vilma santos and ralph recto join noynoy-mar in LP – LAKAS-KAAMPI-CMD deteriorates further

when governor vilma santos and ex-senator ralph recto announced they will join the aquino-roxas team at the LP, the result was this – it’s not a pretty sight. that is for the LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD, the ruling/admin party of president gloria macapagal arroyo and the gilbert teodoro-edu manzano tandem.

governor vilma santos was the first and overwhelming choice of most of the admin/ruling party members one day the executive committee of the party they had chosen gilbert teodoro as standard bearer and ronaldo puno, DILG chief as its vice-presidential candidate.

the reaction or dissatisfaction the choice of ronaldo puno as VP candidate was almost immediate and universal. party members had the same reaction to teodoro but it was more restrained and came about a few more days after.

the ruling/admin party knew just teodoro alone will not put them to glory. in fact they instinctively knew they were done for, thus the clamor for santos. santos is still a popular actress, very much respected as one by her peers and by the public. not only that and this is probably her greatest asset – she has done very well as governor of batangas.

wanting santos to join teodoro was the miracle solution the party members were looking for. almost immediately santos made it known that she was not interested. days after the clamor started, vilma was non-committal. she said nobody has talked to her about it. this was very different from puno who before the announcement of his selection as VP was very clear in his desire to run for VP.

not only did santos refuse the ruling/admin party, she will now join aquino and roxas at the NP. that amounts to adding salt into an open wound. look at LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD now and it is not a pretty sight.

 its not only santos who will bolt the ruling/admin party, but her husband, ex-senator ralph recto too. recto bolting arroyo’s ruling/admin party is significant in itself as recto recently resigned as part of arroyo’s cabinet on the NEDA portfolio. this is very close to an arroyo team member defecting to the other side.

news reports have been coming out on the topic of a mass exodus of party members from the ruling/admin party LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD. recto and santos’ exodus from the ruling/admin party is the latest major proof of that conclusion.

Vilma, Ralph join Noy-Mar team, boost LP star power 
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:37:00 11/17/2009

MANILA, Philippines—The Noynoy and Mar show on Monday got an added dose of celebrity glitz with ex-Sen. Ralph Recto and his wife Vilma Santos joining the Liberal Party (LP).

Making the jump from the administration coalition, under whose banner the couple ran in the 2007 elections, isn’t because the popular actress and Batangas governor will star in an upcoming blockbuster celebrating the life of the late President Corazon Aquino.

“For next year’s presidential election, we want a political party that can promise an administration that is competent and truthful—one that can offer solutions to our nation’s problems,” Santos told the Inquirer Monday.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091117-236694/Vilma-Ralph-join-Noy-Mar-team-boost-LP-star-power

the loren legarda saga that irritates and the pain of being ronnie puno

there are two (2)  things that strike us in this news report on loren legarda:

• the melodramatic saga of legarda’s political life goes on. gasp! this really reads like a badly written telenovela not even the koreans and taiwanese  can write.
• legarda says it is “agonizing” – ah alas she knows the torture she has been making us go through on her indeciveness. at least she knows it.
• she also knows the symptoms of her ADS? Sindrome – she says she will announce her plans withing 10 days, barring any severe weather disturbance. let us all pray no super typhoon comes our way and no new global financial crisis hits us, please! please! (good news is wall street just hit a new milestone and the US is officially out of the recession.)

here is the second thing that struck us, actually like a lightning bolt!

• gilbert teodoro, yes GILBERT TEODORO, is pursuing her as VP??!! WTF?!
• i thought LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD has chosen ronnie puno??? what has happened to that?
  

  The Gilbert Teodoro-Loren Legarda Tandem

• this is not the first time we have heard that some people in the ruling/admin party is trying to get puno replaced as VP. very early on, members and top officials of the party floated governor vilma santos, and now loren legarda.
• what is wrong with puno? why is everyone trying to replace him?

come on now, let’s cut the BS on this melodrama. loren legarda will be VP partner of chiz escudero. that is pretty obvious to me. legarda is just milking this whole thing trying to get as much mileage from it.

what she does not realize is that, this drama makes her look very indecisive and wishy-washy, unfit for higher office. it is not endearing at all, it is irritating. she is not gaining any goodwill or political brownie points, all she is doing is playing up to the stereo type of women not being able to make up their minds.

Loren: Suitors down to Chiz, Manny, Gibo
By Michael Lim Ubac
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:07:00 10/16/2009

MANILA, Philippines — Two down, three still on her list.

Sen. Loren Legarda Thursday admitted that the list of presidential aspirants who were wooing her to be their No. 2 in the May 2010 polls had been shortened.

Legarda reiterated to reporters that “at least five” presidential hopefuls had asked her to be their running mate. “But entertaining them is another issue,” she said without naming names.

Later, however, Legarda told the Inquirer that the hopefuls still on her list were Senators Francis Escudero and Manuel Villar and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr.

opposition presidentiables vow no cheating, admin presidentiables fail to vow anything

this is rare in philippine politics, even among the opposition. its a good photo op.  interestingly, key admin presidentiables teodoro, de castro and vice presidentiable puno were not in the group. the only admin presidentiable who was present was bayani fernando while mike velarde from the opposition was also not there.

does that mean those who did not attend plan to cheat in the 2010 elections? hello, garci you there? again?

No cheating in 2010, poll aspirants vow 
By Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:06:00 08/31/2009

MANILA, Philippines—Burying their political rivalries for a moment, 13 prospective candidates for president and vice president Sunday walked arm in arm in Taguig City for clean and honest elections next year.

The aspirants—who included survey front-runners Sen. Manuel Villar, former President Joseph Estrada, and Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, and Loren Legarda—also signed sworn statements, duly notarized, declaring that they would not cheat in the elections and would observe the rule of law if elected.

—

The event was also attended by Senators Francis Pangilinan, Richard Gordon, Jamby Madrigal, Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, evangelist Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” Villanueva, environmentalist Nicanor “Nikki” Perlas, and Olongapo Councilor Carlos “JC” delos Reyes of the lay Catholic political group Ang Kapatiran.

Other aspirants who were supposed to attend but did not make it to the event were Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro and Interior Secretary Ronnie Puno. They were reportedly sick. Vice President Noli de Castro was not around, either.

read in full here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090831-222802/No-cheating-in-2010-poll-aspirants-vow