Ang Pekeng Opo-sisyon ng Nacionalista Party

Another Gloria Macapagal ARroyo loyalist na nagkukunwaring oposisyon at anti-kurakot ay itong si Abraham Mitra, senatorial candidate ng Nacionalista Party.


"Panahon pa raw ng tatay niya" na galit siya pangungurakot.

But that was during Marcos' time.

The Baham Mitra I know now is an Arroyo Loyalist.

He voted twice for killing the impeachment complaint in 2005 and 2006.

He was one of many congressmen loyal to Arroyo who received money from Jocjoc Bolante re the Fertilizer Funds scandal.

Yup, maka "opo-sisyon" nga.

Laughable Nacionalista Party ad

"Tunay na Oposisyon"? The ad wouldn't even dare mention Arroyo's name.


So how serious is Manny Villar about fighting corruption? Not so much.

As I See It
Villar won’t file raps against Arroyo

By Neal Cruz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:02:00 10/02/2009

If and when Sen. Manny Villar becomes president, he will not, he said, file charges against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. But he would not prevent others from doing so. He would allow the wheels of justice to punish those who need punishing. But he will not interfere to save anybody.
...
Asked what would be his priorities in case he becomes president, Villar answered that it would be the economy and jobs. An improved economy and more jobs are important to raise the standard of living in any country, he said. With a higher standard of living, graft and corruption would lessen. People would not steal anymore because they are living well already.

Obviously, it's not a priority. Just lip service.

And how silly it is to see a Marcos in an anti-corruption ad. And Satur Ocampo and Marcos in the same ad, LMAO.

MORE: Villar blind to Arroyo's corruption

Why would Lacson want to kill Dacer?

just asking here, not buying the "lacson killed dacer" angle for a sec, but:

- if lacson really killed dacer, WHAT could be his motive? He doesn't know the guy all that much other than the fact that they (lacson and dacer) are linked to Erap

- I know many would say the motive is: Erap ordered the killing because of a fallout between him and Dacer. If that is the case, then why is this administration's PNP not going after Erap NOW?

- of course, if this admin will have erap arrested NOW, erap's candidacy will be damaged and he might even get disqualified.

- with erap out, NOYNOY will benefit by getting all the remaining anti-GMA votes. So why would this admin take erap the spoiler out of the race and damage the chances of their secret annointed--Villar?

From Lito Banayo:

A more cautious judge would have tried to determine if probable cause indeed existed to charge Lacson, especially in light of the selective prosecution by the DOJ (why only Lacson, and not Erap as well, who was also in the affidavits of Mancao and even Dumlao?).

Trends

Trends used to do interviews and data gathering for 3 poll firms in 2004 (SWS, Pulse, and NFO Trends)

Now in 2010 they're doing field work for Pulse Asia and Manila Standard Today's polls, and the numbers look similar:

In the SWS survey, which says it has its own field workers, had Noynoy Aquino at 42 percent and Manny Villar at 35 percent nationwide, an 8 percent difference. Erap Estrada was at 13 percent. Undecideds were pegged at 2 percent. Error margin was at 2.2 percent, plus-minus.

The Manila Standard Today (MST) also conducted its survey, with Trends utilized as its field workers’ organization, between Jan. 21 and 27. Respondents were 2,500. In its survey, MST had Noynoy Aquino at 36 percent nationwide and Villar at 34 percent, a statistical tie. Estrada was pegged at 13 percent. Check on the math for nationwide averages. It is clear that the MST’s survey is intended to deliberately bring down the numbers of Estrada, as Pulse Asia did and no doubt, SWS did too.

Pulse Asia also conducted a survey from Jan. 20 to 26, the same time frame as MST and to a certain extent, SWS’ time frame, also using Trends for its field work. Its respondent base was 1,800. In it, Aquino obtained 37 percent, Villar at 35 percent, or a statistical and Estrada at 12 percent.

As Trends was utilized by both MST and Pulse, validation by way of comparison, can’t be claimed.

Read the whole thing. Ninez explains why she finds the internal numbers suspicious.

Erap's poll ratings before Edsa Dos

cut and pasted from my old post back in 2006:

ERAP TRUST RATING STILL HIGHER THAN GMA (Dec. 23, 2000)

MORE PINOYS WANT ERAP TO STAY -- SURVEY (Dec. 18, 2000)

Believe it or not, most Filipinos still pin their hopes of a better life on President Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada.

