JPEPA LOSSES TO RP ECONOMY GO BEYOND MONETARY COST

Independent think-tank IBON Foundation reacted to Senator Mar Roxas’s statement that he would advocate for the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

Sen. Roxas said yesterday although there was not much gain inherent in the free-trade pact, “the loss is definitely calculable”. But IBON research head Sonny Africa said that the loss to the local economy of JPEPA goes beyond what can immediately be computed in monetary terms to affect the country’s future economic development.

Even as IBON estimates annual revenue losses at P10.6 billion because of tariff removals under JPEPA, Africa said that the bigger loss from the free trade pact is ultimately its effect on the country’s economic sovereignty and its right to impose policies to protect its industries and promote its long-term economic development.

For example, the JPEPA has investment provisions that require the Philippine government to place Japanese investors on equal footing with their local counterparts while preventing the country from imposing policies to favor Filipino entrepreneurs and enterprises. It also prohibits the government from imposing such development measures as requiring Japanese investors to hire a given level of Filipino nationals, transfer technologies or production processes to local companies, or achieve a certain level of local content in products it manufactures or subcontracts in the Philippines .

The effect of these provisions can not be readily computed monetarily, but the loss to the domestic economy is very real and concrete, Africa said, in terms of lost livelihoods and local firms closed. Just as big a loss will be the continued and chronic backwardness of the Philippines ‘ agricultural and industrial sectors, which would deny tens of millions of Filipinos decent work and force them to risk their lives abroad as overseas workers. “These losses are inherent in the JPEPA,” he said.

Africa said that senators considering ratification of the controversial pact should ultimately look not just at the immediate losses the JPEPA will bring but also its future legacy: the destruction of the people’s welfare and any hope of the country’s future development

Maguindanao CoCs authentic — Comelec

Bedol critical to solving poll mystery By Jerome Aning
Inquirer
Last updated 01:34am (Mla time) 06/22/2007

MANILA, Philippines — Elections indeed took place in Maguindanao province because the municipal certificates of canvass (CoCs), which a Commission on Elections task force had examined, were authentic, Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer said Thursday.

 

Ferrer, head of Comelec’s Task Force Maguindanao, said the copies of the municipal CoCs that were presented by Maguindanao election officers to him and Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. in General Santos City the other day appeared to be genuine.

 

“There is no basis for the claim that they were manufactured. They were carefully stocked and padlocked. I kept them and will turn them over to the en banc,” Ferrer said.

 

The 21 municipal CoCs examined by the Comelec were the second copies that were posted on precinct walls, as well as the fourth copies. Maguindanao has 22 towns.

 

Ferrer said the task force would also look into the accountability of provincial election supervisor Lintang Bedol over the loss of original copies of the municipal CoCs in his custody. If warranted, Bedol could face criminal prosecution, Ferrer said.

 

Bedol is key to solving the weeks-old mystery of the missing municipal CoCs.

 

A Comelec fact-finding mission flew to General Santos City to retrieve the vote tallies that could determine who between Genuine Opposition (GO) candidate Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Team Unity (TU) candidate Juan Miguel Zubiri would be the 12th winner in the senatorial race.

 

Pimentel on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to order the Comelec to exclude the vote tallies from Maguindanao and to proclaim him the winner.

 

Watchdog groups and teachers claimed that the elections in the province were marred by cheating.

 

Zubiri, for his part, wanted the poll body to proceed with the canvassing because the vote tallies in Maguindanao would allow him to displace Pimentel from the 12th slot.

 

TU lawyer Romulo Macalintal on Wednesday said in General Santos that the documents retrieved from Maguindanao seemed authentic, but the opposition’s lawyer Leila de Lima said the figures on the documents were “revolting.”

 

Discrepancies

 

Ferrer said the municipal election officers would answer before the Comelec en banc and the lawyers of the political parties and candidates all queries about discrepancies in the municipal CoCs that would be canvassed.

 

Bedol told the Comelec in Manila on June 11 that the municipal CoCs, the bases of the provincial CoC in which TU scored a 12-0 victory, were missing.

 

Earlier, Bedol had told reporters that the municipal CoCs were stolen from the Comelec office at the provincial capitol in Shariff Aguak on May 29.

 

Bedol’s first and only appearance was when he presented the Maguindanao CoC to the Comelec en banc sitting as the National Board of Canvassers.

 

Bedol has to explain

 

Ferrer said the recommendations of the task force, which would be forwarded to the Comelec en banc on Friday, would focus on whether elections were held in the province and on the culpability of local officials led by Bedol.

