Thread For Our Next National Administration

[islander]

for the sake of our informed decision, here goes anything and hopefully everything about our potential national administrators in 2016...

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[islander]

Ronnie Juntilla Sevilla Jr., Facebook "No to Corruption", https://www.facebook.com/groups/1581742525370701/permalink/1641279026083717/

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[hubag bohol]

Angay baya pud magbitbit og school bag...







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[islander]

GET REAL

‘Inaapi’

By: Solita Collas-Monsod



July 4th, 2015
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Binays of Makati are crying that they are being picked on (inaapi), especially by the Aquino administration (from the President down), and that all the charges against Binay pere and fils are only speculation (haka-haka), or are misleading (I don’t know the Filipino term for this), or complete lies (kasinungalingan), which means the legislature (the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee) and the Ombudsman are liars.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

The strategy they have adopted seems to be two-pronged. One prong is denial—if they deny often enough, the Filipino people, or at least a sufficient number, will believe their story. The other is no direct confrontation—i.e., never put themselves in a position where they have to face their accusers directly—because they have spokespersons and lawyers behind whom they can hide.

Will their strategy be successful? Well, we will find out soon enough. The national and local elections in 2016 will provide us with a categorical answer.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

In the meantime, let us look at the inaapi and the haka-haka and kasinungalingan issues one by one.

Inaapi. By the Aquino administration. If the Reader will recall, Binay is the first vice president who was given—at his request, mind you—an official residence: the Coconut Palace. Naturally the tourism and rental incomes from the Coconut Palace had to be given up, and, of course, it had to be refurbished to his specifications. Initial outlay was P50 million, and there were subsequent requests, which were also approved. Is that inaapi?

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

He was also given a Cabinet position. True, he wanted the Department of Interior and Local Government. Even then, he was already preparing for 2016 and everybody knew it, including the President. He was given housing, not dissimilar to Imelda Marcos’ Ministry of Human Settlements. Which gave him the opportunity to go all over the Philippines, awarding houses and lots for housing. I doubt whether he ever mentioned to the awardees that he was merely standing in for the President. He was also given responsibility over the overseas Filipino workers, and he made very sure that it was he, the Vice President, who was working single-handedly for them. This has to have given him tremendous advantages for 2016. Is that inaapi?

Moreover, he had a P200-million-a-year share of the pork barrel—until that was removed—which was given him by the legislature/President. I don’t know if his predecessor also had it, but I am certain that the Office of the Vice President’s budget was not reduced. Is that inaapi?

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[islander]

This is in direct contrast to how the Vice President treats potential opponents. Take the case of Vice Mayor Kid Peña, who is now acting mayor of Makati. I interviewed Peña for my TV show “Bawal ang Pasaway,” which will be aired on Monday. GMA TV’s policy is to give equal treatment, and suspended Mayor Junjun Binay was also invited. But following the BS (Binay Strategy), he asked his father’s spokesman (Rico Quicho) to agree to be interviewed. I am told, though, that he laughed when he was asked to appear in my show—so it might be a combination of fear and dislike. If the Reader posits that it is not the Vice President who is the mayor of Makati, I refer her to the videos that tend to show otherwise.

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[islander]

Acting Mayor Peña showed me the Office of the Mayor on the 21st floor of Makati City Hall (he had to ask whether he was allowed to go inside). The office gave me the impression that we were in Malacañang. The main office was huge—larger than a two-bedroom condo in Makati. There was another office, also large, where the mayor does his work. And then there was a bedroom with a queen-size or king-size bed and a lounging chair. Then there was a huge bathroom, and a huge kitchen, with dining space. And, of course, a palatial conference room. One could live there forever, if one were under siege.

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[islander]

So I asked to see the Office of the Vice Mayor. You must understand that Peña was the only opposition candidate in Makati who won, in 2010 when he was independent, and in 2013, as a Liberal Party member. It turns out that he was not given the Office of the Vice Mayor (as occupied by Ernesto Mercado); that was turned into the offices of the congresspersons of Makati (Abigail Binay and Monique Lagdameo). Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words, and you will see the difference between the mayor’s office and where Vice Mayor/Acting Mayor Peña has been assigned for the past five years. Now that’s an example of inaapi.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

When Mercado was vice mayor, the budget for the Office of the Vice Mayor for 2010 (the last half-year that Mercado was in office) was something like P204 million, including something like P60 million for capital expenditures. Did Peña get the same deal? Stupid question, right? The budget given him was P25 million (now P28 million), and no capital expenditures. Sino ang inaapi?

Apparently, Peña was not given any responsibility (or authority) by Mayor Binay. He said there had been no meaningful conversation (in fact, no conversation at all) between him and the mayor since 2010. It seems Peña was given no chance to show his worth to the people of Makati, because he was a possible contender in future mayoral elections.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Contrast that with President Aquino’s treatment of his Vice President. And you will know what “inaapi” really means when the Binays are the ones in position nationally.

Now we go to the haka-haka and kasinungalingan, words that the Binays have appended to the Senate hearings and to the Ombudsman’s findings. Except that I’ve run out of space. So we have to save those for some other time.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/

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[islander]

PUBLIC LIVES

Glimpses of Grace Poe’s political star


By: Randy David
@inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 6th, 2015

Sen. Grace Poe finds herself pondering a question that materialized only after she topped the 2013 senatorial race. Should she seize the opportunity presented by her impressive ratings in preelection surveys and make herself available as a presidential contender in next year’s election?

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[islander]

Despite her initial reservations and modest appreciation of her limits, she inched closer to accepting a draft when no less than President Aquino himself began talking to her about the 2016 election. What was not clear in this political courtship, however, was whether she was being eyed for the presidency or for the vice presidency. It is reported that the President spent a good part of his conversations with her trying to establish the compatibilities and the differences in their perceptions of national problems and issues.

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[islander]

She was clearly flattered by the President’s attention. Indeed, she could be forgiven for presuming that P-Noy was choosing between her and Mar Roxas, the then presumptive presidential candidate of the Liberal Party. It was an impression that many people shared. Mar’s survey ratings appeared incurably weak, and voices within the administration coalition itself warned against an easy win by Jejomar Binay if the party could not offer a stronger candidate.

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[islander]

P-Noy has since proceeded to endorse Mar as his presidential candidate. In retrospect, P-Noy’s courtship of Grace had nothing to do with the presidency; it was all about getting her to run as Mar’s vice president. In that role, she could keep her wish to remain independent, unbound by any commitment to defend the administration’s record. But, for a presidential contender, P-Noy needed someone who not only believed in the administration’s program but also was prepared to defend it. For P-Noy, that person could be none other than Mar Roxas.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

People tend to forget that Aquino and Roxas are stalwarts of the Liberal Party, one of the oldest surviving political groups in the country. As third-generation members of the nation’s political class, they consider themselves, for better or worse, loyal stewards of a venerable political tradition. They are rare specimens in a liquid political landscape where electability as indicated by surveys, rather than political affiliation, seems increasingly to count for everything.

