No-holds-barred forum

by Juliet Labog-Javellana (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100209-252093/No-holds-barred-forum

Madrigal steals show at PDI debate

MANILA, Philippines—Like the Filipino delicacy balut, the first Philippine Daily Inquirer presidential debate was not for the faint-hearted.

Pointed and witty queries ranging from the price of “galunggong” and salted eggs to Charter change and the budget deficit, sharp brickbats and a lively audience marked the event at the jampacked University of the Philippines Theater in Diliman, Quezon City Monday.

Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Richard “Dick” Gordon, Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal and Manny Villar, Councilor JC de los Reyes, environmentalist Nicanor “Nicky” Perlas, ex-Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro and evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva faced a tough grilling by nine panelists, who also read questions from Inquirer readers, and several members of the audience.

The forum lasted more than two hours and was aired live by dzBB, the AM radio station of GMA 7, which is the Inquirer’s election coverage partner.

Madrigal stole the show by sniping at Villar at every opportunity, blasting him for his extensive advertisements to his group’s boycott of the Senate’s last session day when senators were supposed to vote on the recommendation to censure him for the C-5 controversy.

Get ready for the May 10 polls

from Philippine Daily Inquirer

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/talkofthetown/view/20100206-251652/Get-ready-for-the-May-10-polls

MANILA, Philippines—The country will hold its first automated general elections on May 10, a political exercise that is causing anxiety among voters and civil society. The anxiety is understandable. Like in many things that people do for the first time, they have lots of questions about poll automation.

Can the Commission on Elections (Comelec) deliver the correct ballots to each of the 75,471 clustered precincts? The poll body is printing 1,631 sets of unique ballots.

Can voters use the voting machine in case of a power outage? Can a precinct get a backup machine should the machine assigned to it conk out?

Can the counting machine transmit data despite a weak cell-phone signal or absence of signal in the area? Can signal jammers stop or delay the transmission of results?

Will technical support teams be available in the polling areas to address problems that may be encountered with the counting machines?

If the Comelec pulls it off, results are expected within two hours at the local level and 36 hours at the national level. The transmission, consolidation of results and proclamation of winning candidates will be completed in just six days, according to the poll body.

Comelec comes up with campaign guidelines

by Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=547107&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - Three days before the start of the official campaign period for candidates in national polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued its guidelines on campaigning.

In Resolution 8758, the Comelec said that those running for president and vice-president are authorized to spend only P10 for every voter. Political parties, on the other hand, may only spend P5 for every voter.

Candidates for senators down to city/municipal councilors with political parties are allowed to spend P3 per voter. The parties are allowed P5 expense for each voter.

Independent candidates for positions other than president and vice president are allowed to spend P5 per voter.

“We are going to start the campaign period on Feb. 9 for national candidates,” said Comelec spokesman James Jimenez in a press briefing.

Those gunning for local positions may officially start campaigning on March 26. But the campaign period for both local and national polls ends on May 8.

Political networking site bares live chat for voters

from The Freeman
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=547164&publicationSubCategoryId=107

CEBU, Philippines - Country’s first socio-political networking site announces its live chat for voters to ask their candidates directly about their platforms and other issues.

Socio-political networking site Politicalarena.com promotes voter education through its Live Chat that allows voters to ask their candidates directly about their stand on certain issues, platforms, plans once elected, and other concerns.

“With less than one hundred days until the national elections, voters are becoming more eager to participate in activities that allow them to interact with candidates,” said Racquel Cagurangan, general manager of Politicalarena.com.

Inquirer debate at UP: 81 pointed questions, answers

by John Nery (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100206-251559/Inquirer-debate-at-UP-81-pointed-questions-answers
 

A GILBERT TEODORO SUPPORTER has wagered that Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III won’t show up for Monday’s first Inquirer presidential debate in 25 years.

The debate will be held on Monday, Feb. 8, at the UP Theater at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. It is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

“Basta pustahan tayo wala si Noynoy dyan haha (Let’s bet Noynoy won’t show up there),” IlDuce writes in the comment thread titled “The toughest presidential debate yet: The Inquirer presidential debate,” in the online PinoyExchange forum.

