this is next in the 2010 Presidentiables Blog.

posting here a comment by Frank from NY, Wall Street posted here: http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/presidentiables-as-of-mid-november-2008/#comment-4175

——

You know, I have been living in the US for over 30 years and I am still waiting until the Philippines becomes a “First World” country. I have been to Europe like Spain-Italy, Africa, and China.

I cannot believe how they perceive and think of Filipinos. I almost got involve with a physical fight when they said Filipinos are DUMB and STUPID! Yes, they said Filipinos are stupid and dumb! This one hurts me because it reflects on every Filipino people who are living outside of the Philippines. “I’ve been to your country; your country is full of thieves and corruption in your government! Too many beggars, street people living in shanties along the river and using the river as their own bathroom”. I rather go to Thailand or Malaysia than go to your dirty country”.

I can go on and on… I cannot believe that this is how the world perceives us. I told my wife, this one starts from the top. If the Philippines have good leaders in the past and our country is prosperous, we will not hear this kind of comments.

Now, I do not know every presidential candidate, all I know on what I heard in the news. Going through and reading all the blogs, I became curious and did my research on every candidates and what they represents.

In the US, initially, I was going to vote for John McCain over Barack Obama as the president; however, when he picked Sarah Palin as his Vice-President, I quickly changed my mind so as the other voters at my work.

One research  has shown, even though Palin was a former Mayor and Governor of Alaska, she is deficient and lacks qualification. Can you imagine if McCain dies, Sarah Palin becomes the president right away? If you watch her interview with Katie Couric, it was a disaster.

Anyway, I think people in our present society are more intelligent than ever due to the availability of information is just right on our fingertips and that is exactly what I did.

In the previous blog by “Mark” with his video regarding Dick Gordon, I began to research other candidates. The one I am specifically looking for is any accomplishment of every candidate did for their fellow citizens.

I came to realize that in comparison, Dick Gordon is on top of my list. Since I work for a huge investment firm based in New York in which my company does many business in Thailand and Singapore, I got the first hand knowledge on how our top executives in my firm thinks on where to allocate investment as they considered “a safe haven”. It sad to think that the Philippines are also on that list; however, due to the political instability in the Philippines we have been overlooked numerous times.

One executive said, “The Philippines would have been good because most people speak English”. It makes me so mad because its 100,000 jobs that went to Thailand and Singapore.

One of the executives said they are familiar with Dick Gordon when he was the SBMA Chairman at Subic because our firm works with FEDEX at Subic.

In conclusion, I think if Dick Gordon becomes the next president of the Philippines, he has a huge potential of bringing in new investors to the country and therefore creating more jobs for many Filipinos.

I watched his interview on TV; he stated he would travel to other countries and use his experience and diplomacy to sell his country to bring in more investors to the Philippines. I think he is the only one who has a clear map and clear vision of the future of the country. Just like Barack Obama, when he became the US president, there are signs that the US are getting out of recession. I wish him well of creating the Philippines as the “First World”.

we had expected noynoy aquino to lose points in this latest survey but he surprises us in maintaining his dominant lead over others. we thought that the honeymoon period for noynoy will be over by now plus the other presidentiables would have made inroads into aquino’s strongholds. we were pleasantly surprised to find out we were wrong. this seem to indicate that aquino is building his power base all on his own power.

villar continues to hold strong 2nd which on its own is very impressive. this performance confirms that villar is the only true contender to aquino in this election. estrada surges in points to stay in 3rd which is also surprising as his announcement to run as president seem to have awakened sentiments for him.

teodoro is a disappointment. while his ratings grew, they did not grow as needed, it continues to be in single digits. we were expecting his rating should be in the strong double digits by now. this is a strong signal by voters that they are solidly not preferring teodoro. this low rating of teodoro may also be taken within the context that in recent weeks, SWS released survey results where it said 79% of voters will not vote the presidentiable that president arroyo will endorse. the latest poll results confirms the thinking that arroyo has given teodoro a kiss of death.

we are jumping off from the leaders in our poll here at 2010 Presidentiables and the amount of comments made in this blog where a high proportion is on eddie villanueva and richard gordon. these two presidentiables are leading in our poll and we think their supporters are very frequent visitors of this blog.

we like to start a face-off concept where we will be pitting two presidentiables against each other – to hear the views of our readers on why one deserves his/her vote over the other.

these are my  views on these two presidentiables which in no way is complete and not at all comprehensive. i do not know how much my views of these candidates are those of regular voters, but these are my impressions of these two presidentiables.

richard gordon

• has been a long-time senator
• tended to be on the opposition side
• his senate committee recently came out with a recommendation to impeach arroyo on the ZTE corruption scandal
• he was the hero of the rehabilitation of the Subic Naval Base when he almost single handedly revived and made the naval base viable again  when the americans abandoned it as a naval base. he not only prevented its going down to waste but made it viable again.
• he was responsible for changing olangapo city into a a good community and not just a place where hard rock, drugs and prostitution was the main source of income for the city
• he has been head of the national red cross and did very well during the ondoy/pepeng floods

eddie villanueva

• is a protestant minister and head of JIL
• he ran in the last presidential election and lost, came in last
• he touts the 7Es as his platform but often forgets to talk about them during interviews
• his interest is to reform the country through eyes made up of convictions on his faith
• his presidency counts a lot on the support of JIL members

who are you voting for – villanueva or gordon?