It would have been unthinkable for the leaders of the Liberal Party, being the party in power, to adopt an outsider for the top position and, in so doing, cast aside one of their own. That would have rewarded mistrust and penalized loyalty. Roberto Michels, who wrote extensively about Europe’s earliest political parties, reminds us about what he calls a “salutary law” in politics.

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[islander]

“This law,” Michels wrote, “prescribes that men, in every enterprise requiring collective action, must submit their particular movements to the rule of the single will of a leader, and that, of the two possible attitudes, loyalty and mistrust, to be assumed toward that leader—to whom democracies must have recourse—the former is the only one that is constructive and generous.”

Mar Roxas projected only unwavering loyalty to the President, especially in the aftermath of the Mamasapano tragedy, when mistrust for the party leader appeared justified. Mar could not have acted the way he did solely out of personal friendship. His respectful action seemed to manifest a deep understanding of what was at stake at that point—namely, the entire program of government that bound him and P-Noy together as leaders of the ruling party. He took a lot of brickbats for this, and some say he missed a golden chance to project himself as his own man.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

In contrast, Grace’s approval ratings seemed to rise with every critical comment she made that zeroed in on the President’s seeming inability to accept full responsibility for the debacle at Mamasapano. The public stance she took in the subsequent investigation of the incident affirmed for many not only her independent streak but also her readiness to call to task the nation’s powerful men. This is what accounts for her immense popularity today. We can’t seem to have enough of brave voices that feed our cynicism for those who rule us, just as we admire powerful individuals who have a feel for their power and are able to use it resolutely. On the other hand, we seem to reserve only grudging praise, if not contempt, for the quiet workers who plod on to make collective governance possible.

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[islander]

I am glad that Grace has the next two months to reflect before she declares herself a presidential candidate in 2016. She may realize that some politicians are prodding her to run not because they believe in her, but because they expect to run her government in case she wins. She may see how some groups are shrewdly using the threat of her candidacy in their negotiations with the ruling coalition. She may realize soon enough that these same people will not hesitate to dump her if they can cut a better deal with the other candidates.

It is what spells the difference between being a candidate of an established party and running as a lone ranger hoping to attract company along the way. While we don’t have strong political parties as they do in the United States and Europe, we do have enduring ties and loyalties on both sides of the political divide, which have lent some stability to our political system.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

If Grace intends to make a difference in the nation’s political life, she has to assume a position of influence in an existing party, or build her own. One can rise in politics as an independent, but one cannot hope to shape politics in any significant way without a party.

* * *

[email protected]

http://opinion.inquirer.net/

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[islander]

long ago, something in me wished for grace. she provides freshness where stale political gimmicks exist. she embodies what national leadership should actually be--inspiring, untainted, trustworthy.

then pnoy proclaims roxas as the official liberal party candidate, aka administration candidate. (who cares about political parties here? they're just groupings of convenience devoid of ideology.) he may not be as inspiring, but he is relatively untainted and quite trustworthy.

if only grace accepts being vice-president to mar roxas meantime. if only she stops listening to the ambitious and, yes, untrustworthy chiz escudero, one of two senators who love their voices, who may end up as her political albatross. (i wholly agree with the stand of senator serge osmeña and some others as regards escudero.)   

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[islander]

if senator grace poe decides to run for president with senator chiz escudero as her vice, we can kiss our hopes goodbye. binay may make it.

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[islander]

GET REAL

‘At least he shares with us’

By: Solita Collas-Monsod



August 15th, 2015
Philippine Daily Inquirer

It seems the strongest argument used by supporters of Vice President Jejomar Binay when asked why they still want to vote for him in spite of his alleged corruption is: “Most politicians are corrupt anyway, and Binay at least shares with us.”

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

This, by the way, is mouthed not only by the economically marginalized but also by people in the upper echelons (I heard it from at least three people who can only be described as Very Wealthy) of society. Note that all of them, rich and poor alike, seem to take it as given that he is corrupt.

In any case, some anti-Binays are helpless to reply to the argument. After all, that most politicians are corrupt seems to be an accepted, unchanging fact. And the second part of the argument is “proven” by the birthday cakes, the cash gifts, the packages he gives to disaster-stricken Filipinos, even the trips abroad to “save” overseas Filipino workers, and the free uniforms, books and tuition of the schoolchildren in Makati.

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[islander]

“How can we answer that?” they ask.

OK, most politicians are corrupt. But isn’t that why we voted for P-Noy in the first place—because we were sick of corruption? Isn’t that why Manny Villar did not win—because the voters saw through his attempts to make himself sound poor (he was not; his dad was a government technocrat, and his mom had her fish stall, which was very profitable), and then saw how he appeared to have used his government position to build roads that ended up making his subdivisions more accessible and profitable?

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[islander]

No other administration has waged such a war against corruption. With such spectacular results. Let us count the ways: Three sitting senators and a couple of congressmen are in detention on corruption and plunder charges (nonbailable). Another set of legislators or former legislators are soon to be in the same position. A former director general of the Philippine National Police is also behind bars. A chief justice was impeached, convicted and removed from office. One ex-president is pining away, incarcerated in a hospital. And, of course, there is the case of the Vice President. We used to complain that no big fish have been caught in the fight against corruption. You can’t get any bigger than these fish.

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[islander]

Moreover, the pork barrel practice which had been one of the major sources of public corruption has been banned by the Supreme Court. And the Commission on Audit and the Office of the Ombudsman are now doing what the Constitution mandates them to do, and which somehow they failed to do before. Plus, Congress has finally passed the bill giving the Sandiganbayan more justices.

Aren’t these results spectacular? And if you doubt it, just look at the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of Transparency International, an international civil society organization that measures corruption in the public sector of countries. At the time of the launch of this CPI in 1995, the Philippines measured 2.8 on a scale of 0 to 10, where zero was given to the most corrupt, and 10 was the cleanest. By 2005, that measure had gone DOWN to 2.5, and by 2010 it had slid further to 2.4. We were getting more corrupt. So in the 15-year period from 1995 to 2010, the Philippines was losing the corruption war. It was ranked 134th out of 178 countries in 2010; we were in the bottom 25 percent.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Well, in the latest (2014) CPI, we are now in the top half—85th out of 174 countries. Our CPI went from 24 (on a scale of 0 to 100) in 2010 to 36 in 2014. So nobody can deny that the Philippines has gained tremendously in its fight against corruption, measured against its own experience, and relative to other countries.

Have we stopped corruption? Of course not. But the message is loud and clear now:

Corrupt politicians beware: You are no longer above the law.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

So we are in a good place, and we must consolidate our gains and go on. And voting into the highest office of the land a person who most everybody accepts as corrupt will bring us back to square one. That’s why, for the sake of the country, we cannot vote for sucha person.

As for the second part of the argument, that at least Binay “shares” with the poor, that does not necessarily follow. After all, Makati is a very rich city. What has been spent for cakes and cash gifts and free education are from the funds collected by Makati—and even some of this money is alleged to have been diverted. However, those luxurious houses and farm estates and the campaigns of a senator, a mayor and a congresswoman—his children—had to be funded. From the fruits of corruption?