IlDuce would have lost because Noynoy, in fact, has accepted the invitation and reconfirmed his attendance.

Aside from Teodoro and Aquino, other presidential candidates, including a survey-resurgent Sen. Manny Villar, have already reconfirmed. (Only one of the nine invited candidates remains uncommitted as of press time.)

30% of RP has no reliable cellphone signal—Comelec

by Kristine L. Alave (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20100204-251307/30-of-RP-has-no-reliable-cellphone-signalComelec

 

MANILA, Philippines—About 30 percent of the country have poor or unstable cellphone connectivity and will use satellite transmission in the May 10 elections, officials of the Commission on Elections and Smartmatic-TIM Corp. said.

“Yes, [30 percent have no connectivity] but it doesn’t mean that we cannot use PCOS [Precinct Count Optical Scan] there,” Larrazabal told reporters yesterday. The other 70 percent will be using the mobile networks as a mode of its transmission.

“Let me just point out that it doesn’t mean that these areas, this 30 percent, we can no longer transmit the results, we can still transmit the results using the satellite,” Larrazabal explained.

In areas where there is no cellphone connectivity, the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) will be used to transmit the results from the precincts to the canvassing centers.

Gordon’s luck in the stars but not in poll surveys

by Tina Arceo-Dumlao, Cathy C. Yamsuan (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100205-251372/Gordons-luck-in-the-stars-but-not-in-poll-surveys

MANILA, Philippines—If the stars are to be believed, Sen. Richard Gordon is the luckiest of the candidates seeking the presidency in May.

That’s because in the coming Year of the Golden Tiger, the “benefactor star” will smile on those born in the Year of the Rooster, like Gordon.

“The benefactor star means that there will be a lot of people who will be willing to help him achieve his goals,” feng shui practitioner Joseph Chau said Thursday at Mandarin Oriental hotel in Makati City.

The Hong Kong-based geomancer said the luck of the Rooster in the Year of the Golden Tiger was quite good. “If they are not too greedy, then it is sure that this year will be a stable and pretty good year for Roosters,” he added.

That’s welcome news for Gordon, who is faring poorly in opinion polls. In the latest nationwide survey conducted by the private polling firm Pulse Asia Inc. last month, only 1 percent of the respondents said that their preferred presidential candidate was Gordon.

GOD-FEARING KA BA? : Voters, candidates must answer 'laser question'

from The Freeman

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=546601&publicationSubCategoryId=107

CEBU, Philippines - To guide not only candidates but also the voters themselves on their decision come election time, and to make such credible, the Dilaab Foundation formally launched the Circles of Discernment for Elections (CiDe) movement yesterday at Betania Retreat House, barangay Lahug, Cebu City with the presence of Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

With the theme “Raising the tide CiDe by CiDe,” it is a movement trying to ensure credible elections by guiding voters towards their proper discernment and conscience of choosing the right leaders and to the candidates to be honest and sincere in their governance.

To the candidates, Archbishop Lagdameo quoted from the pastoral statement issued by the CBCP which read: “We ask the candidates, already at this point to start serving the nation by being honest and sincere in educating the people on the situation of our country in their campaign. They should not campaign to manipulate the perceptions of the people but to help them make good choices for the sake of the country. They are to present platforms rather than to attack others.”

To the voters, CBCP calls for wise exercise of their right to suffrage.

Comelec to hold mock elections in schools on Saturday

from The Philippine Star
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=546546&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will hold a mock election on Feb. 6 in nine schools across the country to simulate the actual election day.

In a press briefing, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said the mock polls would involve 6,909 registered voters who have been pre-selected.

“It encompasses the three major islands – Luzon Visayas and Mindanao… We’ll simulate the process of voting, counting, canvassing which includes transmission. In the field tests, the focus was transmission. Now it will be the whole process,” Larrazabal noted.

For Metro Manila, the mock polls will be held in New Era Elementary School in Tandang Sora Ave., New Era, Quezon City; Maharlika Elementary School in Maharlika Village, Taguig City and Gen. Ricardo Papa Memorial High School in Barangay Tuktukan, Tuktukan, Taguig City.

