Luisita

FIRST PERSON By Alex Magno from The Philippine Star

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=545053&publicationSubCategoryId=64

There is a war of mutually assured destruction going on.

While the Liberals at the Senate are busy wringing every drop of political juice possible from the C-5 controversy in order to take down Manny Villar, the Nacionalistas are frantically researching on Hacienda Luisita’s affairs for dirt that may be used to take down Nonoy Aquino.

Both cases are vulnerable to charges that political influence was used to create private wealth. That is not difficult to imagine: it is the abiding story of the oligarchy in this country.

Who was it who said that behind every great wealth is a great crime?

We know now from the information sheets being handed out by the partisans that Hacienda Luisita was acquired by Don Jose “Pepe” Cojuangco in 1957 by means of a loan from the GSIS and another dollar-denominated loan from a New York-based bank that was guaranteed by the Philippine government.

That alone is odd. Why would the pension fund of public sector workers finance the acquisition of a plantation by private parties? And why would the Philippine government guarantee a private loan?

Well, in those days, our governance was a little wild and wooly. People with power basically got their way.

Noynoy cashing in on the people’s ignorance

from The Daily Tribune Backbencher by Rod P. Kapunan

http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20100130com3.html


All because there is a growing clamor for a reduction of taxes, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino is cashing in on that sentiment, in the hope of easing the pain of being tagged as an intellectual loafer. For one, the Jesuits, who have been acting as the shepherds of the country’s elite, are already batting the idea of canonizing Cory Aquino, and they have every reason because it was she who restored to them the privilege of tax exemption while playing the dual role of attacking and collecting donations from the government.

This is why Noynoy, and obviously upon the advice of the hypocrites and the self-righteous, has come out in favor of a tax rate moratorium. Thus, people who are not familiar with the way the system works, easily buy the idea.

But no government can wholly rely on taxes to sustain its operational expenses. It must have its own source of income to sustain the ever-increasing expenses mostly confined to improving the welfare of our people. Even the icon of modern-day capitalism, the United States, would fold up if it just relied on taxes to sustain its domestic expenditures and overseas military aggression.

The benefits of computerization

from Counterpoint by Alvin Calpino (Manila Standard Today)
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideOpinion.htm?f=2010/january/29/alvincapino.isx&d=2010/january/29

There is a palpable groundswell of support for presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro. This would probably be reflected in the next surveys of the major polling firms, even that firm derisively referred to by another candidate as “from Quiapo”.

It seems that Teodoro is following the footsteps of another former defense secretary, President Fidel Ramos, who at the earlier part of the campaign for the 1992 election was lagging behind the other, more popular candidate, which included, among others, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, Speaker Ramon Mitra, Ambassador Danding Cojuangco, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and former Senate President Jovito Salonga.

Teodoro, who refused to use his position as defense secretary to promote his political stock, is getting more exposure now in his visits to provinces, particularly schools, in his television and radio ads, and even those ubiquitous ads in public buses plying Edsa.

His supporters tell us that Teodoro’s advantage over his rivals is his ability to convert people who see and hear him into supporters.

The critical period

Editorial from Philippine Daily Inquirer

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view/20100129-250030/The-critical-period

THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS and its supplier Smartmatic ran “field tests” in several sites across the country on Wednesday, and Comelec Chair Jose Melo pronounced the experiment a success. But three and a half months before the May 10 polls, public anxiety over the country’s first nationwide and fully automated elections continues to persist.

Public sentiment is solidly behind the automation initiative, which promises to eliminate many opportunities for election fraud and to determine the winning presidential candidate in a matter of days. But several delays in the Comelec’s original schedule have stoked public anxiety, and fueled calls for a timely return to manual elections.

A question raised more than once during Wednesday’s joint congressional oversight committee hearing thus deserves to be asked again: When is the Comelec’s critical period? That is to say, where is the point of no return? What is the election agency’s real deadline for deciding whether to hold full or partial manual elections?

At the oversight committee hearing on Wednesday, Melo said it was all systems go for automation. “I’m very confident that we will be able to automate because almost all the precinct count optical scan machines are already here. The batteries are already here and so are the laptops and marking tests. Everything, except for the balance of the PCOS machines,” Melo told reporters.

