6 senatorial candidates slugging it out for last 3 slots Philippine Daily Inquirer

Nine administration and three opposition candidates are leading the race for the Senate, according to the final preelection poll taken by the Social Weather Stations on May 2 and 3.

But those in the last three spots are not sure of still being there next Monday, Election Day.

One administration candidate and five opposition candidates are slugging it out for these last three spots.

The nine administration candidates are Team PNoy’s reelectionist Senators Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes IV, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and political newcomers Grace Poe and Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino.

The three opposition candidates are United Nationalist Alliance’s Nancy Binay, San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito and reelectionist Sen. Gregorio Honasan.

Fighting to wrest the last three spots from Angara, Trillanes and Honasan are Cagayan Rep. Juan Ponce Enrile Jr. (UNA), former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. (LP/Team PNoy) and former Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri (UNA).

Legarda still tops

Controversy swirling around Legarda (NPC/Team PNoy) involving underdeclaration of assets failed to dislodge her from the first place in the Top 12 of the latest SWS poll.

On May 2, self-styled public interest advocate Louis Biraogo accused Legarda of not declaring real property on Park Avenue, New York City, for four years.

Legarda denied the accusation, calling it “black propaganda” intended to pull her down from the top in the preelection polls.

Results of the latest SWS poll showed Legarda with 57 percent, 2 percentage points down from her April rating.

Legarda’s rating could be virtually unchanged from last month, considering the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Biggest gainer

Poe (Independent/Team PNoy), former chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, posted the most gain, with 45 percent, 6 percentage points up from her April rating.

Poe, who ranked fifth in the latest SWS poll, previously occupied the 10th to 11th spot.

Villar (Nacionalista Party/Team PNoy) suffered the biggest decline, garnering 44 percent, 5 percentage points down from her rating last month.

Villar slid from third to fourth place in April to sixth to seventh place in the latest poll.

The rest in the top nine spots saw minor changes from their April ratings, considering the poll’s error margin.

Trailing Legarda was Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (NP/Team PNoy, 50 percent), who also shed 2 percentage points from the April poll.

Newcomer

Political newcomer Nancy Binay (UNA) retained the third to fourth spot, with 48 percent, down by 1 percentage point from last month.

Tied with Binay in third to fourth spot was Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero (Independent/Team PNoy, 48 percent), up by 1 percentage point from his April rating that put him in the fifth place.

Along with Villar in sixth to seventh spot was San Juan City Rep. JV Ejercito (UNA, 44 percent), up by 1 percentage point from the previous poll, where he ranked seventh to eighth.

Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (PDP-Laban/Team PNoy) secured the eighth place with 43 percent, unchanged from his previous rating. His previous ranking, however, was seventh to eighth.

In ninth place was Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV (LP/Team PNoy), first cousin of President Aquino, who slid from sixth place last month, garnering 41 percent, down 3 percentage points from the previous poll.

Both in 10th to 11th place were Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (LDP/Team PNoy, 38 percent) and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (NP/Team PNoy, 38 percent).

The rear

At the tailend of the list of probable winners was Sen. Gringo Honasan (UNA), whose 37 percent rating was unchanged from last month’s poll, in which he placed 12th to 13th.

Although they failed to make it to the top 12, three candidates could still statistically figure in the top 12: Enrile Jr. (35 percent, 13th place), former Senator Magsaysay (33 percent, 14th to 15th place) and Zubiri (33 percent, 14th to 15th place).

Noncommissioned poll

For the noncommissioned poll, SWS asked 2,400 registered voters nationwide the question, “If the elections were held today, whom would you most probably vote for senator of the Philippines?”

Twelve of the 24 seats in Senate are at stake in midterm elections next Monday.

