Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar, Jr. cast his vote in Las Piñas at around 10:50 on Monday.
The NP presidential bet was voter No. 188 in precinct No. 222.
Villar was joined by his wife, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar.
His 86-year-old mother, Curita “Nanay Curing” Villar, voted ahead of him at around 10 a.m. (Click here for Nanay Curing's appeal to voters).
Meanwhile, his running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda, walked from her ancestral home in Malabon to the Potrero Elementary School where she voted.
She even accused a certain vice-presidential candidate of infiltrating the Compact Flash cards of some precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines in some cities.
She said her source is from the information technology (IT) industry who knows the workings of poll machine supplier Smartmatic-TIM.
One of her rivals, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, also voted on Monday morning at the San Antonio National High School in Makati at around 9 a.m.
Binay, who was joined by some family members, advised voters to bring guides to make voting easier.
Meantime, another presidential candidate, Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon, voted at the East Tapinac Elementary School in Olongapo past 10 a.m.
His nephew and presidential rival, JC delos Reyes, voted at the Nellie E. Brown Elementary School in Bajac Bajac, Olongapo past 8:30 a.m.
Showing posts with label Manny Villar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manny Villar. Show all posts
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Villar denies knowing about mom’s press conference
Hours after his 86-year-old mother made a tearful public appeal, embattled presidential bet Manuel Villar said he had no idea his family had decided to face the media in his defense.
“'Di ko nga alam na in-interview ang mother ko eh. Ininterview ba ang mother ko? (I didn't know that my mother was interviewed. Was she interviewed?)” Villar asked reporters on the sidelines of a presidential forum Monday night.
Wheelchair-bound Curita Villar faced the media in her Las Piñas City home on Monday morning with daughters Lourdes, Cecille, Gloria V. Benedicto and Vicky V. Divinagracia by her side.
Recalling her struggle as a fish vendor at the Divisoria market in Manila, she said her eldest son helped the family get through hard times.
The Nacionalista Party standard-bearer, however, said he knew that his mother was hurt by recent reports that have been coming out against him.
Villar did not specify but the camp of his presidential rival, deposed President Joseph Estrada, last week came out with charges that the senator had earned an undeclared P26 billion by manipulating the stock exchange.
The senator has been struggling to belie charges that he had used his position in the Senate to divert the planned extension of C-5 Road to his property to make money. Doubts also surround his claim that he grew up in poverty in Moriones, Tondo and overcame through hard work, the thrust of his campaign.
“I've been getting too much negative news lately. It's like everything I say is always wrong, but everything I read is wrong. That's not me. How they describe me in the papers and television, that's not me,” Villar said.
He spoke to reporters just before taking the stage of a presidential forum at the Araneta Coliseum Monday night.
The demands of a nationwide campaign have been keeping him away from his mother but Villar said he knew that his mother has long been taking offense at attacks against him.
“Lately I haven't visited her because I'm very busy in the campaign. But I visit her often and I know that she feels very bad about what's happening,” he said.
“She can't see but she listens to the radio and hears TV reports. And she knows that [reports against me] are just lies,” Villar said.
Asked if his sisters spoke about plans to go public, Villar said: “No. But maybe they just can't take it anymore. We've been talking about it (accusations against him) for a long time.”
The senator also said he felt bad that the media has been giving him unfair treatment.
“Masama rin ang loob ko sa ibang kaibigan natin sa media. I see that what's been happening is not right anymore. I've been working all my life. I've been working since I was seven years old. It's not right that everything I do is wrong or that they will criticize me for everything I do,” Villar said.
While hounded by such issues, Villar said he would focus on the remaining days of the campaign and on keeping watch of the voting process and vote count come May 10.
Senators Richard Gordon and Jamby Madrigal meanwhile said Villar should not use his mother in his campaign.
“You know, I don't use my mother and father in my campaign,” said Gordon.
Madrigal said Villar should “not be such a coward.”
“Don't hide under the skirt of wife (Rep. Cynthia Villar) and now your mother. If you want to run for president, learn to defend yourself. That's the thing about Villar. He can't defend himself, he even uses his mother,” said the staunch Villar critic.
“'Di ko nga alam na in-interview ang mother ko eh. Ininterview ba ang mother ko? (I didn't know that my mother was interviewed. Was she interviewed?)” Villar asked reporters on the sidelines of a presidential forum Monday night.
Wheelchair-bound Curita Villar faced the media in her Las Piñas City home on Monday morning with daughters Lourdes, Cecille, Gloria V. Benedicto and Vicky V. Divinagracia by her side.
Recalling her struggle as a fish vendor at the Divisoria market in Manila, she said her eldest son helped the family get through hard times.
The Nacionalista Party standard-bearer, however, said he knew that his mother was hurt by recent reports that have been coming out against him.
Villar did not specify but the camp of his presidential rival, deposed President Joseph Estrada, last week came out with charges that the senator had earned an undeclared P26 billion by manipulating the stock exchange.
The senator has been struggling to belie charges that he had used his position in the Senate to divert the planned extension of C-5 Road to his property to make money. Doubts also surround his claim that he grew up in poverty in Moriones, Tondo and overcame through hard work, the thrust of his campaign.
“I've been getting too much negative news lately. It's like everything I say is always wrong, but everything I read is wrong. That's not me. How they describe me in the papers and television, that's not me,” Villar said.
He spoke to reporters just before taking the stage of a presidential forum at the Araneta Coliseum Monday night.
The demands of a nationwide campaign have been keeping him away from his mother but Villar said he knew that his mother has long been taking offense at attacks against him.
“Lately I haven't visited her because I'm very busy in the campaign. But I visit her often and I know that she feels very bad about what's happening,” he said.
“She can't see but she listens to the radio and hears TV reports. And she knows that [reports against me] are just lies,” Villar said.
Asked if his sisters spoke about plans to go public, Villar said: “No. But maybe they just can't take it anymore. We've been talking about it (accusations against him) for a long time.”
The senator also said he felt bad that the media has been giving him unfair treatment.
“Masama rin ang loob ko sa ibang kaibigan natin sa media. I see that what's been happening is not right anymore. I've been working all my life. I've been working since I was seven years old. It's not right that everything I do is wrong or that they will criticize me for everything I do,” Villar said.
While hounded by such issues, Villar said he would focus on the remaining days of the campaign and on keeping watch of the voting process and vote count come May 10.
Senators Richard Gordon and Jamby Madrigal meanwhile said Villar should not use his mother in his campaign.
“You know, I don't use my mother and father in my campaign,” said Gordon.
Madrigal said Villar should “not be such a coward.”
“Don't hide under the skirt of wife (Rep. Cynthia Villar) and now your mother. If you want to run for president, learn to defend yourself. That's the thing about Villar. He can't defend himself, he even uses his mother,” said the staunch Villar critic.
Villar woos Zamboanga City voters
Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manuel Villar arrived here on Tuesday to campaign.
It was Villar's first time to woo the votes of residents here since the official campaign period began on February 9.
Supporters holding a big white banner with orange words printed on it: "3M, Mindanao Movement for Manny" waited outside the airport.
From the airport, Villar held a motorcade before attending a press conference at the Garden Orchid hotel.
The highlight of Villar's visit here would be a concert rally to be held at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex Grandstand in the evening.
A number of celebrities like Ara Mina, John Estrada, Randy Santiago and Joy Viado were spotted by reporters at the airport. They arrived ahead of the senator.
The celebrities will also grace the concert.
Some NP senatorial bets like Liza Maza and Susan Ople also joined Villar in the campaign in this southern Philippine city.
It was Villar's first time to woo the votes of residents here since the official campaign period began on February 9.
Supporters holding a big white banner with orange words printed on it: "3M, Mindanao Movement for Manny" waited outside the airport.
From the airport, Villar held a motorcade before attending a press conference at the Garden Orchid hotel.
The highlight of Villar's visit here would be a concert rally to be held at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex Grandstand in the evening.
A number of celebrities like Ara Mina, John Estrada, Randy Santiago and Joy Viado were spotted by reporters at the airport. They arrived ahead of the senator.
The celebrities will also grace the concert.
Some NP senatorial bets like Liza Maza and Susan Ople also joined Villar in the campaign in this southern Philippine city.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Villar takes tougher stance vs Arroyo
Nacionalista Party (NP) presidential candidate Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. has taken a stronger stance against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Villar told ABS-CBN News Channel’s (ANC) Headstart that he will prosecute all corrupt government officials, including President Arroyo.
“Yes. Lahat ng naging corrupt dapat habulin (Yes. We should go after all corrupt officials),” the NP standard-bearer said when asked by Headstart’s host Karen Davila if he will prosecute Mrs. Arroyo for her alleged corrupt activities.
During an ANC presidential forum last January, Villar had a softer stand against Mrs. Arroyo.
He said he would not lift a finger to influence possible cases that may be filed against President Arroyo after her term ends in June.
On Friday, Villar also gave Mrs. Arroyo a failing grade when asked to rate her overall performance for the last 9 years.
He said Mrs. Arroyo deserves a failing grade of 4 for bringing too many problems during her term.
“Sa akin statistically, hindi rin maganda ang performance natin sa economy… if you compare her performance to other leaders,” Villar said.
He also said that Mrs. Arroyo was never a good leader.
“I disagree that she had experience. I disagree that she had a leadership position. I disagree that she was able to show that she can manage anything successfully,” Villar added.
The senator also denied that he has not openly criticized Mrs. Arroyo for her alleged involvement in several corruption controversies.
He said he has made “maybe a hundred times” of criticisms against her during media interviews.
He also reiterated that during his stint as Senate president, he led the NP in investigating several controversies involving the Arroyos, including the “Hello, Garci” scandal, NBN-ZTE scandal and jueteng.
Villar added that it was Aquino who had taken a softer stand. He said Aquino was among those who voted against the playing of the so-called "Hello, Garci" tapes when he was still in the House of Representatives.
Noynoy has GMA’s economic team
Villar has admitted that the LP’s "Villaroyo" tag on him has hurt his ratings in recent presidential surveys.
He said that if voters would really study the party defections and political affiliations of all the presidential candidates, except for Gilbert Teodoro, LP standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III would stand out as the one who has close ties with the Arroyo administration.
“Marami siyang kamag-anak na kasama ni GMA. Marami silang hininging favor na hiningi kay GMA (He has many relatives connected to GMA. They asked so many favors from GMA),” Villar said, referring to Aquino, his relatives and members of the Liberal Party, which was formerly a member of the administration’s rainbow coalition.
He added that with Albay Gov. Joey Salceda’s defection to the LP, Aquino now has President Arroyo’s former economic team.
Villar said members of the Arroyo economic team in Aquino camp are former Arroyo trade secretaries Mar Roxas and Johnny Santos, former finance secretary Cesar Purisima, and former Socio-economic Planning secretary Ralph Recto.
“Ibobo mo lang si Noynoy, babalik na si GMA (You just have to vote for Noynoy to bring back GMA),” he added.
Spending own money for country’s future
Villar also urged his critics to also ask Aquino to divulge his campaign distributors, whom he said are most likely businessmen.
He said that he is certain these businessmen-contributors would take back their money by asking favors from Aquino if he wins the May 10 presidential election.
As for himself, Villar said he is investing his own money for the presidency.
He and his wife have set aside billions of pesos for charity, which he has been spending on scholarships, on overseas Filipino workers and on livelihood for poor Filipinos.
Villar said the money came from his company Vista Land’s IPO (initial public offering) earnings, which amounted to about P23 billion, P8 billion of which went to his family.
He said that from the P8 billion, he gave his children their own money, paid his debts and the rest have been set aside for charity.
Villar assured that he will not use the presidency to take back all the money that he has been spending for his campaign.
He said that he saw the presidency as a “chance to turn the economy around.”
“If I can stop poverty, reduce it significantly, I will be helping millions. Mas malayo ang mamaring ng pera na ito kaysa iyong parang ipamimigay mo lang na mahirap pa rin sila,” he said.
Villar told ABS-CBN News Channel’s (ANC) Headstart that he will prosecute all corrupt government officials, including President Arroyo.
“Yes. Lahat ng naging corrupt dapat habulin (Yes. We should go after all corrupt officials),” the NP standard-bearer said when asked by Headstart’s host Karen Davila if he will prosecute Mrs. Arroyo for her alleged corrupt activities.
During an ANC presidential forum last January, Villar had a softer stand against Mrs. Arroyo.
He said he would not lift a finger to influence possible cases that may be filed against President Arroyo after her term ends in June.
On Friday, Villar also gave Mrs. Arroyo a failing grade when asked to rate her overall performance for the last 9 years.
He said Mrs. Arroyo deserves a failing grade of 4 for bringing too many problems during her term.
“Sa akin statistically, hindi rin maganda ang performance natin sa economy… if you compare her performance to other leaders,” Villar said.
He also said that Mrs. Arroyo was never a good leader.
“I disagree that she had experience. I disagree that she had a leadership position. I disagree that she was able to show that she can manage anything successfully,” Villar added.
The senator also denied that he has not openly criticized Mrs. Arroyo for her alleged involvement in several corruption controversies.
He said he has made “maybe a hundred times” of criticisms against her during media interviews.
He also reiterated that during his stint as Senate president, he led the NP in investigating several controversies involving the Arroyos, including the “Hello, Garci” scandal, NBN-ZTE scandal and jueteng.
Villar added that it was Aquino who had taken a softer stand. He said Aquino was among those who voted against the playing of the so-called "Hello, Garci" tapes when he was still in the House of Representatives.
Noynoy has GMA’s economic team
Villar has admitted that the LP’s "Villaroyo" tag on him has hurt his ratings in recent presidential surveys.
He said that if voters would really study the party defections and political affiliations of all the presidential candidates, except for Gilbert Teodoro, LP standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III would stand out as the one who has close ties with the Arroyo administration.
“Marami siyang kamag-anak na kasama ni GMA. Marami silang hininging favor na hiningi kay GMA (He has many relatives connected to GMA. They asked so many favors from GMA),” Villar said, referring to Aquino, his relatives and members of the Liberal Party, which was formerly a member of the administration’s rainbow coalition.
He added that with Albay Gov. Joey Salceda’s defection to the LP, Aquino now has President Arroyo’s former economic team.
Villar said members of the Arroyo economic team in Aquino camp are former Arroyo trade secretaries Mar Roxas and Johnny Santos, former finance secretary Cesar Purisima, and former Socio-economic Planning secretary Ralph Recto.
“Ibobo mo lang si Noynoy, babalik na si GMA (You just have to vote for Noynoy to bring back GMA),” he added.
Spending own money for country’s future
Villar also urged his critics to also ask Aquino to divulge his campaign distributors, whom he said are most likely businessmen.
He said that he is certain these businessmen-contributors would take back their money by asking favors from Aquino if he wins the May 10 presidential election.
As for himself, Villar said he is investing his own money for the presidency.
He and his wife have set aside billions of pesos for charity, which he has been spending on scholarships, on overseas Filipino workers and on livelihood for poor Filipinos.
Villar said the money came from his company Vista Land’s IPO (initial public offering) earnings, which amounted to about P23 billion, P8 billion of which went to his family.
He said that from the P8 billion, he gave his children their own money, paid his debts and the rest have been set aside for charity.