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

By the way, the wealth of Makati has nothing to do with Binay. He used the wealth; he did not create it, as he claims. Look at the map of Makati. Take away the barangays San Lorenzo (which includes Legazpi Village), Bel-Air (including Salcedo Village), Urdaneta, Forbes, Dasmariñas and Magallanes: These were all conceptualized and implemented by the Ayalas.

These areas, six out of the 33 barangays of Makati, easily account for at least 60 percent of its revenues. I am told that not one single centavo of the revenues go toward maintaining these villages and business areas. They are reportedly the responsibility of the Ayalas and the residents. The money given to the barangays are from the national government’s Internal Revenue Allotment.

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[islander]

Binay’s claim to the authorship of Makati’s success counts among his biggest lies. Should we vote for a man whose claims to success appear to be based on lies and on corruption? God help our country if we do.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/

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[islander]

Ditch Escudero, Osmeña advises Poe

June 16th, 2015

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III on Monday said that Sen. Grace Poe should run for President next year as an independent candidate even as he advised her against teaming up with Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

“I think the best option (for her) is to run for President as an independent… so she will not be a captive of any political party,” said Osmeña, who has been running in elections as an independent candidate.

Osmeña said that Poe, who is fast emerging as a strong presidential contender, is “winnable” on her own and does not need the backing of political parties, which are just “political cliques” that are “fleeting and temporary alliances.”

Osmeña cited the case of the late Sen. Raul Roco and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who both ran for President as independent candidates and received “formidable numbers of votes.”

Asked what he thought of a proposed Poe-Escudero tandem, Osmeña said that a “package deal” was not a good idea.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/698713/ditch-escudero-osmena-advises-poe#ixzz3inNmC7xu

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[islander]

IT’S ALL ABOUT ESCUDERO: THE FUTURE OF THE PHILIPPINES

by Joe America
July 12, 2015


[Photo credit: hatawtabloid]

It has became strikingly clear to me how things fit together regarding the future of the Philippines. It’s all about Senator Escudero.

Now Senator Escudero inadvertently got us into this mess by supporting Jejomar Binay over Mar Roxas for the vice presidency in 2010. We know how that went. It fed the ambition of the most ambitious man in the country and put him one step from the position he is drooling to acquire. I say “inadvertently” because I give Senator Escudero the benefit of the doubt. I imagine he had no idea how pervasive and perverse was the corruption in Makati. He thought Binay’s “style” was just politicians doing what they do, influencing others.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Now we have the ambitious Binay aiming for the presidency by waging a powerful and wily campaign to rope in the votes from the laboring poor. He is positioning himself as their hero, as a “man who is like them”, against “those corrupt and incompetent people in government”. He is playing the sympathy card about as skillfully and maliciously as it can be played...

Well, we may want to turn our heads and be ill at all this, but that is the reality of the presidential run for 2016. It seems like the Philippines has no ethical or legal or even moral recourse to stop a crook and liar from ascending to the presidency. The stopping must be done at the ballot box.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Now let’s shift to President Aquino and the meeting he will apparently call soon involving Secretary Roxas and Senators Poe and Escudero.

There are two positions open for discussion, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. But there are three people in the room speaking with the President.

If we took Senator Escudero out of the picture, the solution is simple. Roxas for President and Poe for VP, where she can give Roxas a popular boost, gain experience and set herself up for the presidency in 2022.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

That is easy. It is a relief. It solves the problem. The nation is in good hands for 12 more years.

But we are not talking about team players here.

So there is no relief. There is dysfunction and conflict and fighting. There is ego and greed and ambition. There is the all too traditional Filipino way...

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[islander]

 
Senator Escudero won’t take himself out of the picture. After all, he is a realist. He can’t make the presidency on his own. The polls show that with an exclamation point. So he needs some calculated stepping stones. One is to become Vice President under Poe, and then he can make the natural step into the presidency in 2022.


Businessman Bobby Ongpin and VP Bnay [Photo credit: Inquirer]

With that as our vision, we see how Poe is really just the vehicle for Escudero. Not a puppet, exactly, but she holds one of the stepping stones for Escudero. And it explains his presumptuous speaking on Poe’s behalf, giving the ever-panting lapdog journalists some nibbles to chew on.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Senator Poe appears unwilling to set Escudero aside because... well, frankly ... she does not have the strength to do that. He is her friend and confidant. Her adviser and spokesman. Her path to the campaign money through Ongpin and other businessmen. She would be all alone. And she does not have the knowledge or the confidence to stand for herself. She is as green as green can be, toting about her Escudero security blanket.

Thus, ironically enough, she defines herself as not ready for the Presidency. The presidency is the loneliest job in the nation. It is the place where important decisions must be made. And they can be made only by one person. That person must have the strength to do what is right. Not popular.

Alone.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

But we have Escudero in the Poe picture. Always Escudero.

Escudero, Escudero, Escudero.

He can’t encourage Poe to fly free, can’t give her the strength to stand for herself. That would be suicide for his own ambitions. He needs to keep himself in the picture. In Poe’s arms, as it were.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

President Aquino understands the situation clearly, I am confident. He knows that Escudero is the problem here, but he is a friend of the family, too, so he will be treated well.


The Escuderos and Businessman Bobby Ongpin [Photo credit: Inquirer]

President Aquino knows that Secretary Roxas has earned his shot at the presidency. Through dedication and hard work and accomplishment and loyalty to the nation and its people... he has earned his shot. Poe on the Roxas ticket would take both Roxas and Poe to the win. For sure.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

What is strange is that Senators Poe and Escudero can’t seem to see that. They don’t seem to care what Roxas has earned. He is just in the way.

The President also knows that a three-way race between Roxas, Poe and Binay opens the door to the worst case scenario, a split “good guy” ticket, and a Binay presidency. The straight path is ruined.

Alas, Roxas/Poe makes Escudero the odd man out, unless he is content with a major cabinet post and the presidency in... OMG... 2028.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Escudero... ego over nation... will not step aside.

This explains why he is making sure that Poe’s ambitions are pumped up, and her confidence in winning is sky-high, and they are on the front pages almost every day. It seems that Escudero is not a man who would concede for the best interest of the nation. Escudero is a political gamer.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

So that is the predicament.

This is what will be discussed when the four meet.

Escudero (and Poe) will suggest that Roxas step aside and LP back Poe/Escudero.

The President will ask Escudero to step aside with LP supporting Roxas/Poe.

Could you ask Roxas to step aside, in favor of Escudero, essentially?

I could not, in good conscience.

I could not.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

The decision for the nation is so very very simple. Roxas/Poe. You know it. I know it. Most of the neutral nation knows it.

If Escudero is not willing to step up for the Philippines by stepping out of the picture...

and if Poe does not have the strength of self to put Escudero into the background...

with the nation’s well-being at stake, a choice of going forward on the straight path or going backward in the worst way imaginable...