Loren stands by Villar

from Journal by Bernadette E. Tamayo
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/national/1929-loren-stands-by-villar.html

COME hell or high water, Sen.Loren Legarda will not abandon her “president,” Sen.Manuel Villar, Jr.

Legarda, Villar’s running mate, said the C-5 road scandal involving Villar won’t hurt their campaign.

“I don’t think it is affecting the campaign of Sen.Villar. Si Manny mahal na mahal siya ng tao. Magtutulungan kami. Ako ang taong may paninidigan. Ako ‘yung taong hindi nang-i-iwan. Ito ay base sa ating konsensya,” Legarda told reporters.

She is one of 11 senators who signed a re-solution exonerating Villar from charges that he benefited from the C-5 road extension project.

Asked if Villar sought her help to defend him in the Senate, Legarda said no. “He gives me my free will. Hindi niya ako pina pag-absent. My president is not demanding at all. Hindi nakikialam sa trabaho ko. He’s a broad minded person.”

Senate rumble

from Phil. Star SKETCHES By Ana Marie Pamintuan

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=544774&publicationSubCategoryId=64

Long before the Senate resumed session after the Christmas break, people had already formed their opinions on the C-5 controversy that is hounding the candidacy of Sen. Manuel Villar.

What his supporters want is for the issue to go away, which it will not; the charges, and Villar’s reaction to the controversy, will be remembered all the way to Election Day.

The damage has been done to the Villar camp. What his critics and enemies want will merely be icing on the cake: an official censure, which Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile will reportedly try to swing in a last-ditch effort next week.

Even if Enrile fails, all that Villar’s rivals need to do is keep reminding voters about the controversy, and see if it will make a dent in his ratings.

Villar can only hope that negative campaigning, regardless of whether or not the accusations are true, will only go so far in this land of cynics who think politicians are all the same dogs with different collars. There are also voters who believe that a candidate either sells his virtues or, in the absence of any, tries to look good by making his rivals look bad.

It remains to be seen whether bringing down Villar will improve the sagging ratings of the standard-bearer of Enrile’s party, Joseph Estrada. The party of a convicted plunderer is not in the best position to be a champion of good governance or ethical conduct, and Enrile has a credibility problem dating back to the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos.

Campaign time

from Malaya

http://www.malaya.com.ph/01292010/eddahli.html

I’M thinking politics from having received an invitation to a political powwow--Manila Polo Club in Makati tonight, Friday, January 29, at 6 o’clock.

Former congressman Gilbert Remulla invited me to his fundraising party, which got me to thinking about his senatorial bid on May 10. Remulla is the spokesman of the Nacionalista Party, whose presidential standard bearer for May 10 is Senator Manny Villar. Gilbert Remulla ran and won in the Congressional elections of May 2001 and 2004 representing the 2nd district of Cavite.

One of the youngest members of Congress, Remulla’s portfolio shows noteworthy legislations: Republic Act 9165 Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Republic Act 9287 or The Act Increasing the Penalty for the Illegal Numbers Game. He had pending a number of bills in Congress, which include House Bill No. 185 seeking the abolition of the Sangguniang Kabataan and replacing it with a youth representative; House Bill No. 2452 which I believe Remulla filed before Sen. Enrile looked into the cellular phone abuses and the need to lower the cost of usage.

Remulla’s House Bill No. 5310 addresses the serious problem of minimizing the use of plastic bags and styrofoam disposables. These nonbiodegrasdables sit in the dumps for decades. These will dissentegrate way into the distant future, and exude its t fumes ioxic fumes into the atmosphere to be inhaled by our grandchildren in their old age.

Another one of Remulla’s advocacies for the people is population management and control, which I support wholeheartedly. Sensible, intelligent Filipinos believes using condom to avoid too frequent pregnancies among the very poor. And the use of condoms is not a mortal sin leading to eternal hell.

Gibo’s credentials

from First Crack by Fel V. Maragay (Manila Standard Today)
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideOpinion.htm?f=2010/january/27/felmaragay.isx&d=2010/january/27

If the country’s president were elected by participants in political forums, Lakas-Kampi standard bearer Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr. would emerge as the runaway winner. Teodoro has been wowing the audiences in the live debates with his rivals in the presidential derby organized by various groups. At 46, he is the youngest among the front running presidential contenders. He has stood out in every forum because of his wit, intelligence, deep grasp of issues, eloquence and vision of governance. He is also perceived as a man of integrity who has never been linked to any scandal in government.

