MANILA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The 2010 General Elections of the Philippines are scheduled to be held on May 10, in which a new president, vice president, 12 senators, 287 members of the House of Representatives as well as some 17,000 local officials will be elected by some 50 million voters.
As the upcoming elections will bring major changes to official posts throughout this southeast Asian country, the 2010 General Elections are attracting attention from both inside the Philippines and the international community.
ANTI-CORRUPTION, ELIMINATION OF POVERTY
Major presidential candidates include Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino III from the Liberal Party, Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar Jr. from the Nacionalista Party, ex-president Joseph "ERAP" Estrada from the Force of the Filipino Masses party, as well as other candidates from various political parties.
Born in 1960, Aquino III is the only son of the late senator Benigno Servillano "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. and late ex-president Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino. Graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1981, Aquino III was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, and was elected to the Senate in 2007. Within the Liberal Party, Aquino III has been holding the Vice-Chairman position since March 2006.
Aquino III believes that corruption and poverty are the main reasons for the Filipino people to lack in trust with their government, and pledges that if elected, he will be committed to fighting corruption, eliminating poverty, promoting economy and employment, improving education and healthcare standards and so on.
Villar was born in 1949 to a government employee father and a seafood dealer mother. In his early years as a working student, he graduated from the University of the Philippines with a master of business administration degree. After graduation, he experienced several job changes, later becoming a housing tycoon.
Villar was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992, later becoming Speaker there. He has been a senator since 2001 and served as Senate President from 2006 to 2008. Villar has been president for the Nacionalista Party since 2004.
He believes that extensively existing poverty and social injustice are the main problem the Philippines is faced with, and he pledged that once elected, he will be committed to eliminating poverty, cracking down on corruption, promoting social justice, realizing the economy's self-sufficiency through land reforms, developing local industry, containing environmental damages, improving basic social services such as education, healthcare, housing, etc.
Estrada was elected to the presidency in 1998, and was ousted in 2001 with corruption allegations. His post was assumed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who became vice-president in 1998. Estrada was sentenced to life imprisonment for plunder in September 2007 but was pardoned by president Arroyo in October. In the 2004 General Elections, Arroyo was permitted to run for presidency and succeeded, and her presidential term ends on June 30, 2010.
Because Estrada's presidency from 1998 to 2004 was terminated in the middle, he was permitted to run for president again in the 2010 elections. In his opinion, the reason causing poverty and starvation in the Philippines is corruption. He pledges that if elected, he will be committed to cracking down on corruption, addressing secessionist problems in the south and creating safe social environment in order to realize stable growth of the economy, improving agricultural conditions, expanding investment in education, promoting employment, etc.
Under the Philippine Constitution, a presidential term lasts for 6 years and upon completion of that term, the president shall not be eligible for any reelection.
ELECTION-RELATED VIOLENCE
In the Philippines, elections have always been haunted by violence. According to police statistics, 229 election-related violence incidents occurred during the congressional mid-term election in 2007, killing 121 people and injuring 176; 249 election-related violence incidents occurred in the 2004 General Elections, leaving 148 people dead and 261 injured.
Before the 2010 General Elections, election-related violence were still rampant, as the political massacre, in which 57 people were slain, happened in Philippines' southern province of Maguindanao in November 2009. Suspects of the massacre were arrested and are undergoing legal procedures.
In order to crack down on election-related violence, military and police have been imposing an firearm ban throughout the country since Jan. 10, 2010 and have set up some 3,500 checkpoints. Furthermore, since April 15, military and police have been put on a Blue Alert, increasing the number of checkpoints throughout the country and patrolling fully armed in automobiles and motorcycles. On April 30, the Blue Alert was upgraded to the Red Alert, the highest security level, with all military and police personnel on constant stand-by and all passes and leaves cancelled.
However, election-related violence continued repeatedly. Police figures released on April 26 showed that 27 people, including city councilors, village councilors, village leaders and common people, were killed and 37 people were injured between Jan. 10, when election campaigns started, and April 25.
About two weeks ahead of the General Elections this year, a group of protesters tried to stage a rally in front of the presidential palace, the Malacanang, calling for "democracy space". They were met by the police on their way and clashes ensued.
The Philippines became a United States colony in the early 20th century. After gaining independence in the wake of the second World War, the Philippines adopted U.S.-style democracy. However, the country is still infested by clan-politics and election- related violence.
FINANCIAL BASIS FOR CAMPAIGN
In the Philippines, running for president without sufficient financial support will go nowhere. To extensively showcase candidates' bright side to voters, they usually open campaign websites, broadcast their campaign advertisements through TV and radio stations, hire motorcades decorated with campaign-related materials to roam streets, ask supporters to post posters along streets and hand out flyers and publicity items such as rubber bracelets and caps with candidates' names or images.
Before the 2010 General Elections, streets in Manila were filled with campaigning advertisements, and even some trees became publicity platforms--yellow ribbons tied to the branches represent Aguino III, and orange ribbons represent Villar.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, who initially claimed that he would run for president, scrapped his idea last year, saying he was "bowing" to the reality that his "extremely limited resources" were not enough to run a campaign.
In a statement, Lacson said that while "well-meaning friends" had pledged financial support, "the time has come to face the reality that the intent to lead in this land in order to do good, has become an enterprise only for those who have access to unlimited funds."
He said that "poverty, the lack of health services, education and security will not be solved through dole-outs from politicians during election season, which is given away easily because it came from corruption."
WHO'S IN THE LEAD
The Philippines practises direct voting in general elections, and the candidate who secured the biggest amount of votes wins.
Several surveys showed that Aquino III was in the lead, followed by Villar and Estrada, with the latter two candidates having similar support rates.
According to a survey conducted nationwide by Pulse Asia from April 23 to 25, Aquino III enjoyed a support rate of 39 percent, while Villar and Estrada were respectively supported by 20 percent of the respondents, and the fourth candidate, former Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. from Lakas Kampi CMD, the ruling party, got 7 percent. None of the other candidates got a support rate higher than 3 percent.
39 percent was the highest that Aquino III secured since the campaign started on Feb. 9.
In another survey conducted by Social Weather Stations from April 16 to 19, Aquino III enjoyed a support rate of 38 percent, 12 percent higher than Villar. The third was Estrada, with 17 percent support rate, followed by Teodoro with a support rate of 9 percent. None of the other candidates had a support rate higher than 2 percent.
Based on this survey, local newspaper the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that assuming a voter turnout of 77 percent, the turnout in the 2004 presidential election, Aquino III would have won by some 4.7 million votes over Villar had the presidential election been held in the third week of April.
In a news briefing on April 30, the Liberal Party proclaimed that without massive frauds in the upcoming presidential election, Aquino III will be the winner.
news.xinhuanet.com
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Comelec prepares for manual audit
MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is preparing for a random manual auditing of elections results, according to Henrietta de Villa, head of the poll body’s committee on random manual audit.
She said part of the plan is the deployment of an additional 3,500 public school teachers to ensure the accuracy of random manual auditing.
De Villa said the committee has recommended the creation of a special board of election inspectors to undertake the manual audit.
The Comelec has rejected calls for a parallel manual canvassing of poll results, saying it is no longer necessary since a random manual audit is enough to do the job.
The Philippine Bar Association (PBA) insisted yesterday that parallel manual counting of votes is not an impossible task for the Comelec.
PBA head and former ombudsman Simeon Marcelo stressed that preparations for manual counts in all precincts for five elective posts could be completed in less than five days.
“Yes, it’s not as simple as buying vinegar in the grocery store. It’s as simple as counting money the way bank tellers do,” he told The STAR in reaction to a statement from Comelec spokesman James Jimenez over the weekend that a manual count was “almost impossible” at this point.
De Villa said she agreed with the Comelec’s position that a parallel manual count would defeat the purpose of automation and would be tantamount to putting together two systems: manual and automated.
She also said the Poll Automation Law does not mention anything about having parallel manual counting.
De Villa, who also chairs the church-based poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting or PPCRV, said the recommendation for the creation of SBEIs is now awaiting Comelec’s approval.
She explained that fatigue had been a very big factor that had affected the accuracy of manual election system in past elections.
“But if we will have the SBEIs instead of the regular BEIs, the teachers will not be very tired and they would exhibit fresh look, fresh minds in conducting the random manual count,” De Villa said.
Last week, the Comelec decided to increase from one to five per legislative district the number of precincts to be subjected to the random audit.
A total of 1,145 clustered precincts will be subjected to random manual audit involving three BEI members. She said the involvement of 3,435 members of the SBEIs would be necessary.
www.philstar.com
She said part of the plan is the deployment of an additional 3,500 public school teachers to ensure the accuracy of random manual auditing.
De Villa said the committee has recommended the creation of a special board of election inspectors to undertake the manual audit.
The Comelec has rejected calls for a parallel manual canvassing of poll results, saying it is no longer necessary since a random manual audit is enough to do the job.
The Philippine Bar Association (PBA) insisted yesterday that parallel manual counting of votes is not an impossible task for the Comelec.
PBA head and former ombudsman Simeon Marcelo stressed that preparations for manual counts in all precincts for five elective posts could be completed in less than five days.
“Yes, it’s not as simple as buying vinegar in the grocery store. It’s as simple as counting money the way bank tellers do,” he told The STAR in reaction to a statement from Comelec spokesman James Jimenez over the weekend that a manual count was “almost impossible” at this point.
De Villa said she agreed with the Comelec’s position that a parallel manual count would defeat the purpose of automation and would be tantamount to putting together two systems: manual and automated.
She also said the Poll Automation Law does not mention anything about having parallel manual counting.
De Villa, who also chairs the church-based poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting or PPCRV, said the recommendation for the creation of SBEIs is now awaiting Comelec’s approval.
She explained that fatigue had been a very big factor that had affected the accuracy of manual election system in past elections.
“But if we will have the SBEIs instead of the regular BEIs, the teachers will not be very tired and they would exhibit fresh look, fresh minds in conducting the random manual count,” De Villa said.
Last week, the Comelec decided to increase from one to five per legislative district the number of precincts to be subjected to the random audit.
A total of 1,145 clustered precincts will be subjected to random manual audit involving three BEI members. She said the involvement of 3,435 members of the SBEIs would be necessary.
www.philstar.com
A Vote of Confidence for Philippine Elections?
It's Sunday afternoon and campaigning for this year's Philippine presidential elections is in full swing. The smell of pork adobo wafts through the air, reminding supporters gathered in this plaza to greet one another with the ubiquitous Filipino welcome: "Have you eaten yet?" Above their clamor, campaign jingles battle for aural supremacy. It's no wonder that Philippine politics are often seen as one big party.
But this fiesta isn't in Manila. This is the Philippines election headquarters in Hong Kong, where nearly 100,000 Filipino overseas voters will be queuing to cast their early vote in what the nation hopes will be its first fully automated polls. In a bid to run a cleaner, fairer election on May 10, the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) has taken on the ambitious goal of digitizing its manual electoral process. Massive voter registration and education drives have been undertaken, registering a record 50 million voters, and civil society and the local media are placing extra scrutiny on this year's electoral process. (See pictures of last year's volcanic eruption in the Philippines.)
Hong Kong stands as its first test. Comelec selected the territory, along with Singapore, for having the highest number of overseas voters — Hong Kong with over 95,000 and Singapore with nearly 32,000, the majority of which, in both countries, are working abroad as domestic workers. With no complete dry runs of the new automated system being held in the Philippines prior to election day, officials have been closely monitoring the territory since voting started on April 10 to see whether the system will fly or falter. (One official of the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong acknowledged that they were effectively "guinea pigs.")
Notorious for its patronage politics, the Philippine political system has had a colorful electoral history rife with scandal. Most recently, incumbent President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has faced accusations of rigging the country's 2004 national elections in her favor. The issue of corruption is also central in the current presidential election, with some of its front-runners facing fraud allegations of their own. It comes as no surprise, then, that Transparency International ranked the Philippines 139th out of 180 countries in its 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index. Many Filipinos are looking to this election to unseat not only the unpopular Arroyo, but also the country's legacy of political duplicity. And some believe an automated election system will begin to shake an entrenched system of cheating and help the country move toward that goal. (See pictures of last year's politically motivated massacre in the Philippines.)
In the new system, instead of writing in candidates' names on the traditional ballots, voters will now fill in corresponding bubbles on new 25-inch scantrons; instead of dropping their completed ballots into yellow metal boxes, now voters run them through Precinct Optical Scan, or PCOS, machines that feed into secured 3-foot tall black boxes. The Comelec has contracted election technology firm Smartmatic — the company that also helped automate Venezuela's 2004 elections — to bring in some 76,000 of these PCOS machines (and an additional 6,000 back-up machines) to the archipelago. Overseas voters have been given a 30-day head start ahead of their countrymen in the Philippines, but Hong Kong also holds the distinction of being only one of two locations outside the Philippines with PCOS machines.
Statistically the overseas voting population is not expected to be a major battleground for votes — only 590,000 of nearly 9 million Filipinos abroad are registered to vote, making them only 1% of the total Philippine electorate. But it is an important testing ground for transparency. Daphne Ceniza-Kuok, a longtime advocate for overseas voters rights and a volunteer at Bayanihan Center, a Filipino community center in Hong Kong where the vote is being held, calls the absentee vote the "cleansing agent of the electoral process." She believes that the vices that plague traditional Philippine politics — such as vote-buying and ballot-tampering — are less likely to happen overseas, and even less so with the security measures put into place with automated voting.