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

then that defines Poe and Escudero as unqualified for the presidency. It defines them as self-dealing opportunists, not committed to the most basic ideal of the straight path: that which is good for the nation is of highest importance.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Well we have integrity... going with the best man... and we have expediency... going with the most likely winner. Me, I choose integrity along with the determination to show the people why Roxas is the best, most capable, most experienced choice. If I were President facing the “Escudero predicament”, I’d opt for the three way race with the intention of beating both Poe and Binay with the only real patriot, real straight-path candidate, real competence among the three: Secretary Roxas. I’d not accept dismissing the earnest dedication and capability of Mar Roxas in favor of the expediency and self-dealing of Escudero. I’d not accept going with a weak, inexperienced novice like Poe as the only way to beat a crook.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

And being highly competitive and willing to step outside the box, I’d run Leni Robredo for Vice President. She has talent and great popular appeal. Better than Poe’s perhaps, given some of the push-back we are starting to see against Poe for her indelicate speaking. Rep Robredo also dots the “i”s and crosses the “t”s for Roxas as a man of integrity, in a way no other person can.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Two things I know for sure.

Mr. Escudero is not the only game in town.

And Ms. Poe, in needing him so badly, is not yet ready.

http://joeam.com/

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[lolongmendez]

Choose character rather than integrity. Integrity is what you see, character is what a person really is (its what is in his heart).

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[balong]

Ronnie Juntilla Sevilla Jr., Facebook "No to Corruption", https://www.facebook.com/groups/1581742525370701/permalink/1641279026083717/

i really like this

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[balong]

But we have Escudero in the Poe picture. Always Escudero.

Escudero, Escudero, Escudero.

He can’t encourage Poe to fly free, can’t give her the strength to stand for herself. That would be suicide for his own ambitions. He needs to keep himself in the picture. In Poe’s arms, as it were.

naa koy amigo sa new york  escudero ang apelyedo.  relative tingali ni sa senator kay ijang amahan ambassador man

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[balong]

ug si binay mahimong presidente, wa tay mahimo kong maoy gusto sa mga tawo. kong maka botar lang ko, my vote goes to miss poe. at least ma bawi ang pag tikas ni fernando sauna kong ma president ijang anak. na ka extra ko sauna sa sine ni fpj ang MAGNUM .357

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

he wants to run for vice-president in 2016

TRILLANES quote:



“Nakita natin ‘yung karangyaan nitong lugar na ito at gusto ko ngang maipakita na ito, dalawang pagkatao nito ni Vice President Binay na nagpapakita siya na mahirap siya, kulay-mahirap, na asal-mahirap, pero ‘yun pala mayroon siyang sikretong mundo na, ito nga, na karangyaan. So diyan niyo makikita ‘yung pagbabalatkayo ng taong ito.

[We have seen the luxury of this place, and it shows the two personalities of Vice-President Binay. He projects himself as poor, because he has the complexion and the manners of the poor. But it turns out he has a secret world of opulence. You can see Binay’s masquerade here.]

-from Trillanes impales himself by Yen Makabenta
Manila Bulletin, October 29, 2014

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[islander]

the angry young man is now an angry man

“Of course, it is entirely within the character of Trillanes to weave fantastic scenarios, as what he did when he cried wolf – once too many – on supposed coup plots which only he and no other seemed to be aware of. His statements of late appear to inspire only sniggers instead of genuine concern, as Filipinos wait for him to sound the alarm bells on a Martian invasion,” Topacio said.

-from Stop crying wolf, file a case, Topacio dares Trillanes on paid TRO
April 8th, 2015, http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/684285/stop-crying-wolf-file-a-case-topacio-dares-trillanes-on-paid-tro#ixzz3j1H2Iu00

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Was "senator" Antonio Trillanes IV, ever a soldier?

That this "senator" as a member of (but not necessarily a soldier in) the Armed Forces of the Philippines showed consistency as a serial offender as far as breaking ranks and thumbing his nose at the chain of command will have already answered this question back in 2007. The way he treated Angelo Reyes -- a senior soldier -- in an otherwise pointless Congressional exercise further crystallises what our answer to that question might be.

To real soldiers, the answer is most likely a no brainer...

    Senator Antonio Trillanes 4th, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1995, faces punishment from his fellow PMA graduates for humiliating a senior officer—late former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Angelo “Angie” Reyes—during a recent Senate inquiry.

    “Even some of his [Trillanes] classmates did not like what he did to Angie Reyes,” they will go with punishing the senator, another former military chief of staff—Gen. Dionisio Santiago—told editors and reporters of The Manila Times during an exclusive roundtable on Monday.

    It was not clear, though, what the punishment would be.

    According to Santiago, many of the cavaliers or PMA alumni would shy away from Trillanes as a sign of protest to the alleged arrogance he displayed against Reyes, a member of PMA Class of 1966, when the former Armed Forces chief appeared on January 27 before the Senate blue ribbon committee.

Suffice to say, Trillanes's high-profile rampage supposedly against corruption in the Philippine military is starting to become a lonely one. For now he enjoys the support of the Senate President himself who had gone out on a limb to defend the boy-"senator". But this is politics. At some point, propping up a political liability simply becomes senseless.

February 16, 2011
http://newssimple.blogspot.com/

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

This is about Sen. Antonio Trillanes, a jailed senator who allegedly has claimed thousands of dollars in travel expenses while languishing in prison on rebellion charges, making him one of the most expensive lawmakers in the country.

Despite being detained, Trillanes still managed to join the ranks of the top five biggest spenders at the Senate along with Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Senators Gregorio Honasan, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Francis Pangilinan.

Trillanes, who campaigned and won his seat in 2007 while detained at a police jail in Manila, billed taxpayers more than 17 million pesos (365,000 dollars) for the year, including nearly 250,000 pesos for travel expenses, a Commission on Audit report said.

-from Sen. Trillanes spends big in ‘travel’ even in jail, https://quierosaber.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/sen-trillanes-spends-big-in-%E2%80%98travel%E2%80%99-even-in-jail/

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

i fear him.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

INTROSPECTIVE



By Tony Katigbak
The Philippine Star)
August 19, 2015

A wider choice for Veep in 2016

It truly has begun. As much as I am remiss to continue on the topic of elections week in and week out, we can’t deny that it is one of the things that remains a hot topic for conversation. No matter whom you ask or where you turn, you hear election talk, predictions, disappoints, hopes, and even fears. Our countrymen seem to understand that this particular election really has the power to greatly change the course of our country’s history. Now whether or not that change is going to be for the better or for the worse, we will have to wait and see.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

We all know we are at a breaking point, with corruption truly coming out in wave after wave of revelations these past couple of years. We are all desperate for a change. So despite not wanting to seem as if I have a one-track mind, I can’t help but discuss the elections and the potential candidates almost on a daily basis. The reason is, whoever makes it into office in 2016 will affect us all on a daily basis in the future. Will these new leaders make things better? Will they continue the existing programs that are doing well and expand upon them? Or will they, as history has shown, come in with their own agendas and discontinue programs that are working in lieu of starting new ones just so they can slap their own names on them?