Church vows 10-million votes for Fernando

from Manila Bulletin
http://mb.com.ph/articles/241804/church-vows-10m-votes-fernando

Former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando, the vice presidential candidate of Bagumbayan Party, has received the endorsement of the Church Without Wall International (CWOW), a religious group with connection to 20,000 evangelical and Catholic churches in the country.

In a press statement, Archbishop John E. Ayudtud, the head of CWOW, said Fernando is the most qualified candidate for the position, saying there is no other man in political office like Fernando who cares genuinely for the people as evidenced by what he did to Marikina and Metro Manila.

Fernando was former mayor of Marikina City before he assumed the chairmanship of the MMDA.

Ayudtud said he believes that his strategy of “Bayani Evangelism” is an effective vehicle that would help the former MMDA chairman get elected as vice president. This can be achieved through person-to-person evangelization campaign which he called “Conversion-Duplication-Enlistment.”

“As pastors, we are trained to evangelize people, to accept Jesus Christ as personal savior. In the next three months, we will shift our evangelism work to put Fernando into office. Our battlecry in this parallel campaign is: Bayani Cares,” he added.

“I don’t have any doubt that through this strategy, with 100 pastors/workers duplicating exponentially daily up to the May 10 elections, that we will have 10 million voters in our database,” Ayudtud said.

Fernando is the running mate of Senator Richard Gordon under the Bagumbayan – Volunteers for the New Philippines Party.

Noynoy ‘bloody hands’ show in SCTex ‘massacre’

By Charlie V. Manalo (The Daily Tribune)
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20100204hed1.html

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino does not come to the presidential race with clean hands, as they have been bloodied by two massacres: The Hacienda Luisita massacre of the striking farmers and the “massacre” of the original Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex) project, shepherding its overprice while he and his family benefited from the project.

Rep. Crispin “Boying” Remulla, a critic of Aquino, bared at a press conference yesterday that two separate committees of both the Senate and the House established the fact that Noynoy Aquino used his influence as a legislator and served as the proponent of the SCTex project which directly benefited his family’s Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.

“The congressional hearings elicited the fact that Noynoy used his influence as a legislator not only to push the SCTex project, but specifically also the interconnection of Hacienda Luisita to it, at a stupendous cost to government and taxpayers.

“The net effect of Noynoy’s machination is that from its original cost of P18.7 billion in 1999, the SCTex project cost was adjusted from P18.7 billion in 2003, to P21 billion in 2004 and, by the time it got finished, the cost ballooned to a whopping P32.808 billion, or double the original price.”

At that time, the Aquinos, mother and son, were staunch allies and defenders of President Arroyo.

“Noynoy made sure he was present in most meetings related to the construction of SCTex. To add insult to injury and to show their disdain for the congressional committees investigating the SCTex scandal, Noynoy and the Cojuangcos ordered Luisita’s security men to bar congressmen from conducting an ocular inspection of the HLI road interchange.”

Villar ties Aquino in presidential race

Roxas pulls away in VP race 

By Veronica Uy (INQUIRER.net)
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100203-251069/Villar-ties-Aquino-in-presidential-race

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Less than 100 days before the May 10 general elections, candidates for president Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Manuel “Manny” Villar are now statistically tied, the January 2010 Pulse Asia survey showed.

The nationwide survey of 1,800 voting age Filipinos, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent, also showed Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II pulling away from his nearest rival and colleague, Loren Legarda.

The survey conducted January 22 to 26 showed that Aquino was the choice of 37 percent of the respondents and Villar of 35 percent of would-be voters.

Compared to the December 2009 survey, support for Nacionalista Party’s Villar improved by 12 percentage points while preference for Liberal Party’s Aquino and former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada declined by eight and seven percentage points, the media release on the survey said.

Only six percent do not have a preferred presidential candidate at the time of the survey.

Melo: Jammers no cause for alarm

by Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star) Updated February 03, 2010 12:00 AM

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=546258&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - There is no way that jamming devices could disrupt the holding of elections on May 10, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo said yesterday.

Melo said there are not enough jamming devices that could interfere with the transmission of voting results.

Melo told reporters that the so-called cell phone signal jamming devices are expensive and not everyone could afford them just to ruin this year’s vote.

