‘KULANG SA KALYO’ Why Escudero all the way for Binay, not Roxas

By Cathy C. Yamsuan (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Link: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100423-265949/Why-Escudero-all-the-way-for-Binay-not-Roxas

MANILA, Philippines—“Kulang sa kalyo,” Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero says of Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.

In plain talk, Roxas is a spring chicken, rather than a fighting cock.

That’s why, Escudero said in a television interview Thursday, he had decided to support Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, running mate of ex-President Joseph Estrada.

Binay fits Escudero’s idea of a vice president.

“Not someone rich, not an ‘ilustrado,’ one who is courageous, a man of honor and a genuine member of the opposition,” he told ANC’s Karen Davila.

Asked if his support for Binay was aimed at thwarting Roxas’ anticipated run for the presidency in 2016, the 40-year-old Escudero said, “I am nearsighted.”

Vice presidential bets trade barbs in debate

By Aurea Calica – With Perseus Echeminada, Mike Frialde, Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) 

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.

To save republic in case of failure of elections’ Angara calls fore election of new Senate president

By Christine Avendaño (Philippine Daily Inquirer)  

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100321-260029/To-save-republic-in-case-of-failure-of-elections
a
MANILA, Philippines -- Saying that ``civilian authority'' should move early to save the duly constituted government from a possible failure of the May 10 polls, Senator Edgardo Angara called for the election of a new Senate president among the senators serving until 2013.

He also sought for the Church and business community to use their ``prestige and moral influence'' in averting an ``unprecedented'' power vacuum after the elections.

Interviewed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer after he spoke on dzBB radio about the need for a ``civilian solution'' to the possible failure of the first ever automated polls in the country, Angara said that all 23 senators could meet and elect a new Senate president before the polls even if Congress was in recess for the election campaign.

``We can convene under our internal rules,'' Angara said in a phone interview.

On radio, Angara said there have been jitters on the possible takeover of the military should a failure of election occur because the country could be facing an ``unprecedented'' and ``unusual'' political situation brought about by a vacuum in the political leadership after June 30.

He said the president, vice president, Senate president and Speaker of the House have been set to step down from power midnight of June 30 and thus, there would be no ``interim'' president that can preside should the May 10 polls end up a failure.

KUMPLETOS RECADOS NA! ... sa failure of elections

nina DINDO MATINING, REY MARFIL, TINA MENDOZA, ROSE MIRANDA, JUN TADIOS at BOYET JADULCO (Abante)

http://abante.com.ph/issue/mar1910/news01.htm

Kumpleto na ang mga sangkap at lantad na rin ang mga senyales ng ‘failure of elections’ at pananatili ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa poder ng kapangyarihan dahil hindi ito mapapalitan sa Mayo 10 ng taong ito.

Ito ang pananaw ni Gabriela partylist Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan matapos bigyan ng Korte Suprema si Arroyo ng kapangyarihan na mag-appoint ng susunod na Chief Justice ng Korte Suprema ng bansa.

Ayon kay Ilagan, dahil sa desisyon ng Supreme Court, nakumpleto na umano ang lahat ng elemento sa pinangangambahang failure of election sa Mayo.

“It’s already complete. We’re just waiting the announcement of failure of election,” ani Ilagan sa panayam kahapon.

Ilan pa aniya sa mga ‘recado’ ng napipintong “failure of elections” ay ang pagtalaga ni Arroyo kay Gen. Delfin Bangit bilang bagong chief of staff ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Kasama na rin nito ang palpak o walang kasiguruhang automated election ang pagpasok ng mga pekeng partylist sa darating na halalan.

“Habang ang lahat ay naka-focus sa election, pinapwesto naman ni Presi­dent Arroyo. Ang susunod niya ay ang maging Prime Minister siya,” diin pa ni Ilagan.

Naniniwala naman si Anakpawis partylist Rep. Joel Maglunsod na sakaling magkagulo sa darating na eleksyon, tiyak umanong ang magiging unang kakampi ni Pangulong Arroyo ay ang Korte Suprema.

“Mukhang patungo tayo d’yan, kung magkakagulo o kaya ay may question about election results, no doubt ang SC ang unang kakampi ni President Arroyo,” pahayag ni Maglunsod.

Escudero backing Binay but not Estrada

Makati mayor and Escudero go a long way back

By Christian V. Esguerra (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Jan 18, 2010

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100118-247958/Escudero-backing-Binay-but-not-Estrada

MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero has thrown his support behind Partido ng Masang Pilipino’s vice presidential candidate, Makati Mayor Jejomar “Jojo” Binay, but is apparently not backing its standard-bearer, former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

In an interview with the Inquirer, Binay confirmed that Escudero, who backed out as standard-bearer of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) late last year, was joining his campaign, but added that it was “not a package deal”—meaning, Escudero made no commitment to support Estrada.

Escudero reportedly attended his first campaign meeting on Thursday, the day the Liberal Party faction led by ex-Manila Mayor Lito Atienza endorsed Estrada’s candidacy during a gathering at the Port Area.

“Yes, he is supporting my candidacy and I am very happy for that because we can learn a lot from him,” Binay said in Filipino, referring to Escudero’s experience during the presidential campaign for the late Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004.

“But it’s not a package deal,” he added, explaining that Escudero was not necessarily supporting Estrada’s bid as well.

Asked if reports were true that Escudero was backing Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III for president, Binay replied: “I don’t know. It’s precisely the reason why we have not decided on his actual role in the campaign. He might be helping another presidential candidate and it might eat up a lot of his time.”