 

But Bedol has lots of explaining to do because he repeatedly defied Comelec’s summons to appear and his belated reporting of the theft of the municipal CoCs, according to Ferrer.

 

“Did he report this to the proper authority? Certainly, he didn’t report to the Comelec. He didn’t even write an explanation as to why he did not show up,” Ferrer said, adding that Bedol was given “more than enough time” to do so.

 

If found responsible for the loss of the municipal CoCs, Bedol would be criminally charged with infidelity in the custody of public documents, Ferrer said.

 

“This offense carries an administrative liability that can be punished by removal from office,” he said.

 

Disobedience

 

Asked what he made of Bedol’s attitude, Ferrer said, “That’s disobedience already.”

 

He said the municipal election officers would also be summoned one by one to explain why they, too, failed to appear when initially summoned by the Comelec and to verify if they gave their copies to Bedol.

 

Besides a 12-0 win by the TU, the provincial CoC showed several opposition candidates getting no votes at all — a fact that the Comelec later described as “statistically improbable.”

 

The Maguindanao CoC was set aside while Bedol was instructed to present his copies of the municipal CoCs that would back up the numbers in the provincial CoC.

 

When Bedol did not show up, the municipal election officers were invited to come to Manila to present their own copies, which were supposed to be used for a recanvass.

 

The officers also did not show up so the Comelec ordered the proclaimed winning local candidates to present their own copies of the election documents. Only one was able to do so.

 

Much later, Bedol appeared in a hearing of Task Force Maguindanao, and admitted on record that the municipal CoCs in his possession were stolen.

 

Ferrer and Abalos went to General Santos to collect another set of copies of the municipal CoCs because the election officers said they did not have money to go to Manila.

 

Ferrer said Bedol was not invited during the presentation of the election documents because “he might exert moral influence on the election officers.”

new polls in Maguindanao set

By Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Jerome Aning, Jocelyn Uy
Inquirer
Last updated 07:45am (Mla time) 06/07/2007

MANILA, Philippines — On the second anniversary of the “Hello Garci” scandal and 23 days after the midterm elections of 2007, the wait was finally over for six Genuine Opposition (GO), two Team Unity (TU) and two independent senatorial candidates, but not for three candidates whose fate may be determined by the special elections in Maguindanao scheduled for June 20.

 

In simple but “very Pinoy” (an analyst described to ANC) rites at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, the Commission on Elections Wednesday night proclaimed the 10 winners — Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Villar, Francis Pangilinan, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Edgardo Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Joker Arroyo and Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan.

 

Ninth-placer Arroyo did not attend the ceremony.

 

The Comelec left hanging the fate of GO’s Antonio Trillanes IV and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and TU’s Miguel Zubiri — who were still locked in a fight for the last three slots of the Magic 12.

 

Hours earlier, the Comelec announced that special elections would be held in Maguindanao after it declared that the fraud-tainted polls in the province on May 14 had failed.

 

Maguindanao has 337,108 registered voters.

 

Irony of the day

 

Shortly after his proclamation, Senator-elect Cayetano noted the irony of the day.

 

“It is ironic that today is the second anniversary of the Garci tapes … I don’t know why we were proclaimed today,” he said in a televised interview.

 

Cayetano was referring to the alleged wiretapped phone conversations between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano dealing with rigging the 2004 presidential election to ensure Ms Arroyo’s victory — an allegation denied by both the President and by Garcillano.

 

As of the latest tally, Pimentel was still in 12th place, leading Zubiri by 127,147 votes.

 

Still untabulated votes from the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Basilan, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao — which have a combined total of 1.2 million registered voters — will be crucial in determining who will claim the 12th spot.

 

The 11th placer could be known by Friday, when the election body sitting as National Board of Canvassers shall have finished tabulating the vote tallies from Surigao del Norte, Basilan and Lanao del Sur.

 

As the proclamation ceremony opened with an invocation and the singing of the national anthem, the Comelec commissioners stood on a dais in black robes. The senators-elect stood in a semicircle in front of them.

 

Abalos read out the names of the winners, starting with Legarda, who received a spatter of applause.

 

“Now, therefore, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution … the Commission on Elections, sitting en banc as the National Board of Canvassers, hereby proclaims the above named Senate candidates as the duly elected senators of the Republic of the Philippines … to serve for a term of six years beginning on June 30, 2007,” Abalos said.

 

Cory Aquino

 

The audience included former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, who was dressed in yellow.

 

She was happy that her son won, but the former President said a lot of things still needed to be fixed in the electoral system.