“Our machines, right after voting, would immediately generate the first eight copies, then additional 22 copies to complete the 30 (copies) required. Even if you jammed (the transmission), we already have the evidence of the votes counted,” he said.

Melo said disrupting the transmission is not worth the effort since it does not give an assurance that those behind the move would emerge the winner.

“You’ll use jamming devices and yet, you don’t know if the results will favor you,” he said.

'Gibo' bares blueprint for RP economy

by ARIS R. ILAGAN (Manila Bulletin)
http://mb.com.ph/articles/241629/gibo-bares-blueprint-rp-economy

Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro unveiled Tuesday the blueprint for the country’s economic development as he vowed to seriously invest in infrastructure.

Speaking before the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce Inc. (FCCI), Teodoro said that delay in putting up roads, highways and bridges is costing the country billions of pesos in missed opportunities.

“If you stop a logical continuation of a needed construction project given inflation and given higher costs, a project delayed today will not get any cheaper in the future but more expensive. This is the biggest block or barrier to the competitiveness in the Philippines. Experts have told us that one major block is the lack of a long-term infrastructure program," Teodoro explained.

"How many more millions of pesos in losses in efficiency of travel time, fuel, lives will be lost because we cannot respond," Teodoro said, even as he proposed "a seamless system transportation" which would include a logical continuation of SLEX, SCTEX, NLEX and closing the gaps in transportation.

Teodoro, a bar topnotcher and Harvard trained lawyer, also reiterated his vision for linking the islands in the Visayas through bridges and tunnels. "Our (Asian) neighbors have it and there's no reason why we can't have it. It means to say we are too slow," Teodoro said.

"The planning for that must be laid now for the future. We should not only be thinking for now, think not only about the traffic today, but anticipate conditions 20, 30, 40 years from now. Let us stick to our urban plans study them because it could cost lives and cost efficiencies," he added.

A Teodoro presidency will work to reduce poverty by working to sustain a globally competitive economy that will continue to grow.

"To reduce, our strategy is to sustain GDP growth at 7-8 percent within the context of globalization. To do this, we have to expand foreign trade and investments," Teodoro said.

Comelec worried about cell phone jammers

by Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=545982&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday expressed concern over the reported arrival in the country of some 5,000 jammers of mobile phone signals.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the presence of the jamming devices is a cause for alarm for poll officials since these could be used to block the electronic transmission of votes from polling precincts to canvassing centers on election day.

“When you’re talking about 5,000 units of the same thing and considering the proximity of the elections, then you cannot help but be suspicious at this stage... it is only prudent that we be suspicious,” Jimenez said.

The Comelec had received information that the jammers had been smuggled into the country three weeks ago.

The agency is now coordinating with the Bureau of Customs about the reported smuggling incident.

Gibo, the best candidate

from Kung Sabagay ni Jake Macasaet (Abante)
http://www.abante.com.ph/issue/feb0210/op_jm.htm

Hindi na tayo makakapili ng kandidatong karapat-dapat manungkulan sa bayan habang ang isip natin ay sayang lamang ang iboboto kung ibibigay sa kandidato na hindi naman mananalo.

Ito marahil ang tunay na dahilan kung bakit patuloy ang pagkabulok ng liderato ng bansa sa mga nakaraang panahon. Ang ating hinahanap ay ang kandidatong mananalo. Iyong mga kandidatong sikat, pala­ging nakikita sa TV dahil malakas gumastos.

Ang laki ba ng gastos ang pa­latandaan ng kakayahang umugit ng bayan? Palagay ko hindi. Ang kakayahang gumastos ng malaki ay pagpapahayag na binibili ng isang kandidato ang boto ng bayan.

Puwera na lang si Noynoy Aquino na ang katangian ay pagiging anak ng bayani ng demokrasya – si Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. at si yumaong Pangulong Corazon Aquino – ang ibang kandidato ay matataas sa survey dahil malaki ang gastos at matagal ng naghahanda sa paglaban sa pagka-pangulo.

Pero kilala ba natin ang tunay nilang ugali at kakayahan? Hindi. Humahanga tayo sa kanila dahil malimit natin silang makita sa TV, marinig sa radio at mabasa sa diyaryo.