SWS said 44 percent of respondents chose a full slate of 12 candidates; 3 percent were either undecided or did not have an answer; another 3 percent had invalid ballots.—Lawrence de Guzman, Inquirer Research

Malaysia elections: Pasir Gudang MCA members quit council posts

By Chuah Bee Kim and Teoh Pei Ying
New Straits Times
Tuesday, May 07, 2013

JOHOR BARU - Thirteen Pasir Gudang MCA division members resigned from their state government posts yesterday in line with the MCA president's call for the party not to hold office in state and central governments if they win in less than 15 parliamentary seats in the 13th General Election.

Pasir Gudang MCA branch secretary Ang Ah Ngo said the 13 members tendered their resignation at noon yesterday. He said their letters would be handed over to the respective departments.

Those who resigned were members of the Johor Baru City Council, Johor Baru Central municipal council, Pasir Gudang municipal council, two community leaders from the MCA branches in Plentong and Masai, and a hospital visitors' board.

"We came to this decision following the results of the 13th General Election, which we fared worse than the 2008 general election.

"All the members are honouring the promise made by party president (Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek) who said that no member will hold a federal or state government post if the party secured less than 15 parliamentary seats," said Ang.

He said the decision was not made because of the defeat of its candidate, Tan Cher Pu, in the Johor Jaya state seat.

"We will still continue to serve the community through the party. As MCA members, we have to honour the word of our president.

"We also want to thank the state government and all those who have given us their support. We hope the state government will accept our resignation," he said.

Dr Chua had tweeted after the results of the election that he would not take up any posts in the government. He also said MCA members would do likewise and respect the voters' decision.

In Alor Star, Kedah MCA chief Datuk Chong Itt Chew said they, too, would not accept any political appointments or state government posts.

Survivor of Limo Fire 5 Describes What Happened

One of the survivors of a limousine fire that killed five people on a San Francisco Bay bridge is describing the terrifying moments — and disputing the driver's version of events of what happened when the limo burst into flames.

With a cut visible on her face, an emotional Nelia Arellano told San Francisco's KGO-TV that she yelled at the driver to stop the car, but he "didn't want to listen."

When the driver, Orville Brown, did finally stop, Arellano says he did nothing to help the women get out of the burning car after he exited.

Brown has said that, at first, he misunderstood what one of the passengers in the back was saying when she knocked on the partition between the passenger area and the driver and complained about smelling smoke.

Brown says he helped the survivors escape through the partition.

———

Information from: KGO-TV.

INC says it still has no list of senatorial bets to endorse (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) still has no list of senatorial candidates it intends to endorse.

The office of INC spokesman Bienvenido Santiago said as of yesterday afternoon, the INC has not made any announcement as to the names of senators to be supported.

However, it is still possible executive minister Eduardo Manalo would make an announcement within the week.

The INC has reportedly between three million to 10 million members worldwide.

A radio station has reported that the INC has thrown its support behind seven members of Team PNoy and five from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

The seven Team PNoy candidates are reportedly Aurora Rep. Edgardo Angara, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chair Grace Poe, Senators Loren Legarda, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Alan Peter Cayetano, and former lawmaker Cynthia Villar.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

The five UNA candidates are reportedly San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito, former senator Richard Gordon, Nancy Binay, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, and Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile.

The INC reportedly prefers former President Joseph Estrada for mayor of Manila, over Mayor Alfredo Lim.

In Quezon City, the INC reportedly picked the six lawmakers running under the Liberal Party.

Ejercito remains hopeful that he would get the endorsement of the influential INC.

“I fervently hope and pray for the INC’s endorsement,” he said.

Angara said he would wait for the official announcement from the INC.

“One thing for certain is that all 33 candidates for the Senate are hoping for their endorsement,” he said.

UNA senatorial candidate Jack Enrile appealed yesterday to the “conscience and independent” voters as the campaign ends this week.

“Our voters are becoming more intelligent, independent and conscience-led because of the advance of education, the expanded coverage of social and professional media, and the growing patriotism among our young voters,” he said.  – Evelyn Macairan, Paolo Romero

Cops seize firearms, ammunition from Negros mayor's house

Police seized a cache of high-powered firearms and ammunition from the residential compound of a Negros Occidental town mayor during a predawn search Thursday.