Benigno  Aquino III, Liberal Party,

Richard Gordon, Bagumbayan,

Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal, Independent,

Manny Villar, Nacionalista Party (NP),

Gilbert Teodoro, Lakas-Kampi-CMD,

Joseph Ejercito “Erap” Estrada, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP),

Eddie Villanueva, Bangon Pilipinas,

John Carlos “JC” Delos Reyes, Ang Kapatiran Party,

These are the official candidates for next year’s elections.  With eight aspirants vying for the top post, the prospect of a majority is virtually nil. Noynoy, the early favorite, has consistently plunged his rating though he remained on top. He might win but his victory may just be a plurality which means that he got the highest number of votes but did not get the majority.

The emergent winner, if he wins by plurality, means that not more than half of the country’s populace is in favor of the elected official but simply a relatively high number of percentages as compared to other candidates. Erap, though he got the most number of votes in the presidential race in the country’s electoral history, only got 40%,a far cry to pre-martial law democracy days when electoral contests were just between the Liberals and the Nacionalistas. A majority, then, was easier to attain.

]]> http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/sws-november-presidentiables-poll-aquino-holds-dominant-lead-villar-moves-up-to-be-a-real-threat-teodoro-stays-at-no-consequence/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:09:48 +0000 wawam http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/sws-november-presidentiables-poll-aquino-holds-dominant-lead-villar-moves-up-to-be-a-real-threat-teodoro-stays-at-no-consequence/

some points:

• aquino holds his dominant lead in this poll which is quite surprising considering his 60% achievement was thought of as mostly coming from the goodwill of cory’s. holding that  dominant rating may mean aquino is doing this on his own power ans strength.
• villar is the true contender in this election aggressively moving up by 8% points. this means villar continues to build his constituency and seems to be separate from that of aquino.
• escudero coming in at 3rd and going up aggressively by 12% points, the highest growth this survey time is very surprising. had escudero continued his presidential run, he could have been a factor. question now is where will his supporters go to in the next survey? that is a huge chunk up for grabs.
• estrada ends up with a respectable 4th place at 18%. it seems estrada has maintained his power base.
• a big disappointment is teodoro who grew only by +4% points, just a point shy of the +/- 3 pts margin of error. we were expecting teodoro to grow much larger than this and climb up in ranking. staying at this level may mean he is a non-factor in this election.
• the others, villanueva, perlas, madrigal, de los reyes and gordon not showing good numbers in this poll puts them on a no-chance of winning in this election.

this is comment posted by jon from texas in this blog, (read here:  http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/presidentiables-as-of-mid-november-2008/#comment-3287)

we think it’s a good read for all.

———

I am a Filipino-American living in the US for over 20 years.

I left the Philippines in my teens when Corazon Aquino became the president after Marcos. I was elated to see how the Philippines would progress economically and the possibility of replacing those dirty politicians in Malacanang.

The turmoil and hardship in the Philippines had progressively worse with the exception under the leadership of Fidel Ramos during his tenure as our president, the country became somewhat better and the country was in the verge and footstep of an economic recovery. There was a time where I could not wait to read the business section from Time Magazine on how progressive the Philippine economy under the Ramos administration. At last, the Philippine brand “The Old Sick Man of Asia” will finally get the cure.

Then comes Joseph Estrada who is clueless, stupid, and very naïve on how to run a country. If Filipinos has any sense they should vote to somebody who has a legitimate education that will help him interpret and execute the constitution. Estrada has no formal education, he is a dropped out of high school and college. Maybe he did not pass his classes…

When he won the presidency, Filipinos had put themselves again in-lined with Bangladesh as the poorest and pitiful country politically and economically. Not to mention the most corrupt country in the world led by Joseph Estrada who plans to run for president again.

I hope Filipinos will start to think before they vote. They should vote on who is qualified, has proven record of accomplishment, and with great vision of the future, and a concrete map to the country’s economic future not by popularity because they have money or their running mate is a celebrity.

When Joseph Estrada won the presidency, the country deteriorated. The people’s living condition became indescribable. As a Filipino, it hurts me to see this.

In my research, I think Dick Gordon by far is the most obvious qualified candidate that can make every Filipino proud. He has proven himself numerous occasions in desperate times. I hope the INC Church Leader will choose him as their prime candidate. Let us examine each candidate….

Regarding Manny Villar failed to attend the Halalan 2010 debate. He cancelled the last minute because he said he had an important business meeting. The question remains, what is more important he is business meeting or becoming the president of the country. It just shows his priority! His personal business meeting.