 

She described the canvassing as “slow motion” and told reporters her friends from abroad had been calling her asking what was taking the proclamation of winners so long.

 

She thanked the people who kept vigil and sacrificed so that elections would be fair.

 

“I pray that there will come a time we will know within the day the results of the elections so there would be no fears of fraud,” Aquino said.

 

Need for electoral reforms

 

Cayetano also spoke about the need for electoral reforms.

 

“Praise God and thank you to everyone for supporting and allowing me to overcome all the challenges. They will be my inspiration to correct what is wrong in our system,” he told reporters.

 

Two Cayetanos ran in the Senate: he and Joselito Cayetano of the Kilusan ng Bagong Lipunan party, who used the nickname Peter.

 

Alan had sought Joselito’s disqualification and it is still pending in the Supreme Court.

 

“That is the purpose why I faced a lot of challenges, so I can give emphasis on the loopholes in our electoral law and how to strengthen our weak institutions,” Cayetano said.

 

He said he won because he stood by his principles. “This elections were about people seeing character and principles,” he said, adding that his clash with President Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, also boosted his campaign.

 

“People got to know me because of that. Though many local officials did not support me because Malacañang had talked to them, I got the sympathy of our people,” Cayetano said.

 

VIPs

 

Other dignitaries included Senators Franklin Drilon, Juan Ponce Enrile, Cayetano’s sister Pia, GO campaign manager Sen. Sergio Osmeña III and movie producer Lily Monteverde.

 

Also present were TV talk show host Kris Aquino, sister of the newly elected senator and Sandra Cam, “jueteng” whistle-blower.

 

The lobby from the Gate 3 entrance of the PICC going to the proclamation hall teemed with Comelec employees, who took turns having pictures with the newly elected senators and other famous politicians.

 

Cayetano and Escudero got the most attention, until Kris Aquino and her husband James Yap entered.

 

A female employee was overheard saying: “I wanted to have pictures with Chiz, but he was with his wife!”

 

Policemen were seen posing for pictures with Lacson, a former national police chief. Employees were waiting for singer-actress Sharon Cuneta, but only her husband Pangilinan showed up.

 

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay also arrived with his daughter Abigail, a newly elected representative of the city.

 

Improbable

 

In ordering special elections, the Comelec said canvassers in Maguindanao could not produce the documents crucial to the retabulation of tallies in the province.

 

The recanvassing of tallies, believed to be based on ballots that teachers filled up under duress with the names of administration candidates, was ordered by the Comelec on May 30 when it ruled that it was “statistically improbable” for 19 senatorial candidates to get zero votes in the 22 towns of Maguindanao.

 

Should the candidate on the 12th slot fail to widen his lead even if votes from Basilan, Lanao del Sur and Surigao del Norte had been counted by Friday, the Comelec would have to wait for the results of the special elections in Maguindanao before it could proclaim the 12th winner.

 

Abalos announced the special elections after the special board of canvassers, which the poll body created to tally the certificates of canvass (CoC) at the municipal level, ended its work Wednesday.

Singson quits politics

Inquirer
Last updated 06:05am (Mla time) 06/07/2007

VIGAN CITY, Philippines — He is defeated and out.

 

After an unsuccessful bid to win a Senate seat, outgoing Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson said he is ending his political career.

 

“I am retiring from politics. Mag-aalaga na lang ako ng mga hayop (I will just take care of animals),” said Singson, who keeps a mini zoo at his sprawling Baluarte here.

 

But he said he would always be available for his province-mates and others “if they need me.”

 

Analyzing the defeat of the administration’s Team Unity in the recent polls, Singson said the supposed “command vote” and party machinery did not work because of the “feuding bets” of administration party in the local level.

 

He said there was the Lakas-Kampi standoff in many areas. “We could not concentrate on the national campaign because the parties waged their battles in the local elections. Someone should have offered the other party a deal,” he said.

 

He said even candidates who ran unopposed had lapses as they became overconfident.

 

Singson admitted the negative issues in the media had affected the voters’ perception on the local and national candidates.

 

“The issues raised during the election period had a huge impact (on the voters). The voters did not listen much on the platforms of candidates,” he told reporters here.

 

As early as April, Singson said he knew he had a very slim chance to make it to the Magic 12 as his ranking did not improve in the election surveys.

 

“I knew that the surveys were accurate. I just could not tell my men (about my slim chance) because it might discourage them,” he said.

 

But what made him happy, he said, was that he and his relatives won overwhelmingly in the province of Ilocos Sur.