The Philippine National Police used a search warrant to inspect the compound of Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno Peña, radio dzBB reported.

Peña was not at home at the time the raid was conducted, but may face charges of illegal possession of firearms, Western Visayas police head Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. was quoted in the dzBB report as saying.

Among the high-powered firearms seized from the house were an AK-47 assault rifle, an M-16 rifle and a shotgun, along with a cal-.45 pistol.

The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was still conducting an inventory of the firearms and ammunition found in the raid as of Thursday afternoon, the dzBB report said.

Police have been intensifying their efforts against illegal firearms as the campaign period for the May 13 elections is in the homestretch. — BM, GMA News

Let My People Awake!

By Orlan R. Ravanera
Kim's Dream

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

IT was written seven decades ago but that one poem of a poet laureate from India, Rabindranath Tagore still reverberates until now . . .”Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, Where knowledge is free, Where the world is not broken down by narrow domestic walls, In that heaven of freedom my Father, LET MY PEOPLE AWAKE!”

Although the call to awaken the Indian people was one of liberation against the British Colonial Rule, it is still very relevant today. This time, the call is for us to be conscious of the contemporary issues believing that an awakened people can craft their own destiny based on the truism that the people united can never be defeated. Today, we strongly advocate:

Let my people awake to the painful reality that, according to scientists and environmentalists, the “current degradation of the environment and the massive loss of species are evidence that we are facing our own extinction and that “in the absence of a major change, the world system will collapse in less than a hundred years.”

Let my people awake that fundamental changes are now sweeping Africa, Latin America and now going to Asia and centuries-old beliefs and convictions are crashing down like the twin tower of the world trade center in New York. Among these are, the belief that nature is inexhaustible and this belief has lead to massive exploitation of our resources. The belief that the “Darwin’s Theory of natural selection to society is that by fittest means the strongest and the most aggressive. That is a gross mistake in principle. By fittest, it really means most cooperative, most adaptive and most caring.” That is why, we must advance cooperativism, the collective quest to make life better for the people rather than the individual quest for self aggrandizement and wealth.

Let my people awake on the unsustainability of the global economic system that is anchored on a dominant paradigm that pursues growth-at-all-cost development strategy. That unbridled consumerism and materialism where there is over-eating and obesity in the North while billions are hungry in the South; the gross inequities are very glaring as the combined wealth of the world’s billionaires equals the income of three billion people.

Let my people awake that social transformation has been so elusive all these years as the structures that breed poverty have remained as formidable as ever; that our country is not a capitalist country but one that follows block capitalism where only 300 families control the economy through cartels; that democratizing wealth and power cannot be had because those in control cannot moderate their greed.

Let my people awake that political exercises have proven to be exercises in futility in effecting social change because those running are voted not because they are for social re-structuring but because they are movie stars or good speakers or popular or because of their names, or because they have so much money as they are funded by vested interest groups or cartels to perpetuate their control over the economy.

Let my people awake that the Filipinos are poor not because they are lazy or lack resources (the truth is, our country is oozing with ecological resources) but because they are powerless to have access and control over their resources which are fast slipping through their fingers.

Let my people awake that poverty is the consequence of putting power where it does not belong, that is, to the politicians who are cornering gargantuan funds through massive corruptions (that is res ipsa loquitor), to the cartels that exploit our resources at the expense of the people and the environment, to institutions that are mouthing moral issues and social change but are only successful in enriching themselves and to TNCs that have made our country dumping grounds of finished products while extracting so much raw materials and natural resources at the expense of our ecosystems (this again, is res ipsa loquitor).

Let my people awake that we now must work for social change, for paradigm shifts. Debunk conventional agriculture because it is just successful in impoverishing the peasantry and in polluting our environment. Stop those who are exploiting our natural resources with utter disregard for nature and the welfare of the coming generations. Stop those cartels that all these years are depriving the people of their ownership of utilities.