Regarding Teodoro Gilberto, he represents the Arroyo Administration who has a legitimate relationship and linked with the Ambatuan Clan in Maguindanao….do I need to say more. Look at his running mate, Edu Manzano (the actor and TV personalities) what is he going to do?….Oh I know, let us do the “Papaya Dance”!

Regarding Noynoy Aquino, he represents a body of TV personalities. No proven track record besides inheriting his name.

Technically, the country remains the same when Cory Aquino was president. It did not get any better. Maraming mahirap pa rin na tao sa Pilipinas.

Regarding Villanueva and Perlas, what do you think they are capable of?

To all the presidential candidates, the only logical choice who has the proven track record is the Gordon/Fernando Team. See what he has done to Olongapo and as a Senator. See what Fernando has done as a former Marikina Mayor and MMDA Chairman.

Do your research….see for yourself….try http://www.Youtube.com search for Gordon and MMDA Fernando Bayani.

this is the 5th nationally conducted presidentiables poll conducted by several research agencies that confirm the following:

• noynoy aquino is the dominant front runner in this election
• villar at 2nd is the only viable contender in this election
• teodoro continue to suffer and is a presidentiable of no consequence in this election
• estrada is a contender but a long shot

this is painful for teodoro as the survey was conducted after the following:

• the ondoy/pepeng floods when teodoro was in the headlines doing his job as NDCC chair
• the LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD party proclaimed teodoro as its standard bearer 
• teodoro has already aired his “Galing At Talino” tv ads

the above says teodoro by the time of the survey was already known to the voters. getting a low 3% says the people were consciously not selecting teodoro in this survey. it also meant his performance as NDCC chair during the ondoy/pepeng floods meant it was unremarkable. the ondoy/pepeng floods would have been THE event where teodoro could have won over the voters with his performance as the government’s point person in disasters. this very low rating seem to say he was not seen by the people as making a difference during that time.

from a marketing standpoint, it may also indicate that teodoro’s ad campaign is not working or has no impact on his candidacy. the “Galing At Talino” ad was a first for teodoro as a candidate and it positioned him directly opposite noynoy aquino. the low ratings in this survey may indicate his ads are ineffective.

A special national survey sponsored by Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn was conducted by SWS on November 4-8, 2009.

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 registered voters divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% for area percentages).

The Commission on Elections’ latest counts of Registered Voters, by region and area, as of November 2009, were used to weight regional estimates to obtain area estimates, and to weight area estimates to obtain national estimates.

http://www.sws.org.ph/

Monday’s questions were:

1. A cold coming we had of it,/just the worst time of the year/For a journey, and such a long journey;/The ways deep and the weather sharp. . .  Who wrote this and about whom was it written?

2. What is a metrosideros excelsa?

3. Who said, “I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.“?

4. Chef Richard Gordon is a shareholder in which Waitaki Valley wine company?

5. Which MP is patron and a former national president of Young Farmers?

Paul Tremewan got three and a bonus for imagination in his answer to #1.

Andrei got four.

Samo got 4 with a 1/2 for #3.

Deborah got two and a bonus for being able to recite the poem.

PDM got one.

Tuesday’s answers follow the break.

1. T.S. Eliot, the three wise men in the Journey of the Magi.

2. Pohotukawa.

3. Shirley Temple.

4. Waitaki Braids.

5. Eric Roy.

We are saying goodbye to 2009 in less than three weeks from now and soon 2010 is here for us.

As the New Year ushers in but Philippine Politics still dance to an old familiar tune – Cha-Cha, short for Charter Change.

Why? Or Why not?

I think it would not really matter whether our Constitution is changed or not. Even if we get a new President, people still see a reason for them to protest against him or her. The President and other leaders of our country gets the blame for our poverty, our debts, our lack of education, the high crime rates, the high unemployment, etc. I would say this is PARTLY correct. This is OUR COUNTRY, we are ALSO PARTLY RESPONSIBLE for these!

Whether we move to a Federal form of government or Parliamentary or whatever kind of government, unless we dance to a different Cha-Cha, one that deals with CHARACTER CHANGE will we begin to see HOPE for our Mother land.

Again, the New Year approaches and a lot of people will have a list of resolutions – which would only last for so long. Why? The change we want to see should come from ourselves.

Mahandas Gandhi once said that we must become the CHANGE we want to see in the world.

Change has been the battle cry of Barrack Obama during the last elections and now, he has become that change the United States of America has turned to. It will take time but we must work hard towards achieving the change.

As a nation, the Filipinos have been known to be hard-workers, very resilient – smiling in the face of danger or even in the worst scenarios imagined, we are not scared to get our hands dirty (OFWs work as Care givers, machinists, Domestic Helpers, etc.) and know the meaning of sacrifice. But why do we still can not make it to the ‘big time’?  It is because, we still have our ‘colonial  mentality’, ‘crab mentality’, ‘utang ng loob’, ‘pakikisama’, ‘padrino system’, ‘ningas kogon’, because we still have ‘Juan Tamad’ inside of us – we act like Dons and tend to lord it over other people.