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

I truly hope this is not going to be the case. But you can never tell with Philippine politics. Now that the election talk is going full force and the floodgates have been opened, everyone is carefully and meticulously eyeing their choices. I know many are keen on keeping up “Daang Matuwid” and for the sake of truly eradicating corruption in the country (or at least making bigger strides), I hope this comes true. However, that will depend greatly on whom we elect into office.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

We know that the President has already appointed Mar Roxas as his successor, and as I mentioned last week, I believe he can do a really great job if given the chance. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to convince the wider population of this, not to mention the masses – many of who still believe or cling to the thought of a Binay or even Erap presidency. Whenever I read about this I always find out it’s usually because they say that corruption will always be present, but at least Binay and Erap share their wealth with the people. This is ludicrous. If you are going to look very closely, corruption allegations notwithstanding, the only wealth being “shared” with the people is the money that came from the people in the first place.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

I hope that our voters can be more discerning this time around and not just simply vote for whoever pays them or gives them freebies. It’s important that this time we make an investment in the country. And that not only goes for the president but for the vice president as well. Much like the presidential candidate speculation in past months, there is also a lot of talk and rumors about who the VP candidates will be. There are no clear frontrunners here because it seems as if anyone who wants to run refuses to try for VP and just sets their sights on the presidency instead.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

One such person is Senator Grace Poe who has, thus far, denied all offers to run as Vice President due to her own presidential bid (still to be confirmed). Personally, I think Senator Grace Poe could be a good leader, but I also believe she is lacking in vital experience that will help her make the tough choices required of running a country. I do not doubt her leadership skills, her honesty, or her passion for the Philippines. I do, however, doubt her timing. And despite her climbing in the polls, I don’t know if it will be enough to get her to Malacanang. I am actually curious to see where she stands in the next survey results.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Plus, should she run with her best friend Senator Chiz Escudero, I think that he will drag her down like an anchor on a ship. As I mentioned and have written in many previous columns, there are no real friends in politics, only ‘user friends’. I think that Sen. Poe should reconsider her VP selection. I recall in the previous election, many thought Mar Roxas’ VP spot was in the bag until Escudero promoted the ‘NoyBi’ tandem. I think that ultimately Sen. Escudero’s goal is the presidency itself. It will be interesting to see how he will position himself at this point with that goal in mind.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

As for us, the voters, it’s important to look beyond what he see on the exterior and put our candidates through the loop when it comes to scrutinizing them and their plans for the Philippines. Far be it from me to say that there is any one candidate that is perfect — after all, we are all human with human flaws — but I just hope that Filipinos will not do what they have done in the past and just choose a candidate who they know to be corrupt, because he/she is the lesser available evil. I believe it’s still very possible for our country to turn it around and start new.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

And speaking of being discerning and doing due diligence when it comes to getting to know our candidates, I have to say that I am glad that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has categorically stated that they will not be endorsing any particular candidate and will adopt a hands-off policy when it comes to the upcoming elections. It comes down to separation of church and state, a concept that is already quite blurry in the country. We all know that the church and the government have butted heads several times over policies, laws, and legislation. While this can’t be avoided in our largely Catholic country, it’s good the CBCP understands the importance of them not getting involved in election proceedings.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

The only thing the CBCP did say was to remind voters to be careful and conscientious when choosing their leaders. I second that notion. I can’t help but feel that we are being much more time this election to think things through. We need to make the most out of the time we have and learn all we can so we can make educated and informed choices. Before we know it we’ll all be trekking to the election center and making our voice be heard.

http://www.philstar.com/

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Plus, should she run with her best friend Senator Chiz Escudero, I think that he will drag her down like an anchor on a ship. As I mentioned and have written in many previous columns, there are no real friends in politics, only ‘user friends’. I think that Sen. Poe should reconsider her VP selection. I recall in the previous election, many thought Mar Roxas’ VP spot was in the bag until Escudero promoted the ‘NoyBi’ tandem. I think that ultimately Sen. Escudero’s goal is the presidency itself. It will be interesting to see how he will position himself at this point with that goal in mind.

eureka. i'm no political analyst, but i've felt this all along.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

EDITORIAL

President Bongbong

Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 29th, 2015

Sen. Bongbong Marcos is the picture of confidence these days—some would even say, of cockiness. The son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos has eased himself out of the shadow of his perpetually more quotable mother Imelda and older sister Imee by getting his own voice heard on many of the hot-button issues of the day, from the public transport mess to the Mamasapano debacle and the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.

The appearance of seriousness and maturity has excited that segment of the population that has never abandoned the Marcos myth; Marcos Jr. is now seen, more than ever, as viable presidential material, whose fateful return to Malacañang one day soon would be a vindication of everything that the Marcoses have endured since their exit from the Palace in 1986.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

In their view, the Marcos years were a halcyon era in Philippine society and politics, when peace and order reigned, the economy boomed, people were disciplined and the government was functioning. In the wake of Lee Kuan Yew’s death, Bongbong even declared with dead seriousness that the Philippines could have been another Singapore had his father’s 20-year stay in power not been cut short by the Edsa People Power revolt.

This week, he was back defending the rampart. There was nothing wrong about martial law, he said on TV, and there is nothing to apologize for. “Will I say sorry for the thousands and thousands of kilometers [of roads] that were built? Will I say sorry for the agricultural policy that brought us to self-sufficiency in rice? Will I say sorry for the power generation? Will I say sorry for the highest literacy rate in Asia? What am I to say sorry about?”

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

It’s a catchy picture, but a false, incomplete one. Marcos’ agricultural policy? He simply parceled out the economy to his cronies; as the Chicago Tribune put it, “Eduardo Cojuangco became the ‘Coconut King,’ Antonio Floirendo the ‘Banana King,’ Herminio Disini the ‘Tobacco King,’ Jose Campos the ‘Pharmaceutical King,’ Roberto Benedicto the ‘Sugar King.’” For years, millions of farmers had to fork over hard-earned money for a so-called coconut levy fund that never went to their welfare, but instead became a P150-billion asset fought over by the likes of Cojuangco and Juan Ponce Enrile.

The land reform that was supposed to be the cornerstone of Marcos’ New Society? It was a sham. Out of some 10 million hectares of private land and 17 million hectares of public land available for disposal, only 50,000-70,000 hectares had been subjected to land reform by the time the Marcoses fled Malacañang in 1986.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Power generation? The monstrosity that is the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant—built of an outdated design with some 4,000 defects, on a known earthquake fault line, to the tune of $2.3 billion, about $80 million of which ended up as kickbacks to Marcos and his bagman Disini as documented in court records against its builder Westinghouse—is the ultimate indictment of Marcos’ energy policies.

The highest literacy rate in Asia? Sure—against a landscape where press freedom was absent, dissenting journalists were hauled off to jail or allegedly thrown overboard from helicopters, then Minister of Information Gregorio Cendaña had an iron hand clamped on TV and radio, and newspapers were the plaything of Marcos cronies.