 

His son, Board Member Ronald Singson, won as first district representative while his younger brother, Board Member Jeremias Singson, won as vice governor. Leoncio Balbin Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon

Iligan City and Lanao Del Norte Result (NAMFREL-NASSA)

GOVERNOR

	CANDIDATE	NUMBER OF VOTES	VOTE GRAPH
1.	DIMAPORO,	40,386	15.19%
2.	RIZALDA,	30,441	11.45%
3.	MONE,	1,532	0.58%
4.	SIANGCO,	345	0.13%

 

VICE GOVERNOR

	CANDIDATE	NUMBER OF VOTES	VOTE GRAPH
1.	ALI,	32,757	12.32%
2.	OMAR,	21,654	8.15%
3.	CALACAT,	4,725	1.78%

 

BOARD MEMBERS – 1ST DISTRICT

	CANDIDATE	NUMBER OF VOTES	VOTE GRAPH
1.	MATALINES,	16,081	8.98%
2.	FERNANDEZ,	13,888	7.75%
3.	ZAMORA,	13,162	7.35%
4.	BAGOL,	12,754	7.12%
5.	PESTOLANTE,	10,319	5.76%
6.	TAWAKAL,	6,723	3.75%
7.	JUMALON,	6,429	3.59%
8.	ANDOT,	3,255	1.82%
9.	HERNANDEZ,	1,554	0.87%

 

BOARD MEMBERS – 2ND DISTRICT

	CANDIDATE	NUMBER OF VOTES	VOTE GRAPH
1.	BAGUIO, BENNY PONCE	19,419	22.41%
2.	MAQUILING, HADJI CASAN	14,928	17.23%
3.	SUMALIPAO, TOMINAMAN	14,048	16.21%
4.	COTONGAN, ACMAD	11,713	13.52%
5.	UMPA, SITTIE LAARNI RAKIN	11,274	13.01%
6.	USMAN, MASTORA BARAUNTONG	11,177	12.90%
7.	ABBAS, MAMA MASCARA	10,230	11.81%
8.	SANTOS DELOS, HERNANI Z.	8,252	9.52%
9.	OBEDENCIA, MARCO VIOS	3,837	4.43%
10.	ALI, MOJAHID-AGA SENIOR	2,793	3.22%
11.	ALINGAN, ABUL PIMPING	2,002	2.31%
12.	MULITUBA, MAMA NAMAR	1,937	2.24%

 

CONGRESSMAN – 1ST DISTRICT

	CANDIDATE	NUMBER OF VOTES	VOTE GRAPH
1.	BELMONTE, VICENTE JR. FLORENDO	58,962	32.91%
2.	BADELLES, ANGELIQUE DAWN ANDRADA	45,670	25.49%
3.	DIMAPORO, IMELDA QUIBRANZA	42,596	23.78%
4.	ZARAGOZA, LEO MONTALBAN	10,137	5.66%
5.	BORJA, URIEL GARCIA	427	0.24%

 

CONGRESSMAN – 2ND DISTRICT

	CANDIDATE	NUMBER OF VOTES	VOTE GRAPH
1.	DIMAPORO, ABDULLAH D.	38,155	44.03%
2.	MANGOTARA, ABDULLAH C.	13,930	16.08%
3.	DIMAPORO, MARCOS ABDUL D.	198	0.23%

New revelations on why Pacquiao lost at the polls

By Recah Trinidad
Inquirer
Last updated 06:50am (Mla time) 06/04/2007

MANILA, Philippines — In fairness to Manny Pacquiao, there were actually a few out there who had honestly wanted him to win in the last elections.

 

Count among them those who raked it in while the most popular living Filipino sports hero wantonly wasted millions in his futile political battle.

 

However, there was the usual smirk and shrug of the shoulder among countless boxing fans when the result of the vote in South Cotabato was made official.

 

The popular reaction to Pacquiao’s loss in the congressional race to wispy Darlene Antonino-Custodio was an honest “I told you so.”

 

* * *

 

It was easy to conclude that there was general relief over the Pacquiao setback in his battle for a seat in Congress.

 

Fans, feeling rewarded, were declaring that, henceforth, Pacquiao could devote his time to boxing.

 

At least, Pacquiao would no longer demand a recount, after he wasted precious hours on the floor while contesting the election results.

 

But the poor loser was a sorry sight, more pitiful than a knockout victim who did not know what had hit him.

 

* * *

 

Unfortunately, Pacquiao suffered a second and more scathing humiliation.

 

When they conducted a poll to determine the eight greatest Filipino boxers of all time, Pacquiao landed a poor sixth in the poll.

 

Gabriel Elorde, who reigned as world 130 lb. king for seven years, topped the selection.