Others don't see the early overseas voting period as a sufficient test for the new system. Organizations like Kontra Daya, a Manila-based election watchdog group whose name means "Against Cheating" in Tagalog, say the month-long early voting period gives Hong Kong and Singapore ample time to sort out any kinks in the system, but during the 11-hour voting period on May 10 in the Philippines, even a short stall, which has happened twice in Hong Kong, could effectively disenfranchise scores of voters.
And despite the ease of voting championed by officials, an information gap between Comelec and voters persists. Vilma Guevarra, a domestic helper who has been working in Hong Kong for the past 12 years, was unable to vote in this election. Unaware of an electoral rule that requires that she have voted in the two previous elections to remain a registered voter, she was turned away from the polls. "I'm sorry, that's just how it is," a consulate representative told her as she walked away from the help desk at the Bayanihan Center. Guevarra is one of roughly 150 voters in Hong Kong whose names have gone missing from voters' lists — for reasons varying from failure to comply with this rule to incorrect spelling of their names. Agnes Paz, a poll watcher from the party-list group, Gabriela Women's Party, recalls a voter's ballot being rejected from PCOS machines during the first weekend of voting for being improperly filled out.
Many are also concerned that fraud will continue to happen the good old-fashioned way, questioning how these machines will help clean up a system already steeped in corruption. Even former President Fidel V. Ramos contended that, despite its security features, the new automated system could still be manually overridden — much like the automated toilet system in his office, he half-jested. But Smartmatic Asia-Pacific President César Flores assures that even with all measures in place, it takes more than just technology to ensure a successful election. "There are things that the technology cannot control," he reminds voters. "It's vigilance and commitment and responsibility combined that will make the system work."
As far as Comelec and Smartmatic officials are concerned, Hong Kong has already been a success. With the exception of two PCOS machines malfunctioning during the first weekend of voting (officials attributed this to "inclement weather"), the new automated system in Hong Kong has not encountered any major setbacks. Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal says that automation has sped up voting, reducing what once was a mind-numbing four-hour process with queues winding around the block to just ten minutes.
Back at the Bayanihan Center, Kuok rushes about the queues of voters, enthusiastically taking their photos. True to officials' words, there were no more than ten people in a given queue as voting was in full swing, and voters were whisked up to the polling areas upstairs within a few minutes of getting in line. Kuok's thumb is stained blue with indelible ink — an artifact of the old manual voting system retained for both security and symbolism — indicating that she had successfully cast her vote. "It's so heartwarming that people want to see this succeed," she says between snapshots, referring to the 100 volunteers who have signed up at the center to exercise their civic duty.
But these volunteers may have their work cut out for them. The past few Sundays have drawn over 2,000 voters each and, if history is any indicator, the next few weekends should also see a dramatic increase in voters. Consulate officials expect more than 7,000 voters for the last Sunday of voting — circumstances closer to the mad rush of Election Day in the Philippines, and perhaps a truer test of the system. And with May 10 looming, the Philippines will be keeping an eye on Hong Kong as a potential portent of what is to come.
www.time.com
But this fiesta isn't in Manila. This is the Philippines election headquarters in Hong Kong, where nearly 100,000 Filipino overseas voters will be queuing to cast their early vote in what the nation hopes will be its first fully automated polls. In a bid to run a cleaner, fairer election on May 10, the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) has taken on the ambitious goal of digitizing its manual electoral process. Massive voter registration and education drives have been undertaken, registering a record 50 million voters, and civil society and the local media are placing extra scrutiny on this year's electoral process. (See pictures of last year's volcanic eruption in the Philippines.)
Hong Kong stands as its first test. Comelec selected the territory, along with Singapore, for having the highest number of overseas voters — Hong Kong with over 95,000 and Singapore with nearly 32,000, the majority of which, in both countries, are working abroad as domestic workers. With no complete dry runs of the new automated system being held in the Philippines prior to election day, officials have been closely monitoring the territory since voting started on April 10 to see whether the system will fly or falter. (One official of the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong acknowledged that they were effectively "guinea pigs.")
Notorious for its patronage politics, the Philippine political system has had a colorful electoral history rife with scandal. Most recently, incumbent President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has faced accusations of rigging the country's 2004 national elections in her favor. The issue of corruption is also central in the current presidential election, with some of its front-runners facing fraud allegations of their own. It comes as no surprise, then, that Transparency International ranked the Philippines 139th out of 180 countries in its 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index. Many Filipinos are looking to this election to unseat not only the unpopular Arroyo, but also the country's legacy of political duplicity. And some believe an automated election system will begin to shake an entrenched system of cheating and help the country move toward that goal. (See pictures of last year's politically motivated massacre in the Philippines.)
In the new system, instead of writing in candidates' names on the traditional ballots, voters will now fill in corresponding bubbles on new 25-inch scantrons; instead of dropping their completed ballots into yellow metal boxes, now voters run them through Precinct Optical Scan, or PCOS, machines that feed into secured 3-foot tall black boxes. The Comelec has contracted election technology firm Smartmatic — the company that also helped automate Venezuela's 2004 elections — to bring in some 76,000 of these PCOS machines (and an additional 6,000 back-up machines) to the archipelago. Overseas voters have been given a 30-day head start ahead of their countrymen in the Philippines, but Hong Kong also holds the distinction of being only one of two locations outside the Philippines with PCOS machines.
Statistically the overseas voting population is not expected to be a major battleground for votes — only 590,000 of nearly 9 million Filipinos abroad are registered to vote, making them only 1% of the total Philippine electorate. But it is an important testing ground for transparency. Daphne Ceniza-Kuok, a longtime advocate for overseas voters rights and a volunteer at Bayanihan Center, a Filipino community center in Hong Kong where the vote is being held, calls the absentee vote the "cleansing agent of the electoral process." She believes that the vices that plague traditional Philippine politics — such as vote-buying and ballot-tampering — are less likely to happen overseas, and even less so with the security measures put into place with automated voting.
Others don't see the early overseas voting period as a sufficient test for the new system. Organizations like Kontra Daya, a Manila-based election watchdog group whose name means "Against Cheating" in Tagalog, say the month-long early voting period gives Hong Kong and Singapore ample time to sort out any kinks in the system, but during the 11-hour voting period on May 10 in the Philippines, even a short stall, which has happened twice in Hong Kong, could effectively disenfranchise scores of voters.
And despite the ease of voting championed by officials, an information gap between Comelec and voters persists. Vilma Guevarra, a domestic helper who has been working in Hong Kong for the past 12 years, was unable to vote in this election. Unaware of an electoral rule that requires that she have voted in the two previous elections to remain a registered voter, she was turned away from the polls. "I'm sorry, that's just how it is," a consulate representative told her as she walked away from the help desk at the Bayanihan Center. Guevarra is one of roughly 150 voters in Hong Kong whose names have gone missing from voters' lists — for reasons varying from failure to comply with this rule to incorrect spelling of their names. Agnes Paz, a poll watcher from the party-list group, Gabriela Women's Party, recalls a voter's ballot being rejected from PCOS machines during the first weekend of voting for being improperly filled out.
Many are also concerned that fraud will continue to happen the good old-fashioned way, questioning how these machines will help clean up a system already steeped in corruption. Even former President Fidel V. Ramos contended that, despite its security features, the new automated system could still be manually overridden — much like the automated toilet system in his office, he half-jested. But Smartmatic Asia-Pacific President César Flores assures that even with all measures in place, it takes more than just technology to ensure a successful election. "There are things that the technology cannot control," he reminds voters. "It's vigilance and commitment and responsibility combined that will make the system work."
As far as Comelec and Smartmatic officials are concerned, Hong Kong has already been a success. With the exception of two PCOS machines malfunctioning during the first weekend of voting (officials attributed this to "inclement weather"), the new automated system in Hong Kong has not encountered any major setbacks. Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal says that automation has sped up voting, reducing what once was a mind-numbing four-hour process with queues winding around the block to just ten minutes.
Back at the Bayanihan Center, Kuok rushes about the queues of voters, enthusiastically taking their photos. True to officials' words, there were no more than ten people in a given queue as voting was in full swing, and voters were whisked up to the polling areas upstairs within a few minutes of getting in line. Kuok's thumb is stained blue with indelible ink — an artifact of the old manual voting system retained for both security and symbolism — indicating that she had successfully cast her vote. "It's so heartwarming that people want to see this succeed," she says between snapshots, referring to the 100 volunteers who have signed up at the center to exercise their civic duty.
But these volunteers may have their work cut out for them. The past few Sundays have drawn over 2,000 voters each and, if history is any indicator, the next few weekends should also see a dramatic increase in voters. Consulate officials expect more than 7,000 voters for the last Sunday of voting — circumstances closer to the mad rush of Election Day in the Philippines, and perhaps a truer test of the system. And with May 10 looming, the Philippines will be keeping an eye on Hong Kong as a potential portent of what is to come.
www.time.com
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Ang Ladlad endorses Noynoy, Binay
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - The "Ang Ladlad" party-list group formally launched on Wednesday "NOYBI 2010".
The group is supporting the tandem of Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) vice-presidential bet Makati City Mayor Jejomar "Jojo" Binay.
Ang Ladlad chair Danton Remoto referred to Aquino as the "Mr. Clean of Philippine politics," while Binay is regarded as the "dark horse" in 2010 who, they said, will pull a surprise in the May 10 polls.
Many were surprised by the group's decision since they've been known to be allies of the Liberal Party.
Remoto was a consultant of LP vice presidential bet Sen. Mar Roxas for two years.
Remoto harbors no ill feelings against the senator, but expressed that some people in Roxas' campaign team failed to make good their promise to help Ang Ladlad with their campaign funds for the party-list elections.
"They are slow like turtles," Remoto said, which is why they opted to support Binay, Roxas' rival candidate, who had agreed to help them financially.
For better or worse
LP campaign manager Butch Abad clarified that they did not promise anything to the Ang Ladlad.
He said that they would not want a quid pro quo, but instead prefer to help each other for better or worse.
"Mas maigi kung magkaka-tulungan. Ayaw din namin ng quid pro quo. Maganda kung magkasama tayo sa hirap at ginhawa," Abad said.
Just the same, Abad thanked the group for endorsing Aquino. He had hoped that the group would carry the entire LP slate.
The NOYBI launch may just be another reason to cause further tension between Senators Francis Escudero and Roxas.
Remoto confirmed they will support whoever Escudero will endorse. Escudero had earlier expressed his support for Aquino and Binay for president and vice-president, respectively.
Binay's new ad
Yesterday, ABS-CBN got a copy of a political ad conceptualized and produced by Escudero himself and Bibeth Orteza, endorsing Binay as Escudero's vice-presidential bet.
Escudero introduced Binay as someone who came from a poor family, not an "ilustrado," and a genuine member of the opposition.
Sources said Binay's new ad will be shown a few days after Escudero's political ad endorsing Aquino hits the airwaves. This early, Escudero and Roxas are viewed to be the top contenders for the presidency in 2016.
The LP camp, meantime, is undaunted by Escudero's endorsement of Binay.
Abad earlier said that Sen. Roxas is secure in his standing, being the front-runner in the vice-presidential race.
Ang Ladlad is the national organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Filipinos.
-www.abs-cbnnews.com
The group is supporting the tandem of Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) vice-presidential bet Makati City Mayor Jejomar "Jojo" Binay.
Ang Ladlad chair Danton Remoto referred to Aquino as the "Mr. Clean of Philippine politics," while Binay is regarded as the "dark horse" in 2010 who, they said, will pull a surprise in the May 10 polls.
Many were surprised by the group's decision since they've been known to be allies of the Liberal Party.
Remoto was a consultant of LP vice presidential bet Sen. Mar Roxas for two years.
Remoto harbors no ill feelings against the senator, but expressed that some people in Roxas' campaign team failed to make good their promise to help Ang Ladlad with their campaign funds for the party-list elections.
"They are slow like turtles," Remoto said, which is why they opted to support Binay, Roxas' rival candidate, who had agreed to help them financially.
For better or worse
LP campaign manager Butch Abad clarified that they did not promise anything to the Ang Ladlad.
He said that they would not want a quid pro quo, but instead prefer to help each other for better or worse.
"Mas maigi kung magkaka-tulungan. Ayaw din namin ng quid pro quo. Maganda kung magkasama tayo sa hirap at ginhawa," Abad said.
Just the same, Abad thanked the group for endorsing Aquino. He had hoped that the group would carry the entire LP slate.
The NOYBI launch may just be another reason to cause further tension between Senators Francis Escudero and Roxas.
Remoto confirmed they will support whoever Escudero will endorse. Escudero had earlier expressed his support for Aquino and Binay for president and vice-president, respectively.
Binay's new ad
Yesterday, ABS-CBN got a copy of a political ad conceptualized and produced by Escudero himself and Bibeth Orteza, endorsing Binay as Escudero's vice-presidential bet.
Escudero introduced Binay as someone who came from a poor family, not an "ilustrado," and a genuine member of the opposition.
Sources said Binay's new ad will be shown a few days after Escudero's political ad endorsing Aquino hits the airwaves. This early, Escudero and Roxas are viewed to be the top contenders for the presidency in 2016.
The LP camp, meantime, is undaunted by Escudero's endorsement of Binay.
