This blog used to be a haven for forex traders and online investors. It will now contain my political views and opinions about the current state of affairs in my country the Philippines from here on. Please feel free to comment on my posts.
The Comelec has just released a resolution covering the Random Manual Audit as provided for by our Automated Election Code! After reading the news report on this, I was truly, hysterically angry (fuming mad) because I had hoped that after junking the petition for a parallel manual count, Comelec would at least allow the RMA to serve as check and balance for the automated election process! As it is now, the RMA is being reduced to a mere sideshow of the whole electoral process! Whatever discrepancy the RMA may unearth, as per the Comelec resolution, it will not affect the proclamation of winners based on the automated count!
The Random Manual Count was our last hope for transparency in this electoral process! As it is now, we are totally at the mercy of the source code fed into the PCOS machines...the future of our country is now totally at the hands of Comelec whose commissioners are all Arroyo appointees, and Smartmatic which had a tainted history of electoral malpractice in the US and other Latin countries! We are now left with no recourse whatsoever to question any discrepancy or anomaly in the conduct of the election process!
Simply put, the Comelec and Smartmatic has total control of our election process so much so that they can manipulate the results of the elections without us knowing it! It is a known fact that a simple script or command hidden in the source code could alter election results completely undetected!
Restore Faith in the Electoral Process: An Open Letter to COMELEC
Today at 5:32am
Can the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ensure that the coming elections will be credible and truthful? We hope so. As educators and Filipino citizens, however, we wish to make public our grave concerns regarding COMELEC’s less-than-sterling performance, thus far, in the preparations leading to the May 2010 elections. As Christian educators and Filipino citizens, we the De La Salle Brothers of the Philippines regard the promotion of truth, justice and the common good as integral to our educational ministry in the country. If we choose to speak at this time, it is because we see the common good threatened by COMELEC’s seeming ineptitude.
Over the past year, despite concerns, fears, and legitimate criticisms raised by the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee (JCOC), the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP), the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), the Automated Election System Watch 2010 (AES Watch), the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and other credible bodies, the COMELEC has failed to put in place
the needed safeguards to ensure the credibility of the upcoming political exercise. This is why, impelled by our individual and collective consciences, we have deemed it urgent to call attention to the negligence, unintended or otherwise, that puts this most basic and sacred of political rights—the right to suffrage—in grave danger.
Manny Villar's latest scrolling political ad being shown in all television stations is an excellent piece of advertising work...so I thought until I read "Argentina, The Philippines and The Manny Villar Connection" at Barrio Siete.
It turned out it was merely copied from an award winning political advertisement of Argentina's Presidential Candidate Lopez Murphy! Here's the original ad that was copied by Villar -
I am re-posting this article by Mr. Greg Macabenta, even without his prior permission as the article gives a candid and truthful view of Manny Villar's campaign strategy which I feel everyone must ponder!
Posted on 08:31 PM, March 30, 2010 On Business World
Ad Lib -- Greg B. Macabenta
There’s an axiom in advertising that says, a great campaign can expose a bad product faster -- because it persuades people to try the product sooner and to find out how bad it is. It looks like this axiom is being proven true in the case of would-be-president-of-the-poor Manny Villar.
One of my closest friends in advertising created Villar’s OFW commercials when he was just beginning to water the seeds of his presidential campaign. Apparently, the creative strategy worked, because Villar began to close the gap with VP Noli de Castro who, at the time, appeared to be formidable as a "presidentiable" in all the public opinion surveys.
But on one of my visits to Manila, I learned that my pal had quit on Villar. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate the way Villar had hired a host of creative consultants and political advisers, armed with a variety of bright ideas that violated the cardinal rule for an effective campaign, namely, single-mindedness.
At any rate, Villar apparently listened to his new creative brain trust and, together, they came up with some very impressive commercials, based on some very bold claims, expressed in very memorable language.
To solidify Villar’s positioning as the "champion of the poor," they concocted the line, "Nanggaling sa hirap. Tumutulong sa mahihirap." (From the poor. Helping the poor.)
To portray him as the role model for the upward-striving masses, they attributed his rise "from poor boy to billionaire" to "Sipag at Tiyaga." Industriousness and diligence. Yes, indeed, what better formula for success?
And to really, truly, effectively, dramatically, and memorably drive home the point, they created the gems:
"Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura?" (Have you ever bathed in a sea of garbage?) and "Nakaranas na ba kayong...mamatayan ng kapatid dahil wala kang perang pampagamot, wala ka namang magawa?" (Have you experienced the death of a sibling because you had no money for medicine and you could do nothing about it?"
No soap opera writer could have spun greater tearjerkers.
And that was not all. Armed with such fantastic creatives, Villar decided to make sure that every man, woman, and child in every corner of the archipelago would have an opportunity to see these products of communications and creative brilliance.
"Pour it on," Villar must have ordered his media buyers. "Saturate Wowwowwee. Tell Revillame to raffle off houses and bundles of cash. Shoot a Dolphy testimonial. Ask Pacquiao to sing a jingle."
And Villar must have added: "And do a pool of commercials starring me -- the poor boy who made good -- surrounded by the people I love. The POOR!!!"
Strangely, the one campaign theme that Villar’s creative and political consultants did not touch was the most obvious, for someone desiring to replace Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: what he would do about the much-reviled Arroyo upon assuming office. While his rivals all vowed to throw the book at her, Villar said nary a nasty word.
And so, the Villar armada blitzed the media. And, as expected, his poll numbers went up and up and up until he came up to a statistical dead heat with Noynoy Aquino.
But then, in the cruelest traditions of Murphy’s law (If something can go wrong, it will), things began to unravel.
Villar’s Senate colleagues pursued accusations against him of using his power and influence as speaker of the House of Representatives and as Senate president to provide undue advantages to his business interests. Among others, the C-5 extension public works project translated into billions drained from the national coffers and poured into Villar’s bank account.