Villar assured that he will not use the presidency to take back all the money that he has been spending for his campaign.
He said that he saw the presidency as a “chance to turn the economy around.”
“If I can stop poverty, reduce it significantly, I will be helping millions. Mas malayo ang mamaring ng pera na ito kaysa iyong parang ipamimigay mo lang na mahirap pa rin sila,” he said.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Manny Villar "Scroll" TV ad, copied from "Truth (Upside Down)" political ad of Argentinian candidate Lopez Murphy in 2006.
The ad agency of Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar on Wednesday defended its "Scroll" TV ad, which has been widely compared to the "Truth (Upside Down)" political ad of Argentinian candidate Lopez Murphy in 2006.
In a statement, TBWA\Philippines admitted that it adapted the Villar ad from the Argentinian politician's ad. The agency said it belongs to a worldwide network of ad agencies and that many of its ideas for ads have been adapted in several countries. Among its ideas are ads for adidas, Pedigree, Absolut, Apple and Nivea.
"The fact is, many ideas of the local agency have been adapted in many countries in our network, the most recent of which is the work it had done for Absolut vodka. That's how powerful ideas become even more powerful," the agency said.
It added: "While the ad format was adapted from The Truth ad by TBWA\Argentina, the message is genuinely Manny Villar's. And it hopes to inspire a country deeply steeped in hopelessness, negativity and cynicism."
The agency said that while the local adaptation of the Murphy ad has generated positive feedback, other sectors have used the ad to attack the Villar campaign.
"From the outset, the adapted format was made known to our Client. The agency did not conceal the truth. That's the truth. And nothing but the truth," it said.
In both ads, a voice starts talking about the problems besetting the country and how the president cannot solve these problems. While the voice is speaking, the lines of dialogue appear on the screen one by one in descending order. The ad then takes a shift in tone as the candidate reads the lines from the bottom going up, indicating that the candidate sees things from a different perspective.
In an interview, NP senatorial bet Gilbert Remulla said he did not know if the new TV ad was intentionally copied from the Murphy ad.
"What we know is that it tested very well. For us, the message is more important. We can't be accused of plagiarizing anything because the execution is different," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.
Below are the two TV ads as posted on YouTube:
In a statement, TBWA\Philippines admitted that it adapted the Villar ad from the Argentinian politician's ad. The agency said it belongs to a worldwide network of ad agencies and that many of its ideas for ads have been adapted in several countries. Among its ideas are ads for adidas, Pedigree, Absolut, Apple and Nivea.
"The fact is, many ideas of the local agency have been adapted in many countries in our network, the most recent of which is the work it had done for Absolut vodka. That's how powerful ideas become even more powerful," the agency said.
It added: "While the ad format was adapted from The Truth ad by TBWA\Argentina, the message is genuinely Manny Villar's. And it hopes to inspire a country deeply steeped in hopelessness, negativity and cynicism."
The agency said that while the local adaptation of the Murphy ad has generated positive feedback, other sectors have used the ad to attack the Villar campaign.
"From the outset, the adapted format was made known to our Client. The agency did not conceal the truth. That's the truth. And nothing but the truth," it said.
In both ads, a voice starts talking about the problems besetting the country and how the president cannot solve these problems. While the voice is speaking, the lines of dialogue appear on the screen one by one in descending order. The ad then takes a shift in tone as the candidate reads the lines from the bottom going up, indicating that the candidate sees things from a different perspective.
In an interview, NP senatorial bet Gilbert Remulla said he did not know if the new TV ad was intentionally copied from the Murphy ad.
"What we know is that it tested very well. For us, the message is more important. We can't be accused of plagiarizing anything because the execution is different," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.
Below are the two TV ads as posted on YouTube:
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Villar unfazed by 'Kris factor' in Noynoy campaign
The camp of Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar Jr. on Thursday downplayed news that TV host Kris Aquino is actively campaigning for her brother, Liberal Party presidential bet Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, in LP sorties.
Villar's wife, Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia Villar, said Kris's presence in Aquino's campaign sorties will be an asset for the LP bet, whose lead in presidential surveys has been dipping.
She said that their camp can counter Kris's fame with their own assets.
"Every campaign has its assets and liabilities. I think she will be an asset, and we have many assets also. So it's fair," Mrs. Villar told Headstart's host Karen Davila.
The ABS-CBN talk show host joined her brother's campaign sorties in Zamboanga City for the first time after recent presidential surveys showed Aquino potentially losing votes.
"It would be hypocritical not to admit that we are worried but we're confident that we will be able to regain the big lead," Kris told reporters at the Zamboanga airport.
Kris said she took time off from a TV show after her sister, Pinky, asked her to join the Zamboanga City sortie to satisfy the persistent demand of the city's supporters for her presence.
Kris said she is scheduled to fly to Davao and Iloilo to join her brother's campaign rallies.
"If you will overwhelmingly vote for Noy, definitely I will return with Baby James. I will return with Noy and we'll meet again," she said before leaving the airport.
Villar ads
Mrs. Villar, meanwhile, denied that her family had spent close to a billion pesos for TV ads during the pre-campaign period. A Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report earlier said Villar spent about P475.4 million on ads from November 2009 to January 2010.
"Sometimes it's registered, but it's not the price you [really] pay. There are discounts to that," she told ANC.
Asked if Villar has already reached the P1.2 billion mark in campaign spendings, the congresswoman flatly said "No."
Mrs. Villar said that she was "very surprised" that her husband was able to cut Aquino's double-digit lead in presidential surveys.
She said her husband's infomercials allowed him to present his platform and accomplishments. Villar is running on an anti-poverty agenda in his campaign for the presidency.
“He has an affinity to the poor, which is very important because our country is composed of 92% poor. A president should understand what it is to be poor and how to get out of poverty so he can help these people get out of poverty,” she said.
Won't abuse power
If Villar is elected president, she said her husband will not cling to power and will not take advantage of his position.
She said she and her husband have a long-standing agreement that if ever they are elected to a position, they will not take advantage of its perks.
“We have talked about it that when we get a position, we will not take advantage of the perks so that when we lose the position, all of them are temporary, we will not miss anything,” Mrs. Villar said.
She said Villar has been able to abide by the agreement despite being elected to the positions of House Speaker and Senate President.
“He doesn't love power. He can manage power. You will see that during his time as a Speaker and a Senate President, he did not exercise the power and privileges he is entitled to,” she said.
Villar's wife, Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia Villar, said Kris's presence in Aquino's campaign sorties will be an asset for the LP bet, whose lead in presidential surveys has been dipping.
She said that their camp can counter Kris's fame with their own assets.
"Every campaign has its assets and liabilities. I think she will be an asset, and we have many assets also. So it's fair," Mrs. Villar told Headstart's host Karen Davila.
The ABS-CBN talk show host joined her brother's campaign sorties in Zamboanga City for the first time after recent presidential surveys showed Aquino potentially losing votes.
"It would be hypocritical not to admit that we are worried but we're confident that we will be able to regain the big lead," Kris told reporters at the Zamboanga airport.
Kris said she took time off from a TV show after her sister, Pinky, asked her to join the Zamboanga City sortie to satisfy the persistent demand of the city's supporters for her presence.
Kris said she is scheduled to fly to Davao and Iloilo to join her brother's campaign rallies.
"If you will overwhelmingly vote for Noy, definitely I will return with Baby James. I will return with Noy and we'll meet again," she said before leaving the airport.
Villar ads
Mrs. Villar, meanwhile, denied that her family had spent close to a billion pesos for TV ads during the pre-campaign period. A Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report earlier said Villar spent about P475.4 million on ads from November 2009 to January 2010.
"Sometimes it's registered, but it's not the price you [really] pay. There are discounts to that," she told ANC.
Asked if Villar has already reached the P1.2 billion mark in campaign spendings, the congresswoman flatly said "No."
Mrs. Villar said that she was "very surprised" that her husband was able to cut Aquino's double-digit lead in presidential surveys.
She said her husband's infomercials allowed him to present his platform and accomplishments. Villar is running on an anti-poverty agenda in his campaign for the presidency.
“He has an affinity to the poor, which is very important because our country is composed of 92% poor. A president should understand what it is to be poor and how to get out of poverty so he can help these people get out of poverty,” she said.
Won't abuse power
If Villar is elected president, she said her husband will not cling to power and will not take advantage of his position.
She said she and her husband have a long-standing agreement that if ever they are elected to a position, they will not take advantage of its perks.
“We have talked about it that when we get a position, we will not take advantage of the perks so that when we lose the position, all of them are temporary, we will not miss anything,” Mrs. Villar said.
She said Villar has been able to abide by the agreement despite being elected to the positions of House Speaker and Senate President.
“He doesn't love power. He can manage power. You will see that during his time as a Speaker and a Senate President, he did not exercise the power and privileges he is entitled to,” she said.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Villar has 11 times more ads than GMA in pre-election year
The country has seen in 3 elections how political advertisements can elect senators. But its power in a presidential race is yet to be seen. The candidacy of Manuel Villar Jr. of the Nacionalista Party (NP) is the test case.
Based on rate cards, Villar spent a total of P1.4 billion in television, radio, and print ads from January to December 2009, the pre-election year. This is based on data from media monitoring group AGB Nielsen Media Research.
Survey frontrunner Benigno Aquino III, who joined the race only in September 2009, spent P143 million from October to December.
According to the Fair Elections Act, media organizations should give candidates a 30% discount. But Villar’s camp claimed that they got a 66% discount because they bought the spots early. At this rate, it means that Villar spent P488 million for airing and publishing his advertisements the whole year last year. This amount does not include the cost of producing the ads.
Notwithstanding the actual cost of the ads, Newsbreak calculations show that, in terms of number, Villar had at least 11 times more ads last year than President Arroyo had the year before she ran for president (to get her own mandate; she was only serving the unexpired term of President Joseph Estrada, who was ousted in 2001).
President Arroyo’s ads from January to December 2003 cost a total of P63 million, based on the monitoring of AC Nielsen Media Research. (AC Nielsen has since merged with AGB.)
The advertising costs have doubled in the past 6 years. At today’s rates, President Arroyo’s ads would cost about P126 million. We used this amount in our calculation.
This computation is conservative. We used the rates for TV ads to adjust President Arroyo’s spending. In 2003, a 30-seconder ad on ABS-CBN during prime time cost P218,213. Last year, the cost of the same spot practically doubled to P432,879.
(Download chart: Advertisement Spending of Villar, Arroyo in Pre-Election Years)
We used TV ad rates because TV corners the biggest chunk of candidates’ ad spending. It is also the most expensive medium. In terms of total number of ads on TV, radio, and print, Villar may have more than 11 times President Arroyo had in 2003 because the same amount spent for TV can buy more spots in radio and print.
Newsbreak obtained the 2009 data from 2 advertising agencies that regularly receive reports from the AGB Nielsen. For veracity, we checked that the numbers from the 2 sources are identical. (AGB Nielsen has given another media organization an exclusive rights to its data this election.)
We compared the numbers with our file data on ad spending for the 2004 presidential elections.
Gov’t vs personal money
The political ad ban was lifted in January 2001. President Arroyo belonged to the first batch of presidential candidates who were allowed to use political advertisements as campaign tool.
But the 2004 election was not a good testing ground for the power of the political ads in a presidential race. President Arroyo’s victory—albeit disputed—in 2004 could not be attributed to her ads.
An incumbent president seeking to extend her term, President Arroyo enjoyed unmatched advantage over her rivals. As president, her activities were always covered in the news, giving her constant media exposure.
By current standards, President Arroyo’s media spending of P63 million is a drop in the bucket. But at that time when most people were still unfamiliar with the new campaign tool, President Arroyo’s ad spending was already controversial for being excessive.
President Arroyo’s ads in the pre-election year were even more questionable because government funds were used to pay for them. Various government agencies and corporations—Department of Agriculture, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Department of Transportation and Communications, Office of the Press Secretary, and Pag-Ibig Fund—came out with “institutional ads” showcasing President Arroyo’s supposed achievements.
A Commission on Audit shows that the national government spent a total of P278.4 million in advertisements in 2003.
For his part, Villar, who says he is spending his own money for the ads, is equally criticized for his huge spending. Critics fear that he will ecoup his spending if he gets elected, a charge denied by the candidate.
It is in an advertisement that Villar defends himself against allegations that he will seek to enrich himself. “Kung talagang gusto ko yumaman, babalik na lang ako sa pagka-negosyante (If I really want to get rich, then I’ll just go back to being a businessman),” he says in the ad.
A real estate and housing magnate, Villar has a conjugal fortune valued by Forbes business magazine at US$540 million, making him the 9th richest in the country this year.
In a presidential forum in February, Villar also said his ads were his tools to match the popularity of Aquino.
“Hindi naman ako artista. Wala akong nanay na presidente. Wala akong kapatid na artista. Kailangan ang mahirap ang pinagsimulan na gaya ko ay bigyan ng pagkakataon, ng level playing field. Kung hindi ito (pol ads), wala na (I’m not a movie star. I don’t have a president for my mother. I don’t have a sister who’s an actress. Those with poor beginnings should be given a chance, a level playing field. There’s no other way to do that but through ads),” Villar said.
Villar had been the survey frontrunner until Aquino joined the presidential race in September 2009. Aquino’s candidacy was accidental—pushed by his supporters as a “public clamor” resulting from the death of her mother, democracy icon President Corazon Aquino.
Pulse Asia chief research fellow Ana Tabunda, former dean of the University of the Philippines School of Statistics, said media’s tribute to President Aquino as an honest, loving, and motherly played a role in “conditioning” the minds of Filipino voters into favoring Aquino.
In the October 2009 Pulse Asia survey, Aquino got 44 points compared to Villar’s 19 points.
Benefits of SC ruling
Based on the increase of Villar’s survey ratings, it appears that the voters didn’t mind his spending. It was his massive ad spending that was credited for the improvement of Villar’s survey ratings, allowing him to catch up with Aquino.
The January 2010 Pulse Asia survey showed Aquino and Villar statistically tied at 36 points and 35 points, respectively. For Villar, it was a 16-point leap from the October survey. For Aquino, it was a 9-point slide. The numbers have since been erratic, but Aquino’s lead has since failed to break the single-digit mark.
Villar’s ads worked for voter JR Hidalgo, 19, a squid balls vendor in Quezon City. “Gusto ko ’yung si Manny dahil mayaman siya, kaya ginagastos niya ’yung pera niya sa commercial, hindi ’yung pera ng mga tao, di ba? Hindi ’yun corrupt! (I like Manny Villar because he is rich and spends his own money on ads and not other people's money. He is not corrupt),” Hidalgo said in an interview.
A November 2009 Supreme Court ruling nullifying the concept of premature campaigning was crucial in Villar’s timely rise before the start of the official campaign period.
The Supreme Court voided Section 80 o the Omnibus Election Code on premature campaigning. It said it cannot be applied for the May 2010 automated elections.
Without the last-minute ruling, Villar should have been forced to stop airing ads from Dec. 1, 2009, to February 9, 2010—the period between his filing of his certificate of candidacy and the start of the official campaign period.
In December 2009 alone, Villar spent P91 million, after a 66% discount on the rate-card amount of P267 million. His closest rival, Aquino, spent P24.94 million in ads.
