The 2010 Presidentiables Blog – what is next after the elections?

we got this interesting comment from one of this blog’s regular posters:

Estipona ng Davao :I appreciate the effort of wawam for creating this blog.Wawam gives us an avenue to express our opinions(even it is outrageous or sober)and ideas to others.Even I do not agree with wawam’s opinions,I agree to disagree with him.Let us express our opinion without slandering or cursing others,it reflects our maturity(immaturity) to face opposing views.I hope wawam will continue this blog even after its expiry date.Maybe,a blog about our new president and officials after election.How about it wawam? God bless you always. 

this was our reply:

i have received similar requests and suggestions from many others. this blog will continue to be open even after the election. as others have also told me, i think we have collected here a very wide body of thoughts and opinions not only on the candidates but also on our country and what is good for our people. i think we have here by and large excellent views. they are diverse, wide and well thought of. we like to build on these good things that readers and authors have in this blog.

to be honest, because of the authors, readers and those who post comments here, the blog has exceeded my personal expectations. it has grown from a specifically marketing and advertising in politics to a much wider but pointed discussion not only on politics but good governance.

thank you again for everyone in this blog – authors, readers and those who post comments for making this a rich and uplifting experience on the net. and thank you for your suggestion and compliments.

we like to get your comments and POV.

noynoy aquino’s new tv ad – pinoy noynoy rap

this is next in The 2010 Presidentiables Blog. 

catholic church’s double standard – use conscience on election but do not use conscience on RH Bill 5043

apparently, the catholic church is asking its faithful to use their conscience on some things but find it okay that its faithful do not use their conscience on others.  

Solon hits Church double standard

 By Leila Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:12:00 01/26/2010

MANILA, Philippines—The Catholic Church in the Philippines is practicing a double standard when it tells the people to choose the country’s next leaders by following their conscience, but at the same time it tells them not to vote for those candidates that support the reproductive health (RH) bill, Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello said.

“On the one hand, [the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines] has said vote according to your conscience. On the other, it says it’s not moral to vote for people who support the reproductive health bill. There is a double standard here,” Bello said in a press conference.

He said the Church should not blackmail the candidates who support the RH bill by trying to influence their voters based on this issue, which has proven to be very contentious.

He called on his colleagues in the House of Representatives to tackle the measure despite the Church’s opposition and its branding of the bill as morally reprehensible.

“What is morally reprehensible is to keep the reproductive rights of Filipinas at the mercy of the Church’s political opinion,” he said in a separate statement.

“Does it sit well with our conscience that families are condemned to poverty owing to the lack of means for effective family planning? Or that there are rising numbers of people infected with sexually transmitted diseases due to the lack of decent information?” Bello said.

Bello also lamented that the remaining session days of the House had been devoted to a measure that was going nowhere, specifically the bill to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

He said the BNPP bill, which has also met stiff opposition on the floor, has no future since it does not even have a counterpart measure in the Senate.

The House therefore should discuss the reproductive health bill which has been tackled in three congresses already, he said.

Fine secular line

“As the Congress, we must assert our independence from the Church’s opinions and maintain the fine secular line between the functions of Church and state,” he added.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the main proponents of the RH bill, had earlier said that he would block the pet measures of other legislators, such as those calling for a constitutional convention and for imposing new taxes, if the reproductive health bill was not taken up in the House.

The reproductive health bill seeks to promote both natural and artificial birth control methods through government programs.

The Catholic Church hierarchy in the country is strongly opposed to the measure, saying that it promotes the use of abortifacients. It recommends the use of rhythm and other natural methods of birth control for couples who want to limit the size of their families.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100126-249489/Solon-hits-Church-double-standard

red flag alert for manny villar – a C-5 controversy take down in the horizon

we think the C-5 controversy has taken a very bad turn from something that looks bad to something that can be disastrous for manny villar. as of yesterday, just a few months away from election, the senate is painting villar as corrupt, having manipulated the C-5 road extension project for his company’s gain.

corruption is huge issue in this election. it is one of the legacies of president arroyo as she leaves office and one of the strengths of noynoy aquino that has brought him up to dominant leader in the surveys. aquino has taken a very strong anti-corruption stand. one of aquino’s ads very boldly declared – “Hindi ako magnanakaw.”