Some nasty punster then came up with an alternative to "Sipag at Tiyaga" -- "C5 at Taga." The last word being a Tagalog idiom for an illicit profit.
Then other punsters went to town, creating funny versions of his "bathing in garbage" story and the one about being so poor, his brother died from lack of medicine.
Some digging into Villar’s background exposed these stories as the product of a copywriter’s over-imaginative mind. That, by itself, violated a cardinal rule in advertising: Make sure your puffery can be supported by facts.
Then stories of land-grabbing and questionable get-rich-quick schemes began to surface. And all Villar and his apologists could do was to dismiss the accusations as "politically motivated."
And for the coup de grace, another punster added two and two together -- namely, Villar and Arroyo -- and concocted the name, Villarroyo. And for the final flourish, they changed his name to Money. MONEY VILLARROYO.
As if that was not enough, the law of unintended consequences has come into play. Villar’s billions in media spending has begun to bother the simple minded masses. "How does he expect to recoup all of that investment???" they have now begun to ask.
If you know something about communications jujitsu or the technique of using your opponents strength against him, then you must agree that this is exactly what has been inflicted on Manny Villar.
The latest SWS survey tells us that Noynoy Aquino, who has not been spending as much as Villar, has surged ahead with a 9-point spread, caused mainly by a significant dive in Villar’s poll ratings. Another survey, this time by Manila Standard, shows an even bigger spread of Aquino: 13 points.
In the face of all these, what are Villar’s options?
OPTION ONE: Fire his creative brain trust. In fact, burn them on a stake for not allowing facts to get in the way of their fiction.
The trouble with that is, Villar can’t be sure that the replacement will be better. In fact, at this stage of the campaign, all the creative brains-for-hire in Manila are already busy on the campaigns of other candidates.
OPTION TWO: Fire the columnists, newscasters, and commentators in the Villar payroll. Apparently, these folks have lost all credibility and anything they say FOR Villar is taken AGAINST him by the public.
The trouble with that is, these AC-DC journalists (attack-and-collect, defend-and-collect) will probably be merrily writing for another batch of presidential candidates the next day. Maybe, Villar should just pay them to STOP WRITING and STOP TALKING.
OPTION THREE: Ressurect Garci and Lintang Bedol and bring back the Hamburjer Man into the Comelec.
Of course, there is a FOURTH OPTION, which Villar may not fully appreciate. And this is the possibility that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may have been stringing him along and really has no intentions of handing over the presidency to him. There is a Tagalog phrase for that: "Ginigisa sa sariling mantika." (Frying him in his own lard).
Meanwhile, to revive his spirits, Villar may want to seek the counsel of his Holiness Mike Velarde, who could advise him in impeccable English: "Strong your heart, for in the long of time, you will success!"
I am reposting this article by Toto Causing of Dyaryo Magdalo! Read, ponder, but more important, take action to prevent such a scenario!
WE ARE IN CLEAR-AND-PRESENT DANGER
By TOTO CAUSING Dyaryo Magdalo
Okay guys and gals, THE SITUATION HAS BECOME SO SCARY!
The military is held by Gloria Arroyo's mistahs. The Supreme Court is held by her appointees. She caused a mad scramble for the Chief Justice post by starting the vetting after the Highest Court ruled beyond reason to put upside down the half-a-century doctrine against midnight appointment. This she does to lure incumbent justices to bid for her graces if only to be appointed as CJ.
She also has already issued about a hundred clearly eleventh-hour appointments to executive posts disguised by means of antedating technique although those to be replaced were not informed of their recall or removal on the dates the appointments of the replacements were signed.
With still three months Gloria on the loose with her powers, many things can happen, including those that will question the appointments that the SC decisions will be fast-tracked to her favor. That is although one issue to be raised here is: When can an appointment be deemed completed? Is it on the day of signing by the President or on the day the appointees received the appointment notice and swore to office? That is, although it is pretty obvious that these appointments were actually signed when the midnight period has already begun but that the appointments were only made to appear to have been signed before March 11, the day the midnight period began.
An example is 87-year-old Alfonso Yuchengco, who was appointed ambassador to Germany with his appointment showing it to have been signed before March 11. But the incumbent ambassador, Delia Albert, did not know until the Yuchengco appointment was announced after March 11. She did not even receive any memo or notice that she was already replaced.
THE SITUATION HAS INDEED BECOME TOO DANGEROUS, THE DANGER TOO CLEAR AND TOO PRESENT.
Let us all be serious now and give heroism a chance by giving up your choice candidates in favor of one anti-Gloria presidential candidate to save our country.
First, my fear is a FAILURE OF ELECTION in at least 10% of the voting areas in the country. If we have 49 million voters now as the Comelec said, that means 10% is 4.9 million votes that cannot be counted on Election Day. This will suspend the proclamation of the new President and the new Vice President if the closeness of the contest will show a difference of only 2 million votes. If the difference between the No. 1 leading senatorial bet and the No. 13 senatorial candidate is less than 4 million, no new senator can be elected.
THIS SCENARIO IS TOO DREADFUL: A COMPLETE POWER VACUUM.
And this scenario is very much possible. It is easy for Gloria-held military to make dramas to destroy or burn or delay the delivery of ballots in Muslim and remote areas. It is easy for warlords to seize by the power of guns those PCOS machines before the results can be transmitted to the canvassing computers. Adding to this, it is also very easy to file all kinds of concocted petitions and cases to delay the holding of new elections. With the Supreme Court peopled by Gloria appointees, you can expect many judicial doctrines turned around: like the midnight appointment prohibition and the no-automatic-resignation of appointed officials running for political posts (although this was reversed later by the SC).
Complete power vacuum occurs this way. Our constitution says that if no new president is proclaimed because of the closeness of the contest and the failure of elections in at least 10% of the voting areas, the proclaimed vice president shall take over. But if there is also no proclamation in the vice-presidential contest owing to the same reasons, the Senate President takes over. And if there is no Senate President because Enrile's term ends on June 30 and no new senator is proclaimed for the same reasons, then the Speaker of the House shall act as President.