(For the presidential elections in 2004, the deadline of filing of certificate of candidacies was on Dec. 31, 2003. Because of the poll automation in May, the Commission on Elections moved the deadline to December 1 to allow more time for the printing of ballots.)
The rest of the campaign period will show how far Villar’s ads can get him. It’s still a long way to go. Campaign period for the local elections has not even started.
Based on rate cards, Villar spent a total of P1.4 billion in television, radio, and print ads from January to December 2009, the pre-election year. This is based on data from media monitoring group AGB Nielsen Media Research.
Survey frontrunner Benigno Aquino III, who joined the race only in September 2009, spent P143 million from October to December.
According to the Fair Elections Act, media organizations should give candidates a 30% discount. But Villar’s camp claimed that they got a 66% discount because they bought the spots early. At this rate, it means that Villar spent P488 million for airing and publishing his advertisements the whole year last year. This amount does not include the cost of producing the ads.
Notwithstanding the actual cost of the ads, Newsbreak calculations show that, in terms of number, Villar had at least 11 times more ads last year than President Arroyo had the year before she ran for president (to get her own mandate; she was only serving the unexpired term of President Joseph Estrada, who was ousted in 2001).
President Arroyo’s ads from January to December 2003 cost a total of P63 million, based on the monitoring of AC Nielsen Media Research. (AC Nielsen has since merged with AGB.)
The advertising costs have doubled in the past 6 years. At today’s rates, President Arroyo’s ads would cost about P126 million. We used this amount in our calculation.
This computation is conservative. We used the rates for TV ads to adjust President Arroyo’s spending. In 2003, a 30-seconder ad on ABS-CBN during prime time cost P218,213. Last year, the cost of the same spot practically doubled to P432,879.
(Download chart: Advertisement Spending of Villar, Arroyo in Pre-Election Years)
We used TV ad rates because TV corners the biggest chunk of candidates’ ad spending. It is also the most expensive medium. In terms of total number of ads on TV, radio, and print, Villar may have more than 11 times President Arroyo had in 2003 because the same amount spent for TV can buy more spots in radio and print.
Newsbreak obtained the 2009 data from 2 advertising agencies that regularly receive reports from the AGB Nielsen. For veracity, we checked that the numbers from the 2 sources are identical. (AGB Nielsen has given another media organization an exclusive rights to its data this election.)
We compared the numbers with our file data on ad spending for the 2004 presidential elections.
Gov’t vs personal money
The political ad ban was lifted in January 2001. President Arroyo belonged to the first batch of presidential candidates who were allowed to use political advertisements as campaign tool.
But the 2004 election was not a good testing ground for the power of the political ads in a presidential race. President Arroyo’s victory—albeit disputed—in 2004 could not be attributed to her ads.
An incumbent president seeking to extend her term, President Arroyo enjoyed unmatched advantage over her rivals. As president, her activities were always covered in the news, giving her constant media exposure.
By current standards, President Arroyo’s media spending of P63 million is a drop in the bucket. But at that time when most people were still unfamiliar with the new campaign tool, President Arroyo’s ad spending was already controversial for being excessive.
President Arroyo’s ads in the pre-election year were even more questionable because government funds were used to pay for them. Various government agencies and corporations—Department of Agriculture, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Department of Transportation and Communications, Office of the Press Secretary, and Pag-Ibig Fund—came out with “institutional ads” showcasing President Arroyo’s supposed achievements.
A Commission on Audit shows that the national government spent a total of P278.4 million in advertisements in 2003.
For his part, Villar, who says he is spending his own money for the ads, is equally criticized for his huge spending. Critics fear that he will ecoup his spending if he gets elected, a charge denied by the candidate.
It is in an advertisement that Villar defends himself against allegations that he will seek to enrich himself. “Kung talagang gusto ko yumaman, babalik na lang ako sa pagka-negosyante (If I really want to get rich, then I’ll just go back to being a businessman),” he says in the ad.
A real estate and housing magnate, Villar has a conjugal fortune valued by Forbes business magazine at US$540 million, making him the 9th richest in the country this year.
In a presidential forum in February, Villar also said his ads were his tools to match the popularity of Aquino.
“Hindi naman ako artista. Wala akong nanay na presidente. Wala akong kapatid na artista. Kailangan ang mahirap ang pinagsimulan na gaya ko ay bigyan ng pagkakataon, ng level playing field. Kung hindi ito (pol ads), wala na (I’m not a movie star. I don’t have a president for my mother. I don’t have a sister who’s an actress. Those with poor beginnings should be given a chance, a level playing field. There’s no other way to do that but through ads),” Villar said.
Villar had been the survey frontrunner until Aquino joined the presidential race in September 2009. Aquino’s candidacy was accidental—pushed by his supporters as a “public clamor” resulting from the death of her mother, democracy icon President Corazon Aquino.
Pulse Asia chief research fellow Ana Tabunda, former dean of the University of the Philippines School of Statistics, said media’s tribute to President Aquino as an honest, loving, and motherly played a role in “conditioning” the minds of Filipino voters into favoring Aquino.
In the October 2009 Pulse Asia survey, Aquino got 44 points compared to Villar’s 19 points.
Benefits of SC ruling
Based on the increase of Villar’s survey ratings, it appears that the voters didn’t mind his spending. It was his massive ad spending that was credited for the improvement of Villar’s survey ratings, allowing him to catch up with Aquino.
The January 2010 Pulse Asia survey showed Aquino and Villar statistically tied at 36 points and 35 points, respectively. For Villar, it was a 16-point leap from the October survey. For Aquino, it was a 9-point slide. The numbers have since been erratic, but Aquino’s lead has since failed to break the single-digit mark.
Villar’s ads worked for voter JR Hidalgo, 19, a squid balls vendor in Quezon City. “Gusto ko ’yung si Manny dahil mayaman siya, kaya ginagastos niya ’yung pera niya sa commercial, hindi ’yung pera ng mga tao, di ba? Hindi ’yun corrupt! (I like Manny Villar because he is rich and spends his own money on ads and not other people's money. He is not corrupt),” Hidalgo said in an interview.
A November 2009 Supreme Court ruling nullifying the concept of premature campaigning was crucial in Villar’s timely rise before the start of the official campaign period.
The Supreme Court voided Section 80 o the Omnibus Election Code on premature campaigning. It said it cannot be applied for the May 2010 automated elections.
Without the last-minute ruling, Villar should have been forced to stop airing ads from Dec. 1, 2009, to February 9, 2010—the period between his filing of his certificate of candidacy and the start of the official campaign period.
In December 2009 alone, Villar spent P91 million, after a 66% discount on the rate-card amount of P267 million. His closest rival, Aquino, spent P24.94 million in ads.
(For the presidential elections in 2004, the deadline of filing of certificate of candidacies was on Dec. 31, 2003. Because of the poll automation in May, the Commission on Elections moved the deadline to December 1 to allow more time for the printing of ballots.)
The rest of the campaign period will show how far Villar’s ads can get him. It’s still a long way to go. Campaign period for the local elections has not even started.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Gordon says Villar tried to buy him out of race
Sen. Richard Gordon on Tuesday accused fellow presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Villar of attempting to bribe him to withdraw from the race.
In an interview on ANC's Top Story, Gordon said Villar sent an emissary recently and offered him a Cabinet position and reimbursement of his campaign expenses in exchange for backing out of the presidential race.
Elaborating on the incident, Gordon said the alleged bribe try happened last week of January at the height of the Senate Committee of the Whole's report recommending the censure of Villar for unethical conduct in connection with the C-5 road project.
He said the objective of the Villar camp was to convince him to side with them so that they would be able to oust Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile as Senate president and stop the Senate plenary deliberations on the ethics case.
Gordon said the emissary was a "former Cabinet official of yesteryears," and a "businessman, not a political operator." He said the emissary was "just trying to be a friend to his friend" and was just "delivering a message" for Villar.
He said the lunch meeting was held in his house, and he later told his daughter and wife about the alleged bribe try. "They were chagrined about it," he added.
"Quite frankly, I was [also] put off by it," Gordon said.
Gordon said he is convinced it was a bribe and "I am prepared to say it." He also said that he may reveal the emissary "at the proper time."
Asked why he only disclosed the bribe try during the presidential campaign, Gordon said he really had no intention of revealing it since he had promised that he would not tell.
'Fed up with use of money'
However, Gordon said it "just came off the cuff" during the radio interview Tuesday morning since he is fed up with Villar camp's propensity to use his money to get what he wants, including the presidency.
"I'm telling my friend, you can't buy everything," he said. "You can buy some of the people some of the time, but you can't buy all the people all of the time."
Gordon asked voters whether they want someone like Villar for president. He criticized the real estate tycoon for walking away from the C-5 case, refusing to be held accountable for his acts.
He said it's easy for Villar to deny the story since "he never admits to anything," noting that he refused to answer questions from his colleagues on the C-5 ethics case.
Gordon said he is in the presidential race because he wants to change society, and not simply to get a government post.
Asked if he had any proof, Gordon said: "I have my integrity against his [Villar's] integrity." He said he also has proof that the emissary was in his house.
When he met Sen. Enrile after the failed bribe try, Gordon said he even embraced Enrile since "we were able to obviate a coup d'etat."
Gordon also said it would be useless to file an ethics complaint against Villar in the Senate since the Villar camp will just use its money to avoid accountability.
Villar denies Gordon's allegations
In a statement, Villar denied bribing Gordon with a Cabinet post and reimbursement of campaign expenses in order to win him over on his Senate ethics case.
"Wala po akong ginagawang ganyan, wala po akong ino-offer na maski ako kahit kanino at mag-iingat po kayo. Meron pong mga tao na nanloloko at baka po kayo mabiktima," the NP bet said.
("I did not make such an offer. I did not offer anything and beware. There are people trying to fool you and you might be victimized."
Villar said he's running a clean campaign and that he respects all his opponents in the presidential race.
"Siguro po ay may mga gustong manira sa akin kaya nag-ooffer tapos ako itinuturo. Hindi po ako ganyan, wag po sana kayong maniniwala sa mga ganyan," he added.
("Perhaps, there are people who want to destroy me so they make an offer and then point to me. I am not like that, I wish you don't believe these people.")
Villar also said the campaign will soon come to a close and they are not expecting any of the candidates to withdraw anymore, with only two months to go before the polls.
He also denied asking El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde to talk to former President Joseph Estrada to withdraw.
"Wala akong kinakausap...Maski tanungin natin ang lahat ng aking mga nasa planning group, associates, makikita niyo na lahat na meron na akong assumption lahat kami ay andiyan," he said.
Villar said he has become the focus of the attacks since it only means that he is already leading the race.
He also urged Gordon and Estrada to name the alleged emissaries.
"Dapat sasabihin na para malaman naman na wala talaga akong inuutusan na ganyan. At unang-una, wala naman na akong ganyang pera na. Ang aking natitirang budget ay para lamang sa aking kampanya at tamang-tama lamang ito," Villar said.
("They should identify the emissary so people will find out I did not order him to do that. And in the first place, I don't have that kind of money. What's left in my budget is just right for my campaign.")
'Pure hogwash, preposterous'
Nacionalista Party senatorial bet and Villar spokesman Gilbert Remulla dismissed Gordon's allegations as hogwash and nothing more than an attempt to latch on to Villar's growing popularity and create publicity for himself.
"We are wondering why Sen. Gordon didn't blame Sen. Villar for the earthquake in Chile. It's ridiculous and preposterous, all these allegations against Sen. Villar, and we believe it's going to get worse," Remulla said in an ANC interview.
"We don't really care what Gordon says. He can say anything he wants. As far as we are concerned, whatever he said doesn't matter because none of it is true. He can talks all he wants. This is pure hogwash. This is just a way for him to get his name out in the papers and to destroy the name of Sen. Villar," he added.
Remulla said Villar's campaign is running smoothly as evidenced by the last presidential survey by Pulse Asia, which showed him at a statistical tie with Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. "To offer anything to anyone at this point would be ridiculous for us to do," he said. (Read: Aquino, Villar tied in Pulse Asia survey)
He noted that even if Gordon were to withdraw, his votes would not automatically go to Villar.
Gordon is the second presidential bet to claim being offered money by a rival to quit the presidential election.
Erap also got offers to withdraw
Last Tuesday, former President Joseph Estrada revealed that he has received offers to withdraw from the presidential race in exchange for a large amount of cash from a rival candidate. (Read: Erap reveals 'bribe' try to back out of race)
Estrada said some go-betweens have been talking to him for the past 9 months trying to convince him to withdraw. In exchange, the go-between's principal will then reimburse his expenses incurred in the campaign.
Estrada refused to name the candidate making the alleged bribe offer. "I can't [say]. That's deniable. But probably, it's someone who has lots of money," he said.
From 50-point deficit to parity
Regarding Estrada's allegation, Remulla said the former president did not name Villar as the one who offered a bribe. He said Villar did not need Estrada's votes to win the election and said that if the former president withdrew, his votes would be split and would not automatically go to Villar.
Remulla said Villar's surging popularity in the presidential race has made him a target by various camps. He said this was evidenced by the frequent bribery allegations, including the one leveled by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile during the C-5 'double insertion' probe. (Read: Enrile claims Villar tried to buy him off)
"I think they are trying to make it appear that Senator Villar is desperate but that's the farthest thing. We crawled back from a 50-point deficit in September to parity right now without having to bribe anybody and to resort to negative campaigning. We have not said anything against anybody unless we have been provoked. It is clear that all our rivals are threatened by Senator Villar," he said.
In an interview on ANC's Top Story, Gordon said Villar sent an emissary recently and offered him a Cabinet position and reimbursement of his campaign expenses in exchange for backing out of the presidential race.
Elaborating on the incident, Gordon said the alleged bribe try happened last week of January at the height of the Senate Committee of the Whole's report recommending the censure of Villar for unethical conduct in connection with the C-5 road project.
He said the objective of the Villar camp was to convince him to side with them so that they would be able to oust Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile as Senate president and stop the Senate plenary deliberations on the ethics case.
Gordon said the emissary was a "former Cabinet official of yesteryears," and a "businessman, not a political operator." He said the emissary was "just trying to be a friend to his friend" and was just "delivering a message" for Villar.
He said the lunch meeting was held in his house, and he later told his daughter and wife about the alleged bribe try. "They were chagrined about it," he added.
"Quite frankly, I was [also] put off by it," Gordon said.
Gordon said he is convinced it was a bribe and "I am prepared to say it." He also said that he may reveal the emissary "at the proper time."
Asked why he only disclosed the bribe try during the presidential campaign, Gordon said he really had no intention of revealing it since he had promised that he would not tell.
'Fed up with use of money'
However, Gordon said it "just came off the cuff" during the radio interview Tuesday morning since he is fed up with Villar camp's propensity to use his money to get what he wants, including the presidency.
"I'm telling my friend, you can't buy everything," he said. "You can buy some of the people some of the time, but you can't buy all the people all of the time."
Gordon asked voters whether they want someone like Villar for president. He criticized the real estate tycoon for walking away from the C-5 case, refusing to be held accountable for his acts.
He said it's easy for Villar to deny the story since "he never admits to anything," noting that he refused to answer questions from his colleagues on the C-5 ethics case.
Gordon said he is in the presidential race because he wants to change society, and not simply to get a government post.
