Political News April 4, 2013

[lotis soriano]

04 April 2013

 

LP NEWS

 

Overhaul Customs bureau—Escudero - Inquirer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday called for an overhaul of the Bureau of Customs, saying it should be blamed for widespread oil smuggling in the country.
Related News	Aquino gov’t to blame for continued oil smuggling—Mitos Magsaysay - Inquirer Senate bet blames BOC for oil smuggling - Remate
For love of Heart Evangelista, Escudero rushes Church annulment - Inquirer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero   disclosed on Wednesday that he and his ex-wife are working for the annulment of their marriage by the Church.
9 Team PNoy, 6 UNA bets have ‘statistical chance of winning’ – Pulse survey - Inquirer Fifteen senatorial aspirants have a “statistical chance of winning,” nine from the Liberal Party-led Team PNoy and six from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), according to the latest Pulse Asia survey.
Related News	Pulse shows 9-6 for Noy bets; trend favors 12-0 – Tribune Incumbents, 2 neophytes lead in Pulse Asia survey – Manila Standard Aquino bets maintain lead – Business World UNA still formidable, JV says – ABS-CBN News 9 Team PNoy, 6 UNA in top 15: Pulse Asia – ABS-CBN News UNA bets continue to lag in latest Pulse Asia survey – GMA News
Legarda, Escudero still lead poll survey - Star Re-electionist Senators Loren Legarda and Francis “Chiz” Escudero continue to lead other senatorial candidates, results of a recent Pulse Asia survey showed.
Related News	Chiz back at 2nd spot in Pulse Asia poll – Manila Times Chiz hangs tough in Pulse Asia survey; JV down 5 pts – ABS-CBN News Pulse Asia poll: Loren leads again; Chiz back in no.2 – People’s Journal Loren, Chiz nanguna sa survey ng Pulse Asia - Remate Loren no. 1 sa Pulse Asia; Alan nabawian ni Chiz – Abante Tonite Legarda, Chiz pa rin sa Pulse survey – Abante
Ejercito, Bam Aquino drop in ranking - Malaya San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito of the United Nationalist Alliance lost the most points in terms of voter preference, dropping from 5th to 8th place since February, the March 16-20 Pulse Asia survey showed.
Cayetano slams Palace power plan – Manila Standard Re-electionist Alan Cayetano has criticized the government for telling Mindanao residents to bear with rate increases amid the plan to procure diesel-fed generator sets in solving the power crisis.
Comelec division disqualifies LP's congressional bet in Marinduque – GMA News The Commission on Elections' (Comelec) First Division has ruled that Marinduque congressional candidate Regina Reyes was ineligible to run in the May 13 polls for being an American citizen and for her failure to meet the one-year residency requirement for candidates.
Loren urges disaster preparedness – People’s Journal Re-electionist Sen. Loren Legarda has urged government to be prepared for the possible disaster that could hit the country by aggressively implementing climate change adaptation strategies and action plans.
Skills training sa tourism sector isusulong ni Bam – Pilipino Star Ngayon Iminungkahi ni Team PNoy senatoriable Benigno Bam Aquino ang paglulunsad ng mga programang pang-skills training sa tourism sector, lalo na’t oras na ng bakasyon.
Bam aampunin ng kampo ni Arroyo – Abante Tonite Bilang dating kasama umano sa administrasyon ni dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, bibitbitin umano ng Lakas-CMD ang kandidatura ng pinsan ni Pangulong Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III na si Bam Aquino.
Chiz, Jinggoy 'di takot kay kris sa 2016 – Abante Tonite Hindi naalarma sina Senador Jinggoy Estrada at Sen. Francis Escudero sa napabalitang pagtakbo ni Kris Aquino bilang vice president sa 2016 elections.

 

 

UNA STORIES

 