Now, if Gloria wins the congressional race in Pampanga, it is easy for her to become Speaker because she can easily bribe the congressmen to elect her Speaker. And if she is the Speaker, the constitution says she continues to be the president in acting capacity.
Not only this, Gloria still has an OPTION. Because there would be no new senator, GLORIA MACAPAGAL will argue that the 12 remaining senators who still have 3 years more in their terms cannot elect a Senate President because the majority in the Senate must be at least 13 votes for the Senate is made up of 24 senators. So that she can argue that she should stay as President under the Holdover Doctrine that her Supreme Court would agree. Remember that the current Senate President is Enrile whose term ends on June 30.
Now, the ONLY WAY TO STOP THIS POWER VACUUM SCENARIO IS FOR US TO POUR ALL OUR VOTES ON ONE NON-GLORIA CANDIDATE. This is to ensure that there would be a “very wide margin” between the No. 1 leading presidential candidate and the runner-up, and in effect ensuring that even if 10% of the votes are not counted we can still proclaim a new president because the number of uncounted votes is mathematically impossible to overturn the margin of lead.
I PROPOSE that we pour all our anti-Gloria votes on Noynoy for he is only the one who is in the best chance to achieve the very-wide-margin objective.
Be a hero by giving up your choice and pour it on Noynoy.
I culled this funny story from an email sent to me by an old facebook buddy. I re-wrote some parts and changed the main character to reflect the current Philippine Setting! Read, enjoy, and contemplate!
Election Na naman!
HEAVEN OR HELL?
While driving down the south superhighway one day, Juan Kunsumido's car was tragically hit on the side by a wayward truck. His car was thrown out of the highway in a mangled mess. Juan died instantly from the accident. It was an unexpected, sudden death! Juan still wanted to see a lot of things happen in his life. He also wanted to vote in the forthcoming May, 2010 elections - although he hadn't yet made a choice who to vote for. He dreamed of changes in his life. He wanted a better life than what he had... But his sudden demiss robbed him of this chance!
His soul arrived in heaven and was met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see unexpected guests around these parts, you see, so we're not sure yet what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says Juan ... I'm done with the suffering in my country, anyway, and I want a more serene life for a change!
"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven.
Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says Juan.
"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."
And with that, St. Peter escorted him to the elevator and he went down, down, down to hell.
The doors opened and he found himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance was a clubhouse and standing in front of it were all his friends and other acquaintances who had worked with him in the past.
Everyone was very happy and in evening dresses. They ran to greet him, shook his hand, and reminisced about the good times they had while they were still together on earth.
They played a friendly game of golf and then dined on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.
Also present was the devil in his orange clad robes! He appeared to be a very friendly guy who was having a good time dancing and telling jokes.
They were all having such a good time that before Juan realized it, it was time to go.
Everyone gave him a hearty farewell and waved while the elevator rose...
The elevator went up, up, up and the door reopened in heaven where St. Peter was waiting for him,
"Now it's time to visit heaven..", he said.
So, 24 hours passed with Juan joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing.
They had such a good time and, before Juan realized it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returned.
"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."
Juan reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."
So St. Peter escorted him to the elevator and he went down, down, down to hell..
Now the doors of the elevator opened and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He saw all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash fell from above.
The devil, clad in his usual orange colored robes came over and placed his arm around his shoulders.
"I don't understand," stammers Juan. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"
View and spread this video around... it asks the very same question many of us wish to ask from one of the presidential candidates for the 2010 elections with the same sounding name! This video was done by the UP Samahan ng Magaaral Sa Komunikasyon! Have fun and notice the pun!
For those who failed to join Noynoy at Araneta last thursday, February 25, 2010, I am posting this video for you to watch and enjoy! Note the big difference between the Araneta Center crowd and the crowd at Villar's free concert at the Mall of Asia held on the same day! (If you prefer to watch the video at YouTube, here's the link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azDi8-HIMA8.)
What's The Big Difference?
A lot!
The Villar camp boasts that the crowd turn out at their concert was a record breaking 120,000! While this may be true, they were there for different reasons other than to show support for candidate Villar!
The crowd at MOA were there enticed by cheap gimmickry concocted by the manipulative Villar Camp!
They were there to watch for free the most popular, and highly paid rock bands in the country who incidentally rarely appear for free in public performances...the free concert offered people a rare chance to see their favorite rock bands for free! Held in the largest mall in Asia, the free concert also attracted a large number of the holiday promenaders and mall shoppers, - naturally! There were also those who went there lured by empty promises of give aways, gifts, and scholarships that they announced would be handed out during the concert! - A promise made by the concert host and known Villar endorser Willie Revillame during his popular noontime show Wowowee(And, if I may add, - in flagrant violation of the Fair Election Act!). Unknown to the concert-goers, the scholarships handed out that night were (according to Villar's own spokesman and top lapdog Gilbert Remulla) scholarships which were awarded long before the campaign period began. The awarding done at the concert was merely ceremonial, according to him!
What a cheap trick indeed, playing on the sorry plight of his own countrymen just for the opportunity to shake the hands of unsuspecting voters and feed their hopes with empty promises!
The crowd at Araneta on the same day may be less in numbers, but they did fill the coliseum to the rafters, while others who could not be accommodated inside the venue held a simultaneous gathering outside and turned the whole Araneta Center yellow! More important than the numbers, everyone who was there came to show their unwavering support for Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas tandem as well as for the rest of the Liberal Party's senatorial slate! Everyone who was there is a die-hard fanatic for real change in the country! Everyone who was there came to pledge their undivided loyalty to Noynoy's Yellow Army! Everyone who was there came with a promise to multiply a hundred fold their votes for the Liberal Party's standard bearer!