Asked if he had any proof, Gordon said: "I have my integrity against his [Villar's] integrity." He said he also has proof that the emissary was in his house.
When he met Sen. Enrile after the failed bribe try, Gordon said he even embraced Enrile since "we were able to obviate a coup d'etat."
Gordon also said it would be useless to file an ethics complaint against Villar in the Senate since the Villar camp will just use its money to avoid accountability.
Villar denies Gordon's allegations
In a statement, Villar denied bribing Gordon with a Cabinet post and reimbursement of campaign expenses in order to win him over on his Senate ethics case.
"Wala po akong ginagawang ganyan, wala po akong ino-offer na maski ako kahit kanino at mag-iingat po kayo. Meron pong mga tao na nanloloko at baka po kayo mabiktima," the NP bet said.
("I did not make such an offer. I did not offer anything and beware. There are people trying to fool you and you might be victimized."
Villar said he's running a clean campaign and that he respects all his opponents in the presidential race.
"Siguro po ay may mga gustong manira sa akin kaya nag-ooffer tapos ako itinuturo. Hindi po ako ganyan, wag po sana kayong maniniwala sa mga ganyan," he added.
("Perhaps, there are people who want to destroy me so they make an offer and then point to me. I am not like that, I wish you don't believe these people.")
Villar also said the campaign will soon come to a close and they are not expecting any of the candidates to withdraw anymore, with only two months to go before the polls.
He also denied asking El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde to talk to former President Joseph Estrada to withdraw.
"Wala akong kinakausap...Maski tanungin natin ang lahat ng aking mga nasa planning group, associates, makikita niyo na lahat na meron na akong assumption lahat kami ay andiyan," he said.
Villar said he has become the focus of the attacks since it only means that he is already leading the race.
He also urged Gordon and Estrada to name the alleged emissaries.
"Dapat sasabihin na para malaman naman na wala talaga akong inuutusan na ganyan. At unang-una, wala naman na akong ganyang pera na. Ang aking natitirang budget ay para lamang sa aking kampanya at tamang-tama lamang ito," Villar said.
("They should identify the emissary so people will find out I did not order him to do that. And in the first place, I don't have that kind of money. What's left in my budget is just right for my campaign.")
'Pure hogwash, preposterous'
Nacionalista Party senatorial bet and Villar spokesman Gilbert Remulla dismissed Gordon's allegations as hogwash and nothing more than an attempt to latch on to Villar's growing popularity and create publicity for himself.
"We are wondering why Sen. Gordon didn't blame Sen. Villar for the earthquake in Chile. It's ridiculous and preposterous, all these allegations against Sen. Villar, and we believe it's going to get worse," Remulla said in an ANC interview.
"We don't really care what Gordon says. He can say anything he wants. As far as we are concerned, whatever he said doesn't matter because none of it is true. He can talks all he wants. This is pure hogwash. This is just a way for him to get his name out in the papers and to destroy the name of Sen. Villar," he added.
Remulla said Villar's campaign is running smoothly as evidenced by the last presidential survey by Pulse Asia, which showed him at a statistical tie with Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. "To offer anything to anyone at this point would be ridiculous for us to do," he said. (Read: Aquino, Villar tied in Pulse Asia survey)
He noted that even if Gordon were to withdraw, his votes would not automatically go to Villar.
Gordon is the second presidential bet to claim being offered money by a rival to quit the presidential election.
Erap also got offers to withdraw
Last Tuesday, former President Joseph Estrada revealed that he has received offers to withdraw from the presidential race in exchange for a large amount of cash from a rival candidate. (Read: Erap reveals 'bribe' try to back out of race)
Estrada said some go-betweens have been talking to him for the past 9 months trying to convince him to withdraw. In exchange, the go-between's principal will then reimburse his expenses incurred in the campaign.
Estrada refused to name the candidate making the alleged bribe offer. "I can't [say]. That's deniable. But probably, it's someone who has lots of money," he said.
From 50-point deficit to parity
Regarding Estrada's allegation, Remulla said the former president did not name Villar as the one who offered a bribe. He said Villar did not need Estrada's votes to win the election and said that if the former president withdrew, his votes would be split and would not automatically go to Villar.
Remulla said Villar's surging popularity in the presidential race has made him a target by various camps. He said this was evidenced by the frequent bribery allegations, including the one leveled by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile during the C-5 'double insertion' probe. (Read: Enrile claims Villar tried to buy him off)
"I think they are trying to make it appear that Senator Villar is desperate but that's the farthest thing. We crawled back from a 50-point deficit in September to parity right now without having to bribe anybody and to resort to negative campaigning. We have not said anything against anybody unless we have been provoked. It is clear that all our rivals are threatened by Senator Villar," he said.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Villar scholarships constitute vote-buying
Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manuel Villar Jr. could be liable for vote-buying and disqualified from the presidential race for giving away scholarship grants, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Friday.
Speaking to reporters, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the Omnibus Election Code bans candidates from handing out “money or anything of value.”
“The fact that there are tuition fees that would be paid for or books, clothes and even miscellaneous expenses that would be covered... that is ‘money or anything of value’,” he said.
The act of giving away scholarship grants is tantamount to vote-buying, Sarmiento said.
The Omnibus Election Code defines vote-buying as “giving, offering or promising money or anything of value” to induce anyone to vote for or against any candidate.
Vote-buying is considered an election offense, which carries the penalty of one to six years imprisonment as well as the removal of the right to vote and be voted for.
Last Thursday, Villar’s camp gave out several scholarship grants to school children that attended a rock concert that they had organized at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
However, Villar said the action is not vote-buying since he did not come up the stage to prod people to vote for him.
The scholarships were handed out by his daughter Camille, he added.
Military warns Villar
The military warned Villar Saturday against campaigning in military camps after he and other NP candidates had their photographs taken with former Marine Col. Ariel Querubin outside his detention cell in Camp Aguinaldo.
Querubin is an NP candidate for senator.
Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said Brig. Gen. Felipe Tabas, Camp Aguinaldo commander, will represent the military in the meeting with Villar to remind him to stop involving soldiers in partisan activities.
“Our camp commander will talk to the camp of Senator Villar,” he said.
“We will ask them not to repeat what they did last Thursday since we are very sure that they will again visit Colonel Querubin in the future.
“The order given (to Tabas) is to communicate with the party of Senator Villar and ask them not to repeat what they did.
“The agreement was very clear. They were allowed to visit Colonel Querubin provided they would not campaign inside the camp.”
Villar: I did not campaign in Camp Aguinaldo
In Lipa City, Batangas, Villar denied that he had engaged in illegal campaigning in Camp Aguinaldo when he visited Querubin.
Speaking to reporters after visiting two markets in Batangas City and Lipa City, Villar said there was no basis to claims that they were campaigning when they had their photographs taken with Querubin, who is detained at the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“I didn’t see anybody there except some soldiers so I just don’t understand who we were supposed to be campaigning to, and we couldn’t just campaign to one another,” he said in Filipino.
The only civilians in Camp Aguinaldo when they visited Querubin were members of the media who had covered the visit, Villar said.
Everyone was surprised when Villar and other NP candidates emerged from the meeting with Querubin, walking with their arms linked to one another.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Victor Ibrado said the action of the NP candidates caught him by surprise and was a violation of their agreement not to campaign within the camp.
However, Villar said that they were just showing their solidarity with Querubin, an NP candidate for senator.
“We just walked,” he said. “We are united so I guess that’s why they called it a unity walk. We walk united.”
Villar said that it was preposterous to claim that they were campaigning inside Camp Aguinaldo.
“If we wanted to campaign, then we would have chosen an area with more people,” he said. “So there was no violation there.”
Military police immediately whisked Querubin to his detention cell after having his photograph taken with the NP candidates.
NP senatorial candidate Adel Tamano said they can file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus with a civilian court to force the military to allow Querubin to campaign outside Camp Aguinaldo.
Speaking to reporters, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the Omnibus Election Code bans candidates from handing out “money or anything of value.”
“The fact that there are tuition fees that would be paid for or books, clothes and even miscellaneous expenses that would be covered... that is ‘money or anything of value’,” he said.
The act of giving away scholarship grants is tantamount to vote-buying, Sarmiento said.
The Omnibus Election Code defines vote-buying as “giving, offering or promising money or anything of value” to induce anyone to vote for or against any candidate.
Vote-buying is considered an election offense, which carries the penalty of one to six years imprisonment as well as the removal of the right to vote and be voted for.
Last Thursday, Villar’s camp gave out several scholarship grants to school children that attended a rock concert that they had organized at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
However, Villar said the action is not vote-buying since he did not come up the stage to prod people to vote for him.
The scholarships were handed out by his daughter Camille, he added.
Military warns Villar
The military warned Villar Saturday against campaigning in military camps after he and other NP candidates had their photographs taken with former Marine Col. Ariel Querubin outside his detention cell in Camp Aguinaldo.
Querubin is an NP candidate for senator.
Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said Brig. Gen. Felipe Tabas, Camp Aguinaldo commander, will represent the military in the meeting with Villar to remind him to stop involving soldiers in partisan activities.
“Our camp commander will talk to the camp of Senator Villar,” he said.
“We will ask them not to repeat what they did last Thursday since we are very sure that they will again visit Colonel Querubin in the future.
“The order given (to Tabas) is to communicate with the party of Senator Villar and ask them not to repeat what they did.
“The agreement was very clear. They were allowed to visit Colonel Querubin provided they would not campaign inside the camp.”
Villar: I did not campaign in Camp Aguinaldo
In Lipa City, Batangas, Villar denied that he had engaged in illegal campaigning in Camp Aguinaldo when he visited Querubin.
Speaking to reporters after visiting two markets in Batangas City and Lipa City, Villar said there was no basis to claims that they were campaigning when they had their photographs taken with Querubin, who is detained at the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“I didn’t see anybody there except some soldiers so I just don’t understand who we were supposed to be campaigning to, and we couldn’t just campaign to one another,” he said in Filipino.
The only civilians in Camp Aguinaldo when they visited Querubin were members of the media who had covered the visit, Villar said.
Everyone was surprised when Villar and other NP candidates emerged from the meeting with Querubin, walking with their arms linked to one another.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Victor Ibrado said the action of the NP candidates caught him by surprise and was a violation of their agreement not to campaign within the camp.
However, Villar said that they were just showing their solidarity with Querubin, an NP candidate for senator.
“We just walked,” he said. “We are united so I guess that’s why they called it a unity walk. We walk united.”
Villar said that it was preposterous to claim that they were campaigning inside Camp Aguinaldo.
“If we wanted to campaign, then we would have chosen an area with more people,” he said. “So there was no violation there.”
Military police immediately whisked Querubin to his detention cell after having his photograph taken with the NP candidates.
NP senatorial candidate Adel Tamano said they can file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus with a civilian court to force the military to allow Querubin to campaign outside Camp Aguinaldo.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Manny Villar Mansion in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Recently, there are circulating emails about the said Mansion in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA owned by Manny Villar, I just want to re post this for you to judge if he really owns this. Here's the email:
Imagine who would have such taste and live in such opulence? An American Billionaire?
A Saudi Prince?
Louis XIV of France ? Savour the pictures then scroll to the bottom of the page to see who owns this Work of Art.
This Mansion is in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA and belongs to: Senator Manny Villar of the PHILIPPINES
While Filipinos starve, and die because of abject poverty ....and while Sen. Villar brags that he had poor beginnings and he had helped his poor countrymen over and over again... but look now.. he and his family live like this.......his GREED kills his poverty stricken fellow Filipinos .
A Saudi Prince?
Louis XIV of France ? Savour the pictures then scroll to the bottom of the page to see who owns this Work of Art.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Villar's Platform: Entrepreneurial Revolution
Entrepreneurs will have it good under Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr.’s administration if he wins as president in 2010.
The billionaire senator plans to invest heavily on developing a “strong entrepreneurial class” by funneling credit to small and medium-scale enterprises.
“We have to multiply [the number of entrepreneurs] a hundred times. We need an entrepreneurial revolution,” Villar said at Tuesday’s Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) forum where he presented his economic platform.
A key part of his business agenda is promoting labor-intensive industries like mining, tourism and the hospitality industry.
Villar, like other presidential candidates, promised to reform the banking system, punish corruption, improve tax collection and increase foreign investments.
He claims his edge over other presidential aspirants, however, is his “extensive” business experience and managerial ability.
The senator owns a variety of real estate and building companies with his wife, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar.
He first delivered seafood in Makati City before going into the gravel and sand delivery business. Eventually, he set up a home building business that specialized in low-cost housing.
Now, he is the country’s richest senator, with an estimated net worth of P1.046 billion in 2008.
Here is a summary of Villar’s answers to economic issues raised at the forum:
Plans for sustainable job creation, retention and decent employment. Focus on doing a better marketing job for businesses and industries that are labor-intensive (business process outsourcing, tourism, agriculture and infrastructure). Small and medium-scale entrepreneurs must be provided with funds.
How to reduce hunger and alleviate poverty. Faster economic growth means a rise in GDP (gross domestic product) so that has to be monitored. Focus on job-creating industries, entrepreneurial revolution and addressing food security and poverty. Create safety nets for the poorest of the poor through cash transfers, for example.
Stand on taxes. Look for leakages, improve tax collection efficiency, and finance certain specific objectives. Taxes will be raised as a last resort and only if need be. But Villar “will not hesitate to raise taxes rather than be fiscally irresponsible.”
Stand on redundant or “irrelevant” agencies (like National Food Authority, Sugar Regulatory Administration and Laguna Lake Development Authority). NFA must be reviewed if it is doing its function. It can be reformed. The beauty of addressing agriculture is that the country will not need to import [goods]. Agencies like NFA and SRA are losing a lot of money. Corruption has to be stopped. As for the LLDA, Laguna Lake should be developed since it is a good source of water. We have to develop the dike system built by the Dutch and carry it to Calamba, then build an expressway from Calamba to Tagaytay. This can be done if LLDA is focused on this objective.
How to balance low-power costs for consumers and profit for energy producers. The Energy Regulatory Commission should be manned by independent people so investors will see that there is a level playing field. The EPIRA law must be reviewed. The power industry is very productive, investors must see that things will be fair.
Stand on CARP. It’s not sufficient that you give farmers land, you have to give them [financial] support. Like Atty. Gilbert Teodoro said, the farmer [beneficiaries under CARP] must not be made to pay their debts.
On slapping back taxes (in the case of Pilipinas Shell). Villar did not want to comment on a case that is still pending in court, but retroactive taxes should not be done. Certainly, this will not encourage foreign investments. If you change laws, it has to be proactive and not retroactive.
How to promote mining and other industries that are “impeded by too many regulations.” There is no serious problem with the laws, the problem is in the implementation of these laws.
How to help exporters who have been hit by the global economic crisis. Interest rates should be monitored so exporters can be competitive. Exchange rates can only be influenced for a short period of time. After smoothing fluctuations in exchange rates, exporters have to be provided with low-interest loans. When the world recovers financially, we can recover as well and find new markets instead of focusing on traditional markets.
How to address smuggling. Clear up corruption in police and customs agencies. There should be a department in police that runs after smugglers. All options should be considered, like a point of origin review.