For the Politicians (especially the PRESIDENTIABLES) out there: IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THIS NATION, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOURSELVES FIRST!!! Be true to what you preach. You spill your guts out and gnash your teeth against corruption and yet you are corrupt yourself. You want the Rule of Law enforced and yet YOU SET YOURSELF ABOVE THE LAW?!? Or make yourself EXEMPT from the consequences of breaking the law.

Please DO NOT ALLOW the RAPE of our Motherland to continue – whether by Foreigners or our own Fellow countrymen.

For the Citizens of this Republic: WE GET THE KIND OF LEADERS WE DESERVE. Unless, we EACH change then TRUE CHANGE will NOT HAPPEN. Let us not allow Traditional Politicians (Trapos) to wipe their dirt upon us. VOTE WISELY. Guard your Hearts & Minds, guard your VOTES – DO NOT SELL THEM TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.

In the end, we can have all sorts and kinds of law to pass. We can have all kinds of rules and guidelines written to direct us towards discipline, behaving in the most acceptable way BUT unless TRUE CHANGE comes from WITHIN US then EVERYTHING we do is for naught. Everything is useless. It is up to US if we choose to OBEY or BREAK these.

Finally, I urge each Filipino to PRAY for GOD to HEAL our land and direct each one of us to VOTE for the rightful President for this coming six years, PRAY that GOD send forth His HOLY SPIRIT in the name of JESUS CHRIST to direct our HEARTS & MINDS this coming elections, PRAY for PEACE & HONESTY. I still believe the Filipino is worth dying for as Ninoy Aquino said – that the Filipino still has INTEGRITY within.

Let us dance to a different version of CHA-CHA, CHARACTER CHANGE NOT CHARTER CHANGE - the latter is very TEMPORAL while the former is deeper and would last for an eternity.

WE MUST BECOME THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE IN OUR COUNTRY, IN OUR WORLD.

1. A cold coming we had of it,/just the worst time of the year/For a journey, and such a long journey;/The ways deep and the weather sharp. . .  Who wrote this and about whom was it written?

2. What is a metrosideros excelsa?

3. Who said, “I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.“?

4. Chef Richard Gordon is a shareholder in which Waitaki Valley wine company?

5. Which MP is patron and a former national president of Young Farmers?

choose 2 presidentiables who you think MUST NOT WIN the 2010 election

december 2, 2009 – we are opening a fresh poll of presidentiables you think MUST NOT WIN  the 2010 presidential election. only official candidates are included here. you can select 2 presidentiables. you can only vote once.

to vote for the presidentiable you want to win, to vote click here –>  New 2010 Presidentiables Poll Opens, includes only the official candidates

to vote for the vice-presidentiable you want to win, to vote click here –> New 2010 Vice-Presidentibles Poll Opens – official candidates only

Ilang buwan pa bago mag-eleksyon pero sa tuwituwinang tayo’y magbubukas ng radyo o TV, natural lamang na puro tungkol sa pulitika ang mapapakinggan at mapapanuod natin. Marami sa kanila ang naghahangad ng kapangyarihan at ang ilan naman (sana lang tama ako ah), ay para sa layuning maiahon ang bansa at magbigay ng serbisyong totoo para sa publiko.

Pinaka pangunahing pinag-uusapan ang mga personalidad na naghahangad sa posisyon ng pagkapangulo na tunay nga namang pinakamalaking isyu para sa bansa natin ngayon.

Ngayon katoto ko, tatanungin kita, para sayo sino ang nararapat na maging pinuno ng ating bansa? ako’y curious lamang. hehehe

——— aling iska

On this day in history, Apollo 12 touched down on the lunar surface, allowing Astronauts Alan Bean and Pete Conrad to become the third and fourth men to step onto our nearest neighbor in space. Command Module pilot Richard Gordon remained in orbit during the EVA operations.

Where Apollo 11 saw the first steps in lunar exploration, quite literally, Apollo 12’s mandate was far more important in the greater scheme of things. While there were some shaky beginnings to the mission, caused by an electrical strike upon liftoff, but the mission was salvaged by the quick actions of the astronauts on. On November 19th, the lunar lander touched down in the Ocean of Storms, and saw the first success of the mission, a more accurate landing that what had been required of Apollo 11, where Neil Armstrong had manually flown the craft to its eventual location. In this instance, the craft was within 200 meters of their intended target.

Apollo 12’s landing zone was chosen because of its proximatey to Surveyor 3, a probe that had landed two years earlier, in 1967. Samples were taken from the probe to be brought back to Earth, and the Astronauts collected rock samples, in addition to sensors that were put into place to better determine some of the characteristics of the moon’s surface and environment – sensors that determines seismic events, magnetic fields and solar wind were put into place, which were designed to operate long-term.

NASA also sought to improve the quality of the footage that they shot on the moon by bringing along a color video camera – however, this was something that they weren’t able to carry out as the camera was pointed directly at the sun, disabling the camera and putting it out of commission.