As a public servant, Teodoro earned a reputation for frugality and prudence in the use of resources. He imbibed this virtue from the examples of his father, the late Gilberto Teodoro Sr. who, as administrator of the Social Security System, safeguarded the funds and assets of the SSS with unequaled zeal and was the only official of the Marcos authoritarian regime who resisted the attempts of then First Lady Imelda Marcos to dip her fingers into the pension fund of private workers for her extravagant projects.

It’s no wonder that Teodoro makes it a point to attend every political forum no matter how tight his campaign schedule may be. At this stage of the contest, he may be trailing behind Senators Benigno Aquino III, Manuel Villar and former President Joseph Estrada. But at the rate he is upstaging them in the debates, he is making the voters rethink their preferences and switch their support to him and away from his rivals. The former defense chief knows that the best way to sell himself as a candidate is to engage in face-to-face encounters with his adversaries while the voters are watching inside the auditorium or via television.

That is his unique and greatest advantage.

'Comelec unlikely to reverse ruling on Estrada's candidacy'

by Jose Rodel Clapano (The Philippine Star)
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=544540&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is not likely to reverse its ruling allowing former President Joseph Estrada to run in the May presidential elections, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said yesterday.

Rodriguez said officials and members of Estrada’s political party, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), are not bothered by the possibility that Comelec will reverse its Jan. 20 ruling dismissing petitions to disqualify Estrada from running in the forthcoming elections.

“I don’t think former President Estrada is bothered. I am also not bothered,” said Rodriguez, a member of PMP

The Comelec said it has received the motion for reconsideration filed by lawyer Evillo Pormento.

In the Jan. 20 ruling of the Comelec‘s 2nd Division chaired by Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer, the poll body dismissed the petition of Pormento and lawyers Mary Lou Estrada and Elly Pamatong to disqualify Estrada “for utter lack of merit.”

'Confident' Gordon irked by question

from SUNSTAR Davao
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/confident-gordon-irked-question

A “CONFIDENT” presidential bet lashed at a reporter Tuesday when asked if he is using the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) for his election campaign.

"Shame on you. Shame on you. I consider the Philippine Red Cross sacred. My mother spent 63 years on Red Cross, ako 43 years," Gordon said.

He, however, told the reporter that "he wasn't mad" but was slightly offended.

Gordon said "his record should speak for itself."

The presidential candidate and his running mate, former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Bayani Fernando, paid a courtesy visit to City Council Tuesday to praise Davao for having given the biggest amount of donation for typhoon victims in Luzon last year.

Gordon, as PNRC chair, expressed gratitude to the local government for having donated P10,480,000 in cash for the benefit of victims of the typhoons and the great flooding that ensued after, affecting several cities in Luzon.

Irresponsible, says NP camp of Aquino’s ‘no new tax’ plan

by HANNAH L. TORREGOZA (Manila Bulletin)

http://mb.com.ph/articles/240579/irresponsible-says-np-camp-aquino-s-no-new-tax-plan

The camp of Sen. Manuel Villar, Jr. Wednesday dismissed as “irresponsible” the statement of Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III who earlier vowed not to impose new taxes should he be elected president.
 

“It is an irresponsible statement from someone who does not know what he is getting into. He (Aquino) is simply catering to the gallery,” Suplico said.

Suplico branded Aquino’s statement as “one of the most destructive words in the history of presidential politics.”

“A president needs funds to run the government. He can either raise taxes or rely on borrowings,” said Suplico, NP’s congressional candidate for Iloilo’s 5th district.

Osmeña 'no-show' at LP slate launch

by KRIS BAYOS (Manila Bulletin)
http://mb.com.ph/articles/240572/osme-a-noshow-lp-slate-launch

Senator Sergio Osmena III Wednesday boycotted the formal launching of the Liberal Party's 12-man senatorial slate for the May 2010 national elections where he is a guest candidate.