Abad earlier said that Sen. Roxas is secure in his standing, being the front-runner in the vice-presidential race.
Ang Ladlad is the national organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Filipinos.
-www.abs-cbnnews.com
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Senator Aquino Widens Lead In Philippine Presidential Survey
MANILA -(Dow Jones)- Senator Benigno Simeon Aquino III, son of Philippine democracy icon Corazon Aquino, widened his lead in the latest presidential preference survey, helped by a steep fall in the ratings of his closest rival, Senator Manuel Villar.
Private pollster Pulse Asia said Tuesday that its latest survey, conducted between March 21 to 28, showed Aquino as the preferred candidate of 37% of the 3,000 respondents nationwide, up from the 36% he garnered during the February survey.
In contrast, Villar dropped to 25% in March from 29% in February, a significant decline given the survey's margin of error is plus or minus 2%.
Former President Joseph Estrada and former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, the standard-bearer of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration party, secured in March 18% and 7%, respectively, unchanged from February.
With just over a month before the May 10 presidential elections, the proportion of undecided voters remains significant and even increased to 9% in the March survey from 6% in February.
Aquino's running mate, Senator Manuel Roxas II, also continued to lead in the vice presidential survey, with 43% of the respondents favoring him.
Senator Loren Legarda, Villar's running mate, garnered 23% while Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, Estrada's vice presidential candidate, was third, with 19%.
The latest Pulse Asia survey was conducted as candidates for local positions-- congressmen, provincial governors, town and city mayors and councilors--started their own campaigns. Local candidates could help swing votes for their allies.
www.nasdaq.com
Private pollster Pulse Asia said Tuesday that its latest survey, conducted between March 21 to 28, showed Aquino as the preferred candidate of 37% of the 3,000 respondents nationwide, up from the 36% he garnered during the February survey.
In contrast, Villar dropped to 25% in March from 29% in February, a significant decline given the survey's margin of error is plus or minus 2%.
Former President Joseph Estrada and former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, the standard-bearer of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration party, secured in March 18% and 7%, respectively, unchanged from February.
With just over a month before the May 10 presidential elections, the proportion of undecided voters remains significant and even increased to 9% in the March survey from 6% in February.
Aquino's running mate, Senator Manuel Roxas II, also continued to lead in the vice presidential survey, with 43% of the respondents favoring him.
Senator Loren Legarda, Villar's running mate, garnered 23% while Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, Estrada's vice presidential candidate, was third, with 19%.
The latest Pulse Asia survey was conducted as candidates for local positions-- congressmen, provincial governors, town and city mayors and councilors--started their own campaigns. Local candidates could help swing votes for their allies.
www.nasdaq.com
Monday, April 5, 2010
Local Polls Reflect the True State of Philippine Elections
MANILA - The campaign for local posts has just begun. And the fanfare surrounding the presidential and senatorial campaigns are nothing compared to that of local campaigns. Even before the local campaign period had officially begun on March 26, every secondary and side street is already full of campaign posters, banners, and banderitas (small banners tied across streets) not only of candidates for national posts but also that of local candidates, minus the position they are running for. With the start of the local campaign period, walls and posts in secondary and side streets would surely thicken with all these campaign paraphernalia, with that of one candidate pasted over another's over and over again. But beneath the clutter lies the violent nature of local elections.
Local elections are historically fought out with the use of guns, goons, and gold. Thus, the discovery not only of powerful weapons but election paraphernalia as well during raids at the residences of the Ampatuan clan, during the aftermath of the Maguindanao massacre, is not unexpected. In fact, the Maguindanao massacre itself is not surprising nor is it an isolated event. It just raised the ante in terms of the level of violence that is to be expected in the coming elections. Killings of local candidates and their ward leaders have already begun all over the country. And this is expected to escalate with the start of the official local campaign period.
After the Maguindanao massacre, Malacañang made a show of moving to dismantle private armies by creating a commission headed by retired Justice Monina Arevalo-Zeñarosa. But even the commission and the Philippine National Police admit that, a little over a month before the May 2010 elections, they have hardly made a dent in dismantling private armies.
Why?
Because the so-called private armies are not so private after all. First, every powerful political cum landlord clan has one. It is regularly used to suppress attempts by landless peasants to claim the land they till. These even include members of the local police, as the Maguindanao massacre has shown.
And these "private armies" are not only condoned but even supported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The Arroyo government and the AFP admitted that the so-called private army of the Ampatuan clan that carried out the massacre of 57 journalists, relatives of the rival Mangungudatu clan, and other civilians are units of the Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO). The government also admitted that the high-powered weapons discovered in the cache of the Ampatuan clan have markings of the AFP.
Training and arming CVOs, which are actually the private armies of powerful landlord/political clans, are part of the counterinsurgency strategy of the Arroyo government. These are used to augment the AFP in counterinsurgency operations and are supposed to "hold and secure" communities after major military operations. They are, in turn, fed and financed by landlord/political clans.
It is also used to harass critics and opponents of the national government and the political/landlord clan in power, as, again, what was shown by the Maguindanao massacre. It is perhaps the privilege of having his own army armed, trained, and officially recognized by the government, which is essential to keeping power in the locality, that motivates the Mangungudatu clan to remain within the ruling party.
Another motivation for the party in power in supporting private armies of dominant political/landlord clans in the localities is its own need to keep itself in power. National elections do not determine the results of local elections. It is the other way around. Local elections determine the results of national elections. What motivates local politicians to support a candidate for president is not party loyalty, but rather, who could enhance their chances of victory.
Why are local elections so hotly contested? Victory in local elections provides the political/landlord clan the opportunity to expand its landholdings by taking control over the local government unit, which determines the classification of lands and is the repository of land titles. It enables the clan to corner local government contracts. And it is in the locality where real political power resides because there is actual control over a segment of the population. This control of a segment of the population is what the Arroyo government is counting on to propel Gilbert Teodoro to power.
As more candidates contest local positions, the more violent local elections become. While personality politics shows the triviality of national elections, warlord politics reveals the violent character of local elections. And no amount of vague calls and covenants for peaceful and fair elections would put a stop to these. Only an organized citizenry wielding its political power could change the nature of Philippine politics and elections.
source: www.voxbikol.com
Local elections are historically fought out with the use of guns, goons, and gold. Thus, the discovery not only of powerful weapons but election paraphernalia as well during raids at the residences of the Ampatuan clan, during the aftermath of the Maguindanao massacre, is not unexpected. In fact, the Maguindanao massacre itself is not surprising nor is it an isolated event. It just raised the ante in terms of the level of violence that is to be expected in the coming elections. Killings of local candidates and their ward leaders have already begun all over the country. And this is expected to escalate with the start of the official local campaign period.
After the Maguindanao massacre, Malacañang made a show of moving to dismantle private armies by creating a commission headed by retired Justice Monina Arevalo-Zeñarosa. But even the commission and the Philippine National Police admit that, a little over a month before the May 2010 elections, they have hardly made a dent in dismantling private armies.
Why?
Because the so-called private armies are not so private after all. First, every powerful political cum landlord clan has one. It is regularly used to suppress attempts by landless peasants to claim the land they till. These even include members of the local police, as the Maguindanao massacre has shown.
And these "private armies" are not only condoned but even supported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The Arroyo government and the AFP admitted that the so-called private army of the Ampatuan clan that carried out the massacre of 57 journalists, relatives of the rival Mangungudatu clan, and other civilians are units of the Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO). The government also admitted that the high-powered weapons discovered in the cache of the Ampatuan clan have markings of the AFP.
Training and arming CVOs, which are actually the private armies of powerful landlord/political clans, are part of the counterinsurgency strategy of the Arroyo government. These are used to augment the AFP in counterinsurgency operations and are supposed to "hold and secure" communities after major military operations. They are, in turn, fed and financed by landlord/political clans.
It is also used to harass critics and opponents of the national government and the political/landlord clan in power, as, again, what was shown by the Maguindanao massacre. It is perhaps the privilege of having his own army armed, trained, and officially recognized by the government, which is essential to keeping power in the locality, that motivates the Mangungudatu clan to remain within the ruling party.
Another motivation for the party in power in supporting private armies of dominant political/landlord clans in the localities is its own need to keep itself in power. National elections do not determine the results of local elections. It is the other way around. Local elections determine the results of national elections. What motivates local politicians to support a candidate for president is not party loyalty, but rather, who could enhance their chances of victory.
Why are local elections so hotly contested? Victory in local elections provides the political/landlord clan the opportunity to expand its landholdings by taking control over the local government unit, which determines the classification of lands and is the repository of land titles. It enables the clan to corner local government contracts. And it is in the locality where real political power resides because there is actual control over a segment of the population. This control of a segment of the population is what the Arroyo government is counting on to propel Gilbert Teodoro to power.
As more candidates contest local positions, the more violent local elections become. While personality politics shows the triviality of national elections, warlord politics reveals the violent character of local elections. And no amount of vague calls and covenants for peaceful and fair elections would put a stop to these. Only an organized citizenry wielding its political power could change the nature of Philippine politics and elections.
source: www.voxbikol.com
PNP chief to meet with local police chiefs on polls
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa is set to meet with the 1,634 local police chiefs in the country this week to issue reminders on the duty of all PNP personnel in the coming Philippine Presidential Elections.
At the same time, Verzosa said his office will be distributing copies of the 10-policy guidelines on the role of the PNP in the coming elections during the meeting.
On Wednesday, Verzosa is set to meet all the chiefs of police in Luzon, while he will be meeting with the chiefs of police in Visayas on Thursday and the chiefs of police in Mindanao on Friday.
“This [meeting] is to inform them of their duties and coordinate with the Commission on Elections during the elections,” Verzosa told reporters.
“We have to do our best in providing security not only to the candidates but also to the public,” Verzosa added.
The 10-policy guidelines, dubbed “Ang 10 Utos Para Sa Halalan 2010,” will be distributed to all police stations starting April 7. It prohibits all PNP personnel from supporting a candidate during the election season.
“This (guideline) will be our norm of conduct for the elections. We will just remind them (police chiefs) that policemen should stay non-partisan,” Verzosa maintained.
The 10-policy guidelines include:
“Honor your badge and use your authority to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections;”
“Respect and protect the sanctity of your vote and the vote of others;” and,
“Be content and support whoever gets the mandate of the people.”
source: newsinfo.inquirer.net
At the same time, Verzosa said his office will be distributing copies of the 10-policy guidelines on the role of the PNP in the coming elections during the meeting.
On Wednesday, Verzosa is set to meet all the chiefs of police in Luzon, while he will be meeting with the chiefs of police in Visayas on Thursday and the chiefs of police in Mindanao on Friday.
“This [meeting] is to inform them of their duties and coordinate with the Commission on Elections during the elections,” Verzosa told reporters.
“We have to do our best in providing security not only to the candidates but also to the public,” Verzosa added.
The 10-policy guidelines, dubbed “Ang 10 Utos Para Sa Halalan 2010,” will be distributed to all police stations starting April 7. It prohibits all PNP personnel from supporting a candidate during the election season.
“This (guideline) will be our norm of conduct for the elections. We will just remind them (police chiefs) that policemen should stay non-partisan,” Verzosa maintained.
The 10-policy guidelines include:
“Honor your badge and use your authority to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections;”
“Respect and protect the sanctity of your vote and the vote of others;” and,
“Be content and support whoever gets the mandate of the people.”
source: newsinfo.inquirer.net
Monday, March 29, 2010
UK to Join Philippine Elections as International Observer
The United Kingdom is sending over to the Philippines a group of international observers who will participate in the forthcoming elections scheduled for May 10, 2010 as observers in the first ever automated elections in the country.
The government of the United Kingdom is sending a group of observers to the upcoming national elections in the Philippines scheduled for May 19, 2010.
This year's Philippine elections will be the first automated electoral exercise in the country.
United Kingdom's ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie said his government is yet to determine the composition of their delegation.
"There is a provision on the Commission on Elections law for foreign observers to observe elections and yes, the UK intends to take advantage of that law and we will submit applications for observers," Lillie said.
Past Philippine elections have always been characterized by fraud and violence as some candidates took advantage of loose election rules that are susceptible to cheating especially in the counting of votes as they are tallied manually.
As the country's first automated elections draw near, thousands of aspirants seeking national and local positions have started campaigning in their respective electoral districts throughout the country.
Even before the official start of the election campaign as provided for by the revised election law of the country, around 60 people including at least 25 journalists have been ambushed and murdered while on their way to witness the filing of candidacy of one of the candidates for Governor in the province of Maguindanao in southern Philippines.
At least 50 million voters are expected to participate in the May 10 national elections to elect around 17,000 local government posts on top of the election to the position of President, Vice-President, Senators and congressmen.
With the new automated elections, winners will be known in a matter of hours instead of days or months when vote counting was done manually.
www.digitaljournal.com
The government of the United Kingdom is sending a group of observers to the upcoming national elections in the Philippines scheduled for May 19, 2010.
This year's Philippine elections will be the first automated electoral exercise in the country.
United Kingdom's ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie said his government is yet to determine the composition of their delegation.
"There is a provision on the Commission on Elections law for foreign observers to observe elections and yes, the UK intends to take advantage of that law and we will submit applications for observers," Lillie said.
Past Philippine elections have always been characterized by fraud and violence as some candidates took advantage of loose election rules that are susceptible to cheating especially in the counting of votes as they are tallied manually.