Binay disputes political dynasty, says it’s still up to the people to decide - Inquirer With two of his children seeking re-election in Makati City, Vice President Jejomar Binay reiterated Wednesday that while being charged of dynasty, it is still the collective power of the public that will appoint a candidate to an elective post.
Related News	Binay defends family vs 'political dynasty' tag – ABS-CBN News
‘SWS survey is Aquino government’s propaganda tool’—Gordon - Inquirer Politics may likely be behind a Social Weather Stations survey recently presented by the Liberal Party candidate which showed that 81 percent of Filipinos are “satisfied with their lives,” opposition senatorial candidate Richard “Dick” Gordon said Wednesday.
Related News	Mitos casts doubt on SWS satisfaction survey – ABS-CBN News
UNA senatorial bets question proposed ‘no-work-no-pay’ policy for lawmakers - Inquirer A senatorial candidate from the opposition party said Wednesday the concept of the proposed “no-work-no-pay” policy in the Congress “is a nice soundbyte” but has underlying issues in the aspect of implementation.
Binay arrives at proclamation rally site of reelectionist son - Inquirer Vice President Jejomar Binay has arrived at the proclamation rally of his son who is seeking reelection as mayor of Makati City in the coming May polls.
Makati intersection closed to traffic for UNA proclamation - Inquirer An intersection along a major road in Makati City has been closed to traffic for the proclamation rally of local candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
Aquino’s senatorial ticket a ‘non entity’ in Tarlac – UNA - Inquirer United Nationalist Alliance secretary general Toby Tiangco said Wednesday the opposition party is set to barnstorm the stronghold of rival coalition’s leader, President Benigno Aquino III, on Thursday, noting that the local bets of the Liberal Party (LP) is “practically a non-entity” in the province.
Erap On PNoy: We’re Okay - Bulletin Former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada yesterday claimed he has a good relationship with President Benigno S. Aquino III, saying that he is not bothered by the Chief Executive’s support to his rival, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, in the May 13 midterm elections.
Erap: Jinggoy, JV together again - Bulletin “I guarantee you,” former President Joseph Estrada said as he confidently announced that his rumored feuding sons, Senator Jinggoy Estrada and San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito, will be campaigning together “very soon.”
UNA to barnstorm Noy’s province – Tribune  The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) is all set for battle in the home province of President Noynoy Aquino today. The nine-man UNA Senate ticket will be barnstorming the province of Tarlac with a motorcade and a proclamation rally with local candidates, which is expected to be another humdinger of a political event.
To Gangnam or not? LP, UNA differ on candidates dancing, singing during sorties - GMA News In a country where politicians become actors and actors become politicians, song and dance performances have become a staple at political rallies.
LP senatorial candidates di tatanggi sa endorsement ng Lakas - Remate Tiniyak ni House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez na hindi tatanggihan ng mga kandidato sa pagka-senador ang suporta ng Lakas-CMD kahit miyembro pa ng Liberal Party.
PNoy country lulusubin ng UNA - Abante Bagama’t balwarte umano ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III ang Tarlac, tiwala naman ang United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) na mainit silang tatanggapin ng mga kababayan ng Pangulo.
Political dynasty tinawanan ni Erap – Abante Pinagtawanan lamang ni dating Pangulong Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada ang akusasyong nagtatayo ito ng political dynasty sa lokal at nasyunal na posisyon sa bansa.

 

 

OTHER STORIES

 

Motorists fume as poll rallies jam roads - Inquirer Next to long campaign speeches, the other pet peeve of the season must be a badly placed campaign stage.
Malabon race short on opponents, long on ‘Harlem Shake,’ sexy games - Inquirer With the mayoral and congressional races in Malabon City being no-contest affairs, the only apparent source of thrill for the voters in the local elections would be the balloting for the next vice mayor.
No food, no drink good for pols, bad for hungry voters - Inquirer A new ban on politicians providing food and drinks during election campaign rallies may be a boon or a bane for candidates.
Comelec close to deal with Dominion, Smartmatic on release of source code - Inquirer Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Sixto Brillantes on Wednesday said they have been finalizing the agreement with automated elections technology suppliers Dominion Voting Systems Inc. and Smartmatic International for the release of the source code of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines in time for its review by political parties, accredited organizations and independent candidates.
Election campaign bickering mars P5k ‘education vouchers’ in Taguig - Inquirer The political rivalry in Taguig city is in full swing once again, this time, with the word war circling around the P5,000 “education vouchers” the incumbent administration has been distributing to the city’s public high school graduates.
Lipa archdiocese severs ties to church-backed election watchdog - Inquirer The Archdiocese of Lipa, one of the country’s largest, has decided to cut its ties with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, an official citizen’s arm of the Commission on Elections.
Despite TV ads, Casiño claims he’s cash-strapped - Inquirer Senatorial hopeful Teddy Casiño on Wednesday took exception to a partial report released by the Commission on Elections placing him among the top five candidates with the longest airtime in terms of television and radio advertisements.
Related News	Comelec ad tally erroneous, Casiño says – ABS-CBN News
Prosecution service leaves task of probing case vs Arroyo, Corona to Ombudsman - Inquirer The National Prosecution Service will pass the task of investigating one of the landmark cases against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Chief Justice Renato Corona, and five other former Supreme Court Justices to the Office of the Ombudsman.
52 million ballots ready for polls – Comelec - Star The printing of more than 52 million official ballots to be used in the May 13 elections was completed in “record time” yesterday or in less than two months, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes.
Teddy Casiño: Street parliamentarian - Star Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño counts his 15 years as a street parliamentarian as part of his 23 years in public service, which he says greatly helped him in becoming an effective legislator and advocate for various pro-poor causes.
P-Noy appoints judiciary members, DBP execs - Star President Aquino has appointed 61 members of the judiciary ahead of the appointments ban last March 29.
US backs peaceful resolution of sea row - Star Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed concerns over tensions in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea and said the United States wants to see territorial disputes worked out through arbitration.
Sabah issue won’t strain Phl-Malaysia relations – Palace - Star Malacañang believes the close relations between the Philippines and Malaysia will remain despite the fighting in Sabah.
Comelec union asks for hike in poll duty pay - Star The rank and file of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday appealed to the poll body  to grant the hazard pay for all poll workers as well as their request for an increase in the honoraria for those who will serve as members of the board of canvassers during the May elections.
Malacañang clarifies impending comelec appointments - Bulletin The impending designation of two new commissioners of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) beyond the March 29 election ban on appointments is not considered a “midnight appointment” similar to that of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, Malacañang said yesterday.
Vetoed bill authors seek support - Bulletin One of the principal authors of the vetoed Magna Carta of the Poor is counting on President Benigno S. Aquino III’s commitment to support the pro-poor measure in the 16th Congress.
Related News		'PNoy's use of veto power shows weak coordination' – ABS-CBN News
Campaign sorties - Bulletin The people of Pampanga will not see any heated rivalry in the gubernatorial competition this time as Governor Lilia Pineda has decided not to attend campaign sorties in the province during the campaign period.
SC orders review of party-list purge – Manila Times Believing that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) abused its discretion in denying accreditation to several party-list groups, an overwhelming majority of the justices of the Supreme Court (SC) decided to remand party-list cases pending at the High Court to the poll body for its review and final disposition.
Palace denies Kris VP dream – Manila Times Malacañang on Wednesday criticized retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz for spreading the rumor that the youngest sister of President Benigno Aquino 3rd, Kristina Bernadette “Kris” Aquino, has set her eyes on the second highest position in the land.
Gov't, MILF to restart peace talks – ABS-CBN News The Philippines and Muslim rebels will resume talks next week aimed at ending one of Asia's longest insurgencies, with both sides hoping to finalize a deal by May, negotiators said Wednesday.
Palace denies Angara will replace Del Rosario – ABS-CBN News Malacañang squelched rumors that outgoing Senator Edgardo Angara is being eyed to replace Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.
Related News		Angara 'di ipupuwesto sa DFA – Abante Tonite
Gloria, hihirit ng 3 araw na kampanya – Abante Umapela ang ilang kaalyado ni dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) at sa Sandiganbayan na bigyan ng ilang araw ang dating pangulo para makapangampanya ngayong eleksyon.
Iligal na paggamit ng pondo ng Caloocan pinasisilip kay Mar - Abante Kinalampag ng grupong People’s Movement Against Poverty (PMAP) si Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas na manghimasok sa isyu ng iligal na paggamit ng P1 bilyon government funds ng lokal na pamahalaan ng Caloocan City nang hindi inaprubahan ng Sangguniang Panglungsod ng nabanggit na syudad.