A nationwide Social Weather Station (SWS) survey commissioned by ABS-CBN showed that at least 47 percent of the respondents believed that President Estrada should set aside politics and focus on sustaining the social and economic gains the country has been achieving in recent months.

Despite a brewing political crisis, the Philippines achieved a significant 5.8-percent growth in its Gross National Product and a 4.8-percent upswing in its Gross Domestic Product.

ERAP’S POPULARITY STEADY - PHIL STAR SURVEY (Dec. 12, 2000)

ERAP TRUSTED BY MORE FILIPINOS THAN OPPOSITION, RELIGIOUS LEADERS - SURVEY Dec. 6, 2000

MORE FILIPINOS AGAINST ERAP RESIGNATION - PULSE ASIA SURVEY Dec. 2, 2000

MANILANS AGAINST ERAP'S RESIGNATION -- SURVEY Nov. 21, 2000

LAKAS SURVEY SHOWS ERAP SNAP POLL WIN -- PALACE Oct. 27, 2000

ERAP POPULARITY UP IN SURVEY Oct. 18, 2000

ERAP SHOULD NOT RESIGN -- SURVEY Oct. 16, 2000

Comment: Most of the surveys showed erap was more popular than the opposition at that time and most say that he shouldn't resign -- pero natanggal pa rin siya.

"I would dunk on his ass, break the rim, and shatter the glass."

Lebron James on George W. Bush. LOL.

"Genuine Opposition"

There is Manuel B. Villar, Jr., who started his political career as congressman of the lone district of Las Pinas, when his wife’s family alternatingly held the mayorship. That was in 1992, running as Monching Mitra’s LDP candidate. After FVR won, Villar turned to Lakas. In 1995, Angara’s LDP was suborned by Lakas, the banner Villar used in his first re-election, which he won handily. In 1998, he ran under Lakas, the flag of Jose de Venecia, who lost miserably to Lammp coalition’s Erap. As soon as night became day, hounded by the Asian recession that hit his fortunes badly, Villar led 49 other Lakas stalwarts and swore to Erap’s high haven in Greenhills. Through a hefty transaction, he became “speaker” by grace of Erap, who disgraced word of commitment to Joker Arroyo. In November of 2000, he promptly cut the niceties of committee hearings and floor debates, and by stroke of nimble double-cross, sent the impeachment complaint with the requisite endorsers to the Senate for trial.

Having been one of the principal sponsors of Gloria’s ascent to the presidency, he was amply rewarded with a slot in her People Power Coalition for the senatorial elections of 2001. He won, and served a full first term, getting the supra-powerful Finance Committee with influence over the budget, and later, through a term-sharing deal, Senate President after Franklin Drilon. In 2004, he fully supported his Gloria’s election. Right after, he “bought” the franchise to the Nacionalista Party name, hollowed out of members its history had. In 2005, when the revelations of Hello Garci ripped wide open the underbelly of a massive cheating conspiracy against the people, he kept his mouth shut. Franklin Drilon did not, and joined others in asking for Gloria’s resignation. Not Manny Villar. Thus did he retain the senate presidency until re-election time in 2007. But because the fall-out over Hello Garci extended till 2007, with his president burdened by abysmally low trust and approval ratings, Manny Villar thought it was time to switch…again.

And a motley band of oppositionists who wanted a shut-out, never mind defining principles or issues, welcomed him with open arms, with Erap mismo negotiating still another transaction with Villar. He was supposed to bring in other “sure” winners, Ralph Recto, Joker Arroyo, and Francis Pangilinan. The first two also deserted Erap in the critical days of 2000, while the last was never for Erap. The first two opted to still bed with Gloria; Francis ran as an independent. At the start of the campaign, Villar also styled himself as an “independent”, as if testing the waters. That was fine with Erap, for what curious reasons I have yet to fathom. When the so-called “Genuine Opposition” won handily, oh, Villar was now considered a born-again “oppositionist”. By the imprimatur of Erap, and the nihil obstat of Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, and of course, Jinggoy Estrada who got the lofty sinecure of pro-tempore. There went the “genuine opposition”. Even usually critical and perceptive media glossed over this, and sang the hossanas for Manny Villar, once more the Senate President, and soon, the “president” of their dreams … and wallets.