Stand on foreign ownership of land, media, education, practice of professions and services. Villar said changing this provision of the Constitution is not important at the moment in terms of solving poverty and helping the country recover. But if the people agree to a Constitutional amendment, he is open to it. The Filipino people should decide on these issues.
How to address the gap between national savings, domestic investments and dollar investments vis-à-vis our dependence on OFW remittances. The goal is that Filipinos should not need to go to other countries to work. But in the meantime, OFWs should be protected through safety nets. We should look at dollar remittances and see why the money is not moving to investments. Most of these remittances are not used for the good of the country. That’s why there is a need to have an entrepreneurial revolution so that small and medium-scale entrepreneurs can get a taste of these investments from OFW remittances. Report by Kristine Servando, Newsbreak.
The billionaire senator plans to invest heavily on developing a “strong entrepreneurial class” by funneling credit to small and medium-scale enterprises.
“We have to multiply [the number of entrepreneurs] a hundred times. We need an entrepreneurial revolution,” Villar said at Tuesday’s Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) forum where he presented his economic platform.
A key part of his business agenda is promoting labor-intensive industries like mining, tourism and the hospitality industry.
Villar, like other presidential candidates, promised to reform the banking system, punish corruption, improve tax collection and increase foreign investments.
He claims his edge over other presidential aspirants, however, is his “extensive” business experience and managerial ability.
The senator owns a variety of real estate and building companies with his wife, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar.
He first delivered seafood in Makati City before going into the gravel and sand delivery business. Eventually, he set up a home building business that specialized in low-cost housing.
Now, he is the country’s richest senator, with an estimated net worth of P1.046 billion in 2008.
Here is a summary of Villar’s answers to economic issues raised at the forum:
Plans for sustainable job creation, retention and decent employment. Focus on doing a better marketing job for businesses and industries that are labor-intensive (business process outsourcing, tourism, agriculture and infrastructure). Small and medium-scale entrepreneurs must be provided with funds.
How to reduce hunger and alleviate poverty. Faster economic growth means a rise in GDP (gross domestic product) so that has to be monitored. Focus on job-creating industries, entrepreneurial revolution and addressing food security and poverty. Create safety nets for the poorest of the poor through cash transfers, for example.
Stand on taxes. Look for leakages, improve tax collection efficiency, and finance certain specific objectives. Taxes will be raised as a last resort and only if need be. But Villar “will not hesitate to raise taxes rather than be fiscally irresponsible.”
Stand on redundant or “irrelevant” agencies (like National Food Authority, Sugar Regulatory Administration and Laguna Lake Development Authority). NFA must be reviewed if it is doing its function. It can be reformed. The beauty of addressing agriculture is that the country will not need to import [goods]. Agencies like NFA and SRA are losing a lot of money. Corruption has to be stopped. As for the LLDA, Laguna Lake should be developed since it is a good source of water. We have to develop the dike system built by the Dutch and carry it to Calamba, then build an expressway from Calamba to Tagaytay. This can be done if LLDA is focused on this objective.
How to balance low-power costs for consumers and profit for energy producers. The Energy Regulatory Commission should be manned by independent people so investors will see that there is a level playing field. The EPIRA law must be reviewed. The power industry is very productive, investors must see that things will be fair.
Stand on CARP. It’s not sufficient that you give farmers land, you have to give them [financial] support. Like Atty. Gilbert Teodoro said, the farmer [beneficiaries under CARP] must not be made to pay their debts.
On slapping back taxes (in the case of Pilipinas Shell). Villar did not want to comment on a case that is still pending in court, but retroactive taxes should not be done. Certainly, this will not encourage foreign investments. If you change laws, it has to be proactive and not retroactive.
How to promote mining and other industries that are “impeded by too many regulations.” There is no serious problem with the laws, the problem is in the implementation of these laws.
How to help exporters who have been hit by the global economic crisis. Interest rates should be monitored so exporters can be competitive. Exchange rates can only be influenced for a short period of time. After smoothing fluctuations in exchange rates, exporters have to be provided with low-interest loans. When the world recovers financially, we can recover as well and find new markets instead of focusing on traditional markets.
How to address smuggling. Clear up corruption in police and customs agencies. There should be a department in police that runs after smugglers. All options should be considered, like a point of origin review.
Stand on foreign ownership of land, media, education, practice of professions and services. Villar said changing this provision of the Constitution is not important at the moment in terms of solving poverty and helping the country recover. But if the people agree to a Constitutional amendment, he is open to it. The Filipino people should decide on these issues.
How to address the gap between national savings, domestic investments and dollar investments vis-à-vis our dependence on OFW remittances. The goal is that Filipinos should not need to go to other countries to work. But in the meantime, OFWs should be protected through safety nets. We should look at dollar remittances and see why the money is not moving to investments. Most of these remittances are not used for the good of the country. That’s why there is a need to have an entrepreneurial revolution so that small and medium-scale entrepreneurs can get a taste of these investments from OFW remittances. Report by Kristine Servando, Newsbreak.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Villar, Aquino most trusted Presidential bets— Pulse Asia Survey
Among the present crop of presidential candidates, only Senators Manny Villar Jr. and Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III enjoy majority trust ratings from Filipino voters, the latest Pulse Asia survey showed Wednesday.
The January 22-26 survey showed that 70% of Filipinos had much trust for Villar, compared to 64% for Aquino. Eighteen percent of voters said they were undecided about Villar while 23% said the same for Aquino. Both candidates had the same percentage of voters (12%) saying that they had little trust for the two candidates.
Aquino and Villar were statistically tied in the last presidential survey conducted by Pulse Asia last January 22 -26. Thirty-seven percent of Filipino voters said they would vote for Aquino in the presidential election while 35% said they chose Villar. (Read: Aquino, Villar tied in Pulse Asia survey)
All the other presidential candidates registered lower trust ratings among voters, including former President Joseph Estrada (33%), former Defense Secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro (32%), Sen. Richard Gordon (26%), JIL founder Bro. Eddie Villanueva (15%), Sen. Jamby Madrigal (14%), financial consultant Vetallano Acosta (5%), Olongapo councilor JC de los Reyes (4%) and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas (4%).
The survey showed that public assessment of the trustworthiness of administration candidate Teodoro is divided with 36% of Filipinos ambivalent on the matter and 31% distrusting him.
Unlike Villar and Aquino, the other candidates had higher distrust ratings than their trust ratings: Estrada (37%), Gordon (34%), Villanueva (53%), Madrigal (47%), Acosta (51%), de los Reyes (50%) and Perlas (54%).
Among the vice-presidential candidates, only Senators Manuel Roxas II and Loren Legarda are trusted by most Filipinos (73% and 61%). On the other hand, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay is enjoying big trust from 44% of Filipino voters.
Other vice-presidential candidates registered higher distrust ratings than trust ratings including former Optical Media Board chairman Edu Manzano (20% - trust, 45% - do not trust), former MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando (18% - trust, 46% - do not trust), TV personality Jay Sonza (10% - trust, 57% - do not trust), former SEC Chairman Perfecto Yasay (8% - trust, 58% - do not trust), Jun Chipeco Jr. (5% - trust, 52% - do not trust).
The Pulse Asia survey used a probability sample of 1,800 adults. Pulse Asia’s nationwide survey has a ± 2% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered in the survey have the following error margins at 95% confidence level: ± 6% for Metro Manila, ±4% for the rest of Luzon and ±5% for each of Visayas and Mindanao.
Arroyo trust rating reaches record low
The Pulse Asia survey showed that nearly 7 in 10 Filipinos (68%) distrust President Arroyo while only about 1 in 10 (11%) expressed trust in her.
According to Pulse Asia, Mrs. Arroyo's current overall trust rating is the same as that recorded in December 2009 and is the lowest she has attained since March 2001.
"On the other hand, the present overall distrust rating of President Arroyo - practically the same as the December 2009 figure (67%) is her highest distrust rating since March 2001," Pulse Asia said.
The survey showed that the President scored majority distrust ratings in every geographic area including sub-regions and socio-economic class ranging from 54% in Eastern Visayas to 82% in Western Visayas. Public ambivalence as regards the trustworthness of President Arroyo is most pronounced among those in Northern/Central Luzon (26%), Eastern Visayas (27%), Region 10 and Caraga (33%).
Arroyo, Ramos endorsements
The same survey, meanwhile, showed that more Filipinos would probably not vote for a candidate endorsed by either President Arroyo or former president Fidel Ramos.
The survey showed that 52% of Filipino voters said they would surely not vote for any candidate endorsed by President Arroyo. Another 22% said they would probably not vote for Arroyo's preferred candidate, compared to 12% who said they would probably vote for Arroyo's choice and 4% said they would surely vote for Arroyo's anointed.
On the other hand, 40% of voters said they would surely not vote for a candidate endorsed by Ramos while another 25% said they would probably not vote for a candidate endorsed by the former president.
Twenty-one percent of voters said they would probably not vote for Ramos' choice while 5% said they would vote for Ramos' choice.
The January 22-26 survey showed that 70% of Filipinos had much trust for Villar, compared to 64% for Aquino. Eighteen percent of voters said they were undecided about Villar while 23% said the same for Aquino. Both candidates had the same percentage of voters (12%) saying that they had little trust for the two candidates.
Aquino and Villar were statistically tied in the last presidential survey conducted by Pulse Asia last January 22 -26. Thirty-seven percent of Filipino voters said they would vote for Aquino in the presidential election while 35% said they chose Villar. (Read: Aquino, Villar tied in Pulse Asia survey)
All the other presidential candidates registered lower trust ratings among voters, including former President Joseph Estrada (33%), former Defense Secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro (32%), Sen. Richard Gordon (26%), JIL founder Bro. Eddie Villanueva (15%), Sen. Jamby Madrigal (14%), financial consultant Vetallano Acosta (5%), Olongapo councilor JC de los Reyes (4%) and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas (4%).
The survey showed that public assessment of the trustworthiness of administration candidate Teodoro is divided with 36% of Filipinos ambivalent on the matter and 31% distrusting him.
Unlike Villar and Aquino, the other candidates had higher distrust ratings than their trust ratings: Estrada (37%), Gordon (34%), Villanueva (53%), Madrigal (47%), Acosta (51%), de los Reyes (50%) and Perlas (54%).
Among the vice-presidential candidates, only Senators Manuel Roxas II and Loren Legarda are trusted by most Filipinos (73% and 61%). On the other hand, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay is enjoying big trust from 44% of Filipino voters.
Other vice-presidential candidates registered higher distrust ratings than trust ratings including former Optical Media Board chairman Edu Manzano (20% - trust, 45% - do not trust), former MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando (18% - trust, 46% - do not trust), TV personality Jay Sonza (10% - trust, 57% - do not trust), former SEC Chairman Perfecto Yasay (8% - trust, 58% - do not trust), Jun Chipeco Jr. (5% - trust, 52% - do not trust).
The Pulse Asia survey used a probability sample of 1,800 adults. Pulse Asia’s nationwide survey has a ± 2% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered in the survey have the following error margins at 95% confidence level: ± 6% for Metro Manila, ±4% for the rest of Luzon and ±5% for each of Visayas and Mindanao.
Arroyo trust rating reaches record low
The Pulse Asia survey showed that nearly 7 in 10 Filipinos (68%) distrust President Arroyo while only about 1 in 10 (11%) expressed trust in her.
According to Pulse Asia, Mrs. Arroyo's current overall trust rating is the same as that recorded in December 2009 and is the lowest she has attained since March 2001.
"On the other hand, the present overall distrust rating of President Arroyo - practically the same as the December 2009 figure (67%) is her highest distrust rating since March 2001," Pulse Asia said.
The survey showed that the President scored majority distrust ratings in every geographic area including sub-regions and socio-economic class ranging from 54% in Eastern Visayas to 82% in Western Visayas. Public ambivalence as regards the trustworthness of President Arroyo is most pronounced among those in Northern/Central Luzon (26%), Eastern Visayas (27%), Region 10 and Caraga (33%).
Arroyo, Ramos endorsements
The same survey, meanwhile, showed that more Filipinos would probably not vote for a candidate endorsed by either President Arroyo or former president Fidel Ramos.
The survey showed that 52% of Filipino voters said they would surely not vote for any candidate endorsed by President Arroyo. Another 22% said they would probably not vote for Arroyo's preferred candidate, compared to 12% who said they would probably vote for Arroyo's choice and 4% said they would surely vote for Arroyo's anointed.
On the other hand, 40% of voters said they would surely not vote for a candidate endorsed by Ramos while another 25% said they would probably not vote for a candidate endorsed by the former president.
Twenty-one percent of voters said they would probably not vote for Ramos' choice while 5% said they would vote for Ramos' choice.
Noynoy, Villar lead mock polls in Europe
Like the surveys conducted in the Philippines before the May 10 elections, presidential bets senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Manny Villar loom as the top choices of Filipinos in Europe.
Talk of politics and conducting mock polls appear to be the order of business for most Filipino organizations as they gear up for the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) starting April 10.
The OAV will be done through postal voting in countries of the European Union, except Northern Italy which will implement personal voting.
Italy has the most number of registered absentee voters with 23,435 and far second is the United Kingdom with only 8,552.
Europe has a total of 61,294 registered absentee voters.
At least 25 Filipino organizations in Italy's Tuscany region took part in mock elections, dubbed as "Lider mo, Iboto mo - Tinig sa Pagbabago".
Of the 500 votes counted, Aquino garnered the highest with 39%.
Villar finished 2nd with 25% and former president Joseph Estrada was 3rd with 20%.
For the vice-presidential race, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II was way ahead at 39% followed by Sen. Loren Legarda with 24%.
In a separate mock elections initiated by the Philippine Association of Royal Mail Employees in UK, Villar was first with 81 votes or 34% and Aquino placed 2nd with 73 votes or 34%.
Villar supporters count on the managerial experience of the Nacionalista Party standard bearer.
More than 200 members of the group took part in the mock polls in the UK.
In an outreach program conducted by the Philippine Embassy in Wales, ABS-CBN’s Balitang Europe conducted random interviews with Filipino workers on their choice for president.
The interviewed Filipino workers said they chose Aquino because he is credible and has no taint of corruption.
Some picked Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon because of his proven track record while some prefer Bro. Eddie Villanueva claiming the country needs spiritual leadership.
Absentee voters in Europe may be small in number, but they wield a lot of influence on their relatives back home.
Talk of politics and conducting mock polls appear to be the order of business for most Filipino organizations as they gear up for the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) starting April 10.
The OAV will be done through postal voting in countries of the European Union, except Northern Italy which will implement personal voting.
Italy has the most number of registered absentee voters with 23,435 and far second is the United Kingdom with only 8,552.
Europe has a total of 61,294 registered absentee voters.
At least 25 Filipino organizations in Italy's Tuscany region took part in mock elections, dubbed as "Lider mo, Iboto mo - Tinig sa Pagbabago".
Of the 500 votes counted, Aquino garnered the highest with 39%.
Villar finished 2nd with 25% and former president Joseph Estrada was 3rd with 20%.
For the vice-presidential race, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II was way ahead at 39% followed by Sen. Loren Legarda with 24%.
In a separate mock elections initiated by the Philippine Association of Royal Mail Employees in UK, Villar was first with 81 votes or 34% and Aquino placed 2nd with 73 votes or 34%.