As the country's first automated elections draw near, thousands of aspirants seeking national and local positions have started campaigning in their respective electoral districts throughout the country.
Even before the official start of the election campaign as provided for by the revised election law of the country, around 60 people including at least 25 journalists have been ambushed and murdered while on their way to witness the filing of candidacy of one of the candidates for Governor in the province of Maguindanao in southern Philippines.
At least 50 million voters are expected to participate in the May 10 national elections to elect around 17,000 local government posts on top of the election to the position of President, Vice-President, Senators and congressmen.
With the new automated elections, winners will be known in a matter of hours instead of days or months when vote counting was done manually.
www.digitaljournal.com
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Philippines - DOJ says recent PGMA appointments legal and valid
Justice Secretary Alberto C. Agra today said that all appointments in executive department posts recently made by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are valid and legal, having been done in full observance of the law and the Constitution.
Agra, himself a professor of administrative law, pointed out that the presidential appointments were made on or before March 10, 2010, the last day for President Arroyo to appoint government officials without contravening the 60-day election ban on appointments.
Defending Malacañang, Agra dismissed as “bereft of legal basis” and purely “malicious talks,” criticisms questioning the legality of the presidential appointments.
“Even under the prohibitive period on presidential appointment under the Constitution, there are exemptions,” the new Justice Secretary said.
Among settled exemptions to the 60-day ban immediately prior to the next presidential election he added, are temporary appointments to executive positions “when continued vacancies therein will prejudice public service or endanger public safety.”
“This makes the appointment of an Officer-in-Charge for the Department of Energy to replace Secretary Angelo Reyes, valid. Having met the condition of temporariness, it cannot be denied that the continued vacancy will prejudice public service on account of the Mindanao power crisis and the worsening El Nino phenomenon,” Agra said.
He said that having no cabinet secretary at the helm of the Department of Energy will definitely undermine governance.
The justice secretary also said the prohibition on midnight appointments does not cover designations, details, transfers and re-assignments because all these acts presume previous or earlier appointments.
Another exemption to the ban is the appointments in the judiciary which was affirmed by the Supreme Court in a ruling last March 17, which gave the President the legal and valid premises, should she decide, to appoint the replacement for Chief Justice Reynato Puno who will retire on May 17, 2010.
“The Supreme Court reasoned, among others, that the establishment of the Judicial and Bar Council and their subjecting the nomination and screening of candidates for judicial positions to the unhurried and deliberate prior process of the JBC, ensured that there would no longer be midnight appointments to the Judiciary,” Secretary Agra explained further on the SC appointments issue.
Agra said the prohibition applies only to the act of the President which is to appoint, and does not extend to other acts which are part of the overall appointment process. He was referring to events subsequent to the actual appointment, such as transmittal of the appointment papers and oath-taking.
“Please bear in mind that the appointing authority of the President in these cases of recent presidential appointments are absolute, as opposed to subjecting the same to assent or confirmation of another body,” the justice secretary said.
“It is long settled in the law of public officers that where the power of appointment is absolute, and the appointee has been determined upon, no further consent or approval is necessary, and the formal evidence of the appointment, the commission, may issue at once. Thus, the transmission of appointment papers, the acceptance of the appointment and the administration of oaths are clearly subsequent appointment processes, and do not in any way affect the appointing authority of the President,” Secretary Agra explained. (PND)
www.op.gov.ph
Agra, himself a professor of administrative law, pointed out that the presidential appointments were made on or before March 10, 2010, the last day for President Arroyo to appoint government officials without contravening the 60-day election ban on appointments.
Defending Malacañang, Agra dismissed as “bereft of legal basis” and purely “malicious talks,” criticisms questioning the legality of the presidential appointments.
“Even under the prohibitive period on presidential appointment under the Constitution, there are exemptions,” the new Justice Secretary said.
Among settled exemptions to the 60-day ban immediately prior to the next presidential election he added, are temporary appointments to executive positions “when continued vacancies therein will prejudice public service or endanger public safety.”
“This makes the appointment of an Officer-in-Charge for the Department of Energy to replace Secretary Angelo Reyes, valid. Having met the condition of temporariness, it cannot be denied that the continued vacancy will prejudice public service on account of the Mindanao power crisis and the worsening El Nino phenomenon,” Agra said.
He said that having no cabinet secretary at the helm of the Department of Energy will definitely undermine governance.
The justice secretary also said the prohibition on midnight appointments does not cover designations, details, transfers and re-assignments because all these acts presume previous or earlier appointments.
Another exemption to the ban is the appointments in the judiciary which was affirmed by the Supreme Court in a ruling last March 17, which gave the President the legal and valid premises, should she decide, to appoint the replacement for Chief Justice Reynato Puno who will retire on May 17, 2010.
“The Supreme Court reasoned, among others, that the establishment of the Judicial and Bar Council and their subjecting the nomination and screening of candidates for judicial positions to the unhurried and deliberate prior process of the JBC, ensured that there would no longer be midnight appointments to the Judiciary,” Secretary Agra explained further on the SC appointments issue.
Agra said the prohibition applies only to the act of the President which is to appoint, and does not extend to other acts which are part of the overall appointment process. He was referring to events subsequent to the actual appointment, such as transmittal of the appointment papers and oath-taking.
“Please bear in mind that the appointing authority of the President in these cases of recent presidential appointments are absolute, as opposed to subjecting the same to assent or confirmation of another body,” the justice secretary said.
“It is long settled in the law of public officers that where the power of appointment is absolute, and the appointee has been determined upon, no further consent or approval is necessary, and the formal evidence of the appointment, the commission, may issue at once. Thus, the transmission of appointment papers, the acceptance of the appointment and the administration of oaths are clearly subsequent appointment processes, and do not in any way affect the appointing authority of the President,” Secretary Agra explained. (PND)
www.op.gov.ph
Friday, March 26, 2010
Comelec: No campaigning on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday reminded national and local candidates that campaigning will be prohibited during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
"We're very sorry (but) you're gonna have to stop campaigning," Comelec spokesman James Jimenez reminded candidates.
He cited Comelec Resolution 8758 which implements Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Elections Act which says: "It is unlawful for any person, whether or not a voter or a candidate, or for any political party, or association of persons to engage on election campaign or partisan political activity on Maundy Tursday, Good Friday, eve of election day, and on election day."
Maundy Thursday falls on April 1 while Good Friday, on April 2.
Jimenez said candidates should instead use this time to reflect. "We urge candidates to take the time for introspection and reflect on the nature of the job you are seeking, public service above all."
And those found campaigning on those days may be accused of violating Resolution 8758 — an election offense which is punishable by disqualification, disenfranchisement and one to six years imprisonment.
"They might be leaving themselves vulnerable to their opponents," Jimenez said.
He reminded local candidates to remove their propaganda materials erected prior to the start of the campaign period, which began Friday and will end on May 8.
He said that the Comelec now has jurisdiction over them because they are now officially covered by existing campaign rules and regulations, specifically Resolution 8758.
The resolution requires that posters should not exceed 2 x 3 feet while streamers should not be more than 3 x 8 feet
It also requires candidates to put up their advertisements on common poster areas like plazas, markets, and barangay centers. Party-list groups and political parties are only allowed to construct 12 x 16 feet poster areas while independent candidates may only erect 4 x 6 feet poster areas or its equivalent.
"Tapos na po ang free for all natin, we are in the regulated campaign period as we should be," Jimenez said.
"We're very sorry (but) you're gonna have to stop campaigning," Comelec spokesman James Jimenez reminded candidates.
He cited Comelec Resolution 8758 which implements Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Elections Act which says: "It is unlawful for any person, whether or not a voter or a candidate, or for any political party, or association of persons to engage on election campaign or partisan political activity on Maundy Tursday, Good Friday, eve of election day, and on election day."
Maundy Thursday falls on April 1 while Good Friday, on April 2.
Jimenez said candidates should instead use this time to reflect. "We urge candidates to take the time for introspection and reflect on the nature of the job you are seeking, public service above all."
And those found campaigning on those days may be accused of violating Resolution 8758 — an election offense which is punishable by disqualification, disenfranchisement and one to six years imprisonment.
"They might be leaving themselves vulnerable to their opponents," Jimenez said.
He reminded local candidates to remove their propaganda materials erected prior to the start of the campaign period, which began Friday and will end on May 8.
He said that the Comelec now has jurisdiction over them because they are now officially covered by existing campaign rules and regulations, specifically Resolution 8758.
The resolution requires that posters should not exceed 2 x 3 feet while streamers should not be more than 3 x 8 feet
It also requires candidates to put up their advertisements on common poster areas like plazas, markets, and barangay centers. Party-list groups and political parties are only allowed to construct 12 x 16 feet poster areas while independent candidates may only erect 4 x 6 feet poster areas or its equivalent.
"Tapos na po ang free for all natin, we are in the regulated campaign period as we should be," Jimenez said.
Marcos, 80, Seeks Comeback In Philippine Elections
Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, bedecked in jade and diamonds, began a grueling campaign for a congressional seat Friday that she hopes will allow her to bury her ousted strongman husband in a heroes' cemetery and clear his sullied name.
Marcos, 80, and nearly 18,000 other politicians barnstormed the impoverished Southeast Asian nation on the first official day of campaigning for May 10 local elections.
Presidential and senatorial candidates have been campaigning for more than a month. Police say political violence, which often goes hand-in-hand with festive campaigning, has already claimed close to 80 lives, including 57 people massacred Nov. 23 in an election caravan in the southern Philippines.
Also among the celebrity candidates is boxing star Manny Pacquiao, who is seeking a congressional seat in his southern province. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has been threatened with criminal charges by critics when her turbulent term ends in June, is another candidate for the 287-seat lower chamber.
Emerging from more than a decade of political obscurity, Marcos strode back into the scene with a vengeance.
Her hair coifed back and wearing a bright orange tunic with jade and diamond jewelry, she led journalists at daybreak to the mausoleum of her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, in Ilocos Norte province, his northern stronghold.
She mournfully kissed his glass coffin as cameras snapped. "This is one of our major injustices," she said.
She went to church and then rode on a flatbed campaign truck festooned with balloons and posters as thousands cheered her along the way. She was flanked by her daughter Imee, who is running for governor in Ilocos Norte, a tobacco-growing region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of Manila.
Her son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is seeking a Senate seat.
Asked if she will push her long-standing campaign to have her husband buried in the national heroes' cemetery in Manila if she wins, Marcos replied, "Of course."
His burial there has been opposed by officials amid public outrage after Marcos — accused of corruption, political repression and widespread human rights abuses — was ousted in a 1986 "people power" revolt and died in exile in Hawaii three years later. Imelda Marcos and their three children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991.
"My ambition is to serve without end and to love without end," Marcos said in a news conference in a hotel discotheque before her long convoy hit the road under a broiling sun.
Afflicted with diabetes and glaucoma, Imelda parried a question about her age.
"It's true I'm 80 years old, but I can run and be a grandmother who can love and embrace the people more than a mother can," Marcos said, drawing applause from friends.
She is forever remembered for the stunning jewels and 1,220 pairs of shoes she left behind in the presidential palace.
She brought several new pairs for her campaign, aides said, and was wearing elegant leather sandals Friday.
Despite her reputation for extravagance, including shopping trips to the world's poshest boutiques and lavish beautification projects in a nation wracked by poverty, she retained supporters and even won a congressional seat in 1995. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 1992 and again in 1998.
Many Filipinos were incensed by her unashamed opulence, but others, especially the generation born after 1986 with no memory of martial law under the 20-year Marcos regime, view her as a celebrity.
Despite some 900 civil and criminal cases she has faced in Philippine courts since 1991 — cases ranging from embezzlement and corruption to tax evasion — she has emerged relatively unscathed and never served prison time. All but a handful of the cases have been dismissed for lack of evidence and a few convictions were overturned on appeal.
Marcos is running for a congressional seat in Ilocos Norte under her husband's political party, the New Society Movement, which has weakened considerably since his death. In Ilocos Norte, a laid-back province of 390,000 where the late strongman built a network of fine roads, an international airport and seaports, the Marcoses are adored.
"This is Marcos country, no ifs or buts," said village guard Elmer Macuco, who waited to see Imelda in one of the 21 towns she planned to tour Friday.
"She helps us and entertains us and has put us in history," Macuco said.
Clearing the family name remains an obsession, Marcos said.
Until that happens, she said, "I cannot rest."
www.npr.org
Marcos, 80, and nearly 18,000 other politicians barnstormed the impoverished Southeast Asian nation on the first official day of campaigning for May 10 local elections.
Presidential and senatorial candidates have been campaigning for more than a month. Police say political violence, which often goes hand-in-hand with festive campaigning, has already claimed close to 80 lives, including 57 people massacred Nov. 23 in an election caravan in the southern Philippines.
Also among the celebrity candidates is boxing star Manny Pacquiao, who is seeking a congressional seat in his southern province. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has been threatened with criminal charges by critics when her turbulent term ends in June, is another candidate for the 287-seat lower chamber.
Emerging from more than a decade of political obscurity, Marcos strode back into the scene with a vengeance.
Her hair coifed back and wearing a bright orange tunic with jade and diamond jewelry, she led journalists at daybreak to the mausoleum of her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, in Ilocos Norte province, his northern stronghold.