 

Naturally, the next question asked was: Would’ve Pacquiao topped that popularity poll had he not decided to enter the dirty world of Philippine politics?

 

That would no longer be easy to determine.

 

* * *

 

Pacquiao, by the way, will be in New York this week to receive his award as best fighter of the world from the Boxing Writers of America.

 

Meanwhile, out there in Pacquiao’s hometown of General Santos City, people have stopped asking why the favorite son of the tuna capital of the world suffered a knockout in his last fight.

 

The reason behind the defeat was hardly a secret.

 

In fact, there were varied conclusions, each sounding credible and valid, on why Pacquiao suffered that humiliating defeat in the last election.

 

Reader Renato Ramones Reyes, who gave his address at 10 Magsaysay Avenue, Gen. Santos City, threw most of the blame on Pacquiao’s general campaign manager whom he described as an irresponsible, greedy, incompetent hanger-on who took advantage of Pacquiao’s sincerity and innocence:

 

* * *

 

We reprint the handwritten letter in its original form:

 

Dear Sir,

 

Binabasa ko yong column mo “Bare Eye” lalo na kung si Manny Pacquiao ang subject matter mo. Hindi totoo na si Darlene at si GMA ang nag-knockout kay Manny. Maybe kung sa points 20 percent lang. Ang malaking dahilan ng pagkatalo ni Manny ay ang kanyang General Campaign Manager (GCM), na incompetent, tamad, lasengo, womanizer, sugarol, sabungero, at marami pang iba. Consider this:

 

1) Mayroon bang GCM na hindi sumasama sa rally, lalo pa nuong nasa States si Manny?

 

2) Nuong election day, 10 a.m. tulog pa si GCM kaya marami sa poll watchers ang umuwi dahil walang ID at ang iba lumipat sa kalaban.

 

3) Lahat ng appointment sa media bureau ni Manny choice ni GCM at wala naman silang ginawa para idepensa si Pacquiao, inom lang ginawa nila tuwing gabi. Millions of pesos daw ibinayad sa kanila at malaki commission ng GCM.

 

4) Lahat ng disbursements ay dadaan kay GCM, kailangang approved niya, kaya lahat ng expenses may cut siya.

 

5) P175 million daw ang ginastos ni Manny. Tanong: Saan napunta itong napakalaking halaga?

 

6) Si Manny naman nagpapaloko kay GCM dahil sa matagal na itong inireport sa kanya. Tila may malaking secret si Manny kaya hawak siya sa leeg ni GCM.

 

7) Hindi mahirap ibenta si Manny kaya lang walang organization ang kanyang kampanya. The GCM doesn’t know how to organize and, worse, his main agenda was not how to make Manny win but how to make money out of MP.

 

Sir, if you want to know more about the GCM, please come over to GenSan and ask about him from lawyers, civic groups, businessmen, etc.

 

Siya rin ang nag-advise kay Manny na huwag mag-concede. After two days, ang uncle ni GCM, si City Fiscal Jamora, ang nag-convince kay MP na mag-concede at kalimutan na ang protesta kasi malaki na ang abante ni Darlene.

 

(Due to legal reasons, we had to withhold the name of Pacquiao’s general campaign manager—RT.)

Congratulations to Mayor Lim and My Manila

By Isagani Cruz
Inquirer
Last updated 08:22am (Mla time) 06/03/2007

MANILA, Philippines—I rejoice with Sen. Alfredo S. Lim for his landslide election as mayor of Manila. It is a deserved victory not only for him but for the City of Manila.

 

His city is also My Manila, as I wrote in this column on June 24, 1995. It was there that I was born, grew up, went to school, became a lawyer, married my Sally, raised all our five sons, formed many cherished friendships, and lived a contented life for all of 41 years.

 

In the district of Sampaloc, my father improved the small nipa-roofed house where our family lived into a two-story building on the street that is now named after him. It was from there that he rode every day to City Hall, where he served as a councilor for 20 years.

 

Vicente G. Cruz cherished his also native Manila but not as much as he loved by mother. His Aurora was esteemed as one of the loveliest young ladies in Sampaloc at the time. She and my father were high school sweethearts and they died within four days of each other in 1965.

 

It was in that year that my new family transferred from Manila to a new subdivision where our growing boys would enjoy more healthful surroundings. Our only daughter was born in Merville Park two years later. We easily mixed with our friendly neighbors, many of whom now live abroad but still visit us occasionally as wistful balikbayans.

