'Don't be surprised if frontrunner loses'

(The Philippine Star)

Link:http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=572425&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - The race for the presidency is still wide open, Malacañang said yesterday.

Speaking to reporters, Press Undersecretary Rogelio Peyuan said Filipinos must not be surprised if the winner is not among the frontrunners in the surveys.
“Elections give us a lot of surprises,” he said.

Peyuan said figures from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed some 50 million registered voters nationwide, out of a population of about 92 to 94 million.

“It would be very safe for each and everyone to think and to always keep in mind that if there are about 50 million voters and 10 or 11 percent of them do not vote, as we experienced in the past, it would be hard for us to have faith in the surveys that have 900 respondents in Luzon, 600 in the Visayas and maybe another 600 in Mindanao. That would be very, very unfair to even presume and assume that that (surveys) is the sentiment of the people,” he said.

Peyuan cited the case of Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro Jr., who has not fared well in the surveys.

Villar protests tax on campaign spending

By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star)
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=559633&publicationSubCategoryId=63

SAGAY CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., who reportedly has spent the most in the ongoing campaign, is protesting the government’s tax collection on campaign spending.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which is carrying out the collection of the tax, has indicated that it would most likely miss its target collection of P1.2 billion for this May’s elections.

Villar said he could not see how the BIR can talk about missing its target when the basis for the collection of the campaign tax is questionable.

“The truth is, I don’t know how they can make this compulsory when we did not have this before,” Villar said in Filipino.

The BIR issued Revenue Regulation 8-09 last year which proposes a five-percent withholding tax on the campaign expenses of candidates running in the May elections.

The campaign tax is not imposed on the contributors, donors or candidates but on the suppliers who rendered services or products for the campaign.

The BIR also requires all political candidates to register with the BIR as withholding agents.

Villar could very well be the biggest campaign spender but he has stated that he has violated no laws.

“What basis are they using in setting their target when this was not present in the past elections? We have to first ensure that what they are doing is legal,” Villar said.

However, in spite of his position against the tax, Villar said that he has no intention of violating any laws.

“We will pay the taxes but we want to make it clear that we are protesting this. What we want is a clear interpretation of the law,” Villar said.

Meanwhile, Villar paid a visit to influential pastor Apollo Quiboloy in Davao City last Thursday to seek his “blessings” and forgiveness for failing to show up at the “Sukatan 2010” presidential forum that Quiboloy hosted last March 9.

“I am happy and full,” Villar told reporters after his dinner meeting with Quiboloy, leader of the religious group the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Villar said he made an error of judgment for not showing up at Quiboloy’s forum.

Quiboloy, for his part, said he accepted Villar’s apology.

“Manny was able to explain his side and even went to the extent of flying just to see me,” Quiboloy said. – With Edith Regalado

Aquino, Villar apologize for Davao forum no-show

by JP LOPEZ (Malaya)

http://www.malaya.com.ph/03112010/news4.html

KABACAN, Cotabato – Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manuel Villar yesterday apologized to religious leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy for his failure to attend the presidential forum Tuesday in Davao City.

The forum, organized by the Kingdom of Jesus Christ which was founded by Quiboloy, featured presidential bets former President Joseph Estrada, Gilberto Teodoro, Richard Gordon, Jamby Madrigal, Nicanor Perlas and Eddie Villanueva.

Aside from Villar, Liberal Party’s Benigno Aquino III also failed to attend the forum.

Aquino, in letter to Quiboloy, claimed he was advised by his doctor to skip traveling by air for two days due to a nasal ailment.

Villar was reported to have stayed at a nearby hotel in Davao City for the duration of the forum.

"Humihingi kami ng paumanhin subalit grabe talaga ang demand ng kampanya at nakita ninyo naman na kulang na kulang ang oras sa pag-ikot. Talagang hirap na hirap ang mga kandidato at talagang malakas ang pressure considering na dalawang buwan nalang ang nalalabi sa kampanya," Villar said in an interview after he arrived at the University of Southern Mindanao in this town.

Noynoy, Manny are no-shows; pastor fumes

by JP LOPEZ (Malaya)

http://www.malaya.com.ph/03102010/news5.html

DAVAO 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.

Who is Pastor Apollo Quiboloy?

by Jeffrey M. Tupas (Inquirer Mindanao)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100216-253439/Who-is-Pastor-Apollo-Quiboloy

DAVAO CITY—Pastor Apollo Quiboloy claims he was in bed shortly before the 2004 presidential election when “all of a sudden I saw a vision.” In the vision, he saw Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s face on the cover of a magazine.

It was “God’s will” that Quiboloy support her bid for the presidency, according to a video produced by the Sonshine Media Network International, media outfit of a religious group Quiboloy has founded.

Today, with the next presidential election barely three months away, Quiboloy is perhaps the most sought-after political endorser in this part of the country.

