You can’t blame the bishops for breaking tradition to endorse the presidential candidacy of Ang Kapatiran’s J.C. de los Reyes. He is young and earnest—and he looks like an overly-devoted Catholic lay leader. Dress him with a cleric garb, he would easily fit into the image of a dedicated priest.
But if he were a Spanish priest during the time of Spain’s turmoil, in the bloody war between the Republicans and the right-wing zealots of General Franco, I would say that he belongs to Franco’s devoted followers among the religious. Young maybe, but a poster child for the status quo.
Young and for the status quo? There seems to be nothing more contradictory that these two. Youth presupposes dynamism, a break with tradition, a forward-looking mind-set. But JC de los Reyes, despite his public call that Philippine politics should have an alternative, is really a creature of the status quo.
Why do I say this?
Any young politician who loves his people and cares for their future will not only support a Reproductive Health (RH) bill. He would even propose something that is more ambitious—family planning with everything there except abortion (which we really don’t do).
We belong to the planet’s top ten in child production. Our population growth outpaces important benchmarks: economic growth in real terms, yearly increase in food production, health and education investments.
This year, we will be importing a world-record of 2.4 million metric tons of rice and for this the rest of the world is crucifying us (because our massive rice imports have been jacking up rice cost in the world market). Our fraying and aging infrastructure will suffer more stress. There will be a bigger gap between demand on social overhead and actual state investments to meet the widening gap.
Our fabled natural resources, which we held infinite and always there for us, is mostly gone.
The root of all of these? The burgeoning population—which is being tacitly encouraged by bishops who harbor a fundamentalist view of reproduction. And who take “ Go forth and multiply” literally.
Amid all these, JC de los Reyes is not preaching the gospel of change and change of antediluvian mind-set.
Oh, he sounds like those right-wing nuts in the US—talking about moral values and sexual abstinence while the country is plunging into a deep recession.
Even on things earth-bound or on issues of economics, JC is completely clueless.
A bus operator-friend recently showed me a resolution from the city council of Olongapo City—which effectively bans the bus company from offering an alternative bus route between Olongapo City and Metro Manila via the SCTEX. JC de los Reyes, as a member of the city council, led the city councilors that signed the resolution.
You know the three things that JC de los Reyes and the other members of the city council invoked to ban a bus company from offering an alternative bus service? One was traffic congestion. Another was the route was saturated. The third was the crudest of all—a 1989 “verbal” agreement between then Mayor
Dick Gordon and then LTFRB Chairman Remedios Salazar-Fernando which saw no need for another bus service for the city.
For information of JC de los Reyes, who probably signed the city resolution without reading it, here are the facts:
1. The proposed alternative bus service was filed for approval in 2009, 20 years after that “verbal agreement.” So many things have changed since then, from population density, transport requirement etc.
2. The application for an alternative bus service proposes the use of the SCTEX. It will bypass the traditional route and it is an express service. It will not even affect the traditional operators there—who are probably friends of JC de los Reyes It will not even cause traffic congestion.
3. In 1989, Olongapo City was a mono-economy, dependent on a US military naval base. This was pre-Pinatubo, for God’s sake. Now, it is the 21st century.
The cruel cut in this sad incident is this: JC de los Reyes, who is offering himself as an “alternative” from traditional politics would not even recognize that times have changed radically and dramatically in Olongapo City. And there is a need for an alternative bus service.
And an alternative bus service is a break from tradition, one step for the public good, freedom from the grip of traditional operators.
JC is indeed young. But he stands for the status quo, if not the discredited old ways of doing things.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday junked the suggestion of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) to hold manual elections in Mindanao instead of the planned automated polls, saying that there are still ways to deal with the black out problems in the region.
Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said that lack of power is “not reason to hold manual elections” since the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will be used for the automation of the May 2010 polls are powered by external batteries.
He also said that the canvassing centers where the voting results will have standby generators.
The election machines, which will be in use for 11 hours, have batteries that can last for up to 16 hours, Larrazabal said.