The latest survey released by Pulse Asia to the media not only smacks of malicious intent to bend public sentiment towards a favored candidate, - it also proved what everybody else has long suspected....that they too have been bought by Villar!
The survey results on trust ratings of presidential and vice presidential candidates released by Pulse Asia just recently, shows Villar having a higher trust rating of 70% than Aquino's 64%. As usual, the news wires immediately gobbled up the survey and prominently headlined the results. Coming as it is after the stormy sessions on the senate floor surrounding the C-5 issue, the proud candidate Villar did not waste time to immediately declare that the survey results only goes to show that people don't believe he is guilty of the charges being leveled against him by fellow senators.
What a guile, preposterous monster! .... Having the nerve to exonerate himself from the C5 controversy on the basis of an apparently paid survey!
First of all, the survey was conducted from January 22 to 26, 2010. It must be pointed out here that Senator Enrile made public the report of the SenateCommittee of the Whole on the C5 issue only on January 25, 2006. His revelation of Villar's attempt to bribe him to kill the report of the Senate Committee of the Whole came on January 27, 2010. Both of which were highly publicized in both print, television and radio. In short, the effect of these two major developments that directly impacts the C5 issue were evidently not considered in this particular survey. The ensuing public sentiment after those two major developments mentioned were all important and should have been the basis of the latest survey on trust ratings - if one is to gauge the real sentiment of the people.
With malicious intent however, Villar's camp and Pulse Asia released the survey results only this week, almost 30 days after it was conducted!... Obviously to create a different image of the people's perception about the C5 issue, - and make it appear that people think Villar is innocent of the charges being hurled against him!
What is most concerning is the fact that Pulse Asia, and most probably even SWS, allow themselves to be used by scheming, manipulative politicians like Villar for a price! With billions to spend for his do or die run for presidency, Villar must have given them offers they can't refuse!
There are also many other interesting points that their surveys are trying to embed on the voters' minds! For one, it was consistent in projecting that in all surveys, Mar Roxas is consistently gaining against his opponents while Aquino is declining! To me, this is a clear attempt to drive a wedge between Aquino and Roxas in the hope that an ensuing rift will derail their campaign efforts!
Another point they are so keen to debunk with their so-called surveys, is the prevailing perception that Cory's magic might rub off to Noynoy and help him win!
Who else would want to know how the people's affection for Noynoy's mother will affect the May elections but Villar? Who else could commission a survey just and alter the results to show that Cory lovers are not automatic Noynoy voters? What a cheap shot indeed!...Old tricks of 'trapos' if I may add!
With Bong Bong Marcos in his senatorial line up, he now professes that he is open to a hero's burial for the late dictator! But ahhh, not after they came out with another survey the results of which showed that the former dictator Marcos is significantly listed second to Cory among the country's past leaders who are respected and revered to this day! (Unbelievable!)
Villar and his henchmen are playing it dirty! His most famous celebrity endorser Willie Revillame, in flagrant violation of the Fair Elections act, used his popular noontime show to hoodwink viewers into coming to a free rock concert at the Mall of Asia grounds - which turned out to be a Villar Campaign sortie! Of course, they now say no campaign speeches were made and none of the candidates went up the stage, but the whole Nacionalista ticket was there for everyone in attendance to see! Prominently displayed also was a huge attractive sign which says "Rockatropa Concert by Villar". Again, they have an excuse for that saying that the concert was organized by his daughter Camille Villar and his two sons. The free concert was apparently to steal the limelight away from the People Power Celebrations in EDSA and block Noynoy's camp from capitalizing on this momentous event!
They are probably laughing their hearts out by now because of the big crowd turn-out they were able to gather. In fact, Revillame, again in his noon time show the day after, even boasted that according to Mall Of Asia authorities, this is the biggest crowd ever to gather in that venue. (Of course it must be, stupid ass! It is not only a free concert, they also had a pletoria of the most expensive and most popular bands in the country!) ... not to mention the fact that Revillame even mentioned there will be gifts to be given out during the concert! ...(Let us not forget that his Wowowee show attracts crowds of people who out of desperation to change their sorry plight, line up for the said show hoping to win or gain prizes and giveaways regularly handed out by Willie to his lucky contestants!) Cheap shot, indeed!
Villar's entire campaign has been froth with lies, deceptions, and manipulation. When you go and cast your votes come election time, do not forget how this man had gone to all extent to twist, manipulate, and influence our decisions in whatever deceptive means he can! Let us not forget that he is so desperate to become president so he can cover up and escape prosecution for the many misdeeds he has commited!
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) was created by a 1940 amendment to the 1935 Constitution of the Philippines. Before the creation of the Comelec, supervision over the conduct of elections was vested by law in the Secretary of Interior.
In view, however, of the close official ties between the President and the Secretary of Interior, there was always the danger of a partisan Secretary of the Interior exploiting his powers and influence to ensure the victory of his party at the polls. As a consequence, the Constitution was amended in 1940 to create an independent Commission on Elections." (- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Please take note that from its inception, the COMELEC was supposed to be a constitutional body totally independent of, and not subservient to the dictates of the sitting president. It was meant to be the uncompromising watchdog under whose supervision all the electoral processes in the country are to be conducted.
Unfortunately, this is not the scenario we see today. Sadly, what we have is not the ideal set up envisioned by the crafters of our 1940 which created the COMELEC as an independent constitutional body whose members can not be removed from office except by impeachment, with fixed salaries that can not be increased nor decreased as a safeguard to make sure that the body will remain independent!
Instead, what we see today is a highly partisan COMELEC which had been systematically reduced into a helpless, toothless agency totally subservient to the whims and caprices of the incumbent! Instead, what we see today is the fact that widespread cheating has been institutionalized into every electoral process by the very agency constitutionally mandated to protect us from such!