She mournfully kissed his glass coffin as cameras snapped. "This is one of our major injustices," she said.
She went to church and then rode on a flatbed campaign truck festooned with balloons and posters as thousands cheered her along the way. She was flanked by her daughter Imee, who is running for governor in Ilocos Norte, a tobacco-growing region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of Manila.
Her son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is seeking a Senate seat.
Asked if she will push her long-standing campaign to have her husband buried in the national heroes' cemetery in Manila if she wins, Marcos replied, "Of course."
His burial there has been opposed by officials amid public outrage after Marcos — accused of corruption, political repression and widespread human rights abuses — was ousted in a 1986 "people power" revolt and died in exile in Hawaii three years later. Imelda Marcos and their three children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991.
"My ambition is to serve without end and to love without end," Marcos said in a news conference in a hotel discotheque before her long convoy hit the road under a broiling sun.
Afflicted with diabetes and glaucoma, Imelda parried a question about her age.
"It's true I'm 80 years old, but I can run and be a grandmother who can love and embrace the people more than a mother can," Marcos said, drawing applause from friends.
She is forever remembered for the stunning jewels and 1,220 pairs of shoes she left behind in the presidential palace.
She brought several new pairs for her campaign, aides said, and was wearing elegant leather sandals Friday.
Despite her reputation for extravagance, including shopping trips to the world's poshest boutiques and lavish beautification projects in a nation wracked by poverty, she retained supporters and even won a congressional seat in 1995. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 1992 and again in 1998.
Many Filipinos were incensed by her unashamed opulence, but others, especially the generation born after 1986 with no memory of martial law under the 20-year Marcos regime, view her as a celebrity.
Despite some 900 civil and criminal cases she has faced in Philippine courts since 1991 — cases ranging from embezzlement and corruption to tax evasion — she has emerged relatively unscathed and never served prison time. All but a handful of the cases have been dismissed for lack of evidence and a few convictions were overturned on appeal.
Marcos is running for a congressional seat in Ilocos Norte under her husband's political party, the New Society Movement, which has weakened considerably since his death. In Ilocos Norte, a laid-back province of 390,000 where the late strongman built a network of fine roads, an international airport and seaports, the Marcoses are adored.
"This is Marcos country, no ifs or buts," said village guard Elmer Macuco, who waited to see Imelda in one of the 21 towns she planned to tour Friday.
"She helps us and entertains us and has put us in history," Macuco said.
Clearing the family name remains an obsession, Marcos said.
Until that happens, she said, "I cannot rest."
www.npr.org
Villar, Noynoy exceed air time limits
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) - It’s still 6 weeks away from the May 10 national elections, but presidential candidates Manuel Villar Jr. and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III have already exceeded the air time allowed by law, according to monitoring firm AGB Nielsen Media Research.
Each national candidate are allowed only 120 minutes of advertising air time per TV network.
AGB Nielsen data shows that from February 9 to March 24, Villar of the Nationalista Party (NP) has used 122.5 minutes and 128.25 minutes in major TV networks ABS-CBN and GMA-7, respectively.
In the same time period, Aquino of the Liberal Party has used 129 minutes in ABS-CBN. He has 2 minutes left in GMA-7.
The AGB Nielsen report was presented on Friday morning by the Pera at Pulitika consortium, which monitors the candidates’ adherence to campaign finance laws.
LP: 'We did not exceed air time'
The AGB Nielsen only counted the air time of ads directly endorsing the presidential candidates, according to PaP consortium head Roberto Cadiz. They did not include the ads where the entire slate were endorsed and the ads where the presidential candidates were endorsing other bets.
“We want to play it safe,” Cadiz told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.
Liberal Party spokesperson Edwin Lacierda denied the numbers, however.
“Our internal media monitoring shows that we have not exceeded our air time per network. You are provided also the minuets of the political party,” he said in a phone interview.
LP campaign manager Butch Abad said Aquino is using the party’s allowable air time. “The LP may allow its candidates to use this,” he said.
Lacierda said they have also asked the TV networks to issue them "a certificate saying we have not exceeded or air time limits."
Lacierda said the report will not stop them from airing Aquino’s ads. “We will still be airing our political ads. We will target strategic placements. We will not violate the law. We are consulting with our legal team,” Lacierda said.
Abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak also asked NP spokesperson Gilbert Remulla to comment on the report, but he said: “Let me ask.” He is yet to issue a statement as of this posting.
Jail for candidates, network officials
It’s not the first national elections where AGB Nielsen reported that candidates are exceeding the allowable air time. However, a case is yet to be filed against anyone.
Cadiz said this violation is a ground for disqualification. It’s easy to file a case, too. Any citizen can initiate the complaint.
The Commission on Elections has the power to immediately disqualify a candidate if he or she is found to be violating election laws. The candidate may also face up to 6 years in jail, according to Section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code.
But Cadiz said the time it will take the courts to rule on a case is another matter. “How long would it take before a candidate is disqualified? Your guess is as good as ours,” he said.
Cadiz also warned officials of TV networks that they may also be made liable for allowing candidates to exceed their allowable air time.
Citing corporate law, Cadiz said that those who signed contracts with respective political parties or candidates would be liable for an election offense. He said they may also get jail term of up to 6 years.
www.abs-cbnnews.com
Each national candidate are allowed only 120 minutes of advertising air time per TV network.
AGB Nielsen data shows that from February 9 to March 24, Villar of the Nationalista Party (NP) has used 122.5 minutes and 128.25 minutes in major TV networks ABS-CBN and GMA-7, respectively.
In the same time period, Aquino of the Liberal Party has used 129 minutes in ABS-CBN. He has 2 minutes left in GMA-7.
Table of air time: February 9 to March 24 | ||
Candidate | ABS-CBN | GMA 7 |
Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (Liberal Party) | 129 minutes | 118 minutes |
Former president Joseph Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) | 77.5 minutes | 65 minutes |
Sen. Richard "Dick" Gordon (Bagumbayan) | 52 minutes | 43 minutes |
Evangelist Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas Party) | 3.5 minutes | 4 minutes |
Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr (Nationalista Party) | 122.5 minutes | 128.5 minutes |
Presented by Pera at Pulitika, AGB Nielsen | ||
The AGB Nielsen report was presented on Friday morning by the Pera at Pulitika consortium, which monitors the candidates’ adherence to campaign finance laws.
LP: 'We did not exceed air time'
The AGB Nielsen only counted the air time of ads directly endorsing the presidential candidates, according to PaP consortium head Roberto Cadiz. They did not include the ads where the entire slate were endorsed and the ads where the presidential candidates were endorsing other bets.
“We want to play it safe,” Cadiz told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.
Liberal Party spokesperson Edwin Lacierda denied the numbers, however.
“Our internal media monitoring shows that we have not exceeded our air time per network. You are provided also the minuets of the political party,” he said in a phone interview.
LP campaign manager Butch Abad said Aquino is using the party’s allowable air time. “The LP may allow its candidates to use this,” he said.
Lacierda said they have also asked the TV networks to issue them "a certificate saying we have not exceeded or air time limits."
Lacierda said the report will not stop them from airing Aquino’s ads. “We will still be airing our political ads. We will target strategic placements. We will not violate the law. We are consulting with our legal team,” Lacierda said.
Abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak also asked NP spokesperson Gilbert Remulla to comment on the report, but he said: “Let me ask.” He is yet to issue a statement as of this posting.
Jail for candidates, network officials
It’s not the first national elections where AGB Nielsen reported that candidates are exceeding the allowable air time. However, a case is yet to be filed against anyone.
Cadiz said this violation is a ground for disqualification. It’s easy to file a case, too. Any citizen can initiate the complaint.
The Commission on Elections has the power to immediately disqualify a candidate if he or she is found to be violating election laws. The candidate may also face up to 6 years in jail, according to Section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code.
But Cadiz said the time it will take the courts to rule on a case is another matter. “How long would it take before a candidate is disqualified? Your guess is as good as ours,” he said.
Cadiz also warned officials of TV networks that they may also be made liable for allowing candidates to exceed their allowable air time.
Citing corporate law, Cadiz said that those who signed contracts with respective political parties or candidates would be liable for an election offense. He said they may also get jail term of up to 6 years.
www.abs-cbnnews.com
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Comelec lowers boom on big spenders
A PRESIDENTIAL candidate has already exceeded the allotted 120-minute airtime per station set by the Fair Elections Act.
But Comelec Law Department Director Ferdinand Rafanan declined to identify the candidate as the poll body’s Education and Information Department (EID) is double-checking the time consumption.
Rafanan said once the EID is done verifying data, then that is the time to identify the candidate.
"Maybe during the Holy Week para they have time to repent," he quipped.
A recent study by the Pera’t Pulitika 2010 found Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar of the Nacionalista party as having consumed 102.75 and 100 minutes of airtime in GMA 7 and ABS-CBN 2 from February 9 to March 15.
Pera’t Pulitika 2010 was launched last February by various groups that include journalists, lawyers and from the academe to monitor the campaign advertisements of the top six candidates for president.
A candidate is allowed 120 minutes of ad airtime per TV station and 180 minutes per radio station.
Rafanan said those found to have abused their allotted airtime will be barred from coming up with succeeding campaign ads.
Violating airtime advertisements is considered an election offense and carries a penalty of one to six year imprisonment, as well as removal of right of suffrage under R.A. 9006 or the Fair Election Act.
A Comelec official suggested a solution to regulate political advertisements featuring numerous candidates by simply charging the ad sponsors.
"Kung ano lang yung nasa ‘paid for...’, yung ‘paid for’ clause... siya ang sisingilin," said Comelec-EID Director James Jimenez.
Comelec had admitted being ill-prepared in dealing with "group ads" or "multiple ads" where a presidential candidate appears with his party’s ticket
Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal had said they are clueless on how to charge candidates who may have appeared for just a fraction of the commercial.
But for Jimenez, the content of the advertisement should be immaterial since it is not the basis of the spending.
"Immaterial yung appearance nung candidate sa ad. Ang tinitingnan ng batas yung oras. The law does not check the content," he said.
The Comelec Law Department wrote top six candidates for president where it gave them a three-day ultimatum to bring down their oversized campaign paraphernalia and those posted in places not designated as common poster areas.
The separate letters were sent to Bro. Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas), Benigno Aquino III (Liberal Party), Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan), Joseph Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino), Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Lakas-Kampi CMD) and Manny Villar (Nacionalista Party).
Rafanan said Comelec would initiate disqualification proceedings and election offense cases against those who fail to comply.
Comelec also sent warning letters to vice presidential candidates Perfecto Yasay (Bangon Pilipinas), Bayani Fernando (Bagumbayan), and Jejomar Binay (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino), as well as senatorial aspirants Jose de Venecia III, JV Bautista, Lito Lapid, Rey Langit, Vicente Sotto III and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Party-list organizations Bukid and A-Tambay were also given similar warnings.
Evidence of the illegal campaign materials was submitted by personnel Comelec-EID after they went around Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Election offenses carry a penalty of one to six years of imprisonment along with the removal of the right to suffrage.
Malacañang said President Arroyo will order the pullout of her governance advertisements if the Comelec calls for it.
Presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said the contract for the ads, which is held by government agencies and not President Arroyo, could be suspended until after the May 10 elections.
"Ang mangyayari dito, it is the government that will end up violating. These are not campaign ads by the candidate – President Arroyo. The prohibition here is use of government resources to campaign for a candidate. Iyon ang bawal. President Arroyo can, if she wants, run advertisements for her campaign…What is not allowed is the use of government resources for an ad campaign or announcement that will favor a candidate," he said.
www.malaya.com.ph
But Comelec Law Department Director Ferdinand Rafanan declined to identify the candidate as the poll body’s Education and Information Department (EID) is double-checking the time consumption.
Rafanan said once the EID is done verifying data, then that is the time to identify the candidate.
"Maybe during the Holy Week para they have time to repent," he quipped.
A recent study by the Pera’t Pulitika 2010 found Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar of the Nacionalista party as having consumed 102.75 and 100 minutes of airtime in GMA 7 and ABS-CBN 2 from February 9 to March 15.
Pera’t Pulitika 2010 was launched last February by various groups that include journalists, lawyers and from the academe to monitor the campaign advertisements of the top six candidates for president.
A candidate is allowed 120 minutes of ad airtime per TV station and 180 minutes per radio station.
Rafanan said those found to have abused their allotted airtime will be barred from coming up with succeeding campaign ads.
Violating airtime advertisements is considered an election offense and carries a penalty of one to six year imprisonment, as well as removal of right of suffrage under R.A. 9006 or the Fair Election Act.
A Comelec official suggested a solution to regulate political advertisements featuring numerous candidates by simply charging the ad sponsors.
"Kung ano lang yung nasa ‘paid for...’, yung ‘paid for’ clause... siya ang sisingilin," said Comelec-EID Director James Jimenez.
Comelec had admitted being ill-prepared in dealing with "group ads" or "multiple ads" where a presidential candidate appears with his party’s ticket
Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal had said they are clueless on how to charge candidates who may have appeared for just a fraction of the commercial.
But for Jimenez, the content of the advertisement should be immaterial since it is not the basis of the spending.
"Immaterial yung appearance nung candidate sa ad. Ang tinitingnan ng batas yung oras. The law does not check the content," he said.
The Comelec Law Department wrote top six candidates for president where it gave them a three-day ultimatum to bring down their oversized campaign paraphernalia and those posted in places not designated as common poster areas.