Osmena was absent during the LP's concert treat for students and professors of the Philippine Normal University in Manila Wednesday even if he is part of the party's senatorial lineup. In fact, the initial of his surname is part of the slate's mnemonic slogan "SLAMAT LORRRD."

Claiming that their pro-change slate is a God sent, "SLAMAT LORRRD" stands for LP's Sonia Roco, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, Neric Acosta, Martin Bautista, Alex Lacson, TG Guingona, Yasmin Busran-Lao, Serge Osmena, Ruffy Biazon, Ralph Recto, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Franklin Drilon.

Unlike Lim, who is still detained and was represented by his wife Aloy and daughter Aika, Osmena has sent nobody to speak for him at the slate launch where Recto will be present.

Osmena was reportedly thinking about breaking away from the LP senatorial slate because of Recto's entry but according to Rep. Biazon, that is far from happening anymore.

Teodoro abandons reproductive health bill

By TJ Burgonio (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100127-249788/Teodoro-abandons-reproductive-health-bill

MANILA, Philippines—Gilbert Teodoro offered no apologies on Wednesday for abandoning the reproductive health bill, and even proposed granting conditional cash transfers to poor couples employing the so-called natural methods of birth control.

The administration standard-bearer found himself defending his and his wife's decision to withdraw support from the controversial measure before doctors and medical students at a forum at the University of the Philippines in Manila.

At the forum "Make Health Count,'' Teodoro explained that the debate over the measure in the House of Representatives had become so "acrimonious'' that the stakeholders totally forgot about the problem of population.

"The big debate is whether or not the government can shape a moral choice. And that is the argument of the Church. That the government should not actively advocate for making a moral choice. The debate stopped there,'' he said.

‘Fitness for office, not winnability’

from Opinion (The Manila Times)
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/10293-fitness-for-office-not-winnability

Qualification for public office, not winnability or perceived winnability, is the intelligent gauge for choosing a candidate, said the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. The CBCP’s 100th Plenary Assembly opened in Manila Sunday to discuss affairs of the Church and the nation. The assembly, considered the highest decision-making body of the CBCP, issued a two-page pastoral letter urging the people to vote wisely, looking at fitness for office, not poll surveys and political advertisements.

The letter urged the faithful to resist the glamour of winnability, as suggested by the popularity surveys, and vote for men and women who could improve the national life and ameliorate the lot of the masses.

“Winnability is not at all the criterion for voting. The vote you cast will be a vote for the good of your children’s future. Serve the common good with your precious vote,” said part of the pastoral letter.

Addressing the candidates, the bishops urged the political parties to campaign on principled platforms, solutions and issues, not on muckraking and entertainment.

The good bishops have articulated anew, clearly and simply, what thoughtful Filipinos have counseled the public: choose their leaders on the basis of fitness for office, not on popularity, celebrity, name recall, false promises and the achievements of their parents—all of which translate into “winnability” in snapshot, impressionistic and often wrongly premised surveys.

All elections are local

from To the Point by Emil Jurado (Manila Standard Today)
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideOpinion.htm?f=2010/january/26/emiljurado.isx&d=2010/january/26
 

The Cory fanatics are moving heaven and earth to have the Vatican declare former President Cory Aquino “blessed” soon, and then a saint in five years’ time.

This beats the fate of Joan of Arc, who was declared a saint after 400 years and St. Bernadette of the Miracle of Lourdes after 200 years. My gulay, Mother Teresa is not even a saint yet!

I can’t judge the moral character of a person—only God can. But how can we forget the Hacienda Luisita massacre of seven and the Mendiola massacre of 13; the Kamaganak Inc., the takeover of the Lopas of no less than 37 corporation suspected of having ties with the late dictator Marcos; the illegal importation of “Simbas” from London; the grant of tax exemption to Shell when the Malampaya gas exploration started (it now amounts to P70-billion); and the illegal sale of that prized Union Square property in San Francisco where friends and relatives of Cory went laughing all the way to the banks?

Blessed Cory and then Santa Cory? Santa Banana!

Duterte, Erap discuss Mindanao peace

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Villar to pursue Bataan coastal road to Roxas Blvd.

by Mart T. Supnad (Manila Bulletin)
http://mb.com.ph/articles/240414/villar-pursue-bataan-coastal-road-roxas-blvd

BALANGA CITY, Bataan — Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Senator Manny Villar assured Bataeños that he will push for the construction of the Bataan Coastal Road that spans from Roxas Boulevard in Manila to this province.