 

We were not bothered then by the roar of the airplanes flying directly overhead but not when we were sleeping. And we did not hear the familiar cries of “Balut, penoy!” and “Puto, kutsinta!” all hours of the day—and night—in Manila. Truthfully, we sort of missed those noises that affectionately reminded us of the crowded city.

 

The cozy hamlet where we lived had after the war been congested by strangers attracted by the lights of Manila. When I went back some years later for a sentimental visit, I was deeply disappointed. I recognized no one and nobody recognized me. Even Tasio, who saw me from his corner Chinese store grow up from a small boy to a young adult, was no longer there. The calesas and carretelas had also disappeared.

 

This is also my 41st year in what is now Parañaque City that offers the conveniences of metropolitan life. Merville Park is clean and peaceful, without the slums of the old city. But somehow I have not lost my closer attachment to my beloved Manila. I was more interested in the recent mayoralty elections there than in the place where I now reside.

 

I campaigned in fact for Senator Lim in Manila instead of the local candidates in Parañaque City. That is why I was much elated when I learned he had won and that his opponents had graciously conceded his victory. It was a fair fight without the usual anomalies committed in most local elections. The honesty of his triumph made it all the more acceptable.

 

Fred Lim has served as mayor of Manila before, and I am confident that he will perform as well now if not better because of his experience as a member of the Senate. I think he was impatient with his work as a senator and prefers giving orders instead of debating about them. He will not have to debate with himself as mayor and will simply give orders for his subordinates to obey.

 

Lim will have a mammoth task in coping with the complex problems of the capital city of the Philippines. Manila is a cross-section of the population of the country where people from the north and the south and the islands in-between, Christians and Muslims alike, mix in merry and sometimes hostile confusion of their particular ethnic dissimilarities. As a “little President” of a miniature country, Lim might be unconsciously rehearsing for the higher office.

 

His record as an executive is well known. It is direct and resolute as demonstrated by his controversial order painting warnings on certain houses as occupied by persons convicted or suspected as drug pushers. The case challenging its validity was dismissed by the regional trial court, was sustained by the Court of Appeals, but was rejected on “technical grounds” on appeal to the Supreme Court.

 

I myself believed the order to be unconstitutional but it did not lessen my support for Mayor Lim’s campaign against drug addiction in our favorite city. It is one problem that I am sure will receive special attention and more vigilant correction when he assumes his new but accustomed position as mayor of Manila.

 

Congratulations, Mayor Alfredo S. Lim, and the most prayerful wishes for your success in administering, protecting and improving your and My Manila!

Peso campaign for lost school

By Jhunnex Napallacan
Cebu Daily News
Last updated 09:29am (Mla time) 06/03/2007

CEBU, Philippines—A “peso-peso” donation could build a school.

 

At least, that’s the campaign Lahug barangay captain Mary Ann delos Santos is trying to mount to continue construction of a four-story P15 million school building Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered cancelled on Friday in a spurt of post-election anger.

 

In a radio appeal, Delos Santos asked “kind-hearted” residents of barangay Lahug and elsewhere in Cebu City to support her attempt and start giving loose change “so that we can really finish the school building.”

 

When he heard about the campaign, Osmeña was in no mood to reconsider his decision to transfer the project to barangay Talamban, which gave him a big margin of victory in the last May 14 election.

 

“Political vendetta? I gave that project without her asking for it, from the goodness of my heart for Lahug. But okay, let her collect peso-peso. That’s good for her,” Osmeña said.

 

The mayor followed up with a threat to stop releasing additional honorarium assistance for barangay garbage collectors of Lahug.

 

He said if Delos Santos doesn’t correct the “lie” she spread during the campaign that City Hall never gave projects to Lahug, he would also stop giving gasoline allowances for barangay vehicles, which include garbage trucks.

 

He said this was “advance notice” to the lady barangay captain because he was fed up with her claim that the mayor had abandoned Lahug in the past years.

 

Since not all barangays can afford to pay the P5,000 monthly honorarium for garbage collectors, City Hall releases varying amounts to cover the balance.

 

“She must request for it in writing,” Osmeña said.

 

As of now, Osmeña said, the additional honorarium for the barangay garbage collectors is stopped.

 

Delos Santos, who ran for mayor as standard bearer of the opposition and lost to Osmeña in last month’s polls, said she couldn’t understand her opponent’s “childish” and “unreasonable” gesture when the election was over.

 

Earlier, she said the mayor should direct his anger at her alone and not involve the elementary and high school children who need the school building, a P15-million project of the city government to decongest Lahug Elementary School.

 

An old school house was already demolished but before laborers could start building a new one in earnest, the mayor ordered work stopped last Friday.