villar is doing very well in the polls. he has consistently come up as a strong second and more importantly a growing 2nd placer. it is our view that this election is for aquino to lose and for villar to win. we think at election time, this will be an election between aquino and villar.

with the stage set and the front runner boldly declaring his anti-corruption stance, this C-5 controversy is bound to hit villar down the stretch, the senate it appears will not let this pass. media has put this issues as its headline news. this will not go away easily and certainly not soon.

villar has not been attending the senate debates and hearings on the controversy. we thought it was a wise move. but now we are seeing it as a wise move then, but no longer as the senate is hell bent into giving a lot of time on it.

if  it has not done so, the villar campaign should put up a high powered crisis management team to make this go away.  we think villar’s options are very limited and whatever effort this crisis management team will do will not be able to remove all of the ill-effects. there will be ill-effects.

senator nene pimentel dives into a pool of shame and dishonor with “insertion” remark towards mar roxas, takes the senate with him

we watched with disgust what happened at the senate on the manny villar censure debate on the C-5 controversy. the senators – jamby madrigal, allan peter cayetano and nene pimentel turned the senate floor into a floor of shame and embarrassment when they exchanged trash talk unfit for sennators who were elected by the people. we feel the senate was tainted with shame and dishonor.

we take particular offense on senator pimentel’s bastos remark towards senator mar roxas. we thought pimentel was one of the more respectable senior senators among them. he had always something to say on national issues and often times they were of law and made a lot of sense. but we think this remark of senator pimentel had taken him to dive into a pool of shame and dishonor. 

The debate took a turn for the worse when Pimentel used the same word to comment on Sen. Mar Roxas’ defense that he, too, had no insertion in the national budget.

“After your marriage, you will have your insertions,” quipped Pimentel, a rather unsavory remark that drew Roxas’ ire.

“I demand that that be removed from the record!” shouted Roxas. “This is an affront to my wife.”

Roxas was recently married to broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez.

“Then remove it immediately,” retorted Pimentel.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100126-249466/Trash-talk-mars-august-chamber-debate

 

read PDI article here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100126-249466/Trash-talk-mars-august-chamber-debate

—-

latest update:

Pimentel apologizes; Roxas gets ice cream, cake

Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas’ remark that it was a pity some men turn vulgar when they grow old may have worked.

On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. asked for forgiveness for using “intemperate language” during heated Senate debates on Monday on a resolution seeking to censure Sen. Manuel Villar over alleged “double insertions” in the controversial C-5 road budget.

Pimentel had said Roxas would have his own “insertions” now that he was married.

“To those who I might have hurt in this chamber by the use of intemperate language or unseemly expressions, I apologize and beg their forgiveness from You through You, O Lord,” Pimentel said as he led the chamber in its opening prayer.

read in full here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100127-249673/Pimentel-apologizes-Roxas-gets-ice-cream-cake

manny villar’s “magtiwala – dolphy” tv ad

Joey Ayala, Cynthia Alexander back bid of Nicanor “Nick” Perlas

For his environmental advocacy, revered Filipino musicians Joey Ayala and Cynthia Alexander have lent their support to presidential aspirant Nicanor Perlas.

Ayala, a recipient of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ Fr. Neri Satur Award for Environmental Heroism, will even help compose the campaign song and participate in some of Perlas’ campaign sorties, a statement from Perlas’ camp said.

Ayala also allowed Perlas to use any of his more than 100 songs, which include the classic “Walang Hanggang Paalam.”

“Si Nick lamang ang nakakaintindi ng tunay na pakikipag-ugnay sa kalikasan at tunay na pagbabago (Nick is the only one who understands true interrelatedness with nature and genuine change),” Ayala said.

The critically-acclaimed Alexander, Ayala’s sister, as well as Tapati Tarangoy of Ayala’s band Bagong Lumad have also lent their support to Perlas.

View FULL ARTICLE here from GMANews.tv

comelec rules convicted criminal erap estrada can run for president

admittedly, erap estrada’s conviction in his plunder case has nothing to do with the ruling of the COMELEC to allow estrada to run again for president, but it is to us a very big sticking point.

the COMELEC in its decision only considered the constitutional prohibition on former presidents running for a 2nd term in office.