Addressing huge crowds of newly recruited leaders and members of the NP in Bataan over the weekend in this component city, Rep. Cynthia Villar, who represented her husband Sen. Villar, said that the road project was assured by the senator to bring Bataan closer to Metro Manila.

The proposal to construct the coastal expressway has long been proposed by local leaders here but lack of funds prevented them from doing so.

Once the project pushes through, travel time from Bataan to Metro Manila via the coastal road will only take probably more or less one hour, shortening the travel time by land by almost half. Usually, travel time from here to Manila takes more than two hours.

During the gathering of political leaders and members of NP, hundreds of newly recruited leaders representing all towns of the province and the City of Balanga took their oath before Mrs. Villar.
Senator Villar is considered a native of Bataan since his mother is from Orani town, a vote-rich town in the first district.

Nardi David, local political leader of the NP here, expressed optimism that Villar and his party will win by landslide due to the senator’s popularity among the Bataeños brought about perhaps by his active mingling with the people from all walks of life here, not to mention the various projects he had funded in Bataan.

Joining the party was Mrs. Pong Querubin, who represented her husband detained Marine Col. Ariel Querubin who is running for senator under the NP party

Because of Chinkee's book

from CTALK by Cito Beltran (The Philippine Star) Jan 27, 2010

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=544165&publicationSubCategoryId=64

We all have a bias, some stronger than others.

If you happen to be above 50 years old, like me, or someone with dual citizenship status (a Filipino citizen who is also a Senior citizen), chances are you will not be inclined to listen to the advice of people half your age.

If that’s not enough, you will probably have second thoughts about buying and reading a book written by a local author who we generally refer to as “wet behind the ears”.

Recently I made a decision to fight my bias towards young “whipper snappers” bold enough to write a book about financial wisdom. For someone who’s not much of a reader this was harder than cleaning the latrine.

The challenge came my way when my friend Chinkee Tan sent me a copy of his latest book: For Richer For Poorer which I quickly placed by the stairway, until I could find a place to hide it or until it fell into the “Shark Tank” by accident.

So shoot me! That’s why I started with “bias” remember? Well the book never fell in the tank. To top it all, Chinkee must have realized that he sent me an unsigned copy so he sent me a second copy again.

Gibo wins big in mock elections in Cebu forum!

from Shooting Straight by Bobit S. Avila (The Philippine Star) Jan 27, 2010
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=544167&publicationSubCategoryId=67

Last week was a very busy week for Cebuano journalists because there were a lot of things going on in Cebu like that Environmental Tourism Forum with former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) at the Marco Polo or the Presidential Forum dubbed “Choices and Voices for 2010”. But above all, what kept us busy was the arrival and funeral for our dear friend, the late Press Sec. Cerge M. Remonde, whose remains arrived via a C-130 Air Force plane Friday noon and we brought him to the Malacañang sa Sugbo, where later in the evening, the Cebu media held a necrological service for Cerge. All his close friends, including this writer, spoke about the years we had together with Cerge during our younger days.

Early Saturday morning, 28 big bikers from the Star Touring Group, Cruizers, Cebu Island Riders and Easy Riders Club escorted his funeral cortege to his hometown in Argao 67kms from Cebu City in what bikers called a great ride because the weather was very cloudy, yet it didn’t rain. No, Cerge was not a biker, though I would tell him stories of our great rides. But when I texted my brother Bing Avila if his group would escort Cerge to Argao, 28 riders found it an honor to escort his body on very short notice.

Arriving in Argao was quite emotional because 10 kms from the town, the national road was already festooned with white buntings and students lined up bearing placards, saying “We love you Cerge, we’ll miss you Cerge.”

They all lined up all the way to the ancestral home of Cerge, which was not far from the Diosdado Macapagal Cultural and Sports Center that he helped construct. His remains stayed overnight in that facility and the following day, Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Vice-Pres. Noli de Castro attended his funeral in what I believe was the biggest funeral Cebu had ever seen.