The separate letters were sent to Bro. Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas), Benigno Aquino III (Liberal Party), Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan), Joseph Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino), Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Lakas-Kampi CMD) and Manny Villar (Nacionalista Party).
Rafanan said Comelec would initiate disqualification proceedings and election offense cases against those who fail to comply.
Comelec also sent warning letters to vice presidential candidates Perfecto Yasay (Bangon Pilipinas), Bayani Fernando (Bagumbayan), and Jejomar Binay (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino), as well as senatorial aspirants Jose de Venecia III, JV Bautista, Lito Lapid, Rey Langit, Vicente Sotto III and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Party-list organizations Bukid and A-Tambay were also given similar warnings.
Evidence of the illegal campaign materials was submitted by personnel Comelec-EID after they went around Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Election offenses carry a penalty of one to six years of imprisonment along with the removal of the right to suffrage.
Malacañang said President Arroyo will order the pullout of her governance advertisements if the Comelec calls for it.
Presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said the contract for the ads, which is held by government agencies and not President Arroyo, could be suspended until after the May 10 elections.
"Ang mangyayari dito, it is the government that will end up violating. These are not campaign ads by the candidate – President Arroyo. The prohibition here is use of government resources to campaign for a candidate. Iyon ang bawal. President Arroyo can, if she wants, run advertisements for her campaign…What is not allowed is the use of government resources for an ad campaign or announcement that will favor a candidate," he said.
www.malaya.com.ph
Alarm raised over less secure ballots for May 10 polls
MANILA, Philippines - The security of the ballots and the votes cast for the May 10, 2010 national elections could be seriously at risk following the move of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to downgrade some of the security features of the automated polls.
Independent citizen watchdogs have raised alarm over the downgrading of the security features, which, they warned, allows a window of opportunity for cheats to pull off their stunts. They cited two cases:
First, the Comelec allowed the disabling of the built-in capability of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to read and verify the ultra-violet (UV) security mark on the ballot. The UV-mark, which is akin to the UV-mark found in paper money, is supposed to help the machine detect if the ballots fed to the PCOS are genuine or fake.
Second, the Comelec downgraded the audit paper trail, which would confirm if the votes have been correctly counted by the machines. The Comelec dispensed with the Voter Verifiable Audit Trail, which is similar to the receipt one gets from transactions in Automated Teller Machines.
Replacing the audit trail is a congratulatory note to the voter that his votes have been read by the PCOS. The notice is simply flashed on the PCOS screen.
The Comelec earlier boasted that the official ballots would contain enough security features to stave off fraud. The security measures were also a requirement for Smartmatic-TIM to incorporate into the machines and on the ballots.
Damaso Magbual of the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) said the Comelec dispensed with these security features as it wanted to put emphasis on speed rather than security of the votes. “They want speed. They believe those features will delay the voting process,” he said.
Ultra-violet flashlights
In an earlier interview, Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, who chairs the steering committee on automation, could not say what prompted Smartmatic-TIM to switch off the UV mark scanner in the PCOS machine.
He said, however, that as a replacement, the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) will be provided with UV flashlights that could identify the UV codes. Voters who have doubts on the ballots provided them could ask the BEIs to aim the UV flashlight toward the ballots and locate the UV marks.
Larrazabal said the Comelec en banc approved the disabling of the UV-mark reader.
Random audit of results
With the downgrading of the two features, Magbual said “the only line of defense remaining is the random audit of results” in testing the integrity of the PCOS machines and the votes cast.
Still, this may not be enough since the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the accredited election watchdog to perform the random audit, wants it performed after the elections.
NAMFREL had petitioned the Comelec before for accreditation to conduct the manual random of audit to check on the integrity of the machines. The audit is meant to find out if the machines are not manipulated to favor particular candidates.
Under the automation law, the random audit is to be conducted in one precinct in every district. NAMFREL wanted to expand the random audit to 5-10 precincts per district.
Comelec, however, junked NAMFREL’s petition for accreditation.
Noynoy, Mar issue warning
The Liberal Party (LP) of survey frontrunner Senator Benigno 'Noynoy’ Aquino III has warned of failure of elections because of the faulty preparations for the automated polls.
In a letter to Comelec chair Jose A.R. Melo, Aquino and his running mate Senator Manuel 'Mar' Roxas pleaded with the poll body to consider preparing for manual counting to ensure the elections in May 10 will succeed.
“The unrealistic and abbreviated timeline observed by the Comelec, as well as the consequent alarming delays in the production of election paraphernalia, create a possibility for the occurrence of a failure of elections,” Aquino and Roxas told Melo.
“Further, we are particularly disturbed by the fact that the Commission and Smartmatic-TIM have disabled or entirely removed crucial safeguards in the various components of the AES,” they added.
Independent citizen watchdogs have raised alarm over the downgrading of the security features, which, they warned, allows a window of opportunity for cheats to pull off their stunts. They cited two cases:
First, the Comelec allowed the disabling of the built-in capability of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to read and verify the ultra-violet (UV) security mark on the ballot. The UV-mark, which is akin to the UV-mark found in paper money, is supposed to help the machine detect if the ballots fed to the PCOS are genuine or fake.
Second, the Comelec downgraded the audit paper trail, which would confirm if the votes have been correctly counted by the machines. The Comelec dispensed with the Voter Verifiable Audit Trail, which is similar to the receipt one gets from transactions in Automated Teller Machines.
Replacing the audit trail is a congratulatory note to the voter that his votes have been read by the PCOS. The notice is simply flashed on the PCOS screen.
The Comelec earlier boasted that the official ballots would contain enough security features to stave off fraud. The security measures were also a requirement for Smartmatic-TIM to incorporate into the machines and on the ballots.
Damaso Magbual of the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) said the Comelec dispensed with these security features as it wanted to put emphasis on speed rather than security of the votes. “They want speed. They believe those features will delay the voting process,” he said.
Ultra-violet flashlights
In an earlier interview, Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, who chairs the steering committee on automation, could not say what prompted Smartmatic-TIM to switch off the UV mark scanner in the PCOS machine.
He said, however, that as a replacement, the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) will be provided with UV flashlights that could identify the UV codes. Voters who have doubts on the ballots provided them could ask the BEIs to aim the UV flashlight toward the ballots and locate the UV marks.
Larrazabal said the Comelec en banc approved the disabling of the UV-mark reader.
Random audit of results
With the downgrading of the two features, Magbual said “the only line of defense remaining is the random audit of results” in testing the integrity of the PCOS machines and the votes cast.
Still, this may not be enough since the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the accredited election watchdog to perform the random audit, wants it performed after the elections.
NAMFREL had petitioned the Comelec before for accreditation to conduct the manual random of audit to check on the integrity of the machines. The audit is meant to find out if the machines are not manipulated to favor particular candidates.
Under the automation law, the random audit is to be conducted in one precinct in every district. NAMFREL wanted to expand the random audit to 5-10 precincts per district.
Comelec, however, junked NAMFREL’s petition for accreditation.
Noynoy, Mar issue warning
The Liberal Party (LP) of survey frontrunner Senator Benigno 'Noynoy’ Aquino III has warned of failure of elections because of the faulty preparations for the automated polls.
In a letter to Comelec chair Jose A.R. Melo, Aquino and his running mate Senator Manuel 'Mar' Roxas pleaded with the poll body to consider preparing for manual counting to ensure the elections in May 10 will succeed.
“The unrealistic and abbreviated timeline observed by the Comelec, as well as the consequent alarming delays in the production of election paraphernalia, create a possibility for the occurrence of a failure of elections,” Aquino and Roxas told Melo.
“Further, we are particularly disturbed by the fact that the Commission and Smartmatic-TIM have disabled or entirely removed crucial safeguards in the various components of the AES,” they added.
Comelec fears poll violence
Local candidates for the 2010 elections on Friday will be joining their counterparts who are running for national posts in what is considered to be the hottest campaign season to date, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
According to Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, the poll body expects the campaign period for local positions to turn violent as the May 10 polls approach as it has been in past elections.
“Ever since, [the] violence [comes from] local elections. [People are more hot-headed during] local elections,” Jimenez said on Thursday.
He added that since this year’s balloting will make use of the automated-elections system, it is possible that some local candidates would simply resort to violence to win since cheating would be almost impossible.
“There’s that remote and perverse possibility that automation might actually contribute to a slight increase in election violence. [Perhaps the] tendency is to try to preempt the elections by just . . . killing your opponent or, at least, hurting them or whatever,” Jimenez said.
Local candidates starting today will have the remaining 45 days before the May 10 elections to vie for local slots.
There will be a total of 222 seats up for grabs in the House of Representatives, 80 seats each for governors and vice governors, 762 seats for provincial board members, 120 seats each for city mayors and city vice mayors, 1,514 seats each for provincial mayors and vice mayors, 1,346 for city councilors and 12, 116 seats for municipal councilors.
Besides election-related violence, the Comelec is also expecting that local candidates will violate most campaign rules since they have been doing so even before the official period starts.
“The common poster rule, as simple as it may seem, is the law. If they violate it, then they [only show] contempt for the law,” Jimenez said.
“Sobrang dami lang talaga. Kapag dumadaan ka sa maliliit na kalye, hindi mo na makita yung sky, kasi puro streamers [There are a lot of posters. On small streets, you can't see the sky because of the streamers all around],” he added.
Similarly anticipating a rise in election-related violence, the Philippine National Police (PNP) also on Thursday ordered six regions placed on “full-alert status” on the eve of the start of the campaign period for local-government posts.
Spokesman Leonardo Espina of the Philippine National Police, during a press briefing, identified the areas as Regions IX to XIII and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
He told reporters that the main purpose of the order was to “further avert election-related violent incidents and to double the efforts against private armed groups.”
Espina said that Regions I to VIII and Metro Manila were placed on “heightened-alert status” but hinted that the alert level may rise if the situation worsens.
Checkpoints at any given time will continue to be seen in major thoroughfares to thwart criminal activities until after the election gun ban is lifted on July 9.
Espina said that the heightened vigilance will also be seen during the exodus of Filipinos to the provinces to mark Holy Week there as well as the opening of classes in June.
www.manilatimes.net
According to Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, the poll body expects the campaign period for local positions to turn violent as the May 10 polls approach as it has been in past elections.
“Ever since, [the] violence [comes from] local elections. [People are more hot-headed during] local elections,” Jimenez said on Thursday.
He added that since this year’s balloting will make use of the automated-elections system, it is possible that some local candidates would simply resort to violence to win since cheating would be almost impossible.
“There’s that remote and perverse possibility that automation might actually contribute to a slight increase in election violence. [Perhaps the] tendency is to try to preempt the elections by just . . . killing your opponent or, at least, hurting them or whatever,” Jimenez said.
Local candidates starting today will have the remaining 45 days before the May 10 elections to vie for local slots.
There will be a total of 222 seats up for grabs in the House of Representatives, 80 seats each for governors and vice governors, 762 seats for provincial board members, 120 seats each for city mayors and city vice mayors, 1,514 seats each for provincial mayors and vice mayors, 1,346 for city councilors and 12, 116 seats for municipal councilors.
Besides election-related violence, the Comelec is also expecting that local candidates will violate most campaign rules since they have been doing so even before the official period starts.
“The common poster rule, as simple as it may seem, is the law. If they violate it, then they [only show] contempt for the law,” Jimenez said.
“Sobrang dami lang talaga. Kapag dumadaan ka sa maliliit na kalye, hindi mo na makita yung sky, kasi puro streamers [There are a lot of posters. On small streets, you can't see the sky because of the streamers all around],” he added.
Similarly anticipating a rise in election-related violence, the Philippine National Police (PNP) also on Thursday ordered six regions placed on “full-alert status” on the eve of the start of the campaign period for local-government posts.
Spokesman Leonardo Espina of the Philippine National Police, during a press briefing, identified the areas as Regions IX to XIII and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
He told reporters that the main purpose of the order was to “further avert election-related violent incidents and to double the efforts against private armed groups.”
Espina said that Regions I to VIII and Metro Manila were placed on “heightened-alert status” but hinted that the alert level may rise if the situation worsens.
Checkpoints at any given time will continue to be seen in major thoroughfares to thwart criminal activities until after the election gun ban is lifted on July 9.
Espina said that the heightened vigilance will also be seen during the exodus of Filipinos to the provinces to mark Holy Week there as well as the opening of classes in June.
www.manilatimes.net
Teodoro to barnstorm Cebu Friday
Unmindful of the moves by some local executives who ditched him in favor of Nacionalista Party’s Senator Manuel Villar, former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro will barnstorm Cebu Friday to show that the central Philippine province remains an administration bailiwick.
Teodoro will attend a rally at 6 p.m. Friday in Cebu City organized by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia as a kick off activity of the official start of the local campaign. In the morning, he will attend a rally in his home province in Tarlac and unveil the “green loop,” composed of 40,000 supporters who will form a human chain starting at the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats headquarters along Connecticut Street near EDSA up to different parts of Metro Manila.
“Defections happen to all parties, we still have the majority,” lawyer Mike Toledo, Teodoro’s spokesman, said in a text message when asked about the withdrawal of support of some local executives in Cebu led by former mayor Alvin Garcia and his party, Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Progress for Cebu) or Kusug.
The One Cebu party, however, led by Gwendolyn Garcia, remains supportive of Teodoro, Toledo said.
