“So if we are trying to look at and establish the connection between the Ampatuans and LP, we can certainly see some starting points to begin with, unlike with Senator Legarda and the NPC which have nothing to do whatsoever with the clan,” he added.
Palace not convinced of Gonzales’s ‘endorsement’ of Villar
MALACAÑANG said on Monday that it doubts the reported “endorsement” given by Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales to NP standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said in a news briefing that Gonzales may have been quoted out of context when he was reported to have made the endorsement while attending a recent gathering with military officers.
Olivar said that after repeatedly reading the quotation of Gonzales, which some military officers have interpreted as an endorsement of Villar’s candidacy, he failed to see why the defense chief’s statement was seen as such.
“I read Secretary Gonzales’s quotation several times, and I cannot understand why it was seen as pro-Villar,” he said.
Gonzales reportedly told military officers, “You might not vote for Villar because of these leftists,” referring to NP senatorial bets Party-list Reps. Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna and Liza Maza of Gabriela, and allegedly relayed to them Villar’s assurance that the two would not win.
“If he was [properly] quoted and if that was all he said, that doesn’t sound like an endorsement of Villar,” Olivar said.
He interpreted the statement of Gonzales to mean that the participation of leftist candidates in the senatorial race should be welcomed, which he said he agrees with and should be considered as a “commendable sentiment.”
“I think, for the first time, there are those running from the organized Left in the Senate and that’s something we should be happy about. That is the message I heard from Secretary Gonzales, and not the endorsement of Senator Villar,” Olivar said.
He added that candidates who field candidates from the Left should be “lauded,” since such move shows that the country’s electoral process is truly “inclusive.”
When asked, Olivar said Gonzales need not clarify his statement to Malacañang, since “if you are in good faith and you listen to him in good faith and you have no ulterior agenda to attack Senator Villar or anyone else involved in that statement, you can take the statement at face value and go to sleep at night.”
(With R. Acosta, F. Marasigan and M. Gonzalez)
Link: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24572:why-was-noynoy-vs-playing-of-hello-garci-tapenp&catid=26:nation&Itemid=63
THE Nacionalista Party (NP) said Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and campaign officials of the LP played a key role in helping President Arroyo remain in power by voting against the playing of the “Hello, Garci” tape during the congressional investigation of alleged fraud in the 2004 elections.
NP spokesman and senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla said voters should be reminded that Aquino, who promises new leadership that will be free of corruption, did not vote for the playing of the “Hello, Garci” tape, which was the key to enlighten the public in determining if Mrs. Arroyo cheated during the 2004 elections.
“It is highly suspicious why Sen. Noynoy Aquino did not vote to listen to the ‘Hello, Garci’ tape when he was House Deputy Speaker for Luzon,” said Remulla in a press briefing on Monday.
Remulla, who is running for senator under NP, said Aquino’s “No” vote in listening to the “Hello, Garci,” tape only “confirmed the lingering allegations that the Aquino-Cojuangco clan made a deal with President Arroyo on the ‘Hello, Garci’ scandal in exchange for help to whitewash the Hacienda Luisita massacre.”
Remulla also said Aquino voted “No” because he was pushing for the multibillion-peso project on the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway project that involved part of the Hacienda Luisita.
Remulla also said key LP campaign officials and senatorial bets also helped Mrs. Arroyo in the 2004 elections.
He said LP campaign manager Florencio “Butch” Abad, LP campaign manager for senatorial candidates Sen. Francisco Pangilinan and LP senatorial bet Franklin Drilon were key players in the proclamation of Mrs. Arroyo as winner in the 2004 elections.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD remnants dig in
DAVAO CITY—Digging in as members of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD by staying away from the defections of some of their national leaders, at least 13 incumbent local officials in South Cotabato and Sarangani have vowed to stay behind the coalition’s presidential candidate, Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, and work for his victory.
Lakas-Kampi CMD Rep. Arthur Pingoy Jr. of South Cotabato said they are extensively working for Teodoro’s victory in the province, which has long been considered as an opposition territory.
“Out of the seven incumbent mayors in my district, six are doing their best efforts to ensure that Gibo will be victorious in their municipalities,” said Pingoy, a three-term congressman who is now running for governor.
He identified the incumbent mayors as Antonio Damandaman of Santo Niño, Isidro Janita of Banga, Romeo Januto of Norala, Salvador Lagos of Tantangan, Basilio Salif of Lake Sebu, and Romulo Solivio of Surallah.