 

“Sayod ko nga dunay mga naminaw karon nga andam og tagana labi na og maayo ang tumong, kadtong mga malumo ang kasingkasing, kung mahimo tabangi ko ninyo sa pagpadayon ug pagpatukod sa maong eskwelahan nga karon giguba na, ug gikasubo nakong ipahibawo kaninyong tanan nga dili ipadayon ang construction ni Mayor Tomas Osmeña kay tungod sa politika, nanghinaut ko nga kadtong nakadungog karong adlawa, bisag peso-peso lang atong sugdan ang donasyon para sa maong eskwelahan,” de los Santos said in her radio appeal.

 

Yesterday, she was set to hold an emergency meeting with the barangay council about the fund-raising project. The plan includes asking for donations in the barangay and putting donation boxes in different parts of the city.

 

Delos Santos said she would consult lawyers about possible legal action against the mayor for stopping an infrastructure project for which funds were already approved and bidding conducted.

 

“I will check if legally we can question his move. He can not just transfer that to another barangay, ako nang tan-awon if the appropriation is really intended for Lahug and he can not just change it without any basis at all, it’s just because he is the mayor of the city of Cebu,” de los Santos said.

 

To this the mayor replied: “Of course I can not do that. I can cancel the project.”

 

Osmeña said he was “insulted” by the barangay captain’s campaign claim and the fact that he lost votes heavily in Lahug.

 

“Gi-insulto niya ang mayor, pagkahuman niana, napildi pa ko sa barangay. Ayaw nalang uy. Naay daghang barangay nga nagkinahanglan og eskwelahan. Kaayuhan sa barangay is not exclusive for Lahug, it could be many other barangays,” he said.

 

He said he was grateful to barangay Talamban which gave him a 4 million vote margin.

 

Osmeña showed copies of de los Santos’ letter to Lahug residents during the campaign period.

 

One paragraph of the one-page letter signed by de los Santos said: “In the last two elections, we defeated Mayor Osmeña in Lahug. He can not forgive or forget that. For this humbling experience, he has never extended aid to our barangay in any manner. On the other hand, he had tried to cripple our progress by whittling down the land size and income of Barangay Lahug,” de los Santos said in the letter.

 

Sought for comment, de los Santos said, she just stated facts in her letter.

 

The barangay captain said she would not take back her statements nor apologize because she did nothing wrong.

 

“What I wrote was all factual. I didn’t invent that. I’m not afraid over that letter. As what I said about the election, mao gyud nang politika,” de los Santos said.

 

She repeated that she would pray that Osmeña would be enlightened and reconsider his actions.

 

“This is a post-political outburst on the part of the mayor,” she said. inquirer.net

Dimaporo bet zooms to lead in Lanao Norte canvass

Inquirer
Last updated 07:09am (Mla time) 06/03/2007

TUBOD, Lanao del Norte, Philippines—The congressional race in Lanao del Norte’s first district suddenly experienced a turnaround when votes contained in the alleged tampered certificates of canvass (CoCs) from three towns made it into the official count.

 

From being the third contender, outgoing Lanao del Norte governor Imelda Dimaporo of Lakas-CMD now leads the race by over 7,000 votes over earlier runaway winner, Iligan city councilor Vicente Belmonte of the Genuine Opposition (GO).

 

Before the canvass, Belmonte was leading in the five-way race by more than 17,000 votes.

 

The canvassing occurred as the new set of provincial board of canvassers (PBoC) was able to enter the canvassing site after a two-day standoff with protesters who barricaded the site.

 

The new PBoC is composed of Bukidnon provincial election supervisor (PES) Lordino Salvaña, Camiguin PES Ma. Dulce Cuevas-Banzon and Comelec regional lawyer Gina Luna Zayas.

 

The PBoC began opening the CoCs from Maigo, Bacolod and Kauswagan around 1:30 p.m. amid tight security outside the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall.

 

Four soldiers were also posted inside the jam-packed session hall.

 

Despite the objection of GO counsels, Salvaña insisted the soldiers be allowed to stay to make them feel really secure.

 

“All three CoCs were in their tampered state and therefore should not be canvassed,” GO lawyer Arthur Abundiente said.

 

The ballot boxes containing the CoCs from the three towns had been forcibly opened shortly after the elections, raising suspicions its contents had also been altered.

 

But despite opposition, the PBoC went ahead with the canvassing.

 

First to be opened was that of Maigo town. The observations about “signs of tampering” led GO counsels to move for the CoC’s exclusion from the canvass.