So, from LDP (1992) to Lakas (1995), to Erap’s Lammp (1998) to Gloria’s PPC (2001), to Nacionalista in support of Gloria (2004), to Nacionalista as part of an “opposition” coalition in 2007, to Nacionalista, with questionable allegiances at present. That is the adroit and nimble political odyssey of Manuel B. Villar Jr., much like a hopping kangaroo, the man who would be president of the benighted land.

NoyNoy should run

let's see how far he can go. Alam ko walang primaries sa LP, but if it's clear that he's not better than Mar as a candidate, then he should drop out before the Liberal Party makes their final decision on who should be the LP standard bearer.

I don't agree with de Quiros about his premature Noynoy-Mar ticket, but i'm willing to see Aquino and Roxas participate in debates and hear them out on the issues hanggang maaga pa to see whether Noynoy has what it takes. Then after a few months of observation we'll know if it's Mar-Noynoy, or Noynoy-Mar. Or Mar and another VP.

At least exploring a presidential run will be a good learning experience for Aquino if he decides to run again for higher office in the future.

Another reason why Noy should at least try: to see how far Cory Magic (and what they represent) resonate with voters and help Sen. Aquino during "unofficial primaries" before LP decides whether to commit to Mar or him.

Twittering Arroyo's $20K Dinnergate

JM: uhmm..why would martin romauldez spend $20,000 of his own money to host GMA's contingent for a 1 night dinner especially during bad economy?

CaffeineSparks: @johnmarzan asking myself the same thing. can we view the P1 million dinner as an 'investment' of sorts? hehehhee

JM:@caffeinesparks i think remonde is not telling the truth. Even by american standards, a $20,000 dinner is a lot for any individual to pay fr

JM:kaya nga napansin ng nypost eh. that $20,000 price tag is a staggering amount.

JM:i'm sure hinihintay ni romualdez ang reinbursement from the gov't once the issue dies down.

JM:i can see the conversation going like this: "hey bayaran mo muna, martin. don't worry, we'll take care it once we get home."

Chiz Escudero seeking GMA's support for 2010

Buking si Escudero. From the Tribune:

Reacting to the biting criticisms made by Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero on President Arroyo’s ninth State of the Nation Address (Sona) delivered last Monday, presidential son Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, in a dzMM interview, slammed the senator, saying that while Escudero publicly criticizes his mother and her administration, he uses back channels to get his mother to support his presidential bid in 2010.

Arroyo also blasted Escudero for saying that his mother failed to give a categorical statement on her political plans, pointing out that if Escudero did not believe she is leaving Malacañang, why is he seeking his mother’s support for 2010?

Actually, matagal nang buking.

Still want to put your blind faith on Automated election machines?

Honduras' referendum results on Zelaya's consti amendment pre-loaded on computers.

the report got picked up by Slashdot.

"In Honduras, according to breaking Catalan newspaper reports (translations available, USA Today mention), authorities have seized 45 computers containing certified election results for a constitutional election that never happened. The election had been scheduled for June 28, but on that day the president, Manuel Zelaya, was ousted. The 'certified' and detailed electronic records of the non-existent election show Zelaya's side having won overwhelmingly."

Related: What happens if Automated voting system is run by the same Arroyo and Garci lieutenants?

What happens if Automated voting system is run by the same Arroyo and Garci lieutenants?

we are the only country where the elites think that automated is more "reliable and secure" than manual. if you ask all the other countries around the world, especially those with experience in computerized voting (particularly in the US)--they'd tell you the opposite, na mas safe and reliable ang manual because it is more difficult to fix the results (forge signatures, mess up the count) without getting caught thru verification.

sure, automated counts votes faster, but it is also easier/faster to fix elections from the inside. and AFAIK, chairman melo has not done anything to investigate or remove the 2004 operators who worked for garci inside the comelec. he did not clean house.

doing the automated system without credible election officials in charge is like building a swanky new henhouse while retaining the services of the fox to guard it.