Also, he added that the canvassing center in the cities and provincial levels will have generators to ensure that the counting and canvassing of the election results will not be hindered by the power failures in the region.
Mindanao grid has a generation deficiency of 700 megawatts, which resulted to the implementation of manual load dropping by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
The power crisis in the region is being caused by drying up of water reservoirs because of the El Nino phenomenon.
Since last month, the three regions—Luzon, Visayas and Min-danao—have been experiencing rotating brown outs because of lack of sufficient supply of power. Hydro plants, which are the source of some 30-percent power generated for the whole country, have been malfunctioning because of lack of water.
The commissioner also said that poll body officials and the power industry players in Mindanao will be meeting this weekend to discuss plans on how they can minimize black outs in the region during election day.
According to Larrazabal, initial talks with industry official showed that “there is a possible solution” to the power problem in Mindanao. The poll body official, however, remained mum on what plans they are setting up.
He added that the poll body has directed their regional directors nationwide to submit the precinct maps to power companies “so that they know which towns need power on election day.”
But the Department of Energy, through Napocor, has already submitted contingency plans that will hopefully prevent power interruptions during the casting, counting, canvassing and transmission of votes on May 10.
The camp of Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has no reason not to exclude the embattled Vetallano Acosta from the official roster of presidential candidates after the Liberal Party (LP) offered the services of the party’s information technology experts to help reformat the software that will run the precinct count optical scans (PCOS) machines that will be used in the May 10 elections.
Although disappointed with the Comelec’s belated decision to disqualify the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan standard bearer, Aquino’s spokesperson, Edwin Lacierda said the LP is willing to help the Comelec control the damage it has done to the candidacy of the LP standard bearer.
It was recalled that the LP has been questioning Acosta’s qualification to the presidential race when his supposed running mate, TV host Jay Sonza, and the son of the KBL stalwart and former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. have disowned him.
The LP claimed that Acosta’s inclusion in the list is part of a grand scheme to dislodge Senator Aquino as the first in the list of presidential candidates in the official ballot, and to allot the last column for his toughest contender to the race, Nacionalista Party’s Senator Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. alone.
The Comelec did not heed the LP’s contention until it finally disqualified Acosta in a decision it released last Thursday. But despite the Comelec’s decision, Comelec Law Deparment chief Ferdinand Rafanan said it is too late to exclude Acosta from the list of presidential candidates after some nine million ballots have been printed.
Lacierda said that “if the Comelec is on top of the situation, it should face this issue squarely whatever it takes. It is their obligation to face the consequence of their late decision in fairness to Senator Aquino. Justice and fairness dictate that the Comelec should stop complaining and just do it,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda added that the LP is willing to send its IT personnel to help the Comelec reformat the software meant to run the PCOS machine. He also said the Comelec, only “if they have the political will,” can also reprint the ballots by using the resources provided for them under the law.
“It is only a question of reformatting. How difficult can that be if we are willing to offer the services of our IT personnel to help the Comelec? If they can’t do it, we will do it for them. We are willing to send our people to work under the Comelec’s supervision,” Lacierda added.
If the Comelec insists on retaining Acosta in the previously printed and to be printed ballots, Lacierda claimed it will only add up to the public’s doubt on the efficiency of the agency and the success of the first ever automated elections in the country.
Meanwhile, the poll body insisted that it could no longer change the face of the ballots even as the LP can send IT experts to reformat the system to clear Acosta’s name from the list.
“This is the reason we are inviting them to visit the NPO (National Printing Office) so they will understand the process. And if they have queries, they should come to us to discuss the matter,” Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said in an interview.
A day in the life… of Dick Gordon
By Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star) Updated March 09, 2010 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines – Bagumbayan presidential candidate Sen. Richard Gordon describes himself as being “comfortable with stress,” getting by with only four hours of sleep.
He usually wakes up before his wife Kate at 6:30 a.m., but lingers in bed awhile to reflect before he actually gets up.
He starts his day with breakfast of oatmeal and bangus belly and the morning papers, and plays with the grandchildren if he has time.
Not so long ago, he used to do the treadmill or get in a little run before taking a shower, dressing up, and going to work.