After taking off from the lunar surface, the newly reunited crew remained in lunar orbit, taking pictures, and returned to Earth on November 24th, 1969, thus completing the 6th manned Apollo mission. The next mission, Apollo 13, took off in April of 1970, and was aborted due to an onboard explosion that terminated the mission, although the crew was returned safely.

One of the things that has been bothering me a little is the relative lack of interest in the missions that took place after Apollo 11 – aside from Apollo 13, the other missions were successes in that they reached, explored and returned to Earth safely, but not nearly as dramatically as the first steps on the moon, or a major accident. This is a trend that has largely continued through to the present-day – when naming space shuttles, Columbia and Challenger come readily to mind, and attract the most attention for their destruction, but how many people could name the remaining shuttles in the fleet, or tell me right now which one is in space at this very moment? (It’s Atlantis).

This is even more of a shame, because this mission contained some of the more interesting astronauts, Pete Conrad and Alan Bean. Bean is by far one of my favorite astronauts – he left the service after becoming an instrumental member (and Astronaut) for the Skylab program – another incredible mission on NASA’s part – and has since become a painter. His artwork is stunning, and well worth checking out.

To me, a moon landing is an incredible spectacle, where humanity has demonstrated a proficiency in technology that allows us to reach another body, and to tell us so much about our world and the next. Apollo 12 showed us that humanity’s first steps on the moon were not its last, and in true scientific method, repeated an experiment with the same results. It showed that we can return to the moon.

SINABI ng Senate blue ribbon committee na pinangungunahan ni Sen. Dick Gordon na may kinalaman si Pangulong Gloria sa “mabahong” $329-million NBN-ZTE deal.
Alam ng Pangulo, sabi ng komite, ang tungkol sa kabulastugan ng kontratang NBN-ZTE. Matagal nang alam ng taumbayan ang pangungurakot ng mag-asawang Gloria at First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, pero naging “official” ang kanilang alam dahil sa report ng blue ribbon committee.
Sa pagsisiwalat ng committee ni Gordon, nabisto nang tuluyan ang sabwatan ni Gloria at Mike sa pangungurakot.
Noong araw, maraming nag-aakala na di alam ng Pangulo ang katiwalian na ginagawa ng kanyang esposo.
Ang alam ng karamihan, hindi magkakutsaba sina GMA at si First Gentleman sa katiwalian.
Many people gave the President the benefit of the doubt, kahit na alam nila na magpapatay-malisya lang si GMA.
Pero sa report ng blue ribbon, inirerekomenda na ma-impeach si GMA dahil sa NBN-ZTE deal.
The committee also did not spare other persons, who supposedly blew the whistle on the mess from blame.
Ang mga inirekomenda rin ng komite ni Gordon na dapat sampahan ng graft cases ay sina Secretary Romy Neri, na noon ay director-general ng National Economic and Development Authority (Neda); former Speaker and now Pangasinan Congressman Joe de Venecia at ang kanyang anak na si Joey III; at si Jun Lozada, na umani ng simpatiya ng taumbayan dahil sa kanyang testimonya laban kina First Gentleman Mike at former Comelec Chairman Ben Abalos.
Sinabi ng komite na hindi whistle-blower si Joey de Venecia dahil inilantad lamang niya ang katiwalian sa NBN-ZTE deal nang hindi naibigay ang kontrata sa kanya.
Ganoon din itong si Jun Lozada. Sa pag-iimbestiga ng inyong lingkod, si Lozada ay bagman ni Neri.
Inilantad ni Neri ang katiwalian sa NBN-ZTE deal, ayon sa resulta ng aking imbestigasyon, dahil maliit lang ang kanyang magiging parte—P200 million—samantalang bilyon-bilyon ang makukurakot nina Mike Arroyo at Abalos.
Akala ba ninyo ay uliran ang motibo ni Lozada? Ang nagbunsod sa kanya ay inggit sa malalaking parte nina FG at Abalos at maliit ang kanila ni Neri.
Sa aking pag-iimbestiga sa kaso, napag-alaman ko na tuwing may malaking government project na kailangan ang pirma ni Neri bilang Neda chief, si Lozada ang nakikipag-usap sa mga lider ng ahensiya that would undertake the project.
Humihingi ng lagay si Lozada in behalf of Neri bilang parte nila sa kurakot na makukuha sa proyekto.
q q q
Binatikos ni Gordon si Ombudsman Mercy Gutierrez sa kanyang pagbale-wala sa NBN-ZTE deal.
“The Ombudsman is wrong in merely dismissing the case against the President on the mere pretext of presidential immunity from suit,” sabi ng komite ni Gordon.
Sabi ni Gordon, dapat ay gumawa ang Ombudsman ng sariling imbestigasyon at ang nakuhang resulta ay ipasa sa Kamara de Representantes na siyang nagdedesisyon kung sasampahan ng impeachment complaint ang Pangulo.
Si Dick Gordon naman!
Alam naman niya na si Gutierrez ay bata-bata ni Mike Arroyo. Si Mike Arroyo ang nagrekomenda kay Mercy Gutierrez sa posisyon ng Ombudsman dahil magkaklase sila sa Ateneo College of Law.
Bukod sa utang na loob kay Mike Arroyo, walang kakayahan si Gutierrez na alamin ang masalimuot na kaso laban sa Pangulo at First Gentleman dahil mahina ang utak nito.  Parehong bumagsak sa Bar exams sina Gutierrez at Mike Arroyo sa kanilang first and second takes.
q q q
Dahil hindi masampahan si GMA ng kasong graft dahil siya nakaupo pa, ang rekomendasyon ng blue ribbon ay mangyayari lamang kapag wala na siya sa puwesto.
Maraming kaso, bukod sa NBN-ZTE deal, ang isasampa kay GMA kapag bumaba na siya ng puwesto.
Naghihintay ang taumbayan sa kanyang sasapitin kapag wala na siya sa puwesto.