Catching vote discrepancies and verifying the count would be almost impossible. NAMFREL and other watchdog groups from the CBCP becomes redundant/useless. Something like this will never ever happen again. if you did not catch it, it never happened. ignorance is bliss.

hindi kasalanan ng manual kung may dayaan sa 2004. manual made it harder for them and more risky to fix the results. kinaylangan ng administration ang sangkatutak na comelec at military operators para ayusin ang eleksyon. hindi pa maganda ang pagkakagawa, according to one general. alam nating may dayaan, sa 2004 canvassing pa lang halata na. pero walang nakulong. lusot ang mga mandaraya. dahil corrupt ang gobierno at accomplice ang CBCP.

UPDATE: Armida Siguion Reyna:

You ask a question about the transparency of the bidding process, of how the Comelec granted the bid to Total Information Management (TIM) and Smartmatic, and right away you get a defensive answer still in the form of another question: "Bakit, ayaw mo ba ng automation?"

Carlitos clarified that he was for automation, but not merely automation per se. Accuracy remained the highest value, as opposed to automated elections nga, automated din ang daya. He mentioned what IT experts in Princeton University had done to prove it was possible to put in, or pre-load, information into a computer that could alter results of a vote, and from there suggested it best for the Comelec to allow local IT experts to fully examine TIM-Smartmatic hardware to settle once and for all if hacking was possible.

When Rafanan reacted that wasn’t necessary as the Smartmatic process had been tested in other parts of the world, the soft-spoken Bahague countered the factors in, say, the US, would be different from here, iba raw ang testing sa US, dapat, iba rin dito. In other words, Carlitos exclaimed, walang Virgilio Garcillano sa America, so iba talaga ang testing doon, sa testing dito.

No reaction there, from Rafanan. I didn’t expect him to bowl over with laughter, a chuckle would have sufficed. Nothing doing, and that’s when I realized he must have been nervous. He then proceeded to insist the Comelec had been for the past few months working to weed out undesirables from its rank-and-file and that for me was cause to worry. I didn’t want to be unfair to him, but I couldn’t help but feel he wasn’t altogether being truthful.

Na-diyaryo na dapat ‘yon, na-bandera sa lahat ng media, kung tutoong naglilinis ang Comelec ng bakuran, with one year to go before the presidential elections of 2010.

I mean, where is lawyer Lintang Bedol, the election supervisor of Maguindanao linked to the alleged anomalous "win" of Miguel Zubiri over Koko Pimentel? What’s happened to Rey Sumalipao, lawyer Pebo, names attached to the fraud of 2004 and yet allowed to "operate" in 2007? Garci several times in his recorded conversation with "the voice of the President, but it is not she who is talking," as per Mike Defensor, made references to having to kidnap or salvage recalcitrant Comelec low-rank officials — has he even been made to at least clarify what he meant by those horrific statements?

And Benjamin Abalos Jr., the former chairman, who vowed to "clean his name," kaya na nga raw at nag-resign. He didn’t do anything to investigate Garcillano, and took a further plunge into degradation by getting involved in the NBN-ZTE deal. The last we’ve heard from him is that he’s flippin’ "borjers" at the Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club and in a stall somewhere in Boni Avenue.

The problem of the Comelec then was credibility, the problem of the Comelec today is still credibility.

It’s a credibility issue that has nothing to do with if indeed TIM was only "fronting" to be the local "60 percent" of a "60-40" investment requirement, or with how TIM and Smartmatic like lovers broke up and kissed and made up the next day, and refused to tell what exactly happened between them.

It’s a credibility matter that runs from Comelec top to bottom, in every possible way. We’ve heard of the abominable dagdag-bawas, there are still other tricks from within, designed to take advantage of the naïve candidate. Such as city-level Comelec officers brazenly refusing to release Comelec checker IDs shortly before an election, because "masakit ang braso, nangangalay, hindi makapirma ng ID." The candidate pays them, voila! Bigla na silang nakakapirma ulit. Or Comelec "brokers" who go around offering their own "protection" services to candidates.

If current Chairman Jose Melo, na former Supreme Court justice pa mandin, wants to send the message that under his leadership the Comelec has become aboveboard, the first thing he needs to do is go back to prosecuting past known "operators" from within and putting them in jail, Bedol, Sumalipao and Garci included.

When people like ComelecAKO's postigo luna and COMELEC spokesperson James Jimenez continue to claim that Garcillano did nothing wrong in 2004, you have to question their judgment and credibility.