Let my people awake to stop political dynasties (which is prohibited in the 1987 Constitution); to stop vote-buying and to elect only those who are subservient to the interest of the people and not to those who are advancing the interest of a few elite.

Only when the people have awakened that we can bring this country to “that heaven of Freedom” where the people are free from hunger and poverty!

Dynasty, RH stand crucial for Senate bets

ByAmando Doronila
Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:29 am | Monday, April 29th, 2013

 

CEBU CITY—Sharp exchanges punctuated the debate among the senatorial candidates on what to do to implement the constitutional ban on political dynasties, the topic of the third and final episode of the Inquirer Senate Forum here on Friday.

The exchanges crystallized the public’s strong sentiment against the domination of Philippine politics by a few but influential and powerful families. The question that surfaced is whether the next Senate will push legislation to give teeth to the constitutional ban.

The intensity of the debate showed that political dynasties are one of the most contentious issues in the May 13 midterm elections, along with the controversial reproductive health (RH) law that has put the Catholic Church in a collision course with the Aquino administration, which backed the measure in Congress.

Their stand on the two issues would either make or break the 33 senatorial candidates’ political fortunes, as indicated by the public’s reaction to them in the three episodes of the Inquirer Senate Forum (the first was held in the University of the Philippines in Diliman and the second in Baguio City).

The three forums tapped into the vein of the views of the senatorial candidates, as the winners will be the policymakers who will shape the national agenda, including political dynasties, the RH law, the economy, poverty, education and taxes.

Social cross-section

The eight candidates, who took part in the Cebu forum, represented a cross-section of society—incumbent office holders, those seeking reelection, and the NGO (nongovernment organizations) sector, with no financial base to fund a campaign, unlike the candidates from political families who had ample resources.

In a way, the candidates from the NGO sector who are seeking electoral support are pitting themselves against the resources of the embedded political families. What are their chances against the goliaths of the dynastic families?

Although they are fighting an uphill battle, the aspiring “outsiders,” the Inquirer forums have found, are rich in ideas and have much to offer to the voters. They can, if elected, democratize the social base of the Senate.

A sort of consensus emerged in the Cebu forum, i.e., there was a need to level the playing field by bringing down the prohibitive costs of electoral campaigning, especially of political advertising.

Independent senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño opened fire on the dynasty issue. After a stint in the House, representing the Left in Philippine politics, Casiño appeared to have already acquired the airs of a veteran senator when he pointed out that he had authored several antidynasty bills, but none of them went to the plenary “because of opposition from lawmakers belonging to big political families.”

Second-degree

Using his own definition of political dynasty, Casiño said the wife, children, parents and siblings—or second-degree relatives—should not be allowed to run for the post being vacated by an outgoing elected official. Singling out Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, Casiño said, “There are other families who have young and budding politicians.”

Angara is running for the Senate as a candidate of the administration’s Team PNoy, led by President Aquino himself, scion of the country’s most powerful dynasty, which has produced two presidents (the incumbent and his mother, former President Cory Aquino).

Casiño lamented the fate of the antidynasty bills being killed in Congress. How can the bills be reported out to the floor after the President has stubbornly refused to certify them as urgent legislation?

Angara replied that Casiño’s definition does not apply to him because his father, outgoing Sen. Edgardo Angara, is retiring in June after serving in the Senate for 24 years. “Everyone must be given equal opportunity to serve,” the younger Angara said. But voters, he said, should not elect him because of his family name but because of his track record.

The six other candidates in the forum were former Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance, Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas, Rizalito David of Ang Kapatiran Party, Mary Grace Poe of Team PNoy, Samson Alcantara of the Social Justice Society, and independent Ricardo Penson.

Charter definition

According to Alcantara, there is no need to define what a political dynasty is because the Constitution is clear that “political dynasties are prohibited, whether they are good or bad.”

David and Penson agreed that the Constitution had already sufficiently defined what a political dynasty was. But they pointed out that the constitutional prohibition had not been implemented because the electorate had kept on voting the wrong officials into office.