Mon Tulfo, Target ni Tulfo
BANDERA, 111209

Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (and long-known presidential wannabee) must be feeling upbeat the morning.

This after his quite belated release of the panel’s findings on the $329-M deal to set up a national broadband communication network (NBN-ZTE) that has become emblematic of corruption under Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

First,  a read of the statements from yesterday’s event

The 127-page Blue Ribbon Committee Report preample:

This is a story of how people in high places—the relatives of the most powerful men and women in government—took advantage of their relationships, either with their parent or spouse, to cajole the executive into entering into a national broadband contract that would obtain something our country did not need, and which was manifestly disadvantageous to the Filipino people.

Blue ribbon chair Sen. Richard Gordon:

Her (Pres. Arroyo’s) acts in this case reveal that her performance of presidential duty has been wanting. Unfortunately, you can see the litany of errors of the President. Apparently, she wasn’t able to crack the whip on her people.

Congress could still impeach Ms Arroyo to strip her of immunity from suit as President. She has to explain and answer at the proper time. Ms Arroyo could be held accountable even “after her term.” She did not stop all these people from continuing on with their nefarious activities.  (Then NEDA secretary Romulo) Neri had already informed her [of the bribery attempt], she should have ordered an investigation immediately. She should have called all those involved.

The President did not do anything. That is very glaring—there was no action taken by the President on all these.

The Ombudsman is wrong in merely dismissing the case against the President on the mere pretext of presidential immunity from suit. The Ombudsman must make a finding and forward it to the House of Representatives.

It was not for the Office of the Ombudsman to clear the President of liability. Section 22 of Republic Act No. 6770 (Ombudsman Act of 1989) provides that the Office of the Ombudsman shall have the power to investigate any serious misconduct in office allegedly committed by officials removable by impeachment. In the middle of it all is a President who was unable to control and discipline her own men as they fought over kickbacks. She kept her silence in the midst of the corruption—acquiescing and condoning the deed. The joint committee found that the facts pointing to her (Ms Arroyo) may not be total, but the stink is perceived to have reached her office.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde:

It is not true that the President did not act on the report of the then NEDA secretary that there was an attempt to bribe him.

The President ordered Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno to investigate through the Philippine National Police. Puno said the PNP promptly conducted an investigation.

However, he said, the result was inconclusive at the time. Puno reported to the President that there was no basis to file charges against anyone at that time.

Romulo Neri:

I just heard about it, but I don’t know the details so I don’t know how to react.

Benjamin Abalos:

We’ve been charged already.

Ano pa gusto nila (What else do they want)? A lot of people have already filed cases against us.

I’m still trying to get Lozada’s reaction. But Mr. De Venecia took my call:

I am not surprised that the Senate Blue Ribbon committee headed by Senator Richard Gordon has recommended that I be included among those to be charged for my alleged role in the ZTE-national broadband network case.

But I’m happy that the committee also saw fit to include the true mastermind of the P16-billion scandal — First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

Let it not be forgotten that I was the primary whistleblower of this scandal.

As a businessman from the private sector, I was the original proponent in setting up an NBN which would have been advantageous to our government.

Mr. Arroyo and his cohort, Benjamin Abalos, saw an opportunity to earn huge kickbacks by awarding the deal to ZTE. Only I stood in their way.

I testified that Mr. Arroyo warned me to “back off.” Mr. Abalos sought to soften the blow by offering me a P500-million bribe. I refused to back off and I refused the bribe.

It is unfortunate that the Blue Ribbon committee erroneously concluded that I was part of this dirty deal, but I know that in the end, I will be cleared.

I look forward to facing Mike Arroyo and Benjamin Abalos to prove my allegations in the proper venue — in a court of law.

The sooner, the better.

I am not at all surprised that both former COMELEC Chairman Abalos Benjamin Abalos and now SSS President Romulo Neri insist of playing possum.