The Comelec’s second division ruled that Estrada was not covered by the constitutional provision barring an incumbent president from reelection because he was not a sitting president seeking a second term.

this whole thing leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. we find it more than strange that a person convicted of the crime of plunder is allowed and able to run for president. of course he was granted a presidential pardon by arroyo but that did not over-turn estrada’s conviction.

the other point that is hard for us to digest is that estrada is running a good 3rd in the national surveys of SWS and Pulse Asia, a good 15% of the ratings. as it stands now, he appears to be the dark horse in this election against the leaders aquino and villar. it as if 15% of the voters have forgotten the philippine court has rendered  judgement that money was plundered by estrada.

we think it is ironical that most filipinos bewail and complain about the country’s justice system while  it is so easy for us to forget the decisions the justice system has made. the justice system gave estrada what is due him, but the people, the 15% who chose estrada in the surveys did not.

Estrada gets Comelec nod: Watch my rating soar

By Philip Tubeza, Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:07:00 01/21/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Why just be a “kingmaker” when you can be the “king” yourself?

Fresh from getting the nod of a division of the Commission on Elections for him to take another shot at Malacañang, deposed President Joseph Estrada Wednesday said he would not withdraw from the presidential race.

Estrada said he would slug it out “to the end” because he wanted to be “king again.”

read in full here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100121-248533/I-want-to-be-king-again

gilbert teodoro’s “posible” tv ad to be pulled off the air to avoid copyright infringement issue with rico blanco

gilbert teodoro announced his tv ad “posible” which has the song composed by rico blanco and mired in controversy on copyright infringement will be pulled off the air.

this is a wise move. we have written previously that the campaign does not need this kind of controversy, it removes the focus of the campaign on more important things, like winning the election.  (read here: rico blanco vs. gilbert teodoro on copyright infringement – teodoro should pay up and revise his tv ad)

in our view, the teodoro campaign must have felt rico blanco have grounds and can very well file a copyright infringement lawsuit on him and on the campaign. they may win it ot lose it but it is not worth the time and effort.

we think someone screwed up big time on this error. the communication team of teodoro and it’s advertising agency should own up to the blunder. it would be just right if teodoro fired some of his staff and the ad agency for the putting the campaign in such a bad light.

they could actually revise the ad and put in a different music to this ad. the rico blanco song is not material to the ad. although we are not a fan of the (read: gilbert teodoro’s “posible” tv ad – a change of strategy to save his campaign), replacing the song in it will save the campaign some production money versus producing a brand new tv ad.

as some kind of coup, they could actually commission rico blanco to write a brand new song for the ad and that would sit very well for the audience, rico’s fans and rico himself. it twill be talked about and in a good way.

January 7, 2010

Meanwhile, Teodoro announced yesterday that he has already ordered the withdrawal of one of his television advertisements using the tune of “Posible” by Rico Blanco.

 “We have pulled it out so there would be no more legal debates. But they should not say we did not have the right” to use the song, he said.

Teodoro maintained that they obtained the rights from a certain Greg Garcia to use the song.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=541395&publicationSubCategoryId=65

 

manny villar is corrupt? 12 senators sign report for censure of villar on C-5 probe.

12 solons sign Senate report on C-5 probe

 By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 20:17:00 01/18/2010

MANILA, Philippines – Twelve senators have signed a committee report that recommended Senator Manny Villar’s censure for unethical behavior when he allegedly used his position to profit from the C-5 road extension project.

Those who signed the report are Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senators Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Mar Roxas, Rodolfo Biazon, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Juan Edgardo Angara, Richard Gordon, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Francis Escudero, and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.

Enrile is head of the Senate committee that investigated the C-5 road controversy while Madrigal was the complainant in the ethics complaint filed against Villar.

Estrada and Pangilinan were also among those who signed a resolution late last year seeking the dismissal of the case against Villar.

read in ful here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100118-248067/12-solons-sign-Senate-report-on-C-5-probe

what is “TRAPO”?

supporters of lesser known candidates like to use the word “trapo” to describe other candidates who are leading in the polls who ware favorites in this election.

they use the word like a derogatory word or a word that we should all be ashamed of once used on candidates we support.

i don’t actually get it. this invented bad word does not really mean anything other than a failed attempt to discredit the leading candidates. even among themselves, the supporters of lesser known candidates can’t seem to make up their minds as to exactly what it means. they have all types of definitions on what they mean and many don’t connect even with a mile long dotted line.