Villanueva reiterated his earlier position that no one should be discriminated against in serving the country through the government because of his or her family name, so long as he or she is competent and of good moral standing.

A religious leader, Villanueva has a son, Joel, who is chief of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, a government agency.

Casiño, David, Penson and Alcantara, a lawyer, are against political dynasties.

Zubiri made a pitch for a broad public health care system subsidized by the state. He belongs to a political family in Bukidnon. He is the son of Bukidnon Gov. Juan Zubiri Jr. and the younger brother of Bukidnon Rep Jose Ma. Zubiri III. He contended that there are scions of political clans who have excelled and surpassed the performance of their parents and grandparents.

Underrepresented

Zubiri took pains to point out that his region, Mindanao, is grossly underrepresented on the two main contending tickets. It is represented only by him and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III of the dynasty founded by former Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

Dynastic lineage runs across interlocking party lines. None of the two alignments can claim superiority in being able to push antidynasty legislation in the next Congress. Both are blighted on this issue.

There is no more ironic setting for the third Inquirer Senate forum than Cebu. As the campaign heated up, I observed that the walls in the city were plastered with election posters that carried the pictures of candidates from Cebu’s political dynasties.

Among the cities or ethnic regions of the country, Cebu has the most political dynasties. The posters carry the names of families that have ruled the region since the turn of the 20th century—the Osmeñas, Duranos, Garcias, Sottos and Cuencos.

According to a study by Bobby Tuazon of the Center of People Empowerment in Governance, 94 percent of the provinces (73 out of a total of 80) have political dynasties. The average number of political families per province is 2.31. Cebu accounts for at least six. Whether the density of dynasties has made Cebu more democratic and more economically progressive is an issue that calls for further academic research.

Poverty: The good, bad and ugly news

By Cielito F. Habito
Philippine Daily Inquirer

10:07 pm | Monday, April 29th, 2013

 

By some accounts, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) and its mother agency the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) ruffled feathers in the Palace and the Cabinet with the way they announced the first semester 2012 poverty figures last week. Some even speculated that it may have cost Neda Secretary Arsi Balisacan his slot in the President’s delegation to the Asean meeting in Brunei, having dropped out of the list at the last minute.

I can see why NSCB Secretary General Jose Ramon Albert and Secretary Balisacan, disciplined academic professionals as they have been in their former nongovernment personas, would choose to report the news the way they did, and when they did. They can be expected to report the facts as they are, good news or bad. They must also adhere to a previously announced schedule for release of “designated statistics” that include the quarterly reports on gross domestic product (GDP) growth and other key statistics. Postponing the release of not-so-flattering news until after the elections would have been an obvious temptation for the government’s political strategists. But NSCB and Neda would betray their constitutionally provided independence—not to mention raise suspicions at the expense of their credibility—if they were to deviate from their committed release schedule for data as important as these.

On the other hand, perhaps it’s the journalist in me, but NSCB didn’t really have to headline its report by outright saying that Philippine poverty incidence had “remained unchanged.” It could just as easily (and no less truthfully) have headlined that the poverty rate appears to have gone down, from the 2009 level of 28.6 to 27.9 percent of the population, or from 22.9 to 22.3 percent of families. It could then qualify that the difference was not statistically significant (I have seen NSCB do this before). Notice how when GDP growth rises or falls by a few decimal points, no one pays attention to whether the difference is statistically significant or not; GDP growth goes up or down, period. Indeed, choice of words can make a great deal of difference. And at the height of political season such as now, the administration’s political strategists would understandably wish that NSCB and Neda had taken some lessons on “wordsmithing” and been more politically savvy in their reports, without necessarily forsaking the truth. Media professionals call it “spin.”