 

EDITORIAL

 

Exodus – Editorial, Inquirer After the crackdown, the exodus. A government official estimates that as many as 100,000 Filipinos in Sabah may return to Mindanao by the end of May—a massive remigration that needs to be prepared for. Will the government be ready? And is the Sultanate of Sulu, whose incursion into Sabah precipitated the crisis, in a position to help?

Out-of-the-box approach by Domini Torrevillas, Star Will surprises never end? The recent (March 2013) Social Weather Stations Pre-Election Survey shows Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano going up to No. 2 spot after being No. 3 since the start of the senatorial campaign.

Early childhood care and development – Editorial, Bulletin A Three-year innovative program, “Early Learning for Life,” is envisioned to help 150,000 disadvantaged Filipino children aged 3 to 5 get ready for school. Three agencies – the Department of Education, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council – launched the program that starts this year until 2015.

To Jack, It’s ‘Food First’ by Julie Yap Daza, Bulletin From the father’s “Gusto ko happy ka!” to the son’s “Gusto ko may pagkain ka!” Jack Enrile sees food security laws as one good reason for a job in the Senate. “Food first,” he reiterates.

No shorties by Romeo Lim, Malaya I was a totally turned off when President Noynoy Aquino vetoed the bill repealing the height requirements for applicants under the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1990, BFP and BJMP Professionalization Act of 2004, and the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) Act of 1990.

Noy’s sunrise industry: Smuggling – Editorial, Tribune It was indeed astounding that Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda can claim that the government knows the oil smugglers who  Petron chairman Ramon Ang said siphoned off P30 billion from the government coffers through missed revenues.

The Aquino dynasty to live on? By Ninez Cacho Olivares, Tribune Funny that some of these yellows denounce the so-called political dynasties, especially the Estradas, but they hardly denounce the Aquinos and their political dynasty, and this family sure is truly a dyed in the wool political dynasty.

SC gives Comelec new headache – Editorial, Manila Times The Supreme Court has just added a new hurdle for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to overcome before the May elections.

I almost became a politician by Emil Jurado, Manila Standard I am saddened when I read or hear the province of Abra being identified as an election hotspot.

Winner takes all by Florencio Fianza, Manila Standard Presidential elections in the old days were as rough and violent as today’s elections. But after a winner was proclaimed, the loser normally goes into quiet retirement.