Under the 1940 amendment which birthed the COMELEC, there will be three commissioners to be appointed by the president with each one having a fixed tenure of nine years. Through another amendment made in 1973, the number of commissioners to nine but cut short the tenure of each to three years. This would have been an ideal set-up to prevent the COMELEC from having all commissioners appointed by a single president.
However, having been in office long enough (or should I say too long), Marcos had the rare opportunity to have all commissioners of the commission appointed by him. This must have emboldened him to bow down to the public's clamor for snap presidential elections. To quell the public's restiveness and brewing public disgust arising from Ninoy Aquino's assassination at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport, Marcos called for the snap elections thinking he could win having a partisan COMELEC behind him!
Had it not been for the valiant refusal of some patriotic COMELEC encoders to input the fabricated results favoring Marcos, the dictator would have been in power a bit longer...and who knows, we might have ended up having his widow Imelda as our president up to today!
Under the glare of both local and international media spotlights, the COMELEC encoders walked out of the convention center where the national canvassing was being held - exposing the massive attempt by Marcos to alter the election results through the COMELEC for the world to see!
Like Marcos, Arroyo had been in power long enough to have a COMELEC where all its commissioners are her appointees beholden to her out of fear and favor.
Much more, she succeeded where Marcos failed - which is to win the presidency by manipulating the election results with the help of the COMELEC!
If you will recall, one of her controversial appointments to the COMELEC was that of the now infamous Virgilio Garcillano just before she run for president in 2004! Arroyo had just served the unexpired term of President Estrada then after Estrada was unceremoniously removed from office by widespread mass actions instigated by church leaders and civil society organizations critical of Estrada's presidency from the start.
Garcillano was a master fraud operator who used his knowledge of election laws and procedures, his long field experience, and his extensive network of contacts to rig the vote in favor of President Arroyo, Senator Robert Barbers, and a few other local politicians. "He was the plotter for electoral fraud, the overall supervisor and commander in chief," says a Comelec official who asked not to be named. "He was working for GMA." Except for a six year gap from 1986 to 1993, Garcillano had been with the agency from 1961 as a young lawyer in his mid-20's, then rising up from the ranks to become the COMELEC director for Northern Mindanao (Region 10) until he retired in 2002. He was plucked from retirement and suspiciously appointed commissioner on February 11, 2004 just as the presidential campaign was kicking off! The rest is now history for which we had to suffer the consequences of our indifference and passivity for all of the next six years of Arroyo's governance.
Today, nothing has changed even after the wide spread public condemnations of the "Garci Tape" controversy. In fact, the COMELEC has brazenly undertaken steps to further institutionalized cheating in the country!
Take note of the following developments!
On the Poll Automation Project.
Despite the Supreme Court's ruling on the matter, the awarding of the Poll Computerization Project to the controversial Smartmatic remains highly spurious!
(For your information, Smartmatic is the company which pulled out its operations in the US to avoid an ongoing congressional inquiry which started as an offshoot of questioned poll results in one of the US states where Smartmatic held a concession.)
During the bidding process for the PCOS machines, most bidders have voiced out their common observation that COMELEC was clearly favoring Smartmatic right from the start.
It must be remembered that Smartmatic was already disqualified from the bidding process for failing to submit documents to prove that they own or have in fact ownership (in part or whole) of an ISO certified manufacturing facility for the PCOS machines they are offering ( in compliance with our General Procurements Bill)!
The COMELEC suspiciously reconsidered the disqualification after Smartmatic submitted unverified documents claiming they own 10% of Jarltech, Taiwan, an ISO certified manufacturing firm but which have never even manufactured a single PCOS machine for Smartmatic or for anyone else in the world. Without verifying the veracity of the submitted documents, the agency reconsidered the disqualification!
As it turned out later, Smartmatic had the PCOS machines manufactured by Qisda of China (whose papers and ISO certifications were never presented to COMELEC during the bidding process) instead of by Jarltech - in total disregard of the General Procurement Bill. Clearly, the documents submitted by Smartmatic during the bidding process was not to prove they have manufacturing capabilities but merely to comply with the required documentations! On top of that, the General Procurement Bill prohibits the subcontracting of the PCOS machines but they were able to go away with it!
For matters involving not only a huge amount of public funds but one involving national security and sovereignity, the bidding, manufacturing and final delivery of counting machines should not have been left to chance at all! In this case, the whole matter was left totally in the hands of a questionable company which has already figured in controversial elections both in Venezuela where it came from and the US! Curiously, the Supreme Court, ruling against a concerned citizen's group which filed a petition to stop the computerization project gave its final verdict for COMELEC to go ahead with the poll computerization with Smartmatic... this, despite the blatant violations of the General Procurement Bill!
(If I may add, the appointment of Melo as COMELEC's chief commissioner, a former SC justice, must have paved the way for this decision, and perhaps even an essential part of a grander scheme to perpetuate Arroyo's sway on the government!)
No doubt, there is no more stopping the computerized elections for 2010! But I'd like to point out one of the concerns about the poll computerization which the PCIJ has even brought out. And this is the fact that the source code, the program that tallies all the votes cast is contained in memory chips to be held by election officers in each precinct. Despite PCIJ's recommendation to have the source code embedded in the machine itself to lessen the risk of having it hacked, substituted or even tampered with, COMELEC paid no heed.
With 80,000 PCOS machines, there will be 80,000 memory chips in the hands of election officers nation wide...if you are not multiplying the risks of the chips being tampered with, or being replaced, or even the getting lost or misplaced, I don't know how you will describe this. The recent publicity done by the agency showing them depositing the source code does not allay our fears that the 2010 elections will again be rigged... this time in a more inconspicuous way using Smartmatic technology contained in a memory chip held by COMELEC and Smartmatic officials...who'd only need to insert the chips in every machine for a few seconds to rob the country of its real mandate!