“I’m a workaholic,” he told The STAR in an interview, and his media relations officer of six years agrees.
“He gets sick when he doesn’t work,” said Ely Maraon, recalling a staff meeting that lasted until 4:30 a.m.
Maraon said his boss is tough on his people and sometimes shows his temper, but he easily cools down. Though the senator can be hard on you, he respects your abilities, the media officer said.
For lunch, Gordon says he will take anything but prefers not to have carbohydrates, although the presidential campaign makes him eat rice every now and then.
“I say I love you to my wife and kiss her,” he said when asked what he does just before he closes his eyes at night.
Gordon listens to music in his car, and he enjoys inspirational, classical, instrumental, and love songs.
He goes fishing once in a while when he has time to go home to Olongapo. He said he used to go horseback riding and plays softball.
“I should go to Mass more often,” he admitted, “but I don’t like being visible in church or listening to long sermons that don’t make sense.”
He was, however, quick to add that he prays a lot, not just for himself but for his family and the country, which he hopes to serve as president if elected in May 2010.
“I work best under pressure,” he said, and he has learned to handle pressure quite well, as evidenced by his blood pressure of 130/90, which was taken before and after more than two hours in the hot seat with STAR editors and reporters in a no-holds-barred session that included questions on his professional and personal life.
“I walk my talk,” he said when asked if he watched pirated DVDs, noting that he is against piracy and intends to promote respect for intellectual property rights.
He said the Philippines is in need of “firm leadership” and a lot of the country’s woes can be traced to a lack of governance.
Gordon said the president must be the “national teacher” who will teach the people to work, save, invest and prosper, stressing that such changes will definitely be felt during his first 100 days in office – even on the first day people will see change.
A former mayor and now senator, he is running for president with former Marikina mayor Bayani Fernando as his running mate.
Having both been local government officials and executives of government agencies – Gordon of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Fernando of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) – they have a track record of getting things done, as they were able to transform their localities into very progressive and productive cities.
“You know why I’m running, Ely? It’s for your children,” Maraon recalls Gordon telling him during the campaign.
Although faring poorly in surveys, Gordon believes that the people truly want change, and he is ready to give them that change if they give him the chance come May 10.
Annabel Rama: Bilang ina, nagdurugo ang puso ko tuwing nakikita kong umiiyak si Ruffa.
What follows is the transcript of Pia Guanio’s interview with Annabel Rama minutes after Ruffa Gutierrez walked out of the set of The buzz after being hurt by remarks made by Kris Aquino over her decision to move to TV5.
In this interview, Annabel Rama — the mother of Ruffa Gutierrez — reveals that she was the one who told Ruffa Gutierrez to get out of Kris’ TV program ‘The Buzz’ because Kris Aquino was allegedly always disrespecting her.
Talk in certain circles say that TV5 is one of the TV stations that have a bias for Manny Villar and the move to get Ruffa Gutierrez to quit the Buzz is yet another attempt to split the realm of showbiz.
In Noynoy Aquino’s TV Commercial, the hype was that the whole Showbiz industry was backing Noynoy Aquino. However, this hype was somewhat neutered when Dolphy (the so-called King of Philippine Comedy) came out inpolitical TV ad endorsing Manny Villar for President.
In the Philippines, showbiz personalities and their endorsement or even appearance during a campaign activity tends to be an effective draw.
This fight between Ruffa Gutierrez and Kris Aquino will certainly add heat to the campaign season.
Pia Guanio: Hi tita annabel
Annabel Rama: Magandang hapon sa lahat ng nanunood ng Showbiz Central
PG: Ito ay tungkol sa pag-alis ni ruffa gutierrez ngayon ngayon lang sa the buzz, nasaan na po si ruffa ngayon.