It was the first time I can recall that the President and Vice-President came to Cebu for a funeral. Indeed, Cerge Remonde was larger than life and from being a simple boy in Argao, he rose from the ranks of Cebu media and into the hallowed halls of Malacanang, but he died at his peak. Now he is back in his hometown in Argao, amongst his kin for his eternal repose.

* * *

Between escorting the remains of Cerge and his necrological service that Saturday evening, I had the time to attend the Presidential Forum dubbed “Choices and Voices for 2010” where Cebuanos were able to hear the Presidentiables: Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Sen. Richard Gordon, Sen. Manny Villar, Bro. Eddie Villanueva, former Pres. Joseph “Erap” Estrada and former Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro Jr. speak before a great cross section of Cebu society, businessmen from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cebu Business Club. Also in attendance were members of the academe and a lot of students from the various schools of Cebu.

Teodoro vows to strengthen maritime security

by Jaime Laude (The Philippine Star) Jan 27, 2010
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=544238&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro vowed to strengthen maritime security agreements with neighboring states since the Philippine Navy still has no capability to patrol and secure the country’s southern backdoor.

Teodoro was referring to Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines-East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) security agreement, which would help secure the country’s borders.

He called for border patrol agreements involving the BIMP-EAGA nations, saying that “our weakness in this area can be compensated for by our allies.”

“This is a sensible option,” Teodoro told a press briefing in Davao City where he said that the Navy is seven years away from securing a truly modern ship.

At present, the Navy is dependent on Coast Watch South, a security scheme supported by the US and Australia to monitor maritime activities in the Southern Philippines.

Teodoro said the Navy’s small fleet could not totally protect our maritime borders from poachers and smugglers.

Rosales urges public to elect God-fearing, morally upright candidates

from The Philippine Star

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=543969&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales called yesterday on the Filipino people to elect God-fearing and morally upright candidates.

Speaking to reporters at the start of the 2nd National Congress of the Clergy (NCC), Rosales said many people remain apprehensive about the automated elections.

“Someone told me that the automation is just the counting (of the ballots), but what is important is that we discern in choosing our leaders... the names that you would bring to the (polling) precinct, you should assess and study carefully their qualifications,” he said.

Rosales said it would be pointless for the automated machines to be working well while people are selling their votes.

“They would then complain about the bad government services and end up marching toward EDSA,” he said.

A decade of truth?

by Nestor Mata (Malaya) Jan 26, 2010
http://www.malaya.com.ph/01262010/edmata.html

HAVE WE survived a low dishonest decade of the corrupt and faux presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?

Can the next decade redeem our hopes for a decade of truth, of national unity and economic progress, of bipartisanship in politics? Or, are we so overly optimistic that the polls in May would finally put an end to the dirty political tactics, the mudslinging, the character assassination, the lies and half-truths which now mark the hotly-contested race to the Presidency?

The official campaign has not even started, and yet we are already seeing the political exchanges of baseless charges, insinuations, invectives, diatribes and falsehood, among the candidates for the presidency, the vice-presidency and the senate and their partisans, especially between the two leading presidential aspirants Manny Villar and Noynoy Aquino.

Manny Villar, the standard bearer of the Nacionalista Party, appears to be the main target of political detractors who are claiming that he is the "secret presidential candidate" of Gloria Arroyo.

Apparently, this is based on perceptions that he was not hitting the GMA administration at all. But a quick check of the congressional archives clearly show that when Villar was Senate President, major probes of corruption cases against Arroyo prospered. These cases included the "Hello Garci" electoral scandal and the ZTE-NBN controversy.

‘Coward’

by Lito Banayo (Malaya) Jan 26, 2010
http://www.malaya.com.ph/01262010/edbanayo.html

WHAT would you do when someone calls you, publicly and openly, a "coward"? What ought you do if the one assailing your character is a fellow senator?

Which brings to mind the legendary politician and statesman, Jose Bayani Laurel Jr., eldest son of the wartime president. Tio Pito with whom I was extremely privileged to be associated, was not only an astute political player, but more so, a principled man with the courage of his convictions.