Ahh, but there is the paper audit...so they say! Now, how come they refuse to accredit NAMFREL as a citizen's arm favoring to have only the lesser experienced PPRCV instead as the accredited poll watchdog? Will it harm any if they accredit both? Is it because NAMFREL, in the event that any cheating is uncovered may be able to stir a more widespread public condemnation of the act than PPRCV whom they can tame into submission using their allied Catholic bishops?
Another thing, with the polls now computerized, the winner can be proclaimed immediately. Any election protest will only be blocked by the Electoral Tribunal , majority of whose members belong to Arroyo's party...making a repeat of the 2004 electoral fraud. To file a case with COMELEC would be useless. To seek redress from the Supreme Court, all of the justices are Arroyo appointees too except for Puno who is scheduled to retire anytime soon.
On the matter of the disqualification case against Acosta as filed by LP standard bearer Noynoy Aquino!
The COMELEC was quick to dismiss the case. As it turned out, Acosta who filed his candidacy for the presidency as the KBL standard bearer has not, even up to this day, printed a single campaign material, much less appear in person even to his running mate (who incidentally has voiced his plan to dumped Acosta with the media). Clearly, Acosta's filing for candidacy was to merely to prevent Aquino's name from appearing first on the ballot list among the presidential candidates. It is now too late to declare Acosta as a nuisance candidate since the ballots are already being printed with Acosta's name in it, however, COMELEC must bear down hard on this guy for making a mockery of our electoral process! Unfortunately, they are not lifting a finger at all...making me think that Acosta's filing of candidacy may be part of Arroyo's Grand Scheme to perpetuate herself in power and escape escape prosecution for all wrongs she had done to the nation after she steps down from the presidency!
At this point, let me say that I am just worried of the gathering storm similar to that which hit Marcos after the 1986 Snap Elections! I am also appalled by the indifference of many among us to the prospects of a looming national disaster poised to bear down hard on us...I am bewildered by the refusal of many to lift a finger or raise a voice against the many injustices blatantly committed all around us by those in power.... I am totally dismayed at how many can keep their eyes closed to the real issues confronting us, electing instead to be swayed by the empty promises and sugar-coated excuses of the moneyed and the powerful.
Media and advertising experts are still scratching their heads in bewilderment after reports showed presidential candidate Manny Villar spent 543 million on his political ads from October 20 to December 20, 2009 alone. They simply couldn't believe that anyone would be so foolish as to spend a rich man's fortune just to catch up with his front running rival in political surveys where he happened to be lagging behind by a mere 20 plus points...and, with the official campaign period still a good 3 months away!
Asked why he had to spend so much, Villar gave the lame excuse that it was necessary to "level the playing field", pointing out that he is not a son of a popular former president, nor does he have a brother or a sister who is a popular actor or actress, - an apparent jab at front running Noynoy Aquino...son of the well-loved and much respected former president Corazon Aquino, and brother to an equally popular and sometimes controversial TV host and actress Kris Aquino Yap!
Villar's unreasonable statement is not only a lame excuse but a blatant lie - and an affront to our inteligience!
For God's sake, the man became Speaker of the House courtesy of then President Estrada! Thereafter, he got elected to the senate under Arroyo's slate - after notoriously and treacherously turning his back on his former patron by melodramatically endorsing the impeachment complaint against Estrada and closing the session immediately without submitting the same to a vote (It was this controversial incident that catapulted him to instant fame and stardom! A feat he even brags about today in his campaign jingle sang by innocent children - "siya lang ang may kakayahang gumawa ng sariling pangalan").
With the blessings of Arroyo, his new patron after Estrada's ouster, he became the Senate President - but not after being one of the top spenders on political ads during that particular election campaign. So I wonder what he exactly meant by "leveling the playing field?...my ass! He was more popular than Noynoy before Noynoy announced his candidacy! In fact, he was way ahead in several surveys against other 'presidential aspirants' before Noynoy became a contender!
We do not deny the truth that the death of Cory Aquino once again rekindled the spirit of EDSA 1 (- the burning patriotism which has been swept under the rugs of forgotten history by 9 years of plundering by the Arroyo Administration). There is no denying that Cory's demise catapulted Noynoy to a position of prominence equaling that, and even surpassing Villar! However, with still several months to go before the official campaign period starts, a sane mind will argue that the surveys favoring Noynoy would not have ordinarily worried any of the presidential contenders who are all, by the way, experienced and accomplished political players themselves. Well, it didn't worry most of the presidentiables - except Villar! Evidently, Villar was solely affected by Noynoy's sudden surge in popularity.
While the rest of the presidential contenders knew there was still a long way to go before campaign period starts; while the rest of the presidential aspirants knew they have sufficient time to overhaul Noynoy's front-running advantage; while the rest knew they can still improve their own standings in future surveys without spending a fortune, Villar, apparently, had other things in his mind! And so, 543 million he spent without batting an eyelash!
Was the money well spent? If we take it from the recent surveys, they show Villar eating up on Noynoy's lead with some of the surveys showing the two on a statistical tie! Golly, with that kind of money, it should have placed Villar prominently on the lead! But it didn't! What it did is make the expert political pundits wonder in amazement, up to this time, why Villar had to go on a political spending binge at a scandalously high price! As to his statement saying that he had no choice but to go on this ludicrous political spending, that, I believe is perfectly true! But, as to the reasons he gave why he had to...ahh ahh, he is lying again!
Let me give you my tale of the why's behind Villar's foolish political spending spree!
If you remember, Lito Banayo, in his write-up entitled "Her Man", revealed that sometime in May last year, Manny Villar and his wife were to rendevouz with Arroyo and her husband somewhere in the Mediterranean - after one of Arroyo's fancy trips abroad. Lito discovered and exposed the planned meeting which Senator Madrigal, who was then critical of Villar's impropriety in his conduct surrounding the C5 Road Extension Project, picked up and exposed to the media. Accordingly, the planned meeting did not materialize. Did a future meeting happen after that? We wouldn't know.