But what truly surprises, and galls me, is how the two men who blew the off the NBN-ZTE scam, Rodolfo ‘Jun’ Lozada, and businessman (recently-declared opposition senatorial aspirant Jose ‘Joey’ De Venecia III have seemingly been turned into fall guys!!!

Should we now expect that the release of the blue ribbon panel findings result in justice finally being serve?

Will Pres. Arroyo be impeached wither term now winding down?

Or will the headline story just be what it is, a headline?

One thing I’m most certain about:

If history remembers  the late disgraced former US President Richard Nixon for the Watergate Scandal, so will Gloria Macapagal Arroyo be remembered for the NBN-ZTE Scandal.!!!

1st Update:

Former bluee ribbon Committee chair Alan Peter Cayetano has just told a news conference that he doesn’t agree with Sen. Gordon’s findings.

“There is no cae, no basis, for the whistle blowers themselves to also be charged,” Cayetano said.

In truth and in fact, if Joey De Venecia and Jun Lozada did not reveal the illegal machination, the deal would have gone through!

In the meantime I’ve also received information that Sen. Panfilo Lacson will recommend the removal of both Lozada and De Venecia from those being charged in the scandal.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. for hid part said the report was good because it “spared no one.” But Pimental said the young De Venecia and Lozada should be used as state witnesses.

And in my inbox comes the clincher, as veteran journalist Raul Beltrans shared

This early Speaker Prospero Nograles is saying that any impeachment case against is no longer possible.

Congress” Nograles points out, “is left with less than 60 session days, the maximum allowed to tackle the issue.”

The conclusion, at day’s end, methinks Sen. Gordon, has simply positioned himself to be able to claim he ‘courageously’ fingered even GMA as culpable in the NBN-ZTE case.

I will bet that when Gordon declares is candidacy as ’standard bearer’ of his own recently formed ‘Bagumbayan Party’ he’ll banner the Blue Ribbon panel report as proof of his anti-corruption platform’s cornerstone.

Oh brother!!!

Or How to be a Philippine President.

Under Article 7, Section 2 of the Philippine Constitution, in order to serve as President, one must be

(1) at least 40 years of age.
(2) a registered voter.
(3) able to read and write.
(4) a Filipino citizen by birth
(5) a resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years prior to election.

Comelec chairman Jose Melo said its poll body did not approve the CoCs of other people (namely Danton Remoto, running for senator, and Nicanor Perlas, running for President) because it appeared that they did not have the capacity and resources to launch a national campaign, one of the requirements mandated by the Comelec, and not because they’re nuisance candidates (paging spikeman Ely Pamatong!).

The recent narrowing down of Presidentiable list by Comelec shows a sixth criteria: Must have money.

Never mind ideology.

Never mind if Jamby’s not really qualified.

After all, if she can use up all her inheritance for a full-blast campaign complete with sexbomb dancers in every town meeting, she can run for president.

Never mind if the Constitution technically doesn’t and shouldn’t allow the running of Erap Estrada.

Never mind if there are better, more suitable candidates.

All what matters is winnability.

Which translates to capability to launch campaigns, way out of budget.

Which also translates to these 3 words: Must Have Money.

Ladies and gentlemen, people of the Philippines, here’s who’s running for President:

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III (Liberal Party)
JC de los Reyes (Ang Kapatiran)
Deposed President Joseph Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino)
Sen. Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan)
Sen. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal (Independent)
Former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro (Lakas-Kampi-CMD)
Bro. Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas)
Sen. Manuel Villar (Nacionalista Party)

IN DECLARING her bid for a Congressional seat in Pampanga, President Arroyo said, “Public service is emblazoned on my DNA.” Geneticists who were monitoring the announcement on TV almost believed Mrs. Arroyo’s claim about the quality of her DNA… until they saw Mikey Arroyo.

Contrary to initial reports, President Arroyo is running against three opponents in next year’s elections. They were identified as… Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

A day after Joseph Estrada filed his certificate of candidacy, former congressman Mark Jimenez filed his own CoC. Two ex-convicts are now running for president. Welcome to the Philippines!

Sen. Richard Gordon has joined his nephew, Olongapo City Councilor John Carlos “JC” Gordon De Los Reyes in the presidential derby. With neither uncle nor nephew expected to give way, observers predict a very tight race… for fifth place.

Former MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando, who has been very vocal about his presidential ambitions has decided to run for vice president instead. He is now seeking the endorsement of the Pink Sisters.

Joseph Estrada reportedly got pissed when Nacionalista Party’s Manuel Villar Jr. used his trademark “orange” as official campaign color. This prompted Estrada’s advisers to adopt ‘tangerine’ instead as their new color – a move that further incensed the former president who found it hard to spell ‘tangerine.’

Reelectionist senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. of Lakas-Kampi-CMD is a guest candidate of at least four other political parties: Partido ng Masang Pilipino, Nationalist People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party, and Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino. But that was nothing compared to Sen. Mar Roxas who used to be a guest on at least five: Wowowee, A.S.A.P., The Buzz, SNN, and Rated K.