Noynoy’s threat

from Big Deal by Dan Mariano (The Manila Times)
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/10677-noynoys-threat

Supreme Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez has begged off from making a categorical stand on the debate over President Gloria Arroyo’s reported plan to appoint a successor to Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

Marquez was wise to do so. “It would be highly speculative on my part to issue an opinion,” he said at the Kapihan sa Sulo media forum Saturday.

Puno turns 70 on May 17 and would thus be required to retire from the bench.

By tradition, Marquez recalled, the successor to the top judiciary post is installed either a day before or on the day the outgoing chief justice retires.

Only in the case of Marcelo Fernan and Andres Naravasa was the turnover delayed—but by just three days, soon after the former decided to run for vice president in 1992.

In Puno’s case, the question of succession has become an emotionally charged spat—that diverts the public’s focus from more pressing and relevant issues.

Bawal ang pekeng kapitan

ni Rey Marfil (Abante - Tonite)
http://www.abante-tonite.com/issue/feb0110/news_story6.htm

Inirekomenda ni Sen. Richard ‘Dick’ Gordon na ipagbawal ng private shipping lines ang pagkuha sa serbisyo ng mga dispalinghadong tauhan at kapitan ng barko para masi­gurong ligtas ang mga pa­sahero.

Ayon kay Gordon, chairman ng Senate blue ribbon committee, napatunayan sa ginawang pagdinig sa paglubog ng M/V Baleno 9 ang kapabayaan ng private shipping lines sampu ng mga opisyal ng Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Aniya, pinakamala­king pagbabagong dapat gawin ng gobyerno ang implementasyon ng international standards sa domestic shipping, katulad ang pag-upgrade sa level of standards sa mga private shipping lines.
Bilang solusyon, inirekomenda ni Gordon ang pagbabawal sa mga private shipping lines na kumuha ng hindi sertipikadong kapitan na idinaan lamang sa experience ang pagtitimon ng barko.

Binay tops MB Online VP poll

By ERICKSON BECO (Manila Bulletin)

http://mb.com.ph/articles/241080/binay-tops-mb-online-vp-poll

Makati Mayor and Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan vice presidential bet Jejomar “Jojo” Binay leads five other vice presidential candidates in a survey recently held by the Manila Bulletin Online.

The said survey, which polled a total of 49,935 votes as of 2 p.m. of January 30, 2010, asked online visitors “Who will you vote for vice president in the May, 2010 elections?” It had Binay ahead of everybody else with 53 percent of the votes.

Binay was followed by former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando of Bagumbayan-Volunteers for a New Philippines, 20 percent; Senator Manuel Roxas of the Liberal Party, 19 percent; former Optical Media Board (OMB) Chairman Edu Manzano of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, 5 percent; and Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, 3 percent.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential bet Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. emerged the top vote-getter in MB Online’s previous poll that asked “Which presidential candidate for the May 2010 elections is most capable of handling the duties as the Philippines' next leader?”

Teodoro edged out cousin and initial poll favorite Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III as he amassed 45 percent of the survey’s total votes. Aquino trailed closely with 39 percent.

Readers are asked to participate in the upcoming poll about trust in the automated election process.

DLSU mock election: Teodoro in runaway victory over Noynoy

by Charlie V. Manalo (The Daily Tribune)
http://www.tribune.net.ph/metro/20100201met1.html

“Green” is fast spreading as the color of college campuses — at the rate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. is topping mock presidential elections in most of them.

The last to join the “green” mania is De La Salle University where green is not just DLSU’s official color in the UAAP but the dominant political statement as well of its students in this presidential election year.

DLSU students went overwhelmingly “green” last Friday in a mock election that gave Teodoro, whose campaign color is green that signifies hope, another runaway victory over survey frontrunner Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino continuing his winning streak as the favorite  presidential candidate of the youth sector on campus.

Buoyed up by the surge of support from students, whose involvement in the presidential campaign is likely to reach historic highs, Lakas-Kampi-CMD national president, Sarangani Gov. Migz Dominguez, said “what we are seeing is a groundswell of support for Teodoro” that could reach its peak in time for the May presidential elections.