“trapo” is supposed to mean traditional politics. but it has taken a lot of meanings now.

let’s hear it from the readers how they understand the meaning of the word “trapo” is.

please post your comments.

we are posting here what we got in the internet, from here: http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/trapo/

Reproductive health bill: Facts, fallacies

we are printing in full this article that appeared at PDI.

Reproductive health bill: Facts, fallacies
By Rep. Edcel Lagman
Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE BILL IS NATIONAL IN SCOPE, COMPREHENSIVE, rights-based and provides adequate funding to the population program. It is a departure from the present setup in which the provision for reproductive health services is devolved to local government units, and consequently, subjected to the varying strategies of local government executives and suffers from a dearth of funding.

The reproductive health (RH) bill promotes information on and access to both natural and modern family planning methods, which are medically safe and legally permissible. It assures an enabling environment where women and couples have the freedom of informed choice on the mode of family planning they want to adopt based on their needs, personal convictions and religious beliefs.

The bill does not have any bias for or against either natural or modern family planning. Both modes are contraceptive methods. Their common purpose is to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

The bill will promote sustainable human development. The UN stated in 2002 that “family planning and reproductive health are essential to reducing poverty.” The Unicef also asserts that “family planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other single technology now available to the human race.”

Coverage of RH. (1) Information and access to natural and modern family planning (2) Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition (3) Promotion of breast feeding (4) Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications (5) Adolescent and youth health (6) Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and STDs (7) Elimination of violence against women (8)

Reproductive health bill: Facts, fallacies
Counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health (9) Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers (10) Male involvement and participation in RH; (11) Prevention and treatment of infertility and (12) RH education for the youth.

Strengthening of Popcom. The existing Population Commission shall be reoriented to promote both natural and modern family planning methods. It shall serve as the central planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring body for the comprehensive and integrated policy on reproductive health and population development.

Capability building of community-based volunteer workers. The workers shall undergo additional and updated training on the delivery of reproductive healthcare services and shall receive not less than 10-percent increase in honoraria upon successful completion of training.

Midwives for skilled birth attendance. Every city and municipality shall endeavor to employ an adequate number of midwives and other skilled attendants.

Emergency obstetrics care. Each province and city shall endeavor to ensure the establishment and operation of hospitals with adequate and qualified personnel that provide emergency obstetrics care.

Hospital-based family planning. Family planning methods requiring hospital services like ligation, vasectomy and IUD insertion shall be available in all national and local government hospitals.

Contraceptives as essential medicines. Reproductive health products shall be considered essential medicines and supplies and shall form part of the National Drug Formulary considering that family planning reduces the incidence of maternal and infant mortality.

Reproductive health education. RH education in an age-appropriate manner shall be taught by adequately trained teachers from Grade 5 to 4th year high school. As proposed in the bill, core subjects include responsible parenthood, natural and modern family planning, proscription and hazards of abortion, reproductive health and sexual rights, abstinence before marriage, and responsible sexuality.

Certificate of compliance. No marriage license shall be issued by the Local Civil Registrar unless the applicants present a Certificate of Compliance issued for free by the local Family Planning Office. The document should certify that they had duly received adequate instructions and information on family planning, responsible parenthood, breast feeding and infant nutrition.

Ideal family size. The State shall encourage two children as the ideal family size. This is neither mandatory nor compulsory and no punitive action may be imposed on couples having more than two children.

Employers’ responsibilities. Employers shall respect the reproductive health rights of all their workers. Women shall not be discriminated against in the matter of hiring, regularization of employment status or selection for retrenchment. Employers shall provide free reproductive health services and commodities to workers, whether unionized or unorganized.

Multimedia campaign. Popcom shall initiate and sustain an intensified nationwide multimedia campaign to raise the level of public awareness on the urgent need to protect and promote reproductive health and rights.

* * *

Smear offensive

Rep. Edcel C. Lagman

THERE IS A CONTINUING campaign to discredit the reproductive health bill through misinformation. Straightforward answers to the negative propaganda will help educate and enlighten people on the measure.