There is, after all, good news in the poverty figures along with the bad (and ugly). It is welcome news, for example, that poverty incidence actually went down in the majority of our regions (9 out of 16) and provinces (50 out of 81). The best performing regions were Cagayan Valley (Region II) and Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX), both of whose poverty rates (as a percent of families) fell by more than 11 percent. Poverty dropped from 22.3 to 19.8 percent of families in Cagayan Valley, and from 41.5 to 36.9 percent in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Other top performing regions were the Ilocos Region (18.5 to 16.7 percent, or a 9.7 percent drop), Central Visayas (31.6 to 28.8 percent, or a 9 percent drop), Western Visayas (26.7 to 24.7 percent, a 7.5 percent drop), Mimaropa (30.6 to 28.4 percent, a 7.2 percent drop), and Bicol Region (36.5 to 34.1 percent, a 6.6 percent drop).

Tawi-Tawi was the best performer among the provinces, with poverty rate dropping from nearly half (48.3 percent) of families in 2009 to only one-fifth (20.8 percent) by 2012, a steep 57 percent fall. Following closely are Aklan (from 38.4 to 21 percent, dropping by 45.3 percent), Biliran (34.6 to 20.7 percent, a 40.2 percent drop), and Benguet (whose already low poverty incidence of 7 percent was further cut to 4.3 percent, a 39 percent improvement). Other top performing provinces were Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, Ilocos Norte, Camarines Norte and Zamboanga del Norte. Interestingly, the last used to be the nation’s poorest province, with 63.6 percent of its families poor in 2009. Now it is only the fifth poorest, dislodged by Lanao del Sur, Apayao, Eastern Samar and Maguindanao, in that order—all of whose poverty rates shot up in the three-year period by 27 to 54 percent.

The ugly news was the drastic rise in poverty in 19 provinces where poverty incidence jumped by more than 25 percent within just a three-year period. The island province of Camiguin—proximity to dynamic Cagayan de Oro notwithstanding—fared worst, with poverty rate more than doubling from 17.2 to 34.9 percent. Second worst was Zambales, with poverty rate nearly doubling from 9.4 to 18 percent. North Cotabato’s poverty rate jumped 80 percent, from 24.4 to 43.9 percent. Also seeing a dramatic rise in poverty rates are Ifugao, Maguindanao, Aurora, Quirino, Batanes, Nueva Vizcaya and Guimaras, all jumping by more than 40 percent. From the list, one might venture reasonable guesses on why these provinces saw such a dramatic poverty rise, including political turmoil and geographic isolation, especially in the case of island provinces.

The recent reported poverty trends are sobering, but not surprising. Even with huge amounts (P39.4 billion) given out as targeted conditional cash transfers (CCT) to poor families in 2012, NSCB calculates that more than twice that amount would have been needed to close the poverty gap. Also, and as widely lamented, recent improvements in the economy have not permeated down to the Filipino poor. We all have our favorite theories and solutions, but what is clear is that trickle-down economics and business as usual simply won’t bring our poverty numbers down to where we all need them to go.

Philippines President Benigno Aquino coughs during campaign trail President will continue to canvass for votes ahead of May 13 elections

By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief

Published: 13:30 April 30, 2013

Manila: President Benigno Aquino has been coughing during a campaign trail in southern Luzon, prompting a spokesman to clarify that Aquino remained in the “pink of health”.

“There is nothing wrong with the president. There are no indications of any illness,” said Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

Aquino will not stop campaigning for the Liberal Party’s senatorial candidates for the next two weeks before the May 13 elections, said Lacierda, adding that it is natural for the president to campaign for candidates of the ruling party.

“This is a campaign for reform. We still have three more years left in this administration and he wants these three years to be even more productive than the first three,” said Lacierda.

His voice was hoarse and he coughed severely six times during a political campaign in Lucena, Quezon, a TV report showed.

“I am asking for forgiveness ahead of this speech. I have a cold but I will try to clearly enunciate what I want to say [in this campaign speech],” said Aquino.

He reminded his audience about the advice of Health Secretary Enrique Ona who had earlier asked him to get some rest.

Aquino has been asked to stop smoking. But he said smoking relaxes him and he is not willing to give it up.