However, persistent text messages and coffee shop talks are today, circulating around saying that the First Gentleman met with Villar at Mike Defensor's house on January 7 this year. (As expected, Villar's camp was quick to deny this as a cheap political gimmick by Noynoy's camp!) But did a meeting actually take place? Possibly! Right now, my own source is making verifications and will soon be publishing an expose on the same!
Now, this is not my tale! My tale connects a different angle to the whole scenario surrounding the supposed meeting between Villar and the First Gentleman. My tale is looking at it with the computerized elections and Smartmatic in the background.
If you remember, after Arroyo's Copenhagen trip, she went straight to Hongkong purportedly to rendezvouz with her family for a much needed break at Hongkong Disneyland. As it turned out, our local media only spotted her children and grandchildren at HK Disneyland. Arroyo and the First Gentleman was nowhere to be found.
Now, hear this! This was at the same time when even Comelec Chairman Melo was already voicing out his own concerns and apprehensions about Smartmatic's delay in delivering the counting machines! And so, instead of going straight back to Manila after Copenhagen, Arroyo flew straight to Hongkong where her whole family was!
Now, how come the media failed to see Arroyo in Hongkong? You got it right, sugar! Arroyo was not in Hongkong but across the border in Mainland China meeting with the Smartmatic people and inspecting the Qisda production line herself to make sure there won't be further delays in the delivery of the counting machines! And why would she be personally interested on this matter - simply because the 2010 elections will be rigged using the Smartmatic machines as they originally planned! With computerized elections, results can be had in days and a proclamation of the winners may immediately follow. Protests against election results will take a longer time to file since it will require making time consuming paper audits, and may end up as long winded case in the courts of law since a proclamation can immediately be made in a computerized election process! (We've seen this happen in the 2004 elections between Arroyo and Fernando Poe.).
There is just one problem though that they needed to solve before they can implement this dubious plan!
On the presidential arena, Noynoy has had a consistent and commanding lead over his rivals in all of the most recent surveys! To manipulate the election results with such a scenario will make the act too obvious and may possibly court a popular uprising! The survey must therefore reflect a much closer fight between Noynoy and Arroyo's favored candidate so that any manipulation of the results will not be so obvious. Incidentally, Villar happens to be closer to Noynoy than Gibo who is languishing in the bottom of all survey results.
Obviously, Arroyo had to play it safe by paddling in two streams...with Gibo ( her formally annointed bet) in one hand (hoping that her allies in her political party, the Lakas Kampi will be able to help him close the gap with Noynoy when the real campaign period starts; ... and with Villar who was closest to Noynoy in the survey results and who had all the money to do all the dirty tricks in the world including manipulating survey results. Either way, she will have a winner who can protect her from future prosecutions and even help her become the Speaker of the house and ultimately, the Prime Minister if they finally succeed changing the constitution.
Now, look at the timing of all of Villar's ad spending and the supposed meeting with the First Gentleman, you can not just pass it off as a coincidence. It was for a purpose, and that is to give Villar an ultimatum to do what he can to narrow the gap between him and Noynoy in the survey results!
This is my tale. Be prepared! They are out to steal 2010 again like they did in 2004.
I will not and can not hide the fact that I am an out and out Noynoy Aquino follower, and I am sure many of you (especially Villar supporters) will quickly dismiss this post as a 'Noynoy Propaganda'. But hear me first! I am writing this not to gain favors for my choice candidate. I am writing this to ferret out the truth about the C5 issue which every Filipino has the right to know, and which is being blocked from coming out. I am writing this because I am sick and tired of being bombarded with lies and diversionary issues peddled through the Philippine media by Villar's well funded public relations bureau . I am writing this to dare Villar and his supporters to address the C5 issue point by point in the proper forum -or else face the wrath of disgruntled voters come election time!
A Noynoy Aquino Fan came up with this animated version of Noynoy's Campaign Theme "Siya Na Nga". Talking about labor of love...this is truly inspiring. I am posting this for your own appreciation and enjoyment!
I found this hilarious, yet hard-hitting video on the C5 Extension Project Scandal. The video says it all! It depicts the futile effort of Villar and company in preventing the truth from coming out. I couldn't stop laughing while watching this video! See it for yourself and you'll surely get a load of fun and laughter viewing it.
Hiding under the lame excuse that the Senate Committee Report on the controversial C5 Extension Project is merely politically motivated to smear his reputation and derail his presidential bid, Villar did a no-show at the senate today. Instead his party mates took the cudgels of defending him by arguing that the senate inquiry was just meant to unjustly crucify him and derail his campaign. With hardly six session days left, we may not see the truth behind these accusations! (Most probably, this is Villar's intended game plan!)
...OR, WHY NOYNOY IS MY CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT IN 2010!
If you are a Filipino born in 1986, you'd be a qualified voter for the coming 2010 presidential elections.
And most probably, you belong to the growing number of disgruntled yet fired up youth of today who are advocating for changes and reforms to the corruption laden political scenario you have grown familiar with. (Chances are you may even have signed up to be a volunteer for one of those election watchdog groups set up by various media organizations....because, you are, probably, one of the many who wouldn't want your electoral mandate stolen again from you like what you witnessed in the 2004 elections.)
You are part of that generation who benefited from a truly democratic institution newly redeemed from the clutches of an evil martial law regime on the year that you were born. However, more than likely, your fleeting knowledge of the 1986 EDSA Revolution which brought back our freedom from an oppressive regime, came only from lessons learned from your teachers in the classrooms; or through what you read about it in books and magazines; or perhaps through documentary films about it which you might have watched on television...even probably, with bits of spiced up stories and accounts of your own parents' participation in that historic event..... But alas, you probably couldn't care less!
Sans, the EDSA Revolution, you must be one of those who is just plain disgusted and want changes! You are fed up with the corruption, poverty, suppression, and lies!