Villar supporters count on the managerial experience of the Nacionalista Party standard bearer.
More than 200 members of the group took part in the mock polls in the UK.
In an outreach program conducted by the Philippine Embassy in Wales, ABS-CBN’s Balitang Europe conducted random interviews with Filipino workers on their choice for president.
The interviewed Filipino workers said they chose Aquino because he is credible and has no taint of corruption.
Some picked Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon because of his proven track record while some prefer Bro. Eddie Villanueva claiming the country needs spiritual leadership.
Absentee voters in Europe may be small in number, but they wield a lot of influence on their relatives back home.
Pacquiao to campaign for Villar after Clottey bout
Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao vowed to join the campaign bandwagon of Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar after his March 13 fight with Ghana’s Joshua Clottey.
“Pagdating ko po sa Pilipinas, sasamahan ko po ang aking mahal na presidente na si Manny Villar para po introduce sa inyong lahat,” Pacquiao said in Filipino in a videotaped message shown during Villar’s concert rally in Mandaue City, Cebu Sunday night.
The pound-for-pound king is currently training in Los Angeles, California for his “The Event” bout.
Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 7-division world champion, who is running for the Sarangani province congressional seat in May, then explained why he is supporting Villar.
“Ang tingin ko po, kailangan po natin ng taong may karanasan po na naging mahirap. Ako rin po ay galing sa hirap at isang sigaw po ng mahihirap na tao, kapag sumisigaw sila ng ‘tulong’ sa gobyerno, ako po ang unang nasasaktan,” he stated.
“Eto po si Manny Villar, siya po ang sagot sa ating mga problema dahil alam ko na galing siya sa hirap, kailangan natin ng isang lider na ang damdamin niya ay nasa pakiramdam ng mahihirap.”
Pacquiao’s videotaped message was shown by “Wowowee” host Willie Revillame as a surprise for Villar, who spoke to a crowd of more than 80,000 in a Cebu reclamation area.
The Filipino boxing icon stressed that Villar’s leadership can address the country’s poverty situation.
“Sa dami ng taon na lumipas, wala pa rin tayong pagbabago, lalo pa pong padami ng padami ang mga taong mahihirap at walang trabaho. Ang tingin ko po, kailangan po natin ng taong may karanasan po na naging mahirap,” he noted.
Value of Pacquiao endorsement
Based on a Pulse Asia survey last year, an endorsement by the Filipino boxing idol would have a value of at least 2% or at most 19%.
In the nationwide survey conducted October 22 to 30, 2009, 1,800 respondents were asked whether they would vote for a candidate if he or she were endorsed by Pacquiao.
The results showed that 2% of respondents said they would "surely vote for" a candidate endorsed by Pacquiao, while 19% said they would "probably vote for" a candidate he endorses.
On the other hand, 35% said they would "probably not vote for" a candidate endorsed by Pacquiao, while 36% said they would surely not vote for" a candidate endorsed by the People's Champ.
Five percent of respondents said a Pacquiao endorsement would have no effect, while 3% don't know or refused to answer the question.
The survey has a margin of error of plus/minus 2%.
Kris, Willie endorsements
The survey also showed that an endorsement by Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III's sister, Kris, would carry more weight with 45% saying they would surely or probably vote for Aquino's bet.
It also showed that an endorsement by Wowowee host Willie Revillame would also have a higher political value: 37% said they would surely vote or probably vote for a candidate endorsed by the popular TV show host. Revillame is also supporting Villar.
Based on the latest Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) survey commissioned by the Liberal Party camp, Aquino has regained his lead over Villar. (Read: Noynoy regains lead over Villar in new survey)
The survey of 3,000 respondents, conducted January 28 to February 3, 2010 showed Aquino with 41% support while his closest rival Villar got 30% or an 11 percentage point lead. TNS is a global market research firm with a branch in the Philippines.
“Pagdating ko po sa Pilipinas, sasamahan ko po ang aking mahal na presidente na si Manny Villar para po introduce sa inyong lahat,” Pacquiao said in Filipino in a videotaped message shown during Villar’s concert rally in Mandaue City, Cebu Sunday night.
The pound-for-pound king is currently training in Los Angeles, California for his “The Event” bout.
Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 7-division world champion, who is running for the Sarangani province congressional seat in May, then explained why he is supporting Villar.
“Ang tingin ko po, kailangan po natin ng taong may karanasan po na naging mahirap. Ako rin po ay galing sa hirap at isang sigaw po ng mahihirap na tao, kapag sumisigaw sila ng ‘tulong’ sa gobyerno, ako po ang unang nasasaktan,” he stated.
“Eto po si Manny Villar, siya po ang sagot sa ating mga problema dahil alam ko na galing siya sa hirap, kailangan natin ng isang lider na ang damdamin niya ay nasa pakiramdam ng mahihirap.”
Pacquiao’s videotaped message was shown by “Wowowee” host Willie Revillame as a surprise for Villar, who spoke to a crowd of more than 80,000 in a Cebu reclamation area.
The Filipino boxing icon stressed that Villar’s leadership can address the country’s poverty situation.
“Sa dami ng taon na lumipas, wala pa rin tayong pagbabago, lalo pa pong padami ng padami ang mga taong mahihirap at walang trabaho. Ang tingin ko po, kailangan po natin ng taong may karanasan po na naging mahirap,” he noted.
Value of Pacquiao endorsement
Based on a Pulse Asia survey last year, an endorsement by the Filipino boxing idol would have a value of at least 2% or at most 19%.
In the nationwide survey conducted October 22 to 30, 2009, 1,800 respondents were asked whether they would vote for a candidate if he or she were endorsed by Pacquiao.
The results showed that 2% of respondents said they would "surely vote for" a candidate endorsed by Pacquiao, while 19% said they would "probably vote for" a candidate he endorses.
On the other hand, 35% said they would "probably not vote for" a candidate endorsed by Pacquiao, while 36% said they would surely not vote for" a candidate endorsed by the People's Champ.
Five percent of respondents said a Pacquiao endorsement would have no effect, while 3% don't know or refused to answer the question.
The survey has a margin of error of plus/minus 2%.
Kris, Willie endorsements
The survey also showed that an endorsement by Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III's sister, Kris, would carry more weight with 45% saying they would surely or probably vote for Aquino's bet.
It also showed that an endorsement by Wowowee host Willie Revillame would also have a higher political value: 37% said they would surely vote or probably vote for a candidate endorsed by the popular TV show host. Revillame is also supporting Villar.
Based on the latest Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) survey commissioned by the Liberal Party camp, Aquino has regained his lead over Villar. (Read: Noynoy regains lead over Villar in new survey)
The survey of 3,000 respondents, conducted January 28 to February 3, 2010 showed Aquino with 41% support while his closest rival Villar got 30% or an 11 percentage point lead. TNS is a global market research firm with a branch in the Philippines.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Villar accepts Aquino's one-on-one debate challenge
The camp of Sen. Manuel Villar accepted on Monday an invitation from Sen. Benigno Aquino III to have a one-on-one debate, after the Liberal Party standard-bearer posed the challenge to his primary rival at the sidelines of a presidential forum.
Villar and former president Joseph Estrada were absent from the presidential debate of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) held Monday.
Villar was on the way home from Hong Kong where he attended an El Shaddai event, while Estrada was coming from Davao from a sortie.
Present in the FOCAP forum were Aquino, former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Senators Richard Gordon and Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal, Nicanor Perlas, JC de los Reyes and Eddie Villanueva.
During an interview at the sidelines of the FOCAP presidential forum, Aquino issued a challenge to his toughest rival.
Aquino said he believes candidates cannot discuss their platforms in depth when many aspirants participate in a forum.
If a one-on-one format is not possible, Aquino prefers that the number of guests be limited to only four candidates at a time.
Villar's camp accepted Aquino's challenge.
They said they were the ones who first invited Aquino to a debate, but he did not respond.
They asked why Aquino is challenging Villar only now that the Nacionalista Party standard-bearer has statistically tied with Aquino in the surveys.
Villar’s acceptance, however, had a caveat.
He said that public debates are an opportunity “to present plans and programs of government to the general public.”
“If such were the purpose of the challenge, I will gladly accede. Name the place, name the time, I will be there. If however, it is the intention of anyone -individual or party - to find a platform for senseless argumentation and mudslinging with the hope of calling attention unto oneself, then I will have to decline,” the NP presidential candidate said in a statement.
In the FOCAP forum, candidates were asked if they believe government should distribute artificial contraceptives like condoms.
Everyone answered 'no' except for Aquino.
The aspirants were also asked about their stand on the Visiting Forces Agreement.
All candidates wanted the VFA revised, instead of the agreement being repealed.
On the issue of nuclear power, all candidates rejected the revival of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.
Villar and former president Joseph Estrada were absent from the presidential debate of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) held Monday.
Villar was on the way home from Hong Kong where he attended an El Shaddai event, while Estrada was coming from Davao from a sortie.
Present in the FOCAP forum were Aquino, former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Senators Richard Gordon and Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal, Nicanor Perlas, JC de los Reyes and Eddie Villanueva.
During an interview at the sidelines of the FOCAP presidential forum, Aquino issued a challenge to his toughest rival.
Aquino said he believes candidates cannot discuss their platforms in depth when many aspirants participate in a forum.
If a one-on-one format is not possible, Aquino prefers that the number of guests be limited to only four candidates at a time.
Villar's camp accepted Aquino's challenge.
They said they were the ones who first invited Aquino to a debate, but he did not respond.
They asked why Aquino is challenging Villar only now that the Nacionalista Party standard-bearer has statistically tied with Aquino in the surveys.
Villar’s acceptance, however, had a caveat.
He said that public debates are an opportunity “to present plans and programs of government to the general public.”
“If such were the purpose of the challenge, I will gladly accede. Name the place, name the time, I will be there. If however, it is the intention of anyone -individual or party - to find a platform for senseless argumentation and mudslinging with the hope of calling attention unto oneself, then I will have to decline,” the NP presidential candidate said in a statement.
In the FOCAP forum, candidates were asked if they believe government should distribute artificial contraceptives like condoms.
Everyone answered 'no' except for Aquino.
The aspirants were also asked about their stand on the Visiting Forces Agreement.
All candidates wanted the VFA revised, instead of the agreement being repealed.
On the issue of nuclear power, all candidates rejected the revival of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.
Aquino open to one on one debate with Villar
Liberal Party standard bearer Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III on Monday challenged his closest rival, Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearer Manuel Villar, to a one-on-one showdown on campaign issues to show the public who was the better man.
In an interview with reporters after the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap) presidential forum, which Villar did not attend, Aquino said he was willing to give the NP bet the privilege of choosing what subjects to tackle in their debate.
"I really want us to have a real debate, where we will be battling each other from the start," said Aquino, who added that he was not satisfied with current debate formats where all nine candidates for president participate. "Our countrymen, who need to be educated, probably lose their concentration or attention in long-winded debates."
"I am leaving it to him (Villar) to choose the topic, whatever he likes. I am comfortable here, we are supposed to have some degree of competence in all aspects," said Aquino.
He said he was willing to go one-on-one or even one-on-three, possibly to include other frontrunners such as former President Joseph Estrada and former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.
The latest surveys show Aquino and Villar in a close race to win the presidency on May 10. Estrada and Teodoro were third and fourth, respectively.
"We want to go beyond the sound bites," said Aquino.
Aquino admitted that he was frustrated with the limited amount of time in public forums to expound on his platform of government. He said he might join one or two more public debates with all candidates on stage, after which he would attend only those forums with a limited number of participants to give each of them more time to speak.
In an interview with reporters after the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap) presidential forum, which Villar did not attend, Aquino said he was willing to give the NP bet the privilege of choosing what subjects to tackle in their debate.
"I really want us to have a real debate, where we will be battling each other from the start," said Aquino, who added that he was not satisfied with current debate formats where all nine candidates for president participate. "Our countrymen, who need to be educated, probably lose their concentration or attention in long-winded debates."
"I am leaving it to him (Villar) to choose the topic, whatever he likes. I am comfortable here, we are supposed to have some degree of competence in all aspects," said Aquino.
He said he was willing to go one-on-one or even one-on-three, possibly to include other frontrunners such as former President Joseph Estrada and former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.
The latest surveys show Aquino and Villar in a close race to win the presidency on May 10. Estrada and Teodoro were third and fourth, respectively.
"We want to go beyond the sound bites," said Aquino.
Aquino admitted that he was frustrated with the limited amount of time in public forums to expound on his platform of government. He said he might join one or two more public debates with all candidates on stage, after which he would attend only those forums with a limited number of participants to give each of them more time to speak.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Villar seeking for Bro. Mike Velarde and El Shaddai Endorsement
NACIONALISTA PARTY (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar arrived in Hon Kong Saturday afternoon to meet with Filipino migrants and influential lay Catholic leaders, including Bro. Mariano “Mike” Velarde of the charismatic group El Shaddai.
Villar was to meet with Couples for Christ leader Frank Padilla and other CFC elders Saturday night. On Sunday he is to attend the Chinese New Year celebration of El Shaddai’s Hong Kong chapter.
Shortly before she herself flew to the former Crown Colony, Villar’s running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda, said the two of them were “the only ones invited by Brother Mike.”
Legarda told the Inquirer by phone that Velarde had personally extended the invitation to her and Villar to attend Sunday’s gathering in Hong Kong, which hosts nearly 100,000 Filipino voters.
The gathering is to be held on Chater Road at the central business district, where Filipino domestics congregate on Sundays.
Politicians running for national or local posts always seek the support of religious groups such as El Shaddai and Iglesia ni Cristo, which is known to vote as a bloc during elections.
Long friendship
On the phone with the Inquirer in Manila, Velarde’s spokesperson Mel Robles confirmed that among the presidential candidates, only Villar was invited by the El Shaddai leader to join him at Sunday’s gathering.
Robles, who was also in Hong Kong to take part in the Chinese New Year celebration, left it to Velarde to say whether he would endorse Villar and Legarda.
But he confirmed that among the candidates in past and coming elections, the NP standard-bearer was the closest to Velarde.
Robles, the administrator of the Light Rail Transit Authority, also chairs Buhay, the El Shaddai party-list group.
“Their friendship goes a long, long way. Compared to all others in the past, this one has the longest friendship with him,” Robles told the Inquirer on the phone.
According to Robles, Villar has enjoyed Velarde’s support since he first ran for congressman up to the time he became Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President.
Explaining the friendship, Robles said Velarde was one of the pioneers of mass housing in the country, and Villar used to supply sand to his business.
Velarde reportedly ventured into the residential subdivision business in the 1980s after graduating from the University of the East with a degree in geodetic engineering.
Like Villar, Velarde’s property was also deemed to have benefited from the controversial C-5 road extension project. But the Senate decided not to include the politically influential church leader in its investigation.
Verbal, nonverbal clues
In a statement sent to the Inquirer through Robles later Saturday, Velarde confirmed that Villar was the only presidential candidate invited to join him at Sunday’s gathering.
But when asked if he was supporting Villar’s candidacy over the others, Velarde merely said: “We go a long way back and we’re very close friends.”
Short of confirming that his boss was inclined to back Villar, Robles said the invitation for Villar to join Velarde in an El Shaddai event was “out of the ordinary.”