After years of martial law, when it became quite clear that the allegedly "noble" ends of authoritarianism were being abused, and after Marcos had declared his Kilusang Bagong Lipunan not just a movement but a political party, effectively condemning the NP and LP into political limbo, Speaker Laurel spoke openly against authoritarian rule. "Sobra na. Nais pa yatang maugatan sa kapangyarihan" (This is too much. He wants to be rooted in power), said the man who swore Ferdinand Marcos into the Nacionalista Party and from there win the presidency from Diosdado Macapagal in 1965.

In a speech at the Manila Hotel, Speaker Laurel perorated against "the narcissistic effects of absolute power", and thereafter, he and his younger brother Salvador (Doy), began to unite the opposition under a political umbrella called UNIDO. I became UNIDO’s backroom worker; by title, its deputy secretary-general.

Toward an opaque leadership

from The Daily Tribune (Jan 26, 2010)
http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20100126com1.html

As the Senate committee of the whole (Scow) tackles its report on the C-5 controversy which found Sen. Manuel Villar guilty of unethical conduct, the Nacionalista Party presidential candidate said he will not be attending that session, since it is all about politics, and not about the truth.

He was quoted as saying: “Why should I face them? I don’t see any relevance on the truth. I have answered the issues on the floor and I have granted more than a hundred interviews. It’s on the Web site, and I have also placed an advertisement regarding that.”

Villar maintained that the inquiry into his alleged involvement on the C-5 road project was biased because those who composed the panel are either presidential bets or senators who backed out from the presidential race and are instead running for lower posts or for reelection.

He insisted that this Scow report is all about politics, saying that “they can’t force me to do what they want me to do,” stressing that he won’t dignify the Scow report with an answer.

This is a position Villar has taken from the very start. Instead of answering the issues raised at the Senate forum, he chooses to hold press conferences and interviews and places advertisements to give his side of the controversy.

Pauper

from Theres The Rub by Conrado de Quiros (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Jan 26, 2010

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100126-249478/Pauper

I made a couple of predictions about Erap (Joseph Estrada’s nickname) which turned out to be right for the wrong reasons.

The first was my prediction in 1998 that the best position to run for was vice president. My reason (I did not mean it entirely in jest) was that given Erap’s exceptional fondness for Blue Label and lechon (roast pig), he might not last his term. The vice president would have more than one foot in the door all that time. It turned out to be true for reasons I never expected. Erap truly did not last his term, but not because of Blue Label and lechon, but because of the people and their power. An event whose ninth anniversary took place last week, but which Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was especially anxious to shove both feet inside the door in 2001, was especially anxious not to make the country remember in 2010.

The second was just half a year ago. That was before Cory Aquino died and Noynoy Aquino ran for president, and everyone was predicting Erap would not be allowed to run. Specifically, people (including several senators I spoke with) thought Malacañang would not allow Erap to run because if he won, he would exact his pound of flesh despite the presidential pardon. Two can play the game of saying one thing and doing another.

Noynoy, Manny, Erap and King David

from My Ad Hoc by Rene Q. Bas (The Manila Times)
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/10212-noynoy-manny-erap-and-king-david-

(This ad hoc column only appears whenever a scheduled column does not reach The Times before deadline.)

Former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada is absolutely right. Both current presidential frontrunner and runner-up should answer the conflict-of-interest and property-value overpricing accusations against them. This is from the perspective of ethics.

Former President Joseph Estrada is absolutely wrong. Both Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino 3rd and Sen. Manuel
“Manny” Villar Jr. should ignore the accusations. Giving an answer would only prolong the currency of the accusations. This is from the amoral, Machiavellian perspective of a prince of politics whose goal is to win, be the boss, the most powerful.

___

This makes me think of Matthew 6:24.

Childish arguments

from FRONTLINE by Ninez Cacho-Olivares (The Daily Tribune)
http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20100125com1.html

Amusing is the right word to describe two presidential canditates arguing over their survey numbers, and how they continue to spin them to their advantage.

The camp of Nacionalista Party top bet Manny Villar comes out with a Villar commissioned survey, alongside a press release saying that the survey numbers, separating him from Liberal Party’s top bet Noynoy Aquino, are now closer and that Villar is fast-catching up with Aquino in the surveys.

And there is of course that PR that says Villar has not lost momentum, as the December survey shows.

This was of course one way for the Villar camp to douse speculations as well as analyses that the Senate committee of the whole (Scow) report finding Villar guilty of unethical conduct and using his position to benefit him and his properties has had a negative impact on him.