More than likely, your disgust is borne out of the fact that, six years after democracy was restored by the EDSA Revolution, (at the time your own wits are just starting to be honed by the inequities of this world while in kinderschool), what you must have been seeing is a gradual backsliding into the rotten ways of old where graft and corruption is a way of life, and exist in practically every nook and cranny of the bureaucracy!
Your disgust is more than likely borne out of the fact that you yourself has witnessed how 'trapo politics' have again taken a foothold on the reins of government (as you now see both houses of congress being dominated by self-serving politicians of old - resurrected from the dustbin of history where the EDSA Revolution of 1986 had fittingly entombed them...albeit, temporarily).
More than likely, your disgust may be borne out of the fact that you must have witnessed how the succeeding administrations (after Tita Cory's term) breath new life into these 'trapos' - nursing them back into power again, to serve as security blanket for the powers that be - while the mighty midget and her family incessantly plunder the government coffers dry.
You now want to fight back! And fight back you will with the only weapon at your disposal - the mighty ballot! You must have registered to vote by now; or plans to beat the deadline on October 31. You are firmly resolved to make sure your vote counts...and that it is casted for those dreamed of changes! Your choice for the presidency will be solely determined by who among the presidential bets can best bring back the changes you are aspiring for! As to who your choice would be, only you would know!
But let me tell you about my own choice for the presidency in 2010....let me share with you the reasons why I will be voting for Noynoy Aquino. Criticize me if you please, bombard me with comments if you will, but please be a bit patient, read on and listen to what I have to say.
For almost 20 years prior to the EDSA Revolution of 1986, the Philippines was under the rule of the dictator Marcos. He first served as president in 1965 after narrowly defeating the incumbent Diosdado Macapagal by a very slim margin.He ran for re-election in 1969 and won, this time against Sergio Osmena Jr. His term would have ended in 1973 and he was no longer eligible to run for a third term. On the pretext of guarding against rising communist insurgency, he declared martial law on September 21, 1972, only months before his final term in office ended. He kept himself in power until he was forced to flee the country on February 25, 1986 to escape the wrath of street demonstrators who were already pounding the gates of Malacanang.
The pain and suffering of the Filipino masses during Marcos' more than 20 years of oppressive rule is beyond description. Thousands of student activists were jailed, kidnapped, tortured, summarily executed, and even raped. (I was also an activist then. I was hunted down, tortured and imprisoned too!) Noynoy's father, Senator Benigno Aquino was incarcerated for a very long time for being a perrenial arch critic of Marcos, along with other opposition leaders. Ninoy was only released for medical reasons to undergo heart surgery in the US. After recuperating from surgery, he decided to come back to the Philippines despite threats that he will be assassinated once he sets foot on Philippine soil again. And true enough, he was assassinated in the tarmac of the then Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. He refused to be cowed into submission by the dictator. He believed 'the Filipinos are worth dying for' and faced death hoping that he will be the catalyst for change. And true enough, Ninoy's death in the tarmac triggered a series of widespread street demonstrations calling for Marcos to step down and forcing him to call for snap elections. Thinking he can again fool the people, Marcos agreed to snap elections and went up against Ninoy,s widow Tita Cory who then took the cudgels of leading the opposition to carry on her husband's crusade. Marcos tried to rig the results of the snap elections but the scheme was exposed by the very same people he commissioned to perpetuate the hoax. The street demonstrations intensified and spread far and wide until Marcos was forced to plead for a safe passage out of Malacanang. Tita Cory became the president after that and defended our democratic institution against successive coup attempts by power hungry factions in the military. She made it clear that she will only be a transition president and aimed to restore our democratic processes.
Tita Cory stepped down after her term. But she was ready to go back to the streets again to defend our democracy as she did in several instances in the past. She knew the quest for genuine democracy does not stop after Marcos' ouster. She knew the rebuilding process will be long and taxing because the cohorts of the dictator are still lurking in the shadows ready to pounce when an opportunity presents itself.
Today, 23 years after martial law, and 3 presidents after Tita Cory, the dynasties are back ( 3 Arroyos in congress), poverty is so widespread and at a record highs, allegations of graft and corruption from the highest to the lowest positions in the government are being reported almost on a regular basis. Journalists and activists are helplessly being gunned down all over the country. Apparently, we are no different now than 23 years ago when Marcos was still in power.The fight for genuine democracy that Ninoy and Tita Cory and other martial law martyrs started more than 23 years ago is not over yet. The spirit of EDSA must live on.
I have chosen to vote for Noynoy Aquino for president in 2010 not because he is the son of Ninoy and Cory and carries the Aquino name, but because he knew that our fight for genuine democracy is not over yet and it must be continued until we have a graft free government...until poverty is truly addressed and eradicated...until politicians run for office not to enrich themselves and protect their vested interests, but to serve the interest of and alleviate the suffering their people instead.
Noynoy may not be as quick-witted and as eloquent as his father; he may not be as much a political savvy as his running mate Mar Roxas; Noynoy may not have the magical charms of her more popular sister Kris....but he definitely has the honesty, and the dedication, and the passion of Tita Cory to pursue reforms without fear or favor. With Mar Roxas on his side, Noynoy can and will continue the fight and finish it,
It is my honest opinion that with computerized elections in place, attempts to rig the forthcoming election results will be made. It will be harder to detect but I have no doubt in my mind that cheating will be done! (See 'Into The Hands Of Thieves'.)
To win in an election scenario like this, the win must be so overwhelming to make any cheating obvious enough for us to catch in the act, and prevent the cheater from winning. As of this writing, three other opposition leaders have signified their intention to run. This is actually a welcome development for the administration bet since they believe the opposition votes will be diluted, and cheating will be easier and harder to detect. (The administration has in fact signified that it will not oppose Estrada's bid for presidency again in court, at least for now .....a vote for Estrada is a vote taken away from Noynoy).
I am voting for Noynoy because among the opposition candidates, he is the only one who can rekindle the spirit of EDSA once again and rally the people to continue the unfinished fight to establish genuine democracy in the country.
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