But he added that as a matter of policy, Velarde did not openly endorse candidates but merely gave verbal or nonverbal clues for his flock to “discern” during El Shaddai prayer rallies in Parañaque City close to Election Day.
Robles also said that if there was someone Velarde was “openly and wholeheartedly endorsing,” it would be the Buhay party-list group, of which his son Rene is a representative.
Villar arrived on board a Cathay Pacific flight at around 2:40 p.m. with his wife, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar.
The senator is expected to attend Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Tsuen Wan district before having dinner with Padilla and other CFC leaders.
He is to also meet Sunday with leaders of the militant group Migrante before attending the El Shaddai celebration.
Villar’s NP has allied with the militant Makabayan alliance, which has a strong presence in the Filipino community in Hong Kong.
According to Migrante, Hong Kong has one of the highest number of registered voters among overseas Filipino workers, and had the highest voter turnout overseas during the 2004 and 2007 elections.
Loren’s adviser
Legarda disclosed to the Inquirer that it was Velarde himself who had advised her to run with Villar.
“I was consulting him last year on who to run with after Chiz (Sen. Francis Escudero) bolted the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC),” Legarda said.
“Chiz is gone,” she quoted Velarde as saying. “Don’t look too far. You should be with Manny (Villar).”
Escudero had earlier been groomed to be the NPC’s standard-bearer, with Legarda as his running mate. But he backed out at the last minute.
Legarda said she and Velarde meet for lunch almost every month.
“The last time we had lunch together, he was with his daughter and son,” she said.
Villar was to meet with Couples for Christ leader Frank Padilla and other CFC elders Saturday night. On Sunday he is to attend the Chinese New Year celebration of El Shaddai’s Hong Kong chapter.
Shortly before she herself flew to the former Crown Colony, Villar’s running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda, said the two of them were “the only ones invited by Brother Mike.”
Legarda told the Inquirer by phone that Velarde had personally extended the invitation to her and Villar to attend Sunday’s gathering in Hong Kong, which hosts nearly 100,000 Filipino voters.
The gathering is to be held on Chater Road at the central business district, where Filipino domestics congregate on Sundays.
Politicians running for national or local posts always seek the support of religious groups such as El Shaddai and Iglesia ni Cristo, which is known to vote as a bloc during elections.
Long friendship
On the phone with the Inquirer in Manila, Velarde’s spokesperson Mel Robles confirmed that among the presidential candidates, only Villar was invited by the El Shaddai leader to join him at Sunday’s gathering.
Robles, who was also in Hong Kong to take part in the Chinese New Year celebration, left it to Velarde to say whether he would endorse Villar and Legarda.
But he confirmed that among the candidates in past and coming elections, the NP standard-bearer was the closest to Velarde.
Robles, the administrator of the Light Rail Transit Authority, also chairs Buhay, the El Shaddai party-list group.
“Their friendship goes a long, long way. Compared to all others in the past, this one has the longest friendship with him,” Robles told the Inquirer on the phone.
According to Robles, Villar has enjoyed Velarde’s support since he first ran for congressman up to the time he became Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President.
Explaining the friendship, Robles said Velarde was one of the pioneers of mass housing in the country, and Villar used to supply sand to his business.
Velarde reportedly ventured into the residential subdivision business in the 1980s after graduating from the University of the East with a degree in geodetic engineering.
Like Villar, Velarde’s property was also deemed to have benefited from the controversial C-5 road extension project. But the Senate decided not to include the politically influential church leader in its investigation.
Verbal, nonverbal clues
In a statement sent to the Inquirer through Robles later Saturday, Velarde confirmed that Villar was the only presidential candidate invited to join him at Sunday’s gathering.
But when asked if he was supporting Villar’s candidacy over the others, Velarde merely said: “We go a long way back and we’re very close friends.”
Short of confirming that his boss was inclined to back Villar, Robles said the invitation for Villar to join Velarde in an El Shaddai event was “out of the ordinary.”
But he added that as a matter of policy, Velarde did not openly endorse candidates but merely gave verbal or nonverbal clues for his flock to “discern” during El Shaddai prayer rallies in Parañaque City close to Election Day.
Robles also said that if there was someone Velarde was “openly and wholeheartedly endorsing,” it would be the Buhay party-list group, of which his son Rene is a representative.
Villar arrived on board a Cathay Pacific flight at around 2:40 p.m. with his wife, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar.
The senator is expected to attend Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Tsuen Wan district before having dinner with Padilla and other CFC leaders.
He is to also meet Sunday with leaders of the militant group Migrante before attending the El Shaddai celebration.
Villar’s NP has allied with the militant Makabayan alliance, which has a strong presence in the Filipino community in Hong Kong.
According to Migrante, Hong Kong has one of the highest number of registered voters among overseas Filipino workers, and had the highest voter turnout overseas during the 2004 and 2007 elections.
Loren’s adviser
Legarda disclosed to the Inquirer that it was Velarde himself who had advised her to run with Villar.
“I was consulting him last year on who to run with after Chiz (Sen. Francis Escudero) bolted the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC),” Legarda said.
“Chiz is gone,” she quoted Velarde as saying. “Don’t look too far. You should be with Manny (Villar).”
Escudero had earlier been groomed to be the NPC’s standard-bearer, with Legarda as his running mate. But he backed out at the last minute.
Legarda said she and Velarde meet for lunch almost every month.
“The last time we had lunch together, he was with his daughter and son,” she said.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Villar Starts Campaign in Laguna
No, Sen. Manuel Villar did not swim in a sea of garbage, as his popular campaign jingle goes, to kick off what he and his running mate Sen. Loren Legarda called “the 90-day journey to a better Philippines.”
Calling themselves a “united front versus poverty,” Villar, Legarda and senatorial candidates of the Nacionalista Party (NP) kicked off the formal election campaign with a proclamation rally in Calamba, where national hero Jose Rizal was born.
The rally at the Banga plaza was to have started at 3:30 p.m. It began at 6 p.m., with GMA 7’s Raymond Gutierrez and Valerie Concepcion as program emcees, but the plaza as well as the narrow streets were filled with orange-clad NP supporters and bystanders hours earlier.
An estimated 3,000 supporters, with some coming all the way from Las Piñas City, Villar’s hometown, were present.
At press time, the NP senatorial candidates were delivering individual speeches to a crowd of thousands.
Onstage, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was seated apart from Representatives Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza of the militant party-list groups Bayan Muna and Gabriela, respectively.
Ocampo, who was jailed during the dictatorship of Marcos Jr.’s father, clapped perfunctorily when the latter was called to give his speech.
‘Only Willie’
If Villar pulled out all the stops for his pre-campaign ads, his kick-off rally was low-key and only had celebrities like “Wowowee” host Willie Revillame to spice up the event.
There was hardly any gimmickry from an “energized” NP. “There’s no need to reinvent the wheel because it works. This is what the people want,” NP spokesperson and senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla said hours before the rally started.
Early in the day, the NP motorcade bearing Legarda and senatorial candidates Ocampo, Maza, Remulla, Ramon “Mon-Mon” Mitra, Gwendolyn Pimentel, Susan Ople, Adel Tamano and Sen. Pia Cayetano, stopped at the public markets in the towns of Biñan, Balibago, Sta. Rosa and Cabuyao.
Legarda and Maza have roots in the town of San Pablo.
Former Col. Ariel Querubin, detained on coup d’etat charges, sent his son Martin to campaign on his behalf.
Marcos and the NP guest candidates, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., did not join the motorcade.
At noon, the party attended Mass at St. John the Baptist church in Calamba, where Marcos Jr. showed up.
A singer and a comedian hosting games as well as the repeated play of “Akala Mo” and “Naging Mahirap”—the latter, Villar’s popular campaign jingle that starts with the line “Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura” (Have you swam in a sea of garbage), which purportedly describes the candidate’s impoverished childhood—kept the crowd entertained for hours at the Banga plaza.
Momentum
“We’re very much energized but we also have to work much harder,” Remulla said.
He said all the NP candidates were “finding strength” in the leap that Villar had made in the most recent Pulse Asia survey, which placed him neck and neck with his closest rival, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party.
Villar had apparently gained much from the barrage of political ads that were aired before the campaign period, which, according to Remulla, gave the NP “enough momentum.”
He said the now limited air time for political ads had produced a “level playing field.”
Remulla also said the NP was focusing on strengthening its political machinery made up of the support of local candidates and civil society.
“They are the ones that will ultimately deliver the votes,” he said.
‘Good fight’
In a statement, the NP said it chose to launch its “good fight” in Rizal’s birthplace “because the cradle of heroes is always the best springboard of change.”
“We would like to unveil our vision for the nation in the birthplace of the man who told us and showed us how to love it,” the NP said.
It also said Laguna was chosen “because we believe that our vow to serve the people will assume a sacred dimension if made in the place symbolized by our national hero.”
But Remulla talked in terms of votes.
He told reporters that while Laguna was not a known NP bailiwick, it was best to kick off the campaign in the province because it had about 1.3 million voters.
“We see it as a challenge area—Region 4-A. From the surveys that we’ve seen, we have been in second place almost always, so it’s a challenge for us to come here and try to [draw] as many votes as we can,” he said.
Remulla also said he saw the “outpouring of support” from the people during the motorcade: “People came out in droves; [we did not have] to bring them out.”
The party has lined up campaign sorties in the provinces of Cavite, Pampanga and Quezon for the rest of the week.
7-point platform
In a prepared speech, Legarda announced her seven-point platform—pro-people leadership premised on the principles of good governance; a more holistic national development strategy; stronger promotion of environmental protection; stronger efforts to protect the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers; sustained, internationally assisted and sincere negotiations with communist and secessionist rebels to achieve just and lasting peace throughout the country; empowerment of women in all spheres of life and work; and creation of robust institutions and a supportive policy environment to enhance cultural identity and consciousness.
“These are what I stand for and will continue to champion as an elected national official,” she said.
Legarda emphasized the need for a holistic platform of governance. She called on the voting public to consider a candidate’s “concrete and tangible record of action” in their choice of leaders.
“Our biggest fight is not a fight among politicians. It is a fight against poverty and hopelessness. That is what my seven-point agenda directly addresses,” she said.
Calling themselves a “united front versus poverty,” Villar, Legarda and senatorial candidates of the Nacionalista Party (NP) kicked off the formal election campaign with a proclamation rally in Calamba, where national hero Jose Rizal was born.
The rally at the Banga plaza was to have started at 3:30 p.m. It began at 6 p.m., with GMA 7’s Raymond Gutierrez and Valerie Concepcion as program emcees, but the plaza as well as the narrow streets were filled with orange-clad NP supporters and bystanders hours earlier.
An estimated 3,000 supporters, with some coming all the way from Las Piñas City, Villar’s hometown, were present.
At press time, the NP senatorial candidates were delivering individual speeches to a crowd of thousands.
Onstage, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was seated apart from Representatives Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza of the militant party-list groups Bayan Muna and Gabriela, respectively.
Ocampo, who was jailed during the dictatorship of Marcos Jr.’s father, clapped perfunctorily when the latter was called to give his speech.
‘Only Willie’
If Villar pulled out all the stops for his pre-campaign ads, his kick-off rally was low-key and only had celebrities like “Wowowee” host Willie Revillame to spice up the event.
There was hardly any gimmickry from an “energized” NP. “There’s no need to reinvent the wheel because it works. This is what the people want,” NP spokesperson and senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla said hours before the rally started.
Early in the day, the NP motorcade bearing Legarda and senatorial candidates Ocampo, Maza, Remulla, Ramon “Mon-Mon” Mitra, Gwendolyn Pimentel, Susan Ople, Adel Tamano and Sen. Pia Cayetano, stopped at the public markets in the towns of Biñan, Balibago, Sta. Rosa and Cabuyao.
Legarda and Maza have roots in the town of San Pablo.
Former Col. Ariel Querubin, detained on coup d’etat charges, sent his son Martin to campaign on his behalf.
Marcos and the NP guest candidates, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., did not join the motorcade.
At noon, the party attended Mass at St. John the Baptist church in Calamba, where Marcos Jr. showed up.
A singer and a comedian hosting games as well as the repeated play of “Akala Mo” and “Naging Mahirap”—the latter, Villar’s popular campaign jingle that starts with the line “Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura” (Have you swam in a sea of garbage), which purportedly describes the candidate’s impoverished childhood—kept the crowd entertained for hours at the Banga plaza.
Momentum
“We’re very much energized but we also have to work much harder,” Remulla said.
He said all the NP candidates were “finding strength” in the leap that Villar had made in the most recent Pulse Asia survey, which placed him neck and neck with his closest rival, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party.
Villar had apparently gained much from the barrage of political ads that were aired before the campaign period, which, according to Remulla, gave the NP “enough momentum.”
He said the now limited air time for political ads had produced a “level playing field.”
Remulla also said the NP was focusing on strengthening its political machinery made up of the support of local candidates and civil society.
“They are the ones that will ultimately deliver the votes,” he said.
‘Good fight’
In a statement, the NP said it chose to launch its “good fight” in Rizal’s birthplace “because the cradle of heroes is always the best springboard of change.”
“We would like to unveil our vision for the nation in the birthplace of the man who told us and showed us how to love it,” the NP said.
It also said Laguna was chosen “because we believe that our vow to serve the people will assume a sacred dimension if made in the place symbolized by our national hero.”
But Remulla talked in terms of votes.
He told reporters that while Laguna was not a known NP bailiwick, it was best to kick off the campaign in the province because it had about 1.3 million voters.
“We see it as a challenge area—Region 4-A. From the surveys that we’ve seen, we have been in second place almost always, so it’s a challenge for us to come here and try to [draw] as many votes as we can,” he said.
Remulla also said he saw the “outpouring of support” from the people during the motorcade: “People came out in droves; [we did not have] to bring them out.”
The party has lined up campaign sorties in the provinces of Cavite, Pampanga and Quezon for the rest of the week.
7-point platform
In a prepared speech, Legarda announced her seven-point platform—pro-people leadership premised on the principles of good governance; a more holistic national development strategy; stronger promotion of environmental protection; stronger efforts to protect the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers; sustained, internationally assisted and sincere negotiations with communist and secessionist rebels to achieve just and lasting peace throughout the country; empowerment of women in all spheres of life and work; and creation of robust institutions and a supportive policy environment to enhance cultural identity and consciousness.
“These are what I stand for and will continue to champion as an elected national official,” she said.
Legarda emphasized the need for a holistic platform of governance. She called on the voting public to consider a candidate’s “concrete and tangible record of action” in their choice of leaders.
“Our biggest fight is not a fight among politicians. It is a fight against poverty and hopelessness. That is what my seven-point agenda directly addresses,” she said.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Villar spent P543-M on Ads
Sen. Jamby Madrigal and several other presidential candidates on Monday ganged up on Sen. Manny Villar for spending too much on political advertisements, which analysts have pinpointed as the main reason why Villar has been able to catch up with erstwhile frontrunner Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III.
In the "Inquirer First Edition: Presidential Debates" held at UP Diliman, Madrigal delivered harsh criticisms against Villar. The lady senator had filed a complaint for unethical conduct against the real estate tycoon in connection with the C-5 road extension project.