And so on. We haven’t touched on the billions of dollars in Swiss accounts, or the thousands of “desaparecidos” and human rights victims. Do current history books reflect these facts? Apparently not, because Bongbong could also claim that one reason he’s getting giddy at the idea of running for president is that “young people who were not even alive at that time say that, ‘Buti pa noong panahong iyon, alam namin, may ganito at may ganyan.”’

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Bongbong may find in that youthful gushing a quick high, but the ill-informed appraisal of what he believes is the golden era of his formative years says more about the tragic miseducation of the Filipino than about his father’s true record. Still, one hears what one wants to hear, so an apology is not in the offing from the Marcos son, because “history will judge [Marcos] properly, and we’ll leave it at that.”

But he has, in fact, been judged. Marcos is the only president in Philippine history who had to flee with his family in the dead of night to escape the wrath of his people—from whom he stole up to the end, by the way, with millions of gold, jewelry and cash brought along with them. There’s the judgment of history right there for you. Unfortunately for Bongbong, that ignominy cannot be erased with a cocky shrug.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/

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[hubag bohol]

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Binay defends Iglesia ni Cristo, chides Aquino gov’t

August 28th, 2015


Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ NIñO JESUS ORBETA

Vice President Jejomar Binay seemed to be courting the Iglesia ni Cristo’s (INC) favor as he urged the present administration to stop meddling in the affairs of the influential religious sect.

In a statement Friday, Binay said the INC was only exercising its freedom to assembly and religious freedom when a thousand members held a protest action before the Department of Justice on Thursday which continued until Friday.

Binay, a presidential aspirant in the 2016 polls, is seemingly wooing the favor of the INC, known for their bloc voting during elections.

The INC supporters criticized Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, who happened to be celebrating her 56th birthday that on Thursday, for allegedly meddling in the internal affairs of the INC.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/717174/binay-defends-iglesia-ni-cristo-chides-aquino-govt#ixzz3kJgiluqI

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Poe, other presidential bets predictably speak like politicians

By: Leila B. Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 30th, 2015


Members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo rally near EDSA Shrine, INQUIRER PHOTO/ REM ZAMORA

Few politicians have been critical of the INC, and some of the potential candidates for President and Vice President in next year’s elections are among those defending the group’s mass action.

A former lawmaker, however, said politicians placating the INC should be condemned.

Former Akabyan Rep. Walden Bello said the INC’s “disruption” of Metro Manila was unacceptable.

“Politicians conciliating these fanatics must be condemned,” Bello said in a text message.

Bello said that while he has had differences with De Lima on certain issues, the justice secretary is right in extending protection and judicial remedy to INC members who feel threatened by the INC hierarchy.

“If a Roman Catholic priest is accused of sexual exploitation of minors, he would be subject to secular prosecution by the state and would never be allowed to invoke the separation of church and state principle to protect him from prosecution,” he said.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Grace Poe

Interviewed in Nueva Ecija on Friday, Sen. Grace Poe, a potential presidential candidate, said people should not belittle the importance of religion.

“For me, those people are defending their faith. We respect that and they also have to protect their rights,” Poe told reporters.

She also said it would be good if De Lima would face the protesters and explain the situation.

“After all, those of us in [the] government have the responsibility to explain well to the people the reason for the steps we have taken,” she said.

Asked if she believed the DOJ should handle the case, she said the agency already had a lot on its plate.

She cited the Mamasapano clash, noting that while the incident had been investigated, nobody had been placed on the witness protection program.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Marcos

Another aspirant for higher office, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., also came to the defense of the INC.

“The INC certainly has the right to stage a peaceful mass action to express their sentiments in defense of their faith,” Marcos said in a statement.

According to Marcos, the DOJ’s handling of the case “leaves much to be desired.”

He claimed that De Lima discussed the merits of the case, which he said created the impression of undue interest in the case, whether rightly or wrongly.

“For justice to triumph, the DOJ must not only be impartial in its procedure and ruling; like Caesar’s wife, it must also be seen as being fair to all,” he added.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Sen. Francis Escudero, Poe’s potential running mate, said in a statement issued on Thursday that the DOJ should not let the INC issue elbow out other cases that matter to the people.

Escudero said the DOJ’s INC investigation might be misinterpreted as an interference and infringement of the right to religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.

De Lima should uphold the principle of the separation of church and state, he said.

“It may be a prudent to first let the leadership of the INC resolve what appears to be a purely internal matter. We do not want to see division and misunderstanding during these times,” Escudero said.

The DOJ should instead make the Mamasapano case a priority, Escudero said. It should release its full findings so that those responsible for the deaths of 44 police commandos could be brought to justice, he added. -Leila B. Salaverria

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

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[hubag bohol]

Grace Poe is becoming a trapo
CANDID THOUGHTS
By BONG O. WENCESLAO


SEN. Grace Poe seems to be taking us for a ride. She has continued to make the people believe that she is still mulling about running for a higher post in next year’s elections. Yet, she has already drafted a platform of government and this: she has been going the rounds of the country shaking hands like declared presidential candidates Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party (LP) and Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

That is why the more I look at her and her body language the more I realize that my initial perception of her was wrong. In just more than two years in an elective position (senator), Poe is fast becoming a traditional politician (trapo). She is manipulating our perception of her.

Her being trapo showed in her stance on the recent protest action of the Iglesia ni Cristo against Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is hearing the criminal charges that a former Iglesia ni Cristo minister is filing against the religious group’s leadership, called the Sanggunian. Iglesia members are in Edsa in a “show of force.”

Instead of helping to ease tensions by clarifying how the judicial process works, Poe (and Binay and even her supposed running mate Sen. Chiz Escudero) didn’t.

Here’s Poe:

“Magtataka ka rin, bakit ang tutok doon, samantalang halimbawa ang ibang mga kaso ng gobyerno wala naman silang mga witnesses pa na naka-hold (You would wonder why the focus is there while for other government cases they have not held witnesses yet).”

There is nothing statesmanlike in that statement. Rather, it is intended to woo the Iglesia ni Cristo, which is known to vote as a block, into supporting her candidacy. That line is not only ill-informed, it is misleading and illogical.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[hubag bohol]

Poe (and Binay and Escudero) wants the DOJ to finish first its probe into the Mamasapano incident wherein 44 elements of the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were killed. That is not how the justice system works. Whatever the case is filed, you deal with them. If the DOJ, or any of our law enforcement agencies or even the courts, won’t do that, what will happen to the non-sensational cases that also need attention?

Besides, the Iglesia protest is jumping the gun on de Lima and the DOJ. Expelled Iglesia minister Isaias Samson filed charges for the crime of serious illegal detention against members of the Sanggunian whom he alleged to have detained him when the rift within the religious group erupted. Here’s how his lawyers, Trixie Cruz-Angeles and Ahmed Paglinawan, described the Iglesia’s protest action and the status of the case in a statement:

“Instead of answering the allegations at preliminary investigation, they immediately call out the Department of Justice officials as being biased, based solely on their perception that the mere docketing of the case at the main office is already proof of said ‘selective’ justice…

“The investigation has not begun, no evidence has been adduced and neither side has been heard. The complaint was filed on Tuesday 25 August, and no notices for hearings have been sent out. What are they complaining about?”