 

After two hours of heated legal arguments, the PBoC ruled to have the figures entered into the official count.

 

The same ruling was also adopted in the case of the two other CoCs.

 

GO pointed out that the CoCs in question contained erasures on the figures for congressional candidates Dimaporo, lawyer Angelique Badelles and Belmonte, the three forerunners in the five-way race.

 

They also said the figures differed from those reflected in the CoCs given to the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and the Liberal Party.

 

Abundiente said in the questioned CoCs, the votes for Dimaporo “tremendously increased” from 8,253 to 26,213 while the votes for Belmonte were reduced from 7,149 to 815, or 89 percent.

 

Meanwhile, votes for Badelles were also reduced from 7,285 to 1,185, or 84 percent.

 

He said in all, some 12,434 votes from both Badelles and Belmonte were shaved off and added to Dimaporo’s vote tally.

 

Apart from the shaved votes, Dimaporo’s tally was allegedly further padded by some 5,526.

 

Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer, Comelec officer for Northern Mindanao, said the PBoC was only tasked with canvassing the CoCs but it was ordered to “refrain from proclaiming any candidate…”

 

But losing congressional candidate Leo Zaragoza has called on Iliganons to “show people power” to denounce the actions of the PBoC in canvassing the CoCs in question. Inquirer Mindanao

Dilangalen proclaimed Shariff Kabunsuan congressman

Dilangalen (inq7.net)

By Charlie Sease, Eldie Aguirre, Orlando Dinoy
Inquirer
Last updated 03:43pm (Mla time) 06/02/2007
DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Shariff Kabunsuan — Lawyer Didagen Dilangalen was proclaimed winner of the congressional race for the lone legislative district of the newly created province of Sharif Kabunsuan on Friday — or is it still the old first district of Maguindanao?

Dilangalen, who became well-known for his “Shut up, shut up” cry during impeachment proceedings against then President Joseph “Erap” Estrada in the House in 2000, defeated Lakas-CMD rival Bai Sandra Sema by over 18,000 votes.

Dilangalen, a staunch Estrada defender and former spokesperson, garnered a total of 105,582 votes from 10 towns in the province.

Josslyn De Mesa, head of the Comelec-formed special board of canvassers, announced Dilangalen’s victory after the three-day provincial tally held at the tightly secured Mindanao State University gymnasium here.

De Mesa said even if the election results from Barira town and three villages of Northern Kabuntalan were still to be tallied, there was no reason to delay Dilangalen’s proclamation anymore as these places had a total of only 13,000 voters.

“This will no longer affect the lead of Dilangalen,” De Mesa said.

Prior to the proclamation a heated argument between De Mesa and Sema’s lead counsel Hamlet Pahm broke out following Commissioner Rene Sarmiento’s May 31 memorandum directing the Kabunsuan BoC to suspend canvassing due to “irregular proceedings” as alleged by lawyers of the candidates.

But De Mesa said another memorandum was issued later ordering the BoC “to finish the canvassing before going back to Manila with all the important documents in hand.”

Dilangalen, who earlier said he would no longer support the planned revival of the impeachment case against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, would formally return to the House on June 30 after a three-year absence.

When he completed his third term as Maguindanao representative, Dilangalen became one of the most recognizable faces of the opposition.

On the question of whether or not this province is entitled to a legislative district, Sarmiento said the creation of Shariff Kabunsuan in November by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao legislative assembly without an enabling act in the House creating a new congressional district, prompted the Comelec to adopt the “status quo” for purposes of the May 14 polls.

This meant that voters in the areas previously known as the first district of Maguindanao, consisting of Cotabato City and what is now Shariff Kabunsuan, should vote for their own representative.

“Waiting for an enabling act in Congress to be enacted could have deprived registered voters of Shariff Kabunsuan and Cotabato City of their representative in the House,” Sarmiento said.

The issue in effect is one of nomenclature as only one and the same geographical area is involved, which the incoming Congress will have to settle. Will Dilangalen be formally referred to as representative of the lone district of Shariff Kabunsuan or as representative of the first district of Maguindanao?

Meanwhile, in Digos City, the issue of who won the gubernatorial race in Davao Del Sur remained unsettled Saturday.

But Representative Douglas Cagas of Lakas sent text message Saturday about his “proclamation on Monday by 2 p.m.”

Cagas, an ally of the President, is pitted against Representative Claude Bautista of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Elsewhere in the province, the Comelec already proclaimed other winners, which made NPC the dominant party.

At least nine NPC mayoral candidates have already been proclaimed winners. Lakas-CMD won in five towns.