The province has about one million registered voters.
Reggie Velasco, deputy secretary general of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, denied reports that three Cebu lawmakers – father and son Pablo and Pablo John Garcia and Nerissa Soon-Ruiz – have also switched allegiance to Villar’s party.
“They are still with Gibo (Teodoro), his supporters in Cebu are still intact,” he said in a telephone interview.
Velasco warned party members could face sanctions if they violate the resolution that Lakas-Kampi-CMD will support only one presidential candidate in the May 2010 elections.
He said members who would be expelled from the party for supporting another candidate would lose the privilege of having poll watchers given to Lakas-Kampi-CMD as a dominant political party.
In a separate statement, two administration senatorial candidates expressed confidence that Teodoro will still get the vote-rich province amid the defections.
Lawyer Raul Lambino and League of Municipalities of the Philippines president Ramon Guico said Cebu has intelligent voters, who would go for Teodoro come election day.
politics.inquirer.net
Teodoro will attend a rally at 6 p.m. Friday in Cebu City organized by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia as a kick off activity of the official start of the local campaign. In the morning, he will attend a rally in his home province in Tarlac and unveil the “green loop,” composed of 40,000 supporters who will form a human chain starting at the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats headquarters along Connecticut Street near EDSA up to different parts of Metro Manila.
“Defections happen to all parties, we still have the majority,” lawyer Mike Toledo, Teodoro’s spokesman, said in a text message when asked about the withdrawal of support of some local executives in Cebu led by former mayor Alvin Garcia and his party, Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Progress for Cebu) or Kusug.
The One Cebu party, however, led by Gwendolyn Garcia, remains supportive of Teodoro, Toledo said.
The province has about one million registered voters.
Reggie Velasco, deputy secretary general of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, denied reports that three Cebu lawmakers – father and son Pablo and Pablo John Garcia and Nerissa Soon-Ruiz – have also switched allegiance to Villar’s party.
“They are still with Gibo (Teodoro), his supporters in Cebu are still intact,” he said in a telephone interview.
Velasco warned party members could face sanctions if they violate the resolution that Lakas-Kampi-CMD will support only one presidential candidate in the May 2010 elections.
He said members who would be expelled from the party for supporting another candidate would lose the privilege of having poll watchers given to Lakas-Kampi-CMD as a dominant political party.
In a separate statement, two administration senatorial candidates expressed confidence that Teodoro will still get the vote-rich province amid the defections.
Lawyer Raul Lambino and League of Municipalities of the Philippines president Ramon Guico said Cebu has intelligent voters, who would go for Teodoro come election day.
politics.inquirer.net
No failure of polls, assures Comelec
Mar 23, 2010 (The Manila Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- There will be no failure of elections on May 10, a high-ranking official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) assured on Monday.
Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, at the same time, agreed with election lawyer Romulo Macalintal that politicians who predict that the polls less than two months away will not happen must be cited in contempt.
Larrazabal said that people must realize the "serious implications" to the public of failure of election.
"It's so cheap to use the phrase 'failure of elections' now. Every person suddenly becomes an expert and says failure of elections. Do they actually realize what they are talking about and what it means to have failure of elections?" he asked.
Larrazabal said that the poll body is an independent institution and that they are doing their mandate to conduct fair and honest elections.
"We serve the people, not [just] any particular candidate, party or organization. We are doing our job for the Filipino people and we take this very seriously," he added.
The Comelec will be holding the first-ever nationwide automated polls on May 10 where the electoral process will make use of some 82,200 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to count, canvass and transmit the votes.
Political candidates and individuals, however, continue to stir fears that the election machines might not work on election day especially in far-flung areas where mobile-carrier signals are difficult.
Telecommunication companies will be the ones responsible for transmitting voting results to canvassing centers at municipality and national levels.
Earlier, Macalintal proposed that those who consistently accuse Comelec of not being ready for the automated polls must be served with a subpoena and required to present evidence on their claim.
Larrazabal said that there are requirements in declaring a failure of elections, discounting fears that the poll may not be held in case the election machines malfunction.
"Now, what's important is for people to go out and vote. If [they are unable to do so] because of threat and intimidation, you can call special elections two days after the May 10 elections. It's not the end of the world," he added.
Meanwhile, Larrazabal clarified reports that majority of public-school teachers who are undergoing training as members of the Board of Election Inspectors failed the practical exams conducted by the Department of Science and Technology.
"[My estimate] is that there were about 10 teachers out of 3,000 [who failed], so that's less than 1 percent," he said.
source: www.tmcnet.com
Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, at the same time, agreed with election lawyer Romulo Macalintal that politicians who predict that the polls less than two months away will not happen must be cited in contempt.
Larrazabal said that people must realize the "serious implications" to the public of failure of election.
"It's so cheap to use the phrase 'failure of elections' now. Every person suddenly becomes an expert and says failure of elections. Do they actually realize what they are talking about and what it means to have failure of elections?" he asked.
Larrazabal said that the poll body is an independent institution and that they are doing their mandate to conduct fair and honest elections.
"We serve the people, not [just] any particular candidate, party or organization. We are doing our job for the Filipino people and we take this very seriously," he added.
The Comelec will be holding the first-ever nationwide automated polls on May 10 where the electoral process will make use of some 82,200 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to count, canvass and transmit the votes.
Political candidates and individuals, however, continue to stir fears that the election machines might not work on election day especially in far-flung areas where mobile-carrier signals are difficult.
Telecommunication companies will be the ones responsible for transmitting voting results to canvassing centers at municipality and national levels.
Earlier, Macalintal proposed that those who consistently accuse Comelec of not being ready for the automated polls must be served with a subpoena and required to present evidence on their claim.
Larrazabal said that there are requirements in declaring a failure of elections, discounting fears that the poll may not be held in case the election machines malfunction.
"Now, what's important is for people to go out and vote. If [they are unable to do so] because of threat and intimidation, you can call special elections two days after the May 10 elections. It's not the end of the world," he added.
Meanwhile, Larrazabal clarified reports that majority of public-school teachers who are undergoing training as members of the Board of Election Inspectors failed the practical exams conducted by the Department of Science and Technology.
"[My estimate] is that there were about 10 teachers out of 3,000 [who failed], so that's less than 1 percent," he said.
source: www.tmcnet.com
A Mockery of electoral process
If Philippine democracy survives this bizarre 2010 election for the next six years, there is a bunch of great kids who will mature and assume national leadership after 2016, and bring the country to a higher level of economic development and democracy.
In the meantime, this 2010 election is getting to be more confusing, anti-climactic, and a mockery of the electoral process. In the next 66 days, the nation is asea and effectively deprived of direction and leadership as political leaders prepare for their own elections and survival.
On the one hand, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would also rather stay out of Manila, and out of harm’s way of contrived controversies while campaigning for a House seat in her native province of Pampanga.
On the other hand, whom have we got to lead us out of the wilderness from among the Presidentiables, except former defense secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro who is the more qualified from among them, but remains outside the winning circle that is being contested at present by Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino and Sen. Manny Villar?
From among the senatorial contenders, the next Congress will probably end up with the same bunch of “characters,” entertainers, and “NPS” (non-performing senators) as in the last two Congresses.
The saving grace is the emergence of young leaders who have the qualifications and intellect to make a difference, such senatorial aspirants as, Gwendolyn Pimentel, Ruffy Biazon, Gilbert Remulla, Adel Tamano, Raul Lambino, Ramon Mitra, Apolinario “Jun” Lozada, Jr. of Negros, Silvestre “Bebot” Bello, Jose de Venecia, III, and Teofisto Guingona III, with the advance party, so to speak, of incumbents Sen. Chiz Escudero and Sen. Allan Cayetano, and value-added when Serge Osmeña, Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Frank Drilon, and Ralph Recto find their way back to the Senate.
On the other hand, what messes up the electoral process is the proliferation of party-list political groupings when logic and common sense dictate that the Philippines should retrace itself back towards the two-party system of yesteryears.
It now appears that born-again evangelists, socialites, farmers, religious leaders, frustrated professionals, civil society advocates, entertainers, environmentalists, and shopkeepers, who ordinarily cannot get themselves elected as representatives to Congress or barangay captains for reasons of lack of funding, or inexperience, or personality flaws, opt instead to take the short-cut by means of the party-list which tends to prostitute the electoral process. As Alexander Pope noted with the politics of 18th century England, “political party is the madness of many for the gain of a few.”
When all is said and done, the party-list system is unnecessary, not cost effective, redundant, unrepresentative of the will of the voters, and as an unnecessary appendix of the 1987 Constitution.
Truth to tell, with election automation far from perfect, preparations for the voting being touch-and-go, teachers and watchers in a state of near total unpreparedness, this election will go through but its repercussions and fallout cannot be predicted. The party-list candidates tend to complicate
the process and the counting.
As noted, this is an expensive election in the midst of scarcity of funds; too many candidates of doubtful quality, and automation that is far from perfect and fraud-free.
Hence, we need to look beyond this immediate exercise to quantify the political and economic consequences that await the results of the election.
www.mb.com.ph
In the meantime, this 2010 election is getting to be more confusing, anti-climactic, and a mockery of the electoral process. In the next 66 days, the nation is asea and effectively deprived of direction and leadership as political leaders prepare for their own elections and survival.
On the one hand, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would also rather stay out of Manila, and out of harm’s way of contrived controversies while campaigning for a House seat in her native province of Pampanga.
On the other hand, whom have we got to lead us out of the wilderness from among the Presidentiables, except former defense secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro who is the more qualified from among them, but remains outside the winning circle that is being contested at present by Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino and Sen. Manny Villar?
From among the senatorial contenders, the next Congress will probably end up with the same bunch of “characters,” entertainers, and “NPS” (non-performing senators) as in the last two Congresses.
The saving grace is the emergence of young leaders who have the qualifications and intellect to make a difference, such senatorial aspirants as, Gwendolyn Pimentel, Ruffy Biazon, Gilbert Remulla, Adel Tamano, Raul Lambino, Ramon Mitra, Apolinario “Jun” Lozada, Jr. of Negros, Silvestre “Bebot” Bello, Jose de Venecia, III, and Teofisto Guingona III, with the advance party, so to speak, of incumbents Sen. Chiz Escudero and Sen. Allan Cayetano, and value-added when Serge Osmeña, Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Frank Drilon, and Ralph Recto find their way back to the Senate.
On the other hand, what messes up the electoral process is the proliferation of party-list political groupings when logic and common sense dictate that the Philippines should retrace itself back towards the two-party system of yesteryears.
It now appears that born-again evangelists, socialites, farmers, religious leaders, frustrated professionals, civil society advocates, entertainers, environmentalists, and shopkeepers, who ordinarily cannot get themselves elected as representatives to Congress or barangay captains for reasons of lack of funding, or inexperience, or personality flaws, opt instead to take the short-cut by means of the party-list which tends to prostitute the electoral process. As Alexander Pope noted with the politics of 18th century England, “political party is the madness of many for the gain of a few.”
When all is said and done, the party-list system is unnecessary, not cost effective, redundant, unrepresentative of the will of the voters, and as an unnecessary appendix of the 1987 Constitution.
Truth to tell, with election automation far from perfect, preparations for the voting being touch-and-go, teachers and watchers in a state of near total unpreparedness, this election will go through but its repercussions and fallout cannot be predicted. The party-list candidates tend to complicate
the process and the counting.
As noted, this is an expensive election in the midst of scarcity of funds; too many candidates of doubtful quality, and automation that is far from perfect and fraud-free.
Hence, we need to look beyond this immediate exercise to quantify the political and economic consequences that await the results of the election.
www.mb.com.ph
Philippine campaign starts as race tightens
The latest opinion poll shows two opposition lawmakers are neck-and-neck for the May 10 presidential election, but analysts say it is too early to establish a two-horse race because voters have yet to hear detailed policies from the candidates.
Arroyo, in office since 2001, is barred from running again. Allegations that she stole the 2004 presidential elections, and that her husband profited from a multi-million-dollar telecoms contract and other deals have marred her nine-year rule.
A Pulse Asia survey last month pointed to a tight race between Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, son of the country's revered democracy icon, Corazon "Cory" Aquino and billionaire lawmaker Manuel "Manny" Villar.
The independent poll, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, show the two are statistically tied with 37 percent for Aquino and 35 percent for Villar.
The ruling party's standard-bearer, former defense chief Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro and former president Joseph "Erap" Estrada, known to have a solid base among the rural poor and slum dwellers, could both pull a surprise and improve their ratings.
Estrada had a rating of 12 percent in the Pulse Asia survey while Teodoro was at 5 percent.
Ronald Holmes, political science professor and president of Pulse Asia Inc, said dramatic changes in voters' preferences can be expected during the campaign period.
"It's still very fluid because most voters have not really absorbed the candidates' messages," Holmes said, adding poverty, corruption, joblessness and high prices of basic commodities are among the main issues that resonate with the electorate.
PERSONALITIES OR POLICIES THIS TIME?
Party affiliations have historically counted for little in the Philippines, and policies have mattered less than personalities. Presidential campaigns are expensive and rely on rich families and companies - who would expect quid pro quos.
But the start of the official poll campaign on Tuesday may level the playing field for rich and not-so-well-oiled candidates alike due to an election law putting a campaign spending cap of about 500 million pesos ($11 million) for presidential candidates, or 10 pesos per voter.