Candidates are trooping to the religious group’s sprawling compound at the foot of Mt. Apo to seek the blessings of the man who claims to be the “Appointed Son of God.” He also claims 6 million followers and owns his own cable TV company, a string of radio stations and two newspapers.

Davao sect draws top politicos

by Jeffrey M. Tupas (Inquirer Mindanao)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100216-253438/Davao-sect-draws-top-politicos

DAVAO CITY—It was a night of public contrition, forgiveness, sweet talk, and, of course, politics.

The occasion was the 25th Feast of the Tabernacles of the religious group called Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, and the main guests included deposed President Joseph Estrada, former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Sen. Richard Gordon—all presidential candidates—and vice presidential aspirant Perfecto Yasay.

The gathering in the group’s compound just beside the Davao International Airport on Sunday night—Valentine’s Day—was led by its influential Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and attended by about 30,000 members of his flock.

Former SEC chief apologizes to Estrada, admits civil society used him

Elite conspiracy in Erap ouster confirmed

by Gerry Baldo (The Daily Tribune)

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20100216hed1.html

Close to 10 years after the ouster of then sitting President Joseph Estrada through a coup d’etat, which was preceded by the collapse of the Senate impeachment trial deliberately done to trigger street protests, as the then political opposition and the elite civil society walked out of the Senate courtroom, former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman and Bangon Pilipinas vice presidential candidate Perfecto Yasay, the other day, admitted publicly in Davao City that the ouster of Estrada resulted from an elite conspiracy to topple the then sitting president.

Yasay was one of the candidates who showed up for the 25th anniversary of the Tabernacles of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Sunday, with a reported 30,000 in attendance, when he made the apology directed at Estrada.

Yasay surprised the crowd when he publicly apologized to the former president whom he said he had offended at the time he was head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Erap vows to dismantle private armies

from The Daily Tribune
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20100215hed6.html

Streets in Davao had to be closed owing to thousands of residents making up a massive crowd that had congregated at the Rizal Park where they stood waiting under the hot sun for former President Joseph Estrada to arrive and speak before them in a rally yesterday.

The former president, a charismatic political figure with whom the masses identify, continues to be wildly popular, especially in Mindanao.

Estrada has chosen to spend Valentine’s Day with the people of Davao.

The former president, who flew to Davao yesterday, vowed to dismantle the private armies and eliminate warlords from society should the electorate return him to Malacañang on June 30, 2001.

Peace and order is Erap's centerpiece program

By Jose Rodel Clapano (The Philippine Star)
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=549537&publicationSubCategoryId=63  

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Joseph Estrada said peace and order will be a centerpiece of his governance if he is elected president once more.

The standard-bearer of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino-United Opposition (PMP-UNO) made the pronouncement yesterday in reaction to the outbreak of violence in Cebu, Davao, and Cavite in the past 30 days.

He was reacting to the shooting of teacher Romeo Aguirre Duran in his classroom in Argao, Cebu, an alleged slay try on Buluan, Maguindanao Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu at the Gaisano Mall in Davao City, and the gunslaying of 14 people in Cavite.

“(These incidents) underscore the extremely bad state of peace and order our country suffers from today,” Estrada said.

Villar, Noynoy step up word war, Gibo mum

from The Manila Times
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/top-stories/11436-villar-noynoy-step-up-word-war-gibo-mum

Hundreds of kilometers apart, the perceived frontrunners for the presidency in the May 2010 elections kept up their attacks on each other on Friday.

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., the standard-bearer of the Nacionalista Party (NP), on Friday said that his strong push for the C-5 road extension project has helped make him more popular in vote-rich Cavite province, south of Manila.

“Of all the provinces in Southern Luzon, Cavite is the biggest beneficiary of C-5. Caviteños completely understand the project, that’s why they appreciate it,” he added.

During a campaign sortie Julugan barangay (village) in Tanza town, Villar said that if became president, he would also push for the completion of the Light Rail Transit 1 extension to the towns of Imus and Dasmariñas.

His audience chanted his name and that of his running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda, in a rally that was more lively than that in Calamba, Laguna province, on Wednesday.

Davao City’s influential pastor prays over Teodoro

by Jeffrey M. Tupas (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100211-252633/Davao-Citys-influential-pastor-prays-over-Teodoro

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—It all happened Thursday afternoon inside the prayer house, the holiest place in the sprawling “Prayer Mountain” in Barangay Tamayong here.

The prayer was only about two minutes short, but the happiness that it brought to the faces of those who were obviously anticipating it lingered even when they were already exploring the other areas of the prayer mountain.

They all had the reasons to celebrate— someone perceived to be politically influential and widely respected religious leader was the one asking God— he being the Son of God himself —to shower their presidential bet with blessings enough for him to become the country’s next president.

“Bless him because without your blessing there is nothing that we can do…I am praying for my friend’s victory—that he becomes the president of this country,” Pastor Apollo Quiboloy said.