Pingoy, Lakas-Kampi-CMD provincial chairman, noted that Teodoro has superior qualities among the candidates running for the country’s top post.
“Gibo possesses the credibility, capability and theº political will that our country needs to further move ahead,” Pingoy said.
In Sarangani, Gov. Miguel Dominguez said five of the seven mayors in the province are campaigning for Teodoro.
The local chief executives are from the towns of Malapatan, Glan, Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum.
Dominguez, former president of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, said the former defense chief’s concrete program in a post-Arroyo presidency and his support to Mindanao during the conflicts and calamities have endeared him to Mindanaoans.
Legarda a victim of LP senatorial bet?
THE Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) accused a senatorial candidate of using Nacionalista Party (NP) vice-presidential candidate Sen. Loren Legarda to gain media mileage because of her poor showing in the senatorial race.
“It’s obvious that Hontiveros is getting desperate because she knows that her numbers are not getting anywhere with just a few more weeks left before the elections, so she decided to jump on the issue and use the popularity of Senator Legarda to call the attention to herself,” said NPC Rep. Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela, referring to Party-list Rep. Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel.
Gatchalian was reacting to the allegations made by Baraquel, one of the senatorial candidates of LP, that the recent endorsement made by Andal Ampatuan Jr. of LP standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III and the other chosen bets was the handiwork of lawyers identified with Legarda.
Gatchalian said there is a strong possibility that Baraquel is getting delusional because of what was happening to her candidacy which made her imagine things and events, and then make them appear as real “just to call the attention of the media.”
He reiterated that the party or any of its members has nothing to do with the controversial press conference held by Andal Ampatuan Jr., the principal suspect in the Ampatuan Massacre, inside a jail facility recently.
Gatchalian, instead, raised the possibility that the incident could indeed be the handiwork of some people from the LP.
“Did it not occur to the minds of the LP people that it was during the time after the 1986 People Power Revolution that the Ampatuans, especially Andal Sr., got their first big break in politics when he was appointed as mayor of Maganoy town [now Shariff Aguak] in Maguindanao?” Gatchalian asked.
The then newly installed administration of the late President Corazon Aquino replaced then-mayor Pinagayaw Ampatuan, who was supposedly inclined to resign anyway owing to old age.
“From that point on, there was no turning back for Ampatuan Sr., who went on to become the governor and the acknowledged patriarch of the Ampatuan clan which along the way has also produced mayors, vice mayors and other officials, making him the most powerful man in the province of Maguindanao,” he said.
“So if we are trying to look at and establish the connection between the Ampatuans and LP, we can certainly see some starting points to begin with, unlike with Senator Legarda and the NPC which have nothing to do whatsoever with the clan,” he added.
Palace not convinced of Gonzales’s ‘endorsement’ of Villar
MALACAÑANG said on Monday that it doubts the reported “endorsement” given by Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales to NP standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said in a news briefing that Gonzales may have been quoted out of context when he was reported to have made the endorsement while attending a recent gathering with military officers.
Olivar said that after repeatedly reading the quotation of Gonzales, which some military officers have interpreted as an endorsement of Villar’s candidacy, he failed to see why the defense chief’s statement was seen as such.
“I read Secretary Gonzales’s quotation several times, and I cannot understand why it was seen as pro-Villar,” he said.
Gonzales reportedly told military officers, “You might not vote for Villar because of these leftists,” referring to NP senatorial bets Party-list Reps. Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna and Liza Maza of Gabriela, and allegedly relayed to them Villar’s assurance that the two would not win.
“If he was [properly] quoted and if that was all he said, that doesn’t sound like an endorsement of Villar,” Olivar said.
He interpreted the statement of Gonzales to mean that the participation of leftist candidates in the senatorial race should be welcomed, which he said he agrees with and should be considered as a “commendable sentiment.”
“I think, for the first time, there are those running from the organized Left in the Senate and that’s something we should be happy about. That is the message I heard from Secretary Gonzales, and not the endorsement of Senator Villar,” Olivar said.
He added that candidates who field candidates from the Left should be “lauded,” since such move shows that the country’s electoral process is truly “inclusive.”
When asked, Olivar said Gonzales need not clarify his statement to Malacañang, since “if you are in good faith and you listen to him in good faith and you have no ulterior agenda to attack Senator Villar or anyone else involved in that statement, you can take the statement at face value and go to sleep at night.”
(With R. Acosta, F. Marasigan and M. Gonzalez)
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