AR: Pinapauwi ko na siya Pia. Alam mo Pia ang reason kung bakit pinul-out ko si ruffa sa the buzz, dahil hindi ko na mate-take yung every sunday, binabara siya lagi ni Kris. Okay? Palagi kami nag-aaway ni Ruffa kasi sabi ko hindi ka lumalaban kay Kris? sino ba siya? sabi ko, alam po pia, hindi maganda ginagawa ni Kris kay ruffa. Hindi pa nga nananalo si Noynoy as Presidente, ang yabang na niya. What more kung mananalo pa si Noynoy? Di kawawa ang mga artista, lalo na iyong nag-uumpisa pa lang. Hindi maganda iyong ginagawa niya kay ruffa, binabara niya. Ano?! Nainggit siya kay Ruffa?
PG: Ano nga ba sa tingin mo tita anabel kung bakit?
Meet the darkside of Kris Aquino
AR: Nainggit siya kay Ruffa siguro. Kaya ako nananawagan sa taong bayan, huwag niyo iboto si Noynoy, kasi baka manalo si Noynoy, ang yabang yabang na ni Kris, akala mo siya may ari ng showbiz
PG: Tita anabel, is it true na umiiyak nga si ruffa sa isang restaurant sa tomas morato, ang sabi ni Raymond kanina.
AR: Umiyak si Ruffa. Umalis ka na diyan sa The Buzz, sabi ko sa kanya. Siya kasi makulit eh. gusto niya magtrabaho, gusto magtrabaho ni ruffa. Naintindihan kita, nagtrabaho ka sa the buzz. Pero, kung babastusin ka ni Kris, hindi rin naman tama iyon. At hindi ka lumalaban, binabara ka lagi, bakit mo pinapabayaan na alit-alitin ka diyan
PG: Meron ba silang pinag-uusapan prior to Ruffa Gutierrez leaving the set of the Buzz?
AR: Alam mo pia, wala namang pakialam si Kris kung aalis si Ruffa. I am sure, matutuwa talaga siya. Pero ako, nagpaalam na ako kay Cory, kay Charo, kay Linggit Tan, na ipu-pull out ko na si Ruffa. Pero, I didn’t tell the reason, pero ngayon, sa ginawa niya kay ruffa, I have to tell the taong bayan, na kaya ko pinull-out si ruffa sa the buzz, unang una… pambabara ni Kris sa kanya hindi ko na ma-take…ako pia, ina, nagdurugo ang puso ko kapag nakikita ko si Ruffa na sa bahay umiiyak. Ilang beses na iyang umuwi sa bahay na umiiyak, ang sabi binabara ako ni Kris. Sabi ko nga, bakit ka hindi lumalaban sa Kris Aquino na iyan. Kasi baka manalo kapatid niya, ang yabang yabang na niya… Eh what more kung manalo si Noynoy, eh di buong showbiz aapihin niya? Hindi naman tama Pia iyong ganyan.
PG: Tita Anabel
Did Kris Aquino really treat Ruffa Gutierrez like a dog?
AR: Biruin mo kinukuha niya si Ruffa na mangampanya kay Noynoy, WALANG BAYAD, umo-oo na ako. Wala pa akong commission, umo-oo rin ako. Dapat makisama siya kay Ruffa, wala na ngang bayad ang panga-ngampanya inaapi-api pa niya.
PG: Tia Anabelle, ikaw na mismo nagsabi kay Ruffa na umalis ka na sa set?
AR: Ako na nagsabi na umalis ka na diyan. Gusto mo pa rin bang magtrabaho diyan? Hindi. Umalis ka na diyan. Aapihin ka na naman ni Kris Aquino, huwag na!
PG: Tita, your message na lang po kay ruffa, sa ngayon.
AR: Ruffa, alam ko adik ka sa trabaho, pero kung trabaho ka naman tapos ginaganun ganun ka ng mga kasama mo, hindi na tama iyong ganyan. mabuti iyong pinaalis kita diyan, nakinig ka sa nanay mo. Dun sa kabilang stasyon may peace of mind. walang mainggit sa kanya doon, walang mambabara sa kanya doon. Okay na rin iyon pia, hindi na siya babalik sa the buzz.
Here’s the interview of Pia Guanio with Annabel Rama regarding Ruffa Gutierrez walkout from The Buzz.