The ball started rolling when Madrigal was asked the question: “Political ads nowadays seem to cater to the lowest common denominator in society. From catchphrases to jingles, they seem to contain mainly rhetoric but no real substance. Do you think this type of campaigning, including political endorsements from movie celebrities, does this not contribute to the dumbing down of the Filipino voter?”
The sole female presidential candidate responded with a resounding, “I agree—completely."
According to Madrigal, she does not agree with the use of jingles, children, and actors being paid P30 million pesos. She sees these tactics as insults to the Filipino’s intelligence.
Villar's most popular ad uses children singing and extolling Villar's virtues. Popular comedian, Dolphy Quizon, is believed to have received a large sum for endorsing Villar.
“The use of jingles. The use of children. The use of actors, where you have to pay P30 million to endorse you. It’s an insult to the Filipino intelligence. That is why I have chosen to respect the law. People who have spent P2 billion, who think they can buy Malacañang, have no right to become president,” Madrigal said.
“You will see my ads. I have no jingles. It’s a reflection of my political platform,” she said.
Lesson from Judai ads
Reminded about her 2004 political ads, where she tapped popular celebrity Judy Ann Santos for her campaign, Madrigal replied: “I have seen the folly of my ways. I will not repeat it. I do not believe we should perpetuate lies, which are perpetuated by big budgets.”
She also found a way to blame Villar about child nutrition.
“If not for the boycott of the minority, we could have passed the Milk Code that would have saved the lives of infants. We were curtailing milk companies from advertising for infants from 0 to 2 years old. They are saying that their products are substitutes for breast milk. That is the number one contributor for mortality for infants in this country. It would have passed if not for a very inconsiderate minority. My heart bleeds,” Madrigal said.
Madrigal said her political advertisements for the May 10 polls will only reflect her political principles and platforms.
Villar, the richest among the 9 presidential candidates, has been outspending his rivals in political ads by a ratio of around 8 to 1. He spent over P500 million from October to December 2009 alone, landing him in 14th place in the country's top 20 advertisers. Some observers have estimated Villar has already spent anywhere from P1 billion to P2 billion in ads.
After taking several swipes at Villar, Madrigal was asked if there was anything positive she could say about him. She said: "Maganda ang pagtina ng buhok niya (I like the way his hair is dyed)."
If you had Villar’s money…
Questions about Villar's wealth and political ads did not end there.
Ang Kapatiran’s JC Delos Reyes was asked if he would still run for president if the Olongapo councilor had the wealth of Villar. “If the situation of this country is like this, yes, I still would (run),” he said.
Delos Reyes clarified, though, that his campaign style would be unlike Villar's since it would focus on his beliefs and priorities. The councilor added that candidates should not portray wrong messages that may destroy the “values of the youth.”
“The way a politician handles his money, his campaign style, reflects the way he is. If I have the money, I would engage in politics but I would be very careful in the message. I believe that if you are to serve, there should be a message that conveys principles and platform. It should not be a campaign message that just says, 'Ako ang mahirap. Ako ang ganito.' It destroys the values of the youth. It destroys idealism,” De Los Reyes said.
Villar's ads have emphasized his humble roots in Tondo, Manila and his pro-poor programs.
Power or wealth?
In defending his excessive ad spending, Villar said it is also important to examine the other candidates’ campaign donors, implying that it is better to have a self-financed campaign.
“Pera ko naman ang ginagastos ko. Napakahalaga na tanungin din natin, hindi lamang kung magkano ang ginagastos, kundi sino ba ang nagbigigay sa kanila? Dahil baka ito ang hinahalal nating pangulo at hindi yung nakaharap dito. Napakahalaga din yun,” Villar said.
Villar was also asked the question, “If Senator Aquino has Kris Aquino as his campaign donor, who else—aside from Mrs. Cynthia Villar—are generously donating to your campaign?"
“Hindi naman ako artista. Wala akong nanay na presidente. Wala akong kapatid na artista. Kailangan ang mahirap ang pinagsimulan na gaya ko ay bigyan ng pagkakataon—ng level playing field. Kung hindi ito (pol ads), wala na,” he said.
“I use my own money for campaigning,” Villar said, reiterating that unlike Aquino, he does not have an influential sister in show business who can help him win.
Power or wealth?
Another question for the former Senate president caught the crowd’s attention: “Which would you rather have: power or wealth?”
Villar indirectly answered that a child who comes from a poor family automatically dreams of being wealthy when he or she grows up. However, he said there should be a higher dream after achieving wealth.
In his case, Villar said he eventually realized the need to help the poor, but for him to be able to do this, he needs power.
“Minsan, ang pangarap mo ay nakakarating sa pinakamataas, at yun ay makatulong sa kapwa. At minsan, nangangailangan ng power para magawa mo yang pangarap na yan na maiahon ang iyong kababayan sa kahirapan,” he said.
“Yumaman ako sa malinis na paraan (I became rich through honest means)," he added.
Villar, who smiled throughout the forum despite the attacks, dismissed the criticisms as part of the election process.
“Iyan ang problema kapag nangunguna ka na. Pero okay lang yun. Ready tayo dyan. I consider it a compliment. Mas mahirap kung hindi ka pinapansin,” Villar told reporters at the sidelines of Monday's debate.
In the latest Pulse Asia survey, conducted January 22-26, Villar had caught up with Aquino, the erstwhile survey frontrunner. They were statistically tied at 35% and 37%, respectively.
Political analysts have attributed Villar’s rise to his political ads and marketing campaign.
No truth in pro-poor message?
Villar’s rivals also criticized his pro-poor advocacy as a mere campaign stunt.
“Kung sasabihin mong maka-mahirap ka, you show it. Sabi ni Erap noon, “Ako ay para sa mahirap.” Ano nangyari sa atin? Lalo tayong nagiging mahirap. Over the history of our country, there have been exploitation of the poor. Makamahirap sila. Pero pag nakaupo na, nakalimutan na,” Senator Richard Gordon said.
“You have to face the facts. Kung ang leader hindi haharap sa accountability, dapat hindi iboto ang taong yan,” Gordon added.
The Senate was scheduled to vote last February 3 on a committee report that seeks to censure Villar for his unethical conduct on the C-5 road project, but Villar and his allies in the minority didn’t show up, thus blocking the censure.
Curiously, Aquino—who in the past presidential fora was very critical of Villar—refrained from actively engaging in the word war. (See story: Noynoy questions Villar’s ethics)
Aquino was asked to comment on Villar’s ads. The question was: "Your closest rival seems to hold himself up as a symbol of hope or as the embodiment of [the saying that] if you work hard and persevere. Is this realistic or this an impossible dream?”
He replied: “Meron na naka-achieve na nyan. Dito sa ating mga katunggali, maraming nagtatanong kung tama po yata [yung mensahe na yun.] Pero hindi ko na papasukan yan. Sa amin, ang pananaw namin, kulang sa oportunidad.”
Aquino then harped on the need to improve the country’s educational system to make the Filipinos competitive worldwide.
Attacks vs Noynoy
Aquino got a share of criticisms, too.
Gordon also assailed Aquino’s earlier statement that he will not impose new taxes if elected president. He said Aquino was only trying to be populist, but it’s a promise that will be hard to keep.
“No president wants to raise taxes. Pero kailangan harapin ang katotohanan. Gusto ba nating umunlad o hindi? We have to make sacrifices. We have no place to look for but expand the tax base,” Gordon said.
The "Inquirer First Edition: Presidential Debates" was organized by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and co-sponsored by Globe Telecoms and the UP College of Mass Communication.
A total of 27 questions were posed for each candidate separated into 3 categories: 1) Law and governance, 2) Social Services, and 3) Economics and Business.
In the "Inquirer First Edition: Presidential Debates" held at UP Diliman, Madrigal delivered harsh criticisms against Villar. The lady senator had filed a complaint for unethical conduct against the real estate tycoon in connection with the C-5 road extension project.
The ball started rolling when Madrigal was asked the question: “Political ads nowadays seem to cater to the lowest common denominator in society. From catchphrases to jingles, they seem to contain mainly rhetoric but no real substance. Do you think this type of campaigning, including political endorsements from movie celebrities, does this not contribute to the dumbing down of the Filipino voter?”
The sole female presidential candidate responded with a resounding, “I agree—completely."
According to Madrigal, she does not agree with the use of jingles, children, and actors being paid P30 million pesos. She sees these tactics as insults to the Filipino’s intelligence.
Villar's most popular ad uses children singing and extolling Villar's virtues. Popular comedian, Dolphy Quizon, is believed to have received a large sum for endorsing Villar.
“The use of jingles. The use of children. The use of actors, where you have to pay P30 million to endorse you. It’s an insult to the Filipino intelligence. That is why I have chosen to respect the law. People who have spent P2 billion, who think they can buy Malacañang, have no right to become president,” Madrigal said.
“You will see my ads. I have no jingles. It’s a reflection of my political platform,” she said.
Lesson from Judai ads
Reminded about her 2004 political ads, where she tapped popular celebrity Judy Ann Santos for her campaign, Madrigal replied: “I have seen the folly of my ways. I will not repeat it. I do not believe we should perpetuate lies, which are perpetuated by big budgets.”
She also found a way to blame Villar about child nutrition.
“If not for the boycott of the minority, we could have passed the Milk Code that would have saved the lives of infants. We were curtailing milk companies from advertising for infants from 0 to 2 years old. They are saying that their products are substitutes for breast milk. That is the number one contributor for mortality for infants in this country. It would have passed if not for a very inconsiderate minority. My heart bleeds,” Madrigal said.
Madrigal said her political advertisements for the May 10 polls will only reflect her political principles and platforms.
Villar, the richest among the 9 presidential candidates, has been outspending his rivals in political ads by a ratio of around 8 to 1. He spent over P500 million from October to December 2009 alone, landing him in 14th place in the country's top 20 advertisers. Some observers have estimated Villar has already spent anywhere from P1 billion to P2 billion in ads.
After taking several swipes at Villar, Madrigal was asked if there was anything positive she could say about him. She said: "Maganda ang pagtina ng buhok niya (I like the way his hair is dyed)."
If you had Villar’s money…
Questions about Villar's wealth and political ads did not end there.
Ang Kapatiran’s JC Delos Reyes was asked if he would still run for president if the Olongapo councilor had the wealth of Villar. “If the situation of this country is like this, yes, I still would (run),” he said.
Delos Reyes clarified, though, that his campaign style would be unlike Villar's since it would focus on his beliefs and priorities. The councilor added that candidates should not portray wrong messages that may destroy the “values of the youth.”
“The way a politician handles his money, his campaign style, reflects the way he is. If I have the money, I would engage in politics but I would be very careful in the message. I believe that if you are to serve, there should be a message that conveys principles and platform. It should not be a campaign message that just says, 'Ako ang mahirap. Ako ang ganito.' It destroys the values of the youth. It destroys idealism,” De Los Reyes said.
Villar's ads have emphasized his humble roots in Tondo, Manila and his pro-poor programs.
Power or wealth?
In defending his excessive ad spending, Villar said it is also important to examine the other candidates’ campaign donors, implying that it is better to have a self-financed campaign.
“Pera ko naman ang ginagastos ko. Napakahalaga na tanungin din natin, hindi lamang kung magkano ang ginagastos, kundi sino ba ang nagbigigay sa kanila? Dahil baka ito ang hinahalal nating pangulo at hindi yung nakaharap dito. Napakahalaga din yun,” Villar said.
Villar was also asked the question, “If Senator Aquino has Kris Aquino as his campaign donor, who else—aside from Mrs. Cynthia Villar—are generously donating to your campaign?"
“Hindi naman ako artista. Wala akong nanay na presidente. Wala akong kapatid na artista. Kailangan ang mahirap ang pinagsimulan na gaya ko ay bigyan ng pagkakataon—ng level playing field. Kung hindi ito (pol ads), wala na,” he said.
“I use my own money for campaigning,” Villar said, reiterating that unlike Aquino, he does not have an influential sister in show business who can help him win.
Power or wealth?
Another question for the former Senate president caught the crowd’s attention: “Which would you rather have: power or wealth?”
Villar indirectly answered that a child who comes from a poor family automatically dreams of being wealthy when he or she grows up. However, he said there should be a higher dream after achieving wealth.
In his case, Villar said he eventually realized the need to help the poor, but for him to be able to do this, he needs power.
“Minsan, ang pangarap mo ay nakakarating sa pinakamataas, at yun ay makatulong sa kapwa. At minsan, nangangailangan ng power para magawa mo yang pangarap na yan na maiahon ang iyong kababayan sa kahirapan,” he said.
“Yumaman ako sa malinis na paraan (I became rich through honest means)," he added.
Villar, who smiled throughout the forum despite the attacks, dismissed the criticisms as part of the election process.
“Iyan ang problema kapag nangunguna ka na. Pero okay lang yun. Ready tayo dyan. I consider it a compliment. Mas mahirap kung hindi ka pinapansin,” Villar told reporters at the sidelines of Monday's debate.
In the latest Pulse Asia survey, conducted January 22-26, Villar had caught up with Aquino, the erstwhile survey frontrunner. They were statistically tied at 35% and 37%, respectively.
Political analysts have attributed Villar’s rise to his political ads and marketing campaign.
No truth in pro-poor message?
Villar’s rivals also criticized his pro-poor advocacy as a mere campaign stunt.
“Kung sasabihin mong maka-mahirap ka, you show it. Sabi ni Erap noon, “Ako ay para sa mahirap.” Ano nangyari sa atin? Lalo tayong nagiging mahirap. Over the history of our country, there have been exploitation of the poor. Makamahirap sila. Pero pag nakaupo na, nakalimutan na,” Senator Richard Gordon said.
“You have to face the facts. Kung ang leader hindi haharap sa accountability, dapat hindi iboto ang taong yan,” Gordon added.
The Senate was scheduled to vote last February 3 on a committee report that seeks to censure Villar for his unethical conduct on the C-5 road project, but Villar and his allies in the minority didn’t show up, thus blocking the censure.
Curiously, Aquino—who in the past presidential fora was very critical of Villar—refrained from actively engaging in the word war. (See story: Noynoy questions Villar’s ethics)
Aquino was asked to comment on Villar’s ads. The question was: "Your closest rival seems to hold himself up as a symbol of hope or as the embodiment of [the saying that] if you work hard and persevere. Is this realistic or this an impossible dream?”
He replied: “Meron na naka-achieve na nyan. Dito sa ating mga katunggali, maraming nagtatanong kung tama po yata [yung mensahe na yun.] Pero hindi ko na papasukan yan. Sa amin, ang pananaw namin, kulang sa oportunidad.”
Aquino then harped on the need to improve the country’s educational system to make the Filipinos competitive worldwide.
Attacks vs Noynoy
Aquino got a share of criticisms, too.
Gordon also assailed Aquino’s earlier statement that he will not impose new taxes if elected president. He said Aquino was only trying to be populist, but it’s a promise that will be hard to keep.
“No president wants to raise taxes. Pero kailangan harapin ang katotohanan. Gusto ba nating umunlad o hindi? We have to make sacrifices. We have no place to look for but expand the tax base,” Gordon said.
The "Inquirer First Edition: Presidential Debates" was organized by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and co-sponsored by Globe Telecoms and the UP College of Mass Communication.
A total of 27 questions were posed for each candidate separated into 3 categories: 1) Law and governance, 2) Social Services, and 3) Economics and Business.
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