With that clarification, what does it make of the statements of Poe, Binay and Escudero? And since I have friends in the Iglesia ni Cristo, I also hope its leadership would listen to the voice of reason. Or of this expression of the democratic principles that guide our society’s existence: We are a government of laws and not of men. ([email protected])


Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 31, 2015.

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[islander]

Commentary

Jojo, Grace or Mar? Surprise, it’s Bongbong!

By: Gualberto B. Lumauig
August 31st, 2015

WE OLD political warriors, inured as we are to the vagaries of politics, don’t take too seriously the so-called political analysts and number crunchers who predict the likely winners in the coming elections. They are just guessing, and their guesses cannot be any more accurate—or reflective of the situation on the ground—than yours, mine or ours.

In assessing where the wind blows in a political derby, the preferred protocol by us old in the political game is direct interaction—like random chat, interview, glad-handing braced by eye contact with the public or groups whose political sentiments or leaning we are trying to pin down or plumb. Exactly what I have been doing the last few weeks to try to get the people’s thoughts on 2016 politics which is starting to boil.

My reading of the political environment, as matters now stand? The people—most of them anyway—are in a quandary, confused about who to support for president in 2016 from among those planning to run, those sending out strong signals they might run, and those already running. What basically causes their dilemma?

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=80729.0

[islander]

Jojo Binay. The man, admirers proclaim, was a crackerjack mayor who all but transformed the once sleepy town of Makati into a pocket Singapore. Now a city, Makati has grown so rich during Jojo’s watch it has money spewing out of its sewers. It is the only local government unit that can boast of womb-to-tomb social services and benefits for its citizens, from the toddlers to the elderly. Jojo was elected vice president in 2010, streaking from the bottom of the heap to the top, leaving rival veep wannabes awestruck, uncomprehending what windstorm had hit them. For five years thereafter, Jojo kept the top spot in popularity ratings, his number consistently in the high 70s. And up to a year ago, friends and foes alike have all but conceded the presidency to the Makati political kingpin, Jejomar Binay.

Then disaster struck. A Senate investigation uncovered funny happenings in Makati during the decades-long Binay family rule of the city—happenings which brought, according to allegations, the Binays unbelievable wealth. All these allegations, of course, are just that: allegations yet to be proven in court.

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[islander]

Grace Poe. The junior senator is a shooting star, a political phenomenon everybody—well, almost everybody—is excited about at this, to use the favorite cliché of politicians, “point in time.” Grace has paper-thin credentials to justify her meteoric rise in the political firmament. But there she is, outshining old political war horses in popularity, propelled to the loftiest position in voters’ preference by startlingly capturing the No. 1 position in the 2013 senatorial elections and by reason of her being a child of cinema’s authentic and revered idol Fernando Poe Jr.

Grace is not without endearing qualities.

Articulate, bright and with steel-like personality, she radiates strong conviction and will. She displayed these qualities as chair of the Senate committee that conducted the investigation and hearings on the Mamasapano tragedy, where she boldly asserted that P-Noy shared accountability for the incident which she unhesitatingly called a “massacre.”

Granted Grace’s sterling qualities, among these a fresh face on the national stage, untainted by the sludge, smudge, slime and scum of politics, still it cannot be denied that it is too soon to shoehorn her into the presidency. She only has a nodding acquaintance with economics, foreign affairs, military matters and such spheres, if at all, that a president cavorts in.

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[islander]

Mar Roxas. Here’s a man only a few, if any, can be more honest and decent and trustworthy as a public official. He is every inch a gentleman, a public servant unblemished by a scintilla of corruption, sprung from buena familia with a history of selflessness in public service, bright, hardworking and well-educated. Is there anyone more supremely qualified for the presidency than him?

Roxas has one character flaw, he is too timid to make quick, bold decisions. He temporizes, he studies and restudies, examines and reexamines endlessly obviously doable and logical solutions to problems, such that by the time he acts, the problems have tripled in gravity if they are still salvageable at all.

There you are, three presidentiables who, though deserving of their aspirations, have imperfections that leave people wondering if it’s wise to support any one of them.

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[islander]

But what about Digoy Duterte? Yes, he is talked about by ordinary folks as one who could enforce discipline in our society. He could fix the chaotic Manila traffic, put the heebie-jeebies on criminal elements in streets and in Customs, etc. The dilemma bothering voters about Digoy is he openly admits he has two wives and several girlfriends on the side. Will this mean there’ll be two first ladies and a bevy of mistresses at the Palace if and when he becomes president?

Now Bongbong Marcos. He’s getting attractive day by day as a presidential prospect. The transformation of Bongbong from a carefree youth with no serious inclination into an articulate political thinker who can examine knowledgeably all angles of national issues has been phenomenal. Eloquent and articulate, the lad has got talent. Isn’t he being a Marcos drawback? Nope. Surprisingly, the name has reacquired its old magic among rural voters.

So, is Bongbong the dark horse in 2016? Abangan.

Gualberto B. Lumauig ([email protected]) is past president of the UST Philosophy and Letters Foundation and former governor/congressman of Ifugao.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/

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[islander]

By his lonesome, Jose Kwe stands outside DOJ to show his support for Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/)

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[islander]

from 'It’s the dictator’s turn to laugh at Binay' by Boying Pimentel:

Yes, Bongbong is not his father; but didn’t Marcos Jr. also say repeatedly that he thought life under Dad the Dictator was pretty much like paradise?

In fact, Marcos Jr. also argued that if only the Filipino nation had not kicked his father out, the Philippines would be like Singapore today.

Which should really make anyone, including Binay, ask: What is this guy smoking?
You mean the Philippines could have become like Singapore, considered one of the least corrupt nations in the world, under a tyrant now considered one of the most corrupt rulers in history?

That doesn’t bother Binay.


Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/128167/its-the-dictators-turn-to-laugh-at-binay#ixzz3lB5KMuYp

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[islander]

Iglesia brouhaha showed Poe a ‘trapo,’ says erstwhile mentor

@inquirerdotnet
September 7th, 2015


Sen. Serge Osmeña III. NOY MORCOSO III/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Sen. Serge Osmeña on Sunday said Sen. Grace Poe’s lead in presidential polls may be affected after she supported the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) mass action against the Department of Justice, making her appear to be a traditional politician (trapo).

Speaking on dzIQ, or Radyo Inquirer, Osmeña, who always gave Poe advice, this time offered no help when asked how she could correct her “mistake.”

“She has strategists. She should ask her strategists,” Osmeña said. Poe, he said, had already teamed up with Sen. Francis Escudero against his advice.

“She was wrong there, she appeared to be a trapo,” Osmeña said of Poe’s statement justifying the INC’s five-day mass action that started at the DOJ office and culminated on Edsa.

Poe received flak for saying the politically influential INC was just exercising its rights and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima should explain the merits of the case filed by a former INC minister.