Villar, outspending his rivals even before the start of the campaign period by buying millions of pesos worth of airtime on TV and radio, has the momentum based on the latest opinion poll, but that is no guarantee he will dominate the elections.
Investors are looking for a smooth transfer of power from a decisive and credible vote, which could outweigh any potential risk of administrative and technical troubles in the holding of the country's first elections using automated voting machines.
Questionable election results from a tight political contest could lead to civil unrest and potential violence on the streets, spooking investors who are likely to pull out completely from Philippine assets on the first sign of a power vacuum.
The Philippines is one of Asia's biggest sovereign debt issuers.
Candidates are expected to sing and dance on makeshift stages along with movie and TV personalities during political rallies in the next three months across the archipelago of 7,100 islands to gain people's attention before revealing their campaign promises.
More than 50 million Filipinos are choosing a new president, vice president, about 300 lawmakers in the two-chamber Congress and more than 17,600 local government positions in the country's first nationwide automated elections on May 10.
On Saturday, the state poll agency tested the new vote-counting machines and balloting process in mock elections held across the country. Officials said the glitches observed, such as jamming of ballots when fed into the machines, were normal and would help them fine-tune the system.
www.reuters.com
Arroyo, in office since 2001, is barred from running again. Allegations that she stole the 2004 presidential elections, and that her husband profited from a multi-million-dollar telecoms contract and other deals have marred her nine-year rule.
A Pulse Asia survey last month pointed to a tight race between Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, son of the country's revered democracy icon, Corazon "Cory" Aquino and billionaire lawmaker Manuel "Manny" Villar.
The independent poll, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, show the two are statistically tied with 37 percent for Aquino and 35 percent for Villar.
The ruling party's standard-bearer, former defense chief Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro and former president Joseph "Erap" Estrada, known to have a solid base among the rural poor and slum dwellers, could both pull a surprise and improve their ratings.
Estrada had a rating of 12 percent in the Pulse Asia survey while Teodoro was at 5 percent.
Ronald Holmes, political science professor and president of Pulse Asia Inc, said dramatic changes in voters' preferences can be expected during the campaign period.
"It's still very fluid because most voters have not really absorbed the candidates' messages," Holmes said, adding poverty, corruption, joblessness and high prices of basic commodities are among the main issues that resonate with the electorate.
PERSONALITIES OR POLICIES THIS TIME?
Party affiliations have historically counted for little in the Philippines, and policies have mattered less than personalities. Presidential campaigns are expensive and rely on rich families and companies - who would expect quid pro quos.
But the start of the official poll campaign on Tuesday may level the playing field for rich and not-so-well-oiled candidates alike due to an election law putting a campaign spending cap of about 500 million pesos ($11 million) for presidential candidates, or 10 pesos per voter.
Villar, outspending his rivals even before the start of the campaign period by buying millions of pesos worth of airtime on TV and radio, has the momentum based on the latest opinion poll, but that is no guarantee he will dominate the elections.
Investors are looking for a smooth transfer of power from a decisive and credible vote, which could outweigh any potential risk of administrative and technical troubles in the holding of the country's first elections using automated voting machines.
Questionable election results from a tight political contest could lead to civil unrest and potential violence on the streets, spooking investors who are likely to pull out completely from Philippine assets on the first sign of a power vacuum.
The Philippines is one of Asia's biggest sovereign debt issuers.
Candidates are expected to sing and dance on makeshift stages along with movie and TV personalities during political rallies in the next three months across the archipelago of 7,100 islands to gain people's attention before revealing their campaign promises.
More than 50 million Filipinos are choosing a new president, vice president, about 300 lawmakers in the two-chamber Congress and more than 17,600 local government positions in the country's first nationwide automated elections on May 10.
On Saturday, the state poll agency tested the new vote-counting machines and balloting process in mock elections held across the country. Officials said the glitches observed, such as jamming of ballots when fed into the machines, were normal and would help them fine-tune the system.
www.reuters.com
Gibo Invades Fernando Territory; Marikina Mayor Endorses Gibo
MANILA, MARCH 24 2010 (STAR) Former defense chief and Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro took his campaign sortie yesterday to Marikina City, the bailiwick of former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando, who bolted the administration party after Teodoro defeated him in the party’s presidential nomination late last year.
Teodoro, whose late grandfather is from Marikina, was welcomed by mayoralty bet Dr. Alfredo Cheng and other local candidates.
“He is the most competent and qualified among the candidates,” said Cheng during a mini-rally in Barangay Calumpang attended by Teodoro, senatorial candidate Rey Langit and Mark Lambino, who represented his father, senatorial candidate Raul Lambino.
Teodoro said all residential development in Marikina should be vertical in order to spare residents from floods. He said this should have been done before but this was not addressed by concerned government agencies, especially those involved in housing development.
The Fernandos have ruled the city for almost a decade and have focused their efforts into converting the city into a tourist attraction.
Fernando was mayor of the city before he accepted the MMDA post. His wife, Marides is the incumbent mayor but she is seeking to replace Rep. Del de Guzman, who represents the second congressional district. De Guzman, Cheng and Vice Mayor Marion Andres are seeking the post that Marides will vacate.
After losing to Teodoro in the presidential party nomination, Fernando bolted Lakas to become the vice presidential candidate of Sen. Richard Gordon of the Bagumbayan party.
Teodoro said he respects Fernando’s decision to leave the party and holds no grudge against the former MMDA chair. “It’s useless. Bad blood is what causes the Philippines’ non-progression,” he said.
www.newsflash.org
Teodoro, whose late grandfather is from Marikina, was welcomed by mayoralty bet Dr. Alfredo Cheng and other local candidates.
“He is the most competent and qualified among the candidates,” said Cheng during a mini-rally in Barangay Calumpang attended by Teodoro, senatorial candidate Rey Langit and Mark Lambino, who represented his father, senatorial candidate Raul Lambino.
Teodoro said all residential development in Marikina should be vertical in order to spare residents from floods. He said this should have been done before but this was not addressed by concerned government agencies, especially those involved in housing development.
The Fernandos have ruled the city for almost a decade and have focused their efforts into converting the city into a tourist attraction.
Fernando was mayor of the city before he accepted the MMDA post. His wife, Marides is the incumbent mayor but she is seeking to replace Rep. Del de Guzman, who represents the second congressional district. De Guzman, Cheng and Vice Mayor Marion Andres are seeking the post that Marides will vacate.
After losing to Teodoro in the presidential party nomination, Fernando bolted Lakas to become the vice presidential candidate of Sen. Richard Gordon of the Bagumbayan party.
Teodoro said he respects Fernando’s decision to leave the party and holds no grudge against the former MMDA chair. “It’s useless. Bad blood is what causes the Philippines’ non-progression,” he said.
www.newsflash.org
Philippines Arroyo to start campaign for house seat
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine election shifts gear on Friday as campaigning for Congressional seats starts, with interest centred on the president's move to run for the lower house and the risks from a new automated voting system.
Local campaigning could change the presidential race if Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro, the administration candidate running a distant fourth in opinion polls, can tap the national reach of his party organisation to boost support.
Investors are worried about uncertainty if the vote does not produce timely and credible results, but not overly concerned about the anticipated cycle of political killings, fraud and chaos, all regular features of Philippine elections.
"We've priced in the expected violence at the local level as well as potential errors in the electoral process," an economist at a local bank said.
The sovereign 5-year credit default swap spread for the Philippines is around 160 basis points, down from more than 200 in February and level with Indonesia.
The stock market has risen 2.2 percent so far this week, accounting for most of its year-to-date rise of 3.7 percent, and the peso hit 1-½ year highs against the dollar this month, although it has lagged the 2010 gains of most regional peers.
More than 50 million Filipinos across 7,100 islands will vote on May 10 for a president, vice president, about 300 seats in the two-chamber Congress and more than 17,600 local positions.
Among the candidates running for Congress are President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Imelda Marcos, the wife of deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and Manny Pacquiao, a seven-times world boxing champion and national hero.
Arroyo, in office since 2001 and not eligible to stand again, will be the first president to seek a seat in the 287-member lower house. She is seen having a strong chance of becoming house speaker, the country's fourth most senior political role.
"The president is just buying a personal insurance plan," said Benito Lim, political science professor at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, referring to opponents' pledges to investigate accusations of electoral fraud and corruption.
"She knows she could no longer hold on to power but she believes she could get some form of protection if she becomes speaker of the House of Representatives."
Arroyo has appointed a new head of the military and the Supreme Court has ruled she can appoint a new chief justice. Her opponents say she is looking to extend her term in the event of a disputed vote or failed election.
"...it is now clear that Arroyo is absolutely intent on consolidating and perpetuating her power by shifting it from the executive to legislative branch," Pacific Strategies and Assessments, a political risk consultancy, said in a report.
UNCERTAINTY
An economist at a foreign bank in Manila said markets would not worry too much if a temporary leader was installed due to election failure, as long as the process was constitutional.
"We don't see any massive financial shock in the near-term, you can even have the Pope there as long as it's temporary," said the economist. However, prolonged uncertainty could hurt markets, pushing up interest rates and hitting investor confidence.
Automated voting will be used for the first time. There has been no large-scale test of the system, nor an outline of a clear back-up plan in the event of technical or logistical problems.
"We believe there is a 60 percent chance that some reversion to manual ballot-counting will materialise, resulting in delays," Barclays Capital analysts said in report, adding a close result after a disputed process could lengthen the time taken to form a new government.
"We believe current bond prices are not giving sufficient weight to this prospect," the analysts said, putting the chance of a completely successful election at 30 percent and failure at 10 percent.
The start of local campaigning could test the leads of Benigno "NoyNoy" Aquino, the son of democracy icon Corazon Aquino, and billionaire senator Manuel "Manny" Villar in opinion polls of the nine presidential candidates.
At the moment they have a handy lead over Joseph "Erap" Estrada, the former president who was forced out of office in 2001, while Teodoro is still polling in single figures.
"For politicians seeking national seats, the start of local campaigning will test the strength of their political machinery," Lim said, adding the political fortunes of Teodoro would depend on the unity and cohesion of the ruling coalition party.
thestar.com
Local campaigning could change the presidential race if Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro, the administration candidate running a distant fourth in opinion polls, can tap the national reach of his party organisation to boost support.
Investors are worried about uncertainty if the vote does not produce timely and credible results, but not overly concerned about the anticipated cycle of political killings, fraud and chaos, all regular features of Philippine elections.
"We've priced in the expected violence at the local level as well as potential errors in the electoral process," an economist at a local bank said.
The sovereign 5-year credit default swap spread for the Philippines is around 160 basis points, down from more than 200 in February and level with Indonesia.
The stock market has risen 2.2 percent so far this week, accounting for most of its year-to-date rise of 3.7 percent, and the peso hit 1-½ year highs against the dollar this month, although it has lagged the 2010 gains of most regional peers.
More than 50 million Filipinos across 7,100 islands will vote on May 10 for a president, vice president, about 300 seats in the two-chamber Congress and more than 17,600 local positions.
Among the candidates running for Congress are President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Imelda Marcos, the wife of deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and Manny Pacquiao, a seven-times world boxing champion and national hero.
Arroyo, in office since 2001 and not eligible to stand again, will be the first president to seek a seat in the 287-member lower house. She is seen having a strong chance of becoming house speaker, the country's fourth most senior political role.
"The president is just buying a personal insurance plan," said Benito Lim, political science professor at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, referring to opponents' pledges to investigate accusations of electoral fraud and corruption.
"She knows she could no longer hold on to power but she believes she could get some form of protection if she becomes speaker of the House of Representatives."
Arroyo has appointed a new head of the military and the Supreme Court has ruled she can appoint a new chief justice. Her opponents say she is looking to extend her term in the event of a disputed vote or failed election.
"...it is now clear that Arroyo is absolutely intent on consolidating and perpetuating her power by shifting it from the executive to legislative branch," Pacific Strategies and Assessments, a political risk consultancy, said in a report.
UNCERTAINTY
An economist at a foreign bank in Manila said markets would not worry too much if a temporary leader was installed due to election failure, as long as the process was constitutional.
"We don't see any massive financial shock in the near-term, you can even have the Pope there as long as it's temporary," said the economist. However, prolonged uncertainty could hurt markets, pushing up interest rates and hitting investor confidence.
Automated voting will be used for the first time. There has been no large-scale test of the system, nor an outline of a clear back-up plan in the event of technical or logistical problems.
"We believe there is a 60 percent chance that some reversion to manual ballot-counting will materialise, resulting in delays," Barclays Capital analysts said in report, adding a close result after a disputed process could lengthen the time taken to form a new government.
"We believe current bond prices are not giving sufficient weight to this prospect," the analysts said, putting the chance of a completely successful election at 30 percent and failure at 10 percent.
The start of local campaigning could test the leads of Benigno "NoyNoy" Aquino, the son of democracy icon Corazon Aquino, and billionaire senator Manuel "Manny" Villar in opinion polls of the nine presidential candidates.
At the moment they have a handy lead over Joseph "Erap" Estrada, the former president who was forced out of office in 2001, while Teodoro is still polling in single figures.
"For politicians seeking national seats, the start of local campaigning will test the strength of their political machinery," Lim said, adding the political fortunes of Teodoro would depend on the unity and cohesion of the ruling coalition party.
thestar.com
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