MORE common sense from Raul Pangalangan:

The manual writing of the ballot—no different from the manual filling in of the boxes in the PCOS plan—is not the cause of the delay. The manual counting at the precinct level is usually completed within hours after the end of election day.The PCOS computers are infinitely faster but astronomically less transparent. But the greatest delay—and greatest opportunity for cheating—is in the transmittal, collection and final tally of the votes from precincts at every level. That is the stage that we must computerize—and we wouldn’t need fancy optical reading machines for that, just your basic wired PCs that will transmit and collate the precinct, municipal/city and provincial results. But by that stage, we already have the record of votes against which we can audit and counter-check what the central computers are doing.

"Since you can’t cook elections manually anymore and no one can cook electronically, spend your 80 percent kickbacks on vote-buying."

"That is still allowed, that’s my advice," Teddyboy Locsin (PDP-Laban) said.

No one can cook electronically? I beg to differ.

About those secret foreign trips by Arroyo

there's been lots's of speculations on why she went to Colombia. But where there's smoke, there's fire.

Here's something that happened just today in the US, headlined in Drudge.

South Carolina governor admits affair, secret Argentina trip

The governor, who went missing since last week, finally admitted to an affair.

I Question the Timing of Mar Roxas-Korina Sanchez Wedding!

It's political!

Just kidding!

But I don't think there has ever been a presidential candidate na hindi married (and Cory is a widow of slain opposition leader Ninoy Aquino).

Anyway, napanood ko yung interview ni Kris Aquino kay Mar at Korina a few days ago. Tinanong ni Kris si Korina kung may prenup sila. Before Korina got to answer, sumingit si Mar at sabi nya: "What is hers is hers, and what is mine is hers."

Natawa si Korina and she shot back: "O sige nga, isulat mo yan sa papel."

Then Korina answered the question saying na dapat raw may prenup para hindi magulo, kasi may kanya kanyang na silang assets.

Tribune: Chiz-Jinggoy tandem shaping up in NPC’s 2010 plans

WTF:

The prospect of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada seeking the post of vice president in next year’s elections yesterday appeared on the political horizon following reports that the camp of Sen. Francis Escudero, a presidential hopeful, is already in the thick of negotiations tapping Estrada as his running mate under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) ticket.

“So far, the negotiation is going smoothly. They just have to iron out a few kinks,” said a lawmaker who requested the media not to identify him but to just describe him as a solon from the Visayas who has been openly supporting Escudero’s presidential bid.

Armida smacks the CBCP hard

First paragraph from Armida Siguion Reyna's latest:

Two outings ago, I narrated in this same space how the June 10 rally went at the corner of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas in Makati City: “Makati Mayor Jojo Binay had all the right to at least welcome the public to his city, but he gave up his slot when the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ admonished politicians to stay to the sidelines; an admonition, I must say in an aside, the CBCP has no right to issue, considering a good number of them either waltz with the Squatter in Malacañang or just safely sit on the fence like the three monkeys who see, say, and hear no evil.”

Read the whole thing.

Philippine Commentary now a Group Blog

i know it's been that way for a few days na.

but i think it's great because i don't have to monitor all the blogs i used to read. nandiyan na sila lahat (MB, Schumey) sa blog ni manong DJB.

No Surprise Here

UN Report: State use of torture under Arroyo government "routine"

Obama's Defining Moment

The lame statements the Obama admin gave re Iran is very discouraging. It is very similar to their initial reaction when Russia invaded Georgia last year.

Barack Obama thinks the Mullahs of iran and ahmadinejad can be negotiated with with regards to their nuclear ambitions ("talk without preconditions") and is afraid that any statement that can be seen as supporting the people's uprising in iran might anger the clerics. To think that anything substantial will come out of talks with ahmadinejad about halting their quest for Nukes or stopping their support for terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas vs Israel is naive.

Instead of suggesting that he "wear a green tie" the next time around, why doesn't he grow a pair?

And don't think for a sec that the Iranian people will not remember this.

Michael Totten: "it’s frankly inconceivable that anti-Americans among the Iranian opposition will be angry at President Obama if he takes their side. It should and likely will anger them if he refuses and tacitly recognizes the legitimacy of the hated dictatorship they wish to replace."