Osmeña reiterated his disapproval of Poe’s team-up with Escudero, saying the latter brings with him “more minuses” than pluses.—Christine O. Avendaño

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

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[islander]

so she's aiming for the highest public office in the land.  and she's tagging chiz escudero along.  striking while the iron is hot?  disappointed here.  senator osmeña's analysis may yet come to pass.       

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[islander]

EDITORIAL

Poe’s Palin?

Philippine Daily Inquirer
September 19th, 2015

“In choosing Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain has chosen for the future,” said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2008, when McCain and Palin ran against the tandem of Barack Obama and Joseph Biden for the presidency and vice presidency, respectively, of the United States.

The world knows how that pronouncement laughably panned out. After a blazing first few weeks during which she energized the Republican base with her image as a tough-talking, family-values-oriented politician who also happened to be a glamorous woman, Palin proved to be a spectacularly problematic candidate—callow, vacuous, ill-informed, clearly unfit to occupy a position that is a heartbeat away from the most powerful and consequential job in the world. As pundit Andrew Sullivan put it then, “The only non-negotiable criterion for the vice presidency is an ability at a moment’s notice to become the president, if the worst happens. Palin fails by that criterion.”

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[islander]

When your choice of presidential running mate turns out to be a fiasco, naturally your ability to judge character comes under a cloud. McCain, before then a celebrated war hero admired for his maverick views on many of the hot-button issues that have traditionally divided American politics, was suddenly seen by many as a cynical, reckless man who, in pursuit of his ambitions, would go so far as to put his country in potential danger by choosing a glib and flashy but highly unqualified running mate. The duo would go on to lose the race, and McCain will forever be associated with the singular embarrassment that is Palin.

There’s a lesson here somewhere for Sen. Grace Poe, who has not only declared her intention to run for president in 2016 but, this early, also revealed her choice of running mate: Sen. Francis Escudero. To be sure, Escudero is no Palin; smart and articulate especially when talking in Filipino, he has displayed a basic grasp of certain pressing issues. Whatever point one could raise about him, ignorance is not one of them.

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[islander]

But he does bring to the equation something with which Palin likewise burdened McCain: the question of why. Why would McCain choose an unfit running mate for vice president? And Poe: Why would she pick a man whose track record appears, on many points, at odds with the image and advocacies she has cultivated, and which led to the steep rise in public esteem that arguably has given her the impetus to consider gunning for the presidency?

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[islander]

Poe contrasts herself from her putative rivals by touting her unsullied record. Vice President Jejomar Binay is compromised by a raft of corruption charges. Mar Roxas, the Liberal Party’s standard-bearer, is weighed down by the many blunders of the Aquino administration, from the outlawed Disbursement Acceleration Program to the Mamasapano tragedy and the daily traffic hell. Poe’s sensible stand on many raging issues has earned her plaudits from the public; that stand, along with her clean persona and intimate connections with show biz royalty, and despite her glaring lapse vis-à-vis the controversy involving the Iglesia ni Cristo, has made her a viable “presidentiable” to many.

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[islander]

But Escudero? He stood by Joseph Estrada throughout the revelations of the latter’s corruption and perfidy as president. True, he railed against the venality of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, but his selective campaign proves that when it comes to basic good governance, he can overlook the monumental faults of a patron and ally and take up the anticorruption mantle only when it’s convenient to do so.

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[islander]

The man is a politician’s politician, apparently cold-blooded and ruthless in pursuit of his interests. After Estrada’s ouster, he was among a cabal of young congressmen who engineered the near-impeachment of then Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. on the feeblest of grounds. In the 2010 presidential election, he initially declared support for the Aquino-Roxas tandem but eventually campaigned for Binay as VP. He has been credited for Binay’s upset win. Now he and Binay are no longer on good terms, because he has once again jumped fences and latched on to someone who has made a dent in the public consciousness.

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[islander]

Poe may declare herself an independent candidate, but her choice for vice president brings with him some of the worst baggage of traditional politics. Citizenship might not even prove to be her undoing, merely her judgment on the kind of point man she wants to be by her side in the race to Malacañang.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/

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[islander]

if only grace accepts being vice-president to mar roxas meantime. if only she stops listening to the ambitious and, yes, untrustworthy chiz escudero, one of two senators who love their voices, who may end up as her political albatross. (i wholly agree with the stand of senator serge osmeña and some others as regards escudero.)

it has come to pass. grace is loyal to escudero.

if senator grace poe decides to run for president with senator chiz escudero as her vice, we can kiss our hopes goodbye. binay may make it.

i now hope this does not come to pass.

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[islander]

from joe america---

My own personal wariness as to Grace Poe’s allegiance is a product of her deeds. It is cerebral more than emotional.

Judging by her deeds . . . not heritage . . . Grace Poe’s allegiance is fickle. It is fluid. It goes with expediency, not principle. Her avid willingness to criticize the standing government displays an odd lack of pride in the Philippines and the Aquino Administration’s considerable accomplishments.

Well, it’s much like her ability to offer up oaths here and there, on citizenship. To drop and swap allegiances as they suit her. Allegiance seems to be a tool for her, for her goals.

Her deeds, her words, here in the Philippines, in public office as a Senator, reflect that fluidity:

What patriotic senator would insert herself into Philippine foreign affairs and suggest a change in direction is to be expected with regard to America, unless it is because the statement would be popular among Filipinos? [“Grace Poe: PHL shouldn’t rely on US in West Philippine Sea dispute“; GMA News Online]

What realm of sacrifice for nation is embodied in her willingness to decline the offer of the Vice Presidency graciously presented by President Aquino?
What was gained from the Mamasapano hearings she chaired with Senator Escudero? A political result castigating the President, generals in tears, secrets dumped into public view, integrity of earnest peace negotiators questioned, and the BBL in tatters. No healing. No uplift of the nation. It is a rather peculiar way to demonstrate care-taking of nation. But it was great for her popularity as she surfed deftly onto the Mamasapano rage.
What was the meaning of her statement (again with Senator Escudero) saying that she did not support the BBL, a statement recanted the next day by Senator Escudero? What is the good Senator FOR, I often wonder. [“Poe, Escudero say they’re against BBL, lifting of limits“; Inquirer]

What was gained by her refusal to support law and order over a reckless Iglesia ni Cristo church seeking to avoid a police investigation by staging a mass protest?

So I look for dedication to the Philippines, and I see political play, angling for popularity rather than what is good for the nation.  I’m wary.
To tell the truth, I suspect that for many Filipinos, such logic will be irrelevant. What will be relevant is the widespread love/hate relationship that Filipinos have with the US, the hate attached to the history of a brutal Philippine American War and its attendant racism, the insult of occupancy, destruction of Manila in WW II, and US support of the brutal Marcos regime.

Their reaction, I suspect, will be simple. And visceral.

“Americans in the Palace?”

“No way.”

That is likely to be the toughest hurdle for Senator Poe to overcome.

for the complete article: http://joeam.com/2015/09/14/the-lion-about-to-roar-at-grace-poe-americans-in-the-palace/

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