The problem with this claim is that the survey was conducted before the Scow report surfaced.

The egotist

from Editorial (The Philippine Daily Inquirer)
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view/20100123-249070/The-egotist

MANILA, Philippines—The presidential bid of Joseph Estrada can be summarized in three words: it is about I, Me and Myself. He is the male counterpart of the faded silent movie-era star Nora Desmond in Billy Wilder’s classic film, “Sunset Boulevard.” It tells of a failed screen writer who gravitates to Desmond, who dreams of making a cinematic comeback. In the end she kills the screenwriter in a jealous fit, and ends up losing all touch with reality, thinking that the news crews covering the murder are a film crew that has begun filming her comeback role.

One of the Nora Desmond character’s famous lines is “I am big! It’s the pictures that got small.” In his mind, Joseph Estrada is still the big shot matinee idol, champion and idol of the masses; but the reality is it’s his fantasy of relevance that has enlarged over time even as his box office and electoral clout has diminished. This is not to say that the clout has evaporated totally or that he hasn’t retained his fan base. He obviously still does.

The surveys show him increasing his percentage but it needs to be asked if this is purely a function of his reclaiming his constituency, or more the interaction of official concessions and that constituency rallying because of these unexpected signs of official favor.

Prior to Estrada’s throwing his hat into the ring, the legal consensus was that the Constitution prohibited former presidents from seeking the presidency. This was a view we believe was widely shared by the public. The Palace, for its part, had tried to limit Estrada’s freedom of political action by holding over his head a condition in his pardon that stated he would give up political aspirations. But when the deadline for the filing of candidacies for 2010 approached, the Palace itself announced it had no intention of blocking his comeback plans.

What to expect from Noynoy

from BIZLINKS by Rey Gamboa (The Philippine Star)
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=543578&publicationSubCategoryId=66

His vision is simple, nothing fancy, nothing really new, and yet it seems doable only under a leadership of change and transformation, one that Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, the only son of two Philippine democratic icons, vows to pursue if elected as the country’s 15th president.

We are quite familiar with his story, which unlike his vision, is probably not that simple and fresh. A low-key, nearly 50-year-old scion of a rich, political family, Noynoy was thrust into the presidential ring after the entire nation mourned the death of his mother, ex-president Cory, everyone’s nurturing “tita” at the very least, and the closest to a queen this country ever had.

Noynoy, who had no grand ambitions in the 2010 elections, was by some mutual, unspoken agreement, suddently entrusted the role of ushering the nation into a regime of hope, change and progress.

To a people tired of a current established pattern of lying, cheating and stealing, Noynoy, by a growing consensus, is the agent of change that’s badly needed in government in this country.

With the forceful way political opponents have been drilling Noynoy’s supposed lack of experience and shallow track record, the presidential candidate still leads in the surveys, even by those his rivals commissioned.

Gibo's campaign vehicles

from COMMONSENSE by Marichu A. Villanueva (The Philippine Star) Jan 25, 2010
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=543632&publicationSubCategoryId=64

At the outset, let me do what my fellow opinion writer Cito Beltran did in his previous column: To issue a disclaimer. Before anything else, this column’s topic for today is in no way an endorsement of any specific candidates who are running in the coming national elections in May.

At this stage, it’s really too early to make up one’s mind on who to vote for from among the 10 presidential candidates, unless, one happens to be a loyal follower or a rabid supporter of a particular presidential bet. Nonetheless, let me just share with you certain observations and facts about some of them.

If you hadn’t noticed it yet, former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. is lately the most visible presidential candidate that one sees on the road. Reason: You can see Gibo’s life size photo dressed in his campaign green polo shirt. It comes with his campaign slogan: Talino at Galing, Posible printed in big, bold letters at the back of public utility buses plying Baclaran, EDSA, and other busy roads in Metro Manila. There may be provincial buses also bearing the campaign billboard of Gibo but I don’t know that for a fact.

Gibo’s campaign signs plastered on moving buses have apparently paid off, that another candidate found it effective, too. Senate president Juan Ponce-Enrile, who is up for re-election, followed Gibo’s bus campaign. Enrile also has a life size photo plastered at the back of several buses.