While other presidentiables filed their certificates of candidacy with throngs of supporters, nobody (not even her husband) accompanied Sen. Jamby Madrigal when she filed her CoC. Jamby was a ‘one-man team.’

Former senator and Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Vicente “Tito” Sotto III will run for senator under the banner of the Nationalist People’s Coalition. He is also a guest candidate… on Eat Bulaga – daily.

The ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD Party announced Tuesday that lawyer Raul Lambino would be one of its senatorial candidates in the 2010 polls. Two days later though, he was dropped from the slate after he tried to change the party’s charter.

The Commission on Elections has announced that it has discovered a simple but sure way of determining the precise number of morons in the country through next year’s elections. Thanks to the re-election bid of Sen. Lito Lapid.

Ateneo De Manila University professor Danton Remoto will run for senator as an independent candidate. He is open to alliances though but as to which party, he doesn’t know yet. He’s confused.

Television reporter Alex Tinsay is running for senator under Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s ticket. Tinsay, a veteran reporter on GMA 7 has opted to quit his career in broadcast journalism… after getting tired of pretending he’s got one.

According to Comelec, 75 percent of those who filed for national posts were not serious. To illustrate: say, you have Jamby, Erap, Ely Pamatong, and Mark Jimenez… remove the 75 percent and you’re left with Ely Pamatong.

THIS JUST IN!
The latest Pulse Asia survey showed that 43 percent of respondents would “surely not vote for” a presidential candidate endorsed by President Arroyo. Asked if he’d still seek GMA’s endorsement, Gilbert Teodoro said, “Sino ‘yon?”

In Local Politics…
Incumbent Batangas governor, Vilma Santos is seeking re-election. Her husband, former senator Ralph Recto is seeking redemption.

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos is making a political comeback. She just filed her certificate of candidacy for representative of Ilocos Norte’s second district. Her campaign slogan? “The shoe must go on.”

President Arroyo’s staunch ally, Mrs. Lilia Pineda will try her luck again in Pampanga’s gubernatorial race against re-electionist priest-on-leave Among Ed Panlilio. Asked about her chances of winning, a very confident Pineda answered, “Katorse/sais! Tumbok ng otsenta/sahod ng beinte.”

Former Presidential Chief of Staff Mike Defensor is running for mayor of Quezon City against outgoing vice mayor Herbert Bautista. Herbert is keeping the location of his headquarters a secret for fear that Defensor will conduct a raid to “rescue” the actor’s supporters.

Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr., son of outgoing Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay is running for mayor in 2010 – a move that surprised Makati voters who thought that the Binay family [rulers of the city for 23 years now] would endorse their very loyal vice mayor Nestor Mercado for the post. Asked why he refused to give way to Mercado, Junjun Binay said, “because public service is emblazoned on my DNA, too.”

For the first time in the history of Makati City and perhaps, the country’s local politics, the two frontrunners in the mayoral race are both black.

Still in Makati, Cong. Teddyboy Locsin and former congressman Butz Aquino have severed ties with Mayor Jejomar Binay. The Binay family’s control of Makati is now down to 98 percent.

The People’s Champ, Manny Pacquiao made true his promise (or threat) to file his CoC for representative of the lone district of Sarangani Province. To articulate his vision for the province, Pacman has named an official spokesperson: Michael Buffer. [Altogether now: Leeet’s get ready to rumble!]

And finally, Aiko Melendez, Roderick Paulate, Ara Mina, Alfred Vargas, Arnell Ignacio, Isko Moreno, Daisy Reyes, Lani Mercado, Rico J. Puno, Jestoni Alarcon, Cesar Montano, Richard Gomez, Anjo Yllana, Joey Marquez, Alma Moreno, Gian Sotto, Dan Fernandez, Marjorie Barretto, and Jigo Garcia all filed their CoCs for various posts in next year’s elections. The number of celebrities who came out last Tuesday was so huge, Comelec officials thought Noynoy Aquino was shooting another TV ad.
_________
“An election cannot give a country a firm sense of direction if it has two or more national parties which merely have different names but are as alike in their principles and aims as two peas in the same pod.”
~Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Postcript: Sa gitna ng piyesta at karnabal na nagaganap ngayon sa bansa dahil sa eleksyon, ang tanong ng bayan: meron pa ba tayong bise-presidente? Please lang po. Sakaling may impormasyon kayo hinggil sa taong nasa larawan, ipagbigay-alam lamang sa pinakamalapit na presinto. Marami pong salamat.

Survey Says
Your take on President Arroyo’s decision to seek a Congressional seat in Pampanga:
It’s her right. Hayaan na natin. :15%
Immunity from suit ang habol niya! 67%
Who cares, Care Bears? 18%

We have a new survey. Please vote now.

I’ve Got Mail!
From Philippine Star columnist Billy Esposo:
US Ambassador Kristie Kenney: “After several years, our people recovered from 9/11.
I pray that the Filipino people will soon recover from the 4′11.”

Have a great weekend!